سُوْرَةُ الرَّحْمٰنِ
Surah Ar-Rahmaan (55) — Ayah 33
يَـٰمَعْشَرَ ٱلْجِنِّ وَٱلْإِنسِ إِنِ ٱسْتَطَعْتُمْ أَن تَنفُذُوا۟ مِنْ أَقْطَارِ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ فَٱنفُذُوا۟ ۚ لَا تَنفُذُونَ إِلَّا بِسُلْطَـٰنٍ ﴿33﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
O assembly of jinn and men! If you have power to pass beyond the zones of the heavens and the earth, then pass beyond (them)! But you will never be able to pass them, except with authority (from Allâh)!
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
يَـٰمَعْشَرَ
yāmaʿshara
O assembly
ٱلْجِنِّ
l-jini
(of) the jinn
وَٱلْإِنسِ
wal-insi
and the men
إِنِ
ini
If
ٱسْتَطَعْتُمْ
is'taṭaʿtum
you are able
أَن
an
to
تَنفُذُوا۟
tanfudhū
pass beyond
مِنْ
min
[of]
أَقْطَارِ
aqṭāri
(the) regions
ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ
l-samāwāti
(of) the heavens
وَٱلْأَرْضِ
wal-arḍi
and the earth
فَٱنفُذُوا۟ ۚ
fa-unfudhū
then pass
لَا
lā
Not
تَنفُذُونَ
tanfudhūna
you (can) pass
إِلَّا
illā
except
بِسُلْطَـٰنٍۢ
bisul'ṭānin
by authority
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 33) { يٰمَعْشَرَ الْجِنِّ وَ الْاِنْسِ اِنِ اسْتَطَعْتُمْ …:’’مَعْشَرٌ‘‘ ’’عَشْرٌ‘‘} is on the pattern of {’’مَفْعَلٌ‘‘}, it refers to a large multitude, because it contains many tens, which are counted one after another in decades. {’’ اَقْطَارِ ‘‘ ’’قَطْرٌ‘‘} is the plural of it, meaning edge. {’’سُلْطَانٌ‘‘} means power and dominance. That is, O assembly of jinn and humans! If you can escape from the edges of the heavens and the earth to avoid death in this world, then escape, but you will only be able to escape by overpowering Allah, which is impossible, as He said: « اَيْنَ مَا تَكُوْنُوْا يُدْرِكْكُّمُ الْمَوْتُ وَ لَوْ كُنْتُمْ فِيْ بُرُوْجٍ مُّشَيَّدَةٍ » [ النساء : ۷۸ ] "Wherever you may be, death will overtake you, even if you are in fortified towers." And in the Field of Gathering, if you can escape from Allah’s reckoning and His grasp by fleeing from the edges of the heavens and the earth, then flee... A similar meaning is found in this verse, He said: « فَاِذَا بَرِقَ الْبَصَرُ (7) وَ خَسَفَ الْقَمَرُ (8) وَ جُمِعَ الشَّمْسُ وَ الْقَمَرُ (9) يَقُوْلُ الْاِنْسَانُ يَوْمَىِٕذٍ اَيْنَ الْمَفَرُّ (10) كَلَّا لَا وَزَرَ (11) اِلٰى رَبِّكَ يَوْمَىِٕذِ الْمُسْتَقَرُّ» [ القیامۃ : ۷ تا ۱۲ ] "Then when the sight is dazed. And the moon is eclipsed. And the sun and the moon are joined together. Man will say that day, 'Where is the place of escape?' No! There is no refuge. That day, the return is only to your Lord." Nowadays, experiments are being conducted to go to the moon or some other planet by rocket or spacecraft, and some people say regarding this that {’’ لَا تَنْفُذُوْنَ اِلَّا بِسُلْطٰنٍ ‘‘} (you will not be able to escape without dominance) means that it is possible to escape from {’’ اَقْطَارِ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الْاَرْضِ ‘‘} through these machines, whereas these efforts have nothing to do with the meaning of the verse. These poor souls are just wandering in the space between the earth and the heavens; reaching the edges of the heavens and the earth is far beyond. Then that insignificant particle, whose very breath is not in its own control, if it talks about escaping from {’’ اَقْطَارِ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الْاَرْضِ ‘‘} by its own power, then it can only be said:
You speak of aspiring to divinity,
But your true status is only of grandeur.
You speak of aspiring to divinity,
But your true status is only of grandeur.
