Surah Ar-Ra’d (13:33)

Arabic Text:
أَفَمَنْ هُوَ قَآئِمٌ عَلٰى كُلِّ نَفۡسٍۢ بِمَا كَسَبَتۡۚ وَجَعَلُوۡالِلّٰهِ شُرَكَآءَ ؕ قُلۡ سَمُّوۡهُمۡؕ اَمۡ تُنَـبِّـئُـوْنَهٗ بِمَا لَا يَعۡلَمُ فِى الۡاَرۡضِ اَمۡ بِظَاهِرٍ مِّنَ الۡقَوۡلِؕ بَلۡ زُيِّنَ لِلَّذِيۡنَ كَفَرُوۡا مَكۡرُهُمۡ وَصُدُّوۡا عَنِ السَّبِيۡلِؕ وَمَنۡ يُّضۡلِلِ اللّٰهُ فَمَا لَهٗ مِنۡ هَادٍ‏

English Translation:
Is then He Who is a Maintainer of every soul for what it has earned? And they have ascribed partners to Allah. Say, “Name them. Or are you informing Him of something He does not know in the earth or of apparent speech?” Nay, but it is made fair-seeming to those who disbelieve their plotting, and they are barred from the Path. And whoever Allah lets go astray, then not for him is any guide.

Tafseer (Commentary):
That is, they are so audacious that they set up partners with Allah Whose knowledge is All-Comprehensive and Who is aware of even the minutest details of the good and bad actions of each individual. These are the audacious things they do. They ascribe partners and equals to Him. They believe that some of His creatures are a part and parcel of His Being, and have attributes and rights like Him. They presume that they shall not be called to account for whatever they do, even though they live in His kingdom. That is, you give empty names to the partners you ascribe to Him for you have no real knowledge about them. For you could get this knowledge only in one of the three following ways. First, you might have received some authentic information that Allah had made such and such people as His partners in His attributes, powers and rights. If it is so, let us also know their names and the source of your information. Second, the possibility that Allah might have remained ignorant that some beings have become His partners. Therefore you are going to inform Him about this. If it is so, say it clearly in so many words so that it may be decided whether there are some foolish people who can believe in such a nonsensical claim. Third, obviously the above two suppositions are absurd. Therefore the only alternative is that, you are ascribing partners to Him without any rhyme or reason, and you, without any knowledge, make one the relative of God, another the hearer of supplications, and still another the helper and fulfiller of certain needs and the ruler of a certain region etc. Shirk has been called fraud because none of the angels, spirits, saints, heavenly bodies, to whom they ascribe divine attributes and powers or render divine rights, ever claimed to possess these attributes or powers. Neither did they ever demand these rights from the people nor told the people that they would fulfill their desires and wants if they would perform some rituals of worship before them. As a matter of fact, some clever people invented these gods in order to practice willful deception and dishonesty so that they might wield powerful influence over the common people and exploit them and deprive them of a part of their hard earned possessions. Accordingly, they made the common people credulous followers of the gods of their inventions and set themselves up as their representatives to get money, etc. from them by this fraud. The second reason why shirk has been called fraud is that a worldly man pretends to believe in it not because he wants to believe in it but in order to free himself from all moral restraints to enable him to lead an irresponsible life of greed and lust. The third reason is given below in( E. N. 54). 6

Surah Ar-Ra’d (13:34)

Arabic Text:
لَهُمۡ عَذَابٌ فِى الۡحَيٰوةِ الدُّنۡيَا وَلَعَذَابُ الۡاٰخِرَةِ اَشَقُّ ۚ وَمَا لَهُمۡ مِّنَ اللّٰهِ مِنۡ وَّاقٍ‏

English Translation:
For them is a punishment in the life of the world, and surely the punishment of the Hereafter is harder. And not for them against Allah is any defender.

Tafseer (Commentary):
None has the power to shield them from (the chastisement of) Allah. 6

Tafseer ibn katheer

Surah Ar-Ra’d (13:33)

Tafsir Ibn Kathir:

There is no Similarity between Allah and False Deities in any Respect Allah said, أَفَمَنْ هُوَ قَأيِمٌ عَلَى كُلِّ نَفْسٍ بِمَا كَسَبَتۡ Is then He (Allah) Who takes charge of every person and knows all that he has earned, Allah is the guard and watcher over every living soul and knows what everyone does, whether good or evil, and nothing ever escapes His perfect observation. Allah said in other Ayat, وَمَا تَكُونُ فِى شَأْنٍۢ وَمَا تَتۡلُواْ مِنۡهُ مِنۡ قُرۡءَانٖ وَلَا تَعۡمَلُونَ مِنۡ عَمَلٍ إِلَّا كُنَّا عَلَيۡكُمۡ شُهُودًا إِذۡ تُفِيضُونَ فِيهِ Neither you do any deed nor recite any portion of the Qur’an, nor you do any deed, but we are witness thereof, when you are doing it. (10:61) and Allah said, وَمَا تَسۡقُطُ مِن وَرَقَةٍ إِلَّا يَعۡلَمُهَا Not a leaf falls, but He knows it. (6:59) وَمَا مِن دَآبَّةٖ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ إِلَّا عَلَى ٱللَّهِ رِزۡقُهَا وَيَعۡلَمُ مُسۡتَقَرَّهَا وَمُسۡتَوۡدَعَهَاۚ كُلّٞ فِي كِتَٰبٖ مُّبِينٖ And no moving creature is there on earth but its provision is due from Allah. And He knows its dwelling place and its deposits. All is in a Clear Book. (11:6) سَوَآءٞ مِّنكُم مَّنۡ أَسَرَّ ٱلۡقَوۡلَ وَمَن جَهَرَ بِهِۦ وَمَنۡ هُوَ مُسۡتَخۢفِۭ بِٱلَّيۡلِ وَسَارِبُۢ بِٱلنَّهَارِ It is the same (to Him) whether any of you conceals his speech or declares it openly, whether he be hid by night or goes forth freely by day. (13:10) يَعۡلَمُ ٱلسِّرَّ وَأَخۡفَى He knows the secret and that which is yet more hidden. (20:7) and, وَهُوَ مَعَكُمۡ أَيۡنَ مَا كُنتُمۡۚ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ بَصِيرٞ And He is with you wherever you may be. And Allah is the All-Seer of what you do. (57:4) Is He Who is like this similar to the idols, that the polytheists worship, which can neither hear nor see nor do they have a mind nor able to bring good to themselves or to their worshippers nor prevent harm from themselves or their worshippers The answer to the question in the Ayah was omitted, because it is implied, for Allah said next, وَجَعَلُواْ لِلّهِ شُرَكَاء Yet, they ascribe partners to Allah. which they worshipped besides Him, such as idols, rivals and false deities, قُلۡ سَمُّوهُمۡ Say:”Name them!” make them known to us and uncover them so that they are known, for surely, they do not exist at all! So Allah said, أَمۡ تُنَبِّـُٔونَهُۥ بِمَا لَا يَعۡلَمُ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ Is it that you will inform Him of something He knows not in the earth! for had that thing existed in or on the earth, Allah would have known about it because nothing ever escapes His knowledge, أَم بِظَٰهِرٖ مِّنَ ٱلۡقَوۡلِ or is it (just) a show of words, or doubts expressed in words, according to Mujahid, while Ad-Dahhak and Qatadah said, false words. Allah says, you (polytheists) worshipped the idols because you thought that they had power to bring benefit or harm, and this is why you called them gods, إِنۡ هِيَ إِلَّآ أَسۡمَآءٞ سَمَّيۡتُمُوهَآ أَنتُمۡ وَءَابَآؤُكُم مَّآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ بِهَا مِن سُلۡطَٰنٍۚ إِن يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا ٱلظَّنَّ وَمَا تَهۡوَى ٱلۡأَنفُسُۖ وَلَقَدۡ جَآءَهُم مِّن رَّبِّهِمُ ٱلۡهُدَىٰ They are but names which you have named – you and your fathers – for which Allah has sent down no authority. They follow but a guess and that which they themselves desire, whereas there has surely come to them the guidance from their Lord! (53:23) Allah said next, بَلۡ زُيِّنَ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ مَكۡرُهُمۡ Nay! To those who disbelieved, their plotting is made fair seeming, (or their words, according to Mujahid). This Ayah refers to the misguidance of the polytheists and their propagation night and day. Allah said in another Ayah, وَقَيَّضۡنَا لَهُمۡ قُرَنَآءَ فَزَيَّنُواْ لَهُم And We have assigned for them (devils) intimate companions, who have made fair-seeming to them. (41:25) Allah said next, وَصُدُّواْ عَنِ السَّبِيلِ and they have been hindered from the right path; Some read with Fatha over the Sad (i.e. wa Saddu), which would mean, and they hindered from the right path, feeling fond of the misguidance they are in, thinking that it is correct, they called to it and thus hindered the people from following the path of the Messengers.' Others read it with Damma over the Sad (i.e. wa Suddu), which would mean,and they have been hindered from the right path,’ explained it this way:because they thought that their way looked fair or correct, they were hindered by it from the right path, so Allah said, وَمَن يُضۡلِلِ ٱللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُۥ مِنۡ هَادٖ and whom Allah sends astray, for him there is no guide. Allah said in similar instances, وَمَن يُرِدِ ٱللَّهُ فِتۡنَتَهُۥ فَلَن تَمۡلِكَ لَهُۥ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ شَيۡـًٔا And whomsoever Allah wants to suffer a trial, you can do nothing for him against Allah. (5:41) and, إِن تَحۡرِصۡ عَلَىٰ هُدَىٰهُمۡ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَهۡدِي مَن يُضِلُّۖ وَمَا لَهُم مِّن نَّٰصِرِينَ If you covet for their guidance, then verily, Allah guides not those whom He makes to go astray. And they will have no helpers. (16:37) 25

Surah Ar-Ra’d (13:34)

Tafsir Ibn Kathir:

Punishment of the Disbelievers and Reward of the Pious Believers Here, Allah mentions the punishment of the disbelievers and the reward of the righteous believers, after describing the Kufr and Shirk that the disbelievers indulge in, لَهُمۡ عَذَابٞ فِي ٱلۡحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنۡيَا For them is a torment in the life of this world, by the hands of the believers, killing and capturing them, وَلَعَذَابُ ٱلۡأٓخِرَةِ and certainly, the torment of the Hereafter, which will come after they suffer humiliation in this life, أَشَقُّ is harder, many times harder. The Messenger of Allah said to those who agreed to Mula`anah, إِنَّ عَذَابَ الدُّنْيَا أَهْوَنُ مِنْ عَذَابِ الاْخِرَةِ Surely, the torment of this life, is easier than the torment of the Hereafter. Indeed, and just as the Messenger of Allah stated, the torment of this life ends but the torment of the Hereafter is everlasting in a Fire that is seventy times hot than our fire, where there are chains whose thickness and hardness are unimaginable. وَمَا لَهُم مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ مِن وَاقٖ And they have no defender (or protector) against Allah. Allah said in other Ayat, فَيَوۡمَئِذٖ لَّا يُعَذِّبُ عَذَابَهُۥٓ أَحَدٞ وَلَا يُوثِقُ وَثَاقَهُۥٓ أَحَدٞ So on that Day none will punish as He will punish. And none will bind as He will bind. (89:25-26) and, بَلۡ كَذَّبُواْ بِٱلسَّاعَةِۖ وَأَعۡتَدۡنَا لِمَن كَذَّبَ بِٱلسَّاعَةِ سَعِيرًا إِذَا رَأَتۡهُم مِّن مَّكَانِۭ بَعِيدٖ سَمِعُواْ لَهَا تَغَيُّظٗا وَزَفِيرٗا وَإِذَآ أُلۡقُواْ مِنۡهَا مَكَانٗا ضَيِّقٗا مُّقَرَّنِينَ دَعَوۡاْ هُنَالِكَ ثُبُورٗا لَّا تَدۡعُواْ ٱلۡيَوۡمَ ثُبُورٗا وَٰحِدٗا وَٱدۡعُواْ ثُبُورٗا كَثِيرٗا قُلۡ أَذَٰلِكَ خَيۡرٌ أَمۡ جَنَّةُ ٱلۡخُلۡدِ ٱلَّتِي وُعِدَ ٱلۡمُتَّقُونَۚ كَانَتۡ لَهُمۡ جَزَآءٗ وَمَصِيرٗا And for those who deny the Hour, We have prepared a flaming Fire. When it (Hell) sees them from a far place, they will hear its raging and its roaring. And when they shall be thrown into a narrow place thereof, chained together, they will exclaim therein for destruction. Exclaim not today for one destruction, but exclaim for many destructions. Say:”Is that (torment) better, or the Paradise of Eternity promised for those who have Taqwa!” It will be theirs as a reward and as a final destination. (25:11-15) Similarly He said 24