Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 47 Muhammad, Ayat 12-19

اِنَّ اللّٰهَ يُدۡخِلُ الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَعَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ جَنّٰتٍ تَجۡرِىۡ مِنۡ تَحۡتِهَا الۡاَنۡهٰرُ​ ؕ وَالَّذِيۡنَ كَفَرُوۡا يَتَمَتَّعُوۡنَ وَيَاۡكُلُوۡنَ كَمَا تَاۡكُلُ الۡاَنۡعَامُ وَالنَّارُ مَثۡوًى لَّهُمۡ‏ ﴿47:12﴾ وَكَاَيِّنۡ مِّنۡ قَرۡيَةٍ هِىَ اَشَدُّ قُوَّةً مِّنۡ قَرۡيَتِكَ الَّتِىۡۤ اَخۡرَجَتۡكَ​ۚ اَهۡلَكۡنٰهُمۡ فَلَا نَاصِرَ لَهُمۡ‏ ﴿47:13﴾ اَفَمَنۡ كَانَ عَلٰى بَيِّنَةٍ مِّنۡ رَّبِّهٖ كَمَنۡ زُيِّنَ لَهٗ سُوۡٓءُ عَمَلِهٖ وَاتَّبَعُوۡۤا اَهۡوَآءَهُمۡ‏ ﴿47:14﴾ مَثَلُ الۡجَـنَّةِ الَّتِىۡ وُعِدَ الۡمُتَّقُوۡنَ​ؕ فِيۡهَاۤ اَنۡهٰرٌ مِّنۡ مَّآءٍ غَيۡرِ اٰسِنٍ​ ۚ وَاَنۡهٰرٌ مِّنۡ لَّبَنٍ لَّمۡ يَتَغَيَّرۡ طَعۡمُهٗ ​ۚ وَاَنۡهٰرٌ مِّنۡ خَمۡرٍ لَّذَّةٍ لِّلشّٰرِبِيۡنَ ۚ وَاَنۡهٰرٌ مِّنۡ عَسَلٍ مُّصَفًّى​ ؕ وَلَهُمۡ فِيۡهَا مِنۡ كُلِّ الثَّمَرٰتِ وَمَغۡفِرَةٌ مِّنۡ رَّبِّهِمۡ​ؕ كَمَنۡ هُوَ خَالِدٌ فِى النَّارِ وَسُقُوۡا مَآءً حَمِيۡمًا فَقَطَّعَ اَمۡعَآءَهُمۡ‏ ﴿47:15﴾ وَمِنۡهُمۡ مَّنۡ يَّسۡتَمِعُ اِلَيۡكَ​ۚ حَتّٰٓى اِذَا خَرَجُوۡا مِنۡ عِنۡدِكَ قَالُوۡا لِلَّذِيۡنَ اُوۡتُوا الۡعِلۡمَ مَاذَا قَالَ اٰنِفًا​​ اُولٰٓـئِكَ الَّذِيۡنَ طَبَعَ اللّٰهُ عَلٰى قُلُوۡبِهِمۡ وَ اتَّبَعُوۡۤا اَهۡوَآءَهُمۡ‏ ﴿47:16﴾ وَالَّذِيۡنَ اهۡتَدَوۡا زَادَهُمۡ هُدًى وَّاٰتٰٮهُمۡ تَقۡوٰٮهُمۡ‏ ﴿47:17﴾ فَهَلۡ يَنۡظُرُوۡنَ اِلَّا السَّاعَةَ اَنۡ تَاۡتِيَهُمۡ بَغۡتَةً ​ ۚ فَقَدۡ جَآءَ اَشۡرَاطُهَا​​ ۚ فَاَنّٰى لَهُمۡ اِذَا جَآءَتۡهُمۡ ذِكۡرٰٮهُمۡ‏ ﴿47:18﴾ فَاعۡلَمۡ اَنَّهٗ لَاۤ اِلٰهَ اِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَاسۡتَغۡفِرۡ لِذَنۡۢبِكَ وَلِلۡمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَ وَ الۡمُؤۡمِنٰتِ​ ؕ وَاللّٰهُ يَعۡلَمُ مُتَقَلَّبَكُمۡ وَمَثۡوٰٮكُمۡ‏ ﴿47:19﴾

(47:12) Allah shall admit those who believe and do righteous works to the Gardens beneath which rivers flow. As for the unbelievers, they enjoy the pleasures of this transient life and eat as cattle eat.17 The Fire shall be their resort. (47:13) (O Prophet), how many are the cities that had greater power than your city that drove you out? We destroyed them and there was none to protect them.18 (47:14) Then, can he, who is on a Clear Guidance from His Lord, be like him whose evil deeds have been embellished to him, and who pursued their lusts?19 (47:15) Here is the parable of Paradise which the God-fearing have been promised: in it shall be rivers of incorruptible water,20 rivers of milk unchanging in taste,21and rivers of wine, a delight to those that drink;22 and rivers of pure honey.23 In it they will have every kind of fruit as well as forgiveness from their Lord.24 Can such be like those who will abide in the Fire and will be given a boiling water to drink that will tear their bowels apart? (47:16) Among them some give ear to you. But no sooner do they leave your presence than they ask those endowed with knowledge: “What is it that he said just now?”25 Such are those whose hearts Allah has sealed and who pursue their lusts.26 (47:17) As for those who were led to the Guidance,27 Allah increases them in their guidance and causes them to grow in God-fearing.28 (47:18) Are they waiting, then, for anything else than the Last Hour to suddenly come upon them?29 Already some of its tokens have come.30 But when it does actually come upon them, where will any time be left for them to take heed? (47:19) Know, therefore, (O Prophet), that there is no god but Allah, and ask forgiveness for your shortcomings and also for (the shortcomings of) believing men and believing women.31 Allah knows the places where you move about and where you dwell.

Notes

17. That is, just as an animal eats and does not think where from the food it eats has come, who has created it, and what rights of the creator are imposed on it for providing it with food, so are these people also eating and have no higher values or ideals beyond eating.

18. The Prophet (peace be upon him) was sorely distressed on leaving Makkah. When he was compelled to emigrate, he had stood facing the city outside it and said: O Makkah, you are the most beloved city in the sight of Allah, and I have the greatest love for you out of all the cities of Allah. If the polytheists had not driven me out, I would never have left you. About this it has been said: After driving you out of the city the people of Makkah think that they have achieved a great success, whereas, in fact, they have hastened only their own ruin by this evil act. The style of the verse clearly indicates that it must have been revealed soon after the Hijrah.

19. That is, how is it possible that when the Prophet and his followers have been guided by God to a clear and straight path and they have started following it in the light of full knowledge and vision, they should walk along, with those who are still persisting in their ways of ignorance, who regard their deviation as guidance and their evildoing as a praiseworthy thing, and who judge on the basis of their personal desires, and not by argument as to what is the truth and what is falsehood. Now, neither can the lives of these two groups be alike in this world nor can their end be alike in the Hereafter.

20. Literally, aasin is the taste and color of water which has changed, or which gives a bad smell. In the world the water of rivers and canals is generally muddy; its taste and color change due to the mixture of sand and dust and of different kinds of vegetation in it, and it also gives off a kind of bad smell. Therefore, the quality of the water of the rivers and canals of Paradise will be such that it will be pure and clear, without any adulteration.

21. In a Hadith directly reported from the Prophet (peace be upon him), it has been explained thus: It will not be the milk squeezed from the milk glands of animals. That is, it will be the milk which Allah will bring out in the form of springs from the earth and cause it to flow into canals of Paradise. About this natural milk it has been said: Its flavor will not change at all; that is, it will not give even the slightest offensive smell that is found in every kind of milk squeezed from the animal milk glands.

22. In another Hadith reported directly from the Prophet (peace be upon him), it has been explained, thus: This wine will not have been distilled from rotten fruit by beating and fermenting, like the wine in the world, but Allah will produce it also in the form of springs and cause it to flow into canals; then its quality will be such that it will be delightful for the drinkers. That is, it will not be bitter and foul-smelling like the wines of the world, which cannot be drunk even by the most habitual drinker without showing some distaste. In Surah As-Saffat, another quality of it has been described: Neither will the drinker be harmed physically thereby nor become drunk. (verse 47). In Surah Al-Waqiah it has been said: Which will neither cause them giddiness nor affect their sense. (verse 19). This shows that wine will not intoxicate, but will only give pleasure and delight.

23. In the Hadith it has been explained, thus: The honey will not have been drawn from the bees’ bellies, but it will also come out from springs and flow into canals; therefore, it will not have wax, and pieces of the honey-comb and legs of dead bees mixed in it, but it will be absolutely pure.

24. The mention of forgiveness from Allah after the blessings of Paradise can have two meanings:

(1) That the greatest blessing by far will be that Allah will forgive them.

(2) That the errors and faults that they happened to commit in the world, will not even so much as be mentioned before them, but Allah will cover them up forever so that they are not put to shame in Paradise.

25. This is concerning those disbelievers and hypocrites and unbelieving followers of the former Books, who sat in the assemblies of the Prophet (peace be upon him), listened to his discourses, or the verses of the Quran, but since in their hearts they were averse to the themes presented by him, they would understand nothing in spite of listening to him. Therefore, when they came out, they would ask the Muslims: What was he saying just now?

26. This was the real reason because of which their ears had become deaf to the teachings of the Prophet (peace be upon him). They were the slaves of their lusts, and the teachings that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was presenting fell against their lusts. Therefore, if ever they sat in the assemblies of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and listened to him, they would understand nothing.

27. That is, the same revelations about which the disbelievers and hypocrites ask: What was the Prophet (peace be upon him) saying just now? become a cause of further guidance for the rightly guided people, and from the same assembly from which these unfortunate people rise without gaining anything, the fortunate ones return with a new treasure of knowledge and insight.

28. That is, Allah grants them the grace to develop in themselves the kind of piety taqwa that they have the capability to develop.

29. That is, as far as the explanation and clarification of the truth is concerned; it has been explained well by argument and reasoning, the miraculous discourses of the Quran, the pure character of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the revolution in the lives of his companions. Now, are these people awaiting that Resurrection itself should take place and then only they will believe?

30. The portents of Resurrection imply those signs which indicate that its approach is near. One such important sign is the advent of God’s last Prophet after whom no other prophet will come till Resurrection. Traditions have been related in Bukhari, Muslim. Tirmidhi and Musnad Ahmad on the authority of Anas, Sahl bin Saad As-Saidi and Buraidah, saying that the Prophet (peace be upon him) raised his index finger and the middle finger and said: My advent and Resurrection are like these two fingers. That is, Just as there is no other finger between these two fingers, so no other prophet will be raised between me and Resurrection; after me only Resurrection now will occur.

31. One of the morals taught to man by Islam is also this: However hard and sincerely may man be trying to serve and worship his Lord and fighting and struggling in the cause of His Religion, he should never be involved in the misunderstanding that he has done and accomplished whatever he was required to do. Rather, on the contrary, he should have the feeling that he has not been able to do full justice to what was expected of him by his Lord and Master. Therefore, he should confess his errors constantly and pray to Allah saying Lord, forgive me for whatever fault and error I may have committed in Your service. This is indeed the essence of Allah’s command: O Prophet, ask forgiveness for your fault. This does not mean that God forbid, the Prophet (peace be upon him) had actually committed an error willfully, but its correct meaning is that it did not even behoove the servant who was the greatest worshiper of his Lord that he should harbor even a tinge of the pride of accomplishment in his heart, but his true position also was that in spite of all his great and glorious services he should continue confessing his shortcomings before his Lord. It was under this state of the mind that the Prophet (peace be upon him) often implored his Lord for forgiveness. According to Abu Daud and Nasai, the Prophet (peace be upon him) is reported to have said: I implore Allah for forgiveness one hundred rimes every day.