Ash-Shuraa: 21

Ayah

Word by Word

أَمۡ

لَهُمۡ

for them

شُرَكَٰٓؤُاْ

(are) partners

شَرَعُواْ

who have ordained

لَهُم

for them

مِّنَ

ٱلدِّينِ

the religion

مَا

what

لَمۡ

not

يَأۡذَنۢ

has given permission

بِهِ

of it

ٱللَّهُۚ

Allah

وَلَوۡلَا

And if not

كَلِمَةُ

(for) a word

ٱلۡفَصۡلِ

decisive

لَقُضِيَ

surely, it (would have) been judged

بَيۡنَهُمۡۗ

between them

وَإِنَّ

And indeed

ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ

the wrongdoers

لَهُمۡ

for them

عَذَابٌ

(is a) punishment

أَلِيمٞ

painful

Translation

What! have they partners (in godhead), who have established for them some religion without the permission of Allah? Had it not been for the Decree of Judgment, the matter would have been decided between them (at once). But verily the Wrong-doers will have a grievous Penalty.

Tafsir

A Warning to Those Who dispute concerning Matters of Religion

Here Allah warns those who try to hinder those who believe in Allah, from following His path.

وَالَّذِينَ يُحَاجُّونَ فِي اللَّهِ مِن بَعۡدِ مَا اسۡتُجِيبَ لَهُ

And those who dispute concerning Allah, after it has been accepted,

means, those who dispute with the believers who have responded to Allah and His Messenger, and try to stop them from following the path of guidance.

حُجَّتُهُمۡ دَاحِضَةٌ عِندَ رَبِّهِمۡ

no use is their dispute before their Lord,

means, it is futile before Allah.

وَعَلَيۡهِمۡ غَضَبٌ

and on them is wrath, (means, from Him).

وَلَهُمۡ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ

and for them will be a severe torment.

means, on the Day of Resurrection.

Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, and Mujahid said,

They disputed with the believers after they responded to Allah and His Messenger, and tried to prevent them from following the path of guidance, hoping that they would return to Jahiliyyah.

Qatadah said,

These were the Jews and Christians who said to them, `Our religion is better than your religion, our Prophet came before your Prophet, and we are better than you and closer to Allah than you.'

This was nothing but lies.

Then Allah says

اللَّهُ الَّذِي أَنزَلَ الۡكِتَابَ بِالۡحَقِّ

It is Allah Who has sent down the Book in truth,

referring to all the Books which were revealed from Him to His Prophets.

وَالۡمِيزَانَ

and the Balance.

means, justice and fairness.

This was the view of Mujahid and Qatadah.

This is like the Ayat:

لَقَدۡ أَرۡسَلۡنَا رُسُلَنَا بِالۡبَيِّنَـتِ وَأَنزَلۡنَا مَعَهُمُ الۡكِتَـبَ وَالۡمِيزَانَ لِيَقُومَ النَّاسُ بِالۡقِسۡطِ

Indeed We have sent Our Messengers with clear proofs, and revealed with them the Scripture and the Balance that mankind may keep up justice. (57:25)

وَالسَّمَأءَ رَفَعَهَا وَوَضَعَ الۡمِيزَانَ

أَلاَّ تَطۡغَوۡاۡ فِى الۡمِيزَانِ

وَأَقِيمُواۡ الۡوَزۡنَ بِالۡقِسۡطِ وَلَا تُخۡسِرُواۡ الۡمِيزَانَ

And the heaven He has raised high, and He has set up the Balance. In order that you may not transgress (due) balance. And observe the weight with equity and do not make the balance deficient. (55:7-9)

وَمَا يُدۡرِيكَ لَعَلَّ السَّاعَةَ قَرِيبٌ

And what can make you know that perhaps the Hour is close at hand?

This is encouragement (to strive) for its sake, a terrifying warning, and advice to think little of this world

يَسۡتَعۡجِلُ بِهَا الَّذِينَ لَا يُوۡمِنُونَ بِهَا

Those who believe not therein seek to hasten it,

means, they say, `when will this promise be fulfilled, if you are telling the truth' But they say this by way of disbelief and stubbornness, thinking that it is unlikely to happen.

وَالَّذِينَ امَنُوا مُشۡفِقُونَ مِنۡهَا

while those who believe are fearful of it,

means, they are afraid of it happening.

وَيَعۡلَمُونَ أَنَّهَا الۡحَقُّ

and know that it is the very truth.

means, that it will undoubtedly come to pass, so they prepare themselves for it and strive for its sake.

It was reported through various chains of narration, a number reaching the level of being Mutawatir, in Sahih and Hasan narrations, in the Books of Sunan and Musnad.

According to some versions, a man addressed the Messenger of Allah in a loud voice, when he was on one of his journeys,

calling out to him, O Muhammad!

The Messenger of Allah replied in a similar manner, Here I am!

The man said, When will the Hour come?

The Messenger of Allah said,

وَيۡحَكَ إِنَّهَا كَايِنَةٌ فَمَا أَعۡدَدۡتَ لَهَا

Woe to you! It will most certainly come. What have you done to prepare for it?

He said, Love for Allah and His Messenger.

He said:

أَنۡتَ مَعَ مَنۡ أَحۡبَبۡت

You will be with those whom you love.

According to another Hadith:

الۡمَرۡءُ مَعَ مَنۡ أَحَب

A man will be with those whom he loves.

This is Mutawatir beyond a doubt. The point is that he did not answer his question about when the Hour would happen, but he commanded him to prepare for it.

أَلَا إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُمَارُونَ فِي السَّاعَةِ

Verily, those who dispute concerning the Hour,

means, who dispute whether it will happen and think it is unlikely ever to come,

لَفِي ضَلَلٍ بَعِيدٍ

are certainly in error far away.

means, they are clearly ignorant, because the One Who created the heavens and the earth is even more able to give life to the dead, as Allah says:

وَهُوَ الَّذِى يَبۡدَأُ الۡخَلۡقَ ثُمَّ يُعِيدُهُ وَهُوَ أَهۡوَنُ عَلَيۡهِ

And He it is Who originates the creation, then He will repeat it; and this is easier for Him. (30:27)

The Provision of Allah in this World and the Hereafter

Allah says:

اللَّهُ لَطِيفٌ بِعِبَادِهِ

Allah is very Gracious and Kind to His servants.

Here Allah speaks of His kindness towards His creation, in that He provides for every last one of them and does not forget anyone. When it comes to His provision, the righteous and the sinner are alike.

Allah says:

وَمَا مِن دَابَّةٍ فِي الاٌّرۡضِ إِلاَّ عَلَى اللَّهِ رِزۡقُهَا وَيَعۡلَمُ مُسۡتَقَرَّهَا وَمُسۡتَوۡدَعَهَا كُلٌّ فِى كِتَابٍ مُّبِينٍ

And no moving creature is there on the earth but its provision is due from Allah. And He knows its dwelling place and its deposit. All is in a Clear Book. (11:6)

And there are many similar Ayat.

يَرۡزُقُ مَن يَشَاء

He gives provisions to whom He wills.

means, He gives generously to whomsoever He wills.

وَهُوَ الۡقَوِيُّ العَزِيزُ

And He is the All-Strong, the Almighty.

means, there is nothing that can overpower Him.

Then Allah says

مَن كَانَ يُرِيدُ حَرۡثَ الاۡخِرَةِ

Whosoever desires the reward of the Hereafter,

means, whoever does things for the sake of the Hereafter,

نَزِدۡ لَهُ فِي حَرۡثِهِ

We give him increase in his reward,

meaning, `We will give him strength and help him to do what he wants to do, and We will increase it for him. So for every good, We will multiply it and give him between ten and seven hundred good rewards,' as much as Allah wills.

وَمَن كَانَ يُرِيدُ حَرۡثَ الدُّنۡيَا نُوتِهِ مِنۡهَا وَمَا لَهُ فِي الاۡخِرَةِ مِن نَّصِيبٍ

and whosoever desires the reward of this world, We give him thereof, and he has no portion in the Hereafter.

means, whoever strives for the purpose of worldly gains, and never pays any heed to the Hereafter at all, Allah will deny him the Hereafter; and in this world, if He wills He will give to him and if He does not will, he will gain neither. So the one who strives with this intention in mind will have the worst deal in this world and in the Hereafter. The evidence for that is the fact that this Ayah is reinforced by the passage in Surah Al-Isra' in which Allah says:

مَّن كَانَ يُرِيدُ الۡعَـجِلَةَ عَجَّلۡنَا لَهُ فِيهَا مَا نَشَأءُ لِمَن نُّرِيدُ ثُمَّ جَعَلۡنَا لَهُ جَهَنَّمَ يَصۡلَـهَا مَذۡمُومًا مَّدۡحُورًا

وَمَنۡ أَرَادَ الاٌّخِرَةَ وَسَعَى لَهَا سَعۡيَهَا وَهُوَ مُوۡمِنٌ فَأُولَـيِكَ كَانَ سَعۡيُهُم مَّشۡكُورًا

كُلًّ نُّمِدُّ هَـوُلاءِ وَهَـوُلاءِ مِنۡ عَطَأءِ رَبِّكَ وَمَا كَانَ عَطَأءُ رَبِّكَ مَحۡظُورًا

انظُرۡ كَيۡفَ فَضَّلۡنَا بَعۡضَهُمۡ عَلَى بَعۡضٍ وَلَلٌّخِرَةُ أَكۡبَرُ دَرَجَـتٍ وَأَكۡبَرُ تَفۡضِيلً

Whoever desires the quick-passing, We readily grant him what We will for whom We like. Then, afterwards, We have appointed for him Hell; he will (enter) burn therein disgraced and rejected.

And whoever desires the Hereafter and strives for it, with the necessary effort due for it while he is a believer -- then such are the ones whose striving shall be appreciated.

On each -- these as well as those -- We bestow from the bounties of your Lord. And the bounties of your Lord can never be forbidden.

See how We prefer one above another (in this world), and verily, the Hereafter will be greater in degrees and greater in preferment. (17:18-21)

It was reported that Ubayy bin Ka`b, may Allah be pleased with him, said,

The Messenger of Allah said:

بَشِّرۡ هذِهِ الاُۡمَّةَ بِالسَّنَاءِ وَالرِّفۡعَةِ وَالنَّصۡرِ وَالتَّمۡكِينِ فِي الاَۡرۡضِ فَمَنۡ عَمِلَ مِنۡهُمۡ عَمَلَ الاۡخِرَةِ لِلدُّنۡيَا لَمۡ يَكُنۡ لَهُ فِي الاۡخِرَةِ مِنۡ نَصِيب

Give the glad tidings to this Ummah of sublimity, high status, victory and power in the land. But whoever among them does the deeds of the Hereafter for the sake of worldly gain, will have no portion of the Hereafter.

Making Legislation for the Creatures is Shirk Allah says:

Allah says

أَمۡ لَهُمۡ شُرَكَاء شَرَعُوا لَهُم مِّنَ الدِّينِ مَا لَمۡ يَأۡذَن بِهِ اللَّهُ

Or have they partners with Allah who have instituted for them a religion which Allah has not ordained?

means, they do not follow what Allah has ordained for you of upright religion; on the contrary, they follow what their devils (Shayatin), of men and Jinn, have prescribed for them. They instituted taboos, such as the Bahirah, Sa'ibah, Wasilah or Ham. They also permitted eating flesh and blood of animals not slaughtered for consumption, gambling and other kinds of misguidance, ignorance and falsehood. These are things that they invented during Jahiliyyah, when they came up with all kinds of false rulings on what was permitted and what was forbidden, and false rites of worship and other corrupt ideas.

It was recorded in the Sahih that the Messenger of Allah said:

رَأَيۡتُ عَمۡرَو بۡنَ لُحَيِّ بۡنِ قَمَعَةَ يَجُرُّ قُصۡبَهُ فِي النَّار

I ﷺ `Amr bin Luhayy bin Qama`ah dragging his intestines in Hell -- (because he had been the first one to introduce the idea of the Sa'ibah).

This man was one of the kings of the Khuza`ah tribe, and he was the first one to do these things. He was the one who had made the Quraysh worship idols, may the curse of Allah be upon him.

Allah said:

وَلَوۡلَا كَلِمَةُ الۡفَصۡلِ لَقُضِيَ بَيۡنَهُمۡ

And had it not been for a decisive Word, the matter would have been judged between them.

means, the punishment would have been hastened for them, were it not for the fact that it had already been decreed that it would be delayed until the Day of Resurrection.

وَإِنَّ الظَّالِمِينَ لَهُمۡ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ

And verily, for the wrongdoers there is a painful torment.

i.e., an agonizing torment in Hell, what a terrible destination.

The Terror of the Idolators in the Place of Gathering

Allah says;

تَرَى الظَّالِمِينَ مُشۡفِقِينَ مِمَّا كَسَبُوا

You will see the wrongdoers fearful of that which they have earned,

means, in the arena of Resurrection.

وَهُوَ وَاقِعٌ بِهِمۡ

and it will surely befall them.

means, the thing that they fear will undoubtedly happen to them. This is how they will be on the Day of Resurrection; they will be in a state of utter fear and terror.

وَالَّذِينَ امَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ فِي رَوۡضَاتِ الۡجَنَّاتِ

لَهُم مَّا يَشَاوُونَ عِندَ رَبِّهِمۡ

But those who believe and do righteous deeds (will be) in the flowering meadows of the Gardens. They shall have whatsoever they desire with their Lord.

What comparison can there be between the former and the latter How can the one who will be in the arena of resurrection in a state of humiliation and fear, deserving it for his wrongdoing, be compared with the one who will be in the gardens of Paradise, enjoying whatever he wants of food, drink, clothing, dwellings, scenery, spouses and other delights such as no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and has never crossed the minds of men.

Allah says:

ذَلِكَ هُوَ الۡفَضۡلُ الكَبِيرُ

That is the supreme grace.

means, the ultimate victory and complete blessing.