Surah 40. Ghafir

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Verses [Section]: 1-9[1], 10-20 [2], 21-27 [3], 28-37 [4], 38-50 [5], 51-60 [6], 61-68 [7], 69-78 [8], 79-85 [9]

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Quran Text of Verse 61-68اَللّٰهُAllahالَّذِیْ(is) the One Whoجَعَلَmadeلَكُمُfor youالَّیْلَthe nightلِتَسْكُنُوْاthat you may restفِیْهِin itوَ النَّهَارَand the dayمُبْصِرًا ؕgiving visibilityاِنَّIndeedاللّٰهَAllahلَذُوْ(is) Full (of) Bountyفَضْلٍ(is) Full (of) Bountyعَلَیtoالنَّاسِthe peopleوَ لٰكِنَّbutاَكْثَرَmostالنَّاسِ(of) the peopleلَا(do) notیَشْكُرُوْنَ give thanks ذٰلِكُمُThatاللّٰهُ(is) Allahرَبُّكُمْyour Lordخَالِقُ(the) Creatorكُلِّ(of) allشَیْءٍ ۘthingsلَاۤ(there is) noاِلٰهَgodاِلَّاexceptهُوَ ۚؗHimفَاَنّٰیSo howتُؤْفَكُوْنَ are you deluded كَذٰلِكَThusیُؤْفَكُwere deludedالَّذِیْنَthose whoكَانُوْاwereبِاٰیٰتِ(the) Signsاللّٰهِ(of) Allahیَجْحَدُوْنَ rejecting اَللّٰهُAllahالَّذِیْ(is) the One Whoجَعَلَmadeلَكُمُfor youالْاَرْضَthe earthقَرَارًاa place of settlementوَّ السَّمَآءَand the skyبِنَآءًa canopyوَّ صَوَّرَكُمْand He formed youفَاَحْسَنَand perfectedصُوَرَكُمْyour formsوَ رَزَقَكُمْand provided youمِّنَofالطَّیِّبٰتِ ؕthe good thingsذٰلِكُمُThatاللّٰهُ(is) Allahرَبُّكُمْ ۖۚyour LordفَتَبٰرَكَThen blessed isاللّٰهُAllahرَبُّ(the) Lordالْعٰلَمِیْنَ (of) the worlds هُوَHeالْحَیُّ(is) the Ever-Livingلَاۤ(there is) noاِلٰهَgodاِلَّاbutهُوَHeفَادْعُوْهُso call Himمُخْلِصِیْنَ(being) sincereلَهُto Himالدِّیْنَ ؕ(in) the religionاَلْحَمْدُAll praise (be)لِلّٰهِto Allahرَبِّ(the) Lordالْعٰلَمِیْنَ (of) the worlds قُلْSayاِنِّیْIndeed, Iنُهِیْتُ[I] have been forbiddenاَنْtoاَعْبُدَworshipالَّذِیْنَthose whomتَدْعُوْنَyou callمِنْbesidesدُوْنِbesidesاللّٰهِAllahلَمَّاwhenجَآءَنِیَhave come to meالْبَیِّنٰتُthe clear proofsمِنْfromرَّبِّیْ ؗmy Lordوَ اُمِرْتُand I am commandedاَنْtoاُسْلِمَsubmitلِرَبِّto (the) Lordالْعٰلَمِیْنَ (of) the worlds 40. Ghafir Page 475هُوَHeالَّذِیْ(is) the One Whoخَلَقَكُمْcreated youمِّنْfromتُرَابٍdustثُمَّthenمِنْfromنُّطْفَةٍa sperm-dropثُمَّthenمِنْfromعَلَقَةٍa clinging substanceثُمَّthenیُخْرِجُكُمْHe brings you outطِفْلًا(as) a childثُمَّthenلِتَبْلُغُوْۤاlets you reachاَشُدَّكُمْyour maturityثُمَّthenلِتَكُوْنُوْاlets you becomeشُیُوْخًا ۚoldوَ مِنْكُمْand among youمَّنْ(is he) whoیُّتَوَفّٰیdiesمِنْbeforeقَبْلُbeforeوَ لِتَبْلُغُوْۤاand lets you reachاَجَلًاa termمُّسَمًّیspecifiedوَّ لَعَلَّكُمْand that you mayتَعْقِلُوْنَ use reason هُوَHeالَّذِیْ(is) the One Whoیُحْیٖgives lifeوَ یُمِیْتُ ۚand causes deathفَاِذَاAnd whenقَضٰۤیHe decreesاَمْرًاa matterفَاِنَّمَاthen onlyیَقُوْلُHe saysلَهٗto itكُنْBeفَیَكُوْنُ۠and it is

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Translation of Verse 61-68

(40:61) Allah it is who made the night for you so that you may find repose therein,⁷⁰ and the day light-giving.⁷¹ Verily, Allah is full of bounty for the people, but most people do not give thanks.⁷²

(40:62) Such is Allah your Lord, Creator of all things, there is no deity but He. How then are you being perverted?

(40:63) That is how perverted were those who were disputing with Allah’s revelations.

(40:64) Allah it is who made the earth for you a place of rest, and the sky a canopy, and fashioned you – and so well (fashioned) your features⁷³ - and provided you out of the good things.⁷⁴ Such is Allah your Lord, Hallowed then, is Allah, Lord of the worlds.⁷⁵

(40:65) He is the Ever-living, there is no deity but He, therefore call Him, making your religion pure for Him. All praise to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.⁷⁶

(40:66) Say, ‘I have been forbidden that I should serve those you invoke apart from Allah, when clear evidences have come to me from my Lord, and I have been commanded that I should surrender to the Lord of the worlds.‘

(40:67) He it is who created you out of dust, then of a sperm-drop, then of a clinging clot, then He brings you out an infant, then that you may achieve your age of full strength, then that you may become old; although of you is one who dies before (it), and that you may attain the appointed term,⁷⁷ haply that you will reflect.

(40:68) He it is who gives life and deals death. And then, when He decrees an affair He but says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.⁷⁸

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Commentary

70. “The night for ... repose”: There are levels and kinds of rest and repose. Common people find repose in sleep. The devoted on the other hand find repose in deeds of the night (dhikr, qira’ah, ruku` and sujud: Au.). At the highest level are the lovers. Their repose is tethered to the acts of the heart (Alusi in Isharat, and Thanwi in his Suluk).

With due respect to the above, one might draw attention to the fact that the “acts of the heart” seem to be acts that are conducted parallel to the acts of the body. Allah said about the Prophet and his earliest Companions (73: 20), “Surely, your Lord knows that you stand up (praying) nearly two-thirds of the night, or its half, or its one-third, and a group of believers is with you...” making no mention of the final and higher stage of the acts of the heart, which can come only along with the physical devotions, and never without them (Au).

71. Or, alternatively, that which enables to see (Au.).

72. The familiar loses its significance. Yusuf Ali reminds us of the bounties that remain unheeded because of the familiarity: “The succession of Day and Night in our physical life is frequently appealed to, as a symbol to draw our attention to the Mercy and Bounty of Allah. If we viewed these things aright, we should serve Allah and seek Light from Him and Rest from Him, and celebrate His praises with gratitude.”

73. Allah’s fashioning is of such order that further improvement is ruled out and unattainable. No artist can make a figure more beautiful than the human face through the juggling of the organs on the face (Au.).

74. In comparison with any other creation, including the Jinn, humankind consume the best of foods (Au.).

75. “The argument in the last two verses was from man’s personal experiences of his physical life. In this and the next verse a parallel argument is addressed to man on a much higher plane: Look at the spacious earth and the canopy of the sky; look at the special position you occupy above other animals that you know, in shape and form, and moral and spiritual capacities; consider your refinements in food and fruits and the higher spiritual Sustenance of which your physical food is a type; would you not indeed say that the Lord is good, and would you not glorify His holy name?’” (Yusuf Ali).

76. Ibn Jarir, Zamakhshari and Ibn Kathir note that since declaration of Allah’s Oneness is followed by His praise, Ibn `Abbas and Sa`id b. Jubayr have been reported as having said, “Whoever said, let him follow up with, This is based on Allah’s words as here.

The above report is in Ibn Marduwayah, Bayhaqi (in his Al-Asma’ wa al-Sifat), and Hakim, who declared it as coming to us through trustworthy narrators (Shawkani).

77. The allusion could either be to death or Resurrection (Alusi and others).

78. This, according to latter day scholars, is an allegorical depiction of the powers of Allah, in time and space, and not necessarily to say that this is how things normally happen (Alusi), but rather Allah chooses to create as He will, when He will, and as fast as He will (Au.).

The above said, the ayah speaking about instant execution of His command, gives, at this point, as referenced to life and death, an instant example of how fast Allah’s biddings are executed: an infant comes to life in the womb in an instant, and a man dies off in a microsecond. Indeed, the universe itself seems to have come into existence in an instant: “When He decrees an affair He but says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is” (Au.).