17-41 And certainly We have repeated (warnings) in this Qur’an that they may be mindful. And it adds not save to their aversion.a
وَلَقَدْ صَرَّفْنَا فِى هَـٰذَا ٱلْقُرْءَانِ لِيَذَّكَّرُوا۟ وَمَا يَزِيدُهُمْ إِلَّا نُفُورًۭا (۴۱)
17-41a: The lesson on excellent morals began with the Oneness of Allah and also ended with it’s mention. This section is about belief in the Hereafter, while reinforcing the Oneness. The rationale for repeatedly explaining this concept in various ways is to promote understanding. One person may benefit from a certain explanation, while another may learn in a different way. Hence the Quran has repeated the important lessons of religion in many ways, yet a person who has decided to be antagonistic regardless only turns further away.
17-42 Say: If there were with Him gods, as they say, then certainly they would have been able to seek a way to the Lord of the Throne.a
قُل لَّوْ كَانَ مَعَهُۥٓ ءَالِهَةٌۭ كَمَا يَقُولُونَ إِذًۭا لَّٱبْتَغَوْا۟ إِلَىٰ ذِى ٱلْعَرْشِ سَبِيلًۭا (۴۲)
17-42a: A polytheist cannot obtain nearness to Allah: The biggest excuse given by polytheistic nations, and was given by the idol worshippers of Arabia, is that they worship idols or other objects to achieve nearness to Allah through them. The Quran says, if this is true they should have achieved nearness to Allah, the Most High, and obtained knowledge of the ways that please Allah. Therefore polytheists should have been the recipients of revelation from Allah and they would have been the ones appointed as messengers rather than the monotheists. However, history shows that the persons who were given the role of prophets and messengers were all unitarians. Another interpretation is, if the polytheists were near to Allah, they should have been successful in their opposition to Islam. Some have taken the meaning of سَبِيلً way to be the way of opposition and obstruction, so that through striving and exertion the deities would have overcome God, as is stated elsewhere: لَوْ كَانَ فِيهِمَآ ءَالِهَةٌ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ لَفَسَدَتَا :If there were in them gods besides Allah, they would both have been in disorder (21:22).
17-43 Glory to Him! and He is highly exalted above what they say!
سُبْحَـٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَـٰلَىٰ عَمَّا يَقُولُونَ عُلُوًّۭا كَبِيرًۭا (۴۳)
17-44 The seven heavens and the earth and those in them declare His glory. And there is not a single thing but glorifies Him
with His praise, but you do not understand their glorification. Surely He is Forbearing, Forgiving.a
اتُسَبِّحُ لَهُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتُ ٱلسَّبْعُ وَٱلْأَرْضُ وَمَن فِيهِنَّ ۚ وَإِن مِّن شَىْءٍ إِلَّا يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِۦ وَلَـٰكِن لَّا تَفْقَهُونَ تَسْبِيحَهُمْ ۗ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ حَلِيمًا غَفُورًۭا (۴۴)
17-44a: What is meant by everything glorifying Allah: The glorification referred to is embedded within the nature of creation. (RM) and this is made clear by لَّا تَفْقَهُونَ تَسْبِيحَهُمْ you do not understand their glorification because the disbelievers understood verbal glorification. Non-verbal glorification means that every created thing bears witness to its Creator because it operates within a certain range with boundaries and constraints, and is perishable with time, but the Creator or God is not confined or constrained or perishable, since being confined and constrained or perishable is a defect. So, in a practical sense everything being bound, limited and perishable bears witness to the Being of the Creator Who keeps all other things within their estimates and boundaries and Himself is eternal. The glorification of Allah means that He is free from all limits that are invariably the lot of all created things, and this refutes polytheism because those who are made partners with God all possess the limitations of being created. The attributes of being Forbearing and Forgiving are mentioned at the end of the verse to indicate that God does not immediately punish those who forsake Him. Accordingly, these people are mentioned in the next verse.
17-45 And when thou recitest the Qur’an, We place between thee and those who believe not in the Hereafter a hidden barrier;a
وَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ جَعَلْنَا بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ حِجَابًۭا مَّسْتُورًۭا (۴۵)
17-45a: حِجَابًۭا – The meaning of حَجۡب and حجاب is to stop from reaching something, and also the barrier that stops from reaching. The حجاب barrier that is mentioned between the inmates of the Garden and the inmates of the fire وَبَيْنَهُمَا حِجَابٌۭ :And between them is a veil (7:46) is not a veil that obstructs the vision, but is a veil that blocks the pleasures of the people of Paradise from the inmates of the fire, and prevents the distress and the suffering of the inmates of the fire from reaching the people of Paradise (R). The حجاب or veil is here called مَّسْتُورًۭا a veil hidden from sight.
Why does Allah cast a veil over the heart: The casting of a veil in this verse and the casting of veils over the heart in the next is attributed to Allah and the reason is fully discussed in 2-7a. These veils are cast because the disbelievers themselves do not desire to listen and understand. Accordingly, even in this chapter in verse 17:41, it is stated that Allah explains concepts in many ways so that people may understand but their aversion keeps on increasing. Then, in verse 17:46 the aversion is attributed to them in very clear words by stating that they cannot bear when One God is mentioned:
وَإِذَا ذَكَرْتَ رَبَّكَ فِى ٱلْقُرْءَانِ وَحْدَهُۥ وَلَّوْا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَدْبَـٰرِهِمْ نُفُورًۭا : and when thou makest mention of thy Lord alone in the Quran, they turn their backs in aversion, and this is stated even with greater clarity elsewhere:
وَإِذَا ذُكِرَ ٱللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ ٱشْمَأَزَّتْ قُلُوبُ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ ۖ وَإِذَا ذُكِرَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ إِذَا هُمْ يَسْتَبْشِرُونَ : And when Allah alone is mentioned, the hearts of those who believe not in the Hereafter shrink, and when those besides Him are mentioned, lo! They are joyful (39:45). Since their hearts shrink as soon as they hear about the Oneness of God, the question of understanding does not arise. These are the veils that intervene. Further in verse 17:47 this issue is further clarified by stating that even when they listen to something, it is only with the intention to ridicule. Indeed some verses of the Quran best explain other verses. In another place, the Quran states:
وَقَالُوا۟ قُلُوبُنَا فِىٓ أَكِنَّةٍۢ مِّمَّا تَدْعُونَآ إِلَيْهِ وَفِىٓ ءَاذَانِنَا وَقْرٌۭ وَمِنۢ بَيْنِنَا وَبَيْنِكَ حِجَابٌۭ : And they say: Our hearts are under coverings from that to which thou callest us, there is a deafness in our ears, and there is a veil between us and thee (41:5). Here, the concept of veils is explained in another way.
Verse 17:45 states that those who do not believe in the Hereafter remain bereft of real monotheism. In other words, belief in Allah and belief in the Hereafter are so complementary that denial of one is a denial of the other.
17-46 And We put coverings on their hearts and a deafness in their ears lest they understand it; and when thou makest mention of thy Lord alone in the Qur’an, they turn their backs in aversion.
وَجَعَلْنَا عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ أَكِنَّةً أَن يَفْقَهُوهُ وَفِىٓ ءَاذَانِهِمْ وَقْرًۭا ۚ وَإِذَا ذَكَرْتَ رَبَّكَ فِى ٱلْقُرْءَانِ وَحْدَهُۥ وَلَّوْا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَدْبَـٰرِهِمْ نُفُورًۭا (۴۶)
17-47 We know best what they listen to when they listen to thee, and when they take counsel secretly, when the wrongdoers say: You follow only a man deprived of reason.a
نَّحْنُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يَسْتَمِعُونَ بِهِۦٓ إِذْ يَسْتَمِعُونَ إِلَيْكَ وَإِذْ هُمْ نَجْوَىٰٓ إِذْ يَقُولُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ إِن تَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا رَجُلًۭا مَّسْحُورًا (۴۷)
17-47a: مَسۡحُور – سَحَر means nutrition or food and سِحۡر is cheating or things whose origin is subtle and complex. مُسَحَّر and مَسۡحُور can have both meanings; سَحَر one dependent for food or a well to do person. سِحۡر is the subtlety with which one arrives at the fact that one alleges (R). The reference is to a magician, and the first meaning has been quoted by Ibn Jarir and he has supported it with verses from the poetry of Arabia (IJ). Some have written the meaning of ساحِر as مَسْحُورً one influenced something (RM). The Holy Prophet was called a deceiver and a fraud.
نَجْوَىٰٓ – See 4-114a.
يَسْتَمِعُونَ بِهِۦٓ – refers to either the disbelievers attitude while listening, which is one of disdain, scorn, mockery etc., or the meaning is لاجله or they listen with the intention of ridiculing and jeering. Not satisfied with this, they conspire with each other against the Holy Prophet.
17-48 See, what they liken thee to! So they have gone astray, and cannot find the way.a
ٱنظُرْ كَيْفَ ضَرَبُوا۟ لَكَ ٱلْأَمْثَالَ فَضَلُّوا۟ فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ سَبِيلًۭا (۴۸)
17-48a: Different opinions about the Holy Prophet: ضَرَبُوا۟ لَكَ ٱلْأَمْثَالَ what they liken thee to refers to the things that the disbelievers liken the Holy Prophet to: sometimes they said he was a magician, sometimes they mocked him and called him deranged, sometimes they called him a fabricator and planned against him. The statement about the disbelievers going astray and not finding their way can also mean their denial of the Islamic truths and that they are going astray in the matter of recognizing the Holy Prophet. They all had divergent opinions that were often contradictory, and they could not find someone to extract them from this uncertainty so that they could all have a unanimous opinion. The present-day opponents of Islam are in a similar confusion. Another interpretation of the disbeliever’s accusations against the Holy Prophet is their denial of resurrection which is mentioned later in this chapter.
17-49 And they say: When we are bones and decayed particles, shall we then be raised up as a new creation?a
وَقَالُوٓا۟ أَءِذَا كُنَّا عِظَـٰمًۭا وَرُفَـٰتًا أَءِنَّا لَمَبْعُوثُونَ خَلْقًۭا جَدِيدًۭا (۴۹)
17-49a: رُفَـٰتًا – رَفۡت means to break, smash, crush and رفات is what is broken, crushed and dispersed (R).
17-50 Say: Be stones or iron,
قُلْ كُونُوا۟ حِجَارَةً أَوْ حَدِيدًا (۵۰)
17-51 Or some other creature of those which are too hard (to receive life) in your minds! But they will say: Who will return us? Say: He Who created you at first. Still they will shake their heads at thee and say: When will it be? Say: Maybe it has drawn nigh.a
أَوْ خَلْقًۭا مِّمَّا يَكْبُرُ فِى صُدُورِكُمْ ۚ فَسَيَقُولُونَ مَن يُعِيدُنَا ۖ قُلِ ٱلَّذِى فَطَرَكُمْ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍۢ ۚ فَسَيُنْغِضُونَ إِلَيْكَ رُءُوسَهُمْ وَيَقُولُونَ مَتَىٰ هُوَ ۖ قُلْ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَكُونَ قَرِيبًۭا (۵۱)
17-51a: يُنْغِضُونَ – اِنَغاض is to shake the head at another person as if in wonder at what he is narrating (R), and this movement is up and down or shaking to gesture refusal (LA).
Raising after death: This has always been a source of amazement for materialists. They ask incredulously that when they die and their body rots until only bones are left and ultimately those bones too will crumble and become powder, how will they be raised anew? The reply given is that dust and clay come to life easily but even if they become something that shows no signs of life, such as stone or iron or anything harder that they can imagine, even then they will be raised after death. Further on, the verses says, even if they become completely crushed, He will create their like (See 2-74a) because that life is born out of the deeds of a person. Giving this example also indicates that even if their hearts became hard like stone or iron, Allah would give them the ability to believe, and this may happen soon as indicated by the use of the word قَرِيبًۭا nigh. The statement in the next verse to obey and praise Allah supports the interpretation that before the great raising in the Hereafter, Allah will show His power with a lesser raising in this world.
17-52 On the day when He will call you forth, then will you obey Him, giving Him praise, and you will think that you tarried but a little (while).
يَوْمَ يَدْعُوكُمْ فَتَسْتَجِيبُونَ بِحَمْدِهِۦ وَتَظُنُّونَ إِن لَّبِثْتُمْ إِلَّا قَلِيلًۭا (۵۲)
Bayan-ul-Quran 