Surah az-Zumar (The Groups) 39 : 16
Translations
Pickthall
Yusuf Ali
Qur'an Dictionary
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| Word | Arabic word | |
| (39:16:1) |
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| (39:16:2) |
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| (39:16:3) fawqihim above them |
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| (39:16:4) ẓulalun coverings |
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| (39:16:5) |
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| (39:16:6) l-nāri the Fire |
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| (39:16:7) |
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| (39:16:8) taḥtihim below them |
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| (39:16:9) ẓulalun coverings |
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| (39:16:10) |
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| (39:16:11) yukhawwifu threatens |
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| (39:16:12) l-lahu Allah |
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| (39:16:13) |
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| (39:16:14) ʿibādahu His slaves |
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| (39:16:15) yāʿibādi O My slaves |
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| (39:16:16) fa-ittaqūni So fear Me |
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Explanatory Note
We then have a picture showing the extent of the loss. In this way God puts fear into His servants’ hearts. It is a scene that strikes real fear in people’s hearts, showing the fire in layers that engulfs people from above and below. They are seen within these layers as they close in on them from all sides. Yet these layers are fire. God shows this picture to His servants while they are on earth and still have the chance to change their ways. He calls on them warning them so that they may choose the way to safety.
3. Surah Overview
In Ayat 10 (…and the earth of God is spacious…) there is abundant evidence that this Surah was sent down before the migration to Abyssinia. Some hadith provide the explanation that this verse was sent down in respect of Ja’far bin Abi Talib and his companions when they made up their mind to emigrate to Abyssinia.
قُلْ يَا عِبَادِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمْ ۚ لِلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا فِي هَـٰذِهِ الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةٌ ۗ وَأَرْضُ اللَّـهِ وَاسِعَةٌ ۗ إِنَّمَا يُوَفَّى الصَّابِرُونَ أَجْرَهُم بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ "Say, "O My servants who have believed, fear your Lord. For those who do good in this world is good, and the earth of Allah is spacious. Indeed, the patient will be given their reward without account." (39:10)
In Surah al-Ankabut (29) - there is a similar Ayat, يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنَّ أَرْضِي وَاسِعَةٌ فَإِيَّايَ فَاعْبُدُونِ "O My servants who have believed, indeed My earth is spacious, so worship only Me." (29:56)
The entire Surah is a most eloquent and effective address which was given some time before the emigration to Abyssinia, in an environment filled with tyranny and persecution, ill-will and antagonism, at Makkah. It is a sermon whose addresses mainly are the unbelieving Quraysh, although here and there the believers also have been addressed. In it the real aim of the invitation of Muhammad is this: Man should adopt God’s servitude sincerely, and should not pollute his worship with the service of any other. Presenting this cardinal principle in different ways over and over again, the truth of Monotheism (Tawhid) and the excellent results of accepting it, and the falsehood of polytheism (shirk) and the evil consequences of following it, have been explained in a most forceful way, and the people exhorted to give up their wrong way of life and return to the mercy of their Lord. In this very connection, the believers have been instructed, as if to say: “If a place has become narrow for the worship and service of God, His earth is vast: you may emigrate to some other place in order to save your faith: God will reward you for your patience.” On the other hand, the Prophet has been encouraged, so as to say: “Tell the disbelievers plainly that they may do whatever they like, but their persecutions and tyrannies will never deter you from the way of Islam; that they may go on doing their utmost to obstruct your way, but you will continue to perform your mission in spite of the adverse conditions and circumstances.”
10. Wiki Forum
11. Tafsir Zone
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Overview (Verses 16 - 20) We then have a picture showing the extent of the loss: “Above them there shall be layers of fire, and layers of fire shall be beneath them. In this way God puts fear into His servants’ hearts: My servants! Fear Me!’“ (Verse 16) It is a scene that strikes real fear in people’s hearts, showing the fire in layers that engulfs people from above and below. They are seen within these layers as they close in on them from all sides. Yet these layers are fire. God shows this picture to His servants while they are on earth and still have the chance to change their ways: “In this way God puts fear into His servants’ hearts.” (Verse 16) He calls on them warning them so that they may choose the way to safety: “My servants! Fear Met” (Verse 16) On the other side stand those who are safe, having feared this fate and done what is necessary to avoid it: There is good news for those who shun the worship of false deities and turn to God, so give good news to My servants, who listen carefully to what is said and follow the best of it. These are the ones whom God has graced with His guidance, and these are the ones endowed with insight. (Verses 17-18) ‘False deities’ are referred to here by the word ţāghut, which implies an exaggerated sense of exceeding the bounds. Those who shun the worship of ţāghut are the ones who reject the worship of anyone other than God in any form whatsoever. They are the ones who turn to God, stand in front of Him and worship Him alone. These have good news issued to them directly from on high. The Prophet is giving them this good news by God’s order: “So give good news to My servants.” The fact that this news comes from on high and is delivered by the noble Messenger is in itself a great blessing. One quality of such people is that they listen to whatever is being said, but their hearts and minds pick up only the best of it and discard the rest. Thus, the only words that they actually receive are the best words that improve and purify people’s hearts and souls. A good soul is always ready to receive good words and respond to them, while the one which is foul receives only what is foul. “These are the ones whom God has graced with His guidance.” (Verse 18) He knows that they are genuinely good in their hearts and souls and He, therefore, guided them to listen and respond to the best of what is said. Guidance comes only from God. “And these are the ones endowed with insight.” (Verse 18) It is a sound mind that leads a person to self-purification and safety. Anyone who does not follow the way that ensures such safety appears to be deprived of a sound mind and insight, which are blessings given by God. Before showing us the blessings these people enjoy in the life to come, the sūrah states that those who worshipped false deities have already reached hell. Who can save them from its fire, then? “How about one on whom God’s sentence of punishment has been passed? Can you rescue those who are already in the fire?” (Verse 19) This address is made to the Prophet (peace be upon him). If he cannot save them from the fire, who else can? They are pictured here as if they are already in the fire, since the sentence of punishment has been passed on them. Juxtaposed with this is the image of those who truly feared God: As against this, those who are God-fearing will have lofty mansions raised upon mansions high, beneath which running waters flow. This is God’s promise. Never does God fail to fulfil His promise. (Verse 20) The scene depicts mansions raised upon high mansions, with streams flowing below. All this contrasts with the image of layers of fire engulfing the other group from above and below. Drawing such contrasts is a characteristic of the Qur’ānic style. Such is God’s promise, which will always come true. Those Muslims who were the first to receive the Qur’ān interacted with these scenes in their practical lives. To them, they were not mere promises or threats issued from afar, speaking about a distant future; they were a reality they saw and felt. Hence, they were truly influenced by them. Their lives on earth reflected the reality of the Hereafter which they felt and almost experienced while still extant in this life. It is in this way that a Muslim should receive God’s promise. |
Ibn Kathir (English)
Sayyid Qutb
Sha'rawi
Al Jalalain
Mawdudi
الطبري - جامع البيان
ابن كثير - تفسير القرآن العظيم
القرطبي - الجامع لأحكام
البغوي - معالم التنزيل
ابن أبي حاتم الرازي - تفسير القرآن
ابن عاشور - التحرير والتنوير
ابن القيم - تفسير ابن قيّم
السيوطي - الدر المنثور
الشنقيطي - أضواء البيان
ابن الجوزي - زاد المسير
الآلوسي - روح المعاني
ابن عطية - المحرر الوجيز
الرازي - مفاتيح الغيب
أبو السعود - إرشاد العقل السليم
الزمخشري - الكشاف
البقاعي - نظم الدرر
الهداية إلى بلوغ النهاية — مكي ابن أبي طالب
القاسمي - محاسن التأويل
الماوردي - النكت والعيون
السعدي - تيسير الكريم الرحمن
عبد الرحمن الثعالبي - الجواهر الحسان
السمرقندي - بحر العلوم
أبو إسحاق الثعلبي - الكشف والبيان
الشوكاني - فتح القدير
النيسابوري - التفسير البسيط
أبو حيان - البحر المحيط
البيضاوي - أنوار التنزيل
النسفي - مدارك التنزيل
ابن جُزَيّ - التسهيل لعلوم التنزيل
علي الواحدي النيسابوري - الوجيز
السيوطي - تفسير الجلالين
المختصر في التفسير — مركز تفسير
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Overview (Verses 16 - 20) We then have a picture showing the extent of the loss: “Above them there shall be layers of fire, and layers of fire shall be beneath them. In this way God puts fear into His servants’ hearts: My servants! Fear Me!’“ (Verse 16) It is a scene that strikes real fear in people’s hearts, showing the fire in layers that engulfs people from above and below. They are seen within these layers as they close in on them from all sides. Yet these layers are fire. God shows this picture to His servants while they are on earth and still have the chance to change their ways: “In this way God puts fear into His servants’ hearts.” (Verse 16) He calls on them warning them so that they may choose the way to safety: “My servants! Fear Met” (Verse 16) On the other side stand those who are safe, having feared this fate and done what is necessary to avoid it: There is good news for those who shun the worship of false deities and turn to God, so give good news to My servants, who listen carefully to what is said and follow the best of it. These are the ones whom God has graced with His guidance, and these are the ones endowed with insight. (Verses 17-18) ‘False deities’ are referred to here by the word ţāghut, which implies an exaggerated sense of exceeding the bounds. Those who shun the worship of ţāghut are the ones who reject the worship of anyone other than God in any form whatsoever. They are the ones who turn to God, stand in front of Him and worship Him alone. These have good news issued to them directly from on high. The Prophet is giving them this good news by God’s order: “So give good news to My servants.” The fact that this news comes from on high and is delivered by the noble Messenger is in itself a great blessing. One quality of such people is that they listen to whatever is being said, but their hearts and minds pick up only the best of it and discard the rest. Thus, the only words that they actually receive are the best words that improve and purify people’s hearts and souls. A good soul is always ready to receive good words and respond to them, while the one which is foul receives only what is foul. “These are the ones whom God has graced with His guidance.” (Verse 18) He knows that they are genuinely good in their hearts and souls and He, therefore, guided them to listen and respond to the best of what is said. Guidance comes only from God. “And these are the ones endowed with insight.” (Verse 18) It is a sound mind that leads a person to self-purification and safety. Anyone who does not follow the way that ensures such safety appears to be deprived of a sound mind and insight, which are blessings given by God. Before showing us the blessings these people enjoy in the life to come, the sūrah states that those who worshipped false deities have already reached hell. Who can save them from its fire, then? “How about one on whom God’s sentence of punishment has been passed? Can you rescue those who are already in the fire?” (Verse 19) This address is made to the Prophet (peace be upon him). If he cannot save them from the fire, who else can? They are pictured here as if they are already in the fire, since the sentence of punishment has been passed on them. Juxtaposed with this is the image of those who truly feared God: As against this, those who are God-fearing will have lofty mansions raised upon mansions high, beneath which running waters flow. This is God’s promise. Never does God fail to fulfil His promise. (Verse 20) The scene depicts mansions raised upon high mansions, with streams flowing below. All this contrasts with the image of layers of fire engulfing the other group from above and below. Drawing such contrasts is a characteristic of the Qur’ānic style. Such is God’s promise, which will always come true. Those Muslims who were the first to receive the Qur’ān interacted with these scenes in their practical lives. To them, they were not mere promises or threats issued from afar, speaking about a distant future; they were a reality they saw and felt. Hence, they were truly influenced by them. Their lives on earth reflected the reality of the Hereafter which they felt and almost experienced while still extant in this life. It is in this way that a Muslim should receive God’s promise. |
