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Tafsir

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

Fussilat 41:25

Word by word

۞ وَقَيَّضْنَا لَهُمْ قُرَنَآءَ فَزَيَّنُوا۟ لَهُم مَّا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ وَحَقَّ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْقَوْلُ فِىٓ أُمَمٍ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِهِم مِّنَ ٱلْجِنِّ وَٱلْإِنسِ ۖ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ خَـٰسِرِينَ

And We appointed for them companions who made attractive to them what was before them and what was behind them [of sin], and the word [i.e., decree] has come into effect upon them among nations which had passed on before them of jinn and men. Indeed, they [all] were losers.

Ibn Kathir (Abridged) English Ma'arif al-Qur'an English Tafsir Muyassar Arabic Tafsir Ibn Kathir Arabic All sources

Ibn Kathir (Abridged)

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

The intimate Companions of the Idolators make Evil Actionsattractive to Them Allah tells us that He is the One Who sends theidolators astray, and that this happens by His will and decree. He isthe All-Wise in His actions, when He appoints for them closecompanions from among the devils of men and Jinn.فَزَيَّنُواْ لَهُم مَّا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ(who have made fair seeming to them, what was before them and what was behind them.) means, they made their deeds attractive to them in the past. As far as the future is concerned, they only see themselves as doing good, as Allah says:وَمَن يَعْشُ عَن ذِكْرِ الرَّحْمَـنِ نُقَيِّضْ لَهُ شَيْطَاناً فَهُوَ لَهُ قَرِينٌ - وَإِنَّهُمْ لَيَصُدُّونَهُمْ عَنِ السَّبِيلِ وَيَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّهُم مُّهْتَدُونَ(And whosoever turns away blindly from the remembrance of the Most Gracious, We appoint for him a Shaytan to be a companion for him.

And verily, they hinder them from the path, but they think that they are guided aright!) (43:36-37)وَحَقَّ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقَوْلُ(And the Word is justified against them) means, the Word of torment, just as it was justified against the nations of the past who did what they did, men and Jinn alike.إِنَّهُمْ كَانُواْ خَـسِرِينَ(Indeed they (all) were the losers.) means, they are all equal in terms of loss and being doomed.

How the disbelievers advised One Another not to listen to the Qur'an, and the Recompense for thatوَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لاَ تَسْمَعُواْ لِهَـذَا الْقُرْءَانِ(And those who disbelieve say: "Listen not to this Qur'an...") means, they advised one another not to pay heed to the Qur'an or obey its commands.وَالْغَوْاْ فِيهِ(and make noise in the midst of its) means, when it is recited, do not listen to it. This was the view of Mujahid. "And make noise in the midst of its (recitation)" means whistling and trying to make the Messenger of Allah ﷺ confused when he recited Qur'an, which is what the Quraysh did.لَعَلَّكُمْ تَغْلِبُونَ(that you may overcome.) means, this is the practice of these ignorant disbelievers and those who follow in their footsteps, when they hear the Qur'an. Allah commanded us to be different from that, and said:وَإِذَا قُرِىءَ الْقُرْءَانُ فَاسْتَمِعُواْ لَهُ وَأَنصِتُواْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ(So, when the Qur'an is recited, listen to it, and be silent that you may receive mercy.) (7:204).

Then Allah says:فَلَنُذِيقَنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ عَذَاباً شَدِيداً(But surely, We shall cause those who disbelieve to taste a severe torment, ) meaning, in return for what they do when they hear the Qur'an.وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّهُمْ أَسْوَأَ الَّذِى كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ(and certainly, We shall requite them the worst of what they used to do.) means, for their evil deeds.ذَلِكَ جَزَآءُ أَعْدَآءِ اللَّهِ النَّارُ لَهُمْ فِيهَا دَارُ الخُلْدِ جَزَآءً بِمَا كَانُوا بِـَايـتِنَا يَجْحَدُون - وَقَال الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ رَبَّنَآ أَرِنَا اللَّذَيْنِ أَضَلَّـنَا مِنَ الْجِنِّ وَالإِنسِ نَجْعَلْهُمَا تَحْتَ أَقْدَامِنَا لِيَكُونَا مِنَ الاٌّسْفَلِينَ(That is the recompense of the enemies of Allah: the Fire. Therein will be for them the eternal home, a recompense for that they used to deny Our Ayat. And those who disbelieve will say: "Our Lord!

Show us those among Jinn and men who led us astray, that we may crush them under our feet so that they become the lowest.") It was reported that `Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said, concerning the phrase,اللَّذَيْنِ أَضَلَّـنَا(those who led us astray): "Iblis and the son of Adam who killed his brother." As-Suddi reported that `Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said; "Iblis is followed by everyone who commits Shirk and the son of Adam is followed by everyone who commits a major sin.

So Iblis is the one who calls people to every evil thing, such as Shirk and lesser sins." As for the first son of Adam, it is as confirmed in the Hadith:«مَا قُتِلَتْ نَفْسٌ ظُلْمًا إِلَّا كَانَ عَلَى ابْنِ آدَمَ الْأَوَّلِ كِفْلٌ مِنْ دَمِهَا،لِأَنَّهُ أَوَّلُ مَنْ سَنَّ الْقَتْل»(No soul is wrongfully killed, but a share of the burden of that sin will be upon the first son of Adam, because he was the first one who set the precedent of killing another.)نَجْعَلْهُمَا تَحْتَ أَقْدَامِنَا(that we may crush them under our feet) means, `make them beneath us in the torment, so that they will be punished more severely than us.'لِيَكُونَا مِنَ الاٌّسْفَلِينَ(so that they become the lowest.) means, in the lowest level of Hell, as already mentioned in Al-A`raf, where the followers ask Allah to multiply the torment for their leaders:قَالَ لِكُلٍّ ضِعْفٌ وَلَـكِن لاَّ تَعْلَمُونَ((Allah) said: "For each one there is double (torment), but you know not.") (7:38) i.e., Allah will give each of them the torment and punishment they deserve for their deeds.

This is like the Ayah:الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَصَدُّواْ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ زِدْنَـهُمْ عَذَابًا فَوْقَ الْعَذَابِ بِمَا كَانُواْ يُفْسِدُونَ(Those who disbelieved and hinder (men) from the path of Allah, for them We will add torment to the torment because they used to spread corruption.) (16:88).

Ma'arif al-Qur'an

Mufti Muhammad Shafi

وَمَا كُنتُمْ تَسْتَتِرُ‌ونَ أَن يَشْهَدَ عَلَيْكُمْ سَمْعُكُمْ (And you had not been hiding your selves [ when committing sins ] because of [ the apprehension ] that your ears and your eyes and your skins would bear witness against you,….41:22) This verse means that if anyone wants to commit a sin or a crime, he may hide it from others, but how can he hide it from his own limbs and organs? When it is known that our ears, eyes, hands, feet, skin and hair are not ours, rather they are witnesses of the state against us, and when they would be questioned about our deeds, they would give true evidence, then there is no way to hide the commitment of a crime or a sin. The only way to avoid the disgrace is to keep away from sin.

Although it is not expected from the deniers of Oneness of Allah and of prophethood, that it would enter their minds that their organs and limbs would speak up before Allah Almighty and give evidence against themselves, yet any intelligent person could have understood that it is totally impossible that the One who has created him from a lowly matter, given him ability to hear and see, brought him up and made him young, will not fully know his deeds and state of affairs. But you had thought, against this evident matter, that Allah Almighty had no knowledge of many of your deeds. This false assumption encouraged you to commit ` shirk' and ` kufr'. This is the meaning of Verse 23 where it is said, ' وَذَٰلِكُمْ ظَنُّكُمُ الَّذِي ظَنَنتُم بِرَ‌بِّكُمْ أَرْ‌دَاكُمْ "And this thought of yours that you conceived about your Lord brought you to ruin..."The Evidence of Man's Limbs and organs after Resurrection

According to a narration reported in Sahih of Muslim Sayyidna Anas ؓ says, "One day we were with the Holy Prophet ﷺ when he started laughing. Then he asked us whether we knew why he was laughing. We said that Allah and His Rasul ﷺ knew best. Then he said "What made me laugh was the dialogue a slave will have with his Lord on the Day of Resurrection. The slave will say, "0 my Lord! Did you not give me protection from injustice?" Allah Almighty will say, ` No doubt, I did.' Then this slave will say, ` Since this is so, I would not be satisfied with any evidence in the matter of my accountability, except that some part of my own being stands up as witness.' Allah Almighty will say, كَفَىٰ بِنَفْسِكَ الْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكَ حَسِيبًا ` Your own being is enough today to take your account. (17:14) ' Then his mouth will be sealed, and his limbs and organs will be asked to tell about his deeds. Every organ would speak up and give true evidence.

After that his mouth will be unsealed, and then he will say to his own organs in displeasure, بُعداًلَّکُم وسُحقاً فَعَنکُنَّ اُنَاضِلُ ` May you be ruined. May you be destroyed; whatever I had done in the world was only to make you comfortable', (whereas you have stated to furnish evidence against me.)And according to another narration by Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ ، this person's mouth will be sealed, and his thigh will be called to speak and tell about his deeds. Then his thigh, its flesh and bone will all give evidence of his deeds. (Muslim, Mazhari)Sayyidna Ma'qil Ibn Yasar ؓ has narrated that the Holy Prophet ﷺ has said that every new day calls the humans saying, ` I am a new day, and I shall be a witness to whatever you do today. So you should do some good deed before I come to an end, in order that I may give evidence, because once I am gone, you will never find me again. Similarly, every night gives the same call.' (Al-Qurtubi, with reference to Abu Nu'aim)

Tafsir Muyassar

Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Saudi Arabia

وهيأنا لهؤلاء الظالمين الجاحدين قرناء فاسدين من شياطين الإنس والجن، فزينوا لهم قبائح أعمالهم في الدنيا، ودعَوهم إلى لذاتها وشهواتها المحرمة، وزَيَّنوا لهم ما خَلْفهم من أمور الآخرة، فأنسوهم ذِكرها، ودعَوهم إلى التكذيب بالمعاد، وبذلك استحقوا دخول النار في جملة أمم سابقة من كفرة الجن والإنس، إنهم كانوا خاسرين أعمالهم في الدنيا وأنفسهم وأهليهم يوم القيامة.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

يذكر تعالى أنه هو الذي أضل المشركين ، وأن ذلك بمشيئته وكونه وقدرته ، وهو الحكيم في أفعاله ، بما قيض لهم من القرناء من شياطين الإنس والجن : ( فزينوا لهم ما بين أيديهم وما خلفهم ) أي : حسنوا لهم أعمالهم في الماضي ، وبالنسبة إلى المستقبل فلم يروا أنفسهم إلا محسنين ، كما قال تعالى : ( ومن يعش عن ذكر الرحمن نقيض له شيطانا فهو له قرين وإنهم ليصدونهم عن السبيل ويحسبون أنهم مهتدون ) [ الزخرف : 36 ، 37 ] .وقوله تعالى : ( وحق عليهم القول ) أي : كلمة العذاب كما حق على أمم قد خلت من قبلهم ، ممن فعل كفعلهم ، من الجن والإنس ، ( إنهم كانوا خاسرين ) أي : استووا هم وإياهم في الخسار والدمار .

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.