476 Page Notes

40 Surah Ghafir (continued)

Page 476 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 476 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Page 476 of the Quran spans Surah Ghafir (Chapter 40), Verses 78 through 85. This final section of the Surah addresses the history of messengers sent by God, points out the physical remnants of destroyed civilizations as a sign, and describes the psychological state of deniers who realize their impending doom too late.

In classical works of exegesis (such as Tafsir Ibn Kathir), these verses are deeply illuminated by the Hadith corpus and Prophetic Sunnah to explain the vast scale of prophecy and the mechanics of divine law (Sunnatullah).

1. The Undisclosed Messengers (Verse 78)

“And We have already sent messengers before you. Among them are those whose stories We have related to you, and among them are those whose stories We have not related to you...”

This verse establishes that the historical scope of prophecy is far wider than the 25 prophets mentioned by name in the Quran (Naik, 2023). Commentators connect this to foundational Hadiths where the Prophet ﷺ explicitly quantified the true number of prophets sent to humanity:

• The Scale of Prophecy: In a well-known Hadith narrated by Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, he asked the Prophet ﷺ about the total number of prophets. The Prophet ﷺ replied: "One hundred and twenty-four thousand (124,000), and from them the messengers were a distinct group of three hundred and fifteen (315)—a vast crowd." (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 22345; Sahih Ibn Hibban).

• Universal Mission: While past prophets were sent explicitly to their own communities with localized narratives, the Sunnah clarifies that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was given an expansive, global mandate. The Prophet ﷺ remarked: "Every Prophet was sent to his nation specifically, but I have been sent to all mankind" (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 335; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 521).

2. Reflections on Travel and History (Verse 82)

“Have they not traveled through the land and observed how was the end of those before them? They were more numerous than them and mightier in strength and in footprints on the earth...”

This verse commands the Quraysh to visually examine the physical archeological ruins of past nations (like Thamud or the Nabataeans) who built massive stone structures but were obliterated due to their arrogance.

• The Prophetic Precedent (Sunnah) on Ruins: The Sunnah provides active instructions on how a believer should mentally process traveling past these historical sites of punishment. During the Expedition of Tabuk, when the Muslim army passed through Al-Hijr (the ancient, rock-carved homes of Thamud), the Prophet ﷺ covered his face, quickened his pace, and commanded his companions: "Do not enter the dwelling places of those who wronged themselves unless you are weeping, lest you suffer the same fate that befell them." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3381; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2980).

3. Late-Stage Faith and Realization of Punishment (Verses 84–85)

“And when they saw Our punishment, they said, 'We believe in Allah alone and disbelieve in that which we used to associate with Him.' But their faith was not to benefit them once they saw Our punishment. [Such is] the established system of Allah which has occurred among His servants. And the disbelievers were then in complete loss.”

These concluding verses outline a psychological law: repentance is flatly rejected by God if it is only offered after divine punishment materializes or when the veil of the unseen is physically lifted.

• The Closing Threshold of Repentance: The Prophet ﷺ explicitly validated this rule in the Sunnah, marking the absolute boundaries for human repentance. He said: "Indeed, Allah accepts the repentance of a servant as long as his soul has not reached his throat (the gurgling stage of death—al-ghargharah)" (Jami` at-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3537; Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 4253).

• The Analogy of Pharaoh: Scholars note that this exact "late-stage belief" (Imaan al-Ba's) matches the historical precedent of Pharaoh when he began to drown in the Red Sea. The Sunnah reveals that the Archangel Gabriel actively stuffed mud from the sea into Pharaoh's mouth to prevent him from declaring the testimony of faith, knowing that uttering it out of sheer terror at the moment of absolute doom would hold no theological weight (Jami` at-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3107).

References

• Naik, Z. (2023). Similarities between Islam and Christianity. Al Hidaayah.

(Note: Canonical Hadith compendiums such as Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Jami` at-Tirmidhi, and Musnad Ahmad are referenced directly via their universal numbering systems as recognized across Islamic scholarship.)