Tafseer of Explained in detail · Fussilat · 41:30
Indeed, those who have said, "Our Lord is Allah " and then remained on a right course - the angels will descend upon them, [saying], "Do not fear and do not grieve but receive good tidings of Paradise, which you were promised.
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: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَلائِكَةُ أَلا تَخَافُوا وَلا تَحْزَنُوا وَأَبْشِرُوا بِالْجَنَّةِ الَّتِي كُنْتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ (30) ("Indeed, those who say: 'Our Lord is Allah' and then are steadfast, upon them the angels descend: 'Fear not and grieve not, and rejoice in the Paradise that you were promised.'") (41:30)
The Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ("Indeed, those who say: 'Our Lord is Allah'") — He alone, without any partner beside Him — and who declare themselves free of the idols and the equals set up [with Him], ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا ("and then are steadfast") in professing the oneness of Allah (tawḥīd), and who do not mix the oneness of Allah with ascribing a partner to Him, and who devote themselves to obedience to Him in that which He commanded and forbade.
And in the sense of what we have said concerning this, there came the report of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the exegetes said this — with disagreement among them — concerning the meaning of His saying ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا ("and then are steadfast"). The report concerning that is related on the authority of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.
ʿAmr ibn ʿAlī related to us, saying: Sālim ibn Qutayba Abū Qutayba related to us, saying: Suhayl ibn Abī Ḥazm al-Qaṭʿī related to us, on the authority of Thābit al-Bunānī, on the authority of Anas ibn Mālik, that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, recited: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا ("Indeed, those who say: 'Our Lord is Allah' and then are steadfast"). He said: "The people did say it, but afterward most of them became disbelievers; so whoever dies upon it is among those who have been steadfast."
And some of them said: Its meaning is: and they ascribed no partner to Him in anything, but they persevered to the end in the oneness (tawḥīd).
* Mention of who said that:
Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Abū Isḥāq, on the authority of ʿĀmir ibn Saʿd, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn ʿImrān, who said: I recited before Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq, may Allah be pleased with him, this verse: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا ("Indeed, those who say: 'Our Lord is Allah' and then are steadfast"). He said: They are those who ascribed no partner to Allah in anything.
Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: My father related to us, on the authority of Sufyān with his isnād, on the authority of Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq, may Allah be pleased with him, the like of that.
He said: Jarīr ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd and ʿAbd Allāh ibn Idrīs related to us, on the authority of al-Shaybānī, on the authority of Abū Bakr ibn Abī Mūsā, on the authority of al-Aswad ibn Hilāl, on the authority of Abū Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said to his companions concerning إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا ("Indeed, those who say: 'Our Lord is Allah' and then are steadfast"). They said: They said: "Our Lord is Allah" and then acted accordingly. He said: You have interpreted it according to the wrong meaning; إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا ("Indeed, those who say: 'Our Lord is Allah' and then are steadfast") are those who did not equate Him with any form of ascribing partners, nor with anything else.
Abū Kurayb and Abū al-Sāʾib related to us, both saying: Idrīs related to us, saying: al-Shaybānī informed us, on the authority of Abū Bakr ibn Abī Mūsā, on the authority of al-Aswad ibn Hilāl al-Muḥāribī, who said: Abū Bakr said: What do you say concerning this verse: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا ("Indeed, those who say: 'Our Lord is Allah' and then are steadfast")? He said: They said: "Our Lord is Allah" and then remained steadfast away from sin. Then Abū Bakr said: You have interpreted it according to the wrong meaning; they said: "Our Lord is Allah" and then remained steadfast so that they did not turn to any god other than Him.
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Ḥakkām related to us, on the authority of ʿAnbasa, on the authority of Layth, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا ("Indeed, those who say: 'Our Lord is Allah' and then are steadfast"). He said: namely: upon "there is no god but Allah".
He said: Ḥakkām related to us, on the authority of ʿAmr, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا ("Indeed, those who say: 'Our Lord is Allah' and then are steadfast"). He said: They embraced Islam and then ascribed no partner to Him until they met Him.
He said: Ḥakkām related to us, on the authority of ʿAmr, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Mujāhid, His saying إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا ("Indeed, those who say: 'Our Lord is Allah' and then are steadfast"). He said: They embraced Islam and then ascribed no partner to Him until they met Him.
He said: Ḥakkām related to us, saying: ʿAmr related to us, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Jāmiʿ ibn Shaddād, on the authority of al-Aswad ibn Hilāl, the like of that.
Muḥammad related to us, saying: Aḥmad related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا ("Indeed, those who say: 'Our Lord is Allah' and then are steadfast"). He said: They persevered upon that to the end.
Saʿd ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥakam related to me, saying: Ḥafṣ ibn ʿUmar related to us, saying: al-Ḥakam ibn Abān related to us, on the authority of ʿIkrima, his saying: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا ("Indeed, those who say: 'Our Lord is Allah' and then are steadfast"). He said: They remained steadfast upon the testimony that there is no god but Allah.
And others said: Its meaning is: and they then remained steadfast in obedience to Him.
* Mention of who said that:
Aḥmad ibn Manīʿ related to us, saying: ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Mubārak related to us, saying: Yūnus ibn Yazīd related to us, on the authority of al-Zuhrī, who said: ʿUmar, may Allah be pleased with him, recited from the pulpit: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا ("Indeed, those who say: 'Our Lord is Allah' and then are steadfast"). He said: They remained, by Allah, steadfast in obedience to Him, and they did not turn away as the fox turns away.
Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا ("Indeed, those who say: 'Our Lord is Allah' and then are steadfast"). He said: They remained steadfast in obedience to Allah. And al-Ḥasan, when he recited it, used to say: O Allah, You then are our Lord, so grant us steadfastness.
ʿAlī related to me, saying: ʿAbd Allāh related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, his saying: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا ("Indeed, those who say: 'Our Lord is Allah' and then are steadfast"). He says: in carrying out His obligations.
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His saying: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا ("Indeed, those who say: 'Our Lord is Allah' and then are steadfast"). He said: in the worship of Allah and in obedience to Him.
And His saying: تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَلائِكَةُ ("upon them the angels descend") means: the angels descend upon them at the descent of death over them.
And in the sense of what we have said concerning this, the exegetes said.
* Mention of who said that:
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Ḥakkām related to us, on the authority of ʿAnbasa, on the authority of Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, on the authority of al-Qāsim ibn Abī Bazza, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His saying: تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَلائِكَةُ أَلا تَخَافُوا وَلا تَحْزَنُوا ("upon them the angels descend: 'Fear not and grieve not'"). He said: at death.
Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us — both — on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, the like of that.
Muḥammad related to us, saying: Aḥmad related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَلائِكَةُ ("upon them the angels descend"). He said: at death.
And His saying: أَلا تَخَافُوا وَلا تَحْزَنُوا ("'Fear not and grieve not'") means: the angels descend upon them with the message that they need not fear and need not grieve. The particle "an" (أن) is then in the accusative position, when that is the meaning.
It is reported on the authority of ʿAbd Allāh that he used to read it thus: "تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَلائِكَةُ أَلا تَخَافُوا وَلا تَحْزَنُوا" ("upon them the angels descend: 'Fear not and grieve not'") with the meaning: upon them they descend, saying: "Fear not and grieve not." And by His saying أَلا تَخَافُوا ("Fear not") is meant: that to which you are going after your death, وَلا تَحْزَنُوا ("and grieve not") over that which you leave behind you.
And in the sense of what we have said concerning this, the exegetes said.
* Mention of who said that:
Muḥammad related to us, saying: Aḥmad related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: أَلا تَخَافُوا وَلا تَحْزَنُوا ("'Fear not and grieve not'"). He said: Fear not that which lies before you, and grieve not over that which comes after you.
Yūnus related to me, saying: Yaḥyā ibn Ḥassān informed us, on the authority of Muslim ibn Khālid, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, his saying: تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَلائِكَةُ أَلا تَخَافُوا وَلا تَحْزَنُوا ("upon them the angels descend: 'Fear not and grieve not'"). He said: Fear not that to which you are going of the matter of the Hereafter, and grieve not over that which you have left behind of your worldly life of family and children, for We shall succeed you therein in all of that.
And it is said that that takes place in the Hereafter.
* Mention of who said that:
ʿAlī related to me, saying: Abū Ṣāliḥ related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, his saying: تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَلائِكَةُ أَلا تَخَافُوا وَلا تَحْزَنُوا وَأَبْشِرُوا بِالْجَنَّةِ ("upon them the angels descend: 'Fear not and grieve not, and rejoice in the Paradise'"). That is in the Hereafter.
And His saying: وَأَبْشِرُوا بِالْجَنَّةِ الَّتِي كُنْتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ ("'and rejoice in the Paradise that you were promised'") means: and rejoice that for you in the Hereafter is the Paradise (janna) that you were promised in the worldly life on account of your faith in Allah and your steadfastness in obedience to Him.
As Muḥammad related to us, saying: Aḥmad related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: وَأَبْشِرُوا بِالْجَنَّةِ الَّتِي كُنْتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ ("'and rejoice in the Paradise that you were promised'") in the worldly life.
