Ayah
Word by Word
قُلۡ
Say
يَٰقَوۡمِ
O my people
ٱعۡمَلُواْ
Work
عَلَىٰ
on
مَكَانَتِكُمۡ
your position
إِنِّي
Indeed, I am
عَامِلٞۖ
a worker
فَسَوۡفَ
And soon
تَعۡلَمُونَ
you will know
مَن
who
تَكُونُ
will have
لَهُۥ
for himself
عَٰقِبَةُ
(in) the end
ٱلدَّارِۚ
(a good) home
إِنَّهُۥ
Indeed [he]
لَا
(will) not
يُفۡلِحُ
succeed
ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ
the wrongdoers
قُلۡ
Say
يَٰقَوۡمِ
O my people
ٱعۡمَلُواْ
Work
عَلَىٰ
on
مَكَانَتِكُمۡ
your position
إِنِّي
Indeed, I am
عَامِلٞۖ
a worker
فَسَوۡفَ
And soon
تَعۡلَمُونَ
you will know
مَن
who
تَكُونُ
will have
لَهُۥ
for himself
عَٰقِبَةُ
(in) the end
ٱلدَّارِۚ
(a good) home
إِنَّهُۥ
Indeed [he]
لَا
(will) not
يُفۡلِحُ
succeed
ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ
the wrongdoers
Translation
Say: "O my people! Do whatever ye can: I will do (my part): soon will ye know who it is whose end will be (best) in the Hereafter: certain it is that the wrong-doers will not prosper."
Tafsir
Say, to them: 'O my people, act according to your state, your circumstances; truly I am acting, according to my circumstances. And assuredly you will know whose (man: the relative particle introducing the object of the verb 'you will know') sequel shall be the abode, that is, [who shall have] the praiseworthy sequel in the abode of the Hereafter: will it be us or yourselves? Surely the evildoers, the disbelievers, will not prosper', will not find happiness.
If They Disobey, They Will Perish
Allah said,
وَرَبُّكَ
And your Lord..., (O Muhammad),
الۡغَنِيُّ
is Al-Ghani,
Rich, free from needing His creatures in any way or form, while they stand in need of Him in all situations,
ذُو الرَّحۡمَةِ
full of mercy;
towards creation.
Allah said in another Ayah,
إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِالنَّاسِ لَرَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ
Truly, Allah is full of kindness, the Most Merciful towards mankind. (2:143)
إِن يَشَأۡ يُذۡهِبۡكُمۡ
if He wills, He can destroy you.
if you defy His commandments,
وَيَسۡتَخۡلِفۡ مِن بَعۡدِكُم مَّا يَشَاء
And in your place make whom He wills as your successors,
who behave obediently,
كَمَأ أَنشَأَكُم مِّن ذُرِّيَّةِ قَوۡمٍ اخَرِينَ
As He raised you from the seed of other people.
and surely, He is able to do this, and it is easy for Him. And just as Allah has destroyed the earlier nations and brought their successors, He is able to do away with these generations and bring other people in their place.
Allah has also said;
إِن يَشَأۡ يُذۡهِبۡكُمۡ أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ وَيَأۡتِ بِـاخَرِينَ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَلَى ذلِكَ قَدِيراً
If He wills, He can take you away, O people, and bring others. And Allah is Ever Capable over that. (4:133)
يأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ أَنتُمُ الۡفُقَرَاءُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ هُوَ الۡغَنِىُّ الۡحَمِيدُ
إِن يَشَأۡ يُذۡهِبۡكُـمۡ وَيَأۡتِ بِخَلۡقٍ جَدِيدٍ
وَمَا ذَلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ بِعَزِيزٍ
O mankind! It is you who stand in need of Allah. But Allah is Rich (free of all needs), Worthy of all praise. If He willed, He could destroy you and bring about a new creation. And that is not hard for Allah. (35:15-17)
and,
نَّفۡسِهِ وَاللَّهُ الۡغَنِىُّ وَأَنتُمُ الۡفُقَرَاءُ وَإِن تَتَوَلَّوۡاۡ يَسۡتَبۡدِلۡ قَوۡماً غَيۡرَكُمۡ ثُمَّ لَا يَكُونُواۡ
But Allah is Rich (free of all needs), and you are poor. And if you turn away, He will exchange you for some other people and they will not be your likes. (47:38)
Muhammad bin Ishaq said that Yaqub bin Utbah said that he heard Aban bin Uthman saying about this Ayah,
كَمَأ أَنشَأَكُم مِّن ذُرِّيَّةِ قَوۡمٍ اخَرِينَ
(As He raised you from the seed of other people),
`The seed' means the offspring and the children.
Allah's statement,
إِنَّ مَا تُوعَدُونَ لاتٍ وَمَا أَنتُم بِمُعۡجِزِينَ
Surely, that which you are promised, will verily, come to pass and you cannot escape.
means, tell them, O Muhammad, that what they have been promised of Resurrection will surely occur,
وَمَا أَنتُم بِمُعۡجِزِينَ
(and you cannot escape) from Allah. Rather, He is able to resurrect you even after you become dust and bones. Certainly, Allah is able to do all things and nothing ever escapes His power.
Allah said
قُلۡ يَا قَوۡمِ اعۡمَلُواۡ عَلَى مَكَانَتِكُمۡ إِنِّي عَامِلٌ فَسَوۡفَ تَعۡلَمُونَ
Say:O my people! Work according to your way, surely, I too am working and you will come to know.
This contains a stern warning and a sure promise, saying; remain on your way, if you think that you are rightly guided, for I will remain on mine.
Allah said in another Ayah,
وَقُل لِّلَّذِينَ لَا يُوۡمِنُونَ اعۡمَلُواۡ عَلَى مَكَانَتِكُمۡ إِنَّا عَامِلُونَ
وَانۡتَظِرُواۡ إِنَّا مُنتَظِرُونَ
And say to those who do not believe:Act according to Makanatikum, We are acting (in our way). And you wait! We (too) are waiting. (11:121-122)
Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn Abbas said that,
عَلَى مَكَانَتِكُمۡ
(according to Makanatikum...),
means, your way.
قُلۡ يَا قَوۡمِ اعۡمَلُواۡ عَلَى مَكَانَتِكُمۡ إِنِّي عَامِلٌ
فَسَوۡفَ تَعۡلَمُونَ
مَن تَكُونُ لَهُ عَاقِبَةُ الدِّارِ إِنَّهُ لَا يُفۡلِحُ الظَّالِمُونَ
And you will come to know for which of us will be the (happy) end in the Hereafter. Certainly the wrongdoers will not be successful.
You will come to know if the happy end will be mine (Muhammad's) or yours (the disbelievers).
Allah has indeed kept His promise and allowed Muhammad to prevail in the land and rise above those who defied him. He conquered Makkah for him and made him triumphant over his people who rejected and showed enmity towards him. The Prophet's rule soon spread over the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen and Bahrain, and all this occurred during his lifetime. After his death, the various lands and provinces were conquered during the time of his successors, may Allah be pleased with them all.
Allah also said,
كَتَبَ اللَّهُ لاّغۡلِبَنَّ أَنَاۡ وَرُسُلِى إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَوِىٌّ عَزِيزٌ
Allah has decreed:Verily, it is I and My Messengers who shall be the victorious. Verily, Allah is All-Powerful, Almighty. (58:21)
إِنَّا لَنَنصُرُ رُسُلَنَا وَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواۡ فِى الۡحَيَوةِ الدُّنۡيَا وَيَوۡمَ يَقُومُ الاإٌّشۡهَـدُ
يَوۡمَ لَا يَنفَعُ الظَّـلِمِينَ مَعۡذِرَتُهُمۡ وَلَهُمُ الۡلَّعۡنَةُ وَلَهُمۡ سُوءُ الدَّارِ
Verily, We will indeed make victorious Our Messengers and those who believe in this world's life and on the Day when the witnesses will stand forth. The Day when their excuses will be of no profit to the wrongdoers. Theirs will be the curse, and theirs will be the evil abode. (40:51-52)
and,
وَلَقَدۡ كَتَبۡنَا فِى الزَّبُورِ مِن بَعۡدِ الذِّكۡرِ أَنَّ الاٌّرۡضَ يَرِثُهَا عِبَادِىَ الصَّـلِحُونَ
And indeed We have written in the Zabur after the Dhikr that My righteous servants shall inherit the land. (21:105)
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