Overview
This ayah begins the last section of Surah At-Tur. It ends with two directives to the Prophet ﷺ: ذَرْهُمْ “Leave them” and وَاصْبِرْ “Persevere patiently,” while the middle warns of the Afterlife and impending punishment.
- It echoes earlier emphasis: “No doubt, the punishment of your Lord will occur” and “And be patient for your Lord’s decision.” The phrase رَبِّكَ “your Lord” is repeated, centering the Prophet’s ﷺ allegiance.
- After discussing the people of Hellfire, Allah commanded “Remind” (ذَكِّرْ). Here: “Leave them” (ذَرْهُمْ). Effective reminder requires ignoring negativity and distractions.
- A parallel appears in Musa’s (as) dialogue with Fir‘awn (Ash-Shu‘ara’ 16 onwards): remaining undistracted and mission-focused.
Ignore spurious attacks; stay with the reminder and patience. The negativity is made irrelevant by exposing its weakness.
Commands and Strategy
ذَكِّرْ — Remind
Continue the reminder among people receptive to guidance.
ذَرْ — Leave
Disengage from the leaders driving propaganda and baseless claims. Do not dignify them with response.
These directives can both apply: maintain the reminder broadly while refusing to be dragged into spurious debates. Alternatively, they are situational—when opposition hardens, leave them to Allah’s judgment.
“No doubt, the punishment of your Lord will occur” ↔ “And be patient for your Lord’s decision.” Both anchor patience and action to “your Lord.”
Language Insights
Root: وَذَرَ — Wadhara
The imperative ذَرْ “Leave” comes from وَذَرَ, carrying the sense of leaving and disregarding what is left—like scraps no longer part of the original whole.
- وَذَرَتَان — two lips when separate.
- وَذَرَة — a small piece of meat without bone.
- وَذِرَة — a small lump on the body.
- وَذَر — small discarded flesh after surgery; leftover cloth cuttings.
This extends to leaving something without further consideration.
وَالَّذِينَ يُتَوَفَّوْنَ مِنكُمْ وَيَذَرُونَ أَزْوَاجًا
“And those who are taken in death among you and leave wives behind …” (2:234)
وَيَا قَوْمِ هَٰذِهِ نَاقَةُ اللَّهِ لَكُمْ آيَةً فَذَرُوهَا تَأْكُلْ فِي أَرْضِ اللَّهِ
“And O my people, this is the she-camel of Allah - [she is] to you a sign. So let her be to feed upon Allah's earth” (11:64)
“Leave it” implies letting be without granting attention—precisely the posture instructed in 52:45.
يُصْعَقُونَ — Meaning
Struck from the sky
Can signify being struck by a thunderbolt or a sky-borne strike.
Reading variant
Read with fatḥah on يَ: يَصْعَقُونَ — can imply losing consciousness.
“Their Day” and the Trumpet
“So, leave them until the trumpet is blown and Judgement Day comes.”
وَنُفِخَ فِي الصُّورِ فَصَعِقَ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَن فِي الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا مَن شَاءَ اللَّهُ ۖ ثُمَّ نُفِخَ فِيهِ أُخْرَىٰ فَإِذَا هُمْ قِيَامٌ يَنظُرُونَ
“And the Horn will be blown, and whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth will fall down senseless (صَعِقَ – Sa’iqah) except whom Allah wills. Then it will be blown again, and at once they will be standing, looking on” (39:68).
- Two blasts: first, collapse senseless (or dead); second, all stand resurrected.
- “Leave them” conveys: let Allah deal with them; they are not your concern.
“The day in which they will be struck down” can also refer to the day of the Battle of Badr.
Mindset and Practice
Ignore Negativity
Do not engage spurious accusations. Their weakness has been exposed; make them irrelevant by silence.
Focus on Positivity
Keep the reminder central. Progress comes from clarity and perseverance, not reactive engagement.
Situational Wisdom
At times: remind. At times: leave them. When opposition hardens, defer to Allah’s judgment.
Patience for Your Lord
وَاصْبِرْ لِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ — “And be patient for your Lord’s decision.”