| y_ali | asad | literal | tlt | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. * | By those who range themselves in ranks, | CONSIDER these [messages] ranged in serried ranks, [Regarding the adjurative particle wa and my rendering it as "Consider", see first half of note on 74:32. Most of the classical commentators assume that verses 1-3 refer to angels - an assumption which Abu Muslim al-Isfahani (as quoted by Razi) rejects, stating that the passage refers to the true believers among human beings. However, Razi advances yet another (and, to my mind, most convincing) interpretation, suggesting that what is meant here are the messages (ayat) of the Quran, which - in the commentator's words - "deal with various subjects, some speaking of the evidence of God's oneness or of the evidence of His omniscience, omnipotence and wisdom, and some setting forth the evidence of [the truth of] prophetic revelation or of resurrection, while some deal with man's duties and the laws [relating thereto], and yet others are devoted to the teaching of high moral principles; and these messages are arranged in accordance with a coherent system above all [need of] change or alteration, so that they resemble beings or things standing `in serried ranks'." ] | And the expanded and motionless wings in a row, arranged. | swr+ alSafat bsm allh alrHmn alrHym ? walSafat Sfa | |||
| 2. * | And so are strong in repelling (evil), | and restraining [from evil] by a call to restraint, | So the preventing/deterring, preventing/deterring/ousting. | falzajrat zjra | |||
| 3. * | And thus proclaim the Message (of Allah.! | and conveying [to all the world] a reminder: | So the reading/reciting/following, mentioning/remembering. | faltalyat Xkra | |||
| 4. * | Verily, verily, your Allah is one!- | Verily, most surely, your God is One - | That truly your Lord (is) one (E). | an alhkm lwaHd | |||
| 5. * | Lord of the heavens and of the earth and all between them, and Lord of every point at the rising of the sun! | the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth and of all that is between them, and the Sustainer of all the points of sunrise! [Sc., "and of sunset" (cf. 55:17 and the corresponding note). The stress on the various "points of sunrise" (al-mashariq) brings out the endless variety of all created phenomena as contrasted with the oneness and uniqueness of their Creator. The mention of "the points of sunrise" and omission of "the points of sunset" in the wording (though not in the meaning) of the above phrase alludes, I believe, to the light-giving quality of the Quran spoken of in verses 1-3.] | Lord (of) the skies/space and the earth/Planet Earth and what (is) between them (B), and Lord (of) the sun rises/easts. | rb alsmawat walarD wmabynhma wrb alm$arq | |||
| 6. * | We have indeed decked the lower heaven with beauty (in) the stars,- | Behold, We have adorned the skies nearest to the earth with the beauty of stars, | That We decorated/beautified the sky/space (of) the present world with the stars'/planets' decoration/beauty. | ana zyna alsma' aldnya bzyn+ alkwakb | |||
| 7. * | (For beauty) and for guard against all obstinate rebellious evil spirits, | and have made them secure against every rebellious, satanic force, [For an explanation of this passage, see note on 15:17.] | And a protection/guarding from every/each rebellious/mutinous devil. | wHfZa mn kl $yTan mard | |||
| 8. * | (So) they should not strain their ears in the direction of the Exalted Assembly but be cast away from every side, | [so that] they [who seek to learn the unknowable] should not be able to overhear the host on high, [I.e., the angelic forces, whose "speech" is a metonym for God's decrees.] but shall be repelled from all sides, | They do not hear/listen (E) to the nobles/assembly the highest/mightiest/most dignified, and they be thrown/hurled from every/each side/direction. | laysm`wn ali almla ala`li wyqXfwn mn kl janb | |||
| 9. * | Repulsed, for they are under a perpetual penalty, | cast out [from all grace], with lasting suffering in store for them [in the life to come]; | Expelled/driven away, and for them (is) a permanent/continuous/lasting torture. | dHwra wlhm `Xab waSb | |||
| 10. * | Except such as snatch away something by stealth, and they are pursued by a flaming fire, of piercing brightness. | but if anyone [Lit., "excepting [or "except that"] anyone who ...", etc. However, as pointed out by some authorities (e.g., Mughni), the particle illa is occasionally synonymous with the simple conjunction Wa, which in this case has the significance of "but".] does succeed in snatching a glimpse [of such knowledge], he is [henceforth] pursued by a piercing flame. [For the meaning of this phrase, see note on 15:18. After the stress on God's oneness in verses 4-5, the passage comprising verses 6-10 points to the fact that human beings are precluded from really grasping the variety and depth of the universe created by Him. We have here an echo of 34:9 - "Are they, then, not aware of how little of the sky and the earth lies open before them, and how much is hidden from them?" - and, thus, a new, oblique approach to the theme of resurrection, which is taken up in the sequence in the form of an indirect question.] | Except who snatched the one snatch, so a light from a fire source/a star lit/ignited/penetrating followed him. | ala mn KTf alKTf+ fatb`h $hab xaqb | |||
| 11. * | Just ask their opinion: are they the more difficult to create, or the (other) beings We have created? Them have We created out of a sticky clay! | AND NOW ask those [who deny the truth] to enlighten thee: Were they more difficult to create than all those [untold marvels] that We have created? - for, behold, them have We created out of [mere] clay commingled with water! [I.e., out of primitive substances existing in their elementary forms in and on the earth (see 23:12) - substances which are as nothing when compared with the complexity of "the heavens and the earth and all that is between them": hence, man's individual resurrection is as nothing when compared with the creation of the multiform universe.] | So ask/take their opinion, are they a stronger creation, or who We created? That We created them from very sticky mud/clay. | fastfthm ahm a$d Klqa am mn Klqna ana Klqnahm mn Tyn lazb | |||
| 12. * | Truly dost thou marvel, while they ridicule, | Nay, but whereas thou dost marvel, they [only] scoff; [I.e., at God's creative power as well as at the blind arrogance of those who deny it.] | But you wondered/were astonished/were surprised, and they humiliate/mock/undermine/ridicule. | bl `jbt wysKrwn | |||
| 13. * | And, when they are admonished, pay no heed,- | and when they are reminded [of the truth], they refuse to take it to heart; | And if they were reminded, they do not mention/remember. | waXa Xkrwa layXkrwn | |||
| 14. * | And, when they see a Sign, turn it to mockery, | and when they become aware of a [divine] message, they turn it to ridicule | And if they saw/understood an evidence/sign/verse, they humiliate/mock/ridicule/undermine. | waXa rawa ay+ ystsKrwn | |||
| 15. * | And say, "This is nothing but evident sorcery! | and say: "This is clearly nothing but [a mortal's] spellbinding eloquence! | And they said: "That truly this (is) except clear/evident magic/sorcery. | wqalwa an hXa ala sHr mbyn | |||
| 16. * | "What! when we die, and become dust and bones, shall we (then) be raised up (again) | Why - after we have died and become mere dust and bones, shall we, forsooth, be raised from the dead? - | Is (it that) if we died and we were dust and bones, are we being resurrected/revived (E)? | 'aXa mtna wkna traba w`Zama aYna lmb`wxwn | |||
| 17. * | "And also our fathers of old?" | and perhaps also our forebears of old?" | Or our fathers the first/beginners?" | aw abaWna alawlwn | |||
| 18. * | Say thou: "Yea, and ye shall then be humiliated (on account of your evil)." | Say: "Yea, indeed - and most abject will you then be!" - | Say: "Yes, and you are degraded/lowly." | ql n`m wantm daKrwn | |||
| 19. * | Then it will be a single (compelling) cry; and behold, they will begin to see! | for that [resurrection which they deride] will be [upon them of a sudden, as if it were] but a single accusing cry - and then, lo! they will begin to see [the truth] | So but it is a one cry to drive out, so then they are looking/seeing. | fanma hy zjr+ waHd+ faXa hm ynZrwn | |||
| 20. * | They will say, "Ah! Woe to us! This is the Day of Judgment!" | and will say: "Oh, woe unto us! This is the Day of Judgment!" | And they said: "Oh our calamity/scandal that, it is the Judgment Day/Resurrection Day." | wqalwa yawylna hXa ywm aldyn | |||
| 21. * | (A voice will say,) "This is the Day of Sorting Out, whose truth ye (once) denied!" | [And they will be told:] "This is the Day of Distinction [between the true and the false - the Day] [See note on 77:13.] which you were wont to call a lie!" | That (is) the Judgment Day/Separation Day/Resurrection Day which you were with it lying/denying/falsifying. | hXa ywm alfSl alXy kntm bh tkXbwn | |||
| 22. * | "Bring ye up", it shall be said, "The wrong-doers and their wives, and the things they worshipped- | [And God will thus command:] "Assemble all those who were bent on evildoing, together with others of their ilk [According to almost all of the earliest authorities - including Umar ibn al-Khattab, Abd Allah ibn Abbas, Qatadah, Mujahid, As-Suddi, Said ibn Jubayr, Al-Hasan al-Basri, etc., - the expression azwaj denotes here "people resembling one another [in their dispositions]", or "people of the same kind" or "of the same ilk".] and [with] all that they were wont to worship | Gather those who were unjust/oppressive and their spouses, and what they were worshipping. | aH$rwa alXyn Zlmwa wazwajhm wmakanwa y`bdwn | |||
| 23. * | "Besides Allah, and lead them to the Way to the (Fierce) Fire! | instead of God, and lead them all onto the way to the blazing fire, | From other than God, so guide them to the Hell's road/way. | mn dwn allh fahdwhm ali SraT aljHym | |||
| 24. * | "But stop them, for they must be asked: | and halt them [there]!" | And stop/suspend them, that they are questioned. | wqfwhm anhm msWwlwn | |||
| 25. * | "'What is the matter with you that ye help not each other?'" | "How is it that [now] you cannot succour one another?" | And what (is it) for you, you do not give victory/aid? | malkm latnaSrwn | |||
| 26. * | Nay, but that day they shall submit (to Judgment); | Nay, but on that Day they would willingly surrender [to God]; | But they are the day/today submitting/surrendering. | bl hm alywm mstslmwn | |||
| 27. * | And they will turn to one another, and question one another. | but [since it will be too late,] they will turn upon one another, demanding of each other [to relieve them of the burden of their past sins]. [Cf. the contrasting - though verbally identical - passage in verses 50 ff. of the present surah. Whereas in the latter instance the verb yatasa alun has its primary connotation of "asking one another [about something]", it signifies here "demanding [something] of one another" - as the sequence shows, to assume responsibility for their erstwhile denial of the truth.] | And some of them approached/came on (to) some, they ask/question each other. | waqbl b`Dhm `li b`D ytsa'lwn | |||
| 28. * | They will say: "It was ye who used to come to us from the right hand (of power and authority)!" | Some [of them] will say: "Behold, you were wont to approach us [deceptively] from the right!" [I.e., "claiming that what you were asking us to do was right and good". The idiomatic phrase "approaching one from the right" is more or less synonymous with "pretending to give a morally good advice", as well as "approaching another person from a position of power and influence" (Zamakhshari).] | They said: "That you were coming to us from the right (side)." | qalwa ankm kntm tatwnna `n alymyn | |||
| 29. * | They will reply: "Nay, ye yourselves had no Faith! | [To which] the others will reply: "Nay, you yourselves were bereft of all faith! | They said: "But you were not being believing." | qalwa bl lm tkwnwa mWmnyn | |||
| 30. * | "Nor had we any authority over you. Nay, it was ye who were a people in obstinate rebellion! | Moreover, we had no power at all over you: nay, you were people filled with overweening arrogance! | And (there) was not from power/control for us over you, but you were a tyrannizing/arrogant nation. | wmakan lna `lykm mn slTan bl kntm qwma TaGyn | |||
| 31. * | "So now has been proved true, against us, the word of our Lord that we shall indeed (have to) taste (the punishment of our sins). | But now our Sustainer's word has come true against us [as well]: verily, we are bound to taste [the fruit of our sins]. | So became deserved on us our Lord's word/saying, that we (are) tasting/experiencing. | fHq `lyna qwl rbna ana lXaYqwn | |||
| 32. * | "We led you astray: for truly we were ourselves astray." | So then, [if it be true that] we have caused you to err grievously - behold, we ourselves had been lost in grievous error!" [For an explanation see 28:62-64 and the corresponding notes.] | So we misguided/lured you, that we were misguiding. | faGwynakm ana kna Gawyn | |||
| 33. * | Truly, that Day, they will (all) share in the Penalty. | And, verily, on that Day they all will share in their common suffering. | So then they are (on) that day in the torture sharing. | fanhm ywmYX fy al`Xab m$trkwn | |||
| 34. * | Verily that is how We shall deal with Sinners. | Verily, thus shall We deal with all who were lost in sin: | We, like that, We make/do with the criminals/sinners. | ana kXlk nf`l balmjrmyn | |||
| 35. * | For they, when they were told that there is no god except Allah, would puff themselves up with Pride, | for, behold, whenever they were told, "There is no deity save God," they would glory in their arrogance | That they truly were if (it) was said to them: "No God except god" they be arrogant. | anhm kanwa aXa qyl lhm laalh ala allh ystkbrwn | |||
| 36. * | And say: "What! shall we give up our gods for the sake of a Poet possessed?" | and would say, "Shall we, then, give up our deities at the bidding of a mad poet?" [Lit., "for [or "for the sake of"] a mad poet" - thus alluding to the allegation that the Quran is a product of Muhammad's mind (see note on 36:69). The reference to "deities" comprises, in this context, everything that man may "worship" in both the literal and the metaphorical senses of this word.] | And they say: "Are we to leave our gods to a mad/insane poet?" | wyqwlwn aYna ltarkwa alhtna l$a`r mjnwn | |||
| 37. * | Nay! he has come with the (very) Truth, and he confirms (the Message of) the apostles (before him). | Nay, but he [whom you call a mad poet] has brought the truth; and he confirms the truth of [what the earlier of God's] message-bearers [have taught]. [See surah 2:4. It is to be borne in mind that this refers to the fundamental teachings, which have always been the same in every true religion, and not to the many time-bound laws evident in the earlier religious codes.] | But He came with the truth and he confirmed the messengers. | bl ja' balHq wSdq almrslyn | |||
| 38. * | Ye shall indeed taste of the Grievous Penalty;- | Behold, you will indeed taste grievous suffering [in the life to come], | That you are tasting/experiencing the torture, the painful. | ankm lXaYqwa al`Xab alalym | |||
| 39. * | But it will be no more than the retribution of (the Evil) that ye have wrought;- | although you shall not be requited for aught but what you were wont to do. | And you are not being reimbursed except (for) what you were making/doing/working. | wmatjzwn ala makntm t`mlwn | |||
| 40. * | But the sincere (and devoted) Servants of Allah,- | Not so, however, God's true servants: [Lit., "sincere servants". In contrast to the principle that "a bad deed will be requited with no more than the like thereof", implied in the preceding verse, the Quran states here that he who "shall come [before God] with a good deed will receive ten times the like thereof" (see 6:160).] | Except God's worshippers/slaves, the faithful/loyal. | ala `bad allh almKlSyn | |||
| 41. * | For them is a Sustenance determined, | [in the hereafter,] theirs shall be a sustenance which they will recognize [Lit., "a known sustenance". For a tentative explanation of this phrase, see note on 2:25.] | Those, for them (is) a known provision. | awlYk lhm rzq m`lwm | |||
| 42. * | Fruits (Delights); and they (shall enjoy) honour and dignity, | as the fruits [of their life on earth]; and honoured shall they be | Fruits, and they are honoured. | fwakh whm mkrmwn | |||
| 43. * | In Gardens of Felicity, | in gardens of bliss, | In the blessed/comfort and ease treed gardens/paradises. | fy jnat aln`ym | |||
| 44. * | Facing each other on Thrones (of Dignity): | facing one another [in love] upon thrones of happiness. [For my occasional rendering of the plural noun surur as "thrones of happiness", see note on 15:47.] | On beds/sofas facing each other. | `li srr mtqablyn | |||
| 45. * | Round will be passed to them a Cup from a clear-flowing fountain, | A cup will be passed round among them [with a drink] from unsullied springs, | Being circled/walked around on them with a cup/container to drink from/wine from goodness. | yTaf `lyhm bkas mn m`yn | |||
| 46. * | Crystal-white, of a taste delicious to those who drink (thereof), | clear, delightful to those who drink it: | White (a) delight/pleasure to the drinking. | byDa' lX+ ll$arbyn | |||
| 47. * | Free from headiness; nor will they suffer intoxication therefrom. | no headiness will be in it, and they will not get drunk thereon. | Destruction/intoxication (is) not in it, nor they be drunk/made to loose their minds/drained/exhausted from it. | lafyha Gwl wlahm `nha ynzfwn | |||
| 48. * | And besides them will be chaste women, restraining their glances, with big eyes (of wonder and beauty). | And with them will be mates of modest gaze, [See note on 38:52, where the expression qasirat at-tarf (lit., "such as restrain their gaze") appears for the first time in the chronology of Quranic revelation.] most beautiful of eye, | And at them the eye's/eyelid's confining/limiting/restricting big beautiful eyes. | w`ndhm qaSrat alTrf `yn | |||
| 49. * | As if they were (delicate) eggs closely guarded. | [as free of faults] as if they were hidden [ostrich] eggs. [This is an ancient Arabian figure of speech derived from the habit of the female ostrich, which buries its eggs in the sand for protection (Zamakhshari). Its particular application to the women who attain to paradise becomes clear from 56:34 ff., which states that all righteous women, irrespective of their age and condition at the time of death, will be resurrected as beautiful maidens.] | As though they are (F) protected/covered whites/eggs. | kanhn byD mknwn | |||
| 50. * | Then they will turn to one another and question one another. | And they will all turn to one another, asking each other [about their past lives]. [Cf. verse 27 above and the corresponding note. Like the mutual reproaches of the sinners in that passage, the "conversation" of the blessed which follows here is, of course, allegorical, and is meant to stress the continuity of individual consciousness in the hereafter.] | So some of them approached/came on (to) some, they ask/question each other. | faqbl b`Dhm `li b`D ytsa'lwn | |||
| 51. * | One of them will start the talk and say: "I had an intimate companion (on the earth), | One of them speaks thus: "Behold, I had [on earth] a close companion | A speaker from them said: "That I, (there) was for me (a) companion." | qal qaYl mnhm any kan ly qryn | |||
| 52. * | "Who used to say, 'what! art thou amongst those who bear witness to the Truth (of the Message)? | who was wont to ask [me], 'Why - art thou really one of those who believe it to be true | He says: "You are (E) from the confirming/charity givers." | yqwl aYnk lmn almSdqyn | |||
| 53. * | "'When we die and become dust and bones, shall we indeed receive rewards and punishments?'" | [that] after we have died and become mere dust and bones we shall, forsooth, be brought to judgment?'" | Is (it that) if we died, and we were dust and bones are we indebted (E)? | 'aXa mtna wkna traba w`Zama aYna lmdynwn | |||
| 54. * | (A voice) said: "Would ye like to look down?" | [And] he adds: "Would you like to look [and see him]?" - | He said: "Are you knowing/seeing/looking?" | qal hl antm mTl`wn | |||
| 55. * | He looked down and saw him in the midst of the Fire. | and then he looks and sees that [companion of his] in the midst of the blazing fire, | So he looked/saw, so he saw him in the Hell's middle. | faTl` frah fy swa' aljHym | |||
| 56. * | He said: "By Allah. thou wast little short of bringing me to perdition! | and says: "By God! Verily, thou hast almost destroyed me [too, O my erstwhile companion] - | He said: "By God if you were about to to make me fall/ruin (E)." | qal tallh an kdt ltrdyn | |||
| 57. * | "Had it not been for the Grace of my Lord, I should certainly have been among those brought (there)! | for had it not been for my Sustainer's favour, I would surely be [now] among those who are given over [to suffering]! | And where it not for my Lord's blessing/goodness I would have been from the made present/attending. | wlwla n`m+ rby lknt mn almHDryn | |||
| 58. * | "Is it (the case) that we shall not die, | But then, [O my friends in paradise,] is it [really] so that we are not to die | So are we not with dying? | afma nHn bmytyn | |||
| 59. * | "Except our first death, and that we shall not be punished?" | [again,] beyond our previous death, and that we shall never [again] be made to suffer? | Except our death/lifelessness the first/beginning, and we are not with being tortured. | ala mwttna alawli wmanHn bm`Xbyn | |||
| 60. * | Verily this is the supreme achievement! | Verily, this - this indeed - is the triumph supreme!" | That this it is (E) the winning/success the great. | an hXa lhw alfwz al`Zym | |||
| 61. * | For the like of this let all strive, who wish to strive. | For the like of this, then, let them labour, those who labour [in God's way]! | Similar/equal/alike to this, so the makers/doers/workers, should make/do/work. | lmxl hXa fly`ml al`amlwn | |||
| 62. * | Is that the better entertainment or the Tree of Zaqqum? | Is such [a paradise] the better welcome - or the [hellish] tree of deadly fruit? [According to the lexicographers, the noun zaqqum (which occurs, apart from the present instance, in 44:43 and in 56:52 as well) denotes any "deadly food"; hence, the expression shajarat az-zaqqum, a symbol of hell, may be appropriately rendered as "the tree of deadly fruit" (undoubtedly identical with "the tree cursed in this Quran", mentioned in 17:60), symbolizing the fact that the otherworldly sufferings which the Quran describes as "hell" are but the fruit - i.e., organic consequence - of one's evil deeds done on earth.] | Is that a better place of descent or the deadly food's tree? | aXlk Kyr nzla am $jr+ alzqwm | |||
| 63. * | For We have truly made it (as) a trial for the wrong-doers. | Verily, We have caused it to be a trial for evildoers: [It cannot be often enough repeated that all Quranic references to hell and paradise - and, for that matter, all descriptions of men's conditions in the hereafter - are, of necessity, highly allegorical (see Appendix 1) and therefore liable to be grossly misunderstood if one takes them in their literal sense or, conversely, interprets them in an arbitrary manner (cf. 3:7 and the corresponding notes): and this, to my mind, explains why the symbol of the "tree of deadly fruit" - one of the metonyms for the suffering of the sinners in the hereafter - has become "a trial (fitnah) for evildoers" (or "for men" in 17:60). See in this connection 74:31, which is the earliest Quranic instance of this concept of "trial".] | That We made/put it (as) a test/charm to the unjust/oppressive.323 | ana j`lnaha ftn+ llZalmyn | |||
| 64. * | For it is a tree that springs out of the bottom of Hell-Fire: | for, behold, it is a tree that grows in the very heart of the blazing fire [of hell], | That it is a tree it emerges in the Hell's source/root. | anha $jr+ tKrj fy aSl aljHym | |||
| 65. * | The shoots of its fruit-stalks are like the heads of devils: | its fruit [as repulsive] as satans' heads; [According to Zamakhshari, "this purely verbal metaphor (isti arah lafziyyah) is meant to express the ultimate in repulsiveness and ugliness . . . inasmuch as Satan is considered to be the epitome of all that is evil".] | Its first fruit of the season as though it (is) the devils' heads/tops. | Tl`ha kanh rWws al$yaTyn | |||
| 66. * | Truly they will eat thereof and fill their bellies therewith. | and they [who are lost in evil] are indeed bound to eat thereof, and to fill their bellies therewith. | So then they are eating exaggerated/gluttons from it, so they are filling from it the bellies/insides. | fanhm laklwn mnha fmalYwn mnha albTwn | |||
| 67. * | Then on top of that they will be given a mixture made of boiling water. | And, behold, above all this they will be confounded with burning despair! [Lit., "and upon it, behold, they will have an admixture [or "confusion"] of hamim". (For my rendering of the last term as "burning despair", see surah 6:70.) | Then for them on it (is) a mixture/heat (E) from hot/cold water/red hot coal. | xm an lhm `lyha l$wba mn Hmym | |||
| 68. * | Then shall their return be to the (Blazing) Fire. | And once again: [See surah 6:38.] Verily, the blazing fire is their ultimate goal - | Then that their return (is) to (E) the Hell. | xm an mrj`hm lIli aljHym | |||
| 69. * | Truly they found their fathers on the wrong Path; | for, behold, they found their forebears on a wrong way, | That they truly found their fathers misguided. | anhm alfwa aba'hm Dalyn | |||
| 70. * | So they (too) were rushed down on their footsteps! | and [now] they make haste to follow in their footsteps! [I.e., blind imitation (taqlid) of the - obviously absurd - beliefs, valuations and customs of one's erring predecessors, and disregard of all evidence of the truth supplied by both reason and divine revelation, is here shown to be the principal cause of the suffering referred to in the preceding passage (Zamakhshari).] | So they are on their tracks/marks/signs rushing disturbedly. | fhm `li axarhm yhr`wn | |||
| 71. * | And truly before them, many of the ancients went astray;- | Thus, indeed, most of the people of old went astray before them, | And most of the first/beginners had been (E) misguided before them. | wlqd Dl qblhm akxr alawlyn | |||
| 72. * | But We sent aforetime, among them, (apostles) to admonish them;- | although, verily, We had sent warners unto them: | And We had (E) sent in (between) them warners/givers of notice. | wlqd arslna fyhm mnXryn | |||
| 73. * | Then see what was the end of those who were admonished (but heeded not),- | and behold what happened in the end to those that had been warned [to no avail]! | So look/see/wonder about how was the warned's/given notice's end/turn (result). | fanZr kyf kan `aqb+ almnXryn | |||
| 74. * | Except the sincere (and devoted) Servants of Allah. | EXCEPT for God's true servants, [most people are apt to go astray.] [Sc., "and are, therefore, in need of prophetic guidance": which explains the subsequent mention of stories relating to several of the prophets. The story of Noah, which is briefly referred to here, appears in greater detail in 11:25-48.] | Except God's worshippers/slaves, the faithful/loyal/devoted. | ala `bad allh almKlSyn | |||
| 75. * | (In the days of old), Noah cried to Us, and We are the best to hear prayer. | And, indeed, [it was for this reason that] Noah cried unto Us - and how excellent was Our response: | And Noah had called/cried (to) Us, so blessed/praised (E) (are) the answerers/repliers. | wlqd nadana nwH fln`m almjybwn | |||
| 76. * | And We delivered him and his people from the Great Calamity, | for We saved him and his household from that awesome calamity, [I.e., the Deluge.] | And We saved/rescued him and his family/relation from the grief, hardship and suffering the great. | wnjynah wahlh mn alkrb al`Zym | |||
| 77. * | And made his progeny to endure (on this earth); | and caused his offspring to endure [on earth]; | And We made/put his descendants, they are the remaining. | wj`lna Xryth hm albaqyn | |||
| 78. * | And We left (this blessing) for him among generations to come in later times: | and We left him thus to be remembered among later generations: [Lit., "and We left upon him", sc., "this praise" or "remembrance", expressed in the salutation which follows.] | And We left on him in the lasts. | wtrkna `lyh fy alaKryn | |||
| 79. * | "Peace and salutation to Noah among the nations!" | "Peace be upon Noah throughout all the worlds!" | Peace/security on Noah in the creations are together/(universes). | slam `li nwH fy al`almyn | |||
| 80. * | Thus indeed do we reward those who do right. | Verily, thus do We reward the doers of good - | We (E) like that, We reimburse the good doers. | ana kXlk njzy almHsnyn | |||
| 81. * | For he was one of our believing Servants. | for he was truly one of our believing servants: | That he truly is from Our worshippers/slaves, the believers. | anh mn `badna almWmnyn | |||
| 82. * | Then the rest we overwhelmed in the Flood. | [and so We saved him and those who followed him] and then We caused the others to drown. | Then We drowned/sunk the others/lasts. | xm aGrqna alaKryn | |||
| 83. * | Verily among those who followed his Way was Abraham. | AND, BEHOLD, of his persuasion was Abraham, too, | And that truly from his group/party/follower (was) Abraham (E). | wan mn $y`th labrahym | |||
| 84. * | Behold! he approached his Lord with a sound heart. | when he turned to his Sustainer with a heart free of evil, | When he came (to) his Lord with a sound/safe heart/mind. | aX ja' rbh bqlb slym | |||
| 85. * | Behold! he said to his father and to his people, "What is that which ye worship? | and [thus] spoke to his father and his people: "What is it that you worship? | When he said to his father and nation: "What (do) you worship?" | aX qal labyh wqwmh maXa t`bdwn | |||
| 86. * | "Is it a falsehood- gods other than Allah. that ye desire? | Do you want [to bow down before] a lie - [before] deities other than God? | Are falsified gods from other than God (what) you want/intend ? | aYfka alh+ dwn allh trydwn | |||
| 87. * | "Then what is your idea about the Lord of the worlds?" | What, then, do you think of the Sustainer of all the worlds?" [Abraham's argument goes thus: "Do you believe in the existence of a Creator and Lord of the universe?" - a question which his people were bound to answer in the affirmative, since belief in a Supreme Deity was an integral part of their religion. The next stage of the argument would be: "How, then, can you worship idols - the work of your own hands - side by side with the idea of a Creator of the universe?"] | So what (is) your thought/assumption with (about) the creations all together's/ (universes') Lord? | fma Znkm brb al`almyn | |||
| 88. * | Then did he cast a glance at the Stars. | Then he cast a glance at the stars, [Obviously an allusion to his early, futile attempts at identifying God with the stars, the sun or the moon (see 6:76-78).] | So he looked/saw a glance/consideration in the stars/planets. | fnZr nZr+ fy alnjwm | |||
| 89. * | And he said, "I am indeed sick (at heart)!" | and said, "Verily, I am sick [at heart]!" [Sc., "at your worshipping idols instead of God" (lbn Kathir; cf. also Lane IV, 1384). - | So he said: "That I am sick/ill." | fqal any sqym | |||
| 90. * | So they turned away from him, and departed. | and at that they turned their backs on him and went away. | So they turned away from him giving their backs. | ftwlwa `nh mdbryn | |||
| 91. * | Then did he turn to their gods and said, "will ye not eat (of the offerings before you)?... | Thereupon he approached their gods stealthily and said, "What! You do not eat [of the offerings placed before you]? | So he conned his way to their gods, so he said: "Do you not eat?" | fraG ali alhthm fqal ala taklwn | |||
| 92. * | "What is the matter with you that ye speak not (intelligently)?" | What is amiss with you that you do not speak?" | Why for you, you do not speak? | malkm latnTqwn | |||
| 93. * | Then did he turn upon them, striking (them) with the right hand. | And then he fell upon them, smiting them with his right hand. [A metonym for "with all his strength". For what happened afterwards, see 21:58.] | So he conned his way on them moving/striking with the right (hand). | fraG `lyhm Drba balymyn | |||
| 94. * | Then came (the worshippers) with hurried steps, and faced (him). | [But] then the others came towards him hurriedly [and accused him of his deed]. | So they (his nation) approached/came to him hurrying/hastening. | faqblwa alyh yzfwn | |||
| 95. * | He said: "Worship ye that which ye have (yourselves) carved? | He answered: "Do you worship something that you [yourselves] have carved, | He said: "Do you worship what you carve out/cut ?" | qal at`bdwn matnHtwn | |||
| 96. * | "But Allah has created you and your handwork!" | the while it is God who has created you and all your handiwork?" | And God created you and what you make/do ? | wallh Klqkm wmat`mlwn | |||
| 97. * | They said, "Build him a furnace, and throw him into the blazing fire!" | They exclaimed: "Build a pyre [Lit., "a building" or "a structure".] for him, and cast him into the blazing fire!" | They said: "Build/construct for him a building/structure, so throw him away in the place of intense heat/roaring fire."324 | qalwa abnwa lh bnyana falqwh fy aljHym | |||
| 98. * | (This failing), they then sought a stratagem against him, but We made them the ones most humiliated! | But whereas they sought to do evil unto him, We [frustrated their designs, and thus] brought them low? [See surah 21:69.] | So they intended/wanted a conspiracy/harm with (for) him, so We made/put them the lowest/meanest. | faradwa bh kyda fj`lnahm alasflyn | |||
| 99. * | He said: "I will go to my Lord! He will surely guide me! | And [Abraham] said: "Verily, I shall [leave this land and] go wherever my Sustainer will guide me!" [Lit., "I shall go to my Sustainer: He will guide me."] | And he said: "That I am going/going away to my Lord, he will guide me." | wqal any Xahb ali rby syhdyn | |||
| 100. * | "O my Lord! Grant me a righteous (son)!" | [And he prayed:] "O my Sustainer! Bestow upon me the gift of [a son who shall be] one of the righteous!" - | My Lord grant/present (for) me from the correct/righteous. | rb hb ly mn alSalHyn | |||
| 101. * | So We gave him the good news of a boy ready to suffer and forbear. | whereupon We gave him the glad tiding of a boy-child gentle [like himself]? [I.e., Abraham's first-born son, Ishmael (Ismail).] | So We announced good news to him with a clement boy. | fb$rnah bGlam Hlym | |||
| 102. * | Then, when (the son) reached (the age of) (serious) work with him, he said: "O my son! I see in vision that I offer thee in sacrifice: Now see what is thy view!" (The son) said: "O my father! Do as thou art commanded: thou will find me, if Allah so wills one practising Patience and Constancy!" | And [one day,] when [the child] had become old enough to share in his [father's] endeavours, [Lit., "attained to [the age of] walking [or "striving"] with him": evidently a metonym for the child's attaining to an age when he could understand, and share in, his father's faith and aims.] the latter said: "O my dear son! I have seen in a dream that I should sacrifice thee: consider, then, what would be thy view!" [Ishmael] answered: "O my father! Do as thou art bidden: thou wilt find me, if God so wills, among those who are patient in adversity!" | So when he reached the struggle/endeavor with him, he said you my son: "That I, I see/understand in the sleep/dream that I, I slaughter you/cut your throat, so look/wonder about/consider what you see/understand." He said: "You my father, make/do what you are being ordered/commanded, so you will find me, if God wills/wants from the patient." | flma blG m`h als`y qal yabny any ari fy almnam any aXbHk fanZr maXa tri qal yaabt af`l matWmr stjdny an $a' allh mn alSabryn | |||
| 103. * | So when they had both submitted their wills (to Allah., and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead (for sacrifice), | But as soon as the two had surrendered themselves to [what they thought to be] the will of God, [The above interpolation is, I believe, absolutely necessary for a proper understanding of this passage. As pointed out repeatedly in these notes, the verb aslama signifies, in Quranic usage, "he surrendered himself to God", or "to God's will", even if there is no express mention of God; hence, the dual form aslama occurring in the above verse might, on the face of it, have this meaning as well. Since, however, the sequence clearly shows that it was not God's will that Ishmael should be sacrificed, his and his father's "self-surrender to God's will" can have in this context only a purely subjective meaning - namely "to what they thought to be the will of God".] and [Abraham] had laid him down on his face, | So when they (B) submitted/surrounded and he pulled/pushed/followed him to the foreheads. | flma aslma wtlh lljbyn | |||
| 104. * | We called out to him "O Abraham! | We called out to him: "O Abraham, | And We called him: "That you Abraham." | wnadynah an yaabrahym | |||
| 105. * | "Thou hast already fulfilled the vision!" - thus indeed do We reward those who do right. | thou hast already fulfilled [the purpose of] that dream- vision!" [I.e., the moral significance of Abraham's dream-vision consisted in a test of his readiness to sacrifice, at what he thought to be God's behest (see preceding note), all that was dearest to him in life.] Thus, verily, do We reward the doers of good: | You had confirmed the dream, We (E), like that We reimburse the good doers. | qd Sdqt alrWya ana kXlk njzy almHsnyn | |||
| 106. * | For this was obviously a trial- | for, behold, all this was indeed a trial, clear in itself. [I.e., a trial of this severity clearly implied that Abraham would be capable to bear it, and thus constituted a high moral distinction - in itself a reward from God.] | That truly that it is (E) the test, the clear/evident. | an hXa lhw albla' almbyn | |||
| 107. * | And We ransomed him with a momentous sacrifice: | And We ransomed him with a tremendous sacrifice, [The epithet azim ("tremendous" or "mighty") renders it improbable that this sacrifice refers to nothing but the ram which Abraham subsequently found and slaughtered in Ishmael's stead (Genesis xxii, 13). To my mind, the sacrifice spoken of here is the one repeated every year by countless believers in connection with the pilgrimage to Mecca (al-hajj), which, in itself, commemorates the experience of Abraham and Ishmael and constitutes one of the "five pillars" of Islam. (See 22:27-37, as well as 2:196-203.)] | And We substituted him with a great slaughtered (animal). | wfdynah bXbH `Zym | |||
| 108. * | And We left (this blessing) for him among generations (to come) in later times: | and left him thus to be remembered among later generations: [See note on verse 78 above.] | And We left on him in the others/lasts. | wtrkna `lyh fy alaKryn | |||
| 109. * | "Peace and salutation to Abraham!" | "Peace be upon Abraham!" | Safety/security/greeting on Abraham. | slam `li abrahym | |||
| 110. * | Thus indeed do We reward those who do right. | Thus do We reward the doers of good - | As/like that We reimburse the good doers. | kXlk njzy almHsnyn | |||
| 111. * | For he was one of our believing Servants. | for he was truly one of our believing servants. | That he truly is from Our worshippers/slaves the believers. | anh mn `badna almWmnyn | |||
| 112. * | And We gave him the good news of Isaac - a prophet,- one of the Righteous. | And [in time] We gave him the glad tiding of Isaac, [who, too, would be] a prophet, one of the righteous; | And We announced good news to him (of) Isaac a prophet from the correct/righteous. | wb$rnah basHaq nbya mn alSalHyn | |||
| 113. * | We blessed him and Isaac: but of their progeny are (some) that do right, and (some) that obviously do wrong, to their own souls. | and We blessed him and Isaac: but among the offspring of these two there were [destined] to be both doers of good and such as would glaringly sin against themselves. [I.e., commit evil. With this prediction the Quran refutes, as in so many other places, the spurious contention of the Jews that they are "the chosen people" by virtue of their descent from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and therefore a priori "assured", as it were, of God's acceptance. In other words, God's blessing a prophet or a saint does not, by itself, imply the conferment of any special status on his descendants.] | And We blessed on him and on Isaac, and from their (B)'s descendants, (are) good doers, and (a) clear/evident unjust/oppressive to himself. | wbarkna `lyh w`li asHaq wmn Xrythma mHsn wZalm lnfsh mbyn | |||
| 114. * | Again (of old) We bestowed Our favour on Moses and Aaron, | THUS, INDEED, did We bestow Our favour upon Moses and Aaron; [I.e., in consideration of their own merit, and not because of their descent from Abraham and Isaac (see preceding verse and note). | And We had blessed on Moses and Aaron. | wlqd mnna `li mwsi wharwn | |||
| 115. * | And We delivered them and their people from (their) Great Calamity; | and We saved them and their people from the awesome calamity [of bondage], | And We saved/rescued them (B) and their (B)'s nation from the grief/hardship and suffering, the great. | wnjynahma wqwmhma mn alkrb al`Zym | |||
| 116. * | And We helped them, so they overcame (their troubles); | and succoured them, so that [in the end] it was they who achieved victory. | And We gave them victory, so they were, they, the defeators/conquerors. | wnSrnahm fkanwa hm alGalbyn | |||
| 117. * | And We gave them the Book which helps to make things clear; | And We gave them the divine writ that made [right and wrong] distinct, [I.e., "the Torah, wherein there was guidance and light ... unto those who followed the Jewish faith" | And We gave/brought them (B) The Book, the clear/evident. | watynahma alktab almstbyn | |||
| 118. * | And We guided them to the Straight Way. | and guided them the straight way, | And We guided them (B) the road/way, the straight/direct. | whdynahma alSraT almstqym | |||
| 119. * | And We left (this blessing) for them among generations (to come) in later times: | and left them thus to be remembered among later generations: | And We left on them (B) in the others/lasts. | wtrkna `lyhma fy alaKryn | |||
| 120. * | "Peace and salutation to Moses and Aaron!" | "Peace be upon Moses and Aaron!" | Safety/security/greeting on Moses and Aaron. | slam `li mwsi wharwn | |||
| 121. * | Thus indeed do We reward those who do right. | Thus do We reward the doers of good - | We (E), like that We reimburse the good doers. | ana kXlk njzy almHsnyn | |||
| 122. * | For they were two of our believing Servants. | for those two were truly among Our believing servants. | That they truly are from Our worshippers/slaves the believers. | anhma mn `badna almWmnyn | |||
| 123. * | So also was Elias among those sent (by Us). | AND, BEHOLD, Elijah [too] was indeed one of Our message-bearers [The Hebrew prophet Elijah (Ilyas in Arabic) is mentioned in the Bible (I Kings xvii ff. And II Kings i-ii) as having lived in the Northern Kingdom of Israel during the reigns of Ahab and Ahaziah - i.e., in the ninth century B.C. - and having been succeeded by Elisha (Al-Yasa in Arabic). The above stress on his, too, having been "one of the message-bearers" (min al-mursalin) recalls the Quranic principle that God makes "no distinction between any of His apostles" (cf.2:136 and 285, 3:84, 4:152, and the corresponding notes).] | And that Elias (is) from (E) the messengers. | wan alyas lmn almrslyn | |||
| 124. * | Behold, he said to his people, "Will ye not fear ((Allah))? | when he spoke [thus] to his people: "Will you not remain conscious of God? | When he said to his nation: "Do you not fear and obey?" | aX qal lqwmh ala ttqwn | |||
| 125. * | "Will ye call upon Baal and forsake the Best of Creators,- | Will you invoke Baal and forsake [God,] the best of artisans - [As regards this rendering of ahsan al-khaliqin, see surah 23:14. The term bal (conventionally spelt Baal in European languages) signified "lord" or "master" in all branches of ancient Arabic, including Hebrew and Phoenician; it was an honorific applied to every one of the many `male" deities worshipped by the ancient Semites, especially in Syria and Palestine. In the Old Testament this designation has sometimes the generic connotation of "idol-worship" - a sin into which, according to the Bible, the early Israelites often relapsed.] - | Do you call an idol statue/master, and you leave the creator's best ? | atd`wn b`la wtXrwn aHsn alKalqyn | |||
| 126. * | "(Allah), your Lord and Cherisher and the Lord and Cherisher of your fathers of old?" | God, your Sustainer and the Sustainer of your forebears of old?" | God (is) your Lord, and your fathers'/forefathers' lord the first/beginners. | allh rbkm wrb abaYkm alawlyn | |||
| 127. * | But they rejected him, and they will certainly be called up (for punishment),- | But they gave him the lie: and therefore they will most surely be arraigned [on Judgment Day], | So they lied/denied/falsified him, so they truly are being made to be present/attend (E). | fkXbwh fanhm lmHDrwn | |||
| 128. * | Except the sincere and devoted Servants of Allah (among them). | excepting only [those who were] God's true servants; | Except God's worshippers/slaves, the faithful/loyal/devoted.325 | ala `bad allh almKlSyn | |||
| 129. * | And We left (this blessing) for him among generations (to come) in later times: | and him We left thus to be remembered among later generations: | And We left on him in the others/lasts. | wtrkna `lyh fy alaKryn | |||
| 130. * | "Peace and salutation to such as Elias!" | "Peace be upon Elijah and his followers!" [The form I1-Yasin in which this name appears in the above verse is either a variant of llyas (Elijah) or, more probably, a plural - "the Elijahs" - meaning "Elijah and his followers" (Tabari, Zamakhshari, et al.). According to Tabari, Abd Allah ibn Masud used to read this verse as "Peace be upon Idrasin", which, apart from giving us a variant or a plural of Idris (" Idris and his followers"), lends support to the view that Idris and llyas are but two designations of one and the same person, the Biblical Elijah. (See also note on 19:56.)] | Safety/security/greeting on Elias. | slam `li al yasyn | |||
| 131. * | Thus indeed do We reward those who do right. | Verily, thus do We reward the doers of good - | We, like that We reimburse the good doers. | ana kXlk njzy almHsnyn | |||
| 132. * | For he was one of our believing Servants. | for he was truly one of Our believing servants! | That he truly (is) from Our worshippers/slaves the believers. | anh mn `badna almWmnyn | |||
| 133. * | So also was Lut among those sent (by Us). | AND, BEHOLD, Lot was indeed one of Our message-bearers; | And that truly Lot (was) from (E) the messengers. | wan lwTa lmn almrslyn | |||
| 134. * | Behold, We delivered him and his adherents, all | [and so,] when [We decreed the doom of his sinful town,] [See 7:80 - 84 and 11:69 - 83.] We saved him and his household, | When We saved/rescued him and his family/people all/all together. | aX njynah wahlh ajm`yn | |||
| 135. * | Except an old woman who was among those who lagged behind: | except an old woman who was among those that stayed behind; [As is evident from 7:83 and 11:81, that woman was Lot's wife, who had chosen to stay behind (cf. note on 7 83).] | Except old/weak (his wife was) in the remaining behind. | ala `jwza fy alGabryn | |||
| 136. * | Then We destroyed the rest. | and then We utterly destroyed the others: | Then We destroyed the others/lasts. | xm dmrna alaKryn | |||
| 137. * | Verily, ye pass by their (sites), by day- | and, verily, [to this day] you pass by the remnants of their dwellings at morning-time | And that you, you pass (E) on them in the morning/day break. | wankm ltmrwn `lyhm mSbHyn | |||
| 138. * | And by night: will ye not understand? | and by night. [Lit., "you pass by them", i.e., by the places where they lived (see 15:76 and the corresponding note).] Will you not, then, use your reason? | And at the night, so do you not reason/understand/comprehend? | wballyl afla t`qlwn | |||
| 139. * | So also was Jonah among those sent (by Us). | AND, BEHOLD, Jonah was indeed one of Our message-bearers | And that truly Jonah (was) from (E) the messengers. | wan ywns lmn almrslyn | |||
| 140. * | When he ran away (like a slave from captivity) to the ship (fully) laden, | when he fled like a runaway slave onto a laden ship. [I.e., when he abandoned the mission with which he had been entrusted by God (see 21:87, which gives the first part of Jonah's story), and thus, in the words of the Bible (The Book of Jonah i, 3 and 10), committed the sin of "fleeing from the presence of the Lord". In its primary significance, the infinitive noun ibaq (derived from the verb abaqa) denotes "a slave's running - away from his master"; and Jonah is spoken of as having "fled like a runaway slave" because - although he was God's message-bearer - he abandoned his task under the stress of violent anger. The subsequent mention of "the laden ship" alludes to the central, allegorical part of Jonah's story. The ship ran into a storm and was about to founder; and the mariners "said everyone to his fellow, Come and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us" (The Book of Jonah i, 7) - a procedure to which Jonah agreed.] | When he escaped/took shelter to the ship/ships, the full/loaded. | aX abq ali alflk alm$Hwn | |||
| 141. * | He (agreed to) cast lots, and he was condemned: | And then they cast lots, and he was the one who lost; [Lit., "he cast lots [with the mariners], and was among the losers". According to the Biblical account (The Book of Jonah i, 10 - 15), Jonah told them that he had "fled from the presence of the Lord", and that it was because of this sin of his that they all were now in danger of drowning. "And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this tempest is upon you .... So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging."] | So he drew lots with (gambled), so he was from the annulled/slipped. | fsahm fkan mn almdHDyn | |||
| 142. * | Then the big Fish did swallow him, and he had done acts worthy of blame. | [and they cast him into the sea,] whereupon the great fish swallowed him, for he had been blameworthy. [In all the three instances where Jonah's "great fish" is explicitly mentioned in the Quran (as al-hut in the above verse and in 68:48, and an-nun in 21:87), it carries the definite article al. This may possibly be due to the fact that the legend of Jonah was and is so widely known that every reference to the allegory of "the great fish" is presumed to be self-explanatory. The inside of the fish that "swallowed" Jonah apparently symbolizes the deep darkness of spiritual distress of which 21:87 speaks: the distress at having "fled like a runaway slave" from his prophetic mission and, thus, "from the presence of the Lord". Parenthetically, the story is meant to show that, since "man has been created weak" | So the large fish/whale swallowed/swallowed him quickly, and (while) he is blameworthy/blamed. | faltqmh alHwt whw mlym | |||
| 143. * | Had it not been that he (repented and) glorified Allah, | And had he not been of those who [even in the deep darkness of their distress are able to] extol God's limitless glory, [I.e., to remember God and to repent: see 21:87, which reveals in its very formulation the universal purport of Jonah's story.] | So had it not been for that he (was) from the praising/glorifying. | flwla anh kan mn almsbHyn | |||
| 144. * | He would certainly have remained inside the Fish till the Day of Resurrection. | he would indeed have remained in its belly till the Day when all shall be raised from the dead: | He would have stayed/remained in its belly/inside to a day/time they be sent/resurrected/revived. | llbx fy bTnh ali ywm yb`xwn | |||
| 145. * | But We cast him forth on the naked shore in a state of sickness, | but We caused him to be cast forth on a desert shore, sick [at heart] as he was, | So We casted him off/discarded him at the open space and (while) he is sick/ill. | fnbXnah bal`ra' whw sqym | |||
| 146. * | And We caused to grow, over him, a spreading plant of the gourd kind. | and caused a creeping plant to grow over him [out of the barren soil]. [I.e., to shade and comfort him. Thus, rounding off the allegory of Jonah and the fish, the Quran points out in the figurative manner so characteristic of its style that God, who can cause a plant to grow out of the most arid and barren soil, can equally well cause a heart lost in darkness to come back to light and spiritual life.] | And We sprouted/grew on him a tree from a plant without a stem/squashes and cucumbers. | wanbtna `lyh $jr+ mn yqTyn | |||
| 147. * | And We sent him (on a mission) to a hundred thousand (men) or more. | And [then] We sent him [once again] to [his people,] a hundred thousand [souls] or more: | And We sent him to one hundred thousand or they increase/exceed. | warslnah ali mY+ alf aw yzydwn | |||
| 148. * | And they believed; so We permitted them to enjoy (their life) for a while. | and [this time] they believed [in him] [Cf. the reference to the people of Jonah in 10:98. For the Biblical version of this story, see The Book of Jonah iii.] - and so We allowed them to enjoy their life during the time allotted to them? [Lit., "for a time": i.e., for the duration of their natural lives (Razi also Manar XI, 483).] | So they believed, so We gave them long life/made them enjoy to a time/period of time. | famnwa fmt`nahm ali Hyn | |||
| 149. * | Now ask them their opinion: Is it that thy Lord has (only) daughters, and they have sons?- | AND NOW ask them to enlighten thee: [This reference to people who ascribe divinity to beings other than God connects with verse 4 ("verily, most surely, your God is One") as well as with verses 69 - 70 ("behold, they found their forebears on a wrong way, and [now] they make haste to follow in their footsteps").] Has thy Sustainer daughters, whereas they would have [only] sons? [For an explanation of this passage, see 16:57-59 and the corresponding notes.] | So ask/take their opinion is to your Lord the daughters, and for them (are) the sons ? | fastfthm alrbk albnat wlhm albnwn | |||
| 150. * | Or that We created the angels female, and they are witnesses (thereto)? | - or is it that We have created the angels female, and they [who believe them to be divine] have witnessed [that act of creation]? | Or We created the angels (as) females and they are witnessing/testifying. | am Klqna almlaYk+ anaxa whm $ahdwn | |||
| 151. * | Is it not that they say, from their own invention, | Oh, verily, it is out of their own [inclination to] falsehood that some people [Lit., "they".] assert, | Is (it) not that they truly are from their lies/falsehood, they say (E): | ala anhm mn afkhm lyqwlwn | |||
| 152. * | "(Allah) has begotten children"? but they are liars! | "God has begotten [a son]"; and, verily, they are lying [too, when they say], | God gave birth. And that they truly are lying/denying/falsifying (E). | wld allh wanhm lkaXbwn | |||
| 153. * | Did He (then) choose daughters rather than sons? | "He has chosen daughters in preference to sons"! [Cf. 6:100 ("they have invented for Him sons and daughters") and the corresponding notes. See also note on 17:40, as well as 53:19-22 and the corresponding notes.] | He chose/purified the daughters on/over the sons. | aSTfi albnat `li albnyn | |||
| 154. * | What is the matter with you? How judge ye? | What is amiss with you and your judgment? [Lit., "how do you judge?"] | What (is) for you how you judge/rule? | malkm kyf tHkmwn | |||
| 155. * | Will ye not then receive admonition? | Will you not, then, bethink yourselves? | Do you not mention/remember ? | afla tXkrwn | |||
| 156. * | Or have ye an authority manifest? | Or have you, perchance, a clear evidence [for your assertions]? | Or for you (is) a clear/evident proof/evidence ? | am lkm slTan mbyn | |||
| 157. * | Then bring ye your Book (of authority) if ye be truthful! | Produce, then, that divine writ of yours, if you are speaking the truth! | So come/bring with your Book if you were truthful. | fatwa bktabkm an kntm Sadqyn | |||
| 158. * | And they have invented a blood-relationship between Him and the Jinns: but the Jinns know (quite well) that they have indeed to appear (before his Judgment- Seat)! | And some people [Lit., "they".] have invented a kinship between Him and all manner of invisible forces [See Appendix III. Whereas most of the classical commentators are of the opinion that the term al-jinnah denotes here the angels, since they - like all beings of this category - are imperceptible to man's senses, I believe that the above verse refers to those intangible forces of nature which elude all direct observation and manifest themselves only in their effects: hence their designation, in this context, by the plural noun al-jinnah, which primarily denotes "that which is concealed from [man's] senses". Inasmuch as people who refuse to believe in God often tend to regard those elemental forces as mysteriously endowed with a purposeful creative power (cf. Bergson's concept of the elan vital), the Quran states that their votaries invent a "kinship" between them and God, i.e., attribute to them qualities and powers similar to His.] - although [even] these invisible forces know well that, verily, they [who thus blaspheme against God] shall indeed be arraigned [before Him on Judgment Day: for] [For this metaphorical attribution of "knowledge" to the elemental forces of nature, see verses 164 -166 and the corresponding note below.] | And they made/put between Him and between the Jinns (a) relationship/kinship and the Jinns had (E) known that they truly are being made to be present/attend (E). | wj`lwa bynh wbyn aljn+ nsba wlqd `lmt aljn+ anhm lmHDrwn | |||
| 159. * | Glory to Allah. (He is free) from the things they ascribe (to Him)! | limitless is God in His glory, above anything that men may devise by way of definition! [See note on the last sentence of 6:100.] | God's praise/glory from/about what they describe/categorize. | sbHan allh `ma ySfwn | |||
| 160. * | Not (so do) the Servants of Allah, sincere and devoted. | Not thus, however, [behave] God's true servants: | Except God's worshippers/slaves, the faithful/loyal/devoted. | ala `bad allh almKlSyn | |||
| 161. * | For, verily, neither ye nor those ye worship- | for, verily, neither you [blasphemers] nor the objects of your worship | So you truly are, and what you worship. | fankm wmat`bdwn | |||
| 162. * | Can lead (any) into temptation concerning Allah, | can cause anyone to fall prey to your temptation | You are not on Him/it with charming/misguiding. | maantm `lyh bfatnyn | |||
| 163. * | Except such as are (themselves) going to the blazing Fire! | unless it be such as rushes towards the blazing fire [of his own accord]! [True belief in God precludes all temptation to define Him who is indefinable, or to associate, conceptually, anyone or anything with Him; conversely, the blasphemy inherent in such attempts destroys the potential value of one's belief in God and, thus, brings about the spiritual ruin of the person concerned.] | Except whom he is entering into fire/roasting the Hell 326 | ala mn hw Sal aljHym | |||
| 164. * | (Those ranged in ranks say): "Not one of us but has a place appointed; | [All forces of nature praise God and say:] [The metaphorical "saying" that follows is in tune with many other Quranic passages which speak of even inanimate objects as "praising God", e.g., "The seven heavens extol His limitless glory, and the earth, and all that they contain" | (The angels say): "And none for Us except for him (is) a known place and time/position/status." | wmamna ala lh mqam m`lwm | |||
| 165. * | "And we are verily ranged in ranks (for service); | and, verily, we too are ranged [before Him in worship]; | And that We, We are (E) the liners/arrangers. | wana lnHn alSafwn | |||
| 166. * | "And we are verily those who declare ((Allah)'s) glory!" | and, verily, we too extol His limitless glory!" | And that We, We are (E) the praising/glorifying. | wana lnHn almsbHwn | |||
| 167. * | And there were those who said, | AND, INDEED, they [who deny the truth] have always been wont to say, | And if they (the disbelievers) were saying (E): | wan kanwa lyqwlwn | |||
| 168. * | "If only we had had before us a Message from those of old, | "If only we had a tradition [to this effect] from our forebears, [Lit., "a reminder (dhikr) from those of old": see note on verses 69 - 70 above. Most of the commentators assume that the term dhikr connotes here, as so often in the Quran, a "divine writ". In my opinion, however, it is far more probable - because more in tune with the context - that in this case it signifies an ancestral tradition bearing on the (to them astonishing) message of God's oneness and uniqueness as promulgated by the Quran.] | If that (E) at us (is) a reminder/remembrance from the first/beginners. | lw an `ndna Xkra mn alawlyn | |||
| 169. * | "We should certainly have been Servants of Allah, sincere (and devoted)!" | we would certainly be true servants of God." | We would have been God's worshippers/slaves, the faithful/loyal/devoted. | lkna `bad allh almKlSyn | |||
| 170. * | But (now that the Qur'an has come), they reject it: But soon will they know! | And yet, [now that this divine writ has been placed before them,] they refuse to acknowledge it as true! In time, however, they will come to know [what it was that they had rejected]: | So they disbelieved with (in) Him, so they will know. | fkfrwa bh fswf y`lmwn | |||
| 171. * | Already has Our Word been passed before (this) to our Servants sent (by Us), | for, long ago has Our word gone forth unto Our servants, the message- bearers, | And Our words/expressions/speech had (E) preceded to Our worshippers/slaves the messengers. | wlqd sbqt klmtna l`badna almrslyn | |||
| 172. * | That they would certainly be assisted, | that, verily, they - they indeed - would be succoured, | That they truly, they are (E) the victorious. | anhm lhm almnSwrwn | |||
| 173. * | And that Our forces,- they surely must conquer. | and that, verily, Our hosts - they indeed - would [in the end] be victorious! | And that (E) Our soldiers/warriors, they are (E) the defeators/conquerors. | wan jndna lhm alGalbwn | |||
| 174. * | So turn thou away from them for a little while, | Hence, turn thou aside for a while from those [who deny the truth], | So turn away from them until a time/period of time. | ftwl `nhm Hti Hyn | |||
| 175. * | And watch them (how they fare), and they soon shall see (how thou farest)! | and see them [for what they are]; [I.e., as people who are bent on deceiving themselves. In this context, the verb basura (lit., "he saw" or "became seeing") is used tropically, in the sense of "seeing mentally" or "gaining insight".] and in time they [too] will come to see [what they do not see now]. [I.e., they will realize the truth as well as the suffering which its rejection entails: obviously a reference to the Day of Judgment.] | And make them see/understand, so they will/shall see/look/understand. | wabSrhm fswf ybSrwn | |||
| 176. * | Do they wish (indeed) to hurry on our Punishment? | Do they, then, [really] wish that Our chastisement be hastened on? [This is an allusion to the sarcastic demand of the people who refused to regard the Quran as a divine revelation, to be punished forthwith "if this be indeed the truth from God" (see 8:32 and the corresponding note).] | Are they with Our torture urging/hastening. | afb`Xabna yst`jlwn | |||
| 177. * | But when it descends into the open space before them, evil will be the morning for those who were warned (and heeded not)! | But then, once it alights upon them, hapless will be the awakening of those who were warned [to no avail]! [Lit., "when it alights in their courtyard, evil [or "hapless"] is the morning of those...", etc. In ancient Arabic usage, the idiomatic phrase "chastisement [or "suffering"] has alighted (nazala) in so-and-so's courtyard" denotes its coming-down upon, or befalling, the person or persons concerned (Tabari). Similarly, the "morning" (sabah) is a metonym for "awakening".] | So if it (the torture) descended at their court/yard, so it became (a) bad/evil/harmful morning/day break (of) the warned/given notice. | faXa nzl bsaHthm fsa' SbaH almnXryn | |||
| 178. * | So turn thou away from them for a little while, | Hence, turn thou aside for a while from them, | And turn away from them until a time/period of time. | wtwl `nhm Hti Hyn | |||
| 179. * | And watch (how they fare) and they soon shall see (how thou farest)! | and see [them for what they are]; and n time they [too] will come to see [what they do not see now]. | And see/understand, so they will see/understand. | wabSr fswf ybSrwn | |||
| 180. * | Glory to thy Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! (He is free) from what they ascribe (to Him)! | LIMITLESS in His glory is thy Sustainer, the Lord of almightiness, [exalted] above anything that men may devise by way of definition! | Your Lord's praise/glory, Lord (of) the glory/might/power about what they describe/categorize. | sbHan rbk rb al`z+ `ma ySfwn | |||
| 181. * | And Peace on the apostles! | And peace be upon all His message-bearers! | And a safety/security/greeting on the messengers. | wslam `li almrslyn | |||
| 182. * | And Praise to Allah, the Lord and Cherisher of the Worlds. | And all praise is due to God alone, the Sustainer of all the worlds! | And the praise/gratitude (is) to God, the creations all together's/(universes') Lord.327 | walHmd llh rb al`almyn | |||