43:1. Ha’. Meem.

43:2. By the clear Book,

43:3. verily, We have made it an Arabic Qur’an so that you may understand,

43:4. and verily it is in the Mother of the Book [al-Lawh al-Mahfoodh}^{1Al-Lawh al-Mahfoodh: the Preserved Tablet, the place where the decrees of Allah are kept. All the divinely-revealed Books originated from there, hence it is called the Mother (that is, source or origin) of the Book.} with Us, sublime and full of wisdom.

43:5. Should We, then, withdraw this reminder from you altogether, because you are a people transgressing beyond all bounds?

﴾By the clear Book﴿ - this is an oath by the Qur’an about the Qur’an. Allah swears by the clear Book to indicate that it clarifies everything that people need to know about matters pertaining to this world, religion and the hereafter.

﴾verily. We have made it an Arabic Qur’an﴿ this is the subject of the oath: Allah has made it in the most eloquent and clearest of languages. Then He mentions the wisdom behind that, which is ﴾so that you may understand﴿ its words and meanings, because it is easy to understand.

﴾and verily it﴿ namely this Book ﴾is in the Mother of the Book [al-Lawh al-Mahfoodfa] with Us﴿, among those on high, in the highest and best rank,

﴾sublime and full of wisdom﴿ that is, it is sublime and held in the highest esteem, and it is full of wisdom in what it contains of commands and prohibitions, and stories. There is no ruling in it that is contrary to wisdom, justice and equity.

Then Allah tells us that His wisdom and grace dictate that He should not leave His slaves neglected without sending a Messenger to them or sending down a Book to them, even if they are wrongdoers. Hence He says:

﴾Should We, then, withdraw this reminder from you altogether, because you are a people transgressing beyond all bounds?﴿ That is, should We turn away from you and not send down the reminder to you, and withdraw it from you because you turned away and did not submit to it? Rather We send down the Book to you and explain to you everything in it. Then if you believe and are guided, it is to your own benefit, otherwise proof is established against you and you know where you stand.

43:6. How many a Prophet did We send to the earlier nations!

43:7. No Prophet came to them but they ridiculed him.

43:8. So We destroyed them, although they were stronger in power than them [Quraysh]. And the stories of the earlier nations have already been mentioned [in the Qur’an, as a lesson].

Here Allah says: this is Our way with people: We do not leave them neglected. ﴾How many a Prophet did We send to the earlier nations﴿, enjoining them to worship Allah alone, with no partner or associate, but they persisted in their disbelief.

﴾No Prophet came to them but they ridiculed him﴿ rejecting the message he brought and arrogantly turning away from the truth.

﴾So We destroyed them, although they were stronger in power than them [Quraysh]﴿ that is, they were stronger in terms of their deeds and they made a more impressive mark on the land.

﴾j And the stories of the earlier nations have already been mentioned [in the Qur’an, as a lesson]﴿; We have already explained to you lessons that may be taken from that and how that may serve as a deterrent against disbelief and denial.

43:9. If you ask them who created the heavens and the earth, they will surely say: The Almighty, All-Knowing created them.

43:10. It is He Who has spread out the earth for you and has traced out paths for you therein, so that you may find your way.

43:11. And it is He Who sends down water from the sky in due measure, and We give life thereby to a dead land. In like manner you will be brought forth [from your graves],

43:12. And it is He Who created all types of things, and made for you ships and animals on which you ride,

43:13. so that you may settle yourselves on their backs and, when you have settled thereon, you may remember the blessings of your Lord and say: Glory be to Him Who has made this to be of service to us, for we could not have gained control over it by ourselves.

43:14. It is to our Lord that we will surely return.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us about the polytheists and that ﴾If you ask them who created the heavens and the earth, they will surely say﴿ that Allah alone created them, with no partner or associate, the Almighty to Whose might all creatures submit, the All-Knowing Who knows the outward and inward aspects of all things, and knows their beginning and end. If they affirm that, then how can they ascribe to Him a son, spouse or partner? How can they ascribe as partners to Him any that does not create or grant provision, that has no power to cause death or give life?

Then Allah mentions evidence which is indicative of the perfect nature of His blessings and might, by pointing out what He has created for His slaves of this earth which He spread out and made stable for them, so that they can do whatever they want on it.

﴾and has traced out paths for you therein﴿ that is, He has created routes for you through the mountain chains, so that you may reach the regions beyond the mountains ﴾so that you may find your way﴿ by travelling through those routes, and not get lost, and so that you may be guided to the right path when you contemplate that and reflect upon it.

And it is He Who sends down water from the sky in due measure﴿, not too much and not too little. It is sent down as needed, not so little that there will be no benefit in it and not so much that it will cause harm to people and the land; rather He sends people what they need of it and saves the land from hardship thereby. Hence He says: dand We give life thereby to a dead land﴿ that is, We revive it after its death.

﴾In like manner you will be brought forth [from your graves]﴿ that is, just as He gives life to the dead, lifeless land by means of water. He will give you life after you have completed your set time in al-barzakh, so that He may requite you for your deeds.

﴾And it is He Who created all types of things﴿ that is, all types of things that the earth produces, and of themselves (different types), and of (other) things of which they have no knowledge (cf. 36: 36), such as night and day, heat and cold, male and female, and other things, tfand made for you ships﴿ both sailing ships and those that are driven by mechanical means, in which you travel

﴾and animals on which you ride, so that you may settle yourselves on their backs﴿ - thus you settle on board ships and on the backs of riding animals dand, when you have settled thereon, you may remember the blessings of your Lord﴿ by acknowledging the blessings of the One Who hasmade them to be of service to you, and praising Him for that. Hence Allah says: ﴾fand say: Glory be to Him Who has made this to be of service to us, for we could not have gained control over it by ourselves﴿ that is, were it not for His making them to be of service to us, we would not have been able to gain control over it. But by His kindness and generosity. He has made it to be of service and has made its means available.

What is meant here is to highlight the fact that the Lord, Who is as described here as being the Bestower of all these favours, is the only One Who is deserving of worship, prayers and prostration.

43:15. Yet they ascribe to Him from among His slaves offspring! Verily man is indeed clearly ungrateful.

43:16. Has He taken for Himself daughters from what He has created, and favoured you with sons?

43:17. When news is brought to one of them of [the birth of a daughter], such as he ascribes to the Most Gracious, his face darkens and he is filled with inward rage.

43:18. Or [do they ascribe to Allah] those who are brought up to be adorned [and look pretty] and are not able to present a clear [and strong] argument in the event of disputation?^{1The issue here is not only that they attributed offspring to Allah, but they ascribed to Him what they regarded as inferior (daughters) whilst desiring for themselves what they regarded as superior (sons).}

43:19. They regard the angels, who are slaves of the Most Gracious, as female. Did they witness their creation? Their testimony will be recorded and they will be questioned [concerning it].

43:20. They say: If the Most Gracious had so willed, we would not have worshipped them. They have no knowledge [or proof] of that; they do nothing but conjecture.

43:21. Or have We given them a book before this to which they are holding fast?

43:22. In fact they say: We found our forefathers following a certain path, and we are following in their footsteps.

43:23. Likewise, We never sent any warner before you to a city but its affluent ones said: We found our forefathers following a certain path, and we are following in their footsteps.

43:24. [The warner] said: Even if I bring you better guidance than that which you found your forefathers following? They said: Verily we disbelieve in that with which you have been sent.

43:25. So We exacted retribution upon them; so see what was the fate of those who disbelieved.

Here Allah tells us of the abhorrent nature of the view of the polytheists who ascribed offspring to Allah (سبحانه وتعالى), when He is the One,the Unique, the Eternal, Who has not taken any spouse or child, and nothing is like unto Him. Such ideas are false for a number of reasons, including the following:

• All creatures are His slaves, and a slave cannot be an offspring.

• The child is part of his father, but Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) is distinct from His creation; He is distinct from them in His attributes and majesty, whereas the child is a part of the father. Therefore it is impossible for Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) to have offspring.

• They claimed that the angels were the daughters of Allah, but it is well known that daughters are the lesser of the two categories. So how could Allah have daughters and choose for them sons and give them precedence in that regard? In that case they would be better than Allah - exalted be Allah far above such a thing.

• The category that they attributed to Allah, namely daughters, is the lesser of the two categories and the more hateful to them, to the extent that because of their hatred thereof ﴾When news is brought to one of them of [the birth of a daughter], such as he ascribes to the Most Gracious, his face darkens﴿ because of his intense hatred and anger, so how could they ascribe to Allah that which they themselves hate?

• The female is lacking in her attributes and in her speech and eloquence. Hence Allah says: ﴾fOr [do they ascribe to Allah] those who are brought up to be adorned [and look pretty]﴿ that is, to beautify themselves with adornment because their beauty is lacking, so they are beautified with external elements, ﴾and are not able to present a clear [and strong] argument in the event of disputation﴿ in which a person should show his ability to present his case; in such situations the female is unable to express the idea she has in mind, so how can they attribute daughters to Allah (سبحانه وتعالى)?

• They regarded the angels, who are slaves of the Most Gracious, as female, thus showing disrespect to the angels who are close to Allah, and they raised them from the status of humble slaves to the status of partners to Allah in some of His unique attributes, then they brought them down from the status of male to female. Glory be to the One Who highlights the contradictions of those who tell lies against Him and oppose His Messengers.

• Allah refuted their argument by stating that they did not witness His creation of the angels, so how can they speak of a matter of which everyone knows they have no knowledge? But they will inevitably be questioned about what they said and what was recorded against them, and they will be punished for it.

﴾They say: If the Most Gracious had so willed, we would not have worshipped them﴿ they argued for their worship of the angels by saying that it was because of the divine will; this is an argument that the polytheists always come up with, but it is a false argument in and of itself, both on a rational basis and according to the divine texts. No wise man would accept the use of the divine decree as an excuse for his actions. Even if a person uses this argument once, he will not be able to use it every time.

With regard to Islamic teachings, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) has shown that it is invalid to use the divine decree as justification, and He has not mentioned anyone using this argument except the polytheists who disbelieved in His Messengers. For Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) has established proof against people, so there is no argument that anyone can use on the basis of this idea. Hence Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says here: ﴾They have no knowledge [or proof] of that; they do nothing but conjecture﴿ that is, they are basing their argument on speculation for which they have no evidence, and they are confused.

Then He says: ﴾Or have We given them a book before this to which they are holding fast﴿ and that tells them that their deeds and words are valid? That is not the case, for Allah sent Muhammad (ﷺ) tothem as a warner, and no other warner came to them. In other words, there is no rationale and no textual evidence for their argument. If both are ruled out, then it can be nothing but false.

Yes, they have a very flimsy specious argument, which is that they are following their misguided forefathers, on the basis of which the disbelievers always justify their rejection of the call of the Messengers. Hence Allah says here:

﴾in fact they say: We found our forefathers following a certain path﴿ that is, religion

﴾and we are following in their footsteps﴿ that is, therefore we will not follow what Muhammad (ﷺ) brought.

﴾Likewise, We never sent any warner before you to a city but its affluent ones﴿ that is, those who were well off, the elite who were deceived by their worldly status and wealth, and were too arrogant to follow the truth

﴾said: We found our forefathers following a certain path, and we are following in their footsteps﴿ that is, these people are not coming up with anything new or unprecedented, and they are not the first ones to say such things. This argument from these misguided polytheists, that they were following their misguided forefathers, is not aimed at seeking the truth and right guidance; rather it is pure stubbornness, the aim of which is to support what they have of falsehood.

Hence every Messenger said to those who opposed him on the basis of this false specious argument: ﴾Even if I bring you better guidance than that which you found your forefathers following?﴿ That is, will you follow me for the sake of guidance?

CThey said: Verily we disbelieve in that with which you have been sent﴿ thus it is known that they did not want to follow truth and right guidance; rather all they wanted was to follow falsehood and whims and desires.

﴾So We exacted retribution upon them﴿ for their rejection of the truth and their denial thereof on the basis of this false specious argument.

﴾so see what was the fate of those who disbelieved﴿ and let these people beware of persisting in their rejection, lest they meet the same fate.

43:26. And [remember] when Ibraheem said to his father and his people: I disavow all that you worship,

43:27. except Him Who created me; He will surely guide me.

43:28. And he left it as a word to endure among his progeny, so that they might come back [to it].^{1Every time some of his progeny drifted away from it and disbelieved or ascribed partners to Allah, they were to come back to this word.}

43:29. But I allowed these people [Quraysh] and their forefathers to enjoy the good things of life, until there came to them the truth and a Messenger making things clear.

43:30. But when the truth came to them, they said: This is magic, and we definitely reject it.

43:31. And they said: Why was this Qur’an not sent down to some prominent man from [either of] the two cities [Makkah orTaif]?

43:32. Is it they who distribute the blessings of your Lord? It is We Who distribute their livelihood among them in the life of this world, and We raise some of them above others in ranks, so that they may serve one another.^{2People vary with regard to the means that have to do with earning a living: some may be smarter than others, or have different skills and aptitudes. This variation makes it essential for people to serve one another in order to meet the needs of all, thus bringing them together and creating harmony among them. (al-Baydawi)} And the blessings of your Lord are better than what they accumulate [of wealth].^{3They had no say in the allocation of the blessings of prophethood and revelation, just as they have no say in the allocation of provision and means of livelihood.}

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us of the religion of Ibraheem (عليه السلام) His close friend, which the People of the Book and the polytheists all claim to belong to and follow. Allah tells us about his religion, which he left as a legacy among his offspring:

﴾And [remember] when Ibraheem said to his father and his people﴿ who had taken gods besides Allah that they worshipped and sought to draw near to.

﴾I disavow all that you worships that is, I hate it and I avoid and oppose those who do that

﴾except Him Who created mej﴿ for I take Him as my ally and protector, and I hope that He will guide me to knowledge of the truth and enable me to act upon it, for just as He created me and cared for me by making available to me all that is good for my physical and worldly well-being, so too ﴾He will surely guide me! to that which is good for my religious well-being and my well-being in the hereafter.

﴾And he left it﴿ that is, this praiseworthy attitude, which is the most important of all and the basis of all those characteristics, namelysincerity in worship of Allah alone and disavowing the worship of everything besides Him

﴾as a word to endure among his progeny﴿ that is, his offspring ﴾so that they might come back [to it]﴿ because he was well known for it, and he gave instructions to his offspring, Is-haq and Ya‘qoob. And they themselves reminded one another of it.

Because this word remained among his descendants (namely the Arabs) until they began to live a life of affluence and transgression, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says: ﴾But I allowed these people [Quraysh] and their forefathers to enjoy the good things of life﴿ by letting them enjoy all kinds of desires, until that became their ultimate goal and aim, and love thereof kept growing stronger in their hearts, until that became second nature to them and became well-entrenched beliefs of theirs

﴾until there came to them the truth﴿ concerning which there is no doubt or confusion whatsoever

﴾and a Messenger making things clear﴿ that is, with a clear message for which he had clear evidence, by means of his character and miracles, and what he brought, by means of which he confirmed the message of the previous Messengers, and by means of the message itself that he brought.

﴾But when the truth came to them﴿ that would dictate that the one who has the least fear of Allah and the least religion should accept it and follow it,

﴾they said: This is magic, and we definitely reject it﴿. This is because of their great stubbornness and opposition, for they could not stop at merely turning away from it or merely rejecting it. They were not content until they impugned and criticised it in the worst manner, regarding it as equivalent to magic, which no one brings but the most evil of people and the worst liars and fabricators. What made them do that was their transgression, which resulted from what Allah had caused them and their forefathers to enjoy of worldly pleasures.

﴾And they said﴿, making a suggestion to Allah on the basis of their corrupt reasoning:

﴾Why was this Qur’an not sent down to some prominent man from [either of] the two cities [Makkah or Taif]?﴿ That is, someone who was prominent and respected in their view, from among the people of Makkah or of Taif, such as al-Waleed ibn al-Mugheerah and his ilk, who were held in high esteem by them.

Allah said, rejecting their suggestion: ffls it they who distribute the blessings of your Lord?﴿ That is, are they the storekeepers of the mercy of Allah, and do they have control of it, so that they may give prophethood and the message to whomever they wish, and withhold it from whoever they wish?

﴾flt is We Who distribute their livelihood among them in the life of this world, and We raise some of them above others in ranks, so that they may serve one another﴿ that is, in the life of this world ﴾And﴿ in fact ﴾the blessings of your Lord are better than what they accumulate [of wealth]﴿ in this world.

As worldly livelihood and provision are in the Hand of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى), it is He Who distributes it among His slaves, so He gives abundant provision to whomever He will and restricts it for whomever He will, according to His wisdom. Therefore it is more appropriate that His religious blessings, the highest of which is the status of being a Prophet or Messenger, should be in the Hand of Allah, for Allah knows best where to place His message.

Thus it is known that their suggestions were flawed and invalid, and that the control of all things, both religious and worldly, is in the Hand of Allah alone. This proved to them that they were wrong in their suggestion regarding the matter (of the appointment of a Messenger), for they have no control over it at all. Rather their suggestion is wrongdoing on their part and is a rejection of the truth.

With regard to their words d Why was this Qur’an not sent down to some prominent man from [either of] the two cities [Makkah or Taif]?﴿, if they understood the true quality of men and the characteristics by means of which a man may be deemed as being of high quality and having high status before Allah and before people, they would realise that Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abdul-Muttalib (ﷺ) is the greatest of all men in status, the most honourable, the most perfect in reasoning, the most abundant in knowledge, the most perfect in wisdom, aim and resolve, the most perfect in character, the most merciful and compassionate, the most guided and the most righteous.

He is the pinnacle of perfection, for he acquired the best qualities of men. He was the man of the world for all ages. This was acknowledged by his friends and enemies alike, so how could the polytheists give precedence to others over him, who could not acquire even an atom’s weight of his perfection or of his resolve and wisdom? For someone to take as his god, that he worships and calls upon, and seeks to draw close to, an idol or a tree or a rock, that could not cause harm or bring benefit, and could not give or withhold, and is a burden on its worshipper, needing someone to take care of it - can this be anything but the action of fools and crazy people?

How can such a person be regarded as great or prominent? How can he be given precedence over the final Messenger and the leader of the sons of Adam (ﷺ)? But those who disbelieve do not understand.

This verse highlights Allah’s wisdom in giving precedence to some people over others in this world, ﴾and We raise some of them above others in ranks, so that they may serve one another﴿ with different skills and abilities.

If all people were equal in terms of wealth and did not need one another, they would not be able to meet many of their needs.

This indicates that His spiritual blessings are better than worldly blessings, as Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says elsewhere:﴾Say: In the grace of Allah and in His mercy - in that let them rejoice. That is far better than all they could accumulate.﴿ (Yoonus 10: 58)

43:33. Were it not that all humankind would follow one path [namely disbelief). We would have granted to those who disbelieve in the Most Gracious roofs of silver for their houses, and staircases [of silver] on which to climb.

43:34. and doors [of silver] for their houses, and couches [of silver] on which to recline.

43:35. and [all these things made] of gold too. But all of that is but enjoyments of the life of this world, and the hereafter with your Lord is [only] for those who fear Him.

Here Allah tells us that this world is worthless before Him, and that were it not for His kindness and mercy towards His slaves, over which nothing takes precedence. He would have granted a life of ease and luxury in this world to those who disbelieve, and He would have granted them proofs of silver for their houses, and staircases [of silver] on which to climb﴿ up to their roofs, ﴾and doors [of silver] for their houses, and couches [of silver] on which to recline﴿.

And He would have given them ﴾[all these things made] of gold too﴿.

But what prevented Him from doing that was His mercy towards His slaves, lest they hasten to disbelieve and commit many sins because of their love of worldly gain.

This indicates that He may withhold some worldly gains from His slaves, from communities or from individuals, in their best interests. This world is not worth a gnat’s wing before Allah, and all the things mentioned are but enjoyments of the life of this world; they are tainted with stress, grief and sorrow and are transient. The hereafter is better before Allah for those who fear their Lord by obeying His commands and heeding His prohibitions, because its blessings are perfect and complete in all aspects, in paradise there is everything that souls could desire and could delight the eyes, and they will abide therein forever. How great is the difference between the two realms!

43:36. 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.

43:37. Verily they [the devils] bar them from the [right] path, but they think that they are rightly guided.

43:38. Then when [such a one] comes to Us, he will say [to his devil companion]: Would that there was between me and you the distance between east and west. What a wretched companion!

43:39. [It will be said to them:] As you have done wrong, it will not benefit you today that you are to share the punishment.

Here Allah tells us of the severe punishment for those who turn away from His reminder:﴾Whoever turns away from the reminder of the Most Gracious﴿ namely the Holy Qur’an which is the greatest mercy that the Most Gracious has bestowed upon His slaves; whoever accepts it has accepted the best of gifts and has attained the most sublime aims and goals, but whoever turns away from it and rejects it has failed and is exposed to loss in such a way that he will never be blessed after that, and the Most Gracious will assign to him a rebellious devil to accompany him, make false promises to him, raise his hopes and incite him to commit sins.

﴾Verily they [the devils] bar them from the [right] path﴿ that is, the straight path and the true religion

﴾but they think that they are rightly guided﴿ because the devil makes falsehood fair-seeming to them and makes them turn away from the truth, thus combining the two matters.

If it is asked: does this person have any excuse because he thinks that he is rightly guided, although he is not? The response is: no, he and his ilk have no excuse, because the cause of their ignorance is turning away from the reminder of Allah, even though they are able to choose guidance. They showed no interest in guidance, even though they were able to do so, and they chose falsehood. So the fault is theirs and the error is theirs.

This is the condition of the one who turns away from the reminder of Allah in this world, with his devil companion; he is in a state of misguidance and error, as for him. the facts are turned upside down.

As for his situation when he comes to his Lord in the hereafter, it will be the worst of situations, and he will express regret, sorrow and grief that will not help him at all, and he will disavow his devil companion. Hence Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says: ﴾Then when [such a one] comes to Us, he will say [to his devil companion]: Would that there was between me and you the distance between east and west. What a wretched companion!﴿. This is like the passage in which Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says:﴾On that day, the wrongdoer will bite on his hands and say: Would that I had taken a path with the Messenger. Alas for me! Would that I had not taken So-and-so as a friend! He led me astray from the Reminder [the Qur’an] after it had come to me. And Shaytan is ever treacherous to man.p (al-Furqan 25: 27-29)

﴾[It will be said to them:] As you have done wrong, it will not benefit you today that you are to share the punishment﴿ that is, on the Day of Resurrection, it will not benefit you that you are to share the punishment, you and your devil companions and close friends. That is because you shared in wrongdoing, so you will share the consequences and punishment thereof.

But you will not find any consolation in the fact that others are also suffering, for when calamity strikes in this world and many suffer as a result, they find a little consolation in one another, but the calamity of the hereafter consists of all types of punishment, and there will be no relief, not even this kind of relief (namely the consolation of it being shared with others). We ask You, O our Lord, for well-being and relief, by Your mercy.

43:40. Can you [O Muhammad] make the deaf to hear, or guide the blind or those who are clearly misguided?

43:41. If We take you away [in death]. We will surely exact retribution upon them.

43:42. but if We show you that [punishment] of which We warned them, then [you will see a retribution that they could not escape]; verily We have power over them.

43:43. So hold fast to that which has been revealed to you. Verily you are on a straight path.

43:44. Verily it [the Qur’an] is an honour for you and your people, and surely you will all be questioned [concerning it].

43:45. Ask those of Our Messengers whom We sent before you [O Muhammad]: Did We ever appoint any gods to be worshipped besides the Most Gracious?

Here Allah says to His Messenger (ﷺ), consoling him for the refusal of the disbelievers to respond to him, and telling him that there is no goodness or purity in them that would cause them to follow guidance:

﴾Can you [O Muhammad] make the deaf to hear, or guide the blind or those who are clearly misguided?﴿ They are aware of being misguided and are content with it.

Just as the deaf person cannot hear sounds and the blind person cannot see, the one who is clearly misguided cannot be guided. Their natural inclinations and way of thinking became corrupted when they turned away from the reminder and acquired corrupt beliefs and evil characteristics which prevented them from being guided, and dictated that they should go further on the path of doom.

There is nothing left for such people except punishment and chastisement, either in this world or in the hereafter. Hence Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says: ﴾If We take you away [in death]. We will surely exact retribution upon them﴿ that is, if We take you away in death before We show you what We have promised them of punishment, then you may be certain on the basis of Our truthful promise that We will wreak vengeance upon them.

﴾but if We show you that [punishment] of which We warned them, then [you will see a retribution that they could not escape]; verily We have power over them﴿, but that depends on what divine wisdom dictates of hastening or delaying the punishment. This is your situation and the situation of these disbelievers.

﴾So hold fast to that which has been revealed to you﴿ in your deeds and by adopting the attitude that is enjoined upon you, calling others to it and striving to implement it in yourself and in others.

﴾Verily you are on a straight path﴿ that leads to Allah and to His paradise. This is something which dictates that you should adhere strongly to it and be guided by it. If you know that it is true, just and right, then you will be basing your affairs on a strong foundation at a time when others are basing their affairs on doubts, illusions, injustice and wrongdoing.

﴾Verily it [the Qur’an] is an honour for you and your people﴿ that is, it is a source of pride for you, a great virtue and an immense blessing, the value of which no one could estimate or describe. It also points out to you what is good for you in this world and the hereafter, and urges you to adhere to it, and it points out to you what is evil and warns you against it.

﴾and surely you will all be questioned [concerning it]﴿ - did you adhere to it, attain honour thereby and benefit from it, or did you fail to adhere to it, so that it became proof against you as a result of your rejecting this blessing?

t(Ask those of Our Messengers whom We sent before you [O Muhammad]: Did We ever appoint any gods to be worshipped besides the Most Gracious﴿, such that the polytheists have any kind of argument by claiming that they are following one of the Messengers?

If you were to ask them and find out about their lives, you would not find anyone among them who called for taking any other gods besides Allah. Moreover, al 1 of the Messengers, from the first of themto the last, called people to the worship of Allah alone, with no partner or associate. Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says:

﴾Indeed, We sent to every nation a Messenger [saying]: Worship Allah [alone] and shun false gods...﴿ (an-Nahl 16: 36)

Every Messenger whom Allah sent said to his people:

﴾.. .worship Allah; you have no god but He... ﴿ (al-Mu 'minoon 23:23)

This indicates that the polytheists have no foundation for their ascription of partners to Allah, whether on the basis of sound reasoning or any report from the Messengers.

43:46. Indeed We sent Moosa with Our signs to Pharaoh and his chiefs, and he said: Verily I am the Messenger of the Lord of the worlds.

43:47. But when he came to them with Our signs, they ridiculed them.

43:48. Every sign We showed them was greater than the one that came before it, and We afflicted them with punishment^{1Some of the signs came in the form of punishments (floods, locusts, lice, frogs and blood), as mentioned in al-A‘raf (7: 133).} so that they might turn in repentance.

43:49. They said: O magician, call upon your Lord for us, on the strength of the promise He has made to you;^{2The promise was that if they believed in Moosa, Allah would relieve them of the punishment.} we will surely accept guidance.

43:50. But when We removed the punishment from them, they immediately broke their promise.

43:51. Pharaoh proclaimed to his people: O my people, does not the dominion of Egypt belong to me, and these rivers flowing at my feet? Do you not see?

43:52. Am 1 not better than this contemptible wretch who cannot even express himself clearly?^{3Pharaoh referred to Moosa in these terms because he had a speech impediment.}

43:53. Why have no armlets of gold been bestowed upon him, and why have no angels come with him to support him?

43:54. Thus he made fools of his people and they obeyed him. They were indeed a rebellious and wicked people.

43:55. When they provoked Our wrath, We exacted retribution upon them and We drowned them all.

43:56. Thus We made them a precedent and an example for those who would come after them.

Having said ﴾ Ask those of Our Messengers whom We sent before you [O Muhammad]: Did We ever appoint any gods to be worshipped besides the Most Gracious?﴿ (43: 45), Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) then describes the situation of Moosa and his call, which is the most well-known of thecalls of the Messengers, because Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) mentions it a great deal in His Book, and tells us his story with Pharaoh.

﴾Indeed We sent Moosa with Our signs﴿ which definitively confirmed the truth of what he brought, such as the staff, the snake, the locusts, the lice and so on

﴾fto Pharaoh and his chiefs, and he said: Verily I am the Messenger of the Lord of the worlds﴿. Thus he called them to acknowledge their Lord, and told them not to worship anything other than Him.

﴾But when he came to them with Our signs, they ridiculed them﴿ that is, they rejected them, denied them and mocked them, wrongfully and arrogantly. That was not because of any shortcoming in the signs or any lack of clarity in them. Hence Allah says:

﴾Every sign We showed them was greater than the one that came before it﴿ that is, the later sign was greater than the earlier sign ﴾and We afflicted them with punishment﴿ such as the locusts, lice, frogs, and blood, distinct signs,

﴾so that they might turn in repentance﴿, submit to Allah, and give up their polytheism and evil.

﴾They said﴿, when the punishment befell them:

﴾jO magician﴿ meaning Moosa (عليه السلام). This was either by way of ridiculing him, or because for them addressing someone in this manner was a kind of praise, so they beseeched him by addressing him as they addressed their so-called scholars, namely the magicians. Therefore they said: magician, call upon your Lord for us, on the strength of the promise He has made to you﴿ that is, by virtue of what Allah has bestowed specifically upon you and has favoured you with of favours and virtues, asking Him to relieve us of the punishment;

﴾fwe will surely accept guidance﴿ if Allah relieves us of it. ﴾But when We removed the punishment from them, they immediately broke their promise﴿ that is, they did not keep their word; rather they broke their promise and persisted in their disbelief. This is like the verse in which Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says:﴾So We sent against them floods, locusts, lice, frogs and blood, distinct signs, but they showed arrogance and were wicked people. When the punishment befell them, they said: O Moosa, call upon your Lord for us, on the strength of the promise He has made to you; if you remove the punishment from us, we will surely believe in you and we will let the Children of Israel go with you. But when We removed the punishment from them until an appointed term which they were bound to reach, they immediately broke their promise.﴿ (al-A 'raf7: 133-135)

﴾Pharaoh proclaimed to his people﴿, showing arrogant pride in his falsehood, having been deceived by what he had of power and dominion, and behaving in a tyrannical manner because of the wealth and troops that he had:

my people, does not the dominion of Egypt belong to me﴿ that is, am I not the one who owns and controls all of that?

﴾and these rivers flowing at my feet﴿ that is, the streams that were diverted from the Nile to flow among the palaces and gardens ﴾Do you not see﴿ my vast dominion?

This stemmed from his great ignorance, for he took pride in something that was not connected to his attitude and character, and he did not take pride in praiseworthy characteristics or righteous deeds.

﴾Am I not better than this contemptible wretch﴿ the person he referred to - may Allah curse him - as a contemptible wretch was Moosa ibn ‘Imran, the one to whom the Most Gracious spoke directly, who was of high status before Allah. In other words he was saying: I am honourable and mighty, and he is lowly, contemptible and despised, so which of us is better?

﴾who﴿, furthermore, ﴾cannot even express himself clearly﴿ because he is not eloquent in speech. This is not something shameful at all, because he was still able to express what was in his heart, even though speaking was difficult for him.

Then Pharaoh said: ﴾Why have no armlets of gold been bestowed upon him﴿ that is, why can Moosa not be like that, adorned with jewellery and armlets?

﴾and why have no angels come with him to support him﴿ and help him with his call?

﴾Thus he made fools of his people and they obeyed him﴿ that is, he insulted their intelligence by giving them these flimsy arguments that could not prove anything and were not based on facts; they could not prove anything, true or false, and could not be accepted by any except those who were weak-minded.

What proof was there to indicate that Pharaoh was in the right, just because the dominion of Egypt belonged to him and its rivers flowed at his feet? What proof was there to indicate that what Moosa brought was false? Was it the fact that he had few followers, had difficulty in speaking and Allah did not bestow armlets upon him? But Pharaoh was addressing a people who did not think rationally, so whatever he said they would accept, regardless of whether it was true or false, for ﴾They were indeed a rebellious and wicked people﴿. Because of their wickedness, Allah gave Pharaoh control over them and he made polytheism and evil fair-seeming to them.

﴾When they provoked Our wrath﴿ that is, incurred Our anger by their deeds,

﴾We exacted retribution upon them and We drowned them all. Thus We made them a precedent and an example for those who would come after them﴿ so that they might learn lessons from them and pay heed to their story.

^ Jtilc Ullil Juc.

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43:57. When the son of Maryam was mentioned as an example, your people [0 Muhammad] laughed and jeered,

43:58. and said: Are our gods better, or he? They only mentioned him to you for the sake of argument. Indeed they are an argumentative people.

43:59. He was but a slave whom We blessed, and We made him a sign for the Children of Israel.

A polytheist called ‘Abdullah ibn az-Zab‘ari asked the Prophet (ﷺ) about the verse:

﴾Verily, you [O disbelievers] and that which you worship besides Allah are fuel for hell... (al-Anbiya’2l: 98)

- and whether it applied only to Quraysh and their gods, or to other nations too. When the Prophet (ﷺ) replied that it applied to all nations, the polytheist said: Do you not say that ‘Eesa is a Prophet of Allah and you venerate him and his mother, when you know that the Christians worship them both, and the angels are also worshipped? If all of these will be in the fire, we are happy to be with them, along with our gods! The Prophet (ﷺ) remained silent and Quraysh jeered and gloated, as they thought that he had been defeated in argument. Then Allah revealed the words: ﴾But those for whom We have decreed good will surely be kept far away from it [the fire].)* (al-Anbiya'21. 101)

- and these verses (43: 57-58), confirming that those who rejected the worship directed to them would never enter the fire.

43:60. If We so willed, We could [destroy you all] and make angels to replace you on earth.

43:61. Verily he [‘Eesa] will be a sign of the Hour, so have no doubt about it, and follow me; this is a straight path.

43:62. Do not let the Shaytan turn you away [from the straight path]; verily he is to you an avowed enemy.

43:63. When ‘Eesa came with clear signs, he said: I have come to you with wisdom, and to clarify to you some of that concerning which you differ. So fear Allah, and obey me.

43:64. Verily Allah is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. This is a straight path.

43:65. But the sects differed among themselves [concerning ‘Eesa], So woe to the wrongdoers from the punishment of a painful day!

﴾When the son of Maryam was mentioned as an example﴿ that is, when it was said that it is forbidden to worship him, and worship of him was deemed equivalent to worshipping the idols and rivals, ﴾-(your people [O Muhammad]﴿ who disbelieved in you ﴾laughed and jeered﴿ as they persisted in their opposition to you, and they gloated and claimed that they had defeated you in argument.

﴾and said: Are our gods better, or he?﴿ - referring to ‘Eesa, as worship of all of them was forbidden and the worship of all of them was included in the warning. Moreover, the words:

﴾Verily, you [O disbelievers] and that which you worship besides Allah are fuel for hell; to it you will [surely] come.﴿ (al-Anbiya 21:98) - were also revealed.

Their argument was as follows: it is well established and known to us and to you, O Muhammad that ‘Eesa is one of the slaves of Allah who is close to Him and will have a good end, so why did you prohibit equally the worship of all of them (that is, of‘Eesa and of the idols)? Were it not for the fact that your argument is false, youwould not have fallen into this contradiction! So why did you say, ﴾Verily you [O disbelievers] and that which you worship besides Allah are fuel for hell; to it you will [surely] corned? (21: 98) For this wording - according to their claim - included both the idols and ‘Eesa; is this not a contradiction, and is not a contradiction in argument an indication that it is false?

This was the best argument they could come up with, which caused them to gloat and rejoice, so they started jeering and laughing.

But in fact - praise be to Allah - it is one of the weakest and falsest of specious arguments. The fact that Allah forbade equally the worship of the Messiah and the worship of idols is because Fie alone is deserving of worship, and no one else deserves to be worshipped, no created being, no angel who is close to Allah, no Prophet who was sent, or any other created entity. So what is so confusing about forbidding the worship of‘Eesa and anyone else equally? The fact that Jesus (HO is favoured by Allah and is close to his Lord highlights the difference between him and the idols. In fact he is as Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says: f[He was but a slave whom We blessed﴿ with prophethood, wisdom, knowledge and righteous deeds, ﴾fand We made him a sign for the Children of Israel﴿ by which they would know the might of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) Who brought him into being without a father.

As for the verse:

﴾Verily, you [O disbelievers] and that which you worship besides Allah are fuel for hell; to it you will [surely] come.﴿ (al-Anbiya '21: 98)

- the response to it is as follows:

1- In the phrase Verily you [O disbelievers] and that which you worship besides Allah﴿, the word ma (translated here as ﴾that which﴿) refers to that which is inanimate and has no power of rational thinking, which does not include the Messiah and others like him.

2- It is addressed to the polytheists who lived in Makkah and its environs, who only worshipped idols and images; they did not worship the Messiah.

3- After this verse, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says:

But those for whom We have decreed good will surely be kept far away from it.﴿ (al-Anbiya 21: 101)

Undoubtedly ‘Eesa and other Prophets and close friends of Allah are included in this verse.

Then Allah says: ﴾If We so willed. We could [destroy you all] and make angels to replace you on earth﴿ that is, We could cause angels to take your place on earth, and they would remain on earth until We sent to them angels like them. As for you, O humans, you cannot bear it if angels are sent to you, so by His mercy towards you, Allah has sent to you Messengers of your own kind, so that you will be able to learn from them.

﴾Verily he [‘Eesa] will be a sign of the Hour﴿ that is, verily ‘Eesa will be an indication of the approach of the Hour, and that the One Who brought him into being from a mother without a father is able to resurrect the dead from their graves; or ‘Eesa (عليه السلام) will descend at the end of time and will be one of the portents of the Hour.

﴾so have no doubt about it﴿ that is, do not doubt the coming of the Hour, for doubt thereof constitutes disbelief t-[and follow me﴿ by complying with what I enjoin upon you, and avoiding what I forbid to you ﴾this is a straight path﴿ that leads to Allah (سبحانه وتعالى).

﴾Do not let the Shaytan turn you away [from the straight path]﴿ and from what Allah enjoins upon you, for verily the Shaytan ﴾is to you an avowed enemy﴿ who is keen to mislead you and is doing his utmost to achieve that.

﴾When ‘Eesa came with clear signs﴿ confirming his prophethood and the soundness of that which he brought to them, such as raising the dead, healing those bom blind and lepers, and other signs,﴾he said﴿ to the Children of Israel:

﴾fl have come to you with wisdom﴿ namely prophethood and knowledge of what to do and how it should be done ﴾and to clarify to you some of that concerning which you differ﴿ that is, to explain to you what is correct and to give you answers, so as to dispel confusion from you.

He came to complete the law of Moosa and the rulings of the Torah, and to give some concessions to make things easier, which dictated that they should follow him and accept what he brought to them.

﴾So fear Allah, and obey me﴿ that is, worship Allah alone, with no partner or associate, obey His commands, heed His prohibitions, and believe in me and what I say, ﴾fand obey me﴿.

﴾Verily Allah is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. This is a straight path﴿ which involves affirmation of the oneness of divine Lordship, for Allah is the Lord Who takes care of His creation by bestowing all kinds of blessings, both visible and hidden. It also affirms that worship should be devoted to Allah alone, as it enjoins worship of Him alone, with no partner or associate. Here ‘Eesa (عليه السلام) stated that he was one of the slaves of Allah, and was not as the Christians describe him, the “son of God” or the “third of three” (trinity), and he stated that the things mentioned comprise the straight path that leads to Allah and to His paradise.

When ‘Eesa (عليه السلام) came to them with this message, ﴾the sects differed among themselves﴿, each saying something false concerning him and rejecting the message he brought, except those of the believers whom Allah guided, who testified that he was a Messenger of Allah and who believed in everything that he brought, and said that he was the slave and Messenger of Allah.

﴾So woe to the wrongdoers from the punishment of a painful day!﴿ that is, how great the sorrow of the wrongdoers will be, and how great their loss, on that day!

43:66. What are they waiting for, but for the Hour to come upon them suddenly when they least expect it?

43:67. Close friends, on that day, will be enemies to one another, except the righteous.

43:68. [It will be said to them:] O My slaves, you will have no fear this day, nor will you grieve,

43:69. [you] who believed in Our revelations and submitted [to Us, in Islam].

43:70. Enter the garden, you and your spouses, rejoicing.

43:71. Platters of gold and cups will be passed around among them; [there will be] therein all that souls may desire and all that eyes may delight in, and you will abide therein forever.

43:72. This is paradise, which you are made to inherit as a reward for your deeds.

43:73. In it there is abundant fruit for you to eat.

Here Allah says: what are the disbelievers waiting for? Are they expecting anything l﴾but for the Hour to come upon them suddenly when they least expect it?]i That is, when it comes, do not ask aboutthe situation of those who disbelieved in it and ridiculed the one who brought the message about it.

﴾Close friends, on that day﴿ that is, the Day of Resurrection, who had bonded on the basis of disbelief and disobedience towards Allah ﴾will be enemies to one another﴿ because their close friendship and love in this world were not for the sake of Allah, therefore on the Day of Resurrection their friendship will turn into enmity ﴾except the righteous﴿ who avoided polytheism and sins; their friendship will persist and continue, as the one for Whose sake they loved one another is eternal.

Then Allah mentions the reward of the righteous; He will call them on the Day of Resurrection with that which will bring joy to their hearts and take away all ills and evils. He will say: ﴾fO My slaves, you will have no fear this day, nor will you grieve﴿ that is, you will have no fear with regard to what you expect to happen in the future, and you will feel no grief for what happened in the past. Once it is established that there is no fear or distress with regard to the future or the past, then what one loves and seeks is confirmed.

﴾[you] who believed in Our revelations and submitted [to Us, in Islam]﴿ that is, they are described as believing in the revelations of Allah, which includes affirming them by means of that without which they cannot be affirmed, namely knowledge of their meanings and acting upon what they say.

﴾and submitted [to Us, in Islam]﴿ that is, they submitted to Allah in all their affairs, thus they combined righteous deeds both outward and inward.

﴾Enter the garden﴿ which is the eternal abode ﴾you and your spouses﴿ who did the same as you. The word translated here as tfspousesi﴿ includes all companions, namely spouses, children, friends and so on.﴾rejoicing﴿ that is, blessed and honoured, for favours will come to you from your Lord, good things, happiness, joy and delights such as cannot be described.

﴾Platters of gold and cups will be passed around among them﴿ that is, immortal youths will go around among them, serving them food and drink in the finest vessels, namely platters of gold and cups of silver, smoother than glass.

﴾[there will be] therein﴿ that is, in paradise ﴾all that souls may desire and all that eyes may delight in﴿. This is a comprehensive phrase which includes all kinds of delights, joys, comfort and happiness; everything that souls may desire of food, drink, clothing and spouses; and all that eyes may delight in of beautiful scenes, abundant trees, a life of ease and luxury, and adorned buildings. All of that is available there, prepared for its people, in the most perfect manner, as Allah (dg) says elsewhere:

﴾There they will have fruit and all that they ask for.﴿ (YdSeen 36: 57)

﴾and you will abide therein forever﴿ this is the perfection of the bliss of the people of paradise, which is eternal life therein, including the continuity and increase of its blessings, which will never cease.

﴾This is paradise﴿ that is described in the most perfect terms; ﴾which you are made to inherit as a reward for your deeds﴿ that is, Allah will cause you to inherit it because of your deeds. By His grace, He has made it a recompense for those deeds and has filled it with abundant mercy.

﴾In it there is abundant fruit﴿ - this is like the verse in which Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says:

﴾in them are two kinds of every fruit.﴿ (ar-Rahmdn 55. 52)

for you to eat﴿ that is, you may eat whatever you choose of those delicious fruits.

Having mentioned the delights of paradise, Allah follows that with mention of the punishment of hell, as He says:Uj j^y qt) tjijc- 4 ou/kJ' ojt*

43:74. Verily the evildoers will abide forever in the torment of hell.

43:75. It will not be lightened for them, and they will be plunged into utter despair therein.

43:76. We will not have wronged them; rather they will have wronged themselves.

43:77. They will call out [to the keeper of hell]: O Malik, let your Lord put an end to us! He will say: Verily you will remain [in the same plight forever],

43:78. Verily We brought you the truth, but most of you were averse to the truth.

﴾Verily the evildoers﴿ who did evil by disbelieving and rejecting the truth

﴾will abide forever in the torment of hell﴿ that is, they will be immersed in it, encompassed by the torment on all sides, and they will never emerge from it.

﴾flt will not be lightened for them﴿ even for a brief moment, whether by stopping it altogether or alleviating the punishment ﴾and they will be plunged into utter despair therein﴿ that is, they will give up all hope of anything good and will have no hope of relief. They will call out to their Lord, saying:

﴾Our Lord, deliver us from this. Then if we return [to evil], we will indeed be wrongdoers. Allah will say: Away with you! Be humiliated therein and do not speak to Me.﴿ (al-Mu’minoon 23: 107-108)

This severe punishment will be because of what their hands sent forth and because they wronged themselves; Allah will not wrong them and will not punish them for no sin or misdemeanour on their part.

﴾They will call out﴿ when they are in hell, hoping to get some relief: ﴾0 Malik, let your Lord put an end to us!﴿ That is, let Him cause us to die so that we may find some relief, for we are in a state of extreme distress and severe punishment that we have no patience to bear. But Malik, the keeper of hell, will say to them, when they ask him to pray to Allah to put an end to them: ﴾Verily you will remain [in the same plight forever]﴿ that is, you will abide therein forever and never emerge from it. So they will not get what they seek; rather the response will be a denial of their request which will add to their distress. Then Allah will rebuke them for what they did, saying:

﴾Verily We brought you the truth﴿ which required you to follow it, and if you had followed it, you would have triumphed and been blessed, ﴾but most of you were averse to the truth﴿ hence you were doomed in such a way that you will never attain any bliss thereafter.

43:79. Or have they [the disbelievers] devised a plan? Verily We too have devised a plan.

43:80. Or do they think that We do not hear what they conceal [of thoughts] and what they talk about in secret? Indeed [We do], and Our messengers [angels] are with them, recording everything.

Here Allah says: or have the disbelievers who stubbornly reject the truth devised a plan? In other words have they come up with thisscheme and plotted against the truth and the one who brought the truth, so as to refute it on the basis of what they present of false and misleading arguments?

﴾Verily We too have devised a plan﴿ that is, We too are planning something and taking measures that are superior to their plan and will undermine their schemes and render them ineffective. This refers to what Allah has made available of measures and evidence to support the truth and defeat falsehood, as He says elsewhere:

﴾Nay, rather We hurl the truth against falsehood, and it crushes it... ﴿

﴾Or do they think﴿ in their ignorance and wrongdoing ﴾that We do not hear what they conceal [of thoughts] ﴿ that they do not speak about; rather they conceal them in their hearts ﴾and what they talk about in secret﴿ that is, their private discussions when they talk to one another in low voices, and that is why they dare to commit sins, thinking that there will be no consequences and no requital for what they concealed of it?

But Allah responded to them by saying: ﴾f Indeed [We do]﴿ that is. We know their concealed thoughts and what they talk about in secret ﴾and Our messengers﴿ namely the noble angels ﴾are with them, recording everything﴿ that they do, and the record is kept to be used against them when they come on the Day of Resurrection; they will find the record of what they did present, and your Lord will not wrong anyone.

43:81. Say: If the Most Gracious had a son, I would have been the first one to worship [him],

43:82. Glory be to the Lord of the heavens and the earth, Lord of the Throne, [and exalted be He] far above what they ascribe [to Him],

43:83. So leave them to indulge in their falsehood and idle worldly pursuits until they encounter that day of theirs which they are promised.

That is, say, O noble Messenger, to those who ascribe a son to Allah, when He is the One, the Unique, the Eternal, Who has not taken a spouse or a son, and there is none like unto Him:

﴾Say: If the Most Gracious had a son, I would have been the first one to worship [him]﴿ namely that son, because he would be a part of his father, and I am the first of humankind to submit to that which is beloved to Allah. But I am the first to reject this notion and the most emphatic in denying it. Thus it is known that it is false.

This is a strong argument, for those who know how the Messengers really are. When it is known that they are the most perfect of humankind, and that they are the first to accept and adhere to and perfect everything that is good, and they are the first to reject, denounce and keep away from everything that is evil, therefore if the Most Gracious had a son, and it was true, then Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah (ﷺ), the best of the Messengers, would have been the first one to worship him and the polytheists would not have done that before him.

It may be that what the verse means is: if the Most Gracious had a son, I would be the first to worship Allah, and part of worshipping Allah is to affirm that which He affirmed, and to deny that which He denied. This is a verbal act of worship in terms of beliefs, that would mean, if it were really true, that I would be the first one to confirm it.Thus it is known that the claim of the polytheists is false and corrupt, both in terms of rational thinking and in terms of religious texts.

﴾Glory be to the Lord of the heavens and the earth, Lord of the Throne, [and exalted be He] far above what they ascribe [to Him]﴿ of having a partner, supporter, helper, child or other things that the polytheists ascribe to Him.

﴾So leave them to indulge in their falsehood and idle worldly pursuits﴿ that is, let them indulge in falsehood and play with that which leads to no results, for the knowledge they acquire is harmful and not beneficial, for they are seeking kinds of knowledge that would help them to refute the truth and that which was brought by the Messengers, and their deeds are foolish play that do not lead to purification of souls or yield knowledge. Hence He warned them of some of what lies ahead of them on the Day of Resurrection, as He says: ﴾until they encounter that day of theirs which they are promised﴿, for they will come to know what they have gained from their efforts of eternal doom and everlasting punishment.

43:84. It is He [Allah] Who is God in heaven and God on earth, and He is the Most Wise, All-Knowing.

43:85. Blessed be He to Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them. He alone has knowledge of the Hour, and to Him you will be brought back.

43:86. Those on whom they call besides Allah have no power of intercession, except those who bear witness to the truth on the basis of knowledge.

43:87. If you ask them who created them, they will surely say: Allah. Then how could they have gone so far astray?

43:88. [The Prophet] said: O my Lord, verily these are people who do not believe.

43:89. But bear with them and say: Peace. They will come to know [the consequences of their actions].

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us that He alone is deserving of worship in the heavens and on earth. Therefore all the inhabitants of the heavens, and the believers among the inhabitants of the earth, worship Him, venerate Him, submit to His majesty and are in need of Him, because of His perfect attributes.

﴾The seven heavens and the earth, and all those who are therein, glorify Him. There is not a thing that does not glorify Him with

﴾To Allah prostrate all those who are in the heavens and on earth, willingly or unwillingly...﴿ (ar-Ra'd 13: 15)

Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) is the only One Who is deserving of devotion and worship, to Whom all creatures turn, willingly or unwillingly. This is like what Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says here:

﴾jlt is He [Allah] Who is God in heaven and God on earthy that is, He is worshipped and loved in both realms; but His essence is above His Throne, distinct from His creation. He is One in His majesty, glorious in His perfection.

fjand He is the Most Wise﴿ Who created everything on the basis of wisdom, and based His laws on wisdom. He has not created anything but for a wise reason, and He has not prescribed any law but for a wise reason. His divine will and shar‘i rulings are all based on wisdom

All-Knowing﴿ - He knows all things; He knows what is said privately and that which is yet more hidden (of unspoken thoughts) (20: 7)\ not an atom’s weight escapes Him in either the upper or lower realm, and nothing smaller or greater than that.

﴾Blessed be He to Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them﴿ that is, exalted and glorified be He, for His blessings are abundant, His attributes are sublime, and His dominion is great. His dominion is so great that it encompasses the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them; and His knowledge is so vast that He knows all things; He even knows many unseen matters of which no one in creation is aware, no Prophet who was sent and no angel who is close to Him. Hence He says:

﴾fHe alone has knowledge of the Hour﴿ - no one knows when the Hour will come except He.

Part of His perfect and all-inclusive dominion is that He is in control of the affairs of this world and the hereafter, hence He says: ﴾and to Him you will be brought back﴿ that is, in the hereafter, then He will judge between you according to His just rulings.

Another aspect of His perfect dominion is that no one of His creation has any control over anything at all, and no one will come forth to intercede with Him except by His leave.

﴾Those on whom they call besides Allah have no power of intercession﴿ that is, everyone who is called upon besides Allah, whether they are Prophets or angels or anyone else, has no power to intercede, and they will not intercede except by Allah’s leave, and they will not intercede except for those with whom He is pleased. Hence He says:

﴾except those who bear witness to the truth on the basis of knowledge)) that is, they bear witness verbally and in their hearts, knowingly. It is stipulated that the testimony should be in favour of the truth, which is testifying to the oneness of Allah and to the prophethoodand message of His Messengers, and the truth of what they brought of major and minor matters of religion, basic beliefs, and laws and regulations. These are the ones who will benefit from the intercession of the intercessors, and these are the ones who will be saved from the punishment of Allah and will attain His reward.

Then Allah says: ﴾If you ask them who created them, they will surely say: Allah﴿ that is, if you ask the polytheists about the oneness of divine Lordship, and who is the Creator, they will affirm that it is Allah alone, with no partner or associate.

﴾Then how could they have gone so far astray?﴿ That is, how could they have been diverted from worship of Allah alone and focusing their devotion on Him alone? Their affirmation of the oneness of divine Lordship requires them to affirm the oneness of divinity. This is one of the greatest indications of the falseness of polytheism.

﴾[The Prophet] said: O my Lord, verily these are people who do not believe﴿ that is, the Messenger (ﷺ) said this, complaining to his Lord about the rejection of his people, expressing his sorrow thereat, and feeling sad because of their lack of faith. But Allah Be) is well aware of this situation and will deal with them by sending the punishment upon them.

But Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) is forbearing and gives respite to people, delaying the punishment so that they may repent and turn back to Him. Hence He says: ﴾)But bear with them and say: Peace﴿ that is, put up with their offence in word and deed, and forgive them; you should not show them anything but the attitude of peace, which is the attitude of people of intelligence and understanding towards the ignorant, as Allah Be) says of His righteous slaves: f﴾...when the ignorant address them...﴿ (al-Furqan 25: 63) in accordance with their ignorance:

﴾].. .they say words of peace.﴿ (al-Furqan 25: 63)

The Prophet obeyed the command of his Lord and reacted with forgiveness and patience to what his people said and did to offend him; he did not respond to it except by showing them kindness and speaking nicely to them. Blessings and peace of Allah be upon the one upon whom Allah bestowed this noble attitude, made him superior to the inhabitants of earth and heaven, and raised him to a status higher than that of the stars.

tfThey will come to know [the consequences of their actions]﴿ that is, the consequences of their sins and evil deeds.

This is the end of the commentary on Soorat az-Zukhruf.

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