Surah Maryam 19:66-82 - Quran Translation Commentary

73. When Our clear revelations are recited to them, the unbelievers say to the believers: ‘Which of the two parties (yours and ours) has a better position and company.’

74. And how many generations have We destroyed before them, far richer in equipments and splendour ! ⁹⁹

75. Say: “Those who go astray, the Most Gracious (Rahman) will extend long rope to them ¹⁰⁰ until, when they see what they were promised, whether it be punishment¹⁰¹ or the Hour (of Doomsday), they will know who is worse in position and whose army is weaker.

76. “And Allah increases the guidance¹⁰² of those who follow the right path, and the good deeds that endure are better in the sight of your Lord for reward and better for eventual returns.”¹⁰³

77. Have you seen him who disbelieves in Our revelations and says: I will surely be given wealth, and children. ¹⁰⁴

78. Has he peeped into the Unseen, or has he taken a covenant of Rahman? ¹⁰⁵

79. By no means: We will record what he says and will make his punishment long and terrible.

80. We will inherit what he speaks of and he will come before Us all alone.¹⁰⁶

81. And they have chosen other gods beside Allah so that they may help them.

82. Nay, but they will deny their worship of them, and will become their opponents.¹⁰⁷

Commentary

93. That is: In the extreme condition of disgrace.

94. These will be their high priests, chiefs and leaders, who had been very rebellious against Allah in the world, and had been misleading their community.

95. In the foregoing ayat mention was made of those who were deniers of man’s being raised to life again. In ayah No.68,it has been narrated that they will be gathered round the hell in such a condition that they will be crouching on their knees. Here these deniers are directly addressed and told that not a single one of them will escape the punishment, every disbeliever will inevitably have to go to Hell. Then comforting the Prophet (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) it was stated that this was the definite and certain decision of Allah that the infidels should receive the punishment of Hell, therefore, this decision will be undoubtedly enforced on the Day of Judgement. Here certain points need clarification so that the correct sense of the ayah may be clearly understood : (1) In the first sentence of the ayah: ‘There is none of you that will not approach it’, the address is to the disbelievers, and the second sentence: ‘That it is an absolute decree of your Lord’, the addressee is the Prophet. In one ayah the change of address to two different addressees is in accordance with the beautiful style of Arabic speech. This style has been adopted in the Qur’an at another place also. Accordingly in the Surah Al- An’am, ayah 128 it is stated. “Allah will say” ‘Fire is your home. Abide therein for ever, except him whom Allah wills (to deliver). Verily your Lord is wise, AllKnowing.” In this ayah too the first addressees are the deniers, and in the second sentence the address is to the Prophet ‘Your Lord’. (2) In the text the word ‘Warid’ has been used, which is derived from the word ‘Wurood’. In Arabic this word is used to mean to reach as well as to enter. (See examples in As-Sihah Lil Jauhari, Vol. II, page 549) and in Lisanul Arab, Vol. III, page 457). And in the Qur’an too this word is used in both the meanings. The example of the use with the first meaning is ayah No.23, Surah Qasas: “When he came to the water of Madyan (i.e. reached...)” It is obvious that here the word ‘warada’ means reaching the water and not entering it. And the example of the second meaning is Verse No.99, Surah Anbiya: “If these (idols) had been gods, they would not have entered it” In this ayah the word ‘warad’ has been used to mean entering. On this basis a group of commentators have interpreted that this ayah is addressed to all mankind, and have opined that every man whether an infidel or a God-fearing faithful will have to appear near the Hell. The appearance of the disbelievers will be for entering the Hell, while the appearance of the God-fearing Muslims will be merely for passing over it, and Allah will deliver them or rescue them from it. But this interpretation is not in harmony with the other verse of the Qur’an, for example at one place it is stated: “Verily those to whom Our favour has already been shown before, will be far removed from it. They will not hear the slightest sound thereof, and will abide in that which their souls desire.” —(Surah Al-Anbiya—101-102). They will not be worried on the Day of Resurrection: “The Supreme Terror will not grieve them, and the angels will welcome them, (saying): is your day which you were promised.”’ — (Surah Al-Anbiya —103). And in the ayah No.85 of this very Surah it is stated: “On the Day when We will assemble the Godfearing in the presence of Rahman (Most Gracious) as royal guests.” —(Surah Maryam 85). (3) At various places in the Qur’an it has been narrated that the Hell will be filled with the men and Jinn followers of Satan. Therefore what is stated here is that it is the absolute Decree of the Lord, i.e. already a decided and determined point, which refers to Allah’s decision of filling up the Hell with the disbelievers.

96. The word “thumma” (Then) in Arabic does not only mean then, but it is also used to mean ‘and’ (See An-Nahvul Wafi—Vol. III, p. 578). For example in the foregoing ayah No. 70. it is stated that: “ We are best aware of those most deserving to be burnt therein”. It is obvious that in this ayah the word ‘thumma’ (then) is used to mean ‘and’ or ‘this too’. Therefore in the ayah under reference the word ‘then’ does not connote the order of time but gives simultaneous additional information. It means that when We will cause the disbelievers to be gathered round the hell, at that very time We will save the God-fearing from it.

97. The word used “Nunajji” (We will deliver) does not signify that the God-fearing will first be gathered round the Hell and then they will be delivered or saved from it, but it means that they will be saved from it in such a way that they will be absolutely safe from the punishment of Hell and its suffering. This sense of deliverance is also clear from the ayah No.58 of Surah Hood, in which it is stated : “And We saved them from a Severe punishment.” It is obvious that it does not mean that the punishment or the doom which had descended down on the community of Hood had also afflicted the people of faith and later on God saved them from that suffering. But it means that before the catastrophe struck the town the people of faith were shifted from there and thus they were delivered from the impending doom.

98.That is: For the wrong-doers (polytheists and disbelievers) will have no means of escape from the punishment. In the condition, crouching on their knees, in which they were hurled into the Hell, in the same condition they will be left there for undergoing the everlasting punishment.

99. As compared to the Muslims, the disbelievers had material splendour and comforts, and their meetings attracted good and rich company. They were not only proud of their superiority in these matters but they also thought that they were the favourites of God, or else how could they have received these material comforts. Refuting this wrong assumption of theirs, it is stated that a large number of communities were destroyed before this, though these communities had all the splendour and comforts in the world. Their destruction is the proof of the fact that a community or a nation’s material superiority and progress is not the criterion of that nation’s being favourite of God. If such a nation adopts the path of disbelief, then it cannot escape the divine punishment.

100. That is: Allah’s mercy demands that the misguided people be given a chance to reform. For this reason he does not seize those who are misguided at once, but gives them time to recover.

101. Means punishment in this world.

102. For those who adopt the path of guidance, further avenues of guidance are opened. They are guided to further perform virtuous deeds, and they advance onwards on the path of guidance.

103. For explanation, see Note No.65, Surah Kahf.

104. It does not refer to any particular person, but to any person who denies the Hereafter, and at the same time claims that even if the Hereafter at all occurs, he will get the blessings in the form of wealth and children, as they were recipients of these blessings in this world. The worshippers of materialism always see dreams of splendid future.

Has he peeped into the Unseen, or has he taken a covenant of Rahman? By no means: We will record what he says and will make his punishment long and terrible. We will inherit what he speaks of and he will come before Us all alone. (Al-Quran)

105. That is: On what basis does he hold this idea and present such a claim ? Had he peeped into the Unseen that for him all is well in the Hereafter or whether God has given him a promise that He would always bless him with the favours of wealth and children? If neither of the two suppositions are correct, then what is the guarantee of their bright future?

106. The blessings of wealth and children with which he has been favoured in this temporary life and about whom he claims that he would get them in the future also, are eventually to belong to Allah and on the Day of Resurrection he will have to appear all alone before God.

107. These people have chosen other gods beside Allah so that these deities, being pleased with their worship of them, might help them in the end, ward off all their troubles and deliver them from every difficulty. But all these are their wrong ideas and false beliefs. Today they are not prepared to hear anything against these beliefs, but on the Day of Judgement they will see that their own deities have become their opponents. They would say that they did not know that they were worshipped by them and when were they asked to worship deities other than God. Thus in the gathering of the Day of Judgement instead of helping them, the false deities will become the opponents of their misguided worshippers.