Surah 38. Sad

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Verses [Section]: 1-14[1], 15-26 [2], 27-40 [3], 41-64 [4], 65-88 [5]

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Quran Text of Verse 65-88قُلْSayاِنَّمَاۤOnlyاَنَاI amمُنْذِرٌ ۖۗa warnerوَّ مَاand notمِنْ(is there) anyاِلٰهٍgodاِلَّاexceptاللّٰهُAllahالْوَاحِدُthe Oneالْقَهَّارُۚthe Irresistible رَبُّLordالسَّمٰوٰتِ(of) the heavensوَ الْاَرْضِand the earthوَ مَاand whateverبَیْنَهُمَا(is) between themالْعَزِیْزُthe All-Mightyالْغَفَّارُ the Oft-Forgiving قُلْSayهُوَIt (is)نَبَؤٌاa newsعَظِیْمٌۙgreat اَنْتُمْYouعَنْهُfrom itمُعْرِضُوْنَ turn away مَاNotكَانَisلِیَfor meمِنْanyعِلْمٍۭknowledgeبِالْمَلَاِ(of) the chiefsالْاَعْلٰۤیthe exaltedاِذْwhenیَخْتَصِمُوْنَ they were disputing اِنْNotیُّوْحٰۤیhas been revealedاِلَیَّto meاِلَّاۤexceptاَنَّمَاۤthat onlyاَنَاI amنَذِیْرٌa warnerمُّبِیْنٌ clear اِذْWhenقَالَsaidرَبُّكَyour Lordلِلْمَلٰٓىِٕكَةِto the AngelsاِنِّیْIndeed I Amخَالِقٌۢgoing to createبَشَرًاa human beingمِّنْfromطِیْنٍ clay فَاِذَاSo whenسَوَّیْتُهٗI have proportioned himوَ نَفَخْتُand breathedفِیْهِinto himمِنْofرُّوْحِیْMy spiritفَقَعُوْاthen fall downلَهٗto himسٰجِدِیْنَ prostrating فَسَجَدَSo prostratedالْمَلٰٓىِٕكَةُthe Angelsكُلُّهُمْall of themاَجْمَعُوْنَۙtogether اِلَّاۤExceptاِبْلِیْسَ ؕIblisاِسْتَكْبَرَhe was arrogantوَ كَانَand becameمِنَofالْكٰفِرِیْنَ the disbelievers قَالَHe saidیٰۤاِبْلِیْسُO Iblis!مَاWhatمَنَعَكَprevented youاَنْthatتَسْجُدَyou (should) prostrateلِمَاto (one) whomخَلَقْتُI createdبِیَدَیَّ ؕwith My HandsاَسْتَكْبَرْتَAre you arrogantاَمْorكُنْتَare youمِنَofالْعَالِیْنَ the exalted ones قَالَHe saidاَنَاI amخَیْرٌbetterمِّنْهُ ؕthan himخَلَقْتَنِیْYou created meمِنْfromنَّارٍfireوَّ خَلَقْتَهٗand You created himمِنْfromطِیْنٍ clay قَالَHe saidفَاخْرُجْThen get outمِنْهَاof itفَاِنَّكَfor indeed youرَجِیْمٌۚۖ(are) accursed وَّ اِنَّAnd indeedعَلَیْكَupon youلَعْنَتِیْۤ(is) My curseاِلٰیuntilیَوْمِ(the) Dayالدِّیْنِ (of) Judgment قَالَHe saidرَبِّMy Lord!فَاَنْظِرْنِیْۤThen give me respiteاِلٰیuntilیَوْمِ(the) Dayیُبْعَثُوْنَ they are resurrected قَالَHe saidفَاِنَّكَThen indeed youمِنَ(are) ofالْمُنْظَرِیْنَۙthose given respite اِلٰیUntilیَوْمِ(the) Dayالْوَقْتِ(of) the timeالْمَعْلُوْمِ well-known قَالَHe saidفَبِعِزَّتِكَThen by Your mightلَاُغْوِیَنَّهُمْI will surely mislead themاَجْمَعِیْنَۙall اِلَّاExceptعِبَادَكَYour slavesمِنْهُمُamong themالْمُخْلَصِیْنَ the chosen ones 38. Sad Page 458قَالَHe saidفَالْحَقُّ ؗThen (it is) the truthوَ الْحَقَّand the truthاَقُوْلُۚI say لَاَمْلَـَٔنَّSurely I will fillجَهَنَّمَHellمِنْكَwith youوَ مِمَّنْand those whoتَبِعَكَfollow youمِنْهُمْamong themاَجْمَعِیْنَ all قُلْSayمَاۤNotاَسْـَٔلُكُمْI ask of youعَلَیْهِfor itمِنْanyاَجْرٍpaymentوَّ مَاۤand notاَنَاI amمِنَofالْمُتَكَلِّفِیْنَ the ones who pretend اِنْNotهُوَit (is)اِلَّاexceptذِكْرٌa Reminderلِّلْعٰلَمِیْنَ to the worlds وَ لَتَعْلَمُنَّAnd surely you will knowنَبَاَهٗits informationبَعْدَafterحِیْنٍ۠a time

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Translation of Verse 65-88

(38:65) Tell them, (O Prophet):⁵⁶ “I am nothing but a warner.⁵⁷ There is no deity but Allah, the One, the Supreme,

(38:66) the Lord of the heavens and the earth and all that is in between them, the Most Mighty, the Most Forgiving.”

(38:67) Say: “This is a tiding of tremendous import

(38:68) from which you are turning away.”⁵⁸

(38:69) (Tell them): “I had no knowledge of the High Council when they were disputing.

(38:70) I am told (about matters) by means of revelation only because I am a clear warner.”

(38:71) When your Lord said to the angels:⁵⁹ “Verily I am creating a human being from clay.⁶⁰

(38:72) After I have created him and breathed into him of My spirit,⁶¹ fall you down, prostrating yourselves to him.”⁶²

(38:73) Then the angels, all of them, prostrated themselves before Adam

(38:74) except Iblis. He waxed proud and became one of the unbelievers.⁶³

(38:75) The Lord said: “O Iblis, what prevented you from prostrating yourself before him whom I created of My Two Hands.⁶⁴ Are you waxing proud, or fancy yourself to be too exalted?”

(38:76) He replied: “I am nobler than he. You created me from fire and created him from clay.”

(38:77) He said: “Get out of here;⁶⁵ surely you are accursed,⁶⁶

(38:78) and My curse shall remain upon you till the Day of Resurrection.”⁶⁷

(38:79) Satan said: “My Lord, then grant me respite till the Day that they are raised up.”

(38:80) He said: “You are of those who have been granted respite

(38:81) till the Day whose Hour I know.”

(38:82) (Iblis) said: “By Your glory, I shall mislead them all

(38:83) except those of Your servants, the chosen ones from amongst them.”⁶⁸

(38:84) He (i.e. Allah) said: “This is the Truth � and I only speak the Truth �

(38:85) I will certainly fill the Gehenna with you⁶⁹ and with all those among them who follow you.”⁷⁰

(38:86) (O Prophet), tell them: “I do not ask you for any recompense for the performance of this task;⁷¹ nor am I given to affectation.⁷²

(38:87) This is nothing but an Admonition for all people the world over.

(38:88) You will know the truth of the matter after a while.”⁷³

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Commentary

56. From here on the theme that was broached in the opening part of the Surah is resumed. For a better understanding of the part that follows it is useful to read it in comparison with the opening verses of the Surah.

57. Inverse 4, it was stated that the Makkan unbelievers were amazed at the fact that ‘a warner had come to them from among themselves...’ Here the Prophet (peace be on hini) is apprising them that he is ‘a clear’ warner to them. In other words, his vocation was to preach and to admonish rather than to coerce people to believe. If they refuse to pay heed to him, they will have only themselves to blame. If they persist in heedlessness and error, they themselves will face its dire consequences.

58. This is a response to the unbelievers’ statement in verse 5 of this Surah: ‘Has he made the gods into one single God? This is truly astonishing.’ The unbelievers took serious exception to the monotheism propounded by the Prophet (peace be on him). He made it plain to them that he was informing them about something that is utterly true, to wit, monotheism.

The unbelievers greeted this with frown and scorn. However, their frown and scorn could not change reality. The unbelievers thought that God was simply one of several gods. Accordingly, they resented the Prophet’s insistence on monotheism. It is being asserted that God is the Only True God. He is Almighty, He is the Lord of the heavens and the earth, the Lord of all that exists. On the other hand, none of the unbelievers’ idols has any power or authority. These are simply created beings who are under God’s control. How can such objects that are utterly powerless and are owned in fact by God be regarded as partners in God’s Divinity? Also, by what logic can they be considered deities?

59. This indicates some details of the dispute mentioned in verse 69. The dispute consists of Satan's contention against God. Let us also clarify that the verse additionally speaks of the angels insofar as this exchange between God and Satan took place through the agency of some angel. The event discussed here also features at other places in the Qur’an. (See, for example, al-Baqarah 2: 30-39; al-A‘raf7: 11-24; al-Hijr 15: 28-43; Bani Isra’il 17: 61-5; al-Kahf 18: 47-50 and Ta Ha 20: 115-24; Towards Understanding the Qur’an, vol. 1, pp. 58-66; vol. II, pp. 7-16; vol. IV, pp. 288-90; vol. V, pp. 56-60, 112 and 231-40.)

60. Lexically, bashar denotes a dense body whose exterior is covered by something. It is used specifically for man when reference is made to him after his creation. In this pre-creation context, it means one who will be made of clay and will be devoid of feather and wings. In other words, unlike other creatures, man’s skin will not be covered with wool, fur or feathers.

61. For further details see al-Hijr 15, n. 19, Towards Understanding the Qur’an, vol. IV, pp. 289-90 and al-Sajdah 32, n. 16, vol. VUL pp. 164-5.

62. For further details see al~Baqarah 2, n. 45, Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. I, p. 62 and al-A’raf 7, n. 10, vol. IIL, pp. 7-10.

63. For further details see al-Baqarah 2, n. 47, Towards Understanding the Qur’an, vol. I, p. 63 and al-Kahf 18, n. 48, vol. V, p. 112.

64. This brings out man’s exalted status. That the Lord Himself accomplished man’s creation signifies the major importance of the task.

Had the task been of an ordinary nature, the Sovereign would have assigned it to His servants. On the contrary, when the Sovereign carries out a task himself, it shows that the task is of extraordinary importance.

Now, since God Himself created man, nothing should deter man from submitting to Him.

As to the expression ‘My Two Hands’, this probably underscores two important aspects of God’s creative power: one, that man was endowed with a body that links him to animals, and two, that the spirit was breathed into him, making him superior to all creatures on earth.

65. The reference is to Adam’s creation and the directive to the angels to prostrate themselves before him. Satan, however, disobeyed God.

66. Rajim denotes the one who is accursed or expelled. It is used for a person who falis from favour and stands humiliated and disgraced.

Almost the same point is made in Surah al-A’raf 7: 13 in which Satan is spoken of as follows: ‘Be gone. You will be among the humiliated’.

67. This does not mean that Satan will not be cursed after the Day of Resurrection. What is rather stressed is that he will be cursed till the Day of Judgement. At a later stage, he will face the punishment for the misdeeds he had committed since Adam’s creation till the Last Day.

68. The point being made is not that Satan will not try to mislead ‘the chosen ones’. The purpose of the statement is to stress that Satan will not be able to mislead them.

69. The address is directed to all devils, ie. Satan as well as his accomplices who are engaged in misleading mankind.

70. This story is narrated in response to the Quraysh chiefs’ sarcastic query: ‘Has this Exhortation been sent down among us only to him, to the exclusion of all others?’ This was partly addressed in verses 9-10 above: ‘Do they possess the treasures of your Lord, the Most Mighty, the Great Bestower? Or do they possess the dominion of the heavens and the earth and all that is in between them? If so, let them ascend to the heights of the realm of causation and see!’ In other words, they were told that they had no right to question who should be designated a Prophet and who should not.

The second response is articulated here. The Quraysh notables are being told that their jealousy towards the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) and their self-conceit and arrogance resemble Iblis’s jealousy and arrogance. Iblis had refused to recognize God's right to appoint Adam as His vicegerent. Following in his footsteps, the unbelieving Quraysh denied God His right to appoint anyone whom He pleases as His Messenger. Iblis had declined to prostrate himself before Adam and the Quraysh are guilty of refusing to obey the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him). The resemblance of the Quraysh with Iblis, does not end with being alike in iniquity. In fact, their ultimate end will also be the same. Like Iblis, they will remain accursed in this life and face Hellfire in the Next.

71. The Prophet (peace be on him) points out that he is a selfless person who has no axe to grind by preaching the truth.

72. The Prophet (peace be on him) is not one of those who make false claims in order to achieve eminence and glory. This was not merely a verbal assertion but the Prophet's entire life bore testimony to its truth.

He had lived for full 40 years in the midst of his people and every Makkan knew that he was not a fake. The entire body of Makkans was aware that the Prophet (peace be on him) had never uttered as much as a word that would give rise to the suspicion that he was hankering after power and glory.

73. What this meant is that those who will remain alive will see in a few years that what the Prophet (peace be on him) said will come to pass. As for those who die, no sooner than they enter the portal of death they too will realize that what the Prophet (peace be on him) had said was true.