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Ayah
Word by Word
قُل
Say
لَّوۡ
If
أَنتُمۡ
you
تَمۡلِكُونَ
possess
خَزَآئِنَ
the treasures
رَحۡمَةِ
(of) the Mercy
رَبِّيٓ
(of) my Lord
إِذٗا
then
لَّأَمۡسَكۡتُمۡ
surely you would withhold
خَشۡيَةَ
(out of) fear
ٱلۡإِنفَاقِۚ
(of) spending
وَكَانَ
And is
ٱلۡإِنسَٰنُ
man
قَتُورٗا
stingy
قُل
Say
لَّوۡ
If
أَنتُمۡ
you
تَمۡلِكُونَ
possess
خَزَآئِنَ
the treasures
رَحۡمَةِ
(of) the Mercy
رَبِّيٓ
(of) my Lord
إِذٗا
then
لَّأَمۡسَكۡتُمۡ
surely you would withhold
خَشۡيَةَ
(out of) fear
ٱلۡإِنفَاقِۚ
(of) spending
وَكَانَ
And is
ٱلۡإِنسَٰنُ
man
قَتُورٗا
stingy
Translation
Say [to them], "If you possessed the depositories of the mercy of my Lord, then you would withhold out of fear of spending." And ever has man been stingy.
Tafsir
Say, to them: 'If you possessed the treasuries of my Lord's mercy, [those treasuries] of provision and rain, you would surely withhold [them], [you would] stint, for fear of spending, fearing that they would be depleted if [one] spent [from them] and [that] you would then become impoverished; and man is ever niggardly'.
"
Guidance and Misguidance are in the Hands of Allah
Allah tells:
وَمَن يَهْدِ اللّهُ فَهُوَ الْمُهْتَدِ
And he whom Allah guides, he is led aright;
Allah tells us how He deals with His creation and how His rulings are carried out. He tells us that there is none who can put back His judgement, for whomever He guides cannot be led astray,
وَمَن يُضْلِلْ فَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُمْ أَوْلِيَاء مِن دُونِهِ
and whomever He leaves astray can never find helpers other than Him.
to guide him.
As Allah says:
مَن يَهْدِ اللَّهُ فَهُوَ الْمُهْتَدِ وَمَن يُضْلِلْ فَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُ وَلِيًّا مُّرْشِدًا
He whom Allah guides, he is the rightly-guided; but he whom He sends astray, for him you will find no Wali (guiding friend) to lead him. (18:17)
The Punishment of the People of Misguidance
Allah tells:
وَنَحْشُرُهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عَلَى وُجُوهِهِمْ
and We shall gather them together on the Day of Resurrection on their faces,
Imam Ahmad recorded from Anas bin Malik that the Prophet was asked,
""O Messenger of Allah, how will the people be gathered on their faces!"" He said,
الَّذِي أَمْشَاهُمْ عَلَى أَرْجُلِهِمْ قَادِرٌ عَلَى أَنْ يُمْشِيَهُمْ عَلَى وُجُوهِهِم
The One Who made them walk on their feet is able to make them walk on their faces.
It was also reported (by Al-Bukhari and Muslim) in the Two Sahihs.
عُمْيًا
blind, (means, unable to see).
وَبُكْمًا
dumb, (means, unable to speak).
وَصُمًّا
deaf, (means, unable to hear).
They will be in this state as a punishment for the way they were in this world, blind, dumb and deaf to the truth. This will be their recompense when they are gathered on the Day of Resurrection, at the time when they need these faculties most of all.
مَّأْوَاهُمْ
their abode,
means, their destination.
جَهَنَّمُ كُلَّمَا خَبَتْ
will be Hell; whenever it abates,
Ibn Abbas said,
""(This means) calms down,""
Mujahid said,
""(It means) is extinguished,""
زِدْنَاهُمْ سَعِيرًا
We shall increase for them the fierceness of the Fire.
meaning, increasing its flames and heat and coals, as Allah says:
فَذُوقُواْ فَلَن نَّزِيدَكُمْ إِلاَّ عَذَاباً
So taste you (the results of your evil actions). No increase shall We give you, except in torment. (78:30)
Allah says:
ذَلِكَ جَزَاوُهُم بِأَنَّهُمْ كَفَرُواْ بِأيَاتِنَا
That is their recompense, because they denied Our Ayat,
Allah says:`This punishment, being resurrected blind, dumb and deaf, is what they deserve, because they disbelieved,
بِأيَاتِنَا
(Our Ayat), i.e., Our proof and evidence, and did not think that the resurrection could ever happen.'
وَقَالُواْ أَيِذَا كُنَّا عِظَامًا وَرُفَاتًا
and said:""When we are bones and fragments...""
meaning, when we have disintegrated and our bodies have rotted away,
أَإِنَّا لَمَبْعُوثُونَ خَلْقًا جَدِيدًا
shall we really be raised up as a new creation!
meaning, after we have disintegrated and disappeared and been absorbed into the earth, will we come back a second time Allah established proof against them and told them that He is able to do that, for He created the heavens and the earth, so raising them up again is easier for Him than that, as He says:
لَخَلْقُ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ أَكْـبَرُ مِنْ خَلْقِ النَّاسِ
The creation of the heavens and the earth is indeed greater than the creation of mankind; (40:57)
أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْاْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ الَّذِى خَلَقَ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ وَلَمْ يَعْىَ بِخَلْقِهِنَّ بِقَادِرٍ عَلَى أَن يُحْىِ الْمَوْتَى
Do they not see that Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth, and was not wearied by their creation, is able to give life to the dead. (46:33)
أَوَلَـيْسَ الَذِى خَلَقَ السَّمَـوتِ وَالاٌّرْضَ بِقَـدِرٍ عَلَى أَن يَخْلُقَ مِثْلَهُم بَلَى وَهُوَ الْخَلَّـقُ الْعَلِيمُ
نَّمَأ أَمْرُهُ إِذَا أَرَادَ شَيْياً أَن يَقُولَ لَهُ كُن فَيَكُونُ
Is not He Who created the heavens and the earth, able to create the like of them.
Yes, indeed! He is the All-Knowing Supreme Creator. Verily, His command, when He intends a thing, is only that He says to it, ""Be!"" and it is! (36:81-82)
And Allah says here
أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْاْ أَنَّ اللّهَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالَارْضَ قَادِرٌ عَلَى أَن يَخْلُقَ مِثْلَهُمْ
See they not that Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth, is able to create the like of them.
meaning, on the Day of Resurrection, He will recreate and restore their bodies, as He created them in the first place.
وَجَعَلَ لَهُمْ أَجَلً لاَّ رَيْبَ فِيهِ
And He has decreed for them an appointed term, whereof there is no doubt.
means, He has set a time for them to be re-created and brought forth from their graves, an appointed time which must surely come to pass.
As Allah says:
وَمَا نُوَخِّرُهُ إِلاَّ لاًّجَلٍ مَّعْدُودٍ
And We delay it only for a term (already) fixed. (11:104)
فَأَبَى الظَّالِمُونَ
But the wrongdoers refuse,
-- after the proof has been established against them,
إَلاَّ كُفُورًا
(and accept nothing) but disbelief.
means, they persist in their falsehood and misguidance
Holding back is Part of Man's Nature
Allah says to His Messenger:
قُل لَّوْ أَنتُمْ تَمْلِكُونَ خَزَايِنَ رَحْمَةِ رَبِّي إِذًا لاََّمْسَكْتُمْ خَشْيَةَ الاِنفَاقِ
Say:""If you possessed the treasure of the mercy of my Lord, then you would surely hold back for fear of spending,
""Tell them, O Muhammad, even if you had authority over the treasures of Allah, you would refrain from spending for fear of exhausting it.""
Ibn Abbas and Qatadah said,
""This means for fear of poverty,""
lest it run out, despite the fact that it can never be exhausted or come to an end. This is because it is part of your nature.
So Allah says:
وَكَانَ الانسَانُ قَتُورًا
and man is ever miserly.
Ibn Abbas and Qatadah said:
""(This means) stingy and holding back.""
Allah says:
أَمْ لَهُمْ نَصِيبٌ مِّنَ الْمُلْكِ فَإِذاً لاَّ يُوْتُونَ النَّاسَ نَقِيراً
Or have they a share in the dominion Then in that case they would not give mankind even a Naqira. (4:53),
meaning that even if they had a share in the authority of Allah, they would not have given anything to anyone, not even the amount of a Naqira (speck on the back of a date stone).
Allah describes man as he really is, except for those whom Allah helps and guides. Miserliness, discontent and impatience are human characteristics, as Allah says:
إِنَّ الاِنسَـنَ خُلِقَ هَلُوعاً
إِذَا مَسَّهُ الشَّرُّ جَزُوعاً
وَإِذَا مَسَّهُ الْخَيْرُ مَنُوعاً
إِلاَّ الْمُصَلِّينَ
Verily, man was created very impatient; irritable when evil touches him; and stingy when good touches him. Except those who are devoted to Salah (prayers). (70:19-22)
And there are many other such references in the Qur'an. This is an indication of the generosity and kindness of Allah.
In the Two Sahihs it says:
يَدُ اللهِ مَلَْى لَا يَغِيضُهَا نَفَقَةٌ سَحَّاءُ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ أَرَأَيْتُمْ مَا أَنْفَقَ مُنْذُ خَلَقَ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالاَْرْضَ فَإِنَّهُ لَمْ يَغِضْ مَا فِي يَمِينِه
Allah's Hand is full and never decreases because of His giving night and day. Do you not see how much He has given since He created the heavens and the earth, yet that which is in His right hand never decreases."
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