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Tafsir

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

Al-A'raf 7:53

Word by word

هَلْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَّا تَأْوِيلَهُۥ ۚ يَوْمَ يَأْتِى تَأْوِيلُهُۥ يَقُولُ ٱلَّذِينَ نَسُوهُ مِن قَبْلُ قَدْ جَآءَتْ رُسُلُ رَبِّنَا بِٱلْحَقِّ فَهَل لَّنَا مِن شُفَعَآءَ فَيَشْفَعُوا۟ لَنَآ أَوْ نُرَدُّ فَنَعْمَلَ غَيْرَ ٱلَّذِى كُنَّا نَعْمَلُ ۚ قَدْ خَسِرُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ وَضَلَّ عَنْهُم مَّا كَانُوا۟ يَفْتَرُونَ

Do they await except its result? The Day its result comes, those who had ignored it before will say, "The messengers of our Lord had come with the truth, so are there [now] any intercessors to intercede for us or could we be sent back to do other than what we used to do?" They will have lost themselves, and lost from them is what they used to invent.

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 Idolators have no Excuse

Allah states that He has left no excuse for the idolators, for He has sent to them the Book that the Messenger came with, and which is explained in detail, كِتَابٌ أُحْكِمَتْ ءايَـتُهُ ثُمَّ فُصِّلَتْ((This is) a Book, the Ayat whereof are perfected (in every sphere of knowledge), and then explained in detail ) 11:1 Allah said next, فَصَّلْنَـهُ عَلَى عِلْمٍ(We have explained in detail with knowledge) meaning, `We have perfect knowledge of what We explained in it'. Allah said in another Ayah, أَنزَلَهُ بِعِلْمِهِ(He has sent it down with His Knowledge,) 4:166 The meaning here is that after Allah mentioned the loss the idolators end up with in the Hereafter, He stated that He has indeed sent Prophets and revealed Books in this life, thus leaving no excuse for them.

Allah also said; وَمَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِينَ حَتَّى نَبْعَثَ رَسُولاً(And We never punish until We have sent a Messenger (to give warning).) 17:15 This is why Allah said here, هَلْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلاَّ تَأْوِيلَهُ(Await they just for the final fulfillment of the event) in reference to what they were promised of torment, punishment, the Fire; or Paradise, according to Mujahid and several others. يَوْمَ يَأْتِى تَأْوِيلُهُ(On the Day the event is finally fulfilled,) on the Day of Resurrection, according to Ibn `Abbas, يَقُولُ الَّذِينَ نَسُوهُ مِن قَبْلُ(those who neglected it before will say) those who ignored it in this life and neglected abiding by its implications will say, قَدْ جَآءَتْ رُسُلُ رَبِّنَا بِالْحَقِّ فَهَل لَّنَا مِن شُفَعَآءَ فَيَشْفَعُواْ لَنَآ("Verily, the Messengers of our Lord did come with the truth, now are there any intercessors for us that they might intercede on our behalf") so that we are saved from what we ended up in.

أَوْ نُرَدُّ("Or could we be sent back"), to the first life, فَنَعْمَلَ غَيْرَ الَّذِى كُنَّا نَعْمَلُ("So that we might do (good) deeds other than those (evil) deeds which we used to do"). This part of the Ayah is similar to Allah's statement, وَلَوْ تَرَى إِذْ وُقِفُواْ عَلَى النَّارِ فَقَالُواْ يلَيْتَنَا نُرَدُّ وَلاَ نُكَذِّبَ بِـَايَـتِ رَبِّنَا وَنَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ - بَلْ بَدَا لَهُمْ مَّا كَانُواْ يُخْفُونَ مِن قَبْلُ وَلَوْ رُدُّواْ لَعَـدُواْ لِمَا نُهُواْ عَنْهُ وَإِنَّهُمْ لَكَـذِبُونَ (If you could but see when they will be held over the (Hell) Fire! They will say: "Would that we were but sent back! Then we would not deny the Ayat of our Lord, and we would be of the believers!" Nay, it has become manifest to them what they had been concealing before. But if they were returned (to the world), they would certainly revert to that which they were forbidden.

And indeed they are liars) 6:27-28 Allah said here, قَدْ خَسِرُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ وَضَلَّ عَنْهُمْ مَّا كَانُواْ يَفْتَرُونَ(Verily, they have lost themselves and that which they used to fabricate has gone away from them.) meaning, they destroyed themselves by entering the Fire for eternity, وَضَلَّ عَنْهُمْ مَّا كَانُواْ يَفْتَرُونَ(And that which they used to fabricate has gone away from them.) What they used to worship instead of Allah abandoned them and will not intercede on their behalf, aid them or save them from their fate.

Ma'arif al-Qur'an

Mufti Muhammad Shafi

Said in the sixth verse (49) is: أَهَـٰؤُلَاءِ الَّذِينَ أَقْسَمْتُمْ لَا يَنَالُهُمُ اللَّـهُ بِرَ‌حْمَةٍ ۚ ادْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ لَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْكُمْ وَلَا أَنتُمْ تَحْزَنُونَ ﴿49﴾ (Is it these for whom you swore that Allah would not reach them with mercy?" - "Enter the Paradise; there is no fear on you, nor shall you grieve).

Explaining this, Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ says: When the questions and answers between the people of A` raf and the people of Paradise and Hell both will be over, that will be the time when the Lord of all the worlds will address the people of Hell and tell them about the people of A` raf that they swore that the people of A` raf will not be forgiven their sins and mercy will not be shown to them. Then, there comes an immediate declaration of His mercy when the people of A` raf will be told: Go and enter the Paradise. You should have no fear of what had happened in the past nor should you have any anxiety about the future. (Ibn Kathir)

Tafsir Muyassar

Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Saudi Arabia

هل ينتظر الكفار إلا ما وُعِدوا به في القرآن من العقاب الذي يؤول إليه أمرهم؟ يوم يأتي ما يؤول إليه الأمر من الحساب والثواب والعقاب يوم القيامة يقول الكفار الذين تركوا القرآن، وكفروا به في الحياة الدنيا: قد تبيَّن لنا الآن أنَّ رسل ربنا قد جاؤوا بالحق، ونصحوا لنا، فهل لنا من أصدقاء وشفعاء، فيشفعوا لنا عند ربنا، أو نعاد إلى الدنيا مرة أخرى فنعمل فيها بما يرضي الله عنا؟ قد خسروا أنفسهم بدخولهم النار وخلودهم فيها، وذهب عنهم ما كانوا يعبدونه من دون الله، ويفترونه في الدنيا مما يَعِدُهم به الشيطان.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

ولهذا قال : ( هل ينظرون إلا تأويله ) أي : ما وعد من العذاب والنكال والجنة والنار . قاله مجاهد وغير واحد .وقال مالك : ثوابه . وقال الربيع : لا يزال يجيء تأويله أمر ، حتى يتم يوم الحساب ، حتى يدخل أهل الجنة الجنة ، وأهل النار النار ، فيتم تأويله يومئذ .( يوم يأتي تأويله ) أي : يوم القيامة ، قاله ابن عباس - ( يقول الذين نسوه من قبل ) أي : تركوا العمل به ، وتناسوه في الدار الدنيا : ( قد جاءت رسل ربنا بالحق فهل لنا من شفعاء فيشفعوا لنا ) أي : في خلاصنا مما نحن فيه ، ( أو نرد ) إلى الدار الدنيا ( فنعمل غير الذي كنا نعمل ) كما قال تعالى : ( ولو ترى إذ وقفوا على النار فقالوا يا ليتنا نرد ولا نكذب بآيات ربنا ونكون من المؤمنين بل بدا لهم ما كانوا يخفون من قبل ولو ردوا لعادوا لما نهوا عنه وإنهم لكاذبون ) [ الأنعام : 27 ، 28 ] كما قال هاهنا : ( قد خسروا أنفسهم وضل عنهم ما كانوا يفترون ) أي : قد خسروا أنفسهم بدخولهم النار وخلودهم فيه ، ( وضل عنهم ما كانوا يفترون ) أي : ذهب عنهم ما كانوا يعبدونهم من دون الله فلا ينصرونهم ، ولا يشفعون لهم ولا ينقذونهم مما هم فيه .

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.