53:30 An-Najm (The Star)

فسعيهم مقصور على الدنيا ولذاتها وشهواتها، كيف حصلت حصلوها، وبأي: طريق سنحت ابتدروها، { ذَلِكَ مَبْلَغُهُمْ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ } أي: هذا منتهى علمهم وغايته، وأما المؤمنون بالآخرة، المصدقون بها، أولو الألباب والعقول،فهمتهم وإرادتهم للدار الآخرة، وعلومهم أفضل العلوم وأجلها، وهو العلم المأخوذ من كتاب الله وسنة رسوله صلى الله عليه وسلم، والله تعالى أعلم بمن يستحق الهداية فيهديه، ممن لا يستحق ذلك فيكله إلى نفسه، ويخذله، فيضل عن سبيل الله، ولهذا قال تعالى: { إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنْ ضَلَّ عَنْ سَبِيلِهِ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنِ اهْتَدَى } فيضع فضله حيث يعلم المحل اللائق به.

أي طلب الدنيا والسعي لها هو غاية ما وصلوا إليه. وقد روى الإمام أحمد عن أم المؤمنين عائشة رضي الله عنها قالت: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم "الدنيا دار من لا دار له ومال من لا مال له ولها يجمع من لا عقل له" وفي الدعاء المأثور "اللهم لا تجعل الدنيا أكبر همنا ولا مبلغ علمنا" وقوله تعالى "إن ربك هو أعلم بمن ضل عن سبيله وهو أعلم بمن اهتدى" أي هو الخالق لجميع المخلوقات والعالم بمصالح عباده وهو الذي يهدي من يشاء ويضل من يشاء وذلك كله عن قدرته وعلمه وحكمته وهو العادل الذي لا يجور أبدا لا في شرعه ولا في قدره.

Refuting the Claim of the Idolators that the Angels are Allah's Daughters

Allah the Exalted admonishes the idolators for calling the angels female names and claiming that they are Allah's daughters. Allah is far removed from what they ascribe to Him. Allah the Exalted said in another Ayah,

وَجَعَلُواْ الْمَلَـئِكَةَ الَّذِينَ هُمْ عِبَادُ الرَّحْمَـنِ إِنَـثاً أَشَهِدُواْ خَلْقَهُمْ سَتُكْتَبُ شَهَـدَتُهُمْ وَيُسْـَلُونَ

(And they make females the angels, who themselves are servants of the Most Gracious. Did they witness their creation Their testimony will be recorded, and they will be questioned!)(43:19) Allah's statement here,

وَمَا لَهُم بِهِ مِنْ عِلْمٍ

(But they have no knowledge thereof.) meaning, they have no correct knowledge testifying to their statements. What they say is all lies, falsehood, fake and utter atheism,

إِن يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلاَّ الظَّنَّ وَإِنَّ الظَّنَّ لاَ يُغْنِى مِنَ الْحَقِّ شَيْئاً

(They follow but conjecture, and verily, conjecture is no substitute for the truth.) meaning, conjecture is of no benefit and never takes the place of truth. In a Hadith recorded in the Sahih, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«إِيَّاكُمْ وَالظَّنَّ، فَإِنَّ الظَّنَّ أَكْذَبُ الْحَدِيث»

(Beware of suspicion, for suspicion is the most lying speech.)

The Necessity of turning away from the People of Misguidance

Allah's statement,

فَأَعْرِضْ عَن مَّن تَوَلَّى عَن ذِكْرِنَا

(Therefore withdraw from him who turns away from Our Reminder), means, stay away from those who turn away from the Truth and shun them,

وَلَمْ يُرِدْ إِلاَّ الْحَيَوةَ الدُّنْيَا

(and desires nothing but the life of this world.) meaning, whose aim and knowledge are concentrated on this life; this is the goal of those who have no goodness in them,

ذَلِكَ مَبْلَغُهُمْ مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ

(That is what they could reach of knowledge.) meaning, seeking this life and striving hard in its affairs is the best knowledge they have acquired. There is also the reported supplication:

«اللْهُمَّ لَا تَجْعَلِ الدُّنْيَا أَكْبَرَ هَمِّنَا، وَلَا مَبْلَغَ عِلْمِنَا»

(O Allah! Make not this life the greatest of our concerns nor the best knowledge that we can attain.) Allah's statement,

إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنِ اهْتَدَى

(Verily, your Lord is He, Who knows best him who goes astray from His path, and He knows best him who receives guidance.) meaning, He is the Creator of all creatures and He knows whatever benefits His servants. Allah is the One Who guides whom He wills and misguides whom He wills, and all of this indicates His power, knowledge and wisdom. Certainly, He is Just and never legislates or decrees unjustly.

That namely the desire of this world is the full extent of their knowledge that is the limit of their knowledge namely that they have preferred this life to that of the Hereafter. Truly your Lord knows best those who have strayed from His way and He knows best those who are rightly guided He has knowledge of both and will requite both.

Necessity of turning away from the Misguided People

فَأَعْرِ‌ضْ عَن مَّن تَوَلَّىٰ عَن ذِكْرِ‌نَا وَلَمْ يُرِ‌دْ إِلَّا الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا ذَٰلِكَ مَبْلَغُهُم مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ (So, turn away from him who turns away from Our advice, and seeks nothing but (pleasure of) the worldly life.... 53:29-30)

A Special Warning

The Qur'an here describes the condition of those unbelievers who denied the Hereafter and the Day of Judgment. Regretfully, nowadays the Muslims have characterized themselves by the same condition as a result of Western education and material needs and desires. All our attempts to make progress in the fields of various branches of knowledge, sciences and arts pivot on, or revolve around, economics. They do not think even by mistake about ma'adiyyat (matters relating to the Life Hereinafter). We believe in the Holy Prophet ﷺ and hope for his intercession. But Allah commands the Holy Prophet ﷺ to withdraw from the people of misguidance and shun them. We seek refuge in Allah from such misguidance!