39. Az-Zumar Page 462 فَمَنْ Then who اَظْلَمُ (is) more unjust مِمَّنْ than (one) who كَذَبَ lies عَلَی against اللّٰهِ Allah وَ كَذَّبَ and denies بِالصِّدْقِ the truth اِذْ when جَآءَهٗ ؕ it comes to him اَلَیْسَ Is (there) not فِیْ in جَهَنَّمَ Hell مَثْوًی an abode لِّلْكٰفِرِیْنَ for the disbelievers وَ الَّذِیْ And the one who جَآءَ brought بِالصِّدْقِ the truth وَ صَدَّقَ and believed بِهٖۤ in it اُولٰٓىِٕكَ those هُمُ [they] الْمُتَّقُوْنَ (are) the righteous لَهُمْ For them مَّا (is) what یَشَآءُوْنَ they wish عِنْدَ with رَبِّهِمْ ؕ their Lord ذٰلِكَ That جَزٰٓؤُا (is the) reward الْمُحْسِنِیْنَۚۖ (of) the good-doers لِیُكَفِّرَ That Allah will remove اللّٰهُ That Allah will remove عَنْهُمْ from them اَسْوَاَ (the) worst الَّذِیْ (of) what عَمِلُوْا they did وَ یَجْزِیَهُمْ and reward them اَجْرَهُمْ their due بِاَحْسَنِ for (the) best الَّذِیْ (of) what كَانُوْا they used (to) یَعْمَلُوْنَ do اَلَیْسَ Is not اللّٰهُ Allah بِكَافٍ sufficient عَبْدَهٗ ؕ (for) His slave وَ یُخَوِّفُوْنَكَ And they threaten you بِالَّذِیْنَ with those مِنْ besides Him دُوْنِهٖ ؕ besides Him وَ مَنْ And whoever یُّضْلِلِ Allah lets go astray اللّٰهُ Allah lets go astray فَمَا then not لَهٗ for him مِنْ any هَادٍۚ guide وَ مَنْ And whoever یَّهْدِ Allah guides اللّٰهُ Allah guides فَمَا then not لَهٗ for him مِنْ any مُّضِلٍّ ؕ misleader اَلَیْسَ Is not اللّٰهُ Allah بِعَزِیْزٍ All-Mighty ذِی All-Able of retribution انْتِقَامٍ All-Able of retribution وَ لَىِٕنْ And if سَاَلْتَهُمْ you ask them مَّنْ who خَلَقَ created السَّمٰوٰتِ the heavens وَ الْاَرْضَ and the earth لَیَقُوْلُنَّ Surely, they will say اللّٰهُ ؕ Allah قُلْ Say اَفَرَءَیْتُمْ Then do you see مَّا what تَدْعُوْنَ you invoke مِنْ besides دُوْنِ besides اللّٰهِ Allah اِنْ if اَرَادَنِیَ Allah intended for me اللّٰهُ Allah intended for me بِضُرٍّ harm هَلْ are هُنَّ they كٰشِفٰتُ removers ضُرِّهٖۤ (of) harm (from) Him اَوْ or اَرَادَنِیْ if He intended for me بِرَحْمَةٍ mercy هَلْ are هُنَّ they مُمْسِكٰتُ withholders رَحْمَتِهٖ ؕ (of) His mercy قُلْ Say حَسْبِیَ Sufficient (is) Allah for me اللّٰهُ ؕ Sufficient (is) Allah for me عَلَیْهِ upon Him یَتَوَكَّلُ put trust الْمُتَوَكِّلُوْنَ those who trust قُلْ Say یٰقَوْمِ O my people! اعْمَلُوْا Work عَلٰی (according) to مَكَانَتِكُمْ your position اِنِّیْ indeed I am عَامِلٌ ۚ working فَسَوْفَ then soon تَعْلَمُوْنَۙ you will know مَنْ (Upon) whom یَّاْتِیْهِ will come عَذَابٌ a punishment یُّخْزِیْهِ disgracing him وَ یَحِلُّ and descends عَلَیْهِ on him عَذَابٌ a punishment مُّقِیْمٌ everlasting 39. Az-Zumar Page 463 اِنَّاۤ Indeed We اَنْزَلْنَا We revealed عَلَیْكَ to you الْكِتٰبَ the Book لِلنَّاسِ for [the] mankind بِالْحَقِّ ۚ in truth فَمَنِ So whoever اهْتَدٰی accepts guidance فَلِنَفْسِهٖ ۚ then (it is) for his soul وَ مَنْ and whoever ضَلَّ goes astray فَاِنَّمَا then only یَضِلُّ he strays عَلَیْهَا ۚ against his (soul) وَ مَاۤ And not اَنْتَ you عَلَیْهِمْ (are) over them بِوَكِیْلٍ۠ a manager
(39:32) Who, then, can be more unjust than he who lied against Allah and denied the Truth when it came to him, calling it a lie? Is there no room for such unbelievers in Hell?
(39:33) But he who brought the Truth, and those who confirmed it as true, such are the ones who shall be guarded against the chastisement.52
(39:34) They shall have from their Lord all that they wish for.53 That is the reward of those that do good,
(39:35) so that Allah may remit their worst deeds and reward them according to the best of their deeds.54
(39:36) (O Prophet), does Allah not suffice for His servant? They frighten you with others apart from Him,55 although he whom Allah lets go astray, none can guide him to the Right Way.
(39:37) And he whom Allah guides to the Right Way, none can lead him astray. Is not Allah the Most Mighty, the Lord of Retribution?56
(39:38) If you ask them: “Who created the heavens and the earth?” they will surely answer: “Allah.” Tell them: “What do you think, then, of the deities whom you call upon instead of Allah? If Allah should will that an affliction befall me, will those deities remove the harm inflicted by Him? Or if Allah should will that I receive (His) Mercy, will they be able to withhold His Mercy from me?” Say: “Allah is sufficient for me; those who have to put their trust, let them put their trust in Him.57
(39:39) Tell them: “My people, continue to work in your position as you will, I too will continue with my work.58 Soon you shall know
(39:40) whom the degrading chastisement will visit and upon whom the everlasting chastisement will alight.
(39:41) (O Prophet), We revealed to you the Book with the Truth for all mankind. So he who follows the Right Way does so to his own benefit, and he who goes astray, shall hurt only himself by straying. You are not accountable on their behalf.59
52. They are told as to who will be punished after being tried on the Day of Judgement. It is the wrongdoers who invent false beliefs, associate others with God in His essence, attributes, powers and rights, and who reject the truth who are destined for the worst punishment in the Next Life. An even more outrageous iniquity of theirs is that they decried for lying the person who presented the truth to them. As for the person who brought the truth (peace be on him) to them and those who affirmed the veracity of his message, it is simply out of the question that they will be condemned to punishment.
53. Note that this verse does not make any reference to Paradise.
Rather, it is stated that the pious will receive all that they desire from their Lord. Obviously, each person will return to his Lord immediately after death. It seems, therefore, that the pious will be treated kindly from the moment of their death through their entry into Paradise. The pious will naturally desire to be spared torment in barzakh, the rigors on the Day of Judgement, stringent interrogation, and humiliation in the Grand Assembly and punishment for their lapses. They will desire all this and God will fulfil all these desires.
54. Those who embraced faith at the hands of the Prophet (peace be on him) had committed serious sins in matters of belief and practice in pre- Islamic days. After accepting Islam, they not only gave up all their false beliefs but also faithfully followed the truth propounded by the Prophet (peace be on him). With regard to morality, worship and relationship with others, their conduct was excellent. God, therefore, promises that the sins committed by them in pre-Islamic time (Jahiliyah) will be removed from their Record and they will be rewarded in accordance with the very best of their deeds in their Record of conduct.
55. The Makkan unbelievers threatened the Prophet (peace be on him) with dire consequences as a sequel to his opposition to their idols.
Indeed, they thought that their idols were so immensely powerful that anyone who insulted them would simply be devastated.
56. The unbelievers are devoid of God’s guidance. Therefore, they place great premium on the power and glory of their gods. So doing, they fail to recognize that God is supreme and that their blasphemous attitude to Him as evident from their polytheism amounts to inviting His wrath upon them.
57. Ibn Abi Hatim has narrated on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas that the Prophet (peace be on him) said: ‘He who desires to be the most powerful among men should repose his trust in God. He who desires to be the richest should have greater trust in what is in God’s possession than in what he himself possesses. Likewise, he who desires to be the most respected man, should fear Almighty God.’ (Ibn Abi Hatim, Tafsir on Surah al-Zumar 39: 38 and comments on Surah al-Talaq 65: 2.)
58. The unbelievers are being sarcastically asked to persist in their bid to harm the Prophet (peace be on him) and to spare no effort in that regard.
59. The Prophet (peace be on him) has not been mandated to compel people to follow the Straight Way. All he is requited to do is to clearly expound that Straight Way. However, if people still prefer error, it is they who will be held accountable for it while the Prophet (peace be on him) will be absolved of his responsibility if they continue to wallow in error after he has fulfilled his part of the duty.