Overview - Surah 40: Ghafir (The Forgiver)
There are seven Surahs (al-Mu'min, HaMim al-Sajdah, al-Shura, al-Zukhruf, al-Dukhan, al-Jathiyah, al-Ahqaf) that begin with the word "HaMim". Thus these seven Surahs are also called "al-Hawamim". These are Surahs of Da'wah, inviting people to believe in Allah, take advantage of the mercy of Allah. There is solace and comfort in these Surahs for the Believers who were persecuted because of their faith and they are given the good news that the truth will prevail.
Sections:
- The Qur'an is from Allah who is both Merciful and Severe in Punishment. Warnings to the non-believers and comfort to the believers.
- The failure of the disbelievers. The Day of Judgment belongs to Allah.
- A lesson from the history of Prophet Moses -peace be upon him. Even the mighty Pharaoh and his army could not help him against the wrath of Allah.
- A Believer from the Pharaoh's people declared his faith. His conversation with his people.
- The false leaders will take their people to hell.
- Allah helps the Prophets and their followers.
- The Glory of Allah. Allah has power over life and death.
- The fate of the un-believers will be bad.
- Take lessons from the past history. After the judgment comes, repentance makes no difference.
The Surah has two common names. One is Ghafir [Forgiver] and the other is al-Mu'min [The Believer].
The following Surahs all have the letters, Ha-Meem as their opening Ayaat and interestingly what is common to all of them is their mentioning of the Prophet Musa. These Surahs are;
Surah 40: al-Ghafir
Surah 41: Fussilat
Surah 42: Shurah
Surah 43: Zukhruf
Surah 44: Dukhan
Surah 45: Jathiyah
Surah 46: al-Ahqaaf
There are 85 Ayat in this Surah.
Overview
| Total Ayat | 85 |
| Total Words * | 1219 |
| Root Words * | 265 |
| Unique Root Words * | 1 |
| Makki / Madani | Makki |
| Chronological Order* | 60th (according to Ibn Abbas) |
| Year of Revelation* | 9th year of Prophethood |
| Events during/before this Surah*
Boycott of Banu Hashim Yr 3, Boycott of Banu Hashim Yr 2, Boycott of Banu Hashim Yr 1, 2nd Migration to Abyssinia, Physical beating and torture of some Muslims - 1st Migration of Muslims to Abyssinia, Public Invitation to Islam - Persecution of Muslims; antagonism - ridicule - derision - accusation - abuse and false propaganda., Revelation begins - Private Invitation to Islam , Revelation begins - Private Invitation to Islam , Revelation begins - Private Invitation to Islam
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| Events during/after still to occur*
Death of Abu Talib - Death of Khadijah - Stoning at Ta'if - al-Isra wal Mi'raj - Night Journey,1st Pledge of Aqabah,2nd Pledge of Aqabah,,Migration from Makkah to Madinah - Building of Masjid Nabi in Madinah - Treaty with Jews of Madinah - Marriage of Prophet to Aishah,Change of Qiblah from Jerusalem to Makkah - Battle of Badr,Battle of Uhud,,Battle of Ahzab - Expedition of Banu Quraydhah,Treaty of Hudaiybiyah - Letters to Kings and Rulers,,Conquest of Makkah - Battle of Hunain,Hajj led by Abu Bakr - Expedition of Tabuk,Farewell Hajj by Prophet - Death of Prophet - End of Divine Revelation
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| Names of Prophets Mentioned
Nuh, Yusuf, Musa
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| Surah Index
Adversity (patience during) , God (ability to do anything) , God (wills no wrong to His creation) , Apostasy (repentance) (on Judgement Day is too late), Children, Children (in Heaven) , Children (of Israel) , Death, Disbelievers, Disbelievers (God’s promise to) , Earth, Earth (creation and recreation of) , Embryology, Food, Haman, Hell, Humankind (creation of) (from a drop of sperm), Humankind (creation of) (from dust), Humankind (insignificant compared to the Universe) , Joseph, Judgement, Judgement (Day) , Judgement (Day) (repentance then is too late), Knowledge (obligation upon man to obtain and impart) , Life (good things made lawful) , Livestock, Marriage (recline with spouses in Paradise) , Moses, Noah, Pharaoh, Prophet (miracles only by God’s leave) , Prophet (some not mentioned) , Qarun, Religion, Resurrection (Day) , Resurrection (of soul) , Revelation, Sexes (equality of) , Ships, Sin, Thamud, Weather (rain)
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Theme 1: The importance of Dawah [calling] to Allah.
- The beginning of Surat Ghafir contains: "The forgiver of sin, the acceptor of repentance, severe in punishment, owner of abundance. There is no deity except Him; to Him is the destination." (40:3). In its end, Allah mentions that when the disbelievers saw His punishment they said: "We believe in Allah." (40:84) This will occur in the hereafter, and thus this belief will be of no benefit because Allah presented to them everything that leads on to Iman and repentance in the worldly life. So when they were resolute on their disbelief, their end was to punishment and fire, with repentance and belief then being of no avail to them.
Manuscripts / Inscriptions
1st/2nd Century AH
1st/2nd Century AH
19th Century
19th Century
17th Century
17th Century
- Surah az-Zumar and Surah Ghafir both begin with the mention of making the Din purely for Him - مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ
-إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ فَاعْبُدِ اللَّـهَ مُخْلِصًا لَّهُ الدِّينَ "Indeed, We have sent down to you the Book, [O Muhammad], in truth. So worship Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion." (39:2)
فَادْعُوا اللَّـهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكَافِرُونَ "So invoke Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion, although the disbelievers dislike it." (40:14) (40:65)
Total Word Count per Ayat (shows how many words per Ayat) = 1* | ||
| # | Root Word | Frequency in Surah | Frequency in Qur'an |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | أ ل ه | 57 | 2851 |
| 2. | ٱلَّذِى | 36 | 1464 |
| 3. | ك و ن | 25 | 1390 |
| 4. | ق و ل | 25 | 1722 |
| 5. | ر ب ب | 19 | 980 |
| 6. | د ع و | 18 | 212 |
| 7. | أ م ن | 17 | 879 |
| 8. | ي و م | 15 | 405 |
| 9. | إِلَّا | 13 | 663 |
| 10. | إِلَىٰ | 13 | 742 |
| Root Word | Frequency in Surah |
Frequency in Qur'an |
|---|---|---|
| أ ل ه | 57 | 2851 |
| ٱلَّذِى | 36 | 1464 |
| ك و ن | 25 | 1390 |
| ق و ل | 25 | 1722 |
| ر ب ب | 19 | 980 |
| د ع و | 18 | 212 |
| أ م ن | 17 | 879 |
| ي و م | 15 | 405 |
| إِلَّا | 13 | 663 |
| إِلَىٰ | 13 | 742 |
There are clear indications in the subject matter of this Surah to the conditions in which it was revealed. The disbelievers of Makkah at that time were engaged in two kinds of the activities against the Prophet. First, they were creating suspicion and misgiving in the minds of the people about the teaching of the Qur’an and the message of Islam and about the Prophet himself by starting many disputes and discussions, raising irrelevant objections and bringing ever new accusations so that the Prophet and the believers were sick of trying to answer them. Secondly, they were preparing the ground for putting an end to the Prophet himself. They were devising one plot after another, and on one occasion had even taken the practical steps to execute a plot. There is a hadith on the authority of Abdullah bin Amr bin al-As, saying that, one day when the Prophet was offering his prayers in the precincts of the Ka’bah, suddenly ‘Uqbah bin Abi Mu’ait, rushed forward and putting a piece of cloth round his neck started twisting it so as to strangle him to death. Abu Bakr, who happened to go there in time, pushed him away. Abdullah says that when Abu Bakr was struggling with the man, he was saying words to the effect: “Would you kill a man only because he says: God is my Lord?”
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The following Surahs all have the letters, Ha-Meem as their opening Ayaat and interestingly what is common to all of them is their mentioning of the Prophet Musa. These Surahs are;
Surah 40: al-Ghafir
Surah 41: Fussilat
Surah 42: Shurah
Surah 43: Zukhruf
Surah 44: Dukhan
Surah 45: Jathiyah
Surah 46: al-Ahqaaf -
The angels who bear the throne of Allah pray for those humans who repent and follow the right way.
- A scene from the Day of Judgement.
- Allah knows the furtive looks and secret thoughts.
- Story of the Prophet Musa, Pharaoh, Haman and Qarun.
- An excellent speech of one of the relatives of Fir'on in favor of the Prophet Musa.
- Fir'on plotted against that relative, who was a believer, but Allah saved him and destroyed the people of Fir'on, and now they are presented before the fire of Hell every morning and evening.
- Allah says; "Call me, I will answer your prayers."
- No one has the right to be worshipped except Allah, the Creator and the Rabb of the world.
- Those who argue about the revelations of Allah will soon find out the Truth.
- Allah has sent many Rasools before Muhammad (pbuh): of them some are mentioned in the Qur'an and some are not.
- Belief after seeing the scourge of Allah is of no avail to the disbelievers.
Tafsir Zone
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Overview (Verses 82 - 85) Lessons of History The surah concludes on a very powerful note: Have they not travelled through the land and seen what was the end of those who lived before them? They were more numerous than them, and greater in power and in the impact they left on earth. Yet what they achieved was of no avail to them. When God's messengers came to them with all evidence of the truth, they revelled in what knowledge they had; and so they were overwhelmed by the very thing which they mocked. And then when they saw Our might, they said: 'We believe in God alone, and we renounce those we used to associate as partners with Him. But accepting the faith after they had seen Our might was not going to benefit them at all. This has always been God's way of dealing with His creatures. There and then the unbelievers will be lost. (Verses 82-85) Many communities were destroyed during human history. What happened to some of these communities can be seen in their ruins; others are recorded in history, written or transmitted by word of mouth. The Qur'an often directs our attention to these histories because they are indicative of human life and its course of history. They also have a powerful effect on our minds and hearts. The Qur'an addresses human nature by what God, who revealed the Qur'an, knows of human nature: what influences it and what opens its receptors. Some of these receptors need only a light tap, while others require strong hammering because of the thick veils that have covered them over time. At this point the surah questions them, encouraging them to travel across the land with open eyes, alert feelings and an objective approach. They should look at what took place on earth before their time, and consider whether they too might be exposed to the same: "Have they not travelled through the land and seen what was the end of those who lived before them' (Verse 82) Before specifying what end they met, the surah describes the conditions of those past communities so that the addressees can consider how it could affect them and also enable them to draw the right lessons: "They were more numerous than them, and greater in power and in the impact they left on earth." (Verse 82) Thus, they enjoyed power and civilisation. Some of these belonged to generations that preceded the Arabs, the history of some is given to the Prophet, while others were known to the Arabs who passed by their ruins: "Yet what they achieved was of no avail to them." (Verse 82) Neither material power nor numerical strength was of any avail to them. Indeed their advancement was the cause of their tragedy: "When God's messengers came to them with all evidence of the truth, they revelled in what knowledge they had." (Verse 83) Without faith, knowledge becomes a test that may cause blindness and excess. Such superficial knowledge can lead to conceit and arrogance. Given such knowledge, a person may think that he can control immense powers and immeasurable resources and this leads him to transgress beyond his limits. He tends to forget the great many things he does not know. These are present in the universe, but he has no power over them. Indeed, he is not fully aware of them. He only knows their ends that are close to him. Yet he boasts falsely, emphasising his knowledge and overlooking his ignorance. If he would only compare what he knows to what he does not, and what he is able to do to with what he cannot even begin to understand, he would certainly moderate his excitement about his knowledge. Those people, however, revelled in what little knowledge they had and ridiculed whoever reminded them of what is beyond their knowledge: "And so they were overwhelmed by the very thing which they mocked." (Verse 83) Therefore, when they see God's might, they begin to realise the truth of their arrogance and acknowledge what they used to deny. They declare their belief in God's oneness and disown those deities which they alleged to be God's partners. All this, however, comes when it is too late: "And then when they saw Our might, they said: 'We believe in God alone, and we renounce those we used to associate as partners with Him. But accepting the faith after they had seen Our might was not going to benefit them at all." (Verses 84-85) It is a rule God has established that repentance after demonstrating God's might is not acceptable, because it is motivated by fear, not by faith. "This has always been God's way of dealing with His creatures." (Verse 85) God's way remains operative at all times. It never changes, deviates or fails: "There and then the unbelievers will be lost." (Verse 85) This is a very powerful conclusion to the surah, with God's might overwhelming the rejecters when they are raising their voices with appeals motivated by fear. Thus, the end fits well with overall ambience and main subject matter of the surah. The surah tackles those issues of faith that feature prominently in Makkan revelations, such as God's oneness, resurrection and revelation. These, however, are not the main themes of the surah. Its main theme is the battle between truth and falsehood, faith and unfaith, tyranny and justice. Indeed, the development of this battle gives the surah its distinctive features. |
Ibn Kathir (English)
Sayyid Qutb
Sha'rawi
Al Jalalain
Mawdudi
الطبري - جامع البيان
ابن كثير - تفسير القرآن العظيم
القرطبي - الجامع لأحكام
البغوي - معالم التنزيل
ابن أبي حاتم الرازي - تفسير القرآن
ابن عاشور - التحرير والتنوير
ابن القيم - تفسير ابن قيّم
السيوطي - الدر المنثور
الشنقيطي - أضواء البيان
ابن الجوزي - زاد المسير
الآلوسي - روح المعاني
ابن عطية - المحرر الوجيز
الرازي - مفاتيح الغيب
أبو السعود - إرشاد العقل السليم
الزمخشري - الكشاف
البقاعي - نظم الدرر
الهداية إلى بلوغ النهاية — مكي ابن أبي طالب
القاسمي - محاسن التأويل
الماوردي - النكت والعيون
السعدي - تيسير الكريم الرحمن
عبد الرحمن الثعالبي - الجواهر الحسان
السمرقندي - بحر العلوم
أبو إسحاق الثعلبي - الكشف والبيان
الشوكاني - فتح القدير
النيسابوري - التفسير البسيط
أبو حيان - البحر المحيط
البيضاوي - أنوار التنزيل
النسفي - مدارك التنزيل
ابن جُزَيّ - التسهيل لعلوم التنزيل
علي الواحدي النيسابوري - الوجيز
السيوطي - تفسير الجلالين
المختصر في التفسير — مركز تفسير
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Overview (Verses 82 - 85) Lessons of History The surah concludes on a very powerful note: Have they not travelled through the land and seen what was the end of those who lived before them? They were more numerous than them, and greater in power and in the impact they left on earth. Yet what they achieved was of no avail to them. When God's messengers came to them with all evidence of the truth, they revelled in what knowledge they had; and so they were overwhelmed by the very thing which they mocked. And then when they saw Our might, they said: 'We believe in God alone, and we renounce those we used to associate as partners with Him. But accepting the faith after they had seen Our might was not going to benefit them at all. This has always been God's way of dealing with His creatures. There and then the unbelievers will be lost. (Verses 82-85) Many communities were destroyed during human history. What happened to some of these communities can be seen in their ruins; others are recorded in history, written or transmitted by word of mouth. The Qur'an often directs our attention to these histories because they are indicative of human life and its course of history. They also have a powerful effect on our minds and hearts. The Qur'an addresses human nature by what God, who revealed the Qur'an, knows of human nature: what influences it and what opens its receptors. Some of these receptors need only a light tap, while others require strong hammering because of the thick veils that have covered them over time. At this point the surah questions them, encouraging them to travel across the land with open eyes, alert feelings and an objective approach. They should look at what took place on earth before their time, and consider whether they too might be exposed to the same: "Have they not travelled through the land and seen what was the end of those who lived before them' (Verse 82) Before specifying what end they met, the surah describes the conditions of those past communities so that the addressees can consider how it could affect them and also enable them to draw the right lessons: "They were more numerous than them, and greater in power and in the impact they left on earth." (Verse 82) Thus, they enjoyed power and civilisation. Some of these belonged to generations that preceded the Arabs, the history of some is given to the Prophet, while others were known to the Arabs who passed by their ruins: "Yet what they achieved was of no avail to them." (Verse 82) Neither material power nor numerical strength was of any avail to them. Indeed their advancement was the cause of their tragedy: "When God's messengers came to them with all evidence of the truth, they revelled in what knowledge they had." (Verse 83) Without faith, knowledge becomes a test that may cause blindness and excess. Such superficial knowledge can lead to conceit and arrogance. Given such knowledge, a person may think that he can control immense powers and immeasurable resources and this leads him to transgress beyond his limits. He tends to forget the great many things he does not know. These are present in the universe, but he has no power over them. Indeed, he is not fully aware of them. He only knows their ends that are close to him. Yet he boasts falsely, emphasising his knowledge and overlooking his ignorance. If he would only compare what he knows to what he does not, and what he is able to do to with what he cannot even begin to understand, he would certainly moderate his excitement about his knowledge. Those people, however, revelled in what little knowledge they had and ridiculed whoever reminded them of what is beyond their knowledge: "And so they were overwhelmed by the very thing which they mocked." (Verse 83) Therefore, when they see God's might, they begin to realise the truth of their arrogance and acknowledge what they used to deny. They declare their belief in God's oneness and disown those deities which they alleged to be God's partners. All this, however, comes when it is too late: "And then when they saw Our might, they said: 'We believe in God alone, and we renounce those we used to associate as partners with Him. But accepting the faith after they had seen Our might was not going to benefit them at all." (Verses 84-85) It is a rule God has established that repentance after demonstrating God's might is not acceptable, because it is motivated by fear, not by faith. "This has always been God's way of dealing with His creatures." (Verse 85) God's way remains operative at all times. It never changes, deviates or fails: "There and then the unbelievers will be lost." (Verse 85) This is a very powerful conclusion to the surah, with God's might overwhelming the rejecters when they are raising their voices with appeals motivated by fear. Thus, the end fits well with overall ambience and main subject matter of the surah. The surah tackles those issues of faith that feature prominently in Makkan revelations, such as God's oneness, resurrection and revelation. These, however, are not the main themes of the surah. Its main theme is the battle between truth and falsehood, faith and unfaith, tyranny and justice. Indeed, the development of this battle gives the surah its distinctive features. |
- Surah 40. Ghafir - Saad al Ghamidi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5Onjs1b4g8&list=PLhM2xiAUdw2cAqW_o3zZkbhJNw0bnaBZN&index=40
- Surah 40. Ghafir Mahmoud Khalil Al Hussary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDvrxnUX38g&index=40&list=PLxpAkjlGauHfMFWX22VZWOKpzjr-vH_BM
- Surah 40. Ghafir Muhammad Al Luhaydan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZxSQZ-JvZA&index=40&list=PLxpAkjlGauHfKAYuQLRNAZomoezhfhRZe
- Idris Akbar Surah Ghafir https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY1b_q4bofQ
- Surah 40.Ghafir muhammad Minshawi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPMGO7guV1c&list=PLxpAkjlGauHdUcO_uc-8F8J2NUQRDZjPG&index=40
- Dr Israr Ahmed Tafsir Surah Al-M'umin (47) to Surah Al-Shura (1-13)1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv80yaqL00A&list=PLB4B8D1654A8BD263&index=89
- Surah Al-M'umin (47) to Surah Al-Shura (1-13)2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8EU2FqF2tk&list=PLB4B8D1654A8BD263&index=90
