Surah 41. Fussilat

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Verses [Section]: 1-8[1], 9-18 [2], 19-25 [3], 26-32 [4], 33-44 [5], 45-54 [6]

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Quran Text of Verse 19-25وَ یَوْمَAnd (the) Dayیُحْشَرُwill be gatheredاَعْدَآءُ(the) enemiesاللّٰهِ(of) Allahاِلَیtoالنَّارِthe Fireفَهُمْthen theyیُوْزَعُوْنَ will be assembled in rows حَتّٰۤیUntilاِذَاwhenمَاwhenجَآءُوْهَاthey come to itشَهِدَ(will) testifyعَلَیْهِمْagainst themسَمْعُهُمْtheir hearingوَ اَبْصَارُهُمْand their sightوَ جُلُوْدُهُمْand their skinsبِمَا(as) to whatكَانُوْاthey used (to)یَعْمَلُوْنَ do 41. Fussilat Page 479وَ قَالُوْاAnd they will sayلِجُلُوْدِهِمْto their skinsلِمَWhy doشَهِدْتُّمْyou testifyعَلَیْنَا ؕagainst usقَالُوْۤاThey will sayاَنْطَقَنَاAllah made us speakاللّٰهُAllah made us speakالَّذِیْۤthe One Whoاَنْطَقَmakes speakكُلَّeveryشَیْءٍthingوَّ هُوَand Heخَلَقَكُمْcreated youاَوَّلَ(the) firstمَرَّةٍtimeوَّ اِلَیْهِand to Himتُرْجَعُوْنَ you will be returned وَ مَاAnd notكُنْتُمْyou wereتَسْتَتِرُوْنَcovering yourselvesاَنْlestیَّشْهَدَtestifyعَلَیْكُمْagainst youسَمْعُكُمْyour hearingوَ لَاۤand notاَبْصَارُكُمْyour sightوَ لَاand notجُلُوْدُكُمْyour skinsوَ لٰكِنْbutظَنَنْتُمْyou assumedاَنَّthatاللّٰهَAllahلَا(does) notیَعْلَمُknowكَثِیْرًاmuchمِّمَّاof whatتَعْمَلُوْنَ you do وَ ذٰلِكُمْAnd thatظَنُّكُمُ(was) your assumptionالَّذِیْwhichظَنَنْتُمْyou assumedبِرَبِّكُمْabout your LordاَرْدٰىكُمْIt has ruined youفَاَصْبَحْتُمْand you have becomeمِّنَofالْخٰسِرِیْنَ the losers فَاِنْThen ifیَّصْبِرُوْاthey endureفَالنَّارُthe Fireمَثْوًی(is) an abodeلَّهُمْ ۚfor themوَ اِنْand ifیَّسْتَعْتِبُوْاthey ask for favorفَمَاthen notهُمْtheyمِّنَ(will be) ofالْمُعْتَبِیْنَ those who receive favor وَ قَیَّضْنَاAnd We have destinedلَهُمْfor themقُرَنَآءَcompanionsفَزَیَّنُوْا(who) made fair-seemingلَهُمْto themمَّاwhatبَیْنَ(was) before themاَیْدِیْهِمْ(was) before themوَ مَاand whatخَلْفَهُمْ(was) behind themوَ حَقَّand (is) justifiedعَلَیْهِمُagainst themالْقَوْلُthe Wordفِیْۤamongاُمَمٍnationsقَدْ(that have) passed awayخَلَتْ(that have) passed awayمِنْbefore themقَبْلِهِمْbefore themمِّنَofالْجِنِّthe jinnوَ الْاِنْسِ ۚand the menاِنَّهُمْIndeed, theyكَانُوْاwereخٰسِرِیْنَ۠losers

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Translation of Verse 19-25

(41:19) Imagine the Day when Allah's enemies will be mustered to the Fire,²³ and the people of the former times will be detained until the arrival of people of the later times,²⁴

(41:20) and when all have arrived, their ears, their eyes, and their skins shall bear witness against them, stating all that they had done in the life of the world.²⁵

(41:21) They will ask their skins: “Why did you bear witness against us?” The skins will reply: “Allah gave us speech,²⁶ as He gave speech to all others. He it is Who created you for the first time and it is to Him that you will be sent back.

(41:22) When you used to conceal yourselves (while committing misdeeds) you never thought that your ears or your eyes or your skins would ever bear witness against you; you rather fancied that Allah does not know a great deal of what you do.

(41:23) This thought of yours about your Lord has led to your perdition and you have become among the losers.”²⁷

(41:24) In this state, whether they bear with patience (or not), Fire alone shall be their abode. And if they seek to make amends, they will not be allowed to do so.²⁸

(41:25) We had assigned to them companions who embellished for them all that was before them and behind them.²⁹ Thus the same decree (of chastisement) which had overtaken the previous generations of jinn and human beings (also) became due against them. Surely they became the losers.

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Commentary

23. The reference here is to the fact that people will be mustered to appear before God. The expression used, however, is that ‘Allah’s enemies will be mustered to the Fire.’ This is because of the fact that their ultimate | end will be their hurling into Hell.

24. On the Day of Judgement what will happen is not that various: generations of people will be recompensed one after the other. Rather, all generations will be brought together and judged at one time. This because one’s deeds do not come to an end with one’s death; rather, the impact of these deeds continues till long after one’s death and, therefore, one will be held accountable for the totality of the effect one’s acts had upon all the generations combined. What holds true for an individual, also holds true for a whole generation insofar as each generation has its effect on subsequent generations. All pieces of evidence, including the effects of one generation on subsequent generations, will be marshalled at the time of the Final Judgement. On the Day of Judgement, therefore, generation after generation will be gathered together and detained and their reckoning will take place. For further details, see al-A'raf 7, n. 30, Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. IIL, pp. 23-6.

25. Ahadith indicate that when a diehard criminal denies his misdeeds and contests the evidence brought against him, then by God’s command the different organs of his body will testify against him. Each of these " organs will relate to what use they were put by that person. This has also been narrated by Anas, Abu Musa al-Ash’ari, Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri and ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Abbas from the Prophet (peace be on him). Furthermore, these reports are cited by Muslim, Nasa’i, Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, Ibn Abi Hatim, and al-Bazzar. (Muslim, Kitab Sifat al-Munafiqin wa Ahkamihim; Nasa’i, al-Sunan al-Kubra, Kitab al-Tafsir, Bab Qawlihi Ta’ala: ‘Wa ma Kuntum Tastatiruna an Yashhad ‘alaykum Sam’‘ukum’; Tabari, Tafsir, comments on Surah Ha Mim al-Sajdah 41: 21; Ibn Abi Hatim, Tafsir, comments on Surah Ha Mim al-Sajdah 41: 22; Ahmad b. ‘Ali al-Bazzar, Musnad, narrated by Anas b. Malik. For further details, see Ya Sin 36, n. 55, Towards Understanding the Qur’an, vol. VIIL, pp. 270-6.) This is among those verses that make it quite clear that the Hereafter will not merely be in the realm of the spirit; instead, human beings will be resurrected both in body and soul. In this respect, their state will be similar to their state in the present world. People will be restored to the bodies they had earlier occupied in this world, with the same particles and atoms of which they were comprised before. In other words, people will be raised in their worldly bodies. The reference to the testimony made by the parts of a person’s body underscores that the same body will be granted to each individual or else the testimony of those organs would be meaningless. The following Qur’anic verses also make this point: Bani Isra’il 17: 49-51 and 98; al-Mu’minun 23: 35-38 and 82-83; al-Nur 24: 24; al-Sajdah 32: 10; Ya Sin 36: 65 and 78-79; al-Saffat 37: 16-18; al-Waqi'ah 56: 47-50, and al-Nazi‘at 79: 10-14.

26. Not only will the parts of one’s own body bear testimony on the Day of Judgement, but the very objects that witnessed one’s misdeeds will speak out. This same point is made eloquently in the following verses: “And the earth will throw up all her burdens, and man will cry out: “What is the matter with her?” On that Day it will relate all her news, for your Lord will have commanded her (to do so)’, (al-Zilzal 99: 2-5.)

27. Al-Hasan al-Basri offers an insightful interpretation of this verse, stating that each person’s attitude will be determined by his concept of the Lord. A true believer behaves rightly because he entertains a sound concept of his Lord. By the same token, the hypocrites, the wicked and the wrong-doers act erroneously because they have a false concept of their Lord. (Tabari, Tafsir, comments Surah Ha Mim al-Sajdah 41: 23.) The Prophet (peace be on him) draws attention to the same in his observation: ‘Your Lord says that He is in keeping with the idea that His servant entertains about Him’. (Bukhari, Kitab al-Tawhid, Bab Qawl Allah Ta‘ala: ‘Wa Yuhadhdhirukumu Allahu Nafsah’; and Muslim, Kitab al-Dhikr wa al-Du'‘a’ wa al-Tawbah wa al-Istighfar, Bab Fadl al- Dhikr wa al-Du‘a’ wa al-Taqarrub ila Allah Ta‘ala.)

28. This can mean that the unbelievers will not be able to return to the world. Alternatively, it might mean that they will not be able to escape from Hell, nor will their repentance be accepted.

29. It is part of Divine dispensation that those inclined towards evil are never granted the company of pious and righteous people. On the contrary, they are provided the company of the wicked and iniquitous.

The more one descends into a morass of evil and error, the worse possible persons becomes one’s boon companions, advisers and collaborators.

It is wrong to say, therefore, that such a person is himself good but is surrounded by evil people. Such is the law of nature that one is attracted towards people of like nature. If some evil person happens to join the company of a good person, this cannot continue for long. The same holds true for an interaction between a good person and a wicked person; their companionship cannot endure. The mutual attraction of wicked people is like that of flies and filth: filth attracts flies for they have an inherent bent towards filth.

The Qur’anic observation that the devils’ companions ‘embellished 4 for them all that was before them and behind them’ means that those evil companions will continue to flatter them by saying how great was their past and how equally resplendent will their future be. They draw their image in golden colors and provide them with such tainted glasses that everything appears as golden. They make them believe that their critics were utterly stupid for they were doing nothing bizarre. Instead, they were doing exactly what was done by those who sought worldly progress in the past. They also assured them that, in the first instance, there is no Afterlife in which they will have to face the reckoning of their deeds. However, if there turns out to be one, as some crackpots claim, then the same God Who is lavishing favors upon them in the present q world will again lavish favors upon them in the Next Life. As for Hell, itis meant to be the abode of those who have been denied God’s bounties q in the life of this world!