Surah Fussilat 41:19-25 - Quran Translation Commentary

(41:20) At length, when they have arrived at it, their hearing, their sights and their skins²² will testify against them concerning what they were doing.

(41:21) They will say to their skins, ‘Why did you testify against us?' They will reply, ‘That Allah made us speak who makes everything speak. He it is who created you at first, and to Him you are returned.

(41:22) And, you would not conceal (from us) lest your hearing, your sights or your skins testify against you.²³ But rather, you assumed that Allah will not know much of what you were doing.

(41:23) But that assumption of yours which you assumed concerning your Lord²⁴ brought you to destruction,²⁵ and now you have become of those (who are) utterly lost.’

(41:24) Now, if they observe patience, then (it is all the same), the Fire is their home; but if they seek a return,²⁶ then, they are not going to be of those returned.

(41:25) And We assigned to them close companions who decked out fair to them what was before them²⁷ and what was behind them,²⁸ and (thus) came true the Word against them (being) among the people that passed away before them of the Jinn and mankind.²⁹ They were indeed of the losers

Commentary

21. The words "they are pushed and dragged" have Baghawi's interpretation behind them.

Suddi and Qatadah however thought that it meant to say that the first will be held until the last arrive (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

The textual word has the sense of large numbers being involved (Zamakhshari). Further, the missing statement is, “they will be brought at the Fire, to be questioned for their deeds” (Alusi).

22. See note 51 of Surah Ya-Sin (no. 36) for commentary.

Ibn Kathir quotes a hadith from Ibn Abi Hatim which is also found in Ibn Majah which has been declared as not wholly untrustworthy by Haythami. It says,

???

Jabir reports: After I had returned to the Prophet via the sea he asked (during one of those sessions), “Will you not tell us about the strangest of things you saw in the Abyssinian lands?” One of the young men spoke out, “Sure, Messenger of Allah. Once as we were sitting around when one of their old ascetic woman passed by carrying on her head a pot filled with water. She passed by one of their young men. He placed one of his hands between her shoulders and gave her a push. She fell upon her knees and her pot broke. When she rose up, she turned to him and said, ‘You will soon know, you treacherous man, when Allah will place the Kursiyy, gather together the firsts and the lasts, and when hands and legs will speak out about what they used to do. Then you will know what will be the affair between me and you – with Allah, tomorrow.’” The Prophet (saws) remarked, “She spoke the truth; spoke the truth. How will Allah cleanse a people whose weak are not given their rights by the strong.”

Another narrative goes as follows:

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, they (the Companions) asked, “Messenger of Allah, shall we see our Lord on the Day of Judgment?” He replied, “Do you doubt your seeing of the Sun at noon on a cloudless day?” They said, “No.” He asked, “Do you doubt your seeing of the moon on a full-moon lit cloudless night?” They said, “No.” He said, “By Him in whose hand is my life, you will not doubt seeing your Lord except as much you doubt seeing one of the two (sun or the moon).” Then he added, “Then a man will be cast and He will ask, ‘O so and so. Did I not honor you, gave you leadership, gave you a spouse, subjugated the horses and camels to you and let you be the head and take quarter of the booty? He will say, ‘Sure, my Lord.’ He will ask, Did you ever think that you are going to meet Me? He will say, ‘No.’ He will say, ‘So I shall forget you today as you had forgotten Me.’ Then a second one will be cast and He will ask, ‘O so and so. Did I not honor you, gave you leadership, gave you a spouse, subjugated the horses and camels to you and let you be the head and take quarter of the booty?’ He will say, ‘Sure, my Lord.’ He will ask, Did you ever think that you are going to meet Me?’ He will say, ‘No.’ He will say, ‘So I shall forget you today as you had forgotten Me.’ Then a third will be cast and he will be told the same things. He will reply, ‘My Lord. I believed in You, in Your Book, Prayed, fasted and spent in charity.’ He will speak of the good things (he did) to the possible extent. He (Allah) will say, ‘Here too?’ Then it will be said to him, ‘Now We shall raise testifiers against you’ He will start to think, ‘Who can testify against me?’ Then his mouth will be sealed and it will be said to his thigh, flesh and bones, ‘Speak out.’ His thigh, flesh and bones will speak of his deeds. That, in order that he is left with no excuse left for himself. That will be the hypocrite. That is the one Allah will be angry with.”

The one-fourth of the booty of above mention, used to be the share of the chieftain in pre-Islamic wars.

23. It could mean, “You took care to conceal your sins from others of your kind, but you did not from your own body limbs ruling it out altogether that one day they could betray you” (Ibn Jarir).

24. Hasan and Qatadah have said: Of assumptions concerning our Lord, there are two kinds: good assumptions, and evil assumptions. A believer holds good assumptions of his Lord and so good deeds flow out of him, while the unbeliever holds evil assumptions and, consequently, evil deeds flow out of him. The example of the first is, as in the Qur’an (2: 46):

“Those who hoped that the will meet their Lord and that to Him they will return.”

Or (69: 20):

“I was hopeful that I shall encounter my reckoning.”

These are the assumptions of the believers. As for the assumptions of the unbelievers, an example is the verse under consideration: “But that assumption of yours which you assumed concerning your Lord brought you to destruction.”

Accordingly, adds Ibn Jarir, Ma`mar has reported that a man will be ordered sent to the Fire. He will turn around and say, “My Lord! This is not what I had assumed of You.” He will ask, “So what was your assumption?” He will reply, “That You will forgive me and not punish me.” Allah will say, “I am with your assumption about Me.”

Razi also presents the above in brief.

Accordingly, we have a hadith-qudsi which (as found in Ahmad and declared as of Sahih narrators) says,

Allah says, “I am with the assumption of My slave about Me, and I am with him when he calls Me."

The earlier report of Ma`mar – as quoted by Ibn Jarir - could not be traced in hadith books. However, there are several ahadith of this nature in Ahmad, Abu Ya`la, and the collection of `Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak. One of them says,

Four persons will be brought out of the Fire and presented to Allah the Exalted (according to another narrator, two). He will order them thrown into the Fire. One of them will turn around and say, “My Lord, I was hoping that when You had brought me out of the Fire, you will not return me to it.” He will be told, “We shall not return you to it.”

Another report, as in `Abdullah ibn Mubarak’s collection, as also in Ahmad says,

As Allah will terminate judging the people on the Day of Judgment, two men will be left about whom He will order that they be sent to the Fire. One of them will look back. Allah the Subduer will say, “Bring him back.” So he will be brought back. He will be asked, “Why were you glancing backward?” He will reply, “I was hoping that You will admit me into Paradise.” He will be ordered sent to Paradise. The man will say, “This is my Lord’s granting. If I were to feed all the inhabitants of Paradise, it will not cause any decrease in what I have.” (That is, he will be given such a vast Paradise: Au.).

Whenever the Prophet (saws) mentioned this (adds the narrator), his face brightened up.

Haythami has commented that Ahmad’s narrators are all trustworthy except that some of them suffer some kind of weakness (Au.).

Consequently, noting the hadith of Ahmad above viz., “I am with the assumption of My slave..” Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir and Shawkani add the following report from Ahmad,

“Let not any of you die but he fastens good hope on Allah. A people’s evil hope of Allah destroyed them: ‘But that assumption of yours which you assumed concerning your Lord brought you to destruction.’”

The above report, in part or full, is found in Muslim, Abu Da’ud, Ibn Hibban and others (Shawkani).

Some reports add that the Prophet said these words three days before his death (Au.).

On the same topic, Hasan said the following: Some people’s wishful thinking led them to inactivity until they left the world without a good deed in their account. One of them says, “I fasten good hope on my Lord.” But that is a lie. If he had good hope he would have attempted good deeds (Qurtubi).

25. `Abdullah ibn Mas`ud reports the following as a context of revelation of this verse:

“Two Qurayshis and a Thaqafi, or maybe two Thaqafis and a Qurayshi – their bellies laden with fat but their hearts empty of wisdom – gathered together at the Holy House. (According to other reports, “talking together much of which I could not follow”). One of them said, “Do you think Allah hears what we speak?” The other said, “He hears if we speak aloud but not when we speak in low tones.” At that another said, “If he hears when we speak aloud, He will hear when we speak in whispers.” So Allah revealed this verse, “And, you would not conceal (from us) lest ...” (Ibn Jarir, Imam Razi, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir, Alusi, Shawkani).

The report is the Sahihayn and Tirmidhi (Ibn Kathir).

The above is a shorter version. Other versions in Ahmad and others add that Ibn Mas`ud had concealed himself behind the Ka`ba covering (perhaps at night) and that Allah (swt) revealed this verse when he reported the incident to the Prophet.

26. This is how Ibn Jarir and Ibn Kathir understand the difficult word “yesta`tabu,” which has been explained differently also, but close in meaning such as, plea to be returned to the pleasantries they were in, or to a happier relationship with their Lord, etc. (Au.).

27. That is, they were led to believe that there was nothing before them of such things as: Hereafter, Reckoning, Paradise or Fire (Alusi).

28. That is, what was behind them of the material world, coaxing them on to plan and lead a lecherous life during the days to come.

(The Qur’an gives the answer to the question why Allah had destined evil companions for the unbelievers: Au.), it says (43: 36),

“And he who turns away from the remembrance of Allah, We appoint for him a devil so that he is his close companion” (Ibn Kathir).

29. That is, the word of chastisement came true against them, as it came true against those of the Jinn and mankind who had rebelled earlier (Tabari).