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43

Az-Zukhruf

The Ornaments of Gold

Ibn Kathir - English

• Chapter

FOLLOW US

Verse

1

Page 489

Which was revealed in Makkah

﴿ بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ﴾

(In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

﴿ حمٓ • وَٱلۡكِتَـٰبِ ٱلۡمُبِينِ • إِنَّا جَعَلۡنَـٰهُ قُرۡءَٲنًا عَرَبِيًّ۬ا لَّعَلَّڪُمۡ تَعۡقِلُونَ • وَإِنَّهُ ۥ فِىٓ أُمِّ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبِ لَدَيۡنَا لَعَلِىٌّ حَكِيمٌ • أَفَنَضۡرِبُ عَنكُمُ ٱلذِّڪۡرَ صَفۡحًا أَن ڪُنتُمۡ قَوۡمً۬ا مُّسۡرِفِينَ • وَكَمۡ أَرۡسَلۡنَا مِن نَّبِىٍّ۬ فِى ٱلۡأَوَّلِينَ • وَمَا يَأۡتِيهِم مِّن نَّبِىٍّ إِلَّا كَانُواْ بِهِۦ يَسۡتَہۡزِءُونَ • فَأَهۡلَكۡنَآ أَشَدَّ مِنۡہُم بَطۡشً۬ا وَمَضَىٰ مَثَلُ ٱلۡأَوَّلِينَ ﴾

(1. Ha Mim.) (2. By the manifest Book.) (3. Verily, We have made it a Qur'an in Arabic that you may be able to understand.) (4. And verily, it is in the Mother of the Book with Us, indeed exalted, full of wisdom.) (5. Shall We then take away the Reminder from you, because you are a people excessive.) (6. And how many a Prophet have We sent amongst the men of old.) (7. And never came there a Prophet to them but they used to mock at him.) (8. Then We destroyed men stronger (in power) than these and the example of the ancients has passed away.)

﴿ حمٓ • وَٱلۡكِتَـٰبِ ٱلۡمُبِينِ ﴾

(Ha-Mim. By the manifest Book.) means, plain and clear in both wording and meaning, because it was revealed in the language of the Arabs, which is the most eloquent language for communication among people. Allah says:

﴿ إِنَّا جَعَلۡنَـٰهُ ﴾

(Verily, We have made it) meaning, revealed it,

﴿ قُرۡءَٲنًا عَرَبِيًّ۬ا ﴾

(a Qur'an in Arabic) meaning, in the language of the Arabs, eloquent and clear;

﴿ لَّعَلَّڪُمۡ تَعۡقِلُونَ ﴾

(that you may be able to understand.) means, that you may understand it and ponder its meanings. This is like the Ayah:

﴿ بِلِسَانٍ عَرَبِىٍّ۬ مُّبِينٍ۬ ﴾

(In the plain Arabic language.) (26:195)

﴿ وَإِنَّهُ ۥ فِىٓ أُمِّ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبِ لَدَيۡنَا لَعَلِىٌّ حَكِيمٌ ﴾

(And verily, it is in the Mother of the Book with Us, indeed exalted, full of wisdom.) This explains the high status of the Qur'an among the hosts on high (the angels), so that the people of earth will respect it, venerate it and obey it.

﴿ وَإِنَّهُ ۥ ﴾

(And verily, it) means, the Qur'an,

﴿ فِىٓ أُمِّ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبِ ﴾

(is in the Mother of the Book) meaning, Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuz (the Preserved Tablet). This was the view of Ibn `Abbas and Mujahid.

﴿ لَدَيۡنَا ﴾

(with Us,) means, in Our presence. This was the view of Qatadah and others.

﴿ لَعَلِىٌّ ﴾

(indeed exalted) means, occupying a position of honor and virtue. This was the view of Qatadah.

﴿ حَكِيمٌ ﴾

(full of wisdom.) means, clear, with no confusion or deviation. All of this indicates its noble status and virtue, as Allah says elsewhere:

﴿ إِنَّهُ ۥ لَقُرۡءَانٌ۬ كَرِيمٌ۬ • فِى كِتَـٰبٍ۬ مَّكۡنُونٍ۬ • لَّا يَمَسُّهُ ۥۤ إِلَّا ٱلۡمُطَهَّرُونَ • تَنزِيلٌ۬ مِّن رَّبِّ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ ﴾

(That (this) is indeed an honorable recitation. In a Book well-guarded. Which none can touch but the pure. A revelation from the Lord of the all that exists.) (56:77-80)

﴿ كَلَّآ إِنَّہَا تَذۡكِرَةٌ۬ • فَمَن شَآءَ ذَكَرَهُ ۥ • فِى صُحُفٍ۬ مُّكَرَّمَةٍ۬ • مَّرۡفُوعَةٍ۬ مُّطَهَّرَةِۭ • بِأَيۡدِى سَفَرَةٍ۬ • كِرَامِۭ بَرَرَةٍ۬ ﴾

(Nay, indeed it is an admonition. So whoever wills, let him pay attention to it. (It is) in Records held (greatly) in honor, exalted, purified, in the hands of scribes (angels), honorable and obedient.) (80:11-16)

﴿ أَفَنَضۡرِبُ عَنكُمُ ٱلذِّڪۡرَ صَفۡحًا أَن ڪُنتُمۡ قَوۡمً۬ا مُّسۡرِفِينَ ﴾

(Shall We then take away the Reminder (this Qur'an) from you, because you are a people excessive.) means, `do you think that We will forgive you and not punish you, when you do not do as you have been commanded' This was the view of Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) Abu Salih, Mujahid and As-Suddi, and was the view favored by Ibn Jarir.

﴿ أَفَنَضۡرِبُ عَنكُمُ ٱلذِّڪۡرَ صَفۡحًا ﴾

(Shall We then take away the Reminder (this Qur'an) from you,) Qatadah said, "By Allah, if this Qur'an had been taken away when the first generations of this Ummah rejected it, they would have been doomed, but Allah by His mercy persisted in sending it and calling them to it for twenty years, or for as long as He willed.'' What Qatadah said is very good, and his point is that Allah, by His grace and mercy towards His creation, did not stop calling them to the truth and to the wise Reminder, i.e., the Qur'an, even though they were heedless and turned away from it. Indeed, He sent it so that those who were decreed to be guided might be guided by it, and so that proof might be established against those who were decreed to be.

Consolation to the Prophet for the Disbelief of Quraysh

Then Allah consoles His Prophet for the disbelief of his people, and commands him to bear it with patience.

﴿ وَكَمۡ أَرۡسَلۡنَا مِن نَّبِىٍّ۬ فِى ٱلۡأَوَّلِينَ ﴾

(And how many a Prophet have We sent amongst the men of old.) meaning, among the sects (communities) of old.

﴿ وَمَا يَأۡتِيهِم مِّن نَّبِىٍّ إِلَّا كَانُواْ بِهِۦ يَسۡتَہۡزِءُونَ ﴾

(And never came there a Prophet to them but they used to mock at him.) means, they disbelieved him and mock at him.

﴿ فَأَهۡلَكۡنَآ أَشَدَّ مِنۡہُم بَطۡشً۬ا ﴾

(Then We destroyed men stronger than these) means, `We destroyed those who disbelieved in the Messengers, and they were stronger in power than these who disbelieve in you, O Muhammad.' This is like the Ayah:

﴿ أَفَلَمۡ يَسِيرُواْ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ فَيَنظُرُواْ كَيۡفَ كَانَ عَـٰقِبَةُ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِهِمۡۚ كَانُوٓاْ أَڪۡثَرَ مِنۡہُمۡ وَأَشَدَّ قُوَّةً۬ ﴾

(Have they not traveled through the earth and seen what was the end of those before them They were more in number than them and mightier in strength) (40:82). And there are many similar Ayat.

﴿ وَمَضَىٰ مَثَلُ ٱلۡأَوَّلِينَ ﴾

(and the example of the ancients has passed away.) Mujahid said, "The way of their life.'' Qatadah said, "Their punishment.'' Others said, "Their lesson,'' i.e., `We made them a lesson for those disbelievers who came after them, that they would suffer the same end as them,' as in the Ayah at the end of this Surah:

﴿ فَجَعَلۡنَـٰهُمۡ سَلَفً۬ا وَمَثَلاً۬ لِّلۡأَخِرِينَ ﴾

(And We made them a precedent, and an example to later generations.) (43:56);

﴿ سُنَّتَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّتِى قَدۡ خَلَتۡ فِى عِبَادِهِۖۦ ﴾

(this has been the way of Allah in dealing with His servants) (40:85).

﴿ وَلَن تَجِدَ لِسُنَّةِ ٱللَّهِ تَبۡدِيلاً۬ ﴾

(and you will not find any change in the way of Allah.) (33:62)

﴿ وَلَٮِٕن سَأَلۡتَهُم مَّنۡ خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ لَيَقُولُنَّ خَلَقَهُنَّ ٱلۡعَزِيزُ ٱلۡعَلِيمُ • ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ لَڪُمُ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ مَهۡدً۬ا وَجَعَلَ لَكُمۡ فِيہَا سُبُلاً۬ لَّعَلَّكُمۡ تَهۡتَدُونَ • وَٱلَّذِى نَزَّلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءَۢ بِقَدَرٍ۬ فَأَنشَرۡنَا بِهِۦ بَلۡدَةً۬ مَّيۡتً۬ا‌ۚ كَذَٲلِكَ تُخۡرَجُونَ • وَٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلۡأَزۡوَٲجَ كُلَّهَا وَجَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنَ ٱلۡفُلۡكِ وَٱلۡأَنۡعَـٰمِ مَا تَرۡكَبُونَ • لِتَسۡتَوُ ۥاْ عَلَىٰ ظُهُورِهِۦ ثُمَّ تَذۡكُرُواْ نِعۡمَةَ رَبِّكُمۡ إِذَا ٱسۡتَوَيۡتُمۡ عَلَيۡهِ وَتَقُولُواْ سُبۡحَـٰنَ ٱلَّذِى سَخَّرَ لَنَا هَـٰذَا وَمَا ڪُنَّا لَهُ ۥ مُقۡرِنِينَ • وَإِنَّآ إِلَىٰ رَبِّنَا لَمُنقَلِبُونَ ﴾

(9. And indeed if you ask them: "Who has created the heavens and the earth'' They will surely say: "The All-Mighty, the All-Knower created them.'') (10. Who has made for you the earth like a bed, and has made for you roads therein, in order that you may find your way.) (11. And Who sends down water from the sky in due measure, then We revive a dead land therewith, and even so you will be brought forth.) (12. And Who has created all the pairs and has appointed for you ships and cattle on which you ride,) (13. In order that you may mount on their backs, and then may remember the favor of your Lord when you mount thereon, and say: "Glory to Him Who has subjected this to us, and we could have never had it.'') (14. And verily, to Our Lord we indeed are to return!'')