In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
A summary of the Tafsir of al-Tabari.
Abridged by Dr. ‘Aqil ibn Salim al-Shammari.
Surah al-Zukhruf.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
"Or have I brought you something better than that upon which you found your fathers?"
“(And the warner) said: What! Even though I bring you better guidance than that ye found your fathers following? They answered: Lo! in what ye bring we are disbelievers.” (43:24)
“So We requited them. Then see the nature of the consequence for the rejecters!” (43:25)
Say, O Muhammad, to these polytheists:
"Or have I brought you, O people, from your Lord,
something better in terms of the path of truth than the religion and creed upon which you found your fathers?"
He said this to them.
They replied:
"Indeed, we are disbelievers and deniers of that with which you have been sent, O people."
So We took retribution from these people who denied His messenger by inflicting punishment upon them.
Observe, O Muhammad, how the end of their affair was when they denied the signs of Allah.
“And when Abraham said unto his father and his folk: Lo! I am innocent of what ye worship” (43:26)
“Save Him Who did create me, for He will surely guide me.” (43:27)
“And he made it a word enduring among his seed, that haply they might return.” (43:28)
And when Ibrahim (peace be upon him) said to his father and his people, "Indeed, I am disassociated from that which you worship other than Allah,
except for He who created me, for He will guide me to the true religion,
and He will grant me success in following the path of righteousness."
And he made his statement, "Indeed, I am disassociated from that which you worship, except for He who originated me,"
which is the declaration that there is no god but Allah,
a word remaining among his descendants.
There has never ceased to be someone among his descendants who says this after him,
so that they might return to the obedience of their Lord,
and repent from their disbelief and their sins.
“And now that the Truth hath come unto them they say: This is mere magic, and lo! we are disbelievers therein.” (43:30)
“And now that the Truth hath come unto them they say: This is mere magic, and lo! we are disbelievers therein.” (43:30)
Rather, We allowed these polytheists, O Muhammad, and their fathers before them, to enjoy life,
and I did not hasten the punishment for them,
until this Qur'an came to them,
and a messenger explaining to them with the proofs by which he argues against them that he is a truthful messenger,
and he is Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
And when the Qur'an and a messenger from Allah came to them,
they said, "This which this messenger has brought us
is magic, with which he bewitches us,
and we are disbelievers in it."
We deny that this is from Allah.
“And they say: If only this Qur'an had been revealed to some great man of the two towns?” (43:31)
And these polytheists said:
"If it were the truth,
why was this not sent down upon a great man from one of the two cities?"
Meaning Makkah or al-Ta'if.
And by "the great man," they meant:
al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah al-Qurashi in Makkah,
or Habib ibn ‘Umar ibn ‘Umayr al-Thaqafi in al-Ta'if.
Are these the ones who say [this]?
“And they say: If only this Qur'an had been revealed to some great man of the two towns?” (43:31)
O Muhammad, do they distribute the mercy of your Lord among His creation?
Or is it Allah who distributes that,
giving it to whom He loves and withholding it from whom He wills?
Rather, We distribute Our mercy among whom We will of Our creation,
just as We have distributed among them their livelihood in their worldly life from provisions,
and We have raised some of them above others in status,
so that one might employ the other in his service.
Thus, He, glory be to Him, made them a means for one another in their livelihood.
And the mercy of your Lord, O Muhammad, by admitting them to Paradise,
is better than what they accumulate of wealth in this world.
“And were it not that mankind would have become one community, We might well have appointed, for those who disbelieve in the Beneficent, roofs of silver for their houses and stairs (of silver) whereby to mount,” (43:33)
“And were it not that mankind would have become one community, We might well have appointed, for those who disbelieve in the Beneficent, roofs of silver for their houses and stairs (of silver) whereby to mount,” (43:33)
And stairways upon which they ascend.
“And for their houses doors (of silver) and couches of silver whereon to recline,” (43:34)
And gold ornaments; yet all of that is but the enjoyment of worldly life.
“And ornaments of gold. Yet all that would have been but a provision of the life of the world. And the Hereafter with your Lord would have been for those who keep from evil.” (43:35)
And were it not that the people would become one community in disbelief,
We would have made for those who disbelieve in the Most Merciful, for their houses, roofs of silver,
and stairways and steps upon which they ascend,
and We would have made for their houses doors of silver,
and couches of silver upon which they recline,
and We would have made for them, in addition to that, gold.
And all these things that have been mentioned
are nothing but the enjoyment of the people of this world.
But the Hereafter, in the sight of your Lord, is for the righteous,
those who feared Allah and dreaded His punishment.
You make Allah the Greatest.
Whoever is blinded from the remembrance of the Most Merciful, We appoint for him a devil,
“And he whose sight is dim to the remembrance of the Beneficent, We assign unto him a devil who becometh his comrade;” (43:36)
“And lo! they surely turn them from the way of Allah, and yet they deem that they are rightly guided;” (43:37)
and they think that they are guided.
And whoever turns away from the remembrance of Allah, he does not fear His power.
And indeed, the devils avert these people from the path of truth,
and they make misguidance appear attractive to them,
and the polytheists think that they are upon truth and correctness.
“Till, when he cometh unto Us, he saith (unto his comrade): Ah, would that between me and thee there were the distance of the two horizons - an evil comrade!” (43:38)
How wretched a companion!
“And it profiteth you not this day, because ye did wrong, that ye will be sharers in the doom.” (43:39)
Until, when he comes to Us, this one who was blinded from the remembrance of the Most Merciful,
and his companion whom We appointed for him from the devils,
one of these two companions says to his other companion,
"I wish that between me and you there was the distance between the East and the West,"
and it is said: the sunrise of winter and the sunrise of summer.
How wretched a companion!
And it will not benefit you, O you who were blinded from the remembrance of Allah in the world,
and it will not lighten for you today, because you shared in the punishment of Allah,
for each one of you has his share of it.
“Canst thou (Muhammad) make the deaf to hear, or canst thou guide the blind or him who is in error manifest?” (43:40)
Can you make the deaf hear, or guide the blind and him who is in manifest error, whom Allah has deprived of hearing His proofs which He argues with in this Book, so He has made him deaf to it?
Or can you guide to the path of guidance?
Indeed, if We take you away, We will take retribution from them.
“Or (if) We show thee that wherewith We threaten them; for lo! We have complete command of them.” (43:42)
If We take you away, O Muhammad, from among these polytheists,
if We take you away, O Muhammad, from among these polytheists,
We will take retribution from them,
just as We did that to others among the nations who denied their messengers.
Or We will show you that which We have promised them, O Muhammad, of victory over them,
for We are indeed over them all-powerful to make you victorious over them.
“So hold thou fast to that which is inspired in thee. Lo! thou art on a right path.” (43:43)
Indeed, you are upon a straight path.
And indeed, it is a reminder for you and your people, and you will be questioned.
So hold fast, O Muhammad, to that which this Qur'an commands you.
You are upon a straight path and a sound approach.
And indeed, this Qur'an is an honor for you and your people from Quraysh,
and your Lord will question you and them about what you did with it.
“And ask those of Our messengers whom We sent before thee: Did We ever appoint gods to be worshipped beside the Beneficent?” (43:45)
"Have We made, other than the Most Merciful, deities to be worshipped?"
And ask those of Our messengers whom We sent before you:
"Did We command them to worship deities other than Allah in what they brought them?"
Or did they come with a command for that from Us?
“And verily We sent Moses with Our revelations unto Pharaoh and his chiefs, and he said: I am a messenger of the Lord of the Worlds.” (43:46)
“And verily We sent Moses with Our revelations unto Pharaoh and his chiefs, and he said: I am a messenger of the Lord of the Worlds.” (43:46)
And We certainly sent Musa with Our signs to Pharaoh and his chiefs.
So Musa said to them, "Indeed, I am a messenger of the Lord of the worlds to you."
“But when he brought them Our tokens, behold! they laughed at them.” (43:47)
But when Musa came to Pharaoh and his elite with Our signs and proofs,
behold, Pharaoh and his people were laughing at the signs and lessons.
Just as your people are mocking the signs and lessons you have brought them.
This is a consolation from Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, to His Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
“And every token that We showed them was greater than its sister (token), and We grasped them with the torment, that haply they might turn again.” (43:48)
“And every token that We showed them was greater than its sister (token), and We grasped them with the torment, that haply they might turn again.” (43:48)
And We did not show Pharaoh and his elite a sign,
but that it was greater in proof and more emphatic than the one that preceded it among the signs.
And We inflicted the punishment upon them so that they might return from their disbelief in Allah to His oneness and obedience.
“And they said: O wizard! Entreat thy Lord for us by the pact that He hath made with thee. Lo! we verily will walk aright.” (43:49)
“But when We eased them of the torment, behold! they broke their word.” (43:50)
And Pharaoh and his elite said to Musa,
"O magician, invoke for us your Lord by what He has promised you, by the covenant He made with you.
If we believe in you and follow you, the affliction will be removed from us."
"Indeed, if we follow you, we will be believers in what you have brought us and we will be monotheists of Allah."
But when We removed the punishment from them, behold, they broke their word after We removed it from them and persisted in their misguidance.
“And Pharaoh caused a proclamation to be made among his people saying: O my people! Is not mine the sovereignty of Egypt and these rivers flowing under me? Can ye not then discern?” (43:51)
“And Pharaoh caused a proclamation to be made among his people saying: O my people! Is not mine the sovereignty of Egypt and these rivers flowing under me? Can ye not then discern?” (43:51)
And Pharaoh called out among his people, the Copts, and said, "O my people, does not the kingdom of Egypt belong to me, and these rivers flowing beneath me in the gardens? Do you not see, O people, the bliss and good I am in, and the poverty that Musa is in?"
“I am surely better than this fellow, who is despicable and can hardly make (his meaning) plain!” (43:52)
"Am I not better, O people, than this man who has nothing of kingdom or wealth, along with the defect in his body, and he can hardly speak clearly due to the stutter in his tongue?"
“Why, then, have armlets of gold not been set upon him, or angels sent along with him?” (43:53)
"Why, then, have bracelets of gold not been cast upon Musa, if he is truthful that he is a messenger?"—which are the ornaments placed on the hands—"or why have the angels not come with him, linked together, following one another, testifying for him that he is a messenger of Allah to them?"
“Thus he persuaded his people to make light (of Moses), and they obeyed him. Lo! they were a wanton folk.” (43:54)
And when they angered Us, We took retribution from them and drowned them all.
And We made them a precedent and an example for those who came after.
So Pharaoh fooled a portion of his people, the Copts, with the statement he made to them, so they accepted that from him and obeyed him and denied Musa.
And they only obeyed because they were a people who had deviated from the obedience of Allah, by their nature, upon their hearts.
So when they angered Us, We took retribution from them and drowned them all in the sea.
And We made those of Pharaoh's people whom We drowned a precedent, preceding into the Fire, like the disbelievers of your people, O Muhammad.
And the disbelievers of your people have in them a lesson and an admonition, so that those who come after them among the nations may take heed.