Surah Zumar, Aayah 36-41

Transcript of Tafseer by Hazrat Mufti Ebrahim Salejee Saheb

أَلَيسَ اللَّـهُ بِكافٍ عَبدَهُ وَيُخَوِّفونَكَ بِالَّذينَ مِن دونِهِ وَمَن يُضلِلِ اللَّـهُ فَما لَهُ مِن هادٍ ﴿٣٦﴾ وَمَن يَهدِ اللَّـهُ فَما لَهُ مِن مُضِلٍّ أَلَيسَ اللَّـهُ بِعَزيزٍ ذِى انتِقامٍ ﴿٣٧﴾

Is Allah Ta’ala not sufficient for His servants? And they frighten you with gods besides Him. And the one who Allah Ta’ala leaves to go astray, then none can guide, and the one who Allah Ta’ala guides, none can lead astray. Is not Allah Ta’ala exalted in power and mighty in retribution?

When Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) would condemn idolatry and their idols, the kuffaar would stand up in support of their idols saying you must be afraid (be warned) of some calamity that will befall you from the side of our idols. So Allah Ta’ala revealed the verse:

أَلَيْسَ اللَّـهُ بِكَافٍ عَبْدَهُ

Is Allah Ta’ala not sufficient for His servant?

Though this verse was revealed on that particular situation, but its application is general. In our day to day lives people speak like this. Sometimes these types of warnings come from the side of the family and the wife and the children, the immediate families, the parents or the extended families, that if you don’t comply or if you don’t honour our family rituals and customs then we will break away from you. Or sometimes while socializing with people, they give these types of threats that if you do not carry out an action in this manner or if you do not conduct your business in a certain style, we will break away from you. Sometimes when you interact with people then they want you to do some Deeni practices in a certain way,saying that if you don’t do it then we will break away from you. So in answer to all these types of statements, this one verse is sufficient.

أَلَيْسَ اللَّـهُ بِكَافٍ عَبْدَهُ

Is Allah Ta’ala not sufficient for His servant?

In this verse, addressing man, Allah Ta’ala says: Is Allah Ta’ala not sufficient for you? When He is the supreme master, the total controller, every atom is in His control, then is He not sufficient? Do not pay attention to these types of empty threats from people that are helpless, full of limitations and are weak?

This one verse is sufficient for all problems. If a person succeeds in just getting this one verse firmly rooted in his heart and mind “Is Allah Ta’ala not sufficient for you?” Then he will be totally unconcerned about the criticism of people. He will not be concerned who is criticizing him, who is condemning him, who is complementing him and who is supporting him. He will be totally unconcerned about this because he realises that we have got just one master, one God, one Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala to please. He will understand that by me doing things to earn His pleasure, He will be on my side. What is the need to worry about what the entire world has to say; or even what our near and dear ones have to say, or what our business partners have to say or what the people that we socialise with have to say. We do not have to be concerned about any single thing. As long as we have got Allah Ta’ala on our side, all these other worries, these concerns, suspicions, superstitions, all will be thrown aside.

وَلَئِن سَأَلتَهُم مَن خَلَقَ السَّمـٰوٰتِ وَالأَرضَ لَيَقولُنَّ اللَّـهُ قُل أَفَرَءَيتُم ما تَدعونَ مِن دونِ اللَّـهِ إِن أَرادَنِىَ اللَّـهُ بِضُرٍّ هَل هُنَّ كـٰشِفـٰتُ ضُرِّهِ أَو أَرادَنى بِرَحمَةٍ هَل هُنَّ مُمسِكـٰتُ رَحمَتِهِ قُل حَسبِىَ اللَّـهُ عَلَيهِ يَتَوَكَّلُ المُتَوَكِّلونَ ﴿٣٨﴾ قُل يـٰقَومِ اعمَلوا عَلىٰ مَكانَتِكُم إِنّى عـٰمِلٌ فَسَوفَ تَعلَمونَ ﴿٣٩﴾ مَن يَأتيهِ عَذابٌ يُخزيهِ وَيَحِلُّ عَلَيهِ عَذابٌ مُقيمٌ ﴿٤٠﴾

And if you were to ask them who is that Being that created the heavens and the earth, surely they will say it is Allah. Say do you see those gods that you invoke and call on besides Allah Ta’ala; if Allah Ta’ala wishes any injury and harm for me then they cannot remove that injury and harm, and if Allah Ta’ala wishes mercy and grace for me, then they cannot hold back that mercy. Say Allah Ta’ala is sufficient for me. Only on Him (Allah Ta’ala) should all those who wish to place their trust and reliance, place their trust and reliance on Him. Say (when the truth has become clear, now it is nothing but obstinacy that keeps you back and your personal pride and arrogance that prevents you from the path,) O my people go on working upon your way and I will also continue to work (upon my way). Soon will you people understand (and see the consequence and the end of your actions) on whom will fall a punishment that will cause disgrace to him and upon whom will an abiding punishment fall.

Those who speak in this manner, within their hearts they know full well that the truth is what Nabi (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) is saying. For when you ask them (in seclusion), ‘who has created the heavens and the earth?’ Surely they will say it is Allah Ta’ala. They know the limitations of their false deities, they know their weaknesses. But because of some type of family pressure, or due to social pressure or peer pressure, they get absorbed and sucked into these types of practices (wrong practices); practices that will lead them away from Allah Ta’ala.

Another striking example is, that those gods that you call on besides Allah Ta’ala keep them on one side and then compare them to Allah Ta’ala. If Allah Ta’ala intends any type of harm,or any type of calamity for me or he intends and wishes any type of mercy and grace for me, can they keep that back from Allah Ta'ala? Can they prevent that in any way? So when you know surely that these deities and people cannot keep away and prevent that mercy to come to me or that harm from inflicting me, then if you have understood this, you have seen this with your own eyes, then say Allah Ta’ala is sufficient. There is no need to prolong this discussion any further. Because you see it with your eyes, you understand it, you accept it in principle, then Allah Ta’ala is sufficient. And those who wish to trust, let them place their trust in Allah Ta’ala Alone.

إِنّا أَنزَلنا عَلَيكَ الكِتـٰبَ لِلنّاسِ بِالحَقِّ فَمَنِ اهتَدىٰ فَلِنَفسِهِ وَمَن ضَلَّ فَإِنَّما يَضِلُّ عَلَيها وَما أَنتَ عَلَيهِم بِوَكيلٍ ﴿٤١﴾

Indeed we have sent down this book to you for mankind in general. (So we have sent this kitaab) with total precision and total truth. (When the truth has become manifest and clear,) then whoever receives guidance, then it is for his own good. If anybody strays away, then it is squarely to his harm. (And O Nabi (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam), as much as you would desire their guidance and their coming onto hidayat,) you are not the one who will accomplish any affair.

We are the ones who decide. You are only obligated with the task of carrying out Our command, in the way that We have instructed you, and thereafter blessing people with hidaayat (guidance) is My responsibility. I will guide the one I am pleased with, and I will leave to stray the one that I am displeased with. As though it is a consolement and a word of comfort to Nabi (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam).  

2013-08-15_Surah_39_Ayah_36.mp3

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