Surah 72. Al-Jinn

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Verses [Section]: 1-19[1], 20-28 [2]

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Quran Text of Verse 20-28قُلْSayاِنَّمَاۤOnlyاَدْعُوْاI call uponرَبِّیْmy Lordوَ لَاۤand notاُشْرِكُI associateبِهٖۤwith Himاَحَدًا anyone قُلْSayاِنِّیْIndeed Iلَاۤ(do) notاَمْلِكُpossessلَكُمْfor youضَرًّاany harmوَّ لَاand notرَشَدًا right path قُلْSayاِنِّیْIndeed Iلَنْneverیُّجِیْرَنِیْcan protect meمِنَfromاللّٰهِAllahاَحَدٌ ۙ۬anyoneوَّ لَنْand neverاَجِدَcan I findمِنْfromدُوْنِهٖbesides Himمُلْتَحَدًاۙany refuge اِلَّاButبَلٰغًا(the) notificationمِّنَfromاللّٰهِAllahوَ رِسٰلٰتِهٖ ؕand His Messagesوَ مَنْAnd whoeverیَّعْصِdisobeysاللّٰهَAllahوَ رَسُوْلَهٗand His Messengerفَاِنَّthen indeedلَهٗfor himنَارَ(is the) Fireجَهَنَّمَ(of) Hellخٰلِدِیْنَ(they will) abideفِیْهَاۤthereinاَبَدًاؕforever حَتّٰۤیUntilاِذَاwhenرَاَوْاthey seeمَاwhatیُوْعَدُوْنَthey are promisedفَسَیَعْلَمُوْنَthen they will knowمَنْwhoاَضْعَفُ(is) weakerنَاصِرًا(in) helpersوَّ اَقَلُّand fewerعَدَدًا (in) number قُلْSayاِنْNotاَدْرِیْۤI knowاَقَرِیْبٌwhether is nearمَّاwhatتُوْعَدُوْنَyou are promisedاَمْor (whether)یَجْعَلُwill appointلَهٗfor itرَبِّیْۤmy Lordاَمَدًا a (distant) term عٰلِمُ(The) All-Knowerالْغَیْبِ(of) the unseenفَلَاso notیُظْهِرُHe revealsعَلٰیfromغَیْبِهٖۤHis unseenاَحَدًاۙ(to) anyone اِلَّاExceptمَنِwhomارْتَضٰیHe has approvedمِنْofرَّسُوْلٍa Messengerفَاِنَّهٗand indeed, Heیَسْلُكُmakes to marchمِنْۢfromبَیْنِbeforeیَدَیْهِhimوَ مِنْand fromخَلْفِهٖbehind himرَصَدًاۙa guard لِّیَعْلَمَThat He may make evidentاَنْthatقَدْindeedاَبْلَغُوْاthey have conveyedرِسٰلٰتِ(the) Messagesرَبِّهِمْ(of) their Lord;وَ اَحَاطَand He has encompassedبِمَاwhatلَدَیْهِمْ(is) with themوَ اَحْصٰیand He takes accountكُلَّ(of) allشَیْءٍthingsعَدَدًا۠(in) number

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Translation of Verse 20-28

20. Say: I invoke my Lord alone and associate none with him.

21. Say: It is not in my power to cause you harm or to bring you to right path.²⁵

22. Say: None can protect me from Allah, nor will I find any refuge beside Him.²⁶

23. My mission is only to convey Allah’s Word and His Messages ²⁷ and who ever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he shall have the fire of Hell wherein he will abide forever. ²⁸

24. Until when they see that which they are promised, they will realise whose helpers are weak and whose assembly is less in number.²⁹

25. Say: I do not know whether that which is being promised to you is near or my Lord will defer it for a time. ³⁰

26. HE alone is the Knower of the unseen and HE reveals His secrets to none.

27. Except to a messenger whom HE has chosen³¹ then He causes to march before him and behind him a guard.³²

28. That HE may see that they have conveyed His Messages ³³ and HE has surrounded all their affairs and HE has kept a count of every thing.³⁴

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Commentary

25. This is an instruction to the Holy Prophet: He may say to them that causing any profit or any loss or giving guidance or leading astray all is in the power of Allah. I do not possess any of these powers.

26. That is, I myself am fearing God and am afraid that if I disobey Him no one will be able to save me from His wrath and I will not find any refuge. When, despite being the Messenger of God I am fearful of Him how have you become fearless?!

27. It is not in the power of the prophet to give Guidance to anyone, But what he has been entrusted with is that whatever thing or whatever message be from God, he should convey it to the people, Thereafter it is the responsibility of the people themselves to accept it.

‘Balagh’ (to convey) is a general term. Whatever may be from God be conveyed and’ Risalat, (Messages) is a particular term meaning the Word of God.

28. Means those who will not accept the Messages brought by the Prophet and will not obey God and His Prophet will taste the eternal torment of Hell forever.

29. The polytheists of Makkah are proud of their powerful (in their opinion) helpers. They think their assembly is big; that, in opposition to them, the helpers of the prophet are both weak and less in number. But when God’s torment will fall on them these polytheists will realise that the truth was quite contrary to it; that now they do not have any helper, what to talk of their assembly!

30. That is, the worldly punishment promised to you (for disobeying the holy prophet) will certainly fall on you. Now, when this promise will be fulfilled, is known only to Allah. I do not know whether it is near or it is yet to take time.

For further explanation please see Surah Yunus, note:75.

31. Whatever unseen things the Prophet requires to know for fulfilling his prophetic mission are being disclosed to him by God. Beyond that, even the Messenger has no knowledge of the unseen (ghaib). So he does not know exactly when his enemies will be punished nor does he know when Resurrection will occur.

The extent to which a prophet is endowed with the knowledge of the unseen becomes clear from this ayah. Yet a section of Muslims has, by going too far in exaggeration, initiated arguments regarding the knowledge of the unseen possessed by the prophet, as if he had full knowledge of all the parts and the wholes of everything and that he is present everywhere (Haazir) and seeing everything (Naazir); that he hears the complaint or call of everyone and that he is aware of each and every condition of people, be it open or closed. They argue that such knowledge of the unseen was ‘Wahabi’ (bestowed by God). As if God had given away His godhood to him! What a polytheistic idea! Yet this thinking harms the least their belief in the Oneness of God.

32. Means HE appoints guardian angels in front and behind the Messenger so that the matters of the unseen (messages) may reach him properly and the devil may not be able to interfere in it.

33. And such extraordinary arrangements are being made so that the prophet may convey God’s messages to the people as they are. It means that whatever of the unseen is being conveyed to the prophet is being made absolutely safe by such arrangements so that he may be able to preserve them in his heart and shaitan may not be able to cast any doubts about them and the Messenger may convey them perfectly to people. By such provisions God wants to see that the prophet has conveyed HIS messages properly to the people.

34. That is, Allah is well aware of the condition of the prophets. HE keeps count of every thing. Hence there is no probability at all of any change being effected in HIS Word. If it so happens, HE will at once, catch hold of him. So the people should rest assured that whatever the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) says is exactly the Word of God which they must believe as TRUTH with complete trust and confidence and obey the prophet in every way.