Surah 23. Al-Mu'minun

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Verses [Section]: 1-22[1], 23-32 [2], 33-50 [3], 51-77 [4], 78-92 [5], 93-118 [6]

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Quran Text of Verse 78-92وَ هُوَAnd Heالَّذِیْۤ(is) the One Whoاَنْشَاَproducedلَكُمُfor youالسَّمْعَthe hearingوَ الْاَبْصَارَand the sightوَ الْاَفْـِٕدَةَ ؕand the feelingقَلِیْلًاlittleمَّا(is) whatتَشْكُرُوْنَ you give thanks وَ هُوَAnd Heالَّذِیْ(is) the One Whoذَرَاَكُمْmultiplied youفِیinالْاَرْضِthe earthوَ اِلَیْهِand to Himتُحْشَرُوْنَ you will be gathered وَ هُوَAnd Heالَّذِیْ(is) the One Whoیُحْیٖgives lifeوَ یُمِیْتُand causes deathوَ لَهُand for Himاخْتِلَافُ(is the) alternationالَّیْلِ(of) the nightوَ النَّهَارِ ؕand the dayاَفَلَاThen will notتَعْقِلُوْنَ you reason بَلْNayقَالُوْاthey sayمِثْلَ(the) likeمَا(of) whatقَالَsaidالْاَوَّلُوْنَ the former (people) قَالُوْۤاThey saidءَاِذَاWhat! Whenمِتْنَاwe are deadوَ كُنَّاand becomeتُرَابًاdustوَّ عِظَامًاand bonesءَاِنَّاwould weلَمَبْعُوْثُوْنَ surely be resurrected لَقَدْVerilyوُعِدْنَاwe have been promisedنَحْنُ[we]وَ اٰبَآؤُنَاand our forefathersهٰذَاthisمِنْbeforeقَبْلُbeforeاِنْnotهٰذَاۤ(is) thisاِلَّاۤbutاَسَاطِیْرُ(the) talesالْاَوَّلِیْنَ (of) the former (people) قُلْSayلِّمَنِTo whom (belongs)الْاَرْضُthe earthوَ مَنْand whoeverفِیْهَاۤ(is) in itاِنْifكُنْتُمْyouتَعْلَمُوْنَ know سَیَقُوْلُوْنَThey will sayلِلّٰهِ ؕTo AllahقُلْSayاَفَلَاThen will notتَذَكَّرُوْنَ you remember قُلْSayمَنْWhoرَّبُّ(is the) Lordالسَّمٰوٰتِ(of) the seven heavensالسَّبْعِ(of) the seven heavensوَ رَبُّand (the) Lordالْعَرْشِ(of) the Throneالْعَظِیْمِ the Great سَیَقُوْلُوْنَThey will sayلِلّٰهِ ؕAllahقُلْSayاَفَلَاThen will notتَتَّقُوْنَ you fear (Him) قُلْSayمَنْۢWho is (it)بِیَدِهٖin Whose Hand(s)مَلَكُوْتُ(is the) dominionكُلِّ(of) allشَیْءٍthingsوَّ هُوَand Heیُجِیْرُprotectsوَ لَاand no (one)یُجَارُ(can) be protectedعَلَیْهِagainst HimاِنْIfكُنْتُمْyouتَعْلَمُوْنَ know سَیَقُوْلُوْنَThey will sayلِلّٰهِ ؕAllahقُلْSayفَاَنّٰیThen howتُسْحَرُوْنَ are you deluded 23. Al-Mu'minun Page 348بَلْNayاَتَیْنٰهُمْWe (have) brought themبِالْحَقِّthe truthوَ اِنَّهُمْbut indeed theyلَكٰذِبُوْنَ surely (are) liars مَاNotاتَّخَذَAllah has takenاللّٰهُAllah has takenمِنْanyوَّلَدٍsonوَّ مَاand notكَانَisمَعَهٗwith HimمِنْanyاِلٰهٍgodاِذًاThenلَّذَهَبَsurely (would have) taken awayكُلُّeachاِلٰهٍۭgodبِمَاwhatخَلَقَhe createdوَ لَعَلَاand surely would have overpoweredبَعْضُهُمْsome of themعَلٰی[on]بَعْضٍ ؕothersسُبْحٰنَGlory beاللّٰهِ(to) Allahعَمَّاabove whatیَصِفُوْنَۙthey attribute عٰلِمِKnowerالْغَیْبِ(of) the unseenوَ الشَّهَادَةِand the witnessedفَتَعٰلٰیexalted is Heعَمَّاabove whatیُشْرِكُوْنَ۠they associate

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Translation of Verse 78-92

(23:78) It is He Who has endowed you with the faculties of hearing and sight and has given you hearts (to think). Scarcely do you give thanks.⁷⁴

(23:79) It is He Who has dispersed you all around the earth, and it is unto Him that you shall all be mustered.

(23:80) It is He Who gives life and causes death, and He holds mastery over the alternation of night and day.⁷⁵ Do you not understand this?⁷⁶

(23:81) Nay, but they say the like of what their predecessors of yore had said.

(23:82) They say: "Is it that when we are dead and have been reduced to dust and bones, shall we then be raised up again?

(23:83) We were promised such things and so were our forefathers before us. All these are no more than tales of the past."⁷⁷

(23:84) Ask them: "Whose is the earth and those who are in it? Tell us if you know"

(23:85) They will surely say: "Allah's." Say: "Then why do you not take heed?"⁷⁸

(23:86) Ask them: "Who is the Lord of the seven heavens, the Lord of the Great Throne?"

(23:87) They will surely say: "Allah."⁷⁹ Say: "Will you not, then, fear (Allah)?"⁸⁰

(23:88) Ask them: "Say, if you indeed know, to whom belongs the dominion⁸¹ over all things; (Who is it) that grants asylum, but against Whom no asylum is available?"

(23:89) They will surely say: "(The dominion over all things) belongs to Allah." Say: "Whence are you then deluded?"⁸²

(23:90) We have brought before them the Truth, and there is no doubt that they are lying.⁸³

(23:91) Never did Allah take unto Himself any son,⁸⁴ nor is there any god other than He. (Had there been any other gods) each god would have taken his creatures away with him, and each would have rushed to overpower the other.⁸⁵ Glory be to Allah from all that they characterize Him with!

(23:92) He knows both what is visible and what is not visible.⁸⁶ Exalted is Allah above all that they associate with Him.

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Commentary

74. The unbelievers are being asked: did God not endow human beings with eyes, ears, and the faculties of head and heart so that they might use them in the manner of animals? Do these faculties have no other purpose than that human beings become engrossed in scheming as to how they can best employ them in the fulfilment of their biological needs, and for the constant improvement of their standards of living? Can there be any greater ingratitude on man’s part than that he makes himself indistinct from animals, and this despite the fact he was created as a species distinct from animals? The result is that people are prone to use their eyes to observe everything except those signposts which lead to a comprehension of reality. They make use of their ears to hear everything except that which enables them to comprehend the truth. They employ their heads and hearts to reflect on literally everything except the fundamental question of how did they come into being and for what purpose. What a pity that those who abuse their God-given faculties live in our midst and are reckoned as human beings rather than brutes!

75. The previous verse drew man’s attention to the fact of his using his faculties to obtain knowledge — through his senses and reason — as quite inappropriate. After arousing man from this state of heedlessness, the present verse proceeds to emphasize that there are a myriad of signs around him. If man could only observe them properly or derive from them proper inferences, he would be able to reach the truth. Thanks to those signs, it is quite possible for man to realize that this well-regulated universe could neither have come into existence without God Who created it, nor could it have been created by a plethora of gods. Overwhelming evidence is available to lead a reasonable person to believe that the universe rests on the solid bedrock of the Unity of God. Furthermore, the evidence which exists around man should suffice to convince him that this universe is neither devoid of purpose, nor is it an act of play and sport, nor a set of meaningless talismans. On the contrary, the universe is based on an order that is full of wisdom. Is it conceivable that man, who enjoys free-will, should have been placed in such a universe and not be held to account, be simply reduced to dust after death?

76. Evidence is being marshalled here to confirm the cardinal doctrines of the Unity of God and the After-Life. The signs to which attention is being drawn in the verses that follow provide sufficient proof to refute both polytheism and any denial of the After-Life.

77, In this respect, one should remember that the unbelievers who rejected the After-Life as something impossible, were not simply denying that After-Life. They were, in fact, also denying God’s omnipotence and wisdom.

78. If God is the sole creator of the earth and all who dwell on it, what prevents people from comprehending the simple truth that He, and none but He, deserves to be served? Likewise, if God created all the human beings who ever lived on the earth, what difficulty would He face were He to Will that all of them be brought back to life?

79. The actual word used in the verse is Ji Allah, which should literally be rendered: ‘Allah’s’ or ‘belonging to Allah’. In deference to English usage, however, we have translated it simply as ‘Allah’.

80. The proposition that God is Lord of the universe was acknowledged even by the unbelievers. Given that is the case, why are people not afraid of acting rebelliously towards God and associating others with Him in His Divinity? Why are they not worried about when they will be called to account by the Lord of the heavens and the earth about their behavior? What Justification will they be able to put forward to Him for their actions?

81. The word malakat combines two meanings: mulk (kingship, dominion) and milk (ownership). At the same time, it also carries the nuance of intensity.

Taking all these things into account, the verse seems to pose the question: who is it who has absolute power over, and total ownership of, everything?

82. The unbelievers are asked. The literal translation of this is: ‘Whence are you then bewitched?’ The essence of magic and sorcery is to show a thing to be different from what it really is. The magician, thus, creates a false impression in the minds of onlookers, making them believe things to be contrary to what they actually are. Thus the question posed by the verse amounts to asking people: who is it who has bewitched these people so that even though they are aware of disparate facts, they are nonetheless unable to comprehend reality? What kind of spell has been cast upon them such that those who are not their lords appear to them either to be their lords, or the partners of their lords? What kind of magic has made them look upon those who have no power as worthy of being served as the One True God should be served, in fact they consider them to be even more deserving of service and worship than He Who has all power? Who has blinded them to well-known facts so that they are treacherous and faithless to the One True God about Whom they themselves recognize that against Him no one can provide any refuge? Are they doing this in the hope that they will be provided refuge by those who have no power to do so? Who has deluded them into believing that He Who is the True Master of everything will never hold them to account, that He will never question them in what manner they used the things which truly belonged to Him? How have they succumbed to the erroneous belief that the Sovereign of the universe will never question them as to what right they had to claim their own sovereignty or to accept the sovereignty of others in His realm? These questions assume greater meaning in view of the fact that the unbelieving Quraysh were wont to accuse the Prophet (peace be on him) of being a magician. So saying the Qur’an turns the tables on the unbelievers, virtually telling them that they mistake the person who guides them to the truth, a truth they also recognize, for a magician. Conversely, those who truly delude them into believing what is contrary to reason and logic, what is altogether opposed to their experience and observation, even opposed to their own statements concerning the truth, are unquestioningly accepted by them as their guides. This without there arising the least suspicion in their minds that such are the real magicians.

83. Their assertion that aught other than the One True God partakes of Divinity (that is, shares with God any of His attributes or authority, or His rights vis-a-vis His creatures) is a lie. They also lie when they say that there will be no After-Life. This lie can even be shown to be so by virtue of their own statements. For, on the one hand, they themselves concede that God is the Lord of the heavens and the earth, and that He has absolute control over everything in the universe. On the other, they contend that godhead is not exclusively God’s but rests with others too — with those who. are bound to be His creatures and servants and. thus, under His omnipotent control. Quite evidently these two positions totally contradict each other.

The same applies to the unbelievers’ contention regarding the After-Life: On the one hand, they concede that God has created both human beings and this enormous universe. On the other, they contend that God-is unable to resurrect those whom He once created. Such an assertion is most patently irrational. Thus, both their doctrines. polytheism and denial of the After-Life, are altogether inconsistent with their own stated positions.

84. This statement should not be regarded as one that simply refutes the Christian doctrine that Jesus was the son of God. It refutes similar doctrines held by other religious groups as well. The Arab polytheists of the time also claimed that their deities were God's offspring. Most polytheists the world over have in one way or another succumbed to this error. However, since the Christian doctrine that Jesus was the son of God gained much currency, even some leading Muslim commentators of the Qur'an are of the opinion: that the present verse was revealed to refute this false Christian belief.

It should be recalled, however, that the entirety of this discourse is addressed to the Makkan unbelievers, that is from beginning to end. It would be rather odd then if the discourse suddenly began to direct itself at the Christians. However, the Qur’anic assertion is couched in such terms that it refutes all those who trace the pedigree of their deities to God, whether such a doctrine is held by Christians, Arab polytheists or for that matter by anyone else.

85. This statement means that it is simply impossible for different forces and spheres of the universe to have different creators and gods and that those gods enjoy the absolute cooperation and harmony among themselves which is reflected in the whole. The regularity in the system of the universe and the absolute harmony found among its different components indicates that they are all in the grip of one central authority. Had the authority governing the universe been divided among several holders, disagreement among them would be inevitable, and as such would lead to conflict and fighting. This point has also been emphasized elsewhere in the Qur’an: Had there been many gods in the heavens-and the earth beside Allah, the order of both the heavens and the earth would have gone to ruin (al-Anbiya' 21: 22).

Say: (O Muhammad!): “Had there been other gods with Him, as they claim, they would surely have attempted to find a way to the Lord of the Throne’ (Bani Isra’il 17: 42). (For further elaboration see Towards Understanding the Qur’an, vol. V, Bani Isra’il 17, n. 47, p. 45: and al-Anbiya’ 21: 22.)

86. This is a subtle allusion to a certain form of polytheism which first gave rise to the polytheistic version of intercession, and later on, to the fallacious belief that someone other than God possesses knowledge of things “that lie beyond the ken of sense-perception (ghayb) -- the knowledge of all that was and all that will be. The present verse refutes both these erroneous notions of polytheism. (For further elaboration see Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. V, Ta Ha 20, nn. 85-6, pp. 227-9 and al-Anbiya’ 21, n. 27, p. 262.)