Fussilat - An Enlightening Commentary into the Light of the Holy Qur'an

Table of Contents

48. And those whom they used to invoke before [in this world] shall disappear from them, and they will perceive that they have no place of refuge.

49. Man does not become tired of invoking Allah to grant him good things, but when an evil touches him, then he gives up all hope and is lost in despair.

The Arabic word mahis indicates refuge or place of refuge. On the Day of Resurrection, polytheists and disbelievers find out that they have lost their past opportunities and a dire fate is in store for them. It will be at that time that the idols invoked by them have disappeared.

They will find out that they have no way out and they may not set their hopes on idols any longer and they have definitely no refuge.

Verse 49 is saying that man always seeks material gains and happiness and invokes God Almighty to grant them to him and is never tired of invocation, but when he is touched with some affliction, he will lose his hope and turns away from God Almighty. The Arabic words ya’s and qunut indicate hopelessness and despair respectively.