| y_ali | asad | literal | tlt | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. * | Ha-Mim | Ha. Mim. | H M. | swr+ al$wri bsm allh alrHmn alrHym ? Hm | |||
| 2. * | 'Ain. Sin. Qaf. | Ayn. Sin. Qaf. [See Appendix II.] | En S/K | `sq | |||
| 3. * | Thus doth (He) send inspiration to thee as (He did) to those before thee,- Allah, Exalted in Power, Full of Wisdom. | THUS has God, the Almighty, the Wise, revealed [the truth] unto thee, [O Muhammad,] and unto those who preceded thee: [I.e., the basic truths propounded in the Quranic revelation - some of which are summarized in the sequence - are the same as those revealed to all the earlier prophets.] | As/like that God inspires/transmits to you, and to those from before you, the glorious/mighty, the wise/judicious. | kXlk ywHi alyk wali alXyn mn qblk allh al`zyz alHkym | |||
| 4. * | To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth: and He is Most High, Most Great. | His is all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth; and most exalted, tremendous is He. | For Him what (is) in the skies/space and what (is) in the earth/Planet Earth, and He is the high and mighty/dignified, the great. | lh mafy alsmawat wmafy alarD whw al`ly al`Zym | |||
| 5. * | The heavens are almost rent asunder from above them (by Him Glory): and the angels celebrate the Praises of their Lord, and pray for forgiveness for (all) beings on earth: Behold! Verily Allah is He, the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. | The uppermost heavens are well-nigh rent asunder [for awe of Him]; and the angels extol their Sustainer's limitless glory and praise, and ask forgiveness for all who are on earth. [I.e., all human beings (as indicated by the relative pronoun man, which always refers to beings endowed with conscious intelligence). The implication is that whereas all humans - whether believers or unbelievers - are liable to err and to sin, God "is full of forgiveness unto men despite all their evildoing" | The skies/space are about to/almost split/crack/cleave from above them, and the angels praise/glorify with their Lord's praise/gratitude/thanks, and they ask for forgiveness to whom (is) in the earth/Planet Earth, is (it) not that truly God, He is the forgiving, the merciful? | tkad alsmawat ytfTrn mn fwqhn walmlaYk+ ysbHwn bHmd rbhm wystGfrwn lmn fy alarD ala an allh hw alGfwr alrHym | |||
| 6. * | And those who take as protectors others besides Him,- Allah doth watch over them; and thou art not the disposer of their affairs. | NOW AS FOR those who take aught beside Him for their protectors - God watches them, and thou art not responsible for their conduct. | And those who took from other than Him guardians/allies, God (is an) observer on them, and you are not on them with a guardian/protector. | walXyn atKXwa mn dwnh awlya' allh HfyZ `lyhm wmaant `lyhm bwkyl | |||
| 7. * | Thus have We sent by inspiration to thee an Arabic Qur'an: that thou mayest warn the Mother of Cities and all around her,- and warn (them) of the Day of Assembly, of which there is no doubt: (when) some will be in the Garden, and some in the Blazing Fire. | [Thou art but entrusted with Our message:] and so We have revealed unto thee a discourse in the Arabic tongue [Cf. 14:4 -"never have We sent forth any apostle otherwise than [with a message] in his own people's tongue"; see also note on the first sentence of 13:37.] in order that thou mayest warn the foremost of all cities and all who dwell around it [I.e., all mankind (Tabari, Baghawi, Razi). As regards the designation of Mecca as "the foremost of all cities", see note on the identical phrase in 6:92.] - to wit, warn [them] of the Day of the Gathering, [the coming of] which is beyond all doubt: [the Day when] some shall find themselves in paradise, and some in the blazing flame. | And as/like that We inspired/transmitted to you an Arabic Koran to warn/give notice to the mother/origin (of) the villages/urban cities and who (is) around/surrounding it, and warn/give notice (of) the Gathering Day/Resurrection Day, (there is) no doubt/suspicion in it, a group/party/flock (are) in the Paradise, and a group/party/flock (are) in the blazing/inflamed (inferno). | wkXlk awHyna alyk qrana `rbya ltnXr am alqri wmn Hwlha wtnXr ywm aljm` laryb fyh fryq fy aljn+ wfryq fy als`yr | |||
| 8. * | If Allah had so willed, He could have made them a single people; but He admits whom He will to His Mercy; and the Wrong-doers will have no protector nor helper. | Now had God so willed, He could surely have made them all one single community: [The implication being, "but He has not willed it": see second paragraph of 5:48 and the corresponding notes; 16:93 and also note on 10:19.] none the less, He admits unto His grace him that wills [to be admitted] [Or: "He admits whomever He wills unto His grace" - similar to the double meaning inherent in the oft-recurring phrase, Allahu yahdi man yashau wa-yudillu man yashau, which can be understood either as "God guides whomever He wills and lets go astray whomever He wills", or, alternatively, as "God guides him that wills [to be guided] and lets go astray him that wills [to go astray]". See, in particular, Zamakhshari's elaborate comment on this problem quoted in note on the second half of 14:4.] - whereas the evildoers shall have none to protect them and none to succour them [on Judgment Day]. | And if God wanted/willed He would have made them one nation, and but He enters in His mercy whom He wills/wants, and the unjust/oppressive (there is) none for them from a guardian/ally and nor (a) victorior/savior. | wlw $a' allh lj`lhm am+ waHd+ wlkn ydKl mn y$a' fy rHmth walZalmwn malhm mn wly wlanSyr | |||
| 9. * | What! Have they taken (for worship) protectors besides Him? But it is Allah,- He is the Protector, and it is He Who gives life to the dead: It is He Who has power over all things, | Did they, perchance, [think that they could] choose protectors other than Him? But God alone is the Protector [of all that exists], since it is He alone who brings the dead to life, and He alone who has the power to will anything. | Or they took from other than Him guardians/allies, so God, He is the guardian/ally, and He revives/makes alive the deads, and He is on every thing capable/able. | am atKXwa mn dwnh awlya' fallh hw alwly whw yHyy almwti whw `li kl $Y qdyr | |||
| 10. * | Whatever it be wherein ye differ, the decision thereof is with Allah. such is Allah my Lord: In Him I trust, and to Him I turn. | AND ON WHATEVER you may differ, [O believers,] the verdict thereon rests with God. [This, connecting with the first sentence of verse 8 above, evidently relates to problems of faith and religious law (Baghawi, Zamakhshari). The above verse has provided some of the great exponents of Islamic Law - Ibn Hazm among them - with one of the main arguments against the acceptance of deductions by analogy (qiyas) as a means to "establish" points of religious law not formulated as such in the nass - i.e., the self-evident (zahir) wording of the Quran and, by obvious implication, of the Prophet's commandments. This, as Razi points out, is the meaning of the phrase "on whatever you may differ, the verdict (hukm) thereon rests with God". (See in this connection note on 5:101; also the section on "The Scope of Islamic Law" in my State and Government, pp. 11-15.)] [Say, therefore:] "Such is God, my Sustainer: in Him have I placed my trust, and unto Him do I always turn!" | And what you differed/disagreed/disputed in it from a thing, so its judgment/rule (is) to God, that one (is) God, my Lord, on Him I relied/depended, and to Him I return/repent/obey. | wmaaKtlftm fyh mn $Y fHkmh ali allh Xlkm allh rby `lyh twklt walyh anyb | |||
| 11. * | (He is) the Creator of the heavens and the earth: He has made for you pairs from among yourselves, and pairs among cattle: by this means does He multiply you: there is nothing whatever like unto Him, and He is the One that hears and sees (all things). | The Originator [is He] of the heavens and the earth. He has given you mates of your own kind [See note on 16:72.] - just as [He has willed that] among the beasts [there be] mates - to multiply you thereby: [but] there is nothing like unto Him, and He alone is all-hearing, all-seeing. [The preceding allusion to the God-willed function of sex and, hence, to the polarity and multiplicity evident in all animated nature - man and animal alike - is meant to stress the above statement of the oneness and absolute uniqueness of God. The phrase there is nothing like unto Him" implies that He is fundamentally - and not merely in His attributes - "different" from anything that exists or could exist, or anything that man can conceive or imagine or define (see note on 6:100); and since "there is nothing that could be compared with Him" | Creator/bringer to being (of) the skies/space and the earth/Planet Earth, He made/created for you from yourselves spouses/pairs/kinds, and from the camels/livestock spouses/pairs/kinds, He creates/seeds you in it, (there) is not like Him/similar to Him a thing, and He is the hearing/listening, the seeing. | faTr alsmawat walarD j`l lkm mn anfskm azwaja wmn alan`am azwaja yXrWkm fyh lys kmxlh $Y whw alsmy` albSyr | |||
| 12. * | To Him belong the keys of the heavens and the earth: He enlarges and restricts. The Sustenance to whom He will: for He knows full well all things. | His are the keys of the heavens and the earth: He grants abundant sustenance, or gives it in scant measure, unto whomever He wills: for, behold, He has full knowledge of everything. [I.e., He knows not only what every human being "deserves", but also what is intrinsically - though not always perceptibly - good and necessary in the context of His plan of creation. Moreover, all that exists belongs to Him alone, and man is allowed no more than the usufruct of what is commonly regarded as "property".] | For Him (are) the skies'/space's keys/safes (management and control), He spreads/extends the provision to whom He wills/wants, and He is capable/able, that He truly (is) with every thing knowledgeable. | lh mqalyd alsmawat walarD ybsT alrzq lmn y$a' wyqdr anh bkl $y `lym | |||
| 13. * | The same religion has He established for you as that which He enjoined on Noah - the which We have sent by inspiration to thee - and that which We enjoined on Abraham, Moses, and Jesus: Namely, that ye should remain steadfast in religion, and make no divisions therein: to those who worship other things than Allah, hard is the (way) to which thou callest them. Allah chooses to Himself those whom He pleases, and guides to Himself those who turn (to Him). | In matters of faith, [See first paragraph of note on 2:256. Since, as the sequence shows, the term din cannot apply in this context to "religion" in its widest connotation, including religious Laws - which, by their very nature, have been different in each successive dispensation (cf. note on 5:48) - it obviously denotes here only the ethical and spiritual contents of religion, i.e., "faith" in its most general sense. With this verse, the discourse returns to the theme sounded at the beginning of this surah, namely, the unchanging sameness of the spiritual and moral principles underlying all revealed religions.] He has ordained for you that which He had enjoined upon Noah - and into which We gave thee [O Muhammad] insight through revelation [Lit., "which We have revealed unto thee", implying that it was only through revelation that the Prophet Muhammad came to know "that which God had enjoined upon Noah".] - as well as that which We had enjoined upon Abraham, and Moses, and Jesus: Steadfastly uphold the [true] faith, and do not break up your unity therein. [Cf. 3:19 - "the only [true] religion in the sight of God is [man's] self-surrender unto Him"; and 3:85 - "if one goes in search of a religion other than self-surrender unto God, it will never be accepted from him". Parallel with this principle, enunciated by all of God's apostles, is the categorical statement in 21:92 and 23:52 - "Verily, [O you who believe in Me,] this community of yours is one single community, since I am the Sustainer of you all". Most of the great commentators (e.g., Zamakhshari, Razi, Ibn Kathir) understand this as an unequivocal reference to the ecumenical unity of all religions based on belief in the One God, notwithstanding all the differences with regard to "the [specific] statutes and practices enjoined for the benefit of the various communities in accordance with their [time-bound] conditions (ala hasab ahiwaliha)", as expressed by Zamakhshari in his comments on the verse under discussion.] [And even though] that [unity of faith] to which thou callest them appears oppressive to those who are wont to ascribe to other beings or forces a share in His divinity, God draws unto Himself everyone who is willing, and guides unto Himself everyone who turns unto Him. | He explained/showed for you from the religion what He directed/commanded with it Noah, and what We inspired/transmitted to you, and what We directed/commanded with it Abraham, and Moses, and Jesus, that (E) keep up/call for the religion, and do not separate in it, (it) became big/a burden on the sharers/takers of partners with God, what you call them to it, God chooses/purifies to Him whom He wills/wants, and He guides to Him who returns/repents/obeys. | $r` lkm mn aldyn mawSi bh nwHa walXy awHyna alyk wma wSyna bh abrahym wmwsi w`ysi an aqymwa aldyn wlattfrqwa fyh kbr `li alm$rkyn matd`whm alyh allh yjtby alyh mn y$a' wyhdy alyh mn ynyb | |||
| 14. * | And they became divided only after Knowledge reached them,- through selfish envy as between themselves. Had it not been for a Word that went forth before from thy Lord, (tending) to a Term appointed, the matter would have been settled between them: But truly those who have inherited the Book after them are in suspicious (disquieting) doubt concerning it. | And [as for the followers of earlier revelation,] they broke up their unity, out of mutual jealousy, only after they had come to know [the truth]. [Lit., "they did not break up their unity until after knowledge had come to them" - i.e., the knowledge that God is one, and that the teachings of all of His prophets were essentially the same. Cf. 2:213 and, more explicitly, 23:53, which comes immediately after the statement that "this community of yours is one single community" (see also note on 23:53).] And had it not been for a decree that had already gone forth from thy Sustainer, [postponing all decision] until a term set [by Him], all would indeed have been decided between them [from the outset]. [For an explanation of this passage, see note on 10:19.] As it is, behold, they who have inherited their divine writ from those who preceded them [Lit., "who have become heirs to the divine writ after them": obviously referring to the Bible and its followers in later times.] are [now] in grave doubt, amounting to suspicion, about what it portends. [Lit., "about it" - i.e., in doubt as to whether the relevant scripture has really been revealed by God, and, ultimately, as to whether there is any truth in the concept of "divine revelation" as such.] | And they did not separate except from after the knowledge came to them, oppression/transgression between them, and where it not (for) a word/expression preceded from your Lord to a named/identified (specified) term/time, (it) would have been executed/ended (E) between them, and that truly those who were made to inherit The Book from after them (are) in (E) doubtful/suspicious doubt/suspicion from it. | wmatfrqwa ala mn b`d maja'hm al`lm bGya bynhm wlwla klm+ sbqt mn rbk ali ajl msmi lqDy bynhm wan alXyn awrxwa alktab mn b`dhm lfy $k mnh mryb | |||
| 15. * | Now then, for that (reason), call (them to the Faith), and stand steadfast as thou art commanded, nor follow thou their vain desires; but say: "I believe in the Book which Allah has sent down; and I am commanded to judge justly between you. Allah is our Lord and your Lord: for us (is the responsibility for) our deeds, and for you for your deeds. There is no contention between us and you. Allah will bring us together, and to Him is (our) Final Goal. | Because of this, then, [I.e., because of this breach of the original unity of men's faith in the One God.] summon [all mankind], and pursue the right course, as thou hast been bidden [by God]; and do not follow their likes and dislikes, but say: "I believe in whatever revelation God has bestowed from on high; and I am bidden to bring about equity in your mutual views. [Lit., "between you" - i.e., "to induce you to be more tolerant of one another": evidently an allusion to the bitterness which stands in the way of an understanding between the various sects and schools of thought in all revealed religions.] God is our Sustainer as well as your Sustainer. To us shall be accounted our deeds, and to you, your deeds. Let there be no contention between us and you: God will bring us all together - for with Him is all journeys' end." | So to/for that so call, and be straight/direct, as/like you were ordered/commanded, and do not follow their self attractions for desires, and say: "I believed with what God descended from a Book, and I was ordered/commanded to be just/equitable between you, God (is) our Lord and your Lord, for us (are) our deeds, and for you (are) your deeds, no argument between us and between you, God gathers/collects between us, and to Him (is) the end/destination." | flXlk fad` wastqm kma amrt wlattb` ahwa'hm wql amnt bma anzl allh mn ktab wamrt la`dl bynkm allh rbna wrbkm lna a`malna wlkm a`malkm laHj+ bynna wbynkm allh yjm` bynna walyh almSyr | |||
| 16. * | But those who dispute concerning Allah after He has been accepted,- futile is their dispute in the Sight of their Lord: on them will be a Penalty terrible. | And as for those who would [still] argue about God after He has been acknowledged [by them] [I.e., about His attributes and the "how" of His Being, all of which is beyond the grasp of the human mind.] - all their arguments are null and void in their Sustainer's sight, and upon them will fall [His] condemnation, and for them is suffering severe in store: | And those who argue/dispute/quarrel in (about) God from after what was answered/replied to Him, their argument (is) annulled at their Lord, and on them (is) anger, and for them (is) a painful torture. | walXyn yHajwn fy allh mn b`d maastjyb lh Hjthm daHD+ `nd rbhm w`lyhm GDb wlhm `Xab $dyd | |||
| 17. * | It is Allah Who has sent down the Book in Truth, and the Balance (by which to weigh conduct). And what will make thee realise that perhaps the Hour is close at hand? | [for] it is God [Himself] who has bestowed revelation from on high, setting forth the truth, and [thus given man] a balance [wherewith to weigh right and wrong]. [The above two interpolations are based on 57:25, where the idea underlying this verse has been stated clearly. The implication is that since God Himself has given man, through successive revelations, a standard whereby to discern between right and wrong, it is presumptuous and futile to argue about the nature of His Being and His ultimate judgment: hence the reference, in the second half of this and the next verse, to the Last Hour and, thus, the Day of Judgment.] And for all thou knowest, the Last Hour may well be near! | God (is) who descended The Book with the truth, and the scale/measuring instrument, and what makes you know/informs you, maybe/perhaps the Hour/Resurrection (is) near/close. | allh alXy anzl alktab balHq walmyzan wmaydryk l`l alsa`+ qryb | |||
| 18. * | Only those wish to hasten it who believe not in it: those who believe hold it in awe, and know that it is the Truth. Behold, verily those that dispute concerning the Hour are far astray. | Those who do not believe in it [mockingly] ask for its speedy advent [This is not merely a reference to the sarcastic demand of Muhammad's opponents (mentioned several times in the Quran) to bring about their "speedy chastisement" in proof of his being God's message-bearer, but also an oblique allusion to unbelievers of all times who, without having any "proof" either way, categorically reject the idea of resurrection and judgment.] - wwhereas those who have attained to faith stand in awe of it, and know it to be the truth. Oh, verily, they who call the Last Hour in question have indeed gone far astray! | Those who do not believe with (in) it hasten/urge with it, and those who believed (are) afraid/cautious from it, and they know that it (E) (is) the truth, is (it) not that truly those who argue/discuss in the Hour/Resurrection (are) in (E) far/distant misguidance? | yst`jl bha alXyn layWmnwn bha walXyn amnwa m$fqwn mnha wy`lmwn anha alHq ala an alXyn ymarwn fy alsa`+ lfy Dlal b`yd | |||
| 19. * | Gracious is Allah to His servants: He gives Sustenance to whom He pleases: and He has power and can carry out His Will. | GOD is most kind unto His creatures: He provides sustenance for whomever He wills - for He alone is powerful, almighty! | God (is) kind/courteous/soothing with His worshippers/slaves, He provides for whom He wills/wants, and He is the powerful/strong, the glorious/mig hty. | allh lTyf b`badh yrzq mn y$a' whw alqwy al`zyz | |||
| 20. * | To any that desires the tilth of the Hereafter, We give increase in his tilth, and to any that desires the tilth of this world, We grant somewhat thereof, but he has no share or lot in the Hereafter. | To him who desires a harvest in the life to come, We shall grant an increase in his harvest; whereas to him who desires [but] a harvest in this world, We [may] give something thereof - but he will have no share in [the blessings of] the life to come. [I.e., whereas those who live righteously and turn their endeavours towards spiritual ends are sure to receive in the hereafter more than they are hoping for, those who strive exclusively after worldly rewards may - but not necessarily will - achieve something, and not necessarily aall, of their aims, without having any reason to expect "a share in the blessings" that await the righteous in the hereafter.] | Who was wanting/intending the end's (other life's) cultivation/plantation (enjoyment), We increase for him his cultivation/plantation (enjoyment), and who was wanting/intending the present world's cultivation/plantation (enjoyment), We give/bring him from it, and (there is) no share/ luck/fortune for him in the end (other life). | mn kan yryd Hrx alaKr+ nzd lh fy Hrxh wmn kan yryd Hrx aldnya nWth mnha wmalh fy alaKr+ mn nSyb | |||
| 21. * | What! have they partners (in godhead), who have established for them some religion without the permission of Allah. Had it not been for the Decree of Judgment, the matter would have been decided between them (at once). But verily the Wrong- doers will have a grievous Penalty. | Is it that they [who care for no more than this world] believe in forces supposed to have a share in God's divinity, [Lit., "Is it that they have partners [of God]" - i.e., "do they believe that circumstantial phenomena like wealth, power, `luck', etc., have something divine about them?" - the implication being that belief in such "forces" is usually at the root of men's pursuance of exclusively worldly ends. (For my above explanatory rendering of the term shuraka - lit., "partners" or "associates" [of God] - see note on 6:22.)] which enjoin upon them as a moral law something that God has never allowed? [I.e., which cause them to abandon themselves with an almost religious fervour to something of which God disapproves - namely, the striving after purely materialistic goals and a corresponding disregard of all spiritual and ethical values. For my rendering of din, in this context, as "moral law", see note on 109:6.] Now were it not for [God's] decree on the final judgment, [Lit., "word of decision", i.e., that His final judgment shall be postponed until the Day of Resurrection (see next note).] all would indeed have been decided between them [in this world]: [I.e., God would have made a clear-cut distinction, in this world, between those who look forward to the hereafter and those who care for no more than worldly success, by granting unlimited happiness to the former and causing the latter to suffer: but since it is only in the hereafter that man's life is to be truly fulfilled, God has willed to postpone this distinction until then.] but, verily, grievous suffering awaits the evildoers [in the life to come]. | Or for them (are) partners (with God who) explained/showed to them from the religion what God did not permit/allow with it? Where it not for the judgment's/decision's word/expression, (it) would have been judged/executed between them, and that truly the unjust/oppressive, for them (is) a painful torture. | am lhm $rka' $r`wa lhm mn aldyn malm yaXn bh allh wlwla klm+ alfSl lqDy bynhm wan alZalmyn lhm `Xab alym | |||
| 22. * | Thou wilt see the Wrong-doers in fear on account of what they have earned, and (the burden of) that must (necessarily) fall on them. But those who believe and work righteous deeds will be in the luxuriant meads of the Gardens: they shall have, before their Lord, all that they wish for. That will indeed be the magnificent Bounty (of Allah.. | [In that life to come,] thou wilt see the evildoers full of fear at [the thought of] what they have earned: for [now] it is bound to fall back upon them. | You see the unjust/oppressive afraid/cautions from what they gathered/acquired, and it is falling/landing with (on) them, and those who believed and made/did the correct/righteous deeds (are) in the Paradise's gardens/meadows, for them what they want at their Lord, that it is the grace/favour/blessing, the great. | tri alZalmyn m$fqyn mma ksbwa whw waq` bhm walXyn amnwa w`mlwa alSalHat fy rwDat aljnat lhm may$aWwn `nd rbhm Xlk hw alfDl alkbyr | |||
| 23. * | That is (the Bounty) whereof Allah gives Glad Tidings to His Servants who believe and do righteous deeds. Say: "No reward do I ask of you for this except the love of those near of kin." And if any one earns any good, We shall give him an increase of good in respect thereof: for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Ready to appreciate (service). | that [bounty] whereof God gives the glad tiding to such of His servants as attain to faith and do righteous deeds. | That (is) what God announced good news (to) His worshippers/slaves, those who believed and made/did the correct/righteous deeds, say: "I do not ask/question/demand you on (for) it a reward/wage except the love/affection in the relations/near." And who perpetrates/does a good/goodness, We increase goodness/beauty for him in it, that truly God (is) forgiving, thanked/thankful/grateful. | Xlk alXy yb$r allh `badh alXyn amnwa w`mlwa alSalHat ql laasAlkm `lyh ajra ala almwd+ fy alqrbi wmn yqtrf Hsn+ nzd lh fyha Hsna an allh Gfwr $kwr | |||
| 24. * | What! Do they say, "He has forged a falsehood against Allah.? But if Allah willed, He could seal up thy heart. And Allah blots out Vanity, and proves the Truth by His Words. For He knows well the secrets of all hearts. | DO THEY, perchance, say, "[Muhammad] has attributed his own lying inventions to God"? But then, had God so willed, He could have sealed thy heart [forever]: for God blots out all falsehood, and by His words proves the truth to be true. [See note on 10:82.] Verily, He has full knowledge of what is in the hearts [of men]; | Or they say: "He fabricated on (about) God lies/falsifications." So if God wants, He seals/stamps on your heart/mind, and God eliminates/erases the falsehood, and God corrects/makes true the truth with His words/expressions, that He truly is knowledgeable with of the chests (innermosts).354 | am yqwlwn aftri `li allh kXba fan y$a allh yKtm `li qlbk wymH allh albaTl wyHq alHq bklmath anh `lym bXat alSdwr | |||
| 25. * | He is the One that accepts repentance from His Servants and forgives sins: and He knows all that ye do. | and it is He who accepts repentance from His servants, and pardons bad deeds, and knows all that you do, | And He is who accepts/receives the repentance from His worshippers/slaves, and He forgives/pardons of the sins/crimes, and He knows what you make/do. | whw alXy yqbl altwb+ `n `badh wy`fw `n alsyYat wy`lm matf`lwn | |||
| 26. * | And He listens to those who believe and do deeds of righteousness, and gives them increase of His Bounty: but for the Unbelievers their is a terrible Penalty. | and responds unto all who attain to faith and do righteous deeds; and [it is He who, in the life to come,] will give them, out of His bounty, far more [than they will have deserved], whereas for the deniers of the truth there is [but] suffering severe in store. | And He answers/replies to those who believed and made/did the correct/righteous deeds, and He increases them from His grace/favour/blessing; and the disbelievers, for them (is) a strong (severe) torture. | wystjyb alXyn amnwa w`mlwa alSalHat wyzydhm mn fDlh walkafrwn lhm `Xab $dyd | |||
| 27. * | If Allah were to enlarge the provision for His Servants, they would indeed transgress beyond all bounds through the earth; but he sends (it) down in due measure as He pleases. For He is with His Servants Well-acquainted, Watchful. | For, if God were to grant [in this world] abundant sustenance to [all of] His servants, they would behave on earth with wanton insolence: [This passage connects with, and elucidates, the statement in the preceding verse that God "responds unto all who attain to faith and do righteous deeds" - a statement which, at first glance, seems to be contrary to the fact that whereas many wrongdoers prosper and are happy, many righteous people suffer hurt and deprivation. In reply to this objection, the above verse points elliptically to man's innate "greed for more and more" (see 102:1), which often causes him to become "grossly overweening whenever he believes himself to be self-sufficient" | And if God spread/extended the provision to His worshippers/slaves, they would have oppressed/transgressed in the earth/Planet Earth, and but He descends with a measure/predestiny what He wills/wants, that He truly is with His worshippers/slaves expert/experienced, seeing/knowing. | wlw bsT allh alrzq l`badh lbGwa fy alarD wlkn ynzl bqdr may$a' anh b`badh Kbyr bSyr | |||
| 28. * | He is the One that sends down rain (even) after (men) have given up all hope, and scatters His Mercy (far and wide). And He is the Protector, Worthy of all Praise. | And it is He who sends down rain after [men] have lost all hope, and unfolds His grace [thereby]: [This reference to the symbol of life-giving rain connects with the preceding statement that "He bestows [His grace] in due measure, as He wills", and is a preamble, as it were, to the statement in the next verse that all creation is but a visible "sign" or "revelation" of God's existence and purposeful activity, as well as of the God-willed continuation of all life in the hereafter.] for He alone is [their] Protector, the One to whom all praise is due. | And He is who descends the rain from after what they despaired, and He spreads/extends His mercy, and He is the guardian/ally, the praiseworthy/commendable. | whw alXy ynzl alGyx mn b`d maqnTwa wyn$r rHmth whw alwly alHmyd | |||
| 29. * | And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the living creatures that He has scattered through them: and He has power to gather them together when He wills. | And among His signs is the [very] creation of the heavens and the earth, and of all the living creatures which He has caused to multiply throughout them: [Lit., "in both". In the Quran, the expression "the heavens and the earth" invariably denotes the universe in its entirety.] and [since He has created them,] He has [also] the power to gather them [unto Himself] whenever He wills. | And from His verses/evidences/signs (are) the skies'/space's and the earth's/Planet Earth's creation, and what He scattered/distributed in them (B) from a walker/creeper/crawler, and He is on gathering/collecting them if He wills/wants capable/able. | wmn ayath Klq alsmawat walarD wmabx fyhma mn dab+ whw `li jm`hm aXa y$a' qdyr | |||
| 30. * | Whatever misfortune happens to you, is because on the things your hands have wrought, and for many (of them) He grants forgiveness. | Now whatever calamity may befall you [on Judgment Day] will be an outcome of what your own hands have wrought, although He pardons much; [This oft-recurring phrase is a Quranic metonym for man's doings and conscious attitudes in this world, meant to bring out the fact that these doings or attitudes are the "harvest" of a person's spiritual character and have, therefore, a definite influence on the quality of his life in the hereafter. Since the latter is but an organic continuation of earthly life, man's subsequent spiritual growth and bliss or, alternatively, spiritual darkness and suffering - symbolically circumscribed as God's "reward" and "chastisement" or "paradise" and "hell" - depend on, and are a result of, what one has previously "earned".] | What struck/hit you from a disaster so (it is) because (of) what your hands gathered/acquired,and He forgives/pardons on much. | wmaaSabkm mn mSyb+ fbma ksbt aydykm wy`fw `n kxyr | |||
| 31. * | Nor can ye frustrate (aught), (fleeing) through the earth; nor have ye, besides Allah, any one to protect or to help. | and you cannot elude Him on earth, and you will have none to protect you from God [in the life to come], and none to bring you succour. | And you are not with disabling/frustrating in the earth/Planet Earth, and (there is) nothing for you from other than God from a guardian/ally, and nor (a) victorior/savior. | wmaantm bm`jzyn fy alarD wmalkm mn dwn allh mn wly wlanSyr | |||
| 32. * | And among His Signs are the ships, smooth-running through the ocean, (tall) as mountains. | And among His signs [As is evident from the sequence, in this instance the term ayah (lit., "sign" or "[divine] message") is used in the sense of "parable". (See next note.)] are the ships that sail like [floating] mountains through the seas: | And from His signs/evidences (are) the ships in the sea/ocean like the signs/banners. | wmn ayath aljwar fy albHr kala`lam | |||
| 33. * | If it be His Will He can still the Wind: then would they become motionless on the back of the (ocean). Verily in this are Signs for everyone who patiently perseveres and is grateful. | if He so wills, He stills the wind, and then they lie motionless on the sea's surface - [and] herein, behold, there are messages indeed for all who are wholly patient in adversity and deeply grateful [to God]; | If He wills/wants He stops/quietens the wind/breeze, so they continue/remain still/fixed in place on its back/surface, that truly in that (are) evidences/signs (E) to every/each patient/endurer, thankful/grateful. | an y$a yskn alryH fyZlln rwakd `li Zhrh an fy Xlk layat lkl Sbar $kwr | |||
| 34. * | Or He can cause them to perish because of the (evil) which (the men) have earned; but much doth He forgive. | or else He may cause them to perish because of what they have wrought; and [withal,] He pardons much. [I.e., because of the evil which they have committed. The above passage is, I believe, a parabolic allusion to the three possible alternatives in the life to come: spiritual progress and happiness (symbolized by ships that sail freely through the sea); spiritual stagnancy (ships that lie motionless on the sea's surface); and spiritual disaster and suffering (summarized in the concept of perdition). The second of these three alternatives seems to point to the condition of those ala l-araf spoken of in 7:46 f. and explained in the corresponding note.] | Or He destroys/perishes them because (of) what they gathered/acquired, and He forgives/pardons on much. | aw ywbqhn bma ksbwa wy`f `n kxyr | |||
| 35. * | But let those know, who dispute about Our Signs, that there is for them no way of escape. | And let them know, those who call Our messages in question, [For this rendering of yujadilun, see note on 40:35.] that for them there is no escape. | And those who argue/dispute in Our verses/evidences know (there is) none from (an) escape/diversion for them. | wy`lm alXyn yjadlwn fy ayatna malhm mn mHyS | |||
| 36. * | Whatever ye are given (here) is (but) a convenience of this life: but that which is with Allah is better and more lasting: (it is) for those who believe and put their trust in their Lord: | AND [remember that] whatever you are given [now] is but for the [passing] enjoyment of life in this world - whereas that which is with God is far better and more enduring. [It shall be given] to all who attain to faith and in their Sustainer place their trust; | So what you were given from a thing so (it is) long life/enjoyment (of) the life the present/worldly life, and what (is) at God (is) better and more lasting (everlasting) to those who believed and on their Lord, they rely/depend. | fma awtytm mn $Y fmta` alHya+ aldnya wma`nd allh Kyr wabqi llXyn amnwa w`li rbhm ytwklwn | |||
| 37. * | Those who avoid the greater crimes and shameful deeds, and, when they are angry even then forgive; | and who shun the more heinous sins and abominations; and who, whenever they are moved to anger, readily forgive; | And those who avoid/distance themselves (from) the great/magnified sins'/crimes' biggest/greatest, and the enormous/atrocious deeds, and when they became angry, they forgive. | walXyn yjtnbwn kbaYr alaxm walfwaH$ waXa maGDbwa hm yGfrwn | |||
| 38. * | Those who hearken to their Lord, and establish regular Prayer; who (conduct) their affairs by mutual Consultation; who spend out of what We bestow on them for Sustenance; | and who respond to [the call of] their Sustainer and are constant in prayer; and whose rule [in all matters of common concern] is consultation among themselves; [This particular qualification of true believers - regarded by the Prophet's Companions as so important that they always referred to this surah by the key-word "consultation" (shura) - has a double import: firstly, it is meant to remind all followers of the Quran that they must remain united within one single community (ummah); and, secondly, it lays down the principle that all their communal business must be transacted in mutual consultation. (For the political implications of this principle, see State and Government, pp. 44 ff.).] and who spend on others out of what We provide for them as sustenance; [See note on 2:3. Following as it does immediately upon the call to communal unity and consultation, the "spending on others" bears here the general connotation of social justice.] | And those who answered/replied to their Lord and they kept up the prayers, and their matter/affair (is by) consultation/advice between them, and from what We provided for them, they spend. | walXyn astjabwa lrbhm waqamwa alSla+ wamrhm $wri bynhm wmma rzqnahm ynfqwn | |||
| 39. * | And those who, when an oppressive wrong is inflicted on them, (are not cowed but) help and defend themselves. | and who, whenever tyranny afflicts them, defend themselves. | And those who when/if the oppression/transgression struck/marked them, they become victorious. | walXyn aXa aSabhm albGy hm yntSrwn | |||
| 40. * | The recompense for an injury is an injury equal thereto (in degree): but if a person forgives and makes reconciliation, his reward is due from Allah. for ((Allah)) loveth not those who do wrong. | But [remember that an attempt at] requiting evil may, too, become an evil: [Lit., "is [or "may be"] an evil like it". In other words, successful struggle against tyranny (which latter is the meaning of the noun baghy in the last sentence of the preceding verse) often tends to degenerate into a similarly tyrannical attitude towards the erstwhile oppressors. Hence, most of the classical commentators (e.g., Baghawi, Zamakhshari, Razi, Baydawi) stress the absolute prohibition of "going beyond what is right" (itida) when defending oneself against tyranny and oppression. (Cf. the passage relating to fighting against "those who wage war against you" in 2:190 ff.)] hence, whoever par dons [his foe] and makes peace, his reward rests with God - for, verily, He does not love evildoers. [I.e., in this context, such as succumb to the temptation of indulging in undue acts of revenge against their former oppressors.] | And a sin's/crime's reimbursement (is) a sin/crime equal to it, so who forgave/pardoned and corrected/repaired, so his reward (is) on God, that He truly does not love/like the unjust/oppressors. | wjza' syY+ syY+ mxlha fmn `fa waSlH fajrh `li allh anh layHb alZalmyn | |||
| 41. * | But indeed if any do help and defend themselves after a wrong (done) to them, against such there is no cause of blame. | Yet indeed, as for any who defend themselves after having been wronged - no blame whatever attaches to them: | And who (E) became victorious after injustice/oppression to him, so those no way/path (blame) is on them. | wlmn antSr b`d Zlmh fawlYk ma`lyhm mn sbyl | |||
| 42. * | The blame is only against those who oppress men and wrong-doing and insolently transgress beyond bounds through the land, defying right and justice: for such there will be a penalty grievous. | blame attaches but to those who oppress [other] people and behave outrageously on earth, offending against all right: for them there is grievous suffering in store! | But the way/path (blame is) on those who cause injustice/oppression (to) the people, and they oppress/transgress in the earth/Planet Earth without the right/truth, those for them (is) a painful torture.355 | anma alsbyl `li alXyn yZlmwn alnas wybGwn fy alarD bGyr alHq awlYk lhm `Xab alym | |||
| 43. * | But indeed if any show patience and forgive, that would truly be an exercise of courageous will and resolution in the conduct of affairs. | But withal, if one is patient in adversity and forgives - this, behold, is indeed something to set one's heart upon! [Cf. 41:34 -35, as well as note on 13:22.] | And who (E) became patient and forgave, that truly that (is) from the matter's/affair's decisiveness/determination. | wlmn Sbr wGfr an Xlk lmn `zm alamwr | |||
| 44. * | For any whom Allah leaves astray, there is no protector thereafter. And thou wilt see the Wrong-doers, when in sight of the Penalty, Say: "Is there any way (to effect) a return?" | AND [thus it is:] he whom God lets go astray [See note on 14:4.] has henceforth no protector whatever: and so thou wilt see such evildoers [Although this is primarily a reference to "those who oppress [other] people and behave outrageously on earth, offending against all right" (verse 42 above), the meaning of the term is general, applying to all kinds of deliberate evildoers.] [on Judgment Day, and wilt hear how] they exclaim as soon as they behold the suffering [that awaits them], "Is there any way of return?" [I.e., a "second chance" on earth: cf. 6:27-28.] | And whom God misguided, so (there is) none from a guardian/ally for him from after Him, and you see the unjust/oppressors when they saw the torture, they say: "Is (there) from a way/path to return?" | wmn yDll allh fmalh mn wly mn b`dh wtri alZalmyn lma rawa al`Xab yqwlwn hl ali mrd mn sbyl | |||
| 45. * | And thou wilt see them brought forward to the (Penalty), in a humble frame of mind because of (their) disgrace, (and) looking with a stealthy glance. And the Believers will say: "Those are indeed in loss, who have given to perdition their own selves and those belonging to them on the Day of Judgment. Behold! Truly the Wrong-doers are in a lasting Penalty!" | And thou wilt see them exposed to that [doom], humbling themselves in abasement, looking [around] with a furtive glance - the while those who had attained to faith will say, "Verily, lost on [this] Day of Resurrection are they who have squandered their own and their followers' selves!" [The term ahl denotes primarily the "people" of one town, country or family, as well as the "fellow-members" of one race, religion, profession, etc. In its wider, ideological sense it is applied to people who have certain characteristics in common, e.g., ahl al-ilm ("people of knowledge", i.e., scholars), or who follow one and the same persuasion or belief, e.g., ahl al-kitab ("the followers of [earlier] revelation"), ahl al-Quran ("the followers of the Quran"), and so forth. Since, as has been pointed out in the second note on verse 44, the above passage refers primarily - though not exclusively - to the tyrants and oppressors spoken of in verse 42, the term ahluhum evidently connotes "their followers". Thus, the above sentence implies that every kind of evildoing (zulm), and particularly the oppression of others, inevitably results in a spiritual injury to, and ultimately the self-destruction of, its perpetrators and/or their followers.] Oh, verily, the evildoers will fall into long-lasting suffering, | And you see them they are being displayed/exhibited on it, humble/submissive from the humiliation/disgrace, they look/watch from a hidden end/edge/eyelid, and those who believed said: "That truly the losers (are) those who lost themselves and their families/relations (on) the Resurrection Day; are not the unjust/oppressors in a continuous torture? | wtrahm y`rDwn `lyha Ka$`yn mn alXl ynZrwn mn Trf Kfy wqal alXyn amnwa an alKasryn alXyn Ksrwa anfshm wahlyhm ywm alqyam+ ala an alZalmyn fy `Xab mqym | |||
| 46. * | And no protectors have they to help them, other than Allah. And for any whom Allah leaves to stray, there is no way (to the Goal). | and will have no protector whatever to succour them against God: for he whom God lets go astray shall find no way [of escape]. | And (there) were none from guardians/allies from other than God for them, they give them victory/aid from other than God, and whom God misguides, so (there is) no way/path for him (no escape for him). | wmakan lhm mn awlya' ynSrwnhm mn dwn allh wmn yDll allh fmalh mn sbyl | |||
| 47. * | Hearken ye to your Lord, before there come a Day which there will be no putting back, because of (the Ordainment of) Allah. that Day there will be for you no place of refuge nor will there be for you any room for denial (of your sins)! | [Hence, O men,] respond to your Sustainer before there comes, at God's behest, [Lit., "from God".] a Day on which there will be no turning back: [for] on that Day you will have no place of refuge, and neither will you be able to deny aught [of the wrong that you have done]. | Answer/reply to your Lord from before that (E) a day/time comes (there be) no return (protection) to (from) it from God, none from a refuge/shelter (is) for you (on) that day, and none from defiance/ignorance (is) for you. | astjybwa lrbkm mn qbl an yaty ywm lamrd lh mn allh malkm mn mlja ywmYX wmalkm mn nkyr | |||
| 48. * | If then they run away, We have not sent thee as a guard over them. Thy duty is but to convey (the Message). And truly, when We give man a taste of a Mercy from Ourselves, he doth exult thereat, but when some ill happens to him, on account of the deeds which his hands have sent forth, truly then is man ungrateful! | BUT IF they turn away [from thee, O Prophet, know that] We have not sent thee to be their keeper: thou art not bound to do more than deliver the message [entrusted to thee]. And, behold, [such as turn away from Our messages are but impelled by the weakness and incon stancy of human nature: thus,] [This interpolation - necessary for a proper understanding of the context - is based on Razi's convincing explanation of how this passage connects with the preceding one. Man is, as a rule, absorbed in a pursuit of material goods and comforts, the achievement of which he identifies with "happiness"; hence, he pays but scant attention to spiritual aims and values, and the more so if he is called upon to abandon his selfish pursuits in favour of the - to him as yet hypothetical - life in the hereafter.] when We give man a taste of Our grace, he is prone to exult in it; [I.e., when God bestows on him a measure of material benefits, man tends to exult in this "success" as such, attributing it exclusively to his own ability and cleverness (cf. the first sentence of 41:50).] but if misfortune befalls [any of] them in result of what their own hands have sent forth, then, behold, man shows how bereft he is of all gratitude! [I.e., instead of remembering his past happiness with gratitude, he calls the very existence of God in question, arguing that if God did really exist, He "could not possibly have permitted" so much misfortune and unhappiness to prevail in the world: a fallacious argument inasmuch as it does not take the reality of the hereafter into account and is, moreover, based on a concept of God in terms of purely human feelings and expectations.] | So if they objected/opposed, so We did not send you on (to) them (as) a protector/guard, that truly on you (is nothing) except the information/communication, and We (E) if We made the human/mankind taste/experience mercy from Us, he became happy/rejoiced with it, and if a sin/crime strikes/marks them with because (of) what their hands advanced, so then the human/mankind (is an insistent) disbeliever. | fan a`rDwa fma arslnak `lyhm HfyZa an `lyk ala alblaG wana aXa aXqna alansan mna rHm+ frH bha wan tSbhm syY+ bma qdmt aydyhm fan alansan kfwr | |||
| 49. * | To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. He creates what He wills (and plans). He bestows (children) male or female according to His Will (and Plan), | God's alone is the dominion over the heavens and the earth. He creates whatever He wills: He bestows the gift of female offspring on whomever He wills, and the gift of male offspring on whomever He wills; | To God (is) the sky's/space's and the earth's/Planet Earth's ownership/kingdom, He creates what He wills/wants, He grants/presents to whom He wills/wants females, and He grants/presents to whom He wills/wants the males. | llh mlk alsmwat walarD yKlq may$a' yhb lmn y$a' anaxa wyhb lmn y$a' alXkwr | |||
| 50. * | Or He bestows both males and females, and He leaves barren whom He will: for He is full of Knowledge and Power. | or He gives both male and female [to whomever He wills], and causes to be barren whomever He wills: for, verily, He is all-knowing, infinite in His power. [The purport of this passage is a re-affirmation of the fact that whatever happens to man is an outcome of God's unfathomable will: a fact which is illustrated in the sequence by the most common, recurrent phenomenon in man's life - the unpredictability of male or female births, as well as of barrenness: and so, too, God's bestowal of worldly happiness and unhappiness cannot be measured or predicted in terms of what man may regard as his "due".] | Or He gets them married/couples males and females, and He makes/creates whom He wills/wants infertile, that He truly is knowledgeable, capable/able. | aw yzwjhm Xkrana wanaxa wyj`l mn y$a' `qyma anh `lym qdyr | |||
| 51. * | It is not fitting for a man that Allah should speak to him except by inspiration, or from behind a veil, or by the sending of a messenger to reveal, with Allah.s permission, what Allah wills: for He is Most High, Most Wise. | And it is not given to mortal man that God should speak unto him otherwise than through sudden inspiration, or [by a voice, as it were,] from behind a veil, [This is the primary meaning of wahy, a term which combines the concepts of suddenness and inner illumination (Raghib); in the usage of the Quran, it is often, though by no means always, synonymous with "revelation". The above passage connects with the first paragraph of verse 48, which speaks of the divine message entrusted to the Prophet.] or by sending an apostle to reveal, by His leave, whatever He wills [to reveal]: [Cf. 53:10.] for, verily, He is exalted, wise. | And (it) was not to a human that (E) God converses/speaks to him, except (by) inspiration/transmission or from behind (a) divider/partition, or He sends a messenger so he (the messenger) inspires/transmits what He wills/wants with His permission, that He truly is high/elevated, wise/judicious. | wmakan lb$r an yklmh allh ala wHya aw mn wra' Hjab aw yrsl rswla fywHy baXnh may$a' anh `li Hkym | |||
| 52. * | And thus have We, by Our Command, sent inspiration to thee: thou knewest not (before) what was Revelation, and what was Faith; but We have made the (Qur'an) a Light, wherewith We guide such of Our servants as We will; and verily thou dost guide (men) to the Straight Way,- | And thus, too, [I.e., in all the three ways mentioned in the preceding verse.] [O Muhammad,] have We revealed unto thee a life-giving message, [coming] at Our behest. [The term ruh (lit., "spirit" or "soul") has in the Quran often the meaning of "divine inspiration" (see note on 16:2). In the present context, it evidently denotes the contents of the divine inspiration bestowed on the Prophet Muhammad, i.e., the Quran (Tabari, Zamakhshari, Razi, Ibn Kathir), which is meant to lead man to a more intensive spiritual life: hence my above rendering.] [Ere this message came unto thee,] thou didst not know what revelation is, nor what faith [implies]: [I.e., that the very concept of "faith" implies man's complete self-surrender (islam) to God.] but [now] We have caused this [message] to be a light, whereby We guide whom We will of Our ser vants: and, verily, [on the strength thereof] thou, too, shalt guide [men] onto the straight way - | And like that We inspired/transmitted to you, a Soul/Spirit, from Our order/command/matter/affair, you were not knowing what (is) The Book, and nor the faith/belief, and but We made it a light, We guide with it whom We will/want from Our worshippers/slaves, and that you guide (E) to a straight/direct road/way. | wkXlk awHyna alyk rwHa mn amrna maknt tdry maalktab wlaalayman wlkn j`lnah nwra nhdy bh mn n$a' mn `badna wank lthdy ali SraT mstqym | |||
| 53. * | The Way of Allah, to Whom belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on earth. Behold (how) all affairs tend towards Allah. | the way that leads to God, to whom all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth belongs. Oh, verily, with God is the beginning and the end of all things! [Lit., "unto God do all things (al-umur) pursue their course": i.e., all things go back to Him as their source, and from His will depends the course which they take (Baydawi).] | God's road/way, who for Him what (is) in the skies/space and what (is) in the earth/Planet Earth, is (it) not to God the order's/command's/matter's/affair's end/destiny?356 | SraT allh alXy lh mafy alsmawat wmafy alarD ala ali allh tSyr alamwr | |||