Surah Zumar Ayat 22 in Arabic Text
English Translation
Here you can read various translations of verse 22
So is one whose breast Allah has expanded to [accept] Islam and he is upon a light from his Lord [like one whose heart rejects it]? Then woe to those whose hearts are hardened against the remembrance of Allah. Those are in manifest error.
Is one whose heart Allah has opened to Islam, so that he has received Enlightenment from Allah, (no better than one hard-hearted)? Woe to those whose hearts are hardened against celebrating the praises of Allah! they are manifestly wandering (in error)!
Can he whose breast Allah has opened up for Islam and who is thus (moving along a Path) illumined by a light from Allah (be likened to him who derives no lesson from what he observes)? Woe, then, to those whose hearts were further hardened after Allah’s admonition. Such are indeed in obvious error.
Is he whose breast Allah has opened to Islam, so that he is in light from His Lord (as he who is non-Muslim)? So, woe to those whose hearts are hardened against remembrance of Allah! They are in plain error!
Is he whose bosom Allah hath expanded for Al-Islam, so that he followeth a light from his Lord, (as he who disbelieveth)? Then woe unto those whose hearts are hardened against remembrance of Allah. Such are in plain error.
Is he then whose breast Allah has expanded to Islam, so he (walks) in a Light from his Lord (like the disbelievers)? Then woe to the ones whose hearts are hardened against the Remembrance of Allah! Those are in evident error.
What about the one whose heart God has opened in devotion to Him, so that he walks in light from his Lord? Alas for those whose hearts harden at the mention of God! They have clearly lost their way.
کیا وه شخص جس کا سینہ اللہ تعالیٰ نےاسلام کے لئے کھول دیا ہے پس وه اپنے پروردگار کی طرف سے ایک نور پر ہے اور ہلاکی ہے ان پر جن کے دل یاد الٰہی سے (اﺛر نہیں لیتے بلکہ) سخت ہو گئے ہیں۔ یہ لوگ صریح گمراہی میں (مبتلا) ہیں
Quran 39 Verse 22 Explanation
For those looking for commentary to help with the understanding of Surah Zumar ayat 22, we’ve provided two Tafseer works below. The first is the tafseer of Abul Ala Maududi, the second is of Ibn Kathir.
Ala-Maududi
(39:22) Can he whose breast Allah has opened up for Islam[40] and who is thus (moving along a Path) illumined by a light from Allah[41] (be likened to him who derives no lesson from what he observes)? Woe, then, to those whose hearts were further hardened[42] after Allah’s admonition. Such are indeed in obvious error.
40. “Whose breast… Islam”: Whom Allah helps to learn a lesson from these realities and to be satisfied with Islam as based on the truth. Opening of a man’s breast for something is, in fact, a state in which there remains no anxiety or ambiguity or suspicion and doubt in his mind about the thing, nor has he the feeling of any danger and loss in accepting and adopting it, but he decides with full satisfaction of the heart that it is the truth; therefore, he must follow it whatever be the consequences. Having made such a decision when a person adopts the way of Islam, he obeys whatever command he receives from Allah and His Messenger willingly and with pleasure, without any hesitation. He accepts whatever beliefs and ideas, rules and regulations he comes across in the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet (peace be upon him) as if they were the voice of his own heart. He does not feel any compunction on giving up an unlawful gain, because he believes that it was no gain for him at all; it was rather a loss from which Allah saved him by His grace. Likewise, even if he incurs a loss while following the way of righteousness, he does not feel sad about this but bears it with patience and regards it as an ordinary loss as compared to the loss of turning away from the way of Allah. The same is his behavior on confronting dangers. He believes that there is no other way for him, which he may follow in order to avoid the danger. The straight way of Allah is only one, which he has to follow in any case. If there is a danger in following it, let it be.
41. “Upon a light from his Lord”: In the light of the knowledge of the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet (peace be upon him), by the help of which he sees clearly at every step which is the straight path of the truth among the countless by-paths of life.
42. As against the opening of the breast there can be two other states of man’s heart: (1) The state of narrowing of the breast and squeezing of the heart; and in this state there still remains some room for the truth to permeate it. (2) The state of hardening or petrifying of the heart; in this there is left no room whatever for the truth to permeate. About this second state Allah says that the person who reaches such a stage is totally ruined. This means that if a person becomes inclined to accept the truth, even though with an unveiling and squeezed heart, there remains some possibility for him to be redeemed. This second theme becomes obvious from the style and tenor of the verse itself, though Allah has not stated it directly. For the real intention of the verse was to warn those who were bent upon stubbornness in their antagonism towards the Prophet (peace be upon him) and had made up their mind not to listen to him at all. For this they have been warned, as if to say: You take pride in this stubbornness of yours, but, as a matter of fact, there cannot be a greater misfortune and unworthiness of man than that his heart should become even more hardened, instead of becoming soft, when he hears Allah being mentioned and the admonition sent by Him.
Ibn-Kathir
The tafsir of Surah Az-Zumar verse 22 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Zumar ayat 21 which provides the complete commentary from verse 21 through 22.
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