Verses 149–182
Previously, God pronounced that He is the Lord [to be] worshipped. His sincere, purified servants—like the prophets and the honored ones—worship Him, and others deny Him. His servants will be saved, and those who deny Him will endure harrowing torment.
These verses present what they [obviously, not the monotheists] believed about their demigods, who were angels and jinn; and how they held that the angels were daughters of God and that there was a blood tie between God and the jinn.
The Brahmins, Buddhists, and Sabians did not hold that all of the angels were female, although they said that some of them were. However, it has come down to us that some of the Arab tribes who worshipped idols—like the Juhaynah, the Sulaym, the Khuzāʿah, and the Banū Malīḥ—did maintain that all of the angels were female. However, all held that the jinn were ultimately descended from God.
These verses point out the flaws in their beliefs. Then they give the Prophet glad tidings of divine assistance, and threaten others with punishment. The chapter ends by absolving God [of the notions that they ascribed to Him that did not befit Him], sending greetings to the messengers, and praising God, the Lord of the worlds.
Commentary
فَاسْتَفْتِهِمْ أَلِرَبِّكَ الْبَنَاتُ وَلَهُمُ الْبَنُونَ ١٤٩
(37:149) So ask them, does your Lord have daughters while they have sons?
Here, God dissects their assertion that the angels are daughters of God into its necessary concomitants—namely, that the angels are His children, that they are girls, and that God preferred girls for Himself while they prefer boys. Then He refutes these premises one by one. So, He refutes their claim that He has girls while they have boys by saying: So ask them, does your Lord have daughters while they have sons? () This is a rhetorical question; the answer is “no”. Their claim would imply that they were above God! For they favored sons over daughters to such an extent that they tried to rid themselves of the blemish of having daughters by burying them alive.
أَمْ خَلَقْنَا الْمَلَائِكَةَ إِنَاثًا وَهُمْ شَاهِدُونَ ١٥٠
(37:150) Or (am) did We create the angels female while they were witnessing?
The conjunction or (am munqaṭiʿah) introduces a new clause [rather than being an either-or statement]. It has the meaning of, “Nay, did We create the angels female while they were witnessing their creation? They did not witness them being created. It is not their place to claim this, for it is only possible to establish whether a being is male or female through sensory perception.” This refutes their assertion that the angels are female.
أَلَا إِنَّهُمْ مِنْ إِفْكِهِمْ لَيَقُولُونَ ١٥١ وَلَدَ اللَّهُ وَإِنَّهُمْ لَكَاذِبُونَ ١٥٢
(37:151–152) Behold, it is part of their own lie (ifkihim) that they say, “Allah has children”. They are lying!
This refutes their claim that God has children, for it is something that they have made up themselves, through equivocating and falsifying, this being the meaning of ifk. They are declaring that the angels were born the same way people are, but they are lying [especially since none of them were there to see it].
أَصْطَفَى الْبَنَاتِ عَلَى الْبَنِينَ ١٥٣ مَا لَكُمْ كَيْفَ تَحْكُمُونَ ١٥٤ أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ ١٥٥
(37:153–155) He chose daughters over sons? What is wrong with you—how do you decide this? Why do you not reflect?
This reiterates that it is wrong for them to say that God chose daughters over sons—the idea that God preferred this being a necessary corollary to their belief—for it would be disgraceful [to them].
What is wrong with you—how do you decide this? It censures them, for they have made this judgment without any evidence. This is followed by why do you not reflect?—also reprimanding them—which implies that not only is their claim baseless, but evidence would suggest the opposite. Were they to think about it, it would become clear to them that the divine is too exalted to split into parts to procreate, or even to need to have children. These arguments are presented in various parts of these verses.
The text shifts from third to second person to express that the divine anger is so severe that God must deign to address those who hold these corrupt beliefs directly.
أَمْ لَكُمْ سُلْطَانٌ مُبِينٌ ١٥٦ فَأْتُوا بِكِتَابِكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ ١٥٧
(37:156–157) Or (am) do you have clear proof? Bring your book, if you be truthful.
The conjunction or (am munqaṭiʿah) introduces a new clause [rather than being an either-or statement]. The verses indicate that the intent behind proof (sulṭān) is a book revealed from God, informing people that the angels are His daughters. Since neither the intellect nor the five senses can determine the gender of the angels, the only remaining option is for this to be established by a book revealed from God. Were their claim correct, and were they telling the truth, they would have produced a book.
Their is appended to book (bi-kitābihim, “their book”) to emphasize that they were required to have a book to demonstrate their claim.
وَجَعَلُوا بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ الْجِنَّةِ نَسَبًا ۚ وَلَقَدْ عَلِمَتِ الْجِنَّةُ إِنَّهُمْ لَمُحْضَرُونَ ١٥٨
(37:158) And they ascribed ties of kinship between Him and the jinn, while the jinn know that they shall surely be brought forth [for divine judgment].
They ascribed ties of kinship between God and the jinn by claiming that the jinn were born from God. Their claim has already been examined in depth in the exegesis of Sūrah Hūd, in the discussion on the worship of idols.
While the jinn know that they shall surely be brought forth (muḥḍarūn): Meaning they will be brought forth for accounting or to the fire, given the negative connotations of muḥḍarūn. Regardless of wherever exactly it may mean, the jinn know that they are under God’s lordship and will be judged and recompensed for their deeds. Therefore, the relationship between them and God is that of a lord and a servant, not one of a parent and child; and it is not fitting to worship a being which is subject to someone else’s lordship.
Some exegetes have held a truly strange view: that the intent behind jinn (jinnah) here is a group of the angels called jinnah. This necessitates that the pronoun they refers to the faithless, not the jinnah. However, this is one of those views that has no evidence in the Qur’an; additionally, it is rather distant from what the text actually says.
سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ ١٥٩ إِلَّا عِبَادَ اللَّهِ الْمُخْلَصِينَ ١٦٠
(37:159–160) Glory be to Allah above what they ascribe (yaṣifūn)! Except for Allah’s purified servants (mukhlaṣīn).
The subject of yaṣifūn is the faithless (keeping in mind the link between this verse and the previous verses). It refers to the faithless who were mentioned before. The clause of exception here is non-inclusive (munqaṭiʿ). It means that either (a) God is above their description of Him, or (b) God is above what the faithless say about Him (for instance, that He has children, that He has blood ties with created beings, or that He has partners). However, the purified, sincere servants of God describe God befittingly.
There are other views on this clause of exception. Some say that it is a non-inclusive exception, making a this/not-this construction with the pronoun they in they shall surely be brought forth [that is, “they shall be brought forth—except for God’s purified, sincere servants”]. Others say that the exception hinges on the subject of they ascribed [that is, “they ascribed blood ties to God—except God’s purified, sincere servants”], and that the intervening text is parenthetical. However, both of these views are unlikely.
On their own, these two verses have a broader and more precise meaning, for the subject of what they ascribe can be taken to be people as a whole. “Ascribe” here would then refer to all the ways that people describe God. In this case, the exception would be inclusive [in that the purified, sincere servants of God are also human beings], and it would mean that God is above the way that all people describe Him, apart from the purified, sincere servants of God [who describe Him appropriately].
This is because they describe God with their limited understandings, whereas God is unlimited and unbounded. No description of Him can arrive at [His true nature]. He is above any way that they describe Him. He is unlike however they imagine Him. However, God has purified, sincere servants whom He has purified selected for Himself. They do not associate anything with Him, and so He has made Himself known to them and made them forget everything but Him. They know Him and know things other than Him by Him. So when they reflect inwardly on Him, they envision Him in a way that befits the divine majesty, and when they describe Him in words—even though words are insufficient and limited in meaning—the confess to the inadequacy of their speech and the faltering of the tongue. As the Prophet said—and he is the foremost of God’s sincere, purified servants—“I cannot praise you sufficiently; You are as you have praised Yourself.” Understand that!
فَإِنَّكُمْ وَمَا تَعْبُدُونَ ١٦١ مَا أَنْتُمْ عَلَيْهِ بِفَاتِنِينَ ١٦٢ إِلَّا مَنْ هُوَ صَالِ الْجَحِيمِ ١٦٣
(37:161–163) Truly, you and what you worship are not tempting [anyone] away from Him except for the one on the way to hell (ṣāl al-jaḥīm).
This sentence [which begins with the conjunction fa-, which is omitted in translation] is a result of what the two previous verses imply [the exception and what is being excepted from; that is, Glory be to Allah above what they ascribe! Except for Allah’s purified servants] or only what the exclusion implies. It means, “Your erroneous notions of God—and the purified, sincere servants of God do not err in their descriptions of God—do not entice anyone to follow you except those already walking the path to the fire.”
It is clear from the text that the pronoun mā (“what”) in mā taʿbudūn (“what you worship”) is a relative pronoun [as opposed to some other usage of mā], and by it is intended either (a) just the idols, or (b) the idols and false gods, like demon-jinn. However, mā in mā antum (“you… are not”) means “not”. The pronoun suffix -hi (“him”) in mā antum ʿalayhi (“away from Him”) refers to God, and the adverbial phrase “away from Him” describes fātinīn (“tempting”, i.e. “tempting away from Him”).
Fātinīn (“tempting”) is the [plural] active participle of the verb root f-t-n, and means “misguiding”. Ṣāl is from the verb root ṣ-l-w and means “to follow”. Therefore, a person who is ṣāl al-jaḥīm is traipsing after the fire. While the precise word that the exception applies to is omitted, it essentially means, “You are not tempting anyone [this being the implied omitted word] except for the one who is already following the way towards the fire.”
Some exegetes maintain that the first mā in mā taʿbudūn [translated as “what you worship”] is either a gerundive particle or a relative pronoun, and that the sentence you and what you worship is an independent, self-contained expression, along the lines of “you and your lot”. That is, “you” and “what you worship” are paired together. Then mā antum ʿalayhi bi-fātinīn is a new sentence; fātinīn, according to this view, would mean “imposing something on someone” or “burdening someone with something” [these being non-conventional meanings of fātinīn]. If the first mā is a gerundive particle, the pronoun suffix -hi in ʿalayhi refers back to mā taʿbudūn; if it is a relative pronoun, it would refers back to mā itself, with the idea that something was implicitly appended to the mā but was left unstated. It would mean, “You can only impose your demigods on those who are already on the way to the fire.”
Some exegetes have also put forward the possibility that the preposition ʿalā [in ʿalayhi] really means bi- (“with”), and the pronoun suffix -hi refers to what you worship or what (if it is taken to be a relative pronoun). Fātinīn then takes on its conventional meaning (rather than “impose”); all in all, it would mean, “You cannot mislead anyone through your worship or by worshipping what you worship unless they are already following the path to hell.”
These views, however, are rather feigned and are not necessitated by the text. The reason behind the shift in person in the text has already been discussed [in the section on verses ].
وَمَا مِنَّا إِلَّا لَهُ مَقَامٌ مَعْلُومٌ ١٦٤ وَإِنَّا لَنَحْنُ الصَّافُّونَ ١٦٥ وَإِنَّا لَنَحْنُ الْمُسَبِّحُونَ ١٦٦
(37:164–166) There is no one who lacks an assigned place. And we are the ones who arrange themselves in ranks, and we are the ones who glorify [Allah].
These three verses are an intervening utterance in the voice of Jibraʾīl, or Jibraʾīl and his angelic aides assisting him in delivering the revelation. It is similar to the following verse [in the voice of Jibraʾīl, or Jibraʾīl and other angels] in Sūrah Maryam:
And we only descend at the command of your Lord; to Him belongs whatever is before us and whatever is behind us and whatever is between these. ()
This is what the text implies. However, some exegetes are of the view that the Prophet is actually speaking here [that is, it is revelation composed in the voice of the Prophet], describing himself and those who believe in him to those who rejected him to lessen their morale and upbraid them. In this view, grammatically, it would be connected back to fa-astaftihim (“so ask them”, ), and would mean: “So ask them, then say, ‘Every one of us Muslims has an assigned place due to his deeds on the Day of Judgment. We are the ones who line ourselves up in ranks for the ritual prayer, and we are the ones who glorify God.”
However, this view is rather contrived, and does not match the actual text.
Rather, these three verses refute the claim that the angels are deities with their own independent will by showing that the non-monotheists’ views are self-contradictory. The non-monotheists do not deny that the angels are servants or worshippers of God, or that they are under the care and protection of God (that is, that God is their Lord). However, they also see them as deities or demigods who act independently to administer the parts of the cosmos which God has put under their domain; and, in doing so, they are not tied in the slightest to the divine will. Here, the angels themselves deny this. However, they do not deny that they play an intermediary role between God and the creation; as God says:
They do not precede Him in speech, and do as they are told ()
There is no one who lacks an assigned place: Meaning, a specific post. It does not mean that God has delegated control over parts of the universe to the angels and granted them free reign in how they administer it. Instead, they have been fashioned to obey God, to carry out His commands, and to worship Him.
And we are the ones that arrange themselves in ranks: Meaning, “We [angels] line up in ranks before God to await His command in how to administer the cosmos, so that we may carry out the divine will.”
This view is supported by the verse they do not disobey Allah in what He commands, and they do as they are told (), as well as the text. Possibly, it could also be said to mean that they line themselves up for prayer before God. However, this interpretation does not spring directly to mind from the text, nor is there any evidence for it.
We are the ones who glorify [Allah]: Meaning, We are the ones who absolve God of anything that would not befit the divine majesty. This is similar to the verse: They praise Him night and day, and do not tire ().
Altogether, these three verses describe the position and role of the angels vis-a-visa the created world. That is, they line up to receive the divine command and absolve the divine majesty of anything that could be construed as a partner to it or anything that does not befit the perfection or exaltation of the divine essence.
وَإِنْ كَانُوا لَيَقُولُونَ ١٦٧ لَوْ أَنَّ عِنْدَنَا ذِكْرًا مِنَ الْأَوَّلِينَ ١٦٨ لَكُنَّا عِبَادَ اللَّهِ الْمُخْلَصِينَ ١٦٩
(37:167–169) Even if they used to say, “If only we had a reminder from the ancients, We would certainly have been purified, sincere servants of Allah.”
This resumes the thread of discussion in the previous verses [that is, before the intervention in the voice of the angels].
Even if they used to say: They refers to the Quraysh as well as anyone else who shared the beliefs of the Quraysh. The Arabic particle in in even if (wa in kānū) is the lightened form (al-mukhaffafah min al-thaqīlah) of the Arabic particle inna. The intent behind a reminder from the ancients is a heavenly book like the ones that were revealed to the other ancient peoples.
If means, “If only we had a heavenly book like those which were sent in times of yore to the ancients. We would have been guided; we would have been sincere servants of God.” They are making excuses for disbelieving on the grounds that they never received a book from God.
However, their line of thought is erroneous, since idol-worshipping religions cannot have their own prophets from God or divinely revealed books.
فَكَفَرُوا بِهِ ۖ فَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ ١٧٠
(37:170) But they rejected it; so they shall soon know.
The conjunction fa- [which introduces the verse, here translated as “but”] is a stylistic device which implies that there is something implied but omitted which is the reason behind the next statement (fāʾ faṣīḥa). It means something akin to, “We sent the Qur’an to them, but they rejected it, and did not abide by their promise [to follow a scripture]. So they shall soon know and see the implications of their rejection.” God is warning them.
وَلَقَدْ سَبَقَتْ كَلِمَتُنَا لِعِبَادِنَا الْمُرْسَلِينَ ١٧١ إِنَّهُمْ لَهُمُ الْمَنْصُورُونَ ١٧٢
(37:171–172) And Our word has gone forth with respect to Our servants, the messengers. They shall be the ones who receive divine assistance (innahum la-hum al-manṣūrūn)
God’s word (kalimah) here is His decree [to aid them]. Our word has gone forth (sabaqat) means either that has already been sworn as a divine promise, or else that it has already been manifested through the act of granting the messengers power and victory. The l- [in la-hum] reinforces the certainty of that decree—that they shall certainly receive divine aid. Several features of these verses emphasize that this divine promise shall come to pass [such as laqad at the beginning of the verse, the particle inna, and the l- in la-hum].
Divine assistance (naṣr) here is left unqualified, such that it could refer to divine assistance in this world, or in the next, or something else. The verse itself defies restriction. It is similar to how God says:
Surely We help Our messengers, and those who believe, in this world’s life and on the day when the witnesses shall stand. ()
So, for instance, the messengers receive divine assistance in the form of the proof they are given, for they are on the path of truth, and truth can never be vanquished. They are also divinely aided against their enemies—either immediately (when face-to-face with their enemies), or later, when the divine takes vengeance on their behalf. God says:
Until the messengers despaired and the people became sure that they were indeed told a lie, Our help came to them and whom We pleased was delivered; and Our punishment is not averted from the guilty people. ()
They also receive divine assistance in the hereafter:
On the day on which Allah will not abase the Prophet and those who believe with him. ()
A verse in Sūrah al-Muʾmin which shares the same meaning has been discussed before.
وَإِنَّ جُنْدَنَا لَهُمُ الْغَالِبُونَ ١٧٣
(37:173) And Our hosts (jundanā) shall be victorious.
A jund is a dense assembly. For that reason, jund is used for a contingent of soldiers (ʿaskar). It is close in meaning to ḥizb (“party”, “contingent” ). God says elsewhere:
And whoever takes Allah and His messenger and those who believe for a guardian, then surely the party (ḥizb) of Allah are the triumphant. ()
Our hosts (jundanā) here refers to a group which is united on following the divine command and striving in God’s way. It refers either to the faithful alone, or else to the prophets and the faithful who followed them (although this latter possibility would, like the prophets that they follow, involve generalization after limitation.) In either case, it means that the faithful—like the prophets whom they follow will always receive divine aid. God says:
And be not infirm, and be not grieving; you shall have the upper hand, if you be believers. ()
Some verses showing this have already been mentioned.
The divine decree that God will grant ultimate assistance or victory to the believers is a social or universal law which is subject to a condition [namely, that the faithful are truly faithful]. Divine assistance has been granted to the prophets—who are servants of God whom God sent as messengers—as well as the faithful. They are the forces of God, acting in accordance with His command and striving in His way. As long as they maintain these characteristics, they shall be victorious and aided. However, if they swerve away from faith and call themselves “believers” only in name (and simply label themselves as “believers”), then they cannot expect divine assistance or victory.
فَتَوَلَّ عَنْهُمْ حَتَّىٰ حِينٍ ١٧٤
(37:174) So turn away from them for a time
This is consequent to the discussion about divine aid and victory. Herein lies a promise to the Prophet of divine aid and victory, particularly against the polytheists and the Quraysh.
The verse first tells the Prophet to turn away from them, but then gives that command a deadline through for a time. This hints that this time is actually quite near. Indeed, it was so, for, a short time later, the Prophet migrated to Medina, and God sent the heroes of the Quraysh along onto their eternal journey during the skirmishes in Badr and other places.
وَأَبْصِرْهُمْ فَسَوْفَ يُبْصِرُونَ ١٧٥
(37:175) And watch them; they shall also see.
The command is to watch. The prophecy is that they shall soon see. Linking these sentences together with turn away (in the previous verse) gives the idea that one will happen shortly after the other. It can be deduced that it means: “Watch them, and see the denial and stubbornness they display in the face of your warnings. They shall soon realize the result of their denial and arrogance.”
أَفَبِعَذَابِنَا يَسْتَعْجِلُونَ ١٧٦ فَإِذَا نَزَلَ بِسَاحَتِهِمْ فَسَاءَ صَبَاحُ الْمُنْذَرِينَ ١٧٧
(37:176–177) Are they trying to hasten Our chastisement? When it descends in their midst, it shall be an evil morning for those who were warned.
This is a reprimand to them—they should not be trying to hasten this. They asked, “When is this supposed to happen? And when is this victory?” It declares that this punishment is something that they should not try to hasten, for it shall befall them on a severe day, a fateful morning.
The sending down of the punishment in their midst (bi-sāḥatihim) is a figure of speech for it descending upon them from every direction, encompassing them. It shall be an evil morning for those who were warned means that it will be their most wretched morning, and those who were warned are the polytheists among the Quraysh.
وَتَوَلَّ عَنْهُمْ حَتَّىٰ حِينٍ ١٧٨ وَأَبْصِرْ فَسَوْفَ يُبْصِرُونَ ١٧٩
(37:178–179) And turn away from them for a time. And watch; they shall also see.
Exegetes say that these verses emphasise the two preceding verses () by essentially repeating them. Some exegetes have suggested that the first set of verses () warn them of earthly punishment, whereas these two verses () warn them of otherworldly punishment. However, this view is not without problems, for the first verse says watch them, whereas this verse just says watch. This implies that this verse should be taken more generally. That is, it implies watching how the majority of human beings fall into faithlessness or hypocrisy. Thus, it is better understood as warning of the torment on the day of resurrection in general.
سُبْحَانَ رَبِّكَ رَبِّ الْعِزَّةِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ ١٨٠
(37:180) Glory be to your Lord, the Lord of Might, above what they ascribe.
This absolves God of what the faithless opponents of the Prophet ascribed to Him; what they said was mentioned previously in this chapter.
The proof of this lies in the construction of the verse (subḥāna rabbika rabb-i al-ʿizzati). There are two appended constructions here: glory be to your Lord (subḥāna rabbika) and Lord of might (rabb-i al-ʿizzati). The first construction absolves “the Lord you worship and pray to” of what they say. The second construction makes it clear that only God is the Lord of Might. He is absolutely unshakeable; none can humiliate or overpower Him, and none can escape Him. The polytheists are enemies of the truth; they have been warned of the punishment, and can do nothing to Him.
وَسَلَامٌ عَلَى الْمُرْسَلِينَ ١٨١
(37:181) And peace be upon the messengers.
This greeting of peace is offered to all the messengers. It declares that, before God, they are protected from [divine] torment or other miseries.
وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ١٨٢
(37:182) And praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.
This was discussed in the exegesis of Sūrah al-Fātiḥah.
Examining Narrations
- In al-Durr al-Manthūr, Muḥammad ibn Naḍr and Ibn ʿAsākir relate from al-ʿĀlāʾ ibn Saʿīd:
One day, the Messenger of God said to his sitting-companions: “The sky has become constricted, and indeed, rightfully so, for there is no spot in it that an angel could place its feet on that does not already have a bowing or prostrating angel on it.” Then he recited: We are the ones who line up, and we are the ones who exalt [Allah]. ()
Author’s comments: Narrations with this meaning have also been related from him via other chains.
- In al-Durr al-Manthūr, Ibn Mardawayh relates from Anas:
Whenever the Prophet stood for prayer, he would say, “Stand evenly. Come forward, so-and-so; and move back, so-and-so. Straighten your lines; God and the angels will that you be guided.” Then he would recite: We are the ones who line up, and we are the ones who exalt [Allah]. ()
- In Nahj al-Balāghah, it is related from Imam ʿAlī in his description of the angels:
[Some of the angels] are in ranks and never leave their positions, and glorify [God] without tiring.
For he has praised God by wholly acknowledging his incapacity to do so, since he wills only what God wills with respect to how God praises Himself. ↩︎
From the same root as fitna, meaning “discord” or “temptation”. [Trans.] ↩︎
Today, this verb root is more often used to mean “prayer” (ṣalāt) or “to send blessings upon” (ṣalawāt). The meaning of “following” is associated with racing animals, such horses; for instance, which horse follows which as they race towards the goal. [Trans.] ↩︎
Jund and ḥizb are used interchangeably in Sūrah al-Aḥzāb, where God says, If forces come to you (in jāʾatkum junūd) () but then refers to them by saying and when the faithful saw the forces (aḥzāb). ↩︎