Surah Fatir 35:38-45 - Quran Translation Commentary

39. It is He who has made you (Khalifa)⁷¹ authoritative in the earth. So he who disbelieves, his disbelief will be on his own head⁷². Their disbelief increases for the disbelievers in their Lord’s sight nothing but abhorrence. Their disbelief increases for the disbelievers nothing but loss.

40. Say: “Have you seen your god-partners whom you invoke beside Allah? Show me what thing they have created of the earth, or have they a share in the heavens? Or have We given them a book from which they derive a clear proof? Nay, the evildoers promise” one another only to deceive⁷³.”

41. It is Allah who keeps the heavens and the earth from deviating⁷⁴, and if they were to deviate there is none that would keep them in position after Him⁷⁵. Verily, He is Forbearing, Forgiving ⁷⁶.

42. They solemnly swore by Allah that if a warner came to them, they would accept the guidance more readily than any other community⁷⁷. Yet when a warner came to them, it aroused in them nothing but repugnance.

43. Behaving arrogantly and plotting evil. But evil recoils on those that plot evil.⁷⁸ Do they expect to be treated except like the ancient people⁷⁹? No change will you find in Allah’s tradition, nor will you find Allah’s tradition prone to be averted ⁸⁰.

44. Have they not traveled in the land and seen the fate of those who went before them, (nations) far mightier than they. There is nothing in the heaven and the earth beyond the power of Allah. He is All-Knowing and Mighty.

45. If Allah were to punish men for what they did, then He could not leave a living creature on the surface of the earth. But He reprieves them to an appointed term, and when their turn comes, then Allah will see His slaves (for final reckoning)⁸¹.

Commentary

71. Khalifa means man with power, with authority. Its explanation is given in Note No.95, Surah Noor. It may be noted that in Quran no where man has been termed as Allah’s Khalifa or deputy, but what is stated, is that Allah has made him Khalifa, which means that he is a creature with power, strength, authority, and this power, authority, etc., are created by Allah, they are a trust from Allah. No part of Divine authority is available to him, nor is he a substitute for Allah. A misunderstanding can be created by saying that man is Allah’s deputy or Allah’s khalifa. Therefore, the translation of Khalifa as powerful or with authority is more appropriate and correct, that Allah has made man a creature with power on earth.

72. That is: Whoever will refuse to accept this reality that Allah has made him a creature of authority, and will consider himself independent against this reality, then his position will be that of a rebel and a major guilty person and the responsibility for all this will be on his own head.

73. That is : Have you any documentary proof or logical argument In support of treating those whom you Invoke as partners of God? If yes, then tell us what thing have they created in this earth, or what share have they in the creation of the heavens. If they have no share in the creation of the earth and the heavens, then how can they be gods? If in support of more than one god there is no intellectual or logical argument with you, then have you any divine scripture, in which this has been mentioned? If it is not so, (and it is a fact that there is no intellectual proof or documentary evidence in support of various gods)then their belief is baseless and nothing else. And for remaining attached to this baseless and false belief, you give false hopes to one another, and that it is going to make them finally prosperous is nothing but deceiving one another.

The polytheists of Arabia had no divine book with them, about which they could claim that they had a divine book But the polytheists of India have an ancient religious book, Ved, in which a concept of various deities is found: But Ved do not themselves claim to be divine scripture, nor is there any evidence available of them being a revelation from God, so much so that it is also not known as to who is the author of these books, or who first presented them.

About the Vedas C. Kunhan Raja writes: “In most of the religions, the person who had the revelation, had that revelation imparted by a God, and there may be religions where he received that revelation through personal effort without a God. Even within the scheme of the rituals of the vedas, there is no such original Teacher of the religion and there are no dogmas for belief.” (The Quintessence of the Rigveda P.6). Therefore, the concept of various deities and gods found in the Vedas cannot be presented as a proof.

74. That is. They should remain in the same position in which they were first established or created, the earth should not roll over or the skies should not fall down.

75. If Allah loosens His grip or grasp of the heavens and the earth, there is no one who can keep them in their present position. It means that the earth and the skies are as they are because Allah has kept them so. If He does not want to keep them as such, there is none who can keep them in their position.

76. Hints at the point that the talk of the disbelievers is such that it is likely to attract Allah’s wrath and the equilibrium of the earth and the heavens may go helter skelter. But Allah is tolerant, that is why His wrath does not take its toll immediately, and He grants reprieve and He also forgives Therefore, He grants reprieve even to the disbelievers that they should seek His forgiveness and mend their ways.

77. Before the advent of the Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam the polytheists of Makkah used to see the Jews and the Christians and say that if any prophet came to them, they would show them that they would be better guided and more virtuous than them.

Have they not traveled in the land and seen the fate of those who went before them, (nations) far mightier than they. There is nothing in the heaven and the earth beyond the power of Allah. He is All-Knowing and Mighty. (Al-Quran)

78. The conspiracies hatched against the true religion and the messenger of Allah will recoil on the plotters themselves, and the world has seen how the plots and schemes against the Arabian Prophet, Muhammad, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, failed miserably. This was their fate in this world. In the next world they will get the most horrifying treatment.

79. Do they want that the adverse consequence of the ancient nations which lived before them should also be theirs on account of their refusing to accept their messengers?

80. The tradition, the rule of Allah, is that He destroys the people who deny His messengers, in this world, and it is an inevitable tradition. No concession is given to any nation in the matter of enforcing this tradition. Every denying nation had met this fate. Therefore, the fate of the nation who will deny the Prophet of the Quran will be the same. There cannot be any change in this tradition of Allah, nor can the punishment that follows the enforcement of this tradition be averted.

For further explanation, please see Surah Bani Israil, Note No. 107

81. This is the answer to the doubt of the deniers that if they were misguided then why they are not being punished. It is said that if Allah were to punish people immediately on their sins, then the human race would have been destroyed, for there is no man who has not committed any sin during his life time But Allah gives a chance to every one to reform, so much so that He gives reprieve even to the misguided nations, so that they may reform themselves. When this time of reprieve would be over, then the time of decision for judgment will come, then Allah will see what His slaves have done, and what treatment should be given to them. There is a great warning for the misguided and the evil doing people that they should not think that Allah will not ever seize them.