Tafsir Maariful Quran
Quran Translation and Commentary by Maulana Mufti Mohammad Shafi. Translation by Prof. Muhammad Hasan Askari & Prof. Muhammad Shamim. Revised by Justice Mufti Muhammad Taqi UsmaniQuran Translation
Word for Word by
Dr. Shehnaz Shaikh
& Kausar Khatri
1. Al-Fatihah
2. Al-Baqarah
3. Al-Imran
4. Al-Nisa
5. Al-Maidah
6. Al-Anam
7. Al-Araf
8. Al-Anfal
9. Al-Taubah
10. Yunus
11. Hud
12. Yusuf
13. Al-Rad
14. Ibrahim
15. Al-Hijr
16. Al-Nahl
17. Bani Israil
18. Al-Kahf
19. Maryam
20. Ta-Ha
21. Al-Anbiya
22. Al-Hajj
23. Al-Muminun
24. An-Nur
25. Al-Furqan
26. Ash-Shuara
27. An-Naml
28. Al-Qasas
29. Al-Ankabut
30. Ar-Rum
31. Luqman
32. As-Sajdah
33. Al-Ahzab
34. Saba
35. Fatir
36. Yasin
37. As-Saffat
38. Saad
39. Az-Zumar
40. Al-Mumin
41. Ha-Meem-As-Sajdah
42. AShura
43. Az-Zukhruf
44. Ad-Dukhan
45. Al-Jathiyah
46. Al-Ahqaf
47. Muhammad
48. Al-Fath
49. Al-Hujurat
50. Al-Qaf
51. Adh-Dhariyat
52. At-Tur
53. An-Najm
54. Al-Qamar
55. Al-Rahman
56. Al-Waqiah
57. Al-Hadid
58. Al-Mujadalah
59. Al-Hashr
60. Al-Mumtahinah
61. As-Saff
62. Al-Jumuah
63. Al-Munafiqun
64. Al-Taghabun
65. At-Talaq
66. At-Tahrim
67. Al-Mulk
68. Al-Qalam
69. Al-Haqqah
70. Al-Maarij
71. Nuh
72. Al-Jinn
73. Al-Muzzammil
74. Al-Muddhththir
75. Al-Qiyamah
76. Ad-Dahr
77. Al-Mursalat
78. An-Naba
79. An-Naziat
80. Abas
81. At-Takwir
82. Al-Infitar
83. At-Tatfif
84. Al-Inshiqaq
85. Al-Buruj
86. At-Tariq
87. Al-Ala
88. Al-Ghashiyah
89. Al-Fajr
90. Al-Balad
91. Ash-Shams
92. Al-Lail
93. Ad-Duha
94. Al-Inshirah
95. At-Tin
96. Al-Alaq
97. Al-Qadr
98. Al-Bayyinah
99. Az-Zilzal
100. Al-Adiyat
101. Al-Qariah
102. At-Takathur
103. Al-Asr
104. Al-Humazah
105. Al-Fil
106. Al-Quraish
107. Al-Maun
108. Al-Kauthar
109. Al-Kafirun
110. An-Nasr
111. Al-Lahab
112. Al-Ikhlas
113. Al-Falaq
114. An-Nas
وَ لَقَدْ And certainly خَلَقْنٰكُمْ We created you ثُمَّ then صَوَّرْنٰكُمْ We fashioned you ثُمَّ Then قُلْنَا We said لِلْمَلٰٓىِٕكَةِ to the Angels اسْجُدُوْا Prostrate لِاٰدَمَ ۖۗ to Adam فَسَجَدُوْۤا So they prostrated اِلَّاۤ except اِبْلِیْسَ ؕ Iblees لَمْ Not یَكُنْ he was مِّنَ of السّٰجِدِیْنَ those who prostrated 7. Al-A'raf Page 152 قَالَ (Allah) said مَا What مَنَعَكَ prevented you اَلَّا that not تَسْجُدَ you prostrate اِذْ when اَمَرْتُكَ ؕ I commanded you قَالَ (Shaitaan) said اَنَا I am خَیْرٌ better مِّنْهُ ۚ than him خَلَقْتَنِیْ You created me مِنْ from نَّارٍ fire وَّ خَلَقْتَهٗ and You created him مِنْ from طِیْنٍ clay قَالَ (Allah) said فَاهْبِطْ Then go down مِنْهَا from it فَمَا for not یَكُوْنُ it is لَكَ for you اَنْ that تَتَكَبَّرَ you be arrogant فِیْهَا in it فَاخْرُجْ So get out اِنَّكَ indeed you مِنَ (are) of الصّٰغِرِیْنَ the disgraced ones قَالَ (Shaitaan) said اَنْظِرْنِیْۤ Give me respite اِلٰی till یَوْمِ (the) Day یُبْعَثُوْنَ they are raised up قَالَ (Allah) said اِنَّكَ Indeed you مِنَ (are) of الْمُنْظَرِیْنَ the ones given respite قَالَ (Shaitaan) said فَبِمَاۤ Because اَغْوَیْتَنِیْ You have sent me astray لَاَقْعُدَنَّ surely I will sit لَهُمْ for them صِرَاطَكَ (on) Your path الْمُسْتَقِیْمَۙ the straight ثُمَّ Then لَاٰتِیَنَّهُمْ surely, I will come to them مِّنْۢ from بَیْنِ before اَیْدِیْهِمْ them وَ مِنْ and from خَلْفِهِمْ behind them وَ عَنْ and from اَیْمَانِهِمْ their right وَ عَنْ and from شَمَآىِٕلِهِمْ ؕ their left وَ لَا and not تَجِدُ You (will) find اَكْثَرَهُمْ most of them شٰكِرِیْنَ grateful قَالَ (Allah) said اخْرُجْ Get out مِنْهَا of it مَذْءُوْمًا disgraced مَّدْحُوْرًا ؕ and expelled لَمَنْ Certainly whoever تَبِعَكَ follows you مِنْهُمْ among them لَاَمْلَـَٔنَّ surely I will fill جَهَنَّمَ Hell مِنْكُمْ with you اَجْمَعِیْنَ all وَ یٰۤاٰدَمُ And O Adam! اسْكُنْ Dwell اَنْتَ you وَ زَوْجُكَ and your wife الْجَنَّةَ (in) the Garden فَكُلَا and you both eat مِنْ from حَیْثُ wherever شِئْتُمَا you both wish وَ لَا but (do) not تَقْرَبَا approach [you both] هٰذِهِ this الشَّجَرَةَ [the] tree فَتَكُوْنَا lest you both be مِنَ among الظّٰلِمِیْنَ the wrongdoers فَوَسْوَسَ Then whispered لَهُمَا to both of them الشَّیْطٰنُ the Shaitaan لِیُبْدِیَ to make apparent لَهُمَا to both of them مَا what وٗرِیَ was concealed عَنْهُمَا from both of them مِنْ of سَوْاٰتِهِمَا their shame وَ قَالَ And he said مَا (Did) not نَهٰىكُمَا forbid you both رَبُّكُمَا your Lord عَنْ from هٰذِهِ this الشَّجَرَةِ [the] tree اِلَّاۤ except اَنْ that تَكُوْنَا you two become مَلَكَیْنِ Angels اَوْ or تَكُوْنَا you two become مِنَ of الْخٰلِدِیْنَ the immortals وَ قَاسَمَهُمَاۤ And he swore (to) both of them اِنِّیْ Indeed I am لَكُمَا to both of you لَمِنَ among النّٰصِحِیْنَۙ the sincere advisers فَدَلّٰىهُمَا So he made both of them fall بِغُرُوْرٍ ۚ by deception فَلَمَّا Then when ذَاقَا they both tasted الشَّجَرَةَ the tree بَدَتْ became apparent لَهُمَا to both of them سَوْاٰتُهُمَا their shame وَ طَفِقَا and they began یَخْصِفٰنِ (to) fasten عَلَیْهِمَا over themselves مِنْ from وَّرَقِ (the) leaves الْجَنَّةِ ؕ (of) the Garden وَ نَادٰىهُمَا And called them both رَبُّهُمَاۤ their Lord اَلَمْ Did not اَنْهَكُمَا I forbid you both عَنْ from تِلْكُمَا this الشَّجَرَةِ [the] tree وَ اَقُلْ and [I] say لَّكُمَاۤ to both of you اِنَّ that الشَّیْطٰنَ [the] Shaitaan لَكُمَا to both of you عَدُوٌّ (is) an enemy مُّبِیْنٌ open 7. Al-A'raf Page 153 قَالَا Both of them said رَبَّنَا Our Lord ظَلَمْنَاۤ we have wronged اَنْفُسَنَا ٚ ourselves وَ اِنْ and if لَّمْ not تَغْفِرْ You forgive لَنَا [for] us وَ تَرْحَمْنَا and have mercy (on) us لَنَكُوْنَنَّ surely we will be مِنَ among الْخٰسِرِیْنَ the losers قَالَ (Allah) said اهْبِطُوْا Get down بَعْضُكُمْ some of you لِبَعْضٍ to some others عَدُوٌّ ۚ (as) enemy وَ لَكُمْ And for you فِی in الْاَرْضِ the earth مُسْتَقَرٌّ (is) a dwelling place وَّ مَتَاعٌ and livelihood اِلٰی for حِیْنٍ a time قَالَ He said فِیْهَا In it تَحْیَوْنَ you will live وَ فِیْهَا and in it تَمُوْتُوْنَ you will die وَ مِنْهَا and from it تُخْرَجُوْنَ۠ you will be brought forth
(7:11) We created you, then gave you a shape, then We said to the angels, “Prostrate yourselves before ’Ādam.” So, they all prostrated themselves, except Iblīs (Satan). He did not join those who fell prostrate
(7:12) Allah said, “What has prevented you from prostrating when I ordered you?” He said, “I am better than him. You have created me of fire, and created him of clay.”
(7:13) He said, “Then, get you down from here, it is not for you to show arrogance here. So, get out. You are one of the degraded
(7:14) He said, “Then give me respite until a day when all will be resurrected
(7:15) He (Allah) said, “You are granted respite’’
(7:16) He said, “Now that You have led me astray, I will certainly sit for them (in ambush) on Your straight path
(7:17) Then I will come upon them from their front side and from their behind, and from their right and from their left. You will not find most of them grateful
(7:18) He (Allah) said, “Get out of here, condemned, rejected. Indeed, whosoever will follow you from among them, I will fill Hell with all of you together
(7:19) O ’Ādam, dwell, you and your wife, in Paradise, and eat from wherever you like, but do not go near this tree, otherwise you shall join the transgressors.”
(7:20) Then Satan whispered to them, so that he might expose to them their shame that was hidden from them; and said, “Your Lord has not prohibited this tree for you, but to avoid your becoming angels or your becoming eternal.”
(7:21) He swore an oath, “I am one of your well-wishers.”
(7:22) Thus, he cast both of them down by deception. When they tasted (the fruit of) the tree, their shame was exposed to them, and they began to patch together some leaves of Paradise upon themselves, and their Lord called them, “Did I not forbid you from that tree? Did I not tell you that Satan is your declared enemy?”
(7:23) They said, “Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and do not bless us with mercy, we shall, indeed, be among the losers
(7:24) He said, “Go down, some of you enemies of some; and for you on the earth there will be a dwelling place and enjoyment for a time.”
(7:25) (Further) He said, “There you shall live and there you shall die, and from there you shall be raised again.”
The event relating to Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام) and the Shaytan has appeared earlier in Section four of Surah Al-Baqarah (Ma` ariful-Qur'an, English Translation, under verse 34). Some aspects of the subject have been covered in comments given there. Answers to some others are being given here.
How Long was the Respite given to Iblis?
It was exactly at the time Iblis was under the wrath of Allah, he made a prayer, a strange prayer indeed. He asked for a lease of life until the day of Resurrection. The words in which Allah Ta` ala answered the prayer, as they appear in this verse, are no more than: إِنَّكَ مِنَ الْمُنظَرِ‌ينَ (Respite is given to you). From these words, given the nature of the question and the answer, it can be understood that this respite was given until the Resurrection as asked by him. But, what is not stated in this verse clearly is whether the giving of respite mentioned here is until the Resurrection as asked by Iblis, or is for some other duration. But, in another verse, the words: إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْوَقْتِ الْمَعْلُومِ ﴿38﴾ (Till the day of the appointed time - 15:38) appear at this place which, on the surface, seem to suggest that the respite till the day of Qiyamah as asked by Iblis was not given. Instead, given to him was a respite till a particular time which is preserved in Divine knowledge. The outcome is that the prayer of Iblis was answered - though not completely. He was given respite till a particular time and not till the day of Resurrection or Qiyamah.
Reported in Tafsir Ibn Jarir is a narration from Suddiy which supports this view. The exact words of the report are:
فلم ینظرہ الی یوم البعث و لکن انظرہ الی یوم الوقت المعلوم و ھو یوم ینفخ فی الصور النفخۃ الاولی فصعق من فی السموات و من فی الارض فمات،
Allah Ta` ala did not give respite to Iblis till the day of Resurrection, instead, He has given him respite till a day the time of which is appointed and that is the day when the Horn will be blown the first time and whoever there is in the heavens or the earth shall be stunned, and dead.
In summation, we can say that the Shaytan had actually asked for a respite in his prayer till the time when the second Horn will be blown and all the dead will be resurrected. This is what is called: یوم البعث (Yowm al-Ba' th). If this prayer was answered as asked, it would have meant that Iblis was to be alive as based on his prayer while the facts on the ground would have been different: That would be a time when nothing will be alive except the One Being of the Eternally-Alive and the Self-Sustaining Hayy and Qaiyyum and that would be the time when the great promise of: كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَانٍ ﴿26﴾ وَيَبْقَىٰ وَجْهُ رَ‌بِّكَ ذُو الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَ‌امِ ﴿27﴾ (All that is on it will perish and to remain there shall be the Face of your Lord, full of majesty, bounty and honour - 55:26-27) will stand immensely manifested. On that basis, Iblis was not to live to see that time. Therefore, his one prayer for respite till the Yowm al-Ba' th was not granted, instead of which, the time of the respite was changed to Yowma yunfakhu fi as-sur, till the day blown is the Horn, and granted at that. The effect would be that death shall be the order of the day for the whole creation. Iblis will have his death as well. When all others are resurrected, he too shall stand resurrected.
These details remove the possible doubt that could arise from the verse: كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَانٍ ﴿26﴾ (All that is on it will perish -55:26) referred immediately above specially in relation with this prayer. The apparent contra-diction between the two thus stands resolved.
The substance of this investigation is that Yowm al-Ba'th and Yowm al-Waqt al-Ma'lum are two separate days. Iblis had asked for respite till the Yowm al-Ba' th. This was not granted wholly. Instead of that, a change was made and respite was given till the Yowm al-Waqt al-Ma'lum. Hadrat Maulana Ashraf ` Ali Thanavi (رح) ، in Bayan al-Qur'an, has preferred the view that these two are really two separate days. In fact, from the time of the blowing of the first Horn upto the entry into Paradise or Hell, it will be a long day with different things happening at different times in it. Based on these different happenings, that day could be attributed to every event which takes place therein. For instance, it could be called the day of the blowing of the Horn (صُور) and the day of perishing (فَنَا), as well as, the day of Resurrection (بعث) and the day of .Recompense (جزَا). This helps resolves all doubts and difficulties فَللہِ الحَمد .
Can the Prayer of a Disbeliever be Acceptable?
The question comes from the verse: وَمَا دُعَاءُ الْكَافِرِ‌ينَ إِلَّا فِي ضَلَالٍ (And the prayer of disbelievers is but in vain - 13:14), it is usually taken that the prayer made by a disbeliever is not answered. But, from this event concerning Iblis and the statement in the verse, this difficulty becomes obvious. The answer is that, in this mortal world, even the prayer of a disbeliever can be answered - so much so, that even the prayer of the foremost disbeliever, Iblis, was answered. But, in the Hereafter, the prayer of a disbeliever will not be answered. The verse quoted above relates to the Hereafter ('Akhirah). It has nothing to do with this mortal world.
The Event of 'Adam and Iblis: The Rationale of Different Words
This story appears in the Holy Qur'an at several places. The words used in relevant questions and answers differ everywhere, though the event is the same. The reason is that the subject remains the same when the main event is described. That the words remain exactly the same everywhere is not necessary. A narration could be based on meaning too. If the unity of subject and sense exists, variations in words do not deserve consideration.
What made Iblis speak the way he did before Allah?
The place where Iblis dared to speak was in the Most August conceivable Presence of the Master of all Honour where the awe and majesty of the occasion would not allow even angels and prophets and messengers to breathe. How did he do that? ` Ulama say that this was a somber and highly cutting manifestation of the Divine wrath that, because of the rejection of Iblis, his view was so obstructed (hijab) that he became blind to the grandeur and awe of Allah Ta` ala and irreverence came down to settle on him all over. (Abridged from Bayern al-Qur'an)
The Assault of Shaytan is Multi-Dimensional, not simply Four-Sided
In the present verse (17), Iblis is said to have identified four sides from which he planned to mislead the children of 'Adam, that is, the front, the rear and the right and the left. But, the purpose here is not to set up any limits. Instead, the sense is that this will be from all sides and directions. Therefore, the probability of his leading people astray from above and beneath the feet does not contradict it. Similarly, the saying of the Hadith that - Shaytan can enter the human body and move through the arteries and veins of blood and take command of the whole body - is also not contradictory to this.
In the cited verses (13 18), the Shaytan has been commanded to leave the heavens twice. First, when it was said: فَاخْرُجْ إِنَّكَ مِنَ الصَّاغِرِ‌ينَ (So, go. You are of the low.) and then, when it was said: فَاخْرُجْ إِنَّكَ مِنَ الصَّاغِرِ‌ينَ (Get out of here, condemned ...). Here, the first saying is perhaps a proposal while the other is its implementation. (Abridged from Bayan a1-Qur'an)
The story of Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام) and Iblis mentioned in the present verses has appeared in the fourth section of Surah Al-Baqarah.
Detailed comments have been given in the Tafsir of that Surah. If needed, please see Ma'ariful-Quran, English Translation, Volume I, Pages 170-187.