In the Name of Almighty Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate
18 آية
بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
Surah At-Taghabun is the 64th chapter of the Quran, containing 18 verses. It takes its name from the Day of Resurrection, described in verse 9 as the Day of Mutual Loss and Gain, when the believers’ true profit and the disbelievers’ true loss will be laid bare. The surah affirms Allah’s complete knowledge of all that is in the heavens and earth, recalls how earlier disbelieving nations rejected their messengers, and warns believers that their wealth and children are but a trial, urging them to fear Allah as best they can, obey Him and His Messenger, and spend generously in His cause. Below you can read the full Surah At-Taghabun in Arabic with a clear English translation and a verse-by-verse tafsir (explanation of the meaning) from Aysar al-Tafaseer, with the option to jump to any specific verse.
1. All the creatures in the heavens and on earth glorify Allah and purify Him from the qualities of imperfection which are inappropriate to His Majesty. He is the Sovereign, and He disposes of all things in this existence. To Him our praises for all that He creates and destines. He is Omnipotent. What He chooses will be and what He does not choose will not be. No one can prevent His command.
2. He created you, O people, in your present form from nothing. There are some of you who choose disbelief and strive for it. While others contemplate the signs of Allah Almighty which He established in the creation of yourselves and in the horizon and they therefore believe in Allah and do righteous deeds. Allah is All-Seeing of he who deserves guidance and he who deserves to be misled. He sees all the deeds that His servants do both good and evil, and He will call them to account for them.
3. Allah Almighty created the heavens and the earth in justice and wisdom, and with all that is beneficial for one’s life and religion. He did not create it without cause. He created you in the best of forms and in perfect shape. You will return to Him after death so that He can judge you for your deeds and compensate each according to his deserts. His judgement is incontestable.
4. Allah Almighty knows of all the creatures and beings in heavens and on earth. Nothing is concealed from Him. He manages and controls them. He knows what people say, what they conceal and what they reveal, and He knows their intentions and thoughts.
5. Allah Almighty warns the polytheists of Makkah against their persistance in perversity and disbelief, and against treating the Messenger of Allah as a liar. He draws their attention to the punishment which He descended upon previous unbelieving nations. He tells them: “Have you not heard about the unbelievers of pervious nations, such as the people of Noah, ‘Ad and Thamud, and what the messengers from their Lord brought them? Allah sent them severe punishment, some He drowned in the flood while others He destroyed in the devastating wind, and still others were struck by the cry of torment. None were left on earth. It was a severe punishment on earth for their disbelief and sarcasm. In the Hereafter they will have a grievous punishment in Hellfire.
6. The punishment He sent down upon them was because their messengers came to them with clear arguments and evidence and stupifying miracles. But they wondered why Allah had sent His revelation to men through humans who had no advantage over others. This conviction led them to disbelieve in Allah, His Books and messengers. They turned away from the call to Truth and turned away from the path of guidance. So Allah destroyed them all for He does not need their faith. He can dispense with His creatures. He deserves to be thanked for all His countless blessings to His servants.
7. The polytheists and unbelievers claim that there is no resurrection, assembly, judgement, or retribution in the Hereafter. They find that this cannot be after their bodies have dispersed in the earth and turned to dust. O Mohammad! Tell them and swear by your Lord that what you will tell them is the truth: “There is no doubt about the resurrection, and you will be judged for all your deeds. Raising the dead and informing them of their deeds on earth, both great and small, and then judging them and retributing them is a very easy matter for Allah. He is Mighty and Irresistible.”
8. O you people! Believe in Allah and His Messenger, and the Book which He has revealed to him to guide you to the straight path and save you from perversity and doubts. Allah is well-acquainted with what you do. None of your deeds are concealed from Him. He will judge you for them, so be warned and believe in Him, refrain from your stubbornness and disbelief.
9. On Judgement Day Allah will resurrect you then gather you for the account and the recompense. That is the day of loss and gain. People will consist of two groups: the unbelievers who chose life on earth and preferred it to the Hereafter and thus they lost their deal. They will be destined for punishment in Hell; and the believers who sold their souls and money in return for Heaven, are the ones who profited by their deal. They will be in the bliss of Paradise. No loss will be greater on that day than that of the unbelievers when they realize that they have sold eternal bliss for a frivolous temporary pleasure. He who believes in Allah and obeys Him, Allah will forgive his evil deeds and sins, and admit him to Paradise in which rivers run on all sides. They will dwell forever in bliss. That is the ultimate victory.
10. As for those who disbelieved in Allah, repudiated His Oneness, and treated as liars His Messenger and the Book which He sent down on him, their Lord will admit them to Hellfire where they will dwell forever. Evil is their destination.
11. No mishap or calamity can occur to man except by the predestination of Allah. Man should strive according to his capacity, to bring good and repel evil, but the outcome always depends on the will of Allah and His determination. Therefore, if any mishap befalls him, he should neither grieve nor despair for he knows that it follows Allah’s will and knowledge. Thus, if, when adversity befalls him, he believes that it was by Allah’s coommand and determination, and he endures it patiently, Allah will compensate his mishap on earth with guidance in his heart and a sincere belief that he could not have avoided what happened to him, and what he avoided was not intended for him, for Allah knows all things. A true believer observes two duties: — to strive and exert himself as much as he can to bring good and repel evil; — then to rely on Allah, believing with certitude that what happens is due to Allah’s will and determination, and therefore one should neither despair nor grieve.
12. Allah Almighty commands the believers to obey His laws, and obey the call of His noble Messengers in what He communicated to them and to refrain from what they were forbidden. But if they turn away … it is incumbent on the Messenger only to convey the message, which he did, and he will not be accountable for the deeds of men.
13. Allah Almighty informs His servants that He is the One and Only, the Absolute and Eternal, and that the believers should believe in Him, put their trust in Him, devote their deeds to Him, strengthen themselves through Him in all matters so that He may help them defeat their enemies.
14. Allah Almighty warns the true believers against their spouses and children, for among them could be enemies who stand between them and any good deed they may do to bring them closer to Allah. They may drive them for their own personal benefits to earn illegal money and commit evil deeds. Their animosity could also lead them to commit crimes against their spouses and parents and this is real hostility. (In a Hadith the Prophet said: “A time will come upon my people when the destruction of man will be caused by his wife and children. They will reproach him for his poverty which will drive him to commit evil deeds, which in turn will lead him to his destruction. There are also others whose love for their wife and children, their compassion for them and concern that they lead a life of plenty during their lifetime and after their death leads them to commit what is forbidden to achieve that and are therefore doomed.”) Allah urges the believers to pardon and forgive. In thus doing, there may be much good for man. Allah is All-Forgiving, All-Merciful to the man and his family. He treats him in the same way that he treats his family and He grants him favours.
15. Wealth and children are a test from Allah to distinguish between he who obeys Him and he who disobeys Him. For, often for the love of both, man may commit prohibited acts and sins. Allah Almighty mentions wealth before children because it is a greater trial. (The Prophet said: “For every nation is tried by a temptation and the temptation of my nation is money.”) Then Allah Almighty says that He has prepared a great reward in the Hereafter for those who preferred the love of Allah and His obedience to the love of riches and children.
16. Fear Allah with all your might and as much as you can. (In an approved Hadith, the Messenger of Allah said: “If I order you to do something, then do as much of it as you possibly can, and if I forbid you from doing something, then avoid it completely.”) Hear and obey what Allah and His messengers command you, act accordingly, and expend from what Allah bestowed upon you to relatives, the poor and the needy. Be kind to Allah’s servants just as Allah is kind to you. That is best for you in life on earth and in the Hereafter. He who is free from avarice and cupidity will be among the winners.
17. What money you expend in Allah’s cause to have His satisfaction, Allah Almighty will consider as a loan to Him. He will substitute it and return it to its giver many times over– a good deed is equal to ten and up to seven hundred times its worth. The good actions will erase your evil deeds and screen them. For Allah is grateful: He rewards a small good deed by granting many favours. He is most Indulgent and Forgiving. He does not hasten the punishment of the sins and faults of His servants because they may repent and return to seek forgiveness.
18. He has knowledge of the conditions of His creatures. He sees everything which is hidden from them and revealed. Everything is encompassed within Allah’s knowledge and keep. Nothing escapes Him, even if it were the weight of an atom. He will reward His servants for their deeds, the good deeds with good, and the evil deeds with evil. So expend for the sake of charity and obedience and do not fear that it will be lost. For it is all preserved with and well known by Allah. Allah is Exalted in Might and All-Wise in all His laws, His destiny and management.
Tafsir by Dr. Assaad Homad (1917–2011), Syrian scholar and jurist, author of Aysar al-Tafaseer, an accessible interpretation of the Quran reviewed by Sheikh Muhammad Mutwally Al-Shaarawi and certified by the Ministries of Awqaf in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. English translation by the Homad family. Read more about the author and this tafsir →
Source: This series of Tafsir books has been made available online by the family of Dr. Assaad Homad (may Allah have mercy on him). These volumes were entirely digitized to provide an accessible and easy format for todays digital age. Please keep Dr. Assaad and his family in your sincere prayers.
تم إتاحة هذه السلسلة من كتب التفسير عبر الإنترنت من قبل عائلة الدكتور أسعد حومد (رحمه الله). لقد قمنا برقمنة هذه المجلدات بالكامل لتوفير تنسيق يسهل الوصول إليه واستخدامه في عصرنا الرقمي الحالي. نرجو منكم ألا تنسوا الدكتور أسعد وعائلته من صالح دعائكم.