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-Saffat.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
"Gather those who committed injustice, along with their spouses and what they used to worship."
“Instead of Allah, and lead them to the path to hell;” (37:23)
Assemble those who disbelieved in Allah during their worldly life.
And their cohorts, who followed them in their disbelief in Allah.
And those they used to worship besides Allah, from among the deities.
Then direct them to the path of Hell.
"And stop them, for they are to be questioned."
“What aileth you that ye help not one another?” (37:25)
“Nay, but this day they make full submission.” (37:26)
Restrain them, O angels—these polytheists and their spouses.
For they are to be held accountable for what they worshipped besides Allah.
"What is the matter with you, O polytheists, that you do not help one another?"
Rather, they are today submissive to the decree and judgment of Allah regarding them.
Certain of His punishment.
And they will turn to one another, questioning.
“They say: Lo! ye used to come unto us, imposing, (swearing that ye spoke the truth).” (37:28)
“They answer: Nay, but ye (yourselves) were not believers.” (37:29)
“We had no power over you, but ye were wayward folk.” (37:30)
“We had no power over you, but ye were wayward folk.” (37:30)
And the humans will turn to the jinn, questioning.
The humans will say to the jinn:
"You, O jinn, used to come to us under the guise of religion and truth."
"Deceiving us with the most persuasive arguments."
The jinn will reply:
"Rather, you yourselves were not believers in the oneness of Allah."
"We had no authority over you to turn you away from faith."
"But you, O polytheists, were a people who transgressed against Allah."
"Exceeding the bounds by committing acts of disobedience to Allah that you had no right to commit."
“Now the Word of our Lord hath been fulfilled concerning us. Lo! we are about to taste (the doom).” (37:31)
"We are indeed those who will taste [the punishment]."
“Thus we misled you. Lo! we were (ourselves) astray.” (37:32)
"So the punishment of our Lord has become due upon us."
"We shall indeed taste the punishment, we and you, because of the sins and disobedience we committed in the world."
"And we led you astray from the path of Allah and faith in Him."
"We ourselves were astray."
“Then lo! this day they (both) are sharers in the doom.” (37:33)
“Lo! thus deal We with the guilty.” (37:34)
Then We shall make them taste the painful punishment.
And We shall gather them and their companions in the Fire.
“For when it was said unto them, There is no Allah save Allah, they were scornful” (37:35)
And they will say, "Are we to abandon our gods for the sake of a mad poet?"
“Nay, but he brought the Truth, and he confirmed those sent (before him).” (37:37)
And these polytheists who disbelieve in Allah,
In the world, when it was said to them, "Say: There is no god but Allah,"
They would act arrogantly and refuse to say it.
And they would say, "Shall we abandon the worship of our gods to follow a mad poet?"
But they lied; Muhammad (peace be upon him) was not as they described him.
Rather, he is a Prophet of Allah who brought the Qur'an from Him.
And he confirmed the messengers who came before him.
"You are indeed those who will taste the painful punishment."
“Ye are requited naught save what ye did -” (37:39)
You, O polytheists, will indeed taste the agonizing punishment in the Hereafter.
And you will not be recompensed in the Hereafter except for what you used to do in the world of disobedience to Allah.
Except for the chosen servants of Allah.
“For them there is a known provision,” (37:41)
Fruits, and they will be honored.
In the Gardens of Bliss.
On thrones, facing one another.
“A cup from a gushing spring is brought round for them,” (37:45)
White, delicious to those who drink.
“Wherein there is no headache nor are they made mad thereby.” (37:47)
Except for the servants of Allah whom He chose for His mercy the day He created them.
For they shall not taste the punishment.
These chosen ones will have a known provision.
Which is the fruits that Allah has created for them in Paradise.
And they will be honored with the honor that Allah has bestowed upon them in the Gardens of Bliss.
On thrones, facing one another.
Servants will circulate among them with a cup of flowing wine.
Visible to their eyes, not murky.
A cup of wine that its drinkers find delicious.
There is no harm in this wine, nor will it cause them distress in body or mind.
Nor anything else [of that nature].
Nor will their minds be clouded by drinking it.
And with them will be those who restrain their glances.
As if they were hidden pearls.
And with these chosen ones in Paradise,
Are women who restrain their glances for their husbands alone.
And do not extend their gaze to anyone else.
With large, beautiful eyes.
As if they were hidden pearls.
They are likened in their whiteness to the fact that they have not been touched before their husbands by any human or jinn.
To the whiteness of the egg that is inside the shell.
Which is the membrane covering the yolk.
Before it is touched by a hand or anything else.
As for the outer shell,
A bird touches it, and hands handle it.
“And some of them draw near unto others, mutually questioning.” (37:50)
“A speaker of them saith: Lo! I had a comrade” (37:51)
“Who used to say: Art thou in truth of those who put faith (in his words)?” (37:52)
“Can we, when we are dead and have become mere dust and bones - can we (then) verily be brought to book?” (37:53)
Then some of the people of Paradise will turn to one another, questioning.
A speaker among the people of Paradise will say:
“A speaker of them saith: Lo! I had a comrade” (37:51)
That companion was a devil.
That companion used to say to him:
"Are you indeed among those who believe in the resurrection after death?"
"When we have died and become dust and bones,"
"Are we indeed to be held accountable and recompensed?"
He will say, "Will you look down?"
So he will look down and see him in the midst of Hell.
He will say, "By Allah, you almost ruined me."
“And had it not been for the favour of my Lord, I too had been of those haled forth (to doom).” (37:57)
This believer who was admitted to Paradise will say to his companions:
"Will you look down into the Fire?"
"Perhaps I might see my companion."
They will say, "Yes."
So he will look down into the Fire and see him in the middle of Hell.
He will say to him:
"By Allah, you almost destroyed me in the world by turning me away from belief in the resurrection."
"And had it not been for the favor of my Lord in guiding me and granting me success to believe in the resurrection,"
"I would have been among those brought [to punishment] with you."
"Are we then not to die?"
“Saving our former death, and are we not to be punished?” (37:59)
"Indeed, this is the great success."
“For the like of this, then, let the workers work.” (37:61)
"Are we not to die, other than our first death in the world?"
"And are we not to be punished after entering Paradise?"
"Indeed, this which Allah has given us of honor in Paradise,"
"That we shall not be punished and we shall not die,"
"Is truly the great salvation from what we used to fear in the world regarding the punishment of Allah."
Allah, the Exalted, says:
For the likes of this which I have given these believers of honor in the Hereafter,
Let the workers work in the world for their own souls.
So that they may attain what these have attained through the obedience of their Lord.
Is that better as a welcome, or the tree of Zaqqum?
Indeed, We have made it a trial for the wrongdoers.
Is this which I have given these believers of My honor in Paradise better?
Or what I have prepared for the people of the Fire of Zaqqum?
Indeed, We have made it a trial for these polytheists.
Who said, "How can trees grow in the Fire?"
"When the Fire burns trees?"
“Lo! it is a tree that springeth in the heart of hell.” (37:64)
“Its crop is as it were the heads of devils” (37:65)
“And lo! they verily must eat thereof, and fill (their) bellies therewith.” (37:66)
“Lo! it is a tree that springeth in the heart of hell.” (37:64)
It is nourished by the Fire, and from it, it was created.
The fruit of the tree of Zaqqum, in its ugliness and repulsiveness, is like the heads of devils.
For these polytheists, for whom Allah has made this tree a trial,
Will be eaters from this tree, which is the tree of Zaqqum.
Filling their bellies with its Zaqqum.
“And afterward, lo! their return is surely unto hell.” (37:68)
They found their fathers astray.
“But they make haste (to follow) in their footsteps.” (37:70)
These polytheists, along with what they eat from the tree of Zaqqum,
Will have a mixture of scalding water.
Which has been heated until its heat has reached its peak.
Then their destination is to Hell.
These polytheists found their fathers astray from the right path.
So they hasten along their path.
To follow in their footsteps and their tradition.
“And verily most of the men of old went astray before them,” (37:71)
“And verily We sent among them warners.” (37:72)
So observe how the end of those who were warned was.
Except for the chosen servants of Allah.
And indeed, O Muhammad, most of the nations before your people went astray from the right path.
And We sent among the nations that passed before you warners to warn them of Our might.
So contemplate and observe how We destroyed those who were warned.
Except for the servants of Allah whom We chose for faith in Allah and His messengers.
And Noah called upon Us, and how excellent were the responders.
“And We saved him and his household from the great distress,” (37:76)
“And made his seed the survivors,” (37:77)
The Almighty says:
Noah called upon Us, asking Us for the destruction of his people.
And how excellent were We as responders when he called upon Us.
So We answered his prayer and destroyed his people.
And We saved him and his family who boarded the ship with him.
From the harm and distress he was in from the disbelievers.
And from the agony of the flood and drowning.
And We made the descendants of Noah those who remained on the earth after the destruction of his people.
The non-Arabs and the Arabs are from the children of Sam ibn Noah.
The Turks, the Slavs, and the Khazars are the children of Yafith ibn Noah.
The Sudanese are the children of Ham ibn Noah.
This is what the reports have stated and what the scholars have said.
And We left for him [a favorable mention] among the later generations.
“Peace be unto Noah among the peoples!” (37:79)
Indeed, thus do We reward the doers of good.
He is among Our believing servants.
Then We drowned the others.
And We preserved for Noah a beautiful mention and good praise.
Among those who came after him, they remember him for it.
A security from Allah for Noah among the worlds that anyone should mention him with evil.
Indeed, just as We did with Noah as a reward for his obedience to Us,
So do We reward those who do good and obey Us.
Noah is among Our servants who believed in Us.
They affirmed Our oneness and devoted their worship to Us.
Then We drowned those who remained of his people when We saved Noah and his family from the great distress.
A summary of the Tafsir of al-Tabari.