The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 3) — Page 333
PT. 13 R. 4. IBRAHİM CH. 14 وَقَالَ الشَّيْطَنُ لَمَّا قُضِيَ الْأَمْرُ اِنَّ اللهَ And when the matter is. 23 decided, Satan will say: 'Allah وَعَدَكُمْ وَعْدَ الْحَقِّ وَوَعَدْتُكُمْ promised you a promise of فَأَخْلَفْتُكُمْ ۖ وَمَا كَانَ لِي عَلَيْكُمْ مِنْ truth, but I promised you and failed you. And "I had no jšícdoktý سُلْطَنٍ إِلَّا أَنْ دَعَوْتُكُمْ فَاسْتَجَبْتُمْ power over you except that I لِي فَلَا تَلُومُونِى وَلُومُوا اَنْفُسَكُم ط مَا أَنَا بِمُصْرِخِكُمْ وَمَا اَنْتُمْ selves: I cannot بِمُصْرِخِيَّ إِنِّى كَفَرْتُ بِمَا I have already اَشْرَكْتُمُوْنِ مِنْ قَبْلُ إِنَّ الظَّلِمِينَ called you and you obeyed me. So blame me not, but blame your own succour succour you nor can you me. disclaimed your associating me with God. For the wrongdoers a15:43; 16:100; 17:66. the open country; he appeared before men after being hidden means, he made the book public; he published it. means, he came out (of his camp etc. ) and fought the enemy. means, he went into the open country to answer the call of nature (Aqrab). Commentary: The words, They shall all appear before Allah, embody a great truth about the decline and Fall of nations. It is not SO much the actual weaknesses and misdeeds of a people that bring about their downfall as the exposure of their weaknesses. With their weaknesses having become exposed, their prestige and reputation, which more than their achievements are the mainstay of their success, suffer a mortal blow, lowering them in the estimation of 1541 rival communities and bringing in their wake decline and decadence. The words quoted above thus mean that God will lift the veil from the iniquities of the sinful and will expose them to public view, because from Him nothing is hidden. The verse also sheds some light on another important principle about the rise and fall of nations. A people who are destined to perish give way to despair and become readily resigned to their low state, as hinted at in the words, it is now equal for us whether we show impatience or remain patient: there is no way of escape for us. On the contrary, a people for whom a bright future waits continue to make ceaseless efforts to improve their condition till all signs of decline and degeneration disappear and their feet are set firmly on the road to success and prosperity.