Surah 37. As-Saffat

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Verses [Section]: 1-21[1], 22-74 [2], 75-113 [3], 114-138 [4], 139-182 [5]

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Quran Text of Verse 139-182وَ اِنَّAnd indeedیُوْنُسَYunusلَمِنَ(was) surely ofالْمُرْسَلِیْنَؕthe Messengers اِذْWhenاَبَقَhe ran awayاِلَیtoالْفُلْكِthe shipالْمَشْحُوْنِۙladen فَسَاهَمَThen he drew lotsفَكَانَand wasمِنَofالْمُدْحَضِیْنَۚthe losers فَالْتَقَمَهُThen swallowed himالْحُوْتُthe fishوَ هُوَwhile heمُلِیْمٌ (was) blameworthy فَلَوْ لَاۤAnd if notاَنَّهٗthat heكَانَwasمِنَofالْمُسَبِّحِیْنَۙthose who glorify لَلَبِثَCertainly he (would have) remainedفِیْinبَطْنِهٖۤits bellyاِلٰیuntilیَوْمِthe Dayیُبْعَثُوْنَۚthey are resurrected فَنَبَذْنٰهُBut We cast himبِالْعَرَآءِonto the open shoreوَ هُوَwhile heسَقِیْمٌۚ(was) ill وَ اَنْۢبَتْنَاAnd We caused to growعَلَیْهِover himشَجَرَةًa plantمِّنْofیَّقْطِیْنٍۚgourd وَ اَرْسَلْنٰهُAnd We sent himاِلٰیtoمِائَةِa hundredاَلْفٍthousandاَوْorیَزِیْدُوْنَۚmore فَاٰمَنُوْاAnd they believedفَمَتَّعْنٰهُمْso We gave them enjoymentاِلٰیforحِیْنٍؕa while فَاسْتَفْتِهِمْThen ask themاَلِرَبِّكَDoes your Lordالْبَنَاتُ(have) daughtersوَ لَهُمُwhile for themالْبَنُوْنَۙ(are) sons اَمْOrخَلَقْنَاdid We createالْمَلٰٓىِٕكَةَthe Angelsاِنَاثًاfemalesوَّ هُمْwhile theyشٰهِدُوْنَ (were) witnesses اَلَاۤNo doubtاِنَّهُمْindeed theyمِّنْofاِفْكِهِمْtheir falsehoodلَیَقُوْلُوْنَۙ[they] say وَلَدَAllah has begottenاللّٰهُ ۙAllah has begottenوَ اِنَّهُمْand indeed, theyلَكٰذِبُوْنَ surely (are) liars اَصْطَفَیHas He chosenالْبَنَاتِ[the] daughtersعَلَیoverالْبَنِیْنَؕsons 37. As-Saffat Page 452مَاWhat is with youلَكُمْ ۫What is with youكَیْفَHowتَحْكُمُوْنَ you judge اَفَلَاThen will notتَذَكَّرُوْنَۚyou pay heed اَمْOrلَكُمْ(is) for youسُلْطٰنٌan authorityمُّبِیْنٌۙclear فَاْتُوْاThen bringبِكِتٰبِكُمْyour bookاِنْifكُنْتُمْyou areصٰدِقِیْنَ truthful وَ جَعَلُوْاAnd they have madeبَیْنَهٗbetween Himوَ بَیْنَand betweenالْجِنَّةِthe jinnنَسَبًا ؕa relationshipوَ لَقَدْbut certainlyعَلِمَتِknowالْجِنَّةُthe jinnاِنَّهُمْthat theyلَمُحْضَرُوْنَۙ(will) surely be brought سُبْحٰنَGlory beاللّٰهِ(to) Allahعَمَّاabove whatیَصِفُوْنَۙthey attribute اِلَّاExceptعِبَادَ(the) slavesاللّٰهِ(of) Allahالْمُخْلَصِیْنَ the chosen فَاِنَّكُمْSo indeed youوَ مَاand whatتَعْبُدُوْنَۙyou worship مَاۤNotاَنْتُمْyouعَلَیْهِfrom Himبِفٰتِنِیْنَۙcan tempt away (anyone) اِلَّاExceptمَنْwhoهُوَheصَالِ(is) to burnالْجَحِیْمِ (in) the Hellfire وَ مَاAnd notمِنَّاۤamong usاِلَّاexceptلَهٗfor himمَقَامٌ(is) a positionمَّعْلُوْمٌۙknown وَّ اِنَّاAnd indeed weلَنَحْنُsurely [we]الصَّآفُّوْنَۚstand in rows وَ اِنَّاAnd indeed weلَنَحْنُsurely [we]الْمُسَبِّحُوْنَ glorify (Allah) وَ اِنْAnd indeedكَانُوْاthey used (to)لَیَقُوْلُوْنَۙsay لَوْIfاَنَّthatعِنْدَنَاwe hadذِكْرًاa reminderمِّنَfromالْاَوَّلِیْنَۙthe former (people) لَكُنَّاCertainly we (would) have beenعِبَادَslavesاللّٰهِ(of) Allahالْمُخْلَصِیْنَ the chosen فَكَفَرُوْاBut they disbelievedبِهٖin itفَسَوْفَso soonیَعْلَمُوْنَ they will know وَ لَقَدْAnd verilyسَبَقَتْhas precededكَلِمَتُنَاOur Wordلِعِبَادِنَاfor Our slavesالْمُرْسَلِیْنَۚۖthe Messengers اِنَّهُمْIndeed theyلَهُمُsurely theyالْمَنْصُوْرُوْنَ۪(would be) the victorious وَ اِنَّAnd indeedجُنْدَنَاOur hostلَهُمُsurely theyالْغٰلِبُوْنَ (will be) those who overcome فَتَوَلَّSo turn awayعَنْهُمْfrom themحَتّٰیforحِیْنٍۙa time وَّ اَبْصِرْهُمْAnd see themفَسَوْفَso soonیُبْصِرُوْنَ they will see اَفَبِعَذَابِنَاThen is (it) for Our punishmentیَسْتَعْجِلُوْنَ they hasten فَاِذَاBut whenنَزَلَit descendsبِسَاحَتِهِمْin their territoryفَسَآءَthen evil (will be)صَبَاحُ(the) morningالْمُنْذَرِیْنَ (for) those who were warned وَ تَوَلَّSo turn awayعَنْهُمْfrom themحَتّٰیforحِیْنٍۙa time وَّ اَبْصِرْAnd seeفَسَوْفَso soonیُبْصِرُوْنَ they will see سُبْحٰنَGloryرَبِّكَ(be to) your Lordرَبِّ(the) Lordالْعِزَّةِ(of) Honorعَمَّاabove whatیَصِفُوْنَۚthey attribute وَ سَلٰمٌAnd peace beعَلَیuponالْمُرْسَلِیْنَۚthe Messengers وَ الْحَمْدُAnd all praiseلِلّٰهِ(be) to Allahرَبِّ(the) Lordالْعٰلَمِیْنَ۠(of) the worlds

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Translation of Verse 139-182

(37:139) And Jonah too was one of the Messengers.⁷⁷

(37:140) Call to mind when he fled to the laden ship,⁷⁸

(37:141) cast lots, and was among the losers.

(37:142) Then a fish swallowed him, and he was blameworthy.⁷⁹

(37:143) Had he not been one of those who glorify Allah,⁸⁰

(37:144) he would certainly have remained in its belly till the Day of Resurrection.⁸¹

(37:145) But We threw him on a wide bare tract of land while he was ill;⁸²

(37:146) and caused a gourd tree⁸³ to grow over him,

(37:147) and We sent him forth to a nation of a hundred thousand or more,⁸⁴

(37:148) and they believed. So We let them enjoy life for a while.⁸⁵

(37:149) So ask their opinion:⁸⁶ “(Are you convinced) that your Lord should have daughters and you should have sons?⁸⁷

(37:150) Did We create the angels as females the while they witnessed?”

(37:151) Behold, it is one of their fabrications that they say:

(37:152) “Allah has begotten.” They are liars!

(37:153) Did He choose daughters rather than sons?

(37:154) What is the matter with you that you make such strange judgements?

(37:155) Will you then not take heed?

(37:156) Do you have any clear authority for such claims?

(37:157) Bring your Book, if you are truthful.⁸⁸

(37:158) They have established a kinship between Allah and the angels;⁸⁹ and the angels know well that these people will be arraigned (as culprits).

(37:159) (They say): “Exalted be Allah above what they attribute to Him,

(37:160) all of them except the chosen servants of Allah.

(37:161) So you and your deities

(37:162) shall not be able to tempt anyone away from Allah

(37:163) except him who shall roast in the Blazing Fire.⁹⁰

(37:164) As for us, there is none but has an appointed station.⁹¹

(37:165) Verily we range ourselves in rows (as humble servants)

(37:166) and we are of those who glorify Allah.”

(37:167) They used to say before:

(37:168) “If only we had the Reminder which had been granted to the people of yore

(37:169) we would surely have been Allah's chosen servants.”⁹²

(37:170) But when it came to them, they rejected it. They shall soon come to know (the end of such an attitude).

(37:171) We have already given Our promise to Our Messengers

(37:172) that they shall certainly be succoured,

(37:173) and that Our hosts shall triumph.⁹³

(37:174) So, (O Prophet), leave them alone for a while,

(37:175) and see, and soon they too shall see.⁹⁴

(37:176) Do they seek to hasten Our chastisement?

(37:177) When that chastisement will descend upon their courtyard, evil shall that Day be for those who had been warned.

(37:178) Leave them alone for a while,

(37:179) and see; and they too shall soon see.

(37:180) Exalted be your Lord, the Lord of Glory, above what they attribute to Him,

(37:181) and peace be upon the Messengers,

(37:182) and all praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Universe.

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Commentary

77. This represents the third instance in which the Prophet Jonah (peace be on him) is mentioned in the Qur’an. Reference to him also occurs in Surahs Yunus and al-Anbiya’. (See Towards Understanding the Qur'an, Yunus 10: nn. 98-100, Vol. IV, pp. 66-68, and al-Anbiya’ 21: nn. 82-85, Vol. V, p. 292.)

78. The word abaqa is used in Arabic to denote a slave who runs away from his master. The word ibaq, according to Lisan al-‘Arab, means: “ibag means a slave’s running away from his master” (Lisan al-‘Arab, q.v. abq).

79. Were we to consider verses 139 and 148 together it would be clear that the following is what happened:

(i) When the Prophet Jonah (peace be on him) boarded the ship, it was already loaded beyond its capacity.

(ii) Most probably when it was realized that this overloading posed a serious threat to the lives of all passengers, lots were drawn to cast someone over-board so as to shed the load.

(iii) The Prophet Jonah’s name appeared in this lot and consequently he was thrown into the sea and was swallowed by a fish.

(iv) Jonah faced this plight because he had left his station without God's leave. Let us bring to mind the use of the term abaqa with regard to him, a term whose meaning we have explained in n. 78 above. The use of the expression mulim reinforces that sense as it denotes a guilty person who deserves to be reproached, irrespective of whether he is actually reproached or not. Tabari, Tafsir, comments on verse 142.)

80. This carries two meanings and both are intended:

(i) The Prophet Jonah (peace be on him) even beforehand was one of those who constantly remembered God.

(ii) When he entered the belly of the fish, he turned only to God and glorified Him. This comes out sharply from the following Quranic passage: “Eventually he cried out in the darkness: ‘There is no god but You. Glory be to You. I have done wrong’”, (al-Anbiya’ 21:87).

81. This does not mean that the fish would have remained alive till the Day of Resurrection and that Jonah would have remained in the belly of that fish. What it really means is that the belly of the fish would have been Jonah’s grave till the Day of Resurrection. The famous. Qur’an commentator Qatadah interpreted the verse to mean so, (Tabart, Tafsir, comments on verse 144).

82. When the Prophet Jonah (peace be on him) admitted his lapse and engaged in God’s glorification as a true believer, at God’s behest the fish cast him onto the coast. The coast was a level plane, without any vegetation. Some pseudo-rationalists contend that it is impossible for anyone to come out alive from a fish’s belly. However, exactly the same kind of incident took place in a coastal town in England, the center of pseudo-rationalists! A group of fishermen went into the deep seas in August 1891 on the ship “Star of the East” to hunt whales. They managed to injure a huge whale, which was 20 ft. long, 5 ft. wide and weighed 100 tons. However, James Bartley, one of the fishermen, was swallowed up by the whale in the presence of his friends during this encounter. The next day they found the dead whale and transported it with much difficulty to the coast. On cutting open its belly, James Bartley was found alive. He had been in the whale’s belly for more than 60 hours.

83. The word yaqtin is used for a tree which does not stand on a stem but rather grows and spreads like a creeper, such as a gourd, pumpkin, cucumber and melon. God miraculously allowed a creeper to grow over there. Its leaves provided shade to the Prophet Jonah (peace be on him) and its fruit served him both as food and drink.

84. The figure “one hundred thousand or more” does not indicate that God does not accurately know their number. What is meant here is that an observer would have surmised that the town had a population of one hundred thousand or more. It was presumably the same town from where the Prophet Jonah (peace be on him) had departed. After his departure, the inhabitants of the town embraced faith as they saw God’s scourge approaching them. In view of their acceptance of faith, which amounted to repentance, the scourge was averted. The Prophet Jonah (peace be on him) was sent back to them so that they might embrace faith at his hands and lead their lives as believers. (For a better comprehension of this see Yunus 10:98.)

85. Some people have taken exception to our version of the Prophet Jonah’s story, as featured in Surahs Yunus (Surah 10) and al-Anbiya’ (Surah 21); it would be pertinent to reproduce below the version of this story as offered by some Qur’an-commentators. While elucidating Yunus 10: 98, the distinguished Qur’an-commentator, Qatadah says the following: There has been no community that committed unbelief and believed after God’s punishment had come to them, and yet they were spared punishment. The only exception are the people of Jonah. As the Divine scourge approached they looked for their Messenger and could not locate him in their midst, so God instilled repentance in their hearts. (Ibn Kathir, Tafsir, comments on Surah Yunus 10:98.) Aluasi offers the following explanation: The Prophet Jonah (peace be on him) was sent to the people of Nineveh in the region of Mosul. They were unbelievers. The Prophet Jonah (peace be on him) urged them to worship the One.

True God and to give up idolatry. However, they rejected his call ' and denounced him as a liar. The Prophet Jonah (peace be on him) warned them that a Divine scourge would befall them after three days. He left the town in the night before the appointed day of their punishment. The next day, as God's scourge almost encompassed them, they realized that they were on the verge of death and destruction. It was then that they desperately looked fox their Messenger but they could not find him. Eventually they assembled in the open along with their children and cattle. At that stage they professed faith and repented their sins ... God took pity on them and accepted the repentance. (Ruh al-Ma‘ani, comments on Surah Yunus 10: 98).

In a similar vein Alusi explains Surah al-Anbiya’ 21:87: The Prophet Jonah’s departure, in a fit of anger directed against his community, no doubt constituted his migration. God, however, had not directed him to do so. (Ruh al-Ma‘ani, comments on Surah al-Anbiya’ 21:87.) , As for the Prophet Jonah’s confession that he had done wrong (al- Anbiya’ 21:87), Alusi writes: His confession of doing wrong underscores the haste with which he migrated. This did not befit a Messenger of God. He confessed his lapse in order to win God's acceptance of his repentance. (Ruh al-Ma‘ani, comments on Surah al-Anbiya’ 21:87.) Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi’s gloss on al-Anbiya’ 21:87 reads as follows: He left the town, angry with his community over their unbelief.

He did not return to them even after the Divine scourge had been averted from them. His departure from the town did not have God’s sanction. (Bayan al-Qur’an comments on Surah al-Anbiya’ 21:87.) Mawlana Shabbir Ahmad ‘Uthmani explains the Prophet Jonah’s conduct thus: Enraged at the misdeeds of his community, he [Jonah] left the town in a fit of anger. In so doing, he did not wait for the Divine directive. He had threatened his community with the Divine scourge which would overtake them after three days. Nonetheless, he later admitted his mistake in having left the town in haste without God’s command and having abandoned his people. (Tafsir ‘Uthmani, comments on Surah al-Anbiya’ 21:87.) Razi’s explanation of al-Saffat 37:148 is as follows: God had promised to annihilate the unbelieving people of the Prophet Jonah’s town. While apprehending the imminent Divine scourge, the Prophet Jonah (peace be on him) lost patience and left the town, thus neglecting his mission to guide his community to the truth. He was obliged to continue his mission, for the possibility remained that God would decide not to destroy them. (Al-Tafsir al-Kabir, comments on al-Saffat 37:148.) While explaining al-Saffat 37:140, Alusi states: Abq denotes a slave’s running away from his master. As the Prophet Jonah (peace be on him) had left his community without his Lord’s leave, this expression is befittingly used of him. It was on the third day that he left the town. Unable to trace their Messenger, the community members went out, along with their cattle. As the Divine scourge was approaching them, they turned to God, crying fervently over their misdeeds and sought God’s pardon.

God accepted their repentance. (Ruh al-Ma‘ani, comments on al- Saffat 37:140.) On the import of al-Saffat 37:142, Mawlana Shabbir Ahmad ‘Uthmani writes as follows: The Prophet Jonah (peace be on him) stood charged with having committed a mistake in the exercise of his discretion. It was so both in his choice of departing from the town without God’s leave and in fixing the day the Divine scourge would strike his people. (Tafsir ‘Uthmani, comments on al-Saffat 37:142.) The Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) was instructed not to behave towards the unbelievers in the manner of the Prophet Jonah (peace be on him) which was characterized by a certain lack of magnanimity and patience towards those who falsified the truth. (Tafsir ‘Uthmani, comments on al-Qalam 68:48.)

Maulana ‘Uthmani, referring to the words in the verse (“choking with grief”), says as follows: “This shows that Jonah was filled with anger towards his people which prompted him, in a state of irritation; to hurriedly imprecate against them and even make a prophecy [regarding the time of God’s scourge].” (Tafsir ‘Uthmani, comments on al-Qalam 68:48.) It emerges from all the above that the Prophet Jonah (peace be on him) had incurred God's displeasure because of the following three lapses: (i) He himself fixed a date for God’s scourge, though God had not specified it. (i) He migrated from the town before God’s scourge had arrived. A Messenger is not supposed to leave his station without God’s permission. (iii) Moreover, he did not return to his home town even after God’s scourge was averted.

86. This marks the beginning of a new discourse. The earlier discourse commenced with verse 11. It began with posing to the Makkan unbelievers the question: “Were they harder to create than the objects We created?” At this stage, they are asked another question. The objective of the former question was to jolt the unbelievers, those who had ruled out the possibility of the Afterlife, Resurrection and Divine retribution, and mocked the Prophet (peace be on him) because he expounded these doctrines. The present question, however, seeks to alert them to their ignorance, for they ascribed children to God. They gave free rein to their imagination and confirmed ties of kinship between God and whomsoever they wanted.

87. We learn from traditions in a variety of sources that the Quraysh, Juhaynah, Band Salimah, Khuza‘ah, Bani Mulayh and some other tribes considered angels to be the daughters of God. The Qur’an refers to this in the following instances: al-Nisa’ 4:117; al-Nahl 16:57-58; Bani Isra’il 17:40; al-Zukhruf 43:16-19, and al-Najm 53:21-27.

88. There could evidently be no more than two grounds for considering the angels tc be God’s daughters. The first of these could be observation.

Alternatively, it could have a scriptural basis. In other words, there should be a statement on God’s authority that the angels are His daughters. The unbelievers, however, cannot substantiate their claim on either of these two grounds. It was the height of their ignorance and folly that they entertained a baseless notion as an article of faith. They attributed to God what was patently ridiculous and outrageous.

89. The Qur’an. employs the word jinn. Some leading Qur’anic scholars, however, contend that the word jinn have been used here in the literal meaning, of ‘hidden creatures’, thereby signifying angels since the angels are essentially hidden creatures. The text that follows also corroborates that the word has been used here to denote angels.

90. This may alternatively be translated as follows: “So you and your worship shall not be able to tempt anyone away from God except

Taken in this sense, the angels will tell their devotees that they will be unable to tempt them to err by their act of worshipping them. In other words, the devotees could beguile only those who have been caught in the vortex of their doom. As for the angels, they will simply not oblige their devotees by falling into their trap.

91. Far from being God’s children, angels cannot dare to deviate even slightly from the roles assigned to each of them.

92. The same truth is enshrined in Surah Fatir 35:42.

93. God’s “hosts” comprise the believers who follow His Prophet and support His cause, thereby signifying angels since the latter are essentially hidden creatures. The text that follows also corroborates that the word has been used here to denote angels, including the invisible powers that help the votaries of truth by God’s leave. God’s help and support, however, do not necessarily mean that every Prophet of God and his followers will enjoy political ascendancy in every age. Wherever God’s Prophets do not have such ascendancy, they enjoy moral ascendancy. By the same token, the nations that do not follow those Prophets and follow a path contrary to their teachings, ultimately meet their doom. All theories and doctrines that are rooted in ignorance and error prosper only for a short while. Even when these are forcibly put into effect, they fail to strike deep roots. However, the truths expounded by God’s Prophets since time immemorial continue to be immutable. None can shake their roots.

94. The Prophet’s Companions are assured that the Makkan unbelievers will soon witness their own defeat and the victory of the believers. That indeed came true. Within 15 years of the revelation of these verses, the Makkan unbelievers helplessly watched the Prophet (peace be on him) enter their town, Makkah, as a conqueror. Then, a decade later, the Muslims had established their superiority over both superpowers of the time — the Persians and the Romans.