English Translation and Tafsir of Surah Al-Jinn Ayah 16-24
72:16 If they go straight on the path, We would give them to drink water in abundance
72:17 that We may test them thereby. And whoever turns away from the remembrance of his Lord, He will make him enter severe torment.
72:18 And the mosques are for Allah; so invoke not anyone along with Allah.
72:19 And when the slave of Allah stood up invoking his Lord, they almost swarmed upon him.
72:20 Say, ‘I invoke my Lord only and do not worship anyone along with Him.’
72:21 Say, ‘Indeed, I possess no power for you to do you harm nor guide you rightly.’
72:22 Say, ‘Surely no one shall protect me from Allah, and I shall find besides Him no refuge,
72:23 except conveyance from Allah and His messages. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger – for him, surely the Fire of Hell abiding therein forever.’
72:24 Until, when they see that which they are promised, then they will know who is weaker in respect of helpers and fewer in respect of numbers.
Relationship with the Previous Part
The previous parts mention some information about the world of the jinn. This part mentions more information about the world of the jinn. It informs about the importance of performing the prayer in mosques. In addition, it confirms that Messenger Muhammad invites people to worship Allah alone and that he cannot benefit or harm anyone. Only Allah can bring benefit and ward off harm from people.
Tafsir
72:16 If they go straight on the path, We would give them to drink water in abundance
72:17 that We may test them thereby. And whoever turns away from the remembrance of his Lord, He will make him enter severe torment.
If those who follow the path of misguidance among human beings and the jinn adhere to the right path by worshipping Allah alone, obeying His commands, and avoiding His prohibitions, Allah will give them to drink water in abundance and provide them with plenty of blessings. Allah will give them such blessings to test them so that their attitudes toward Allah’s blessings will be clear. Those who will be thankful for Allah’s blessings will be distinguished from those who deny them.
The ayah mentions water specifically because it is the basic source of life on earth.
Messenger Muhammad [peace be upon him] said, ‘By Allah, it is not poverty that I fear for you, but I fear that the life of this world will be opened up with its wealth for you as it was opened up for those who were before you. Then, you will compete with one another over it as they competed with one another. Thus, it will destroy you as it destroyed them.’
And whoever turns away from the remembrance of his Lord, He will make him enter severe torment.
As for those who turn away from the remembrance of his Lord, and disobey His commands, Allah will make him enter severe torment, which he can never escape.
72:18 And the mosques are for Allah; so invoke not anyone along with Allah.
Allah, Exalted be He, commands his Messenger Muhammad to say to people, ‘It is revealed to me that the mosques where the prayer and worship of Allah are practiced are only for Allah; so do not invoke anyone along with Allah. You must worship alone and perform the prayer there only for His sake in the mosques.’
Qatada, may Allah be pleased with him said, ‘The Jews and the Christians used to worship other gods besides Allah when they enter their churches and synagogues. Therefore, Allah commanded His Messenger Muhammad to use the mosques for worshipping Him alone.’
The mosques are described as being for Allah to show their great status with Allah.
72:19 And when the slave of Allah stood up invoking his Lord, they almost swarmed upon him.
When Messenger Muhammad [peace be upon him] stood up to worship and invoke Allah, the jinn almost swarmed upon him to listen to the recitation of the Quran because they were amazed by how sincerely he worshipped Allah as they did not see someone who did as he did and did not hear something similar to the Quran before.
The jinn crowded around Messenger Muhammad when he was praying and reciting the Quran because they were amazed at his prayer, the beauty of his voice when reciting the Quran, and how his companions followed his model in his prayer.
Abdul Allah Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them, said about the following ayah: 72:19 And when the slave of Allah stood up invoking his Lord, they almost swarmed upon him. ‘When the jinn heard Messenger Muhammad reciting the Quran, the jinn crowded around him because they were eager to hear his recitation. Therefore, they gathered around him, but he did not know about their presence until the angel Gabriel told him about them.’
The scholars of Tafsir mention the following opinions about those who gathered around Messenger Muhammad. 1) When Messenger Muhammad was praying, the jinn almost swarmed upon him to listen to the recitation of the Quran. 2) When the jinn returned to their people, they described how the companions of Messenger Muhammad gathered around him, namely, they obediently imitated when he was praying. 3) When Messenger Muhammad invited the jinn and human beings to worship Allah alone, they swarmed upon him to put an end to his message.
After mentioning the opinions of the scholars, Imam Muhammad Ibn Jarir At-Tabari said, ‘The correct opinion is that the Arabs swarm upon Messenger Muhammad to prevent him from spreading the Islamic message. That is because [72:19 And when the slave of Allah stood up invoking his Lord, they almost swarmed upon him.] after this ayah [72:18 And the mosques are for Allah; so invoke not anyone along with Allah.
72:20 Say, ‘I invoke my Lord only and do not worship anyone along with Him.’
O noble Messenger Muhammad, say to those swarmed upon you, ‘I invoke my Lord only, worship Him alone, and rely on Him alone. I do not worship anyone besides my Lord. Allah is my Lord and He only deserves sincere worship.’
72:21 Say, ‘Indeed, I possess no power for you to do you harm nor guide you rightly.’
O noble Messenger Muhammad, say to the disbelievers, who refused to follow the right path, ‘Indeed, I possess no power for you. I can neither harm you nor benefit in any matter related to the religion or the life of this world. I am only a human being like you to whom Allah has revealed His revelation. All matters are in the hands of Allah.
72:22 Say, ‘Surely no one shall protect me from Allah, and I shall find besides Him no refuge,
Noble Messenger Muhammad, says to the disbelievers, ‘Surely, no one shall protect me from the punishment of Allah if He wanted to punish me, and I shall find besides Allah no refuge to whom I may turn for protection.’
72:23 except conveyance from Allah and His messages. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger – for him, surely the Fire of Hell abiding therein forever.’
O noble Messenger Muhammad, say to the disbelievers, ‘I have neither harm nor benefit for you. I cannot force you to believe in Islam. I only can truthfully and diligently convey the messages of my Lord to you. As for guiding to the right path, it is only in the hands of Allah. He, Exalted be He, guides whom He wants to the right path, and leaves astray whom He wants according to His will and wisdom.’
And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger – for him, surely the Fire of Hell abiding therein forever.’
The ayah mentions the recompense of those who disobey the commands of Allah. The Fire of Hell will be their punishment wherein they will abide forever, suffering its severe torment.
72:24 Until, when they see that which they are promised, then they will know who is weaker in respect of helpers and fewer in respect of numbers.
In this ayah, the disbelievers are warned of severe punishment because they ridicule and abuse the believers.
The disbelievers will keep on their wrong attitude by insisting on disbelieving in the Oneness of Allah, stubbornness, and denying the occurrence of the Day of Judgment. However, when they see that which they are promised, namely, punishment in the life of this world and the Hereafter, they will know who is weaker in respect of helpers and fewer in respect of number. When the disbelievers face the painful punishment of Allah, they will know who is weaker, they or the believers. They will also who is fewer in respect of number, they or the believers.
The believers will definitely be stronger and have more number while the disbelievers will be weak and fewer in number when the punishment of Allah befalls them.
The false hopes of the believers will end on the Day of Judgment. They will have no righteous deeds that will cause them to enter Paradise by the bounty and mercy of Allah. They will also have no helpers or supporters who may protect them from the severe punishment of Allah. They will only find the evil fruits of their wickedness.
Learned Lessons from Surah Al-Jinn Ayah 16-24
• Following the right path by worshipping Allah alone and obeying His commands leads to happiness in the life of this world and the Hereafter.
• Comfortable life and abundant blessings are tests from Allah to make clear those who are thankful for the blessings of Allah and those who are ungrateful.
• Mosques are places for praying and remembering Allah, Exalted be He. Allah alone should be worshipped therein.
• When the jinn heard Messenger Muhammad [peace be upon him] reciting the Quran, they swarmed upon him as they heard a marvelous Quran. Likewise, the disbelievers swarmed over Messenger Muhammad to prevent him from spreading the message of Islam.
• The duty of Messenger Muhammad is to invite people to worship Allah alone, but he cannot force them to be believers. He cannot also bring benefit or ward off harm from himself or others. If he should disobey Allah, no one can protect him from the punishment of Allah.
• Messenger Muhammad is responsible for conveying the message of Islam and he is not responsible for guiding people to the right path.
• Severe punishment in Hell is awaiting the disbelievers, who disobey Allah and worship other gods besides Him.
• When the disbelievers face the punishment that Allah has prepared for them, they will know who is weaker in respect of helpers and who is fewer in respect of number, they or the believers.
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