SURAH (40) MU'MIN (AYA 1 to 20)

Sura (40) MU’MIN / GHAAFIR (The Believer) Aya 1 to 85 in 9 Sections

Revealed in Makka

SECTION 1

The Revelation of the Qur’an

Qur’an, the Book revealed from ALLAH (SWT) ---Attributes of ALLAH (SWT)---Those who belied the apostle of ALLAH (SWT) were seized and chastised---The Angels around the ‘Arsh’ or the throne of Supreme Authority celebrate the praise of the Lord and seek forgiveness for the believers.

حم {40:1}

[Q40:1] Haa-Meeem. 
[Q40:1] Ha Mim.

[Q40:1] Haa, Miim.

For Ha Mim (huruf muqatta-at) refer to the commentary of Baqarah 2:1. This surah and the following six surahs begin with two letter-symbols--- the use of which is peculiar only to Qur’an, are mere conjectures. They are closed secrets known only to ALLAH (SWT)’s chosen ones.

v  The HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) on being asked by a man about these two letters Ha Meem, said---It is a secret between ‘Rahman’ (The Beneficent ALLAH (SWT)) and His Apostle ‘Muhammad’.

However, it is universally acknowledged that the regular recital of this chapter has been highly commended by the HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) and the Holy Imams saying the reciter of this surah will be blessed with the protection against his enemies, with abundance in his sustenance and the pardon of his sins.

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(40:1) Ha’. Mim.

تَنْزِيلُ الْكِتَابِ مِنَ اللَّهِ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ {40:2}

[Q40:2] Tanzeelul Kitaabi minaL Laahil Azeezil 'Aleemi, 
[Q40:2] The revelation of the Book is from ALLAH (SWT), the Mighty, the Knowing,

[Q40:2] Turunnya Al-Quran ini dari ALLAH (SwT) Yang Maha Kuasa, lagi Maha Mengetahui;

Refer to the commentary of Zumar 39:1 and 2.

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(40:2) This Book is a revelation from Allah, the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing;

غَافِرِ الذَّنْبِ وَقَابِلِ التَّوْبِ شَدِيدِ الْعِقَابِ ذِي الطَّوْلِ ۖ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ إِلَيْهِ الْمَصِيرُ {40:3}

[Q40:3] Ghaafiriz zambi wa qaabilit tawbi shadeedil 'iqaabi zit tawli laaa ilaaha illaa Huwa ilaihil Maseer. 
[Q40:3] The Forgiver of the faults and the Acceptor of repentance, Severe to punish, Lord of bounty; there is no God but He; to Him is the eventual coming.

[Q40:3] Yang Mengampunkan dosa dan Yang Menerima taubat; Yang Berat azabNya; Yang Melimpah-limpah kurniaNya; tiada Tuhan melainkan Dia; kepadaNyalah tempat kembali. 

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(40:3) the Forgiver of sins, the Accepter of repentance, the Stern in retribution, the Bountiful. There is no god but He. To Him are all destined to return. *1

*1 This is the introduction to the discourse. By this the listener has been forewarned to the effect: °WHAT IS BEING PRESENTED BEFORE YOU, IS NOT THE WORD OF AN ORDINARY BEING BUT OF THAT GOD WHO HAS INFINITE POWER." After this, some of Allah's attributes have been mentioned, one after the other, which bear a deep relevance to the following theme: First, that He is "ALL-MIGHTY", i.e. He is Dominant over everything. His every decree concerning anybody is always enforced; none can fight Him and win; none can escape His grasp. Therefore, a person who expects to be successful after turning away from His Command and expects to frustrate His Message after having a dispute with Him is himself foolish. Such notions are only deceptions. Second, that He is "ALL-KNOWING", i.e. He does not say anything on mere conjecture, but has the direct knowledge of everything. Therefore, whatever information He gives about the supernatural realities, is ture, and the one who does not accept it, is following nothing but ignorance. Likewise, He knows in what lies the true success of tnan and what rules and laws and commands are necessary for his well-being. His every teaching is based on wisdom and correct knowledge, which dces not admit of any error. Therefore, if a person does not acecpt His guidance, he only wants to follow the path of his own ruin. Then, nothing from the acts and deeds of man can remain hidden from Him; so much so that He even knows the intentions of man, which arc the real motives of his deeds. Therefore, man can never escape His punishment. The third attribute is that He is "FORGIVER OF SIN AND ACCEPTOR OF REPENTANCE." This attribute brings hope and causes inducement, which has been mentioned so that the people who have led lives of sin, should not despair but should reform themselves with the hope that if they refrained from their behaviour even now, they could still be redeemed by Allah's mercy. Here, one should understand well that forgiving of sins and accepting of repentance are not necessarily one and the same thing, but in most cases Allah forgives sins even without the repentance. For example, a person commits errors as well as does good, and his good acts become the means of forgiveness for his mistakes, whether or not he had opportunity to show repentance for the errors, but might even have forgotten them. Likewise, all the troubles and hardships and diseases and calamities that afflict man and cause him grief in the world, serve as penance for his mistakes. That is why mention of forgiveness of sins has been made separately from the acceptance of repentance. But one should remember that the concession of forgiveness of errors without repentance only refers to those believers, who are free from defiance and who committed sins due to human weakness and not persistence in pride and sin. The fourth attribute is that "HE IS STERN IN PUNISHMENT." By this the people have been warned that just as Allah is Merciful for those who adopt the way of His service, so He is stern for those who adopt an attitude of rebellion against Him. When a person (or persons) transgresses the limits where he can still deserve pardon and forgiveness from Allah, then he becomes worthy of His punishment, and His punishment is so dreadful that only a fool would persist in his wrongdoing.
The fifth attribute is that "HE IS BOUNTIFUL", i.e. He is Generous and Beneficent: all creatures are being showered with His blessings and favours every moment: whatever the servants are getting, they are getting only through His bounty and beneficence. After these five attributes, two realities have been stated expressly: (1) That none but Allah is the Deity no matter how many false gods the people might have set up; and (2) that to Him everyone must return: there is no other deity which can call the people to account and reward or punish them. Therefore, if somebody makes another his deity, apart from Him, he will himself face the consequences of his folly. 

مَا يُجَادِلُ فِي آيَاتِ اللَّهِ إِلَّا الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فَلَا يَغْرُرْكَ تَقَلُّبُهُمْ فِي الْبِلَادِ {40:4}

[Q40:4] Maa yujaadilu feee AayaatiL Laahi illal lazeena kafaroo falaa yaghrurka taqallubuhum fil laad. 
[Q40:4] None dispute concerning the communications of ALLAH (SWT) but those who disbelieve, therefore let not their going to and fro in the cities deceive you.

[Q40:4] Tidak ada yang membantah mengenai ayat-ayat ALLAH (SwT) melainkan orang-orang yang kafir. Oleh itu janganlah engkau (wahai Muhammad) diperdayakan oleh kebebasan mereka bergerak dengan berulang alik dari sebuah bandar ke bandar yang lain. 

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(40:4) None but the unbelievers *3 dispute regarding the Signs of Allah. *2 So let not their strutting about in the land delude you. *4

*2 "To dispute" means using crooked arguments in reasoning, raising irrelevant objections, isolating a word or a sentence from its context, subjecting it to hair-splitting and making it the basis of doubts and accusations, misconstruing words from their true sense and intention so that neither should one understand the meaning oneself nor Iet others understand it. Such a way of dispute is adopted only by those whose difference of opinion is based on iII-will and malice. If a well-intentioned opponent disputes a point, he does so for the sake of arriving at the truth, and wants to be satisfied through discussion whether his own point of view is correct. Such a discussion is engaged in quest of truth and not for refutation. Contrary to this, the real purpose of the malicious opponent is not to understand anything nor to help others to understand, but to degrade and humiliate the other man; he joins a discussion only with the intention that he would not Iet the other man carry his point. That is why he never faces the real problems but launches his attacks only on the irrelevant issues.
*3 Here, the word kufr" has been used in two meanings: for ingratitude and for denial of the truth. According to the first meaning, the sentence would mean: As against the Revelations of Allah this sort of behaviour is adopted only by those who have forgotten His bounties and who have even lost the feeling that it is by His bounty that they are flourishing. According to the second, it would mean: "This sort of behaviour is adopted only by those who have turned away from the truth and are determined not to accept it." From the context it becomes obvious that here the disbeliever does not imply every non-Muslim, for a non-Muslim who disputes a point in good faith for the sake of understanding Islam, and who tries to grasp thoroughly those things which he fends hard to follow, although a nonMuslim technically, yet that which has been condemned in this verse does not apply to him. 
*4 There is a gap between the previous sentence and this, which has been left for the listener to fill. From the context and style it becomes evident that those who adopt the attitude of disputation as against the Revelations of Allah Almighty, can never escape the punishment. Therefore, they shall inevitably meet their doom. Now, if one sees that those people, even after adopting such an attitude, arc strutting about, their business is flourishing, their governments functioning in a grand style and they are enjoying the good things of life, one should not be misled into thinking that they have escaped Allah's punishment, or that war against Allah's Revelations is a sport which can be adopted as a pastime and its evil consequences warded off easily. This, in fact, is a respite which they have been granted by Allah. Those who abuse this respite for doing more mischief arc indeed preparing for an ignominious end. 

كَذَّبَتْ قَبْلَهُمْ قَوْمُ نُوحٍ وَالْأَحْزَابُ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ ۖ وَهَمَّتْ كُلُّ أُمَّةٍ بِرَسُولِهِمْ لِيَأْخُذُوهُ ۖ وَجَادَلُوا بِالْبَاطِلِ لِيُدْحِضُوا بِهِ الْحَقَّ فَأَخَذْتُهُمْ ۖ فَكَيْفَ كَانَ عِقَابِ {40:5}

[Q40:5] Kazzabat qablahum qawmu Noohinw wal Ahzaabu mim ba'dihim wa hammat kullu ummatim bi Rasoolihim liyaa khuzoobhu wa jaadaloo bilbaatili liyudhidoo bihil haqqa fa akhaztuhum fakifa kaana Iqaab. 
[Q40:5] The people of Nuh and the parties after them rejected (prophets) before them, and every nation purposed against their messenger to destroy him, and they disputed by means of the falsehood that they might thereby render null the truth, therefore I destroyed them; how was then My retribution!

[Q40:5] Sebelum mereka, kaum Nabi Nuh dan puak-puak yang bergabung sesudah kaum Nabi Nuh itu telah mendustakan (Rasul-rasulnya) dan tiap-tiap umat di antaranya telah merancangkan rancangan jahat terhadap Rasul mereka untuk menawannya (dan membinasakannya) dan mereka pula telah membantah dengan perkara yang salah untuk menghapuskan kebenaran dengan perkara yang salah itu; sebab itu Aku binasakan mereka. Maka (lihatlah) bagaimana kesan azabKu! 

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(40:5) Before them the people of Noah also gave the lie (to Messengers), and so did many parties after them. Each nation sallied forth against its Messenger to seize him, and they disputed with false arguments seeking therewith to repudiate the Truth. Then I seized them; and behold, how woeful was My retribution!

وَكَذَٰلِكَ حَقَّتْ كَلِمَتُ رَبِّكَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَنَّهُمْ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ {40:6}

[Q40:6] Wa kazaalika haqqat Kalimatu Rabbika 'alal lazeena kafarooo annahum Ashaabun Naar. 
[Q40:6] And thus did the word of your Lord prove true against those who disbelieved that they are the inmates of the fire.

[Q40:6] Dan demikianlah juga tetapnya hukuman Tuhanmu terhadap orang-orang yang kafir, kerana sesungguhnya mereka ialah ahli Neraka. 

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(40:6) Thus has the decree of your Lord become due against the unbelievers. They are destined for the Fire. *5

*5 That is, `The torment that seized them in the world was not their final punishment, but Allah has also decreed that they shall go to Hell.' Another meaning can be: "Just as the nations of the past have gone to their doom, so will those people also who arc committing disbelief go to Hell, according to the fixed decree of Allah."

الَّذِينَ يَحْمِلُونَ الْعَرْشَ وَمَنْ حَوْلَهُ يُسَبِّحُونَ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ وَيُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِ وَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا رَبَّنَا وَسِعْتَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ رَحْمَةً وَعِلْمًا فَاغْفِرْ لِلَّذِينَ تَابُوا وَاتَّبَعُوا سَبِيلَكَ وَقِهِمْ عَذَابَ الْجَحِيمِ {40:7}

[Q40:7] Allazeena yahmiloonal 'Arsha wa man hawlahoo yusabbihoona bihamdi Rabbihim wa yu'minoona bihee wa yastaghfiroona lillazeena aamanoo Rabbanaa wasi'ta kulla shai'ir rahmantanw wa 'ilman faghfir lillazeena taaboo wattaba'oo sabeelaka wa qihim 'azaabal jaheem. 
[Q40:7] Those who bear the power and those around Him celebrate the praise of their Lord and believe in Him and ask protection for those who believe: Our Lord! Thou embracest all things in mercy and knowledge, therefore grant protection to those who turn (to Thee) and follow Thy way, and save them from the punishment of the hell:

[Q40:7] Malaikat yang memikul Arasy dan malaikat yang berada di sekelilingnya, bertasbih memuji TuhanNya dan beriman kepadaNya; serta mereka memohon ampun bagi orang-orang yang beriman (dengan berdoa merayu): Wahai Tuhan kami! RahmatMu dan IlmuMu meliputi segala-galanya; maka berilah ampun kepada orang-orang yang bertaubat serta menurut jalanMu dan peliharalah mereka dari azab Neraka. 

Refer to the commentary of Baqarah 2:255 and Zumar 39:75.

THIS VERSE CONFIRMS THE DOCTRINE OF INTERCESSION. Refer to the commentary of Baqarah 2:48 and 123.

Ø  ‘Arsh’, i.e., The Throne or the Seat or the Centre of ALLAH (SWT)’s Supreme Authority. The throne of a king is the seat of this royal will. The word throne is a figurative expression as well as the act of the throne being sustained by the angels. The ‘Arsh’ or The Throne of Supreme Divine Authority could be conceived as the State of Absolute Divinity which the absolutely purified beings the angels glorifying and celebrating the praise of the All-Divine Supreme Lord of the whole Universe.

Ø  The Mercy and the Knowledge of ALLAH (SWT) reaches in and out of everything and envelops it.

THE CONCLUDING WORDS OF THIS VERSE AND THE SUCCEEDING TWO VERSES REFER TO WHAT THE ANGELS SURROUNDING THE ‘ARSH’ PRAY TO ALLAH (SWT).

v  As ‘Arsh’ means to the knowledge of ALLAH (SWT) ---The bearing of it means the capacity of the entities as hinted at the end of the verse and in verse 69:17, bear the divine knowledge.

v  As otherwise if ‘Arsh’ means the physical throne as some schools of thought maintain, the entities are the carriers and ALLAH (SWT) is the Carried One, it will be the worst form of anthropomorphic doctrine.

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(40:7) The angels that bear the Throne and those that are around to extol your Lord’s glory with His praise, they believe in Him, and ask forgiveness for the believers, *6 saying: “Our Lord! You encompass everything with Your Mercy and Knowledge. *7 So forgive those that repent and follow Your Path, *9 and guard them against the chastisement of Hell. *8

*6 This thing has been said for the consolation of the Holy Prophet's Companions, who were feeling greatly discouraged at the impudence and rebellious attitude of the disbelievers of Makkah as against their own helplessness, as if to say: Why do you feel grieved at what these mean and worthless people say? You have the support of the angels who bear the Divine Throne and of those who stand around it; they are interceding with Allah for you." The mention of the angels who bear the Divine Throne and of those who stand around it, has been made, instead of the common angels, to impress the fact that not to speak of the common angels of Divine Kingdom, even the angels who are the pillars of this Kingdom, being nearest in rank and station to Allah, bear deep sympathy and regard for you. Then the words: °They affirm faith in Him and ask forgiveness for the believers", show that the relationship of the faith is the real relationship, which has joined the heavenly creatures and the earthly creatures together, and which has induced sympathy and esteem in the angels stationed around the Throne for the mortal humans inhabiting the earth, who affirm faith in Allah just like them. The angels' affirming the faith in Allah does not mean that they could disbelieve, and they adopted belief instead of disbelief, but it means that they believe in the sovereignty of AIlah, the One, alone there is no other being that may be commanding them and they submit before it in utter obedience. When the same attitude and behaviour was adopted by the human believers, a strong relationship of cherishing a common creed and faith was established between them and the angels in spite of the great disparity in species and remoteness in rank and station. 
*7 That is, `The weakness, lapses and errors of Your servants are not hidden from You: You indeed know everything, but like Your knowledge Your Mercy also is infinite; therefore, forgive the poor creatures in spite of knowing their errors." Another meaning can be: "Forgive by Your Mercy all those about whom by Knowledge You know that they have repented sincerely and have, in reality, adopted Your Way." 
*8 To forgive and to save from the torment of Hell are although Irrelatives, and there seems to be no need to mention the other when one has been mentioned, this style, in fact, reflects the deep interest the angels have in the believers. It is customary that when a person who is deeply involved in a matter finds an opportunity to make submissions before a judge, he presents the same petition humbly over and over again, in different ways, and does not rest content with making the petition just once.
*9 "Who ... way": 'Who have given up disobedience and rebellion, adopted obedience and followed the way which You Yourself have shown." 

رَبَّنَا وَأَدْخِلْهُمْ جَنَّاتِ عَدْنٍ الَّتِي وَعَدْتَهُمْ وَمَنْ صَلَحَ مِنْ آبَائِهِمْ وَأَزْوَاجِهِمْ وَذُرِّيَّاتِهِمْ ۚ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ {40:8}

[Q40:8] Rabbannaa wa adkhilhum Jannaati 'adninil latee wa'attahum wa man salaha min aabaaa'ihim wa azwaajihim wa zurriyyaatihim; innaka Antal 'Azeezul Hakeem. 
[Q40:8] Our Lord! And make them enter the gardens of perpetuity which Thou hast promised to them and those who do good of their fathers and their wives and their offspring, surely Thou are the Mighty, the Wise.

[Q40:8] Wahai Tuhan kami! Dan masukkanlah mereka ke dalam Syurga "Adn" yang Engkau telah janjikan kepada mereka dan (masukkanlah bersama-sama mereka): Orang-orang yang layak di antara ibu bapa mereka dan isteri-isteri mereka, serta keturunan mereka. Sesungguhnya Engkaulah jua Yang Maha Kuasa, lagi Maha Bijaksana. 

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(40:8) Our Lord, admit them to the everlasting Gardens You have promised them *10 and those of their fathers and spouses and progeny that were righteous. *11 Surely You alone are Most Mighty, Most Wise;

*10 Here again there is the same state of solicitude as referred to in E.N. H above. Obviously. forgiving and saving from Hell by itself amounts to admitting to Paradise. And then soliciting Allah for granting the believers the same Paradise which He Himself has promised theta, seems to be unnecessary, but the angels are so earnest in their desire of well-being for the believers that they go on repeating their good wishes for them although they know that Allah will certainly bless them with these favours in the Hereafter. 
*11 That is. "Join with them their parents and their wives and children for the comfort of their eyes." This same thing Allah Himself has stated as among the blessings which the believers will be granted in Paradise. For this see Ar-Ra'd: 23 and At-Tur: 21. In the verse of Surah Tur, there is also the explanation that if a person will deserve a higher rank in Paradise, which his parents will not deserve, he will not be lowered in rank to be joined with them but Allah will raise them to join him in the higher station. 

وَقِهِمُ السَّيِّئَاتِ ۚ وَمَنْ تَقِ السَّيِّئَاتِ يَوْمَئِذٍ فَقَدْ رَحِمْتَهُ ۚ وَذَٰلِكَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ {40:9}

[Q40:9] Wa qihimus saiyi-aat; wa man taqis saiyi-aati Yawma'izin faqad rahimtah; wa zaalika huwal fawzul 'azeem. 
[Q40:9] And keep them from evil deeds, and whom Thou keepest from evil deeds this day, indeed Thou hast mercy on him, and that is the mighty achievement.

[Q40:9] Dan peliharalah mereka dari (balasan) kejahatan-kejahatan (yang dilakukannya) dan (sebenarnya) sesiapa yang Engkau pelihara pada hari itu dari terkena (balasan) kejahatan-kejahatan (yang dilakukannya) maka sesungguhnya Engkau telah mengurniakan rahmat kepadanya dan yang demikian itulah kemenangan yang besar (nilainya). 

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(40:9) and guard them against all ills. *12 He whom You guard against ills on that Day, *13 to him You have surely been Most Merciful. That is the great triumph.”

*12 The word sayyi'at (evils) is used in three different meanings and all three are implied here: (I) False beliefs, perverted morals and evil deeds; (2) consequences of deviation and evil deeds; and (3) calamities, disasters and suffering in this world, or in barzakh, or on the Day of Resurrection. The object of the angels' prayer is that they be saved from everything which may be evil for them.
*13 "Evils on the Day of Resurrection" implies the dread and terror of the Day deprivation of the shade and every other comfort, severity of accountability, the ignominy of exposing every secret of life before all mankind, and other humiliations and hardships which the guilty ones will experience in the Hereafter. 

SECTION 2

The Day of Judgment shall be the Day wholly of the Lord

The suffering of the disbelievers and their regret---ALLAH (SWT) alone should be called upon though the disbelievers may not like it---The Day of Judgment shall be the Day wholly of ALLAH (SWT)---The disbelievers shall not have any intercessors to deliver them from the chastisement.

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا يُنَادَوْنَ لَمَقْتُ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ مِنْ مَقْتِكُمْ أَنْفُسَكُمْ إِذْ تُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى الْإِيمَانِ فَتَكْفُرُونَ {40:10}

[Q40:10] Innal lazeena kafaroo yunaadawna lamaqtuL Laahi akbaru mim maqtikum anfusakum iz tud'awna ilal eemaani fatakfuroon. 
[Q40:10] Surely those who disbelieve shall be cried out to: Certainly ALLAH (SWT)'s hatred (of you) when you were called upon to the faith and you rejected, is much greater than your hatred of yourselves.

[Q40:10] Sesungguhnya orang-orang yang kafir akan dipanggil dan dikatakan kepada mereka (pada hari kiamat): Demi sesungguhnya! Kebencian ALLAH (SwT) (kepada kamu) lebih besar daripada kebencian kamu kepada diri sendiri, (sebabnya kerana) semasa kamu diseru dan diajak (di dunia dahulu) supaya beriman, (kamu enggan dan menolak), lalu kamu terus berkeadaan kufur.

"Your hatred towards you" either refers to the hatred of one another if the last adverbial clause refers to the time of hatred or to the psychological state of self aversion if it refers to the clause preceding the hatred. When one realises one's failure on account of misdeeds self-aversion begins. This may refer to the mental condition of those who will be punished on the day of reckoning.

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(40:10) It will be announced to the unbelievers (on the Day of Resurrection): “Surely Allah’s abhorrence of you when you were called to believe but you disbelieved was greater than is your abhorrence of yourselves today.” *14

*14 That is, "When the disbelievers will see on the Day of Resurrection that they had committed a grave folly by founding their entire life-work on polytheism and atheism, denial of the Hereafter and opposition to the Messenger, and due to the folly they were now doomed to that evil end, they will bite at their fingers and will curse themselves fretfully. At that time the angels will proclaim to them: "Today you are being angry with yourselves, but in the world when the Prophets of Allah and the other good people invited you to the right path to save you from this evil end, you turned down their invitation, Allah's wrath against you then was even greater." 

قَالُوا رَبَّنَا أَمَتَّنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ وَأَحْيَيْتَنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ فَاعْتَرَفْنَا بِذُنُوبِنَا فَهَلْ إِلَىٰ خُرُوجٍ مِنْ سَبِيلٍ {40:11}

[Q40:11] Qaaloo Rabbanaaa amat  tanasnataini wa ahyaitanas nataini fa'tarafnaa bizunoo binaa fahal ilaa khuroojim min sabeel? 
[Q40:11] They shall say: Our Lord! Twice didst Thou make us subject to death, and twice hast Thou given us life, so we do confess our faults; is there then a way to get out?

[Q40:11] Mereka menjawab: Wahai Tuhan kami! Engkau telah menjadikan kami berkeadaan mati dua kali dan telah menjadikan kami bersifat hidup dua kali, maka kami (sekarang) mengakui akan dosa-dosa kami. Oleh itu adakah sebarang jalan untuk (kami) keluar (dari Neraka)?

THE FIRST DEATH REFERS TO NON-EXISTENCE- Baqarah 2:28 says you were dead and He gave you life;-

And THE SECOND DEATH REFERS TO THE CESSATION OF PHYSICAL LIFE-: AGAIN He will cause you to die and again bring you to life, on the Day of Resurrection.

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(40:11) They will say: “Our Lord, twice have You caused us to die and twice have You given us life. *15 We have now confessed our sins. *16 Is there, then, any way out?” *17

*15 This same thing has already been mentioned in Al-Baqarah: 28 above. It implies this: "How can you disbelieve in AIlah? He granted you life when you were lifeless; then He will give you death. and then will again raise you back to life." The disbelievers do not deny the first three of these conditions, because they are perceptible and therefore un-deniable. But they refuse to accept the occurrence of the fourth condition, for they have not yet experienced it, and only the Prophets have foretold it. On the Day of Resurrection when the fourth condition also will be practically experienced by them, then they will acknowledge that the same which the Prophets had foretold had actually happened. 
*16 That is, "We confess that we made a grave mistake when we denied this after-life; our life was filled with sins when we followed falsehood." 
*17 That is, "Is there any possibility now that our confession of sins be accepted and we be rescued from this state of torment in which we have been seized?"

ذَٰلِكُمْ بِأَنَّهُ إِذَا دُعِيَ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ كَفَرْتُمْ ۖ وَإِنْ يُشْرَكْ بِهِ تُؤْمِنُوا ۚ فَالْحُكْمُ لِلَّهِ الْعَلِيِّ الْكَبِيرِ {40:12}

[Q40:12] Zaalikum bi annahooo izaa du'iyaL Laahu wahdahoo kafartum wa iny yushrak bihee tu'minoo; falhukmu liLLaahil 'Aliyyil Kabeer. 
[Q40:12] That is because when ALLAH (SWT) alone was called upon, you disbelieved, and when associates were given to Him, you believed; so judgment belongs to ALLAH (SWT), the High, the Great.

[Q40:12] (Lalu dikatakan kepada mereka): Azab yang kamu berada padanya itu adalah kerana keadaan kamu apabila ALLAH (SwT) Yang Maha Esa sahaja diseru dan disembah, kamu kufur (dan menolak cara bertauhid itu) dan apabila dipersekutukan sesuatu dengan ALLAH (SwT), kamu percaya (dan menerima bawaan syirik itu). Maka kuasa menjalankan keadilan adalah hak ALLAH (SwT), Yang Maha Tinggi (dari apa yang dipersekutukan), lagi Yang Maha Besar (pemerintahanNya).  

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(40:12) (They will be told): “(The cause of your present state is that) when Allah alone was invoked, you disbelieved; and when others instead of Him were invoked, you believed. Today all judgement lies with Allah, the Most High, the All-Great.” *18

*18 That is, "The Judgement now rests entirely with that God alone, Whose Godhead you did not acknowledge, and those others whom you persistently regarded as associates and partners in the powers of Godhead, have no share whatever in the judgement. " (For a fuller understanding of this point, please see verse 45 of Az-Zumar and its E.N. 64). This sentence by itself gives the meaning that there would be no possibility of any way out for the disbelievers from the state of torment, for they did not only deny the Hereafter but they had aversion to their Creator and Sustainer, and they were not satisfied until they had associated Others with Him.

هُوَ الَّذِي يُرِيكُمْ آيَاتِهِ وَيُنَزِّلُ لَكُمْ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ رِزْقًا ۚ وَمَا يَتَذَكَّرُ إِلَّا مَنْ يُنِيبُ {40:13}

[Q40:13] Huwal lazee yureekum Aayaatihee wa yunazzilu lakum minas samaaa'i rizqaa; wa maa tatazakkaru illaa mai yuneeb. 
[Q40:13] He it is Who shows you His signs and sends down for you sustenance from heaven, and none minds but he who turns (to Him) again and again.

[Q40:13] Dialah Tuhan yang memperlihatkan kepada kamu tanda-tanda keesaanNya dan kekuasaanNya (untuk kehidupan rohani kamu) dan yang menurunkan (untuk jasmani kamu) sebab-sebab rezeki dari langit dan tiadalah yang ingat serta mengambil pelajaran (dari yang demikian) melainkan orang yang sentiasa bertumpu (kepada ALLAH (SwT)). 

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(40:13) He it is Who shows you His Signs *19 and sends down provision for you from the sky. *20 Yet none takes heed except he who constantly turns to Allah. *21

*19 "Signs" imply those Signs which point to the great truth that the Fashioner, Ruler and Administrator of the Universe is One and only One God. 
*20 "Sustenance" here implies the rain, for every kind of the sustenance that man gets in the world, depends ultimately on the rainfall. AIlah presents this one single Sign out of His countless Signs, as if to draw the people's attention to the fact: "If you only consider and ponder over the arrangement of this one thing, you will understand that the concept being presented in the Qur'an of the administration of the Universe, is true. This arrangement could exist only it' the Creator of the earth and its creatures and of water and air and the sun and the heat and cold was only One God, and this arrangement could continue to exist for millions and millions of Years with perfect regularity only if the same Eternal God caused it to exist continually. And the One Who brought this arrangement into existence could only be an all-Wise and All-Merciful Lord, Who along with creating men, animals and vegetables in the earth, also created water precisely according to their needs and requirements, and then made these wonderful arrangements for transporting and spreading that water to different parts of the earth with perfect regularity. Now, who can be more unjust than the one who sees all this and yet denies God, or associates some other beings also with Him in Godhead?"
*21 That is, "A person who has turned away from God and whose intellect has been clouded and corrupted by heedlessness or prejudice, cannot learn any lesson from any Sign. He will see with his animal eyes that the winds Blew, the clouds gathered, the lightning thundered and flashed and the rain fell; but his human eyes will never perceive why all this happened, who caused it, and what rights He has on him. " 

فَادْعُوا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكَافِرُونَ {40:14}

[Q40:14] Fad'uL Laaha mukhliseena lahud deena wa law karihal kaafiroun. 
[Q40:14] Therefore call upon ALLAH (SWT), being sincere to Him in obedience, though the unbelievers are averse:

[Q40:14] Oleh itu maka sembahlah kamu akan ALLAH (SwT) dengan mengikhlaskan ibadat kepadaNya (dan menjauhi bawaan syirik), sekalipun orang-orang kafir tidak menyukai (amalan kamu yang demikian). 

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(40:14) So call upon Allah, consecrating all your devotion to Him, *22 howsoever much the unbelievers may dislike it.

*22 For the explanation of "making one's religion sincerely Allah's", see E.N. 3 of Az-Zumar. 

رَفِيعُ الدَّرَجَاتِ ذُو الْعَرْشِ يُلْقِي الرُّوحَ مِنْ أَمْرِهِ عَلَىٰ مَنْ يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ لِيُنْذِرَ يَوْمَ التَّلَاقِ {40:15}

[Q40:15] Rafee'ud darajaati zul 'Arshi yulqir rooha min amrihee 'alaa mai yashaaa'u min 'ibaadihee liyunzira yawmat talaaq, 
[Q40:15] Possessor of the highest rank, Lord of power: He makes the inspiration to light by His command upon whom He pleases of His servants, that he may warn (men) of the day of meeting.

[Q40:15] Dialah Yang Maha tinggi darjat kebesaranNya, yang mempunyai Arasy (yang melambangkan keagungan dan kekuasaanNya); Dia memberikan wahyu dari hal perintahNya kepada sesiapa yang dikehendakiNya di antara hamba-hambaNya (yang telah dipilih menjadi RasulNya), supaya Dia memberi amaran (kepada manusia) tentang hari pertemuan, 

This verse and verse 42:52 of Shura refer to THE LIGHT OF DIVINE ATTENTION PROCEEDING FROM ALLAH (SWT)'S COMMAND WHICH IS CAST UPON WHOMSOEVER OF HIS SERVANTS (HIS PROPHET OR MESSENGER) HE WILLS.

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(40:15) Exalted in Rank, *23 Lord of the Throne: *24 He causes the spirit to descend on whomsoever of His servants He pleases *25 so as to warn them of the Day of Encounter; *26

*23 That is, "He is exalted far above all the creations of the world. Anything that exists in the Universe, whether an angel or a prophet or a saint, or Borne other creation, may be very exalted and superior to other creations, but it cannot be imagined to have a station anywhere near the highest rank and position of Allah, not to speak of its being an associate in His attributes and powers and authority."
*24 That is, He is King and Ruler of the whole Universe, and Master of the Throne of the Kingdom of the Universe. (For explanation, see AI-A'raf: 54 and E.N. 41 thereof; Yunus: 3, Ar-Ra'd: 2, Ta Ha: 5 and the E.N.'s thereof).
*25 "The Spirit" implies Revelation and Prophethood. (For explanation, see An-Nahl 2, BanI Isra'il: 85 and the E.N.'s thereof). And the words: 'Allah sends down the Spirit by His Command upon whomsoever of His servants He pleases" mean this: "Nobody has a monopoly over the bounties of Allah. Just as no one has a right to object as to why was so and so given beauty, and so-and-so extraordinary powers of memory or intelligence, so also no one has the right to abject as to why so-and-so only was chosen to be a prophet and why a person of some one's own choice was not made a prophet." 
*26 The Day of Meeting": the Day when all mankind, jinn and satans will be gathered together before their Lord simultaneously and the witnesses of their acts and deeds also will be present to bear the witness. 

يَوْمَ هُمْ بَارِزُونَ ۖ لَا يَخْفَىٰ عَلَى اللَّهِ مِنْهُمْ شَيْءٌ ۚ لِمَنِ الْمُلْكُ الْيَوْمَ ۖ لِلَّهِ الْوَاحِدِ الْقَهَّارِ {40:16}

[Q40:16] Yawma hum baarizoona laa yakhfaa 'alaL Laahi minhum shai; limanil mulkul Yawma liLLaahil Waahidil Qahhaar. 
[Q40:16] (Of) the day when they shall come forth, nothing concerning them remains hidden to ALLAH (SWT). To whom belongs the kingdom this day? To ALLAH (SWT), the One, the Subduer (of all).

[Q40:16] Iaitu hari mereka keluar (dari kubur masing-masing) dengan jelas nyata; tidak akan tersembunyi kepada ALLAH (SwT) sesuatupun dari hal keadaan mereka. (Pada saat itu ALLAH (SwT) berfirman): Siapakah yang menguasai kerajaan pada hari ini? (ALLAH (SwT) sendiri menjawab): Dikuasai oleh ALLAH (SwT) Yang Maha Esa, lagi Yang Mengatasi kekuasaanNya segala-galanya! 

ON THE DAY OF RESURRECTION all creatures will witness the kingdom of justice, truth and righteousness duly established by the command of ALLAH (SWT), BUT those who have direct communion with ALLAH (SWT) (His chosen representatives on the earth) know it before the Day of Resurrection.

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(40:16) the Day when they will emerge and nothing of them shall be hidden from Allah. (On that Day they will be asked): “Whose is the kingdom today?” *27 (The whole world will cry out): “It is Allah’s, the One, the Overpowering.”

*27 That is, "Thougth in the world many vain and self-conceited people publicly proclaimed to be the kings and sovereigns, whose, in fact, is the Kingdom today? Who is the Owner of the powers and authority and Whose is the Command?" If a person hears these words in his right senses, he will be filled with terror, no matter how mighty a king or dictator he might be posing himself to be, and will immediately come to his senses. Here the mention of an historical event will not be out of place. When the Samanid ruler, Nasr bin Ahmad (301-331 A.H.), entered Nishapur, he held a court and after ascending the throne desired that the proceedings be started with recitation from the Holy Qur'an. At this an elderly pious man came forward and recited this very section of this Surah. When he came to this verse, Nasr was struck with awe; he descended the throne trembling, took off the crown and fell down in prostration, saying: "O my Lord, Kingdom is Thine, not mine!" 

الْيَوْمَ تُجْزَىٰ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ ۚ لَا ظُلْمَ الْيَوْمَ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ {40:17}

[Q40:17] Al-Yawma tujzaa kullu nafsim bimaa kasabat; laa zulmal Yawm; innaL Laaha saree'ul Hisaab. 
[Q40:17] This day every soul shall be rewarded for what it has earned; no injustice (shall be done) this day; surely ALLAH (SWT) is quick in reckoning.

[Q40:17] Pada hari ini, tiap-tiap diri dibalas dengan apa yang telah diusahakannya; tidak ada hukuman yang tidak adil pada hari ini. Sesungguhnya ALLAH (SwT) amat cepat hitungan hisabNya.

To understand the phrase "swift at reckoning" once a man asked Imam Ali as to how ALLAH (SWT) will take account of all human beings at one and the same moment. The Imam replied: "As He gives sustenance to all the living beings."

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(40:17) (It will then be said): “Today shall everyone be fully recompensed for his deeds. None shall be wronged today. *28 Surely Allah is Swift in Reckoning.” *29

*28 That is, "None shall be wronged in any way whatever today." It should be noted that in respect of recompense, injustice can have several forms; (1) A person may deserve a reward but he is not given it; (2) he is given a lesser reward than what was due to him; (3) he is given a punishment although he is not liable to any punishment; (4) the one who is liable to punishment is not given any punishment; (5) the one who is liable to a lesser punishment is given a greater punishment; (6) the oppressor goes Scot-free; and (7) one is seized for the sin committed by another. What Allah means to say is that none of these different kinds of injustices will be allowed to take place in His Court.
*29 It means: "It will take Allah no time to do the reckoning. Just as He is providing for every creature of the miverse simultaneously and He is not so occupied in providing for one that He may have no time to provide for others, and just as He is seeing everything in the universe simultaneously, and hearing everything simultaneously, is managing every small and big affair simultaneously, and nothing absorbs His attention so completely that He may be unable to give attention to others, at the same time, so He will subject to reckoning every single individual simultaneously and the hearing of one case will not make Him so occupied as to render Him unable to hear other countless cases at the same time. Then in His Court no delay also will be allowed to take place due to any difficulty in the investigation of the facts of the case and the availability of the witnesses. The Judge of the Court will Himself be aware of all the facts directly. Each party in every case will stand completely exposed before Him, and clear undeniable evidence of the events and deeds, with each minor detail, will come forward without any delay. Therefore, each case will be settled and decided instantaneously. 

وَأَنْذِرْهُمْ يَوْمَ الْآزِفَةِ إِذِ الْقُلُوبُ لَدَى الْحَنَاجِرِ كَاظِمِينَ ۚ مَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ مِنْ حَمِيمٍ وَلَا شَفِيعٍ يُطَاعُ {40:18}

[Q40:18] Wa anzirhum yawmal aazifati izil quloobu ladal hanaajiri kaazimeen; maa lizzaalimeena min hameeminw wa laa shafee'iny-yutaa’. 
[Q40:18] And warn them of the day that draws near, when hearts shall rise up to the throats, grieving inwardly; the unjust shall not have any compassionate friend nor any intercessor who should be obeyed.

[Q40:18] Dan berilah amaran (wahai Muhammad) kepada mereka tentang (hari kiamat) yang dekat (masa datangnya), iaitu ketika hati seseorang merasa resah gelisah, kerana cemas takut, sambil masing-masing menahan perasaannya itu. (Pada saat itu) orang-orang yang zalim tidak akan mendapat seorang sahabatpun yang boleh membelanya, dan tidak akan mendapat pemberi syafaat yang diterima pertolongannya. 

"Hearts will jump to the throats" is an Arabic idiom implying utmost fear and terror.

The unjust shall not have any friend nor an intercessor, BUT for those who are not unjust there will be intercessors (see commentary of al Baqarah 2:48 and 123).

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(40:18) (O Prophet), then warn them of the Day that has drawn near, *30 the Day when hearts full of suppressed grief will leap up to the throats and the wrong-doers shall neither have any sincere friend *31 nor intercessor whose word will be heeded. *32

*30 In the Qur'an the people have been made to realize again and again that Resurrection is not far off but has approached near at hand, and can take place any moment. In An-Nahl: 1, it has been said: "Allah's Judgement has come, so do not clamour for hastening it;" in Al-Anbiya':1: "The time of the reckoning of the people has drawn near, and yet they arc turning away in heedlessness;" in AI-Qamar: 1: "The Hour of Resurrection has drawn near and the moon has split asunder; " and in An-Najm: 57: "That which is coming is near at hand: none but Allah can avert it." All this is meant to warn the people to the effect that they should not become fearless of Resurrection thinking it to be yet far away, but should mend their ways and reform themselves at once. 
*31 The word hamim as used in the original implies such a friend of a person as is aroused to action when he sees hire being beaten, and rushes forward to protect and save Him. 
*32 This thing has been said to refute the concept of intercession held by the disbelievers. As a matter of fact, the wicked people will have no intercessor at all, for permission to intercede, if at all granted, can be granted only to the righteous servants of Allah, and Allah's righteous servants can never make friends with the disbelievers, polytheists and sinners so that they should even think of intruding on their behalf to save them. But as the disbelievers have generally held, and still hold, the belief that the saints, whose disciples they are, will not allow that they go to Hell, but will see that they are forgiven. Therefore, it has been said: There will be no such intercessor there who may have to be listened to, and whose recommendation Allah may have to accept necessarily." 

يَعْلَمُ خَائِنَةَ الْأَعْيُنِ وَمَا تُخْفِي الصُّدُورُ {40:19}

[Q40:19] Ya'lamu khaaa'inatal a'yuni wa maa tukhfis sudoor. 
[Q40:19] He knows the stealthy looks and that which the breasts conceal.

[Q40:19] ALLAH (SwT) mengetahui pengkhianatan (penyelewengan dan ketiadaan jujur) pandangan mata seseorang, serta mengetahui akan apa yang tersembunyi di dalam hati.

"Treachery of the eyes" may mean that (i) what the eyes see may not be actually taking place, (ii) they show love when hatred is meant, (iii) they see things which they should not see; BUT ALLAH (SWT)'s perfect, all-comprehending and all-pervading knowledge penetrates through all mysteries.

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(40:19) He knows even the most stealthy glance of the eyes and all the secrets that hearts conceal.

وَاللَّهُ يَقْضِي بِالْحَقِّ ۖ وَالَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ لَا يَقْضُونَ بِشَيْءٍ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ {40:20}

[Q40:20] WaLLaahu yaqdee bilhaqq, wallazeena yad'oona min doonihee laa yaqdoona bishai'; innaL Laaha Huwas Samee'ul Baseer. 
[Q40:20] And ALLAH (SWT) judges with the truth; and those whom they call upon besides Him cannot judge aught; surely ALLAH (SWT) is the Hearing, the Seeing.

[Q40:20] Dan ALLAH (SwT) memutuskan hukum dengan adil, sedang yang mereka sembah yang lain dari ALLAH (SwT) tidak dapat memberikan sebarang keputusan. Sesungguhnya ALLAH (SwT) Dialah Yang Maha Mendengar, lagi Maha Melihat. 

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(40:20) Allah will judge with justice, whereas those whom they call upon beside Him cannot judge at all. Surely Allah – and He alone – is All- Hearing, All-Seeing. *33

*33 That is, "He is not a blind and deaf god like your deities that He may be unaware of the misdeeds of a person about whom He is passing judgement."