In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

29- So [O Prophet] remind (dhakkir) [people]. By the grace (ni?mah) of your Lord, you are neither a sorcerer (kahin) nor a madman (majnun).

30- Or do they say: “He is only a poet for whom we await an ill fate?”

31- Say, “Wait if you wish; I too am waiting.”

32- Do their minds (ahlam) command them to do this, or are they an outrageous (taghun) people?

33- Do they say, “He has made it up himself”? They certainly do not believe.

34- Then let them produce a speech (hadith) like it, if they are truthful.

35- Were they created from nothing? Are they (their own) creators.

36- Did they create the heavens and Earth? No, indeed, they are sure of nothing.

37- Do they possess or have control (musaytir) over your Lord’s treasuries (khaza’in)?

38- Do they have a ladder that they can climb in order to eavesdrop [on Heaven’s secrets]? Let their eavesdropper produce clear proof.

39- Does God have daughters while you have sons?

40- Do you [Prophet] demand a payment from them so they are overburdened with debt?

41- Do they have [access to] the unseen? Could they write it down?

42- Do they seek to ensnare you? It is the disbelievers (kafirun) who have been ensnared.

43- Do they have a deity other than God? Exalted is God, far above the things they associate with Him.

44- Even if they saw a piece of heaven falling down upon them, they would say, “Just a heap of clouds.”

45- So leave them alone [O Muhammad], until they face the Day when they will be thunderstruck (yus?aqun).

46- On that Day, their scheming will be of no benefit to them nor shall [they] be helped.

47- And surely, for those who do wrong, there is a punishment besides that (in the world), but most of them do not know.

48- So wait patiently (O Muhammad) for your Lord’s decree, for surely you are in Our sight, and proclaim the praise of your Lord when you rise.

49- Glorify Him at nighttime also and at the setting of the stars.

[52:29] So [O Prophet] remind(dhakkir) [people]. By the grace (niʿmah) of your Lord, you are neither a sorcerer (kāhin) nor a madman(majnūn).
This verse, addressed directly to the Prophet,instructs him to admonish (dhakkir) his people. Dhikr (remembrance) and tadhakkur (to take admonition), which are the opposites of nisyān (forgetfulness), direct our attention to something thatwe already know but have neglected or forgotten. As often happens, life and its many problems keep us busy, occupy our thoughts, and make us forget about the truth and reality – including the reality of our own selves and our lives in this world.
This blessing and grace (niʿmah) is that of guidance, which your Lord has bestowed upon the Prophet via the blessing of revelation.This is why he is neither a sorcerer (kāhin) nor a madman (majnūn). God informed the Makkans of this fact because they were accusing himof these very things, in addition to being a poet.
At that time, sorcerers were believed to be in touch with the unseen world. Some people claimed to be in contact with the jinn, and their ordinary uneducated contemporaries believed them. Regardless of the historical period, the majority of people are – in one sense or another – “uneducated”and therefore trustwhoever appears to have more knowledge, information, and/or experience. Today is no different,for the masses are quickly deceived by the strange but neverthelessmarvelous words and claims made by the charlatans and soon go running after them.One might wonder how modern-day people canmake such fraudulent assertions and, even more surprisingly, attract so many followers. If this is the case today, imagine how it was for an ordinary person living in the relative isolation that pervaded Bedouin tribal life in pre-Islamic Arabia. It is only natural that such an environment would produceindividuals ready to take advantage of their neighbors’simplicity and naiveté.
History records the existence of soothsayers in pre-Islamic Arabia, ancient Greece, and elsewhere. People always tended to hold rather extreme views about political and religious authorities and enjoy believing all of the fantastic things ascribed to them. Thus Muhammad’s fellow Makkans accused him of being this type of person, and what was revealed to himas proof of his madness. And yet these two accusations were mutually contradictory, for at the same time that he was claiming to receive these words from forces in the unseen world, his opponents were claiming that the same words were the ravings of a madman. Obviously, both claims could not be true.
Remember that these early verses, especially the short chapters and other passages revealed during the first year or two of his mission, were related to the Day of Judgment. Chapters 99 (The Earthquake; az-Zilzilah), 101 (The Calamity; al-Qāriʿah), and 102 (Vying for More; at-Takāthur), all revolve around the Resurrection and the Final Judgment. Until the third year, approximately half of all the verses focused on these two topics. However, one should also realize that his fellow Makkans had no concept of such things and thus would naturally find some of his claims outlandish and rejectthem.

[52:30] Or do they say: “He is only a poet for whom we await an illfate?”
In our day, poetry is not considered very fashionable and so we have very few poets. Some people even say that poetry is dead. However, Muhammad’s contemporaries considered poetry an important occupation and calling. Poets enjoyed considerable respect and high social statusamong the Arabs as a whole, whereas most people today study, attend university, and pursue a particular specialization. In any case, Muhammad’s society regarded poetry as a versatile profession and treated its producers, who were usually very charismatic individuals, accordingly.Some of the very famous pre-Islamic poets of Arabia are today known as the foremost poets of that era.

[52:31] Say, “Wait if you wish; I too am waiting.”
You (the enemies of the Prophet) expect that his cause will soon wither and die. But you do not realize that he expects that sooner or later your mistakes will catch up with you and force you to realize how wrong you were. And so there is no disagreement between us, for all of us are waiting to see what the future brings.
There seems to be a story behind these verses.Makkah’s leaders would gather together in theDār-un-Nadwah (i.e., the Council House) to consult each other and exchange opinions on important matters. One time they discussedwhat the Prophet was doing and how to protect themselves from the danger he posed to their authority.Someone called him a poet and opined that he could be safely ignored, that it was actually propitious to wait to see what would happen to him when people grew tired of his lyrics. They were awaiting some “misfortune of time” to befall him, fully expecting that their fellow Makkans would lose interest and forget about him very quickly, for hehad no strong social position.

[52:32] Do their minds(ahlām) command them to do this, or are they an outrageous (tāghūn)people?
Are these peoples’intellects really so weak that theywould seriously believe such slanders?Ahlām is the plural of hilm(intellect or good sense), which is the same thing as self-control. Hilmis the greatest virtue and trait that a people can adopt, for it keepstheir base desires in check and controlstheir lower self, thereby enabling them toattain the highest level of humanity. In addition,hilmcan also mean knowledge (ʿilm), forpossessing knowledge is part of exhibiting good sense. As such, ahalīm (a person with hilm) is guided by good sense, as opposed toemotions orwhims. The halīmexhibits forethought and self-control, looks for the benefit in any situation, and follow the dictates of reason. This is why we say that becoming mature indicates that one has acquired hilmand thus now is expected to begoverned by his or herintellect.
Or are they just a bunch of rebellious and outrageous people? Their rebelliousnessconsists of their refusal to submit to the truth, for in reality they have never seriously sought to determinewhetherMuhammad is actually a soothsayer, a madman, or a poet as opposed to being exactly what he claims to be: God’s messenger and prophet.

[52:33] Do they say, “He has made it up himself”? They certainly donot believe.
They are not claiming that Muhammad is a fraud;they just simply do not want to believe that he is receiving revelation. When peoplestubbornly refuse to believe that something is true, no amount of evidence will convince them. The Qur’an calls attention to precisely this point:The problem is not a lack of evidence, but an obstinate refusal to accept that which is clearly true and real.

[52:34] Then let them produce a speech (hadīth) like it, if they are truthful.
Here, as on many other occasions, the Qur’an refers to itself as hadīth, a new and as-yet unheard-of speech. God challenges Muhammad’s opponentsto produce a hadīth that is equal to it in terms of splendor, profundity, and depth if they continue to reject His hadīth. They assert, as some people still do today, that beliefs about God, the afterlife, faith, and religion are all ancient fables. God reminds them that the Qur’an is a new kind of speechthat brings a fresh message, and not something old and/or out of date.

[52:35] Were they created from nothing? Are they (their own) creators?
These phrases constitute two separate arguments: Can any of yourejecters tell me where you came from? Was humanity created from something or from nothing? What does “created from nothing” even mean? We were all created from dust. All of the constituents of sperms and eggs are derived from foods that are, in turn, derived from the soil. We are made fromsoil and composed of different elements, so howcan anyone honestly say that we came from nothing – that we just “appeared” out of the ether? If such is the case, then who combined all of these elements into the form of a human being? Can anybody claim that they made or created themselves?The first argument is directed to those who deny the very concept of creation, whereas the secondone is directed to those who claim to have created themselves.

[52:36]Did they create the heavens and Earth? No, indeed, they are sure of nothing.
In addition to their “self-creation,”did human beings make Earth, the heavens, and all the millions of galaxies inthe cosmos? Do theyreally have the power to do so or to make something from nothing?
The real problem is not merely the lack certainty,butrather their lack of desire to search for and, hopefully, find certainty. Notice that the arguments here are neither philosophical nor theological in nature. On the contrary, they take people back to their innate nature and remind them to look at themselves and the surrounding world correctly and without prejudice.

[52:37] Do they possess or have control (musaytir) over your Lord’s treasuries (khazā’in)?
This is yet another argument that God presents. What does “treasuries” (khazāʾin) mean here? Is this the Sun’s light and warmth, without which life on this planet would be impossible. After all, is this reality not one of God’s many treasures? Where does the treasury store the rain? Where does the rain come from? The minerals buried in the ground,the air we breathe – these and a thousand other things like them – who placed them at your disposal? The Qur’an says: “There is not a thing but that its treasuries (khazāʾin) are with Us” (15:21). The original source of everything thatexists lies with God. These blessings come from a place beyond the human realm.
But from where did all of this energy and matter come? This argument, the third one made by God, is based on the idea of ownership (mālikiyyah) as opposed tocreation. It proclaimsthat human beings didnot create this world and all of its blessings,that they have no authority over any of it, and thatall such assertions to the contrary are no more than figments of their imagination. The world and all of its contents depend solely upon their Creator and real Owner for their existence.
God’s fourth argument relies on the concept of governing the world. Musaytar(to have authority over) is derived from the root S-T-R(to draw a line, to write).Writing involves arranging words side-by-side in an orderly fashion and showing therebyone’s authority or mastery over them. In this verse, God asks: “Are you the ones who govern, order, and arrange the affairs of this world? Are you the ones who determine the place and extent of everything in the cosmos?”
Notice how these four arguments are laid out; each aspect of making, owning, or governing the cosmos can be treated separately, as three individual forces responsible for its existence in its present form. And yet God, the creator of all that exists in the cosmos, is naturally and necessarily its master and can certainly govern itbetter than anyone else.

[52:38] Do they have a ladder that they can climb in order to eavesdrop [on Heaven’s secrets]? Let their eavesdropper produce clear proof.
If this is the case, then the listener must present clear proof of this fact. Is it not strange that God connects the act of listening to a ladder at a time when no one used a ladder for this particular purpose? But what about today, whensome communication antennae and radio telescopes, whichclearly resemble ladders in this regard, enable us toacquire data about the cosmos while sharing news from all over the world?In fact, such devises made it possible for scientists to discover the Big Bang.A ladder does not need to have a specific shape; in fact, anything that one ascends step-by-step or rung-by-rung is a ladder. In any case, it is very interesting that God placed this expression in the Qur’an.
If they were aware of some information that contradictedthe Qur’an, certainly this was the time to present it. So what is the meaning of this verse? This question indicates that only God knows everything. The act of creation was invoked as the first argument, followed (in order) by ownership, governance, and knowledge. For instance, if someone has built a house by himself and for himself, obviously he is its sole owner. By the same token, he is the best person to manage it because only he has full knowledge of the house and how it was built.Of course there is no connection between ownership or governance and being qualified to manage something, for anyone (at least theoretically) can be made a manager.This verse underlines that knowledge also comes from God.
In one verse after another, the Qur’an proclaims that human beings did not create the world and therefore cannot maintain thatthey own,govern, or havemastery over it. If they have any knowledge of their own, then let them ascend into the heavens to see what information they can find. These arguments are exceedingly clear and easily understood.

[52:39] Does God have daughters while you have sons?
The Qur’an repeatedly proclaims that Makkans and other Arabs believed that angels were God’s daughters. It seems that it was very hard for them to understand that angels have no gender.Surprisingly, these male idol worshippers whowanted only sonsnevertheless ascribeddaughters to God:“When one of them is brought the news of a female, his face becomes darkened and he is filled with grief” (16:58).To expunge this“shame,”the father would bury his newborn daughter alive (81:8-9). This verseexposes the men’s hypocrisy even by their own standards, by asking: Are you so selfish and oblivious thatyou would ascribe such a “shameful” thing to your Lord? The issue here is not whether boys or girls are better, but rather with criticizing theirmarkedly lowlevel of understanding.
This anti-womanattitude has its roots in the history of tribal societies, as they were alwaysfighting with other tribes and therefore were always at risk of being attacked. And so there was a legitimate need formen fighters. By the same token, the entire tribe felt humiliated if itswomenfolkwere captured and mistreated. For both of these reasons, many societies with tribal roots considered all of their womenfolk, regardless of their age, as burdens.

[52:40] Do you [Prophet] demand a payment from them so they are overburdened with debt?
The Prophet asksnothing in return for the guidance he brings; these blessings are freelygiven gifts. Given that there is no cost to you for accepting these truths, why do you not want to hear them? Why is it so hard for you to accept this religion?

[52:41] Do they have [access to] the unseen? Could they write it down?
Are these people able to access some information hidden in the unseen realm? Does this same source of secret knowledge cause them to disbelieve the Prophet’s words, to consider them fictitious? Here, God is asking them: “How can you be so utterly certain that what the Prophet is saying is false; that the cosmos has nocreator; and that the Hereafter, the Resurrection, and other such things have no basis in reality?”

[52:42] Do they seek to ensnare you? It is the disbelievers(kāfirūn) who have been ensnared.
Does their denial have some underlying agenda? As their denigrations and unbelief cannot be considered either reasonable or logical, some other personal goal or interestmust be driving them. And what was driving such leaders as Abū Sufyān, Abū Lahab, and Mughīra ibn Shuʿbah was their certainty of what would happen if people continued to join the Prophet,a development that wouldthreaten – and perhaps deprive them of – their wealth, power, and authority.
Kufr (disbelief) means to coverup and ignore truths. The Qur’an states that those who distort the truth and pretend not to hear it will ultimately be harmed by their own plots and deceptions. They are only digging themselves deeper into a hole. In the system of divine governance reigning over the cosmos, evil schemes and malicious conspiracies always come back to harm those who originally devisedthem.

[52:43] Do they have a deityother than God? Exalted is God, far above the things they associate with Him.
Their hearts are so cold and unresponsive to the Prophet’smessage that they must be dedicating their worship tothat which is not God.In other words, if there was the slightest degree of disorder, disharmony, or discord in the cosmos, someone might imagine that it was not under the governance and direction of a single Lord.As the Qur’an states in many verses, the entire cosmos depends upon Him.Notice that God does not say: “There is no Lord besides Me,”but that He is completely free of the imaginings that these foolish people hold about Him.

[52:44] Even if they saw a piece of heaven falling down upon them, they would say, “Just a heap of clouds.”
Even if these people see a cloud of punishment heading straight for them, they would just say it is nothing more than a raincloud. From a distance, the plume of a volcanic eruption might resemble a giant mushroom- or tent-shaped black cloud. Sometimes these clouds of volcanic ash can spread over a hundred miles and bury everything under a thick layer of ash. The eruption’s heat is so high that it incinerates everything that it reaches. This verse alludes to the fact that these people, even if they saw a volcanic eruption (a form of divine punishment) with their own eyes, they wouldstate that it was nothing more than a large rain cloud because such clouds are usually dark.
What is the significance of thisanalogy? In short, it is that even when people are warned of an approaching danger, they still do not believe the warner.One cannot help but wonder what they are waiting for, why they donot want to stop what they are doing and seek shelter. This is a kind of heedlessness (ghaflah) – the inability to accept the existence of a danger that is clearly heading in their direction – even when it is in their own interest to do so.Even today, many people still wait until a terrible punishment is about to befall them before they believe in God and His religion. It seems that they do not want to be burdened by reason or logic, are unable to learn from experience or the fate of their predecessors, andcould (spiritually) sleep right through. What does it take to convince such people to believe?

[52:45] Soleave them alone [O Muhammad], until they face the Day when they will be thunderstruck (yusʿaqūn).
Yusʿaqūn (they will be thunderstruck) is from the same root as sāʿiqah (a bolt of lightning). Divine punishment is like a thunderclap that takes a person unawares. This verse tells the Prophet to let them do as they please, for on that Day they will see the consequences of their denial and rejection.

[52:46] On that Day, their scheming will be of no benefit to them nor shall [they] be helped.

[52:47] And surely, for those who do wrong, there is a punishment besides that (in the world), but most of them do not know.
The punishment imposed in the Hereafter is nothing other than the result of a person’s own deeds.Not everyone has attained this level of knowledge to understand this fact. However, we do accept that our mistakes here have consequences, sometimes serious ones in this world. However, it seems that we do not accept this when it comes to the spiritual realm.

[52:48] So wait patiently (O Muhammad) for your Lord’s decree, for surely you are in Our sight, and proclaim the praise of your Lord when you rise.
The Qur’an continually reminds us that no pressure, compulsion, or force can ever be applied to “persuade” one to follow His religion. Instead, Muslims are to deal with rejection by remaining steadfast until their Lord gives His directive.
Of course God does not have an eye, and so we have to understand this as“God is always aware ofand looking after you.” People sometimes forget that all of their actions are fully visible to Him.Although we abstain from doing so many things because we fear that maybe someone will see us doing it but when it comes to God, we do not seem to care or believe that nothing is hidden from Him. And yet we profess to believe that we can keep no secrets from Him. But in our heart of hearts it seems that we are not completely convinced of this fact.
So,the first thing God tells the Prophet is to ignore those people and leave them to their own devices. The second is to show forbearance. The third is to glorify and praise Him.Is this why He apparently does not react to the unbelievers and those who deprive others of their rights by instantly punishing them? How can this seeming paradox be explained? In the world, we can clearly see that no political system allows those living under itto violate its laws and ordinances, and that the law’s reach increases as society becomes more advanced and more powerful. However, under the divine system of governance many such violations take place; God’s laws are frequently broken and His ordinances disregarded. And yet those who perpetrate such wrongs never seem to be punished, for, at least on the surface, theycontinue to enjoy a pleasant and comfortable life. Someone might say that this is a major flaw in the system of creation.
The answer to this objection is: The only flaw or deficiency is our limited perspective. If you glorify God (tasbīh), and proclaim His praise (hamd) and saw this world optimistically, you would see that God’s creation contains no flaws. In fact, you would know that God is so generous to His servants that He has given even the disbelievers and idolaters the chance to repent and reform themselves before it is too late. He lets the consequences of their actions become clear to them, guides those who announce that they deny him, and helps those who rebel against Him and worship the world just as readily as He helps those who obey Him and seek the Hereafter – “and the bounty of your Lord is not confined” (17:20). Just as the Sun’s radiance shines equally upon the virtuous and the wicked,no one is beyond the reach of God’s forgiveness and generosity: “Say (O Prophet): ‘Whoever abides in error, the All-Beneficent shall prolong his respite until they see what they had been promised: either punishment (in this world) or the Hour (of Judgment)’” (19:75).So, according to the Qur’an, even the rebel, the sinner, and the disobedient rely upon God’s assistance, whether they realize it or not. Is it not amazing that, in the divine cosmic order, so much freedom and choice are given to human beings?
In 20:130, God tells the Prophet: “Therefore (O Muhammad), bear with what they say, and proclaim the praise of your Lord before the sun rises and sets.Glorify Him during some hours of the night and the two ends of the day, so that you may find acceptance.”This verse is telling Muhammad not to grieve over the fact that they will not be guided.Considering this from a higher perspective, you will be amazed by God’s great kindness and generosity toward humanity, as reflected inthe high esteem in which He holds its members andthe amount of power and freedom that He has given them – so much so, in fact, that they can even deny His existence.And once again, do not these blessings of free-will and choiceennoble them to a very high degree? Voltaire supposedly once remarked: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” On the other hand, some very narrow-minded and intolerant people are willing to do anything to prevent others from speaking, for they would rather die than allow others the freedom to express their beliefs.
On numerous occasions, God tells His Messenger to bear his opponents’denials, accusations, and insults with patience and forbearance;to not be stricken with grief or become anxious about any part of the revelation (i.e., the commands God has given Him): “Perhaps you may leave out some of what has been revealed to you, andthat you will be distressed thereby because they will say: ‘Why is no treasure sent down to him? Why has no angel come with him?’ You are only a warner and it is God who is in charge of everything” (11:12). Elsewhere, God reminds him: “Your duty is only to deliver the message; the Reckoning is Ours” (13:40). You are not their guardian or protector, their master or a tyrant. This is how the divine system of prophethood functions.

[52:49] Glorify Him at nighttime also and at the setting of the stars.
Some commentators have said that the first phrase refers to the time of night prayers (salāt-ul-layl) and that the second one alludes to the time when two units (rakʿah) of a supererogatory prayer can be offered rightbefore the dawn prayer (salāt-ul-fajr). However, I would argue that these are the times atwhich a person can best glorify and remember the Lord, for each of them have their own special significance and connection to the human soul and spirit. For example,fading stars remind people that their own“star” (i.e.,their life) will one day fade from the world. This is just one aspect of the harmony between humanity and the natural order. The poet Hāfiz(d. 1390) says: “I saw the verdant fields of the cosmos and the scythe of the new moon / I remembered that I too have planted and shall reap what I have sown.”
When the stars begin to disappear, you will witness the breaking of the day and realize that the difference between truth and falsehood is as stark as the difference between night and day. The darkness of falsehood cannot last, because the dawn of truth is on its way to make the night fade away. So get up and glorify your Lord.
 

Translator: Alexander Hainy (Khaleeli)
Editor: Hamid Mavani