The Noble Quran English Translation and Tafsir of Surah Al-Qalam Ayah 34-43
68:34 Indeed, for the God-fearing shall be Gardens of Bliss with their Lord.
68:35 Shall We make those who submit like the evildoers?
68:36 What is the matter with you, how do you judge?
68:37 Or have you a book wherein you read,
68:38 and wherein you have what you choose?
68:39 Or have you oaths binding upon Us until the Day of Judgment that you shall surely have what you ordain?
6840 Ask them which of them will guarantee that!
68:41 Or have they partners? Then let them bring their partners if they are truthful.
68:42 The day the Shin will be laid bare, and they will be called to prostrate, but they will not be able.
68:43 Humbled shall be their eyes, and humiliation will cover them. And they were called to prostrate when they were sound.
Relationship with the Previous Part
In the previous part, the disbelievers are warned of the punishment in the life of this world and the Hereafter. Then, this part mentions the immense reward awaiting the believers in Allah’s Oneness in the Hereafter. It also refutes the claims of the disbelievers, who maintain that they will be equal to the believers in the Hereafter, which is a sheer lie and baseless hope.
Tafsir
68:34 Indeed, for the God-fearing shall be Gardens of Bliss with their Lord.
For those who fear Allah by believing in His Oneness, obeying His commands, and avoiding His prohibitions shall be Gardens of Bliss in the Hereafter with their Lord. Allah, Exalted be He. He will reward them immensely for their righteousness.
68:35 Shall We make those who submit like the evildoers?
The interrogation is for negation and condemnation.
Shall Allah make those who submit to Him by believing in His Oneness and obeying His commands like the evildoers, who disbelieve in His Oneness and disobey His commands? No, the end of the righteous will never be like that of the evildoers. Allah is just and He will recompense each party according to their deeds.
68:36 What is the matter with you, how do you judge?
Reproaching the disbelievers, Allah, Exalted be He, says, ‘What is the matter with you, O disbelievers? How do you judge? How dare you make equal the believers and the disbelievers, and the good-doers to the evildoers? No, they will never be equal. The believers will be rewarded immensely and the disbelievers will be punished severely.
68:37 Or have you a book wherein you read,
68:38 and wherein you have what you choose?
After reproaching the disbelievers for their ignorance in the previous ayah, they are reprimanded for their lies.
O disbelievers, do you have a book wherein you read that the believers will be equal to the disbelievers, and from which you have chosen the rules you want? No, there is no divine or non-divine book, which says that the believers will be equal to the disbelievers. Rather, you say and believe false judgments that have nothing to do with the truth.
68:39 Or have you oaths binding upon Us until the Day of Judgment that you shall surely have what you ordain?
O disbelievers, do you have oaths that are binding upon Allah until the Day of Judgment that you shall surely have what you ordain? Do you have solemn oaths that are binding upon Allah until the Day of Judgment that Allah will make the believers equal to the disbelievers? If you have such oaths, present them before people.
Undoubtedly, the disbelievers have no confirmed oaths from Allah that support their claims. The intended meaning is to expose their lie and to confirm that they can never bring anything affirming their false claims.
68:40 Ask them which of them will guarantee that!
O noble Messenger Muhammad, ask the disbelievers, ‘Whom of them will guarantee on the Day of Judgment that they will have what they claim in the life of this world, namely, they will be equal to the believers?
68:41 Or have they partners? Then let them bring their partners if they are truthful.
Do the disbelievers have partners, who agree with them on their unfounded rules that they will be equal to the believers in the Hereafter? Then, let them bring their partners to testify with them if they are truthful in their claim. The partners, which are mentioned in the ayah refer to the false gods of the disbelievers, which they worship besides Allah, Exalted be He.
The disbelievers will never be able to bring any partner, who can support their false claim.
68:42 The day the Shin will be laid bare, and they will be called to prostrate, but they will not be able.
68:43 Humbled shall be their eyes, and humiliation will cover them. And they were called to prostrate when they were sound. The ayah mentions some of the horrors of the Day of Judgment and portrays the conditions of the disbelievers on that day.
O noble Messenger, mention to your people when the Day of Judgment will take place, and its horrors overwhelm people, Allah, Exalted be He, will come and uncover His Shin before all creatures. Then, people will be called to prostrate, and believers will prostrate, but the disbelievers and the hypocrites will be unable to prostrate. The eyes of the disbelievers and the hypocrites will be humbled and cast down with humiliation. They were called to prostrate in the life of this world when they were able to do so, but they arrogantly refuse to prostrate.
Abu Sa’id, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that Messenger Muhammad [peace be upon him] said, ‘Our Lord will uncover His Shin. Then, every believer, man, and woman, will prostrate before Him. And it will remain those who used to prostrate for showing off in the worldly life, and they will try to prostrate, but their backs will be stiff as if they were made of one bone.’
Abdul Allah Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, ‘[And they were called to prostrate when they were sound.] Those are the disbelievers. They were called to prostrate before Allah in the life of this world while they were safe. On the Day of Judgment, they will be called to prostrate before Allah while they are frightened.’
In sum, the disbelievers will be called to prostrate before Allah on the Day of Judgment to reprimand and reproach them because they refused to prostrate in the worldly life when they were safe and able to do so. Therefore, they will be punished by asking them to do the act that they refused to do, but they will be unable to do it.
Learned Lessons from Surah Al-Qalam Ayah 34-43
• The believers, who believe in Allah’s Oneness, obey His commands, and avoid His prohibition will enter Paradise on the Day of Judgment and enjoy its lasting reward and happiness.
• The disbelievers will never be equal to the believers on the Day of Judgment. Whoever claims that the disbelievers will be rewarded like the believers is wrong.
• The disbelievers have no proof whatsoever supporting their claim that they will be equal to the believers on the Day of Judgment.
• The horrors of the Day of Judgment are great. Allah, Exalted be He, will come to judge among the creatures, and He will uncover His Shin. The believers will prostrate before Allah, but the disbelievers and the hypocrites will be unable to prostrate, which is a fitting recompense for their refusal to prostrate in the worldly life when they were called to do so.
In sum, the disbelievers will be called to prostrate
ReplyDeletebefore Allah on the Day of Judgment to reprimand and reproach them because they refused to prostrate in the worldly life when they were safe and able to do so. Therefore, they will be punished by asking them to do the act that they refused to do, but they will be unable to do it.