Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 42 Ash-Shuraa, Ayat 41-50

وَلَمَنِ انْتَصَرَ بَعۡدَ ظُلۡمِهٖ فَاُولٰٓـئِكَ مَا عَلَيۡهِمۡ مِّنۡ سَبِيۡلٍؕ‏  ﴿42:41﴾ اِنَّمَا السَّبِيۡلُ عَلَى الَّذِيۡنَ يَظۡلِمُوۡنَ النَّاسَ وَ يَبۡغُوۡنَ فِى الۡاَرۡضِ بِغَيۡرِ الۡحَقِّ​ؕ اُولٰٓـئِكَ لَهُمۡ عَذَابٌ اَلِيۡمٌ‏ ﴿42:42﴾ وَلَمَنۡ صَبَرَ وَغَفَرَ اِنَّ ذٰلِكَ لَمِنۡ عَزۡمِ الۡاُمُوۡرِ‏ ﴿42:43﴾ وَمَنۡ يُّضۡلِلِ اللّٰهُ فَمَا لَهٗ مِنۡ وَّلِىٍّ مِّنۡۢ بَعۡدِهٖ​ ؕ وَتَرَى الظّٰلِمِيۡنَ لَمَّا رَاَوُا الۡعَذَابَ يَقُوۡلُوۡنَ هَلۡ اِلٰى مَرَدٍّ مِّنۡ سَبِيۡلٍ​ۚ‏  ﴿42:44﴾ وَتَرٰٮهُمۡ يُعۡرَضُوۡنَ عَلَيۡهَا خٰشِعِيۡنَ مِنَ الذُّلِّ يَنۡظُرُوۡنَ مِنۡ طَرۡفٍ خَفِىٍّ​ ؕ وَقَالَ الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡۤا اِنَّ الۡخٰسِرِيۡنَ الَّذِيۡنَ خَسِرُوۡۤا اَنۡفُسَهُمۡ وَاَهۡلِيۡهِمۡ يَوۡمَ الۡقِيٰمَةِ​ ؕ اَلَاۤ اِنَّ الظّٰلِمِيۡنَ فِىۡ عَذَابٍ مُّقِيۡمٍ‏ ﴿42:45﴾ وَمَا كَانَ لَهُمۡ مِّنۡ اَوۡلِيَآءَ يَنۡصُرُوۡنَهُمۡ مِّنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰهِ​ؕ وَمَنۡ يُّضۡلِلِ اللّٰهُ فَمَا لَهٗ مِنۡ سَبِيۡلٍؕ‏ ﴿42:46﴾ اِسۡتَجِيۡبُوۡا لِرَبِّكُمۡ مِّنۡ قَبۡلِ اَنۡ يَّاۡتِىَ يَوۡمٌ لَّا مَرَدَّ لَهٗ مِنَ اللّٰهِ​ؕ مَا لَكُمۡ مِّنۡ مَّلۡجَاٍ يَّوۡمَـئِذٍ وَّمَا لَكُمۡ مِّنۡ نَّكِيۡرٍ‏ ﴿42:47﴾ فَاِنۡ اَعۡرَضُوۡا فَمَاۤ اَرۡسَلۡنٰكَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ حَفِيۡظًا​ؕ اِنۡ عَلَيۡكَ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ​ ؕ وَاِنَّاۤ اِذَاۤ اَذَقۡنَا الۡاِنۡسَانَ مِنَّا رَحۡمَةً فَرِحَ بِهَا​ۚ وَاِنۡ تُصِبۡهُمۡ سَيِّئَةٌۢ بِمَا قَدَّمَتۡ اَيۡدِيۡهِمۡ فَاِنَّ الۡاِنۡسَانَ كَفُوۡرٌ‏ ﴿42:48﴾ لِّـلَّـهِ مُلۡكُ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالۡاَرۡضِ ​ؕ يَخۡلُقُ مَا يَشَآءُ​ ؕ يَهَبُ لِمَنۡ يَّشَآءُ اِنَاثًا وَّيَهَبُ لِمَنۡ يَّشَآءُ الذُّكُوۡرَ ۙ‏ ﴿42:49﴾ اَوۡ يُزَوِّجُهُمۡ ذُكۡرَانًا وَّاِنَاثًا​ ۚ وَيَجۡعَلُ مَنۡ يَّشَآءُ عَقِيۡمًا​ؕ اِنَّهٗ عَلِيۡمٌ قَدِيۡرٌ‏ ﴿42:50﴾

(42:41) There is no blame against him who avenges himself after he has been wronged. (42:42) Blame attaches only to those who subject people to wrong and commit excesses on earth. A painful chastisement awaits them. (42:43) But he who patiently endures and forgives, that is a conduct of great resolve.68 (42:44) He whom Allah lets go astray, none after Him can be his protector.69 You will see that when the wrong-doers observe the chastisement, they will exclaim: “Is there any way to go back?”70 (42:45) You shall see them, as they are brought face to face with the chastisement, in a state of abject humiliation, looking with a furtive glance.71 But the believers will say: “Surely the true losers are they who lose themselves and their kindred on the Day of Resurrection.” Lo, the wrong-doers will be in an enduring torment. (42:46) They shall have no protectors to help them against Allah. For he whom Allah causes to go astray will have no way to save himself. (42:47) Accept the command of your Lord before there comes a Day from Allah that cannot be averted.72 On that Day there shall be no shelter for you, and none may change your predicament.73 (42:48) (O Prophet), if they turn away from the Truth, know that We did not send you to them as their overseer.74 Your task is only to convey (the Message). Indeed when We give man a taste of Our Mercy, he exults in it. But if any misfortune afflicts them on account of their deeds, man is utterly ungrateful.75 (42:49) The dominion of the heavens and the earth belongs to Allah.76 He creates whatever He pleases. He grants females to whomever He pleases and males to whomever He pleases, (42:50) or grants them a mix of males and females, and causes whomever He pleases to be barren. He is All- Knowing, All-Powerful.77

Notes

68. One should note that the qualities of the believers that have been mentioned in these verses, practically existed in the lives of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions, and the disbelievers of Makkah were their eye-witnesses. Thus, Allah has, in fact, told the disbelievers: The real wealth is not the provisions that you have received for passing the transitory life of the world, and are bursting with pride of it, but the real wealth are the morals and characteristics which the believers from your own society have developed by accepting the guidance given by the Quran.

69. That is, Allah sent the best Book like the Quran for the guidance of the people, which is giving them the knowledge of the reality in a rational and effective way and guiding them to the right way of life. He sent a Prophet like Muhammad (peace be upon him) for their guidance, a man of better character than whom they had never seen before. And then Allah also showed them the results of the teaching and training of this Book and this Messenger in the lives of the believers. Now, if after witnessing all this, a person turns away from the guidance, Allah casts him into the same deviation from which he has no desire to come out. And when Allah Himself has driven him away, who else can take the responsibility of bringing him to the right way.

70. That is, today when there is a chance of coming back, they are refusing to come back. Tomorrow when the judgment will have been passed and the sentence enforced, then seeing their fate they will wish to come back.

71. By nature man is such that when a dreadful scene comes before him and he knows that soon he is going to fall a prey to it, he closes his eyes forthwith in fear. Then, when he cannot hold himself any longer, he tries to see what kind of the calamity it is and how far away it is from him. But he does not find the courage to lift up his head and have a full view of it. Therefore, he opens his eyes a little again and again and sees it from the corner of the eye, and then again closes his eyes from fear. The same state of those who will be driven to Hell has been depicted here.

72. That is, neither will Allah Himself avert it, nor has anyone else the power to avert it.

73. This sentence has several other meanings also:

(1) You will not be able to deny any of your misdeeds.

(2) You will not be able to hide yourself even in disguise.

(3) You will not be able to protest or show any displeasure against any treatment that is meted out to you.

(4) It will not be in your power to change the condition in which you are placed.

74. That is, you have not been made responsible that you must bring them to the right path anyhow, nor will you be held accountable as to why these people did not come to the right path.

75. Man here implies the mean and shallow people who are the subject of the discourse here, who have gotten a measure of the worldly provisions and are exulting in this, and who do not pay any attention when they are admonished to come to the right path. But when they are visited by a disaster in consequence of their own misdeeds, they start cursing their fate, and forget all those blessings which Allah has blessed them with, and do not try to understand how far they themselves are to be blamed for the condition in which they are placed. Thus, neither does prosperity become conducive to their reformation nor can adversity teach them a lesson and bring them to the right path. A study of the context shows that this is, in fact, a satire on the attitude of the people who were the addressees of the above discourse, but they have not been addressed to tell them of their weakness directly, but the weakness of man has been mentioned in a general way and pointed out that what is the real cause of his sad plight. This gives an important point of the wisdom of preaching: the weaknesses of the addressee should not be made the target directly, but they should be mentioned in a general way so that he is not provoked, and if his conscience has still some life in it, he may try to understand his shortcoming with a cool mind.

76. That is, if the people who are involved in disbelief and polytheism do not believe even after the admonition, they may not, for the truth is the truth. The kingdom of the earth and heavens has not been entrusted to the so-called kings and despots and chiefs of the world nor has any prophet, saint, god or goddess any share in it, but its Master is One Allah alone. His rebel can neither succeed by his own power, nor can any of the beings whom the people look upon as owners of divine powers by their own folly, come to their rescue and aid.

77. This is a manifest proof of Allah’s Sovereignty being absolute. No man, whether he be posing as owner of the highest worldly authority, or regarded as owner of great spiritual powers, has ever been able to produce children for himself according to his own choice and desire, not to speak of providing children for others. The one whom Allah made barren could not have children through any medicine, any treatment, any amulet or charm. The one whom Allah gave only daughters could not get a single son by any device, and the one whom Allah gave only sons could not have a single daughter by any means. In this matter everyone is absolutely helpless. Even after seeing all this if some one posed to be all-powerful in God’s kingdom, or regarded another as a possessor of the powers, it would be his own shortsightedness for which he himself will suffer, the truth will not change at all.