Tafseer of The Forgiver · Ghafir · 40:77
So be patient, [O Muhammad]; indeed, the promise of Allah is truth. And whether We show you some of what We have promised them or We take you in death, it is to Us they will be returned.
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 explanation of the saying of the Exalted: فَاصْبِرْ إِنَّ وَعْدَ اللَّهِ حَقٌّ فَإِمَّا نُرِيَنَّكَ بَعْضَ الَّذِي نَعِدُهُمْ أَوْ نَتَوَفَّيَنَّكَ فَإِلَيْنَا يُرْجَعُونَ (77)
(So be patient; verily, the promise of Allah is truth. And whether We show you a part of what We promise them, or We take you to Ourselves — to Us they will be returned.) (40:77)
The Exalted says to His Prophet Muḥammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: Be patient, O Muḥammad, with that over which these polytheists (mushrikīn) dispute with you concerning the signs of Allah that We have sent down upon you, and with their denial of you, for Allah will accomplish for you against them what He has promised you of victory over them, of being raised above them, and of bringing down the punishment upon them, in accordance with Our custom with Mūsā ibn ʿImrān and those who denied him. ( فَإِمَّا نُرِيَنَّكَ بَعْضَ الَّذِي نَعِدُهُمْ ) (And whether We show you a part of what We promise them). The Exalted, praised be His praise, says: whether We show you, O Muḥammad, during your lifetime a part of that which We promise these polytheists of the punishment and vengeance that will descend upon them, ( أَوْ نَتَوَفَّيَنَّكَ ) (or We take you to Ourselves) before that descends upon them, ( فَإِلَيْنَا يُرْجَعُونَ ) (to Us they will be returned) means: to Us is your final destination and their final destination, and then We will judge between you and them in truth, by making them abide forever in the Fire and by honoring you with Our nearness in the gardens of bliss.