Tafsir Surah Az-Zumar ayah 12 | Learn Quran Tafsir

The Command for Taqwa, Emigration and to worship Him alone with all Sincerity

Allah commands His believing servants to remain steadfast in their obedience and have Taqwa of Him.

قُلۡ يَا عِبَادِ الَّذِينَ امَنُوا اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمۡ لِلَّذِينَ أَحۡسَنُوا فِي هَذِهِ الدُّنۡيَا حَسَنَةٌ

Say:O My servants who believe, have Taqwa of your Lord. Good is for those who do good in this world...

means, the one who does good deeds in this world, will have a good (reward) in this world and in the Hereafter.

وَأَرۡضُ اللَّهِ وَاسِعَةٌ

and Allah's earth is spacious!

Mujahid said,

So emigrate through it and strive hard and keep away from idols.

إِنَّمَا يُوَفَّى الصَّابِرُونَ أَجۡرَهُم بِغَيۡرِ حِسَابٍ

Only those who are patient shall receive their reward in full, without reckoning.

Al-`Awza`i said,

Their reward will not be weighed or measured; they will be given an immense reward.

As-Suddi said:

إِنَّمَا يُوَفَّى الصَّابِرُونَ أَجۡرَهُم بِغَيۡرِ حِسَابٍ

(Only those who are patient shall receive their reward in full, without reckoning),

means, In Paradise.

قُلۡ إِنِّي أُمِرۡتُ أَنۡ أَعۡبُدَ اللَّهَ مُخۡلِصًا لَّهُ الدِّينَ

Say:Verily, I am commanded to worship Allah, making religion sincerely for Him...

means, `I am commanded to worship Allah alone in all sincerity, with no partner or associate.'

وَأُمِرۡتُ لاِأَنۡ أَكُونَ أَوَّلَ الۡمُسۡلِمِينَ

And I am commanded (this) in order that I may be the first of the Muslims.

Creating Fear of the Punishment of Allah

Allah says,

قُلۡ

Say, (`O Muhammad, even though you are the Messenger of Allah:')

إِنِّي أَخَافُ إِنۡ عَصَيۡتُ رَبِّي عَذَابَ يَوۡمٍ عَظِيمٍ

Verily, if I disobey my Lord, I am afraid of the torment of a great Day.

meaning the Day of Resurrection.

This is a conditional sentence, and if what is referred to here applies to the Prophet, it applies even more so to others,

قُلِ اللَّهَ أَعۡبُدُ مُخۡلِصًا لَّهُ دِينِي

فَاعۡبُدُوا مَا شِيۡتُم مِّن دُونِهِ

Say:

Allah Alone I worship by doing religious deeds sincerely for His sake only. So, worship what you like besides Him.

This is also a threat, and a disowning of them.

قُلۡ إِنَّ الۡخَاسِرِينَ

Say:The losers...

means, the greatest losers of all,

الَّذِينَ خَسِرُوا أَنفُسَهُمۡ وَأَهۡلِيهِمۡ يَوۡمَ الۡقِيَامَةِ

are those who will lose themselves and their families on the Day of Resurrection.

means, they will be separated and will never meet again, whether their families have gone to Paradise and they have gone to Hell, or all of them have gone to Hell, they will never meet or feel happiness again.

أَلَا ذَلِكَ هُوَ الۡخُسۡرَانُ الۡمُبِينُ

Verily, that will be a manifest loss!

means, this is the clearest and most obvious loss.

Then He describes their state in the Fire

لَهُم مِّن فَوۡقِهِمۡ ظُلَلٌ مِّنَ النَّارِ وَمِن تَحۡتِهِمۡ ظُلَلٌ

They shall have coverings of Fire, above them and covering (of Fire) beneath them.

This is like the Ayat:

لَهُم مِّن جَهَنَّمَ مِهَادٌ وَمِن فَوۡقِهِمۡ غَوَاشٍ وَكَذَلِكَ نَجۡزِى الظَّـلِمِينَ

Theirs will be a bed of Hell (Fire), and over them coverings (of Hell-fire). Thus do We recompense the wrongdoers! (7:41)

يَوۡمَ يَغۡشَـهُمُ الۡعَذَابُ مِن فَوۡقِهِمۡ وَمِن تَحۡتِ أَرۡجُلِهِمۡ وَيِقُولُ ذُوقُواۡ مَا كُنۡتُمۡ تَعۡمَلُونَ

On the Day when the torment (Hell-fire) shall cover them from above them and from underneath their feet, and it will be said:Taste what you used to do. (29:55)

ذَلِكَ يُخَوِّفُ اللَّهُ بِهِ عِبَادَهُ

With this Allah frightens His servants:

means, Allah tells us about this, which will undoubtedly come to pass, to frighten His servants, so that they will keep away from unlawful things and from sin.

يَا عِبَادِ فَاتَّقُونِ

O My servants, therefore have Taqwa of Me!

means, `fear My wrath, My anger, My punishment and My vengeance.

Good News for the Righteous

Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam said, narrating from his father:

وَالَّذِينَ اجۡتَنَبُوا الطَّاغُوتَ أَن يَعۡبُدُوهَا

Those who avoid At-Taghut by not worshipping them,

was revealed concerning Zayd bin `Amr bin Nufayl and Abu Dharr and Salman Al-Farisi, may Allah be pleased with them.

The correct view is that it includes them and all others who avoided worshipping idols and turned to the worship of Ar-Rahman. These are the people for whom there is good news in this world and in the Hereafter.

وَأَنَابُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ لَهُمُ الۡبُشۡرَى

and turn to Allah, for them are glad tidings;

Then Allah says:

فَبَشِّرۡ عِبَادِ

الَّذِينَ يَسۡتَمِعُونَ الۡقَوۡلَ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ أَحۡسَنَهُ

so announce the good news to My servants -- those who listen to the Word and follow the best thereof,

meaning, those who understand it and act in accordance with it.

This is like the Words of Allah, may He be exalted, to Musa, peace be upon him, when He gave him the Tawrah:

فَخُذۡهَا بِقُوَّةٍ وَأۡمُرۡ قَوۡمَكَ يَأۡخُذُواۡ بِأَحۡسَنِهَا

Hold unto these with firmness, and enjoin your people to take the better therein, (7:145)

أُوۡلَيِكَ الَّذِينَ هَدَاهُمُ اللَّهُ

those are whom Allah has guided,

means, those who are described in this manner are the ones whom Allah has guided in this world and the Hereafter.

...

وَأُوۡلَيِكَ هُمۡ أُوۡلُوا الاۡأَلۡبَابِ

and those are men of understanding.

means, they possess sound reasoning and an upright nature.

Allah says,

أَفَمَنۡ حَقَّ عَلَيۡهِ كَلِمَةُ الۡعَذَابِ أَفَأَنتَ تُنقِذُ مَن فِي النَّارِ

Is, then one against whom the Word of punishment is justified (equal to the one who avoids evil)? Will you rescue him who is in the Fire?

Allah says, `if He has decreed that someone is to be doomed, can you save him from his misguidance and doom?'

Which means, no one can guide him apart from Allah, because whomever Allah leaves astray cannot be guided, and whomever He guides cannot be led astray

لَكِنِ الَّذِينَ اتَّقَوۡا رَبَّهُمۡ لَهُمۡ غُرَفٌ

But those who have Taqwa of their Lord, for them,

Allah tells us that His blessed servants will have lofty rooms in Paradise.

مِّن فَوۡقِهَا غُرَفٌ مَّبۡنِيَّةٌ

are built lofty rooms, one above another,

i.e., story upon story, solidly-constructed, adorned and high.

Abdullah bin Al-Imam Ahmad recorded that Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said,

The Messenger of Allah said:

إِنَّ فِي الۡجَنَّةِ لَغُرَفًا يُرَى بُطُونُهَا مِنۡ ظُهُورِهَا وَظُهُورُهَا مِنۡ بُطُونِهَا

In Paradise there are rooms whose inside can be seen from the outside, and the outside can be seen from the inside.

A Bedouin asked, `Who are they for? O Messenger of Allah,'

He said,

لِمَنۡ أَطَابَ الۡكَلَمَ وَأَطۡعَمَ الطَّعَامَ وَصَلَّى بِاللَّيۡلِ وَالنَّاسُ نِيَام

For those who speak kindly, feed the hungry and stand in prayer at night whilst the people are sleeping.

This was also recorded by At-Tirmidhi, who said, Hasan Gharib.

Imam Ahmad recorded from Sahl bin Sa`d, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah said:

إِنَّ أَهۡلَ الۡجَنَّةِ لَيَتَرَاءَوۡنَ فِي الۡغُرۡفَةِ فِي الۡجَنَّةِ كَمَا تَرَاءَوۡنَ الۡكَوۡكَبَ فِي أُفُقِ السَّمَاء

The people of Paradise will look towards each other in raised places of Paradise as you look towards the stars on the horizons of the sky.

He said, I told An-Nu`man bin Abi `Ayyash about that, and he said, `I heard Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, narrate it:

كَمَا تَرَاءَوۡنَ الۡكَوۡكَبَ الَّذِي فِي الاُۡفُقِ الشَّرۡقِيِّ أَوِ الۡغَرۡبِي

As you see the stars on the horizon of the east or the west.'

It was also recorded in the Two Sahihs.

Imam Ahmad said, Fazarah narrated to us; Fulayh narrated to us; from Hilal bin Ali, from Ata' bin Yasar, from Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah said:

إِنَّ أَهۡلَ الۡجَنَّةِ لَيَتَرَاءَوۡنَ فِي الۡجَنَّةِ أَهۡلَ الۡغُرَفِ كَمَا تَرَاءَوۡنَ الۡكَوۡكَبَ الدُّرِّيَّ الۡغَارِبَ فِي الاُۡفُقِ الطَّالِعِ فِي تَفَاضُلِ أَهۡلِ الدَّرَجَات

The people of Paradise will look towards each other in the raised places of Paradise as you look at the high, bright stars which remain on the horizon. Such will be the difference in superiority which some of them have over others.

They said, O Messenger of Allah, are those the abodes of the Prophets?

He said:

بَلَى وَالَّذِي نَفۡسِي بِيَدِهِ وَأَقۡوَامٌ امَنُوا بِاللهِ وَصَدَّقُوا الرُّسُل

No, by the One in Whose Hand is my soul, they are the abodes of people who believed in Allah and in the Messengers.

It was also recorded by At-Tirmidhi, who said, Hasan Sahih.

تَجۡرِي مِن تَحۡتِهَا الاَۡنۡهَارُ

under which rivers flow.

means, the rivers flow wherever the people want them to flow.

وَعۡدَ اللَّهِ

(This is) the promise of Allah,

means, `all that We have mentioned here is what Allah has promised to His believing servants.'

لَاا يُخۡلِفُ اللَّهُ الۡمِيعَادَ

and Allah does not fail in (His) promise.

Az-Zumar: 12

Ayah

Translation

Tafsir

Az-Zumar: 12