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EXCERPTS FROM SURAH

AL-FURQAAN (Surah 25) 

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ لا يَرْجُونَ لِقَاءنَا لَوْلا أُنزِلَ عَلَيْنَا الْمَلائِكَةُ أَوْ نَرَى رَبَّنَا

 لَقَدِ اسْتَكْبَرُوا فِي أَنفُسِهِمْ وَعَتَوْ عُتُوًّا كَبِيرًا

يَوْمَ يَرَوْنَ الْمَلائِكَةَ لا بُشْرَى يَوْمَئِذٍ لِّلْمُجْرِمِينَ وَيَقُولُونَ حِجْرًا مَّحْجُورًا

وَقَدِمْنَا إِلَى مَا عَمِلُوا مِنْ عَمَلٍ فَجَعَلْنَاهُ هَبَاء مَّنثُورًا

أَصْحَابُ الْجَنَّةِ يَوْمَئِذٍ خَيْرٌ مُّسْتَقَرًّا وَأَحْسَنُ مَقِيلا

وَيَوْمَ تَشَقَّقُ السَّمَاء بِالْغَمَامِ وَنُزِّلَ الْمَلائِكَةُ تَنزِيلا

الْمُلْكُ يَوْمَئِذٍ الْحَقُّ لِلرَّحْمَنِ وَكَانَ يَوْمًا عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ عَسِيرًا

وَيَوْمَ يَعَضُّ الظَّالِمُ عَلَى يَدَيْهِ يَقُولُ يَا لَيْتَنِي اتَّخَذْتُ مَعَ الرَّسُولِ سَبِيلا

Those who do not hope to meet with Us say:

"(We believe when) the angels are sent down to us,

or we see our Lord!"

Verily they act arrogantly,

and have exceeded (the bounds) with great excess.

On the Day they face the angels

there shall be no glad tidings for the guilty

and (the angels) will say:

"(enjoyment is) Barred and Forbidden."

Then We turn to the work they did

and We scatter it like dissipated dust.

The dwellers of Paradise shall be in happier abodes

and marvelous resting place.

On that Day the heavens shall be rent asunder with clouds,

and the angels sent down, descending in ranks;

That Day the Dominion shall of right belong to the All-Merciful

but it will be a hardship for those who disbelieve.

The Day when the wrong-doer gnaws his hands saying:

"Would that I had taken the Path with the Messenger."

AYAH:  21-27

 

 

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ لا يَرْجُونَ لِقَاءنَا لَوْلا أُنزِلَ عَلَيْنَا الْمَلائِكَةُ أَوْ نَرَى رَبَّنَا   go to top of page

Those who do not hope to meet with Us say:  "(We believe when) the angels are sent down to us,  or we see our Lord!

 

    What separates a believer from a disbeliever is the belief in meeting Allah on the Day of Judgment to account for his deeds.

Ø A believer builds his faith around this point and prepares for it.  A believer's faith in this basic point is like the Rope of Allah that he holds to dearly.  This Rope will be his constant link with his Creator.

Ø A disbeliever has the opposite feeling.  A disbeliever has no link with Allah, nor a faith to connect him with his Creator, so he lacks appreciation of Allah.  A disbeliever will:

    ·       have a deficient comprehension of Allah's ever-presence,

    ·        have belittled the value of Allah (swt) in his conscience,

    ·        have little love or reverence for Allah.

Ø A disbeliever's life is not governed by faith in Allah and His Directives, so his behavior, ethics, and conduct will suffer, unlike that of the believer.  A disbeliever will utter the improper about Allah, and wish not to face Him.

Ø The disbelievers challenged Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in a sarcastic manner to show them the Lord (Allah) or to show them angels descending from Heaven (as proof of what he said).

 

لَقَدِ اسْتَكْبَرُوا فِي أَنفُسِهِمْ وَعَتَوْ عُتُوًّا كَبِيرًا   go to top of page

Verily they act arrogantly, and have exceeded (the bounds) with great excess.

 

    The audacity of the disbeliever's request is explained by this Ayah.  By asking to see the angels or even see Allah, the disbelievers have their true worth confused.  For to ask Prophet Muhammad for it the disbelievers were showing megalomania, an illusion of being important.  To feel this way on false pretense will so blind a person as to ask a price (to see Allah) before he can believe in Him!  This is true arrogance.

Ø Such a person should know his true worth in proportion to the Creator.  He should know that he is a trivial object, and that even the earth is a tiny speck revolving among millions of giant stars.  Man should consider and reflect.  He should know his worth.  The disbelievers' demands are blasphemous.

 

يَوْمَ يَرَوْنَ الْمَلائِكَةَ لا بُشْرَى يَوْمَئِذٍ لِّلْمُجْرِمِينَ   go to top of page

وَيَقُولُونَ حِجْرًا مَّحْجُورًا

On the Day they face the angels there shall be no glad tidings for the guilty, and (the angels) will say:

"(enjoyment is) Barred and Forbidden."

 

    Allah promises that the disbelievers will see the angels but under special circumstances and in a different place—it will not be as they arrogantly demanded.  The disbelievers will face the angels on the Day of Judgment.  It will be of no joy to them, it will be a day of gloom and anguish for the guilty, they will account for every deed, no matter how small!  It is a Day when the wicked and evil ones receive their judgment and just punishment!  And they will wish for an escape, but the Angels will retort:

Barred & Forbidden

Barred & Forbidden

which means, "Your wish of the enjoyment of Paradise is barred and forbidden to you, you have not earned it.  You are doomed."

 

وَقَدِمْنَا إِلَى مَا عَمِلُوا مِنْ عَمَلٍ فَجَعَلْنَاهُ هَبَاء مَّنثُورًا   go to top of page

Then We turn to the work they did and We scatter it like dissipated dust.

 

    A person does good and bad deeds, which count as deeds of merit (Hasanaat), and deeds of demerit (Sayi'aat) respectively.  Meritorious deeds may out-weight those that are not, and if so, the person earns Paradise.  The deeds of such a person have to depend on the basis of Faith, and they must be for the sake of Allah and for His cause.

Ø The disbelievers may do good deeds, humane and meritorious, but their deeds lack the base of faith in Allah.  Therefore their good deeds will not count.  They will be useless.

Ø On the Day of Judgment the disbelievers meet the angels not with cheer but with gloom and fear.  They will see that what awaits them is worse than anything they ever expected.  They look to see if their good deeds will save them, but these deeds are of no value.  It is like dissipated dust, something you cannot hold to!  Thus, the disbeliever's loss is total.  They have earned Hell.

 

أَصْحَابُ الْجَنَّةِ يَوْمَئِذٍ خَيْرٌ مُّسْتَقَرًّا وَأَحْسَنُ مَقِيلا   go to top of page

The dwellers of Paradise shall be in happier abodes and marvelous resting place.

 

    As to the believers the Day of Judgment will be very comfortable and wonderful.  They will reside in Paradise (the Garden of Bliss), with all what it has to offer—they have earned it.  They will be very happy, pleased, and delighted with the generous reward.  They will be forever grateful to Allah (swt) for His gift.

 

وَيَوْمَ تَشَقَّقُ السَّمَاء بِالْغَمَامِ وَنُزِّلَ الْمَلائِكَةُ تَنزِيلا  go to top of page

On that Day the heavens shall be rent asunder with clouds, and the angels sent down, descending in ranks;

 

    This Ayah describes the phenomena preceding the Day of Judgment.  It says that the sky with its clouds will rupture and crack in many areas, and that Allah (swt) will order the angels to descend in ranks.

 

الْمُلْكُ يَوْمَئِذٍ الْحَقُّ لِلرَّحْمَنِ وَكَانَ يَوْمًا عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ عَسِيرًا   go to top of page

That Day the Dominion shall of right belong to the All-Merciful but it will be a hardship for those who disbelieve.

 

    On the Day of Judgment numerous things will happen as the Holy Quran tells.  The Dominion will belong to Allah, the Supreme, the True King.  This is mentioned on purpose here to remind the disbelievers that to Allah belongs everything in Heaven and on Earth, and to Allah is the Dominion in true terms.

    The second part of this Ayah deals once more with the disbelievers.  It warns them of the scary events that will precede the Day of Judgment, (the rupture of the skies and the descent of the angels who will deal the frightful treatment to the disbelievers).

 

وَيَوْمَ يَعَضُّ الظَّالِمُ عَلَى يَدَيْهِ يَقُولُ   go to top of page

يَا لَيْتَنِي اتَّخَذْتُ مَعَ الرَّسُولِ سَبِيلا

The Day when the wrong-doer gnaws his hands saying: "Would that I had taken the Path with the Messenger."

 

    The disbeliever is at a loss on the Day of Judgment.  It is too late for him, and there is no escape.  The disbeliever has gambled and lost.  Allah warned him but he closed his mind and heart, and can only blame himself.  The moments of the Day of Judgment will be very frightful to him.  The angels he wanted to see will be there to face him but not on friendly terms.

    The disbeliever will regret the opportunity he missed and will be very sorry.  He wants to repent but it is too late.  He wants to escape but there is nowhere to escape to.  Out of self-reproach he will bite at his hands as people used to do in his days, but that will be of no help either.

    The disbeliever will wish very much that he had listened to Allah's beloved Messenger, Muhammad (pbuh), and has followed the path of Islam.

 

 

This selection in brief:  go to top of page

  1. The foolishness of the disbelievers is obvious.  They do not believe that they will meet with their Lord on the Day of Judgment.

  2. The disbelievers sarcastically demanded to see the angels descend or to see the Lord, Allah Himself!

  3. Allah (swt) describes such disbelievers as arrogant.

  4. Allah promised that the disbelievers will face the Angels on the Day of Judgment but on different terms.  The disbelievers will be doomed and will wish that the doom is barred and forbidden to them.

  5. Good deeds of a disbeliever are worthless since they do not have a basis of faith in Allah and His guidance.  They are no better than dissipated dust, worthless.

  6. On the other hand, for those who deserve Paradise, there will be a marvelous abode, it is Paradise.

  7. On the Day of Judgment the skies will be torn apart and many frightful phenomena will take place.

  8. The Dominion of the Heavens and the Earth belongs to Allah.  He will assert this more clearly on the Day of Judgment.

  9. The disbeliever will experience tremendous hardship on the Day of Judgment, and he will wish that he had followed the way of the Messengers.


 MEANING OF WORDS   go to top of page

say 

وَقَالَ

those who 

الَّذِينَ

do not hope to

لا يَرْجُونَ

meet with Us

لِقَاءنَا

 

unless

لَوْلا

 

he sent down 

أُنزِلَ

upon us

عَلَيْنَا

 

angels

الْمَلائِكَةُ

 

or

أَوْ

we see 

نَرَى

our Lord 

رَبَّنَا

verily

لَقَدِ

act arrogantly

اسْتَكْبَرُوا

 

to themselves

فِي أَنفُسِهِمْ

 

exceeded (the bounds) 

وَعَتَوْ

excess

عُتُوًّا

 

great

كَبِيرًا

 

the Day 

يَوْمَ

they will face 

يَرَوْنَ

 

the angels

الْمَلائِكَةَ

 

no

لا

glad tidings 

بُشْرَى

 

on that Day

يَوْمَئِذٍ

 

for the guilty

لِّلْمُجْرِمِينَ

and they say 

وَيَقُولُونَ

 

barred

حِجْرًا

 

forbidden 

مَّحْجُورًا

and We turn 

وَقَدِمْنَا

 

to 

إِلَى

 

what 

مَا

have done (yield) 

عَمِلُوا

 

of their deeds 

مِنْ عَمَلٍ

 

and We scatter it

فَجَعَلْنَاهُ

dust

هَبَاء

 

dissipated 

مَّنثُورًا

 

dwellers of Paradise 

أَصْحَابُ الْجَنَّةِ

better

يَوْمَئِذٍ خَيْرٌ

 

abode

مُّسْتَقَرًّا

 

and marvelous 

وَأَحْسَنُ

resting place

مَقِيلا

 

on that Day

وَيَوْمَ

 

rent asunder 

تَشَقَّقُ

skies

السَّمَاء

 

with the clouds 

بِالْغَمَامِ

 

commanded to descend 

وَنُزِّلَ

the angels

الْمَلائِكَةُ

 

in ranks

تَنزِيلا

 

dominion 

الْمُلْكُ

on that Day

يَوْمَئِذٍ

 

shall of right be 

الْحَقُّ

 

to the Compassionate

لِلرَّحْمَنِ

and it will be

وَكَانَ

 

a Day 

يَوْمًا

 

for the disbelievers 

عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ

with hardship

عَسِيرًا

 

and it is a Day

وَيَوْمَ

 

gnaw

يَعَضُّ

wrong-doer

الظَّالِمُ

 

his hands 

عَلَى يَدَيْهِ

 

saying 

يَقُولُ

would that I 

يَا لَيْتَنِي

 

I have taken

اتَّخَذْتُ

 

with 

مَعَ

the Messenger

الرَّسُولِ

 

the Path

سَبِيلا