Surah Anbiya ayat 42 Tafsir Quran 21:42

﴿قُلْ مَن يَكْلَؤُكُم بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ مِنَ الرَّحْمَٰنِ ۗ بَلْ هُمْ عَن ذِكْرِ رَبِّهِم مُّعْرِضُونَ﴾
[ الأنبياء: 42]

21:42 Say, "Who can protect you at night or by day from the Most Merciful?" But they are, from the remembrance of their Lord, turning away.

Say to them ‘Who can guard you preserve you by night and day from the Compassionate One?’ from His chastisement if it should befall you? In other words no one can do such a thing. Those being addressed here do not fear God’s chastisement because they deny the truth of it. Nay but of the Remembrance of their Lord that is the Qur’ān they are disregardful failing to reflect on it.

Say to them: Who can defend you by night and/or by day from AL- Rahman if His wrath speaks thunder. But they are unwilling to listen to divine Revelation nor to Allahs warning and they are habitually opposed to the mention of His attributes

The Lessons to be learned from Those Who mocked the Messengers in the Past Allah says consoling His Messenger for the pain and insult caused by the mockery and disbelief of the idolators, وَلَقَدِ اسْتُهْزِىءَ بِرُسُلٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَحَاقَ بِالَّذِينَ سَخِرُواْ مِنْهُمْ مَّا كَانُواْ بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ ( Indeed (many ) Messengers were mocked before you, but the scoffers were surrounded by what they used to mock.) meaning, the punishment which they thought would never come to pass.
This is like the Ayah: وَلَقَدْ كُذِّبَتْ رُسُلٌ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَصَبَرُواْ عَلَى مَا كُذِّبُواْ وَأُوذُواْ حَتَّى أَتَـهُمْ نَصْرُنَا وَلاَ مُبَدِّلَ لِكَلِمَـتِ اللَّهِ وَلَقدْ جَآءَكَ مِن نَّبَإِ الْمُرْسَلِينَ ( Verily, Messengers were denied before you, but with patience they bore the denial, and they were hurt; till Our help reached them, and none can alter the Words of Allah.
Surely, there has reached you the information (news ) about the Messengers ( before you )) 6:34.
Then Allah menitons His favor for His creatures; He protects them by night and by day, taking care of them and watching over them with His Eye that never sleeps. قُلْ مَن يَكْلَؤُكُم بِالَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ مِنَ الرَّحْمَـنِ ( Say: "Who can guard and protect you in the night or in the day from the Most Gracious" ) means, other than the Most Gracious Himself بَلْ هُمْ عَن ذِكْرِ رَبِّهِمْ مُّعْرِضُونَ ( Nay, but they turn away from the remembrance of their Lord. ) means, they do not recognize the blessings and favor of Allah towards them; they turn away from His signs and blessings. أَمْ لَهُمْ آلِهَةٌ تَمْنَعُهُمْ مِّن دُونِنَا ( Or have they gods who can guard them from Us ) This is a rhetorical question aimed at denouncing and rebuking.
The meaning is, do they have any gods who can protect them and take care of them other than Us It is not as they imagine or as they claim.
Allah says: لاَ يَسْتَطِيعُونَ نَصْرَ أَنْفُسِهِمْ ( They have no power to help themselves, ) these gods on whom they rely instead of Allah cannot even help themselves. وَلاَ هُمْ مِّنَّا يُصْحَبُونَ ( nor can they be protected from Us. ) Al-`Awfi reported from Ibn `Abbas,"Nor can they be guarded from Us."

(21:42) (O Muhammad), ask them, "Who is there to protect you from the Merciful in the night or in the day?" *43 (None!) Yet they are paying no heed to the Admonition of their Lord.

Say, "Who can protect you at night meaning

*43) That is to say, " Who is there to protect and save you from the scourge of Allah if you are suddenly visited by it any time during the night or day? "
 

The Lessons to be learned from Those Who mocked the Messengers in the Past Allah says consoling His Messenger for the pain and insult caused by the mockery and disbelief of the idolators, وَلَقَدِ اسْتُهْزِىءَ بِرُسُلٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَحَاقَ بِالَّذِينَ سَخِرُواْ مِنْهُمْ مَّا كَانُواْ بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ ( Indeed (many ) Messengers were mocked before you, but the scoffers were surrounded by what they used to mock.) meaning, the punishment which they thought would never come to pass.
This is like the Ayah: وَلَقَدْ كُذِّبَتْ رُسُلٌ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَصَبَرُواْ عَلَى مَا كُذِّبُواْ وَأُوذُواْ حَتَّى أَتَـهُمْ نَصْرُنَا وَلاَ مُبَدِّلَ لِكَلِمَـتِ اللَّهِ وَلَقدْ جَآءَكَ مِن نَّبَإِ الْمُرْسَلِينَ ( Verily, Messengers were denied before you, but with patience they bore the denial, and they were hurt; till Our help reached them, and none can alter the Words of Allah.
Surely, there has reached you the information (news ) about the Messengers ( before you )) 6:34.
Then Allah menitons His favor for His creatures; He protects them by night and by day, taking care of them and watching over them with His Eye that never sleeps. قُلْ مَن يَكْلَؤُكُم بِالَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ مِنَ الرَّحْمَـنِ ( Say: "Who can guard and protect you in the night or in the day from the Most Gracious" ) means, other than the Most Gracious Himself بَلْ هُمْ عَن ذِكْرِ رَبِّهِمْ مُّعْرِضُونَ ( Nay, but they turn away from the remembrance of their Lord. ) means, they do not recognize the blessings and favor of Allah towards them; they turn away from His signs and blessings. أَمْ لَهُمْ آلِهَةٌ تَمْنَعُهُمْ مِّن دُونِنَا ( Or have they gods who can guard them from Us ) This is a rhetorical question aimed at denouncing and rebuking.
The meaning is, do they have any gods who can protect them and take care of them other than Us It is not as they imagine or as they claim.
Allah says: لاَ يَسْتَطِيعُونَ نَصْرَ أَنْفُسِهِمْ ( They have no power to help themselves, ) these gods on whom they rely instead of Allah cannot even help themselves. وَلاَ هُمْ مِّنَّا يُصْحَبُونَ ( nor can they be protected from Us. ) Al-`Awfi reported from Ibn `Abbas,"Nor can they be guarded from Us."

( Say ) O Muhammad to the people of Mecca: ( Who guardeth you ) who protects you ( in the night or in the day from the Beneficent ) from the chastisement of the Beneficent? It is also said that this means: who protects you from the punishment of other than the Beneficent? ( Nay, but they turn away from ) but they disbelieve and discard the ( the mention of their Lord ) from the profession of Allah’s divine Oneness and the Scripture of their Lord,

Say: "Who can guard and protect you in the night or in the day from the (punishment of the) Most Beneficent (Allah)?" Nay, but they turn away from the remembrance of their Lord.

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