Surah shura ayat 48 Tafsir Quran 42:48

﴿فَإِنْ أَعْرَضُوا فَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَفِيظًا ۖ إِنْ عَلَيْكَ إِلَّا الْبَلَاغُ ۗ وَإِنَّا إِذَا أَذَقْنَا الْإِنسَانَ مِنَّا رَحْمَةً فَرِحَ بِهَا ۖ وَإِن تُصِبْهُمْ سَيِّئَةٌ بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ فَإِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ كَفُورٌ﴾
[ الشورى: 48]

42:48 But if they turn away - then We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], over them as a guardian; upon you is only [the duty of] notification. And indeed, when We let man taste mercy from us, he rejoices in it; but if evil afflicts him for what his hands have put forth, then indeed, man is ungrateful.

But if they are disregardful of answering God We have not sent you as a keeper over them to keep track of their deeds by securing what is demanded of them. Your duty is only to deliver the Message — this was revealed before the command to struggle against them. And indeed when We let man taste from Us some mercy some grace such as wealth and good health he exults in it; but if some ill some calamity befalls them the pronoun here refers to ‘man’ on the basis of the plural import of the generic noun because of what their own hands have sent ahead because of what they have offered of deeds — the expression refers to ‘the hands’ because most actions are effected by them then lo! man is ungrateful for the grace.

And If they should turn a deaf ear, nonetheless, We did not send you O Muhammad to watch over their innocence and folly; you are only responsible for relating to them Our message. Yet if We should extend Our mercy to mankind and make them taste Our benediction, they rejoice beyond a common joy, and if a misfortune or a calamity befalls them in consequence of their wrongful or unclean hands, man looks for the how and the why and the wherefore and becomes sour and in bitterness he turns his worst side outwards

Encouragement to obey Allah before the Day of Resurrection When Allah tells us about the horrors and terrifying events of the Day of Resurrection, He warns us about it and commands us to prepare for it: اسْتَجِيبُواْ لِرَبِّكُمْ مِّن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِىَ يَوْمٌ لاَّ مَرَدَّ لَهُ مِنَ اللَّهِ ( Answer the Call of your Lord before there comes from Allah a Day which cannot be averted. ) means, once He issues the command, it will come to pass within the blinking of an eye, and no one will be able to avert it or prevent it. مَا لَكُمْ مِّن مَّلْجَأٍ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَمَا لَكُمْ مِّن نَّكِيرٍ ( You will have no refuge on that Day nor there will be for you any denying. ) means, you will have no stronghold in which to take refuge, no place in which to hide from Allah, for He will encompass you with His knowledge and power, and you will have no refuge from Him except with Him. يَقُولُ الإِنسَـنُ يَوْمَئِذٍ أَيْنَ الْمَفَرُّ - كَلاَّ لاَ وَزَرَ - إِلَى رَبِّكَ يَوْمَئِذٍ الْمُسْتَقَرُّ ( On that Day man will say: "Where (is the refuge ) to flee" No! There is no refuge! Unto your Lord will be the place of rest that Day.) ( 75:10-12 ) فَإِنْ أَعْرَضُواْ ( But if they turn away, ) refers to the idolators, فَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَـكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَفِيظاً ( We have not sent you as a Hafiz over them.
) means, `you have no power over them.' And Allah says elsewhere: لَّيْسَ عَلَيْكَ هُدَاهُمْ وَلَـكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِى مَن يَشَآءُ ( Not upon you is their guidance, but Allah guides whom He wills ) ( 2:272 ). فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيْكَ الْبَلَـغُ وَعَلَيْنَا الْحِسَابُ ( your duty is only to convey (the Message ) and on Us is the reckoning) ( 13:40 ).
And Allah says here: إِنْ عَلَيْكَ إِلاَّ الْبَلَـغُ ( Your duty is to convey. ) meaning, `all that We require you to do is to convey the Message of Allah to them.' وَإِنَّآ إِذَآ أَذَقْنَا الإِنسَـنَ مِنَّا رَحْمَةً فَرِحَ بِهَا ( And verily, when We cause man to taste of mercy from Us, he rejoices there at; ) means, when a time of ease and comfort comes to him, he is happy about it. وَإِن تُصِبْهُمْ ( but when befalls them ) means mankind. سَيِّئَةٌ ( some evil ) means, drought, punishment, tribulation or difficulty, فَإِنَّ الإِنسَـنَ كَفُورٌ ( then verily, man (becomes ) ingrate!) means, he forgets the previous times of ease and blessings and acknowledges nothing but the present moment.
If times of ease come to him, he becomes arrogant and transgresses, but if any difficulty befalls him, he loses hope and is filled with despair.
This is like what the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to the women:
«يَا مَعْشَرَ النِّسَاءِ، تَصَدَّقْنَ، فَإِنِّي رَأَيْتُكُنَّ أَكْثَرَ أَهْلِ النَّار»
)( O women, give in charity, for I have seen that you form the majority of the people of Hell. ) A woman asked, "Why is that, O Messenger of Allah" He said:
«لِأَنَّكُنَّ تُكْثِرْنَ الشِّكَايَةَ وَتَكْفُرْنَ الْعَشِيرَ، لَوْ أَحْسَنْتَ إِلى إِحْدَاهُنَّ الدَّهْرَ ثُمَّ تَرَكْتَ يَوْمًا، قَالَتْ: مَا رَأَيْتُ مِنْكَ خَيْرًا قَط»
( Because you complain too much, and you are ungrateful to (your ) husbands.
If one of you were to be treated kindly for an entire lifetime, then that kindness was lacking for one day, she would say, `I have never seen anything good from you!') This is the case with most women, except for those whom Allah guides and who are among the people who believe and do righteous deeds.
As the Prophet said, the believer is the one who:
«إِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ سَرَّاءُ شَكَرَ، فَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ، وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ ضَرَّاءُ صَبَرَ، فَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ، وَلَيْسَ ذَلِكَ لِأَحَدٍ إِلَّا لِلْمُؤْمِن»
( ...
if something good happens to him, he is thankful, and that is good for him.
If something bad happens to him, he bears it with patience, and that is good for him.
This does not happen to anyone except the believer. )

(42:48) (O Prophet), if they turn away from the Truth, know that We did not send you to them as their overseer. *74 Your task is only to convey (the Message). Indeed when We give man a taste of Our Mercy, he exults in it. But if any misfortune afflicts them on account of their deeds, man is utterly ungrateful. *75

But if they turn away - then meaning

*74) That is, " You have not been made responsible that you must bring them to the right path anyhow, nor will you be held accountable as to why these people did not come to the right path. "
*75) " Man " here implies the mean and shallow people who are the subject of the discourse here, who have got a measure of the worldly provisions and are exulting in this, and who do not pay any attention when they are admonished to come to the right path.
But when they are visited by a disaster in consequence of their own misdeeds, they stmt cursing their fate, and forget alI those blessings which AIlah has blessed them with, and do not try to understand how far they themselves are to be blamed for the condition in which they are placed.
Thus, neither does prosperity become conducive to their reformation nor can adversity teach them a lesson and bring them to the right path.
A study of the context shows that this is, in fact, a satire on the attitude of the people who were the addressees of the above discourse, but they have not been addressed to tell them of their weakness directly, but the weakness of man has been mentioned in a general way and pointed out that what is the real cause of his sad plight.
This gives an important point of the wisdom of preaching: the weaknesses of the addressee should not be made the target directly, but they should be mentioned in a general way so that he is not provoked, and if his conscience has still some life in it, he may try to understand his shortcoming with a cool mind.

 

Encouragement to obey Allah before the Day of Resurrection When Allah tells us about the horrors and terrifying events of the Day of Resurrection, He warns us about it and commands us to prepare for it: اسْتَجِيبُواْ لِرَبِّكُمْ مِّن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِىَ يَوْمٌ لاَّ مَرَدَّ لَهُ مِنَ اللَّهِ ( Answer the Call of your Lord before there comes from Allah a Day which cannot be averted. ) means, once He issues the command, it will come to pass within the blinking of an eye, and no one will be able to avert it or prevent it. مَا لَكُمْ مِّن مَّلْجَأٍ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَمَا لَكُمْ مِّن نَّكِيرٍ ( You will have no refuge on that Day nor there will be for you any denying. ) means, you will have no stronghold in which to take refuge, no place in which to hide from Allah, for He will encompass you with His knowledge and power, and you will have no refuge from Him except with Him. يَقُولُ الإِنسَـنُ يَوْمَئِذٍ أَيْنَ الْمَفَرُّ - كَلاَّ لاَ وَزَرَ - إِلَى رَبِّكَ يَوْمَئِذٍ الْمُسْتَقَرُّ ( On that Day man will say: "Where (is the refuge ) to flee" No! There is no refuge! Unto your Lord will be the place of rest that Day.) ( 75:10-12 ) فَإِنْ أَعْرَضُواْ ( But if they turn away, ) refers to the idolators, فَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَـكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَفِيظاً ( We have not sent you as a Hafiz over them.
) means, `you have no power over them.' And Allah says elsewhere: لَّيْسَ عَلَيْكَ هُدَاهُمْ وَلَـكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِى مَن يَشَآءُ ( Not upon you is their guidance, but Allah guides whom He wills ) ( 2:272 ). فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيْكَ الْبَلَـغُ وَعَلَيْنَا الْحِسَابُ ( your duty is only to convey (the Message ) and on Us is the reckoning) ( 13:40 ).
And Allah says here: إِنْ عَلَيْكَ إِلاَّ الْبَلَـغُ ( Your duty is to convey. ) meaning, `all that We require you to do is to convey the Message of Allah to them.' وَإِنَّآ إِذَآ أَذَقْنَا الإِنسَـنَ مِنَّا رَحْمَةً فَرِحَ بِهَا ( And verily, when We cause man to taste of mercy from Us, he rejoices there at; ) means, when a time of ease and comfort comes to him, he is happy about it. وَإِن تُصِبْهُمْ ( but when befalls them ) means mankind. سَيِّئَةٌ ( some evil ) means, drought, punishment, tribulation or difficulty, فَإِنَّ الإِنسَـنَ كَفُورٌ ( then verily, man (becomes ) ingrate!) means, he forgets the previous times of ease and blessings and acknowledges nothing but the present moment.
If times of ease come to him, he becomes arrogant and transgresses, but if any difficulty befalls him, he loses hope and is filled with despair.
This is like what the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to the women: «يَا مَعْشَرَ النِّسَاءِ، تَصَدَّقْنَ، فَإِنِّي رَأَيْتُكُنَّ أَكْثَرَ أَهْلِ النَّار» )( O women, give in charity, for I have seen that you form the majority of the people of Hell. ) A woman asked, "Why is that, O Messenger of Allah" He said: «لِأَنَّكُنَّ تُكْثِرْنَ الشِّكَايَةَ وَتَكْفُرْنَ الْعَشِيرَ، لَوْ أَحْسَنْتَ إِلى إِحْدَاهُنَّ الدَّهْرَ ثُمَّ تَرَكْتَ يَوْمًا، قَالَتْ: مَا رَأَيْتُ مِنْكَ خَيْرًا قَط» ( Because you complain too much, and you are ungrateful to (your ) husbands.
If one of you were to be treated kindly for an entire lifetime, then that kindness was lacking for one day, she would say, `I have never seen anything good from you!') This is the case with most women, except for those whom Allah guides and who are among the people who believe and do righteous deeds.
As the Prophet said, the believer is the one who: «إِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ سَرَّاءُ شَكَرَ، فَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ، وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ ضَرَّاءُ صَبَرَ، فَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ، وَلَيْسَ ذَلِكَ لِأَحَدٍ إِلَّا لِلْمُؤْمِن» ( ...
if something good happens to him, he is thankful, and that is good for him.
If something bad happens to him, he bears it with patience, and that is good for him.
This does not happen to anyone except the believer. )

( But if they are averse ) of faith, ( We have not sent thee as a warder over them ) whereby you have to protect them. ( Thine is only to convey (the message )) on behalf of Allah. After this, Allah commanded them to fight. ( And lo! when We cause man ) the disbelieving person ( to taste of mercy ) to taste a blessing ( from Us he exulteth therefore ) without giving thanks for it. ( And if some evil ) hardship, poverty or misfortune ( striketh them because of that which their own hands have sent before ) because of what they did in their state of idolatry, ( then lo! Man ) Abu Jahl ( is an ingrate ) he disbelieves in Allah and does not give thanks for His blessings.

But if they turn away (O Muhammad SAW from the Islamic Monotheism, which you have brought to them). We have not sent you (O Muhammad SAW) as a Hafiz (protector) over them (i.e. to take care of their deeds and to recompense them). Your duty is to convey (the Message). And verily, when We cause man to taste of Mercy from Us, he rejoices thereat, but when some ill befalls them because of the deeds which their hands have sent forth, then verily, man (becomes) ingrate!

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