Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 27 An-Naml, Ayat 83-93

وَ يَوۡمَ نَحۡشُرُ مِنۡ كُلِّ اُمَّةٍ فَوۡجًا مِّمَّنۡ يُّكَذِّبُ بِاٰيٰتِنَا فَهُمۡ يُوۡزَعُوۡنَ‏ ﴿27:83﴾ حَتّٰٓى اِذَا جَآءُوۡ قَالَ اَكَذَّبۡتُمۡ بِاٰيٰتِىۡ وَلَمۡ تُحِيۡطُوۡا بِهَا عِلۡمًا اَمَّاذَا كُنۡتُمۡ تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ‏ ﴿27:84﴾ وَوَقَعَ الۡقَوۡلُ عَلَيۡهِمۡ بِمَا ظَلَمُوۡا فَهُمۡ لَا يَنۡطِقُوۡنَ‏ ﴿27:85﴾ اَلَمۡ يَرَوۡا اَنَّا جَعَلۡنَا الَّيۡلَ لِيَسۡكُنُوۡا فِيۡهِ وَالنَّهَارَ مُبۡصِرًا ​ؕ اِنَّ فِىۡ ذٰ لِكَ لَاٰيٰتٍ لِّـقَوۡمٍ يُّؤۡمِنُوۡنَ‏ ﴿27:86﴾ وَيَوۡمَ يُنۡفَخُ فِىۡ الصُّوۡرِ فَفَزِعَ مَنۡ فِىۡ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَمَنۡ فِى الۡاَرۡضِ اِلَّا مَنۡ شَآءَ اللّٰهُ​ؕ وَكُلٌّ اَتَوۡهُ دٰخِرِيۡنَ‏ ﴿27:87﴾ وَتَرَى الۡجِبَالَ تَحۡسَبُهَا جَامِدَةً وَّهِىَ تَمُرُّ مَرَّ السَّحَابِ​ؕ صُنۡعَ اللّٰهِ الَّذِىۡۤ اَتۡقَنَ كُلَّ شَىۡءٍ​ؕ اِنَّهٗ خَبِيۡرٌۢ بِمَا تَفۡعَلُوۡنَ‏  ﴿27:88﴾ مَنۡ جَآءَ بِالۡحَسَنَةِ فَلَهٗ خَيۡرٌ مِّنۡهَا​ۚ وَهُمۡ مِّنۡ فَزَعٍ يَّوۡمَـئِذٍ اٰمِنُوۡنَ‏ ﴿27:89﴾ وَمَنۡ جَآءَ بِالسَّيِّئَةِ فَكُبَّتۡ وُجُوۡهُهُمۡ فِى النَّارِؕ هَلۡ تُجۡزَوۡنَ اِلَّا مَا كُنۡتُمۡ تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ‏ ﴿27:90﴾ اِنَّمَاۤ اُمِرۡتُ اَنۡ اَعۡبُدَ رَبَّ هٰذِهِ الۡبَلۡدَةِ الَّذِىۡ حَرَّمَهَا وَلَهٗ كُلُّ شَىۡءٍ​ وَّاُمِرۡتُ اَنۡ اَكُوۡنَ مِنَ الۡمُسۡلِمِيۡنَۙ‏ ﴿27:91﴾ وَاَنۡ اَتۡلُوَا الۡقُرۡاٰنَ​ۚ فَمَنِ اهۡتَدٰى فَاِنَّمَا يَهۡتَدِىۡ لِنَفۡسِهٖ​ۚ وَمَنۡ ضَلَّ فَقُلۡ اِنَّمَاۤ اَنَا مِنَ الۡمُنۡذِرِيۡنَ‏ ﴿27:92﴾ وَقُلِ الۡحَمۡدُ لِلّٰهِ سَيُرِيۡكُمۡ اٰيٰتِهٖ فَتَعۡرِفُوۡنَهَا​ ؕ وَمَا رَبُّكَ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ‏ ﴿27:93﴾

(27:83) Just imagine the Day when We shall muster from every nation a large group of those who gave the lie to Our Signs, and they shall be duly arranged in ranks (27:84) until, when all of them have arrived, Allah will say: "Did you give the lie to My Signs even without encompassing them with your knowledge?102 If that is not so, what did you do?"103 (27:85) And the Word will come to pass against them because of their wrong-doing: they will then be able to utter nothing. (27:86) Did they not perceive that We had made the night so that they may repose in it and made the day clear and shining.104 Surely there are Signs in this for those who believe.105 (27:87) The Day when the Trumpet will be blown all those who are in the heavens and on the earth shall be terror stricken106 - all except those whom Allah wills - and everyone shall come to Him utterly abject. (27:88) You now see the mountains and consider them firmly fixed, but then they shall pass away even as clouds pass away. That will be the handiwork of Allah Who has created everything with perfect wisdom. He is well aware of what you do.107 (27:89) Whosoever comes with good will receive a reward better than his deed,108 and they will be made secure from the terror of that Day. (27:90) And whosoever comes with evil, they will be flung upon their faces into the Fire. Will you be recompensed for aught other than what you do?109 (27:91) (Tell them, O Muhammad): "I have been commanded only to serve the Lord of this city that He has made inviolable, to serve Him to Whom all things belong.110 I have been commanded to be of those that submit to Allah, (27:92) and to recite the Qur'an." So, whosoever is guided, his guidance will be to his own good. As for those who stray, tell them: "I am none but a warner." (27:93) And say: "All praise be to Allah, Who will soon show you His Signs that you will recognize." Your Lord is not unaware of what you do.

Notes

102. That is, “You did not deny My revelations on the basis of some scientific investigation, which might have proved them to be false, but you denied them without any sound reason.”

103. That is, “If it is not so, can you then prove that you treated them as false only after a thorough scientific investigation through which you came to know that the reality was not that which was being presented in these verses?”

104. That is, “Two out of the countless signs were such which they were observing at all times, whose benefits they were enjoying every moment, and which were not hidden even from a blind or deaf or dumb person. While they benefited by the rest at night and the opportunities afforded by the day, why did they not think that it is a system devised by an All-Wise Being, Who has established the relationship between the sun and the earth precisely to meet their requirements and needs. This cannot be a mere accident, for it clearly manifests purposefulness, wisdom and planning, which cannot be the characteristic of the blind forces of nature, nor the work of many gods. It can only be a system established by the One Creator and Master and Disposer, Who is ruling over the earth, the moon, the sun and all other planets. From the observation of this single phenomenon they could judge that the alternation of the day and night testified to the truth that We have conveyed through Our Messenger and Our Book.”

105. That is, “It was not something incomprehensible either. There were among their own relatives, their own clan and their own brotherhood people like themselves, who had seen the same very signs and believed that the creed of God worship and Tauhid towards which the Prophet (peace be upon him) was inviting them was precisely in accordance with the truth and reality.”

106. For a detailed discussion of the blowing of the Trumpet, see (E.N. 47 of Al-Anaam), (E.N. 57 of Ibrahim), (E.N. 78 of Ta Ha), (E.N. 1 of Al-Hajj), (E.Ns. 46, 47 of Ya Sin) and (E.N. 79 of Az-Zumar).

107. That is, “From such God you should not expect that after giving you the powers of intellect and discrimination and control over things, He will remain unaware of your deeds and actions and will not see how you have been using the delegated authority in the earth.”

108. The reward will be better in two ways: (1) It will be higher than what a person will actually deserve for his good deeds; and (2) it will be everlasting and for ever though the good act was temporary and its influence confined to a limited period only.

109. That is, “Though the terrors of Resurrection will stun and confound the disbelievers, the believers will remain safe and secure from them, for everything in the Hereafter will be according to their expectations. They had already known from the messages brought by the messengers of Allah that Resurrection will take place, and a new world will be established when everyone will be called to account for his deeds. Therefore, they will neither be bewildered nor alarmed, which will be the case with those who had denied this Day and remained heedless of it, till their last breath in the world. They will also be satisfied because they had worked for this Day and had brought necessary provisions from the world for their success here. Therefore, they will not be stupefied and confounded as will be those who had invested all their energies and capabilities in their struggle for achieving worldly successes only, and had never thought that there would be a life hereafter for which they should make some provision. Contrary to them, the believers will be satisfied that the Day had, at last come, for the sake of which they had given up the unlawful benefits and pleasures of life and had undergone hardships and toil. And they will not be deprived of the rewards of their works.”

110. At several places in the Quran it has been stated clearly that an evil will be punished in the Hereafter only to the extent of the evil committed, but a good act will be rewarded much more generously by Allah than what the doer will actually deserve for it. For more examples of this, see (Surah Yunus: Ayats 26-27); (Surah Al-Qasas: Ayat 84); (Surah Al-Ankabut: Ayat 7); (Surah Saba: Ayats 37-38); (Surah Al-Mumin: Ayat 40).