Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged)

Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir

رَبَّنَآ إِنَّكَ تَعْلَمُ مَا نُخْفِى وَمَا نُعْلِنُ (O our Lord! Certainly, You know what we conceal and what we reveal.) meaning, `You know the intention behind my supplication for the people of this town, seeking Your pleasure in sincerity to You. You know all things, apparent and hidden, and nothing escapes Your knowledge on the earth or in heaven."' He next praised and thanked his Lord the Exalted and Most Honored for granting him offspring after he became old, الْحَمْدُ للَّهِ الَّذِى وَهَبَ لِى عَلَى الْكِبَرِ إِسْمَـعِيلَ وَإِسْحَـقَ إِنَّ رَبِّى لَسَمِيعُ الدُّعَآءِ (All praise is due to Allah, Who has given me in old age Isma'il (Ishmael) and Ishaq (Isaac). Verily, my Lord is indeed the All-Hearer of invocations.) `He accepts the supplication of those who invoke Him, and has accepted my invocation when I asked Him to grant me offspring. ' Ibrahim said next, رَبِّ اجْعَلْنِى مُقِيمَ الصَّلوةِ (O my Lord! Make me one who performs Salah,), preserving its obligations and limits, وَمِن ذُرِّيَتِى (and (also) from my offspring,), make them among those who establish the prayer, as well, رَبَّنَا وَتَقَبَّلْ دُعَآءِ (our Lord! And accept my invocation.), all of my invocation which I invoked You with herein, رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لِى وَلِوَالِدَىَّ (Our Lord! Forgive me and my parents,) Ibrahim said this before he declared himself innocent from his father, after he became sure that he was an enemy of Allah, وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ (and the believers), all of them, يَوْمَ يَقُومُ الْحِسَابُ (on the Day when the reckoning will be established.) on the Day when You will reckon Your servants and recompense or reward them for their deeds - good for good and evil for evil.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir

Allah gives Respite to the Disbelievers and is never unaware of what They do Allah says, `O Muhammad, do not think that Allah is unaware of what the unjust disbelievers do. Do not think because Allah gave them respite and delayed their punishment that He is unaware or ignoring punishing them for what they do. Rather, Allah keeps full account of this for them and keeps it on record against them, إِنَّمَا يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ لِيَوْمٍ تَشْخَصُ فِيهِ الأَبْصَـرُ (but He gives them respite up to a Day when the eyes will stare in horror.) from the horror of the Day of Resurrection.' Allah next mentions how they will all be raised up from their graves and hurriedly gathered for the Day of Gathering, مُهْطِعِينَ (hastening forward), in a hurry. Allah said in other Ayat, مُّهْطِعِينَ إِلَى الدَّاعِ (Hastening towards the caller.) 54:8 يَوْمَئِذٍ يَتَّبِعُونَ الدَّاعِىَ لاَ عِوَجَ لَهُ (On that Day mankind will follow strictly Allah's caller, no crookedness will they show him.) 20:108 until, وَعَنَتِ الْوُجُوهُ لِلْحَىِّ الْقَيُّومِ (And (all) faces shall be humbled before the Ever Living, the Sustainer.) 20:111 Allah said: another Ayah, يَوْمَ يَخْرُجُونَ مِنَ الاٌّجْدَاثِ سِرَاعاً (The Day when they will come out of the graves quickly.) 70:43 Allah said next, مُقْنِعِى رُءُوسِهِمْ (with necks outstretched) meaning, raising their heads up, according to Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid and several others. Allah said next, لاَ يَرْتَدُّ إِلَيْهِمْ طَرْفُهُمْ (their gaze returning not towards them) meaning, their eyes are staring in confusion, trying not to blink because of the horror and tremendous insights they are experiencing, and fear of what is going to strike them, we seek refuge with Allah from this end. This is why Allah said, وَأَفْئِدَتُهُمْ هَوَآءٌ (and their hearts empty.) meaning, their hearts are empty due to extreme fear and fright. Qatadah and several others said that the places of their hearts are empty then, because the hearts will ascend to the throats due to extreme fear. Allah said next to His Messenger ,

Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir

Allah gives Respite to the Disbelievers and is never unaware of what They do Allah says, `O Muhammad, do not think that Allah is unaware of what the unjust disbelievers do. Do not think because Allah gave them respite and delayed their punishment that He is unaware or ignoring punishing them for what they do. Rather, Allah keeps full account of this for them and keeps it on record against them, إِنَّمَا يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ لِيَوْمٍ تَشْخَصُ فِيهِ الأَبْصَـرُ (but He gives them respite up to a Day when the eyes will stare in horror.) from the horror of the Day of Resurrection.' Allah next mentions how they will all be raised up from their graves and hurriedly gathered for the Day of Gathering, مُهْطِعِينَ (hastening forward), in a hurry. Allah said in other Ayat, مُّهْطِعِينَ إِلَى الدَّاعِ (Hastening towards the caller.) 54:8 يَوْمَئِذٍ يَتَّبِعُونَ الدَّاعِىَ لاَ عِوَجَ لَهُ (On that Day mankind will follow strictly Allah's caller, no crookedness will they show him.) 20:108 until, وَعَنَتِ الْوُجُوهُ لِلْحَىِّ الْقَيُّومِ (And (all) faces shall be humbled before the Ever Living, the Sustainer.) 20:111 Allah said: another Ayah, يَوْمَ يَخْرُجُونَ مِنَ الاٌّجْدَاثِ سِرَاعاً (The Day when they will come out of the graves quickly.) 70:43 Allah said next, مُقْنِعِى رُءُوسِهِمْ (with necks outstretched) meaning, raising their heads up, according to Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid and several others. Allah said next, لاَ يَرْتَدُّ إِلَيْهِمْ طَرْفُهُمْ (their gaze returning not towards them) meaning, their eyes are staring in confusion, trying not to blink because of the horror and tremendous insights they are experiencing, and fear of what is going to strike them, we seek refuge with Allah from this end. This is why Allah said, وَأَفْئِدَتُهُمْ هَوَآءٌ (and their hearts empty.) meaning, their hearts are empty due to extreme fear and fright. Qatadah and several others said that the places of their hearts are empty then, because the hearts will ascend to the throats due to extreme fear. Allah said next to His Messenger ,

Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir

There will be no Respite after the Coming of the Torment Allah mentions what those who committed injustice against themselves will say when they witness the torment, رَبَّنَآ أَخِّرْنَآ إِلَى أَجَلٍ قَرِيبٍ نُّجِبْ دَعْوَتَكَ وَنَتَّبِعِ الرُّسُلَ (Our Lord! Respite us for a little while, we will answer Your call and follow the Messengers!) Allah said in other Ayat, حَتَّى إِذَا جَآءَ أَحَدَهُمُ الْمَوْتُ قَالَ رَبِّ ارْجِعُونِ (Until, when death comes to one of them, he says: "My Lord! Send me back.")23:99 and, يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لاَ تُلْهِكُمْ أَمْوَلُكُمْ (O you who believe! Let not your properties divert you.) 63:9-10 Allah described the condition of the wrongdoers on the Day of Gathering, when He said, وَلَوْ تَرَى إِذِ الْمُجْرِمُونَ نَاكِسُواْ رُءُوسِهِمْ (And if you only could see when the criminals shall hang their heads.) 32:12, وَلَوْ تَرَى إِذْ وُقِفُواْ عَلَى النَّارِ فَقَالُواْ يلَيْتَنَا نُرَدُّ وَلاَ نُكَذِّبَ بِـَايَـتِ رَبِّنَا (If you could but see when they will be held over the Fire! They will say: "Would that we were but sent back (to the world)! Then we would not deny the Ayat of Our Lord. .."!) 6:27 and, وَهُمْ يَصْطَرِخُونَ فِيهَا (Therein they will cry.) 35:27 Allah refuted their statement here, أَوَلَمْ تَكُونُواْ أَقْسَمْتُمْ مِّن قَبْلُ مَا لَكُمْ مِّن زَوَالٍ (Had you not sworn aforetime that you would not leave.) Allah says, `Had you not vowed before, that your previous state will not change, that there will be no Resurrection or Reckoning Therefore, taste this torment because of what you vowed before.' Mujahid commented that, مَا لَكُمْ مِّن زَوَالٍ (that you would not leave.) refers to leaving this worldly life to the Hereafter. Allah also said, وَأَقْسَمُواْ بِاللَّهِ جَهْدَ أَيْمَـنِهِمْ لاَ يَبْعَثُ اللَّهُ مَن يَمُوتُ (And they swear by Allah with their strongest oaths, that Allah will not raise up him who dies.) 16:38 Allah said next, وَسَكَنتُمْ فِى مَسَـكِنِ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ وَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمْ كَيْفَ فَعَلْنَا بِهِمْ وَضَرَبْنَا لَكُمُ الأَمْثَالَ (And you dwelt in the dwellings of men who wronged themselves, and it was clear to you how We had dealt with them. And We put forth (many) parables for you.) Allah says, `you have witnessed or heard of the news of what happened to the earlier disbelieving nations, but you did not draw a lesson from their end, nor did what We punished them with provide an example for you,' حِكْمَةٌ بَـلِغَةٌ فَمَا تُغْنِـى النُّذُرُ (Perfect wisdom but the warners benefit then not.)54:5 Shu`bah narrated that Abu Ishaq said that `Abdur-Rahman bin Dabil said that `Ali bin Abi Talib commented on Allah's statement, وَإِن كَانَ مَكْرُهُمْ لِتَزُولَ مِنْهُ الْجِبَالُ (though their plot was not such as to remove the mountains from their places.) "He who disputed with Ibrahim about his Lord, took two eaglets and raised them until they became adult eagels. Then he tied each eagel's leg to a wooden box with ropes and left them go hungry. He and another man sat inside the wooden box and raised a staff with a piece of meat on its tip. So, the two eagles started flying. The king asked his companion to tell him what he was seeing, and he described the scenes to him, until he said that he saw the earth as a fly. So, the king brought the staff closer to the eagels and they started landing slowly. This is why Allah said, (وَإِنْ كَادَ مَكْرُهُمْ لِتَزُولَ مِنْهُ الْجِبَالُ) `though their plot was hardly one to remove the mountains from their places."' Mujahid also mentioned that this story was about Nebuchadnezzar, and that when the king's sight was far away from earth and its people, he was called, `O tyrant one! Where are you headed to' He became afraid and brought the staff closer to the eagels, which flew faster with such haste that the mountains almost shook from the noise they made. The mountains were almost moved from their places, so Allah said, وَإِن كَانَ مَكْرُهُمْ لِتَزُولَ مِنْهُ الْجِبَالُ (though their plot was not such as to remove the mountains from their places.)" Ibn Jurayj narrated that Mujahid recited this Ayah in a way that means, "though their plot was such as to remove the mountains from their places." However, Al-`Awfi reported that Ibn `Abbas said that, وَإِن كَانَ مَكْرُهُمْ لِتَزُولَ مِنْهُ الْجِبَالُ (though their plot was not such as to remove the mountains from their places.) indicates that their plot was not such as to remove the mountains from their places. Similar was said by Al-Hasan Al-Basri. Ibn Jarir reasoned that, "Associating others with Allah and disbelieving in Him, which they brought upon themselves, did not bother the mountains nor other creatures. Rather, the harm of their actions came to haunt them." I (Ibn Kathir) said, this meaning is similar to Allah's statement, وَلاَ تَمْشِ فِى الاٌّرْضِ مَرَحًا إِنَّكَ لَن تَخْرِقَ الاٌّرْضَ وَلَن تَبْلُغَ الْجِبَالَ طُولاً (And walk not on the earth with conceit and arrogance. Verily, you can neither rend nor penetrate the earth, nor can you attain a stature like the mountains in height.)17:37 There is another way of explaining this Ayah; `Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn `Abbas said that, وَإِن كَانَ مَكْرُهُمْ لِتَزُولَ مِنْهُ الْجِبَالُ (though their plot was not such as to remove the mountains from their places.) refers to their Shirk, for Allah said in another Ayah, تَكَادُ السَّمَـوَتُ يَتَفَطَّرْنَ مِنْهُ (Whereby the heavens are almost torn.) 19:90 Ad-Dahhak and Qatadah said similarly.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir

There will be no Respite after the Coming of the Torment Allah mentions what those who committed injustice against themselves will say when they witness the torment, رَبَّنَآ أَخِّرْنَآ إِلَى أَجَلٍ قَرِيبٍ نُّجِبْ دَعْوَتَكَ وَنَتَّبِعِ الرُّسُلَ (Our Lord! Respite us for a little while, we will answer Your call and follow the Messengers!) Allah said in other Ayat, حَتَّى إِذَا جَآءَ أَحَدَهُمُ الْمَوْتُ قَالَ رَبِّ ارْجِعُونِ (Until, when death comes to one of them, he says: "My Lord! Send me back.")23:99 and, يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لاَ تُلْهِكُمْ أَمْوَلُكُمْ (O you who believe! Let not your properties divert you.) 63:9-10 Allah described the condition of the wrongdoers on the Day of Gathering, when He said, وَلَوْ تَرَى إِذِ الْمُجْرِمُونَ نَاكِسُواْ رُءُوسِهِمْ (And if you only could see when the criminals shall hang their heads.) 32:12, وَلَوْ تَرَى إِذْ وُقِفُواْ عَلَى النَّارِ فَقَالُواْ يلَيْتَنَا نُرَدُّ وَلاَ نُكَذِّبَ بِـَايَـتِ رَبِّنَا (If you could but see when they will be held over the Fire! They will say: "Would that we were but sent back (to the world)! Then we would not deny the Ayat of Our Lord. .."!) 6:27 and, وَهُمْ يَصْطَرِخُونَ فِيهَا (Therein they will cry.) 35:27 Allah refuted their statement here, أَوَلَمْ تَكُونُواْ أَقْسَمْتُمْ مِّن قَبْلُ مَا لَكُمْ مِّن زَوَالٍ (Had you not sworn aforetime that you would not leave.) Allah says, `Had you not vowed before, that your previous state will not change, that there will be no Resurrection or Reckoning Therefore, taste this torment because of what you vowed before.' Mujahid commented that, مَا لَكُمْ مِّن زَوَالٍ (that you would not leave.) refers to leaving this worldly life to the Hereafter. Allah also said, وَأَقْسَمُواْ بِاللَّهِ جَهْدَ أَيْمَـنِهِمْ لاَ يَبْعَثُ اللَّهُ مَن يَمُوتُ (And they swear by Allah with their strongest oaths, that Allah will not raise up him who dies.) 16:38 Allah said next, وَسَكَنتُمْ فِى مَسَـكِنِ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ وَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمْ كَيْفَ فَعَلْنَا بِهِمْ وَضَرَبْنَا لَكُمُ الأَمْثَالَ (And you dwelt in the dwellings of men who wronged themselves, and it was clear to you how We had dealt with them. And We put forth (many) parables for you.) Allah says, `you have witnessed or heard of the news of what happened to the earlier disbelieving nations, but you did not draw a lesson from their end, nor did what We punished them with provide an example for you,' حِكْمَةٌ بَـلِغَةٌ فَمَا تُغْنِـى النُّذُرُ (Perfect wisdom but the warners benefit then not.)54:5 Shu`bah narrated that Abu Ishaq said that `Abdur-Rahman bin Dabil said that `Ali bin Abi Talib commented on Allah's statement, وَإِن كَانَ مَكْرُهُمْ لِتَزُولَ مِنْهُ الْجِبَالُ (though their plot was not such as to remove the mountains from their places.) "He who disputed with Ibrahim about his Lord, took two eaglets and raised them until they became adult eagels. Then he tied each eagel's leg to a wooden box with ropes and left them go hungry. He and another man sat inside the wooden box and raised a staff with a piece of meat on its tip. So, the two eagles started flying. The king asked his companion to tell him what he was seeing, and he described the scenes to him, until he said that he saw the earth as a fly. So, the king brought the staff closer to the eagels and they started landing slowly. This is why Allah said, (وَإِنْ كَادَ مَكْرُهُمْ لِتَزُولَ مِنْهُ الْجِبَالُ) `though their plot was hardly one to remove the mountains from their places."' Mujahid also mentioned that this story was about Nebuchadnezzar, and that when the king's sight was far away from earth and its people, he was called, `O tyrant one! Where are you headed to' He became afraid and brought the staff closer to the eagels, which flew faster with such haste that the mountains almost shook from the noise they made. The mountains were almost moved from their places, so Allah said, وَإِن كَانَ مَكْرُهُمْ لِتَزُولَ مِنْهُ الْجِبَالُ (though their plot was not such as to remove the mountains from their places.)" Ibn Jurayj narrated that Mujahid recited this Ayah in a way that means, "though their plot was such as to remove the mountains from their places." However, Al-`Awfi reported that Ibn `Abbas said that, وَإِن كَانَ مَكْرُهُمْ لِتَزُولَ مِنْهُ الْجِبَالُ (though their plot was not such as to remove the mountains from their places.) indicates that their plot was not such as to remove the mountains from their places. Similar was said by Al-Hasan Al-Basri. Ibn Jarir reasoned that, "Associating others with Allah and disbelieving in Him, which they brought upon themselves, did not bother the mountains nor other creatures. Rather, the harm of their actions came to haunt them." I (Ibn Kathir) said, this meaning is similar to Allah's statement, وَلاَ تَمْشِ فِى الاٌّرْضِ مَرَحًا إِنَّكَ لَن تَخْرِقَ الاٌّرْضَ وَلَن تَبْلُغَ الْجِبَالَ طُولاً (And walk not on the earth with conceit and arrogance. Verily, you can neither rend nor penetrate the earth, nor can you attain a stature like the mountains in height.)17:37 There is another way of explaining this Ayah; `Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn `Abbas said that, وَإِن كَانَ مَكْرُهُمْ لِتَزُولَ مِنْهُ الْجِبَالُ (though their plot was not such as to remove the mountains from their places.) refers to their Shirk, for Allah said in another Ayah, تَكَادُ السَّمَـوَتُ يَتَفَطَّرْنَ مِنْهُ (Whereby the heavens are almost torn.) 19:90 Ad-Dahhak and Qatadah said similarly.