[51:56]

Wama khalaqtu aljinna waal-insailla liyaAAbudooni

Tafsir Maududi- Surah 51. Az-Zariyat, Ayaat 56 To 60

‫ َفإِنَّ لِلَّذِينَ َظلَمُوا َذ ُنوبًا م ِْث َل‬٥٨ ُ‫اق ُذو ْالقُوَّ ِة ْال َمتِين‬ #ِ ‫مَا أ ُ ِري ُد ِم ْن ُه ْم مِنْ ِر ْز ٍق َومَا أ ُ ِري ُد أَنْ ي ُْط ِعم‬٥٦‫ُون‬
ُ ‫إِنَّ هَّللا َ ه َُو الرَّ َّز‬٥٧‫ُون‬ ِ ‫ت ْال ِجنَّ َواإْل ِ ْنسَ إِاَّل لِ َيعْ ُبد‬
ُ ‫َومَا َخلَ ْق‬
٦٠ َ‫ َف َو ْي ٌل ِللَّذِينَ َك َفرُوا مِنْ ي َْوم ِِه ُم الَّذِي يُوعَ ُدون‬٥٩‫ون‬ ِ ُ‫ب أَصْ حَ ِاب ِه ْم فَاَل َيسْ َتعْ ِجل‬ ِ ‫َذ ُنو‬

[56-60] I have not created the jinn and the men except for this that they should worship Me.53 I
do not ask any sustenance of them, nor do I ask them to feed Me.54 Allah Himself is the
Sustainer, Possessor of power and might.55 Therefore, those who have done wrong,56 have also
their portion of a similar torment ready as the people like them have been meted out their
portions before. So let them not ask Me to hasten.57 Ultimately, there will be destruction for those
who have disbelieved, on the Day with which they are being threatened.

53That is, "I have not created them for the service of others but for My own service. They should
serve Me, for I am their Creator. When no one else has created them, no one else has the right
that they should serve him; and how can it be admissible for them that they should serve others
instead of Me, their Creator?" Here, the question arises that Allah Almighty is not the Creator
only of the jinn and men but of the entire Universe and of every thing in it. Then, why has it been
said only about the jinn and men that He has not created them for the service of others but of
Himself ? whereas every single creature is there to serve Allah. The answer is: On the earth only
the jinn and men have been granted the freedom that they may serve Allah within their sphere of
choice if they so like; otherwise they can turn away from Allah's service as well as serve others
beside Hun. The rest of the creatures in the world do not have this kind of freedom. They do not
have any choice whatever that they may not worship and serve Allah, or may serve any other.
Therefore, only about the jinn and men it has been said here that by turning away from the
obedience and servitude of their Creator within the bounds of their option and choice and by
serving others than the Creator, they are fighting their own nature. They should know that they
have not been created for the service of any other but the Creator, and for them the right way is
that they should not abuse the freedom granted them, but within the bounds of this freedom also
they should serve God voluntarily just as every particle of their body is serving Him
involuntarily in the sphere where they have not been granted any freedom,

The word `ibadat (service, worship) in this verse has not been used in the sense of only prayer,
fasting and other kinds of such worship so that one may understand that the jinn and men have
been created only for performing the Prayer, observing the Fast and for praising and glorifying
Allah. Although this sense also is included in it, this is not its complete sense. Its complete sense
is that the jinn and men have not been created for the worship, obedience and carrying out of the
orders of any other but Allah. They are not there to bow to any other, to carry out the orders of
any other, to live in fear of any other, to follow the religion enjoined by any other, to look upon
any other as the maker and destroyer of ones destiny, and to supplicate any other than Allah for
help. (For further explanation, see E.N. 63 of Surah Saba, E.N. 2 of Az-Zumar, E.N. 30 of A1
Jathiyah).

Another thing that incidentally becomes quilt obvious from this verse is that the jinn arc a
separate and independent creation from men. This brings out the error of the thinking of those
people, who assert that sonic people from among mankind have been called the jinn in the
Qur'an. This same thing is also confirmed and testified by the following verses of the Qur'an: AI-
An'am :100, 128, AI-A`raf, 38, 179, Hud: 119, AI-Hijr: 27 to 33, Bani Isra`il: 88, AI-Kahf: S0,
As-Sajdah: 13, Saba: 41, Suad: 75, 76, Ha Mim As-Sajdah: 25, AI-Ahqaf: 18, Ar-Rahman: 15,
39, 56. (For a complete discussion of this question, see E. N . 21 of AI-Anbiya', E.N.'s 23, 45 of
An-Naml, E.N. 24 of Saba).

54That is, "I do not stand in need of any kind of help from the jinn and men: that My Godhead
would not function if they did not worship Me: that I would be no more God if they turned away
from My service. I indeed do not stand in need of their service, but it is the demand of their own
nature that they should serve Me. They have been created for this very object, and fighting nature
would be to their own detriment."

And in saying: "I do not ask any sustenance of them nor do I ask them to feed Me," there is a
subtle hint to this Those whom the people who have turned away from God worship in the world,
worship, indeed, stand in need of these their worshipers. If they do not help sustain their
godhead, it would not function even for a day. The gods do not provide for the worshipers but
the worshipers provide for the gods instead. The gods do not feed them but they feed the gods
instead. The gods do not protect them but the worshipers protect the gods instead. The
worshipers, in fact, are their army through whom their godhead functions. Wherever the
worshipers of the, false gods have ceased to exist, or the worshipers have given up their worship,
the gods have lost all their pomp and glory and the world has seen how helpless they have
become. Of all the deities Allah Almighty is the only real Deity Whose Godhead is functioning
by His own power and might, Who does not take anything from His servants, but He alone gives
His servants everything.

55The word matin as used in the original means strong and stable whom nobody can shake and
move.
56"Those, . . . . . . wrong" Those who have violated the reality and the truth and their own nature
The context itself shows that `those who have done wrong", here implies the people who are
serving others than the Lord of the Universe, who disbelieve in the Hereafter, who regard
themselves as irresponsible in the world, and have denied those Prophets who have tried to make
them understand the reality.

57This is the answer to the disbelievers' demand: "Why doesn't the Day of Retribution Overtake
us? Why is it being delayed?"