Surah Al-'Ankabut 29:52-63 - Quran Translation Commentary

(29:52) Say, ‘Sufficient is Allah as a Witness between me and you. He knows whatsoever is in the heavens and earth.’ Those who have believed in falsehood and disbelieved in Allah, it is they indeed who are the losers.

(29:53) And they urge you to hasten on the punishment. If it was not for an appointed term, the punishment would have certainly come to them.⁶⁹ Indeed, it will come upon them of a sudden while they perceive not.

(29:54) They urge you to hasten on the punishment,⁷⁰ but surely Jahannum will encompass the unbelievers.⁷¹

(29:55) The day the punishment will overwhelm them from above them and from under their feet,⁷² and He will say, ‘Taste now what you were doing.’⁷³

(29:56) O My slaves who have believed, surely My earth is wide. Therefore, Me alone should you serve.⁷⁴

(29:57) Every soul shall taste death.⁷⁵ Then unto Us shall you be returned.

(29:58) Then those who believed and did righteous works, We shall surely lodge them in lofty chambers of Paradise⁷⁶ underneath which rivers flow, abiding therein forever; an excellent reward for those who labored.

(29:59) Such as those who persevered, and who place their trust on their Lord.⁷⁷

(29:60) And how many a moving creature carries not its own provision; Allah provides for it and for you also.⁷⁸ He is the All-hearing, the All-knowing.

(29:61) And if you asked them ‘who created the heavens and earth and subjected the sun and the moon (to law)?’ they will certainly say, ‘Allah.’ How then are they deluded?⁷⁹

(29:62) Allah extends the sustenance to whomsoever of His slaves He will, and constricts for him.⁸⁰ Surely, Allah is of all things, Knowing.

(29:63) And, if you asked them, ‘who brought down water out of heaven and quickened the earth thereby after its death?’ they will certainly say, ‘Allah.’ Say, praise to Allah. But rather, most of them ponder not.

Commentary

69. For the Quraysh that appointed term was the Day of Badr (Qurtubi), while for every nation there is an appointed term; and the final appointment for everyone is the Day of Judgment (Au.).

70. The reference is to the Quraysh (particularly Nadr b. al-Harth) who said (8: 32),

{وَإِذْ قَالُوا اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كَانَ هَذَا هُوَ الْحَقَّ مِنْ عِنْدِكَ فَأَمْطِرْ عَلَيْنَا حِجَارَةً مِنَ السَّمَاءِ أَوِ ائْتِنَا بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ} [الأنفال: 32]

“When they said, ‘O Allah, if this is truly from You, then rain down upon us stones from the sky’” (Ibn Jarir, Zamakhshari, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

71. That is because, man is drowned in sins and the consequences – Jahannum – must overwhelm him (Zamakhshari, reworded). Actually, writes Imam Razi, the words express amazement that although the Fire has already surrounded the unbelievers, they still seek it to be hastened on.

Mujahid said that the allusion is to the oceans (Ibn Jarir). That is, oceans will be turned into Jahannum. The Prophet is reported in Ahmad,

الْبَحْرُ هُوَ جَهَنَّمُ

“The oceans are Jahannum.”

The report is also in Hakim with Dhahabi remarking that it is trustworthy.

That is, the oceans will be turned into Jahannum. Ibn `Abbas said that the stars, sun and moon will be dipped into the oceans, then it will be set on fire, and that will be Jahannum (Ibn Kathir). Haythamiyy said that the hadith of Ahmad about the oceans is trustworthy (Au.).

However, there is no consensus over where Jahannum is or will be. Trustworthy ahadith say that it will be dragged and brought to the Field of Resurrection on the Day of Reckoning. We also know that the heavens and the earth will be destroyed and created anew, that this earth will be expanded and that Jahannum will have various levels. In the light of these and several other details, it is better to leave the question where it is, without a final opinion (Au.).

72. Since common understanding leads to the opinion that the unbelievers will be surrounded by Fire from all sides, which leaves the sides above and below free of it, it was specifically said that, “The day the Punishment will overwhelm them from above them and from under their feet.” That is, as against all expectations of Fire rising up, it will descend on them from above, while the area immediately under their feet, will be shooting out flames of Fire, despite being quenched by the feet (Imam Razi, reworded).

73. While the Fire will be torturing their physical bodies, these words will be said in taunt for adding spiritual torture (Razi).

74. “Implying that since the earth offers innumerable, multiform facilities to human life, there is no excuse for forgetting God ‘owing to the pressures of adverse circumstances.’ Whenever or wherever the worship of God – in its essential, and not merely liturgical sense – becomes impossible, the believer is obliged to ‘forsake the domain of evil’ .. and to ‘migrate unto God,’ that is, to a place where it is possible to live in accordance with one’s faith” (Asad).

Sa`id b. Jubayr explained the verse as meaning: When sins are committed in a land, then leave the place. For, Allah’s earth is vast. Mujahid added: “Emigrate, and join in Jihad.” `Ata’ expressed a similar opinion. Ibn Zayd said however, that Makkan Muslims were the immediate context. They were urged to leave the township in view of persecutions. Ibn Jarir explains that the words with which the verse ended, “Then Me, and Me alone you serve” imply that if Allah’s worship is not possible in a land, one might leave it. Qurtubi has similar opinions and adds the words of Sufyan Thawri to expand the meaning, “If you are in an expensive place, shift to another where you can fill your basket with bread for a Dirham.”

On Zubayr b. al-`Awwam’s authority, it is reported in Ahmad that the Prophet said,

الْبِلَادُ بِلَادُ اللَّهِ وَالْعِبَادُ عِبَادُ اللَّهِ فَحَيْثُمَا أَصَبْتَ خَيْرًا فَأَقِمْ

“The lands are Allah’s lands, and people are Allah’s slaves. Therefore, wheresoever you find good, take up residence there” (Ibn Kathir).

The report is thought to be weak by Haythamiyy (Au).

Zamakhshari adds: “Places widely vary from one another from the point of view of being or not being conducive to Islam and its demands. We have tried, as others before us have also tried, and have found that among the places we lived in, and they lived in, there is no place more helpful in suppressing the inner self, destroying the base desires, more in-gathering for the heart, more bringing together the spread out worries, more urging to contentment, more chasing away the Satan, more away from trials and tribulations, than the city of Makkah.”

This comes from a man of letters, a philosopher, and a migrant to Makkah with no means of income in a city of harsh economic environment, which offered none of the charms that cities like Cairo, Dimashq, Kufa or Busra, or even Madinah offered. He ends his passage above by saying, “Praise be to Allah then, for making it easy (to live in Makkah), and for bestowing perseverance and gratefulness” (Au.).

We could end with a note from Yusuf Ali: “There is no excuse for any one to plead that he could not do good or was forced to evil by his circumstances and surroundings, or by the fact that he lived in evil times. We must shun evil and seek good, and Allah's Creation is wide enough to enable us to do that, provided we have the will, the patience, and the constancy to do it. It may be that we have to change our village or city or country; or that we have to change our neighbors or associates; or to change our habits or our hours, our position in life or our human relationships, or our callings. Our integrity before Allah is more important than any of these things, and we must be prepared for exile (or Hijrat) in all these senses. For the means with which Allah provides us for His service are ample, and it is our own fault if we fail.‏”

Mufti Shafi` tells us about when Hijrah becomes obligatory. First, it must be noted that at the beginning of Islam, Hijrah was a requirement of faith for every Makkan Muslim, man or woman. Those who did not migrate were not considered Muslims. This rule came to end with the fall of Makkah. The Prophet then said, “There is no Hijrah after the fall.” Now the situation is that Hijrah once again becomes obligatory if Muslims find themselves in Dar al-Kufr, that is, a place where they do not have the freedom of faith, or are not allowed to practice the essentials of Islam. But of course, this is conditional to the ability to migrate. On the other hand, although it is not obligatory, it is desirable (mustahab) to migrate from Dar al-Fisq, i.e., where Islamic commandments are openly flouted. Such a place need not necessarily be Dar al-Kufr. This was also the opinion of Ibn Hajr.

75. That is, if you fear that during or after emigration in the way of Allah you will face deprivation or death, then you might remember that death will overtake you in any case. None will escape it (Razi, Qurtubi).

76. Muslim has a report that the Prophet said,

إِنَّ أَهْلَ الْجَنَّةِ لَيَتَرَاءَوْنَ أَهْلَ الْغُرَفِ مِنْ فَوْقِهِمْ كَمَا تَتَرَاءَوْنَ الْكَوْكَبَ الدُّرِّىَّ الْغَابِرَ مِنَ الأُفُقِ مِنَ الْمَشْرِقِ أَوِ الْمَغْرِبِ لِتَفَاضُلِ مَا بَيْنَهُمْ. قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ تِلْكَ مَنَازِلُ الأَنْبِيَاءِ لاَ يَبْلُغُهَا غَيْرُهُمْ. قَالَ بَلَى وَالَّذِى نَفْسِى بِيَدِهِ رِجَالٌ آمَنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَصَدَّقُوا الْمُرْسَلِينَ

“The inhabitants of Paradise will see the people of the ghuraf (lofty chambers) above them as you see the bright stars appearing in the eastern or western horizons – such will be the differences in ranks between them.” They asked, “Messenger of Allah. Those must be places for Prophets that other than them can never obtain.” He answered, “By Him in whose hands is my life, (they will be for) men who believed in Allah and gave credence to the Prophets.”

And Tirmidhi has a report that there are chambers in Paradise whose inside can be seen from outside and the outside from inside. A Bedouin got up and asked, “Whom are they meant for O Messenger of Allah?” He replied,

إِنَّ فِي الْجَنَّةِ غُرَفًا يَرَى ظَاهِرُهَا مِنْ بَاطِنِهَا , وَبَاطِنُهَا مِنْ ظَاهِرِهَا ، أَعَدَّهَا اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لِمَنْ أَطْعَمَ الطَّعَامَ ، وَأَدَامَ الصِّيَامَ ، وَصَلَّى بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّاسُ نِيَامٌ

“For him who fed the food, uttered good words, followed Prayers and fasts (with Prayers and fasts), and stood in the night (in Prayers) while the people were asleep” (Qurtubi).

Haythamiyy declared it Sahih.

77. Allah mentioned two qualities: patience and trust. This is because time has three phases: past, present and future. Past is past; there is no point in discussing it. Present is worthy of patience and perseverance. As for the future, one should adopt the policy of trust in Allah. Further, patience and trust in Allah are qualities that cannot be obtained without the knowledge on the one hand, of what is with Allah and the knowledge of what is with other than Allah. He who knew ‘what is other than Allah,’ knew that it is going to pass away. This knowledge makes it easier for him to bear hardships with patience. And, one who knows Allah, knows that He is Eternal. He places his trust in Him, in the hope of future bounties. From another angle, some people can put up with persecutions, others cannot, and so they emigrate. Now, those who cannot emigrate, bear the persecutions with patience, while those who can, do emigrate, placing their trust in Allah (Razi).

78. Muslims are being encouraged to emigration, take up Jihad, and not to slacken from the fear of provision (Ibn Jarir).

The point of discussion then, is not trust in Allah, but show of weakness in His path (Alusi). Accordingly, Ibn `Abbas reports that the Prophet (saws) told Makkan Muslims when they were subjected to persecutions: “Go to Madinah; do not live among a transgressing people.” They said, “We have no homes there, nor property, nor anyone to feed us.” So Allah revealed, “And how many an animal carries not its own provision..” The verse then is not saying that food storage is disallowed. In fact, the Prophet used to distribute (in his final years: Au.), provision of a whole year amongst his wives, as recorded in the Sahihayn; and so did many of the Companions, who were leaders in piety and trusted Allah to an unsurpassable degree (Qurtubi).

While reading the Bible for the first time a quarter century ago, this writer’s mind had immediately committed to memory a beautiful line which said, “Sufficient unto the day the evil thereof.” Mawdudi’s eye fell upon the same lines. He quotes the entire passage. He writes: “Precisely the same thing was taught by the Prophet Jesus (may Allah’s peace be upon him) to his disciples when he said,

“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, or love the other: or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore, say I unto you, Take ye no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what shall you put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body more than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add a cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore, take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? Or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things the Gentile seek); for your heavenly Father knoweth that you have need for all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof’ (Matt. 6: 24-34).”

79. Asad elucidates: “The perversion consists in their thinking that they really ‘believe in God’ and nevertheless worshipping false values and allegedly ‘divine’ powers side by side with Him: all of which amounts to a virtual denial of His almightiness and uniqueness.”

80. That is, Allah’s material bounties are not dependent on belief or unbelief (Qurtubi).

The implication is both ways. (1) Allah extends provision to an individual at one time and restricts at another. (2) He extends to some people, while He restricts to another group of people (Alusi).