وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ٱدْعُونِىٓ أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِى سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَ 60
Translations
And your Lord says, "Call upon Me; I will respond to you." Indeed, those who disdain My worship will enter Hell [rendered] contemptible.
Transliteration
Wa qāla rabbukum ud'ūnī astajib lakum. Inna alladhīna yastakbirūna 'an 'ibādatī sayadkhulūna jahannam dākhirīn.
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah Most High invites His servants to call upon Him in supplication, promising to answer their du'ā, while simultaneously warning that those who arrogantly refuse to worship and submit to Him will enter Hell in disgrace. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi, this ayah encompasses two divine attributes: mercy and justice—the promise of answering prayers for the humble believers, and the inevitable punishment for those who reject divine guidance through pride and arrogance.
Revelation Context
Surah Ghafir is a Meccan surah revealed during a period of intense opposition to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). This ayah occurs in the context of the surah's broader theme of Allah's forgiveness, power, and the consequences of rejecting faith. It serves as both an encouragement for believers to rely on Allah through du'ā and a warning to disbelievers about the consequences of their arrogance.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Du'ā is worship' (Tirmidhi). Additionally, in Sahih Bukhari, the Prophet stated: 'There is nothing more honorable to Allah than du'ā,' emphasizing the nobility of supplication and direct communication with Allah.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that Allah is always accessible through sincere du'ā and promises to answer, encouraging a direct and intimate relationship with the Divine. Conversely, it warns against spiritual arrogance and the refusal to submit to Allah's will, reminding us that humility and obedience are fundamental to faith and salvation.
Related Ayahs
ٱلْيَوْمَ تُجْزَىٰ كُلُّ نَفْسٍۭ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ ۚ لَا ظُلْمَ ٱلْيَوْمَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَرِيعُ ٱلْحِسَابِ
This Day every soul will be recompensed for what it earned. No injustice today! Indeed, Allāh is swift in account.
إِلَىٰ فِرْعَوْنَ وَهَـٰمَـٰنَ وَقَـٰرُونَ فَقَالُوا۟ سَـٰحِرٌ كَذَّابٌ
To Pharaoh, Hāmān and Qārūn, but they said, "[He is] a magician and a liar."
۞ قُلْ إِنِّى نُهِيتُ أَنْ أَعْبُدَ ٱلَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ لَمَّا جَآءَنِىَ ٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتُ مِن رَّبِّى وَأُمِرْتُ أَنْ أُسْلِمَ لِرَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
Say, [O Muḥammad], "Indeed, I have been forbidden to worship those you call upon besides Allāh once the clear proofs have come to me from my Lord, and I have been commanded to submit to the Lord of the worlds."
ذَٰلِكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَفْرَحُونَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ بِغَيْرِ ٱلْحَقِّ وَبِمَا كُنتُمْ تَمْرَحُونَ
[The angels will say], "That was because you used to exult upon the earth without right and you used to behave insolently.