Muhammad · Madani · ayah 28 of 38

Muhammad 47:28

ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمُ ٱتَّبَعُوا۟ مَآ أَسْخَطَ ٱللَّهَ وَكَرِهُوا۟ رِضْوَٰنَهُۥ فَأَحْبَطَ أَعْمَـٰلَهُمْ

“That is because they followed what angered Allāh and disliked [what earns] His pleasure, so He rendered worthless their deeds.”

Saheeh International

Essence

They faced towards what angers Allah and turned their backs on what pleases Him, and the ending matched the turning, face and back.

A reflection

Struck where they turned

This ayah explains the one before it. Why were the faces and backs of these people struck at death (47:27)? "That is because they followed what angered Allah, and disliked what pleases Him."

Two classical commentators notice that the explanation fits the punishment exactly. The previous ayah named two blows: to the face, and to the back. This ayah names two causes: following what angers Allah, and disliking His pleasure.

One explains the match. Whoever pursues a thing turns his face towards it. Whoever dislikes a thing turns his back on it. So their faces were struck because they turned them towards His anger. Their backs were struck because they turned them away from His pleasure. Another calls it a pairing in the style of an ordered list, each item answering its partner.

The consequence is shaped like the choice. Nothing arbitrary is added.

Picture a cyclist riding down a steep hill with his eyes on his phone. He has turned his face towards the screen and his back, in effect, on the road. He hits a pothole. He falls forward and lands hard on his face and shoulder. Nobody pushed him. The fall followed the direction he had chosen to look.

That is the logic this ayah sets out. Every person is facing something and turning away from something else. In the end, what meets them is shaped by those two directions.

It is a sober invitation to check your own orientation. What is your face turned towards, most hours of most days? What have you quietly turned your back on? The answer is not fixed. A person can turn round, while turning is still possible.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.