Surah Ankabut ayat 4 Tafsir Quran 29:4

﴿أَمْ حَسِبَ الَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ السَّيِّئَاتِ أَن يَسْبِقُونَا ۚ سَاءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ﴾
[ العنكبوت: 4]

29:4 Or do those who do evil deeds think they can outrun Us? Evil is what they judge.

Or do those who commit evil deeds idolatry and acts of disobedience suppose that they can elude Us? so that We will not be able to requite them. Evil is that judgement of theirs which they judge!

Or do those who consume their life in wrong-doing think they shall escape Our notice and consequently Our retributive punishment! How irrationally do they think and erroneously do they judge

Which was revealed in Makkah بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. The Believers are tested so that it may be known Who is Sincere and Who is Lying Allah says: الم Alif Lam Mim. In the beginning of the Tafsir of Surah Al-Baqarah, we discussed the letters which appear at the beginning of some Surahs. أَحَسِبَ النَّاسُ أَن يُتْرَكُواْ أَن يَقُولُواْ ءَامَنَّا وَهُمْ لاَ يُفْتَنُونَ ( Do people think that they will be left alone because they say: "We believe," and will not be tested. ) This is a rebuke in the form of a question, meaning that Allah will inevitably test His believing servants according to their level of faith, as it recorded in the authentic Hadith:
«أَشَدُّ النَّاسِ بَلَاءً الْأَنْبِيَاءُ، ثُمَّ الصَّالِحُونَ، ثُمَّ الْأَمْثَلُ فَالْأَمْثَلُ، يُبْتَلَى الرَّجُلُ عَلَى حَسَبِ دِينِهِ، فَإِنْ كَانَ فِي دِينِهِ صَلَابَةٌ زِيدَ لَهُ فِي الْبَلَاء»
( The people most severly tested are the Prophets, then the righteous, then the next best and the next best.
A man will be tested in accordance with the degree of his religious commitment; the stonger his religious commitment, the stronger his test. ) This Ayah is like the Ayah, أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَن تَدْخُلُواْ الْجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَعْلَمِ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ جَـهَدُواْ مِنكُمْ وَيَعْلَمَ الصَّـبِرِينَ ( Do you think that you will enter Paradise without Allah knowing those of you who fought (in His cause ) and knowing those who are the patient) ( 3:142 ) There is a similar Ayah in Surat At-Tawbah.
And Allah says: أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَن تَدْخُلُواْ الْجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَأْتِكُم مَّثَلُ الَّذِينَ خَلَوْاْ مِن قَبْلِكُم مَّسَّتْهُمُ الْبَأْسَآءُ وَالضَّرَّآءُ وَزُلْزِلُواْ حَتَّى يَقُولَ الرَّسُولُ وَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مَعَهُ مَتَى نَصْرُ اللَّهِ أَلاَ إِنَّ نَصْرَ اللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ ( Or think you that you will enter Paradise without such (trials ) as came to those who passed away before you They were afflicted with severe poverty and ailments and were so shaken that even the Messenger and those who believed along with him said, "When ( will come ) the help of Allah" Yes! Certainly, the help of Allah is near!) ( 2:214 ) Allah says here: وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ فَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ صَدَقُواْ وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ الْكَـذِبِينَ ( And We indeed tested those who were before them so that Allah will know those who are true, and will know those who are liars. ) meaning, He will make know which are sincere in their claim to be believers from those who are lying.
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, knows what has happened in the past and what is yet to come, and He knows how that which will not happen would have happened if it were to happen.
All the Imams of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama`ah are agreed on this.
This is the view of Ibn `Abbas and others concerning phrases such as the Ayah, إِلاَّ لِنَعْلَمَ ( only that We know ) ( 2:143 ).
Meaning, only to see -- because seeing has to do with what is there, but knowledge is broader than seeing, since it includes what is not present as well as what is. The Evildoers cannot escape from Allah Allah said: أَمْ حَسِبَ الَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ السَّيِّئَاتِ أَن يَسْبِقُونَا سَآءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ ( Or think those who do evil deeds that they can outstrip Us Evil is that which they judge! ) means, those who are not believers should not think that they will escape such trials and tests, for ahead of them lies a greater and more severe punishment.
Allah says: أَمْ حَسِبَ الَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ السَّيِّئَاتِ أَن يَسْبِقُونَا ( Or think those who do evil deeds that they can outstrip Us ) meaning, "escape" from Us. سَآءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ ( Evil is that which they judge! ) what they think is evil.

(29:4) Do the evil-doers *4 suppose that they will get the better of Us? *5 How evil is their judgement!

Or do those who do evil deeds meaning

*4) This may refer to all those people who disobey Allah's Commands but here particularly it implies those wicked chiefs of the Quraish, who were in the forefront in their antagonism to Islam and persecution of the converts to Islam, e.g.
Walid .bin Mughirah, Abu Jahl, `Utbah, Shaibah,~`Uqbah bin Abi Mu`ait, Hanzalah bin Wail, etc.
Here the context itself requires that after exhorting the Muslims to patience and fortitude against the trials and tests, those people also should be chided and scolded, who were persecuting the believers."
*5) It may also mean: "...that they will escape Our grasp." The words yasbiquna in the original may have two meanings: ( 1 )`Whatever we will ( i.e.
the success of the mission of Our Messenger ) should meet with failure, and whatever they wish ( i.e.
to frustrate the mission of Our Messenger ) should be accomplished; " and ( 2 ) " We may want to seize them for their excesses and they should be able to escape and get out of Our reach. "
 

Which was revealed in Makkah بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. The Believers are tested so that it may be known Who is Sincere and Who is Lying Allah says: الم Alif Lam Mim. In the beginning of the Tafsir of Surah Al-Baqarah, we discussed the letters which appear at the beginning of some Surahs. أَحَسِبَ النَّاسُ أَن يُتْرَكُواْ أَن يَقُولُواْ ءَامَنَّا وَهُمْ لاَ يُفْتَنُونَ ( Do people think that they will be left alone because they say: "We believe," and will not be tested. ) This is a rebuke in the form of a question, meaning that Allah will inevitably test His believing servants according to their level of faith, as it recorded in the authentic Hadith: «أَشَدُّ النَّاسِ بَلَاءً الْأَنْبِيَاءُ، ثُمَّ الصَّالِحُونَ، ثُمَّ الْأَمْثَلُ فَالْأَمْثَلُ، يُبْتَلَى الرَّجُلُ عَلَى حَسَبِ دِينِهِ، فَإِنْ كَانَ فِي دِينِهِ صَلَابَةٌ زِيدَ لَهُ فِي الْبَلَاء» ( The people most severly tested are the Prophets, then the righteous, then the next best and the next best.
A man will be tested in accordance with the degree of his religious commitment; the stonger his religious commitment, the stronger his test. ) This Ayah is like the Ayah, أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَن تَدْخُلُواْ الْجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَعْلَمِ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ جَـهَدُواْ مِنكُمْ وَيَعْلَمَ الصَّـبِرِينَ ( Do you think that you will enter Paradise without Allah knowing those of you who fought (in His cause ) and knowing those who are the patient) ( 3:142 ) There is a similar Ayah in Surat At-Tawbah.
And Allah says: أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَن تَدْخُلُواْ الْجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَأْتِكُم مَّثَلُ الَّذِينَ خَلَوْاْ مِن قَبْلِكُم مَّسَّتْهُمُ الْبَأْسَآءُ وَالضَّرَّآءُ وَزُلْزِلُواْ حَتَّى يَقُولَ الرَّسُولُ وَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مَعَهُ مَتَى نَصْرُ اللَّهِ أَلاَ إِنَّ نَصْرَ اللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ ( Or think you that you will enter Paradise without such (trials ) as came to those who passed away before you They were afflicted with severe poverty and ailments and were so shaken that even the Messenger and those who believed along with him said, "When ( will come ) the help of Allah" Yes! Certainly, the help of Allah is near!) ( 2:214 ) Allah says here: وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ فَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ صَدَقُواْ وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ الْكَـذِبِينَ ( And We indeed tested those who were before them so that Allah will know those who are true, and will know those who are liars. ) meaning, He will make know which are sincere in their claim to be believers from those who are lying.
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, knows what has happened in the past and what is yet to come, and He knows how that which will not happen would have happened if it were to happen.
All the Imams of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama`ah are agreed on this.
This is the view of Ibn `Abbas and others concerning phrases such as the Ayah, إِلاَّ لِنَعْلَمَ ( only that We know ) ( 2:143 ).
Meaning, only to see -- because seeing has to do with what is there, but knowledge is broader than seeing, since it includes what is not present as well as what is. The Evildoers cannot escape from Allah Allah said: أَمْ حَسِبَ الَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ السَّيِّئَاتِ أَن يَسْبِقُونَا سَآءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ ( Or think those who do evil deeds that they can outstrip Us Evil is that which they judge! ) means, those who are not believers should not think that they will escape such trials and tests, for ahead of them lies a greater and more severe punishment.
Allah says: أَمْ حَسِبَ الَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ السَّيِّئَاتِ أَن يَسْبِقُونَا ( Or think those who do evil deeds that they can outstrip Us ) meaning, "escape" from Us. سَآءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ ( Evil is that which they judge! ) what they think is evil.

The following was revealed about Abu Jahl Ibn Hisham, al-Walid Ibn al-Mughirah and ’Utbah and Shaybah the sons of Rabi’ah who had duals with ’Ali Ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be well pleased with him, Hamzah Ibn ’Abd al-Muttalib, the uncle of the Prophet ( pbuh ) and ’Ubaydah Ibn al-Harth Ibn ’Abd al-Muttalib on the Day of Badr; some of them boasted to others, and so Allah said: ( Or do those who do ill deeds ) in their state of associating partners with Allah ( imagine that they can outstrip Us ) that they will evade Our punishment: ( Evil (for them ) is that which they decide) evil is that which they judge and think for themselves.

Or those who do evil deeds think that they can outstrip Us (i.e. escape Our Punishment)? Evil is that which they judge!

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