Surah 20. Taha

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Verses [Section]: 1-24[1], 25-54 [2], 55-76 [3], 77-89 [4], 90-104 [5], 105-115 [6], 116-128 [7], 129-135 [8]

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Quran Text of Verse 105-115وَ یَسْـَٔلُوْنَكَAnd they ask youعَنِaboutالْجِبَالِthe mountainsفَقُلْso sayیَنْسِفُهَاWill blast themرَبِّیْmy Lordنَسْفًاۙ(into) particles فَیَذَرُهَاThen He will leave itقَاعًاa levelصَفْصَفًاۙplain لَّاNotتَرٰیyou will seeفِیْهَاin itعِوَجًاany crookednessوَّ لَاۤand notاَمْتًاؕany curve یَوْمَىِٕذٍOn that Dayیَّتَّبِعُوْنَthey will followالدَّاعِیَthe callerلَاnoعِوَجَdeviationلَهٗ ۚfrom itوَ خَشَعَتِAnd (will be) humbledالْاَصْوَاتُthe voicesلِلرَّحْمٰنِfor the Most Graciousفَلَاso notتَسْمَعُyou will hearاِلَّاexceptهَمْسًا a faint sound یَوْمَىِٕذٍ(On) that Dayلَّاnotتَنْفَعُwill benefitالشَّفَاعَةُthe intercessionاِلَّاexceptمَنْ(to) whomاَذِنَhas given permissionلَهُ[to him]الرَّحْمٰنُthe Most Graciousوَ رَضِیَand He has acceptedلَهٗfor himقَوْلًا a word یَعْلَمُHe knowsمَاwhatبَیْنَ(is) before themاَیْدِیْهِمْ(is) before themوَ مَاand whatخَلْفَهُمْ(is) behind themوَ لَاwhile notیُحِیْطُوْنَthey encompassبِهٖitعِلْمًا (in) knowledge وَ عَنَتِAnd (will be) humbledالْوُجُوْهُthe facesلِلْحَیِّbefore the Ever-Livingالْقَیُّوْمِ ؕthe Self-Subsistingوَ قَدْAnd verilyخَابَwill have failedمَنْ(he) whoحَمَلَcarriedظُلْمًا wrongdoing وَ مَنْBut (he) whoیَّعْمَلْdoesمِنَofالصّٰلِحٰتِthe righteous deedsوَ هُوَwhile heمُؤْمِنٌ(is) a believerفَلَاthen notیَخٰفُhe will fearظُلْمًاinjusticeوَّ لَاand notهَضْمًا deprivation وَ كَذٰلِكَAnd thusاَنْزَلْنٰهُWe have sent it downقُرْاٰنًا(the) Quranعَرَبِیًّا(in) Arabicوَّ صَرَّفْنَاand We have explainedفِیْهِin itمِنَofالْوَعِیْدِthe warningsلَعَلَّهُمْthat they mayیَتَّقُوْنَfearاَوْorیُحْدِثُit may causeلَهُمْ[for] themذِكْرًا remembrance 20. Taha Page 320فَتَعٰلَیSo high (above all)اللّٰهُ(is) Allahالْمَلِكُthe Kingالْحَقُّ ۚthe Trueوَ لَاAnd (do) notتَعْجَلْhastenبِالْقُرْاٰنِwith the Quranمِنْbeforeقَبْلِbeforeاَنْ[that]یُّقْضٰۤیis completedاِلَیْكَto youوَحْیُهٗ ؗits revelationوَ قُلْand sayرَّبِّMy LordزِدْنِیْIncrease meعِلْمًا (in) knowledge وَ لَقَدْAnd verilyعَهِدْنَاۤWe made a covenantاِلٰۤیwithاٰدَمَAdamمِنْbeforeقَبْلُbeforeفَنَسِیَbut he forgotوَ لَمْand notنَجِدْWe foundلَهٗin himعَزْمًا۠determination

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Translation of Verse 105-115

(20:105) They ask you concerning the mountains: "Where will they go?" Say: "My Lord will scatter them like dust,

(20:106) and leave the earth a levelled plain

(20:107) in which you shall find no crookedness or curvature.⁸³

(20:108) On that Day people shall follow straight on to the call of the summoner, no one daring to show any haughtiness. Their voices shall be hushed before the Most Compassionate Lord, so that you will hear nothing but a whispering murmur.⁸⁴

(20:109) On that Day intercession shall not avail save of him whom the Most Compassionate Lord permits, and whose word of intercession is pleasing to Him.⁸⁵

(20:110) He knows all that is ahead of them and all that is behind them, while the others do not know.⁸⁶

(20:111) All faces shall be humbled before the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting Lord, and he who bears the burden of iniquity will have failed;

(20:112) but whosoever does righteous works, being a believer, shall have no fear of suffering wrong or loss."⁸⁷

(20:113) (O Muhammad), thus have We revealed this as an Arabic Qur'an⁸⁸ and have expounded in it warning in diverse ways so that they may avoid evil or become heedful.⁸⁹

(20:114) Exalted is Allah, the True King!⁹⁰ Hasten not with reciting the Qur'an before its revelation to you is finished, and pray: "Lord! Increase me in knowledge."⁹¹

(20:115) Most certainly We⁹² had given Adam a command before,⁹³ but he forgot. We found him lacking in firmness of resolution.⁹⁴

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Commentary

83. The shape the earth will assume on the Last Day is identified in several places in the Qur’an. For example, in al-Inshiqaq it is said: ‘When the earth is ‘flattened out’ (al-Inshiqaq 84: 3). In al-Infitar: ‘When the oceans are burst forth’ (al-Infitar 82: 3), which presumably means that the ocean-beds will be cleft and all their water will be absorbed by the recesses of the earth. In al-Takwir: ‘When the oceans boil over with swell’ (al-Takwir 81: 6). The present verse states: ‘They ask you concerning the mountains: Say: “‘My Lord will uproot them and scatter them like dust, and leave the earth a levelled plain in which you shall find no crookedness or curvature’’ (74 Ha 20: 105-7). If we consider these verses together the image of the Last Day that is conjured up is one where the earth would be reshaped, the oceans filled up, the mountains razed, the unevenness that we see today removed, and the forests cleared away, reducing the earth to a levelled plain. This change will occur as hinted at in the verse: ‘The Day when the heavens and the earth will be altogether changed. . .’ Ibrahim 14: 48).

It will be on this levelled earth that the Grand Assembly of the Hereafter, in which everyone will be called to account, will be held. Thereafter the earth will be subjected to another change, which will give it its final and everlasting ‘shape: ‘They will say: ‘‘Praise be to Allah, Who has truly fulfilled His promise to us, and has given us this land in heritage. We may dwell in the Garden as we will. What an excellent reward for the righteous!’’ (al-Zumar 39: 74).

We thus know that the whole earth will be changed into Paradise, to be inhabited by the pious and righteous servants of God. The whole earth will then become one country; the mountains, oceans, rivers and deserts which presently divide the earth into numerous countries and states will cease to exist, for these geographical divisions have created discord among mankind. It is worth noting that among the Companions and Successors, Ibn ‘Abbas and Qatadah also subscribe to the view that Paradise will be on this earth. (See al-Alusi, vol. 27, p. 27 — Ed.) They interpret the following verse: ‘Near the Lote-tree beyond which none may pass. Near it is the Garden of Abode’ (al-Najm 53: 14-15), to mean that the Garden [i.e. Paradise] will be that part of the earth which at present is the abode of the souls of martyrs. (See al-Qurtubi’s comments on the verse al-Zumar 39: 73 in his Commentary. See also al-Alusi, vol. 27, pp. 50-1 — Ed.)

84. The word used here — hams — signifies a low, faint sound such as a whisper, or of the movement of steps, or of speaking in a subdued voice, or the movement of camels. (Q.v., Ibn Manzur, Lisan al-‘Arab—Ed.) The verse, thus, says that on the Last Day everyone will be seized by a great awe, and, hence, nothing will remain except the sound caused by peoples’ steps or whispers of conversation in subdued voices.

85. This verse may be translated in two ways. One follows our text above. An alternative is: ‘No intercession will be of any avail on the Day unless the Most Compassionate Lord grants it to be made in favor of someone and is pleased to hear the word [of intercession].’ The words of the verse are encompassing and legitimately cover both renderings. For, indeed, the Last Day will be so awesome that no one will dare utter a single word let alone intercede on anyone else’s behalf. Only those who enjoy God’s permission to speak will be able to intercede and to say a good word for those for whom they have been permitted to intercede.

Both these points are emphasized at several different places in the Qur’an and in quite unambiguous terms. For example, there is: “Who is there who might intercede with Him save with His leave?’ (al-Baqarah 2: 255). The same idea is stated elsewhere: ‘That Day the Spirit and the angels will stand forth in ranks and none shall speak except any who is permitted by the Merciful, and he will say what is right’ (al-Naba’ 78: 38). At the same time the Qur’an also says: ‘They offer no intercession except for those with whose intercession He is pleased and who stand in awe out of fear for Him’ (al-Anbiya’ 21: 28). Likewise, it is said: ‘How numerous are the angels in the heavens! Their intercession will avail nothing until Allah permits it and in favor of whomsoever He wills and is pleased’ (al-Najm 53: 26).

86. This explains the reasons for placing restrictions on intercession. Regardless of whether someone is an angel, or a Messenger, or a saint, nobody knows — indeed nobody — the full record of another person’s deeds, of those activities which kept them preoccupied during their lives. No one fully knows what is truly creditable about a person or what makes him blameworthy. God, however, has full knowledge of the past record as well as the present state of all beings. He knows precisely the extent of the goodness of those who are good.

Likewise, He knows the wickedness of those who are wicked. Only He knows whether someone deserves to be pardoned, and if so whether fully or in part.

Neither angels nor Prophets nor any saints can be given a free hand to intercede on behalf of those whom they might like to. It is well known that even if an ordinary government officer begins to intercede on behalf of, or make recommendations in favor of, his relatives and friends his department would be ruined. How very catastrophic, then, would it be if the Lord of the heavens and the earth were to decide about people on grounds of intercession of others.

For the record of those on whose behalf they intercede are not available to them. It is also well known that even when conscientious government officers are approached with a request that they forgive or provide favors to someone working under them, they too do not accept the pleas of those intercessors unreservedly. In fact, they are more likely to point out the weaknesses or incompetence of the persons concerned, and express their inability to concede to such requests.

When we remember these facts relating to our worldly life, it is abundantly clear how very sound, reasonable and just the principle concerning intercession mentioned here is. The door to intercession with God, however, is not completely closed. Those who were kind to others in this world will also have the opportunity to act with the same kindness in the Next World.

However, before such persons actually intercede on behalf of others they will be required to seek God’s permission to do so, and will only be able to intercede in favor of those for whom God’s permission has been granted.

Moreover, even those who are granted such permission will only be able to say, in the words of the Qur’an, that which is right (see al-Naba’ 78: 38). No one will be able to make any intercession which is utterly unjustified. It will not be possible, for instance, for someone who has done wrong to hundreds of people in the world to find some saint attempting to obtain his release by pleading with God on the grounds that the culprit was his favorite.

87. Every judgement in the Hereafter will be based on merit. Anyone who has acted with injustice, whether by failing to give the due he owes or God’s creatures, or to himself, will certainly not be able to avert punishment recourse to intercession. On the other hand, those who have fa) an act righteously — and we emphasize, those who combine the two – will have no reason to fear that any injustice will be done to them: that they will be punished for something of which they are not guilty. Nor will they be denied the reward for their good deeds.

88. That is, the Qur’an abounds in good teachings and sound counsels What is said here refers to the whole of the Qur’an rather than merely to these particular verses. This observation should be especially considered: conjunction with the statement made at the beginning of the surah (see verse 1) and those verses about the Prophet Moses at the conclusion of his story verses 98-9). The purpose of this observation is to underscore the Superb qualities of the Qur’an which was sent down by God as His special favor, qualities because of which it has been characterized, as Tadhkirah (Reminder and Dhikr (Remembrance).

89. They are asked to wake up from their apathy and to remember the lesson they had thus far forgotten. They are also asked to reflect on how they have been directed to erroneous paths, and the heavy price they will pay for pursuing them.

90. Such statements are usually made in the Qur’an while winding up a discourse, the purpose being to conclude with a celebration of God. The context and the style here indicate that the current discourse has come to an end and that a new one starts with verse 115: ‘Most certainly We had given Adam a command before. What seems most likely is that the two discourses were revealed on two separate occasions which, at God’s behest, were subsequently combined into one surah. The reason for bringing the two discourses together is that their subjects are very similar as we shall see later. (See n. 92 below — Ed.)

91. The previous subject ended with the statement: ‘Exalted is Allah, the True King’. Thereafter, the angel, before departing, apprises the Prophet (peace be on him) of something he had noted in the course of communicating the revealed message to the Prophet (peace be on him). Presumably the angel did not wish to disturb him while he was in the process of receiving this revelation. Once that task had been completed, the angel drew the Prophet’s attention to what he had noticed. Evidently, while receiving the revelation, the Prophet (peace be on him) had repeated the words of the message in order to fully retain them in his memory. This was bound to distract him from receiving the message for his mental concentration would have been affected. It was necessary, therefore, that the Prophet (peace be on him) should be apprised of the right manner of receiving the revelation, and that he be directed not to try to memorize the revelation before the process of receiving it was complete.

This seems to indicate that this part of Surah Ta Ha belongs to the early period of revelation. For it is in the early period that the Prophet (peace be on him) was not accustomed to receiving the revelation, so that on more than one occasion he did what is mentioned here. Whenever this occurred, the Prophet’s attention was drawn to it. We find, for instance, that in al-Qiyamah the discourse is interrupted by the following parenthetical statement: ‘Move not your tongue concerning the Qur’an to make haste therewith. It is for Us to collect it and to promulgate it. So when We have promulgated it, follow its recital as promulgated. Then it is for Us to explain it’ (al-Qiyamah 75: 16-19).

Similarly, in another surah the Prophet (peace be on him) is assured that God will enable him to remember it. ‘We shall cause you to recite and then you shall hot forget’ (al-A ‘la 87: 6).

As the Prophet (peace be on him) became adept at receiving the revelation, such occurrences ceased. This explains why we encounter no such remarks in the later surahs.

92. As we noted earlier, this marks the beginning of a fresh discourse, one which was revealed some time after the previous discourse. In view of the closeness of the subject matter of the two discourses, they were put together in ‘one surah. Several subjects, however, seem common to both discourses:

(1) That the Qur’an basically expounds the same teachings which had been given to mankind. at the very advent of its existence. The Qur’an is essentially a renewal of the lesson which man had originally been taught, a renewal that had been promised by God. It was in order to renew this that God’s revealed guidance was communicated to human beings on many occasions prior to the revelation of the Qur’an.

(2) Satan constantly causes man to forget this lesson. Man has thus shown, from the beginning, his propensity to be misled. His first lapse is evident from the lapse of Adam and Eve because of their heedlessness and forgetfulness. That, however, was not a solitary incident. Man’s entire history is replete with such lapses. Man, therefore, needs to be constantly reminded.

(3) That man’s true success and failure are contingent upon the attitude he adopts towards God’s revealed guidance was impressed upon him from the very beginning. Hence, the Qur’an emphasized that if man follows God’s guidance, he will remain secure from falling into error and suffering, but that if he acts otherwise he will suffer both in the present world and in the Next. What is being said today through the Qur’an is merely a reiteration of what man was told long ago.

(4) Man has often been misled by Satan, his eternal enemy. This was due to man’s propensity to forgetfulness or because of his weak resolve. Man may possibly be forgiven for this weakness provided he realizes his mistake, mends his behavior, gives up his defiance of God, and reverts to obeying Him. This kind of weakness is one thing, but it is quite different if man deliberately decides to transgress from God’s command, and so follow Satan’s dictates - something which men like Pharaoh and the Samiri did. There is no question of any forgiveness in such cases. Anyone who embarks upon that course is bound to meet the same end as that which overtook Pharaoh and the Samiri.

93. Although the story of Adam (peace be on him) was narrated earlier in al-Baqarah, al-A‘raf, al-Hijr, Bani Isra’il and al-Kahf, it is resumed once again in this surah. This, in fact, is the seventh occasion that Adam’s story is narrated in the Qur’an. On each occasion, the narrative has a different context, accordingly, the details of each story have been set out in a different fashion.

We find in certain instances that details incidental to the story but which are directly related to the theme of the surah are described in one place but omitted at another. Likewise, the style varies from place to place. For a full understanding of the story and its meaning, one should recall the entire narrative as documented in different places throughout the Qur’an. We have, however, attempted to highlight, wherever the story is narrated, the underlying meaning and purpose of each fragment of the same.

94. Adam did not disobey God out of pride and deliberate rebelliousness. His fault rather lay in not paying sufficient attention to God’s directive, in being forgetful and weak in his resolve. His disobedience did not stem from a conscious contention on his part that he had the right to act as he pleased, that God had no business telling him what to do and what not to do. What lay at the heart of Adam’s lapse was that he did not try hard enough to retain the command he was required to follow; in essence, he forgot what he had been told. Later, when Satan attempted to mislead him, his resolve to follow God’s command proved to be weak — he did not remember the warning given to him in advance, nor did he remember the admonition which we shall refer to shortly. As a result, he was unable to firmly face inducements.

That ‘Adam lacked firm resolution’ is interpreted by some scholars to mean that Adam did not have the resolve to obey God. In other words, they suggest that the Qur’anic statement underscores their belief that Adam’s lapse was not a result of any resolve to disobey God, but rather resulted from his negligence.

This seems a rather far-fetched explanation. For had this been the purpose, the word simply has read whereas the Qur’an simply — says. The words employed make it quite clear that what is being referred to here that man lacks the firm resolution to carry out God’s command. Moreover, if the statement is placed in its current context, it is clear that it is not aimed at exonerating Adam from blame. In fact, the purpose of the statement is to identify that human weakness which manifested itself in the mistake Adam committed. It was because of this weakness that not only Adam but also his progeny constantly fell prey to Satan’s machinations.

Furthermore, if one studies this verse without any prior assumptions, one is bound to conclude that the Qur’an simply ‘states that Adam did not possess firm resolve or have any strong intention of obeying God’s command. Any alternative interpretation can only be considered by those who believe that it is improper to ascribe sin and disobedience to Adam, and hence some other explanation ought to be explored. The same opinion is expressed by al- Alusi in his commentary on the verse. It is evident that this interpretation does not instantly come to one’s mind, nor does it fit in with the context. (Ruh al-Ma‘ani, vol. 16, p. 243 - Ed.)