Verses 69–78
The discourse now turns once again to those who dispute God’s signs and what will become of them, recalling what befell those who were like them in nations past and also recalling God’s assistance to His messengers that was mentioned at the beginning of this chapter. God mentions this generally, at first, before turning to the example of Moses’ mission, especially with regards to the stories the Qur’an recounts about him and the divine help he received. Finally, God enjoins His Prophet to be patient and steadfast and guarantees His assistance.
This is the last time that those who dispute God’s signs are mentioned in this chapter. These verses discuss their fate and the everlasting punishment that lies in store for them. Finally, God enjoins the Prophet to be patient, then promises him divine assistance, and then reassures him that God’s promise is true.
Commentary
أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ يُجَادِلُونَ فِي آيَاتِ اللَّهِ أَنَّىٰ يُصْرَفُونَ ٦٩
(40:69) Have you not regarded those who dispute the signs of Allah, where they are being led away?
Have you not regarded…? is an expression of amazement, while ‘where’ (annā) can also be understood as how here. Therefore, the meaning of the verse is: Are you not amazed by those who dispute God’s signs, how they are led away from truth to falsehood and from guidance and into error?
This verse calls attention to the condition of those who dispute God’s signs here in order to highlight that they have gone astray from the truth and guidance and what will become of them as a result. By contrast, when they were last discussed in the verse, Indeed those who dispute the signs of Allah without any authority that may have come to them there is only vanity in their breasts, which they will never satisfy (), this said that they were motivated by vanity and would never accomplish their goals, so the present verses are not a case of repetition.
Some have argued that the repeated mention of those who dispute God’s signs shows that there were a number of debates that took place. This might have been with different groups, such that those who disputed God’s signs in the previous verse and different to those mentioned in this verse, or that each debate was about a different topic each time, such that the previous debate was about Resurrection, while the current debate is about monotheism. However, as should be obvious, this interpretation neglects this chapter of the Qur’ans overarching purpose.
الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِالْكِتَابِ وَبِمَا أَرْسَلْنَا بِهِ رُسُلَنَا ۖ فَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ ٧٠
(40:70) Those who deny the Book and what we have sent with Our messengers. Soon they will know
The subsequent verses indicate that those who dispute the signs of Allah are from the Prophets own people and, therefore, that the meaning of the Book here is none other than the Qur’an itself, and what we have sent with Our messengers refers to the scriptures and teachings brought by the prophets, for the idol-worshippers deny the very idea of prophethood.
إِذِ الْأَغْلَالُ فِي أَعْنَاقِهِمْ وَالسَّلَاسِلُ يُسْحَبُونَ ٧١ فِي الْحَمِيمِ ثُمَّ فِي النَّارِ يُسْجَرُونَ ٧٢
(40:71–72) when, with iron collars around their necks and chains, they are dragged into scalding waters and then cast into the Fire.
In Majmaʿ al-bayān, we read: Aghlāl (“iron collars”) is the plural of ghull, which refers to a collar placed around the neck to humiliate and hurt someone, while salāsil (“chains”) refers to a long chain made of linked rings. To “drag” someone means to pull them along the ground, while “to set aflame” originally meant “to throw fuel into a fire place, such as an oven.”
The sentence …when, with iron collars around their necks and chains is an adverb that qualifies the phrase …soon they will know. Some scholars have said that the word ‘when’ (idh)—normally signifying something that happened in the past—is used here, it is to show that this event will surely come to pass in the future.
…iron collars around their necks is a nominal sentence consisting of a subject and a predicate, while and chains is joined to iron collars around their necks. They are dragged into scalding waters is another predicate, and then cast into the Fire is conjoined to dragged.
This verse means: They will soon know the reality of their deeds, when iron collars and chains will be put around their necks and they will be dragged through scalding hot water before being thrown into Hell.
Some scholars have said, then cast into the Fire means they will become fuel for the Fire, and this is supported by God’s descriptions of Hell: …beware the Fire whose fuel will be humans and stones () and Indeed you and what you worship besides Allah shall be fuel for hell ().
ثُمَّ قِيلَ لَهُمْ أَيْنَ مَا كُنْتُمْ تُشْرِكُونَ ٧٣ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ ۖ قَالُوا ضَلُّوا عَنَّا بَلْ لَمْ نَكُنْ نَدْعُو مِنْ قَبْلُ شَيْئًا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يُضِلُّ اللَّهُ الْكَافِرِينَ ٧٤
(40:73-74) Then they will be told, “Where are those you used to take as partners besides Allah?” They will say, “They have forsaken us. Rather, we did not invoke anything before.” That is how Allah leads astray the faithless.
In other words, while they are being dragged through scalding water and cast into the Fire, they will be asked: Where are those partners you associated with God? Why don’t they come to your aid and save you from this punishment or intercede on your behalf, as you claimed they would when you were worshipping them?
They will say, “They have forsaken us…”: The Arabic uses the verb ḍallū, meaning to go astray to say that these deities have left them, in the same way that one might say an animal has strayed if it wanders off and its owner does not know where to find it. This is their answer to the question: Where are those you used to take as partners besides Allah?
Rather, we did not invoke anything before: Here, they go back on their previous answer because it is now clear that the deities that they claimed were partners beside God were nothing but empty names and false ideas, which did not refer to anything real. This means that their worship of these deities was nothing but meaningless commotion and, therefore, they say that they did not, in fact, worship anything at all, as God says: Then We shall set them apart from one another () and Certainly all links between you have been cut, and what you used to claim has forsaken you ().
Alternatively, some commentators have understood this as a lie they will tell on the Day of Resurrection, similar to the verse: By Allah, our Lord, we were not polytheists ().
That is how Allah leads astray the faithless: Meaning, that in all the situations where God leads the disbelievers astray, it is because they are the ones who conceal the truth. In doing so, they resemble one who has literally strayed, because they see what is false as true and go after it, only for it to become clear later that their efforts were misguided and what they sought was nothing but falsehood with the appearance of truth: a mirage with the semblance of reality.
On the other hand, if we read their prior statement—Rather, we did not invoke anything before—as a lie, then the verse means: This is how God leads the faithless astray, such that when their deeds come back to them they have no choice but to lie, even though they know with certainty that lying will do them no good now.
Scholars have suggested other interpretations of this verse that are similar to the two we have outlined above.
ذَٰلِكُمْ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَفْرَحُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ وَبِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَمْرَحُونَ٧٥
(40:75) That is because you used to rejoice unduly on the earth and because you used to walk exultantly.
Rejoicing (faraḥ) refers to any happiness, while exulting (maraḥ) denotes going to the extremes of happiness, which is an undesirable trait. Rāghib al-Iṣfahānī says the faraḥ signifies the opening of ones breast because of a present enjoyment, and this usually pertains to bodily enjoyments. And he says that maraḥ is extreme faraḥ and enlargement thereof.
That…refers to the punishment they are now suffering in the Hereafter…is because you…, or, alternatively: …while you used to….
Meaning that the punishment that you are now suffering is because of how you would rejoice unduly on the earth because of transient enjoyments, because you went to the extremes of happiness because your hearts were attached to the world of appearances and its trinkets, and because of your enmity for any truth that challenged your false ideas. So, you rejoiced and exulted in the revival of your falsehoods and the destruction of the truth and its erasure.
In Majmaʿ al-bayān, we read:
“Note that their rejoicing (faraḥ) is qualified (muqayyad) with ‘unduly’ (bi ghayr al-ḥaqq), while there exulting (maraḥ) is not. This is because a person might rejoice for a good reason and thereby do something praiseworthy, or they might rejoice for the wrong reasons and thereby do something blameworthy. By contrast, exulting is, by definition, blameworthy.”
ادْخُلُوا أَبْوَابَ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا ۖ فَبِئْسَ مَثْوَى الْمُتَكَبِّرِينَ ٧٦
(40:76) Enter the gates of hell, to remain therein. Evil is the abode of the arrogant.
Meaning: Enter those of its gates to which you have been assigned and dwell within it forever. Hell is an evil place of rest for those who disdained the truth, and we have already discussed elsewhere that the gates (abwāb) of Hell refer to its different levels (darajāt).
فَاصْبِرْ إِنَّ وَعْدَ اللَّهِ حَقٌّ ۚ فَإِمَّا نُرِيَنَّكَ بَعْضَ الَّذِي نَعِدُهُمْ أَوْ نَتَوَفَّيَنَّكَ فَإِلَيْنَا يُرْجَعُونَ ٧٧
(40:77) So be patient! Allah’s promise is indeed true. Whether We show you a part of what We promise them, or take you away, they will be brought back to Us.
Having expounded the fate that awaits those who dispute God’s signs—namely, the Fire—and that God leads them astray by their own faithlessness, God draws a conclusion from this for His Messenger, namely that He should be patient and steadfast for this reason, because God’s promise is true.
Whether We show you a part of what We promise them…—by punishing them in this world—…or take you away…—by causing you to die, so that you do not see this—…they will be brought back to Us—they will not escape and We will deliver what We promised them.
وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلًا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ مِنْهُمْ مَنْ قَصَصْنَا عَلَيْكَ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ لَمْ نَقْصُصْ عَلَيْكَ ۗ وَمَا كَانَ لِرَسُولٍ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ بِآيَةٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ ۚ فَإِذَا جَاءَ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ قُضِيَ بِالْحَقِّ وَخَسِرَ هُنَالِكَ الْمُبْطِلُونَ ٧٨
(40:78) Certainly We have sent messengers before you. Of them are those We have recounted to you, and of them are those We have not recounted to you. A messenger may not bring any sign except by Allah’s permission. Hence when Allah’s edict comes, Judgment is made with justice, and it is thence that the falsifiers become losers.
This verse explains how the divine aid (naṣr) promised in the previous verse will come to them. Namely, that God’s precedent (sunna) when it comes to judging between each messenger and his people and causing truth to triumph over falsehood—as in the verse, There is an apostle for every nation; so when their apostle comes, Judgment is made between them with justice, and they are not wronged ()—has not been to delegate this power to any of His messengers before you, but rather whichever of these messengers brought down this punishment on their people did it by God’s permission. In other words, your situation is no different from theirs, so it is possible that we will permit you to call down this punishment on them, in which case We will show you a portion of what We have promised them, but it is also possible that We will cause you to die and We will only show you that when God’s command comes, the affair will be decided between them in truth, and that is when the falsifiers will lose out. This is what the context of the verse suggests.
Certainly We have sent messengers before you. Of them are those We have recounted to you, and of them are those We have not recounted to you: The context for this passage is that God wishes to call attention to the fact that what He is about to mention is an established divine precedent or precedent (sunnah).
A messenger may not bring any sign except by Allah’s permission: This refers to something broader than the miracles that messengers perform to demonstrate the authenticity of their divine mission, and indeed the verse in which God promises to judge between a messenger and his people and cause the truth to triumph, as everything is by God’s permission (bi idhn Allāh). However, based on the context of the verse it is clear that what this refers to is judging between a messenger and his people.
Hence when Allah’s edict comes, Judgment is made with justice, and it is thence that the falsifiers become losers: Meaning, that when God’s edict of punishment comes, that Judgment is made justly; truth will triumph and falsehood will disappear, whereat those who held fast to falsehood will lose both by perishing in this world and suffering eternally in the next.
This verse could also be adduced as evidence for the existence of divine messengers who are not mentioned in the Qur’an. However, it should also be noted that this verse is of Meccan providence and, as such, may only refer to the fact that the stories of these messengers have not been revealed at the time of its revelation. However, it has been revealed in Sūrah al-Nisāʾ that there are messengers We have recounted to you earlier and messengers We have not recounted to you, and to Moses Allah spoke directly (), and none of the chapters revealed after Sūrah al-Nisāʾ mention the names of any messengers whose names are included in those chapters of the Qur’an revealed before it.
In Majmaʿ al-Bayān, it is narrated that ʿAlī said: God sent an African prophet whose story has not been recounted to us. And a tradition with the same meaning is narrated from him in al-Durr al-Manthūr from al-Ṭabarānī’s al-Awsaṭ and Ibn Mardawayh.