Surah Anfal ayat 33 Tafsir Quran 8:33

﴿وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنتَ فِيهِمْ ۚ وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ﴾
[ الأنفال: 33]

8:33 But Allah would not punish them while you, [O Muhammad], are among them, and Allah would not punish them while they seek forgiveness.

God then says But God was not about to chastise them for what they requested while you were among them for when chastisement is sent down it is all-encompassing and no community was ever chastised except after its prophet and the believers had departed from it; nor was God about to chastise them while they sought forgiveness crying as they performed the circumambulations ‘Your forgiveness! Your forgiveness!’; it is also said that this last clause refers to those oppressed believers among them similar to where God says Had they been clearly separated verily We would have chastised the disbelievers among them with a painful chastisement Q. 4825.

But Allah was not going to rain on them large blows while you are in their midst, nor was He going to put them to the torment before giving them plenty of rope to allow them free scope so that they either commit themselves and deserve annihilation or be sober minded, stand repentant and invoke Allahs forgiveness

The Quraysh claimed They can produce Something similar to the Qur'an Allah describes the disbelief, transgression, rebellion, as well as misguided statements that the pagans of Quraysh used to utter when they heard Allah's Ayat being recited to them, قَدْ سَمِعْنَا لَوْ نَشَآءُ لَقُلْنَا مِثْلَ هَـذَآ ( "We have heard (the Qur'an ); if we wish we can say the like of this.") They boasted with their words, but not with their actions.
They were challenged several times to bring even one chapter like the Qur'an, and they had no way to meet this challenge.
They only boasted in order to deceive themselves and those who followed their falsehood.
It was said that An-Nadr bin Al-Harith, may Allah curse him, was the one who said this, according to Sa`id bin Jubayr, As-Suddi, Ibn Jurayj and others.
An-Nadr visited Persia and learned the stories of some Persian kings, such as Rustum and Isphandiyar.
When he went back to Makkah, He found that the Prophet was sent from Allah and reciting the Qur'an to the people.
Whenever the Prophet would leave an audience in which An-Nadr was sitting, An-Nadr began narrating to them the stories that he learned in Persia, proclaiming afterwards, "Who, by Allah, has better tales to narrate, I or Muhammad" When Allah allowed the Muslims to capture An-Nadr in Badr, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded that his head be cut off before him, and that was done, all thanks are due to Allah.
The meaning of, أَسَـطِيرُ الاٌّوَّلِينَ ( .
..tales of the ancients ) meaning that the Prophet has plagiarized and learned books of ancient people, and this is what he narrated to people, as they claimed.
This is the pure falsehood that Allah mentioned in another Ayah, وَقَالُواْ أَسَـطِيرُ الاٌّوَّلِينَ اكْتَتَبَهَا فَهِىَ تُمْلَى عَلَيْهِ بُكْرَةً وَأَصِيلاً - قُلْ أَنزَلَهُ الَّذِى يَعْلَمُ السِّرَّ فِى السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ إِنَّهُ كَانَ غَفُوراً رَّحِيماً ( And they say: "Tales of the ancients, which he has written down:, and they are dictated to him morning and afternoon." Say: "It (this Qur'an ) has been sent down by Him ( Allah ) Who knows the secret of the heavens and the earth.
Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.") 25:5-6 for those who repent and return to Him, He accepts repentance from them and forgives them. The Idolators ask for Allah's Judgment and Torment! Allah said, وَإِذْ قَالُواْ اللَّهُمَّ إِن كَانَ هَـذَا هُوَ الْحَقَّ مِنْ عِندِكَ فَأَمْطِرْ عَلَيْنَا حِجَارَةً مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ أَوِ ائْتِنَا بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ ( And (remember ) when they said: "O Allah! If this ( the Qur'an ) is indeed the truth ( revealed ) from You, then rain down stones on us from the sky or bring on us a painful torment.") This is indicative of the pagans' enormous ignorance, denial, stubbornness and transgression.
They should have said, "O Allah! If this is the truth from You, then guide us to it and help us follow it." However, they brought Allah's judgment on themselves and asked for His punishment.
Allah said in other Ayat, وَيَسْتَعْجِلُونَكَ بِالْعَذَابِ وَلَوْلاَ أَجَلٌ مُّسَمًّى لَّجَآءَهُمُ الْعَذَابُ وَلَيَأْتِيَنَّهُمْ بَغْتَةً وَهُمْ لاَ يَشْعُرُونَ ( And they ask you to hasten on the torment (for them ), and had it not been for a term appointed, the torment would certainly have come to them.
And surely, it will come upon them suddenly while they perceive not!) 29:53, وَقَالُواْ رَبَّنَا عَجِّل لَّنَا قِطَّنَا قَبْلَ يَوْمِ الْحِسَابِ ( They say: "Our Lord! Hasten to us Qittana (our record of good and bad deeds so that we may see it ) before the Day of Reckoning!") 38:16, and, سَأَلَ سَآئِلٌ بِعَذَابٍ وَاقِعٍ - لِّلْكَـفِرِينَ لَيْسَ لَهُ دَافِعٌ - مِّنَ اللَّهِ ذِي الْمَعَارِجِ ( A questioner asked concerning a torment about to befall.
Upon the disbelievers, which none can avert.
From Allah, the Lord of the ways of ascent. ) 70:1-3 The ignorant ones in ancient times said similar things.
The people of Shu`ayb said to him, فَأَسْقِطْ عَلَيْنَا كِسَفاً مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ الصَّـدِقِينَ ( "So cause a piece of the heaven to fall on us, if you are of the truthful!" )26:187 while the pagans of Quraysh said, اللَّهُمَّ إِن كَانَ هَـذَا هُوَ الْحَقَّ مِنْ عِندِكَ فَأَمْطِرْ عَلَيْنَا حِجَارَةً مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ أَوِ ائْتِنَا بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ ( "O Allah! If this (the Qur'an ) is indeed the truth ( revealed ) from You, then rain down stones on us from the sky or bring on us a painful torment.") Shu`bah said from `Abdul-Hamid that Anas bin Malik said that it was Abu Jahl bin Hisham who uttered this statement, اللَّهُمَّ إِن كَانَ هَـذَا هُوَ الْحَقَّ مِنْ عِندِكَ فَأَمْطِرْ عَلَيْنَا حِجَارَةً مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ أَوِ ائْتِنَا بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ ( "O Allah! If this (the Qur'an ) is indeed the truth ( revealed ) from You, then rain down stones on us from the sky or bring on us a painful torment.") So Allah revealed this Ayah, وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنتَ فِيهِمْ وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ ( And Allah would not punish them while you are among them, nor will He punish them while they seek (Allah's ) forgiveness.) Al-Bukhari recorded it. The Presence of the Prophet , and the Idolators' asking For forgiveness, were the Shelters against receiving Allah's immediateTorment Allah said, وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنتَ فِيهِمْ وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ ( And Allah would not punish them while you are among them, nor will He punish them while they seek (Allah's ) forgiveness.) Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Ibn `Abbas said, "Pagans used to go around the House in Tawaf and proclaim, `We rush to Your obedience, O Allah, there is no partner with You,' and the Prophet would tell them,
«قَدٍ، قَد»
( Enough, enough. ) But they would go on, `We rush to Your obedience, O Allah, there is no partner with You except a partner who is with You, You own Him but he does not own! They also used to say, `O Allah, Your forgiveness, Your forgiveness.' Allah revealed this verse; وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنتَ فِيهِمْ ( And Allah would not punish them while you are among them... )"' Ibn `Abbas commented, "They had two safety shelters: the Prophet , and their seeking forgiveness ( from Allah ).
The Prophet went away, and only seeking forgiveness remained." At-Tirmidhi recorded that Abu Musa said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,
«أَنْزَلَ اللهُ عَلَيَّ أَمَانَيْنِ لِأُمَّتِي»
( "Allah sent down to me two safe shelters for the benefit of my Ummah ) وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنتَ فِيهِمْ وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ ( And Allah would not punish them while you are among them, nor will He punish them while they seek (Allah's ) forgiveness.)
«فَإِذَا مَضَيْتُ تَرَكْتُ فِيهِمُ الْاسْتِغْفَارَ إِلَى يَومِ الْقِيَامَة»
( When I die, I will leave the seeking of forgiveness with them, until the Day of Resurrection. ) What testifies to this Hadith, is the Hadith that Ahmad recorded in his Musnad and Al-Hakim in his Mustadrak, that Abu Sa`id narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,
«إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ قَالَ: وَعِزَّتِكَ يَا رَبِّ لَا أَبْرَحُ أَغْوِي عِبَادَكَ مَا دَامَتْ أَرْوَاحُهُمْ فِي أَجْسَادِهِمْ.
فَقَالَ الرَّبُّ: وَعِزَّتِي وَجَلَالِي لَا أَزَالُ أَغْفِرُ لَهُمْ مَا اسْتَغْفَرُونِي»
( Shaytan said, `By Your might, O Lord! I will go on luring Your servants as long as their souls are still in their bodies.' The Lord said, `By My might and majesty! I will keep forgiving them, as long as they keep invoking Me for forgiveness.' ) Al-Hakim, "Its chain is Sahih and they did not record it."

(8:33) But Allah was not to chastise them while you are in their midst; nor was Allah going to chastise them while they sought His forgiveness.  *27

But Allah would not punish them while meaning

*27).
This is a rejoinder to the challenge implicit in the above-mentioned remark of the unbelievers.
In response it was explained why people were spared heavenly scourge during the Makkan period of the Prophet's life.
The first reason being that God does not punish a people as long as the Prophet is in their midst, busy inviting them to the truth.
Such people are rather granted respite and are not deprived of the opportunity to reform themselves by sending a scourge all too quickly.
Second, if there are a good number of people in a land who recognize that they have been negligent and heedless and have been guilty of iniquity, who seek God's forgiveness and strive to reform themselves, there remains no legitimate ground for subjecting them to a heavenly scourge.
The time for such a scourge comes when a Prophet who has spared no efforts to reform his people feels that he has exhausted all his efforts, and concludes that his people have no justification to persist in their iniquity, and departs from that land or is banished from it by its people or is murdered by them.
A scourge from on high then becomes imminent since the people of that land have proven by their deeds their inability to tolerate any righteous element in their midst.

 

The Quraysh claimed They can produce Something similar to the Qur'an Allah describes the disbelief, transgression, rebellion, as well as misguided statements that the pagans of Quraysh used to utter when they heard Allah's Ayat being recited to them, قَدْ سَمِعْنَا لَوْ نَشَآءُ لَقُلْنَا مِثْلَ هَـذَآ ( "We have heard (the Qur'an ); if we wish we can say the like of this.") They boasted with their words, but not with their actions.
They were challenged several times to bring even one chapter like the Qur'an, and they had no way to meet this challenge.
They only boasted in order to deceive themselves and those who followed their falsehood.
It was said that An-Nadr bin Al-Harith, may Allah curse him, was the one who said this, according to Sa`id bin Jubayr, As-Suddi, Ibn Jurayj and others.
An-Nadr visited Persia and learned the stories of some Persian kings, such as Rustum and Isphandiyar.
When he went back to Makkah, He found that the Prophet was sent from Allah and reciting the Qur'an to the people.
Whenever the Prophet would leave an audience in which An-Nadr was sitting, An-Nadr began narrating to them the stories that he learned in Persia, proclaiming afterwards, "Who, by Allah, has better tales to narrate, I or Muhammad" When Allah allowed the Muslims to capture An-Nadr in Badr, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded that his head be cut off before him, and that was done, all thanks are due to Allah.
The meaning of, أَسَـطِيرُ الاٌّوَّلِينَ ( .
..tales of the ancients ) meaning that the Prophet has plagiarized and learned books of ancient people, and this is what he narrated to people, as they claimed.
This is the pure falsehood that Allah mentioned in another Ayah, وَقَالُواْ أَسَـطِيرُ الاٌّوَّلِينَ اكْتَتَبَهَا فَهِىَ تُمْلَى عَلَيْهِ بُكْرَةً وَأَصِيلاً - قُلْ أَنزَلَهُ الَّذِى يَعْلَمُ السِّرَّ فِى السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ إِنَّهُ كَانَ غَفُوراً رَّحِيماً ( And they say: "Tales of the ancients, which he has written down:, and they are dictated to him morning and afternoon." Say: "It (this Qur'an ) has been sent down by Him ( Allah ) Who knows the secret of the heavens and the earth.
Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.") 25:5-6 for those who repent and return to Him, He accepts repentance from them and forgives them. The Idolators ask for Allah's Judgment and Torment! Allah said, وَإِذْ قَالُواْ اللَّهُمَّ إِن كَانَ هَـذَا هُوَ الْحَقَّ مِنْ عِندِكَ فَأَمْطِرْ عَلَيْنَا حِجَارَةً مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ أَوِ ائْتِنَا بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ ( And (remember ) when they said: "O Allah! If this ( the Qur'an ) is indeed the truth ( revealed ) from You, then rain down stones on us from the sky or bring on us a painful torment.") This is indicative of the pagans' enormous ignorance, denial, stubbornness and transgression.
They should have said, "O Allah! If this is the truth from You, then guide us to it and help us follow it." However, they brought Allah's judgment on themselves and asked for His punishment.
Allah said in other Ayat, وَيَسْتَعْجِلُونَكَ بِالْعَذَابِ وَلَوْلاَ أَجَلٌ مُّسَمًّى لَّجَآءَهُمُ الْعَذَابُ وَلَيَأْتِيَنَّهُمْ بَغْتَةً وَهُمْ لاَ يَشْعُرُونَ ( And they ask you to hasten on the torment (for them ), and had it not been for a term appointed, the torment would certainly have come to them.
And surely, it will come upon them suddenly while they perceive not!) 29:53, وَقَالُواْ رَبَّنَا عَجِّل لَّنَا قِطَّنَا قَبْلَ يَوْمِ الْحِسَابِ ( They say: "Our Lord! Hasten to us Qittana (our record of good and bad deeds so that we may see it ) before the Day of Reckoning!") 38:16, and, سَأَلَ سَآئِلٌ بِعَذَابٍ وَاقِعٍ - لِّلْكَـفِرِينَ لَيْسَ لَهُ دَافِعٌ - مِّنَ اللَّهِ ذِي الْمَعَارِجِ ( A questioner asked concerning a torment about to befall.
Upon the disbelievers, which none can avert.
From Allah, the Lord of the ways of ascent. ) 70:1-3 The ignorant ones in ancient times said similar things.
The people of Shu`ayb said to him, فَأَسْقِطْ عَلَيْنَا كِسَفاً مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ الصَّـدِقِينَ ( "So cause a piece of the heaven to fall on us, if you are of the truthful!" )26:187 while the pagans of Quraysh said, اللَّهُمَّ إِن كَانَ هَـذَا هُوَ الْحَقَّ مِنْ عِندِكَ فَأَمْطِرْ عَلَيْنَا حِجَارَةً مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ أَوِ ائْتِنَا بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ ( "O Allah! If this (the Qur'an ) is indeed the truth ( revealed ) from You, then rain down stones on us from the sky or bring on us a painful torment.") Shu`bah said from `Abdul-Hamid that Anas bin Malik said that it was Abu Jahl bin Hisham who uttered this statement, اللَّهُمَّ إِن كَانَ هَـذَا هُوَ الْحَقَّ مِنْ عِندِكَ فَأَمْطِرْ عَلَيْنَا حِجَارَةً مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ أَوِ ائْتِنَا بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ ( "O Allah! If this (the Qur'an ) is indeed the truth ( revealed ) from You, then rain down stones on us from the sky or bring on us a painful torment.") So Allah revealed this Ayah, وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنتَ فِيهِمْ وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ ( And Allah would not punish them while you are among them, nor will He punish them while they seek (Allah's ) forgiveness.) Al-Bukhari recorded it. The Presence of the Prophet , and the Idolators' asking For forgiveness, were the Shelters against receiving Allah's immediateTorment Allah said, وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنتَ فِيهِمْ وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ ( And Allah would not punish them while you are among them, nor will He punish them while they seek (Allah's ) forgiveness.) Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Ibn `Abbas said, "Pagans used to go around the House in Tawaf and proclaim, `We rush to Your obedience, O Allah, there is no partner with You,' and the Prophet would tell them, «قَدٍ، قَد» ( Enough, enough. ) But they would go on, `We rush to Your obedience, O Allah, there is no partner with You except a partner who is with You, You own Him but he does not own! They also used to say, `O Allah, Your forgiveness, Your forgiveness.' Allah revealed this verse; وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنتَ فِيهِمْ ( And Allah would not punish them while you are among them... )"' Ibn `Abbas commented, "They had two safety shelters: the Prophet , and their seeking forgiveness ( from Allah ).
The Prophet went away, and only seeking forgiveness remained." At-Tirmidhi recorded that Abu Musa said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, «أَنْزَلَ اللهُ عَلَيَّ أَمَانَيْنِ لِأُمَّتِي» ( "Allah sent down to me two safe shelters for the benefit of my Ummah ) وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنتَ فِيهِمْ وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ ( And Allah would not punish them while you are among them, nor will He punish them while they seek (Allah's ) forgiveness.) «فَإِذَا مَضَيْتُ تَرَكْتُ فِيهِمُ الْاسْتِغْفَارَ إِلَى يَومِ الْقِيَامَة» ( When I die, I will leave the seeking of forgiveness with them, until the Day of Resurrection. ) What testifies to this Hadith, is the Hadith that Ahmad recorded in his Musnad and Al-Hakim in his Mustadrak, that Abu Sa`id narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, «إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ قَالَ: وَعِزَّتِكَ يَا رَبِّ لَا أَبْرَحُ أَغْوِي عِبَادَكَ مَا دَامَتْ أَرْوَاحُهُمْ فِي أَجْسَادِهِمْ.
فَقَالَ الرَّبُّ: وَعِزَّتِي وَجَلَالِي لَا أَزَالُ أَغْفِرُ لَهُمْ مَا اسْتَغْفَرُونِي» ( Shaytan said, `By Your might, O Lord! I will go on luring Your servants as long as their souls are still in their bodies.' The Lord said, `By My might and majesty! I will keep forgiving them, as long as they keep invoking Me for forgiveness.' ) Al-Hakim, "Its chain is Sahih and they did not record it."

( But Allah would not punish them ) Allah would not destroy Abu Jahl and his host ( while thou wast ) residing ( with them, nor will He punish them ) destroy them ( while they seek forgiveness ) while they desire to believe.

And Allah would not punish them while you (Muhammad SAW) are amongst them, nor will He punish them while they seek (Allah's) Forgiveness.

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