An-Nur: 39

Ayah

Word by Word

وَٱلَّذِينَ

But those who

كَفَرُوٓاْ

disbelieve

أَعۡمَٰلُهُمۡ

their deeds

كَسَرَابِ

(are) like a mirage

بِقِيعَةٖ

in a lowland

يَحۡسَبُهُ

thinks it

ٱلظَّمۡـَٔانُ

the thirsty one

مَآءً

(to be) water

حَتَّىٰٓ

until

إِذَا

when

جَآءَهُۥ

he comes to it

لَمۡ

not

يَجِدۡهُ

he finds it

شَيۡـٔٗا

(to be) anything

وَوَجَدَ

but he finds

ٱللَّهَ

Allah

عِندَهُۥ

before him

فَوَفَّىٰهُ

He will pay him in full

حِسَابَهُۥۗ

his due

وَٱللَّهُ

And Allah

سَرِيعُ

(is) swift

ٱلۡحِسَابِ

(in) the account

Translation

But the Unbelievers,- their deeds are like a mirage in sandy deserts, which the man parched with thirst mistakes for water; until when he comes up to it, he finds it to be nothing: But he finds Allah (ever) with him, and Allah will pay him his account: and Allah is swift in taking account.

Tafsir

Two Examples of two kinds of Disbelievers

These are two examples which Allah sets forth of two kinds of disbelievers.

Similarly He sets forth two parables of the hypocrites at the beginning of Surah Al-Baqarah:

one involving fire and the other involving water.

Similarly, in Surah Ar-Ra`d He gives two parables of the guidance and knowledge that are instilled in the heart, again involving fire and water;

we have discussed each of them in the appropriate place and there is no need to repeat it here, praise be to Allah.

Allah says:

وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَعۡمَالُهُمۡ كَسَرَابٍ بِقِيعَةٍ يَحۡسَبُهُ الظَّمۡأنُ مَاء حَتَّى إِذَا جَاءهُ

As for those who disbelieved, their deeds are like a mirage in a Qi`ah. The thirsty one thinks it to be water until he comes up to it,

The first of these two examples is that of the disbelievers who call others to their disbelief, thinking that they have good actions and beliefs, when this is not in fact the case. Their likeness is that of a mirage which is seen in a desert plain, looking from a distance as if it is a deep sea.

The word Qi`ah refers to a vast, flat, level area of land in which the mirage may appear.

There are different kinds of mirage, one which appears after midday, and another which appears in the morning and looks like water between heaven and earth. If a person who is in need of water sees the mirage, he thinks that it is water so he heads towards it in order to drink from it, but when he reaches it,

لَمۡ يَجِدۡهُ شَيۡيًا

he finds it to be nothing.

Similarly the disbeliever thinks that he is doing something good and that he has achieved something, but when Allah judges him on the Day of Resurrection, and brings him to account and examines his deeds, he will find that nothing has been accepted at all, either because of a lack of sincere belief or because he did not follow the proper ways of the Shariah. As Allah says:

وَقَدِمۡنَأ إِلَى مَا عَمِلُواۡ مِنۡ عَمَلٍ فَجَعَلۡنَاهُ هَبَأءً مَّنثُوراً

And We shall turn to whatever deeds they did, and We shall make such deeds as scattered floating particles of dust. (25:23)

And He says here:

وَوَجَدَ اللَّهَ عِندَهُ فَوَفَّاهُ حِسَابَهُ وَاللَّهُ سَرِيعُ الۡحِسَابِ

but he finds Allah with him, who will pay him his due. And Allah is swift in taking account.

A similar view was also narrated from Ubayy bin Ka`b, Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, Qatadah and others.

In the Two Sahihs, it is reported that on the Day of Resurrection it will be said to the Jews,

What did you used to worship!

They will say, We used to worship `Uzayr the son of Allah.

It will be said to them, You have lied. Allah has not begotten a son. What do you want!

They will say, O Lord, we are thirsty, give us something to drink.

It will be said to them, Do you not see!

Then Hell will be shown to them as if it is a mirage, parts of it consuming other parts, and they will go and fall into it.

This is the parable of one whose ignorance is deep and advanced.

As for those whose ignorance is simple, those who are uneducated and foolish and blindly follow the leaders of disbelief, knowing and understanding nothing, their parable is as Allah says

أَوۡ كَظُلُمَاتٍ فِي بَحۡرٍ لُّجِّيٍّ يَغۡشَاهُ مَوۡجٌ مِّن فَوۡقِهِ مَوۡجٌ مِّن فَوۡقِهِ سَحَابٌ ظُلُمَاتٌ بَعۡضُهَا فَوۡقَ بَعۡضٍ إِذَا أَخۡرَجَ يَدَهُ لَمۡ يَكَدۡ يَرَاهَا

Or like the darkness in a vast deep sea, overwhelmed with waves topped by waves, topped by dark clouds, darkness upon darkness:if a man stretches out his hand, he can hardly see it!

meaning, he can hardly see it because it is so intensely dark.

This is the parable of the heart of the disbeliever whose ignorance is simple, who merely follows and does not know the true nature of the one whom he follows or where he is going. He is like the ignorant man in the parable who was asked, Where are you going?

He said, With them.

He was asked, Where are they going?

He said, I do not know.

ظُلُمَاتٌ بَعۡضُهَا فَوۡقَ بَعۡضٍ

darkness upon darkness,

Ubayy bin Ka`b said:

He is enveloped in five types of darkness:

his speech is darkness,

his deeds are darkness,

his coming in is darkness,

his going out is darkness and

his destiny on the Day of Resurrection will be darkness in the fire of Hell.

As-Suddi and Ar-Rabi` bin Anas also said something similar.

وَمَن لَّمۡ يَجۡعَلِ اللَّهُ لَهُ نُورًا فَمَا لَهُ مِن نُّورٍ

And he for whom Allah has not appointed light, for him there is no light.

One whom Allah does not guide is ignorant and doomed, an utter loser and disbeliever.

This is like the Ayah:

مَن يُضۡلِلِ اللَّهُ فَلَ هَادِيَ لَهُ

Whomsoever Allah sends astray, none can guide him. (7:186)

This is in contrast to what Allah says about the believers:

يَهۡدِى اللَّهُ لِنُورِهِ مَن يَشَأءُ

Allah guides to His Light whom He wills. (24:35)

We ask Allah the Almighty to put light in our hearts and give us light on our right and on our left, and to increase us in light

Everything glorifies Allah, may He be exalted, and to Him belongs the Sovereignty

Allah tells:

أَلَمۡ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالاَۡرۡضِ

See you not that Allah, He it is Whom glorify whosoever is in the heavens and the earth,

Allah tells us that whosoever is in the heavens and on the earth, i.e., the angels, mankind, Jinn, animals and even inanimate objects, all glorify Him.

This is like the Ayah:

تُسَبِّحُ لَهُ السَّمَـوَتُ السَّبۡعُ وَالاٌّرۡضُ وَمَن فِيهِنَّ

The seven heavens and the earth and all that is therein, glorify Him. (17:44)

وَالطَّيۡرُ صَافَّاتٍ

and the birds with wings outspread,

means, while they are flying they glorify their Lord and worship Him with the glorification with which they are inspired and to which they are guided.

Allah knows what they are doing, and so He says:

كُلٌّ قَدۡ عَلِمَ صَلَتَهُ وَتَسۡبِيحَهُ

Of each one He knows indeed his Salah and his glorification;

meaning, He has guided every creature to its own way of worshipping Allah, may He be glorified.

وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِمَا يَفۡعَلُونَ

and Allah is All-Aware of what they do.

Allah tells us that He knows all of that and nothing at all is hidden from Him.

He says

وَلِلَّهِ مُلۡكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالاَۡرۡضِ

And to Allah belongs the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth,

Allah tells that to Him belongs the sovereignty of heaven and earth, and that He is the Ruler and Controller, the God Who is worshipped and besides Whom none other is to be worshipped, and there is none to put back His judgement.

وَإِلَى اللَّهِ الۡمَصِيرُ

and to Allah is the return.

means, on the Day of Resurrection, when He will judge as He wills,

لِيَجۡزِىَ الَّذِينَ أَسَاءُواۡ بِمَا عَمِلُواۡ

that He may requite those who do evil with that which they have done... (53:31)

He is the Creator and Sovereign, and His is indeed the Authority in this world and the next. To Him be praise at the beginning and in the end

The Power of Allah to create the Clouds and that which comes from Them

Allah tells:

أَلَمۡ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُزۡجِي سَحَابًا

See you not that Allah drives the clouds gently,

Allah tells us that He drives the clouds from the beginning, when they are formed and are still weak. This is the Gentle driving.

ثُمَّ يُوَلِّفُ بَيۡنَهُ

then joins them together,

means, He brings them together after they have been scattered.

ثُمَّ يَجۡعَلُهُ رُكَامًا

then makes them into a heap of layers,

means, He piles them up on top of one another.

فَتَرَى الۡوَدۡقَ

and you see the Wadq,

meaning the rain,

يَخۡرُجُ مِنۡ خِلَلِهِ

come forth from between them;

means, from the gaps between them.

This is how it was understood by Ibn Abbas and Ad-Dahhak.

Ubayd bin Umayr Al-Laythi said:

Allah sends the scatterer (wind), which stirs up that which is on the surface of the earth.

Then he sends the generator (wind), which forms the clouds.

Then He sends the joiner (wind) which brings them together.

Then He sends the fertilizer (wind) which fertilizes or `seeds' the clouds.

This was recorded by Ibn Abi Hatim and Ibn Jarir.

وَيُنَزِّلُ مِنَ السَّمَاء مِن جِبَالٍ فِيهَا مِن بَرَدٍ

and He sends down from (Min) the sky, from (Min) mountains in it of (Min) ice,

Some of the grammarians said that the first Min describes the place from which it is coming, the second specifies from which part of the sky it comes, and the third means some kind of mountains.

This is based on the view of those scholars of Tafsir who say that,

مِن جِبَالٍ فِيهَا مِن بَرَدٍ

from (Min) mountains in it of (Min) ice,

means that there are mountains of hail in the sky from which Allah sends down ice.

As for those who say that mountains here is used as a metaphor for clouds, they think that the second Min is also used to describe the place from which the ice is coming, and is thus interchangeable with the first.

And Allah knows best.

فَيُصِيبُ بِهِ مَن يَشَاء وَيَصۡرِفُهُ عَن مَّن يَشَاء

and strikes therewith whom He wills, and averts it from whom He wills.

It may be that the phrase

فَيُصِيبُ بِهِ

(and strikes therewith),

means, with what He sends down from the sky of different kinds of rain and hail.

So then the phrase

فَيُصِيبُ بِهِ مَن يَشَاء

(and strikes therewith whom He wills) means, by His mercy towards them,

and

وَيَصۡرِفُهُ عَن مَّن يَشَاء

(and averts it from whom He wills) means, He withholds rain from them.

Or it may be that

فَيُصِيبُ بِهِ

(and strikes therewith),

means, with hail, as a punishment towards whomever He wills, striking their fruits and destroying their crops and trees. And He averts it from whomever He wills as a mercy towards them.

يَكَادُ سَنَا بَرۡقِهِ يَذۡهَبُ بِالاَۡبۡصَارِ

The vivid flash of its lightning nearly blinds the sight.

the brightness of its lightning almost takes away their sight if the eyes follow it and try to look at it

يُقَلِّبُ اللَّهُ اللَّيۡلَ وَالنَّهَارَ

Allah causes the night and the day to succeed each other.

He is controlling them, so that He takes something from the length of one and adds it to the other, which is short, until they become equal, then He does the opposite so that the one which was short becomes long and vice versa. Allah is the One Who is controlling that by His command, power, might and knowledge.

إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَعِبۡرَةً لاُِّوۡلِي الاَۡبۡصَارِ

Truly, in this is indeed a lesson for those who have insight.

means, this is an indication of His greatness, may He be exalted.

This is like the Ayah:

إِنَّ فِى خَلۡقِ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرۡضِ وَاخۡتِلَـفِ الَّيۡلِ وَالنَّهَارِ لاّيَـتٍ لاٌّوۡلِى الاٌّلۡبَـبِ

Verily, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for men of understanding. (3:190)

An-Nur: 39

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