(Makki)

14:1. Alif. Lam. Ra’. [This is] a Book that We have revealed to you, so that you may lead the people forth from the depths of darkness into light, by their Lord’s leave, to the path of the Almighty, the Praiseworthy,

Groups of letters (al-huroof al-muqatta‘ah) appear at the beginning of several soorahs. The most correct scholarly view states that we are required to believe in them as they appear to be, without delving into their meaning, knowledge of which we should leave to Allah. We believe that they were not revealed in vain, and that there is wisdom behind them of which we are not aware.

14:2. [the path of] Allah, to Whom belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth. And woe to the disbelievers from a severe punishment!

14:3. Those who prefer the life of this world to the hereafter, who bar [people] from the path of Allah, and seek to make it appear crooked; those are the ones who have gone far astray.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us that He sent down His Book to His Messenger Muhammad (ﷺ) to benefit humankind and to bring them forth from the darkness of ignorance, disbelief, bad attitudes and all kinds of sin to the light of knowledge, faith and good attitudes.

﴾fby their Lord’s leave﴿ that is, they could not do that which Allah wants and loves them to do except by the will and help of Allah. This encourages people to seek the help of their Lord.

Then He explains further the light to which this Book guides them: ﴾to the path of the Almighty, the Praiseworthy﴿ that is, the path that leads to Him and to paradise, which involves knowing the truth and acting upon it. Mentioning ﴾the Almighty, the Praiseworthy﴿ after mentioning the path that leads to Him indicates that the one who follows this path will be honoured and protected by the might of Allah, even if he has no supporters except Him, and he will have a good end in all his affairs.

This indicates that the path of Allah is one of the greatest proofs of what Allah possesses of sublime attributes of perfection, and that the One Who set up the straight path for His slaves is almighty in power and praiseworthy in words, actions and rulings, and that He is to be loved and worshipped with acts of worship that lead one on the straight path. Just as He has dominion of the heavens and the earth, as their Creator, provider and controller. He also has the right to issue religious rulings to His slaves, because they belong to Him and it is not befitting for Him to leave them without guidance.

Having made the proof and evidence clear, Allah then warns those who do not submit to that, as He says: ﴾And woe to the disbelieversfrom a severe punishment﴿ for they have not given due recognition to Allah and they have not complied with His commands.

Then He describes them as being ﴾Those who prefer the life of this world to the hereafter﴿, so they are happy and content with it, and they are heedless about the hereafter

﴾who bar [people] from the path of Allah﴿ that He has set up for His slaves and explained it in His Books and on the lips of His Messengers. But these people have made a declaration of enmity and war against their Lord

And they ﴾seek to make it﴿ that is, the path of Allah ﴾appear crooked﴿ that is, they are keen to make it seem off-putting and ugly, so as to turn people away from it. But Allah insists that His light must be perfected, even though the disbelievers hate it.

﴾those﴿ who are described here ﴾are the ones who have gone far astray﴿ because they have gone astray themselves and have caused others to go astray, and they opposed and fought Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ). What misguidance could be worse than this? As for the people of faith, they are the opposite of them, for they believe in Allah and His revelations, they prefer the hereafter over this world, and they call people to the path of Allah, making it look as beautiful as they can and highlighting how straight it is (as opposed to being crooked).

14:4. We did not send any Messenger but [he spoke] in the language of his own people, in order to make [things] clear to them. Then Allah leaves astray whomever He wills and guides whomever He wills, and He is the Almighty, Most Wise.

By His kindness to His slaves, Allah never sent any Messenger ﴾but [he spoke] in the language of his own people, in order to make [things] clear to them﴿ that they needed to know, so that they might be able to learn what he brought to them, which is different from the situation if he had spoken in a language other than theirs, for then they would have needed to learn that language in which he spoke, then understand what he had said. Then once the Messenger has explained what they are enjoined and forbidden to do, and the proof of Allah has been established against them, ﴾Then Allah leaves astray whomever He wills﴿ of those who did not submit to true guidance, and He guides whomever He will among those whom He has chosen for His mercy.

﴾and He is the Almighty, Most Wise﴿. Because He is Almighty, He is the only One Who has the power to guide or leave astray, and to control the hearts and direct them as He will. By His wisdom, he does not ordain guidance or misguidance except as is appropriate.

This verse is quoted as evidence that acquiring branches of knowledge having to do with the Arabic language, that lead to understanding of the words of Allah and of His Messenger (ﷺ), is something that is required and is dear to Allah, because knowledge of what He revealed to His Messenger (ﷺ) cannot be attained otherwise, except in cases where people are in such a situation that they have no need of that, which applies if they become well-versed in Arabic and grow up with it from an early age, and it is second nature to them. In that case, there is no need to put effort into that and they become fit to read the words of Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ) and understand them immediately, as the Sahabah (رضي الله عنهم) did.

14:5. We sent Moosa with Our signs, [saying]: Bring your people forth from the depths of darkness into light and remind them of the blessings of Allah. Surely in that there are signs for every steadfastly patient and deeply thankful person.

14:6. And [remember] when Moosa said to his people: Remember Allah’s blessing upon you, when He delivered you from the people of Pharaoh, who were subjecting you to grievous torment, slaughtering your sons and letting your womenfolk live; in that was a great trial from your Lord.

14:7. And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed: If you give thanks, I will surely give you more, but if you are ungrateful, verily My punishment is indeed severe.

14:8. And Moosa said: Even if you are ungrateful, you and all who are on earth together, verily Allah is Self-Sufficient, Praiseworthy.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us that He sent Moosa with great signs that confirmed the truth and validity of the message he brought, and enjoined upon him the same instructions as He enjoined upon His Messenger Muhammad (ﷺ) and, indeed, upon all the Messengers: ﴾Bring your people forth from the depths of darkness into light﴿ that is, from the darkness of ignorance and disbelief of all kinds, to the light of knowledge and faith, and all that is connected to them ﴾and remind them of the blessings of Allah﴿ that He has bestowed upon them, and His kindness towards them.﴾Surely in that)! that is, in the blessings that Allah bestows upon His slaves

﴾there are signs for every steadfastly patient and deeply thankful person﴿ that is, the one who is steadfastly patient at times of hardship and difficulty, and deeply thankful for times of ease and blessings.

Allah’s blessings are indicative of His perfect power, immense generosity and perfect justice and wisdom. Hence Moosa (عليه السلام) obeyed the command of his Lord and reminded his people of the blessings of Allah, saying:

﴾Remember Allah’s blessing upon you﴿ that is, in your hearts and verbally

﴾when He delivered you from the people of Pharaoh, who were subjecting you to grievous torment﴿ inflicting the severest persecution. He then explained that by saying:

﴾slaughtering your sons and letting your womenfolk live﴿ that is, they left the women alive and did not kill them ﴾in that﴿ namely your deliverance

﴾was a great trial from your Lord﴿ that is, a great blessing, or it may mean: in that torment from Pharaoh and his chiefs with which you were tested there was a great trial for you from Allah, to see whether you would be patient or not.

Moosa said to them, urging them to give thanks for the blessings of Allah: ﴾And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed﴿ that is, announced and promised

﴾If you give thanks, I will surely give you more﴿ of My blessings ﴾but if you are ungrateful, verily My punishment is indeed severe﴿ - that punishment includes taking away from them the blessing that He had bestowed upon them. Gratitude means acknowledging in one’s heart the blessings of Allah, praising Allah for them and using them to seek the pleasure of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى). Ingratitude is the opposite of that.

﴾And Moosa said: Even if you are ungrateful, you and all who are on earth together)! you will never harm Allah in the slightest﴾verily Allah is Self-Sufficient, Praiseworthy ﴿J. Acts of obedience do not add to His dominion and acts of disobedience do not detract from it, for He is perfectly self-sufficient, praiseworthy in His essence, names, attributes and actions. He has no attributes but attributes of the utmost praiseworthiness and perfection, He has no names but the best of names and He does no actions but actions of the utmost goodness.

14:9. Have the stories not reached you of those who came before you - the people ofNooh, ‘Ad and Thamood, and those who came after them? No one knows them but Allah. Their Messengers came to them with clear signs, but they put their hands to their mouths and said: Indeed we disbelieve in that with which you have been sent, and indeed we are in grave doubt about that to which you are calling us.

14:10. Their Messengers said: Can there be any doubt about Allah, the Originator of the heavens and the earth? He calls you sothat He may forgive some of your sins and give you respite for an appointed term. They said: You are but human beings like ourselves! You want to turn us away from that which our forefathers used to worship; then bring us some clear proof.

14:11. Their Messengers said to them: Indeed we are but human beings like yourselves, but Allah bestows His favour upon whomever He wills of His slaves. It is not within our power to bring you any proof except by Allah’s leave. And in Allah let the believers put their trust.

14:12. Why should we not put our trust in Allah when He has guided us in our paths? We will surely be patient and steadfast in bearing whatever harm you cause us. And in Allah let all that trust put their trust.

Here Allah alerts His slaves to the way in which He dealt with the disbelieving nations when the Messengers came to them and they rejected them, so He punished them in this world with the punishment that was seen and heard by people.

﴾Have the stories not reached you of those who came before you - the people ofNooh, ‘Ad and Thamood﴿ - Allah has told their stories in His Book, and explained them.

(fand those who came after them? No one knows them but Allah﴿ because there were many of them, but their stories have been lost.

In the case of all of these nations Their Messengers came to them with clear signs﴿ that is, with evidence that confirmed the truthfulness of the message they brought. Allah did not send any Messenger but He gave him clear signs so that humans could believe in him. But when their Messengers came to them with clear signs, they did not accept them; rather they were too arrogant to believe.

﴾but they put their hands to their mouths﴿ that is, they did not believe in the message that had come to them and they did not say anything to indicate that they had faith. This is like the verse in which Allah﴾...They put their fingers in their ears to keep out the stunning thunderclap, for fear of death... j? (al-Baqarah 2. 19)

﴾fand said﴿ bluntly to their Messengers ﴾Indeed we disbelieve in that with which you have been sent, and indeed we are in grave doubt about that to which you are calling us﴿ that is, we find it confusing and unclear. They disbelieved in it and did wrong.

Hence ﴾Their Messengers said﴿ to them:

﴾Can there be any doubt about Allah﴿ that is, His existence is the clearest and most obvious of all things. Whoever has doubts about Allah, ﴾the Originator of the heavens and the earth﴿, on Whose existence the existence of all things is based, will not have any trust in anything that is known, even tangible things. Hence the Messengers addressed the people on the basis that they did not have any doubts about Allah, because there can be no doubt about Him.

﴾He calls you﴿ to that which will benefit you and is in your best interests

﴾so that He may forgive some of your sins and give you respite for an appointed term﴿ that is, so that He may reward you for responding to His call, in this world and in the hereafter. He did not call you so that He might benefit from your worship; rather the benefit will all come back to you.

But they responded to their Messengers in a foolish and ignorant manner, saying to them:

﴾You are but human beings like ourselves﴿ that is, how can you be favoured above us by means of prophethood and messengership? ﴾You want to turn us away from that which our forefathers used to worship﴿ so how can we give up the beliefs and way of our forefathers for the sake of your beliefs? How can we obey you, when you are but human beings like ourselves?﴾then bring us some clear proof﴿ that is, clear evidence. What they meant was a sign that they themselves specified, otherwise their Messengers had already brought clear signs to them.

﴾Their Messengers said to them﴿ in response to their demands and objections:

﴾indeed we are but human beings like yourselves﴿ that is, it is indeed true that we are human beings like yourselves, ﴾but﴿ there is nothing in that to justify your rejection of what we have brought of truth, for Allah bestows His favour upon whomever He wills of His slaves﴿. If Allah bestows His revelation and message upon us, that is by His bounty and favour, and no one has the right to prevent or restrict the bounty and favour of Allah. Look at what we have brought you; if it is truth, then accept it, and if it is otherwise, then reject it, but do not make our condition (of being human) a reason for rejecting the message that we have brought to you. You say ﴾then bring us some clear proof﴿, but it is not within our power to do so and we have no control over the matter.

﴾It is not within our power to bring you any proof except by Allah’s leave﴿ for He is the One Who will send it to you, if He will, but if He does not will, He will not send it to you, for He only does that which is dictated by His wisdom and mercy.

﴾f And in Allah﴿ and in nothing else ﴾let the believers put their trust﴿. So they rely on Him to bring that which is in their best interests, and to ward off that which will harm them, because they are fully aware of His complete power, perfect care and all-encompassing generosity, and they trust that He will suffice them. Their trust in Him will be commensurate with the level of their faith.

Thus it is known that putting one’s trust in Allah is obligatory, and that it is one of the requirements of faith and one of the major acts of worship that Allah loves and is pleased with, because all other acts of worship are connected to it.

﴾Why should we not put our trust in Allah when He has guided us in our paths?﴿ That is, what is there to prevent us from putting our trust in Allah, when we are following truth and guidance, and whoever follows truth and guidance. His guidance compels us to strive to attain perfect trust. Moreover, the believer knows that Allah has guaranteed to help and suffice the one who is guided, which inspires him to put his trust in Him. This is in contrast to the one who is not following truth and guidance, for he has no assurance from Allah, so his situation is the opposite of that of one who has put his trust in Allah.

This is like a hint from the Messengers to their people, pointing to a great sign, which is that - in most cases - their people had power and had the upper hand over them, so their Messengers were challenging them by telling them that they were putting their trust in Allah to ward off the plots of their people against them, and that they were certain that Allah would take care of them and suffice them. And Allah did indeed take care of them and suffice them against their evil, even though they were so keen to destroy them and extinguish the truth that they had. This is like what Noob said to his people:

. .0 my people, if my presence among you and my reminding you of the signs of Allah have become too much for you to bear, then in Allah I have put my trust, so decide on your course of action, you and your [so-called] partners, leaving no room for uncertainty, then carry out your decision concerning me, and give me no respite.﴿ (Yoonus 10: 71) - and it is like what Hood (عليه السلام) said:

﴾...1 call Allah to witness, and you too are my witnesses, that I disavow all those whom you ascribe as partners to Allah. So scheme against me, all of you, and give me no respite.﴿ (Hood 11: 54-55)

﴾We will surely be patient and steadfast in bearing whatever harm you cause us﴿ that is, and we will persist in calling you, and admonishing you and reminding you, and we will not worry about whatever harm you may cause us, for we will try to bear with patiencewhatever harm you cause us, seeking reward with Allah and out of sincerity towards you, in the hope that Allah will guide you if we persist in reminding you.

﴾And in Allah﴿ alone, and in no one else ﴾let all that trust put their trust﴿, for putting one’s trust in Him is the key to all goodness.

It should be noted that the Messengers’ trust in Allah was for the noblest and most sublime of aims, for they put their trust in Him to establish and support His religion, guide His slaves and save them from misguidance. This is the most perfect kind of trust in Allah.

14:13. The disbelievers said to their Messengers: We will certainly drive you out of our land, unless you return to our religion. But their Lord revealed to them: Indeed We will certainly destroy the evildoers,

14:14. And We will certainly cause you to dwell in the land after they are gone. This is for those who fear standing before Me [on the Day of Resurrection], and who heed My warning.

14:15. [The Messengers] sought victory and help [from Allah], and every obstinate tyrant met with frustration.

14:16. Ahead of him is hell, and he will be given putrid water to drink.

14:17. He will sip it unwillingly, hardly able to swallow it. Death will come at him from all directions, yet he will not die. And ahead of him will be a harsh punishment.

Having mentioned the Messengers’ call to their people and their persistence and never giving up, Allah then tells us how matters with their people deteriorated further:

﴾The disbelievers said to their Messengers﴿, threatening them: ﴾We will certainly drive you out of our land, unless you return to our religion﴿. This was the ultimate rejection, and there was no hope for them after this, because they did not stop at turning away from guidance; rather they threatened the Messengers with expulsion from their land, which they claimed as their own and said that the Messengers had no right to be there. This is the worst kind of injustice, because Allah sent His slaves to inhabit the earth, and He commanded them to worship Him, and He made the earth and everything on it to be of service to them in order to help them to worship Him.

So whoever uses that to help him worship Allah, using it is permissible for him and there is no blame on him. But whoever uses it to help him disbelieve and commit acts of disobedience, it cannot be exclusively for him and it is not permissible for him. Thus it is known that in reality the enemies of the Messengers have no right to the land from which they threatened to expel the Messengers. If we judge the matter on the basis of custom, the Messengers are among the inhabitants of the land, so for what reason can the people deny them a right that is clearly theirs? Is this anything but a complete lack of religious commitment and decency?

Hence when the plot against the Messengers reached that level, there was nothing left but for the decree of Allah to be executed and for Allah to come to the aid of His close friends.

﴾But their Lord revealed to them: Indeed We will certainly destroy the evildoers﴿ with all kinds of punishments.

﴾And We will certainly cause you to dwell in the land after they are gone﴿ - this was the good end that Allah granted to the Messengers and their followers, as a reward ﴾for those who fear standing before Me [on the Day of Resurrection]﴿, and remember that Allah is always watching and can see them

﴾and who heed My warning﴿ that is, what I have threatened to those who disobey Me, which should make them refrain from doing that which Allah dislikes and hasten to do that which Allah loves.

﴾[The Messengers] sought victory and help [from Allah], and every obstinate tyrant met with frustration﴿ that is, those who opposed Allah and the truth, and opposed the slaves of Allah, behaved with arrogance in the land and stubbornly rejected the Messengers became losers in this world and the hereafter.

﴾Ahead of him is hell﴿ that is, hell awaits the stubborn tyrant, and he will inevitably enter it and taste the severe punishment tfand he will be given putrid water to drink﴿ that is, it is putrid in its colour, taste and foul stench, and it is extremely hot.

﴾fHe will sip it unwillingly﴿ out of severe thirst ﴾fhardly able to swallow it﴿. When it is brought near his face, it will roast it, and when it reaches his stomach, it will destroy whatever it passes through of his innards.

﴾Death will come at him from all directions, yet he will not die﴿ that is, the severe punishments of all types will come towards him, each one of which will be so severe that he will reach the point of death, but Allah has decreed that they will not die. This is like the verse in which Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says:

f(...Death will not be decreed for them, so that they might die, nor will its punishment be alleviated for them. Thus do We requite every disbeliever. There they will cry out loud...﴿ (Fatir35: 36-37)

﴾And ahead of him﴿ that is, the obstinate tyrant ﴾will be a harsh punishment﴿ that is, a severe punishment, the nature and severity of which no one knows except Allah (سبحانه وتعالى).

14:18. The deeds of those who disbelieve in their Lord are like ashes which the wind scatters on a stormy day. No advantage will they gain from their deeds; that is straying far into error.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us of the deeds of the disbelievers. What is meant is either the deeds that they intended for Allah, in the way in which they will be lost and invalidated, and the way in which they will be diminished and disappear like ashes, which are formed of the smallest and lightest of particles; when the wind blows them away on a very stormy day, no trace is left of them and no advantage is gained from them, because they diminish and disappear. This is the likeness of the good deeds of the disbelievers: t﴾No advantage will they gain from their deeds﴿, not even an atom’s weight, because they are based on disbelief and rejection.

﴾that is straying far into error﴿ because their efforts became invalid and their deeds became worthless.

Or it may be that what is meant is the efforts of the disbelievers in opposing the truth, for they put a great deal of hard work and effort into that, but their plot backfires and they will never harm Allah or His Messengers or their followers, or what they have of the truth, in the slightest.

14:19. Do you not see that Allah has created the heavens and the earth for a true purpose? If He so willed. He could destroy you and bring a new creation [in your place].

14:20. And that is not difficult for Allah.

14:21. They will all appear before Allah, then those who were weak will say to those who were arrogant: We were your followers; can you then protect us at all against Allah’s punishment? They will say: If Allah had guided us, we would have guided you. It makes no difference to us [now] whether we panic or show patience, for we have no escape.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) points out to His slaves that He ﴾has created the heavens and the earth for a true purpose﴿ that is, so that all creatures may worship Him and know Him, and heed His commands and prohibitions; and so that by means of the heavens and the earth and all that they contain, people may conclude what Allah possesses of perfect attributes; and so that they may know that the One Who created the heavens and the earth, with all their greatness and vastness, is able to create them anew so as to requite them for their good deeds and bad deeds. But His power and will are not limited to that. Hence He says: ﴾flf He so willed, He could destroy you and bring a new creation [in your place] ]j.

It may be that what is meant is that He could take you away and bring another people in your stead, who would be more obedient to Allah than you. Or it may be that what is meant is that He could cause you to die then bring you back by resurrecting you as a new creation. This interpretation is supported by what is mentioned afterwards about the Day of Resurrection.

﴾And that is not difficult for Allah﴿ that is, it is not beyond Him; rather it is very easy for Him.

﴾The creation and resurrection of all of you are [for Allah, as easy] as [the creation and the resurrection of] a single soul...)?(Luqman 31:28) ﴾It is He Who originates creation then repeats it, and that is [even] easier for Him...﴿ (ar-Room 30: 27)

﴾They﴿ that is, all creatures

﴾will all appear before Allah﴿ when the Trumpet is blown and they emerge from their graves for the meeting with their Lord. They will stand on land that is a smooth, levelled plain (cf. 20: 106), in which you will see no depression or elevation (cf. 20:107). They will appear before Him and nothing of them will be hidden from Him. When they emerge, they will begin to argue, and each will speak in his own defence and try to protect himself as much as he can, but there is no way they will be able to do that.

﴾then those who were weak﴿ that is, the followers and imitators ﴾will say to those who were arrogant﴿ namely the leaders of misguidance who were followed

﴾We were your followers﴿ that is, in the previous world; you told us to go astray, making it fair-seeming to us, and you misled us.

﴾can you then protect us at all against Allah’s punishment?﴿ That is, by even an atom’s weight

﴾They﴿ that is, the leaders who were followed

﴾will say﴿: We led you astray as we ourselves were led astray (cf.

28: 63).

﴾If Allah had guided us, we would have guided you﴿. So no one can help anyone else.

﴾It makes no difference to us [now]﴿ with regard to the punishment ﴾whether we panic or show patience, for we have no escape﴿ that is, we have no refuge to which we can flee and no way to escape the punishment of Allah.

14:22. And Shaytan will say, when the matter is decided: Verily Allah gave you a true promise; I also gave you promises, but I betrayed you. I had no power over you, except that I called you and you responded to me. So do not blame me; blame yourselves. I cannot help you, nor can you help me. I disavow your erstwhile association of me with Allah. Verily for the wrongdoers there will be a painful punishment.

14:23. But those who believe and do righteous deeds will be admitted to gardens through which rivers flow, to abide therein forever by their Lord’s leave. Their greeting therein will be: Peace.

﴾And Shaytan﴿ who is the cause of all the evil that happened and will ever happen in this world

﴾will say﴿, addressing the people of hell and disavowing them ﴾when the matter is decided﴿ and the people of paradise have entered paradise and the people of hell have entered hell ﴾Verily Allah gave you a true promise﴿ on the lips of His Messengers, but you did not obey Him. If you had obeyed Him, you would have attained the supreme triumph.

﴾jl also gave you promises﴿ of good things

﴾but I betrayed you'p and what I promised you of false wishes did not happen and will never happen.

I had no power over you﴿ that is, I had no proof to support what I said

﴾except that I called you and you responded to me﴿. In other words: that is all I had, that I called you to whatever I wanted and I made it fair-seeming to you, then you responded to me, following your whims and desires. As that is the case, ﴾do not blame me; blame yourselves﴿ because you were the cause and it is your fault that the punishment has become inevitable for you.

﴾I cannot help you﴿ that is, I cannot save you from the distress in which you find yourselves

﴾nor can you help me﴿; each of us will have his own share of punishment.

﴾SfI disavow your erstwhile association of me with Allah﴿ that is, I disavow your having made me a partner with Allah, for I am not a partner to Allah, and there was no obligation to obey me.

﴾Verily for the wrongdoers﴿ who wronged themselves by obeying the Shaytan

﴾there will be a painful punishment﴿ in which they will abide forever.

By His kindness towards His slaves, Allah warned them against obeying the Shaytan and told them about the ways in which he tries to tempt man and what his goal is, for his aim is to cause man to enter hell. Here Allah tells us that when the Shaytan and his followers enter hell, he will disavow them in this manner and reject their association of him with Allah.

.. .And none can inform you like [the One Who is] all-aware.﴿ (Fdtir 33: 14)

It should be noted that in this verse, Allah tells us that the Shaytan has no power, and elsewhere He says:

﴾fHe has power only over those who take him as an ally and, under his influence, ascribe partners to Allah.﴿ (an-Nahl 16: 100)

The power which Allah tells us the Shaytan does not possess is the power of proof and evidence. He has no proof at all for that towhich he calls people. All that he has is specious arguments that he presents to make falsehood fair-seeming, so that people will have justification in their minds to commit sin.

As for the power which Allah tells us that the Shaytan has, it is power by means of temptation to commit sin, in the case of his allies; he strongly incites them to commit sin and they are the ones who gave him this power over themselves, by taking him as an ally and joining his party. Hence he has no power over those who believe and put their trust in their Lord. Having mentioned the punishment of the wrongdoers, Allah then tells us about the reward of those who obey Him:

﴾But those who believe and do righteous deeds﴿ that is, adhere to the teachings of religion in word, deed and beliefs ﴾will be admitted to gardens through which rivers flow﴿ in which they will find all the pleasures that they could desire, such as no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and it has never crossed the mind of man. ﴾to abide therein forever by their Lord’s leave﴿ that is, not by their own strength and power, but by the strength and power of Allah ﴾Their greeting therein will be: Peace﴿ that is, they will greet one another with salam and kind words.

14:24. Do you not see how Allah compares a good word to a good tree? Its root is firm and its branches reach to the sky.

14:25. It yields its fruit at all times, by its Lord’s leave. Allah makes such comparisons for people so that they may pay heed.

14:26. But an evil word is like an evil tree, uprooted from the surface of the earth; it has no stability.

﴾Do you not see how Allah compares a good word﴿ namely the testimony that there is no god but Allah, and what stems from that ﴾to a good tree)i namely the date palm.

﴾flts root is firm﴿ that is, solidly rooted in the earth

﴾fand its branches reach to the sky﴿. This tree constantly offers many benefits, as ﴾It yields its fruit at all times, by its Lord’s leave﴿

This is how the tree of faith is: its roots are firmly established in the heart of the believer in terms of knowledge and belief, and its branches include good words, righteous deeds, good attitudes and good manners, which constantly rise to heaven, as the person’s good deeds and good words, which are produced by the tree of faith, ascend from the individual to Allah, which brings benefits to the believer and to others.

﴾Allah makes such comparisons for people so that they may pay heed﴿ to what He has enjoined upon them and forbidden to them, by giving likenesses in order to explain some concepts and liken them to tangible things. Thus the meanings intended by Allah become very clear, and this is by His mercy and kind manner of teaching; to Allah be the most perfect praise. This is a description of the word of tawfieed (affirmation of the oneness of Allah) and how firmly established it is in the heart of the believer.

Then Allah mentions the opposite of that, which is the word of disbelief and all that stems from it:

﴾But an evil word is like an evil tree﴿, the fruit of which is unpleasant to eat and has an unpleasant taste. This refers to the colocynth and similar plants.

﴾uprooted from the surface of the earthy that is, it is not firm and it has no roots to hold it steady, and it does not produce any good fruit; rather if there is any fruit, it is foul and evil. This is how the word of disbelief and sin is; it is not rooted in the heart in any beneficial way and it does not bear any fruit but evil words and evil deeds which cause harm to the individual and are of no benefit to him, so no righteous deed ascends from him to Allah and he does not benefit himself or anyone else.

14:27. Allah will make steadfast those who believe, with the word that stands firm, in this world and in the hereafter. But Allah leaves the wrongdoers to go astray; Allah does whatever He wills.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us that He will make steadfast His believing slaves, namely those who do what is required of them of having strong faith in the heart which must be manifested in their attitude and behaviour. Allah will make them steadfast in the life of this world, when they are faced with specious arguments and doubts, by guiding them to certainty, and when they are tempted by desires, by bestowing upon them strong resolve whereby they will give precedence to that which Allah loves over their own whims and desires.

And at the end of life, at the moment of death. He will make them steadfast in their Islamic religion and give them a good end; in the grave, when they are questioned by the two angels, He will guide them to the correct answer. When it is said to the deceased: Who is your Lord? What is your religion? Who is your Prophet? He willguide them to the correct answer, so the believer will say: Allah is my Lord, Islam is my religion and Muhammad (ﷺ) is my Prophet.

﴾But Allah leaves the wrongdoers to go astray﴿ from the straight path in this world and the hereafter, but Allah does not wrong them; rather they wrong themselves.

This verse offers proof for the trial, punishment and blessing in the grave, which are mentioned in numerous texts from the Prophet (ﷺ) which speak of and describe the trial in the grave, and the blessings and punishment therein.

14:28. Have you not seen those who have repaid Allah’s blessings with ingratitude, and caused their people to dwell in the abode of ruin.

14:29. In hell? They will enter it, an evil place to settle in!

14:30. They set up rivals to Allah, to lead people astray from His path. Say [O Muhammad]: Take your pleasure now, for verily your journey’s end will be the fire.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) describes the situation of those among the disbelievers ofQuraysh who rejected His Messenger (ﷺ), and where they ended up.

﴾Have you not seen those who have repaid Allah’s blessings with ingratitude﴿- the blessing of Allah is the sending of Muhammad (ﷺ) to them to call them to that which would bring them good in this world and in the hereafter, and to salvation from the ills of this world and thehereafter. But they responded to this blessing by rejecting it, showing ingratitude for it, turning away from it themselves and turning others away from it, until they ﴾caused their people to dwell in the abode of ruin﴿ namely hell, because they caused them to go astray, thus they were a cause of disaster for their own people when they thought that they were benefitting them. One aspect of that is that they made it fair-seeming to them to go out on the day of Badr to fight Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ), then the events of that day took their course and many of their leaders and prominent figures were killed in the battle.

﴾In hell? They will enter it﴿ and its heat will surround them in all directions

﴾an evil place to settle in﴿.

CThey set up rivals to Allah﴿ that is, so-called equals and partners ﴾to lead people astray from His path﴿ that is, to lead people astray from the path of Allah because of what they set up of rivals to Allah, and calling people to worship them ﴾Say [O Muhammad]﴿ to them, as a warning:

﴾Take your pleasure now﴿ and enjoy your disbelief and misguidance for a little while, but that will not benefit you ﴾for verily your journey’s end will be the fire﴿ that is, your ultimate destination, and what a wretched journey’s end.

14:31. Tell My slaves who believe that they should establish prayer and spend from that which We have provided for them, in secret and in public, before the day comes when there will be no bargaining and no friendship.

That is, tell My believing slaves, commanding them to do that which is in their best interests, to make the most of the opportunity before it is too late

﴾that they should establish prayer﴿ both outwardly and inwardly ﴾sfand spend from that which We have provided for them﴿ that is, from the blessings that We have bestowed upon them, in small or great amounts

﴾fin secret and in public﴿ - this includes obligatory spending, such as zakah and spending on those on whom one is obliged to spend, as well as recommended spending such as giving in charity and the like.

﴾before the day comes when there will be no bargaining and no friendship﴿ that is, when nothing will be of any benefit and there will be no way to make up what has been missed, whether by buying and selling, or giving gifts to friends and loved ones, and each person, on that day, will have enough to preoccupy him (cf. 80: 37). So let him think of what he has prepared for the hereafter and let him check his deeds and take stock of himself before the great reckoning.

14:32. It is Allah Who has created the heavens and the earth, and sent down water from the sky; and brought forth therewith fruits as a provision for you. He has made the ships to be of service to you so that they may sail on the sea by His command, and He has also made the rivers to be of service to you.

14:33. And He has made the sun and moon to be of service to you, both constant in their courses, and He has made the night and day to be of service to you.

14:34. Of everything you have asked for, He has given you some. But if you [try to] count the blessings of Allah, you cannot count them all. Verily man is highly unjust, exceedingly ungrateful.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us that it is He alone ﴾Who has created the heavens and the earthy, as vast and great as they are,

﴾fand sent down water from the sky﴿ namely the rain that Allah sends down from the clouds

﴾and brought forth therewith﴿ that is, by means of that water

﴾fruits﴿ of various kinds

﴾as a provision for you﴿ and your livestock.

﴾He has made the ships﴿ and other vessels

﴾to be of service to you so that they may sail on the sea by His command﴿. It is He Who has enabled you to build them and given you the power to do so, and He has caused them to float on the water so that they may carry you and your trade goods and luggage to the land to which you are headed.

﴾and He has also made the rivers to be of service to you﴿ so that you may irrigate your crops and trees, and drink from them.

tf And He has made the sun and moon to be of service to you, both constant in their courses﴿ - they never slow down or cease; rather they continue running in their courses to serve your interests, such as calculating time and managing your affairs in the interests of your physical well-being and that of your animals, crops and fruits.

﴾and He has made the night and day to be of service to you﴿ so that by night you may rest and by day you may see in order to go about seeking of His bounty.

﴾Of everything you have asked for. He has given you some)﴿ that is, He has given you some of everything that you hope for or need.that you ask Him for either implicitly or explicitly, of livestock, tools, other things that may be made by man, and so on.

﴾But if you [try to] count the blessings of Allah, you cannot count them all﴿ let alone give thanks for them all

﴾Verily man is highly unjust, exceedingly ungrateful﴿ that is, this is the nature of man with regard to the fact that he is a wrongdoer and sinner, who falls short in his duty towards his Lord and is ungrateful for the blessings of Allah; he does not give thanks for them or acknowledge them, except those whom Allah guides, so they give thanks for His blessings, acknowledge the rights of their Lord and fulfil those rights.

These blessings highlight various types of the many blessings that Allah bestows upon His slaves, some in general terms and some in specific terms, because of which Allah calls His slaves to give thanks to Him and remember Him. He urges them to do so and encourages them to ask of Him and call upon Him during the hours of the night and day, just as His blessings are repeatedly bestowed upon them at all times.

14:35. And [remember] when Ibraheem said: My Lord, make this city one of peace and security, and preserve me and my children from worshipping idols.

﴾And [remember] when Ibraheem said﴿, offering this beautiful supplication in this beautiful situation:

﴾My Lord, make this city﴿ namely the Haram of Makkah

﴾one of peace and security﴿ and Allah answered his supplication by

His decree. Allah made it something sacred and ordained measures toprotect its sanctity, as is well known, to the extent that no wrongdoer ever intended evil for it but Allah destroyed him, as He did with the people of the elephant and others.

Having prayed for safety for the city, Ibraheem then prayed for himself and his children to be protected and guided; he said:

﴾and preserve me and my children from worshipping idols﴿ that is, keep me and them far away from worshipping them or being involved with them.

The reason why he feared for himself and for his children was the fact that there were so many people who were confused and fell into the error of idol worship.

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14:36. My Lord, they [the idols] have indeed led many people astray. So whoever follows me, then he is indeed of me, and whoever disobeys me - then verily You are Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

﴾My Lord, they [the idols] have indeed led many people astray]J that is, many people have gone astray because of them.

﴾So whoever follows me﴿ and the message of divine oneness and devotion solely to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, that I have brought ﴾then he is indeed of me﴿ because there is complete harmony and agreement on that, and whoever loves people and follows them becomes one of them.

﴾and whoever disobeys me - then verily You are Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful﴿. This is an example of the compassion of Ibraheem (عليه السلام) as he prayed for forgiveness and mercy from Allah for the sinners.and Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) is more merciful than him towards His slaves, and He does not punish anyone but those who rebel against Him.

14:37. Our Lord, I have settled some of my offspring in a valley without cultivation, by Your Sacred House, O our Lord, so that they may establish prayer. So make the hearts of some people incline towards them, and provide them with fruits, so that they may give thanks.

﴾Our Lord, I have settled some of my offspring in a valley without cultivation, by Your Sacred House﴿ that was when Ibraheem brought Hajar, the mother of Isma'eel, and her son Isma'eel (عليه السلام), who was still an infant, from Greater Syria, and left them in Makkah which - at that time - was not inhabited and there was no one there. When he left them there, he offered this supplication to his Lord, beseeching Him and putting his trust in his Lord.

﴾Our Lord, I have settled some of my offspring﴿ that is, not all of my offspring, for Is-haq and his other sons were still in Greater Syria. Rather he settled Isma‘eel and his offspring in Makkah.

﴾fin a valley without cultivation﴿ that is, because the land of Makkah is not fit for cultivation.

﴾0 our Lord, so that they may establish prayer﴿ that is, make them people who affirm Your oneness and establish prayer, for establishing prayer is one of the most important and most virtuous acts of worship; whoever establishes prayer has established his religion.﴾So make the hearts of some people incline towards them﴿ that is, make them love them and the place in which they are residing.

Allah answered his prayer and, from the descendants of Isma’eel, brought forth Muhammad (ﷺ), who called his offspring to the Islamic religion, the path of their father Ibraheem, and they responded to him and became people who established prayer.

And Allah ordained pilgrimage to this House, where the offspring of Ibraheem settled, and He created in it something that attracts people’s hearts, so that people come on pilgrimage to it and can never have enough of it; the more a person frequents it, the more he longs for it and feels attached to it. That is because Allah has attributed it (the Kaaba) to Himself (by calling it His House).

﴾and provide them with fruits, so that they may give thanks﴿ - and Allah answered this supplication, as a result of which fruits of all kinds are brought to it. Thus you see that fruits are available in Makkah at all times, and provisions come to it from all directions.

14:38. Our Lord, verily You know what we conceal and what we disclose; from Allah, verily nothing is hidden on earth or in the heavens.

﴾Our Lord, verily You know what we conceal and what we disclose﴿ that is. You know us better than we know ourselves, so we ask You, as You are taking care of us and You are guiding us, to enable us to attain that which is in our best interests, both those of which we are aware and those of which we are unaware, in accordance with Your knowledge and mercy.

﴾from Allah, verily nothing is hidden on earth or in the heavens﴿ - that includes this supplication by which Ibraheem (عليه السلام) only intended good and to give abundant thanks to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.

14:39. Praise be to Allah Who, despite my old age, has bestowed upon me Isma'eel and Is-haq, for verily my Lord hears all prayers.

For this gift is one of the greatest of blessings, and the fact that they came despite his old age, at a time when one gives up all hope of having children, is another blessing; and the fact that they were righteous Prophets is a further blessing.

﴾for verily my Lord hears all prayers﴿ that is, He soon answers the one who calls upon Him; I called upon Him and He did not let me down. Then he prayed for himself and his offspring:

14:40. My Lord, make me one who establishes prayer, and some of my offspring also, our Lord, and accept my supplication.

14:41. Our Lord, forgive me, my parents, and the believers on the day when the Reckoning will take place.

Allah answered all of this supplication, except that his supplication for his father was only because of a promise that he had made to him.But when it became clear that his father was an enemy of Allah, he disavowed him.

14:42. Never think that Allah is unaware of what the evildoers are doing; He is only giving them respite until a day when the eyes will stare fixedly [in horror].

14:43. They will rush headlong, heads raised, eyes unblinking and hearts void.

This is a stem threat to the wrongdoers and consolation to those who are wronged.

﴾Never think that Allah is unaware of what the evildoers are doing﴿ when He gives them respite and grants them ample provision, allowing them to travel in the land safely and with ease. This is not an indication that they are in a good state, for Allah gives respite to the wrongdoer and gives him more time so that he may increase in sin until, when He seizes him, He will not let him go.

﴾Such is the punishment of your Lord, when He punishes the cities that are given to wrongdoing; verily His punishment is painful and severe.﴿ (Hood II: 102)

Here wrongdoing includes wrongdoing towards one’s Lord (that is, sin) and wrongdoing towards the slaves of Allah.

﴾He is only giving them respite until a day when the eyes will stare fixedly [in horror]﴿ that is, the eyes will not blink because of the intensity of the horrors and disturbing turmoil that they see.

tfThey will rush headlong﴿ that is, they will hasten to respond to the caller when he summons them to appear before Allah for the reckoning, and they will have no option to refuse and no escape or refuge

﴾heads raised﴿ that is, their hands will be tied to their chins, and as a result their heads will be raised

﴾eyes unblinking and hearts void﴿ that is, their hearts will have risen to the throats, and they will be overwhelmed with worry, distress, grief and anxiety.

14:44. Warn the people of the day when the punishment will befall them. Then those who did wrong will say: Our Lord, give us a brief respite, so that we may respond to Your call and follow the Messengers! But did you not swear before that you would never leave [this world for the hereafter]?

14:45. You lived in the dwellings of those who had wronged themselves, and it was clear to you how We had dealt with them; We presented to you many examples.

14:46. They hatched their plots, but their plots were known to Allah; although their plots were such that they would even move mountains.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says to His Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ): ﴾Wam the people of the day when the punishment will befall them﴿ that is, describe that day to them, and warn them against the deeds that will incur a punishment that, when it comes with all its turmoils and troubles,

﴾those who did wrong﴿ by disbelieving and committing all kinds of sins

﴾will say﴿, regretting what they did and asking to go back when it is too late:

﴾Our Lord, give us a brief respite﴿ that is, send us back to the previous world, for now we understand

﴾so that we may respond to Your call﴿ for Allah calls to paradise ﴾and follow the Messengers﴿ - but all of this will be so that they might escape the punishment, otherwise they are lying by making this promise:

﴾...And even if they were sent back, they would surely go back to that which was forbidden to them... j﴿ (al-An'am 6: 28)

Therefore they will be rebuked and it will be said to them: ﴾But did you not swear before that you would never leave [this world for the hereafter]?﴿ But now you have clearly broken your oath and the falseness of your oath has become apparent.

Moreover, you were not short of clear signs; rather ﴾You lived in the dwellings of those who had wronged themselves, and it was clear to you how We had dealt with them﴿ by sending all kinds of punishment upon them, and how Allah sent the punishments upon them when they disbelieved in the clear signs. We presented clear likenesses and comparisons that left no room for doubt at all, but these signs were to no avail in your case; rather you turned away and persisted in your falsehood, until matters took the course they did and now this day has come when no apology will be to any avail.

﴾They hatched their plots﴿ that is, those who disbelieved in the Messengers hatched their plots and managed to do what it was decreed that they should do﴾but their plots were known to Allah﴿ that is. He encompassed them with His knowledge and power, and their plots backfired on them, d.. .but the plotting of evil affects none but its authors. ..'ft (Fatir35. 43) ﴾although their plots were such that they would even move mountains﴿ that is, the plot of the disbelievers against the Messengers who brought the truth was such that, because of its enormity, firmly-rooted mountains could have been moved from their places. In other words:

﴾They have put tremendous effort into plotting and scheming.﴿ (Nooh 71: 22)

- that could not be estimated, but Allah foiled their plot and made it backfire.

This includes every opponent who plotted against the Messengers in order to support falsehood or undermine the truth. The point is that their plots could not avail them anything and could never harm Allah in the slightest; rather they only harmed themselves.

14:47. Never think that Allah would fail in His promise to His Messengers. Verily, Allah is Almighty, an Avenger.

14:48. [His promise will be fulfilled] on the day when the earth will be changed to another earth and so will the heavens, and [all people] will appear before Allah, the One, the Subjugator.

14:49. And you will see the evildoers that day bound together in shackles,

14:50. Their garments of pitch and fire enveloping their faces,

14:51. So that Allah may requite each soul according to what it has earned; verily, Allah is swift in reckoning.

14:52. This [Qur’an] is a message for humankind, that they may be warned thereby and that they may know that there is but One God, and that people of understanding may pay heed.

﴾Never think that Allah would fail in His promise to His Messengers'﴿ to save them and to save and bless their followers, and to destroy their enemies, causing them to fail in this world and punishing them in the hereafter. This is inevitable, because His promise is true and was given on the lips of the most truthful of His creation, namely the Messengers, which is the most authentic of statements, especially as it is in accordance with divine wisdom, divine laws and sound reasoning, and nothing is beyond Allah (سبحانه وتعالى), for ﴾Allah is Almighty, an Avenger'p that is, if He wants to wreak vengeance upon someone, that person cannot escape Him or frustrate Him.

﴾[His promise will be fulfilled] on the day when the earth will be changed to another earth and so will the heavens﴿ that is, the heavens will be changed to other heavens. This refers to a change in attributes, not in essence, for on the Day of Resurrection the earth will become flat and all mountains and landmarks will be removed from its surface. So it will become a smooth, levelled plain, in which you will see no depression or elevation (cf. 20: 106-107). The sky will be like molten brass (cf. 70: 8) because of the severity of the terrors of that day, then Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) will roll it up in His Right Hand.

﴾and [all people] will appear﴿ that is, all people will emerge from their graves on the Day of Resurrection and will appear in a place where nothing of them will be hidden from Allah. They will appear ﴾before Allah, the One, the Subjugator﴿ that is, the One Who is unique in His greatness, names, attributes and mighty deeds, and in His subjugation of all creation, as all of them are under His control; none of them move or halt except by His leave.

﴾And you will see the evildoers﴿ those whose characteristic is evil and a great deal of sin, on ﴾that day bound together in shackles﴿ that is, chained together; all those who committed the same kind of evil deeds will be bound together with chains of fire and will be led away to their punishment in the most humiliating, horrible and terrifying manner.

﴾Their garments of pitch﴿ because of the severity of the fire raging in them and its heat and foul stench

﴾and fire enveloping their faces﴿ which are the noblest part of the body. That is, the fire will surround their faces, burning them from all sides, so it is more likely that other parts of their bodies will suffer in like manner. This is not injustice towards them on Allah’s part; rather it is the requital for what they earned. Hence Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says: ﴾So that Allah may requite each soul according to what it has earned﴿ of good or evil, with justice and fairness in which there is no element of injustice whatsoever.

﴾verily, Allah is swift in reckoning﴿ this is like the verse in which Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says:

﴾The Day of Reckoning for humankind has drawn near, and yet they turn away in heedlessness.﴿ (al-Anbiya'21: I)

It may be that what is meant is that He is quick in reckoning, so He will complete the reckoning of all people in an instant, just as He grants them provision and manages their affairs simultaneously, and nothing distracts Him from anything, for that is not difficult for Him.

As He has explained things clearly in this Qur’an, Allah says, praising it: ﴾This [Qur’an] is a message for humankind﴿ that is, it is a message that they need in order to reach the highest levels of honour, because of what it contains of both basic and minor matters, and everything else that people need to know.

﴾that they may be warned thereby﴿ because of what it contains of warnings against evil deeds, and because of what it tells us about what Allah has prepared of punishment for those who do them.

﴾and that they may know that there is but One God﴿ as He has presented in it different types of evidence and proof for His divinity and oneness, by means of which this issue reached the level of certainty.

dand that people of understanding﴿ that is, people of perfect reason ﴾may pay heed﴿ to that which will benefit them, so that they may do it, and to that which will harm them, so that they may refrain from it. Thus they became people of understanding and insight, because by means of the Qur’an their knowledge and understanding increased and they attained enlightenment, when they learned it directly from the Prophet (ﷺ), for it only calls to the most sublime characteristics and actions, and could only be based on the strongest and clearest evidence. If the smart person adheres to this principle, he will always be ascending and learning the best qualities. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.

This is the end of the commentary on Soorat Ibraheem.

All praise and thanks are for Allah, and may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). his family, and his Companions abundantly until the Day of Judgement.