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
وَأَنذِرْهُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْـَٔازِفَةِ إِذِ ٱلْقُلُوبُ لَدَى ٱلْحَنَاجِرِ كَـٰظِمِينَ ۚ مَا لِلظَّـٰلِمِينَ مِنْ حَمِيمٍ وَلَا شَفِيعٍ يُطَاعُ
And warn them, [O Muḥammad], of the Approaching Day, when hearts are at the throats, filled [with distress]. For the wrongdoers there will be no devoted friend and no intercessor [who is] obeyed.
قَالُوا۟ رَبَّنَآ أَمَتَّنَا ٱثْنَتَيْنِ وَأَحْيَيْتَنَا ٱثْنَتَيْنِ فَٱعْتَرَفْنَا بِذُنُوبِنَا فَهَلْ إِلَىٰ خُرُوجٍ مِّن سَبِيلٍ
They will say, "Our Lord, You made us lifeless twice and gave us life twice, and we have confessed our sins. So is there to an exit any way?"
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.
هُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُم مِّن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ ثُمَّ مِنْ عَلَقَةٍ ثُمَّ يُخْرِجُكُمْ طِفْلًا ثُمَّ لِتَبْلُغُوٓا۟ أَشُدَّكُمْ ثُمَّ لِتَكُونُوا۟ شُيُوخًا ۚ وَمِنكُم مَّن يُتَوَفَّىٰ مِن قَبْلُ ۖ وَلِتَبْلُغُوٓا۟ أَجَلًا مُّسَمًّى وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ
It is He who created you from dust, then from a sperm-drop, then from a clinging clot; then He brings you out as a child; then [He develops you] that you reach your [time of] maturity, then [further] that you become elders. And among you is he who is taken in death before [that], so that you reach a specified term; and perhaps you will use reason.