Conclusion from Al-Tabari’s interpretation | Episode (23-2) | Surat Al-Mu'minun

0:00 In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

0:05 The Abridgment of Tafsir al-Tabari,

0:08 abridged by Dr. ‘Aqeel Ibn Salim al-Shammari.

0:12 Surah al-Mu’minun.

0:18 In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

0:22 "Far-fetched, how far-fetched is that which you are promised!

0:27 There is nothing but our worldly life;

0:30 we die and we live,

0:31 and we will never be resurrected."

0:37 The chieftains of Thamud said:

0:39 "How utterly far-fetched is what you are being promised, O people,

0:42 that after you die and turn into dust and bones,

0:47 you will be brought out alive from your graves!

0:50 That will never happen.

0:52 There is no life whatsoever except this worldly life in which we exist:

0:57 the living among us die and are never brought back to life,

1:00 while others of us are newly born and brought into the world alive;

1:04 we shall never be resurrected after death.

1:09 He is merely a man who has fabricated a lie against Allah."

1:14 “He is only a man who hath invented a lie about Allah. We are not going to put faith in him.” (23:38)

1:18 He said, "My Lord, grant me victory because they have denied me."

1:23 He said, "In a little while they will surely become regretful."

1:31 They said, "Salih is nothing but a man who has forged a lie against Allah in his claim:

1:36 'You have no deity other than Him,'

1:39 and in his promise that once you die, you will be brought forth alive;

1:43 we will never believe what he says."

1:47 Salih said:

1:49 "My Lord, grant me victory over them because they have denied me regarding the truth to which I have called them."

1:56 So Allah said to him:

1:58 "In a little while, O Salih, those among your people who reject you will surely become regretful of their denial."

2:05 That is when Our affliction falls upon them, and at that point, remorse will no longer benefit them.

2:22 So We sent against them the blast, and it seized them in full justice.

2:27 That was because Allah punished them justly, as they deserved His retribution on account of their disbelief in Him.

2:32 Thus We destroyed them and made them like the floating scum swept by a torrent, devoid of any benefit.

2:40 So away with the disbelieving people through their utter destruction,

2:43 since they disbelieved in their Lord and disobeyed His messenger!

2:48 “Then after them We brought forth other generations.” (23:42)

3:01 No nation can outstrip its appointed term, nor can they delay it.

3:18 Thus We did not hasten their destruction beyond the term We had decreed for their doom.

3:22 This is a divine warning to the polytheists that His deferral of their lifespans despite their disbelief

3:29 is only so they may reach the term ordained for them, after which His wrath shall descend upon them.

3:35 Then We sent Our messengers in succession;

3:39 every time its messenger came to a nation, they denied him.

3:45 “Then We sent our messengers one after another. Whenever its messenger came unto a nation they denied him; so We caused them to follow one another (to disaster) and We made them bywords. A far removal for folk who believe not!” (23:44)

3:52 “Then We sent our messengers one after another. Whenever its messenger came unto a nation they denied him; so We caused them to follow one another (to disaster) and We made them bywords. A far removal for folk who believe not!” (23:44)

3:58 Then We sent Our messengers in succession to the generations We brought forth after Thamud, one after another;

4:05 every time the messenger We sent to one of those nations came to them,

4:10 they rejected him.

4:12 So We made them follow one another in destruction,

4:16 and We reduced those nations to mere cautionary tales spoken of among people.

4:21 So away with a people who do not believe in Allah nor trust in His messenger!

4:28 “Then We sent Moses and his brother Aaron with Our tokens and a clear warrant” (23:45)

4:37 “Unto Pharaoh and his chiefs, but they scorned (them) and they were despotic folk.” (23:46)

4:45 Then We sent Moses and his brother Aaron with Our clear proofs, but they arrogantly refused to follow them,

4:51 for they were a tyrannical people, oppressing and subjugating the Israelites of their realm.

5:00 “And they said: Shall we put faith in two mortals like ourselves, and whose folk are servile unto us?” (23:47)

5:07 “So they denied them, and became of those who were destroyed.” (23:48)

5:14 So Pharaoh and his chiefs said, "Shall we believe in two mortals like ourselves and follow them,

5:20 while their people, the Israelites, are our humble and submissive servants?"

5:25 Thus Pharaoh and his chiefs rejected them, and they became among those whom Allah destroyed,

5:30 just as He destroyed the nations before them for denying their messengers.

5:36 And We certainly gave Moses the Scripture so that they might be guided.

5:42 And We made the son of Mary and his mother a sign.

5:47 “And We made the son of Mary and his mother a portent, and We gave them refuge on a height, a place of flocks and watersprings.” (23:50)

5:55 And We certainly gave Moses the Torah so that his people might be guided by it,

6:00 and We made the son of Mary and his mother a conclusive proof for their contemporaries,

6:05 and a demonstration of Our divine power to create bodies without a father.

6:10 And We sheltered them both at an elevated, sheltered place,

6:13 a level plain with flowing water.

6:17 “O ye messengers! Eat of the good things, and do right. Lo! I am Aware of what ye do.” (23:51)

6:24 “O ye messengers! Eat of the good things, and do right. Lo! I am Aware of what ye do.” (23:51)

6:28 “And lo! this your religion is one religion and I am your Lord, so keep your duty unto Me.” (23:52)

6:35 “And lo! this your religion is one religion and I am your Lord, so keep your duty unto Me.” (23:52)

6:43 And We said to Jesus:

6:45 "O messengers, eat from the wholesome, lawful things that Allah has made permissible for you,

6:50 and act righteously;

6:52 indeed, I am fully aware of all your deeds,

6:55 and I shall recompense you for all of them."

6:58 “And lo! this your religion is one religion and I am your Lord, so keep your duty unto Me.” (23:52)

7:01 And the Ummah here refers to the one true religion and creed:

7:04 "And I am your Lord and Master,

7:06 so fear Me by obeying Me, that you may be secure from My punishment."

7:21 Yet the people whom Allah commanded from the followers of the messenger Jesus to unite upon this one faith broke apart,

7:29 splintering their religion, which Allah had commanded them to adhere to, into factions and sect-books.

7:33 Each faction followed a scripture other than that adhered to by the other,

7:40 such as the Jews who claimed to follow the judgment of the Torah

7:44 while denying the authority of the Gospel and the Qur'an;

7:48 and like the Christians who claimed to abide by the Gospel

7:52 while rejecting the authority of the Criterion (the Qur'an).

7:54 Every faction among those groups

7:57 rejoices in and is self-satisfied with the religion and scriptures they have chosen for themselves,

8:02 not considering that the truth lies elsewhere.

8:26 So leave them, O Muhammad—those who have torn their affair into splintered factions—

8:32 in their delusion and misguidance until an appointed time when My punishment shall inevitably strike them.

8:38 Do these factions, who have fragmented their religion into sectarian parts, think

8:42 that whatever wealth and children We grant them in this immediate life

8:47 means We are hastening all the good things of the Hereafter for them?

8:50 That is not the case at all;

8:52 rather, they do not realize that Our extending them these worldly provisions

8:57 is merely a respite and a gradual drawing toward ruin.

9:02 “Lo! those who go in awe for fear of their Lord.” (23:57)

9:09 “And those who believe in the revelations of their Lord,” (23:58)

9:16 “And those who ascribe not partners unto their Lord,” (23:59)

9:21 “And those who give that which they give with hearts afraid because they are about to return unto their Lord,” (23:60)

9:30 “These race for the good things, and they shall win them in the race.” (23:61)

9:40 Indeed, those who are apprehensive out of awe and dread of the punishment of Allah,

9:45 and those who believe in the verses of His Book and His clear proofs,

9:50 and those who dedicate their worship purely and sincerely to their Lord,

9:53 associating no partner with Him in it,

9:57 nor performing deeds to show off before any of His creation,

10:00 and those who give the rightful recipients of charity what Allah has ordained in their wealth,

10:06 fulfilling the obligations due to Allah from their property,

10:10 while their hearts tremble with fear because they will return to their Lord,

10:15 dreading that what they have done might not save them from the punishment of Allah—

10:18 it is those who possess these noble attributes

10:22 who hasten to perform good deeds,

10:25 and for whom eternal bliss has already been decreed by Allah;

10:28 that is why they are foremost in every good deed they perform.

10:34 “And we task not any soul beyond its scope, and with Us is a Record which speaketh the truth, and they will not be wronged.” (23:62)

10:38 “And we task not any soul beyond its scope, and with Us is a Record which speaketh the truth, and they will not be wronged.” (23:62)

10:43 And they will not be wronged.

10:47 And We burden no soul beyond its capacity or what is wholesome for it in worship,

10:53 which is why We only tasked it with what it can bear in knowing the oneness of Allah.

10:58 And with Us is a record of creation's deeds, documenting whatever good or evil they have done,

11:03 which speaks with absolute truth regarding the deeds they performed in the world,

11:07 without any addition or subtraction.

11:11 And they will not be wronged:

11:13 the wrongdoer's sins will not be increased with deeds he never committed,

11:17 such that he would be punished for a fault not his own,

11:20 nor will the righteous person's good deeds be diminished,

11:23 such that his reward would be reduced.

11:27 Rather, their hearts are submerged in heedlessness regarding this;

11:31 “Nay, but their hearts are in ignorance of this (Qur'an), and they have other works, besides, which they are doing;” (23:63)

11:36 “Nay, but their hearts are in ignorance of this (Qur'an), and they have other works, besides, which they are doing;” (23:63)

11:40 they have deeds which they will inevitably perform.

11:44 Nay, the matter is not as these polytheists presume,

11:48 “Think they that in the wealth and sons wherewith We provide them” (23:55)

11:52 that what We grant them is an indication

11:54 of Our pleasure with them;

11:56 rather, their hearts are drowned in heedlessness concerning this Qur'an.

12:00 And what is meant by "ghomrah" (submersion)

12:02 is that which has engulfed their hearts,

12:04 blinding them from comprehending what Allah has placed in His Book

12:07 of exhortations, lessons, and proofs.

12:10 And these disbelievers have vile deeds of disobedience displeasing to Allah,

12:15 quite distinct from the deeds of the people of faith in Allah,

12:18 which they are bound to commit.

12:23 “Till when We grasp their luxurious ones with the punishment, behold! they supplicate.” (23:64)

12:28 until suddenly they cry out in despair.

12:31 "Do not cry out in despair today!"

12:34 “Supplicate not this day! Assuredly ye will not be helped by Us.” (23:65)

12:42 And these disbelievers from Quraysh shall continue in this state

12:44 “Nay, but their hearts are in ignorance of this (Qur'an), and they have other works, besides, which they are doing;” (23:63)

12:48 until the affluent and arrogant among them are seized by the punishment;

12:53 then, as soon as We seize them with it, they will scream and cry out for help over what has befallen them.

12:58 Do not scream or plead for rescue today!

13:01 For your frantic cries will not benefit you, nor will they ward off anything from you.

13:06 Indeed, you will not be saved from Our punishment that has descended upon you,

13:10 and nothing can rescue you from it.

13:14 “My revelations were recited unto you, but ye used to turn back on your heels,” (23:66)

13:18 “My revelations were recited unto you, but ye used to turn back on your heels,” (23:66)

13:23 “In scorn thereof. Nightly did ye rave together.” (23:67)

13:54 regarding their evil conduct concerning the Qur'an and the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him:

13:59 “Have they not pondered the Word, or hath that come unto them which came not unto their fathers of old?” (23:68)

14:09 “Or know they not their messenger, and so reject him?” (23:69)

14:16 “Or say they: There is a madness in him? Nay, but he bringeth them the Truth; and most of them are haters of the Truth.” (23:70)

14:20 “Or say they: There is a madness in him? Nay, but he bringeth them the Truth; and most of them are haters of the Truth.” (23:70)

14:29 Have these polytheists not pondered the revelation of Allah and His speech,

14:33 so that they might understand the lessons contained therein?

14:36 Or has something come to them that never came to their forefathers of old,

14:41 causing them to display arrogance and turn away?

14:43 Or did they fail to recognize Muhammad, knowing full well that he is among the most truthful and trustworthy,

14:48 such that they now reject his word?

14:51 Or do they say that Muhammad is afflicted with madness,

14:53 speaking meaningless, incomprehensible words without knowing what he says?

14:59 Nay, Muhammad has brought them wisdom and the self-evident truth whose veracity cannot be hidden,

15:05 but most of them are averse to submitting to the truth,

15:09 resentful of following Muhammad,

15:12 out of sheer envy toward him, transgression against him, and arrogance in the land.

15:17 “And if the Truth had followed their desires, verily the heavens and the earth and whosoever is therein had been corrupted. Nay, We have brought them their Reminder, but from their Reminder they now turn away.” (23:71)

15:27 “And if the Truth had followed their desires, verily the heavens and the earth and whosoever is therein had been corrupted. Nay, We have brought them their Reminder, but from their Reminder they now turn away.” (23:71)

15:35 And had the Lord acted in accordance with what these polytheists desire,

15:39 directing the affairs of creation according to their whims and will,

15:43 and abandoning the truth they so loathe,

15:47 the heavens, the earth, and all who dwell within them would have been corrupted.

15:50 That is because they do not know the ultimate consequences of matters,

15:54 nor can they discern sound governance from ruinous mismanagement.

15:57 Rather, We brought them their honor,

16:00 for this Qur'an was an honor for them

16:03 because it was revealed to a man from among themselves;

16:06 yet they turned away from it and rejected it.

16:18 Or are you asking these polytheists, O Muhammad,

16:23 from among your people, for a payment in return for what you have brought them from Allah?

16:27 The reward of your Lord for carrying out His command

16:30 and seeking His pleasure is far better for you than that,

16:34 and Allah is the Best of Providers and the Best to grant compensation for righteous deeds.

16:48 And indeed, O Muhammad, you are calling these polytheists to Islam,

16:54 which is the straight path wherein there is no crookedness.

16:58 And indeed, those who do not believe in the Resurrection and the onset of the Hour,

17:03 nor in the recompense of Allah for His servants in the Hereafter,

17:07 are clearly deviating from the path of truth and the upright way.

17:12 The Abridgment of Tafsir...

17:14 The Abridgment of Tafsir al-Tabari.

Conclusion from Al-Tabari’s interpretation | Episode (23-2) | Surat Al-Mu'minun | Verses from (36) to (74)

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