وَالَّذينَ اجتَنَبُوا الطّاغوتَ أَن يَعبُدوها وَأَنابوا إِلَى اللَّهِ لَهُمُ البُشرىٰ ۚ فَبَشِّر عِبادِ
As for those who stay clear of the worship of false gods and turn penitently to Allah, there is good news for them. So give good news to My servants.
EXEGESIS
Ṭāghūt is an exaggerated subject form, meaning one who defiantly contravenes the truth and disobeys God. It is from the root ṭ-gh-y, meaning to violate and transgress the limits. Ṭāghūt has appeared eight times in the Quran, where it is always set opposite to God. Hence, it can be interpreted as any force or source other than God, in the most general sense. Since Allah is the truth (22:6, 22:62, 24:25, 31:30), ṭāghūt would be a general title for everything that is false, void, and erroneous: So what is there after the truth except error? (10:32). Based on verse 4:76, one clear example of ṭāghūt is Satan, which also matches the lexical meaning of the term. Given the contrast between this verse and the previous verses – about worshipping other gods – ṭāghūt here can be interpreted as false gods.
Anābū: return to God in a state of remembrance, humility, and penitence. See the Exegesis of verse 8.
Al-bushrā: good news, good tidings. It is used in the definite form, referring to some known good news, which would be the tidings of salvation, success, and paradise. It could also mean all good news, in the most comprehensive sense, including the promises of reward given by the messengers (2:213, 3:194, 4:165, 6:48, 18:56), good tidings in this world and the next (10:64), good news by the angels (41:30), and the promise of the gardens of paradise (57:12). The condition to qualify for this unqualified good news is to disown other-than-God and to turn to Him alone; this is to have a sound heart (26:89) or penitent heart (50:33).
EXPOSITION
The previous verses talked about the losers, who worship other-than-God. This verse describes the opposite group: those who stay clear of the worship of false gods and turn penitently to Allah. As there is deterrence and warning for those who worship false Gods (verse 16), there is good news for the opposite group. These are the real servants of God and worthy of being described as God’s servants: So give good news to My servants.
The following verses provide more insight into the difference between subscribing to God as opposed to subscribing to false gods, and the consequences of each: So one who disavows the false gods and has faith in Allah has held fast to the firmest handle for which there is no breaking; and Allah is all-hearing, all-knowing. Allah is the guardian of the faithful: He brings them out of darkness into light. As for the faithless, their patrons are the false gods, who drive them out of light into darkness. They shall be the inmates of the fire, and they shall remain in it [forever] (2:256-257). Therefore, their good news is that they have held fast to the firmest handle for which there is no breaking, and that God is their guardian; He brings them out of darkness into light.
It is interesting that here, as well as in verse 2:256, staying clear of false gods is mentioned before turning to God. This is another representation of the most fundamental tenet in Islam: there is no god but God (lā ilāha ill-allāh). It shows that all that is needed is a negation of that which is false; otherwise, the truth is already there and established; one should only return back to it (30:30-31). In other words, one cannot turn toward God unless he first dissociates himself from falsehood. It can also be deduced that in one’s endeavour toward God, what comes first are things that should be avoided and abandoned, not things that should be performed or acquired.
One who’s distanced from his source and root,
One day he’ll return to his origin in pursuit.
The heart is no place for the opposites to host;
The angels will enter when you expel the ghost.
INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS
- And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein.
- To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
[1] Tahqiq; Raghib, under ṭ-gh-y.
[2] Zamakhshari, 4/120; Alusi, 12/242.
[3] Razi, 264/436.
[4] Qaraati, 8/156.
[5] Rūmī, Mathnawī, v. 1, line 4.
[6] Ḥāfiẓ, ghazal 232.
[7] Acts 14:15.
[8] Acts 26:18.