Surah Az-Zukhruf 43:26-35 - Quran Translation Commentary

32. Is it they who apportion your Lord’s mercy? ³¹ It is We who have apportioned to them their livelihood in this world,³² exalting some in rank above others, so that the one may take the other into service,³³ and the mercy of your Lord is better than the wealth that they amass.³⁴

33. And for the possibility that all mankind might have become one community, We would have made, for those who deny the Most ! Gracious Lord, the roof of their houses of silver and stairs of silver on which to go up,

34. And for their houses door of silver and couches of silver whereon to recline,

35. And adornments of gold. All this is the provision of the life of this world. And (the life of) the Hereafter with your Lord is for those who fear God.³⁵

Commentary

27. By presenting an event from prophet Ibrahim’s life before the polytheists, they are being told that in following the footprints of their forefathers they were in the wrong as their revered grandfather Prophet Ibrahim had left for them clear cut lessons for worshipping Allah. The example to be followed should be of the messenger of Allah and not of the misguided forefathers. Prophet Ibrahim had not followed the practice of his forefathers and his community, but had expressed his innocence and disconcern f rom their polytheistic and idolatrous beliefs and practices. He had adopted the belief in monotheism on the basis of nature’s calling and sound arguments. This Kalima of monotheism he had left among his children as his legacy, so that if any straying occurs in the society, the people may turn towards this historical kalima. This kalima is considered as his legacy and memorial, because there was a history of sacrifices behind it. He then made history, and it was the effect of this kalima that when idolatry became common among the Arabs, those who were of healthy mind kept themselves away from this objectionable trend, and continued to pray before Allah following the footprints of Prophet Ibrahim. Accordingly the fact of Prophet Muhammad, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, worshipping Allah in the cave of Hira is confirmed.

28. That is: The Arabs were absorbed in the wealth and comforts that Allah had provided to them, caring nothing for their salvation in the Hereafter and forgetting God. For a long period they continued in this condition till one day the Truth appeared. There appeared among them a Divine Messenger, whose having been sent by Allah is quite clear.

29. When Truth appeared through Quran, they saw its impressive effects and declared it to be magic and refused to accept its divinity.

30. By two cities or townships is meant Makkah and Taif . These were central townships. The objection of the polytheists of Makkah was that if Quran were revealed from Allah, it should have been revealed on a rich person from Makkah or Taif; how could a person who was neither rich nor had any important status be suitable for such an honour?

31. This is the answer to their objection. Prophethood is the mercy of Allah. Then the award of this prophethood is the work of Allah or of these people? If it is the work of Allah, then He only knows who is best suitable for prophethood. What right have they to decide who is suitable for this honour?

32. That is: Let alone prophethood, even ‘one’s livelihood is also distributed according to the will of Allah. Whomsoever He wills, He makes him wealthy, and whomsoever He wills, He makes poor. Nobody has the right to object as to why this man has been made wealthy and that man poor. Allah knows best what is good for His slaves, and as His wisdom demands He deals with Them accordingly.

33. There is a difference of ranks between two kinds of people in matters of distribution of livelihood: Some have been provided more resources and others less, some have been born in rich households and received lot of wealth in legacy, while others have been born in poor households and received only poverty, some people have farms which yield very rich harvests while others have no farms at all; some have all resources for trade and commerce, and others have only to take up work as labourers. This difference in ranks has no relation with honour or dishonour, nor on account of this a man’s importance increases or decreases with Allah. Therefore, to judge a prophet’s worth on the basis of his richness or means of livelihood, and because of his poor means of livelihood, to consider him to be unfit for prophethood, is nothing but abject ignorance. When the point about ranks in difference of livelihood came up, its necessity has also been explained that it was necessary so that people may be able to take service from others. If people were given equal ranks and if all of them would have come with equal capability, then they would not have cared for one another and the human society would not have learnt to work on the basis of co-operation. If all were born with Plato’s brain, then all would have Dawatul Quran 391 S. 43 become philosophers. Where from one could get a farmer, trader and house builder? If on the basis of birth all people were rich or all people were poor, then the rich would not have needed any co-operation from the poor and would have had nothing to do with them. Thus in the social order of mankind the spirit of mutual co-operation would have been absent. It does not at all mean that the difference of riches between the masses and classes should not be attempted to be removed, by lawful and justifiable means, and they should be divided in various classes. The clear commands of Quran refute this openly, e.g. the command that (wealth) let not be circulated among your rich people (Surah Hashr 7),similarly the system of legacy and the command for paying Zakat, etc.

34. That is: The wealth which these people are amassing is much less than the wealth with which Allah has blessed you from every aspect, because this wealth (prophethood) is Allah’s special mercy, with which He blesses only His special slaves.

35. Here this doubt is being removed which is created in the superficial minds when they see the disbelievers in comfortable and wealthy conditions. They think that when Allah has made them wealthy, then He surely must have been pleased with them, and in the Hereafter, if it occurs, they will be recipients of all favours. Here this idea is being refuted that Allah is pleased with the wealthy disbelievers by starting that their being wealthy is not the symptom of Allah’s being pleased with them, and that they will be happy in the Hereafter also; whatever is being given to them is limited to this world only. And whatever is being given to them in this world, it is because it would take them far away in their path of misguidance and let them have their fill of the sins, after which they will have no share in the blessings of the next world. With Allah the wealth and comforts of the world are of no value. The uncontrolled way in which the wealth has been given to the disbelievers, in more liberal way than that it would be given to others so much so that they would be able to decorate their houses with silver and gold. In such a case people would have been influenced by the glitter of the precious metals and would have followed the path of disbelief. Every person would have tried to collect riches and the whole mankind would have gathered in the camp of disbelief. It would have been such a trying test that only a very few people would have remained on their sound and healthy nature, and not caring for the riches of the world would have accepted the message of Allah and would have led the life, fearing God. But Allah was merciful to mankind and did not subject it to such a trying test.From this divine statement it becomes automatically clear that Allah provides the provision for comfort and luxuries in abundance and generally grants them more liberally. But these things should not be envied by the people of faith, for these provisions are for a very short life of few days and are mean in value. The blessings of the Hereafter which are the best and everlasting are to be awarded to the God-fearing people only. There are few people among Muslims who have accepted this reality with a clear mind and who. Not caring for the world of jewellery and gold, consider the God-fearing life a thing or good luck for themselves.

He that becomes negligent About the remembrance of the Most Gracious, We assign on to him a satan for his companion. And they surely obstruct them from reaching the path of Allah yet they deem that they are rightly guided. Till when he comes to Us, he says: “Ah! Would that between you and me there were distance of two horizons. 37 What an evil companion!”(Al-Quran)