قُل إِنَّما أَنا بَشَرٌ مِثلُكُم يوحىٰ إِلَيَّ أَنَّما إِلٰهُكُم إِلٰهٌ واحِدٌ ۖ فَمَن كانَ يَرجو لِقاءَ رَبِّهِ فَليَعمَل عَمَلًا صالِحًا وَلا يُشرِك بِعِبادَةِ رَبِّهِ أَحَدًا

Say: ‘I am just a human being like you. It has been revealed to me that your God is the one God. So whoever expects to encounter his Lord – let him act righteously, and not associate anyone with the worship of his Lord.’

EXEGESIS

Innamā (just) is an expression denoting limitation and exclusivity of something. Annamā – lost in translation here – also carries a similar meaning and precedes It has been revealed to me.

Yarjū (expects) comes from rajāʾ meaning to await something good that one expects to happen, as in, apprehensive of the hereafter and expecting (yarjū) the mercy of his Lord (39:9).[1] Some have said it is a mixture of fear and hope.[2] In this sense, the translation of expects is very apt as that expectation can be either hopeful or fearful, however the important thing is that such hope and fear indicates a person’s preparedness for meeting God and that is what counts. If he is preparing himself for it, he should do so by acting in a good manner.

EXPOSITION

This closing verse of the surah restates and reminds of what was said in the opening verse, emphasising that the Prophet is a servant of God and a recipient of divine revelation.

The verse is also quite comprehensive in the sense that it refers to all three principles of faith: tawḥīd (the oneness of God), nubuwwah (prophethood), and maʿād (resurrection).[3]

Say: once again, the command Say is repeated. The repetition suggests a shift in the intended audience, otherwise there would be no need to repeat the command. This time it seems that the Prophet is commanded to address the believers, as explained below.

I am just a human being like you: all prophets sent to mankind were from amongst mankind. God never chose angels or other beings as prophets. Rather, the role of an angel was only as an intermediary between God and a prophet. They were never sent to people directly, although angels would interact with people in other ways in some cases.

This statement is harkening to what was said in the beginning of the surah, And to warn those who say: ‘Allah has taken a son’ (verse 4). This verse reminds everyone that even though the Prophet was a recipient of divine knowledge, this did not mean he was all-knowing or godlike. Muhammad (s) is also just a human being, completely dependent on God, and any superiority in knowledge he might possess is given to him by his Lord. Additionally, this highlights the humility of the Prophet, while also emphasising the simplicity of his message, as per the statement, It has been revealed to me – even though the Prophet is a human being like other people, there is a significant difference, namely that he is the recipient of divine revelation.

At the same time this is a clarification to those who posed the questions to the Prophet, which prompted the revelation of this surah. It explains that he is not the knower of the unseen or the one who possesses all knowledge, rather he is simply the recipient of divine revelation.[4]

That your God is the one God: this is very similar to the opening verse of the surah, where God declared that He has sent down the revelation to His servant. In the previous verse we read how God’s knowledge is infinite. Now He speaks of the knowledge that He has granted His Messenger. Like in the previous verse, the description of the Prophet’s knowledge is also a stark understatement (recall the usage of annamā before this statement, as discussed in the Exegesis). Certainly, much more than just the oneness of God had been revealed to the Holy Prophet, just like the knowledge of God was far more than what the previous verse described, however it is all encapsulated in this one sentence. In the opening verse we read that God had revealed the book to His servant. This and the previous verse clarify that although the Quran may be ‘just a book’, it represents the knowledge of God and thus is far different to any other book.

So whoever expects to encounter his Lord: we already discussed the meaning of encountering God in verse 105. The encounter with God is emphasised because of the surah’s main theme and how it represents the final manifestation and culmination of man’s actions, when he will witness the true consequences of what he has done. If a person truly expects that encounter and understands the actual consequences of his actions, then let him act righteously.

Good actions should be done purely for the sake of God, not for the sake of other than Him, whether that be idols or other people. The only intention that entails eternal reward is the intention of doing something for the sake of drawing near to God. All other intentions result in actions being null and void with regards to eternal reward in the hereafter. The narrations we have quoted also corroborate this.

As such, the verse is not only addressed to the polytheists who might do something for the sake of their false gods, but is also addressed to the believers. For actions to be truly righteous, they should be attached with faith and sincerity in intention.

This statement is also an important reminder about the philosophy of awaiting something. If one is expectant of something they would and should prepare themselves for it.[5]

And not associate anyone with the worship of his Lord: aside from the obvious polytheism of shirk, this association should also entail things such as ostentation (riyāʾ), whereby a person corrupts their worship by doing it for the sake of other than God.[6] It is reported from Ibn Abbas that he said regarding this verse that God did not simply say they should not associate anyone with Him, but rather that they should not associate anyone with His worship. He further added that this is why, when a person wishes to give charity, it is better to give the charity to someone else to hand out to the people, so that he should not feel proud about it.[7] There are also many reports with similar lines of thought, some of which are quoted in the next section.[8] This meaning is apparently the intended meaning of the verse.

Finally, it should be noted that the verse has a wide scope which includes the People of the Book, who were, of course, a target audience of the surah, especially considering what we mentioned under verse 4, that they should not think that because the Quran confirms the miracle of the People of the Cave, that Christian views on the divinity of Prophet Jesus (a) are also confirmed.

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

Ṭūsī reports a claim that this verse was the last verse of the Quran to be revealed,[9] but that is incorrect.[10] Perhaps this has been suggested because it speaks of the Prophet’s humanity and thus mortality.

1. From Mujāhid ibn Jabr, that a man came to the Prophet and said: ‘I give charity and keep up good relations with my relatives, and do so only for the sake of God. However, people mention these things about me and praise me, and this pleases me and makes me self-satisfied.’ The Prophet was then quiet and did not say anything, after which this verse was revealed.[11]

Note: If we accept this narration as authentic, then this narration and the likes of it should be understood as the application of the verse, not the cause of its revelation. Tabatabai adds that it is doubtful that the final verse of a surah should be revealed for some different specific reason separately and distinctly from the rest of the surah.[12] Subḥānī also points out that this report does not fit with the fact that the surah is Meccan.[13] Additionally, such narrations do not mean that a person’s actions are voided if he hears praise for them and becomes pleased for being praised (something which is natural and probably unavoidable), but rather they refer to when a person’s intention is corrupted and he does actions seeking to be praised or in order that he may boast about it.[14] In this regard a humorous aphorism is related about a man who was praying a lengthy and beautiful prayer, people who were close-by began speaking about it, praising him. The man was overcome by glee for the praise and in the middle of his prayers turned to them and declared: ‘If only you knew that I am also fasting!’[15]

2. From ʿUbādah ibn al-Ṣāmit, that the Prophet said: ‘Whoever prays a prayer ostentatiously has associated others with God. Anyone who fasts a fast ostentatiously has associated others with God.’ After this he recited this verse in question.[16]
3. From Ali ibn Sālim, that Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) said: ‘God has said: “I am the best associate. Whoever associates with Me in their actions, I will not accept it, except that which is purely done for Me.”’[17]
4. From Zurārah and Ḥumrān ibn Aʿyan, that Imam al-Bāqir (a) and Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) said: ‘If a servant performs an action seeking thereby the mercy of God and the abode of the hereafter, but then mixes in [his intention the desire for] the satisfaction of other people, he is guilty of associating [with Allah] (shirk).’[18]

Note: These reports highlight the importance of performing actions purely for God. There are many narrations similar to these. What is meant by shirk or associating other with God here, is not polytheism or worshipping other gods (shirk jalī), but rather giving importance to others in matters where importance should be given to God (shirk khafī), or corrupting one’s pure intentions in some other way.[19]

INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS

1. But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, “Men, why are you doing this? We also are men, of like nature with you, preaching to you to turn from these vain things to the living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything that is in them, who in times past allowed all nations to walk in their own ways.[20]
2. Be sure that you not do your charitable deeds before men to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Therefore, when you do your charitable deeds, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do your charitable deeds, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deeds may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.[21]
3. They do all their works to be seen by men. They make their Scripture boxes broad and lengthen the tassels on their prayer shawls. They love the places of honor at feasts, and the prominent seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the marketplaces, and being called ‘Rabbi’ by men.[22]
4. Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces so they may appear to men to be fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you will not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.[23]
5. Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”[24]
6. For you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.[25]

[1] Tahqiq, 4/78, r-j-w.
[2] Tabrisi, 6/770; Razi, 21/504; Raghib, p. 346, r-j-w.
[3] Mizan, 13/405.
[4] See Munyah, 17/91.
[5] Nemuneh, 12/577.
[6] Tibyan, 7/100; Tabari, 16/32.
[7] Tabrisi, 6/771.
[8] For more reports, see also Tabari, 16/32; Thalabi, 6/202-204; Zamakhshari, 2/751; Suyuti, 4/255-256; Alusi, 8/373-374.





[11] Tabrisi, 6/770. See also Tabari, 16/32. There are many versions of this report, in some versions the man is said to be Jundub ibn Zuhayr al-Azdī.
[12] Mizan, 13/406.
[13] Munyah, 17/91. This is because fasting was not yet established. Of course, this criticism could be circumvented by saying the verse is Medinan, but as we said that is unlikely.
[14] Nemuneh, 12/579.
[15] Qurtubi, 11/71.
[16] Tabrisi, 6/771. Thaʿlabī reports this hadith as being the words of ʿUbādah himself, and not from the Prophet (Thalabi, 6/203). There is a similar report attributed to Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) where he ends his statement by saying that the person who does so is mushrik maghfūr, meaning someone who has associated others with God but can still be forgiven for that sin (Ayyashi, 2/352). This is because the Quran declares that shirk is not forgiven (4:48, 4:116), so the Imam is clarifying that this is shirk khafī (see the second note for an explanation of that).
[17] Ayyashi, 2/353. Almost the exact same hadith is also reported from the Prophet (Suyuti, 4/255).
[18] Ayyashi, 2/353. For a similar report see also Kafi, 2/293-294.
[19] Mizan, 13/407.
[20] Acts 14:14-16.
[21] Matthew 6:1-4.
[22] Matthew 23:5.
[23] Matthew 6:16.
[24] Matthew 4:10.
[25] Exodus 34:14.