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13 Jumada al-awwal 1448 AH Saturday, 24 October 2026
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Study the Quran

Tafsir

Scholarly commentary explaining a verse — its context, its meaning and how the scholars have understood it.

Al-Anbya 21:18

Word by word

بَلْ نَقْذِفُ بِٱلْحَقِّ عَلَى ٱلْبَـٰطِلِ فَيَدْمَغُهُۥ فَإِذَا هُوَ زَاهِقٌ ۚ وَلَكُمُ ٱلْوَيْلُ مِمَّا تَصِفُونَ

Rather, We dash the truth upon falsehood, and it destroys it, and thereupon it departs. And for you is destruction from that which you describe.

Ibn Kathir (Abridged)

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

Creation was made with Justice and Wisdom

Allah tells us that He created the heavens and the earth in truth, i.e. with justice.لِيَجْزِىَ الَّذِينَ أَسَاءُواْ بِمَا عَمِلُواْ وَيِجْزِى الَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُواْ بِالْحُسْنَى(that He may requite those who do evil with that which they have done, and reward those who do good, with what is best.) 53:31. He did not create all that in vain or for (mere) play:وَمَا خَلَقْنَا السَّمَآءَ وَالاٌّرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا بَـطِلاً ذَلِكَ ظَنُّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ فَوَيْلٌ لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ مِنَ النَّارِ (And We created not the heaven and the earth and all that is between them without purpose! That is the consideration of those who disbelieve!

Then woe to those who disbelieve from the Fire!) 38:27لَوْ أَرَدْنَآ أَن نَّتَّخِذَ لَهْواً لاَّتَّخَذْنَـهُ مِن لَّدُنَّآ إِن كُنَّا فَـعِلِينَ (Had We intended to take a pastime, We could surely have taken it from Us, if We were going to do (that).) Ibn Abi Najih said, narrating from Mujahid:لَوْ أَرَدْنَآ أَن نَّتَّخِذَ لَهْواً لاَّتَّخَذْنَـهُ مِن لَّدُنَّآ(Had We intended to take a pastime, We could surely have taken it from Us,) "Meaning, `From Ourself,' He is saying, `We would not have created Paradise or Hell or death or the resurrection or the Reckoning."'إِن كُنَّا فَـعِلِينَ(if We were going to do (that).

) Qatadah, As-Suddi, Ibrahim An-Nakha`i and Mughirah bin Miqsam said: "This means, `We will not do that."' Mujahid said, every time the wordأَنْ(if) is used in the Qur'an, it is a negation.بَلْ نَقْذِفُ بِالْحَقِّ عَلَى الْبَـطِلِ(Nay, We fling the truth against the falsehood,) means, `We explain the truth and thus defeat falsehood.' Allah says:فَيَدْمَغُهُ فَإِذَا هُوَ زَاهِقٌ(so it destroys it, and behold, it disappears.) it is fading and vanishing.وَلَكُمُ الْوَيْلُ(And woe to you) O you who say that Allah has offspring.مِمَّا تَصِفُونَ(for that which you ascribe.) that which you say and fabricate. Then Allah informs of the servitude of the angels, and how they persevere in worship night and day:Everything belongs to Allah and serves Himوَلَهُ مَن فِى السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ وَمَنْ عِنْدَهُ(To Him belongs whosoever is in the heavens and on earth. And those who are near Him) i.e., the angels,لاَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِهِ(are not too proud to worship Him,) they do not feel proud and do not refuse to worship Him.

This is like the Ayah:لَّن يَسْتَنكِفَ الْمَسِيحُ أَن يَكُونَ عَبْداً للَّهِ وَلاَ الْمَلَـئِكَةُ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ وَمَن يَسْتَنْكِفْ عَنْ عِبَادَتِهِ وَيَسْتَكْبِرْ فَسَيَحْشُرُهُمْ إِلَيهِ جَمِيعاً (Al-Masih will never be proud to reject being a servant of Allah, nor the angels who are the near. And whosoever rejects His worship and is proud, then He will gather them all together unto Himself.) 4:172وَلاَ يَسْتَحْسِرُونَ(nor are they weary.) means, they do not get tired or feel bored.يُسَبِّحُونَ الْلَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ لاَ يَفْتُرُونَ (They glorify His praises night and day, they never slacken.) They persist in their worship night and day, obeying Allah to the utmost, and they are able to do this, as Allah says:لاَّ يَعْصُونَ اللَّهَ مَآ أَمَرَهُمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ(who do not disobey Allah in what He commands them, but do what they are commanded) 66:6

Ma'arif al-Qur'an

Mufti Muhammad Shafi

بَلْ نَقْذِفُ بِالْحَقِّ عَلَى الْبَاطِلِ فَيَدْمَغُهُ فَإِذَا هُوَ زَاهِقٌ (Instead, We launch the truth against the falsehood, which smashes it, and in no time it is nothing. - 21:18) The literal meaning of قَذَف is to throw horizontally which has been translated above as launching) یدمَغُ means to hit on the head (to smash it) and زَاھِق means something which is gone or vanishes without leaving a trace.

This verse explains that Allah has not created this marvelous universe with earth and the sky for amusement. This creation is the result of a carefully thought out plan which aims at distinguishing right from wrong. Observation of Nature's creations leads people along the righteous path and protects them from evil. This idea is conveyed in the verse by saying that virtue is hurled against evil and smashes its head so completely that it disappears without a trace.

Tafsir Muyassar

Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Saudi Arabia

بل نقذف بالحق ونبيِّنه، فيدحض الباطل، فإذا هو ذاهب مضمحل. ولكم العذاب في الآخرة - أيها المشركون - مِن وَصْفكم ربكم بغير صفته اللائقة به.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

وقوله : ( بل نقذف بالحق على الباطل ) أي : نبين الحق فيدحض الباطل; ولهذا قال : ( فيدمغه فإذا هو زاهق ) أي : ذاهب مضمحل ، ( ولكم الويل ) أي : أيها القائلون : لله ولد ، ( مما تصفون ) أي : تقولون وتفترون .ثم أخبر تعالى عن عبودية الملائكة له ، ودأبهم في طاعته ليلا ونهارا

Tafsir is provided for educational reference. Paragraph breaks are added for readability — the wording of each commentary is unchanged. For religious guidance, consult a qualified scholar.