40. Ghafir بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ حٰمٓۚ Ha Mim تَنْزِیْلُ (The) revelation الْكِتٰبِ (of) the Book مِنَ (is) from اللّٰهِ Allah الْعَزِیْزِ the All-Mighty الْعَلِیْمِۙ the All-Knower غَافِرِ (The) Forgiver الذَّنْۢبِ (of) the sin وَ قَابِلِ and (the) Acceptor التَّوْبِ (of) [the] repentance شَدِیْدِ severe الْعِقَابِ ۙ (in) the punishment ذِی Owner of الطَّوْلِ ؕ the abundance لَاۤ (There is) no اِلٰهَ god اِلَّا except هُوَ ؕ Him اِلَیْهِ to Him الْمَصِیْرُ (is) the final return مَا Not یُجَادِلُ dispute فِیْۤ concerning اٰیٰتِ (the) Verses اللّٰهِ (of) Allah اِلَّا except الَّذِیْنَ those who كَفَرُوْا disbelieve فَلَا so (let) not یَغْرُرْكَ deceive you تَقَلُّبُهُمْ their movement فِی in الْبِلَادِ the cities كَذَّبَتْ Denied قَبْلَهُمْ before them قَوْمُ (the) people نُوْحٍ (of) Nuh وَّ الْاَحْزَابُ and the factions مِنْۢ after them بَعْدِهِمْ ۪ after them وَ هَمَّتْ and plotted كُلُّ every اُمَّةٍۭ nation بِرَسُوْلِهِمْ against their Messenger لِیَاْخُذُوْهُ to seize him وَ جٰدَلُوْا and they disputed بِالْبَاطِلِ by falsehood لِیُدْحِضُوْا to refute بِهِ thereby الْحَقَّ the truth فَاَخَذْتُهُمْ ۫ So I seized them فَكَیْفَ Then how كَانَ was عِقَابِ My penalty وَ كَذٰلِكَ And thus حَقَّتْ has been justified كَلِمَتُ (the) Word رَبِّكَ (of) your Lord عَلَی against الَّذِیْنَ those who كَفَرُوْۤا disbelieved اَنَّهُمْ that they اَصْحٰبُ (are) companions النَّارِ (of) the Fire اَلَّذِیْنَ Those who یَحْمِلُوْنَ bear الْعَرْشَ the Throne وَ مَنْ and those حَوْلَهٗ around it یُسَبِّحُوْنَ glorify بِحَمْدِ (the) praises رَبِّهِمْ (of) their Lord وَ یُؤْمِنُوْنَ and believe بِهٖ in Him وَ یَسْتَغْفِرُوْنَ and ask forgiveness لِلَّذِیْنَ for those who اٰمَنُوْا ۚ believe رَبَّنَا Our Lord! وَسِعْتَ You encompass كُلَّ all شَیْءٍ things رَّحْمَةً (by Your) Mercy وَّ عِلْمًا and knowledge فَاغْفِرْ so forgive لِلَّذِیْنَ those who تَابُوْا repent وَ اتَّبَعُوْا and follow سَبِیْلَكَ Your Way وَ قِهِمْ and save them (from) عَذَابَ (the) punishment الْجَحِیْمِ (of) the Hellfire 40. Ghafir Page 468 رَبَّنَا Our Lord! وَ اَدْخِلْهُمْ And admit them جَنّٰتِ (to) Gardens عَدْنِ (of) Eden ِ۟الَّتِیْ which وَعَدْتَّهُمْ You have promised them وَ مَنْ and whoever صَلَحَ (was) righteous مِنْ among اٰبَآىِٕهِمْ their fathers وَ اَزْوَاجِهِمْ and their spouses وَ ذُرِّیّٰتِهِمْ ؕ and their offspring اِنَّكَ Indeed You اَنْتَ You الْعَزِیْزُ (are) the All-Mighty الْحَكِیْمُۙ the All-Wise وَ قِهِمُ And protect them السَّیِّاٰتِ ؕ (from) the evils وَ مَنْ And whoever تَقِ you protect السَّیِّاٰتِ (from) the evils یَوْمَىِٕذٍ (that) Day فَقَدْ then verily رَحِمْتَهٗ ؕ You bestowed Mercy on him وَ ذٰلِكَ And that هُوَ [it] الْفَوْزُ (is) the success الْعَظِیْمُ۠ the great
(40:1) Ha'. Mim.
(40:2) This Book is a revelation from Allah, the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing;
(40:3) the Forgiver of sins, the Accepter of repentance, the Stern in retribution, the Bountiful. There is no god but He. To Him are all destined to return.1
(40:4) None but the unbelievers3 dispute regarding the Signs of Allah.2 So let not their strutting about in the land delude you.4
(40:5) Before them the people of Noah also gave the lie (to Messengers), and so did many parties after them. Each nation sallied forth against its Messenger to seize him, and they disputed with false arguments seeking therewith to repudiate the Truth. Then I seized them; and behold, how woeful was My retribution!
(40:6) Thus has the decree of your Lord become due against the unbelievers. They are destined for the Fire.5
(40:7) The angels that bear the Throne and those that are around to extol your Lord's glory with His praise, they believe in Him, and ask forgiveness for the believers,6saying: “Our Lord! You encompass everything with Your Mercy and Knowledge.7 So forgive those that repent and follow Your Path,9 and guard them against the chastisement of Hell.8
(40:8) Our Lord, admit them to the everlasting Gardens You have promised them10 and those of their fathers and spouses and progeny that were righteous.11 Surely You alone are Most Mighty, Most Wise;
(40:9) and guard them against all ills.12 He whom You guard against ills on that Day,13 to him You have surely been Most Merciful. That is the great triumph.”
1. This is the prelude to the Surah through which the audience are alerted to the fact that the Qur’an is not the Word of an ordinary being; rather, it has been revealed by God Himself. Some of His attributes, specifically those of vital relevance to the Surah’s content, are described ere.
(1) Of these is that He is All-Mighty. Hence, whatever He wills always prevails and whatever He decides is carried out regardless of whom it affects. None can resist God’s will or escape His grip. Whoever believes that he will thrive by flouting God’s command or will prevail against His Messenger is a victim of sheer folly. Such expectations can never come true.
(2) Additionally, God is All-Knowing. He knows everything. He says nothing on the basis of surmise or conjecture for He has direct knowledge of everything. As far as truths that lie beyond the range of perception are concerned, only that information which God provides is absolutely true and sound. Those who disregard this are necessarily pursuing a course of ignorance.
Likewise, God knows what is conducive to man’s felicity and necessary for his welfare. Since His guidance is rooted in knowledge and wisdom, it excludes every possibility of error.
Hence, non-acceptance of God’s guidance simply means opting for one’s own destruction. Furthermore, nothing is hidden from God, not even people’s unexpressed intentions and motives.
Hence, no pretext or excuse proffered by man can save him from God’s punishment.
(3) Another major attribute of God is that He forgives sins and accepts repentance. This attribute is mentioned to provide hope to those who have been guilty of transgression such that they do not despair of God’s mercy. They are asked to mend their ways in view of the fact that if they give up their erstwhile transgression, God’s mercy will engulf them.
It seems pertinent to clarify that pardoning sins and accepting repentance are not necessarily tied together. At times, God pardons man’s sins without the latter’s repentance. It is also possible, for example, that one’s good deeds may expiate for one’s lapses, even though one may not have had the chance to repent and seek pardon for them from God. Likewise, the hardships that befall a man may lead to forgiveness of his sins. This privilege is, however, enjoyed only by those believers whose record is not tarnished by rebelliousness, those who might have sinned simply because of innate human weaknesses but who were not arrogant or adamantly insistent on sinful behavior.
(4) Another attribute of God is that He is stern in retribution.
This is mentioned here so as to drive it home that in the same manner that God is merciful to those who choose for themselves the course of servitude, He is severe in dealing with those who exceed the legitimate limits of His indulgence.
Thereafter, such people become worthy of God’s punishment, a punishment so horrendous that only a fool would consider it to be endurable.
(5) Still other attributes belonging to God are that He is bountiful, full of grace, abundantly munificent and exceedingly magnanimous. As a result, His numerous bounties constantly reach His creatures. In fact, all that creatures receive is thanks only to His grace.
After mentioning these five attributes of God, the following two truths, are forcefully brought out. (a) That there is no god besides the One True God and this is notwithstanding the plethora of false gods invented by people. (b) Everyone is eventually bound to return to God. Those who set up gods other than the One True God will face the consequences of their actions. For there is no one besides Him who can hold man to account and recompense him.
2. Kufr carries the following two meanings here: (i) ingratitude, and (ii) rejection of the truth. Taken in the former sense, the verse means that thanklessness is manifest from the behavior of those who tend to forget God’s bounties that were unremittingly showered on them. Such people forget that they have been ceaselessly sustained by His bounties.
The second meaning of kuff, viz. rejection of the truth is implied in the attitudinal trait of those who dispute God's Signs, who turn away from the truth and make up their minds not to accept it. It is clear from the context that this does not allude to unbelievers as such. For well-meaning unbelievers may raise questions about Islam in order to pursue their quest for the truth. The reproach in the verse is not meant to apply to such people’s attitude.
3. What this refers to is indulgence in unnecessary disputation, resort to hair-splitting objections against God’s message or distortion of its meaning so as to obstruct others and one’s own self from comprehending it. Such people cannot escape God’s punishment. This hostile contentiousness is one to which people are driven by evil motives. On the other hand, an objective seeker of the truth may question a proposition and do so in order to arrive at the truth. Such a person will carefully weigh his arguments, both for and against the proposition. The aim of his discussion will be to know the truth. In contrast, evil-minded people engage in specious argumentation only to discomfit and checkmate the other party. Such people shy away from facing the real problems; instead, they confine their forays to the periphery.
4, There is a subtle gap between the first statement and the second one that is left to be filled by the intelligence of the audience. It is fairly clear from the context that those who contend and wrangle about God’s Signs can never escape His punishment. Yet, despite their wickedness, they strut about with impunity, their trade and commerce thrive, their states function with pomp and splendor, and they are immersed in self-indulgence without any let or hindrance. Ali this should not, however, delude anyone into thinking that such people will not be seized by God’s punishment. Nor should anyone think that such a war against God’s Signs is an entertaining game that can be continually played without facing its woeful consequences. There is no basis whatsoever for any such illusion.
The fact of the matter is simple: people have been granted a respite. The more they misuse this respite to act wickedly, the more harm they will cause to themselves.
5. The unbelievers, as we know, have in the past suffered punishment in this world. That, however, is not the end of the matter. God has also decreed that such people will be cast into Hell in the World to Come.
The verse also admits another nuance. In the past, God decreed the doom of several unbelieving nations. In like manner, those who are presently engaged in disbelief have invited God’s decree of chastiment upon themselves, and like the wicked nations of the past, God’s decree will overtake them, consigning them to Hell.
6. This was said to comfort and console the Prophet’s Companions. Around that time, they were agonized by the Makkan unbelievers’ sharp, abrasive tongues as well as their acts of brutal oppression. All this was coupled with a helplessness that naturally left the Companions dejected.
In this context, they are urged not to feel distressed on account of the behavior of such debased people. Rather, the believers should take comfort in the fact that they are held in such high esteem by God that not only the common agents of his Kingdom but even its pillars - the angels that bear God’s Throne and those that stand around it and are near stationed to Him — ardently support them. The additional statement that these angels ‘believe in Him, and ask forgiveness for the believers’ (verse 7) indicates that faith is the common bond that joins the heavenly and earthly creatures in union. It is such angels’ faith that induces interest in and sympathy for the humans who inhabit the earth.
The statement that the angels ‘believe in Him’ does not imply that it was possible for angels to disbelieve and that they had opted for belief in preference to disbelief. It rather means that angels are committed to obey the authority of the One True God so that no other being can command them and that they surrender to none other in obedience. When believing humans adopt the same attitude a concord is established between them and the angels and this was despite the fact that they belong to a different species and that a spatial gap also separates the two.
7. None of man’s lapses and weaknesses is hidden from God for His Knowledge embraces everything. However, God’s mercy too is as extensive as His Knowledge. Hence, He can forgive people despite fully _ knowing their lapses. The verse also means that God will forgive those who are known to Him to have sincerely repented and to have earnestly adopted His prescribed way.
8. Pardoning and saving people from the punishment of Hellfire are interrelated. To mention one also implies the other. Once again, this brings into sharp relief the angels’ concern for the well-being of the believers.
It is common knowledge that whoever is keen about a thing is likely to repeat and express it in a variety of ways. This seems to be manifest from what the angels are saying here.
9. That is, they have abandoned disobedience and rebellion and are following the way prescribed by God in a spirit of obeisance and devotion.
10. This is also illustrative of the angels’ fervent entreaty to which we have alluded inn. 8 above. Obviously, to forgive and save someone from Hellfire implies his entry into Paradise. Hence the angels’ prayer: ‘Our Lord, admit them to the everlasting Gardens You have promised them and those of their fathers and spouses and progeny that were righteous...’ (verse 8). Much of this prayer might appear superfluous. However, so overflowing is the angels’ love and goodwill for the believers that they cannot help repeatedly asking God to bestow all of His bounties and blessings on them. They do so even though it is quite obvious that God will certainly do so as that is what He has already promised.
11. That is, may God join them with their parents, wives and children in Paradise, so as to grant them the utmost gratification. God mentions this as one of His favors, (see al-Ra‘d 13: 23 and al-Tur 52: 21.) The Qur’an states: ‘We shall unite the believers with those descendants of theirs who followed them in their faith’, (al-Tur 52: 21.)
12. Sayyi’at, a synonym for evils or ills, is used to indicate the following: (i) Erroneous beliefs, degenerate morals and evil deeds; (ii) terrible consequences of error and wickedness; and (iii) the calamities sufferings and torment in this world or in barzakh or on the Day of Judgement. The angels’ supplication embraces all these insofar as they want the believers to be protected against everything that is evil.
13. This refers to the terrible situation pervading the Grand Assembly, to the lack of shade and other comforts, to the severity of interrogation, to the public disgrace as a result of the sinners’ secrets being exposed and all other hardships to which they will be subjected on the Day of Judgement. .