Surah Fatir 35:8-14 - Quran Translation Commentary

(35:8) Is he, then, for whom the evil of his conduct has been decked out fair, so that he looks at it as good (equal to the rightly guided)?¹³ For, Allah leads astray whomsoever He will, and guides whomsoever He will;¹⁴ so let not your soul waste (itself) in grief over them. Surely, Allah knows well all that they do.

(35:9) Allah it is who sets loose the winds so that they stir up the clouds, then We drive it to a dead land; then We revive thereby the earth after its death. Even so (will be) the resurrection.¹⁵

(35:10) Whoever seeks power and glory, (may know that) all power and glory belongs to Allah.¹⁶ Unto Him rises the good word,¹⁷ and good deeds raise it up.¹⁸ As for those who plot evils, for them is a severe chastisement.¹⁹ And it is their plot that is sterile.²⁰

(35:11) Allah created you from dust, then from a sperm-drop, then He made you in pairs. And no female conceives nor delivers but with His knowledge. And, no one whose life is prolonged, has his life prolonged, nor is his lifespan diminished, but is in a Record.²¹ Surely, that is easy for Allah.

(35:12) And not alike are the two masses of water:²² this one is sweet, potable, and pleasant to drink, while the other is salty, bitter; yet from each you partake tender flesh and extract ornaments that you wear.²³ And you see the ships plough therein in search of His bounty, haply that you may give thanks.

(35:13) He makes the night enter into the day and the day enter into the night; and He has subjected the sun and the moon, each running to an appointed term. This your Allah is your Lord; His is the Kingdom. As for those you call upon other than Him, they own not so much as the husk of a date-stone.²⁴

(35:14) If you invoke them, they do not hear your invocation, and, even if they heard, they cannot respond to you. And, on the Day of Standing they will disown your association (of them with Allah);²⁵ and none can inform you (O Prophet) like Him who is All-aware.

Commentary

13. Can someone who decides to use his potentials in a manner that defies reason and logic, opts to use the power of choice he is given wrongly, and then, remains determinedly on the course, despite open evidences against what he chooses, be equal, in this life and in the final outcome - to him who follows the guidance when it becomes clear to him? (Shabbir).

14. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded the following hadith in reference to this verse:It reports `Abdullah ibn `Amr as having heard the Prophet say, “Indeed, Allah created His creation in darkness, then He cast His Nur on them. So, whosever received out of that Nur, found guidance, while whoever missed it, missed. That is why I say that the Pen has dried on Allah’s knowledge” (Ibn Kathir).

We have traced the hadith to Ahmad and many collections, but took it from Tirmidhi who declared it Hasan, but which Ibn Hibban declared Sahih, as in Tuhfah (Au.).

15. Ibn Kathir writes: When Allah (swt) will decide to quicken the dead, He will send down rain from below the `Arsh that will cover the whole earth. With that the bodies will begin to grow from within the graves as crops grow. Says a Sahih hadith (which can be traced in Bukhari and Muslim):

“The whole of Adam’s sons is decimated by the earth except for the tail bone (coccyx) out of which he is created and out of which he will be recreated” (Ibn Kathir).

The above is Muslim’s version (Au.).

We have earlier pointed out the findings of the embryologist that the first bone to be formed in the fetus is the tail piece of the backbone. Bukhari’s version is as follows:

“There will be a spell of forty between the two blows (of the Trumpet). He (Abu Hurayrah) was asked, ‘Forty days?’ He said, ‘I reject it.’ He was asked, ‘Forty months?’ He said, ‘I reject it.’ He was asked, ‘Forty years?’ He said, ‘I reject it.’ Then he continued, He will send down rain from below the `Arsh that will cover the whole earth and then the bodies will begin to grow from within the graves as crops grows. There is not a bone in the humans but is decimated except the tail-bone upon which the creations will be raised on the Day of Judgment” (Au.).

While explaining the above hadith in Fath, Ibn Hajr points out that according to a version in the collections of Hakim and Abu Ya`la, the word “mustard seed” (khardal) has been used in place of “tail-bone,” which, in the language of the ancients stood for the smallest of matter imaginable, or, in today’s parlance, a sub-atomic particle. The original is as follows:

16. “The immediate allusion is to the chiefs of the Quraysh who thought they were defending their honor and glory, threatened by the message of the Prophet which brought the people to one social and political level without any discrimination. Their age-old prestigious position as leaders of the Arabs was at stake. But they are being told that their honor and glory was false, based on untrue premises, and therefore, unendurable. True and lasting power and glory lay with Allah alone, the true Dispenser, in this world and in the next” (Mawdudi).

“True honor and glory take root in the heart before they appear in outward forms. It is a reality, which when it takes its pace in the hearts, raises a person from resorting to any means that could lead a man to bending knees before ‘other than Allah.’ It is a reality wherewith a man raises himself above his own carnal self; above fear of the people and above covetousness against the people. Whoever possessed this, cannot be humiliated or humbled by anyone. It is people’s base desires, their covetousness and greed that makes them mean and shorn of self-respect. It is by overcoming these base qualities that a man can achieve honor and glory. It is not gained through pride, arrogance, or oppression of the people, but rather, it is gained through humility before Allah, through His fear, and through thoughts of His presence in open and in secret” (Sayyid).

17. This then is the way to attaining true power and glory: right beliefs accompanied by righteous deeds. A soul ennobled by moral power, will glide through all hurdles of the Hereafter in complete dignity (Au.).

Mukhariq b. Sulaym reported that once `Abdullah (ibn Mas`ud) addressed them saying,

“When we narrate a hadith, we bring forth a Qur’anic ayah in evidence. When a Muslim says, ‘Glory to Allah and by His Praise: Praise to Allah, there is no deity save Allah, Allah is the Greatest, Allah is Blessed,’ then, an angel takes the words, places them under its wings and rises up to the heavens, so that it does not pass by any group of angels but they seek forgiveness for him who who said those words until he presents it before the Rahman.” Then `Abdullah read out this verse” (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

Ibn Kathir adds the following from Musnad of Ahmad:Nu`man b. Bashir reports the Prophet,

“Those who mention ‘Allah’s greatness, His glory, His Praise, His oneness,’ have those around the `Arsh – who have a buzzing like the buzzing of the bees – mention the person who says these words. Would not one of you then then like it that there should always be something by Allah, by which he could be remembered?”

Although only a few words have been specified in the hadith, every good word is included in “al-kalim al-tayyib”, such as words of admonition, wisdom, etc. (Razi).

In view of this and other verses of the Qur’an, writes Thanwi, the rule that can be worked out is: testification at the heart’s level is an essential requirement for the initial acceptance of the “al-kalimah al-tayyibah”. Thereafter, righteous deeds are the condition for the fuller acceptance of all the “al-kalimat al-tayyibat.”

And righteous deeds are those, adds Shafi`, which are performed in accordance with the requirements of Sunnah.

18. This is how Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Qatadah and others understood this verse (Ibn Jarir), wherein “the good word” is Allah’s remembrance, which however are not free to ascend by themselves. It is such deeds as are the demands of Islam, which, when performed, take the good word to Allah, to be stored as those deserving rewards. Hasan and Qatadah added that Allah (swt) does not accept good words without good deeds (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

What’s the connection between the previous verse and this one? The answer is that the earlier passage spoke of the source of power, glory and honor (`izzah) which humans strive for, reminding that they belong to Allah alone. How can they be obtained? The answer came next: through good word rising to Allah. But how do good words rise up to Him? It is through good deeds. It is righteous believers who are granted `izzah. Allah identified them elsewhere when He said (63: 8)),“For Allah is the `izzah (power, glory, honor), for His Messenger, and for the believers” (Razi, restructured).

On another plane of meaning, good deeds flow out of good intentions. By the use of one word “makr”, evil intention was identified. With this intention as the fount, all deeds that flow out are foul. Hence “yamkuruna al-sayyi’at” (they plot evil deeds) - Au.

19. The allusion is to those who take active interest in obfuscating the message of Islam (Au.).

20. Asad explains, “It appears that in this context.. both the noun makr (lit., ‘a scheme’, or ‘scheming’, or ‘plotting’) and the verb yamkurun (lit., “they scheme” or ‘plot’) have the connotation of ‘devising false [or ‘fallacious’] arguments’ against something that is true. Since the preceding passage refers to God’s creativeness and, in particular, to His power to create life and resurrect the dead (verse 9), the ‘evil deeds’ spoken of above are, presumably, specious arguments meant to ‘disprove” the announcement of resurrection.”

21. The meaning that Ibn `Abbas and Ibn Zayd attributed to the verse is that no one reaches his old age, nor does another has his original age diminished, but is already recorded in a Book. In simpler words, everyone attains the lifespan allotted to him: whether it is someone who attains old age (to complete his term), or it is someone who dies young (having attained the decreed term) – both attain the lifespan decreed for them, neither one enjoying an increase nor the other suffering decrease.

A minor opinion is that lifespan can be increased or decreased. But the opinion of Ibn `Abbas is nearer to being correct (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

With due respect to the above, we might point out that there are a few reports that apparently seem to be declaring increase or decrease in lifespan as possible. One is in Bukhari, Muslim and Abu Da’ud. It says,

“Whoever wishes that his provision be increased and his lifespan lengthened may extend help to his kinsfolk” (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

This alternative interpretation has been seconded by a few other scholars, as in Ibn Hajr’s Fat-h. In fact, there is a hadith in Ahmad reported by `A’isha of trustworthy status, to this effect. It says,The Prophet (saws) told `A’isha, “Surely, he who was given kindliness was given a good share of this life as well as of the Hereafter. And, doing good to the kin, good manners and good behavior towards the neighbor, build the world (on healthy lines), and cause increase in lifespan.”

But this contradicts with some ahadith, one of which – as in Muslim – says,Hudhayfah b. Asid reported the Prophet (saws) as having said, “The angel enters upon the fetus forty or forty five days after it is settled in the womb and asks, ‘My Lord, blessed or wretched?’ One of them is decreed. Then he asks, ‘My Lord, male or female?’ One of them is decreed. Similarly his deeds, his lifespan, his death, his provision, are all written down. Then the scrolls are rolled back, so that nothing is added and nothing decreased” (Alusi, Shawkani).

A possible reconciliation is that in particular reference to lifespan, there could be two decrees. Say one of 100 years, while the other of 80, known only to Allah alone, and not even to the Angel of Death. Where no two options are decreed, it is known as “the irrevocable decree” (qada’ al-mubram) while one which goes with options, is known as a “conditional decree” (qada’ al-mu`allaq). In case of a man’s age, it can be said that the decree goes something like this: if he performs certain righteous deeds, he is allowed to attain his 100 years; if he fails, he dies at 80. Obviously, the above Qur’anic verse is speaking of this lifespan, known to Allah alone, in which there can be no increase or decrease; but what the angel knows can undergo increase or decrease, depending on which of the two he has in his record.

Alusi adds that statements of the Prophet such as, in reference to Tarawih Prayers, “I was afraid it would be declared obligatory on you,” or his fear of Dajjal (although he knew he will appear at the end of the world: Au.), also lend credence to this theory. It can be supported by another Qur’anic verse which says (13: 39),“Allah erases what He will and confirms. And with Him is the Umm al-Kitab (Mother of the Book, [Lawh al-Mahfuz – the Preserved Tablet]).”

Another possible interpretation is that by increase in lifespan the allusion is to “barakah” in time, so that a man is able to achieve within his stipulated time what another could in longer years.

Also see note 77 under Surah al-Ra`d for further discussion, and perhaps the final word.

In any case, writes Mawdudi, to say, on the basis of the statistics that infant mortality has been reduced, or that the average lifespan has been extended, etc., is incorrect. Everything falls under Allah’s decree.

As far as science is concerned, it has not been able to discover why the body should age although cells continue their activities throughout life. In other words, the cells of the young and old work as vigorously. Yet, one, the young, is physically vigorous, while the other, weak. In fact, the cells do not seem even to be immediately aware of the body’s death. If taken off a warm body, it continues to multiply in cultures. (Culturing is a process in which living cells are taken from a body and kept in a solution of nutrients under certain conditions. In this situation the cells replicate a certain number of times. Having completed their cycle of replication, lasting about 45 to 50 replications, the dead man’s cells die off, just as a living body’s cell would when cultured) - Au.

22. “Bahr” of the text is not necessarily for an ocean. It is for any large mass of water. So, the comparison could be either between two large masses of water: one, smaller, containing sweet water, and the other, larger with bitter water. Or the comparision could be between the sea and the river. But this supposition offers a difficulty. Normally pearls are not extracted from rivers. The answer is that this is a misconception. Pearls are indeed occassionally extracted from rivers. Alusi reports that precious stones are picked up after floods, but discounts that they can be “extracted” (Au.). Yusuf Ali comments on extraction from the sea and rivers: “Such as pearls and coral from the sea, and such delicately tinted stones as the Aqiq (carnelian), the agate, the goldstone, or other varieties of quartz pebbles found in river-beds, and considered as gems. Many such are found in the Ken river in Banda District (in India). Some river sands also yield minute quantities of gold. In large navigable rivers and big Lakes like those of North America, as well as in the sea, there are highways for shipping and commerce.”

Qurtubi notes that springs of sweet water can be found right in the middle of the oceans, but he sees the possibility that the allusion by extraction of pearls could be only to one, i.e., the ocean, and cites another example from the Qur’an itself (ref. 28: 73); the main point being not “the place of extraction” but the “fact of extraction” (Alusi).

Nevertheless, in addition to these discussions, one may not overlook the allegorical allusion that is there to believers and non-believers. Although both are of some profit to others of the creations, but sweet water (believer) is after all sweet water. The unbeliever may relinquish pearls, (of course not without so much efforts after him), but life is unthinkable without sweet water. Not equal are the two: the bitter and the sweet water, the unbeliever and the believer (with points from Razi and Alusi).

For the extraction of pearls from sea water, see Surah al-Rahman (no. 55), note number 17.

23. To refer to ornaments as “libs” (something that is worn), connotes that whatever is put on the body is, technically, of the category of “libas.” Accordingly, Ibn Sirin says he asked `Ubaydah whether using silken sheets for beds was counted as “libs” and he answered, “Yes” (Qurtubi).

For someone who would wish to attempt similar paraphrasing of the whole of the Qur’an (for the common people’s understanding), we offer as sample Thanwi’s rendering of the first eight verses along with his parenthetical remarks, slightly modified:

“All praise to Allah, Originator of the heavens and the earth, who appointed angels as messengers (who have) wings: twos, threes and fours. (However, He is not bound to threes and fours but) rather adds to the creation as He will (so that some of them have hundreds of wings). Surely, Allah has power over all things. (He has such unassailable power that) whatsoever of mercy Allah opens for the people (such as rains, crops, etc.), has no withholder thereof; and what He withholds has no releaser of it thereafter. (He alone can do it because) He is the All-mighty, the All-wise. O people (just as He is All-mighty, He is also All-merciful. His bestowals are uncountable; therefore), recall Allah’s blessings upon you (consequently, thank Him, and one way of expressing thanks is to have faith in Him as One God; think), is there a creator other than Allah to provide you out of heaven and earth? There is no deity save He (so worship Him alone). Where then are you being diverted? But if they cry lies to you (then, worry not O Muhammad), for Messengers before you were also cried lies to. (Secondly, you must not forget that) all affairs are returned to Allah (He will suitably deal with them, why should you over-vex yourself now?) O people, Allah’s promise (of the affairs returning to Him) is true; (so) it should not happen that the life of the world deludes you, and let not the (great) Deluder (Satan) delude you concerning Allah (for you to assume that ‘if I am returned to my Lord, I shall have good things’). Indeed, Shaytan is an enemy to you; so treat him as an enemy. He only calls his party so that they may be among the companions of the blaze. Those who (fell into delusions and) disbelieved, for them is a severe chastisement. As for those who (did not fall prey to him and so) believed and did righteous deeds, for them is forgiveness (for the errors they committed) and a great reward (for their good deeds. Now, when the unbeliever will be chastised, and the believer rewarded, then, in terms of the final outcome) is he for whom the evil of his conduct has been decked out fair, so that he looks upon it as good (equal to the rightly guided)? (As for how any intelligent man can treat evil as good, the answer is) Allah leads astray whomsoever He will (by making him unreasonable), and guides whomsoever He will (by leaving in tact his power of reasoning). So, (since it is by Allah’s will that they are guided or misguided) let not your soul waste (itself, O Muhammad) in grief over them. Allah surely knows well all that they do (and will deal with them suitably when they return to Him)."

24. As one splits a date, he finds thin fibrous filament that separates the seed from the pulp. This is qitmir. No human could have thought of using this word. No one ever pays attention to it while splitting a date - the mind is preoccupied with the fruit’s flesh (Au.).

25. “The Qur’an states in many places that all the false objects of worship – whether saints, angels, relics, fetishes, or deified forces of nature – will ‘bear witness’ against their one-time worshippers on Resurrection Day, and will ‘disown’ them.” (Asad).