41:1. Ha’. Meem.

41:2. [This is] a revelation from the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,

41:3. a Book, the verses of which are explained in detail, an Arabic Qur’an, for people who have knowledge,

41:4. bearing glad tidings and warning. But most of them turn away and do not listen,

41:5. and they say: Our hearts are covered [and sealed] against that to which you call us, in our ears there is deafness, and between us and you there is a barrier. So carry on [in your way]; we will carry on [in ours],

41:6. Say [O Muhammad]: I am but a human being like yourselves, [except that] it has been revealed to me that your God is but One God, so seek the path that leads straight to Him, and ask Him for forgiveness. Woe to those who ascribe partners to Allah,

41:7. those who do not give zakah, and who disbelieve in the hereafter.

41:8. Verily those who believe and do righteous deeds will have a never-ending reward.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells His slaves that this great Book and glorious Qur’an is ﴾a revelation﴿ that comes from ﴾the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful﴿, Whose mercy encompasses all things. One of His greatest mercies is the sending down of this Book, which brought knowledge, guidance, light, healing, mercy and much good; it is among the greatest blessings that He has bestowed upon His slaves, and it is the way that leads to happiness in this world and the hereafter.

Then He praises the Book for being perfectly clear:

﴾the verses of which are explained in detail﴿ that is, every topic in it is explained by itself. This requires complete explanation, distinguishing between topics, and making facts clear and distinct.

﴾an Arabic Qur’an﴿ that is, it is in clear language, the most perfect of languages. Its verses are explained in detail, and it has been made an Arabic Qur’an, ﴾for people who have knowledge﴿ that is, so that its meanings will be clear to them, just as its words are clear, and so that it may make guidance distinct from misguidance.

As for the ignorant, whom guidance only increases in misguidance, and clarification only increases them in blindness, these words are not addressed to them.﴾As for those who disbelieve, it is the same to them whether you warn them or do not warn them; they will not believe.﴿ (al-Baqarah 2: 6>

﴾bearing glad tidings and warning﴿ that is, the Book brings glad tidings of reward in this world and the hereafter, and it warns of punishment in this world and the hereafter, mentioning the details of both, and the reasons and steps that make the glad tidings and warning applicable. These characteristics of the Book dictate that it should be received with acceptance and submission, and it should be believed in and acted upon. But most people turn away from it in arrogance, ﴾and do not listen﴿ to it by way of accepting and responding, even though they have heard it in such a way that proof is established against them.

t﴾and they﴿ namely these people who turn away from it, showing that they have not benefited from it, and closing the doors that lead to it,

﴾say: Our hearts are covered [and sealed] against that to which you call us﴿ so that we do not hear you, ffand between us and you there is a barrier﴿ so that we cannot see you.

What is meant is that they expressed their aversion to it in every possible way, and demonstrated their hatred of it and their contentment with what they had. Hence they said:

﴾So carry on [in your way]; we will carry on [in ours]﴿ that is, carry on as you please, in accordance with your religion, for we are very happy to carry on with our religion. This is one of the worst types of failure, as they were pleased with misguidance rather than guidance, and they preferred disbelief over faith; they sold the hereafter for this world.

﴾Say [O Muhammad]﴿ to them:

e[I am but a human being like yourselves, [except that] it has been revealed to me﴿ that is, this is what I am and this is my role: I am a human being like you, and I have no control over anything, nor do I have what you seek to hasten; all it is, is that Allah has favouredme over you and has distinguished me by singling me out - for the revelation that He has revealed to me, and He has commanded me to follow it and call you to it.

﴾fso seek the path that leads straight to Him﴿ that is, follow the path that leads to Allah, by believing in what I tell you, following the commands and heeding the prohibitions - for this is what following the path means - and then persisting in that.

The phrase ﴾that leads straight to Him﴿ is pointing out the importance of focusing on Him alone, and that the one who is striving should make reaching Allah and reaching His paradise the ultimate goal for which he is striving. Thus his efforts will be sincere, correct and beneficial, but if he fails to do that, then his efforts and deeds will be invalid.

As it is the case that even if a person is keen to follow the path that leads to Allah, he will inevitably have some shortcomings with regard to what he is instructed to do, or he will inevitably do that which he is forbidden to do, Allah instructs them to remedy that by praying for forgiveness, which implies repenting, as He says: ﴾and ask Him for forgiveness﴿. Then He warned those who fail to follow the path that leads to Him:

﴾Woe to those who ascribe partners to Allah, those who do not give zakah﴿ that is, those who worship others besides Allah that possess no power to bring benefits or cause harm, or to cause death, give life or resurrect, and they allow themselves to become corrupted, so they do not purify themselves by affirming the oneness of their Lord and focusing their devotion on Him alone, they do not pray or give zakah, and they show no sincerity towards the Creator by affirming His oneness and praying to Him alone, and they do not benefit others by giving zakah or any other charity. Moreover, they ﴾disbelieve in the hereafter﴿ that is, they do not believe in the resurrection, or in paradise and hell. Therefore when fear was dispelled from their hearts, they had the audacity to do what they did of that which will harm them in the hereafter.

Having mentioned the disbelievers, Allah now mentions the believers, describing them and their reward: ﴾Verily those who believe﴿ in this Book, what it contains and what it calls to of faith, and confirm their faith with righteous deeds on the basis of sincerity and following the example of the Prophet ( ﴾will have a never-ending reward﴿ that is, a great reward that will never cease; rather it will be ongoing at all times, constantly increasing, bringing all kinds of pleasures and desirable things.

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41:9. Say: How can you disbelieve in the One Who created the earth in two days, and set up rivals to Him? That [namely the One Who created the earth in two days] is the Lord of the worlds.^{1The fact that He is the Lord of the worlds means that He can have no rivals, partners or equals. If He is the Lord of the worlds, then He is the Lord of all that is inferior to rational beings, such as stones and wood, of which the idols are made, so how they could be rivals to Him? (lbn ‘Ashoor)}

41:10. He set on the earth mountains standing firm, rising above it, and measured out its sustenance in four days^{2What is meant is that the measuring out of provision took a further two days, so along with the two days mentioned in the previous verse, the total =} for all those [of its inhabitants] who would need it.

41:11. Then He turned towards the heaven when it was still [like] smoke^{3The smoke-like substance was the origin of the heavens and the earth. (Ibn ‘Ashoor)} and said to it, and to the earth: Come into being, willingly or unwillingly! They said: We come willingly.^{4This is indicative of the speed with which they responded to the command of Allah. (Ibn 'Ashoor)}

41:12. So He completed their creation as seven heavens in two days, and decreed for each heaven its order [and system]. And We adorned the lowest heaven with lamps [stars] which also serve as a protection. That is the decree of the Almighty, All-Knowing.

Here Allah denounces and expresses amazement at the disbelief of those who disbelieve in Him, and who ascribe rivals to Him that they regard as partners to Him, and they devote to them whatever they wish of their worship, regarding them as equal to the Almighty Lord, the bountiful Sovereign, Who created the vast earth in two days, then spread it out in two days, creating in it mountains above it, to protect it from shifting and shaking and growing unstable.

Then He completed its creation and finalised its shape, bringing forth its provision and the like, ﴾in four days for all those [of its inhabitants] who would need it﴿. No one can tell you like One Who is aware of all things. This is the true story of what happened, with no additions or subtractions.

﴾Then﴿ after creating the earth, ﴾[He turned towards﴿ the creation of ﴾the heaven when it was still [like] smoke and said to it, and to the earth: Come into being, willingly or unwillingly! that is, submit

= number of days for the creation of the earth was four. What is meant by ‘day’ here is a period of time, not a twenty-four hour day in the ordinary sense.to My command, willingly or unwillingly, for it must inevitably be carried out.

﴾They said: We come willingly﴿; we have no desire to go against Your will.

﴾S[So He completed their creation as seven heavens in two days﴿

- thus the creation of the heavens and the earth was completed in six days, the first of which was Sunday and the last of which was Friday, even though the might and will of Allah are such that He could have created them all in a single moment.

But in addition to being Almighty, He is also wise and kind, so in His wisdom and kindness. He ordained that they should be created within this timeframe.

It should be understood that the apparent meaning of this verse appears to contradict the verse in an-Nazi‘at in which Allah mentions the creation of the heavens and then says:

﴾And after that He spread out the earth.b (an-Nazi'dt 79: 30)

There appears to be a contradiction, although there are no contradictions or differences in the Book of Allah.

The explanation of that was given by many of the earlier generations, which is that the creation of the earth came before the creation of the heavens, as mentioned in the verses under discussion here, and Allah spread out the earth and:

﴾Brought forth from it its water and its vegetation, and set the mountains firmly.﴿ (an-Nazi'dt 79: 31-32)

- after creating the heavens, as it says in Soorat an-NaziLat. Hence Allah said:

﴾And after that He spread out the earth, brought forth from it...﴿

- and He did not say “and the earth He created after that.”

﴾and decreed for each heaven its order [and system]﴿ that is, the order and system that was appropriate for it, as dictated by divine wisdom.

﴾And We adorned the lowest heaven with lamps [stars]﴿ this refers to the stars, the light of which people use for navigation purposes. It is an apparent adornment for the heavens, but there is also a hidden beauty in them, as they also serve as missiles to drive away the devils, lest they eavesdrop on the heavens.

﴾That﴿ namely what is mentioned here, of the earth and everything in it, and the heaven and everything in it,

﴾is the decree of the Almighty﴿ Who by His might subjugates and controls all things, and created all of creation ﴾All-Knowing﴿ Whose knowledge encompasses all created things, both unseen and seen.

The fact that the polytheists showed no sincerity to this Almighty Lord, the One, the Subduer, to Whose command all creatures submit and Whose will concerning them is always done, is something very strange indeed. The fact that they ascribed rivals to Him that they regard as equal to Him, when in fact they are lacking in their characteristics and deeds, is even stranger. There is no remedy for these people, if they persist in turning away, except punishment in this world and the hereafter. Hence Allah warned them by saying:

41:13. But if they turn away, then say: I warn you of a devastating punishment like the devastating punishment that befell ‘Ad and Thamood.

41:14. When their Messengers came to them, trying by all possible means [to preach to them], saying: Do not worship any but Allah, they said: If our Lord had so willed. He could have sent down angels [as messengers]. Verily we disbelieve in that with which you have been sent.

That is, if these disbelievers turn away, after the praiseworthy qualities of the Qur’an and the sublime attributes of Allah the Almighty have been made clear to them, ﴾then say: I warn you of a devastating punishment﴿ that is, a punishment that will overwhelm you and eradicate you,

﴾like the devastating punishment that befell ‘Ad and Thamood﴿, the two well-known tribes. The worst of punishments overwhelmed them and encompassed them, because of their wrongdoing and disbelief.

﴾When their Messengers came to them, trying by all possible means [to preach to them] ]? - their Messengers came one after another, all bringing the same call: ﴾Do not worship any but Allah﴿. That is, they instructed them to show devotion to Allah alone, and they forbade them to ascribe partners to Allah.

But they rejected their message and disbelieved them, and ﴾they said: If our Lord had so willed, He could have sent down angels [as messengers]﴿ that is, as for you, you are just human beings like us, ﴾Verily we disbelieve in that with which you have been sent﴿ - this specious argument is still in circulation among the disbelievers, handed down from one generation to the next. But it is one of the flimsiest of specious arguments, because it is not a condition that the messenger who is sent should be an angel; rather it is a condition that the messenger should bring proof of his truthfulness. So let them bring evidence if they can, to undermine the sincerity of the messengers on the basis of rational or textual proof. But they will never be able to find a way to do that.

41:15. As for ‘Ad, they behaved arrogantly in the land without justification and said: Who is more powerful than us? Did they not see that Allah, Who created them, was more powerful than them? But they continued to reject Our signs.

41:16. So We sent against them a furious cold wind for a few inauspicious days, so that We might cause them to taste the punishment of disgrace in the life of this world. But the punishment of the hereafter will be more humiliating, and they will not be helped.

This further explains the story of these two nations, ‘Ad and Thamood.

As for ‘Ad﴿, in addition to their disbelief in Allah, their denial of the signs of Allah and their rejection of His Messengers, they also behaved arrogantly in the land, subjugating the people around them, and treating them unjustly. They were proud of their strength ﴾and said: Who is more powerful than us?﴿ Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) said in response, mentioning something that everyone knows:

﴾Did they not see that Allah, Who created them, was more powerful than them?﴿ If He had not created them, they would not exist.

If they had reflected properly on this matter, they would not have been deceived by their strength. So Allah afflicted them with a punishment that was appropriate to their strength by which they had been deceived.

f﴾So We sent against them a furious cold wind﴿ that is, a strong wind that made an alarming sound, like loud thunder. Allah sent it against them:

((...for seven nights and eight days in succession, so that you would have seen the people lying lifeless as if they were the trunks of fallen palm trees.﴿ (al-Hdqqah 69: 7)

﴾for a few inauspicious days﴿ and it destroyed them and their families, so that nothing could be seen but their dwellings. Here Allah says:

﴾so that We might cause them to taste the punishment of disgrace in the life of this world﴿ that humiliated them and exposed them to shame before all people

﴾But the punishment of the hereafter will be more humiliating, and they will not be helped﴿ that is, they will not be protected against the punishment of Allah and they will not be able to protect themselves.

41:17. As for Thamood, We showed them the path of guidance, but they preferred to remain blind rather than be guided. So the devastating and humiliating punishment overtook them because of their misdeeds.

41:18. And We saved those who believed and feared Allah.

Thamood was a well-known tribe who lived in and around al-Hijr. They are the people to whom Allah sent Salih (عليه السلام) to call them to affirm the oneness of their Lord and to forbid them to ascribe partnersto Him. Allah gave them the she-camel as a mighty sign; she was to have her share of water and they were to have their share, each on an appointed day (cf. 26. 155)-, they were to drink her milk on one day and to drink from the water on one day, and they were not to spend on her, for she was to eat from the land of Allah.

Hence Allah says here: ﴾As for Thamood, We showed them the path of guidance﴿ that is, guidance in the sense of explaining (not in the sense of making them accept it and follow it). The reason why Allah specifically points out that He showed them the path of guidance, even though in the case of other doomed nations proof was established against them and guidance was shown to them, is that the sign given to Thamood was exceptionally clear and was seen by all of them, young and old, male and female. It was a clear sign, hence that miracle gave them clearer proof and guidance.

But - because of their wrongdoing and wickedness - they preferred blindness, which is disbelief and misguidance, over guidance, which is knowledge and faith. Thus the punishment overtook them, ﴾because of their misdeeds﴿; Allah did not wrong them at all.

﴾And We saved those who believed and feared Allah﴿ that is, Allah saved Salih and those who followed him of the believers who avoided polytheism and sin.

41:19. And [remember] the day when the enemies of Allah will be gathered together for the fire, then they will be assembled [then driven].

41:20. until, when they come to it, their hearing, their sight and their skins will testify against them concerning their deeds.

41:21. They will say to their skins: Why do you testify against us? They will say: Allah has caused us to speak, Who causes everything to speak [that is able to speak]. He created you the first time, and to Him you will be brought back.

41:22. You did not hide yourselves from your hearing, your sight and your skins lest they testify against you. Rather you thought that Allah did not know much of what you did.

41:23. But that thought of yours that you thought about your Lord has led to your ruin, and now you are among the losers.

41:24. Even if they are patient, the fire will still be their abode, and if they seek to make amends, they will not be allowed to do so.

Here Allah tells us of the enemies who disbelieved in Him and His signs, and who rejected, opposed and fought His Messengers, and the terrible state they will be in when they are gathered together ﴾for the fire, then they will be assembled [then driven]that is, the first of them will be joined to the last of them, and they will be driven towards it violently; they will not be able to refuse and they will not be able to help themselves, nor will they be helped.

until, when they come to it﴿ when they reach the fire and want to deny their misdeeds or the sins that they committed, ﴾their hearing, their sight and their skins will testify against them concerning their deeds﴿ that is, each of their faculties will testify against them, each faculty saying: I did such and such, on such and such a day.

These three faculties are singled out for mention because most sins are committed by means of them or because of them.

When their faculties testify against them, they will rebuke them and ﴾They will say to their skins﴿. This indicates that testimony will be given by each faculty, as we have mentioned.

﴾Why do you testify against us﴿ at the time when we are trying to defend you?

﴾They will say: Allah has caused us to speak, Who causes everything to speak [that is able to speak] so we are not able to refuse to give testimony, because we have been made to speak by the One Whose will cannot be resisted by anyone or anything.

﴾He created you the first time﴿ and just as He created you with your essence and your physical being, He also created your attributes, which include speech

﴾and to Him you will be brought back﴿ in the hereafter, and He will requite you for your deeds.

It may be that what is meant is mentioning the first creation as proof of the resurrection, as frequently happens in the Qur’an.

﴾You did not hide yourselves from your hearing, your sight and your skins lest they testify against you﴿ that is, you did not hide yourselves from your faculties lest they testify against you, and you did not take any precautions against that.

﴾Rather you thought﴿ when you committed sins ﴾that Allah did not know much of what you did﴿. And that is why you did what you did.

This notion became the cause of their doom and misery, hence Allah says: ﴾But that thought of yours that you thought about your Lord﴿ that is, your negative thinking when you thought something that is not appropriate to His majesty ﴾has led to your ruin﴿ and doomed you

﴾and now you are among the losers﴿ for you have lost your own souls, your families and your religious commitment, because of thedeeds that resulted from your negative thinking of your Lord. This decree of punishment and doom became due on you and it has become inevitable that you will dwell in eternal punishment, which will not be alleviated even for a moment.

﴾Even if they are patient, the fire will still be their abode﴿, but no one can have patience or forbearance with regard to the fire. In any other situation, there is the possibility of bearing it with patience, but in the case of the fire, no one can bear it with patience. How can anyone bear with patience a fire of which the heat is intense, more than seventy times hotter than the fire of this world? For its scalding water is intensely hot, the stench of its pus is excessive, its cold is extremely cold, its chains and fetters are immense, its hammers are huge and its keepers are harsh, with no mercy whatsoever in their hearts. And over and above all of that there is the wrath of the Almighty, Who will say to them when they call upon Him and ask Him for help:

^...Away with you! Be humiliated therein and do not speak to Me.﴿

﴾fand if they seek to make amends﴿ that is, if they ask to go back to the previous world so that they may start over,

﴾they will not be allowed to do so﴿ because that time has ended; they lived long enough to have reflected and paid heed, and the warner came to them, so they were left with no excuse. Moreover, their request to make amends is not sincere;

﴾f...even if they were sent back, they would surely go back to that which was forbidden to them, for they are indeed liars, j? (al-An am 6:28)

41:25. We assigned to them [evil] close companions who made fair-seeming to them their conduct in this world and their denial of the hereafter, and the punishment became inevitable for them, as had happened to nations of jinn and men who came before them, for indeed they are [all] losers.

That is, We decreed for these wrongdoers who rejected the truth ﴾[evil] close companions﴿ from among the devils. This is like the verse in which Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says:

﴾Do you not see that We have sent the devils against the disbelievers, to incite them to sin?﴿ (Maryam 19: 83)

- that is, they prompt them and urge them to commit sin, because of what they make fair-seeming to them of «ftheir conduct in this world and their denial of the hereafter﴿. They made this world attractive to them and called them to indulge in its forbidden pleasures and desires, until they were tempted, then they disobeyed Allah and followed a path that led them to fight Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ). As for the hereafter, the devils made them think that it was far off and caused them to forget it, and perhaps they made them doubt that it would ever come to pass. So fear of it departed from their hearts, and the devils led them to disbelief, innovation and sin.

The fact that Allah gave the devils power and assigned them to the disbelievers was because the latter turned away from the remembrance of Allah and His signs, and they denied the truth. This is like the passage in which Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says:

﴾Whoever turns away from the reminder of the Most Gracious [the Qur’an], We will assign to him a devil to be his constant companion. Verily, they [the devils] bar them from the [right] path, but they think that they are rightly guided.﴿ (az-Zukhruf43: 36-37)

﴾and the punishment became inevitable for them﴿ that is, the decree was issued that they should be punishedt-fas had happened to nations ofjinn and men who came before them, tor indeed they are [all] losers﴿ who lost their religious commitment and the hereafter. Whoever becomes a loser will inevitably be humiliated, subjected to misery and punished.

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41:26. Those who disbelieved said: Do not listen to this Qur’an; make noise when it is recited, so that you may drown it out.

41:27. We will surely cause those who disbelieve to taste a severe punishment, and We will surely requite them according to their bad deeds.

41:28. Such is the requital of the enemies of Allah: the fire, in which will be their eternal abode, as a recompense for continuing to reject Our signs.

41:29. Those who disbelieved will say: Our Lord, show us the two among the jinn and humankind who led us astray. We will trample them underfoot, so that they will be among the lowest.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us how the disbelievers turned away from the Qur’an and urged one another to do that:

﴾Those who disbelieved said: Do not listen to this Qur’an﴿ that is, turn away and do not listen to it, and beware of paying attention to the one who brought it; but if it so happens that you do hear it or hear the call to its rulings, then ﴾make noise when it is recited﴿ that is.speak nonsense words in which there is no benefit and which are even harmful or offensive, and do not - as far as you are able - let anyone speak about it to you or recite its words and meanings to you. That was their behaviour and words which demonstrated how they turned away from this Qur’an.

﴾fso that﴿, if you do that, ﴾you may drown it out﴿. This was testimony from the enemies, for the truth becomes clearer when its enemies testify in its favour. They thought that they could not defeat the one who brought it except by turning away and urging one another to do so, and what may be understood from their words is that if they did not do that, and instead they listened to it and paid attention to it, they would not be able to gain the upper hand, because truth always has the upper hand and cannot be defeated. This is something that is known by the followers and enemies of truth alike.

Because this was wrongdoing and stubbornness on their part, and there was no hope left for them to be guided, there remained nothing but the punishment for them. Hence Allah says:

﴾We will surely cause those who disbelieve to taste a severe punishment, and We will surely requite them according to their bad deeds﴿, namely disbelief and sin. These were the worst of what they used to do, because they committed sins and other deeds, but the requital with punishment is only for evil deeds,

﴾.. .and your Lord will not wrong anyone.)") (al-Kahf 18: 49)

﴾Such is the requital of the enemies of Allah﴿ who oppose Him and fight His close friends on the basis of disbelief, rejection, argument and physical fighting ﴾the fire, in which will be their eternal abode﴿ that is, they will abide therein forever, and their punishment will not be alleviated even for a moment, nor will they be helped. That will be ﴾fa recompense for continuing to reject Our signs﴿, for they were clear signs and definitive proof that should lead to certainty, so the greatest wrongdoing and stubbornness is to reject them and disbelieve in them.

c-fThose who disbelieved will say﴿ that is, the followers among them will say this, based on what follows, by way of expressing resentment towards those who led them astray: ﴾show us the two among the jinn and humankind who led us astray b that is, the two types who led us to misguidance and punishment, namely the devils among the jinn and the devils among humankind, who called us to hell.

﴾We will trample them underfoot, so that they will be among the lowest﴿ that is, among those who are disgraced and humiliated, as they led us astray and misguided us, and they were the cause of our entering hell. Thus they will demonstrate their resentment towards one another and will disavow one another.

41:30. Verily those who say: Our Lord is Allah, then remain steadfast, to them the angels will come down [at the time of death, saying]: Fear not, nor grieve; but receive the glad tidings of paradise which you were promised.

41:31. We have been your close friends in the life of this world and [will remain so] in the hereafter. There you will have all that your souls desire and there you will have all that you ask for,

41:32. a recompense from One Who is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Flere Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) speaks of His close friends, and implicitly offers encouragement and urges us to follow their example:

﴾ Verily those who say: Our Lord is Allah, then remain steadfast﴿ that is, they acknowledge, speak out loud and are content with Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) as their Lord and submit to His command, then they remain steadfast in following the straight path in terms of knowledge and action. For them there are glad tidings in this world and in the hereafter.

﴾to them the angels will come down [at the time of death]﴿ that is, the noble angels repeatedly come down to them, giving them glad tidings at the time of death ﴾[saying]: Fear not﴿ what lies ahead of you ﴾nor grieve﴿ for what is past. So they will tell them that there is nothing to worry about in the past or in the future. ﴾but receive the glad tidings of paradise which you were promised﴿ for it is due to you and is confirmed, and the promise of Allah is bound to be fulfilled.

They will also say to them, by way of reassuring them and giving them glad tidings: ﴾We have been your close friends in the life of this world and [will remain so] in the hereafter﴿. They urge them to do good in this world, making it fair-seeming to them, and warn them against doing evil deeds, making them abhorrent in their hearts; and they pray to Allah for them, and reassure them at times of calamity and fear, especially at the time of death with its hardships, in the grave with its darkness, on the Day of Resurrection with its horrors, and on the sirat (bridge over hell). And in paradise they will congratulate them on having attained the honour of their Lord, and they will enter unto them from every gate (saying):

﴾Peace be upon you because you patiently persevered. How excellent is the ultimate end!﴿ (ar-Ra'd 13: 24)

They will also say to them: ﴾There﴿ in paradise ﴾you will have all that your souls desire﴿ for it has been prepared and made ready for you,

﴾and there you will have all that you ask for)s that is, all that you request of anything that you could want or ask for of all kinds ofdelights and desires, such as no eye has seen, no ear has heard, nor has it ever crossed the mind of man.

﴾fa recompense from One Who is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful﴿ this abundant reward and eternal bliss is a recompense and a gift ﴾from One Who is Oft-Forgiving﴿ and has forgiven you your sins ﴾Most Merciful﴿ as He has enabled you to do good deeds, then accepted them from you. So His forgiveness has removed from you what you feared, and by His mercy He has helped you to attain what you wanted.

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41:33. Who is better in speech than one who calls people to Allah, does righteous deeds, and says: Verily I am one of those who submit to Allah [in Islam]?

This appears in the form of a question, but what is meant is confirmation that no one is better in speech - that is, in words, manners and attitude,

﴾than one who calls people to Allah﴿ by teaching the ignorant and exhorting those who are heedless and turn away; debating with the followers of falsehood by enjoining worship of Allah in all ways and urging people to worship Him, making that fair-seeming by all possible means; telling people to stay away from that which Allah has forbidden and making it appear abhorrent by any means that will make people refrain, especially calling people to the religion of Islam, presenting it in the best of terms, debating with its enemies in ways that are best, speaking out against its opposite, namely disbelief and polytheism, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong.

Part of calling people to Allah is endearing Him to His slaves by mentioning in detail His blessings, vast generosity and perfect mercy, and mentioning His perfect and majestic attributes.

Another aspect of calling people to Allah is encouraging people to acquire knowledge and learn guidance from the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (ﷺ), and urging them to do that by all possible means, which includes encouraging them to attain noble characteristics, treating people kindly, responding to those who behave offensively with kindness, and enjoining upholding of ties of kinship and honouring parents.

It also includes exhorting people on special occasions, at special events and times of calamity, in a manner that is appropriate to the situation. And there are innumerable other ways of calling people to Allah, which includes calling them to all that is good and warning against all that is evil.

﴾does righteous deeds﴿ that is, in addition to calling people to Allah, he himself hastens to obey the command of Allah, by doing righteous deeds that are pleasing to his Lord ﴾and says: Verily I am one of those who submit to Allah [in Islam] that is, those who submit to His command and follow His path. Reaching a high level in this regard means reaching the level of the strong and true in faith who strive to perfect themselves and perfect others, and who are the rightful heirs of the Messengers. By the same token, among the worst of people in speech are those who call people to misguidance and follow its path.

Between these two levels, the one who attains the highest level and the one who sinks to the lowest levels, are many other levels that are known to Allah, all of which are occupied by people:

﴾For all there will be ranks according to their deeds, for your Lord is not unaware of what they do.﴿ (al-An'am 6. 132)

41:34. Good deeds and evil deeds are not equal. Repel evil with that which is good, whereupon he between whom and you there was ill feeling will become like a close friend.

41:35. But none can attain that except those who are patient, and none can attain it except one who is blessed with a great share of good and righteousness.

﴾Good deeds and evil deeds are not equal﴿ that is, doing good deeds and acts of obedience for the sake of Allah is not the same as doing evil deeds and acts of disobedience that incur His wrath and do not please Him. Kindness towards people is not the same as mistreatment of them, whether in essence, description or requital. ?(Is the reward of goodness anything but goodness?﴿ (ar-Rahman 55:60) Then Allah enjoins a specific type of kindness, which may have a great impact. It is being kind to one who mistreats you, as He says: tfRepel evil with that which is good﴿ that is, if anyone mistreats you in word or deed, especially one who has great rights over you, such as relatives, friends and the like, then respond with kindness towards him. If he cuts you off, then uphold ties with him. If he wrongs you, then forgive him. If he speaks ill of you, in your absence or in your presence, then do not respond in kind; rather forgive him and speak gently to him. If he forsakes you and does not speak to you, then speak nicely to him and be the first to greet him with salam. If you respond to mistreatment with kindness, you will achieve much good.﴾whereupon he between whom and you there was ill feeling will become like a close friend﴿ that is, like one of your nearest and dearest.

﴾But none can attain that﴿ that is, no one is enabled to attain this good characteristic

﴾!except those who are patient﴿ and make themselves bear with patience that which they dislike, and force themselves to do that which Allah loves. For people are naturally inclined to respond to mistreatment in like manner, and not to forgive it, let alone react with kindness.

But if a person makes himself be patient and obeys the command of his Lord, and is aware of the immense reward that this attitude brings, and understands that responding in kind to the one who mistreats him will not benefit him in the slightest and will only make the enmity worse, and that treating him kindly will not detract from his status, for whoever humbles himself for the sake of Allah, Allah will raise him in status, then it will become easy for him and he will do that with pleasure and find delight in it.

﴾fand none can attain it except one who is blessed with a great share of good and righteousness﴿ because it is one of the characteristics of the elite among humankind, by means of which a person attains high status in this world and the hereafter; it is one of the greatest of good characteristics.

41:36. And if a prompting from Shaytan stirs you up, seek refuge with Allah, for verily He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.

41:37. Among His signs are the night and the day, the sun and the moon. Do not prostrate to the sun or to the moon; rather prostrate to Allah Who created them, if it is Him you worship.

41:38. If they are too arrogant [to prostrate to Allah, remember that] those who are with your Lord [namely the angels] glorify Him by night and by day, and they never grow weary.

41:39. Among His signs is this: you see the earth barren and desolate, but when We send down rain upon it, it stirs and swells. He Who gives it life will surely give life to the dead, for verily He has power over all things.

Having mentioned how to respond to human enemies, which is by responding to maltreatment with kindness, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) now tells us how to ward off the jinn enemy, which is by seeking refuge and protection with Allah from his evil.

﴾] And if a prompting from Shaytan stirs you up﴿ that is, any time you feel any of the promptings of the Shaytan - namely his whispers, making evil fair-seeming to you, discouraging you from doing good, tempting you to commit some sins or making you obey some of his instructions,

﴾seek refuge with Allah﴿ that is, express your need of Him and your need for Him to give you refuge and protect you from the Shaytan, ﴾for verily He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing﴿ - He hears your words and your beseeching, and He knows your situation and how desperate you are for His protection.

Then Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us that ﴾Among His signs'p that point to His perfect might and indicate that His will is always done, and thathighlight the vastness of His power and His mercy towards His slaves, and demonstrate that He is Allah alone, with no partner or associate, ﴾are the night and the day﴿ - the latter because of the benefit of its light, whereby people go about their business, and the former because of the benefit of its darkness, in which people rest.

﴾the sun and the moon﴿ without which people’s livelihood and physical well-being, and the well-being of their animals, cannot be sound, and by means of which people attain innumerable benefits.

﴾Do not prostrate to the sun or to the moon)﴿ for they are created things, under control and subjugated

﴾rather prostrate to Allah Who created them﴿ that is, worship Him alone, for He is the Almighty Creator, and shun the worship of anything other than Him of created things, even if it is of great size and brings many benefits, for those benefits do not come from it; rather they come from its Creator (سبحانه وتعالى).

﴾if it is Him you worship﴿ and devote your worship sincerely to Him alone.

﴾If they are too arrogant﴿ to worship Allah, and do not submit to Him, they will not harm Allah in the slightest, for Allah has no need of them, and He has honourable slaves who do not disobey His commands and who do as they are commanded. Hence Allah says: ﴾those who are with your Lord﴿ namely the angels who are close to Him

^glorify Him by night and by day, and they never grow weary﴿ that is, they never tire of worshipping Him, because of their strength and strong motive to do that.

﴾Among His signs﴿ that point to His perfect might and that He alone is the Sovereign Who is in control, and that He is One,

﴾is this: you see the earth barren and desolate﴿, with no vegetation ﴾but when We send down rain upon it, it stirs﴿ that is, it begins to move, as plants begin to grow﴾and swells﴿, then it brings forth beautiful plants of every kind, giving life to people and the land.

﴾He Who gives it life﴿ after it was dead and lifeless ﴾will surely give life to the dead﴿ and bring them forth from their graves, on the day He resurrects them f﴾for verily He has power over all things﴿. Just as it is not beyond His power to give life to the earth after its death, it is not beyond His power to give life to the dead.

41:40. Those who distort the meanings of Our revelations are not hidden from Us. Is one who will be thrown into the fire better, or one who will come safe on the Day of Resurrection? Do whatever you wish, for verily He sees well all that you do.

41:41. Those who reject the Reminder when it comes to them [will be requited for their rejection]. Verily it is an unassailable Book.

41:42. No falsehood can approach it from before it or from behind it; [it is] a revelation from One Who is Most Wise, Praiseworthy.

The phrase translated here as ‘distort the meanings of the revelations of Allah’ means not responding to them in the proper manner in any way, either by denying them, rejecting them and disbelieving in the one who brought them, or by distorting them and twisting the meaning, and trying to give them meanings that Allah never intended.

Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) warns those who distort the meanings of the revelations that they are not hidden from Him; rather He is aware of their outward actions and inner thoughts, and He will requite them for their distortion in a way that matches their deeds. Hence Allah says:

﴾Is one who will be thrown into the fire﴿, such as the one who distorts the meanings of Allah’s revelations ﴾better, or one who will come safe on the Day of Resurrection?﴿ that is, he will be safe from the punishment of Allah and will deserve His reward. It is well known that the latter is better.

Having clarified the difference between truth and falsehood, the path that saves from His punishment and the path that leads to doom, Allah now says:

﴾Do whatever you wish﴿: if you wish, follow the path of guidance that leads to the pleasure of your Lord and His paradise; or if you wish, follow the path of misguidance that incurs the wrath of your Lord and leads to the abode of doom.

﴾for verily He sees well all that you do﴿ and will requite you according to your attitudes and deeds. This is like the verse in which Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says:

﴾Say: This is the truth from your Lord. So let him who will, believe; and let him who will, disbelieve...﴿ (al-Kahf 18: 29)

Then Allah says: ﴾Those who reject the Reminder﴿ that is, those who reject the Holy Qur’an which reminds people of everything that is in their best interests, in spiritual terms and in this world and the hereafter, and raises in status those who follow it,

﴾when it comes to them﴿ as a blessing from their Lord at the hands of the best and most perfect of humankind ﴾f[will be requited for their rejection]. Verily it﴿ in fact ﴾is an unassailable Book﴿ that combines all the characteristics of perfection and is protected from everyone who wants to distort it or who intends ill towards it. Hence Allah says:

﴾(No falsehood can approach it from before it or from behind it﴿ that is, none of the devils among humankind or the jinn can come near it to detract from it or insert anything into it that is not part of it, or to add anything to it or subtract anything from it. It was protected as it was being revealed, and its words and meanings are protected. The One Who sent it down has guaranteed to preserve it, as He says elsewhere:

﴾Verily, it is We Who have sent down the Reminder [the Qur’an], and verily it is We Who will preserve it.﴿ (al-Hijr 15: 9)

﴾f[it is] a revelation from One Who is Most Wise﴿ in what He creates and commands; He does everything in an appropriate manner ﴾Praiseworthy﴿ for what He possesses of perfect and majestic attributes, and for being just and generous. Hence His Book aims to perfect wisdom, point to that which is in people’s best interests and teach them how to protect themselves from harm, for which He is to be praised.

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41:43. Nothing is said to you [O Muhammad, of offensive talk] that was not said to the Messengers before you. Verily your Lord is forgiving, but stem in retribution.

﴾Nothing is said to you [O Muhammad, of offensive talk]﴿ that is uttered by those who stubbornly reject you ﴾that was not said to the Messengers before you﴿ that is, similar words were said to them. Indeed, they may have used the same wording and phrases as all previous nations who rejected the Messengers, such as their finding it a cause of amazement when they were called to devotetheir worship to Allah alone, with no partner or associate, and they rejected this call in every way they could. So they said:

^...You are but human beings like ourselves...(YdSeen 36. 15)

- and they demanded signs from their Messengers that they did not have to produce, and said other such words that were expressions of disbelief. They had a similar mentality, so their words were similar.

But the Messengers bore their annoyance and rejection with patience, so be patient (O Muhammad [*!§]) as those who came before you were patient.

Then Allah calls them to repent and take measures to attain forgiveness, and warns them against persisting in misguidance: ﴾Verily your Lord is forgiving﴿ that is, His forgiveness is immense and He erases thereby all sins for anyone who gives up sin and repents ﴾but stem in retribution jj to those who persist in sin and are arrogant.

4 1:44. If We had made it a Qur’an in a non-Arabic language, they would have said: Why have its verses not been made clear [in Arabic]? Why in a non-Arabic [language], when he [the Prophet] is an Arab?^{1This verse is connected to v. 5, which tells us that the disbelievers declared that their hearts were covered (and sealed) against the message of the Qur’an, and that there was deafness in their ears. That argument of theirs might be acceptable if the Qur’an had been in a non-Arabic language and thus incomprehensible to them, but as it has been revealed in Arabic, they had no right to say that and their argument was invalid. (ar-Razi)} Say: It is, for those who believe, guidance and healing;and for those who do not believe, there is deafness in their ears and they are blind to what it contains [of beauty and signs]. It is as if they are being called from a far off place.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us of His bounty and generosity, as He sent down His Book in Arabic, to the Arab Messenger (ﷺ), in the language of his people, so that he could make the message clear to them. This is something that requires them to pay more attention to it, accept it and submit. For if He had made it a non-Arabic Qur’an, in a language other than Arabic, the disbelievers would have objected and would have said:

﴾Why have its verses not been made clear [in Arabic]?﴿ That is, why are its verses not clarified and explained?

﴾Why in a non-Arabic [language], when he [the Prophet] is an Arab?﴿ That is, how come Muhammad (ﷺ) is an Arab, yet the book is not in Arabic? That cannot happen.

Thus Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) rules out everything that may be a cause of doubt for people of falsehood concerning His Book, and ascribes to it every attribute that would dictate that they should submit, but it is the believers who are guided who will benefit from it and be honoured; for others it is the opposite.

Hence He says: ﴾Say: It is, for those who believe, guidance and healing﴿ that is, it guides them to the straight path and it teaches them beneficial knowledge, by means of which perfect guidance is attained. And it is healing for them from sickness both physical and spiritual, because it deters them from bad attitudes and evil conduct, and urges them to repent sincerely, which brings cleansing from sin and healing for their hearts.

﴾fand for those who do not believe﴿ in the Qur’an ﴾there is deafness in their ears﴿ that is, they refuse to listen and they turn away﴾and they are blind to what it contains [of beauty and signs]﴿ and they cannot see in it any guidance or wisdom. It only increases them in misguidance, because they are the ones who rejected the truth, so they increase in blindness and misguidance.

﴾lt is as if they are being called from a far off placed that is, they are called to faith, but they do not respond, like one who is called when he is in a far off place, so he cannot hear the caller or respond to him. What is meant is that those who do not believe in the Qur’an do not benefit from its guidance, see by its light or gain anything good from it, because they have closed the door to guidance by turning away and disbelieving.

41:45. We gave Moosa the Book, but differences arose concerning it. Were it not for a prior decree from your Lord, a decisive judgement would already have been passed between them. Verily they are in grave doubt concerning it.

41:46. Whoever does righteous deeds, it is to his own benefit and whoever does evil deeds, it is to his own detriment. And your Lord is never unjust to His slaves.

﴾We gave Moosa the Book﴿ as We have given you the Book, and the people reacted to him as they have reacted to you. People differed in that regard: some of them believed in it, and they were guided and benefited from it; some of them disbelieved and did not benefit from it. Were it not for Allah’s forbearance and prior decree to delay thepunishment until the appointed time, which cannot be brought forward or put back, ﴾a decisive judgement would already have been passed between them﴿ as soon as the disbelievers became distinct from the believers, by destroying the disbelievers immediately, because the cause of doom had become binding.

﴾Verily they are in grave doubt concerning it﴿ that is, their doubt has reached such a level of gravity that they rejected it and denied it.

﴾Whoever does righteous deeds﴿ which are the deeds enjoined by Allah and His Messenger

﴾fit is to his own benefit﴿ and he will be rewarded for it in this world and the hereafter

﴾fand whoever does evil deeds, it is to his own detriment﴿ and he will suffer the harm and punishment thereof in this world and the hereafter. This encourages people to do good and refrain from evil, and tells us that those who strive will benefit from their good deeds and will be harmed by their misdeeds, but no bearer of burdens will be made to carry the burden of another. i﴾And your Lord is never unjust to His slaves﴿ and will never let anyone carry more than his own misdeeds.

41:47. He alone has knowledge of the Hour. No fruit emerges from its sheath, nor does any female conceive or give birth, except with His knowledge. On the day when Allah will call to them, [saying]: Where are My [so-called] partners? they will say: We declare to You that none of us can bear witness to that.^{1The meanings of the verses of the Qur’an in this book (with some minor changes to the punctuation) have been translated by the translator. (Editor)}

41:48. Those [false gods] whom they used to call upon before will be lost from them, and they will realise that they have no escape.

Here Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta 'ala - Glorified and Exalted is He) tells us of the vastness of His knowledge and that He alone possesses exclusive knowledge that no one else could know:

﴾He alone has knowledge of the Hour﴿ that is, all of creation - the Messengers, the angels and others - refer knowledge thereofto Allah (سبحانه وتعالى), and they admit that they have no way of knowing about it.

﴾No fruit emerges from its sheath﴿ - this includes the fruits of all trees, in all lands, of all kinds. No fruit of any tree emerges but He knows about it in detail.

﴾nor does any female﴿ among the children of Adam ('alayhi as-salam - peace be upon him) or any kind of animals ﴾fconceive﴿ except with His knowledge

﴾or give birth, except with His knowledge﴿. So how can the polytheists regard as equal to Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) that which has no knowledge and cannot hear or see?

﴾On the day when Allah will call to them﴿ namely the polytheists, on the Day of Resurrection, rebuking them and exposing their lies. He will say to them: ﴾Where are My [so-called] partners﴿ who you claimed were My partners, and you worshipped them, and you argued in defence of your actions and opposed the Messengers for the sake of those false gods?

﴾they will say﴿, acknowledging the falseness of their gods and the falseness of their association of them with Allah: ﴾We declare to You that none of us can bear witness to that﴿ that is, we announce to You, O our Lord, so bear witness that none of us can testify to the validity of those gods and so-called partners; now we all admit the invalidity of worshipping them, and we disavow them. Hence Allah says:

﴾Those [false gods] whom they used to call upon﴿ besides Allah ﴾before will be lost from them﴿ that is, all their beliefs and deeds that they spent their lives devoting to the worship of gods other than Allah, thinking that it would benefit them and would ward off the punishment from them, and that those false gods would intercede for them with Allah, will be lost from them. All their efforts will be in vain, and their thoughts and beliefs will be proven wrong; their so-called partners will not avail them anything.

﴾and they will realise﴿ and know for certain in that situation ﴾that they have no escape﴿ that is, they have no one to save them, no helper and no refuge.

These are the consequences for those who associate others with Allah, which Allah explains to His slaves so that they may beware of ascribing partners to Him.

>4»

41:49. Man never grows weary of asking for good things, but if misfortune befalls him, he is filled with despair and becomes despondent.

41:50. But if We give him a taste of mercy from Us after adversity had befallen him, he will surely say: This is my due, and I do not think that the Hour will ever come; but if I am brought back to my Lord, I will have with Him the best. We will surely inform those who disbelieve about all that they did, and We will surely cause them to taste a harsh punishment.

41:51. When We bestow blessings upon man, he turns away and distances himself [from Us], but if misfortune befalls him, he resorts to offering a great deal of supplication.

Here Allah tells us of the nature of man and that he has no patience to deal with either times of ease or times of hardship, except those whom Allah helps to attain perfection, as He says:

﴾Man never grows weary of asking for good things﴿ that is, he never tires of calling upon Allah, asking Him for riches, wealth, children and other worldly desires, and he keeps striving for that, but he is not content with a small or great amount of that. No matter what he attains, he always wants more.

^fbut if misfortune﴿ that is, harm such as sickness, poverty or any kind of calamity ﴾befalls him, he is filled with despair and becomes despondent﴿) that is, he despairs of the mercy of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) and thinks that this calamity is the one that will destroy him, and he becomes confused because the measures he took did not lead to the results he expected.

This is the case with all people except those who are patient and do righteous deeds: if good things happen to them and blessings come to them, they give thanks to Allah, but they fear that the blessings of Allah may lead to them getting carried away in sin or that they signal a respite before punishment befalls them.

But if a calamity befalls them, affecting themselves, their wealth or their children, they show patience and hope for the grace of their Lord, and they do not despair.

Then Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says: ﴾But if We give him﴿ that is, man who never grows weary of asking for good things, but if misfortune befalls him, he is filled with despair and becomes despondent,

﴾a taste of mercy from Us﴿ after that misfortune that befell him, such as if Allah heals him from his sickness, or makes him independent of means after he had been poor, he does not give thanks to Allah (سبحانه وتعالى); rather he transgresses and commits sin, and says: ﴾This is my due﴿ that is, it has come to me because I am qualified for it and I deserve it, ﴾and I do not think that the Hour will ever come﴿. This is denial of the resurrection on his part, and ingratitude for the blessings and mercy of which Allah has given him a taste.

4but if I am brought back to my Lord, I will have with Him the best﴿ that is, assuming that the Hour does come and that I am broughtback to my Lord, then I will have the best with Him; just as I had blessings in this world, I will have blessings in the hereafter.

This is the greatest audacity and speaking about Allah without knowledge. Hence Allah warns him by saying: ﴾We will surely inform those who disbelieve about all that they did, and We will surely cause them to taste a harsh﴿ that is, very severe ﴾punishment﴿.

﴾When We bestow blessings upon man﴿ such as good health, provision and so on ﴾he turns away﴿ from his Lord and from giving thanks to Him ﴾and distances himself [from Us]﴿ out of self-admiration and arrogance.

﴾but if misfortune befalls him﴿ such as sickness, poverty and so on, ﴾he resorts to offering a great deal of supplication﴿ because he has no patience. So he does not show patience at times of hardship and he does not show gratitude at times of ease, except those whom Allah guides and blesses.

41:52. Say: What do you think, if it [the Qur’an] is really from Allah but you reject it? Who is further astray than one who goes much too far in opposition?

41:53. We will show them Our signs in the universe and in their own selves, until it becomes clear to them that it [the Qur’an] is the truth. Is it not sufficient that your Lord is Witness over all things?

41:54. Indeed they are in doubt concerning the meeting with their Lord; verily He encompasses all things.

﴾Say﴿ to these people who reject the Qur’an and hasten to disbelieve:

﴾What do you think, if it [the Qur’an] is really from Allah﴿, beyond any shadow of a doubt, ﴾but you reject it? Who is further astray than one who goes much too far in opposition?﴿ that is, one who is stubborn towards Allah and His Messenger (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam - blessings and peace be upon him), for the truth has become clear to you, but you turned away from it, and you have chosen not truth but falsehood and ignorance. Hence you are the furthest astray of people and the worst in wrongdoing.

If you doubt the soundness of the Qur’an and what it really is, then Allah will establish proof for you and will show you His signs in the universe, such as the signs in heaven and on earth, and what Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) will bring about of major events that point to the truth, for the one who has deep insight and is able to see the truth ﴾and in their own selves﴿ such as what their own bodies contain of the brilliant signs of Allah and wonders of His design and amazing might. And there are more signs in the punishments that overcome the disbelievers and the victories that are granted to the believers, ﴾until it becomes clear to them﴿ through these signs, beyond a doubt, ﴾that it [the Qur’an] is the truth﴿ and that what it contains is true.

And Allah indeed did that; He showed His slaves signs through which it became clear to them that it was the truth. But it is Allah Who guides to the path of faith whomever He will, and He causes whomever He will to fail to see the truth.

﴾Is it not sufficient that your Lord is Witness over all things?﴿ that is, is the testimony of Allah, that the Qur’an is true and that the one who brought it is truthful, not sufficient for them? For Allahhas testified that the Messenger (ﷺ) was indeed sincere, and He is the most truthful of witnesses. He supported him and helped him in a manner that confirmed His verbal testimony, if anyone has any doubts about it.

﴾Indeed they are in doubt concerning the meeting with their Lord﴿ that is, they are in doubt about the resurrection, for they do not believe in anything but the realm of this world. Hence they do not believe in the hereafter and they do not pay attention to it.

﴾verily He encompasses all things﴿ by His knowledge, power and might.

This is the end of the commentary on Soorat Fussilat.

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.