The Believers — Verse 109
23:109 · al-Mu`minun
Verse display
إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ فَرِیقࣱ مِّنۡ عِبَادِی یَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَاۤ ءَامَنَّا فَٱغۡفِرۡ لَنَا وَٱرۡحَمۡنَا وَأَنتَ خَیۡرُ ٱلرَّ ٰحِمِینَ ١٠٩
innahu kāna farīqun min ʿibādī yaqūlūna rabbanā āmannā fa-igh'fir lanā wa-ir'ḥamnā wa-anta khayru l-rāḥimīn
The Believers / al-Mu`minun (23:109)
Connections 5 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 (5) cited by only one commentator
By commentator who cites how many verses on this ayah
-
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) 4 verses
-
Ma'arif-ul-Quran 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.
Among My servants there were those who said, “Lord, We believe. Forgive us and have mercy on us: You are the most merciful of all.”
innahu kāna farīqun min ʿibādī yaqūlūna rabbanā āmannā fa-igh'fir lanā wa-ir'ḥamnā wa-anta khayru l-rāḥimīn
Get a Print Copy
Support the Author
As an Amazon Associate, ParallelQuran earns from qualifying purchases.
Qur'an Tools
Tafsir Commentary
Allah's Response and Rejection of the Disbelievers
This is the response of Allah to the disbelievers when they ask Him to bring them out of the Fire and send them back to this world. He will say:
اخْسَئُواْ فِيهَا
(Remain you in it with ignominy!) meaning, abide therein, humiliated, despised and scorned.
وَلاَ تُكَلِّمُونِ
(And speak you not to Me!) means, `do not ask for this again, for I will not respond to you. Al-`Awfi reported from Ibn `Abbas concerning this Ayah,
اخْسَئُواْ فِيهَا وَلاَ تُكَلِّمُونِ
(Remain you in it with ignominy! And speak you not to Me!) "These are the words of Ar-Rahman when silencing them." Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that `Abdullah bin `Amr said, "The people of Hell will call on Malik for forty years, and he will not answer them. Then he will respond and tell them that they are to abide therein. By Allah, their cries will mean nothing to Malik or to the Lord of Malik. Then they will call on their Lord and will say,
قَالُواْ رَبَّنَا غَلَبَتْ عَلَيْنَا شِقْوَتُنَا وَكُنَّا قَوْماً ضَآلِّينَ - رَبَّنَآ أَخْرِجْنَا مِنْهَا فَإِنْ عُدْنَا فَإِنَّا ظَـلِمُونَ
(Our Lord! Our wretchedness overcame us, and we were (an) erring people. Our Lord! Bring us out of this. If ever we return (to evil), then indeed we shall be wrongdoers.) 23:106-107 Allah will not answer them for a time span equivalent to twice the duration of this world. Then He will reply:
اخْسَئُواْ فِيهَا وَلاَ تُكَلِّمُونِ
(Remain you in it with ignominy! And speak you not to Me!) By Allah, the people will not utter a single word after that, and they will merely be in the Fire of Hell, sighing in a high and low tone. Their voices are likened to those of donkeys, which start in a high tone and end in a low tone." Then Allah will remind them of their sins in this world and how they used to make fun of His believing servants and close friends:
إِنَّهُ كَانَ فَرِيقٌ مِّنْ عِبَادِى يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَآ ءَامَنَّا فَاغْفِرْ لَنَا وَارْحَمْنَا وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ الرَحِمِينَ فَاتَّخَذْتُمُوهُمْ سِخْرِيّاً
(Verily, there was a party of My servants who used to say: "Our Lord! We believe, so forgive us and have mercy on us, for You are the Best of all who show mercy!" But you took them for a laughing stock,) meaning, `you made fun of them for calling on Me and praying to Me,'
حَتَّى أَنسَوْكُمْ ذِكْرِى
(so much so that they made you forget My remembrance) means, your hatred for them made you forget what I would do to you.
وَكُنْتُمْ مِّنْهُمْ تَضْحَكُونَ
(while you used to laugh at them!) means, at their deeds and worship. This is like the Ayah:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ أَجْرَمُواْ كَانُواْ مِنَ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ يَضْحَكُونَ - وَإِذَا مَرُّواْ بِهِمْ يَتَغَامَزُونَ
(Verily, those who committed crimes used to laugh at those who believed. And, whenever they passed by them, used to wink one to another.) 83:29-30 meaning, they used to slander them in mockery. Then Allah tells us how He will reward His friends and righteous servants, and says:
إِنِّى جَزَيْتُهُمُ الْيَوْمَ بِمَا صَبَرُواْ
(Verily, I have rewarded them this Day for their patience;) meaning, `for the harm and mockery that you inflicted on them,
أَنَّهُمْ هُمُ الْفَآئِزُونَ
(they are indeed the ones that are successful.) I have caused them to attain the victory of joy, safety, Paradise and salvation from the Fire.'
Indeed there was a party of My servants — namely the Emigrants — who would say “Our Lord we believe; therefore forgive us and have mercy on us for You are the best of the merciful”.
إنه كان فريق من عبادي- وهم المؤمنون- يَدْعون: ربنا آمنا فاستر ذنوبنا، وارحمنا، وأنت خير الراحمين.
فقال تعالى " إنه كان فريق من عبادي يقولون ربنا آمنا فاغفر لنا وارحمنا وأنت خير الراحمين فاتخذتموهم سخريا " أي فسخرتم منهم في دعائهم إياي وتضرعهم إلي " حتى أنسوكم ذكري " أي حملكم بغضهم علي أن نسيتم معاملتي " وكنتم منهم تضحكون " أي من صنيعهم وعبادتهم كما قال تعالى " إن الذين أجرموا كانوا من الذين آمنوا يضحكون وإذا مروا بهم يتغامزون " أي يلمزونهم استهزاء ثم أخبر تعالى عما جازى به أولياءه وعباده الصالحين.
وقوله - تعالى - ( إِنَّهُ كَانَ فَرِيقٌ مِّنْ عِبَادِي يَقُولُونَ . . . ) تعليل لزجرهم عن طلب الخروج أى : اخسأوا فى النار ولا تكلمون ، لأنه كان فى الدنيا فريق كبير من عبادى المؤمنين يقولون بإخلاص ورجاء : ( رَبَّنَآ آمَنَّا ) بك واتبعنا رسلك ( فاغفر لَنَا ) ذنوبنا ( وارحمنا ) برحمتك التى وسعت كل شىء ( وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ الراحمين ) .
يقول تعالى ذكره: ( إِنَّهُ ) وهذه الهاء في قوله " إنه " هي الهاء التي يسميها أهل العربية المجهولة، وقد بينت معناها فيما مضى قبلُ. ومعنى دخولها في الكلام، بما أغنى عن إعادته في هذا الموضع ( كَانَ فَرِيقٌ مِنْ عِبَادِي ) يقول: كانت جماعة من عبادي، وهم أهل الإيمان بالله، يقولون في الدنيا: ( رَبَّنَا آمَنَّا ) بك وبرسلك، وما جاءوا به من عندك ( فَاغْفِرْ لَنَا وَارْحَمْنَا ) وأنت خير من رحم أهل البلاء، فلا تعذبنا بعذابك.
( إنه ) الهاء في " إنه " عماد وتسمى أيضا المجهولة ، ( كان فريق من عبادي ) وهم المؤمنون ( يقولون ربنا آمنا فاغفر لنا وارحمنا وأنت خير الراحمين)
إِنَّهُ كَانَ فَرِيقٌ مِنْ عِبَادِي يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا آَمَنَّا فَاغْفِرْ لَنَا وَارْحَمْنَا وَأَنْتَ خَيْرُ الرَّاحِمِينَ (109) وجملة { إنه كان فريق من عبادي } إلى آخرها استئناف قصد منه إغاظتهم بمقابلة حالهم يوم العذاب بحال الذين أنعم الله عليهم ، وتحسيرُهم على ما كانوا يعاملون به المسلمين .والإخبار في قوله : { إنه كان فريق من عبادي } إلى قوله : { سخرياً } مستعمل في كون المتكلم عالماً بمضمون الخبر بقرينة أن المخاطب يعلم أحوال نفسه . وتأكيد الخبر ب ( إن ) وضمير الشأن للتعجيل بإرهابهم .
ثم ذكر الحال التي أوصلتهم إلى العذاب، وقطعت عنهم الرحمة فقال: { إِنَّهُ كَانَ فَرِيقٌ مِنْ عِبَادِي يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا آمَنَّا فَاغْفِرْ لَنَا وَارْحَمْنَا وَأَنْتَ خَيْرُ الرَّاحِمِينَ } فجمعوا بين الإيمان المقتضي لأعماله الصالحة، والدعاء لربهم بالمغفرة والرحمة، والتوسل إليه بربوبيته، ومنته عليهم بالإيمان، والإخبار بسعة رحمته، وعموم إحسانه، وفي ضمنه، ما يدل على خضوعهم وخشوعهم، وانكسارهم لربهم، وخوفهم ورجائهم.
الآية .قال مجاهد : هم بلال وخباب وصهيب , وفلان وفلان من ضعفاء المسلمين ; كان أبو جهل وأصحابه يهزءون بهم .
During the life of this world, when the realities of the Hereafter were still hidden, there were still some servants of God who had recognised God in all His Majesty and perfection. In spite of hearing the call for Truth in a purely abstract form, supported only by rational arguments, they believed in it. But they had to pay the price for believing in an alien Truth in that they became the subject of ridicule in their immediate surroundings. Despite this, they did not break off this attachment. Such steadfastness in thinking is the greatest form of patience and the reward for this is paradise in the life hereafter.
وَلَا تُكَلِّمُونِ (Do not speak to Me - 23:108). According to Hasan al-Basri (رح) these will be the last words of the people who are cast in hell and in reply Allah will say, "Do not speak to Me." After this they will not be able to speak like human beings, but will make animal sounds to each other. Baihaqi and others have quoted Muhammad Ibn Ka` b as saying that the Qur'an mentions five requests made by the people condemned to hell. Out of the five, replies were furnished to four, but in reply to the fifth Allah commanded them not to speak to Him. Thus these are the last words to be uttered by them after which they will not be able to speak. (Mazhari)
(Lo! there was a party of My) believing (slaves who said: Our Lord!) O our Lord! (We believe) in You, in Your Messenger and in Your Book, (therefore forgive us) our sins (and have mercy on us) by not punishing us (for Thou art Best of all who show mercy) You are more merciful towards us than our own parents;