سُوْرَةُ سَبَاٍ
Surah Saba (34) — Ayah 54
وَحِيلَ بَيْنَهُمْ وَبَيْنَ مَا يَشْتَهُونَ كَمَا فُعِلَ بِأَشْيَاعِهِم مِّن قَبْلُ ۚ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ فِى شَكٍّ مُّرِيبٍۭ ﴿54﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And a barrier will be set between them and that which they desire [i.e. At-Taubah (turning to Allâh in repentance) and the accepting of Faith], as was done in the past with the people of their kind. Verily, they have been in grave doubt.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَحِيلَ
waḥīla
And a barrier will be placed
بَيْنَهُمْ
baynahum
between them
وَبَيْنَ
wabayna
and between
مَا
mā
what
يَشْتَهُونَ
yashtahūna
they desire
كَمَا
kamā
as
فُعِلَ
fuʿila
was done
بِأَشْيَاعِهِم
bi-ashyāʿihim
with their kind
مِّن
min
before
قَبْلُ ۚ
qablu
before
إِنَّهُمْ
innahum
Indeed, they
كَانُوا۟
kānū
were
فِى
fī
in
شَكٍّۢ
shakkin
doubt
مُّرِيبٍۭ
murībin
disquieting
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 54) ➊ { وَ حِيْلَ بَيْنَهُمْ وَ بَيْنَ مَا يَشْتَهُوْنَ …: ’’أَشْيَاعٌ‘‘ ’’شِيْعَةٌ‘‘} is the plural of 'شِيْعَةٌ', which means a group of similar people. { ’’ مَا يَشْتَهُوْنَ ‘‘} (that which they will desire) refers to repentance and bringing faith. That is, in the Hereafter, they will wish that their faith be accepted and that they be saved from punishment, but a barrier will be placed between them and their desire, just as it was done with the previous deniers of monotheism, prophethood, and the Hereafter: after seeing the punishment, no one's repentance was accepted nor was bringing faith considered valid, as He said: « فَلَمْ يَكُ يَنْفَعُهُمْ اِيْمَانُهُمْ لَمَّا رَاَوْا بَاْسَنَا سُنَّتَ اللّٰهِ الَّتِيْ قَدْ خَلَتْ فِيْ عِبَادِهٖ وَ خَسِرَ هُنَالِكَ الْكٰفِرُوْنَ» [ المؤمن : ۸۵ ] "Then their faith was of no benefit to them when they saw Our punishment. This is Allah's way that has passed among His servants, and at that moment the disbelievers were in loss."
➋ { اِنَّهُمْ كَانُوْا فِيْ شَكٍّ مُّرِيْبٍ : ’’ مُرِيْبٍ ‘‘ ’’أَرَابَ يُرِيْبُ إِرَابَةً‘‘} is an active participle from (افعال), meaning that which keeps one restless. That is, the beliefs of those who deny the existence of Allah, His oneness, the prophethood of His messengers, and the Hereafter are not based on knowledge, but merely on conjecture and assumption. They can never prove with evidence that such a vast universe came into being by itself without a creator, or that the deities they have made are actually partners in Allah's powers, nor can they prove that Allah cannot appoint a human as His messenger, nor that they cannot be resurrected or that the Day of Judgment cannot come. They themselves remain in doubt about it, and such a doubt that keeps them restless. Although, due to some of their interests, they do not express their doubt.
➋ { اِنَّهُمْ كَانُوْا فِيْ شَكٍّ مُّرِيْبٍ : ’’ مُرِيْبٍ ‘‘ ’’أَرَابَ يُرِيْبُ إِرَابَةً‘‘} is an active participle from (افعال), meaning that which keeps one restless. That is, the beliefs of those who deny the existence of Allah, His oneness, the prophethood of His messengers, and the Hereafter are not based on knowledge, but merely on conjecture and assumption. They can never prove with evidence that such a vast universe came into being by itself without a creator, or that the deities they have made are actually partners in Allah's powers, nor can they prove that Allah cannot appoint a human as His messenger, nor that they cannot be resurrected or that the Day of Judgment cannot come. They themselves remain in doubt about it, and such a doubt that keeps them restless. Although, due to some of their interests, they do not express their doubt.
