19-83 Seest thou not that We send the devils against the disbelievers, inciting them incitingly?a
أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّآ أَرْسَلْنَا ٱلشَّيَـٰطِينَ عَلَى ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ تَؤُزُّهُمْ أَزًّۭا (۸۳)
19-83a: أَرْسَلْنَا – اِرۡسال to send is used for humans as well as for desirable and undesirable things, and sometimes for showing control, as in: and We sent the clouds pouring abundant rain on them (6:6). Sometimes it is used for sending a person over whom the sender has control, as in: وَيُرْسِلُ عَلَيْكُمْ حَفَظَةً :And He sends keepers over you (6:61); فَأَرْسَلَ فِرْعَوْنُ فِى ٱلْمَدَآئِنِ حَـٰشِرِينَ : And Pharaoh sent heralds into the cities (26:53), and sometimes it is used for تخلیة leaving alone; abandonment; refraining or to leave something in the state in which it is and staying aloof from it and not intervening, as is the case in أَرْسَلْنَا ٱلشَّيَـٰطِينَ :We did not stop the devils and they did their work. ارسال اِمساك is the opposite and means to stop or prevent, as in: مَّا يَفْتَحِ ٱللَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ مِن رَّحْمَةٍۢ فَلَا مُمْسِكَ لَهَا ۖ وَمَا يُمْسِكْ فَلَا مُرْسِلَ لَهُۥ مِنۢ بَعْدِهِۦ ۚ Whatever Allah grants to men of (His) mercy, there is none to withhold it, and what He withholds, none can grant thereafter (35:2).
تَؤُزّ – اَزّ is used for a pot boiling vigorously and this is greater than ھَزّ which is to shake or agitate (R). اَزّ also has the meaning of اختلاط mixture or mixing and تَھۡیِیۡج excite, stir up, arouse and اِغۡراء incite. Violent agitation is another meaning (LA).
By شَّيَـٰطِينَ devils is meant the leaders and chiefs who have been mentioned recently in: أَيُّهُمْ أَشَدُّ عَلَى ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ عِتِيًّۭا : …those most rebellious against the Beneficent (19:69). The leaders keep on instigating and inciting the disbelievers so that they may continue their opposition to the truth. That is why it is stated in the next verse not to make haste for their chastisement because their numbered days must pass. Thus, their crime is lessened somewhat and that is why it is stated earlier فَلْيَمْدُدْ لَهُ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ مَدًّا ۚ : …the Beneficent will prolong his length of days…(19:75). In this general narration, a particular nation is referred to who is mentioned soon after in the words وَقَالُوا۟ ٱتَّخَذَ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ وَلَدًۭا : And they say: The Beneficent has taken to Himself a son (19:88). This nation has been specifically addressed in this chapter. If the devils are taken to be those inciting humans directly, the verse means inciting people to sin but even in this possibility, the devil’s work is stated to be simply to incite. However, it is called a forceful incitement and the explanation of أَرْسَلْنَا has been given above. The devil’s role is to incite people to commit sin, hence Allah does not prevent him from doing so, but he has no control over humans.
19-84 So make no haste against them. We only number out to them a number (of days).
فَلَا تَعْجَلْ عَلَيْهِمْ ۖ إِنَّمَا نَعُدُّ لَهُمْ عَدًّۭا (۸۴)
19-85 The day when We gather the dutiful to the Beneficent to receive honors,a
يَوْمَ نَحْشُرُ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ إِلَى ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ وَفْدًۭا (۸۵)
19-85a: وَفْد – وَفْد in a literal sense are people who are ushered before a king to present their needs (R) or honored horsemen (LA).
19-86 And drive the guilty to hell, as thirsty beasts.a
وَنَسُوقُ ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ إِلَىٰ جَهَنَّمَ وِرْدًۭا (۸۶)
19-86a: ورد – وِرْد – It is used in the sense of وُرود people who go to the water, and it is also used to denote the water to which the people go, and also for the camels that go, and also for thirst (LA), as in: بِئْسَ ٱلْوِرْدُ ٱلْمَوْرُودُ : evil the place to which they are brought (11:98). The word وِرْدًۭ is a subtle reference to how a thirsty person goes to the water to quench his thirst, but the sinners will have only fire to quench their thirst. In other words, the spiritual thirst that they have created cannot be quenched with water, rather it must be treated with fire.
19-87 They have no power of intercession, save him who has made a covenant with the Beneficent.a
لَّا يَمْلِكُونَ ٱلشَّفَـٰعَةَ إِلَّا مَنِ ٱتَّخَذَ عِندَ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ عَهْدًۭا (۸۷)
19-87a: Intercession by believers: مَنِ ٱتَّخَذَ عِندَ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ عَهْدًۭا : save him who has made a covenant with the Beneficent can mean the intercessor or the person on whose behalf the intercession is made. In the case of the intercessor, it means people who have perfected their belief and have held firmly to their covenant with Allah. They have acted on all the commandments of Allah and achieved the highest spiritual level. Hence, these perfected believers will become intercessors for other believers. In the case of the person receiving intercession, the words would mean that these people made a covenant with the Beneficent by not associating any partners with Allah, or that they accepted Allah’s commands but for various reasons, their deeds did not meet the standards. It is essential that the person should have established a connection with his intercessor. This is the intercession of prophets and saints. Even after all the intercessions, Allah will take people out of hell. Some commentators have taken عہد covenant to mean command and permission.
19-88 And they say: The Beneficent has taken to Himself a son.
وَقَالُوا۟ ٱتَّخَذَ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ وَلَدًۭا (۸۸)
19-89 Certainly you make an abominable assertion!a
لَّقَدْ جِئْتُمْ شَيْـًٔا إِدًّۭا (۸۹)
19-89a: إِدّ – It is a matter whose evil exceeds all limits, and it is a very serious affair, or which is calamitous in nature (LA).
These verses clearly reveal that the nation whose reference underpins this entire chapter and whose power, embellishments, and beauty are the subject of previous verses, is the nation that spread the doctrine of the sonship of God throughout the world. Some commentators have included those who say Ezra is the son of God (refer to 9:30) and those who profess angels are the daughters of Allah along with the Christians. However, both these groups have ceased to exist in the world and there is only one nation left who says that the Beneficent has taken to Himself a son and who has spread the doctrine of the sonship of God in the world and have thus made themselves the subject of these verses. It is abundantly clear from this verse and the next verse that this doctrine will gain widespread adherence in the world, which is why the Quran had to use such ominous words in its denunciation. Such words are not used for denouncing idol worship, materialism, and other types of associations with Allah. The word جِئْتُمْ connotes intending to do something and then doing it (refer to 2-159a) and this points to spreading the doctrine of sonship in the world.
19-90 The heavens may almost be rent thereat, and the earth cleave asunder, and the mountains fall down in pieces,a
تَكَادُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتُ يَتَفَطَّرْنَ مِنْهُ وَتَنشَقُّ ٱلْأَرْضُ وَتَخِرُّ ٱلْجِبَالُ هَدًّا (۹۰)
19-90a: يَتَفَطَّرْنَ – The literal meaning of فَطۡر is to cause a longitudinal cleaving to burst something. تَفَطَّر means تَشَقَّق it burst.
ھد – means to have a hard fall and to break, such that the single fall completely shatters and destroys the thing (LA).
The doctrine of sonship contradicts the world’s systems: With these awe inspiring words, it is not only the depravity of this doctrine which is highlighted but also the fact that no law can survive, and neither can the physical or the spiritual world exist, if a son of God is admitted. A son can only be accepted on the basis that Allah’s attributes do not include mercy without retribution. If Allah can have mercy without retribution, then there is no need for a son who will atone for the sins of humanity. Christianity has kept the doctrine of sonship and atonement as the foundation of their religion because they believe that unless Allah seeks some retribution, He cannot forgive sins and humans cannot attain salvation. In this verse, Allah is conveying that if mercy without retribution is left out even for a second from His attributes, then neither the heavens nor the earth, nor the mountains, nor the creatures on the earth, nor the entire system of the world will survive, since the foundation of all these is Allah’s mercy without retribution. This goes to show that this ideology cannot survive in the world. In مَا يَنۢبَغِى لِلرَّحْمَـٰنِ أَن يَتَّخِذَ وَلَدًا : It is not worthy of the Beneficent that He should take to Himself a son (19:92), it is clearly stated that if Beneficence is accepted, then the doctrine of sonship cannot survive.
19-91 That they ascribe a son to the Beneficent!
أَن دَعَوْا۟ لِلرَّحْمَـٰنِ وَلَدًۭا (۹۱)
19-92 And it is not worthy of the Beneficent that He should take to Himself a son.
وَمَا يَنۢبَغِى لِلرَّحْمَـٰنِ أَن يَتَّخِذَ وَلَدًا (۹۲)
19-93 There is none in the heavens and the earth but comes to the Beneficent as a servant.a
إِن كُلُّ مَن فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ إِلَّآ ءَاتِى ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ عَبْدًۭا (۹۳)
19-93a: The excellence of the creation lies in being a servant or عبد of the creator and that is why in محمداً عبدہٗ و رسولهٗ Muhammad is the servant and Messenger of Allah, being Allah’s servant is the central idea.
19-94 Certainly He comprehends them, and has numbered them all.
لَّقَدْ أَحْصَىٰهُمْ وَعَدَّهُمْ عَدًّۭا (۹۴)
19-95 And everyone of them will come to Him on the day of Resurrection, alone.a
وَكُلُّهُمْ ءَاتِيهِ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ فَرْدًا (۹۵)
19-95a: The worshipper, and the worshipped will come before God with their respective responsibilities.
19-96 Those who believe and do good deeds, for them the Beneficent will surely bring about love.a
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ سَيَجْعَلُ لَهُمُ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ وُدًّۭا (۹۶)
19-96a: Love for pious people spontaneously arises and keep growing in the world. A hadith in Bukhari and Muslim states that when Allah loves a person, love for that person is created in the angels and then that love spreads in the earth. This law is proven correct. All the pious people of Allah initially face stiff opposition but slowly love for them keeps increasing in the world. Perhaps this hints at the acceptance of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and that the love for him will keep on progressing day by day. Accordingly, we see that the Christians who in the past had talked ill of the Holy Prophet and spread misinformation about him, are in increasing numbers finding their heart softening and finding the love of Holy Prophet arising in their hearts. This is a good sign of their finally accepting him.
By placing this verse in a chapter whose essential theme is to provide definitive arguments against Christianity shows that this is a reference to the final acceptance of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) by the Christian nation.
19-97 So We have made it easy in thy tongue only that thou shouldst give good news thereby to those who guard against evil, and shouldst warn thereby a contentious people.a
فَإِنَّمَا يَسَّرْنَـٰهُ بِلِسَانِكَ لِتُبَشِّرَ بِهِ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ وَتُنذِرَ بِهِۦ قَوْمًۭا لُّدًّۭا (۹۷)
19-97a: Surah Maryam is ended with the same words with which Surah Kahf is started, namely glad tidings to believers and a warning to those who say that God has taken a son. The one difference is that instead of ٱتَّخَذَ ٱللَّهُ وَلَدًۭا : …Allah has taken to Himself a son (18:4), they are called قَوْمًۭا لُّدًّۭا …a contentious people (19:97) because no other nation has challenged the truth as much as this nation.
19-98 And how many a generation before them have We destroyed! Canst thou see anyone of them or hear a sound of them?a
وَكَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا قَبْلَهُم مِّن قَرْنٍ هَلْ تُحِسُّ مِنْهُم مِّنْ أَحَدٍ أَوْ تَسْمَعُ لَهُمْ رِكْزًۢا (۹۸)
19-98a: رِكْزًۢ – means a soft, low voice (R).
The unalterable law of the destruction of nations: Allah has drawn attention to His unalterable law of how nations grow and prosper in this world. Then a time comes when their downfall is inevitable, till all traces of their existence are erased. The truth is what is everlasting in the world and no one can erase it.
Bayan-ul-Quran 