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Ayah
Word by Word
وَلَوۡ
And if
نَشَآءُ
We willed
لَمَسَخۡنَٰهُمۡ
surely We (would have) transformed them
عَلَىٰ
in
مَكَانَتِهِمۡ
their places
فَمَا
then not
ٱسۡتَطَٰعُواْ
they would have been able
مُضِيّٗا
to proceed
وَلَا
and not
يَرۡجِعُونَ
return
وَلَوۡ
And if
نَشَآءُ
We willed
لَمَسَخۡنَٰهُمۡ
surely We (would have) transformed them
عَلَىٰ
in
مَكَانَتِهِمۡ
their places
فَمَا
then not
ٱسۡتَطَٰعُواْ
they would have been able
مُضِيّٗا
to proceed
وَلَا
and not
يَرۡجِعُونَ
return
Translation
And if it had been Our Will, We could have transformed them (to remain) in their places; then should they have been unable to move about, nor could they have returned (after error).
Tafsir
And had We willed We would have transformed them, [into] apes or swine or stones, in their place (makaanatihim, variant reading has makaanaatihim, the plural of makaana, meaning makaan, in other words 'in their dwellings'); then they would have neither been able to go ahead nor to return, in other words, they would not then be able to come and go.
The Isolation of the Disbelievers and Their Rebuke on the Day of Resurrection
Allah tells
وَامۡتَازُوا الۡيَوۡمَ أَيُّهَا الۡمُجۡرِمُونَ
(It will be said):And O you the criminals! Get you apart this Day.
Allah tells us what the end of the disbelievers will be on the Day of Resurrection, when He commands them to get apart from the believers, i.e., to stand apart from the believers.
This is like the Ayat:
وَيَوۡمَ نَحۡشُرُهُمۡ جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ نَقُولُ لِلَّذِينَ أَشۡرَكُواۡ مَكَانَكُمۡ أَنتُمۡ وَشُرَكَأوُكُمۡ فَزَيَّلۡنَا بَيۡنَهُمۡ
And the Day whereon We shall gather them all together, then We shall say to those who did set partners in worship with Us:Stop at your place! You and your partners. Then We shall separate them. (10:28)
وَيَوۡمَ تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ يَوۡمَيِذٍ يَتَفَرَّقُونَ
And on the Day when the Hour will be established -- that Day shall they be separated. (30:14)
يَوۡمَيِذٍ يَصَّدَّعُونَ
On that Day they shall be divided. (30:43)
which means, they will be divided into two separate groups.
احۡشُرُواۡ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواۡ وَأَزۡوَجَهُمۡ وَمَا كَانُواۡ يَعۡبُدُونَ
مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ فَاهۡدُوهُمۡ إِلَى صِرَطِ الۡجَحِيمِ
(It will be said to the angels):Assemble those who did wrong, together with their companions and what they used to worship, instead of Allah, and lead them on to the way of flaming Fire (Hell). (37:22-23)
أَلَمۡ أَعۡهَدۡ إِلَيۡكُمۡ يَا بَنِي ادَمَ أَن لاَّ تَعۡبُدُوا الشَّيۡطَانَ إِنَّهُ لَكُمۡ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ
Did I not command you, O Children of Adam, that you should not worship Shaytan, Verily, he is a plain enemy to you.
This is a rebuke from Allah to the disbelievers among the sons of Adam, those who obey the Shaytan even though he was a plain enemy to them, and they disobeyed Ar-Rahman Who created them and granted them provision.
Allah says:
وَأَنۡ اعۡبُدُونِي هَذَا صِرَاطٌ مُّسۡتَقِيمٌ
And that you should worship Me. That is the straight path.
meaning, `I commanded you in the world to disobey the Shaytan, and I commanded you to worship Me, and this is the straight path, but you followed a different path and you followed the commands of the Shaytan.'
Allah says:
وَلَقَدۡ أَضَلَّ مِنكُمۡ جِبِلًّ كَثِيرًا
And indeed he did lead astray a great multitude of you.
meaning, a large number of people.
This was the view of Mujahid, Qatadah, As-Suddi and Sufyan bin Uyaynah.
...
أَفَلَمۡ تَكُونُوا تَعۡقِلُونَ
Did you not then understand!
means, `did you not have any understanding, when you went against the command of your Lord to worship Him alone, with no partner or associate, and you preferred to follow the Shaytan?
On the Day of Resurrection, it will be said to the disbelievers among the sons of Adam, after Hell has been shown to them as a rebuke; and warning:
هَذِهِ جَهَنَّمُ الَّتِي كُنتُمۡ تُوعَدُونَ
This is Hell which you were promised!
meaning, `this is what the Messengers warned you about, and you did not believe them.'
اصۡلَوۡهَا الۡيَوۡمَ بِمَا كُنتُمۡ تَكۡفُرُونَ
Burn (enter) therein this Day, for that you used to disbelieve.
This is like the Ayah:
يَوۡمَ يُدَعُّونَ إِلَى نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ دَعًّا
هَـذِهِ النَّارُ الَّتِى كُنتُم بِهَا تُكَذِّبُونَ
أَفَسِحۡرٌ هَـذَا أَمۡ أَنتُمۡ لَا تُبۡصِرُونَ
The Day when they will be pushed down by force to the fire of Hell, with a horrible, forceful pushing. This is the Fire which you used to belie. Is this magic or do you not see! (52:13-15)
The Mouths of the Disbelievers will be sealed on the Day of Resurrection
Allah says,
الۡيَوۡمَ نَخۡتِمُ عَلَى أَفۡوَاهِهِمۡ وَتُكَلِّمُنَا أَيۡدِيهِمۡ وَتَشۡهَدُ أَرۡجُلُهُمۡ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكۡسِبُونَ
This Day, We shall seal up their mouths, and their hands will speak to Us, and their legs will bear witness to what they used to earn.
This will be the state of the disbelievers and hypocrites on the Day of Resurrection, when they deny the sins they committed in this world and swear that they did not do that. Allah will seal their mouths and cause their limbs to speak about what they did.
Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, said,
We were with the Prophet and he smiled so broadly that his molar could be seen, then he said:
Do you know why I am smiling?
We said, `Allah and His Messenger know best.'
He said:
مِنۡ مُجَادَلَةِ الۡعَبۡدِ رَبَّهُ يَوۡمَ الۡقِيَامَةِ يَقُولُ رَبِّ أَلَمۡ تُجِرۡنِي مِنَ الظُّلۡمِ
فَيَقُولُ بَلَى
فَيَقُولُ لَا أُجِيزُ عَلَيَّ إِلاَّ شَاهِدًا مِنۡ نَفۡسِي
فَيَقُولُ كَفَى بِنَفۡسِكَ الۡيَوۡمَ عَلَيۡكَ حَسِيبًا وَبِالۡكِرَامِ الۡكَاتِبِينَ شُهُودًا
فَيُخۡتَمُ عَلَى فِيهِ وَيُقَالُ لاَِرۡكَانِهِ انۡطِقِي فَتَنۡطِقَ بِعَمَلِهِ ثُمَّ يُخَلَّى بَيۡنَهُ وَبَيۡنَ الۡكَلَمِ فَيَقُولُ
بُعۡدًا لَكُنَّ وَسُحۡقًا فَعَنۡكُنَّ كُنۡتُ أُنَاضِل
Because of the way a servant will argue with his Lord on the Day of Resurrection. He will say, O Lord, will You not protect me from injustice!
(Allah) will say, Of course.
He will say, I will not accept any witness against me except from myself.
(Allah) will say, Today you will be a sufficient witness against yourself, and the honorable scribes will serve as witnesses against you.
Then his mouth will be sealed, and it will be said to his faculties, Speak! So they will speak of what he did. Then he will be permitted to speak, and he will say,
May you be doomed! It was for you that I was fighting.
This was recorded by Muslim and An-Nasa'i.
Ibn Jarir narrated that Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari, may Allah be pleased with him, said,
The believer will be called to account on the Day of Resurrection, and his Lord will show him his deeds, just between him and His Lord. He will admit it and will say, `Yes, O Lord, I did do that.'
Then Allah will forgive him his sins and conceal them, and no creature on earth will see any of those sins, but his good deeds will be seen, and he will want all the people to see them.
Then the disbeliever and the hypocrite will be brought to account, and his Lord will show him his deeds and he will deny them, saying, `O Lord, by Your glory, this angel has written down things that I did not do.'
The angel will say to him, `Did you not do such and such on such a day and in such a place?'
He will say, `No, by Your glory, I did not do that.' When he says this, Allah will seal his mouth.
Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari, may Allah be pleased with him, said,
I think that the first part of his body to speak will be his right thigh.
Then he recited:
الۡيَوۡمَ نَخۡتِمُ عَلَى أَفۡوَاهِهِمۡ وَتُكَلِّمُنَا أَيۡدِيهِمۡ وَتَشۡهَدُ أَرۡجُلُهُمۡ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكۡسِبُونَ
(This Day, We shall seal up their mouths, and their hands will speak to Us, and their legs will bear witness to what they used to earn).
وَلَوۡ نَشَاء لَطَمَسۡنَا عَلَى أَعۡيُنِهِمۡ فَاسۡتَبَقُوا الصِّرَاطَ فَأَنَّى يُبۡصِرُونَ
And if it had been Our will, We would surely have wiped out their eyes, so that they would struggle for the path, how then would they see!
Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, explained it:
Allah says, `If We willed, We could have misguided them all away from true guidance, so how could they be guided.
And on one occasion he said,
We could have blinded them.'
Al-Hasan Al-Basri said,
If Allah willed, He could have covered their eyes and made them blind, stumbling about.
Mujahid, Abu Salih, Qatadah and As-Suddi said,
So that they would struggle for the path, i.e., the right way.
Ibn Zayd said,
The meaning of path here is the truth -- `How could they see when We have covered their eyes'
Al-`Awfi reported that Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him said:
فَأَنَّى يُبۡصِرُونَ
(how then would they see),
They would not see the truth.
وَلَوۡ نَشَاء لَمَسَخۡنَاهُمۡ عَلَى مَكَانَتِهِمۡ
And if it had been Our will, We could have transformed them in their places.
Al-Awfi reported that Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said; `We could have destroyed them.
As-Suddi said,
`We could have changed their form.
Abu Salih said,
`We could have turned them to stone.
Al-Hasan Al-Basri and Qatadah said,
`We could have caused them to sit on their feet.
Allah says:
فَمَا اسۡتَطَاعُوا مُضِيًّا
Then they would have been unable to go forward,
meaning, move to the front,
وَلَا يَرۡجِعُونَ
nor they could have turned back.
meaning, move backwards.
They would have remained static, unable to move forwards or backwards
Allah tells us that the longer the son of Adam lives, the more he becomes weak after being strong, and incapable after being able and active.
Allah tells:
وَمَنۡ نُعَمِّرۡهُ نُنَكِّسۡهُ فِي الۡخَلۡقِ
And he whom We grant long life -- We reverse him in creation.
This is like the Ayah:
اللَّهُ الَّذِى خَلَقَكُمۡ مِّن ضَعۡفٍ ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِن بَعۡدِ ضَعۡفٍ قُوَّةٍ ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِن بَعۡدِ قُوَّةٍ ضَعۡفاً وَشَيۡبَةً يَخۡلُقُ مَا يَشَأءُ وَهُوَ الۡعَلِيمُ الۡقَدِيرُ
Allah is He Who created you in (a state of) weakness, then gave you strength after weakness, then after strength gave weakness and gray hair. He creates what He wills. And it is He Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Powerful. (30:54)
And Allah says:
وَمِنكُمۡ مَّن يُرَدُّ إِلَى أَرۡذَلِ الۡعُمُرِ لِكَيۡلَ يَعۡلَمَ مِن بَعۡدِ عِلۡمٍ شَيۡياً
And among you there is he who is brought back to the miserable old age, so that he knows nothing after having known. (22:5)
The meaning here -- and Allah knows best -- is that Allah is telling us that this world is transient and will come to an end, it is not eternal and lasting.
Allah says:
أَفَلَ يَعۡقِلُونَ
Will they not then understand!
meaning, will they not think about how they were created, then they become gray-haired, then they become old and senile, so that they may know that they were created for another world that is not transient and will not pass away, and from which there is no way out, which is the Hereafter.
Allah does not teach His Messenger Poetry
Allah says
وَمَا عَلَّمۡنَاهُ الشِّعۡرَ وَمَا يَنبَغِي لَهُ
And We have not taught him poetry, nor is it suitable for him.
Allah tells us that He has not taught His Prophet Muhammad poetry.
وَمَا يَنبَغِي لَهُ
nor is it suitable for him.
means, he did not know how to compose it, he did not like it and he had no natural inclination towards it.
It was narrated that he never memorized a stanza of poetry with the correct meter or rhyme -- he would transpose words or memorize it incompletely.
In Ad-Dala'il, Al-Bayhaqi recorded that the Messenger of Allah said to Al-Abbas bin Mirdas As-Sulami, may Allah be pleased with him:
أَنۡتَ الۡقَايِلُ أَتَجۡعَلُ نَهۡبِي وَنَهۡبَ الۡعُبَيدِ بَيۡنَ الاَۡقۡرَعِ وَعُيَيۡنَة
You are the one who said:Do you distribute my booty and the booty of the servants between Al-Aqra` and `Uyainah.
He said, It is `Uyainah and Al-Aqra`.
He said:
الۡكُلُّ سَوَاء
It is all the same.
i.e., it means the same thing. And Allah knows best.
This is because Allah taught him the Qur'an, which
لَاا يَأۡتِيهِ الۡبَاطِلُ مِن بَيۡنِ يَدَيۡهِ وَلَاا مِنۡ خَلۡفِهِ
تَنزِيلٌ مِّنۡ حَكِيمٍ حَمِيدٍ
(Falsehood cannot come to it from before it or behind it; sent down by the All-Wise, Worthy of all praise). (41:42)
This is not poetry, as some of the ignorant disbelievers of the Quraysh claimed; neither is it sorcery, a fabrication or a magic spell, as the misguided and ignorant people variously suggested. The Prophet was naturally disinclined to compose verse, and was forbidden to do so by Divine Law.
إِنۡ هُوَ إِلاَّ ذِكۡرٌ وَقُرۡانٌ مُّبِينٌ
This is only a Reminder and a plain Qur'an.
means, it is clear and self-explanatory to the one who ponders and comprehends its meanings,
Allah says
لِيُنذِرَ مَن كَانَ حَيًّا
That he or it may give warning to him who is living,
meaning, so that this plain Qur'an might warn every living person on the face of the earth.
This is like the Ayat:
لااٌّنذِرَكُمۡ بِهِ وَمَن بَلَغَ
that I may therewith warn you and whomsoever it may reach. (6:19)
وَمَن يَكۡفُرۡ بِهِ مِنَ الاٌّحۡزَابِ فَالنَّارُ مَوۡعِدُهُ
but those of the sects that reject it, the Fire will be their promised meeting place. (11:17)
Those who will benefit from his warning will be those whose hearts are alive and who have enlightened insight, as Qatadah said,
Alive of heart and alive of insight.
Ad-Dahhak said,
This means wise.
وَيَحِقَّ الۡقَوۡلُ عَلَى الۡكَافِرِينَ
and that Word may be justified against the disbelievers.
means, it is a mercy to the believers and evidence against the disbelievers.
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