Surah 72. Al-Jinn

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Verses [Section]: 1-19[1], 20-28 [2]

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Quran Text of Verse 20-28قُلْSayاِنَّمَاۤOnlyاَدْعُوْاI call uponرَبِّیْmy Lordوَ لَاۤand notاُشْرِكُI associateبِهٖۤwith Himاَحَدًا anyone قُلْSayاِنِّیْIndeed Iلَاۤ(do) notاَمْلِكُpossessلَكُمْfor youضَرًّاany harmوَّ لَاand notرَشَدًا right path قُلْSayاِنِّیْIndeed Iلَنْneverیُّجِیْرَنِیْcan protect meمِنَfromاللّٰهِAllahاَحَدٌ ۙ۬anyoneوَّ لَنْand neverاَجِدَcan I findمِنْfromدُوْنِهٖbesides Himمُلْتَحَدًاۙany refuge اِلَّاButبَلٰغًا(the) notificationمِّنَfromاللّٰهِAllahوَ رِسٰلٰتِهٖ ؕand His Messagesوَ مَنْAnd whoeverیَّعْصِdisobeysاللّٰهَAllahوَ رَسُوْلَهٗand His Messengerفَاِنَّthen indeedلَهٗfor himنَارَ(is the) Fireجَهَنَّمَ(of) Hellخٰلِدِیْنَ(they will) abideفِیْهَاۤthereinاَبَدًاؕforever حَتّٰۤیUntilاِذَاwhenرَاَوْاthey seeمَاwhatیُوْعَدُوْنَthey are promisedفَسَیَعْلَمُوْنَthen they will knowمَنْwhoاَضْعَفُ(is) weakerنَاصِرًا(in) helpersوَّ اَقَلُّand fewerعَدَدًا (in) number قُلْSayاِنْNotاَدْرِیْۤI knowاَقَرِیْبٌwhether is nearمَّاwhatتُوْعَدُوْنَyou are promisedاَمْor (whether)یَجْعَلُwill appointلَهٗfor itرَبِّیْۤmy Lordاَمَدًا a (distant) term عٰلِمُ(The) All-Knowerالْغَیْبِ(of) the unseenفَلَاso notیُظْهِرُHe revealsعَلٰیfromغَیْبِهٖۤHis unseenاَحَدًاۙ(to) anyone اِلَّاExceptمَنِwhomارْتَضٰیHe has approvedمِنْofرَّسُوْلٍa Messengerفَاِنَّهٗand indeed, Heیَسْلُكُmakes to marchمِنْۢfromبَیْنِbeforeیَدَیْهِhimوَ مِنْand fromخَلْفِهٖbehind himرَصَدًاۙa guard لِّیَعْلَمَThat He may make evidentاَنْthatقَدْindeedاَبْلَغُوْاthey have conveyedرِسٰلٰتِ(the) Messagesرَبِّهِمْ(of) their Lord;وَ اَحَاطَand He has encompassedبِمَاwhatلَدَیْهِمْ(is) with themوَ اَحْصٰیand He takes accountكُلَّ(of) allشَیْءٍthingsعَدَدًا۠(in) number

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Translation of Verse 20-28

(72:20) Say, (O Prophet): “I call on my Lord alone, and I do not associate aught with Him in His Divinity.”²¹

(72:21) Say: “Surely neither it is in my power to hurt you nor to bring you to the Right Way.”

(72:22) Say: “None can protect me from Allah, nor can I find a refuge apart from Him.

(72:23) (My task is no more than) to deliver Allah's proclamation and His messages.²² And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, surely the Fire of Hell awaits him; therein he will abide in perpetuity.”²³

(72:24) (They shall not change their ways) until they see that against which they had been warned, and then they will know whose helpers are weaker and whose supporters are fewer in number.²⁴

(72:25) Say: “I know not whether what you are promised is near or whether my Lord will prolong its term.²⁵

(72:26) He is the Knower of the Unseen, and He does not disclose His Unseen to anyone²⁶

(72:27) other than to a Messenger whom He chooses²⁷ (for the bestowal of any part of the knowledge of the Unseen), whereafter He appoints guards who go before him and behind him,²⁸

(72:28) so that He may know that they have delivered the messages of their Lord.²⁹ He encompasses in His knowledge their surroundings and keeps a count of all things.”³⁰

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Commentary

21. Calling upon God is not something outrageous which should anger anyone. What is detestable is to associate partners to His divinity. The Prophet (peace be upon him) is not guilty of this. Rather, the culprits are those who swarm and mob him for his ‘crime’ of mentioning God’s name.

22. The Prophet (peace be upon him) lays no claim to his share in Godhead. He does not have any power to make or mar anyone’s fate. He is simply a Messenger and his assignment consists only in conveying the divine message to mankind. It is God Alone Who enjoys all power and authority. Far from benefiting or harming anyone, the Messenger does not have any power to benefit or harm himself. Were he to disobey God, he cannot escape His punishment. There is no help and support from anywhere except the protection and refuge of God alone. (For details see Sarah al-Shura 42: n. 7.)

23. This does not imply that the eternal Hellfire is the punishment for every sin. Rather, it emerges from the context of this verse that one who rejects the call to monotheism presented by God and His Messenger, and refuses to give up his polytheism, will abide in perpetuity in the Hellfire.

24. Reference is to those of the Quraysh who were bent upon attacking the Prophet (peace be upon him) as soon as they heard him inviting people to God. They entertained a false notion about the strength of their band ‘of supporters and the lack of strength of the Prophet (peace be upon him). They therefore succumbed to the illusion that they would easily prevail upon the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his small number of followers. The Qur’an, however, tells them that soon there will be a worse time against which they are warned, when they will realize who is utterly helpless and friendless.

25. It seems that it is a response to the disbelievers’ comment which is not reproduced here. It is likely that in response to the message of the preceding verses, the disbelievers may have mockingly asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) as to when they will be struck with the dreadful divine punishment. The Prophet (peace be upon him) is instructed to give them this reply: “I am not privy to the date of punishment destined for you, nonetheless it will come at its appointed time. Only Allah knows whether it is imminent or He has set a distant term for it.”

26. God alone has complete knowledge of the Unseen and He does not disclose it in full to anyone.

27. Messengers do not have access to the Unseen as such; but when God decides to designate anyone as His Messenger, He bestows upon him whatever portion of the truths of the Unseen He pleases.

28. The word “guards” denotes angels. The purpose of the verse is to affirm that when God communicates any knowledge of the truths belonging to the realm of the Unseen through revelation, He appoints angels to safeguard that knowledge. This is done to ensure that it reaches the Messengers safely, untarnished by adulteration. The same truth is enunciated in verses 8-9 of this Surah that, after the Prophet Muhammad's advent, the jinn noticed strict secrecy in the heavens along with heavy security measures that had been taken to prevent their access to the heavens for eavesdropping.

29. This carries the following three meanings: (i) The Messenger may know that the angels have faithfully delivered to him the message of God. (ii) God may know that the angels have delivered safely His message to His Messenger, and (iii) God may know that the Messengers have properly conveyed His message to people. The wordings of the verse possibly imply all the above three meanings. Moreover, this verse also highlights the following two truths: (i) Messengers are endowed with the knowledge of only that portion of the Unseen that is needed by them to perform their mission as God’s Messengers. (ii) God appoints angels not only to oversee that this knowledge reaches them in its pristine form, but also that the Messengers faithfully transmit it to His creatures without any changes.

30. God’s power firmly encompasses the Messengers and the angels. Hence, if they deviate even slightly from God’s directives, they will be instantly taken to task. A strict count is kept of every letter of God’s message. Hence neither the Messengers nor the Prophets can tamper with even a single letter of His message.