Surah Ibrahim 14:42-52 - Quran Translation Commentary

(14:44) So warn the people of a Day when the punishment comes on them. Then will the transgressors plead, ‘Our Lord! Grant us respite for a short term, we shall answer your call and follow the Messengers.’ (They will be answered), ‘Were you not swearing aforetime that you will not have to move?⁸³

(14:45) And you dwelt in the dwelling-places of those who wronged themselves and it was obvious to you how We dealt with them,⁸⁴ and We struck for you similitudes.’

(14:46) And they plotted their plot,⁸⁵ and with Allah are (recorded) their plots,⁸⁶ though their plot was such that the mountains could move thereby.⁸⁷

(14:47) Never imagine that Allah will fail in His promise to His Messengers. Surely, Allah is All-mighty, Lord of Retribution.⁸⁸

(14:48) The Day when the earth will be replaced by another earth,⁸⁹ and the heavens (as well).⁹⁰ And they will sally forth unto Allah, the One, the Subduer.

(14:49) And you will see the criminals that day, bound together in chains.⁹¹

(14:50) Their garments from tar⁹² and their faces covered by the Fire.

(14:51) That Allah may requite each soul for what it earned. Surely, Allah is swift at reckoning.

(14:52) This is a message for the mankind that they may be warned thereby, and they realize that He is indeed One God, and so that the men of understanding take heed.⁹³

Commentary

81. We have adopted one of the several connotations expressed by the earliest scholars. A second connotation contained in “muhti`” is that of someone staring hard ahead, not diverting the sight for a moment. A third is to bend one’s head down. Classical poets, as quoted by Ibn Jarir and others, have used the term in all these senses.

However, the sense in this context seems to be that of a people rushing onward with their heads raised, looking upward towards the heaven in fearful apprehension (Shawkani).

True believers however, would be free from any fear. The Qur’an said about them (21: 103),

{لَا يَحْزُنُهُمُ الْفَزَعُ الْأَكْبَرُ وَتَتَلَقَّاهُمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ هَذَا يَوْمُكُمُ الَّذِي كُنْتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ} [الأنبياء: 103]

“They will not be grieved by the great fear. Rather, angels will meet with them (saying), ‘This is your day which you had been promised.’”

82. The “shukhus” (rendered as fixed stare), allegorically expresses a stare filled with fear and horror. But it does not express continuance, or permanence. The purport of the latter part of the verse is to impress that the fear and horror will not cease to be the fate of the people. They will keep staring ahead in horror, their gaze not returning back (Razi).

In fact, the term “tarf” is for the eyelid, meaning, eye-lids will not move, implying that the eyes would be staring hard ahead (Alusi).

83. That is, you were sure that you will not move from the material world to the Next (Mujahid: Ibn Jarir, Razi, Ibn Kathir and others)... “a reference to many people’s refusal, often mentioned in the Qur’an, to believe in life after death and, hence, in God’s ultimate judgment” (Asad).

Although most of the classical commentators have expressed the meaning as we have adopted above, another possible meaning (Alusi and others) is, “You deemed that you will not face material decline.”

Qurtubi and Alusi quote Ka`b al-Qurazi that the dwellers of Hell-fire will ask Allah on five occasions. He will answer them on four occasions. When He would have answered them on the fifth occasion, they will ask no more. They will say (40: 11),

قَالُوا رَبَّنَا أَمَتَّنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ وَأَحْيَيْتَنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ فَاعْتَرَفْنَا بِذُنُوبِنَا فَهَلْ إِلَى خُرُوجٍ مِنْ سَبِيلٍ [غافر : 11]

“O our Lord! You gave us death twice and brought us to life twice. Now, we admit our sins. So, is there a way out?”

He will answer (40: 12),

ذَلِكُمْ بِأَنَّهُ إِذَا دُعِيَ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ كَفَرْتُمْ وَإِنْ يُشْرَكْ بِهِ تُؤْمِنُوا فَالْحُكْمُ لِلَّهِ الْعَلِيِّ الْكَبِيرِ [غافر : 12]

“That, because when you were invited to Allah alone, you disbelieved. But if He was associated with, you believed. So the judgment is for the Most High, the Great.”

Then they will ask (32: 12),

رَبَّنَا أَبْصَرْنَا وَسَمِعْنَا فَارْجِعْنَا نَعْمَلْ صَالِحًا إِنَّا مُوقِنُونَ [السجدة : 12]

“O our Lord! We have seen and heard. So send us back so that we can attempt righteous deeds, we are now believers.”

He will answer (32: 14),

فَذُوقُوا بِمَا نَسِيتُمْ لِقَاءَ يَوْمِكُمْ هَذَا إِنَّا نَسِينَاكُمْ وَذُوقُوا عَذَابَ الْخُلْدِ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ [السجدة : 14]

“Taste then because you forgot this day’s meeting. We have also forgotten you. Taste the everlasting punishment for what you were doing.”

Then they will ask (14: 44),

رَبَّنَا أَخِّرْنَا إِلَى أَجَلٍ قَرِيبٍ نُجِبْ دَعْوَتَكَ وَنَتَّبِعِ الرُّسُلَ [إبراهيم : 44]

“O our Lord! Defer us to a near term. We shall respond to Your call and follow the Messengers.”

They will be told (14: 44),

أَوَلَمْ تَكُونُوا أَقْسَمْتُمْ مِنْ قَبْلُ مَا لَكُمْ مِنْ زَوَالٍ [إبراهيم : 44]

“Were you not the ones who swore aforetime that you will not have to move?”

Then they will ask (35: 37),

رَبَّنَا أَخْرِجْنَا نَعْمَلْ صَالِحًا غَيْرَ الَّذِي كُنَّا نَعْمَلُ [فاطر : 37]

“O our Lord! Remove us (from here) so that we can do righteous deeds, other than what we were doing.”

Allah will answer them (35: 37),

أَوَلَمْ نُعَمِّرْكُمْ مَا يَتَذَكَّرُ فِيهِ مَنْ تَذَكَّرَ وَجَاءَكُمُ النَّذِيرُ فَذُوقُوا فَمَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ مِنْ نَصِيرٍ [فاطر : 37]

“Did we not lengthen your life therein, that he might remember who wished to remember; and a warner came to you, so, taste (the punishment), there is no helper for the wrongdoers.”

They will say in reply (23: 106),

قَالُوا رَبَّنَا غَلَبَتْ عَلَيْنَا شِقْوَتُنَا وَكُنَّا قَوْمًا ضَالِّينَ [المؤمنون : 106]

“O our Lord! Our wretchedness got the better of us. We were a misguided people.”

Allah will reply (23: 108),

قَالَ اخْسَئُوا فِيهَا وَلَا تُكَلِّمُونِ [المؤمنون : 108]

“Remain despised therein, and do not speak to Me (any further).”

Thereafter, they will never address Him again, but only howl and bark at each other. The lid will be laid over their heads and sealed.

84. “That is, ‘you lived on the same earth, and in basically the same human environment, as those earlier generations who offended against all ethical values and thereby brought destruction upon themselves: hence, their tragic fate should have been a warning to you.’” (Asad).

85. There can be several interpretations. Ibn Jarir thinks the allusion is to the blasphemous beliefs of the unbelievers.

Mawdudi relates it with the past and the present: “... the nations of the past resorted to all sorts of contriving to evade the consequences of having denied God’s laws and to defeating the mission of God’s Messengers. But it is well known that just one move from God checkmated them. Despite this, the unbelievers have not ceased their contriving, fancying that their efforts will ultimately meet with success.”

86. That is, their plots are recorded with Allah.

87. One of the two interpretations considers the article “in” of the text as negative which renders the meaning as, “though their plot was not such as that would move the mountains.” This is how Ibn `Abbas, Hasan and Mujahid understood this passage (Ibn Jarir).

The translation here however, follows the understanding of `Umar ibn al-Khattab, `Ali, `Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, Ubayy b. Ka`b and others as reported in Ibn Kathir. In fact, according to them “in kana” is actually “in kada” which supports the meaning as we have adopted.

Some of the Salaf have said that the reference is to the story of a former king who used hawks to lift him off the ground and fly for a while in the air. That almost shook the mountains. But, since such a feat is impossible to achieve, we have dropped it (Au.).

Ibn Mas`ud, Dahhak and Qatadah have said that the purport of the verse is the same as another which said (19: 90), “And they said, `Allah has taken a son.’ Surely, you have come up with an atrocious thing.”

88. Majid comments: “The God of Islam is not an abstraction, an impersonal and inert something. He is a living Personality, Just, Awful, Awarder of punishment to the guilty.”

89. Ibn Mas`ud, Anas b. Malik, Mujahid and others have said that the new earth will be white, smooth, as if made of silver, on which no blood would have been shed and no sin committed. (This however is not a hadith. A hadith says something slightly different: Au.). The Prophet (saws) said, “On the day of Judgment, mankind will be gathered together on a white flat earth, like the wheat bread.” (The version in the Sahihayn ends with words, “with no recognizable features of any sort”: Ibn Kathir). However, there have been other opinions too. And a hadith reported by `A'isha says that she asked the Prophet, “When the earth is replaced by another, where will the people be?” He answered, “On the Bridge laid over Hell-fire” (Ibn Jarir). The report is in Bukhari. And, according to other reports, “when the earth will be stretched flat, with no ups and downs; then a cry will awaken men and there they will be, on the new earth” (Ibn Kathir).

In this context another hadith could be quoted here. It is in Muslim reported by Thawban, the freed slave of the Prophet. He said,

كُنْتُ قَائِمًا عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- فَجَاءَ حَبْرٌ مِنْ أَحْبَارِ الْيَهُودِ فَقَالَ السَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ. فَدَفَعْتُهُ دَفْعَةً كَادَ يُصْرَعُ مِنْهَا فَقَالَ لِمَ تَدْفَعُنِى فَقُلْتُ أَلاَ تَقُولُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ. فَقَالَ الْيَهُودِىُّ إِنَّمَا نَدْعُوهُ بِاسْمِهِ الَّذِى سَمَّاهُ بِهِ أَهْلُهُ. فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- « إِنَّ اسْمِى مُحَمَّدٌ الَّذِى سَمَّانِى بِهِ أَهْلِى ». فَقَالَ الْيَهُودِىُّ جِئْتُ أَسْأَلُكَ. فَقَالَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- « أَيَنْفَعُكَ شَىْءٌ إِنْ حَدَّثْتُكَ ». قَالَ أَسْمَعُ بِأُذُنَىَّ فَنَكَتَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- بِعُودٍ مَعَهُ. فَقَالَ « سَلْ ». فَقَالَ الْيَهُودِىُّ أَيْنَ يَكُونُ النَّاسُ يَوْمَ تُبَدَّلُ الأَرْضُ غَيْرَ الأَرْضِ وَالسَّمَوَاتُ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- « هُمْ فِى الظُّلْمَةِ دُونَ الْجِسْرِ ». قَالَ فَمَنْ أَوَّلُ النَّاسِ إِجَازَةً قَالَ « فُقَرَاءُ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ ». قَالَ الْيَهُودِىُّ فَمَا تُحْفَتُهُمْ حِينَ يَدْخُلُونَ الْجَنَّةَ قَالَ « زِيَادَةُ كَبِدِ النُّونِ » قَالَ فَمَا غِذَاؤُهُمْ عَلَى إِثْرِهَا قَالَ « يُنْحَرُ لَهُمْ ثَوْرُ الْجَنَّةِ الَّذِى كَانَ يَأْكُلُ مِنْ أَطْرَافِهَا.

قَالَ فَمَا شَرَابُهُمْ عَلَيْهِ قَالَ « مِنْ عَيْنٍ فِيهَا تُسَمَّى سَلْسَبِيلاً ». قَالَ صَدَقْتَ. قَالَ وَجِئْتُ أَسْأَلُكَ عَنْ شَىْءٍ لاَ يَعْلَمُهُ أَحَدٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الأَرْضِ إِلاَّ نَبِىٌّ أَوْ رَجُلٌ أَوْ رَجُلاَنِ. قَالَ « يَنْفَعُكَ إِنْ حَدَّثْتُكَ ». قَالَ أَسْمَعُ بِأُذُنَىَّ.

قَالَ جِئْتُ أَسْأَلُكَ عَنِ الْوَلَدِ قَالَ « مَاءُ الرَّجُلِ أَبْيَضُ وَمَاءُ الْمَرْأَةِ أَصْفَرُ فَإِذَا اجْتَمَعَا فَعَلاَ مَنِىُّ الرَّجُلِ مَنِىَّ الْمَرْأَةِ أَذْكَرَا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَإِذَا عَلاَ مَنِىُّ الْمَرْأَةِ مَنِىَّ الرَّجُلِ آنَثَا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ ». قَالَ الْيَهُودِىُّ لَقَدْ صَدَقْتَ وَإِنَّكَ لَنَبِىٌّ ثُمَّ انْصَرَفَ فَذَهَبَ. فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- « لَقَدْ سَأَلَنِى هَذَا عَنِ الَّذِى سَأَلَنِى عَنْهُ وَمَا لِى عِلْمٌ بِشَىْءٍ مِنْهُ حَتَّى أَتَانِىَ اللَّهُ بِهِ.

“I was standing with the Prophet when one of the Jewish rabbis came up. He said, ‘Peace be upon you, O Muhammad.’ I pushed the man so hard he almost fell down. He asked, ‘Why did you do that?’ I said, ‘Why did you not address him as the Messenger of Allah?’ He said, ‘I addressed him by the name that his family gave him.’ The Prophet (saws) interrupted, ‘Indeed, the name as given to me by my family is Muhammad.’ The Jew said, ‘I have come to ask you a few things.’ The Prophet asked, ‘Will it be of any profit to you if I spoke to you?’ He replied, 'I’ll hear it with my ears.’ (For a while) the Prophet scratched the ground with a stick he had in his hand and then said, 'Ask.’ He asked, ‘Where will the people be when the earth will be changed for another?’ He replied, ‘They will be in a dark area a little away from the Bridge.’ He asked, ‘Who will be the first to cross it?’ He replied, ‘The poor Immigrants.’ He asked, ‘What will they be gifted with as they enter Paradise?’ He replied, ‘The appendage of fish liver.’ The Jew asked, ‘What will they eat therein?’ The Prophet replied, ‘A Paradise oxen that used to feed around it would be slaughtered for them.’ He asked, ‘What will they drink over it?’ He replied, ‘From a spring called Salsabila.’ The man remarked, ‘You spoke the truth.’ Then he said, ‘I have come to ask you something that no one has the true answer for except for a Prophet, or one or two other persons.’ The Prophet asked, ‘Will it be of any profit to you if I gave the answer?’ He replied, ‘I will hear with my ears.’ Then he asked, 'I have come to ask you about the child.’ The Prophet said, 'A man’s liquid is white. That of the woman is yellowish. When they combine, then, if the man’s overcomes the woman’s, the child is a male by Allah’s leave. But if the woman’s overcomes that of man, the child is a female by Allah’s leave.’ The Jew said, ‘You spoke the truth, and you are indeed a Prophet.’ Then he went away. After he was gone, the Prophet said, 'I had no answers to the questions the man asked until Allah provided these to me” (Ibn Kathir).

It might be noted however, Shabbir points out, that a study of other verses reveals that the earth and the heavens will undergo several changes before the Day of Judgment.

90. Asad writes: “This is an allusion to the total, cataclysmic change, on the Last Day, of all natural phenomena, and thus of the universe as known to man.. Since that change will be beyond anything that man has ever experienced or what the humans mind can conceive, all the Qur’anic descriptions - in the next two verses as well as in many other places - of what is to happen on that Last Day are, of necessity, expressed in allegorical terms.”

91. Two implications have been noticed: one, sinners will be bound with fetters, two, several of them will be bound together and, three, each of them will be bound to the accompanying devil (Ibn Jarir, Razi, Ibn Kathir and others).

92. In classical times “qatiran” was liquid pitch (now made from tar and turpentine but in earlier times from herbs and oil) that the Arabs used for rubbing on camels as a treatment against parasites. Ibn `Abbas and Qatadah have however interpreted “qatiran” as (liquid) brass. Some others have separated “qatirun” and “an” treating them as two words - where “qatirun” is brass and “an” (anything) heated to the highest degree, such as, e.g., in another usage of the word “an” (55: 44):

يَطُوفُونَ بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَ حَمِيمٍ آنٍ [الرحمن : 44]

“They shall move between it and between extremely hot water.”

(Ibn Jarir and others).

93. Sayyid has a long comment which we summarize here: “It should be obvious that it is not merely the knowledge (of Allah’s oneness) that has been meant here. The objective is the establishment of a life with this piece of fact as its basis. Allah has to be accepted as the true Lord: One who commands, who owns, who sustains, who is worth addressing prayers to, and who alone dictates the rules that are to be followed in life. A life which has this principle as the basis will be completely different from a life that is established on the basis of the lordship of some men over others. The Islamic life covers every aspect and circumscribes every activity of the human life: faith, beliefs, ideologies, rituals of worship, everyday conduct, customs, practices, values, as well as political, economic and social principles. In short, this primary principle (of Allah’s Oneness) influences the entire life: of the individual as well as of the community and state.

“The idols that Ibrahim sought to save his offspring from worshiping, were not those simple figures or statuettes that were then fashionable: of stones, mud, wood; or deities imagined in trees, animals, fire, stars or ghostly spirits. The restriction of the term ‘idols’ to these simple figures and objects prevents us from realizing those forms of Association that are more subtle and that have no end in a listing. Such imbecile thinking prevents us from recognizing the new partners and new associates of Allah in today’s modern, dark age...

“Today, a person who relates himself to God in matters of faith and rituals, and believes in Him as the law-Giver in matters pertaining to cleanliness, ablution, prayers, fasts, Hajj and other rituals of worship, while at the same time, he is bent in prostration to other than God in matters pertaining to values, conduct, customs, practices ... and everything else, is, in actual fact, opposed to the truth expressed in the testimony: there is no deity save Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger. He commits ‘Shirk’ in an area of life that truly matters...

“Idols and images - those simple figures of the past - were no more than symbols. They symbolized a Satanic system hidden behind them, and were carved to enslave people and to assure that they would, with them as the facade, remain bonded to a system of life designed for them by the masters who sat behind the scenes.

“When it so happens that symbols and slogans of race, homeland, nation or class are handed down to a people, who devote themselves to worshiping them instead of Allah, sacrificing their lives, wealth, morals and even their honor in their way, spending their best energies for them, so that, whenever a clash occurs between these symbols and slogans on the one hand, and Allah’s religion, His teachings, and laws on the other, then the wishes of the symbols and slogans are carried out, or, to put it more precisely, the wishes of the rebellious devils concealing themselves behind them, are carried out - when that happens - then this in truth is the worship of idols other than Allah. It is not necessary that an idol should be in front of the devotee in a physical, material form. A way of life, symbols and slogans can also assume the position assumed by idols.

“Islam has not come merely to destroy the material and physical idols. It has come to destroy these abstract and intangible objects of worship also. Islam has come to separate and demarcate the path of worship of Allah, in all matters and affairs, as distinguished from the ways of life run on un-Islamic principles.

“Those who believe they are followers of the religion of Allah, simply because they utter the testimony of Allah’s divinity and the Prophet’s messengership, but restrict to follow His religion in matters of cleanliness, modes of worship, marriage and divorce, and a few rituals alone, while, apart from this little arena of private activity, devote themselves to other systems and follow other commands - those that Allah did not send - and spend their lives and energies, whether willingly or unwillingly, knowingly or unknowingly, in devotion of these modern forms of paganism symbolized by new kinds of idols, such people, they are far away from the Islam of true definition.

“Religion is not the name of the mockery that is played on Islam by those of the east and west who think they are Muslims. Allah’s religion is a complete way of life, for everyday living, with guidance on every detail. This is the ‘Islam’ besides which no other religion is acceptable to Allah. They must also realize that ‘shirk’ is not realized through belief in deities other than Allah alone. Rather, it is also realized by acceptance of commands from other than Allah. And that construction of alters for deities of stones and wood and devotion to them is not the only way of demonstrating devotion to them. This can also be realized by agreeing to meet with the demands and requirements of the modern day symbols and slogans.

“Let the Muslims then, in every part of the world, consider as to for whom have they reserved the true place of honor ... for whom is their religion, in its entirety ... for whom is their submission and devotion? If all these things are for Allah, then they are on the Religion of Allah. But if they be for other than Him, in part or whole, then they are on the religion of the rebels and the devils:

هَذَا بَلَاغٌ لِلنَّاسِ وَلِيُنْذَرُوا بِهِ وَلِيَعْلَمُوا أَنَّمَا هُوَ إِلَهٌ وَاحِدٌ وَلِيَذَّكَّرَ أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ [إبراهيم : 52]

“This is a message for the mankind that they may be warned thereby, and they realize that He is indeed One God, and so that the men of understanding take heed.”

With statements of the above sort, to some Sayyid Qutb became someone in political struggle, desperate to get at the helms of power. To others he was being extreme. But today, the ills that he spoken of are the subjects of serious discussion among Western intellectual circles, except that they cannot relate themselves and their situation to the Qur’anic guidance. One may note in the following text the familiarity of thought. It is by a well-respected and well-meaning political analyst of the time Chris Hedges (Au.):

The ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes spent his life battling the assault on democracy by tyrants. It is disheartening to be reminded that he lost. But he understood that the hardest struggle for humankind is often stating and understanding the obvious. Aristophanes, who had the temerity to portray the ruling Greek tyrant, Cleon, as a dog, is the perfect playwright to turn to in trying to grasp the danger posed to us by movements from the tea party to militias to the Christian right, as well as the bankrupt and corrupt power elite that no longer concerns itself with the needs of its citizens. He saw the same corruption 2,400 years ago. He feared correctly that it would extinguish Athenian democracy. And he struggled in vain to rouse Athenians from their slumber. ..

The huge amount of taxpayer money doled out to Wall Street, investment banks, the oil and natural gas industry and the defense industry, along with the dismantling of our manufacturing sector, is why we are impoverished. It is why our houses are being foreclosed on. It is why some 45 million Americans are denied medical care. It is why our infrastructure, from public schools to bridges, is rotting. It is why many of us cannot find jobs. We are being fleeced. The flagrant theft of public funds and rise of an obscenely rich oligarchic class is masked by the tough talk of demagogues, themselves millionaires, who use fear and bombast to keep us afraid, confused and enslaved.

Aristophanes saw the same psychological and political manipulation undermine the democratic state in ancient Athens. He repeatedly warned Athenians in plays such as “The Clouds,” “The Wasps,” “The Birds,” “The Frogs” and “Lysistrata” that permitting political leaders who shout “I shall never betray the Athenian!” or “I shall keep up the fight in defense of the people forever!” to get their hands on state funds and power would end with the citizens enslaved.

“The truth is, they want you, you see, to be poor,” Aristophanes wrote in his play “The Wasps.” “If you don’t know the reason, I’ll tell you. It’s to train you to know who your tamer is. Then, whenever he gives you a whistle and sets you against an opponent of his, you jump out and tear them to pieces.” …

All ideological, theological and political debates with the representatives of the corporate state, including the feckless and weak (leader), are useless. They cannot be reached. They do not want a dialogue. They care nothing for real reform or participatory democracy. They use the tricks and mirages of public relations to mask a steadily growing assault on our civil liberties, our inability to make a living and the loss of basic services from education to health care. Our gutless liberal class placates the enemies of democracy, hoping desperately to remain part of the ruling elite, rather than resist. And, in many ways, liberals, because they serve as a cover for these corporate extremists, are our greatest traitors (http://www.informationclearinghouse).

(The word ‘leader’ in parenthesis is our placement in place of a president’s name, in order to remove the impression that any individual is the target of criticism: Au.).