Surah Az-Zukhruf 43:68-89 - Quran Translation Commentary

(43:71) Platters and cups of gold shall be passed around them, and for them therein whatever their souls desire⁶⁰ - delight of the eyes, and you shall abide therein forever.

(43:72) This is the Paradise that you have inherited for what you were doing.⁶¹

(43:73) For you therein abundant fruits whereof you may eat.

(43:74) Surely, the criminals will be in the chastisement of Jahannum, abiding.

(43:75) It will not be made milder for them, even as they will be in despair therein.

(43:76) We wronged them not, but they were indeed the wrongdoers.

(43:77) They shall call out, ‘O Malik, let your Lord put an end to us.’ He will reply, ‘You shall surely abide.’⁶²

(43:78) We brought you the truth but most of you were averse to the truth.

(43:79) Or have they devised [some] affair? But indeed, We are devising [a plan].

(43:80) Or, do they think that We do not hear their secret (talk) and their whispers?⁶³ Lo, Our messengers by them are recording.

(43:81) Say, ‘If the Compassionate had a son, then, I would be the first to serve.’⁶⁴

(43:82) Glory to the Lord of the heavens and the earth, Lord of the `Arsh, above what they describe.

(43:83) So, leave them plunge and play⁶⁵ until they meet the Day of theirs they are being promised.

(43:84) And, He is the Deity in the heaven and the Deity in the earth. He is the All-wise, the All-knowing.

(43:85) Glorified is He to whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them. With Him is the knowledge of the Hour, and to Him you shall be returned.

(43:86) While those they call upon apart from Him have not the power of intercession, except for him who bears witness to the truth and those that know.⁶⁶

(43:87) And, if you asked them who created them, they will surely say, ‘Allah.’ How then are they being deluded?

(43:88) And for his saying, ‘O my Lord, these are a people who will not believe.’⁶⁷

(43:89) Yet, pardon them and say, ‘Peace.’ Soon they will know.⁶⁸

Commentary

60. There are several reports in elucidation of this verse. One of them says that a man asked the Prophet whether there will be horses in Paradise, an object of great interest for him. He answered,

عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ بُرَيْدَةَ ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ ؛ أَنَّ رَجُلاً سَأَلَ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ، فَقَالَ : يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ ، هَلْ فِي الْجَنَّةِ مِنْ خَيْلٍ ، قَالَ : إِنِ اللهُ أَدْخَلَكَ الْجَنَّةَ ، فَلاَ تَشَاءُ أَنْ تُحْمَلَ فِيهَا عَلَى فَرَسٍ ، مِنْ يَاقُوتَةٍ حَمْرَاءَ ، يَطِيرُ بِكَ فِي الْجَنَّةِ حَيْثُ شِئْتَ ، إِلاَّ فَعَلْتَ

“If Allah admits you into Paradise, you will not wish to ride a horse, except that you will have horses made of pink rubies flying with you to any part of Paradise.”

Another man asked about camels in Paradise. He did not answer him in the manner he answered his companion, but said,

وَسَأَلَهُ رَجُلٌ ، فَقَالَ : يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ ، هَلْ فِي الْجَنَّةِ مِنْ إِبِلٍ ؟ قَالَ : فَلَمْ يَقُلْ لَهُ مِثْلَ مَا قَالَ لِصَاحِبِهِ ، قَالَ : إِنْ يُدْخِلْكَ اللهُ الْجَنَّةَ ، يَكُنْ لَكَ فِيهَا مَا اشْتَهَتْ نَفْسُكَ ، وَلَذَّتْ عَيْنُكَ.

“You will have therein what you wish and what pleases your eyes” (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

On another occasion the Prophet said,

إن السرب من أهل الجنة لتظلهم السحابة، قال: فتقول: ما أُمْطِرُكُمْ؟ قال: فما يدعو داع من القوم بشيء إلا أمطرتهم، حتى إن القائل منهم ليقول: أمطرينا كواعب أترابا

“A cloud will spread itself over the inhabitants of Paradise and ask, “What shall I rain down?” None will ask for a thing but it will rain down his request until one of them will say, “Rain down on us high-bosomed damsels.”

Mujahid was asked whether there will be music in Paradise. He answered, “There is a tree in Paradise [called al-`Ees] that will produce a kind of music never heard before."

And, Abu Umamah said that a man may spot a bird flying in Paradise. He will wish to eat it. It will fall down [on a platter) cooked, ready to be served (Ibn Jarir).

It may be noted that none of the ahadith quoted above has been reported as fully trustworthy words of the Prophet, although it is not easy to reject them either (Au.).

61. The Qur’an states that the inhabitants of Paradise will inherit it. What is the meaning? A hadith in Ibn Abi Hatim explains it. It says:

"كل أهل النار يرى منزله من الجنة، فيكون له حسرة فيقول { َوْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ هَدَانِي لَكُنْتُ مِنَ الْمُتَّقِينَ } وكل أهل الجنة يرى منزله من النار فيقول { وَمَا كُنَّا لِنَهْتَدِيَ لَوْلا أَنْ هَدَانَا اللَّهُ } فيكون له شكراً" قال: وقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ما من أحد إلا وله منزل في الجنة ومنزل في النار، فالكافر يرث المؤمن منزله من النار. والمؤمن يرث الكافر منزله من الجنة. وذلك قوله تعالى { وَتِلْكَ الْجَنَّةُ الَّتِي أُورِثْتُمُوهَا بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ }

"Everyone of the Fire will see his place in Paradise which will be a source of regret and mortification for him. He will say (39: 57), ‘Had Allah guided me, I would have been of the pious.’ Similarly, everyone of the Paradise will see his place in the Fire. He will say (7: 43), ‘It was not for us to be guided aright had Allah not guided us.’ It will be (a source of) gratefulness for him.” Then the Prophet added, “There is none among you but he has a place in Paradise and a place in Hellfire marked for him. The unbeliever will inherit the believer’s place in the Fire, while the believer will inherit his place in Paradise. This is (the meaning of) the words, ‘This is the Paradise that you have inherited for what you were doing’” (Ibn Kathir).

The authenticity of the above report could not be verified. However, a similar but shorter narration is in Ahmed, in two places. One of them says,

لا يدخل أحد النار إلا رأى مقعده من الجنة لو أحسن ليكون عليه حسرة، ولا يدخل أحد الجنة إلا رأى مقعده من النار لو أساء ليزداد شكرا

“No one will enter the Fire but he will see his place in Paradise (that he would have got) had he done well, in order that it becomes a source of regret and mortification for him. So also, no one will enter Paradise but he will see his place in the Fire, if he had done badly; in order that he may increase his gratitude.” The above is from Haythami’s Majma`ul Fawa’id with his remark that one of the two narratives involve trustworthy narrators (Au.).

62. Ibn `Abbas, Nawf, Suddi and Hasan said that the inhabitants of the Fire will plead to the keeper-angel, “O Malik. Let your Lord put an end to us.” He will reply after one thousand years, “You shall surely abide” (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi). This report is in Ibn abi Hatim also (Ibn Kathir).

A similar report is in Tabarani, which has the words “forty years” in place of “one thousand” and which report has Haythami’s approval (Au.).

63. Muhammad b. Ka`b al-Qurazi reported that while two Qurayshis and one Thaqafi, or the other way round, were near the Ka`bah, one of them said, “Do you think Allah hears our talk?” Another answered, “When you speak aloud He hears but not when you whisper.” At that the third remarked, “If He hears when you speak aloud then He will hear when you speak in whispers.” Allah revealed, “Or, do they think that We do not hear their secret (words) and their whispers?” (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi).

64. That is, we are so complete in our devotion to Allah, and so submitted, that if by any chance He had a son, we would have been the first to worship him (Zamakhshari, Ibn Kathir).

65. That is, let them plunge in vain discussions, and play with their lives (Ibn Jarir).

66. That is, those who are worshiped other than Allah, such as angels, `Isa ibn Maryam, `Uzayr, pagan deities, or others, will not be allowed to intercede unless they bear witness to Allah’s oneness and His Lordship and who will be aware that they can intercede only if allowed (Ibn Jarir).

67. This affords a hint that this Surah could be one of the last ones to be revealed at Makkah. The Prophet had reached his final conclusion about the Makkans: they will not believe (Au.).

68. The words “Soon they will know” conceal a threat; and The Prophet’s departure to Madinah thereafter, should have set the Quraysh worrying (Au.).