45:1. Ha’. Meem.

45:2. The revelation of the Book is from Allah, the Almighty, the Most Wise.

45:3. Verily in the heavens and the earth there are indeed signs for the believers;

45:4. and in your own creation, and [in that of) the creatures He scatters [throughout the earth], there are signs for people who are certain in faith.

45:5. And the alternation of night and day, the provision [rain] which Allah sends down from the skies and gives life thereby to the earth after its death, and the changing of the winds, are signs for people of understanding.

45:6. These are the signs of Allah, which We recount to you in truth. Then in what message, after Allah’s signs, will they believe?

45:7. Woe to every evil liar,

45:8. who hears the signs [and revelations] of Allah being recounted to him, yet he persists in his arrogance, as if he did not hear them. So give him the tidings of a painful punishment.

45:9. When he comes to know anything of Our signs [and revelations], he makes a mockery of them. For such there will be a humiliating punishment.

45:10. Ahead of them is hell; neither their gains nor those whom they take as protectors other than Allah will avail them anything, and theirs will be a grievous punishment.

45:11. This [Qur’an] is true guidance, and for those who deny the signs of their Lord, there will be a punishment of painful suffering.

Here Allah issues an implicit command to venerate the Qur’an and pay attention to it, for it is revelation from Allah, Who is the only One Who is deserving of devotion and worship, because of what He possesses of perfect attributes, for He is the only Bestower of blessings, the only One Who possesses perfect power and wisdom. Then He supports that by mention of signs in the universe and in their own selves, such as the creation of the heavens and the earth, what He has scattered in them of creatures, what He has placed in them of benefits, and what Allah sends down of water by means of which He gives life to the land and the people.

All of these are clear signs and proofs of the truthfulness of this mighty Qur'an and the soundness of what it contains of wisdom and rulings. They are also indicative of what Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) possesses of perfection, and of the resurrection. Then Allah divides people into two categories, according to whether or not they benefit from His signs:

The first category leams from them, reflects upon them and benefits from them, thus rising in status. They are the ones who believe in Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers and the Last Day, with perfect faith that reaches the level of certainty. Thus they increase in mature thinking and knowledge.

The other category hears the signs and revelations of Allah being recounted in such a way that proof is established against them, but then they turn away from them in arrogance, as if they did not hear them, because they did not cleanse and purify their hearts; moreover, because of their arrogance towards them, they increased in transgression.

Such people, if they do come to know anything of the signs and revelations of Allah, make a mockery of them. Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) warns such people of doom and says: ﴾Woe to every evil liar﴿ that is, everyone who is untruthful in his speech and sinful in his deeds.

Allah tells us that such people will have a painful punishment, and that ﴾Ahead of them is hell)﴿, which is sufficient as a severe punishment, and that ﴾neither their gains﴿ in terms of wealth ﴾nor those whom they take as protectors other than Allah)﴿, seeking their help, ﴾will avail them anything﴿, for they will abandon them at the time when they will need them most.

Having highlighted His Qur’amc revelations and visible signs, and stated that people fall into two categories in terms of their response to them, Allah now tells us that the Qur’an, which invites people to these sublime aims and goals, is guidance, as He says: ﴾This [Qur’an] is true guidance﴿. This is a general description of the entire Qur’an,for it guides people to knowledge of Allah by describing His sacred attributes and praiseworthy deeds; it guides them to knowledge of His Messengers, close friends and enemies, by describing their characteristics; it guides people to righteous deeds and promotes them; it describes evil deeds and forbids them; it explains the requital for deeds, describing requital both in this world and the hereafter. Those who are guided follow its guidance, and thus they will triumph and attain bliss.

﴾and for those who deny the signs of their Lord﴿, which are definitive and clear, and no one rejects them except one who has gone too far in wrongdoing and transgressed far beyond all bounds ﴾there will be a punishment of painful suffering﴿.

45:12. It is Allah Who has made the sea to be of service to you, so that the ships may sail on it by His command, and so that you may seek His bounty and so that you may give thanks.

45:13. He has made to be of service to you all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth; all is from Him. Verily in that there are signs for people who reflect.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us of His favours and kindness towards His slaves, by making the sea to be of service to them so that ships and boats may sail on it by His command

﴾and so that you may seek His bounty﴿ by pursuing all kinds of trade and livelihood﴾fand so that you may give thanks﴿ to Allah (سبحانه وتعالى), for if you give thanks to Him, He will increase His blessings and will reward you immensely for your gratitude.

﴾He has made to be of service to you all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth; all is from Him﴿ that is, by His grace and kindness. This includes the heavenly bodies and the earth, and all that Allah has placed in them, such as the sun, moon, stars and other heavenly bodies; all kinds of animals, trees and fruits; all types of metals and minerals; and other things that are prepared to serve the interests of the sons of Adam and meet their needs.

This requires them to do their utmost to give thanks for His blessings, and to think deeply and reflect upon His signs and wisdom. Hence Allah says: f﴾Verily in that there are signs for people who

To sum up: the creation and control of these things, and the fact that they are made to be of service to humanity, demonstrate that Allah’s will is always done and are indicative of His perfect might.

What is seen in them of the precision and beauty with which they are created and the amazing way in which they are crafted is indicative of the perfect wisdom and knowledge of Allah.

What is seen in them of their vast size and great numbers is indicative of the vastness of Allah’s dominion and authority.

What is seen in them of specific functions and opposites indicates that Allah does whatever He wills.

What is seen in them of benefits that serve human interests in both spiritual and worldly terms is indicative of the vastness of Allah’s mercy, and demonstrates that His grace, kindness and care are all-encompassing.

All of that points to the fact that He alone is deserving of devotion and worship, and it is not appropriate to worship, show humilitytowards or love anyone but Him; and that His Messengers spoke the truth in the message that they brought. This is clear rational evidence that cannot be subject to doubt.

45:14. Tell those who believe to forgive [for their offences] those who do not fear the vengeance of Allah, for He will requite such people [in the hereafter] for their deeds.

45:15. Whoever does righteous deeds, it is to his own benefit and whoever does evil deeds, it is to his own detriment. Then to your Lord you will be brought back.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) instructs His believing slaves to adopt a good attitude and bear with patience the offence caused by the polytheists who do not fear the vengeance of Allah and do not hope for His reward. For He will requite every people for what they have earned, but He will reward you, O believers, abundantly for your faith, tolerance and patience.

But if they persist in their disbelief, you will not suffer what they will suffer of severe punishment and disgrace. Hence Allah says: ﴾Whoever does righteous deeds, it is to his own benefit and whoever does evil deeds, it is to his own detriment. Then to your Lord you will be brought back﴿. Then He says:

45:16. We gave the Children of Israel the scripture, wisdom and prophethood; provided them with good things; and favoured them above all other nations [of that time].

45:17. We gave them clear directions in matters pertaining to religion, and they did not differ except after knowledge had come to them, out of mutual envy and rivalry. Verily your Lord will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection concerning that wherein they differ.

That is. We bestowed upon the Children of Israel blessings that were not granted to any other people. We gave them ?fthe scripture﴿, namely the Torah and Gospel,

﴾wisdom﴿ to judge between people

﴾and prophethood﴿ by which they were distinguished, for prophethood was bestowed upon the descendants of Ibraheem, and most of them (the Prophets) were from among the Children of Israel.

﴾provided them with good things﴿ of food, drink and clothing, and sending down to them the manna and quails.

﴾and favoured them above all other nations [of that time]﴿ that is. We favoured them over all other nations with these blessings. Our (Muslim) Ummah may be excluded from this general meaning, because they are the best community ever brought forth for (the benefit of) humankind (3: 110).

From the context we may understand that they are favoured over all other nations apart from the (Muslim) Ummah, because Allah tells usabout the blessings that He bestowed upon the Children of Israel, by means of which He made them distinct from others. But all the virtues and blessings by means of which the Children of Israel surpassed other nations - namely the scripture, wisdom, prophethood and other qualities - were bestowed upon this Ummah, and many more virtues were granted to them. This law, the law of the Children of Israel, is part of these virtues, but this Book (the Qur’an) confirms the scripture that came before it and supersedes it (cf. 5:48)', and Muhammad (ﷺ) confirms all the Messengers.

﴾We gave them﴿ that is, but we gave to the Children of Israel ﴾clear directions﴿ that is, signs to distinguish truth from falsehood ﴾in matters pertaining to religion﴿.

These blessings that Allah bestowed upon the Children of Israel required them to fulfil their religious duties in the most perfect manner and to unite upon the truth that Allah had made manifest to them. But they did the opposite of that; they did the opposite of what was required and became divided at the time when they were enjoined to unite. Hence Allah says:

﴾fand they did not differ except after knowledge had come to them﴿ that required them not to differ. What made them differ was resentment and wrongdoing towards one another.

﴾Verily your Lord will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection concerning that wherein they differ﴿. So He will distinguish between the follower of truth and the follower of falsehood. What made them differ was whims and desires, and the like.

45:18. Now We have set you [O Muhammad] on a clear path of religion; so follow it and do not follow the desires of those who have no knowledge.

45:19. They cannot avail you at all against Allah. Verily the wrongdoers are allies and protectors of one another, but Allah is the Protector of the righteous.

That is, We have set out for you a clear path and sent down perfect teachings that call to all that is good and forbid all that is evil

﴾so follow it﴿, for following it leads to eternal happiness, wellbeing and prosperity

﴾and do not follow the desires of those who have no knowledge﴿ that is, those whose desires differ from what is dictated by knowledge and are not in accordance with it. Everyone who wants and desires something that is contrary to the teachings of the Messenger comes under the heading of those who have no knowledge.

﴾They cannot avail you at all against Allah﴿ that is, they cannot benefit you at all before Allah, so they cannot bring you anything good or ward off any harm from you, if you follow their desires. It is not right to go along with them and take them as allies, for you and they are not the same; rather they are allies of one another.

﴾but Allah is the Protector of the righteous﴿ - He brings them forth from the depths of darkness to the light because of their piety and acts of obedience.

45:20. This [Qur’an] contains clear proofs, and is a guidance and a mercy for people who are certain in faith.

CHiis [Qur’an]﴿, the wise reminder, ﴾contains clear proofs﴿ that is, by means of it matters will become clear to people, so the believers will benefit from it, be guided and attain mercy ﴾for people who are certain in faith﴿, so they are guided by it to the straight path with regard to fundamental and minor issues of religion, and by means of it they attain goodness, happiness and bliss in this world and the hereafter, which is mercy. Thus their souls are purified, they increase in wisdom, faith and certainty thereby, and proof is established thereby against those who persist in stubbornness.

45:21. Do those who commit evil deeds think that We will deal with them as We deal with those who believe and do righteous deeds, and that they will be alike in their living and their dying?^{1Believers and disbelievers are not alike during life, when dying or after death. As Allah has made them different in this life. He will treat them differently after they die. The disbeliever dies despairing of divine mercy and not believing in the resurrection, and he will be punished as Allah promised. In contrast, the believer dies hoping for divine mercy and believing in the resurrection, and he will be rewarded as Allah promised. (Ibn 'Ashoor)} How ill they judge.

That is, do the evildoers, who commit many sins and fall short in their duties towards their Lord, think

﴾that We will deal with them as We deal with those who believe and do righteous deeds﴿ by keeping their duty towards their Lord and avoiding that which incurs His wrath, so they constantly give precedence to pleasing Him over their own whims and desires. Inother words, do they think that they will be ﴾alike﴿ in this world and the hereafter? How wrong is their way of thinking and how ill they judge, for their view is contrary to the ruling of the wise judgement of the Most Wise, the Most Just, and it is contrary to sound reasoning and sound human nature; it is the opposite of what was sent down in the Books and what the Messengers taught. Rather the definite ruling is that the believers who do righteous deeds will attain victory, prosperity, happiness and reward, in this world and the hereafter, each commensurate with his good deeds, but for the evildoers there will be wrath, humiliation, punishment and wretchedness, in this world and in the hereafter.

45:22. Allah created the heavens and the earth for a true purpose, and so that every soul may be requited according to what it earned, and they will not be wronged.

That is, Allah created the heavens and the earth on the basis of wisdom, so that He alone may be worshipped, with no partner or associate. Then after that He will requite those whom He commanded to worship Him and upon whom He bestowed blessings both visible and hidden: did they give thanks to Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) and do what they were enjoined to do? Or were they ungrateful and thus deserve the requital of ingratitude?

45:23. Have you seen the one who takes his own whims and desires as his god, whom Allah allows to go astray knowingly, and has sealed up his hearing and his heart, and put a cover on his sight? Who can guide him after Allah [has abandoned him]? Will you not then pay heed?

45:24. And they say: There is nothing beyond our life in this world; we die and we live, and nothing but the passage of time causes us to die. They have no knowledge of that; they are merely speculating.

45:25. When Our clear revelations are recited to them, their only argument is to say: Then bring back our forefathers, if you are telling the truth!

45:26. Say: It is Allah Who gives you life, then causes you to die; then He will gather you together on the Day of Resurrection, concerning which there is no doubt. But most people do not realise.

﴾Have you seen﴿ the misguided man ﴾who takes his own whims and desires as his god﴿, so whatever he desires he pursues it, whether it is pleasing to Allah or incurs His anger

﴾whom Allah allows to go astray knowingly﴿ for Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) knows that guidance is not appropriate for him and will not benefit him. ﴾and has sealed up his hearing﴿ so that he cannot hear that which would benefit him

﴾and his heart﴿ so that he does not understand what is good That is, one generation dies and is succeeded by another. (al-Kash-shaj)﴾and put a cover on his sight﴿ that prevents him from seeing the truth. ﴾Who can guide him after Allah [has abandoned him]?﴿ In other words, no one can guide him, for Allah has closed the gates of guidance for him and has opened the gates of misguidance for him. And Allah has not wronged him; rather it is he who has wronged himself and is the cause of divine mercy being withheld from him ﴾Will you not then pay heed﴿ to what will benefit you, so that you can seek it, and what will harm you, so that you can avoid it?

﴾And they﴿ namely those who deny the resurrection ﴾say: There is nothing beyond our life in this world; we die and we live, and nothing but the passage of time causes us to die﴿ this is nothing but the routine passage of night and day, some people die and some people live, and those who die do not return to Allah and will not be requited for their deeds.

These words of theirs stem from lack of knowledge; ﴾they are merely speculating﴿ when they deny the resurrection and reject the Messengers who speak the truth, without any evidence or proof to support them in that. Rather it is mere speculation and unlikely ideas, devoid of any reality. Hence Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says: c-fWhen Our clear revelations are recited to them, their only argument is to say: Then bring back our forefathers, if you are telling the truth! )j This is audacity towards Allah on their part, as they made this demand and claimed that the truthfulness of the Messengers of Allah depended on them bringing back their forefathers. But even if they brought them every sign, they would not believe, unless the Messengers complied with what they said. But they were lying in what they said; their only aim was to justify their rejection of the Messengers’ call, not to seek evidence for the truth. Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says: ﴾Say: It is Allah Who gives you life, then causes you to die; then He will gather you together on the Day of Resurrection, concerning which there is no doubt. But most people do not realise﴿ otherwise, if knowledge of the LastDay had really reached their hearts, they would strive hard for it and prepare for it.

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45:27. To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. On the day when the Hour begins, on that day the followers of falsehood will be the losers.

45:28. You will see every community on its knees. Every community will be called to its Book, [and it will be said:] Today you will be requited for what you used to do.

45:29. This Book of Ours will testify against you truthfully, for We used to put on record all that you did.

45:30. As for those who believed and did righteous deeds, their Lord will admit them to His mercy. That is the clearest triumph.

45:31. And as for those who disbelieved, [it will be said to them:] Were not My revelations recited to you? But you showed arrogance and were wicked people.

45:32. When it was said [to you]: Verily the promise of Allah is true and there is no doubt about the Hour, you said: We do not know what the Hour is; we think it is just a matter of conjecture, but we are not entirely certain.

45:33. The evil consequences of what they have done will become apparent to them, and the very thing [punishment] they used to ridicule will overwhelm them.

45:34. It will be said to them: Today We will forget you as you forgot that you would ever meet this day of yours. Your abode will be the fire, and you will have no helpers.

45:35. That is because you made a mockery of Allah’s revelations, and you were deceived by the life of this world. So on that day they will not be brought forth from it [the fire], nor will they be allowed to make amends.

45:36. So praise be to Allah, Lord of the heavens and Lord of the earth, Lord of the worlds.

45:37. To Him belongs all supremacy in the heavens and on earth, and He is the Almighty, Most Wise.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us of the vastness of His dominion, and that He alone controls it at all times, and that ﴾On the day when the Hour begins﴿ and all creatures are gathered on the Day of Resurrection, the followers of falsehood will be the losers - those who came up with false arguments in an attempt to refute the truth thereby. Their deeds are invalid, because they are based on falsehood; thus they will become invalid on the Day of Resurrection, the day on which all facts will become clear and all false arguments will avail them nothing, and they will miss out on the reward and will receive a painful punishment.

Then Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) describes the intensity of the Day of Resurrection, and how terrifying it will be, so as to warn people of it and so that they may prepare for it:

﴾You will see﴿ on that day f﴾every community on its knees﴿ in fear and panic, awaiting the judgement of the Most Gracious Sovereign.

﴾Every community will be called to its Book﴿ that is, to the law of its Prophet who came to them from Allah: did they comply with it and thus attain reward and salvation? Or did they neglect it, and thus incur loss?

The nation of Moosa will be called to the law of Moosa, the nation of‘Eesa will be called likewise, and the Ummah of Muhammad (ﷺ) will be called likewise; each nation will be called to the law that it was enjoined to follow.

This is one of the possible meanings of this verse, and it is undoubtedly sound and valid in and of itself. Or it may be that what is meant by the words Every community will be called to its Book﴿ is that every community will be called to the record of its deeds and what was written down of its actions, both good and evil, and each person will be requited for what he himself has done, as Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says: ﴾Whoever does righteous deeds, it is to his own benefit and whoever does evil deeds, it is to his own detriment﴿ (45:15).

Or it may be that both meanings are intended. This is indicated by the words ﴾This Book of Ours will testify against you truthfully﴿ that is, this Book of Ours that We sent down to you will judge between you on the basis of truth, which is justice

﴾for We used to put on record all that you did﴿ - this refers to the book of deeds.

Hence Allah explains how He will deal with the two parties, as He says:

﴾As for those who believed and did righteous deeds﴿ that is, they held sound beliefs and confirmed their faith with righteous deeds, both obligatory and recommended﴾their Lord will admit them to His mercy﴿ the location of which is paradise, with all that it contains of eternal delights and a life of ease. ﴾That is the clearest triumph﴿ that is, clear triumph, salvation, gain and success which, if a person attains it, he has attained all that is good and warded off all that is bad.

﴾And as for those who disbelieved﴿ in Allah, it will be said to them, by way of rebuke and chastisement:

﴾Were not My revelations recited to you﴿ which showed you that which was in your best interests, and forbade to you that which was harmful to you? This was a great blessing that reached you, if you had wanted to attain it, but you were too arrogant to accept it and you turned away from it and disbelieved in it. Thus you committed the greatest offence and worst crime, so today you will be requited for what you used to do.

They will also be rebuked by the words: ﴾When it was said [to you]: Verily the promise of Allah is true and there is no doubt about the Hour, you said﴿ denying it: ﴾We do not know what the Hour is; we think it is just a matter of conjecture, but we are not entirely certain﴿. This is how they were in this world and will be at the time of the resurrection: they will continue to deny it and reject the words of those who told them about it.

﴾The evil consequences of what they have done will become apparent to them﴿ that is, on the Day of Resurrection, the punishments for their deeds will become clear to them

﴾and the very thing [punishment] they used to ridicule will overwhelm them﴿ that is, befall them. In other words, the punishment that they used to ridicule and mock in this world will befall them.

﴾It will be said to them: Today We will forget you﴿ that is, We will leave you in the punishment

﴾as you forgot that you would ever meet this day of yours﴿, for the requital fits the nature of the deeds.4Your abode will be the fire﴿ that is, it is your destination and your fate

﴾and you will have no helpers﴿ to protect you from the punishment of Allah and ward off His wrath from you.

﴾That﴿ which will befall you of punishment is because ﴾you made a mockery of Allah’s revelations﴿ even though they should have motivated you to strive hard and try your best, and you should have received them with joy.

﴾and you were deceived by the life of this world﴿ with all its adornments, pleasures and desires. So you were at ease with it and strove for it, and you failed to strive for the eternal realm.

﴾So on that day they will not be brought forth from it [the fire], nor will they be allowed to make amends﴿. They will not be given any respite and they will not be sent back to this world so that they can do righteous deeds.

﴾So praise be to Allah﴿ as befits His majesty and immense power ﴾Lord of the heavens and Lord of the earth, Lord of the worlds﴿ that is, to Him be praise for His Lordship and care for all creatures, as He created them and cares for them, and bestows blessings upon them, both visible and hidden.

﴾To Him belongs all supremacy in the heavens and on earth﴿ that is, to Him belong majesty, greatness and glory.

This is praising Allah for His perfect attributes, His love and honour, and supremacy that reflects greatness and majesty. Worship is based on two foundations: love of Allah and humility towards Him, both of which stem from knowledge of the praiseworthy attributes, majesty and supremacy of Allah.

﴾and He is the Almighty﴿ Who subdues all things ﴾Most Wise﴿ Who does all that is appropriate, so whatever He prescribes is for a wise reason and in order to achieve beneficial interests, and whatever He creates is for a purpose.

This is the end of the commentary on Soorat al-Jathiyah.

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.