Surah 21. Al-Anbya

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Verses [Section]: 1-10[1], 11-29 [2], 30-41 [3], 42-50 [4], 51-75 [5], 76-93 [6], 94-112 [7]

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Quran Text of Verse 42-50قُلْSayمَنْWhoیَّكْلَؤُكُمْ(can) protect youبِالَّیْلِin the nightوَ النَّهَارِand the dayمِنَfromالرَّحْمٰنِ ؕthe Most GraciousبَلْYetهُمْtheyعَنْfromذِكْرِ(the) remembranceرَبِّهِمْ(of) their Lordمُّعْرِضُوْنَ turn away اَمْOrلَهُمْhave theyاٰلِهَةٌgodsتَمْنَعُهُمْ(to) defend themمِّنْfromدُوْنِنَا ؕUsلَاNotیَسْتَطِیْعُوْنَthey are ableنَصْرَ(to) helpاَنْفُسِهِمْthemselvesوَ لَاand notهُمْtheyمِّنَّاfrom Usیُصْحَبُوْنَ can be protected بَلْNayمَتَّعْنَاWe gave provisionهٰۤؤُلَآءِ(to) theseوَ اٰبَآءَهُمْand their fathersحَتّٰیuntilطَالَgrew longعَلَیْهِمُfor themالْعُمُرُ ؕthe lifeاَفَلَاThen do notیَرَوْنَthey seeاَنَّاthat WeنَاْتِیWe comeالْاَرْضَ(to) the landنَنْقُصُهَاWe reduce itمِنْfromاَطْرَافِهَا ؕits bordersاَفَهُمُSo is (it) theyالْغٰلِبُوْنَ (who will be) overcoming 21. Al-Anbya Page 326قُلْSayاِنَّمَاۤOnlyاُنْذِرُكُمْI warn youبِالْوَحْیِ ۖؗby the revelationوَ لَاBut notیَسْمَعُhearالصُّمُّthe deafالدُّعَآءَthe callاِذَاwhenمَاwhenیُنْذَرُوْنَ they are warned وَ لَىِٕنْAnd ifمَّسَّتْهُمْtouches themنَفْحَةٌa whiffمِّنْofعَذَابِ(the) punishmentرَبِّكَ(of) your Lordلَیَقُوْلُنَّsurely they will sayیٰوَیْلَنَاۤO woe to us!اِنَّاIndeed weكُنَّا[we] wereظٰلِمِیْنَ wrongdoers وَ نَضَعُAnd We setالْمَوَازِیْنَthe scalesالْقِسْطَ(of) the justiceلِیَوْمِfor (the) Dayالْقِیٰمَةِ(of) the Resurrectionفَلَاso notتُظْلَمُwill be wrongedنَفْسٌany soulشَیْـًٔا ؕ(in) anythingوَ اِنْAnd ifكَانَ(there) beمِثْقَالَweightحَبَّةٍ(of) a seedمِّنْofخَرْدَلٍa mustardاَتَیْنَاWe will bringبِهَا ؕ[with] itوَ كَفٰیAnd sufficientبِنَا(are) Weحٰسِبِیْنَ (as) Reckoners وَ لَقَدْAnd verilyاٰتَیْنَاWe gaveمُوْسٰیMusaوَ هٰرُوْنَand Harunالْفُرْقَانَthe Criterionوَ ضِیَآءًand a lightوَّ ذِكْرًاand a Reminderلِّلْمُتَّقِیْنَۙfor the righteous الَّذِیْنَThose whoیَخْشَوْنَfearرَبَّهُمْtheir Lordبِالْغَیْبِin the unseenوَ هُمْand theyمِّنَofالسَّاعَةِthe Hourمُشْفِقُوْنَ (are) afraid وَ هٰذَاAnd thisذِكْرٌ(is) a Reminderمُّبٰرَكٌblessedاَنْزَلْنٰهُ ؕwhich We (have) revealedاَفَاَنْتُمْThen are youلَهٗof itمُنْكِرُوْنَ۠rejecters

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Translation of Verse 42-50

(21:42) Tell them, (O Muhammad): "Who protects you, during the night or the day from the Most Compassionate Lord?"⁴³ And yet they turn away from the Admonition of their Lord.

(21:43) Do they have any gods who would protect them against Us? They have no power even to help themselves; nor do they enjoy Our support.

(21:44) Nay, We generously provided them and their fathers, and they enjoyed Our provision for long.⁴⁴ Do they not see that We are now advancing into their territory, diminishing it from different sides?⁴⁵ Is it they, then, who will triumph?"⁴⁶

(21:45) Tell them: "I only warn you by the Revelation." But the deaf do not hear the cry when they are warned.

(21:46) Were only the slightest whiff from your Lord's punishment to touch them,⁴⁷ they would cry out: "Woe to us; we were indeed wrong-doers."

(21:47) We shall set up just scales on the Day of Resurrection so that none will be wronged in the least. (We shall bring forth the acts of everyone), even if it be the weight of a grain of mustard seed. We shall suffice as Reckoners.⁴⁸

(21:48) Surely⁴⁹ We had granted to Moses and Aaron the Criterion⁵⁰ (between right and wrong), and Light and Admonition for the good of the God-fearing,⁵¹

(21:49) for those who fear their Lord without seeing Him and dread the Hour⁵² (of Reckoning).

(21:50) This is a Blessed Admonition that We have revealed. Are you, then, going to reject it?

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Commentary

43. The unbelievers are being invited to consider who would be mighty enough to ward off God’s scourge if He chose to smite them with it.

44. God’s bountifulness and compassion have led the unbelievers to the mistaken notion that whatever they have is because they are deserving of it, and that no one has the power to deprive them of it. They regard their prosperity and high position as things that will always endure. They are too intoxicated with power to remember God Who has the power to make or mar their fate.

45. This idea is also presented in al-Ra'd 13: 41, n. 60. (See Towards Understanding the Qur’ an, vol. IV, p. 248.) In the present context it carries the additional meaning of the innumerable manifestations of God’s power throughout the universe. Such manifestations include famines, epidemics, floods, earthquakes, and spells of severe cold and heat. From time to time any of these calamities can suddenly strike and can result in thousands, even hundreds of thousands of deaths, the devastation of whole towns, the destruction of flourishing crops, and the ruination of prosperous businesses. In short, material resources shrink, sometimes in one direction, sometimes in another; and the situation can become so bad that despite his best efforts, man is unable to prevent the losses caused by such disturbances. (For further details see al-Sajdah 32, n. 33.)

46. God has absolute control over the resources required by man, He causes to increase or decrease them as He pleases. In view of God’s overwhelming power, it is obvious that man is in no position to escape from His grip, let alone defeat Him. Do the signs which people observe in the universe suggest that their enjoyments will never end, that none is powerful enough to seize them and call them to account?

47. This refers to God’s punishment which the unbelievers sarcastically requested should strike them soon.

48. For further elaboration see Towards Understanding the Qur’an, vol. III, al-A‘raf7, nn. 8-9, pp. 6-7. It is difficult to say what the exact form and nature of the Balance will be. This much, however, is certain: that it will weigh good and bad deeds and thereby indicate precisely the moral worth of every person.

It will ascertain how good or bad a person was. God, therefore, uses a familiar word — balance — to explain this purpose for evaluation will be similar to the act of weighing in a balance. Another plausible interpretation is that since a _balance weighs things quite precisely and indicates the difference between the weight of one thing and another, so God’s just balance will also evaluate man’s record of life, definitively pronouncing what was predominant in it — whether goodness or evil.

49. From here on the Prophets form the subject matter of the discourse.

References — both cursory and detailed — are made to the lives of several of them. The context in which these references are made emphasizes the following points:

(1) That all Prophets were human beings, they did not belong to any other species. Hence, there are human beings — in this case Muhammad — who are also Prophets.

(2) That the earlier Prophets were also raised for the same purpose which the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) was raised. The mission and teachings of all Prophets were substantially. the same.

(3) That God treated the Prophets in a special way in so far as they were subjected to great hardships for long periods of time. They not only suffered difficulties of a personal nature but also encountered difficulties created for them by their enemies. Eventually, however, God came to their rescue, blessed them with His grace and favor, answered their prayers and removed their distresses. God listened to their prayers, helped these in miraculous ways, resolved their problems, and caused their enemies to be humiliated and disgraced.

(4) That even though the Prophets enjoyed God’s special favor and were endowed with extraordinary powers by Him, they were, nevertheless, still human beings, and were, like other creatures, His servants. None of them was invested with divinity. They were even susceptible to human error in forming their opinions and arriving at their judgements. Additionally, they were subjected to sickness just like the rest of us. They were also tested by having to face up to considerable hardships. When they made a mistake God would take them to task for it.

50. The three words — ‘criterion’, ‘light’ and ‘admonition’ — are used to characterize the Jewish Torah. The Torah was a criterion for distinguishing between truth and falsehood; a light to show man the right way and an admonition to call the children of Adam’s attention to their forgotten lesson.

51. Although the Torah was meant for all mankind, only those endowed with a certain set of qualities could in fact benefit from it.

52. The ‘Hour’ which has been much mentioned above, refers to the Hour of Resurrection, Judgement and Requital.