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Towards Understanding the Quran
With kind permission: Islamic Foundation UK
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 Surah Al-Mu'minun 23:33-44 [3/6] ↕
  
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Verse Summary -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
وَقَالَAnd said
ٱلْمَلَأُthe chiefs
مِنof
قَوْمِهِhis people
ٱلَّذِينَwho
كَفَرُواْdisbelieved
وَكَذَّبُواْand denied
بِلِقَآءِ(the) meeting
ٱلْأَخِرَةِ(of) the Hereafter,
وَأَتْرَفْنَـٰهُمْwhile We had given them luxury
فِىin
ٱلْحَيَوٲةِthe life
ٱلدُّنْيَا(of) the world,
مَا"Not
هَـٰذَآ(is) this
إِلَّاbut
بَشَرٌa man
مِّثْلُكُمْlike you.
يَأْكُلُHe eats
مِمَّاof what
تَأْكُلُونَyou eat
مِنْهُ[from it],
وَيَشْرَبُand he drinks
مِمَّاof what
تَشْرَبُونَyou drink.
﴿٣٣﴾
وَلَئِنْAnd surely if
أَطَعْتُمyou obey
بَشَرًاa man
مِّثْلَكُمْlike you,
إِنَّكُمْindeed, you
إِذًاthen
لَّخَـٰسِرُونَsurely (will be) losers.
﴿٣٤﴾
أَيَعِدُكُمْDoes he promise you -
أَنَّكُمْthat you
إِذَاwhen
مِتُّمْyou are dead
وَكُنتُمْand you become
تُرَابًاdust
وَعِظَـٰمًاand bones
أَنَّكُمthat you
مُّخْرَجُونَ(will be) brought forth?
﴿٣٥﴾
۞ هَيْهَاتَFar-(fetched),
هَيْهَاتَfar-(fetched)
لِمَاis what
تُوعَدُونَyou are promised!
﴿٣٦﴾
إِنْNot
هِىَit
إِلَّا(is) but
حَيَاتُنَاour life
ٱلدُّنْيَا(of) the world,
نَمُوتُwe die
وَنَحْيَاand we live,
وَمَاand not
نَحْنُwe
بِمَبْعُوثِينَ(will be) resurrected.
﴿٣٧﴾
إِنْNot
هُوَ(is) he
إِلَّاbut
رَجُلٌa man
ٱفْتَرَىٰwho (has) invented
عَلَىabout
ٱللَّهِAllah
كَذِبًاa lie,
وَمَاand not
نَحْنُwe
لَهُۥ(in) him
بِمُؤْمِنِينَ(are) believers."
﴿٣٨﴾
قَالَHe said,
رَبِّ"My Lord!
ٱنصُرْنِىHelp me
بِمَاbecause
كَذَّبُونِthey deny me."
﴿٣٩﴾
قَالَHe said,
عَمَّا قَلِيلٍ"After a little while
لَّيُصْبِحُنَّsurely they will become
نَـٰدِمِينَregretful."
﴿٤٠﴾
فَأَخَذَتْهُمُSo seized them
ٱلصَّيْحَةُthe awful cry
بِٱلْحَقِّin truth,
فَجَعَلْنَـٰهُمْand We made them
غُثَآءً‌ۚ(as) rubbish of dead leaves.
فَبُعْدًاSo away
لِّلْقَوْمِwith the people -
ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَthe wrongdoers.
﴿٤١﴾
ثُمَّThen
أَنشَأْنَاWe produced
مِنۢ بَعْدِهِمْafter them
قُرُونًاa generation
ءَاخَرِينَanother.
﴿٤٢﴾
مَاNot
تَسْبِقُcan precede
مِنْany
أُمَّةٍnation
أَجَلَهَاits term,
وَمَاand not
يَسْتَــْٔخِرُونَthey (can) delay (it).
﴿٤٣﴾
ثُمَّThen
أَرْسَلْنَاWe sent
رُسُلَنَاOur Messengers
تَتْرَا‌ۖ(in) succession.
كُلَّ مَاEvery time
جَآءَcame
أُمَّةً(to) a nation
رَّسُولُهَاits Messenger,
كَذَّبُوهُ‌ۚthey denied him,
فَأَتْبَعْنَاso We made (them) follow -
بَعْضَهُمsome of them
بَعْضًاothers,
وَجَعَلْنَـٰهُمْand We made them
أَحَادِيثَ‌ۚnarrations.
فَبُعْدًاSo away
لِّقَوْمٍwith a people -
لَّاnot
يُؤْمِنُونَthey believe.
﴿٤٤﴾

وَقَالَ الۡمَلَاُ مِنۡ قَوۡمِهِ الَّذِيۡنَ كَفَرُوۡا وَكَذَّبُوۡا بِلِقَآءِ الۡاٰخِرَةِ وَاَتۡرَفۡنٰهُمۡ فِى الۡحَيٰوةِ الدُّنۡيَا ۙ مَا هٰذَاۤ اِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِّثۡلُكُمۡ ۙ يَاۡكُلُ مِمَّا تَاۡكُلُوۡنَ مِنۡهُ وَيَشۡرَبُ مِمَّا تَشۡرَبُوۡنَ ۙ‏  وَلَـئِنۡ اَطَعۡتُمۡ بَشَرًا مِّثۡلَـكُمۡ اِنَّكُمۡ اِذًا لَّخٰسِرُوۡنَۙ‏   اَيَعِدُكُمۡ اَنَّكُمۡ اِذَا مِتُّمۡ وَكُنۡتُمۡ تُرَابًا وَّعِظَامًا اَنَّكُمۡ مُّخۡرَجُوۡنَ ۙ‏  هَيۡهَاتَ هَيۡهَاتَ لِمَا تُوۡعَدُوۡنَ ۙ‏  اِنۡ هِىَ اِلَّا حَيَاتُنَا الدُّنۡيَا نَمُوۡتُ وَنَحۡيَا وَمَا نَحۡنُ بِمَبۡعُوۡثِيۡنَ ۙ‏  اِنۡ هُوَ اِلَّا رَجُلُ اۨفۡتَـرٰى عَلَى اللّٰهِ كَذِبًا وَّمَا نَحۡنُ لَهٗ بِمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَ‏  قَالَ رَبِّ انْصُرۡنِىۡ بِمَا كَذَّبُوۡنِ‏  قَالَ عَمَّا قَلِيۡلٍ لَّيُصۡبِحُنَّ نٰدِمِيۡنَ​ۚ‏  فَاَخَذَتۡهُمُ الصَّيۡحَةُ بِالۡحَـقِّ فَجَعَلۡنٰهُمۡ غُثَآءً​ۚ فَبُعۡدًا لِّـلۡقَوۡمِ الظّٰلِمِيۡنَ‏  ثُمَّ اَنۡشَاۡنَا مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِهِمۡ قُرُوۡنًا اٰخَرِيۡنَؕ‏  مَا تَسۡبِقُ مِنۡ اُمَّةٍ اَجَلَهَا وَمَا يَسۡتَـاۡخِرُوۡنَؕ‏  ثُمَّ اَرۡسَلۡنَا رُسُلَنَا تَتۡـرَا​ ؕ كُلَّ مَا جَآءَ اُمَّةً رَّسُوۡلُهَا كَذَّبُوۡهُ​ فَاَتۡبَـعۡنَا بَعۡـضَهُمۡ بَعۡـضًا وَّجَعَلۡنٰهُمۡ اَحَادِيۡثَ​ ۚ فَبُـعۡدًا لِّـقَوۡمٍ لَّا يُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ‏ 
Translation
(23:33) The notables among his people who had refused to believe and who denied the meeting of the Hereafter, and those whom We had endowed with ease and comfort in this life,35 cried out: "This is no other than a mortal like yourselves who eats what you eat and drinks what you drink. (23:34) If you were to obey a human being like yourselves, you will certainly be losers.36 (23:35) Does he promise you that when you are dead and are reduced to dust and bones, you will be brought forth to life? (23:36) Far-fetched, utterly far-fetched is what you are being promised. (23:37) There is no other life than the life of the world. We shall live here and here shall we die; and we are not going to be raised again. (23:38) This man has forged a mere lie in the name of Allah and we shall never believe what he says." (23:39) The Messenger said: "My Lord! Come to my help at their accusing me of lying." (23:40) He answered: "A short while, and they shall be repenting." (23:41) Then a mighty blast quite justly overtook them, and We reduced them to a rubble.37 So away with the wrong-doing folk! (23:42) Then, after them, We brought forth other generations. (23:43) No nation can outstrip its term, nor can it put it back. (23:44) Then We sent Our Messengers in succession. Whenever a Messenger came to his people they rejected him, calling him a liar. Thereupon, We made each people to follow the other (to its doom), reducing them to mere tales (of the past). Scourged be the people who do not believe!38
Commentary

35. It should be noted that all those people who opposed the Messengers had three common characteristics: (1) They were the chiefs of their people. (2) They denied life in the Hereafter. (3) They were prosperous in the worldly life. Obviously, they loved the life of this world and could never conceive that their way of life, which had made them chiefs and brought prosperity, could ever be wrong. Therefore they opposed their Messengers, who took away their peace of mind, by preaching that there was a life-after-death and they shall have to render an account to Allah of what they did in this world. And this was exactly what was happening at Makkah.

36. Some commentators have wrongly opined that the chiefs exchanged these remarks against the Messenger between themselves. These remarks in fact were addressed to the common people. When the chiefs felt that the message was spreading among the common people and there was a real danger that they would be influenced by the pure character of the Messenger and that their superiority then would automatically come to an end, they began to delude them by raising such objections against him. It is worth while to note that both the chiefs of the people of Noah and the chiefs of the people of Aad accused their Messengers of the lust for power but as regards to themselves, they thought that power and prosperity were their inherent rights and they were in every respect entitled to be the chiefs of their people.

36a These words show that the people of Aad were also not disbelievers in the existence of God. They too were involved in the sin of shirk. Refer to (Surah Al-Aaraf, Ayat 70); (Surah Houd, Ayats 53-54); (Surah HaMim Sajdah, Ayat 14), and (Surah Al-Ahqaf, Ayats 21-22).

37. Lexically, the word ghutha means the rubbish which is brought by flood waters and is deposited on the banks to rot there.

38. That is, those who do not believe in the Messengers.