Surah Al-Anbya 21:1-10 - Quran Translation Commentary

3. With hearts preoccupied,³ and the wrongdoers confer in private, saying: “Is this other than a mortal like you ? Will you then go to witchcraft even when you see it ?”⁴

4. He (the messenger) said : “My Lord knows what is spoken in the heaven and on the earth, He hears all and knows all.”⁵

5. Nay, they even said that they were muddled dreams; nay, he has but invented it; nay, he is but a poet.⁶ Let him bring us some signs, as did those (messengers) who were sent before.

6. No city We destroyed before them believed.⁷ Will they then believe ?⁸

7. We never sent before you beings other than men whom We revealed. Ask the people of the Book (Ahlaz Zikr) if you do not know.⁹

8. We had not given them bodies that would not eat food, nor were they immortals.¹⁰

9. Then We fulfilled the promise made to them. So We delivered them and whom We would, and We destroyed the transgressors.

10. (And now) We have sent down a Book wherein is your reminder. Do you not understand?

Commentary

1. By the time of reckoning is meant the hour of Doomsday. When everybody will have to account for his actions before God.

This very concept of accountability creates a sense of responsibility in men, and prompts them to live their lives in accordance with the divine commandments. But in every age people have been careless about this most important reality. and even today billions of men are unaware that they have one day to appear before their Creator to account for their actions in this world, in the very near future. This Quranic statement is such that would bring the intoxicated mankind to its senses, if it is prepared to give a thought to it. But the state of affairs is that the people are not willing to listen to the talk of accountability and the Day of Resurrection. They want to listen to only such talk that adds to their wordly pleasures.

The meaning of the time of reckoning having come near is that mankind has entered its last period on this earth, as the Prophet (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) has stated:

“I and the hour of the Doomsday have been sent together like these two fingers.

“Moreover the hour of reckoning is near inasmuch as there is very little distance of time, and when death comes, man enters the stage of reckoning and from that very moment the process of reward and punishment starts.

2. That is every Quranic Surah that is revealed comes with a new magnificence of admonition and reminding, but these people are So casual in their attitude that let alone getting reminded by it, they ridicule it.

Such a behaviour was not peculiar to the ignorant Arabs, but it is adopted even by today’s intellectuals. They are so casual and non-serious in the matter concerning God and religion COMMENTARY that whenever the talk of Paradise and Hell comes up, they do not fail to pass a cutting remark.

3. This is the real reason of their casual and non-serious behaviour that their hearts and minds are preoccupied with other matters and are neglectful of God and inclined towards the world.

4.That is : There is no stuff in what he presents as revelations, but that is merely a magic of words which impresses the people. Will you then knowingly fall into his trap ?

5.This is the saying of the Prophet, narrated by Allah, and this is in reply to the polytheists.

6.The deniers express different views about the Prophet and the Qur’an. Sometimes they say that it is witchcraft and sometimes they say it is a bundle of muddled dreams. At other times they say that these are invented words and sometimes that the Prophet is a poet and the Qur’an is the flight of his poetic imagination. This gives an idea of the muddled thinking of the deniers themselves. Sometimes when they say a thing, and when that thing does not click, they utter other idea and when that also is found to misfire, they say a third thing, and when even that fails they say a fourth thing. In this way they go on saying one thing or the other, trying to veil the reality.

7. That is: No people of any city embraced the true faith after seeing a tangible miracle.

8.That is: If any perceptible miracle is shown to them through the agency of this Prophet, these people would, not even then embrace the true faith, for this is the way of obdurate people.

9.This has been explained in Notes Nos.64 and 65, Surah Nahl.

10. All the Prophets that were sent ate food. None among them was super human, nor has any one of them lived for ever. The thing which distinguishes a prophet from other mortals is the revelation that came to him from God. This ayah also negates the idea that (Prophet) Khizr will be alive in this world for ever.