Surah Fussilat (41) — Ayah 53

(Ayah 53) ➊ { سَنُرِيْهِمْ اٰيٰتِنَا فِي الْاٰفَاقِ وَ فِيْۤ اَنْفُسِهِمْ … : ’’ الْاٰفَاقِ ‘‘ ’’أُفُقٌ‘‘} is the plural of 'ufuq', meaning edges. The distant place where the sky and the earth appear to meet is called the horizon. The commentators have interpreted this verse in two ways: one is that by the pronoun of {’’ اَنَّهُ ‘‘} is meant the Qur’an and the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). That is, We will show them such signs in the whole world and within themselves that it will be proven that his (peace be upon him) prophethood and the Qur’an are true. By signs are meant the victories of Islam despite the apparent lack of means. By {’’ الْاٰفَاقِ ‘‘} is meant the dominance of Islam in the surroundings of Makkah, which, along with the battles of Badr, Uhud, Khandaq, and others, spread over the Arabian Peninsula and eventually to the eastern and western edges of the whole earth. And by {’’ اَنْفُسِهِمْ ‘‘} is meant the conquest of Makkah, which in itself was a great proof of the truth of Islam, after which people entered Islam in multitudes. The meaning is that soon, when victories are achieved in the surrounding countries and over themselves (the Quraysh), which were achieved in his (peace be upon him) time and in the era of the caliphs of Islam, then they will be convinced that the Qur’an and the Prophet were true, and they unjustly denied them.

The second interpretation is that by the pronoun of {’’ اَنَّهُ ‘‘} is meant Allah Almighty, meaning that if they reflect on the proofs of the existence and oneness of Allah Almighty, which are found in all the horizons, i.e., in the earth and the heavens, such as the sun, moon, plants, inanimate objects, animals, etc., and those found within themselves, such as from the drop of fluid to birth, then from childhood to death, then on the amazing structure of their existence, about whose wonders new discoveries are made every day, then they will be convinced that Allah Almighty alone is the Truth. The first meaning has been preferred by Ibn Jarir Tabari, while the second meaning has been adopted by some of the Tabi‘in. Both meanings can be intended at the same time.

➋ {اَوَ لَمْ يَكْفِ بِرَبِّكَ … :} That is, seeing the weakness of the Muslims, if anyone says how is it possible for Islam and the Muslims to dominate over the disbelievers of Quraysh and the whole world, then say to him, is your Lord not sufficient alone to do this? Because He alone is the guardian and witness over every thing and every matter; He does not need anyone’s help or advice.

53. 1. From which the truth of the Quran and its being from Allah will become clear, that is, in it the pronoun refers to the Quran. Some have said its reference is to Islam or to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. The outcome of all is the same. "Afaq" is the plural of "ufuq," meaning edge; the meaning is that We will show Our signs in the outer edges and also within the souls of people themselves. Thus, in the edges of the heavens and the earth, there are great signs of power, such as the sun, moon, stars, night and day, wind and rain, thunder and lightning, lightning, rumbling, plants and minerals, trees, mountains, and rivers and seas, etc. And by "ayat an-nafs" is meant the existence of man, the elements and substances and forms from which he is composed. The details of these are an interesting subject of medicine and wisdom. Some say that by "afaq" is meant those distant regions of the east and west, whose conquest Allah made easy for the Muslims, and by "anfus" is meant the Muslims' advance in the land of Arabia itself, such as in the battles of Badr and the conquest of Makkah, etc., in which Muslims were granted honor and success. The interrogative is confirmatory, that Allah Almighty is sufficient to observe the words and deeds of His servants, and He Himself is bearing witness that the Quran is the word of Allah, which was revealed to His true Messenger, Muhammad ﷺ.

Soon We will show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves [71] until it becomes clear to them that this Qur'an is the truth. Is it not sufficient that your Lord is a Witness [72] over all things?

[71]
Two Meanings of "Afaq" and "Anfus":

This verse has two meanings, and both are correct. One is that by "Afaq" (horizons), the countries neighboring Arabia are meant, and by "Anfus" (selves), the Arab nation, and especially the Quraysh tribe, to which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was related by lineage, are meant. In this sense, the meaning of this verse is recorded on the pages of history. Within a few years, the Quraysh chiefs had to face humiliation, and the back of disbelief and polytheism was broken. In your ﷺ lifetime, disbelief and polytheism were banished from the land of Arabia, and during the eras of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq ؓ and Sayyiduna Umar ؓ, as a result of successive victories, the dominance of Islam in the countries surrounding Arabia was witnessed by everyone with their own eyes. These were not just signs of Allah in the sense that Muslims kept conquering countries and became masters of the lives and properties of the conquered nations, as usually happens in this world, but these were signs of Allah in the sense that these victories brought with them a magnificent religious, moral, intellectual, cultural, political, and economic revolution, and wherever the effects of these victories reached, the best qualities of humanity flourished and the worst traits were erased. The second meaning is that by "Afaq" (horizons), the wonders of Allah scattered throughout the universe are meant, and by "Anfus" (selves), the inner world of man is meant. These are respectively referred to as the greater world (Alam Akbar) and the lesser world (Alam Asghar). In this sense, it means that in this universe and within man, countless signs of Allah Almighty exist. And neither has man ever been able to encompass all of them, nor will he ever be able to in the future. In every era, some new sign comes to human knowledge, and will continue to do so in the future, which will continue to bear witness to the truthfulness of the Quran's statement. New wonders of nature will keep coming to human knowledge, whether they relate to the world outside man or to his inner world. There are several reasons for calling man the lesser universe. One of them is that the characteristics of things present in the universe are also present in him. For example, the things found on earth are either related to minerals, plants, or animals. In terms of physical structure, man is mineral-like. Then he also grows, so in this sense, his soul is vegetative. Then he also moves, so in this sense, his soul is animalistic. Then, when he becomes even more perfect, he attains the human soul. Just as a liquid is made more and more refined and potent by distillation, similarly, Allah Almighty, by perfecting a handful of dust, made man, and granted him such human faculties by which he became capable of discovering universal matters. Now, the various kinds of powers and abilities that have been placed within man are beyond his capacity to encompass, even though they are present within him at all times and will remain so. Then, by discovering the machinery installed within man, he has become capable of inventing various things. Then, his human soul is also connected to the spiritual realm (Alam Malakut). In this way, within the inner world of man, there are endless powers and wonders of Allah Almighty, to which this verse alludes.

[72] This sentence can have three meanings. In terms of the context, it would mean: if these people do not accept the truth of the Quran, then let them not. Is not the testimony of your Lord, who is present everywhere and sees everything with His own eyes, sufficient for its truth? The second meaning is: is it not sufficient for these people to refrain from their misdeeds that your Lord is watching every single action of theirs? And the third meaning is: We know in what ways these disbelievers are troubling you, so is it not sufficient for your ﷺ reassurance that Allah Almighty Himself is witness over everything, and He will not leave them without giving them the punishment for their misdeeds?