Surah Al-Jathiyah 45:12-21 - Quran Translation Commentary

(45:12) Allah it is who subjected to you the sea so that the ships may sail through it by His command; so that you may seek His bounty and that perhaps you will be grateful

(45:13) And He has subjected to you whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth,¹⁵ all from Him.¹⁶ Verily, in that are sure signs for a people who reflect.

(45:14) Say to those who have believed to forgive those who have no hope in the days of Allah,¹⁷ that He may recompense a people for that they were earning.¹⁸

(45:15) Whoso works righteousness, it is for his own soul, and whoso does evil, it is upon it;¹⁹ then unto your Lord will you be returned.

(45:16) Indeed, We gave the children of Israel the Book, the Wisdom²⁰ and Prophethood; provided them with good things, and preferred them over the worlds.²¹

(45:17) We gave them clear evidences of the affair,²² but they differed not except after knowledge had come to them - in insolence to each other.²³ Verily, your Lord will judge between them on the Day of Standing concerning that over which they were differing.

(45:18) Then We have set you upon an open way²⁴ in the affair,²⁵ so follow it,²⁶ and follow not the caprices of a people who do not know.²⁷

(45:19) Surely, they will avail you not aught against Allah. Surely, the transgressors are allies of one another while Allah is the protector of the pious.

(45:20) This is an enlightenment for mankind, a guidance and mercy for a people who are of assured faith.

(45:21) What, do those who commit evil deeds think that We will treat them like those who believed and did righteous deeds – equal their living and their dying?²⁸ Evil is that which they judge.²⁹

Commentary

15. “I.e., by endowing man, alone among all living beings, with a creative mind and, thus, with the ability to make conscious use of the nature that surrounds him and is within him” (Asad).

At a simpler level we might add that although the full impact of the whole world subjected to the humans is yet to dawn upon us, the present state of science tells us that in appearance of life on the earth and in its survival, the whole universe plays its role. The balance of various forces of nature allows the earth to remain in orbit, otherwise, there is no reason why it should not fly off into empty cold space (Scientific American) freezing all life. Indeed, apart from the fact that we humans have a part of stars that exploded in the past, and contributed to the elements in our body, the Moment of Inertia prevalent on the earth, which has direct effect on the magnitude of our physical movements and the ability to move materials around, is the direct result of the combined forces of gravity exerted upon us by the surrounding stars and galaxies. The world around us, the near as well as the distant, seems to be subjected to our benefit. Strange though it may sound, the scientific fact is that removal of a single galaxy, however distant, out of trillions that exist, could ultimately result in a complete revolution if not destruction of life on earth (Au.).

16. That is, from Him alone (Ibn Kathir).

17. That is, the Day of the Hereafter where none but Allah will rule.

In this kind of expression, “ayyam” means days of special significance: those memorable days when important events take place, such as, e.g., “ayyam al-`Arab” meaning important events of Arab history (Mawdudi).

In explanation of this verse Ibn `Abbas and others said that the injunction to forgive them – belonging to the Makkan phase – was abrogated by a later commandment to fight off wrong and oppression, through verses spread over the Qur’an (Tabari, Ibn Kathir).

18. The meaning, as expressed by Zamakhshari, Razi and others is, “So that Allah may reward those who bore the wrongs in patience.”

19. “Upon it”: that is, upon its soul (Au.).

20. Several meanings are attributable to the textual “hukm” such as: knowledge, wisdom, the law (Razi).

21. That is, preferred them over the peoples of the world of their time (Razi, Ibn Kathir), in sending down the message of monotheism, taken to them by Messengers raised from among them (Au.).

22. Asad’s note covers both the ancient understanding as well as modern interpretation: “This, I believe, is the meaning of the phrase min al-amr in the above context (i.e., as Asad rendered it: “clear indications of the purpose [of faith”]), although most of the classical commentators are of the opinion that amr signifies here “religion” (din), and interpret the whole phrase, accordingly, as ‘of what pertains to religion’. Since, however, the common denominator in all the possible meanings of the term amr – e.g.’ ‘command, ‘injunction’, ‘ordinance’, ‘matter [of concern]’, ‘action’, etc. – is the element of purpose, whether implied or explicit, we may safely assume that this is the meaning of the term in the above elliptic phrase, which alludes to the purpose underlying all divine revelations and, consequently, man’s faith in it. Now from the totality of the Qur’anic teachings it becomes apparent that the innermost purpose of all true faith is, firstly, a realization of the existence of God and of every human being’s responsibility to Him; secondly, man’s attaining a consciousness of his own dignity as a positive element – a logically necessary element – in God’s plan of creation and, thus, achieving freedom from all manner of superstitions and irrational fear; and, lastly, making man aware that whatever good or evil he does is but done for the benefit, or to the detriment, of his own self (as expressed in verse 15 above.”

23. Thus, knowledge became the source of differences which is against the norm, it being the other way round. The reason is, knowledge was never gained for its own sake, it was gained for the sake of this-worldly returns. (It made them behave insolently with each other: Au.) - Razi.

24. “It is to be borne in mind that the literal meaning of the term shari`ah is ‘the way to a watering place’, and since water is indispensable for all organic life, this term has in time come to denote a ‘system of laws’, both moral and practical, which show man the way towards spiritual fulfillment and social welfare: hence ‘religious law’ in the widest sense of the term” (Asad).

25. That is, affair of the religion; and the “shari`ah” of the text refers to the obligations, legal punishments, commandments and forbiddance (Ibn Jarir). Also see note 22 above.

26. If the Prophet – the most renowned of Prophets - is directed here to follow the Shari`ah, then, how can any ordinary Muslim imagine that he can set it aside, lead a life divorced of law, and win Allah’s approval (Thanwi)?

Thanwi has those false Sufis in mind who think that they are above the law, rituals and Sunnah (Au.).

27. “I.e., who are not – or not primarily – motivated by God-consciousness and, hence, are swayed only by what they themselves regard as ‘right’ in accordance with worldly, changing circumstances” (Asad).

Mufti Shafi` clarifies an important point. Is the Shari`ah of previous nations a source of law for us? The answer is, as far as articles of faith and basic principles of law are concerned, no, they are not, although these have remained unchanged through the history. We are bound to follow our own sources: Qur’an and Sunnah. However, if there is found to be mentioned (in our texts) a rule or practice of the past nations, which is not accompanied with any criticism, or something that our own texts (Qur’an and Sunnah) confirm or praise, then such elements of the previous Shari`ah can become sources of law in our own Shari`ah. Obviously, in practice it offers several complications, and, therefore, Fiqh books might be referred to for fuller details.

28. Asad again, “The reference to the intrinsic differences between these two categories with regard to ‘their life and their death’ points not merely to the moral quality of their worldly existence, but also, on the one hand, to the inner peace and tranquility with which a true believer faces life’s tribulations at the moment of death, and on the other, to the nagging anxiety which so often accompanies spiritual nihilism, and the ‘fear of the unknown’ at the time of dying.”

Yusuf Ali further explains, “Three meanings can be deduced. (1) The evil ones are not in Allah’s sight like the righteous ones; neither in life nor in death are they equal; in life the righteous are guided by Allah (swt) and receive His Grace, and after death His Mercy, while the others reject His Grace, and after death receive condemnation. (2) Neither are the two the same in this life and in the after-life; if the wicked flourish here, they will be condemned in the Hereafter; if the good are in suffering or sorrow here, they will receive comfort and consolation in the Hereafter. (3) The real life of the righteous is not like the nominal life of the wicked, which is really death; nor is the physical death of the righteous, which will bring them into eternal life, like the terrible death of the wicked which will bring them to eternal misery.”

In Mawdudi’s simpler words, “By what logic can the unbelievers expect that they will be treated equal with the believers in this life and next? Is he who subjected himself to moral restrictions, rendered the rights of those they were due, restrained himself from the unlawful pleasures, incurred losses for the sake of truth, equal to another who neither recognized the rights of Allah nor hesitated to violate the rights of the people, but rather, went on to collect the benefits and good things of life in every possible way, lawful or unlawful?”

Ashraf `Ali Thanwi demonstrates the logic. To paraphrase: Had there been no rewards for someone doing good, there could have been no objection. A master deals with his slaves as he likes. He is not bound to reward him. The slave too does not make any claim. But the presence of another who misbehaves, makes rewarding the other and punishing this one imperative. Take an example: there are two servants to a master. One of them hardworking and morally upright, the other lazy and mischievous. Now, if the master does not punish the lazy and the mischievous, then the other can complain that there is no justice. Consequently, rewarding this one and punishing the other becomes a demand of logic and a requirement of justice. The two cannot be treated equal.

29. Masruq reported that a Makkan showed him the place where (at Maqamu Ibrahim in the Haram: Alusi) Tamim al-Dari would do his nightly Prayers. He reported that once Tamim stood a whole night in Prayer repeating this ayah, bowing and prostrating and weeping. Ibrahim b. al-Ash`ath also reported that he had witnessed Fudayl b. `Iyad repeat this ayah and others of the same kind the whole night. Those days this ayah used to be referred to as the “weep-inducing ayah” (Qurtubi and Ibn Kathir and others in parts).