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-Shammar.
Surah al-Taghabun.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth glorifies Allah.
“All that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth glorifieth Allah; unto Him belongeth Sovereignty and unto Him belongeth praise, and He is Able to do all things.” (64:1)
And He is over all things competent.
Everything in the seven heavens and the earth from among His creation prostrates to Him and magnifies Him.
To Him belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and their sovereignty.
His decree is absolute, and His command is binding upon them.
To Him belongs the praise of all the creatures within them.
For all of those creatures know that goodness comes only from Him.
And they have no provider other than Him.
Therefore, to Him belongs the praise of them all.
And He is possessor of power over all things.
He creates what He wills, and causes to die whom He wills.
He enriches whom He desires and impoverishes whom He wills.
He honors whom He wills and humiliates whom He wills.
Nothing He intends is impossible for Him.
Because He possesses the absolute power, with which nothing can frustrate Him.
“He it is Who created you, but one of you is a disbeliever and one of you is a believer, and Allah is Seer of what ye do.” (64:2)
And Allah is All-Seeing of what you do.
It is Allah who created you, O people.
Among you is the one who disbelieves in his Creator and that He created him.
And among you is the one who believes in Him, certain that He is his Creator and Originator.
Allah, who created you, is All-Seeing of your deeds and aware of them.
Nothing of them is hidden from Him.
And He will recompense you for them.
So fear Him, lest you oppose His command or His prohibition,
And He strikes you with His punishment.
“He created the heavens and the earth with truth, and He shaped you and made good your shapes, and unto Him is the journeying.” (64:3)
“He created the heavens and the earth with truth, and He shaped you and made good your shapes, and unto Him is the journeying.” (64:3)
He created the seven heavens and the earth with justice and fairness.
And He fashioned you, and perfected your forms.
And to Allah is the return of you all, O people.
He knows what is in the heavens and the earth.
“He knoweth all that is in the heavens and the earth, and He knoweth what ye conceal and what ye publish. And Allah is Aware of what is in the breasts (of men).” (64:4)
And Allah is All-Knowing of what is within the breasts.
Your Lord knows, O people, everything that is in the seven heavens and the earth.
Nothing of that is hidden from Him.
He knows what you conceal, O people, within yourselves of speech and action.
And what you declare of that, which you make manifest.
And Allah is All-Knowing of the innermost thoughts of His servants' breasts,
And what their souls contain.
That which is more hidden than a secret.
Nothing of that escapes Him.
Beware of concealing other than what you declare,
Or harboring within yourselves other than what you show.
For nothing of that is hidden from your Lord.
He records it all and preserves it all for you.
“Hath not the story reached you of those who disbelieved of old and so did taste the ill-effects of their conduct, and theirs will be a painful doom.” (64:5)
“Hath not the story reached you of those who disbelieved of old and so did taste the ill-effects of their conduct, and theirs will be a painful doom.” (64:5)
“That was because their messengers (from Allah) kept coming unto them with clear proofs (of Allah's Sovereignty), but they said: Shall mere mortals guide us? So they disbelieved and turned away, and Allah was independent (of them). Allah is Absolute, Owner of Praise.” (64:6)
So they said, "Shall human beings guide us?"
Thus they disbelieved and turned away.
And Allah became independent of them.
And Allah is Free of need, Praiseworthy.
Has there not come to you, O people,
The news of those who disbelieved before you?
Such as the people of Nuh, 'Ad, and Thamud.
“And the folk of Abraham and the folk of Lot;” (22:43)
So the punishment of Allah touched them for their disbelief.
And for them is a painful, agonizing punishment on the Day of Resurrection in the fire of Hell,
Along with the consequence of their disbelief that Allah made them taste in this world.
This is what befell them
Because their messengers used to come to them
With clear proofs that their Lord sent them with,
With manifest evidence and signs
Of the truth of what they were calling them to.
So they said to them, "Shall human beings guide us?"
Out of arrogance on their part that the messengers of Allah to them should be human beings like themselves,
And out of arrogance against following the truth,
Because a human being like them called them to it.
So they disbelieved in Allah,
And rejected the message of His messengers whom Allah sent to them, out of arrogance.
And they turned their backs on the truth and did not accept it,
And turned away from what their messengers called them to.
And Allah became independent of them and of their belief in Him and His messengers.
And He had no need of that from them.
And Allah is Free of need of all His creation,
Praised by all of them for His beautiful favors upon them,
And His generous actions toward them.
“Those who disbelieve assert that they will not be raised again. Say (unto them, O Muhammad): Yea, verily, by my Lord! ye will be raised again and then ye will be informed of what ye did; and that is easy for Allah.” (64:7)
“Those who disbelieve assert that they will not be raised again. Say (unto them, O Muhammad): Yea, verily, by my Lord! ye will be raised again and then ye will be informed of what ye did; and that is easy for Allah.” (64:7)
Then you will surely be informed of what you used to do.
“Those who disbelieve assert that they will not be raised again. Say (unto them, O Muhammad): Yea, verily, by my Lord! ye will be raised again and then ye will be informed of what ye did; and that is easy for Allah.” (64:7)
Those who disbelieved in Allah claimed
That they would never be resurrected by Allah to Him from their graves after their death.
Say to them, O Muhammad,
"Yes, by my Lord, you will surely be resurrected from your graves."
Then you will surely be informed of the deeds you did in the world.
And your resurrection from your graves after your death
Is easy for Allah.
“So believe in Allah and His messenger and the light which We have revealed. And Allah is Informed of what ye do.” (64:8)
And Allah is All-Acquainted with what you do.
So believe in Allah and His Messenger, O polytheists who deny the resurrection,
And in His informing you that you will be resurrected after your death,
And that after you decay, you will be brought forth from your graves.
And believe in the Light which We have sent down,
Which is this Qur'an that Allah sent down upon His Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.
And Allah is All-Acquainted with your deeds, O people, encompassing them,
Recording them all; nothing of them is hidden from Him.
And He will recompense you for them all.
“The day when He shall gather you unto the Day of Assembling, that will be a day of mutual disillusion. And whoso believeth in Allah and doeth right, He will remit from him his evil deeds and will bring him unto Gardens underneath which rivers flow, therein to abide for ever. That is the supreme triumph.” (64:9)
And whoever believes in Allah and does righteousness,
“The day when He shall gather you unto the Day of Assembling, that will be a day of mutual disillusion. And whoso believeth in Allah and doeth right, He will remit from him his evil deeds and will bring him unto Gardens underneath which rivers flow, therein to abide for ever. That is the supreme triumph.” (64:9)
Abiding eternally therein forever.
That is the great attainment.
And Allah is All-Acquainted with what you do.
The Day He will assemble you for the Day of Assembly of the creatures for the presentation.
The day the people of Paradise will gain over the people of the Fire.
That is the Day of Mutual Loss and Gain.
And it is one of the names of the Day of Resurrection.
He has magnified it and warned His servants of it.
And whoever believes in Allah and acts in obedience to Him,
And adheres to His command and prohibition,
He will remove from him his sins,
And admit him into gardens beneath whose trees rivers flow,
Abiding therein forever.
They will not die, nor will they be brought out of them.
That is the great success.
And those who disbelieved and denied Our signs,
Those are the companions of the Fire,
Those are the companions of the Fire,
Abiding eternally therein.
And wretched is the destination.
And those who rejected the oneness of Allah,
And denied His evidence and proofs,
And the verses of His Book which He sent down upon His servant Muhammad, peace be upon him,
Those are the companions of the Fire, remaining therein forever.
They will not die therein, nor will they be brought out of it.
And wretched is the thing to which one is turned: Hell.
“No calamity befalleth save by Allah's leave. And whosoever believeth in Allah, He guideth his heart. And Allah is Knower of all things.” (64:11)
And whoever believes in Allah, He guides his heart.
And Allah is Knowing of all things.
No disaster strikes anyone among the creation
Except by the decree of Allah and His ordainment of that for him.
And whoever believes in Allah,
Knowing that no one is struck by a disaster except by the permission of Allah,
Allah guides his heart to submit to His command and be content with His decree.
And Allah is All-Knowing of all things, of what has been and what will be,
And what is to be, before it comes to pass.
And obey Allah and obey the Messenger.
“Obey Allah and obey His messenger; but if ye turn away, then the duty of Our messenger is only to convey (the message) plainly.” (64:12)
And obey Allah, O people, in His command and His prohibition,
And obey the Messenger, peace be upon him.
But if you turn away from the obedience of Allah and the obedience of His Messenger, being arrogant toward it,
And thus do not obey Allah nor His Messenger,
Then there is not upon Our Messenger, Muhammad, except the clear notification.
For he has fulfilled his duty to you by conveying the message.
And Allah is the Guardian of retribution against those who disobey Him, oppose His command, and turn away from Him.
Your object of worship, O people, is one object of worship.
Worship is not appropriate for anyone else, and there is no object of worship for you other than Him.
And upon Allah, O people, let the believers in His oneness rely.
O you who have believed in Allah and His Messenger,
“O ye who believe! Lo! among your wives and your children there are enemies for you, therefor beware of them. And if ye efface and overlook and forgive, then lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.” (64:14)
They divert you from the way of Allah and discourage you from the obedience of Allah.
So beware of them, lest you accept from them what they command you to do regarding abandoning the obedience of Allah.
And if you pardon, O believers, what has passed from them of their diverting you from Islam and the migration,
And overlook their punishment for that,
And forgive them for other than that of sins,
Then Allah is Forgiving to you and to whoever repents among His servants from your sins,
Merciful to you, that He would not punish you for them after your repentance from them.
“Your wealth and your children are only a temptation, whereas Allah! with Him is an immense reward.” (64:15)
Your wealth, O people, and your children are but a trial.
Meaning a test for you in this world.
And Allah, with Him is a great reward for you, which is Paradise,
If you oppose your children and your spouses in the obedience of Allah, your Lord,
And obey Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, and fulfill the right of Allah in your wealth.
“So keep your duty to Allah as best ye can, and listen, and obey, and spend; that is better for your souls. And whoso is saved from his own greed, such are the successful.” (64:16)
And spend, it is better for yourselves.
And whoever is protected from the stinginess of his soul, it is they who are the successful.
And fear Allah, O believers, and dread His punishment.
And avoid His torment by performing His obligatory duties and avoiding His prohibitions,
And acting according to what draws one near to Him as much as you are able and as your capacity reaches.
And listen to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
And obey him in what he commands you and forbids you.
And spend wealth from your possessions for yourselves, to save it from the punishment of Allah.
And whoever is protected by Allah from the stinginess of his soul,
Which is following its desires in what Allah has forbidden,
Then those are the ones who have been protected from the stinginess of their souls,
The successful ones who have attained their requests with their Lord.
“If ye lend unto Allah a goodly loan, He will double it for you and will forgive you, for Allah is Responsive, Clement,” (64:17)
And Allah is Appreciative, Forbearing.
“Knower of the Invisible and the Visible, the Mighty, the Wise.” (64:18)
And if you spend in the way of Allah, and do so with good intention in that spending,
And seek the reward and recompense through your spending,
Your Lord will multiply that for you.
He will make for you in place of one, seven hundred fold,
To more than that, of what He wills of multiplication.
And He will overlook your punishment for it,
Along with His multiplying your spending that you spend in His way.
And Allah is Appreciative of those who spend in His way,
By the good reward for them for what they spent in the world in His way.
Forbearing toward those who disobey Him by not hastening His punishment upon them.
Knowing what the eyes of His servants do not see and what is absent from their sight,
And what they witness and see with their eyes.
Severe in His retribution against those who disobey Him and oppose His command and prohibition.
Wise in His management of His creation and His directing them in what is for their benefit.