Tafseer of The Groups · Az-Zumar · 39:22
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.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The statement concerning the explanation of His saying, the Exalted: Afaman sharaḥa Allāhu ṣadrahu li-al-islāmi fa-huwa ʿalā nūrin min rabbihi fa-waylun li-al-qāsiyati qulūbuhum min dhikri Allāhi ulāʾika fī ḍalālin mubīn ("Is then he whose breast Allah has expanded for Islam, so that he is upon a light from his Lord [like one whose heart is hardened]? Woe then to those whose hearts are hardened against the remembrance of Allah; they are in manifest error") (22).
The Exalted, whose praise is worthy of remembrance, says: Is then he whose heart Allah has opened to His knowledge, the acknowledgment of His oneness, submission to His Lordship, and humility in obedience to Him — fa-huwa ʿalā nūrin min rabbihi ("so that he is upon a light from his Lord") — He says: thus he is in clear insight and certainty regarding that in which he finds himself, through the illumination of the truth in his heart, so that thereby he follows the command of Allah and abstains from what He has forbidden him, in that which pleases Him — like one whose heart Allah has hardened, deprived of His remembrance, and constricted against hearing the truth, following the guidance, and doing what is right? And the mention of the one whose heart Allah has hardened, and the answer to the question, was omitted, relying on the listeners' understanding of what was intended by the saying, since one of the two categories was mentioned, and in place of the mention of the other category the report concerning it was given by His saying: fa-waylun li-al-qāsiyati qulūbuhum min dhikri Allāh ("Woe then to those whose hearts are hardened against the remembrance of Allah").
And in accordance with what we have said concerning this, the people of interpretation (ahl al-taʾwīl) have spoken.
* Mention of who said that:
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning his saying: Afaman sharaḥa Allāhu ṣadrahu li-al-islāmi fa-huwa ʿalā nūrin min rabbih ("Is then he whose breast Allah has expanded for Islam, so that he is upon a light from his Lord") — he means: the Book of Allah; he is the one who believes in it, accepts it, and adheres to it.
Muḥammad related to us, saying: Aḥmad related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī, concerning his saying: Afaman sharaḥa Allāhu ṣadrahu li-al-islām ("Is then he whose breast Allah has expanded for Islam") — he said: He made his breast wide for Islam, and the light (al-nūr) is the guidance.
It was related to me on the authority of Ibn Abī Zāʾida, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid: Afaman sharaḥa Allāhu ṣadrahu li-al-islām ("Is then he whose breast Allah has expanded for Islam") — he said: the one whose breast is expanded is not like the one whose heart is hardened.
His saying: Fa-waylun li-al-qāsiyati qulūbuhum min dhikri Allāh ("Woe then to those whose hearts are hardened against the remembrance of Allah") — the Exalted, whose praise is worthy of remembrance, says: woe then to those whose hearts have withered and turned away from the remembrance of Allah and have turned aside — namely, from the Qurʾān which the Exalted, whose praise is worthy of remembrance, sent down as an admonition thereby to His servants — so that they did not believe in it nor hold true what is in it. And it was said: min dhikri Allāh ("from the remembrance of Allah"), while the meaning is: against the remembrance of Allah (ʿan dhikri Allāh); thus "min" was placed in the position of "ʿan," as one says in speech: "I am full from the food that I have eaten" and "I am full over the food that I have eaten" with one and the same meaning.
And His saying: Ulāʾika fī ḍalālin mubīn ("they are in manifest error") — the Exalted, whose praise is worthy of remembrance, says: these, whose hearts are hardened against the remembrance of Allah, are in manifest error, for whoever considers it and reflects upon it with understanding that he is in error, deviating from the truth.
