Surah 43. Az-Zukhruf

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Verses [Section]: 1-15[1], 16-25 [2], 26-35 [3], 36-45 [4], 46-56 [5], 57-67 [6], 68-89 [7]

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Quran Text of Verse 68-89یٰعِبَادِO My slaves!لَاNoخَوْفٌfearعَلَیْكُمُon youالْیَوْمَthis Dayوَ لَاۤand notاَنْتُمْyouتَحْزَنُوْنَۚwill grieve اَلَّذِیْنَThose whoاٰمَنُوْاbelievedبِاٰیٰتِنَاin Our Versesوَ كَانُوْاand wereمُسْلِمِیْنَۚsubmissive اُدْخُلُواEnterالْجَنَّةَParadiseاَنْتُمْyouوَ اَزْوَاجُكُمْand your spousesتُحْبَرُوْنَ delighted یُطَافُWill be circulatedعَلَیْهِمْfor themبِصِحَافٍplatesمِّنْofذَهَبٍgoldوَّ اَكْوَابٍ ۚand cupsوَ فِیْهَاAnd thereinمَا(is) whatتَشْتَهِیْهِdesiresالْاَنْفُسُthe soulsوَ تَلَذُّand delightsالْاَعْیُنُ ۚthe eyesوَ اَنْتُمْand youفِیْهَاthereinخٰلِدُوْنَۚwill abide forever وَ تِلْكَAnd thisالْجَنَّةُ(is) the Paradiseالَّتِیْۤwhichاُوْرِثْتُمُوْهَاyou are made to inheritبِمَاfor whatكُنْتُمْyou used (to)تَعْمَلُوْنَ do لَكُمْFor youفِیْهَاthereinفَاكِهَةٌ(are) fruitsكَثِیْرَةٌabundantمِّنْهَاfrom itتَاْكُلُوْنَ you will eat 43. Az-Zukhruf Page 495اِنَّIndeedالْمُجْرِمِیْنَthe criminalsفِیْ(will be) inعَذَابِ(the) punishmentجَهَنَّمَ(of) Hellخٰلِدُوْنَۚۖabiding forever لَاNotیُفَتَّرُwill it subsideعَنْهُمْfor themوَ هُمْand theyفِیْهِin itمُبْلِسُوْنَۚ(will) despair وَ مَاAnd notظَلَمْنٰهُمْWe wronged themوَ لٰكِنْbutكَانُوْاthey wereهُمُthemselvesالظّٰلِمِیْنَ wrongdoers وَ نَادَوْاAnd they will callیٰمٰلِكُO Malik!لِیَقْضِLet put an endعَلَیْنَاto usرَبُّكَ ؕyour LordقَالَHe (will) sayاِنَّكُمْIndeed youمّٰكِثُوْنَ (will) remain لَقَدْCertainlyجِئْنٰكُمْWe have brought youبِالْحَقِّthe truthوَ لٰكِنَّbutاَكْثَرَكُمْmost of youلِلْحَقِّto the truthكٰرِهُوْنَ (are) averse اَمْOrاَبْرَمُوْۤاhave they determinedاَمْرًاan affairفَاِنَّاThen indeed Weمُبْرِمُوْنَۚ(are) determined اَمْOrیَحْسَبُوْنَ(do) they thinkاَنَّاthat Weلَا(can) notنَسْمَعُhearسِرَّهُمْtheir secret(s)وَ نَجْوٰىهُمْ ؕand their private counsel(s)بَلٰیNayوَ رُسُلُنَاand Our Messengersلَدَیْهِمْwith themیَكْتُبُوْنَ are recording قُلْSayاِنْIfكَانَhadلِلرَّحْمٰنِthe Most Graciousوَلَدٌ ۖۗa sonفَاَنَاThen Iاَوَّلُ(would be the) firstالْعٰبِدِیْنَ (of) the worshippers سُبْحٰنَGlory beرَبِّ(to the) Lordالسَّمٰوٰتِ(of) the heavensوَ الْاَرْضِand the earthرَبِّ(the) Lordالْعَرْشِ(of) the Throneعَمَّاabove whatیَصِفُوْنَ they ascribe فَذَرْهُمْSo leave themیَخُوْضُوْا(to) converse vainlyوَ یَلْعَبُوْاand playحَتّٰیuntilیُلٰقُوْاthey meetیَوْمَهُمُtheir Dayالَّذِیْwhichیُوْعَدُوْنَ they are promised وَ هُوَAnd Heالَّذِیْ(is) the One Whoفِی(is) inالسَّمَآءِthe heavenاِلٰهٌGodوَّ فِیand inالْاَرْضِthe earthاِلٰهٌ ؕGodوَ هُوَAnd Heالْحَكِیْمُ(is) the All-Wiseالْعَلِیْمُ the All-Knower وَ تَبٰرَكَAnd blessed isالَّذِیْthe One Whoلَهٗto Whomمُلْكُ(belongs the) dominionالسَّمٰوٰتِ(of) the heavensوَ الْاَرْضِand the earthوَ مَاand whateverبَیْنَهُمَا ۚ(is) between both of themوَ عِنْدَهٗand with Himعِلْمُ(is the) knowledgeالسَّاعَةِ ۚ(of) the Hourوَ اِلَیْهِand to Himتُرْجَعُوْنَ you will be returned وَ لَاAnd notیَمْلِكُhave powerالَّذِیْنَthose whomیَدْعُوْنَthey invokeمِنْbesides Himدُوْنِهِbesides Himالشَّفَاعَةَ(for) the intercessionاِلَّاexceptمَنْwhoشَهِدَtestifiesبِالْحَقِّto the truthوَ هُمْand theyیَعْلَمُوْنَ know وَ لَىِٕنْAnd ifسَاَلْتَهُمْyou ask themمَّنْwhoخَلَقَهُمْcreated themلَیَقُوْلُنَّthey will certainly sayاللّٰهُAllahفَاَنّٰیThen howیُؤْفَكُوْنَۙare they deluded وَ قِیْلِهٖAnd his sayingیٰرَبِّO my Lord!اِنَّIndeedهٰۤؤُلَآءِtheseقَوْمٌ(are) a peopleلَّا(who do) notیُؤْمِنُوْنَۘbelieve فَاصْفَحْSo turn awayعَنْهُمْfrom themوَ قُلْand sayسَلٰمٌ ؕPeaceفَسَوْفَBut soonیَعْلَمُوْنَ۠they will know

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Translation of Verse 68-89

(43:68) (It will be said to them): “My servants, today you have nothing to fear or regret,

(43:69) you who believed in Our Signs and had surrendered yourselves (to Us)!

(43:70) Enter Paradise joyfully, both you and your spouses.”⁶⁰

(43:71) Platters and cups of gold shall be passed around them, and there shall be all that they might desire and all that their eyes might delight in. (They shall be told): “Herein shall you abide for ever.

(43:72) Such is the Paradise that you shall inherit by virtue of your good deeds in the life of the world.

(43:73) Herein you will have abundant fruits of which you will eat.”

(43:74) But the evil-doers shall abide in the torment of Hell.

(43:75) Never will their torment be lightened for them. They shall remain in utter despair.

(43:76) It is not We Who wronged them; rather, it is they who wronged themselves.

(43:77) They shall call out: “O Malik,⁶¹ let your Lord put an end to us.” He will reply: “You must stay on in it.

(43:78) We brought you the Truth; but to the truth most of you were averse.”⁶²

(43:79) Have they contrived some scheme?⁶³ If so, We too will contrive a scheme.

(43:80) Or do they think that We do not hear their secret talks and their whispering counsels? Yes, indeed We do and Our messengers [i.e., angels) are with them, writing.

(43:81) Say: “If the Merciful One had a son, I would have been the first one to worship him.”⁶⁴

(43:82) Exalted be the Lord of the heavens and the earth, the Lord of the Throne, above what they attribute to Him.

(43:83) So leave them alone to indulge in their vanities and to frolic about until they encounter that Day of theirs against which they have been warned.

(43:84) He it is Who is God in the heavens and the earth. He is the Most Wise, the All-Knowing.⁶⁵

(43:85) Blessed is He Who has dominion over the heavens and the earth and all that is between them.⁶⁶ With Him is the knowledge of the Hour; and to Him you shall all be sent back.⁶⁷

(43:86) Those whom they call upon, instead of Allah have no power of intercession, except such that testify to the truth based on knowledge.⁶⁸

(43:87) If you were to ask them: “Who created them?” they will surely say: “Allah.”⁶⁹ Whence are they, then, being led astray?

(43:88) We call to witness the cry of the Messenger: “O Lord, these are a people not wont to believe!”⁷⁰

(43:89) Indulge them, (O Prophet), and say to them: “Peace to you.”⁷¹ For soon they shall come to know.

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Commentary

60. Azwaj is used to denote both wives and close companions and friends, This comprehensive word is deliberately employed here to convey both. meanings. In other words, true believers will be accompanied by believing wives and believing companions.

61. That is, the angel in charge of Hell.

62. The truth was clearly put before the unbelievers. However, they preferred falsehood. Why should they weep and cry when they are confronted in the Hereafter by the dire consequences of their wrong choices? It is likely that this observation is made by the angel in charge of Hell. Likewise, it is possible that the angel’s statement ends with: ‘You must stay on in it’ and what follows thereafter is an addition by God Himself. In the first case, the Hell-keeper’s statement is akin to a government officer’s use of ‘we’ whereby he means that the government did this or issued such and such order.

63. This refers to the conspiracies hatched by the Quraysh chiefs against the Prophet (peace be on him.)

64. The Prophet’s denial of anyone being God’s son and his refusal to worship those whom the misguided ones worshipped is not on account of any stubbornness on his part. His attitude is rather based on the fact that God has neither any son nor any daughter and that the notions people held in this regard were contrary to reality. Had it been otherwise, he would have been in the forefront of those who worship gods besides the One True God.

65. God is the Lord of the heavens and the earth, there being no separate gods of the heavens and the earth. God’s wisdom embraces the whole universe and His knowledge encompasses everything.

66. God is far too exalted to have any partner. All those who exist in the heavens and the earth, be they Prophets, saints, angels, jinns, spirits, stars or planets are all His creation and are bound in service and obedience to Him. It is simply impossible for them to possess any of God’s attributes or any of His powers or have any share in His Divinity.

67. Notwithstanding the unbelievers’ deification of a host of beings, they will have to confront the One True God after their deaths. Thereafter.

they will have to render their accounts in God's court of justice.

68. This observation encompasses several ideas: (1) Only those who testify to truth out of knowledge will be able to intercede. Those who are taken by men as gods will not be able to do so. As for those who are misguided, they will appear in the Hereafter as culprits.

(2) The ones who intercede will be able to do so only with regard to those who had consciously testified to the truth. They will not recommend anyone who had rejected the truth. They will not be authorized to do so even for those who uttered without thinking: ‘I testify that there is no god besides God,’ yet who kept serving and worshipping others than the One True God.

(3) Those who claim that their idols enjoy such power and authority that they will secure the deliverance of everyone, irrespective of their beliefs and deeds, are in gross error. No one enjoys such power. If anyone claims to have such absolute power of intercession, he should produce proof of the same. Since no one is authorized to do so, it is the height of ignorance and self-deception to entertain such a baseless notion.

The verse also lays down two important principles: (a) A testimony to truth without knowledge may be acceptable in this life. However, God does not admit it. Anyone who utters the Islamic creedal statement testifying to the Oneness of God and the Messenger ship of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him), will be considered a Muslim in this life unless he publicly indulges in acts of unbelief. However, God will reckon only those as true believers who consciously recognize the implications and pre-requisites of their faith and of Islam’s basic creedal statement. (b) Knowledge is central to evidence. Without knowledge, one’s testimony will not be admitted. This truth comes out from the Prophet's observation which he made while addressing a witness: ‘If you have witnessed this happening as you see the sun, you may go ahead with your testimony.

Otherwise, you should not’. (Jassas, Ahkam al-Qur’an, comments on Surah al-Zukhruf 43: 86.)

69. This verse is open to two meanings: (i) If the unbelievers are asked: who is their Creator, they say that God is their Creator. (ii) If they are asked: who is the Creator of their deities, they still say that the Creator of their deities is God.

70. This is one of the most difficult verses of the Qur’an since it involves a difficult question of syntax. This concerns the meaning of the wa preceding qilihi and its relationship with the preceding verses.

Though several opinions have been expressed, none seems to me fully satisfactory. (See Zamakhshari, al-Kashshaf, comments on Surah al-Zukhruf 43: 88). In my opinion, the soundest view is ‘that which is implicit in Shah ‘Abd al-Qadir’s translation of the verse. According to him, wa here is not used as a conjunctive but rather in the sense of an oath and is related to fa anna yu'fakun and the pronoun in the word qilihi refers to the Prophet (peace be on him).

This is also borne out by verse 88 of the surah. The Prophet (peace be on him) observes that the unbelievers refuse to believe. In light of the above, the verse means: ‘I swear by this statement of the Prophet (peace be on him): “O Lord, these are a people not wont to believe”’; that is, they are so deluded that although they acknowledge God alone to be the Creator of their deities, nonetheless they still insist on worshipping creatures other than the Creator.

The purpose of swearing by this saying of the Prophet (peace be on him) is to underscore those people’s attitude. It clearly shows that they are utterly stubborn and that their foolishness is evident from their own admission.

Such an obviously unreasonable attitude can only be adopted by those who have clearly decided not to believe. In other words, the Prophet's words about their strong disposition against belief are quite true.

71. The believers should not react to their opponents’ harsh words or the scornful and mocking statements by cursing them or hurling harsh words back at them. Instead, they should simply greet them with ‘peace’ and part from their company.