Overview - Surah 40: Ghafir (The Forgiver)
There are seven Surahs (al-Mu'min, HaMim al-Sajdah, al-Shura, al-Zukhruf, al-Dukhan, al-Jathiyah, al-Ahqaf) that begin with the word "HaMim". Thus these seven Surahs are also called "al-Hawamim". These are Surahs of Da'wah, inviting people to believe in Allah, take advantage of the mercy of Allah. There is solace and comfort in these Surahs for the Believers who were persecuted because of their faith and they are given the good news that the truth will prevail.
Sections:
- The Qur'an is from Allah who is both Merciful and Severe in Punishment. Warnings to the non-believers and comfort to the believers.
- The failure of the disbelievers. The Day of Judgment belongs to Allah.
- A lesson from the history of Prophet Moses -peace be upon him. Even the mighty Pharaoh and his army could not help him against the wrath of Allah.
- A Believer from the Pharaoh's people declared his faith. His conversation with his people.
- The false leaders will take their people to hell.
- Allah helps the Prophets and their followers.
- The Glory of Allah. Allah has power over life and death.
- The fate of the un-believers will be bad.
- Take lessons from the past history. After the judgment comes, repentance makes no difference.
The Surah has two common names. One is Ghafir [Forgiver] and the other is al-Mu'min [The Believer].
The following Surahs all have the letters, Ha-Meem as their opening Ayaat and interestingly what is common to all of them is their mentioning of the Prophet Musa. These Surahs are;
Surah 40: al-Ghafir
Surah 41: Fussilat
Surah 42: Shurah
Surah 43: Zukhruf
Surah 44: Dukhan
Surah 45: Jathiyah
Surah 46: al-Ahqaaf
There are 85 Ayat in this Surah.
Overview
| Total Ayat | 85 |
| Total Words * | 1219 |
| Root Words * | 265 |
| Unique Root Words * | 1 |
| Makki / Madani | Makki |
| Chronological Order* | 60th (according to Ibn Abbas) |
| Year of Revelation* | 9th year of Prophethood |
| Events during/before this Surah*
Boycott of Banu Hashim Yr 3, Boycott of Banu Hashim Yr 2, Boycott of Banu Hashim Yr 1, 2nd Migration to Abyssinia, Physical beating and torture of some Muslims - 1st Migration of Muslims to Abyssinia, Public Invitation to Islam - Persecution of Muslims; antagonism - ridicule - derision - accusation - abuse and false propaganda., Revelation begins - Private Invitation to Islam , Revelation begins - Private Invitation to Islam , Revelation begins - Private Invitation to Islam
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| Events during/after still to occur*
Death of Abu Talib - Death of Khadijah - Stoning at Ta'if - al-Isra wal Mi'raj - Night Journey,1st Pledge of Aqabah,2nd Pledge of Aqabah,,Migration from Makkah to Madinah - Building of Masjid Nabi in Madinah - Treaty with Jews of Madinah - Marriage of Prophet to Aishah,Change of Qiblah from Jerusalem to Makkah - Battle of Badr,Battle of Uhud,,Battle of Ahzab - Expedition of Banu Quraydhah,Treaty of Hudaiybiyah - Letters to Kings and Rulers,,Conquest of Makkah - Battle of Hunain,Hajj led by Abu Bakr - Expedition of Tabuk,Farewell Hajj by Prophet - Death of Prophet - End of Divine Revelation
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| Names of Prophets Mentioned
Nuh, Yusuf, Musa
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| Surah Index
Adversity (patience during) , God (ability to do anything) , God (wills no wrong to His creation) , Apostasy (repentance) (on Judgement Day is too late), Children, Children (in Heaven) , Children (of Israel) , Death, Disbelievers, Disbelievers (God’s promise to) , Earth, Earth (creation and recreation of) , Embryology, Food, Haman, Hell, Humankind (creation of) (from a drop of sperm), Humankind (creation of) (from dust), Humankind (insignificant compared to the Universe) , Joseph, Judgement, Judgement (Day) , Judgement (Day) (repentance then is too late), Knowledge (obligation upon man to obtain and impart) , Life (good things made lawful) , Livestock, Marriage (recline with spouses in Paradise) , Moses, Noah, Pharaoh, Prophet (miracles only by God’s leave) , Prophet (some not mentioned) , Qarun, Religion, Resurrection (Day) , Resurrection (of soul) , Revelation, Sexes (equality of) , Ships, Sin, Thamud, Weather (rain)
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Theme 1: The importance of Dawah [calling] to Allah.
- The beginning of Surat Ghafir contains: "The forgiver of sin, the acceptor of repentance, severe in punishment, owner of abundance. There is no deity except Him; to Him is the destination." (40:3). In its end, Allah mentions that when the disbelievers saw His punishment they said: "We believe in Allah." (40:84) This will occur in the hereafter, and thus this belief will be of no benefit because Allah presented to them everything that leads on to Iman and repentance in the worldly life. So when they were resolute on their disbelief, their end was to punishment and fire, with repentance and belief then being of no avail to them.
Manuscripts / Inscriptions
1st/2nd Century AH
1st/2nd Century AH
19th Century
19th Century
17th Century
17th Century
- Surah az-Zumar and Surah Ghafir both begin with the mention of making the Din purely for Him - مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ
-إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ فَاعْبُدِ اللَّـهَ مُخْلِصًا لَّهُ الدِّينَ "Indeed, We have sent down to you the Book, [O Muhammad], in truth. So worship Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion." (39:2)
فَادْعُوا اللَّـهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكَافِرُونَ "So invoke Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion, although the disbelievers dislike it." (40:14) (40:65)
Total Word Count per Ayat (shows how many words per Ayat) = 1* | ||
| # | Root Word | Frequency in Surah | Frequency in Qur'an |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | أ ل ه | 57 | 2851 |
| 2. | ٱلَّذِى | 36 | 1464 |
| 3. | ك و ن | 25 | 1390 |
| 4. | ق و ل | 25 | 1722 |
| 5. | ر ب ب | 19 | 980 |
| 6. | د ع و | 18 | 212 |
| 7. | أ م ن | 17 | 879 |
| 8. | ي و م | 15 | 405 |
| 9. | إِلَّا | 13 | 663 |
| 10. | إِلَىٰ | 13 | 742 |
| Root Word | Frequency in Surah |
Frequency in Qur'an |
|---|---|---|
| أ ل ه | 57 | 2851 |
| ٱلَّذِى | 36 | 1464 |
| ك و ن | 25 | 1390 |
| ق و ل | 25 | 1722 |
| ر ب ب | 19 | 980 |
| د ع و | 18 | 212 |
| أ م ن | 17 | 879 |
| ي و م | 15 | 405 |
| إِلَّا | 13 | 663 |
| إِلَىٰ | 13 | 742 |
There are clear indications in the subject matter of this Surah to the conditions in which it was revealed. The disbelievers of Makkah at that time were engaged in two kinds of the activities against the Prophet. First, they were creating suspicion and misgiving in the minds of the people about the teaching of the Qur’an and the message of Islam and about the Prophet himself by starting many disputes and discussions, raising irrelevant objections and bringing ever new accusations so that the Prophet and the believers were sick of trying to answer them. Secondly, they were preparing the ground for putting an end to the Prophet himself. They were devising one plot after another, and on one occasion had even taken the practical steps to execute a plot. There is a hadith on the authority of Abdullah bin Amr bin al-As, saying that, one day when the Prophet was offering his prayers in the precincts of the Ka’bah, suddenly ‘Uqbah bin Abi Mu’ait, rushed forward and putting a piece of cloth round his neck started twisting it so as to strangle him to death. Abu Bakr, who happened to go there in time, pushed him away. Abdullah says that when Abu Bakr was struggling with the man, he was saying words to the effect: “Would you kill a man only because he says: God is my Lord?”
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The following Surahs all have the letters, Ha-Meem as their opening Ayaat and interestingly what is common to all of them is their mentioning of the Prophet Musa. These Surahs are;
Surah 40: al-Ghafir
Surah 41: Fussilat
Surah 42: Shurah
Surah 43: Zukhruf
Surah 44: Dukhan
Surah 45: Jathiyah
Surah 46: al-Ahqaaf -
The angels who bear the throne of Allah pray for those humans who repent and follow the right way.
- A scene from the Day of Judgement.
- Allah knows the furtive looks and secret thoughts.
- Story of the Prophet Musa, Pharaoh, Haman and Qarun.
- An excellent speech of one of the relatives of Fir'on in favor of the Prophet Musa.
- Fir'on plotted against that relative, who was a believer, but Allah saved him and destroyed the people of Fir'on, and now they are presented before the fire of Hell every morning and evening.
- Allah says; "Call me, I will answer your prayers."
- No one has the right to be worshipped except Allah, the Creator and the Rabb of the world.
- Those who argue about the revelations of Allah will soon find out the Truth.
- Allah has sent many Rasools before Muhammad (pbuh): of them some are mentioned in the Qur'an and some are not.
- Belief after seeing the scourge of Allah is of no avail to the disbelievers.
Tafsir Zone
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Sayyid Qutb Overview (Verses 67 - 68) Definitive Declaration The Prophet is given clear instructions to declare to his people that he has been forbidden to worship what they invoke other than God. He has also been commanded to submit himself to the Lord of all the worlds: Say: Since all evidence of the truth has come to me from my Lord, I am forbidden to worship those whom you invoke instead of God. I am commanded to submit to the Lord of all the worlds. (Verse 66) He is to declare to those who turn away from God's revelations and deny His blessings that he has been ordered not to worship the ones they invoke instead of God. He is to tell them that he has acted on this prohibition `since all evidence of the truth has come to me from my Lord.' He has the evidence, and he believes in it. It is right that he should then declare the word of truth. The prohibition to worship anyone other than God denotes a negative action, while submission to God Almighty is a positive one. It is from these two opposite parts that faith is brought to its fullness. Having highlighted certain signs of God in the wide universe, the surah now highlights a sign from within man himself. It is the miracle of human life and its marvellous stages. This is given here by way of a prelude to stating the true nature of life granted by God: It is He who creates you out of dust, then out of a gamete, then out of a clinging cell mass; and then He brings you forth as infants. He then lets you reach maturity, and then grow old although some of you die earlier. [All this He ordains] so that you may reach your appointed term, and you may use your reason. It is He who ordains life and death. When He wills something to be, He only says to it, Be, and it is. (Verses 67-68) This beginning of human life includes facts that man's knowledge could not know because they took place before his existence, and others which man sees and monitors. Yet such monitoring started only recently, centuries after the revelation of the Qur'an. That man was created out of dust refers to a fact taking place before his existence. Dust is the origin of all life on earth, including human life. Only God knows how this miracle was accomplished, and how this great event took shape. As for subsequent procreation, this takes place when a male's sperm fertilises a female's egg. Conception takes place and a cell mass clings to the uterus. At the end, a baby is born after having gone through a number of major development stages. When carefully considered in comparison to what happens after birth, these stages appear to be longer and greater than the stages we go through from birth till death. The surah mentions some of these latter stages: childhood, full adulthood at around 30, and old age. These stages represent maximum vigour in between two ends characterised by weakness. "Some of you die earlier," before attaining to some of these stages. God ordains all this "so that you may reach your appointed term", when you die at the specified time, unable to delay it or indeed hasten it. "And you may use your reason." To follow the journey travelled by the foetus and then by a baby and to reflect on what they indicate of elaborate planning requires good use of our reason. The embryonic journey is truly fascinating. We have come to know much about it with the many recent advancements in medicine and embryology. The Qur'anic reference to it, so accurate and precise, fourteen centuries earlier, is exceptionally interesting. Any reasonable person is bound to reflect on this fact. These two journeys, of the embryo and the baby, directly affect our hearts, regardless of our social environment or standard of education. Every generation feels this effect in its own way and according to the information available to it. The Qur'an addresses these facts to all generations, and they receive the message contained in them, and then determine their response or lack of it. This is followed by mentioning the facts of giving life and taking it away, creation and origination: "It is He who ordains life and death. When He wills something to be, He only says to it, Be, and it is." (Verse 68) The Qur'an repeatedly refers to life and death as they are signs that have a strong effect on man's heart. Indeed both phenomena affect everything in man's world. Both have wider scope than initially thought. There are different forms and aspects of both life and death. We need only to think of a dead, barren land, and then we see it quicken, becoming full of life. We see a tree with dry leaves and stripped branches in one season, and we see it later with life bursting through every part of it. It soon blossoms with leaves, flowers and fruit. We can look at an egg, a chic, a seed, a plant, etc. These are all aspects of the journey from death to life. There is also the opposite journey, from life to death. Both can strongly affect us as we contemplate them. Added to these two phenomena there is the origination. It is sufficient that God's will is directed to the creation of anything through the word, Be; and the subject matter of this comes into existence. Blessed be God, the best of all creators. |
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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- Surah 40. Ghafir - Saad al Ghamidi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5Onjs1b4g8&list=PLhM2xiAUdw2cAqW_o3zZkbhJNw0bnaBZN&index=40
- Surah 40. Ghafir Mahmoud Khalil Al Hussary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDvrxnUX38g&index=40&list=PLxpAkjlGauHfMFWX22VZWOKpzjr-vH_BM
- Surah 40. Ghafir Muhammad Al Luhaydan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZxSQZ-JvZA&index=40&list=PLxpAkjlGauHfKAYuQLRNAZomoezhfhRZe
- Idris Akbar Surah Ghafir https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY1b_q4bofQ
- Surah 40.Ghafir muhammad Minshawi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPMGO7guV1c&list=PLxpAkjlGauHdUcO_uc-8F8J2NUQRDZjPG&index=40
- Dr Israr Ahmed Tafsir Surah Al-M'umin (47) to Surah Al-Shura (1-13)1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv80yaqL00A&list=PLB4B8D1654A8BD263&index=89
- Surah Al-M'umin (47) to Surah Al-Shura (1-13)2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8EU2FqF2tk&list=PLB4B8D1654A8BD263&index=90
