Surah 47. Muhammad

---

Verses [Section]: 1-11[1], 12-19 [2], 20-28 [3], 29-38 [4]

---

Quran Text of Verse 20-2847. Muhammad Page 509وَ یَقُوْلُAnd sayالَّذِیْنَthose whoاٰمَنُوْاbelieveلَوْ لَاWhy notنُزِّلَتْhas been revealedسُوْرَةٌ ۚa SurahفَاِذَاۤBut whenاُنْزِلَتْis revealedسُوْرَةٌa Surahمُّحْكَمَةٌpreciseوَّ ذُكِرَand is mentionedفِیْهَاin itالْقِتَالُ ۙthe fightingرَاَیْتَyou seeالَّذِیْنَthose whoفِیْinقُلُوْبِهِمْtheir heartsمَّرَضٌ(is) a diseaseیَّنْظُرُوْنَlookingاِلَیْكَat youنَظَرَa lookالْمَغْشِیِّ(of) one faintingعَلَیْهِ(of) one faintingمِنَfromالْمَوْتِ ؕthe deathفَاَوْلٰیBut more appropriateلَهُمْۚfor them طَاعَةٌ(Is) obedienceوَّ قَوْلٌand a wordمَّعْرُوْفٌ ۫kindفَاِذَاAnd whenعَزَمَ(is) determinedالْاَمْرُ ۫the matterفَلَوْthen ifصَدَقُواthey had been trueاللّٰهَ(to) Allahلَكَانَsurely it would have beenخَیْرًاbetterلَّهُمْۚfor them فَهَلْThen wouldعَسَیْتُمْyou perhapsاِنْifتَوَلَّیْتُمْyou are given authorityاَنْthatتُفْسِدُوْاyou cause corruptionفِیinالْاَرْضِthe earthوَ تُقَطِّعُوْۤاand cut offاَرْحَامَكُمْ your ties of kinship اُولٰٓىِٕكَThoseالَّذِیْنَ(are) the onesلَعَنَهُمُAllah has cursed themاللّٰهُAllah has cursed themفَاَصَمَّهُمْso He made them deafوَ اَعْمٰۤیand blindedاَبْصَارَهُمْ their vision اَفَلَاThen do notیَتَدَبَّرُوْنَthey ponderالْقُرْاٰنَ(over) the Quranاَمْorعَلٰیuponقُلُوْبٍ(their) heartsاَقْفَالُهَا (are) locks اِنَّIndeedالَّذِیْنَthose whoارْتَدُّوْاreturnعَلٰۤیonاَدْبَارِهِمْtheir backsمِّنْۢafterبَعْدِafterمَاwhatتَبَیَّنَ(has) become clearلَهُمُto themالْهُدَی ۙthe guidanceالشَّیْطٰنُShaitaanسَوَّلَenticedلَهُمْ ؕ[for] themوَ اَمْلٰیand prolonged hopeلَهُمْ for them ذٰلِكَThatبِاَنَّهُمْ(is) because theyقَالُوْا[they] saidلِلَّذِیْنَto those whoكَرِهُوْاhateمَاwhatنَزَّلَAllah has revealedاللّٰهُAllah has revealedسَنُطِیْعُكُمْWe will obey youفِیْinبَعْضِpartالْاَمْرِ ۖۚ(of) the matterوَ اللّٰهُBut Allahیَعْلَمُknowsاِسْرَارَهُمْ their secrets فَكَیْفَThen howاِذَاwhenتَوَفَّتْهُمُtake them in deathالْمَلٰٓىِٕكَةُthe Angelsیَضْرِبُوْنَstrikingوُجُوْهَهُمْtheir facesوَ اَدْبَارَهُمْ and their backs ذٰلِكَThatبِاَنَّهُمُ(is) because theyاتَّبَعُوْاfollowedمَاۤwhatاَسْخَطَangeredاللّٰهَAllahوَ كَرِهُوْاand hatedرِضْوَانَهٗHis pleasureفَاَحْبَطَso He made worthlessاَعْمَالَهُمْ۠their deeds

---

Translation of Verse 20-28

(47:20) The believers used to say: “Why is a surah (that would ordain fighting) not revealed?” But when a definitive surah was revealed wherein fighting was mentioned, you saw that those in whose hearts there was a sickness looked at you as though they were about to faint at the approach of death.³² Pity on them!

(47:21) (They keep affirming their) obedience and saying good words. But when a course of action was clearly determined, it would have been better for them if they had proved true to Allah.

(47:22) Now, if you were to turn away,³³ what else can be expected but that you will work corruption in the land and fly at each other's throats?³⁴

(47:23) It is these upon whom Allah has laid His curse: so He made them deaf and deprived them of their sight.

(47:24) Do they, then, not reflect on the Qur'an? Or are there locks on their hearts?³⁵

(47:25) Certainly those who have turned their backs on the True Guidance after it became manifest to them, Satan has embellished their ways for them and has buoyed them up with false hopes.

(47:26) This, because they said to those who are averse to the faith that Allah has revealed: “In some matters we shall obey you.”³⁶ Allah has full knowledge of their secret parleys.

(47:27) But how will they fare when angels will take their souls at death and will carry them, striking their faces and backs?³⁷

(47:28) That is because they have followed a way that angered Allah, and have been averse to His good pleasure. So He reduced all their works to nought.³⁸

---

Commentary

32. That is, in view of the conditions through which the Muslims were passing and the attitude that the disbelievers had adopted towards Islam and the Muslims at that time, the believers were generally of the opinion that they should be permitted to fight even before fighting was actually enjoined by Allah. Rather they were asking Allah’s command in this regard impatiently and were asking again and again: Why are we not permitted to fight these wicked people? But the condition of the people who had joined the ranks of the Muslims hypocritically was quite different from that of the believers. They held their lives and their properties as dearer to themselves than Allah and His religion, and were not prepared to risk them at any cost. Therefore, as soon as fighting was enjoined, they were clearly sorted out from the true believers. Until the time when fighting had not been enjoined, the hypocrites and the common believers could not be distinguished one from the other. The hypocrites offered the Prayer just as the true believers did, they observed the Fast just like them, and practiced every article of the faith as made no demand of a sacrifice on them. But when the time came for making the supreme sacrifice of life for the sake of Islam, their hypocrisy was exposed and their veil of false display of the faith was rent asunder. In Surah An-Nisa, their this state has been described thus: Have you marked those to whom it was said: Withhold your hands a while and establish the salat and pay the zakat? Now that the fighting has been enjoined for them, some of them fear the people as they should fear Allah, or even more than that. They say: Our Lord, why have You enjoined fighting for us? Why have You not given us a brief respite? (verse 77)

33. Another translation of the words in the original can be: If you became rulers over the people,

34. Its one meaning is: If at this time you shirk supporting and defending Islam and refrain from fighting with your life and wealth for the cause of the great reformist revolution which the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his companions are struggling to bring about. There will be no other consequence of this than that you would return to the same system of ignorance in which you have been cutting each other’s throat since centuries, burying your children alive and filling God’s earth with injustice and wickedness. Its other meaning is: You are a people of depraved character. You are not at all sincere in your claim of having affirmed the faith, because you are not prepared to make any sacrifice in its cause. Now, if Allah gives you power in the land and entrusts the affairs of the world to you when morally you are unsound and unreliable, what else can be expected of you than that you would commit tyranny and mischief and resort to killing of your own near and dear ones.

This verse clearly points out that Islam forbids severing of relations with the kindred. On the other hand, in positive terms also, at several places in the Quran, treating the relatives kindly and well has been enjoined and counted among the major virtues. (For instance, see (Surah Al- Baqarah, Ayats 83, (177); (Surah An-Nisa, Ayats 8, (36); (Surah An-Nahl, Ayat 90); (Surah Bani Israil, Ayat 26); (Surah An- Noor, Ayat 22) . The word rahm in Arabic is used for kinship and relationship by blood metaphorically. All the relations of a person, whether near or distant, are his kinsmen, dhwil-arham. The nearer the relationship the greater the right one has upon the other and greater the sin of severing the ties of blood. To treat the kindred well implies that one should do his utmost in doing whatever good he possibly can to his relative. As well as, he should avoid doing any ill or harm to him. Reasoning from this very verse Umar had forbidden as unlawful selling of the slave girl who had given birth to a child from her master, and the companions had concurred with him in this. Hakim in his Musradrik has related on the authority of Buraidah that one day when he was sitting among the audience of Umar, suddenly a clamor arose in the street. On inquiring it was known that a slave girl was being sold and her daughter was crying. Umar immediately got the Ansar and the Muhajirin together and put before them the question: Do you find in the religion that Muhammad (peace be upon him) has brought any room for severing of relations between the blood relationships? Everybody replied in the negative. Thereupon, Umar said: Then, how is it that in your houses a mother is being separated from her daughter? Could there be a greater and more serious instance of the cutting of these relationships? Then he recited this verse. The people said: You may adopt whatever measure you deem fit to stop this practice. At this Umar issued this decree for enforcement in all the Islamic territories: No slave-girl who has given birth to a child from her master is to be sold because this is breaking of kinship ties which is not lawful.

35. That is, either these people do not ponder over the Quran at all, or if they try to ponder over it, its teachings and meaning do not enter into their hearts, because they have put locks on them. As for this; “are there locks upon their hearts” means: There are such locks for them as are specially meant for the hearts which are not susceptible to the truth.

36. That is, in spite of professing the faith and being counted among the Muslims, they went on conspiring secretly with the enemies of Islam and even pledged to support them in certain matters.

37. That is, in the world they adopted this attitude so that they may safeguard their interests and may protect themselves from the dangers of the conflict between Islam and infidelity, but how will they escape Allah’s wrath after death? At that time, no device of theirs will prove helpful for them to remain safe from the punishment by the angels.

This verse also is one of those verses that point to the torment of barzakh (i.e. torment of the grave). It clearly shows that the unbelievers and hypocrites start being afflicted with the torment right from the time of death, and this torment is different from the punishment which they will get on Resurrection after their cases will have been decided by Allah. (For further explanation, see( Surah An- Nisa, Ayat 97); (Surah Al-Anaam, Ayats 93-94); (Surah Al- Anfal, Ayat 50); (Surah An-Nahl, Ayats 28, 32); (Surah Al- Muminun, Ayats 99-100); (Surah YaSeen, Ayats 26-27 and E.Ns 22, 23); (Surah Al-Mumin, Ayat 46 and E.N. 63).

38. This refers to all those works that they performed as Muslims. Their Prayers, their Fasting, their payments of the Zakat, and all other acts of worship and virtue, which in appearance and form are counted among good works, were rendered void, for they failed to adopt the attitude of sincerity and loyalty towards Allah and Islam and the Muslim community, even though they professed to be Muslims. But, on the contrary, they went on conspiring with the enemies of Islam for the sake of small worldly gains, and started devising schemes to save themselves from any possible risks as soon as time came for Jihad in the cause of Allah. These verses are absolutely decisive and conclusive in this regard that in the conflict between Islam and un-Islam the faith of the person whose sympathies are not with Islam and the Muslims, or are with disbelief and the disbelievers, cannot at all be reliable, not to speak of any of his works being acceptable before Allah.