42/36-39 — The attributes of the believer: the building of a list
From the thirty-sixth verse to the thirty-ninth, four verses work as a single sentence. The expression that gives the sūra its name stands in the middle of this list. The list must first be seen as a whole, and then I shall take it verse by verse.
- Verse 36 sets a condition: li'lladhīna āmanū wa ʿalā rabbihim yatawakkalūn — "for those who believe and rely upon their Lord".
- Verses 37, 38 and 39 begin with wa'lladhīna… and add attributes to the same group.
Grammatically, then, the four verses are the attributes of a single noun. This is a verifiable structural fact.
| # | Attribute | Verse | Field |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Āmanū — they believed | 36 | Inward |
| 2 | ʿAlā rabbihim yatawakkalūn — they rely upon their Lord | 36 | Inward |
| 3 | Yajtanibūna kabāʾira'l-ithmi wa'l-fawāḥish — they keep clear of grave sins | 37 | Conduct — avoidance |
| 4 | Wa idhā mā ghaḍibū hum yaghfirūn — when they are angry they forgive | 37 | Relation — the moment of anger |
| 5 | Istajābū li-rabbihim wa aqāmu'ṣ-ṣalāh — they answered their Lord and upheld the prayer | 38 | Worship |
| 6 | Wa amruhum shūrā baynahum — their affair is consultation among themselves | 38 | Decision within the community |
| 7 | Wa mimmā razaqnāhum yunfiqūn — they spend of what We have provided | 38 | Property |
| 8 | Idhā aṣābahumu'l-baghyu hum yantaṣirūn — when wronged they take their right | 39 | Outward |
And the order of the list follows a direction: from inside outward. Faith and reliance (inward) → avoidance (one's own conduct) → anger (close relations) → worship → decision within the community → property → a wrong coming from outside.
فَمَآ أُوتِيتُم مِّن شَىْءٍ فَمَتَٰعُ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا ۖ وَمَا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَىٰ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ
Fa-mā ūtītum min shayʾin fa-matāʿu'l-ḥayāti'd-dunyā; wa mā ʿinda'llāhi khayrun wa abqā li'lladhīna āmanū wa ʿalā rabbihim yatawakkalūn
"Whatever you have been given is the provision of the life of this world. What is with God is better and more lasting, for those who believe and rely upon their Lord."
Matāʿ, in the lexicographers' description: what is used for a time and then comes to an end. The provision a traveller takes with him, the household goods, merchandise — all are matāʿ.
Two things are in the root: benefit and duration. A thing's being matāʿ does not mean it is useless; it means it is not lasting.
And their coming together is worth recording: had only "better" been said, it would have been a comparison of value and could be argued about. "More lasting", by contrast, is a measurable note and sets up a direct contrast with the word matāʿ.
The same pair occurs in several other places in the Qurʾān and was treated in al-Aʿlā in connection with al-Aʿlā 87/17 (wa'l-ākhiratu khayrun wa abqā).
The root occurred in the sixth verse as wakīl and was grounded on al-Mulk. The note there is worth repeating, because this is the second attribute in the list:
"Tawakkul is not the refusal to act but the committing of the outcome. The one who appoints an agent does not abandon the matter — he shares the responsibility. This distinction is central to the Qurʾān's understanding of tawakkul and is very open to misunderstanding."
And this distinction is confirmed by the continuation of the list: in the thirty-eighth verse prayer, consultation and spending will be enumerated; in the thirty-ninth, the taking of one's right against a wrong. A list that begins with reliance, that is, says three verses later "they conduct their affairs by consultation among themselves".
I record this as my own reading: that the same list contains both "they rely upon their Lord" and "they conduct their affairs by consultation" shows from the text itself that reliance is not the refusal to decide. The two attributes stand two verses apart, as the description of the same group.