Surah Sajdah ayat 21 Tafsir Quran 32:21

﴿وَلَنُذِيقَنَّهُم مِّنَ الْعَذَابِ الْأَدْنَىٰ دُونَ الْعَذَابِ الْأَكْبَرِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ﴾
[ السجدة: 21]

32:21 And we will surely let them taste the nearer punishment short of the greater punishment that perhaps they will repent.

And We shall surely make them taste the nearer chastisement that is the chastisement of this world — in their being killed or taken captive or through years of drought and disease — before the greater chastisement the chastisement of the Hereafter that perhaps they namely those remaining of them may return to belief.

And in mercy to them We will make them suffer here the lesser of the two evils by justly submitting them to pain and punishment that they might hopefully repent and turn to Allah and save themselves the bigger and really vehement, punishment Hereafter

The Believer and the Rebellious are not equal Allah tells us that in His justice and generosity, on the Day of Judgement He will not judge those who believed in His signs and followed His Messengers, in the same way as He will judge those who rebelled, disobeyed Him and rejected the Messengers sent by Allah to them.
This is like the Ayat: أَمْ حَسِبَ الَّذِينَ اجْتَرَحُواْ السَّيِّئَـتِ أَن نَّجْعَلَهُمْ كَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّـلِحَـتِ سَوَآءً مَّحْيَـهُمْ وَمَمَـتُهُمْ سَآءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ ( Or do those who earn evil deeds think that We shall hold them equal with those who believe and do righteous good deeds, in their present life and after their death Worst is the judgement that they make. ) ( 45:21 ), أَمْ نَجْعَلُ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّـلِحَـتِ كَالْمُفْسِدِينَ فِى الاٌّرْضِ أَمْ نَجْعَلُ الْمُتَّقِينَ كَالْفُجَّارِ ( Shall We treat those who believe and do righteous good deeds as corruptors on earth Or shall We treat those who have Taqwa as the wicked ) ( 38:28 ) لاَ يَسْتَوِى أَصْحَـبُ النَّارِ وَأَصْحَـبُ الْجَنَّةِ ( Not equal are the dwellers of the Fire and the dwellers of the Paradise... ) ( 59:20 ).
Allah says: أَفَمَن كَانَ مُؤْمِناً كَمَن كَانَ فَاسِقاً لاَّ يَسْتَوُونَ ( Is then he who is a believer like him who is a rebellious Not equal are they.
) i.e., before Allah on the Day of Resurrection.
`Ata' bin Yasar, As-Suddi and others mentioned that this was revealed concerning `Ali bin Abi Talib and `Uqbah bin Abi Mu`it.
Hence Allah has judged between them when He said: أَمَّا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّـلِحَـتِ ( As for those who believe and do righteous good deeds, ) meaning, their hearts believed in the signs of Allah, and they did as the signs of Allah dictate, i.e.
righteous good deeds. فَلَهُمْ جَنَّـتُ الْمَأْوَى ( for them are Gardens of Abode ) i.e., in which there are dwellings and houses and lofty apartments. نُزُلاً ( as an entertainment ) means, something to welcome and honor a guest, بِمَا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَوَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ فَسَقُواْ ( for what they used to do.
And as for those who rebel, ) means, those who disobeyed Allah, their dwelling place will be the Fire, and every time they want to escape from it, they will be thrown back in, as Allah says: كُلَّمَآ أَرَادُواْ أَن يَخْرُجُواْ مِنْهَا مِنْ غَمٍّ أُعِيدُواْ فِيهَا ( Every time they seek to get away therefrom, from anguish, they will be driven back therein ) ( 22:22 ).
Al-Fudayl bin `Iyad said: "By Allah, their hands will be tied, their feet will be chained, the flames will lift them up and the angels will strike them. وَقِيلَ لَهُمْ ذُوقُواْ عَذَابَ النَّارِ الَّذِي كُنتُمْ بِهِ تُكَذِّبُونَ ( and it will be said to them: "Taste you the torment of the Fire which you used to deny." )" means, this will be said to them by way of rebuke and chastisement. وَلَنُذِيقَنَّهُمْ مِّنَ الْعَذَابِ الاٌّدْنَى دُونَ الْعَذَابِ الاٌّكْبَرِ ( And verily, We will make them taste of the near lighter torment prior to the greater torment, ) Ibn `Abbas said, "The near torment means diseases and problems in this world, and the things that happen to its people as a test from Allah to His servants so that they will repent to Him." Something similar was also narrated from Ubayy bin Ka`b, Abu Al-`Aliyah, Al-Hasan, Ibrahim An-Nakha`i, Ad-Dahhak, `Alqamah, `Atiyah, Mujahid, Qatadah, `Abd Al-Karim Al-Jazari and Khusayf. وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّن ذُكِّرَ بِـَايَـتِ رَبِّهِ ثُمَّ أَعْرَضَ عَنْهَآ ( And who does more wrong than he who is reminded of the Ayat of his Lord, then turns aside therefrom ) means, there is no one who does more wrong than the one whom Allah reminds of His signs and explains them to him clearly, then after that he neglects and ignores them, and turns away from them, forgetting them as if he does not know them.
Qatadah said: "Beware of turning away from the remembrance of Allah, for whoever turns away from remembering Him will be the most misguided and the most in need, and the most guilty of sin." Allah says, warning the one who does that: إِنَّا مِنَ الْمُجْرِمِينَ مُنتَقِمُونَ ( Verily, We shall exact retribution from the criminals. ) meaning, `We shall avenge Ourselves on those who do that in the strongest possible terms.'

(32:21) We shall certainly have them taste some chastisement in this world in addition to the greater chastisement (of the Hereafter); perhaps they will retract (from their transgression). *33

And we will surely let them taste meaning

*33) " The greater torment " is the torment of the Hereafter, which will be imposed on the guilty ones in consequence of disbelief and disobedience.
" The lesser torment ", in contrast, implies those calamities which afflict man even in this world, e.g., diseases in the life of individuals, deaths of the near and dear ones, serious accidents, losses, failures, etc.
and storms, earthquakes, floods, epidemics, famines, riots, wars and many other disasters, in collective life, which affect hundreds of thousands of the people simultaneously.
The reason given for sending these calamities is that the people should take heed even before they are involved in the " greater torment " and give up the attitude and way of life in consequence of which they will have to suffer the greater torment ultimately.
In other words, it means this: Allah has not kept man in perfect security in the world so that he may live in full peace, and become involved in the misunderstanding that there is no power above him, which can cause him harm.
But Allah has so arranged things that He sends disasters and calamities on individuals as well as en nations acrd t countries from time to time, which give man the feeling that he is helpless and that there is about him an All-Powerful Sovereign Who is ruling His universal Kingdom.
These calamities remind each individual and group and nation that there is another Power above him Who is controlling their destinies.
Everything has not been placed at man's disposal.
The real Power is in the hand of the Sovereign.
When a calamity from Him descends on man, you can neither evert it by any artifice, nor can escape from it by invoking a jinn, or a spirit, or a god or goddess, or a prophet or saint.
Considered in this light, these calamities are not mere calamities but warnings of God, which are sent to make man conscious of the reality and to remove his misunderstandings.
If man learns a lesson from these and corrects his belief and conduct here in the world, he will not have to face the greater torment of God in the Hereafter."
 

The Believer and the Rebellious are not equal Allah tells us that in His justice and generosity, on the Day of Judgement He will not judge those who believed in His signs and followed His Messengers, in the same way as He will judge those who rebelled, disobeyed Him and rejected the Messengers sent by Allah to them.
This is like the Ayat: أَمْ حَسِبَ الَّذِينَ اجْتَرَحُواْ السَّيِّئَـتِ أَن نَّجْعَلَهُمْ كَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّـلِحَـتِ سَوَآءً مَّحْيَـهُمْ وَمَمَـتُهُمْ سَآءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ ( Or do those who earn evil deeds think that We shall hold them equal with those who believe and do righteous good deeds, in their present life and after their death Worst is the judgement that they make. ) ( 45:21 ), أَمْ نَجْعَلُ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّـلِحَـتِ كَالْمُفْسِدِينَ فِى الاٌّرْضِ أَمْ نَجْعَلُ الْمُتَّقِينَ كَالْفُجَّارِ ( Shall We treat those who believe and do righteous good deeds as corruptors on earth Or shall We treat those who have Taqwa as the wicked ) ( 38:28 ) لاَ يَسْتَوِى أَصْحَـبُ النَّارِ وَأَصْحَـبُ الْجَنَّةِ ( Not equal are the dwellers of the Fire and the dwellers of the Paradise... ) ( 59:20 ).
Allah says: أَفَمَن كَانَ مُؤْمِناً كَمَن كَانَ فَاسِقاً لاَّ يَسْتَوُونَ ( Is then he who is a believer like him who is a rebellious Not equal are they.
) i.e., before Allah on the Day of Resurrection.
`Ata' bin Yasar, As-Suddi and others mentioned that this was revealed concerning `Ali bin Abi Talib and `Uqbah bin Abi Mu`it.
Hence Allah has judged between them when He said: أَمَّا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّـلِحَـتِ ( As for those who believe and do righteous good deeds, ) meaning, their hearts believed in the signs of Allah, and they did as the signs of Allah dictate, i.e.
righteous good deeds. فَلَهُمْ جَنَّـتُ الْمَأْوَى ( for them are Gardens of Abode ) i.e., in which there are dwellings and houses and lofty apartments. نُزُلاً ( as an entertainment ) means, something to welcome and honor a guest, بِمَا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَوَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ فَسَقُواْ ( for what they used to do.
And as for those who rebel, ) means, those who disobeyed Allah, their dwelling place will be the Fire, and every time they want to escape from it, they will be thrown back in, as Allah says: كُلَّمَآ أَرَادُواْ أَن يَخْرُجُواْ مِنْهَا مِنْ غَمٍّ أُعِيدُواْ فِيهَا ( Every time they seek to get away therefrom, from anguish, they will be driven back therein ) ( 22:22 ).
Al-Fudayl bin `Iyad said: "By Allah, their hands will be tied, their feet will be chained, the flames will lift them up and the angels will strike them. وَقِيلَ لَهُمْ ذُوقُواْ عَذَابَ النَّارِ الَّذِي كُنتُمْ بِهِ تُكَذِّبُونَ ( and it will be said to them: "Taste you the torment of the Fire which you used to deny." )" means, this will be said to them by way of rebuke and chastisement. وَلَنُذِيقَنَّهُمْ مِّنَ الْعَذَابِ الاٌّدْنَى دُونَ الْعَذَابِ الاٌّكْبَرِ ( And verily, We will make them taste of the near lighter torment prior to the greater torment, ) Ibn `Abbas said, "The near torment means diseases and problems in this world, and the things that happen to its people as a test from Allah to His servants so that they will repent to Him." Something similar was also narrated from Ubayy bin Ka`b, Abu Al-`Aliyah, Al-Hasan, Ibrahim An-Nakha`i, Ad-Dahhak, `Alqamah, `Atiyah, Mujahid, Qatadah, `Abd Al-Karim Al-Jazari and Khusayf. وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّن ذُكِّرَ بِـَايَـتِ رَبِّهِ ثُمَّ أَعْرَضَ عَنْهَآ ( And who does more wrong than he who is reminded of the Ayat of his Lord, then turns aside therefrom ) means, there is no one who does more wrong than the one whom Allah reminds of His signs and explains them to him clearly, then after that he neglects and ignores them, and turns away from them, forgetting them as if he does not know them.
Qatadah said: "Beware of turning away from the remembrance of Allah, for whoever turns away from remembering Him will be the most misguided and the most in need, and the most guilty of sin." Allah says, warning the one who does that: إِنَّا مِنَ الْمُجْرِمِينَ مُنتَقِمُونَ ( Verily, We shall exact retribution from the criminals. ) meaning, `We shall avenge Ourselves on those who do that in the strongest possible terms.'

( And verily We make them taste ) We will inflict on them, i.e. on the people of Mecca ( the lower punishment ) the punishment of the life of this world: dryness of the land, drought, hunger, assassination, etc; it is also said that this refers to the torment of the grave ( before the greater ) before the torment of the Fire; this is a warning to them, ( that haply they may return ) from their disbelief and accept faith.

And verily, We will make them taste of the near torment (i.e. the torment in the life of this world, i.e. disasters, calamities, etc.) prior to the supreme torment (in the Hereafter), in order that they may (repent and) return (i.e. accept Islam).

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