Surah Al-Qasas 28:61-75 - Quran Translation Commentary

61. Can he who has received Our gracious promise, and will see it fulfilled,¹¹⁸ be like him to whom We have given the provision of the life of this world and who will be summoned, (for punishment) on the Day of Resurrection?¹¹⁹

62. And on the day when He will call to them, saying: “Where are those whom you claimed to be My partners?”¹²⁰

63. Those on whom Our decree (of punishment) will be justly applicable,¹²¹ will say: “Our Lord! These are the persons whom we misled. We led them astray as we our selves went astray.¹²² We plead innocent before you; ¹²³ it was not us that they worshipped.¹²⁴

64. And it will be said to them: “Invoke ¹²⁵ your (so-called) partners (of Allah).” They will invoke them, and they will give no answer to them ¹²⁶ and they will see the punishment. Were it that they had received right guidance! ¹²⁷

65. And on the day when He will call to them and say: “What answer did you give to the messengers ?”¹²⁸

66. On that day all tidings will be confused for them, nor will they ask one another.¹²⁹

67. So whoever repented, and believed and acted righteously, then it is hoped that he will be one of the successful.¹³⁰

68. Your Lord creates what He will and chooses (what he will). They have no choice whatever.¹³¹ Immaculate is Allah and above all that they associated with Him.¹³²

69. And your Lord knows what their breasts conceal and what they reveal.¹³³

70. And He is Allah; Praise¹³⁴ is His in this world and in the next. For Him is the authority to command¹³⁵, and to Him you will be returned.¹³⁶

71. Say: “Have you thought: if Allah made night everlasting for you till the Day of Resurrection, what other god beside Allah could bring you light? Do you not hear?”

72. Say: “Have you thought: if Allah made day everlasting for you till the Day of Resurrection, what other god beside Allah could bring you night in which you rest? Do you not see?” ¹³⁷

73. And by His mercy He has appointed night and day for you that therein you may find comfort and may seek His bounty, and so that you may be thankful.¹³⁸

74. And on the Day when He will call to them, saying: “Where are those whom you alleged to be My partners ?”

75. And We will take out from every community a witness¹³⁹ and We will say: “Bring your proof.”¹⁴⁰ Then they will know that Allah has the Truth,¹⁴¹ and all that they invented will have failed them.¹⁴²

Commentary

118. Means pious and righteous man of faith who has been promised paradise by Allah.

119. Means disbeliever who will be seized and presented before Allah on the Day of Resurrection, so that he may be punished for his disbelief and transgression.

120. On the Day of Judgment Allah will ask this question to those who have been associating partners to Allah. They had claimed that Divine powers were shared by others also.

121. This will be the reply to the satans in the court of Allah. This decree of Allah will be imposed on those who were the leaders of straying that they deserved curses and they belong to the Hell.

122. The reply from these satans will be that they are not responsible for the straying of these people. They had definitely misled them, but as they themselves went astray of their own accord, so also their followers went astray of their own accord. They had not forced them to go astray and therefore they need not be made to suffer for their straying.

123. That is: They express their dissociation from their followers.

124. In reality they were followers of their self and their desires.

125. After the reply of these satans and the astray leaders given above, the general polytheists will be asked to call for help those who they imagined to be partners of God and whom they considered their helpers and interceders.

126. The imagined gods whom they worshipped had no existence at all to give them any reply.

127. This is an expression of pity on their condition that if they had accepted the guidance, they would not have reached this end. The picture of the consequence of the polytheists has been drawn in the Qur’an for the purpose that people should not think that polytheism and idolatry are ordinary things.

128. This second question will be about the prophethood. Did you accept or not the divine message with which Our messengers came to you, and what was your answer to them.

129. On the Day of Resurrection they will have no argument to offer in support of their denial of prophethood. Therefore, nothing will be clear to them. They will be confused. They will not be able to ask one another anything to enable them to answer this question. The truth of the prophets will have been made clear to them in such a way that there will be no chance for them to put up any excuse.

130. This is to persuade the polytheists and the disbelievers to repent that today they have the opportunity to give up their polytheism and disbelief, and accepting faith can act righteously, and they can then rightly hope to be successful in the Hereafter.

131.That is: Whatever Allah likes He creates. Nobody has any chance to interfere in this process. Similarly He chooses whoever He likes from amongst His creatures to bestow His favours. Accordingly He has chosen sincere men of faith for Paradise. Those who were considered as interceders by the polytheists have no say or power to interfere in this. They are absolutely without any power or authority.

132. The idea that some one has the power to interfere in the affairs of God is absolutely polytheistic. These polytheists nurse such ideas concerning their deities, but Allah’s Being is exalted above all such suppositions that in the matter of His affairs, His decisions and His choice anybody can influence Him or can make Him accept their pleadings.

133. It is a hint at the fact that Allah knows well the mentality behind the polytheism and idolatry which the polytheists and the idolaters have made their declared religions and also the evil passions and motivations behind that mentality.

134. That is: It is only Allah is worthy of praises. His being sung in this world and in the next world, only His praises will be sung.

135. In this universe His command and His judgments are operative, it is only He whose Shariah commands and judgments deserve to be obeyed by men and none of His commands be disobeyed.

136. That is: Ultimately you have to appear before Allah.

137. The system of day and night which has been established on this earth is very helpful in living a comfortable life. If man gets rest in the darkness of night, he utilises day’s light in earning his livelihood. But Man’s condition is amazing. He feels the helpfulness of the environs but he does not care to ponder over the fact that this helpfulness is under a fixed system and the existence of a system and order proves that there is some one who has established this system and order. The Being who has established this system can also change it. If He establishes a system in which there is continuous night without a break, or if He makes it day for the whole time, then of what great facilities man will be deprived, and how much difficult it would be for him! If man ponders on this problem from this angle then he is likely to recognise his Lord and a feeling of gratefulness will be created in his heart, and subsequently he will turn to the message of tawheed which the Prophet and Qur’an are presenting.

Modern man has great geographical knowledge he knows that at the North Pole the night is six-month long and the day is also six-month long. That is why there is so little population that it is as good as nought. As against this in other regions of the world where the days and nights are regular, the population is very thick. Man also knows that the occurrence of day and night is the result of revolution of the earth on its axis. But he is not prepared to ponder over this question which essentially crops up on this occasion, and the question is: Does not the existence of such a perfect system prove that there is a hand of well-thinking administrator, who has kept the earth revolving. If He stops this revolution of the earth, then there will be night on the half-portion of the earth and day on the other half. In such an event who is the other god who will restore the old order. It is obvious that this can be done by Allah only. Then knowing this fact, what is the reason in associating some other being as partner of God ?

And if in this connection these people get some jolts from somewhere then why are they not prepared to listen to the advice of others ?

138. That is: You may find rest and comfort during night and in the daylight you may be able to seek your livelihood, and by benefiting from both the blessings you may become grateful to your Lord.

139. That is: From among every ummah a divine messenger who was sent to them will be brought forth as a witness. At another place in the Qur’an it is stated-

“Then what will be their condition on the Day when We shall bring out from each community a witness, and shall bring you as a witness against these people.” -(Surah An-Nisa -41).

140. That is: If you have any proof in support of polytheism, idolatry and other religions, beside Islam, which you have adopted, then present it.

141.The guidance which Allah had sent with his messengers and through them the word which He had Sent was and is the Truth.

142.Their self-made gods will disappear as also their self-invented religions will be nowhere- all will fail them.