Tafsir for verse: 68:43
خَٰشِعَةً أَبۡصَٰرُهُمۡ تَرۡهَقُهُمۡ ذِلَّةٞۖ وَقَدۡ كَانُواْ يُدۡعَوۡنَ إِلَى ٱلسُّجُودِ وَهُمۡ سَٰلِمُونَ ٤٣ ﴿43
43With their eyes downcast, they will be enveloped by ignominy. They used to be called upon to prostrate when they were healthy (but they did not.)
AI-Assisted Translation: This translation was produced by AI agents carefully trained over several months and thoroughly reviewed. It does NOT replace the scholarship of traditional scholars and is intended as a step in the right direction to make classical tafsir more accessible. There may still be inaccuracies—please report them promptly so we can improve the translation quality.

Commentary

And when it was that perhaps someone thought that the preventer for them was arrogance, as in this world, he said, clarifying the negation of arrogance on this great day: ﴿Humble﴾ meaning submissive and humble ﴿Their eyes﴾ because what is in the heart is known in the eye. This is because the believers raise their heads and their faces are brighter than the sun, while the faces of the disbelievers and hypocrites are dark and gloomy.

And when the humble may have their humility for a good reason with them that led them to that along with honor, he said: ﴿Will cover them﴾ meaning it will envelop them and overpower them ﴿A great humiliation﴾ because they used the limbs that He, glorified and exalted is He, gave them to draw closer to Him in the abode of action to enjoy what is far from Him.

And when this phrase indicated a correspondence to what was mentioned in the authentic hadith that whoever has a disease in his heart in this world will have his back become one flat plate, and he will struggle with prostration, and whenever he wants it, he will turn to his back. He was astonished by them in their persistence in the oppression which is placing something in its wrong place, and he said: ﴿And indeed﴾ meaning while they ﴿were﴾ always with the established address ﴿Being called﴾ in this world by every caller calling to us ﴿to prostration, and they﴾ meaning they refuse it while they ﴿are safe﴾ meaning [they are -] able. There is nothing in their limbs that prevents that, but what prevents them from it is arrogance and pride. So the verse from [the intertwining -]: mentioning the lack of ability first indicates the omission of the ability second, and mentioning safety second indicates the omission of the lack of safety first.

Explore Other Scholars on This Verse

Compare different scholarly perspectives on Surah Al-Qalam verse 43

Al-Biqa'iBurhān ad-Dīn Ibrāhīm al-Biqāʿī
Learn more about Al-Biqa'i
5259 / 6181