Verses 1–17
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ
قُلْ أُوحِيَ إِلَيَّ أَنَّهُ اسْتَمَعَ نَفَرٌ مِنَ الْجِنِّ فَقالُوا إِنَّا سَمِعْنا قُرْآناً عَجَباً ١ يَهْدِي إِلَى الرُّشْدِ فَآمَنَّا بِهِ وَ لَنْ نُشْرِكَ بِرَبِّنا أَحَداً ٢ وَ أَنَّهُ تَعالى جَدُّ رَبِّنا مَا اتَّخَذَ صاحِبَةً وَ لا وَلَداً ٣ وَ أَنَّهُ كانَ يَقُولُ سَفِيهُنا عَلَى اللَّهِ شَطَطاً ٤ وَ أَنَّا ظَنَنَّا أَنْ لَنْ تَقُولَ الْإِنْسُ وَ الْجِنُّ عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِباً ٥ وَ أَنَّهُ كانَ رِجالٌ مِنَ الْإِنْسِ يَعُوذُونَ بِرِجالٍ مِنَ الْجِنِّ فَزادُوهُمْ رَهَقاً ٦ وَ أَنَّهُمْ ظَنُّوا كَما ظَنَنْتُمْ أَنْ لَنْ يَبْعَثَ اللَّهُ أَحَداً ٧ وَ أَنَّا لَمَسْنَا السَّماءَ فَوَجَدْناها مُلِئَتْ حَرَساً شَدِيداً وَ شُهُباً ٨ وَ أَنَّا كُنَّا نَقْعُدُ مِنْها مَقاعِدَ لِلسَّمْعِ فَمَنْ يَسْتَمِعِ الْآنَ يَجِدْ لَهُ شِهاباً رَصَداً ٩ وَ أَنَّا لا نَدْرِي أَ شَرٌّ أُرِيدَ بِمَنْ فِي الْأَرْضِ أَمْ أَرادَ بِهِمْ رَبُّهُمْ رَشَداً ١٠ وَ أَنَّا مِنَّا الصَّالِحُونَ وَ مِنَّا دُونَ ذلِكَ كُنَّا طَرائِقَ قِدَداً ١١ وَ أَنَّا ظَنَنَّا أَنْ لَنْ نُعْجِزَ اللَّهَ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَ لَنْ نُعْجِزَهُ هَرَباً ١٢ وَ أَنَّا لَمَّا سَمِعْنَا الْهُدى آمَنَّا بِهِ فَمَنْ يُؤْمِنْ بِرَبِّهِ فَلا يَخافُ بَخْساً وَ لا رَهَقاً ١٣ وَ أَنَّا مِنَّا الْمُسْلِمُونَ وَ مِنَّا الْقاسِطُونَ فَمَنْ أَسْلَمَ فَأُولئِكَ تَحَرَّوْا رَشَداً ١٤ وَ أَمَّا الْقاسِطُونَ فَكانُوا لِجَهَنَّمَ حَطَباً ١٥ وَ أَنْ لَوِ اسْتَقامُوا عَلَى الطَّرِيقَةِ لَأَسْقَيْناهُمْ ماءً غَدَقاً ١٦ لِنَفْتِنَهُمْ فِيهِ وَ مَنْ يُعْرِضْ عَنْ ذِكْرِ رَبِّهِ يَسْلُكْهُ عَذاباً صَعَداً ١٧
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
- Say: It is revealed unto me that indeed a company of the Jinn gave ear, and they said, “Indeed we heard a wonderful recitation,
- which guides to rectitude. Hence we have believed in it and we will never ascribe any partner to our Lord.
- And exalted be the glory of our Lord, He has taken neither any spouse nor son.
- Indeed the foolish one among us used to utter atrocious lies concerning Allah.
- Indeed we thought that the humans and the jinn would never utter any falsehood concerning Allah.
- Indeed some persons from the humans would seek the protection of some persons from the jinn, thus they would only add to their rebellion.
- They thought, just as you think, that Allah would not raise anyone.
- We had sought the heaven but had found it filled with strong warders and meteors.
- We used to sit in its positions to eavesdrop, but anyone listening now finds a flame waiting for him
- We do not know whether evil is intended for those who are in the earth, or whether their Lord intends guidance for them.
- Among us some are righteous and some of us are otherwise: we are multifarious sects.
- We know that we cannot thwart Allah on the earth, nor can we thwart Him by fleeing.
- When we heard the [message of] guidance, we believed in it. So whoever that has faith in his Lord shall neither fear any loss nor oppression.
- And there are among us some who have submitted and some who are perverse. Those who submit [to Allah]—it is they who pursue rectitude.
- As for the perverse, they will be firewood for hell.”
- And indeed if they are steadfast on the path [of Allah], We shall provide them with abundant water,
- so that We may test them therein, and whoever turns away from the remembrance of his Lord, He will let him into an escalating punishment.
Introduction & Commentary
This sūrah was revealed in Mecca and consists of 28 verses. The sūrah narrates the story of a group of jinn who listened to the Qur’an, believed in it, and accepted its precepts. The story is used to affirm the mission of the Prophet, God’s oneness as a Lord, and the hereafter. The sūrah’s content shows that it is Meccan.
قُلْ أُوحِيَ إِلَيَّ أَنَّهُ اسْتَمَعَ نَفَرٌ مِنَ الْجِنِّ فَقَالُوا إِنَّا سَمِعْنَا قُرْآنًا عَجَبًا ١ يَهْدِي إِلَى الرُّشْدِ فَآمَنَّا بِهِ ۖ وَلَنْ نُشْرِكَ بِرَبِّنَا أَحَدًا ٢
(72:1-2) Say: It is revealed unto me that indeed a company (nafar) of the Jinn gave ear, and they said: “Indeed we heard a wonderful (ʿajaban) recitation, which guides to rectitude (al-rushd). Hence we have believed in it and we will never ascribe any partner to our Lord.
God orders the Prophet to relate this story to his people. The clause, It is revealed is in the passive voice, where the subject is God. The Jinn gave ear to the Qur’an, but this object [to which they gave ear] is omitted since it is understood from the next part of the verse. Nafar is commonly defined as “a group of from three to nine people.” According to some exegetes, its upper limit is forty. ʿAjab means “something amusing and pleasing due to being unusual.” They described the Qur’an as ʿajab (amusing, wonderful, marvellous) because it is an extraordinary speech—in terms of both form and content—which was brought by an unschooled individual who could neither read nor write. Rushd (growth, integrity, right course, rectitude) means “attaining the truth.” It is the opposite of ghayy (error, straying, loss, degeneration). The Qur’an guides to the right course by preaching beliefs and actions that lead to true happiness, if one adopts and realizes them.
The meaning is, “O Messenger! Say to the people that it has been revealed to me—by God—that an assembly of the jinn listened to the Qur’an. Then, upon returning to their people, they said to them, ‘Indeed we have heard an amazing and extraordinary recitation (lit. qurʾān). It guides one to certain theoretical and practical teachings which, if adopted and realized, will surely make one reach the truth and attain real happiness.’”
… Hence we have believed in it…: This sentence reflects the jinn’s belief in the Qur’an, and their confirmation of its truth.
… and we will never ascribe any partner to our Lord...: This effectively reiterates their belief in the Qur’an. It shows that their belief in the Qur’an is tantamount to their belief in God Who has revealed the Qur’an. Thus they accepted Him as their Lord. They also clarified that they have a monotheistic belief in God, without ever associating any partners with Him.
Discourse
The discussion “Discussion Concerning the Jinn” appears here in the printed volume. Read it in the Al-Mizan App.
وَأَنَّهُ تَعَالَىٰ جَدُّ رَبِّنَا مَا اتَّخَذَ صَاحِبَةً وَلَا وَلَدًا ٣
(72:3) And (wa-annahu) exalted be the glory (jadd) of our Lord, He has taken neither any spouse nor son.
The word jadd has been defined in two ways: (1) synonymous with ʿaẓamah (greatness, magnificence, grandeur); (2) synonymous with ḥaẓẓ (share, fortune, endowment, resources). The verse emphasizes what they said previously: we will never ascribe any partner to our Lord ().
The particle anna is repeated twelve times at the beginning of these verses, starting here, up to verse . It has been recited with both fatḥah and kasrah inflections (as annahu and innahu, respectively). The former is the more common recitation, but the latter is more consistent and semantically preferred, because the context clearly shows that these verses are the speech of the jinn [which began with innā, with kasrah, in verse ]. Reciting it as anna does not have a clear and straightforward meaning. Some exegetes have tried to justify it as follows:
(1) The conjunction “and” at the beginning of these verses does not join the verse to innā in verse (“we” in Indeed we heard…), but joins it to the pronoun “it” in Hence we have believed in it (). The implied meaning is: “We have believed in it, and we have also believed in the fact that exalted is the glory of our Lord…” In other words, the verse is saying that unlike the idolaters, the jinn do not believe in God having a spouse and children. This justification is permitted by the Kufan grammarians.
(2) The Basran grammarians do not permit the conjunction “and” connecting to the pronoun “it” [in verse ]. Instead, some of them—like al-Farrāʾ, al-Zajjāj, and al-Zamakhsharī—have suggested that the conjunction “and” adds the verse to the place (maḥall) of in it () which is grammatically manṣūb in terms of inflection, because in it is the object of we have believed (). The meaning of Hence we have believed in it () is: “We acknowledge and confirm this message.” Thus they continue to say: “We also acknowledge and confirm that exalted be the glory of our Lord.”
Comment: The reader would concur that this justification is contrived.
(3) There is an omitted letter bāʾ (in, to) at the beginning of these verses, making them comparable to their object of belief in verse . The implied meaning would be: “We have believed in it, and in the fact that exalted be the glory of our Lord.”
Comment: A common problem with all these justifications is that they would only be applicable to this verse and the next one, but not the rest of the verses which also start with annahu, such as: Indeed the foolish ones among us used to utter… (); Indeed we thought that… (); Indeed some persons from the humans… (). We cannot interpret those subsequent verses as saying, “We believe and confirm that we thought that the humans and the jinn would never utter any falsehood concerning Allah ()”; “We believe and confirm that some persons from the humans would seek the protection of some persons from the jinn ()”; “We believe and confirm that we had sought the heaven ().”
(4) As the first two verses are justified by an implied omitted part—such as “we believe” or “we confirm”—then a similar omitted clause can be assumed in the subsequent verses, according to the content of each verse.
Comment: This is the only acceptable way to explain the reading of annahu with fatḥah [instead of innahu with kasrah].
(5) The word annahu at the beginning of these verses is a repetition of the same word at the beginning of the chapter: It is revealed unto me that (annahu) a company of the Jinn gave ear… ().
Comment: This claim is implausible. These verses give the Prophet a report of what the jinn said, starting by: Indeed we heard a wonderful recitation… Hence we have believed in it (). The verses then continue to narrate more of their speech. If the word annahu (that) at the beginning of all subsequent verses was a repetition of the word in the first verse, then it means a repetition of It is revealed unto me that () at the beginning of all verses. The meaning would be: “It is revealed unto me that exalted be the glory of our Lord… It is revealed unto me that indeed the foolish one among us used to utter…”
If the word annahu (that) were not part of their speech, then its repetition would be redundant, and would interfere with the natural flow of the discussion. And if it were part of their speech—which is being narrated verbatim here—then what is narrated from them would not have a complete meaning, but it would require some implied omitted clause to make the verses meaningful. Therefore, this justification does not solve the problem in any way. The reader should contemplate this.
وَأَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ سَفِيهُنَا عَلَى اللَّهِ شَطَطًا ٤
(72:4) Indeed the foolish (safīhunā, from safah) one among us used to utter atrocious lies (shaṭaṭan) concerning Allah.
According to al-Rāghib, safah means “frivolity of the soul” due to imprudence and foolishness. Shaṭaṭ means “a speech that is far from truth.”
This verse further emphasizes the clause, and we will never ascribe any partner to our Lord (). The foolish one among us refers to all polytheists among the jinn who lived before them. Some exegetes have suggested that it refers to Satan (Iblīs), who was one of the jinn. However, this is incommensurate with the context of the verse, since it says: Indeed the foolish ones among us used to utter…
وَأَنَّا ظَنَنَّا أَنْ لَنْ تَقُولَ الْإِنْسُ وَالْجِنُّ عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِبًا ٥
(72:5) Indeed we thought that the humans and the jinn would never utter any falsehood concerning Allah.
Here the jinn state that they thought the humans and the other jinn were truthful and would never utter any falsehood concerning God. That is why when they heard from the polytheists that God has a wife and children, they believed them, followed their path, and thus became polytheists. That continued until they heard the Qur’an, which unveiled the truth for them. Therefore, in this verse they denounce the polytheists among both the humans and the jinn.
وَأَنَّهُ كَانَ رِجَالٌ مِنَ الْإِنْسِ يَعُوذُونَ بِرِجَالٍ مِنَ الْجِنِّ فَزَادُوهُمْ رَهَقًا ٦
(72:6) Indeed some persons from the humans would seek the protection (yaʿūdhūna, from ʿawdh) of some persons from the jinn, thus they would only add to their rebellion (rahaqan).
According to al-Rāghib, ʿawdh means “seeking refuge in someone else,” and the verb rahaqa is used when someone is forcefully covered by an event. Other suggested interpretations for rahq are: (1) Sin. (2) Revolt. (3) Fear. (4) Evil. (5) Humiliation. (6) Weakness. These are all implications of the same original meaning [quoted from al-Rāghib].
It is said that humans seeking protection from the jinn alludes to an Arab custom. When they had to stay in a desert at night, they would say, “I take refuge in the chief of this desert from the harms of the foolish ones among his people.” According to Muqātil, the people who first took refuge in the protection of the jinn were a tribe from Yemen. They were followed by Banū Ḥanīfah tibe, and then it spread among all Arabs.
Another possibility is that the people would seek help from the jinn through divination (kahānah) in order to achieve their goal. Some have said that it means humans referring to other humans in order to protect them against the harm, suffering and death caused by the jinn. This interpretation also reduces to the idea of divination.
… thus they would only add to their rebellion: There are two possible combinations for the pronouns in this sentence: (1) The subject “they” in they would only add refers to humans, and “their” refers to the jinn. The meaning would be: “Some humans would add to the rebellion of the jinn by taking refuge in them, causing the jinn to transgress and sin.” (2) The other way around, where the subject “they” in they would only add refers to the jinn, while “their” refers to humans. The meaning would be: “The jinn would cause the humans to increase in rahaq,” where rahaq can mean either (1) sin and rebellion; or (2) humiliation and fear.
وَأَنَّهُمْ ظَنُّوا كَمَا ظَنَنْتُمْ أَنْ لَنْ يَبْعَثَ اللَّهُ أَحَدًا ٧
(72:7) They thought, just as you think, that Allah would not raise anyone.
The antecedent of the pronoun “they” is some persons from the humans (). The jinn said this to address their fellow members from the jinn. “Raising” here means God appointing someone as His messenger. The polytheists did not believe in [the possibility of] messengership [of humans]. Some have said that “raising” here refers to resurrecting the dead. However, the context of the following verses confirms the first meaning.
Some exegetes have suggested that this verse and the preceding one are not the speech of the jinn, but they are the words of God, inserted parenthetically in the midst of verses which narrate from the jinn. Accordingly, the pronoun “they” in this verse would refer to the jinn, while the pronoun “you” would be addressed to humans [that is, the audience of the Qur’an]. However, this interpretation interrupts the consistent theme and flow of the verses.
وَأَنَّا لَمَسْنَا السَّمَاءَ فَوَجَدْنَاهَا مُلِئَتْ حَرَسًا شَدِيدًا وَشُهُبًا ٨
(72:8) We had sought (lamasnā, from lams) the heaven but had found it filled with strong warders (ḥarasan) and meteors.
What is meant by lams (lit. touching) in this verse is “approaching the heavens by rising toward them.” Ḥaras is defined as the plural of ḥāris (guard, protector, watch). Strong warders are guards who are powerful in deflecting anyone who tries to eavesdrop in the heavens. It is followed by meteors as the weapons used by the warders.
وَأَنَّا كُنَّا نَقْعُدُ مِنْهَا مَقَاعِدَ لِلسَّمْعِ ۖ فَمَنْ يَسْتَمِعِ الْآنَ يَجِدْ لَهُ شِهَابًا رَصَدًا ٩
(72:9) We used to sit in its positions to eavesdrop, but anyone listening now finds a flame waiting for him
When we consider the first half of this verse along with the preceding verse, we can deduce that it was rather a new incident that the heavens were filled with strong warders and meteors (). Otherwise, formerly the jinn could freely approach the heavens and sit in places to hear the speech of the angels.
The letter fāʾ in fa-man (but anyone) shows that the second half of the verse is a consequence of everything mentioned so far. It means: “So from now on, if anyone sits there to eavesdrop, there will come at them a meteor that had been awaiting them .”
This verse and the last one show that the jinn came across a new heavenly event that coincided with the revelation of the Qur’an and the mission of the Prophet. The event was that the jinn were impeded from receiving the news of the heavens through eavesdropping.
Some exegetes have made a strange inference from these verses: The heavens were also guarded before the Prophet’s mission, and the jinn were stoned, but the difference was that after his mission, the heavens were filled with warders, as the verse says: filled with strong warders (). Likewise, the apparent meaning of the current verse—we used to sit on places [high] therein to listen—is that there used to be some empty spots which were free of guards and meteors, but now all the seats are taken. That is why if any one wishes to eavesdrop, they will be treated with meteors.
Comment: the point of the verses is not that the heavens are now filled with warders and abundant meteors, as opposed to before, when there were some empty seats available in them. If that were the intended meaning, the second half of the verse should have specified all places of eavesdropping as opposed to some of them. However, the verse does not get into such an elaboration, but only mentions listening: But anyone who listens now.
Objection: Listening is mentioned in an unqualified form, which is compatible with the view that all seats—as opposed to some seats—of eavesdropping are now occupied.
Response: Even if so, it is clear that the point of mentioning this change of circumstances is to show a new incident with respect to the stoning of the jinn. The same can be inferred from the qualification now in the verse: But anyone who listens now. The new incident was that the jinn were repelled from all the spots, in contrast to the past when they could eavesdrop freely in some spots. This much suffices to show our point.
It should be noted that the new event was not the emergence of meteors per se, but the stoning of the jinn with guarding meteors. Therefore, the claim that meteors existed even before the Prophet’s mission and the revelation of the Qur’an does not prove that the jinn were also deflected by them previously. That is irrelevant because the Qur’anic verses do not reject the existence of meteors altogether, but they talk about their new function. We discussed this topic in Sūrah al-Ṣāffāt.
وَأَنَّا لَا نَدْرِي أَشَرٌّ أُرِيدَ بِمَنْ فِي الْأَرْضِ أَمْ أَرَادَ بِهِمْ رَبُّهُمْ رَشَدًا ١٠
(72:10) We do not know whether evil is intended for those who are in the earth, or whether their Lord intends guidance (rushdan) for them.
Rashad and rushd are the opposite of ghayy (error, straying, misguidance). The indefinite form of rashadan indicates a specific kind of guidance.
Here the jinn express their ignorance and confusion. They observed that they were lapidated and banned from hearing the news of the heavens, and realized that this had to do something with the inhabitants of the earth. However, they were uncertain whether it was some evil or some good that was in store for them. If it were good, it would be a form of guidance and happiness. That is why instead of saying “good” in contrast to “evil,” they used the word “guidance.” This is also confirmed by the phrase, their Lord intends guidance for them, because the expression indicates divine grace and mercy.
The jinn showed their courtesy by expressing guidance in the active voice [ascribed to God], but omitting the subject in the case of evil by using the passive voice. In addition to the courtesy of expression, evil is not willed by God for anyone unless the person qualifies for it [through their misdeeds].
وَأَنَّا مِنَّا الصَّالِحُونَ وَمِنَّا دُونَ ذَٰلِكَ ۖ كُنَّا طَرَائِقَ قِدَدًا ١١
(72:11) Among us some are righteous (al-ṣāliḥūn, from ṣalāḥ) and some of us are otherwise: we are multifarious sects (ṭarāʾiq qidadan).
Ṣalāḥ is the opposite of ṭalāḥ (wickedness, degeneration, corruption). Some have interpreted the preposition dūna (lit. under, below) as “near.” The meaning would be: “Some others of us come close to righteousness.” However, what is meant by dūna is ghayra (other), meaning a quality that is completely distinct and different from righteousness. This can be confirmed by the subsequent part of the verse, which indicates discord and disunity: we are multifarious sects. Their ways are described as diverse in order to show that they are distinct from one another, where each leads its travelers to a different destination. That is why qidad is sometimes interpreted as various and scattered.
Apparently righteous here means one’s natural tendency in interactions. It does not mean religious righteousness. If that were the intended meaning, it would have been better to mention it after making reference to their faith: When we heard the [message of] guidance, we believed in it ().
There are three possible meanings for the last part of the verse:
- “We are in multifarious sects.” This is the view of some exegetes, saying that multifarious sects is a container.
- “We have multifarious sects.” This is according to other exegetes, holding that there is an omitted word dhawī (sing. dhū, possessor) in the verse.
- Perhaps their expression is a metaphor, without involving an omission. They likened themselves to diverse paths that lead to different destinations, as a way of reflecting their differences and gaps.
The meaning is: “Some of us are naturally inclined to good, while some others are not like that. We are in various paths; or we have various paths; or we are like diverging ways.”
وَأَنَّا ظَنَنَّا أَنْ لَنْ نُعْجِزَ اللَّهَ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَنْ نُعْجِزَهُ هَرَبًا ١٢
(72:12) We know (ẓanannā, from ẓann) that we cannot thwart Allah on the earth, nor can we thwart Him by fleeing.
Ẓann in this verse means “certain knowledge.” Apparently we cannot thwart Allah on the earth means opposing the divine will by making mischief on the earth and breaking His system that governs the world. That is impossible because any mischief that they make would also be part of His system [of cause and effect]. Nor can we thwart Him by fleeing means that they have no escape from Him if He wills to pursue them.
Some exegetes have offered another meaning for the verse: “We cannot thwart God while we are on the earth, nor can we thwart Him by fleeing to the heavens. That is, we can thwart Him neither in the earth nor in the heavens. ” The problem with this interpretation should be clear.
وَأَنَّا لَمَّا سَمِعْنَا الْهُدَىٰ آمَنَّا بِهِ ۖ فَمَنْ يُؤْمِنْ بِرَبِّهِ فَلَا يَخَافُ بَخْسًا وَلَا رَهَقًا ١٣
(72:13) When we heard the [message of] guidance, we believed in it. So whoever (fa-man) that has faith in his Lord shall neither fear any loss (bakhsan) nor oppression (rahaqan).
Guidance here means the Qur’an, in the sense that it includes guidance. Bakhs means “an unjust deficiency.” Rahaq means “being overtaken by hardship.” The letter fāʾ in fa-man (so whoever) indicates the reasons for a conclusion that was stated earlier. It shows their proof for believing in the Qur’an right away, without any hesitation.
The meaning is: “As soon as we heard the Qur’an—which is guidance—we believed in it, since whoever believes in it has believed in his Lord. And one who believes in his Lord shall fear neither any loss of good nor any wrongful hardship. Since this does not result in any loss or hardship, why should one doubt or hesitate about acting upon it right away?”
وَأَنَّا مِنَّا الْمُسْلِمُونَ وَمِنَّا الْقَاسِطُونَ ۖ فَمَنْ أَسْلَمَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ تَحَرَّوْا رَشَدًا ١٤
(72:14) And there are among us some who have submitted (al-muslimūn) and some who are perverse (al-qāsiṭūn). Those who submit [to Allah]—it is they who pursue (taḥarraw, from taḥarrī) rectitude.
Taḥarrī means “seeking and aiming for something.” What is meant by islām in this verse is taslīm (submission, surrender) to the divine command. Muslimūn are those who have surrendered their affairs to God, and obey what He has willed and ordered. Qāsiṭūn are “those who incline toward falsehood.” Majmaʿ al-bayān says: “Qāsiṭ is one who turns away from the truth, while muqsiṭ is one who turns toward the truth.”
The meaning is: “We—the community of jinn—are divided in two groups: some of us are submissive and obedient to God’s command, and some deviate from His command, which is the truth. Those who have submitted are those who have aimed for the truth and reality.”
وَأَمَّا الْقَاسِطُونَ فَكَانُوا لِجَهَنَّمَ حَطَبًا ١٥
(72:15) As for the perverse, they will be firewood for hell.”
They will be tormented in hell as their very selves and souls will catch fire in hell. The same is true about unjust humans, as God says: Then beware the fire whose fuel will be humans (). Many exegetes have considered the descriptions of their ends—from Those who submit () to firewood for hell ()—as the last part of the jinn’s speech with their people. Others have suggested that these are God’s statements, addressed to the Prophet.
وَأَنْ لَوِ اسْتَقَامُوا عَلَى الطَّرِيقَةِ لَأَسْقَيْنَاهُمْ مَاءً غَدَقًا ١٦
(72:16) And indeed (an) if they are steadfast on the path [of Allah], We shall provide them with abundant (ghadaqan) water,
The Arabic particle an at the beginning of this verse is an unstressed form of anna (indeed, truly, certainly). The conjunction “and” connects this verse to the first verse of the chapter: that indeed (annahu) a company of the Jinn gave ear (). The path means the path of submission. Being steadfast on it means observing its requirements and implications, including belief in God and His communications. Ghadaq means “profuse, abundant.” Perhaps abundant water is a metaphor for material expansion in general. This can be corroborated by the next verse: So that We may test them therein (). This makes the verse comparable to the verse: If the people of the towns had been faithful and Godwary, We would have opened to them blessings from the heaven and the earth ().
The meaning is: “If they—including the jinn and the humans—persevere on the path of submission to God, We will provide them with abundant sustenance in order to try them with respect to their material well-being.”
لِنَفْتِنَهُمْ فِيهِ ۚ وَمَنْ يُعْرِضْ عَنْ ذِكْرِ رَبِّهِ يَسْلُكْهُ عَذَابًا صَعَدًا ١٧
(72:17) So that We may test them therein, and whoever turns away from the remembrance of his Lord, He will let him (yaslukhu) into an escalating (ṣaʿadan) punishment.
An escalating punishment is one that rises (yaṣʿadu) and prevails over the person. Some have interpreted it as excruciating torment. “Turning away from the remembrance of God” is the main criterion for being let into punishment. That is why it is mentioned in this verse: to clarify the cause of their entrance into hell. Otherwise, it is a necessary implication of “not being steadfast on the path.” The two are two sides of the same coin.
The second part of the verse involves a transition from the first person plural to the third person, as it says the remembrance of his Lord instead of “Our remembrance.” The reason for this transition is because the punishment of those who turn away from God’s remembrance relates to His quality of Lordship. That is why the verse explicitly refers to Him as the Lord in order to indicate the agency at work in their punishment. This is similar to describing them as whoever turns away from the remembrance instead of those who are not steadfast on the path (). The verse’s meaning should be clear.
Examining Narrations
- Ibn ʿAbbās said: The Messenger of God neither recited [these verses] for the jinn nor saw them. Once he headed for ʿUkāẓ Market with his Companions. That was when the devils [from the jinn] were impeded from receiving the news of the heavens. When they returned to their community, they were asked, “What’s up?”
“We have been blocked from the news of the heaven, and there are meteors being fired at us.”
“This must be,” they concluded, “because of a new incident. So traverse the east and the west of the world [to discover what has happened].”
A group of them that had taken the route of Tihāmah [that is, the Arabian Peninsula] came across the ʿUkāẓ Market when the Prophet was performing the Morning Prayer with his Companions. When they heard the Qur’an, they stopped and gave ear to it. “This is,” they murmured, “what has veiled us from the news of the heavens.” Thus they returned to their community and said: Indeed we heard a wonderful recitation, which leads to guidance. Hence we have believed in it and we will never ascribe any partner to our Lord (). So God revealed to His Prophet: Say: “It is revealed unto me that indeed a company of the Jinn gave ear” ().
Author’s comment: Al-Qummī has also reported a similar account to it in his Tafsīr, which we presented under the verse: When We dispatched toward you a group of jinn… (). Al-Qummī’s account suggests that the verses in Chapter 46 were revealed concerning the same group of jinn as the current chapter. This, however, is incompatible with the apparent verses of the two chapters. There they say: O our people! Indeed we have heard a Book which has been sent down to Moses, confirming what was before it. It guides to the truth… (), which suggests that they used to believe in Moses and had accepted the Torah. But the verses in the current chapter state that they were polytheists and denied prophethood altogether. This suggests that they were two different groups, unless one finds evidence to divert the verses from their apparent sense.
- ʿAlqamah b. Qays says: I asked ʿAbd-Allāh b. Masʿūd, “Which one of you [Companions] were with the Prophet on the night of the jinn?” He replied:
“None of us was with him. We lost him that night, and we thought, ‘He is either abducted or flown off [to the heavens].’ We went searching for him in the valleys. Then we saw him approaching us from the direction of Ḥirāʾ.
‘O Messenger of God!’ we exclaimed, ‘where were you? We were very anxious for you. Last night we spent the most terrible night that any community has experienced.’
He replied, ‘Someone from the jinn called me over, so I went and recited the Qur’an to them.’
Then he took us with him and showed us their traces and the remainders of their fire. However, none of us accompanied him that night.”
- It is narrated from Imams al-Bāqir and Imam al-Ṣādiq and al-Rabīʿ b. Anas: God is not characterized by jadd (fortune, luck). The jinn said it out of ignorance, and God narrated their speech as they said it [in verse ].
Author’s comment: The kind of jadd that is not applicable to God is fortune, chance and luck.
- Imam ʿAlī said: The Prophet was in Baṭn al-Nakhl when the jinn approached him. They apologized because They thought, just as you think, that Allah would not raise anyone (). There were 71,000 of them who met him at that time. They pledged allegiance to the Prophet to observe the prayer, fasting, zakāt, hajj, jihad, and sincere well-wishing for the Muslims. They apologized for uttering atrocious lies concerning Allah ().
Author’s comment: Their allegiance to the Prophet to observe the obligations—like the prayer and fasting—is confirmed by the verses: Hence we have believed in it (); When we heard the [message of] guidance, we believed in it (). However, we do not know how they would act upon these obligations, particularly zakāt and jihad. Also, their first apology [concerning verse ] is not quite clear.
- Once Zurārah asked Imam al-Bāqir about the verse: Indeed some persons from the humans would seek the protection of some persons from the jinn, thus only adding to their rebellion (). The Imam replied: A man would go to a soothsayer—who received inspirations from Satan—and say, “Tell Satan that so-and-so has asked for your protection.”
- Concerning So whoever that has faith in his Lord shall neither fear any loss (bakhsan) nor oppression (rahaqan) () Tafsīr al-Qummī says: Bakhs means nuqṣān (loss, reduction, deficiency), and rahaq means punishment.
- Once “The Learned One” (al-ʿĀlim) was asked whether the believing jinn would enter paradise. He said: No, but God has some sanctuaries between paradise and hell, where the believers among the jinn and the sinners among our followers (shīʿah) will be positioned.
Author’s comment: Perhaps what is meant by “sanctuaries” is certain levels of paradise that are lower than the gardens of the righteous. There are some narrations from the Imams of Ahl al-Bayt which match guidance and path in these verses with the wilāyah (divine guardianship, spiritual authority) of Imam ʿAlī. These are cases of extending the verse to other contexts (called jary), not an interpretation for the apparent and primary meaning of the verse (called tafsīr).
The meaning would be: “Our Lord is far too grand to have a spouse or a child.” (Trans.) ↩︎
The meaning would be: “Our Lord is so rich that He does not need a spouse or a child.” (Trans.) ↩︎
This is effectively the same as the first view. (Trans.) ↩︎
Some examples are: “And we acknowledge that…”; “And the truth is that…”; “And we state that…” (Trans.) ↩︎
In other words, if the subsequent verses are a continuous report of what the jinn said, then the word “that” would make each verse incomplete. It would need some predicate to complement it. And if the word “that” is not part of what they said, then it would be an unnecessary interruption in the middle of their statements. (Trans.) ↩︎
“Used to utter” (kāna yaqūlu) implies an ongoing practice up to the time of revelation. Hence, it is not compatible with Satan’s blasphemy at the onset of creation. (Trans.) ↩︎
It is used with the adjective shadīd (strong) in the singular form because it is a plural noun. (Auth.)
A plural noun is treated as a singular term. (Trans.) ↩︎
In other words, we cannot prove whether or not the heavens were guarded prior to the Prophet’s mission. That is not deducible from the verse. All we can say is that after the Prophet’s mission, the jinn were completely banned from eavesdropping. (Trans.) ↩︎
The author’s point is that the Prophet’s mission and the revelation of the Qur’an marked a new stage in terms of the jinn’s access to the news of the heaven. This is compatible either way: whether we hold that they had full access or limited access prior to that. (Trans.) ↩︎
See the author’s discussion under verses . (Trans.) ↩︎
Referring to God as their Lord points to God’s direction of His servants to the right course, out of His Lordly care and compassion for them. (Trans.) ↩︎
Ṭarāʾiq is the plural of ṭarīqah, which means “a way that is practiced and followed.” Qidad is the plural of qiddah, which is synonymous with qiṭʿah (piece, division, section). Qidad (diverse, differing, multifarious) is the adjective of ṭarāʾiq (sects, ways, orders). (Auth.) ↩︎
It is manṣūb in terms of inflection (in the accusative form) because the preposition fī (in) is omitted in the verse. (Auth.) ↩︎
The problem is that there is no mention of “heavens” in the verse, and no indication to assume any reference to it. (Trans.) ↩︎
It is said that yaslukhu means yudkhilhu (He will make him enter), which is a ditransitive verb. That is why the verb is used with two objects in the verse. (Auth.)
Yasluku means “to tread, to traverse,” or “to thread, to weave, to cut.” Its object is usually a path, as used in verses , , . However, its usage often implies “taking someone or something to somewhere,” as used in the current verse, as well as in verses , , , , , , , . (Trans.) ↩︎
Majmaʿ al-bayān, on the authority of al-Wāḥidī, on the authority of Saʿīd b. Jubayr. This is also reported by al-Bukhārī and Muslim in their Ṣaḥīḥs. ↩︎
Majmaʿ al-bayān. ↩︎
Majmaʿ al-bayān. ↩︎
Al-Iḥtijāj. ↩︎
Tafsīr al-Qummī, via its chain of transmission. ↩︎
Tafsīr al-Qummī. ↩︎
This title apparently refers to Imam al-Kāẓim. (Trans.) ↩︎
Tafsīr al-Qummī. ↩︎