Surah Az-Zukhruf 43:1-15 - Quran Translation Commentary

(43:13) So that you may settle yourselves on their backs, and recall your Lord’s blessing when you are settled upon it⁸ and say, ‘Blessed is He who subjected this to us, while we were not such as to be able to control it.

(43:14) And surely to Our Lord we shall be returning.⁹

(43:15) Yet they have assigned for Him a share from His slaves.¹⁰ Truly man is clearly ungrateful.

Commentary

2. Qatadah has said, “By Allah, its guidance, benefits and enlightenment can be clearly felt through and through" (Ibn Jarir).

3. The allusion by “Umm al-Kitab” is to the Principal Book which was written down immediately after the Pen was created (Ibn `Abbas: Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir). Allah had said to the Pen at that point of time,

اكتب قال رب وماذا أكتب ؟ قال : اكتب مقادير كل شيء حتى تقوم الساعة

“Write.” It asked, “What should I write.” It was told, “(Write down) Everything that is going to be until the Hour is struck.” The hadith is in Tabarani. But Haythami thought it was somewhat weak. A slightly different version is in Tirmidhi and Abu Da’ud, but weaker. Nonetheless, there are several ahadith, some in Sahih collections, that confirm that Pen was ordered to write down in the Umm al-Kitab (or Al-lawh al-Mahfuz) all that there is going to be (Au.).

“It has been named Umm al-Kitab because it is the master copy from which scriptures are copied” (Zamakhshari).

4. Had the Qur’an been withdrawn because the first addressees cried lies to it, this Ummah would have been destroyed (Qatadah: Ibn Jarir, Razi, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

Another possible connotation of “musrif” as pointed out by Asad is “those who waste themselves (in the life of this world).”

5. That is, the examples of how the past disbelieving nations were destroyed have passed in this Qur’an. There seems to be little room to believe, as a contemporary commentator states, that the meaning is: 'stories of the destruction of past nations are in history pages and on people’s tongues.' History written by humans in fact denies existence of some of destroyed nations (Au.).

6. The earth has been likened to a cradle (or, alternatively, a bed) because of the comfort it affords, despite all the destructive elements within and without it. Although below the 75 km thick uppermost crust the earth is nothing but extremely hot stuff, and the space between the earth’s surface and the upper 75 km thick area above the atmosphere enveloping the earth nothing but powerful radiation and other rays that can instantly kill, man lives in the earth in such comforts within the gas and solid materials, as would be unimaginable for a being from another planet. Consider another aspect: the Plate Tectonic theory tells us that the continents are moving away from each other. Well, that is the first movement. In a second movement, the earth rotates around its axis at the speed of 1,700 km an hour. In addition it swims around the sun – in the third movement - at the speed of 100,000 km an hour. This movement of the earth around the sun happens to be zigzag, as if the earth and moon (because of their respective gravitational pulls) are going around each other while they both revolve around the sun. So, this is the fourth movement. A fifth of the earth’s movement is along with the sun, which carries along with itself its entire family of planets, their moons and the steroid belt, as it revolves around the centre of the galaxy at the speed of 792,000 km an hour. A sixth movement is that of the galaxy rotating around its own axis. A seventh movement is that of the galaxy, along with all its stars, their planets and everything else, moving away from other galaxies within the local group of galaxies at the speed of about 1,440,000 km per hour, while the cluster they belong to speeds out into the unknown, almost at the speed of light, that is at about 300,000 km a second. That's the eighth movement. Yet, despite all these movements at such fantastic speeds, does man feel any discomfort? Does he feel any vibration, any sense of movement? (Au.).

7. The translation of “azwaj” as “varieties” (instead of the regular “pairs”), is following the understanding of Sa`id b. Jubayr as found in Qurtubi and Shawkani.

Asad writes: “(Some commentators, e.g., Tabari), see in it [the word “azwaj”]) a reference to the polarity evident in all creation. Ibn `Abbas (as quoted by Razi) says that it denotes the concept of opposites in general, like ‘sweet and sour, or white and black, or male or female’; to which Razi adds that everything in creation has its complement, ‘like high and low, right and left, front and back, past and present, being and attribute’, etc., (or negative and positive charges, particles and anti-particles, or, gravity and, much speculated, anti-gravity, etc.), whereas God – and He alone – is unique, without anything that could be termed ‘opposite’ or ‘similar’ or ‘complementary.’ Hence, the above sentence is an echo of the statement that ‘there is nothing that could be compared with Him’ (112: 4).”

8. The “it” (following the previous “them”) refers to the genus of the cattle (Razi), or, as Asad thinks, to “all that you use or may use by way of transport.”

9. We have several reports in Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir and others on how the Prophet mounted a beast. One is in Ahmad: `Ali b. Rabi`ah narrated:

عَنْ عَلِىِّ بْنِ رَبِيعَةَ قَالَ شَهِدْتُ عَلِيًّا أُتِىَ بِدَابَّةٍ لِيَرْكَبَهَا فَلَمَّا وَضَعَ رِجْلَهُ فِى الرِّكَابِ قَالَ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ ثَلاَثًا فَلَمَّا اسْتَوَى عَلَى ظَهْرِهَا قَالَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ (سُبْحَانَ الَّذِى سَخَّرَ لَنَا هَذَا وَمَا كُنَّا لَهُ مُقْرِنِينَ وَإِنَّا إِلَى رَبِّنَا لَمُنْقَلِبُونَ) ثُمَّ قَالَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ثَلاَثًا وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ ثَلاَثًا سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّى قَدْ ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِى فَاغْفِرْ لِى فَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ. ثُمَّ ضَحِكَ. فَقُلْتُ مِنْ أَىِّ شَىْءٍ ضَحِكْتَ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ قَالَ رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- صَنَعَ كَمَا صَنَعْتُ ثُمَّ ضَحِكَ فَقُلْتُ مِنْ أَىِّ شَىْءٍ ضَحِكْتَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ « إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَيَعْجَبُ مِنْ عَبْدِهِ إِذَا قَالَ رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِى ذُنُوبِى إِنَّهُ لاَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ غَيْرُكَ »

“I was with `Ali when a mount was brought to him for ride. When he placed a foot into the stirrup he said, ‘In the name of Allah.’ Then, as he climbed its back he said, ‘Glorified is He who subdued it to us while we were not such as to bring it to control. And, unto our Lord is our return.’ Then he said, ‘Thanks to Allah’, thrice. Then he said, ‘Allah is great’ three times. Then he said, ‘Glory unto You, I have wronged my own soul, therefore, forgive me; none forgives the sins but You.’ Then he smiled. Someone asked, ‘What is it you smiled at?’ He replied, ‘I saw the Prophet do what I did. I asked him, “Messenger of Allah, why did you smile?” He answered, “Your Exalted Lord marvels at His slave who says, ‘Forgive me my sins,’ as he knows that none forgives the sins but I.’” (To a similar hadith Tirmidhi added the note that this is a Hasan Sahih narrative: Au.). Similar reports are to be found in Abu Da’ud, Tirmidhi and Nasa’i. Muslim’s report is as follows and which corroborates with reports in Abu Da’ud, and Nasa’i:

(يُروى) أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- كَانَ إِذَا اسْتَوَى عَلَى بَعِيرِهِ خَارِجًا إِلَى سَفَرٍ كَبَّرَ ثَلاَثًا ثُمَّ قَالَ « سُبْحَانَ الَّذِى سَخَّرَ لَنَا هَذَا وَمَا كُنَّا لَهُ مُقْرِنِينَ وَإِنَّا إِلَى رَبِّنَا لَمُنْقَلِبُونَ اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْأَلُكَ فِى سَفَرِنَا هَذَا الْبِرَّ وَالتَّقْوَى وَمِنَ الْعَمَلِ مَا تَرْضَى اللَّهُمَّ هَوِّنْ عَلَيْنَا سَفَرَنَا هَذَا وَاطْوِ عَنَّا بُعْدَهُ اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ الصَّاحِبُ فِى السَّفَرِ وَالْخَلِيفَةُ فِى الأَهْلِ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّى أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ وَعْثَاءِ السَّفَرِ وَكَآبَةِ الْمَنْظَرِ وَسُوءِ الْمُنْقَلَبِ فِى الْمَالِ وَالأَهْلِ ». وَإِذَا رَجَعَ قَالَهُنَّ. وَزَادَ فِيهِنَّ « آيِبُونَ تَائِبُونَ عَابِدُونَ لِرَبِّنَا حَامِدُونَ »

[Ibn `Umar taught (his students)] that when the Prophet (saws) straightened himself up on his camel intending to travel out, he would say Allahu Akbar thrice, then say, “Glorified is He who subdued it to us while we were not such as to bring it to control. And, unto our Lord is our return. O Allah, we seek from You goodness and piety in this journey of ours, and seek in deeds those that please You. O Allah, make this journey of ours easy, and fold in its distance for us. O Allah, You are the Companion in this our journey, and vicegerent of (our) homefolk. O Allah, I seek Your refuge from the hardships of the journey, from depressing sights, and an evil return to the property and family.” When he returned he would say the same words but add, “We are returnees, repentant, chanting praises of our Lord.”

Yet another report, continues Ibn Kathir, is in Ahmed. It says,

حَمَلَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَلَى إِبِلٍ مِنْ إِبِلِ الصَّدَقَةِ ضِعَافٍ لِلْحَجِّ ، فَقَالَ : يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ، مَا نَرَى أَنْ تَحْمِلَنَا هَذِهِ ؟ فَقَالَ : مَا مِنْ بَعِيرٍ إِلاَّ عَلَى ذُرْوَتِهِ شَيْطَانٌ ، فَاذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ إِذَا رَكِبْتُمُوهَا كَمَا أَمَرَكُمْ ، ثُمَّ امْتَهِنُوهَا لأَنْفُسِكُمْ فَإِنَّمَا يَحْمِلُ لِلَّهِ

Abu Las Khuza`i said, ‘The Prophet gave us a few camels out of zakah-collections. We said, “Messenger of Allah, we do not see that these can carry us.” He said, “There is no camel but which has a devil sitting on its hump. So, pronounce Allah’s name when you climb them in the manner I have instructed you and then you subdue them unto yourselves, for, it is Allah who (gives you the power to) ride them.”‘ (Haythami gave his approval to this report: Au.).

10. As Allah said elsewhere explaining how the people granted a share to others, what is Allah’s alone (6: 136):

{وَجَعَلُوا لِلَّهِ مِمَّا ذَرَأَ مِنَ الْحَرْثِ وَالْأَنْعَامِ نَصِيبًا فَقَالُوا هَذَا لِلَّهِ بِزَعْمِهِمْ وَهَذَا لِشُرَكَائِنَا فَمَا كَانَ لِشُرَكَائِهِمْ فَلَا يَصِلُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَمَا كَانَ لِلَّهِ فَهُوَ يَصِلُ إِلَى شُرَكَائِهِمْ سَاءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ} [الأنعام: 136]

“They assign a share to Allah out of what He (alone) brought forth of the crops and cattle, saying - entirely out of their fancy, ‘This is for Allah and this is for our associate(-gods).’ Then, what is for their associate(-gods), does not reach Allah, whereas, what is assigned to Allah, reaches their associate(-gods). Evil is the way they judge” (Ibn Kathir).