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Ayah
Word by Word
مَّنۡ
Whoever
عَمِلَ
does
صَٰلِحٗا
righteous deeds
فَلِنَفۡسِهِۦۖ
then it is for his soul
وَمَنۡ
and whoever
أَسَآءَ
does evil
فَعَلَيۡهَاۗ
then it is against it
وَمَا
And not
رَبُّكَ
(is) your Lord
بِظَلَّـٰمٖ
unjust
لِّلۡعَبِيدِ
to His slaves
مَّنۡ
Whoever
عَمِلَ
does
صَٰلِحٗا
righteous deeds
فَلِنَفۡسِهِۦۖ
then it is for his soul
وَمَنۡ
and whoever
أَسَآءَ
does evil
فَعَلَيۡهَاۗ
then it is against it
وَمَا
And not
رَبُّكَ
(is) your Lord
بِظَلَّـٰمٖ
unjust
لِّلۡعَبِيدِ
to His slaves
Translation
Whoever works righteousness benefits his own soul; whoever works evil, it is against his own soul: nor is thy Lord ever unjust (in the least) to His Servants.
Tafsir
Whoever acts righteously, it is for [the good of] his own soul, that he acts [thus], and whoever does evil, it is to the detriment thereof, in other words, the harm consequent from his evildoing will [only] be to him. And your Lord is not [at all] a tyrant to His servants, that is, He is not One of injustice, as He, exalted be He, says: Surely God shall not wrong so much as the weight of an atom [Q. 4:40].
Rejection of the Qur'an is pure Stubbornness
Allah tells us that the Qur'an is so eloquent and perfect in its wording and meanings, yet despite that the idolators do not believe in it. He tells us that their disbelief is the disbelief of stubbornness, as He says elsewhere:
وَلَوۡ جَعَلۡنَاهُ قُرۡانًا أَعۡجَمِيًّا لَّقَالُوا
And if We had sent this as a Qur'an in a foreign language, they would have said:
Allah tells us that the Qur'an is so eloquent and perfect in its wording and meanings, yet despite that the idolators do not believe in it. He tells us that their disbelief is the disbelief of stubbornness, as He says elsewhere:
وَلَوۡ نَزَّلۡنَـهُ عَلَى بَعۡضِ الاٌّعۡجَمِينَ
فَقَرَأَهُ عَلَيۡهِم مَّا كَانُوا بِهِ مُوۡمِنِينَ
And if We had revealed it unto any of the non-Arabs, and he had recited it unto them, they would not have believed in it. (26:198-199)
If the Qur'an had been revealed in the language of the non-Arabs, they would have said, because of their stubbornness:
لَوۡلَا فُصِّلَتۡ ايَاتُهُ
أَأَعۡجَمِيٌّ وَعَرَبِيٌّ
Why are not its verses explained in detail What! not in Arabic and an Arab,
meaning, why is it not revealed in detail in Arabic? And by way of denunciation they would have said, What! not in Arabic nor from an Arab -- i.e., how can foreign words be revealed to an Arab who does not understand them?
This interpretation was reported from Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, Ikrimah, Sa`id bin Jubayr, As-Suddi and others.
قُلۡ هُوَ لِلَّذِينَ امَنُوا هُدًى وَشِفَاء
Say:It is for those who believe, a guide and a cure...
means, `say, O Muhammad:this Qur'an, for the one who believes in it, is guidance for his heart and a cure for the doubts and confusion that exists in people's hearts.'
وَالَّذِينَ لَاا يُوۡمِنُونَ فِي اذَانِهِمۡ وَقۡرٌ
And as for those who disbelieve, there is heaviness in their ears,
means, they do not understand what is in it.
وَهُوَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ عَمًى
and it is blindness for them.
means they are not guided to the explanations contained therein.
This is like the Ayah:
وَنُنَزِّلُ مِنَ الۡقُرۡءَانِ مَا هُوَ شِفَأءٌ وَرَحۡمَةٌ لِّلۡمُوۡمِنِينَ وَلَا يَزِيدُ الظَّـلِمِينَ إَلاَّ خَسَارًا
And We send down of the Qur'an that which is a healing and a mercy to those who believe, and it increases the wrongdoers nothing but loss. (17:82)
أُوۡلَيِكَ يُنَادَوۡنَ مِن مَّكَانٍ بَعِيدٍ
They are called from a place far away.
Mujahid said,
Far away from their hearts.
Ibn Jarir said,
It is as if the one who is addressing them is calling to them from a distant place, and they cannot understand what he is saying.
This is like the Ayah:
وَمَثَلُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواۡ كَمَثَلِ الَّذِى يَنۡعِقُ بِمَا لَا يَسۡمَعُ إِلاَّ دُعَأءً وَنِدَاءً صُمٌّ بُكۡمٌ عُمۡىٌ فَهُمۡ لَا يَعۡقِلُونَ
And the example of those who disbelieve is as that of him who shouts to those (flock of sheep) that hears nothing but calls and cries. (They are) deaf, dumb and blind. So they do not understand. (2:171)
Taking Musa as an Example
Allah says,
وَلَقَدۡ اتَيۡنَا مُوسَى الۡكِتَابَ فَاخۡتُلِفَ فِيهِ
And indeed We gave Musa the Scripture, but dispute arose therein.
means, they disbelieved in him and did not show him any respect.
فَاصۡبِرۡ كَمَا صَبَرَ أُوۡلُواۡ الۡعَزۡمِ مِنَ الرُّسُلِ
Therefore be patient as did the Messengers of strong will, (46:35)
وَلَوۡلَا كَلِمَةٌ سَبَقَتۡ مِن رَّبِّكَ
And had it not been for a Word that went forth before from your Lord,
i.e., to delay the Reckoning until the Day of Resurrection,
لَقُضِيَ بَيۡنَهُمۡ
the matter would have been settled between them.
means, the punishment would have been hastened for them. But they have an appointed time, beyond which they will find no escape.
وَإِنَّهُمۡ لَفِي شَكٍّ مِّنۡهُ مُرِيبٍ
But truly, they are in grave doubt thereto.
means, their words of disbelief are not due to any wisdom or insight on their part; rather they spoke without any attempt at examining it thoroughly.
This was also the interpretation of Ibn Jarir, and it is a plausible interpretation. And Allah knows best
Everyone will be requited according to His Deeds
Allah says,
مَنۡ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَلِنَفۡسِهِ
Whosoever does righteous good deed, it is for himself;
means, the benefit of which will come to him.
وَمَنۡ أَسَاء فَعَلَيۡهَا
and whosoever does evil, it is against himself.
means, the consequences of that will come back on him.
وَمَا رَبُّكَ بِظَلَّمٍ لِّلۡعَبِيدِ
And your Lord is not at all unjust to (His) servants.
means, He only punishes people for their sins, and He does not punish anyone except after establishing proof against him and sending a Messenger to him.
Knowledge of the Hour is with Allah Alone
Then Allah says
إِلَيۡهِ يُرَدُّ عِلۡمُ السَّاعَةِ
To Him is referred the knowledge of the Hour.
meaning, no one knows about that apart from Him.
Muhammad, the leader of mankind, said to Jibril, who is one of the leading angels, when he asked him about the Hour:
مَا الۡمَسۡوُولُ عَنۡهَا بِأَعۡلَمَ مِنَ السَّايِل
The one who is asked about it does not know more than the one who is asking.
And Allah says:
إِلَى رَبِّكَ مُنتَهَـهَأ
To your Lord belongs the term thereof. (79:44)
لَا يُجَلِّيهَا لِوَقۡتِهَأ إِلااَّ هُوَ
None can reveal its time but He. (7:187)
وَمَا تَخۡرُجُ مِن ثَمَرَاتٍ مِّنۡ أَكۡمَامِهَا وَمَا تَحۡمِلُ مِنۡ أُنثَى وَلَا تَضَعُ إِلاَّ بِعِلۡمِهِ
No fruit comes out of its sheath, nor does a female conceive nor brings forth (young), except by His knowledge.
means, all of that is known to Him, and nothing is hidden from your Lord the weight of a speck of dust on the earth or in the heaven.
Allah says:
وَمَا تَسۡقُطُ مِن وَرَقَةٍ إِلاَّ يَعۡلَمُهَا
not a leaf falls, but He knows it. (6:59)
يَعۡلَمُ مَا تَحۡمِلُ كُلُّ أُنثَى وَمَا تَغِيضُ الاٌّرۡحَامُ وَمَا تَزۡدَادُ وَكُلُّ شَىۡءٍ عِندَهُ بِمِقۡدَارٍ
Allah knows what every female bears, and by how much the wombs fall short or exceed. Everything with Him is in (due) proportion. (13:8)
وَمَا يُعَمَّرُ مِن مُّعَمَّرٍ وَلَا يُنقَصُ مِنۡ عُمُرِهِ إِلاَّ فِى كِتَـبٍ إِنَّ ذَلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ
And no aged man is granted a length of life nor is a part cut off from his life, but is in a Book. Surely, that is easy for Allah. (35:11)
وَيَوۡمَ يُنَادِيهِمۡ أَيۡنَ شُرَكَايِي
And on the Day when He will call unto them (saying):Where are My (so-called) partners?
means, on the Day of Resurrection, Allah will call out to the idolators before all of creation and say, Where are My partners whom you worshipped besides Me?
قَالُوا اذَنَّاكَ
They will say:We inform You...
means, `we tell You,'
مَا مِنَّا مِن شَهِيدٍ
that none of us bears witness to it.
means, `not one of us will bear witness today that You have any partner.
وَضَلَّ عَنۡهُم مَّا كَانُوا يَدۡعُونَ مِن قَبۡلُ
And those whom they used to invoke before (in this world) shall disappear from them,
means, they will go away, and will be of no benefit to them.
وَظَنُّوا مَا لَهُم مِّن مَّحِيصٍ
and they will perceive that they have no place of refuge.
means, they will have no way of escaping from the punishment of Allah.
This is like the Ayah:
وَرَأَى الۡمُجۡرِمُونَ النَّارَ فَظَنُّواۡ أَنَّهُمۡ مُّوَاقِعُوهَا وَلَمۡ يَجِدُواۡ عَنۡهَا مَصۡرِفًا
And the criminals shall see the Fire and apprehend that they have to fall therein. And they will find no way of escape from there. (18:53)
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