Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 21 Al-Anbya, Ayat 30-41

اَوَلَمۡ يَرَ الَّذِيۡنَ كَفَرُوۡۤا اَنَّ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالۡاَرۡضَ كَانَـتَا رَتۡقًا فَفَتَقۡنٰهُمَا​ ؕ وَجَعَلۡنَا مِنَ الۡمَآءِ كُلَّ شَىۡءٍ حَىٍّ​ ؕ اَفَلَا يُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ‏ ﴿21:30﴾ وَجَعَلۡنَا فِى الۡاَرۡضِ رَوَاسِىَ اَنۡ تَمِيۡدَ بِهِمۡ وَجَعَلۡنَا فِيۡهَا فِجَاجًا سُبُلًا لَّعَلَّهُمۡ يَهۡتَدُوۡنَ‏ ﴿21:31﴾ وَجَعَلۡنَا السَّمَآءَ سَقۡفًا مَّحۡفُوۡظًا ۖۚ وَّهُمۡ عَنۡ اٰيٰتِهَا مُعۡرِضُوۡنَ‏  ﴿21:32﴾ وَهُوَ الَّذِىۡ خَلَقَ الَّيۡلَ وَالنَّهَارَ وَالشَّمۡسَ وَالۡقَمَرَ​ؕ كُلٌّ فِىۡ فَلَكٍ يَّسۡبَحُوۡنَ‏ ﴿21:33﴾ وَمَا جَعَلۡنَا لِبَشَرٍ مِّنۡ قَبۡلِكَ الۡخُـلۡدَ​ ؕ اَفَا۟ـئِن مِّتَّ فَهُمُ الۡخٰـلِدُوۡنَ‏ ﴿21:34﴾ كُلُّ نَفۡسٍ ذَآئِقَةُ الۡمَوۡتِ​ؕ وَنَبۡلُوۡكُمۡ بِالشَّرِّ وَالۡخَيۡرِ فِتۡنَةً​  ؕ وَاِلَيۡنَا تُرۡجَعُوۡنَ‏ ﴿21:35﴾ وَاِذَا رَاٰكَ الَّذِيۡنَ كَفَرُوۡۤا اِنۡ يَّتَّخِذُوۡنَكَ اِلَّا هُزُوًا ؕ اَهٰذَا الَّذِىۡ يَذۡكُرُ اٰلِهَـتَكُمۡ​ۚ وَهُمۡ بِذِكۡرِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ هُمۡ كٰفِرُوۡنَ‏  ﴿21:36﴾ خُلِقَ الۡاِنۡسَانُ مِنۡ عَجَلٍ​ؕ سَاُورِيۡكُمۡ اٰيٰتِىۡ فَلَا تَسۡتَعۡجِلُوۡنِ‏  ﴿21:37﴾ وَيَقُوۡلُوۡنَ مَتٰى هٰذَا الۡوَعۡدُ اِنۡ كُنۡتُمۡ صٰدِقِيۡنَ‏ ﴿21:38﴾ لَوۡ يَعۡلَمُ الَّذِيۡنَ كَفَرُوۡا حِيۡنَ لَا يَكُفُّوۡنَ عَنۡ وُّجُوۡهِهِمُ النَّارَ وَلَا عَنۡ ظُهُوۡرِهِمۡ وَلَا هُمۡ يُنۡصَرُوۡنَ‏ ﴿21:39﴾ بَلۡ تَاۡتِيۡهِمۡ بَغۡتَةً فَتَبۡهَتُهُمۡ فَلَا يَسۡتَطِيۡعُوۡنَ رَدَّهَا وَلَا هُمۡ يُنۡظَرُوۡنَ‏ ﴿21:40﴾ وَلَـقَدِ اسۡتُهۡزِئَ بِرُسُلٍ مِّنۡ قَبۡلِكَ فَحَاقَ بِالَّذِيۡنَ سَخِرُوۡا مِنۡهُمۡ مَّا كَانُوۡا بِهٖ يَسۡتَهۡزِءُوۡنَ‏ ﴿21:41﴾

(21:30) Did the unbelievers (who do not accept the teaching of the Prophet) not realize that the heavens and the earth were one solid mass, then We tore them apart,28 and We made every living being out of water?29 Will they, then, not believe (that We created all this)? (21:31) And We placed firm mountains on earth lest it should sway with them,30 and We made wide paths31 in them that they may find their way;32 (21:32) and We made the sky a secure canopy;33 and yet they turn away from these Signs.34 (21:33) It is He Who created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. Each of them is floating in its orbit.35 (21:34) (O Muhammad),36 We did not grant everlasting life to any human being even before you. If you were to die, will they live for ever? (21:35) Every living being shall taste death37 and We shall subject you to ill and good by way of trial,38 and to Us shall all of you be eventually sent back. (21:36) When the unbelievers see you they make you an object of fun, saying: "Is he the one who mentions your gods?"39 They say so, and yet they reject with disdain the very mention of the Most Compassionate Lord.40 (21:37) Man is hasty by nature.41 I shall certainly show you My Signs.42 Do not ask Me to be hasty. (21:38) They say: "(Tell us) when will the threat of punishment come to pass if you are truthful?" (21:39) If only the unbelievers knew of the Hour when they shall not be able to keep off the Fire from their faces, nor from their backs; nor shall they be helped. (21:40) That will suddenly come upon them and stupefy them. They shall not be able to ward it off, nor shall they be granted any respite. (21:41) Other Messengers before you were also mocked, but those who scoffed at the Messengers were overtaken by the same scourge that they had scoffed at.

Notes

28. From the wording of the text, it appears that at first the whole universe was a single mass of matter; then it was split into different parts and the earth and the other heavenly bodies were formed. For more details, please see (Surah HaMim, E.Ns 13-15).

29. From the wording of the text, it appears that Allah made water the cause and origin of life. See also (Surah An- Nur, Ayat 45).

30. For explanation, see (E. N. 12 of Surah An-Nahl).

31. “Broad highways” are the passes between high mountains and the valleys and ravines made by the rivers in the mountainous regions and other natural ways that connect different regions on the earth.

32. This is a very meaningful sentence. It may mean that the people may find paths for traveling on the earth, and it may also mean that the wisdom that underlies the skill and the system of their creation may guide them to the reality.

33. For explanation, see (Surah Al-Hijr, E. Ns 8 and 10-12).

34. That is, those signs which are in the sky.

35. The use of the words kullun (all) and yasbahun (float) in the plural (for more than two) indicates that not only the sun and the moon but all the heavenly bodies are floating in their own separate orbits and none of them is fixed or stationary. These (verses 30-33) are capable of being interpreted in the modern scientific terms in accordance with the present day conceptions of Physics, Biology and Astronomy.

Here it should also be noted that( verses 19-23) refute shirk while verses 30-33 present positive proofs of Tauhid. They imply that the creation and regular functioning of the universe clearly show that it is the work of One All- Powerful Creator, and no sensible person can say that it has been created as a mere pastime for the sake of fun. When the fact is this and you see proofs of the doctrine of Tauhid all around you, in the earth and heavens, why do you reject the message of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and demand other signs from him.

36. From here the same theme of the conflict between the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the disbelievers, that was interrupted by (verses 19-33), has been resumed.

37. This is a brief answer to all those warnings and curses with which the Prophet (peace be upon him) was being threatened and the conspiracies which the Quraish were hatching against him day and night. On the one hand, the women of the Quraish cursed him because according to them he had ruined their home life by enticing away their kith and kits. While on the other hand, the chiefs of the Quraish threatened him with horrible consequences for the propagation of Islam. After the emigration to Habash especially, which almost affected every home of Makkah, these curses and threats increased all the more. This verse is meant to comfort and console the Prophet (peace be upon him) as well so that he should continue his mission without any fear of their threats.

38. That is, Allah is always putting human beings to test and trial both through adversity and affluence. This is to judge whether prosperity makes them proud, cruel and slaves of their lusts or they become grateful to Allah. On the other hand, He inflicts adversity upon them in order to see whether they remain within the prescribed and lawful limits or become low-spirited and down-hearted. A sensible person therefore should not be deluded by prosperity and adversity, but should keep their trial element in view and try to pass through it gracefully.

39. It should be noted that this sentence contains only the reason why they scoffed at him, but does not refer to the expression of scoff itself. Obviously, the disbelievers must have been using some other words or expressions of derision to avenge themselves on the Prophet (peace be upon him) for his rejecting their self-made deities.

40. This is to rebuke the disbelieves as if to say: You cherish so much love of your self-made idols and false gods that you cannot tolerate anything against them. So much so, that you scoff at the Messenger of Allah, and you are not ashamed when you hear the name of the Merciful and discard His mention with disdain.

41. This is not the literal translation of the text; its purport according to the Arabic usage is: Man is a hasty and impatient creature by his very nature. The same thing has been stated in (Surah Al-Isra, Ayat 11): Man is very hasty and impatient.

42. From the succeeding sentences it is obvious that signs here stands for the things that have been mentioned therein, the threat of the scourge of Allah, Resurrection and Hell. They made fun of these, as if to say: This man threatens us with the scourge of Allah and the torment of the Day of Resurrection if we deny him and that we shall become fuel of Hell, but nothing of the sort has befallen us. We are as strong as ever and nothing seems to be happening.