Surah 14. Ibrahim

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Verses [Section]: 1-6[1], 7-12 [2], 13-21 [3], 22-27 [4], 28-34 [5], 35-41 [6], 42-52 [7]

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Quran Text of Verse 7-12وَ اِذْAnd whenتَاَذَّنَproclaimedرَبُّكُمْyour LordلَىِٕنْIfشَكَرْتُمْyou are thankfulلَاَزِیْدَنَّكُمْsurely I will increase youوَ لَىِٕنْbut ifكَفَرْتُمْyou are ungratefulاِنَّindeedعَذَابِیْMy punishmentلَشَدِیْدٌ (is) surely severe وَ قَالَAnd saidمُوْسٰۤیMusaاِنْIfتَكْفُرُوْۤاyou disbelieveاَنْتُمْyouوَ مَنْand whoeverفِی(is) inالْاَرْضِthe earthجَمِیْعًا ۙallفَاِنَّthen indeedاللّٰهَAllahلَغَنِیٌّcertainly (is) Free of needحَمِیْدٌ Praiseworthy اَلَمْHas notیَاْتِكُمْcome to youنَبَؤُا(the) newsالَّذِیْنَ(of) those whoمِنْ(were) before youقَبْلِكُمْ(were) before youقَوْمِthe peopleنُوْحٍof Nuhوَّ عَادٍand Aadوَّ ثَمُوْدَ ۛؕ۬and Thamudوَ الَّذِیْنَand those whoمِنْۢ(were) after themبَعْدِهِمْ ۛؕ(were) after themلَاNoneیَعْلَمُهُمْknows themاِلَّاexceptاللّٰهُ ؕAllahجَآءَتْهُمْCame to themرُسُلُهُمْtheir Messengersبِالْبَیِّنٰتِwith clear proofsفَرَدُّوْۤاbut they returnedاَیْدِیَهُمْtheir handsفِیْۤinاَفْوَاهِهِمْtheir mouthsوَ قَالُوْۤاand they saidاِنَّاindeed, weكَفَرْنَا[we] disbelieveبِمَاۤin whatاُرْسِلْتُمْyou have been sentبِهٖwith [it]وَ اِنَّاand indeed, weلَفِیْ(are) surely inشَكٍّdoubtمِّمَّاabout whatتَدْعُوْنَنَاۤyou invite usاِلَیْهِto itمُرِیْبٍ suspicious قَالَتْSaidرُسُلُهُمْtheir MessengersاَفِیCan (there) be aboutاللّٰهِAllahشَكٌّany doubtفَاطِرِ(the) Creatorالسَّمٰوٰتِ(of) the heavensوَ الْاَرْضِ ؕand the earthیَدْعُوْكُمْHe invites youلِیَغْفِرَso that He may forgiveلَكُمْfor youمِّنْ[of]ذُنُوْبِكُمْyour sinsوَ یُؤَخِّرَكُمْand give you respiteاِلٰۤیforاَجَلٍa termمُّسَمًّی ؕappointedقَالُوْۤاThey saidاِنْNotاَنْتُمْyouاِلَّا(are) butبَشَرٌa humanمِّثْلُنَا ؕlike usتُرِیْدُوْنَyou wishاَنْtoتَصُدُّوْنَاhinder usعَمَّاfrom whatكَانَused toیَعْبُدُworshipاٰبَآؤُنَاour forefathersفَاْتُوْنَاSo bring usبِسُلْطٰنٍan authorityمُّبِیْنٍ clear 14. Ibrahim Page 257قَالَتْSaidلَهُمْto themرُسُلُهُمْtheir MessengersاِنْNotنَّحْنُwe (are)اِلَّاbutبَشَرٌa humanمِّثْلُكُمْlike youوَ لٰكِنَّbutاللّٰهَAllahیَمُنُّbestows His GraceعَلٰیonمَنْwhomیَّشَآءُHe willsمِنْofعِبَادِهٖ ؕHis slavesوَ مَاAnd notكَانَisلَنَاۤfor usاَنْthatنَّاْتِیَكُمْwe bring youبِسُلْطٰنٍan authorityاِلَّاexceptبِاِذْنِby the permission of Allahاللّٰهِ ؕby the permission of Allahوَ عَلَیAnd uponاللّٰهِAllahفَلْیَتَوَكَّلِso let put (their) trustالْمُؤْمِنُوْنَ the believers وَ مَاAnd whatلَنَاۤ(is) for usاَلَّاthat notنَتَوَكَّلَwe put our trustعَلَیuponاللّٰهِAllahوَ قَدْwhile certainlyهَدٰىنَاHe has guided usسُبُلَنَا ؕto our waysوَ لَنَصْبِرَنَّAnd surely we will bear with patienceعَلٰیonمَاۤwhatاٰذَیْتُمُوْنَا ؕharm you may cause usوَ عَلَیAnd uponاللّٰهِAllahفَلْیَتَوَكَّلِso let put (their) trustالْمُتَوَكِّلُوْنَ۠the ones who put (their) trust

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Translation of Verse 7-12

(14:7) And when your Lord proclaimed, “If you are grateful,¹⁰ surely I will add (more favors) to you; but if you show ingratitude¹¹ (then) surely, My chastisement is severe.”’¹²

(14:8| Musa also said, `If you should disbelieve, you and whoever is in the earth, altogether, then, surely, Allah is the All-sufficient the All-laudable.’

(14:9) Has not the news of those before you reached you? Of the people of Nuh¹³, `Aad¹⁴ and Thamood?¹⁵ And of those (that came) after them? No one knows them except Allah.¹⁶ Messengers came to them with clear signs. But they thrust their hands into their mouths¹⁷ and said, ‘We certainly disbelieve in what you have been sent with. Indeed we are in a doubt concerning that to which you invite us - in a disquieting suspicion.’¹⁸

(14:10) Their Messengers said, ‘Is there any doubt regarding Allah, the Originator of the heavens and the earth?¹⁹ He invites you so that He may forgive you of your sins, and allow you respite until an appointed term.’ They answered, ‘You are no more than mortals like us, wishing to prevent us from what our forefathers worshiped; then bring us a clear authority.’²⁰

(14:11) Their Messengers said to them, ‘We are but mortals like yourselves. But Allah grants grace (of Messengership) unto whom of His slaves He will. (At all events) It is not for us to bring you an authority except by Allah’s leave. And in Allah should the believers place their trust.

(14:12) And what is with us that we should not trust in Allah seeing that He has guided us in our ways. And we shall surely endure in patience the hurt you cause us, and in Allah should those who trust, place their trust.’

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Commentary

10. When asked, some pious men answered that being grateful means ‘not to be encouraged to commit sins’ (Qurtubi).

Razi speaks the language of the Sufis: Allah’s blessings are many and come in various forms: material, moral, spiritual, etc. Someone grateful about them should keep reminding himself of them, as often as he can. If he does that over a period, he is bound to learn to keep less in view the bestowals, and more in view the Bestower Himself. As time passes, he might become totally unmindful of the bestowals, falling so deeply in love with the Bestower.

11. Ibn Kathir understands the “ingratitude” of the original as alluding to sins against Allah. He quotes the famous hadith,

إِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيُحْرَمُ الرِّزْقَ ، بِالذَّنْبِ يُصِيبُهُ

“Sometimes a man misses out on his providence because of a sin he commits.”

(The hadith is in Ibn Abi Hatim).

12. A hadith preserved by Muslim says,

يَا عِبادي لَو أنَّ أَولَكُم وآخِرَكُم وإِنسَكُم وجِنَّكُم كَانُوا عَلى قَلب أَتقَى عَبدٍ مِنكُم لَم يَزد ذَلك فِي مُلكِي شَيئاً ، ولَو كَانُوا عَلى أَفجَر قَلبِ رَجُلٍ لَم يَنقُص ذَلك مِن مُلكِي شَيئاً ، ولَو اجتَمَعُوا فِي صَعيدٍ واحدٍ فَسألُونِي فَأعطيتُ كُلَّ إِنسانٍ مِنهُم مَا سَألَ لَم يَنقُص ذَلك مِن مُلكِي شَيئاً إِلا كَما يَنقُصُ البَحرُ أَنْ يَغمِس فِيه المَخِيطُ غمسةً واحدةً

“O My slaves! If the first and the last, the men and the Jinn of you were to have hearts as pious as the most pious of you, that will not cause increase in My kingdom by the least. O My slaves! If the first and the last, the men and the Jinn of you were to have a heart as wicked as the most wicked of you, that will not diminish My kingdom by the least. O My slaves! If the first and the last, the men and the Jinn stood on a flat patch of land and asked, and I granted everyone what he asked, that will not decrease from My kingdom anything except by what a needle causes to decrease when it is dipped into the sea” - Ibn Kathir.

13. See Surah Hud, verses 25-48 for a detailed account.

14. See Surah Hud, verses 50-60 for a detailed account.

15. See Surah Hud, verses 61-68 for a detailed account.

16. In the light of this verse Ibn Mas`ud has said that all genealogists have lied. That is, adds Zamakhshari, they traced men’s genealogy right up to Adam while Allah said that “no one knows them except Allah.”

17. There have been several interpretations; but the closest to truth seems to be what is widely reported of `Abdullah ibn Mas`ud. He said that the reference is to the unbelievers placing the edges of their fingers into their mouths (between the teeth) out of rage at the Messengers (Ibn Jarir).

Another opinion is expressed by Asad in the following words, “An idiomatic phrase indicating one’s inability to refute a reasonable proposition by cogent, logical counter-arguments: for the out-of-hand rejection of the Prophet’s message by their recalcitrant compatriots cannot by any means be regarded as an ‘argument.’”

18. The textual words “shakk” and “rayb” draw the following comment from Yusuf Ali: “Shakk is intellectual doubt, a doubt as to fact: is it so, or is it not? Rayb is something more than intellectual doubt; a suspicion that there is fraud or deception; something that upsets your moral belief and causes kind of disquiet in your soul.”

19. That is, Allah’s oneness is such a natural, logical thing to recognize, that if the Divine message had not spoken of it, it would still be binding on the human beings to believe in it (Thanwi).

Imam Razi has a brilliant point: It is said that a single slap to a child suffices to prove that this world has a creator, that the Hereafter is a necessity and that there have to be Prophets. When a child is slapped, he knows that there is a person behind that slap who chose to slap him. The slap would not have happened by itself. Next, the child, if innocent, will not forgive the slap. He will demand retribution. And, since there is no retribution in this world, there has to be another world for it. Thirdly, when the child demands retribution, there has to be another, a third person, to judge the measure and quantity of retribution (shortened).

Yusuf Ali adds: “Infidelity is illogical and argues in a circle. If the Prophet speaks of Allah (swt), the unbeliever says, “You are only a man!” “But I speak from Allah!” “Oh well! Our ancestral ways of worship are good enough for us!” “What if they are wrong?” “What authority have you for saying so?” “The highest authority, is that from Allah!” And so we come back a full circle! Then the wicked rely on violence, but it recoils on them, and they perish.”

20. “Sultanum-mubin”: that is, an authoritative, irrefutable proof of Messengership (Au.).