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Towards Understanding the Quran
With kind permission: Islamic Foundation UK
Introduction to Tafheem | Glossary | Verbs
Tafsirs: Maarif | Dawat | Ishraq | Clear

 Surah Al-Jinn 72:20-28 [2/2] ↕
  
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Verse Summary -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
قُلْSay,
إِنَّمَآ`Only
أَدْعُواْI call upon
رَبِّىmy Lord,
وَلَآand not
أُشْرِكُI associate
بِهِۦٓwith Him
أَحَدًاanyone.`
﴿٢٠﴾
قُلْSay,
إِنِّى`Indeed, I
لَآ(do) not
أَمْلِكُpossess
لَكُمْfor you
ضَرًّاany harm
وَلَاand not
رَشَدًاright path.`
﴿٢١﴾
قُلْSay,
إِنِّى`Indeed I,
لَنnever
يُجِيرَنِىcan protect me
مِنَfrom
ٱللَّهِAllah
أَحَدٌanyone,
وَلَنْand never
أَجِدَcan I find
مِن دُونِهِۦbesides Him
مُلْتَحَدًاany refuge.
﴿٢٢﴾
إِلَّاBut
بَلَـٰغًا(the) notification
مِّنَfrom
ٱللَّهِAllah
وَرِسَـٰلَـٰتِهِۦ‌ۚand His Messages.`
وَمَنAnd whoever
يَعْصِdisobeys
ٱللَّهَAllah
وَرَسُولَهُۥand His Messenger,
فَإِنَّthen indeed,
لَهُۥfor him
نَارَ(is the) Fire
جَهَنَّمَ(of) Hell,
خَـٰلِدِينَ(they will) abide
فِيهَآtherein
أَبَدًاforever.
﴿٢٣﴾
حَتَّىٰٓUntil,
إِذَاwhen
رَأَوْاْthey see
مَاwhat
يُوعَدُونَthey are promised,
فَسَيَعْلَمُونَthen they will know
مَنْwho
أَضْعَفُ(is) weaker
نَاصِرًا(in) helpers
وَأَقَلُّand fewer
عَدَدًا(in) number.
﴿٢٤﴾
قُلْSay,
إِنْ`Not
أَدْرِىٓI know
أَقَرِيبٌwhether is near
مَّاwhat
تُوعَدُونَyou are promised
أَمْor (whether)
يَجْعَلُwill appoint
لَهُۥfor it
رَبِّىٓmy Lord
أَمَدًاa (distant) term.
﴿٢٥﴾
عَـٰلِمُ(The) All-Knower
ٱلْغَيْبِ(of) the unseen,
فَلَاso not
يُظْهِرُ عَلَىٰHe reveals
غَيْبِهِۦٓHis unseen
أَحَدًا(to) anyone,
﴿٢٦﴾
إِلَّاExcept
مَنِwhom
ٱرْتَضَىٰHe has approved
مِنof
رَّسُولٍa Messenger,
فَإِنَّهُۥand indeed, He
يَسْلُكُmakes to march
مِنۢfrom
بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِbefore him
وَمِنْand from
خَلْفِهِۦbehind him
رَصَدًاa guard,
﴿٢٧﴾
لِّيَعْلَمَThat He may make evident
أَنthat
قَدْindeed,
أَبْلَغُواْthey have conveyed
رِسَـٰلَـٰتِ(the) Messages
رَبِّهِمْ(of) their Lord;
وَأَحَاطَand He has encompassed
بِمَاwhat
لَدَيْهِمْ(is) with them
وَأَحْصَىٰand He takes account
كُلَّ(of) all
شَىْءٍthings
عَدَدَۢا(in) number.`
﴿٢٨﴾

قُلۡ اِنَّمَاۤ اَدۡعُوۡا رَبِّىۡ وَلَاۤ اُشۡرِكُ بِهٖۤ اَحَدًا‏  قُلۡ اِنِّىۡ لَاۤ اَمۡلِكُ لَـكُمۡ ضَرًّا وَّلَا رَشَدًا‏  قُلۡ اِنِّىۡ لَنۡ يُّجِيۡرَنِىۡ مِنَ اللّٰهِ اَحَدٌ  ۙ وَّلَنۡ اَجِدَ مِنۡ دُوۡنِهٖ مُلۡتَحَدًا ۙ‏  اِلَّا بَلٰغًا مِّنَ اللّٰهِ وَرِسٰلٰتِهٖ​ ؕ وَمَنۡ يَّعۡصِ اللّٰهَ وَرَسُوۡلَهٗ فَاِنَّ لَهٗ نَارَ جَهَنَّمَ خٰلِدِيۡنَ فِيۡهَاۤ اَبَدًا ؕ‏  حَتّٰٓى اِذَا رَاَوۡا مَا يُوۡعَدُوۡنَ فَسَيَعۡلَمُوۡنَ مَنۡ اَضۡعَفُ نَاصِرًا وَّاَقَلُّ عَدَدًا‏  قُلۡ اِنۡ اَدۡرِىۡۤ اَقَرِيۡبٌ مَّا تُوۡعَدُوۡنَ اَمۡ يَجۡعَلُ لَهٗ رَبِّىۡۤ اَمَدًا‏  عٰلِمُ الۡغَيۡبِ فَلَا يُظۡهِرُ عَلٰى غَيۡبِهٖۤ اَحَدًا ۙ‏  اِلَّا مَنِ ارۡتَضٰى مِنۡ رَّسُوۡلٍ فَاِنَّهٗ يَسۡلُكُ مِنۡۢ بَيۡنِ يَدَيۡهِ وَمِنۡ خَلۡفِهٖ رَصَدًا ۙ‏  لِّيَـعۡلَمَ اَنۡ قَدۡ اَبۡلَغُوۡا رِسٰلٰتِ رَبِّهِمۡ وَاَحَاطَ بِمَا لَدَيۡهِمۡ وَاَحۡصٰى كُلَّ شَىۡءٍ عَدَدًا‏ 
Translation
(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
Commentary

21. That is, to call upon Allah is no objectionable thing, which may so provoke the people. The evil thing, however, is that one should associate another with Allah in His divinity, and this I never do; this is done by those who mob and surround me when they hear God mentioned by me.

22 That is, I do not claim to have any share or role in the Godhead of Allah, nor that I possess any power in making or marring the people’s destinies. I am only a Messenger and the mission that has been entrusted to me is no more than that I should convey the messages of Allah to you. As for the powers of Godhead, they wholly belong to Allah. Not to speak of benefiting or harming others, I do not have the power to cause good or harm even to myself. If I disobey Allah, I cannot seek and have refuge anywhere from His punishment, and I have no helper and protector beside Allah. (For further explanation, see (E.N. 7 of Surah Ash-Shura).

23. This does not mean that every sin and act of disobedience will cause one to live in Hell forever, but in view of the context in which this thing bas been said, the verse means: the one who does not accept the invitation to Tauhid given by Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) and does not refrain from polytheism will suffer in Hell forever.

24. The background of this verse is that those of the Quraish who used to mob and surround the Prophet (peace be upon him) as soon as they heard his invitation calling to Allah were under the delusion that they had a strong band at their back and that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had only a handful of men with him, and therefore, they would easily overwhelm him. At this it is being said: Today these people find the Messenger (peace be upon him) helpless and friendless and they themselves supported and strengthened by great hosts and, therefore, feel encouraged and emboldened to suppress the invitation to the truth. But when the evil time with which they are being threatened comes, they will know who in fact is helpless and friendless.

25. The style itself shows that this is an answer which has been given without citing the question. Probably, hearing what has been said above, the opponents might have asked mockingly and tauntingly: When will the time come with which you are threatening us. In response, the Prophet (peace be upon him) was commanded to say: The time will certainly come, but I have not been told the date of its coming. Allah alone knows whether it will come soon or whether a distant term has been set for it.

26. That is, the knowledge of the unseen entirely rests with Allah: He does not give the whole of this knowledge to anyone.

27. That is, the Messenger (peace be upon him) by himself is no knower of the unseen, but when Allah chooses him to perform the mission of Prophethood, He grants him the knowledge of those of the unseen truths which He is pleased to grant.

28. Guards: Angels, that is, when Allah sends down the knowledge of the unseen realities to the Messenger (peace be upon him) by revelation, He appoints angels on every side to safeguard it so that the knowledge reaches the Messenger in a safe condition, free from any kind of adulteration. This is the same thing which has been expressed in verses 8-9 above, saying: After the appointment of the Messenger (peace be upon him) the jinn found that all the doors to the heavens had been closed, and they noticed that strict security measures had been adopted because of which no room had been left for them to eavesdrop.

29. This can have three meanings: (1) That the Messenger (peace be upon him) may know that the angels have delivered the messages of Allah to him precisely and accurately. (2) That Allah may know that the angels have conveyed the messages of their Lord to His Messenger (peace be upon him) precisely and accurately. (3) That Allah may know that the Messenger (peace be upon him) has conveyed the messages of his Lord to His servants precisely and accurately. The words of the verse are comprehensive and may possibly imply all the three meanings. Besides, the verse also points out two other things. First, that the Messenger (peace be upon him) is given that knowledge of the unseen which is necessary for him to perform his mission of Prophethood. Second, that the angels keep watch that the revelation reaches the Messenger (peace be upon him) safely and also that the Messenger (peace be upon him) conveys the messages of his Lord to His servants precisely and accurately.

30. That is, Allah’s power so encompasses the Messenger (peace be upon him) as well as the angels that if they swerve even a little from His will, they can be detected immediately. Moreover, a complete record has been kept of each letter of the messages sent down by Allah. The Messengers (peace be upon him) and the angels cannot dare add or subtract even a letter from them.