Surah An Nur ayat 39 Tafsir Quran 24:39

﴿وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَعْمَالُهُمْ كَسَرَابٍ بِقِيعَةٍ يَحْسَبُهُ الظَّمْآنُ مَاءً حَتَّىٰ إِذَا جَاءَهُ لَمْ يَجِدْهُ شَيْئًا وَوَجَدَ اللَّهَ عِندَهُ فَوَفَّاهُ حِسَابَهُ ۗ وَاللَّهُ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ﴾
[ النور: 39]

24:39 But those who disbelieved - their deeds are like a mirage in a lowland which a thirsty one thinks is water until, when he comes to it, he finds it is nothing but finds Allah before Him, and He will pay him in full his due; and Allah is swift in account.

And as for those who disbelieve their works are like a mirage in a plain qī‘a is the plural of qā‘ that is to say fulāt ‘an open space’. A mirage is a kind of radiation which one might observe therein at midday during extreme heat resembling running water — which the thirsty man supposes to be water until he comes to it and finds it to be nothing like what he had supposed. Likewise is the case of the disbeliever who supposes that his deeds such as some voluntary alms will benefit him; but when he dies and comes before his Lord he will not find his deed in other words it will be of no benefit to him; and he finds God there namely in the place of his deeds Who pays him his account in full that is He requites him for it in this world; and God is swift at reckoning that is at requiting.

As for those who deny Allah and do not acknowledge His Messengers missions, their hopes shall be doomed to disappointment. Their deeds shall avail them nothing but the frustration or non-fulfillment of expectation, a situation standing similitude exact of a mirage* falsely viewed by the parched and thirsty traveler as water, and when he reaches the spot in question his hopes are doomed to disappointment. He finds what is known to be at variance with fact, an optical illusion. But he finds Allah, the Omnipresent, the truth personified, Who requites him with what is commensurate with his deeds, and Allah is swift indeed in putting the law in execution

Two Examples of two kinds of Disbelievers These are two examples which Allah sets forth of two kinds of disbelievers.
Similarly He sets forth two parables of the hypocrites at the beginning of Surat Al-Baqarah: one involving fire and the other involving water.
Similarly, in Surat Ar-Ra`d He gives two parables of the guidance and knowledge that are instilled in the heart, again involving fire and water; we have discussed each of them in the appropriate place and there is no need to repeat it here, praise be to Allah.
The first of these two examples is that of the disbelievers who call others to their disbelief, thinking that they have good actions and beliefs, when this is not in fact the case.
Their likeness is that of a mirage which is seen in a desert plain, looking from a distance as if it is a deep sea.
The word Qi`ah refers to a vast, flat, level area of land in which the mirage may appear.
There are different kinds of mirage, one which appears after midday, and another which appears in the morning and looks like water between heaven and earth.
If a person who is in need of water sees the mirage, he thinks that it is water so he heads towards it in order to drink from it, but when he reaches it, لَمْ يَجِدْهُ شَيْئاً ( he finds it to be nothing. ); Similarly the disbeliever thinks that he is doing something good and that he has achieved something, but when Allah judges him on the Day of Resurrection, and brings him to account and examines his deeds, he will find that nothing has been accepted at all, either because of a lack of sincere belief or because he did not follow the proper ways of the Shari`ah.
As Allah says: وَقَدِمْنَآ إِلَى مَا عَمِلُواْ مِنْ عَمَلٍ فَجَعَلْنَاهُ هَبَآءً مَّنثُوراً ( And We shall turn to whatever deeds they did, and We shall make such deeds as scattered floating particles of dust. ) 25:23.
And He says here: وَوَجَدَ اللَّهَ عِندَهُ فَوَفَّـهُ حِسَابَهُ وَاللَّهُ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ ( but he finds Allah with him, who will pay him his due.
And Allah is swift in taking account. ) A similar view was also narrated from Ubayy bin Ka`b, Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Qatadah and others.
In the Two Sahihs, it is reported that on the Day of Resurrection it will be said to the Jews, "What did you used to worship" They will say, "We used to worship `Uzayr the son of Allah." It will be said to them, "You have lied.
Allah has not begotten a son.
What do you want" They will say, "O Lord, we are thirsty, give us something to drink." It will be said to them, "Do you not see" Then Hell will be shown to them as if it is a mirage, parts of it consuming other parts, and they will go and fall into it.
This is the parable of one whose ignorance is deep and advanced.
As for those whose ignorance is simple, those who are uneducated and foolish and blindly follow the leaders of disbelief, knowing and understanding nothing, their parable is as Allah says: d أَوْ كَظُلُمَـتٍ فِى بَحْرٍ لُّجِّىٍّ يَغْشَـهُ مَوْجٌ مِّن فَوْقِهِ مَوْجٌ مِّن فَوْقِهِ سَحَابٌ ظُلُمَـتٌ بَعْضُهَا فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ إِذَآ أَخْرَجَ يَدَهُ لَمْ يَكَدْ يَرَاهَا ( Or like the darkness in a vast deep sea, overwhelmed with waves topped by waves, topped by dark clouds, darkness upon darkness: if a man stretches out his hand, he can hardly see it! ) meaning, he can hardly see it because it is so intensely dark.
This is the parable of the heart of the disbeliever whose ignorance is simple, who merely follows and does not know the true nature of the one whom he follows or where he is going.
He is like the ignorant man in the parable who was asked, "Where are you going" He said, "With them." He was asked, "Where are they going" He said, "I do not know." ظُلُمَـتٌ بَعْضُهَا فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ ( darkness upon darkness ) Ubayy bin Ka`b said: "He is enveloped in five types of darkness: his speech is darkness, his deeds are darkness, his coming in is darkness, his going out is darkness and his destiny on the Day of Resurrection will be darkness in the fire of Hell." As-Suddi and Ar-Rabi` bin Anas also said something similar. وَمَن لَّمْ يَجْعَلِ اللَّهُ لَهُ نُوراً فَمَا لَهُ مِن نُورٍ ( And he for whom Allah has not appointed light, for him there is no light. ) One whom Allah does not guide is ignorant and doomed, an utter loser and disbeliever.
This is like the Ayah: مَن يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَلاَ هَادِيَ لَهُ ( Whomsoever Allah sends astray, none can guide him ) 7:186 This is in contrast to what Allah says about the believers: يَهْدِى اللَّهُ لِنُورِهِ مَن يَشَآءُ ( Allah guides to His Light whom He wills.
) 24:35 We ask Allah the Almighty to put light in our hearts and give us light on our right and on our left, and to increase us in light.

(24:39) (On the other hand,) the deeds of those who disbelieved, *70 maybe likened to a mirage in a waterless desert, which the thirsty one took for water; but when he reached there he found nothing to drink; nay, he found there Allah Who settled his full account, and Allah is very swift at reckoning. *71

But those who disbelieved - their deeds meaning

*70) That is, they refused to accept sincerely the Divine Message which was brought by the Prophets, and which at that time was being given by the Prophet Muhammad ( Allah's peace and blessings be upon him ).
These verses clearly show that the truthful and righteouse believers only can benefit from Allah's Light.
In contrast to them, the state of those people is being described here, who refused to believe and obey the Holy Prophet, who was the real and sole means of attaining the Light of Allah.

*71) This parable describes the condition of those people who, in spite of disbelief and hypocrisy, practise some good deeds and also believe, among other things, in the life after death in the hope that their good deeds will be of some help to thetas in the Hereafter even if they did not believe and follow the Prophet and lacked the qualities of true believers.
In this parable they are being told that their expectations of reaping benefits of their ostentatious deeds of virtue in the Hereafter are no more than a mirage.
Just as a traveller in the desert takes the glittering sands for a surging pool of water and runs towards it for quenching his thirst, so are these people travelling on the road to death cherishing false hopes on account of their good deeds.
But just as the one running towards a mirage does not find anything there to quench his thirst, so will these people find nothing to avail them when they enter the state of death.
On the contrary, they will find Allah there, Who will require them to account for their disbelief, hypocrisy and misdeeds, which they committed along with their ostentatious deeds of virtue, and will deal with them in full justice.

 

Two Examples of two kinds of Disbelievers These are two examples which Allah sets forth of two kinds of disbelievers.
Similarly He sets forth two parables of the hypocrites at the beginning of Surat Al-Baqarah: one involving fire and the other involving water.
Similarly, in Surat Ar-Ra`d He gives two parables of the guidance and knowledge that are instilled in the heart, again involving fire and water; we have discussed each of them in the appropriate place and there is no need to repeat it here, praise be to Allah.
The first of these two examples is that of the disbelievers who call others to their disbelief, thinking that they have good actions and beliefs, when this is not in fact the case.
Their likeness is that of a mirage which is seen in a desert plain, looking from a distance as if it is a deep sea.
The word Qi`ah refers to a vast, flat, level area of land in which the mirage may appear.
There are different kinds of mirage, one which appears after midday, and another which appears in the morning and looks like water between heaven and earth.
If a person who is in need of water sees the mirage, he thinks that it is water so he heads towards it in order to drink from it, but when he reaches it, لَمْ يَجِدْهُ شَيْئاً ( he finds it to be nothing. ); Similarly the disbeliever thinks that he is doing something good and that he has achieved something, but when Allah judges him on the Day of Resurrection, and brings him to account and examines his deeds, he will find that nothing has been accepted at all, either because of a lack of sincere belief or because he did not follow the proper ways of the Shari`ah.
As Allah says: وَقَدِمْنَآ إِلَى مَا عَمِلُواْ مِنْ عَمَلٍ فَجَعَلْنَاهُ هَبَآءً مَّنثُوراً ( And We shall turn to whatever deeds they did, and We shall make such deeds as scattered floating particles of dust. ) 25:23.
And He says here: وَوَجَدَ اللَّهَ عِندَهُ فَوَفَّـهُ حِسَابَهُ وَاللَّهُ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ ( but he finds Allah with him, who will pay him his due.
And Allah is swift in taking account. ) A similar view was also narrated from Ubayy bin Ka`b, Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Qatadah and others.
In the Two Sahihs, it is reported that on the Day of Resurrection it will be said to the Jews, "What did you used to worship" They will say, "We used to worship `Uzayr the son of Allah." It will be said to them, "You have lied.
Allah has not begotten a son.
What do you want" They will say, "O Lord, we are thirsty, give us something to drink." It will be said to them, "Do you not see" Then Hell will be shown to them as if it is a mirage, parts of it consuming other parts, and they will go and fall into it.
This is the parable of one whose ignorance is deep and advanced.
As for those whose ignorance is simple, those who are uneducated and foolish and blindly follow the leaders of disbelief, knowing and understanding nothing, their parable is as Allah says: d أَوْ كَظُلُمَـتٍ فِى بَحْرٍ لُّجِّىٍّ يَغْشَـهُ مَوْجٌ مِّن فَوْقِهِ مَوْجٌ مِّن فَوْقِهِ سَحَابٌ ظُلُمَـتٌ بَعْضُهَا فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ إِذَآ أَخْرَجَ يَدَهُ لَمْ يَكَدْ يَرَاهَا ( Or like the darkness in a vast deep sea, overwhelmed with waves topped by waves, topped by dark clouds, darkness upon darkness: if a man stretches out his hand, he can hardly see it! ) meaning, he can hardly see it because it is so intensely dark.
This is the parable of the heart of the disbeliever whose ignorance is simple, who merely follows and does not know the true nature of the one whom he follows or where he is going.
He is like the ignorant man in the parable who was asked, "Where are you going" He said, "With them." He was asked, "Where are they going" He said, "I do not know." ظُلُمَـتٌ بَعْضُهَا فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ ( darkness upon darkness ) Ubayy bin Ka`b said: "He is enveloped in five types of darkness: his speech is darkness, his deeds are darkness, his coming in is darkness, his going out is darkness and his destiny on the Day of Resurrection will be darkness in the fire of Hell." As-Suddi and Ar-Rabi` bin Anas also said something similar. وَمَن لَّمْ يَجْعَلِ اللَّهُ لَهُ نُوراً فَمَا لَهُ مِن نُورٍ ( And he for whom Allah has not appointed light, for him there is no light. ) One whom Allah does not guide is ignorant and doomed, an utter loser and disbeliever.
This is like the Ayah: مَن يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَلاَ هَادِيَ لَهُ ( Whomsoever Allah sends astray, none can guide him ) 7:186 This is in contrast to what Allah says about the believers: يَهْدِى اللَّهُ لِنُورِهِ مَن يَشَآءُ ( Allah guides to His Light whom He wills.
) 24:35 We ask Allah the Almighty to put light in our hearts and give us light on our right and on our left, and to increase us in light.

( As for those who disbelieve ) in Muhammad ( pbuh ) and in the Qur’an, ( their deeds ) the similitude of their works in the Hereafter ( are as a mirage in a desert. The thirsty one supposeth it to be water ) from far ( till he cometh unto it and findeth it naught ) he finds that it is not water; similarly, the disbeliever will not find any reward for his works in the Hereafter, ( and finds, in the place thereof, Allah ) and he finds with Allah the punishment for the sins he committed; it is also said that this means: and finds Allah ready to chastise him, ( Who payeth him his due ) Who inflict on him his punishment; ( and Allah is swift at reckoning ) Allah is severe in His punishment; it is also said that this means: when Allah takes people to task His reckoning is swift.

As for those who disbelieve, their deeds are like a mirage in a desert. The thirsty one thinks it to be water, until he comes up to it, he finds it to be nothing, but he finds Allah with him, Who will pay him his due (Hell). And Allah is Swift in taking account.

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