The Believers — Verse 40
23:40 · al-Mu`minun
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قَالَ عَمَّا قَلِیلࣲ لَّیُصۡبِحُنَّ نَـٰدِمِینَ ٤٠
qāla ʿammā qalīlin layuṣ'biḥunna nādimīn
The Believers / al-Mu`minun (23:40)
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
By commentator who cites how many verses on this ayah
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Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) 2 verses
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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.
and so God said, ‘Soon they will be filled with regret.’
qāla ʿammā qalīlin layuṣ'biḥunna nādimīn
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Tafsir Commentary
The Story of `Ad or Thamud
Allah tells us that after the people of Nuh, He created another nation. It was said that this was `Ad, because they were the successors of the people of Nuh. Or it was said that they were Thamud, because Allah says:
فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ الصَّيْحَةُ بِالْحَقِّ
(So, the Sayhah overtook them in truth.) Allah sent to them a Messenger from among themselves, and he called them to worship Allah Alone with no partner or associate, but they belied him, opposed him and refused to follow him because he was a human being like them, and they refused to follow a human Messenger. They did not believe in the meeting with Allah on the Day of Resurrection and they denied the idea of physical resurrection. They said:
أَيَعِدُكُمْ أَنَّكُمْ إِذَا مِتٌّمْ وَكُنتُمْ تُرَاباً وَعِظـماً أَنَّكُمْ مُّخْرَجُونَ - هَيْهَاتَ هَيْهَاتَ لِمَا تُوعَدُونَ
(Does he promise you that when you have died and have become dust and bones, you shall come out alive (resurrected) Far, very far is that which you are promised!) meaning, very unlikely.
إِنْ هُوَ إِلاَّ رَجُلٌ افتَرَى عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِباً
(He is only a man who has invented a lie against Allah,) meaning, `in the Message he has brought to you, and his warnings and promise of resurrection.'
وَمَا نَحْنُ لَهُ بِمُؤْمِنِينَقَالَ رَبِّ انصُرْنِى بِمَا كَذَّبُونِ
(and we are not going to believe in him. He said: "O my Lord! Help me because they deny me.") meaning, the Messenger ﷺ prayed against his people and asked his Lord to help him against them. His Lord answered his prayer:
قَالَ عَمَّا قَلِيلٍ لَّيُصْبِحُنَّ نَـدِمِينَ
((Allah) said: "In a little while, they are sure to be regretful.") meaning, `for their opposition towards you and their stubborn rejection of the Message you brought to them.'
فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ الصَّيْحَةُ بِالْحَقِّ
(So, The Sayhah overtook them in truth,) meaning, they deserved that from Allah because of their disbelief and wrongdoing. The apparent meaning is that the Sayhah was combined with the furious cold wind,
تُدَمِّرُ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ بِأَمْرِ رَبِّهَا فَأْصْبَحُواْ لاَ يُرَى إِلاَّ مَسَـكِنُهُمْ
(Destroying everything by the command of its Lord! So they became such that nothing could be seen except their dwellings!) 46:25
فَجَعَلْنَـهُمْ غُثَآءً
(and We made them as rubbish of dead plants.) means, they are dead and destroyed, like the scum and rubbish left by a flood, i.e., something insignificant and useless that is of no benefit to anyone.
فَبُعْداً لِّلْقَوْمِ الظَّـلِمِينَ
(So, away with the people who are wrongdoers.) As Allah's statement:
وَمَا ظَلَمْنَـهُمْ وَلَـكِن كَانُواْ هُمُ الظَّـلِمِينَ
(We wronged them not, but they were the wrongdoers.) 43:76 means, who are wrongdoers because of their disbelief and stubborn opposition to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, so let those who hear this beware of disbelieving in their Messengers.
He said ‘In a little while of time ‘ammā the mā is extra they will become remorseful’ about their disbelief and their denial.
وقال الله مجيبًا لدعوته: عمَّا قليل ليصبحُنَّ نادمين، أي: بعد زمن قريب سيصير هؤلاء المكذبون نادمين.
" قال عما قليل ليصبحن نادمين" أي بمخالفتك وعنادك فيما جئتهم به.
وجاءت الاستجابة من الله - تعالى - لهذا النبى ، كما جاءت لأخيه نوح من قبله ، ويحكى القرآن ذلك فيقول : ( قَالَ عَمَّا قَلِيلٍ لَّيُصْبِحُنَّ نَادِمِينَ ) .أى : قال الله - عز وجل - لنبيه : لقد أجبنا دعاءك أيها النبى الكريم ، وبعد وقت قليل من الزمان . ليصبحن نادمين أشد الندم على أقوالهم الباطلة ، وأفعالهم القبيحة ، ولكن هذا الندم لن ينفعهم لأنه جاء فى غير أوانه .والجار والمجرور فى قوله ( عَمَّا قَلِيلٍ ) متعلق بقوله : ( لَّيُصْبِحُنَّ نَادِمِينَ ) أى : ليصبحن عن زمن قليل نادمين ، و " عن " هنا بمعنى بعد ، و " ما " جىء بها لتأكيد معنى القلة .وأكد - سبحانه - قوله ( لَّيُصْبِحُنَّ ) بلام القسم ونون التوكيد ، لبيان أن هذا الوعيد آت لا ريب فيه ، وفى وقت قريب .
قال الله له مجيبًا في مسألته إياه ما سأله: عن قليل يا صالح ليصبحن مكذبوك من قومك على تكذيبهم إياك نادمين، وذلك حين تَنـزل بهم فتنتنا فلا ينفعهم الندم.
( قال عما قليل ) أي : عن قليل ، و " ما " صلة ، ( ليصبحن ) ليصيرن ، ( نادمين ) على كفرهم وتكذيبهم .
قَالَ عَمَّا قَلِيلٍ لَيُصْبِحُنَّ نَادِمِينَ (40)فمعنى { عما قليل ليصبحن نادمين } : أن إصباحهم نادمين يتجاوز زمناً قليلاً : أي من زمان التكلم وهو تجاوز مجازي بحرف ( عن ) مستعار لمعنى ( بَعْد ) استعارة تبعيَّة . و { ما } زائدة للتوكيد .و { قليل } صفة لموصوف محذوف دل عليه السياق أو فعل الإصباح الذي هو من أفعال الزمن فوعد الله هذا الرسول نصراً عاجلاً .وندمهم يكون عند رؤية مبدأ الاستئصال ولا ينفعهم ندمهم بعد حلول العذاب .والإصباح هنا مراد به زمن الصباح لا معنى الصيرورة بدليل قوله في سورة الحجر ( 83 ) { فأخذتهم الصيحة مصبحين . }
. { قَالَ } الله مجيبا لدعوته: { عَمَّا قَلِيلٍ لَيُصْبِحُنَّ نَادِمِينَ }
قَالَ عَمَّا قَلِيلٍأي عن قليل , و " ما " زائدة مؤكدة .لَيُصْبِحُنَّ نَادِمِينَعلى كفرهم , واللام لام القسم ; أي والله ليصبحن .
The declaration of truth for which a prophet of God makes his appearance is the most serious reality of this world. But the prophet announces this reality only in the form of reasoning. The real believers are those who recognise the truth at a rational level and surrender themselves to it. When a group conclusively proves that it is not capable of recognising the Truth in the form of reasoning, God reveals the Truth in the form of a blast (saihah). The Truth becomes such a loud roar that nobody has the strength to face it. But, when this stage is reached, i.e. when Truth appears in the shape of the roar, it is the hour of retribution and not an opportunity for the acceptance of the Truth. All that is left for man to do then, is to repent and pay for his foolishness for all eternity. For, despite seeing, he was blind, and despite hearing, he was dumb to the voice of Truth.
إِنْ هِيَ إِلَّا حَيَاتُنَا الدُّنْيَا نَمُوتُ وَنَحْيَا وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمَبْعُوثِينَ
There is nothing but our worldly life. We die and we live and we are not to be raised again. - 23:37
This is the argument which the unbelievers advance when denying belief in the Day of Judgment. Those who deny it publicly are confirmed infidels, but it is very unfortunate that many Muslims also act in a manner that the same denial can be felt from their deeds and actions. They seem to be totally oblivious of the coming in of the Hereafter. May Allah Ta'ala grant them faith to release themselves from the clutches of this belief of theirs.
(He said) Allah said: (In a little while they surely will become repentant) they will regret their disbelief when the chastisement seizes them.