Commentary
'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' He, the Exalted, said: "So on that Day, the excuse of those who wronged will not benefit them, nor will they be asked to appease [Allah]." "And certainly We have set forth for mankind in this Qur'an every kind of example. And if you bring them a sign, the disbelievers will surely say, 'You are only falsifiers.'" "Thus Allah seals the hearts of those who do not know." "So be patient; indeed, the promise of Allah is true. And let not those who have no certainty make you feel weak." This is news about the horror of the Day of Resurrection and the severity of its conditions upon the disbelievers; that their excuses will not benefit them, nor will they be given appeasement, which is contentment. And 'they will not be asked to appease' means: they will not be asked to seek appeasement, as you say: 'he possesses' and 'he seeks possession.' The form 'استفعل' indicates a request for something, and this is not the case here; because the meaning would be corrupted if it were understood as: 'and they will not seek appeasement from them.' And 'Aasim' and 'Al-Amash' read: 'will not benefit' with a 'ya' as He, the Exalted, said: "So whoever receives an admonition from his Lord and refrains..." [Al-Baqarah: 275]. And this is also good with the distinction between the verb and what is attributed to it, as the poet said: 'Will the submission return or will the blindness be lifted? Three supports and the barren lands?' Then He, the Exalted, informed about the hardness of their hearts and the arrogance of their natures, that He set forth for them every kind of example and clarified to them the truth. Yet, despite that, they disbelieve, persist, and wander in their disbelief, describing the people of truth as falsifiers. Then He, the Exalted, informed that this is only from His sealing and stamping upon the hearts of the ignorant, who have been destined for disbelief from eternity. Abu Ubaidah went to say that it is from their saying: 'The sword has rusted,' meaning: it has rusted severely. Then He, the Exalted, commanded His Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, to be patient, and strengthened his soul to fulfill the promise, and forbade him from being shaken by their words, or from moving and being disturbed by their statements; since they have no certainty or insight. And Ibn Abi Ishaq and Ya'qub read: 'they will not make you feel weak' with a non-emphasized 'ha' and a 'qaf', from 'حق' (entitlement), while the majority read it with an emphasized 'kha' and 'fa', from 'استخفاف' (making light of). However, Ibn Abi Ishaq and Ya'qub paused the 'noon' in 'they will not make you feel weak'. It has been narrated that Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, was in the Fajr prayer, and a man from the Khawarij called out to him loudly, and he recited this verse: "And indeed, it has been revealed to you and to those before you: 'If you associate others with Allah, your work will surely become worthless, and you will surely be among the losers.'" [Az-Zumar: 65]. So Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, understood his intent in this and his insinuation, and he responded to him while in prayer with this verse: "So be patient; indeed, the promise of Allah is true. And let not those who have no certainty make you feel weak." The interpretation of Surah Ar-Rum is complete, and all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. And may Allah send blessings upon our master Muhammad and his family and companions and grant them peace.
Explore Other Scholars on This Verse
Compare different scholarly perspectives on Surah Ar-Rum verse 58