Verse. 4218

٤٠ - غَافِر

40 - Ghafir

فَلَمْ يَكُ يَنْفَعُہُمْ اِيْمَانُہُمْ لَمَّا رَاَوْا بَاْسَـنَا۝۰ۭ سُنَّتَ اللہِ الَّتِيْ قَدْ خَلَتْ فِيْ عِبَادِہٖ۝۰ۚ وَخَسِرَ ہُنَالِكَ الْكٰفِرُوْنَ۝۸۵ۧ
Falam yaku yanfaAAuhum eemanuhum lamma raaw basana sunnata Allahi allatee qad khalat fee AAibadihi wakhasira hunalika alkafiroona

English

Ahmed Ali

But then their affirming served them nothing after they had seen Our torment. This is the law of God that has prevailed among His creatures, Then the unbelievers went to rack and ruin.

85

Tafseer

'Abdullāh Ibn 'Abbās / Muḥammad al-Fīrūzabādī

تفسير : (but their faith could not avail them when they saw our doom) which came to destroy them, for faith upon the advent of allah's punishment is of no value; but it is also said that such faith avails the person who declares it, just as repentance in such a moment benefits. (this is allah's law) this is allah's wont (which hath ever taken course for his bondsmen) that he sends his punishment upon them whenever they disbelieve, and rejects faith and repentance upon the advent of his punishment. (and then the disbelievers) in allah (will be ruined) when the punishment visits them'.

Jalāl al-Dīn al-Maḥallī

تفسير : but their faith was of no benefit to them when they saw our doom — [this is] god’s way (sunnata’llāhi is in the accusative because it functions as a verbal noun from an implicit verb of the same expression) with the believers, among all communities, which is that faith is of no benefit to them once the chastisement has been sent down, which has its precdent; and it is thence that the disbelievers will be losers — [it is thence that] their status as losers will become apparent to all [of mankind], even though they will have always been losers before that.

Sahl al-Tustari

تفسير : …[this is] god’s way (sunna) with his slaves, which has its precedent...he said:[the word] sunna is derived from some of the names of god, exalted is he: the letter ‘sīn’ stands for sanāʾūhu (his resplendence), the letter ‘nūn’ stands for nūruhu (his light) and ‘hā’ stands for hidāyatuhu (his guidance). his saying: god’s way means: ⸢his ‘primordial nature’ (fiṭratuhu) upon which he moulds (jabala) the elite among his servants, out of his guidance for them⸣, and thus they are [already disposed towards] the norms (ʿalā sunan) of the clear path to him. but god, glorified and exalted is he, knows best. his saying: