English Translation and Tafsir of Surah Al-Insan Ayah 23-31
The Conditions of the Believers and Disbelievers in the Worldly Life
76:23 Verily, it is We Who have revealed the Quran to you, a successive revelation.
76:24 Thus, be patient with the judgment of your Lord and obey not one of them, a sinner or disbeliever.
76:26 And during the night, prostrate yourself before Him and glorify Him through the long night.
76:27 Verily, these people love the present life and leave behind them a heavy day.
76:28 We created them and strengthened their constitution, and when We will, We shall replace them with their likes, a complete replacement.
76:29 Indeed, this is a reminder; so whoever wills, let him take a way to his Lord.
76:30 And you will not unless Allah wills. Verily, Allah is ever All-Knowing, All-Wise.
76:31 He admits whom He wills into His mercy, and as for the wrongdoers, He has prepared for them a painful torment.
Relationship with the Previous Part
The previous parts mention the conditions of the disbelievers and believers in the Hereafter. Then, Allah, Exalted be He, has strengthened the heart of Messenger Muhammad [peace be upon] and consoled him because of the abuse he underwent at the hands of the disbelievers, who accused him of being a magician and soothsayer. Therefore, Allah, Exalted be He, mentions that He revealed the Quran to His Prophet and Messenger Muhammad and has commanded Messenger Muhammad to be patient with the abuse of the disbelievers. Moreover, Allah, Exalted be He, mentions the conditions of the believers and the disbelievers in the worldly life.
Tafsir
76:23 Verily, it is We Who have revealed the Quran to you, a successive revelation.
O noble Messenger Muhammad, verily, We have revealed the Quran to you. We have revealed it you a successive, and perfect revelation that is precisely elaborated. We revealed the Quran in stages to you according to Our will and wisdom.
The ayah negates the statements of the deniers, who deny that Allah revealed the Quran to Messenger Muhammad. It emphasizes that Allah revealed the Quran to His Prophet and Messenger Muhammad.
76:24 Thus, be patient with the judgment of your Lord and obey not one of them, a sinner or disbeliever.
O noble Messenger Muhammad, as Allah revealed the Quran to you, be patient with the judgment of your Lord. Submit to His will and decree. Indeed, He will make you victorious over your enemies. Be patient with performing the obligations that Allah has commanded you to perform and the prohibitions that He has commanded you to avoid. Be patient with conveying the message of Islam that Allah has commanded you to convey to people.
O noble Messenger Muhammad, do not obey the disbelievers. Do not obey one of them, who is a sinner or denier of the truth.
Qatada, may Allah have mercy on him, said, ‘[And obey not one of them, a sinner or disbeliever.] The ayah was revealed about the enemy of Allah, namely, Abu Jahl.’
Imam Fakhr ad-Deen ar-Razi wrote, ‘76:24 Thus, be patient with the judgment of your Lord and obey not one of them, a sinner or disbeliever. The first question: ‘Be patient with the judgment of your Lord’ includes a commandment not to obey the sinner or the disbeliever. Is this not a repetition? The answer: No, it is not a repetition. The first is a commandment to be patient with the commands, and the second is a commandment to be patient with the prohibitions. The second question: Messenger Muhammad never obeyed anyone of the disbelievers. Thus, what is the purpose of this prohibition? The answer: the intended meaning is that all people need to be reminded continuously to follow the right path because of the natural disposition that incites them to sin. If any person does not need the help and guidance of Allah, Messenger Muhammad would be that person since he is the infallible Messenger of Allah. Thus, every Muslim will know that he must always ask Allah to guide and protect him from whims and suspicious matters. The third question: What is the difference between a sinner and a disbeliever? The answer: a sinner is a person who commits sins no matter what the sin is. On the other hand, a disbeliever is a denier of the blessings. Thus, every disbeliever is a sinner, whereas not every sinner is a disbeliever. The fourth question: all the addressed people in ayah were disbelievers; thus, what is the purpose of differentiating between the sinner and the disbeliever? The answer: the disbeliever is the most wicked kind of the sinners; therefore, it is specifically mentioned to emphasize its wickedness and its eternal remoteness from Allah.’
The intended meaning from the above ayah is to strengthen the heart of Messenger Muhammad, and make the disbelievers lose hope of any positive response to any of their wicked demands by Messenger Muhammad.
76:25 And remember the Name of your Lord morning and evening.
76:26 And during the night, prostrate yourself before Him and glorify Him through the long night.
Allah, Exalted be He, has guided Messenger Muhammad to what helps him to be patient and perseverant.
O noble Messenger Muhammad, remember the Name of your Lord at all times. Remember Him throughout the day – in the morning and the evening. Remember the Name of your Lord during the night and prostrate yourself before Him by praying the night prayer. Glorify your Lord through the long night.
In sum, Allah, Exalted be He, has commanded Messenger Muhammad to remember Him at all times, day and night, which is a great source for making him firm on the right path and enduring all obstacles that may encounter him.
76:27 Verily, these people love the present life and leave behind them a heavy day.
Allah, Exalted be He, mentions why Messenger Muhammad and the believers must not obey the disbelievers.
O noble Messenger, Allah, the merciful, has commanded you not to obey the disbelievers because they love the fleeting, present life and favor it over the lasting life of the Hereafter. They are heedless of the Day of Judgment. They do not think about the Day of Judgment with its horrors and do not prepare themselves for this day by believing in the Oneness of Allah and obeying His commands.
The attitude of the disbelievers shows their ignorance and foolishness as they favor the fleeting present life over the lasting life of the Hereafter. The disbelievers’ love and preference for the fleeing life of this world represents a materialistic and utilitarian viewpoint that values only things that can be perceived by the senses and are beneficial in the life of this world. It does not believe in the lasting life of the Hereafter when all creatures will reap the fruits of their deeds that they did in the life of this world, good or evil.
76:28 We created them and strengthened their constitution, and when We will, We shall replace them with their likes, a complete replacement.
Allah, Exalted be He, sets forth an aspect of His blessings on the disbelievers; however, they have been ungrateful for these blessings by worshipping other gods besides Allah, Exalted be He.
Allah, the Able, created the disbelievers, who disobey His commands from nothing. He created them in the best form and provided them with means of perception. He gave them the intellect, the hearing, and the sight to discern the universe with its marvelous creation. Moreover, Allah strengthened the constitution of the disbelievers so that they could live comfortably in the life of this world.
And when We will, We shall replace them with their likes, a complete replacement.
The ayah emphasizes the perfect ability of Allah. Allah created the disbelievers in the best form and provided them with countless blessings. If He wills, He will destroy them and replace them with other people, who are their likes as to their strength and wonderful creation, but who do not act like them. Indeed, Allah is Able and nothing can stand before His perfect ability.
76:29 Indeed, this is a reminder; so whoever wills, let him take a way to his Lord.
O noble Messenger Muhammad, these ayat of the Quran that your Lord, Allah, has revealed to you are reminders to people. Thus, whoever wills to be reminded, let him take a way to his Lord, Allah, by obeying His commands and avoiding His prohibitions. Let, whoever wills, make every effort to attain the pleasure of his Lord, Allah, by following the right path leading to success in the life of this world and the Hereafter.
76:30 And you will not unless Allah wills. Verily, Allah is ever All-Knowing, All-Wise.
Allah, Exalted be He, mentions that His will is above all wills. What He wants will happen, and what He does not want will never happen.
O people, you will not unless Allah wills. Nothing will happen in this universe except by the will of Allah. All creatures submit to the perfect will of Allah as He is the Creator and all that exist in this universe are under His control. Verily, Allah is ever All-Knowing, and nothing can be hidden from His perfect knowledge. Verily, Allah is All-wise. He manages this universe wisely.
76:31 He admits whom He wills into His mercy, and as for the wrongdoers, He has prepared for them a painful torment.
Allah, Exalted be He, admits whom He wills into His mercy. No one can prevent His decree from taking place and no one can protest against His judgment.
And as for the wrongdoers, He has prepared for them a painful torment.
Allah, Exalted be He, has prepared for the wrongdoers a painful torment because of their insistence on following the path of misguidance and favoring falsehood over the truth.
Learned Lessons from Surah Al-Insan Ayah 23-31
• The Quran is the speech of Allah and He revealed it to His Prophet and Messenger Muhammad to convey it to people. The Quran was revealed in stages throughout twenty-three years.
• Allah, Exalted be He, commanded Messenger Muhammad to be patient when conveying the message of Islam to people, when performing obligations, and when avoiding prohibitions.
• Allah, Exalted be He, commanded Messenger Muhammad not to obey the sinners and the disbelievers. This commandment includes the nation of Messenger Muhammad.
• The believer extremely needs the help and support of Allah. The prayer is a means of communication between the believer and His Lord, Allah, and strengthens his faith. Therefore, Allah, Exalted be He, has commanded His Prophet and Messenger Muhammad to pray and remember Him as much as he can to attain the support and help he needs. The nation of Messenger Muhammad should follow in the steps of Messenger Muhammad and do their best to pray constantly and remember Allah as much as they can.
• Allah, Exalted be He, strongly criticizes the disbelievers for their preference for the life of this world to the exclusion of the Hereafter.
• One of the proofs of the perfect ability of Allah is that He created people in the best form and that He is able to destroy them and create other people, who are better than them, in terms of their obedience to Allah.
• The Quran is a reminder. It contains lessons and admonitions for people. Thus, whoever wants to attain the pleasure of Allah should obey His commands and avoid His Prohibitions.
• The will of Allah is perfect. What He wants will take place and what He does not want will never take place. No one can will except by the permission of Allah.
• Allah, out of His mercy, will admit whom He wills into Paradise.
• Allah has prepared for the wrongdoers severe torment in Hell.
