42:48 Ash-Shura (Consultation)

{ فَإِنْ أَعْرَضُوا } عما جئتهم به بعد البيان التام { فَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَفِيظًا } تحفظ أعمالهم وتسأل عنها، { إِنْ عَلَيْكَ إِلَّا الْبَلَاغُ } فإذا أديت ما عليك، فقد وجب أجرك على اللّه، سواء استجابوا أم أعرضوا، وحسابهم على اللّه الذي يحفظ عليهم صغير أعمالهم وكبيرها، وظاهرها وباطنها.ثم ذكر تعالى حالة الإنسان، وأنه إذا أذاقه الله رحمة، من صحة بدن، ورزق رغد، وجاه ونحوه { فَرِحَ بِهَا } أي: فرح فرحا مقصورا عليها، لا يتعداها، ويلزم من ذلك طمأنينته بها، وإعراضه عن المنعم.{ وَإِنْ تُصِبْهُمْ سَيِّئَةٌ } أي: مرض أو فقر، أو نحوهما { بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ فَإِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ كَفُورٌ } أي: طبيعته كفران النعمة السابقة، والتسخط لما أصابه من السيئة.

قوله تعالى "فإن أعرضوا" يعني المشركين "فما أرسلناك عليهم حفيظا" أي لست عليهم بمصيطر وقال عز وجل "ليس عليك هداهم ولكن الله يهدي من يشاء" وقال تعالى "فإنما عليك البلاغ وعلينا الحساب" وقال جل وعلا ههنا "إن عليك إلا البلاغ" أي إنما كلفناك أن تبلغهم رسالة الله اليهم ثم قال تبارك وتعالى "وإنا إذا أذقنا الإنسان منا رحمة فرح بها" أي إذا أصابه رخاء ونعمة فرح بذلك "وإن تصبهم" يعني الناس "سيئة" أي جدب ونقمة وبلاء وشدة "فإن الإنسان كفور" أي يجحد ما تقدم من النعم ولا يعرف إلا الساعة الراهنة فإن أصابته نعمة أشر وبطر وإن أصابته محنة يئس وقنط كما قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم للنساء "يا معشر النساء تصدقن فإني رأيتكن أكثر أهل النار" فقالت امرأة ولم يا رسول الله؟ فقال صلى الله عليه وسلم "لأنكن تكثرن الشكاية وتكفرن العشير لو أحسنت إلى إحداهن الدهر ثم تركت يوما قالت ما رأيت منك خيرا قط" وهذا حال أكثر النساء إلا من هداه الله تعالى وألهمه رشده وكان من الذين آمنوا وعملوا الصالحات فالمؤمن كما قال صلى الله عليه وسلم "إن أصابته سراء فشكر فكان خيرا له وإن أصابته ضراء صبر فكان خيرا له وليس ذلك لأحد إلا للمؤمن".

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 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.

Commentary

The earlier three of the above verses state the end of those people who, as against the virtuous Muslims, remained desirous of the delights and luxuries of this world, instead of caring about the Hereafter. Then in verse 47, they have been advised to repent and embrace faith before the scourge of Doomsday comes upon them. Thereafter, in verse 48, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been comforted and assured that if these people do not come to their senses, despite your preaching again and again, and despite your tireless efforts, then you should not worry: فَإِنْ أَعْرَ‌ضُوا فَمَا أَرْ‌سَلْنَاكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَفِيظًا "So, if they turn away, then We did not send you as a supervisor over them. You are not responsible but for conveying the message" - 48.

Verses 49 and 50 state the absolute power and perfect wisdom of Allah Ta’ ala in the creation of this universe in which He has no partner, and then mankind has been called to believe in the Oneness of Allah. In this regard, after stating the creation of the earth and the heavens, Allah Almighty has stated a fact about His power in verse 49, خْلُقُ مَا يَشَاءُ (He creates what He wills.) to indicate that He has absolute Power to create anything small or big. He creates whatever He wills whenever He wills. In this context, creation of mankind has been mentioned by saying, "He grants females to whom He wills, and grants males to whom He wills. Or He combines for them couples, both males and females, and makes whom He wills barren. Surely He is All-Knowing, Very Powerful. (49-50) " It means that nobody's intention or authority has anything to do in the creation of a human being, nor does anybody have its knowledge. What to say of anybody else, even the intention or choice of the parents, who are the apparent agents of the creation of a human beings, does not have any bearing on the child's creation. Let alone having a say in the child's creation, the mother does not even know before the child is born as to what is being formed in her womb, and how it is being processed.

It is Allah Ta’ ala alone who grants female children to whom He wills, and male children to whom He wills; to some He grants both male and female children, and He renders some females barren who do not have any children.

While stating the sex of children in this verse, Allah Ta’ ala has mentioned females first, and males later. Taking a hint from this verse, Sayyidna Wathilah Ibn Asqa' ؓ has said that blessed is the woman who gives birth to a daughter first. (Qurtubi)