Surah 35. Fatir

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Verses [Section]: 1-7[1], 8-14 [2], 15-26 [3], 27-37 [4], 38-45 [5]

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Quran Text of Verse 1-735. Fatirبِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِاَلْحَمْدُAll praisesلِلّٰهِ(be) to AllahفَاطِرِCreatorالسَّمٰوٰتِ(of) the heavensوَ الْاَرْضِand the earthجَاعِلِ(Who) makesالْمَلٰٓىِٕكَةِthe Angelsرُسُلًاmessengersاُولِیْۤhaving wingsاَجْنِحَةٍhaving wingsمَّثْنٰیtwoوَ ثُلٰثَor threeوَ رُبٰعَ ؕor fourیَزِیْدُHe increasesفِیinالْخَلْقِthe creationمَاwhatیَشَآءُ ؕHe willsاِنَّIndeedاللّٰهَAllahعَلٰی(is) onكُلِّeveryشَیْءٍthingقَدِیْرٌ All-Powerful مَاWhatیَفْتَحِAllah grantsاللّٰهُAllah grantsلِلنَّاسِto mankindمِنْofرَّحْمَةٍMercyفَلَاthen noneمُمْسِكَ(can) withholdلَهَا ۚitوَ مَاAnd whatیُمْسِكْ ۙHe withholdsفَلَاthen noneمُرْسِلَ(can) releaseلَهٗitمِنْۢthereafterبَعْدِهٖ ؕthereafterوَ هُوَAnd Heالْعَزِیْزُ(is) the All-Mightyالْحَكِیْمُ the All-Wise یٰۤاَیُّهَاOالنَّاسُmankindاذْكُرُوْاRememberنِعْمَتَ(the) Favorاللّٰهِ(of) Allahعَلَیْكُمْ ؕupon youهَلْIsمِنْ(there) anyخَالِقٍcreatorغَیْرُother (than) Allahاللّٰهِother (than) Allahیَرْزُقُكُمْwho provides for youمِّنَfromالسَّمَآءِthe skyوَ الْاَرْضِ ؕand the earthلَاۤ(There is) noاِلٰهَgodاِلَّاbutهُوَ ۖؗHeفَاَنّٰیThen, howتُؤْفَكُوْنَ (are) you deluded 35. Fatir Page 435وَ اِنْAnd ifیُّكَذِّبُوْكَthey deny youفَقَدْthen certainlyكُذِّبَتْwere deniedرُسُلٌMessengersمِّنْbefore youقَبْلِكَ ؕbefore youوَ اِلَیAnd toاللّٰهِAllahتُرْجَعُreturnالْاُمُوْرُ the matters یٰۤاَیُّهَاOالنَّاسُmankind!اِنَّIndeedوَعْدَ(the) promiseاللّٰهِ(of) Allahحَقٌّ(is) trueفَلَاSo (let) notتَغُرَّنَّكُمُdeceive youالْحَیٰوةُthe lifeالدُّنْیَا ۥ(of) the worldوَ لَاand (let) notیَغُرَّنَّكُمْdeceive youبِاللّٰهِabout Allahالْغَرُوْرُ the Deceiver اِنَّIndeedالشَّیْطٰنَthe Shaitaanلَكُمْ(is) to youعَدُوٌّan enemyفَاتَّخِذُوْهُso take himعَدُوًّا ؕ(as) an enemyاِنَّمَاOnlyیَدْعُوْاhe invitesحِزْبَهٗhis partyلِیَكُوْنُوْاthat they may beمِنْamongاَصْحٰبِ(the) companionsالسَّعِیْرِؕ(of) the Blaze اَلَّذِیْنَThose whoكَفَرُوْاdisbelieveلَهُمْfor themعَذَابٌ(will be) a punishmentشَدِیْدٌ ؕ۬severeوَ الَّذِیْنَand thoseاٰمَنُوْاwho believeوَ عَمِلُواand doالصّٰلِحٰتِrighteous deedsلَهُمْfor themمَّغْفِرَةٌ(will be) forgivenessوَّ اَجْرٌand a rewardكَبِیْرٌ۠great

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Translation of Verse 1-7In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

(35:1) All praise be to Allah, the Fashioner of the heavens and earth, Who appointed angels¹ as His message bearers, having two, three, four wings.² He adds to His creation whatever He pleases.³ Verily Allah has power over everything.

(35:2) Whatever Mercy Allah accords to people, none can withhold; and whatever He withholds, no other will be able to release after Him.⁴ He is Most Mighty, Most Wise.⁵

(35:3) O people, remember Allah's favour upon you.⁶ Is there any creator, apart from Allah, who provides you your sustenance out of the heavens and earth? There is no god but He. Whither are you, then, being misdirected?⁷

(35:4) (O Prophet), (there is nothing novel in it) if they cry lies to you;⁸Messengers before you were also cried lies to. To Allah shall all matters be sent back.⁹

(35:5) O people, assuredly Allah's promise is true.¹⁰ So let the life of the world not delude you,¹¹ and let not the Deluder delude you concerning Allah.¹²

(35:6) Surely Satan is an enemy to you. Therefore, do take him as an enemy. He calls his followers to his way so that they may be among the inmates of the Fire.

(35:7) A severe chastisement lies in store for those that disbelieve,¹³ but there is pardon and a great reward for those that believe and work righteous deeds.¹⁴

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Commentary

1. This presumably means that these angels act as the message- bearing intermediaries between God and-His Prophets (peace be on them). Alternatively, it might mean that the angels' assignment consists in communicating and putting into effect God's commands. The angels mentioned here are those whom the polytheists recognized as their gods and goddesses. In point of fact, however, they are no more than God's obedient servants. In the manner of a king's servants, they swiftly move from one place to another, carrying out His commands. Being God's servants, however, they are devoid of all authority. All power and authority rests with God, the only True Lord.

2. It is beyond our ability to know the true nature of the angels' wings.

However, God has used this word- that is, wings-to describe the angels, a word used in human language to describe the organ that helps birds fly.

Hence we can imagine that this word approximately depicts the reality that it seeks to describe.

The verse also mentions these angels as having two, three, or four wings. This indicates that God has endowed them with various levels of ability commensurate with the nature of their tasks.

3. The wording of the verse suggests that four is not necessarily the maximum number of an angel's wings. Some angels in fact have been granted a higher number of wings. According to 'Abd Allah ibn Mas'ūd, the Prophet (peace be on him) once saw Gabriel with six hundred wings, (Bukhārī, Kitāb Bad' al-Khalq, Bāb Idhā Qäla Ahadukum Amīn...; Muslim, Kitab al-Iman, Bab fi Dhikr Sidrat al-Muntaha; Tirmidhi, Kitab Tafsir al- Qur'an ‘an Rasul Allah, Bab Surah al-Najm.) Likewise, ‘A‘ishah reports that the Prophet (peace be on him) saw Gabriel in his true form on two occasions. On both occasions he had six hundred wings and he enveloped the entire horizon, (Tirmidhi, Kitab Tafsir al-Qur’an ‘an Rasul Allah, Bab Surah al-Najm.)

4. This is aimed at removing the polytheists’ misconception that some human beings have the power to provide them jobs, grant them children, " or cure their ailments. All such polytheistic notions lack substance. Rather, it is God’s Mercy that provides the help man seeks. Furthermore, none apart from God has the power to bestow any favor on mankind nor has anyone else the ability to prevent a favor that God wants to bestow.

This truth is frequently articulated in the Qur'an as well as in ahadith in a variety of ways. The purpose in so doing is to dissuade people from stumbling around, knocking at myriad doors, stretching forth their hands to all possible altars. Only God, and none other than God, has the power to make or mar man’s fate.

5. God is Most Mighty; that is, He prevails overall and has absolute sovereignty. None has the power to prevent His will from being carried out. However, along with being Most Mighty, God is also Most Wise.

Whenever He decrees something, He does so by dint of absolute wisdom.

Whenever He grants anything to someone or withholds it from someone, He does so out of His wisdom.

6. Man is asked not to be ungrateful to God, nor to ignore that it is He Who has bestowed upon him all his possessions. In other words, this statement serves as a warning: those who serve or worship any others besides God, or those who ascribe any of God's bounties to others besides Him, or who thank any others rather than God for those bounties, or who seek bounties from others rather than God are all guilty of ingratitude towards Him.

7. There is a subtle gap between the two statements made here, · one that is filled by the context of the discourse. In order to appreciate this one should try to bring to mind that the discourse's audience were polytheists. The speaker asks the audience: is there any other than God who has created them and who provides sustenance for them from the heavens and the earth? After posing the question the speaker pauses for a while. Now, instead of responding, the whole audience remains silent, none claiming that someone other than God is their Creator or Provider.

This naturally leads to the conclusion that all agree that none other than God is their Creator and Provider. At this point, the speaker breaks the silence and says: "In that case, none other than God can be their deity.

All this is crystal clear. Who, then, is misdirecting them?"

8. That is, the Makkan unbelievers denied the Prophet's contention that none other than God is worthy of worship and service. Likewise, they rejected his claim to be God's Prophet, branding that contention as an obvious falsehood.

9. In other words, people do not become liars simply because the unbelievers pronounced them to be so. The judgement on such matters rests with God. One day He will make it absolutely clear as to who engaged in falsehood. Moreover, He will also make the liars face the dire consequences of their lying.

10. God’s promise in the verse refers to His promise in the Hereafter.

This was alluded to in the preceding verse by saying: “To Allah shall all matters be sent back”.

11. The unbelievers should not delude themselves into supposing that there is nothing beyond the life of this world, that this life will not be followed by the Afterlife wherein people will be called to account. They should also not fall prey to the delusion that when the Afterlife does come about those who flourish here will also flourish there.

12. The word Deluder here refers to Satan, which is evident from the following verse (verse 6). To delude as regards God means that Satan persuades some people to believe that God does not exist at all. He leads others to the misgiving that God originally created the universe and made it operational, but thereafter, for all intents and purposes, He has withdrawn Himself from it. Thus, He is no longer concerned. with the affairs of the universe that He Himself created. Satan misleads others into believing that while God is still governing the universe, He has provided no guidance to mankind. All talk of Revelation and Prophet hood, therefore, is simply fraud and deception. ‘Satan also convinces others that they may behave as they please for the simple fact that God is Most Forgiving and Most Compassionate! Human beings can, therefore, sin to their hearts’ fill and still be sure that He will forgive them out of His Compassion. Satan may also mislead people into cherishing the notion that all they have to do is firmly attach themselves to God’s favorites, for they will see to it that they inevitably receive salvation.

13. By the words "those that disbelieve" are meant those who reject God's Book and His Messenger's call.

14. God will not only overlook their lapses but will also reward them more abundantly than what their good deeds amount to.