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Tafsir of Surah Az-Zumar - Verse 17

Surah 39
Verse 17
75 verses
17

وَٱلَّذِینَ ٱجۡتَنَبُوا۟ ٱلطَّـٰغُوتَ أَن یَعۡبُدُوهَا وَأَنَابُوۤا۟ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ لَهُمُ ٱلۡبُشۡرَىٰۚ فَبَشِّرۡ عِبَادِ

But those who have avoided Taghut, lest they worship it, and turned back to Allah - for them are good tidings. So give good tidings to My servants

Scholarly Interpretations(3)

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You are reading a tafsir for the group of verses 39:17 to 39:18

Good News for the Righteous `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam said, narrating from his father

وَالَّذِينَ اجْتَنَبُواْ الطَّـغُوتَ أَن يَعْبُدُوهَا

(Those who avoid At-Taghut by not worshipping them) was revealed concerning Zayd bin `Amr bin Nufayl and Abu Dharr and Salman Al-Farisi, may Allah be pleased with them. The correct view is that it includes them and all others who avoided worshipping idols and turned to the worship of Ar-Rahman. These are the people for whom there is good news in this world and in the Hereafter. Then Allah says:

فَبَشِّرْ عِبَادِالَّذِينَ يَسْتَمِعُونَ الْقَوْلَ فَيَـتَّبِعُونَ أَحْسَنَهُ

(so announce the good news to My servants -- those who listen to the Word and follow the best thereof,) meaning, those who understand it and act in accordance with it. This is like the Words of Allah, may He be exalted, to Musa, peace be upon him, when He gave him the Tawrah:

فَخُذْهَا بِقُوَّةٍ وَأْمُرْ قَوْمَكَ يَأْخُذُواْ بِأَحْسَنِهَا

(Hold unto these with firmness, and enjoin your people to take the better therein) (7:145).

أُوْلَـئِكَ الَّذِينَ هَدَاهُمُ اللَّهُ

(those are whom Allah has guided) means, those who are described in this manner are the ones whom Allah has guided in this world and the Hereafter.

وَأُوْلَـئِكَ هُمْ أُوْلُو الاٌّلْبَـبِ

(and those are men of understanding.) means, they possess sound reasoning and an upright nature.

You are reading a tafsir for the group of verses 39:10 to 39:17

In verse 10, it was said: وَأَرْ‌ضُ اللَّـهِ وَاسِعَةٌ (and the earth of Allah is wide).In the sentence previous to this, Good deeds had been enjoined. This might prompt someone to come up with the excuse, 'The city or country in which I live, or the social milieu I am stuck with around me stops me from doing good deeds.' This sentence carries an answer to this excuse - 'if you find adherence to Islamic legal injunctions difficult while living in some particular country, city or social setup, then, leave it. The earth of Allah is wide enough. Go and live at a place and in a surrounding that is conducive to remaining obedient to Divine commandments.' This persuades one to migrate from a place living in which one cannot dutifully follow and observe what has been enjoined by his religion. Some rules relating to hijrah (emigration) have already appeared in the commentary on Surah An-Nisa' (Ma’ ariful-Qur’ an, Volume II, Index p. 659, see under Hijrah).

In the last sentence of verse 10, it was said: إِنَّمَا يُوَفَّى الصَّابِرُ‌ونَ أَجْرَ‌هُم بِغَيْرِ‌ حِسَابٍ (Certainly those who observe patience will be given their reward in full without measure.) The expression: بِغَيْرِ‌ حِسَابٍ (bighayri-hisab: without measure) means that the reward of those who endure ordeals will not be given to them under some pre-determined calculations or measures, instead, it will be sans-calculation, sans-reckoning, in a spirit of generosity at its most sublime as mentioned in a Hadith narration that follows. Some others have interpreted this expression in the sense of request, or claim, that is, in this worldly life, should someone have some right due on someone, he has to initiate the claim for it. But, with Allah, those who observe patience will be given their reward without any request or claim.

Qatadah reports from Sayyidna Anas ؓ that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, 'On the Day of Judgment, a Scale of Justice will be set in place. When people who had given Sadaqah (charity) come forward, whatever they had given will be weighed, and they will be given their full reward against it. Similarly, the acts of worship such as Salah and Hajj will be weighed, and its reward would be duly given to those who had performed these. And when come those who had stood patient against trials and tribulations, for them, there will be no measure and weight, instead, their return and reward will be rolled down towards them without calculation, measure or reckoning - because, Allah Ta ala has said: إِنَّمَا يُوَفَّى الصَّابِرُ‌ونَ أَجْرَ‌هُم بِغَيْرِ‌ حِسَابٍ (Certainly those who observe patience will be given their reward in full without measure. - 39:10). So much so that people who had lived their life of the mortal world in perfect peace and comfort would wish, 'alas! Had our bodies been shredded with scissors during our life in the mortal world, we too would have earned a similar return for our endurance and patience against trials.'

Imam Malik (رح) has taken: صَابرین (as-sabirun) in this verse to mean people who endure hardships and remain patient over sorrows of the mortal life. Some elders have said that it means people who hold their self in check against acts of disobedience and sin. Qurtubi says, 'when the word: صَابِر (sabir: patient) is uttered unaccompanied by some other word, it invariably means a person who observes patience against hardships caused during the process of making one's desiring self abstain from sins. And when the word: صَبر (sabir) is used for a person who remains patient against distress, it is coupled with some other words: صَابِرت علی کَذَا (one who is patient against such and such distress). وَاللہ سبحانہ و تعالیٰ اَعلَم Allah knows best.

You are reading a tafsir for the group of verses 39:17 to 39:18

The present world is one of trial. Here, realities do not reveal themselves in their true and final shape, which makes room for anything to be wrongly interpreted. Satan exploits this possibility and misguides people from the right path. Whenever a Truth reveals itself, Satan tries to divert people’s minds from it by misinterpreting it. He turns away the good aspect of a thing and brings to the fore whatever is unfavourable about it. This is a situation in which a man is really put to the test. Man has to prove his wisdom by distinguishing between right and wrong. He should be able to tear down the satanic veil of deception and see the reality. Those who have proved themselves to be in possession of such insight are the fortunate ones because they will find the Divine Truth; those who fail to prove this are fated to be enmeshed in the negative aspect of things, and are liable to be brought before God as worshippers of Satan.