Al-Qurʾān: Selected verses from Surah 14. Ibrāhīm "إبراهيم" (Prophet Abraham)

Surah Ibrāhīm "إبراهيم"  (Prophet Abraham) is the 14th Surah  (chapter) of the Qur'an with 52  āyāt (verses), part of Juzʼ 13 of Al Qur'an. The Surah is a powerful and deeply reflective Surah named after Prophet Ibrāhīm عليه السلام (Abraham), one of the greatest prophets and spiritual fathers of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. This Surah addresses major themes like faith, gratitude, divine guidance, prophetic mission, arrogance of disbelievers, and the Day of Judgment. The Surah focuses on spiritual awakening, the importance of gratitude, and the legacy of monotheism through Prophet Ibrāhīm عليه السلام.

We have already published detailed exegesis of the Surah which can be accessed from link given below:

Surah Ibrāhīm "إبراهيم" (Prophet Abraham) - Exegesis of 14th Surah / Chapter of Qur'an

Herein under we only share in skeleton form the major thrust of the surah and main subjects discussed therein, followed by links to some of the selected ayat / verses from this surah for information of our readers.

Core Subjects of Surah Ibrahim

• The Purpose of Revelation
• “This is a Book We have revealed to you so that you may bring mankind out of darkness into light...” (14:1)
• The Qur’an is not just information—it's transformation.
• It's a call from darkness (kufr, ignorance) to light (faith, guidance).
• The Mission of Prophets
• Prophets are sent to every nation with a clear message: "Worship Allah and avoid false gods..." (14:10)
• The Surah reminds that rejecting the messengers led past nations to destruction.
• The Arrogance of Disbelievers
• The Surah frequently quotes how disbelievers mocked prophets: “You are only humans like us.”
• They rejected the divine message based on pride and worldly status.
• The Parable of the Good Word (Faith)
• As in verse 24: “A good word is like a good tree...”
• Faith is shown as something that grows, benefits others, and connects to the heavens.
• Scenes from the Day of Judgment: Vivid images are given of:
• People blaming each other
• Regret of the arrogant and their followers
• The inability of worldly power to save anyone
• Prophet Ibrahim's Dua (Supplication): 
• One of the most touching parts of the Surah is Ibrahim’s heartfelt prayer: “My Lord, make this city (Makkah) secure... keep me and my children away from idol worship...” (14:35)
• He asks for:
• Protection from shirk (idolatry)
• Sustenance and peace for his descendants
• Acceptance of his deeds
• Forgiveness for himself, his parents, and the believers
• It shows his deep humility, concern for future generations, and total dependence on Allah.
• Warning and Hope for Humanity
• The surah concludes with a universal message: “This (Qur’an) is a message for humanity... Let them take warning and know that He is One God...” (14:52)
• It addresses all people, not just Muslims.

Key Lessons from Surah Ibrahim

• Gratitude vs. Ingratitude: “If you are grateful, I will increase you. If you are ungrateful, My punishment is severe.” (14:7) – Gratitude is a pathway to blessings.
• Prophetic Legacy: True leadership is spiritual, not just political. Ibrahim's role is honored not for empire, but for faith.
• Consequences of Rejection: Those who deny guidance bring ruin on themselves and their people.
• Faith Is Fruitful: A sincere believer benefits themselves and others – like a strong, rooted tree.
• Human Responsibility: We are free to choose – but we will be accountable for our choices.

Why It Matters Today

In the present times, darkness (materialism, idolatry of ego, blind consumerism) is not unlike ancient ignorance. It thus calls for:

• To reflect to be be grateful, and follow true guidance is still urgent.
• To reflect on true leadership, parenting, and legacy as reflected in Ibrahim’s character and prophetic role.

Summary:

Section                             Focus

Verses 1–5 The Qur’an as light and guidance

Verses 6–20 Past prophets and the fate of disbelievers

Verses 21–27 Day of Judgment, good and bad words

Verses 28–34 Gratitude vs. Ingratitude

Verses 35–41 Prophet Ibrahim’s dua

Verses 42–52 Warning of Allah’s justice and a universal message

We now share some of the verses from Surah Al-A'raf which have already been published covering some important messages:

• Allah Proclaims: If you give thanks, I will certainly grant you more - verse 7
• Beware, followers of the Satan, of the day when Satan will abandon you -verse 22
• The Day when Satan will declare his True Colours - verse 22
• Satan will say "I called you to my way and you responded to me. So, do not blame me but blame yourselves."  - verse 22
• The Divine Command to establish Prayer and Charity - verse 31
• Establishment of Prayer and Giving Out Charity - verse 31
• Do not think Allah is heedless of the evil deeds of the evil-doers - verse 42
• Prophet Ibrahim’s dua: My Lord! Enable me and my offspring to establish Prayer - verse 50

In time we will continue to add more selected verses from Surah 14. Ibrāhīm "إبراهيم"  for information of our readers.

May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى‎) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door. 

وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 

(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”

That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.

May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.

Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.

Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.

You may also refer to our exclusive reference page: Selected verses from selected Surahs of Al-Qurʾān for compiled verses from other surahs.

For more Selected Subjects, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from Al Qur'an about a Specific Subject (Reference Page) to know more about what Qur'an says about specific subjects and our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. .

You may also refer to our Reference Pages  and Understanding Al Qur'an for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

Photo | Reference: | 1 | 2 | 3 |

An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs and selected verses of Al-Qurʾān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.  

In addition, other sources which have been explored and views of other scholars have been incorporated while explaining meaning of a verse. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites. For expansion of meaning and themes / contextual background help from ChatGPT is also taken.

Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references given above. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors.  If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook. You may also refer to our Facebook  Group Islam: The Ultimate Truth for more on Islam and Da'wah.

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Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on social media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Qur'ān - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

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Beware, followers of the Satan, of the day when Satan will abandon you

Satan (Shayṭān, Iblīs) in all Divine scriptures is not just a symbolic figure, but a real being — a deeply despised enemy of humankind. His story, character, and motives are explained throughout the Qur'an and hadith, and he is hated not only because of what he did, but because of what he represents. His earliest mention in Divine scriptures which speaks of his satanic machination is about his enticement of Prophet Adam and his wife Eve and luring them to eat from the forbidden tree.

For thise henious crime, not only he but aslo the couple were expelled from the heavens and given an abode on the earth. The revered couple was to start a new life here on earth in true faith and live their life and their off spring in love of their Creator. While Satan had asked time off from his Creator till the dooms day to misguide the humans and lead them into a life hate, arrogance, lewdness and sin. However, he was categorically told by the Creator that no matter how much he tried, the humans will stay faithful to Allah, barring a few wo would follow him.

And this would go on, the tug of war between the good and the evil, till the Day of Judgement. And there to the utmost bewilderment of his followers, the Satan will disown them and tell them that he did not have any power to FORCE them to do evil, but he only MISGUIDED them to live a life of sin and lewdness, and thus he stands absolved of any claim that he forced his followers to leave the path of Allah.

This is the thme of the 22nd verse of Surah 14. Ibraheem (Abraham) being elobrated in this post.

The Verse (سورة ابراهيم, Surah 14. Ibrahim, Verse-22):

وَقَالَ الشَّيۡطٰنُ لَـمَّا قُضِىَ الۡاَمۡرُ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ وَعَدَكُمۡ وَعۡدَ الۡحَـقِّ وَوَعَدْتُّكُمۡ فَاَخۡلَفۡتُكُمۡ​ؕ وَمَا كَانَ لِىَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ مِّنۡ سُلۡطٰنٍ اِلَّاۤ اَنۡ دَعَوۡتُكُمۡ فَاسۡتَجَبۡتُمۡ لِىۡ​ ۚ فَلَا تَلُوۡمُوۡنِىۡ وَلُوۡمُوۡۤا اَنۡفُسَكُمۡ​ ؕ مَاۤ اَنَا بِمُصۡرِخِكُمۡ وَمَاۤ اَنۡتُمۡ بِمُصۡرِخِىَّ​ ؕ اِنِّىۡ كَفَرۡتُ بِمَاۤ اَشۡرَكۡتُمُوۡنِ مِنۡ قَبۡلُ​ ؕ اِنَّ الظّٰلِمِيۡنَ لَهُمۡ عَذَابٌ اَ لِيۡمٌ‏ 

(14:22) After the matter has been finally decided Satan will say: "Surely whatever Allah promised you was true; as for me, I went back on the promise I made to you. I had no power over you except that I called you to my way and you responded to me. So, do not blame me but blame yourselves. Here, neither I can come to your rescue, nor can you come to mine. I disavow your former act of associating me in the past with Allah. A grievous chastisement inevitably lies ahead for such wrong-doers."

Before we disccuss the selected verse, let us briefly talk about Shayṭān (شَيْطَان) / Iblīs (إِبْلِيس):

• Origin:
• Created from fire (Surah Al-Kahf 18:50)
• Not an angel — but a jinn (Surah Al-Kahf 18:50)
• Name: Iblīs (before rebellion), Shayṭān (after rebellion)
• Iblīs = a specific name 
• Shayṭān = a generic title, meaning "rebellious" or "devil"
• Reason for being expelled from Jannah/Heaven
• The Rebellion 
• Surah Al-Baqarah (2:34): “And [mention] when We said to the angels, ‘Prostrate to Adam,’ so they prostrated, except for Iblīs. He refused and was arrogant and became of the disbelievers.”
• Why he refused:
• Arrogance: "I am better than him" (Surah A’raf 7:12)
• Pride: Created from fire, Adam from clay.
• Rebellion: He disobeyed a direct command from Allah
• Why Satan is so detested:
• He was arrogant against God
• His refusal wasn’t a mistake — it was willful defiance.
• He challenged God’s wisdom in choosing Adam.
• Arrogance against God is one of the gravest sins.
• He vowed to mislead humanity
• Surah Al-A’raf (7:16-17): Satan addressing God“Because You have put me in error, I will surely sit in wait for them on Your straight path...”
• He promised to:
• Deceive.
• Distract.
• Diminish gratitude.
• Lead to Hell.
• He’s not passive — he is on a mission of spiritual sabotage.
• He represents everything Islam warns against
• Arrogance vs Humility
• Rebellion vs Obedience
• Despair vs Hope in God
• Deception vs Sincerity & Truth
• Division vs Unity
• He manipulates, but takes no responsibility
• On Judgment Day (14:22), Satan says: “I only invited you — you followed me.”
• This abandonment of his followers shows:
• His true nature: betrayal, manipulation.
• That following him leads to nothing but loss.
• Psychological Symbolism (Though Not Only Symbolic): Even though Satan is a real being, he also represents:
• The inner whisper (waswasa) that tempts you.
• The ego's pride and resistance to guidance.
• The desire to justify wrong, blame others, or reject divine limits.
• His End
• He is condemned to Hell forever (Surah Sad 38:85).
• His goal is to drag as many as he can with him.
• But he knows his fate is sealed — which fuels his hatred.
• Final Reflection: Why Detested?
• Because Satan chose arrogance over obedience, revenge over repentance, and destruction over redemption.
• And he wants humans to do the same. 

with this brief on Satan, now let us move on the Quranic verse being shared. We have already shared the detailed explanation / tafseer of the above quoted verse in our presvious post: The Day when Satan will declare his True Colours which can be accessed for detailed reading. Herein under we only present a short run down of the verse /ayat.

Context of Surah Ibrahim

• Surah Ibrahim is a Meccan surah that focuses on:
• The message of monotheism (tawheed).
• The consequences of rejecting divine guidance.
• A vivid picture of the Day of Judgment.
• The fate of both the righteous and the arrogant disbelievers.

Leading up to verse 22:

• Verses 17–21 describe scenes from the Day of Judgment: the arrogant rejecting truth, being dragged into Hell, and leaders followed blindly by their people.
• Then verse 22 presents a dramatic speech by Satan to his followers after judgment has been passed.

Verse 14:22 – Deep Explanation

•  “Satan will say when the matter is decided…”
• After the judgment has been finalized — Hell is confirmed — Satan speaks to those who followed him.
• This moment is full of irony and regret. The deceiver distances himself from the deceived.
•  “Allah promised you the promise of truth” - Refers to:
• The Qur’an.
• The reality of resurrection, accountability, and Hell.
• God's promises were always clear and truthful.
• “I promised you, but I betrayed you” - Satan admits he lied — his promises were false:
• That sins would bring pleasure without consequence.
• That Hell wasn’t real or worth fearing.
• “I had no authority over you”
• Satan denies coercion.
• He didn’t force anyone — he only invited, whispered, suggested.
• People made the choice to follow him willingly.
• “So do not blame me, but blame yourselves”
• Satan shifts responsibility back to the sinner.
• He emphasizes personal accountability.
• A clear Qur'anic principle: every soul is responsible for its own decisions.
• “I deny your association of me with Allah before”
• Some people treated Satan as if he had divine power — following him over divine command.
• Now, he disavows that association — rejecting their misplaced devotion or trust in him.

Thematic Takeaway

• Core Message: On Judgment Day, Satan will abandon those who followed him, leaving them to face the consequences of their own choices.
• Lessons & Reflections:
• Accountability: You are responsible for your choices — not Satan, not society, not anyone else.
• False Leadership: Blindly following anyone (even charismatic or influential figures) can lead to ruin.
• Deception of Evil: Evil often whispers, it rarely forces — its power lies in persuasion and illusion.
• Rejecting Victimhood: This verse shatters the idea that "the devil made me do it."

In Short, Surah Ibrahim 14:22 is a stunning expose of how Satan manipulates, how people willingly choose to follow him, and how — in the end — each person stands alone before God.

Aforesaid in view, let us take a self appraisal: Many of the beleivers, knowing / unknowingly, advertantly / inadvertantly fall prey to Satan in some way, big or small. While small errs may be forgiven, but sins that defy the Divine commandments will never be forgiven and will be persecuted as per the Divine law on the Day of Judgement, when Satan will try to artfully retract and have him absoved of his enticements. But then it will be too late: Both the Satan and his followers will be shown the door to Hell.

Time is now to get rid of Satanic machination and do our best not to be enticed by him and his cronies in shape of humans. May Allah forgive our past erring and bless us a eaceful life as being Divinely envisioned for us. Ameen

May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى‎) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door. 

وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 

(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”

That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.

Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.

May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.

Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.

Refer to our Reference Page: Al Qur'an: Selected verses from Surah 14. Ibraheem fro more verses from this surah.

For more Selected Verses, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. You may also refer to our Reference Pages  and Understanding Al Qur'an for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

Photo | Tafsir References: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |

An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs of the Qur'ān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.  

In order to augment and add more explanation as already provided, references of other sources which have been explored have also been given above. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites. ChatGPT has also been consulted for expansion of the above quoted verse.

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook

Follow @IslamUltimate

Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on Social Media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Qur'ān - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

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The Day when Satan will declare his True Colours

Reading various verses of Qur'an, we all know how Satan (Iblees) refused to prostrate in front of Adam due to his pride and superiority complex and how he was shunned out of Heavens. We also know that Satan promised Allah that he will surely mislead Allah's humanly creatures in their worldly life. He was given the time till the Day of Resurrection, though he was cautioned that despite his efforts he would fail in distracting the majority.

Today we share the 22nd verse of Surah 14. Abrahim (Abraham) in which Allah narrates to us what Iblis will say to his followers after Allah finishes with the judgement between His servants, sending the believers to the gardens of Paradise and the disbelievers to the lows (of the Fire). Iblis, may Allah curse him, will stand and address the latter, in order to add depression to their depression, sorrow to their sorrow and grief to their grief.

وَقَالَ الشَّيۡطٰنُ لَـمَّا قُضِىَ الۡاَمۡرُ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ وَعَدَكُمۡ وَعۡدَ الۡحَـقِّ وَوَعَدْتُّكُمۡ فَاَخۡلَفۡتُكُمۡ​ؕ وَمَا كَانَ لِىَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ مِّنۡ سُلۡطٰنٍ اِلَّاۤ اَنۡ دَعَوۡتُكُمۡ فَاسۡتَجَبۡتُمۡ لِىۡ​ ۚ فَلَا تَلُوۡمُوۡنِىۡ وَلُوۡمُوۡۤا اَنۡفُسَكُمۡ​ ؕ مَاۤ اَنَا بِمُصۡرِخِكُمۡ وَمَاۤ اَنۡتُمۡ بِمُصۡرِخِىَّ​ ؕ اِنِّىۡ كَفَرۡتُ بِمَاۤ اَشۡرَكۡتُمُوۡنِ مِنۡ قَبۡلُ​ ؕ اِنَّ الظّٰلِمِيۡنَ لَهُمۡ عَذَابٌ اَ لِيۡمٌ‏ 

(14:22) After the matter has been finally decided Satan will say: "Surely whatever Allah promised you was true; as for me, I went back on the promise I made to you.30 I had no power over you except that I called you to my way and you responded to me.31 So, do not blame me but blame yourselves. Here, neither I can come to your rescue, nor can you come to mine. I disavow your former act of associating me in the past with Allah.32 A grievous chastisement inevitably lies ahead for such wrong-doers." 

When the criminals will charge Satan with leading them astray, he will plead guilty, as if to say, "You yourselves see now that all the promises and warnings made by Allah have come out true and all the promises which I made have proved to be false. I also confess that it was all deception that I gave you false assurances of prosperity, beguiled you by greed and enticed you in the snare of great expectations. I assured you that in the first instance there will be no life in the Hereafter, and that, if there be any you will go scot-free by the intercession of such and such a saint. The only thing you have to do is to make offerings before him: then you may do whatever you please, for he will deliver you from all the consequences. I repeat that I said all these things and asked my agents to say the same. " 

That is, "You cannot say and prove that it was I who forced you to follow the wrong way, whereas you wanted to follow the Right Way. You will yourselves admit that it is not so. I did no more than this that I invited you to falsehood in opposition to the invitation to the Truth and tempted you to vice instead of virtue. But I had no power to force you to the wrong way, if you desired to follow the Right Way. when you had the power and the option to follow either of the ways. Now I am ready to bear the burden of the wicked invitation I extended to you, but you are not justified in any way to throw on me the burden of accepting my invitation for you did it on your own responsibility. You should, therefore, yourselves bear all its consequences."

" So, do not blame me but blame yourselves. Here, neither I can come to your rescue, nor can you come to mine. I disavow your former act of associating me in the past with Allah " This is a clear proof of shirk in practice, as apart from shirk in creed. As Satan will charge his followers with making him a partner with God, it is obvious that as far as creed is concerned there is no one who makes Satan a partner with God in His Godhead or His worship: nay, every one curses him for his evil ways. Nevertheless, people obey and submit to him and follow him blindly, as if he were their "god" and that is what has been termed shirk.

Let us now consider this thesis from the opposite point of view. Some one might say that this does not hold good, for this is based on a mere saying of Satan which has been cited here. First, this objection is not sound because Allah Himself would have refuted it, had it been baseless. Secondly, this is not the only instance of shirk in practice in the Qur'an. Here are a few more instances of this:

• (a) It charges the Jews and Christians with shirk because they set up their priests and monks as their "Lords" besides Allah. (IX: 31).
• (b) Those who follow the superstitious customs have been called mushriks. (VI: 136-139).
• (c) Those who follow their lusts have been charged with making their "selves" their "god". (XXV: 43).
• (d) Those who are disobedient to Allah have been accused of worshiping "Satan". (XXXVI: 60).
• (e) Those who follow man-made laws without Allah's sanction have been reproved for setting up the makers of the laws without Allah's sanction as partners with God. (XLI: 21).

All the above instances are clear proofs of the fact that shirk is not confined to this creed alone that one might set up a partner with Allah in His Godhead as an article of faith. But it is also shirk that one should follow and surrender to some one other than Allah without any Divine sanction or in spite of a Divine prohibition. Such a one shall be guilty of shirk even though the follower might be at the same time cursing the one whom he follows and obeys. The only difference between the two kinds of shirk may be the extent of the crime and not its nature. 

Tafsir Ibn-Kathir: 

Continuing from the para 2 of the premise, the Satan will declare: `(Verily, Allah promised you a promise of truth.) by the words of His Messengers that if you follow them, you will gain safety and deliverance. Truly, Allah's promise was true and correct news, while I promised you then betrayed you.'

Allah said in another Ayah, (He (Shaytan) makes promises to them, and arouses in them false desires; and Shaytan's promises are nothing but deceptions.) [4:120]

(I had no authority over you) Shaytan will say, `I had no proof for what I called you to, nor evidence for what I promised you, (except that I called you, and you responded to me.) even though the Messengers establish the proof and unequivocal evidences against you and affirmed the truth of what they were sent to you with. But you disobeyed the Messengers and ended up earning this fate, (So blame me not,) today,

(but blame yourselves.), because it is your fault for defying the proofs and following me in the falsehood that I called you to.' Shaytan will say next, (I cannot help you), I cannot benefit, save, or deliver you from what you are suffering, (nor can you help me.), nor can you save me and deliver me from the torment and punishment I am suffering,

(I deny your former act of associating me (Shaytan) as a partner with Allah.) or because you associated me with Allah before,' according to Qatadah. Ibn Jarir commented; "I deny being a partner with Allah, the Exalted and Most Honored.'' 

This opinion is the most plausible, for Allah said in other Ayat,

(And who is more astray than one who calls on others 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] and,

(Nay, but they (the so-called gods) will deny their worship of them, and become opponents to them.)[19:82]

Allah said next, (Verily, the wrongdoers), who deviate from truth and follow falsehood, will earn a painful torment. It appears that this part of the Ayah narrates the speech that Shaytan will deliver to the people of the Fire after they enter it, as we stated. 

`Amir Ash-Sha`bi said, "On the Day of Resurrection, two speakers will address the people. Allah the Exalted will say to `Isa, son of Maryam, (Did you say unto men: "Worship me and my mother as two gods besides Allah'') ﴿5:116﴾ 

until, (Allah will say: "This is a Day on which the truthful will profit from their truth.'')﴿5:119﴾

Shaytan, may Allah curse him, will stand and address the people, (I had no authority over you except that I called you, and you responded to me.) Allah next mentioned the final destination of the miserable ones, who earned the disgrace and torment and having to listen to Shaytan address them, 

then He mentioned the final destination of the happy ones,(next verse 23): (14:23) As for those who had believed and did good in the world, they shall be admitted to the Gardens beneath which rivers flow. There, with the leave of Allah, they shall abide forever, and will be greeted with: "Peace".

Yusuf Ali  Explanation:

After the Judgment, Evil declares itself in its true colours. Frankly it says: 'I deceived you. The promise of Allah was true, but you believed me rather than Allah. I had no power to force you. I had but to call you, and you came running after me. You must blame yourselves. Did you think I was equal with Allah? I know too well that I was not and never could be. If you did wrong, you must suffer the Penalty.'

See the last note. An alternative interpretation of this sentence may be: "I had already beforehand rebelled against Allah with Whom ye associated me."

Muhammad Asad Explanation:

(And when everything will have been decided, Satan will say: "Behold, God promised you something that was bound to come true!) Lit., "God promised you a promise of truth" - i.e., the promise of resurrection and last judgment. 

(I, too, held out [all manner of] promises to you - but I deceived you. Yet I had no power at all over you: I but called you - and you responded unto me. Hence, blame not me, but blame yourselves.) In his commentary on this passage, Razi remarks: "This verse shows that the real Satan (ash-shaytan al-asli) is [man's own] complex of desires (an-pals): for, Satan makes it clear [in the above] that it was only by means of insinuations (waswasah) that he was able to reach [the sinner's soul]; and had it not been for an already-existing [evil] disposition due to lusts, anger, superstition or fanciful ideas, these [satanic] insinuations would have had no effect whatsoever." 

(It is not for me to respond to your cries, nor for you to respond to mine:) I.e., "I cannot respond to your call for help, just as you should not have, in your lifetime, responded to my call." The above sentence is often interpreted in another sense, namely, "I cannot succour you, just as you cannot succour me". However, in view of Satan's allegorical reference - in the preceding passages as well as in the next sentence - to the sinners' earthly past, the rendering adopted by me seems to be more suitable; moreover, it is closer to the primary meaning of the verb sarakha ("he cried out"), from which the form musrikh ("one who responds to a cry") is derived (Jawhari).

(for, behold, I have [always] refused to admit that there was any truth in your erstwhile belief that I had a share in God's divinity.") This is, to my mind, the meaning of the highly elliptical phrase kafartu bi-ma ashraktumuni min qabl, which could be literally - but most inadequately - translated thus: "I have refused to admit the truth of that whereby you associated me aforetime [with God]." The implication is that Satan, while endeavouring to lead men astray, never claims to be God's "equal" (cf. 7:20 , where he speaks of God, to Adam and Eve, as "your Sustainer", or 15:36 and {39}, where he addresses Him as "my Sustainer", or 8:48 and 59:16 , where he says, "behold, I fear God") but, rather, tries to make men's sinful doings "seem goodly to them" (cf. 6:43 , 8:48 , 16:63 , 27:24 , 29:38 ), i.e., persuades them that it is morally justifiable to follow one's fancies and selfish desires without any restraint. But while Satan himself does not make any claim to equality with God, the sinner who submits to Satan's blandishments attributes to him thereby, as it were, "a share in God's divinity". - It must be stressed, in this connection, that the Qur'anic expression shaytan is often used as a metaphor for every human impulse that is intrinsically immoral and, therefore, contrary to man's best - i.e., spiritual - interests. 

(Verily, for all evildoers there is grievous suffering in store.) I.e., all those who had consciously - either from intellectual arrogance or from moral weakness - responded to "Satan's call".

Please listen to explanation of the ayat by eminent Muslim scholar Nouman Ali Khan:

May Allah help us understand Qur'ān and help us to act upon the commandments of Allah contained therein. Aameen.

For more Selected Verses, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

Photo | Reference: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |

Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully.

An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs of the Qur'ān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.  

In order to augment and add more explanation as already provided, additional input has been interjected from following sources: 

• Towards Understanding the Quran
• Tafsir Ibn Khatir
• Muhammad Asad Translation
• Javed Ahmad Ghamidi / Al Mawrid
• Al-Quran, Yusuf Ali Translation
• Verse by Verse Qur'an Study Circle

In addition the references of other sources which have been explored have also been given above. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites.

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook

Follow @IslamUltimate

Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on Social Media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Qur'ān - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

Read More

Selected Verses from Qur'an: Establishment of Prayer and Giving Out Charity

Sparing and sharing one's time and money is perhaps the most difficult thing for a man to do. Allah directs His servants to take time out of heir busy life and offer prayer / salah five times a day. and then it also directs them to give out charity from the wealth Allah has provided to man so that those who are not blessed as much they are could also sustain their life honorable without having been asked.

But as I said, man is selfish in nature. He invokes Allah's mercy for health, and wealth all the time. But once he has everything, he starts counting his pennies and is always hesitant to give out charity in Allah's name so that poor could also live comfortably.  The following 31st verse of Surah 14. Ibrahim (Abraham) thus conveys Allah's caution to the believers through Prophet Muhammad ﷺ so that they are not questioned on the Day of Judgment and penalized. It would be the day when man will not be able to strike a bargain as he has been doing in his worldly life. It is being said that believers should be diligent in the prayer and in paying charity so that they are entrusted with what their brethren had showed dishonesty in:

قُلْ لِّـعِبَادِىَ الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا يُقِيۡمُوا الصَّلٰوةَ وَيُنۡفِقُوۡا مِمَّا رَزَقۡنٰهُمۡ سِرًّا وَّعَلَانِيَةً مِّنۡ قَبۡلِ اَنۡ يَّاۡتِىَ يَوۡمٌ لَّا بَيۡعٌ فِيۡهِ وَلَا خِلٰلٌ‏ 

(14:31) (O Prophet), tell those of My servants who believe that they should establish Prayer and spend out of what We have provided them with, both secretly and openly, before there arrives the Day when there will be no bargaining, nor any mutual befriending.

That is, "The believers should adopt an attitude of gratitude in contrast to the disbelievers (v. 29). The practical form their gratitude should take is that they should establish Salat and expend their wealth in the Way of Allah."  And "On that Day none shall be able to rescue himself either by ransom or by intercession."

Tafsir Ibn-Kathir:

The Command for Prayer and Charity - Allah orders His servants to obey Him, fulfill His rights and be kind to His creatures. He ordained the prayer, which affirms the worship of Allah alone, without partners, and to spend from the provisions that He has granted them, by paying the due Zakah, spending on relatives and being kind to all others. Establishing the prayer requires performing it on time, perfectly, preserving its act of bowing having humility during it, and preserving its prostrations. Allah has ordained spending from what He granted, in secret and public, so that the people save themselves, (before the coming of a Day), the Day of Resurrection, (on which there will be neither mutual bargaining nor befriending.) on which no ransom will be accepted from anyone, if he seeks to buy himself. 

Allah said in another Ayah, (So this Day no ransom shall be taken from you, nor of those who disbelieved.) [57:15]

Allah said here, (وَلاَ خِلَـلٌ nor befriending.) Ibn Jarir commented, "Allah says that on that Day, there will be no friendship between friends that might save those deserving punishment from it. Rather, on that Day, there will be fairness and justice.'' Qatadah said, "Allah knows that in this life, there is mutual bargaining and there are friendships which people benefit from. A man chooses his friends and the reasons behind befriending them; if it was for Allah's sake, their friendship should be maintained, but if it was for other than Allah, their friendship is bound to be cutoff.'' I say that the meaning of this, is that Allah the Exalted is declaring that on that Day, no mutual bargaining or ransom will avail anyone, even if he ransoms himself with the earth's fill of gold if he could find that amount! No friendship or intercession shall avail one if he meets Allah while a disbeliever. 

Allah the Exalted said:

(And fear the Day when no person shall avail another, nor shall compensation be accepted from him, nor shall intercession be of use to him, nor shall they be helped.)[2:123], and,

(O you believe! Spend of that with which We have provided for you, before a Day comes when there will be no bargaining, nor friendship, nor intercession. And it is the disbelievers who are the wrongdoers.) [2:254]

Muhammad Asad Explanation: 

As explained for the verse 3 of Surah 2. Al Baqarah (and are constant in prayer, and spend on others out of what We provide for them as sustenance;), Ar-rizq ("provision of sustenance") applies to all that may be of benefit to man, whether it be concrete (like food, property, offspring, etc.) or abstract (like knowledge, piety, etc.). The "spending on others" is mentioned here in one breath with God-consciousness and prayer because it is precisely in such selfless acts that true piety comes to its full fruition. It should be borne in mind that the verb anfaqa (lit., "he spent") is always used in the Qur'an to denote spending freely on, or as a gift to, others, whatever the motive may be.

Cf. 2:254 . According to the philologist Abu 'Ubaydah, as quoted by Razi, the expression bay' ("selling and buying" or "bargaining") denotes here the metaphorical "[giving and taking] ransom" which, as the Qur'an repeatedly stresses, will be inadmissible on the Day of Judgment (cf. 3:91 and the corresponding note [71], as well as 5:36 , 10:54 , 13:18 , 39:47 and {70:11-l5}) similarly, the denial of khilal - which Abu 'Ubaydah regards as synonymous, in this context, with makhalah ("mutual befriending") - expresses the impossibility of "ransom" through intercession on Judgment Day, for "now, indeed, you have come unto Us in a lonely state, even as We created you in the first instance" ( 6:94 ).

Yusuf Ali  Explanation: 

Putting ourselves back in the position in which the Muslim community found themselves in Makkah just before the Hijrat, we can imagine how much encouragement and consolation they needed from the preaching, the Faith, and the steadfast character of Al-Mustafa. Intolerant persecution was the order of the day; neither the life nor the property or reputation of the Muslims was safe. They are asked to find strength and tranquility in prayer and in helping each other according to their needs and resources.

Here, as elsewhere, "Sustenance" is to be taken in the literal as well as the metaphorical sense. There were many among the Muslims who were poor, or slaves, or depressed, because they were deprived of the means of livelihood on account of their Faith. They were to be fed, clothed, and sheltered, by those who had means. Charity was to be ordinarily secret, so as to cut out all show or parade, and perhaps also lest the enemy should dry up those sources by unprincipled violence; but there must be much that had to be open and organised, so that all the needy could know where to go to be relieved.

The great Day of Reckoning would be one on which all values would be changed. Wealth, as understood in this world, would no longer count. Should we not therefore use any wealth we have in this life, to give here and receive there? Bai includes all bargaining,-barter, purchase and sale, etc. In this world, where wealth has some value, let us spend it and get for ourselves "treasures in heaven." In the next life each man will stand on his merits and personal responsibility. One man cannot help another. Let us here help each other to become true and righteous, so that our personal account may be favourable there.

Qur'an Wiki Explanation:

God commands His Messenger to say to those who have attained to faith that they should express their gratitude to God by establishing regular prayer, for prayer is the most express form of gratitude to God. They should also spend in charity out of the sustenance God provides for them, and make such spending both in secret and in public. Secret charity protects the dignity of the taker and enhances the virtue of the giver. This ensures that charity does not become a source of pride and arrogance. Charitable spending in public serves to demonstrate obedience to God’s orders, and provides a good example to others in the community. Both ways are left to the discretion and sensitivities of every believer.

The believers are told to spend on others now so that their balance which is preserved for them increases through gains they make by charitable spending. This they have to do before a day comes when there is no longer any possibility for wealth to grow, or friendship to bring any benefit. What is of benefit to people is only the good works they have already done, for their reward is stored.

Please listen to explanation of the ayat by eminent Muslim scholar Nouman Ali Khan:

May Allah help us understand Qur'ān and help us to act upon the commandments of Allah contained therein. Aameen.

For more Selected Verses, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

Photo | Reference: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |

Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully.

An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs of the Qur'ān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.  

In order to augment and add more explanation as already provided, additional input has been interjected from following sources: 

• Towards Understanding the Quran
• Tafsir Ibn Khatir
• Muhammad Asad Translation
• Javed Ahmad Ghamidi / Al Mawrid
• Al-Quran, Yusuf Ali Translation
• Verse by Verse Qur'an Study Circle

In addition the references of other sources which have been explored have also been given above. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites.

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook

Follow @IslamUltimate

Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on Social Media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Qur'ān - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

Read More

Allah Proclaims: If you give thanks, I will certainly grant you more

Allah created man with both good and evil in him, and also gave him wisdom to always choose the good and dispel evil. But He also knew that devil will always be playing his dirty tricks on man and luring them into his fold and mislead them form the straight path of truth and blessings.

He thus sent down many a prophets and messenger to tell the man how to distinguish between goo and evil and how not to follow the machinations of the evil forces. The following verse quoted in the Qur'an is attributed to Prophet Musa (Moses, peace be upon him) who in his last days advised his followers to be always thankful to their Lord and be not ungrateful for then they would draw the wrath of their Lord which will be very painful and everlasting:

وَاِذۡ تَاَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمۡ لَـئِنۡ شَكَرۡتُمۡ لَاَزِيۡدَنَّـكُمۡ​ وَلَـئِنۡ كَفَرۡتُمۡ اِنَّ عَذَابِىۡ لَشَدِيۡدٌ‏ 

Also call to mind when your Lord proclaimed: "If you give thanks, I will certainly grant you more; but if you are ungrateful for My favours, My chastisement is terrible. (Surah Ibrahim 14:7) 

That is, "If you are grateful, you will appreciate Our favors and make right use of them, and will not rebel against Our Commandments, but will surrender and submit to Us to show your gratitude to Us."

Deuteronomy (Bible) contains a long and detailed discourse to this effect. According to it, Prophet Moses, on the eve of his death, reminded the Israelites of all important events from their history, and reiterated all the Divine Commandments of the Torah which Allah had sent to them through him. Then he told them in a long speech that if they obeyed their Lord, they would be given great rewards. But if they adopted the attitude of disobedience, they would get a terrible punishment. This discourse spreads over chapters 4, 6, 8, 10, 11 and 2830. Some of these passages arc so impressive and instructive that it will be worthwhile to quote a few of them:

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. . . . " (Deut. 6: 47)

"And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways; and to love him, and to serve the Lord Thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good ? Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is thy Lord's thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is." (Deut. 10: 12-14)

"And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face....The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto....The Lord shall establish thee an holy people unto himself....And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee....and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath...." (28: 1-13).

"But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all those curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.. . . The Lord shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do. . . . The Lord shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, . . . . And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron....The Lord shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them :....Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof. Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes....Therefore. shalt thou serve thine enemies which the Lord shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee....And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other :...." (Deut: 28: 15-64).  

Tafsir Ibn-Kathir: 

(وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ And (remember) when your Lord proclaimed) means, proclaimed and made known His promise to you. It is possible that this Ayah means, your Lord has vowed and sworn by His might, grace and exaltness. 

Allah said in a similar Ayah: (And (remember) when your Lord declared that He would certainly keep on sending against them (i.e. the Jews), till the Day of Resurrection.) [7:167] 

Allah then said,( لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ If you give thanks, I will give you more;) meaning, `if you appreciate My favor on you, I will give you more of it,

(وَلَئِن كَفَرْتُ but if you are thankless) if you are not thankful for My favors, covering and denying, them, ( إِنَّ عَذَابِى لَشَدِيدٌ verily, My punishment is indeed severe), by depriving you of the favor and punishing you for being unappreciative of it.' 

A Hadith states that, (A servant might be deprived of a provision (that was written for him) because of a sin that he commits. )

Yusuf Ali  Explanation:

The various shades of meaning in Shakara are explained in verse 14:5 as under:

وَلَـقَدۡ اَرۡسَلۡنَا مُوۡسٰى بِاٰيٰتِنَاۤ اَنۡ اَخۡرِجۡ قَوۡمَكَ مِنَ الظُّلُمٰتِ اِلَى النُّوۡرِ ۙ وَذَكِّرۡهُمۡ بِاَيّٰٮمِ اللّٰهِ​ؕ اِنَّ فِىۡ ذٰ لِكَ لَاٰيٰتٍ لّـِكُلِّ صَبَّارٍ شَكُوۡرٍ‏ 

(14:5) We indeed sent Moses with Our Signs, saying: "Lead your people out of all kinds of darkness into light, and admonish them by narrating to them anecdotes from the Days of Allah." Verily in it there are great Signs for everyone who is patient and gives thanks (to Allah).

Sabbar is the intensive form, and includes all the ideas implied in Sabr (ii. 45 and ii. 153) in an intensive degree. Shakur and Shakir have in them the idea of appreciation, recognition, gratitude as shown in deeds of goodness and righteousness. Both terms are applied to Allah as well as to men. A slight distinction in shades of meaning may be noted. Shakur implies that the appreciation is even for the smallest favours and response on the other side; it is a mental attitude independent of specific facts. Shakir implies bigger and more specific things.

Kafara implies: (1) to reject Faith, as in ii. 6 and n. 30; (2) to be ungrateful for mercies and favours received, as here; (3) to resist Allah or Faith, as in iii. 13; (4) to deny (the Signs of Allah), as in iii. 21, or deny the mission of Messengers, as in xiv. 9. Kafir in the most general sense may be translated "Unbeliever".

Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs:

(And when your Lord proclaimed) when your Lord said and informed you in the Scripture: (If ye give thanks) for your success, safety, favour and blessings, (I will give you more) success, safety, favour and blessings; (but if ye are thankless) if you do not believe me or are ungrateful for the blessings bestowed upon you, (lo! my punishment is dire) for the one who disbelieves.

May Allah help us understand Qur'ān and help us to act upon the commandments of Allah contained therein. Aameen.

For more Selected Verses, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

Photo | Reference: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |

Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully.

An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs of the Qur'ān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that:

• The plain translation has been taken from the Qur'ān officially published by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. [1]
• The exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi. [2]  

In order to augment and add more explanation as already provided by [2], additional input has been interjected from following sources: 

• Towards Understanding the Quran
• Tafsir Ibn Khatir
• Muhammad Asad Translation
• Al-Quran, Yusuf Ali Translation
• Javed Ahmad Ghamidi / Al Mawrid
• Verse by Verse Qur'an Study Circle

In addition the references of  other sources which have been explored have also been given above. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites.

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook

Follow @IslamUltimate

Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on Social Media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Qur'ān - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

Read More

Our Lord! Forgive me and my parents and the believers on the Day of Reckoning

The essence of five daily prayers / salah " صلاة "  is asking for forgiveness and praying for one's own self, parents, and all believers. One of the most powerful supplication / invocation " دعاء  " included in our daily prayers is attributed to Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham, peace be upon him) that appears in 41st verse of Surah 14. Ibrahim:

رَبَّنَا اغۡفِرۡ لِىۡ وَلـِوَالِدَىَّ وَلِلۡمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَ يَوۡمَ يَقُوۡمُ الۡحِسَابُ

Our Lord! Forgive me and my parents and the believers on the Day when the reckoning will take place."

Before explaining the verse, it must be noted that when Prophet Abraham  prays for himself, his parents, and his progeny, he addresses God Almighty as my Lord. But here in this case he addresses Him as our Lord because beside his self and parents, he is also praying for all believers. Thus, he teaches us how to address God.

This supplication starts with Prophet Abraham praying for forgiveness of his sins. But why would he do that? After all he was a chosen prophet of Allah and naturally there could have been no reason to doubt that he would have ever sinned. There are several reasons why he would ask for Allah (swt)'s Forgiveness even though he (as) did not commit sins. 

One is because he (as) is setting an example for us. For all those who would follow him. He (as) knew that he would be taken as a role model. He knew that people would emulate him. And he knew how weak people were. He knew how much they would sin, and so how much they would need the Forgiveness of their Master. This is one reason why he himself asks for Forgiveness. So that we would emulate him in this. So that could be saved from our sins by this.

Yet another reason is that even though he did not sin, he realized that he can never worship Allah (swt) as He (swt) deserves. So Glorious and Tremendous is He. So much has He given us. That never can we repay Him, never can we praise and glorify Him as He deserves. We can never thank Him enough. And for this we all need to seek His Pardon. Even the very prophets and messengers. Only they were more cognizant of this fact that we are.

Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) included his disbeliever father in his prayer because he had made promise that he would pray to his Lord for his forgiveness (Surah Maryam, Ayat 48: I shall withdraw from you and all that you call upon beside Allah. I shall only call upon my Lord. I trust the prayer to my Lord will not go unanswered.). But afterwards, when he realized that he should not pray for his  father's forgiveness because he was an enemy of Allah, he absolved himself of that promise. 

And Abraham's prayer for the forgiveness of his father was only because of a promise which he had made to him. Then, when it became clear to him that he was an enemy of Allah, he dissociated himself from him. Surely Abraham was most tender-hearted, God-fearing, forbearing (Surah At-Tauba, Ayat 114).

We have been commanded by Allah to be nice and respectful to our parents and must always be thankful to them after Allah for their sacrifices in rearing and bringing us up to stand on our feet. It is also said commanded in the Quran that one should never disrespect one's parents and should never utter even an "uff" to displease them.

And here in this ayah we see that not only should we be the best to our parents in this world, but we should also wish for them the best in the next. We ask Allah (swt) to grant them that one thing which we are all in need of. Forgiveness. And we should know that were He to grant them His Forgiveness then it is the Garden for them. Because why would the Divine torment or punish a soul that He has pardoned. If He were to wipe clean your slate of evil deeds then why would He ever put you in the Fire? This then is what we should hope for, both for ourselves and for our parents. Even if our parents have been cruel to us. Even if they have in some way neglected us. Still we should ask Allah (swt) to forgive them. We have to strive to remove any hatred from our hearts towards them. And we should know that even in this striving we can journey to Him. Because our pardoning of their shortcomings is beloved to Him. Our being humble to them is beloved to Him. So love your parents for His sake. Be the best you can be to them for His sake. Ask Him again and again to forgive them and to accept them.

It is for this very reason this short supplication is included in our daily prayers so that inadvertently we pray for the forgiveness of our parents beside for self and all believers. And if we pray for the forgiveness of our parents, this in fact is a training for our children too. 

If we bring our children up in the right way then we can hope that they would do the same for us as well. We can hope that they would look after us in this world and they would pray for us in the next. Insha Allah we would get the best of both worlds. For who is a better companion to have in this world then your own children? Whom you loved and cherished so much. Who is better to provide for you and help you in old age? And when you pass away, when you leave this world and journey to the next, then whose prayer has more weight than that of a righteous child? The hadith clearly show us that the best thing of this world that will help us in the next world are the prayers of a righteous child. Their sincere prayers for us will be a light for us in the grave and beyond.

And after praying for self and for the parents, next come the all the believers. Allah (swt) tells us to ask for His Forgiveness for all the believers. Now look at this. After our parents it is the believers. The Muslim Ummah. Not our spouses, not our own children, not our siblings or our cousins. Allah (swt) is saying that our parents should be the closest to us, the most beloved, and after them it should be all the believers. The believers should be the next in our hearts after our own selves and our parents. Because do we not ask Allah (swt)'s Forgiveness only for those who are beloved to us? We know His Forgiveness means His Nearness and His Garden. It means salvation from torment both in this life and in the next. Is there anything better than this? Why then would we ever ask for this for anyone except those who are most beloved to us?

The lesson for us in this is that the mutual love and brotherhood that needs to exist amongst our Ummah is far more than most of us today realize. So much should we love each other, so much should we care for each other, such is what our Master expects from us. He wants us to strive to inculcate within ourselves a love for our fellow believers. Not because of their skin color, or their ethnicity, or their wealth, or their education, or their profession in life. None of these matter at all in His Estimation. Rather only because they are believers only because they believe in Allah (swt) as the One and Only Deity, Lord, and Master. They do not deny Him like the atheists and the secularists do, nor do they ascribe to Him what is not fitting for Him like the followers of the false religions do. And they believe in that blessed man, Muhammad (saw) as the Final Prophet and Messenger of this Divine Being. For this fact alone they deserve our love. What is the value of this belief in your heart? How much do you cherish it? Similarly should you cherish those other souls who share this belief with you. If you do not make the effort to, then know that He is most displeased

May Allah help us understand Qur'ān and help us to act upon the commandments of Allah contained therein. Aameen.

For more Selected Verses, please refer to our reference page: Selected Invocations / Dua " دُعا " from the Qur'an. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

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Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully.

An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs / verses (ayat) of the Qur'ān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that:

• The plain translation has been taken from the Qur'ān officially published by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. [1]
• The exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi. [2]  

In order to augment and add more explanation as already provided by [2], additional input has been interjected from following sources: 

• Towards Understanding the Quran
• Tafsir Ibn Khatir
• Muhammad Asad Translation
• Javed Ahmad Ghamidi / Al Mawrid
• Al-Quran, Yusuf Ali Translation
• Verse by Verse Qur'an Study Circle

In addition the references of  other sources which have been explored have also been given above. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites.

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