بِسمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحمـٰنِ الرَّحيمِ حم

Ha. Mim.¹

1. 1.  See Appendix II.

تَنزيلُ الكِتابِ مِنَ اللَّهِ العَزيزِ العَليمِ

THE BESTOWAL from on high of this divine writ issues from God, the Almighty, the All-Know­ing,

غافِرِ الذَّنبِ وَقابِلِ التَّوبِ شَديدِ العِقابِ ذِي الطَّولِ ۖ لا إِلـٰهَ إِلّا هُوَ ۖ إِلَيهِ المَصيرُ

forgiving sins and accepting repentance, severe in retribution, limitless in His bounty. There is no deity save Him: with Him is all jour­neys' end.

ما يُجادِلُ في آياتِ اللَّهِ إِلَّا الَّذينَ كَفَروا فَلا يَغرُركَ تَقَلُّبُهُم فِي البِلادِ

NONE BUT THOSE who are bent on denying the truth would call God's messages in question. But let it not deceive thee that they seem to be able to do as they please on earth:

كَذَّبَت قَبلَهُم قَومُ نوحٍ وَالأَحزابُ مِن بَعدِهِم ۖ وَهَمَّت كُلُّ أُمَّةٍ بِرَسولِهِم لِيَأخُذوهُ ۖ وَجادَلوا بِالباطِلِ لِيُدحِضوا بِهِ الحَقَّ فَأَخَذتُهُم ۖ فَكَيفَ كانَ عِقابِ

to the truth gave the lie, before their time, the people of Noah and, after them, all those [others] who were leagued together [against God's message-bearers];² and each of those com­munities schemed against the apostle sent unto them,³ aiming to lay hands on him; and they contended [against his message] with fallacious arguments, so as to render void the truth thereby: but then I took them to task - and how awesome was My retribution!

1. 2.  Cf. 38:12, where some of those who were "leagued together" (al-ahzab) are enumerated; also verses 30 ff. of this surah.
2. 3.  Lit., "each community schemed against their apostle".

وَكَذٰلِكَ حَقَّت كَلِمَتُ رَبِّكَ عَلَى الَّذينَ كَفَروا أَنَّهُم أَصحابُ النّارِ

And thus shall thy Sustainer's word come true against all who are bent on denying the truth: they shall find themselves in the fire [of hell].

الَّذينَ يَحمِلونَ العَرشَ وَمَن حَولَهُ يُسَبِّحونَ بِحَمدِ رَبِّهِم وَيُؤمِنونَ بِهِ وَيَستَغفِرونَ لِلَّذينَ آمَنوا رَبَّنا وَسِعتَ كُلَّ شَيءٍ رَحمَةً وَعِلمًا فَاغفِر لِلَّذينَ تابوا وَاتَّبَعوا سَبيلَكَ وَقِهِم عَذابَ الجَحيمِ

THEY WHO BEAR [within themselves the knowl­edge of] the throne of [God's] almightiness, as well as all who are near it,⁴ extol their Sustainer's limitless glory and praise, and have faith in Him, and ask forgiveness for all [others] who have attained to faith: “O our Sustainer! Thou embracest all things within [Thy] grace and knowledge: forgive, then, their sins unto those who repent and follow Thy path, and preserve them from suffering through the blazing fire!

1. 4.  Lit, "around it": cf. Zamakhshari's explanation of the expression hawlaha occurring in 27: 8 in the sense of "near it". In his commentary on the verse which we are now considering, Baydawi states explicitly that the "bearing" of God's throne of almightiness (al-arsh - see note 43 on 7:54) must be understood in a metaphorical sense: "Their carrying it and surrounding it [or "being near it"] is a metaphor of their being mindful of it and acting in accordance therewith (majaz an hifzihim wa-tadbirihim lahu), or a metonym (kinayah) for their closeness to the Lord of the Throne, their dignity in His sight, and their being instrumental in the realization of His will." My rendering of the above verse reflects Baydawi's interpretation. As regards the beings which are said to be close to the throne of God's almightiness, most of the classical commentators - obviously basing their view on the symbolic image of "the angels surrounding the throne of [God's] almightiness" on the Day of Judgment (39:75) - think in this instance, too, exclusivelyy of angels. But whereas it cannot be denied that the present verse refers also to angels, it does not follow that it refers exclusively to them. In its abstract connotation, the verb hamala frequently signifies "he bore [or "took upon himself"] the responsibility [for something]": and so it is evident that it applies here not only to angels but also to all human beings who are conscious of the tremendous implications of the concept of God's almightiness, and hence feel morally responsible for translating this consciousness into the reality of their own and their fellow-beings' lives.

رَبَّنا وَأَدخِلهُم جَنّاتِ عَدنٍ الَّتي وَعَدتَهُم وَمَن صَلَحَ مِن آبائِهِم وَأَزواجِهِم وَذُرِّيّاتِهِم ۚ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ العَزيزُ الحَكيمُ

“And, O our Sustainer, bring them into the gardens of perpetual bliss⁵ which Thou hast promised them, together with the righteous from among their forebears, and their spouses, and their offspring - for, verily, Thou alone art almighty, truly wise –

1. 5.  See note 45 on 38:50.

وَقِهِمُ السَّيِّئَاتِ ۚ وَمَن تَقِ السَّيِّئَاتِ يَومَئِذٍ فَقَد رَحِمتَهُ ۚ وَذٰلِكَ هُوَ الفَوزُ العَظيمُ

and preserve them from [doing] evil deeds: for anyone whom on that Day [of Judgment] Thou wilt have preserved from [the taint of] evil deeds, him wilt Thou have graced with Thy mercy: and that, that will be the triumph supreme!

إِنَّ الَّذينَ كَفَروا يُنادَونَ لَمَقتُ اللَّهِ أَكبَرُ مِن مَقتِكُم أَنفُسَكُم إِذ تُدعَونَ إِلَى الإيمانِ فَتَكفُرونَ

[But,] behold, as for those who are bent on denying the truth - [on that same Day] a voice will call out unto them:⁶ “Indeed, greater than your [present] loathing of yourselves⁷ was God's loathing of you [at the time] when you were called unto faith but went on denying the truth!⁸

1. 6.  Lit., "they will be called" or "summoned".
2. 7.  I.e., "on realizing, belatedly, your past sinfulness".
3. 8.  Since it is impossible to attribute to God a purely human emotion, "God's loathing" of those sinners is obviously a metonym for His rejection of them (Razi), similar to the metonymic use of the expression "God's wrath (ghadab)" in the sense of His condemnation (see first sentence of note 4 on 1:7).

قالوا رَبَّنا أَمَتَّنَا اثنَتَينِ وَأَحيَيتَنَا اثنَتَينِ فَاعتَرَفنا بِذُنوبِنا فَهَل إِلىٰ خُروجٍ مِن سَبيلٍ

[Whereupon] they will exclaim: “O our Sus­tainer! Twice hast Thou caused us to die, just as twice Thou hast brought us to life!⁹

1. 9.  I.e., "Thou hast brought us to life on earth, and then hast caused us to die; thereupon Thou hast resurrected us, and now hast condemned us to spiritual death in consequence of our willful spiritual blindness on earth."] But now that we have acknowledged our sins, is there any way out [of this second death]?"

ذٰلِكُم بِأَنَّهُ إِذا دُعِيَ اللَّهُ وَحدَهُ كَفَرتُم ۖ وَإِن يُشرَك بِهِ تُؤمِنوا ۚ فَالحُكمُ لِلَّهِ العَلِيِّ الكَبيرِ

[And they will be told:] “This [has befallen you] because, whenever the One God was invoked, you denied this truth; whereas, when divinity was ascribed to aught beside Him, you believed [in it]! But all judgment rests with God, the Exalted, the Great!¹⁰

1. 10. An answer to the sinners' question at the end of the preceding verse may be found in the following extremely well-authenticated, parabolic saying of the Prophet: "[On the Day of Judg­ment,] those who deserve paradise will enter paradise, and those who deserve the fire, the fire. Thereupon God, the Sublimely Exalted, will say, 'Take out [of the fire] everyone in whose heart there was as much of faith [or, in some versions, "as much of good"] as a grain of mustard seed!' And so they will be taken out of it, already blackened, and will be thrown into the River of Life ; and then they will come to life [lit., 'sprout'] as a herb sprouts by the side of a stream: and didst thou not see how it comes out, yellow and budding?" (Bukhari, on the authority of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, in Kitab al-iman and Kitab Bad al-Khalq; also Muslim, Nasa'i and Ibn Hanbal.) The characterization as "yellow and budding" - i.e., tender and of light colour - indicates the freshness of new life in the pardoned sinner. This, of course, has nothing to do with the sinners' futile and meaningless request on Judgment Day to be given a "second chance" on earth (Cf. 6:27 or 32:12). See also last but one sentence of 6:128 and the corresponding note 114.

هُوَ الَّذي يُريكُم آياتِهِ وَيُنَزِّلُ لَكُم مِنَ السَّماءِ رِزقًا ۚ وَما يَتَذَكَّرُ إِلّا مَن يُنيبُ

HE IT IS who shows you His wonders [in all nature], and sends down sustenance for you from the sky: but none bethinks himself [thereof] save those who are wont to turn to God.

فَادعُوا اللَّهَ مُخلِصينَ لَهُ الدّينَ وَلَو كَرِهَ الكافِرونَ

Invoke, then, God, sincere in your faith in Him alone, however hateful this may be to those who deny the truth!

رَفيعُ الدَّرَجاتِ ذُو العَرشِ يُلقِي الرّوحَ مِن أَمرِهِ عَلىٰ مَن يَشاءُ مِن عِبادِهِ لِيُنذِرَ يَومَ التَّلاقِ

High above all orders [of being] is He, in almightiness enthroned.¹¹ By His Own will does He bestow inspiration upon whomever He wills of His servants, so as to warn [all human beings of the coming] of the Day when they shall meet Him¹²

1. 11. Lit., "He of the throne of almightiness". For the meaning of the term arsh, see note 43 on 7:54 .
2. 12. Lit., "the Day of the Meeting". For my rendering of ar-ruh as "inspiration", see note 2 on 16:2, as well as note 71 on 2:87.

يَومَ هُم بارِزونَ ۖ لا يَخفىٰ عَلَى اللَّهِ مِنهُم شَيءٌ ۚ لِمَنِ المُلكُ اليَومَ ۖ لِلَّهِ الواحِدِ القَهّارِ

the Day when they shall come forth [from death], with nothing of themselves hidden from God. With whom will sovereignty rest on that Day? With God, the One who holds absolute sway over all that exists!

اليَومَ تُجزىٰ كُلُّ نَفسٍ بِما كَسَبَت ۚ لا ظُلمَ اليَومَ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَريعُ الحِسابِ

On that Day will every human being be requited for what he has earned: no wrong [will be done] on that Day: verily, swift in reckoning is God!

وَأَنذِرهُم يَومَ الآزِفَةِ إِذِ القُلوبُ لَدَى الحَناجِرِ كاظِمينَ ۚ ما لِلظّالِمينَ مِن حَميمٍ وَلا شَفيعٍ يُطاعُ

Hence, warn them of that Day which draws ever nearer, when the hearts will chokingly come up to the throats: no loving friend will the evildoers have, nor any intercessor who would be heeded:¹³

1. 13. Regarding the problem of "intercession" (shafa'ah) and its meaning in the Qur'an, see note 7 on 10:3.

يَعلَمُ خائِنَةَ الأَعيُنِ وَما تُخفِي الصُّدورُ

[for] He is aware of the [most] stealthy glance, and of all that the hearts would conceal.¹⁴

1. 14. God's omniscience is shown here as the reason why there can be no "intercession" with Him in the commonly accepted sense of this term (cf. surah 10 note 27).

وَاللَّهُ يَقضي بِالحَقِّ ۖ وَالَّذينَ يَدعونَ مِن دونِهِ لا يَقضونَ بِشَيءٍ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ السَّميعُ البَصيرُ

And God will judge in accordance with truth and justice, whereas those [beings] whom they invoke beside Him¹⁹ cannot judge at all: for, verily, God alone is all-hearing, all-seeing.

1. 19. Cf. the parable of the believer in 36:20 and, in particular, the corresponding note 15.

أَوَلَم يَسيروا فِي الأَرضِ فَيَنظُروا كَيفَ كانَ عاقِبَةُ الَّذينَ كانوا مِن قَبلِهِم ۚ كانوا هُم أَشَدَّ مِنهُم قُوَّةً وَآثارًا فِي الأَرضِ فَأَخَذَهُمُ اللَّهُ بِذُنوبِهِم وَما كانَ لَهُم مِنَ اللَّهِ مِن واقٍ

Have they, then, never journeyed about the earth and beheld what happened in the end to those [deniers of the truth] who lived before their time? Greater were they in power than they are, and in the impact which they left on earth: but God took them to task for their sins, and they had none to defend them against God:

ذٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُم كانَت تَأتيهِم رُسُلُهُم بِالبَيِّناتِ فَكَفَروا فَأَخَذَهُمُ اللَّهُ ۚ إِنَّهُ قَوِيٌّ شَديدُ العِقابِ

this, because their apostles had come to them with all evidence of the truth, and yet they rejected it: and so God took them to task - for, verily, He is powerful, severe in retribution!

وَلَقَد أَرسَلنا موسىٰ بِآياتِنا وَسُلطانٍ مُبينٍ

THUS, INDEED, did We send Moses with Our mes­sages and a manifest authority [from Us]

إِلىٰ فِرعَونَ وَهامانَ وَقارونَ فَقالوا ساحِرٌ كَذّابٌ

unto Pharaoh, and Haman, and Qarun;¹⁶ but they [only] said, “A spellbinder is he, a liar!

1. 16. As regards Qarun, who is said to have been a follower - and subsequently an opponent - of Moses, see 28:76 ff., as well as the corresponding note 84. For a discussion of the name "Haman", see note 6 on 28:6.

فَلَمّا جاءَهُم بِالحَقِّ مِن عِندِنا قالُوا اقتُلوا أَبناءَ الَّذينَ آمَنوا مَعَهُ وَاستَحيوا نِساءَهُم ۚ وَما كَيدُ الكافِرينَ إِلّا في ضَلالٍ

Now [as for Pharaoh and his followers,] when he came to them, setting forth the truth from Us, they said, “Slay the sons of those who share his beliefs,¹⁷ and spare [only] their women! - but the guile of those deniers of the truth could not lead to aught but failure.

1. 17. Lit., "those who have come to believe with him".

وَقالَ فِرعَونُ ذَروني أَقتُل موسىٰ وَليَدعُ رَبَّهُ ۖ إِنّي أَخافُ أَن يُبَدِّلَ دينَكُم أَو أَن يُظهِرَ فِي الأَرضِ الفَسادَ

And Pharaoh said: “Leave it to me to slay Moses - and let him invoke his [alleged] sustainer!¹⁸ Behold, I fear lest he cause you to change your religion, or lest he cause corruption to prevail in the land!

1. 18. My interpolation of the word "alleged" is necessitated by the obvious sarcasm of Pharaoh's remark.

وَقالَ موسىٰ إِنّي عُذتُ بِرَبّي وَرَبِّكُم مِن كُلِّ مُتَكَبِّرٍ لا يُؤمِنُ بِيَومِ الحِسابِ

But Moses said: “With [Him who is] my Sus­tainer as well as your Sustainer have I indeed found refuge from everyone who, immersed in false pride, will not believe in [the coming of] the Day of Reckon­ing!

وَقالَ رَجُلٌ مُؤمِنٌ مِن آلِ فِرعَونَ يَكتُمُ إيمانَهُ أَتَقتُلونَ رَجُلًا أَن يَقولَ رَبِّيَ اللَّهُ وَقَد جاءَكُم بِالبَيِّناتِ مِن رَبِّكُم ۖ وَإِن يَكُ كاذِبًا فَعَلَيهِ كَذِبُهُ ۖ وَإِن يَكُ صادِقًا يُصِبكُم بَعضُ الَّذي يَعِدُكُم ۖ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يَهدي مَن هُوَ مُسرِفٌ كَذّابٌ

At that, a believing man of Pharaoh's family, who [until then] had concealed his faith, exclaimed:²⁰ “Would you slay a man because he says, 'God is my Sustainer' - seeing, withal, that he has brought you all evidence of this truth from your Sustainer? Now if he be a liar, his lie will fall back on him; but if he is a man of truth, something [of the punishment] whereof he warns you is bound to befall you: for, verily, God would not grace with His guidance one who has wasted his own self by lying [about Him].*

1. 20. Lit., "a liar". As regards my rendering of musrif as "one who wastes [or "has wasted"] his own self", see note 21 on the last sentence of 10:12 . Thus, the anonymous believer spoken of here argues that the message brought by Moses is so convincing that, by itself, it is a proof of his not being "one who wastes his own self" - i.e., destroys himself spiritually - by a spurious claim to divine inspiration.

يا قَومِ لَكُمُ المُلكُ اليَومَ ظاهِرينَ فِي الأَرضِ فَمَن يَنصُرُنا مِن بَأسِ اللَّهِ إِن جاءَنا ۚ قالَ فِرعَونُ ما أُريكُم إِلّا ما أَرىٰ وَما أَهديكُم إِلّا سَبيلَ الرَّشادِ

“O my people! Yours is the dominion today, [and] most eminent are you on earth: but who will rescue us from God's punishment, once it befalls us? Said Pharaoh: “I but want to make you see what I see myself;²¹ and I would never make you follow any path but that of rectitude!

1. 21. Thus alluding to the reasons underlying his intention to kill Moses, expressed in verse 26.

وَقالَ الَّذي آمَنَ يا قَومِ إِنّي أَخافُ عَلَيكُم مِثلَ يَومِ الأَحزابِ

Thereupon exclaimed he who had attained to faith: “O my people! Verily, I fear for you the like of what one day befell those others who were leagued together [against God's truth] –

مِثلَ دَأبِ قَومِ نوحٍ وَعادٍ وَثَمودَ وَالَّذينَ مِن بَعدِهِم ۚ وَمَا اللَّهُ يُريدُ ظُلمًا لِلعِبادِ

the like of what happened to Noah's people, and to [the tribes of] Ad and Thamud and those who came after them! And, withal, God does not will any wrong for His crea­tures.²²

1. 22. I.e., those sinners were not wronged by what befell them in this world: they had deserved it. The next two verses refer to the Day of Judgment.

وَيا قَومِ إِنّي أَخافُ عَلَيكُم يَومَ التَّنادِ

“And, O my people, I fear for you [the coming of] that Day of [Judgment - the Day when you will be] calling unto one another [in distress] –

يَومَ تُوَلّونَ مُدبِرينَ ما لَكُم مِنَ اللَّهِ مِن عاصِمٍ ۗ وَمَن يُضلِلِ اللَّهُ فَما لَهُ مِن هادٍ

the Day when you will [wish to] turn your backs and flee, having none to defend you against God: for he whom God lets go astray can never find any guide.²³

1. 23. See note 152 on 7:186 and note 4 on 14:4.

وَلَقَد جاءَكُم يوسُفُ مِن قَبلُ بِالبَيِّناتِ فَما زِلتُم في شَكٍّ مِمّا جاءَكُم بِهِ ۖ حَتّىٰ إِذا هَلَكَ قُلتُم لَن يَبعَثَ اللَّهُ مِن بَعدِهِ رَسولًا ۚ كَذٰلِكَ يُضِلُّ اللَّهُ مَن هُوَ مُسرِفٌ مُرتابٌ

“And [remember:] it was to you that Joseph came aforetime with all evidence of the truth; but you never ceased to throw doubt on all [the messages] that he brought you - so much so that when he died, you said, 'Never will God send any apostle [even] after him!'²⁴ “In this way God lets go astray such as waste their own selves by throwing suspicion [on His revela­tions] –

1. 24. Thus not only refusing to acknowledge Joseph's prophethood, but also denying the pos­sibility of any prophet being sent by God (Zamakhshari). It would seem that Joseph had been accepted in Egypt as a prophet only by the ruling class, the Hyksos, who were of Arab origin, spoke a language closely related to Hebrew (cf. surah 12 note 44), and were, therefore, emotionally and culturally predisposed towards the spirit of Joseph's mission, while the rest of the population was and remained hostile to the faith preached by him.

الَّذينَ يُجادِلونَ في آياتِ اللَّهِ بِغَيرِ سُلطانٍ أَتاهُم ۖ كَبُرَ مَقتًا عِندَ اللَّهِ وَعِندَ الَّذينَ آمَنوا ۚ كَذٰلِكَ يَطبَعُ اللَّهُ عَلىٰ كُلِّ قَلبِ مُتَكَبِّرٍ جَبّارٍ

such as would call God's messages in question without having any evidence therefor:²⁵ [a sin] exceedingly loathsome in the sight of God and of those who have attained to faith. It is in this way that God sets a seal on every arrogant, self-exalting heart.²⁶

1. 25. Lit., "without any authority [or "evidence"] having come to them": i.e., without having any cogent evidence that would support their "denial" of the fact of revelation. The verb jadala primarily denotes "he argued"; followed by the particle fi ("with regard to" or "about") it has the meaning of "contesting" the truth of something, or "calling it in question".
2. 26. Lit., "on the heart of every arrogant, self-exalting [person]". For an explanation of God's "sealing" an inveterate sinner's heart, see note 7 on 2:7.

وَقالَ فِرعَونُ يا هامانُ ابنِ لي صَرحًا لَعَلّي أَبلُغُ الأَسبابَ

But Pharaoh said: “O Haman! Build me a lofty tower, that haply I may attain to the [right] means

أَسبابَ السَّماواتِ فَأَطَّلِعَ إِلىٰ إِلـٰهِ موسىٰ وَإِنّي لَأَظُنُّهُ كاذِبًا ۚ وَكَذٰلِكَ زُيِّنَ لِفِرعَونَ سوءُ عَمَلِهِ وَصُدَّ عَنِ السَّبيلِ ۚ وَما كَيدُ فِرعَونَ إِلّا في تَبابٍ

the means of approach to the heavens - and that [thus] I may have a look at the god of Moses:²⁷ for, behold, I am indeed certain that he is a liar! And thus, goodly seemed unto Pharaoh the evil of his own doings, and so he was barred from the path [of truth]: and Pharaoh's guile did not lead to aught but ruin.

1. 27. See surah 28 notes 6 and 37.

وَقالَ الَّذي آمَنَ يا قَومِ اتَّبِعونِ أَهدِكُم سَبيلَ الرَّشادِ

Still, the man who had attained to faith went on: “O my people! Follow me: I shall guide you onto the path of rectitude!

يا قَومِ إِنَّما هـٰذِهِ الحَياةُ الدُّنيا مَتاعٌ وَإِنَّ الآخِرَةَ هِيَ دارُ القَرارِ

“O my people! This worldly life is but a brief enjoyment, whereas, behold, the life to come is the home abiding.

مَن عَمِلَ سَيِّئَةً فَلا يُجزىٰ إِلّا مِثلَها ۖ وَمَن عَمِلَ صالِحًا مِن ذَكَرٍ أَو أُنثىٰ وَهُوَ مُؤمِنٌ فَأُولـٰئِكَ يَدخُلونَ الجَنَّةَ يُرزَقونَ فيها بِغَيرِ حِسابٍ

[There,] anyone who has done a bad deed will be requited with no more than the like thereof, whereas anyone, be it man or woman, who has done righteous deeds and is a believer withal - all such will enter paradise, wherein they shall be blest with good beyond all reckoning!²⁸

1. 28. I.e., beyond any earthly imagination. The concept of rizq (expressed in the verb yurzaqun) has here its full significance of all that is good and of benefit to a living being, comprising things material as well as intellectual and spiritual; hence my rendering of yurzaqun (lit., "they will be given sustenance") as "they shall be blest with good".

وَيا قَومِ ما لي أَدعوكُم إِلَى النَّجاةِ وَتَدعونَني إِلَى النّارِ

“And, O my people, how is it that I summon you to salvation, the while you summon me to the fire?²⁹

1. 29. Lit., "what is the matter with me": an expression of astonishment at the incongruity of the two attitudes referred to in the sequence.

تَدعونَني لِأَكفُرَ بِاللَّهِ وَأُشرِكَ بِهِ ما لَيسَ لي بِهِ عِلمٌ وَأَنا أَدعوكُم إِلَى العَزيزِ الغَفّارِ

- [for] you call upon me to deny [the one­ness of] God and to ascribe a share in His divinity to aught of which I cannot [possibly] have any knowl­edge the while I summon you to [a cognition of] the Almighty, the All-Forgiving!³⁰

1. 30. I.e., because there is no reality whatsoever in those supposedly "divine" beings or forces (Zamakhshari).

لا جَرَمَ أَنَّما تَدعونَني إِلَيهِ لَيسَ لَهُ دَعوَةٌ فِي الدُّنيا وَلا فِي الآخِرَةِ وَأَنَّ مَرَدَّنا إِلَى اللَّهِ وَأَنَّ المُسرِفينَ هُم أَصحابُ النّارِ

“There is no doubt that what you summon me to is something that has no claim to being invoked either in this world or in the life to come - as [there is no doubt] that unto God is our return, and that they who have wasted their own selves shall find them­selves in the fire:

فَسَتَذكُرونَ ما أَقولُ لَكُم ۚ وَأُفَوِّضُ أَمري إِلَى اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بَصيرٌ بِالعِبادِ

and at that time you will [have cause to] remember what I am telling you [now]. “But [as for me,] I commit myself unto God: for, verily, God sees all that is in [the hearts of] His servants.

فَوَقاهُ اللَّهُ سَيِّئَاتِ ما مَكَروا ۖ وَحاقَ بِآلِ فِرعَونَ سوءُ العَذابِ

And God preserved him from the evil of their scheming, whereas suffering vile was to encompass Pharaoh's folk:

النّارُ يُعرَضونَ عَلَيها غُدُوًّا وَعَشِيًّا ۖ وَيَومَ تَقومُ السّاعَةُ أَدخِلوا آلَ فِرعَونَ أَشَدَّ العَذابِ

the fire [of the hereafter - that fire] which they had been made to contemplate [in vain], morning and evening:³¹ for on the Day when the Last Hour dawns [God will say], “Make Phar­aoh's folk enter upon suffering most severe!

1. 31. I.e., of which they had been warned, day-in and day-out, by prophets and believers like the one spoken of in this passage.

وَإِذ يَتَحاجّونَ فِي النّارِ فَيَقولُ الضُّعَفاءُ لِلَّذينَ استَكبَروا إِنّا كُنّا لَكُم تَبَعًا فَهَل أَنتُم مُغنونَ عَنّا نَصيبًا مِنَ النّارِ

AND LO! They [who in life were wont to deny the truth] will contend with one another in the fire [of the hereafter]; and then the weak will say unto those who had gloried in their arrogance, “Behold, we were but your followers: can you, then, relieve us of some [of our] share of this fire?³²

1. 32. Cf. 14:21 and the corresponding notes 28 and 29.

قالَ الَّذينَ استَكبَروا إِنّا كُلٌّ فيها إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَد حَكَمَ بَينَ العِبادِ

[to which] they who had [once] been arrogant will reply, “Behold, we are all in it [together]! Verily, God has judged between His creatures!

وَقالَ الَّذينَ فِي النّارِ لِخَزَنَةِ جَهَنَّمَ ادعوا رَبَّكُم يُخَفِّف عَنّا يَومًا مِنَ العَذابِ

And they who are in the fire will say to the keepers of hell,³³ “Pray unto your Sustainer that He lighten, [though it be] for one day [only], this suffering of ours!

1. 33. I.e., the angelic forces that are to watch over the suffering of the sinners in the hereafter: perhaps an allegory of the belated awakening of the latters' conscience.

قالوا أَوَلَم تَكُ تَأتيكُم رُسُلُكُم بِالبَيِّناتِ ۖ قالوا بَلىٰ ۚ قالوا فَادعوا ۗ وَما دُعاءُ الكافِرينَ إِلّا في ضَلالٍ

[But the keepers of hell] will ask, “Is it not [true] that your apostles came unto you with all evidence of the truth? Those [in the fire] will reply, “Yea, indeed. [And the keepers of hell] will say, “Pray, then! - for the prayer of those who deny the truth cannot lead to aught but delusion.³⁴

1. 34. According to the classical commentators, this answer implies no more than a refusal on the part of the "keepers of hell" to intercede for the doomed sinners, telling them, as it were, "Pray yourselves, if you can." It seems to me, however, that we have here an indirect allusion to the sinners' erstwhile, blasphemous devotion to false objects of worship and false values - the meaning being, "Pray now to those imaginary powers to which you were wont to ascribe a share in God's divinity, and see whether they can help you!" This interpretation finds support in the next sentence, which speaks of the delusion (dalal) inherent in the prayers of "those who deny the truth", i.e., during their life on earth - for, obviously, on the Day of Judgment all such delusions will have disappeared.

إِنّا لَنَنصُرُ رُسُلَنا وَالَّذينَ آمَنوا فِي الحَياةِ الدُّنيا وَيَومَ يَقومُ الأَشهادُ

BEHOLD, We shall indeed succour Our apostles and those who have attained to faith, [both] in this world's life and on the Day when all the witnesses shall stand up³⁵

1. 35. See note 71 on 39:69.

يَومَ لا يَنفَعُ الظّالِمينَ مَعذِرَتُهُم ۖ وَلَهُمُ اللَّعنَةُ وَلَهُم سوءُ الدّارِ

the Day when their excuses will be of no avail to the evildoers, seeing that their lot will be rejection from all that is good, and a woeful hereafter.³⁶

1. 36. Lit., "the evil of the [otherworldly] abode". As regards the term la'nah, its primary significance is "estrangement" or "rejection"; in Quranic terminology it denotes "rejection from all that is good" (Lisan al-Arab) and, specifically, "estrangement from God's grace" (Zamakhshari).

وَلَقَد آتَينا موسَى الهُدىٰ وَأَورَثنا بَني إِسرائيلَ الكِتابَ

And, indeed, We bestowed aforetime [Our] guidance on Moses, and [thus] made the children of Israel heirs to the divine writ [revealed to him]

هُدًى وَذِكرىٰ لِأُولِي الأَلبابِ

as a [means of] guidance and a reminder for those who were endowed with insight:³⁷

1. 37. Sc., "and thus, too, have We bestowed Our revelation upon Muhammad". This connects with the opening words of verse 51, "We shall indeed succour Our apostles and those who have attained to faith", thus explaining the purport of the preceding story of the believer who stood up for Moses. The reference to "those [of the children of Israel] who were endowed with insight" and therefore could benefit from the message of Moses, is undoubtedly meant to remind the followers of the Qur'an that this divine writ, too, is for "those who are endowed with insight" (ulu l-albab), for "people who think" (qawm yatafakkarun), and "people who use their reason" (qawm ya'qilun).

فَاصبِر إِنَّ وَعدَ اللَّهِ حَقٌّ وَاستَغفِر لِذَنبِكَ وَسَبِّح بِحَمدِ رَبِّكَ بِالعَشِيِّ وَالإِبكارِ

hence, remain thou patient in adversity - for, verily, God's promise always comes true - and ask forgiveness for thy sins, and extol thy Sustainer's glory and praise by night and by day.³⁸

1. 38. According to all classical commentators, the above passage is addressed in the first instance to the Prophet and, through him, to every believer. As regards the Prophet himself, see note 41 on the last sentence of 24:31.

إِنَّ الَّذينَ يُجادِلونَ في آياتِ اللَّهِ بِغَيرِ سُلطانٍ أَتاهُم ۙ إِن في صُدورِهِم إِلّا كِبرٌ ما هُم بِبالِغيهِ ۚ فَاستَعِذ بِاللَّهِ ۖ إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّميعُ البَصيرُ

Behold, as for those who call God's messages in question without having any evidence therefore³⁹ in their hearts is nothing but overweening self-con­ceit, which they will never be able to satisfy:⁴⁰ seek thou, then, refuge with God - for, verily, He alone is all-hearing, all-seeing!

1. 39. See note 25 above.
2. 40. Lit., "which they will never [be able to] reach" or "fulfill". This is a reference to the conceit which makes many agnostics think that man is "self-sufficient" and that, therefore, there are no limits to what he may yet achieve, and no need to assume that he is responsible to a higher Power. Cf. in this connection 96:6, which is one of the earliest Quranic revelations: "Nay, verily, man becomes grossly overweening whenever he believes himself to be self-sufficient." And since this "self-sufficiency" is entirely illusory, those who build their world-view on it "will never be able to satisfy their overweening conceit". (Cf. also the reference to "arrogant, self-exalting hearts" in verse 35 above.)

لَخَلقُ السَّماواتِ وَالأَرضِ أَكبَرُ مِن خَلقِ النّاسِ وَلـٰكِنَّ أَكثَرَ النّاسِ لا يَعلَمونَ

Greater indeed than the creation of man is the creation of the heavens and the earth:⁴¹ yet most men do not understand [what this implies].

1. 41. I.e., of the universe as a whole. By stressing the fact that man is only a small, insignificant part of the universe, the Qur'an points out the absurdity of the man-centred world-view alluded to in the preceding verse.

وَما يَستَوِي الأَعمىٰ وَالبَصيرُ وَالَّذينَ آمَنوا وَعَمِلُوا الصّالِحاتِ وَلَا المُسيءُ ۚ قَليلًا ما تَتَذَكَّرونَ

But [then,] the blind and the seeing are not equal; and neither [can] they who have attained to faith and do good works and the doers of evil [be deemed equal]. How seldom do you keep this in mind!

إِنَّ السّاعَةَ لَآتِيَةٌ لا رَيبَ فيها وَلـٰكِنَّ أَكثَرَ النّاسِ لا يُؤمِنونَ

Verily, the Last Hour is sure to come: of this there is no doubt; yet most men will not believe it.⁴²

1. 42. I.e., refuse to admit to themselves that the world as they know it could ever come to an end: which is another aspect of the "overweening conceit" spoken of in verse 56 above.

وَقالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادعوني أَستَجِب لَكُم ۚ إِنَّ الَّذينَ يَستَكبِرونَ عَن عِبادَتي سَيَدخُلونَ جَهَنَّمَ داخِرينَ

But your Sustainer says: “Call unto Me, [and] I shall respond to you!⁴³ Verily, they who are too proud to worship Me will enter hell, abased!

1. 43. Cf. 2:186.

اللَّهُ الَّذي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ اللَّيلَ لِتَسكُنوا فيهِ وَالنَّهارَ مُبصِرًا ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَذو فَضلٍ عَلَى النّاسِ وَلـٰكِنَّ أَكثَرَ النّاسِ لا يَشكُرونَ

IT IS GOD who has made the night for you, so that you might rest therein, and the day, to make [you] see.⁴⁴ Behold, God is indeed limitless in His bounty unto man - but most men are ungrateful.

1. 44. See note 77 on 27:86.

ذٰلِكُمُ اللَّهُ رَبُّكُم خالِقُ كُلِّ شَيءٍ لا إِلـٰهَ إِلّا هُوَ ۖ فَأَنّىٰ تُؤفَكونَ

Such is God, your Sustainer, the Creator of all that exists: there is no deity save Him. How perverted, then, are your minds!⁴⁵

1. 45. Sc., "O you who deny this truth!" For my above rendering of tu'fakun, see note 90 on the last sentence of 5:75.

كَذٰلِكَ يُؤفَكُ الَّذينَ كانوا بِآياتِ اللَّهِ يَجحَدونَ

[For] thus it is: perverted are the minds of those who knowingly reject God's messages.⁴⁶

1. 46. see surah 29, note 45.

اللَّهُ الَّذي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الأَرضَ قَرارًا وَالسَّماءَ بِناءً وَصَوَّرَكُم فَأَحسَنَ صُوَرَكُم وَرَزَقَكُم مِنَ الطَّيِّباتِ ۚ ذٰلِكُمُ اللَّهُ رَبُّكُم ۖ فَتَبارَكَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ العالَمينَ

It is God who has made the earth a resting- place for you and the sky a canopy, and has formed you - and formed you so well⁴⁷ and provided for you sustenance out of the good things of life. Such is God, your Sustainer: hallowed, then, is God, the Sustainer of all the worlds!

1. 47. I.e., in accordance with the exigencies of human life. See also note 9 on the first sentence of 7:11 .

هُوَ الحَيُّ لا إِلـٰهَ إِلّا هُوَ فَادعوهُ مُخلِصينَ لَهُ الدّينَ ۗ الحَمدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ العالَمينَ

He is the Ever-Living; there is no deity save Him: call, then, unto Him [alone], sincere in your faith in Him. All praise is due to God, the Sustainer of all the worlds!

قُل إِنّي نُهيتُ أَن أَعبُدَ الَّذينَ تَدعونَ مِن دونِ اللَّهِ لَمّا جاءَنِيَ البَيِّناتُ مِن رَبّي وَأُمِرتُ أَن أُسلِمَ لِرَبِّ العالَمينَ

Say: “Since all evidence of the truth has come to me from my Sustainer, I am forbidden to worship [any of] those beings whom you invoke instead of God; and I am bidden to surrender myself to the Sustainer of all the worlds.

هُوَ الَّذي خَلَقَكُم مِن تُرابٍ ثُمَّ مِن نُطفَةٍ ثُمَّ مِن عَلَقَةٍ ثُمَّ يُخرِجُكُم طِفلًا ثُمَّ لِتَبلُغوا أَشُدَّكُم ثُمَّ لِتَكونوا شُيوخًا ۚ وَمِنكُم مَن يُتَوَفّىٰ مِن قَبلُ ۖ وَلِتَبلُغوا أَجَلًا مُسَمًّى وَلَعَلَّكُم تَعقِلونَ

It is He who creates you out of dust,⁴⁸ and then out of a drop of sperm, and then out of a germ-cell; and then He brings you forth as children; and then [He ordains] that you reach maturity, and then, that you grow old - though some of you [He causes to] die earlier -: and [all this He ordains] so that you might reach a term set [by Him],⁴⁹ and that you might [learn to] use your reason.

1. 48. See note 4 on 23:12.
2. 49. Or: "a term known [only to Him]" - cf. 6:2 and the corresponding note 2.

هُوَ الَّذي يُحيي وَيُميتُ ۖ فَإِذا قَضىٰ أَمرًا فَإِنَّما يَقولُ لَهُ كُن فَيَكونُ

It is He who grants life and deals death; and when He wills a thing to be, He but says unto it, “Be - and it is.

أَلَم تَرَ إِلَى الَّذينَ يُجادِلونَ في آياتِ اللَّهِ أَنّىٰ يُصرَفونَ

ART THOU NOT aware of how far they who call God's messages in question have lost sight of the truth?⁵⁰

1. 50. Lit., "how they are turned away" - i.e., from the truth: in this case, from all the observable evidence of God's almightiness and creative activity.

الَّذينَ كَذَّبوا بِالكِتابِ وَبِما أَرسَلنا بِهِ رُسُلَنا ۖ فَسَوفَ يَعلَمونَ

they who give the lie to this divine writ and [thus] to all [the messages] with which We sent forth Our apostles [of old]?⁵¹ But in time they will come to know [how blind they have been: they will know it on Judgment Day],

1. 51. Since, as the Qur'an so often points out, the fundamental truths set forth in all divine revelations are the same, a rejection of the last of them amounts to a rejection of all the preceding ones.

إِذِ الأَغلالُ في أَعناقِهِم وَالسَّلاسِلُ يُسحَبونَ

when they shall have to carry the shackles and chains [of their own making] around their necks,⁵²

1. 52. For an explanation of the allegory of "shackles" and "chains", see note 13 on 13:5, note 44 on the last but one sentence of 34:33, and notes 6 and 7 on 36:8.

فِي الحَميمِ ثُمَّ فِي النّارِ يُسجَرونَ

and are dragged into burning despair, and in the end become fuel for the fire [of hell].⁵³

1. 53. Thus Mujahid (as quoted by Tabari) explains the verb yusjarun. As regards my rendering of hamim as "burning despair", see surah 6, and note 62.

ثُمَّ قيلَ لَهُم أَينَ ما كُنتُم تُشرِكونَ

And then they will be asked: “Where now are those [powers] to which you were wont to ascribe divinity

مِن دونِ اللَّهِ ۖ قالوا ضَلّوا عَنّا بَل لَم نَكُن نَدعو مِن قَبلُ شَيئًا ۚ كَذٰلِكَ يُضِلُّ اللَّهُ الكافِرينَ

side by side with God? They will answer: “They have forsaken us - or, rather, what we were wont to invoke aforetime did not exist at all!⁵⁴ And they will be told:] “It is thus that God lets the deniers of the truth go astray:⁵⁵

1. 54. Lit., "we have not been invoking aforetime any [real] thing": thus realizing, belatedly, the intrinsic nothingness of all those imaginary powers and values - including the belief in man's alleged self-sufficiency and greatness - to which they paid homage in life.
2. 55. I.e., by allowing them to pursue illusions and foolish fancies in consequence of their unwillingness to acknowledge the self-evident truth of God's existence and uniqueness and of man's utter dependence on Him. For a discussion of the problem of God's "letting" a sinner go astray, see note 4 on 14:4.

ذٰلِكُم بِما كُنتُم تَفرَحونَ فِي الأَرضِ بِغَيرِ الحَقِّ وَبِما كُنتُم تَمرَحونَ

this is an out­come of your having arrogantly exulted on earth without any [concern for what is] right, and of your having been so full of self-conceit!

ادخُلوا أَبوابَ جَهَنَّمَ خالِدينَ فيها ۖ فَبِئسَ مَثوَى المُتَكَبِّرينَ

Enter [now] the gates of hell, therein to abide: and how vile an abode for all who are given to false pride!

فَاصبِر إِنَّ وَعدَ اللَّهِ حَقٌّ ۚ فَإِمّا نُرِيَنَّكَ بَعضَ الَّذي نَعِدُهُم أَو نَتَوَفَّيَنَّكَ فَإِلَينا يُرجَعونَ

HENCE, remain thou patient in adversity - for, verily, God's promise always comes true. And whether We show thee [in this world] something of what We hold in store for those [deniers of the truth], or whether We cause thee to die [ere that retribution takes place - know that, in the end], it is unto Us that they will be brought back.⁵⁶

1. 56. See the almost identical passage in 10:46 , as well as the corresponding notes 66 and 67.

وَلَقَد أَرسَلنا رُسُلًا مِن قَبلِكَ مِنهُم مَن قَصَصنا عَلَيكَ وَمِنهُم مَن لَم نَقصُص عَلَيكَ ۗ وَما كانَ لِرَسولٍ أَن يَأتِيَ بِآيَةٍ إِلّا بِإِذنِ اللَّهِ ۚ فَإِذا جاءَ أَمرُ اللَّهِ قُضِيَ بِالحَقِّ وَخَسِرَ هُنالِكَ المُبطِلونَ

And, indeed, [O Muhammad,] We sent forth apostles before thy time; some of them We have mentioned to thee,⁵⁷ and some of them We have not mentioned to thee. And it was not given to any apostle to bring forth a miracle other than by God's leave.⁵⁸ Yet when God's will becomes manifest,⁵⁹ judgment will [already] have been passed in all justice, and lost will be, then and there, all who tried to reduce to nothing [whatever they could not understand].*

1. 57. I.e., in the Qur'an.
2. 58. See 6:109 - "Miracles are in the power of God alone" - and the corresponding note 94. Both passages (6:109 and the present one) relate to the futile demand of Muhammad's opponents to be shown a miracle in proof of the divine origin of the Qur'an - the implication being that it is not God's will to convince the deniers of the truth by means of what is commonly regarded as "miracles".
3. 59. Lit., "when God's command comes, i.e., whether it be in this world or on the Day of Judgment: a reference to the retribution spoken of in verse 77 above.

اللَّهُ الَّذي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الأَنعامَ لِتَركَبوا مِنها وَمِنها تَأكُلونَ

It is God who [at all times works wonders for you:⁶⁰ thus, He] provides for you [all manner of] livestock, so that on some of them you may ride, and from some derive your food,⁶¹

1. 60. I.e., in this case, divine revelation as such. For the above rendering of al-mubtilun, see note 47 on the last sentence of 29:48.
2. 61. I.e., by providing in a wondrous manner the means of man's subsistence, and by endowing him with the miracle of a creative intellect which enables him to make fruitful use of so many natural phenomena. (This passage connects with the statement implied in verse 78 that "miracles are in the power of God alone". See note 58)

وَلَكُم فيها مَنافِعُ وَلِتَبلُغوا عَلَيها حاجَةً في صُدورِكُم وَعَلَيها وَعَلَى الفُلكِ تُحمَلونَ

and find [yet other] benefits in them;⁶² and that through them you may attain to the fulfillment of [many] a heartfelt need:⁶³ for on them, as on ships, you are borne [through life].

1. 62. The "other benefits" are both concrete and abstract in their nature: concrete benefits like wool, skins, etc., and abstract ones like beauty (cf. 16:6, as well as Solomon's reverence for the God-created beauty of horses expressed in 38:31) or the all-time companionship of man and dog symbolized in the legend of the Men of the Cave (18:18 and 22).
2. 63. Lit., "a need in your bosoms" [or "hearts"]: i.e., a genuine need.

وَيُريكُم آياتِهِ فَأَيَّ آياتِ اللَّهِ تُنكِرونَ

And [thus] He displays His wonders before you: which, then, of God's wonders can you still deny?

أَفَلَم يَسيروا فِي الأَرضِ فَيَنظُروا كَيفَ كانَ عاقِبَةُ الَّذينَ مِن قَبلِهِم ۚ كانوا أَكثَرَ مِنهُم وَأَشَدَّ قُوَّةً وَآثارًا فِي الأَرضِ فَما أَغنىٰ عَنهُم ما كانوا يَكسِبونَ

HAVE THEY, then, never journeyed about the earth and beheld what happened in the end to those [deniers of the truth] who lived before their time? More numerous were they, and greater in power than they are, and in the impact which they left on earth: but all that they ever achieved was of no avail to them –

فَلَمّا جاءَتهُم رُسُلُهُم بِالبَيِّناتِ فَرِحوا بِما عِندَهُم مِنَ العِلمِ وَحاقَ بِهِم ما كانوا بِهِ يَستَهزِئونَ

for when their apostles came to them with all evidence of the truth, they arrogantly exulted in whatever knowledge they [already] possessed:⁶⁴ and [so, in the end,] they were overwhelmed by the very thing which they were wont to deride.⁶⁵

1. 64. I.e., they were fully satisfied with their own empirically or speculatively acquired or inherited knowledge; and so, in their arrogant conviction that man is "self-sufficient" and, therefore, not in need of any guidance by a Power beyond the reach of human perception, they rejected whatever ethical and spiritual truths were offered them by the prophets.
2. 65. I.e., the idea of God's existence and inescapable judgment: see 6:10 and the corresponding note 9.

فَلَمّا رَأَوا بَأسَنا قالوا آمَنّا بِاللَّهِ وَحدَهُ وَكَفَرنا بِما كُنّا بِهِ مُشرِكينَ

And then, when they [clearly] beheld Our punishment,⁶⁶ they said: “We have come to believe in the One God, and we have renounced all belief in that to which we were wont to ascribe a share in His divinity!⁶⁷

1. 66. I.e., the God-willed, catastrophic breakdown of their society and civilization in consequence of their persistent rejection of all spiritual values.
2. 67. This evidently includes their past belief in man's supposedly "unlimited possibilities" and the illusory conviction that one day he would achieve "mastery over nature".

فَلَم يَكُ يَنفَعُهُم إيمانُهُم لَمّا رَأَوا بَأسَنا ۖ سُنَّتَ اللَّهِ الَّتي قَد خَلَت في عِبادِهِ ۖ وَخَسِرَ هُنالِكَ الكافِرونَ

But their attaining to faith after they had beheld Our punishment could not possibly benefit them⁶⁸ such being the way of God that has always obtained for His creatures -: and so, then and there, lost were they who had denied the truth.⁶⁹

1. 68. I.e., firstly, because this belated faith could not unmake a reality which had already come into being, and, secondly, because it could not contribute to their spiritual growth inasmuch as it was not an outcome of free choice but had been, rather, forced on them by the shock of an irreversible calamity.
2. 69. The "way of God" (sunnat Allah) is the Quranic term for the totality of natural laws instituted by the Creator: in this case, the law that faith has no spiritual value unless it arises out of a genuine, inner enlightenment.