Surah 45. Al-Jathiyah

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Verses [Section]: 1-11[1], 12-21 [2], 22-26 [3], 27-37 [4]

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Quran Text of Verse 12-21اَللّٰهُAllahالَّذِیْ(is) the One Whoسَخَّرَsubjectedلَكُمُto youالْبَحْرَthe seaلِتَجْرِیَthat may sailالْفُلْكُthe shipsفِیْهِthereinبِاَمْرِهٖby His Commandوَ لِتَبْتَغُوْاand that you may seekمِنْofفَضْلِهٖHis Bountyوَ لَعَلَّكُمْand that you mayتَشْكُرُوْنَۚgive thanks وَ سَخَّرَAnd He has subjectedلَكُمْto youمَّاwhateverفِی(is) inالسَّمٰوٰتِthe heavensوَ مَاand whateverفِی(is) inالْاَرْضِthe earthجَمِیْعًاallمِّنْهُ ؕfrom HimاِنَّIndeedفِیْinذٰلِكَthatلَاٰیٰتٍsurely are Signsلِّقَوْمٍfor a peopleیَّتَفَكَّرُوْنَ who give thought 45. Al-Jathiyah Page 500قُلْSayلِّلَّذِیْنَto those whoاٰمَنُوْاbelieveیَغْفِرُوْا(to) forgiveلِلَّذِیْنَthose whoلَا(do) notیَرْجُوْنَhopeاَیَّامَ(for the) daysاللّٰهِ(of) Allahلِیَجْزِیَthat He may recompenseقَوْمًۢاa peopleبِمَاfor whatكَانُوْاthey used (to)یَكْسِبُوْنَ earn مَنْWhoeverعَمِلَdoesصَالِحًاa righteous deedفَلِنَفْسِهٖ ۚthen it is for his soulوَ مَنْand whoeverاَسَآءَdoes evilفَعَلَیْهَا ؗthen it (is) against itثُمَّThenاِلٰیtoرَبِّكُمْyour Lordتُرْجَعُوْنَ you will be returned وَ لَقَدْAnd certainlyاٰتَیْنَاWe gaveبَنِیْۤ(the) Children of Israelاِسْرَآءِیْلَ(the) Children of Israelالْكِتٰبَthe Bookوَ الْحُكْمَand the wisdomوَ النُّبُوَّةَand the Prophethoodوَ رَزَقْنٰهُمْand We provided themمِّنَofالطَّیِّبٰتِthe good thingsوَ فَضَّلْنٰهُمْand We preferred themعَلَیoverالْعٰلَمِیْنَۚthe worlds وَ اٰتَیْنٰهُمْAnd We gave themبَیِّنٰتٍclear proofsمِّنَofالْاَمْرِ ۚthe matterفَمَاAnd notاخْتَلَفُوْۤاthey differedاِلَّاexceptمِنْۢafterبَعْدِafterمَا[what]جَآءَهُمُcame to themالْعِلْمُ ۙthe knowledgeبَغْیًۢا(out of) envyبَیْنَهُمْ ؕbetween themselvesاِنَّIndeedرَبَّكَyour Lordیَقْضِیْwill judgeبَیْنَهُمْbetween themیَوْمَ(on the) Dayالْقِیٰمَةِ(of) the Resurrectionفِیْمَاabout whatكَانُوْاthey used (to)فِیْهِthereinیَخْتَلِفُوْنَ differ ثُمَّThenجَعَلْنٰكَWe put youعَلٰیonشَرِیْعَةٍan ordained wayمِّنَofالْاَمْرِthe matterفَاتَّبِعْهَاso follow itوَ لَاand (do) notتَتَّبِعْfollowاَهْوَآءَ(the) desiresالَّذِیْنَ(of) those whoلَا(do) notیَعْلَمُوْنَ know اِنَّهُمْIndeed theyلَنْneverیُّغْنُوْاwill availعَنْكَyouمِنَagainstاللّٰهِAllahشَیْـًٔا ؕ(in) anythingوَ اِنَّAnd indeedالظّٰلِمِیْنَthe wrongdoersبَعْضُهُمْsome of themاَوْلِیَآءُ(are) alliesبَعْضٍ ۚ(of) othersوَ اللّٰهُand Allahوَلِیُّ(is the) Protectorالْمُتَّقِیْنَ (of) the righteous هٰذَاThisبَصَآىِٕرُ(is) enlightenmentلِلنَّاسِfor mankindوَ هُدًیand guidanceوَّ رَحْمَةٌand mercyلِّقَوْمٍfor a peopleیُّوْقِنُوْنَ who are certain اَمْDoحَسِبَthinkالَّذِیْنَthose whoاجْتَرَحُواcommitالسَّیِّاٰتِevil deedsاَنْthatنَّجْعَلَهُمْWe will make themكَالَّذِیْنَlike thoseاٰمَنُوْاwho believedوَ عَمِلُواand didالصّٰلِحٰتِ ۙrighteous deedsسَوَآءًequalمَّحْیَاهُمْ(in) their lifeوَ مَمَاتُهُمْ ؕand their deathسَآءَEvil isمَاwhatیَحْكُمُوْنَ۠they judge

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Translation of Verse 12-21

(45:12) Allah it is Who has subjected the sea to you so that ships may sail upon it at His bidding¹³ and you may seek of His Bounty¹⁴ and give thanks to Him.

(45:13) He has subjected to you all that is in the heavens and the earth,¹⁵ all being from Him.¹⁶ Verily there are Signs in this for those who reflect.¹⁷

(45:14) (O Prophet), tell the believers to indulge those who have no fear of any evil days coming upon them from Allah¹⁸ so that Allah may Himself requite them for their deeds.¹⁹

(45:15) Whoever acts righteously, does so to his own good; and whoever commits an evil will suffer its consequence. All of you will then be sent back to your Lord.

(45:16) Indeed We endowed the Children of Israel with the Book and Wisdom²⁰ and Prophethood, and provided them with good things²¹ as sustenance, and exalted them above the peoples of the whole world.

(45:17) We gave them clear directions in matters pertaining to religion. Yet they differed among themselves (not out of ignorance but) after knowledge had come to them; and they did so out of the desire to commit excesses against one another.²² On the Day of Resurrection Allah will judge among them regarding what they had differed.

(45:18) And then We set you, (O Prophet), on a clear high road in religious matters.²³ So follow that and do not follow the desires of those who do not know.

(45:19) Surely they will be of no avail to you against Allah.²⁴ Indeed the wrong-doers are friends of each other, whereas Allah is the friend of the God-fearing.

(45:20) These are the lights of discernment for people and guidance and mercy for those endowed with sure faith.²⁵

(45:21) Do²⁶ the evil-doers imagine that We shall make them equal to those who believe and do good, making their lives and deaths alike? How vile is their judgement!²⁷

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Commentary

55, vol. VII, p. 145; al-Mu’min 40, n. 111 and al-Shura 42, n. 54 above.

14. That is, God’s subjection of the sea for man is in order that he may earn a wholesome livelihood by sea-trade, fishing, pearl diving, shipping and other means.

15. For details, see Ibrahim 14, n. 44, Towards Understanding the Qur’an, vol. IV, pp. 271-2; and Luqman 31, n. 35, vol. VII, pp. 138-9.

16. This has the following two meanings: (i) God’s bestowal of bounties is not akin to the award of some favour by earthly kings. The latter give out of what they receive from their subjects. On the contrary, God has created all the bounties in the universe out of which He grants to man what He pleases. (ii) God does not have any partner in the creation of these bounties or in making them subservient to man. God alone is their Creator and it is He Who has conferred these upon man.

17. For those who reflect there are major signs in God’s yoking the objects of nature to serve man’s purposes. These signs underscore that the One True God is the Creator, Master, Regulator and Disposer of all objects in the universe. He has bound all these to His laws. His power and wisdom account for making all these objects useful for man’s life, economy, comfort, culture and civilization. God alone, therefore, merits all thanks and gratitude. None besides Him has any role in the creation of these objects or in subjugating them for man’s service.

18. Literally, it may be translated thus: ‘Those who do not expect Allah’s days.’ However, in Arabic idiom, it signifies momentous, historic days. For example the expression Ayyam al-‘Arab stands for the eventful days and major battles among the Arab tribes which have been recorded in memory for centuries. The verse alludes to inauspicious days when a people are afflicted with God’s scourge. They are destroyed in punishment for their misdeeds. In keeping with the same, the verse has been translated thus: ‘Those who have no fear of any evil days coming upon them from Allah.’

19. Qur’anic exegetes offer two interpretations of this verse, both of which are admissible in the light of the wording: (i) The believers are asked to ‘indulge’ the excesses committed by the wrong-doers so that God - may reward them for their perseverance, forbearance and gentleness and for their enduring persecution in His cause. (Zamakhshari, al-Kashshaf, comments on Surah al-Jathiyah 45: 14.) (ii) The believers should ‘indulge’ the wrong-doers so that God may fully avenge on their behalf. (Tabari, Tafsir, comments on Surah al-Jathiyah 45: 14.) Some scholars take this verse as abrogated, holding that this command was valid whilst the Muslims were not permitted to fight. When they were granted this permission, the above command was abrogated.

(Tabari, Tafsir, comments on Surah Jathiyah 45: 14.) However, this claim of abrogation is not supported by the Qur’Anic text. Since the believers are directed to ‘indulge’ these wrong-doers, the message is that they should not retaliate against them, notwithstanding their capacity to do so.

This is despite the fact that the unbelievers, being fearless of God, had transgressed all limits of morality and decency. This directive is not discordant with the Qur’anic permission to Muslims to go to war. Yes, war is to be waged as and when the Muslim state has a valid reason to declare war against an unbelieving people. The above directive, however, relates to the believers’ encounter in one way or another with the unbelievers in which the latter resort to hurting Muslims by all possible means. The objective of the directive is that Muslims should not stoop to the unbelievers’ low level. They should not quarrel with them or repay them in their own coin. They may defend their position as long as it is possible to do so within the bounds of civility. However, if the unbelievers misbehave, they should observe silence and refer the matter to God. If Muslims confront them in disregard of the norms of civility, God will leave them on their own to take them on. However, if they ‘indulge’ God, He will deal with the wrong-doers and reward the victims for their forbearance.

20. Hukm signifies: (i) knowledge and understanding of both the Book and faith; (ii) the ability to work in accordance with the purport of the Book; and (iii) the ability to decide matters. (Zamakhshari, comments on Surah al-Jathiyah 45: 16.)

21. This does not mean that they were granted excellence over others forever. Of all the nations found then, God chose the Children of Israel for this assignment. It was their task to uphold the Word of God and champion Godliness.

22. For details, see al-Shura 2, n. 230, Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. I, pp. 165-6; Al ‘Imran 3, n. 17, vol. I, p. 242 and al-Shura 42, nn. 22-3.

23. This means that the task entrusted earlier to the Children of Israel _ is now transferred to the Prophet [and his followers]. Notwithstanding their knowledge of faith, the former had caused dissensions out of selfish motives. They had divided themselves into many sects. As a result, they were unable to invite others to the Way of God. Now, Muslims are charged with the same responsibility. They are required to take up the assignment which the Children of Israel had abandoned. (For further details, see al- Shura 42: 13-15 and nn. 20-6 above.)

24. If the believers alter the Divine faith in order to placate the unbelievers, they too will not escape God’s punishment.

25. This Book and this Shari‘ah provide light to all mankind which enables them to distinguish between truth and falsehood. However, only those who believe in their veracity are actually able to derive any guidance. For such people it is a great blessing and mercy.

26. The discourse on monotheism concludes here and is followed by a discussion of the Hereafter.

27. This is a moral argument in support of belief in the Hereafter.

Since good and evil radically differ from each other, it is essential that the upright and the wicked should ‘not meet the same end. Rather, the upright should be rewarded for their good deeds and the wicked punished for - their misdeeds. Should there be no Hereafter, morals would lose their meaning and relevance. In fact, in such an event one might even ascribe injustice to God. Those given to evil doing naturally oppose the idea of recompense in the Hereafter. They do so because it puts restraint on their unbridled ways. However, God, Who is Wise and Just, cannot be expected to treat the upright and the wicked alike. He will certainly take into account how people spent their lives and how some abused the faculties granted to them. For, the upright abide by the moral code, faithfully discharge their obligations, avoid unlawful gains and suffer losses on account of their commitment to truth and honesty. As opposed to this, the wicked gratify their base desires, refuse to serve God, usurp what belongs to others and unlawfully appropriate for themselves all that they can. If these two groups have not been alike in their conduct in life, they should not be treated alike after death. If they are treated alike, it would be tantamount to injustice in God’s realm. (For further details, see Yunus 10, nn. 9-10, Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. IV, pp. 8-10; Hid 11, n. 105, vol. IV, P. 133; al-Nahl 16, n. 35, vol. IV, Pp. 329-30; al-Hajj 22,n. 9, vol. VI, pp. 9-11; al-Naml 27, n. 86, vol.VIL, pp. 180-1; al-Rum 30, nn. 6-8, vol. VIIL, pp. 76-9; and Sad 38: 28 and n. 30 above.)