Tazkirul Quran, Qur’an 40:13–17
The Forgiver (Ghafir)
By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
English text; the translator is not named in the archive’s data.
Translation
(13) It is He who shows you His signs, and sends down provision for you from heaven; but none pays heed except the repentant. (14) Therefore call upon God, making faith pure for Him, averse as the deniers of the truth may be to it: (15) Exalted and throned on high, He lets the Spirit descend at His behest upon whichever of His servants He will, so that he may warn of the Day of Meeting, (16) the Day when they shall rise up [from their graves] and nothing about them will be hidden from God. ‘To whom shall the kingdom belong that Day?’ It shall belong to God, the One, the All Powerful. (17) That Day every soul shall be requited for what it has earned. On that Day none shall be wronged. And God is swift in reckoning.
Commentary
(a) There are countless signs in the universe which teach us lessons in symbolic language. One of these is the system of rains. This natural phenomenon is symbolic of God’s inspiration. Just as rains are useful for fertile land and useless for barren land, similarly the inspiration from God brings forth fruit in some but not in others. This ‘rain’ enters the souls of those who have kept their hearts open and makes their existence lush green. On the contrary, those whose hearts are full of the greatness of beings other than God are like barren lands.
God is fully aware of His subjects. Whoever He finds capable, He chooses for the purpose of conveying His message. The main aim of this message is to warn the people of the fast approaching day when they will be presented before the Lord of the Universe, from whom nothing will be hidden and whose judgement will not be influenced by anybody.