ﱁ ﱂ ﱃ ﱄ ﱅ ﱆ ﱇ ﱈ ﱉ ﱊ ﱋ ﱌ ﱍ ﱎ ﱏ ﱐ ﱑ ﱒ ﱓ ﱔ ﱕ ﱖ ﱗ ﱘ ﱙ ﱚ ﱛ
It is He who has made you successors upon the earth. And whoever disbelieves - upon him will be [the consequence of] his disbelief. And the disbelief of the disbelievers does not increase them in the sight of their Lord except in hatred; and the disbelief of the disbelievers does not increase them except in loss.
Tafsir
Verse range: 35:39
"It is He who made you..."
It is said of one who is made a successor: khalīfah and khalīf. The plural of khalīfah is khalā'if, and the plural of khalīf is khulafā'.
The meaning is: He has made you His successors upon His earth, having granted you the keys to manage it, empowered you over what is within it, and permitted you its benefits so that you may thank Him through monotheism and obedience.
"So whoever disbelieves..."
Whoever among you disbelieves and denies this sublime blessing, the consequence of his disbelief returns upon him. It is the wrath (maqt) of Allah, beyond which there is no greater disgrace, humiliation, or the loss of the Hereafter, after which there is no further loss.
Maqt is the most intense form of hatred. From this, one who marries his father’s wife is called muqtī, because he is loathed in every heart. This is an address to all people.
It is also said: It is an address to those to whom the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was sent. He made you a nation that succeeded those before it, having seen and witnessed in those who passed what should serve as a lesson. Thus, whoever among you disbelieves, upon him is the penalty of his disbelief—the wrath of Allah and the loss of the Hereafter—just as that was the judgment for those before you.
"Say, 'Have you considered your partners whom you call upon besides Allah? Show me what they have created of the earth, or do they have a share in the heavens? Or have We given them a book so that they are on evidence from it? Rather, the wrongdoers do not promise each other anything except delusion.'"
