Surah 40. Ghafir

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Verses [Section]: 1-9[1], 10-20 [2], 21-27 [3], 28-37 [4], 38-50 [5], 51-60 [6], 61-68 [7], 69-78 [8], 79-85 [9]

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Quran Text of Verse 69-78اَلَمْDo notتَرَyou seeاِلَی[to]الَّذِیْنَthose whoیُجَادِلُوْنَdisputeفِیْۤconcerningاٰیٰتِ(the) Signsاللّٰهِ ؕ(of) AllahاَنّٰیHowیُصْرَفُوْنَthey are turned away الَّذِیْنَThose whoكَذَّبُوْاdenyبِالْكِتٰبِthe Bookوَ بِمَاۤand with whatاَرْسَلْنَاWe sentبِهٖwith itرُسُلَنَا ۛ۫Our Messengersفَسَوْفَbut soonیَعْلَمُوْنَۙthey will know اِذِWhenالْاَغْلٰلُthe iron collarsفِیْۤ(will be) aroundاَعْنَاقِهِمْtheir necksوَ السَّلٰسِلُ ؕand the chainsیُسْحَبُوْنَۙthey will be dragged فِیInالْحَمِیْمِ ۙ۬the boiling waterثُمَّthenفِیinالنَّارِthe Fireیُسْجَرُوْنَۚthey will be burned ثُمَّThenقِیْلَit will be saidلَهُمْto themاَیْنَWhereمَا(is) that whichكُنْتُمْyou used (to)تُشْرِكُوْنَۙassociate مِنْOther thanدُوْنِOther thanاللّٰهِ ؕAllahقَالُوْاThey will sayضَلُّوْاThey have departedعَنَّاfrom usبَلْNayلَّمْNotنَكُنْwe usedنَّدْعُوْا[we] (to) callمِنْbeforeقَبْلُbeforeشَیْـًٔا ؕanythingكَذٰلِكَThusیُضِلُّAllah lets go astrayاللّٰهُAllah lets go astrayالْكٰفِرِیْنَ the disbelievers ذٰلِكُمْThat wasبِمَاbecauseكُنْتُمْyou used (to)تَفْرَحُوْنَrejoiceفِیinالْاَرْضِthe earthبِغَیْرِwithoutالْحَقِّrightوَ بِمَاand becauseكُنْتُمْyou used (to)تَمْرَحُوْنَۚbe insolent اُدْخُلُوْۤاEnterاَبْوَابَ(the) gatesجَهَنَّمَ(of) Hellخٰلِدِیْنَ(to) abide foreverفِیْهَا ۚin itفَبِئْسَand wretched isمَثْوَی(the) abodeالْمُتَكَبِّرِیْنَ (of) the arrogant فَاصْبِرْSo be patientاِنَّindeedوَعْدَ(the) Promiseاللّٰهِ(of) Allahحَقٌّ ۚ(is) trueفَاِمَّاAnd whetherنُرِیَنَّكَWe show youبَعْضَsomeالَّذِیْ(of) whatنَعِدُهُمْWe have promised themاَوْorنَتَوَفَّیَنَّكَWe cause you to dieفَاِلَیْنَاthen to Usیُرْجَعُوْنَ they will be returned 40. Ghafir Page 476وَ لَقَدْAnd certainlyاَرْسَلْنَاWe have sentرُسُلًاMessengersمِّنْbefore youقَبْلِكَbefore youمِنْهُمْAmong themمَّنْ(are) someقَصَصْنَاWe have relatedعَلَیْكَto youوَ مِنْهُمْand among themمَّنْ(are) someلَّمْnotنَقْصُصْWe have relatedعَلَیْكَ ؕto youوَ مَاAnd notكَانَisلِرَسُوْلٍfor any Messengerاَنْthatیَّاْتِیَhe bringsبِاٰیَةٍa Signاِلَّاexceptبِاِذْنِby (the) permissionاللّٰهِ ۚ(of) AllahفَاِذَاSo whenجَآءَcomesاَمْرُ(the) Commandاللّٰهِ(of) Allahقُضِیَit will be decidedبِالْحَقِّin truthوَ خَسِرَand will loseهُنَالِكَthereالْمُبْطِلُوْنَ۠the falsifiers

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Translation of Verse 69-78

69. Did you not see those who dispute ¹⁰³ concerning the revelations of Allah, how they are turning away?¹⁰⁴

70. Those who denied the Book and the message with which We sent Our messengers ¹⁰⁵ Soon they will know.¹⁰⁶

71. When ¹⁰⁷ shackles (yoke) will be round their necks, and also chains (with which) they will be dragged.

72. Through boiling water; and then they will be thrown into the Fire.

73. They will then be asked: “Where are those whom you set up as gods.

74. “Besides Allah?” They will reply: “They have failed us. We used not to pray to any thing before.¹⁰⁸ Thus Allah will let the disbelievers go astray.¹⁰⁹

75. This is because you exulted in the earth without right,¹¹⁰ and because you led wanton life.

76. Enter the gates of Hell and stay therein for ever. Evil is the home of the arrogant!

77. So Have patience, (O Prophet !). Allah’s promise is true; ¹¹¹ whether We let you witness a part of that (punishment) with which We promise them or cause you to die before it is fulfilled, to Us they will all return.¹¹²

78. (O Prophet ! ) We had sent other messengers before you; of some We have already narrated the chronicle to you, of others We have told you nothing.¹¹³ It was not for any messenger to bring a sing (miracle)except by Allah’s leave.¹¹⁴ When Allah’s commandment ¹¹⁵ comes, the judgment will be delivered; and the followers of venity will be lost.

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Commentary

103. They raise undue objections and initiate unnecessary discussions concerning Allah’s revelations.

104. That is: They are completely under the magic spell of Satan. He has turned them away from the right path and is making them go astray.

105. Those teachings which the Divine messengers had brought with them.

106. That is: That time is not far off when they will realise that what they had denied was the very truth.

107. Means the Doomsday.

108. That is: Those whose names we were reciting and whom we were invoking for relieving us of our troubles had no godly existence. Then they will become nonplussed and will deny that they were not invoking these false gods. Thus they will express total unconcern with their gods.

109. That is: Will let them go astray having been perplexed.

110. Such a severe punishment is being given to you because when such good things of life were available to you in the world by the grace of God, instead of giving Him thanks you exulted and felt proud, and opposed truth, although you should have bowed down before Him.

111. That is: Allah’s promise that the nation which will deny the Divine messenger will ultimately be destroyed.

112. For explanation please see Surah Yunus Note No.75.

It may be noted that a large number of members of the Prophet’s nation gradually accepted his faith, and for this reason no punishment of this kind descended on it, as was done in the case of the past nations, but the disbelievers in Arabia were made to bite the dust at the sword wielding hands of the Muslims.

113. In the Quran the names of the Prophets which have been mentioned clearly are: Adam, Nooh, Hood, Saleh, Idris, Ibrahim, Loot, Ismail, Ishaq, Yaqoob, Yusuf, Ayoob, Shuaib, Moosa, Haroon, Yunus, Dawood, Sulaiman, Ilyas, Alyasa, Dhul-Kifl, Zakaria, Yahya, Eesa, Muhammad (Peace be upon them all). Of these prophets, many of them are Rasool (messengers). Compared to a prophet, a Rasool has a speciality. He is sent to a nation or community with a message, while a prophet receives revelations but is assigned some specific work, for example Prophet Adam was a prophet, whose task was to guide his own children, for at that time no nation was brought into existence to whom he could be sent as a messenger. Similarly Khidhr, whose name is not given in the Quran, but hadith mentions it had the specific prophetic task of lifting the veil from certain mysteries in the world for another prophet. It may be borne in mind that every messenger is a prophet, but every prophet is not a messenger as is understood in the Islamic terminology.

Mostly Quran has mentioned the names of those prophets who had their own histories, and for conveying the message convincingly narration of their cases only would have been useful. But Quran clarifies that besides them also other prophets were sent, who came in different countries in different times. It is necessary to have faith in all these prophets. As for their number, no specific number has been mentioned in the Quran nor in any authentic hadith. In those traditions in which the number of the prophets has been mentioned, they have not satisfied the searching investigation for authenticity. The well known hadith in this connection is reported to have been narrated by Abu Zar (R), which Ibn Mardaviyah has reported in his Tafseer, that the Prophet, S.A.W., has stated that there were in all one lakh twenty-four thousand prophets, out of which three hundred and thirteen were messengers (Rasool). But one of the narrators of this hadith is Ibrahim bin Hasham, about whom well known critics have expressed their doubts, and Ibn Jozi has listed it among the invented traditions. (See Tafseer Ibn Katheer Vol.1. page 586).

114. Here ayah (sign) means miracle, and to work a miracle or perform a miracle is not within the power of a prophet. When Allah’s wisdom demands, He causes some miracle to be performed by a prophet.

115. Here commandment means the final decree or judgment. Dawatul Quran 315 S. 40