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14. Ibrahim

Abraham · Meccan · 52 ayahs

سُورَةُ إِبۡرَاهِيمَ

Reading Al-Mukhtasar in Interpreting the Noble Qur'an by Tafsir Center for Quranic Studies

Ayahs 21–30 of 52

21

وَبَرَزُوا۟ لِلَّهِ جَمِيعًۭا فَقَالَ ٱلضُّعَفَٰٓؤُا۟ لِلَّذِينَ ٱسْتَكْبَرُوٓا۟ إِنَّا كُنَّا لَكُمْ تَبَعًۭا فَهَلْ أَنتُم مُّغْنُونَ عَنَّا مِنْ عَذَابِ ٱللَّهِ مِن شَىْءٍۢ ۚ قَالُوا۟ لَوْ هَدَىٰنَا ٱللَّهُ لَهَدَيْنَٰكُمْ ۖ سَوَآءٌ عَلَيْنَآ أَجَزِعْنَآ أَمْ صَبَرْنَا مَا لَنَا مِن مَّحِيصٍۢ

And they will come out [for judgement] before Allah all together, and the weak will say to those who were arrogant, "Indeed, we were your followers, so can you avail us anything against the punishment of Allah?" They will say, "If Allah had guided us, we would have guided you. It is all the same for us whether we show intolerance or are patient: there is for us no place of escape."

The created things emerged from their graves towards Allah on the Appointed Day. The weak followers said to their eminent leaders: “O masters, we were followers to you. We were commanded by your command, and forbidden by your prohibition. So will you protect us against any of Allah’s punishments? The eminent leaders said: “If Allah had directed us towards guidance, we would have ushered you towards it. Then we would all have been saved from His punishment. However, we were misguided and we lead you astray. It is the same for the both of us, whether we are too weak to bear the punishment or are patient, there is no escaping the punishment for us”.

22

وَقَالَ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنُ لَمَّا قُضِىَ ٱلْأَمْرُ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ وَعَدَكُمْ وَعْدَ ٱلْحَقِّ وَوَعَدتُّكُمْ فَأَخْلَفْتُكُمْ ۖ وَمَا كَانَ لِىَ عَلَيْكُم مِّن سُلْطَٰنٍ إِلَّآ أَن دَعَوْتُكُمْ فَٱسْتَجَبْتُمْ لِى ۖ فَلَا تَلُومُونِى وَلُومُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَكُم ۖ مَّآ أَنَا۠ بِمُصْرِخِكُمْ وَمَآ أَنتُم بِمُصْرِخِىَّ ۖ إِنِّى كَفَرْتُ بِمَآ أَشْرَكْتُمُونِ مِن قَبْلُ ۗ إِنَّ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌۭ

And Satan will say when the matter has been concluded, "Indeed, Allah had promised you the promise of truth. And I promised you, but I betrayed you. But I had no authority over you except that I invited you, and you responded to me. So do not blame me; but blame yourselves. I cannot be called to your aid, nor can you be called to my aid. Indeed, I deny your association of me [with Allah] before. Indeed, for the wrongdoers is a painful punishment."

When the people of paradise entered paradise, and the people of hellfire entered hellfire, Iblis said: “Indeed Allah gave you a true promise, and he carried out his promise to you. I gave you a false promise and I failed to fulfil my promise to you. With whatever strength I have I will use to compel you in this world towards disbelief and misguidance. I invited you towards disbelieve and made sins attractive to you, so you were quick to follow me. Do not blame me for what befell you of misguidance, but blame yourselves because yourselves are more deserving of blame. I will not help you in averting your penalty, and you will not help me in averting my penalty. I denounce that you made me a partner with Allah in your worship. Those who do wrong by associating partners with Allah in this world and disbelieve in Him have a painful penalty that awaits them on the Day of Judgment.

23

وَأُدْخِلَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ جَنَّٰتٍۢ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَٰرُ خَٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِمْ ۖ تَحِيَّتُهُمْ فِيهَا سَلَٰمٌ

And those who believed and did righteous deeds will be admitted to gardens beneath which rivers flow, abiding eternally therein by permission of their Lord; and their greeting therein will be, "Peace!"

By contrast to the fate of the wrongdoers, Allah caused those who have faith and do good deeds to enter Paradise with rivers flowing under its palaces and trees. They will dwell in it eternally in the presence of their Lord. They will greet one another, the angels will greet them and their Lord, may He be Glorified, will greet them with peace.

24

أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ ضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلًۭا كَلِمَةًۭ طَيِّبَةًۭ كَشَجَرَةٍۢ طَيِّبَةٍ أَصْلُهَا ثَابِتٌۭ وَفَرْعُهَا فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ

Have you not considered how Allah presents an example, [making] a good word like a good tree, whose root is firmly fixed and its branches [high] in the sky?

O Messenger, do you not know how Allah presented an example of the monotheistic phrase: “There is no deity but Allah”, when He likened it to an excellent tree, the date palm. Its trunk shoots into the earth’s floor and it drinks water with its excellent roots. Its branches reach out into the sky, drinking from the moisture and inhaling the good wind.

25

تُؤْتِىٓ أُكُلَهَا كُلَّ حِينٍۭ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهَا ۗ وَيَضْرِبُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْأَمْثَالَ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ

It produces its fruit all the time, by permission of its Lord. And Allah presents examples for the people that perhaps they will be reminded.

This excellent tree provides its sweet fruit each time by the permission of its Lord. Allah, the Exalted, may He be Glorified, provides examples for people to encourage them to remember.

26

وَمَثَلُ كَلِمَةٍ خَبِيثَةٍۢ كَشَجَرَةٍ خَبِيثَةٍ ٱجْتُثَّتْ مِن فَوْقِ ٱلْأَرْضِ مَا لَهَا مِن قَرَارٍۢ

And the example of a bad word is like a bad tree, uprooted from the surface of the earth, not having any stability.

The example of the bad word of disbelief is that of a bad tree, the colocynth. It is removed from its foundation with no stability on the earth. Nor does it extend into the sky, so it dies and is scattered by the wind. The word of disbelief results in ruin, and its owner’s good deeds will not reach Allah.

27

يُثَبِّتُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ بِٱلْقَوْلِ ٱلثَّابِتِ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَفِى ٱلْءَاخِرَةِ ۖ وَيُضِلُّ ٱللَّهُ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ ۚ وَيَفْعَلُ ٱللَّهُ مَا يَشَآءُ

Allah keeps firm those who believe, with the firm word, in worldly life and in the Hereafter. And Allah sends astray the wrongdoers. And Allah does what He wills.

Through the monotheistic word, Allah makes the believers firm in their belief in the world until they die upon belief, as well as in the Transitory Stage in their graves when they are asked, and He will make them firm on the Day of Judgment. By causing them to associate partners with Him and disbelieve in Him, Allah will lead the wrongdoers away from guidance and what is correct. Allah does as He wishes when it comes to leading astray whomever He wants in accordance with His justice and guiding whomever He wants in accordance with His grace. Allah cannot be coerced (may He be glorified).

28

۞ أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى ٱلَّذِينَ بَدَّلُوا۟ نِعْمَتَ ٱللَّهِ كُفْرًۭا وَأَحَلُّوا۟ قَوْمَهُمْ دَارَ ٱلْبَوَارِ

Have you not considered those who exchanged the favor of Allah for disbelief and settled their people [in] the home of ruin?

You have seen the circumstance of those who disbelieved in Allah and His Messenger from amongst Quraysh when they rejected Allah’s favor of having kept them safe in the Sacred Precinct. And in sending Muhammad, peace be upon Him, to them, they chose disbelief in His favours when they belied what he had brought them from their Lord. They caused their people that followed them in disbelieving to descend into the abode of destruction.

29

جَهَنَّمَ يَصْلَوْنَهَا ۖ وَبِئْسَ ٱلْقَرَارُ

[It is] Hell, which they will [enter to] burn, and wretched is the settlement.

The abode of destruction is the Hellfire that they will enter. They will suffer its heat, and the worst of dwellings with be theirs to dwell in.

30

وَجَعَلُوا۟ لِلَّهِ أَندَادًۭا لِّيُضِلُّوا۟ عَن سَبِيلِهِۦ ۗ قُلْ تَمَتَّعُوا۟ فَإِنَّ مَصِيرَكُمْ إِلَى ٱلنَّارِ

And they have attributed to Allah equals to mislead [people] from His way. Say, "Enjoy yourselves, for indeed, your destination is the Fire."

The idolaters made idols and counterparts for Allah so that they would lead their followers away from Allah’s path after they had been lead away from it. O Messenger, say to them: “Enjoy the objects of desire in your possession, and the spreading of doubt in the world. On the Day of Judgment your recompense will be the Hellfire, and you will have no other recompense besides it”.

Commentary: Al-Mukhtasar in Interpreting the Noble Qur'an by Tafsir Center for Quranic Studies. Qur'an text and translation via AlQuran Cloud.