14: 13,14,15. Threats to push out believers & divine promises, intervention

Here are Verses 13, 14, and 15 from Surah Ibrahim (Chapter 14), along with their translation and Tafseer from Tafheem-ul-Quran by Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.

These verses continue the narrative of the previous prophets and their struggles, detailing the consequences for those who reject the truth and the ultimate reward for the believers.

1. The Arabic Verses (Quran 14:13-15)

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِرُسُلِهِمْ لَنُخْرِجَنَّكُمْ مِنْ أَرْضِنَا أَوْ لَتَعُودُنَّ فِي مِلَّتِنَا ۖ فَأَوْحَىٰ إِلَيْهِمْ رَبُّهُمْ لَنُهْلِكَنَّ الظَّالِمِينَ
وَلَنُسْكِنَنَّكُمُ الْأَرْضَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَنْ خَافَ مَقَامِي وَخَافَ وَعِيدِ
وَاسْتَفْتَحُوا وَخَابَ كُلُّ جَبَّارٍ عَنِيدٍ

2. Transliteration

13. Wa qālal-ladhīna kafarū li-rusulihim lanukhrijannakum min arḍinā aw lataūdunna fī millatinā fa-awḥā ilayhim rabbuhum lanuhlikannaẓ-ẓālimīn **14.** Wa lanuskinannakumul-arḍa min badihim, dhālika liman khāfa maqāmī wa khāfa waīd **15.** Wastaftaḥū wa khāba kullu jabbārinanīd

3. English Translation (from Tafheem-ul-Quran)

13. The unbelievers said to their Messengers: “We shall certainly banish you from our land unless you revert to our ways.” Thereupon their Lord revealed to them: “We will most certainly destroy the wrong-doers,
14. and will most certainly cause you to settle in the land after them. This is for him who fears to stand before My Court and fears My warning.”
15. Then they [the Messengers] sought judgement [from Allah], and every obstinate tyrant [was] frustrated.

4. Tafseer (Explanation) from Tafheem-ul-Quran by Maududi

This Tafseer explains the escalation of the conflict, the divine assurance, and the final outcome.

Verse 14:13 – The Ultimatum and Divine Reassurance

  • The Threat of the Disbelievers: “We shall certainly banish you from our land unless you revert to our ways.”
    • This verse shows the conflict moving from verbal debate to active persecution. The disbelieving chiefs, unable to counter the Prophets’ logical arguments, resort to their political and social power. They issue a final ultimatum: either abandon your mission and rejoin our polytheistic system, or face exile. This is a classic tactic to crush religious freedom and reform.
  • The Divine Response: “Thereupon their Lord revealed to them: ‘We will most certainly destroy the wrong-doers.'”
    • At this critical moment, when the small band of believers is facing immense pressure, Allah sends down His reassurance directly to the Messengers. The promise is definitive: “We will destroy the wrong-doers.”
    • The term Aẓ-Ẓālimīn (the wrong-doers) is significant here. Their wrongdoing (ẓulm) is not just social injustice; it is the ultimate injustice of associating partners with Allah (shirk) and persecuting those who call to the truth.

Verse 14:14 – The Promise of Succession and its Condition

  • The Promise of Inheritance: “and will most certainly cause you to settle in the land after them.”
    • This is a profound and recurring promise in the Quran. It states that the righteous believers will eventually inherit the very land from which they were threatened with exile. This was historically manifested in the stories of Prophets like Musa (Moses) and Muhammad (peace be upon them), where the oppressed believers eventually became the establishers of a new, righteous civilization in that land.
  • The Condition for the Promise: “This is for him who fears to stand before My Court and fears My warning.”
    • Maududi explains that this grand promise is not automatic or unconditional. It is reserved for those who possess two specific qualities of heart:
      1. “Fears to stand before My Court” (Khāfa Maqāmī): This is a deep, conscious awareness of the ultimate accountability before Allah on the Day of Judgement. This fear (Khashyah) is not a paralyzing terror but a profound reverence and caution that prevents a person from disobeying Allah.
      2. “Fears My warning” (Khāfa Wa`īd): This refers to the fear of Allah’s punishment in this world and the Hereafter. It is the practical aspect of the first fear, leading the believer to avoid the actions that would warrant that punishment.
    In essence, the promise of victory and inheritance is for those whose faith is sincere and who are motivated by their accountability to Allah, not merely worldly desires.

Verse 14:15 – The Final Appeal and Outcome

  • “Then they [the Messengers] sought judgement [from Allah]” (Wastaftaḥū)
    • After receiving the divine reassurance, the Messengers and their followers did not sit back passively. They actively “sought judgement” or “prayed for victory” (Istiftāḥ) from Allah. This signifies turning to Allah in prayer, asking Him to manifest the truth and defeat falsehood, and to execute the judgement He had promised.
  • “and every obstinate tyrant [was] frustrated” (wa khāba kullu jabbārin `anīd)
    • This is the ultimate conclusion of the struggle. The word Jabbār means a haughty, powerful tyrant who crushes others under his will. `Anīd means obstinately stubborn in disbelief.
    • The verse declares that every single person who possesses these two traits—tyrannical power and stubbornness in rejecting the truth—is ultimately doomed to failure and frustration (Khāba). Their plans are foiled, their power is stripped away, and their legacy is one of disgrace, both in this world and the next.

Summary

Maududi’s Tafseer of these verses provides a powerful narrative of the spiritual struggle:

  1. Persecution: The enemies of truth escalate to threats and oppression.
  2. Divine Assurance: Allah promises the believers ultimate victory and the destruction of the oppressors.
  3. Condition for Victory: This triumph is linked to the believers’ sincere piety and consciousness of Allah.
  4. Final Outcome: Through prayer and reliance on Allah, the believers witness the complete failure of every arrogant tyrant who opposed the divine message.

TAFSEER Al Tabari

Verse 13 (Surah Ibrahim 14:13)

  • Arabic Text: وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِرُسُلِهِمْ لَنُخْرِجَنَّكُم مِّنْ أَرْضِنَا أَوْ لَتَعُودُنَّ فِي مِلَّتِنَا فَأَوْحَى إِلَيْهِمْ رَبُّهُمْ لَنُهْلِكَنَّ الظَّالِمِينَ
  • English Translation: And those who disbelieved said to their messengers, “We will surely drive you out of our land or you must return to our religion.” So their Lord inspired to them, “We will surely destroy the wrongdoers.”
  • Tafseer/Commentary (Al-Tabari): Abu Ja’far said: The Exalted One says: “And those who disbelieved said to their messengers, ‘We will surely evict you from our land, or you will surely return to our religion.'” This means: When they invited them to the monotheism of God and dedicating worship to Him alone, and to abandon the worship of idols and false gods. “We will surely evict you from our lands,” meaning: We will expel you from our countries and drive you out of them. “Or you will surely return to our religion,” meaning: Unless you return to our religion which we follow, that is, the worship of idols.

He included in the phrase “or you will surely return” a lam (لـ), which is in the sense of a conditional clause, as if it were the response to an oath. The meaning of the speech is: We will surely evict you from our land, or you will return to our religion.

The meaning of “or” here is like “unless” or “until,” just as one says in speech: “I will strike you or you will confess to me.” Some Arabs make what follows “or” in such a position an annexation to what precedes it, if what precedes it is in jussive mood, they make it jussive, and if it is in accusative, they make it accusative, and if it has a lam, they place a lam in it, since “or” is a particle of coordination. Others among them accusatively inflect what follows “or” in all cases, so that by its accusative inflection it is known that it is disconnected from what precedes it, as Imru’ al-Qais said:

“بَكَى صَـاحِبِي لَمَّـا رَأَى الدَّرْبَ دُونَهُ
وَأَيْقَــنَ أَنَّـــا لاحِقَــانِ بِقَيْصَـرَا
فَقُلْــتُ لَـهُ: لا تَبْــكِ عَيْنُـكَ إِنَّمَـا
نُحَــاوِلُ مُلْكًــا أَوْ نَمُـوتَ فَنُعْـذرَا”

So he accusatively inflected “we die and be excused,” although “we strive” is raised, because he meant: Unless we die, or until we die. And from this is the saying of another:

“لا أَسْــتَطِيعُ نزوعًـا عَـن مَوَدَّتِهَـا
أَوْ يَصْنَـعَ الْحُـبُّ بِي غَيْرَ الَّذِي صَنَعَا”

And His saying: “Then their Lord revealed to them, ‘We will surely destroy the wrongdoers,'” those who wronged themselves by disbelieving, thus incurring the punishment of God upon themselves through their disbelief. It is also possible that it was said to them: “The wrongdoers” are those whom they worship from the idols and gods whose worship is not permissible, so by placing worship where it does not belong, which is injustice, they are called wrongdoers thereby. 21

Verse 14 (Surah Ibrahim 14:14)

  • Arabic Text: وَلَنُسْكِنَنَّكُمُ الْأَرْضَ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَنْ خَافَ مَقَامِي وَخَافَ وَعِيدِ
  • English Translation: And We will surely cause you to dwell in the land after them. That is for he who fears My position and fears My threat.
  • Tafseer/Commentary (Al-Tabari): The verse states: “And We will surely settle you in the land after them,” which is a promise from God to His prophets of victory over the disbelievers among their people. This occurs after nations of the messengers persist in disbelief and threaten their prophets with harm. God reveals to them the destruction of those who disbelieve in them from their nations and promises them victory. All of this serves as a warning and threat from God to the polytheists among the people of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) for their disbelief in him, their boldness against his Prophet, and as strengthening for Muhammad (peace be upon him) and an order for him to be patient with the harm he faces from the polytheists among his people, as the previous messengers of firm resolve endured. It affirms that the outcome for those who disbelieve is destruction, and the consequence is victory over them, as is God’s tradition with those who came before.

Narrated by Bishr: Bishr reported to us, Yazid reported to us, Sa’id reported from Qatadah: “And We will surely settle you in the land after them” – he said: [This] promises them victory in this world and Paradise in the Hereafter.

The phrase “that is for whoever fears My station and fears My threat” means: Thus is My action for whoever fears his standing before Me, and fears My warning, so he guards against Me by obedience and avoids My displeasure. [God] will grant him victory over what his enemies intended for him in harm and oppression, destroy his enemy, disgrace him, and inherit his land and dwellings to him.

The phrase “for whoever fears My station” means as stated: for whoever fears his standing before Me such that he will be made to stand there for the accounting, as God said: “And you make your provision that you deny” (Surah al-Waqiah: 82), meaning: And you make your provision – Mine for you – that you deny. This is because the Arabs attribute their actions to themselves and to what they cause upon it, saying: “I have rejoiced at seeing you, and at my seeing you.” Similarly for this. 20

Verse 15 (Surah Ibrahim 14:15)

  • Arabic Text: وَاسْتَفْتَحُوا وَخَابَ كُلُّ جَبَّارٍ عَنِيدٍ
  • English Translation: And they requested victory from Allah, and disappointed, indeed, is every obstinate tyrant.
  • Tafseer/Commentary (Al-Tabari): Al-Tabari explains that “واستفتحوا” means the messengers sought victory or help from God against their disbelieving people. “وخاب كل جبار عنيد” indicates the failure and ruin of every arrogant, tyrannical obstinate person who deviates from affirming God’s oneness and devoting worship to Him alone. Terms like “عنيد,” “عاند,” and “عَنُود” are synonymous, denoting opposition to truth. “Jabbār” conveys clear arrogance, tyranny, or might.

He cites scholars: Mujāhid views the messengers as seeking divine aid against opponents of truth. Ibn ʿAbbās describes messengers and believers enduring oppression but commanded by God to seek help, trusting in Him for victory over tyrants, with a promise of inheritance of the earth. Ibrahim al-Nakha’i sees “عنيد” as deviation from truth. Qatādah emphasizes the obstinate refusal to declare Lā ilāha illā Allāh, turning away from truth. Ibn Zayd interprets “استفتحوا” as nations invoking immediate punishment as a test of truth, akin to requests in other Qur’anic accounts, but delayed by God.

All align on the verse’s theme: divine aid to prophets leads to the downfall of arrogant rejectors. 22

Sharing Quran & prophets SA’s teachings