The Ocean of the Quran

A verse by verse explanation of The Ultimate Scripture

Luqmān – Verse 33

يا أَيُّهَا النّاسُ اتَّقوا رَبَّكُم وَاخشَوا يَومًا لا يَجزي والِدٌ عَن وَلَدِهِ وَلا مَولودٌ هُوَ جازٍ عَن والِدِهِ شَيئًا ۚ إِنَّ وَعدَ اللَّهِ حَقٌّ ۖ فَلا تَغُرَّنَّكُمُ الحَياةُ الدُّنيا وَلا يَغُرَّنَّكُم بِاللَّهِ الغَرورُ

O mankind! Be wary of your Lord and fear the day when a father shall not atone for his child, nor the child shall atone for its father in any wise. Indeed, Allah’s promise is true. So do not let the life of the world deceive you, nor let the Deceiver deceive you concerning Allah.

EXEGESIS

Ittaqū (be wary of) is in the form eight verb of the root verb waqaya which means to guard, to prevent, to avoid, to beware, protection, fear, and caution.‎[1] Taqwā, which shares the same root letters (w-q-y), means mindfulness of God, awareness of God, piety.‎[2] It refers to the psychological state of God-consciousness or fear of God, which becomes a barrier between a human being and sin, thereby guarding or preventing a person from sins and the resultant displeasure and wrath of God.‎[3]

Jāzin and yajzī are both from the root verb jazaya which means to repay, to reward/punish, to recompense, to stand in for.‎[4] Yajzī is a present tense verb while jāzin is an active participle. When this verb and active participle are followed by the preposition ʿan, as they do in this verse, they mean: to stand in for, to take the place of, to undertake responsibility for.‎[5] They can also mean to suffice,‎[6] as explained by Rāghib.‎[7]

Three words from the root letters gh-r-r occur in this verse. These are the feminine present tense verb taghurra (deceive, whose subject is the life of the world), the masculine present tense verb yaghurra (deceive, whose subject is the Deceiver), and the noun al-gharūr (the Deceiver). The root letters can mean: to be foolish, to be gullible, to deceive, to make vain promises, self-deception, and to lull into false security.‎[8] In other contexts, the root letters may mean the white spot on a horse’s face, the first day of the month, and something of blank and clear complexion.‎[9] In this verse, all three words mean that which deceives, beguiles, or deludes a person,‎[10] that which causes someone to have false ideas about himself,‎[11] that which falsely emboldens a person (against God),‎[12] whether human or non-human.‎[13]

Of particular significance is the form in which the three words occur in this verse. The two verbs in this verse, which occur as part of a negative imperative, occur in a form which renders them highly emphatic, thereby rendering the negative imperative associated with them highly emphatic too. The emphatic form in which they occur is shown by the emphatic, highly forceful suffix nūn (lā taghurranna and lā yaghurranna), to mean: you shall not let the life of the world deceive you, you shall not let the Deceiver, deceive you. This is while the noun al-gharūr is in the form of al-faʿūl, which gives the active participle an intensified meaning.‎[14] Al-gharūr refers to the Deceiver.‎[15]

EXPOSITION

This verse serves as a perfect conclusion to what has preceded in this surah, which point to God’s power in the universe.‎[16] It also serves to censure the polytheists because they imagined that God was unable to resurrect the human being, just as it serves to remind the believers and warn the disbelievers.‎[17] Consequently, it addresses the whole of mankind‎[18] and begins by addressing them with the aim of counselling them.

O mankind! Be wary of your Lord, endeavour to attain the shield that can protect and safeguard you from God’s punishment, which is the shield of piety and God-consciousness;‎[19] endeavour to avoid sins and God’s disobedience by inculcating the reverential fear of God and that of His punishment,‎[20] because piety is the path to salvation on the Day of Judgement.‎[21]

This verse associates the imperative of piety and God-consciousness with the Lord (rabb), thereby denoting a causal relationship between the two. It establishes a connection between piety and the acknowledgment of God as the Lord of the universe. By emphasising the role of God as the cause of our existence, the provider of our sustenance and nourishment, and the source of guidance towards our ultimate perfection (rabb), this verse calls upon humanity to heed His commands, follow His guidance, and abstain from His disobedience. It stresses the importance of maintaining an attitude of reverence and obedience towards their rabb.

And fear the day when a father shall not atone for his child, nor the child shall atone for its father in any wise. This of course refers to the Day of Resurrection.‎[22] Perhaps it so happened among the Quraysh families at the time of the Prophet that the son remained a disbeliever while the father accepted the Muslim faith, or vice versa. So perhaps the disbelieving family member imagined that if the faith and teachings of Muhammad were true, he would be able to benefit or profit from the faith of the one related to him; that the faith of the believing family member would suffice him in being saved from damnation, and that the believing family member could undertake responsibility for his salvation. This verse emphasises the invalidity of such a thought in that the believing parent would not profit its child nor the child profit its parent‎[23] (2:48, 2:123, 3:10, 3:116, 26:88, 44:41, 86:10). None will be able to avail and suffice the other.‎[24] This is because every person on that day will be preoccupied with his or her own soul‎[25] (80:37, 70:10-14). And even if a parent wanted to take the place of a child or vice versa, they would fail to do so, since none shall bear the burden of another (6:164, 17:15, 35:18, 39:7, 53:38). But then perhaps the reason father and child (or son) have been used in this verse rather than ‘mother’ and ‘daughter’, despite the verse’s import applying to them too, is because of the Luqmān pericope near the beginning of the surah where Luqmān the father counsels his son. And so perhaps the father-son pair was used here, at the conclusion of the surah, for the sake of congruity with the surah’s earlier part.

Indeed, Allah’s promise is true. So do not let the life of the world deceive you, nor let the Deceiver deceive you concerning Allah. This is a reminder again that God’s promise of the coming of the Day of Resurrection,‎[26] reward, and punishment is true,‎[27] for He has promised it, and He does not contravene His promises.‎[28] Consequently, God warns the entirety of mankind of two things, which He does most emphatically.‎[29] Both these things are causes for the deception of mankind and facilitate sins.‎[30] Firstly, He warns, So do not let the life of the world deceive you from faith, good deeds, and the hereafter, by its embellishments.‎[31] This is because the life of this world and its embellishments, including such things as a delay in punishment, extended hopes, extended periods of peace, and abundance, may perhaps deceive the human being, causing him to think that he is to live forever in this world.‎[32] Other verses that warn against the same are 6:70, 6:130, 43:35, and 35:5, which resembles the second half of this verse to the letter. Secondly, He warns, nor let the Deceiver (al-gharūr) deceive you concerning Allah. Tabatabai writes that some have understood al-gharūr to refer specifically to Satan,‎[33] including the early commentators Mujāhid, Qatādah, and al-Ḍaḥḥāk.‎[34] This is because Satan is the foulest deceiver‎[35] whose delusion is made clear: He makes them promises and stirs in them desires, but Satan promises naught but delusion (4:120; see also 14:22 and 17:64). This view is supported by Imam al-Sajjād (a) who is attributed to have identified al-gharūr with Satan, reciting, nor let the Deceiver (al-gharūr) deceive you concerning Allah, and then explaining: ‘[This is] Satan because he causes you to postpone repentance and [the consequent attainment of] forgiveness. Thus He emboldens you towards disobedience [of God].’‎[36] Others, writes Tabatabai, have understood it to refer to the world, and that is because of the saying, ‘the world deceives, harms, and moves on’.‎[37] However, Rāghib‎[38] identifies it as anything that has the potential to deceive, beguile, or delude the human being,‎[39] so that God is disobeyed and His commandments are abandoned,‎[40] whether that thing be human or non-human,‎[41] material things (such as wealth, status, abundant progeny), whims and desires, human beings, the life of this world, or Satan;‎[42] all of which may be considered relevant examples or instances of al-gharūr. This interpretation of al-gharūr was praised and appreciated by Ṭūsī for its universality and comprehensiveness.‎[43] However, the use of the definite article al with the term gharūr suggests that it refers to something specific and well-known rather than something general and undefined. In this context, it may be understood as referring to either Satan or worldly life, both of which are distinct and recognised entities.

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

  1. Imam Ali (a) said: ‘The similitude of the world is like a serpent. It is soft to the touch but its interior is infused with venom. The ignorant, gullible one inclines to it but the wise and intelligent person guards against it.’‎[44]
  2. Imam Ali (a) writes the following in his letter to Salmān al-Fārsī: ‘Thereafter, surely the example of the world is like that of a snake. It is soft to the touch but its poison is fatal. So turn away from its attractions because of the short duration that anything from it can accompany you. Cast aside its worries because of your conviction that these will leave you.’‎[45]
  3. Mufīd records the following statement of Imam Ali (a) in his Kitāb al-Irshād, which is a statement the Imam made to a man he heard blaming and vilifying the world. The Imam said: ‘The world is the abode of truth for whoever gives credence to it, and it is the abode of wellness for whoever understands it. It is the abode of sufficiency for whoever takes provisions from it. It is the place of prostration of God’s prophets, and the place of the descent of His revelation. It is the place of prayer of His angels, and the marketplace of His friends who obtained mercy in it and gained paradise in it! So who is that who vilifies it?! It has declared its separation and has proclaimed and professed its departure! It has described itself and so has filled with longing and desire for happiness and joy [of the hereafter] by means of its happiness and joy, and has warned of disasters [of the hereafter] by its disasters, in the spirit of frightening, warning, awakening, and intimidation. So, O one who blames the world and is beguiled by its deceit, when has it fooled you?! [Has it fooled you] by the demise of your forefathers through decay and decomposition?! Or by the demise of your mothers [buried] under the soil?! How many fell ill and became sick on your hands and you sought a cure for them, consulted doctors for them, and searched for medicines for them. You did not benefit them by your search nor did you cure them by your remedy. This world [thus] illustrates [to you] your fate and final resting place through them where your crying will not benefit you nor will your loved ones suffice you or substitute for you!’‎[46]
  4. Imam al-Sajjād (a) said: ‘The world is of two kinds. A world that announces and delivers a message and a world that is accursed.’‎[47]

Note: This last report beautifully encapsulates the two realities of the world at once, while the previous reports focus on one of the two realities of the world. The first two reports portray the world in a negative light, while the third report above portrays the world in a positive light provided one understands it correctly. Taken alone, these two kinds of reports may skew a person’s appreciation of the world and/or confuse him. The fourth report clarifies these two kinds of reports by succinctly bringing the two realities together with clarity.

[1] Arabic-English Dictionary of Qur’anic Usage, p. 1042.
[2] Arabic-English Dictionary of Qur’anic Usage, p. 1042.
[3] Munyah, 21/152.
[4] Arabic-English Dictionary of Qur’anic Usage, p. 162.
[5] Arabic-English Dictionary of Qur’anic Usage, p. 162.
[6] Tibyan, 8/289; Tabrisi, 8/506-507; Mizan, 16/238; Munyah, 21/152.
[7] Cited in Mizan, 16/238.
[8] Arabic-English Dictionary of Qur’anic Usage, 662.
[9] Arabic-English Dictionary of Qur’anic Usage, 662.
[10] Tibyan, 8/289; Mizan, 16/238; Kashif, 4/170; Arabic-English Dictionary of Qur’anic Usage, p. 662; Munyah, 21/152.
[11] Arabic-English Dictionary of Qur’anic Usage, p. 662.
[12] Arabic-English Dictionary of Qur’anic Usage, p. 662.
[13] Kashif, 4/170.
[14] A New Arabic Grammar of the Written Language, p. 86.
[15] Arabic-English Dictionary of Qur’anic Usage, p. 663.
[16] Mizan, 16/238; Munyah, 21/152.
[17] Munyah, 21/152.
[18] Tibyan, 8/288; Tabrisi, 8/507; Mizan, 16/238; Munyah, 21/152.
[19] Munyah, 21/152.
[20] Tibyan, 8/288.
[21] Kashif, 4/170.
[22] Tibyan, 8/289; Tabrisi, 8/507; Mizan, 16/238; Munyah, 21/152.
[23] Munyah, 21/152.
[24] Tabrisi, 8/507.
[25] Tabrisi, 8/507; Munyah, 21/153.
[26] Qummi, 2/167; Tabrisi, 8/507; Tibyan, 8/289; Mizan, 16/238; Munyah, 21/153.
[27] Tabrisi, 8/507; Tibyan, 8/289; Munyah, 21/153.
[28] Tabrisi, 8/507; Tibyan, 8/289; Munyah, 21/153.
[29] See the Exegesis section for the words taghurranna, yaghurranna, and al-gharūr.
[30] Munyah, 21/153.
[31] Mizan, 16/238; Munyah, 21/153.
[32] Tabrisi, 8/507; Munyah, 21/153.
[33] Mizan, 16/238.
[34] Tibyan, 8/289; Tabrisi, 8/507.
[35] Mizan, 16/238.
[36] Safi, 4/152.
[37] Mizan, 16/238.
[38] Cited in Mizan, 16/238.
[39] Tibyan, 8/289; Tabrisi, 8/507; Mizan, 16/238; Kashif, 4/170; Munyah, 21/153.
[40] Tibyan, 8/289; Tabrisi, 8/507.
[41] Kashif, 4/170.
[42] Tibyan, 8/289; Tabrisi, 8/507; Mizan, 16/238; Munyah, 21/153.
[43] Tibyan, 8/289; Mizan, 16/238.
[44] Nahj, saying 119.
[45] Nahj, letter 68.
[46] Cited in Mizan, 16/240.
[47] Safi, 4/152.