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.
Ha-Mim.
By the clear Book.
“Lo! We have appointed it a Lecture, in Arabic that haply ye may understand.” (43:3)
“And Lo! in the Source of Decrees, which We possess, it is indeed sublime, decisive.” (43:4)
Ha-Mim.
An oath from Allah, the Exalted.
He swears by this clear Book for those who contemplate and reflect upon its expressions.
We have made it an Arabic Qur'an.
So that you may understand its meanings and the admonitions contained within it.
And indeed, this Book is the source of the Mother of the Book from which this was transcribed.
With Us, it is truly exalted and full of wisdom, its verses firmly established.
“Shall We utterly ignore you because ye are a wanton folk?” (43:5)
Shall We turn away from you and abandon you, O polytheists, because of what you assume?
Shall We refrain from mentioning your punishment simply because you are a polytheistic people?
“How many a prophet did We send among the men of old!” (43:6)
“And never came there unto them a prophet but they used to mock him.” (43:7)
“Then We destroyed men mightier than these in prowess; and the example of the men of old hath gone (before them).” (43:8)
How many a prophet did We send, O Muhammad, among the generations of old?
And no prophet ever came to a nation of the ancients, calling them to guidance,
But they mocked him in derision, just as your people mock you, O Muhammad.
So We destroyed those who were more powerful in might than these who mock their prophets.
They could not escape Us with their strength and severity of power.
Nor were they able to prevent Our punishment when it came upon them.
So those who are weaker in strength than them are certainly unable to prevent it.
The precedent of those who disbelieved in Our messengers has already passed for these polytheists who mock you.
So let these people who mock you, O Muhammad, expect from Our punishment
The like of what We brought upon those before them.
And if you ask them who created the heavens and the earth,
“And if thou (Muhammad) ask them: Who created the heavens and the earth, they will surely answer: The Mighty, the Knower created them;” (43:9)
“Who made the earth a resting-place for you, and placed roads for you therein, that haply ye may find your way;” (43:10)
And if you ask these polytheists of your people, O Muhammad,
Who created the seven heavens and the earths,
They will surely say: "The Almighty in His sovereignty and retribution against His enemies created them,"
The All-Knowing of them and all that they contain.
He who made the earth a cradle for you,
Making it a resting place upon which you walk with your feet,
And He made for you paths therein so that you may travel from one land to another,
So that you may be guided by those paths to the lands you desire.
“And Who sendeth down water from the sky in (due) measure, and We revive a dead land therewith. Even so will ye be brought forth;” (43:11)
And We revived a dead land with it; thus will you be brought forth.
And He who sends down water from the sky in proportion to your need,
Not making it like a flood that would be a torment,
Nor making it so little that vegetation cannot grow from it,
With it, We revived a land of yours that was barren, with no vegetation or crops.
Just as We brought forth vegetation and crops with this water,
So too, O people, will you be brought forth after your decay in the earth.
“He Who created all the pairs, and appointed for you ships and cattle whereupon ye ride.” (43:12)
“That ye may mount upon their backs, and may remember your Lord's favour when ye mount thereon, and may say: Glorified be He Who hath subdued these unto us, and we were not capable (of subduing them);” (43:13)
“That ye may mount upon their backs, and may remember your Lord's favour when ye mount thereon, and may say: Glorified be He Who hath subdued these unto us, and we were not capable (of subduing them);” (43:13)
“And lo! unto our Lord we surely are returning.” (43:14)
And He who created all things in pairs,
Creating males from females as pairs, and females from males as pairs.
And He made for you ships that you ride upon the seas,
And from the livestock, those you ride upon the land,
Such as camels, horses, mules, and donkeys,
So that you may sit firmly upon the backs of what you ride,
Then remember the favor of your Lord by His subjecting them to you when you are seated upon them,
And so that you may glorify and exalt Him,
And say, "Exalted is Allah, who has subjected this to us, for we could not have attained it,"
Contrary to what the polytheists describe Him with.
For we were not capable of it, nor could we have mastered it.
And indeed, to our Lord, after our death, we shall return.
“And they allot to Him a portion of His bondmen! Lo! man is verily a mere ingrate.” (43:15)
“And they allot to Him a portion of His bondmen! Lo! man is verily a mere ingrate.” (43:15)
“Or chooseth He daughters of all that He hath created, and honoureth He you with sons?” (43:16)
And these polytheists have attributed to Allah a portion of His creation,
By saying of the angels that they are the daughters of Allah.
Indeed, man is clearly ungrateful for the blessings of his Lord.
His ingratitude for the favors bestowed upon him is evident to anyone who contemplates it with the reflection of his heart.
Has your Lord taken for Himself daughters from what He creates, O ignorant ones,
And favored you with sons, making them for you?
“And if one of them hath tidings of that which he likeneth to the Beneficent One, his countenance becometh black and he is full of inward rage.” (43:17)
His face darkens, and he is filled with suppressed grief.
And when one of these polytheists is given tidings of that which he attributes to Allah,
Comparing Him to that which he describes—namely, that He has daughters—
His face darkens from the distress of the news he received, and he is filled with sorrow.
“(Liken they then to Allah) that which is bred up in outward show, and in dispute cannot make itself plain?” (43:18)
And they have made the angels, who are servants of the Most Gracious, females.
“And they make the angels, who are the slaves of the Beneficent, females. Did they witness their creation? Their testimony will be recorded and they will be questioned.” (43:19)
And they have made the angels of Allah, who are His creation and His servants, the daughters of Allah.
Did they witness their creation? That will be recorded, and their testimony will be questioned.
And they will be asked about that testimony of theirs in the Hereafter.
They are asked to bring proof of its truth, and they will never find a way to do so.
And they said, "If the Most Gracious had willed, we would not have worshipped them." They have no knowledge of that; they are only lying.
“Or have We given them any scripture before (this Qur'an) so that they are holding fast thereto?” (43:21)
And these polytheists of Quraysh said,
"If the Most Gracious had willed, we would not have worshipped our idols."
And they claim that punishment did not befall us for worshipping them because He is pleased with us.
They have no knowledge of the truth of what they say regarding that.
They only say it out of conjecture and falsehood.
We have not given these liars a book containing the truth of what they say before this Qur'an which We sent down to you, O Muhammad.
So that they might hold fast to that book and act upon it.
“Nay, for they say only: Lo! we found our fathers following a religion, and we are guided by their footprints.” (43:22)
We have not given them any book from Us.
But they said, "We found our fathers who were before us upon a religion and a path."
"And we are following in the footsteps of our fathers, guided by their way."
And just as these polytheists of Quraysh did, so did those before them from among the people of disbelief in Allah.
And they said the same as they said.
We did not send a messenger before you, O Muhammad, to the people of any town,
But their leaders and elders said,
"Indeed, we found our fathers upon a religion and a path."
"And we are following their way and their tradition, imitating their deeds."