The Prophets — Verse 41
21:41 · al-Anbiya`
Verse display
وَلَقَدِ ٱسۡتُهۡزِئَ بِرُسُلࣲ مِّن قَبۡلِكَ فَحَاقَ بِٱلَّذِینَ سَخِرُوا۟ مِنۡهُم مَّا كَانُوا۟ بِهِۦ یَسۡتَهۡزِءُونَ ٤١
walaqadi us'tuh'zi-a birusulin min qablika faḥāqa bi-alladhīna sakhirū min'hum mā kānū bihi yastahziūn
The Prophets / al-Anbiya` (21:41)
Connections 3 single-source 2 commentators
Multi-source connections
No verses on this ayah are cited by 2 or more commentators using numeric S:A notation. All extracted references come from a single source's commentary.
Single-source mentions (3) cited by only one commentator
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Q 6:34 (al-An`am)
cited by
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Q 17:11 (al-Isra`)
cited by
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Q 21:37 (al-Anbiya`)
cited by
By commentator who cites how many verses on this ayah
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Ma'arif-ul-Quran 2 verses 3 mentions total
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Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) 1 verse
Note: these connections are extracted from numeric S:A references inside the commentary text and are therefore biased toward mufassirun who use that notation. Prose-style references (e.g. "Surat al-Baqarah verse 30") will be added later, which should surface additional multi-source consensus.
Messengers before you [Muhammad] were also ridiculed, but those who mocked them were overwhelmed in the end by the very thing they had mocked
walaqadi us'tuh'zi-a birusulin min qablika faḥāqa bi-alladhīna sakhirū min'hum mā kānū bihi yastahziūn
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Tafsir Commentary
The Lessons to be learned from Those Who mocked the Messengers in the Past
Allah says consoling His Messenger for the pain and insult caused by the mockery and disbelief of the idolators,
وَلَقَدِ اسْتُهْزِىءَ بِرُسُلٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَحَاقَ بِالَّذِينَ سَخِرُواْ مِنْهُمْ مَّا كَانُواْ بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ
(Indeed (many) Messengers were mocked before you, but the scoffers were surrounded by what they used to mock.) meaning, the punishment which they thought would never come to pass. This is like the Ayah:
وَلَقَدْ كُذِّبَتْ رُسُلٌ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَصَبَرُواْ عَلَى مَا كُذِّبُواْ وَأُوذُواْ حَتَّى أَتَـهُمْ نَصْرُنَا وَلاَ مُبَدِّلَ لِكَلِمَـتِ اللَّهِ وَلَقدْ جَآءَكَ مِن نَّبَإِ الْمُرْسَلِينَ
(Verily, Messengers were denied before you, but with patience they bore the denial, and they were hurt; till Our help reached them, and none can alter the Words of Allah. Surely, there has reached you the information (news) about the Messengers (before you)) 6:34. Then Allah menitons His favor for His creatures; He protects them by night and by day, taking care of them and watching over them with His Eye that never sleeps.
قُلْ مَن يَكْلَؤُكُم بِالَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ مِنَ الرَّحْمَـنِ
(Say: "Who can guard and protect you in the night or in the day from the Most Gracious") means, other than the Most Gracious Himself
بَلْ هُمْ عَن ذِكْرِ رَبِّهِمْ مُّعْرِضُونَ
(Nay, but they turn away from the remembrance of their Lord.) means, they do not recognize the blessings and favor of Allah towards them; they turn away from His signs and blessings.
أَمْ لَهُمْ آلِهَةٌ تَمْنَعُهُمْ مِّن دُونِنَا
(Or have they gods who can guard them from Us) This is a rhetorical question aimed at denouncing and rebuking. The meaning is, do they have any gods who can protect them and take care of them other than Us It is not as they imagine or as they claim. Allah says:
لاَ يَسْتَطِيعُونَ نَصْرَ أَنْفُسِهِمْ
(They have no power to help themselves,) these gods on whom they rely instead of Allah cannot even help themselves.
وَلاَ هُمْ مِّنَّا يُصْحَبُونَ
(nor can they be protected from Us.) Al-`Awfi reported from Ibn `Abbas,"Nor can they be guarded from Us."
And verily messengers before you were derided — herein is a statement to comfort the Prophet s — but those who mocked them were encircled by it was sent down against them that which they used to deride namely chastisement — likewise it shall befall those who have derided you.
ولقد استهزئ برسل مِن قبلك أيها الرسول، فحلَّ بالذين كانوا يستهزئون العذاب الذي كان مَثار سخريتهم واستهزائهم.
يقول تعالى مسليا لرسوله عما آذاه به المشركون من الاستهزاء والتكذيب " ولقد استهزئ برسل من قبلك فحاق بالذين سخروا منهم ما كانوا به يستهزءون " يعني من العذاب الذي كانوا يستبعدون وقوعه كما قال تعالى " ولقد كذبت رسل من قبلك فصبروا على ما كذبوا وأوذوا حتى أتاهم نصرنا ولا مبدل لكلمات الله ولقد جاءك من نبأ المرسلين".
ثم ختم - سبحانه - الآيات الكريمة بتسلية النبى - صلى الله عليه وسلم - عما أصابه من هؤلاء المشركين ، فقال : ( وَلَقَدِ استهزىء بِرُسُلٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَحَاقَ بالذين سَخِرُواْ مِنْهُمْ مَّا كَانُواْ بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ ) .أى : ولقد استهزىء - أيها الرسول الكريم - برسل كثيرين من قبلك ، فنزل بهؤلاء المشركين المستهزئين برسلهم ، العذاب الذى كانوا يستهزئون به فى الدنيا ، ويستعجلون رسلهم فى نزوله .وصدرت الآية الكريمة بلام القسم وقد ، لزيادة تحقيق مضمونها وتأكيده ، وتنوين الرسل : للتفخيم والتكثير ، أى : والله لقد استهزىء برسل كثيرين ذوى شأن خطير كائنين فى زمان قبل زمانك .وعبر - سبحانه - بالفعل حاق ، لأن هذه المادة تستعمل فى إحاطة المكروه ، فلا يقال : فلان حاق به الخير ، ولأنها تدل على الشمول واللزوم .أى : فنزل بهم العذاب الذى كانوا يستهزئون به فى الدنيا نزولا شاملا ، أحاط بهم من كل جهة إحاطة تامة .وبذلك تكون الآيات الكريمة ، قد بينت جانبا من سنن الله - تعالى - فى خلقه ، وحكت بعض الأفعال القبيحة التى كان المشركون يفعلونها مع النبى - صلى الله عليه وسلم - وهددتهم عليها تهديدا شديدا ، وسلّت النبى - صلى الله عليه وسلم - عما ارتكبوه فى حقه .
يقول تعالى ذكره لنبيه محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم: إن يتخذك يا محمد هؤلاء القائلون لك: هل هذا إلا بشر مثلكم، أفتأتون السحر وأنتم تبصرون، إذ رأوك هُزُوا ويقولون: هذا الذي يذكر آلهتكم كفرا منهم بالله، واجتراء عليه، فلقد استهزئ برسل من رسلنا الذين أرسلناهم من قبلك إلى أممهم، يقول: فوجب ونـزل بالذين استهزءوا بهم، وسخروا منهم من أممهم ما كانوا به يستهزئون : يقول جلّ ثناؤه: حلّ بهم الذي كانوا به يستهزءون من البلاء والعذاب الذي كانت رسلهم تخوّفهم نـزوله بهم، يستهزءون: يقول جلّ ثناؤه، فلن يعدو هؤلاء المستهزءون بك من هؤلاء الكفرة أن يكونوا كأسلافهم من الأمم المكذّبة رسلها، فينـزل بهم من عذاب الله وسخطه باستهزائهم بك نظير الذي نـزل بهم.
( ولقد استهزئ برسل من قبلك فحاق ) نزل ، ( بالذين سخروا منهم ما كانوا به يستهزئون ) أي : جزاء استهزائهم .
وَلَقَدِ اسْتُهْزِئَ بِرُسُلٍ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ فَحَاقَ بِالَّذِينَ سَخِرُوا مِنْهُمْ مَا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ (41)عطف على جملة { سأريكم آياتي } [ الأنبياء : 37 ] تطمين للنبيء صلى الله عليه وسلم وتسلية له . ومناسبة عطفها على جملة { لو يعلم الذين كفروا حين لا يكفون عن وجوههم النار } [ الأنبياء : 39 ] إلى آخرها ظاهرة .وقد تقدم نظير هذه الآية في أوائل سورة الأنعام .
قوله : ولقد استهزئ برسل من قبلك فحاق بالذين سخروا منهم ما كانوا به يستهزئونقوله تعالى : ولقد استهزئ برسل من قبلك هذا تسلية للنبي - صلى الله عليه وسلم - وتعزية له . يقول : إن استهزأ بك هؤلاء ، فقد استهزئ برسل من قبلك ، فاصبر كما صبروا . ثم وعده النصر فقال : فحاق أي أحاط ودار بالذين كفروا و سخروا منهم وهزءوا بهم ما كانوا به يستهزئون أي جزاء استهزائهم .
The people of Arabia, although believers in the life hereafter, denied that concept of the Hereafter, as described by the Prophet Muhammad. They were proud to be followers of a religion which guaranteed their success. When the Prophet contradicted this firm belief of theirs, they became incensed. Making a show of fearlessness, they said, ‘Show us the retribution of God with which you are threatening us.’ God says that their haste was entirely due to the fact that they were still in the process of being tested, and as such, were distanced from God’s retribution. But when this period of respite ended and they were overwhelmed by God’s punishment, it would dawn on them that they had committed a huge blunder in not taking the Prophet’s words seriously.
Haste is undesirable
خُلِقَ الْإِنسَانُ مِنْ عَجَلٍ (Man is made of haste. - 21:37). عَجَل ('ajal) means haste or hurry. The word is used in situations when one desires things to happen before their time, and this trait is bad by its very nature. In another place also the word is used to denote human weakness. For instance وَكَانَ الْإِنسَانُ عَجُولًا i.e. Man is prone to haste - 17:11, meaning that he is very impatient. When Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) went to the mount Tur in a hurry leaving his people behind, he was censured by Allah Ta` ala.
Prophets (علیہم السلام) and the devout people who try to excel each other in the performance of righteous deeds have been commended and their zeal to do good deeds does not constitute haste and hurry because they do not try to do these deeds before their time. In fact they do the deeds on time, but try to excel each other in quantity and quality.
Here خُلِقَ الْإِنسَانُ مِنْ عَجَلٍ (Man is made of haste - 21:37) means that haste and hurry is one of the many weaknesses which are inherent in human nature. When a man is identified by some intrinsic trait of his character, me Arabs used to say that he is 'made of that trait. For instance a short tempered man would be called a 'man made of anger'.
سَأُرِيكُمْ آيَاتِي فَلَا تَسْتَعْجِلُونِ (I shall show you my signs -.21:37) Here the word آیات (signs) refers to those miracles and events which bear evidence to the honesty of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and the truth of his message. (Qurtubi)
These miracles also occurred during the battle of Badr (غزوہ بدر) when the Muslims who were considered weak and worthy of contempt gained a great victory over their enemies.
(Messengers before thee, indeed, were mocked) the messengers who came before you, O Muhammad, were mocked by their people just as your people are mocking you, (but that whereat they mocked) the chastisement they mocked; it is also said that this means: they were chastised because of their mockery, (surrounded) was decreed and came down upon (those who scoffed at them) those who mocked the prophets.