Quran Crew: Tafsir Surah At-Taghabun: Ayah 6-12

Ibn Kathir

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ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُ كَانَت تَّأْتِيهِمْ رُسُلُهُم بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ

That was because there came to them their Messengers with Bayyinat, supporting arguments, evidence, and clear proofs,

فَقَالُوا أَبَشَرٌ يَهْدُونَنَا - but they said:"Shall mere men guide us?"

They discounted and dismissed the possibility that the Message would be sent to a human and that their guidance would come by the hands of a man like themselves,

فَكَفَرُوا وَتَوَلَّوا - So they disbelieved and turned away. They denied the truth and turned away from abiding by it,

وَّاسْتَغْنَى اللَّهُ - But Allah was not in need (of them),

وَاللَّهُ غَنِيٌّ حَمِيدٌ - And Allah is not need, Worthy of all praise.

Life after Death is True

Allah says,

زَعَمَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَن لَّن يُبْعَثُوا - The disbelievers pretend that they will never be resurrected.

Allah the Exalted informs about the disbelievers, idolators and the atheists that they claim that they will not be resurrected,

قُلْ بَلَى وَرَبِّي لَتُبْعَثُنَّ ثُمَّ لَتُنَبَّوُنَّ بِمَا عَمِلْتُمْ

Say: "Yes! By my Lord, you will certainly be resurrected, then you will be informed of what you did..." Meaning, `you will be informed of all of your actions, whether major or minor, big or small,'

وَذَلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ - and that is easy for Allah.

`resurrecting and recompensing you is easy for Allah.'

This is the third Ayah in which Allah orders His Messenger to swear by His Lord, the Exalted and Most Honored, that Resurrection occurs.

The first is in Surah Yunus,

وَيَسْتَنْبِيُونَكَ أَحَقٌّ هُوَ قُلْ إِى وَرَبِّى إِنَّهُ لَحَقٌّ وَمَأ أَنتُمْ بِمُعْجِزِينَ

And they ask you to inform them:"Is it true"

Say:"Yes! By my Lord! It is the very truth! and you can not escape it!" (10:53),

The second is in Surah Saba',

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لَا تَأْتِينَا السَّاعَةُ قُلْ بَلَى وَرَبِّى لَتَأْتِيَنَّكُمْ

Those who disbelieve say:"The hour will not come to us."

Say:"Yes, by my Lord, it will come to you..." (34:3),

and the third is this Ayah,

زَعَمَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَن لَّن يُبْعَثُوا

قُلْ بَلَى وَرَبِّي لَتُبْعَثُنَّ ثُمَّ لَتُنَبَّوُنَّ بِمَا عَمِلْتُمْ وَذَلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ

The disbelievers pretend that they will never be resurrected. Say:"Yes! By my Lord, you will certainly be resurrected, then you will be informed of what you did; and that is easy for Allah."

Allah the Exalted said

فَأمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَالنُّورِ الَّذِي أَنزَلْنَا

Therefore, believe in Allah and in His Messenger and in the Light which We have sent down. That is, the Qur'an,

وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ - And Allah is All-Aware of what you do. None of your deeds ever escapes His knowledge.

The Day of At-Taghabun

Allah said

يَوْمَ يَجْمَعُكُمْ لِيَوْمِ الْجَمْعِ - The Day when He will gather you on the Day of Gathering, meaning the Day of Resurrection. This is the Day when the earlier and later generations will all be gathered in one area, a caller would be heard by them all, and one's vision would easily see them all.

Allah said,

ذلِكَ يَوْمٌ مَّجْمُوعٌ لَّهُ النَّاسُ وَذَلِكَ يَوْمٌ مَّشْهُودٌ

That is the Day whereon mankind will be gathered together, that is a Day when all will be present. (11:103)

and,

قُلْ إِنَّ الاٌّوَّلِينَ وَالاٌّخِرِينَ

لَمَجْمُوعُونَ إِلَى مِيقَـتِ يَوْمٍ مَّعْلُومٍ

Say: "(Yes) verily, those of old, and those of later times. All will surely be gathered together for appointed meeting of a known Day." (56:49-50)

Allah's statement,

ذَلِكَ يَوْمُ التَّغَابُنِ - that will be the Day of At-Taghabun.

Ibn `Abbas said, "It is one of the names of the Day of Judgement, and that is because the people of Paradise will have gained over the people of the Fire."

Qatadah and Mujahid said similarly.

Muqatil bin Hayyan said, "There is no mutual loss and gain greater than these entering Paradise and those being taken to the Fire."

Allah explained His statement saying;

وَمَن يُوْمِن بِاللَّهِ وَيَعْمَلْ صَالِحًا يُكَفِّرْ عَنْهُ سَيِّيَاتِهِ

وَيُدْخِلْهُ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الاَْنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا

ذَلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ

وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَكَذَّبُوا بِأيَاتِنَا أُوْلَيِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا وَبِيْسَ الْمَصِيرُ

And whosoever believes in Allah and performs righteous deeds, He will expiate from him his sins, and will admit him to Gardens beneath which rivers flow (Paradise), to dwell therein forever; that will be the great success.

But those who disbelieved and denied Our Ayat, they will be the dwellers of the Fire, to dwell therein forever. And worst indeed is that destination.

We explained these meanings several times before

All that occurs to Mankind is by Allah's Permission

Allah informs us as He did in Surah Al-Hadid,

مَأ أَصَابَ مِن مُّصِيبَةٍ فِى الاٌّرْضِ وَلَا فِى أَنفُسِكُمْ إِلاَّ فِى كِتَـبٍ مِّن قَبْلِ أَن نَّبْرَأَهَأ إِنَّ ذَلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ

No calamity occurs on the earth or in yourselves but it is inscribed in a record before We bring it into existence. Verily, that is easy for Allah. (57:22)

Allah said here,

مَا أَصَابَ مِن مُّصِيبَةٍ إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ

No calamity occurs, but by the permission of Allah,

Ibn Abbas said; "By the command of Allah," meaning from His decree and will.

وَمَن يُوْمِن بِاللَّهِ يَهْدِ قَلْبَهُ

وَاللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ

And whosoever believes in Allah, He guides his heart. And Allah is the All-Knower of everything. Meaning, whoever suffered an affliction and he knew that it occurred by Allah's judgement and decree, and he patiently abides, awaiting Allah's reward, then Allah guides his heart, and will compensate him for his loss in this life by granting guidance to his heart and certainty in faith. Allah will replace whatever he lost for Him with the same or what is better.

Ali bin Abi Talhah reported from Ibn `Abbas,

وَمَن يُوْمِن بِاللَّهِ يَهْدِ قَلْبَهُ - (and whosoever believes in Allah, He guides his heart).

"Allah will guide his heart to certainty. Therefore, he will know that what reached him would not have missed him and what has missed him would not have reached him."

There is an agreed upon Hadith that Al-Bukhari and Muslim collected and which states,

عَجَبًا لِلْمُوْمِنِ لَا يَقْضِي اللهُ لَهُ قَضَاءً إِلاَّ كَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ إِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ ضَرَّاءُ صَبَرَ فَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ سَرَّاءُ شَكَرَ فَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ وَلَيْسَ ذَلِكَ لاَِحَدٍ إِلاَّ لِلْمُوْمِن

Amazing is the believer:

There is no decree that Allah writes for him, but is better for him.

- If an affliction strikes him, he is patient and this is better for him.

- If a bounty is granted to him, he is thankful and this is better for him.

This trait is only for the faithful believer.

The Order to obey Allah and His Messenger

Allah said

وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ - Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger; Allah commands obedience to Him and to His Messenger in all that His legislates and in implementing His orders.

Allah also forbids one from all that His Messenger forbids and prohibits.

Allah the Exalted said,

فَإِن تَوَلَّيْتُمْ فَإِنَّمَا عَلَى رَسُولِنَا الْبَلَإغُ الْمُبِينُ - but if you turn away, then the duty of Our Messenger is only to convey clearly. Meaning, `if you refrain from abiding by the faith, then the Messenger's mission is to convey and your mission is to hear and obey.

Az-Zuhri said, "From Allah comes the Message, its deliverance is up to the Messenger, and the adherence is up to us."

Tawhid

Allah states that He is the One, Whom all creations need and seek, the One other than Whom there is no (true) God.

اللَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ

وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُوْمِنُونَ