Tafsir Surah Fatir ayah 17 | Learn Quran Tafsir

Mankind is in need of Allah, and each Person will carry His own Burdens on the Day of Resurrection

Allah tells us that He has no need of anyone or anything else, but all of creation is in need of Him and is in a position of humility before Him.

He says:

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ أَنتُمُ الۡفُقَرَاء إِلَى اللَّهِ

O mankind! it is you who stand in need of Allah.

meaning, they need Him in all that they do, but He has no need of them at all.

Allah says:

وَاللَّهُ هُوَ الۡغَنِيُّ الۡحَمِيدُ

But Alla0h is the Rich, Worthy of all praise.

meaning, He is unique in His being Free of all needs, and has no partner or associate, and He is Worthy of all praise in all that He does, says, decrees and legislates.

إِن يَشَأۡ يُذۡهِبۡكُمۡ وَيَأۡتِ بِخَلۡقٍ جَدِيدٍ

If He willed, He could destroy you and bring about a new creation.

means, if He wanted to, He could destroy you and bring forth another people, and this is not difficult or impossible for Him.

He says:

وَمَا ذَلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ بِعَزِيزٍ

And that is not hard for Allah.

Allah's saying

وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزۡرَ أُخۡرَى

And no bearer of burdens shall bear another's burden;

means, on the Day of Resurrection.

وَإِن تَدۡعُ مُثۡقَلَةٌ إِلَى حِمۡلِهَا

and if one heavily laden calls another to (bear) his load,

means, if the person who is carrying a heavy burden calls someone else to help him carry his load, all or part of it,

لَاا يُحۡمَلۡ مِنۡهُ شَيۡءٌ وَلَوۡ كَانَ ذَا قُرۡبَى

nothing of it will be lifted even though he be near of kin.

means, even if he is closely-related to him, even if he is his father or son, for each person will be preoccupied with his own self and his own situation.

Then Allah says:

إِنَّمَا تُنذِرُ الَّذِينَ يَخۡشَوۡنَ رَبَّهُم بِالغَيۡبِ وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَةَ

You can warn only those who fear their Lord unseen and perform the Salah.

means, `the only ones who will draw a lesson from what you have brought are those who are possessed of insight and wisdom, who fear their Lord and who do as He commands.'

وَمَن تَزَكَّى فَإِنَّمَا يَتَزَكَّى لِنَفۡسِهِ

And he who purifies himself, then he purifies only for the benefit of himself.

means, who does righteous deeds, the benefit of that will come back to him,

وَإِلَى اللَّهِ الۡمَصِيرُ

And to Allah is the Return.

means, to Him everything will ultimately return, and He is swift in bringing to account. He will reward or punish everyone according to his deeds:if they are good, then the end will be good, and if they are bad, then the end will be bad

The Believer and the Disbeliever are not equal

Allah says;

وَمَا يَسۡتَوِي الاَۡعۡمَى وَالۡبَصِيرُ

وَلَا الظُّلُمَاتُ وَلَا النُّورُ

وَلَا الظِّلُّ وَلَا الۡحَرُورُ

وَمَا يَسۡتَوِي الاَۡحۡيَاء وَلَا الاَۡمۡوَاتُ

Not alike are the blind and the seeing. Nor are (depths of) darkness and light. Nor are the shade and the sun's heat. Nor are the living and the dead.

Allah says that these antonyms are clearly not equal, the blind and the seeing are not equal, there is a difference and a huge gap between them. Darkness and light are not equal, neither are shade and the sun's heat. By the same token, the living and the dead are not equal. This is the parable Allah makes of the believers who are the living, and the disbelievers who are the dead.

This is like the Ayat:

أَوَمَن كَانَ مَيۡتًا فَأَحۡيَيۡنَـهُ وَجَعَلۡنَا لَهُ نُورًا يَمۡشِي بِهِ فِى النَّاسِ كَمَن مَّثَلُهُ فِي الظُّلُمَـتِ لَيۡسَ بِخَارِجٍ مِّنۡهَا كَذَلِكَ

Is he who was dead and We gave him life and set for him a light (of belief) whereby he can walk amongst men -- like him who is in the (depths of) darkness from which he can never come out. (6:122)

مَثَلُ الۡفَرِيقَيۡنِ كَالاٌّعۡمَى وَالاٌّصَمِّ وَالۡبَصِيرِ وَالسَّمِيعِ هَلۡ يَسۡتَوِيَانِ مَثَلً

The parable of the two parties is as that of the blind and the deaf and the seer and the hearer. Are they equal when compared? (11:24)

The believer sees and hears, and walks in the light upon a straight path in this world and the Hereafter, until he comes to settle in Gardens (Paradise) wherein is shade and springs.

The disbeliever is blind and deaf, walking in darkness from which he cannot escape, he is lost in his misguidance in this world and the Hereafter, until he ends up in fierce hot wind and boiling water, and shadow of black smoke, neither cool nor good.

إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُسۡمِعُ مَن يَشَاء

Verily, Allah makes whom He wills to hear,

means. He guides them to listen to the proof and accept it and adhere it.

وَمَا أَنتَ بِمُسۡمِعٍ مَّن فِي الۡقُبُورِ

but you cannot make hear those who are in graves.

means, `just as the dead cannot benefit from guidance and the call to truth after they have died as disbelievers and ended up in the graves, so too you cannot help these idolators who are decreed to be doomed, and you cannot guide them.'

إِنۡ أَنتَ إِلاَّ نَذِيرٌ

You are only a warner.

means, all you have to do is to convey the Message and warn them, and Allah leaves astray whomsoever He wills and guides whomsoever He wills

إِنَّا أَرۡسَلۡنَاكَ بِالۡحَقِّ بَشِيرًا وَنَذِيرًا

Verily, We have sent you with the truth, a bearer of glad tidings and a warner.

means, a bearer of glad tidings to the believers and a warner to the disbelievers.

وَإِن مِّنۡ أُمَّةٍ إِلاَّ خلَإ فِيهَا نَذِيرٌ

And there never was a nation but a warner had passed among them.

means, there was never any nation among the sons of Adam but Allah sent warners to them, and left them with no excuse.

This is like the Ayat:

إِنَّمَأ أَنتَ مُنذِرٌ وَلِكُلِّ قَوۡمٍ هَادٍ

You are only a warner, and to every people there is a guide. (13:7)

وَلَقَدۡ بَعَثۡنَا فِى كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَّسُولاً أَنِ اعۡبُدُواۡ اللَّهَ وَاجۡتَنِبُواۡ الۡطَّـغُوتَ فَمِنۡهُم مَّنۡ هَدَى اللَّهُ وَمِنۡهُمۡ مَّنۡ حَقَّتۡ عَلَيۡهِ الضَّلَـلَةُ

And verily, We have sent among every Ummah a Messenger (proclaiming):Worship Allah, and avoid all false deities.

Then of them were some whom Allah guided and of them were some upon whom the straying was justified. (16:36)

And there are many similar Ayat

وَإِن يُكَذِّبُوكَ فَقَدۡ كَذَّبَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِهِمۡ

جَاءتۡهُمۡ رُسُلُهُم بِالۡبَيِّنَاتِ

And if they deny you, those before them also denied. Their Messengers came to them with clear signs,

means, clear miracles and definitive proofs.

وَبِالزُّبُرِ

and with the Scriptures,

means, the Books.

وَبِالۡكِتَابِ الۡمُنِيرِ

and with the Book giving light.

means, clear and obvious

ثُمَّ أَخَذۡتُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا

Then I took hold of those who disbelieved,

means, `despite all of this, they denied the Messengers and the Message they brought, so I seized them, i.e., with My punishment.'

فَكَيۡفَ كَانَ نَكِيرِ

and how terrible was My denial!

means, how great and intense and terrible do you think My punishment was?

And Allah knows best.

Fatir: 17

Ayah

Translation

Tafsir

Fatir: 17