Tafsir of Surah Maryam - Verse 84

The Idols of the Polytheists will deny Their Worship

Allah, the Exalted, informs about the disbelievers who associate partners with their Lord, that they have taken gods besides Allah, so that these gods may be a source of honor and might for them. They think that these gods give them power and make them victorious. Then, Allah mentions that the matter is not as they claim, and it will not be as they hope. He says,

كَلاَّ سَيَكْفُرُونَ بِعِبَـدَتِهِمْ

(Nay, but they will deny their worship of them,) on the Day of Judgement.

وَيَكُونُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ ضِدّاً

(and will become their adversaries.) This means that they will be foes in a state other than what they think about these gods. This is similar to Allah's statement,

وَمَنْ أَضَلُّ مِمَّن يَدْعُو مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ مَن لاَّ يَسْتَجِيبُ لَهُ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَـمَةِ وَهُمْ عَن دُعَآئِهِمْ غَـفِلُونَ - وَإِذَا حُشِرَ النَّاسُ كَانُواْ لَهُمْ أَعْدَآءً وَكَانُواْ بِعِبَادَتِهِمْ كَـفِرِينَ

(And who is more astray than one who calls upon, besides Allah, such as will not answer him till the Day of Resurrection, and who are (even) unaware of their calls to them And when mankind are gathered, they will become their enemies and will deny their worshipping.) 46:5-6 As-Suddi said,

كَلاَّ سَيَكْفُرُونَ بِعِبَـدَتِهِمْ

(Nay, but they will deny their worship of them,) "This means their worshipping of the idols. " Allah said,

وَيَكُونُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ ضِدّاً

(and will become their adversaries) contrary to what they hoped for from these gods. As-Suddi said,

وَيَكُونُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ ضِدّاً

(and will become their adversaries.) "They will be in severe opposition and argument." Ad-Dahhak said,

وَيَكُونُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ ضِدّاً

(and will become their adversaries.) "This means enemies."

The Power of the Devils over the Disbelievers

Concerning Allah's statement,

أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّآ أَرْسَلْنَا الشَّيَـطِينَ عَلَى الْكَـفِرِينَ تَؤُزُّهُمْ أَزّاً

(See you not that We have sent the Shayatin against the disbelievers to push them to do evil.) `Ali bin Abi Talhah said that Ibn `Abbas said, "They will lead them astray with temptation." Al-`Awfi said that Ibn `Abbas said, "They will incite them against Muhammad and his Companions." Qatadah said, "They will harass them and disturb them until they disobey Allah." `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd said, "This is similar to Allah's statement,

وَمَن يَعْشُ عَن ذِكْرِ الرَّحْمَـنِ نُقَيِّضْ لَهُ شَيْطَاناً فَهُوَ لَهُ قَرِينٌ

(And whosoever turns away blindly from the remembrance of the Most Gracious, We appoint for him a Shaytan to be a companion for him.)" 43:36 Concerning Allah's statement,

فَلاَ تَعْجَلْ عَلَيْهِمْ إِنَّمَا نَعُدُّ لَهُمْ عَدّاً

(So make no haste against them; We only count out to them a (limited) number.) This means, "Do not be hasty with the punishment that is going to befall them, O Muhammad."

إِنَّمَا نَعُدُّ لَهُمْ عَدّاً

(We only count out to them a number. ) This means, "We are only delaying them for a fixed appointment whose time is numbered. They are destined for that and there is no escaping the torment of Allah and His exemplary punishment." Allah says,

وَلاَ تَحْسَبَنَّ اللَّهَ غَـفِلاً عَمَّا يَعْمَلُ الظَّـلِمُونَ

(And consider not that Allah is unaware of that which the wrongdoers do.) 14:42 And He says,

فَمَهِّلِ الْكَـفِرِينَ أَمْهِلْهُمْ رُوَيْداً

(So give a respite to the disbelievers; deal gently with them for a while.) 86:17 And Allah says,

إِنَّمَا نُمْلِى لَهُمْ لِيَزْدَادُواْ إِثْمَاً

(We postpone the punishment only so that they may increase in sinfulness.) 3:178

نُمَتِّعُهُمْ قَلِيلاً ثُمَّ نَضْطَرُّهُمْ إِلَى عَذَابٍ غَلِيظٍ

(We let them enjoy for a little while, then in the end We shall oblige them to (enter) a great torment.) 31:24

قُلْ تَمَتَّعُواْ فَإِنَّ مَصِيرَكُمْ إِلَى النَّارِ

(Say: "Enjoy! But certainly, your destination is the (Hell) Fire.") 14:30 As-Suddi said,

إِنَّمَا نَعُدُّ لَهُمْ عَدّاً

(We only count out to them a (limited) number. ) means years, months, days and hours."

يَوْمَ نَحْشُرُ الْمُتَّقِينَ إِلَى الرَّحْمَـنِ وَفْداً

وَنَسُوقُ الْمُجْرِمِينَ إِلَى جَهَنَّمَ وِرْداً

إِنَّمَا نَعُدُّ لَهُمْ عَدًّا

"We are but counting for them a count down." - 19:84

This verse means: "Do not be impatient about their punishment because it is going to befall upon them in any case - and very soon. We have allowed them a fixed term in this world and that term is about to end. Then will come their retribution." نَعُدُّ لَهُمْ means: "We are counting for them, i.e. they do not have control on anything. Their days are numbered and We keep a count of every moment of their life and everything they do."

Once Ma'mun Rashid read Surah Maryam. Upon reading this particular verse, he desired that Ibn Simak, one of the Islamic scholars sitting in that meeting with him, to say something on it. Thereupon Ibn Simak submitted that when our breaths are numbered and their number cannot be enhanced, they will soon come to an end. The same notion is reflected in the following poetic verse:

حیاتک انفاس تعد فکلّمَا مضی نفس منک انتقصت بہ جزء اً

That is, the breaths of your lifer are counted. With every passing breath, your life gets reduced to that extent.

It is said that during one span of twenty-four hours, one breathes twenty-four thousand times. (Qurtubi)

The following stanza explores the same context:

و کیف یفرح بالدّنیاو لذّتھا فتی یُعَدّ علیہ اللفظ و النّفس

That is, how can one be so engrossed and relaxed with the worldly pleasures, while his words and breaths are being counted. (Ruh)

When Truth in its authentic form appears before a man and still he ignores it, this disregard of his paves the way for Satan’s entry into his very soul. As a result, his mind is given over to obduracy. Now he is not able to accept any argument in a right and positive manner. God’s signs may appear in front of him, but he offers self-devised explanations for them and even uses them to bolster his rebellious attitude and his arrogance. One who assumes false supports to be his real supports, which he can safely lean on, falls a prey to the same foolishness time and again. But those who fear God consider God alone to be their real support. The fear of God makes the believers give no importance to such people as mislead others into the belief that they are their true support. Thus it is the believers alone who will be God’s guests of honour in the life hereafter.