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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Overview Verses 78 - 81) This final part of the surah elaborates on the comments given at the end of the previous part. It again directs the Prophet and the believers to remain patient in adversity, until God wills to bring about what He has promised the believers and what He has warned the unbelievers against. This may take place during the Prophet's lifetime or may be delayed until a later time. The question here is that of faith, the believers and the rejecters who dispute its truth. The arbiter in all this is God. It is He who determines the course of His message as He pleases. In this part the surah outlines some additional aspects of this point. The Divine message has a long history. It did not start with the Prophet Muhammad and the Islamic message embodied in the Qur'an. Before him there were many messengers, some of whom God mentioned to the Prophet and some He did not. They all faced rejection and arrogance. They were all required to demonstrate miracles. Everyone of them dearly wished that God would give him a miracle which would force the rejecters to submit to the truth. However, showing such a sign or a miracle is a matter that God determines at His own time. The message is His and He conducts its affairs. Nevertheless, there are numerous signs in the universe, which can be seen by all at all times. Of these, the surah mentions here cattle and ships, and refers in general to other signs which no one can deny. The surah concludes with a strong reminder of the destruction of earlier communities all of whom displayed similar arrogance. Their power and civilisation were of little use to them when God's law was applied: "But accepting the faith after they had seen Our might was not going to benefit them at all. This has always been God's way of dealing with His creatures. There and then the unbelievers will be lost." (Verse 85) On this powerful note the surah concludes. It is a surah that focuses its attention on the battle between truth and falsehood, faith and unfaith, tyranny and justice. Past Messengers We sent other messengers before your time; some We have given you an account of while others We have not. No messenger could bring a sign except by God's leave. When God's will becomes manifest, judgement will be passed between them in all justice, and lost will be, then and there, all who have followed falsehood. (Verse 78) This whole question of the message has had many precedents, some of which are told by God to His messenger in this book, the Qur'an. Others, He chose not to tell him about. The accounts that have been given clearly show the long, clearly marked way that advocacy of the Divine message should take. They also outline the rules that cannot be altered, since God has set them into operation. Furthermore, these accounts of past messengers make clear the nature of the message, the role of the messengers and the limits they have to observe. The present verse strongly emphasises a fact that needs to be fully understood: "No messenger could bring a sign except by God's leave." (Verse 78) Every believer, even though he may be a messenger of God, would love to see the Divine message victorious. They dearly wish that those who stubbornly reject it will soon succumb to its truth. Therefore, they would love to see a miracle that would break the stubbornness of hardened unbelievers. However, God wants His chosen servants to remain absolutely patient in the face of all adversity. He, therefore, makes it clear to them that they have no say in the matter; their task is completed when they have delivered their message. Miracles occur at the time of His choice. Thus, they should be reassured, satisfied with whatever is accomplished through them, leaving the final outcome to God, who determines it as He pleases. God also wants people to understand the nature of Godhead and the nature of prophethood. He wants them to realise that God's messengers are mortals like them: He has chosen them and assigned them their missions. Not only can they not exceed that mission, they would not try to do so. Moreover, people should know that miracles are delayed out of God's mercy. It is God's will that should people continue to reject His faith after they have been given a miracle, He will destroy them soon after that. Thus, they are given time and a period of grace: "When God's will becomes manifest, judgement will be passed between them in all justice, and lost will be, then and there, all who have followed falsehood." (Verse 78) There will be no time left for any further action, nor for repentance or mending of ways. |
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 78 - 81) This final part of the surah elaborates on the comments given at the end of the previous part. It again directs the Prophet and the believers to remain patient in adversity, until God wills to bring about what He has promised the believers and what He has warned the unbelievers against. This may take place during the Prophet's lifetime or may be delayed until a later time. The question here is that of faith, the believers and the rejecters who dispute its truth. The arbiter in all this is God. It is He who determines the course of His message as He pleases. In this part the surah outlines some additional aspects of this point. The Divine message has a long history. It did not start with the Prophet Muhammad and the Islamic message embodied in the Qur'an. Before him there were many messengers, some of whom God mentioned to the Prophet and some He did not. They all faced rejection and arrogance. They were all required to demonstrate miracles. Everyone of them dearly wished that God would give him a miracle which would force the rejecters to submit to the truth. However, showing such a sign or a miracle is a matter that God determines at His own time. The message is His and He conducts its affairs. Nevertheless, there are numerous signs in the universe, which can be seen by all at all times. Of these, the surah mentions here cattle and ships, and refers in general to other signs which no one can deny. The surah concludes with a strong reminder of the destruction of earlier communities all of whom displayed similar arrogance. Their power and civilisation were of little use to them when God's law was applied: "But accepting the faith after they had seen Our might was not going to benefit them at all. This has always been God's way of dealing with His creatures. There and then the unbelievers will be lost." (Verse 85) On this powerful note the surah concludes. It is a surah that focuses its attention on the battle between truth and falsehood, faith and unfaith, tyranny and justice. Past Messengers We sent other messengers before your time; some We have given you an account of while others We have not. No messenger could bring a sign except by God's leave. When God's will becomes manifest, judgement will be passed between them in all justice, and lost will be, then and there, all who have followed falsehood. (Verse 78) This whole question of the message has had many precedents, some of which are told by God to His messenger in this book, the Qur'an. Others, He chose not to tell him about. The accounts that have been given clearly show the long, clearly marked way that advocacy of the Divine message should take. They also outline the rules that cannot be altered, since God has set them into operation. Furthermore, these accounts of past messengers make clear the nature of the message, the role of the messengers and the limits they have to observe. The present verse strongly emphasises a fact that needs to be fully understood: "No messenger could bring a sign except by God's leave." (Verse 78) Every believer, even though he may be a messenger of God, would love to see the Divine message victorious. They dearly wish that those who stubbornly reject it will soon succumb to its truth. Therefore, they would love to see a miracle that would break the stubbornness of hardened unbelievers. However, God wants His chosen servants to remain absolutely patient in the face of all adversity. He, therefore, makes it clear to them that they have no say in the matter; their task is completed when they have delivered their message. Miracles occur at the time of His choice. Thus, they should be reassured, satisfied with whatever is accomplished through them, leaving the final outcome to God, who determines it as He pleases. God also wants people to understand the nature of Godhead and the nature of prophethood. He wants them to realise that God's messengers are mortals like them: He has chosen them and assigned them their missions. Not only can they not exceed that mission, they would not try to do so. Moreover, people should know that miracles are delayed out of God's mercy. It is God's will that should people continue to reject His faith after they have been given a miracle, He will destroy them soon after that. Thus, they are given time and a period of grace: "When God's will becomes manifest, judgement will be passed between them in all justice, and lost will be, then and there, all who have followed falsehood." (Verse 78) There will be no time left for any further action, nor for repentance or mending of ways. |
- 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
