Verses 19–32
This section of verses constitutes the second of the three parts that make up this chapter. It deals with the question of idols and idol-worship, specifically the idea that these idols offer intercession with God, and refutes these beliefs in the most eloquent and forceful manner. It also alludes to the Resurrection, which is the central theme of the third part of the chapter.
Commentary
أَفَرَأَيْتُمُ اللَّاتَ وَالْعُزَّىٰ ١٩ وَمَنَاةَ الثَّالِثَةَ الْأُخْرَىٰ ٢٠
(53:19–20) Have you considered Lāt and ʿUzza? and Manāt, the third one?
The previous verses attested to the truthfulness of the Prophet and the authenticity of his claim to be receiving divine revelation, and from the truth of prophethood logically follows the truth of monotheism (tawḥīd) and the negation of partners from God. Therefore, the discussion turns to the idols Lāt, ʿUzza, and Manāt, whom the idolaters of Mecca believed were the representations of angels and that they were female, or that some of them were angels and others were people, as some have said. These verses negate their divinity and their lordship, their femininity, and the claim that they have the power to intercede for mortals independently of God. These verses also discuss other realities pertaining to the Resurrection and the recompense for deeds.
Lāt, ʿUzza, and Manāt were three idols who were worshipped by the pre-Islamic Arabs. Differing accounts have been given concerning their appearances, their locations, their worshippers, and the reasons for their worship. There is no way to determine which of these conflicting reports are accurate and, therefore, there is no way to rely on any of them. Here, we have confined ourselves to what has been established with certainty.
Therefore, the meaning of these two verses is as follows: ‘If the reality of the situation is as We have described it with regards to the truthfulness of the Prophet, his claim to receive revelations from God, his message, and his mission, tell me, then, about the three idols Lāt, ʿUzza, and Manāt, and others like them, who you claim are angels and the daughters of God…’
أَلَكُمُ الذَّكَرُ وَلَهُ الْأُنْثَىٰ ٢١ تِلْكَ إِذًا قِسْمَةٌ ضِيزَىٰ ٢٢
(53:21–22) Are you to have males and He females? That, then, will be an unfair division!
This is a rhetorical question with the force of a denial and a hint of derision.
The meaning of these verses is as follows: ‘If this is the case, and the angelic spirits of these idols are God’s daughters, but you are only happy to have sons for yourselves, then shall you have only males and God Almighty only females? This would be a plainly unjust division!’
إِنْ هِيَ إِلَّا أَسْمَاءٌ سَمَّيْتُمُوهَا أَنْتُمْ وَآبَاؤُكُمْ مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ بِهَا مِنْ سُلْطَانٍ ۚ إِنْ يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا الظَّنَّ وَمَا تَهْوَى الْأَنْفُسُ ۖ وَلَقَدْ جَاءَهُمْ مِنْ رَبِّهِمُ الْهُدَىٰ ٢٣
(53:23) These are but names which you have coined—you and your fathers—for which Allah has not sent down any authority (sulṭān). They follow nothing but conjectures and the desires of the soul, while there has already come to them the guidance from their Lord.
These refers to Lāt, ʿUzza, and Manāt or to idols in general. Authority means proof or evidence.
Therefore, the meaning of this part of the verse is: ‘These idols are not divinities but rather names that you have contrived yourselves—you and your fathers—names which do not refer to anything real, and for whose lordship and divinity God has not sent down any proof!’
The force of the verse, then, is a refutation of the idolaters for not having any evidence for the divinity of their gods.
They follow nothing but conjectures and the desires of the soul…: This sentence condemns the idolaters for following falsehood and emphasizes that there is no proof for any of their beliefs.
… while there has already come to them the guidance from their Lord: This sentence is an adverb for the preceding one.
The meaning is as follows: ‘These idolaters only follow conjectures and their own selfish inclinations concerning their deities. They follow these even while guidance has come from God—who is their actual Lord—and this guidance is the true call of the Messenger or the Qurʾan, which will guide them to the truth.’
Note that this verse transitions from addressing the idolaters directly to speaking about them in the third person. This is to imply that their level of understanding is too low to grasp these words because they are not ready to hear decisive arguments when all they follow is conjecture and selfish inclinations.
أَمْ لِلْإِنْسَانِ مَا تَمَنَّىٰ ٢٤
(53:24) Shall man have whatever he yearns for?
This is another rhetorical question with the force of a denial, namely that the human being should not have something merely because he wants it. Therefore, the idolaters should not have the intercession of the angels—whom they claim to be the spirits of the idols they worship and the daughters of God—just because they wish it to be so, or that these idols should be genuine divinities just because they wish it to be so.
This verse hints at the fact that they have no proof for the divinity of their gods or for the intercession of these deities save for the fact that they desire it, and that wishing something to be the case does not make it so.
فَلِلَّهِ الْآخِرَةُ وَالْأُولَىٰ ٢٥
(53:25) Yet to Allah belong this world and the Hereafter
This follows logically from the previous verse as it explains the rationale behind it. In other words: The human being cannot have whatever he wants just because he wants it as this world and the Hereafter both belong to God alone and He has no partner in His dominion over them.
وَكَمْ مِنْ مَلَكٍ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ لَا تُغْنِي شَفَاعَتُهُمْ شَيْئًا إِلَّا مِنْ بَعْدِ أَنْ يَأْذَنَ اللَّهُ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيَرْضَىٰ ٢٦
(53:26) How many an angel there is in the heavens whose intercession is of no avail in any way except after Allah grants permission (yaʾdhan) to whomever He wishes and approves of (yarḍā)!
The difference between permission (idhn) and approval (riḍā) is as follows: Permission indicates that the one granting permission has removed an impediment to something. On the other hand, approval means that the approver finds something pleasing to himself and does not prevent it from taking place. Therefore, a person might grant permission for something he does not approve of, but one will not approve of something for which they have not granted permission, whether explicitly or implicitly.
The context of this verse is rejecting the idea that the angels have the power to intercede for human beings of their own accord independently of God, which is what the idol-worshippers wish to be the case. On the contrary, the verse makes clear that this matter solely belongs to God, and that only those may intercede to whom He has given permission to do so and approved of.
Based on this, the phrase, to whomever He wishes, means ‘of the angels’ and the meaning of the verse as a whole is: ‘Many of the angels in the heavens have no power to intercede until God has granted permission to do so to whomever of them He wishes and approved of their intercession.’
Some have said this means to whomever He wishes ‘of humankind’, in which case the meaning of the verse becomes: ‘Except after God has permitted them to intercede for whomever He wishes them to from humankind and approved of them, and how can He permit them to intercede for or approve of someone who disbelieves in Him and worships other deities?’
Therefore, the verse affirms the possibility of angels interceding for humans, but qualifies this by making it dependent upon God’s permission and approval.
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْآخِرَةِ لَيُسَمُّونَ الْمَلَائِكَةَ تَسْمِيَةَ الْأُنْثَىٰ ٢٧
(53:27) Indeed those who do not believe in the Hereafter give female names to the angels
This is a repudiation of their claim that the angels are female that follows from the repudiation of their power to intercede independently of God.
When God accuses the idolaters of giving female names to the angels, this refers to their belief that the angels are God’s daughters. Therefore, this refers to a belief that angels as a species are feminine, rather than merely assigning one or more of them female names.
Some have said that this verse means that the idolaters gave each and every one of the angels a female name, in the sense that they called each one of them God’s daughter.
Others have said that giving female names to the angels is equated to disbelieving in the Hereafter to show that this is such an abominable and atrocious act that merits such a terrible punishment in the Hereafter that only someone who does not believe in the Hereafter whatsoever would dare to do it.
وَمَا لَهُمْ بِهِ مِنْ عِلْمٍ ۖ إِنْ يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا الظَّنَّ ۖ وَإِنَّ الظَّنَّ لَا يُغْنِي مِنَ الْحَقِّ شَيْئًا ٢٨
(53:28) They do not have any knowledge of that. They follow nothing but conjectures, and indeed conjecture is no substitute for the truth.
‘Knowledge’ (ʿilm) refers to something that is undeniably true, while ‘conjecture’ (ẓann) refers to the more likely of two possibilities, while the less likely of two possibilities is ‘supposition’ (wahm).
However, the idolaters’ belief that the angels were feminine was neither something known to them, or could it be said to be the more likely possibility, for there is no basis for giving it more likelihood than the opposite belief (that they were not). However, inasmuch as this belief was founded on their own selfish inclinations, and their egos prompted them to follow such inclinations and made them seem decorous to them, they did not pay attention to the possibility of such a belief being untrue. In fact, whenever they saw indications to the contrary of this belief, they turned away from them and clung instead to what they desired. This is why the Qurʾan refers to this as ‘conjecture’, even while, in reality, it is pure fantasy.
This would appear to confirm the reading of this verse and the previous one, They follow nothing but conjectures and the desires of the soul (), that says the word ẓann is being used in the sense of ‘imagination’ rather than ‘likely belief.’ This is further supported by al-Rāghib al-Iṣfahānī’s observation that the word ẓann is sometimes used in the sense of something false or illusory.
… and indeed conjecture is no substitute for the truth: ‘Truth’ (ḥaqq) means ‘something as it is really is’, and it appears from the verse that this can only be obtained through knowledge (ʿilm), which refers to an undeniable belief, and nothing else. As for levels of belief other than knowledge, which admit the possibility of their opposites being true, there is no guarantee that these beliefs represent their objects as they truly are in reality. Therefore, such beliefs cannot be relied upon as a yardstick in determining what is real and true, as per the verse: Do not follow that of which you have no knowledge ().
As for acting on conjecture in the practical rulings of Islam, this is only permitted because there is evidence that qualifies the meaning of the verse with regards to practical and legal affairs. However, all matters of belief and doctrine fall within the scope of the verse.
Some have said that God repeats the word ‘conjecture’ in the phrase indeed conjecture is no substitute for the truth, having used just a moment previously, in order to give it the force of an aphorism (mathal).
فَأَعْرِضْ عَنْ مَنْ تَوَلَّىٰ عَنْ ذِكْرِنَا وَلَمْ يُرِدْ إِلَّا الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا ٢٩
(53:29) So avoid those who turn away from Our remembrance and desire nothing but the life of the world
This follows on from the fact that the idolaters only follow conjectures and their own selfish desires. Note, however, that God does not merely say, ‘so avoid them’, and instead replaces the pronoun ‘them’ with those who turn away from Our remembrance… to show the real reason why He is commanding the Prophet to avoid them. It is as if to say: ‘Those who forsake knowledge and follow conjectures and selfish desires only do that because they have turned away from our remembrance and desire this worldly life. Therefore, they have nothing save for this world and that is the extent of their knowledge. If this is the case, then keep away from them, for they are in error.’
The meaning of ‘Our remembrance’ (dhikrinā) here is the Qurʾan, which guides its followers to the manifest truth and leads them to felicity in the eternal abode that lies beyond this world through definitive proofs and conclusive evidences that leave no room for doubt.
As for reading Our remembrance as meaning ‘the remembrance of God’—as opposed to ‘heedlessness’ (ghafla)—this means to remember God in a way that befits His exalted essence, such as through His divine names and attributes, which guide people to truths and realities about the Origin and the Return in such a way that can leave no doubt in their minds.
ذَٰلِكَ مَبْلَغُهُمْ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ ۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنْ ضَلَّ عَنْ سَبِيلِهِ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنِ اهْتَدَىٰ ٣٠
(53:30) That is the ultimate reach (mablagh) of their knowledge. Indeed your Lord knows best those who stray from His way, and He knows best those who are guided.
‘That’ refers to the life of the world in the previous verse. The word mablagh literally means ‘the place something has reached.’ Therefore, when God says that the life of this world is the ultimate reach of their knowledge, it is as though their knowledge reached this world and went no further. Moreover, because they know nothing besides it, this world became the focus of their desires, the target of their ambitions, and the utmost extent of their hopes, such that they would not accept anything other than it.
Indeed your Lord knows best…: This emphasizes the meaning of the previous sentence because God testifies to it.
وَلِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ لِيَجْزِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسَاءُوا بِمَا عَمِلُوا وَيَجْزِيَ الَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا بِالْحُسْنَى ٣١
(53:31) To Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth, that He may requite those who do evil for what they have done, and reward those who do good with the best.
It is possible that the beginning of this verse is an adverbial qualifier for Indeed your Lord knows best, in which case this renders the meaning: ‘Indeed your Lord knows best about both those who are guided and those who are astray, for He possesses whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth, so how can He not know them when He possesses them?’
If this is the case, then it appears that the phrase, that He may requite… follows on from the earlier verse, So avoid those who turn away from Our remembrance (), in which case the meaning becomes: ‘So turn away from them and leave their affair to God that He might requite them in such-and-such a way and reward you and the doers of good in such-and-such a way.’
However, it is possible to read the phrase, To Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth as the beginning of a new statement that is intended to show that the command to leave the idolaters alone does not mean that they will be forgotten or let off, rather God will recompense each and every person for their deeds, whether good or bad. Note also that the verse explicitly mentions the name Allah rather than the pronoun ‘He’, and this is in order to emphasise God’s greatness.
Therefore, the phrase, To Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth, highlights God’s complete and utter dominion over all things, and that all things ultimately subsist by His will, because He is their creator and originator. As His dominion over all things stems from His creation of all things and, in addition to that, He is also the source of the order and direction of all things. In conclusion, then, this phrase emphasizes God’s creation and governance of the cosmos, as if to say: ‘To God belongs all creation and governance.’
In this case, the phrase, that He may requite, follows on from this and explains its purpose, with the meaning: ‘To God belongs all creation and governance, and the purpose and reason for this is that He may requite those who do evil…’ Now, in the Qurʾan, when God speaks about requital and recompense, this pertains to the Day of Resurrection. Equally, doing good and evil relates to obeying and disobeying God. When God says, those who have done evil will be recompensed for what they have done (bi mā ʿamilū), this can also be read as ‘with what they have done’, so they will either be recompensed for their deeds or they will be recompensed with the reality of those deeds. Finally, those who do good will receive the best reward.
Therefore, according to this reading, the meaning becomes: ‘So that God can recompense those who disobey for their disobedience (or with their disobedience) and those who obey Him with the best of rewards.’ Commentators have suggested other readings still for the verse, but what we have presented here is the closest to the apparent meaning of the text.
الَّذِينَ يَجْتَنِبُونَ كَبَائِرَ الْإِثْمِ وَالْفَوَاحِشَ إِلَّا اللَّمَمَ ۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ وَاسِعُ الْمَغْفِرَةِ ۚ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِكُمْ إِذْ أَنْشَأَكُمْ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ وَإِذْ أَنْتُمْ أَجِنَّةٌ فِي بُطُونِ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ ۖ فَلَا تُزَكُّوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ ۖ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنِ اتَّقَىٰ ٣٢
(53:32) Those who avoid major sins (kabāʾir al–ithm) and indecencies (fawāḥish), excepting lapses (lamam). Indeed your Lord is expansive in forgiveness. He knows you best since He produced you from the earth, and since you were fetuses in the bellies of your mothers. So do not flaunt your piety: He knows best those who are Godwary.
The word ‘ithm’ signifies ‘sin’, but its original meaning—according to al-Rāghib al-Iṣfahānī—is an action that detains a person from reward and goodness, while kabāʾir al-ithm—according to a narration—is anything for which God has threatened people with the punishment of hellfire, and we have already discussed this in our commentary on the verse, If you avoid the major sins that you are forbidden, We will absolve you of your misdeeds ().
Fawāḥish (‘indecencies’) are abominable and unpleasant sins, and God has used this term in the Qurʾan to refer to fornication and sodomy, and it seems from the apparent meaning of this verse that these are counted amongst the major sins.
As for lamam (‘lapses’), commentators have differed concerning the meaning of this term, with some saying that it signifies minor sins, in which case there is no real exception being made here for major sins or indecencies.
Others have said it means those actions that lead up to a sin but without the sin being committed, in which case the previous observation about the exception is also true here.
Others still have said that lamam are occasional sins, to which a person has not become habituated, that happen unintentionally, whether major or minor. In this case, the meaning of the verse accords with God’s description of the virtuous in Sūrah Āl ʿImrān: and those who, when they commit an indecent act or wrong themselves, remember Allah, and plead forgiveness for their sins—and who forgives sins except Allah?—and who do not persist in what they have committed while they know ().
The traditions of the Prophet’s Household have explained the verse in terms of the third meaning presented here.
This verse expounds the meaning of the phrase in the previous verse, those who do good (). In other words, those who do good are the ones who avoid major sins and indecencies, but they can still experience lapses.
Indeed your Lord is expansive in forgiveness: This encourages them to repent in the hopes of being forgiven for their sins.
He knows you best since He produced you (anshaʾa–kum) from the earth…: According to al-Rāghib al-Iṣfahānī, the verb nashʾa (‘to produce’) means to bring something forth and nurture it. Therefore, when God says He produced them from the earth, He is referring to their creation in stages, beginning with the material elements of their existence, then their taking the form of semen, and then a zygote in the womb.
… and since you were fetuses (ajinna) in the bellies of your mothers: The word ajinna (‘fetuses’) is the plural of jinīn. This sentence follows on from the previous sentence, since He produced you. Therefore, it means: ‘And He knows you best since you were fetuses in the bellies of your mothers. He knows your reality, your state of being, your secrets, and what will become of you.’
So do not flaunt your piety: This is the conclusion drawn from God’s knowledge of them. In other words: ‘If God knows you best from your inception, then do not portray yourselves as pure and free from sin, for He knows best who is Godwary.’
Narrated in Thawāb al-aʿmāl from ʿAbbād b. Kathīr al-Nawwāʾ from Imām al-Bāqir. ↩︎
In al-Kāfī, it is narrated from Ibn ʿAmmār, from Imām al-Ṣādiq: ‘A lapse is when a man slips into a sin then pleads to God for forgiveness for it.’
In the same source, via a chain of narrators going back to Muḥammad b. Muslim, from Imām al-Ṣādiq, we read: ‘It is a sin that a man slips into, then avoids for a while, then slips into again.’
In the same source, via a chain of narrators going back to Ibn ʿAmmār, from Imām al-Ṣādiq, we read: ‘He has a moment in which he slips into one sin or another, but it is not from his nature.’ (Auth.) ↩︎