Surah Az-Zumar 39:1-9 - Quran Translation Commentary

(39:3) Lo, religion is purely for Allah.⁵ As for those who took protectors apart from Him (claim), ‘We do not worship them except that they may take us nearer to Allah in station.’⁶ Truly, Allah will judge between them in what they were differing; surely Allah does not guide him who is a liar, a (stubborn) ingrate.⁷

(39:4) Had Allah wished to take a son, He would have surely chosen out of those He creates whom he willed.⁸ Glorified is He, the One, the Subduer.

(39:5) He created the heavens and the earth in truth. He rolls the night over the day and rolls the day over the night⁹ and has subjected the sun and the moon: each running to an appointed course (of time).¹⁰ Lo, He is the All-mighty, the All-forgiving.

(39:6) He created you out of a single soul, then from it He made its mate, and sent down for you¹¹ of the cattle eight, (making four) pairs;¹² He creates you in the wombs of your mothers – from one creation to another creation¹³ - in threefold darknesses.¹⁴ That is your Lord. His is the dominion. There is no deity save He. How then are you being turned away?¹⁵

(39:7) If you disbelieve, then Allah is independent of you, yet He does not approve of disbelief for His slaves.¹⁶ But if you are grateful, He approves it for you. And no burden-carrier will carry the burden of another. Ultimately, to your Lord is your return when He will inform you of what you were doing. Surely, He is knowing of what is in the breasts.

(39:8) And when an affliction touches man, he invokes his Lord, turning to Him (in sincerity), then, when He confers upon him a blessing (directly) from Him, he forgets all that He prayed for earlier and sets up compeers to Allah – so as to mislead away from His way.¹⁷ Say, ‘Enjoy your disbelief a little, surely, you are of the inhabitants of the Fire.’

(39:9) Is he then who is given to worship¹⁸ during the deep hours of night,¹⁹ prostrating himself or standing (in prayers), who fears the Hereafter and hopes for his Lord’s mercy²⁰ (like one who does not)? Say, are equal those who know and those who do not know?²¹ Surely, none receive the admonition but men of understanding.

Commentary

3. Two meanings can be ascribed to the words, “with Truth,” or “in Truth.” (1) The Book has been revealed carrying the Truth, and, (2) it is Truly Allah’s revelation to you, since no man could have written it (Razi).

4. That is, all your acts of worship should be aimed at winning His approval. Mere utterance of the words of faith will not be sufficient although forgiveness on its basis alone is not ruled out.

It is said that when Farazdaq’s wife felt she was near her death, she instructed that her burial Prayers be led by Hasan al-Busri. When she died and Hasan had led the Prayers over her, he asked Farazdaq: “What have you prepared for this day?” Farazdaq replied, “The kalimah shahadah.” Hasan said, “That is the central pole. But where are the tent-ropes?” – meaning, deeds – which hold the tent poles in place (Razi).

Hasan and Farazdaq were actually friendly with each other (EI., art. Hasan).

Shamar is reported as having said, “A man will be brought with a Record of deeds as huge as mountains. Then Allah will say, ‘You prayed on such and such a day so that it might be said that you prayed. But I am the God besides whom there is no god. You fasted on such and such a day so that it might be said that you fasted. But I am the God besides whom there is no god. You spent so that it may be said, so and so is charitable. But I am the God besides whom there is no god.’ One after another He will keep on erasing deeds from his Record until nothing will be left. Thereat his two companion angels will remark, ‘O so and so. Were you practicing for the sake of others?” (Ibn Jarir).

Mawdudi comments: This is an important verse of the Qur’an which needs to be understood carefully in order to understand the central theme of the message of Islam. It contains two parts: one, man should worship Allah alone, and two, the religion should purely be for Him. The two terms “`Ibadah” and “din” need some attention. According to the authoritative “Lisan al-`Arab” the word “`Ibadah” derived from “`abd” is an antonym of a free man, meaning, a slave, bondman, etc. Accordingly, “`Ibadah” implies (i) worship and devotion and (ii) humble and willing obedience.

On the other hand the word “din” has several connotations. It implies (i) dominion, sovereignty, suzerainty, and the authority to enforce one’s decisions on others; (ii) obedience, compliance with commands in servitude; and (iii) practices and ways of a man or people.

To combine together, the sense we get is that of worship and complete devotion to Allah (swt) in all sincerity, without the adulteration of any other’s obedience or subservience in any area of life.

5. Sayyid writes: “The demand to assign religion (strictly speaking ‘din’) to none other than Allah was made on no less than the Prophet himself, the very bearer of the Message. The demand was to accept it as the way of life, building the whole life and society on this basis; a system which starts with belief in the heart and grows to dominate the individual’s life and finally, covers the entire society.

“A heart which believes in Allah’s Oneness, also leads a life in accordance with the demands of that Oneness. No other concern engages it other than this. He neither demands anything nor relies upon any of His creations. To him, Allah alone is the Strong, the One who is the Subduer, above all His creations. And humans – all together – are weak and incapable of any benefit or harm. Therefore, there is no need for him to devote his attention to any of them. They are like him: incapable of harm or benefit. It is Allah who is the Bestower and the Withholder. What need is there for him to turn his attention to any other than Allah who is Self-sufficient while the creations are dependents and poor?

“A heart which believes in Allah also believes in the unity of the system of divine laws that turn the whole creation about. It believes that the compendium of laws given by Allah, is a part of the whole and therefore, humanity’s existence, its establishment and growth, is unachievable without meeting with its demands. Consequently, such a heart cannot choose to live by a system other than that Allah has chosen for it. It cannot obey laws but those of Allah, such laws as are in harmony with the laws governing the rest of the world.

“Accordingly, a heart that believes in Allah’s Oneness feels the existence of a relationship between itself and all that Allah’s Hands have wrought. It lives in a friendly world, one in which he feels Allah’s Hand working in everything that works, and obtains comfort in everything his hands touch and his eyes fall upon. In consequence, he does not wish to harm anything that he touches or to indulge in anything but for which he has received the commands and approval from Allah, the Creator of all, the Giver of life and death, his Lord, Lord of everything, and of every living being.

“That is how the effects of Allah’s Oneness appear in every belief or opinion held, as they also appear in attitudes and behavior. They help to design life on a clear pattern, complete, distinct. It does not remain a mere verbal utterance. The special attention accorded to Tawhid, its explanation, and the repeated stress on it in Allah’s Book demands special attention on the part of the Muslims, in every epoch and in every milieu. Tawhid in its extended and complete sense is a colossal reality that needs awareness, understanding and full comprehension.

“'Lo, the religion is purely for Allah...’ the Revelation announces its importance by phrasing it in this high sounding, reverberating manner... opening up the short sentence with ‘Lo!’ demanding our immediate and fullest attention."

6. This is not, as Majid writes, “the ever recurring plea of the polytheists” alone. But rather, if revived, Christianity is ever likely to go back to its ways of saint-worship. Majid further writes, “Compare and contrast with the absolute, pure, and unadulterated monotheism of Islam the palpable polytheistic attitude of Christianity. ‘The faithful who belong to the Church militant upon earth, in offering their prayers to God, call at the same time to their aid the saints who belong to the Church in heaven; and these, standing on the higher steps of approach to God, by their prayers and intercessions purify, strengthen, and offer God the prayers of the faithful living upon earth, and by the will of God work graciously and beneficently upon them.’ (Longer Orthodox Catechism, quoted in ERE, XI, p.51). ‘We ask God to grant blessings, we ask the saints to be our advocates. To God we say, “Have mercy on us;” to the saints we commonly say, “Pray for us …” We beg of them as they are pitiful, to take compassion on us and interpose in our behalf.’ (Roman Catechism, quoted in ERE. XI. P.51). This mentality, perhaps, is at the root of the primitive man’s worship and the Christian cults of the dead. ‘A crowd of saints, who were once men and women, now form a crowd of inferior deities, active in the affairs of men and receiving from them reverence and prayer’ (PC. II, p. 120).”

7. “Yet humanity deviates from the natural and logical path of pure but simple to understand concept of Tawhid that Islam has brought, and which every Messenger had brought. Today we notice everywhere in our Islamic world devotion to the so-called holy men and ecclesiasts in a manner that reminds us of the pre-Islamic Arab devotion to angels, or carved images, seeking Allah’s nearness through them, hoping to win their intercession while Allah has clearly laid down the path: the path of pure Tawhid which neither relies on, nor is in any need of intercessors. We observe devotion to them being practiced all around us, in the mythical style, ‘Surely, Allah does not guide a liar, ingrate’” (Sayyid).

8. “The argument is,” writes Majid, “assuming that God betook for Himself a Son, is that Son an uncreated Being like Himself, or a created being inferior to Him, and belonging to another class? If the former, then the clear conclusion is a doctrine of Dualism; if the latter, does it befit a Perfect Being to beget one who is imperfect?”

9. “Takwir” is the act of wrapping something around an object. “Kawwara al-`imamah” means he wrapped the turban (around his head) – Zamakhshari. This carries two connotations: (1) of the night overlapping the day (shortening it) and (2) circular movement. The latter is the first hint in any peice of writing that the earth is round (Au.).

10. It has also been said that the meaning is, each has its position designated to it that it cannot go beyond, nor fall short of (Ibn Jarir).

11. Mujahid, Qat adah and Dahh ak have said that the allusion is to the four kinds of flock: sheep, goat, camels and oxen as Allah said (8: 143-144),“Eight (that make) couples: of the sheep a pair, of the goats a pair. Say, ‘Has he forbidden the two males or the two females? Or what the wombs of the two females carry? Tell me by knowledge, if you are true.’ Similarly, of the camel is a pair, and of the oxen a pair” (Ibn Jarir).

12. In the words, “sent down for you” is the clear indication that the domestication of cattle was by Allah’s design, and not through human effort. Human’s have not been able to add a fifth to Allah’s four (Au.).

As for “sending down” (of them), similar expressions have been used for water, iron and clothes (Shafi`).

13. The allusion is to various stages that a fetus passes through within the womb until birth as said Allah (23: 12-14),“Surely, We created man from the quintessence of clay. Then We placed him as a sperm drop in a safe lodging. Then We fashioned the sperm drop into a leech like structure, then of that leech like structure We made a chewed like substance. Then out of the chewed like substance We created the bones. Then We clothed the bones with flesh. Then We developed him into a new creation. So, blessed is Allah, the Best of creators.”

14. The threefold darkness is created by the outer skin (batn), the skin of the womb (rahm), and the membrane (al-mashimah) that covers the fetus within the womb (placenta): Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Mujahid, `Ikrimah, Suddi, Ibn Zayd and Dahh ak (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

15. The implication is clear: It seems you are under the influence of others and are “being turned away” rather than you making the decision independently, all by yourself (Au.).

16. This implies that disbelief is not planted into the humans from Allah, although, in the final analysis, both belief and disbelief are His creation. If disbelief had been planted by Allah, He would not have been displeased with disbelief and would not have disapproved it for His slaves (Razi and others).

17. That is, not only does the man in question alter his attitudes towards Allah depending on whether he is going through hardship or ease, devoting himself sincerely to Him when in trouble, and turning away as soon as granted ease, but he also attributes his relief to other than Allah telling others that he seems to have won relief through the help of such and such a saint, deity or, perhaps physical causes, misleading others too besides himself (Mawdudi summarized).

18. The general meaning of “qanata” is to obey, but, technically, it refers to standing in prayer. Hence the “qunut” in “witr” which is a supplication from the standing position. A hadith of Muslim says, "The best Prayer is that which consists of a lengthy standing” (Zamakhshari).

Some scholars have thought that “qunut” (in reference to Prayers) is not merely standing in prayer, but one which also involves “khushu`” (humbleness accompanied by fear) - Ibn Kathir.

19. ‘Ana’ has been explained by Ibn `Abbas, Hasan, Suddi and Ibn Zayd as meaning, depth of the night. See Surah ‘Al-`Imran, note 184 in support of this understanding. But a few others have not restricted it to the depth of the night but to any part of it (Ibn Kathir).

In Surah Ta-ha, ayah 130, we have adopted the latter meaning in view of the context there (Au.).

It is said that reciting this ayah Ibn `Umar remarked, “That was `Uthman ibn `Affan who spent most of his night in Prayers.” It is said that sometimes he would recite the whole of the Qur’an in one raka`ah (Ibn Kathir).

Other names have also been cited such as that of Ibn Mas` ud, `Amm ar b. Y asir, Suhayb and S alim the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfah ( Alusi). Tamim D ari has been preserved by Ahmad as reporting the Prophetic words,“Whoever recited a hundred verses of the Qur’an in a night, is recorded as if he was in prayers the whole night.” Nas a’ i has also recorded it in his “Al-yawm wa al-laylah” (Ibn Kathir).

Haythami noted in Majma` that Ibn Ma` in and Abu H atim trusted one of the narrators, while Bukhari did not. But Haythami adds his weight to the narrative (Au.).

20. That is, they are in a state of fear and hope. Tirmidhi, Nas a’ i and Ibn Majah have preserved through Anas that“the Prophet entered upon a man who was in the throes of death. He asked him, ‘How do you find yourself?’ He said, ‘I am hopeful, yet fearful of Allah.’ The Prophet remarked, ‘The two do not get together in the heart of a believer during such moments but Allah gave him what he hoped for and withheld what he feared’” ( Alusi, Shawk ani).

According to Albani the report is of Hasan status (S.Ibrhim).

21. Although Ibn `Umar named `Uthman b. `Aff an, and `Abdullah ibn `Abbas named `Amm ar b. Y asir as those in whose connection this verse was revealed, the application is obviously general (Ibn Kathir, Shawkani).

Sayyid devotes a few paragraphs to this verse. We present the briefest possible summary here: “Say, are equal those who know and those who do not know?” – the juxtaposition of this ayah with the previous one, which spoke of Prayers in the depth of night, leads us to believe that by the words “those who know” the allusion is “those who act.” Conversely, evil is the case of the man who knows, but does not act. "

It could also mean, however, that just as those who know and those who do not, are not equal, those who stand in Prayers at night cannot be equal to those who do not (Zamakhshari).

Imam Razi sees another connection between the last two verses: one is about deeds, the other about knowledge. Deed is the basis – performed consistently, accompanied by fear and hope. Knowledge follows, which is ma`rifah and mukashafa. But the unbelievers do not know. They are Unitarians when in trouble, Trinitarians and above when in peace. They are fated never to become ‘men of understanding’ (slightly modified).

In the words of Sayyid, “The knowledge of the Truth is the gnosis. It is the comprehension of the Truth. It opens the eyes. It is the union with the fixed and firm realities of existence. Knowledge is not those unconnected pieces of data that are amassed in the mind in a heap. Such a heap does not lead to the grand truths of existence. It does not take beyond the apparent, physical manifestation of things.

“And this is the way to the knowledge and electric gnosis.. it is this ... standing before Allah, the hearts in wakefulness, fear of the Hereafter, in the hope of mercy and blessings.. this is the way to knowledge. It is then that one gets at the kernel, begins to know, and benefit from what he sees, hears and experiences, traveling up the path, ending at the Truth that lies behind the apparent. As for those who halt at the haphazardly conducted, isolated experiences, and at apparent meanings of the observable, they are collectors of pieces of knowledge. They are not Gnostics.”