Ayah
Word by Word
إِنَّ
Indeed
عِبَادِي
My slaves
لَيۡسَ
not
لَكَ
for you
عَلَيۡهِمۡ
over them
سُلۡطَٰنٞۚ
any authority
وَكَفَىٰ
And sufficient
بِرَبِّكَ
(is) your Lord
وَكِيلٗا
(as) a Guardian
إِنَّ
Indeed
عِبَادِي
My slaves
لَيۡسَ
not
لَكَ
for you
عَلَيۡهِمۡ
over them
سُلۡطَٰنٞۚ
any authority
وَكَفَىٰ
And sufficient
بِرَبِّكَ
(is) your Lord
وَكِيلٗا
(as) a Guardian
Translation
"As for My servants, no authority shalt thou have over them:" Enough is thy Lord for a Disposer of affairs.
Tafsir
'Truly as for My servants, the believers, you shall have no warrant', [no] sway or ability. And Your Lord suffices as a guardian, as a protector for them against you.
"The Story of Adam and Iblis
Allah tells:
وَإِذۡ قُلۡنَا لِلۡمَليِكَةِ اسۡجُدُواۡ لادَمَ فَسَجَدُواۡ إَلاَّ إِبۡلِيسَ
And (remember) when We said to the angels:""Prostrate yourselves unto Adam."" They prostrated themselves except Iblis.
Allah mentions here the enmity of Iblis, may the curse of Allah be upon him and his progeny. This is an ancient hatred, dating from the time that Allah created Adam, when He commanded the angels to prostrate to Adam, and all of them prostrated except Iblis, who was too arrogant and he haughtily refused to prostrate to him. He said in a tone indicating contempt:
قَالَ أَأَسۡجُدُ لِمَنۡ خَلَقۡتَ طِينًا
He said:""Shall I prostrate myself to one whom You created from clay!""
According to another Ayah, he said:
أَنَاۡ خَيۡرٌ مِّنۡهُ خَلَقۡتَنِي مِن نَّارٍ وَخَلَقۡتَهُ مِن طِينٍ
I am better than he. You created me from fire, and You created him from clay. (7:12)
He also said, speaking to the Lord with disbelief and insolence, but the Lord bore it patiently:
قَالَ أَرَأَيۡتَكَ هَـذَا الَّذِي كَرَّمۡتَ عَلَيَّ
He said:""See this one whom You have honored above me...""
Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn Abbas said,
""He is saying, `I am going to dominate his offspring, all but a few.""'
Mujahid said (it means),
""I am going to surround them.""
Ibn Zayd said (it means),
""I am going to lead them astray.""
All of them are close in meaning, and the meaning of the Ayah is,
""Do You see this one whom You have honored and made greater than me If You give me time, I will lead his descendants astray, all but a few of them.""
لَيِنۡ أَخَّرۡتَنِ إِلَى يَوۡمِ الۡقِيَامَةِ لَاحۡتَنِكَنَّ ذُرِّيَّتَهُ إَلاَّ قَلِيلً
if You give me respite to the Day of Resurrection, I will surely, seize and mislead his offspring, all but a few!
When Iblis asked for respite,
قَالَ اذۡهَبۡ
(Allah) said:`Go, (I will give you respite).'
According to another Ayah (Allah) said:
قَالَ فَإِنَّكَ مِنَ الۡمُنظَرِينَ
إِلَى يَوۡمِ الۡوَقۡتِ الۡمَعۡلُومِ
Verily, you are of those allowed respite till the Day of the time appointed. (38:80-81)
Then Allah warned him and those who follow him among the progeny of Adam about Hell:
قَالَ اذۡهَبۡ
فَمَن تَبِعَكَ مِنۡهُمۡ فَإِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ جَزَاوُكُمۡ جَزَاء
(Allah) said:""Go, and whosoever of them follows you, surely, Hell will be the recompense of you (all),
meaning, for your deeds.
جَزَاء مَّوۡفُورًا
an ample recompense.
Mujahid said,
""Sufficient recompense.""
Qatadah said,
""It will be abundant for you and will not be decreased for you.
وَاسۡتَفۡزِزۡ مَنِ اسۡتَطَعۡتَ مِنۡهُمۡ بِصَوۡتِكَ
And fool them gradually those whom you can among them with your voice,
It was said that this refers to singing.
Mujahid said,
""With idle entertainment and singing,""
meaning, influence them with that.
Ibn Abbas said,
""Every caller who calls people to disobey Allah.""
This was the view of Qatadah, and was also the opinion favored by Ibn Jarir.
وَأَجۡلِبۡ عَلَيۡهِم بِخَيۡلِكَ وَرَجِلِكَ
Ajib upon them with your cavalry and your infantry.
Send your troops and cavalry and infantry against them.
The meaning is, send whatever forces you have at your disposal against them.
This is a command (related to the divine decree), as Allah says elsewhere:
أَلَمۡ تَرَ أَنَّأ أَرۡسَلۡنَا الشَّيَـطِينَ عَلَى الۡكَـفِرِينَ تَوُزُّهُمۡ أَزّاً
See you not that We have sent the Shayatin against the disbelievers to push them to do evil. (19:83),
meaning, to provoke them and drive them towards evil.
وَأَجۡلِبۡ عَلَيۡهِم بِخَيۡلِكَ وَرَجِلِكَ
Ajlib upon them with your cavalry and your infantry,
Ibn Abbas and Mujahid said,
""Everyone who rides or walks to go and commit sin and disobey Allah.""
Qatadah said,
""He has infantry and cavalry among the Jinn and among humans. They are the ones who obey him.""
The Arabs use the verb Ajlaba when describing somebody shouting at another person. Hence it is forbidden in races to shout at one another and push one another.
From this root is also derived the word Jalabah, which means raising voices.
وَشَارِكۡهُمۡ فِي الَامۡوَالِ وَالَاوۡلادِ
and share with them wealth and children,
Ibn Abbas and Mujahid said,
""This means what he commands them to do of spending money in disobedience to Allah, may He be exalted.""
وَالَاوۡلادِ
and children,
Ibn Abbas, as reported by Al-Awfi, Mujahid and Ad-Dahhak said,
""This means the children of Zina (i.e., illegitimate children).""
Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn Abbas said,
""This means the children whom they used to kill out of folly, without knowledge.""
Qatadah reported that Al-Hasan Al-Basri said:
""Allah caused Shaytan to take a share of wealth and children by making them Magians, Jews and Christians, and making them follow any religion other than Islam, and by making them give a part of their wealth to the Shaytan.""
Qatadah said the same.
وَشَارِكۡهُمۡ فِي الَامۡوَالِ وَالَاوۡلادِ
and share with them wealth and children.
The fact that only wealth and children are mentioned in this Ayah, does not mean that it is limited only to those things. Everything in which a person disobeys Allah or obeys the Shaytan means that he is sharing with him.
It was reported in Sahih Muslim from Iyad bin Himar that the Messenger of Allah said:
يَقُولُ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ
إِنِّي خَلَقۡتُ عِبَادِي حُنَفَاءَ فَجَاءَتۡهُمُ الشَّيَاطِينُ فَاجۡتَالَتۡهُمۡ عَنۡ دِينِهِمۡ وَحَرَّمَتۡ عَلَيۡهِمۡ مَا أَحۡلَلۡتُ لَهُم
Allah the Mighty and Exalted says,
""I have created My servants as Hunafa' (monotheists), then the Shayatin come to them and lead them astray from their religion and (tell that) what I have permitted for them is forbidden to them.""
According to the Two Sahihs, the Messenger of Allah said:
لَوۡ أَنَّ أَحَدَهُمۡ إِذَا أَرَادَ أَنۡ يَأۡتِيَ أَهۡلَهُ قَالَ
بِسۡمِ اللهِ اللَّهُمَّ جَنِّبۡنَا الشَّيۡطَانَ وَجَنِّبِ الشَّيۡطَانَ مَا رَزَقۡتَنَا فَإِنَّهُ إِنۡ يُقَدَّرۡ بَيۡنَهُمَا وَلَدٌ فِي ذَلِكَ لَمۡ يَضُرَّهُ الشَّيۡطَانُ أَبَدًا
When one of you wants to have intercourse with his wife, let him say,
`In the Name of Allah. O Allah, keep us away from Shaytan and keep Shaytan away from what you bestow on us (children).'
Then if a child is decreed for them from that, the Shaytan will never harm him.
وَعِدۡهُمۡ وَمَا يَعِدُهُمُ الشَّيۡطَانُ إِلاَّ غُرُورًا
""...and make promises to them."" But Shaytan promises them nothing but deceit.
As Allah tells us, Iblis will say, on the Day when the matter is decided:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَعَدَكُمۡ وَعۡدَ الۡحَقِّ وَوَعَدتُّكُمۡ فَأَخۡلَفۡتُكُمۡ
Verily, Allah promised you a promise of truth. And I too promised you, but I betrayed you. (14:22)
إِنَّ عِبَادِي لَيۡسَ لَكَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ سُلۡطَانٌ
Verily, My servants, you have no authority over them.
Here Allah tells us that He supports His believing servants, and guards and protects them against the accursed Shaytan.
Allah says:
وَكَفَى بِرَبِّكَ وَكِيلً
And All-Sufficient is your Lord as a Guardian.
meaning, as a Protector, Supporter and Helper."
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