Surah 39. Az-Zumar

---

Verses [Section]: 1-9[1], 10-21 [2], 22-31 [3], 32-41 [4], 42-52 [5], 53-63 [6], 64-70 [7], 71-75 [8]

---

Quran Text of Verse 53-63قُلْSayیٰعِبَادِیَO My slaves!الَّذِیْنَThose whoاَسْرَفُوْاhave transgressedعَلٰۤیagainstاَنْفُسِهِمْthemselvesلَا(do) notتَقْنَطُوْاdespairمِنْofرَّحْمَةِ(the) Mercyاللّٰهِ ؕ(of) AllahاِنَّIndeedاللّٰهَAllahیَغْفِرُforgivesالذُّنُوْبَthe sinsجَمِیْعًا ؕallاِنَّهٗIndeed HeهُوَHeالْغَفُوْرُ(is) the Oft-Forgivingالرَّحِیْمُ the Most Merciful وَ اَنِیْبُوْۤاAnd turnاِلٰیtoرَبِّكُمْyour Lordوَ اَسْلِمُوْاand submitلَهٗto Himمِنْbeforeقَبْلِbeforeاَنْ[that]یَّاْتِیَكُمُcomes to youالْعَذَابُthe punishmentثُمَّthenلَاnotتُنْصَرُوْنَ you will be helped وَ اتَّبِعُوْۤاAnd followاَحْسَنَ(the) bestمَاۤ(of) whatاُنْزِلَis revealedاِلَیْكُمْto youمِّنْfromرَّبِّكُمْyour Lordمِّنْbeforeقَبْلِbeforeاَنْ[that]یَّاْتِیَكُمُcomes to youالْعَذَابُthe punishmentبَغْتَةًsuddenlyوَّ اَنْتُمْwhile youلَا(do) notتَشْعُرُوْنَۙperceive اَنْLestتَقُوْلَshould sayنَفْسٌa soulیّٰحَسْرَتٰیOh! My regretعَلٰیoverمَاwhatفَرَّطْتُI neglectedفِیْinجَنْۢبِregard toاللّٰهِAllahوَ اِنْand thatكُنْتُI wasلَمِنَsurely amongالسّٰخِرِیْنَۙthe mockers 39. Az-Zumar Page 465اَوْOrتَقُوْلَit should sayلَوْIf onlyاَنَّIf onlyاللّٰهَAllahهَدٰىنِیْ(had) guided meلَكُنْتُsurely, I (would) have beenمِنَamongالْمُتَّقِیْنَۙthe righteous اَوْOrتَقُوْلَit should sayحِیْنَwhenتَرَیit seesالْعَذَابَthe punishmentلَوْIfاَنَّonlyلِیْI hadكَرَّةًanother chanceفَاَكُوْنَthen I could beمِنَamongالْمُحْسِنِیْنَ the good-doers بَلٰیNayقَدْverilyجَآءَتْكَcame to youاٰیٰتِیْMy Versesفَكَذَّبْتَbut you deniedبِهَاthemوَ اسْتَكْبَرْتَand were arrogantوَ كُنْتَand you wereمِنَamongالْكٰفِرِیْنَ the disbelievers وَ یَوْمَAnd (on the) Dayالْقِیٰمَةِ(of) the Resurrectionتَرَیyou will seeالَّذِیْنَthose whoكَذَبُوْاliedعَلَیaboutاللّٰهِAllahوُجُوْهُهُمْtheir facesمُّسْوَدَّةٌ ؕ(will be) blackenedاَلَیْسَIs (there) notفِیْinجَهَنَّمَHellمَثْوًیan abodeلِّلْمُتَكَبِّرِیْنَ for the arrogant وَ یُنَجِّیAnd Allah will deliverاللّٰهُAnd Allah will deliverالَّذِیْنَthose whoاتَّقَوْاfeared (Him)بِمَفَازَتِهِمْ ؗto their place of salvationلَاnotیَمَسُّهُمُwill touch themالسُّوْٓءُthe evilوَ لَاand notهُمْtheyیَحْزَنُوْنَ will grieve اَللّٰهُAllahخَالِقُ(is the) Creatorكُلِّ(of) allشَیْءٍ ؗthingsوَّ هُوَand Heعَلٰی(is) overكُلِّallشَیْءٍthingsوَّكِیْلٌ a Guardian لَهٗFor Himمَقَالِیْدُ(are the) keysالسَّمٰوٰتِ(of) the heavensوَ الْاَرْضِ ؕand the earthوَ الَّذِیْنَAnd those whoكَفَرُوْاdisbelieveبِاٰیٰتِin (the) Versesاللّٰهِ(of) Allahاُولٰٓىِٕكَthoseهُمُtheyالْخٰسِرُوْنَ۠(are) the losers

---

Translation of Verse 53-63

(39:53) Tell them, (O Prophet): “My servants⁷⁰ who have committed excesses against themselves, do not despair of Allah's Mercy. Surely Allah forgives all sins. He is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.⁷¹

(39:54) Turn to your Lord and surrender yourselves to Him before the chastisement over-takes you; for then you will receive no help.

(39:55) Follow the best⁷² of what has been revealed to you from your Lord before the chastisement suddenly comes upon you without you even being aware of it.”

(39:56) Lest a person should say: “Alas for me for neglecting my duty towards Allah and for being among those that scoffed”;

(39:57) and lest a person should say: “If only Allah had guided me, I should have been one of the God-fearing”;

(39:58) or lest he should say, when he sees the chastisement: “O that I might return again, and be among those who do good.”

(39:59) Yes indeed! But My Signs came to you and you rejected them as lies, and waxed arrogant and were among those who disbelieved.

(39:60) On the Day of Resurrection you shall see that the faces of those who had lied against Allah have turned dark. Is Hell not vast enough to provide a room to the vainglorious?

(39:61) But as for the God-fearing, Allah will deliver them on account of their achievements: no harm shall visit them nor shall they grieve.

(39:62) Allah is the Creator of everything; He is the Guardian over everything.⁷³

(39:63) To Him belong the keys of the heavens and the earth. It is those who disbelieve in Allah's Signs who will be the losers.

---

Commentary

70. Some people offer a queer explanation of the opening words of this verse. They point out that here God Himself directs the Prophet (peace be on him) to address people as ‘my servants’. Hence all men are the servants of the Prophet (peace be on him).

This is not an explanatory comment but the worst possible distortion of the meaning and message of the Qur’an. In fact, this amounts to making the Qur’an an object of zestful play and sport. It is possible that a section of ' ignorant and gullible devotees might be swayed by such contentions. But if this line of thinking is seriously pursued, it will undermine the whole message of the Qur’an. This because the Qur’an proclaims here, there and q. everywhere that humans are servants of none other than the One True 4 God. The quintessence of the Qur’anic message is: serve none except the One True God. According to the Qur’an, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) too was God’s servant. He was raised not as man’s lord and deity but as God’s Messenger and the purpose of his advent was to serve God and urge others to serve Him alone. In view of the above, how can any rational being believe that one fine day Muhammad (peace be on him) will stand up in Makkah and begin to proclaim: ‘O people you are not servants of deities such as ‘Uzza and Sun; in fact, you are the servants of Muhammad.’ May God protect us from such blasphemy!

71. This discourse is addressed to all beings. There is no weighty basis to believe that it is addressed only to believers. As Ibn Kathir has pointed out, this universal directive does not mean at all that God forgives the sins of people without their repentance and their turning to Him. God’s pardon is contingent upon people’s servitude, obedience and their following the message revealed by God, (Ibn Kathir, Tafsir, comments on Surah al- Zumar 39: 53.) This verse holds out a ray of hope to those who had been guilty of murder, illicit sex, stealing, highway robbery and such other major sins in the time of Jahiliyah. Such people had given up the hope of ever being forgiven by God. Here they are directed not to despair. They are assured that if they become God’s obedient servants, their past sins will be forgiven. This interpretation is endorsed by Ibn ‘Abbas, Qatadah, Mujahid, Ibn Zayd, Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, Bukhari, Muslim, Aba Da’ud and Tirmidhi. (Tabari, Tafsir, comments on Surah al-Zumar 39: 53; Bukhari, Kitab al-Tafsir, Bab Qawlihi: ‘Ya ‘Ibadiya al-Ladhina Asrafu ‘ala Anfusihim la Taqnatu min Rahmat Allah...’; Muslim, Kitab al-Iman, Bab Kawn al-Islam Yahdim ma qablahu wa kadha al-Hijrah wa al-Hajj; Abu Da’ ud, Kitab al-Fitan wa al-Malahim, Bab fi Ta’zim Qatl al-Mu‘min; Tirmidhi, Kitab Tafsir al-Qur’an ‘an Rasul Allah Salla Allah ‘alayhi wa sallam, Bab wa min Surah al-Zumar.) (For further examples see al-Furqan 25, n. 86, Towards Understanding the Qur’an, vol. VIL, pp. 42-43.)

72. ‘Follow the best of what has been revealed’ means the following: to carry out God’s commands, to abstain from what He forbids, and to derive wholesome lessons from the stories and parables He narrates. On the contrary, he who turns away from God’s commands, who commits forbidden acts and pays no heed to God’s counsel and admonition is guilty of following the Qur’an in the worst possible manner.

73. God did not simply create the universe and then withdraw from the scene; instead, He continues to look after and superintend everything.

He not only created everything but everything continues to exist because of His will. It is He Who sustains them and causes them to thrive.