سُوْرَةُ مَرْيَمَ
Surah Maryam (19) — Ayah 38
أَسْمِعْ بِهِمْ وَأَبْصِرْ يَوْمَ يَأْتُونَنَا ۖ لَـٰكِنِ ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ ٱلْيَوْمَ فِى ضَلَـٰلٍ مُّبِينٍ ﴿38﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
How clearly will they (polytheists and disbelievers in the Oneness of Allâh) see and hear the Day when they will appear before Us! But the Zalimûn (polytheists and wrong-doers) today are in plain error.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
أَسْمِعْ
asmiʿ
How they will hear
بِهِمْ
bihim
How they will hear
وَأَبْصِرْ
wa-abṣir
and how (they will) see
يَوْمَ
yawma
(the) Day
يَأْتُونَنَا ۖ
yatūnanā
they will come to Us
لَـٰكِنِ
lākini
but
ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ
l-ẓālimūna
the wrongdoers
ٱلْيَوْمَ
l-yawma
today
فِى
fī
(are) in
ضَلَـٰلٍۢ
ḍalālin
error
مُّبِينٍۢ
mubīnin
clear
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(Ayah 38) {اَسْمِعْ بِهِمْ وَ اَبْصِرْ … :} Both of these are expressions of amazement. Allah Almighty, with amazement, says that the day they will come to Us, how well they will hear and how well they will see. Some people do not accept that Allah Almighty expresses amazement, because amazement is something a human does, and Allah is not like a human to be amazed. Therefore, they interpret it to mean that their condition will be such that it will be a cause for amazement. Although their condition will indeed be such, when, even though humans also hear and see, they accept that Allah is also the Hearer and the Seer, then what is strange about His expressing amazement? Yes, a human’s hearing, seeing, and amazement are according to his own being, while Allah’s are according to His majesty, as He said: «{ لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهٖ شَيْءٌ وَ هُوَ السَّمِيْعُ الْبَصِيْرُ }» [ الشورٰی : ۱۱ ] “There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.” The interesting thing is that those who deny Allah’s amazement also deny His being the Hearer and the Seer and other attributes, but they deny it under the guise of such interpretation which, in reality, is a distortion of the verses and hadiths. That is, today they are blind and deaf to the truth, but in the Hereafter their ears and eyes will be wide open, and they will say: «{ رَبَّنَاۤ اَبْصَرْنَا وَ سَمِعْنَا }» [ السجدۃ : ۱۲ ] “O our Lord! We have seen and we have heard,” but at that time, their seeing and hearing will be of no use. In {’’ الظّٰلِمُوْنَ ‘‘}, the “al” is for specification, so the translation is “these wrongdoers.”
