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
وَإِذْ يَتَحَآجُّونَ فِى ٱلنَّارِ فَيَقُولُ ٱلضُّعَفَـٰٓؤُا۟ لِلَّذِينَ ٱسْتَكْبَرُوٓا۟ إِنَّا كُنَّا لَكُمْ تَبَعًا فَهَلْ أَنتُم مُّغْنُونَ عَنَّا نَصِيبًا مِّنَ ٱلنَّارِ
And [mention] when they will argue within the Fire, and the weak will say to those who had been arrogant, "Indeed, we were [only] your followers, so will you relieve us of a share of the Fire?"
وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَنَـٰفِعُ وَلِتَبْلُغُوا۟ عَلَيْهَا حَاجَةً فِى صُدُورِكُمْ وَعَلَيْهَا وَعَلَى ٱلْفُلْكِ تُحْمَلُونَ
And for you therein are [other] benefits and that you may realize upon them a need which is in your breasts; and upon them and upon ships you are carried.
فَٱصْبِرْ إِنَّ وَعْدَ ٱللَّهِ حَقٌّ ۚ فَإِمَّا نُرِيَنَّكَ بَعْضَ ٱلَّذِى نَعِدُهُمْ أَوْ نَتَوَفَّيَنَّكَ فَإِلَيْنَا يُرْجَعُونَ
So be patient, [O Muḥammad]; indeed, the promise of Allāh 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.
غَافِرِ ٱلذَّنۢبِ وَقَابِلِ ٱلتَّوْبِ شَدِيدِ ٱلْعِقَابِ ذِى ٱلطَّوْلِ ۖ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ إِلَيْهِ ٱلْمَصِيرُ
The forgiver of sin, acceptor of repentance, severe in punishment, owner of abundance. There is no deity except Him; to Him is the destination.