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
لَا جَرَمَ أَنَّمَا تَدْعُونَنِىٓ إِلَيْهِ لَيْسَ لَهُۥ دَعْوَةٌ فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا وَلَا فِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ وَأَنَّ مَرَدَّنَآ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ وَأَنَّ ٱلْمُسْرِفِينَ هُمْ أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلنَّارِ
Assuredly, that to which you invite me has no [response to a] supplication in this world or in the Hereafter; and indeed, our return is to Allāh, and indeed, the transgressors will be companions of the Fire.
هُوَ ٱلَّذِى يُرِيكُمْ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ وَيُنَزِّلُ لَكُم مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ رِزْقًا ۚ وَمَا يَتَذَكَّرُ إِلَّا مَن يُنِيبُ
It is He who shows you His signs and sends down to you from the sky, provision. But none will remember except he who turns back [in repentance].
هُوَ ٱلَّذِى يُحْىِۦ وَيُمِيتُ ۖ فَإِذَا قَضَىٰٓ أَمْرًا فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُۥ كُن فَيَكُونُ
He it is who gives life and causes death; and when He decrees a matter, He but says to it, "Be," and it is.
ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلْأَرْضَ قَرَارًا وَٱلسَّمَآءَ بِنَآءً وَصَوَّرَكُمْ فَأَحْسَنَ صُوَرَكُمْ وَرَزَقَكُم مِّنَ ٱلطَّيِّبَـٰتِ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمُ ٱللَّهُ رَبُّكُمْ ۖ فَتَبَارَكَ ٱللَّهُ رَبُّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
It is Allāh who made for you the earth a place of settlement and the sky a structure [i.e., ceiling] and formed you and perfected your forms and provided you with good things. That is Allāh, your Lord; then blessed is Allāh, Lord of the worlds.