64- Surat Altaghabun/Tafseer
18 Verses Medinan (revealed in Medina)
A'auzu Bellahi mena alshaiytani alrajeem
I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan
Besmi Ellahi Alrhmani Alraheem
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Yousabbihu li-llahi ma fee alsamawati wa-ma fee al-ardi lahu al-mulku wa lahu al-hamdu wa huwa ala kulli shay-in qadeer (1).
Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth is glorifying Allah, to Him belongs the kingdom, and to Him belongs the praise, and He is All-powerful over everything.
Huwa allazi khalaqakum fa-minkum kafirun wa minkum mu'minun wa Allahu bi-ma ta'maluna baseer (2).
He is the One who created you, and among you is the disbeliever, and among you is the believer, and Allah is All-Seeing of what you do.
Khalaqa alsamawati wa al-arda bil-haqqi wa sawwarakum fa-ahsana suwarakum wa ilayhi al-maseer (3).
He created the heavens and the earth with truth, and formed you, then He perfected your forms, and to Him is the final return.
Ya'lamu ma fee alsamawati wa al-ardi wa ya'lamu ma tusirruna wa-ma tu'linuna wa Allahu Aleemun be-zati alsudur (4).
He knows what is within the heavens and earth, and He knows what you conceal and what you declare, and He is All-Knower of what is in the breasts.
A-lam ya'tikum naba-ou allazina kafaru men qablu fa-zaqu wabala amrihim wa lahum azabun Aleem (5).
Has there not come to you the news of those who disbelieved before?, so they tasted the bad consequence of their affair, and for them there is a painful punishment.
Zalika be-annahu kanat ta'tihim rusuluhum bel-bayyinati fa-qalu a-basharun yahdunana fa-kafaru wa tawallaww wa-staghna Allahu wa Allahu Ghaniyyun Hameed (6).
That is because their Messengers used to come to them with clear proofs, but they said Shall human beings guide us?, and they disbelieved and turned away, and Allah dispensed with them, and Allah is Free of need, Praiseworthy.
Za'-ama allazina kafaru an lan youb-athu qul bala wa rabbi la-tub-athunna thumma la-tunabba-unna be-ma amiltum wa zalika ala Allahi yaseer (7).
Those who disbelieve have claimed that they will never be resurrected, Say yes by My Lord, you will surely be resurrected, then you will surely be informed of what you did, and that is easy for Allah.
Fa-aminu bi-llahi wa rasulihi wa alnuri allazi anzalna wa Allahu be-ma ta'maluna Khabeer (8).
So Believe in Allah and His Messenger, and the light which We have sent down, and Allah is All-Aware of what you do.
Yawma yajma-ukum li-yawmi al-jamee zalika yawmu altaghabuni wa man you'min bi-llahi wa ya'mal salihan youkaffir anhu sayyi-atihi wa youdkhilhu jannatin tajri men tahtiha al-anharu khalideena feeha abadan, zalika al-fawzu al-azeem (9).
The day He will gather you for the day of gathering, that is the day of Deprivation, and whoever believes in Allah and does righteous deeds, He will remove for him his misdeeds, and admit him into gardens beneath which rivers flow, abiding therein forever, that is the great success.
Wa allazina kafaru wa kazzabu bi-ayatina aulaeka as-habu alnari khalideena feeha wa be'sa al-maseer (10).
And those who disbelieved and denied Our verses, those are the companions of the Fire, abiding therein, and wretched is the fate.
Ma asaba men museebatin illa be-izni ellahi wa man you'min bi-llahi yahdi qalbahu wa Allahu bi-kulli shay-in Aleem (11).
No calamity befalls except by the permission of Allah, and whoever believes in Allah, He will guide his heart, and Allah is All-Knower of everything.
Wa atee-ou Allaha wa atee-ou alrasula fa-in tawallaytum fa-innama ala rasulina al-balaghu al-mubeen (12).
And Obey Allah, and Obey the Messenger, but if you turn away, then upon Our Messenger is only the clear conveyance.
Allahu la ilaha illa huwa wa ala Allahi fal-yatawakkali al-mu'minun (13).
Allah, there is no god except Him, and upon Allah let the believers rely.
Ya-ayyuha allazina amanu inna men azwajikum wa awladikum aduwwan lakum fa-hzaruhum wa in ta'fu wa tasfahu wa taghfiru fa-inna Allaha Ghafurun Raheem (14).
O you who have believed! Indeed, among your wives and your children there are enemies to you, so Beware of them, but if you pardon and overlook and forgive, then indeed, Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Innama amwalukum wa awladukum fitnatun wa Allahu indahu ajrun azeem (15).
Your wealth and your children are but a trial, and Allah has with Him a great reward.
Fa-ttaqu Allaha ma-stata'tum wa-sma-ou wa atee-ou wa anfiqu khayran li-anfusikum wa man youqa shuhha nafsihi fa-aulaeka humu al-muflihun (16).
So Fear Allah as much as you are able, and Listen, and Obey, and Spend, it is better for yourselves, and whoever is saved from the stinginess of himself, then those are the successful ones.
In tuqridu Allaha qardan hasanan youda-ifhu lakum wa yaghfir lakum wa Allahu Shakurun Haleem (17).
If you loan Allah a goodly loan, He will multiply it for you and forgive you, and Allah is Most-Appreciative, Most-Forbearing.
Alimu al-ghaybi wa alshahadati Al-Azeezu Al-Hakeem (18).
The Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, The Almighty, the All-Wise.
Simplified interpretation:
Surat Altaghabun is one of the seven Surahs of the Holy Quran that begin with glorification, and it clarifies several truths for mankind, beginning with the affirmation of Allah's creation of mankind, the heavens, and the earth, the punishment Allah inflicted upon previous nations, and inevitability of the day of resurrection. It urges belief in Divine decree and that calamities only befall by the permission of Allah. It also warns against the temptations of spouses, children, and wealth, and encourages spending in the way of Allah, and emphasizes the great reward for those who do so.
Allah Almighty says in the first verse (1) "Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth is glorifying Allah, to Him belongs the kingdom, and to Him belongs the praise, and He is All-powerful over everything", that is, Allah affirms that whatever is in the Heavens and the earth glorifies Him, so all creatures glorify their Creator, and Allah assures in Aya (44) of Surat Alisraa that man does not understand their manner of glorification. Sovereignty belongs to Allah alone, as He is the One who manages all of creation as He wills, and all praise is due to Him for all that He created and destined, and He is All-powerful to do whatever He wills, as neither impediment nor inability can prevent Him from doing whatever He wills.
Allah Almighty says in the next verse (2) "He is the One who created you, and among you is the disbeliever, and among you is the believer, and Allah is All-Seeing of what you do", that is, Allah is the One who has created mankind, and He has created them into two groups, a disbeliever and a believer, and Allah is All-Seeing of what mankind do, so He will reward them for their deeds which correspond with their fate. And Ali, may Allah be blessed with him, reported: "While we were in a funeral procession in Baqi' Algharqad, Allah's Messenger (PBUH) came and sat down, and we sat around Him, He has a small stick in His hand, and He bent His head and started scraping the ground with it, He then said there is none among you, and no created soul but has his place written for him either in paradise or in Hellfire, and also has his happy or miserable fate (in the Hereafter) written for him, a man said O Allah's Messenger! Shall we depend upon what is written for us and give up doing good deeds?, for whoever among us is destined to be fortunate (in the Hereafter), will join the fortunate people and whoever among us is destined to be miserable will do such deeds as are characteristic of the people who are destined to misery, the Prophet said those who are destined to be happy will find it easy and pleasant to do the deeds that are characteristic of those destined to happiness, while those who are to be among the miserable will find it easy to do the deeds that are characteristic of those destined to misery", then He recited As for the one who gives and fears, and believes in the best, Ayat 5,6 of Surat Al-Lail" (Sahih Albukhari 4948).
And Zaid bin Wahb narrated from Abdullah bin Mas'ud that Allah's Messenger (PBUH) said: "By Him, besides Whom there is no god, that one amongst you acts like the people deserving Paradise until between him and Paradise there remains but the distance of a cubit, when suddenly the writing of destiny overcomes him and he begins to act like the people of Hell and thus enters Hell, and another one of you acts in the way of the people of Hell, until there remains between him and Hell a distance of a cubit that the writing of destiny overcomes him and then he begins to act like the people of Paradise and enters Paradise" (Sahih Muslim 2643).
Allah Almighty says in the next two verses (3,4) "He created the heavens and the earth with truth, and formed you, then He perfected your forms, and to Him is the final return, He knows what is within the heavens and earth, and He knows what you conceal and what you declare, and He is All-Knower of what is in the breasts", that is, Allah is the One who created the heavens and the earth with justice and wisdom, and He formed man and created him in the most perfect form, and Allah assures that man will return to Him on the day of resurrection, and that noting is hidden from Allah in the heavens or on the earth, and Allah is All-Knower of everything as nothing is hidden from Him even the secrets that are hidden in the breasts.
Allah Almighty says in the next two verses (5,6) "Has there not come to you the news of those who disbelieved before?, so they tasted the bad consequence of their affair, and for them there is a painful punishment, that is because their Messengers used to come to them with clear proofs, but they said Shall human beings guide us?, and they disbelieved and turned away, and Allah dispensed with them, and Allah is Free of need, Praiseworthy", that is, Allah threatens the infidels with the punishment He inflicted upon the previous nations such as the people of Ad, Hud, and Pharaoh as mentioned throughout the Holy Quran. The previous nations tasted the bad consequence of their affair, as Allah destroyed them in the worldly life and the punishment of Hellfire awaits them in the Hereafter. That is because their Messengers came to them with a clear proof, they ruled out that their guidance being at the hands of humanbeing like themselves, and they said out of their extreme arrogance Shall human beings guide us?, so they disbelieved in Allah and His Messengers and turned away from the truth, thereupon, Allah dispensed with them and their faith in His and in His Messengers, and affirms that He is Free of need of them, and He is the Praiseworthy of all what He decrees.
Allah Almighty says in the next two verses (7,8) "Those who disbelieve have claimed that they will never be resurrected, Say yes by My Lord, you will surely be resurrected, then you will surely be informed of what you did, and that is easy for Allah, so Believe in Allah and His Messenger, and the light which We have sent down, and Allah is All-Aware of what you do", that is, Allah assures the infidels that the day of resurrection will inevitably happen saying that they have claimed that they will not be resurrected from the graves on the day of resurrection, thereupon, Allah commanded His Messenger (PBUH) for the third time in the Holy Quran to swear by His Lord to the occurrence and the existence of the resurrection, and the other two times are in Aya (53) of Surat Yunus, and Aya (3) of Surat Saba', so Allah commanded His Messenger to assure the infidels of Quraish who claimed that they will not be resurrected that they will be resurrected and then they will be informed of the deeds they had done in the worldly life, and that their resurrection from the graves will be easier for Allah than the first creation as Allah says in Aya (27) of Surat Alroom {And He is the One who begins the creation then He repeats it, and it is easier for Him}. Thereupon Allah commanded those who disbelieve in resurrection to believe in Him, His Messenger, and the Holy Quran which Allah described as the light which He sent down, and Allah is All-Aware of your deeds, and nothing of them is hidden from Him, so He will recompense you for all of them.
Allah Almighty says in the next verse (9) "The day He will gather you for the day of gathering, that is the day of Deprivation, and whoever believes in Allah and does righteous deeds, He will remove for him his misdeeds, and admit him into gardens beneath which rivers flow, abiding therein forever, that is the great success", that is, Allah assures the disbelievers again that the day of resurrection will inevitably happen saying that the day of gathering is the day when Allah will gather the first and the last, mankind and the Jinn, the inhabitants of heavens and the inhabitants of earth, and that day is the day of Deprivation (Altaghabun), and Altaghabun is one of the names of the day of resurrection, and Allah encourages and motivates people to believe in Him by saying that whoever believes in Allah and does righteous deeds, He will remove for him his evil deeds, and will admit him into gardens beneath which rivers flow in Paradise, abiding therein forever, that is the great attainment.
Allah Almighty says in the next verse (10) "And those who disbelieved and denied Our verses, those are the companions of the Fire, abiding therein, and wretched is the fate", that is, Allah threatens those who disbelieved in Him, in His Messenger (PBUH) and the verses of His book which He revealed to His Messenger (PBUH), saying that they will be the companions and the fuel of Hellfire, and that they will abide therein, and wretched is fate in Hellfire.
Allah Almighty says in the next verse (11-13) "No calamity befalls except by the permission of Allah, and whoever believes in Allah, He will guide his heart, and Allah is All-Knower of everything, and Obey Allah, and Obey the Messenger, but if you turn away, then upon Our Messenger is only the clear conveyance, Allah, there is no god except Him, and upon Allah let the believers rely", that is, Allah affirms that no calamity befalls man except by His command and permission, and it is a test for man, and whoever believes and submits his affair to Allah, He will place certainty in his heart that what has befallen him would not have missed him, and that what missed him would not have befallen him, and as narrated by Sulayman from Thabit from Abdul-Rahman bin Abi Layla from Suhaib that Allah's Messenger (PBUH) said: "How amazing is the affair of the believer, indeed, all his affair is good, and this is not for anyone except for the believer, if good fortune befalls him, he is grateful, and that is good fro him, and if misfortune befalls him, he is patient, and that is good for him" (Sahih Muslim 2999). And Allah is All-Knowing of everything as nothing is hidden from Him. Then Allah commanded people to obey Him and His messenger in what He legislated, by doing what He has commanded, and abandoning what He has forbidden, and Allah threatens them saying that if they turned away, so there is nothing upon the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) except the manifest message and conveying what Allah sent Him with, and Allah is the one who will take revenge on those who disobey Him and go against His commands, and then Allah confirms His Oneness saying that there is no god except Him, so He commanded the believers to rely upon Him and submit all their affairs to Him alone.
Allah Almighty says in the next two verses (14,15) "O you who have believed! Indeed, among your wives and your children there are enemies to you, so Beware of them, but if you pardon and overlook and forgive, then indeed, Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful, your wealth and your children are but a trial, and Allah has with Him a great reward", that is, Allah addresses the believers saying that among their spouses and their children are enemies to them, and Imam Qurtubi said that just as the wife and the child may be enemies of the husband, so too the husband and the child may be enemies to the wife in the same sense, and that this verse is general in every sin that a person commits because of his spouse and children. So Allah warns the believers against the trial of spouses and children when they turn them away from the way of Allah, and discourage them from obeying Him, so Beware of them, and Do not accept from them what they order you to do of abandoning obedience to Allah, and if you pardon what they have done, and do not punish them for it, indeed, Allah is All-Forgiving, Most-Merciful for those who repent, believe, and do righteous deeds. Likewise, Allah warns the believers against the trial of wealth and children because they are not free of the temptation and because of the preoccupation of the heart with them, and they may lead them to earn what is unlawful and to prevent the right of Allah over them. Then Allah affirms that if the believers disobey their spouses and their children, keep away from the trial of wealth and children, and obey Allah, they will find a great reward with Allah, which is Paradise.
Allah Almighty says in the next verse (16) "So Fear Allah as much as you are able, and Listen, and Obey, and Spend, it is better for yourselves, and whoever is saved from the stinginess of himself, then those are the successful ones", that is, Allah commanded the believers not to be tempted by the trial of their spouses, their children, and their wealth, so Let not these trials overcome you. Allah commanded them to fear Him and fear His punishment by performing His obligations and avoiding sins, and by doing what brings them closer to Allah as much as they are able, and within their capacity, and as narrated by Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (PBUH) said: "Leave Me as I leave you, for the people who were before you were ruined because of their questions and their differences over their Prophets. So if I forbid you to do something, then Keep away from it, and if I order you to do something, then Do of it as much as you can" (Sahih Albukhari 7288). And Allah commanded the believers to listen to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), to obey Him in what He commanded them and prohibited, and to spend from their wealth in the way of Allah and Allah assures them that it will be better for them in the worldly life and in the Hereafter, and the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said in narration of Abu Hurayrah: "Every day two Angels come down from heaven and one of them says O Allah! Compensate every person who spends in your way, and the other says O Allah! Destroy every miser" (Sahih Albukhari 1442). And whoever Allah saves from stinginess, and prevents from following his own desires, then he will be of those who are successful.
Allah Almighty says in the next verse (17) "If you loan Allah a goodly loan, He will multiply it for you and forgive you, and Allah is Most-Appreciative, Most-Forbearing", that is, Allah urges His servants to spend in His way, and assures that He will multiply the reward for those who loan Allah a goodly loan by spending in His way, and the good loan that a servant lends his Lord has many aspects including equipping the army and Mujahideen (The warriors) in the way of Allah and helping the needy, seeking only Allah's pleasure and desiring His reward, which will be multiplied for him many times over as mentioned in Aya (245) of Surat Albaqarah, and Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "Every good deed of the son of Adam would be multiplied, a good deed will receive a tenfold to seven hundredfold reward, Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, says except for fasting, which is for Me, and I shall reward for it" (Sahih Muslim 1151 e), and in another narration of Abu Hurayrah also: "A good deed will be multiplied ten times up to as many as seven hundred times, or as much as Allah wills" (Sunan Ibn Majah 1638).
So Spend in the way of Allah, certain that you will have a reward from Allah for your loan and expenditure without limit or end, for Allah is the Provider, and He is not the poor one who cannot find what he can return to the lender nor is the unjust one who delay the return of the loan to the lender, as Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "Allah descends to the lowest heaven at half of the night or at the last one-third of the night and says Who is there to supplicate Me so that I answer him?, Who is there to ask Me so that I grant him?, and then says Who will lend to the One who is neither indigent nor tyrant?" (Sahih Muslim 758 d), and Allah assures that He will forgive those who spend in His way, and that He is Most-Appreciative to those who spend in His way as He will reward them with the best reward, and He is Most Forbearing for those who disobey Him by not hastening His punishment.
Allah Almighty says in the last verse (18) "The Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, the Almighty, the All-Wise", that is, Allah describes Himself saying that He is the Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, so He knows everything that His servants see, and what is hidden from them, and nothing is hidden from Him, and He is the Almighty who is Severe in His revenge on those who disobey Him, and He is All-Wise who manages His creation with wisdom in His laws and destiny.