Tafsir of Al-Furqan 25:77

"Say: My Lord would not care for you were it not for your supplication..."

After describing the worship of the servants, enumerating their righteous deeds and virtues, praising them for these, and promising them an elevation of their ranks in Paradise, He followed this by clarifying that He only cares for them, values them, elevates their mention, and promises them what He promised, because of their worship.

He commanded His Messenger to declare to the people and state firmly that the concern for them in the sight of their Lord is for this worship alone, and for no other reason. Were it not for their worship, He would not care for them at all, nor would He count them as anything of significance.

"Supplication" here means worship. The verse, “My Lord would not care for you were it not for your supplication,” contains the meaning of an interrogative, and it is in the position of an accusative, functioning as a verbal noun (masdar). It is as if it were said: "And what weight would He give you were it not for your supplication?" This means: You would not deserve any weight or concern were it not for your worship.

The reality of the expression "I did not care for him" (mā ‘aba’tu bihi) means: I did not count him among the burdens of my concerns or things that weigh upon me, just as you say, "I did not care for it" (mā iktarathu lahu), meaning: I did not count it among my disasters or things that concern me.

Al-Zajjāj said in the interpretation of “My Lord would not care for you”: "What weight do you have with Him?"

It is possible that "what" (mā) is a negation. “For you have denied” means: If I have informed you that My rule is that I do not value My servants except for their worship, then by your denial, you have opposed My rule. “So it will be inevitable”—the consequence of your denial will cling to you until it casts you into the Fire.

A parallel in speech is a king saying to one who defies him: "It is my custom to be kind to those who obey me and follow my command; you have disobeyed, so you shall see what I inflict upon you because of your disobedience."

It is also said: Its meaning is "What would my Lord do with you were it not for His calling you to Islam?" And it is said: "What would He do with your punishment were it not for your calling upon gods alongside Him?"

If you ask: To whom is this address directed? I say: To people in general, among whom are believing worshippers and denying sinners. They are addressed according to what is found within their kind of worship and denial.

It has been recited: "For the disbelievers have denied." It is said that the punishment will be "inevitable" (lizāman). From Mujāhid (may Allah be pleased with him): It is the slaughter on the day of Badr, that it was "inevitable" among the slain. It is also recited lazāman with a fatha, meaning "the state of being inevitable," like thabāt and thubūt.

The point is that the omission of the subject of "was" (kāna)—after it is known that it is something threatened—is for the sake of ambiguity and to encompass that which description cannot fathom. And Allah knows best what is correct.

From the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him):

"Whoever recites Surah al-Furqān will meet Allah on the Day of Resurrection as a believer, certain that the Hour is coming, no doubt about it, and he will be entered into Paradise without hardship."