The Message of

THE QUR'AN

TRANSLATED AND EXPLAINED

by

Muhammad Asad

DAR AL-ANDALUS
GIBRALTAR
 A preliminary, limited edition of part
of this work, comprising the first nine
surahs of the Qur’an, was published in 1964.

Complete edition published in 1980

by Dar al-Andalus Limited, 3 Library Ramp, Gibraltar.

© Copyright, 1980, by Pola Hamida Asad

Distributors:
E. J. Brill - London
publishers and booksellers
41, Museum Street
London WC1A 1LX

Printed by Cahill Primera Limited

Bail Wall Road, Dublin J
 For people who think

PUBLISHED BY THE GRACE OF GOD

AT THE BEGINNING OF
THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY OF THE HIJRAH
 ERRATA

PUe 2, note 2, line 5: for “Qur’an” read “Qur’an”

31, 122, 3: for “Ishamel’s” read “Ishmael’s”
39, 159, 1: for “of” read “or”
122, 110, 1: “inded” read “indeed”
125, 130, 2: for “idomatic” read “idiomatic”
141, 10, 7: for “expressed” read “expresses”
151, 54, 3: for “evil itself” read “evil in itself
157, 81, 14: for “wordly” read “worldly”
168, 137, 19: for utastali'” read “tastafi*"
228, 133, 4: for “explain” read “explains”
240, 19, 3: for “ra/Hÿ” read
242, 28, 8: for “Qur'an" read “Qur’an”
251, 71, 5: for “army” read “force”
289, 11. 4: for “has” read “hast”
311, 5, 2; for “is” read “if
354, 104, 1: for “ 'ala” read “ 'ala”
376, 39, 2: for “denote” read “denotes”
402, 62, 2: for “to dedicate” read “of dedicating”
409, 109, 3: for “expiais” read “explains”
411, 118, 3: for “to astray” read “to go astray"
452, 81, 2: for “is is confined” read “it is confined”
516, 82, 2: for “emplanation” read “explanation”
521, 13, 3: period missing at the end of note
541, 52, 7: for “mediterranean” read “Mediterranean ”
581, 36, 4: for domainion" read “dominion"
617, 2, 10: for "with Persians" read “with the Persians”
621, 22, 3: closing parenthesis missing at the end of note
629, 17. 1: for “tafjf” read “iflfjf”
722, 24, 3: comma instead of semicolon at the end of line
730, 3, 5: for “diflerentation" read “differentiation”
740, 7, 4: for “let" read “lets"
744, 29, 4: for “ommission” read “omission”
749, first line of text: for “Jfa. Mim1” read “tfû. Mwi.*"
783, note 43, line 1 : comma instead of period at the end of line
802, 7, 1: for “Tty” read “Tty”
808, 11, 5: for “pleasureable" read “pleasurable"
825, 6, 3: comma instead of period after the word “explanation
841, 42, 8: for “every-growing” read “ever-growing”
957, 8, 1: comma instead of period after the word “sense”
983, 1, 7: for “nludst” read “alluding to”
 Contents

Foreword .................................................................................................................................... j
Works of Reference...................................................................................................................

sOrah

1 Al-Fätihah (The Opening).............................................................................................. 1

2 Al-Baqarah (The Cow).................................................................................................. 3
3 ÄI *Imrân (The House of Imrân) .............................................................................. 65

4 An-Nisä* (Women) ....................................................................................................... 100

5 Al-Mä'idah (The Repast)............................................................................................. 139
6 Al-Aneäm (Cattle) ....................................................................................................... 171
7 Al-A'räf (The Faculty of Discernment)................................................................... 202
8 Al-Anfäl (Spoils of War)............................................................................................. 236
9 At-Tawbah (Repentance)............................................................................................. 254
10 Yunus (Jonah).................................................................................................................. 287
11 Hud .................................................................................................................................. 310
12 Yüsuf (Joseph).................................................................................................................. 336
13 Ar-Ra'd (Thunder) ........................................................................................................ 356
14 Ibrâhîm (Abraham) ....................................................................................................... 370
15 Al-Hijr ............................................................................................................................. 382
16 An-Nahl (The Bee)....................................................................................................... 393
17 Al-Isrâ* (The Night Journey)........................................................................................ 417
18 Al-Kahf (The Cave)........................................................................................................ 437
19 Maryam (Mary) ............................................................................................................. 457
20 Tä Hä (O Man) ............................................................................................................. 470
21 Al-Anbiyä* (The Prophets) ........................................................................................ 487
22 Al-Hajj (The Pilgrimage) ............................................................................................. 504
23 Al-Mu'minün (The Believers) ................................................................................... 519
24 An-Nür (The Light)........................................................................................................ 532
25 Al-Furqän (The Standard of True and False) ......................................................... 549
26 Ash-Shu'ariP (The Poets)............................................................................................. 560
27 An-Nami (The Ants) ................................................................................................... 576
SÜRAH

28 Ai-Qa^af (The Story) ......................................................................................................

H
29 Al-'Ankabüt (The Spider)................................................................................................
30 Ar-Rüm (The Byzantines).................................................................................................

31 Luqmän.................................................................................................................................
32 As-Sajdah (Prostration) .................................................................................................

33 Al-Ahzäb (The Confederates) ......................................................................................

34 Sabä'(Sheba) ......................................................................................................................
35 Al-Fätir (The Originator).................................................................................................
36 Yâ Sin (O Thou Human Being)......................................................................................

37 Af-$affät (Those Ranged in Ranks) ................................................................................

38 ................................................................................................................................................
39 Az-Zumar (The Throngs).....................................................................................................
40 Ghäfir (Forgiving).....................................................................................................................

41 Fuffilat (Clearly Spelled Out) ..........................................................................................

42 Ash-Shürâ (Consultation).....................................................................................................

43 Zukhruf (Gold)...........................................................................................................................
44 Ad-Dukhân (Smoke)................................................................................................................

45 Al-Jäthiyah (Kneeling Down) ..........................................................................................

46 Al-Ahqâf (The Sand-Dunes)................................................................................................

47 Muhammad................................................................................................................................
48 Al-Fath (Victory).....................................................................................................................
49 Al-Hujurät (The Private Apartments)...............................................................................

50 Qâf...............................................................................................................................................
51 Adh-Dhâriyât (The Dust-Scattering Winds)................................................................

52 Af-T^r (Mount Sinai) .....................................................................................................

S=

53 An-Najm (The Unfolding)................................................................................................

54 Al-Qamar (The Moon).....................................................................................................

55 Ar-Rahmän (The Most Gracious) ................................................................................
H H ?!

56 Ai-WdqFah (That Which Must Come to Pass)...........................................................

57 Al-tfadtd (Iron) ................................................................................................................

58 Al-Mujädalah (The Pleading)...........................................................................................
59 Al-fjashr (The Gathering)................................................................................................

60 Al-Mumtahanah (The Examined One) .....................................................................

61 As-$aff (The Ranks)...........................................................................................................

H?

62 Al-Jumu'ah (The Congregation).....................................................................................

63 Al-Mundfiqdn (The Hypocrites)......................................................................................
SÜRAH

64 At-Taghäbun (Loss and Gain) ..................................................................................

65 A(-Taläq (Divorce) .......................................................................................................
66 At-Tabrîm (Prohibition) .............................................................................................
67 Al-Mulk (Dominion).......................................................................................................
68 Al-Qalam (The Pen).......................................................................................................
69 Al-Hâqqah (The Laying-Bare of the Truth)..............................................................
70 Al-Ma*ârij (The Ways of Ascent)..............................................................................
71 Nub (Noah).......................................................................................................................
72 Al-Jinn (The Unseen Beings)........................................................................................
73 Al-Muzzammil (The Enwrapped One)........................................................................
74 Al-Muddaththir (The Enfolded One)........................................................................
75 Al-Qiyämah (Resurrection) ........................................................................................
76 Al-Insän (Man) .............................................................................................................
77 Al-Mursalät (Those Sent Forth)...................................................................................
78 An-Nabä* (The Tiding)..................................................................................................
79 An-Nazi*at (Those That Rise) ..................................................................................
80 *Abasa (He Frowned) ..................................................................................................
81 At-Takwïr (Shrouding in Darkness) ........................................................................
82 Al-Infi(är (The Cleaving Asunder).............................................................................
83 Al-Mufaffifin (Those Who Give Short Measure)....................................................
84 Al-Inshiqäq (The Splitting Asunder) ........................................................................
85 Al-Burüj (The Great Constellations) ........................................................................
86 Af-Târiq (That Which Comes in the Night)..............................................................

87 Al-A*lä (The All-Highest).............................................................................................

88 Al-Ghäshiyah (The Overshadowing Event)..............................................................

89 Al-Fajr (The Daybreak) .............................................................................................

90 Al-Balad (The Land) ..................................................................................................
91 Ash-Shams (The Sun) ..................................................................................................
92 Al-Layl (The Night).......................................................................................................
93 Aj-Quba (The Bright Morning Hours) ...................................................................
94 Ash-Sharb (The Opening-Up of the Heart)..............................................................

95 At-TTn (The Fig).............................................................................................................

96 Al-Alaq (The Germ-Cell).............................................................................................
97 Al-Qadr (Destiny)
98 Al-Bayyinah (The Evidence of the Truth)

99 Az-Zalzalah (The Earthquake)

SÜRAH

100 Al-'Ädiyät (The Chargers).....................................................................................................

101 Al-Qäri'ah (The Sudden Calamity).....................................................................................

102 At-Takäthur (Greed for More and More) .....................................................................
103 Al-cA$r (The Flight of Time) ...........................................................................................

104 Al-Humazah (The Slanderer)................................................................................................

105 Al-Fil (The Elephant) ...........................................................................................................
106 Quraysh.....................................................................................................................................
107 Al-Mä'ün (Assistance)..........................................................................................................
108 Al-Kawthar (Good in Abundance).....................................................................................

109 Al-Käfirün (Those Who Deny the Truth) .....................................................................

110 An-Na$r (Succour) ................................................................................................................

Ill Al-Masad (The Twisted Strands) .....................................................................................

112 Al-Ikhlâ$ (The Declaration of [God’s] Perfection) .....................................................
113 Al-Falaq (The Rising Dawn)................................................................................................

114 An-Näs (Men)..........................................................................................................................

Appendices:
I Symbolism and Allegory in the Qur’än.............................................................................

i
.1
II Al-Muqafta'ät..........................................................................................................................
Ill On the Term and Concept of Jinn .....................................................................................

IV The Night Journey..................................................................................................................... 1

?
 Foreword
t^EAD in the name of thy Sustainer, who has created -
J.\ created man out of a germ-cell!
Read - for thy Sustainer is the Most Bountiful One
who has taught [man] the use of the pen -
taught man what he did not know.
With these opening verses of the ninety-sixth sürah - with an allusion to man’s humble
biological origin as well as to his consciousness and intellect - began, early in the seventh
century of the Christian era, the revelation of the Qur’an to the Prophet Muhammad,
destined to continue during the twenty-three years of his ministry and to end, shortly
before his death, with verse 281 of the second sürah:

And be conscious of the Day on which you shall be brought back

unto God, whereupon every human being shall be repaid in full for
what he has earned, and none shall be wronged.

Between these first and last verses (the first and the last in the chronological order of
their revelation) 1 unfolds a book which, more than any other single phenomenon known
to us, has fundamentally affected the religious, social and political history of the world.
No other sacred scripture has ever had a similarly immediate impact upon the lives of
the people who first heard its message and, through them and the generations that
followed them, on the entire course of civilization. It shook Arabia, and made a nation
out of its perennially warring tribes; within a few decades, it spread its world-view far
beyond the confines of Arabia and produced the first ideological society known to man;
through its insistence on consciousness and knowledge, it engendered among its fol­
lowers a spirit of intellectual curiosity and independent inquiry, ultimately resulting in
that splendid era of learning and scientific research which distinguished the world of
Islam at the height of its cultural vigour; and the culture thus fostered by the Qur’an
penetrated in countless ways and by-ways into the mind of medieval Europe and gave
rise to that revival of Western culture which we call the Renaissance, and thus became
in the course of time largely responsible for the birth of what is described as the “age of
science”: the age in which we are now living.
Ail this was, in the final analysis, brought about by the message of the Qur’an: and it
was brought about through the medium of the people whom it inspired and to whom it
supplied a basis for all their ethical valuations and a direction for all their worldly
endeavours: for, never has any book-not excluding the Bible-been read by so many
with a comparable intensity and veneration; and never has any other book supplied to so
many, and over so long a span of time, a similarly comprehensive answer to the
question, “How shall I behave in order to achieve the good life in this world and
happiness in the life to come?” However often individual Muslims may have misread
this answer, and however far many of them may have departed from the spirit of its
message, the fact remains that to all who believed and believe in it, the Qur’an represents

~~1 It is to be bome in mind that, in its final compilation, the Qur’än is arranged in accordance
with the inner requirements of its message as a whole, and not m the chronological order in which
the individual sürahs or passages were revealed.
FOREWORD

the ultimate manifestation of God's grace to man, the ultimate wisdom, and the ultimate
beauty of expression: in short, the true Word of God.
This attitude of the Muslims towards the Qur’an perplexes, as a rule, the Westerner
who approaches it through one or another of the many existing translations. Where the
believer, reading the Qur’an in Arabic, sees beauty, the non-Muslim reader often claims
to discern “crudeness”; the coherence of the Qur’anic world-view and its relevance to
the human condition escape him altogether and assume the guise of what, in Europe’s
and America’s orientalist literature, is frequently described as “incoherent rambling”;2
and passages which, to a Muslim, are expressive of sublime wisdom, often sound “flat”
and “uninspiring” to the Western ear. And yet, not even the most unfriendly critics of
the Qur’an have ever denied that it did, in fact, provide the supreme source of
inspiration - in both the religious and cultural senses of this word-to innumerable
millions of people who, in their aggregate, have made an outstanding contribution to
man’s knowledge, civilization and social achievement. How can this paradox be ex­
plained?
It cannot be explained by the too-facile argument, so readily accepted by many
modern Muslims, that the Qur’an has been “deliberately misrepresented ” by its Western
translators. For, although it cannot be denied that among the existing translations in
almost all of the major European languages there is many a one that has been inspired
by malicious prejudice and - especially in earlier times - by misguided “missionary” zeal,
there is hardly any doubt that some of the more recent translations are the work of
earnest scholars who, without being actuated by any conscious bias, have honestly
endeavoured to render the meaning of the Arabic original into this or that European
language; and, in addition, there exist a number of modern translations by Muslims who,
by virtue of their being Muslims, cannot by any stretch of the imagination be supposed
to have “misrepresented” what, to them, was a sacred revelation. Still, none of these
translations - whether done by Muslims or by non-Muslims - has so far brought the
Qur’an nearer to the hearts or minds of people raised in a different religious and
psychological climate and revealed something, however little, of its real depth and
wisdom. To some extent this may be due to the conscious and unconscious prejudice
against Islam which has pervaded Western cultural notions ever since the time of the
Crusades-an intangible heritage of thought and feeling which has left its mark on the
attitude towards all things Islamic on the part not only of the Western “man in the
street” but also, in a more subtle manner, on the part of scholars bent on objective
research. But even this psychological factor does not sufficiently explain the complete
lack of appreciation of the Qur’än in the Western world, and this in spite of its
undeniable and ever-increasing interest in all that concerns the world of Islam.
It is more than probable that one of the main reasons for this lack of appreciation is to
be found in that aspect of the Qur’fin which differentiates it fundamentally from all other
sacred scriptures: its stress on reason as a valid way to faith as well as its insistence on
the inseparability of the spiritual and the physical (and, therefore, also social) spheres of
human existence: the inseparability of man’s daily actions and behaviour, however
“mundane”, from his spiritual life and destiny. This absence of any division of reality

2 Thus, for instance, Western critics of the Qur’än frequently point to the allegedly “inco­
herent" references to God-often in one and the same phrase-as “He”, “God”, “We” or “I”,
with the corresponding changes of the pronoun from “His" to “Ours" or “My", or from “Him" to
“Us" or “Me". They seem to be unaware of the fact that these changes are not accidental, and not
even what one might describe as “poetic licence", but are obviously deliberate: a linguistic device
meant to stress the idea that God is not a “person" and cannot, therefore, be really circumscribed
by the pronouns applicable to finite beings.
 FOREWORD
into “physical” and “spiritual” compartments makes it difficult for people brought up in
the orbit of other religions, with their accent on the “supernatural” element allegedly
inherent in every true_ religious experience, to appreciate the predominantly rational
approach of die Qur’an to all religious questions. Consequently, its constant inter­
weaving of spiritual teachings with practical legislation perplexes the Western reader,
who has become accustomed to identifying “religious experience” with a thrill of
numinous awe before things hidden and beyond all intellectual comprehension, and is
suddenly confronted with the claim of the Qur’an to being a guidance not only towards
the spiritual good of the hereafter but also towards the good life — spiritual, physical and
social - attainable in this world. In short, the Westerner cannot readily accept the
Qur’anic thesis that all life, being God-given, is a unity, and that problems of the flesh
and of the mind, of sex and economics, of individual righteousness and social equity are
intimately connected with the hopes which man may legitimately entertain with regard to
his life after death. This, in my opinion, is one of the reasons for the negative,
uncomprehending attitude of most Westerners towards the Qur’an and its teachings. But
still another - and perhaps even more decisive - reason may be found in the fact that the
Qur'an itself has never yet been presented in any European language in a manner which
would make it truly comprehensible.
When we look at the long list of translations - beginning with the Latin works of the
high Middle Ages and continuing up to the present in almost every European tongue -
we find one common denominator between their authors, whether Muslims or non­
Muslims: all of them were-or are-people who acquired their knowledge of Arabic
through academic study alone: that is, from books. None of them, however great his
scholarship, has ever been familiar with the Arabic language as a person is familiar with
his own, having absorbed the nuances of its idiom and its phraseology with an active,
associative response within himself, and hearing it with an ear spontaneously attuned to
the intent underlying the acoustic symbolism of its words and sentences. For, the words
and sentences of a language-any language-are but symbols for meanings convention­
ally, and subconsciously, agreed upon by those who express their perception of reality
by means of that particular tongue. Unless the translator is able to reproduce within
himself the conceptual symbolism of the language in question - that is, unless he hears it
“sing” in his ear in all its naturalness and immediacy-his translation will convey no
more than the outer shell of the literary matter to which his work is devoted, and will
miss, to a higher or lesser degree, the inner meaning of the original: and the greater the
depth of the original, the farther must such a translation deviate from its spirit.
No doubt, some of the translators of the Qur’an whose works are accessible to the
Western public can be described as outstanding scholars in the sense of having mastered
the Arabic grammar and achieved a considerable knowledge of Arabic literature; but this
mastery of grammar and this acquaintance with literature cannot by itself, in the case of
a translation from Arabic (and especially the Arabic of the Qur’an), render the translator
independent of that intangible communion with the spirit of the language which can be
achieved only by living with and in it.
Arabic is a Semitic tongue: in fact, it is the only Semitic tongue which has remained
uninterruptedly alive for thousands of years; and it is the only living language which has
remained entirely unchanged for the last fourteen centuries. These two factors are
extremely relevant to the problem which we arc considering. Since every language is a
framework of symbols expressing its people’s particular sense of life-values and their
particular way of conveying their perception of reality, it is obvious that the language of
the Arabs-a Semitic language which has remained unchanged for so many centuries-
must differ widely from anything to which the Western mind is accustomed. The

iii
FOREWORD

difference of the Arabic idiom from any European idiom is not merely a matter of its
syntactic cast and the mode in which it conveys ideas; nor is it exclusively due to the
well-known, extreme flexibility of the Arabic grammar arising from its peculiar system
of verbal “roots” and the numerous stem-forms which can be derived from these roots;
nor even to the extraordinary richness of the Arabic vocabulary: it is a difference of
spirit and life-sense. And since the Arabic of the Qur’an is a language which attained to
its full maturity in the Arabia of fourteen centuries ago, it follows that in order to grasp
its spirit correctly, one must be able to feel and hear this language as the Arabs felt and
heard it at the time when the Qur’an was being revealed, and to understand the meaning
which they gave to the linguistic symbols in which it is expressed.
We Muslims believe that the Qur’an is the Word of God, revealed to the Prophet
Muhammad through the medium of a human language. It was the language of the
Arabian Peninsula: the language of a people endowed with that peculiar quick-witted­
ness which the desert and its feel of wide, timeless expanses bestows upon its children:
the language of people whose mental images, flowing without effort from association to
association, succeed one another in rapid progression and often vault elliptically over
intermediate-as it were, “self-understood” - sequences of thought towards the idea
which they aim to conceive or express. This ellipticism (called îjâz by the Arab
philologists) is an integral characteristic of the Arabic idiom and, therefore, of the
language of the Qur’an - so much so that it is impossible to understand its method and
inner purport without being able to reproduce within oneself, instinctively, something of
the same quality of elliptical, associative thought. Now this ability comes to the educated
Arab almost automatically, by a process of mental osmosis, from his early childhood:
for, when he learns to speak his tongue properly, he subconsciously acquires the mould
of thought within which it has evolved and, thus, imperceptibly grows into the conceptual
environment from which the Arabic language derives its peculiar form and mode of
expression. Not so, however, the non-Arab who becomes acquainted with Arabic only at
a mature age, in result of a conscious effort, that is, through study: for, what he acquires
is but a ready-made, outward structure devoid of that intangible quality of ellipticism
which gives to the Arabic idiom its inner life and reality.
This does not, however, mean that a non-Arab can never understand Arabic in its true
spirit: it means no more and no less than that he cannot really master it through
academic study alone, but needs, in addition to philological learning, an instinctive
“feel” of the language. Now it so happens that such a “feel” cannot be achieved by
merely living among the modern Arabs of the cities. Although many of them, especially
the educated ones, may have subconsciously absorbed the spirit of their language, they
can only rarely communicate it to an outsider - for the simple reason that, however high
their linguistic education, their daily speech has become, in the course of centuries,
largely corrupted and estranged from pristine Arabic. Thus, in order to obtain the
requisite “feel” of the Arabic language, a non-Arab must have lived in long and intimate
association with people whose daily speech mirrors the genuine spirit of their language,
and whose mental processes are similar to those of the Arabs who lived at the time when
the Arabic tongue received its final colouring and inner form. In our day, such people are
only the bedouin of the Arabian Peninsula, and particularly those of Central and
Eastern Arabia. For, notwithstanding the many dialectical peculiarities in which their
speech may differ from the classical Arabic of the Qur’fin, it has remained - so far - very
close to the idiom of the Prophet’s time and has preserved all its intrinsic charac­
teristics.3 In other words, familiarity with the bedouin speech of Central and Eastern

3 It is to be noted that under the impact of modern economic circumstances, which have
 FOREWORD
Arabia-in addition, of course, to academic knowledge of classical Arabic-is the only
way for a non-Arab of our time to achieve an intimate understanding of the diction of
the Qur an. And because none of the scholars who have previously translated the Qur’an
into European languages has ever fulfilled this prerequisite, their translations have
remained but distant, and faulty, echoes of its meaning and spirit.

THE WORK which I am now placing before the public is based on a lifetime of study and of
many years spent in Arabia. It is an attempt - perhaps the first attempt-at a really
idiomatic, explanatory rendition of the Qur’anic message into a European language.
None the less, I do not claim to have “translated” the Qur’an in the sense in
which, say, Plato or Shakespeare can be translated. Unlike any other book, its meaning and
its linguistic presentation form one unbreakable whole. The position of individual words in
a sentence, the rhythm and sound of its phrases and their syntactic construction, the
manner in which a metaphor flows almost imperceptibly into a pragmatic statement, the
use of acoustic stress not merely in the service of rhetoric but as a means of alluding to
unspoken but clearly implied ideas: all this makes the Qur’an, in the last resort, unique
and untranslatable — a fact that has been pointed out by many earlier translators and by
all Arab scholars. But although it is impossible to “reproduce” the Qur’an as such in any
other language, it is none the less possible to render its message comprehensible to
people who, like most Westerners, do not know Arabic at all or - as is the case with most
of the educated non-Arab Muslims-not well enough to find their way through it
unaided.
To this end, the translator must be guided throughout by the linguistic usage prevalent
at the time of the revelation of the Qur’an, and must always bear in mind that some of its
expressions - especially such as relate to abstract concepts - have in the course of time
undergone a subtle change in the popular mind and should not, therefore, be translated
in accordance with the sense given to them by post-classical usage. As has been pointed
out by that great Islamic scholar, Muhammad 'Abduh,4 even some of the renowned,
otherwise linguistically reliable Qur’ân-commentators have occasionally erred in this
respect; and their errors, magnified by the inadequacy of modern translators, have led to
many a distortion, and sometimes to a total incomprehensibility, of individual Qur’anic
passages in their European renditions.
Another (and no less important) point which the translator must take fully into
account is the ïjâz of the Qur’an: that inimitable ellipticism which often deliberately
omits intermediate thought-clauses in order to express the final stage of an idea as pithily
and concisely as is possible within the limitations of a human language. This method of

radically changed the time-honoured way of life of the bedouin and brought them, by means of
school education and the radio, into direct contact with the Levantine culture of the cities, the
purity of their language is rapidly disappearing and may soon cease to be a living guide to students
of the Arabic tongue.
4 The reader will find in my explanatory notes frequent references to views held by Muhammad
cAbduh (1849^1905) His importance in the context of the modern world of Islam can never be
sufficiently stressed It may be stated without exaggeration that every single trend in contemporary
lough!can! Uaced back to the influence, direct or indirect of lb» most outstandingof
nil io I a mir thinkers The Our’än-commentary planned and begun by him was interrupted
by tol "th iSoilt was continued (but unfortunately also left incomplete) by Ms pupil Rashid
Ridr u^l tbe lk Wsrr nl-Mondr. and has been extensive!,
ÄlulXillCÄ Adams, fs^trnd

Modernism in Egypt (London 1933).

FOREWORD

ïjâz is, as I have explained, a peculiar, integral aspect of the Arabic language, and has
reached its utmost perfection in the Qur’an. In order to render its meaning into a
language which does not function in a similarly elliptical manner, the thought-links which
are missing-that is, deliberately omitted-in the original must be supplied by the
translator in the form of frequent interpolations between brackets; for, unless this is
done, the Arabic phrase concerned loses all its life in the translation and often becomes
a meaningless jumble.
Furthermore, one must beware of rendering, in each and every case, the religious
terms used in the Qur’an in the sense which they have acquired after Islam had become
“institutionalized ” into a definite set of laws, tenets and practices. However legitimate
this “institutionalization” may be in the context of Islamic religious history, it is obvious
that the Qur’än cannot be correctly understood if we read it merely in the light of later
ideological developments, losing sight of its original purport and the meaning which it
had-and was intended to have-for the people who first heard it from the lips of the
Prophet himself. For instance,"when his contemporaries heard the words isläm and
muslim, they understood them as denoting man’s “self-surrender to God” and “one who
surrenders himself to God”, without limiting these terms to any specific community or
denomination-e.g., in 3:67, where Abraham is spoken of as having “surrendered
himself unto God” (kâna musliman), or in 3 : 52, where the disciples of Jesus say, “Bear
thou witness that we have surrendered ourselves unto God (bi-annä muslimün)”. In
Arabic, this original meaning has remained unimpaired, and no Arab scholar has ever
become oblivious of the wide connotation of these terms. Not so, however, the
non-Arab of our day, believer and non-believer alike: to him, islam and muslim usually
bear a restricted, historically circumscribed significance, and apply exclusively to the
followers of the Prophet Muhammad. Similarly, the terms kufr (“denial of the truth”)
and käfir (“one who denies the truth”) have become, in the conventional translations of
the Qur’an, unwarrantably simplified into “unbelief” and “unbeliever” or “infidel”,
respectively, and have thus been deprived of the wide spiritual meaning which the
Qur’än gives to these terms. Another example is to be found in the conventional
rendering of the word kitäb, when applied to the Qur’än, as “book”: for, when the
Qur’än was being revealed (and we must not forget that this process took twenty-three
years), those who listened to its recitation did not conceive of it as a “book” - since it
was compiled into one only some decades after the Prophet’s death - but rather, in view
of the derivation of the noun kitäb from the verb kataba (“he wrote” or, tropically, “he
ordained”), as a “divine writ” or a “revelation”. The same holds true with regard to the
Qur’anic use of this term in its connotation of earlier revealed scriptures: for the Qur’än
often stresses the fact that those earlier instances of divine writ have largely been
corrupted in the course of time, and that the extant holy “books” do not really represent
the original revelations. Consequently, the translation of ahi al-kitâb as “people of the
book” is not very meaningful; in my opinion, the term should be rendered as “followers
of earlier revelation”.
In short, if it is to be truly comprehensible in another language, the message of the
Qur’än must be rendered in such a way as to reproduce, as closely as possible, the sense
which it had for the people who were as yet unburdened by the conceptual images of
later Islamic developments: and this has been the overriding principle which has guided
me throughout my work.
With the exception of two terms, I have endeavoured to circumscribe every Qur’anic
concept in appropriate English expressions - an endeavour which has sometimes neces­
sitated the use of whole sentences to convey the meaning of a single Arabic word. The
two exceptions from this rule are the terms al-qur*dn and särah, since neither of the two
 FOREWORD
h“ ever be5" used “ Arabic to denote anything but the tide of this particular divine writ
^no bène^bT " Cha,,terS" «he resulÏÏuXoS

te™, ’ whatsoever to the reader to be presented with “translations” of these

iwo terms.
Apart from these linguistic considerations, I have tried
to observe consistently two
fundamental rules of interpretation.
Firstly, the Qur’ân must not be viewed as a compilation of individual injunctions and
exhortations but as one integral whole: that is, as an exposition of an ethical doctrine in
which every verse and sentence has an intimate bearing on other verses and sentences,
all of them clarifying and amplifying one another. Consequently, its real meaning can be
grasped only if we correlate every one of its statements with what has been stated
elsewhere in its pages, and try to explain its ideas by means of frequent cross-
references, always subordinating the particular to the general and the incidental to the
intrinsic. Whenever this rule is faithfully followed, we realize that the Qur’an is - in the
words of Muhammad eAbduh - “its own best commentary”.
Secondly, no part of the Qur’an should be viewed from a purely historical point of
view: that is to say, all its references to historical circumstances and events-both at the
time of the Prophet and in earlier times - must be regarded as illustrations of the human
condition and not as ends in themselves. Hence, the consideration of the historical
occasion on which a particular verse was revealed - a pursuit so dear, and legitimately
so, to the hearts of the classical commentators - must never be allowed to obscure the
underlying purport of that verse and its inner relevance to the ethical teaching which the
Qur’ân, taken as a whole, propounds.
In order to bring out, to the best of my ability, the many facets of the Qur’anic
message, I have found it necessary to add to my translation a considerable number of
explanatory notes. Certain observations relating to the symbolism of the Qur’ân as well
as to its eschatology are separately dealt with in Appendix I at the end of this work. In
both the notes and the appendices I have tried no more than to elucidate the message of
the Qur’ân and have, to this end, drawn amply on the works of the great Arab
philologists and of the classical commentators. If, on occasion, I have found myself
constrained to differ from the interpretations offered by the latter, let the reader
remember that the very uniqueness of the Qur’ân consists in the fact that the more our
worldly knowledge and historical experience increase, the more meanings, hitherto
unsuspected, reveal themselves in its pages.
The great thinkers of our past understood this problem fully well. In their com­
mentaries, they approached the Qur’ân with their reason: that is to say, they tried to
explain the purport of each Qur’anic statement in the light of their superb knowledge of
the Arabic language and of the Prophet’s teachings - forthcoming from his sunnah - as
well as by the store of general knowledge available to them and by the historical and
cultural experiences which had shaped human society until their time. Hence, it was only
natural that the way in which one commentator understood a particular Qur’anic
statement or expression differed occasionally - and sometimes very incisively - from the
meaning attributed to it by this or that of his predecessors. In other words, they often
contradicted one another in their interpretations: but they did this without any

5 Etvmoloaicallv the word al-qur*än is derived from the verb qara’a (“he read” or “recited”),
- J • B read ine loar excellence)", while the noun surah might be rendered
nd » to be unders «the in (cf Iv. 1465).
“shLSd’ÄS howe«r. thafwhen the noun ««r’dn appears without the definite article «i,.it
o( “récitation” or “discourse”, and ma, be rendered accorda^.
vii
FOREWORD

animosity, being fully aware of the element of relativity inherent in all human reasoning,
and of each other’s integrity. And they were fully aware, too, of the Prophet’s profound
saying, “The differences of opinion (ikhtiläf) among the learned men of my community
are [an outcome of] divine grace (rahmah)''- which clearly implies that such differences
of opinion are the basis of all progress in human thinking and, therefore, a most potent
factor in man’s acquisition of knowledge.
But although none of the truly original, classical Qur’än-commentators ever made any
claim to “finality” concerning his own interpretations, it cannot be often enough stressed
that without the work of those incomparably great scholars of past centuries, no modern
translation of the Qur’an - my own included - could ever be undertaken with any hope of
success; and so, even where I differ from their interpretations, I am immeasurably
indebted to their learning for the impetus it has given to my own search after truth.
*

AS REGARDS the style of my translation, I have consciously avoided using un­

necessary archaisms, which would only tend to obscure the meaning of the Qur’an to the
contemporary reader. On the other hand, I did not see any necessity of rendering the
Qur’anic phrases into a deliberately “modern” idiom, which would conflict with the spirit
of the Arabic original and jar upon any ear attuned to the solemnity inherent in the
concept of revelation. With all this, however, I make no claim to having reproduced
anything of the indescribable rhythm and rhetoric of the Qur’an. No one who has truly
experienced its majestic beauty could ever be presumptuous enough to make such a
claim or even to embark upon such an attempt.
And I am fully aware that my rendering does not and could not really “do justice” to
the Qur’an and the layers upon layers of its meaning: for,

if all the sea were ink for my Sustainer's words, the sea would
indeed be exhausted ere my Sustainer's words are exhausted.
(Qur’an 18: 109).
 Works of Reference
52J2?? ;s based on the recension of HafÇ ibn Sulaymân al-Asadî, as it appears in the so-
T called Royal Egyptian edition of the Qur’än, first published in Cairo in 1337 H. and regarded
by Arab scholars as the most exact of all existing editions.
When referring in the explanatory notes to a particular Qur’anic passage, the number of the
swrah is followed by a colon and the verse-number: e.g., 3:28 signifies surah 3, verse 28;
similarly 6:138-140 and 142 stands for sürah 6, verses 138-140 and verse 142. (It should be noted
that in the translation the verse-numbers — corresponding to those of the Cairn edition — have been
placed within parentheses at the beginning of each verse, and not, as in the Arabic text, at its end.)
Inasmuch as many of the works mentioned below-and referred to in the explanatory notes­
have been published in several editions, no useful purpose would have been served by indicating
the edition utilized by the translator. As for works which exist in single or easily identifiable
editions, the place and date of publication have been stated below.
The explanations of the classical Qur’än-commentators referred to in the notes will be found,
unless otherwise indicated, in the context of the particular author's commentary on the Qur’ân-
verse under consideration. References to dictionaries relate - unless otherwise indicated-to the
article dealing with the root-form of the word concerned.
All references to the Bible relate to the Authorized King James Version.

Abü Dä’üd Abü Dâ’üd Sulaymân al-Ash'ath (d. 275 H.), Kitäb as-Sunan.
Asâs Mahmud ibn *Umar az-ZamakhsharT (d. 538 h.), Asâs al-Baläghah.
BaghawT Al-Husayn ibn Mascüd al-Farrä’ al-Baghawï (d. 516 h.), Ma'älim at-Tanzîl.
Bay^âwï 'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar al-Bay^äwT (d. 685 or 691 h.). Anwär at-Tanztl wa-Asrär
at-Ta*wîl.
Bayhaqï Abü Bakr Ahmad ibn al-Husayn al-Bayhaqï (d. 458 h.), Kitäb as-Sunan
al-Kubrä.
Bidäyat
al-Mujtahid Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Rushd (d. 595 h.), Bidäyat al-Mujtahid wa-Nihäyat
al-Muqtafid, Cairo n.d.
Bukhârï Muhammad ibn IsmäTI al-Bukhärl (d. 256 h.), Al-Jämi* aj-$ahih.
DärimT Abü Muhammad cAbd Allah ad-DärimT (d. 255 k.), Kitäb as-Sunan.
DärqufnT •Ali ibn *Umar ad-DärqufnT (d. 385 h.), Kitäb as-Sunan.
Encyclopaedia
of Islam (1st ed.) Leyden 1913-38.
Fä'iq Mahmüd ibn ‘Umar az-ZamakhsharT (d. 538 h.), Kitäb al-Fä'iq fT Gharib
al-Hadïth, Hyderabad 1324 h.
Abmad ibn ‘AIT ibn Hajar al-'AsqalänT (d. 852 h.). Färb al-Bärf bi-Sharh $ahfh
Fath al-BärT
al-Bukhärt, Cairo 1348 h.
Hakim see Mustadrak.
Abmad ibn Muhammad ibn Hanbal (d. 241 h.), Al-Musnad.
Ibn Hanbal
Ibn Hazm see Muhallä.
Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn IJibbSn (d. 354 ».). Kitäb wa I-Attwä-.
Ibn Hibbän
«Abd al-Malik ibn Hishtm (d. 243 h.). Slml an-Nabr.
Ibn Hishfim
Abu ’1-FidS’ Ismä'Il ibn Kathir (d. 774 H.), Tafsir al-Our’da, Cairo 1343-47 H.
Ibn Kathîr
Abmad ibn IbrtMm ibn Khallikän (d.Ml H). Wafäyät al-A'ydn wo-Anbd’ Abad'
Ibn Khallikän
az-Zamän, Cairo 1310 h.
Muhammad ibn YazTd ibn Mäjah al-QazwTnï (d. 273 or 275 «.), Kitäb as-Sunan.
Ibn Mäjah
ix
WORKS OF REFERENCE

Ibn Qayyim Abü ‘Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (d. 751 h.), Zâd al-Ma'ad
fï Hajj Khayr al-*Ibâd, Cairo 1347 h.
Ibn Sa'd Muhammad ibn Sacd (d. 230 h.), Kitâb af-Tabaqât al-Kabïr, Leyden 1904-28.
Ibn Taymiyyah Taqï ad-Dïn Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah al-Harrânï (d. 728 h.), Tafsïr Sitt Suwar,
Bombay 1954.
Itqân ‘Abd ar-Rahmân Jalâl ad-Dïn as-Suyüfï (d. 911 h.), Al-Itqân fï 'Ulüm al-
Qur^än.
JawharT AbG Na$r IsmâTI ibn Hammâd al-Jawharï (d. about 400 h.), Tâj al-Lughah
wa-$ihâh al-Arabiyyah, Bülâq 1292 h.
Kashshäf see ZamakhsharT.
Lane William Edward Lane, Arabie-English Lexicon, London 1863-93.
Lisân al-*Arab Abu ’1-Fadl Muhammad ibn Mukarram al-Ifrïqï (d. 711 H.), Lisân al-*Arab.
Manar Muhammad Rashïd Ritfä’, Tafsïr al-Qur'an (known as Tafsïr al-Manâr), Cairo
1367-72 h.
Mufradât see Râghib.
Mughnï Jamâl ad-Dïn ‘Abd Allah ibn Yüsuf al-Ançârï (d. 761 H.), Mughni 'l-Labïb *an
Kutub al-A*ârîb.
Muhallâ Abü Muhammad ‘AIT ibn Hazm (d. 456 h.), Al-Muhallâ, Cairo 1347-52 H.
Muslim Muslim ibn al-Hajjâj an-NïsâbOrï (d. 261 h.), Kitâb a$-$ahïh.
Mustadrak Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allah al-Hâkim (d. 405 H.), Al-Mustadrak *ala 'f-$ahïhayn
fi 'l-Hadïth, Hyderabad 1334-41 H.
Muwalta* Mâlik ibn Anas (d. 179 H.), Al-Muwal(a\
N as 55 Ahmad ibn Shu‘ayb an-NasâT (d. 303 h.), Kitâb as-Sunan.
Nayl al-Awfâr Muhammad ibn ‘AIT ash-Shawkânï (d. 1255 h.), Nayl al-Awfâr Sharh Muntaqâ
al-Akhbâr, Cairo 1344 h.
Nihâyah ‘AIT ibn Muhammad ibn al-Athïr (d. 630 h.), An-Nihâyah fï Gharïb al - Hadïth.
Qämüs Abu 't-Tâhir Muhammad ibn Ya‘qüb al-FTrüzâbâdï (d. 817 H.). Al-Qamûs.
Râghib Abu ’1-Qâsim Husayn ar-Râghib (d. 503 H.), Al-Mufradât fï Gharïb al-Qur'ân.
RâzT Abu ’1-Fadl Muhammad Fakhr ad-Dïn ar-Râzï (d. 606 H.), At-Tafsïr al-Kabïr.
ShawkânT see Nayl al-Awfâr.
State and
Government Muhammad Asad, The Principles of State and Government in Islam,
University of California Press, 1961.
SuyüfT see Itqân.
Tahaqdt see Ibn Sa‘d.
JabarT Abü Ja‘far Muhammad ibn Jarïr at-TabarT (d. 310 h.), Jâmi* al-Bayân *an
Ta'wïl al-Qur'ân.
Tâj al-'Arüs Murtadâ az-Zabïdï (d. 1205 h.), Tâj al-*Arûs.
TirmidhT Muhammad ibn *Is8 at-Tirmidhï (d. 275 or 279 H.), Al-Jâmi* af-$ahïh.
Wâqidï Muhammad ibn ‘Umar al-WSqidï (d. 207 h.), Kitâb al-Maghâzï.
ZamakhsharT MahmQd ibn ‘Umar az-ZamakhsharT (d. 538 H.), Al-Kashshâf *an Haqâ'iq
Ghawâmid at-Tanzïl. (For the same author’s lexicographie works, see Asâs
and Fä'iq.)
THE MESSAGE OF THE QUR’ÄN
 the first surah

AL-FATIHAH (THE OPENING)

MECCA PERIOD

TS“Äp± W al:,Kitsb <“The Openinis of “*» writ”>-

/our’an *nt SSnu (“The SSrah of Praise-3, Asa,
al-Qur an ( The Foundation of the Qur än ), and is known by several other names as well. It is
mentioned elsewhere in the Qur’an as As-Sab' al-Mathäni (“The Seven Oft-Repeated [Verses]”)
because it is repeated several times in the course of each of the five daily prayers. According to
Bukhari, the designation Umm al-Kitäb was given to it by the Prophet himself, and this in view of
the fact that it contains, in a condensed form, all the fundamental principles laid down in the Qur’an:
the principle of God’s oneness and uniqueness, of His being the originator and fosterer of the
universe, the fount of all life-giving grace, the One to whom man is ultimately responsible, the only
power that can really guide and help; the call to righteous action in the life of this world (“guide us
the straight way ); the principle of life after death and of the organic consequences of man’s actions
and behaviour (expressed in the term “Day of Judgment”); the principle of guidance through God’s
message-bearers (evident in the reference to “those upon whom God has bestowed His blessings”)
and, flowing from it, the principle of the continuity of all true religions (implied in the allusion to
people who have lived - and erred - in the past); and, finally, the need for voluntary self-surrender to
the will of the Supreme Being and, thus, for worshipping Him alone. It is for this reason that this
surah has been formulated as a prayer, to be constantly repeated and reflected upon by the believer.
“The Opening” was one of the earliest revelations bestowed upon the Prophet. Some authorities
(for instance, ‘AIT ibn AbT Talib) were even of the opinion that it was the very first revelation; but
this view is contradicted by authentic Traditions quoted by both BukhärT and Muslim, which
unmistakably show that the first five verses of surah % (“The Germ-Cell”) constituted the beginning
of revelation, it is probable, however, that whereas the earlier revelations consisted of only a few
verses each, “The Opening” was the first surah revealed to the Prophet in its entirety at one time:
and this would explain the view held by ‘AIT.

(1) IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:1

(2) A LL PRAISE is due to God alone, the Sustainer

/lof all the worlds,2 (3) the Most Gracious, the

1 According to most of the authorities, this invocation (which occurs at the beginmng of every
sürah with the exception of sürah 9) constitutes an integral part of “The Opening” and is, therefore,
numbered as verse 1. In all other instances, the invocation “in the name of God” precedes the sürah
as such, and is not counted among its verses.-Both the divine epithets rahman and rohlm are
derived from the noun rahmah, which signifies “mercy”, “compassion”, “loving tenderness and,
more comprehensively, "grace". From the very earliest limes, Islamic scholars have endeavoured to
define the exact shades of meaning which differentiate the two terms. ,^sl
explanations is undoubtedly the one advanced by Ibn al-Qayytm (as quoted tn Manar L 48). rtetenn
rahmän circumscribes the quality of abounding grace inherent in, and inseparable from, the concept
of God’s Being, whereas rahïm expresses the manifestation of that grace in, and its effect upon. His
creation-in other words, an aspect of His activity.
2 In this instance, the term “worlds” denotes all categories of existence both in the physical and
the spiritual sense. The Arabic expression rabb - rendered by me as “Sustainer - embraces a wide
complex of meanings not easily expressed by a single term in another language. It comprises the
AL-FÄTIIJAH SÜRAH 1

Dispenser of Grace, (4) Lord of the Day of Judgment! Ib ii 11 (J)

(5) Thee alone do we worship; and unto Thee alone
do we turn for aid. O (£)
(6) Guide us the straight way - (7) the way of those
upon whom Thou hast bestowed Thy blessings,*3 not of
those who have been condemned [by Thee], nor of
those who go astray!4

ideas of having a just claim to the possession of anything and, consequently, authority over it, as
well as of rearing, sustaining and fostering anything from its inception to its final completion. Thus,
the head of a family is called rabb ad-där (“master of the house”) because he has authority over it
and is responsible for its maintenance; similarly, his wife is called rabbat ad-där (“mistress of the
house”). Preceded by the definite article al, the designation rabb is applied, in the Qur'an,
exclusively to God as the sole fosterer and sustainer of all creation - objective as well as
conceptual-and therefore the ultimate source of all authority.
3 I.e., by vouchsafing to them prophetic guidance and enabling them to avail themselves thereof.
4 According to almost all the commentators, God’s “condemnation” (ghadab, lit., “wrath”) is
synonymous with the evil consequences which man brings upon himself by wilfully rejecting God’s
guidance and acting contrary to His injunctions. Some commentators (e.g., ZamakhsharT) interpret
this passage as follows: “... the way of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed Thy blessings - those
who have not been condemned [by Thee], and who do not go astray": in other words, they regard the
last two expressions as defining “those upon whom Thou hast bestowed Thy blessings”. Other
commentators (e.g., BaghawT and Ibn KathTr) do not subscribe to this interpretation - which would
imply the use of negative definitions - and understand the last verse of the sürah in the manner
rendered by me above. As regards the two categories of people following a wrong course, some of
the greatest Islamic thinkers (e.g., Al-GhazälT or, in recent times, Muhammad ‘Abduh) held the view
that the people described as having incurred “God’s condemnation” - that is, having deprived
themselves of His grace-are those who have become fully cognizant of God's message and, having
understood it, have rejected it; while by “those who go astray” are meant people whom the truth has
either not reached at all, or to whom it has come in so garbled and corrupted ■ form as to make it
difficult for them to recognize it as the truth (see cAbduh in Manär 1, 68 ff.).
 THE SECOND SURAH

AL-BAQARAH (THE COW)

MEDINA PERIOD

HE Title of this sürah is derived from the story narrated in verses 67-73. It is the first siirah
T revealed in its entirety after the Prophet’s exodus to Medina, and most of it during the first two
years of that period; verses 275-281, however, belong to the last months before the Prophet’s death
(verse 281 is considered to be the very last revelation which he received).
Starting with a declaration of the purpose underlying the revelation of the Qur’an as a
whole-namely, man’s guidance in all his spiritual and worldly affairs - Al -Baqarah contains, side
by side with its constant stress on the necessity of God-consciousness, frequent allusions to the
errors committed by people who followed the earlier revelations, in particular the children of
Israel. The reference, in verse 106, to the abrogation of all earlier messages by that granted to the
Prophet Muhammad is of the greatest importance for a correct understanding of this sürah, and
indeed of the entire Qur’an. Much of the legal ordinances provided here (especially in the later
part of the siirah)-touching upon questions of ethics, social relations, warfare, etc.-are a direct
consequence of that pivotal statement. Again and again it is pointed out that the legislation of the
Qur’an corresponds to the true requirements of man’s nature, and as such is but a continuation of
the ethical guidance offered by God to man ever since the beginning of human history. Particular
attention is drawn to Abraham, the prophet-patriarch whose intense preoccupation with the idea of
God’s oneness lies at the root of the three great monotheistic religions; and the establishment of
Abraham’s Temple, the Ka'bah, as the direction of prayer for “those who surrender themselves to
God” (which is the meaning of the word muslimûn, sing, muslim), sets a seal, as it were, on the
conscious self-identification of all true believers with the faith of Abraham.
Throughout this siirah runs the five-fold Qur’anic doctrine that God is the self-sufficient fount of
all being (al-qayyüm); that the fact of His existence, reiterated by prophet after prophet, is
accessible to man’s intellect; that righteous living-and not merely believing-is a necessary
corollary of this intellectual perception; that bodily death will be followed by resurrection and
judgment; and that all who are truly conscious of their responsibility to God "need have no fear, and
neither shall they grieve”.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) Alif. Läm. Mïm.12 ----------------------

(2) rp HIS DIVINE WRIT - let there be no doubt about y/

1 it-is [meant to be] a guidance for all the ' ' '
God-conscious3 (3) who believe in [the existence of]

1 Regarding the possible significance of the single letters called al-muqatta'at, which occur at the
beginning of some sürahs of the Qur’an, see Appendix II, where the various theories bearing on this
subject are discussed.
2 The conventional translation of muttaqf as “God-fearing” does not adequately render the
positive content of this expression - namely, the awareness of His all-presence and the desire to
mould one’s existence in the light of this awareness; while the interpretation adopted by some
translators, “one who guards himself against evil" or "one who is careful of his duty”, does not give
more than one particular aspect of the concept of God-consciousness.
3
 AL-BAQARAH SÜRAH

that which is beyond the reach of human perception,3

and are constant in prayer, and spend on others out of
what We provide for them as sustenance;45(4) and who
believe in that which has been bestowed from on high
Jÿl L»j J JI jcZ. J
upon thee, [O Prophet,] as well as in that which was
bestowed before thy time:3 for it is they who in their
(J) j
innermost are certain of the life to come!
(5) It is they who follow the guidance [which comes]
from their Sustainer; and it is they, they who shall (T) éÇjjij û* ä-Sy
attain to a happy state!
J fl f-r'p;'4
(6) BEHOLD, as for those who are bent on denying the
truth6 - it is all one to them whether thou warnest them S> rr>'>
or dost not warn them: they will not believe. (7) God
(J) ’
has sealed their hearts and their hearing, and over their
eyes is a veil;7 and awesome suffering awaits them.

3 Al-ghayb (commonly, and erroneously, translated as “the Unseen”) is used in the Qur’än to
denote all those sectors or phases of reality which lie beyond the range of human perception and
cannot, therefore, be proved or disproved by scientific observation or even adequately comprised
within the accepted categories of speculative thought: as, for instance, the existence of God and of a
definite purpose underlying the universe, life after death, the real nature of time, the existence of
spiritual forces and their inter-action, and so forth. Only a person who is convinced that the ultimate
reality comprises far more than our observable environment can attain to belief in God and. thus, to
a belief that life has meaning and purpose. By pointing out that it is “a guidance for those who
believe in the existence of that which is beyond human perception”, the Qur'an says, in effect, that it
will-of necessity - remain a closed book to all whose minds cannot accept this fundamental
premise.
4 Ar-rizq (“provision of sustenance”) applies to all that may be of benefit to man, whether it be
concrete (like food, property, offspring, etc.) or abstract (like knowledge, piety, etc.). The "spending
on others” is mentioned here in one breath with God-consciousness and prayer because it is
precisely in such selfless acts that true piety comes to its full fruition. It should be borne in mind
that the verb anfaqa (lit., “he spent”) is always used in the Qur’an to denote spending freely on, or
as a gift to, others, whatever the motive may be.
5 This is a reference to one of the fundamental doctrines of the Qur’an: the doctrine of the
historical continuity of divine revelation. Life - so the Qur’än teaches us - is not a series of
unconnected jumps but a continuous, organic process: and this law applies also to the life of the
mind, of which man’s religious experience (in its cumulative sense) is a part. Thus, the religion of the
Qur’än can be properly understood only against the background of the great monotheistic faiths
which preceded it, and which, according to Muslim belief, culminate and achieve their final
formulation in the faith of Islam.
6 In contrast with the frequently occurring term abkäfirün (“those who deny the truth”), the use
of the past tense in ailadhïna kafarü indicates conscious intent, and is, therefore, appropriately
rendered as “those who are bent on denying the truth”. This interpretation is supported by many
commentators, especially ZamakhsharT (who, in his commentary on this verse, uses the expression,
“those who have deliberately resolved upon their kufr"). Elsewhere in the Qur’än such people are
spoken of as having “hearts with which they fail to grasp the truth, and eyes with which they fail to
see, and ears with which they fail to hear” (7: 179). - For an explanation of the terms kufr (“denial
of the truth”), käfir (“one who denies the truth”), etc., see note 4 on 74: 10, where this concept
appears for the first time in Qur’anic revelation.
7 A reference to the natural law instituted by God, whereby a person who persistently adheres to
false beliefs and refuses to listen to the voice of truth gradually loses the ability to perceive the
truth, “so that finally, as it were, a seal is set upon his heart” (Räghib). Since it is God who has
instituted all laws of nature-which, in their aggregate, are called sunnat Alläh (“the way of
 2
THE COW
(8) And there are people who say, “We do believe in
God and the Last Day,” the while they do not [really]
believe. (9) They would deceive God and those who
have attained to faith-the while they deceive none
but themselves, and perceive it not. (10) In their hearts
is disease, and so God lets their disease increase; and
grievous suffering awaits them because of their persis­ „__ __ „ ' „ ,,
ÂÎ j (J) Cj
tent lying.8
(11) And when they are told, “Do not spread corrup­ r1 ’H-»
tion on earth,” they answer, “We are but improving
things!” (12) Oh, verily, it is they, they who are (J) ÙjmUÂ* Jij’>L—
spreading corruption — but they perceive it not!9
J (J) ùjyi jClj jjxJjf f ’
(13) And when they are told, “Believe as other
people believe,” they answer, “Shall we believe as the
J?
weak-minded believe?” Oh, verily, it is they, they who
are weak-minded - but they know it not!
(14) And when they meet those who have attained to
faith, they assert, “We believe [as you believe]”; but
when they find themselves alone with their evil
impulses,1011
they say, “Verily, we are with you; we
•>-? 3 jje- j j-c
were only mocking!”
(15) God will requite them for their mockery," and 'Ji'Cj ci j d
will leave them for a while in their overweening
arrogance, blindly stumbling to and fro: (16) [for] it is
they who have taken error in exchange for guidance;

God”)-this “sealing” is attributed to Him: but it is obviously a consequence of man’s free choice
and not an act of “predestination”. Similarly, the suffering which, in the life to come, is in store for
those who during their life in this world have wilfully remained deaf and blind to the truth, is a
natural consequence of their free choice-just as happiness in the life to come is the natural
consequence of man’s endeavour to attain to righteousness and inner illumination. It is in this sense
that the Quranic references to God’s “reward” and “punishment” must be understood.
8 I.e., before God and man-and to themselves. It is generally assumed that the people to whom
this passage alludes in the first instance are the hypocrites of Medina who, during the early years
after the hijrah, outwardly professed their adherence to Islam while remaining inwardly uncon­
vinced of the truth of Muhammad’s message. However, as is always the case with Qur’anic allusions
to contemporary or historical events, the above and the following verses have a general, timeless
import inasmuch as they refer to all people who are prone to deceive themselves in order to evade a
spiritual commitment.
9 It would seem that this is an allusion to people who oppose any “intrusion” of religious
considerations into the realm of practical affairs, and thus-often unwittingly, thinking that they are
“but improving things” - contribute to the moral and social confusion referred to in the subsequent
verse.
10 Lit., “their satans” (shayäfin, pl. of shayfän). In accordance with ancient Arabic usage, this
term often denotes people “who, through their insolent persistence in evildoing (tamarrud), have
become like satans” (Zamakhshari): an interpretation of the above verse accepted by most of the
commentators. However, the term shayfän - which is derived from the verb shafana, ‘ he was [or
“became”] remote [from all that is good and true]” (L/sdn al- Arab, Täj al-Ariis) - is often used in
the Qur’an to describe the “satanic" (i.e., exceedingly evil) propensities in man’s own soul, and
especially all impulses which run counter to truth and morality (Rfighib).
11 Lit., “God will mock at them”. My rendering is in conformity with the generally accepted
interpretation of this phrase.
5
 AL-BAQARAH SÜRAH

and neither has their bargain brought them gain, nor

have they found guidance [elsewhere],
(17) Their parable is that of people who kindle a fire:
but as soon as it has illumined all around them, God
Ci tjU <£)
takes away their light and leaves them in utter dark­
ness, wherein they cannot see: (18) deaf, dumb, blind - C'JU j f3y*.& W
and they cannot turn back.
(19) Or [the parable] of a violent cloudburst in the ($> r«*
sky, with utter darkness, thunder and lightning: they
Jy.3 ^j3 jT J*
put their fingers into their ears to keep out the peals of t " '''
thunder, in terror of death; but God encompasses
[with His might] all who deny the truth. (20) The
lightning well-nigh takes away their sight; whenever it
gives them light, they advance therein, and whenever
i/ï bl j 0
darkness falls around them, they stand still.
And if God so willed, He could indeed take away
their hearing and their sight:12 for, verily, God has the ji X
power to will anything. jî j i J-Lf-Î C; Û (£) zJÎ )

(21) O MANKIND! Worship your Sustainer, who has jj yç

created you and those who lived before you, so that
you might remain conscious of Him (22) who has made »u-jî J>b <U. «uX
the earth a resting-place for you and the sky a canopy, ÖJ m। ijfé Su jJ lij j 3?< «
and has sent down water from the sky and thereby
brought forth fruits for your sustenance: do not, then, ly £ û>- ÛS, jj^j\3-^> jyj-' b
claim that there is any power that could rival God,13
when you know [that He is One]. J. J* • jj-J b‘b
(23) And if you doubt any part of what We have
bestowed from on high, step by step, upon Our servant
[Muhammad],14 then produce a sürah of similar merit.

12 The obvious implication is: “but He does not will this“ - that is. He does not preclude the
possibility that “those who have taken error in exchange for guidance" may one day perceive the
truth and mend their ways. The expression “their hearing and their sight" is obviously a metonym
for man’s instinctive ability to discern between good and evil and. hence, for his moral
responsibility. - In the parable of the “people who kindle a fire" we have, I believe, an allusion to
some people’s exclusive reliance on what is termed the “scientific approach" as a means to illumine
and explain all the imponderables of life and faith, and the resulting arrogant refusal to admit that
anything could be beyond the reach of man’s intellect. This “overweening arrogance", as the Qur’än
terms it, unavoidably exposes its devotees - and the society dominated by them - to the lightning of
disillusion which “well-nigh takes away their sight’’, i.e., still further weakens their moral
perception and deepens their “terror of death”.
13 Lit., “do not give God any compeers" (andäd, pl. of nidd). There is full agreement among all
commentators that this term implies any object of adoration to which some or all of God’s qualities
are ascribed, whether it be conceived as a deity “in its own right" or a saint supposedly possessing
certain divine or semi-divine powers. This meaning can be brought out only by a free rendering of
the above phrase.
14 I.e., the message of which the doctrine of God’s oneness and uniqueness is the focal point. By
the use of the word “doubt” (rayb), this passage is meant to recall the opening sentence of this
sürah : “This divine writ - let there be no doubt about it...”, etc. The gradualness of revelation is
implied in the grammatical form nazzalnä - which is important in this context inasmuch as the
opponents of the Prophet argued that the Qur'an could not be of divine origin because it was being
revealed gradually, and not in one piece (ZamakhsharT).
 2
THE COW
and call upon any other than God to bear witness for
you15-if what you say is true! (24) And if you cannot
do it-and most certainly you cannot do it-then be
conscious of the fire whose fuel is human beings and
îjïC Ijfe Jj Ijki' J (g)
stones16 which awaits all who deny the truth!
(25) But unto those who have attained to faith and
do good works give the glad tiding that theirs shall be
gardens through which running waters flow. Whenever
they are granted fruits therefrom as their appointed
sustenance, they will say, “It is this that in days of
yore was granted to us as our sustenance!”-for they C?j’M 5
shall be given something that will recall that [past].1718
And there shall they have spouses pure, and there shall
d • <3) ûji* ^5 jJÎiJ
they abide.
(26) Behold, God does not disdain to propound a jjîLU C5 liyTL üpi» j’
parable of a gnat, or of something [even] less than
that.” Now, as for those who have attained to faith,
E ' ", '
they know that it is the truth from their Sustainer-
whereas those who are bent on denying the truth say,
"What could God mean by this parable?”
In this way does He cause many a one to go astray,
just as He guides many a one aright: but none does He l* jj-Lÿ j A a
cause thereby to go astray save the iniquitous, (27)
who break their bond with God after it has been
established [in their nature],19 and cut asunder what

15 Lit., “come forward with a surah like it, and call upon your witnesses other than God”-
namely, “to attest that your hypothetical literary effort could be deemed equal to any part of the
Quf’än.” This challenge occurs in two other places as welt (10:38 and 11:13, in which latter case
the unbelievers are called upon to produce ten chapters of comparable merit); see also 17:88.
16 This evidently denotes all objects of worship to which men turn instead of God-their
powerlessness and inefficacy being symbolized by the lifelessness of stones-while the expression
“human beings" stands here for human actions deviating from the way of truth (cf. Manor 1,197):
the remembrance of all of which is bound to increase the sinner’s suffering in the hereafter, referred
to in the Qur’an as “hell".
17 Lit., “something resembling it". Various interpretations, some of them of an esoteric and
highly speculative nature, have been given to this passage. For the manner in which I have translated
it I am indebted to Muhammad ‘Abduh (in Mandr 1,232 f.), who interprets the phrase, “It is this that
in days of yore was granted to us as our sustenance" as meaning: “It is this that we have been
promised during our life on earth as a requital for faith and righteous deeds.” In other words, man’s
actions and attitudes in this world will be mirrored in their “fruits”, or consequences, in the life to
come - as has been expressed elsewhere in the Quf’än in the verses, “And he who shall have done an
atom’s weight of good, shall behold it; and he who shall have done an atom’s weight of evil, shall
behold it” (99:7-8). As regards the reference to “spouses” in the next sentence, it is to be noted that
the term zawj (of which azwdj is the plural) signifies either of the two components of a couple - that
is, the male as well as the female.
18 Lit., “something above it", i.e., relating to the quality of smallness stressed here-as one
would say, “such-and-such a person is the lowest of people, and even more than that”
(ZamakhsharT). The reference to “God’s parables”, following as it does immediately upon a mention
of the gardens of paradise and the suffering through hell-fire in the life to come, is meant to bring out
the allegorical nature of this imagery.
19 The “bond with God" (conventionally translated as “God’s covenant") apparently refers here
to man’s moral obligation to use his inborn gifts-intellectual as well as physical-in the way

7
 AL-BAQARAH SÜRAH

God has bidden to be joined, and spread corruption on

earth: these it is that shall be the losers.
(28) How can you refuse to acknowledge God,
seeing that you were lifeless and He gave you life, and
that He will cause you to die and then will bring you
again to life, whereupon unto Him you will be brought
back?
(29) He it is who has created for you all that is on
earth, and has applied His design to the heavens and
fashioned them into seven heavens;20 and He alone has
full knowledge of everything.
jtÇ éx j Ju si )
(30) AND LO!21 Thy Sustainer said unto the angels: “Be­
hold, I am about to establish upon earth one who shall
inherit it.”22
They said: “Wilt Thou place on it such as will spread
2Ä
corruption thereon and shed blood - whereas it is we
J«
who extol Thy limitless glory, and praise Thee, and
hallow Thy name?”
[God] answered: “Verily, I know that which you do
not know.”

intended for them by God. The “establishment” of this bond arises from the faculty of reason which,
if properly used, must lead man to a realization of his own weakness and dependence on a causative
power and, thus, to a gradual cognition of God’s will with reference to his own behaviour. This
interpretation of the “bond with God” seems to be indicated by the fact that there is no mention of
any specific “covenant” in either the preceding or the subsequent verses of the passage under
consideration. The deliberate omission of any explanatory reference in this connection suggests that
the expression “bond with God” stands for something that is rooted in the human situation as such,
and can, therefore, be perceived instinctively as well as through conscious experience: namely, that
innate relationship with God which makes Him “closer to man than his neck-vein” (50: 16). For an
explanation of the subsequent reference to “what God has bidden to be joined”, see surah 13, note
43.
20 The term samä' (“heaven” or “sky”) is applied to anything that is spread like a canopy above
any other thing. Thus, the visible skies which stretch like a vault above the earth and form, as it
were, its canopy, are called samä''. and this is the primary meaning of this term in the Qur*än; in a
wider sense, it has the connotation of “cosmic system”. As regards the “seven heavens”, it is to be
borne in mind that in Arabic usage - and apparently in other Semitic languages as well - the number
“seven” is often synonymous with “several” (see Lisän alArab), just as “seventy” or “seven
hundred” often means “many” or “very many” (Tdj al-Ariis). This, taken together with the
accepted linguistic definition that “every samä' is a samä' with regard to what is below it" (Räghib),
may explain the “seven heavens” as denoting the multiplicity of cosmic systems. - For my rendering
of thumma, at the beginning of this sentence, as “and”, see siirah 7, first part of note 43.
21 The interjection “lo” seems to be the only adequate rendering, in this context, of the particle
idht which is usually-and without sufficient attention to its varying uses in Arabic construction -
translated as “when”. Although the latter rendering is often justified, idh is also used to indicate
“the sudden, or unexpected, occurrence of a thing” (cf. Lane 1, 39), or a sudden turn in the
discourse. The subsequent allegory, relating as it does to the faculty of reason implanted in man, is
logically connected with the preceding passages.
22 Lit., “establish on earth a successor” or a “vice-gerent”. The term khalifah - derived from the
verb khalafa, “he succeeded [another]” - is used in this allegory to denote man’s rightful supremacy
on earth, which is most suitably rendered by the expression “he shall inherit the earth” (in the sense
of being given possession of it). See also 6:165, 27 : 62 and 35:39, where all human beings are
spoken of as khalä'if al-artf.
2
THE COW
(31) And He imparted unto Adam the names of all
things;21 then He brought them within the ken of the
angels and said: “Declare unto Me the names of these
[things], if what you say is true.”23
24
(32) They replied: “Limitless art Thou in Thy glory!
No knowledge have we save that which Thou hast
imparted unto us. Verily, Thou alone art all-knowing,
truly wise.”
(33) Said He: "O Adam, convey unto them the Cjlil jlî JujT éJ éxi LlXu Ÿ,
names of these [things].”
JÜ ja J * JB Ui (4Ç-Î
And as soon as [Adam] had conveyed unto them
their names, [God] said: “Did I not say unto you,
‘Verily, I alone know the hidden reality of the heavens
and the earth, and know all that you bring into the 1j ij-iÆ-T^T uCtibl; ,-*• .-tj _ -t''
open and all that you would conceal’?”
(34) And when We told the angels, “Prostrate J*
yourselves before Adam!”25 - they all prostrated them­
selves, save IbITs, who refused and gloried in his Lp c;1 bij
arrogance: and thus he became one of those who deny Ûjd» i/UJ* .X» Ci»r X» Li-ilSI uj
the truth.26
(35) And We said: “O Adam, dwell thou and thy
wife in this garden,2728
and eat freely thereof, both of
you, whatever you may wish; but do not approach this
one tree, lest you become wrongdoers.”2“

23 Lit., “all the names”. The term ism (“name”) implies, according to all philologists, an
expression “conveying the knowledge [of a thing]... applied to denote a substance or an accident or
an attribute, for the purpose of distinction” (Lane IV, 1435): in philosophical terminology, a
“concept”. From this it may legitimately be inferred that the “knowledge of all the names” denotes
here man’s faculty of logical definition and, thus, of conceptual thinking. That by “Adam" the whole
human race is meant here becomes obvious from the preceding reference, by the angels, to “such as
will spread corruption on earth and will shed blood”, as well as from 7:11.
24 Namely, that it was they who, by virtue of their purity, were better qualified to “inherit the
earth”.
25 To show that, by virtue of his ability to think conceptually, man is superior in this respect even
to the angels.
26 For an explanation of the name of the Fallen Angel, see sürah 7, note 10. The fact of this
“rebellion”, repeatedly stressed in the Qur*Sn, has led some of the commentators to the conclusion
that he could not have been one of the angels, since these are incapable of sinning: “they do not bear
themselves with false pride ... and they do whatever they are bidden to do” (16:49-50). As against
this, other commentators point to the Qur*anic phrasing of God’s command to the angels and of
IbITs* refusal to obey, which makes it absolutely clear that at the time of that command he was
indeed one of the heavenly host. Hence, we must assume that his “rebellion” has a purely symbolic
significance and is, in reality, the outcome of a specific function assigned to him by God (see note 31
on 15:41).
27 Lit., “the garden”. There is a considerable difference of opinion among the commentators as to
what is meant here by “garden”: a garden in the earthly sense, or the paradise that awaits the
righteous in the life to come, or some special garden in the heavenly regions? According to some of
the earliest commentators (see Manär I, 277), an earthly abode is here alluded to- namely, an
environment of perfect ease, happiness and innocence. In any case, this story of Adam is obviously
one of the allegories referred to in 3 :7.
28 This tree is alluded to elsewhere in the Duffin (20:120) as “the tree of life eternal”, and in the
 AL-BAQARAH SÜRAH

(36) But Satan caused them both to stumble therein,

and thus brought about the loss of their erstwhile
state.® And so We said: “Down with you, [and be
henceforth] enemies unto one another; and on earth
you shall have your abode and your livelihood for a
iVCr lJXJ’k £ <S> JWiiT
while!”29
30
(37) Thereupon Adam received words [of guidance] j jpj Jje J*«*» s*
from his Sustainer, and He accepted his repentance:
for, verily, He alone is the Acceptor of Repentance, the
Dispenser of Grace. (38) [For although] We did say,
Ld» (g) /A
“Down with you all from this [state],” there shall, none
the less, most certainly come unto you guidance from
X iS'-*• tj* if-** 4* I«-*: Lj*
Me: and those who follow My guidance need have no
fear, and neither shall they grieve; (39) but those who
f
are bent on denying the truth and giving the lie to Our
messages - they are destined for the fire, and therein (^) f jL-JÎ

shall they abide.

(40) O CHILDREN of Israel!31 Remember those blessings O Jd i ’^4»

of Mine with which I graced you, and fulfil your
promise unto Me, [whereupon] I shall fulfil My prom­ Jy biA* t ■$'** u I»J-*« cJ/' ix1
ise unto you; and of Me, of Me stand in awe!
$ Ji J Xji Æ* 'b -*
(41) Believe in that which I have [now] bestowed
from on high, confirming the truth already in your
possession, and be not foremost among those who
deny its truth; and do not barter away My messages
for a trifling gain;32 and of Me, of Me be conscious!
(42) And do not overlay the truth with falsehood,
and do not knowingly suppress the truth;33 (43) and be

Bible (Genesis ii, 9) as “the tree of life” and “the tree of knowledge of good and evil”. For a tentative
explanation of this allegory, see note 106 on 20: 120.
29 Lit., “brought them out of what they had been in”: i.e., by inducing them to eat the fruit of the
forbidden tree.
30 With this sentence, the address changes from the hitherto-observed dual form to the plural: a
further indication that the moral of the story relates to the human race as a whole. See also sürah 7,
note 16.
31 This passage connects directly with the preceding passages in that it refers to the continuous
guidance vouchsafed to man through divine revelation. The reference to the children of Israel at this
point, as in so many other places in the Qur'an, arises from the fact that their religious beliefs
represented an earlier phase of the monotheistic concept which culminates in the revelation of the
Qur'an.
32 A reference to the persistent Jewish belief that they alone among all nations have been graced
by divine revelation. The “trifling gain” is their conviction that they are “God’s chosen people”-a
claim which the Qur’an consistently refutes.
33 By “overlaying the truth with falsehood” is meant the corrupting of the Biblical text, of which
the Qur’an frequently accuses the Jews (and which has since been established by objective textual
criticism), while the “suppression of the truth” refers to their disregard or deliberately false
interpretation of the words of Moses in the Biblical passage, “The Lord thy God will raise up unto
thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken”
(Deuteronomy xviii, 15), and the words attributed to God Himself, “I will raise them up a prophet
from among thy brethren, like unto thee, and will put My words in his mouth” (Deuteronomy xviii,

10
2
THE COW
constant in prayer, and spend in charity,3435 and bow
down in prayer with all who thus bow down.
(44) Do you bid other people to be pious, the while
you forget your own selves-and yet you recite the
divine writ? Will you not, then, use your reason?
(45) And seek aid in steadfast patience and prayer:
and this, indeed, is a hard thing for all but the humble EX"
•jsö j (ft) jjUL*
in spirit, (46) who know with certainty that they shall
meet their Sustainer and that unto Him they shall
ft: J fr1 jjJ“ <3> <>7^ J®
return.
(47) O children of Israel! Remember those blessings
of Mine with which I graced you, and how I favoured
you above all other people; (48) and remain conscious
of [the coming of] a Day when no human being shall in
the least avail another, nor shall intercession be ac­
cepted from any of them, nor ransom taken from
them,33 and none shall be succoured.
(49) And [remember the time] when We saved you
from Pharaoh’s people, who afflicted you with cruel
suffering, slaughtering your sons and sparing [only]
your women36 - which was an awesome trial from your
Sustainer; (50) and when We cleft the sea before you,
and thus saved you and caused Pharaoh’s people to
drown before your very eyes; (51) and when We
appointed for Moses forty nights [on Mount Sinai], and
in his absence you took to worshipping the [golden]
calf, and thus became evildoers: (52) yet, even after
that, We blotted out this your sin, so that you might
have cause to be grateful.37

18). The “brethren" of the children of Israel are obviously the Arabs, and particularly the
musta'ribah (“Arabianized") group among them, which traces its descent to Ishmael and Abraham:
and since it is to this group that the Arabian Prophet's own tribe, the Quraysh, belonged, the above
Biblical passages must be taken as referring to his advent.
34 In Islamic Law, zakâh denotes an obligatory tax, incumbent on Muslims, which is meant to
purify a person’s capital and income from the taint of selfishness (hence the name). The proceeds of
this tax are to be spent mainly, but not exclusively, on the poor. Whenever, therefore, this term
bears the above legal implication, I translate it as “the purifying dues’*. Since, however, in this verse
it refers to the children of Israel and obviously implies only acts of charity towards the poor, it is
more appropriate to translate it as “almsgiving" or “charity". I have also adopted this latter
rendering in all instances where the term zakäh, though relating to Muslims, does not apply
specifically to the obligatory tax as such (e.g., in 73 : 20, where this term appears for the first time in
the chronology of revelation).
35 The “taking of ransom (cad/)" is an obvious allusion to the Christian doctrine of vicarious
redemption as well as to the Jewish idea that “the chosen people”-as the Jews considered
themselves-would be exempt from punishment on the Day of Judgment. Both these ideas are
categorically refuted in the Quf*fin.
36 See Exodus i, 15-16, 22.
37 The story of the golden calf is dealt with at greater length in 7:148 ff. and 20 : 85 ff. Regarding
the crossing of the Red Sea, to which verse 50 above alludes, see 20:77-78 and 26 : 63-66, as well as
the corresponding notes. The forty nights (and days) which Moses spent on Mount Sinai are
mentioned again in 7:142.

11
 SÜRAH
AL-BAQARAH

(53) And [remember the time] when We vouchsafed

unto Moses the divine writ-and [thus] a standard by
which to discern the true from the false38 - so that you
might be guided aright; (54) and when Moses said unto
his people: “O my people! Verily, you have sinned
against yourselves by worshipping the calf; turn, then, - VjiJ tsfjr $ ûü/îlj
in repentance to your Maker and mortify yourselves;39
this will be the best for you in your Maker's sight.”
And thereupon He accepted your repentance: for,
behold, He alone is the Acceptor of Repentance, the X^ x^
Dispenser of Grace. <3>
(55) And [remember] when you said, “O Moses,
indeed we shall not believe thee unto we see God face âLi-JÎ -U-li diJ

to face!” - whereupon the thunderbolt of punishment40

f <£>
overtook you before your very eyes.
(56) But We raised you again after you had been as jîk ujij £31 jS C& 3) 3^5
dead,41 so that you might have cause to be grateful.
(57) And We caused the clouds to comfort you with jCj, epi; U, JdJjjC ’X
their shade, and sent down unto you manna and quails,
i5jî.û>î>? ûi ii 3 'X'
[saying,] “Partake of the good things which We have
provided for you as sustenance.” y/J a SÇ '•*>
And [by all their sinning] they did no harm unto
Us - but [only] against their own selves did they sin.
(58) And [remember the time] when We said: “Enter
this land,42 and eat of its food as you may desire,
abundantly; but enter the gate humbly and say,

38 Muhammad cAbduh amplifies the above interpretation of al-furqän (adopted by Tabari,

ZamakhsharT and other great commentators) by maintaining that it applies also to "human reason,
which enables us to distinguish the true from the false” (Manar 111, 160), apparently basing this
wider interpretation on 8 :41, where the battle of Badr is described as yawm al-furqân ("the day on
which the true was distinguished from the false”). While the term furqän is often used in the Qur’kn
to describe one or another of the revealed scriptures, and particularly the Qur'an itself, it has
undoubtedly also the connotation pointed out by ‘Abduh: for instance, in 8:29, where it clearly
refers to the faculty of moral valuation which distinguishes every human being who is truly
conscious of God.
39 Lit., “kill yourselves” or, according to some commentators, “kill one another”. This literal
interpretation (probably based on the Biblical account in Exodus xxxii, 26-28) is not, however,
convincing in view of the immediately preceding call to repentance and the subsequent statement
that this repentance was accepted by God. I incline, therefore, to the interpretation given by ’Abd
al-JabbSr (quoted by R&zT in his commentary on this verse) to the effect that the expression “kill
yourselves” is used here in a metaphorical sense (majdran), i.e., “mortify yourselves”.
40 The Qur*Sn does not state what form this “thunderbolt of punishment” (a$ -fd'iqah) took. The
lexicographers give various interpretations to this word, but all agree on the element of vehemence
and suddenness inherent in it (see Lane IV, 1690).
41 Lit., “after your death”. The expression mawt does not always denote physical death. Arab
philologists - e.g., Räghib - explain the verb mdta (lit., “he died”) as having, in certain contexts, the
meaning of “he became deprived of sensation, dead as to the senses”; and occasionally as “deprived
of the intellectual faculty, intellectually dead”; and sometimes even as “he slept” (see Lane VII,
2741).
42 The word qaryah primarily denotes a “village” or “town”, but is also used in the sense of
“land”. Here it apparently refers to Palestine.

12
 2 THE COW

‘Remove Thou from us the burden of our sins’,43 45

44
[whereupon] We shall forgive you your sins, and shall
amply reward the doers of good.”
(59) But those who were bent on evildoing sub­
stituted another saying for that which had been given • > x // E
(ä)
them: and so We sent down upon those evildoers
a plague from heaven in requital for all their iniquity. (> Ûÿli J? dÇï JXÄ
(60) And [remember] when Moses prayed for water
for his people and We replied, “Strike the rock with
thy staff!”-whereupon twelve springs gushed forth
from it, so that all the people knew whence to drink.45
[And Moses said:] “Eat and drink the sustenance
provided by God, and do not act wickedly on earth by
spreading corruption.”
(61) And [remember] when you said: “O Moses,
indeed we cannot endure but one kind of food; pray, J G

then, to thy Sustainer that He bring forth for us aught

ex; Uf LJ jCJ
of what grows from the earth - of its herbs, its
cucumbers, its garlic, its lentils, its onions.” jjlxLj IJ U Lfd—, Ç-i, Çj», Ç1L
Said [Moses]: “Would you take a lesser thing in
exchange for what is [so much] better?46 Go back in
shame to Egypt, and then you can have what you are jltJ jiJ U
asking for!”4748
And so, ignominy and humiliation overshadowed JjLX ) «jJ —-Ul S 4*1
them, and they earned the burden of God’s condemna­
tion: all this, because they persisted in denying the
truth of God’s messages and in slaying the prophets
against all right: all this, because they rebelled [against
God], and persisted in transgressing the bounds of
what is right.46

43 This interpretation of the word hiffah is recorded by most of the lexicographers (cf. Lane n,
592) on the basis of what many Companions of the Prophet said about it (for the relevant quotations,
see Ibn Kathîr in his commentary on this verse). Thus, the children of Israel were admonished to
take possession of the promised land (“enter the gate’’) in a spirit of humility (lit., “prostrating
yourselves’’), and not to regard it as something that was “due” to them.
44 According to several Traditions (extensively quoted by Ibn Kathîr), they played, with a
derisive intent, upon the word hi((ah, substituting for it something irrelevant or meaningless.
Muhammad ‘Abduh, however, is of the opinion that the “saying” referred to in verse 58 is merely a
metaphor for an attitude of mind demanded of them, and that, correspondingly, the “substitution”
signifies here a wilful display of arrogance in disregard of God’s command (see Mandr 1,324 f.).
45 I.e., according to their tribal divisions.
46 I.e„ “Would you exchange your freedom for the paltry comforts which you enjoyed in your
Egyptian captivity?” In the course of their wanderings in the desert of Sinai, many Jews looked back
with longing to the comparative security of their life in Egypt, as has been explicitly stated in the
Bible (Numbers xi), and is, moreover, evident from Moses’ allusion to it in the next sentence of the
above Quranic passage.
47 The verb habafa means, literally, “he went down a declivity”; it is also used figuratively in the
sense of falling from dignity and becoming mean and abject (cf. Lane VIII, 2876). Since the bitter
exclamation of Moses cannot be taken literally, both of the above meanings of the verb may be
combined in this context and agreeably translated as “go back in shame to Egypt”.
48 This passage obviously refers to a later phase of Jewish history. That the Jews actually did kill

13
 AL-BAQARAH SÜRAH

(62) VERILY, those who have attained to faith [in this

divine writ], as well as those who follow the Jewish
faith, and the Christians, and the Sabians*-all who
believe in God and the Last Day and do righteous
deeds-shall have their reward with their Sustainer;
and no fear need they have, and neither shall they
3-
grieve.49
50
j

(63) AND LO! We accepted your solemn pledge, raising ib (3)

Mount Sinai high above you,51 [and saying,] “Hold fast
Ijj» La*j^ -
with [all your] strength unto what We have vouchsafed
you, and bear in mind all that is therein, so that you
2ü’s J» j* y jij ÿC
might remain conscious of God!”
(64) And you turned away after that! And had it not
been for God’s favour upon you and His grace, you
would surely have found yourselves among the lost; L-& j » JLk
(65) for you are well aware of those from among you
if-j« u i|* v ,jjL—îjy iyy
who profaned the Sabbath, whereupon We said unto
them, “Be as apes despicable!”-(66) and set them up &3* Sb <3? 4^* *3
as a warning example for their time and for all times to
come, as well as an admonition to all who are
conscious of God.52

(67) AND LO! Moses said unto his people: “Behold, God

some of their prophets is evidenced, for instance, in the story of John the Baptist, as well as in the
more general accusation uttered, according to the Gospel, by Jesus: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou
that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee” (Matthew xxiii, 37). See also
Matthew xxiii, 34-35, Luke xi, 51-both of which refer to the murder of Zachariah - and
I Thessalonians ii, 15. The implication of continuity in, or persistent repetition of. their wrongdoing
transpires from the use of the auxiliary verb känü in this context.
49 The Sabians seem to have been a monotheistic religious group intermediate between Judaism
and Christianity. Their name (probably derived from the Aramaic verb tsfbha', “he immersed
himself [in water]”) would indicate that they were followers of John the Baptist - in which case they
could be identified with the Mandaeans, a community which to this day is to be found in cIrâq. They
are not to be confused with the so-called “Sabians of tyarrân”, a gnostic sect which still existed in
the early centuries of Islam, and which may have deliberately adopted the name of the true Sabians
in order to obtain the advantages accorded by the Muslims to the followers of every monotheistic
faith.
50 The above passage - which recurs in the Qur'an several times-lays down a fundamental
doctrine of Islam. With a breadth of vision unparalleled in any other religious faith, the idea of
“salvation” is here made conditional upon three elements only: belief in God, belief in the Day of
Judgment, and righteous action in life. The statement of this doctrine at this juncture - that is, in the
midst of an appeal to the children of Israel - is warranted by the false Jewish belief that their descent
from Abraham entitles them to be regarded as “God’s chosen people”.
51 Lit., “and We raised the mountain (af-fUr) above you”: i.e., letting the lofty mountain bear
witness, as it were, to their solemn pledge, spelled out in verse 83 below. Throughout my translation
of the Qur*fin, I am rendering the expression af-für as “Mount Sinai”, since it is invariably used in
this sense alone.
52 For the full story of the Sabbath-breakers, and the metaphorical allusion to “apes", see
7:163-166. The expression mä bayna yadayhä, rendered here as “their time”, is explained in sflmh
3, note 3.

14
 2 THE COW
bids you to sacrifice a cow.”5354
They said: ‘‘Dost thou mock at us?”
He answered: ‘‘I seek refuge with God against being
so ignorant!”34
(68) Said they: ‘‘Pray on our behalf unto thy Sus­
tainer that He make clear to us what she is to be like.”
[Moses] replied: ‘‘Behold, He says it is to be a cow
U Çjî îjlli ' J' JB
neither old nor immature, but of an age in-between.
Do, then, what you have been bidden!” Jji JB Û él; J
(69) Said they: “Pray on our behalf unto thy Sus­
tainer that He make clear to us what her colour should ($) t IjùiÛ iiJ'j ÙM Vj
be.”
[Moses] answered: “Behold, He says it is to be a ,4î[ JL» U ôj- tiJL j CjJ lj)Lî
yellow cow, bright of hue, pleasing to the beholder.”
(70) Said they: “Pray on our behalf unto thy Sus­
tainer that He make clear to us what she is to be like, Cl u£ J û ïJû
for to us all cows resemble one another; and then, if
JL? jb & «U 4U15
God so wills, we shall truly be guided aright!”
(71) [Moses] answered: “Behold, He says it is to be
a cow not broken-in to plough the earth or to water the
crops, free of fault, without markings of any other (£) iplf1Uj jJ-l Ci- *jlB
colour.”
Said they: “At last thou hast brought out the
truth!”-and thereupon they sacrificed her, although
they had almost left it undone.55

53 As is evident from verse 72, the story related in this and the subsequent passages almost
certainly refers to the Mosaic law which ordains that in certain cases of unresolved murder a cow
should be sacrificed, and the elders of the town or village nearest to the place of the murder should
wash their hands over it and declare, “Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes
seen it" - whereupon the community would be absolved of collective responsibility. For the details
of this Old Testament ordinance, see Deuteronomy xxi, 1-9.
54 Lit., “lest I be one of the ignorant". The imputation of mockery was obviously due to the fact
that Moses promulgated the above ordinance in very general terms, without specifying any details.
55 I.e., their obstinate desire to obtain closer and closer definitions of the simple commandment
revealed to them through Moses had made it almost impossible for them to fulfil it. In his
commentary on this passage, Tabari quotes the following remark of Ibn 'Abbäs: “If (in the first
instance] they had sacrificed any cow chosen by themselves, they would have fulfilled their duty; but
they made it complicated for themselves, and so God made it complicated for them.” A similar view
has been expressed, in the same context, by ZamakhsharT. It would appear that the moral of this
story points to an important problem of all (and, therefore, also of Islamic) religious jurisprudence:
namely, the inadvisability of trying to elicit additional details in respect of any religious law that had
originally been given in general terms - for, the more numerous and multiform such details become,
the more complicated and rigid becomes the law. This point has been acutely grasped by Rashîd
Ri<Jä’. who says in his commentary on the above Qur’anic passage (see Manär 1,345 f.): “Its lesson
is that one should not pursue one's [legal] inquiries in such a way as to make laws more
complicated.... This was how the early generations (of Muslims] visualized the problem. They did
not make things complicated for themselves - and so, for them, the religious law (dm) was natural,
simple and liberal in its straightforwardness. But those who came later added to it [certain other]
injunctions which they had deduced by means of their own reasoning (ijtihdd); and they multiplied
those [additional] injunctions to such an extent that the religious law became a heavy burden on the
community." For the sociological reason why the genuine ordinances of Islamic Law - that is, those
which have been prima facie laid down as such in the Qur’ân and the teachings of the Prophet-are

15
AL-BAQARAH SÜRAH

(72) For, O children of Israel, because you had slain

a human being and then cast the blame for this [crime]
upon one another-although God will bring to light
what you would conceal36-(73) We said: “Apply this
[principle] to some of those [cases of unresolved
murder]:37 in this way God saves lives from death and
shows you His will, so that you might [learn to] use
& is* ;*
your reason.”38
(74) And yet, after all this, your hearts hardened and
became like rocks, or even harder: for, behold, there
are rocks from which streams gush forth; and, behold,
there are some from which, when they are cleft, water
issues; and, behold, there are some that fall down for
awe of God.39 And God is not unmindful of what you
do!57
*56
59
58

almost always devoid of details, I would refer the reader to my book State and Government in Islam
(pp. llff. and passim). The importance of this problem, illustrated in the above story of the
cow-and correctly grasped by the Prophet’s Companions-explains why this sürah has been
entitled “The Cow”. (See also 5 :101 and the corresponding notes 120-123.)
56 See note 53 above. The use of the plural “you” implies the principle of collective, communal
responsibility stipulated by Mosaic Law in cases of murder by a person or persons unknown. God’s
bringing the guilt to light obviously refers to the Day of Judgment.
57 The phrase idribûhu bi-ba'dihä can be literally translated as “strike him [or “it”] with
something of her [or “it”]”-and this possibility has given rise to the fanciful assertion by many
commentators that the children of Israel were commanded to strike the corpse of the murdered man
with some of the flesh of the sacrificed cow, whereupon he was miraculously restored to life and
pointed out his murderer! Neither the Qur*Sn, nor any saying of the Prophet, nor even the Bible
offers the slightest warrant for this highly imaginative explanation, which must, therefore, be
rejected - quite apart from the fact that the pronoun hu in idribûhu has a masculine gender, while
the noun nafs (here translated as “human being”) is feminine in gender: from which it follows that
the imperative idribûhu cannot possibly refer to nafs. On the other hand, the verb tfaraba (lit., “he
struck”) is very often used in a figurative or metonymic sense, as, for instance, in the expression
daraba fi 'l-ard (“he journeyed on earth”), or duraba 'sh-shay* bi'sh-shay* (“he mixed one thing
with another thing”), or duraba mathal (“he coined a similitude” or “propounded a parable” or
“gave an fllustration”), or rald durit wâhid (“similarly applied” or “in the same manner”), or duribat
'alayhim adh-dhillah (“humiliation was imposed on them” or “applied to them”), and so forth.
Taking all this into account, I am of the opinion that the imperative idribûhu occurring in the above
Qur*anic passage must be translated as “apply it” or “this” (referring, in this context, to the principle
of communal responsibility). As for the feminine pronoun hd in ba'dihd (“some of it”), it must
necessarily relate to >the nearest preceding feminine noun - that is, to the nafs that has been
murdered, or the act of murder itself about which (ffhd) the community disagreed. Thus, the phrase
idribûhu bi-ba'dihd may be suitably rendered as “apply this [principle] to some of those [cases of
unresolved murder]”: for it is obvious that the principle of communal responsibility for murder by a
person or persons unknown can be applied only to some and not to all such cases.
58 Lit, “God gives life to the dead and shows you His messages” (i.e., He shows His will by
means of such messages or ordinances). The figurative expression “He gives life to the dead”
denotes thp saving of lives, and is analogous to that in 5:32. In this context it refers to the
prevention of bloodshed and the killing of innocent persons (Manär 1,351), be it through individual
acts of revenge, or in result of an erroneous judicial process based on no more than vague suspicion
and possibly misleading circumstantial evidence.
59 For an explanation of this allusion, see 7:143. The simile of “the rocks from which streams
gush forth” or “from which water issues” serves to illustrate its opposite, namely, dryness and lack
of life, and is thus an allusion to the spiritual barrenness with which the Qur'an charges the children
of Israel.

16
 2
THE COW
(75) CAN YOU, then, hope that they will believe in what
you are preaching8* - seeing that a good many of them
were wont to listen to the word of God and then, after
having understood it, to pervert it knowingly?60 61 (76)
For, when they meet those who have attained to faith,
they say, “We believe [as you believe]” - but when >X>XX>$> Xf X XXX >X »X xj— > x X X »XX X>X
they find themselves alone with one another, they say, »/= f çX'ôj**-» f-ê J»./ -»b >3

“Do you inform them'of what God has disclosed to

ijîj I pAj
you, so that they might use it in argument against you,
quoting the words of your Sustainer?62 Will you not, r# isi
Su. ; Ot #6
then, use your reason?” - A xxx X >x >-x>l
(77) Do they not know, then, that God is aware of all
that they would conceal as well as of all that they bring jjj-jl* £•» jl (J)
into the open?
(78) And there are among them unlettered people CjT jjj«l ç~r*3
who have no real knowledge of the divine writ,63
[following] only wishful beliefs and depending on Sjlc Ztiî o
nothing but conjecture. (79) Woe, then, unto those « it ijjdj 'x» f t
who write down, with their own hands, [something
which they claim to be] divine writ, and then say,
“This is from God,” in order to acquire a trifling gain
woe, then, unto them for what their hands
thereby;6465
have written, and woe unto them for all that they may
have gained!
(80) And they say, “The fire will most certainly not
touch us for more than a limited number of days.”63
Say [unto them]: “Have you received a promise from
God-for God never breaks His promise-or do you
attribute to God something which you cannot know?”
(81) Yea! Those who earn evil and by their sinful­
ness are engulfed - they are destined for the fire,
therein to abide; (82) whereas those who attain to faith

60 Here the Muslims are addressed. In the early period of Islam-and especially after their
exodus to Medina, where many Jews were then living-the Muslims expected that the Jews, with
their monotheistic beliefs, would be the first to rally to the message of the Qur’än: a hope that was
disappointed because the Jews regarded their own religion as a kind of national heritage reserved to
the children of Israel alone, and did not believe in the necessity - or possibility - of a new revelation.
61 Cf. Jeremiah xxiii,26-“Yehave perverted the words of the living God”.
62 Lit, “before [or “in the sight of"] your Sustainer”. Most of the commentators (e.g.,
ZamakhsharT, BaghawT, RäzT) agree in that the expression “your Sustainer" stands here for “that
which your Sustainer has revealed", namely, the Biblical prophecy relating to the coming of a
prophet “from among the brethren” of the children of Israel, and that, therefore, the above phrase
implies an argument on the basis of the Jews’ own scriptures. (See also note 33 above.)
63 In this case, the Old Testament.
64 The reference here is to the scholars responsible for corrupting the text of the Bible and thus
misleading their ignorant followers. The “trifling gain" is their feeling of pre-eminence as the alleged
“chosen people".
65 According to popular Jewish belief, even the sinners from among the children of Israel will
suffer only very limited punishment in the life to come, and will be quickly reprieved by virtue of
their belonging to “the chosen people": a belief which the Qur’än rejects.

17
 AL-BAQARAH SÜRAH

and do righteous deeds-they are destined for para­

dise, therein to abide.

(83) AND LO! We accepted this solemn pledge from [you,]

kilt
the children of Israel:*6 “You shall worship none but
God; and you shall do good unto your parents and i j <£> Q
kinsfolk, and the orphans, and the poor; and you shall
speak unto all people in a kindly way; and you shall be
constant in prayer; and you shall spend in charity.'*66
6768
And yet, save for a few of you, you turned away: for
you are obstinate folk!66
(£) Or*/** f
(84) And lo! We accepted your solemn pledge that
you would not shed one another’s blood, and would y uj»* si
not drive one another from your homelands -
whereupon you acknowledged it; and thereto you f f ù*

bear witness [even now]. (85) And yet, it is you who

slay one another and drive some of your own people
from their homelands, aiding one another against them 1 X/k j <j y h (-T~i
in sin and hatred; but if they come to you as captives,
you ransom them - although the very [act of] driving
them away has been made unlawful to you!69
Do you, then, believe in some parts of the divine
writ and deny the truth of other parts? What, then,
31 •P-1’j
could be the reward of those among you who do such
things but ignominy in the life of this world and, on the yT ?0 iz llL l'üj

Day of Resurrection, commitment to most grievous

4'£>î Six £ Çy îp/ £T
suffering? For God is not unmindful of what you do.
(86) All who buy the life of this world at the price of
L*’’4 jj/X- y>
the life to come - their suffering shall not be lightened,
nor shall they be succoured!
(87) For, indeed, We vouchsafed unto Moses the
divine writ and caused apostle after apostle to follow
him;70 and We vouchsafed unto Jesus, the son of

66 In the preceding passages, the children of Israel have been reminded of the favours that were
bestowed on them. Now, however, the Qur'an reminds them of the fact that the way of
righteousness has indeed been shown to them by means of explicit social and moral injunctions: and
this reminder flows directly from the statement that the human condition in the life to come depends
exclusively on the manner of one’s life in this world, and not on one’s descent.
67 See note 34 above.
68 The Old Testament contains many allusions to the waywardness and stubborn rebelliousness
of the children of Israel - e.g., Exodus xxxii, 9, xxxiii, 3, xxxiv, 9; Deuteronomy ix, 6-8,23-24,27.
69 This is a reference to the conditions prevailing at Medina at the time of the Prophet’s hijrah.
The two Arab tribes of Medina-Al-Aws and Khazraj-were in pre-lslamic times permanently at
war with one another; and out of the three Jewish tribes living there - the BanO Qaynuqä', Banu
’n-Na^Tr and BanO Quray?ah-the first-named two were allied with Khazraj, while the third was
allied with Al-Aws. Thus, in the course of their warfare, Jew would kill Jew in alliance with pagans
(“aiding one another in sin and hatred’’): a twofold crime from the viewpoint of Mosaic Law.
Nevertheless, they would subsequently ransom their mutual captives in obedience to that very same
Law-and it is this glaring inconsistency to which the Qur’fin alludes in the next sentence.
70 Lit., “We caused him to be followed, after his time, by [all] the other apostles’*: a stress upon
2 THE COW

Mary, all evidence of the truth, and strengthened him

with holy inspiration.*71 [Yet] is it not so that every time
an apostle came unto you with something that was not
to your liking, you gloried in your arrogance, and to
some of them you gave the lie, while others you would
slay?72
(88) But they say, “Our hearts are already full of
knowledge.”73 Nay, but God has rejected them be­
cause of their refusal to acknowledge the truth: for, U. jü ijIBj @ ùjkï li/j
few are the things in which they believe.7475
(89) And whenever there came unto them a [new]
revelation from God, confirming the truth already in
Jo—**
their possession - and [bear in mind that] aforetime
they used to pray for victory over those who were bent Ui îjyif'
on denying the truth-: whenever there came unto
them something which they recognized [as the truth], 0 *■>!* U
they would deny it. And God’s rejection is the due of
Lu Hfl Jÿl LjC j' (H—V-*
all who deny the truth.
(90) Vile is that [false pride] for which they have
sold their own selves by denying the truth of what God
has bestowed from on high, out of envy that God 0 «z-e j* «-r*»
should bestow aught of His favour upon whomsoever jjG 3-p 4>-‘Cr y.* jjL j;
He wills of His servants:73 and thus have they earned
the burden of God's condemnation, over and over.
And for those who deny the truth there is shameful
suffering in store.
(91) For when they are told, “Believe in what God
has bestowed from on high,” they reply, “We believe
[only] in what has been bestowed on us’’-and they
deny the truth of everything else, although it be a truth

the continuous succession of prophets among the Jews (see TabarT, ZamakhsharT, RäzT, Ibn Kathlr),
which fact deprives them of any excuse of ignorance.
71 This rendering of rüh al-qudus (lit., “the spirit of holiness”) is based on the recurring use in
the Qur’an of the term rüh in the sense of “divine inspiration”. It is also recorded that die Prophet
invoked the blessing of the rüh al-qudus on his Companion, the poet Hassan ibn Thâbit (Bukhârï,
Muslim, Abö Dä’Od and TirmidhT): just as the Qur’än (58:22) speaks of all believers as being
“strengthened by inspiration (rüh) from Him”.
72 Lit., “and some you are slaying”. The change from the past tense observed throughout this
sentence to the present tense in the verb taqtulün (“you are slaying”) is meant to express a
conscious intent in this respect and, thus, a persistent, ever-recurring trait in Jewish history (Mandr
I, 377), to which also the New Testament refers (Matthew xxiii, 34-35,37), and I Thessalonians ii,
15).
73 Lit., “our hearts are repositories [of knowledge]" - an allusion to the boast of the Jews that in
view of the religious knowledge which they already possess, they are in no need of any further
preaching (Ibn KathTr, on the authority of Ibn (Abb&s; identical explanations are mentioned by
Tabari and ZamakhsharT).
74 l.e., all their beliefs are centred on themselves and their alleged “exceptional" status in the
sight of God.
75 l.e., out of envy that God should bestow revelation upon anyone but a descendant of Israel - in
this particular instance, upon the Arabian Prophet, Muhammad.

19
 SÜRAH
AL-BAQARAH

confirming the one already in their possession.

Say: “Why, then, did you slay God’s prophets
aforetime, if you were [truly] believers?”76
(92) And indeed, there came unto you Moses with all
evidence of the truth-and thereupon, in his absence,
you took to worshipping the [golden] calf, and acted
wickedly.
(93) And, lo, We accepted your solemn pledge,
raising Mount Sinai high above you, [saying,] “Hold
«•Jm J. Sjj •
fast with [all your] strength unto what We have
vouchsafed you, and hearken unto it!”
jj b'j—l j (&) jpU*
[But] they say, “We have heard, but we disobey”77 -
for their hearts are filled to overflowing with love of Uac*yii IjÛ»jßdft
the [golden] calf because of their refusal to acknowl­
edge the truth.78
Say: “Vile is what this [false] belief of yours enjoins
ÿÿ ji 0
upon you-if indeed you are believers!”
(94) Say: “If an afterlife with God is to be for you
alone, to the exclusion of all other people,79 then you
J û çt £2 j;
should long for death-if what you say is true!”
(95) But never will they long for it, because [they are
efL;JÎ (» i- ^5
aware] of what their hands have sent ahead in this
world: and God has full knowledge of evildoers. (96)
And thou wilt most certainly find that they cling to life
more eagerly than any other people, even more than J»
those who are bent on ascribing divinity to other
j» ^-5
beings beside God: every one of them would love to
live a thousand years, although the grant of long life 3^*. J «rt ÛW Û J*
could not save him from suffering [in the hereafter]:
for God sees all that they do. « «il 'jJ« jX2r* ûj—*5*^

u>i j.
(97) SAY [O Prophet]: “Whosoever is an enemy of
Gabriel”-who,-verily, by God’s leave, has brought
down upon thy heart this [divine writ] which confirms
the truth of whatever there still remains [of earlier
revelations], and is a guidance and a glad tiding for the
believers-: (98) “whosover is an enemy of God and
His angels and His message-bearers, including Gabriel
and Michael, [should know that,] verily, God is the

76 A reference to their assertion that they believe in what has been revealed to them -i.e., the
Law of Moses, which obviously prohibits the killing not only of prophets but of any innocent human
being. See also the concluding sentences of verses 61 and 87, and the corresponding notes.
77 It is obvious that they did not actually utter these words; their subsequent behaviour,
however, justifies the above metonymical expression.
78 Lit., “into their hearts has been instilled the calf because of their denial of the truth”: i.e., as
soon as they turned away from the genuine message propounded by Moses, they fell into
worshipping material goods, symbolized by the “golden calf”.
79 An allusion to the Jewish belief that paradise is reserved for the children of Israel alone (cf.
verse 111 of this rdraft).

20
2
THE COW
enemy of all who deny the truth.”“
(99) For, clear messages indeed have We bestowed
upon thee from on high; and none denies their truth
save the iniquitous.
<S> h cfZ ca.k
(100) Is it not so that every time they made a
promise [unto God], some of them cast it aside? Nay,
indeed: most of them do not believe.
(101) And [even now,] when there has come unto
them an apostle from God, confirming the truth al­
âî ÂJ (J
ready in their possession, some of those who were
granted revelation aforetime cast the divine writ be­ ijli U £•£ <□> SjJU > Jijjÿ
hind their backs as though unaware [of what it says],*1
(102) and follow [instead] that which the evil ones used
to practice during Solomon's reign-for it was not
Solomon who denied the truth, but those evil ones Je Jÿl
denied it by teaching people sorcery*2-; and [they »I» +~9 9 > 9
follow] that which has come down through the two
angels in Babylon, HSrflt and MärQt-although these
two never taught it to anyone without first declaring,
“We are but a temptation to evil: do not, then, deny
[God’s] truth!”° And they learn from these two how

80 According to several authentic Traditions, some of the learned men from among the Jews of
Medina described Gabriel as “the enemy of the Jews”, and this for three reasons: firstly, all the
prophecies of the misfortune which was to befall the Jews in the course of their early history were
said to have been transmitted to them by Gabriel, who thus became in their eyes a “harbinger of
evil” (in contrast to the angel Michael, whom they regarded as a bearer of happy predictions and,
therefore, as their “friend”); secondly, because the Qur’an states repeatedly that it was Gabriel who
conveyed its message to Muhammad, whereas the Jews were of the opinion that only a descendant
of Israel could legitimately claim divine revelation; and, thirdly, because the Qur’an - revealed
through Gabriel - abounds in criticism of certain Jewish beliefs and attitudes and describes them as
opposed to the genuine message of Moses. (For details of these Traditions, see TabarT,
ZamakhsharT, BaghawT, Räzf, BaydäwT, Ibn Kathïr.) As regards my rendering of mä bayna yadayhi
in verse 97 as “whatever there still remains of earlier revelations”, see sürah 3, note 3.
81 The divine writ referred to here is the Torah. By disregarding the prophecies relating to the
coming of the Arabian Prophet, contained in Deuteronomy xviii, 15,18 (see note 33 above), the Jews
rejected, as it were, the whole of the revelation granted to Moses (Zamakhsharf; also (Abduh in
Manär I, 397).
82 The expression ash-shayâfïn, here rendered as “the evil ones”, apparently refers to human
beings, as has been pointed out by TabarT, RfizT, etc., but may also allude to the evil, immoral
impulses within man’s heart (see note 10 on verse 14 of this sürah). The above parenthetic sentence
constitutes the Qur’anic refutation of the Biblical statement that Solomon had been guilty of
idolatrous practices (see I Kings xi, 1-10), as welt as of the legend that he was the originator of the
magic arts popularly associated with his name.
83 This “declaration” circumscribes, metonymically, man’s moral duty to reject every attempt at
“sorcery” inasmuch as - irrespective of whether it succeeds or fails - it aims at subverting the order
of nature as instituted by God. - As regards the designation of Härüt and MäriM, most of the readings
of the Qur’an give the spelling malakayn (“the two angels’’); but it is authentically recorded (see
TabarT, ZamakhsharT, BaghawT, RäzT, etc.) that the great Companion of the Prophet, Ibn ’Abbäs, as
well as several learned men of the next generation-e.g., Al-Hasan al-Ba$rT, Abu 'l-Aswad and Atf-
Dahfräk - read it as malikayn (“the two kings”). I myself incline to the latter reading; but since the
other is more generally accepted, I have adopted it here. Some of the commentators are of the
opinion that, whichever of the two readings is followed, it ought to be taken in a metaphorical sense,
namely, “the two kingly persons", or “the two angelic persons”: in this they rely on a saying of Ibn

21
 AL-BAQARAH SÜRAH

to create discord between a man and his wife; but

whereas they can harm none thereby save by God’s
leave, they acquire a knowledge that only harms
themselves and does not benefit them - although they
know, indeed, that he who acquires this [knowledge]
* 4> jr jUu (►* Uj »5*^ ÛH ^?J*£*J*
shall have no share in the good of the life to come.*84
For, vile indeed is that [art] for which they have sold (»*/Jb I* J 4#^ Ù J»-' fj*
their own selves - had they but known it!
(103) And had they but believed and been conscious j -ÂSj
of Him, reward from God would indeed have brought
(^1 JJ, (y) by-l*
them good-had they but known it!
(JJ) ÙjJaJ j«i- 4$ JU* it yj
(104) O YOU who have attained to faith! Do not say [to the
Prophet], “Listen to us,” but rather say, “Have pa­ \^j Cjd Î}£ ÛJ ijijS yT Çfc
tience with us,” and hearken [unto him], since grievous
suffering awaits those who deny the truth.85 ■’x cH1
(105) Neither those from among the followers of
earlier revelation who are bent on denying the truth, ùyp- <J*, J**
nor those who ascribe divinity to other beings beside
God, would like to see any good86 ever bestowed upon
you from on high by your Sustainer; but God singles
out for His grace whom He wills - for God is limitless
in His great bounty.
(106) Any message which We annul or consign to
oblivion We replace with a better or a similar one.87

'AbbSs to the effect that Hardt and Märüt were “two men who practiced sorcery in Babylon"
(Baghawi; see also Manär 1,402). At any rate, it is certain that from very ancient times Babylon was
reputed to be the home of magic arts, symbolized in the legendary persons - perhaps kings - Härüt
and Märüt; and it is to this legend that the Qur'an refers with a view to condemning every attempt at
magic and sorcery, as well as all preoccupation with occult sciences in general.
84 The above passage does not raise the question as to whether there is an objective truth in the
occult phenomena loosely described as “magic”, or whether they are based on self-deception. The
intent here is no more and no less than to warn man that any attempt at influencing the course of
events by means which - at least in the mind of the person responsible for it - have a "supernatural"
connotation is a spiritual offence, and must inevitably result in a most serious damage to their
author’s spiritual status.
85 This admonition, addressed in the first instance to the contemporaries of the Prophet, has - as
so often in the Qur’an-a connotation that goes far beyond the historical circumstances that gave
rise to it. The Companions were called upon to approach the Prophet with respect and to
subordinate their personal desires and expectations to the commandments of the Faith revealed
through him: and this injunction remains valid for every believer and for all times.
86 I.e., revelation - which is the highest good. The allusion here is to the unwillingness of the Jews
and the Christians to admit that revelation could have been bestowed on any community but their
own.
87 The principle laid down in this passage - relating to the supersession of the Biblical z
dispensation by that of the Qur*Sn-has given rise to an erroneous interpretation by many Muslin^/
theologians. The word äyah (“message”) occurring in this context is also used to denote a “verse*
of the Qur^än (because every one of these verses contains a message). Taking this restricted meaning
of the term äyah, some scholars conclude from the above passage that certain verses of the Qur’an
have been “abrogated” by God’s command before the revelation of the Qur*fin was completed.
Apart from the fancifulness of this assertion - which calls to mind the image of a human author
correcting, on second thought, the proofs of his manuscript, deleting one passage and replacing it

22
 2
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Dost thou not know that God has the power to will
anything? (107) Dost thou not know that God’s is the
dominion over the heavens and the earth, and that
besides God you have none to protect you or bring you
succour?
(108) Would you, perchance, ask of the Apostle who
7^ J* 0/? SJjî yLji
has been sent unto you what was asked aforetime of ùj3 «..fldlU,4ûî jl
Moses? But whoever chooses to deny the [evidence of
'A-* Û1 ùjJy fl (£v) y, éb Û*
the] truth, instead of believing in it,** has already
strayed from the right path.
(109) Out of their selfish envy, many among the
followers of earlier revelation would like to bring you
back to denying the truth after you have attained to
faith-[even] after the truth has become clear unto
them. None the less, forgive and forbear, until God
Jkcs*"
shall make manifest His will: behold, God has the
power to will anything. i/ä 0 y 4
(110) And be constant in prayer, and render the
purifying dues; for, whatever good deed you send
ahead for your own selves, you shall find it with God: J 0 Jt— ùa-? û a* îr Lt
behold, God sees all that you do.

(Ill) AND THEY claim,” “None shall ever enter paradise

(L-1 û* 0 'A* J*
unless he be a Jew” - or, “a Christian”. Such are their
wishful beliefs! Say: “Produce an evidence for what
90 if what you say is true!”
you are claiming,88
89
(112) Yea, indeed: everyone who surrenders his

with another - there does not exist a single reliable Tradition to the effect that the Prophet ever
declared a verse of the Qur’an to have been “abrogated”. At the root of the so<alled “doctrine of
abrogation” may lie the inability of some of the early commentators to reconcile one Qur’anic
passage with another: a difficulty which was overcome by declaring that one of the verses in
question had been “abrogated”. This arbitrary procedure explains also why there is no unanimity
whatsoever among the upholders of the “doctrine of abrogation” as to which, and how many,
Qur’ân-verses have been affected by it; and, furthermore, as to whether this alleged abrogation
implies a total elimination of the verse in question from the context of the Qur'an, or only a
cancellation of the specific ordinance or statement contained in it. In short, the “doctrine of
abrogation” has no basis whatever in historical fact, and must be rejected. On the other hand, the
apparent difficulty in interpreting the above Qur'anic passage disappears immediately if the term
äyah is understood, correctly, as “message”, and if we read this verse in conjunction with the
preceding one, which states that the Jews and the Christians refuse to accept any revelation which
might supersede that of the Bible: for, if read in this way, the abrogation relates to the earlier divine
messages and not to any part of the Qur’an itself.
88 Lit., “whoever takes a denial of the truth in exchange for belief” - i.e., whoever refuses to
accept the internal evidence of the truth of the Qur'anic message and demands, instead, an
“objectivée proof of its divine origin (Manor I, 416 f.).-That which was “asked of Moses
aforetime” wa&Jhe "demand of the children of Israel to “see God face to face” (cf. 2:55). The
expression rendered by me as “the Apostle who has been sent unto you” reads, literally, "your
Apostle”, and obviously refers to the Prophet Muhammad, whose message supersedes the earlier
revelations.
89 This connects with verse 109 above: “Many among the followers of earlier revelation would
like to bring you back to denying the truth”, etc.
90 Lit., “produce your evidence”-i.e., “from your own scriptures”.

23
whole being unto God,91 and is a doer of good withal,
shall have his reward with his Sustainer; and all such
need have no fear, and neither shall they grieve.92
(113) Furthermore, the Jews assert, “The Christians
X*
have no valid ground for their beliefs,“ while the
Christians assert, “The Jews have no valid ground for
their beliefs'* - and both quote the divine writ! Even
Kr $ && S?
thus, like unto what they say, have [always] spoken
those who were devoid of knowledge;93 but it is God
who will judge between them on Resurrection Day
with regard to all on which they were wont to differ.9495
(114) Hence, who could be more wicked than those
who bar the mention of God's name from [any of] His ç» ?% c*
houses of worship and strive for their ruin, [although]
u û' pJ ôITu etJji j
they have no right to enter them save in fear [of
God]?91 For them, in this world, there is ignominy in ($> !j 'Sy ÇjT j
store; and for them, in the life to come, awesome
suffering.
(115) And God’s is the east and the west: and
jT uÇ 1x1ijéj
wherever you turn, there is God’s countenance. Be­
hold, God is infinite, all-knowing.
(116) And yet some people assert, “God has taken
unto Himself a son!’* Limitless is He in His glory!96

91 Lit., “who surrenders his face unto God". Since the face of a person is the most expressive
part of his body, it is used in classical Arabic to denote one’s whole personality, or whole being. This
expression, repeated in the Qufän several times, provides a perfect definition of islam, which -
derived from the root-verb aslama, “he surrendered himself” - means “self-surrender [to God]”:
and it is in this sense that the terms isläm and muslim are used throughout the Qur'än. (For a full
discussion of this concept, see my note on 68:35, where the expression muslim occurs for the first
time in the chronological order of revelation.)
92 Thus, according to the Qur’än, salvation is not reserved for any particular “denomination”, but
is open to everyone who consciously realizes the oneness of God, surrenders himself to His will and,
by living righteously, gives practical effect to this spiritual attitude.
93 An allusion to all who assert that only the followers of their own denomination shall partake of
God’s grace in the hereafter.
94 In other words, “God will confirm the truth of what was true [in their respective beliefs] and
show the falseness of what was false [therein]” (Muhammad 'Abduh in Manär 1,428). The Qur’an
maintains throughout that there is a substantial element of truth in ail faiths based on divine
revelation, and that their subsequent divergencies are the result of “wishful beliefs” (2:111) and of
a gradual corruption of the original teachings. (See also 22:67-69.)
95 It is one of the fundamental principles of Islam that every religion which has belief in God as
its focal point must be accorded full respect, however much one may disagree with its particular
tenets. Thus, the Muslims are under an obligation to honour and protect any house of worship
dedicated to God, whether it be a mosque or a church or a synagogue (cf. the second paragraph of
22:40); and any attempt to prevent the followers of another faith from worshipping God according
to their own lights is condemned by the Qur’Sn as a sacrilege. A striking illustration of this principle
is forthcoming from the Prophet’s treatment of the deputation from Christian NajrSn in the year
10 H. They were given free access to the Prophet’s mosque, and with his full consent celebrated
their religious rites there, although their adoration of Jesus as “the son of God” and of Mary as “the
mother of God" was fundamentally at variance with Islamic beliefs (see Ibn Sacd 1/1, 84 f.).
96 I.e„ far from any imperfection such as would be implied in the necessity (or logical possibility)
of having “progeny" either in a literal or a metaphorical sense. The expression subhäna - applied

24
 2
THE COW
Nay, but His is all that is in the heavens and on earth;
all things devoutly obey His will. (117) The Originator
is He of the heavens and the earth: and when He wills
a thing to be, He but says unto it, “Be”-and it is.

(118) AND [only] those who are devoid of knowledge,

say, “Why does God not speak unto us, nor is a
[miraculous] sign shown to us?” Even thus, like unto
what they say, spoke those who lived before their
time:97 their hearts are all alike. Indeed, We have made
all the signs manifest unto people who are endowed fr (X $ï 2$ jüj <3 /

with inner certainty.

(119) Verily, We have sent thee [O Prophet] with the
truth, as a bearer of glad tidings and a Warner: and
thou shalt not be held accountable for those who are
destined for the blazing fire.
(120) For, never will the Jews be pleased with thee,
J,
nor yet the Christians, unless thou follow their own
creeds. Say: “Behold, God’s guidance is the only true j»'
guidance.”
And, indeed, if thou shouldst follow their errant j* & 3- ii'u 2- J«
views after all the knowledge that has come unto thee, > Jju ûk? 1^1« yt $ÿ
thou wouldst have none to protect thee from God, and
none to bring thee succour.
(121) Those unto whom We have vouchsafed the
divine writ [and who] follow it as it ought to be & 4*? $ J'-*/-» "A. f
followed98 - it is they who [truly] believe in it; whereas
A -3 jé jlLm JI, jûc cLû*
all who choose to deny its truth - it is they, they who
are the losers! A* £ JA Uh

(122) O CHILDREN of Israel! Remember those blessings of •s

Mine with which I graced you, and how I favoured you
above all other people; (123) and remain conscious of
[the coming of] a Day when no human being shall in
the least avail another, nor shall ransom be accepted
from any of them, nor shall intercession be of any use
to them, and none shall be succoured.99

exclusively to God-connotes His utter remoteness from any imperfection and any similarity,
however tenuous, with any created being or thing.
97 I.e., people who were not able to perceive the intrinsic truth of the messages conveyed to them
by the prophets, but rather insisted on a miraculous “demonstration" that those messages really
came from God, and thus failed to benefit from them. - This verse obviously connects with verse 108
above and, thus, refers to the objections of the Jews and the Christians to the message of the Qui’&n.
(See also note 29 on 74:52.)
98 Or: “apply themselves to it with true application”-i.e., try to absorb its meaning and to
understand its spiritual design.
99 See 2:48. In the above context, this refers, specifically, to the belief of the Jews that their
descent from Abraham would "ransom” them on the Day of Judgment - a belief which is refuted in
the next verse.
25
 (124) And [remember this:] when his Sustainer tried
Abraham by [His] commandments and the latter
fulfilled them,100 He said: “Behold, I shall make thee a
leader of men."
Abraham asked: “And [wilt Thou make leaders] of
dlicU- J [ JI» li j* j '■“S4
my offspring as well?” ' ' ,
[God] answered: “My covenant does not embrace (JJJ) JI» Jli LU[
the evildoers.”101
•—!■*
(125) AND LO! We made the Temple a goal to which people
might repair again and again, and a sanctuary:102 take,
then, the place whereon Abraham once stood as your
place of prayer.103
And thus did We command Abraham and Ishmael:
“Purify My Temple for those who will walk around

100 The classical commentators have indulged in much speculation as to what these command­
ments (kalimdt, lit., “words”) were. Since, however, the Qur’an does not specify them, it must be
presumed that what is meant here is simply Abraham’s complete submission to whatever
commandments he received from God.
101 This passage, read in conjunction with the two preceding verses, refutes the contention of the
children of Israel that by virtue of their descent from Abraham, whom God made “a leader of men”,
they are “God’s chosen people”. The Qufän makes it clear that the exalted status of Abraham was
not something that would automatically confer a comparable status on his physical descendants, and
certainly not on the sinners among them.
102 The Temple (al-bayf)-lit., “the House [of Worship!” - mentioned here is the Ka'bah in
Mecca. In other places the Qur’än speaks of it as “the Ancient Temple” (al-bayt al-'atiq), and
frequently also as “the Inviolable House of Worship” (al-masjid al-haram). Its prototype is said to
have been built by Abraham as the first temple ever dedicated to the One God (see 3 :96), and which
for this reason has been instituted as the direction of prayer (qiblah) for all Muslims, and as the goal
of the annually recurring pilgrimage (hajj). It is to be noted that even in pre-Islamic times the Kabbah
was associated with the memory of Abraham, whose personality had always been in the foreground
of Arabian thought. According to very ancient Arabian traditions, it was at the site of what later
became Mecca that Abraham, in order to placate Sarah, abandoned his Egyptian bondwoman Hagar
and their child Ishmael after he had brought them there from Canaan. This is by no means
improbable if one bears in mind that for a camel-riding bedouin (and Abraham was certainly one) a
journey of twenty or even thirty days has never been anything out of the ordinary. At first glance,
the Biblical statement (Genesis xii, 14) that it was “in the wilderness of Beersheba” (i.e., in the
southernmost tip of Palestine) that Abraham left Hagar and Ishmael would seem to conflict with the
Qur’anic account. This seeming contradiction, however, disappears as soon as we remember that to
the ancient, town-dwelling Hebrews the term “wilderness of Beersheba” comprised all the desert
regions south of Palestine, including the Hijfiz. It was at the place where they had been abandoned
that Hagar and Ishmael, after having discovered the spring which is now called the Well of Zamzam,
eventually settled; and it may have been that very spring which in time induced a wandering group of
bedouin families belonging to the South-Arabian (Qah(änT) tribe of Jurhum to settle there. Ishmael
later married a girl of this tribe, and so became the progenitor of the musta'ribah (“Arabianized”)
tribes - thus called on account of their descent from a Hebrew father and a Qafatfini mother. As for
Abraham, he is said to have often visited Hagar and Ishmael; and it was on the occasion of one of
these periodic visite that he, aided by Ishmael, erected the original structure of the Kabbah. (For
more detailed accounts of the Abrahamic tradition, see BukhSri’s $ahïh, Kitäb al-Dm, Tabari’s
Ta'rttch al-Umam, Ibn Sa’d, Ibn Hishfim, Mas'Qdi’s Murüj adh-Dhahab, YäqQt’s Mu'jam al-
Bulddn, and other early Muslim historians.)
103 This may refer to the immediate vicinity of the Kabbah or, more probably (Mandr 1,461 f.), to
the sacred precincts (haram) surrounding it. The word amn (lit., “safety”) denotes in this context a
sanctuary for all living beings.

26
 2
THE COW
it,104105
and those who will abide near it in meditation, and
107
106
those who will bow down and prostrate themselves [in
prayer].”
(126) And, lo, Abraham prayed: “O. my Sustainer!
Make this a land secure, and grant its people fruitful
sustenance-such of them as believe in God and the
Last Day.”
[God] answered: “And whoever shall deny the truth,
him will I let enjoy himself for a short while - but in
-IÎ (jjj) J OÿLLLlI
the end I shall drive him to suffering through fire: and
how vile a journey’s end!” Ul* J**
(127) And when Abraham and Ishmael were raising
the foundations of the Temple, [they prayed:] “O our f 3- 3* /-*'
Sustainer! Accept Thou this from us: for, verily, Thou
JI JjLSî ? JS
alone art all-hearing, all-knowing!
(128) “O our Sustainer! Make us surrender our­ jcijajî ^*4 ^7^ j jLjT
selves unto Thee, and make out of our offspring1“ a
community that shall surrender itself unto Thee, and û. j j cZjT

show us our ways of worship, and accept our 11 Su jjjl

repentance: for, verily, Thou alone art the Acceptor of
Repentance, the Dispenser of Grace! 4#T $ iU
(129) “O our Sustainer! Raise up from the midst of
pJe 'P-. fr* ft? '—•S J 3*
our offspring1“ an apostle from among themselves,
who shall convey unto them Thy messages, and impart
unto them revelation as well as wisdom, and cause
them to grow in purity: for, verily. Thou alone art
almighty, truly wise!”
X J C--JÎ
(130) And who, unless he be weak of mind, would
want to abandon Abraham’s creed, seeing that We fp 7* j ,4 >4^ 3j j
have indeed raised him high in this world, and that,
verily, in the life to come he shall be among the
righteous?
(131) When his Sustainer said to him, “Surrender 3y * ài vt
thyself unto Me!”-he answered, “I have surrendered
' <3>
myself unto [Thee,] the Sustainer of all the worlds.”
(132) And this very thing did Abraham bequeath
unto his children, and [so did] Jacob: “O my children!
Behold, God has granted you the purest faith; so do
not allow death to overtake you ere you have
surrendered yourselves unto Him.”
(133) Nay, but you [yourselves, O children of
Israel,] bear witness’07 that when death was approach-

104 The seven-fold circumambulation (fawâf) of the Kabbah is one of the rites of the pilgrimage,
symbolically indicating that all human actions and endeavours ought to have the idea of God and His
oneness for their centre.
105 The expression “our offspring” indicates Abraham’s progeny through his first-born son,
Ishmael, and is an indirect reference to the Prophet Muhammad, who descended from the latter.
106 Lit., “within them”.
107 I.e., “in the religious traditions to which you adhere”. It is to be noted that the conjunction am

27
 SÛRAH
AL-BAQARAH

ing Jacob, he said unto his sons: “Whom will you

worship after I am gone?“
They answered: “We will worship thy God, the God
of thy forefathers Abraham and Ishmael108 and Isaac,
the One God; and unto Him will we surrender
ourselves.” Xju ijH» fj» jjJUa U »J* H
(134) Now those people have passed away; unto
them shall be accounted what they have earned, and
unto you, what you have earned; and you will not be
ci- J» *->' âi» (»Ji ,4 ij» j
judged on the strength of what they did.1®
'ij fZ-ft££
(135) AND THEY say, “Be Jews” - or, “Christians” - “and
you shall be on the right path.” Say: “Nay, but [ours
is] the creed of Abraham, who turned away from all
that is false,110 and was not of those who ascribe (Jjj) ùK*Uj Li;»- I
divinity to aught beside God.”
(136) Say: “We believe in God, and in that which has
1±»4 31kJ M
been bestowed from on high upon us, and that which Jj'ij 3
has been bestowed upon Abraham and Ishmael and
Isaac and Jacob and their descendants,111 and that -**■' ÛH 3/^ (—T J 3j' ^3 &-*3
which has been vouchsafed to Moses and Jesus, and
* ij>U 3,' ,4
that which has been vouchsafed to all the [other]
prophets by their Sustainer: we make no distinction
between any of them.112 And it is unto Him that we
surrender ourselves.”
(137) And if [others] come to believe in the way you
believe, they will indeed find themselves on the right

which stands at the beginning of this sentence is not always used in the interrogative sense (“is it
that...?”): sometimes-and especially when it is syntactically unconnected with the preceding
sentence, as in this case - it is an equivalent of bal (“rather”, or “nay, but”), and has no interrogative
connotation.
108 In classical Arabic, as in ancient Hebrew usage, the term ab (“father") was applied not only
to the direct male parent but also to grandfathers and even more distant ancestors, as well as to
paternal uncles: which explains why Ishmael, who was Jacob’s uncle, is mentioned in this context.
Since he was the first-born of Abraham’s sons, his name precedes that of Isaac.
109 Lit., “you will not be asked about what they did”. This verse, as well as verse 141 below,
stresses the fundamental Islamic tenet of individual responsibility, and denies the Jewish idea of
their being “the chosen people” by virtue of their descent, as well as - by implication - the Christian
doctrine of an “original sin" with which all human beings are supposedly burdened because of
Adam’s fall from grace.
110 The expression hanTf is derived from the verb hanafa, which literally means “he inclined
[towards a right state or tendency]” (cf. Lane II, 658). Already in pre-Islamic times, this term had a
definitely monotheistic connotation, and was used to describe a man who turned away from sin and
worldliness and from all dubious beliefs, especially idol-worship; and tahannuf denoted the ardent
devotions, mainly consisting of long vigils and prayers, of the Unitarian God-seekers of pre-lslamic
times. Many instances of this use of the terms hanTf and tahannuf occur in the verses of pre-lslamic
poets, e.g., Umayyah ibn Abi ’$-$alt and Jïrfin al-‘Awd (cf. Lisän al-*Arab, art. hanafa).
Ill Lit., “the grandchildren” (al-asbäf, sing. sib()-a term used in the Qur’än to describe, in the
first instance, Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s immediate descendants, and, consequently, the twelve
tribes which evolved from this ancestry.
112 I.e., “we regard them all as true prophets of God".

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path; and if they turn away, it is but they who will be
deeply in the wrong, and God will protect thee from
them: for He alone is all-hearing, all-knowing
(138) [Say: “Our life takes its] hue from God! And
who could give a better hue [to life] than God, if we
but truly worship Him?”
(139) Say [to the Jews and the Christians]: “Do you
argue with us about God?“’ But He is our Sustainer as
well as your Sustainer - and unto us shall be accounted J» (Jj>)
our deeds, and unto you, your deeds; and it is unto
Him alone that we devote ourselves.
(140) “Do you claim that Abraham and Ishmael and
Isaac and Jacob and their descendants were ‘Jews’ or
‘Christians’?”"4 Say: “Do you know more than God
does? And who could be more wicked than he who
frç»-
suppresses a testimony given to him by God?"5 Yet
God is not unmindful of what you do. cÂ-Tulx
(141) “Now those people have passed away; unto
them shall be accounted what they have earned, and
unto you, what you have earned;*and you will not be
judged on the strength of what they did.” JA- •

(142) THE WEAK-MINDED among people will say, “What

has turned them away from the direction of prayer
which they have hitherto observed?”1“113
116
115
114

113 I.e., about God’s will regarding the succession of prophethood and man's ultimate salvation.
The Jews believe that prophethood was a privilege granted to the children of Israel alone, while the
Christians maintain that Jesus-who, too, descended from the children of Israel-was God’s final
manifestation on earth; and each of these two denominations claims that salvation is reserved to its
followers alone (see 2: 111 and 135). The Qur’Sn refutes these ideas by stressing, in the next
sentence, that God is the Lord of all mankind, and that every individual will be judged on the basis
of his own beliefs and his own behaviour alone.
114 Regarding the term asbSf (rendered here as well as in verse 136 as “descendants’3, see note
111 above. In the above words the Qur’Sn alludes to the fact that the concept of “Jewry” came into
being many centuries after the time of the Patriarchs, and even long after the time of Moses, while
the concepts of “Christianity” and “Christians” were unknown in Jesus’ time and represent later
developments.
115 A reference to the Biblical prediction of the coming of the Prophet Muhammad (see note 33
on verse 42 of this sürah), which effectively contradicts the Judaeo-Christian claim that all true
prophets, after the Patriarchs, belonged to the children of Israel.
116 Before his call to prophethood, and during the early Meccan period of his ministry, the
Prophet-and his community with him-used to turn in prayer towards the Ka<bah. This was not
prompted by any specific revelation, but was obviously due to the fact that the Ka<bah- although it
had in the meantime been filled with various idols to which the pre-Islamic Arabs paid homage - was
always regarded as the first temple ever dedicated to the One God (cf. 3:96). Since he was aware of
the sanctity of Jerusalem - the other holy centre of the Unitarian faith - the Prophet prayed, as a rule,
before the southern wall of the Ka'bah, towards the north, so as to face both the Ka’bah and
Jerusalem. After the exodus to Medina he continued to pray northwards, with only Jerusalem as his
qiblah (direction of prayer). About sixteen months after his arrival at Medina, however, he received
a revelation (verses 142-150 of this sürah) which definitively established the Ka'bah as the qiblah
of the followers of the Qur’Sn. This “abandonment” of Jerusalem obviously displeased the Jews of
Medina, who must have felt gratified when they saw the Muslims praying towards their holy city;

29
 SÜRAH
AL-BAQARAH

Say: “God’s is the east and the west; He guides

whom He wills onto a straight way.”117
(143) And thus have We willed you to be a commun­
ity of the middle way,“8 so that [with your lives] you
might bear witness to the truth before all mankind, and
that the Apostle might bear witness to it before you.119 iCj 2»'^ ($) J’
And it is only to the end that We might make a clear
distinction between those who follow the Apostle and
those who turn about on their heels that We have
appointed [for this community] the direction of prayer
which thou [O Prophet] hast formerly observed: for
this was indeed a hard test for all but those whom God
has guided aright.120 But God will surely not lose sight
of your faith - for, behold, God is most compassionate
Ç1* Csy ■** ffy '-*■* V
towards man, a dispenser of grace.
(144) We have seen thee [O Prophet] often turn thy Jai Jj» I—jL»/ xM cJLJyJ» »LJÎ j
face towards heaven [for guidance]: and now We shall £ > A, * > x C
indeed make thee turn in prayer in a direction which
will fulfil thy desire. Turn, then, thy face towards the
Inviolable House of Worship; and wherever you all
may be, turn your faces towards it [in prayer].

and it is to them that the opening sentence of this passage refers. If one considers the matter from
the historical point of view, there had never been any change in the divine commandments relating
to the qiblah: there had simply been no ordinance whatever in this respect before verses 142-150
were revealed. Their logical connection with the preceding passages, which deal, in the main, with
Abraham and his creed, lies in the fact that it was Abraham who erected the earliest structure of the
temple which later came to be known as the Ka'bah.
117 Or: “He guides onto a straight way him that wills [to be guided]“.
118 Lit., “middlemost community”-i.e., a community that keeps an equitable balance between
extremes and is realistic in its appreciation of man’s nature and possibilities, rejecting both
licentiousness and exaggerated asceticism. In tune with its oft-repeated call to moderation in every
aspect of life, the Qur'an exhorts the believers not to place too great an emphasis on the physical and
material aspects of their lives, but postulates, at the same time, that man’s urges and desires relating
to this “life of the flesh” are God-willed and, therefore, legitimate. On further analysis, the
expression “a community of the middle way” might be said to summarize, as it were, the Islamic
attitude towards the problem of man’s existence as such: a denial of the view that there is an
inherent conflict between the spirit and the flesh, and a bold affirmation of the natural, God-willed
unity in this twofold aspect of human life. This balanced attitude, peculiar to Islam, flows directly
from the concept of God’s oneness and, hence, of the unity of purpose underlying all His creation:
and thus, the mention of the “community of the middle way” at this place is a fitting introduction to
the theme of the Ka'bah, a symbol of God's oneness.
119 I.e., “that your way of life be an example to all mankind, just as the Apostle is an example to
you”.
120 I.e., “whom He has given understanding” (RäzT). The “hard test” (kabïrah) consisted in the
fact that ever since their exodus to Medina the Muslims had become accustomed to praying towards
Jerusalem - associated in their minds with the teachings of most of the earlier prophets mentioned in
the Qur’ân-and were now called upon to turn in their prayers towards the Ka'bah, which at that
time (in the second year after the hijrah) was still used by the pagan Quraysh as a shrine dedicated to
the worship of their numerous idols. As against this, the Qur’an states that true believers would
not find it difficult to adopt the Ka'bah once again as their qiblah : they would instinctively realize the
divine wisdom underlying this commandment which established Abraham’s Temple as a symbol of
God’s oneness and a focal point of the ideological unity of Islam. (See also note 116 above.)

30
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And, verily, those who have been vouchsafed reve­
lation aforetime know well that this [commandment]
comes in truth from their Sustainer; and God is not
unaware of what they do.
(145) And yet, even if thou wert to place all
evidence121 before those who have been vouchsafed
earlier revelation, they would not follow thy direction
of prayer; and neither mayest thou follow their direc­
tion of prayer, nor even do they follow one another’s
direction. And if thou shouldst follow their errant
views after all the knowledge that has come unto thee,
thou wouldst surely be among the evildoers.
(146) They unto whom We have vouchsafed revela­
tion aforetime know it as they know their own chil­
dren: but, behold, some of them knowingly suppress
the truth — (147) the truth from thy Sustainer!122
Be not, then, among the doubters: (148) for, every
community faces a direction of its own, of which He is
the focal point.123 Vie, therefore, with one another in
doing good works. Wherever you may be, God will <4$ J.-* âî âî jL oL
gather you all unto Himself: for, verily, God has the
power to will anything.
(149) Thus, from wherever thou mayest come forth,
3 iAâUj âî Lj 2C j
turn thy face [in prayer] towards the Inviolable House
of Worship - for, behold, this [commandment] comes
in truth from thy Sustainer; and God is not unaware of
what you do. (150) Hence, from wherever thou mayest
come forth, turn thy face [in prayer] towards the

121 Lit., “every sign (dyah)”, i.e., of its being a revealed commandment.
122 This refers, in the first instance, to the fact that the Ka*bah was Abraham’s qiblah, as well as
to the Biblical prophecies relating to Ishmael as the progenitor of a “great nation’’ (Genesis xxi, 13
and 18) from whom a prophet “like unto Moses’’ would one day arise: for it was through Ishamel’s
descendant, the Arabian Prophet, that the commandment relating to the qiblah was revealed.
(Regarding the still more explicit predictions of the future advent of the Prophet Muhammad,
forthcoming from the canonical Gospels, see 61:6 and the corresponding note.)
123 Lit., “everyone has a direction...”, etc. Almost all of the classical commentators, from the
Companions of the Prophet downwards, interpret this as ■ reference to the various religious
communities and their different modes of “turning towards God” in worship. Ibn Kathîr, in his
commentary on this verse, stresses its inner resemblance to the phrase occurring in 5:48: “unto
every one of you have We appointed a [different] law and way of life”. The statement that “every
community faces a direction of its own” in its endeavour to express its submission to God implies,
firstly, that at various times and in various circumstances man’s desire to approach God in prayer
has taken different forms (e.g., Abraham’s choice of the Kacbah as his qiblah, the Jewish
concentration on Jerusalem, the eastward orientation of the early Christian churches, and the
Qur’anic commandment relating to the Ka'bah); and, secondly, that the direction of prayer-
however important its symbolic significance may be-does not represent the essence of faith as
such: for, as the Qur*fin says, “true piety does not consist in turning your faces towards the east or
the west” (2:177), and, “God’s is the east and the west” (2:115 and 142). Consequently, the
revelation which established the Kabbah as the qiblah of the Muslims should not be a matter of
contention for people of other faiths, nor a cause of their disbelief in the truth of the Qur’anic
revelation as such (Manär II, 21 f.).
31
 AL-BAQARAH SÜRAH

Inviolable House of Worship; and wherever you all

may be, turn your faces towards it, so that people
should have no argument against you unless they are
bent upon wrongdoing.124125
And hold not them in awe,
but stand in awe of Me, and [obey Me,] so that I might
bestow upon you the full measure of My blessings, and
that you might follow the right path. Jz^-b b^
(151) Even as We have sent unto you an apostle
from among yourselves to convey unto you Our UJLjl LJ*(J£)
messages, and to cause you to grow in purity, and to
impart unto you revelation and wisdom, and to teach
you that which you knew not: (152) so remember Me, (|jJ) -J** J Ky’îCjt
and I shall remember you; and be grateful unto Me,
and deny Me not (JTr) ù X, J b£-^b J jX&

sy^lb
(153) O YOU who have attained to faith! Seek aid in
steadfast patience and prayer: for, behold, God is with
® CT
those who are patient in adversity.
(154) And say not of those who are slain in God’s e 3/2»' job 5
cause, “They are dead”: nay, they are alive, but you
perceive it not. J* ^3 Û* Krj
(155) And most certainly shall We try you by
means121 of danger, and hunger, and loss of worldly
goods, of lives and of [labour’s] fruits. But give glad Qjm/j **^1 b^ rH"**1
tidings unto those who are patient in adversity-(156)
who, when calamity befalls them, say, “Verily, unto
God do we belong and, verily, unto Him we shall
return.” (157) It is they upon whom their Sustainer’s
blessings and grace are bestowed, and it is they, they
who are on the right path!
(158) [Hence,] behold, A$-$afä and Al-Marwah are
among the symbols set up by God;126 and thus, no

124 Lit., “except such among them as are bent upon wrongdoing” (regarding the intent implied in
the use of the past tense in expressions like alladhïna ?alamü or alladhïna kafarü, see note 6 on
verse 6 of this sOrah). The Qur’än stresses repeatedly that the Muslims are true followers of
Abraham. This claim, however, might have been open to objection so long as they prayed in a
direction other than Abraham’s qiblah, the Katah. The establishment of the latter as the qiblah of
the followers of the Qur’än would invalidate any such argument and would leave it only to “those
who are bent upon wrongdoing” (in this case, distorting the truth) to challenge the message of the
Qur’än on these grounds.
125 Lit., “with something”.
126 Lit., “God’s symbols”. The space between the two low outcrops of rock called Aç-$afâ and
Al-Marwah, situated in Mecca in the immediate vicinity of the KaTtah, is said to have been the scene
of Hagar’s suffering when Abraham, following God’s command, abandoned her and their infant son
Ishmael in the desert (see note 102 above). Distraught with thirst and fearing for the life of her child,
Hagar ran to and fro between the two rocks and fervently prayed to God for succour: and, finally,
her reliance on God and her patience were rewarded by the discovery of a spring-existing to this
day and known as the Well of Zamzam-which saved the two from death through thirst. It was in
remembrance of Hagar’s extreme trial, and of her trust in God, that A?-$afä and Al-Marwah had
come to be regarded, even in pre-Islamic times, as symbols of faith and patience in adversity: and

32
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wrong does he who, having come to the Temple on
pilgrimage or on a pious visit, strides to and fro
between these two:127 for, if one does more good than
he is bound to do-behold, God is responsive to
gratitude, all-knowing.12*

(159) BEHOLD, as for those who suppress aught of the Lj ji 41 ^23

evidence of the truth and of the guidance which We
have bestowed from on high, after We have made it
clear unto mankind through the divine writ - these it is -Jr Uÿt L
whom God will reject, and whom all who can judge
will reject.129 (160) Excepted, however, shall be they
that repent, and put themselves to rights, and make
known the truth: and it is they whose repentance I
shall accept-for I alone am the Acceptor of Repen­
tance, the Dispenser of Grace.
(161) Behold, as for those who are bent on denying
tÇÏjï; $ kÿ 'iX. iyÛJ
the truth and die as deniers of the truth-their due is
rejection by God, and by the angels, and by all
[righteous] men. (162) In this state shall they abide;
[and] neither will their suffering be lightened, nor will
they be granted respite.
jjl 3

(163) AND YOUR GOD is the One God: there is no deity

save Him, the Most Gracious, the Dispenser of Grace. $ > j »‘li > »~jî 'y iî jjî Uj uî
(164) Verily, in the creation of the heavens and of
the earth, and the succession of night and day: and in
the ships that speed through the sea with what is useful
to man: and in the waters which God sends down from
the sky, giving life thereby to the earth after it had

this explains their mention in the context of the passages which deal with the virtues of patience and
trust in God (RäzT).
127 It is in commemoration of Hagar’s running in distress between A$-$afä and Al-Marwah that
the Mecca pilgrims are expected to walk, at a fast pace, seven times between these two hillocks.
Because of the fact that in pre-lslamic times certain idols had been standing there, some of the early
Muslims were reluctant to perform a rite which seemed to them to be associated with recent idolatry
(RäzT, on the authority of Ibn 'Abbfis). The above verse served to reassure them on this score by
pointing out that this symbolic act of remembrance was much older than the idolatry practiced by
the pagan Quraysh.
128 From the phrase “if one does more good than he is bound to do”, read in conjunction with
“no wrong does he who..(or, more literally, “there shall be no blame upon him who...”), some
of the great Islamic scholars - e.g., Imäm AbQ HanTfah - conclude that the walking to and fro
between A?-$afä and Al-Marwah is not one of the obligatory rites of pilgrimage but rather a
supererogatory act of piety (see ZamakhsharT and RäzT). Most scholars, however, hold the view that
it is an integral part of the pilgrimage.
129 Lit., “whom all who reject will reject" - i.e., all righteous persons who are able to judge moral
issues. God’s rejection (/a'na/i) denotes “exclusion from His grace” (Manâr 11, 50). In classical
Arabic usage, the primary meaning of la‘nah is equivalent to ib'äd (“estrangement” or “banish­
ment"); in the terminology of the Qur'an, it signifies “rejection from all that is good” (Lisân
al-1Arab). According to Ibn cAbbäs and several outstanding scholars of the next generation, the
divine writ mentioned here is the Bible; thus, the above verse refers to the Jews and the Christians.

33
 SÜRAH
AL-BAQARAH

been lifeless, and causing all manner of living crea­

tures to multiply thereon: and in the change of the
winds, and the clouds that run their appointed courses
between sky and earth: [in all this] there are messages
indeed for people who use their reason.130
(165) And yet there are people who choose to
believe in beings that allegedly rival God,131 loving
them as [only] God should be loved: whereas those
who have attained to faith love God more than all else.
If they who are bent on evildoing could but see - as
À» L- oil IblX*di!
see they will when they are made to suffer132 [on
Resurrection Day]-that all might belongs to God 4Ä ipl<jl «-jIj_*J! jjjr Ipt Jl dixjJj
alone, and that God is severe in [meting out] punish­
(gj) ùîj iÇç
ment!
(166) [On that Day] it will come to pass that those
fj: C*l«l<j fcjliJTIjljj lyt-l!îjpl
who had been [falsely] adored133 shall disown their
followers, and the latter shall see the suffering [that
awaits them], with all their hopes134135
cut to pieces! (167)
And then those followers shall say: “Would that we z
had a second chance [in life],133 so that we could
disown them as they have disowned us!”
Thus will God show them their works [in a manner
that will cause them] bitter regrets; but they will not
ppi >1- $lJu jÛ
come out of the fire.136 »LÀJÎj »pl fp,' Lr\ Ji p
(168) O MANKIND! Partake of what is lawful and good on J? b[j (gj) jp» VL à! jc ijlp
earth, and follow not Satan’s footsteps: for, verily, he
is your open foe, (169) and bids you only to do evil,
and to commit deeds of abomination, and to attribute
unto God something of which you have no
knowledge.137

130 This passage is one of the many in which the Qur’Sn appeals to “those who use their reason”
to observe the daily wonders of nature, including the evidence of man’s own ingenuity (“the ships
that speed through the sea”), as so many indications of a conscious, creative Power pervading the
universe.
131 Lit., “there are among the people such as take [to worshipping] compeers beside God”.
Regarding the term anddd, see note 13 on verse 22 of this sürah.
132 Lit., “when they see the suffering” (or “chastisement”).
133 Lit., “followed” - i.e., as saints or alleged “divine personalities”.
134 Asbäb (sing, sabab) denotes, in its primary meaning, “ties” or “attachments”, and in a
tropical sense, “means [towards any end]" (cf. Lisän al-'Arab, and Lane IV, 1285). In the above
context, asbäb obviously refers to means of salvation, and may thus be rendered as “hopes”.
135 Lit., “Would that there were a return for us”.
136 Sc., back to the life of this world, with a second chance before them (Manär II, 81).
137 This refers to an arbitrary attribution to God of commandments or prohibitions in excess of
what has been clearly ordained by Him (ZamakhsharT). Some of the commentators (e.g.,
Muhammad 'Abduh in Mandr II, 89 f.) include within this expression the innumerable supposedly
“legal” injunctions which, without being clearly warranted by the wording of the Qur'an or an
authentic Tradition, have been obtained by individual Muslim scholars through subjective methods

34
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THE COW
(170) But when they are told, “Follow what God has
bestowed from on high,” some answer, “Nay, we shall
follow [only] that which we found our forefathers
believing in and doing.” Why, even if their forefathers
did not use their reason at all, and were devoid of all
guidance?
(171) And so, the parable of those who are bent on
denying the truth is that of the beast which hears the
shepherd’s cry, and hears in it nothing but the sound of
a voice and a call.138 Deaf are they, and dumb, and
blind: for they do not use their reason.
(172) O you who have attained to faith! Partake of
the good things which We have provided for you as
sustenance, and render thanks unto God, if it is [truly] •Q [ .5^"*jj I* J» fj» yr
Him that you worship.
(173) He has forbidden to you only carrion, and Z f fjl J *->A fz- 3-
blood, and the flesh of swine, and that over which any
name other than God’s has been invoked;1” but if one is
driven by necessity - neither coveting it nor exceeding <3 ■> JJ*
his immediate need-no sin shall be upon him: for,
behold, God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace. b-f * * CK J* jfl Jÿ' I*
'^'i'jjtfl J SjTLL XU
(174) VERILY, as for those who suppress aught of the
revelation140 which God has bestowed from on high, <3 f-b rj£z «*4^ fx *»T
and barter it away for a trifling gain - they but fill their
Cfji sqv cpitîâii)! iGj
bellies with fire. And God will not speak unto them on
the Day of Resurrection, nor will He cleanse them [of ûkjT Jj 2»f St (3 JÛÏ >
their sins]; and grievous suffering awaits them. (175) It
is they who take error in exchange for guidance, and
suffering in exchange for forgiveness: yet how little do
they seem to fear the fire!
(176) Thus it is: since it is God who bestows141 the
divine writ from on high, setting forth the truth, all

of deduction and then put forward as “God’s ordinances”. The connection between this passage and
the preceding ones is obvious. In verses 165-167 the Qur’Sn speaks of those “who choose to believe
in beings that supposedly rival God”: and this implies also a false attribution, to those beings, of a
right to issue quasi-religious ordinances of their own, as well as an attribution of religious validity to
customs sanctioned by nothing but ancient usage (see next verse).
138 This is a very free rendering of the elliptic sentence which, literally, reads thus: “The parable
of those who are bent on denying the truth is as that of him who cries unto what hears nothing but a
cry and a call.” The verb na'qa is mostly used to describe the inarticulate cry with which the
shepherd drives his flock.
139 I.e., all that has been dedicated or offered in sacrifice to an idol or a saint or a person
considered to be “divine”. For a more comprehensive enumeration of the forbidden kinds of flesh,
see 5:3.
140 This term is used here in its generic sense,, comprising both the Qur'an and the earlier
revelations.
141 Lit., “has been bestowing”. Since the form nazzala implies gradualness and continuity in the
process of revelation, it can best be rendered by the use of the present tense.

35
 SÜRAH
AL-BAQARAH_______________________________________

those who set their own views against the divine writ142
are, verily, most deeply in the wrong.
(177) True piety does not consist in turning your
faces towards the east or the west143 - but truly pious is
he who believes in God, and the Last Day, and the
angels, and revelation,144 and the prophets; and spends äL ’■rLj^b
his substance — however much he himself may cherish
it—upon his near of kin, and the orphans, and the
needy, and the wayfarer,145 and the beggars, and for
ùJj
the freeing of human beings from bondage;146 and is
constant in prayer, and renders the purifying dues; and jjä j/3T ‘ty
[truly pious are] they who keep their promises
whenever they promise, and are patient in misfortune »Tyilb »L-LJÎ j
and hardship and in time of peril: it is they that have
eJLibb yT c/ûî
proved themselves true, and it is they, they who are
conscious of God. (jw) ôykjî

(178) O YOU who have attained to faith! Just retribution is xjt xjG^Lb>T JijT j
ordained for you in cases of killing: the free for the
free, and the slave for the slave, and the woman for the

142 Lit, "who hold discordant views about the divine writ" - i.e., either suppressing or rejecting
parts of it, or denying its divine origin altogether (Râzï).
143 Thus, the Qur’än stresses the principle that mere compliance with outward forms does not
fulfil the requirements of piety. The reference to the turning of one’s face in prayer in this or that
direction flows from the passages which dealt, a short while ago, with the question of the qiblah.
144 In this context, the term "revelation" (al-kitäb) carries, according to most of the commen­
tators, a generic significance: it refers to the fact of divine revelation as such. As regards belief in
angels, it is postulated here because it is through these spiritual beings or forces (belonging to the
realm of al-ghayb, i.e., the reality which is beyond the reach of human perception) that God reveals
His will to the prophets and, thus, to mankind at large.
145 The expression ibn as-sabil (lit., "son of the road”) denotes any person who is far from his
home, and especially one who, because of this circumstance, does not have sufficient means of
livelihood at his disposal (cf. Lane IV, 1302). In its wider sense it describes a person who, for any
reason whatsoever, is unable to return home either temporarily or permanently: for instance, a
political exile or refugee.
146 Ar-raqabah (of which ar-riqäb is the plural) denotes, literally, "the neck", and signifies also
the whole of a human person. Metonymically, the expression ft 'r-riqäb denotes “in the cause of
freeing human beings from bondage", and applies to both the ransoming of captives and the freeing
of slaves. By including this kind of expenditure within the essential acts of piety, the Qur’än implies
that the freeing of people from bondage-and, thus, the abolition of slavery-is one of the social
objectives of Islam. At the time of the revelation of the Qur’än, slavery was an established
institution throughout the world, and its sudden abolition would have been economically impossible.
In order to obviate this difficulty, and at the same time to bring about an eventual abolition of all
slavery, the Qur’än ordains in 8:67 that henceforth only captives taken in a just war (jihâd) may be
kept as slaves. But even with regard to persons enslaved in this or-before the revelation of
8:67-in any other way, the Qur’än stresses the great merit inherent in the freeing of slaves, and
stipulates it as a means of atonement for various transgressions (see, e.g., 4:92, 5:89, 58:3). In
addition, the Prophet emphatically stated on many occasions that, in the sight of God, the
unconditional freeing of a human being from bondage is among the most praiseworthy acts which a
Muslim could perform. (For a critical discussion and analysis of all the authentic Traditions bearing
on this problem, see Nayl al-Awfär VI, 199 ff.)

36
2
THE COW
woman. And if something [of his guilt] is remitted to , ». M
a guilty person by his brother,148 this [remission] shall
be adhered to with fairness, and restitution to his . • trx ,
fellow-man shall be made in a goodly manner.1*

147 After having pointed out that true piety does not consist in mere adherence to outward forms
and ntes, the Qur’an opens, as it were, a new chapter relating to the problem of man’s behaviour.
Just as piety cannot become effective without righteous action, individual righteousness cannot
become really effective m the social sense unless there is agreement within the community as to the
social rights and obligations of its members: in other words, as to the practical laws which should
govern the behaviour of the individual within the society and the society’s attitude towards the
individual and his actions. This is the innermost reason why legislation plays so great a role within
the ideology of Islam, and why the Qur’an consistently intertwines its moral and spiritual
exhortation with ordinances relating to practical aspects of social life. Now one of the main
problems facing any society is the safeguarding of the lives and the individual security of its
members: and so it is understandable that laws relating to homicide and its punishment are dealt with
prominently at this place. (It should be borne in mind that “The Cow” was the first surah revealed in
Medina, that is, at the time when the Muslim community had just become established as an
independent social entity.)
As for the term qifâf occurring at the beginning of the above passage, it must be pointed out
that- according to all the classical commentators - it is almost synonymous with musäwäh, i.e.,
“making a thing equal [to another thing]”: in this instance, making the punishment equal (or
appropriate) to the crime - a meaning which is best rendered as “just retribution” and not (as has
been often, and erroneously, done) as “retaliation". Seeing that the Qur'an speaks here of “cases of
killing” (fi 'l-qatld, lit., “in the matter of the killed”) in general, and taking into account that this
expression covers all possible cases of homicide - premeditated murder, murder under extreme
provocation, culpable homicide, accidental manslaughter, and so forth - it is obvious that the taking
of a life for a life (implied in the term “retaliation”) would not in every case correspond to the
demands of equity. (This has been made clear, for instance, in 4:92, where legal restitution for
unintentional homicide is dealt with.) Read in conjunction with the term “just retribution” which
introduces this passage, it is clear that the stipulation “the free for the free, the slave for the slave,
the woman for the woman" cannot - and has not been intended to-be taken in its literal, restrictive
sense: for this would preclude its application to many cases of homicide, e.g., the killing of a free
man by a slave, or of a woman by a man, or vice-versa. Thus, the above stipulation must be regarded
as an example of the elliptical mode of expression (ïjâz) so frequently employed in the Qur’an. and
can have but one meaning, namely: “if a free man has committed the crime, the free man must be
punished; if a slave has commited the crime...”, etc. - in other words, whatever the status of the
guilty person, he or she (and he or she alone) is to be punished in a manner appropriate to the crime.
148 Lit., “and he to whom [something] is remitted by his brother”. There is no linguistic
justification whatever for attributing - as some of the commentators have done - the pronoun “his”
to the victim and, thus, for assuming that the expression “brother” stands for the victim’s “family”
or “blood relations”. The pronoun “his” refers, unquestionably, to the guilty person; and since there
is no reason for assuming that by “his brother” a real brother is meant, we cannot escape the
conclusion that it denotes here “his brother in faith” of “his fellow-man” - in either of which terms
the whole community is included. Thus, the expression “if something is remitted to a guilty person by
his brother" (i.e., by the community or its legal organs) may refer either to the establishment of
mitigating circumstances in a case of murder, or to the finding that the case under trial falls within
the categories of culpable homicide or manslaughter - in which cases no capital punishment is to be
exacted and restitution is to be made by the payment of an indemnity called diyyah (see 4:92) to the
relatives of the victim. In consonance with the oft-recurring Qur’anic exhortation to forgiveness and
forbearance, the “remission” mentioned above may also (and especially in cases of accidental
manslaughter) relate to a partial or even total waiving of any claim to indemnification.
149 Lit., "and restitution to him in a goodly manner”, it being understood that the pronoun in
ilayhi ("to him”) refers to the "brother in faith” or “fellow-man” mentioned earlier in this sentence.
The word add' (here translated as “restitution") denotes an act of acquitting oneself of a duty or a
debt (cf. Lane I, 38), and stands here for the act of legal reparation imposed on the guilty person.
This reparation or restitution is to be made "in a goodly manner”-by taking into account the

37
 SÜRAH
AL-BAQARAH

This is an alleviation from your Sustainer, and an act

of His grace. And for him who, none the less,130
wilfully transgresses the bounds of what is right, there
is grievous suffering in store: (179) for, in [the law of]
just retribution, O you who are endowed with insight,
there is life for you, so that you might remain con­
scious of God!*150
ISi j jLm

(180) IT IS ordained for you, when death approaches any of

you and he is leaving behind much wealth, to make
bequests in favour of his parents and [other] near of
kin in accordance with what is fair:152 this is binding on
/A Cr* (g->
all who are conscious of God. (181) And if anyone
alters such a provision after having come to know
it, the sin of acting thus shall fall only upon those
who have altered it.“3 Verily, God is all-hearing,
all-knowing.
(182) If, however, one has reason to fear that the S Jr*? jü r*
testator has committed a mistake or a [deliberate]
wrong, and thereupon brings about a settlement be­
tween the heirs,154 he will incur no sin [thereby]. uu <$) ÙJ& jw sp j* y i
Verily, God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.

(183) O YOU who have attained to faith I Fasting is ordained

for you as it was ordained for those before you, so that
you might remain conscious of God: (184) [fasting]
during a certain number of days.155 But whoever of

situation of the accused and, on the latter’s part, by acquitting himself of his obligation willingly and
sincerely (cf. Manär II, 129).
150 Lit., “after this”-i.e., after the meaning of what constitutes “just retribution” (qifäf) has
been made clear in the above ordinance (RäzT).
151 I.e., “there is a safeguard for you, as a community, so that you might be able to live in
security, as God wants you to live”. Thus, the objective of qifäf is the protection of the society, and
not “revenge”.
152 The word khayr occurring in this sentence denotes “much wealth” and not simply
"property”: and this explains the injunction that one who leaves much wealth behind should make
bequests to particularly deserving members of his family in addition to - and preceding the
distribution of-the legally-fixed shares mentioned in 4:11-12. This interpretation of khayr is
supported by sayings of ‘A’ishah and ‘AIT ibn AbT Tälib, both of them referring to this particular
verse (cf. ZamakhsharT and BaydäwT).
153 Lit., “and as for him who alters it” - i.e., after the testator’s death - “aftpr having heard it, the
sin thereof is only upon those who alter it”: that is, not on anyone who may have unwittingly
benefited by this alteration. It is to be noted that the verb sami'a (lit., “he heard”) has also the
connotation of “he came to know”.
154 Lit., “between them”-i.e., a settlement overriding the testamentary provisions which, by
common consent of the parties concerned, are considered unjust.
155 I.e., during the twenty-nine or thirty days of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar
calendar (see next verse). It consists of a total abstention from food, drink and sexual intercourse
from dawn until sunset. As the Qur*än points out, fasting has been widely practiced at all times of
man’s religious history. The extreme rigour and the long duration of the Islamic fast-which is
incumbent on every healthy adult, man or woman- fulfils, in addition to the general aim of spiritual
 2
THE COW
you is ill, or on a journey, [shall fast instead for the
same] number of other days; and [in such cases] it is
incumbent upon those who can afford it to make
sacrifice by feeding a needy person.1“
And whoever does more good than he is bound to
157 does good unto himself thereby; for to fast is to
do156
do good unto yourselves - if you but knew it.
(185) It was the month of Ramadän in which the yr >>
Quf’än was [first] bestowed from on high as a guidance / -«.x > l, ha.
unto man and a self-evident proof of that guidance, <^1 ûb

and as the standard by which to discern the true from

Jÿi jfi OP*
the false. Hence, whoever of you lives to see1“ this
month shall fast throughout it; but he that is ill, or on a
journey, [shall fast instead for the same] number of
other days. God wills that you shall have ease, and
does not will you to suffer hardship; but [He desires]
that you complete the number [of days required], and
that you extol God for His having guided you aright, (jft; JcdjTi/X-jj iljT
and that you render your thanks [unto Him]. i 7....................
j|î îjM L.

(186) AND IF My servants ask thee about Me - behold, I am

(S' z (hUJ J
near; I respond to the call of him who calls, whenever
he calls unto Me: let them, then, respond unto Me, and
believe in Me, so that they might follow the right way.

(187) IT IS lawful for you to go in unto your wives during

the night preceding the [day’s] fast: they are as a
garment for you, and you are as a garment for them.
God is aware that you would have deprived yourselves
of this right,159 and so He has turned unto you in His
mercy and removed this hardship from you. Now,

purification, a threefold purpose: (1) to commemorate the beginning of the Qufanic revelation,
which took place in the month of Ramadan about thirteen years before the Prophet’s exodus to
Medina; (2) to provide an exacting exercise of self-discipline; and (3) to make everyone realize,
through his or her own experience, how it feels to be hungry and thirsty, and thus to gain a true
appreciation of the needs of the poor.
156 This phrase has been subject to a number of conflicting and sometimes highly laboured
interpretations. My rendering is based on the primary meaning of alladhïna yufïqûnahu (“those
who are capable of it” or “are able to do it" or “can afford it"), with the pronoun hu relating to the
act of “feeding a needy person".
157 Some commentators are of the opinion that this refers to a voluntary feeding of more than
one needy person, or to feeding the needy for more than the number of days required by the above
ordinance. Since, however, the remaining part of the sentence speaks of the benefits of fasting as
such, it is more probable that “doing more good than one is bound to do” refers, in this context, to
supererogatory fasting (such as the Prophet sometimes undertook) apart from the obligatory one
during the month of Ramaçlân.
158 Lit., “witnesses" or “is present in".
159 Lit., “deceived" of “defrauded yourselves [in this respect]": an allusion to the idea prevalent
among the early Muslims, before the revelation of this verse, that during the period of fasting all
sexual intercourse should be avoided, even at night-time, when eating and drinking are allowed
(RäzT). The above verse removed this misconception.
 SÜRAH
AL-BAQARAH

then, you may lie with them skin to skin, and avail
yourselves of that which God has ordained for you,
and eat and drink until you can discern the white
streak of dawn against the blackness of night,160 mid
161162
163
then resume fasting until nightfall; but do not lie with
them skin to skin when you are about to abide in
meditation in houses of worship.1“
These are the bounds set by God: do not, then, ££ Ji f
offend against them - [for] it is thus that God makes
clear His messages unto mankind, so that they might
remain conscious of Him.

(188) AND DEVOUR NOT one another’s possessions rjtXî ££

wrongfully, and neither employ legal artifices1“ with a
view to devouring sinfully, and knowingly, anything
that by right belongs to others.164
ÿ <4 iJ i

(189) THEY WILL ASK thee about the new moons. Say:
“They indicate the periods for [various doings of]
mankind, including the pilgrimage.”1“
However, piety does not consist in your entering
houses from the rear, [as it were,] but truly pious is he
who is conscious of God.166 Hence, enter houses

160 Lit., “and seek that which God has ordained for you”: an obvious stress on the God-willed
nature of sexual life.
161 Lit., “the white line of dawn from the black line [of night]". According to all Arab
philologists, the “black line" (al-khayl al-as wad) signifies “the blackness of night” (Lane 11, 831);
and the expression al-khayfän (“the two lines" or “streaks") denotes “day and night" (Lirin
al-Arab).
162 It was the practice of the Prophet to spend several days and nights during Ramadän-and
occasionally also at other times - in the mosque, devoting himself to prayer and meditation to the
exclusion of all worldly activities; and since he advised his followers as well to do this from time to
time, seclusion in a mosque for the sake of meditation, called ictikâf, has become a recognized -
though optional - mode of devotion among Muslims, especially during the last ten days of Ramadän.
163 Lit., “and do not throw it to the judges" - i.e., with a view to being decided by them contrary
to what is right (ZamakhsharT, Baydâwï).
164 Lit., “a part of [other] people's possessions".
165 The reference, at this stage, to lunar months arises from the fact that the observance of
several of the religious obligations instituted by Islam - like the fast of Ramadän. or the pilgrimage to
Mecca (which is dealt with in verses 196-203)-is based on the lunar calendar, in which the months
rotate through the seasons of the solar year. This fixation on the lunar calendar results in a
continuous variation of the seasonal circumstances in which those religious observances are
performed (e.g., the length of the fasting-period between dawn and sunset, heat or cold at the time of
the fast or the pilgrimage), and thus in a corresponding, periodical increase or decrease of the
hardship involved. In addition to this, reckoning by lunar months has a bearing on the tide and ebb of
the oceans, as well as on human physiology (e.g„ a woman’s monthly courses - a subject dealt with
later on in this sürah).
166 I.e., true piety does not consist in approaching questions of faith through a “back door”, as it
were - that is, through mere observance of the forms and periods set for the performance of various
religious duties (cf. 2:177). However important these forms and time-limits may be in themselves,
they do not fulfil their real purpose unless every act is approached through its spiritual “front door”.
 2
THE COW
through their doors, and remain conscious of God, so
that you might attain to a happy state.

(190) AND FIGHT in God’s cause against those who wage

war against you, but do not commit aggression-for,
verily, God does not love aggressors.1®7 (191) And slay » > >
y1 jiJLjJ
them wherever you may come upon them, and drive
them away from wherever they drove you away — for
oppression is even worse than killing.’“ And fight not
against them near the Inviolable House of Worship
unless they fight against you there first;1“ but if they j*- V-17
fight against you, slay them: such shall be the recom­
pense of those who deny the truth. tî>»itâ
(192) But if they desist-behold, God is much-for­
giving, a dispenser of grace.
(193) Hence, fight against them until there is no more
oppression and all worship is devoted to God alone;167 170
169
168
but if they desist, then all hostility shall cease, save
against those who [wilfully] do wrong.
(194) Fight during the sacred months if you are
attacked:171 for a violation of sanctity is [subject to the

that is, through God-consciousness. Since, metonymically, the word bäb (“door”) signifies “a means
of access to, or of attainment of, a thing” (see Lane I, 272), the metaphor of “entering a house
through its door” is often used in classical Arabic to denote a proper approach to a problem (Râzï).
167 This and the following verses lay down unequivocally that only self-defence (in the widest
sense of the word) makes war permissible for Muslims. Most of the commentators agree in that the
expression IS ta'tads signifies, in this context, “do not commit aggression”; while by al-mu'tadïn
“those who commit aggression” are meant. The defensive character of a fight “in God’s
cause” - that is, in the cause of the ethical principles ordained by God - is. moreover, self-evident in
the reference to “those who wage war against you”, and has been still further clarified in
22:39-“permission [to fight] is given to those against whom war is being wrongfully waged” -
which, according to all available Traditions, constitutes the earliest (and therefore fundamental)
Qur’anic reference to the question of jihSd, or holy war (see Tabari and Ibn Kathîr in their
commentaries on 22:39). That this early, fundamental principle of self-defence as the only possible
justification of war has been maintained throughout the Qiiffin is evident from 60:8, as well as from
the concluding sentence of 4:91, both of which belong to a later period than the above verse.
168 In view of the preceding ordinance, the injunction “slay them wherever you may come upon
them" is valid only within the context of hostilities already in progress (Rfizï), on the understanding
that “those who wage war against you” are the aggressors or oppressors (a war of liberation being a
war “in God’s cause”). The translation, in this context, of fitnah as “oppression” is justified by the
application of this term to any affliction which may cause man to go astray and to lose his faith in
spiritual values (cf. LisSn al-*Arab).
169 This reference to warfare in the vicinity of Mecca is due to the fact that at the time of the
revelation of this verse the Holy City was still in the possession of the pagan Quraysh, who were
hostile to the Muslims. However - as is always the case with historical references in the Qur’än - the
above injunction has a general import, and is valid for all times and circumstances.
170 Lit., “and religion belongs to God [alone]” - i.e., until God can be worshipped without fear of
persecution, and none is compelled to bow down in awe before another human being. (See also
22:40.) The term din is in this context more suitably translated as “worship” inasmuch as it comprises
here both the doctrinal and the moral aspects of religion: that is to say, man’s faith as well as the
obligations arising from that faith.
171 This is a free rendering of the phrase “the sacred month for the sacred month", which is

41
 SÜRAH
AL-BAQARAH

law of] just retribution. Thus, if anyone commits

aggression against you, attack him just as he has
attacked you - but remain conscious of God, and know
that God is with those who are conscious of Him.172 G.
(195) And spend [freely] in God’s cause, and let not
your own hands throw you into destruction;173 and
j» L IjäLT X, âil ij (ïjj) deiijl
persevere in doing good: behold, God loves the doers of
good. jjji—»fcjl Ifdl

(196) AND PERFORM the pilgrimage and the pious visit [to
Mecca]174 in honour of God; and if you are held back,
give instead whatever offering you can easily afford.
And do not shave your heads until the offering has
been sacrificed;175 but he from among you who is ill or
suffers from an ailment of the head shall redeem
himself by fasting, or alms, or [any other] act of
•£-‘ j' S’£
worship. And if you are hale and secure,176 then he
who takes advantage of a pious visit before the [time
of] pilgrimage shall give whatever offering he can
easily afford;177 whereas he who cannot afford it shall
fast for three days during the pilgrimage and for seven

interpreted by all commentators in the sense given above. The “sacred months” during which,
according to ancient Arab custom, all fighting was deemed utterly wrong, were the first, seventh,
eleventh and twelfth months of the lunar calendar.
172 Thus, although the believers are enjoined to fight back whenever they are attacked, the
concluding words of the above verse make it clear that they must, when fighting, abstain from all
atrocities, including the killing of non-combatants.
173 Le., “you might bring about your own destruction by withholding your personal and material
contribution to this common effort”.
174 The Mecca pilgrimage (hajj) takes place once a year, in the month of Dhu 'l-Hijjah, whereas
a pious visit fumrah) may be performed at any time. In both hajj and (umrah, the pilgrims are
required to walk seven times around the Ka'bah and seven times between A$-$afä and Al-Marwah
(see notes 127 and 128 above); in the course of the bajj, they must, in addition, attend the gathering
on the plain of cArafät on the 9th of Dhu ’l-Hijjah (see note 182 below). Irrespective of whether they
are performing a full hajj or only an 'umrah, the pilgrims must refrain from cutting or even trimming
the hair on their heads from the time they enter the state of pilgrimage (ihräm) until the end of the
pilgrimage, respectively the pious visit. As mentioned in the sequence, persons who are ill or suffer
from an ailment which necessitates the cutting or shaving of one’s hair are exempted from this
prohibition.
175 Lit., “until the offering has reached its destination” -i.e., in time or in place; according to
Räzl, the time of sacrifice is meant here, namely, the conclusion of the pilgrimage, when those who
participate in the hajj are expected - provided they can afford it - to sacrifice a sheep, a goat, or the
like, and to distribute most of its flesh in charity.
176 The expression idhd amantum (lit., “when you are safe”) refers here to safety both from
external dangers (e.g„ war) and from illness, and is, therefore, best rendered as “hale and
secure” - the implication being that the person concerned is in a position, and intends, to participate
in the pilgrimage.
177 This relates to an interruption, for the sake of personal comfort, of the state of pilgrimage
(ihrdm) during the time intervening between the completion of an 'wnrah and the performance of
the haj/ (cf. Mandr II, 222). The pilgrim who takes advantage of this facility is obliged to sacrifice an
animal (see note 175 above) at the termination of the pilgrimage or, alternatively, to fast for ten days.

42
 2
THE COW
days after your return: that is, ten full [days]. All this
relates to him who does not live near the Inviolable
House of Worship.’7*
And remain conscious of God, and know that God is
severe in retribution.178
179180
184
183
182
181
(197) The pilgrimage shall take place in the months /J* 24=* J ûÛ été
appointed for it.”0 And whoever undertakes the pil­
grimage in those [months] shall, while on pilgrimage, (JJ) «-XLJÎ juj. ji iji'îj
abstain from lewd speech, from all wicked conduct,
and from quarrelling; and whatever good you may do,
God is aware of it.
L, j jiJL V, JjJj 7J
And make provision for yourselves - but, verily, the
best of all provisions is God-consciousness: remain, CsjäjT alj T > aï
then, conscious of Me, O you who are endowed with £3 J
insight! (198) [However,] you will be committing no sin
if [during the pilgrimage] you seek to obtain any j,fillip
bounty from your Sustainer.”1
And when you surge downward in multitudes from
‘Arafât,**2 remember God at the holy place, and re­
member Him as the One who guided you after you had JÛT >ui éJ. 2/4*4 ? 24
indeed been lost on your way;”3 (199) and surge (Amn 'ip âî J[ u*
onward together with the multitude of all the other
people who surge onward,'*4 and ask God to forgive
you your sins: for, verily, God is much-forgiving, a
dispenser of grace.
(200) And when you have performed your acts of

178 Lit., “whose people are not present at the Inviolable House of Worship” - i.e., do not
permanently reside there: for, obviously, the inhabitants of Mecca cannot remain permanently in the
state of ihräm.
179 This refers not merely to a possible violation of the sanctity of the pilgrimage but also, in a
more general way, to all deliberate violations of God’s ordinances.
180 Lit., “in the well-known months". Since the hajj culminates in one particular month (namely,
Dhu ’1-Hijjah), the plural apparently refers to its annual recurrence. It should, however, be noted
that some commentators understand it as referring to the last three months of the lunar year.
181 I.e., by trading while in the state of ihriim. Muhammad 'Abduh points out (in Manär II, 231)
that the endeavour “to obtain any bounty from your Sustainer" implies God-consciousness and,
therefore, constitutes a kind of worship - provided, of course, that this endeavour does not conflict
with any other, more prominent religious requirement.
182 The gathering of all pilgrims on the plain of 'Arafät, east of Mecca, takes place on the 9th of
Dhu ’l-Hijjah and constitutes the climax of the pilgrimage. The pilgrims are required to remain until
sunset on that plain, below the hillock known as Jabal ar-Rahmah (“the Mount of Grace”)-a
symbolic act meant to bring to mind that ultimate gathering on Resurrection Day, when every soul
will await God’s judgment. Immediately after sunset, the multitudes of pilgrims move back in the
direction of Mecca, stopping overnight at a place called Muzdalifah, the “holy place” referred to in
the next clause of this sentence.
183 Lit., “and remember Him as He has guided you, although before that you had indeed been
among those who go astray".
184 Lit., “surge onward in multitudes whence the people surge onward in multitudes": thus the
pilgrims are called upon to submerge their individualities, at that supreme moment of the pilgrimage,
in the consciousness of belonging to a community of people who are all equal before God, with no
barrier of race or class or social status separating one person from another.
 SÜRAH
AL-BAQARAH

worship, [continue to] bear God in mind as you would

bear your own fathers in mind - nay, with a yet keener
remembrance!1" For there are people who [merely]
pray, “O our Sustainer! Give us in this world"-and
such shall not partake in the blessings of the life to
come. (201) But there are among them such as pray,
“O our Sustainer! Grant us good in this world and
good in the life to come, and keep us safe from JA O j
suffering through the fire": (202) it is these,that shall
(g) jûl uJÀ* Cij <-»■ ij-ftjj Lj|ïj
have their portion [of happiness] in return for what
they have earned. And God is swift in reckoning.
(£J) gy Aïj pl dJLJji
(203) And bear God in mind during the appointed
days;”6 but he who hurries away within two days shall
incur no sin, and he who tarries longer shall incur no
jf* ù-* o’*>*•* J* d VT*b •
sin, provided that he is conscious of God. Hence, ?» S*6 ?r*
remain conscious of God, and know that unto Him you
shall be gathered.
je AÏ JjL } L2 jjT îjllï j
(204) NOW THERE IS a kind of man”7 whose views on the
life of this world may please thee greatly, and [the
cb» ■**’ 4 **
more so as] he cites God as witness to what is in his
heart and is, moreover, exceedingly skillful in jJjG sp.ï j
argument1“ (205) But whenever he prevails, he goes
about the earth spreading corruption and destroying
[man’s] tilth and progeny:10 and God does not love

185 Most of the commentators see in this passage a reference to the custom of the pre-Islamic
Arabs to extol, on the occasion of various gatherings, the greatness and the supposed virtues of their
ancestors. Some of the earliest Islamic scholars, however -e.g., Ad*Pahhâk, Ar-RabT and AbQ
Muslim-are of the opinion that what is meant here are actual fathers (or, by implication, both
parents), whom a child usually considers to be the embodiment of all that is good and powerful (see
RäzT’s commentary on this verse).
186 These are the days following the “Festival of Sacrifices" fFd al-atfM*), which takes place on
the 10th of Dhu ’1-Hijjah. The pilgrims are obliged to spend at least two of these days in the valley of
Mini, about half-way between 'Arafät and Mecca.
187 Lit., “among the people there is he” (or “such as"). Since there is no valid reason to suppose,
as some commentators do, that this refers to a particular person-a contemporary of the
Prophet-the most reliable authorities hold that the above passage has a general meaning (cf. Râzï).
As the context shows, it is a further elaboration of the allusion, made in 2 : 200-201, to two
contrasting attitudes: the attitude of people whose only real concern is the life of this world, and that
of people who are mindful of the hereafter as well as, or even more than, their present life.
188 Lit., “the most contentious of adversaries in a dispute". According to Az-Zajj&j (quoted by
R2zT), this signifies a person who is always able to defeat his opponent in a controversy by the use
of extremely adroit and often misleading arguments. It is obvious that this passage refers to people
who hold plausible and even admirable views regarding a possible improvement of human society
and of man’s lot on earth, but at the same time refuse to be guided by what they regard as "esoteric”
considerations — like belief in a life after death - and justify their exclusive preoccupation with the
affairs of this world by seemingly sound arguments and a stress on their own ethical objectives
(“they cite God as witness to what is in their hearts"). There is an inescapable affinity between the
mental attitude described in the above passage and the one spoken of in 2:8-12.
189 Lit., “he hastens about the earth [or “strives on earth"] to spread corruption therein and to
destroy tilth and progeny". Most of the commentators see in this sentence an indication of a

44
 2
THE COW
corruption. (206) And whenever he is told, “Be con­
scious of God,” his false pride drives him into sin:
wherefore hell will be his allotted portion-and how
îjdf âî jï 4 J-j 4-4^
vile a resting-place!
(207) But there is [also] a kind of man who would ùy 0 *4^('-♦’r/r—
willingly sell his own self in order to please God:*190191
and
193
192
4»^ ôli/ îLkZï 4__L jZ
God is most compassionate towards His servants.
(208) O you who have attained to faith! Surrender *8* j ijli-af [pU Ç.IÎ,' 0 aÇJL
yourselves wholly unto God,”1 and follow not Satan’s
footsteps, for, verily, he is your open foe. (209) And if 0 «Z-T* j-** iyuf *£
you should stumble after all evidence of the truth has
come unto you, then know that, verily, God is al­ jl rjjfcU C-C;ÎT JjîÇC jZ
mighty, wise.
f-tH k j’^S| ->Jyk- JJ 0
(210) Are these people”2 waiting, perchance, for
God to reveal Himself unto them in the shadows of the a
clouds, together with the angels - although [by then]
all will have been decided, and unto God all things will ù; Tjt»Vl L* J- 0
have been brought back?1”
ûî «5L- L a» j, ûî kli Ç5LJi
(211) Ask the children of Israel how many a clear
message We have given them! And if one alters God’s

conscious intent on the part of the person thus described; but it is also possible that the particle li in
li-yufsida (generally taken to mean “in order that he might spread corruption") plays in this context
the role of what the grammarians call a läm al-äqibah, “the [letter] läm used to denote a
consequence" -i.e., regardless of the existence or non-existence of a conscious intent. (By
rendering the sentence the way I do it, both possibilities are left open.) As regards the expression
harth (rendered by me as “tilth”), its primary significance is “gain" or “acquisition" through labour;
and thus it often signifies “worldly goods" (see Lane II, 542), and especially the crops obtained by
tilling land, as well as the tilled land itself. If harth is understood in this context as ‘tilth*’, it would
apply, metaphorically, to human endeavours in general, and to social endeavours in particular.
However, some commentators - basing their opinion on the Qur’anic sentence, “your wives are your
tilth” (2:223) - maintain that harth stands here for “wives” (cf. RäzT, and the philologist Al-AzharT,
as quoted in Manär II, 248): in which case the “destruction of tilth and progeny" would be
synonymous with an upsetting of family life and, consequently, of the entire social fabric. According
to either of these two interpretations, the passage has the following meaning: As soon as the mental
attitude described above is generally accepted and made the basis of social behaviour, it
unavoidably results in widespread moral decay and, consequently, social disintegration.
190 Lit., “there is such as would sell his own self out of a desire for God’s pleasure“: i.e., would
give up all his personal interests if compliance with God’s will were to demand it.
191 Lit., “enter wholly into self-surrender”. Since self-surrender to God is the basis of all true
belief, some of the greatest commentators (e.g., ZamakhsharT, RäzT) hold that the address, “O you
who have attained to faith” cannot refer here to Muslims - a designation which, throughout the
Qur’än, literally means “those who have surrendered themselves to God” - but must relate to people
who have not yet achieved such complete self-surrender: that is, to the Jews and the Christians, who
do believe in most of the earlier revelations but do not regard the message of the Qur’än as true. This
interpretation would seem to be borne out by the subsequent passages.
192 Lit., “they” - obviously referring to the people addressed in the preceding two verses.
193 I.e., it will be too late for repentance. All commentators agree in that the “decision” relates to
the unequivocal manifestation of God's will on the Day of Judgment, which is alluded to in the
words, “when unto God all things will have been brought back". Since, in the next verse, the
children of Israel are addressed, it is possible that this rhetorical question is connected with their
refusal, in the time of Moses, to believe in the divine message unless they “see God face to face” (cf.
2:55).
 SÜRAH
AL-BAQARAH

blessed message1” after it has reached him-verily,

God is severe in retribution!
(212) Unto those who are bent on denying the truth
the life of this world [alone] seems goodly;”5 hence,
they scoff at those who have attained to faith: but they
who are conscious of God shall be above them on
Resurrection Day.
fX ûc/b Cf i
And God grants sustenance unto whom He wills,
beyond all reckoning.194
195
196
j iJ.

(213) ALL MANKIND were once one single community; **1

[then they began to differ - ] whereupon God raised up
the prophets as heralds of glad tidings and as warners, f 4** Jj'j
and through them bestowed revelation from on high,
M •-âlafcîU, LJ
setting forth the truth, so that it might decide between
people with regard to all on which they had come to jrJï LjL» j! pZ»U.L jn
Yet none other than the self­
hold divergent views.197198
same people who had been granted this [revelation] ù; <J Û
began, out of mutual jealousy, to disagree about its
îjU-x j' 1 <3> âl û*
meaning after all evidence of the truth had come unto
them. But God guided the believers unto the truth
about which, by His leave, they had disagreed: for
God guides onto a straight way him that wills [to be
guided].196
(214) [But] do you think that you could enter para-

194 Lit., “God’s blessing".

195 Lit., “has been made beauteous”.
196 I.e., He cannot be called to account for the way in which He distributes worldly benefits,
sometimes granting them to the morally deserving and sometimes to sinners.
197 By using the expression ummah wähidah (“one single community") to describe the original
state of mankind, the Qur’än does not propound, as might appear at first glance, the idea of a mythical
“golden age” obtaining at the dawn of man’s history. What is alluded to in this verse is no more than
the relative homogeneity of instinctive perceptions and inclinations characteristic of man’s primitive
mentality and the primitive social order in which he lived in those early days. Since that
homogeneity was based on a lack of intellectual and emotional differentiation rather than on a
conscious agreement among the members of human society, it was bound to disintegrate in the
measure of man’s subsequent development. As his thought-life became more and more complex, his
emotional capacity and his individual needs, too, became more differentiated, conflicts of views and
interests came to the fore, and mankind ceased to be “one single community" as regards their
outlook on life and their moral valuations: and it was at this stage that divine guidance became
necessary. (It is to be borne in mind that the term al-kitäb refers here-as in many other places in
the Qur’än-not to any particular scripture but to divine revelation as such.) This interpretation of
the above Qur’anic passage is supported by the fact that the famous Companion ‘Abd Allah ibn
Mas'fld used to read it thus: “All mankind were once one single community, and then they began to
differ (fakhtalafü)- whereupon God raised up..etc. Although the word fakhtalafü interpolated
here by Ibn Mas‘Qd does not appear in the generally-accepted text of the Qur’än, almost all of the
authorities are of the opinion that it is implied in the context.
198 Or: “God guides whomever He wills onto a straight way.” As is made dear in the second part
of verse 253 of this sürah, man’s proneness to intellectual dissension is not an accident of history but
an integral, God-willed aspect of human nature as such: and it is this natural circumstance to which
the words “by His leave" allude. For an explanation of the phrase “out of mutual jealousy”, see
23:53 and the corresponding note 30.

46
 2
THE COW
dise without having suffered like those [believers] who
passed away before you?'” Misfortune and hardship
befell them, and so shaken were they that the apostle,
and the believers with him, would exclaim, “When will
God’s succour come?”199 200
Oh, verily, God’s succour is [always] near!

(215) THEY WILL ASK thee as to what they should spend

on others. Say: “Whatever of your wealth you spend
shall [first] be for your parents, and for the near of kin,
and the orphans, and the needy, and the wayfarer; and
whatever good you do, verily, God has full knowledge
thereof.”

(216) FIGHTING is ordained for you, even though it be (JJ)

hateful to you; but it may well be that you hate a thing
the while it is good for you, and it may well be that you
love a thing the while it is bad for you: and God knows,
® âîj ***
whereas you do not know.201
(217) They will ask thee about fighting in the sacred J4 J» m
month.202 Say: “Fighting in it is an awesome thing; but
C’A,
turning men away from the path of God and denying
Him, and [turning them away from] the Inviolable
(pût1 ÛÎX»
House of Worship and expelling its people therefrom -
[all this] is yet more awesome in the sight of God, Sri ù* J*- ÿî yj
since oppression is more awesome than killing.”
jfcjïi C—j J ijXkj.!
[Your enemies] will not cease to fight against you till
they have turned you away from your faith, if they
can. But if any of you should turn away from his faith
and die as a denier of the truth-these it is whose ùpU*-
works will go for nought in this world and in the life to
come; and these it is who are destined for the fire,
therein to abide.
(218) Verily, they who have attained to faith, and
they who have forsaken the domain of evil203 and are

199 Lit., “while yet there has not come to you the like of [what has come to] those who passed
away before you*’. This passage connects with the words, “God guides onto a straight way him that
wills [to be guided]”, which occur at the end of the preceding verse. The meaning is that intellectual
cognition of the truth cannot, by itself, be a means of attaining to ultimate bliss: it must be
complemented by readiness to sacrifice and spiritual purification through suffering.
200 The preceding reference to “those who passed away before you” makes it obvious that the
term “the apostle” is used here in a generic sense, applying to all the apostles (Mandr II, 301).
201 Insofar as it relates to fighting, this verse must be read in conjunction with 2:190-193 and
22:39: but it expresses, in addition, a general truth applicable to many situations.
202 For an explanation of the “sacred months”, see note 171 above.
203 The expression alladhFna hUjarü (lit., “those who have forsaken their homelands”) denotes,
primarily, the early Meccan Muslims who migrated at the Prophet’s bidding to Medina - which was
then called Yathrib-in order to be able to live in freedom and in accordance with the dictates of
Islam. After the conquest of Mecca by the Muslims in the year 8 H., this exodus (hijrah) from Mecca
to Medina ceased to be a religious obligation. Ever since the earliest days of Islam, however, the

47
 SÜRAH
AL-BAQARAH

striving hard in God’s cause-these it is who may look

forward to God’s grace: for God is much-forgiving, a
dispenser of grace.

(219) THEY WILL ASK thee about intoxicants and games

of chance. Say: “In both there is great evil20* as well as
some benefit for man; but the evil which they cause is
greater than the benefit which they bring.”2“
And they will ask thee as to what they should spend
[in God’s cause]. Say: “Whatever you can spare.”
jjJJI Ji
In this way God makes clear unto you His messages,
so that you might reflect (220) on this world and on the
life to come.
And they will ask thee about [how to deal with]
orphans. Say: “To improve their condition is best.” f te f A (
And if you share their life, [remember that] they are j» g Çjîj
your brethren:*204
206 for God distinguishes between him
205
jlJjî jit, z**
who spoils things and him who improves. And had
God so willed, He would indeed have imposed on you 'J&v *âT «LS ^5
hardships which you would not have been able to
[but,] behold, God is almighty, wise!
bear:207208 Y, &
.» - .t
(221) AND DO NOT marry women who ascribe divinity to
X, -e-*
aught beside God ere they attain to [true] belief: for
any believing bondwoman [of God]2“ is certainly
rT*ûj js* ïfjr J*
better than a woman who ascribes divinity to aught
beside God, even though she please you greatly. And
do not give your women in marriage to men who
ascribe divinity to aught beside God ere they attain to
[true] belief: for any believing bondman [of God] is

term hijrah has had a spiritual connotation as well - namely, a “forsaking of the domain of evil“ and
turning towards God: and since this spiritual connotation applies both to the historical muhäjirüa
(“emigrants") of early Islam and to all believers of later times who forsake all that is sinful and
“migrate unto God", I am using this expression frequently.
204 Lit., “sin”, or anything that is conducive to sinning. As some of the classical commentators
(e.g., RfizT) point out, the term ithm is used in this verse as the antithesis of manâfi' (“benefits"); it
can, therefore, be suitably rendered as “evil".
205 Lit., “their evil is greater than their benefit". For a clear-cut prohibition of intoxicants and
games of chance, see 5:90-91 and the corresponding notes.
206 The implication is that if one shares the life of an orphan in his charge, one is permitted to
benefit by such an association - for instance, through a business partnership - provided this does not
damage the orphan’s interests in any way.
207 I.e., “by putting you under an obligation to care for the orphans, and at the same time
prohibiting you from sharing their life" (see preceding note).
208 Although the majority of the commentators attribute to the term amah, occurring in this
context, its usual connotation of “slave-girl", some of them are of the opinion that it stands here for
“God’s bondwoman". Thus, ZamakhsharT explains the words amah mu’minah (lit., “a believing
bondwoman”) as denoting “any believing woman, whether she be free or slave; and this applies to
[the expression] ’believing bondman’ as well: for all human beings are God’s bondmen and
bondwomen". My rendering of the above passage is based on this eminently plausible interpretation.

48
 1 THE COW
certainly better than a man who ascribes divinity to
aught beside God, even though he please you greatly.
[Such as] these invite unto the fire, whereas God
invites unto paradise, and unto [the achievement of]
forgiveness by His leave; and He makes clear His
messages unto mankind, so that they might bear them
in mind.

(222) AND THEY will ask thee about [woman’s] monthly

Jib 1^4’ jb
courses. Say: “It is a vulnerable condition. Keep, •jÂÂJTj
therefore, aloof from women during their monthly
courses, and do not draw near unto them until they are iS j'y J* 4P
cleansed; and when they are cleansed, go in unto them
as God has bidden you to do.’’209
0^". J” j ÛJÎ
Verily, God loves those who turn unto Him in
repentance,210 and He loves those who keep them­
selves pure. 1^5 XJ Lu 4P
(223) Your wives are your tilth; go, then, unto your
tilth as you may desire, but first provide something for
your souls,211 and remain conscious of God, and know
that you are destined to meet Him. And give glad
tidings unto those who believe.

(224) AND DO NOT allow your oaths in the name of God to

become an obstacle to virtue and God-consciousness G. f
and the promotion of peace between men:212213 for God is
all-hearing, all-knowing. (225) God will not take you to «-»o' r-r.’-i 4P
task for oaths which you may have uttered without
thought, but will take you to task [only] for what your
J '■’P ■>
hearts have conceived [in earnest]: for God is much-
forgiving, forbearing.
(226) Those who take an oath that they will not
approach their wives shall have four months of grace;
and if they go back [on their oath]211 - behold, God is
much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace. (227) But if they

209 This is one of the many references in the Qur’än to the positive, God-ordained nature of
sexuality.
210 l.e., if they have transgressed against the above restriction.
211 In other words, a spiritual relationship between man and woman is postulated as the
indispensable basis of sexual relations.
212 Lit., “do not make God, because of your oaths..etc. As can be seen from verse 226, this
injunction refers primarily to oaths relating to divorce but is, nevertheless, general in its import.
Thus, there are several authentic Traditions to the effect that the Prophet Muhammad said: “If
anyone takes a solemn oath [that he would do or refrain from doing such-and such a thing], and
thereupon realizes that something else would be a more righteous course, then let him do that which
is more righteous, and let him break his oath and then atone for it" (Bukhari and Muslim; and other
variants of the same Tradition in other compilations). As regards the method of atonement, see
5:89.
213 l.e., during this period of grace.
 SÜRAH
AL-BAQARAH

are resolved on divorce—behold, God is all-hearing,

all-knowing.
(228) And the divorced women shall undergo, with­
out remarrying,2’4 a waiting-period of three monthly
courses: for it is not lawful for them to conceal what
Ç.'âtujfj jp
God may have created in their wombs,2’5 if they
believe in God and the Last Day. And during this <>£ S* J* >v
period their husbands are fully entitled to take them
back, if they desire reconciliation; but, in accordance
with justice, the rights of the wives [with regard to
their husbands] are equal to the [husbands’] rights with Uci—Ip'j’ j, >j J-»-1 j

regard to them, although men have precedence over ÛF** x*^ZJ

them [in this respect].2’6 And God is almighty, wise.
(229) A divorce may be [revoked] twice, whereupon iS—*p(3—lUT
the marriage must either be resumed in fairness or
dissolved in a goodly manner.214217218
216
215 îpi.1; ù> ^5
And it is not lawful for you to take back anything of
âî jjJU. IjJL yi liGt jl
what you have ever given to your wives unless both
[partners] have cause to fear that they may not be able
to keep within the bounds set by God: hence, if you
have cause to fear that the two may not be able to keep
within the bounds set by God, there shall be no sin
upon either of them for what the wife may give up [to
her husband] in order to free herself.2”

214 Lit, “by themselves".

215 The primary purpose of this waiting-period is the ascertainment of possible pregnancy, and
thus of the parentage of the as yet unborn child. In addition, the couple are to be given an
opportunity to reconsider their decision and possibly to resume the marriage. See also 65 :1 and the
corresponding note 2.
216 A divorced wife has the right to refuse a resumption of marital relations even if the husband
expresses, before the expiry of the waiting-period, his willingness to have the provisional divorce
rescinded; but since it is the husband who is responsible for the maintenance of the family, the first
option to rescind a provisional divorce rests with him.
217 Lit, “whereupon either retention in fairness or release in a goodly manner". In other words, a
third pronouncement of divorce makes it final and irrevocable.
218 All authorities agree in that this verse relates to the unconditional right on the part of the wife
to obtain a divorce from her husband; such a dissolution of marriage at the wife’s instance is called
khul'. There exist a number of highly-authenticated Traditions to the effect that the wife of Thäbit
ibn Qays, JamTiah, came to the Prophet and demanded a divorce from her husband on the ground
that, in spite of his irreproachable character and behaviour, she “disliked him as she would dislike
falling into unbelief after having accepted Islam”. Thereupon the Prophet ordained that she should
return to Thäbit the garden which he has given her as her dower (mahr) at the time of their wedding,
and decreed that the marriage should be dissolved. (Several variants of this Tradition have been
recorded by BukhfirT, Nasä’i, TirmidhT, Ibn Mäjah and BayhaqT, on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbäs.)
Similar Traditions, handed down on the authority of ‘Ä’ishah and relating to a woman called
Hubaybah bint Sahl, are to be found in the Muwatfa' of Imäm Mfilik, in the Musnad of Imäm
Afimad, and in the compilations of Nasä*T and Abü Dä’üd (in one variant, the latter gives the
woman’s name as Haf$ah bint Sahl). In accordance with these Traditions, Islamic Law stipulates
that whenever a marriage is dissolved at the wife’s instance without any offence on the part of the
husband against his marital obligations, the wife is the contract-breaking party and must, therefore,
return the dower which she received from him at the time of concluding the marriage: and in this
event “there shall be no sin upon either of them" if the husband takes back the dower which the wife

50
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These are the bounds set by God; do not, then,
transgress them: for they who transgress the bounds
set by God-it is they, they who are evildoers!
(230) And if he divorces her [finally], she shall
thereafter not be lawful unto him unless she first tairas
another man for husband; then, if the latter divorces
her, there shall be no sin upon either of the two if they
return to one another-provided that both of them
think that they will be able to keep within the bounds U» I44JJ» jp (Q) «iLÏJjt» «T jpl.
set by God: for these are the bounds of God which He
makes clear unto people of [innate] knowledge.
(231) And so, when you divorce women and they are âî ajJ» LgL Lt ù[
about to reach the end of their waiting-term, then
either retain them in a fair manner or let them go in a ^*11» 3 G& Çj- jbî JH- étj
fair manner. But do not retain them against their will in
order to hurt [them]: for he who does so sins indeed J1
against himself. J»*4 IjlyX f Xj d>3jJ
And do not take [these] messages of God in a f Z 5 z
frivolous spirit; and remember the blessings with b,/* Xi .X'xJB
which God has graced you, and all the revelation and
the wisdom which He has bestowed on you from on
high in order to admonish you thereby; and remain
conscious of God, and know that God has full knowl­
edge of everything. <$)
(232) And when you divorce women, and they have
f-H-. '>»7 jeùj'crA J* ù»/**7 *
come to the end of their waiting-term, hinder them not
from marrying other men if they have agreed with »iffi
each other in a fair manner. This is an admonition unto
every one of you who believes in God and the Last ^25 fytâffîrt Xpü
Day; it is the most virtuous [way] for you, and the
cleanest. And God knows, whereas you do not know. çôb* • <$> ûpx'!?
(233) And the [divorced] mothers may nurse their
children for two whole years, if they wish to complete
,X£jî
the period of nursing; and it is incumbent upon him '***j^»<z** ûfùX
who has begotten the child to provide in a fair manner
ôj'jKjéj «»dljf ijj Jûtf'ï
for their sustenance and clothing. No human being
shall be burdened with more than he is well able to
bear: neither shall a mother be made to suffer because
j û? ôp &'i jL
of her child, nor, because of his child, he who has
begotten it. And the same duty rests upon the
[father’s] heir.
And if both [parents] decide, by mutual consent and
counsel, upon separation [of mother and child],’1’ they

gives up of her own free will. An exhaustive discussion of all these Traditions and their legal
implications is found in Nayl al-Awfdr VII, pp. 34-41. For a summary of the relevant views of the
various schools of Islamic jurisprudence, see Bidäyat al-Mujtahid II, pp. 54-57.
219 Most of the commentators understand the word fifdl as being synonymous with “weaning”
(i.e., before the end of the maximum period of two years). AbQ Muslim, however, to of the opinion
that it stands here for “separation"-i.e., of the child from its mother (R&zT). It appears to me that

51
 SÜRAH
AL-BAQARAH____________ __________________________

will incur no sin [thereby]; and if you decide to entrust

your children to foster-mothers, you will incur no sm
provided you ensure, in a fair manner, the safety of the I j' fo' L çÇj. Su
child which you are handing over.*220 But remain con­
scious of God, and know that God secs all that you do.
(234) And if any of you die and leave wives behind,
they shall undergo, without remarrying,221 a waiting-
period of four months and ten days; whereupon, when
j-r1' *“ j' <jr^\
they have reached the end of their waiting-term, there
shall be no sin222 in whatever they may do with their '> - --- ----
& L» 5^ qL? ’y2*,
persons in a lawful manner. And God is aware of all
(JjJ) jj-ji ÛjLm Lx '-»jjLjL Or-**’ □
that you do.
(235) But you will incur no sin if you give a hint of ££>. 3* Li ÿ? VJ
[an intended] marriage-offer to [any of] these women,
or if you conceive such an intention without making it
obvious: [for] God knows that you intend to ask them
5r>-Z >> l - l ■> > >
in marriage.223 Do not, however, plight your troth with
them in secret, but speak only in a decent manner; and
do not proceed with tying the marriage-knot ere the jl /L' £L- Lui*
» > -i > »,, ',
ordained [term of waiting] has come to its end. And
•JJ-L'-* J’' .<’'3 '■* (i* 4*^
know that God knows what is in your minds, and
therefore remain conscious of Him; and know, too,
that God is much-forgiving, forbearing.
(236) You will incur no sin if you divorce women
while you have not yet touched them nor settled a
dower upon them;224 but [even in such a case] make

this is the better of the two interpretations inasmuch as it provides a solution for cases in which both
parents agree that, for some reason or other, it would not be fair to burden the divorced mother with
the upbringing of the child despite the father’s obligation to support them materially, while, on the
other hand, it would not be feasible for the father to undertake this duty single-handed.
220 Lit., “provided you make safe [or “provided you surrender“] in a fair manner that which you
are handing over". While it cannot be denied that the verb sallamahu can mean “he surrendered it"
as well as “he made it safe”, it seems to me that the latter meaning (which is the primary one) is
preferable in this context since it implies the necessity of assuring the child’s future safety and
well-being. (The commentators who take the verb sallamtum in the sense of “you surrender”
interpret the phrase idhd sallamtum mä ätaytum bi'1-ma'rüf as meaning “provided you hand over
the agreed-upon [wages to the foster-mothers] in a fair manner” - which, to my mind, unduly limits
the purport of the above injunction.)
221 Lit., “by themselves”.
222 Lit., “you will incur no sin”. Since, obviously, the whole community is addressed here
(ZamakhsharT), the rendering “there shall be no sin” would seem appropriate.
223 Lit., “if you conceal [such an intention] within yourselves: [for] God knows that you will
mention [it] to them”. In classical Arabic usage, the expression dhakarahd (“he mentioned [it] to
her”) is often idiomatically synonymous with “he demanded her in marriage” (see Lane III, 969).
The above passage relates to a marriage-offer - or to an intention of making such an offer - to a
newly-widowed or divorced woman before the expiry of the prescribed waiting-term.
224 The term faridah denotes the dower (often also called mahr) which must be agreed upon by
bridegroom and bride before the conclusion of the marriage-tie. While the amount of this dower is
left to the discretion of the two contracting parties (and may even consist of no more than a token
gift), its stipulation is an essential part of an Islamic marriage contract. For exceptions from this rule,
see 33:50 and the corresponding note 58.

52
 2 THE COW
provision for them-the affluent according to his
means, and the straitened according to his means-a
provision in an equitable manner: this is a duty upon
all who would do good.225
(237) And if you divorce them before having
touched them, but after having settled a dower upon
them, then [give them] half of what you have settled -
Jr» j ($> «jfrÿ
unless it be that they forgo their claim or he in whose
hand is the marriage-tie226 forgoes his claim [to half of
the dower]: and to forgo what is due to you is more in
accord with God-consciousness. And forget not [that
you are to act with] grace towards one another: verily,
God sees all that you do.
(jjj)
BE EVER mindful of prayers, and of praying in the
ISp IXjji "iCj Ce~»
most excellent way;227 and stand before God in devout
obedience. (239) But if you are in danger, [pray] ÙjJm ijijO J U f
walking or riding;228 and when you are again secure,
bear God in mind - since it is He who taught you what ff?'r JÜ' ûjjjjj jfc* iijijh Ô.&J
you did not previously know.

AND IF any of you die and leave wives behind, they K»

bequeath thereby to their widows [the right to] one
year’s maintenance without their being obliged to J® ($)pÇ*-
leave [the dead husband’s home].229 If, however, they
leave [of their own accord], there shall be no sin in
whatever they may do with themselves in a lawful
manner.230 And God is almighty, wise.

225 Lit., “upon the doers of good” - i.e., all who are determined to act in accordance with God’s
will.
226 According to some of the most prominent Companions of the Prophet (e.g., 'AIT) and their
immediate successors (e.g., SacId ibn al-Musayyab and Sa'Td ibn Jubayr), this term denotes the
husband (cf. Jabari, ZamakhsharT, BaghawT, RäzT and Ibn KathTr).
227 Lit., “the midmost [or “the most excellent’’] prayer’’. It is generally assumed that this refers
to the mid-afternoon fasr) prayer, although some authorities believe that it denotes the prayer at
dawn (fajr). Muhammad 'Abduh, however, advances the view that it may mean “the noblest kind of
prayer - that is, a prayer from the fullness of the heart, with the whole mind turned towards God,
inspired by awe of Him, and reflecting upon His word” (Manär II, 438).-In accordance with the
system prevailing throughout the Qur’än, any lengthy section dealing with social laws is almost
invariably followed by a call to God-consciousness: and since God-consciousness comes most fully
to its own in prayer, this and the next verse are interpolated here between injunctions relating to
marital life and divorce.
228 This relates to any dangerous situation - for instance, in war - where remaining for any length
of time at one place would only increase the peril: in such an event, the obligatory prayers may be
offered in any way that is feasible, even without consideration of the qiblah.
229 Lit., “[it is] a bequest to their wives [of] one year’s maintenance without being dislodged”.
(As regards the justification of the rendering adopted by me, see Mandr II, 446 ff.). The question of a
widow’s residence in her dead husband’s house arises, of course, only in the event that it has not
been bequeathed to her outright under the provisions stipulated in 4:12.
230 For instance, by remarrying - in which case they forgo their claim to additional maintenance
during the remainder of the year. Regarding the phrase “there shall be no sin”, see note 222 above.

53
 SÜRAH
AL-BAQARAH .

(241) And the divorced women, too, shall have

right to] maintenance in a goodly manner: this is a
duty for all who are conscious of God.
(242) In this way God makes clear unto you His
messages, so that you might [learn to] use your reason.

(243) ART THOU NOT aware of those who forsook their JI yû* • ûjlirf
homelands in their thousands for fear of death- e / X» I tß • / / /x « //x X XX »SfeX XX 0 /i »/x

whereupon God said unto them, “Die,” and later

brought them back to life?231
232
Behold, God is indeed limitless in His bounty unto
man-but most people are ungrateful.
(244) Fight, then, in God’s cause,233 and know that
l_S- u»5* **
God is all-hearing, all-knowing.
(245) Who is it that will offer up unto God a goodly
loan,234 which He will amply repay, with manifold
increase? For, God takes away, and He gives abun­ Ji> Zf! ù; Jl j J’ ($)
dantly; and it is unto Him that you shall be brought
back.
(246) Art thou not aware of those elders of the jûîî jit äf j
children of Israel, after the time of Moses, how they
said unto a prophet of theirs,235 “Raise up a king for us, j jJhfitjÇyé îJkiNî
[and] we shall fight in God’s cause”?
Said he: “Would you, perchance, refrain from bÇ Juaf uEÇ u
fighting if fighting is ordained for you?”
They answered: “And why should we not fight in
God’s cause when we and our children have been
driven from our homelands?”236

231 This obviously relates to women who are divorced without any legal fault on their part. The
amount of alimony-payable unless and until they remarry-has been left unspecified since it must
depend on the husband’s financial circumstances and on the social conditions of the time.
232 After the conclusion of the injunctions relating to marital life, the Qur’fin returns here to the
problem of warfare in a just cause by alluding to people who - obviously under a hostile
attack-“forsook their homelands for fear of death’’. Now, neither the Qur’fin nor any authentic
Tradition offers any indication as to who the people referred to in this verse may have been. The
“historical’’ explanations given by some of the commentators are most contradictory; they seem to
have been derived from Talmudic stories current at the time, and cannot be used in this context with
any justification. We must, therefore, assume (as Mubammad ’Abduh does in Manär II, 455 ff.) that
the above allusion is parabolically connected with the subsequent call to the faithful to be ready to
lay down their lives in God’s cause: an illustration of the fact that fear of physical death leads to the
moral death of nations and communities, just as their regeneration (or “coming back to life’’)
depends on their regaining their moral status through overcoming the fear of death. This is
undoubtedly the purport of the elliptic story of Samuel, Saul and David told in verses 246-251.
233 I.e., in a just war in self-defence against oppression or unprovoked aggression (cf.
2:190-194).
234 I.e., by sacrificing one’s life in, or devoting it to, His cause.
235 The prophet referred to here is Samuel (cf. Old Testament, I Samuel viii ff.).
236 Obviously a reference to the many invasions of their homelands by their perennial enemies,
the Philistines, Amorites, Amalekites and other Semitic and non-Semitic tribes living in and*around
Palestine; and, by implication, a reminder to believers of alt times that “fighting in God’s cause” (as
defined in the Qur’fin) is an act of faith.

54
 2
THE COW
Yet, when fighting was ordained for them, they did
turn back, save for a few of them; but God had full
knowledge of the evildoers.
(247) And their prophet said unto those elders:2’7
“Behold, now God has raised up Saul to be your king.”
They said: “How can he have dominion over us
when we have a better claim to dominion than he, and
he has not [even] been endowed with abundant
wealth?”
[The prophet] replied: “Behold, God has exalted y/c jwi JJ J*; ûs' dLîrjÿJ
him above you, and endowed him abundantly with
JL» JÎJTjZIa-S
knowledge and bodily perfection. And God bestows
His dominion237 238 upon whom He wills: for God is ’j JjJÎ j
infinite, all-knowing.”
(248) And their prophet said unto them: “Behold, it «U (L-i 3'ij rjv) ^jé
shall be a sign of his [rightful] dominion that you will
'ùj Le 'i v c^’ jÛL j‘
be granted a heart239 endowed by your Sustainer with
inner peace and with all that is enduring in the
—N j j j, 4—*^ jjj-* J'v J*'*
angel-borne heritage left behind by the House of
Moses and the House of Aaron.240 Herein, behold, oji uî 3 ji
there shall indeed be a sign for you if you are [truly]
**' j i» jJXl
believers.”
(249) And when Saul set out with his forces, he said: à*y* X ***“- J J-*
“Behold, God will now try you by a river: he who shall
drink of it will not belong to me, whereas he who shall
refrain from tasting it-he, indeed, will belong to me;
but forgiven shall be he241 who shall scoop up but a
single handful.”

237 Lit., “to them” - but the next sentence shows that the elders were thus addressed by Samuel.
238 An allusion to the Qur’anic doctrine that all dominion and all that may be “owned" by man
belongs to God alone, and that man holds it only in trust from Him.
239 Lit., “that there will come to you the heart”. The word täbüt - here rendered as “heart” - has
been conventionally interpreted as denoting the Ark of the Covenant mentioned in the Old
Testament, which is said to have been a highly-ornamented chest or box. The explanations offered
by most of the commentators who adopt the latter meaning are very contradictory, and seem to be
based on Talmudic legends woven around that “ark”. However, several authorities of the highest
standing attribute to tâhût the meaning of “bosom” or “heart” as well: thus, BaydäwT in one of the
alternatives offered in his commentary on this verse, as well as Zamakhsharï in his Asäs (though not
in the Kashshäf), Ibn al-Athîr in the Nihäyah. Räghib, and Tâj al-'Arüs (the latter four in the article
tabata); see also Lane 1,321, and IV, 1394 (art. sakinah). If we take this to be the meaning of täbüt in
the above context, it would be an allusion to the Israelites’ coming change of heart (a change already
indicated, in general terms, in verse 243 above). In view of the subsequent mention of.the “inner
peace” in the täbüt, its rendering as “heart” is definitely more appropriate than “ark”.
240 Lit., “and the remainder of that which the House (äl) of Moses and the House of Aaron left
behind, borne by the angels”. The expression “borne by the angels” or “angel-borne” is an allusion to
the God-inspired nature of the spiritual heritage left by those two prophets; while the “remainder”
(baqiyyah) denotes that which is “lasting” or “enduring” in that heritage.
241 Lit., “excepting him". The symbolic implication is that faith - and, thus, belief in the justice of
one's cause - has no value unless it is accompanied by heightened self-discipline and disregard of
one’s material interests.

55
 SÜRAH
AL-BAQARAH
However, save for a few of them, they all drank

[their fill] of it.

And as soon as he and those who had kept faith with
him had crossed the river, the others said: No
strength have we today [to stand up] against Goliath
and his forces!"
[Yet] those who knew with certainty that they were
destined to meet God, replied: “How often has a small
‘th
host overcome a great host by God’s leave! For God is
with those who are patient in adversity.” * **^3 J «iw ys
(250) And when they came face to face with Goliath
Ui fäTijü.4 r?! QA yf Jii
and his forces, they prayed: “O our Sustainer! Shower
us with patience in adversity, and make firm our steps,
a
and succour us against the people who deny the
bt» j VS bjji Uj
truth!”
(251) And thereupon, by God’s leave, they routed
them. And David slew Goliath; and God bestowed (JT) l>b»l Ca/j

upon him dominion, and wisdom, and imparted to him dO aî UUj

the knowledge of whatever He willed.
And if God had not enabled people to defend rfjiMi âî £» 1//Je,
themselves against one another,242243
corruption would
'i ^>3^ üÇJj ,>iL.
surely overwhelm the earth: but God is limitless in His
bounty unto all the worlds. «p.tdLÎUAaîcZHiâ; <3

(252) THESE are God’s messages: We convey them unto pjMtLktf J-/dJk •
thee, [O Prophet,] setting forth the truth-for, verily,
thou art among those who have been entrusted with a g; $

message. (253) Some of these apostles have We en­

dowed more highly than others: among them were
such as were spoken to by God [Himself], and some JJiÇC £ y j=i ÎU uhb A
He has raised yet higher.241 And We vouchsafed unto
Jesus, the son of Mary, all evidence of the truth, and
strengthened him with holy inspiration.244
And if God had so willed, they who succeeded those
[apostles] would not have contended with one another
after all evidence of the truth had come to them; but
[as it was,] they did take to divergent views, and some
of them attained to faith, while some of them came to
deny the truth. Yet if God had so willed, they would

242 LiL, “were it not that God repels some people by means of others”: an elliptic reference to
God’s enabling people to defend themselves against aggression or oppression. Exactly the same
phrase occurs in 22:40, which deals with fighting in self-defence.
243 This appears to be an allusion to Muhammad inasmuch as he was the Last Prophet and the
bearer of a universal message applicable to all people and to all times. By “such as were spoken to by
God” Moses is meant (see the last sentence of 4:164).
244 The mention, in this context, of Jesus by name is intended to stress the fact of his having been a
prophet, and to refute the claims of those who deify him. For an explanation of the term rify ai-audits
(rendered by me as “holy inspiration"), see note 71 on verse 87 of this sürah.

56
 2
THE COW
not have contended with one another: but God does
whatever He wills.245

(254) O YOU who have attained to faith! Spend [in Our

way] out of what We have granted you as sustenance
ere there come a Day246 when there will be no bargain­
e V'1* J"** Ur*îI*
ing, and no friendship, and no intercession. And they
who deny the truth-it is they who are evildoers! jj* ^-»1; If Ü

(255) GOD - there is no deity save Him, the Ever-Living, the

Self-Subsistent Fount of All Being.
Neither slumber overtakes Him, nor sleep. His is all
that is in the heavens and all that is on earth. Who is
there that could intercede with Him, unless it be by
His leave?
WM1* (U. X 'J Û*
He knows all that lies open before men and all that is
hidden from them,247 whereas they cannot attain to
aught of His knowledge save that which He wills
[them to attain].
j (Æ) ^lijT
His eternal power248249overspreads the heavens and
the earth, and their upholding wearies Him not. And he
alone is truly exalted, tremendous.

(256) THERE SHALL BE no coercion in matters of faith.24*

245 Once again - as in verse 213 above - the Qur* än alludes to the inevitability of dissension among
human beings: in other words, it is the will of God that their way to the truth should be marked by
conflicts and trial by error.
246 I.e., the Day of Judgment. With this exhortation, the Qur’an returns to the subject of verse
245: “Who is it that will offer up unto God a goodly loan?” We may, therefore, infer that the “spending
in God’s way" relates here to every kind of sacrifice in God’s cause, and not merely to the spending of
one’s possessions.
247 Lit., “that which is between their hands and that which is behind them". The commentators
give most conflicting interpretations to this phrase. Thus, for instance. Mujahid and ’Ata’ assume that
“that which is between their hands" means “that which has happened to them in this world", while
“that which is behind them" is an allusion to “that which will happen to them in the next world";
Ad-Dahhäk and Al-KalbT, on the other hand, assume the exact opposite and say that “that which is
between their hands" refers to the next world, “because they are going towards it”, while “that which
is behind them” means this world, “because they are leaving it behind” (RäzT). Another explanation is
“that which took place before them and that which will take place after them” (Zamakhsharï). It
would seem, however, that in all these interpretations the obvious meaning of the idiomatic expression
ma bayna yadayhi (“that which lies open between one’s hands”) is lost sight of: namely, that which is
evident, or known, or perceivable; similarly, ma khalfahu means that which is beyond one’s ken or
perception. Since the whole tenor of the above Qur’än-verse relates to God’s omnipotence and
omniscience, the translation given by me seems to be the most appropriate.
248 Lit., “His seat [of power]”. Some of the commentators (e.g., Zamakhsharf) interpret this as
“His sovereignty" or “His dominion", while others take it to mean “His knowledge” (see Muhammad
'Abduh in Manar III, 33); Räzl inclines to the view that this word denotes God’s majesty and
indescribable, eternal glory.
249 The term din denotes both the contents of and the compliance with a morally binding law;
consequently, it signifies “religion” in the widest sense of this term, extending over all that pertains to
its doctrinal contents and their practical implications, as well as to man’s attitude towards the object of
his worship, thus comprising also the concept of “faith”. The rendering of din as “religion”, “faith”,

57
 SURAH
AL-BAQARAH___________________ __________________

Distinct has now become the right way from [the

way of] error: hence, he who rejects the powers of
evil250 and believes in God has indeed taken hold of a
support most unfailing, which shall never give way:
for God is all-hearing, all-knowing.
(257) God is near unto those who have faith, taking
them out of deep darkness into the light-whereas
near unto those who are bent on denying the truth are
the powers of evil that take them out of the light into L-XV <jf ijlL»: J
darkness deep: it is they who are destined for the fire,
therein to abide. C Uklf fPrjA ’T*14 J-’ ®

(258) ART THOU NOT aware of that [king] who argued

with Abraham about his Sustainer, [simply] because Q p ùxt pwt 4 Ji
God had granted him kingship?
Lo! Abraham said: "My Sustainer is He who grants Jj 7 J1
life and deals death.”
[The king] replied: “I [too] grant life and deal
death!” (jL ÂiiT C—«'j ' J* Ai
Said Abraham: “Verily, God causes the sun to rise
in the east; cause it, then, to rise in the west!”
Thereupon he who was bent on denying the truth
remained dumbfounded: for God does not guide
people who [deliberately] do wrong.251
J* > %A >
(259) Or [art thou, O man, of the same mind] as he252253
*
who passed by a town deserted by its people, with its
roofs caved in, [and] said, “How could God bring all
this back to life after its death?”255
Thereupon God caused him to be dead for a hundred
years; whereafter He brought him back to life [and]
said: “How long hast thou remained thus?”

“religious law” or “moral law” (see note 3 on 109:6) depends on the context in which this term is
used.-On the strength of the above categorical prohibition of coercion (ikrüh) in anything that
pertains to faith or religion, all Islamic jurists (fuqahä*), without any exception, hold that forcible
conversion is under all circumstances null and void, and that any attempt at coercing a non-believer to
accept the faith of Islam is a grievous sin: a verdict which disposes of the widespread fallacy that Islam
places before the unbelievers the alternative of “conversion or the sword”.
250 Af-fäghüt denotes, primarily, anything that is worshipped instead of God and, thus, all that
may turn man away from God and lead him to evil. It has both a singular and a plural significance
(RäzT) and is, therefore, best rendered as “the powers of evil”.
251 According to Muhammad ‘Abduh, the wrong (?u/m) referred to here consists in “one’s
deliberately turning away from the light [of guidance] provided by God” (Manär III, 47).
252 Lit., “Or like him”. The words interpolated by me between brackets are based on
Zamakhshari’s interpretation of this passage, which connects with the opening of the preceding verse.
253 The story told in this verse is obviously a parable meant to illustrate God’s power to bring the
dead back to life: and, thus, it is significantly placed between Abraham’s words in verse 258, “My
Sustainer is He who grants life and deals death”, and his subsequent request, in verse 260, to be shown
how God resurrects the dead. The speculations of some of the earlier commentators as to the
“identity" of the man and the town mentioned in this story are without any substance, and may have
been influenced by Talmudic legends.

58
 2
THE COW
He answered: “I have remained thus a day, or part
of a day.”
Said [God]: “Nay, but thou hast remained thus for a
hundred years! But look at thy food and thy drink-
untouched is it by the passing of years —and look at
thine ass!“4 And [We did all this so that We might «L CaJ J> JI* Uji cJL) JI»
make thee a symbol unto men. And look at the bones
[of animals and men] - how We put them together and
255
then clothe them with flesh!”254 û>ii; »SI?fO jj-li lit
And when [all this] became clear to him, he said: “I
know [now] that God has the power to will anything!” jXJB'JjjuLJi

(260) And, lo, Abraham said: “O my Sustainer! Show

me how Thou givest life unto the dead!” «Z ‘■r’J zl j 0 zj»

Said He: “Hast thou, then, no faith?”

Ji JU J jI Jli
[Abraham] answered: “Yea, but [let me see it] so
that my heart may be set fully at rest.”
Said He: “Take, then, four birds and teach them to
obey thee;256 then place them separately on every hill
[around thee]; then summon them: they will come jj44- jî (jg)
flying to thee. And know that God is almighty,
wise.”257258 j Jsf- j

J »jjj -1 .aTj 4,1» j«

(261) THE PARABLE of those who spend their possessions
for the sake of God is that of a grain out of which grow Jr j .> j'ivT'^Jc
seven ears, in every ear a hundred grains: for God
grants manifold increase unto whom He wills; and J f*Zï' f-kp* 1>*P*»I I*
God is infinite, all-knowing.
(262) They who spend their possessions for the sake ZT »>*J 4P • J
of God and do not thereafter mar256 their spending by
stressing their own benevolence and hurting [the feel­
ings of the needy] shall have their reward with their
Sustainer, and no fear need they have, and neither
shall they grieve. (263) A kind word and the veiling of
another’s want259 is better than a charitable deed

254 Sc., “and observe that it is alive": thus pointing out that God has the power to grant life
indefinitely, as well as to resurrect the dead.
255 The Qur’fin frequently points to the ever-recurring miracle of birth, preceded by the gradual
evolution of the embryo in its mother’s womb, as a visible sign of God’s power to create-and
therefore also to re-create-life.
256 Lit., “make them incline towards thee" (ZamakhsharT; see also Lane IV, 1744).
257 My rendering of the above parable is based on the primary meaning of the imperative
furhunna Uayka (“make them incline towards thee”, i.e., “teach them to obey thee’*). The moral of
’this story has been pointed out convincingly by the famous commentator Abd Muslim (as quoted by
RäzT): “If man is able - as he undoubtedly is - to train birds in such a way as to make them obey his
call, then it is obvious that God, whose will all things obey, can call life into being by simply decreeing,
•Be!”’
258 Lit., “do not follow up”.
259 for the rendering of maghfarah (lit., “forgiveness”) in this context as “veiling another’s want ’
I am indebted to BaghawT’s explanation of this verse.
 SÜRAH
AL-BAQARAH______________________________________

followed - by hurt; and God is self-sufficient,

forbearing.
(264) O you who have attained to faith! Do not
deprive your charitable deeds of all worth by stressing
your own benevolence and hurting [the feelings of the
needy], as does he who spends his wealth only to be
seen and praised by men, and believes not in God and
the Last Day: for his parable is that of a smooth rock
with [a little] earth upon it-and then a rainstorm
smites it and leaves it hard and bare. Such as these
shall have no gain whatever from all their [good]
works: for God does not guide people who refuse to 9 * 9 s ft /Is 9 f9 9<rs <• «*
IjJ** «Je JÜT
acknowledge the truth.
(265) And the parable of those who spend their
possessions out of a longing to please God, and out of
their own inner certainty, is that of a garden on high,
fertile ground: a rainstorm smites it, and thereupon it
brings forth its fruit twofold; and if no rainstorm Çt*’ • J. J. £»■ (TT*'*
smites it, soft rain [falls upon it]. And God sees all that
Jk'j Çc«** Ui»' JJj
you do.
(266) Would any of you like to have a garden of jjC; y ® li.
date-palms and vines, through which running waters
flow, and have all manner of fruit therein - and then be
overtaken by old age, with only weak children to [look
after] him - and then [see] it smitten by a fiery whirl­
wind and utterly scorched?
In this way God makes clear His messages unto you,
so that you might take thought. A' C'li Cä JIj
(267) O you who have attained to faith! Spend on
£5 Cr ; u j.
others out of the good things which you may have
acquired, and out of that which We bring forth for you
<jl J ûyU ~ *—A ■* ~
from the earth; and choose not for your spending the
bad things which you yourselves would not accept
« ,t
jî-uf 5' j mV**»
without averting your eyes in disdain. And know that
God is self-sufficient, ever to be praised. *> •/*<* dJj *Ü>ûK ij^ $•*».
' .> Î .i .b
(268) Satan threatens you with the prospect of
<iS ji Jji £-5
poverty and bids you to be niggardly, whereas God
promises you His forgiveness and bounty; and God is
infinite, all-knowing, (269) granting wisdom unto
whom He wills: and whoever is granted wisdom has »Z f*“* uif***1 A*
indeed been granted wealth abundant. But none bears
bV A’ ù; 'ij /-£• jp
this in mind save those who are endowed with insight.
(270) For, whatever you may spend on others, or
whatever you may vow [to spend], verily, God knows
it; and those who do wrong [by withholding charity]
shall have none to succour them.
(271) If you do deeds of charity openly, it is well; but
if you bestow it upon the needy in secret, it will be
even better for you, and it will atone for some of your

60
 2
THE COW
bad deeds. And God is aware of all that you do.
(272) It is not for thee [O Prophet] to make people
follow the right path,“0 since it is God [alone] who
j? tijXiK u/x, iLJ cJür
guides whom He wills.
And whatever good you may spend on others is for
your own good, provided that you spend only out of a
longing for God’s countenance: for, whatever good
you may spend will be repaid unto you in full, and you
shall not be wronged. ÄS J.
(273) [And give] unto [such of] the needy who, being
wholly wrapped up in God’s cause, are unable to go
JS* Ù* 4W[
261 He who is
about the earth [in search of livelihood].260 a yi Spitf
unaware [of their condition] might think that they are
wealthy, because they abstain [from begging]; [but]
thou canst recognize them by their special mark: they
do not beg of men with importunity. And whatever (*<»/•
good you may spend [on them], verily, God knows it (g) jp Lj
all.
(274) Those who spend their possessions [for the
sake of God] by night and by day, secretly and openly, <S> tâ* Ar- Vj JftÂ*
shall have their reward with their Sustainer; and no
fear need they have, and neither shall they grieve. 'j*)F jjl£»L

(275) THOSE who gorge themselves on usury262 behave but

260 Lit., “their guidance is not upon thee”-i.e., “thou art responsible only for conveying God’s
message to them, and not for their reaction to it’’: the people referred to being the needy spoken of in
the preceding verses. It appears that in the early days after his migration to Medina, the
Prophet - faced by the great poverty prevalent among his own community - advised his Companions
that “charity should be bestowed only on the followers of Islam”-a view that was immediately
corrected by the revelation of the above verse (a number of Traditions to this effect are quoted by
Tabari, Räzl and Ibn KathTr, as well as in Manär 111, 82 f.). According to several other Traditions
(recorded, among others, by Nasä’i and AbO Dâ’ûd and quoted by ail the classical commentators), the
Prophet thereupon explicitly enjoined upon his followers to disburse charities upon all who needed
them, irrespective of the faith of the person concerned. Consequently, there is full agreement among
all the commentators that the above verse of the Qur’än - although expressed in the singular and, on
the face of it, addressed to the Prophet - lays down an injunction binding upon all Muslims. Räzl, in
particular, draws from it the additional conclusion that charity-or the threat to withhold it-must
never become a means of attracting unbelievers to Islam: for, in order to be valid, faith must be an
outcome of inner conviction and free choice. This is in consonance with verse 256 of this sürah:
“There shall be no coercion in matters of faith.’’
261 I.e., those who have devoted themselves entirely to working in the cause of the Faith - be it by
spreading, elucidating or defending it physically or intellectually - or to any of the selfless pursuits
extolled in God’s message, such as search for knowledge, work for the betterment of man’s lot, and so
forth; and, finally, those who, having suffered personal or material hurt in such pursuits, are
henceforth unable to fend for themselves.
262 For a discussion of the concept of riba (“usury”), see note 35 on 30:39. where this term occurs
for the first time in the chronological order of revelation. The passage dealing with the prohibition of
riba, which follows here, is believed to have been among the last revelations received by the Prophet.
The subject of usury connects logically with the preceding long passage on the subject of charity
because the former is morally the exact opposite of the latter: true charity consists in giving without
an expectation of material gain, whereas usury is based on an expectation of gain without any
corresponding effort on the part of the lender.
 SÜRAH
AL-BAQARAH_______________________________________
as he might behave whom Satan has confounded with
his touch; for they say, “Buying and seUing is but a
kind of20 usury” - the while God has made buying and
selling lawful and usury unlawful. Hence, w^JcveJ
becomes aware of his Sustainer’s admonition, and
thereupon desists [from usury], may keep his past
gains, and it will be for God to judge him; but as for
(J pt IB'S XJZ
those who return to it-they are destined for the fire,
«jj ’>7 c-z-j ’>7 Sk
therein to abide!
(276) God deprives usurious gains of all blessing,
whereas He blesses charitable deeds with manifold
265 And God does not love anyone who is
increase.263
264 Q jCjT * £ &4
stubbornly ingrate and persists in sinful ways. j ij, y «»I jjjii
(277) Verily, those who have attained to faith and do
good works, and are constant in prayer, and dispense
charity-they shall have their reward with their Sus­
tainer, and no fear need they have, and neither shall
they grieve.
(278) O you who have attained to faith! Remain
conscious of God, and give up all outstanding gains IjjU JlyL"! 1
from usury, if you are [truly] believers;266 (279) for if
you do it not, then know that you are at war with God 'jiiU IjImL* j <j^ j[
and His Apostle. But if you repent, then you shall be
entitled to [the return of] your principal:267 you will do jj-iki vTjb i

no wrong, and neither will you be wronged. (280) If, • <3> jjJJî» Y,
however, [the debtor] is in straitened circumstances,
[grant him] a delay until a time of ease; and it would be
for your own good - if you but knew it - to remit [the
J»
debt entirely] by way of charity.
(281) And be conscious of the Day on which you ix yt £
shall be brought back unto God, whereupon every
human being shall be repaid in full for what he has
earned, and none shall be wronged.26*

(282) O YOU who have attained to faith! Whenever you

give or take credit269 for a stated term, set it down in
writing. And let a scribe write it down equitably

263 Lit, “like”.

264 Lit., “he to whom an admonition has come from his Sustainer”.
265 Lit., “whereas He causes [the merit of] charitable deeds to increase with interest (yurtr)”.
266 This refers not merely to the believers at the time when the prohibition of usury was
proclaimed, but also to people of later times who may come to believe in the Qur’anic message.
267 l.e., without interest.
268 According to the uncontested evidence of Ibn 'Abbfis, the above verse was the last revelation
granted to the Prophet, who died shortly afterwards (Bukh&rT; see also Fath al-BärT VIII, 164 f.).
269 The above phrase embraces any transaction on the basis of credit, be it an outright loan or a
commercial deal. It relates (as the grammatical form tadäyantum shows) to both the giver and taker of
credit, and has been rendered accordingly.

62
 2
THE COW
between you; and no scribe shall refuse to write as
God has taught him:”0 thus shall he write. And let him
who contracts the debt dictate; and let him be con­
scious of God, his Sustainer, and not weaken anything
of his undertaking.”1 And if he who contracts the debt
is weak of mind or body, or is not able to dictate
himself,”2 then let him who watches over his interests AJ
dictate equitably. And call upon two of your men to
act as witnesses; and if two men are not available,
then a man and two women from among such as are
\ Ab ÿÿj» J/J j’ tLiJl
acceptable to you as witnesses, so that if one of them
should make a mistake, the other could remind her.270 273274
272
271276
275
And the witnesses must not refuse [to give evidence]
whenever they are called upon. J-’f Qrv >
And be not loath to write down every contractual tïj^lT ûb % £44 jfXi L^l
provision,”4 be it small or great, together with the time
at which it falls due; this is more equitable in the sight J yj 4
of God, more reliable as evidence, and more likely to
prevent you from having doubts [later]. If, however, JOJ
[the transaction] concerns ready merchandise which
you transfer directly unto one another, you will incur
no sin if you do not write it down.
And have witnesses whenever you trade with one
another, but neither scribe nor witness must suffer
harm;”5 for if you do [them harm], behold, it will be r , A » t.,,, *! ft ,
(jtj) JLJaj j if ijiJ (f
sinful conduct on your part. And remain conscious of
God, since it is God who teaches you [herewith] - and •
God has full knowledge of everything.
(283) And if you are on a journey and cannot find a ÿîi dz 5^
scribe, pledges [may be taken] in hand: but if you trust Aj^^j
one another, then let him who is trusted fulfil his trust,
and let him be conscious of God, his Sustainer.
And do not conceal what you have witnessed”*-

270 I.e., in accordance with the laws promulgated in the Qur’ân.

271 Lit., “and do not diminish anything thereof’. Thus, the formulation of the undertaking is left to
the weaker party, i.e., to the one who contracts the debt.
272 E.g., because he is physically handicapped, or does not fully understand the business
terminology used in such contracts, or is not acquainted with the language in which the contract is to
be written. The definition “weak of mind or body’’ (lit., “lacking in understanding or weak ’) applies to
minors as well as to very old persons who are no longer in full possession of their mental faculties.
273 The stipulation that two women may be substituted for one male witness does not imply any
reflection on woman’s moral or intellectual capabilities: it is obviously due to the fact that, as a rule,
women are less familiar with business procedures than men and, therefore, more liable to commit
mistakes in this respect (see 'Abduh in Manär III, 124 f.).
274 Lit., “to write it down”-i.e., all rights and obligations arising from the contract.
275 E.g., by being held responsible for the eventual consequences of the contract as such, or for the
non-fulfilment of any of its provisions by either of the contracting parties.
276 Lit., “do not conceal testimony”. This relates not only to those who have witnessed a business
transaction, but also to a debtor who has been given a loan on trust - without a written agreement and

63
 SURAH 2
AL-BAQARAH
for, verily, he who conceals it is sinful at heart; and
God has full knowledge of all that you do.
(284) Unto God belongs all that is in the heavens and
all that is on earth. And whether you bring into the
open what is in your minds or conceal it, God will call
you to account for it; and then He will forgive whom
jU A ® 7^
He wills, and will chastise whom He wills: for God has
the power to will anything.

(285) THE APOSTLE, and the believers with him, believe

in what has been bestowed upon him from on high by
his Sustainer: they all believe in God, and His angels, ù*
and His revelations, and His apostles, making no it£ »K JT
distinction between any of His apostles;277278and they
J**
say:
“We have heard, and we pay heed. Grant us Thy
LÄWjL*r"lj)lÄj
forgiveness, O our Sustainer, for with Thee is all
journeys* end! La i—a; y (JS) jg j!
(286) “God does not burden any human being with
more than he is well able to bear: in his favour shall be iljî y Lj.j ULfJej
whatever good he does, and against him whatever evil
îÎLlîÿuJ
he does.
**O our Sustainer! Take us not to task if we forget or
-<f u «it œ* yj C', uj yT J
unwittingly do wrong!
**0 our Sustainer! Lay not upon us a burden such as çic ûç iî Lj^jib u Sx
Thou didst lay upon those who lived before us!27* O
our Sustainer! Make us not bear burdens which we
have no strength to bear!
“And efface Thou our sins, and grant us forgiveness,
and bestow Thy mercy upon us! Thou art our Lord
Supreme: succour us, then, against people who deny
the truth!”

without witnesses-and subsequently denies all knowledge of his indebtedness.

277 Lit., “we make no distinction between any of His apostles**: these words are put, as it were, in
the mouths of the believers. Inasmuch as all the apostles were true bearers of God’s messages, there is
no distinction between them, albeit some of them have been “endowed more highly than others’’ (see
verse 253).
278 A reference to the heavy burden of rituals imposed by the Law of Moses upon the children of
Israel, as well as the world-renunciation recommended by Jesus to his followers.
 THE THIRD SÜRAH

ÄL 'IMRAN (THE HOUSE OF 1MRÄN)

MEDINA PERIOD

HIS SURAH is the second or (according to some authorities) the third to have been revealed at
T Medina, apparently in the year 3 H.; some of its verses, however, belong to a much later period,
namely, to the year preceding the Prophet’s death (10 H.). The title “The House of ‘Imrän” has been
derived from references, in verses 33 and 35, to this common origin of a long line of prophets.
Like the preceding sürah, this one begins with the mention of divine revelation and men’s reactions
to it. In Al-Baqarah the main stress is laid on the contrasting attitudes of those who accept the truth
revealed by God and those who reject it; the opening verses of Äl ’Imrän, on the other hand, refer to
the inclination of many misguided believers to interpret the allegorical passages of the Qur’an-and,
by implication, of the earlier revealed scriptures as well - in an arbitrary manner, and thus to arrive at
esoteric propositions which conflict with the true nature and purpose of the divine message. Since the
deification of Jesus by his later followers is one of the most outstanding instances of such an arbitrary
interpretation of a prophet’s original message, the sürah relates the story of Mary and Jesus, as well as
of Zachariah, the father of John the Baptist, all of whom belonged to the House of ’Imrän. Here the
Qur’an takes issue with the Christian doctrine of the divinity of Jesus: he himself is quoted as calling
upon his followers to worship God alone; his purely human nature and mortality are stressed again and
again; and it is described as “inconceivable that a human being unto whom God had granted
revelation, and sound judgment, and prophethood, should thereafter have said unto people, ‘Worship
me beside God’” (verse 79).
The principle of God’s oneness and uniqueness and of man’s utter dependence on Him is illumined
from many angles, and leads logically to the problem of man’s faith and to the temptations, arising out
of human frailty, to which that faith is continually exposed: and this brings the discourse to the subject
of the battle of Uhud - that near-disaster which befell the small Muslim community in the year 3 H.,
and provided a wholesome, if bitter, lesson for all its future development. More than one-third of ÄI
’Imrän deals with this experience and the many-sided moral to be derived from it.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) Alif. Läm. Mïm.1

(2) /^OD-there is no deity save Him, the Ever-Living,

vJthe Self-Subsistent Fount of All Being! ---------------- 4
(3) Step by step has He bestowed upon thee from on
high this divine writ,2 setting forth the truth which
confirms whatever there still remains [of earlier
revelations]:3 for it is He who has bestowed from on

1 See Appendix II.

2 The gradualness of the Qur’anic revelation is stressed here by means of the grammatical form
nazzala.
3 Most of the commentators are of the opinion that mä bayna yadayhi - lit., “that which is
between its hands” - denotes here “the revelations which came before it”, i.e., before the Qur än.
This interpretation is not, however, entirely convincing. Although there is not the least doubt that in
this context the pronominal mä refers to earlier revelations, and particularly the Bible (as is evident

65
 SÜRAH
ÄL'IMRÄN

high the Torah and the Gospel (4) aforetime, as a

guidance unto mankind, and it is He who has bestowed , * , x,
[upon man] the standard by which to discern the true jjijyXîü jj o j/yb

from the false.4 .

Behold, as for those who are bent on denying God s
messages-grievous suffering awaits them: for God is
almighty, an avenger of evil.
(5) Verily, nothing on earth or in the heavens is iSJ* (J) »*-•--
hidden from God. (6) He it is who shapes you in the
wombs as He wills. There is no deity save Him, the
Almighty, the Truly Wise. IjXx JÏi/aL dJLk Sj\
(7) He it is who has bestowed upon thee from on high
this divine writ, containing messages that are clear in
and by themselves-and these are the essence of the
divine writ - as well as others that are allegorical.5 Now

from the parallel use of the above expression in other Qur’anic passages), the idiomatic phrase md
bayna yadayhi does not, in itself, mean "that which came before it”-i.e., in time-but, rather (as
pointed out by me in sürah 2, note 247), “that which lies open before it”. Since, however, the
pronoun “it” relates here to the Qur’an, the metaphorical expression “between its hands” or “before
it” cannot possibly refer to “knowledge” (as it does in 2:255), but must obviously refer to an
objective reality with which the Qur’an is “confronted”: that is, something that was coexistent in
time with the revelation of the Qur’an. Now this, taken together (a) with the fact - frequently
stressed in the Qur’an and since established by objective scholarship - that in the course of the
millennia the Bible has been subjected to considerable and often arbitrary alteration, and (b) with
the fact that many of the laws enunciated in the Qur’an differ from the laws of the Bible, brings us
forcibly to the conclusion that the “confirmation” of the latter by the Qur’an can refer only to the
basic truths still discernible in the Bible, and not to its time-bound legislation or to its present
text-in other words, a confirmation of whatever was extant of its basic teachings at the time of the
revelation of the Qur’an: and it is this that the phrase md bayna yadayhi expresses in this context as
well as in 5:46 and 48 or in 61:6 (where it refers to Jesus' confirming the truth of “whatever there
still remained [i.e., in his lifetime] of the Torah”).
4 It is to be borne in mind that the Gospel frequently mentioned in the Qur’an is not identical with
what is known today as the Four Gospels, but refers to an original, since lost, revelation bestowed
upon Jesus and known to his contemporaries under its Greek name of Evangelion (“Good Tiding”),
on which the Arabicized form Injïl is based. It was probably the source from which the Synoptic
Gospels derived much of their material and some of the teachings attributed to Jesus. The fact of its
having been lost and forgotten is alluded to in the Qur’8n in 5:14. - Regarding my rendering of
al-furqdn as “the standard by which to discern the true from the false", see also note 38 on the
identical phrase occurring in 2:53.
5 The above passage may be regarded as a key to the understanding of the Qur’fin. Tabari
identifies the dydt muhkamdt (“messages that are clear in and by themselves”) with what the
philologists and jurists describe as naff - namely, ordinances or statements which are self-evident
(tfhir) by virtue of their wording (cf. Lisdn al-• Arab, art. naff). Consequently, Tabari regards as
äyät muhkamdt only those statements or ordinances of the Qur’fin which do not admit of more than
one interpretation (which does not, of course, preclude differences of opinion regarding the
Implications of a particular dyah muhkamah). In my opinion, however, it would be too dogmatic to
regard any passage of the Qur’fin which does not conform to the above definition as mutashdbih
(“allegorical”): for there are many statements in the Qur’fin which are liable to more than one
interpretation but are, nevertheless, not allegorical-just as there are many expressions and
passages which, despite their allegorical formulation, reveal to the searching intellect only one
possible meaning. For this reason, the dydt mutashdbihdt may be defined as those passages of the
Qur’fin which are expressed in a figurative manner, with a meaning that is metaphorically implied but
not directly, in so many words, stated. The dydt muhkamdt are described as the “essence of the
divine writ" (umm al-kitdb) because they comprise the fundamental principles underlying its

66
 3
THE HOUSE OF TMRÂN
those whose hearts are given to swerving from the truth
go after that part of the divine writ*6 which has been
expressed in aUegory, seeking out [what is bound to
create] confusion,78and seeking [to arrive at] its final
meaning [in an arbitrary manner]; but none save God
knows its final meaning.* Hence, those who are deeply
rooted in knowledge say:
We believe in it; the whole [of the divine writ] is
from our Sustainer - albeit none takes this to heart save US jjji Sjrÿ'fr
those who are endowed with insight.
(8) “O our Sustainer ! Let not our hearts swerve from
the truth after Thou hast guided us; and bestow upon us
the gift of Thy grace: verily, Thou art the [true] Giver of It J Lj l;J y CJ

Gifts.
(9) “O our Sustainer! Verily, Thou wilt gather ^4 U; j Q
mankind together to witness the Day about [the coming
of] which there is no doubt: verily, God never fails to
fulfil His promise."

(10) BEHOLD, as for those who are bent on denying the

truth - neither their worldly possessions nor their
offspring will in the least avail them against God; and it
f Lff i[* J' à.J**
is they, they who shall be the fuel of the fire! (11) [To bz? j» O n-A
them shall happen] the like of what happened to
Pharaoh’s people and those who lived before them:
they gave the lie to Our messages - and so God took
them to task for their sins: for God is severe in
retribution.
(12) Say unto those who are bent on denying the

message and, in particular, its ethical and social teachings: and it is only on the basis of these clearly
enunciated principles that the allegorical passages can be correctly interpreted. (For a more detailed
discussion of symbolism and allegory in the Qur’fin, see Appendix I.)
6 Lit, “that of it".
7 The "confusion" referred to here is a consequence of interpreting allegorical passages in an
"arbitrary manner" (ZamakhsharT).
8 According to most of the early commentators, this refers to the interpretation of allegorical
passages which deal with metaphysical subjects-for instance, God’s attributes, the ultimate
meaning of time and eternity, the resurrection of the dead, the Day of Judgment, paradise and hell,
the nature of the beings or forces described as angels, and so forth-all of which fall within the
category of al-ghayb, i.e., that sector of reality which is beyond the reach of human perception and
imagination and cannot, therefore, be conveyed to man in other than allegorical terms. This view of
the classical commentators, however, does not seem to take into account the many Quranic
passages which do not deal with metaphysical subjects and yet are, undoubtedly, allegorical in
intent and expression. To my mind, one cannot arrive at a correct understanding of the above
passage without paying due attention to the nature and function of allegory as such. A true
allegory - in contrast with a mere pictorial paraphrase of something that could equally well be stated
in direct terms-is always meant to express in a figurative manner something which, because of its
complexity, cannot be adequately expressed in direct terms or propositions and, because of this
very complexity, can be grasped only intuitively, as a general mental image, and not as a series of
detailed “statements": and this seems to be the meaning of the phrase, "none save God knows its
final meaning".

67
 truth: “You shall be overcome and gathered unto
hell-and how evil a resting-place!”
(13) You have already had a sign in the two hosts
that met in battle, one host fighting in God’s cause and
the other denying Him; with their own eyes [the
former] saw the others as twice their own number:
but God strengthens with His succour whom He wills.
In this, behold, there is indeed a lesson for all who
have eyes to see.’ 0jùl

(14) ALLURING unto man is the enjoyment of worldly

desires through women, and children, and heaped-up
treasures of gold and silver, and horses of high mark,
and cattle, and lands. All this may be enjoyed in the
life of this world - but the most beauteous of all goals
is with God.
(15) Say: “Shall I tell you of better things than those
[earthly joys]? For the God-conscious there are, with
their Sustainer, gardens through which running waters
jb Q
flow, therein to abide, and spouses pure, and God’s
goodly acceptance.”
And God sees all that is in [the hearts of] His
servants-(16) those who say, “O our Sustainer! Be­ äp (3> jCjî ûi uj û
hold, we believe [in Thee]; forgive us, then, our sins,
and keep us safe from suffering through the fire” - :
(17) those who are patient in adversity, and true to
their word, and truly devout, and who spend [in God’s
way], and pray for forgiveness from their innermost
hearts.9
10

9 It is generally assumed that this is an allusion to the battle of Badr, in the third week of
Ramadän, 2h., in which three hundred and odd poorly-equipped Muslims, led by the Prophet,
utterly routed a well-armed Meccan force numbering nearly one thousand men, seven hundred
camels and one hundred horses; it was the first open battle between the pagan Quraysh and the
young Muslim community of Medina. According to some commentators, however (e.g., Mandr 111,
234), the above Qur’anic passage has a general import and alludes to an occurrence often witnessed
in history - namely, the victory of a numerically weak and ill-equipped group of people, filled with a
burning belief in the righteousness of their cause, over a materially and numerically superior enemy
lacking a similar conviction. The fact that in this Qur’&n-verse the believers are spoken of as being
faced by an enemy “twice their number” (while at the battle of Badr the pagan Quraysh were more
than three times the number of the Muslims) lends great plausibility to this explanation-and
particularly so in view of the allusion, in the next verse, to material riches and worldly power.
10 The expression bi’I-ashdr is usually taken to mean “at the times before daybreak”, or simply
“before daybreak”. This is in agreement with the Prophet’s recommendation to his followers
(forthcoming from several authentic Traditions) to devote the latter part of the night, and
particularly the time shortly before dawn, to intensive prayer. But while the word sahar (also
spelled sahr and suhr), of which ashdr is the plural, undoubtedly denotes “the time before
daybreak”, it also signifies - in the spellings sahar and ruhr - “the core of the heart”, “the inner part
of the heart”, or simply “heart" (cf. Lisdn al-'Arab-, also Lane IV, 1316). It seems to me that in the
context of the above Qur’ftn-verse - as well as of 51:18-this latter rendering is preferable to the
conventional one: for, although the value of praying before daybreak has undoubtedly been stressed
by the Prophet, it is not very plausible that the Qur’&n should have tied the prayer for forgiveness to
a particular time of day.

68
 3
THE HOUSE OF TMRÂN
(18) GOD [Himself] proffers evidence”-and [so do] the
angels and all who are endowed with knowledge - that
there is no deity save Him, the Upholder of Equity:
there is no deity save Him, the Almighty, the Truly
Wise.
(19) Behold, the only [true] religion in the sight of
God is [man’s] self-surrender unto Him; and those
who were vouchsafed revelation aforetime11 took, out
1213
of mutual jealousy, to divergent views [on this point]
only after knowledge [thereof] had come unto them.”
But as for him who denies the truth of God’s
messages - behold, God is swift in reckoning!
(20) Thus, [O Prophet,] if they argue with thee, say, J* jp (J) »XI df dT
“I have surrendered my whole being unto God, and [so
have] all who follow me!”-and ask those who have
been vouchsafed revelation aforetime, as well as all
WX <4 j J« jjX' 3^
unlettered people,1415‘‘Have you [too] surrendered
yourselves unto Him?”
And if they surrender themselves unto Him, they
are on the right path; but if they turn away-behold,
thy duty is no more than to deliver the message: for
God sees all that is in [the hearts of] His creatures.
(21) Verily, as for those who deny the truth of God’s y1 éçÿ ($>
messages, and slay the prophets against all right, and
slay people who enjoin equity”-announce unto them J’ ($) i (U G ÖTj
a grievous chastisement. (22) It is they whose works
ûf w, |î UX I/,!
shall come to nought both in this world and in the life
to come; and they shall have none to succour them. 0 Jl / -V. f f-r*
(23) Art thou not aware of those who have been
granted their share of revelation [aforetime]? They ui jüt C7 j îJb Sts
have been called upon to let God’s writ be their
law16-and yet some of them turn away [from it] in
their obstinacy, (24) simply because they claim, “The
fire will most certainly not touch us for more than a
limited number of days”:17 and thus the false beliefs

11 Lit., “bears witness”-i.e., through the nature of His creation, which shows plainly that it has
been brought into being by a consciously planning Power.
12 Most of the classical commentators are of the opinion that the people referred to are the
followers of the Bible, or of parts of it-i.e., the Jews and the Christians. It is, however, highly
probable that this passage bears a wider import and relates to all communities which base their views
on a revealed scripture, extant in a partially corrupted form, with parts of it entirely lost.
13 I.e., all these communities at first subscribed to the doctrine of God’s oneness and held that
man’s self-surrender to Him (islam in its original connotation) is the essence of all true religion.
Their subsequent divergencies were an outcome of sectarian pride and mutual exclusiveness.
14 According to Räzl, this refers to people who have no revealed scripture of their own.
15 See silrah 2, note 48.
16 Lit., “decide [all disputes] between them’’-the reference being to the Torah.
17 Cf. 2:80, and the corresponding note.
 SÜRAH
ÄL *IMRÄN

which they invented have [in time] caused them to

betray their faith.11
(25) How, then, [will they fare] when We shall
gather them all together to witness the Day about [the
coming of] which there is no doubt, and every human
being shall be repaid in full for what he has done, and
none shall be wronged?
JuÖ ($) ùj/i» f-jji* j
(26) SAY: “O God, Lord of all dominion! Thou grantest
dominion unto whom Thou wiliest, and takest away
dominion from whom Thou wiliest; and Thou exaltest dijldUJldÄU ($> Qplî V
whom Thou wiliest, and abasest whom Thou wiliest.
In Thy hand is all good. Verily, Thou hast the power to «y <2 cr
will anything.
(27) “Thou makest the night grow longer by shorten­ j*
ing the day, and Thou makest the day grow longer by
shortening the night. And Thou bringest forth the »Pj ei** ^4
living out of that which is dead, and Thou bringest
forth the dead out of that which is alive. And Thou
grantest sustenance unto whom Thou wiliest, beyond
all reckoning." & <j>, 5*“^- <Z>

(28) LET NOT the believers take those who deny the truth
for their allies in preference to the believers18
19-since
he who does this cuts himself off from God in j’ jU j» ($) iX J
everything-unless it be to protect yourselves against
jlyO'jUJÎjUjû»j aX«jJU
them in this way.20 But God warns you to beware of
Him: for with God is all journeys’ end.
(29) Say: “Whether you conceal what is in your
hearts21 or bring it into the open, God knows it: for He
knows all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth;
and God has the power to will anything."
(30) On the Day when every human being will find
himself faced with all the good that he has done, and
with all the evil that he has done, [many a one] will
wish that there were a long span of time between
himself and that [Day]. Hence, God warns you to

18 Lit., “that which they were wont to invent has deluded them in their faith".
19 I.e., in cases where the interests of those “deniers of the truth” clash with the interests of
believers (Mandr III, 278). Regarding the deeper implications of the term “allies" (awliyd'), see
4:139 and the corresponding note.
20 Lit., “unless you fear from them something that is to be feared". ZamakhsharT explains this
phrase as meaning, “unless you have reason to fear that they might do something which ought to be
guarded against” - obviously referring to situations in which “those who deny the truth” are more
powerful than the Muslims, and are therefore in a position to damage the latter unless they become
their “allies” in a political or moral sense.
21 Lit., “breasts”. This is a reference to the real motives underlying the decision of a Muslim
group or power to form an alliance with “those who deny the truth” in preference to, or against the
legitimate interests of, other believers.

70
 3
THE HOUSE OF TMRÄN
beware of Him; but God is most compassionate to­
wards His creatures.
(31) Say [O Prophet]: “If you love God, follow me,
[and] God will love you and forgive you your sins; for
God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.”
(32) Say: “Pay heed unto God and the Apostle.” Lu» Lui

(33) BEHOLD, God raised Adam, and Noah, and the

House of Abraham, and the House of ‘Imran above all j* ($) fy jj* 55
mankind, (34) in one line of descent.22
And God was all-hearing, all-knowing23 (35) when a (W) ■il Ijiji <J_r**jl>
woman of [the House of] ‘Imran prayed: “O my
Sustainer! Behold, unto Thee do I vow [the child] that ’•yû f*■! ù[ •
is in my womb, to be devoted to Thy service. Accept âTj
it, then, from me: verily, Thou alone art all-hearing,
all-knowing!” j* 'r'j ù'5-^ ($> jr-ls
(36) But when she had given birth to the child,24 she
juif
said: “O my Sustainer! Behold, I have given birth to a
female” - the while God had been fully aware of what &' *-gj CJK 1—JL* (J) ^J«J1
she would give birth to, and [fully aware] that no male
child [she might have hoped for] could ever have been j crJ1 55
like this female25 - “and I have named her Mary. And,
J£
verily, I seek Thy protection for her and her offspring
against Satan, the accursed.”
(37) And thereupon her Sustainer accepted the
girl-child with goodly acceptance, and caused her to
grow up in goodly growth, and placed her in the care of
Zachariah.26

22 Lit., “offspring of one another”-an allusion not merely to the physical descent of those
prophets but also to the fact that all of them were spiritually linked with one another and believed in
one and the same fundamental truth (Tabari). Thus, the above passage is a logical sequence to
verses 31-32, which make God's approval contingent upon obedience to His chosen message-
bearers. The names which appear in this sentence circumscribe, by implication, all the prophets
mentioned in the Qur’än inasmuch as most of them were descendants of two or more of these
patriarchs. The House of Tmrän comprises Moses and Aaron, whose father was Tmrän (the Amram
of the Bible), and Aaron’s descendants, the priestly caste among the Israelites - thus including John
the Baptist, both of whose parents were of the same descent (cf. the reference, in Luke i, 5, to John’s
mother Elisabeth as one “of the daughters of Aaron"), as well as Jesus, whose mother Mary-a
close relation of John - is spoken of elsewhere in the Qur’än ( 19:28) as a “sister of Aaron”: in both
cases embodying the ancient Semitic custom of linking a person's or a people’s name with that of an
illustrious forebear. The reference to the House of Tmrän serves as an introduction to the stories of
Zachariah, John, Mary, and Jesus.
23 My joining of this phrase with the following passage is in agreement with the interpretation
advanced by Muhammad 'Abduh and Rashid Ridä’ (Manûr III, 289).
24 Lit., “to her”-implying that it was a girl.
25 Lit., “and the male is not [or “could not be”] like the female". ZamakhsharT reads these words
as forming part of the parenthetic sentence relating to God's knowledge, and explains them thus:
“The male [child] which she had prayed for could not have been like the female which she was
granted” - which implies that Mary’s excellence would go far beyond any hopes which her mother
had ever entertained.
26 As is evident from verse 44 of this särah, the guardianship of Mary was entrusted to

71
 SÜRAH
ÄL'IMRÄN________________________ _________________

Whenever Zachariah visited her in the sanctuary, he

found her provided with food. He would ask: O
Mary, whence came this unto thee?”
She would answer: “It is from God; behold, God
grants sustenance unto whom He wills, beyond all
reckoning.”27
(38) In that self-same place, Zachariah prayed unto
his Sustainer, saying: “O my Sustainer! Bestow upon
me [too], out of Thy grace, the gift of goodly offspring; ($)
for Thou, indeed, hearest all prayer.” ékJ J û* Û5 '*>
(39) Thereupon, as he stood praying in the sanc­
tuary, the angels called out unto him: “God sends thee J»J i, J»
the glad tiding of [the birth of] John, who shall confirm
the truth of a word from God,2“ and [shall be] outstand­
ing among men, and utterly chaste, and a prophet from
among the righteous.” <$) es
(40) [Zachariah] exclaimed: “O my Sustainer! How
(jjA J QjC □' JK
can I have a son when old age has already overtaken
me, and my wife is barren?” ûj JK o L jX-f JK ÿ
Answered [the angel]: “Thus it is: God does what
çLÎ Jût éu H JU 41$ 3
He wills.”
(41) [Zachariah] prayed: “O my Sustainer! Appoint
Cr*J 1j^'ZJ
a sign for me!”
Said [the angel]: “Thy sign shall be that for three
days thou wilt not speak unto men other than by
gestures.29 And remember thy Sustainer unceasingly,
and extol His limitless glory by night and by day.”

Zachariah-who was not only her relative but also a priest attached to the Temple-after lots had
been drawn to decide which of the priests should have the responsibility for this girl who. in
consequence of her mother’s vow, was to be dedicated to Temple service (Tabari).
27 In spite of all the legends quoted in this connection by most of the commentators, there is no
indication whatsoever either in the Qur’fin or in any authentic Tradition that these provisions were
of a miraculous origin. On the other hand, Tabari quotes a story to the effect that when, in his old
age, Zachariah became unable to support Mary by his own means, the community decided to assume
this responsibility through another of its members, who thereupon provided her daily with food.
Whether this story is authentic or not, Mary’s answer to Zachariah reflects no more and no less than
her deep consciousness of God as the ultimate Provider.
28 In view of the fact that the expression kalimah if often used in the Qur’fin to denote an
announcement from God, or a statement of His will, or His promise (e.g., 4:171, 6:34 and 115,
10:64,18 : 27, and so forth), we must conclude that in the above passage, too, the ’’word from God”
which would be confirmed by the birth of John (described in the Gospels as “John the Baptist”)
refers to a divine promise given through revelation: and this, indeed, is the interpretation adopted by
the famous philologist Abü ‘Ubaydah Ma'mar ibn al-Muthannfi, who lived in the second century H.
and devoted most of his labours to the study of rare expressions in the Arabic language; his
identification, in the context under discussion, of kalimah with kitäb (“revelation” or “divine writ”)
has been quoted by RfizT in his commentary on this verse and is, moreover, agreeable with a similar
announcement conveyed to Mary regarding the birth of Jesus (see verse 45 of this sürah}.
29 According to AbQ Muslim (quoted with approval by RfizT), Zachariah was merely enjoined not
to speak to anyone during the period of three days, and not struck dumb as in the New Testament
narrative (Luke i, 20-22): thus the “sign” was purely spiritual, and was to consist in Zachariah's utter
self-abandonment to prayer and contemplation.

72
 3
THE HOUSE OF TMRÄN
(42) AND LO! The angels said: “O Mary! Behold, God has
elected thee and made thee pure, and raised thee
above all the women of the world. (43) O Mary!
Remain thou truly devout unto thy Sustainer, and
prostrate thyself in worship, and bow down with those
who bow down [before Him].”
(44) This account of something that was beyond the 0 »Lj
reach of thy perception We [now] reveal unto thee:30
for thou wert not with them when they drew lots as to <$>
which of them should be Mary's guardian,31 and thou
wert not with them when they contended [about it]
with one another. <$> rç 2 éiT uj
(45) Lo! The angels said: “O Mary! Behold, God
sends thee the glad tiding, through a word from Him,
[of a son] who shall become known as the Christ32
Jesus, son of Mary, of great honour in this world and
in the life to come, and [shall be] of those who are ùjj j jXj <$> éwjiji
drawn near unto God. (46) And he shall speak unto
cj- ■ f. Jl»X J '*-*> CJB(J)(jpJLalT
men in his cradle,33 and as a grown man, and shall be of
the righteous.” L?p \fi&IS[ LàTjrëfjB
(47) Said she: “O my Sustainer! How can I have a
son when no man has ever touched me?”
[The angel] answered: “Thus it is: God creates what
He wills:34 when He wills a thing to be. He but says

30 This parenthetic passage, addressed to the Prophet, is meant to stress the fact that the story of
Mary, as narrated in the Qur’Sn, is a direct outcome of revelation and, therefore, inherently true in
spite of all the differences between this account and that given in the scriptures regarded by the
Christians as authentic (Muhammad 'Abduh in Manär HI, 301 f.).
31 See note 26 above. The phrase rendered above as “they drew lots” reads literally, “they cast
their reeds" - obviously a reference to an ancient Semitic custom, perhaps similar to the divination
by means of blunt arrows practiced by the pre-Islamic Arabs and comprehensively described in
Lane HI, 1247. The pronoun “they” relates to the priests, of whom Zachariah was one.
32 Lit., “whose name shall be ‘the Anointed’ (al-masïh)“. The designation al-masïh is the
Arabicized form of the Aramaic mishïhâ which, in turn, is derived from the Hebrew mâhsïah, “the
anointed” - a term frequently applied in the Bible to the Hebrew kings, whose accession to power
used to be consecrated by a touch with holy oil taken from the Temple. This anointment appears to
have been so important a rite among the Hebrews that the term “the anointed” became in the
course of time more or less synonymous with “king”. Its application to Jesus may have been due to
the widespread conviction among his contemporaries (references to which are found in several
places in the Synoptic Gospels) that he was descended in direct-and obviously legitimate - line
from the royal House of David. (It is to be noted that this could not have related to his mother’s side,
because Mary belonged to the priestly class descending from Aaron, and thus to the tribe of Levi,
while David descended from the tribe of Judah.) Whatever may have been the historical
circumstances, it is evident that the honorific “the Anointed” was applied to Jesus in his own
lifetime. In the Greek version of the Gospels - which is undoubtedly based on a now-lost Aramaic
original - this designation is correctly translated as Christos (a noun derived from the Greek verb
chriein, “to anoint”): and since it is in this form-“the Clmst”-that the designation has
achieved currency in all Western languages, I am using it throughout in my translation.
33 A metaphorical allusion to the prophetic wisdom which was to inspire Jesus from a very early
age. As regards the expression min al-muqarrabTn (“of those who are drawn near”, i.e., unto God),
we 56:11, where the most excellent among the inmates of paradise are thus described.
34 See 19:16-22 and the corresponding notes. In the context of the story of Mary in Ä1 *Imrän,

73
 SÜRAH
ÄL'IMRÄN__________________________________________

unto it, ‘Be’ - and it is. (48) And he will impart unto thy
son35 revelation, and wisdom, and the Torah, and the
Gospel, (49) and [will make him] an apostle unto the
children of Israel.”36 U- j ($) ôjCj JJ;
“I HAVE COME unto you with a message from your
Sustainer. I shall create for you out of clay, as it
were, the shape of [your] destiny, and then breathe
into it, so that it might become [your] destiny by God’s 1j clip IjjJ» <-» jjkjl
leave;37 and I shall heal the blind and the leper, and
bring the dead back to life by God’s leave:3839and I shall
40 Ij JJ
’ ' ' ' i t
let you know what you may eat and what you should
11 àj JPj ûjÎTL'U
store up in your houses.38 Behold, in all this there is
indeed a message for you, if you are [truly] believers. 0* <5A ÛK Q (J) ûpj[
(50) “And [I have come] to confirm the truth of
whatever there still remains*1 of the Torah, and to
make lawful unto you some of the things which
[aforetime] were forbidden to you. And I have come jj (T) & îA'tf yç
unto you with a message from your Sustainer; remain,
then, conscious of God, and pay heed unto me.
(51) “Verily, God is my Sustainer as well as your

the announcement made to her, as well as the parallel one to Zachariah (verses 39-40 above), is
meant to stress God’s unlimited power of creation - specifically, in both cases. His power to create
the circumstances in which His will is to manifest itself - and thus to bring about any event, however
unexpected or even improbable it might seem at the time of the announcement.
35 Lit., “to him”.
36 The passage which follows here-up to the end of verse 51 - may be understood in either of
two ways: as part of the announcement made to Mary (implying that he would thus speak in
the future) or, alternatively, as a statement of what, at a later time, he actually did say to the children
of Israel. In view of the narrative form adopted in verses 52 ff., the second of these two alternatives
seems preferable.
37 Lit., “[something] like the shape of a bird (fa yr); and then I shall breathe into it. so that it might
[or “whereupon it will”] become a bird..The noun tayr is a plural of tä’ir (“flying creature” or
“bird”), or an infinitive noun (“flying”) derived from the verb fâra (“he flew”). In pre-lslamic usage,
as well as in the Qur’än, the words tä’ir and fayr often denote “fortune” or “destiny”, whether good
or evil (as, for instance, in 7 :131,27:47 or 36: 19, and still more clearly in 17 : 13). Many instances
of this idiomatic use of fayr and fä’ir are given in all the authoritative Arabic dictionaries; see also
Lane V, 1904 f. Thus, in the parabolic manner so beloved by him, Jesus intimated to the children of
Israel that out of the humble clay of their lives he would fashion for them the vision of a soaring
destiny, and that this vision, brought to life by his God-given inspiration, would become their real
destiny by God’s leave and by the strength of their faith (as pointed out at the end of this verse).
38 It is probable that the “raising of the dead” by Jesus is a metaphorical description of his giving
new life to people who were spiritually dead; cf. 6:122 - “Is then he who was dead [in spirit], and
whom We thereupon gave life, and for whom We set up a light whereby he can see his way among
men-[is then he] like unto one [who is lost] in darkness deep, out of which he cannot emerge?*’ If
this interpretation is-as I believe - correct, then the “healing of the blind and the leper” has a
similar significance: namely, an inner regeneration of people who were spiritually diseased and blind
to the truth.
39 I.e., “what good things you may partake of in the life of this world, and what good deeds you
should lay up as a treasure for the life to come”.
40 Lit., “whatever there is between my hands”: for an explanation, see note 3 on verse 3 of this
sürah.

74
 3 THE HOUSE OF TMRÄN
Sustainer; so worship Him [alone]: this is a straight
way.”
(52) And when Jesus became aware of their refusal to
acknowledge the truth,41 he asked: “Who will be my
helpers in God’s cause?”
The white-garbed ones42 replied: “We shall be [thy]
helpers [in the cause] of God! We believe in God: and U* • (J) li*
bear thou witness that we have surrendered ourselves
unto Him! (53) O our Sustainer! We believe in what
Thou hast bestowed from on high, and we follow this
J ($> UL ft
Apostle; make us one,43 then, with all who bear
witness [to the truth]!” IxAi LuT;cJ>'l Lcl>k
(54) And the unbelievers schemed [against Jesus];44
but God brought their scheming to nought: for God is ft ipT^ft;
above all schemers.
(55) Lo! God said: “O Jesus! Verily, I shall cause Jl J[
thee to die, and shall exalt thee unto Me, and cleanse f x Ji bjfÔyf ££
thee of [the presence of] those who are bent on
denying the truth; and I shall place those who follow >4 £*** 4?
thee [far] above those who are bent on denying the
k'* CtJf Uli (J) -~>y i-2
truth, unto the Day of Resurrection. In the end, unto
Me you all must return, and I shall judge between you
Ctw, <$) ù; fJ 1? ftJ
with regard to all on which you were wont to differ.45
(56) “And as for those who are bent on denying the *-4^ ftj p?js* ÎAô b-***
truth, 1 shall cause them to suffer a suffering severe in
this world and in the life to come, and they shall have
none to succour them; (57) whereas unto those who
attain to faith and do good works He will grant their
reward in full: for God does not love evildoers.”

41 This relates to a later time, when Jesus was being opposed by the majority of his people, and
particularly the Pharisees.
42 Al-hawäriyyün (sing. hawärf) is the designation applied in the Qur’än to the disciples of Jesus.
Many interpretations of this term (derived from hawar, “whiteness”) are given by the commen­
tators, ranging from “one who whitens clothes by washing them" (because this was allegedly the
occupation of some of Jesus’ disciples) to “one who wears white garments", or “one whose heart is
white", i.e., pure (cf. TabarT, RäzT, Ibn KathTr). It is, however, most probable-and the evidence
provided by the recently discovered Dead Sea Scrolls strongly supports this view-that the term
frawärT was popularly used to denote a member of the Essene Brotherhood, a Jewish religious group
which existed in Palestine at the time of Jesus, and to which, possibly, he himself belonged. The
Essenes were distinguished by their strong insistence on moral purity and unselfish conduct, and
always wore white garments as the outward mark of their convictions; and this would satisfactorily
explain the name given to them. The fact that the Prophet once said, “Every prophet has his
hawärT” (BukhärT and Muslim) does not conflict with the above view, since he obviously used this
term figuratively, recalling thereby Jesus’ “helpers in God’s cause”.
43 Lit., “write us down" or “inscribe us”. It must, however, be borne in mind that the verb kataba
means also “he drew together” or “brought together": hence the noun katîbah, “a body of men”.
44 Lit., “they schemed” - here referring to those among the Jews who refused to acknowledge
Jesus as a prophet and tried to destroy him.
45 This refers to all who revere Jesus (i.e., the Christians, who believe him to be “the son of
God", and the Muslims, who regard him as a prophet) as well as to those who deny him altogether.
Regarding God’s promise to Jesus, “1 shall exalt thee unto Me”, see sürah 4, note 172.

75
 ÄL'IMRÄN SÜRAH

(58) THIS MESSAGE do We convey unto thee, and this

tiding full of wisdom:46
(59) Verily, in the sight of God, the nature of Jesus is
as the nature of Adam, whom He created out of dust
and then said unto him, “Be"-and he is.47 (60) [This
is] the truth from thy Sustainer; be not, then, among
the doubters!
(61) And if anyone should argue with thee about this
[truth] after all the knowledge that has come unto thee,
say: “Come! Let us summon our sons and your sons,
JS JUÏÏjAikLC
and our women and your women, and ourselves and
yourselves; and then let us pray [together] humbly and Jr*' f ÛiLiJ
ardently, and let us invoke God’s curse upon those [of
us] who are telling a lie.”48 0 ijwÂïÔT je j»T
(62) Behold, this is indeed the truth of the matter,
£ E
and there is no deity whatever save God; and, verily,
God-He alone-is almighty, truly wise. (63) And if
they turn away [from this truth] - behold, God has full
knowledge of the spreaders of corruption.
(64) Say: “O followers of earlier revelation! Come
unto that tenet which we and you hold in common:49
uiZ Lî' yj '*> "A
that we shall worship none but God, and that we shall Ül> ijlyi* 4*1 J* LI« jl Lâm>
not ascribe divinity to aught beside Him, and that we
shall not take human beings for our lords beside
God.”50

46 Lit, “This We convey unto thee of the messages and of the wise tiding.” The expression “this
of the messages" bears, to my mind, the connotation of one particular message - namely, the one
which follows immediately after this sentence.
47 Lit., “The parable of Jesus is as the parable of Adam...”, etc. The expression mathal
(rendered above as “nature”) is often metaphorically employed to denote the state or condition (of •
person or a thing), and is in this sense - as the commentators have pointed out - synonymous with
fifah (the “quality” or “nature” of a thing). As is evident from the sequence, the above passage is
part of an argument against the Christian doctrine of the divinity of Jesus. The Qur’än stresses here,
as in many other places, the fact that Jesus, like Adam - by which name, in this context, the whole
human race is meant-was only a mortal “created out of dust”, i.e., out of substances, both organic
and inorganic, which are found in their elementary forms on and in the earth. Cf. also 18:37,
22 : 5,30 : 20,35:11,40 : 67, where the Qur’än speaks of all human beings as “created out of dust”.
That “Adam” stands here for the human race is clearly implied in the use of the present tense in the
last word of this sentence.
48 I.e., regarding the true nature of Jesus. According to all the reliable authorities, verses 59-63 of
this sürah were revealed in the year 10 H., on the occasion of a dispute between the Prophet and a
deputation of the Christians of Najrän who, like all other Christians, maintained that Jesus was “the
son of God” and, therefore, God incarnate. Although they refused the “trial through prayer”
(mubähalah) proposed to them by the Prophet, the latter accorded to them a treaty guaranteeing all
their civic rights and the free exercise of their religion.
49 Lit., “a word [that is] equitable between you and us”. The term kalimah, primarily meaning
“word” or “utterance”, is often used in the philosophical sense of “proposition” or “tenet".
50 Lit., “that we shall not take one another for lords beside God". Since the personal pronoun
“we" obviously applies to human beings, the expression “one another” necessarily bears the same
connotation. In its wider implication, the above call is addressed not merely to the Christians,
attribute divinity to Jesus and certain aspects of divinity to their saints, but also to the Jews, wb0

76
 3 THE HOUSE OF 1MRÄN
And if they turn away, then say: “Bear witness that
it is we who have surrendered ourselves unto Him ”

(65) O FOLLOWERS of earlier revelation! Why do you

argue about Abraham,51 seeing that the Torah and the
Gospel were not revealed till [long] after him? Will you
not, then, use your reason? (66) Lo! You are the ones
who would argue about that which is known to you; J/

but why do you argue about something which is

<jjr I* jji (Jc * «
unknown to you?52
Yet God knows [it], whereas you do not know: (67)
Abraham was neither a “Jew” nor a “Christian”, but
was one who turned away from all that is false, having lU- Sif'jCjJ ^-*’4 Si'u
surrendered himself unto God; and he was not of those
uA-JÎ ’ 3[ (J) J- ùtf'Cj LI
who ascribe divinity to aught beside Him.
(68) Behold, the people who have the best claim to ipit y 5
Abraham are surely those who follow him-as does
this Prophet and all who believe [in him] - and God is
near unto the believers.
(69) Some of the followers of earlier revelation 0 Cj pt-i; ' jjUjt l , jJ

would love to lead you astray: yet none do they lead

astray but themselves, and perceive it not.
(70) O followers of earlier revelation! Why do you
deny the truth of God’s messages to which you
yourselves bear witness?53
(71) O followers of earlier revelation! Why do you yr £
cloak the truth with falsehood and conceal the truth of
which you are [so well] aware? V# (J) Qi-rz (Uw
(72) And some of the followers of earlier revelation
say [to one another]: “Declare your belief in what has
been revealed unto those who believe [in Muhammad]
at the beginning of the day, and deny the truth of what
came later,54 so that they might go back [on their faith];

assign a quasi-divine authority to Ezra and even to some of their great Talmudic scholars (cf.
9:30-31).
51 I.e., as to whether the principles he followed were those of the Jewish faith, according to which
the Torah is considered to be the final Law of God, or of the Christian faith, which conflicts with the
former in many respects.
52 I.e., as to what was the true creed of Abraham. “That which is known to you” is an allusion to
their knowledge of the obvious fact that many of the teachings based on the extant versions of the
Torah and the Gospels conflict with the teachings of the Qur’fin (RäzT).
53 Lit., “when you [yourselves] bear witness”: an allusion to the Biblical prophecies relating to
the coming of the Prophet Muhammad.
54 Most of the commentators, relying on views current among some of the tdbrfln (i.e., the
generation that came after the Companions of the Prophet), understand this passage thus: “Declare
at the beginning of the day your belief in what has been revealed unto those who believe in
Muhammad, and deny the truth [thereof] in its latter part.” This rendering would imply that the
Judaeo-Christian attempts at confusing the Muslims, to which the above verse refers, consisted in
alternatingly declaring belief and disbelief in the Qur’anic message. On the other hand, the rendering
adopted by me (and supported by Al-Asam, whose interpretation has been quoted by Ràzï in his

77
 SÜRAH
ÀL'IMRÂN_________________________________________

(73) but do not [really] believe anyone who does not

follow your own faith.”
Say: “Behold, all [true] guidance is God’s guidance,
consisting in one’s being granted [revelation] such as
you have been granted.”55 Or would they contend
against you before your Sustainer?
Say: “Behold, all bounty is in the hand of God; He >-^4 J* J 1* Ji*
grants it unto whom He wills:56 for God is infinite,
all-knowing, (74) singling out for His grace whom He
wills. And God is limitless in His great bounty.”

(75) AND AMONG the followers of earlier revelation

jlki aLL' •
there is many a one who, if thou entrust him with a
treasure, will [faithfully] restore it to thee; and there is
4 Jr
among them many a one who, if thou entrust him with
j ££ yu jfs ûu <£
a tiny gold coin, will not restore it to thee unless thou
keep standing over him-which is an outcome of their
<S> jf & Sjiji j
assertion,57 “No blame can attach to us [for anything
that we may do] with regard to these unlettered folk”: ($) L?’Û* j*
and [so] they tell a lie about God, being well aware
[that it is a lie].58 eiJSjt ö 3jS yf 4
(76) Nay, but [God is aware of] those who keep their
bond with Him,59 and are conscious of Him: and,
verily, God loves those who are conscious of Him. (3> JpJI u± fX
(77) Behold, those who barter away their bond with
God and their own pledges for a trifling gain - they
shall not partake in the blessings of the life to come;
and God will neither speak unto them nor look upon
them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He cleanse
them of their sins; and grievous suffering awaits them.
(78) And, behold, there are indeed some among them

commentary on this verse) implies that some Jews and Christians have been and are hoping to
achieve this end by admitting, however reluctantly, that there may be “some truth” in the early
Qur’anic revelations (“that which has been revealed at the beginning of the day”), while they
categorically reject its later parts inasmuch as they clearly contradict certain Biblical teachings.
55 This refers to the Jews and the Christians, who are not prepared to accept the Qur’anic
message on the ground that it conflicts with parts of their own scriptures.
56 In this context, the term fatfl (“bounty") is synonymous with the bestowal of divine revelation.
57 Lit., “this, because they say". In Arabic usage, the verb qäla (lit., “he said”) often signifies "he
asserted” or “expressed an opinion”. As is evident from many Traditions, the people referred to are
the Jews.
58 I.e., they falsely claim that God Himself has exempted them from all moral responsibility
towards non-Jews (contemptuously described as “unlettered folk”), knowing well that their own
scriptures provide no basis whatever for such a claim.
59 Some of the commentators relate the personal pronoun in 'ahdihi to the person or persons
concerned, and therefore take 'ahd as meaning “promise” - thus: “[as for] him who fulfils his
promise ..etc. It is, however, obvious from the next verse that the pronoun in 'ahdihi refers to
God; consequently, the phrase must be rendered either as “those who fulfil their duty towards
Him", or “those who keep their bond with Him"-the latter being, in my opinion, preferable. (F**
the meaning of man’s “bond with God”, see sürah 2, note 19.)

78
3 THE HOUSE OF TMRÄN

who distort the Bible with their tongues, so as to make

you think that [what they say] is from the Bible, the
while it is not from the Bible; and who say, “This is
from God,” the while it is not from God: and thus do
they tell a lie about God, being well aware [that it is a
lie]“
û; <Jj!Aj cr
(79) It is not conceivable that a human being unto
& & ùjlybj âî X* j* Cj âî
whom God had granted revelation, and sound judg­
ment, and prophethood, should thereafter have said
61 “Worship me beside God”; but rather
unto people,60
[did he exhort them], “Become men of God62 by
ùÇS Ja
spreading the knowledge of the divine writ, and by
your own deep study [thereof].” (80) And neither did £ i <—X.CJÎ !//”"
he bid you to take the angels and the prophets for your
lords:63 [for] would he bid you to deny the truth after
you have surrendered yourselves unto God? (£) p f * Lb jl

û; •'< U jl/âf âî.'

AND, LO, God accepted, through the prophets, this
solemn pledge [from the followers of earlier
**> iP-*'$*f
revelation]:64 “If, after all the revelation and the wis­
dom which I have vouchsafed unto you, there comes
to you an apostle confirming the truth already in your
possession, you must believe in him and succour him.
Do you”-said He - “acknowledge and accept My
bond on this condition?”
They answered: “We do acknowledge it.”

60 Most of the commentators assume that this refers specifically to the Jews, whom the Qur’Sn
frequently accuses of having deliberately corrupted the Old Testament. However, since the next two
verses clearly relate to Jesus and to the false beliefs of the Christians regarding his nature and
mission, we must conclude that both Jews and Christians are referred to in this passage. For this
reason, the term al-kitäb, which occurs three times in this sentence, has been rendered here as “the
Bible".-According to Muhammad 'Abduh (Manär III, 345). the above-mentioned distortion of the
Bible does not necessarily presuppose a corruption of the text as such: it can also be brought about
“by attributing to an expression a meaning other than the one which was originally intended". As an
example, 'Abduh quotes the metaphorical use, in the Gospels, of the term “my Father" with
reference to God - by which term, as is evident from the Lord’s Prayer, was obviously meant the
“Father" - i.e., the Originator and Sustainer - of all mankind. Subsequently, however, some of those
who claimed to be followers of Jesus lifted this expression from the realm of metaphor and
“transferred it to the realm of positive reality with reference to Jesus alone": and thus they gave
currency to the idea that he was literally “the son of God", that is, God incarnate.
61 This obvious reference to Jesus reads, literally, “It is not [possible] for a human being that God
should grant him ... and that thereafter he should say ...”. ZamakhsharT regards the term hukm
(“judgment" or “sound judgment") occurring in the above sentence as synonymous, in this context,
with hikmah (“wisdom").
62 According to STbawayh (as quoted by RäzT), a rabbänT is “one who devotes himself
exclusively to the endeavour to know the Sustainer (ar-robb) and to obey Him”: a connotation
fairly close to the English expression “a man of God”.
63 l.e., to attribute divine or semi-divine powers to them: a categorical rejection of the adoration
of saints and angelic beings.
64 Lit., “the solemn pledge of the prophets". ZamakhsharT holds that what is meant here is a
pledge taken from the community as a whole: a pledge consisting in their acceptance of the
messages conveyed through the prophets.
 SÜRAH
ÄL'IMRÄN
Said He: “Then bear witness [thereto], and I shall be
your witness.“ (82) And, henceforth, allI who turn
away (from this pledge] - it is they, they who are truly

iniquitous!” .
(83) Do they seek, perchance, a faith other than in
God,“ although it is unto Him that whatever is m the
heavens and on earth surrenders itself, willingly or
(g) f
unwillingly, since unto Him all must return.
(84) Say: “We believe in God, and in that which has o’jujl j 4»!
been bestowed from on high upon us, and that which
has been bestowed upon Abraham and Ishmael and
Isaac and Jacob and their descendants, and that which
has been vouchsafed by their Sustainer unto Moses
and Jesus and all the [other] prophets: we make no
distinction between any of them.“ And unto Him do
we surrender ourselves.” (g, 1 jf-3 J*’ jy J
(85) For, if one goes in search of a religion other than
self-surrender unto God, it will never be accepted from
him, and in the life to come he shall be among the lost.
(86) How would God bestow His guidance upon
people who have resolved to deny the truth after f'* J» Jr-ÿ j' i*!-*-»4“*
having attained to faith, and having borne witness that
this Apostle is true, and [after] all evidence of the truth
'ft
has come unto them?“ For, God does not guide such (£) 3
evildoing folk. (87) Their requital shall be rejection by
God, and by the angels, and by all [righteous] men. (88)
yJ
In this state shall they abide; [and] neither will their
suffering be lightened, nor will they be granted respite.
(89) But excepted shall be they that afterwards
repent and put themselves to rights: for, behold, God
xJ^bXyT^ 31 r*?
is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace. Ç) jjtLf ? £7 jÿ J$
(90) Verily, as for those who are bent on denying the
truth after having attained to faith, and then grow £ j*’ Sj J* f* b'H ‘j»X
[ever more stubborn] in their refusal to acknowledge
the truth, their repentance [of other sins] shall not be
accepted:7*65
608 for it is they who have truly gone astray.
66
(91) Verily, as for those who are bent on denying the
truth and die as deniers of the truth-not all the gold

65 Lit., “and I am with you among the witnesses“.

66 Lit., “[any] other than God’s religion”.
JZ Lit’’ ** returned" For an explanation of this sentence, see 13:15 and the correspondit«

68 See 2:136 and the corresponding note 112.

nrSiJJet£°Ple ref*Tlt0T?re lhe Jews and the Ch«stians. Their acceptance of the Bible, which
,h"" *° the truth of he

°*,he wordi othOT !ins" “ °"

80
 3 THE HOUSE OF TMRÄN
on earth could ever be their ransom.71 It is they for
whom grievous suffering is in store; and they shall
have none to succour them.
(92) [But as for you, O believers,] never shall you
attain to true piety unless you spend on others out of
what you cherish yourselves; and whatever you
j ($ Cj y
spend-verily, God has full knowledge thereof.72
<£> Ce
(93) ALL FOOD was lawful unto the children of Israel,
save what Israel had made unlawful unto itself [by its
sinning] before the Torah was bestowed from on
high.73 Say: “Come forward, then, with the Torah and
recite it, if what you say is true!” Jp <$) ù[Ï*jL*(â
(94) And all who henceforth invent lies about God -
it is they, they who are evildoers!74 (J) dLdjlidJTj Jbu <_ûSLK ûî
(95) Say: “God has spoken the truth: follow, then, ù€*Uj
the creed of Abraham, who turned away from all that
is false, and was not of those who ascribe divinity to
aught beside God.”
(96) Behold, the first Temple ever set up for man­
kind was indeed the one at Bakkah:75 rich in blessing.

71 Lit., “there shall not be accepted from any of them the earth full of gold, were he to proffer it in
ransom”. The meaning of this sentence is obviously metaphorical; but in view of the mention of
“ransom”, some of the commentators are of the opinion that what is meant here are otherwise good
actions in this world (and, in particular, efforts and possessions spent for the sake of helping one’s
fellow-men), on the strength of which such stubborn “deniers of the truth” might plead for God's
clemency on the Day of Judgment-a plea that would be rejected on the ground of their deliberate
denial of fundamental truths.
72 After telling those who deliberately deny the truth that even their benevolent spending of
efforts and possessions during their lifetime will be of no avail to them on the Day of Judgment, the
Qur’än reminds the believers that, on the other hand, their faith in God cannot be considered
complete unless it makes them conscious of the material needs of their fellow-beings (cf. 2:177).
73 Up to this point, most of this sürah dealt with the divine origin of the Qur’fin and was meant to
establish the true nature of the mission entrusted to the Prophet - namely, his call to an
acknowledgement of God’s oneness and uniqueness. Now, verses 93-97 are devoted to a refutation
of two objections on the part of the Jews to what they consider to be an infringement, by the Qur’än,
of Biblical laws, in spite of the oft-repeated Qur’anic claim that this revelation confirms the truth
inherent in the teachings of the earlier prophets. These two objections relate to (a) the Qur’anic
annulment of certain dietary injunctions and prohibitions laid down in the Torah, and (b) the alleged
“substitution" of Mecca for Jerusalem as the direction of prayer (qiblah) - see sürah 2, note 116. In
order to answer the objection relating to Jewish food laws, the Qur’än calls to mind that originally all
wholesome foods were lawful to the children of Israel, and that the severe restrictions subsequently
imposed upon them in the Torah were but a punishment for their sins (cf. 6:146), and were,
therefore, never intended for a community that truly surrenders itself to God. For an answer to the
second objection, see verse 96.
74 This is a reference to the unwarranted Jewish belief that the Mosaic food restrictions were an
eternal law decreed by God. As against this claim, the Qur’än stresses that no food restrictions had
been imposed before the time of Moses and, secondly, that the restrictions arising from the Mosaic
Law were imposed on the children of Israel alone. To claim that they represent an eternal divine law
is described here as “inventing lies about God”.
75 All authorities agree that this name is synonymous with Mecca (which, correctly transliterated,
is spelt Makkah). Various etymologies have been suggested for this very ancient designation; but
the most plausible explanation is given by ZamakhsharT (and supported by Râzl): in some old Arabic

81
 SÜRah
ÄL'IMRÄN_________________________________________
and a [source of] guidance unto all the worlds, (97) full
of clear messages.7677
[It is] the place whereon Abraham
once stood; and whoever enters it finds inner peace.
Hence, pilgrimage unto the Temple is a duty owed to
God by all people who are able to undertake it. And as u cv) ûjJwü
for those who deny the truth-verily, God does not
stand in need of anything in all the worlds. £ Jij

(98) SAY: “O followers of earlier revelation! Why do you

refuse to acknowledge the truth of God’s messages, ùjyiXL' (J 5* iX^Cf
when God is witness to all that you do?”
(99) Say: “O followers of earlier revelation! Why do J» ($) UjL«' U J«
you [endeavour to] bar those who have come to
believe [in this divine writ] from the path of God by
trying to make it appear crooked, when you yourselves
(J) l/ âT Uj»
bear witness78 [to its being straight]? For, God is not
unaware of what you do.”
(100) O you who have attained to faith! If you pay
heed to some of those to whom revelation was vouch­
safed aforetime, they might cause you to renounce the
truth after you have come to believe [in it]. (101) And
how could you deny the truth when it is unto you that
<3> J»’
God’s messages are being conveyed, and it is in your
midst that His Apostle lives? But he who holds fast
unto God has already been guided onto a straight way.
(102) O you who have attained to faith! Be con­
scious of God with all the consciousness that is due to £ <» '£k Ü iZi ï// $
Him, and do not allow death to overtake you ere you
have surrendered yourselves unto Him.
(103) And hold fast, all together, unto the bond with
God, and do not draw apart from one another. And
remember the. blessings which God has bestowed upon

dialects the labial consonants b and m, being phonetically close to one another, are occasionally
interchangeable. The mention, in this context, of the Temple in Mecca-that is, the Ka'bah - arises
from the fact that it is the direction of prayer (qiblah) stipulated in the Qur’&n. Since the prototype
of the Ka'bah was built by Abraham and Ishmael (see 2:125 ff.)—and is, therefore, much older than
the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem - its establishment as the qiblah of the followers of the Qur'an
does not only not imply any break with the Abrahamic tradition (on which, ultimately, the whole
Bible rests), but, on the contrary, re-establishes the direct contact with that Patriarch: and herein lies
the answer to the second of the two Jewish objections mentioned in note 73 above.
76 Lit., “in it [are] clear messages” - such as the messages relating to God’s oneness and
uniqueness (symbolized by the Ka'bah), to the continuity of mankind's religious experience (”d*
first Temple set up for mankind”) and, finally, to the brotherhood of all believers (who, wherever
they may be, turn their faces in prayer towards this one focal point).
77 Or: “is 8®cure"-i ®-the original sense of amn, which implies “ease of mind and freedom
from fear” (cf. Lane I, 100 f.).
78 I.e., through your own scriptures” (see note 69 above, as well as note 33 on 2:42). This is
allusion to the attempts of Jews and Christians to “prove” that Muhammad had “borrowed”
main ideas of the Qur fin from the Bible and twisted them out of context so as to suit his own alleged
ambitions •

82
 THE HOUSE OF TMRÄN

you: how, when you were enemies, He brought your

hearts together, so that through His blessing you
became brethren; and [how, when] you were on the
brink of a fiery abyss,79 He saved you from it.
In this way God makes clear His messages unto you,
so that you might find guidance, (104) and that there
might grow out of you a community [of people] who
invite unto all that is good, and enjoin the doing of
what is right and forbid the doing of what is wrong: ««y* j£j âï fâü jCjî £
and it is they, they who shall attain to a happy state!
(105) And be not like those who have drawn apart
from one another and have taken to conflicting views
after all evidence of the truth has come unto them:80
for these it is for whom tremendous suffering is in
store (106) on the Day [of Judgment] when some faces
will shine [with happiness] and some faces will be dark 0 Si jZ

[with grief]. And as for those with faces darkened,

[they shall be told:] “Did you deny the truth after
having attained to faith? Taste, then, this suffering for
having denied the truth!” (107) But as for those with
faces shining, they shall be within God’s grace,
therein to abide.
AÎCiJîéi; (£> j»
(108) These are God’s messages: We convey them
unto thee, setting forth the truth, since God wills no
<3 JXt
wrong to His creation.81
(109) And unto God belongs all that is in the heavens j bl j £ «» j
and all that is on earth; and all things go back to God
[as their source].

û*11 ’ß»
(110) YOU ARE indeed the best community that has ever
been brought forth for [the good of] mankind: you
enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid the doing
of what is wrong, and you believe in God.
Now if the followers of earlier revelation had at­
1$j|î 3) f
tained to [this kind of] faith, it would have been for
their own good; [but only few] among them are
! believers, while most of them are iniquitous: (111)
I [but] these can never inflict more than a passing hurt
I on you; and if they fight against you, they will turn
t their backs upon you [in flight], and will not be
succoured.82

79 Lit., “a pit of fire”-a metaphor of the sufferings which are the inescapable consequence of
spiritual ignorance. The reminder of their one-time mutual enmity is an allusion to man s lot on earth
(cf. 2:36 and 7:24), from which only God’s guidance can save him (see 2:37-38).
80 I.e., like the followers of the Bible, who became “Jews” and “Christians” in spite of the fact
that their beliefs have a common source and are based on the same spiritual truths (see also 6:159
and the corresponding note).
81 Lit., “to the worlds". For an explanation of this sentence, see 6:131-132 and note 117.
82 As is obvious from the opening sentence of verse 110, this promise to the followers of the

83
 SÜRAH
ÄL'IMRÄN________________________ _ _______________

(112) Overshadowed by ignominy are they wher­

ever they may be, save [when they bind themselves
again] in a bond with God and a bond with men; for
they have earned the burden of God’s condemnation,
and are overshadowed by humiliation: all this [has
befallen them] because they persisted in denying the
truth of God’s messages and in slaying the prophets
against all right: all this, because they rebelled [against
God], and persisted in transgressing the bounds of
what is right.*4
(113) [But] they are not all alike: among the follow­
ers of earlier revelation there are upright people,83
85 who
84
recite God’s messages throughout the night, and pros­
trate themselves [before Him]. (114) They believe in
God and the Last Day, and enjoin the doing of what is
right and forbid the doing of what is wrong, and vie
with one another in doing good works: and these are
among the righteous. (115) And whatever good they
do, they shall never be denied the reward thereof: for,
God has full knowledge of those who are conscious of
Him.
(116) [But,] behold, as for those who are bent on
denying the truth - neither their worldly possessions
nor their children will in the least avail them against
God: and it is they who are destined for the fire,
therein to abide.
(117) The parable of what they spend on the life of
this world is that of an icy wind which smites the tilth
of people who have sinned against themselves, and
destroys it: for, it is not God who does them wrong,
but it is they who are wronging themselves.86

Qur’fin is conditional upon their being, or remaining, a community of people who “enjoin the doing
of what is right and forbid the doing of what is wrong, and [truly] believe in God”; and - as history
has shown-this promise is bound to lapse whenever the Muslims fail to live up to their faith.
83 I.e., if they return to the concept of God as the Lord and Sustainer of all mankind, and give up
the idea of being “God’s chosen people” which creates a barrier between them and all other
believers in the One God.
84 The above passage-as the very similar one in 2:61 - relates specifically to the children of
Israel, although this section as a whole (verses 110-115) obviously refers to the followers of th*
Bible in general, that is, to both the Jews and the Christians.
85 Lit., “an upright community": a reference to those among the followers of the Bible who art
truly believers (cf. the last sentence of verse 110 above) and observe the “bond with God and with
men" (verse 112).
86 In a marginal note connected with his commentary on this verse, ZamakhsharT explains this
parable thus: If the ‘tilth’ [i.e., the gainful achievement] of those who deny the truth is lost, it is lost
in its entirety, with nothing remaining to them in this world and in the life to come; while, on the
other hand, the tilth of a believer is never lost in its entirety: for even if it is seemingly lost, there
remains to him the expectation of a reward, in the life to come, for his patience in adversity.”
other words, the above Qur’anic phrase is meant to stress the completeness of loss of all efforts in
the case of those who are bent on denying the truth.

84
I ?__________________ THE HOUSE OF TMRÄN
• (118) O YOU who have attained to faith! Do not take for
I your bosom-friends people who are not of your kind8788
89
They spare no effort to corrupt you; they would love
■ to see you in distress.“ Vehement hatred has already
come into the open from out of their mouths, but what
Ipj ilk
their hearts conceal is yet worse. We have indeed
made the signs [thereof] clear unto you, if you would (Au4-* q* k, j* ’ ûy1U»*/
but use your reason.
(119) Lo! It is you who [are prepared to] love them,
but they will not love you, although you believe in all
of the revelation.® And when they meet you, they
assert, “We believe [as you believe]”; but when they
find themselves alone, they gnaw their fingers in rage
j£jT 3:4^ 4 ') 5»
against you.
; Say: “Perish in your rage! Behold, God has full
knowledge of what is in the hearts [of men]!” C ûb J4-* j[
(120) If good fortune comes to you, it grieves them; al u[ Uji (,» £/- jTf^X jp
and if evil befalls you, they rejoice in it. But if you are
patient in adversity and conscious of God, their guile (j*
j LjC
cannot harm you at all: for, verily, God encompasses
[with His might] all that they do. <© er
(121) AND [remember, O Prophet, the day] when thou didst
set out from thy home at early morn to place the
believers in battle array.90 And God was all-hearing,

87 Lit., “from among others than yourselves". Some of the commentators incline to the view that
this expression comprises all non-Muslims: but this view obviously conflicts with 60:8-9, where the
believers are expressly allowed to form friendships with such of the non-believers as are not hostile
to them and to their faith. Moreover, the sequence makes it dear that by “those who are not of your
kind" are meant only people whose enmity to Islam and its followers has become apparent from
their behaviour and their utterances (TabarT). The rendering adopted by me, “people who are not of
your kind", implies that their outlook on life is so fundamentally opposed to that of the Muslims that
genuine friendship is entirely out of the question.
88 Lit., “they love that which causes you distress”.
89 I.e., including the revelation of the Bible.
90 This reference to the battle of Uhud, to which many verses of this surah are devoted, connects
with the exhortation implied in the preceding verse, “if you are patient in adversity and conscious of
God, their guile cannot harm you at all". Since this and the subsequent references cannot be fully
understood without a knowledge of the historical background, a brief account of the battle would
seem to be indicated.
In order to avenge their catastrophic defeat at Badr in the second year after the hijrah, the pagan
Meccans - supported by several tribes hostile to the Muslims - mustered in the following year an
army comprising ten thousand men under the command of Abû Sufyän and marched against Medina.
On hearing of their approach, in the month of Shawwäl 3 h., the Prophet held a council of war at
which the tactics to be adopted were discussed. In view of the overwhelming cavalry forces at the
disposal of the enemy, the Prophet himself was of the opinion that the Muslims should give battle
from behind the fortifications of Medina and, if need be, fight in its narrow streets and lanes; and his
plan was supported by some of the most outstanding among his Companions. However, the majority
of the Muslim leaders who participated in the council strongly insisted on going forth and meeting
the enemy in the open field. In obedience to the Qur’anic principle that all communal affairs must be
transacted on the basis of mutually-agreed decisions (see verse 159 of this surah, as well as 42 : 38),
the Prophet sorrowfully gave way to the will of the majority and set out with his followers towards

85
 SÜRAH
ÄL'IMRÄN

all-knowing (122) when two groups from among you

were about to lose heart,” although God was near unto
them and it is in God that the believers must place their
trust: (123) for, indeed, God did succour you at Badr,
when you were utterly weak” Remain, then, con­
scious of God, so that you might have cause to be

grateful.
(124) [And remember] when thou didst say unto the
believers: “Is it not enough for you [to know] that your
Sustainer will aid you with three thousand angels sent k., bjj-» -4 & <S> ûjJ>
down [from on high]? (125) Nay, but if you are patient
in adversity and conscious of Him, and the enemy ^'LjtiJCJfc < ■ «ife jCIjCa fjji
should fall upon you of a sudden, your Sustainer will
aid you with five thousand angels swooping down!”93

the plain below the mountain of Uhud, a little over three miles from Medina. His army consisted of
less than one thousand men; but on the way to Mount Uhud this number was still further reduced by
the defection of some three hundred men led by the hypocritical ‘Abd Allah ibn Ubayy, who
pretended to be convinced that the Muslims did not really intend to fight. Shortly before the battle,
two other groups from among the Prophet’s forces - namely, the clans of Banû Salamah (of the tribe
of Al-Aws) and Banü Hârithah (of the tribe of Khazraj) almost lost heart and were about to join the
defectors (3:122) on the plea that because of their numerical weakness the Muslims must now avoid
giving battle; but at the last moment they decided to follow the Prophet. Having less than seven
hundred men with him, the Prophet arrayed the bulk of his forces with their backs to the mountain
and posted all his archers - numbering fifty - on a nearby hill in order to provide cover against an
outflanking manoeuvre by the enemy cavalry; these archers were ordered not to leave their post
under any circumstances. In their subsequent, death-defying assault upon the greatly superior forces
of the pagan Quraysh, the Muslims gained a decisive advantage over the former and almost routed
them. At that moment, however, most of the archers, believing that the battle had been won and
fearing lest they lose their share of the spoils, abandoned their covering position and joined the
melée around the encampment of the Quraysh. Seizing this opportunity, the bulk of the Meccan
cavalry under the command of Khälid ibn al-Walid (who shortly after this battle embraced Islam and
later became one of the greatest Muslim generals of all times) veered round in a wide arc and
attacked the Muslim forces from the rear. Deprived of the cover of the archers, and caught between
two fires, the Muslims retreated in disorder, with the loss of many lives. The Prophet himself and a
handful of his most stalwart Companions defended themselves desperately; and the Prophet was
seriously injured and fell to the ground. The cry immediately arose, “The Apostle of God has been
killed!’’ Many of the Muslims began to flee; some among them were even prepared to throw
themselves upon the mercy of the enemy. But a few of the Companions - among them ‘Umar ibn
al-Kha||äb and Talbah- called out, “What good are your lives without him. O believers? Let us die
as he has died! -and threw themselves with the strength of despair against the Meccans. Their
example at once found an echo among the rest of the Muslims, who in the meantime had learnt that
the Prophet was alive: they rallied and counter-attacked the enemy, and thus saved the day. But the
Muslims were now too exhausted to exploit their chances of victory, and the battle ended in a draw»
with the enemy retreating in the direction of Mecca. On the next day the Prophet started in pursuit
of them at the head of seventy of his Companions. But when the Muslims reached the place called
Hamra al-Asad, about eight miles south of Medina, it became obvious that the Meccans were in no
mood to risk another encounter and were rapidly marching home; and thereupon the tiny Muslim
army returned to Medina.
«aï. B,an° SaIamah and Ban0 y5rithah-who had almost joined the deserters led by
Abd AHSh ibn Ubayy (see preceding note).
92 A reference to the battle of Badr, in 2 H.» which is dealt with extensively in sürah 8.
93 As is evident from the next verse, the Prophet’s allusion to God’s aiding the believers with
thousands of angels signifies, metaphorically, a strengthening of the believers’ hearts through
spiritual forces coming from God (Manär IV, 112 ff„ and 1X.612 ff.). A very similar announcement-

86
 3
THE HOUSE OF TMRÄN
(126) And God ordained this [to be said by His
] only as a glad tiding for you, and that your
Apostle*9495
hearts should thereby be set at rest - since no succour
can come from any save God, the Almighty, the Truly
Wise-(127) [and] that [through you] He might des­ üfty j£J û-h it u, ($>
troy some of those who were bent on denying the
truth, and so abase the others” that they would
withdraw in utter hopelessness.
(128) [And] it is in no wise for thee [O Prophet] to
decide whether He shall accept their repentance or
chastise them - for, behold, they are but wrongdoers,
jU 4»J (£*) j\
(129) whereas unto God belongs all that is in the
heavens and all that is on earth: He forgives whom He ^*.û* <^j*~**-
wills, and He chastises whom He wills; and God is
much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.96 (jg)
im âi uxum uimi ij,y
(130) O YOU who have attained to faith! Do not gorge
yourselves on usury, doubling and re-doubling it97-
«î&Æ si* ÿtjün>-r;
but remain conscious of God, so that you might attain
to a happy state; (131) and beware of the fire which • (5g>
awaits those who deny the truth!
(132) And pay heed unto God and the Apostle, so oje* y*, VG o*
that you might be graced with mercy. (133) And vie
with one another to attain to your Sustainer’s forgive­
ness and to a paradise as vast as the heavens and the

relating to the battle of Badr-occurs in 8:9-10, where “one thousand" angels are mentioned. As
regards these varying numbers (one, three and five thousand), they would seem to indicate the
unlimited nature of God’s aid to those who are “patient in adversity and conscious of Him". It is
reasonable to assume that the Prophet thus exhorted his followers immediately before the battle of
Ufiud, that is, after three hundred men under the leadership of 'Abd Alläh ibn Ubayy had deserted
him and some of the others “almost lost heart" in the face of the greatly superior enemy forces.
94 According to many commentators (see Manär IV, 112), this interpolation is justified by the
preceding two verses, which show that it was the Prophet who, under divine inspiration, made this
promise to his followers. See also 8:9, where a similar promise is voiced on the occasion of the
battle of Badr.
95 Lit., “that He might destroy some ... or [so] abase them". It is obvious that the particle a*
(“or”) does not, in this context, denote an alternative but, rather, a specification (mnwr')-as, for
instance, in the phrase “ten persons were killed or injured": meaning that some of them were killed
and others injured.
96 As recorded in several authentic Traditions, the Prophet invoked, during the battle of Uhud,
God’s curse upon the leaders of the pagan Quraysh (BukhärT, TirmidhT, Nasfi’T and Ahmad ibn
Hanbal); and when he lay on the ground severely injured, he exclaimed, “How could those people
prosper after having done this to their prophet, who but invites them to [acknowledge] their
Sustainer?” - whereupon the above two verses were revealed (Muslim and Ibn Hanbal).
97 For a definition of ribâ (“usury”), see note 35 on 30:39, the earliest Qur’anic reference to this
term. As for the connection of the above verse with the subject-matter dealt with in the foregoing,
the best explanation is, to my mind, the one offered by Qiffäl (as quoted by Räzf): Since it was
mainly through usurious gains that the pagan Meccans had acquired the wealth which enabled them
to equip their powerful army and almost to defeat the poorly-armed Muslims at Ufiud, the latter
might have been tempted to emulate their enemies in this respect; and it was to remove this
temptation - from them as well as from later generations of believers - that the prohibition of usury
was once again stressed through revelation.
87
 SÜRAH
ÄL'IMRÄN

earth, which has been readied for the God-conscious

(134) who spend [in His way] in time of plenty and in
time of hardship, and hold in check their anger, and
pardon their fellow-men because God loves the doers
of good; (135) and who, when they have committed a
shameful deed or have [otherwise] sinned against
themselves, remember God and pray that their sins be
forgiven-for who but God could forgive sins?-and ûjJiXJÇ
do not knowingly persist in doing whatever [wrong]
\^j\LLJ isi S
they may have done. .
(136) These it is who shall have as their reward
ff-*«1
forgiveness from their Sustainer, and gardens through
which running waters flow, therein to abide: and how (jjS) IjWU (ÿ bj-f. Jb
excellent a reward for those who labour!
J-jU Û* VH*
(137) [MANY] WAYS of life have passed away before your
time* Go, then, about the earth and behold what
happened in the end to those who gave the lie to the
truth: (138) this [should be] a clear lesson unto all men,
and a guidance and an admonition unto the God­ 3l« *($)

conscious.
(139) Be not, then, faint of heart, and grieve not:9*
for you are bound to rise high if you are [truly] jä >21« j[ 3» J,
believers.
(140) If misfortune98 *100 touches you, [know that] simi­
lar misfortune has touched [other] people as well; for
it is by turns that We apportion unto men such days [of
fortune and misfortune]: and [this] to the end that God
might mark out those who have attained to faith, and
choose from among you such as [with their lives] bear uj Cil i>1- J
witness to the truth101 - since God does not love
evildoers-(141) and that God might render pure of all
dross those who have attained to faith, and bring to
nought those who deny the truth.
(142) Do you think that you could enter paradise
unless God takes cognizance of your having striven
hard [in His cause], and takes cognizance of your

98 The word sunnah (of which sunan is the plural) denotes a “way of life” or “conduct” (hence
its application, in Islamic terminology, to the way of life of the Prophet as an example for his
followers). In the above passage, the term sunan refers to the “conditions (ahwdl) characteristic of
past centuries” (RfizT), in which, despite all the continuous changes, an ever-recurring pattern can b®
discerned: a typically Qur’anic reference to the possibility, and necessity, of learning from man’s
past experiences.
reference to the near-disaster at Ufcud and the heavy loss of lives (about seventy men) which
the Muslims had suffered.
100 Lit., a wound (qarii) or, according to some philologists, “pain caused by a wound”.
101 I.e., ‘ His decision to let some of you die as martyrs in His cause is not due to love of the
sinful enemies who oppose you, but to His love for you." The term shuhadd* (pl. of shahid) denotes
“witnesses ’ as well as “martyrs”. The rendering adopted by me comprises both the concepts of
“bearing witness to the truth” and of “martyrdom” in God’s cause.

88
 3
THE HOUSE OF TMRÄN
having been patient in adversity?1“ (143) For, indeed,
you did long for death [in God’s cause] before you
came face to face with it; and now you have seen it
with your own eyes!1“

(144) AND MUHAMMAD is only an apostle; all the [other]

apostles have passed away before him: if, then, he dies cil 4J Cj
104 But he
or is slain, will you turn about on your heels?102
103
that turns about on his heels can in no wise harm
God-whereas God will requite all who are grateful
[to Him].
(145) And no human being can die save by God’s "A ’j’
leave, at a term pre-ordained.
And if one desires the rewards of this world, We •y. û*J V- «>*•>
shall grant him thereof; and if one desires the rewards
of the life to come, We shall grant him thereof; and We
shall requite those who are grateful [to Us].
(146) And how many a prophet has had to fight [in
God’s cause], followed by many God-devoted men:
and they did not become faint of heart for all that they
had to suffer in God’s cause, and neither did they
weaken, nor did they abase themselves [before the
enemy], since God loves those who are patient in
adversity; (147) and all that they said was this: “O our £iî Jiy âî Ji
Sustainer! Forgive us our sins and the lack of modera­
tion in our doings! And make firm our steps, and
succour us against people who deny the truth!”-(148)
whereupon God granted them the rewards of this

102 Lit., “while God has not yet taken cognizance of those of you who have striven... and those
who are patient in adversity”. Since God is all-knowing. His “not taking cognizance” implies, of
course, that the thing or happening referred to has not come about or is non-existent (ZamakhsharT).
103 In ZamakhsharT’s opinion, this is ■ twofold reproach addressed to the majority of the
Companions who took part in the battle of Uhud: firstly, on account of their insistence, against the
Prophet’s advice, on giving battle to the enemy in the open field and thereby unnecessarily courting a
deadly danger; and, secondly, on account of their failure to live up to their faith during the earlier
part of the battle (see note 90 above). This passage may have yet another, more positive implication:
namely, a reference to the lesson which the believers should draw from their near-defeat, and a
reminder of the fact that their future depends on the strength of their faith in God (cf. verse 139
above) and not on a fleeting desire for self-sacrifice.
104 This stress on the mortality of the Prophet - and that of all the other prophets who preceded
him in time - connects, in the first instance, with the battle of Uhud and the rumour of his death,
which caused many Muslims to abandon the fight and even brought some of them close to apostasy
(Tabari; see also note 90 above). In its wider implication, however, the above verse re-states the
fundamental Islamic doctrine that adoration is due to God alone, and that no human being - not even
a prophet - may have any share in it. It was this very passage of the Qur’Sn which Abü Bakr, the first
Caliph, recited immediately after the Prophet’s death, when many faint-hearted Muslims thought
that Islam itself had come to an end; but as soon as Abü Bakr added, “Behold, whoever has
worshipped Muhammad may know that Muhammad has died; but whoever worships God may know
that God is ever-living, and never dies” (BukhSrT), all confusion was stilled.-The expression
“turning about on one’s heels” denotes - according to circumstances - either actual apostesy or a
deliberate withdrawal from efforts in the cause of God.
 SÜRAH
ÂL'IMRÂN

world, as weU as the goodliest rewards of the life to

come: for God loves the doers of good.

(149) O YOU who have attained to faith! If you pay heed to

those who are bent on denying the truth, they wd!
cause you to turn back on your heels, and you will be

the losers.
(150) Nay, but God alone is your Lord Supreme, ana
His is the best succour.105
(151) Into the hearts of those who are bent on
denying the truth We shall cast dread in return for $3*J. W? ‘■4 '>*** *-cGi
their ascribing divinity, side by side with God, to other
beings - [something] for which He has never bestowed
any warrant from on high;106 and their goal is the
fire-and how evil that abode of evildoers! te , , Z* » t »ta
jUlf I'.'liL^Jjw JI*

(152) AND, INDEED, God made good His promise unto «ft &Za ’&3
you when, by His leave, you were about to destroy
-until the moment when you lost heart
your foes107108
and acted contrary to the [Prophet’s] command,'“ and
C-tf -v. Ù* 0»* u £J **
disobeyed after He had brought you within view of
that [victory] for which you were longing. There were fa

among you such as cared for this world [alone], just as

there were among you such as cared for the life to ($) âÇ jc* £
come:109 whereupon, in order that He might put you to
a test, He prevented you from defeating your foes.110Ill
4rX j*’ÿ ù-> H•
But now He has effaced your sin: for God is limitless } «>> 11 0 3
in His bounty unto the believers.
(153) [Remember the time] when you fled, paying no
heed to anyone, while at your rear the Apostle was
calling out to you - wherefore He requited you with
woe in return for [the Apostle’s] woe, so that you
should not grieve [merely] over what had escaped you,
nor over what had befallen you: for God is aware of
all that you do.“1

105 Lit., “He is the best of all who bring succour”.

106 I.e., something which He never permits. The use of the adverb “never” in my rendering is
based on the grammatical form lam yunazzil (lit., “He has not been sending down” or “bestowing
from on high”), which implies continuity in time.
107 Lit., “when you were destroying them”: a reference to the opening stages of the battle of
Uhud. Regarding the promise alluded to, see verses 124-125 of this sürah.
108 Lit., “you disagreed with one another regarding the [Prophet’s] command”-an allusion to
the abandonment of their post by most of the archers at the moment when it seemed that victory had
been won (see note 90 above).
109 Out of the fifty Muslim archers less than ten remained at their post, and were killed by
Khähd’s cavalry. It is to them, as well as the few Companions who went on fighting after the bulk of
the Muslims had fled, that the second part of the above sentence refers.
110 Lit., “He turned you away from them".
Ill I.e., the realization of how shamefully they had behaved at Ubud (see note 90 above) would

90
 3
THE HOUSE OF IMRAN
(154) Then, after this woe, He sent down upon you a
sense of security, an inner calm which enfolded some
of you,”2 whereas the others, who cared mainly for
themselves, entertained wrong thoughts about God —
thoughts of pagan ignorance - saying, “Did we, then,
have any power of decision [in this matter]?”113*112 (JJ) ùjCJ Lr*^. afj JcLjCyJ
Say: “Verily, all power of decision does rest with
-[but as for them,] they are trying to conceal
God”114115 U» (ÿi*» Uki jjjî -Um jZ
within themselves that [weakness of faith] which they
ûjdL j; <Z,uZJ
would not reveal unto thee, [O Prophet, by] saying, “If
we had any power of decision, we would not have left
so many dead behind.”1,3
Say [unto them]: “Even if you had remained in your
homes, those [of you] whose death had been ordained
& &u >y 1 'j. CJ
would indeed have gone forth to the places where they
were destined to lie down.” di &r j
And [all this befell you] so that God might put to a
test all that you harbour in your bosoms, and render J J XjJ—» j Û
your innermost hearts"6 pure of all dross: for God is
fx jr <4
aware of what is in the hearts [of men].
(155) Behold, as for those of you who turned away ** jkiit jjT
[from their duty] on the day when the two hosts met in
battle - Satan caused them to stumble only by means jjii J|f J, ft- ÛÎ Up ÂâJj
of something that they [themselves] had done.117 But
Û S-jf
now God has effaced this sin of theirs: verily, God is
much-forgiving, forbearing.
(156) O you who have attained to faith! Be not like
those who are bent on denying the truth and say of
their brethren [who die] after having set out on a

be, in the end, more painful to them than the loss of victory and the death of so many of their
comrades: and this is the meaning of the “test” mentioned in the preceding verse.
112 I.e., those who had remained steadfast throughout the battle. According to some
commentators - in particular Râghib-the term nu'äs (lit., “the drowsiness which precedes sleep”)
is used here metaphorically, and denotes “inner calm”.
113 I.e., in the matter of victory or defeat. The “thoughts of pagan ignorance” is obviously an
allusion to the initial reluctance of those faint-hearted people to admit their moral responsibility for
what had happened, and to their excusing themselves by saying that their failure to live up to their
faith had been “predestined”. See also sürah 5, note 71.
114 I.e., while it is for God alone to apportion actual success or failure to whomever He wills,
“nought shall be accounted unto man but what he is [or “was”] striving for” (53:39).
115 Lit., “we would not have been killed here”.
116 Lit., “all that is in your hearts”.
117 This is an illustration of a significant Qur'anic doctrine, which can be thus summarized:
“Satan’s influence” on man is not the primary cause of sin but its first consequence: that is to say, a
consequence of a person’s own attitude of mind which in moments of moral crisis induces him to
choose the easier, and seemingly more pleasant, of the alternatives open to him, and thus to become
guilty of a sin, whether by commission or omission. Thus, God’s “causing” a person to commit a sin
is conditional upon the existence, in the individual concerned, of an attitude of mind which makes
him prone to commit such a sin: which, in its turn, presupposes man’s free will - that is, the ability to
make, within certain limitations, a conscious choice between two or more possible courses of action.

91
 SÜRAH
ÄL'IMRÄN .______________________________________

journey to faraway places*1’ or gone forth to war,

“Had they but remained with us, they would not have
died,” or, “they would not have been slain”-for God
will cause such thoughts to become’*’ a source of
bitter regret in their hearts, since it is God who grants iyuu Ux* J biz*
life and deals death. And God sees all that youi do.
(157) And if indeed you are slain or die in God s
cause, then surely forgiveness from God and His grace
are better than all that one'20 could amass [in this j
world]: (158) for, indeed, if you die or are slain, it will
surely be unto God that you shall be gathered. ($) Lf CC

(159) And it was by God’s grace that thou [O r* Q

Prophet] didst deal gently with thy followers:'2' for if
thou hadst been harsh and hard of heart, they would Ite
indeed have broken away from thee. Pardon them,
✓»Vf j r1-»***^ n*
then, and pray that they be forgiven.
And take counsel with them in all matters of public
concern; then, when thou hast decided upon a course
of action, place thy trust in God: for, verily, God loves JjiJt # ut *5 -î 4
those who place their trust in Him.'22
x f.* J
(160) If God succours you, none can ever overcome
you; but if He should forsake you, who could succour
Ob jte jlf” i»J
you thereafter? In God, then, let the believers place
their trust!

(161) AND IT IS not conceivable that a prophet should

123 - since he who deceives shall be faced with
deceive118
122
121
120
119

118 Lit., “when they travel on earth”.

119 Lit., “so that God causes this to be”: but since the particle li in li-yaj'al is obviously a lam
al-'äqibah (i.e., the letter läm denoting a causal sequence), it is best rendered in this context by the
conjunctive particle “and”, combined with the future tense.
120 Lit., “they”.
121 Lit., “with them”-i.e., with those of his followers who had failed in their duty before and
during the disaster at Ufoud. According to all available accounts, the Prophet did not even reproach
any of them for what they had done.
122 This injunction, implying government by consent and council, must be regarded as one of the
fundamental clauses of all Qur’anic legislation relating to statecraft. The pronoun “them” relates to
the believers, that is, to the whole community; while the word al-amr occurring in this context-as
well as in the much earlier-revealed phrase amruhum shürä baynahum in 42 : 38 - denotes all affairs
of public concern, including state administration. All authorities agree in that the above ordinance,
although addressed in the first instance to the Prophet, is binding on all Muslims and for all times.
(For its wider implications see State and Government in Islam, pp. 44 ff.) Some Muslim scholars
conclude from the wording of this ordinance that the leader of the community, although obliged to
take counsel, is nevertheless free to accept or to reject it; but the arbitrariness of this conclusion
becomes obvious as soon as we recall that even the Prophet considered himself bound by the
decisions of his council (see note 90 above). Moreover, when he was asked - according to a
Tradition on the authority of *Ali ibn AbT Tälib-to explain the implications of the word 'azm
( deciding upon a course of action”) which occurs in the above verse, the Prophet replied, “[It
means] taking counsel with knowledgeable people (ahi ar-ra’y) and thereupon following them
[therein]’ (see Ibn Kathlr’s commentary on this verse).
123 Le., by attributing his own opinions to God, and then appealing to the believers to place their

92
 3
THE HOUSE OF TMRÄN
his deceit on the Day of Resurrection, when every
human being shall be repaid in full for whatever he has
done, and none shall be wronged.
(162) Is then he12* who strives after God’s goodly
acceptance like unto him who has earned the burden
of God’s condemnation123124 and whose goal is hell? - and
125
how vile a journey’s end! (163) They are on [entirely]
different levels in the sight of God; for God sees all
that they do.
(164) Indeed, God bestowed a favour upon the
believers when he raised up in their midst an apostle
from among themselves, to convey His messages unto je ÛÎ ÛjLm L-X X*
them, and to cause them to grow in purity, and to
'A dr Vr-J fyj
impart unto them the divine writ as well as wisdom -
whereas before that they were indeed, most obvi­
ously, lost in error.
W J» JA
(165) AND DO YOU, now that a calamity has befallen you
J*
after you had inflicted twice as much [on your foes],126
ask yourselves, “How has this come about?” Say: “It / eh H
has come from your own selves.”127
yfpÿ <$• ypî^jj' îf ££ jCir
Verily, God has the power to will anything: (166)
and all that befell you on the day when the two hosts
y1*' p-1 J?j
met in battle happened by God’s leave, so that He
might mark out the [true] believers, (167) and mark out
those who were tainted with hypocrisy and, when they
were told, “Come, fight in God’s cause” - or, “Defend f-E-’1* **
yourselves”128-answered, “If we but knew [that it
would come to a] fight, we would indeed follow you.”
Unto apostasy were they nearer on that day than
unto faith, uttering with their mouths something which
was not in their hearts,129 the while God knew fully

trust in Him alone. However contrary to reason such deceit may be, it is a common view among
non-believers that the Prophet himself “composed” the Qur’än and thereupon falsely attributed it to
divine revelation.
124 An allusion, in this case, to the Prophet Muhammad as well as to prophets in general.
125 l.e., by falsely attributing his own views to God or distorting His messages by arbitrary
interpolations and deliberate changes in the wording of a revelation-an accusation often levelled in
the Qur’än (e.g., 2:79 and 3:78) against the followers of earlier revelations.
126 l.e., at the battle of Badr, in the year 2 H.
127 Many of the followers of the Prophet had been convinced that, whatever the circumstances,
God would grant them victory on account of their faith alone. The bitter experience at Uhud came as
a shock to them; and so the Qur’än reminds them that this calamity was a consequence of their own
doings.
128 Only a fight in self-defence - in the widest meaning of this term - can be considered a “fight in
God’s cause” (see 2:190-194, and the corresponding notes); and, thus, the particle “or” between
these two phrases is almost synonymous with the expression “in other words”.
129 This is an allusion to the three hundred men who, on the way from Medina to Mount Ufiud,
forsook the Prophet on the specious plea that he did not really intend to give battle (see note 90
above). But since they knew in their hearts that it would come to a fight, their defection from God’s

93
 SÜRAH
ÄL'IMRÄN

well what they were trying to conceal: (168) they who,

having themselves held back [from fighting, later] said
of their [slain] brethren, “Had they but paid heed to us,
they would not have been slain.”
Say: “Avert, then, death from yourselves, if what

you say is true!”

(169) But do not think of those that have been slam ojji j» y» **
in God’s cause as dead. Nay, they are alive! With their
Sustainer have they their sustenance, (170) exulting in jiy» ff
that [martyrdom] which God has bestowed upon them
out of His bounty. And they rejoice in the glad tiding
given to those [of their brethren] who have been left
behind and have not yet joined them, that no fear need
they have, and neither shall they grieve: (171) they <J£> v1 < rs
rejoice in the glad tiding of God’s blessings and
bounty, and [in the promise] that God will not fail to
requite the believers (172) who responded to the call of
JUu J -J
God and the Apostle after misfortune had befallen
them.130 ./s' b** b r* 'j ~*■' f-r:''*'
A magnificent requital awaits those of them who
have persevered in doing good and remained con­
scious of God: (173) those who have been warned by
other people,131 “Behold, a host has gathered against
you; so beware of them!”-whereupon this only in­ £ ,*r‘~ J S
creased their faith, so that they answered, “God is
enough for us; and how excellent a guardian is He!”
(174) - and returned [from the battle] with God’s bles­
sings and bounty, without having been touched by
evil:132 for they had been striving after God’s goodly
acceptance - and God is limitless in His great bounty.
(175) It is but Satan who instils [into you] fear of his

cause almost amounted to a denial of Him (kufr, here rendered as “apostasy").

130 Lit., “after injury had afflicted them”. Most of the commentators assume that this is an
allusion to the losses sustained by the Muslims at the battle of Uhud. It is, however, probable that
the implication is much wider, the more so since this passage connects directly with the preceding
verses which speak, in general terms, of the martyrs who die in God’s cause. There is a distinct
tendency on the part of most of the classical commentators to read minute historical references into
many Qur’anic passages which express ideas of a far wider import and apply to the human
condition as such. Verses 172-175 are an instance of this. Some commentators are of the opinion
that they refer to the fruitless expedition to Hamrä’ al-Asad on the day following the battle of Ubud,
while others see in it an allusion to the Prophet's expedition, in the following year, known to history
as the “Little Badr” (Badr a$-$ughr&)\ others, again, think that verse 172 refers to the former and
verses 173-174 to the latter. In view of this obvious lack of unanimity - due to the absence of a really
authoritative support, either in the Qur’än itself or in authentic Traditions, for any of these
speculative assumptions - there is every reason for concluding that the whole passage under
consideration expresses a general moral, rounding off, as it were, the historical references to the
battle of Ubud and the lessons to be drawn therefrom.
131 Lit., “those to whom people said”.
132 I.e., the moral evil arising out of weakness of faith and loss of courage: an allusion to what
happened to many Muslims at Ubud.

94
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THE HOUSE OF TMRÄN
allies:133 so fear them not, but fear Me, if you are
[truly] believers!
(176) And be not grieved by those who vie with one
another in denying the truth: verily, they can in no
wise harm God. It is God’s will that they shall have no dX; *>ïÿî Jÿ <0
share134 in the [blessings of the] life to come; and
tremendous suffering awaits them.
(177) Verily, they who have bought a denial of the
“A A ’ âT-v- J f-4
truth at the price of faith can in no wise harm God,
whereas grievous suffering awaits them. (178) And
û[ ($> f-A, •â
they should not think - they who are bent on denying
the truth - that Our giving them rein is good for them:
We give them rein only to let them grow in sinfulness;
and shameful suffering awaits them.135
(179) It is not God’s will [O you who deny the truth]
(j$) ‘-r’1 Ipbjj
to abandon the believers to your way of life:136 [and] to
that end He will set apart the bad from the good. And it 4e f'1 C? A4
is not God’s will to give you insight into that which is
beyond the reach of human perception: but [to that
end] God elects whomsoever He wills from among His
apostles.137 Believe, then, in God and His apostles; for if
you believe and are conscious of Him, a magnificent <3> /Ù» *4—
requital awaits you.
- -ÛÂ yT Vj

(180) AND THEY should not think-they who niggardly

cling to all that God has granted them out of His
bounty-that this is good for them: nay, it is bad for

133 I.e., people who “ally themselves with Satan” by deliberately doing wrong.
134 Lit., “that He will not assign to them a share”.
135 This is an allusion to the doctrine of natural law (in Qur’anic terminology, sunnat Allah, “God’s
way”) to which man’s inclinations and actions - as well as all other happenings in the universe-are
subject. The above verse says, as it were, “Since these people are bent on denying the truth. Our
giving them rein [that is, freedom of choice and time for a reconsideration of their attitude] will not
work out for their benefit but will, on the contrary, cause them to grow in false self-confidence and,
thus, in sinfulness." As in many similar passages in the Qur’än, God attributes here their “growing in
sinfulness” to His own will because it is He who has imposed on all His creation the natural law of
cause and effect. (See also note 4 on 14:4.)
136 Some commentators (e.g., Râzï) assume that the expression md antum 'alayhi (lit., “that
upon which you are”) denotes here “the condition in which you are” - i.e., the state of weakness and
confusion in which the Muslim community found itself after the battle of Uhud-and that, therefore,
this passage is addressed to the believers. This interpretation, however, is not plausible. Apart from
the fact that the believers are here referred to in the third person, while md antum 'alayhi is in the
second person plural, the latter expression denotes almost invariably, both in the Qur’än and in the
Traditions, people’s mode of life and beliefs. Moreover, we have reliable reports to the effect that
Ibn ‘Abbäs, Qatädah, A^-Qahhäk, Muqâtil and Al-Kalbï unhesitatingly declared that the people
addressed here are “those who deny the truth” to whom the preceding passages refer (see Tabari’s
and BaghawT’s commentaries on this verse). Read in this sense, the above passage implies that the
believers would, in time, differ from the unbelievers not only in their convictions but also in their
social aims and their manner of living.
137 I.e., it is through these apostles that God vouchsafes to man a partial glimpse of the reality of
which He alone has full knowledge.
95
 SÜRAH
ÄL'IMRÄN_____________________________

That to which they [so] niggardly cling will,

them.138139
on the Day of Resurrection, be hung about their
necks: for unto God [alone] belongs the heritage of
the heavens and of the earth; and God is aware of all

that you do.

(181) God has indeed heard the saying of those^who
said, “Behold, God is poor while we are rich!” We
shall record what they have said, as well as their
slaying of prophets against all right,140 and We shall
say [unto them on Judgment Day]: “Taste suffering
through fire (182) in return for what your own hands
have wrought—for never does God do the least wrong <3) *4^
to His creatures!”
(183) As for those who maintain, “Behold, God has
bidden us not to believe in any apostle unless he comes
unto us with burnt offerings”141 - say [unto them, O
Prophet]: “Even before me there came unto you
apostles with all evidence of the truth, and with that
ff
whereof you speak: why, then, did you slay them, if
what you say is true?”142
(184) And if they give thee the lie-even so, before
thy time, have [other] apostles been given the lie when (Âj> jçJît, yjb A ^^3
they came with all evidence of the truth, and with books
of divine wisdom, and with light-giving revelation.
(185) Every human being is bound to taste death: but
only on the Day of Resurrection will you be requited in
Oj jLjf Ji pt
full [for whatever you have done] - whereupon he that (JJ) jl* AJ*
shall be drawn away from the fire and brought into
paradise will indeed have gained a triumph: for the life
of this world is nothing but an enjoyment of self-
delusion.

138 This is an allusion to the way of life of the unbelievers mentioned in verse 179 above: a way of
life characterized by extreme attachment to the material things of this world - a materialism based
on a lack of belief in anything that transcends the practical problems of life.
139 According to several authentic Traditions, the Jews of Medina were given to satirizing the
phraseology of the Qur’än, and especially 2 : 245-“Who is it that will offer up unto God a goodly
loan, which He will amply repay, with manifold increase?”
140 Regarding this accusation levelled against the Jews, see surah 2, note 48.
141 Lit., “with an offering which the fire consumes”-in other words, unless he conforms to
Mosaic Law, which prescribes burnt offerings as an essential part of divine services. Although this
aspect of the Law had been left in abeyance ever since the destruction of the Second Temple in
Jerusalem, the Jews of post-Talmudic times were convinced that the Messiah promised to them
wouId restore the Mosaic rites in their entirety; and so they refused to accept as a prophet anyone
who did not conform to the Law of the Torah in every detail.
142 At the time of the martyrdom of John the Baptist and of Zachariah, of Jesus’ exclamation, “O
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets" (Matthew xxiii, 37), and of the reference of
Paul of Tarsus to the Jews "who killed their own prophets” (I Thessalonians Ü, 15). the Second
Temple was still in existence, and burnt offerings were a daily practice: thus, the refusal of the Jews
to accept the prophets alluded to, culminating in their killing, could not be attributed to those
prophets lack of conformity with Mosaic Law.

96
 3
THE HOUSE OF TMRÄN
(186) You shall most certainly be tried in your
possessions and in your persons; and indeed you shall
hear many hurtful things from those to whom revela­
tion was granted before your time, as well as from
those who have come to ascribe divinity to other
beings beside God. But if you remain patient in
adversity and conscious of Him-this, behold, is
something to set one’s heart upon.

(187) AND LO, God accepted a solemn pledge from those UifeSI
who were granted earlier revelation [when He bade
Kç—•
them]: “Make it known unto mankind, and do not
conceal it!”143
/'■»;.} tl Ijijl j
But they cast this [pledge] behind their backs, and
bartered it away for a trifling gain: and how evil was
their bargain!144
(188) Think not that those who exult in what they
have thus contrived, and who love to be praised for
y» J It l>JU^ jl j IjJ 11—t
what they have not done145 - think not that they will
escape suffering: for grievous suffering does await ($) ^J' sJi jjî J- ijux
them [in the life to come].
Kr 4^— ei. Aj

(189) AND UNTO GOD belongs the dominion over the

j 4 <$>
heavens and the earth: and God has the power to will
anything. 3^ ZJ1 <$) JjVt j/J cffÄ
(190) Verily, in the creation of the heavens and the
earth, and in the succession of night and day, there are JU j j

indeed messages for all who are endowed with insight,

iJt*
(191) [and] who remember God when they stand, and
when they sit, and when they lie down to sleep,146147
and Ji Jdt £ JS J U‘j <$) ; ÛT ûi US
[thus] reflect on the creation of the heavens and the
earth:
“0 our Sustainer! Thou hast not created [aught of]
this without meaning and purpose.141 Limitless art
Thou in Thy glory! Keep us safe, then, from suffering
through fire!
(192) “O our Sustainer! Whomsoever Thou shalt

143 This connects with verses 183-184, where the Jews are spoken of as refusing to accept the
message of the Qur’ân. The implication of verse 187 above is that the advent of the Prophet
Muhammad was predicted in both the Old and New Testaments, and that the followers of the Bible
had been called upon to spread this prophecy and not - as they actually have done - to suppress it.
144 Lit., “that which they are buying’’ - an allusion to the belief of the Jews that they are “God’s
chosen people’’, and to the conviction of the Christians that their belief in Jesus’ “vicarious
atonement” automatically assures to them salvation: the “bargain” being, in both cases, an illusion
of immunity in the life to come.
145 I.e., they have not, in spite of all their claims, preserved the integrity of the Bible and of
Abraham’s faith (RäzT).
146 Lit., “and [lying] on their sides”.
147 Lit., “in vain” (bâ(ilan): see note 11 on 10:5.
97
 SÜRAH
ÄL'IMRÄN__________________________________________
commit to the fire, him, verily, wilt Thou have brought
to disgrace [in this world];148149
and such evildoers will
have none to succour them. .
(193) “O our Sustainer! Behold, we heard a voice
call [us] unto faith, ‘Believe in your Sustainer!’-and
so we came to believe. O our Sustainer! Forgive us,
then, our sins, and efface our bad deeds; and let us die
the death of the truly virtuous!
(194) “And, O our Sustainer, grant us that which
Thou hast promised us through Thy apostles, and
disgrace us not on Resurrection Day! Verily, Thou
never failest to fulfil Thy promise!”
(195) And thus does their Sustainer answer their
6/ XÏ
prayer:
“I shall not lose sight of the labour of any of you
who labours [in My way], be it man or woman: each of
you is an issue of the other.150 Hence, as for those who
forsake the domain of evil,151 and are driven from their
homelands, and suffer hurt in My cause, and fight [for
it], and are slain-I shall most certainly efface their f-r Ç- r-r* Q^£»X ÎjLJj yéîj j
bad deeds, and shall most certainly bring them into
gardens through which running waters flow, as a
reward from God: for with God is the most beauteous éÉ>'X (JS) âÇ Ü
of rewards.”
(T xLJîj
(196) LET IT NOT deceive thee that those who are bent on
denying the truth seem to be able to do as they please
on earth: (197) it is [but] a brief enjoyment, with hell
thereafter as their goal-and how vile a resting- X >' A1 û;
place!-(198) whereas those who remain conscious of S» ; ? i*
their Sustainer shall have gardens through which run­
ning waters flow, therein to abide: a ready welcome
from God. And that which is with God is best for the
truly virtuous.
(199) And, behold, among the followers of earlier
revelation there are indeed such as [truly] believe in
God, and in that which has been bestowed from on
high upon you as well as in that which has been
bestowed upon them. Standing in awe of God, they do
not barter away God’s messages for a trifling gain.
They shall have their reward with their Sustainer-for,
behold, God is swift itf reckoning!

. !•••; the suffering which a sinner will have to undergo in the life to come will be a consequence
of the spiritual disgrace which he has already brought upon himself by his actions in this world.
149 Lit., “a caller".
150 I.e., "you all are members of one and the same human race, and therefore equal to one
another .
151 See sürah 2, note 203, and sürah 4, note 124.

98
3 _______________________________________________________ THE HOUSE OF TMRÂN

(200) O you who have attained to faith! Be patient in

adversity, and vie in patience with one another, and be
ever ready [to do what is right], and remain conscious 0 ut i#;
of God, so that you might attain to a happy state!
 THE FOURTH SÜRAH

AN-NISÄ" (WOMEN)

MEDINA PERIOD

HE TITLE An-Nisff has been given to this sürah because many of its passages deal with the
T Sil of women Zd with questions relating to family life in general, me nding laws of
inheritance prohibition of marriage within certain degrees of consanguinity, marital relations, and
JÄtC^opening verse susses the essential unity of the human irace and the mutwd
Obligations, arising from this kinship, of men and women towards one another. A large part of the
sürah is devoted to practical legislation bearing on problems of peace and war,.as well as to relations
of believers with unbelievers, especially with hypocrites. Verses 150-152 refute the possibility of
believing in God without believing in His prophets: and this, in turn, leads to the subject of the Jews,
who deny the prophethood not only of Muhammad but also of Jesus, as well as of the Christians,
who deny Muhammad and deify Jesus although he “never felt too proud to be God's servant (verse
172). And, finally, as if to stress the inseparability of man’s beliefs from his social behaviour, the last
verse refers, again, to laws of inheritance. .
There is no doubt that this sürah belongs in its entirety to the Medina period. In the order ot
revelation it either follows immediately upon Äl * Imrän or-according to some authorities - is
separated from the latter, in point of time, by Al-Ahzäb and Al-Mumtahanah. On the whole,
however, it is most probable that it was revealed in the fourth year after the hijrah, although a few of
its verses may belong to an earlier, and verse 58 to a later, period.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) MANKIND! Be conscious of your Sustainer, __________ 4

V-z who has created you out of one living entity, and
out of it created its mate, and out of the two spread
abroad a multitude of men and women.1 And remain
conscious of God, in whose name you demand [your
rights] from one another, and of these ties of kinship.

1 Out of the many meanings attributable to the term nafs - soul, spirit, mind, animate being,
living entity, human being, person, self (in the sense of a personal identity), humankind, life­
essence, vital principle, and so forth - most of the classical commentators choose “human being”,
and assume that it refers here to Adam. Muhammad rAbduh, however, rejects this interpretation
(Manär IV, 323 If.) and gives, instead, his preference to “humankind” inasmuch as this term
stresses the common origin and brotherhood of the human race (which, undoubtedly, is the
purport of the above verse), without, at the same time, unwarrantably tying it to the Biblical
account of the creation of Adam and Eve. My rendering of na/s, in this context, as “living entity”
follows the same reasoning. - As regards the expression zawjahä (“its mate”), it is to be noted
that, with reference to animate beings, the term zawj (“a pair”, "one of a pair" or "a mate”)
applies to the male as well as to the female component of a pair or couple; hence, with reference
to human beings, it signifies a woman’s mate (husband) as well as a man’s mate (wife). AbQ
Muslim - as quoted by RäzT - interprets the phrase "He created out of it (minhä) its mate” as
meaning He created its mate [i.e., its sexual counterpart] out of its own kind (min iinsihd)”, thus
supporting the view of Mufiammad ’Abduh referred to above. The literal translation of minM as
out of it clearly alludes, in conformity with the text, to the biological fact that both sexes have
originated from "one living entity".

100
SÜRAH4
WOMEN
Verily, God is ever watchful over you!
(2) Hence, render unto the orphans their posses­
sions, and do not substitute bad things [of your own]
for the good things [that belong to them], and do not
consume their possessions together with your own:23
this, verily, is a great crime.
(3) And if you have reason to fear that you might not
act equitably towards orphans, then marry from
among [other] women such as are lawful to you2— »I—jT «Lu* U
[even] two, or three, or four: but if you have reason to
fear that you might not be able to treat them with equal
fairness, then [only] one-or [from among] those
whom you rightfully possess.4 This will make it more

2 This relates to the legal guardians of orphans during the latters' minority.
3 Lit., “such as ye good for you”-i.e., women outside the prohibited degrees enumerated in
verses 22-23 of this sürah (ZamakhsharT, Râzï). According to an interpretation suggested by
cA’ishah, the Prophet’s widow, this refers to the (hypothetical) case of orphan girls whom their
guardians might wish to marry without, however, being prepared or able to give them an
appropriate marriage-portion - the implication being that they should avoid the temptation of
committing such an injustice and should marry other women instead (cf. Bukhârï, Kitab at-Tafsîr,
as well as Muslim and Nasä’T). However, not all of ‘Ä’ishah’s contemporaries sub­
scribed to her explanation of this verse. Thus, according to Sa'Td ibn Jubayr, Qatädah, and other
successors of the Companions, the purport of the above passage is this: “Just as you are, rightly,
fearful of offending against the interests of orphans, you must apply the same careful con­
sideration to the interests and rights of the women whom you intend to marry.” In his commentary
on this passage, Jabari quotes several variants of the above interpretation and gives it his
unequivocal approval.
4 Lit., “whom your right hands possess” - i.e., from among the captives taken in a war in God’s
cause (regarding which see sürah 2, notes 167 and 168, and surah 8, note 72). It is obvious that the
phrase “two, or three, or four: but if you have reason to fear...”, etc. is a parenthetic clause
relating to both the free women mentioned in the first part of the sentence and to female
slaves-for both these nouns are governed by the imperative verb “marry”. Thus, the whole
sentence has this meaning: “Marry from among [other] women such as are lawful to you, or [from
among] those whom you rightfully possess - [even] two, or three, or four: but if you have reason
to fear that you might not be able to treat them with equal fairness, then [only] one” - implying
that, irrespective of whether they are free women or, originally, slaves, the number of wives must
not exceed four. It was in this sense that Muhammad cAbduh understood the above verse (see
Manär IV, 350). This view is, moreover, supported by verse 25 of this surah as well as by 24:32,
where marriage with female slaves is spoken of. Contrary to the popular view and the practice of
many Muslims in the past centuries, neither the Qur’fin nor the life-example of the Prophet
provides any sanction for sexual intercourse without marriage. #
As regards the permission to marry more than one wife (up to the maximum of four), it is so
restricted by the condition, “if you have reason to fear that you might not be able to treat them
with equal fairness, then [marry only] one", as to make such plural marriages possible only in quite
exceptional cases and under exceptional circumstances (see also the first clause of 24:32 and the
corresponding note 42). Still, one might ask why the same latitude has not been given to women as
well; but the answer is simple. Notwithstanding the spiritual factor of love which influences the
relations between man and woman, the determinant biological reason for the sexual urge is, in
both sexes, procreation: and whereas a woman can, at one time, conceive a child from one man
only and has to carry it for nine months before she can conceive another, a man can beget a child
every time he cohabits with à woman. Thus, while nature would have been merely wasteful if it
had produced a polygamous instinct in woman, man’s polygamous inclination is biologically
justified. It is, of course, obvious that the biological factor is only one - and by no means always
the most important - of the aspects of marital love: none the less, it is a basic factor and, therefore,
decisive in the institution of marriage as such. With the wisdom that always takes human nature

101
 SÜRAH
AN-NISA’________________________________________

likely that you will not deviate from the right course.
(4) And give unto women their marriage portions in
the spirit of a gift;*5 but if they, of their own accord,
give up unto you aught thereof, then enjoy it with
pleasure and good cheer.
(5) And do not entrust to those who are weak of
judgment the possessions which God has placed in
your charge6 for [their] support; but let them have
their sustenance therefrom, and clothe them, and
speak unto them in a kindly way. (6) And test the
orphans [in your charge] until they reach a marriage­
Xt* f-t ijjfj âi
able age; then, if you find them to be mature of mind,
0 '•A/*
hand over to them their possessions; and do not
consume them by wasteful spending, and in haste, ere uXL- *£ juÇî
they grow up. And let him who is rich abstain entirely
[from his ward’s property]; and let him who is poor
partake thereof in a fair manner. And when you hand
over to them their possessions, let there be witnesses
on their behalf - although none can take count as God jQ (T) C-f- & ÎJjJI
does.
»I—«B j Jj
(7) MEN SHALL have a share in what parents and
kinsfolk leave behind, and women shall have a share in
2^- J IL JJ Cf 3^5 j’ £ Cé
what parents and kinsfolk leave behind, whether it be ÿJunjÿ uJ
little or much - a share ordained [by God].
(8) And when [other] near of kin and orphans and
needy persons7 are present at the distribution [of
inheritance], give them something thereof for their û: ’/y O
sustenance, and speak unto them in a kindly way. (9)
And let them stand in awe [of God], those [legal
heirs]-who, if they [themselves] had to leave behind

fully into account, Islamic Law undertakes no more than the safeguarding of the socio-biological
function of marriage (which includes also care of the progeny), allowing a man to have more than
one wife and not allowing a woman to have more than one husband at one time; while the spiritual
problem of marriage, being imponderable and therefore outside the scope of law, is left to the
discretion of the partners. In any event-since marriage in Islam is a purely civil contract -
recourse to divorce is always open to either of the two partners. (Regarding the dissolution of a
marriage at the wife’s instance, see sürah 2, note 218.)
5 The expression nifilah signifies the giving of something willingly, of one’s own accord, without
expecting a return for it (ZamakhsharT). It is to be noted that the amount of the marriage-portion,
or dower, which the bridegroom has to give to the bride has not been circumscribed by the Law: it
depends entirely on the agreement of the two parties, and may consist of anything, even a mere
token. According to several authentic Traditions recorded in most of the compilations, the Prophet
made it clear that even an iron ring” may be enough if the bride is willing to accept it, or, short of
that, even the imparting to thy bride of a verse of the Qur'an”.
6 Lit., “your possessions which God has assigned to you”. The context makes it obvious that
this relates to the property of orphans who have not yet reached the age of discretion and are,
therefore, “weak of judgment” (lit., “weak-minded”).
7 I.e., people who do not have any legal claim to the inheritance, but nevertheless deserve to be
considered.

102
 WOMEN
weak offspring, would feel fear on their account-and
let them remain conscious of God, and let them speak
[to the poor] in a just manner.
(10) Behold, those who sinfully devour the posses­
sions of orphans but fill their bellies with fire: for [in
the life to come] they will have to endure a blazing
flame!

(11) CONCERNING [the inheritance of] your children,

God enjoins [this] upon you:’ The male shall have the
equal of two females’ share; but if there are more than ”
jp J-î* Xub' □
two females, they shall have two-thirds of what [their
parents] leave behind; and if there is only one, she
iL. j a 'ùj G Gl* ÿçjïï jj»
shall have one-half thereof.
And as for the parents [of the deceased], each of iJy C-Z I», ft
them shall have one-sixth of what he leaves behind, in
the event of his having [left] a child; but if he has left
no child and his parents are his [only] heirs, then his
mother shall have one-third; and if he has brothers and
sisters, then his mother shall have one-sixth after [the ^3L-.b y/ty*
’ *-r^3•^Jl.
deduction of] any bequest he may have made, or any „ , 5 ,.z , , z.,.>,
debt [he may have incurred]. LaÂ> jZi ôxjJî
As for your parents and your children - you know
not which of them is more deserving of benefit from .$•? j j' 4/U Jm> • (J) Us ùlT

you: [therefore this] ordinance from God. Verily, God

is all-knowing, wise.
® y,
(12) And you shall inherit one-half of what your £Z J1 G;Ù* Jy
wives leave behind, provided they have left no child;
but if they have left a child, then you shall have
one-quarter of what they leave behind, after (the
deduction of] any bequest they may have made, or any
debt [they may have incurred]. And your widows’ £ -X a* j*
shall have one-quarter of what you leave behind,
provided you have left no child; but if you have left a
child, then they shall have one-eighth of what you
leave behind, after [the deduction of] any bequest you
may have made, or any debt [you may have incurred].
And if a man or a woman has no heir in the direct
line, but has a brother or a sister, then each of these
two shall inherit one-sixth; but if there are more than
two,10 then they shall share in one-third [of the inheri-
8 In my notes on verses 11-12, which spell out the legal shares of inheritance due to the next of
kin, no attempt has been made to analyze all the legal implications of this ordinance./In
inheritance are the subject of a special, and very elaborate, branch of Islamic junspru ,
their full elucidation would go far beyond the scope of explanatory notes which aim1 a
than making the text of the Qur’fin accessible to the understanding of the non-specialized reader.
9 Lit., “they”.
10 Lit., “more than that”. According to most of the classical commentators, this passage refers
to half-brothers and half-sisters. The inheritance of full brothers and sisters is dealt with at the end
of this sürah (verse 176).
103
 SÜRAH
AN-NISÂ

tance], after [the deduction of] any bequest that may

have been made, or any debt [that may have been
incurred], neither of which having been intended to
harm [the heirs].“ . .
[This is] an injunction from God: and Goa is au-
($) JX âb jl
knowing, forbearing.
(13) These are the bounds set by God. And whoever
pays heed unto God and His Apostle, him will He
bring into gardens through which running waters flow, Ü&j (fi û* ifjjé
therein to abide: and this is a triumph supreme. (14)
And whoever rebels against God and His Apostle and
transgresses His bounds, him will He commit unto fire,
therein to abide; and shameful suffering awaits him.

(15) AND AS FOR those of your women who become

guilty of immoral conduct, call upon four from among
you who have witnessed their guilt; and if these bear
witness
___ ___________ confine the _
thereto,_____ . women11
guilty 12 to their
houses until death takes them away or God opens for ~ f „ t
them a way [through repentance]. (16) And punish “»M !■*-•!> U* LZpU»
[thus] both of the guilty parties;11 but if they both
repent and mend their ways, leave them alone: for, s*1“,,, J6*3
behold, God is an acceptor of repentance, a dispenser
of grace.14
(17) Verily, God’s acceptance of repentance relates
only to those who do evil out of ignorance and then

11 This refers to bequests and fictitious debts meant to deprive the heirs of their legal shares.
According to several authentic Traditions, the Prophet forbade, in cases where there are legal
heirs, the making of bequests to other persons in excess of one-third of one's estate (Bukhari and
Muslim). If, however, there are no near of kin legally entitled to a share of the inheritance, the
testator is free to bequeath his fortune in any way he desires.
12 Lit., “them”.
13 Lit., “and the two from among you who become guilty thereof, punish them both”.
According to most of the commentators, this refers to immoral conduct on the part of a man and a
woman as well as to homosexual relations.
14 Some of the commentators attribute to the term fâhishah (here rendered as “immoral
conduct”) the meaning of “adultery” or “fornication” and are, consequently, of the opinion that
this verse has been “abrogated” by 24:2, which lays down the punishment of one hundred stripes
for each of the guilty parties. This unwarranted assumption must, however, be rejected. Quite
apart from the impossibility of admitting that any passage of the Qur'an could have been
“abrogated” by another of its passages (see sürah 2. note 87), the expression fâhishah does not,
by itself, connote illicit sexual intercourse: it signifies anything that is grossly immodest, unseemly,
lewd, indecent or abominable in word or in deed (cf. Lane VI, 2344 f.), and is by no means
restricted to sexual transgressions. Read in this context, and in conjunction with 24:2, this
expression obviously denotes here immoral conduct not necessarily amounting to what is termed
zinâ (i.e., “adultery” or “fornication”), and therefore redeemable by sincere repentance (in
contrast to a proven act of zinâ, which is punishable by flogging).-It is noteworthy that in all
cases of alleged sexual transgressions or misbehaviour the Qur'an stipulates the direct evidence of
four witnesses (instead of the two required in all other judicial cases) as a sine qua non of
conviction. For the reasons underlying this injunction, as well as for its judicial implications, see
note 7 on 24:4.

104
 4
WOMEN
repent before their time runs out:15 and it is they unto
whom God will turn again in His mercy-for God is
all-knowing, wise; (18) whereas repentance shall not
be accepted from those who do evil deeds until their
dying hour and then say,16 ‘‘Behold, I now repent”; nor
from those who die as deniers of the truth: it is these
for whom We have readied grievous suffering. i(J) k-1^
Ojjf 'H S*- ûc***
(19) O YOU who have attained to faith! It is not lawful for
you to [try to] become heirs to your wives [by holding
onto them] against their will;17 and neither shall you
keep them under constraint with a view to taking away yi ££ (g) p
anything of what you may have given them, unless it
be that they have become guilty, in an obvious man­
ner, of immoral conduct.18
And consort with your wives1’ in a goodly manner;
for if you dislike them, it may well be that you dislike
something which God might yet make a source of20
abundant good.
(20) But if you desire to give up a wife and to take
another in her stead, do not take away anything of
what you have given the first one, however much it
may have been.21 Would you, perchance, take it away
by slandering her and thus committing a manifest

15 The expression min qarïb, which here implies nearness in time, could also be rendered as
“soon”, i.e., soon after having committed the evil deed; most of the classical commentators,
however, hold that in this context it denotes the time before the actual approach of death. This
interpretation is borne out by the next verse.
16 Lit., “until, when death approaches one of them, he says”.
17 According to one of the interpretations advanced by Zamakhsharî, this refers to a man’s
forcibly keeping an unloved wife - and thus preventing her from marrying another man - in the hope
of inheriting her property under the provisions specified in the first sentence of verse 12 above.
Some authorities, however, are of the opinion that the meaning is: “It is not lawful for you to
inherit women against their will”-thus expressing a prohibition of the pre-Islamic custom of
inheriting the wives of deceased near relatives. But in view of the fact that Islam does not permit
the “inheriting” of women under any circumstances (and not only “against their will”), the former
interpretation is infinitely more plausible.
18 In the event that a wife’s immoral conduct has been proved by the direct evidence of four
witnesses, as stipulated in verse 15 above, the husband has the right, on divorcing her, to demand
the return of the whole or of part of the dower which he gave her at the time when the marriage
was contracted. If-as is permissible under Islamic Law-the dower has not been actually handed
over to the bride at the time of marriage but has taken the form of a legal obligation on the part of
the husband, he is absolved of this obligation in the case of proven immoral conduct on the part of
his wife.
19 Lit., “with them”.
20 Lit., “and God might place in it”.
21 Lit., “if you desire the exchange of a wife in place of a wife, and you have given one,of them
a treasure (qinfär), do not take away anything thereof’. The allusion to the “exchange of one
wife for another is a clear indication of the Qur’anic view that a monogamous marriage is the
desirable norm.
105
 SÜRAH
AN-NISÄ’

sin?22 (21) And how could you take it away after you
have given yourselves to one another, and she has
received a most solemn pledge from you?

(22) AND DO NOT marry women whom your fathers

have previously married - although what is past is
this, verily, is a shameful deed, and a hateful
past:2425
tUj Jib j; Æjî £
thing, and an evil way.
(23) Forbidden to you are your mothers, and your
daughters, and your sisters, and your aunts paternal
and maternal, and a brother’s daughters, and a sister’s
daughters; and your milk-mothers, and your milk­
sisters; and the mothers of your wives; and your
step-daughters-who are your foster-children - born
of your wives with whom you have consummated
your marriage; but if you have not consummated
your marriage, you will incur no sin [by marrying
their daughters]; and [forbidden to you are] the ia? £> d* *
spouses of the sons who have sprung from your loins;
and [you are forbidden] to have two sisters [as your
wives] at one and the same time - but what is past is
past:23 for, behold, God is indeed much-forgiving, a
dispenser of grace.
(24) And [forbidden to you are] all married women
other than those whom you rightfully possess
[through wedlock]:26 this is God’s ordinance, binding
upon you. But lawful to you are all [women] beyond
these, for you to seek out, offering them of your

22 I.e., by falsely accusing her of immoral conduct in the hope of regaining her dower (see note
18 above).
23 Lit., “they have”-the reference being to all married women.
24 Lit., “except what has come to pass earlier” - i.e., forgiven shall be he who did it before the
promulgation of this Qur’anic ordinance or (in the case of a conversion in later times) before one’s
acceptance of Islam.
25 See preceding note.
26 The term muhfanah signifies literally “a woman who is fortified [against unchastity]”, and
carries three senses: (1) “a married woman”, (2) “a chaste woman”, and (3) “a free woman”.
According to almost all the authorities, al-mufaanät denotes in the above context “married
women”. As for the expression md malakat aymänukum (“those whom your right hands possess”,
i.e., ‘‘those whom you rightfully possess”), it is often taken to mean female slaves captured in a
war in God’s cause (see in this connection 8:67, and the corresponding note). The commentators
who choose this meaning hold that such slave-girls can be taken in marriage irrespective of
whether they have husbands in the country of their origin or not. However, quite apart from the
fundamental differences of opinion, even among the Companions of the Prophet, regarding the
legality of such a marriage, some of the most outstanding commentators hold the view that mä
malakat aymänukum denotes here “women whom you rightfully possess through wedlock"-, thus
RäzT in his commentary on this verse, and TabarT in one of his alternative applanations (going
back to Abd Alläh ibn cAbbäs, Mujähid, and others). RäzT, in particular, points out that the
reference to “all married women” (al-muhfanät min on-nisd'), coming as it does after the
enumeration of prohibited degrees of relationship, is meant to stress the prohibition of sexual relations
with any woman other than one’s lawful wife.

106
 WOMEN
possessions,27 taking them in honest wedlock, and not
in fornication.
And Unto those with whom you desire to enjoy
marriage, you shall give the dowers due to them; but
you will incur no sin if, after [having agreed upon]
this lawful due, you freely agree with one another
upon anything [else]:28 behold, God is indeed all-
knowing, wise.
(25) And as for those of you who, owing to cir­
cumstances, are not in a position29 to marry free
believing women, [let them marry] believing maidens
from among those whom you rightfully possess.30
And God knows all about your faith; each one of you
is an issue of the other.3' Marry them, then, with their
people’s leave, and give them their dowers in an
equitable manner - they being women who give
themselves in honest wedlock, not in fornication, nor
as secret love-companions.32 And when they are * Ùft*' i— I IS|t JI
married, and thereafter become guilty of immoral
conduct, they shall be liable to half the penalty to JTj L ôuâi
which free married women are liable.33
This [permission to marry slave-girls applies] to
those of you who fear lest they stumble into evil.34 ($) jjià
But it is for your own good to persevere in patience
[and to abstain from such marriages]: and God is
much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.
(26) God wants to make [all this] clear unto you,

T! Lit., “with your possessions” - i.e., offering them, as the Law demands, an appropriate
dower.
28 Cf. verse 4 of this siirah, and the corresponding note.
29 The phrase lam yastafï* fawlan is often taken to mean “he is not in a position to afford”, i.e.,
in the financial sense; but Muhammad 'Abduh very convincingly expresses the view that it applies
to all manner of preventive circumstances, be they of a material, personal or social nature (Manor
V, 19).
30 In this context, md malakat aymänukum (lit., “those whom your right hands possess”)
denotes women who were captured in a holy war and have subsequently embraced Islam. In the
above phrase, the pronoun “you” refers to the community as a whole.
31 Le., since all human beings - whatever their outward “social status’*-are members of one
and the same human family, and are therefore equal to one another in the sight of God (cf. 3:195),
it is only the strength or weakness of faith which makes one person superior or inferior to another.
32 Lit., “and not taking unto themselves secret love-companions”. This passage lays down in an
unequivocal manner that sexual relations with female slaves are permitted only on the basis of
marriage, and that in this respect there is no difference between them and free women;
consequently, concubinage is ruled out.
33 The weaker social status of a slave makes her, obviously, more accessible to temptation than
& free married woman is presumed to be.
34 I.e., to those who for one reason or another are unable to marry free women and are, at the
same time, not equal to the temptations arising from celibacy. As is made clear in the next
sentence, the Qur’fin discourages such marriages - obviously with a view to removing a major
attraction from the institution of slavery as such, and thus promoting its abolition.
 __________________________ SÜRah
AN-NISÄ*___________________________ _
and to guide you onto the [righteous] ways of life of
those who preceded you,” and to turn unto you in
His mercy: for God is all-knowing, wise. (27) And
God wants to turn unto you in His mercy, whereas
ojill Cfrft-Lu '•An#
those who follow [only] their own^Iusts want you to
drift far away from the right path. ($) J
(28) God wants to lighten your burdens: for man
has been created weak.

(29) O YOU who have attained to faith! Do not devour one

another’s possessions wrongfully - not even by way of
trade based on mutual agreement38 - and do not destroy
one another: for, behold, God is indeed a dispenser of
ijii 4-li ‘-j’J—* 0"J
grace unto you! (30) And as for him who does this with
malicious intent and a will to do wrong39—him shall We,

35 An allusion to the genuine religious teachings of the past, which aimed at bringing about a
harmony between man’s physical nature and the demands of his spirit-a harmony which is
destroyed whenever asceticism is postulated as the only possible alternative to licentiousness (see
also sürah 2, note 118). This allusion arises from the discussion of sexual morality in the preceding
passages devoted to marital relations.
36 Lit., “want you to deviate with a tremendous deviation”.
37 I.e., to remove, by means of His guidance, all possibility of conflict between man's spirit and
his bodily urges, and to show him a way of life in which these two elements of human nature can
be harmonized and brought to full fruition.
38 If the particle illä preceding the above clause is given its usual meaning of “except” or
“unless it be”, the phrase ought to be rendered thus: “unless it be (an act of] trade based on
mutual agreement”. This formulation, however, has baffled many a commentator: for, if taken
literally, it would imply that wrongful profits from trading based on mutual agreement are excepted
from the general prohibition, “Devour not one another’s possessions wrongfully”-a supposition
impossible to maintain in view of the ethics postulated by the Qur’än. To obviate this difficulty, most
of the commentators express the opinion that the particle ilia has in this context the meaning of
“but", and that the clause ought to be understood as follows: “but it is lawful for you to profit
from one another’s possessions by way of legitimate trade based on mutual agreement”. However,
quite apart from the fact that this interpretation is highly laboured and artificial, it does not explain
why “legitimate trade" should have been singled out here as a sole means of lawfully deriving
economic benefits from one another-for, as RäzT rightly points out in his commentary on this
verse, “it is no less lawful to benefit economically through a gift, a bequest, a legal inheritance,
alms, a dower, or an indemnity for injuries received: for there are, aside from trade, many ways of
acquiring possessions [lawfully]". Why, then, should trade alone have been stressed? - and.
moreover, stressed in a context not particularly devoted to matters of trade? A really satisfactory
answer to this puzzle can, in my opinion, be obtained only through a linguistic consideration of the
particle Mä. Apart from its usual connotation of “except” or “unless it be”, it has sometimes-a5
J»8 been pointed out in both Qämüs and MughnT-the meaning of the simple conjunction “and”
î-i* ls.precedcd by a negative clause, it can be synonymous with “nor” or “and
pte)'. “’ 'n8ta1c®’ ,n 27:10-11, “no fear need the message-bearers have in M
hCn ° ? need he Wh° ' ' etc’ Now we aPp,y this particular use of illä to the
^on9,derat,°^ we ."«ve at the reading, “nor [shall you do it] by means of trade
based on mutual agreement , or simply, “not even by way of trade based on mutual agreement”-
~ mc?n,n8 ,mmed,ate,y becomes obvious: the believers are prohibited from devour-

ÄÄtS“' mO''OVer' Wi'h VWM 32'which <•» “* W

3» Lit. “by way ot [deliberate] tranapessioa and wrongd™,“ Cdwdeaa wa-,.1««»).

108
 WOMEN
in time, cause to endure [suffering through] fire: for this
is indeed easy for God.
(31) If you avoid the great sins which you have
been enjoined to shun, We shall efface your [minor]
bad deeds, and shall cause you to enter an abode of
glory* «4 «g) {J âf $ &&
(32) Hence, do not covet the bounties which God
has bestowed more abundantly on some of you than <£>
on others. Men shall have a benefit from what they Jr/ al jXiU ÎJZ2:
earn, and women shall have a benefit from what they
earn. Ask, therefore, God [to give you] out of His Ij 4^IjjjM Cf
bounty: behold, God has indeed full knowledge of
everything.
(33) And unto everyone have We appointed heirs to aft
what he may leave behind: parents, and near kinsfolk,
and those to whom you have pledged your troth:40 41
give them, therefore, their share. Behold, God is
indeed a witness unto everything. Le »L-JÎ Jp Qr'>* Je($)

(34) MEN SHALL take full care of women with the

bounties which God has bestowed more abundantly al if Ut
on the former than on the latter,42 and with what they
may spend out of their possessions. And the right­
eous women are the truly devout ones, who guard
the intimacy which God has [ordained to be] guar­ Irr' *
ded.4*
And as for those women whose ill-will44 you have
reason to fear, admonish them [first]; then leave them
alone in bed; then beat them;41 and if thereupon they

40 l.e., paradise. However, according to some of the commentators, the expression mudkhal
denotes not the place but the manner of “entering” (RäzT)-in which case the above phrase may
be rendered thus: “We shall cause you to enter [upon your afterlife] in a state of glory”.
41 l.e., wives and husbands (AbQ Muslim, as quoted by RäzT).
42 Lit., “more on some of them than on the others".-The expression quwwdm is an intensive
form of qiPim (“one who is responsible for” or “takes care of” a thing or a person). Thus, qäma
*ala '1-maPah signifies “he undertook the maintenance of the woman” or “he maintained her”
(see Lane VIII, 2995). The grammatical form qawwäm is more comprehensive than qd’im, and
combines the concepts of physical maintenance and protection as well as of moral responsibility:
and it is because of the last-named factor that 1 have rendered this phrase as “men shall take full
care of women”.
43 Lit., “who guard that which cannot be perceived (al-ghayb) because God has [willed it to be]
guarded”.
44 The term nushüz (lit., “rebellion” - here rendered as “ill-will”) comprises every kind of
deliberate bad behaviour of a wife towards her husband or of a husband towards his wife,
including what is nowadays described as “mental cruelty"; with reference to the husband, it also
denotes “ill-treatment", in the physical sense, of his wife (cf. verse 128 of this surah). In this
context, a wife’s “ill-will" implies a deliberate, persistent breach of her marital obligations.
, 45 It is evident from many authentic Traditions that the Prophet himself intensely detested the
•dea of beating one’s wife, and said on more than one occasion, “Could any of you beat his wife as
he would beat a slave, and then lie with her in the evening?” (BukhärT and Muslim). According to
another Tradition, he forbade the beating of any woman with the words, “Never beat God’s

109
 SÜRah
AN-NISÄ”
pay you heed, do not seek to harm them. Behold, God

is indeed most high, great! . h

(35) And if you have reason to fear that a breach
might occur between a [married] couple, appoint an
arbiter from among his people and an arbiter from (g) ùlf'aî
among her people; if they both want to set things
aright, God may bring about their reconciliation. Be­ U»ji ù[ J* *4*' iyX
hold, God is indeed all-knowing, aware.

(36) AND WORSHIP God [alone], and do not ascribe

divinity, in any way, to aught beside Him.
And do good unto your parents, and near of kin,
and unto orphans, and the needy, and the neighbour
I*J
from among your own people, and the neighbour who ' * I-*
is a stranger,*46 and the friend by your side, and the
4748 ($) Uj** âX JLlxI
wayfarer, and those whom you rightfully possess.
Verily, God does not love any of those who, full of
self-conceit, act in a boastful manner; (37) [nor] those
who are niggardly, and bid others to be niggardly, and
conceal whatever God has bestowed upon them out

handmaidens” (Abfl Dä’üd, NasäT, Ibn Mâjah, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Ibn Hibbän and Hakim, on the
authority of lyäs ibn 'Abd Allah; Ibn Hibbän, on the authority of 'Abd Allah ibn ‘Abbas; and
Bayhaqï, on the authority of Umm Kulthûm). When the above Qur’än-verse authorizing the
beating of a refractory wife was revealed, the Prophet is reported to have said: ‘i wanted one
thing, but God has willed another thing-and what God has willed must be best” (see Manor V,
74). With all this, he stipulated in his sermon on the occasion of the Farewell Pilgrimage, shortly
before his death, that beating should be resorted to only if the wife “has become guilty, in an
obvious manner, of immoral conduct”, and that it should be done “in such a way as not to cause
pain (ghayr mubarrih)"-, authentic Traditions to this effect are found in Muslim, Tirmidhi.
Abfl Dä’üd, Nasä’I and Ibn Mâjah. On the basis of these Traditions, all the authorities stress that
this “beating”, if resorted to at all, should be more or less symbolic - “with a toothbrush, or some
such thing’’ (Tabari, quoting the views of scholars of the earliest times), or even “with a folded
handkerchief’ (Räzl); and some of the greatest Muslim scholars (e.g., Ash-ShäfiT) are of
the opinion that it is just barely permissible, and should preferably be avoided: and they justify
this opinion by the Prophet’s personal feelings with regard to this problem.
46 The expression shay9an (here rendered as “in any way”) makes it clear that shirk (“the
ascribing of divinity to anything beside God”) is not confined to a worship of other “deities”, but
implies also the attribution of divine or quasi-divine powers to persons or objects not regarded as
deities: in other words, it embraces also saint-worship, etc.
47 Le., “whether he belongs to your own or to another community”. That the expression “yo*
own people” (dhu ’l-qurbd) refers to the community and not to one’s actual relatives is obvious
from the fact that “the near of kin” have already been mentioned earlier in this sentence. The
Prophet often stressed a believer’s moral obligation towards his neighbours, whatever their faith;
and his attitude has been summed up in his words, “Whoever believes in God and the Last Day. kt
him do good unto his neighbour” (BukhärT, Muslim, and other compilations).
48 According to ‘All ibn Abi TSIib, 'Abd Alläh ibn Mas'üd and other Companions, “the friend
b.y. JT’J' 81de bi l'Janb) ,s one’s wife or husband (Tabari). ByP“those whom y°*J
2S:CTUleyxPSi^8thi!,t“ WhOm •y0UrJ% handS P°sscss”) meant« >» this context, slaves
either sex. Sincx this verse enjoins the doing of good” towards all people with whom one is *
c?”t^ct, an<! 8,nfc the best that can be done to a slave is to free him, the above passage calls«
ellipUcaffy for the freeing of slaves (Mandr V, 94). See also surah 2 note 146 as’welTas 9:60«
Âict’JïïXîi.'ïï?» ““'°',he °b,Ktive5

110
 WOMEN
of His bounty; and so We have readied shameful
suffering for all who thus deny the truth.
(38) And [God does not love] those who spend their
possessions on others [only] to be seen and praised
by men, the while they believe neither in God nor in
the Last Day; and he who has Satan for a soul-mate,
how evil a soul-mate has he!49 UJc ûtyLOl LiJUplj -4 ~ &dT
(39) And what would they have to fear50 if they
would but believe in God and the Last Day, and
spend [in His way] out of what God has granted them
as sustenance-since God has indeed full knowledge
of them?
(40) Verily, God does not wrong [anyone] by as
much as an atom’s weight; and if there be a good
deed, He will multiply it, and will bestow out of His CL- îp JuL
grace51 a mighty reward.
(41) How, then, [will the sinners fare on Judgment >•*' jKûj <£> u**
Day,] when We shall bring forward witnesses from
within every community,52 and bring thee [O Prophet] AX 0 »V?* A-fS
as witness against them? (42) Those who were bent
fr j) Jj-fl îjyiTjÎ
on denying the truth and paid no heed to the Apostle
will on that Day wish that the earth would swallow (J) I-J* âJ ùjaJL»
them:53 but they shall not [be able to] conceal from
God anything that has happened.

(43) O YOU who have attained to faith! Do not attempt to

pray while you are in a state of drunkenness,54 [but

49 An allusion to 2:268, where Satan is spoken of as “threatening you with the prospect of
poverty and bidding you to be niggardly”, the implication being that those who obey him “have
Satan for their soul-mate (qann)". For the derivation of this term, see note 24 on 41:25.
50 Lit., “what is it that would be upon them". This seems to be a reference to the oft-repeated
Qur’anic statement that those who believe in God and live righteously “need have no fear" (M
khawf 'alayhim - lit., “no fear [shall be] upon them”).
51 LiL, “from Himself” - i.e., far in excess of what the doer of good may have merited.
52 I.e., the earlier apostles, of whom every community or civilization has had a share.
53 Lit, “become level with them”. The term “the apostle" is probably used here in its generic
sense, and refers to all the apostles who preached God’s message at one time or another.
• 54 The reference to prayer at this place arises from the mention, in the preceding verses, of the
Day of Judgment, when man will have to answer before God for what he did during his life in this
world: for it is in prayer that man faces God, spiritually, during his earthly life, and reminds
himself of his responsibility towards the Creator. As regards the prohibition of attempting to pray
"while in a state of drunkenness”, some of the commentators assume that this ordinance
represented the first stage of the total prohibition of intoxicants, and has been, consequently,
"abrogated" by the promulgation of the law of total abstinence from all intoxicants (5:90).
However, quite apart from the fact that the doctrine of “abrogation" is entirely untenable (see
sürah 2, note 87), there is no warrant whatever for regarding the above verse as a “first step”
which has become redundant, as it were, after total prohibition was ordained. It is, of course, true
that the Qur’&n forbids the use of intoxicants at all times, and not merely at the time of prayer; but
since “man has been created weak” (4:28), his lapse from the way of virtue is always a possibüity:
»nd it is to prevent him from adding the sin of praying while in a state of drunkenness to the sm ;of
using intoxicants as such that the above verse was promulgated. Moreover, the expression while

111
 SÜRAH

AN-NISÄ'
wait] until you know what you are saying;.norV*
Iwhile you are] in a state requiring total abluU“"’
[whue you AV___t if vou are travelling
until you have bathed - except u y
[and Le unable to do so]. But if you are til, «are
travelling, or have just satisfied a want of nature
have cohabited with a woman, and can find n j*
water-then take resort to pure dust,•
with] lightly over your face and your hands. Behold,
God is indeed an absolves of sms, much-forgiving.

(44) ART THOU NOT aware of those who, havmg been (g)
granted their share of the divine wnt, now barter it
away for error, and want you [too] to lose your way.
(45) But God knows best who are your enemies: and
none can befriend as God does, and none can give
(j) J
succour as God does. <$>
(46) Among those of the Jewish faith there are
tir J '■****’■^
some who distort the meaning of the [revealed]
words, taking them out of their context and saying,
[as it were,] “We have heard, but we disobey,” and,
“Hear without hearkening,”5559 and, “Hearken thou
58
57
56 U£«*5 Lxb'j pi j
unto us, [O Muhammad]”-thus making a play with
their tongues, and implying that the [true] Faith is
false.“ And had they but said, “We have heard, and

you are in a state of drunkenness (sukärä)" does not apply exclusively to alcoholic intoxication,
since the term sukr, in its wider connotation, signifies any state of mental disequilibrium which
prevents man from making full use of his intellectual faculties: that is to say, it can apply also to a
temporary clouding of the intellect by drugs or giddiness or passion, as well as to the state
metaphorically described as "drunk with sleep”-in brief, to any condition in which normal
judgment is confused or suspended. And because the Qur’än insists throughout on consciousness
as an indispensable element in every act of worship, prayer is permitted only when man is in full
possession of his mental faculties and "knows what he is saying”.
55 l.e., after sexual intercourse. The term junub (rendered by me as “in a state requiring total
ablution”) isderived from the verb janaba, "he made (a thing] remote”, and signifies one’s
"remoteness” from prayer because of immersion in sexual passion.
56 Lit., “if one of you comes from the place in which one satisfies...”, etc.
57 This symbolic ablution, called tayammum, consists in touching the earth, or anything
supposed to contain dust, with the palms of one’s hands and then passing them lightly over face
and hands. Whenever water is not within reach-or cannot be used because of illness-the
tayammum takes the place of both the total ablution after sexual intercourse Cghusl) and the
partial ablution before prayers (wu</u<).
58 The people referred to are the followers of the Bible. Thus, after having touched in the
m^ZliTfV^^ Praye.r’ Qur’fin resumes its cardin* man’s
responsibility for his actions and, in particular, for the manner in which he resnonds to the
guidance offered to him through God’s revelations.
59 Cf. 2:93. The figure of speech “hear without hearkening" addressed, as it were bv the Jews
toti-mrewe., derenb« ...i.ude u>w„ds b.lh their

112
 WOMEN
we pay heed,” and “Hear [us], and have patience
with us,” it would indeed have been for their own good,
and more upright: but God has rejected them because
of their refusal to acknowledge the truth - for it is in
but few things that they believe.6'
(47) O you who have been granted revelation
[aforetime]! Believe in what We have [now] bestowed
from on high in confirmation of whatever [of the Lx îyy XJ?
truth] you already possess, lest We efface your hopes U &Z Idy
and bring them to an end62 *61-just as We rejected
those people who broke the Sabbath: for God’s wifi is ✓*' ’j’G ^4 Ç”j\ UJLjlÿ
always done.63
(g) SfjXâî
(48) VERILY, God does not forgive the ascribing of
divinity to aught beside Him, although He forgives
unto whomever He wills: for he who
any lesser sin6465
ascribes divinity to aught beside God has indeed
contrived an awesome sin.63
(49) Art thou not aware of those who consider
themselves pure?66 Nay, but it is God who causes

rather defer to their views on religious matters. See, in this connection, their assertion, “Our
hearts are already full of knowledge", in 2:88.
61 See surah 2, note 74.
62 Lit., “lest We obliterate the faces” - i.e., that towards which one turns, or that which one
faces, with expectation (‘Abduh in Manär V, 144 ff.) - “and bring them back to their ends". It is to
be noted that the term dubur (of which adbär is the plural) does not always signify the “back” of a
thing-as most of the translators assume-but often stands for its “last part” or “end” (cf. Lane
III, 846).
63 This is an allusion to the story of the Sabbath-breakers (lit., “the people of the Sabbath”)
referred to in 2:65 and fully explained in 7:163-166.
64 Lit., “anything below that”.
65 The continuous stress, in the Qur’an, on God’s transcendental oneness and uniqueness aims
at freeing man from all sense of dependence on other influences and powers, and thus at elevating
him spiritually and bringing about the “purification” alluded to in the next verse. Since this
objective is vitiated by the sin of shirk (“the ascribing of divine qualities to aught beside God”),
the Qur’än describes it as “unforgivable” so long as it is persisted in, i.e., unless and until the
sinner repents (cf. verses 17 and 18 of this sûrah).
66 I.e., the Jews, who consider themselves to be “God’s chosen people” and, therefore, a priori
destined for God’s grace, and the Christians, who believe in Jesus’ “vicarious atonement" for the
sins of mankind. There is also an obvious connection between this observation and the reference
to shirk in the preceding verse, inasmuch as the Jews and the Christians, while not actually
believing in the existence of any deity apart from God, ascribe divine or semi-divine qualities, in
varying degrees, to certain human beings: the Christians by their elevation of Jesus to the status of
a manifestation of God in human form and their open worship of a hierarchy of saints, and the
Jews by their attribution of law-giving powers to the great Talmudic scholars, whose legal verdicts
are supposed to override, if need be, any ordinance of the scriptures (cf. in this respect 9 :31). It
goes without saying that this condemnation applies also to those Muslims who have fallen into the
sin of worshipping saints and according them something of the reverence which is due to God
alone. Consequently, the expression “those who consider themselves pure comprises, in this
context, all who think of themselves as believing in the One God (simply because they do not
consciously worship a plurality of deities) but are, nevertheless, guilty of the sin of shirt in the
deeper sense of this term.
113
 SÜRAH
AN-NISÄ’
whomever He wills to grow in punty; andI none shall
be wronged by as much as a hair’s breadth.
(50) Behold how they attribute their own lying
inventions to God-than which there is no sin more <$>

(51) Art thou not aware of those who, having been

granted their share of the divine writ, [now] believe in
baseless mysteries and in the powers of evil, and
maintain that those who are bent on denying the truth
are more surely guided than those who have attained
yT <$> y
to faith? (52) It is they whom God has rejected: and
he whom God rejects shall find none to succour him.
(53) Have they, perchance, a share in [God s] 'fl 3) à»
dominion?6770 But [if they had], lo, they would not give
69
68
f t <3>
to other people as much as [would fill] the groove of a

date-stone! JU Ujfli jii *4-^»

(54) Do they, perchance, envy other people for
what God has granted them out of His bounty?71 But 3> Ui*«ÄUj KjXiCjlI

then, We did grant revelation and wisdom unto the

ÿj <* er H
House of Abraham, and We did bestow on them a
mighty dominion: (55) and among them are such as
[truly] believe in him,72 and among them are such as
have turned away from him.

67 According to most of the philological authorities (e.g., Qûmûs), a fatil is any “slender thread
which one rolls between one’s fingers’’ - a term which is also, but by no means exclusively, applied
to the tiny fibre adhering to the cleft of the date-stone (cf. Lane VI, 2334). Idiomatically, it is best
rendered as “a hair’s breadth’’. The above passage implies, firstly, that spiritual purity is not the
privilege of any particular group or community, and, secondly, that one can become or remain
pure only by God’s grace, for “man has been created weak’’ (verse 28 above). See also note 27 on
the second paragraph of 53:32.
68 Lit., “and this is enough as an obvious sin”. This passage refers to various theological
statements of an arbitrary nature, such as the Jewish assertion that they are “the chosen people”
and, thus, immune from God’s condemnation; the Christian doctrine of “vicarious atonement”; the
definition of God as a “trinity” with Jesus as its “second person”; and so forth.
69 The word al-jibt -rendered by me as “baseless mysteries” - is probably, as the Lisân
al-Arab points out, of non-Arabic origin. It denotes, according to some authorities, “something
which is worthless in itself” or “something in which there is no good" (Qdmüs, Baydäwi);
according to others, it signifies “enchantment ” ('Umar ibn al-Khat|äb, Mujâhid and Sha'bi, as
quoted by TabarT; also Qämüs)\ others, again, interpret it as “anything that is worshipped instead
°! <Zamakhshart ). and consequently apply it also to idols and idol-worship (Qâmûs, Liste
al-Arab) and-according to a Tradition quoted by Abfl Dä’üd-to all manner of superstitious
divination and soothsaying as well. Taking all these interpretations into account, al-jibt may be
JLn« ^"at,on confusmgjdcas (dijl), fanciful surmises (awhäm) and fictitious
stories (khuräfät) (Manär V, 157)-in other words, abstruse mysteries without any foundation in
^r;,lL7.^f rPreS.S'On T’ °' evU" it seems to’refer hew to
“ÏÏ2" ÏÏX’ÏÏfi7ndrthrttC nce2 ’ ?ti00lhsB’?1*’ forete,linS the future, relying on “good” and
bad omens, and so forth - all of which are condemned by the Qur’an. See also säruh 2*note 250.
70 An allusion to the Jewish belief that they occupy . privileged position in the sight of God.
■H I.e„ revdehon. which-according to th. Jew,-has been reserved lo them alone.
72 I.e., in Abraham - implying that they are faithful to his messa™ it • j
the Prophet Muhammad, too, was a direct-line descendant ot Abrikl™**
confirmed and continued in the Qur’fin. Abraham, whose message is

114
 WOMEN
And nothing could be as burning as [the fire of] hell:
(56) for, verily, those who are bent on denying the
truth of Our messages We shall, in time, cause to
endure fire: [and] every time their skins are burnt off,
We shall replace them with new skins, so that they
may taste suffering [in full].73 Verily, God is almighty, Ip*-*
wise.
(57) But those who attain to faith and do righteous Ua)
deeds We shall bring into gardens through which
LjC». IJqjA JujT
running waters flow, therein to abide beyond the
count of time; there shall they have spouses pure: isjf-
and [thus] We shall bring them unto happiness
abounding.74

(58) BEHOLD, God bids you to deliver all that you have
been entrusted with unto those who are entitled J ^1% 13^ Çui
thereto, and whenever you judge between people, to
judge with justice.75 Verily, most excellent is what CLx-ùlf' Lajâfù^ «jXüt
God exhorts you to do: verily, God is all-hearing,
IjÇlÇ aî (L <3)
all-seeing!
(59) O you who have attained to faith! Pay heed
unto God, and pay heed unto the Apostle and unto
those from among you7* who have been entrusted C?^ »Ar—
with authority; and if you are at variance over any
if you
matter, refer it unto God and the Apostle,7778
[truly] believe in God and the Last Day. This is the
best [for you], and best in the end.7*

73 This awesome allegory of suffering in the life to come is obviously meant to bring out the
long-lasting nature of that suffering (RâzT).
74 The primary meaning of fill is “shade", and so the expression fill faitl could be rendered as
“most shading shade"-i.e., “dense shade". However, in ancient Arabic usage, the word fill
denotes also “a covering" or “a shelter” and, figuratively, “protection" (Räghib); and, finally, “a
state of ease, pleasure and plenty" (cf. Lane V, 1915 f.), or simply “happiness"-and in the
combination of fill falil, “abundant happiness" (RäzT)-which seems to agree best with the
allegorical implications of the term “paradise".
75 I.e., in the judicial sense, as well as in the sense of judging other people’s motives, attitudes
and behaviour. - The term amänah denotes anything one has been entrusted with, be it in the
physical or moral sense (RäzT). If one reads this ordinance in the context of the verses that
precede and follow it, it becomes obvious that it relates to the message or-in view of the plural
form amânât - to the truths which have been conveyed to the believers by means of the divine
writ, and which they must regard as a sacred trust, to be passed on to “those who are entitled
thereto”-i.e., to all mankind, for whom the message of the Qur’ân has been intended. This, of
course, does not preclude the ordinance from having a wider scope as well-that is, from its being
applied to any material object or moral responsibility which may have been entrusted to a
believer-and, in particular, to the exercise of worldly power and political sovereignty by the
Muslim community or a Muslim state, to which the next verse refers.
76 I.e., from among the believers.
77 Le., to the Qur’ân and to the sunnah (the sayings and the practice) of the Prophet. See also
verse 65 of this sûrah.
78 Read in conjunction with 3:26. which «peaks of God as “the Lord of all donuniM"-an<i
therefore the ultimate source of all moral and political authority-the above passage lays down a

115
 SÜRAH
AN-NISÄ’

(60) ART THOU NOT aware of those who claim that they
believe in what has been bestowed from on high upon
thee, [O Prophet,] as well as in what was bestowed
SZi JU 2* <S> 4^
from on high before thee, [and yet] are wiUing to
defer to the rule of the powers of evil -although
x dlU Jÿ' k# J/ ’ fr*
they were bidden to deny it, seeing that Satan but
wants to lead them far astray? (61) And so, whenever
they are told, “Come unto that which God has be­
stowed from on high, and unto the Apostle, thou j? <$>1jU 01
canst see these hypocrites turn away from thee with
aversion.” ,
(62) But how [will they fare] when calamity befalls
them [on the Day of Judgment] because of what they
have wrought in this world” - whereupon they will
come to thee, swearing by God, “Our aim was but to do
good, and to bring about harmony”?80 82
81
79
(63) As for them-God knows all that is in their
hearts; so leave them alone, and admonish them, and
speak unto them about themselves in a gravely search­
Aj /j Ù* Vy
ing manner: (64) for We have never sent any
apostle save that he should be heeded by God’s
leave.83 If, then, after having sinned against them-

fundamental rule of conduct for the individual believer as well as the conceptual basis for the
conduct of the Islamic state. Political power is held in trust (amänah) from God; and His will, as
manifested in the ordinances comprising the Law of Islam, is the real source of all sovereignty.
The stress, in this context, on “those from among you who have been entrusted with authority”
makes it clear that the holders of authority (ülu 'l-amr) in an Islamic state must be Muslims.
79 Lit., “who summon one another to the judgment [or “rule”] of the powers of evil (af-
fäghüt): an allusion to people like those mentioned in verse 51 above, who, by their deference to
what the Qur’än describes as af-fäghüt (see surah 2, note 250), nullify all the good that they could
derive from guidance through revelation.
80 The classical commentators see in verses 60-64 a reference to the hypocrites of Medina who,
at the time of the Prophet, outwardly professed to be his followers but did not really believe in his
teachings. It seems to me, however, that this passage goes far beyond the possible historical
occasion of its revelation, inasmuch as it touches upon an often-encountered psychological
problem of faith. People who are not fully convinced that there exists a reality beyond the reach
of human perception (al-ghayb, in the sense explained in sürah 2, note 3) find it, as a rule, difficult
to dissociate their ethical views from their personal predilections and morally questionable
desires - with the result that they are only too often “willing to defer to what the powers of evil tell
them . Alttough they may half-heartedly concede that some of the moral teachings based on
revelation (in this case, the Qur’än) contain “certain verities”, they instinctively recoil from those
teachings whenever they conflict with what their own idiosyncrasies represent to them as
desirable: and so they become guilty of hypocrisy in the deepest, religious connotation of this

81 Lit., “what their hands have sent ahead”: an allusion to their ambivalent attitude and the
confusion which it may have created in others.
82 I.e they will plead that their aim was no more than a harmonization of the Qur’anic ethics
with a humanistic (that is, man-centred) world-view: a plea which the Qur’än implicitly rejects
“Ä ÎÂ412:1 '-,2)-As ret"ds ,he ph"M '‘“h‘reupo",hey wU1

c*pressio2 ‘Jy God’s leave” is to be understood, in this context, as “with God’s help”
or by God s grace (ZamakhsharT, RfizT). As so often in the Qur’än, the sudden change, within

116
 4
WOMEN
selves, they would but come round to thee and ask
God to forgive them - with the Apostle, too, praying
that they be forgiven-they would assuredly find that
God is an acceptor of repentance, a dispenser of
grace.
(65) But nay, by thy Sustainer! They do not [really]
believe unless they make thee [O Prophet] a judge of
all on which they disagree among themselves, and y* uy jH&Jj
then find in their hearts no bar to an acceptance of
thy decision and give themselves up [to it] in utter
self-surrender.*4
Uÿj (J) VU* C-jjrf Lt
(66) Yet if We were to ordain for them,84 85 “Lay
down your lives,” or, “Forsake your homelands,”
only a very few of them would do it86 - although, if
they did what they are admonished to do, it would
indeed be for their own good and apt to strengthen
them greatly [in faith], (67) whereupon We should
jZ <$> Q 1$ jU
indeed grant them', out of Our grace, a mighty reward,
($) (& & W L?2
(68) and indeed guide them onto a straight way.
(69) For, all who pay heed unto God and the f"’
Apostle shall be among those upon whom God has
bestowed His blessings: the prophets, and those who
never deviated from the truth, and those who [with
4»l dl’i LJLÄj
their lives] bore witness to the truth, and the right­
eous ones: and how goodly a company are these! yr ® <£) u> $ jr;
(70) Such is the bounty of God - and none has the
knowledge which God has. CA <$> b/f'b15^ brf

(71) O YOU who have attained to faith! Be fully prepared

against danger, whether you go to war in small groups
or all together.87

one and the same sentence, from the pronoun “We" or “I” to “He”, or from “We” to “God”, is
meant to impress upon the listener or reader of the Qur’än the fact that God is not a “person” but
an all-embracing Power that cannot be defined or even adequately referred to within the limited
range of any human language.
84 This verse lays down in an unequivocal manner the obligation of every Muslim to submit to
the ordinances which the Prophet, under divine inspiration, promulgated with a view to exem­
plifying the message of the Qur’än and enabling the believers to apply it to actual situations. These
ordinances constitute what is described as the sunnah (lit., “way”) of the Prophet Muhammad,
and have (whenever they are authenticated beyond any possibility of doubt) full legal force side by
side with the Qur’än: see verse 80 of this sürah.
85 I.e., by means of the God-inspired commands issued by the Prophet (see preceding note).
86 Lit., “they would not do it, save for a few of them": the pronoun obviously relates to the
half-hearted, who are not prepared to undergo the sacrifices which their faith demands of them.
The reference to laying down one’s life in the defence of faith and freedom and, if necessary,
abandoning one’s homeland, introduces, as it were, the long passage beginning with verse 71,
which deals with fighting in God’s cause.
87 Lit., “and then go forth, [be it] in small detachments or all together”-the latter expression
applying to what nowadays is called “total war”. The term fridhr connotes not merely an effort to
guard oneself against imminent danger but also the making of all necessary preparations with
regard to (in this context) military organization, equipment, etc. The problem of war as such arises

117
 SÜRAH
AN-NISÄ’

(72) And, behold, there are indeed among you such

as would lag behind, and then, if calamity befalls you,
say ‘‘God has bestowed His favour upon me in that I
wU not present with them!” (73) But if good fortune
comes to you from God, such a person is sure to J 3[ Jp Ji Ji ^4*’ ûjÊ «zÇs1
say-just as if there had never been any question of
love between you and him-: “Oh, would that I had âî £ J* ¥ ($) f«-*
been with them, and thus had a [share in their] mighty
J
triumph!"
(74) Hence, let them fight in God’s cause-all who
are willing to barter the life of this world for the life j • <$> uJi*
to come: for unto him who fights in God’s cause,
whether he be slain or be victorious, We shall in time
grant a mighty reward. (g) L-!â» IjJ 4^-j'
(75) And how could you refuse to fight” in the cause
of God and of the utterly helpless men and women j. j Qjkil; V j£J U,
and children who are crying, “O our Sustainer! Lead
j ^^7
us forth [to freedom] out of this land whose people
are oppressors, and raise for us, out of Thy grace, a Uj di'J LJ ££ LU* çJWÎpK .Â1Z
protector, and raise for us, out of Thy grace, one who
ùJLlZ élÆ Û jXü
will bring us succour!"
(76) Those who have attained to faith fight in the
cause of God, whereas those who are bent on denying
the truth fight in the cause of the powers of evil. ^îâÿ»
Fight, then, against those friends of Satan: verily,
90
Satan’s guile is weak indeed!88
89 sjp UÄ Jê yT

(77) ART THOU NOT aware of those who have been

told, “Curb your hands,91 and be constant in prayer,
and render the purifying dues"? But as soon as
fighting [in God’s cause] is ordained for them, lo,
some of them stand in awe of men as one should

from the principles of ideological statehood postulated in verse 59 of this sürah. Since the Muslims
are expected to organize their communal life within the framework of a state based on the
ideological premises laid down in the Qur’an, they must be prepared for hostility on the part of
groups or nations opposed to the world-view and the social system of Islam and, conceivably, bent
on its destruction: consequently, the concept of a defensive war in God’s cause (jihdd) plays a
verypronunent role in thc 8Ocio’P°litical scheme of Islam and is frequently alluded to throughout

88 Lit., “he".
89 Ut., “what is amiss with you that you do not fight”-implying that they have no moral
excuse for such a refusal.
90 Thus the Qur’än implies that “evil” is not an independent, esoteric factor of life, but rather a
result of man’s succumbing to the temptations arising from his own moral weakness and thereby
“denying the truth". In other words, the “power” of the negative principle symbolized by Satan
has no intrinsic reality (“Satan’s guile is weak indeed”): it becomes real only through man’s
wilfully choosing a wrong course of action.
91 I.e., from unrighteous violence, to which man so often inclines. The fact that most people
have to be told to refrain from violence is contrasted, in the next sentence, with the unwUlimmess
on the part of many of them to expose themselves to physical danger in a righteous cause.

118
 WOMEN
stand in awe of God-or in even greater awe-and
say, 0 our Sustainer! Why hast Thou ordained
fighting for us? If only Thou hadst granted us a delay
for a little while!”
Say: ‘‘Brief is the enjoyment of this world, whereas
the life to come is the best for all who are conscious
of God-since none of you shall be wronged by as
much as a hair’s breadth. (78) Wherever you may be,
CT* 5* XpjÜJÎLJcCaJ'
death will overtake you-even though you be in
towers raised high.” <S> Qpt'Vj
Yet, when a good thing happens to them, some
[people] say, ‘‘This is from God,” whereas when evil
befalls them, they say, ‘‘This is from thee [O fellow­
man]!”” Aîx* q. -Ui» j

Say: ‘‘All is from God.” jrji

What, then, is amiss with these people that they are
in no wise near to grasping the truth of what they are piïî »XjIa (A-J Jaf X»
told?”
dLU L>j âî <_»■ «1LWL» (S) 1—4»
(79) Whatever good happens to thee is from God;
and whatever evil befalls thee is from thyself.**
j uA-J

AND WE have sent thee [O Muhammad] as an Âii 4^./gk.J« (g) IjLyi

apostle unto all mankind: and none can bear witness
[thereto] as God does. (80) Whoever pays heed unto «£ ûjIa, O 4/^5
the Apostle pays heed unto God thereby; and as for
those who turn away-We have not sent thee to be
their keeper.
(81) And they say, “We do pay heed unto thee”*5-

92 Le., they do not realize that the evil happening may possibly be a consequence of their own
actions or their own wrong choice between several courses open to them, but are prone to
attribute it to the failings of others.
93 Lit., “something [which they are] told” - i.e., a truth which their own reason as well as the
teachings of all the prophets should have made obvious to them.
94 There is no contradiction between this statement and the preceding one that “all is from
God”. In the world-view of the Qur’in, God is the ultimate source of all happening: consequently,
all good that comes to man and all evil that befalls him flows, in the last resort, from God’s will.
However, not everything that man regards as "evil fortune” is really, in its final effect, evil - for,
“it may well be that you hate a thing the while it is good for you, and it may well be that you love a
thing the while it is bad for you: and God knows, whereas you do not know” (2:216). Thus, many
an apparent “evil” may sometimes be no more than a trial and a God-willed means of spiritual
growth through suffering, and need not necessarily be the result of a wrong choice or a wrong deed
on the part of the person thus afflicted. It is, therefore, obvious that the “evil” or “evil fortune” of
which this verse speaks has a restricted connotation, inasmuch as it refers to evil in the moral
sense of the word: that is to say, to suffering resulting from the actions or the behaviour of the
person concerned, and this in accordance with the natural law of cause and effect which God has
decreed for all His creation, and which the Qur’än describes as “the way of God” (sunnat AUdh).
For all such suffering man has only himself to blame, since “God does not wrong anyone by as
much as at atom’s weight” (4:40).
95 Lit., “And they say, ‘Obedience’’’ - a reference to the hypocrites of Medina, in the time of the
Prophet, and-by implication-the hypocritical “admirers” and half-hearted followers of Islam at
all times.
119
 SÜRAH
AN-NISÄ*____________________________________ ______ _

but when they leave thy presence, some of them

devise, in the dark of night, [beliefs] other than thou
art voicing;* and all the while God records what they
thus devise in the dark of night Leave them, then,
Jji' tfdfr Viz
alone, and place thy trust in God: for none is as
worthy of trust as God.
(82) Will they not, then, try to understand tlus
Qur’än? Had it issued from any but God, they would WA ÿj
surely have found in it many an inner contradiction.

(83) AND IF any [secret] matter pertaining to peace or

98 spread it abroad -
war comes within their ken, they96
97 J] *'*'
whereas, if they would but refer it unto the Apostle
aXi f-H '/'R d] i Arß
and unto those from among the believers’9 who have
been entrusted with authority, such of them as are
engaged in obtaining intelligence100101
would indeed
know [what to do with] it.
And but for God’s bounty towards you, and His
grace, all but a few of you would certainly have
followed Satan.
(84) Fight thou,'01 then, in God’s cause-since thou
art but responsible for thine own self - and inspire the
believers tiK overcome all fear of death.102 God may

96 Le., they surreptitiously try to corrupt the message of God’s Apostle. The verb bâta denotes
“he spent the night”; in the form bayyata it signifies “he meditated by night [upon something, or
upon doing something]”, or “he devised [something] by night” (Lisait al-Arab), i.e., in secrecy,
which is symbolized by “the dark of night”.
97 I.e., the fact that it is free of all inner contradictions - in spite of its having been revealed
gradually, over a period of twenty-three years-should convince them that it has not been
“composed by Muhammad” (an accusation frequently levelled against him not only by his
contemporaries but also by non-believers of later times), but could only have originated from a
supra-human source. See also 25 : 32 and 39 : 23.
98 I.e., the half-hearted followers of Islam spoken of in the preceding verses (Zamakhshari).
The above reference to peace or war-lit., “security or danger (khawf)" -is connected, firstly,
with the basic principles of statecraft mentioned in verse 59 of this sürah and, secondly, with the
discourse on fighting in God’s cause beginning with verse 71.
99 Lit., “from among them".
100 Lit., “those from among them who elicit (the truth]”, i.e., the special organs of the state
entrusted with gathering and evaluating political and military intelligence.
101 Although primarily addressed to the Prophet, the “thou” in this sentence relates to every
believer. The above exhortation is to be understood in the context of a war already in progress,
and not as an incitement to war.
term b^ratf signifies “corruption of body or mind” or “corruption in one’s conduct”, as
well as constant disquietude of mmd” (Qämäs). According to Räghib, the verbal form ham^ahu
means he nd him of all harad -analogous to the expression marraçlahu, “he rid him of illness
• Jn ή tW° ,nstancc? where this verb occurs in the Qur’än (in this verse as well as in
LSLi!^“#U!f/mPC7?Ve.M?r,n: .‘Rende[ the hehevers free of all disquietude of mind” or,
tropically, of all fey of death - and may, thus, be suitably expressed as “inspire the believers to
overcome all fear of death . The usual rendering of the phrase horrid al-mu'minTn as “urce for
or “.tir up“] th. believer.“ doe. not convey Ut. full mTX of «X
notwithstanding the fact that it has been suggested by some of the classical philologists (cf. Lane

120
 4
WOMEN
well curb the might of those who are bent on denying
the truth: for God is stronger in might, and stronger in
ability to deter.
(85) Whoever rallies to a good cause shall have a
share in its blessings ;103 and whoever rallies to an evil
cause shall be answerable for his part in it: for, £-5 J* ($) &3 bL XJ4 'ft
indeed, God watches over everything 104
(86) But when you are greeted with a greeting [of
peace], answer with an even better greeting, or [at
Kr J*6** Æ
least] with the like thereof.1®5 Verily, God keeps count
indeed of all things.
(87) God — save whom there is no deity—will surely
gather you all together on the Day of Resurrection,
[the coming of] which is beyond all doubt: and whose
Ja—*00
word could be truer than God’s?
(88) How, then, could you be of two minds106 about
the hypocrites, seeing that God [Himself] has
disowned them because of their guilt?107 Do you,
perchance, seek to guide those whom God has let go
^3^ ÿ Æ V J*
astray—when for him whom God lets go astray thou
canst never find any way? (89) They would love to
see you deny the truth even as they have denied it, so
that you should be like them. Do not, therefore, take
them for your allies until they forsake the domain of

103 Lit., “shall have a share (na$Tb) therefrom”. Since the term na$Tb has here a positive
meaning, it can be suitably rendered as “a share in its blessings".
104 The noun kifl is derived from the root-verb kafala, “he made himself responsible [for a
thing]”. TabarT explains it in this context as denoting “a share in the responsibility and the sin”.
The expression minhS (“out of it”) indicates the part played by the transgressor in the evil
enterprise, to which the pronoun hä (“it”) refers.
105 Lit., “greet with better than it, or return it”. In the above context, this obviously refers to an
offer of peace by people with whom the believers are at war as well as to individual persons who,
while possibly belonging to the enemy, have, to all outward appearances, peaceful intentions. In
accordance with the injunctions, “if they incline to peace, incline thou to it as well” (8:61), and “if
they desist [from fighting], then all hostility shall cease” (2 : 193), the believers are obliged to make
peace with an enemy who makes it clear that he wants to come to an equitable understanding;
similarly, they must show every consideration to individual persons from among the enemies who
do not actively participate in the hostilities (see also verse 94 of this sürah).
106 Lit., “two parties".
107 Lit., “seeing that God has thrown them back in result of what they have earned". There are
various conjectures, almost all of them of a historical nature, as to the identity of these hypocrites.
Some of the commentators think that the verse refers to the hypocrites at Medina in the early
years after the hijrafr, others (e.g., Tabari) prefer the view expressed by Ibn 'Abbas, according to
whom this refers to certain people of Mecca who, before the hijrah, outwardly accepted Islam but
secretly continued to support the pagan Quraysh. It seems to me, however, that there is no need to
search after “historical” interpretations of the above verse, since it can easily be understood in
general terms. The preceding verse speaks of God, and stresses His oneness and the obvious truth
inherent in His revealed message, as well as the certainty of judgment on Resurrection Day.
“How, then,” continues the argument, “could you be of two minds regarding the moral stature of
people who go so far as to pay lip-service to the truth of God’s message and are, nevertheless, not
willing to make ■ sincere choice between right and wrong?”

121
 SÜRAH
AN-NISÄ*
evil“" for the sake of God; and if they revert to
[open] enmity, seize them and slay them wherever

vou may find them.

And do not take any of them for your ally or
giver of succour, (90) unless it be such [of them] as
have ties with people to whom you yourselves are
bound by a covenant, or such as come unto you
(g> U* 'If y# ft-;
because their hearts shrink from [the thought of]
making war either on you or on their own folk-
although, if God had willed to make them stronger
than you, they would certainly have made war on
you."0 Thus, if they let you be, and do not make war
on you, and offer you peace, God does not allow you
to harm them.108
111112
110
109115
114
113
(91) You will find [that there are] others who would o
like to be safe from you as well as safe from their
own folk, [but who,] whenever they are faced anew baj**
with temptation to evil, plunge into it headlong.’1
Hence, if they do not let you be, and do not offer you
peace, and do not stay their hands, seize them and
slay them whenever you come upon them: for it is
against these that We have clearly empowered you iltCj (J) U-* UL»
[to make war].”3
J* J",
(92) AND IT IS not conceivable that a believer should
slay another believer, unless it be by mistake."4
And upon him who has slain a believer by mistake
there is the duty of freeing a believing soul from
bondage and paying an indemnity to the victim’s
relations,"3 unless they forgo it by way of charity.

108 See sürah 2, note 203, as well as note 124 of this sürah.
109 Le., any of those who have not ’‘forsaken the domain of evil” and are wavering between
belief and disbelief.
110 Lit., “if God had so willed, He would inded have given them power over you,
whereupon...”, etc. - implying that only the lack of requisite power, and not true good will,
causes them to refrain from making war on the believers.
Ill Lit., “God has given you no way against them”: a reference to the ordinance laid down in
verse 86 above.
112 Lit., ‘whenever they are returned to temptation (fitnah), they are thrown back into it”, or,
“thrown headlong into it”.
113 Lit., "that We have given you clear authority (salfân)”-a solemn reiteration of the
ordinance which permits war only in self-defence (cf. 2:190 ff. as well as the corresponding notes
167 and 168).
114 On the strength of this verse, read in conjunction with verse 93, some of the Mu'tazilite
scholys are of the opinion that a believer who deliberately kills another believer must be
considered an unbeliever (Rfizî). This does not, of course, apply to the execution of a death
sentence passed in due process of law.
115 Lit., “his people”-i.e., the heirs or dependants of the victim. The “freeing of a believing
soul from bondage , mentioned three times in this verse, refers in the first instance to persons who
have been taken captive in war (cf. sürah 8, note 72). But see also note 5 on 58:3.

122
 WOMEN
Now if the slain, while himself a believer, belonged
to a people who are at war with you,’“ [the penance
shall be confined to] the freeing of a believing soul
from bondage, whereas, if he belonged to a people to
whom you are bound by a covenant, [it shall consist
of] an indemnity to be paid to his relations in ad­
dition to the freeing of a believing soul from bon­
dage.”7 And he who does not have the wherewithal
shall fast [instead] for two consecutive months.116 117
118 Ùjj
[This is] the atonement ordained by God: and God
is indeed all-knowing, wise.
(93) But whoever deliberately slays another be­
liever, his requital shall be hell, therein to abide; and
God will condemn him, and will reject him, and will
prepare for him awesome suffering.
(94) [Hence,] O you who have attained to faith, LUc Jclj * ’-ij «aï u* *4’-^

when you go forth [to war] in God’s cause, use your

discernment, and do not-out of a desire for the ^4*5* 4 'H <$>
fleeting gains of this worldly life-say unto anyone
ûJ ÿ>:
who offers you the greeting of peace, “Thou art not a
believer”:"9 for with God there are gains abundant.
You, too, were once in the same condition120-but
God has been gracious unto you. Use, therefore, your
discernment: verily, God is always aware of what you j» ùjju’ilî (J) Le-* üjLm Lx jlT
do.
di ’ x* ûj*
(95) SUCH of the believers as remain passive121 - other
than the disabled - cannot be deemed equal to those
who strive hard in God’s cause with their possessions

116 Lit., “who are hostile to you” - implying that they are in an actual state of war.
117 This relates to cases where the victim is a non-Muslim belonging to a people with whom the
Muslims have normal, peaceful relations; in such cases the penalty is the same as that imposed for
the killing, under similar circumstances, of a fellow-believer.
118 I.e., in the way prescribed for fasting during the month of Ramadan (see 2:183-187). This
alleviation applies to a person who cannot afford to pay the indemnity and/or purchase the
freedom of a slave (Râzï), or cannot find a slave to be freed, as may be the case in our times
(Mondr V, 337).
119 Sc., “and therefore one of the enemies”. This verse prohibits the treating of non-
combatants as enemies and using their supposed unbelief as a pretext for plundering them. The
injunction “use your discernment” (tabayyand) imposes on the believers the duty of making sure,
in every case, whether the persons concerned are actively engaged in hostilities or not.
120 Lit., “thus have you [too] been aforetime”. Since the preceding injunction refers to the
who/e community, it would seem that the above clause, too, bears the same implication: namely, a
reference to the time when the Muslim community was, because of its weakness and numerical
insignificance, at the mercy of enemies endowed with greater power. Thus, the believers are told,
as it were: “Remember your erstwhile weakness, and treat the peacefully-minded among your
enemies with the same consideration with which you yourselves were once hoping to be treated.”
121 Lit., “who sit [at home]’’-i.e., who do not participate in the struggle in God’s cause, be it
physical or moral.
123
 SÜRAH
AN-NISÄ'
and their lives:122 God has exalted those who strive
hard wich their possessions and their lives far above
those who remain passive. Although God has
promised the ultimate good unto all [believers], yet
has God exalted those who strive hard above those
who remain passive by [promising them] a mighty
reward - (96) [many] degrees thereof - and for­
giveness of sins, and His grace; for God is indeed
much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace. W b£ & *7^
(97) Behold, those whom the angels gather in death
ijl»
while they are still sinning against themselves,^[the
angels] will ask, ‘‘What was wrong with you?”1
They will answer: “We were too weak on earth.”
[The angels] will say: “Was, then, God’s earth not
wide enough for you to forsake the domain of
evil?’”24 »I—Jb »>* <$> le—
For such, then, the goal is hell-and how evil a
journey’s end! (98) But excepted shall be the truly
helpless-be they men or women or children-who
à1 «iLJjU
cannot bring forth any strength and have not been
shown the right way:125 (99) as for them, God may
well efface their sin-for God is indeed an absolver of
X * x> <_ //(X>
sins, much-forgiving.
(100) And he who forsakes the domain of evil for
the sake of God shall find on earth many a lonely
road,126 as well as life abundant. And if anyone leaves

122 The term mujahid is derived from the verb jahada, which means “he struggled” or “strove
hard” or “exerted himself”, namely, in a good cause and against evil. Consequently, jihäd denotes
“striving in the cause of God” in the widest sense of this expression: that is to say, it applies not
merely to physical warfare (qitäl) but to any righteous struggle in the moral sense as well; thus, for
instance, the Prophet described man’s struggle against his own passions and weaknesses (jihäd
an-nafs) as the “greatest jihad" (BayhaqT, on the authority of Jäbir ibn ‘Abd Allah).
123 Lit., “in what [condition] were you?” - i.e., while alive. This refers to people who evade,
without valid excuse, all struggle in God’s cause.
124 Lit., “was not God’s earth wide, so that you could migrate therein?” The term hijrah (lit.,
“exodus”), derived from the verb hajara (“he migrated”), is used in the Qur’än in two senses: one
of them is historical, denoting the exodus of the Prophet and his Companions from Mecca to
Medina, while the other has a moral connotation-namely, man’s “exodus” from evil towards
God-and does not necessarily imply the leaving of one’s homeland in the physical sense. It is this
wider, moral and ethical meaning of the term hijrah to which the above passage refers —just as the
preceding passage (verses 95-96) referred to “striving hard in God’s cause” (jihad) in the widest
sense of the term, embracing both physical and moral efforts and the sacrifice, if need be, of one’s
possessions and even one’s life. While the physical exodus from Mecca to Medina ceased to be
obligatory for the believers after the conquest of Mecca in the year 8 H.. the spiritual exodus from
the domain of evil to that of righteousness continues to be a fundamental demand of Islam: in
other words, a person who does not “migrate from evil unto God” cannot be considered a
believer-which explains the condemnation, in the next sentence, of all who are remiss in this
respect.
125 Or: “cannot find the [right] way” - implying that they are helplessly confused and cannot,
therefore, grasp this basic demand of Islam; or, alternatively, that the message relating to this
demand has not been adequately conveyed and explained to them.
126 The word murägham is derived from the noun ragham (“dust”) and is connected with the

124
 4
WOMEN
his home, fleeing from evil unto God and His Apostle,
and then death overtakes him —his reward is ready
with God: for God is indeed much-forgiving, a dis­ a ~
penser of grace. & Jp Jüi ojjl J? &

(101) AND WHEN you go forth [to war] on earth, you will
incur no sin by shortening your prayers127 if you have J ÿï-jö J4Î
reason to fear that those who are bent on denying the
truth might suddenly fall upon you:128 for, verily,
those who deny the truth are your open foes. (102)
ffcß c3 U j (£J) L*-.
Thus, when thou art among the believers129 and about
to lead them in prayer, let [only] part of them stand
up with thee, retaining their arms. Then, after they
have finished their prayer, let them provide you U-*. J <jj
cover130 while another group, who have not yet
prayed, shall come forward and pray with thee, being
fully prepared against danger and retaining their arms:
[for] those who are bent on denying the truth would
love to see you oblivious of your arms and your
equipment, so that they might fall upon you in a
surprise attack.131 But it shall not be wrong for you to
lay down your arms [while you pray] if you are
troubled by rain132 or if you are ill; but [always] be

idiomatic expression raghima anfuhu, “his nose was made to cleave to dust”, i.e., he became
humbled and forced to do something against his will. Thus, murägham denotes “a road by the
taking of which one leaves one’s people against their will” (Zamakhsharï), it being understood that
this separation from one’s famililar environment involves what is described as muräghamah, the
“breaking off [from another]" or the "cutting off from friendly or living communion” (see Lane
III, 1113). All this can best be rendered, in the above context, as “a lonely road”-a metaphor of
that heartbreaking loneliness which almost always accompanies the first steps of one who sets
forth on his “exodus from evil unto God”. (Regarding this latter expression, see note 124 above as
well as sürah 2, note 203.)
127 Lit., “the prayer”: a reference to the five obligatory daily prayers-at dawn, noon,
afternoon, after sunset and late in the evening-which may be shortened and combined (the noon
prayer with that of the afternoon, and the sunset prayer with that of the late evening) if one is
travelling or in actual danger. While the extension of this permission to peaceful travel has been
authorized by the Prophet’s sunnah, the Qur’än mentions it only in connection with war situations;
and this justifies the interpolation, in the opening sentence, of the words “to war". The prayer
described in the next verse-with the congregation praying in shifts-is called falät al-khawf
(“prayer in danger").
128 Lit., “might cause you an affliction" - implying, according to almost all the commentators, a
sudden attack.
129 Lit., “among them”. The “thou” in this sentence refers, primarily, to the Prophet and, by
implication, to the leader of every group of believers at war with “those who deny the truth”.
130 Lit., “when they have prostrated themselves, let them [i.e., the other group] be behind you”.
This idomatic expression is not to be taken literally: in classical Arabic usage, the phrase kana, min
warä'ika (lit., “he was behind thee") signifies “he protected thee" or (in military parlance) “he
covered thee", and is not meant to describe the physical relative position of the two persons or
groups.
131 Lit., “turn upon you in one turning".
132 I.e., if there is a risk of their weapons being damaged by exposure to unfavourable weather
conditions, the warriors are exempted from the obligation of keeping their arms with them while

125
 SÜRAH
AN-NISÄ’

fully prepared against danger.

Verily, God has readied shameful suffering for all
who deny the truth!
(103) And when you have finished your prayer,
remember God-standing and sitting and lying down;
and when you are once again secure, observe your MJ*

prayers [fully]. Verily, for all believers prayer is

indeed a sacred duty linked to particular times [of

day]_
(104) And be not faint of heart when you seek out
the [enemy] host. If you happen to suffer pain, behold,
they suffer pain even as you suffer it: but you are
X XX Xf X X X A4x^x >xtx. ft X
hoping [to receive] from God what they cannot hope «• ** Qr-ô ùjJU $ ùjJl p—
for. And God is indeed all-knowing, wise.

(105) BEHOLD, We have bestowed upon thee from on «îf «ibjl Le (/4JÎ
high this divine writ, setting forth the truth, so that
thou mayest judge between people in accordance <ffl> ù8*4>1 4ilV
with what God has taught thee.133 Hence, do not
contend with those who are false to their trust, (106) 4 ^1;* Jf £ Jxx *£
but pray God to forgive [them]:134 behold, God is
efLJÎ (jlf’J4
indeed much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.
(107) Yet do not argue in behalf of those who are xw XXX >.x>t • >xxx>x x-x x >.x ~

false to their own selves:135 verily, God does not love

those who betray their trust and persist in sinful
ways. (108) They would conceal their doings from
men; but from God they cannot conceal them-for
He is with them whenever they devise, in the dark of

praying. This exemption applies, of course, only to such of the soldiers as are in charge of
particularly sensitive weapons; and the same applies to the individual cases of illness mentioned in
the sequence. It must, however, be remembered that the term mafar (lit., “rain”) is often used in
the Qur’än to denote “an affliction”: and if we adopt this meaning, the above phrase could be
rendered as “if you suffer from an affliction” - thus allowing for a wide range of possible
emergencies.
133 The “thou” in this and the following two verses - as well as in verse 113 - refers, on the face
of it, to the Prophet; by implication, however, it is addressed to everyone who has accepted the
guidance of the Qur’än: this is evident from the use of the plural “you” in verse 109. Con­
sequently, the attempt on the part of most of the commentators to explain this passage in purely
historical terms is not very convincing, the more so as it imposes an unnecessary limitation on an
otherwise self-explanatory ethical teaching of general purport.
134 This obviously refers to the hypocrites as well as to the half-hearted followers of the Qur’än
spoken of earlier in this surah: both are accused of having betrayed the trust reposed in them,
inasmuch as they pretend to have accepted the Qur’anic message but, in reality, are trying to
corrupt it (see verse 81). Since they are already aware of what the Qur’än demands of them and
are, nevertheless, bent on evading all real self-surrender to its guidance, there is no use in arguing
with them.
135 I.e., “you may ask God to forgive them, but do not try to find excuses for their behaviour”.
It is significant that the Qur’än characterizes a betrayal of trust, whether spiritual or social, as
“being false to oneself” - just as it frequently describes a person who deliberately commits a sin or
a wrong (?ulm) as “one who sins against himself" or “wrongs himself" (?ä/im nafsahu)- since
every deliberate act of sinning damages its author spiritually.

126
 WOMEN
night, all manner of beliefs'36 which He does not
approve. And God indeed encompasses [with His
knowledge] whatever they do.
(109) Oh, you might well argue in their behalf in the
life of this world: but who will argue in their behalf
with God on the Day of Resurrection, or who will be
their defender? ôjLJu (_x ûkj
(110) Yet he who does evil or [otherwise] sins
aï CjjlTipf j
against himself, and thereafter prays God to forgive
him, shall find God much-forgiving, a dispenser of
•Z* 0 OA.Ü* fl
grace: (111) for he who commits a sin, commits it
only to his own hurt;136
137 and God is indeed all-know­
ing, wise. (112) But he who commits a fault or a sin
and then throws the blame therefor on an innocent
person, burdens himself with the guilt of calumny and
J»
[yet another] flagrant sin.
(113) And but for God's favour upon thee and His 11^: JlL-TaJi
grace, some of those [who are false to themselves]
would indeed endeavour to lead thee astray; yet none J «îJM* J-î» 0
but themselves do they lead astray. Nor can they
i»r—ùJL». i»j «y **ü» cmà
harm thee in any way, since God has bestowed upon
thee from on high this divine writ and [given thee] wjSâsJTeûk ûî jjij Cj
wisdom, and has imparted unto thee the knowledge of
what thou didst not know. And God’s favour upon
thee is tremendous indeed.
✓*’ û* •0
(114) NO GOOD comes, as a rule, out of secret
confabulations - saving such as are devoted to en­
joining charity, or equitable dealings, or setting things 0) Vli» l/J
to rights between people:13* and unto him who does
this out of a longing for God’s goodly acceptance We jü CeA -‘-r j; j*->
shall in time grant a mighty reward.
(115) But as for him who, after guidance has been
vouchsafed to him, cuts himself off from the Apostle
and follows a path other than that of the believers -
him shall We leave unto that which he himself has
chosen,139 and shall cause him to endure hell: and

136 Lit., “that of belief’ (min al-qawl). It is to be remembered that the noun qawi does not
denote merely “a saying” or “an utterance” (which is its primary significance): it is also employed
tropically to denote anything that can be described as a “conceptual statement” - like an opinion, a
doctrine, or a belief - and is often used in this sense in the Qur’ân.
137 Lit., “he who earns a sin, earns it only against himself’.
138 Lit., “There is no good in much of their secret confabulation (najwö)-excepting him who
enjoins...", etc. Thus, secret talks aiming at positive, beneficial ends-for instance, peace
negotiations between states or communities - are excepted from the disapproval of “secret
confabulations” because premature publicity may sometimes be prejudicial to the achievement of
those ends or may (especially in cases where charity is involved) hurt the feelings of the people
concerned.
139 Lit., “him We shall [cause to] turn to that to which he [himself] has turned”-a stress on
man’s freedom of choice.

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how evil a journey’s end!

(116) VERILY, God does not forgive the ascribing of

' ’ divinity to aught beside Him, although Heforgives
any lesser sin unto whomever He wills: for those who OjpL £1/» ù'«^4 (JJj)
ascribe divinity to aught beside God have indeed gone
far astray. (117) In His stead, they invoke only life-
less symbols*40-thus invoicing none but a rebellious
ùjPJj 4 ■> ùj*-J» 4 0 U-«
Satan (118) whom God has rejected for having said,
“Verily, of Thy servants I shall most certainly take «ilV.’ltù^l
my due share, (119) and shall lead them astray, and
fill them with vain desires; and I shall command
them-and they will cut off the ears of cattle [in
idolatrous sacrifice]; and I shall command them-and
they will corrupt God’s creation!”140
141
But all who take Satan rather than God for then-
master do indeed, most clearly, lose all: (120) he
holds out promises to them, and fills them with vain
Ç» àjjf. Yj (JJ) bjj/'A
desires: yet whatever Satan promises them is but
meant to delude the mind.*42 (121) Such as these have
hell for their goal: and they shall find no way to
escape therefrom. Jcj Lu' IjjCcJt»-ù“«-’•’T
(122) Yet those who attain to faith and do righteous
deeds We shall bring into gardens through which
running waters flow, therein to abide beyond the
count of time: this is, in truth, God’s promise-and J**.û*
whose word could be truer than God’s?
(123) It may not accord with your wishful
thinking-nor with the wishful thinking of the fol­
lowers of earlier revelation143 - [that] he who does evil

140 The term inäth (which is the plural of unthä, “a female being”) seems to have been applied
by the pre-lslamic Arabs to their idols, probably because most of them were considered to be
female. Hence, according to some philologists, the plural form inäth signifies “inanimate things”
(cf. Lane 1,112). IbnrAbbäs, Qatädah and Al-tfasan al-Baçrï explain it as denoting anything that is
passive and lifeless (Tabari); this definition has been adopted by Râghib as well. On the other
hand, TabarT mentions a Tradition, on the authority of *Urwah, according to which a copy of the
Qur’än in the possession of 'Ä’ishah contained the word awthän (“idols”) instead of inäth (cf. also
ZamakhsharT and Ibn KathTr). The rendering “lifeless symbols” is most appropriate in this context
inasmuch as it adequately combines the concept of “idols” with that of “inanimate things”.
141 Cf. 7:16-17. The pre-lslamic Arabs used to dedicate certain of their cattle to one or another
of their idols by cutting off or slitting the ears of the animal, which was thereupon considered
sacred (TabarT). In the above context, this reference is used metonymically to describe idolatrous
practices, or inclinations, in general. The allusion to Satan’s inducing man to “corrupt (lit-,
“change”] God’s creation” has a meaning to which sufficient attention is but seldom paid: Since
this creation, and the manner in which it manifests itself, is an expression of God’s planning wifi,
any attempt at changing its intrinsic nature amounts to corruption. - For the wider meaning of the
term shayfan (“Satan” or “satanic force”), see first half of note 16 on 15:17.
142 The term ghurür signifies anything by which the mind is beguiled or deceived-for instance,
utter self-abandonment to earthly joys, or the absurd belief that there is no limit to man’s aims and
achievements.
143 An allusion to both the Jewish idea that they are “God’s chosen people” and, therefore,

128
 WOMEN
shall be requited for it, and shall find none to protect
him from God, and none to bring him succour, (124)
whereas anyone-be it man or woman-who does
[whatever he can] of good deeds and is a believer
withal, shall enter paradise, and shall not be wronged
by as much as [would fill] the groove of a date-stone.
(125) And who could be of better faith than he who
surrenders his whole being unto God and is a doer of
good withal, and follows the creed of Abraham, who
turned away from all that is false-seeing that God
<j-^’ le** X,
exalted Abraham with His love?144
(126) For, unto God belongs all that is in the
heavens and all that is on earth; and, indeed, God
encompasses everything.
if ju A» <5^

(127) AND THEY will ask thee to enlighten them about the
laws concerning women.145 Say: “God [Himself] en­ Ji. h »LJf j
lightens you about the laws concerning them”-for
[His will is shown] in what is being conveyed unto
you through this divine writ about orphan women [in
your charge], to whom - because you yourselves may
be desirous of marrying them - you do not give that
which has been ordained for them;144 and about help­ CM» (ffi) Çb
less children; and about your duty to treat orphans
with equity. And whatever good you may do-be­ J Lpb ÿi £ Uu
hold, God has indeed full knowledge thereof.
(128) And if a woman has reason to fear ill-treat­ Q^lf<**bL* Wt
ment from her husband, or that he might turn away
QjUm U ùlT ù[j
from her, it shall not be wrong for the two to set
things peacefully to rights between themselves: for
peace is best, and selfishness is ever-present in
human souls. But if you do good and are conscious of
Him-behold, God is indeed aware of all that you do.
(129) And it will not be within your power to treat
your wives with equal fairness, however much you

assured of His grace in the hereafter, and to the Christian dogma of “vicarious atonement”, which
promises salvation to all who believe in Jesus as “God's son”.
144 Lit., “chose Abraham to be [His] beloved friend (khalil)".
145 I.e., the laws relating to marital relations, women’s share in inheritance, etc. A fatwä or
iftä* denotes the “clarification of a legal injunction” given in reply to a question; correspondingly,
the verb istaftähu means “he asked him to give a legal decision”, or “to enlighten him about a
[particular] law”. Since the laws alluded to in the above passage have already been dealt with early
in this surah, the repeated reference to them is meant to stress the great importance of the
problems involved, as well as the responsibility which men bear towards their physiologically
weaker counterparts. In accordance with the system prevailing throughout the Qur’än, a lengthy
passage dealing with purely moral or ethical questions is usually-as in the present case - followed
by verses relating to social legislation, and this with a view to bringing out the intimate connection
between man’s spiritual life and his social behaviour.
146 Cf. verse 3 of this sBrah, “If you have reason to fear that you might not act equitably
towards orphans..and ’Ä’ishah’s explanation quoted in the corresponding note 3.

129
 SÜRAH
AN-NISÄ*

may desire it;1" and so, do not allow “

incline towards one to the exclusion of the other,
leaving her in a state, as it were, of havmg and not
having a husband.“ But if you put things to rights
and are conscious of Him-behold, God is indeed
much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.
(130) And if husband and wife do separate, God
shall provide for each of them out of His abundance:
for God is indeed infinite, wise, (131) and unto God
belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on

earth.

AND, INDEED, We have enjoined upon those who

were granted revelation before your time, as well as
upon yourselves, to remain conscious of God. And if ùp ù'Cf
you deny Him-behold, unto God belongs all that is
in the heavens and all that is on earth, and God is ùlf'j ü**

indeed self-sufficient, ever to be praised. ojjt j u Cà-î

(132) And unto God belongs all that is in the
heavens and all that is on earth; and none is as
worthy of trust as God. (133) If He so wills, He can
cause you, O mankind, to disappear, and bring forth cr <$>
other beings (in your stead]: for God has indeed the
•>?[> Çif Lç ax
power to do this.
(134) If one desires the rewards of this world, [let
• <3>VrÇ
him remember that] with God are the rewards of
[both] this world and the life to come: and God is
indeed all-hearing, all-seeing.
Uj.diîuÜJ»Lr*jC"4
(13S) O YOU who have attained to faith! Be ever steadfast
in upholding equity, bearing witness to the truth for
the sake of God, even though it be against your own
selves or your parents and kinsfolk. Whether the
person concerned be rich or poor, God’s claim takes
precedence over [the claims of] either of them.130 Do

147 This refers to cases where a man has more than one wife - a permission which is conditional
upon his determination and ability to “treat them with equal fairness“, as laid down in verse 3 of
this sürah. Since a man who is fully conscious of his moral responsibility might feel that he is
committing a sin if he loves one of his wives more than the other (or others), the above verse
provides a “judicial enlightenment” on this point by making it clear that feelings are beyond a
human being’s control: in other words, that the required equality of treatment relates only to
outward behaviour towards and practical dealings with one’s wives. However, in view of the fact
that a man’s behaviour towards another person is, in the long run, almost inevitably influenced by
what he feels about that person, the above passage-read in conjunction with verse 3, and
especially its concluding sentence - imposes a moral restriction on plural marriages.
148 Lit., “do not incline with all inclination” - i.e., towards one of the wives, implying thereby
an exclusion of the other from all affection-“leaving her, as it were, in suspense (ka’l-
mu*allaqah)". Regarding my rendering of this phrase, see Lane V, 2137.
149 Lit., “the two”.
150 I.e., “do not allow the fact that a man is rich to prejudice you in his favour or against him,

130
 WOMEN
not, then, follow your own desires, lest you swerve
from justice: for if you distort [the truth], behold,
God is indeed aware of all that you do!
(136) O you who have attained to faith! Hold fast
unto your belief in God and His Apostle, and in the 'r*/'’ J1 J iJJï Su
divine writ which He has bestowed from on high
upon His Apostle, step by step, as well as in the yr Cc
revelation which He sent down aforetime:,5‘ for he
who denies God, and His angels, and His revelations,
and His apostles, and the Last Day, has indeed gone âl J.
far astray.152
(137) Behold, as for those who come to believe, and
then deny the truth, and again come to believe, and
again deny the truth, and thereafter grow stubborn in ’A y iE
their denial of the truth15’-God will not forgive them,
y cf->. J «T f j&f b
nor will He guide them in any way. (138) Announce
thou to such hypocrites that grievous suffering awaits Lii ùl (ja,
them.
îUjJî yjjr yr u_j*
(139) As for those who take the deniers of the truth
for their allies in preference to the believers-do they
hope to be honoured by them when, behold, all
honour belongs to God [alone]?154 ût ci u jl j jLk Jj
(140) And, indeed, He has enjoined upon you in
this divine writ that whenever you hear people deny iir b-V* (H** b-»^* Ç; > Ç;
the truth of God’s messages and mock at them, you IS[ j
shall avoid their company until they begin to talk of
other things155-or else, verily, you will become like Jf ($) ^-♦’r j

them.
jO J > âTj. J,
Behold, together with those who deny the truth
God will gather in hell the hypocrites, (141) who but J' ui*<j[j
wait to see what betides you: thus, if triumph comes
to you from God, they say, ’’Were we not on your
side?”-whereas if those who deny the truth are in
luck, they say [to them], “Have we not earned your

and do not, out of misplaced compassion, favour the poor man at the expense of the truth”.
151 What is meant here is belief in the fact of earlier revelation, and not in the earlier-revealed
scriptures in their present form, which-as repeatedly stated in the Qur’an-is the outcome of
far-reaching corruption of the original texts.
152 Since it is through the beings or forces described as angels that God conveys His
revelations to the prophets, belief in angels is correlated with belief in revelation as such.
153 Lit., “increase in a denial of the truth”.
154 See 3:28. However, the term “allies” (awWyd’, sing, wall) does not indicate, in this context,
merely political alliances. More than anything else, it obviously alludes to a “moral alliance” with
the deniers of the truth: that is to say, to an adoption of their way of life in preference to the way
of life of the believers, in the hope of being “honoured", or accepted as equals, by the former.
Since an imitation of the way of life of confirmed unbelievers must obviously conflict with the
moral principles demanded by true faith, it unavoidably leads to a gradual abondonment of those
principles.
155 Lit., “you shall not sit with them until they immerse themselves in talk other than this”. The
injunction referred to is found in 6:68, which was revealed at a much earlier period.

131
 SÜRAH
AN-NISÄ’____________________________________________
affection by defending you against those be-

God will judge between you all on the Day of

Resurrection; and never will God aUow those who
deny the truth to harm the believers.'
(142) Behold, the hypocrites seek to deceive God"
the while it is He who causes them to be deceived * 4iî
158 And when they rise to pray, they
[by themselves].156
157
rise reluctantly, only to be seen and praised by men, # îjLiî 4 ££ Su
remembering God but seldom, (143) wavering be­
tween this and that, [true] neither to these nor those.
But for him whom God lets go astray thou canst
never find any way.
(144) O you who have attained to faith! Do not take
the deniers of the truth for your allies in preference
<3>
to the believers! Do you want to place before God a
manifest proof of your guilt?159*
(145) Verily, the hypocrites shall be in the lowest (JJ) Uliî*
depth of the fire, and thou wilt find none who could
succour them. (146) But excepted shall be they who
($> Le* f-1 V Jb j
repent, and live righteously, and hold fast unto God, îj? Jî'A
and grow sincere in their faith in God alone: for these
shall be one with the believers - and in time God will ÛÎ OR
grant to all believers a mighty reward.
(147) Why would God cause you to suffer [for your
jr Wj* W
past sins] if you are grateful and attain to belief -
seeing that God is always responsive to gratitude,
all-knowing?'40 (J^ jjli
(148) God does not like any evil to be mentioned
openly, unless it be by him who has been wronged

156 Lit., “did we not gain mastery over you [i.e., “over your hearts” - cf. Lane II, 664] and
defend you against the believers?” The term “believers” has obviously a sarcastic implication
here, which justifies the use of the demonstrative pronoun “those” instead of the definite article
“the”.
157 This announcement has, of course, a purely spiritual meaning, and does not necessarily
apply to the changing fortunes, of life-since (as this very verse points out) “those who deny the
truth * may on occasion be “in luck”, that is to say, may gain temporal supremacy over the
believers.
158 Some of the commentators (e.g., RäzT) interpret the phrase huwa khädi'uhum (lit.. “He is
their deceiver ) as He will requite them for their deception”. However, the rendering adopted by
me seems to be more in tune with 2:9, where the same type of hypocrisy is spoken of: “They
would deceive God and those who have attained to faith-the while they deceive none but
themselves, and are not aware of it." See also Mandr V, 469 f.. where both these interpretations
are considered to be mutually complementary.
159 Lit., “a manifest proof against yourselves”. See note 154 above.

Qand2^1?® ?? •1S
with what e5described °fa “soul": anaturc
°f hSLisas - awhich
feeling 8 of thankfulness
fee,inoften thebeing
leads man tofor alive
realization
that this boon of life and consciousness is not accidental, and thus, in a logical process of thought,
•,nS°d- Accordin® ? Z*™khshan, this is the reason why “graritude™placed before
belief in the structure of the above sentence.

132
 WOMEN
[thereby].161 And God is indeed all-hearing, all-know­
ing, (149) whether you do good openly or in secret, or
pardon others for evil [done unto you]: for, behold,
God is indeed an absolver of sins, infinite in His
power.

(150) VERILY, those who deny God and His apostles by

L** J* •/«G' Qi-
endeavouring to make a distinction between [belief S[ ($>
in] God and [belief in] His apostles, and who say,
“We believe in the one but we deny the other,”162 and ujP *4—>jj & en J

want to pursue a path in-between - (151) it is they, they

bl
who are truly denying the truth: and for those who
deny the truth We have readied shameful suffering.
(152) But as for those who believe in God and His
apostles and make no distinction between any of (© C* Ui
them163—unto them, in time, will He grant their re­
yî
wards [in full]. And God is indeed much-forgiving, a
dispenser of grace. J JÂI ClLu (Q) bj* «sf ùfj

(153) THE FOLLOWERS of the Old Testament164165 demand

166 •** »L-jT J>'
of thee [O Prophet] that thou cause a revelation to be
âî y Çia <irô j-
sent down to them from heaven.161 And an even
greater thing than this did they demand of Moses
when they said, “Make us see God face to
face” - whereupon the thunderbolt of punishment
overtook them for this their wickedness.146 After that,
they took to worshipping the [golden] calf-and this
after all evidence of the truth had come unto them!

161 As some of the commentators (e.g., RSzT) point out, this may refer to giving currency to
earlier sayings or deeds of the repentant sinners-both hypocrites and outright deniers of the
truth-mentioned in the preceding two verses: an interpretation which seems to be borne out by
the context. However, the above statement has a general import as well: it prohibits the public
mention of anybody’s evil deeds or sayings, “unless it be by him who has been wronged
[thereby]" - which also implies that evil behaviour which affects the society as a whole may be
made public if the interests of the wronged party-in this case, the society as such-demand it.
162 Or: “We believe in some and we deny the others”-that is, they believe in God but not in
His apostles (Zamakhsharî) or, alternatively, they believe in some of the apostles and deny others
(Tabari and Zamakhsharî). To my mind, the first of these two interpretations is preferable
inasmuch as it covers not only a rejection of some of the apostles but also a total rejection of the
idea that God may have revealed His will through His chosen message-bearers. In Islam, the
rejection of any or all of God’s apostles constitutes almost as grave a sin as a denial of God
Himself.
163 I.e., in point of their being God’s message-bearers.
164 As is evident from the sequence, the term ahi al-kitäb (“followers of [earlier) revelation")
refers here specifically to the Jews, which justifies its rendering as “followers of the Old
Testament".
165 Sc., “in proof of thy prophethood". Alternatively, the sentence may be understood thus:
“They ask thee to bring down unto them an [actual] book from heaven." In view, however, of the
oft-repeated Qur’anic statement that the Jews were convinced that they alone could be granted
divine revelation, it seems to me that the rendering adopted by me is the more appropriate.
166 See 2:55 and the corresponding note 40.

133
 SÜRAH
AN-NISÄ1

None the less. We effaced this [sm ot the

vouchsafed unto Moses a clear proof [of die truth],
(154) raising Mount Sinai high above them in witness
of their solemn pledge. And We said unto them,
“Enter the gate humbly”;1" and We told them. Do
not break the Sabbath-law”; and We accepted from Utj Ur ÛCjTyl? fl &

them a most solemn pledge.

(155) And so, [We punished them‘d for the break­ dpt ûulb cÂJÎJ pi
ing of their pledge, and their refusal to acknowledge
Pjjuj IJ c-L ip
God’s messages, and their slaying of prophets against
all right, and their boast, ‘‘Our hearts are already full
of knowledge”-nay, but God has sealed their hearts
in result of their denial of the truth, and [now] they
believe in but few things-;167 169170
168 (156) and for their
refusal to acknowledge the truth, and the awesome
calumny which they utter against Mary,”0 (157) and
jCb Cj
their boast, ‘‘Behold, we have slain the Christ Jesus,
son of Mary, [who claimed to be] an apostle of God!”
çlU o dll v ‘■’IJ
However, they did not slay him, and neither did
they crucify him, but it only seemed to them [as if it J fë) U-i. Uj (je J*
had been] so;171 and, verily, those who hold conflict­
ing views thereon are indeed confused, having no (g> Çcl -j
[real] knowledge thereof, and following mere con­
jecture. For, of a certainty, they did not slay him:
(158) nay, God exalted him unto Himself172 - and God

167 See 2:58-59 and the corresponding notes.

168 The statement relating to their punishment - clearly implied here-is made explicit in verse
160.
169 See 2:88 and the corresponding notes.
170 The calumny referred to is the popular Jewish assertion that Jesus was an illegitimate child.
171 Thus, the Qur’än categorically denies the story of the crucifixion of Jesus. There exist,
among Muslims, many fanciful legends telling us that at the last moment God substituted for Jesus
a person closely resembling him (according to some accounts, that person was Judas), who was
subsequently crucified in his place. However, none of these legends finds the slightest support in
the Qur’än or in authentic Traditions, and the stories produced in this connection by the classical
commentators must be summarily rejected. They represent no more than confused attempts at
“harmonizing” the Qur’anic statement that Jesus was not crucified with the graphic description, in
the Gospels, of his crucifixion. The story of the crucifixion as such has been succinctly explained
in the Qur’anic phrase wa-läkin shubbiha lahum, which I render as “but it only appeared to them
as if it had been so" - implying that in the course of time, long after the time of Jesus, a legend had
somehow grown up (possibly under the then-powerful influence of Mithraistic beliefs) to the effect
that he had died on the cross in order to atone for the “original sin” with which mankind is
allegedly burdened; and this legend became so firmly established among the latter-day followers of
Jesus that even his enemies, the Jews, began to believe it - albeit in a derogatory sense (for
crucifixion was, in those times, a heinous form of death-penalty reserved for the lowest of
criminals). This, to my mind, is the only satisfactory explanation of the phrase wa-lâkin shubbiha
lahum, the more so as the expression shubbiha IT is idiomatically synonymous with khuyyila IT,
[a thing] became a fancied image to me", i.e., “in my mind”-in other words, “[it] seemed to me”
(see QamOs, art. khayala, as well as Lane II, 833, and IV. 1500).
where God says to Jesus, “Verily, I shall cause thee to die, and shall exalt thee
unto Me. The verb rafa'ahu (lit., “he raised him” or “elevated him”) has always, whenever the

134
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WOMEN
is indeed almighty, wise. (159) Yet there is not one of
the followers of earlier revelation who does not, at
the moment of his death, grasp the truth about
Jesus;173 and on the Day of Resurrection he [himself]
shall bear witness to the truth against them.
(160) So, then, for the wickedness committed by
those who followed the Jewish faith did We deny
unto them certain of the good things of life which Cflpb IjLji (Ipk djSL?
[aforetime] had been allowed to them;174 and [We did
this] for their having so often turned away from the &
path of God,’75 (161) and [for] their taking usury
** Lr bt/ Ui?’
although it had been forbidden to them, and their
wrongful devouring of other people’s possessions. (JJJ) y Lljc
And for those from among them who [continue to]
deny the truth We have readied grievous suffering. JJi lx Ûy-jjÇ j jjirÿ

(162) But as for those from among them who are

deeply rooted in knowledge,176177and the believers who
believe in that which has been bestowed upon thee
from on high as well as that which was bestowed
from on high before thee, and those who are [es­
pecially] constant in prayer,'77 and spend in charity.

act of raf* (“elevating”) of a human being is attributed to God, the meaning of “honouring” or
“exalting”. Nowhere in the Qur’an is there any warrant for the popular belief that God has “taken
up” Jesus bodily, in his lifetime, into heaven. The expression “God exalted him unto Himself” in
the above verse denotes the elevation of Jesus to the realm of God’s special grace - a blessing in
which all prophets partake, as is evident from 19:57, where the verb rafa'nâhu (“We exalted
him”) is used with regard to the Prophet Idris. (See also Muhammad 'Abduh in Manär III, 316 f.,
and VI, 20 f.) The “nay” (bal) at the beginning of the sentence is meant to stress the contrast
between the belief of the Jews that they had put Jesus to a shameful death on the cross and the
fact of God’s having “exalted him unto Himself”.
173 Lit., “who does not believe in him before his death”. According to this verse, all believing
Jews and Christians realize at the moment of their death that Jesus was truly a prophet of
God-having been neither an impostor nor “the son of God” (Zamakhshari).
174 Most of the commentators assume that this refers to the severe dietary restrictions imposed
on the Jews, which are alluded to in 3:93 and 6:146. Since, however, 3:93 clearly states that
these restrictions and prohibitions were a punishment for evil deeds committed “before the Torah
was bestowed from on high”, while the verse which we are now discussing relates to their sinful
behaviour in later times, we must conclude that the punishment spoken of here has another
meaning: namely, the age-long deprivation of the Jewish people of the many ‘‘good things of life”
which other nations enjoy - in other words, the humiliation and suffering which they have had to
undergo throughout most of their recorded history, and particularly after the time of Jesus. It is on
the basis of this interpretation that I have rendered the expression harramnd 'aiayhim (lit., “We
forbade them”) as “We denied to them”.
175 The verb fadda (“he turned away”) can be transitive as well as intransitive, and the same
applies to the noun fadd derived from it. In the former case, the sentence would read, “for their
having turned away many [others] from the path of God"; in the latter case, “for their having [so]
often turned away from the path of God". In view of the repeated stress, in the Qur’än, on the
refractory nature of the children of Israel-and the abundant evidence to this effect in the Old
Testament-I prefer the intransitive rendering.
176 I.e., those from among the Jews who do not content themselves with a mere observance of
rituals, but try to penetrate to the deepest meaning of faith.
177 According to the grammarians of the Ba$rah school, and especially SIbawayh, the use of

135
 SÜRAH
AN-NISÄ*
and all who believe in God and the Last Day - these it
is unto whom We shall grant a mighty reward.

(163) BEHOLD, We have inspired thee [O Prophet] just as

We inspired Noah and all the prophets after him-as
We inspired Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and
Jacob, and their descendants, including Jesus and uL-jl L’[ • (JJ) LJi*
Job, and Jonah, and Aaron, and Solomon; and as We
vouchsafed unto David a book of divine wisdom; Ç-AJ.1û; 4
(164) and as [We inspired other] apostles whom We
as well as apostles
179180
have mentioned to thee ere this,178 erW
whom We have not mentioned to thee; and as God
spoke His word unto Moses: (165) [We sent all these]
<$> Lut j Jjjtj
apostles as heralds of glad tidings and as warners, so J jj
that men might have no excuse before God after [the
coming of] these apostles: and God is indeed al­ (Q) igrj* 4k-Js
mighty, wise.
aî jé (jAiU ÙjG à Jpj J
(166) However it be, God [Himself] bears witness
to the truth of what He has bestowed from on high *>«.-*•***•»
(jJj> VC- «T joj
upon thee: out of His own wisdom has He bestowed
it from on high, with the angels bearing witness
thereto-although none can bear witness as God
does.
(167) Behold, those who are bent on denying the
truth and on turning others away from the path of
God have indeed gone far astray.
(168) Behold, those who are bent on denying the <3 r* jjP
truth and on evildoing - God will indeed not forgive (Jf 4M * j't» à'A
them, nor will He guide them onto any road (169) but
the road that leads to hell, therein to abide beyond the il J ôî Çjî* 3
count of time: and this is indeed easy for God.
(170) O mankind! The Apostle has now come unto
you with the truth from your Sustainer: believe, then, jui ¥
for your own good! And if you deny the truth-
behold, unto God belongs all that is in the heavens X> X'-î '■î'■?—3
and all that is on earth, and God is indeed all-
knowing, wise! ->iîUc[ û^'A

(171) O FOLLOWERS of the Gospel! Do not overstep the

bounds [of truth] in your religious beliefs,1*0 and do
not say of God anything but the truth. The Christ

JSSS a *** -n cxpress,on al'mu^rm'n of-faläh (“those who are constant in

r2-Z ? °f • noT,nat,v® a legitimate grammatical device meant to
SZkbriSrä rTTÏ° hy qUa-lty attaching t0 praycr and »° ‘hose who are devoted to it (see
Zamakhshari and Razi); hence my interpolation of “especially” between brackets.
178 Le., the Psalms (see sürah 21, note 101).
179 I.e., before the revelation of this sürah.
180 I.C-. by raising Jesus to the rank of divinity. Since here the Christians are addressed
specifically, I render the term kitäb as “Gospel”. vrawuiua are auor?»™

136
 WOMEN
Jesus, son of Mary, was but God’s Apostle-[the
fulfilment of] His promise which He had conveyed
unto Mary-and a soul created by Him.181 Believe,
then, in God and His apostles, and do not say, “[God
'(..a ,
is] a trinity . Desist [from this assertion] for your
ÇJJJ f.S uf
own good. God is but One God; utterly remote is He, hr#-« “iZ'.äAjü
in His glory, from having a son: unto Him belongs all
that is in the heavens and all that is on earth; and
none is as worthy of trust as God. A •‘-►J j£j
(172) Never did the Christ feel too proud to be dkfjC/J
God s servant, nor do the angels who are near unto
Him. And those who feel too proud to serve Him and 3jC, Ùl £--JT uiClû J (gj> 5L/5
glory in their arrogance [should know that on
Judgment Day] He will gather them all unto Himself: J- l?*-*
(173) whereupon unto those who attained to faith and îr*** (Jg)
did good deeds He will grant their just rewards, and
give them yet more out of His bounty; whereas those r»zr-'
who felt too proud and gloried in their arrogance He
will chastise with grievous suffering: and they shall
find none to protect them from God, and none to
($$ 1^' Y, yJ al ùp
bring them succour.
Cr*j. 1» lAJÎ
(174) O MANKIND! A manifestation of the truth has now
à-ft ûu <3) iC a *öi
come unto you from your Sustainer, and We have
sent down unto you a clear light. (175) And as for
those who have attained to faith in God and hold fast
unto Him-He will enfold them within182183 His grace &Oj âîj» (JJj) It-*-*
and bounty, and guide them unto Himself by a
straight way.

(176) THEY WILL ASK thee to enlighten them.1" Say:

181 Lit., “His word which He conveyed unto Mary and a soul from Him". According to TabarT,
the “word" (kalimah) was “the announcement (risälah) which God bade the angels to convey to
Mary, and God’s glad tiding to her" (a reference to 3:45)-which justifies the rendering of
kalimatuhu as “[the fulfilment of] His promise". (See also sürah 3, note 28.) As regards the
expression, “a soul from Him” or “created by Him”, it is to be noted that among the various
meanings which the word rüh bears in the Qur’än (e.g., “inspiration” in 2:87 and 253), it is also
used in its primary significance of “breath of life”, “soul”, or “spirit”: thus, for instance, in 32:9,
where the ever-recurring evolution of the human embryo is spoken of: and then He forms
him [i.e., man]... and breathes into him of His spirit” - that is, endows him with a conscious
soul which represents God’s supreme gift to man and is, therefore, described as “a breath of His
spirit” In the verse under discussion, which stresses the purely human nature of Jesus and refutes
the belief in his divinity, the Qur’än points out that Jesus, like all other human beings, was “a soul
created by Him".
182 Lit., “cause them to enter into”.
183 I.e., about the laws of inheritance mentioned in the next sentence. Regarding the meaning of
istlftä* (“a request for enlightenment about a [particular] law”), see note 145 of this sürah. The
seemingly abrupt transition from the preceding passages - dealing with questions of theology-to
this one is in accord with the Qur’anic principle of deliberately interweaving moral exhortation
with practical legislation: and this in pursuance of the teaching that man’s life-spiritual and
physical, individual and social - is one integral whole, and therefore requires simultaneous con-

137
AN-NISÄ* SÜRAH4

“God enlightens you [thus] about the laws concerning

[inheritance from] those who leave no heir in the
direct line: If a man dies childless and has a sister,
she shall inherit one-half of what he has left, just as êjJîîUlfùp LX jCj, J 41/L
he shall inherit from her if she dies childless. But if
there are two sisters, both [together] shall have two-
thirds of what he has left; and if there are brothers
U-* j' -£»■
and sisters,18* then the male shall have the equal of
two females’ share.”
God makes [all this] clear unto you, lest you go
astray; and God knows everything.

sideration of all its aspects if the concept of “the good life” is to be realized. The above verse
completes the series of inheritance laws dealt with early in this surah.
184 Lit., “brethren (ikhwah), men and women”. It is to be noted that the expression ikhwah
comprises either brothers, or sisters, or brothers and sisters.
 THE FIFTH SURAH

AL-MÄ'IDAH (THE REPAST)

MEDINA PERIOD

CCORDING to all the available evidence, this sürah constitutes one of the last sections of the
A Quran revealed to the Prophet. The consensus of opinion places it in the period of his
Farewell Pilgrimage, in the year 10 H. It takes its title from the request for a “repast from heaven"
made by the disciples of Jesus (verse 112), and from Jesus’ prayer in this connection (verse 114).
The sürah begins with a call to the believers to fulfil their spiritual and social responsibilities,
and ends with a reminder of man’s utter dependence on God, whose is “the dominion over the
heavens and the earth and all that they contain". Being one of the last revelations vouchsafed to
th®. Pr?Phet» it lays down a series of ordinances relating to religious rites and to various social
obligations; but, at the same time, it warns the followers of the Qur’an not to enlarge the area of
divine ordinances by means of subjective deduction (verse 101), since this might make it difficult
for them to act in accordance with God’s Law, and might ultimately lead them to denying the truth
of revelation as such (verse 102). They are also warned not to take the Jews and the Christians for
their “allies” in the moral sense of the word: that is, not to imitate their way of life and their social
concepts at the expense of the principles of Islam (verses 51 ff.). This latter warning is necessitated
by the fact, repeatedly stressed in this sürah, that both the Jews and the Christians have
abandoned and corrupted the truths conveyed to them by their prophets, and thus no longer
adhere to the genuine, original message of the Bible (verse 68). In particular, the Jews are taken to
task for having become “blind and deaf [of heart]’’ (verses 70-71, and passim), and the Christians,
for having deified Jesus in clear contravention of his own God-inspired teachings (verses 72-77 and
116-118).
Addressing the various religious communities, the Qur’än states in verse 48: “Unto every one of
you have We appointed a [different] law and way of life.... Vie, then, with one another in doing
good works!” And once again, all true believers-of whatever persuasion - are assured that “all
who believe in God and the Last Day and do righteous deeds-no fear need they have, and neither
shall they grieve” (verse 69).
The crowning statement of the whole sürah is found in verse 3, which was revealed to the
Prophet shortly before his death: “Today have I perfected your religious law for you, and have
bestowed upon you the full measure of My blessings, and willed that self-surrender unto Me
(al-isläm) shall be your religion.”

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) YOU who have attained to faith! Be true to your ----------------- *

Vx covenants!1
Lawful to you is the [flesh of every] beast that feeds £^3 iü
on plants, save what is mentioned to you [hereinafter2]:

1 The term 'aqd (“covenant”) denotes a solemn undertaking or engagement involving more than
one party. According to Râghib, the covenants referred to in this verse “are of three kinds: the
covenants between God and man [i.e., man’s obligations towards God], between man and his own
soul, and between the individual and his fellow-men” - thus embracing the entire area of man’s
moral and social responsibilities.
2 l.e., in verse 3. Literally, the expression bahïmat al-ancäm could be translated as “a beast of
the cattle”; but since this would obviously be a needless tautology, many commentators incline to

139
 SÜRAH
AL-MÄ’IDAH___________________ _ _________
but you are not allowed to hunt while you are in the
state of pilgrimage. Behold, God ordains m accordance
with His will.*3 , ., . zwr a
(2) O you who have attained to faith! Offend not
against the symbols set up by God, nor against the
sacred month [of pilgrimage], nor against the gar­
landed offerings,4 nor against those who flock to the
Inviolable Temple, seeking favour with their Sus­
tainer and His goodly acceptance; and [only] after your
pilgrimage is over5 are you free to hunt.
f
And never let your hatred of people who would bar
you from the Inviolable House of Worship lead you into
the sin of aggression:6 but rather help one another in J j'
furthering virtue and God-consciousness, and do not
help one another in furthering evil and enmity; and Jp L’A*» * & V-Âô
/ t ~ ' E z. >
remain conscious of God: for, behold, God is severe in (J) ù’jjJjîj
retribution!
J-*' f
(3) FORBIDDEN to you is carrion, and blood, and the
flesh of swine, and that over which any name other
than God’s has been invoked,7 and the animal that has
been strangled, or beaten to death, or killed by a fall,
or gored to death, or savaged by a beast of prey, save

the view that what is meant here is “any beast which resembles [domesticated] cattle insofar as it
feeds on plants and is not a beast of prey” (Râzî; also Lisân al-*Arab, art. na’ma). I have adopted
this convincing interpretation in my rendering of the above phrase.
3 Lit., “whatever He wills’’ or “deems fit’’: i.e., in accordance with a plan of which He alone has
full knowledge. Regarding the prohibition of hunting while on pilgrimage, see verses 94-96 of this
sürah.
4 Lit., “nor against the offerings, nor the garlands’’-a reference to the animals which are
brought to Mecca at the time of pilgrimage, to be sacrificed there in the name of God and most of
their flesh distributed among the poor. In order to mark out such animals, and to prevent their
being inadvertently used for profane (e.g., commercial) ends, garlands are customarily hung
around their necks. See also 2:196.-The term sha'û'ir Allah (lit., “God s symbols), occurring
earlier in this sentence, denotes the places reserved for particular religious rites (e.g., the Ka'bah)
as well as the religious rites themselves. (Cf. 2: 158, where A$-$afâ and Al-Marwah are described
as “symbols set up by God”). In the above context, the rites of pilgrimage, in particular, are
alluded to.
halaltu * ) W^e0 y°U **ave *>ecome frec the obligations attaching to the stale of pilgrimage” (idhä

£ Inasmuch as this sürah was undoubtedly revealed in the year 10 H. (Tabarï, Ibn Kathïr), it is
difficult to accept the view of some of the commentators that the above verse alludes to the events
culminating in the truce of Hudaybiyyah, in 6 H., when the pagan Quraysh succeeded in
preventing the Prophet and his followers from entering Mecca on pilgrimage. At the time of the
revelation of this surah Mecca was already in the possession of the Muslims, and there was no
longer any question of their being barred from it by the Quraysh, almost all of whom had by then
must’uth®r«fore’ c.onc.lude that the above injunction cannot be circumscribed
by a histoneal reference but has a timeless, general import: in other words, that it refers to
anybody who might endeavour to bar the believers - physically or metaphorically - from the
®xe.rcisc of their religious duties (symbolized by the “Inviolable House of Worship”) and thus to

7 See 2:173.

140
 THE REPAST
that which you [yourselves] may have slaughtered
while it was still alive; and [forbidden to you is] all
that has been slaughtered on idolatrous altars?
And [you are forbidden] to seek to learn through
divination what the future may hold in store for you:’
this is sinful conduct.
Today, those who are bent on denying the truth
have lost all hope of [your ever forsaking] your
religion: do not, then, hold them in awe, but stand in
awe of Me!
Today have I perfected your religious law for you,
and have bestowed upon you the full measure of My Xi J

blessings, and willed that self-surrender unto Me shall

•jijki* jj* *-***
be your religion.810’
9
As for him, however, who is driven [to what is (J) jjii ûTùp
forbidden] by dire necessity11 and not by an in­
clination to sinning-behold, God is much-forgiving, a
dispenser of grace.
(4) They will ask thee as to what is lawful to them.

8 The nufub (sing, naçïbah) were the altar-stones set up in pre-Islamic times around the Ka'bah
on which the pagan Quraysh used to sacrifice animals to their idols. However, from the story of
Zayd ibn cAmr ibn Nufayl (BukhärT) it appears that not only sacrificial animals but also such as
were destined for common consumption were often slaughtered there for the sake of a supposed
"blessing” (see Fatfr ai-Bârî VII, 113). Some philologists consider the form nu$ub a singular, with
anfäb as its plural (cf. verse 90 of this sürah). In either case the term denotes an association with
all manner of practices which could be described as "idolatrous”, and should not be taken merely
in its literal sense. Cf. in this respect also verse 90 of this sürah, and the corresponding note 105.
9 Lit., “to aim at divining [the future] by means of arrows”. This is a reference to the
divining-arrows without a point and without feathers used by the pre-lslamic Arabs to find out
what the future might hold in store for them. (A comprehensive description of this practice may be
found in Lane III, 1247.) As is usual with such historical allusions in the Qur’än, this one, too, is
used metonymically: it implies a prohibition of all manner of attempts at divining or foretelling the
future.
10 According to all available Traditions based on the testimony of the Prophet’s contem­
poraries, the above passage - which sets, as it were, ■ seal on the message of the Qur’än-was
revealed at ‘Arafät in the afternoon of Friday, the 9th of Dhu '1-Hijjah, 10 H., eighty-one or
eighty-two days before the death of the Prophet. No legal injunction whatsoever was revealed
after this verse: and this explains the reference to God’s having perfected the Faith and bestowed
the full measure of His blessings upon the believers. Man’s self-surrender (isläm) to God is
postulated as the basis, or the basic law, of all true religion (din). This self-surrender expressed
itself not only in belief in Him but also in obedience to His commands: and this is the reason why
the announcement of the completion of the Qur’anic message is placed within the context of a
verse containing the last legal ordinances ever revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.

11 Lit., “in [a condition of] emptiness’ (fï makhmafah). This is generally taken to mean “in
extreme hunger"; but while this expression does, in the first instance, signify “emptiness caused
by hunger", the reference to divination in the above verse points to a metonymical use of the term
makhmafah as well: that is to say, it covers here not merely cases of actual, extreme hunger
(which makes the eating of otherwise prohibited categories of meat permissible, as is explicitly
stated in 2:173) but also other situations in which overwhelming, extraneous forces beyond a
person’s control may compel him. against his will, to do something that is normally prohibited by
Islamic Law - as, for instance, to use intoxicating drugs whenever illness makes their use imperative
and unavoidable.
141
 SÜRAH
al-mâidah__________ ______ ______
Say “Lawful to you are all the good things of life.
And as for those hunting animals” which you train
by imparting to them something of the knowledge
that God has imparted to yourselves - eat of what
they seize for you, but mention God’s name over it,
and remain conscious of God: verily, God is swift in

reckoning.
(5) Today, all the good things of life have been
'S»! îV & (J
made lawful to you. And the food of those who have
been vouchsafed revelation aforetime is lawful to
you,12
1415
13 and your food is lawful to them. And [lawful to jÜ J- Ç&ü'w
you’are], in wedlock, women from among those who
believe [in this divine writ], and, in wedlock, women
from among those who have been vouchsafed
revelation before your time - provided that you give
.» * •* *** *<
them their dowers, taking them in honest wedlock,
not in fornication, nor as secret love-companions.
But as for him who rejects belief [in God] - in vain
will be all his works: for in the life to come he shall be
among the lost.16

(6) O YOU who have attained to faith! When you are

about to pray, wash your face, and your hands ^5 4^0 4
and arms up to the elbows, and pass your [wet] hands
lightly over your head, and [wash] your feet up to the
ankles. And if you are in a state requiring total

12 The implication is, firstly, that what has been forbidden does not belong to the category of
“the good things of life” (af-fayyibat), and, secondly, that all that has not been expressly
forbidden is allowed. It is to be noted that the Qur’an forbids only those things or actions which
are injurious to man physically, morally or socially.
13 Lit., “such of the trained beasts of chase” (min al-jawärih mukallibin). The term mukallib
signifies “trained like a [hunting] dog”, and is applied to every animal used for hunting-a hound, a
falcon, a cheetah, etc.
14 This permission to partake of the food of the followers of other revealed religions excludes,
of course, the forbidden categories of meat enumerated in verse 3 above. As a matter of fact, the
Law of Moses, too, forbids them explicitly; and there is no statement whatsoever in the Gospels to
the effect that these prohibitions were cancelled by Jesus: on the contrary, he is reported to have
said, “Think not that I have come to destroy the Law [of Moses]... : I am not come to destroy,
but to fulfil" (Matthew v, 17). Thus, the latitude enjoyed by post-Pauline followers of Jesus in
respect of food does not correspond to what he himself practiced and enjoined.
15 Whereas Muslim men are allowed to marry women from among the followers of another
revealed religion, Muslim women may not marry non-Muslims: the reason being that Islam
enjoins reverence of all the prophets, while the followers of other religions reject some of
them-e.g., the Prophet Muhammad or, as is the case with the Jews, both Muhammad and Jesus.
Thus, while a non-Mushm woman who marries a Muslim can be sure that-despite all doctrinal
differences - the prophets of her faith will be mentioned with utmost respect in her Muslim
environment, a Muslim woman who would marry a non-Muslim would always be exposed to an
abuse of him whom she regards as God’s Apostle.
16 The above passage rounds off, as it were, the opening sentences of this sürah, “O you who
have attained to faith, be true to your covenants”-of which belief in God and the acceptance of
His commandments are the foremost. It is immediately followed by a reference to prayer for it is
m prayer that man $ dependence on God finds its most conscious and deliberate expression.

142
 the repast
ablution, purify yourselves.*7 But if you are ill, or are
travelling, or have just satisfied a want of nature, or
have cohabited with a woman, and can find no
water-then take resort to pure dust, passing there­
with lightly over your face and your hands. God does
not want to impose any hardship on you, but wants to
make you pure, and to bestow upon you the full
measure of His blessings, so that you might have
cause to be grateful. <u J J.UÏT 3Z fa Xi
(7) And [always] remember the blessings which
God has bestowed upon you, and the solemn pledge
by which He bound you to Himself” when you said, X&J «V. 5/* û; fa* i!Jjjr>
“We have heard, and we pay heed.” Hence, remain
conscious of God: verily, God has full knowledge of (J) ZÖt /fa
what is in the hearts [of men].
fa"fa ZÖ’äTlZi
(8) O YOU who have attained to faith! Be ever stead<X>
­ LJjJ
fast in your devotion to God, bearing witness to
the truth in all equity; and never let hatred of any­ ■li -ilL 11Aj-î «1
one1’ lead you into the sin of deviating from justice.
Be just: this is closest to being God-conscious. And
remain conscious of God: verily, God is aware of all (J)
that you do.
(9) God has promised unto those who attain to faith
and do good works [that] theirs shall be forgiveness
of sins, and a mighty reward; (10) whereas they who <x>
are bent on denying the truth and giving the lie to Our
messages - they are destined for the blazing fire.
(11) O you who have attained to faith! Remember 'A-h Ù* f-* H
the blessings which God bestowed upon you when
[hostile] people were about to lay hands on you17 20 and
19
18 (g»
He stayed their hands from you. Remain, then, con­
scious of God: and in God let the believers place their
trust.

2) AND, INDEED, God accepted a [similar] solemn

pledge21 from the children of Israel when We caused

17 For an explanation of this and the following passage, see 4:43 and the corresponding notes.
Here, the reference to prayer connects with the last sentence of the preceding verse, which speaks
of belief in God.
18 Lit., “His solemn pledge by which He bound you”. Since this pledge is given by the believers
to God and not by Him to them, the personal pronoun in “His pledge" can have only one meaning*,
namely, God’s binding thereby the believers to Himself.
19 Lit., “of people”.
20 Lit., “to stretch their hands towards you”: an allusion to the weakness of the believers at the
beginning of the Qur’anic revelation, and-by implication-to the initial weakness of every
religious movement.
21 The interpolation of “similar" is justified by the obvious reference to verse 7 above. The
pledge was similar in that it related to obedience to God’s commandments.

143
 SÜRAH
AL-MÄ’IDAH
twelve of their leaders to be sent [to Canaan as
spies].2223
And God said: “Behold, I shall be with yo •
If you are constant in prayer, and spend in chan y,
and believe in My apostles and aid them, and offer UP
Im a goodly loan,“ I will efface your bad
deeds and bring you into gardens through which
running waters how. But he from among you who,
after this, denies the truth, will indeed have strayed

from the ngnt pains 2425

(13) Then, for having broken their solemn pledge,
We rejected them and caused their hearts to harden - Z --
[so that now] they distort the meaning of the [re­
vealed] words, taking them out of their context; and
£21 Ju'S
they have forgotten much of what they had been told
to bear in mind; and from all but a few of them thou
wilt always experience treachery. But pardon them,
and forbear: verily, God loves the doers of good.
(14) And [likewise,] from those who say, “Behold,
we are Christians,”26 We have accepted a solemn L/u r*4^
pledge: and they, too, have forgotten much of what
they had been told to bear in mind - wherefore We
have given rise among them to enmity and hatred, [to
last] until Resurrection Day:27 and in time God will
cause them to understand what they have contrived.
(15) O followers of the Bible! Now there has come
unto you Our Apostle, to make clear unto you much
of what you have been concealing [from yourselves]
of the Bible,28 and to pardon much. Now there has

22 Lit., “when We sent out twelve leaders from among them”. This is a reference to the Biblical
story (in Numbers xiii), according to which God commanded Moses to send out one leading
personality from each of the twelve tribes “to spy out the land of Canaan” before the children of
Israel invaded it. (The noun naqïb, here rendered as “leader", has also the meaning of “in­
vestigator” or “spy” inasmuch as it is derived from the verb naqaba, which signifies - among
other things-“he scrutinized" or “investigated"). The subsequent near-revolt of the children of
Israel-caused by their fear of the powerful tribes which inhabited Canaan (cf. Numbers xiv)-is
briefly referred to in the first sentence of verse 13 and more fully described in verses 20-26 of this
sürah.
23 I.e., by doing righteous deeds.
24 An allusion to their lack of trust in God and their persistent sinning.
25 See 4:46, where the same accusation is levelled against the children of Israel.
26 Thus the Qur’än elliptically rejects their claim of being true followers of Jesus: for, by
wrongfully elevating him to the status of divinity they have denied the very essence of his
message.
„32 I.c’Jhc!r «oing astray from the genuine teachings of Jesus-and thus from true faith in
God- is the innermost cause of the enmity and hatred which has so often set the so-called
Christian nations against one another and led to unceasing wars and mutual persecution.
28 Inasmuch as verses 15-19 are addressed to the Jews and the Christians the term al-kitäb
MÂTÂ*" “S “,he "Ü™ is.!° •* “ -ÄÄÄ4
the verb khafiya is it became imperceptible” or “not apparent” or “obscure"; and that the same
significance attaches to the transitive form akhfä. There is, of course, no doubt ihat in its transitive
form the verb also denotes “he concealed [something]”. i.e., from others: but in view of the

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THE REPAST
come unto you from God a light, and a clear divine
writ, (16) through which God shows unto all that seek
His goodly acceptance the paths leading to salvation29
and, by His grace, brings them out of the depths of
darkness into the light and guides them onto a straight
way. «1- c^T ùJ

(17) Indeed, the truth deny they who say, “Behold,

God is the Christ, son of Mary.” Say: “And who
Ä jjJï 4 cuir £
could have prevailed with God in any way had it been âî 5» (g, il]
His wiU to destroy the Christ, son of Mary, and his
mother, and everyone who is on earth-all of them?
For, God’s is the dominion over the heavens and the
j fas ùr7£-_jTd£J jlJÎ
earth and all that is between them; He creates what
He wills: and God has the power to will anything!” h dC àj
(18) And [both] the Jews and the Christians say,
“We are God’s children,30 and His beloved ones.” çJlü <£) j jS uÇ U
Say: “Why, then, does He cause you to suffer for
your sins? Nay, you are but human beings of His r? & S*
creating. He forgives whom He wills, and He causes
to suffer whom He wills: for God’s is the dominion
4^- Ju
over the heavens and the earth and all that is between
them, and with Him is all journeys’ end.”
(19) O followers of the Bible! Now, after a long <2> uS
time during which no apostles have appeared, there 6« ul ijijL- ji jp
has come unto you [this] Our Apostle to make [the
truth] clear to you, lest you say, “No bearer of glad
tidings has come unto us, nor any Warner”: for now
there has come unto you a bearer of glad tidings and <$> ** &
a Warner - since God has the power to will anything.

(20) AND, LO, Moses said unto his people:31 “O my

preceding phrase, “there has come unto you Our Apostle to make clear unto you", it is obvious
that what is alluded to in this context is the concealing of something from oneself: in other words,
it is a reference to the gradual obscuring, by the followers of the Bible, of its original verities
which they are now unwilling to admit even to themselves.
29 The word salâm, here rendered as “salvation”, has no proper equivalent in the English
language. It denotes inner peace, soundness and security from evil of any kind, both physical and
spiritual, and the achievement of what, in Christian terminology, is described as “salvation”: with
the difference, however, that the Christian concept of salvation presupposes the existence of an
a-priori state of sinfulness, which is justified in Christianity by the doctrine of “original sin”, but
is not justified in Islam, which does not subscribe to this doctrine. Consequently, the term
“salvation” - which I am using here for want of a better word - does not adequately convey the
full meaning of saläm. Its nearest equivalents in Western languages would be the German Heil or
the French salut, both of which express the idea of spiritual peace and fulfilment without being
necessarily (i.e., linguistically) connected with the Christian doctrine of salvation.
30 Cf. Exodus iv, 22-23 (“Israel is My son”), Jeremiah xxxi, 9 (“I am a father to Israel”), and
the many parallel expressions in the Gospels.
31 With these words the Qur’ân returns to the story of the children of Israel alluded to in verses
12 and 13-namely, to an illustration of their having “broken their solemn pledge” and gone back
on their faith in God. The following story is, moreover, directly connected with the preceding

145
 SÜRAH
al-mâidah
people! Remember the blessings which God bestowed
upon you when he raised up prophets among you, and
made, you your own masters,32 and granted unto you
[favours] such as He had not granted to anyone else
in the world. (21) O my people! Enter the holy land
which God has promised you; but do not turn back
[on your faith], for then you will be lost!”
(22) They answered: “O Moses! Behold, ferocious
people dwell in that land,33 and we will surely not <S> #'->% $
enter it unless they depart therefrom; but if they
depart therefrom, then, behold, we will enter it.”
(23) [Whereupon] two men from among those who
feared [God, and] whom God had blessed, said: ‘‘En­
ter upon them through the gate3435— for as soon as you
enter it, behold, you shall be victorious! And in God
you must place your trust if you are [truly] be­
lievers!”
(24) [But] they said: “O Moses! Behold, never shall jiîla-A.yû <s>
we enter that [land] so long as those others are in it.
Go forth, then, thou and thy Sustainer, and fight, both
of you! We, behold, shall remain here!”
(25) Prayed [Moses]: “O my Sustainer! Of none am
I master but of myself and my brother [Aaron]: draw
Thou, then, a dividing-line between us and these
iniquitous folk!”
(26) Answered He: “Then, verily, this [land] shall
be forbidden to them for forty years, while they
wander on earth, bewildered, to and fro; and sorrow
thou not over these iniquitous folk.”

(27) AND CONVEY unto them, setting forth the truth,

the story of the two sons of Adam33-how each

verse inasmuch as Moses appeals here to the children of Israel as “a bearer of glad tidings and a
warner”.
32 Lit., “made you kings”. According to most of the commentators (e.g., TabarT, Zamakhsharï,
RSzï), the “kingship” of the Israelites is a metaphorical allusion to their freedom and in­
dependence after their Egyptian bondage, the term “king” being equivalent here to “a free man
who is master of his own affairs” (Manar VI, 323 f.) and can, therefore, adopt any way of life he
chooses.
33 Lit., “are in it”. See Numbers xiii, 32-33, and also the whole of ch. xiv, which speaks of the
terror that overwhelmed the Israelites on hearing the report of the twelve scouts mentioned in
verse 12 of this surah, and of the punishment of their cowardice and lack of faith.
34 I.e., by frontal attack. According to the Bible (Numbers xiv, 6-9, 24, 30, 38), the two
God-fearing men were Joshua and Caleb, who had been among the twelve spies sent out to explore
Canaan, and who now tried to persuade the terror-stricken children of Israel to place their trust in
God. As so often in the Qur’än, this story of the Israelites serves to illustrate the difference
between real, selfless faith and worldly self-love.
35 I.e., the story of Cain and Abel, mentioned in Genesis iv, 1-16. The pronoun in “tell them”
refers to the followers of the Bible, and obviously connects with verse 15 of this siirah, “Now
there has come unto you Our Apostle, to make clear unto you much of what you have been
concealing [from yourselves] of the Bible”, the meaning of which has been explained in note 28
 5
THE REPAST
offered a sacrifice, and it was accepted from one of
them whereas it was not accepted from the other.
[And Cain] said: “I will surely slay thee!”
[Abel] replied: “Behold, God accepts only from
those who are conscious of Him. (28) Even if thou lay
thy hand on me to slay me, I shall not lay my hand on
thee to slay thee: behold, I fear God, the Sustainer of
all the worlds. (29) I am willing, indeed, for thee to UlL ib» cLu JjkjT
bear [the burden of] all the sins ever done by me as
well as of the sin done by thee:36 [but] then thou ($> ùfjuî 4^
wouldst be destined for the fire, since that is the
requital of evildoers!” vJXt J- j*
(30) But the other’s passion37 drove him to slaying
his brother; and he slew him: and thus he became one
of the lost. âî (g) o*
(31) Thereupon God sent forth a raven which scrat­
ched the earth, to show him how he might conceal the Jr’ MA
nakedness of his brother’s body. [And Cain] cried
JL 3^-' j‘ Jb
out: “Oh, woe is me! Am I then too weak to do what
this raven did,3839
and to conceal the nakedness of my
4^’ û; <£> Jr*1*
brother’s body?”-and was thereupon smitten with
remorse.” -ê" J»' ù* >’ J. *A
(32) Because of this did We ordain unto the chil­ Lur Ji Ü
dren of Israel that if anyone slays a human being -
unless it be [in punishment] for murder or for spread­ I»-*-. t/Ajf
ing corruption on earth - it shall be as though he had
slain all mankind; whereas, if anyone saves a life, it
shall be as though he had saved the lives of all
mankind.40
And, indeed, there came unto them41 Our apostles

above. The moral of this particular Biblical story-a moral which the followers of the Bible have
been “concealing from themselves” - is summarized in verse 32.
36 Lit., “my sin as well as thy sin". It is evident from several well-authenticated ahädith that if
a person dies a violent death not caused, directly or indirectly, by his own sinful actions, his
previous sins will be forgiven (the reason being, evidently, that he had no time to repent, as he
might have done had he been allowed to live). In cases of unprovoked murder, the murderer is
burdened-in addition to the sin of murder-with the sins which his innocent victim might have
committed in the past and of which he (the victim) is now absolved: this convincing interpretation
of the above verse has been advanced by Mujahid (as quoted by TabarT).
37 Among the many meanings attributable to the noun nafs (primarily, “soul”, or “mind”, or
“self’), there is also that of “desire” or “passionate determination” (Qâmûs; see also
ZamakhsharT’s Aids); in this context, the best rendering seems to be “passion".
38 Lit., “to be like this raven”.
39 Lit., “became of those who feel remorse". The thought of burying his dead brother’s body, sug­
gested to Cain by the raven’s scratching the earth, brought home to him the enormity of his crime.
40 This moral truth is among those to which the first sentence of verse 15 of this sùrah alludes,
and its succinct formulation fully explains the reason why the story of Cain and Abel is mentioned
in this context The expression “We have ordained unto the children of Israel” does not, of course,
detract from the universal validity of this moral: it refers merely to its earliest enunciation.
41 I.e., to the followers of the Bible, both the Jews and the Christians.

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 SÜRAH
AL-MÄ’IDAH

with all evidence of the truth: yet, behold, not­

withstanding all this, many of them go on committing
all manner of excesses on earth.4243
(33) It is but a just recompense for those who make & Qj! Le I ($)
war on God and His apostle,45 and endeavour to
spread corruption on earth, that they are being slain
in great numbers, or crucified in great numbers, or
have, in result of their perverseness, their hands and
feet cut off in great numbers,44 or are being [entirely]
banished from [the face of] the earth: such is their
ignominy in this world.45 But in the life to come [yet

42 The present participle la-musrifün indicates their “continuously committing excesses” (i.e.,
crimes), and is best rendered as “they go on committing” them. In view of the preceding passages,
these “excesses” obviously refer to crimes of violence and, in particular, to the ruthless killing of
human beings.
43 The term "apostle” is evidently generic in this context. By “making war on God and His
apostle” is meant a hostile opposition to, and wilful disregard of, the ethical precepts ordained by
God and explained by all His apostles, combined with the conscious endeavour to destroy or
undermine other people’s belief in God as well.
44 In classical Arabic idiom, the “cutting off of one’s hands and feet” is often synonymous with
“destroying one’s power”, and it is possibly in this sense that the expression has been used here.
Alternatively, it might denote “being mutilated”, both physically and metaphorically - similar to
the (metonymical) use of the expression “being crucified” in the sense of “being tortured”. The
phrase min khilSf—usually rendered as “from opposite sides”-is derived from the verb khalafa-
hu, “he disagreed with him”, or “opposed him”, or “acted contrarily to him”: consequently, the
primary meaning of min khiläf is “in result of contrariness” or “of perverseness”.
45 Most of the classical commentators regard this passage as a legal injunction, and interpret it.
therefore, as follows: “The recompense of those who make war on God and His apostle and
spread corruption on earth shall but be that they shall be slain, or crucified, or that their hands and
feet be cut off on opposite sides, or that they shall be banished from the earth: such shall be their
ignominy in this world.” This interpretation is, however, in no way warranted by the text, and this
for the following reasons:
(a) The four passive verbs occurring in this sentence - “slain”, “crucified”, “cut off” and
“banished” - are in the present tense and do not, by themselves, indicate the future or, al­
ternatively, the imperative mood.
(b) The form yuqattalü does not signify simply "they are being slain” or (as the commentators
would have it) “they shall be slain”, but denotes - in accordance with a fundamental rule of Arabic
grammar - “they are being slain in great numbers”; and the same holds true of the verbal forms
yufallabH (“they are being crucified in great numbers”) and tuqaffa'a (“cut off in great
numbers”). Now if we are to believe that these are "ordained punishments”, it would imply that
great numbers-but not necessarily all-of "those who make war on God and His apostle” should
be punished in this way: obviously an inadmissible assumption of arbitrariness on the part of the
Divine Law-Giver. Moreover, if the party “waging war on God and His apostle” should happen to
consist of one person only, or of a few, how could a command referring to “great numbers’* be
applied to them or to him?
(c) Furthermore, what would be the meaning of the phrase, “they shall be banished from the
earth", if the above verse is to be taken as a legal injunction? This point has, indeed, perplexed the
commentators considerably. Some of them assume that the transgressors should be “banished from
the land [of Islam]”: but there is no instance in the Qur’än of such a restricted use of the term
"earth” (ar#). Others, again, are of the opinion that the guilty ones should be imprisoned in a
subterranean dungeon, which would constitute their “banishment from [the face of] the earth”!
(d) Finally-and this is the weightiest objection to an interpretation of the above verse as a
“legal injunction”-the Qur’än places exactly the same expressions referring to mass-crucifixion
and mass-mutilation (but this time with a definite intent relating to the future) in the mouth of
Pharaoh, as a threat to believers (see 7:124, 20:71 and 26 : 49). Since Pharaoh is invariably

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THE REPAST
more] awesome suffering awaits them-(34) save for
such [of them] as repent ere you [O believers] be­
come more powerful than they:46 for you must know
that God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.

(35) O YOU who have attained to faith! Remain conscious

of God, and seek to come closer unto Him, and strive
hard in His cause, so that you might attain to a happy
state. 4 M KG
(36) Verily, if those who are bent on denying the ji* fi ùi ß îj^yr 4 (g)
truth had all that is on earth, and twice as much,47 to
offer as ransom from suffering on the Day of Resur­
rection, it would not be accepted from them: for
grievous suffering awaits them. (37) They will wish to û’ JJ jX JJ. ÿfc
come out of the fire, but they shall not come out of it;
and long-lasting suffering awaits them.

(38) NOW AS FOR the man who steals and the woman
who steals, cut off the hand of either of them in
requital for what they have wrought, as a deterrent
ordained by God:48 for God is almighty, wise. (39) But

described in the Qur’än as the epitome of evil and godlessness, it is inconceivable that the same
Qur’än would promulgate a divine law in precisely the terms which it attributes elsewhere to a
figure characterized as an “enemy of God“.
In short, the attempt of the commentators to interpret the above verse as a “legal injunction“
must be categorically rejected, however great the names of the persons responsible for it. On the
other hand, a really convincing interpretation suggests itself to us at once as soon as we read the
verse-as it ought to be read-in the present tense: for, read in this way, the verse reveals itself
immediately as a statement of fact - a declaration of the inescapability of the retribution which
“those who make war on God” bring upon themselves. Their hostility to ethical imperatives causes
them to lose sight of all moral values; and their consequent mutual discord and “perverseness“
gives rise to unending strife among themselves for the sake of worldly gain and power: they kill
one another in great numbers, and torture and mutilate one another in great numbers, with the
result that whole communities are wiped out or, as the Qur’än puts it, “banished from [the face of]
the earth". It is this interpretation alone that takes full account of all the expressions occurring in
this verse-the reference to “great numbers” in connection with deeds of extreme violence, the
“banishment from the earth”, and, lastly, the fact that these horrors are expressed in the terms
used by Pharaoh, the “enemy of God”.
46 I.e. before belief in God and in the ethical principles decreed by Him becomes prevalent:
for, in that event, repentance on the part of “those who make war on God and His apostle" would
be no more than an act of conforming to the dominant trend and, therefore, of no moral value
whatever. It is to be noted that the exemption from suffering relates to the hereaftert
47 Lit., “and the like with it”.
48 The extreme severity of this Qur’anic punishment can be understood only if one bears in
mind the fundamental principle of Islamic Law that no duty (taklîf) is ever imposed on man
without his being granted a corresponding right (buqq); and the term “duty” also comprises, in this
context liability to punishment. Now, among the inalienable rights of every member of the Islamic
society-Muslim and non-Muslim alike-is the right to protection (in every sense of the word) by
the community as a whole. As is evident from innumerable Qur’anic ordinances as well as the
Prophet’s injunctions forthcoming from authentic Traditions, every citizen is entitled to a share in
the community’s economic resources and, thus, to the enjoyment of social security: in other
words, he or she must be assured of an equitable standard of living commensurate with the

149
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AL-MÄ’IDAH

as for him who repents after having thus done wrong, f

and makes amends,49 behold, God will accept his

resources at the disposal of the community. For, although the Qur’än makes it clear that human life
cannot be expressed in terms of physical existence alone-the ultimate values of life being
spiritual in nature-the believers are not entitled to look upon spiritual tniths and values as
something that could be divorced from the physical and social factors of human existence. In
short, Islam envisages and demands a society that provides not only for the spintual needs of man,
but for his bodily and intellectual needs as well. It follows, therefore, that-in order to be truly
Islamic-a society (or state) must be so constituted that every individual, man and woman, may
enjoy that minimum of material well-being and security without which there can be no human
dignity, no real freedom and, in the last resort, no spiritual progress: for, there can be no real
happinftss and strength in a society that permits some of its members to suffer undeserved want
while others have more than they need. If the whole society suffers privations owing to
circumstances beyond its control (as happened, for instance, to the Muslim community in the early
days of Islam), such shared privations may become a source of spiritual strength and, through it,
of future greatness. But if the available resources of a community are so unevenly distributed that
certain groups within it live in affluence while the majority of the people are forced to use up all
their energies in search of their daily bread, poverty becomes the most dangerous enemy of
spiritual progress, and occasionally drives whole communities away from God-consciousness and
into the arms of soul-destroying materialism. It was undoubtedly this that the Prophet had in mind
when he uttered the warning words (quoted by As-Suyütï in Al-Jâmi* a$-$aghïr), “Poverty may
well turn into a denial of the truth (kufr)." Consequently, the social legislation of Islam aims at a
state of affairs in which every man, woman and child has (a) enough to eat and wear, (b) an
adequate home, (c) equal opportunities and facilities for education, and (d) free medical care in
health and in sickness. A corollary of these rights is the right to productive and remunerative work
while of working age and in good health, and a provision (by the community or the state) of
adequate nourishment, shelter, etc. in cases of disability resulting from illness, widowhood,
enforced unemployment, old age, or under-age. As already mentioned, the communal obligation to
create such a comprehensive social security scheme has been laid down in many Qur’anic verses,
and has been amplified and explained by a great number of the Prophet's commandments. It was
the second Caliph, 'Umar ibn al-Kha(täb, who began to translate these ordinances into a concrete
administrative scheme (see Ibn Sa'd, Jabaqdt I1I/1, 213-217); but after his premature death, his
successors had neither the vision nor the statesmanship to continue his unfinished work.
It is against the background of this social security scheme envisaged by Islam that the Qur’än
imposes the severe sentence of hand-cutting as a deterrent punishment for robbery. Since, under
the circumstances outlined above, “temptation” cannot be admitted as a justifiable excuse, and
since, in the last resort, the entire socio-economic system of Islam is based on the faith of its
adherents, its balance is extremely delicate and in need of constant, strictly-enforced protection. In
a community in which everyone is assured of full security and social justice, any attempt on the
part of an individual to achieve an easy, unjustified gain at the expense of other members of the
community must be considered an attack against the system as a whole, and must be punished as
such: and, therefore, the above ordinance which lays down that the hand of the thief shall be cut
off. One must, however, always bear in mind the principle mentioned at the beginning of this note:
namely, the absolute interdependence between man’s rights and corresponding duties (including
liability to punishment). In a community or state which neglects or is unable to provide complete
social security for all its members, the temptation to enrich oneself by illegal means often becomes
irresistible-and, consequently, theft cannot and should not be punished as severely as it should be
punished in a state in which social security is a reality in the full sense of the word. If the society
is unable to fulfil its duties with regard to every one of its members, it has no right to invoke the
full sanction of criminal law (/iudd) against the individual transgressor, but must confine itself to
milder forms of administrative punishment. (It was in correct appreciation of this principle that the
great Caliph 'Umar waived the hadd of hand-cutting in a period of famine which afflicted Arabia
during his reign.) To sum up, one may safely conclude that the cutting-off of a hand in punishment
for theft is applicable only within the context of an already-existing, fully functioning social
security scheme, and in no other circumstances.
49 I.e., by restituting the stolen goods before being apprehended by the authorities (Mandr VI,
382).

150
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repentance: verily, God is much-forgiving, a dis­
penser of grace.
(40) Dost thou not know that God’s is the dominion
over the heavens and the earth? He chastises whom
He wills, and He forgives whom He wills: for God
has the power to will anything. dr* dL ji ôl

(41) O APOSTLE! Be not grieved by those who vie with

one another in denying the truth: such as those5051 who
say with their mouths, “We believe,” the while their
hearts do not believe; and such of the Jewish faith as rrJîù&Jj Çk
eagerly listen to any falsehood, eagerly listen to other
people,without having come to thee [for enlighten­ 4/k J ôyir wd&V (jyei* îpb
ment]. They distort the meaning of the [revealed] ’•fc* jjÔf
words, taking them out of their context, saying [to
themselves], “If such-and-such [teaching] is vouch­ 4*î 3,J J.J •»' J »jllî
safed unto you, accept it; but if it is not vouchsafed
unto you, be on your guard!”52
[Be not grieved by them -] for, if God wills anyone
to be tempted to evil, thou canst in no wise prevail
with God in his behalf.53 CÀ-U jjl/1 (£)

It is they whose hearts God is not willing to cleanse.

Theirs shall be ignominy in this world, and awe­
some suffering in the life to come-(42) those who
eagerly listen to any falsehood, greedily swallow­
ing all that is evil!54
Hence, if they come to thee [for judgment],55 thou

50 Lit., “from among those”.

51 Although this verse is, in the first instance, addressed to the Prophet, it concerns all
followers of the Qur’än and is, therefore, valid for all times. The same observation applies to the
people of whom this verse speaks: although it mentions only the hypocrites and the Jews, it refers,
by implication, to all people who are prejudiced against Islam and willingly lend ear to any false
statement about its teachings, preferring to listen to unfriendly non-Muslim “experts” rather than
to turn to the Qur’än itself for enlightenment - which is the meaning of the phrase, ''without having
come to thee [O Muhammad]”.
52 I.e., they are prepared to accept such of the Qur’anic teachings as might suit their
preconceived notions, but are not prepared to accept anything that goes against their own
inclinations.
53 This connects with the beginning of this verse; hence my interpolation. For the meaning of
fitnah, see sürah 8, note 25.
54 The noun suht is derived from the verb sahata. “he utterly destroyed [a thing]”, and
signifies, primarily, the “doing of anything that leads to destruction” because it is abominable and,
therefore forbidden (Lisân al-'Arab). Hence, it denotes anything that is evil itself. In the above
context the intensive expression akkälün li's-suht may denote “those who greedily devour all that
is forbidden” (i.e., illicit gain), or, more probably, “those who greedily swallow all that is
evil”-i.e., every false statement made about the Qur’än by its enemies with a view to destroying
its impact
55 I e as to what is right and what is wrong in the sight of God. Most of the commentators
assume that this passage refers to a specific judicial case, or cases, which the Jews of Medina
brought before the Prophet for decision; but in view of the inherent Qur’anic principle that every
historical reference contained in it has also a general import, I rather believe that the “judgment”

151
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AL-MÄ’IDAH

mayest either judge between them or leave them

alone: for, if thou leave them alone, they cannot harm
thee in any way. But if thou dost judge, judge be­
tween them with equity:5657 verily, God knows those
who act equitably. » x Z.x , If, ~
(43) But how is it that they ask thee for judgment- f-r* 3
seeing that they have the Torah, containing God’s
j(g)
injunctions - and thereafter turn away [from thy judg­
ment]? Such as these, then, are no [true] believers. «tffS Qpy. f &
(44) Verily, it is We who bestowed from on high the
Torah, wherein there was guidance and light. On its
strength did the prophets, who had surrendered them­
ipk jûN Îj-L-I ôjsgiï Çj 333 cS-4*
selves unto God, deliver judgment unto those who
followed the Jewish faith;58 and so did the [early] men
IjKj JlT lx öjjit$3
of God and the rabbis, inasmuch as some of God’s
writ had been entrusted to their care;59 and they [all] -* ^3 ü3-^3
bore witness to its truth. J/Ix. J J3 'U &
Therefore, [O children of Israel,] hold not men in
awe, but stand in awe of Me; and do not barter away
jl IfJ UÂiT3 Cj) ûjjÀlCjT
My messages for a trifling gain:60 for they who do not
judge in accordance with what God has bestowed -At;
from on high are, indeed, deniers of the truth!
(45) And We ordained for them in that [Torah]: A > £ uAü» £jAT->
life for a life, and an eye for an eye, and a nose for a
nose, and an ear for an ear, and a tooth for a tooth,
and a [similar] retribution for wounds;61 but he who
shall forgo it out of charity will atone thereby for

alluded to in this verse relates to deciding as to whether any of their beliefs - other than those
which the Qur’än explicitly confirms or rejects - is right or wrong.
56 I.e., on the basis of the ethical laws revealed by God, and not in accordance with their
personal, arbitrary likes or dislikes.
57 This verse illustrates the strange mentality of the Jews, who-despite the fact that they
believe the Torah to contain all of the Divine Law - surreptitiously turn to a religious dispensation
in which they do not believe, in the hope that its verdict on certain ethical questions might confirm
some of their own wishful beliefs which happen to run counter to the Torah. In other words, they
arç not really prepared to submit to the judgment of the Torah - although they assert their belief in
it-nor the judgment of the Qur’än, which confirms some of the laws of the Torah and abrogates
others: for, as soon as they come to realize that the Qur’än does not agree with their preconceived
ideas, they turn away from it.
58 Implying that the Law of Moses (the Torah) was intended only for the children of Israel, and
was never meant to have universal validity.
59 The expression “some of God’s writ (Wtab)’’ implies that the Torah did not exhaust the
whole of God’s revelation, and that more was yet to be revealed. For an explanation of the term
rabbäniyün, see sürah 3, note 62.
60 I.e., for the illusory feeling of superiority based on the spurious belief that the children of
Israel are “God’s chosen people’’ and, therefore, the sole recipients of God’s grace and revelation.
The “messages’’ referred to in this sentence relate to the Qur’än as well as to the Biblical
prophecies concerning the advent of Muhammad.
61 See Exodus xxi, 23 ff., where details of the extremely harsh penalties provided under Mosaic
Law are given.

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some of his past sins.42 And they who do not judge in
accordance with what God has revealed - they, they
are the evildoers!
(46) And We caused Jesus, the son of Mary, to
follow in the footsteps of those [earlier prophets],
far
confirming the truth of whatever there still remained43
of the Torah; and We vouchsafed unto him the Gos­
pel, wherein there was guidance and light, confirming fS fi<ri% H £> £«£ <$) QjiÛT
the truth of whatever there still remained of the
Torah, and as a guidance and admonition unto the
God-conscious. (47) Let, then, the followers of the *J» ÛK Ü jjij
Gospel judge in accordance with what God has re­
vealed therein: for they who do not judge in the light J-*’
of what God has bestowed from on high-it is they,
Jjjju aï' Lf ^-4 ’J & *-» '
they who are truly iniquitous!
(48) And unto thee [O Prophet] have We vouch­ Ula» jit bJÿb (J) up
safed this divine writ, setting forth the truth, confirm­
ing the truth of whatever there still remains of earlier
revelations and determining what is true therein.44 &Ç iz St £-tUr
Judge, then, between the followers of earlier re­
velation in accordance with what God has bestowed A. , -> 1
from on high,45 and do not follow their errant views,
forsaking the truth that has come unto thee.
Unto every one of you have We appointed a
[different] law and way of life.44 And if God had so62
66
65
64
63

62 Lit., “it shall be an atonement for him”. The Pentateuch does not contain this call to
forgiveness which is brought out with great clarity not only in the Qur’än but also in the teachings
of Jesus, especially in the Sermon on the Mount: and this, read in conjunction with the following
verses, would seem to be an allusion to the time-bound quality of Mosaic Law. Alternatively, the
above admonition may have been part of the original teachings of the Torah which have been
subsequently corrupted or deliberately abandoned by its followers, whom the Qur’än accuses of
“distorting the meaning of the revealed words” (see verse 41 above).
63 Regarding the meaning of mä bayna yadayhi (lit., “that which was between his [or “its”]
hands”) occurring twice in this verse, as well as in verse 48, see sürah 3, note 3.
64 The participle muhaymin is derived from the quadriliteral verb haymana, “he watched [over
a thing]” or “controlled [it]”, and is used here to describe the Qur’än as the determinant factor in
deciding what is genuine and what is false in the earlier scriptures (see Manär VI, 410 ff.).
65 Lit., “judge, then, between them...”, etc. This apparently applies not merely to judicial
cases but also to opinions as to what is right or wrong in the ethical sense (see note 55 above). As
is evident from the mention of the “followers of the Gospel” in the preceding verse, and of the
Torah in the earlier passages, the people spoken of here are both the Jews and the Christians.
66 The expression “every one of you" denotes the various communities of which mankind is
composed. The term shir'ah (or sharFah) signifies, literally, “the way to a watering-place” (from
which men and animals derive the element indispensable to their life), and is used in the Qur’än to
denote a system of law necessary for a community’s social and spiritual welfare. The term minhäj,
on the other hand, denotes an “open road”, usually in an abstract sense: that is, “a way of life”.
The terms shir'ah and minhäj are more restricted in their meaning than the term dm, which
comprises not merely the laws relating to a particular religion but also the basic, unchanging
spiritual truths which, according to the Qur’än, have been preached by every one of God’s
apostles, while the particular body of laws (shir'ah or sharFah) promulgated through them, and
the way’of life (minhäj) recommended by them, varied in accordance with the exigencies of the
time and of each community’s cultural development. This “unity in diversity” is frequently

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AL-MÄ’IDAH

willed, He could surely have made you all one single

community: but [He willed it otherwise] in order to
test you by means of what He has vouchsafed unto
you.*7 Vie, then, with one another in doing good
works! Unto God you all must return; and then He L j (X-SQ J&J j
will make you truly understand all that on which you
were wont to differ.“
(49) Hence, judge between the followers of earlier St jj* Ur ùb ($)
69
*67 in accordance with what God has be­
revelation68
stowed from on high, and do not follow their errant u**! Cf a* tT*’ Xf
views; and beware of them, lest they tempt thee away G
$1Cr‘ ÇÇ ùji L
from aught that God has bestowed from on high upon
thee. And if they turn away [from His com­
mandments], then know that it is but God’s will [thus] û*’J f-ruf*-.fnJ**1, j’

to afflict them for some of their sins:70 for, behold, a 6X- , f

great many people are iniquitous indeed. (50) Do

they, perchance, desire [to be ruled by] the law of
pagan ignorance?71 But for people who have inner
certainty, who could be a better law-giver than God? ûÿi tiÿ»

(51) O YOU who have attained to faith! Do not take the

Jews and the Christians for your allies: they are but
allies of one another72-and whoever of you allies

stressed in the Qur’an (e.g., in the first sentence of 2: 148, in 21:92-93, or in 23:52 ff.). Because
of the universal applicability and textual incorruptibility of its teachings - as well as of the fact that
the Prophet Muhammad is “the seal of all prophets”, i.e., the last of them (see 33:40) - the Qufän
represents the culminating point of all revelation and offers the final, perfect way to spiritual
fulfilment. This uniqueness of the Qur’anic message does not, however, preclude all adherents of
earlier faiths from attaining to God’s grace: for-as the Qur’an so often points out-those among
them who believe uncompromisingly in the One God and the Day of Judgment (i.e., in individual
moral responsibility) and live righteously “need have no fear, and neither shall they grieve”.
67 I.e., “in order to test, by means of the various religious laws imposed on you, your
willingness to surrender yourselves to God and to obey Him” (Zamakhshan, Râzî), “and thus to
enable you to grow, spiritually and socially, in accordance with the God-willed law of evolution”
(Manär VI, 418 f.).
68 Lit., “inform you of that wherein you used to differ” (cf. surah 2, note 94). Thus, the Qur’an
impresses upon all who believe in God-Muslims and non-Muslims alike-that the differences in
their religious practices should make them “vie with one another in doing good works” rather than
lose themselves in mutual hostility.
69 Lit., “between them”: see notes 55 and 65 above.
70 The implication is that a conscious disregard of God’s commandments brings with it its own
punishment: namely, a gradual corruption of the community’s moral values and, thus, growing
social disruption and internecine conflict.
71 By “pagan ignorance” (jähiliyyah) is meant here not merely the time before the advent of the
Prophet Muhammad but, in general, a state of affairs characterized by a lack of moral perception
and a submission of all personal and communal concerns to the criterion of “expediency” alone:
that is, exclusively to the consideration as to whether a particular aim or action is useful or
damaging (in the short-term, practical sense of these words) to the interests of the person
concerned or of the community to which he belongs. Inasmuch as this “law of expediency” is
fundamentally opposed to the concepts of morality preached by every higher religion, it is
described in the Qur’fin as “the law (hukm) of pagan ignorance”.
72 According to most of the commentators (e.g., Tabari), this means that each of these two

154
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himself with them becomes, verily, one of them;
behold, God does not guide such evildoers.7374
75
(52) And yet thou canst see how those in whose
hearts there is disease vie with one another for their
good will, saying [to themselves], “We fear lest
fortune turn against us.” But God may well bring
rd* 4 yt <$>
about good fortune [for the believers] or any [other]
event of His own devising,73 whereupon those ûî âT îjZ CLJ J
[waverers] will be smitten with remorse for the
thoughts which they had secretly harboured within
themselves - (53) while those who have attained to
faith will say [to one another], “Are these the self­
same people who swore by God with their most âtijLJî yi
solemn oaths that they were indeed with you? In vain
are all their works, for now they are lost!” yT <$> SLX
(54) O you who have attained to faith! If you ever âî JC
abandon your faith,76 God will in time bring forth [in
your stead] people whom He loves and who love
Him - humble towards the believers, proud towards all
who deny the truth: [people] who strive hard in God’s
cause, and do not fear to be censured by anyone who
might censure them: such is God’s favour, which He
grants unto whom He wills. And God is infinite,
all-knowing.

communities extends genuine friendship only to its own adherents - i.e.. the Jews to the Jews, and
the Christians to the Christians - and cannot, therefore, be expected to be really friendly towards
the followers of the Quf’än. See also 8:73, and the corresponding note.
73 Lit., “the evildoing folk”: i.e., those who deliberately sin in this respect. As regards the
meaning of the “alliance” referred to here, see 3:28, and more particularly 4:139 and the
corresponding note, which explains the reference to a believer’s loss of his moral identity if he
imitates the way of life of, or-in Qur’anic terminology - “allies himself” with, non-Muslims.
However, as has been made abundantly clear in 60:7-9 (and implied in verse 57 of this sürah),
this prohibition of a “moral alliance” with non-Muslims does not constitute an injunction against
normal, friendly relations with such of them as are well-disposed towards Muslims. It should be
borne in mind that the term wall has several shades of meaning: “ally”, “friend”, “helper”,
“protector”, etc. The choice of the particular term - and sometimes a combination of two
terms-is always dependent on the context.
74 Lit., “vie with one another concerning them”-the pronoun referring to the hostile Jews and
Christians, for whose good-will the hypocrites within the Muslim community vie with one another
by trying to imitate their way of life.
75 Lit., “from Himself”. Some of the commentators assume that the word fath (lit., “victory”
or “triumph”) occurring in this sentence is a prophetic reference to the conquest of Mecca by the
Muslims. This assumption, however, cannot be correct since Mecca was already in the hands of
the Muslims at the time of the revelation of this sürah. Hence, the term fath has obviously been
used here in its primary significance of “opening”-namely, the opening of good fortune. (Cf. the
idiomatic expression futiha 'alä fulän, “so-and-so became fortunate” or “possessed of good
fortune”, mentioned in ZamakhsharT’s Asäs and in the Täj al-'Arûs.) The “other event of God’s
own devising” may conceivably refer to a divine punishment of the hypocrites apart from the good
fortune that might be in store for the true believers.
76 Lit., “whosoever from among you abandons his faith” -i.e., in result of having placed his
reliance on non-Muslims who are hostile to Islam, and having taken them for his “allies” and
spiritual mentors.
155
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AL-MÄ’IDAH___________________________ _____________

(55) Behold, your only helper shall be God, and His

Apostle, and those who have attained to faith- those
that are constant in prayer, and render the purifying
dues, and bow down [before God]: (56) for, all who ally
themselves with God and His Apostle and those who
have attained to faith - behold, it is they, the partisans
of God, who shall be victorious! <$>
(57) O you who have attained to faith! Do not take
for your friends such as mock at your faith and make
(g) f ty V***
a jest of it-be they from among those who have been bj* ip2 T le Is
vouchsafed revelation before your time, or [from
among] those who deny the truth [of revelation as
such] - but remain conscious of God, if you are [tru­
ly] believers: (58) for, when you call to prayer, they îjwf ($)
mock at it and make a jest of it - simply because they C-Jj iju>i^î
are people who do not use their reason.
(59) Say: “O followers of earlier revelation! Do you 4>L iiyJd J* J*
find fault with us for no other reason than that we
believe in God [alone], and in that which He has 1^»?^1 J-T* J/’ki
bestowed from on high upon us as well as that which
x* ly* J* ji
He has bestowed aforetime? - or [is it only] because
most of you are iniquitous?” MyJf ûî
(60) Say: “Shall I tell you who, in the sight of God,
deserves a yet worse retribution than these? They y- OyCjjl
whom God has rejected and whom He has condem­
ned, and whom He has turned into apes and swine (J)
because they worshipped the powers of evil:77 these
I—f ^b
are yet worse in station, and farther astray from the
right path [than the mockers].”78
(61) For, when they come unto you, they say, “We
do believe”: whereas, in fact, they come with the
resolve to deny the truth, and depart in the same
state.79 But God is fully aware of all that they would fAy Sjä/ f*r4 XP ($> ùjLn
conceal. (62) And thou canst see many of them vie
with one another in sinning and tyrannical conduct
and in their swallowing of all that is evil. (63) Why do
not their men of God and their rabbis80 forbid them to

. T1 Contrary to many of the commentators who take this reference to “apes and swine" in a
literal sense, the famous töM'r Mujähid explains it as a metaphorical description (mathal) of the
moral degradation which such sinners undergo: they become wildly unpredictable like apes, and as
abandoned to the pursuit of lusts as swine (Manär VI, 448). This interpretation has also been
quoted by TabarT in his commentary on 2:65.-As regards the expression “powers of evil”
(af-fäghüt), see sürah 2, note 250.
78 As is evident from the following verses, the sinners who are even worse than the mockers
are the hypocrites, and particularly those among them who claim to be followers of the Bible: for
the obvious reason that, having been enlightened through revelation, they have no excuse for their
behaviour. Although in verse 64 the Jews are specifically mentioned, the reference to the Gospel in
verse 66 makes it clear that the Christians, too, cannot be exempted from this blame.
79 Lit., “they come in with a denial of the truth and depart with it”.
80 According to BaghawT, the rabbäniyün (“men of God”-see sürah 3, note 62) stand, in this

156
 THE REPAST
make sinful assertions and to swallow all that is eviP
Vile indeed is what they contrive!
(64) And the Jews say, “God’s hand is shackled!” It
is their own hands that are shackled; and rejected [by
God] are they because of this their assertion.8* Nay,
but wide are His hands stretched out: He dispenses
[bounty] as He wills. But all that has been bestowed
from on high upon thee [O Prophet] by thy Sustainer
is bound to make many of them yet more stubborn in
their overweening arrogance and in their denial of the
truth.
And so We have cast enmity and hatred among the ipblLJ^ L' Al svSjT
»Howers of the Bible,
followers ftn last] until Resurrection
Bible.82 [to J J 1
Day; every time they light the fires of war, God
extinguishes them;*8183 and they labour hard to spread
82
corruption on earth: and God does not love the
spreaders of corruption.
(65) If the followers of the Bible would but attain to
[true] faith and God-consciousness, We should indeed «J/"£ 3^ £> Jb <$>
efface their [previous] bad deeds, and indeed bring
them into gardens of bliss; (66) and if they would but
truly observe the Torah and the Gospel and all [the
revelation] that has been bestowed from on high upon
them by their Sustainer, they would indeed partake of
all the blessings of heaven and earth. Some of them
do pursue a right course; but as for most of them

context, for the spiritual leaders of the Christians, and the ahbâr for the Jewish scholars
(“rabbis"). Regarding the “swallowing of evil", see note 54 above.
81 The phrase “one’s hand is shackled" is a metaphorical expression denoting niggardliness,
just as its opposite-“his hand is stretched out wide" - signifies generosity (ZamakhsharT).
However, these two phrases have a wider meaning as well, namely, “lack of power" and
“unlimited power”, respectively (RäzT). It would appear that the Jews of Medina, seeing the
poverty of the Muslims, derided the latters’ conviction that they were struggling in God’s cause
and that the Qur’än was divinely revealed. Thus, the “saying” of the Jews mentioned in this verse,
“God’s hand is shackled", as well as the parallel one in 3: 181, “God is poor while we are rich”, is
an elliptical description of their attitude towards Islam and the Muslims-an attitude of disbelief
and sarcasm which could be thus paraphrased: “If it were true that you Muslims are doing God’s
will, He would have bestowed upon you power and riches; but your poverty and your weakness
contradict your claim-or else this claim of yours amounts, in effect, to saying that God cannot
help you." This outstanding example of the elliptic mode of expression (Tjäz) so often employed in
the Qur’än has, however, a meaning that goes far beyond the historical circumstances to which it
refers: it illustrates an attitude of mind which mistakenly identifies wordly riches or power with
one’s being, spiritually, “on the right way”. In the next sentence the Qur’än takes issue with this
attitude and declares, in an equally elliptical manner, that all who see in material success an alleged
evidence of God’s approval are blind to spiritual truths and, therefore, morally powerless and
utterly self-condemned in the sight of God.
82 Lit., “among them”. The personal pronoun refers to the hypocritical followers of the
Bible-both the Jews and the Christians - spoken of in verses 57-63 (TabarT); cf. verse 14 of this
sürah, which makes a similar statement with regard to such of the Christians as “have forgotten
much of what they had been told to bear in mind”.
83 l.e., He does not allow any of the warring parties to resolve their conflicts through a final
victory, with the result that they continue to live in a state of “enmity and hatred .

157
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AL-MÄ’IDAH________________ _

—vile indeed is what they do!84

(67) O APOSTLE! Announce all that has been bestowed

from on high upon thee by thy Sustainer: for unless
thou doest it fully, thou wilt not have delivered His
message [at all]. And God will protect thee from
[unbelieving] men: behold, God does not guide people
j diJ (j* JÿlL« Ifjlb *
who refuse to acknowledge the truth. E E
(68) Say: “O followers of the Bible! You have no J4_dLj cSL Li JaL'
valid ground for your beliefs unless you [truly] ob­
serve the Torah and the Gospel, and all that has been
bestowed from on high upon you by your Sus­
tainer!”85
Yet all that has been bestowed from on high upon
thee [O Prophet] by thy Sustainer is bound to make
many of them yet more stubborn in their overweening Lljik dLj J- dLJ[
arrogance and in their denial of the truth. But sorrow
not over people who deny the truth: (69) for, verily,
those who have attained to faith [in this divine writ],
as well as those who follow the Jewish faith, and the
Sabians,86 and the Christians - all who believe in God
u& ûuj X, y»
and the Last Day and do righteous deeds-no fear
need they have, and neither shall they grieve.

(70) INDEED, We accepted a solemn pledge from the O ùjkL U p ije^TU j â>r V 4
children of Israel, and We sent apostles unto them;
(►yls *i*f •—*t f jjC" * *>r-**j
[but] every time an apostle came unto them with
anything that was not to their liking, [they rebelled:]
to some of them they gave the lie, while others they
would slay,87 (71) thinking that no harm would befall
them; and so they became blind and deaf [of heart].
Thereafter God accepted their repentance: and again
many of them became blind and deaf. But God sees
all that they do.

84 The expression “partake of all the blessings of heaven and earth” (lit., “eat from above them
and from beneath their feet”) is an allusion to the blessing which accompanies the realization of a
spiritual truth, as well as to the social happiness which is bound to follow an observance of the
moral principles laid down in the genuine teachings of the Bible. It should be borne in mind that the
phrase “if they would but truly observe (law annahum aqämü) the Torah and the Gospel”, etc.,
implies an observance of those scriptures in their genuine spirit, free of the arbitrary distortions
due to that “wishful thinking” of which the Qur’än so often accuses the Jews and the Christians-
such as the Jewish concept of “the chosen people”, or the Christian doctrines relating to the
alleged divinity of Jesus and the “vicarious redemption” of his followers.
85 I.e., all the other God-inspired books of the Old Testament which stress the oneness of God
and are full of prophecies relating to the advent of the Prophet Muhammad (Räzi). This must be
understood in conjunction with the oft-repeated Qur’anic statement that the Bible, as it exists now,
has undergone many textual changes and corruptions.
86 See sOrah 2, note 49.
87 Lit., “and some they are slaying”. Regarding the significance of the change from the past to
the present tense (yaqtulän), see sûrah 2, note 72.

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 THE REPAST
(72) Indeed, the truth deny they who say, “Behold,
God is the Christ, son of Mary”-seeing that the
Christ [himself] said, “O children of Israel! Worship
God [alone], who is my Sustainer as well as your
Sustainer.”“ Behold, whoever ascribes divinity to
any being beside God, unto him will God deny
paradise, and his goal shall be the fire; and such
evildoers will have none to succour them!
(73) Indeed, the truth deny they who say, “Behold,
God is the third of a trinity” - seeing that there is no
jUÎ «jLj O/
deity whatever save the One God. And unless they
desist from this their assertion, grievous suffering is
bound to befall such of them as are bent on denying
the truth. (74) Will they not, then, turn towards God
in repentance, and ask His forgiveness? For God is
much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace. (d1 rk &
(75) The Christ, son of Mary, was but an apostle:
all [other] apostles had passed away before him; and
his mother was one who never deviated from the 4r*j A
truth; and they both ate food [like other mortals].”
Behold how clear We make these messages unto
them: and then behold how perverted are their ûj jp-L'i jj 0 Juî y c-sTf
minds!8890 (76) Say: “Would you worship, beside God,
89
aught that has no power either to harm or to benefit
you-when God alone is all-hearing, all-knowing?”
(77) Say: “O followers of the Gospel! Do not J6* j j* ($)
overstep the bounds [of truth] in your religious ijujjj
beliefs;91 and do not follow the errant views of people
who have gone astray aforetime, and have led many
[others] astray, and are still straying from the right
path.”92

(78) THOSE of the children of Israel who were bent on

denying the truth have [already] been cursed by the

88 Cf. Matthew iv, 10; Luke iv, 8; John xx, 17.

89 The purport of this passage is that Jesus was but a mortal like all the other apostles who lived
before him, and that Mary never claimed to be “the mother of God”.
90 Lit., "how turned away they are [from the truth]”. Primarily, the verb afaka signifies “he
turned [someone or something] away"; in an abstract sense it often denotes “he uttered a lie”
(because it implies a turning away from the truth). The passive form ufika has frequently die
meaning of “he was turned away from his opinion” (or “from his judgment”) and, thus, “his mind
became perverted” or “deluded”. (Cf. Qämüs and Tâj ai-*Anis ; also Lane I, 69.)
91 Cf 4:171. This passage, like the preceding ones, is obviously addressed to the Christians,
whose love for Jesus has caused them to “overstep the bounds of truth” by elevating him to the
rank of divinity, therefore my rendering, in this context, of ahi al-kitâb as “followers of the
Gospel”.
92 Lit., “have gone astray from the right path": i.e., are persisting in this condition until now
(RfizT): an allusion to the many communities who, in the course of time, have come to attribute
divinity to their spiritual leaders-a phenomenon frequently encountered in the history of
religions.
159
 SÜRAH
AL-MÄ’IDAH________________________________________

tongue of David and of Jesus, the son of Mary: this,

because they rebelled [against God] and persisted in
transgressing the bounds of what is right. (79) They
would not prevent one another from doing whatever
hateful things they did: vile indeed was what they f.s 4
were wont to do!
(80) [And now] thou canst see many of them allying iyb»Kj b’**’ Le

themselves with those who are bent on denying the (g) ûjkLJjitf’l* Cf
truth! [So] vile indeed is what their passions make
them do9394 that God has condemned them; and in suff­
ering shall they abide. (81) For, if they [truly]
believed in God and their Prophet95 and all that was (£) f âî ùl
bestowed upon him from on high, they would not
L J j». IX’jb
take those [deniers of the truth] for their allies: but
most of them are iniquitous. ùJ-J • (g) <^b*U?
(82) Thou wilt surely find that, of all people, the
most hostile to those who believe [in this divine writ] ùX
are the Jews as well as those who are bent on
ascribing divinity to aught beside God; and thou wilt iSf** *4 *fl Cr.^ *fl* üfl •

surely find that, of all people,96 they who say, “Be­

hold, we are Christians,“ come closest to feeling (ff*) |»r b Û6 ■* ■* (*r* <jl «iB i
affection for those who believe [in this divine writ]: Cf f-r^* & Jÿ'î*
this is so because there are priests and monks among
them, and because these are not given to arrogance.97 UH U. j jj)ÿ> jXî Lt
(83) For, when they come to understand what has
been bestowed from on high upon this Apostle, thou
canst see their eyes overflow with tears, because they
recognize something of its truth;98 [and] they say: “O

93 Cf. Psalms Ixxviii, 21-22, 31-33, and passim-, also Matthew xii, 34, and xxiii, 33-35.
94 Lit., “what their passions (anfusuhum) have proffered to them”. (Regarding the rendering of
nafs as “passion", see note 37 on verse 30 of this surah.) What is alluded to here is their stubborn
belief that they are “God’s chosen people" and, consequently, their rejection of any revelation that
may have been vouchsafed to others.
95 Lit., “the Prophet”. According to ZamakhsharT and RäzT, the prophet referred to is Moses,
whom the Jews claim to follow-a claim which the Qur’än denies by implication.
96 Lit., “of them”.
97 Le., they do not believe, as do the Jews, that revelation is God’s exclusive gift to the children
of Israel; and their “priests and monks” teach them that humility is the essence of all true
faith.-It is noteworthy that the Qur’än does not in this context include the Christians among
“those who are bent on ascribing divinity to aught beside God” (alladhïna ashrakü - the element
of intent being expressed in the use of the past tense, similar to alladhïna kafarü, alladhïna
falamü, etc.): for although, by their deification of Jesus, they are guilty of the sin of shirk (“the
ascribing of divinity to anyone or anything beside God"), the Christians do not consciously
worship a plurality of deities inasmuch as, theoretically, their theology postulates belief in the One
God, who is conceived as manifesting Himself in a trinity of aspects, or “persons", of whom Jesus
is supposed to be one. However repugnant this doctrine may be to the teachings of the Qur’än,
their shirk is not based on conscious intent, but rather flows from their “overstepping the bounds
of truth" in their veneration of Jesus (see 4:171, 5:77). Cf. in this context RäzT’s remarks
mentioned in note 16 on 6:23.
98 Regarding this rendering of the phrase mimmd 'arafü min al-fiaqq, see ZamakhsharT and
RäzT; also Mandr VII, 12. As for my translation of the expression idhd sarnffl as “when they

160
 THE REPAST
our Sustainer! We do believe; make us one, then,
with all who bear witness to the truth. (84) And how
could we fail to believe in God and in whatever truth
has come unto us, when we so fervently desire that
our Sustainer count us among the righteous?”
(85) And for this their belief99 God will reward them
with gardens through which running waters flow,
(g)
therein to abide: for such is the requital of the doers
of good; (86) whereas they who are bent on denying
the truth and giving the lie to Our messages - they are
destined for the blazing fire.

(87) O YOU who have attained to faith! Do not deprive

yourselves of the good things of life which God has
made lawful to you,100 but do not transgress the
bounds of what is right: verily, God does not love
those who transgress the bounds of what is right. (88)
Lr'JG ($) V X,
Thus, partake of the lawful, good things which God
grants you as sustenance, and be conscious of God, in ‘Âr*1 jl»îcL.ûîJLijj
whom you believe.
-^4’ û (J)
(89) GOD will not take you to task for oaths which you
may have uttered without thought,101 but He will take
you to task for oaths which you have sworn in
earnest. Thus, the breaking of an oath must be atoned
for by102 feeding ten needy persons with more or less
the same food as you are wont to give to your own
families,103 or by clothing them, or by freeing a human
being from bondage; and he who has not the where­
withal shall fast for three days [instead]. This shall be
the atonement for your oaths whenever you have

come to understand", it is to be noted that beyond its primary significance of “he heard", the verb
sami'a has often the meaning of “he understood" or “came to understand" (cf. Lane IV, 1427).
99 Lit., “for what they have said”-i.e., expressed as their belief (Zamakhshari).
100 Most of the commentators - including Tabari, Zamakhshari and RäzT-explain the ex­
pression lä tuharrimü (lit., “do not forbid” or “do not declare as forbidden”) in the sense given by
me above, and take it to refer to the self-mortification practiced, in particular, by Christian priests
and monks. The term at-fayyibSt comprises all that is good and wholesome in life - “the delightful
things which human beings desire and towards which their hearts incline” (Tabari): hence my
rendering, “the good things of life”.
101 Lit., “for a thoughtless word (laghw) in your oaths”. This refers primarily to oaths aiming at
denying to oneself something which the Law of Islam does not prohibit (i.e., “the good things of
life”); and, generally, to all oaths uttered without premeditation, e.g., under the influence of anger
(cf. 2 : 224-225; also 38 : 44 and the corresponding note 41).
102 Lit., “its atonement shall be”-the pronoun referring to the (implied) sin of breaking an
oath. It is obvious from the context that this possibility of atonement relates only to “oaths uttered
without thought", and not to deliberate undertakings affecting other persons, which-as has been
explicitly stated in the opening sentence of this surah-a believer is bound to observe faithfully to
the best of his ability. Regarding exceptions from this general rule, see sürah 2, note 212.
103 Lit., “the average of what you feed your families with".

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 SÜRAH
AL-MÄ'IDAH

swom [ahd broken them]. But be mindful of your

oaths!104
Thus God makes clear unto you His messages, so
that you might have cause to be grateful.

O YOU who have attained to faith! Intoxicants, and

games of chance, and idolatrous practices, and the ($) ûj/2*
divining of the future are but a loathsome evil of
Satan’s doing:105 shun it, then, so that you might
attain to a happy state! (91) By means of intoxicants
and games of chance Satan seeks only to sow enmity ■V- «X
and hatred among you, and to turn you away from the
remembrance of God and from prayer. Will you not,
then, desist?106
(92) Hence, pay heed unto God, and pay heed unto
the Apostle, and be ever on your guard [against evil];
and if you turn away, then know that Our Apostle’s
only duty is a clear delivery of the message [entrusted $) 3j_jî > & > UXtf J5/
to him].107
L? îjl^ îjé
(93) Those who have attained to faith and do
righteous deeds incur no sin by partaking of whatever ij# U
they may,108 so long as they are conscious of God and
[truly] believe and do righteous deeds, and continue
to be conscious of God and to believe, and grow ever
more109 conscious of God, and persevere in doing

104 Le., “do not make them lightly or often’’ (RäzT).

105 According to all the lexicographers, the word khamr (derived from the verb khamara, “he
concealed” or “obscured”) denotes every substance the use of which obscures the intellect, i.e.,
intoxicates. Hence, the prohibition of intoxicants laid down in this verse comprises not merely
alcoholic drinks, but also drugs which have a similar effect. The only exception from this total
prohibition arises in cases of “dire necessity" (in the strictest sense of these words), as stipulated
in the last sentence of verse 3 of this sürah: that is to say, in cases where illness or a bodily
accident makes the administration of intoxicating drugs or of alcohol imperative and
unavoidable. - As regards the expression “idolatrous practices” (anfäb, lit., “idolatrous altars”),
see note 8 of this sürah. This term has, I believe, been used here metaphorically, and is meant to
circumscribe all practices of an idolatrous nature - like saint-worship, the attribution of “magic”
properties to certain inanimate objects, the observance of all manner of superstitious taboos, and
so forth.-For an explanation of the expression rendered by me as “divining of the future”
(al-azlâm, lit., “divining-arrows”), see note 9 on the second paragraph of verse 3 of this sürah.
106 Lit., “Will you, then, desist?”-a rhetorical question implying the necessity of desisting,
which can be expressed in English only by the use of the negative form.
107 This implies that he cannot force people to believe, and cannot, therefore, be held
responsible for their failure to do so.
108 Lit., “in whatever they eat” or “taste" (fT-rnä fa'imü). The verb fa'ima, which primarily
signifies “he ate”, applies to eating and drinking as well as - metaphorically - to “partaking of”
anything that may be desirable. Most of the commentators assume that this verse relates to the
believers who had died before the promulgation of the prohibitions mentioned in verse 90 above. It
seems to me, however, that it has a much wider meaning, and relates to the partaking of “the good
things of life”-i.e., to those which have not been prohibited by God and which, therefore, the
believers need not deny themselves (cf. verse 87 above).
109 Lit., “and then (thumma) are..a sequence expressing growth and intensification (RäzT).

162
 5
the repast
good: for God loves the doers of good.

(94) O YOU who have attained to faith! Most certainly

God will try you by means of the game which may
come within the reach of your hands and your
weapons [while you are on pilgrimage], so that God
might mark out those who fear Him although He is
beyond the reach of human perception.1" And as for
him who, after all this, transgresses the bounds of
what is right - grievous suffering awaits him!
(95) O you who have attained to faith! Kill no game
while you are in the state of pilgrimage. And whoever
of you kills it intentionally,"2 [shall make] amends in
cattie equivalent to what he has killed-with two J-fc Js*l* Ji* rijX Llwo
persons of probity giving their judgment thereon-to
be brought as an offering to the Ka'bah;"3 or else he
may atone for his sin by feeding the needy, or by the ÛÏ Ui* Jbj Jjj-JUU« di'S Jx> j\
equivalent thereof in fasting:"4 [this,] in order that he
taste the full gravity of his deed, [while] God shall
have effaced the past. But whoever does it again, God
will inflict His retribution on him: for God is al­
mighty, an avenger of evil.
(96) Lawful to you is all water-game, and what the
sea brings forth,"5 as a provision for you [who are

Hence, the particle thumma - occurring twice in this sentence-has been rendered by me, in the
first instance, as “[they] continue to be” and, in the second instance, as “[they] grow ever more
[conscious of God]”.
110 Lit., “with something of the game which your hands and your lances [may] reach”.
Ill With this verse, the Qur’än returns to the prohibition of hunting during pilgrimage enun­
ciated in verse 1 of this siirah. The “trial” arises from the fact that hunting, although lawful in itself
(and therefore included among the things which the beliver, according to the preceding verse, may
normally partake of), is prohibited in the state of pilgrimage. - As regards the expression bi'l-
ghayb, rendered by me as “although He is beyond the reach of human perception”, see siirah 2,
note 3.
112 From the last sentence of this verse it appears that by the “intentional” killing referred to
here only an isolated incident (or a first offence) can be meant, and not a wilful, persistent
“transgressing of the bounds of what is right”, which the preceding verse condemns so severely. It
is to be borne in mind that the term “game” (fayd) relates in this context only to edible animals:
for, according to several authentic Traditions, the killing of a dangerous or highly obnoxious
animal -fnr instance, a snake, a scorpion, a rabid dog, etc.-is permitted even in the state of
pilgrimage.
113 I.e., for distribution among the poor. In this context, the Ka'bah signifies, metonymically,
the sacred precincts of Mecca, and not only the sanctuary itself (RäzT). The “two persons of
probity” are supposed to determine the approximate flesh-value of the wild animal which has been
killed, and to decide on this basis as to what domestic animal should be offered in compensation.
114 Lit., “or [there shall be] an atonement by way of feeding the needy, or an equivalent by way
of fasting”. These two alternatives are open to a pilgrim who is too poor to provide a head or
heads of cattle corresponding in value to the game which he has killed, or-in the last-named
alternative-too poor even to feed other poor people. Since neither the Qur’än nor any authentic
Tradition specifies the number of poor to be fed or the number of days of fasting, these details are
obviously left to the conscience of the person concerned.
115 Lit., “the game of the sea and its food”. Since the term bahr denotes any large ac-

163
 SÜRAH
AL-MÄ’IDAH

settled] as well as for travellers, although you are

forbidden to hunt on land while you are in the state of
And be conscious of God, unto whom
pilgrimage.*116117
you shall be gathered.
(97) God has laid down that the Kabbah, the In­
violable Temple, shall be a symbol for all mankind;
and [so, too,] the sacred month [of pilgrimage] and « (J)
the garlanded offerings [are symbols] meant to make
that God is aware of all that is in the
you aware118119 tfUb
heavens and all that is on earth, and that God has full
oJlIjÎ ù‘ ÎJXj dß liUJÎj
knowledge of everything.
(98) Know that God is severe in retribution - and
that God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.
(99) No more is the Apostle bound to do than (J) JJ** ûT ul
deliver the message [entrusted to him]: and God
knows all that you do openly, and all that you would
conceal.
(100) Say: “There is no comparison between the J* (S) U,
bad things and the good things,11’ even though very
many of the bad things may please thee greatly. Be,
then, conscious of God, O you who are endowed with 3^ yή 0 SjUÎ; ÂJ
insight, so that you might attain to a happy state!’’

(101) O YOU who have attained to faith! Do not ask about

cumulation of water, the classical commentators and jurists agree in that the above ordinance
comprises all water-game, whether derived from seas, rivers, lakes or ponds (Tabari). The pronoun
in fa'ämuhu (lit., “its food”) relates to the word bahr, and thus indicates the fish and other marine
animals which may have been cast forth by the waves onto the shore (Tabari, Râzï). Zamakhsharï,
however, regards the pronoun as relating to the object of the game Uayd) as such, and,
consequently, understands the phrase as meaning “the eating thereof”. Either of these two
readings is agreeable with the text inasmuch as the above verse lays down that all kinds of
water-game are lawful to a believer - even if he is in the state of pilgrimage - whereas hunting on
land (fayd al-barr) is forbidden to the pilgrim.
116 According to Al-Hasan al-Ba$ri (as quoted by Tabari), the “travellers” are, in this context,
synonymous with “pilgrims”: in other words, water-game of all descriptions is lawful to the
believers irrespective of whether they are on pilgrimage or not.
117 All hunting, whether by pilgrims or non-pilgrims, is prohibited in the vicinity of the
Ka'bah - i.e., within the precincts of Mecca and its environs - because it is a sanctuary (amn, see
2:125) for all living beings. For its association with Abraham, see 2:125 ff., and the corresponding
notes. The noun ka'bah, by which, owing to its shape, the sanctuary has always been known,
denotes any “cubical building”. It would seem that he who first built the Ka'bah (for, since the
time of Abraham, it has been rebuilt several times, always in the same shape) consciously chose
the simplest three-dimensional form imaginable-a cube-as a parable of man’s humility and awe
before the idea of God, whose glory is beyond anything that man could conceive by way of
architectural beauty. This symbolism is clearly expressed in the term qiyäm (lit., “support” or
“mainstay”), which - in its abstract sense - signifies “a standard by which [men’s] affairs are made
sound or improved" (RäzT): hence my rendering of qiyäm li'n-näs as “a symbol for all mankind”.
118 Lit., “this, so that you may know”. The “garlanded offerings” (lit., “offerings and garlands”)
are a reference to the sacrificial animals (see note 4 of this sürah). Thus, the pilgrimage and the
rites connected with it are stated to be symbols of man’s self-surrender to God.
119 Lit., “the bad things and the good things are not equal".
 5
THE REPAST
matters which, if they were to be made manifest to
you [in terms of law], might cause you hardship;120
for, if you should ask about them while the Qur’än is
being revealed, they might [indeed] be made manifest
to you [as laws].121 God has absolved [you from any
obligation] in this respect: for God is much-forgiving,
forbearing.122123
(102) People before your time have
(Q) f LLL jf
indeed asked such questions - and in result thereof
have come to deny the truth.,2J

(103) IT IS NOT of God’s ordaining that certain kinds of

120 This verse connects directly with verse 99: “No more is the Apostle bound to do than
deliver the message.” Read in conjunction with the sentence, “Today have I perfected your
religious law for you” (occurring in verse 3 of this sürah), the above statement implies that the
believers should not try to deduce “additional" laws from the injunctions clearly laid down as such
by the Qur’än or by the Prophet, since this “might cause you hardship” - that is, might (as has
indeed happened in the course of the centuries) impose additional burdens on the believers above
and beyond anything that has been stipulated in terms of law in the Qur’än or in the authentic
commandments of the Prophet. On the basis of this verse, some of the greatest Muslim scholars
have concluded that Islamic Law, in its entirety, consists of no more than the clear-cut injunctions
forthcoming from the self-evident (zähir) wording of the Qur’än and the Prophet’s command­
ments, and that, consequently, it is not permissible to extend the scope Of such self-evident
ordinances by means of subjective methods of deduction. (A most enlightening discussion of this
problem is to be found in the Introduction to Ibn Hazm’s Muhallâ, vol. I, 56 ff.) This, of course,
does not prevent the Muslim community from evolving, whenever necessary, any amount of
additional, temporal legislation in accordance with the spirit of the Qur’än and the teachings of the
Prophet: but it must be clearly understood that such additional legislation cannot be regarded as
forming part of Islamic Law (the shariah) as such.
121 I.e., with possibly unfortunate consequences. An illustration of this problem has been
provided in the following authentic Tradition, quoted by Muslim on the authority of Abfl
Hurayrah. In one of his sermons, the Prophet said: “O my people! God has ordained the
pilgrimage (al-hajj) for you; therefore perform it.” Thereupon somebody asked, “Every year, O
Apostle of God?” The Prophet remained silent; and the man repeated his question twice. Then the
Prophet said: “Had I answered ‘yes’, it would have become incumbent on you [to perform the
pilgrimage every year]: and, indeed, it would have been beyond your ability to do so. Do not ask
me about matters which I leave unspoken: for, behold, there were people before you who went to
their doom because they had put too many questions to their prophets and thereupon disagreed
[about their teachings]. Therefore, if I command you anything, do of it as much as you are able to
do; and if I forbid you anything, abstain from it.” Discussing this Tradition. Ibn Hazm observes:
“It circumscribes all the principles of religious law (ahkâm ad-din) from the first to the last-
namely* what the Prophet has left unspoken - neither ordering nor forbidding it-is allowed
(mubäh), that is, neither forbidden nor obligatory; whatever he ordered is obligatory (fard), and
whatever he forbade is unlawful (haram)-, and whatever he ordered us to do is binding on us to the
extent of our ability alone” (Muhallâ 1,64). It should be borne in mind that the term ‘ the Prophet
comprises, in this context, the Qur’än as well, since it was through the Prophet that the Qur’anic
message was communicated to mankind.
122 Ie., by leaving certain matters unspoken, God has left them to man’s discretion, thus
enabling him to act in accordance with his conscience and the best interests of the community.
123 Following Ibn Hazm’s principles of jurisprudence, RashTd Riijä’ thus explains the above
verse- “Many of our jurists (fuqahF) have, by their subjective deductions, unduly widened the
range of man’s religious obligations (takalif), thus giving rise to the very difficulties and com­
plications which the clear wording [of the Qur’än] had put an end to; and this has led to the
abandonment, by many individual Muslims as well as by their governments, of Islamic Law in its
entirety" (Mandr VII, 138).
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 SÜRAH
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cattle should be marked out by superstition and set

aside from the use of man;124 yet those who are bent
on denying the truth attribute their own lying in­
ventions to God. And most of them never use their
reason: (104) for when they are told, “Come unto that
which God has bestowed from on high, and unto the
Apostle” - they answer, “Enough for us is that which
we found our forefathers believing in and doing.”
Why, even though their forefathers knew nothing, ju j-? 0
and were devoid of all guidance?
(105) O you who have attained to faith! It is [but] UîLU «-Je L’..;-*-
for your own selves that you are responsible: those
(Q) X, Qpw'y (jlTß j\
who go astray can do you no harm if you [yourselves]
are on the right path. Unto God you all must return:
and then He will make you [truly] understand all that
you were doing [in life].

(106) O YOU who have attained to faith! Let there be

iyf <3
witnesses to what you do when death approaches you J jjl J;* OjJf yJ»-
and you are about to make bequests:125 two persons
of probity from among your own people, or-if the
pangs of death come upon you while you are travel­
ling far from home126-two other persons from SjL«|f JM U Opjf 4
[among people] other than your own. Take hold of
the two after having prayed; and if you have any
doubt in your mind, let each of them swear by God, (3) y* I if vj □> ii
“We shall not sell this [our word] for any price, even
though it were [for the sake of] a near kinsman; and
neither shall we conceal aught of what we have
witnessed before God127-or else, may we indeed be
counted among the sinful.”
(107) But if afterwards it should come to light that

124 Lit., “God has not ordained anything [in the nature] of a bahTrah, nor a siTibah, nor a
waçttah, nor a häm." These expressions denote certain categories of domestic animals which the
pre-Islamic Arabs used to dedicate to their various deities by setting them free to pasture and
prohibiting their use or slaughter. They were selected mainly on the basis of the number, sex and
sequence of their offspring; but the lexicographers and commentators are by no means unanimous
in their attempts at definition. For this reason-as well as because of their inherent complexity -
the above four terms cannot be translated into any other language; consequently, 1 am rendering
them in the text as “certain kinds of cattle marked out by superstition and set aside from the use
of man”: this being, in the consensus of all authorities, the common denominator of the four
categories. It is obvious that their mention at this place (as well as, by implication, in 6:138-139
and 143-144) serves as an illustration of the arbitrary invention of certain supposedly “religious”
obligations and prohibitions alluded to in the preceding two verses and explained in the cor­
responding notes.
125 Lit., “[let there be] testimony between you”-i.e., between you and your heirs-“when
death approaches any of* you, at the time of [making a] bequest”.
126 Lit., “travelling on earth”. According to most of the commentators (cf. RäzT), the ex­
pression minkum (lit., “from among you”) signifies here “from among your own people”, i.e., from
among the Muslim community.
127 Lit., “we shall not conceal God’s testimony”.

166
 5
THE REPAST
the two [witnesses] have become guilty of [this very]
sin, then two others-from among those whom the
two former have deprived of their right*28-shall take
their place and shall swear by God, “Our testimony is
indeed truer than the testimony of these two, and we
have not transgressed the bounds of what is right-or
else, may we indeed be counted among the evil­
doers!”
âL ûL—ÎJ .ÿjjVl JT
(108) Thus it will be more likely that people will
offer testimony in accordance with the truth-or else y bruXtl;
they will [have cause to] fear that their oaths will be
refuted by the oaths of others.128
129 Vp* •ipt i/L J £i lui 3hLJÎ)Î
Be, then, conscious of God, and hearken [unto
Him]: for God does not bestow His guidance upon
iniquitous folk.

(109) ON THE DAY when God shall assemble all the «J dbj LJ ijj
apostles and shall ask, “What response did you
receive?” - they will answer, “We have no knowl­ JK H 0
edge; verily, it is Thou alone who fully knowest all
urJ-ilT^jz éüj.1 dL'J’j éÊÏ
the things that are beyond the reach of a created
being’s perception.”130 飣 Si 5 Apr j Jûr
(110) Lo!131 God will say: “O Jesus, son of Mary!
Remember the blessings which I bestowed upon thee üty «JkXIj
and thy mother-how I strengthened thee with holy
inspiration,132 so that thou couldst speak unto men in û^lrj

thy cradle, and as a grown man; and how I imparted

unto thee revelation and wisdom, including the Torah
and the Gospel;133 and how by My leave thou didst
create out of clay, as it were, the shape of [thy
followers’] destiny, and then didst breathe into it, so
that it might become, by My leave, [their] destiny;134
and how thou didst heal the blind and the leper by My

128 I.e., from among the rightful heirs of the deceased.

129 Lit., “lest [contradictory] oaths be proffered after their oaths”.
130 Cf. verse 99 above: “No more is the Apostle bound to do than deliver the message”-for,
neither can he force people to follow the right path, nor can he know what is in their hearts. (See
also 4:41-42.)
131 Regarding my occasional rendering of idh (at the beginning of a sentence) as “lo”, see surah
2, note 21. In the above context, this interjection connects with the preceding passage, which
states, by implication, that the apostles are not responsible for the reactions of those to whom they
communicate the divine message: a connection that is brought out fully in verses 116-117 below.
132 See surah 2, note 71.
133 Lit., “and the Torah and the Gospel”. The conjunction “and” at the beginning of this clause
is meant to stress the fact that both the Torah and the Gospel were included in the revelation
(al-kitäb) vouchsafed to Jesus. Although the Torah was an earlier revelation, it is described as
“imparted to Jesus” because his own prophetic mission was based on the Law of Moses, which
was only confirmed, and not abrogated, by the Gospel (cf. Matthew v, 17—19). As regards the
expression “in thy cradle”, see sürah 3, note 33 (first sentence).
134 See 3:49, as well as the corresponding note 37.

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 SÜRAH
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leave, and how thou didst raise the dead by My

leave;135 and how I prevented the children of Israel
from harming thee when thou earnest unto them with
ail evidence of the truth, and [when] those of them
who were bent on denying the truth were saying,
Iki ÿ clié»

‘This is clearly nothing but deception!’”

JL*
(Ill) AND [remember the time] when I inspired the white-
($) ûs-t»
garbed ones:136 “Believe in Me and in My Apostle!”
They answered: “We believe; and bear Thou wit­ JU (JJJ) ÛL 13b
ness that we have surrendered ourselves [unto
J* dL J U J* fiZ Ù? jÇil
Thee].”
(112) [And,] lo, the white-garbed ones said: “O
JI* Jjw
Jesus, son of Mary! Could thy Sustainer send down
unto us a repast from heaven?”137 u. jU Ç* jTk o' -v yi* (JJJ)
[Jesus] answered: “Be conscious of God, if you are
0 j* Çk ÙjCj Ljll Ji jfyij
[truly] believers!”
(113) Said they: “We desire to partake thereof, so
J* ilu UJc U; j (CZ &
that our hearts might be set fully at rest, and that we
might know that thou hast spoken the truth to us, and
that we might be of those who bear witness thereto!”
(114) Said Jesus, the son of Mary: “O God, our

135 See surah 3, note 38.

136 I.e., the disciples of Jesus (see sürah 3, note 42).
137 The relevant words, in the generally accepted reading of the Qur’än. are hal yastarî*
rabbuka, meaning “can thy Sustainer”, or “could thy Sustainer”, or “is thy Sustainer able”.
Inasmuch as, on the face of it, this reading would imply a fundamental doubt in God's power to do
anything that He wills (an imputation which does not agree with the characterization, in the Qur’än,
of Jesus’ disciples as firm believers), most of the commentators see in the query of the disciples
something similar to one person's asking another, “Could you go with me?” - that is to say, not
implying a doubt as to the other's ability to go but, rather, an uncertainty as to his willingness to
do it (cf. in this respect, TabarT, BaghawT, Râzï, Räghib; also Manär VII, 250 ff.). We have,
however, positive evidence of the fact that several of the most outstanding Companions of the
Prophet-'AIT, Ibn 'Abbäs, 'Ä’ishah and Mu'ädh ibn Jabal-read the words in question in the
spelling hal tastafT* rabbaka, which might be rendered as “Couldst thou prevail upon thy
Sustainer?” (Tabari, ZamakhsharT, BaghawT, Râzï, Ibn KathTr): a reading which implies the
disciples’ uncertainty as to Jesus' ability (in the spiritual sense of this word) to make the above
request of God. Thus, 'Ä’ishah, refusing to accept the more common reading hal yastatf* rabbuka
(“can” or “could thy Sustainer”), is reported to have said: “The disciples of Jesus knew better
than to ask whether God is able to do anything: they merely asked [of Jesus], ‘Art thou able to
request thy Sustainer?’" (Râzï). Moreover, according to an authentic Tradition quoted in the
Mustadrak, Mu'ädh ibn Jabal stated unequivocally that the Prophet himself had imparted to him
the reading hal tastatP rabbaka (“Couldst thou prevail upon thy Sustainer?”). To my mind, the
weight of evidence points to this second alternative; but in view of the more general reading, 1 have
rendered the phrase as above.
As regards the disciples’ request-and Jesus’ subsequent prayer-for a heavenly “repast”
(miPidah, the word which gave the title to this sürah), it might possibly be an echo of the request
for daily bread contained in the Lord’s Prayer (cf. Matthew vi. 11), since, in religious terminology,
every benefit that accrues to man is “sent down from heaven”-that is, by God-even if it comes
into being through man’s own efforts. But, on the other hand, the manner in which the disciples are
said to have asked for the “repast" - and particularly their explanation given in the next
verse-rather seems to point to a request for a miracle which would assure them of God's
“acceptance” of their faith. (See also next note.)

168
 5
THE REPAST
Sustainer! Send down upon us a repast from heaven:
it shall be an ever-recurring feast for us - for the first
and the last of us - and a sign from Thee. And
provide us our sustenance, for Thou art the best of
providers!”
(115) God answered: “Verily, I [always] do send it
down unto you:138 and so, if any of you should
henceforth deny [this] truth, on him, behold, will I 4JU bjAij LjJjV lx» LjJ ôjO t* -
inflict suffering the like of which I have never [yet]
Û>jw»<j[âîjs (nJ) ùpjfl jjfc
inflicted upon anyone in the world!”

(116) AND LO! God said:139 “O Jesus, son of Mary! Didst

thou say unto men, ‘Worship me and my mother as (CZ Ù? U-Si & &
deities beside God’?”
[Jesus] answered: “Limitless art Thou in Thy glory! Lfb CJH
It would not have been possible for me to say what I
q 4 J' d JI»
had no right to [say]! Had I said this, Thou wouldst
indeed have known it! Thou knowest all that is ju'^îVJ j u £? cJ”
within myself, whereas I know not what is in Thy
Self. Verily, it is Thou alone who fully knowest all (U cJl <$> & éq 2uL'
the things that are beyond the reach of a created
being’s perception. (117) Nothing did I tell them be­
yond what Thou didst bid me [to say]: ‘Worship God, w-l Ui eJi L Uji
[who is] my Sustainer as well as your Sustainer.’ And
I bore witness to what they did as long as I dwelt in CF*“
their midst; but since Thou hast caused me to die,
^qî (U jùi &Ç»
Thou alone hast been their keeper:140 for Thou art
witness unto everything. (118) If thou cause them to
suffer-verily, they are Thy servants; and if Thou
forgive them-verily, Thou alone art almighty, truly
wise!”

(119) [AND on Judgment Day] God will say:141 “Today,

138 The grammatical form munazzil in the phrase innT munazziluhä (lit., “I am sending it
down”) implies a continued recurrence of bestowal-a continuity which I have expressed by
interpolating the word “always" between brackets. This stress on God’s ever-recurrent provision
of sustenance, both physical and spiritual, explains the extreme severity of His condemnation of
all who - in their arrogant presumption that man is self-sufficient and independent - deny this
obvious truth; and, in addition, it implies a condemnation of any demand for a miracle as a
“proof’ of God’s existence.
139 Sc., “after Jesus’ death”: this is fully evident from Jesus’ subsequent reference, in the past
tense, to his own death (“since Thou hast caused me to die”) in verse 117. On the other
hand, the verb qäla (lit., “He said”) can also have the meaning of “He will say" (see note 141
below).
140 The definite article in anta'r-raqTb expresses God's exclusiveness in His function as raqTb
(“keeper”), and can only be rendered by an interpolation of the (elliptically implied) word “alone”.
Similar expressions relating to God are very often met with in the Qur’än-e.g., at the end of the
next verse.
141 Lit., “said”-but many of the classical commentators understand the verb qäla as denoting
here the future tense (“He will say”), sc., “on the Day of Judgment”.

169
AL-MÄ’IDAH SÜRAH5

their truthfulness shall benefit all who have been true

to their word: theirs shall be gardens through which
running waters flow, therein to abide beyond the
count of time; well-pleased is God with them, and
well-pleased are they with Him: this is the triumph
supreme.”
(120) God’s is the dominion over the heavens and
the earth and all that they contain; and He has the <W> £ Ä St? £uÿtyj
power to will anything.
 THE SIXTH SÜRAH

AL-AN'ÄM (CATTLE)
MECCA PERIOD

XÏ7ITH the possible exception of two or three verses, the whole of this surah was revealed in one
▼ ▼ piece, towards the close of the Mecca period - almost certainly in the last year before the
Prophet s exodus to Medina. The title Al-An'am (“Cattle”) is derived from several references, in
verses 136 n., to certain pre-Islamic superstitions concerning animals which the Arabs used to
dedicate to their various idols. However ephemeral those idolatrous beliefs and practices may
appear in the light of later Arabian history, they serve in the Qur’an as an illustration of man’s
propensity to attribute divine or semi-divine qualities to created beings or imaginary powers. In
fact, most of this sürah can be described as a many-sided argument against this tendency, which is
by no means confined to openly polytheistic beliefs. The core of the argument is an exposition of
God s oneness and uniqueness. He is the Prime Cause of all that exists, but “no human vision can
encompass Him” (verse 103), either physically or conceptually: and, therefore, “He is sublimely
exalted above anything that men may devise by way of definition” (verse 100). Consequently, any
endeavour to “define” God within the categories of human thought, or to reduce Him to the
concept of a “person", constitutes a blasphemous attempt at limiting His infinite existence. (To
avoid a conception of God as a “person”, the Qur'fin always varies the pronouns relating to Him:
He is spoken of - frequently in one and the same sentence-as “He”, “I” and “We”; similarly, the
possessive pronouns referring to God fluctuate constantly between “His”, “My” and “Ours.)
One of the outstanding passages of this sürah is the statement (in verse 50) to the effect that the
Prophet is a mere mortal, like all other human beings, not endowed with any supernatural powers,
and “following only what is revealed to him". And, finally, he is commanded to say (in verses
162-163): “Behold, my prayer, and all my acts of worship, and my living and my dying are for God
alone... in whose divinity none has a share."

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) A LL PRAISE is due to God, who has created the

xxheavens and the earth, and brought into being -1A
deep darkness as well as light:1 and yet, those who
-j! jU <54* j ZXl
are bent on denying the truth regard other powers as
their Sustainer’s equals! «J)
(2) He it is who has created you out of clay, and
then has decreed a term [for you]-a term known
[only] to him.2 And yet you doubt - (3) although He is

1 Both “darkness" and “light" are used here in their spiritual connotation. As always in the
Qur’fin, “darkness" is spoken of in the plural (?ulumät) in order to stress its intensity, and is best
translated as “deep darkness” or “depths of darkness .
2 Lit., “and a term is stated with Him"-i.e., known to Him alone (Manär VII, 298). Some of
the authorities are of the opinion that the “term” refers to the end of the world and the subsequent
resurrection, while others relate it to individual human lives. Other commentators again, seem the
first mention of this word a reference to individual lives and in the secondto the Day of
Resurrection; according to this latter interpretation, the concluding phrase might be rendered thus:
“and there is [another] term...", etc. However, in view of several other occurrences of the

171
 SÜRAH
AL-AN'ÄM

God in the heavens and on earth, knowing all that you

keep secret as well as all that you do openly, and
knowing what you deserve.
(4) Yet whenever any of their Sustainer’s messages
comes unto them, they [who are bent on denying the
truth] turn their backs upon it:3 (5) and so they give
cb Ji j (£) àjj-s f /x*
the lie to this truth now that it has come unto them. In ($) Qj—fcUfa) fj*ft.
time, however, they will come to understand what it
was that they were wont to deride.4 fr.» cc
(6) Do they not see how many a generation We
have destroyed before their time - [people] whom We (►—*»L»- U (J) ùj'*7**
had given a [bountiful] place on earth, the like of y \»j. y ij£ I
which We never gave unto you, and upon whom We
showered heavenly blessings abundant, and at whose
feet We made running waters flow? And yet We
destroyed them for their sins, and gave rise to other <$
people in their stead.5
(7) But even if We had sent down unto thee [O
Prophet] a writing on paper, and they had touched it
•j—m j 0/ o
with their own hands - those who are bent on denying
the truth would indeed have said, “This is clearly ($> ÛCt*Z* 'ipCtjfr (Tz j
nothing but a deception!”
(8) They are saying, too, “Why has not an angel
[visibly] been sent down unto him?” But had We sent
down an angel, all would indeed have been decided,6 IO* «?' jij (J) f

and they would have been allowed no further respite

J* <$>
[for repentance]. (9) And [even] if We had appointed
an angel as Our message-bearer,78We would certainly
have made him [appear as] a man-and thus We
would only have confused them in the same way as
they are now confusing themselves.*

expression ajal musammä in the Qur’än, it is best rendered here as “a term set [by Him]” or
“known [to Him]”, i.e., relating both to individual lives and to the world as a whole.
3 Lit., “there has not come unto them a message of their Sustainer’s messages without that they
turned their backs upon it”.
4 Lit., “there will come to them information about that which they used to mock at” or
“deride” - i.e., the continuation of life after death, in particular, and the Qur’anic message, in
general.
5 Lit., “a generation of others after them”. However, in Qur’anic usage, the term qam does not
always denote “a generation”, but-rather more frequently - “an epoch”, or “people belonging to
one particular epoch”, as well as “a civilization” in the historical sense of this word.
6 I.e., Judgment Day would have come-for it is only then that the forces described as angels
will manifest themselves to man in their true form and become comprehensible to him. (Cf. «
similar passage in 2:210.)
7 Lit., “if We had made him an angel” - with the pronoun obviously referring to the bearer of
God’s message (ZamakhsharT).
8 Lit., “We would have made confusing to them that which they are making confused”. Since it
is impossible for man to perceive angels as they realty are, the hypothetical angelic message-bearer
would have to assume the shape of a human being - and so their demand for a direct “verification”
of the message would have remained unfulfilled, and their self-caused confusion unresolved.

172
 6
CATTLE
(10) And, indeed, [even] before thy time have
apostles been derided - but those who scoffed at them
were [in the end] overwhelmed by the very thing
which they were wont to deride.910
(11) Say: “Go all over the earth, and behold what
happened in the end to those who gave the lie to the
truth!”
(12) Say: “Unto whom belongs all that is in the
heavens and on earth?” Say: “Unto God, who has ûtf'S/— 'Jf j bz-; j»
willed upon Himself the law of grace and mercy.”19
He wül assuredly gather you all together on the o’y—_)! j L j; (j)
Day of Resurrection, [the coming of] which is beyond
aD doubt: yet those who have squandered their own «J*
selves-it is they who refuse to believe [in Him], (13)
although His is all that dwells in the night and the
day, and He alone is all-hearing, all-knowing. $j l*
(14) Say: “Am I to take for my master anyone but
LjJj jj£l ^JLaJÏ .il
God, the Originator of the heavens and the earth,
when it is He who gives nourishment and Himself
needs none?”11
□l J*
«y uÂ"* .y ù/‘ ù‘
Say: “I am bidden to be foremost among those who
surrender themselves unto God, and not to be12
among those who ascribe divinity to aught beside
4^ â'j □l $ <5>
Him.”
(15) Say: “Behold, I would dread, were I [thus] to
rebel against my Sustainer, the suffering [which ù[j (J) cJTij
would befall me] on that awesome Day [of
Judgment].” JW
(16) Upon him who shall be spared on that Day, He
will indeed have bestowed His grace: and this will be
a manifest triumph.
(17) And if God should touch thee with misfortune,
there is none who could remove it but He; and if He
should touch thee with good fortune-it is He who
has the power to will anything: (18) for He alone

9 Lit., “that which they were wont to deride enfolded those who scoffed at them” (i.e., at the
apostles): the meaning being that a derisive rejection of spiritual truths inexorably rebounds on the
scoffers and has not only a disastrous effect on their individual lives after death but also-if
persisted in by the majority within a community - destroys the moral basis of their society and,
thus, their earthly happiness and sometimes even their physical existence.
10 The expression “God has willed upon Himself as a law” (kataba 'alâ nafsihï) occurs in the
Qur’än only twice - here and in verse 54 of this sürah - and in both instances with reference to His
grace and mercy (rahmah)', none of the other divine attributes has been similarly described. This
exceptional quality of God’s grace and mercy is further stressed in 7:156 - “My grace overspreads
everything"-and finds an echo in the authentic Tradition in which, according to the Prophet, God
says of Himself, “Verily, My grace and mercy outstrips My wrath” (BukhärT and Muslim).
11 Lit., “when it is He who feeds [others] and is not fed".
12 Lit., “and be thou not”-an elliptic reference to the words in which this commandment has
been expressed.
173
 SÜRAH
AL-AN'ÂM

holds sway over His creatures, and He alone is truly

wise, all-aware.
(19) Say: “What could most weightily bear witness
to the truth?” Say: “God is witness between me and
you; and this Qur’än has been revealed unto me so
that on the strength thereof I might warn you and all
whom it may reach.”
Could you in truth bear witness that there are other
deities side by side with God? Say: “I bear no [such]
witness!” Say: “He is the One God; and, behold, far
It x X XX il A
be it from me to ascribe divinity, as you do, to aught Jkßl V «Xr* <♦*** ùpfîiJ
beside Him!”*3
(20) They unto whom We have vouchsafed re­ <$> Cr J*
14 as they know their own
velation aforetime know this13
children; yet those [of them] who have squandered
their own selves-it is they who refuse to believe.
fp
(21) And who could be more wicked than he who
attributes his own lying inventions to God or gives SaäC y U£
the lie to His messages?
Verily, such evildoers will never attain to a happy
y f (©ûyXWÎ
state: (22) for one Day We shall gather them all
together, and then We shall say unto those who
fr**J(J)ù*
ascribed divinity to aught beside God: “Where, now, (W) v®
are those beings whom you imagined to have a share
in God’s divinity?”*5 <S> Oj>»J/lh*p* fr^’^Lp
(23) Whereupon, in their utter confusion, they will
only [be able to] say: “By God, our Sustainer, we did
not [mean to] ascribe divinity to aught beside Him!”1617
(24) Behold how they have lied to themselves'7 - and
[how] their false imagery has forsaken them!

13 Lit., “I am clear of that which you associate [with Him].”

14 Le., the truth of God’s transcendental uniqueness and oneness, which is stressed in all
authentic scriptures.
15 Lit., “those [God-]partners of yours whom you supposed [to exist]". Whenever the term
shurakä' (pl. of sharTk) is used in the Qur’än with reference to beliefs, it invariably denotes real or
imaginary beings or forces to whom one ascribes a share in God’s divinity: consequently, this
concept-and its utter condemnation in Islam-relates not merely to the worship of false deities
but also to the attribution of semi-divine qualities and powers to saints (in the liturgical sense of
this word), as well as to abstract notions like wealth, social status, power, nationality, etc., to
which men so often ascribe an objective influence on human destinies.
16 This refers to beliefs which undoubtedly imply shirk (“the ascribing of divinity or divine
qualities to beings or forces other than God") in the objective sense of this concept, but which the
person concerned does not subjectively visualize as denying God’s oneness (Râzï): for instance,
the mystical dogma of the “Trinity” which, in the Christian view, does not conflict with the
principle of God’s oneness inasmuch as it is supposed to express a “threefold aspect” of the One
Deity, or the attribution of divine or semi-divine qualities to saints as supposed “mediators”
between man and God, and so forth. All such beliefs are, of course, emphatically rejected by the
Qur’än.
17 Le., by allowing themselves to think, in their lifetime, that their beliefs did not offend against
the principle of God’s oneness (RäzT). But see also 10:28 and the corresponding notes 45 and 46.

174
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CATTLE
(25) And there are among them such as [seem to]
listen to thee [O Prophet]: but over their hearts We
have laid veils which prevent them from grasping the
truth, and into their ears, deafness." And were they
to see every sign [of the truth], they would still not
believe in it - so much so that when they come unto
thee to contend with thee, those who are bent on
denying the truth say, “This is nothing but fables of
ancient times!” (26) And they bar others therefrom,
and go far away from it: but they destroy none but
themselves, and perceive it not.
(27) If thou couldst but see [them] when they will yrjj; bjiÇ
be made to stand before the fire and will say, “Oh,
would that we were brought back [to life]: then we (g)
would not give the lie to our Sustainer’s messages,
jij <3> £»
but would be among the believers!”
(28) But nay - [they will say this only because] the
y, v iilL y iü jiJiî y. \^i3 5;}
truth which they used to conceal [from themselves] in
the past will have become obvious to them; and if
they were brought back [to life], they would return to
the very thing which was forbidden to them: for,
behold, they are indeed liars!19
1820
ÇjJï u-lZ. jj» 4 (g)
(29) And some [of the unbelievers] say, “There is
nothing beyond our life in this world, for We shall not f-cj > 'AJ >[ ~Üjjîj <$> j* lu
be raised from the dead.”
(30) If thou couldst but see [them] when they shall 1/^ J6 C'jj&ÿé .plüii Jjîjii
be made to stand before their Sustainer [and] He will
/-*■ » <Ç) QfyiO *-ALJT
say, “Is not this the truth?”
They will answer: “Yea, indeed, by our Sustainer!” âî,uL
[Whereupon] He will say: “Taste, then, the
suffering that comes from10 your having refused to f*j’j J* Q Uk> L je
acknowledge the truth!”
(31) Lost indeed are they who consider it a lie that j-lj »—J ûjuzI* 'S! I
they will have to meet God - till the Last Hour sud­
denly comes upon them, [and] they cry, “Alas for us,
that we disregarded it!” - for they shall bear on their
backs the burden of their sins:21 oh, how evil the load
with which they shall be burdened!
(32) And nothing is the life of this world but a play

18 Regarding the problem of God’s “causing” this spiritual blindness and deafness, see 2:7 and
the corresponding note, as well as note 4 on 14:4.
19 I e their longing for a “second chance” is not dictated by love of truth for its own sake but,
rather, by their dread of the evil consequences of their doings; and “faith is useless unless it is
desired for its own sake” (Râzî).
20 Lit “the suffering [or “chastisement"] because of or “in consequence of’. The particle
bl-mä expresses here a causal connection between the denial of the truth and the subsequent
suffering, and is best rendered as above.
21 Lit., “their burdens”. My use of the words “the burden of their sins” rests on the
interpretation given by Ibn cAbbfis, as quoted by RäzT.
175
 SÜRAH
AL-AN'ÄM________________________________

and a passing delight; and the life in the hereafter is

by far the better for all who are conscious of God.
Will you not, then, use your reason?
(33) Well do We know that what such people say
grieves thee indeed: yet, behold, it is not thee to
whom they give the lie, but God’s messages do these (g) ûjii (jjjU jJJ» jUBj
evildoers deny. (34) And, indeed, [even] before thy
time have apostles been given the lie, and they en­ dij&y J*
dured with patience all those charges of falsehood,
($) cX.lfc
and all the hurt done to them, till succour came unto
them from Us: for there is no power that could alter
3* Vbb Îm-** tZ J—y
[the outcome of] God’s promises. And some of the
histories of those apostles have already come within
thy ken.222324
25
(35) And if it distress thee that those who deny the
truth2* turn their backs on thee - why, then, if thou art
j IX» ) I j üL jl C âk* J
able to go down deep into the earth or to ascend a
ladder unto heaven21 in order to bring them a [yet 5k && Jp tLijJj JjUj
more convincing] message, [do so;] but [remember
that] had God so willed, He would indeed have
gathered them all unto [His] guidance. Do not, there­
fore, allow thyself to ignore [God’s ways].26 (36) Only eg)
they who listen [with their hearts] can respond to a
call; and as for the dead [of heart], God [alone] can
raise them from the dead, whereupon unto Him they (g) Jjû
shall return.2728
(37) And they say, “Why has no miraculous sign j Lb
been bestowed on him26 from on high by his Sus­
tainer?” Say: “Behold, God has the power to bestow
any sign from on high.”
Yet most human beings are unaware of this29-(38)
although there is no beast that walks on earth and no

22 Ut., “what they say”-i.e., about life after death (which they regard as a "fable”) in
particular, and about the Qur’anic message in general.
23 Lit., “some of the information concerning the apostles has already come to thee”: a
reference to the fact that only a few of the earlier prophets and their histories have been
specifically mentioned in the Qur’än (always in connection with a particular moral lesson), while
the great majority of them are only alluded to in a general manner, in support of the divine
statement that no community or civilization has been left without prophetic guidance.
24 Ut., “that they”.
25 Lit, “to seek out an opening in the earth or a ladder to heaven”.
26 Ut., “be not, therefore, of the ignorant”.
27 Ut., “they shall be returned”. Most of the classical commentators (e g.. TabarT,
ZamakhsharT, RäzT, as well as the earlier authorities whom they quote) interpret this verse in the
metaphorical sense in which it has been rendered by me. As is so often the case with Qur’anic
diction, its elliptical meaning can only be brought out by means of interpolations.
28 I.e., on Muhammad, to demonstrate that he is really a bearer of God’s
29 Ut., “most of them do not know”, i.e., that God manifests Himself always-as the next verse
points out-through the ever-recurring miracle of His creation.

176
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CATTLE
bird that flies on its two wings which is not [God’s]
creature like yourselves: no single thing have We
neglected in Our decree.
And once again:30 31 Unto their Sustainer shall they
[all] be gathered.
(39) And they who give the lie to Our messages are
deaf and dumb, in darkness deep. Whomever God
wills, He lets go astray; and whomever He wills, He
places upon a straight way.32 J 4k1*($>
(40) Say: “Can you see yourselves invoking any but
God when God’s chastisement befalls you [in this
world], or the Last Hour comes upon you? [Tell me âî Ji (3)-^
this,] if you are men of truth! (41) Nay, but it is Him
alone that you will invoke - whereupon He may, if He
so wills, remove that [ill] which caused you to call
iÂ-i 4_jy U X [ jj
unto Him; and you will have forgotten all that to
which you [now] ascribe divinity side by side with
dÇ» 31 bLjl jjüj (g)
Him.”
(42) And, indeed, We sent Our messages unto peo­ »b-LÎt |>i,'»â*’U
ple before thy time, [O Prophet,] and visited them
with misfortune and hardship so that they might SJ Lx
humble themselves: (43) yet when the misfortune
b-» Gi ûjLL ijîlTû ô*!»* Ctj J
decreed by Us befell them, they did not humble
themselves, but rather their hearts grew hard, for
Satan had made all their doings seem goodly to them.
(44) Then, when they had forgotten all that they had «g» f up iyy Le
been told to take to heart, We threw open to them the
gates of all [good] things,33 until-even as they were
rejoicing in what they had been granted-We sud­
denly took them to task: and lo! they were broken in
spirit;34 (45) and [in the end,] the last remnant of those

30 Lit., “but they are [God’s] creatures (umam)". The word ummah (of which umam is the
plural) primarily denotes a group of living beings having certain characteristics or circumstances in
common. Thus, it is often synonymous with “community", “people”, "nation”, “genus”,
“generation”, and so forth. Inasmuch as every such grouping is characterized by the basic fact that
its constituents (whether human or animal) are endowed with life, the term ummah sometimes
signifies “[God’s] creatures” (Ludn al-'Arab, with particular reference to this very Qur’in-verse;
also Lane I, 90). Thus, the meaning of the above passage is this: Man can detect God’s "signs” or
“miracles" in all the life-phenomena that surround him, and should, therefore, try to observe them
with a view to better understanding “God’s way” (sunnat Allah)- which is the Qur’anic term for
what we call “laws of nature”.
31 The particle thumma is mostly used as a conjunction indicating a sequence in time or order
(“then", "thereafter” or “thereupon”), and occasionally also as a simple conjunction equivalent to
“and”. But in yet another usage-of which there are frequent instances in the Qur’än as well as in
pre-Islamic Arabian poetry - thumma has the significance of a repetitive stress, alluding to
something that has already been stated and is now again emphasized. This particular usage of
thumma is best rendered by the words “and once again”, followed by a colon.
32 See note 4 on 14:4.
33 I.e., to test them by happiness after the test by misery.
34 The verb ablasa signifies “he despaired of all hope” or “became broken in spirit". (For the
linguistic connection of this word with the name of IbITs, the Fallen Angel, see särah 7, note 10.)

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 SÜRAH
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folk who had been bent on evildoing was wiped out.35
For all praise is due to God, the Sustainer of all the
worlds.
(46) Say: “What do you think? If God should take
away your hearing and your sight and seal yoty
dft «-»j Û -ullj IjJJ» (>,41
hearts - what deity but God is there that could bring it
all back to you?” % & û*» fib* j*
Behold how many facets We give to Our
messages-and yet they turn away in disdain!
(47) Say: “Can you imagine what your condition
will be36 if God’s chastisement befalls you, either j» (£)
suddenly or in a [gradually] perceptible manner? [But
tiAe J* <ij4»Oûc
then-] will any but evildoing folk [ever] be des­
troyed?37
(48) And We send [Our] message-bearers only as
heralds of glad tidings and as wamers: hence, all who yG ($) y$ £ ÿÆ
believe and live righteously - no fear need they have,
and neither shall they grieve; (49) whereas those who (1T) îjlTlx p_jç
give the lie to Our messages - suffering will afflict
them in result of all their sinful doings.
(50) Say [O Prophet]: “I do not say unto you,
'God’s treasures are with me’; nor [do I say], *1 know
the things that are beyond the reach of human
perception’; nor do I say unto you, 'Behold, I am an
f-Â f-c J dl bz^. j’j/X y
angel’: I but follow what is revealed to me.”3*
Say: “Can the blind and the seeing be deemed
yJ O ûjii
equal?39 Will you not, then, take thought?”
(51) And warn hereby those who fear lest they be
gathered unto their Sustainer with none to protect them
from Him or to intercede with Him, so that they might
become [fully] conscious of Him.40

35 Lit, “cut off”. The above passage illustrates a phenomenon well known in history: namely,
the inevitable social and moral disintegration of communities which have lost sight of spiritual
truths.
36 Lit, “Can you see yourselves”.
37 Le., the righteous will never be really “destroyed” - for, even if they should suffer physical
destruction, they are bound to attain to spiritual bliss and cannot, therefore, be said to have been
“destroyed” like the evildoers, who, by their actions, lose their happiness both in this world and in
the life to come (RäzT).
38 This denial on the part of the Prophet of any claim to supernatural powers refers, primarily,
to the demand of the unbelievers (mentioned in verse 37) that he should prove his prophetic
mission by causing a “miraculous sign” to be bestowed on him. Beyond this specific reference,
however, the above passage is meant to prevent any deification of the Prophet and to make it clear
that he-like all other prophets before him-was but a mortal human being, a servant whom God
had chosen to convey His message to mankind. See also 7: 188.
39 I.e., “Can those who remain blind and deaf to God’s messages find their way through life
equally well as those who have achieved a spiritual vision and guidance through God’s
revelation?"
40 It is obvious from the context that this verse refers to followers of earlier scriptures - such as
the Jews and the Christians-who share with the followers of the Qur’ân the belief in life after

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(52) Hence, repulse not [any of] those who at mom
and evening invoke their Sustainer, seeking His
Thou art in no wise accountable for
countenance.*4142
them-just as they are in no wise accountable for
thee -and thou hast therefore no right to repulse rrJ
them: for then thou wouldst be among the evildoers.43
(53) For it is in this way44 that We try men through
one another-to the end that they might ask, “Has J ($)
God, then, bestowed His favour upon those others in
preference to us?”45 Does not God know best as to f-êk âï
who is grateful [to Him]?
âtu. , <$) ft*} 4s
(54) And when those who believe in Our messages
come unto thee, say: “Peace be upon you. Your
Sustainer has willed upon Himself the law of grace
and mercy46 - so that if any of you does a bad deed out
of ignorance, and thereafter repents and lives right-

death (Zamakhshari), as well as to agnostics who, without having definite beliefs on this point,
admit the possibility of life after death.
41 According to Traditions, this and the next verse were revealed when, several years before
the Muslims’ exodus to Medina, some of the pagan chieftains at Mecca expressed their willingness
to consider accepting Islam on the condition that the Prophet would dissociate himself from the
former slaves and other “lowly” persons among his followers - a demand which the Prophet, of
course, rejected. This historical reference does not, however, provide a full explanation of the
above passage. In accordance with the Qur’anic method, allusions to historical events-whether
relating to contemporary occurrences or to earlier times-are always made with a view to
expressing ethical teachings of a permanent nature; and the passage under consideration is no
exception in this respect. As the wording shows, it relates not to “lowly” followers of Islam but to
people who, while not being Muslims in the current sense of this word, believe in God and are
always (“at mom and evening”) “seeking His countenance” (i.e.. His grace and acceptance): and,
thus, verses 52-53 connect logically with verse 51. Although primarily addressed to the Prophet,
the exhortation voiced in this passage is directed to all followers of the Qur'an: they are enjoined
not to repulse anyone who believes in God - even though his beliefs may not fully answer to the
demands of the Qur’än - but, on the contrary, to try to help him by means of a patient explanation
of the Qur’anic teachings.
42 I.e., for whatever in their beliefs or actions does not coincide with the teachings of the
Qur’an, and vice-versa. In other words, all are accountable to God alone.
43 Lit., “so that thou shouldst repulse them and thus be of the evildoers”.
44 I.e., by endowing man with the power of reasoning and thus, indirectly, giving rise to a
multiplicity of faiths.
45 Lit., “Is it those upon whom God has bestowed His favour from among us (min bayninä)?"
As mentioned by Zamakhshari, the expression min bayninä is here equivalent to min düninä,
which, in this context, may suitably be rendered as “in preference to us”. This would seem to be
an allusion to the sarcastic incredulity with which, as a rule, non-Muslims receive the claim of the
Muslims that the Qur’fin is the final formulation of God’s message to man. The “trial” referred to
above consists in the unwillingness of people of other faiths to accept this claim as valid, and so to
renounce the prejudice against Islam to which their cultural and historical environment has made
them, consciously or subconsciously, predisposed.
46 See note 10 above. Regarding the word saläm, which has been translated here as “peace”,
see sürah 5, note 29. The “peace” referred to in the above expression - which occurs many times
in the Qur’än and has become the standard form of Muslim greeting-has a spiritual connotation
comprising the concepts of ethical soundness, security from all that is evil and, therefore, freedom
from all moral conflict and disquiet.
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 SÜRAH
AL-AN'ÄM

eously, He shall be [found] much-forgiving, a dis­

penser of grace.”
(55) And thus clearly do We spell out Our mes­
sages: and [We do it] so that the path of those who
are lost in sin might be distinct [from that of the
righteous].
x xj^x .» 3 9 >x *x f xx
(56) SAY [to the deniers of the truth]: “Behold, I have JTÄ j (J)
been forbidden to worship those [beings] whom you
invoke instead of God.”
Say: “I do not follow your errant views-or else I âîùp J* jl J» J-*
should have gone astray, and should not be among
3* uî uj c.uS jj yW Ji
those who have found the right path.”
(57) Say: “Behold, I take my stand on a clear
evidence from my Sustainer - and [so] it is to Him 4^ 4* 3*
that you are giving the lie! Not in my power is that
which [in your ignorance] you so hastily demand:47
judgment rests with none but God. He shall declare «3* ®
the truth, since it is He who is the best judge between
truth and falsehood.”
(58) Say: “If that which you so hastily demand
L-ÿJwV • (£) jnJkLlilL
were in my power, everything would indeed have
been decided between me and you.48 But God knows tZ «k—» >*j jUiJ Z
best as to who is doing wrong.”
(59) For, with Him are the keys to the things that vis v ; j c; $ Æ i
are beyond the reach of a created being’s perception:
none knows them but He.
And He knows all that is on land and in the sea; and 5^ f**
not a leaf falls but He knows it; and neither is there
a grain in the earth’s deep darkness, nor anything
but is recorded in [His] clear decree.
living or dead,4950
51
(60) And He it is who causes you to be [like] dead30
at night, and knows what you work in daytime; and
He brings you back to life each day11 in order that a
term set [by Him] be fulfilled. In the end, unto Him
you must return: and then He will make you under­
stand all that you were doing [in life].
(61) And He alone holds sway over His servants.

47 Lit., “not with me is that which you would hasten”: a reference to the sarcastic demand of
the unbelievers, mentioned in 8:32, that God should chastise them forthwith in proof of the
Prophet’s claim to be His message-bearer.
48 I.e., "you would have been convinced that I am really a bearer of God’s message”-the
implication being that a conviction based solely on a “miraculous” proof would have no spiritual
value.
49 Lit., “fresh or dry".
50 For a full explanation of the verb tawaffä - lit., “he took [something] in full” - see note 44 on
39 : 42, which is the earliest instance of its use in the Qur’än.
51 Lit., “therein”-referring to the daytime. The polarity of sleep and wakefulness contains an
allusion to life and death (cf. 78:9-11).

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And He sends forth heavenly forces to watch over
you until, when death approaches any of you, Our
messengers cause him to die: and they do not over­
look [anyone]. (62) And they [who have died] are
thereupon brought before God,52 53 their true Lord
Supreme. Oh, verily, His alone is all judgment: and
He is the swiftest of all reckoners!
(63) Say: “Who is it that saves you from the Hark fs «O* ûjk JJ-ul tU. «ki.
dangers54 of land and sea [when] you call unto Him
(J)
humbly, and in the secrecy of your hearts, ‘If He will
but save us from this [distress], we shall most cer­ (^7- »>* J* <$>
tainly be among the grateful’?” (64) Say: “God
[alone] can save you from this and from every jjjT cijb
distress - and still you ascribe divinity to other
powers beside Him!”
(65) Say: “It is He alone who has the power to let
loose upon you suffering from above you or from
beneath your feet,5556or to confound you with mutual û* wé Jÿ
discord and let you taste the fear of one another.”54
Behold how many facets We give to these mes­
sages, so that they might understand the truth; (66)
and yet, to all this thy people57 have given the lie,
although it is the truth.
Say [then]: “I am not responsible for your conduct.
(67) Every tiding [from God] has a term set for its <$> OP«'
fulfilment: and in time you will come to know [the yf ä
truth].”
ü£dTdL1-i.4j
NOW, whenever thou meet such as indulge in
ly (J) çjiîf
[blasphemous] talk about Our messages, turn thy
back upon them until they begin to talk of other »5s Cr ù; yJ»
things;5* and if Satan should ever cause thee to forget
[thyself], remain not, after recollection, in the com­ & Cj y/j <$>
pany of such evildoing folk, (69) for whom those who
are conscious of God are in no wise accountable.
Theirs, however, is the duty to admonish [the sin­
ners],59 so that they might become conscious of God.
(70) And leave to themselves all those who, be­
guiled by the life of this world, have made play and

52 Lit., “sends forth guardians over you”.

53 Lit., “brought back [or “referred”] to God"-i.e., placed before Him for judgment
54 Lit., “the darknesses” or “the deep darkness".
55 I.e., from any direction or by any means whatsoever.
56 Or: “the violence of one against another”-inner disintegration, fear, violence and tyranny
being the inevitable consequences of a society’s departure from spiritual truths.
57 I.e., the unbelieving compatriots of the Prophet and, by implication, all who deny the truth.
58 Lit., “until they immerse themselves in talk other than this”.
59 This is a paraphrase of the elliptic expression wa-lttkin dhikrd (“however, an admonition”).

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 SÜRAH
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passing delights their religion;60 but remind [them]

herewith that [in the life to come] every human being
shall be held in pledge for whatever wrong he has
done, and shall have none to protect him from God,
and none to intercede for him; and though he offer
any conceivable ransom,61 it shall not be accepted
from him. It is [people such as] these that shall be G J ^>5
held in pledge for the wrong they have done; for them
there is [in the life to come] a draught of burning
despair,62 and grievous suffering awaits them because
u ÿj* yî éGj ç* yjiL-
of their persistent refusal to acknowledge the truth.

lylf'Cjç «_/l4cj•“•g*'t/*-f
(71) SAY: “Shall we invoke, instead of God, something
that can neither benefit us nor harm us, and [thus] y U aî <j>> ijpjé» jj

turn around on our heels after God has guided us

Gui ’si LZ uw ÿ
aright?-like one whom the satans have enticed into
blundering after earthly lusts, the while his com­
^l 7*1 j 01^*’.*'^ 4-t
panions, trying to guide him, call out unto him [from
afar],63 ‘Come thou to us!’” 4»ï if4» Ù[ ji liH 411 J[
Say: “Verily, God’s guidance is the only guidance:
and so we have been bidden to surrender ourselves unto •JGj'j (£)
the Sustainer of all the worlds, (72) and to be constant in
y Gj ($) «-4 yT »A-’j
prayer and conscious of Him: for it is He unto whom
you all shall be gathered.”
J*4A. fxi
(73) And He it is who has created the heavens and
the earth in accordance with [an inner] truth64-and •■^31 jA* 4^0 px 41lîT «b «Â
whenever He says, “Be,” His word comes true; and
His will be the dominion on the Day when the trum­
pet [of resurrection] is blown.
He knows all that is beyond the reach of a created
being’s perception, as well as all that can be wit-

60 The phrase attakhadhû dTnahum la'iban wa-lahwan can be understood in either of two
ways: (1) “they have made their religion [an object of] play and fun”, or (2) “they have made play
and fun [or “passing delights”] their religion”-i.e., the main goal of their lives. To my mind, the
latter reading is definitely preferable inasmuch as it brings out the fact that many of those who are
“beguiled by the life of this world" devote themselves to the pursuit of what the Qur’an describes
as “passing delights” - including the pleasures which money and power can provide-with
something akin to religious fervour: an attitude of mind which causes them to lose sight of all
spiritual and moral values.
61 Lit., “though he might [try to] ransom himself with all ransom” - i.e., though he might
proffer, after resurrection, any atonement whatever for his past sins.
62 Among the various meanings attributable to the word fiarnfm are the concepts of intense
heat as well as of painful cold (Qâmüs, Tâj al-'Arûs). In the eschatology of the Qur’än it
invariably refers to the suffering of the sinners in the life to come; and since all Qur’anic
references to life after death are, necessarily, allegorical, the term Jiamim may be rendered as
“burning despair”.
63 Lit., “whom the satans have enticed with lusts on earth, [rendering him] bewildered, [while]
he has companions who call him unto guidance”. See in this connection note 10 on 2:14, as well
as note 31 on 14:22 and note 16 on 15:17.
64 See sürah 10, note 11.

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nessed by a creature’s senses or mind:" for He alone
is truly wise, all-aware.

(74) AND, LO, [thus] spoke Abraham unto his father

Azar: Takest thou idols for gods? Verily, I see that
thou and thy people have obviously gone astray!”
(75) And thus We gave Abraham [his first] insight
into [God’s] mighty dominion over the heavens and
the earth-and [this] to the end that he might become
one of those who are inwardly sure.
(76) Then, when the night overshadowed him with & 4^4
its darkness, he beheld a star; [and] he exclaimed,
‘‘This is my Sustainer!”-but when it went down, he U» (£) jOl
said, “I love not the things that go down.” t., .
JilUi Jj lila JU-
(77) Then, when he beheld the moon rising, he said,
“This is my Sustainer!”-but when it went down, he JsujCJjjTuJCjj (g>
said, “Indeed, if my Sustainer guide me not, I will
most certainly become one of the people who go
astray!”
Uli JU-^jÇ Jlljl Hj'Uitg)
(78) Then, when he beheld the sun rising, he said,
“This is my Sustainer! This one is the greatest [of ^^3/. Jlçjil» Jii clilLU
all]!”-but when it [too] went down, he exclaimed:
“O my people! Behold, far be it from me to ascribe tfjU (J)
divinity, as you do, to aught beside God! (79) Behold,
unto Him who brought into being the heavens and the (S>
earth have I turned my face, having turned away ôfclV# j Jÿ»Xtl JK
from all that is false; and I am not of those who
ascribe divinity to aught beside Him.” j »Ü.
(80) And his people argued with him. He said: “Do
you argue with me about God, when it is He who has «-»t* j »j* «X
guided me? But I do not fear anything to which you
ascribe divinity side by side with Him, [for no evil
can befall me] unless my Sustainer so wills.6567 All
66
things does my Sustainer embrace within His knowl­
edge; will you not, then, keep this in mind? (81) And
why should I fear anything that you worship side by

65 The term ash-shahädah (lit., “that which is [or “can be’’] witnessed”) is used in this and
similar contexte as the exact antithesis of al-ghayb (“that which is beyond the reach of a created
being’s perception”). Thus, it circumscribes those aspects of reality which can be sensually or
conceptually grasped by a created being.
66 The subsequent passage (verses 74 ff.) continues, by way of narrative, the exposition of
God’s oneness and uniqueness. - In the Bible, the name of Abraham’s father is given not as Azar
but as Têrah (the Tärab or Tärakh of the early Muslim genealogists). However, he seems to have
been known by other names (or designations) as well, all of them obscure as to origin and meaning.
Thus, in various Talmudic stories he is called Zärah, while Eusebius Pamphili (the ecclesiastical
historian who lived towards the end of the third and the beginning of the fourth century of the
Christian era) gives his name as Athar. Although neither the Talmud nor Eusebius can be regarded
as authorities for the purposes of a Qur’än-commentary, it is not impossible that the designation
Azar (which occurs in the Qur’än only once) is the pre-Islamic, Arabicized form of Athar or Zärah.
67 Lit., “unless my Sustainer wills a thing”.
183
 SÜRAH
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side with Him, seeing that you are not afraid of

ascribing divinity to other powers beside God without
His ever having bestowed upon you from on high any
warrant therefor? [Tell me,] then, which of the two
parties has a better right to feel secure-if you hap­
pen to know (the answer]? (82) Those who have
attained to faith, and who have not obscured their
faith by wrongdoing-it is they who shall be secure, J* <£>
since it is they who have found the right path!”
(83) And this was Our argument68 which We
vouchsafed unto Abraham against his people: [for]
We do raise by degrees whom We will.69 Verily, thy IÜ* j/&£*4
Sustainer is wise, all-knowing. j 7^ <$> £ ^5*
(84) And We bestowed upon him Isaac and Jacob;
and We guided each of them as We had guided Noah Jj jLi J* U-ÿj £j* #
aforetime. And out of his offspring, [We bestowed
prophethood upon] David, and Solomon, and Job, and dprj (gm J*—-ju
Joseph, and Moses, and Aaron: for thus do We
reward the doers of good; (85) and [upon] Zachariah,
and John, and Jesus, and Elijah: every one of them
’S*
was of the righteous; (86) and [upon] Ishmael, and
Elisha, and Jonah, and Lot.70 And every one of them fy-Çh ûy <$> CeX-Jî jp llp ifcjb
did We favour above other people; (87) and [We
exalted likewise] some of their forefathers and their
offspring and their brethren: We elected them [all],
and guided them onto a straight way. û* ù* <£>
(88) Such is God’s guidance: He guides therewith 0 w X-X ijT*jij ««jl*
whomever He wills of His servants. And had they
ascribed divinity to aught beside Him-in vain, in­
deed, would have been all [the good] that they ever
did: (89) [but] it was to them that We vouchsafed VÀ kA $
revelation, and sound judgment, and prophethood. i » 'té *
(•—A-fji 4>f
And now, although the unbelievers may choose to
deny these truths,71 [know that] We have entrusted
them to people who will never refuse to acknowledge
them-(90) to those whom God has guided. Follow,

68 The description of Abraham’s reasoning as God’s own argument implies that it was divinely
inspired, and is therefore valid for the followers of the Qur’än as well.
69 This is evidently an allusion to Abraham's gradual grasp of the truth, symbolized by his
intuitive progress from an adoration of celestial bodies - stars, moon and sun-to a full realization
of God’s transcendental, all-embracing existence. Alternatively, the expression “by degrees” may
be taken to mean “by many degrees”, signifying the great spiritual dignity to which this forerunner
of a long line of prophets was ultimately raised (see 4:125).
70 Although Lot was not a “descendant ” of Abraham since he was his brother’s son, his name
is included here for two reasons: firstly, because he followed Abraham from his earliest youth as a
son follows his father, and, secondly, because in ancient Arabian usage a paternal uncle is often
described as “father” and, conversely, a nephew as “son”.-For the Hebrew prophets Elijah
(Ily&s) and Elisha (Al-Yasa'), see note 48 on 37: 123.
71 Lit., “if these deny them”-i.e., the manifestations of God’s oneness and of the revelation of
His will through the prophets.
 6
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then, their guidance, [and] say: “No reward do I ask
of you for this [truth]: behold, it is but an admonition
unto all mankind!”
(91) For, no true understanding of God have they
when they say, “Never has God revealed anything
unto man.” Say: “Who has bestowed from on high
the divine writ which Moses brought unto men as a
light and a guidance, [and] which you treat as72 [mere]
leaves of paper, making a show of them the while you Jr- âîljuS Cj (J)
conceal [so] much - although you have been taught
[by it] what neither you nor your forefathers had ever
known?”73 Say: “God [has revealed that divine
writ]!”-and then leave them to play at their vain
talk.
(92) And this, too, is a divine writ which We have ($>Qjt-b Jf-v f &$ JfîÇH
bestowed from on high - blessed, confirming the
truth of whatever there still remains [of earlier
revelations]74-and [this] in order that thou mayest
warn the foremost of all cities and all who dwell yty f
around it.75 And those who believe in the life to come
do believe in this [warning]; and it is they who are
<$> fjf*—» <> *4
ever-mindful of their prayers. C* J# «4 J®->*
(93) And who could be more wicked than he who
invents a lie about God,76 or says, “This has been îfjjb Jÿ’ JB
revealed unto me,” the while nothing has been re­ ÎjC -X ^iLJG o'jJ J S[
vealed to him? - or he who says, “I, too, can bestow
from on high the like of what God has bestowed”?77
If thou couldst but see [how it will be] when these
evildoers find themselves in the agonies of death, and
the angels stretch forth their hands [and call]: “Give
up your souls! Today you shall be requited with the
suffering of humiliation for having attributed to God

72 Lit., “which you make into”: but it should be remembered that the verb ja'lahu has also the
abstract meaning of “he considered it to be" or “regarded it as" or “treated it as” (JawharT,
RSghib, et al.): a significance often met with in the Qur’än.
73 This passage is obviously addressed to those followers of the Bible who pay lip-service to its
sacred character as a revealed scripture but, in reality, treat it as “mere leaves of paper”-that is,
as something that is of little consequence to their own conduct: for, although they pretend to
admire the moral truths which it contains, they conceal from themselves the fact that their own
lives have remained empty of those truths.
74 See sürah 3, note 3.
75 “The foremost of all cities" (lit., “the mother of all towns”) is an epithet applied in the
Qur’än to Mecca because it is the place where the first temple ever dedicated to the One God was
built (cf 3 • 96) and subsequently became the qiblah (direction of prayer) of all believers. The
expression “all who dwell around it” denotes all mankind (Tabari, on the authority of Ibn ’Abbäs;
Räzl).
76 In this context, the “lie” would seem to refer to the denial, spoken of in verse 91, of the fact
of divine revelation as such.
77 Implying in a sarcastic manner, that the purported revelation has in reality been composed
by a human being and that, therefore, the like of it can be produced by other men.

185
 SÜRAH
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something that is not true, and for having persistently

scorned His messages in your arrogance!”
(94) [And God shall say:] “And now, indeed, you
have come unto Us in a lonely state, even as We
created you in the first instance; and you have left
behind you all that We bestowed on you (in your
lifetime]. And We do not see with you those in­
tercessors of yours whom you supposed to have a SjjV Ji/’u
share in God’s divinity with regard to yourselves!
US' if»ji U<$) ûj
Indeed, all the bonds between you [and your earthly
life] are now severed, and all your former fancies
ifj
have forsaken you!”78
79

(95) VERILY, God is the One who cleaves the grain and
the fruit-kernel asunder, bringing forth the living out
of that which is dead, and He is the One who brings
forth the dead out of that which is alive. This, then, is
God: and yet, how perverted are your minds!80 ft, t >> * L» — >

(96) [He is] the One who causes the dawn to

break; and He has made the night to be [a source of]
J?
stillness, and the sun and the moon to run their
appointed courses:81 [all] this is laid down by the will
of the Almighty, the All-Knowing.
(97) And He it is who has set up for you the stars
so that you might be guided by them in the midst of f dil3^1 (£) CiTfJi
the deep darkness of land and sea: clearly, indeed,
have We spelled out these messages unto people of
[innate] knowledge!
(98) And He it is who has brought you [all] into
being out of one living entity,82 and [has appointed for
each of you] a time-limit [on earth] and a resting-
place [after death]:83 clearly, indeed, have We spelled
out these messages unto people who can grasp the
truth!

78 Lit., “whom you supposed to be [God’s] partners with regard to you” - i.e., being able, in
result of their alleged “share in God’s divinity”, to protect or help you. See note 15 on verse 22 of
this sürah.
Lit., all that you were wont to assert [or "to suppose”] has gone away from you” —i.e., all
the imaginary intercessors or mediators between man and God.
80 See sürah 5, note 90.
81 Lit., “to be [according to] a definite reckoning”.
82 See sürah 4, note 1.
83 The commentators differ widely as to the meaning of the terms mustaqarr and mustawda* in
this context. However, taking into account the primary meaning of mustaqarr as “the limit of a
course —i.e., the point at which a thing reaches its fulfilment or end —and of mustawda* as ”a
place of consignment” or “repository", we arrive at the rendering adopted by me above. This
rendering finds, moreover, strong support in 11:6, where God is spoken of as providing
sustenance for every living being and knowing "its time-limit [on earth] and its resting-place [after
death]" (mustaqarrahü wa-mustawda'ahâ), as well as in verse 67 of the present sürah, where
mustaqarr is used in the sense of “a term set for the fulfilment [of God’s tiding]”.

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(99) And He it is who has caused waters to come
down from the sky; and by this means have We
brought forth all living growth, and out of this have
We brought forth verdure.8* Out of this do We bring
forth close-growing grain; and out of the spathe of
J* Jÿl sJî(g) jjfiz
the palm tree, dates in thick clusters; and gardens of
vines, and the olive tree, and the pomegranate: [all]
so alike, and yet so different!84 85 Behold their fruit
when it comes to fruition and ripens! Verily, in all ^'3 îÿ 5$
this there are messages indeed for people who will
believe! Jr—ûUJÎj j <_
(100) And yet, some [people] have come to at­
tribute to all manner of invisible beings86 a place side
by side with God — although it is He who has created â yX, (g)
them [all]; and in their ignorance they have invented
for Him sons and daughters!87
Limitless is He is His glory, and sublimely exalted
above anything that men may devise by way of
definition:88 (101) the Originator of the heavens and
>ir
the earth! How could it be that He should have a
child without there ever having been a mate for
Him - since it is He who has created everything, and
He alone knows everything?
(102) Such is God, your Sustainer: there is no deity
save Him, the Creator of everything: worship, then.
Him alone-for it is He who has everything in His
care. (103) No human vision can encompass Him,
whereas He encompasses all human vision: for He

84 In contrast with its sequence, which is governed by the present tense, the whole of the above
sentence is expressed in the past tense-thus indicating, obliquely, the original, basic aspect of
God’s creating life “out of water” (cf. 21: 30 and the corresponding note 39).
85 I.e., all so alike in the basic principles of their life and growth, and yet so different in
physiology, appearance and taste.
86 The plural noun jinn (popularly, but incorrectly, taken to denote “genii” or “demons”) is
derived from the verb janna, “he was [or “became”] concealed” or “veiled from sight"; thus, the
veiling darkness of night is called jinn (JawharT). According to Arab philologists, the term jinn
signifies, primarily, “beings that are concealed from [man’s] senses” (Qâmüs, Lisân al-'Arab,
RSghib), and is thus applicable to all kinds of invisible beings or forces. For a further discussion of
this term and of its wider implications, see Appendix III.
87 Lit., “they have invented for Him [or “falsely attributed to Him”] sons and daughters
without [having any] knowledge”: a reference to the beliefs of the pre-Islamic Arabs who regarded
the angels as “God’s daughters” (a designation which they also applied to certain of their
goddesses), as well as to the Christian view of Jesus as “the son of God”. See also 19:92 and the
corresponding note 77.
88 I e utterly remote is He from all imperfection and from the incompleteness which is implied
in the concept of having progeny. The very concept of “definition” implies the possibility of a
comparison or correlation of an object with other objects; God, however, is unique, there being
“nothing like unto Him” (42:11) and, therefore, “nothing that could be compared with Him”
(112 -4) - with the result that any attempt at defining Him or His attributes is a logical
impossibility and, from the ethical point of view, a sin. The fact that He is undefinable makes it
clear that the “attributes” (fifät) of God mentioned in the Qur’än do not circumscribe His reality
but rather the perceptible effect of His activity on and within the universe created by Him.

187
alone is unfathomable, all-aware.89
(104) Means of insight have now come unto you
from your Sustainer [through this divine writ]. Who­
ever, therefore, chooses to see, does so for his own
good; and whoever chooses to remain blind, does so
to his own hurt. And [say unto the blind of heart]: I
am not your keeper.”
(105) And thus do We give many facets to Our
messages. And to the end that they might say, ‘Thou
hast taken [all this] well to heart,”90 and that We
might make it clear unto people of [innate] know­
ledge, (106) follow thou what has been revealed unto dLj (£•)
thee by thy Sustainer - save whom there is no deity -
and turn thy back upon all who ascribe divinity to
aught beside Him.
(107) Yet if God had so willed, they would not have
ascribed divinity to aught beside Him;91 hence, We
br-ii âî j* ùyj. 0
have not made thee their keeper, and neither art thou
responsible for their conduct. f ilA L»l U» j âî
(108) But do not revile those [beings] whom they
invoke instead of God,9293lest they revile God out of <3 ûjCu pù-i {

spite, and in ignorance: for, goodly indeed have We

made their own doings appear unto every com­ Ç: fr*1? $ Z* & ir-*b
munity.99 In time, [however,] unto their Sustainer
they must return: and then He will make them [truly]
understand all that they were doing.
(109) Now they swear by God with their most
solemn oaths that if a miracle were shown to them,
they would indeed believe in this [divine writ]. Say:
“Miracles are in the power of God alone.”94

89 The term lafïf denotes something that is extremely subtle in quality, and therefore intangible
and unfathomable. Whenever this term occurs in the Qur’än with reference to God in conjunction
with the adjective khabïr (“all-aware”), it is invariably used to express the idea of His in­
accessibility to human perception, imagination or comprehension, as contrasted with His Own
all-awareness (see, apart from the above verse, also 22:63, 31:16, 33:34 and 67:14). In the two
instances where the combination of lafïf and khabïr carries the definite article al (6:103 and
67:14), the expression huwa ’l-lafïf has the meaning of “He alone is unfathomable” - implying
that this quality of His is unique and absolute.
90 Lit., “thou hast learned [it well]”-i.e., God’s message.
91 I.e., no mortal has it in his power to cause another person to believe unless God graces that
person with His guidance.
92 This prohibition of reviling anything that other people hold sacred - even in contravention of
the principle of God’s oneness-is expressed in the plural and is, therefore, addressed to all
believers. Thus, while Muslims are expected to argue against the false beliefs of others, they are
not allowed to abuse the objects of those beliefs and to hurt thereby the feelings of their erring
fellow-men.
93 Lit., “thus goodly have We made...", etc., implying that it is in the nature of man to regard
the beliefs which have been implanted in him from childhood, and which he now shares with his
social environment, as the only true and possible ones — with the result that a polemic against those
beliefs often tends to provoke a hostile psychological reaction.
94 Lit., “Miracles are only with God.” It is to be noted that the Qur’anic term Byah denotes not

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And for all you know, even if one should be shown
to them, they would not believe (110) so long as We
kaeb ^M«heartS ïn<l the“ eyes turn«> [away from
Ute truth],« even as they did not believe in it in ft™
hrst instance: and (so] We shall leave them in ttek
arrogance' bli"<«y stumbling to and fro
J1.? A"d 7'."We were *° send down angels
unto them, and if the dead were to speak unto them,« OH—. fj£l» j y JJÎ
’
and [even if) We were to assemble before them, face
*° th'2h!"gs [that can prove truth], they
would still not believe unless God so willed.” But [of
this] most of them are entirely unaware.

(112) AND THUS it is that against every prophet We have

set up as enemies the evil forces from among humans dl f*-" £*
as well as from among invisible beings that whisper
t
unto one another glittering half-truths meant to
delude the mind.96
*95 But they could not do this unless
98
97
thy Sustainer had so willed: stand, therefore, aloof
from them and from all their false imagery!
(113) Yet, to the end that the hearts of those who
do not believe in the life to come might incline

only a “miracle” (in the sense of a happening that goes beyond the usual-that is, commonly
observable-course of nature), but also a “sign” or “message”: and the last-mentioned significance
is the one which is by far the most frequently met with in the Qur’än. Thus, what is commonly
described as a “miracle” constitutes, in fact, an unusual message from God, indicating -
sometimes in a symbolic manner-a spiritual truth which would otherwise have remained hidden
from man’s intellect. But even such extraordinary, “miraculous” messages cannot be regarded as
“supernatural”: for the so-called “laws of nature” are only a perceptible manifestation of “God’s
way” (sunnat Allah) in respect of His creation - and, consequently, everything that exists and
happens, or could conceivably exist or happen, is “natural” in the innermost sense of this word,
irrespective of whether it conforms to the ordinary course of events or goes beyond it. Now since
the extraordinary messages referred to manifest themselves, as a rule, through the instrumentality
of those specially gifted and divinely elected personalities known as “prophets", these are
sometimes spoken of as “performing miracles”-a misconception which the Qur’än removes by
the words, “Miracles are in the power of God alone". (See also 17:59 and the corresponding note
71.)
95 I.e„ so long as they remain blind to the truth in consequence of their unwillingness to
acknowledge it-and this in accordance with the law of cause and effect which God has imposed
on His creation (see surah 2, note 7).
96 Sc., of the fact that there is life after death.
97 See note 95 above.
98 Lit., “embellished speech” or “varnished falsehood” (Lane III, jî
Le., half-truths which entice man by their deceptive attractiveness
real spiritual values (see also 25 : 30-31).-Regarding my rendering of jmi as bemgs
see note 86 above and Appendix III. The term shayafin (lit., satans ), on the other hand b
often used in the Qur’än in the sense of evil forces inherent m man as well as m the spiritual world
(cf. 2:14, and the airresponding note). According to several
by Tabari the Prophet was asked, “Are there satans from among men? -and he replied, Yes,
ytv__ «h,» cntans from among the invisible beings (al-jtnn). Thus, the

truth and try to lead others astray.

189
 SÜRAH
AL-AN'ÄM

towards Him, and that in Him they might find con­

tentment, and that they might earn whatever they can
earn [of merit] - (114) [saÿ thou:] “Am I, then, to look
unto anyone but God for judgment99 [as to what is
right and wrong], when it is He who has bestowed âCpSt ($>
upon you from on high this divine writ, clearly spell­
ing out the truth?”100 Ç Jÿ’ & cÇ5!1
And those unto whom We have vouchsafed
revelation aforetime know that this one, too, has J* Jj**/»*
been bestowed from on high, step by step, by thy
Sustainer.101 Be not, then, among the doubters-(115)
CJtj (JJJ) ij?

for, truly and justly has thy Sustainer’s promise been /«sX & &&
fulfilled.102 There is no power that could alter [the
fulfilment of] His promises: and He alone is all­ j j ($> Jain
hearing, all-knowing.
(116) Now if thou pay heed unto the majority of
those [who live] on earth, they will but lead thee
astray from the path of God: they follow but [other
people’s] conjectures, and they themselves do no­ 4Jk 3À Ujf
thing but guess.103
(117) Verily, thy Sustainer knows best as to who ir iyru SI tffa j[
strays from His path, and best knows He as to who
are the right-guided.

(118) EAT, then, of that over which God’s name has been
pronounced, if you truly believe in His messages.104
(119) And why should you not eat of that over which
God’s name has been pronounced, seeing that He has

99 Lit., “to seek a judge other than God”.

100 The expression mufa$falan could also be rendered as “in a manner that brings out the
distinction (fa$l) between truth and falsehood” (ZamakhsharT). The use of the plural “you”
indicates that the divine writ is addressed to all who may come to know it.
101 See 2:146, and the corresponding note. The pronoun “it” may refer either to the earlier
divine writ-the Bible-and to its prediction of the advent of a prophet descended from Abraham,
or, more probably, to the Qur’än: in which case it must be rendered as “this one, too”. In either
case, the above phrase seems to allude to the instinctive (perhaps only subconscious) awareness of
some of the followers of the Bible that the Qur’än is, in truth, an outcome of divine revelation.
102 When related to God, the term kalimah (lit., “word”) is often used in the Qur’än in the
sense of “promise”. In this instance it obviously refers to the Biblical promise (Deuteronomy xviii,
15 and 18) that God would raise up a prophet “like unto Moses” among the Arabs (see sürah 2,
note 33).
103 I.e., regarding the true nature of human life and its ultimate destiny, the problem of
revelation, the relationship between God and man, the meaning of good and evil, etc. Apart from
leading man astray from spiritual truths, such guesswork gives rise to the arbitrary rules of
conduct and self-imposed inhibitions to which the Qur’än alludes, by way of example, in verses
118 and 119.
104 The purpose of this and the following verse is not, as might appear at first glance, a
repetition of already-promulgated food laws but, rather, a reminder that the observance of such
laws should not be made an end in itself and an object of ritual: and this is the reason why these
two verses have been placed in the midst of a discourse on God’s transcendental unity and the
ways of man’s faith. The “errant views” spoken of in verse 119 are such as lay stress on artificial
rituals and taboos rather than on spiritual values.

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so clearly spelled out to you what He has forbidden
you [to eat] unless you are compelled [to do so]? But,
behold, [it is precisely in such matters that] many
people lead others astray by their own errant views,
without [having any real] knowledge. Verily, thy
Sustainer is fully aware of those who transgress the
bounds of what is right.
(120) But abstain from sinning,,w be it open or
secret-for, behold, those who commit sins shall be
requited for all that they have earned. (121) Hence,
eat not of that over which God’s name has not been
pronounced: for this would be sinful conduct indeed.
And, verily, the evil impulses [within men’s hearts] & 'a
whisper unto those who have made them their own'“
that they should involve you in argument [as to what
is and what is not a sin]; and if you pay heed unto
them, lo! you will become [like] those who ascribe
divinity to other beings or forces beside God.105
106
107

(122) IS THEN HE who was dead [in spirit] and whom We

thereupon gave life, and for whom We set up a light
aï; ©
whereby he might see his way among men1“ - [is then
he] like one [who is lost] in darkness deep, out of
which he cannot emerge?
[But] thus it is: goodly seem all their own doings to
those who deny the truth. (123) And it is in this way
that We cause the great ones in every land to become J—j uj*!. jiàp ÿ- ùÿ j V* «s1*
its [greatest] evildoers,109 there to weave their
schemes: yet it is only against themselves that they
scheme-and they perceive it not.
(124) And whenever a [divine] message comes to
them, they say, “We shall not believe unless we are
given the like of what God’s apostles were given!”110

105 This injunction connects with verse 118, thus: “Eat, then, of that over which God’s name
has been pronounced..., but abstain from sinning” - i.e., “do not go beyond that which God has
made lawful to you”.
106 Lit., “the satans whisper unto those who are near to them (ilä awiiyd’ihim)”. For my above
rendering of shayäfTn as “evil impulses”, see note 10 on 2:14 and note 31 on 14:22.
107 I.e., “your own evil impulses are trying to draw you into argument as to what does and what
does not constitute a sin in order to make you lose sight of God’s dear ordinances in this respect;
and if you follow their arbitrary, deceptive reasoning, you will elevate them, as it were, to the
position of moral law-givers, and thus ascribe to them a right that belongs to God alone.”
108 Lit., “whereby he walks among men”. All the commentators agree in that the expression
“he who was dead” is metaphorical, and that it refers to people who become spiritually alive
through faith and are thereupon able to pursue their way through life unerringly.
109 Because the consciousness of their importance makes them more or less impervious to
criticism, the “great ones” are, as a rule, rather less inclined than other people to question the
moral aspects of their own behaviour; and the resulting self-righteousness only too often causes
them to commit grave misdeeds.
110 I.e., direct revelation.
191
 SÜRAH
AL-AN'ÄM

[But] God knows best upon whom to bestow His

message.
Abasement in the sight of God will befall those
who have become guilty of evildoing, and suffering
severe for all the schemes which they were wont to
weave.
(125) And whomsoever God wills to guide, his
bosom He opens wide with willingness towards self- djD jCi
surrender [unto Him]; and whomsoever He wills to
let go astray, his bosom He causes to be tight and A+r.ù' Cr*
constricted, as if he were climbing unto the skies: it is
thus that God inflicts horror upon those who will not
believe. (126) And undeviating is this thy Sustainer’s
way.111
Clearly, indeed, have We spelled out these mes­ lju— • «it j (tjj>
sages unto people who [are willing to] take them to
heart! (127) Theirs shall be an abode of peace with
their Sustainer; and He shall be near unto them in
result of what they have been doing.

(128) AND ON THE DAY when He shall gather them [all]

together, [He will say:] “O you who have lived in
close communion with [evil] invisible beings! A great
many [other] human beings have you ensnared!”112113
And those of the humans who were close to them111
will say: “O our Sustainer! We did enjoy one an-

111 Lit., “and this thy Sustainer’s way is straight”-i.e., unchanging in its application of the law
of cause and effect to man’s inner life as well.-The term rijs occurring in the preceding sentence,
and rendered by me as “horror”, signifies anything that is intrinsically loathsome, horrible or
abominable; in this case, it would seem to denote that awesome feeling of utter futility which,
sooner or later, overcomes everyone who does not believe that life has meaning and purpose.
112 According to most of the commentators, the invisible beings (al-jinn) referred to here are
the “evil forces” (shayäfFn) among them, such as are spoken of in verse 112 of this surah. It is
generally assumed that these very beings or forces are addressed here; but the primary meaning of
the term ma'shar appearing in this context warrants, in my opinion, a different conclusion. It is
true that this term is often used to denote a group or community or genus of sentient beings which
have certain characteristics in common: a conventional - and undoubtedly justifiable - use based
on the verb 'äsharahu, “he consorted [or “was on intimate terms”] with him” or “lived in close
communion with him”. But it is precisely this verbal origin of the term ma'shar which gjves us a
clue as to what is really meant here. Since, in its primary significance, a person’s ma*shar denotes
those who are on intimate terms or in close communion with him (cf. Lisän al-*Arab: “A man’s
ma*shar is his family”), we may well assume that it has a similar significance in the above
Qur’anic phrase. Thus, to my mind, the allocution yâ ma*shar al-jinn does not denote, “O you
community of [evil] invisible beings” but, rather, “O you who are [or “have lived”] in close
communion with [evil] invisible beings”: in other words, it is addressed to the misguided human
beings who have been seduced by “glittering half-truths meant to delude the mind” (verse 112).
This interpretation is reinforced by the words, “Have there not come unto you apostles from
among yourselves", occurring in verse 130 below: for the Qur’fin speaks always only of apostles
who belonged to the human race, and never of apostles from among the jinn. (As regards the wide
significance of this latter term, see Appendix III.)
113 I.e., close to the evil invisible beings. It is to be remembered that the primary meaning of
wall (of which awliyä* is the plural) is “one who is close [to another]”.

192
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other’s fellowship [in life]; but [now that] we have
reached the end of our term-the term which Thou
hast laid down for us-[we see the eiror of our
ways]!”
[But] He will say: “The fire shall be your abode,
therein to abide-unless God wills it otherwise.”’14
Verily, thy Sustainer is wise, all-knowing.
(129) And in this manner do We cause evildoers to
seduce one another”5 by means of their [evil] doings.
(130) [And thus will God continue:] “O you who <$>
have lived in close communion with [evil] invisible
beings and [like-minded] humans! Have there not
come unto you apostles from among yourselves, who
conveyed unto you My messages and warned you of
the coming of this your Day [of Judgment]?” uyijW
They will answer: “We do bear witness against
ourselves!”-for the life of this world had beguiled
them: and so they will bear witness against them­ élj jjC } <jl
selves that they had been denying the truth.
(131) And so it is that thy Sustainer would never ^■***>»
destroy a community114 116117
115 for its wrongdoing so long as
its people are still unaware [of the meaning of right
and wrong]: (132) for all shall be judged according to
their [conscious] deeds"7-and thÿ Sustainer is not
unaware of what they do.
(133) And thy Sustainer alone is self-sufficient,
limitless in His grace. If He so wills, He may put an j* <$> O'fSjJyU
end to you and thereafter cause whom He wills to if SÿX» i
succeed you - even as He has brought you into being
out of other people’s seed.
(134) Verily, that [reckoning] which you are
promised is bound to come, and you cannot elude it!
(135) Say: “O my [unbelieving] people! Do yet all
that may be within your power, [while] I, behold.

114 I.e., unless He graces them with His mercy (see verse 12 of this sürah, and the cor­
responding note). Some of the great Muslim theologians conclude from the above and from the
similar phrase occurring in 11:107 (as well as from several well-authenticated sayings of the
Prophet) that-contrary to the bliss of paradise, which will be of unlimited duration-the suffering
of the sinners in the life to come will be limited by God’s mercy. (See in this connection the hadTth
quoted in note 10 on 40:12.)
115 Lit., “to be close to one another”, or “get hold of one another”. The expression “in this
manner” (kadhâlika), which introduces the above sentence, is an obvious allusion to the manner in
which the evil ones “whisper unto one another glittering half-truths meant to delude the mind”
(verse 112 of this sürah).
116 Lit., “communities". The term qaryah (lit., “town”, “village” or “land”) denotes also the
people of a town or land - in short, a “community”-and it is in this sense that this term is mostly,
though not always, used in the Qur’fin.
117 Lit., “all shall have grades out of what they did”, i.e., consciously - since God does not take
people to task for any wrong they may have committed unless it was done in conscious,
contravention of a moral law already made clear to them by the prophets.

193
 shall labour [in God’s way]; and in time you will come
to know to whom the future belongs.118 Verily, never
will evildoers attain to a happy state!”

(136) AND OUT OF whatever He has created of the fruits

of the field and the cattle, they assign unto God a
portion, saying, “This belongs to God”-or so they
’ - “and this is for those beings who, we
[falsely] claim11120
are convinced, have a share in God’s divinity. But
that which is assigned to the beings associated in their r+Az ui
minds with God does not bring [them] closer to
/ dl J* ft d* £
God-whereas that which is assigned to God brings
[them but] closer to those beings to whom they ascribe a
share in His divinity.121 Bad, indeed, is their judgment!
(137) And, likewise, their belief in beings or powers 3-3
that are supposed to have a share in God’s divinity x ** ¥»***}** _ *
makes122 [even] the slaying of their children seem
goodly to many of those who ascribe divinity to aught
beside God, thus bringing them to ruin and confusing
them in their faith.123
Yet, unless God had so willed, they would not be

118 Lit., “to whom the [happy] end of the abode shall belong”. The term “abode” (dar) is used
in the Qur’än with reference to both the life of this world (dar ad-dunyä) and the life to come (dar
al-äkhirah). Most of the commentators are of the opinion that it refers here to the life to come;
Zamakhshart, however, relates it to life on earth. Since either of these interpretations is agreeable
with the text, I have chosen the above rendering which comprises both.
119 Falsely-because everything that exists belongs, in the last resort, to God alone.
120 Lit., “for our [God-]partners” - i.e., “those whom we consider to be associated with God”.
For an explanation of the term shank, see note 15 on verse 22 of this surah. The pre-lslamic Arabs
used to dedicate a part of their agricultural produce and cattle to some of their deities, and a part
to God, whom they regarded as one - albeit the greatest - of them. In consonance, however, with
the method of the Qur’än, the above verse does not allude merely to this historical aspect of
pre-lslamic Arabian life but has a wider, more general implication as well: that is, it refers not only
to the apportioning of devotional “shares” between God and the imaginary deities, but also to the
attribution of any share in His creative powers to anyone or anything beside Him.
121 I.e., the fact that they assign a “share” of their devotions to God does not strengthen their
belief in Him but, rather, implies a negation of His transcendental uniqueness and, thus, makes
them more and more dependent on imaginary divine or semi-divine “mediators”.
122 Lit., “their [God-]partners make”. As pointed out by RäzT, some early commentators were
of the opinion that the expression shurakiPuhum (lit., “their associates") denotes here the “evil
beings” or “forces" (shayafFn) from among men and jinn referred to in verses 112. 121, 128 and
130 of this sürah. It seems to me, however, that what is meant here-as in the preceding verse-is
the belief in the existence of anything that could be “associated” with God; hence my rendering of
the above phrase as “their belief in beings or powers that are supposed...”, etc.
123 This is a reference to the custom prevalent among the pre-lslamic Arabs of burying alive
some of their unwanted children, mainly girls, and also to the occasional offering of a boy-child in
sacrifice to one or another of their idols (Zamakhshari). Apart from this historical reference, the
above Qur’än-verse seems to point out, by implication, the psychological fact that an attribution of
divinity to anyone or anything but God brings with it an ever-growing dependence on all kinds of
imaginary powers which must be “propitiated” by formal and often absurd and cruel rites: and
this, in turn, leads to the loss of all spiritual freedom and to moral self-destruction.
 6
CATTLE
doing all this:’" stand, therefore, aloof from them and
all their false imagery!
(138) And they say, “Such-and-such cattle and
fruits of the field are sacred; none may eat thereof
save those whom we wiU [to do so]”-so they [fal­
sely] claim; and [they declare that] it is forbidden to
burden the backs of certain kinds of cattle; and there
are cattle over which they do not pronounce God’s
name -falsely attributing [the origin of these cus­
toms] to Him. [But] He will requite them for all their f1 >>
false imagery.
(139) And they say, “All that is in the wombs of
such-and-such cattle is reserved for our males and
forbidden to our women; but if it be stillborn, then
both may have their share thereof.” [God] will requite
them for all that they [falsely] attribute [to Him]:
behold, He is wise, all-knowing.
(140) Lost, indeed, are they who, in their
âî je* Ui—
minded ignorance, slay their children and declare as
forbidden that which God has provided for them as • ($) ijié'L; IjL« Ji
sustenance, falsely ascribing [such prohibitions] to
God: they have gone astray and have not found the
right path.
Lih*
(141) For it is He who has brought into being
gardens - [both] the cultivated ones and those grow­
ing wild’27-and the date-palm, and fields bearing
multiform produce, and the olive tree, and the pome­
granate: [all] resembling one another and yet so
different!124
128 Eat of their fruit when it comes to
127
126
125
fruition, and give [unto the poor] their due on harvest
day. And do not waste [God’s bounties]: verily. He
does not love the wasteful!
(142) And of the cattle reared for work and for the

124 Le., He allows them to behave as they do because He wants them to make use of their reason
and of the free will with which He has endowed man.
125 The pre-Islamic Arabs falsely claimed that these taboos were ordained by God, as is made
clear in the last part of this verse. One of these supposed, arbitrary “ordinances" laid down that
only the priests of the particular idol and some men belonging to the tribe could eat the flesh of
such dedicated animals, while women were not allowed to do so (ZamakhsharT).
126 I.e., while sacrificing them to their idols (see also 5:103 and the corresponding note). It
would seem from this allusion that, as a rule, the pagan Arabs did pronounce the name of
God-whom they regarded as the supreme deity-over the animals which they slaughtered; in the
above-mentioned exceptional cases, however, they refrained from doing so in the belief that God
Himself had forbidden it.
127 This is the generally-accepted explanation of the term ma'rüshät and ghayr ma'rüshät (lit.,
“those which are and those which are not provided with trellises"). The mention of “gardens"
serves here to illustrate the doctrine that everything living and growing - like everything else in the
universe-owes its existence to God alone, and that it is, therefore, blasphemous to connect it
causally or devotionally with any other power, be it real or imaginary.
128 See note 85 on verse 99 of this sHrah.

195
sake of their flesh, eat whatever God has provided for
you as sustenance, and follow not Satan’s foot­
steps:1® behold, he is your open foe!
(143) [His followers would have it that, in certain
cases, any of these] four kinds of cattle of either sex
[is unlawful to man]: either of the two sexes of sheep i-r yr
130 Ask [them]: “Is it the two males that
and of goats.129
He has forbidden, or the two females, or that which Û2 g.
the wombs of the two females may contain? Tell me
what you know in this respect,131 if what you say is
true.” (jjiJ 4 .Ie d«~ UI
(144) And [likewise they declare as unlawful] either
of the two sexes of camels and of bovine cattle.132 ù? ff

Ask [them]: “Is it the two males that He has forbid­

& ui & j»
den, or the two females, or that which the wombs of
the two females may contain? Is it, perchance, that liÇj âî fI çCjl
you [yourselves] were witnesses when God enjoined
[all] this upon you?”
Jûî ££ wfaî > y

And who could be more wicked than he who,

without any [real] knowledge, attributes his own lying
inventions to God, and thus leads people astray?133 t—» >>>•> * » , l~r
ùA j‘^1 4 jyi u j
Behold, God does not grace [such] evildoing folk with
uj jl *** J' **
His guidance.
(145) Say [O Prophet]: “In all that has been re­
vealed unto me, I do not find anything forbidden to
eat, if one wants to eat thereof,134135
unless it be carrion,
or blood poured forth, or the flesh of swine - for that,
behold, is loathsome-or a sinful offering133 over

129 I.e., by superstitiously declaring as forbidden what God has made lawful to man. All the
references to pre-Islamic taboos given in verses 138-140 as well as 142-144 are meant to
stress the lawfulness of any food (and, by implication, of any other physical enjoyment) which
God has not expressly forbidden through revelation.
130 Lit., “eight [in] pairs-of sheep two and of goats two" (the two other pairs are mentioned in
the next verse). This is an outstanding example of the ellipticism often employed in the Qur’än: a
mode of expression which cannot be correctly rendered in any other language without the use of
explanatory interpolations. The term zawj denotes a pair of things as well as each of the two
constituents of a pair: hence my rendering of thamäniyat azwäj (lit., “eight (in) pairs") as “four
kinds of cattle of either sex". The particular superstition to which this and the next verse refer is
probably identical with the one mentioned in 5 :103.
131 Lit., “tell me with knowledge" - i.e., not on the basis of guesswork but of knowledge
acquired through authentic revelation. The preceding and subsequent ironical questions are meant
to bring out the vagueness and inconsistency which characterizes all such superstitious, self­
imposed prohibitions.
132 Lit., “and of camels two, and of bovine cattle two”-thus completing the enumeration of
the “eight kinds [i.e., four pairs] of cattle".
133 Lit., “[thus] to lead people astray". However, the conjunction li prefixed to the verb yudill
(“he leads astray") does not denote here-as is usually the case-an intent (“in order that’’) but,
rather, a logical sequel (“and thus...”): a use which is described by the grammarians as lam
al-'äqibah, “the letter lâm signifying a causal sequence".
134 Lit., “forbidden to an eater to eat thereof’,
135 Lit., “a sinful deed" (jisq)-here signifying an idolatrous offering.
 6
CATTLE
which any name other than God’s has been invoked.
But if one is driven by necessity - neither coveting it
nor exceeding his immediate need-then [know that],
behold, thy Sustainer is much-forgiving, a dispenser
of grace.’”36
(146) And [only] unto those who followed the Jew­
ish faith did We forbid all beasts that have claws;*37
and We forbade unto them the fat of both oxen and
sheep, excepting that which is in their backs or en­
trails or that which is within the bone:'38 thus did We
requite them for their evildoing-for, behold, We are
true to Our word!”136138
137
139
(147) And if they give thee the lie,140 say: “Lim­
jrs
itless is your Sustainer in His grace; but His
punishment shall not be averted from people who are
lost in sin.”
<$> M
(148) THOSE who are bent on ascribing divinity to aught
beside God will say, “Had God so willed, we would
not have ascribed divinity to aught but Him, nor
would our forefathers [have done so]; and neither
would we have declared as forbidden anything [that
He has allowed].” Even so did those who lived before A» j» "A 13[ J Jill ôjfcS ùl
them give the lie to the truth14’- until they came to
taste Our punishment!
Say: “Have you any [certain] knowledge which you
could proffer to us?142 You follow but [other people’s]
conjectures, and you yourselves do nothing but
guess.” (149) Say: “[Know,] then, that the final
evidence [of all truth] rests with God alone; and had
He so willed. He would have guided you all aright.”143

136 Cf. 2:173 and 5:3.

137 The construction of the above sentence makes it clear that this prohibition was imposed
specifically on the Jews, to the exclusion of believers of later times (RäzT).
138 Cf. Leviticus vii, 23 (where, however, “all manner’’ of fat of ox, sheep or goat is declared
forbidden).
139 See 3:93.
140 I.e., regarding the Qur’anic statement (in verse 145) that God forbids only a few, clearly-
defined categories of food. The pronoun “they” refers to the Jews as well as to the pagan Arabs
spoken of in the preceding verses-both of whom claim that God has imposed on man various
complicated restrictions in the matter of food. According to the Qur’än, the Jews are wrong in
their claim inasmuch as they overlook the fact that the severe Mosaic food laws were a
punishment for their past misdeeds (see 3:93) and, therefore, intended for them alone; and the
pagan Arabs are wrong because their taboos have no divine basis whatsoever and are due to mere
superstition.
141 I.e., the truth that God has endowed man with the ability to choose between right and
wrong. The above verse constitutes a categorical rejection of the doctrine of “predestination’’ in
the commonly-accepted sense of this term.
142 Le., knowledge regarding “predestination”.
143 In other words, the real relationship between God’s knowledge of the future (and, therefore,

197
 SÜRAH
AL-AN'ÄM

(150) Say: “Bring forward your witnesses who

could bear witness that God has forbidden [all]
this!”*144-and if they bear witness [falsely], do not
bear witness with them; and do not follow the errant
views of those who have given the lie to Our mes­
sages, nor of those who believe not in the life to
come, and who regard other powers as their Sus­
tainer’s equals!145
(151) Say: “Come, let me convey unto you what
God has [really] forbidden to you:
“Do not ascribe divinity, in any way, to aught
beside Him; and (do not offend against but, rather,]
do good unto your parents;146 and do not kill your
children for fear of poverty - [for] it is We who shall
provide sustenance for you as well as for them;147148
149
and
do not commit any shameful deeds, be they open or
secret; and do not take any human being’s life - [the
JU yJ (fÿ) jjliat «4
life] which God has declared to be sacred - otherwise
than in [the pursuit of] justice: this has He enjoined
upon you so that you might use your reason;,4> (152)
and do not touch the substance of an orphan - save to lâ> y L .iiL (j—Cjï
improve it-before he comes of age.”14’
And [in all your dealings] give full measure and
weight,150 with equity: [however,] We do not burden
any human being with more than he is well able to

the ineluctability of what is to happen in the future) on the one side, and man’s free will, on the
other-two propositions which, on the face of it, seem to contradict one another-is beyond man’s
comprehension; but since both are postulated by God, both must be true. The very concept of
“God” presupposes His omniscience; and the very concept of morality and moral responsibility
presupposes free will on man’s part. Had God so willed, every human being would have been
forced to live righteously; but this would have amounted to depriving man of his free will, and
morality of all its meaning.
144 A reference to the arbitrary prohibitions mentioned in the preceding passages.
145 Lit., “make [others] equal to their Sustainer": i.e., attribute divine or almost-divine qualities
to certain ill-defined natural powers-e.g., believe in “spontaneous" creative evolution, or in a
“self-created" universe, or in a mysterious, impersonal Han vital that supposedly underlies all
existence, etc.
146 In the consensus of all the commentators, the phrase interpolated by me between brackets
is clearly implied in the above commandment, since it is mentioned among the things which God
has forbidden - and being good towards one’s parents is not only not forbidden but, on the
contrary, enjoined over and over in the Qur’än.
147 This may possibly refer to abortions dictated by economic considerations.
148 Sc., “and not resort to brute force whenever your private interests are involved”. The
expression “otherwise than in [the pursuit of] justice" refers to the execution of a legal
punishment or to killing in a just-that is, defensive-war, or to individual, legitimate self-defence.
149 I.e., after the orphan in one’s charge has come of age, the former guardian may “touch" his
property, legally, by borrowing from it or otherwise utilizing it with the owner’s consent. The
phrase rendered by me as “save to improve it" reads, literally, “in a manner that is best", which
implies the intent of bettering it.
150 This refers metonymically to all dealings between men and not only to commercial
transactions: hence my interpolation of “in all your dealings".
 CATTLE
bear;*51 and when you voice an opinion, be just, even
though it be [against] one near of kin.1”
And [always] observe your bond with God:151 153 this
152
has He enjoined upon you, so that you might keep it
in mind. (153) And [know] that this is the way leading
straight unto Me: follow it, then, and follow not other
ways, lest they cause you to deviate154 from His way. îjjjl âf IS
[All] this has He enjoined upon you, so that you
might remain conscious of Him. Uli jlj (jj) x jfLJ « «e

(154) AND ONCE AGAIN:155 We vouchsafed the divine %

writ unto Moses in fulfilment [of Our favour] upon
Ûjii J? L»l * 4,
those who persevered in doing good, clearly spelling
out everything,156 and [thus providing] guidance and Ô—►’ cUf ûCr Gxls
grace, so that they might have faith in the [final]
meeting with their Sustainer. (►rJ »UL Zfjj iJJaj
(155) And this, too, is a divine writ which We have
'.A’G iljL lii, j
bestowed from on high, a blessed one: follow it, then,
and be conscious of God, so that you might be graced Je s..*:£jf Jjfl lx[ IjJjif ô* (ft) iijf’
J
with His mercy. (156) (It has been given to you] lest
you say, “Only unto two groups of people, [both of 0 fjr-lPû*
them] before our time, has a divine writ been be­
stowed from on high157 - and we were indeed unaware
of their teachings”; (157) or lest you say, “If a divine
writ had been bestowed from on high upon us, we
would surely have followed its guidance better than
they did.”158
And so, a clear evidence of the truth has now come
unto you from your Sustainer, and guidance, and
grace. Who, then, could be more wicked than he who

151 The meaning is that God does not expect man to behave with “mathematical" equity -
which, in view of the many intangible factors involved, is rarely attainable in human dealings-but
expects him to do his best towards achieving this ideal.
152 According to RäzT, the phrase "when you voice an opinion" flit., “when you speak") applies
to expressing an opinion on any subject, whether it concerns one personally or not: but the
subsequent reference to one's “near of kin" makes it probable that the above injunction relates, in
particular, to the giving of evidence in cases under dispute.
153 See sürah 2, note 19.
154 Lit., “to become scattered”.
155 See note 31 on the last paragraph of verse 38 of this sürah. In this instance, the stress
implied in the use of thumma seems to point to verse 91 of this sürah.
156 I.e., everything that they needed by way of laws and injunctions appropriate to their time
and the stage of their development (RfizT). See in this connection the phrase, “Unto every one of
you have We appointed a [different] law and way of life”, occurring in 5:48, and the cor­
responding note 66.
157 Le., to the Jews and the Christians, who were the only two communities known to the
Arabs as possessing revealed scriptures.
158 Although this passage refers, in the first instance, to the Arabian contemporaries of the
Prophet, its message is not restricted to them but relates to all people, at all times, who refuse to
believe in revelation unless they themselves are its direct recipients.
 SÜRAH
AL-AN'ÄM

gives the lie to God’s messages, and turns away from

them in disdain?
We shall requite those who turn away from Our
messages in disdain with evil suffering for having thus
turned away!
(158) Do they, perchance, wait for the angels to
appear unto them, or for thy Sustainer [Himself] to
appear, or for some of thy Sustainer’s [Anal] portents
to appear?’59 [But] on the Day when thy Sustainer’s
[final] portents do appear, believing will be of no avail
to any human being who did not believe before, or J*
160
who, while believing, did no good works.159
Jkfx 30’Ajuk.,*
Say: “Wait, [then, for the Last Day, O un­
believers:] behold, we [believers] are waiting, too!” cZ* JZ J Ç24 t-Z dij c*»»

(159) VERILY, as for those who have broken the unity of

their faith and have become sects - thou hast nothing
Behold, their case rests with God:
to do with them.161162 cj uli >4 (Æ)
and in time He will make them understand what they
were doing. KT
(160) Whoever shall come [before God] with a good liiLijdt’ c.TXL j* kAk
deed will gain ten times the like thereof; but whoever
shall come with an evil deed will be requited with no
more than the like thereof; and none shall be wron­
ged.'«

J* (T* 4
(161) SAY: “Behold, my Sustainer has guided me onto a
straight way through an ever-true faith-the way of (3) a JLo ÛÇ*'3
Abraham, who turned away from all that is false, and
was not of those who ascribe divinity to aught beside
Him.”
(162) Say: “Behold, my prayer, and [all] my acts of
worship, and my living and my dying are for God
[alone], the Sustainer of all the worlds, (163) in whose

159 I.e., the signs announcing the Day of Judgment.

160 Lit., “or (did not] earn good in his faith”: thus, faith without good works is here declared to
be equivalent to having no faith at all (ZamakhsharT).
161 A reference, primarily, to the Jews and the Christians, who have departed from the
fundamental religious principles which they had originally shared in their entirety, and have gone
different ways in respect of doctrine and ethics (cf. 3:105). Beyond this “primary” reference,
however, the above verse connects logically with verse 153 above, “this is the way leading straight
unto Me: follow it, then, and follow not other ways, lest they cause you to deviate from His
way”-and thus relates prophetically to the followers of the Qur’än as well: in other words, it
expresses a condemnation of all sectarianism arising out of people’s intolerant, mutually-exclusive
claims to being “the only true exponents” of the Qur’anic teachings. Thus, when asked about the
implications of this verse, the Prophet’s Companion Aba Hurayrah is reported to have answered,
“It has been revealed with reference to this [our] community” (Tabari).
162 Lit., “and they shall not be wronged”. See in this connection the statement that God “has
willed upon Himself the law of grace and mercy”, occurring in verse 12 of this sürah, and the
corresponding note 10.
6 CATTLE

divinity none has a share: for thus have I been

bidden-and I shall [always] be foremost among
those who surrender themselves unto Him.”
(164) Say: ‘‘Am I, then, to seek a sustainer other
than God, when He is the Sustainer of all things?”
And whatever [wrong] any human being commits & (X*4J utt' J*
rests upon himself alone; and no bearer of burdens
shall be made to bear another’s burden.163 And, in
time, unto your Sustainer you all must return: and
then He will make you [truly] understand all that on (tj) iijikÀ 4-£
which you were wont to differ.164
(165) For, He it is who has made you inherit the
earth,165 and has raised some of you by degrees above
others, so that He might try you by means of what He
has bestowed upon you.166 <G>
Verily, thy Sustainer is swift in retribution: yet,
behold, He is indeed much-forgiving, a dispenser of
grace.

163 This statement - which is also found in 17:15, 35 :18, 39:7 and 53 :38 - constitutes a
categoric?! rejection of the Christian doctrines of “original sin” and “vicarious atonement . For
the wider ethical implications of this statement, see 53 : 38, where it occurs for the first time in the
chronological order of revelation.
164 See surah 2, note 94.
165 See 2:30, and the corresponding note 22.
166 I.e., by way of character, strength, knowledge, social position, wealth, etc.
 THE SEVENTH SÜRAH

AL-A'RÄF (THE FACULTY OF DISCERNMENT)

MECCA PERIOD

HE TITLE of this sürah is based on an expression which occurs in verses 46 and 48; its mean­
T ing is explained in note 37. According to most of the authorities (and particularly Ibn cAbbâs),
the whole of Al-A'rdf was revealed shortly before the preceding sürah - that is, in the last year of
the Prophet’s stay at Mecca; the assertion of As-Suyûtï and some other scholars to the effect that
verses 163-171 belong to the Medina period is the result of mere conjecture and cannot, therefore,
be accepted (Manär VIII, 294).
Although, in the chronological order of revelation, Al-A'rdf precedes the sixth sürah, it has
been placed after the latter because it elaborates the theme outlined therein. After the exposition
of God’s oneness and uniqueness - which, as I have pointed out in the introductory note to
Al-An'dm, constitutes the main theme of the sixth sürah - Al-A'rdf proceeds with a reference to
revelation as a means by which God communicates His will to man: in other words, to the mission
of the prophets. The need for continued prophetic guidance arises from the fact of man’s
weakness and his readiness to follow every temptation that appeals to his appetites, his vanity, or
his mistaken sense of self-interest: and this essential aspect of the human condition is illustrated in
the allegory of Adam and Eve and their fall from grace (verses 19-25), preceded by the allegory of
IblTs as man’s eternal tempter (verses 16-18). Without the guidance which God offers man through
His prophets, the right way cannot be found; and, therefore, “unto those who give the lie to Our
messages and scorn them in their pride, the gates of heaven shall not be opened” (verse 40). From
verse 59 onwards, most of the sürah is devoted to the histories of some of the earlier prophets
whose warnings were rejected by their people, beginning with Noah, continuing with Hüd, $âlih.
Lot and Shu'ayb, and culminating in a lengthy account of Shu'ayb's son-in-law, Moses, and his
experiences with the children of Israel. With verse 172 the discourse reverts to the complex
psychology of man, his instinctive ability to perceive God’s existence and oneness, and to “what
happens to him to whom God vouchsafes His messages and who then discards them: Satan
catches up with him, and he strays, like so many others, into grievous error” (verse 175). This
brings us to God’s final message, the Qur’fin, and to the role of the Last Prophet, Muhammad, who
is “nothing but a Warner and a herald of glad tidings” (verse 188): a mortal servant of God, having
no “supernatural” powers or qualities, and - like all God-conscious men - “never too proud to
worship Him” (verse 206).

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) Alif. Ldm. Mïm. $âd.1

(2) A DIVINE WRIT has been bestowed from on high

XX upon thee-and let there be no doubt about this
----- *
in thy heart-in order that thou mayest warn [the * étfl J/ lîT <3>
erring] thereby, and [thus] admonish the believers:2
WO *2^ cz

1 See Appendix II.

2 The expression hara) (lit., “straitness" or “tightness”) is often used idiomatically to denote
“doubt": and this is, according to Ibn cAbbäs, Mujähid and Qatädah, the meaning of the term here
(see Tabari, Zamakhshari, Baghawl, RfizI, Ibn Kathlr). The construction of the whole sentence

202
 SÜRAH7
THE FACULTY OF DISCERNMENT
(3) “Follow what has been sent down unto you by
your Sustainer, and follow no masters other than

How seldom do you keep this in mind!

(4) And how many a [rebellious] community have
We destroyed, with Our punishment coming upon it
by night, or while they were resting at noontide!3
4 (5)
tQj| *4^ cç ÿ* Jÿl U
And when Our punishment came upon them, they had
nothing to say for themselves, and could only cry,5 U« iji <$> Ùj/jcÛ
“Verily, we were wrongdoers!”
(6) Thus, [on Judgment Day] We shall most cer­ ùK'LJ <$) ÙjLU p—• J* lx* L.X
tainly call to account all those unto whom a [divine]
message was sent, and We shall most certainly call to
0 yü
account the message-bearers [themselves];6 (7) and
0 j-J
thereupon We shall most certainly reveal unto them
Our knowledge [of their doings]:7 for never have We
been absent [from them].
(8) And true will be the weighing on that Day: and 0 éi-iîjU ci? jî JZî
those whose weight [of good deeds] is heavy in the fiiî yf djgu g
balance-it is they, they who shall attain to a happy
state; (9) whereas those whose weight is light in the
balance-it is they who will have squandered their
own selves by their wilful rejection of Our messages.8 0 i» ^4* joûXJ

(10) YEA, INDEED, [O men,] We have given you a

[bountiful] place on earth, and appointed thereon
means of livelihood for you: [yet] how seldom are
you grateful!
(11) Yea, indeed, We have created you, and then
formed you;9 and then We said unto the angels.

makes it clear that the “doubt" does not relate to the origin of the divine writ but to its purpose:
and thus, although ostensibly addressed to the Prophet, the above passage is meant to draw the
attention of all whom the Qur’anic message may reach to the fact that it has a twofold
objective - namely, to warn the rejectors of the truth and to guide those who already believe in it.
Both the warning and the admonition are summarized in the sequence.
3 Some of the great Muslim thinkers, and particularly Ibn Hazm and Ibn Taymiyyah, maintain
that the expression awliyä* (here rendered as "masters”) denotes, in this context, "authorities" in
the religious sense of the word, implying a prohibition of attributing legal validity - side by side
with Qur’anic ordinances - to the subjective opinions of any person below the Prophet. See in this
connection 5 :101, and the corresponding notes.
4 I.e., suddenly, when the people felt completely secure and at ease. This passage connects with
the obligation, laid down in the preceding two verses, to follow God’s revealed messages.
5 Lit., “their plea was nothing but that they said”.
6 Cf. 5 :109.
7 Lit., “relate to them with knowledge”.
8 Lit., “for that they were wont to act wrongfully with regard to Our messages”.
9 The sequence of these two statements - “We have created you [i.e., “brought you into being
as living organisms”] and then formed you” [or “given you your shape", i.e., as human beings]-is
meant to bring out the fact of man’s gradual development, in the individual sense, from the
embryonic stage to full-fledged existence, as well as of the evolution of the human race as such.

203
 SÜRAH
AL-A'RÂF

“Prostrate yourselves before Adam!”-whereupon

they [all] prostrated themselves, save Iblïs: he was
not among those who prostrated themselves.
(12) [And God] said: “What has kept thee from
prostrating thyself when I commanded thee?”
($) I
Answered [Iblïs]: “I am better than he: Thou hast
created me out of fire, whereas him Thou hast created
4_>L'l Jli 417^1 u» .JVI 41a>U JU
out of clay.”
(13) [God] said: “Down with thee, then, from this JI* (y£)
[state]-for it is not meet for thee to show arrogance
41J[ (*—r* ûl 411 L-J
here! Go forth, then: verily, among the humiliated
shalt thou be!”
0 JAr.fX JB
(14) Said [Iblïs]: “Grant me a respite till the Day
when all shall be raised from the dead.” lu jÉ (5) à S-41J1JK
(15) [And God] replied: “Verily, thou shalt be
among those who are granted a respite.”
(16) [Whereupon Iblïs] said: “Now that Thou hast
thwarted me," I shall most certainly lie in ambush for
±4 rr^-’ J?
them all along Thy straight way, (17) and shall most Ij LjLu Ç* J8 jrJkL4
certainly fall upon them openly as well as in a manner
beyond their ken,12 and from their right and from
(3> f f—r* 4k-7 jJ
their left: and most of them Thou wilt find ungrate­
ful.”
(18) [And God] said: “Go forth from here, dis­
graced and disowned! [And] as for such of them as
follow thee-I will most certainly fill hell with you all!

10 As regards God’s allegorical command to the angels to “prostrate themselves” before Adam,
see 2 : 30-34, and the corresponding notes. The reference to all mankind which precedes the story
of Adam in this surah makes it clear that his name symbolizes, in this context, the whole human
race.
Western scholars usually take it for granted that the name “Iblïs” is a corruption of the Greek
word diâbolos, from which the English “devil” is derived. There is, however, not the slightest
evidence that the pre-lslamic Arabs borrowed this or any other mythological term from the
Greeks - while, on the other hand, it is established that the Greeks derived a good deal of their
mythological concepts (including various deities and their functions) from the much earlier
South-Arabian civilization (cf. Encyclopaedia of Islam I, 379 f.). One may, therefore, assume with
something approaching certainty that the Greek diâbolos is a Hellenized form of the Arabic name
for the Fallen Angel, which, in turn, is derived from the root-verb ablasa, “he despaired” or “gave
up hope” or “became broken in spirit” (see Lane I, 248). The fact that the noun diâbolos
(“slanderer” - derived from the verb diaballein, “to throw [something] across”) is of genuinely
Greek origin does not, by itself, detract anything from this hypothesis: for it is conceivable that the
Greeks, with their well-known tendency to Hellenize foreign names, identified the name “Iblïs”
with the, to them, much more familiar term diâbolos. - As regards Iblïs’ statement, in the next
verse, that he had been created “out of fire”, see siirah 38, note 60.
11 Or: “allowed me to fall into error”. The term aghwähu denotes both “he caused (or
“allowed”] him to err” or “he caused him to be disappointed” or “to fail in attaining his desire”
(cf. Lane VI, 2304 f.). Since, in this case, the saying of Iblïs refers to the loss of his erstwhile
position among the angels, the rendering adopted by me seems to be the most appropriate.
12 Lit., “from between their hands and from behind them”. Regarding this idiomatic expression
and my rendering of it, see the similar phrase in 2 : 255 (“He knows all that lies open before men
and all that is hidden from them”). The subsequent phrase “from their right and from their left”
signifies “from all directions and by all possible means”.

204
 --------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------- THE FACULTY OF DISCERNMENT
(!9) And [as for thee], O Adam, dwell thou and thy
wife in this garden, and eat, both of you, whatever
you may wish; but do not approach this one tree, lest
you become evildoers!”13 (
(20) Thereupon Satan whispered unto the two with
1°rTa!“n8 ?em conscious of their nakedness, <3>V&bŒfâ
and he
of which [hitherto] they had been unaware;1415
said: “ Your Sustainer has but forbidden you this tree < ÛÏÏ
foAver"'^0 beC°me taS] angelS’ °r ,eSt y°U Bve

(21) And he swore unto them, “Verily, I am of

(J) J1 ÛjO jl J.CJU UjCj
those who wish you well indeed!” (22)-and thus he
led them on with deluding thoughts. (£) KJ
But as soon as the two had tasted [the fruit] of the
tree, they became conscious of their nakedness; and
they began to cover themselves with pieced-together
J* L-CJ plT y.
leaves from the garden. And their Sustainer called
unto them: “Did I not forbid that tree unto you and ($> Cor* KJ jiÇllT jfiJ i^JjT
tell you, ‘Verily, Satan is your open foe’?”
c/jéj J dltZkCj Vb
(23) The two replied: “O our Sustainer! We have
sinned against ourselves - and unless Thou grant us
(J)
forgiveness and bestow Thy mercy upon us, we shall
most certainly be lost!” jB ® ÿ» j
(24) Said He: “Down with you,16 [and be hence-
forth] enemies unto one another, having on earth
your abode and livelihood for a while: (25) there shall

13 See 2: 35 and 20:120, as well as the corresponding notes.

14 Lit., “so as to make manifest to them that of their nakedness which [hitherto] had been
imperceptible to them”: an allegory of the state of innocence in which man lived before his fall
from grace - that is, before his consciousness made him aware of himself and of the possibility of
choosing between alternative courses of action, with all the attending temptations towards evil and
the misery which must follow a wrong choice.
15 Lit., “or [lest] you become of those who are enduring”: thus instilling in them the desire to
live forever and to become, in this respect, like God. (See note 106 on 20:120.)
16 Sc., “from this state of blessedness and innocence". As in the parallel account of this parable
of the Fall in 2:35-36, the dual form of address changes at this stage into the plural, thus
connecting once again with verse 10 and the beginning of verse 11 of this siirah, and making it
clear that the story of Adam and Eve is, in reality, an allegory of human destiny. In his earlier state
of innocence man was unaware of the existence of evil and, therefore, of the ever-present
necessity of making a choice between the many possibilities of action and behaviour: in other
words, he lived, like all other animals, in the light of his instincts alone. Inasmuch, however, as
this innocence was only a condition of his existence and not a virtue, it gave to his life a static
quality and thus precluded him from moral and intellectual development. The growth of his
consciousness-symbolized by the wilful act of disobedience to God’s command-changed all this.
It transformed him from a purely instinctive being into a full-fledged human entity as we know
it-a human being capable of discerning between right and wrong and thus of choosing his way of
life In this deeper sense, the allegory of the Fall does not describe a retrogressive happening but,
rather a new stage of human development: an opening of doors to moral considerations. By
forbidding him to "approach this tree”, God made it possible for man to act wrongly-and,
therefore to act rightly as well: and so man became endowed with that moral free will which
distinguishes him from all other sentient beings. - Regarding the role of Satan-or IblTs-as the
eternal tempter of man, see note 26 on 2:34 and note 31 on 15:41.
205
 you live” - He added - “and there shall you die, and
thence shall you be brought forth [on Resurrection
Day]!”
(26) O CHILDREN of Adam! Indeed, We have bestowed
upon you from on high [the knowledge of making]
garments to cover your nakedness, and as a thing of
beauty:17 but the garment of God-consciousness is the
best of all. Herein lies a message from God, so that
might take it to heart.
man1819
(27) O children of Adam! Do not allow Satan to
($) -**■ 41TS
seduce you in the same way as he caused your
ancestors to be driven out of the garden: he deprived
them of their garment [of God-consciousness] in or­
Çr *r* Jtj
der to make them aware of their nakedness. Verily,
he and his tribe are lying in wait for you where you
cannot perceive them!” C->- j»
Verily, We have placed [all manner of] satanic ij)U ) (§> 'ï
forces near unto those who do not [truly] believe;20
(28) and [so,] whenever they commit a shameful deed, J» Ç. U » Û» LjJc CLj
they are wont to say, “We found our forefathers
doing it,” and, “God has enjoined it upon us.” ✓*'j* »uJLüt
Say: “Behold, never does God enjoin deeds of
LÙlt
abomination. Would you attribute unto God some­
thing of which you have no knowledge?” -** li } (J) jf' J» 4
(29) Say: “My Sustainer has [but] enjoined the
doing of what is right; and [He desires you to] put
your whole being into every act of worship,21 and to
call unto Him, sincere in your faith in Him alone. As
it was He who brought you into being in the first
instance, so also [unto Him] you will return: (30)
some [of you] He will have graced with His guidance,
whereas for some a straying from the right path will
have become unavoidable:22 for, behold, they will

17 Lit., “as plumage”-a metaphorical expression derived from the beauty of birds' plumage.
18 Lit., “this is [one] of God's messages, so that they.. .”, etc.
19 Lit., “see you from where you do not see them”.
20 The interpolated word “truly” is implied in this phrase in view of the subsequent reference to
the erroneous beliefs of such people: for, although their beliefs are wrong, some of them are under
the impression that the “shameful deeds” subsequently referred to have been enjoined by God. As
for the “satanic forces” (shayafFn), it is to be remembered that this designation is applied in the
Qur’än to all kinds of wicked impulses or propensities that are “near unto” (i.e., in the hearts of)
those who do not truly believe in God (see note 31 on 14:22): hence, the term shayâfîn occurring
in verse 30 below has been rendered as “evil impulses”.
21 The term wajh (lit., “face”) occurring here is often used, in the abstract sense, to denote a
person's entire being or entire attention - as, for instance, in the phrase aslamtu wajhf li'Hähi, “I
have surrendered my whole being unto God” (3:20). The word masjid, which usually signifies the
time or place of prostration in prayer (sujud}, evidently stands in this context-as well as in verse
31 below-for any act of worship.
22 Lit., “will have become incumbent upon them" (fraqqa 'alayhim), implying that this straying
was an inevitable consequence of their own doings and attitudes.

206
 THE FACULTY OF DISCERNMENT
have taken [their own] evil impulses for their masters
m preference to God, thinking all the while that they
have found the right path!” y

(31) O CHILDREN of Adam! Beautify yourselves21 for

every act of worship, and eat and drink [freely] but
do not waste: verily, He does not love the wasteful’ <£) p-fii ÆjJi
(32) Say: “Who is there to forbid the beauty which
God has brought forth for His creatures, and the good
things from among the means of sustenance?”
Say: “They are [lawful] in the life of this world
unto all who have attained to faith-to be theirs alone *<5 pr û* j»
on Resurrection Day.”23 24
Thus clearly do We spell out these messages unto Jj
people of [innate] knowledge!
(33) Say: “Verily, my Sustainer has forbidden only
shameful deeds, be they open or secret, and [every 4 J fr J* <$)
kind of] sinning, and unjustified envy, and the as­
cribing of divinity to aught beside Him - since He has
never bestowed any warrant therefor from on high - (g> V u âîjc y,» jij uikL «4
and the attributing unto God of aught of which you
X.,, > u. s,. ,r.;,
have no knowledge.” «L. ,4^14u up >1 V
(34) And for all people a term has been set:25 and
when [the end of] their term approaches, they can Jo H f**4 (g> QfUk-* \lj
neither delay it by a single moment,26 nor can they
fj> '-■*> * ÿ*b Or**
hasten it.
b (£> f
(35) O CHILDREN of Adam! Whenever there come unto
you apostles of your own, conveying My messages <g) OjjU* jjj!
unto you, then all who are conscious of Me and live
righteously - no fear need they have, and neither shall
they grieve; (36) but they who give the lie to Our
messages and scorn them in their pride-these are
destined for the fire, therein to abide.

23 Lit., “take to your adornment (zihafi)”. According to RSghib (as quoted in Lane III,
1279 f.), the proper meaning of zïnah is “a [beautifying] thing that does not disgrace or render
unseemly... either in the present world or in that which is to come'*: thus, it signifies anything of
beauty in both the physical and moral connotations of the word.
24 By declaring that all good and beautiful things of life-i.e., those which are not expressly
prohibited - are lawful to the believers, the Qur’an condemns, by implication, all forms of
life-denying asceticism, world-renunciation and self-mortification. While, in the life of this world,
those good things are shared by believers and unbelievers alike, they will be denied to the latter in
the hereafter (cf. verses 50-51 of this surah).
25 Lit, “for every community (ummah) there is a term”: i.e., all people have a life-term
decreed by God, during which they are at liberty to accept or to reject the guidance offered them
through revelation. The word ummah often denotes “living beings”-in this context, “people”.
26 In Arabic usage, the term sä*ah Git., “hour”) signifies not merely the astronomical hour - i.e.,
the twenty-fourth part of a mean solar day-but also “time” in an absolute sense, or any fraction
of it, whether large or small. In the above context, it has obviously been used in the sense of “a
least fraction of time” or “a single moment".

207
 SÜRAH
AL-A'RÄF

(37) And who could be more wicked than they who

attribute their own lying inventions to God or give the
lie to His messages? Whatever' has been decreed to
be their lot [in life] will be theirs27-till there shall
come unto them Our messengers to cause them to
die, [and] shall say, “Where, now, are those beings l j£=» âïjÿ
whom you were wont to invoke beside God?”
And [those sinners] will reply, “They have for­ n**
saken us!”-and [thus] they will bear witness against
themselves that they had been denying the truth.
& I* û) '.P1*
(38) [And God] will say: “Join those hosts of it
invisible beings and humans who have gone before
you into the fire!” Ji '7'*'Jli ($)
[And] every time a host enters [the fire], it will
L* JU! j
curse its fellow-host—so much so that, when they all
shall have passed into it, one after another, the last of c CÄ ç q î/jbî ÿ
them will speak [thus] of the first of them:28 “O our
Sustainer! It is they who have led us astray: give, Jli jû! £ idi Ui UJU
them, therefore, double suffering through fire!”
He will reply: “Every one of you deserves double Juy ciij («) jf&'ï
suffering29-but you know it not.”
JL?U ûljuJî ijiJi SlftJ
(39) And the first of them will say unto the last of
them: “So you were in no wise superior to us!30
Taste, then, this suffering for all [the evil] that you
were wont to do!” qJ, jjli»J» j >L .|! w»j{'

(40) VERILY, unto those who give the lie to Our mes­
sages and scorn them in their pride, the gates of
heaven shall not be opened;31 and they shall not enter
paradise any more than a twisted rope can pass
through a needle's eye:32 for thus do We requite such

27 Lit., “their share of the [divine] decree {al-kitâb) will reach them": i.e., they will have in
their lifetime, like all other people, all the good or bad fortune envisaged for them in God’s eternal
decree. The “messengers" (rusul) referred to in the next clause are, apparently, the angels of death.
28 The terms “first” and “last" refer here either to a sequence in time (“those who came
earlier” and “those who came later”) or in status (“leaders” and “followers"); and in both cases
they relate, as the next sentence indicates, to the evil influence which the former exerted on the
latter during their lifetime - either directly, as leaders of thought and persons of distinction, or
indirectly, as forerunners in time, whose example was followed by later generations.
29 Lit., “to everyone a double [suffering]": i.e., for having gone astray and for having, by his
example, led others astray. Cf. 16:25-“on Resurrection Day they shall bear the full weight of
their own burdens, as well as some of the burdens of those ignorant ones whom they have led
astray”.
30 Le., “You went the wrong way, as we did, out of your own free will, and you bear the same
responsibility as we do.” Another possible interpretation is: “You are not superior to us because
you have learnt nothing from our mistakes."
31 According to Ibn ‘Abbas (as quoted by Rfizi), this metaphor signifies that God will not
accept any of the good deeds of such sinners, nor their subsequent supplications.
32 Lit., “until (ha/M) a twisted rope passes through a needle’s eye”; since this phrase is meant
to express an impossibility, the rendering of ha(tä as “any more than” seems to be appropriate

208
 ---------------------------------------- ---------------- the faculty of discernment
as are lost in sin. (41) Heli will be their resting-place
and their covering as well:33 for thus do We requite
the evildoers.
(42) But those who attain to faith and do righteous
deeds-[and] We do not burden any human being
with more than he is well able to bear - they are
destined for paradise, therein to abide, (43) after We y r;
shall have removed whatever unworthy thoughts or
feelings may have been [lingering] in their bosoms. I—: V
Running waters will flow at their feet;34 and they will
say: “All praise is due to God, who has guided us (g)
unto this; for we would certainly not have found the
right path unless God had guided us! Indeed, our
JUilty’«; JJ.»/
Sustainer’s apostles have told us the truth!” Ôt k ÀJJ afàài ùî XP UÛ
And [a voice] will call out unto them: “This is the
paradise which you have inherited by virtue of your kcl!jl Ipjij £_> J-j
past deeds!”
iÂj ($> ùjLâ;
(44) And the inmates of paradise will call out to the
inmates of the fire: “Now we have found that what
our Sustainer promised us has come true; have you,
too, found that what your Sustainer promised you has j’f-r*
come true?” , f ,
[The others] will answer, “Yes !” - whereupon from ? vJ" & <S>
their midst a voice35 will loudly proclaim: “God’s
rejection is the due of the evildoers (45) who turn
others away from God’s path and try to make it

here. As for the word jamal occurring in this sentence, there is hardly any doubt that its
translation, in this context, as “camel” is erroneous. As pointed out by Zamakhsharï (and
confirmed by other classical commentators, including Râzï), Ibn 'Abbas used to read the word in
the spelling jummal, which signifies “a thick rope" or “a twisted cable”; and the same reading is
attributed to CAIT ibn AbT Jälib (Tâj al-Arüs). It is to be noted that there are also several other
dialectical spellings of this word, namely, jumal, juml, jumul and, finally, jamal (as in the
generally-accepted version of the Qur’an) - all of them signifying "a thick, twisted rope”
(JawharT), and all of them used in this sense by some of the Prophet’s Companions or their
immediate successors (täbi'ün). Ibn 'Abbas is also quoted by Zamakhsharï as having said that
God could not have coined so inappropriate a metaphor as “a camel passing through a needle’s
eye”-meaning that there is no relationship whatsoever between ■ camel and ■ needle’s eye
whereas, on the other hand, there is a definite relationship between the latter and a rope (which,
after all, is but an extremely thick thread). On all accounts, therefore, the rendering of jamal as “a
twisted rope” is, in this context, infinitely preferable to that of “a camel”. The fact that the latter
rendering occurs in a somewhat similar phrase in the Greek version of the Synoptic Gospels
(Matthew xix, 24, Mark x, 25 and Luke xviii, 25) does not affect this contention. One should remember
that the Gospels were originally composed in Aramaic, the language of Palestine at the time of
Jesus, and that those Aramaic texts are now lost. It is more than probable that, owing to the
customary absence of vowel signs in Aramaic writing, the Greek translator misunderstood the
consonant spelling g-m-l (corresponding to the Arabic j-m-l), and took it to mean “a camel”: a
mistake repeated since, with regard to the above Qur’än-verse, by many Muslims and all
non-Muslim orientalists as well.
33 Lit., “for them there will be a resting-place of [the fires of] hell and, from above them,
coverings [thereof]”.
34 Lit., “beneath them”: i.e., all blessings will be at their command.
35 Lit., “an announcer” (mu'adhdhin).

209
 SÜRAH
AL-A'RAF

appear crooked, and who refuse to acknowledge the

truth of the life to come!” *
(46) And between the two there will be a barrier.
And there will be persons who [in life] were en­
dowed with the faculty of discernment [between right
and wrong], recognizing each by its mark.36
37 And they
will call out unto the inmates of paradise, ‘‘Peace be
upon you!” —not having entered it themselves, but " t t e x.r

longing [for it]. (47) And whenever their eyes are UjU- Ju J b
turned towards the inmates of the fire, they will cry:
• (£) UjaX.f-kj
“O our Sustainer! Place us not among the people who
have been guilty of evildoing!” (^) f g UUrfi'ùl U J y li jjdî
(48) And they who [in life] had possessed this
faculty of discernment will call out to those whom
they recognize by their marks [as sinners], saying:
‘‘What has your amassing [of wealth] availed you, ($) Uj L iji i
and all the false pride of your past? (49) Are those
[blessed ones] the self-same people of whom you
once solemnly declared, ‘Never will God bestow His (j£) '-’/■'î
grace upon them’?38 [For now they have been told,]
‘Enter paradise; no fear need you have, and neither Cf y »O 3: ££ ir^’ $ jûT
shall you grieve!’”
(50) And the inmates of the fire will call out unto
the inmates of paradise: ‘‘Pour some water upon us,
or some of the sustenance [of paradise] which God
has provided for you!”
[The inmates of paradise] will reply: “Verily, God

36 The word hijäb denotes anything that intervenes as an obstacle between things or conceals
one thing from another; it is used in both an abstract and a concrete sense.
37 The term al-a'räf (which gave to this surah its title) occurs in the Qur’an only twice -
namely, in the above verse and in verse 48. It is the plural of 'urf, which primarily denotes
“acknowledgement” or “discernment”, and is also used to denote the highest, or most elevated,
part of anything (because it is most easily discerned): for instance, the 'urf of a cock is the
coxcomb, that of a horse its mane, and so forth. On the basis of this idiomatic usage, many
commentators assume that the a'râf referred to here are “elevated places”, like the heights of a
wall or its ramparts, and identify it with the “barrier” (hijäb} mentioned at the end of the
preceding sentence. A far more likely interpretation, however, is forthcoming from the primary
significance of the word 'urf and its plural a'räf'. namely, “discernment" and “the faculty of
discernment”, respectively. This interpretation has been adopted by some of the great, early
commentators of the Qur’an, like Al-Hasan al-Baçrï and Az-Zajjäj, whose views Räzl quotes with
evident approval. They state emphatically that the expression 'ala 'l-a'räf is synonymous with
*a/d ma'rifah, that is, “possessing knowledge” or “endowed with the faculty of discernment” (i.e..
between right and wrong); and that the persons thus described are those who in their lifetime were
able to discern between right and wrong (“recognizing each by its mark”), but did not definitely
incline to either: in brief, the indifferent ones. Their lukewarm attitude has prevented them from
doing either much good or much wrong-with the result that, as the next sentence shows, they
deserve neither paradise nor hell. (Several Traditions to this effect are quoted by Tabari as well as
by Ibn KathTr in their commentaries on this verse.)-The noun rijäl (lit., “men”) at the beginning
of the next sentence as well as in verse 48 obviously denotes “persons" of both sexes.
38 Implying either that the believers did not deserve God’s grace or, alternatively, that God does
not exist. The expression “you solemnly declared” (lit., “you said under oath”) is a metaphor for
the unbelievers’ utter conviction in this respect.

210
 THE FACULTY OF DISCERNMENT
has deme«! both to those who have denied the truth-
(51) those who, beguiled by the life of this world,
have made play and passing delights their religion!”*
[And God wiU say:] ‘‘And so We shall be oblivious
of them today as they were oblivious of the coming
of this titetr Day [of Judgment], and as Our messages L; JÎ ft
they did deny: (52) for, indeed, We did convey unto
them a divine writ which We clearly, and wisely,*
spelled out-a guidance and a grace unto people who
will believe.” 4''-!■*» (►«*'■*»■ (g) U1L U»
(53) Are (the unbelievers] but waiting for the final
meaning of that [Day of Judgment] to unfold?39 41 [But]
40
J* <S> £
on the Day when its final meaning is unfolded, those 0? •>-* jlF jL px /kA’
who aforetime had been oblivious thereof will say:
û Ç jj jj
‘‘Our Sustainer’s apostles have indeed told us the
truth! Have we, then, any intercessors who could
jLj JIS v j* O îjuîï «bai
intercede in our behalf? Or could we be brought back
[to life] so that we might act otherwise than we were (g) ùjjàj Ijitf'u pS yZj i
wont to act?”4243
çX-JÎ jU ifJfr â! JL j <j[
Indeed, they will have squandered their own selves,
and all their false imagery will have forsaken them.

(54) VERILY, your Sustainer is God, who has created the

heavens and the earth in six aeons, and is established
on the throne of His almightiness.41 He covers the o âî iv jüfïyi
day with the night in swift pursuit, with the sun and
(g) /■“ J
the moon and the stars subservient to His command:
oh, verily, His is all creation and all command. Hal­
lowed is God, the Sustainer of all the worlds!
(55) Call unto your Sustainer humbly, and in the
secrecy of your hearts. Verily, He loves not those
who transgress the bounds of what is right: (56)

39 See 6:70 and the corresponding note 60.

40 Lit., “with knowledge”.
41 In this context, the term ta'wTl (which literally means “an endeavour to arrive at the final
meaning [of a saying or occurrence]” - cf. 3:7) signifies the fulfilment of the warnings contained in
the Qur’fin: and in this sense it connotes the “unfolding of its final meaning”.
42 Cf. 6 : 27-28.
43 The conjunctive particle thumma which precedes this clause does not always denote order in
time (“then” or "thereupon”). In cases where it is used to link parallel statements it has often the
function of the simple conjunction wa (“and")-as, for instance, in 2:29 ("and has applied His
design ”, etc.) As regards the term 'arsh (lit., “throne” or "seat of power”), all Muslim
commentators, classical and modem, are unanimously of the opinion that its metaphorical use in
the Qur’fin is meant to express God’s absolute sway over all His creation. It is noteworthy that in
all the seven instances where God is spoken of in the Qur’fin as “established on the throne of His
almightiness” (7 • 54, 10:3, 13:2,20: 5, 25:59,32:4 and 57:4), this expression is connected with
a declaration of His having created the universe.-The word yawm, commonly translated as
“day” but rendered above as “aeon” - is used in Arabic to denote any period, whether extremely
long (“aeon”) or extremely short (“moment”): its application to an earthly “day” of twenty-four
hours is only one of its many connotations. (Cf. in this respect note 26 above, where the meaning
of sd‘ah - lit., “hour”-is explained.)
211
 SÜRAH
AL-A'RÄF

hence, do not spread corruption on earth after it has

been so well ordered. And call unto Him with fear
and longing: verily, God’s grace is ever near unto the
doers of good!
(57) And He it is who sends forth the winds as a
glad tiding of His coming grace - so that, when they
Ufi- X,
have brought heavy clouds, We may drive them ($) '-“'‘J
towards dead land and cause thereby water to
descend; and by this means do We cause all manner
of fruit to come forth. Even thus shall We cause the
4 Gïjli c-j J-J (£ cif I
dead to come forth: [and this] you ought to keep in
mind.44 (58) As for the good land, its vegetation
comes forth [in abundance] by its Sustainer’s leave,
whereas from the bad it comes forth but poorly.
Thus do We give many facets to Our messages for
[the benefit of] people who are grateful!

à» ûjuô 3a <g)
(59) INDEED, We sent forth Noah unto his people,45 and
he said: “O my people! Worship God alone: you have _«J»* U& f-**"*- ’J'*
no deity other than Him. Verily, I fear lest suffering
befall you on an awesome Day!’’46 J K (J) 3*
(60) The great ones among his people replied:
f JL JU <$> ÿj-» j Xbjü ï «*y
“Verily, we see that thou art obviously lost in error!’’
(61) Said [Noah]: “O my people! There is no error 0 o* Jyj J «y?
in me, but I am an apostle from the Sustainer of all
the worlds. (62) I am delivering unto you my Sus­ Vuâf
tainer’s messages and giving you good advice: for I
know [through revelation] from God what you do not jÿ «j* <£> ’M“
know. (63) Why, do you deem it strange that a tiding
from your Sustainer should have come unto you 0 ^y’û' j
through a man from among yourselves, so that he
might warn you, and that you might become con­
yf
j dwt ,xy 5
scious of God, and that you might be graced with His • <S>3ef
mercy?’’
(64) And yet they gave him the lie! And so We
saved him and those who stood by him, in the ark, the
while We caused those who had given the lie to Our
messages to drown: verily, they were blind folk!47

44 This is the key-sentence of the parable set forth in verses 57-58: by the exercise of the same
life-giving power by which God causes plants to grow. He will resurrect the dead at the end of
time. The next sentence continues the parable by likening those whose hearts are open to the voice
of truth to fertile earth, and those who are bent on denying it, to barren earth.
45 In continuation of the stress, in the preceding passages, on God’s omnipotence and trans­
cendental oneness, verses 59-93 refer to several of the earlier prophets, who preached the same
truth, and whose names were familiar to the Arabs before the revelation of the Qur’än, Their
stories — beginning with that of Noah, who is considered the first apostle ever sent to mankind — are
reduced here to the warnings with which they unsuccessfully tried to persuade their people to
worship God alone and to live righteously.
46 This refers either to the Day of Judgment or to the approaching deluge.
47 Explaining this verse in his translation of the Qur'&n, Muhammad Ali rightly points out that

212
 7
THE FACULTY OF DISCERNMENT
(65) ANDUNTO [the tribe of] cÄd [We sent] their brother
Hüd. He said: “O my people! Worship God alone:
you have no deity other than Him. Will you not, then,
be conscious of Him?”
(66) Said the great ones among his people, who 7*J? .A JB bj» ^li.1
refused to acknowledge the truth: “Verily, we see
that thou art weak-minded; and, verily, we think that 4 Jï ($)

thou art a liar!”48

49
«y jlbjü
(67) Said [Hüd]: “O my people! There is no weak-
mindedness in me, but I am an apostle from the 't’j iZ 4r*J çjï, JB
Sustainer of all the worlds. (68) I am delivering unto
you my Sustainer’s messages and advising you truly Ûj ci-y ûjijï
and well.50 (69) Why, do you deem it strange that a
tiding from your Sustainer should have come unto ùl ($) ùr1

you through a man from among yourselves, so that he

might warn you? Do but remember how He made you
heirs to Noah’s people, and endowed you abundantly
with power:51 remember, then, God’s blessings, so
that you might attain to a happy state!” AjcJ U2».l l JB jCLJJj

(70) They answered: “Hast thou come to us [with

cJ”<j[ 1>Am L-ç Uj 1>J UK Xa> jlTU j jij
the demand] that we worship God alone, and give up
all that our forefathers were wont to worship? Bring
about, then, that [punishment] with which thou hast
threatened us, if thou art a man of truth!”
(71) Said [Hüd]: “You are already beset by loath-

the latter “does not support the theory of a world deluge, for it plainly states... that only people
to whom Noah had delivered his message called him a liar, and... were drowned.... Hence the
deluge affected the territory of Noah’s people, not the whole world, as the Bible would have us
believe.” To this may be added that the deluge spoken of in the Bible, in the myths of Sumeria and
Babylonia, and, finally, in the Qur’ân, most probably represents the inundation, during the Ice Age,
of the huge basin which today is covered by the Mediterranean: an inundation which was due to
the break-in of the Atlantic through the land-barrier at the modem Gibraltar, and of the Black Sea
through what is now the Dardanelles.
48 Hüd is said to have been the first Arabian prophet. He may be identical with the Biblical
cËbër, the ancestor of the Hebrews (‘/bnnO who-like most of the Semitic tribes-had probably
originated in South Arabia. (References to ‘Ëbër are found in Genesis x, 24-25 and xi, 14 ff.) The
ancient Arabian name Hüd is still reflected in that of Jacob’s son Judah (Yahfidah in Hebrew),
which provided the subsequent designation of the Jews. The name cEbër-both in Hebrew and in
its Arabic form eÄbir-signifies “one who crosses over” (i.e., from one territory to another), and
may be a Biblical echo of the fact that this tribe “crossed over" from Arabia to Mesopotamia in
pre-Abrahamic times. - The tribe of *Äd, to which Hüd belonged (“their brother Hüd”), inhabited
the vast desert region known as Al-Afcqäf, between cUmSn and Haçlramawt, and was noted for its
great power and influence (see 89:8 - “the like of whom has never been reared in all the land”). It
disappeared from history many centuries before the advent of Islam, but its memory always
remained alive in Arabian tradition.
49 They considered him “weak-minded” because he expected them to give up their traditional
beliefs and deities; and a “liar”, because he claimed to be a prophet of God.
50 Lit., “I am a trustworthy adviser to you”.
51 Lit., “successors after Noah’s people" -i.e., the most numerous and powerful of all the
tribes that descended from Noah-“and increased you abundantly in respect of [your] natural
endowment (fcho/q)’’. The latter term also signifies “power" (R&zl).

213
 SÜRAH
AL-A'RÄF

some evil52 and by your Sustainer’s condemnation!

Do you argue with me about the [empty] names
which you have invented53 - you and your fore­
fathers - for which God has bestowed no warrant >lrt□
from on high? Wait, then, [for what will happen:]
verily, I shall wait with you!”54
(72) And so, by Our grace, We saved him and those
who stood by him, the while We wiped out the last *<3-j ($) jr. Û*
remnant of those who gave the lie to Our messages
($) £1«»J
and would not believe.5556

(73) AND UNTO [the tribe of] Thamüd [We sent] their
brother $älib“ He said: “O my people! Worship
God alone: you have no deity other than Him. Clear
evidence of the truth has now come unto you from
your Sustainer. Ij/-ilj (J) »->'jc if*. ^3—x
“This she-camel belonging to God shall be a token
for you: so leave her alone to pasture on God’s earth,
and do her no harm, lest grievous chastisement befall
you.57
(74) “And remember how He made you heirs to
[the tribe of] ‘Äd58 and settled you firmly on earth, so

52 A reference to their idolatry and obstinacy.

53 Lit., “names which you have named” - i.e., the false deities, which have no real existence.
54 Lit, “I shall be, together with you, among those who wait.”
55 As is shown in 69:6-8, this destruction came about through a violent sandstorm raging
without a break for seven nights and eight days.
56 The Nabataean tribe of Thamüd descended from the tribe of *Âd mentioned jn the preceding
passage, and is, therefore, often referred to in pre-Islamic poetry as the “Second cÄd”. Apart from
Arabian sources, “a series of older references, not of Arabian origin, confirm the historical
existence of the name and people of Thamüd. Thus the inscription of Sargon of the year 715 B.C.
mentions the ThamQd among the people of eastern and central Arabia subjected by the Assyrians.
We also find the Thamudaei, Thamudenes mentioned in Aristo, Ptolemy, and Pliny” (Ency­
clopaedia of Islam IV, 736). At the time of which the Qur’an speaks, the Thamüd were settled in
the northernmost Hijäz, near the confines of Syria. Rock-inscriptions attributed to them are still
extant in the region of Al-Hijr.-As in the case of the ‘Ädite prophet Hüd-and the prophet
Shu'ayb spoken of in verses 85-93 of this sûrah - Çâlib is called the “brother” of the tribe because
he belonged to it.
57 The commentators cite various legends to the effect that this she-camel was of miraculous
origin. Since neither the Qur’än nor any authentic Tradition provides the least support for these
legends, we must assume that they are based on the expression ndqat Allah (“God’s she-camel”),
which has led some pious Muslims to fantastic conjectures. However, as Rashid Rida7 points out
(Mandr VIII, 502), this expression denotes merely the fact that the animal in question was not
owned by any one person, and was therefore to be protected by the whole tribe; a further,
analogous expression is found in the words “God’s earth” in the same verse: an illustration of the
fact that everything belongs to God. The particular stress placed by $àlife on good treatment of this
ownerless animal - referred to in several places in the Qur’än-was obviously due to the cruel
high-handedness displayed by the tribe, who, as the next two verses show, were wont to “act
wickedly on earth by spreading corruption” and “gloried in their arrogance towards all who were
deemed weak”: in other words, their treatment of the defenceless animal was to be a “token” of
their change of heart or (as is made clear in 54:27) “a test for them”.
58 Cf. the parallel expression in verse 69 above-“heirs to Noah’s people”-and the cor-

214
 THE FACULTY OF DISCERNMENT
that you [are able to] build for yourselves castles on
its plains and hew out mountains [to serve you] as
dwellings: remember, then, God’s blessings, and do
not act wickedly on earth by spreading corruption.”
(75) The great ones among his people, who gloried
in their arrogance towards all who were deemed
weak, said unto the believers among them: ‘‘Do you
[really] know that Çâliÿ has been sent by his Sus­
tainer?”
They answered: “Verily, we believe in the message yto £
which he bears.”*0
(76) [But] the arrogant ones said: “Behold, what
you have come to believe in we refuse to regard as
Æ <£)
true!”
(77) And then they cruelly slaughtered the she- «fÛTij!/*** (J)
camel,6’ and turned with disdain from their Sus­
tainer’s commandment, and said: “O Sälih! Bring ciTUjy Lr y B,
about that [punishment] with which thou hast
threatened us, if thou art truly one of God’s message­
bearers!” >ùîL I fji^ jéj Jyj (g)
(78) Thereupon an earthquake overtook them: and
then they lay lifeless, in their very homes, on the jßJj jj
ground.“
(79) And [Sälifr] turned away from them, and said:
“O my people! Indeed, I delivered unto you my
Sustainer’s message and gave you good advice: but
you did not love those who gave [you] good advice.”59
62
61
60

responding note. From all the historical references to the ThamOd it is apparent that they were one
of the greatest and most powerful Arab tribes of their time.
59 A reference to the elaborate rock-dwellings or tombs-to be seen to this day-which the
ThamOd carved out of the cliffs west of Al-Hijr, in northern Hijäz, and embellished with
sculptures of animals as well as many inscriptions attesting to the comparatively high degree of
their civilization and power. In popular Arabian parlance, these rock-dwellings are nowadays
called Madâ'in $âlih (“The Towns of $älih”).
60 The contents of his message (lit., “that with which he has been sent") appeared to them
justification enough to accept it on its merits, without the need of any esoteric “proof’ of Çâlifr’s
mission. In a subtle way, this statement of faith has a meaning which goes far beyond the story of
the ThamOd. It is an invitation to the sceptic who is unable to believe in the divine origin of a
religious message, to judge it on its intrinsic merits and not to make his acceptance dependent on
extraneous, and objectively impossible, proofs of its origin: for only through the contents of a
message can its truth and validity be established.
61 The verb 'aqara primarily denotes “he hamstrung [an animal]’’- i.e., before slaughtering it,
so that it might not run away. This barbarous custom was widely practiced in pre-lslamic Arabia,
so that 'aqr (“hamstringing”) gradually became synonymous with slaughtering in a cruel manner
(RSzT; see also Lane V, 2107 f.).
62 Lit., “they became, in their homes, prostrate on the ground”. The term rajfah which occurs at
the beginning of this sentence signifies any violent commotion or trembling, and is often, though not
always applied to an earthquake (rajfat al-artf). It is possible that the earthquake mentioned here was
accompanied by the volcanic eruption which at some time overtook the historical dwelling-places of
the ThamQd tribe, and to which the extensive black lava-fields (harrah) of northern Hijäz, and
particularly near Madä’in $älifc (see note 59 above), bear eloquent witness to this day.

215
 AL-A'RÄF SÜRAH

(80) AND [remember] Lot,63 when he said unto his peo­

ple: “Will you commit abominations such as none in
all the world has ever done before you? (81) Verily,
with lust you approach men instead of women: nay,
L" I «<•_y«J JI* U»j|j
but you are people given to excesses!”
(82) But his people’s only answer was this:64 “Expel br* 0/(£>
them from your land! Verily, they are folk who make
themselves out to be pure!”65 olTUj ùj*^.pî^;i Ju
(83) Thereupon We saved him and his household -
except his wife, who was among those that stayed
behind66-(84) the while We rained a rain [of destruc­ <17*1* (J) f-4
tion] upon the others: and behold what happened in
the end to those people lost in sin! jüü ($)

(85) AND UNTO [the people of] Madyan [We sent] their {jj* ($)
brother Shu'ayb.67 He said: “O my people! Worship
f û* I* b4-^f
God alone: you have no deity other than Him. Clear /x x.u. . Jj.s
evidence of the truth has now come unto you from «jljwJÏj J^jf Ij»iL* j j* <c»u J»
your Sustainer. Give, therefore, full measure and
weight [in all your dealings], and do not deprive j IjA ■<; X,
people of what is rightfully theirs;6869
and do not spread
corruption on earth after it has been so well ordered:
[all] this is for your own good, if you would but
JrJ- Jj4-* } b4**7 ^3
believe. (86) And do not lie in ambush by every road
[that leads to the truth6*], threatening and trying to
turn away from God’s path all who believe in Him,
and trying to make it appear crooked. And remember (J) ij! <-*l*
[the time] when you were few, and [how] He made
« ci—ji 3Jt lu jlT
you many: and behold what happened in the end to
the spreaders of corruption!
(87) “And if there be some among you who have
come to believe in the message which I bear, the

63 The story of Lot, Abraham’s nephew (Lût in Arabic), is given in greater detail in 11:69-83.
64 Lit., “their answer was nothing but that they said”.
65 Lit., “who purify themselves”; also, “who keep aloof from unclean things”: here obviously
used ironically. The plural relates to Lot, his family and his followers (cf. 27:56).
66 Contrary to the Biblical account, according to which Lot’s wife only “looked back”
inadvertently (Genesis xix, 26), the Qur’än makes it clear in 11:81 and 66: 10 that she remained
behind deliberately, being at heart one with the sinning people of Sodom and having no faith in her
husband.
67 Shu'ayb is said to be identical with Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, also called in the Bible
Reû-èl (Exodus ii, 18), meaning “Faithful to God”. The region of Madyan-the Midian of the
Bible-extended from the present-day Gulf of Aqabah westwards deep into the Sinai Peninsula
and to the mountains of Moab east of the Dead Sea; its inhabitants were Arabs of the Amorite
group of tribes.
68 Lit., “do not diminish to people their things”-an expression which applies to physical
possessions as well as to moral and social rights. Regarding my interpolation of “in all your
dealings”, see sürah 6, note 150.

69 Thus ZamakhsharT and RfizT, stressing the metaphorical meaning of the above phrase. Cf. a
similar expression, attributed to Satan, in verse 16 of this sürah.

216
 7
THE FACULTY OF DISCERNMENT
while the others do not believe, then have patience in
adversity till God shall judge between us [and them]:
for He is the best of all judges!”
(88) Said the great ones among his people, who
gloried in their arrogance: ‘‘Most certainly, O
Shu ayb, we shall expel thee and thy fellow-believers
from our land, unless you indeed return to our ways!”
Said [Shu'ayb]: “Why, even though we abhor
[them]? (89) We should be guilty of blaspheming
against God™ were we to return to your ways after
God has saved us from them! It is not conceivable
that we should return to them - unless God, our Sus­ (J) üä*ß J *2* I—!• tLy
tainer, so wills.70
71 All things does our Sustainer em­
3» aZ j C/1I J J
brace within His knowledge; in God do we place our
trust. O our Sustainer! Lay Thou open the truth
between us and our people-for Thou art the best of
all to lay open the truth!”72
(90) But the great ones among his people, who were
bent on denying the truth, said [to his followers]: jit (jfrij UL. Lj. j LjJTy ûî
“Indeed, if you follow Shu'ayb, you will, verily, be
the losers!”
(91) Thereupon an earthquake overtook them: and (£) * %? Cr
then they lay lifeless, in their very homes, on the
ground73-(92) they who had given the lie to ($> j **?/ f-r
Shu'ayb-as though they had never lived there: they
who had given the lie to Shu'ayb-it was they who
were the losers! ■»iJ f Ä f-P“ Jir* (£>
(93) And he turned away from them, and said: “O
my people! Indeed, I delivered unto you my Sus­
tainer’s message and gave you good advice: how,
then, could I mourn for people who have denied the
truth?”

(94) AND NEVER YET have We sent a prophet unto any jj y y» âHXî yZjif
community without trying its people with misfortune
and hardship, so that they might humble themselves;
(95) then We transformed the affliction into ease of
life,74 so that they throve and said [to themselves],
“Misfortune and hardship befell our forefathers as

70 Lit., “inventing a lie about God”.

71 An expression of humility, and not of the idea that God might “will" them to blaspheme.
72 Or: “Thou art the best of all deciders" - since the verb fataha can also be rendered as “he
decided”. However, Shu'ayb’s prayer could not have implied a request for God’s “decision" (for
there was no doubt in his mind as to who was right), and therefore the primary significance of iftah
(“lay open”) and fätib (“one who lays open”, i.e., the truth) is preferable.
73 See note 62 above. Like the frarrah once inhabited by the Thamüd tribe, the adjoining region
of Madyan (the Biblical Midian) shows ample evidence of volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.
74 Lit., "then We put good [things] in place of the bad”.
217
AL-A'RÄF SÜRAH

well**75 - whereupon We took them to task, all of a

sudden, without their being aware [of what was
coming].76
(96) Yet if the people of those communities had but
attained to faith and been conscious of Us, We would
indeed have opened up for them blessings out of
($)
heaven and earth: but they gave the lie to the truth -
jCij j* j. f-tP* LÂéiJ
and so We took them to task through what they
[themselves] had been doing.77
(97) Can, then, the people of any community ever (J)
feel secure that Our punishment will not come upon
them by night, while they are asleep? (98) Why, can
(S> k f-cik j'
the people of any community ever feel secure that 0* J-*' û*'J*
Our punishment will not come upon them in broad
daylight, while they are engaged in [worldly] play?7879 £ âÇCîJÆî ($) 3£l
(99) Can they, then, ever feel secure from God’s deep
devising? But none feels secure from God’s deep
jj?jr J j' fjijf
devising save people who are [already] lost.” •> >> > —if»4 •—*'•8 9
ft-x jiû» iI—» ji Öl Lfkl Jw j»
(100) Has it, then, not become obvious unto those
who have inherited the earth in the wake of former ClL" (g)

generations80 that, if We so willed, We could smite

them [too] by means of their sins, sealing their hearts
so that they cannot hear [the truth]?81
(101) Unto those [earlier] communities - some of
whose stories We [now] relate unto thee-there had
indeed come apostles of their own with all evidence
of the truth; but they would not believe in anything to
which they had once given the lie:82 thus it is that God
seals the hearts of those who deny the truth; (102)

75 I.e., they regarded it as a normal course of events and did not draw any lesson from it.
76 Cf. 6:42-45.
77 Thus the discourse returns to its starting-point at the beginning of this surah (verses 4-5):
namely, that the destruction which is bound to overtake any community (the proper significance of
the term qaryah in this context) which lives in opposition to the eternal moral verities amounts, in
the last resort, to self-annihilation: for this is the real meaning of God’s ’'taking them to task
through what (bi-mä) they themselves were doing”.
78 I.e., while they enjoy ease and a sense of security, and are unaware of any danger that may
threaten them (cf. verse 4 of this surah).
79 I.e., morally lost and, therefore, destined to perish. The term makr Allah (‘‘God’s deep
devising”) denotes here His unfathomable planning, which is alluded to elsewhere in the Qur’än by
48* 2jPreSS*°n sunnat (‘‘God’s [unchangeable] way” - cf., in particular, 33 : 62, 35 : 43 and

80 Lit,, “after its [former] people”. The people “who have inherited the earth" are those now
living.
81?®* S*rah note 7. Here, again, we have an affirmation that what the Qur’än describes as
God s punishment” (as well as “God’s reward”) is, in reality, a consequence of man's own doings,
and not an arbitrary act of God: it is "by means of their sins” (bi-dhunübihim) that God “sets a seal”
upon the hearts of men. This statement is further elucidated at the end of verse 101.
82 Lit., "to which they had given the lie aforetime": an allusion to the instinctive unwillingness
of most people to give up the notions-positive or negative-to which they are accustomed.

218
 7
THE FACULTY OF DISCERNMENT
and in most of them We found no [inner] bond with
anything that is right83-and most of them We found
to be iniquitous indeed.

(103) AND AFTER those [early people] We sent Moses

with Our messages unto Pharaoh and his great ones,
and they wilfully rejected them:84 and behold what
happened in the end to those spreaders of corruption! J]
(104) And Moses said: “O Pharaoh! Verily, I am an
(Q> êtl .«.ÎTi-il* jüîi
apostle from the Sustainer of all the worlds, (105) so
constituted that I cannot say anything about God but ÿ <3> J.
the truth. I have now come unto you with a clear
evidence from your Sustainer: let, then, the children p, jj jiw« jjw ji
of Israel go with me!”
Cif<j[ JÉ (J) jr j—
(106) Said [Pharaoh]: “If thou hast come with a
sign, produce it-if thou art a man of truth!”
(Q) jl I-ç Oli c:»
(107) Thereupon [Moses] threw down his staff, and
Io! it was a serpent, plainly visible; (108) and he drew ÛÏT'ÛU; jjli
forth his hand, and lo! it appeared [shining] white to
the beholders.85 $ <3> à. %**.
(109) The great ones among Pharaoh’s people said:
“Verily, this is indeed a sorcerer of great knowledge', Az ’•*-*
(110) who wants to drive you out of your land!”86 j xt; ye <$>3^* a
[Said Pharaoh:] “What, then, do you advise?”
(Ill) They answered: “Let him and his brother87
wait awhile, and send unto all cities heralds (112) who
<$> ü ji îÿi 3>>
shall bring before thee every sorcerer of great
knowledge.” H irr0. V $ ûm (•**
(113) And the sorcerers came unto Pharaoh [and]
said: “Verily, we ought to have a great reward88 if it is yjî JS ($) Jubÿ; J
we who prevail.”
(114) Answered [Pharaoh]: “Yes; and, verily, you
shall be among those who are near unto me.”
(115) They said: “O Moses! Either thou shalt throw
[thy staff first], or we shall [be the first to] throw.”

83 Thus Râghib explains the term 'ahd occurring in this sentence. Its usual rendering as
“covenant” or “loyalty to their covenant” is entirely meaningless in this context. Rashid Rida’
widens Räghib’s interpretation and includes in the above term man’s instinctive ability to discern
between right and wrong and, thus, to follow the dictates of his own conscience (Manâr IX, 33 ff.).
Regarding the deeper implications of this expression, see surah 2, note 19.
84 Lit., “they did wrong to them”.
85 As is evident from 20 : 22, 27:12 and 28:32, the hand of Moses was “[shining] white,
without blemish”, i.e., endowed with transcendent luminosity in token of his prophethood-and
not, as stated in the Bible (Exodus iv, 6), “leprous as snow”. Regarding the possible mystic
significance of the miracle of the staff, see note 14 on 20:21.
86 I.e., “deprive you of your rule". The plural “you" relates to Pharaoh and the ruling class.
87 I.e., Aaron, who - as is mentioned in several other places in the Qur’än - accompanied Moses on
his mission.
88 The particle la preceding the noun ajr (“reward”) indicates an emphasis which gives to this
combination the meaning of “great reward”.

219
 SÜRAH
AL-A'RÄF

(116) He answered: “You throw [first].”

And when they threw down [their staffs], they cast
a spell upon the people’s eyes, and struck them with
awe, and produced mighty sorcery.
(117) And [then] We inspired Moses, “Throw down
thy staff!”-and lo! it swallowed up all their decep­
tions:® (118) whereupon the truth was established,
and vain was proved all that they had been doing.
(119) And thus were they vanquished there and then, • <uJ)
and became utterly humiliated.
(120) And down fell the sorcerers,89
90 prostrating ($> ûjOb dû*
themselves (121) [and] exclaiming: “We have come to «dl L* Ij-Ui lÿlTl»
believe in the Sustainer of all the worlds, (122) the
Sustainer of Moses and Aaron!” Cfcîpu($) <$>
(123) Said Pharaoh: “Have you come to believe in
him91 ere I have given you permission? Behold, this is J» (g) ûjXJÎ k-Jx
indeed a plot which you have cunningly devised in
•jjfjkZ/Û LL* ôiu J JJ
this [my] city in order to drive out its people hence!
But in time you shall come to know [my revenge]:
(124) most certainly shall I cut off your hands and
your feet in great numbers, because of [your] per­ JX’Ç 3;
verseness, and then I shall most certainly crucify you
in great numbers, all together!”92 Uj IjJK (JJ)
(125) They answered: “Verily, unto our Sustainer "u j t?X u Cj cJiL uk ÿ l.
do we turn-(126) for thou takest vengeance on us
only because we have come to believe in our Sus­ J* ÜÏT Jlij JmL* Ûjj 'z-» Cjc
tainer’s messages as soon as they came to us. O our
Sustainer! Shower us with patience in adversity, and j b-U.-i.j jJS » OjF-j
make us die as men who have surrendered them­
selves unto Thee!” »L.I »JK dklx.
(127) And the great ones among Pharaoh’s people
said: “Wilt thou allow Moses and his people to spread
corruption on earth, and to [cause thy people to]
forsake thee and thy gods?”
[Pharaoh] replied: “We shall slay their sons in

89 Implying that the act of Moses was a genuine miracle, whereas that of the sorcerers was a
feat of make-believe (cf. 20 : 66).
90 Lit., “the sorcerers were thrown down"-i.e., they fell to the ground as if thrown by a
superior force (ZamakhsharT).
91 This personal pronoun may refer either to God or to Moses; but a similar expression in
20:71 and 26:49 makes it obvious that it refers here to Moses.
92 The grammatical forms la-uqafji'anna and la-ufallibannakum must be rendered as "most
certainly. shall I cut off [your hands and feet] in great numbers'* and "crucify you in great
numbers": and this indicates that either the repentant sorcerers thus addressed were many or,
alternatively, that they had a large following among the people of Egypt. The latter assumption
seems to be corroborated by the Biblical reference to the fact that many Egyptians joined the
Israelites in their exodus from Egypt: "And a mixed multitude went up also with them" (Exodus
xii, 38). As regards my rendering of min khiläf as "because of [your] perverseness", see siirah 5,
note 44 (last sentence).

220
 THE FACULTY OF DISCERNMENT

great numbers and shall spare [only] their women:

for, verily, we hold sway over them!”
(128) [And] Moses said unto his people: “Turn unto
God for aid, and have patience in adversity. Verily,
all the earth belongs to God: He gives it as a heritage
to such as He wills of His servants; and the future
belongs to the God-conscious!”
(129) [But the children of Israel] said: “We have
suffered hurt ere thou earnest to us and since thou
hast come to us!”93 J--U i.î’-iîj
[Moses] replied: “It may well be that your Sus­
tainer will destroy your foe and make you inherit the LyL" jl
earth: and thereupon he will behold how you act.”9495 <>^>5 uÿVî j
(130) And most certainly did We overwhelm
Pharaoh’s people with drought and scarcity of fruits, J ^i.1 <3> ÙjÛm
so that they might take it to heart. (131) But whenever
good fortune alighted upon them, they would say, pitu bg (g) jj/1 5;
“This is [but] our due”; and whenever affliction befell
a^b^ ÎÇ j[5 - Gj ÿé
them, they would blame their evil fortune on Moses
and those who followed him.93 Oh, verily, their [evil] ÿb fV*’ 7<~
fortune had been decreed by God - but most of them
. * Cy ùjjZy
knew it not.
(132) And they said [unto Moses]: “Whatever sign
thou mayest produce before us in order to cast a spell
upon us thereby, we shall not believe thee!” ci it JlîiÇ ÎÇJ-5
(133) Thereupon We let loose upon them floods,
and [plagues of] locusts, and lice, and frogs, and <$> ûrZ
[water turning into] blood96 - distinct signs [all]: but
y û. éç; G gf $
they gloried in their arrogance, for they were people
lost in sin.
(134) And whenever a plague struck them, they
would cry: “O Moses, pray for us to thy Sustainer on
the strength of the covenant [of prophethood] which

93 This is, in the above context, the first hint of the inconstancy and weakness of faith for
which the Qur’Sn so often blames the children of Israel: and this, together with what follows in verses
138-140 and 148 ff., is the reason why the story of Moses has been included here among the stories of
the earlier prophets whose warnings were neglected by their communities.
94 I.e., “He will judge you by your actions”. As is evident from the reference, in verse 137
below, to the “patience in adversity” which the children of Israel subsequently displayed, it would
seem that the hope held out to them by Moses helped them, once again, to overcome their moral
weakness; but, at the same time, his words “God will behold how you act" imply a distinct
warning.
95 The phrase tafayyara bihi signifies “he attributed an evil omen to him” or “he augured evil
from him”. It is based on the pre-Islamic Arab custom of divining the future or establishing an
omen from the flight of birds. Thus, the noun ftfir (lit., “a flying creature” or “a bird”) is often
used in classical Arabic to denote “destiny" or “fortune”, both good and evil, as in the next
sentence of the above verse (“their [evil] fortune had been decreed by [lit., “was with”] God”).
Instances of this tropica! employment of the expressions I(Fir and fayr and their verbal
derivations are also found in 3:49, 5:110, 17:13, 27:47, 36:18—19.
96 For a description of these plagues, see Exodus vii-x.
221
 AL-A'RÂF SÜRAH

He has made with thee! If thou remove this plague

from us, we will truly believe in thee, and will let the
children of Israel go with thee!”
(135) But whenever We removed the plague from
them, giving them time to make good their promise,
lo, they would break their word. (136) And so We
inflicted Our retribution on them, and caused them to <$)
drown in the sea, because they had given the lie to
Our messages and had been heedless of them; (137) f-*

whereas unto the people who [in the past] had been
deemed utterly low, We gave as their heritage the
eastern and western parts of the land that We had piji Ujjb (j$) 4^.1* Lt®

blessed.”
And [thus] thy Sustainer’s good promise unto the
children of Israel was fulfilled in result of their
patience in adversity;” whereas We utterly destroyed M IÇcJS’cjcj
all that Pharaoh and his people had wrought, and all
100
that they had built.97
99
98

(138) AND WE BROUGHT the children of Israel across X >X.,x',« X.»___ ,,.x •' xx..x«x
the sea; and thereupon they came upon people who »/» ûjXv. Je 'y li
were devoted to the worship of some idols of
theirs.101 Said [the children of Israel]: “O Moses, set
jii litt jJk irft tj j JXî
up for us a god even as they have gods!” JkLj v (**U »Vjï* -4 <$>
He replied: “Verily, you are people without any
awareness [of right and wrong]! (139) As for these
here-verily, their way of life is bound to lead to
destruction; and worthless is all that they have ever
done!”
(140) [And] he said: “Am I to seek for you a deity
other than God, although it is He who has favoured
you above all other people?”102
(141) And [he reminded them of this word of God]:
“Lo, We saved you from Pharaoh’s people who

97 Lit., “until a term which they should reach”.

98 Palestine is spoken of as “blessed" because it was the land in which Abraham. Isaac and
Jacob had lived, and because so many other prophets were to appear there.
99 The promise of God referred to here is the one given to the children of Israel through Moses
(see verses 128 and 129).
100 The story of the suffering of the Israelites during their bondage in Egypt, their deliverance
through Moses, their crossing of the Red Sea (or, more probably, of what today is known as the
Gulf of Suez) and the destruction of Pharaoh and his hosts is narrated in considerable detail in the
Bible (Exodus i-xiv). The Qur’an, on the other hand, does not give us a consecutive narrative: for
historical narrative as such is never its purpose. Whenever the Qur’ân refers to past events-
whether recorded in the Bible or alive in Arabian tradition - it does so exclusively with a view to
bringing out elements that are relevant to the ethical teachings which it propounds.
101 The Qur’fin does not say who those people were. It is, however, probable that they
belonged to the group of Arabian tribes described in the Bible as “Amalekites", who inhabited
southernmost Palestine, the adjoining regions of the IJijfiz, and parts of the Sinai Peninsula.
102 I.e., by having raised so many prophets out of their midst.

222
 _________ THE FACULTY OF DISCERNMENT
afflicted you with cruel suffering, slaying your sons in
great numbers and sparing [only] your women - which
was an awesome trial from your Sustainer.”1®

(142) AND [then] We appointed for Moses thirty nights [on

Mount Sinai]; and We added to them ten, whereby
the term of forty nights set by his Sustainer was
fulfilled.103 And Moses said unto his brother Aaron:
104106
108
107
105
“Take thou my place among my people; and act
righteously, and follow not the path of the spreaders Csrr di
of corruption.”
Cwjl z*j f b 4J
(143) And when Moses came [to Mount Sinai] at
the time set by Us, and his Sustainer spoke unto him,
he said: “O my Sustainer! Show [Thyself] unto me,
so that I might behold Thee!” ifj*4 M# (JJ) 'ÿj
Said [God]: “Never canst thou see Me. However,
JU CL.J[ jliil □jl U->J JU juJ jûjfJ -1
behold this mountain: if it remains firm in its place,
then-only then-wilt thou see Me.”1“
And as soon as his Sustainer revealed His glory to
the mountain, He caused it to crumble to dust; and
Moses fell down in a swoon. And when he came to
JU JUI Ui
himself, he said: “Limitless art Thou in Thy glory!
Unto Thee do I turn in repentance; and I shall [al­ »yl: .A J^ <U> Jji Cij
ways] be the first to believe in Thee!”1“
(144) Said [God]: “O Moses! Behold, I have raised JT J^J CkÿK L
thee above all people by virtue of the messages which
I have entrusted to thee,'® and by virtue of My yjr j ,4 h*4* ■.> <$)
speaking [unto thee]: hold fast, therefore, unto what I
have vouchsafed thee, and be among the grateful!”
(145) And We ordained for him in the tablets [of
the Law] all manner of admonition, clearly spelling
out everything.1® And [We said:] “Hold fast unto
them with [all thy] strength, and bid thy people to
hold fast to their most goodly rules.”

103 Cf. 2:49. It appears that this passage is part of Moses' reminder to his people (Manär IX,
115 ff.); I have brought this out by interpolating “he reminded them of this word of God” between
brackets.
104 According to several of the Prophet’s Companions, and particularly Ibn 'Abbäs, the first
thirty nights were to be spent by Moses in spiritual preparation, including fasting, whereupon the
Law would be revealed to him in the remaining ten (ZamakhsharT and RäzT); see also Manär IX,
119 ff.). In Arabic usage, a period of time designated as “nights” comprises the days as well.
105 Lit., “then, in time (sawfa) wilt thou see Me”. As these words express the impossibility of
man’s seeing God-which is clearly implied in the Arabic construction-a literal rendering would
not do justice to it.
106 Since Moses was already a believer, his words do not merely allude to belief in God’s
existence but, rather, belief in the impossibility of man’s seeing God (Ibn Kathïr, on the authority
of Ibn *Abbäs).
107 Lit., “by virtue of My messages”.
108 See sHrah 6, note 156.
223
 AL-A'RÄF SÜRAH

I will show you the way the iniquitous shall go.,w

(146) From My messages shall I cause to turn away
all those who, without any right, behave haughtily on
earth: for, though they may see every sign [of the
truth], they do not believe in it, and though they may
see the path of rectitude, they do not choose tcf JM» j Cf
follow it-whereas, if they see a path of error, they
take it for their own: this, because they have given bz j (fz J^bz
the lie to Our messages, and have remained heedless
Jr*- bz <4J
of them.109
110
(147) Hence, all who give the lie to Our messages,
ip* y^—
and [thus] to the truth111 of the life to come-in vain
shall be all their doings: [for] are they to be rewarded U1LU, «z-^j
for aught but what they were wont to do?112113 114

(148) AND IN his absence the people of Moses took to 5^> >s Zx« Z. . . > . .x
iJZ jji ,4 U-». M
worshipping the effigy of a calf [made] of their or­
naments, which gave forth a lowing sound."’ Did + X • > X-X > /zC Z » ^Z XX »/>zZ> X
(jJJ)
they not see that it could neither speak unto them nor
guide them in any way? [And yet] they took to j j yu yiS If £‘« u;
worshipping it, for they were evildoers: (149) al­
though [later,] when they would smite their hands in (jJJ) jr J* yifu j ) l-^Z
remorse,"4 having perceived that they had gone as­
tray, they would say, “Indeed, unless our Sustainer
have mercy on us and grant us forgiveness, we shall

109 Lit., “I will show you the abode of the iniquitous”. The rendering adopted by me
corresponds to the interpretations given by TabarT (on the authority of Mujahid and Al-Hasan
al-BaçrT) and by Ibn Kathïr; regarding the meaning of dar (“abode”) in this context, see sürah 6.
note 118. Some of the commentators are of the opinion that the above sentence concludes God’s
admonition to Moses, but the plural form of address in “I will show you" makes it more probable
that it is the beginning of a parenthetic passage connected, no doubt, with the preceding one. but
having a general import not confined to Moses.
110 As so often in the Qur’än, God’s “causing” the sinners to sin is shown to be a consequence
of their own behaviour and the result of their free choice. By “those who, without any right,
behave haughtily on earth” are obviously meant people who think that their own judgment as to
what constitutes right and wrong is the only valid one, and who therefore refuse to submit their
personal concerns to the criterion of absolute (i.e., revealed) moral standards; cf. 96:6-7 - “man
becomes grossly overweening whenever he believes himself to be self-sufficient ”.
Ill Lit., “to the meeting (Hqd’)”-in the sense of its being a pre-ordained fact.
112 This is the end of the parenthetic passage beginning with the words, “I will show you the
way the iniquitous shall go”.
113 The golden calf of the Israelites was obviously a result of centuries-old Egyptian influences.
The Egyptians worshipped at Memphis the sacred bull, Apis, which they believed to be an
incarnation of the god Ptah. A new Apis was supposed always to be bom at the moment when the
old one died, while the soul of the latter was believed to pass into Osiris in the Realm of the Dead,
to be henceforth worshipped as Osiris-Apis (the “Serapis” of the Greco-Egyptian period). The
“lowing sound” (khuwdr) which the golden calf emitted was probably produced by wind effects, as
was the case with some of the hollow Egyptian temple effigies.
114 Lit., “when it was made to fall upon their hands”-an idiomatic phrase denoting intense
remorse, probably derived from the striking (“falling”) of hand upon hand as an expression of
grief or regret.

224
7
THE FACULTY OF DISCERNMENT
most certainly be among the lost!”“5
(150) And when Moses returned to his people, full
of wrath and sorrow, he exclaimed: “Vile is the
course which you have followed in my absence! Have
you forsaken“6 your Sustainer’s commandment?”
And he threw down the tablets [of the Law], and Jk lz.1 Ji iJj
seized lus brother’s head, dragging him towards him­
self. Cried Aaron: “O my mother’s son! Behold, the
people brought me low“7 and almost slew me: so let
not mine enemies rejoice at my affliction, and count
me not among the evildoing folk!”
(151) Said [Moses]: “O my Sustainer! Grant Thou
forgiveness unto me“8 and my brother, and admit us JU (|J) OgJJijT
unto Thy grace: for Thou art the most merciful of the
merciful!”
(152) [And to Aaron he said:] ‘’Verily, as for those
who have taken to worshipping the [golden] calf-
their Sustainer’s condemnation will overtake them,
and ignominy [will be their lot] in the life of this
world!”
For thus do We requite all who invent [such]
falsehood."’ (153) But as for those who do bad deeds Uj kjbu

and afterwards repent and [truly] believe - verily, af­ j, çljVf i.1
120 thy Sustainer is indeed much-
ter such repentance115
119
118
117
116
forgiving, a dispenser of grace!
(154) And when Moses’ wrath was stilled, he took
up the tablets, in the writing whereof there was w»j JL* yr
guidance and grace for all who stood in awe of their
Sustainer.121 (155) And Moses chose out of his people
seventy men to come [and pray for forgiveness] at a
time set by Us. Then, when violent trembling seized
them,122 he prayed:

115 The whole of verse 149 is a parenthetic clause (jumlah mu'tarifiah) referring to a later
time-for the repentance of the Israelites came after Moses’ return from Mount Sinai, of which
the next verse speaks.
116 Lit., “outrun”. The expression “one has outrun a matter” is synonymous with “he has
forsaken it” or “left it undone" (Zamakhsharï).
117 Lit., “made me [or “deemed me”] utterly weak”. Contrary to the Biblical account (Exodus
xxxii, 1-5), the Qur’än does not accuse Aaron of having actually participated in making or
worshipping the golden calf; his guilt consisted in having remained passive in the face of his
people’s idolatry for fear of causing a split among them (cf. 20:92-94).
118 Sc., “for my anger and my harshness” (RäzT).
119 Throughout the Qur’an, this expression is used to describe (a) the attribution of divine
qualities to any concrete or imaginary object or person, and (b) the making of false statements
about God, His attributes, or the contents of His messages. In the above context it refers to any
false imagery which deflects man from the worship of the One God.
120 Lit., “after it”.
121 According to the Bible (Exodus xxxii, 19), Moses broke the tablets when he threw them
down in anger; the Qur’anic narrative, however, shows them as having remained intact.
122 Most of the commentators take rajfah to mean here “earthquake”, as it evidently does in

225
 “O my Sustainer! Hadst Thou so willed, Thou
wouldst have destroyed them ere this, and me [with
them]. Wüt Thou destroy us for what the weak-
minded among us have done? [All] this is but a trial
from Thee, whereby Thou allowest to go astray
whom Thou wütest, and guidest aright whom Thou
wülest. Thou art near unto us: grant us, then, for­
giveness and have mercy on us - for Thou art the best
of aU forgivers! (156) And ordain Thou for us what is
good in this world as well as in the life to come:
behold, unto Thee have we turned in repentance!” JI» LiJ> <—»■
[God] answered: “With My chastisement do I afflict
whom I WÜ1 - but My grace overspreads every­
thing:*23 and so I shaU confer it on those who are
(JjJ) f 3
conscious of Me and spend in charity, and who
believe in Our messages-(157) those who shall fol­ Ï/1 ^jT
low the [last] Apostle, the unlettered Prophet whom
they shall find described in the Torah that is with f-^riJ fsk. j/Jb "5
them, and [later on] in the Gospel:124 [the Prophet]
who wül enjoin upon them the doing of what is right
and forbid them the doing of what is wrong, and
make lawful to them the good things of life and forbid
them the bad things, and lift from them their burdens »3/^3 *3)'f3
and the shackles that were upon them [aforetime].*123124
125
Those, therefore, who shall believe in him, and Jûî $ (3> SjXj’î J? j/»
honour him, and succour him, and follow the light
that has been bestowed from on high through him - it
is they that shall attain to a happy state.”

other places in the Qur’än (e.g., in verses 78 and 91 of this sürah). However, it should be
remembered that this noun denotes any “violent commotion” or “trembling”, from whatever
cause; and since there is no reason to suppose that in this context an earthquake is meant, we may
assume that the violent trembling which seized the seventy elders was caused by their intense
regret and fear of God’s punishment.
123 Cf. 6:12 (and the corresponding note 10), as well as 6:54.
124 The interpolation of the words “later on” before the reference to the Gospel is necessitated
by the fact that the whole of this passage is addressed to Moses and the children of Israel, that is,
long before the Gospel (in the Qur’anic sense of this term - cf. surah 3, note 4) was revealed to
Jesus. The stories of some of the earlier prophets given in this sürah - beginning with the story of
Noah and ending with that of Moses and the children of Israel - constitute a kind of introduction
to this command to follow the “unlettered Prophet”, Muhammad. The stress on his having been
“unlettered" (ummï), i.e., unable to read and write, serves to bring out the fact that all his
knowledge of the earlier prophets and of the messages transmitted by them was due to divine
inspiration alone, and not to a familiarity with the Bible as such. For the Old Testament
predictions of the advent of the Prophet Muhammad (especially in Deuteronomy xviii, 15 and 18),
see sürah 2, note 33; for the New Testament prophecies to the same effect, see 61:6 and the
corresponding note 6.
125 A reference to the many severe rituals and obligations laid down in Mosaic Law, as well as
to the tendency towards asceticism evident in the teachings of the Gospels. Thus the Qur’än
implies that those “burdens and shackles”, intended as means of spiritual discipline for particular
communities and particular stages of man’s development, will become unnecessary as soon as
God’s message to man shall have achieved its final, universal character in the teachings of the Last
Prophet, Muhammad.

226
 THE FACULTY OF DISCERNMENT
(158) Say (O Muhammad]: “O mankind! Verily, I
am an apostle of God to all of you,126 [sent by Him]
unto whom the dominion over the heavens and the
earth belongs! There is no deity save Him; He [alone]
grants life and deals death!”
Believe, then, in God and His Apostle-the un­
lettered Prophet who believes in God and His du ,4 tU'r & j/; jI
words-and follow him, so that you might find
guidance!

svi
(159) AND AMONG the folk of Moses there have been
people who would guide [others] in the way of the
truth and act justly in its light.127
JIl
&.J.
(160) And We divided them into twelve tribes, [or]
communities. And when his people asked Moses for
«££1 érr Cr*
water, We inspired him, “Strike the rock with thy
staff!”-whereupon twelve springs gushed forth from
uL î/* LÎÎU 53-1
it, so that all the people knew whence to drink.
And We caused the clouds to comfort them with
their shade, and We sent down unto them manna and
quails, [saying:] “Partake of the good things which
We have provided for you as sustenance.”
J? i <!5> pr-*'1 k,
And [by all their sinning] they did no harm unto
Us - but [only] against their own selves did they sin. WA, (U
(161) And [remember] when you were told: “Dwell
‘/■Zlml (^-5'J* ÛUfîû*
in this land and eat of its food as you may desire; but
say, 'Remove Thou from us the burden of our sins,’
f~r* »J4?* (JJ) ût'
and enter the gate humbly - [whereupon] We shall
forgive you your sins [and] shall amply reward the x_ji ÿ &
j le;îâ pÿdfë
doers of good.”
(162) But those among them who were bent on
wrongdoing substituted another saying for that which
they had been given: and so We let loose against

126 This verse, placed parenthetically in the midst of the story of Moses and the children of
Israel, is meant to elucidate the preceding passage. Each of the earlier prophets was sent to his,
and only his, community: thus, the Old Testament addresses itself only to the children of Israel;
and even Jesus, whose message had a wider bearing, speaks of himself as “sent only unto the lost
sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew xv, 24). In contrast, the message of the Qur’ân is
universal - that is, addressed to mankind as a whole - and is neither time-bound nor confined to
any particular cultural environment. It is for this reason that Muhammad, through whom this
message was revealed, is described in the Qur’ân (21:107) as an evidence of “[God’s] grace
towards all the worlds” (i.e. towards all mankind), and as “the Seal of all Prophets” (33 :40) - in
other words, the last of them.
127 I.e., people like those spoken of in 3: 113-115. With this verse, the discourse returns to the
moral history of the children of Israel. The stress on the fact that there have always been righteous
people among them is meant to contrast this righteousness with the rebellious sinfulness which
most of them displayed throughout their Biblical history. It provides, at the same time, an indication
that, although the wrongdoing of some of its members may sometimes plunge whole communities into
suffering, God judges men individually, and not in groups.
227
AL-A'RÄF
SÜRAH

them a plague from heaven in requital of all their evil

doings.*28
(163) And ask them about that town which stood by
the sea: how its people would profane the Sabbath
whenever their fish came to them, breaking the
($) QrA iji É'Lç
water's surface, on a day on which they ought to have
kept Sabbath - because they would not come to them
on other than Sabbath-days!** Thus did We try them
by means of their [own] iniquitous doings. (164) And
whenever some people128 130 among them asked [those
129
who tried to restrain the Sabbath-breakers], “Why do cJI» (Q)
you preach to people whom God is about to destroy
LuJLJ> UJk );U> JI Uy ùjka (J
or [at least] to chastise with suffering severe?’’- the
pious ones131 would answer, “In order to be free from ijj m ($j) ùjii di y**
blame before your Sustainer, and that these [trans­
gressors, too,] might become conscious of Him.” Ü JWj *Qxrt U
(165) And thereupon, when those [sinners] had
u» (jg) ùÿ—L «-»lu» yji;
forgotten all that they had been told to take to heart,
We saved those who had tried to prevent the doing of (JJ) UÎ* iy U ly*
evil,132 and overwhelmed those who had been bent on
evildoing with dreadful suffering for all their iniquity;
(166) and then, when they disdainfully persisted in
doing what they had been forbidden to do, We said
unto them: “Be as apes despicable!”133

128 For an explanation of this and the preceding verse, see 2 : 58-59, and the corresponding
notes.
129 Lit, “on a day when they did not keep Sabbath”. Under Mosaic Law, they were obliged to
refrain from all work - and, therefore, also from fishing - on Sabbath-days, with the result that the
fish were more plentiful and would come closer to the shore on those days: and the inhabitants of
the town took this as an excuse to break the Sabbath-law. Since the Qur’än does not mention the
name of the town nor give any indication as to the historical period in which those offences were
committed, it may be assumed that the story of the Sabbath-breakers (alluded to in several places
in the Qur’än) is a general illustration of the tendency, so often manifested by the children of
Israel, to offend against their religious laws in pursuit of their passions or for the sake of worldly
gain. Although, according to the teachings of Islam, the Mosaic dispensation has since been
abrogated, the Qur’än frequently points out its great role in the history of man's monotheistic beliefs,
and stresses again and again its (time-bound) importance as a means of enforcing spiritual discipline
on the children of Israel. Their repeated, deliberate breaches of the Mosaic Law are shown as
evidence of their rebellious attitude towards that discipline and, thus, towards God’s commandments
in general.
130 Lit., “a community” - obviously people who, while not actively protesting against the
impiety of their environment, did not themselves participate in this profanation of the Sabbath.
131 Lit., “they”-an allusion to the really pious among them, such as are described in verse 159
above.
132 Lit., “who were forbidding the evil”.
133 According to ZamakhsharT and RäzT, the expression “We said unto them” is here synony­
mous with “We decreed with regard to them”-God’s “saying” being in this case a metonym for a
manifestation of His will. As for the substance of God’s decree, “Be as apes despicable”, the
famous tâbi'F Mujähid explain it thus: “[Only] their hearts were transformed, that is, they were
not [really] transformed into apes: this is but a metaphor (mathal) coined by God with regard to
them, similar to the metaphor of ’the ass carrying books’ [62:5]" (Tabari, in his commentary on
2:65; also Manär 1,343; VI, 448; and IX, 379). A similar explanation is given by Räghib. It should

228
 --------------------------------------------------------the faculty of discernment
(167) And lo! Thy Sustainer made it known that
most certainly He would rouse against them, unto
Resurrection Day, people who would afflict them with
cruel suffering: verily, thy Sustainer is swift in
retribution - yet, verily, He is [also] much-forgiving, a
dispenser of grace.
(168) And We dispersed them as [separate] com­
munities all over the earth; some of them were
Û* ibJ Sal;
righteous, and some of them less than that: and the
latter We tried with blessings as well as with afflic­
tions, so that they might mend their ways.*134
(169) And they have been succeeded by [new] (JJ) £-»-j
generations who-[in spite of] having inherited the
divine writ-clutch but at the fleeting good of this
lower world and say, “We shall be forgiven,”'35 the
while they are ready, if another such fleeting good
should come their way, to clutch at it [and sin again]. □Al LIl* »..? :C3T Iyjj
Have they not been solemnly pledged through the I M »xx . tx X xx>x,«x X >
divine writ not to attribute unto God aught but what •>uL/U*JUyU_. jJJL,
is true,136 and [have they not] read again and again all
J Ji
that is therein?
Since the life in the hereafter is the better [of the Q/U. if:'?!jIjHj 4_»L
two] for all who are conscious of God - will you not,
then, use your reason? (170) For [We shall requite] all ijiib »Jiöl Sui
those who hold fast to the divine writ and are con­
stant in prayer: verily, We shall not fail to requite
those who enjoin the doing of what is right! f-C /V’j^ZT
(171) And [did We not say,] when We caused
Mount Sinai to quake above the children of Israel137 <tvt) ùjii’ JÜÎJ U 'jJ” iG
as though it were a [mere] shadow, and they thought
that it would fall upon them, “Hold fast with [all
your] strength unto what We have vouchsafed you,
and bear in mind all that is therein, so that you might
remain conscious of God”?138

(172) AND WHENEVER thy Sustainer brings forth their

be borne in mind that the expression “like an ape” is often used in classical Arabic to describe a
person who is unable to restrain his gross appetites or passions.
134 Lit., “so that they might return [to righteousness]".
135 I.e., for breaking God’s commandments in their pursuit of worldly gain: an allusion to their
persistent belief that they are “God’s chosen people” and that, no matter what they do, His
forgiveness and grace are assured to them by virtue of their being Abraham’s descendants.
136 A reference to their erroneous idea that God's forgiveness could be obtained without
sincere repentance. The divine writ mentioned twice in this passage is obviously the Bible.
137 Lit., “when We shook the mountain over them”: possibly a reference to an earthquake
which took place at the time of the revelation of the Law (the “tablets") to Moses.
138 This is the end, so far as this surah is concerned, of the story of the children of Israel. In
accordance with the method of the Qur’än, their story is made an object-lesson for all believers in
God, of whatever community or time: and, therefore, the next passage speaks of the “children of
Adam", that is, of the whole human race.

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 SÜRAH
AL-A'RÄF

offspring from the loins of the children of Adam, He

[thus] calls upon them to bear witness about them­
selves: “Am I not your Sustainer?” - to which they
answer: “Yea, indeed, we do bear witness thereto!”1
[Of this We remind you,] lest you say on the Day
of Resurrection, “Verily, we were unaware of this”;
cr J
(173) or lest you say, “Verily, it was but our fore­
fathers who, in times gone by, began to ascribe
divinity to other beings beside God; and we were but
pi Vj®
their late offspring: wilt Thou, then, destroy us for the
doings of those inventors of falsehoods?”
J-i dr VJM*
(174) And thus clearly do We spell out these mes­
sages; and [We do it] so that they [who have sinned]
might return [unto Us].
140 to
(175) And tell them what happens to him139
whom We vouchsafe Our messages and who then
discards them: Satan catches up with him, and he
strays, like so many others, into grievous error.141 aßt
(176) Now had We so willed, We could indeed have
exalted him by means of those [messages]: but he
always clung to the earth and followed but his own
Cgjfrf J-i* J*
desires.
Thus, his parable is that of an [excited] dog: if thou îz il îj»£
approach him threateningly, he will pant with his
tongue lolling; and if thou leave him alone, he will
pant with his tongue lolling.142 Such is the parable of
those who are bent on giving the lie to Our messages.
Tell [them], then, this story, so that they might take
thought.

139 In the original, this passage is in the past tense (“He brought forth”, “He asked them”, etc.),
thus stressing the continuous recurrence of the above metaphorical “question” and “answer”: a
continuity which is more clearly brought out in translation by the use of the present tense.
According to the Qur’än, the ability to perceive the existence of the Supreme Power is inborn in
human nature (fifrah); and it is this instinctive cognition - which may or may not be subsequently
blurred by self-indulgence or adverse environmental influences - that makes every sane human
being “bear witness about himself" before God. As so often in the Qur’än, God's “speaking” and
man’s “answering" is a metonym for the creative act of God and of man’s existential response to
it
140 Lit., “convey to them the tiding of him".
141 Lit., “he became one of those who have strayed into grievous error”. In the original, this
whole verse is in the past tense; but since its obvious purport is the statement of a general truth
(cf. RäzT, on the authority of Qatädah, ‘Ikrimah and Abü Muslim) and not, as some commentators
assume, a reference to a particular person, it is best rendered in the present tense. The kind of man
spoken of here is one who has understood the divine message but, nevertheless, refuses to admit
its truth because - as is pointed out in the next verse - he “clings to the earth”, i.e., is dominated by
a materialistic, “earthly” outlook on life. (Cf. the allegory of “a creature out of the earth” in
27 : 82.)
142 Because his attitudes are influenced only by what his earth-bound desires represent to him
as his immediate “advantages" or “disadvantages”, the type of man alluded to in this passage is
always-whatever the outward circumstances-a prey to a conflict between his reason and his
base urges and, thus, to inner disquiet and imaginary fears, and cannot attain to that peace of mind
which a believer achieves through his faith.

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 THE FACULTY OF DISCERNMENT
(177) Evil is the example of people who are bent on
giving the lie to Our messages: for it is against their
own selves that they are sinning!
(178) He whom God guides, he alone is truly
guided; whereas those whom He lets go astray-it is
they, they who are the losers!
(xjSîfyUÎ4L-
(179) And most certainly have We destined for hell
many of the invisible beings14* and men who have
hearts with which they fail to grasp the truth, and
eyes with which they fail to see, and ears with which
they fail to hear. They are like cattle-nay, they are
even less conscious of the right way:143
144 it is they, they
who are the [truly] heedless!

(180) AND GOD’S [alone] are the attributes of per­

fection;145 invoke Him, then, by these, and stand
aloof from all who distort the meaning of His at­
tributes:146 they shall be requited for all that they
(J?) Qjlwu. Ijilb L uJL
were wont to do!
(181) Now, among those whom We have created (JJJ) Jib o' liu. j£}
there are people who guide [others] in the way of the
truth and act justly in its light.147 (182) But as for er f-**-j-*=—i- Le-*Ä—.
those who are bent on giving the lie to Our
>4 (jjb <j5> 'i
messages-We shall bring them low, step by step,
without their perceiving how it came about:148149(183)
for, behold, though I may give them rein for a while.
My subtle scheme is exceedingly firm!
(184) Has it, then, never occurred to them1* that

143 See Appendix III.

144 Lit., “they are farther astray” - inasmuch as animals follow only their instincts and natural
needs and are not conscious of the possibility or necessity of a moral choice.
145 This passage connects with the mention, at the end of the preceding verse, of “the heedless
ones” who do not use their faculty of discernment in the way intended for it by God, and remain
heedless of Him who comprises within Himself all the attributes of perfection and represents,
therefore, the Ultimate Reality. As regards the expression al-asmä* al-husnä (lit., “the most
perfect [or “most goodly”] names”), which occurs in the Qur’än four times-i.e., in the above
verse as well as in 17: 110, 20:8 and 59:24-it is to be borne in mind that the term ism is,
primarily, a word applied to denote the substance or the intrinsic attributes of an object under
consideration, while the term al-husnä is the plural form of al-ahsan (“that which is best” or
“most goodly”). Thus, the combination al-asmä’ al-husnä may be appropriately rendered as “the
attributes of perfection" - a term reserved in the Qur’än for God alone.
146 I.e., by applying them to other beings or objects or, alternatively, by trying to “define” God
in anthropomorphic terms and relationships, like “father” or “son” (RäzT).
147 Sc., “and they will be rewarded accordingly”. See verse 159 above, where the righteous
“among the folk of Moses” are thus described. In this verse, the reference is broadened to include
the righteous of all times and communities - that is, all those who are receptive to God’s messages
and live up to them by virtue of their conviction that God is the Ultimate Reality.
148 Lit., “without their knowing whence [it comes]”. For an explanation of the term kayd
(“subtle scheme”) occurring in the next verse, see note 25 on 68 : 45, where this term appears for
the first time in Qur’anic revelation.
149 Lit., “Have they, then, not reflected".
231
 SÜRAH
AL-A'RÄF

there is no madness whatever in [this] their fellow­

man? He is only a plain warner.150
(185) Have they, then, never considered [God’s]
mighty dominion over the heavens and the earth, and
all the things that God has created, and [asked them­ z^» j* I* Jj*
selves] whether, perchance, the end of their own term
might already have drawn nigh? In what other tiding, j
then, will they, after this, believe?151152
153
jS ùjC» ôl JU- Lj
(186) For those whom God lets go astray, there is
no guide; and He shall leave them in their over­
weening arrogance, blindly stumbling to and fro.
0Ä) f A«*» j A
(187) THEY WILL ASK thee [O Prophet] about the Last
uX J-* U—✓* ûLJ *1—JÎ j«-
Hour: “When will it come to pass?”
Say: “Verily, knowledge thereof rests with my
Sustainer alone. None but He will reveal it in its time.
' t ' > X ' > t (
Heavily will it weigh on the heavens and the earth; CLlÄ-eLjZj
[and] it will not fall upon you otherwise than of a
. „ I - „ - , ,, ,
sudden.” j^\ Ai b-k u> Çp y
They will ask thee-as if thou couldst gain insight
Sl y,12; éiû* V JJ
into this [mystery] by dint of persistent inquiry!15’
Say: “Knowledge thereof rests with my Sustainer
ilji-*'5"jij ûî
alone; but [of this] most people are unaware.”
(188) Say [O Prophet]: “It is not within my power
to bring benefit to, or avert harm from, myself, except
as God may please. And if I knew that which is

150 Because he enunciated a message that differed radically from anything to which the
Meccans had been accustomed, the Prophet was considered mad by many of his unbelieving
contemporaries. The stress on his being “their fellow-man” (fähibuhum - lit., “their companion”)
is meant to emphasize the fact that he is human, and thus to counteract any possible tendency on
the part of his followers to invest him with superhuman qualities: an argument which is more fully
developed in verse 188.
151 Apart from a reminder of man’s utter dependence on God, the implication of the above
passage is this: Since everything in the observable or intellectually conceivable universe is
obviously caused, it must have had a beginning and, therefore, must also have an end. Further­
more, since the universe is not eternal in the sense of having had no beginning, and since it cannot
possibly have evolved “by itself” out of nothing, and since “nothingness” is a concept devoid of
all reality, we are forced to predicate the existence of a Primary Cause which is beyond the limits
of our experience and, hence, beyond the categories of our thought - that is, the existence of God:
and this is the meaning of the “tiding” to which this verse refers.
152 As in verse 178 above - and in many other places in the Qur’än - the expression “he whom
God lets [or “causes to”] go astray” indicates the natural law instituted by God (sunnat Allah),
whereby a wilful neglect of one’s inborn, cognitive faculties unavoidably results in the loss of all
ethical orientation: that is, not an act of “predestination” but a result of one’s own choice. See also
sürah 2, note 7, and sürah 14, note 4.
153 The verb ahfä means “he did [a thing] in an excessive measure” or “he exceeded the usual
bounds in doing [something]”. In connection with an inquiry, and especially when followed by
anhu or anhä ( ’about it”), it signifies “he tried hard to gain insight [into something] by
persistently inquiring about it”. Thus, used as a participle, it means “one who has gained insight
[into something] through persistent inquiry". In the above context, the implication is that no
amount of inquiry or speculation can reveal to man-the prophets included-the coming of the
Last Hour before its actual manifestation.

232
 7
THE FACULTY OF DISCERNMENT
beyond the reach of human perception, abundant
good fortune would surely have fallen to my lot, and
no evil would ever have touched me. I am nothing but
a warner, and a herald of glad tidings unto people
who will believe.”154

(189) IT IS HE who has created you [all] out of one living

entity, and out of it brought into being its mate, so
that man might incline [with love] towards woman.155 •4* J J*
And so, when he has embraced her, she conceives
[what at first is] a light burden, and continues to bear
it. Then, when she grows heavy [with child], they
both call unto God, their Sustainer, “If Thou indeed
grant us a sound [child], we shall most certainly be L* ($>
among the grateful!”
(190) And yet, as soon as He has granted them aT Ui «T/ UU
sound [offspring], they begin to ascribe to other
($) Ui Jfé Vl 5/^* i <jj)
powers beside Him a share in bringing about what He
has granted them!156 Sublimely exalted, however, is ($) ûjyU. pr-il ' V, Iy
God above anything to which men may ascribe a
share in His divinity!
(191) Will they, then, ascribe divinity, side by side
with Him, unto beings that cannot create anything157- ùjfrJSêtjl'4 ($>

since they themselves are created-(192) and neither

are able to give them succour nor can succour them­
selves, (193) and, if you pray to them for guidance, do
not respond to you?158 As far as you are concerned, it
is all one whether you invoke them or keep silent.
(194) Verily, all those whom you invoke beside God

154 See 6: 50, as well as the corresponding note. The repeated insistence in the Qur’än on the
humanness of the Prophet is in tune with the doctrine that no created being has or could have any
share, however small, in any of the Creator’s qualities or powers. In logical continuation of this
argument, the next passage (verses 189-198) stresses the uniqueness and exclusiveness of God’s
creative powers.
155 Lit., “so that he might incline towards her”. For an explanation of the terms “one living
entity” and “its mate”, see 4:1, and the corresponding note.
156 Lit., “they attribute to Him partners with regard to that which He has granted them": i.e.,
many of them look upon the contributing factors of sound childbirth (like personal care during
pregnancy, medical assistance, eugenics, etc.) as something independent of God, forgetting that all
these contributing factors are-like the birth of the child itself-but an outcome of God’s will and
grace: a manifestation of what the Qur’än calls “the way of God” (sunnat Allah). Since this kind
of mental association of “other” factors with God is not really intentional, it does not amount to
the unforgivable sin of shirk (“the ascribing of divine qualities to powers other than God”); but it
is close enough to it to warrant the subsequent discourse on shirk in the real meaning of this term.
157 Lit., “that which does not create anything”: a phrase expressed in the singular, but having
the plural ’meaning of “beings" - that is, either animate beings (like saints or supposedly “divine"
personalities) or their inanimate representations.
158 Lit., “do not follow you". As regards my translation of in tad'ühum ila ’l-hudd as “if you
pray to them for guidance" (instead of the erroneous-but common-translation “if you invite [or
“call”] them to guidance"), see ZamakhsharT, RäzT and Ibn KathTr. Cf. also verse 198 below.

233
 SÜRAH
AL-A'RÄF

are but created beings159 like yourselves: invoke

them, then, and let them answer your prayer - if what
you claim is true! X.X.X x J5 t X X
(195) Have these [images], perchance, feet on j£J aû & ùlp
which they could walk? Or have they hands with
which they could grasp? Or have they eyes with
which they could see? Or have they ears with which
p-* f * f* Ork- x I
they could hear?
Say [O Prophet]: “Summon to your aid all those to
whom you ascribe a share in God’s divinity, and
thereupon contrive [anything you may wish] against JLllCjT (JJ) ô/fc.-Su
me, and give me no respite! (196) Verily, my protec­
tor is God, who has bestowed this divine writ from on
high: for it is He who protects the righteous, (197)
G (►♦-*»* V, Xz*
whereas all those whom you invoke in His stead are
neither able to give you succour nor can succour
themselves; (198) and if you pray unto them for
guidance, they do not hear; and though thou mayest
imagine that they behold thee,161 they do not see.”

(199) MAKE due allowance for man’s nature,162 and enjoin

G >1 -I LLLtf
the doing of what is right; and leave alone all those
who choose to remain ignorant.163 (200) And if it
should happen that a prompting from Satan stirs thee
up [to blind anger],164 seek refuge with God: behold.

159 Lit., “servants” ('ibad)-i.e., created beings subservient to God’s will. This refers to saints,
living or dead, as well as to inanimate objects of every description, including idols, fetishes and
representational images - physical or mental - of saints or deified persons.
160 Lit., “summon your [God-]partners" (see sürah 6, note 15).
161 Lit., “though thou seest them looking at thee” - but since the pronoun “them” in tarâhum
(“thou seest them”) refers to mental images no less than to physical representations, the verb must
be understood in its abstract sense of “seeing with the mind”, i.e., “considering” or “imagining”.
In contrast with the preceding passages, which are addressed to those who actually invoke false
deities or images, the last sentence is addressed to man in general, sinner and believer alike: and
this generalization is brought out by changing the form of address from “you” to “thou”.
162 Lit., “accept what is easily forthcoming [from man's nature]”. According to ZamakhsharT,
khudh al-'afw means: “Accept what comes easily to thee [or “what is willingly accorded to thee”]
of the doings and the nature of men, and make things easy [for them], without causing them undue
hardship (kulfah)\ and do not demand of them efforts that may be too difficult for them.” This
interpretation - which has been adopted by many other classical commentators as well - is based
on the identical explanation of the phrase khudh al-'afw by cAbd Allah ibn az-Zubayr and his
brother cUrwah (BukhärT), as well as by *Ä’ishah and, in the next generation, by Hishäm ibn
eUrwah and Mujahid (see TabarT, BaghawT and Ibn Kathir). Thus, in accordance with the Qur’anic
statements that “man has been created weak” (4:28) and that “God does not burden any human
being with more than he is well able to bear” (2:286, 6:152, 7:42, 23:62), the believer is
admonished to make due allowance for human nature and not to be too harsh with those who err.
This admonition is the more remarkable as it follows immediately upon a discourse on the most
unforgivable of all sins - the ascribing of divine powers or qualities to anyone or anything but God.
163 Lit., “the ignorant ones” - i.e., those who wilfully remain deaf to moral truths, and not those
who are simply unaware of them.
164 I.e., anger at the rejection of the truth by “those who choose to remain ignorant”. The
words “to blind anger” interpolated between brackets are based on a Tradition according to which

234
 THE FACULTY OF DISCERNMENT
He is all-hearing, all-knowing.
(201) Verily, they who are conscious of God
bethink themselves [of Him] whenever any dark
suggestion from Satan touches them165-whereupon,
lo! they begin to see [things] clearly, (202) even
though their [godless] brethren would [like to] draw Bp ft-*
them into error:1“ and then they cannot fail [to do
what is right].
(203) And yet, when thou [O Prophet] dost not
produce any miracle for them, some [people] say,
“Why dost thou not seek to obtain it [from God]?”167 Ûii Jl &-jt^ j-*
Say: “I only follow whatever is being revealed to
me by my Sustainer: this [revelation] is a means of dy» '*1 3 <0> >^ ‘^ 33 \S^3^3 û*
insight from your Sustainer, and a guidance and grace
ùy’V j£-LJ 'y—«b ,4
unto people who will believe. (204) Hence, when the
Qur’ân is voiced, hearken unto it, and listen in 3* *^Z3 «ii-ÂJ j
silence, so that you might be graced with [God’s]
mercy.”
(205) And bethink thyself of thy Sustainer humbly
and with awe, and without raising thy voice, at mom 1V
and at evening; and do not allow thyself to be
heedless.
t0
(206) Behold, those who are near unto thy Sus­
tainer1“ are never too proud to worship Him; and
they extol His limitless glory, and prostrate them­
selves before Him [alone].

the Prophet, after the revelation of the preceding verse calling for forbearance, exclaimed, “And
what about [justified] anger, O my Sustainer?” - whereupon the above verse was revealed to him
(Tabari, Zamakhshari, Rfizî, Ibn KathTr).
165 The noun fd’i/ (also forthcoming in the forms tayf and tayyif denotes any ungraspable
phantom, image or suggestion, as in a dream, or “an imperceptible obsession which obscures the
mind” (Täj al-*Ariis). Since, in the above context, it is described as coming from Satan, “a dark
suggestion” seems to be an appropriate rendering.
166 I.e., by goading them to anger or trying to engage them in futile argument. “Their brethren”
are those who wilfully remain ignorant of the truth (with the pronoun referring to the God­
conscious). The conjunctive particle wa preceding this clause has here the meaning of “although”
or “even though”.
167 Sc., “if thou art really His apostle" (cf. 6:37 and 109, and the corresponding notes). Some
of the commentators assume that the term äyah - translated by me as “miracle"-denotes here a
verbal “message" which would answer the objections of those who did not believe in the Prophet.
Since, however, the continuous revelation of the Qur’fin was full of such messages, the demand of
the unbelievers must have related to some particular manifestation or “proof" of his divinely-
inspired mission: namely, to a concrete miracle which would establish the truth of his claim in a
supposedly “objective" manner. In its wider implication, the above verse relates to the primitive
mentality of all who regard miracles, and not the message itself, as the only valid “proof" of
prophethood.
168 Lit., “those who are with thy Sustainer": a metaphorical description of utter God­
consciousness.

235
 THE EIGHTH SÜRAH

AL-ANFAL (SPOILS OF WAR)

MEDINA PERIOD

OST of Al-Anfäl (a title taken from the reference to “spoils of war” in verse 1) was revealed
M during and immediately after the battle of Badr, in the year 2 H.; but some of its verses, and
particularly the concluding section, are considered to be of a later date. Since it deals almost
entirely with the battle of Badr and the lessons to be derived from it, a historical survey is
necessary for a correct understanding of this surah.
In the month of Sha'bän, 2 H., the Muslims of Medina learned that a great Meccan trade
caravan, which had gone to Syria some months earlier under the leadership of Abu Sufyan, had
started on its return journey southwards and would be passing Medina a few weeks later. In view
of the fact that ever since the exodus of the Muslims from Mecca to Medina a state of open war
had existed between them and the Meccan Quraysh, the Prophet informed his followers that he
intended to attack the caravan as soon as it approached Medina; and rumours of this plan reached
Abü Sufyan while he and the caravan were still in Syria. The weeks that must elapse before they
would reach the area of danger gave Abfl Sufyan an opportunity to send a fast-riding courier to
Mecca with an urgent request for help (the caravan itself, consisting of about one thousand camels
laden with valuable merchandise, was accompanied by only about forty armed men). On receipt of
Abu Sufyän’s message, the Quraysh assembled a powerful army under the leadership of the
Prophet’s most bitter opponent, Abfl Jahl, and set out northwards to the rescue of the caravan. The
latter had, in the meantime, changed its traditional route and veered towards the coastal lowlands in
order to put as much distance as possible between itself and Medina.
The fact that the Prophet, contrary to his custom, had on this occasion made his plans known so
long in advance suggests that the purported attack on the caravan was no more than a feint, and
that from the very outset his real objective had been an encounter with the Quraysh army. As
already mentioned, a state of war already existed between the Quraysh of Mecca and the Muslim
community at Medina. So far, however, no decisive encounter had taken place, and the Muslims
were living under the constant threat of a Quraysh invasion. It is probable that the Prophet wished
to put an end to this state of affairs and to inflict, if possible, a decisive defeat on the Quraysh,
thus securing a measure of safety for his, as yet weak, community. Had he really intended no more
than to attack and plunder Abfl Sufyän’s caravan, he could have done so by simply waiting until it
reached the vicinity of Medina and then swooping down on it; and in that event Abfl Sufyan would
have had no time to obtain further armed help from Mecca. As it was, the Prophet’s announce­
ment, weeks ahead, of the impending attack gave Abfl Sufyän time to alert his compatriots in
Mecca, and induced the latter to dispatch a considerable force towards Medina.
While Abfl Sufyän’s caravan was proceeding southwards along the coast, and thus out of reach
of the Muslims, the Quraysh army - consisting of about one thousand warriors clad in chain mail,
seven hundred camels and over one hundred horses - arrived at the valley of Badr, approximately
one hdndred miles west-southwest of Medina, expecting to meet Abü Sufyän there, unaware that
in the meantime he had taken the coastal route. At the same time the Prophet marched out of
Medina at the head of three hundred and odd Muslims, all of them very poorly armed, with only
seventy camels and two horses between them. The Prophet’s followers had been under the
impression that they were going to attack the trade caravan and its weak escort; and when, on the
17th (or, according to some authorities, on the 19th or 21st) of Ramadän, they came face to face
with a powerful Quraysh force more than thrice their number, they held a council of war. A few of
the Muslims were of the opinion that the enemy was too strong for them, and that they should
withdraw to Medina. But the overwhelming majority, led by Abfl Bakr and 'Umar, were in favour
of an immediate advance, and their enthusiasm carried the others along with them; and thereupon
the Prophet attacked the Quraysh. After a few single combats-held in accordance with time-
honoured Arabian custom-the fighting became general; the Meccan forces were completely

236
 SÜRAH 8 SPOILS OF WAR
routed and several of their most prominent chieftains - AbQ Jahl among them-were killed.
It was the first open battle between the pagan Quraysh and the young Muslim community of
Medina; and its outcome made the Quraysh realize that the movement inaugurated by Muhammad
was not an ephemeral dream but the beginning of a new political power and a new era different
from anything that the Arabian past had known. The Meccans’ apprehensions, which had already
been aroused by the exodus of the Prophet and his Companions to Medina, found a shattering
confirmation on the day of Badr. Although the power of Arabian paganism was not finally broken
until some years later, its decay became apparent from that historic moment. For the Muslims, too,
Badr proved to be a turning-point. It may safely be assumed that until then only a very few of the
Prophet’s Companions had fully understood the political implications of the new order of Islam.
To most of them, their exodus to Medina had meant, in those early days, no more than a refuge
from the persecutions which they had had to endure in Mecca: after the battle of Badr, however,
even the most simple-minded among them became aware that they were on their way towards a
new social order. The spirit of passive sacrifice, so characteristic of their earlier days, received its
complement in the idea of sacrifice through action. The doctrine of action as the most fundamen­
tal, creative element of life was, perhaps for the first time in the history of man, consciously
realized not only by a few select individuals but by a whole community; and the intense activism
which was to distinguish Muslim history in the coming decades and centuries was a direct,
immediate consequence of the battle of Badr.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) T"1 HEY WILL ASK thee about the spoils of war. Say:
J. “All spoils of war belong to God and the Apostle.”1
Remain, then, conscious of God, and keep alive the
bonds of brotherhood among yourselves,2 and pay
heed unto God and His Apostle, if you are [truly]
believers!
(2) Believers are only they whose hearts tremble
with awe whenever God is mentioned, and whose
faith is strengthened whenever His messages are
conveyed unto them,3 and who in their Sustainer
place their trust - (3) those who are constant in prayer
and spend on others out of what We provide for them
(J) iiji*. j Lr_>
as sustenance:4 (4) it is they, they who are truly
believers! Theirs shall be great dignity in their Sus­
0
tainer’s sight, and forgiveness of sins, and a most

1 The term nafl (of which anfâl is the plural) denotes, in its purely linguistic sense, “an
accretion or addition received beyond one’s due” or “something given in excess of one’s
obligation” (from which latter meaning the term salât an-nafl-i.e.. a “supererogatory prayer”-is
derived). In its plural form anfâl, which occurs in the Qur’än only in the above verse, this word
signifies “spoils of war", inasmuch as such spoils are an incidental accession above and beyond
anything that a mujähid (“a fighter in God’s cause”) is entitled to expect. The statement that “all
spoils of war belong to God and the Apostle” implies that no individual warrior has a claim to any
war booty it is public property, to be utilized or distributed by the government of an Islamic state
in accordance with the principles laid down in the Qur’än and the teachings of the Prophet. For
further details relating to the division of spoils of war, see verse 41 of this surah.-The unmediate
occasion of this revelation was the question of the booty acquired by the Muslims in the battle of
Badr (an account of which is given in the introductory note to this surah); but the principle
enunciated above is valid for all times and circumstances.
2 Lit., “set to rights the relationship between yourselves” - i.e., “remain conscious of your
brotherhood in faith and banish all discord among yourselves”.
3 Lit., “and whenever His messages are conveyed to them, they increase them in faith”.
4 See surah 2, note 4.
237
 SÜRAH
AL-ANFÄL

excellent sustenance.5

(5) EVEN AS thy Sustainer brought thee forth from thy

home [to fight] in the cause of the truth, although
some of the believers were averse to it, (6) [so, too,]
they would argue with thee about the truth [itself] Xai jXT j (J)
after it had become manifest6 - just as if they were
being driven towards death and beheld it with their <$> ùjlX-j J] Q/L» Le îfU
very eyes- jl ôjijj jfJlrl LUT
(7) And, lo, God gave you the promise that one of
the two [enemy] hosts would fall to you: and you jlî J4 ù* jy.j & ÙjCj jj.
would have liked to seize the less powerful one,7
whereas it was God’s will to prove the truth to be true
in accordance with His words, and to wipe out the
last remnant of those who denied the truth8-(8) so
that He might prove the truth to be true and the false
to be false, however hateful this might be to those
who were lost in sin.9

5 I.e., in paradise. According to Râzï, however, the “most excellent sustenance” is a metonym
for “the spiritual raptures arising from the knowledge of God, the love of Him, and the
self-immersion (istighräq) in worshipping Him”. In Râzï’s interpretation, this expression refers to
the spiritual reward of faith in this world. Some commentators (cf. Manor IX, 597) regard the
above definition of true believers as the most important passage of this sürah.-The phrase
rendered by me as “theirs shall be great dignity” reads, literally, “they shall have degrees”,
namely, of excellence and dignity.
6 I.e., after it had become clear that it was indeed God’s will that the Muslims should give open
battle to the Quraysh army. This reference to the antecedents of the battle of Badr (see the
introductory note to this surah) connects with the admonition given in verse 1, “pay heed unto
God and His Apostle”, as well as with the reminder, in verse 2, that true believers place ail their
trust in God. A few of the followers of the Prophet disliked the idea of giving battle to the main
army of the Quraysh, instead of attacking the Meccan caravan returning from Syria and thus of
acquiring easy booty; but the majority of them immediately declared that they would follow God’s
Apostle wherever he might lead them.-Some of the commentators are inclined to relate the
adverbial particle kamâ (“just as” or “even as”), introducing this sentence, to the preceding
passage and, thus, to their duty to follow God’s commands. Others, however, regard this
interpretation as somewhat laboured, and relate the comparison implied in kamä to the first clause
of verse 6, explaining the passage thus: “Just as some of the believers were averse to going forth
from Medina to give battle to the Quraysh, so, too, they would argue with thee as to whether it
was really willed by God.” This, in particular, was the view of Mujahid, whom TabarT quotes with
approval in his commentary on this verse.
7 Lit., “while you would have liked the one which was not powerful to be yours”-i.e., the
caravan coming from Syria, which was accompanied by only forty armed men and could,
therefore, be attacked without great danger.
8 The destruction of the Meccan army at Badr was the prelude to the elimination, in the course
of the next few years, of all opposition to Islam in its homeland: and it is to this future fulfilment
of God’s promise that the above words refer. See also sürah II, note 103.
The implication is that the truth of the Prophet’s cause could not have been vindicated by the
Muslims overcoming and plundering the rich caravan which was approaching from the north.
Although such an action would have benefited the Muslims materially, it would not have lessened
the strength of the pagan Quraysh: while, on the other hand, the encounter at Badr with the main,
heavily-armed Quraysh force, resulting as it did in a decisive victory of the Muslims, was destined
to shatter the self-confidence of the enemy and thus to pave the way for the ultimate triumph of
Islam in Arabia.

238
 8 SPOILS OF WAR
(9) Lo! You were praying unto your Sustainer for
aid, whereupon He thus responded to you: “I shall,
verily, aid you with a thousand angels following one
upon another!”
(10) And God ordained this only as a glad tiding,
and that your hearts should thereby be set at rest- "fâ 4-^ Cj (J) ^6*^
since no succour can come from any save God:
verily, God is almighty, wise!1011
(11) [Remember how it was] when He caused inner
calm to enfold you," as an assurance from Him, and Jjv j O (J)
sent down upon you water from the skies, so that He
might purify you thereby and free you from Satan’s
unclean whisperings12 and strengthen your hearts and
thus make firm your steps.
<£>
(12) Lo! Thy Sustainer inspired the angels [to con­
vey this His message to the believers]: ”1 am with / f ' M I S
you!”13
[And He commanded the angels:] “And give
firmness unto those who have attained to faith [with
these words from Me]:14 T shall cast terror into the

10 “On the day of the battle of Badr, the Prophet looked at his followers, who were three
hundred and odd men, and he looked at those who were ascribing divinity to beings other than
God: and lo, they were more than one thousand. Thereupon God’s Prophet turned towards the
qiblah, raised his hands and thus implored his Sustainer: ‘O God! Fulfil what Thou hast promised
me! O God! If this little band of those who have surrendered themselves unto Thee is destroyed,
Thou wilt not be worshipped on earth..This authentic Tradition, quoted by Muslim, AbQ
Dä’öd, TirmidhT, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, etc., appears also in a very similar version in BukhärT’s
Sahih. It is said that the above Qur’än-verse was revealed in response to the Prophet’s prayer-
whereupon he recited another, much earlier verse (54:45): “The hosts shall be routed, and shall
turn their backs [in flight]’’ (BukhärT). - As regards the promise of aid through thousands of angels,
see 3:124-125, where a similar promise-made on the occasion of the battle of Ubud-is said to
have been uttered by the Prophet and thus, by implication, confirmed by God. The spiritual nature
of this angelic aid is clearly expressed by the words, “and God ordained this only as a glad
tiding...”, etc. (See also sürah 3, notes 93 and 94.)
11 I.e., before the battle of Badr. Regarding the interpretation of nu'ds as “inner calm", see
sürah 3, note 112. Here it refers to the spiritual quiet and self-confidence of the believers in the
face of overwhelming odds.
12 Lit., “take away from you the pollution of Satan’’. Immediately before the beginning of the
battle, the Meccan army invested the wells of Badr, thus depriving the Muslims of water; and,
under the influence of thirst, some of the latter fell prey to utter despair (here symbolized by
“Satan’s unclean whisperings”)-when, suddenly, abundant rain fell and enabled them to satisfy
their thirst (TabarT, on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbfis).
13 The phrase “I am with you” is addressed (through the angels) to the believers - “for, the
purport of these words was the removal of fear, since it was the Muslims, and not the angels, who
feared the deniers of the truth" (RfizT).
14 The following is, again, addressed to the believers (RfizT). Verse 10 of this sürah makes it
clear that the aid of the angels was purely spiritual in nature; and there is no evidence anywhere in
the Qur’fin that they did, or were meant to, participate in the battle in a physical sense. In his
commentary on the above verse, RfizT stresses this point repeatedly; among modem com­
mentators, RashTd emphatically rejects the legendary notion that angels actually fought in
this or any other of the Prophet’s battles (see Manâr IX, 612 ff.). It is mainly on the basis of RfizT’s
interpretation of this passage that I have interpolated, in several places, explanatory clauses
between brackets.
239
 AL-ANFÄL SÜRAH

hearts of those who are bent on denying the truth;

strike, then, their necks, [O believers,] and strike off
every one of their finger-tips!’”15
(13) This, because they have cut themselves off
from16 God and His Apostle: and as for him who cuts
himself off from God and His Apostle - verily, God is dtf3 <$> ùb.
severe in retribution. (14) This [for you, O enemies of
Afûp ûî ij Li
God]! Taste it, then, [and know] that suffering
through fire awaits those who deny the truth! jCJ’i (^)

(15) O YOU who have attained to faith! When you meet (j■ I,.IL (J) jLJÎ(Ji
in battle those who are bent on denying the truth,
advancing in great force, do not turn your backs on y» iâ*j ijt/if’
them:17 (16) for, whoever on that day turns his back
tC Si ts jiùJ
on them - unless it be in a battle manoeuvre or in an
endeavour to join another troop [of the believers] -
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, Z' («H»-
i
shall indeed have earned the burden of God’s con­ G Z
demnation, and his goal shall be hell: and how vile a H G âî ÿî
journey’s end!
(17) And yet, [O believers,] it was not you who
slew the enemy,18 but it was God who slew them;
and it was not thou who cast [terror into them, O
Prophet], when thou didst cast it, but it was God who
cast it:19 and [He did all this] in order that He might
test the believers by a goodly test of His Own or-

15 Le., “destroy them utterly”.

16 Or: “contended against” (Baghawl). However, since the primary meaning of shäqqahu (“he
separated himself from him” or “cut himself off from him”) comprises the concepts of both
estrangement and opposition (TabarT, ZamakhsharT, RäzT), the rendering adopted by me seems to
be the most suitable in this context.
17 I.e., in flight: the implication being that in view of God’s promise of victory no retreat is
permissible. Since this verse (like the whole of this sürah) relates predominantly to the battle of
Badr, it may well be presumed that the above admonition forms part of the message of
encouragement beginning with the words, “I am with you” (verse 12), which God commanded the
angels to convey to the believers before the battle. In accordance with the didactic method of the
Qur’an, however, the moral lesson contained in this verse is not confined to the historical occasion
to which it refers, but has the validity of a permanent law.
18 Lit., “you did not slay them”-i.e., in the battle of Badr, which ended with a complete
victory of the Muslims.
19 According to several Traditions, the Prophet cast, at the beginning of the battle, a handful of
pebbles or dust in the direction of the enemy, thus symbolically indicating their approaching
defeat. However, none of these accounts attains to the standard of authenticity described as sahïh
(i.e., “reliable”) by the great exponents of the science of Tradition film al-hadïth), and cannot,
therefore, satisfactorily explain the above Qur’anic passage (see Ibn KathTr’s commentary on this
verse, as well as Manär IX, 620 f.). Since the verb ramä (lit., “he cast” or “flung”) applies also to
the act of “shooting an arrow” or “flinging a spear”, it might be explained here as a reference to
the Prophet’s active participation in the battle. Alternatively, it may denote his “casting terror”,
i.e., into the hearts of his enemies, by his and his followers’ extreme valour. Whichever
explanation is adopted, the above verse implies that the victory of the Muslims over the much
more numerous and much better equipped army of the Quraysh was due to God’s grace alone:
and, thus, it is a reminder to the faithful, of all times, not to indulge in undue pride in any of their
achievements (which is the meaning of the “test” mentioned in the next sentence).

240
 8 ________________ SPOILS OF WAR
daining." Verily, God is all-hearing, all-knowing!
(18) This [was God’s purpose] —and also [to show]
that God renders vain the artful schemes of those
who deny the truth.
(19) If you have been praying for victory, [O
believers] — victory has now indeed come unto you.
And if you abstain [from sinning], it will be for your
own good; but if you revert to it, We shall revoke
[Our promise of aid] - and never will your community
be of any avail to you, however great its numbers:
for, behold, God is [only] with those who believe!20 21
<S>
*1* ijjy X, j if ft
(20) [Hence,] O you who have attained to faith, pay
heed unto God and His Apostle, and do not turn away £«• (£>
from Him now that you hear [His message]; (21) and
be not like those who say, “We have heard”, the • (J)
while they do not hearken.2223
(22) Verily, the vilest of all creatures® in the sight
of God are those deaf, those dumb ones who do not
use their reason. (23) For, if God had seen any good <$> re*** Ä
in them, He would certainly have made them hear:
but [as it is,] even if He had made them hear, they
would surely have turned away in their obstinacy.

20 Lit., “from Himself”.

21 There is no unanimity among the commentators as to whether this verse is addressed to the
believers or to their opponents at Badr, that is, the pagan Quraysh. While some of the com­
mentators (e.g., Râzï) are of the opinion that it is an admonition to the believers and understand it
in the sense rendered by me above, others maintain that it is a warning addressed to the Quraysh.
In order to justify this view, they give to the word fath (lit., “opening”) occurring in the first
sentence the meaning of “judgment" or “decision” (which is undoubtedly permissible from the
linguistic point of view), and arrive at the following rendering: “If you have been seeking a
decision [O unbelievers] - a decision has now indeed come unto you. And if you abstain [from
making war on God and His Apostle], it will be for your own good; but if you revert to it. We shall
revert [to defeating you]-and never will your army be of any avail to you, however great its
numbers: for, behold, God is with the believers!”
As can be seen from this alternative rendering, the difference in interpretation pivots on the
tropical meaning which one gives to the words fath (“decision” or “victory”) and fi'ah (“army" or
“community"). As regards the latter, it is to be borne in mind that its primary significance is “a
group" or “a congregated body of men"-more or less synonymous with la*ifah or jamâ'ah', it
can, therefore, be used to denote “an army" as well as “a community". Similarly, the expression
na'üd can be understood in either of two ways: namely, as meaning “We shall revert [to defeating
you]”-or, as in my rendering, “We shall revoke [Our promise of aid]” - addressed, in the one
instance to the unbelievers, and in the other, to the believers. (For the use of the verb 'ado in the
sense of “he revoked”, see Täj al-'Arüs; also Lane V, 2189.) But while both interpretations of the
above verse are linguistically justified, the one adopted by me (and supported, according to Ibn
Kathîr, by Ubayy ibn KaT>) is in greater harmony with the context, inasmuch as both the
preceding and subsequent passages are unmistakably addressed to the believers. Thus, the verse
must be understood as a reminder to the Muslims that God will be with them only so long as they
remain firm in faith and righteous in action, and that, however large their community may be in the
future, they will be powerless unless they are true believers.
22 See 2:93 and 4:46, and the corresponding notes. While in the above-mentioned two instances
the Jews are alluded to, the present allusion is more general, and relates to all people who have come
to know and understand the message of the Qur’än, but pay no heed to it.
23 Lit., “animals that walk or crawl” (dawBb, sing, dâbbah), including man as well.

241
AL-ANFÄL SÜRAH

(24) O you who have attained to faith! Respond to

the call of God and the Apostle whenever he calls
you unto that which will give you life; and know that
God intervenes between man and [the desires of] his
heart,24 and that unto Him you shall be gathered. -4»lj ùx
(25) And beware of that temptation to evil which
does not befall only those among you who are bent
on denying the truth, to the exclusion of others;25 and > ft ft >"
($) «-AjUT i âî ùl *c.
know that God is severe in retribution.
(26) And remember the time when you were few
[and] helpless on earth, fearful lest people do away
with you26 - whereupon He sheltered you, and
strengthened you with His succour, and provided for
you sustenance out of the good things of life, so that (J) C.'uUlî Jr
you might have cause to be grateful.
(27) [Hence,] O you who have attained to faith, do Ir**1
not be false to God and the Apostle, and do not ÜL ÇXV (3) jjX;
knowingly be false to the trust that has been reposed
in you;27 (28) and know that your worldly goods and yî <£) ui x
your children are but a trial and a temptation, and
that with God there is a tremendous reward.28

24 I.e., between a man’s desires and the outward action that may result from those desires:
indicating that God can turn man away from what his heart urges him to do (Räghib). In other words,
it is God-consciousness alone that can prevent man from being misled by wrong desires and, thus,
from becoming like “those deaf, those dumb ones who do not use their reason” (verse 22 above);
and it is God-consciousness alone that can enable man to follow the call “unto that which gives
life” - that is, spiritual awareness of right and wrong and the will to act accordingly.
25 The term fitnah - here rendered as “temptation to evil” - comprises a wide range of concepts,
e.g., “seduction” or “trial” or “test” or “an affliction whereby one is tried”; hence also “confusion”
(as in 3:7 and 6:23), “discord” or “dissension” (because it constitutes a “trial” of human
groupments), as well as “persecution” and “oppression” (because it is an affliction which may cause
man to go astray and to lose his faith in spiritual values - a meaning in which the word fitnah is used
in 2:191 and 193); and, finally, “sedition” and “civil war” (because it leads whole communities
astray). Since the expression “temptation to evil” is applicable to all these meanings, it appears to be
the most suitable in the above context: the idea being that it is not merely the deliberate deniers of
spiritual truths who are exposed to such a temptation, but that also people who are otherwise
righteous may fall prey to it unless they remain always, and consciously, on their guard against
anything that might lead them astray from the right course.
26 A reference to the weakness of the believers in the early days of Islam, before their exodus
from Mecca to Medina. In its wider meaning, it is a reminder to every community of true believers,
at all times, of their initial weakness and numerical insignificance and their subsequent growth in
numbers and influence.
27 Lit., “do not be false to your trusts, the while you know”. Regarding the deeper meaning of
amänah (“trust”), see note 87 on 33:72.
28 Inasmuch as love of worldly goods and a desire to protect one’s family may lead a person to
transgression (and, thus, to a betrayal of the moral values postulated in God’s message), they are
described as fitnah - which, in this context, is best rendered by the two words “trial and
temptation*’. This reminder connects with verse 25 above, “beware of that temptation to evil which
does not befall only those who are bent on denying the truth,” since it is acquisitiveness and a desire
to confer benefits on one’s own family which often tempt an otherwise good person to offend against
the rights of his fellow-men. It is to be borne in mind that, contrary to the New Testament, the
Our fin does not postulate a contempt for worldly attachments as a pre-requisite of righteousness: it

242
 8
SPOILS OF WAR
(29) O you who have attained to faith! If you
remain conscious of God, He will endow you with a
standard by which to discern the true from the false,29
and will efface your bad deeds, and will forgive you
your sins: for God is limitless in His great bounty.

(30) AND [remember, O Prophet,]' how those who were

bent on denying the truth were scheming against
thee, in order to restrain thee [from preaching], or to
slay thee, or to drive thee away: thus have they
[always] schemed:30 but God brought their scheming
to nought - for God is above all schemers.
(31) And whenever Our messages were conveyed
to them, they would say, “We have heard [all this] Uli û[ Uli jL LUJ 2 ÿli LaH
before; if we wanted, we could certainly compose
sayings like these [ourselves]: they are nothing but & jyiÿB «g) ùjJVi
fables of ancient times!”31
(32) And, lo, they would say, “O God! If this be
' t b >> '
indeed the truth from Thee, then rain down upon us
stones from the skies, or inflict [some other] grievous
suffering on us!”32 • >>
f* “J ($> p_*J pf.lv 4ll Ù6 Lj
(33) But God did not choose thus to chastise them
while thou [O Prophet] wert still among them,33 nor
would God chastise them when they [might yet] ask
for forgiveness. (34) But what have they [now] in
their favour that God should not chastise them-
seeing that they bar [the believers] from the In­
violable House of Worship, although they are not its
[rightful] guardians?34

only demands of man that he should not allow these attachments to deflect him from the pursuit of
moral verities.
29 I.e., the faculty of moral valuation (Manär IX, 648). See also surah 2, note 38.
30 While the first sentence of this verse is a reference to the persecution to which the Prophet and
his followers had been exposed in Mecca before their exodus to Medina, this concluding passage
points to the ever-recurring fact of man’s religious history that those who deny the truth of divine
revelation are always intent on rendering its preachers powerless or destroying them, either
physically or, figuratively, through ridicule.
31 Cf. 6:25. As regards the expression la-qulnä - here rendered as “we could certainly
[ourselves] compose” - it is to be remembered that the verb qâla does not always signify only “he
said", but also “he asserted” or “expressed an opinion", as well as - in connection with a literary
production - “he composed”: thus, qäla shi'r means “he composed a poem”. In the above context,
this expression alludes to the oft-repeated (but never fulfilled) boast of the pagan Quraysh that they
could produce a poetic message comparable in merit to that of the Qur’än; in its wider sense, it is an
allusion to the attitude of many unbelievers towards revealed scriptures in general.
32 This sarcastic appeal of the unbelievers - referred to several times in the Qur’än - is meant to
stress their conviction that the Qur’än is not a divine revelation. According to Anas ibn MSlik,
these words were first uttered by Abfl Jahl, the Prophet’s chief opponent at Mecca, who was killed
in the battle of Badr (BukhärT).
33 I.e., in Mecca, before the exodus to Medina.
34 At the time of the revelation of this surah (the year 2 H.) Mecca was still in the possession of
the hostile Quraysh, and no Muslim was allowed to enter it. Owing to their descent from Abraham,

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AL-ANFÄL SÜRAH

None but the God-conscious can be its guardians:

but of this most of these [evildoers] are unaware; (35)
and their prayers before the Temple are nothing but
whistling and clapping of hands.33*35
Taste then, [O unbelievers,] this chastisement as an
outcome of your persistent denial of the truth!36 x* ütTly (g) öjJ« V

(36) Behold, those who are bent on denying the (QùjjiZs Zj^j^
truth are spending their riches in order to turn others
away from the path of God; and they will go on û[
spending them until they become [a source of] intense
regret for them; and then they will be overcome! ciK f OA* f
And those who [until their death] have denied the
truth shall be gathered unto hell, (37) so that God (J)
might separate the bad from the good, and join the
bad with one another, and link them all together
[within His condemnation], and then place them in (£) Sjy-iïf-fclÇÎ,* ^4»-
hell. They, they are the lost!
(38) Tell those who are bent on denying the truth «3Ï- J» U by^Ci^* J»

that if they desist,37 all that is past shall be forgiven

($) b>r.
them; but if they revert [to their wrongdoing], let
them remember what happened to the like of them in Iâ cqSiI j jjO
times gone by.38 (39) And fight against them until
there is no more oppression and all worship is de­ Si ijXü yy <$> x—y QA*.
voted to God alone.39
And if they desist-behold, God sees all that they
do;40 (40) and if they turn away [from righteousness].

the Quraysh considered themselves entitled to the guardianship of the Ka'bah (“the Inviolable
House of Worship”), which had been built by Abraham as the first temple ever dedicated to the
One God (see sürah 2, note 102). The Qur’än refutes this contention, just as it refutes the claim of
the children of Israel to being “the chosen people" by virtue of their descent from Abraham. (Cf.
in this connection 2:124, and especially the last sentence, “My covenant does not embrace the
wrongdoers.”) Although they still retained a modicum of belief in God, the Quraysh had entirely
forsaken the Unitarian faith of Abraham, thus forfeiting any moral claim to the guardianship of the
Temple (al-bayt) built by him.
35 I.e., devoid of all spiritual contents. Some of the early authorities maintain that dancing
around the Ka'bah, accompanied by whistling and hand-clapping, was actually a ritual practiced by
the pre-Islamic Arabs. Although this explanation is quite plausible, it would appear from the
context that the expression “whistling and clapping of hands” is used here metaphorically, to
denote the spiritual emptiness of the religious rituals of people who are wont to attribute a
quasi-divine efficacy to ail manner of circumstantial “forces”-like wealth, power, social status,
“luck”, etc.
36 The chastisement or suffering referred to here was their crushing defeat at Badr.
37 I.e., from their endeavour to turn others way from the path of God and from waging war
against the believers.
38 Lit., “the example (sunnah) of the people of old times has already come to pass”: an allusion
tcHhe disasters that have overtaken, and are bound to overtake, those who persistently deny moral

39 I.e., until man is free to worship God. Cf. the identical phrase in 2:193, and the cor­
responding note. Both these passages stress self-defence - in the widest sense of this word-as the
only justification of war.
40 I.e., He knows their motives, and will requite them according to their merits.
 8
SPOILS OF WAR
know that God is your Lord Supreme: [and] how
excellent is this Lord Supreme, and how excellent
this Giver of Succour!

(41) AND KNOW that whatever booty you acquire [in • (g)
war], one-fifth thereof belongs to God and the
Apostle, and the near of kin, and the orphans, and the
needy, and the wayfarer.41
[This you must observe] if you believe in God and
in what We bestowed from on high upon Our servant fX Û* (ÿ UjlLj at
on the day when the true was distinguished from the
;jUt aîj ùCXT
false - the day when the two hosts met in battle. And
God has the power to will anything.4243
(42) [Remember that day] when you were at the
near end of the valley [of Badr], and they were at its j? jciy jjj
farthest end, while the caravan was below you.42 And
if you had known that a battle was to take place, you Û* if
would indeed have refused to accept the challenge:44
but [the battle was brought about none the less,] so
that God might accomplish a thing [which He willed]
to be done,45 [and] that he who would perish might

41 According to verse 1 of this sürah, “all spoils of war belong to God and the Apostle”, i.e., are
to be administered by the authorities of an Islamic state in the interests of the common weal. Most
of the great Islamic jurists are of the opinion that whereas four-fifths of all spoils may either be
distributed among those who actively took part in the war effort or may be otherwise utilized for
the welfare of the community, one-fifth must be reserved for the specific purposes enumerated in
the above verse, including a share “for God and the Apostle” (which is obviously a metonym for a
government that rules in accordance with the laws of the Qur’än and the teachings of God’s
Apostle); this latter share is to be used for the exigencies of state administration. Since a full
discussion of this complex juridical problem would go far beyond the scope of these explanatory
notes, the reader is referred, in particular, to Manär X, 4ff., where the views of the classical
exponents of Islamic jurisprudence are summarized. - For the term ibn as-sabit occurring in this
verse, see sürah 2, note 145. By “the near of kin and the orphans” apparently the relatives of
fallen combatants are meant in this context.
42 I.e., “He can grant you victory or can withhold it from you”. The battle of Badr is described
here as “the day when the true was distinguished from the false” (yawm al-furqän) because on
that occasion a small and poorly armed group of believers utterly destroyed an infinitely better
equipped army more than three times its number. The revelation referred to in this connection was
God’s promise of victory, given in verses 12-14 of this sürah. (See also note 38 on 2:53.)
43 Before the beginning of the battle, the Prophet and his followers were encamped in the
northern part of the valley of Badr, nearest to Medina, while their enemies, having come from
Mecca, occupied its southern part. The Meccan trade caravan, coming from Syria under the
leadership of AbQ SufySn, was in the meantime proceeding southwards through the coastal
lowlands (see introductory note to this sürah).
44 This is a very free rendering of the elliptic phrase which runs, literally, thus: “And if you had
mutually made an appointment, you would indeed have failed to keep the appointment” - i.e., for
battle As already mentioned in the introductory note to this sürah, most of the Prophet’s
followers had been under the impression that their objective was the relatively weak trade
caravan, and some of them were dismayed at finding themselves face to face with the powerful
Quraysh army advancing from the south.
45 According to all the commentators, the words interpolated be me between brackets are
implied in this highly elliptical sentence. Literally translated, its last words might be rendered as “a

245
AL-ANFÄL SÜRAH

perish in clear evidence of the truth, and that he who

would remain alive might live in clear evidence of the
truth.46 And, behold, God is indeed all-hearing, all-
knowing. > * x# xxxx e x 'l.xfxfx
(43) Lo! God showed them to thee in a dream as
few:47 for, had He shown them to you as many, you
would surely have lost heart, and would surely have
disagreed with one another about what to do.48 But
God saved [you from this]: verily, He has full knowl­
edge of what is the hearts [of men].
(44) And so, when you met in battle, He made them
appear as few in your eyes-just as He made you
appear as of little account in their eyes - so that God
might accomplish a thing [which He willed] to be
done:49 for all things go back to God [as their source].
(45) [Hence,] O you who have attained to faith,
when you meet a host in battle, be firm, and remem­ X, Ar’JJ &
ber God often, so that you might attain to a happy
state!
(46) And pay heed unto God and His Apostle, and
do not [allow yourselves to] be at variance with one
another, lest you lose heart and your moral strength

thing that was [already] done”: meaning that if God decrees a thing, it must inevitably come about,
and may therefore be described as already done.
46 Some of the great commentators understand this sentence in a metaphorical sense, with
“destruction” signifying persistence in denying the truth (fcu/ir), and “life” being synonymous with
faith. According to this interpretation, the above sentence would have the following meaning:
“... so that the denial of the truth on the part of him who has denied it, and the faith of him who
has attained to it, might become clearly evident” (ZamakhsharT); or “let him who is bent on
denying the truth go on denying it after this clear evidence of God's will, and let him who has
attained to belief go on believing” (Ibn Ishâq, as quoted by Ibn KathTr). In my opinion, however, it
is preferable to interpret the references to death and life in their prima-facie (that is, not
metaphorical) sense - namely, as applying to the death or survival of all who took part in the battle
of Badr, believers and unbelievers alike: the believers who fell in that battle died conscious of
being martyrs in God’s cause, and those who survived could now clearly discern God's hand in
their victory; while the dead among the deniers of the truth had clearly given their lives for
nothing, and those of them who survived must now realize that their crushing defeat was due. in
the last resort, to something infinitely greater than the valour of the Muslims (cf. verse 17, and the
corresponding notes).
47 Lit., “in thy dream” - obviously relating to a dream which the Prophet had had just before
the encounter at Badr. We have no authentic Tradition to this effect, but the läbFT Mujahid is
quoted as having said, “God had shown the enemies to the Prophet, in a dream, as few; he
informed his Companions accordingly, and this encouraged them greatly” (Râzf and Ibn KathTr,
with minor variants).
48 Lit., “about the matter” - i.e., about the advisability of giving battle or retreating.
• note above* Since at the time of the actual encounter the Muslims could no longer be
in doubt as to the great number of the enemy force, the phrase “He made them appear as few
in your eyes” has obviously a metaphorical meaning: it implies that, by that time, the Prophet’s
followers were so full of courage that the enemy appeared insignificant to them. The Quraysh, on
the other hand, were so conscious of their own power and numerical superiority that the Muslims
appeared but of little account to them - a mistake which ultimately cost them the battle and a great
number of lives.

246
 8
SPOILS OF WAR
desert you.30 And be patient in adversity: for, verily,
God is with those who are patient in adversity.
(47) And be not like those [unbelievers] who went
forth from their homelands full of self-conceit and a
desire to be seen and praised by men:50 for they were
5152
55
54
53
trying to turn others away from the path of God-the ÿ/j y, (g)
while God encompassed all their doings [with His
might].
(48) And, lo, Satan made all their doings seem
($>
goodly to them, and said, “No one can overcome you
this day, for, behold, I shall be your protector!”32 -
but as soon as the two hosts came within sight of one
another, he turned on his heels and said, “Behold, I yigjùUijîOtTjÛi j&A JbwrÛT
am not responsible for you: behold, I see something
iijJ*3/ àVj J?
that you do not see: behold, I fear God-for God is
severe in retribution!”33 (g) jux—ut,
(49) At the same time, the hypocrites and those in
whose hearts was disease were saying, “Their faith
has deluded these [believers]!”34
<$>
But he who places his trust in God [knows that],
verily, God is almighty, wise.

(50) AND IF thou couldst but see [how it will be] when
He causes those who are bent on denying the truth to
die: the angels will strike their faces and their backs,33

50 The relevant word is rifr, which literally signifies “wind”; it is used metaphorically to denote
“spirit” or “moral strength”.
• 51 A reference to the Quraysh army which set forth from Mecca under the leadership of Abfl
Jahl in the conviction that they would destroy the Prophet and his followers. These words imply a
warning to the believers, of all times, never to go to war boastfully and for the sake of empty
glory.
52 Lit., “your neighbour" - an expression derived from the ancient Arabian principle that a man
is honour-bound to aid and protect his neighbours.
53 This allegory of Satan’s blandishments and of his subsequent abandonment of the sinner
occurs, in a more general form, in 59:16.
54 I.e., into thinking that in spite of their numerical weakness and lack of arms, they could
withstand the powerful Meccan army. The term dTn, often denoting “religion”, obviously stands
here for the attitude one has towards his religion: in another word, one’s faith. “Those in whose
hearts was disease” is a reference to the vacillating and faint-hearted among the Prophet’s
followers, who were afraid of meeting the Quraysh in battle.-The particle idh which introduces
this sentence has often the meaning of “when”; in this case, however, it signifies “at the same
time".
55 Or- “... when the angels gather in death those who were bent on denying the truth, they
strike " etc -depending on whether one attributes the pronoun in yatawaffä to the angels,
which gives the reading “they gather [them] in death”, or to God, in which case it means “He
causes [them] to die" (ZamakhsharT and Râzï).-The beating of the sinners’ faces and backs is,
according to RfizT, an allegory of their suffering in the life to come in consequence of their having
denied the truth while alive in this world: “They have utter darkness behind them and utter
darkness before them-and this is the meaning of the words, [the angels] strike their faces and
their backs’." Most of the commentators assume that this passage refers specificaUy to the pagan
Quraysh who fell in the battle of Badr; but while it undoubtedly does apply to them, there is no

247
 AL-ANFÄL SÜRAH

and [will say]: “Taste suffering through fire (51) in

return for what your own hands have wrought-for,
never does God do the least wrong to His creatures!”
(52) [To them shall happen] the like of what hap­
pened to Pharaoh’s people and those who lived be­
fore them: they denied the truth of God’s messages - Jfr Jjf 0 x
and so God took them to task for their sins. Verily,
God is powerful, severe in retribution! ' ' f i 1 »>'
'
(53) This, because God would never change*56 the JL (J) xxi ifj» &
blessings with which He has graced a people unless
they change their inner selves:57 and [know] that God isT AJ
is all-hearing, all-seeing.
4*ï ijlj |»< Ji L C
(54) [To those sinners shall happen] the like of what JU Uji jS* (J)
happened to Pharaoh’s people and those who lived
rfH o; y%
before them: they gave the lie to their Sustainer’s
messages-and so We destroyed them in return for
their sins, and caused Pharaoh’s people to drown: for
they were evildoers all. (J) Sjj;
(55) Verily, the vilest creatures in the sight of God
are those who are bent on denying the truth and SpJj Jr yf <$> J-4»
therefore do not believe.58

(56) AS FOR THOSE with whom thou hast made a

covenant, and who thereupon break their covenant on
every occasion,59 not being conscious of God - (57) if

reason, in my opinion, to restrict its import to this particular historical event-especially in view of
the subsequent passages (up to and including verse 55), which obviously refer to all who are “bent
on denying the truth”.
56 I.e., withdraw.
57 For an explanation of the wide implications of this statement in the context of the law of
cause and effect which God has decreed on His creation (and which is described elsewhere in the
Qur’än as sunnat Allah, “the way of God”), see my note on the phrase “God does not change
men’s condition unless they change their inner selves” occurring in 13: 11.
58 Cf. verse 22 of this sürah, where the same epithet is applied to human beings “who do not
use their reason”. In the present instance, it should be noted, the particle fa at the beginning of the
phrase fa-hum lä yu'minün has the meaning of “and therefore” (“and therefore they do not
believe"): thus showing that lack of belief in spiritual verities is a consequence of one’s being
‘‘bent on denying the truth”. Expressed in positive terms, this amounts to the statement that belief
in any ethical proposition depends on one’s readiness to consider it on its merits and to admit the
truth of whatever one’s mind judges to be in conformity with other - empirically or intuitively
established - truths. As regards the expression alladhïna kafarü, the use of the past tense is meant
here, as so often in the Qur’än, to stress the element of intention, and is, therefore, consistently
rendered by me-wherever the context warrants it-as “those who are bent on denying the truth”
(see also surah 2, note 6).
59 Lit., “every time”. The covenants referred to are agreements between the Muslim com­
munity and non-Muslim political groupments. Although this passage is addressed, in the first
instance, to the Prophet, the “thou" relates here to every follower of the Qur’än and, thus, to the
Muslim community of all times. With the above verse, the discourse returns to the subject of war
with unbelievers to which most of this sürah is devoted. The reference to the unbelievers’
breaking their covenants" has two implications: firstly, that the establishment of covenants (i.e.,
of peaceful relations) with non-Muslims is not only permissible but, in fact, desirable (cf. verse 61);

248
 8
SPOILS OF WAR
Üiou find them at war [with you], make of them a
to™«»™« example for those who follow them,“ so
> or> * thou hast
7ght toke U to61heart; <58*60
67
66
65
64
63
62
61
treachery from PeoPle [with whom
thou hast made a covenant], cast it back at them in an
equitable manner: for, verily, God does not love the
treacherous!
<2> frÇîi a
(59) And let them not think-those who are bent
on denying the truth-that they shall escape" [God]-
behold, they can never frustrate [His purpose].
(60) Hence, make ready against them whatever
force and war mounts“ you are able to muster, so
<3)
that you might deter thereby the enemies of God
who are your enemies as well," and others besides
them of whom you may be unaware, [but] of whom
.God is aware; and whatever you may expend“ in
^\3 q.
God’s cause shall be repaid to you in full, and you
shall not be wronged. >1 J”1^ •
(61) But if they incline to peace, incline thou to it as
ù|i (J) J*
well, and place thy trust in God: verily, He alone is
all-hearing, all-knowing! (62) And should they seek
(J) âî<fl 2—
but to deceive thee [by their show of peace] - behold,
God is enough for thee!67
He it is who has strengthened thee with His suc-

and, secondly, that the Muslims may resort to war only if and when the other party is openly
hostile to them.
60 Lit., “put to flight, by means of them, those who come after them''; or “terrify through them
those who follow them": i.e., “fight against them and inflict an exemplary punishment on them".
61 The “reason to fear treachery” must not, of course, be based on mere surmise but on clear,
objective evidence (Tabarï, BaghawT, Räzi; also Manâr X, 58).
62 I.e., “renounce the covenant in an equitable manner (*a/d sowd’)”- Tabarï explains this
sentence thus: “Before making war on them, inform them that because of the clear evidence of
their treachery thou hast renounced the treaty which existed between thee and them, so that both
thou and they should know that thou art at war with them." Baghawi, in his commentary on this
verse, gives an almost identical interpretation and adds, “so that they should not be under the false
impression that thou hast renounced the treaty after having started the war.” Thus, the concluding
sentence of this verse-“God does not love the treacherous” - is a warning to the believers as well
as to their enemies (Manor X, 58 f.).
63 Lit., “that they have outstripped”.
64 Lit., “tethering of horses” (ribäf al-khayl): an expression which signifies “holding in
readiness mounted troups at all points open to enemy invasion (rhoghor)”; hence, tropically, the
over-all maintenance of military preparedness.
65 Lit., “God’s enemy and your enemy” - implying that every “enemy of God” (i.e., everyone
who deliberately opposes and seeks to undermine the moral laws laid down by God) is, eo ipso, an
enemy of those who believe in Him.
66 I.e., of resources, efforts and sacrifice of life.
67 The implication is that "even if they offer peace only with a view to deceiving thee this
[offer of] peace must be accepted, since all judgment [of their intentions] must be based on
outward evidence alone” (RäzT): in other words, mere suspicion cannot be made an excuse for
rejecting an offer of peace.
249
AL-ANFÄL SÜRAH

cour, and by giving thee believing followers68 (63)

whose hearts He has brought together: [for,] if thou
hadst expended all that is on earth, thou couldst not
have brought their hearts together [by thyself]: but
God did bring them together. Verily, He is almighty,
wise.
(64) O Prophet! God is enough for thee and those A ‘Jdl
of the believers who follow thee!
(65) O Prophet! Inspire the believers to conquer all Û* «-U-» 1 £•> &dl, L.(J)
fear of death when fighting,69 [so that,] if there be
twenty of you who are patient in adversity, they
might overcome two hundred; and [that,] if there be
one hundred of you, they might overcome one
thousand of those who are bent on denying the truth, fp (-r^ Cf W’
because they are people who cannot grasp it.70
jCj jl âîCtü- jiî
(66) For the time being, [however,] God has
lightened your burden, for He knows that you are
L1j-1â> îj> Lrf i» l* jC* Uw
weak: and so, if there be one hundred of you who are ' 1 ' Z» .> . ,,
patient in adversity, they should [be able to] over­ g ûî îjji». »JJ' JC*
come two hundred; and if there be one thousand of
you, they should [be able to] overcome two thousand
by God’s leave: for God is with those who are patient
in adversity.71

68 Lit., “and by the believers’'’: thus signifying the visible means (wdsitah) by which God
succoured the Prophet.
69 For an explanation of the phrase harritf al-mu'minih, see surah 4, note 102. Consistently
with my interpretation, the words eala 'l-qitäl can be rendered here in either of two ways: “[with a
view] to fighting” or “when fighting”. On the basis of the conventional interpretation of the verb
harrid as “urge” or “rouse”, the phrase could be translated as “urge the believers to fight": but
this, as I have pointed out in the earlier note referred to above, does not convey the true sense of
this injunction.
70 Some of the commentators see in this verse a divine prediction, thus: “If there be twenty of
you..., they shall overcome two hundred...”, etc. Since, however, history shows that the
believers, even at the time of the Prophet, were not always victorious against such odds, the above
view is not tenable. In order to understand this passage correctly, we must read it in close
conjunction with the opening sentence, “Inspire the believers to conquer all fear of death”,
whereupon we arrive at the meaning given in my rendering: namely, an exhortation to the
believers to conquer all fear of death and to be so patient in adversity that they might be able to
overcome an enemy many times their number (RäzT; see also Manär X, 87). The concluding words
of this verse-“because they are people who cannot grasp it [i.e., the truth]”-can be understood
in either of two ways: (a) as giving an additional reason of the true believers’ superiority over
“those who are bent on denying the truth” (alladhïna kafarû), inasmuch as the latter, not believing
in the eternal verities and in life after death, cannot rise to that enthusiasm and readiness for
self-sacrifice which distinguishes the true believers; or (b) as explaining that “those who are bent
on denying the truth” deny it simply because their spiritual deafness and blindness prevents them
from, grasping it. To my mind, the second of these two interpretations is preferable, and
particularly so in view of the fact that the Qur’än often explains in these terms the attitude of
’those who deny the truth” (e.g., in 6 : 25, 7:179, 9 : 87. etc.).
71 This relates to the time at which the above verse was revealed, namely, immediately after the
battle of Badr (2 H.), when the Muslims were extremely weak both in numbers and in equipment,
and their community had not yet attained to any significant degree of political organization. Under
those circumstances, the Qur’än says, they could not-nor could any Muslim community of later

250
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SPOILS OF WAR
(67) IT DOES NOT behove a prophet to keep captives
unless he has battled strenuously on earth.72 You may
desire the fleeting gains of this world-but God
desires [for you the good of] the life to come: and
God is almighty, wise.
(68) Had it not been for a decree from God that had
already gone forth, there would indeed have befallen
you a tremendous chastisement on account of all [the
captives] that you took.73
(69) Enjoy, then, all that is lawful and good among
the things which you have gained in war, and remain
conscious of God: verily, God is much-forgiving, a C^- Ô CrjJ*
dispenser of grace.
(70) [Hence,] O Prophet, say unto the captives who
are in your hands: “If God finds any good in your 4S éUÛt <j[j (g) aXj
hearts, He will give you something better than all that
has been taken from you, and will forgive you your
sins: for God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of
grace.”74

times, in similar circumstances - be expected to bring forth the effort and the efficiency required of
a fully developed community of believers; but even so they should be able to stand up to an enemy
twice their number. (The proportions one to two, or - as in the preceding verse, one to ten - are
not, of course, to be taken literally; as a matter of fact, the Muslims defeated at Badr a much
better armed army more than thrice their own number.) The reference to God’s having “lightened the
burden” imposed on the believers in this respect makes it dear that both this and the preceding
verse imply a divine command couched in terms of exhortation, and not a prediction of events to
come (Râzï).
72 I.e., as an aftermath of a war in a just cause. As almost always in the Qur’än, an injunction
addressed to the Prophet is, by implication, binding on his followers as well. Consequently, the
above verse lays down that no person may be taken, or for any time retained, in captivity unless
he was taken prisoner in a jihäd-that is, a holy war in defence of the Faith or of freedom
(regarding which see surah 2, note 167)-and that, therefore, the acquisition of a slave by
“peaceful” means, and the keeping of a slave thus acquired, is entirely prohibited: which, to all
practical purposes, amounts to a prohitition of slavery as a “social institution”. But even with
regard to captives taken in war, the Qur’än ordains (in 47:4) that they should be freed after the
war is over.
73 This is apparently a reference to the captives taken by the Muslims at Badr, and the
discussions among the Prophet’s followers as to what should be done with them. 'Umar ibn
ai-Khaffäb was of the opinion that they should be killed in revenge for their past misdeeds, and in
particular for their persecution of the Muslims before the tatters' exodus to Medina; Abu Bakr, on
the other hand, pleaded for forgiveness and a release of the prisoners against ransom, supporting
his plea with the argument that such an act of mercy might induce some of them to realize the
truth of Islam. The Prophet adopted the course of action advocated by AbQ Bakr, and released the
captives. (The relevant Traditions are quoted by most of the commentators, and especially - with
full indication of the sources - by TabarT and Ibn KathTr.) The reference in the above verse to the
“tremendous chastisement” that might have befallen the Muslims “but for a decree (kitäb) from
God that had already gone forth”-i.e., a course of action fore-ordained in God’s knowledge-
makes it clear that the killing of the captives would have been an awesome sin.
74 I.e., “If God finds in your hearts a disposition to realize the truth of His message. He will
bestow on you faith and, thus, the good of the life to come: and this will outweigh by far your
defeat in war and the loss of so many of your friends and companions." Although these words
relate primarily to the pagan Quraysh taken prisoner in the battle of Badr, they circumscribe the
Islamic attitude towards all unbelieving enemies who might fall into the believers’ bands in the

251
 AL-ANFÄL SÜRAH

(71) And should they but seek to play false with

thee75-well, they were false to God [Himself] ere
this: but He gave [the believers] mastery over them.76
And God is all-knowing, wise.
(72) BEHOLD, as for those who have attained to faith, (J) fj» âî \j£
and who have forsaken the domain of evil77 and are
striving hard, with their possessions and their lives, in
God’s cause, as well as those who shelter and succour (■I î»*4
[them]78-these are [truly] the friends and protectors
of one another. L bzrb: b-*** ct^b
But as for those who have come to believe without
having migrated [to your country]79 - you are in no j yùb 'xpjb: CC

wise responsible for their protection until such a time

a?
as they migrate [to you]. Yet, if they ask you for
succour against religious persecution,80 it is your duty bj*^â^b ($) je-* ûjLL* U âb
to give [them] this succour-except against a people
between whom and yourselves there is a covenant:81
for God sees all that you do.
(73) With all this, [remember that] those who are
bent on denying the truth are allies of one another;82
course of war. For a further discussion of the problem of prisoners of war, see 47:4.
75 I.e., by falsely pretending to a change of heart and an acceptance of Islam in order to be
freed from the obligation of paying ransom.
76 Sc., “and He can, if He so wills, do it again”. Thus, the Muslims are enjoined, by implication,
to accept the declarations of the captives at their face value, and not to be swayed by mere
suspicion of their motives. The possibility of treachery on the part of those captives, and even a
later discovery that some of them had indeed played false, should not induce the Muslims to
deviate from the course ordained by God.
77 See sürah 2, note 203. Historically, this expression relates to the Meccan Muslims who
migrated with the Prophet to Medina; but the sequence makes it clear that the definitions and
injunctions provided by this verse are in the nature of a general law. valid for all times. With all
this, it should be noted that the hijrah referred to here has a preponderantly physical connotation,
implying an emigration from a non-Muslim country to a country ruled by the Law of Islam.
78 This refers, in the first instance, to the anfär at Medina - that is, to the newly-converted
Muslims of that town, who gave shelter and whole-hearted aid to the muhâjirîn (“emigrants”)
from Mecca before and after the Prophet’s own migration thither: but, similar to the spiritual
meaning attaching to the terms hijrah and muhâjir, the expression on;dr transcends its purely
historical connotation and applies to all believers who aid and give comfort to “those who flee
from evil unto God”.
79 I.e., those Muslims who, for some reason or other, remain outside the political jurisdiction of
the Islamic state. Since not every non-Muslim country is necessarily a “domain of evil”, I am
rendering the phrase wa-lam yuhäjirä as “without having migrated [to your country]”.
80 Lit., “to succour them in religion”: implying that they are exposed to persecution on account
of their religious beliefs.
81 I.e., a treaty of alliance or of non-interference in each other’s internal affairs. Since in such
cases an armed intervention of the Islamic state in behalf of the Muslim citizens of a non-Muslim
state would constitute a breach of treaty obligations, the Islamic state is not allowed to seek
redress by force. A solution of the problem could conceivably be brought about by negotiations
between the two states or, alternatively, by an emigration of the persecuted Muslims.
82 The fact of their being bent on denying the truth of the divine message constitutes, as it
were, a common denominator between them, and precludes the possibility of their ever being real

252
8
SPOILS OF WAR
and unless you act likewise [among yourselves], op­
pression will reign on earth, and great corruption.
(74) And they who have attained to faith, and who »fit! Ojl
have forsaken the domain of evil and are striving
hard in God’s cause, as well as those who shelter and «Jsj- UrÄ V*** ($)
succour [them] - it is they, they who are truly
U» bj*4 &
believers! Forgiveness of sins awaits them, and a
most excellent sustenance.*83
(7^) And as for those who henceforth come to
believe,84 and who forsake the domain of evil and
strive hard [in God’s cause] together with you - these
«ilj U**- djlp4 4i«>çU/jî
[too] shall belong to you;85 and they who are [thus]
closely related have the highest claim on one another
in [accordance with] God’s decree.86
Verily, God has full knowledge of everything.

fnends to the believers. This refers, of course, to relations between communities, and not
necessarily between individuals: hence my rendering of the term awliyä\ in this context, as
“allies”.
83 See note 5 on verse 4 of this sürah.
84 Although the expression alladhïna ämanü (lit., “those who have come to believe") is in the
past tense, the words min ba'd (“afterwards” or “henceforth”) indicate a future time in relation to
the time at which this verse was revealed: hence, the whole sentence beginning with alladhïna
ämanü must be understood as referring to the future (Manor X, 134 f.; see also Râzï’s com­
mentary on this verse).
85 I.e.,'they, too, shall belong to the brotherhood of Islam, in which the faith held in common
supplies the decisive bond between believer and believer.
86 The classical commentators are of the opinion that this last clause refers to actual family
relations, as distinct from the spiritual brotherhood based on a community of faith. According to
these commentators, the above sentence abolished the custom which was prevalent among the
early Muslims, whereby the anfär (“the helpers” - i.e., the newly-converted Muslims of Medina)
concluded, individually, symbolic ties of brotherhood with the muhäjirih (“the emigrants” from
Mecca), who, almost without exception, arrived at Medina in a slate of complete destitution: ties
of brotherhood, that is, which entitled every muhäjir to a share in the property of his “brother”
from among the anfär, and, in the event of the latter's death, to a share in the inheritance left by
him. The above verse is said to have prohibited such arrangements by stipulating that only actual
close relations should henceforth have a claim to inheritance. To my mind, however, this
interpretation is not convincing. Although the expression ülu 'l-arhäm is derived from the noun
rahm (also spelt rihm and rahim), which literally signifies “womb”, one should not forget that it is
tropically used in the sense of “kinship”, “relationship” or “close relationship” in general (i.e., not
merely blood-relationship). Thus, “in the classical language, ülu 'l-arhâm means any relations:
and in law, any relations that have no portion [of the inheritances termed farä'ij]" (Lane III, 1056,
citing, among other authorities, the Taj al-Ariis). In the present instance, the reference to “close
relations” comes at the end of a passage which centres on the injunction that the believers must be
“the friends and protectors (awliyä*) of one another", and that all later believers shall, similarly,
be regarded as members of the Islamic brotherhood. If the reference to “close relations" were
meant to be taken in its literal sense and conceived as alluding to laws of inheritance, it would be
quite out of tune with the rest of the passage, which stresses the bonds of faith among true
believers, as well as the moral obligations arising from these bonds.
In my opinion, therefore, the above verse has no bearing on laws of inheritance, but is meant to
summarize, as it were, the lesson of the preceding verses: Ail true believers, of all times, form one
single community in the deepest sense of this word; and all who are thus closely related in spirit
have the highest claim on one another in accordance with God’s decree that “all believers are
brethren” (49:10).

253
 THE NINTH SÜRAH

AT-TAWBAH (REPENTANCE)

MEDINA PERIOD

N CONTRAST with every other sürah of the Qur’an, At-Tawbah is not preceded by the invo­
I cation “In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Dispenser of Grace”. This undoubtedly
deliberate omission is responsible for the view held by many Companions of the Prophet that
At-Tawbah is in reality a continuation of Al-Anfäl, and that the two together constitute one single
sürah (Zamakhsharï), notwithstanding the fact that an interval of about seven years separates the
revelation of the one from that of the other. Although there is no evidence that the Prophet
himself ever made a statement to this effect (Râzï), the inner relationship between At-Tawbah and
Al-Anfäl is unmistakable. Both are largely devoted to problems of war between the believers and
the deniers of the truth; towards the end of Al-Anfäl there is a mention of treaties and of the
possibility that these treaties might be treacherously violated by the unbelievers - a theme that is
continued and developed at the beginning of At-Tawbah; and both Al-Anfäl and At-Tawbah
dwell, in the main, on the moral distinction between the believers, on the one hand, and their
enemies and ill-wishers, on the other.
A very large part of At-Tawbah is connected with the conditions prevailing at Medina before
the Prophet’s expedition to Tabük in the year 9 H., and the vacillating spirit displayed by some of
his nominal followers. There is hardly any doubt that almost the whole of the sürah was revealed
shortly before, during and immediately after the campaign, and most of it at the time of the long
march from Medina to Tabük. (Regarding the reasons for this campaign, see notes 59 and 142.)
The title of the sürah is based on the frequent references in it to the repentance (tawbah) of the
erring ones and to its acceptance by God. Some of the Companions called it Al-BariTah
(“Disavowal”) after the first word occurring in it; and Zamakhsharï mentions also several other
titles by which the sürah was designated by the Prophet’s Companions and their immediate
successors.
At-Tawbah concludes the so-called “seven long sürahs" (that is, the distinct, almost self-
contained group of chapters beginning with Al-Baqarah and ending with the combination of
Al-Anfäl and At-Tawbah); and it is significant that some of the last verses of this group (namely,
9:124-127) return to the theme which dominates the early part of Al-Baqarah (2:6-20): the
problem of “those in whose hearts is disease” and who cannot attain to faith because they are
“bent on denying the truth” whenever it conflicts with their preconceived notions and their
personal likes and dislikes: the perennial problem of people whom no spiritual message can
convince because they do not want to grasp the truth (9: 127), and who thereby “deceive none
but themselves, and perceive it not” (2:9).

ISAVOWAL by God and His Apostle [is here- . -

D with announced] unto those who ascribe divinity
to aught beside God, [and] with whom you [O
f4*2* *&**■>*
—f .*Vr t*
believers] have made a covenant.1

J Sc., “which they (the unbelievers) have deliberately broken” (Tabarï, Baghawï, Zamakhsharï,
Râzï); see also verse 4, which relates to such of the unbelievers as remain faithful to their treaty
obligations towards the believers. The above passage connects with verses 56-58 of the preceding
sürah (Al-Anfäl). The noun barä'ah (derived from the verb bari'a, “he became free [of
something]” or “quit of having any part [in something]”) signifies a declaration of being free or
quit of any bond, moral or contractual, with the person or persons concerned (see Lane I, 178);
with reference to God - or the Apostle speaking in God’s name - it is best rendered as “disavowal”.

254
SÜRAH9
REPENTANCE
(2) [Announce unto them:] “Go, then, [freely]
about the earth for four months2-*but know that you
can never elude God, and that, verily, God shall bring
disgrace upon all who refuse to acknowledge the
truth!”
(3) And a proclamation from God and His Apostle (J) ST Ob
[is herewith made] unto all mankind on this day of the
Greatest Pilgrimage:3 “God disavows all who ascribe
divinity to aught beside Him, and [so does] His
Apostle. Hence, if you repent, it shall be for your
own good; and if you turn away, then know that you
can never elude God!”
And unto those who are bent on denying the truth f*4* Cfrft'fy 0 (J*
give thou [O Prophet] the tiding of grievous chas­
tisement. Jj 1*2 J S*
(4) But excepted shall be4-from among those who 4 ££ &
ascribe divinity to aught beside God-[people] with
whom you [O believers] have made a covenant and
who thereafter have in no wise failed to fulfil their
obligations towards you, and neither have aided any­
one against you: observe, then, your covenant with
them until the end of the term agreed with them.56
Verily, God loves those who are conscious of Him.
(5) And so, when the sacred months are over,4 slay

2 These words, addressed to the mushrikïn (“those who ascribe divinity to aught beside God”)
who have deliberately broken the treaties in force between them and the believers, indicate a
cancellation of all treaty obligations on the latters’ part. The period of four months which is to
elapse between this announcement and the beginning (or resumption) of hostilities is a further
elaboration of the injunction “cast it [i.e., the treaty] back at them in an equitable manner”, given
in 8:58 with reference to a breach of covenant by hostile unbelievers (sec also note 62 on verse 58
of sürah 8).
3 There is no unanimity among the commentators as to what is meant by “the day of the
Greatest Pilgrimage”. Most of them assume that it refers to the pilgrimage in the year 9 H., in
which the Prophet himself did not participate, having entrusted Abü Bakr with the office of amir
al-hajj. This very fact, however, makes it improbable that the designation “the Greatest Pilgrimage”
should have been given in the Qur’fin to this particular pilgrimage. On the other hand, there exists a
Tradition on the authority of 'Abd Allfih ibn 'Umar to the effect that the Prophet described in these
very words the last pilgrimage led by himself in 10 H. and known to history as the Farewell Pilgrimage
(Zamakhshari, Râzï); one may, therefore, assume that it is this which is alluded to here. If this
assumption is correct, it would justify the conclusion that verses 3 and 4 of this sürah were revealed
during the Farewell Pilgrimage, i.e., shortly before the Prophet’s death. This might explain
the-otherwise perplexing-statement, reliably attributed to the Prophet’s Companion AJ-Barfi’
(BukhfirT, Kitab at-TafsTr), that At-Tawbah was the last sürah revealed to the Prophet: for, although
it is established beyond any doubt that the sürah as a whole was revealed in 9 H. and was followed by
several other parts of the Qur’fin, e.g., Al-Mä'idah, it is possible that what Al-Barfi’ had in mind were
only these two key-verses (3 and 4) of At-Tawbah, which conceivably were revealed during the
Farewell Pilgrimage.
4 I.e., from the cancellation, explained in note 2 above, of the treaties which they have concluded
with the believers.
5 Lit., “until their term”.
6 According to a pre-Islamic custom prevalent in Arabia, the months of Muharram, Rajab, Dhu
’l-Qa'dah and Dhu ’1-tyijjah were considered “sacred" in the sense that all tribal warfare had to cease

255
 AT-TAWBAH SÜRAH

those who ascribe divinity to aught beside God

wherever you may come upon them,789and take them
captive, and besiege them, and lie in wait for them at
every conceivable place.’ Yet if they repent, and take
to prayer, and render the purifying dues, let them go
their way: for, behold, God is much-forgiving, a •JL«)! Ij
dispenser of grace.’
(6) And if any of those who ascribe divinity to
aught beside God seeks thy protection,10 grant him
protection, so that he might [be able to] hear the word ***■'

of God [from thee]; and thereupon convey him to a

place where he can feel secure:11 this, because they
[may be] people who [sin only because they] do not
know [the truth].
(7) HOW COULD they who ascribe divinity to aught
beside God be granted a covenant by God and His

during those months. It was with a view to preserving these periods of truce and thus to promoting
peace among the frequently warring tribes that the Qur’än did not revoke, but rather confirmed, this
ancient custom. See also 2:194 and 217.
7 Read in conjunction with the two preceding verses, as well as with 2:190-194, the above
verse relates to warfare already in progress with people who have become guilty of a breach of
treaty obligations and of aggression.
8 I.e., “do everything that may be necessary and advisable in warfare”. The term mar^ad
denotes “any place from which it is possible to perceive the enemy and to observe his
movements” (Manär X, 199).
9 As I have pointed out on more than one occasion, every verse of the Qufân must be read and
interpreted against the background of the Qur’an as a whole. The above verse, which speaks of a
possible conversion to Islam on the part of “those who ascribe divinity to aught beside God” with
whom the believers are at war, must, therefore, be considered in conjunction with several
fundamental Qur’anic ordinances. One of them, “There shall be no coercion in matters of faith”
(2:256), lays down categorically that any attempt at a forcible conversion of unbelievers is
prohibited - which precludes the possibility of the Muslims’ demanding or expecting that a
defeated enemy should embrace Islam as the price of immunity. Secondly, the Qur’än ordains,
“Fight in God’s cause against those who wage war against you; but do not commit aggression, for,
verily, God does not love aggressors” (2: 190); and, “if they do not let you be, and do not offer
you peace, and do not stay their hands, seize them and slay them whenever you come upon them:
and it is against these that We have clearly empowered you [to make war]” (4:91). Thus, war is
permissible only in self-defence (see sürah 2, notes 167 and 168), with the further proviso that “if
they desist - behold, God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace” (2: 192), and “if they desist, then
all hostility shall cease” (2:193). Now the enemy’s conversion to Islam - expressed in the words,
“if they repent, and take to prayer [lit., “establish prayer”] and render the purifying dues
(zakäh)"-is no more than one, and by no means the only, way of their “desisting from hostility”;
and the reference to it in verses 5 and 11 of this sürah certainly does not imply an alternative of
“conversion or death", as some unfriendly critics of Islam choose to assume. Verses 4 and 6 give a
further elucidation of the attitude which the believers are enjoined to adopt towards such of the
unbelievers as are not hostile to them. (In this connection, see also 60 : &-9).
10 Lit., “seeks to become thy neighbour”: a metaphorical expression denoting a demand for
protection, based on the ancient Arabian custom (strongly affirmed by Islam) of honouring and
protecting a neighbour to the best of one’s ability.
11 Lit., “his place of security” (ma’manahu)-i.e., “let him rejoin his homeland” (RäzT), which
implies that he is free to accept or not to accept Ute message of the Qur’än: a further re-affirmation of
the Qur’anic injunction that “there shall be no coercion in matters of faith” (2 : 256).

256
9
REPENTANCE
Apostle,12 unless it be those [of them] with whom you
[O believers] have made a covenant in the vicinity of
the Inviolable House of Worship?13 [As for the latterJ
so long as they remain true to you, be true to them:
for, verily, God loves those who are conscious of
Him.
(8) How [else could it be]?14-since, if they [who (J) ûfrfejî4-^ âî
are hostile to you] were to overcome you, they would
not respect any tie [with you,] nor any obligation to
protect [you].15 They seek to please you with their
(J) Ùji-S pj» ôb, rgj*
mouths, the while their hearts remain averse [to you];
and most of them are iniquitous. (9) God’s messages
have they bartered away for a trifling gain, and have
thus turned away from His path: evil, behold, is all
that they are wont to do, (10) respecting no tie and no
protective obligation with regard to a believer; and it
is they, they who transgress the bounds of what is
right!16
(11) Yet if they repent, and take to prayer, and
render the purifying dues, they become your brethren
and clearly do We spell out these messages
in faith:1718 <jcl Ijb’â» j xu
unto people of [innate] knowledge!
(12) But if they break their solemn pledges after
having concluded a covenant,16 and revile your
religion, then light against these archetypes of faith­
lessness19 who, behold, have no [regard for their own]

12 Lit., “have a covenant before [or “in the sight of’] God and His Apostle": i.e., be protected
by those who believe in God and His Apostle. The specific reference to the latter is meant to stress
the fact that he speaks and acts in the name of God.
13 Cf. verse 4 above. The “covenant" alluded to is the truce-agreement concluded in 6 H. at
Hudaybiyyah, in the vicinity of Mecca, between the Prophet and the pagan Quraysh, which was
(imd was obviously intended to remain) a model of the self-restraint and the tolerance expected of
true believers with regard to such of the unbelievers as are not openly hostile to them.
14 This connects with the opening clause of the preceding verse, and relates to the hostile
among “those who ascribe divinity to aught beside God”.
15 The term ill signifies any tie that arises from a compact or from blood-relationship, and
which imposes on both parties the obligation to protect each other (cf. Lane I, 75); the latter
implication is expressed in the word dhimmah, which literally denotes a “covenant of protection".
16 Or: “who are the aggressors"-the two expressions being, in this context, synonymous.
17 See note 9 above.
18 Lit., “if they break their oaths after their covenant”. This obviously refers to unbelievers
who, without having renounced their own beliefs, have concluded treaties of friendship with the
Muslims. Their subsequent “breaking of the solemn pledges” is an allusion to the breach of the
truce of Hudaybiyyah by the pagan Quraysh, which, in turn, led to the conquest of Mecca by the
Muslims in the year 8 H.
19 The word imäm (of which a'immah is the plural) denotes not merely a “leader” but
also-and primarily-“a person who is an object of imitation by his followers” (Tdj al-*Arils):
hence a “model”, or “exemplar”, or “archetype". The term kufr, which usually signifies a “denial
of [or “refusal to acknowledge”] the truth", is rendered here as “faithlessness" because it refers,
specifically, to a deliberate breaking of solemn engagements.
257
 SÜRAH
AT-TAWBAH

pledges» so that they might desist [from aggression].

(13) Would you, perchance, fail to fight against people
who have broken their solemn pledges, and have
done all that they could to drive the Apostle away,20
and have been first to attack you? Do you hold them Uji frl
in awe? Nay, it is God alone of whom you ought to
stand in awe,21 if you are [truly] believers!
(14) Fight against them! God will chastise them by
your hands, and will bring disgrace upon them, and
will succour you against them; and He will soothe the
bosoms of those who believe, (15) and will remove r? rtA*
the wrath that is in their hearts. A? 4-A-» <$>
And God will turn in His mercy unto whom He
fl (g) (çO- âb
wills:22 for, God is all-knowing, wise.
(16) Do you [O believers] think that you will be
If** ■**
spared23 unless God takes cognizance of your having
striven hard [in His cause]24 without seeking help
from any but God and His Apostle and those who ■* ' ' é
believe in Him?25 For, God is aware of all that you (jX«jlS*U ÙjLwM *1*^1
do.
û.M»: '* j'

(17) IT IS NOT for those who ascribe divinity to aught (j) jLJÎ
beside God to visit or tend26 God’s houses of worship,
the while [by their beliefs] they bear witness against il 3*'* 3* ^*^-4

themselves that they are denying the truth. It is they

whose works shall come to nought, and they who in J? j5 ÿÿ J'.b
the fire shall abide!27 (18) Only he should visit or tend
God’s houses of worship who believes in God and the
Last Day, and is constant in prayer, and spends in
charity, and stands in awe of none but God: for [only

20 I.e., from Mecca, thus bringing about his and his followers’ exodus (hijrah) to Medina.
21 Lit., “God is more worthy (ahaqq) that you should stand in awe of Him”.
22 This relates to the unbelievers with whom the Muslims are at war: for God may, if He so
wills, bring about a change of heart in them and guide them to a realization of the truth (BaghawT
and ZamakhsharT; see also Mandr X, 236).
23 Lit., “left [alone]”, i.e., without being tried by means of suffering and hardship.
24 Lit., “while God has not yet taken cognizance of those of you who have striven hard”. For
an explanation of God’s “taking cognizance”, see 3:142 and the corresponding note.
25 Lit., “without having taken any intimate helper (walîjah) other than God and His Apostle
and the believers”.
26 In its transitive form, the verb *antara comprises the meanings of both visiting and maintaining
a place; hence my rendering of an ya'murii as “that they should visit or tend”.
27 Some of the commentators conclude from this verse that “those who ascribe divinity to
aught beside God” are not allowed to enter mosques (“God’s houses of worship”). This conclusion,
however, is entirely untenable in view of the fact that in 9 h.-that is, after the revelation of this
sürah - the Prophet himself lodged a deputation of the pagan Band Thaqïf in the mosque at
Medina (RäzT). Thus, the above verse expresses no more than the moral incongruity of the
unbelievers’ “visiting or tending God’s houses of worship”. As regards their exclusion from the
central mosque of Islam at Mecca (“the Inviolable House of Worship”), see verse 28 of this sürah.

258
 9
__________________ REPENTANCE
such as] these may hope to be among the right-
guided!2829
(19) Do you, perchance, regard the [mere] giving of
water to pilgrims and the tending of the Inviolable
House of Worship as being equal to [the works of] • ($)
one who believes in God and the Last Day and strives
hard in God s cause? These [things] are not equal in
the sight of God.® And God does not grace with His
guidance people who [deliberately] do wrong.
(20) Those who believe, and who have forsaken the (J) Û J* lilt "5 â!j dî
domain of evil30 and have striven hard in God’s cause
with their possessions and their lives have the highest rt‘7*'1-’
rank in the sight of God; and it is they, they who shall (J) ùxjJ-âJÎfji«îLÏJjlj
triumph [in the end]!
(21) Their Sustainer gives them the glad tiding of r1 ^3 ^i3
the grace [that flows] from Him, and of [His] goodly
I.-» 4>î A*»» (Ç)
acceptance, and of the gardens which await them, full
of lasting bliss, (22) therein to abide beyond the count fa?* IjJJ?y jî If-tîT (J) fa»^»|
of time. Verily, with God is a mighty reward!

(23) O YOU who have attained to faith! Do not take your

fathers and your brothers for allies if a denial of the Ô[ J* ÙyLkJÎ (_• él-JjÛ (Jyi J»J
truth is dearer to them than faith: for those of you
who ally themselves with them - it is they, they who
are evildoers!31

28 Lit., “it may well be that these will be among the right-guided”. However, according to Abü
Muslim (as quoted by Râzï), as well as the great grammarian STbawayh (see Manär X, 253), the
word 'asä, usually signifying “it may well be”, is here indicative of the hope which the
above-mentioned believers may entertain.
29 Many commentators see in this verse an allusion to the boast of the pagan Quraysh, before
the Muslim conquest of Mecca, that they were superior to all other people on account of their
guardianship of the Ka'bah and their providing water (siqäyah) to pilgrims; and on being taken
prisoner by the Muslims in the battle of Badr, Al-'Abbäs, the Prophet’s uncle, excused on these
very grounds his failure to accompany the Muslims on their exodus from Mecca to Medina
(TabarT)- It is probable, however, that this verse has yet another, deeper import. According to an
authentic Tradition quoted by Muslim, Abü Dâ’üd and Ibn Hibbân (as well as by TabarT), one of the
Prophet’s Companions stated in the mosque of Medina, “I would not care, after having accepted
Islam, to do any good deed beyond providing water to the pilgrims!”-whereupon another of the
Companions declared, “Nay, [I would rather take charge of] the maintenance of the Inviolable House
of Worship.’’ But yet another Companion declared, “Nay, struggle (jihäd) in God’s cause is far better
than what you have mentioned!’’ A short time afterwards the above Qur’än-verse was revealed to the
Prophet. It would, therefore, appear that what is meant here is the superior value of faith in God and
struggle in His cause as compared with acts which, however meritorious, are concerned only with
outward forms: in brief, the immense superiority of real self-surrender to God over mere ritual.
30 See sOrah 2, note 203, and sûrah 4, note 124.
31 The term waläyah (“alliance" or “friendship”) is used in this context in the sense of an
alliance against other believers, as in 3:28. (Regarding the wider, spiritual implications of this
expression, see sürah 4, note 154.) That it does not refer to “friendship" in the sense of normal
human affection is obvious from the many exhortations in the Qur’än to be good to one’s parents
and kinsfolk; and, more explicitly, from 60:8-9, where the believers are reminded that friendly
relations with unbelievers who are not hostile to the Muslim community are permissible, and even
desirable. (See also Manär X, 269 ff., where a similar interpretation is advanced.)

259
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AT-TAWBAH

(24) Say: “If your fathers and your sons and your
brothers and your spouses and your clan, and the
worldly goods which you have acquired, and the
commerce whereof you fear a decline, and the dwell­ jjb tit Si?'
ings in which you take pleasure - [if all these] are
dearer to you than God and His Apostle and the ImLT
struggle in His cause, then wait until God makes
manifest His will;32 and [know that] God does not
grace iniquitous folk with His guidance.”
(25) Indeed, God has succoured you on many
Ä (J) fjST
battlefields, [when you were few;] and [He did so,
too,] on the Day of Hunayn, when you took pride in
H fX •»
your great numbers and they proved of no avail
whatever to you-for the earth, despite all its vast­
ness, became [too] narrow for you and you turned
back, retreating:33 (26) whereupon God bestowed (J) (2^4.
from on high His [gift of] inner peace upon His
Ujy J bj>- Jÿ'j
Apostle and upon the believers, and bestowed [upon
you] from on high forces which you could not see,34
($)
and chastised those who were bent on denying the
truth: for such is the recompense of all who deny the ($) 4/* J®
truth!
(27) But with all this,35 God will turn in His mercy
unto whom He wills: for God is much-forgiving, a
dispenser of grace.36
32 Or: “brings about [the fulfilment of] His command”. This may be an allusion to the Day of
Judgment or-more probably-to the inevitable degeneration and decline of communities which
place narrow self-interest above ethical values. In particular, this passage rejects the tendency to
regard ties of kinship and national affiliation (expressed in the term "your clan”) as the decisive
factors of social behaviour, and postulates ideology (“God and His Apostle and the struggle in His
cause”) as the only valid basis on which a believer’s life - individually and socially - should rest.
33 The battle of Hunayn, a valley situated on one of the roads leading from Mecca to Tä’if.
took place in the year 8 H., shortly after the conquest of Mecca by the Muslims. The latters'
opponents were the pagan tribes of Hawäzin (in whose territory the valley lay) and their allies, the
Banû Thaqïf. The Muslim army - reinforced by many newly-converted Meccans - comprised
about twelve thousand men, whereas the Hawäzin and ThaqTf had only one-third of that number at
their disposal. Relying on their great numerical superiority, the Muslims were over-confident and,
apparently, careless. In the narrow defiles beyond the oasis of Hunayn they fell into an ambush
prepared by the tribesmen and began to retreat in disorder after heavy losses had been inflicted on
them by the bedouin archers. It was only the example of the Prophet and his early adherents (the
Meccan muhäjirün and the anfär from Medina) that saved the day and turned the initial rout of
the Muslims into a decisive victory. It is to this battle that verses 25 and 26 refer, pointing out that
true succour can come only from God, and that great numbers, ties of kinship and worldly wealth
are of no avail if they are “dearer to you than God and His Apostle and the struggle in His cause”
(see preceding verse).
34 I.e., spiritual forces. Cf. 3:124-125 (relating to the battle of Ufrud) and the corresponding
note, as well as 8:9 (which refers to the battle of Badr). The spiritual nature of this aid is clearly
implied in the phrase, “forces which you could not” [or “did not"] see”.
35 Lit., “then, after this”.
36 Most of the commentators (e.g., Tabari, Baghawi, Zamakhshari, Ibn Kathïr) understand this
verse as relating to the unbelievers and having a general import: RäzT, however, thinks that it
refers to the believers who behaved badly at the opening stage of the battle of Hunayn. In my

260
 9
REPENTANCE
(28) O YOU who have attained to faith! Those who as­
cribe divinity to aught beside God are nothing but
impure: and so they shall not approach the In­ fp-î
violable House of Worship from this year onwards.3*
And should you fear poverty, then [know that] in
time God will enrich you out of His bounty, if He so
wills: for, verily, God is all-knowing, wise!
(29) [And] fight against those who-despite having
been vouchsafed revelation [aforetime]*-do not it v yr
[truly] believe either in God or the Last Day, and do
S cP 'SJ JJL
not consider forbidden that which God and His
Apostle have forbidden,37 41 and do not follow the
40
39
38
religion of truth [which God has enjoined upon

opinion, the former interpretation is preferable. (See also last sentence of verse 15 and note 22
above.)
37 The term najas (“impure") occurs in the Qur’än only in this one instance, and carries an
exclusively spiritual meaning (see Mandr X, 322 ff.). To this day, the bedouin of Central and
Eastern Arabia-who, contrary to the modern town-dwellers, have preserved the purity of the
Arabic idiom to a high degree - describe a person who is immoral, faithless or wicked as najas.
“The Inviolable House of Worship" (al-masjid al-haram) is, of course, the Kabbah and, by
implication, the whole of the territory of Mecca: which explains the next sentence.
38 Lit., “after this their year" - i.e., after the year 9 H., in which this surah was revealed.
39 This is an allusion to the apprehension on the part of some Muslims (and not only at the time
of the revelation of this verse) that an exclusion of unbelievers from living in or visiting Mecca
might lead to a loss of its position as a centre of trade and commerce, and thus to an
impoverishment of its inhabitants.
40 Lit., “such of those who were vouchsafed revelation [aforetime] as do not believe...", etc.
In accordance with the fundamental principle - observed throughout my interpretation of the
Qur’än-that all of its statements and ordinances are mutually complementary and cannot,
therefore, be correctly understood unless they are considered as parts of one integral whole, this
verse, too must be read in the context of the clear-cut Qur’anic rule that war is permitted only in
self-defence (see 2 : 190-194, and the corresponding notes). In other words, the above injunction to
fight is relevant only in the event of aggression committed against the Muslim community or state,
or in the presence of an unmistakable threat to its security: a view which has been shared by that
great Islamic thinker, Muhammad cAbduh. Commenting on this verse, he declared: “Fighting has
been made obligatory in Islam only for the sake of defending the truth and its followers.... All the
campaigns of the Prophet were defensive in character; and so were the wars undertaken by the
Companions in the earliest period [of Islam]" (Manâr X, 332).
41 This, to my mind, is the key-phrase of the above ordinance. The term “apostle” is obviously
used here in its generic sense and applies to all the prophets on whose teachings the beliefs of the.
Jews and the Christians are supposed to be based-in particular, to Moses and (in the case of the
Christians) to Jesus as well (Manâr X, 333 and 337). Since, earlier in this sentence, the people
alluded to are accused of so grave a sin as wilfully refusing to believe in God and the Last Day
(i.e., in life after death and man's individual responsibility for his doings on earth), it is
inconceivable that they should subsequently be blamed for comparatively minor offences against
their religious law: consequently, the stress on their “not forbidding that which God and His
apostle have forbidden" must refer to something which is as grave, or almost as grave, as disbelief
in God. In the context of an ordinance enjoining war against them, this “something” can mean only
one thing-namely, unprovoked aggression: for it is this that has been forbidden by God through
all the apostles who were entrusted with conveying His message to man. Thus, the above verse
must be understood as a call to the believers to fight against such-and only such-of the nominal
followers of earlier revelation as deny their own professed beliefs by committing aggression
against the followers of the Qur’än (cf. Mandr X, 338).

261
 AT-TAWBAH SÜRAH

them],4243
till they [agree to] pay the exemption tax with
a willing hand, after having been humbled [in war].41

(30) AND THE JEWS say, “Ezra is God’s son,” while

the Christians say, “The Christ is God’s son.” Such
are the sayings which they utter with their mouths,
following in spirit assertions made in earlier times by
people who denied the truth!44 [They deserve the

42 See in this connection the statement (in 5:13-14) that the Jews and the Christians have
forgotten much of what they had been told to bear in mind”.
43 Sc., “and having become incorporated in the Islamic state”. The term jizyah, rendered by me
as “exemption tax”, occurs in the Qui^än only once, but its meaning and purpose have been fully
explained in many authentic Traditions. It is intimately bound up with the concept of the Islamic
state as an ideological organization: and this is a point which must always be borne in mind if the
real purport of this tax is to be understood. In the Islamic state, every able-bodied Muslim is
obliged to take up arms in jihäd (i.e., in a just war in God’s cause) whenever the freedom of his
faith or the political safety of his community is imperilled: in other words, every able-bodied
Muslim is liable to compulsory military service. Since this is, primarily, a religious obligation,
non-Muslim citizens, who do not subscribe to the ideology of Islam, cannot in fairness be expected
to assume a similar burden. On the other hand, they must be accorded full protection of all their
civic rights and of their religious freedom: and it is in order to compensate the Muslim community
for this unequal distribution of civic burdens that a special tax is levied on non-Muslim citizens
(ahi adh-dhimmah, lit., “covenanted” [or “protected”] people”, i.e., non-Muslims whose safety is
statutorily assured by the Muslim community). Thus, jizyah is no more and no less than an
exemption tax in lieu of military service and in compensation for the “covenant of protection”
(dhimmah) accorded to such citizens by the Islamic state. (The term itself is derived from the verb
jazd, “he rendered [something] as a satisfaction”, or “as a compensation [in lieu of something
else]”-cf. Lane II, 422.) No fixed rate has been set either by the Qur’än or by the Prophet for this
tax; but from all available Traditions it is evident that it is to be considerably lower than the tax
called zakdh (“the purifying dues”) to which Muslims are liable and which - because it is a
specifically Islamic religious duty-is naturally not to be levied on non-Muslims. Only such of the
non-Muslim citizens who, if they were Muslims, would be expected to serve in the armed forces of
the state are liable to the payment of jizyah, provided that they can easily afford it. Accordingly, all
non-Muslim citizens whose personal status or condition would automatically free them from the
obligation to render military service are statutorily - that is, on the basis of clear-cut ordinances
promulgated by the Prophet-exempted from the payment of jizyah: (a) all women, (b) males who
have not yet reached full maturity, (c) old men, (d) all sick or crippled men, (e) priests and monks.
All non-Muslim citizens who volunteer for military service are obviously exempted from the
payment of jizyah.
My rendering of the expression 'an yad (lit., “out of hand”) as “with a willing hand”, that is,
without reluctance, is based on one of several explanations offered by ZamakhsharT in his
commentary on the above verse. Rashid Ridä’, taking the word yad in its metaphorical sig­
nificance of “power” or “ability”, relates the phrase 'an yad to the financial ability of the person
liable to the payment of jizyah (see Manär X, 342): an interpretation which is undoubtedly
justified in view of the accepted definition of this tax.
44 This statement is connected with the preceding verse, which speaks of the erring followers of
earlier revelation. The charge of shirk (“the ascribing of divinity [or “divine qualities”] to aught
beside God") is levelled against both the Jews and the Christians in amplification, as it were, of the
statement that they “do not follow the religion of truth [which God has enjoined upon them]”.
As regards the belief attributed to the Jews that Ezra (or, in the Arabicized form of this name.
cUzayr) was “God’s son”, it is to be noted that almost all classical commentators of the Qur’än
agree in that only the Jews of Arabia, and not all Jews, have been thus accused. (According to a
Tradition on the authority of Ibn 'Abbäs - quoted by Tabari in his commentary on this verse -
some of the Jews of Medina once said to Mufiammad, “How could we follow thee when thou hast
forsaken our qiblah and dost not consider Ezra a son of God?”) On the other hand, Ezra occupies
a unique position in the esteem of all Jews, and has always been praised by them in the most

262
 9
REPENTANCE
imprecation:] “May God destroy them!”4’
How perverted are their minds!* (31) They have
taken their rabbis and their monks-as well as the
Christ, son of Mary-for their lords beside God,45 4748
4651
50
49
although they had been bidden to worship none but
the One God, save whom there is no deity: the One
who is utterly remote, in His limitless glory, from
anything to which they may ascribe a share in His
divinity!
(32) They want to extinguish God’s [guiding] light
with their utterances:* but God will not allow [this to
pass], for He has willed to spread His light in all its
fullness,* however hateful this may be to all who
deny the truth.
(33) He it is who has sent forth His Apostle with
the [task of spreading] guidance and the religion of
truth, to the end that He may cause it to prevail over
all [false] religion30-however hateful this may be to urûï SjrujujTj jCXty 3; Cf
those who ascribe divinity to aught beside God.
(34) O you who have attained to faith! Behold,
many of the rabbis and monks do indeed wrongfully |>—*j-**
devour men’s possessions and turn [others] away
from the path of God. But as for all who lay up
treasures of gold and silver and do not spend them
for the sake of God31 - give them the tiding of griev-

extravagant terms. It was he who restored and codified the Torah after it had been lost during the
Babylonian Exile, and “edited’’ it in more or less the form which it has today; and thus “he
promoted the establishment of an exclusive, legalistic type of religion that became dominant in
later Judaism’’ (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1963, vol. IX, p. 15). Ever since then he has been
venerated to such a degree that his verdicts on the Law of Moses have come to be regarded by the
Talmudists as being practically equivalent to the Law itself: which, in Qur’anic ideology, amounts
to the unforgivable sin of shirk, inasmuch as it implies the elevation of a human being to the status
of a quasi-divine law-giver and the blasphemous attribution to him - albeit metaphorically - of the
quality of “sonship” in relation to God. Cf. in this connection Exodus iv, 22-23 (“Israel is My
son’’) or Jeremiah xxxi, 9 (“I am a father to Israel"): expressions to which, because of their
idolatrous implications, the Qur’än takes strong exception.
45 My interpolation, between brackets, of the words “they deserve the imprecation” is based on
ZamakhsharTs and RSzT’s convincing interpretation of this phrase. Originally, the Arabs used the
expression “may God destroy him” in the sense of a direct imprecation; but already in pre-
Qur’anic Arabic it had assumed the character of an idiomatic device meant to circumscribe
anything that is extremely strange or horrifying: and, according to many philologists, “this, rather
than its literal meaning, is the purport [of this phrase] here” (Mandr X, 399).
46 See sürah 5, note 90.
47 Cf. 3:64.
48 Lit., “with their mouths”-an allusion to the “sayings” (i.e., beliefs) mentioned in verse 30.
49 Lit., “except (ifld) that He bring His light to completion”, or “to perfection”. The expression
“for He has willed" (i.e., contrary to what the erring ones want), is here elliptically implied by
means of the particle il/d.
50 Cf. 3:19-‘'the only [true] religion in the sight of God is [man’s] self-surrender unto Him”.
See also 61:8-9.
51 Most probably this is, in the first instance, an allusion to the wealth of the Jewish and

263
 AT-TAWBAH SÜRAH

ous suffering [in the life to come]: (35) on the Day

when that [hoarded wealth] shall be heated in the fire
of hell and their foreheads and their sides and their
backs branded therewith,52 [those sinners shall be
told:] “These are the treasures which you have laid
up for yourselves! Taste, then, [the evil of] your U Ui* {-*>.>&.> k
hoarded treasures!’’

(36) BEHOLD, the number of months, in the sight of Ju. p, 4Ȕ(j CHTxj*
God, is twelve months, [laid down] in God’s decree I X
on the day when He created the heavens and the 4»j»bo'jUJT
earth; [and] out of these, four are sacred:53 this is the
ever-true law [of God]. Do not, then, sin against
yourselves with regard to these [months].54
And fight against those who ascribe divinity to (J) Jyiu l! £ Jlî j! <j K”

aught beside God, all together - just as they fight b<14 f * J-*“. j 5 [
against you, [O believers,] all together55 - and know
that God is with those who are conscious of Him.
(37) The intercalation [of months] is but one more
instance of [their] refusal to acknowledge the truth56-

Christian communities, and their misuse of this wealth. Some of the commentators, however, are
of the opinion that the reference is wider, comprising all people, including Muslims, who hoard
their wealth without spending anything thereof on righteous causes.
52 Cf. the parallel allegory, in 3:180, of the suffering which will befall the avaricious and the
niggardly in the life to come. Regarding the eschatological implications of this and similar
allegories, see Appendix I.
53 This connects with the subsequent reference to fighting against “those who ascribe divinity
to aught beside God’’ (see next note). The months spoken of here are lunar months, progressively
rotating through the seasons of the solar year (see surah 2, note 165). Since reckoning by the easily
observable lunar months is more natural than by the arbitrarily fixed months of the solar year, it is
described in this passage as “the ever-true law (din) [of God]“. The four “sacred months“ during
which warfare was considered blasphemous in pre-Islamic Arabia-a view which has been
confirmed by Islam (see note 6 above)-are Muharram, Rajab, Dhu ’1-Qa‘dah and Dhu ’l-Hijjah.
54 In their endeavour to obviate certain disadvantages for their trade caused by the seasonal
rotation of the lunar months, the pagan Arabs used to intercalate a thirteenth month in the third,
sixth and eighth year of every eight-year period, with a view to making the lunar calendar more or
less stationary, and thus roughly corresponding to the solar year. An acceptance of this unwar­
ranted intercalation by the Muslims would have tied the Mecca pilgrimage as well as the fast of
Ramadan to fixed seasons, and would thus have made, permanently, the performance of these
religious duties either too exacting or too easy; and in either case the believers would have been
offending against the spiritual purpose underlying these duties - which is the meaning of the words
“do not sin against yourselves with regard to these [months]“: i.e., by following, without any
warrant from God, a custom devised by “those who ascribe divinity to aught beside Him”, to
whom the sequence refers.
55 I.e., ‘‘just as all of them are, as it were, united against you in their rejection of the truth, be
united against them in your readiness for self-sacrifice”. As regards the circumstances in which the
Muslims are authorized to make war against unbelievers, see the earlier parts of this sürah, and
especially verses 12—13, as well as 2:190-194, where the general principles relating to war are laid
down.
56 Lit., “is but an increase in denying the troth (ku/r)”. The term narr’, rendered by me as
“intercalation”, may also be translated as “postponement” -i.e., the postponement of lunar
months by means of the periodica] intercalation of a thirteenth month, as practiced by the
 REPENTANCE
.[a means] by which those who are bent on denying
the truth are led astray. They declare this [inter­
calation] to be permissible in one year and forbidden
in [another] year,57 in order to conform [outwardly] to
the number of months which God has hallowed: and
thus they make allowable what God has forbidden.58
Goodly seems unto them the evil of their own doings,
since God does not grace with His guidance people
who refuse to acknowledge the truth.
L yf fJiïT
(38) O YOU who have attained to faith! What is amiss
with you that, when you are called upon, “Go forth to
war in God’s cause,’’ you cling heavily to the earth?”
Would you content yourselves with [the comforts of]
this worldly life in preference to [the good of] the life
to come? But the enjoyment of life in this world is
but a paltry thing when compared with the life to
come!
(39) If you do not go forth to war [in God’s cause]. aï »3^ (£)
He will chastise you with grievous chastisement, and
will place another people in your stead - whereas you
shall in no wise harm Him: for, God has the power to
will anything.
(40) If you do not succour the Apostle,“ then

pre-lslamic Arabs with a view to bringing the traditional lunar calendar, for purely worldly
reasons, into accord with the solar year (see note 54 above). The Qur’ân describes this practice as
an additional instance of kufr because it contravenes God’s declared will as regards the ob­
servance of the lunar calendar in respect of various religious duties (cf. the preceding verse, as
well as 2:189 and the corresponding note 165).
57 An allusion to the arbitrary manner in which the pre-lslamic Arabs intercalated a thirteenth
month in the third, sixth and eighth year of every eight-year period.
58 By means of the intercalation spoken of above, the pagan Arabs did in most years keep the
number of months to twelve; but by divorcing the four “sacred months’’ (Muharram, Rajab, Dhu
'1-Qa'dah and Dhu ’1-fyijjah), from their proper lunar context they obviously profaned and perverted
the natural law.
59 I.e., “you are sluggish in your response, clinging to the life of this world”. This verse-as
well as most of this sürah from here onward - alludes to the campaign of TabOk, in the year 9 H.
The immediate reason for this expedition was the information which the Prophet received to the
effect that the Byzantines, made apprehensive by the rapid growth of Islam in Arabia and incited
by the Prophet’s enemy Abü 'Amir (see note 142 on verse 107 of this sürah), were assembling
large forces on the confines of the Peninsula with a view to marching against Medina and
overthrowing the Muslims. To guard against such an assault, the Prophet assembled the strongest
force the Muslims were capable of, and set out in the month of Rajab, 9 H., towards the frontier.
On reaching TabOk, about half-way between Medina and Damascus, the Prophet ascertained that
the Byzantines were either not yet ready to invade Arabia or had entirely given up the idea for the
time being; and so-in accordance with the Islamic principle that war may be waged only in
self-defence - he returned with his followers to Medina without engaging in hostilities.
At the time of the preparation for this expedition, the hypocrites and a minority among the
believers displayed an extreme reluctance (referred to in this and the following verses) to embark
on a war with Byzantium: and it is this minority that the above verse reproaches for “cling­
ing heavily to the earth" (Manor X, 493).
60 LiL, “him”, i.e., Muhammad.
265
 SÜRAH
AT-TAWBAH

[know that God will do so-just as] God succoured

him at the time when those who were bent on denying
the truth drove him away, [and he was but] one of
two:*1 when these two were [hiding] in the cave, [and]
the Apostle said to his companion, “Grieve not: (j Ia (jj—T (jlf b/îâ»
verily, God is with us.”6162 And thereupon God be­
stowed upon him from on high His [gift of] inner Jÿli H
peace,63 and brought utterly low the cause of those
who were bent on denying the truth, whereas the J-G j £7 J fh b

cause of God remained supreme:64 for God is al­

mighty, wise.
(41) Go forth to war, whether it be easy or difficult 11»j lilit. b_/LÎ
[for you],65 and strive hard in God’s cause with your
possessions and your lives: this is for your own
good-if you but knew it! l*—C-y ùs jj (j)
(42) Had there been [a prospect of] immediate gain,
and an easy journey, they would certainly have fol­ & ^3 ±b»~V
lowed thee, [O Prophet:] but the distance was too
great for them.66 And yet, [after your return, O pu uXLLTj
believers,] they will swear by God, “Had we been
J 11* âî ü» (j)
able to do so, we would certainly have set out with pi
you!”-[and by thus falsely swearing] they will be
destroying their own selves: for God knows indeed
that they are lying!
(43) May God pardon thee [O Prophet]!67 Why

61 Lit., “the second of two": an allusion to the Prophet’s flight, in the company of Abfl Bakr,
from Mecca to Medina in the year 622 of the Christian era. The expression “the second of two"
does not imply any order of precedence but is synonymous with “one of two": cf. the Prophet's
saying to Abü Bakr, on that very occasion, “What [could], in thy opinion, [happen] to two [men]
who have God as the third with them?" (Bukhari, in the chapter Fatfâ'ii Afhäb an-Nab ï.)
62 When the Prophet and Abfl Bakr left on their hijrah to Medina, they first hid for three nights
in a cave on Mount Thawr, in the vicinity of Mecca, where they were almost discovered and
apprehended by the pagan Quraysh who were pursuing them (BukhârT, loc. cit.).
63 Cf. verse 26 above.
64 Lit., “is the highest". The expression rendered by me as “cause”, which occurs twice in this
sentence, reads, literally, “word" (kalimah).
65 Lit., .‘lightly or heavily". The rendering adopted by me corresponds to the interpretation
given to this expression by most of the classical commentators (e.g., ZamakhsharT and Râzï).
66 A reference to the unwillingness of some of the Muslims to follow the Prophet’s call and to
set out on the expedition to the frontier (see last paragraph of note 59 above). A strenuous march
of about fourteen days was needed to reach Tabük, the goal of this expedition; and the uncertainty
of its outcome, as well as the hardships involved, gave rise to all manner of spurious excuses on
the part of the half-hearted believers and hypocrites. As the next verse shows, the Prophet
accepted these excuses in many cases, and allowed the men concerned to remain at Medina.
67 All the commentators agree in that this phrase, although expressed in the form of an
invocation, has the meaning of a statement - “God pardons thee" or “has pardoned thee”-
absolving the Prophet of any moral responsibility for his mistaken, but humanly understandable,
acceptance of equivocal pleas on the part of those who wished to be excused from participating in
the campaign. To me it seems that this statement of “absolution” was primarily intended to free
the Prophet from any self-reproach for his too-great liberality in this respect. (It should be borne
in mind that this part of At-Tawbah was revealed during or immediately after the expedition.)

266
9
REPENTANCE
didst thou grant them permission [to stay at home]
ere it had become obvious to thee as to who was
speaking the truth, and [ere] thou earnest to know
[who were] the liars?
(44) Those who [truly] believe in God and the Last
Day do not ask thee for exemption from struggling
with their possessions and their lives [in God’s
cause]-and God has full knowledge as to who is
conscious of Him-:68 (45) only those ask thee for <t> 'yCeA tir-
exemption who do not [truly] believe in God and the
Last Day and whose hearts have become a prey to
doubt, so that in their doubting they waver between
<S>
one thing and another.
(46) For, had they been [truly] desirous of setting
out [with thee], they would surely have made some
preparation therefor: but God was averse to their <$> '-»"Â f-jrlJ J f-è f-cJ*
taking the field, and so He caused them to hold back
when it was said, “[You may] stay at home with all
[the others] who stay at home.”6’
(47) Had these [hypocrites] set out with you, [O
believers,] they would have added nothing to you
save the evil of corruption, and would surely have > t/ »I X X» •* > > X >»X
f-1
scurried to and fro in your midst, seeking to stir up
discord among you, seeing that there are in your
midst such as would have lent them ear: but God has
full knowledge of the evildoers. <5>
(48) Indeed, even before this time70 have they tried
to stir up discord and devised all manner of plots
against thee, [O Prophet,] until the truth was revealed
and God’s will became manifest, however hateful this
may have been to them.
(49) And among them there was [many a one] who
said,71 “Grant me permission [to remain at home], and
do not put me to too hard a test!” Oh, verily, [by
making such a request] they had [already failed in
their test and] succumbed to a temptation to evil:72

68 Lit., “has full knowledge of the God-conscious (bi’l-muttaqrn)”.

69 This may refer to the permission granted by the Prophet (see verse 43) to certain of his
followers who, for apparently legitimate reasons, were unable to take part in the campaign (Tabari,
ZamakhsharT, Râzï) - a permission of which the hypocrites only too readily availed themselves. As
regards God’s “causing” those hypocrites to sin in this way, see 2:7 and the corresponding note 7,
as well as sürah 3, note 117.
70 I.e., before the expedition to TabQk, during which these passages were revealed.
71 I.e., at the time when the Prophet was making preparations for the campaign.
72 See verses 44 and 45 above. It is to be noted that both the verbal form IS taftinnî (rendered
by me as “do not put me to too hard a test”) and the noun fitnah have the same root, comprising a
great complex of meanings: e.g., test, trial, affliction, temptation to evil, seduction, persecution,
oppression, discord, civil strife, etc. (cf. sürah 8, note 25). Since it is impossible in any language
but Arabic to reproduce all these many shades of meaning in a single expression, the rendering of
the term fitnah must necessarily vary in accordance with the context in which it is used.
267
and, behold, hell will indeed encompass all who re­
fuse to acknowledge the truth!
(50) Should good fortune alight on thee,73 [O Pro­
phet,] it will grieve them; and should misfortune
befall thee, they will say [to themselves], “We have
already taken our precautions beforehand!”-and will ii-». dp* sLmJ j
turn away, and will rejoice.
(51) Say. “Never can anything befall us save what uJu j» y>. dp p-*
God has decreed! He is our Lord Supreme; and in
God let the believers place their trust!” 4^* J»(£> p
(52) Say: “Are you, perchance, hopefully waiting
for something [bad] to happen to us-[the while no­ ûy* j* Gj ât
thing can happen to us] save one of the two best
things?74 But as far as you are concerned, we are
5*
hopefully waiting for God to inflict chastisement upon L j' »»X*&-Z-.'.-*'- j'
you, [either] from Himself75 or by our hands! Wait,
tju ynji j» (^> £-*•
then, hopefully; behold, we shall hopefully wait with
you!”
(£) cHà J J*
(53) Say: “You may spend [anything], willingly or
unwillingly, [pretending that you do it for the sake of ât ijJîfpW’ P £
God:] it shall never be accepted from you76-for,
verily, you are people bent on iniquity!” V’ î>jt IVJ up;
(54) For, only this prevents their spending from
being accepted from them:77 they are bent on refusing p© içp* (j)
to acknowledge God and His Apostle, and never pray
without reluctance,78 and never spend [on righteous
causes] without resentment. (55) Let not, then, their (•* f-rl & ©p (£>
worldly goods or [the happiness which they may
derive from] their children excite thy admiration: God
but wants to chastise them by these means in this
worldly life, and [to cause] their souls to depart while
they are [still] denying the truth.79
(56) And they swear by God that they do indeed

73 I.e., in the course of the expedition to Tabük, during which most of this sürah was revealed.
One should, however, bear in mind that these verses have not merely a historical connotation but,
rather, aim at depicting hypocrisy as such.
74 Le., either victory or martyrdom in God’s cause. The verb tarabbafa has usually the
connotation of waiting with expectancy, and is, therefore, most suitably rendered as “he hopefully
waited”.
75 Sc., in the life to come.
76 I.e., “it shall never be acceptable to God”: an allusion to the readiness on the part of many
hypocrites to contribute financially to “good causes”, ostensibly for the sake of moral con­
siderations but, in reality, “only to be seen and praised by men” (cf. 2:264 and 4:38).
77 Lit., “nothing prevents their spending from being accepted from them except that...”, etc.
78 Lit., “and they do not approach prayer without being reluctant”-i.e., when they participate
in acts of worship they do it only for the sake of outward conformity, and not out of inner
conviction.
79 Sc., “for which sin they will have to suffer in the life to come”. See also 3:178 and 8:28,
and the corresponding notes.

268
 REPENTANCE
belong to you - the while they do not belong to you,
but are [only] people ridden by fear: (57) if they could
but find a place of refuge, or any cavern, or a crevice
[in the earth], they would turn towards it in headlong
haste.”
(58) And among them are such as find fault with 3j Jÿ ^05 JS-
thee [O Prophet] concerning [the distribution of] the
(w) IjJji jl
81 if they are given
offerings given for the sake of God:80
something thereof, they are well-pleased; but if they Çj y**' j ilji* Û* f-r?
are not given anything thereof, lo! they are consumed
with anger. (59) And yet, [it would be but for their i^r'jjj <3> 'sfÇ*J
own good] if they were to content themselves with
Ljrj-» I-; **t
what God has given them and [caused] His Apostle
[to give them],82 and would say, “God is enough for âï L.3 «4-i» j- âl
us! God will give us [whatever He wills] out of His
bounty, and [will cause] His Apostle [to give us, too]:
verily, unto God alone do we turn with hope!”
(60) The offerings given for the sake of God83 are S3
[meant] only for the poor and the needy, and those
who are in charge thereof,84 and those whose hearts
are to be won over, and for the freeing of human
beings from bondage, and [for] those who are over-

80 Thus the Qur’än shows that the innermost cause of all hypocrisy is fear -fear of a moral
commitment and, at the same time, fear of an open breach with one’s social environment In their
overriding, immoral desire for social conformity, “the hypocrites seek to deceive God - the while it
is He who causes them to be deceived [by themselves]” (4: 142); and as “they are oblivious of
God, so He is oblivious of them" (9:67). One should note, in this connection, that the Arabic term
munäfiq - which, for want of a better word, is rendered as “hypocrite" - applies both to conscious
dissemblers bent on deceiving their fellow-men, as well as to people who, out of an inner
uncertainty, are deceiving themselves. For a fuller discussion of this term, see note 7 on 29:11,
which probably represents the earliest instance of its use in the Qur’än.
81 Since there is no English equivalent for the term fadaqät (sing, sadaqah), I am rendering it
here as “offerings given for the sake of God”. This comprises everything that a believer freely
gives to another person, out of love or compassion, as well as what he is morally or legally obliged
to give, without expecting any worldly return: that is, charitable gifts and deeds of every
description (which is the primary meaning of fadaqät - e.g., in 2 : 263 and 264), as well as the
obligatory tax called zakäh (“the purifying dues", because its payment purifies, as it were, a
person’s property from the taint of selfishness). In the context of the above verse, this term refers
to the funds thus collected and administered by the Muslim community or state. When these funds
are disbursed for the purposes stipulated in verse 60, they assume once more-this time in relation
to the recipients - the aspect of “charitable gifts”.
82 Lit., “what God has given them, and His Apostle”: a typically Qur’anic construction meant
to bring out the fact that the real giver is God, and that the Apostle is His instrument. Although
this passage relates, primarily, to the hypocrites at Medina and the historical situation obtaining at
the time of the expedition to TabOk, the import of these verses goes beyond the historical occasion
of their revelation, describing as it does “the attitude and mentality of hypocrites of all times, and
everywhere” (Manär X, 567). Consequently, we may assume that the reference, in this context, to
“God’s Apostle” is not confined to the person of the Prophet Muhammad but implies, metony-
mically, the Law of Islam as revealed through him-and, thus, to every government that holds
authority by virtue of that Law and rules in accordance with it.
83 See note 81 above.
84 I.e., the officials entrusted with the collection and administration of zakäh funds.

269
 AT-TAWBAH
SÜRAH

burdened with debts, and [for every struggle] in

God’s cause, and [for] the wayfarer: [this is] an
ordinance from God - and God is all-knowing, wise.85

(61) AND AMONG those [enemies of the truth] there are

such as malign the Prophet by saying, “He is all
ear.”86
Say: “[Yes,] he is all ear, [listening] to what is good '>■*'*
for you!87 He believes in God, and trusts the be­
(g) pJI fcJjc JLx JiT J_r-j >£•*
lievers, and is [a manifestation of God’s] grace
towards such of you as have [truly] attained to faith.
And as for those who malign God’s Apostle - griev­
ous suffering awaits them [in the life to come]!”
(62) [The hypocrites] swear to you by God [that E
they are acting in good faith], with a view to pleasing ^4^ jU , J Z>U j Jiî
you [O believers] - the while it is God and His
Apostle whose pleasure they should seek above all
else, if indeed they are believers!88
(63) Do they not know that for him who sets
himself against God and His Apostle there is in store

85 These eight categories circumscribe all the purposes for which zakäh funds may be
expended. By “those whose hearts are to be won over” are apparently meant such non-Muslims as
are close to understanding and, perhaps, accepting Islam, and for whose conversion every effort
should be made, either directly or indirectly (i.e., by means of the widest possible propagation of
the teachings of Islam). As regards the expression fi 'r-riqäb (“for the freeing of human beings
from bondage”), which relates both to the ransoming of prisoners of war and to the freeing of
slaves, see surah 2, note 146. The term al-ghârimün describes people who are overburdened with
debts contracted in good faith, which - through no fault of their own - they are subsequently
unable to redeem. The expression “in God’s cause” embraces every kind of struggle in righteous
causes, both in war and in peace, including expenditure for the propagation of Islam and for all
charitable purposes. Regarding the meaning of ibn as-sabïl (“wayfarer"), see sürah 2, note 145.
86 I.e., “he believes everything that he hears”. Most of the commentators assume that the
hypocrites were thus alluding to the Prophet’s alleged propensity to believe everything-good or
bad - that he was told about other people (cf. Manor X, 600). Since, however, there is no historical
evidence of such a “propensity” on his part, it seems to me that what the hypocrites referred to
was the Prophet’s readiness to listen to what they-in common with many other unbelievers-
regarded as mere hallucinatory sounds, and to interpret them “mistakenly” as revelations. This
would explain the statement that “they malign the Prophet” - namely, by attributing to him
self-deception - and that this saying of theirs “amounts to a denial of the truth” (see verse 74 of
this sürah).-The verb ädhä signifies primarily “he molested” or “annoyed [another]”, i.e., in a
manner not amounting to actual harm (darar). Since in the above context this verb is used in the
sense of making a derogatory remark, yu'dhün is best rendered as “they malign”.
87 I.e., to divine revelation.
88 L*t., “the while God and His Apostle are most entitled that they should seek His
pleasure...”, etc. As has been pointed out by many of the commentators (and most succinctly by
Rashid Ri<Jä* in Manâr X, 607 f.), there is no question of any juxtaposition of God and His
Apostle in this phrase. This is made clear by the use of the singular pronoun in an yurdühu (“that
they should seek His pleasure”), which is meant to bring out - in the inimitable elliptic form so
characteristic of the Qur’än - the idea that God’s pleasure is the only worthwhile goal of all human
endeavour, and that a believer’s duty to surrender to the Prophet’s guidance is but an outcome of
the fact that he is the bearer of God’s message to man. Cf. in this connection, “Whoever pays heed
unto the Apostle pays heed unto God thereby” (4:80), or, “Say [O Prophet]: ‘If you love God,
follow me, [and] God will love you’” (3:31).

270
9
REPENTANCE
the fire of hell, therein to abide - that most awesome
disgrace?
(64) [Some of] the hypocrites dread lest a [new]
sürah be revealed [in evidence] against them, making
them understand what is [really] in their hearts.® •jit* (» r.^ «Jj« o' jjUiLjïjijt (^)
Say: “Go on mocking! Behold, God will bring to
light the very thing that you are dreading!’’89 90 £/ âï ’/jr—ÎJ» j
(65) Yet, indeed, if thou wert to question them, UTCx [ JjLJ «J, L.
they would surely answer, “We were only indulging
in idle talk, and were playing [with words].”91
Say: “Were you, then, mocking at God and His
jZfô"jî V
messages and His Apostle? (66) Do not offer [empty]
excuses! You have indeed denied the truth after
[having professed] your belief [in it]!”92
Though We may efface the sin of some of you, We
shall chastise others - seeing that they were lost in sin.93
(67) The hypocrites, both men and women, are all jjrtJ
of a kind: they enjoin the doing of what is wrong and
forbid the doing of what is right,9495and withhold their -tej (J) ùji <j[ fc-»»
hands [from doing good]. They are oblivious of God,
and so He is oblivious of them. Verily, the hypo­
crites-it is they, they who are truly iniquitous!93

89 This refers to a particular type of hypocrite: namely, to the doubter who, not having any real
convictions on this score, leaves the question of God’s existence and/or Muhammad’s pro­
phethood open (Manâr X, 610), but nevertheless, for the sake of worldly advantage, would like to
be regarded as a believer. (Since, obviously, not all hypocrites belong to this category, my
interpolation of the words “some of” at the beginning of this verse would seem to be justified.)
The ambivalent attitude of mind alluded to here implies hypocrisy not merely with regard to one’s
social environment but also with regard to oneself: an unwillingness - or, rather, fear-on the part
of such people to admit to themselves “what is really going on in their hearts" (cf. verses 56-57
and note 80 above), and the dim realization that this ambivalence is only a cover for their desire to
escape from all spiritual commitment (cf. 2:9-“they would deceive God and those who have
attained to faith-the while they deceive none but themselves").
90 Namely, self-knowledge. The accusation of “mocking" refers to their frivolous allusion to
the Prophet, “He is all ear" (see verse 61 and note 86 above).
91 Most of the classical commentators assume that this refers to the derisive remarks made by
some of the hypocrites about the alleged futility of the expedition to Tabük. In view of the
sequence, however, 1 am of the opinion that this is a further reference to those who “malign the
Prophet by saying, ‘He is all ear’” (verse 61)-i.e., accuse him of self-deception - and thus, by
implication, “mock at God and His messages” (see next sentence).
92 See note 89 above.
93 I.e., consciously persevered in hypocrisy (ZamakhsharT). The above Qur’anic sentence
expresses the doctrine that in His final judgment God will take into account all that is in a sinner’s
heart, and will not indiscriminately condemn everyone who has been sinning out of weakness or
out of an inner inability to resolve his doubts, and not out of a conscious inclination to evil (cf.
4:98-“excepted shall be the [truly] helpless-be they men or women or children-who cannot
bring forth any strength and have not been shown [or “cannot find”] the right way”).
94 I.e., their behaviour is-in its effect, at least-the exact opposite of that expected of the
believers (cf. 3:104, 110 and 114; 9:71 and 112; and 22:41).
95 It is to be borne in mind that this and the following verses refer to the conscious
hypocrites spoken of in the last sentence of the preceding verse, and not to the waverers, whose
hypocrisy is an outcome of inner fears and uncertainties.

271
 AT-TAWBAH
SÜRAH

(68) God has promised the hypocrites, both men

and women-as well as the [outright] deniers of the
truth-the fire of hell, therein to abide: this shall be
their allotted portion. For, God has rejected them,
and long-lasting suffering awaits them.
(69) [Say unto them: “You are] like those [hypo­
crites] who lived before your time.96 Greater than you
were they in power, and richer in wealth and in
children; and they enjoyed their share [of happiness]. % jus yV
And you have been enjoying your share-just as
those who preceded you enjoyed their share; and you
have been indulging in scurrilous talk-just as they
indulged in it. It is they whose works have come to
nought in this world and in the life to come - and it is
j r^u.
they, they who are the lost!”97
(70) Have, then, the stories of those who preceded <jc^ I* (^r'k J * z**
them never come within the ken of these [hypocrites
and deniers of the truth]?-[the stories] of Noah’s
people, and of [the tribes of] rÄd and Thamüd, and of
Abraham’s people, and of the folk of Madyan, and of dJûK'Vu t^jI» rrt C—
the cities that were overthrown?98 To [all of] them
<£) ûjÂ. pt-•** fÄ
their apostles had come with all evidence of the truth,
[but they rejected them:] and so it was not God who J»jyût fr*!
wronged them [by His punishment], but it was they
who wronged themselves. »juif

(71) AND [as for] the believers, both men and women-
they are close unto one another:99 they [ail] enjoin
the doing of what is right and forbid the doing of <$>
what is wrong, and are constant in prayer, and render jA-o j-r
the purifying dues, and pay heed unto God and His
Apostle. It is they upon whom God will bestow His
grace: verily, God is almighty, wise!
(72) God has promised the believers, both men and
women, gardens through which running waters flow,
therein to abide, and goodly dwellings in gardens of

96 A reference to the statement, in verse 67, that conscious hypocrites are intrinsically “all of a
kind’’ (baed«hum min bar(i).
97 Sc., “and the same will happen to you unless you repent”.
98 I.e., Sodom and Gomorrah, the cities of Lot’s people (see 7:80-84 and 11:69-83). Re­
ferences to the chastisement meted out to Noah’s people as well as to the *Äd and Thamüd and
the folk of Madyan (the Biblical Midian) are found in several places in the Qur’än; see, in
particular, 7:59-79 and 85-93, and the corresponding notes. The reference to “Abraham’s
people” seems to point to the Babylonians, who rejected the monotheism preached by him, and to
the overthrow of their first empire, at about 1100 B.C., by the Assyrians.
99 Or: “are the protectors [or “friends and protectors”] of one another”. Since, however, the
believers are here contrasted with the hypocrites, spoken of in verse 67 as being “all of a kind”, it
is preferable to render the term wair (of which awliyä* is the plural) in its primary meaning of being
“near" or “close” to one another.
 9
REPENTANCE
perpetual bliss:’00 but God’s goodly acceptance is the
greatest [bliss of all]-for this, this is the triumph
supreme!

(73) O PROPHET! Strive hard against the deniers of the

jÂ-I j
truth and the hypocrites, and be adamant with
them.100
101 And [if they do not repent,] their goal shall
be hell-and how vile a journey’s end!
(74) [The hypocrites] swear by God that they have
said nothing [wrong]; yet most certainly have they
uttered a saying which amounts to a denial of the
' , e t
and have [thus] denied the truth after [having
truth,102103
104
professed] their self-surrender to God: for they were
aiming at something which was beyond their reach.1®
And they could find no fault [with the Faith] save that
God had enriched them and [caused] His Apostle [to
enrich them] out of His bounty!10*
Hence, if they repent, it will be for their own good;
but if they turn away, God will cause them to suffer
grievous suffering in this world and in the life to
come, and they will find no helper on earth, and none
to give [them] succour.
(75) And among them are such as vow unto God,

100 For an explanation of this rendering of *adn (akin to the Hebrew 'edên, “delight" or “bliss”),
see note 45 on 38:50, where this expression occurs for the first time in the chronological order of
Qur’anic revelation.
101 I.e., “do not compromise with them in matters of principle". Regarding the meaning of the
verb jahada (“he strove hard”, i.e., in a righteous cause), see surah 4, note 122. The imperative
jähid is obviously used here in its spiritual connotation, implying efforts at convincing both the
outspoken unbelievers and the waverers, including the various types of hypocrites spoken of in the
preceding passages. Although the imperative is addressed in the first instance to the Prophet, it is
considered to be morally binding on all believers.
102 See the first sentence of verse 61 above, and the corresponding note 86. The allegation that
the Prophet deceived himself in the matter of revelation is, naturally, equivalent to disbelief in the
outcome of his revelation, i.e., the Qur’än.
103 Lit., “which they were unable to attain to". The classical commentators take this as a
reference to an abortive plot, on the part of some of the hypocrites, to kill the Prophet during the
expedition to Tabak. However, without contesting the validity of this historical interpretation, I
believe that the above allusion has a far deeper meaning - namely, the existential impossibility of
one’s ever attaining to inner peace without a positive belief that man’s life has meaning and
purpose, either of which can be glimpsed only through the revelations bestowed on those
exceptionally gifted and receptive personalities, the prophets. (An indirect reference to divine
revelation as the only source of this kind of cognition appears in 96:5, that is, in the earliest
Qur’anic passage revealed to the Prophet.) Thus, torn between their half-hearted desire to
“surrender themselves to God" and their unwillingness to accept the divine guidance offered them
by the Prophet, the hypocrites “were aiming at something which was beyond their reach".
104 I.e., by means of the spiritual guidance contained in the Qur’än and the material welfare
resulting from an adherence to its moral and social principles. The above phrase implies that the
reluctance of the hypocrites to pay heed to the Prophet was not due to their finding fault with the
Faith as such but, rather, to their lack of gratitude for the spiritual and material benefits which they
had derived from it. (Because of its historical associations, most of this verse is expressed in the
past tense, although its moral import is obviously timeless.)

273
 SÜRAH
AT-TAWBAH

“If indeed He grant us [something] out of His bounty,

we shall most certainly spend in charity, and shall
most certainly be among the righteous!” (76) But as
soon as He has given them [aught] out of His bounty,
they cling to it niggardly, and turn away in their
obstinacy [from all that they have vowed]: (77)
whereupon He causes hypocrisy to take root in their
hearts, [therein to remain] until the Day on which I» r.^ <S> l&J
they shaU meet Him105 - because they have failed to
fulfil the vow which they had made unto God, and U Ce /îJiL f-r j1» j
because they were wont to lie.106
(78) Do they not know that God knows [all] their (Ui âT ùl IJ' (w) y&Ur j

hidden thoughts and their secret confabulations, and

($)
that God knows fully all the things that are beyond
the reach of human perception?
(79) [It is these hypocrites] who find fault with such
of the believers as give for the sake of God1®7 more Je âîje
than they are duty-bound to give, as well as with such
as find nothing [to give] beyond [the meagre fruits of] yi—» J ($> {£
their, toil, and who scoff at them [all].108
God will cause their scoffing to rebound on them­
selves,109 and grievous suffering awaits them. (80)
[And] whether thou dost pray [unto God] that they be
forgiven or dost not pray for them - [it will all be the
same: for even] if thou wert to pray seventy times"0

105 Lit., “He has caused hypocrisy to become for them a consequence (a'qabahum) in their
hearts until the Day on which they shall meet Him” (i.e., until their resurrection). Thus, the Qur’än
states that it is excessive love of worldly possessions which gives rise, in a certain type of man, to
the attitude of mind described as “hypocrisy” - and not vice versa (see also 29:11 and the
corresponding note 7). Cf. in this connection the Prophet’s saying, reported by Abü Hurayrah:
“The mark (dya/i) of the hypocrite is threefold: when he speaks, he lies; and when he promises, he
breaks his promise; and when he is trusted, he betrays” (Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi and NasâT,
similar Traditions, on the authority of cAbd Allah ibn cAmr, are quoted by Bukhari, Muslim, AbQ
Dä’üd, Nasä’i, Ibn Mâjah and Ibn Hanbal).
106 I.e., to themselves, trying to find excuses for their breaking their vow.
107 Regarding my rendering of çadaqât as “that which is given for the sake of God”, see note
81 above.
108 There are many authentic Traditions to the effect that the hypocrites at Medina used to
deride the offerings which the believers brought to the Prophet (as head of the community and the
state) in response to the Qur’anic ordinance that they should “give for the sake of God”. For
instance, the Companion AbQ Mas'üd reports: “[When] a man brought an ample offering, they
[i.e., the hypocrites] would say, ‘He [only] wants to be seen and praised by men’; and when a man
brought an offering of a small measure [of dates or grain], they would say, ‘God does not stand in
need of such an offering’” (Bukhari and Muslim, and many similar versions in other hadith
compilations). The above verse, however, does not allude merely to these historical incidents but
serves to illustrate the mentality of the hypocrite whose own insincerity colours his view of all
other people.
. will scoff at them": a turn of phrase often occurring in the Qur’än (e.g., in 2:15),
indicating God’s requital.
110 I.e., many times. In Arabic usage, the number “seventy” often stands for “many”, just as
“seven” is a synonym for “several" (see Lisdn al-'Arab and Täj al-'Arüs). It is evident from

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 9____________________
REPENTANCE
that they be forgiven, God will not forgive them,
seeing that they are bent on denying God and His
Apostle. And God does not bestow His guidance
upon such iniquitous folk.1"

(81) THOSE [hypocrites] who were left behind rejoiced in

their staying away [from war]"2 after [the departure 0s_
of] God’s Apostle, for they hated the thought of
striving with their possessions and their lives in God’s
cause; and they had [even] said [to the others], “Do j J
not go forth to war in this heat!”
Say: “The fire of hell is hotter by far!” ijiiÉa,iy. I yjj j
Had they but grasped this truth! (82) Let them,
'»L’s (2)
then, laugh a little - for they will weep a lot"3 in
return for what they have earned. ÜÂi» âl wUafj j[i (#) dj—
(83) Hence, [O Prophet,] if God brings thee again
face to face with some of them,"4 and then they ask Lb* cf jjl
thy leave to go forth [to war with thee], say: “Never
jz -I»' ijÂL JU
shall you go forth with me, nor shall you fight an
enemy together with me! Behold, you were well- f-é j*’ ÿ <$) £ bxJli
pleased to stay at home on that first occasion: stay at
home, then, with those who [are obliged to] remain f* X> ’•É’ ^4*
behind!”"3
(84) And never shalt thou pray over any of them
that has died, and never shalt thou stand by his
grave:"6 for, behold, they were bent on denying God

many authentic Traditions (recorded, among others, by BukhârT and Muslim) that the Prophet
often prayed to God that He pardon his enemies.
Ill I.e., “those who are so deeply rooted in their iniquity and in their insolent persistence in
evildoing (tamarrud)... [that] they have lost all disposition for repentance and belief” (Mânar X,
657).
112 Lit., “rejoiced in their sitting [at home]”-a reference to those who, under one pretext or
another, excused themselves from participating in the expedition to Tabük (see notes 59 and 66
above). As is evident from the sequence-and dearly stated in many authentic Traditions-one of
the excuses advanced was the extreme heat of the season.
113 Lit., “and let them weep a lot”.
114 Lit., “if God brings thee back [from the campaign] to a group of them”-i.e., to those
hypocrites who remained at home under false pretences.
115 I.e., with the old men, the women, the children and the sick, who are not able or not
expected to go to war (Mandr X, 662).
116 I.e., unless he has repented before his death. It is reported that when the life-long opponent
of the Prophet and leader of the hypocrites of Medina./Abd Allah ibn Ubayy. was dying, he sent
his son to the Prophet with the request that the latter give him his (the Prophet’s) shirt, so that he
might be buried in it, and that the Prophet should pray over him after his death. The Prophet took
this request as a sign of Ibn Ubayy’s repentance, and gave him his shirt and later led the funeral
prayers over his body. When *Umar ibn al-Khanäb vehemently protested against this clemency
towards the man whom all the believers had regarded as “God s enemy , the_ Prophet answered,
“God has granted me a choice in this matter [a reference to verse 80 of this siirah, “whether thou
dost pray that they be forgiven or dost not pray...”, etc.], and so I shall prayjfor him] more than
seventy times.” Several variants of this Tradition are to be found in BukhârT, TirmidhT, Nasä î,
Ibn Hanbal, on the authority of Ibn *Abbâs; BukhârT and Muslim, on the authority of Ibn Umar;

275
 SÜRAH
AT-TAWBAH

and His Apostle, and they died in this their iniquity."7

(85) And let not their worldly goods and [the hap­
piness which they may derive from] their children
excite thy admiration: God but wants to chastise
them by these means in [the life of] this world, and
[to cause] their souls to depart while they are [still]
denying the truth."8 ft-*(5*/J j If. ^f.JLaj <jl JUjr
(86) [They are indeed denying it:] for, when they
were called upon through revelation,"9 “Believe in öl »jjrf cJj\ I
God, and strive hard [in His cause] together with His IjJlij f>Jjklîijljl dL'Ju^T
Apostle,” [even] such of them as were well able [to
go to war] asked thee for exemption, saying, “Allow (J) U
us to stay behind with those who remain at home!”118 *117
119
120
(87) They were well-pleased to remain with those who <3> V fgji Jc £_J»j
were left behind - wherefor their hearts have been
sealed,121 so that they cannot grasp the truth. ***
(88) The Apostle, however, and all who share his ($) (»-A «iÇb'j
faith strive hard [in God’s cause] with their pos­
sessions and their lives: and it is they whom the most ■tel
excellent things await [in the life to come], and it is
they, they who shall attain to a happy state! (89) God dll’s
has readied for them gardens through which running
/b-JJ be*
waters flow, therein to abide: and this is the triumph
supreme!

(90) AND THERE came [unto the Apostle] such of the

bedouin as had some excuse to offer, [with the
request] that they be granted exemption,122 whereas

Muslim, on the authority of Jäbir ibn cAbd Allah; and in various other hadith compilations. Since
'Abd Allah ibn Ubayy died some time after the Prophet's return from fabük, while verse 84-like
most of this surah - was revealed during the campaign, it is clear that the prohibition expressed in
this verse relates only (as the sequence shows) to those who "were bent on denying God and His
Apostle, and [who] died in this their iniquity” - that is, to unrepentant sinners.
117 Lit., “while they were iniquitous”.
118 Cf. 3:178 and 8:28, as well as the corresponding notes. This (almost literal) repetition of
verse 55 above is meant to stress the psychological importance of this problem (Zamakhshan)-
namely, the insignificance of worldly happiness as compared with spiritual righteousness or the
absence of it.
119 Lit., “when a sürah was bestowed from on high”: the word sürah being here synonymous
with “revealed message” (see note 25 on 47 :20).
120 I.e., with those who were either not expected to go to war-like women and children-or
were handicapped by old age or illness.
121 Cf. 2:7 and the corresponding note, as well as 7 :100-101.
122 I.e., from participating in the expedition to TabQk. The term al-mu'adhdhirün connotes
both “those having a valid excuse fud/ir)” and “those offering false excuses”; it is, therefore, best
rendered as “such as had some excuse to offer”. The specific mention of the acrâb (“bedouin”) in
this and the following passages probably arises from the fact that their attitude - positive or
negative-towards Islam was of the greatest importance within the context of early Muslim
history, inasmuch as the message of Muhammad could not obtain a real, lasting foothold in Arabia
without first securing the allegiance of those warlike nomads and half-nomads, who constituted the
great majority of the Peninsula’s population. At the time when the Prophet was preparing to set

276
 9______________________
REPENTANCE
those who were bent on giving the lie to God and
His Apostle [simply] remained at home.'23 [And]
grievous suffering is bound to befall such of them as
are bent on denying the truth!
(91) [But] no blame shall attach to the weak,124*123nor
to the sick, nor to those who have no means [to equip
themselves],125 provided that they are sincere towards
($) pjl «^»1*
God and His Apostle: there is no cause to reproach
the doers of good, for God is much-forgiving, a
dispenser of grace. (92) Nor [shall blame attach] to
those who, when they came unto thee [O Prophet,
with the request] that thou provide them with mounts,
were told by thee, “I cannot find anything whereon to ä/iLBiyrjv; <$>
mount you”-[whereupon] they turned away, their
eyes overflowing with tears out of sorrow that they
9/ 4^ ■*£i V ci» I»
had no means to spend [on their equipment]. <$> u ip-0 £ j|T 3.
(93) Only they may rightly be reproached who
asked thee for exemption even though they were fully
able [to go to war].126 They were well-pleased to
remain with those who were left behind - wherefore C? c?J
God has sealed their hearts, so that they do not know
5^1 ùjjîw (g) pi
[what they are doing]. (94) [And] they will [still] be
offering excuses to you when you return to them J» jp jjp j»

[from the campaign]!

Say: ‘‘Do not offer [empty] excuses, [for] we shall
not believe you: God has already enlightened us jjUJLr *41^5
about you. And God will behold your [future] deeds,
and [so will] His Apostle; and in the end you will be
brought before Him127 who knows all that is beyond
the reach of a created being’s perception as well as all
that can be witnessed by a creature’s senses or
mind,128 and then He will make you truly understand
what you were doing [in life]."

out towards Tabûk, many of the already-converted tribesmen were willing to go to war under his
leadership (and, in fact, did so), while others were afraid lest in their absence their encampments,
denuded of man-power, be raided by hostile, as yet unconverted tribes (Räzi): others, again, were
simply averse to exposing themselves to the hardships of a campaign in distant lands, which did
not seem to them to have any bearing on their own, immediate interests.
123 I.e., without even caring to come to Medina and to excuse themselves.
124 I.e., the old and the infirm.
125 Lit., “who do not find anything to spend’’, i.e., on their equipment. At the time in question a
public treasury did not yet exist, and every participant in a military expedition was expected to
provide his own weapons and mounts.
126 Lit., “who ask thee for exemption while they are rich”. The term ghanr denotes “one who
is rich” or “free from want” or “self-sufficient”; in this context it obviously refers to physical
competence in addition to financial means: that is, to people who were able-bodied as well as
financially in a position to equip themselves (cf. verses 86-87 above).
127 Lit., “and thereafter you will be brought back unto Him”.
128 See sürah 6, note 65.

277
 (95) When you will have returned to them, [O
believers,] they will swear to you by God, [repeating
their excuses,] with a view to your letting them be.
Let them be, then: behold, they are loathsome, and
hell is their goal in recompense for what they were
wont to do. (96) They will swear to you with a view to U/U ipjcj bi 5J &
making you pleased with them: but [even] should you
be pleased with them, verily, God shall never be
pleased with iniquitous folk.
(97) [The hypocrites among] the bedouin129 130 are <4* f-r* <$)
more tenacious in [their] refusal to acknowledge the
truth and in [their] hypocrisy [than are settled peo­
ple], and more liable to ignore the ordinances which
I ULiij I-til «—»I
God has bestowed from on high upon His Apostle-
but God is all-knowing, wise.131 (J£) m Jÿ'ï*
(98) And among the bedouin there are such as
regard all that they might spend [in God’s cause] as a
loss, and wait for misfortune to encompass you, [O t 1 ■ >, ' 6 -
Û? ri* *4*J i
believers: but] it is they whom evil fortune shall
encompass-for God is all-hearing, ail-knowing. 3 ff J* *-»'
(99) However, among the bedouin there are [also]
such as believe in God and the Last Day, and regard
all that they spend [in God’s cause] as a means of
drawing them nearer to God and of [their being ($>
remembered in] the Apostle’s prayers. Oh, verily, it
shall [indeed] be a means of [God’s] nearness to
them, [for] God will admit them unto His grace:
verily, God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace!
(100) And as for the first and foremost of those
who have forsaken the domain of evil and of those
who have sheltered and succoured the Faith,132 as

129 Sc., “and not punishing them’’. As a matter of fact, their fears were unfounded, since, on
his return from TabOk, the Prophet took no punitive action against any of those who had failed to
follow him on his campaign.
130 The words interpolated by me between brackets at the beginning of this sentence are based
on the interpretation given by RäzT (see also Manär XI, 8), obviously in view of verse 99, which
speaks of believers among the bedouin.
' 131 Owing to their nomadic way of life and its inherent hardship and crudity, the bedouin find it
more difficult than do settled people to be guided by ethical imperatives unconnected with their
immediate tribal interests - a difficulty which is still further enhanced by their physical distance
from the centres of higher culture and, consequently, their comparative ignorance of most
religious demands. It was for this reason that the Prophet often stressed the superiority of a
settled mode of life to a nomadic one: cf. his saying, “He who dwells in the desert (al-bädiyah)
becomes rough in disposition’’, recorded by Tirmidhï, Abü Dä’üd, Nasâ’ï and Ibn Hanbal on the
authority of Ibn *Abbäs, and a similar Tradition, on the authority of Abü Hurayrah, by Abü Dä’üd
and BayhaqT.
132 In the above context, the term muhäjirün - lit., “emigrants”, rendered by me as “those who
have forsaken the domain of evil” (see sürah 2, note 203, and surah 4, note 124)- applies primarily
to the Meccan followers of the Prophet who migrated (hâjarü) from Mecca to Medina-which
until then was called Yathrib-at a time when Mecca was still in the possession of the enemies of

278
 9
REPENTANCE
well as those who follow them in [the way of]
righteousness - God is well-pleased with them, and
well-pleased are they with Him. And for them has He
readied gardens through which running waters flow,
therein to abide beyond the count of time: this is the
triumph supreme! j âT
(101) But among the bedouin who dwell around you
there are hypocrites; and among the people of the
[Prophet’s] City133 [too] there are such as have grown
insolent in [their] hypocrisy. Thou dost not [always]
know them, [O Muhammad - but] We know them. We
shall cause them to suffer doubly [in this world];134
and then they will be given over to awesome suffering
[in the life to come]. (y) —Ji*
(102) And [there are] others135-[people who] have
become conscious of their sinning after having done {g-* UU«»
righteous deeds side by side with evil ones;136 [and] it
may well be that God will accept their repentance:
for, verily, God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of
grace. (103) [Hence, O Prophet,] accept that [part] of
their possessions which is offered for the sake of
God,137 so that thou mayest cleanse them thereby and

Islam; the “first and foremost” among them were the earliest emigrants, i.e., those who left Mecca
in or before the year 622 of the Christian era (which marks the beginning of the Islamic hijri era)
and in the course of the next few years, when the Muslim community at Medina was still in danger
of being overrun by the powerful Quraysh of Mecca. Similarly, the term ansär (lit., “helpers”)
applies here to the early converts from among the people of Medina who sheltered and succoured
(na$arü) their brethren in faith - the “first and foremost” among them being those who embraced
Islam before and shortly after the Prophet’s and his Companions’ exodus (hijrah) from Mecca,
and particularly those who did so on the occasion of the two meetings, at Al-'Aqabah near Mecca,
between the Prophet and deputations of the Yathrib tribes of Al-Aws and Khazraj (a little over a
year and a few months, respectively, before the Prophet’s hijrah). Apart, however, from their
purely historical connotations, both the terms muhâjirûn and ansdr bear in the Qur’an a spiritual
meaning as well, and are often used to describe those who morally “forsake the domain of evil”
and those who “shelter and succour the Faith” (see sürah 8, note 78).
133 I.e., Medina. Originally, the city bore the name Yathrib; but after the exodus of the Prophet
from Mecca it came to be known as Madîhat an-Nabî (“the City of the Prophet”) and,
eventually, as Al-Madînah (“The City" par excellence).
134 I.e., first through failure in their worldly concerns, accompanied by pangs of conscience and
the resulting spiritual distress, and then through a full realization, at the moment of dying, of the
unforgivable nature of their sin (Mandr XI, 19).
135 I.e., neither believers in the full sense of the word nor hypocrites, but half-hearted,
confused waverers between right and wrong, or between truth and falsehood.
136 Lit., “who have acknowledged their sins [after] having mingled a righteous deed with
another that was evil”. Although it relates primarily to the vacillating Muslims who refused to
participate in the expedition to Tabûk, this verse alludes, in its wider meaning, to all sinners
who — without external prompting — become conscious of their wrongdoing and repent of it.
137 Lit., “take out of their possessions an offering for the sake of God (sadaqah)". For the
meaning of this term, see note 81 above. In this context, it primarily denotes the tax called zakdh
("the purifying dues”) incumbent on every Muslim enjoying a certain minimum of property and/or
income. Since an acceptance of zakdh by the head of state (or of the community) amounts to a
recognition of the giver as a “Muslim" in the Qur’anic sense of this term, the Prophet refused to

279
 SÜRAH
AT-TAWBAH

cause them to grow in purity, and pray for them:

behold, thy prayer will be [a source of] comfort to
them - for God is all-hearing, all-knowing.
(104) Do they not know that it is God alone who
can accept the repentance of His servants138 and is
the [true] recipient of whatever is offered for His
sake - and that God alone is an acceptor of repent­
ance, a dispenser of grace?
(105) And say [unto them, O Prophet]: “Act!139 And 1ytf JJL J» ùliJI plc âTj
God will behold your deeds, and [so will] His
Apostle, and the believers: and [in the end] you will ji-L j &

be brought before Him who knows all that is beyond

the reach of a created being’s perception as well as all
that can be witnessed by a creature’s senses or >->'4
mind140-and then He will make you understand what
you have been doing.” ùxr1*, 0ùJLk
(106) And [there are yet] others - [people whose
cases are] deferred until God wills to judge them:141 4» (—4
He will either chastise them or turn again unto them \^'3 y5 0
in His mercy - for God is all-knowing, wise.

(107) AND [there are hypocrites] who have established a

[separate] house of worship in order to create mis­
chief, and to promote apostasy and disunity among
the believers, and to provide an outpost for all who
from the outset have been warring against God and
His Apostle.142 And they will surely swear [to you, O

accept it from all whose behaviour had made it obvious that they were hypocrites; the above
verse, however, authorizes him (and, by implication, the authorities of an Islamic state at all times)
to accept the payment of zakäh from those who express their repentance by deeds as well as by
words.
138 Lit., “who accepts repentance from His servants": thus pointing out that no human being,
not even the Prophet, has the power to absolve a sinner of his guilt (Manâr XI, 32). A prophet can
do no more than prav to God that He forgive the sinners.
139 This connects with the injunction in verse 103 above, “accept that [part] of their pos­
sessions which is offered for the sake of God,... and pray for them”. The stress on action
as an integral part of faith is of fundamental importance in the ethics of the Qur’an: cf. the
frequent juxtaposition of the concepts of “believing” and “doing good works”, and the condem­
nation of all “who, while believing, wrought no good works" (see 6:158 and the corresponding
note 160).
140 See sürah 6, note 65.
141 Lit., “deferred unto God’s decree (amr)”-i.e., kept in abeyance in anticipation of their
future repentance. As in the preceding four verses, the people referred to here are, in the first
instance, the waverers who stayed away from the campaign of TabOk, and, by implication, all
half-hearted believers who confusedly hover between right and wrong: with the difference,
however, that whereas the repentant sinners spoken of in verses 102-105 are said to have realized
their sinfulness spontaneously, the kind of people referred to in verse 106 have not yet reached the
stage of moral self-examination and repentance, with the result that their cases are “deferred"
until such a time as their impulses sway them entirely one way or another. From a psychological
point of view, it is possible to discern a subtle connection between this verse and 7:46-47.
142 LiL, “who have been warring against God and His Apostle aforetime" - i.e., before the

280
 9________________________________
REPENTANCE
believers], “We had but the best of intentions!”-the
while God [Himself] bears witness that they are
lying.*43
(108) Never set foot in such a place!144*143Only a
house of worship founded, from the very first day,
upon God-consciousness is worthy of thy setting foot
therein145 - [a house of worship] wherein there are
men desirous of growing in purity: for God loves all
who purify themselves.
(109) Which, then, is the better: he who has found­
ed his building on God-consciousness and [a desire
-6-* cr-’’ Ù-* ’
for] His goodly acceptance - or he who has founded
his building on the edge of a water-worn, crumbling jl* <j>- Ü_A (ÿ £ fî
river-bank, so that it [is bound to] tumble down with
him into the fire of hell? 0 âîj ßä
For, God does not grace with His guidance people ***^ bis«^frirt
who [deliberately] do wrong: (110) the building which
they have built will never cease to be a source of
deep disquiet in their hearts until their hearts crumble

expedition to TabQk. The historical occasion to which this verse refers may be thus snmn^ri?^-
Ever since his exodus from Mecca to Medina the Prophet was violently opposed by one AbQ
'Amir (“The Monk”), a prominent member of the Khazraj tribe, who had embraced Christianity
many years earlier and enjoyed a considerable reputation among his compatriote and among the
Christians of Syria. From the very outset he allied himself with the Prophet’s enemies, the Meccan
Quraysh, and took part on their side in the battle of Uhud (3 H.). Shortly thereafter he migrated to
Syria and did all that he could to induce the Emperor of Byzantium, Heraclius, to invade Medina
and crush the Muslim community once and for all. In Medina itself, Abü cÄmir had some secret
followers among the members of his tribe, with whom he remained in constant correspondence. In
the year 9 H. he informed them that Heraclius had agreed to send out an army against Medina, and
that large-scale preparations were being made to this effect (which was apparently the reason for
the Prophet’s preventive expedition to Tabük). In order that his followers should have a
rallying-place in the event of the expected invasion of Medina, AbQ 'Ämir suggested to his friends
that they build a mosque of their own in the village of Qubä’, in the immediate vicinity of Medina
(which they did), and thus obviate the necessity of congregating in the mosque which the Prophet
himself had built in the same village at the time of his arrival at Medina (see note 145 below). It is
this “rival” mosque to which the above verse refers. It was demolished at the Prophet’s orders
immediately after his return from the TabOk expedition. Abü 'Ämir himself died in Syria shortly
afterwards. (For all the relevant Traditions, see Tabari’s and Ibn Kathir’s commentaries on this
verse.)
143 Although the whole of this verse relates primarily to the historical occasion explained in the
preceding note, it has a definite bearing on all attempts at creating sectarian divisions among
Muslims, and is thus a clear amplification of an earlier injunction to this effect (see 6:159 and the
corresponding note 161).
144 Lit., “in it”-sc., “to pray therein”.
145 Lit. “Indeed, a house of worship founded... upon God-consciousness (taqwä) is most
deserving.’..”, etc. Some of the commentators believe that this is a reference to the mosque
founded by the Prophet at Qubä’, a village close to Medina, on his arrival there in the month of
Rabi' al-Awwal in the year 1 H., since it was the first mosque ever built by him or his followers.
There are however, authentic Traditions to the effect that the Prophet applied the designation of
“a house of worship founded on God-consciousness” to his (later-built) mosque at Medina as weU
(Muslim, TirmidhT, Nasä’T, Ibn tfanbal). It is, therefore, reasonable to assume that it applies to
every mosque sincerely dedicated by its founders to the worship of God: a view which is
supported by the next verse.
281
 AT-TAWBAH SÜRAH

to pieces.1* And God is all-knowing, wise.

(111) BEHOLD, God has bought of the believers their lives

and their possessions, promising them paradise in
return, [and so] they fight in God’s cause, and slay, x , t
and are slain: a promise which in truth He has willed I o[ « <£)
upon Himself in [the words of] the Torah, and the < "rtf
Gospel, and the Qur’än. And who could be more
faithful to his covenant than God?
Rejoice, then, in the bargain which you have made
with Him: for this, this is the triumph supreme!
(112) [It is a triumph of] those who turn [unto God]
* Ill's, ûï
in repentance [whenever they have sinned], and who
worship and praise [Him], and go on and on [seeking
His goodly acceptance],146 147 and bow down [before
Him] and prostrate themselves in adoration, and en­
join the doing of what is right and forbid the doing of
what is wrong, and keep to the bounds set by God.
And give thou [O Prophet] the glad tiding [of God’s
promise] to all believers.

(113) IT DOES NOT behove the Prophet and those who

have attained to faith to pray that they who ascribed f-r1
divinity to aught beside God be forgiven [by Him]-
Cjj kJ
even though they happened to be [their] near of 4> )Jf- -4 »-kCj.

kin1*-after it has been made clear unto them that

those [dead sinners] are destined for the blazing fire.
(114) And Abraham’s prayer that his father be for­
given was but due to a promise which he had given
the latter [in his lifetime] ;149 but when it was made

146 Lit., “unless their hearts are cut into many pieces"-i.e., until they die. In verses 109-110,
the reference to “the building which they have built" is, obviously, widened beyond the preceding
allusion to houses of worship, and allegorically circumscribes here all the "works” and the
behaviour of men.
147 Most of the commentators attribute to the expression as-siTihün (lit., "those who wander")
the meaning of a$-sä*imün, i.e., “those who fast”, since he who fasts deprives himself, tem­
porarily, of worldly enjoyments similar to one who wanders about the earth (Sufyän ibn 'Uyaynah,
as quoted by Râzï); and they justify this metaphorical equation of siyähah ("wandering") with
fiyäm (“fasting") by the fact that several Companions and some of their successors have thus
interpreted the term as-sä'ihßn in the above context (see Tabari). Other authorities, however,
(e.g., AbQ Muslim, as quoted by RäzT) prefer the original significance of this term and explain it as
more or less synonymous with al-muhäjirßn ("those who forsake the domain of evil”). To my
mind, the expression as-sä*ihßn is best rendered as "those who go on and on [seeking God’s
goodly acceptance]", thus combining the literal and metonymical connotations of the term
siyähah.
148 As is obvious from the sequence, this prohibition relates to the dead among such
sinners - i.e., those who have died without repentance (ZamakhsharT, RäzT) - and not to those who
are still living: for “a prayer for forgiveness in respect of a living [sinner]... amounts to asking
God that He grace him with His guidance... and this is permissible" (Manär XI, 60).
149 Abraham’s promise to his father is mentioned in 19 : 47-48 and 60:4; for the actual prayer,
see 26:86-87.

282
 9
REPENTANCE
clear unto him that he had been God’s enemy,
[Abraham] disavowed him - [although,] behold,
Abraham was most tender-hearted, most clement.
(115) And God would never-after having invited
them to His guidance-condemn people for going
astray150 ere He has made [entirely] clear unto them
of what they should beware. Verily, God has full
knowledge of everything.151
(116) Verily, God’s alone is the dominion over the
heavens and the earth; He [alone] grants life and
deals death; and there is none besides God who could (jj)
protect you or bring you succour.

(117) INDEED, God has turned in His mercy unto the

jé âï ÛL- -ÜJ (JJ) yJ
Prophet, as well as unto those who have forsaken the
domain of evil and those who have sheltered and jZ î^jtîX j ^23 juVt;
succoured the Faith152 — [all] those who followed him . Z .<____ ,
in the hour of distress, when the hearts of some of rx 4 rP* rr: <>->
the other believers had well-nigh swerved from
faith.153 jb (j5)
And once again:154 He has turned unto them in His
mercy-for, behold, He is compassionate towards
them, a dispenser of grace.
(118) And [He turned in His mercy, too,] towards
the three [groups of believers] who had fallen prey to
corruption,155 until in the end - after the earth, despite

150 Lit., “it is not for God’’-i.e., it is not compatible with God’s omniscience and majesty -
“that He should cause people to go astray after He has guided them’’. My rendering of the phrase
“that He should cause people to go astray” as “condemn people for going astray” is based on the
interpretation given to it by some of the greatest classical commentators (e.g., TabarT, Râzï). As
regards the phrase, “after He has guided them”, Râzï interprets it as meaning “after He has invited
them to the way of rectitude (ar-rushd)”.
151 Most of the commentators assume that the people referred to are the believers who, before
the revelation of verse 113, used to pray to God that He grant His forgiveness to their relatives and
friends who had died in the state of shirk (“ascribing divinity to aught beside God”): in other
words, the believers need not fear to be taken to task for something which they did before the
prohibition laid down in verse 113 was revealed (i.e., “ere He has made clear unto them of what
they should beware”). However, Râzï advances also an alternative interpretation of verse 115,
suggesting that it is meant to explain the severity with which the whole of this sürah condemns the
deniers of the truth and the hypocrites who are going astray after God “has made clear unto them
of what they should beware”. (See in this connection 6: 131-132 and the corresponding notes.)
This interpretation is, to my mind, the more plausible of the two, and particularly so in view of the
sequence (verse 116).
152 See note 132 above.
153 Lit., “after the hearts of a group of them had well-nigh swerved [from faith]”: a reference
to the believers who-without valid excuse - failed to respond to the Prophet’s call when he was
setting out on the expedition to TabQk, and who afterwards repented.
154 See sürah 6, note 31. According to ZamakhsharT and Râzï, the particle thumma has here
the meaning given in my rendering, and serves to emphasize the statement that “God has turned in
His mercy unto the Prophet... and all those who followed him in the hour of distress”.
155 Or: “had been left behind”, i.e., at the time of the expedition to TabQk. My rendering of

283
 SÜRAH
AT-TAWBAH

all its vastness, had become [too] narrow for them

and their souls had become [utterly] constricted —
they came to know with certainty that there is no
refuge from God other than [a return] unto Him; and
thereupon He turned again unto them in His mercy,
4^ f fr-*1
so that they might repent: for, verily, God alone is an
acceptor of repentance, a dispenser of grace.1

(119) O YOU who have attained to faith! Remain conscious JuM (JiJ) j 1ÎI
of God, and be among those who are true to then-
word ! j j» û' <—j*
(120) It does not behove the people of the [Pro­ rti 6 t' ft , ' )t
phet’s] City and the bedouin [who live] around them C-A ù*’ nr** j
to hold back from following God’s Apostle, or to care
for their own selves more than for him1 - for,
whenever they suffer from thirst or weariness or
hunger in God’s cause, and whenever they take any
step which confounds156158 those who deny the truth,
157
and whenever there comes to them from the enemy
whatever may be destined for them159 - [whenever
anything thereof comes to pass,] a good deed is

aUadhîna khullifü as “those who had fallen prey to corruption’’ is based on the tropical meaning
of the verb khalufa or khullifa, “he was [or “became”] altered [for the worse]”, or “he became
corrupt” in the moral sense (see Asäs, Nihäyah, Lisän al-* Arab, Qämüs, Täj al-'Arüs). This
interpretation of alladhïna khullifü - applying, in the above context, to those who remained behind
under false pretences-has the support of some of the most outstanding Arab philologists, e.g.,
cAbd al-Malik al-A$macT (as quoted by Râzï in his commentary on verse 83 of this sürah).-As
regards “the three who had fallen prey to corruption”, the clasical commentators assume that it is
a reference to three persons - namely, Ka'b ibn Malik, Marârah ibn ar-Rabi* and Hiläl ibn
Umayyah (all of them from among the anfâr)- who abstained from the campaign and were
thereafter ostracized by the Prophet and his Companions until the revelation of the above verse.
But while it is historically established that these three Companions were indeed among the
believers who thus failed in their duty (the relevant Traditions will be found in extenso in Tabari’s
and Ibn Kathir’s commentaries on this verse), it seems to me that the context does not warrant
such a restriction of its meaning to three particular persons, and that by “the three” are meant
three groups of erring believers: (1) those who had advanced equivocal excuses and were
thereupon permitted by the Prophet to remain at home (as has been alluded to in verses 43-46 as
well as in the first sentence of verse 90); (2) those who absented themselves without permission,
but afterwards spontaneously repented their sin (verses 102-105); and (3) those whose cases were
at first “deferred” (verse 106), and who repented shortly after the Prophet’s return from Tabük (at
which time verse 118 was revealed).
156 In its wider implication-as contrasted with a purely historical allusion-the above verse
relates to all believers who temporarily deviate from the right path and then, after having
realized-either spontaneously or in consequence of outside reprobation-that they had “fallen
prey to corruption”, sincerely repent their sin.
157 Although this and the following verses relate, on the face of it, to “the people of the
Prophet s City (see note 133 above) and to “the bedouin who live around them”, their purport is
obviously general, and applies to all believers at all times. The specific reference to “the
Prophet s City" is due to the fact that it was the place where the revelation of the Qur’än was
completed and Islam came to its full fruition under the Prophet’s guidance.
158 Lit., “causes wrath to".
159 Lit., “[whenever] they get from the enemy whatever they get"-i.e., victory or death or
injury.

284
 9
REPENTANCE
recorded in their favour.160 Verily, God does not fail
to requite the doers of good!
(121) And whenever they spend anything [for the
sake of God], be it little or much, and whenever they
move on earth161 [in God’s cause]-it is recorded in
their favour, and God will grant them the best reward
for all that they have been doing.
(122) With all this, it is not desirable that all of the
believers take the field [in time of war]. From within
every group in their midst, some shall refrain from j)T j iiLt yju
going forth to war, and shall devote themselves [in­
stead] to acquiring a deeper knowledge of the Faith,
and [thus be able to] teach their home-coming breth­
ren, so that these [too] might guard themselves
against evil.162163
(123) O you who have attained to faith! Fight
against those deniers of the truth who are near you,
and let them find you adamant;10 and know that God
is with those who are conscious of Him.

160 In its original construction, this sentence reads thus: “and neither thirst afflicts them.... nor
do they take any step..., nor do they get from the enemy..., without that a good deed is recorded
in their behalf”. The same construction is applied to the next verse.
161 Lit., “cross a valley”. As ZamakhsharT rightly points out in his commentary on this verse,
the term wâdï (“valley” or “river-bed”) is often used in classical Arabic to denote “the earth”-a
usage which even in our days is familiar to the bedouin of the Arabian Peninsula, especially when
combined with the verb qata'a (lit., “he cut”) in its connotation of “cutting across” or “traversing
[a distance]” or “advancing [on a journey]”. Thus, the above Qur’anic phrase may be suitably
rendered as “whenever they move on earth”. (As regards the construction of this sentence, see
preceding note.)
162 Lit., “admonish their people when they come back to them, so that they might be on their
guard". Although the above injunction mentions specifically religious knowledge, it has a positive
bearing on every kind of knowledge - and this in view of the fact that the Qur’än does not draw any
dividing-line between the spiritual and the worldly concerns of life but, rather, regards them as
different aspects of one and the same reality. In many of its verses, the Qur’än calls upon the
believer to observe all nature and to discern God’s creative activity in its manifold phenomena and
“laws", as well as to mediate upon the lessons of history with a view to gaining a deeper insight
into man’s motivations and the innermost springs of his behaviour: and, thus, the Qur’än itself
is characterized as addressed to “those who think”. In short, intellectual activity as such is
postulated as a valid way to a better understanding of God's will and - if pursued with moral
consciousness - as a valid method of worshipping God. This Qur’anic principle has been em­
phasized in many well-authenticated sayings of the Prophet, for instance. “Striving after knowl­
edge is a sacred duty (jarïtfah) for every man and woman who has surrendered himself or herself
to God (muslim wa-muslimah)" (Ibn Mäjah); or, “The superiority (fadl) of a learned man over a
[mere] worshipper [i.e., one who merely prays, fasts, etc.] is like the superiority of the full moon
over all the stars” (Tirmidhi, Abü Dä’üd, Ibn Mäjah, Ibn Hanbal, Därimi). Consequently, the
obligation of the believers to “devote themselves to acquiring a deeper knowledge of the Faith”
(li-yatafaqqahü fi 'd-dïn) and to impart its results to their fellow-believers relates to every branch
of knowledge as well as to its practical application.
163 I.e., uncompromising with regard to ethical principles. For the general circumstances in
which war is permitted, see 2:190-194, 22:39, 60:0-9, and the corresponding notes, as well as
notes 7 and 9 on verse 5 of this sürah. The reference to “those deniers of the truth who are near
you” may arise from the fact that only “those who are near” can be dangerous in a physical sense
or, alternatively, that-having come from afar-they have already approached the Muslim country
with an aggressive intent.
285
 SÜRAH 9
AT-TAWBAH

(124) YET WHENEVER a sürah [of this divine writ] is

bestowed from on high, some of the deniers of the
truth are prone to ask,164 “Which of you has this
[message] strengthened in his faith?”
Now as for those who have attained to faith, it
does strengthen them in their faith, and they rejoice
in the glad tiding [which God has given them].165 (125)
But as for those in whose hearts is disease, each new
message but adds another [element of] disbelief to the
disbelief which they already harbour,166 and they die
while [still] refusing to acknowledge the truth.
(126) Are they, then, not aware that they are being 5* Öl
tested year-in, year-out?167 And yet, they do not , > >> ,«#ss * tA .
repent and do not bethink themselves [of God]; (127)
and whenever a sürah is bestowed from on high, they
look at one another [and say, as it were], “Is there
anyone who can see what is in your hearts?”168-and 4#1 ôy* f “u‘' Ö»
then they turn away.
God has turned their hearts away [from the truth] - Jj-j 5'*^ C>* f-A fr^*
for they are people who will not grasp it.16*

(128) INDEED, there has come unto you [O mankind] an

Apostle from among yourselves:170 heavily weighs
upon him [the thought] that you might suffer [in the ‘t’j j*
life to come]; full of concern for you [is he, and] full
of compassion and mercy towards the believers.
(129) But if those [who are bent on denying the
truth] turn away, say: “God is enough for me! There
is no deity save Him. In Him have I placed my trust,
for He is the Sustainer, in awesome almightiness
enthroned.”171

164 Lit., “there are among them such as say”. The “saying” that follows is perhaps an oblique,
sarcastic reference to 8:2, which speaks of the believers “whose faith is strengthened whenever
His messages are conveyed unto them”.
165 A reference to the promise of paradise expressed in verse 111 above.
166 Lit., “it but adds [another] loathsome evil to their loathsome evil” - i.e., makes them more
stubborn in their denying the truth of God’s messages because they are a priori determined to
deny everything that is incompatible with their refusal to admit the existence of anything that is
beyond the reach of human perception (al-ghayb - see sürah 2, note 3).
167 Lit., “every year once or twice"-a figure of speech denoting continuity (Manâr XI, 83f.).
The “test” consists in the fact that man has been endowed with reason and, therefore, with the
ability to choose between right and wrong.
168 Lit., “who sees you”-thus implying that God does not exist.
169 Cf. 8 : 55.
170 I.e., “a human being like yourselves, not endowed with any supernatural powers, but only
chosen by God to convey His message to you”. (See note 2 on 50:2.)
171 Lit., the Sustainer (rabb) of the awesome throne of almightiness". For my rendering of
al-'arsh as “the throne of almightiness", see note 43 on 7:54.

286
 THE TENTH SÜRAH

YÜNUS (JONAH)
MECCA PERIOD

HIS SÜRAH, which derives its title from the solitary mention of “the people of Jonah” in verse
T 98, was almost certainly revealed in its entirety at Mecca, and probably not earlier than in
the year preceding the Prophet’s exodus to Medina. Some authorities are of the opinion that
verses 40 and 94-95 belong to the Medina period, but there is no convincing evidence to this effect.
On the other hand, there does not seem to be any doubt that, chronologically, this sürah must be
placed between sürah 17 (Al-Isrä*) and sürah 11 (Hüd).
The central theme of Yunus is revelation - in particular, the revelation of the Qur’än to
Muhammad, and the impossibility of its having been “composed” by the latter and fraudulently
attributed by him to God, as the deniers of the truth assert (verses 15-17, 37-38 and 94). Woven
around this theme are references to earlier prophets - all of whom were given the lie by the
majority of their people - as well as a many-sided exposition of the fundamental tenets of Islam:
the oneness, uniqueness and omnipotence of God, the continuity of His revelation to man, the
certainty of resurrection and of God’s final judgment - culminating in the reminder (in verse 108)
that “whoever chooses to follow the right path, follows it but for his own good; and whoever
chooses to go astray, goes but astray to his own hurt".

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) Alif. Läm. Rä.1

HESE ARE MESSAGES of the divine writ, full ------------------------- *

T of wisdom.2
(2) Do people deem it strange that We should have jlfi 0 cJuJj pi
inspired a man from their own midst [with this Our
message]:3 “Warn all mankind, and give unto those pi 5‘ p; J’j‘ 3* ÇJ
who have attained to faith the glad tiding that in their p p S' pi« yrA> Jûî
Sustainer’s sight they surpass all others in that they
are completely sincere”?4 <$> «4 jjpèjT Ji; j
[Only] they who deny the truth say, “Behold, he is

1 See Appendix II.

2 The term hakim - which, when qualifying an animated being, may be translated as “wise”-
has here the connotation of a means of imparting wisdom. Some of the classical commentators
(e.g., TabarT) are of the opinion that the “divine writ” (kitäb) mentioned here is the Qur’än as a
whole, while others (e.g., Zamakhsharï) see in it a reference to this particular sürah. In view of the
sequence, it seems to me that the former interpretation is preferable.
3 This connects with the end of the preceding sürah, and particularly with the sentence, “There
has come unto you [O mankind] an Apostle from among yourselves” (9:128; see also note 2 on
50:2).
4 Lit., “they have precedence (qadam) of truthfulness (fidq)": the latter term denoting a
concord’between what a person actually conceives in his mind or feels and what he expresses by
word, deed or attitude - in other words, complete sincerity.
287
 YÜNUS SÜRAH

clearly but a spellbinder!”5

(3) VERILY, your Sustainer is God, who has created the

heavens and the earth in six aeons, and is established
on the throne of His almightiness,6 governing all that
exists. There is none that could intercede with Him
unless He grants leave therefor.7
Thus is God, your Sustainer: worship, therefore,
Him [alone]: will you not, then, keep this in mind?
(4) Unto Him you all must return: this is, in truth,
God's promise-for, behold, He creates [man] in the
first instance, and then brings him forth anew8 to the IjLZj cff 'jJ— /»[
end that He may reward with equity all who attain to i/* j* (•—I» —
faith and do righteous deeds; whereas for those who
are bent on denying the truth there is in store a ls-JÇ» (j)

draught of burning despair and grievous suffering

JjC by 5*^5
because of their persistent refusal to acknowledge the
truth.’
(5) He it is who has made the sun a [source of]
radiant light and the moon a light [reflected],10 and has

5 Lit., “He is indeed an obvious enchanter (saftir)” - thus implying that the “man from among
yourselves" (i.e., Muhammad) did not really receive any revelation from God, but merely deluded
his followers by means of his spellbinding eloquence (which is the meaning of si/ir in this context):
an accusation levelled by unbelievers of all times not merely against Muhammad but-as the
Qur’an frequently states - against most of the earlier prophets as well. The term “those who deny
the truth” refers, in this context, specifically to people who a priori reject the notion of divine
revelation and, thus, of prophethood.
6 See surah 7, note 43. Since belief in divine revelation naturally presupposes a belief in the
existence of God as the self-subsistent fount of all being, the reference to the revelation of the
Qur’än with which this surah opens is followed by a consideration of God's creative almightiness.
7 Lit., “there is no intercessor whatever, save after His leave [has been granted]". Cf.
2 : 255-“Who is there that could intercede with Him, unless it be by His leave?" Thus, the Qur’än
rejects the popular belief in unqualified “intercession" by living or dead saints or prophets. As is
shown elsewhere in the Qur’än (e.g., in 20: 109, 21:28 or 34 : 23), God will grant to His prophets
on Judgment Day the permission to “intercede", symbolically, for such of the sinners as will have
already achieved His redemptive acceptance (rida’) by virtue of their repentance or basic
goodness (see 19:87 and the corresponding note 74): in other words, the right of “intercession"
thus granted to the prophets will be but an expression of God's approval of the latter. Further­
more, the above denial of the possibility of unqualified intercession stresses, indirectly, not only
God’s omniscience - which requires no “mediator" - but also the immutability of His will: and thus
it connects with the preceding mention of His almightiness. (See also note 27 below.)
8 I.e., He will resurrect him by a new act of creation. That the verb yu'Tduhu (“He brings him
forth anew") refers here to the individual resurrection of human beings becomes obvious from the
sequence. The noun khalq primarily denotes “creation" (i.e., the bringing into being of something
that did not exist before); subsequently, it denotes the result or object of creation, i.e., a “created
being" (or “beings”); finally, it is used in the sense of “man” in the generic connotation of this
word, i.e., “mankind".
9 See sürah 6, note 62 (for my rendering of ham mt as “burning despair").
10 The nouns (fiyd’ and nür are often interchangeable, inasmuch as both denote “light"; but
many philologists, are of the opinion that the term tfiyd* (or (taw9) has a more intensive
connotation, and is used to describe “a light which subsists by itself, as that of the sun and
fire"-that is, a source of light-while nür signifies “a light that subsists by some other thing"

288
 JONAH
determined for it phases so that you might know how
to compute the years and to measure [time]. None of
this has God created without [an inner] truth.11
Clearly does He spell out these messages unto
people of [innate] knowledge: (6) for, verily, in the
alternating of night and day, and in all that God has
created in the heavens and on earth there are mes­
sages indeed for people who are conscious of Him! JU- U aJc

(7) Verily, as for those who do not believe that they sJriLtîj jit
are destined to meet Us,12 but content themselves
with the life of this world and do not look beyond it,13
and are heedless of Our messages-(8) their goal is
the fire in return for all [the evil] that they were wont •JJ (J)
to do.
Liult I« C-'jIÎ
(9) [But,] verily, as for those who have attained to
faith and do righteous deeds —their Sustainer guides
them aright by means of their faith. [In the life to
come,] running waters will flow at their feet14 in
gardens of bliss; (10) [and] in that [state of happiness]
they will call out,15 “Limitless art Thou in Thy glory,
a .
O God!”-and will be answered with the greeting,
“Peace!”16 And their call will close with [the words],
“All praise is due to God, the Sustainer of all the
worlds!”
rr1!
(11) NOW IF GOD were to hasten for human beings the
ill [which they deserve by their sinning] in the same
manner as they [themselves] would hasten [the
coming to them of what they consider to be] good,
their end would indeed come forthwith!17 But We

(Lane V, 1809, on the authority of Täj al-'Ariis): in other words, light due to an extraneous source
or - as in the case of the moon - reflected light.
11 Lit., “God has not created this otherwise than in accordance with truth”-i.e., to fulfil a
definite purpose in consonance with His planning wisdom (ZamakhsharT, Baghawï, RäzT): implying
that everything in the universe - whether existent or potential, concrete or abstract - is meaningful,
and nothing is “accidentel”. Cf. 3: 191 - "O our Sustainer! Thou has not created taught of J this
without meaning and purpose (bâfilan)"; and 38:27-“We have not created heaven and earth and
all that is between them without meaning and purpose, as is the surmise (?ann) of those who are
bent on denying the truth”.
12 Lit., “who do not hope for [i.e., expect] a meeting with Us”: implying that they do not
believe in a life after death or in God’s ultimate judgment.
13 Lit., “are at rest with it”-i.e., regard the life in this world as the only reality, dismissing the
idea of resurrection as mere wishful thinking.
14 Lit., “beneath them”.
15 Lit., “their invocation (da'wä) therein [will be]...”, etc.
16 Lit, “their greeting therein [will be], ‘Peace’”. For an explanation of the term salâm and its
fundamental connotation of inner peace, fulfilment, and security from all that is evil, see sürah 5,
note 29.
17 Lit, “[the end ofl their term would indeed have been decreed for them”: the implication
being, firstly, that man is weak (cf. 4:28) and therefore prone to sinning; secondly, that God “has

289
 YÜNUS SÛRAH

leave them alone [for a while] - all those who do not

believe that they are destined to meet Us:18 [We leave
them alone] in their overweening arrogance, blindly
stumbling to and fro.
(12) For [thus it is:] when affliction befalls man, he
cries out unto Us, whether he be lying on his side or ûjf*« fr-A* j Lili) jr jïjJUi
sitting or standing;” but as soon as We have freed
him of his affliction, he goes on as though he had UUjI IjcUjI Uki

never invoked Us to save him from the affliction

that befell him! Thus do their own doings seem
goodly unto those who waste their own selves.21
(13) And, indeed, We destroyed before your time
[whole] generations when they [persistently] did evil (•—r Û ôjKLIaI aûj,
although the apostles sent unto them brought them all
evidence of the truth; for they refused to believe Uj c.CtjL v

[them]. Thus do We requite people who are lost in j *-*~l*^^**- f (g) pi?
sin.22
(14) And thereupon We made you their successors nA eP«' ’H 3 <$) QA**
on earth, so that We might behold how you act.
<jlîyLC-*îl5»LL)C *>• U;L*t

(15) AND [thus it is:] whenever Our messages are con­

veyed unto them in all their clarity, those who do not
believe that they are destined to meet Us [are wont
to] say, “Bring us a discourse other than this, or alter
this one.”23

willed upon Himself the law of grace and mercy” (see 6:12 and the corresponding note) and,
consequently, does not punish sinners without taking their circumstances into consideration and
giving them time to repent and to mend their ways.
18 See verse 7, with which this verse connects.
19 These three metaphorical expressions are often used in the Qur’än to describe the various
situations in which man may find himself. The “calling unto God” under the stress of misfortune
describes the instinctive reaction of many people who consider themselves “agnostics” and in
their conscious thinking refuse to believe in God. See also verses 22-23 below, as well as 6:40-41.
20 Lit., “called out unto Us against (ilâ) an affliction”.
21 The expression musrif, which often (e.g., in 5:32 or 7:81) denotes “one who is given to
excesses” or “commits excesses” or (as in 6: 141) “one who is wasteful”, has in the above context
the meaning of “one who wastes his own self" (RäzT)-namely, destroys his spiritual potential by
following only his base impulses and failing to submit to any moral imperative. (Cf. the very
similar expression alladhïna khasirû anfusahum occurring in many places and rendered by me as
“those who have squandered their own selves".) In the sense in which it is used here, the term isräf
(lit., “wastefulness” or “lack of moderation in one’s doings”) is almost synonymous with the term
tughydn (“overweening arrogance”) occurring in the preceding verse (Manar XI, 314), and relates
to the same type of man. The phrase “goodly seem [to them] their own doings” describes the
unthinking complacency with which “those who waste their own selves” go through life.
t 22 Cf. 6:131-132. The phrase rendered by me as “the apostles sent unto them” reads, literally,
“their apostles". The sinners’ refusal to believe is expressed in the text by means of the
construction wa-mä känü li-yu'minü.
23 Sc., “to suit our own views as to what is right and what is wrong". This is an oblique
reference to the highly subjective criticism of Qur’anic ethics and eschatology by many agnostics
(both among the contemporaries of the Prophet and in later times), and particularly to their view
that the Qur’än was “composed" by Muhammad himself and therefore expresses no more than his

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Say [O Prophet]: “It is not conceivable that I
should alter it of my own volition; I only follow what
is revealed to me. Behold, I would dread, were I
[thus] to rebel against my Sustainer, the suffering
[which would befall me] on that awesome Day [of
Judgment]!“
(16) Say: “Had God willed it [otherwise], I would
not have conveyed this [divine writ] unto you, nor "-^-4 2rjt**"At?’5^’
would He have brought it to your knowledge. Indeed, aTtiSJj j; (gj
a whole lifetime have I dwelt among you ere this
[revelation came unto me]: will you not, then, use jä l
your reason?“*24
(Ü15? ($) ** j.'
(17) And who could be more wicked than they who
attribute their own lying inventions to God or give the
CS_A-iT
lie to His messages? Verily, those who are lost in sin
will never attain to a happy state25-(18) and [neither
will] they [who] worship, side by side with God,
things or beings that can neither harm nor benefit j» *VjL» y,
them, saying [to themselves], “These are our in­ V1J '/f o’y » .ff j "il Le dî »? i
tercessors with God!”26
Say: “Do you [think that you could] inform God of
anything in the heavens or on earth that He does not
know?27 Limitless is He in His glory, and sublimely

personal convictions. - Regarding the phrase, “those who do not believe that they are destined to
meet Us”, see note 12 above.
24 This argument - placed in the mouth of the Prophet - has a twofold implication. Ever since
his early youth, Muhammad had been renowned for his truthfulness and integrity, so much so that
his Meccan compatriots applied to him the epithet Ai-Amin (“The Trustworthy”). In addition to
this, he had never composed a single line of poetry (and this in contrast with a tendency which was
widespread among the Arabs of his time), nor had he been distinguished by particular eloquence.
“How, then,” goes the argument, “can you reconcile your erstwhile conviction-based on the
experience of a lifetime - that Muhammad was incapable of uttering a lie. with your present
contention that he himself has composed the Qur’än and now falsely attributes it to divine
revelation? And how could he who, up to the age of forty, has never displayed any poetic or
philosophic gifts and is known to be entirely unlettered (ummf), have composed a work as perfect
in its language, as penetrating in its psychological insight and as compelling in its inner logic as the
Qur’än?”
25 I.e., in the life to come. In this context, the “attributing of one’s own lying inventions to
God” would seem to apply specifically to the wanton accusation that Muhammad himself
composed the Qur’än and then attributed it to God; and the “giving the lie to God’s messages"
refers to the attitude of those who make such an accusation and, consequently, reject the Qur’än
(RäzT).
26 Thus the discourse returns to the problem of “intercession” touched upon in verse 3 of this
sßrah. Literally, the beginning of the sentence reads thus: “And they worship that which neither
harms them nor benefits them”-an expression alluding to both concrete representations and
conceptual images. It should be noted that the “they” elliptically referred to here are not identical
with the people spoken of earlier as “those who do not believe that they are destined to meet Us”
(in other words, those who deny the reality of resurrection and of the Day of Judgment): for the
people of whom the above verse speaks obviously do believe - albeit in a confused manner-in life
after death and man’s responsibility before God. as is evident from the statement that they
worship imaginary “intercessors with God”.
27 Thus, belief in the efficacy of anyone’s unqualified intercession with God, or mediation

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 YÜNUS SÜRAH

exalted above anything to which men may ascribe a

share in His divinity!”

(19) AND [know that] all mankind were once but one
single community, and only later did they begin to
hold divergent views.28 And had it not been for a
decree that had already gone forth from thy Sus­
tainer, all their differences would indeed have been
settled [from the outset].29

(20) NOW THEY [who deny the truth] are wont to ask, 3j!ä s ($> 'oj&t V f-r*
“Why has no miraculous sign ever been bestowed
upon him from on high by his Sustainer?”30
Say, then: “God’s alone is the knowledge of that Û* Ü»il j (£) jt jliL-jl J* (K**
which is beyond the reach of human perception.31
Wait, then, [until His will becomes manifest:] verily, I
shall wait with you!”
(21) And [thus it is:] whenever We let [such] peo­
ple32 taste [some of Our] grace after hardship has

between man and Him, is here equated with a denial of God’s omniscience, which takes all the
circumstances of the sinner and his sinning a priori into consideration. (As regards God's symbolic
grant of permission to His prophets to “intercede” for their followers on the Day of Judgment, see
note 7 above.)
28 Lit., “and then they disagreed [among themselves]”. For an explanation of the term “one
single community” (ummah wähidah), see sürah 2, note 197. In the present context, this
expression alludes not merely to mankind's one-time homogeneity, but also - by implication - to
the fact, repeatedly stressed in the Qur’an (e.g., in 7: 172), that the ability to realize God's
existence, oneness and omnipotence is innate in man, and that all deviation from this basic
perception is a consequence of the confusion brought about by man's progressive estrangement
from his inborn instincts.
29 Lit., “it would indeed have been decided between them regarding all that they were differing
in": i.e., had it not been for God’s decree-which is the meaning, in this context, of the term
kalimah (lit., “word”) - that men should differ in their intellectual approach to the problems
touched upon by divine revelation, “they would not have contended with one another after having
received all evidence of the truth”, but would all have held from the very outset, and would
continue to hold, the same views (cf. 2:253 and the corresponding note 245). Since, however, such
a uniformity would have precluded men’s intellectual, moral and social development, God has left
it to their reason, aided by prophetic guidance, gradually to find their way to the truth. (See also
surah 2, note 198.) The above parenthetic passage must be read in conjunction with 2:213.
30 I.e., on Mubammad, in order to “prove” that he is truly a bearer of God’s message (a
sceptical objection which resumes the theme enunciated in verses 1-2 and 15-17 above): see also
6:37 and 109 and the corresponding notes, especially note 94. The pronoun “they” refers to both
categories of deniers of the truth spoken of in the preceding passages: the atheists or agnostics
“who do not believe that they are destined to meet God”, as well as those who, while believing in
God, “ascribe a share in His divinity” to all manner of imaginary intercessors or mediators (see
verse 18 above).
31 This answer relates not merely to the question as to why God has not bestowed on
Mubammad a “miraculous sign” of his prophethood, but also to the “why” of his having been
chosen for his prophetic mission. See in this connection 2:105 (“God singles out for His grace
whom He wills”) and 3:73-74 (“God is infinite, all-knowing, singling out for His grace whom He
wills”).
32 I.e., the two categories of people referred to in verses 7, 11, 12, 15, 18 and 20.

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JONAH
visited them-lo! they forthwith turn to devising false
arguments against Our messages.33
Say: “God is swifter [than you] in His deep de­
vising!”
Behold, Our [heavenly] messengers are recording
all that you may devise!
(22) He it is who enables you to travel on land and (J £
sea. And [behold what happens] when you go to sea
in ships:34 [they go to sea in ships,] and they sail on in ûjjwt U LL»j

them in a favourable wind, and they rejoice thereat -

until there comes upon them a tempest, and waves
surge towards them from all sides, so that they
believe themselves to be encompassed [by death; and
then] they call unto God, [at that moment] sincere in f-r f-r1 ùéJ Jr
their faith in Him alone, “If Thou wilt but save us
from this, we shall most certainly be among the
grateful!” (23) Yet as soon as He has saved them
QAï f <$)
from this [danger], lo! they behave outrageously on
earth, offending against all right!35
O men! All your outrageous deeds are bound to fall
back upon your own selves!36 [You care only for] the ÇjJÎ
enjoyment of life in this world: [but remember that]
(g)
in the end unto Us you must return, whereupon We
shall make you truly understand all that you were Cr Jy'ÏÏ Ses -küu *UJÎ 3* cJj*
doing [in life].
O ÿ». .J-Lj! JS" l
(24) The parable of the life of this world is but that
of rain which We send down from the sky, and which
is absorbed by the plants of the earth37 whereof men
and animals draw nourishment, until-when the earth
has assumed its artful adornment and has been em-

33 Lit., “they have forthwith a scheme against Our messages”. (The particle idhd preceding this
clause is meant to bring out the element of immediacy, and is best rendered as “lo! they
forthwith...”, etc.) Since God’s messages are purely conceptual, the “scheming against them”
obviously connotes the devising of fallacious arguments meant to cast doubt on the divine origin
of these messages or to “disprove” the statements made in them. The above discourse on the
psychology of agnosticism and half-belief is continued in the parable of the seafarers set forth in
the next two verses.
34 Lit., “until, when you are in the ships...", etc. As has been pointed out by Zamakhsharï,
the particle “until” (hattä) which precedes this clause refers to the sudden rise of the storm
described in the sequence, and not to the “going to sea in ships”. It is to be noted that at this point
the discourse changes abruptly from the direct address “you” to the third person plural (“they”): a
construction which is evidently meant to bring out the allegorical character of the subsequent
narrative and to turn it into a lesson of general validity.
35 See verse 12 (of which the above passage is a parabolic illustration) and the corresponding
notes.
36 Lit., “your outrageousness (baghy) is only against your own selves”. Cf. the oft-recurring
Qur’anic expression, “they have sinned against themselves" (?alamü anfusahum, lit., “they have
wronged themselves”), indicating the inevitability with which every evil deed damages its
perpetrator spiritually.
37 Lit., “with which the plants of the earth mingle".

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 YÜNUS SÜRAH

bellished, and they who dwell on it believe that they

have gained mastery over it38-there comes down
upon it Our judgment, by night or by day, and We
cause it to become [like] a field mown down, as if
there had been no yesterday.3940
Thus clearly do We spell out these messages unto I LfJc jjjXi Lfkl Ci jb
people who think!
• yw J 'jl-r y 5ÇJ li^l
(25) AND [know that] God invites [man] unto the abode
(g) ci$f
of peace, and guides him that wills [to be guided] onto
a straight way* * Û* tS-k-f;j ^*1 jTjb
(26) For those who persevere in doing good there is
the ultimate good in store, and more [than that].41 No aJj • (g) X'j*

darkness and no ignominy will overshadow their

faces [on Resurrection Day]: it is they who are des­ .IXldLJjl "•Ji \lj
tined for paradise, therein to abide. cÇjf îyÿ’aK <*) f
(27) But as for those who have done evil deeds -
the recompense of an evil deed shall be the like
thereof;42 and - since they will have none to defend
them against God - ignominy will overshadow them éùjy iX $ 3^ iX c1^‘u?k'
as though their faces were veiled by the night’s own fXJ ($> jÙf »-2XI
darkness:43 it is they who are destined for the fire,
therein to abide. LL ji '$j V’yZj il Jyi f
(28) For, one Day We shall gather them all together,
and then We shall say unto those who [in their
lifetime] ascribed divinity to aught but God, “Stand
where you are, you and those [beings and powers] to
whom you were wont to ascribe a share in God’s
divinity!”44-for by then We shall have [visibly] se-
38 I.e., they come to believe that they have gained “mastery over nature”, with no conceivable
limits to what they may yet achieve. It is to be borne in mind that the term zukhruf bears almost
invariably a connotation of artificiality - a connotation which in this case is communicated to the
subsequent verb izzayyanat. Thus, the whole of the above parabolic sentence may be understood
as alluding to the artificial, illusory “adornment” brought about by man’s technological efforts, not
in collaboration with nature but, rather, in hostile “confrontation” with it.
39 Lit., “as if it had not been in existence yesterday”: a phrase used in classical Arabic to
describe something that has entirely disappeared or perished (Tâj al-Arüs).
40 Or: “guides whom He wills onto a straight way”. As regards the expression salant, rendered
here and in many other places as “peace” and elsewhere as “salvation”, see sürah 5, note 29. It is
obvious that the term dar as-saläm (“abode of peace”) denotes not only the condition of ultimate
happiness in the hereafter - alluded to in the allegory of paradise - but also the spiritual condition
of a true believer in this world: namely, a state of inner security, of peace with God, with one’s
natural environment, and within oneself.
41 I.e., more than their actual merits may warrant (cf. 6:160-“Whoever shall come [before
God] with a good deed will gain ten times the like thereof”). See also note 79 on 27 : 89.
42 In contrast with the multiple “rewards” for good deeds, the recompense of evil will be only
commensurate with the deed itself. (See also note 46 on the last sentence of 41:50.)
43 Lit., “by a piece of the night, densely dark”.
44 Lit., "you and those [God-]partners of yours”; cf. sürah 6, note 15. The expression
makänakum (lit., “your place”, i.e., “keep to your place”) bears a connotation of contempt and an
implied threat.

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JONAH
parated them from one another.45 And the beings to
whom they had ascribed a share in God’s divinity will
say [to those who had worshipped them], “It was not
us that you were wont to worship;46 (29) and none can
bear witness between us and you as God does: we
were, for certain, unaware of your worshipping
[us].”47
(30) There and then will every human being clearly
apprehend what he has done in the past; and all will
be brought back unto God,48 their true Lord Supreme,
and all their false imagery will have forsaken them.

(31) SAY: “Who is it that provides you with sustenance û*' «aMj rÄS*-i z j*
out of heaven and earth,49 or who is it that has full
power over [your] hearing and sight? And who is it s./--’
that brings forth the living out of that which is dead,
and brings forth the dead out of that which is alive?
And who is it that governs all that exists?” jZj liü âî(g) jjâS* Su*
And they will [surely] answer: “[It is] God.”50
Say, then: “Will you not, then, become [fully]
conscious of Him-(32) seeing that He is God, your
Sustainer, the Ultimate Truth?51 For, after the truth

45 Le., separated those who ascribed divinity to beings other than God from the objecte of their
one-time adoration (Tabari, BaghawT): a metonymical phrase denoting a realization on the part of
the former that there has never been any existential link between them and those false objects of
worship (cf. 6 : 24, 10 : 30, 11:21, 16 : 87 and 28 : 75 - “and all their false imagery has [or “will
have”] forsaken them”). See also the next two notes.
46 I.e., “it was only your own fancies and desires that you worshipped, clothing them in the
garb of extraneous beings": in other words, the worship of idols, forces of nature, saints, prophets,
angels, etc., is shown here to be nothing but a projection of the worshipper’s own subconscious
desires. (Cf. also 34:41 and the corresponding note 52.)
47 Thus the Qur’än makes it dear that the saints and prophets who. after their death, have been
unwarrantably deified by their followers shall not be held accountable for the blasphemous
worship accorded to them (cf. 5:116-117); furthermore, even the inanimate objects of false
worship will symbolically deny any connection between themselves and their worshippers.
48 I.e., will be brought back to the realization of God’s oneness, uniqueness and almightiness-
that instinctive cognition which has been implanted in human nature as such (see 7:172).
49 The term rizq (“provision of sustenance”) is used here in both the physical and spiritual
connotations of this word, which explains the reference to “heaven and earth” and, subsequently,
“[man’s] hearing and sight”.
50 The people referred to here are those who believe, firstly, that there are beings endowed with
certain divine or semi-divine qualities, thus having, as it were, a “share” in God’s divinity; and,
secondly, that by worshipping such beings men can come closer to God. This idea obviously
presupposes belief in God’s existence, as is brought out in the “answer” of the people thus
addressed (cf. 7:172 and the corresponding note 139); but inasmuch as it offends against the
concept of God’s oneness and uniqueness, it deprives those people’s belief in God of its true
meaning and spiritual value.
51 Lit., “this [or “such”], then, being God, your Sustainer, the Ultimate Truth” -i.e., “seeing
that, on your own admission. He is the One who creates and governs all things and is the Ultimate
Reality behind all that exists” (see sürah 20, note 99): which implies a categorical denial of the
possibility that any other being could have a share, however small, in His divinity.

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YÜNUS SÜRAH

[has been forsaken], what is there Deft] but error?

How, then, can you lose sight of the truth?”52
(33) Thus is thy Sustainer’s word proved true with
regard to such as are bent on sinful doings: they will
not believe.53 âtâ (g) Ju jllXjï y‘i jlf
(34) Say: “Can any of those beings to whom you
ascribe a share in God’s divinity create [life] in the <$) f-r' ÎA-»
first instance, and then bring it forth anew?”54
Say: “It is God [alone] who creates [all life] in the
first instance, and then brings it forth anew. How
perverted, then, are your minds!”55 ($) CJU «j
(35) Say: “Does any of those beings to whom you
ascribe a share in God’s divinity guide unto the
truth?” û** <>' 4 ^r.
Say: “It is God [alone] who guides unto the truth.
Which, then, is more worthy to be followed - He who ($) LJ
guides unto the truth, or he who cannot find the right
way unless he is guided?56 What, then, is amiss with
you and your judgment?”57
(36) For, most of them follow nothing but con­
jecture: [and,] behold, conjecture can never be a
substitute for truth.58 Verily, God has full knowledge

52 Lit., “How, then, are you turned away?” - i.e., from the truth.
53 See surah 2, note 7, as well as 8:55 and the corresponding note 58. In this particular context,
“the Sustainer’s word” seems to be synonymous with “the way of God” (sunnat Allah) concern­
ing deliberate sinners and deniers of the truth (Manär XI, 359). The particle anna in annahum (lit.,
“that they”) is, thus, indicative of the purport of the divine “word" referred to, and is best
expressed by a colon.
54 This rhetorical question is connected with the false belief that those idolatrously worshipped
beings are no more than “intercessors” between their followers and God (see verse 18 above): and
so, even their misguided votaries cannot possibly attribute to them the power to create and to
resurrect. See also note 8 on verse 4 of this sürah. In its wider sense, this question (and the
subsequent answer) relates to the God-willed, cyclic process of birth, death and regeneration
evident in all organic nature.
55 See sürah 5, note 90.
56 Since the concept of “finding the right way" cannot apply to lifeless idols and idolatrous
images, the above passage obviously relates to animate beings - whether dead or alive-to whom
“a share in God’s divinity” is falsely attributed: that is, to saintly personalities, prophets or angels
whom popular fancy blasphemously endows with some or all of God’s qualities, sometimes even
to the extent that they are regarded as a manifestation or incarnation of God on earth. As for the
act of God’s guidance, it is displayed, primarily, in the power of conscious reasoning as well as of
instinctive insight with which He has graced man, thus enabling him to follow the divine laws of
right conduct (ZamakhsharT).
57 Lit., “[and] how do you judge?”
58 Lit., “conjecture can in no wise make [anyone] independent (lä yughnf) of the truth”, i.e., of
positive insight obtained through authentic revelation (to which the sequence relates). The people
referred to here (and apparently also in the first sentence of verse 53 of this sürah) are the
agnostics who waver between truth and falsehood. - Some of the great exponents of Islamic
Law - foremost among them Ibn Hazm - base on this verse their rejection of qiyäs (“deduction by
analogy”) as a means of eliciting religious laws which are supposedly “implied” in the wording of
the Qur’än or of the Prophet’s teachings, but not clearly laid down in terms of law. In his
commentary on this verse, RäzT thus sums up the above view: “They say that every deduction by

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JONAH
of all that they do.
(37) Now this Qur’än could not possibly have been
devised by anyone save God: nay indeed,59 it
confirms the truth of whatever there still remains [of
earlier revelations] and clearly spells out the re­
velation [which comes] — let there be no doubt about
it-from the Sustainer of all the worlds.60
(38) And yet,6162 they [who are bent on denying the
63
truth] assert, “[Muhammad] has invented it!”
Say [unto them]: ‘‘Produce, then, a surah of similar
i/u j* ùjlji» fl (g)
merit; and [to this end] call to your aid whomever you
can, other than God, if what you say is true!”" <4 £TQp LT
(39) Nay, but they are bent on giving the lie to
everything the wisdom whereof they do not com­ fA. w, Jû jS <g)
prehend, and ere its inner meaning has become clear
to them." Even thus did those who lived before their f J»iS'è jL*

time give the lie to the truth: and behold what hap­
(J)
pened in the end to those evildoers!
(40) And there are among them such as will in time (g) ^1 «Ajj à*
come to believe in this [divine writ], just as there are
among them such as will never believe in it;64 and thy
Sustainer is fully aware as to who are the spreaders
of corruption.
(41) And [so, O Prophet,] if they give thee the lie.

analogy is a conjectural process and is, therefore, of necessity, inadmissible [in matters pertaining
to religion] - for ‘conjecture can never be a substitute for truth’.*’ (See also 5:101-102, and the
corresponding notes 120-123.)
59 Lit., “but” (wa-läkin)-a stress on the impossibility of any assertion to the contrary.
60 The above passage has ■ twofold significance: firstly, the wisdom inherent in the Qur’än
precludes any possibility of its having been composed by a human being; and. secondly, the
Qur’anic message is meant to confirm, and give a final formulation to, the eternal truths which
have been conveyed to man through a long succession of prophets: truths which have sub­
sequently been obscured through wrong interpretation, deliberate omissions or interpolations, or a
partial or even total loss of the original texts. For an explanation of the phrase mû bayna yadayhi,
rendered by me in this context as “whatever there still remains [of earlier revelations]’’, see sürah
3, note 3.
61 According to the great philologist AbQ 'Ubaydah Ma'mar ibn al-Muthannä (as quoted by
BaghawT), the particle am which introduces this sentence has no interrogative connotation, but
is-as in several other places in the Qur’än - synonymous with the conjunction wa (“and"), which
in this case can be suitably rendered as above.
62 Cf. 2:23 and the corresponding note 15.
63 Lit., “the knowledge whereof they do not encompass, while its inner meaning has not yet
come to them”. Most of the classical commentators explain this sentence in the way rendered by
me; some of them, however (e.g., Tabari and Baghawl), interpret the term la’wll (“final [or
“inner”] meaning”) in the sense in which it is used in 7:53 (see my translation of that passage and
the corresponding note 41).
64 The verb yu'minün, which occurs twice in this verse, can be understood as connoting either
the present tense-“[such as] believe”, resp. “[such as] do not believe”-or the future tense. The
future tense (adopted by me) is the meaning unequivocally attributed to it by Tabari and Ibn
Kathlr; some of the other authorities, like Zamakhsharl and Räzl, prefer the present tense, but
nevertheless regard the other interpretation as legitimate. (See also Manâr XI, 380.)

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 YÜNUS SÜRAH

say: “To me [shall be accounted] my doings, and to

you, your doings: you are not accountable for what I
am doing, and I am not accountable for whatever you
do.”
(42) And there are among them such as [pretend to]
listen to thee: but canst thou cause the deaf to
hearken even though they will not use their reason? (J) J-ZlLje
(43) And there are among them such as [pretend to]
look towards thee: but canst thou show the right way <±1J[ ôjmaïu

to the blind even though they cannot see?

(44) Verily, God does not do the least wrong unto
men, but it is men who wrong themselves.
(45) And on the Day when He shall gather them
[unto Himself, it will seem to them] as if they had not ^j^-. (ilJ ($> QPk

tarried [on earth] longer than an hour of a day,

knowing one another;65 [and] lost indeed will be they pl £ZC J jU-

who [in their lifetime] considered it a lie that they

(J) *■
were destined to meet God, and [thus] failed to find
the right way. ui
(46) And whether We show thee [in this world]
something of what We hold in store for those [deniers ($>
of the truth],66 or whether We cause thee to die
[before that retribution takes place - know that, in the
end], it is unto Us that they must return; and God is
witness to all that they do.67

(47) NOW every community has had an apostle; and only

after their apostle has appeared [and delivered his
message] is judgment passed on them, in all equity;68

65 I.e., their past sojourn in this world, during which they were bound to one another by various
ties of human relationship, will appear to them like a short moment as compared with the timeless
duration of the life that awaits them after resurrection (see note 19 on 79:46). with all their past
relationships cut asunder. See also 6:94, which describes the condition of the deniers of the truth
on the Day of Resurrection: “And now, indeed, you have come unto Us in a lonely state, even as
We created you in the first instance“; and later on, in that same verse: “Indeed, all the bonds
between you [and your earthly life] are now severed...”
66 Lit., “of what We promise them” or “of what We threaten them with” - i.e., the inevitable
retribution, sometimes even in this world, which a deliberate denial of the truth brings in its wake.
67 The above verse is addressed, in the first instance, to the Prophet, and relates to those of his
contemporaries who refused to acknowledge the truth of the Qur’anic revelation. In its wider
sense, however, it is addressed to every believer who might find it incomprehensible that life-long
suffering is often the lot of the righteous, while many wrongdoers and deniers of the truth
apparently remain unscathed and are allowed to enjoy the good things of life. The Qur’än solves
this apparent paradox by making it clear that, in comparison with the life to come, the life in this
world is but a brief moment, and that it is only in the hereafter that man’s destiny reveals itself in
all its true aspects. Cf. 3 : 185 - “only on the Day of Resurrection will you be requited in full (for
whatever you have done]... for the life of this world is nothing but an enjoyment of self-delusion”.
68 Lit., “and when their apostle has come, a decision is made between them in all equity”. This
verse stresses (a) the continuity of religious revelation in mankind’s history and the fact that in the
long run no community, period or civilization (which latter is one of the meanings attributable to
the term ummah) has been left without prophetic guidance, and (b) the doctrine that God does not
 10
JONAH
and never are they wronged.
(48) And yet, they [who deny the truth] are wont to
ask, “When is that promise [of resurrection and
judgment] to be fulfilled? [Answer this, O you who
believe in it,] if you are men of truth!”
(49) Say [O Prophet]: “It is not within my power to jéjïî ui* & ôjjZj <g> SpÊj y
avert harm from, or bring benefit to, myself, except
as God may please.69 For all people a term has been J* <S>
set: when the end of their term approaches, they can
neither delay it by a single moment, nor hasten it.”70
(50) Say: “Have you ever considered [how you .> . >
J» (J)
would feel] if His chastisement were to befall you by
night or by day? What could there be in that prospect ‘ >* LA-?J J» jCii

that people lost in sin should wish to hasten?71 (51)

JijIj^l (g) ôy.yZJT
Will you, then, believe in it [only] after it has come to
pass - [on the Day when you will be asked, ‘Do you
believe in it] now,72 after having [contemptuously]
called for its speedy advent?’ (52) - whereupon those <5> jiil-rûii
who [in their lifetime] were bent on evildoing will be
told, ‘Taste suffering abiding! Is this requital anything Û-* >1 Z$>J J-* »
but the just due for what you were wont to do?’”73
(53) And some people7475 ask thee, “Is all this true?”
<2>
Say: “Yea, by my Sustainer! It is most certainly
true, and you cannot elude [the final reckoning]!”
(54) And all human beings that have been doing
evil73 would surely, if they possessed all that is on
earth, offer it as ransom [on Judgment Day];76 and

punish “a community for its wrongdoing so long as its people are still unaware [of the meaning of
right and wrong]: for all shall be judged according to their [conscious] deeds” (6:131-132).
69 Sc., “and since I do not possess any supernatural powers, 1 cannot predict that which is
beyond the reach of human perception (al-ghayb)”.
70 See 7:34 and the corresponding notes 25 and 26. In the above context, the “end of the term”
refers, in particular, to the coming of the Last Hour and the Day of Judgment.
71 Lit., “What [part] thereof might the people lost in sin (al-mujrimün) wish to hasten” -
meaning, according to ZamakhsharT, that “all of [God's] chastisement is awful and bitter, and
should inspire one with the desire to flee therefrom;...and there is nothing in it that ought to
make one wish to hasten it”. This is an allusion to the incredulous inquiry of the deniers of the
truth about the coming of the Last Hour (verse 48 above), as well as to their sarcastic demand that
they should be immediately chastised by God in proof of Muhammad’s prophetic mission (cf.
6:57-58 and 8:32, as well as the corresponding notes).-The expression “by night or by day”
occurring in the preceding sentence denotes the suddenness and unexpectedness with which doom
is bound to encompass the evildoers on the Day of Judgment
72 I.e., “when it is too late” (TabarT, ZamakhsharT, Râzï; my interpolation at the beginning of
this sentence is based on these authorities).
73 Lit, "Are you being requited for anything but for what you were wont to earn?”
74 Lit., “they”-i.e., those of the unbelievers who are wavering in their agnosticism and-as
mentioned in verse 36 above - “follow nothing but conjecture” (Manâr XI, 394).
75 In this instance, by deliberately giving the lie to the Prophet and rejecting the message of the
Qur’än.
76 Cf. 3:91 and the corresponding note 71.
299
 YÜNUS SÜRAH

when they see the suffering [that awaits them], they

will be unable to express their remorse.77 But
judgment will be passed on them in all equity; and
they will not be wronged.
(55) Oh, verily, unto God belongs all that is in the
heavens and on earth! Oh, verily, God’s promise & t (►r*.

always comes true-but most of them know it not! & Zj ^>_JT j G â

(56) He alone grants life and deals death; and unto
Him you all must return.78 J»

it»y iU S» i/UJÎ IfjEf

(57) O MANKIND! There has now come unto you an
admonition from your Sustainer, and a cure for all
[the ill] that may be in men’s hearts,79 and guidance
and grace unto all who believe [in Him].
(58) Say: “In [this] bounty of God and in His
grace - in this, then, let them rejoice: it is better than J» ($) û/ûtl/x»-A

all [the worldly wealth] that they may amass!”

jil dlU j» U*/» 4> fàZï Jjij ^4
(59) Say: “Have you ever considered all the means
of sustenance which God has bestowed upon you
from on high80-and which you thereupon divide into
’things forbidden’ and ’things lawful*?”81

77 The primary meaning of the verb asarrahu is “he concealed it” or “he kept it secret"; thus,
the phrase asarru 'n-nadämah (expressed in the past tense but in the above context obviously
denoting a future event) could be rendered as “they will conceal their remorse". In view, however,
of the many statements in the Qur’än that on the Day of Judgment the sinners will not only not
conceal but wilt, rather, stress their remorse, some of the commentators (e.g., BaghawT, on the
authority of Abd 'Ubaydah) are of the opinion that in this particular verse the verb asarra denotes
the opposite of its primary meaning and, accordingly, interpret the phrase as "they will manifest
their remorse”. But the linguistic validity of this rather forced interpretation has been emphatically
contested by many philologists, and particularly by AbQ Mançür al-Azhan (cf. Lane IV, 1337): and
since there is no convincing reason to disregard the original significance of the verb asarra with its
implication of “concealment”, the above Qur’anic phrase must be understood (as ZamakhsharT
understands it), in the metonymical sense of an involuntary "concealment", that is, the sinners’
inability to express the full depth of their remorse.
78 Lit., “you shall be brought back”-for, “all that exists goes back to Him [as its source]”
(11:123).
79 Le., a remedy for all that is contrary to truth and moral good.
80 This connects with the statement, in verse 57, that the Qur’än offers to man a complete
guidance towards the good life and spiritual fulfilment in this world, and happiness in the life to
come. As already mentioned in surah 2, note 4, the term rizq connotes all that may be good and
useful to man, be it of a physical nature (in the conventional sense of "means of sustenance") or
belonging to the realm of the mind (like reason, knowledge, etc.) or of the spirit (like faith,
kindness, patience, etc.). Thus, it applies exclusively to positive, beneficial means of sustenance,
and never to things or phenomena which are morally reprehensible and/or physically or socially
injurious.
81 Lit., “and thereupon you have made some of it forbidden (/lartim) and [some of it] lawful
(/la/d/)”. The fact that it is God who “has bestowed upon you from on high” (anzala 'alaykum)-
i.e., has willed that man should make use of-all that can be qualified as rizq, automatically makes
all its manifestations lawful (ZamakhsharT). In accordance with the doctrine that everything which
has not been expressly forbidden by the Qur’än or the explicit teachings of the Prophet is eo ipso
lawful, this verse takes a clear-cut stand against all arbitrary prohibitions invented by man or
artificially “deduced” from the Qur’än or the Prophet’s sunnah (Manär XI, 409 f.; see also note 58

300
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JONAH
Say: “Has God given you leave (to do this]-or do
you, perchance, attribute your own guesswork to
God?”
(60) But what do they think-they who attribute
their own lying inventions to God-[what do they
think will happen to them] on the Day of Resur­
rection? jé ùjjüi Lfrfr I*, âl je fl
Behold, God is indeed limitless in His bounty unto
men —but most of them are ungrateful.

j ùjO Uj (J) I
(61) AND IN whatever condition thou mayest find thyself,
[O Prophet,] and whatever discourse of this [divine
J* ÙjLÂî y, ùhy Uj
writ]82 thou mayest be reciting, and whatever work
you [all, O men,] may do-[remember that] We are
your witness83 [from the moment] when you enter
upon it: for, not even an atom’s weight [of whatever
there is] on earth or in heaven escapes thy Sus­ ùfîî ($)
tainer s knowledge; and neither is there anything
smaller than that, or larger, but is recorded in [His] <5> f
clear decree.
(62) Oh, verily, they who are close to God84-no jP-T j
fear need they have, and neither shall they grieve:
(63) they who have attained to faith and have always
been conscious of Him. (64) For them there is the
glad tiding [of happiness] in the life of this world818286
85
84
83
and in the life to come; [and since] nothing could ever
alter [the outcome of] God’s promises, this, this is the
triumph supreme!
(65) And be not grieved by the sayings of those
[who deny the truth]. Behold, all might and glory84

on verse 36 of this sürah, as well as 5:101-102 and the corresponding notes). In its wider sense,
the above verse relates to people who refuse to be guided by revelation and prefer to “follow
nothing but conjecture” (verse 36).
82 Or: “Whatever discourse (qur’än) from Him”.
83 Lit., “witnesses”, corresponding to the majestic plural “We”. The specific reference to the
Prophet and his recitation of the Qur’än (implied in the singular form of address in the first part of
this sentence) is meant to stress the supreme importance of divine revelation in the context of
human life.
84 The verb waliya (from which the noun wall, pl. awliyä', is derived) signifies, primarily, the
nearness or closeness of one thing to another: thus, God is spoken of in the Qur’än (e.g., in 2:257
and 3:68) as being “near unto (wa/r) those who believe”. Although the term wall, when applied to
God, as well as to the relationship between one created being and another, is often used in the
Qur’än in the sense of “helper”, “friend”, “protector”, “guardian”, etc., none of these secondary
meanings can properly - i.e., without offending against the reverence due to God-describe man's
attitude to, or relationship with, Him. Consequently, the above reference to the believers as
aw/iyd’ of God is best rendered as “they who are close to God”, in the sense of their being always
conscious of Him. This rendering has the support of almost all the classical commentators.
85 I.e., the happiness bom of the feeling of closeness to God and, hence, of spiritual fulfilment.
86 The noun 'izzah comprises the concepts of superior might as well as of honour and glory. Its
rendering into another language depends on the context, and sometimes-as in this case-
necessitates a combination of two terms.
301
 YÜNUS SÜRAH

belong to God alone: He alone is all-hearing, all-

knowing.
(66) OH, VERILY, unto God belongs whoever is in the
heavens and whoever is on earth: hence, what is it
that they follow-those who invoke, beside God,
beings to whom they ascribe a share in His divinity. <$>
They follow but the conjectures [of others], and
themselves do nothing but guess - (67) [whereas] it is
He who has made the night for you, so that you might
have rest therein, and the day, to make [you] see:87
88 in
this, behold, there are messages indeed for people J-stf<s>
who [are willing to] listen.
(68) [And yet] they assert, “God has taken unto
Himself a son!” Limitless is He in His glory!89 Self-
sufficient is He: unto Him belongs all that is in the
heavens and all that is on earth! No evidence what­
ever have you for this [assertion]! Would you ascribe
unto God something which you cannot know? J* ($> SÎL âl jc jjlji»’1
(69) Say: “Verily, they who attribute their own <$) j>_ax£JÏ Jj jc jjjju 1
lying inventions to God will never attain to a happy
state!” (70) [A brief] enjoyment in this world-and kjiUJÎ x (-er/ M f £J
thereafter unto Us they must return: and then We
shall let them taste suffering severe as an outcome of
their persistent denial of the truth.

(71) AND CONVEY unto them the story of Noah - when

he said unto his people: “O my people! If my Xz' Jr*
presence [among you] and my announcement of
God’s messages are repugnant to you90-well, in God
have I placed my trust. Decide, then, upon what you
are going to do [against me],91 and [call to your aid]
those beings to whom you ascribe a share in God’s

87 Lit., “partners”, i.e., of God (see surah 6, note 15). The substantive pronoun man (“who­
ever”) occurring twice in the first part of this verse contains an allusion to rational beings (as
distinct from inanimate objects) whom “those who ascribe divinity to aught beside God” consider
to be endowed with qualities or powers which, in fact, belong to Him alone. The Qur’än argues
against this idolatrous concept by pointing out that all rational beings, whether men or angels,
“belong to God” (i.e., are-like everything else in the universe - wholly dependent on Him for
their existence), possessing no divine qualities and, therefore, no reality as objects of worship.
88 See 14:32-33 and the corresponding note 46; for the specific significance, in this context, of
the reference to “day” and “night", see note 77 on 27 : 86, which belongs to a somewhat earlier
revelation than the present sürah.
89 See sürah 2, note 96.
90 Sc., “because they run counter to the idolatrous beliefs which you have inherited from your
ancestors”. The story of Noah, briefly mentioned in verses 71-73, is told at greater length in
11:36-48 (see also 7 : 59-64). Here it connects with verse 47 above, and thus with the main theme
of this surah: the truth of God's revelation of His will through His prophets, and the suffering
which in the life to come is bound to befall those who give the lie to His messages.
91 Lit., “upon your course of action" (which is the meaning of the term amr in this context).

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JONAH
divinity; and once you have chosen your course of
action, let no hesitation deflect you from it;” and then
carry out against me [whatever you may have de­
cided], and give me no respite! (72) But if you turn
away [from the message which I bear, remember that]
I have asked no reward whatever of you: my reward
rests with none but God, for I have been bidden to be
among those who have surrendered themselves unto <g> tpjsty J|
Him.”
(73) And yet they gave him the lie! And so We Û*5^—1âT Jc
saved him and all who stood by him, in the ark, and
made them inherit [the earth],92 94 the while We caused
93 dUJÎ j,*-* ûeJÛjT
those who gave the lie to Our messages to drown:95
U&.lfeijjjtf'a/TuJilJ
behold, then, what happened in the end to those
people who had been warned [in vain]!
j* f (j) Lt j-*—<2* jiSfcSÿ*

(74) AND THEN, after him, We sent forth [other] b» ijiif’ij c. »2j.it (*♦*>
apostles - each one unto his own people96-and they
brought them all evidence of the truth; but they <$)
would not believe in anything to which they had once
d[ ùjLr*> ù; (
given the lie:97 thus it is that We seal the hearts of
such as [are wont to] transgress the bounds of what is <$) ijjXLü &X
right.98
yB 3* Cii
(75) And after those [earlier prophets] We sent
Moses and Aaron with Our messages unto Pharaoh
a;1 JB
and his great ones: but they gloried in their arrogance,
for they were people lost in sin. (76) And so, when LOJ 1^1 ipB

the truth came to them from Us, they said, “Behold,

this is clearly nothing but sorcery!”99
(77) Said Moses: “Do you speak thus of the truth
after it has been brought to you? Can this be sorcery?
But sorcerers can never come to a happy end!”100

92 Lit., “your [God-]partners”. For an explanation of this term, see sürah 6, note 15.
93 This is a free rendering of the elliptic phrase, “and let not your course of action (amrukum)
be an uncertainty to you".
94 I.e., "made them outlive [the others]” (ZamakhsharT). As regards the allegorical rendering of
khalä'if (sing, khalïf or khalffah) adopted by me, see sürah 2, note 22.
95 See sürah 7, note 47.
96 Lit., “We sent apostles to their [own] people"-an allusion to the fact that each of die
apostles before Muhammad was sent to one particular people or community, and that the Arabian
Prophet was the first and the last to bring a universal message addressed to all mankind.
97 Cf. 7:101 and the corresponding note 82.
98 See sürah 2, note 7.
99 Lit., “this is indeed obvious sorcery": an accusation which apparently refers to the
spellbinding force of the messages conveyed to them by Moses, similar to the objections raised
against the Last Prophet, Muhammad. (See verse 2 of this sürah and the corresponding note 5).
100 The implication is that what is termed "sorcery” cannot achieve more than ephemeral
Phenomena lacking any spiritual content, and can never prevail against the laws of nature which,
in their totality, are described in the Qur’än as “the way of God”. The story of Moses and the

303
YÜNUS SÜRAH

(78) [The great ones] replied: “Hast thou come to

tum us away from what we found our forefathers
believing in and doing, so that the two of you might
become supreme in this land? However, we do not
believe in you two!”101
(79) And Pharaoh commanded: “Bring before me j 4L UtLU
every sorcerer of great knowledge!”
d'h ($) Cj
(80) And when the sorcerers came, Moses said unto
them: “Throw whatever you may [wish to] throw!” fry p JU Z Qi (£)
(81) And when they threw down [their staffs and
cast a spell upon the people’s eyes102], Moses said frj* L*
unto them: “What you have contrived is [but] sorcery
which, verily, God will bring to nought! Verily, God
does not further the works of spreaders of
corruption - (82) whereas by His words God proves jlfir jx; (g>
the truth to be true,103 however hateful this may be to
those who are lost in sin!”
* y1.»* ùy "A
(83) But none save a few of his people declared
their faith in Moses,104105[while others held back] for
fear of Pharaoh and their great ones, lest they per­ j JU
secute them:103 for, verily, Pharaoh was mighty on
earth and was, verily, of those who are given to
excesses. 1.1«^^/ LJe 'jJiü 4
(84) And Moses said: “O my people! If you believe
in God, place your trust in Him - if you have [truly]
surrendered yourselves unto Him!”
(85) Whereupon they answered: “In God have we
placed our trust! O our Sustainer, make us not a

sorcerers and the letters’ subsequent conversion is told in greater detail in Al-A'räf and Ta Hä. both
of which were revealed before the present surah.
101 The dual address “you two” relates to Moses and his brother Aaron.
102 The above interpolation is based on 7:116; see also the second paragraph of 20 : 66.
103 By “God’s words” is meant here His creative will, manifested in the laws of nature
instituted by Him as well as in the revelations granted by Him to His prophets (Manor XI, 468).
A similar phrase occurs also in 8: 7 and 42 : 24.
104 Lit., “believed in Moses”; however, since the sequence shows that not belief as such but its
open profession is referred to here, I have rendered the above phrase accordingly. As for the term
dhurriyyah (lit., “offspring”), we have several authoritative statements to the effect that it often
denotes “a small group [or “a few”] of one’s people” (Ibn ‘Abbas, as quoted by Tabarî, Baghawî,
RäzT and Ibn Kathïr, as well as Ad-Dahhäk and Qatädah, as quoted by Tabari and Ibn Kathir); hence
my rendering. Since the Qur’Sn mentions (e.g., in 7 :120-126) that some Egyptians, too, came to
believe in Moses’ message and openly proclaimed their belief, it is reasonable to assume that by “his
people" are meant not merely the Israelites but, more generally, the people among whom Moses was
living: that is, both Israelites and Egyptians. This assumption is strengthened by the reference, in the
next clause of this sentence, to “ their great ones" - an expression obviously relating to the Egyptian
“great ones".
105 If the expression *alä khawf is taken to mean “despite [their] fear” (referring to those who
did declare their faith openly), the above sentence would read thus: “... a few of his people
declared their faith in Moses despite their fear that Pharaoh and their great ones would persecute
them” - implying, as does the rendering adopted by me, that, because of their fear, the majority
did not declare their faith openly.

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JONAH
plaything'“ for evildoing folk, (86) and save us, by
Thy grace, from people who deny the truth!”
(87) And [thus] did We inspire Moses and his
brother: “Set aside for your people some houses in
the city, and [tell them], ‘Turn your houses into
places of worship,1®7 and be constant in prayer!’ And
<g)
give thou [O Moses] the glad tiding [of God’s suc­
cour] to all believers.” <3>
(88) And Moses prayed: “O our Sustainer! Verily,
splendour and riches hast Thou vouchsafed, in the
life of this world, unto Pharaoh and his great ones-
exit jèj (g) j
with the result, O our Sustainer, that they are leading
[others] astray from Thy path!1“ O our Sustainer! Ù.J ÇjlTïJpJ j ÙjPjJ
Wipe out their riches, and harden their hearts, so that
they may not attain to faith ere they see the grievous
suffering [that awaits them]!”
(89) [God] answered: “Accepted is this your
<$> uOîu ûî £
prayer!109 Continue, then, both of you, steadfastly on iliLLIî cLÛ 5 Jb
the right way, and follow not the path of those who
have no knowledge [of right and wrong].”
(90) And We brought the children of Israel across
the sea; and thereupon Pharaoh and his hosts pur­
sued them with vehement insolence and tyranny, until \ if* & &&
[they were overwhelmed by the waters of the sea.
And] when he was about to drown, [Pharaoh] ex­ Jij <£) Ity JZrl
claimed:"0 “I have come to believe that there is no
deity save Him in whom the children of Israel
believe, and I am of those who surrender themselves
unto Him!”
(91) [But God said:] “Now?1"-when ever before

106 Lit., “temptation to evil’’ (fitnah).

107 Lit., “a direction of prayer’’ (qiblah)-a. metaphor meant to impress upon the children of
Israel that their only salvation lay in God-consciousness and unceasing devotion to Him. The
primary meaning of mifr - usually rendered as "Egypt" - is "city” or "metropolis”.
108 According to most of the classical commentators, the particle li prefixed to the verb yutfillü
(“they are leading astray”) represents in this context the so-called lâm al-'äqibah (“the [lener] läm
denoting a consequence”) and does not, as in many other instances, express a purpose or an intent
(“in order that” or “to the end that”). My rendering of this li as “with the result that” is meant to
bring out Moses’ moral indignation at the perversity of Pharaoh and his great ones who, instead of
being grateful to God for His bounty, are using their power to corrupt their own people.
109 Lit., “the prayer of you two”, i.e., Moses and Aaron, both of whom are addressed in the
next sentence as well.
110 Lit., “until, when drowning overtook him, he said". For the full story of Moses and
Pharaoh, the latter’s tyrannical oppression of the Israelites and their ultimate deliverance, see
Exodus i-xiv, and especially (with reference to the above Qur’Sn-verse), ch. xiv, which narrates in
great detail the miraculous escape of the Israelites and the doom of Pharaoh and his forces. It
should always be remembered that all Qur’anic references to historical or legendary events -
whether described in the Bible or in the oral tradition of pre-lslamic Arabia-are invariably meant
to elucidate a particular lesson in ethics and not to narrate a story as such: and this explains the
fragmentary character of these references and allusions.
Ill I.e., “Dost thou repent now, when it is too late?” Cf. 4:18-“repentance shall not be

305
 YÜNUS SÜRAH

this thou hast been rebelling [against Us], and hast

been among those who spread corruption? (92) [Nay,]
but today We shall save only thy body,"2so that thou
mayest be a [warning] sign unto those who will come
after thee: for, behold, a good many people are
heedless of Our messages!”
(93) And [thereafter], indeed, We assigned unto the tjTU-Jf J* Ijjiâ» dUJ»
children of Israel a most goodly abode,113 *112114
116
115and
<£> ÙjUîâJ l—IL H ja
provided for them sustenance out of the good things
of life. And it was not until knowledge [of God’s
revelation] was vouchsafed to them that they began
to hold divergent views: [but,] verily, thy Sustainer *4 f♦'r
will judge between them on Resurrection Day re­ U/iC? éii jSJ'ùp ($)
garding all on which they were wont to differ."4
13 éÇ j, Çdkjî yt ^5 éOl
(94) AND SO, [O man,] if thou art in doubt about [the
truth of] what We have [now] bestowed upon thee
from on high,"5 ask those who read the divine writ
[revealed] before thy time:"6 [and thou wilt find that,]

accepted from those who do evil deeds until their dying hour, and then say, ‘Behold, I now
repent’.”
112 Lit., “We shall save thee in thy body”: probably an allusion to the ancient Egyptian custom
of embalming the bodies of their kings and nobles and thus preserving them for posterity. Some
Egyptologists assume that the “evil Pharaoh” of the Qur’än and the Bible was Ramses U (about
1324-1258 B.C.), while others identify him with his unlucky predecessor, Tut-ankh-amen, or even
with Thotmes (or Thutmosis) III, who lived in the 15th century B.c. However, all these
“identifications” are purely speculative and have no definitive historical value. In this connection it
should be remembered that the designation “Pharaoh” (fir* awn in Arabic) is not a proper name
but a title borne by all the kings of ancient Egypt.
113 Lit., “We settled the children of Israel in an abode of excellence” - which latter term,
according to almost all commentators, conveys the meaning of fidq in this context
114 Commenting on this verse, Râzï says: “The people of Moses remained of one religious
persuasion (*alä millah wähidah) and of one opinion, without any disagreement, until they began
to study the Torah: whereupon they became aware of the [various] problems and obligations
involved, and disagreements [regarding their interpretation] arose among them. And so God makes it
clear [in the above Qur’än-verse] that this kind of disagreement is inevitable (là-budd) and will
always occur in the life of this world.” Râzï’s penetrating psychological comment is in tune with
the oft-repeated Qur’anic statement that proneness to intellectual dissension is a permanent
characteristic of human nature (see the last sentences of 2:213 and 253, respectively, as well as
the corresponding notes; also 23 :53 and note 30).
115 Some of the commentators assume that verses 94 and 95 are addressed to the Prophet
Muhammad-an assumption which is highly implausible in view of the admonition (in verse 95),
“Be not among those who are bent on giving the fie to God’s messages”: for it is obvious that
God’s chosen Prophet was never in danger of falling into such a sin. Consequently, RäzT interprets
these two verses as being addressed to man in general, and explains the reference to “what We
have bestowed upon thee from on high” in the sense given in my rendering. This interpretation
makes it clear, moreover, that the above passage is closely connected with verses 57-58, which
speak of the guidance vouchsafed to mankind through the ultimate divine writ, the Qur’än.
116 I.e., the Jews and the Christians. The “reading” is here a metonym for belief, namely, in the
Bible, which - notwithstanding the fact that its text has been corrupted in the course of time - still
contains clear references to the advent of the Prophet Mufiammad and thus, by implication, to the
truth of the divine message revealed through him. In its wider sense, the above verse alludes to the
unbroken continuity of man’s religious experience and to the fact, frequently stressed in the

306
 10
JONAH
surely, the truth has now come unto thee from thy
Sustainer. Be not, then, among the doubters - (95) and
neither be among those who are bent on giving the lie
to God s messages, lest thou find thyself among the
lost. <S> jjj&u
(96) Verily, they against whom thy Sustainer’s
word [of judgment] has come true117 will not attain to SjL-sî;
faith-(97) even though every sign [of the truth]
should come within their ken-until they behold the
grievous suffering (that awaits them in the life to y5; ($) Spjji
come]."8119
(98) For, alas,"’ there has never yet been any
community that attained to faith [in its entirety,] and ÿü i
thereupon benefited by its faith, except the people of
Jonah.120 When they came to believe, We removed
from them the suffering of disgrace [which otherwise
would have befallen them even] in the life of this
world, and allowed them to enjoy their life during the

Qur’ân, that every one of God’s apostles preached one and the same basic truth. (See in this
connection the second paragraph of 5 :48 and the corresponding notes 66 and 67.)
117 See verse 33 and note 53 above; also note 4 on 14:4.
118 Sc., “when belief will be of no avail to them”: an allusion to verses 90-91, which speak of
Pharaoh’s “conversion” at the point of death. Cf. also 4:17-18.
119 The particle law-lâ (“were it not that" or “were it not for") is sometimes synonymous with
hal-lä, and could therefore be translated as “why not” (“why was there not..etc.). However,
neither the interrogative nor the above-mentioned literal rendering would bring out the purport of
this passage. Its meaning becomes obvious only if we remember that law-lä is-apart from its
primary significance - one of the so-called hurüf at-tahtfïtf (“particles denoting insistence").
Whenever it is followed by a verb in the future tense, it expresses an urgent exhortation to do a
thing; if followed by a verb in the past tense, as in the above case, it implies reproof for one’s not
having done something that should have been done. There is no idiomatic equivalent in modern
English to convey this meaning. The nearest approach to it would be, 1 believe, the archaic
exclamation “alack”, expressive of deep sorrow or reproach; but the use of this expression
(probably a compound of “ah! lack!”-i.e., loss or misfortune) is ruled out by its obsoleteness.
Consequently, I am constrained to employ the more current interjection “alas”, despite the fact
that it does not possess the intensity of the ancient “alack". At any rate, the reader must bear in
mind that the passage under consideration, although seemingly phrased in a conditional or an
interrogatory form, implies a positive statement: namely-as has been stressed by several classical
commentators, and most explicitly by Tabari-the statement that “there has never yet been...”,
etc.
120 The Qur’ân points out in many places that no prophet has ever been immediately accepted
as such and followed by all of his people, and that many a community perished in result of the
stubborn refusal, by the majority of its members, to listen to the divine message. The only
exception in this respect is said to have been the people of Nineveh, who-after having at first
rejected their prophet Jonah, so that “he went off in wrath” (cf. 21:87)- later responded to his call
in unison, and were saved. For the story of Jonah, see 21:87-88 and 37:139-148, as well as the
corresponding notes; a fuller narrative, which does not conflict with the Qur’anic references, is
forthcoming from the Bible (The Book of Jonah). In the context of the passage which we are now
considering, the mention of Jonah’s people - who alone among the communities of the past heeded
their prophet before it was too late - is meant to warn the hearers and readers of the Qur’ân that a
deliberate rejection of its message by "those against whom God’s word [of judgment] has come
true” (see verse 96) is bound to result in their spiritual doom and, consequently, in grievous suffering in
the life to come.

307
YÜNUS SÜRAH

time allotted to them?21

(99) And [thus it is:] had thy Sustainer so willed, all
those who live on earth would surely have attained to
122 dost thou, then, think that thou
faith, all of them:121
couldst compel people to believe, (100) notwith­
standing that no human being can ever attain to faith
otherwise than by God’s leave,'23 and [that] it is He (jAJÎU*;j
who lays the loathsome evil [of disbelief] upon those
who will not use their reason?124
(101) Say: “Consider whatever there is in the heavens
and on earth!’’
But of what avail could all the messages and all the
warnings be to people who will not believe? (102) Can
such, then, expect anything else [to befall them] but 0 y* &

the like of the days of [calamity which befell] those 5%’^ y rtp 'A flj
[deniers of the truth] who passed away before them?
Say: “Wait, then, [for what will happen:] verily, I
shall wait with you!’’
(103) [For thus it always happens: We seal the Jut CL' ji 0 A ££ 3^
doom of all who deny the truth and give the lie to Our
messages;] and thereupon We save Our apostles and
those who have attained to faith.125 Thus have We
willed it upon Ourselves: We save all who believe [in
Us].126

121 Lit., “for a time”, i.e., their natural life-span (Manär XI, 483).
122 The Qur’an stresses repeatedly the fact that, “had He so willed. He would have guided you
all aright” (6:149) - the obvious implication being that He has willed it otherwise: namely, that He
has given man the freedom to choose between right and wrong, thus raising him to the status of a
moral being (in distinction from other animals, which can only follow their instincts). See. in this
context, surah 6, note 143, as well as - in connection with the allegory of the Fall - surah 7, note
16.
123 I.e., by virtue of God’s guidance and within the compass of what He has decreed to be
man’s nature, comprising the ability to discriminate between right and wrong. Since man’s freedom
of moral choice expresses itself in his willingness or unwillingness to conform to his true,
God-willed nature, it can be said to depend, in the last resort, on God's grace. (Cf. in this respect
sürah 2, note 19, as well as sürah 14, note 4.)
124 Cf. 8:22 and 55, as well as the corresponding note 58. As in those verses, unbelief is here
shown to be the result of a person’s a-priori unwillingness to use his reason with a view to
understanding God’s messages, be they directly expressed in the revelations granted to His
prophets, or-as the Qur’&n once again stresses in the next verse-open to man’s perception in the
observable phenomena of His creation.
125 My long interpolation at the beginning of this verse is based, in the main, on ZamakhsharT’s
interpretation of it. It is necessitated by the fact that the adverbial conjunction thumma
(“thereupon” or “thereafter”) does not relate here to the immediately preceding passage but to a
theme repeatedly occurring in the Qur’&n and only indirectly alluded to in verse 102 above:
namely, the experiences of the earlier prophets with their recalcitrant communities, the doom of
those who gave the lie to their messages and, in every case, a divine deliverance of the prophet
concerned and of those who followed him. Rashid Rid&’ describes this passage, rightly, as “one of
the most outstanding examples of the elliptic mode of expression (îjdz) to be found in the Qur’&n”
(Mandr XI, 487).
126 RfizT explains the phrase hoqqan 'alaynd (lit., “as is incumbent upon Us”) as denoting no
more than a logical necessity, i.e., the unavoidable fulfilment of God’s “willing it upon Himself”,

308
 10
JONAH
(104) SAY [O Prophet]: “O mankind! If you are in doubt as
to what my faith is, then [know that] I do not worship
those beings whom you worship beside God,127 but
[that] I worship God alone, who shall cause you [all]
to die:128 for I have been bidden to be among those
who believe [in Him alone].”
(105) Hence, [O man,] set thy face steadfastly
towards the [true] faith, turning away from all that is
false,129 and be not among those who ascribe divinity
to aught beside God. (106) Thus, do not invoke, side jy d&j ùb O Cr 0/1
by side with God, anything that can neither benefit
thee nor harm thee: for, behold, if thou do it, thou O#J O
wilt surely be among the evildoers!
(107) And [know that] if God should touch thee with
misfortune, there is none who could remove it save
Him; and if He intends good for thee, there is none
who could turn away His bounty: He causes it to
alight upon whomsoever He wills of His servants.
And He alone is truly forgiving, truly a dispenser of j» <3 J* <j* **
grace.
(108) SAY [O Prophet]: “O mankind! The truth from your çï lc£ js £ -4-îj oy
Sustainer has now come unto you. Whoever, there­
fore, chooses to follow the right path, follows it but
for his own good; and whoever chooses to go astray, â! ÿ. Jf-»b
goes but astray to his own hurt. And I am not
responsible for your conduct.”
(109) And [as for thyself, O Muhammad,] follow but
what is being revealed unto thee, and be patient in ad­
versity, until God shall give His judgment: for He is
the best of all judges.

and not a “duty” on His part: for, neither is anything “incumbent” upon Him who has the power
to will anything, nor-as RäzT points out-has man any “right” with regard to his Creator.
127 Sc., “and call you to account on Judgment Day”. The use of the pronoun alladhina in the
phrase “those whom you worship” shows that it relates here to rational beings-like saints,
etc.-and not to inanimate representations. As regards the term din (rendered here as “faith”, see
the first half of note 249 on 2:256.
128 The specific reference, in this context, to God as the One who causes all living beings to die
is meant to impress upon “those who deny the truth” the fact that after their death they will be
placed before Him for judgment.
129 In classical Arabic usage, and particularly in the Qur’än, the word “face” is often employed
as a metonym for one’s whole being because it is the face, more than any other part of tbe human
body, that expresses man’s personality (cf. sürah 2, note 91).-For an explanation of the term
hanif, see surah 2, note 110.

309
 . THE ELEVENTH SÜRAH

HÜD
MECCA PERIOD

EVEALED very shortly after the tenth sürah ( Yünus) - that is, during the last year of the Proph­
R et’s sojourn in Mecca-Hud bears a great resemblance to the former, both in method and
subject-matter. As in Yünus, the main theme is the revelation of God’s will through His prophets
and the manifestation of prophethood as such. Some of the stories of earlier prophets mentioned
in Yünus are developed in the present sürah in greater detail, and are illuminated from various
angles, with a particular stress on just dealings between man and man. Paramount in this
connection is verse 117, which states that “never would thy Sustainer destroy a community for
wrong [beliefs alone] so long as its people behave righteously [towards one another]”. (See in this
connection note 149.)
Some of the authorities are of the opinion that verses 12, 17 and 114 were revealed at a later
date, in Medina; Rashid Rida9, however, rejects this view as unconvincing and holds that the sürah
in its entirety was revealed at Mecca (Manor XII, 2).

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) Alif. Läm. Ra.'

DIVINE WRIT [is this], with messages that have

A been made clear in and by themselves, and have
been distinctly spelled out as well2 - [bestowed upon
--------
you] out of the grace of One who is wise, all-aware,
(2) so that you may worship none but God.
[Say, O Prophet:] “Behold, I come unto you from ~ £ .A * <S>
Him [as] a warner and a bearer of glad tidings:123(3)

1 See Appendix II. In the somewhat strange opinion of Sibawayh (cf. Manär XII, 3) and of
RäzT in his commentary on this verse, the letters Alif-Läm-Rä represent the title of this sürah,
and ought therefore to be read in conjunction with the following sentence, thus: "Alif-Läm-Rä is
a divine writ...’’, etc. However, this opinion conflicts sharply with that of several earlier
authorities of great standing, e.g., Az-Zajjäj (quoted by RäzT), and is, moreover, unacceptable in
view of the fact that a number of other sürahs are preceded by such letter-symbols without any
syntactic possibility of their being regarded as “titles”.
2 According to ZamakhsharT and RäzT, the conjunction thumma at the beginning of the clause
thumma fuffilat (lit., “and then have been distinctly spelled out”) does not denote a sequence in
time but, rather, a co-ordination of qualities or conditions; therefore my rendering. As regards my
translation of the phrase uhkimat äyätuhu as “messages that have been made clear in and by
themselves”, see the first sentence of 3:7 as well as the corresponding note 5, which explains the
expression äyät muhkamät. RashTd Ricjä’ interprets this phrase in the same sense (see Manär XII,

3 The conjunction an (“that") preceding the next sentence (“that you shall...”, etc.) is in this
rendering expressed by means of a colon. The interpolation, between brackets, of the words “Say,
O Prophet” is necessitated by the first-person construction of this sentence. The subsequent
passage - up to the end of verse 4 - outlines both the “warning” and the “glad tidings” referred to
above, and thus circumscribes elliptically the whole of the message entrusted to the Prophet.

310
 SÜRAH 11
HÜD
Ask your Sustainer to forgive you your sins, and then
turn towards Him in repentance - [whereupon] He
will grant you a goodly enjoyment of life [in this
world] until a term set [by Him is fulfilled];45and [in
the life to come] He will bestow upon everyone
possessed of merit [a full reward for] his merit.3 But be/ f j£{j Ob (J) jfrA,
if you turn away, then, verily, I dread for you the
suffering [which is bound to befall you] on that
awesome Day!6 (4) Unto God you all must return; and 3u‘ Qp îjjy J LÎ;
He has the power to will anything.”
(5) Oh, verily, they [who are bent on denying the <x> ft '/*•
truth of this divine writ] are enshrouding their hearts
in order to hide from Him.7 Oh, verily, [even] when
they cover themselves with their garments [in order >1 OrA, h SjLfJ. I* 1^4 f-cO û»
not to see or hear],89 He knows all that they keep
secret as well as all that they bring into the open — for, • (J)
behold, He has full knowledge of what is in the hearts jÄ- j jc
[of men].
(6) And there is no living creature on earth but (T)
depends for its sustenance on God; and He knows its
time-limit [on earth] and its resting-place [after jfp—J »ul jé «-
death]:’ all [this] is laid down in [His] clear decree.
(7) And He it is who has created the heavens and
the earth in six aeons; and [ever since He has willed
to create life,] the throne of His almightiness has

4 I.e., “till the end of your lives” (for an explanation of the term ajal musammä, see note 2 on
6:2). Since God, in His unfathomable wisdom, does not always grant worldly happiness and
material benefits to everyone who believes in Him and lives righteously, it is only reasonable to
assume-as Rashïd Riçlâ’ does in Manâr XII, 7 If.-that the “goodly enjoyment of life” (i.e., in
this world) promised in the above sentence relates to the community of the believers as a whole,
and not necessarily to individuals. (Cf. 3: 139-“you are bound to rise high if you are [truly]
believers”.)
5 The noun fadl, when used with reference to God, invariably denotes “bounty” or “favour”; in
its reference to man, is usually signifies “merit” or, occasionally, “eminence”. The above verse
makes it clear that, in contrast to the partial and often only moral rewards and punishments in
the life of this world, God will, in the life to come, bestow the full measure of His favours upon
everyone who has acquired merit by virtue of his faith and his actions. (Cf. 3:185 - “only on the
Day of Resurrection will you be requited in full for whatever you have done”.)
6 Lit., “the suffering of a great Day”. See in this connection 9:128.
7 Since the people referred to in this verse obviously do not believe in the divine origin of
Muhammad’s message, their “hiding from God” can have, in this context, only one meaning-
namely, that of a metaphor for their unwillingness to listen to the truth which emanates from Him:
and this also explains the statement that they are “enshrouding their hearts” (lit., “bosoms”, as at
the end of this verse), i.e., are allowing their hearts and minds to remain wrapped-up in prejudices,
thus making them impervious to spiritual perception. See in this connection 8:55 and the
corresponding note 58.
8 The above interpolation corresponds to the meaning given to the preceding phrase by most of
the lexicographers (cf. Lane VI, 2262).
9 For this rendering of mustaqarr and mustawda\ see note 83 on 6:98. The above reference to
God’s all-embracing knowledge connects with the end of the preceding verse (“He has full
knowledge of all that is in the hearts of men").

311
HÜD SÜRAH

rested upon water.10

[God reminds you of your dependence on Him] in
order to test you [and thus to make manifest] which
of you is best in conduct. For thus it is: if11 thou
sayest [unto men], “Behold, you shall be raised again •**{ J*
after death!” - they who are bent on denying the truth
are sure to answer, “This is clearly nothing but an
enchanting delusion!”12
(8) And thus it is: if We defer their suffering until a s4® p»
time-limit set [by Us],13 they are sure to say, “What is
preventing it [from coming now]?”14
Oh, verily, on the Day when it befalls them there UiSI (îçb (J) *%Li ** f-j:
will be nothing to avert it from them; and they shall
be overwhelmed by the very thing which they were
wont to deride.15
(9) And thus it is: if We let man taste some of Our

10 As regards my rendering of ayyäm Git., “days”) as “aeons” and cars/i as the “throne of
[God’s] almightiness”, see sürah 7, note 43. The symbolic reference to “the throne of His
almightiness resting upon water” would seem to point to the God-willed evolution of all life out of
water-a fact clearly brought out by the Qur’än (see 21:30 and the corresponding note 39) and in
modem times confirmed by biological research. This tentative interpretation is strengthened by the
mention, in the preceding verse, of “living creatures”. My interpolation, between brackets, of the
phrase “ever since He has willed to create life” is in accordance with the views advanced by
RashTd Ritfä’ in his lengthy commentary on this verse (Manär XII, 16 If.).
11 The expression la’in (lit., “indeed, if...”) appearing here as well as in each of the next three
verses is meant to stress the typical-i.e., recurrent-character of the situation to which it refers.
In my opinion, it is best rendered as “thus it is: if...”, etc.
12 The term sihr, which is often used in the sense of “sorcery” or “magic”, denotes, primarily,
“the turning of something from its proper [i.e., natural] condition of being into another condition”
(Täj äl-Arüs)\ hence, it signifies any act which causes something that is false or unreal to assume
the appearance of reality. Since, however, the Qur’anic statement that “you shall be raised again
after death" is not-as has been pointed out by Razl-an “act” in the proper connotation of this
word, it would be illogical to assume that this statement could be characterized as “sorcery” even
by those who do not believe in it. On the other hand, it is obvious that they dismiss it
contemptuously as a mere “enchanting delusion” intended to prevent those who are able to do so
from enjoying their worldly life to the full (RäzT) or, alternatively, to induce the poor and
unfortunate to remain passively satisfied with their miserable lot on earth: and this is the meaning
of sifyr in the above context (Cf. 10:2, where the epithet sû/iir-in the sense of “spellbinder”-is
applied by unbelievers to the Prophet Muhammad.)
13 Lit., “a time computed [by Us]”, i.e., the Day of Judgment: a reference to the last sentence
of verse 3 above, where the Prophet is made to say, “I dread for you the suffering [which is bound
to befall you] on that awesome Day!” Among the several meanings which the noun ummah
comprises, that of “time” or “a period of time” is the most appropriate here (ZamakhsharT, Ibn
KathTr and other classical commentators).
14 For an explanation of this allusion to the attitude of the unbelievers, see 8:32 and 10:50, as
well as the corresponding notes; cf. also 6:57-58. The repeated Qur’anic references to the above
derisive query are evidently meant to show that the attitude of mind responsible for it is not
restricted to an isolated historic incident (see sürah 8, note 32) but is symptomatic of most, if not
all, people “who are bent on denying the truth”.
15 Lit., “that which they were wont to deride enfolded them (hdqa hihim)”. According to
almost ail the commentators, the use of the past tense in the verb häqa, despite the fact that it
refers to the future, has the syntactic value of a stress, implying the inevitability of the happening
to which it relates. (See also note 9 on 6:10.)

312
 11
HÜD
grace, and then take it away from him-behold, he
abandons all hope,1617 forgetting all gratitude [for Our
past favours]. (10) And thus it is: if We let him taste
ease and plenty'8 after hardship has visited him, he is
sure to say, “Gone is all affliction from me!”-for,
behold, he is given to vain exultation, and glories only (J) 4^» 4_>
in himself.19
(11) [And thus it is with most men — ] save those t JUv tUaj 4ÜÎSI CjJ,
who are patient in adversity and do righteous deeds:
it is they whom forgiveness of sins awaits, and a great
reward.
<$> je/lrtb
(12) IS IT, then, conceivable [O Prophet] that thou U SJ; éiSi
couldst omit any part of what is being revealed unto
thee [because the deniers of the truth dislike it, and]
because thy heart is distressed at their saying,20 “Why
has not a treasure been bestowed upon him from on QAÄ f1 0 $(ÿ aÇ iiért
high?”-or, “[Why has not] an angel come [visibly]
with him?”21
[They fail to understand that] thou art only a Warn­
er, whereas God has everything in His care;22 (13)
and so they assert, “[Muhammad himself] has in-

16 The sequence makes it clear that the generic term “man” referred to in this and the next
verse applies, primarily, to the agnostics who are either unconvinced of the existence of God or
are “bent upon denying the truth”; in its wider implication, however, it applies also to those who,
while believing in God, are weak in faith and therefore easily swayed by external circumstances,
and particularly by whatever happens to themselves.
17 Lit., “he is [or “becomes”] utterly hopeless” or “despairing” (ya'ûs), inasmuch as he
attributes his past happy state to a merely accidental chain of causes and effects-in short, to what
is commonly regarded as “luck" - and not to God’s grace. Hence, the term ya'üs, in its Qur’anic
usage, is indicative of spiritual nihilism.
18 This combination of two words is necessary to bring out the full meaning of the noun na'md’
which occurs in this form in the Qur’Sn only once. For my rendering of /a’in as “thus it is: if...”,
etc., see note 11 above.
19 Lit., “he is exultant beyond all measure, excessively self-glorifying"-i.e., he usually
attributes the turn of fortune to his own good qualities and his supposed “good luck”.
20 Lit., “because thy bosom is constricted [for fear] lest they say". According to all available
authorities, the expression la'alia (lit., “it may well be that”) at the beginning of the above
sentence denotes a wrong expectation on the part of the opponents of Muhammad’s message; it is,
therefore, best rendered in the form of a query which implies its own denial-thus: “Is it
conceivable that...”, etc. As regards the expectation that the Prophet might omit a part of what
was being revealed to him, it has been reported by ‘Abd Allah ibn cAbbäs and other Companions
(see RSzT’s commentary on this verse) that the pagan Quraysh demanded of the Prophet, “Bring
us a revelation (kitäb) which does not contain a defamation of our deities, so that we could follow
thee and believe in thee.”
21 Explaining this verse, Ibn *Abbäs mentions that some of the pagan chieftains of Mecca said,
“O Muhammad, cause the mountains of Mecca to be turned into gold, if thou art truly an apostle
of God”, while others exclaimed derisively, “Bring before us angels who would bear witness to thy
being a prophet!”-whereupon the above verse was revealed (RäzT). Cf. 6:8 and 17 : 90-93.
22 Sc., “and so it is He who will cause the truth to prevail”. Regarding the Prophet’s denial of
any ability on his part to perform miracles, see 6:50 and the corresponding note 38.

313
 HÜD SÜRAH

vented this [Qur’än]!”23

Say [unto them]: “Produce, then, ten surahs of
similar merit, invented [by yourselves], and [to this
end] call to your aid whomever you can, other than
God, if what you say is true!24 (14) And if they [whom
you have called to your aid] are not able to help lyli J_»
you,25 then know that [this Qur’an] has been be­
stowed from on high out of God’s wisdom alone,26 and
that there is no deity save Him. Will you, then,
surrender yourselves unto Him?” £ jÿiCcîÇjùü XJ jV

(15) AS FOR THOSE who care for [no more than] the life (3) J?
of this world and its bounties-We shall repay them
in full for ail that they did in this [life], and they shall
not be deprived of their just due therein: (16) [yet] it tP

is they who, in the life to come, shall have nothing

but the fire - for in vain shall be all that they wrought (g) ÙjLm tjié'û
in this [world], and worthless all that they ever did!27
(17) Can, then, [he who cares for no more than the
LU. ./13 ^3 J* jé ùK'JÏ»
life of this world be compared with28] one who takes *^4 Zrr
his stand on a clear evidence from his Sustainer,
conveyed through [this] testimony from Him,29 as was
the revelation vouchsafed to Moses aforetime-[a
divine writ ordained by Him] to be a guidance and
grace [unto man]?
They [who understand this message-it is they
alone who truly] believe in it;30 whereas for any of
those who, leagued together [in common hostility],31

23 For my rendering of the particle am at the beginning of this sentence as "and”, see surah 10,
note 61.
24 I.e., that a divine writ like the Qur’än could have been "invented” by a human being. Cf.
2 : 23, 10 : 37-38 and 17:88, as well as the corresponding notes.
25 Lit., "if they [i.e., your poets and wise men] do not respond to your call”. Cf. 2:24. where a
similar challenge is followed by the words, "And if you cannot do it-and most certainly you
cannot do it-then..etc.
26 Lit., "only by God’s knowledge”.
27 I.e., although their good deeds will be taken fully into account on Judgment Day, they will be
outweighed by their refusal to believe in resurrection and the life to come.
28 This interpolation is based on the interpretation given by BaghawT, ZamakhsharT and RäzT.
29 Lit., “which a witness from Him recites”, or "announces”. According to ZamakhsharT, RäzT
and other classical commentators, this phrase refers to the Qur’än; hence my rendering of shahid
as "testimony”. If, as some commentators believe, this term refers to the Prophet or, alternatively,
to the Angel Gabriel who transmitted the revelation to him, shahid should be translated as
"witness”. Whichever interpretation one adopts, the meaning remains the same, for - as Ibn
KathTr points out in his commentary on this verse - "the Qur’än was revealed through Gabriel to
Muhammad, and was conveyed by the latter to the world”.
30 Sc., "and shall, therefore, attain to happiness in the hereafter”. The Tjäz (elliptic mode of
expression) employed in this passage is comparable in its subtlety to that in 10:103.
31 I.e., in hostile, a-priori opposition to the message of the Qur’än, without really understanding
its purport. The "historical” identification, by some of the commentators, of the ahzâb with the

314
 Il
HÜD
deny its truth-the fire shall be their appointed state
[in the life to come].
And so, be not in doubt about this [revelation]:
behold, it is the truth from thy Sustainer, even
though” most people will not believe in it.
(18) And who could be more wicked than they who Çjfâf J ^>1 J($)
attribute their own lying inventions to God?32 34 [On the
33
Day of Judgment, such as] these shall be arraigned »VjIa 4A j (—r J J ÙPy» éçïjl
before their Sustainer, and those who are called upon
(S) j;
to bear witness [against them]35 shall say, “It is they
who uttered lies about their Sustainer!”36
Oh, verily, God’s rejection is the due of all evildo­
ers37 (19) who turn others away from the path of God
and try to make it appear crooked - since it is they,
they who refuse to acknowledge the truth of the life üy k, u*j
to come!38 (20) Never can they elude [their final
Lj jja.k'U Iji ITU Î4Î p_X ■ >-*
reckoning, even if they remain unscathed] on earth:39
never will they find anyone who could protect them
from God. [In the life to come] double suffering will

pagan Arabs who leagued together in their hostility to the Prophet is definitely too narrow in this
context.
32 Râzï suggests that the conjunction fa (“And so”) preceding this sentence (which is obviously
addressed to man in general) connects with verses 12—14 above: a suggestion which is most
convincing in view of the sequence.
33 Lit., “but” or “nevertheless”.
34 This is a refutation of the contention of the unbelievers that the Qur'an was composed by
Mufiammad himself (cf. verse 13 above as well as 10: 17) and thereupon blasphemously attributed
to God.
35 Lit., “the witnesses”. Most of the earliest authorities take this to mean the recording angels,
while others (e.g., Ibn 'Abbäs, as quoted by BaghawT) relate it to the prophets, who, on the Day of
Judgment, will be called upon to testify for or against the people to whom they were sent. The
latter interpretation is supported by Ad-Dahhäk (quoted by TabarT and BaghawT) on the basis of
16:84, where witnesses “out of every community" are mentioned-an expression which can
obviously refer only to human beings.
36 Or: “against their Sustainer”.
37 The term la*nah - which is usually, but inexactly, translated as “curse”-is in its primary
meaning synonymous with ib*âd (“alienation”, “estrangement” or “banishment”) in the moral
sense; hence it denotes “rejection from ail that is good” (Lisân al-*Arab) and, with reference to
God, the sinner’s “exclusion from His grace” (Manar 11, 50).
38 Cf. 7 : 44 45, with which the above passage is almost identical, with only one difference:
whereas in 7:45 the pronoun “they” occurs only once (and the phrase is, consequently, rendered
as “and who refuse..etc.), in the present verse this pronoun is repeated, to express both stress
and causality (“since it is they, they who refuse...”, etc.)-thus implying that their refusal to
believe in a life after death is the ultimate cause of their wrongdoing. In other words, belief in
resurrection, God’s judgment and life in the hereafter is here postulated as the only valid and
lasting source of human morality.
39 The above interpolation is, I believe, necessary in view of the highly elliptic character of this
phrase. According to TabarT, ZamakhsharT and Ibn KathTr, the meaning is that whereas God’s
punishment may befall the sinners referred to during their life on earth, it will certainly befall them
in the hereafter. Cf. also 3: 185 - “only on the Day of Resurrection will you be requited in full for
whatever you have done.”

315
 HÜD SÜRAH

be imposed on them40 for having lost the ability to

hear [the truth] and having failed to see [it].41
(21) It is they who have squandered their own
selves-for [on the Day of Resurrection] all their
false imagery42 will have forsaken them: (22) truly it
is they, they who in the life to come shall be the
losers!
(23) Behold, [only] those who attain to faith and do
righteous deeds and humble themselves before their
Sustainer - [only] they are destined for paradise, and CJj 'r2*'1 ^4»* f-c,J ill
there shall they abide.
(24) These two kinds of man43 may be likened to
the blind and deaf and the seeing and hearing. Can
these two be deemed alike in [their] nature?44
Will you not, then, keep this in mind?

(25) AND INDEED, [it was with the same message that]
We sent forth Noah unto his people:45 “Behold, I
come unto you with the plain warning (26) that you dljj l» Jli»
may worship none but God-for, verily, I fear lest
suffering befall you on a grievous Day!“46 yT
(27) But the great ones among his people, who
refused to acknowledge the truth, answered: “We do y # a7 £ JuT Sÿ
not see in thee anything but a mortal man like our­
selves; and we do not see that any follow thee save
those who are quite obviously the most abject among
us;47 and we do not see that you could be in any way

40 For an explanation of the “double suffering”, see sürah 7, note 29.

41 Lit., “they were unable to hear and they did not see": cf. 2:7 and the corresponding note 7,
as well as 7:179.
42 Lit., “all that they were wont to invent": a phrase which implies not merely false imaginings
regarding the existence of any real “power" apart from God (i.e., the existence of supposedly
divine or semi-divine beings) but also deceptive ideas and "glittering half-truths meant to delude
the mind" (see 6:112 and the corresponding note)-such as "luck", wealth, personal power,
nationalism, deterministic materialism, etc. - all of which cause men to lose sight of spiritual values
and thus to “squander their own selves".
43 Lit., “two groups” - i.e., the believers and those who reject the divine writ.
44 For my rendering, in this context, of mathal (lit., "likeness") as "nature", see the first part of
note 47 on 3:59.
45 The conjunction “and” at the beginning of this sentence apparently connects with the
opening verses of this sürah, and stresses the fact that the fundamental message of the Qur’än is
the same as that conveyed to man by the earlier prophets (Manar XII, 59 f.); hence my
interpolation. See also sürah 7, note 45.
46 As in 7:59, this may refer either to the imminent deluge or the Day of Judgment.
47 As is evidenced by the histories of all the prophets-and particularly that of Jesus and, after
him, of Mufiammad - most of their early followers belonged to the lowest classes of society - the
slaves, the poor and the oppressed - to whom the divine message gave the promise of an equitable
social order on earth and the hope of happiness in the hereafter: and it is precisely this
revolutionary character of every prophet’s mission that has always made it so distasteful to the
upholders of the established order and the privileged classes of the society concerned.

316
 11
HÜD
superior to us:48 on the contrary, we think that you
are liars!”
(28) Said [Noah]: ”0 my people! What do you
think? If [it be true that] I am taking my stand on a
clear evidence from my Sustainer, who has vouch­
safed unto me grace from Himself - [a revelation] to
which you have remained blind - : [if this be true,]
can we force it on you even though it be hateful to
you?49
I Xu cZÂ ÿ j
(29) And, O my people, no benefit do I ask of you
for this [message]: my reward rests with none but ft
God. And I shall not repulse [any of] those who have
attained to faith.50 Verily, they [know that they] are fri
destined to meet their Sustainer, whereas in you I see
people without any awareness [of right and wrong]!
(30) And, O my people, who would shield me from
God were I to repulse them? Will you not, then, keep
this in mind?
(31) “And I do not say unto you, ‘God’s treasures
are with me’; nor [do I say], ‘I know the reality U y éc Ji
which is beyond the reach of human perception’; nor Sjisiql
do I say, ‘Behold, I am an angel’;51 nor do I say of
those whom your eyes hold in contempt,52 ‘Never will
God grant them any good’ - for God is fully aware of (£) J^ellîcJ" CtûuÜ’ir
what is in their hearts.53 [Were I to speak thus,]
verily, I would indeed be among the evildoers.”
(32) [But the great ones] said: “O Noah! Thou hast
contended with us in argument, and hast [needlessly]
prolonged our controversy:54 bring upon us, there­
fore, that with which thou dost threaten us,55 if thou
art a man of truth!”

48 Lit., “We do not see in you any superiority [or “merit”] over us."
49 A reference to the cardinal Qur’anic doctrine that “there shall be no coercion in. matters of
faith” (2:256), as well as to the oft-repeated statement that a prophet is no more than “a waraer
and a bearer of glad tidings”, implying that his duty consists only in delivering the message
entrusted to him. The plural “we" in this sentence relates to Noah and his followers.
50 This is an allusion to the contemptuous statement of the unbelievers (in verse 27 above) that
the followers of Noah were to be found only among the lowest classes of their society-thus
indirectly implying that they might perhaps lend ear to Noah if he would but rid himself of those
people (cf. 26: 111). The Prophet Mubammad had, during the early years of his mission, a similar
experience with the leaders of the pagan Quraysh; several Traditions to this effect are quoted by
Ibn KathTr in his commentary on 6:52.
51 See 6:50 and 7:188.
52 I.e., the poor and “abject” followers of Noah spoken of in verse 27 (see also note 47 above).
53 Lit., “all that is within themselves”.
54 Sc., “without convincing us” (as is brought out fully in 71:5-6). The mounting annoyance
with Noah on the part of his unbelieving compatriots has already been alluded to in his saying, “If
my presence [among you] and my announcement of God’s messages are repugnant to you...”,
etc. (see 10:71).
55 See the end of verse 26 above.
317
 HÜD SÜRAH

(33) He answered: “Only God can bring it upon

you, if He so wills, and you shall not elude it: (34) for,
my advice will not benefit you-much as I desire to
give you good advice-if it be God’s will that you
shall remain lost in grievous error.36 He is your Sus­
tainer, and unto Him you must return.” h âU JU
J* CoJ
(35) DO SOME, perchance, assert, “[Muhammad] has
invented this [story]”?37 (5> ùj-ry je J J* Ji Ay. 4»T
Say [O Prophet]: “If I have invented it, upon me be
this sin; but far be it from me to commit the sin of
which you are guilty.”38
ùjûÿ'- J/1&&
(36) AND THIS was revealed unto Noah: “Never will any
of thy people believe except those who have already
attained to faith. Be not, then, distressed by anything ü-fr j Vf ^33
that they may do, (37) but build, under Our eyes39 and
according to Our inspiration, the ark [that shall save (g) »pt
thee and those who follow thee];56 60 and do not appeal
59
58
57
to Me in behalf of those who are bent on evildoing-
for, behold, they are destined to be drowned!”
(38) And [so Noah] set himself to building the ark;
and every time the great ones of his people passed by

56 According to some commentators, the expression an yughwiyakum -which literally means

“that He shall cause you to err” - is to be understood as “that He shall punish you for your sins"
(Al-Hasan al-Ba$rI, as quoted by Râzï), or “that He shall destroy you” (Tabari), or “that He shall
deprive you of all good” (Al-Jubbä'f, as quoted by RäzT); this last interpretation is similar to the
one adopted in my rendering of aghwaytanî (“Thou hast thwarted me“) in 7 : 16 and explained in
the corresponding note 11. However, in the present context I prefer the rendering “if it be God’s
will that you shall remain lost in grievous error“, inasmuch as it is in conformity with the Qur’anic
doctrine of “God’s way” with regard to those who persistently refuse to acknowledge the truth
(see sürah 2, note 7). This interpretation is, moreover, supported by Zamakhshart in his
commentary on the above verse: “When God, knowing the persistence [in sinning] on the part of
one who denies the truth (al-kâfir), leaves him in this condition and does not compel him [to
repent], this [act of God] is described [in the Qur’an] as ’causing [one] to err’ (ighwä*) and ‘causing
[one] to go astray’ (ifläiy, similarly, when He, knowing that a person will repent, protects him and
is kind to him, this [act of God] is described as ‘showing the right direction’ (irshâd) or ‘[offering]
guidance’ (hidäyah)." (See also sürah 14,,note 4.)
57 Some of the classical commentators assume that this verse forms part of the story of Noah
and his people. This, however, is improbable in view of the sudden change from the past tense
employed in the preceding and subsequent verses (“he said”, “they said”) to the present tense
(“do they say’’). The only plausible explanation is that given by Tabari and Ibn KathTr (and
mentioned also by Baghawl on the authority of Muqâtil): namely, that the whole of verse 35 is a
parenthetic passage addressed to the Prophet Muhammad, relating in the first instance to the story
of Noah as narrated in the Qur’Sn and, by implication, to the Qur’än as such - in other words, a
reiteration of the argument mentioned in verse 13 of this sürah and in other places as well. This
eminently convincing interpretation has also been adopted by Rashid Ridä’ (Manär XII, 71).
58 Or: “I have nothing to do with the sin of which you are guilty” - i.e., the sin of giving the lie
to God’s messages (cf. 10:41) or of inventing lies about God.
59 I.e., “under Our protection”.
60 This interpolation is necessitated by the definite article preceding the noun fulk (lit., “ship",
but rendered by me as “ark” owing to its familiar connotation in European languages).

318
 11
HÜD
him, they scoffed at him. [Thereupon] he said: “If
you are scoffing at us - behold, we are scoffing at you
[and your ignorance], just as you are scoffing at us.61
(39) But in time you will come to know who it is that
[in this world] shall be visited by suffering which will
cover him with ignominy, and upon whom long-
lasting suffering shall alight [in the life to come]!” L> '//—J ù[ JI» <-• Ijjar

(40) [And so it went on] till, when Our judgment

came to pass, and waters gushed forth in torrents Ctj-» (ft) V-5--*_/'■-* up

over the face of the earth,62 We said [unto Noah]:

<£> fr?
“Place on board of this [ark] one pair of each [kind of
animal] of either sex,63 as well as thy family - except Q j/T Û; £
those on whom [Our] sentence has already been
passed64-and all [others] who have attained to JpJΫJt J- J*\

faith!”-for, only a few [of Noah’s people] shared his

faith.
• X e —x •* if •
(41) So he said [unto his followers]: “Embark in (£) > C » J.J
this [ship]! In the name of God be its run and its
riding at anchor! Behold, my Sustainer is indeed
much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace!”
(42) And it moved on with them into waves that
were like mountains.
At that [moment] Noah cried out to a son of his,
who had kept himself aloof [from the others]: “O my

61 Since it is obviously impossible to attribute to a prophet the levity of scoffing (BaghawT). the
meaning of the above phrase seems to be this: "If you consider us ignorant because of what we
believe and are doing, we consider you ignorant because of your refusal to acknowledge the truth
and your readiness to expose yourselves to God's punishment” (Zamakhshan and, in a shorter
form, BaghawT). Hence my interpolation of the words "and your ignorance”.
62 Lit., “the face of the earth boiled over” (füra ’l-iunnür). This phrase has been subject to
several conflicting interpretations, some of which are based on no more than Talmudic legends
(Manär XII, 75 f.). The most convincing explanation is that given - among others - by Tabari,
BaghawT and Ibn KathTr on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas and 'Ikrimah: "Al-tannür [lit., "oven”]
denotes the face of the earth.” RäzT, too, mentions that "the Arabs call the face of the earth
tannür", while the Qäniüs gives as one of the meanings of tannür "any place from which water
gushes forth”. The verb fära-which literally means "it boiled over”-describes the raging
torrents of water which “turned the earth into springs” (Ibn KathTr; see also 54:12). This "gushing
forth of water over the face of the earth” seems to point to the inundation of the huge valley now
covered by the Mediterranean Sea (see sürah 7, note 47)-an inundation which, augmented by
continuous, torrential rains (cf. 54: 11), rapidly spread over the land-mass of present-day Syria and
northern clräq and grew into the immense deluge described in the Bible and in the Qur’ân, and also
referred to in the myths of ancient Greece (e.g., in the story of Deukalion and Pyrrhea), as well as
in Sumerian and Babylonian legends.
63 The term zawj signifies, primarily, each of the two parts of a pair, and is also used in the
sense of “a pair”.In the present context it obviously has the former meaning; consequently, the
expression min kullin zawjayn ithnayn is best rendered as above. - As regards the animals which
Noah was commanded to take with him in the ark, it is reasonable to assume that this referred to
the domesticated animals already in his possession, and not to all animals, as the Biblical narrative
would have it.
64 I.e., those who stand condemned in the sight of God because of their persistent refusal to
acknowledge the truth. See also verses 42-43 and 45-47.

319
HÜD SÜRAH

dear son!65 Embark with us, and remain not with

those who deny the truth!"
(43) [But the son] answered: “I shall betake myself
to a mountain that will protect me from the waters.”
Said [Noah]: ‘‘Today there is no protection [for
anyone] from God’s judgment, save [for] those who V JB ÂJÎ 5- ÿr JB
have earned [His] mercy!”
And a wave rose up between them, and [the son] J- pjf
was among those who were drowned.
(44) And the word was spoken: “O earth, swallow J?J ($) û*

up thy waters! And, O sky, cease [thy rain]!” And the

waters sank into the earth, and the will [of God] was
done, and the ark came to rest on Mount Jüdï.66 (g) ’-*-*< J-ÂJ &
And the word was spoken: ‘‘Away with these
evildoing folk!” <4 j 4*’ 4 J AJ C/
(45) And Noah called out to his Sustainer, and said:
“O my Sustainer! Verily, my son was of my family;67 JB (g)
and, verily, Thy promise always comes true, and <■*«* * H «* »t •
Thou art the most just of all judges!”
(46) [God] answered: “O Noah, behold, he was not
of thy family, for, verily, he was unrighteous in his
conduct.68 And thou shalt not ask of Me anything

65 The diminutive in yä bunayya (lit., “O my little son") is an expression of endearment

irrespective of a son’s age: for instance, Noah’s son appears in the above story as a grown man,
while Joseph, similarly addressed by his father in 12:5, was a child or, at the most, an adolescent.
66 This mountain, known in ancient Syriac as QardQ, is situated in the region of Lake Van.
almost twenty-five miles north-east of the town JazTrat Ibn ‘Umar, capital of the modem Syrian
district of AI-JazTrah. It "owes its fame to the Mesopotamian tradition which identifies it. and not
Mount Ararat, with the mountain on which Noah’s ark rested.... This localization of the ark’s
resting-place... is certainly based on Babylonian tradition’’ (Encyclopaedia of Islam I, 1059). We
should, however, remember that the designation Ararat (the Assyrian Urartu) at one time included
the whole area to the south of Lake Van, in which Jabal JüdT is situated: this might explain the
Biblical statement that "the ark rested ... upon the mountains of Ararat" (Genesis viii. 4).
67 A reference to the divine command, mentioned in verse 40 - "Place on board this
[ark]... thy family’’-which Noah apparently understood as meaning that the whole of his family
would be saved, thus overlooking the qualifying clause, "except those on whom sentence has
already been passed". - Some of the commentators suppose that verses 45-47 connect with verse
43, and thus precede, in point of time, the events narrated in verse 44-a supposition which has
caused the modern translators of the Qur’ân to render Noah’s prayer, erroneously, in the present
tense (i.e., in the form of a prayer for his son’s rescue from drowning). It is, however, much more
plausible to assume - as is done by TabarT and Ibn KathTr - that Noah’s words were spoken after
the ark had come to rest on Mount JOdT (i.e., long after his son’s death) and that they represented
"an endeavour on the part of Noah to find out what would be the condition of his drowned son [in
the hereafter]" (Ibn KathTr). Consequently, the sentence relating to this son, both in Noah’s prayer
and in God’s answer, must be rendered in the past tense.
68 According to some commentators (e.g., TabarT and RfizT), the phrase innahu *amal ghayr
fälfy relates to Noah’s prayer for his son, and constitutes a divine reproach-in which case it
should be rendered as “verily, this [prayer] is unrighteous conduct [on thy part]”. Others, however
(e.g., ZamakhsharT), reject this interpretation and relate the above phrase to the son, in the manner
rendered by me. This, 1 believe, is more in tune with the statement, "he was not of thy
family" - i.e., spiritually, inasmuch as he was of, or preferred to remain with, “those who deny the
truth".

320
 11
HÜD
whereof thou canst not have any knowledge:*9 thus,
behold, do I admonish thee lest thou become one of
those who are unaware [of what is right].”69 70
(47) Said [Noah]: “O my Sustainer! Verily, I seek
refuge with Thee from [ever again] asking of Thee
anything whereof I cannot have any knowledge! For
unless Thou grant me forgiveness and bestow Thy
mercy upon me, I shall be among the lost!” ($) QjO ji pL ü
(48) [Thereupon] the word was spoken: “O Noah!
ûj JK
Disembark in peace from Us,71 and with [Our] bles­
sings upon thee as well as upon the people [who are Js* <$) cT* 4j**» j
with thee, and the righteous ones that will spring from
thee and] from those who are with thee.72 But [as for
the unrighteous] folk [that will spring from you] - We
shall allow them to enjoy life [for a little while], and
then there will befall them grievous suffering from
Us.”

(49) THESE ACCOUNTS of something that was beyond

the reach of thy perception We [now] reveal unto thee,
[O Muhammad: for] neither thou nor thy people knew
them [fully] ere this.73 Be, then, [like Noah,] patient in
adversity - for, behold, the future belongs to the God­
conscious!

69 I.e., knowledge of the innermost reasons of God's decrees and of the ultimate destiny of any
human being in the hereafter: for, the answers to this “why" and this “how” lie in the realm of
things which are beyond the reach of human perception (al-ghayb).
70 I.e., “lest thou prove to be one of those ignorant who ask God that He change His decrees in
response to their own desires” (Manär XII, 85 f.).
71 The term saläm -here translated as “peace” - comprises the notions of both external and
internal security from all that is evil. For a fuller explanation of the term, see sürah 5, note 29.
72 The above interpolation is based on the consensus of most of the classical commentators. The
phrase “the people [or “generations”] from those who are with thee” points to generations as yet
unborn; but since God’s blessing extends to all believers, it eo ipso comprises the believers of Noah’s
generation as well; and since “those who deny the truth” (al-kâfirûn) are excluded from God's
blessing, only the righteous from among the offspring of these early believers are promised a share in
His grace (cf. a similar allusion, relating to Abraham’s descendants, in 2:124): hence my interpolation
of the words “as for the unrighteous that will spring from you” in the next sentence.
73 See verse 35 above. Although the story of Noah had been vaguely known to the Arabs even
before the advent of the Prophet Muhammad, they-and the Prophet with them-were entirely
unaware of the details as narrated in the preceding Qur’anic account (RäzT). The use of the plural
at the beginning of this parenthetic passage (“These accounts”)-in contrast with the singular form
employed in a similar phrase occurring in 3 : 44, 11:100 and 12:102 (“This account”)-seems, in
my opinion, to indicate that it refers not only to the preceding story of Noah but also to the
subsequent stories of other prophets. In this connection it should be remembered - and it cannot
be stressed too often-that “narrative” as such is never the purpose of the Qur’än. Whenever it
relates the stories of earlier prophets, or alludes to ancient legends or to historical events that took
place before the advent of Islam or during the lifetime of the Prophet, the aim is, invariably, a
moral lesson; and since one and the same event, or even legend, has usually many facets revealing
as many moral implications, the Qur’än reverts again and again to the same stories, but every time
with a slight variation of stress on this or that aspect of the fundamental truths underlying the
Qur’anic revelation as a whole.

321
 HÜD SÜRAH

(50) AND UNTO [the tribe of] 'Äd [We sent] their brother
Hud.’4 He said: “O my people! Worship God [alone]:
you have no deity other than Him. [As it is,] you are
but inventors of falsehood!75
(51) “O my people! No reward do I ask of you for
this [message]: my reward rests with none but Him
' « ft *
who brought me into being. Will you not, then, use (J) ôJ
your reason?
(52) “Hence, O my people, ask your Sustainer to
forgive you your sins, and then turn towards Him in
repentance - [whereupon] He will shower upon you f J&.j ($) Qjli;
heavenly blessings abundant,76 and will add strength
to your strength: only do not turn away [from me] as
people lost in sin!“ ijW (J) ûjj* bb^1
(53) Said they: “O Hud! Thou hast brought us no
clear evidence [that thou art a prophet]; and we are 4* ÿ Cj -ßu Cj
not going to forsake our gods on thy mere word, the
ixxu ç/m wbjfcî
more so as we do not believe thee. (54) We can say
no more than that one of our gods may have smitten <$) 3^4 Jt V* Ji JÉ
thee with something evil!“77
Answered [HOd]: “Behold, I call God to witness - J[ <$)
and you, too, be [my] witnesses - that, verily, it is not
in me to ascribe divinity, as you do,78 to aught (55) J?
beside Him! Contrive, then, [anything that you may
wish] against me, all of you, and give me no respite!79 <$> *
(56) Behold, I have placed my trust in God, [who is]
my Sustainer as well as your Sustainer: for there is
no living creature which He does not hold by its
forelock.80 Verily, straight is my Sustainer's way!81

74 For particulars relating to the name HQd as well as the tribe of *Äd. see siirah 7. note 48.
75 I.e., inventors of alleged deities that have no reality in themselves (cf. 7:71, which also
relates to the story of Hüd). Regarding the term muftarün, see sürah 7, note 119.
76 Lit., “He will let loose the sky over you with abundance”. The term sama’-lit., “sky”-is
often used in classical Arabic as a metonym for “rain”, and scarcity of rains is a characteristic of
the desert country called Al-Ahqâf (“The Sand-Dunes”), the one-time habitat of the - since
vanished - tribe of cÄd. As would appear from 46 : 24, the time to which the above passage alludes
was a period of severe drought, and so it is possible that the “abundant blessings” here denote
rains.
77 I.e., with madness.
78 Or: “that, verily, I am guiltless of your ascribing a share in [God’s] divinity (mimmä
tushrikun)..etc. - thus rejecting the sardonic suggestion of his compatriots that one of their
imaginary deities might have stricken him with madness.
79 Cf. a very similar challenge in the last sentence of 7 :195.
80 I.e., there is no living being over which He has not complete control and which is not entirely
dependent on Him (cf. verse 6 of this sürah). When describing a person's humility and subjection
to another person, the ancient Arabs used to say, “The forelock of so-and-so is in the hand of
so-and-so". See in this connection 96:15-16, where this idiomatic expression occurs for the first
time in the chronological order of Qur’anic revelation.
81 Lit., “my Sustainer is on a straight way" - implying that He governs all that exists in
accordance with a system of truth and justice in the ultimate, absolute sense of these terms, never

322
 11
HÜD
(57) “But if you choose to turn away, then [know
that] I have delivered to you the message with which
I was sent unto you, and [that] my Sustainer may
cause another people to take your place,*82 whereas
you will in no wise harm Him. Verily, my Sustainer
watches over all things!”
(58) And so, when Our judgment came to pass,83 by
Our grace We saved Hüd and those who shared his
faith; and We saved them [too] from suffering severe
[in the life to come].84 »L- LJj (g)
(59) And that was [the end of the tribe of] cÄd, <$> 4 £•/.£*
[who] had rejected their Sustainer’s messages, and
rebelled against His apostles, and followed the bid­ (r/G
ding of every arrogant enemy of the truth.85 (60) And
they were pursued in this world by [God’s] rejection, o*J u j|f j i/y (g) jU*- JT
and [shall finally be overtaken by it] on the Day of bkùprt
Resurrection.86
Oh, verily, [the tribe of] *Äd denied their Sustainer!
Oh, away with the cÄd, the people of Hud!
f ,•& J*
(61) AND UNTO [the tribe of] Thamüd [We sent] their
brother Çâlih.87 He said: “O my people! Worship God
[alone]: you have no deity other than Him. He
LJ C-J"•** ri“-"*- IP *4
brought you into being out of the earth,88 and made
you thrive thereon.89 Ask Him, therefore, to forgive
you your sins, and then turn towards Him in
repentance - for, verily, my Sustainer is ever-near,
responding [to the call of whoever calls unto Him]!”90

allowing the conscious evildoer to escape the consequence of his deeds, and never letting
righteousness go unrewarded, either in this world or in the hereafter (since it is only in the
combination of these two phases that human life can be considered in its entirety).
82 Lit., “to succeed you”.
83 For the story of the destruction of the tribe of 'Ad through violent storm-winds, see 54:19
and, more particularly, 69:6-8.
84 I.e., the suffering which was yet to befall the rest of the tribe of *Äd. My addition, between
brackets, of the words “in the life to come” is based on the interpretation advanced by Tabari,
ZamakhsharT and Râzf, according to whom the first mention of the saving of Hûd and his
followers refers to the destruction of the people of 'Âd in this world, and the second, to the latters’
chastisement in the hereafter.
85 An allusion to "the great ones among them, who refused to acknowledge the truth” (7:66).
Regarding the above interpretation of the term jabbar, see note 58 on 26:130.
86 For my rendering of the term la'nah as “[God’s] rejection”, see note 37 above.
87 A short account of the tribe of ThamQd (the “Second cÄd” of pre-Islamic poetry) is found in
sürah 7, note 56. $älih is believed to have been the second prophet, after Hüd, sent to the Arabs.
88 I.e., out of organic substances which derive their nourishment - and hence their capability of
development, proliferation and evolution-either directly or indirectly from the earth (RäzT). This
is evidently also the meaning of the Qur’anic references to man as “created out of dust” (cf. 3:59,
18 : 37, 22 :5 and 30: 20).
89 See 7:74 and the corresponding notes.
90 See 2:186.
HÜD SÜRAH

(62) They answered: “O Çâlih! Great hopes did we

place in thee ere this!” Wouldst thou forbid us to
worship what our forefathers were wont to worship?
Because [of this], behold, we are in grave doubt, ££ GjCte Gui J uÇri fc*
amounting to suspicion, about [the meaning of] thy
call to us!”92
91 A d® <$> J
(63) He retorted: “O my people! What do you
think? If [it be true that] I am taking my stand on a
clear evidence from my Sustainer, who has vouch­
safed unto me grace from Himself - [if this be true,] 0
who would shield me from God were I to rebel
against Him?93 Hence, what you are offering me is no
more than perdition!”94
91 Lit., “Thou wert among us one in whom hope was placed ere this”: an allusion to Hüd’s
outstanding intellect and strength of character, which had probably caused his tribe to see in him
their future leader-until he startled them by his passionate demand that they should abandon their
traditional beliefs and devote themselves to the worship of the One God.
92 Lit., “we are indeed in disquieting doubt as to that to which thou invitest us”. It is to be
borne in mind that the pre-Islamic Arabs regarded their gods, as well as the angels (whom they
believed to be “God’s daughters"), as legitimate mediators between man and God, whose existence
as such they did not deny; consequently, they were greatly disturbed by their prophet’s demand
that they should abandon the worship of those allegedly divine or semi-divine beings. The above
answer of the Thamüd seems to imply that they might consider $älib's claim to be a prophet more
favourably if he would but refrain from insisting that “you have no deity other than Him": a
suggestion that fully explains Çâlih’s retort in the next verse.
93 I.e., “if I were to suppress - in spite of all the evidence obtained through divine revelation -
the fundamental truth that there is no deity save God, and that the ascribing of divinity or divine
powers to anyone or anything beside Him is an unforgivable sin" (cf. 4:48 and the corresponding
note 65).
94 Lit., “you do not add [anything] to me but perdition". Although this dialogue is related in the
context of the story of Çâlih and the leaders of the Thamüd, its implications have-as is always
the case with Qur’anic stories and parables-a universal, timeless import. The stress here is on the
intrinsic impossibility of reconciling belief in the One God, whose omniscience and omnipotence
embraces all that exists, with an attribution of divine or semi-divine qualities and functions to
anyone or anything else. The subtly-veiled suggestion of the Thamüd (see note 92) and its
rejection by $älifi has a bearing on all religious attitudes based on a desire to “bring God closer to
man’’ through the interposition of alleged “mediators" between Him and man. In primitive
religions, this interposition led to the deification of various forces of nature and, subsequently, to
the invention of imaginary deities which were thought to act against the background of an
undefined, dimly-perceived Supreme Power (for instance, the Moira of the ancient Greeks). In
higher religious concepts, this need for mediation assumes the form of personified manifestations
of God through subordinate deities (as is the case, in Hinduism, with the personifications of the
Absolute Brahma of the Upanishads and the Vedanta in the forms of Vishnu or Shiva), or in His
supposed incarnation in human form (as represented in the Christian idea of Jesus as “God’s son"
and the Second Person of the Trinity). And, lastly, God is supposedly “brought closer to man" by
the interposition of a hierarchy of saints, living or dead, whose intercession is sought even by
people who consider themselves to be “monotheists” - and this includes many misguided Muslims
who do not realize that their belief in saints as “mediators” between men and God conflicts with
the very essence of Islam. The ever-recurring Qur’anic stress on the oneness and uniqueness of
God, and the categorical denial of the idea that anyone or anything - whether it be a concrete being
or an abstract force-could have the least share in God's qualities or the least influence on the
manner in which He governs the universe aims at freeing man from the self-imposed servitude to
an imaginary hierarchy of “mediating powers", and at making him realize that “wherever you turn,
there is God's countenance” (2:115), and that God is “[always] near, responding [to the call of
whoever calls unto Him]" (2:186; also, in a condensed form, in verse 61 of this sürah).

324
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HÜD
(64) And [then he said]: “O my people! This she-
camel belonging to God shall be a token for you: so
leave her alone to pasture on God’s earth, and do her
no harm, lest speedy chastisement befall you!”95
(65) But they cruelly slaughtered her.96 And
thereupon [$älih] said: “[Only] for three days [more]
shall you enjoy life in your homes: this is a <$> yi-Ui % at
judgment9798which will not be belied!”
(66) And so, when Our judgment came to pass, by aIlL* S\j^£ «JÛ» IajJm
Our grace We saved Salih and those who shared his
faith; and [We saved them, too,] from the ignominy btS ÇÎ « U. Ui (£>
of [Our rejection on] that Day [of Resurrection].
j4 <£>’ i&
Verily, thy Sustainer alone is powerful, almighty!
(67) And the blast [of God’s punishment] overtook iz^t ($>
those who had been bent on evildoing: and then they
lay lifeless, in their very homes, on the ground,” (68)
as though they had never lived there.
Oh, verily, [the tribe of] Thamüd denied their Sus­ ($) 'a* 1 J
tainer! Oh, away with the Thamüd! jX Jii iju uuj ÔSÇ

(69) AND, INDEED, there came unto Abraham Our ^X.ÎTtS lui ($) «u J éJ C3
[heavenly] messengers, bearing a glad tiding.99 They
ui*V îj) li 1Z».
bade him peace; [and] he answered, “(And upon you
be] peace!”-and made haste to place before them100
a roasted calf.
(70) But when he saw that their hands did not reach
out towards it, he deemed their conduct strange and

95 For an explanation of this passage, see siirah 7, note 57.

96 See siirah 7, note 61.
97 Lit., “promise”.
98 Lit., “they became, in their homes, prostrate on the ground”. Ibn cAbbäs-as quoted by
RäzT-explains the term çayhah (lit., “vehement cry” or “sound”) occurring in this verse as a
synonym of fä'iqah, a “thunderbolt" or the “sound of thunder”. Since the same event is described
in 7:78 as “violent trembling" (rajfah), which in that context apparently denotes an earthquake, it
is possible that the “vehement sound" mentioned here and in several other places describes the
subterranean rumbling which often precedes and accompanies an earthquake and/or the thunder­
like noise of a volcanic eruption (see siirah 7, note 62). However, in view of the repeated use of
this expression in varying contexts, we may assume that it has the more general meaning of “blast
of punishment" or-as in 50:42, where it indicates the Last Hour-of “final blast”.
99 The Qur’än does not state in so many words that these guests of Abraham were angels; but
since the term rusulunä (“Our messengers”) is often used in the sense of heavenly messengers, all
the classical commentators interpret it thus in the above context. For the contents of the “glad
tiding” referred to here, see verse 71 below.-The reason for prefacing the story of Lot with an
episode from Abraham’s life lies in the latter’s subsequent pleading in behalf of the sinful people
of Sodom (verses 74-76) and also, possibly, in God’s earlier promise to him, “Behold, I shall make
thee a leader of men” (see 2:124), which must have imbued him with an enhanced sense of moral
responsibility not only for his own family but also for the people with whom he was indirectly
connected through his nephew Lot (Lût in Arabic).
100 Lit., “and did not delay in bringing”. Regarding the deeper implications of the word “peace”
(saldm) as used in this passage, see siirah 5, note 29.

325
HÜD SURAH

became apprehensive of them.101102 [But] they said:

“Fear not! Behold, we are sent to the people of
Lot.”'02
(71) And his wife, standing [nearby], laughed [with
happiness]103; whereupon We gave her the glad tiding
of [the birth of] Isaac and, after Isaac, of [his son] îéü > O lLjI q

Jacob.
(72) Said she: “Oh, woe is me!104 Shall I bear a eJIi (v£) J ûy
child, now that I am an old woman and this husband
of mine is an old man? Verily, that would be a strange
thing indeed!” CZj <$)
(73) Answered [the messengers]: “Dost thou deem
it strange that God should decree what He wills?105 ($) x* if ,4 J* ’ ££
The grace of God and His blessings be upon you, O UJjÙ£ *--*i U»
people of this house! Verily, ever to be praised,
sublime is He!” (W) •'? 4
(74) And when the fear had left Abraham, and the
glad tiding had been conveyed to him, he began to 35 j jj ,4 3*
plead with Us for Lot’s people:106 (75) for, behold,
Abraham was most clement, most tender-hearted,
intent upon turning to God again and again.
(76) [But God’s messengers replied:] “O Abraham!
Desist from this [pleading]! Behold, thy Sustainer’s

101 Lit., “he did not know [what to make of] them and conceived fear of them”. Since they
were angels, they did not eat (contrary to the Biblical statement in Genesis xviii, 8): and since, in
the Arabian tradition of hospitality, a stranger's refusal to partake of the food offered him is an
indication of unfriendly intent, Abraham-who until then had not realized that his guests were
angels - became apprehensive of possible hostility on their part.
102 According to the Biblical account (not contradicted by the Qur'an). Lot, a son of Abraham’s
brother, lived to the east of the Jordan, in the vicinity of what is today the Dead Sea (called in
Arabic Bahr Lüf, “Lot’s Sea”). The “people of Lot” were not actually the latter’s community, for
he-like Abraham-was a native of Ur in southern Babylonia, and had migrated thence with his
uncle: hence, throughout the Qur'an, the expression “Lot's people” designates the inhabitants of
the town (or country) of Sodom, among whom he had chosen to live, and with regard to whom he
was entrusted with a prophetic mission.
103 I.e., on realizing that the strangers were God’s messengers, and that she and Abraham had
nothing to fear from them (Zamakhsharï): hence the interpolation of the words “with happiness”.
This differs from the Biblical statement (Genesis xviii, 12-15), according to which Sarah “laughed
within herself” at the announcement that she, an old woman, would give birth to a son: for in the
above Qur’anic passage this announcement comes after the statement that she laughed, and is
introduced by the conjunctive particle fa, which in this context denotes “and thereupon” or
“whereupon".
104 This expression of grief obviously relates to her past barrenness as well as to her fear that
this astonishing announcement might prove illusory.
105 Lit., “Art thou astonished at God's decree?” - or: “Dost thou find God's decree strange?”
However, the real meaning of this rhetorical question can only be brought out by paraphrasing it in
the manner attempted by me: namely, as an echo of the statement, repeated several times in the
Qur’än: “When God wills a thing to be. He but says unto it, ’Be’ - and it is.”
106 According to all commentators, this means “he pleaded [lit., “argued”] with Our mes­
sengers" (who, as is evident from 29:31, had announced to him the impending doom of Sodom
and Gomorrah), and not with God Himself.

326
 11 .
____________ _____________ _ ______________________________________ HUD
judgment has already gone forth: and, verily, there
shall fall upon them a chastisement which none can
avert!”

(77) AND WHEN Our messengers came unto Lot, he was

sorely grieved on their account, seeing that it was
beyond his power to shield them;107 and he ex­ otLU, ($)
claimed: “This is a woeful day!”
(78) And his people came running to him, impelled fX dVj Uji f-c öLi,
Illfor they had
towards his house [by their desire]:108112
110
109
jP &3 X*±3 (£)
ever been wont to commit [such] abominations.
Said [Lot]: “O my people! [Take instead] these t/* JÎ* f Jl» JjLaj IjiS*
daughters of mine: they are purer for you [than
men]!1® Be, then, conscious of God, and disgrace me
not by [assaulting] my guests. Is there not among you
even one right-minded man?” <itl~ (j UL C.Jg 4ÂJ yI» JLi)

(79) They answered: “Thou hast always known that ifi J <31 ji JB (J) J»j'U
we have no use whatever for thy daughters;"0 and,
verily, well dost thou know what we want!” i# (j)

(80) Exclaimed [Lot]: “Would that I had the

strength to defeat you, or that I could lean upon some
mightier support!”1"
(81) [Whereupon the angels] said: “O Lot! Behold,
we are messengers from thy Sustainer! Never shall
[thy enemies] attain to thee! Depart, then, with thy
household while it is yet night, and let none of you
look back;"2 [and take with thee all thy family] with
107 Lit., “he was straitened as regards the reach of his arm in their behalf’-an idiomatic
phrase often used in classical Arabic, denoting here Lot’s utter inability to afford his guests
protection from the people of Sodom, whose homosexual propensities have ever since been
commemorated in the term “sodomy”. Since Lot thought that the strangers were no more than
handsome young men, he felt certain that they would be sexually assaulted by his sinful
countrymen.
108 Lit., “towards him” - but since their desire was obviously directed at Lot’s guests, and not
at himself, my rendering would seem appropriate. It is to be noted that in its passive form, as used
here, the verb yuhra'ün does not merely mean “they came running” but, rather, “running as if
driven onward by some force” (ZamakhsharT)-in this case, the force of their perverse desire.
109 Most of the commentators are of the opinion that the phrase “these daughters of mine”
signifies here “the daughters of my community” (since a prophet is the spiritual father of his
people). But whether this is the case, or whether - as is more probable - Lot’s words refer to his
actual daughters, there is no doubt that in their wider implication they point to the natural
relationship between man and woman as contrasted with the perverse desires of the men of
Sodom.
110 Lit., “no claim whatever to thy daughters".
Ill Lit., “or that I could betake myself to some mighty support”. Although some of the
commentators are of the opinion that this expression denotes “tribal support” (which was,
however, unavailable to Lot inasmuch as he was a stranger in Sodom), we have a number of
authentic Traditions (extensively quoted by TabarT) to the effect that what Lot meant was God's
support: for the Prophet Muhammad, referring to this Qur’anic passage, is reported to have said,
“God bestowed His grace upon Lot, for he betook himself indeed unto a mighty support!”
112 I.e., in an abstract sense, “to what you are leaving behind” (RfizT)-evidently meaning the
severing of all associations with the sinful city, and not a physical looking-back.

327
 HÜD SÜRAH

the exception of thy wife: for, behold, that which is

to befall these [people of Sodom] shall befall her [as
well].113 Verily, their appointed time is the morning-
[and] is not the morning nigh?”
(82) And so, when Our judgment came to pass, We
turned those [sinful towns] upside down, and rained LJi ($)
down upon them stone-hard blows of chastisement
pre-ordained,114 one upon another, (83) marked out in ÇCb Çtb GîX CI tu.
thy Sustainer’s sight [for the punishment of such as
are lost in sin].
And these [blows of God-willed doom] are never dU ♦ ($)
far from evildoers!115

(84) AND UNTO [the people of] Madyan [We sent] their
brother Shu'ayb.1“ He said: “O my people! Worship Ûtl □[ J
God [alone]: you have no deity other than Him; and do JkLJÎ iÿjl ($)
not give short measure and weight [in any of your
dealings with men].117 Behold, I see you [now] in a
happy state; but, verily, I dread lest suffering befall you
on a Day that will encompass [you with doom]! (85)
Hence, O my people, [always] give full measure and
weight, with equity, and do not deprive people of what
113 Cf. 7:83 and the corresponding note, as well as 66: 10, where it is mentioned that Lot's
wife, who was apparently a native of Sodom, had acted faithlessly towards her husband, i.e., had
refused to believe in his prophetic mission; and her story was thereupon “propounded as a parable
of those who are bent on denying the truth”.
114 Lit., “stones of sijjîl”, which latter noun is regarded by some philologists as the Arabicized
form of the Persian sang-i-gil (“clay-stone" or “petrified clay"): cf. Qâmûs and Täj al-*Arüs. If
this supposition is correct, the “stones of petrified clay” would be more or less synonymous with
“brimstones”, which in its turn would point to a volcanic eruption, probably in conjunction with a
severe earthquake (alluded to in the preceding phrase, “We turned those [sinful towns] upside
down”). But there is also a strong probability, pointed out by Zamakhsharï and Râzï, that the term
sijjîl is of purely Arabic origin - namely, a synonym of sijill, which primarily signifies **a writing”,
and secondarily, “something that has been decreed”: in which case the expression hijärah min
sijjîl can be understood in a metaphorical sense, namely, as “stones of all the chastisement laid
down in God’s decree" (Zamakhsharï and Râzï, both in conjunction with the above verse and in
their commentaries on 105 :4). It is, 1 believe, this metaphorical meaning of “stone-hard blows of
chastisement pre-ordained”, i.e., of God-willed doom, that the concluding sentence of the next
verse alludes to.
115 According to some of the earliest Qur’än-commentators (e.g., Qatädah and 'Ikrimah, as
quoted by TabarT), this threat of ultimate doom applies to evildoers of all times - which further
supports the assumption that the expression hijärah min sijjîl has a metaphorical connotation.
116 See sürah 7, note 67.
117 Thus, belief in the One God and justice in all dealings between man and man (see sürah 6,
note 150) are here placed together as the twin postulates of all righteousness. Some commentators
assume that the people of Madyan were of a particularly commercial bent of mind, and given to
fraudulent dealings. It is obvious, however, that the purport of this passage and of its sequence
goes far beyond anything that might be construed by a purely “historical” interpretation. What this
version of Shu'ayb’s story aims at is-as always in the Qur’än-the enunciation of a generally
applicable principle of ethics: namely, the impossibility of one's being righteous with regard to
God unless one is righteous - in both the moral and social senses of this word - in the realm of
human relationships as well. This explains the insistence with which the above prohibition is
re-stated in a positive form, as an injunction, in the next verse.

328
il
HÜD
is rightfully theirs,"8 and do not act wickedly on earth
by spreading corruption. (86) That which rests with
God"’ is best for you, if you but believe [in Him]!
However, I am not your keeper.”
(87) Said they: “O Shu'ayb! Does thy [habit of]
praying compel thee to demand of us118 120 that we give
119 <g> j
up all that our forefathers were wont to worship, or
that we refrain from doing whatever we please with '1 L‘l
our possessions?*21 Behold, [thou wouldst have us
believe that] thou art indeed the only clement, the J*L jl jl UJLH Xm.L dju jl
only right-minded man!” (g) jl-SÿcjVeLj iJtuLLjÇiâ
(88) He answered: ‘‘O my people! What do you
think? If [it be true that] I am taking my stand on a
clear evidence from my Sustainer, who has vouch­
safed me goodly sustenance [as a gift] from Himself-
[how could I speak to you otherwise than I do]?122123
And yet, I have no desire to do, out of opposition to
you, what I am asking you not to do:,2ï I desire no <S> s-P1 «Xiry aJu
more than to set things to rights in so far as it lies
within my power; but the achievement of my aim f-P j’ «J1
depends on God alone. In Him have I placed my
trust, and unto Him do I always turn! <S>
(89) “And, O my people, let not [your] dissent from J J 0] «-J] J f
me drive you into sin, lest there befall you the like of
what befell the people of Noah, or the people of Hud, jjjj
or the people of Çâlih: and [remember that] the
people of Lot lived not very far from you!124 (90)
Hence, ask your Sustainer to forgive you your sins,
and then turn towards Him in repentance - for, verily,
my Sustainer is a dispenser of grace, a fount of love!”
(91) [But his people] said: “O Shu'ayb! We cannot
grasp the purport of much of what thou sayest;125 on

118 See surah 7, note 68.

119 I.e., the lasting merit achieved by virtue of good deeds and fair dealings with one’s
fellow-men (cf. the expression al-bâqiyât af-fàlihât in 18:46 and 19:76).
120 Lit., “Do thy prayers command thee...”, etc.
121 I.e., without regard to the rights and needs of others, especially the poor: hence their
sarcastic reference, in the next sentence, to Shu'ayb's clemency and right-mindedness.
122 According to ZamakhsharT, RäzT and several other commentators, the clause interpolated
here between brackets is etliptically implied in Shu'ayb’s answer. His stress on the fact that God
has graced him amply with worldly goods is meant to remind his countrymen that it is not
self-interest that causes him to ask them to be fair in their dealings with their fellow-men.
123 I.e„ “I do not aim at depriving you of what is rightfully yours”-a reference to verse 85
above.
124 As pointed out in sürah 7, note 67, the region inhabited by Shucayb’s people extended from
what is known today as the Gulf of *Aqabah to the mountains of Moab, east of the Dead Sea, in
the vicinity of which Sodom and Gomorrah were situated.
125 Cf. 6:25. In the present instance, however, the self-confessed lack of understanding on the
part of the people of Madyan may have a more subjective meaning, similar to the half-indignant,
half-embarrassed retort, “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

329
 HÜD SÜRAH

the other hand, behold, we do see clearly how weak

thou art in our midst:126 and were it not for thy
family, we would have most certainly stoned thee to
death, considering that thou hast no power over us!”
(92) Said he: “O my people! Do you hold my family
in greater esteem than God? - for, Him you regard as
something that may be cast behind you and be for­ Cil ypj Ium* «îbjü

gotten!127 Verily, my Sustainer encompasses [with His & 3* <>* fX J« <£> ££

might] all that you do! (93) Hence, O my people, do
[to me] anything that may be within your power,
[while] I, behold, shall labour [in God’s way]; in time
you will come to know which [of us] shall be visited
by suffering that will cover him with ignominy, and ûv 5/s 'Ar'
which [of us] is a liar. Watch, then, [for what is
coming:] behold, I shall watch with you!” l^l Ü, (J) ’rf'jG
(94) And so, when Our judgment came to pass, by
Our grace We saved Shu'ayb and those who shared
his faith, whereas the blast [of Our punishment]
overtook those who had been bent on evildoing: and (J) A* <3 'X*
then they lay lifeless, in their very homes, on the (J) LT ' Lf? J
ground,128 (95) as though they had never lived there.
Oh, away with [the people of] Madyan, even as the <$) y’ X,
ThamOd have been done away with!

(96) AND, INDEED, We sent Moses with Our messages

and a manifest authority [from Us] (97) unto Pharaoh ’S*
and his great ones: but these followed [only] Phar­
pt A3 j b (S'
aoh’s bidding-and Pharaoh’s bidding led by no means
to what is right.129
(98) [And so] he shall go before his people on the
Day of Resurrection, having led them [in this world]
towards the fire [of the life to come]; and vile was the
destination towards which they were led - (99) seeing

126 Lit., “we regard thee indeed as a weak one among us” - i.e., without any appreciable tribal
support.
127 In classical Arabic usage, as well as in the speech of certain bedouin tribes to this day, the
phrase ittakhadhahu (or ja'lahu) fihriyyan (lit., “he put him behind his back”) has the meaning of
“he held him in contempt”, or “he forgot him”, or “regarded him as something that may be
forgotten”. This last rendering seems to be the most appropriate in the above context.
128 See verse 67 of this sürah and the corresponding note 98; also sürah 7, note 73.
129 Lit., “was not right-guided (rashTd)". The short passage dealing with Pharaohand his
followers (verses 96-99) connects with, and amplifies, the reference to the tribe of cÄd, who
“followed the bidding of every arrogant enemy of the truth” (verse 59 of this sürah). Thus, the
main point of this passage is the problem of immoral leadership and, arising from it, the problem of
man’s individual, moral responsibility for wrongs committed in obedience to a “higher authority”.
The Qur’än answers this question emphatically in the affirmative: the leader and the led are equally
guilty, and none can be absolved of responsibility on the plea that he was but blindly following
orders given by those above him. This indirect allusion to man’s relative free will-i.e., his
freedom of choice between right and wrong-fittingly concludes the stories of the earlier prophets
and their wrongdoing communities as narrated in this sürah.

330
 11
HÜD

that they were pursued by [God’s] rejection in this

[world], and [shall be finally overtaken by it] on the
Day of Resurrection;130 [and] vile was the gift which
they were given!

(100) THIS ACCOUNT131 of the [fate of those ancient]

communities - some of them still remaining, and some
[extinct like] a field mown-down - We convey unto
thee [as a lesson for mankind]:132 (101) for, no wrong
did We do to them, but it was they who wronged
themselves. And when thy Sustainer’s judgment came
to pass, those deities of theirs which they had been
wont to invoke instead of God proved of no avail
whatever to them, and brought them no more than
utter perdition. éb j tÇ u âî r jp
(102) And such is thy Sustainer’s punishing grasp ß» éÉ j îtâj (g) $
whenever He takes to task any community that is
given to evildoing: verily, His punishing grasp is O kXk &J*jT all
grievous, severe!
(103) Herein, behold, lies a message indeed for all fJi »-'Üé Ôû. j
who fear the suffering [which may befall them] in the
life to come, [and are conscious of the coming of] <3 »Jr1*

that Day on which all mankind shall be gathered

UT** fji <3>
together - that Day [of Judgment] which shall be
witnessed [by all that ever lived], (104) and which We f-4 bli (JJ)
shall not delay beyond a term set [by Us].133
(105) When that Day comes, not a soul will speak,
unless it be by His leave; and of those [that are
gathered together], some will be wretched and some,
happy.
(106) Now as for those who [by their deeds] will
have brought wretchedness upon themselves, [they
shall live] in the fire, where they will have [nothing
but] moans and sobs [to relieve their pain], (107)
therein to abide as long as the heavens and the earth
endure - unless thy Sustainer wills it otherwise:134 for.

130 See note 37 on the last clause of verse 18 of this surah, as well as verse 60, which refers in
identical terms to the destiny of the tribe of *Äd.
131 Lit., “This of the accounts” (a construction identical with that employed in 3:44, 11:49
and 12:102), alluding to the fact that only certain aspects of the relevant stories, and not the
complete stories as such, are presented here (cf. verse 120 below): the purpose being, as always in
the Qur’än, the illustration of an ethical principle or principles, and of men’s varying reactions to
the guidance which God offers them directly through His prophets and indirectly through the
observable phenomena of His creation. (See in this connection the second part of note 73 on verse
49 of this sürah.')
132 See preceding note.
133 Lit., “except till a term computed [by Us]”.
134 I.e., unless God wills to reprieve them (cf. the last paragraph of 6:128 and the cor­
responding note 114, as well as note 10 on 40:12). The phrase “as long as the heavens and the

331
 HÜD SÜRAH

verily, thy Sustainer is a sovereign doer of whatever

He wills.
(108) But as for those who [by virtue of their past
deeds] will have been blest with happiness, [they shall
live] in paradise, therein to abide as long as the
heavens and the earth endure - unless thy Sustainer (Q> A/.LJ Jw di»jdl»j
wills it otherwise135 - as a gift unceasing.
U Lfi cj* •
(109) AND SO, [O Prophet,] be not in doubt about any­
thing that those [misguided people] worship:136 they dL j »X—i U
but [thoughtlessly] worship as their forefathers
SjxwÇ »yjL» jJû. j dt <$>
worshipped aforetime; and, behold, We shall most
certainly give them their full due [for whatever good
or evil they have earned], without diminishing aught
thereof.137
(110) And, indeed, [similar was the case when] We
vouchsafed the divine writ unto Moses, and some of
his people set their own views against it;138 and had it
not been for a decree that had already gone forth
rZjÿü <$>
from thy Sustainer, judgment would indeed have
been passed on them [then and there]:139140for, behold,
they were in grave doubt, amounting to suspicion,
about him [who called them unto God].1*1
(Ill) And, verily, unto each and all will thy Sus-

earth endure” has caused some perplexity to most of the classical commentators in view of the
many Qur’anic statements to the effect that the world as we know it will come to an end on the
Last Day, which is synonymous with the Day of Resurrection. This difficulty, however, can be
resolved if we remember - as Jabari points out in his commentary on the above verse - that in
ancient Arabic usage the expressions “as long as the heavens and the earth endure”, or “as long as
night and day alternate”, etc., were used metonymically in the sense of “time beyond count”
(abad). See also 20:105-107 and the corresponding note 90, as well as note 63 on 14:48.
135 I.e., unless God wills to bestow on them a yet greater reward (RäzT; also Manär XII, 161);
or - which to my mind is more probable - unless He opens up to man a new, yet higher stage of
evolution.
136 I.e., “do not think that their beliefs are based on reason”: a reference, primarily, to the
pagan Arabs who-like the wrongdoers spoken of in the preceding passages - rejected God’s
message on the plea that it conflicted with their ancestral beliefs; and, more generally, to all people
who are accustomed to worship .(in the widest sense of this word) false values handed down from
their ancestors and who, consequently, observe false standards of morality: an attitude which must
unavoidably - as the last sentence of this verse shows-result in future suffering, be it in this world
or in the hereafter, or in both.
137 Lit., “We shall repay them their portion in full, undiminished”. For an explanation of this
sentence, see note 27 on verses 15-16 of this sürah.
138 Lit., “and it was disagreed upon”, or “discordant views came to be held about it”: meaning
that, like Muhammad’s early contemporaries, some of Moses’ people accepted the divine writ,
whereas others refused to submit to its guidance.
139 Lit., “it would indeed have been decided between them”-i.e., they would have been
punished, like those communities of old, by utter destruction, had it not been for God’s decree
(kalimah, lit., “word”) that their punishment should be deferred until the Day of Resurrection (cf.
the last sentence of 10:93 and the corresponding note 114).
140 Cf. 2:55 -“O Moses, indeed we shall not believe thee until we see God face to face!”

332
 11
HÜD
tainer give their full due for whatever [good or evil]
they may have done: behold, He is aware of all that
they do!
(112) Pursue, then, the right course, as thou hast
been bidden [by God], together with all who, with
thee, have turned unto Him; and let none of you
behave in an overweening manner:141 for, verily, He Uf (JJJ) j^i. 'üjlZ
sees all that you do.
(113) And do not incline towards, nor rely upon,
those who are bent on evildoing142 lest the fire [of the yr
hereafter] touch you: for [then] you would have none
to protect you from God, nor would you ever be
succoured [by Him].143
(114) And be constant in praying at the beginning C/.L.Xl
and the end144 of the day, as well as during the early
watches of the night:145 for, verily, good deeds drive
away evil deeds: this is a reminder to all who bear ùjyiîl J* (ffi)
[God] in mind.
(115) And be patient in adversity: for, verily, God j iûüï g
does not fail to requite the doers of good!

(116) BUT, ALAS, among those generations [whom We

destroyed] before your time there were no people
endowed with any virtue146-[people] who would

141 Explaining this injunction, expressed in the second person plural, Ibn KathTr points out that
it is addressed to all believers, and that it refers to their behaviour towards everyone, be he
believer or unbeliever; in this he obviously relies on the interpretation advanced by Ibn ‘Abbäs
(and quoted by RäzT): “It means, ‘Be humble before God and do not behave with false pride
towards anyone’.“ According to some later commentators (e.g., Jabari, ZamakhsharT, BaghawT,
RäzT), the meaning is wider, namely, “do not overstep the bounds of what God has ordained”, or
“do not exceed the limits of equity”.
142 The verb rakana comprises the concepts of inclining (in one’s feelings or opinions) towards,
as well as of relying on, someone or something, and cannot be translated by a single word; hence
my composite rendering of the phrase Id tarkanü. The use of the past tense in aliadhiha falamO
indicates-as is often the case in the Qur’än- deliberate and persistent evildoing; this term is,
therefore, suitably rendered as “those who are bent on evildoing”.
143 According to ZamakhsharT, the particle thumma at the beginning of this last clause does not
signify a sequence in time (“and then" or “afterwards”) but, rather, a stress on the impossibility
(istib'äd) of their ever being succoured by God.
144 Lit., “at the two ends”.
145 This injunction circumscribes all the obligatory prayers without specifying either their form
or the exact times of their performance, both of which are clearly laid down in the sunnah (i.e., the
authenticated sayings and the practice) of the Prophet: namely, at dawn (fajr), shortly after
mid-day (fuhr), in the afternoon (casr), immediately after sunset (maghrib), and in the first part of
the night Cishd’). Inasmuch as the above verse stresses the paramount importance of prayer in
general, it is safe to assume that it refers not merely to the five obligatory prayers but to a
remembrance of God at all times of one’s wakeful life.
146 For my tendering of the particle law-id, at the beginning of this sentence, as “alas”, see
sürah 10, note 119. The present passage connects with the statement in the preceding verse, “God
does not fail to requite the doers of good”, as well as with verse 111 above, “unto each and all will
thy Sustainer give their due for whatever [good or evil] they may have done”.-For the wider
implications of the term qam (“generation”), see sOrah 6, note 5.

333
HÜD SÜRAH

speak out against the [spread of] corruption on

earth-except the few of them whom We saved
[because of their righteousness], whereas those who
were bent on evildoing only pursued pleasures which
corrupted their whole being,147 and so lost themselves
in sinning.
<iLj (JJ)
(117) For, never would thy Sustainer destroy a
community148 for wrong [beliefs alone] so long as its dLj -jîl"
people behave righteously [towards one another].149
(118) And had thy Sustainer so willed, He could
surely have made all mankind one single community:
but [He willed it otherwise, and so] they continue to
hold divergent views150-(119) [all of them,] save
those upon whom thy Sustainer has bestowed His
—151
grace.
And to this end has He created them [all].152

147 The verb tarifa means “he enjoyed a life of ease and plenty“, while the participle mutraf
denotes “one who enjoys a life of ease and plenty" or “indulges in the pleasures of life”, i.e., to
the exclusion of moral considerations. The form mutarraf has an additional significance, namely,
“one whom a life of softness and ease has caused to behave insolently”, or “one whom the
[exclusive] pursuit of the pleasures of life has corrupted" (Mughnï). Hence my above rendering of
the phrase ma utrifü fîhi.
148 See sürah 6, note 116.
149 This passage connects with the concluding clause of the preceding verse, “and lost
themselves in sinning". According to most of the classical commentators, the term ?ulm (lit.,
“wrong" or “evildoing") is in this context synonymous with “wrong beliefs” amounting to a denial
of the truths revealed by God through His prophets, a refusal to acknowledge His existence, or the
ascribing of divine powers or qualities to anyone or anything beside Him. Explaining the above
verse in this sense, Râzï says: “God’s chastisement does not afflict any people merely on account
of their holding beliefs amounting to shirk and kufr, but afflicts them only if they persistently
commit evil in their mutual dealings, and deliberately hurt [other human beings] and act tyranically
[towards them]. Hence, those who are learned in Islamic Law (al-fuqahâ*) hold that men’s
obligations towards God rest on the principle of [His] forgiveness and liberality, whereas the rights
of man are of a stringent nature and must always be strictly observed” - the obvious reason being
that God is almighty and needs no defender, whereas man is weak and needs protection. (Cf. the
last sentence of 28:59 and the corresponding note 61.)
150 I.e., about everything, even about the truths revealed to them by God. - For a discussion of
the term ummah wähidah (“one single community”) and its wider implications, see sürah 2. notes
197 and 198; the second part of 2 : 253 and the corresponding note 245; and the second part of
5:48 and the corresponding notes 66 and 67. Thus, the Qur’än stresses once again that the
unceasing differentiation in men’s views and ideas is not incidental but represents a God-willed,
basic factor of human existence. If God had willed that all human beings should be of one
persuasion, all intellectual progress would have been ruled out, and “they would have been similar
in their social life to the bees and the ants, while in their spiritual life they would have been like
the angels, constrained by their nature always to believe in what is true and always to obey God”
(Manär XII, 193) - that is to say, devoid of that relative free will which enables man to choose
between right and wrong and thus endows his life-in distinction from all other sentient beings-
with a moral meaning and a unique spiritual potential.
151 I.e., those who avail themselves of His grace, consisting of the God-given ability to realize
His existence (cf. 7:172 and the corresponding note 139) and the guidance which He offers to
mankind through His prophets (RäzT).
152 Some of the earliest commentators (e.g., Mujahid and 'Ikrimah) are of the opinion that the
expression li-dhälika (rendered by me as “to this end”) refers to God's bestowal of His grace upon

334
 But [as for those who refuse to avail themselves of
divine guidance,] that word of thy Sustainer shall be
fulfilled: “Most certainly will I fill hell with invisible
beings as well as with humans, all together!”*53

(120) AND [remember:] out of all the accounts relating to

the [earlier] apostles We convey unto thee [only] that
wherewith We [aim to] make firm thy heart:’54 for Salp
through these [accounts] comes the truth unto thee, ix.^ J-b b jJ-f
as well as an admonition and a reminder unto all
believers. <$> sjL; ui $ y#
(121) And say unto those who will not believe: “Do
anything that may be within your power, [while] we, (g)
behold, shall labour [in God's way]; (122) and wait
[for what is coming]: behold, we too are waiting!”
(123) And God alone comprehends the hidden (|J> Ù L CZ
j m
reality of the heavens and the earth:’55 for, all that
exists goes back to Him [as its source].
Worship Him, then, and place thy trust in Him
alone: for thy Sustainer is not unaware of what you
do.
man, while others (e.g., Al-Hasan and cAtâ’) relate it to men’s ability to differ intellectually from
one another. According to ZamakhsharT, it refers to the freedom of moral choice which charac­
terizes man and is spoken of in the preceding passages: and since it is this freedom which
constitutes God’s special gift to man and raises him above all other created beings (cf. the parable
of Adam and the angels in 2 : 30-34), Zamakhshari’s interpretation is, in my opinion, the most
comprehensive of all.
153 The “word of God” reiterated here as well as in 32:13 has originally been pronounced in
7 :18 with reference to the “followers of Satan”, i.e., those who reject the guidance offered them
by God; hence my interpolation at the beginning of the paragraph. As regards the meaning of jinn
(rendered by me in this and similar instances as “invisible beings"), see Appendix 111.
154 I.e., the Qur’an does not intend to present those stories as such, but uses them (or, rather,
relevant parts of them) as illustrations of moral truths and as a means to strengthen the faith of the
believer (see the second part of note 73 as well as note 131 above).
155 Lit., “God’s is [the knowledge of] the hidden reality of...”, etc. For this meaning of the
term al-ghayb, see note 3 on 2:3.
 THE TWELFTH SÜRAH

YÜSUF (JOSEPH)

MECCA PERIOD

CCORDING to all the authoritative sources, this sürah was revealed in its entirety in Mecca,
A almost immediately after the preceding one. The contention of some of the early commen­
tators that the first three verses were revealed at Medina is, in the words of Suyütï, “entirely
baseless and cannot be seriously considered”.
The story of the Prophet Joseph, as narrated in the Qur’ân, agrees in the main, but not
completely, with the Biblical version (Genesis xxxvii and xxxix-xlvi); the more important
differences between the two accounts are pointed out in my notes. But what distinguishes the
Qur’anic treatment of the story in a deeper sense is its spiritual tenor: contrary to the Bible, in
which the life of Joseph is presented as a romantic account of the envy to which his youthful
innocence is first exposed, of the vicissitudes which he subsequently suffers, and, finally, of his
worldly triumph over his brothers, the Qur’an uses it primarily as an illustration of God’s
unfathomable direction of men’s affairs - an echo of the statement that “it may well be that you
hate a thing the while it is good for you, and it may well be that you love a thing the while it is bad
for you: and God knows, whereas you do not know” (2:216). The whole of this sürah might be
described as a series of variations on the theme “judgment [as to what is to happen] rests with
none but God", explicitly enunciated only in verse 67, but running like an unspoken leitmotif
throughout the story of Joseph.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) Alif. Läm. Rä.'

HESE ARE MESSAGES of a revelation clear in

T itself and clearly showing the truth:12 (2) behold.
We have bestowed it from on high as a discourse in
----------------- *

O cJ* 3; pi
the Arabic tongue, so that you might encompass it
with your reason.3 ly# (J) ÛjlÂM LrU'tyi
(3) In the measure that We reveal4 this Qur’ân unto
thee, [O Prophet,] We explain it to thee in the best

1 See Appendix II.

2 The participial adjective mubïh may denote an attribute of the noun which it qualifies
(“clear”, “manifest”, “obvious”, etc.) as well as its function (“making clear” or “manifesting”, i.e.,
the truth), either of which meanings is dictated by its context. In the consensus of authoritative
opinion, both these meanings are comprised in the above instance; consequently, a compound
phrase is necessary in order to render the term appropriately.
3 This, according to ZamakhsharT, is the meaning of la'allakum ta'qilûn in the above context.
Although they were in the first instance addressed to the Arabian contemporaries of the Prophet,
these two verses apply to all people, whatever their origin, who understand the Arabic language.
They are meant to impress upon everyone who listens to or reads the Qur’ân that its appeal is
directed, primarily, to man’s reason, and that “feeling” alone can never provide a sufficient basis
of faith. (See also 13:37 and 14:4, as well as the corresponding notes.)
4 Or: “By Our having revealed”.

336
 SÜRAH 12
JOSEPH
possible way,5 seeing that ere this thou wert indeed
among those who are unaware [of what revelation is].6
(4)LO!7 Thus spoke Joseph unto his father: “O my
father! Behold, I saw [in a dream] eleven stars, as Z* cXjicfc Jï
well as the sun and the moon: I saw them prostrate
themselves before me!” J** (J) ùt&f' J
(5) [Jacob] replied: “O my dear son!8 Do not relate
thy dream to thy brothers lest [out of envy] they
devise an evil scheme against thee; verily, Satan is ^4*- J J 0
man’s open foe!9 (6) For, [as thou hast been shown in
thy dream,] even thus will thy Sustainer elect thee, <^4^ A-*“
and will impart unto thee some understanding of the
inner meaning of happenings,10 and will bestow the

5 Lit., “with the best explanation (ahsan al-iqtifä^)”. This rendering is very close to the
interpretation given by ZamakhsharT: “We set forth this Qur’än unto thee in the best way in which
it could be set forth.” According to Râzï, it may safely be assumed that the adjective “best” refers
not to the contents of “that which is set forth”-i.e., the particular story narrated in this
sürah-but rather to the manner in which the Qur’än (or this particular sürah) is set forth: and
herein he agrees with ZamakhsharT. It should be borne in mind that the verb qas?a (the infinitive
nouns of which are qa$af and iqtifâf) signifies, primarily, “he followed step by step” or “by
degrees”, and, subsequently, “he related [a piece of news or a story] as though be followed its
traces": hence, “he expounded [it] gradually” or “he explained [it]" (cf. Lane VII, 2526, quoting
the Qämüs and the Täj al-*Ariis with specific reference to the above verse). If, on the other hand,
the infinitive noun qa$a$ is regarded as synonymous, in this context, with qissah (“story” or
“narrative”), the above sentence might be rendered as “We narrate unto thee the best of
narratives", i.e., the subsequent story of Joseph. In my opinion, however, the rendering “We
explain it [i.e., the Qur’än] in the best possible way" is preferable inasmuch as it fully coincides
with the two opening verses of this sürah, which state, in effect, that the Qur’än is self-
explanatory.
6 At this point in his commentary, Râzï draws the reader’s attention to 42:52-“thou didst
not know what revelation is, nor what faith [implies]”: a passage similar in purport to the closing
words of the above verse; hence my addition, between brackets, of the phrase “of what revelation
is”.
7 The particle idh is usually a time-reference, and can in most cases be translated as “when".
Occasionally, however, it is used as a corroborative particle meant to draw the reader’s (or
hearer’s) attention to the sudden occurrence of a thing (Mughnï, Qämüs, Täj al-Ariis), or-as is
often the case in the Qur’än-to a turn in the discourse: and in such instances it is suitably
rendered as “Io” or “now”.
8 See sürah 11, note 65.
9 As in the Biblical account of Joseph’s story, the Qur’än shows that Jacob did not fail to
understand the meaning of his son’s dream-vision of future greatness, with the eleven stars
symbolizing his brothers, and the sun and the moon his parents. But whereas the Bible quotes the
father as “rebuking” his son (Genesis xxxvii, 10) in the obvious assumption that the dream was an
outcome of wishful thinking, the Qur’än makes it clear that Jacob-who was himself a prophet-at
once realized its prophetic quality and its deeper implications.
10 Lit., “sayings” or “tidings" (ahâdîth). Most of the commentators assume that this refers
specifically to Joseph’s future ability to interpret dreams; but Râzï points out that in this context
the term hadîth (of which ahâdîth is the plural) may be synonymous with bädith (“something that
newly comes into existence”, i.e., “an event” or “a happening”). This is, to my mind, much more
convincing than a mere reference to dream-interpretation, the more so as the term ta’wîl is often
used in the Qur’än (e.g., in 3:7,10:39 or 18:78) in the sense of “final meaning”, “inner meaning"
or “real meaning” of a happening or statement or thing, as distinct from its outward, prima-facie
appearance. The use of the particle min (“of") before the term ta'wil indicates that absolute

337
 full measure of His blessings upon thee and upon the
House of Jacob - even as, aforetime, He bestowed it
in full measure upon thy forefathers Abraham and
Isaac. Verily, thy Sustainer is all-knowing, wise!”
(7) Indeed, in [the story of] Joseph and his brothers
there are messages for ail who search [after truth]."

(8) NOW [Joseph’s brothers] spoke [thus to one an­

other:] “Truly, Joseph and his brother [Benjamin] are 3 -i—* 0) 4L j
dearer to our father than we, even though we are so
many.1112 Behold, our father is surely suffering from an
aberration!”*3
(9) [Said one of them:] “Slay Joseph, or else drive eu S» Li ’£> L- cJ ai
him away to some [faraway] land, so that your
father’s regard may be for you alone: and after this is jU ’.»G' 0
done, you will be [free to repent and to live once 0»
again as] righteous people!”14
(10) Another of them said: “Do not slay Joseph, but j »-A—ji 'jG; j/î; J«
rather-if you must do something - cast him into the (J) bÇjî XkL ûlf
dark depths of this well, [whence] some caravan may
pick him up.”15 ,4 5 ■> Vi V JIL LXÜ 1jJU
(11) [On this they agreed; and thereupon] they
spoke [thus to their father]: “O our father! Wherefore ,4 k.-4b j Up La» 4-»j' 0>
wilt thou not trust us with Joseph, seeing that we are
dHUj ‘^9*^ O' Jl J« 0 QAâÜ
indeed his well-wishers? (12) Let him go out with us
tomorrow, that he may enjoy himself and play: and, '«in 49« 0 JTL J
verily, we shall guard him well!”
(13) [Jacob] answered: “Behold, it grieves me ijjw di 0> jjy-d
indeed [to think] that you might take him with you,
for I dread lest the wolf devour him at a moment
when you are heedless of him!”
(14) Said they: “Surely, if the wolf were to devour
him notwithstanding that we are so many - then, be­
hold, we ought ourselves to perish!”
(15) And so, when they went away with him, they
decided to cast him into the dark depths of the well.

knowledge of what a thing or event implies rests with God alone (cf. 3 :7 - “none save God knows
its final meaning’’), and that even God’s elect, the prophets - albeit their vision is much wider than
that of ordinary men - are granted only a partial insight into the mysteries of God’s creation.
11 Lit., “those who inquire’’.
12 Lit., “a company” or “group”. Benjamin was Joseph’s full brother-both being sons of
Jacob’s wife Rachel - whereas the other ten were only his half-brothers.
13 Lit., “is in most obvious error”.
14 The phrase interpolated by me within brackets - reflecting the unconscious irony in the
attitude of Joseph’s brethren - is based on the consensus of most of the classical commentators.
15 Sc., “and take him with them to a faraway land” (cf. the preceding verse). The term
jubb - rendered by me as “well” - is usually applied to a desert well simply cut through the earth
or through rock and not cased with stone: the implication being that this particular well did not
contain enough water to drown Joseph, but was deep enough to hide him from sight.

338
 12
JOSEPH
And We revealed [this] unto him: “Thou wilt yet
remind them of this their deed at a time when they
shall not perceive [who thou art]!”16
(16) And at nightfall they came to their father,
weeping, (17) [and] said: “O our father! Behold, we
went off racing with one another, and left Joseph
behind with our things; and thereupon the wolf de­
voured him! But [we know that] thou wouldst not
believe us even though we speak the truth”-(18) and
è» (JB jyC- ill*
they produced his tunic with false blood upon it.
[But Jacob] exclaimed: “Nay, but it is your [own]
minds that have made [so terrible] a happening seem
a matter of little account to you!’7 But [as for myself,]
patience in adversity is most goodly [in the sight of
God]; and it is to God [alone] that I pray to give me
strength to bear the misfortune which you have
•A—($)
described to me.”1819

(19) AND THERE CAME a caravan;” and they sent forth

their drawer of water, and he let down his bucket into g**} ($) SjCm. Lt
the well-[and when he saw Joseph] he exclaimed:
“Oh, what a lucky find,20 this boy!” (£>
And they hid him with a view to selling him: but t/J"' **1 »>• J Sj
God had full knowledge of all that they were doing.
vi-yrj fc* îtâi t
(20) And they sold him for a paltry price-a mere
few silver coins: thus low did they value him.
O.jUJTJ./; j
(21) And the man from Egypt who bought him21
said to his wife: “Make his stay [with us] honourable; LJj (J) 0*01^1 jCJj jjp
he may well be of use to us, or we may adopt him as
a son.”
And thus We gave unto Joseph a firm place on
earth; and [We did this] so that We might impart unto
him some understanding of the inner meaning of
happenings.22 For, God always prevails in whatever
be His purpose: but most people know it not.

16 See verses 89-90 of this sürah.

17 Apparently Jacob did not believe the tale of the wolf but, knowing his sons’ envy of Joseph,
at once realized that it was they themselves who had done grievous harm to him. Nevertheless-as
is evident from Jacob’s expression of hope in verse 83 of this surah — he was not quite convinced
that Joseph was really dead.
18 Lit., “it is to God that I turn for aid against what you are describing”.
19 According to the Bible (Genesis xxxvii, 25), they were “Ishmaelites”-i.e., Arabs-who
“came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down
to Egypt”. (Gilead is the Biblical name for the region east of the Jordan.)
20 Lit., “O good news!"
21 The Qur’fin does not mention his name or position; but a later reference to him (in verse 30
below) as ai-'azîz (“the great [or “mighty"] one") points to his having been a high official or a
nobleman.
22 See note 10 above.

339
YÜSUF SÜRAH

(22) And when he reached full manhood, We be­

stowed upon him the ability to judge [between right
and wrong], as well as [innate] knowledge: for thus
do We reward the doers of good.
(23) And [it so happened that] she in whose house
he was living [conceived a passion for him and]
sought to make him yield himself unto her; and she
bolted the doors and said, “Come thou unto me!”
[But Joseph] answered: “May God preserve me! ÇT j5* $ <££5 ($)
Behold, goodly has my master made my stay [in this
house]! Verily, to no good end come they that do If s GZ ju li 2ju5 tS&JSh
[such] wrong!”
(24) And, indeed, she desired him, and he desired (g) ùjJJilf ,<4 J-*-1 Qj
her; [and he would have succumbed] had he not seen
[in this temptation] an evidence of his Sustainer’s û* X?
truth:23 thus [We willed it to be] in order that We
might avert from him all evil and all deeds of L’jL*

abomination - for, behold, he was truly one of Our «Ujf li-i-fj (J) cfr-^jf
servants.2425
(25) And they both rushed to the door; and she dût »\j\ U
[grasped and] rent his tunic from behind-and [lo!]
they met her lord at the door! J1 Ü*-*. ’b-
Said she: “What ought to be the punishment of one
who had evil designs on [the virtue of] thy wife-
[what] but imprisonment or a [yet more] grievous <$) ^ä£jf
chastisement?”
(26) [Joseph] exclaimed: “It was she who sought to ($)
make me yield myself unto her!”
«Z-f/ X j* J* LJ»
Now one of those present, a member of her own
household, suggested this:23 “If his tunic has been
torn from the front, then she is telling the truth, and
he is a liar; (27) but if his tunic has been torn from
behind, then she is lying, and he is speaking the
truth.”
(28) And when [her husband] saw that his tunic was

23 The interpolated phrase “and he would have succumbed”, is, according to Zamakhsharï,
implied in the above sentence. In his commentary on this verse, he further points out that the
moral significance of “virtue” consists in one’s inner victory over a wrongful desire, and not in the
absence of such a desire. Cf. the well-known saying of the Prophet, recorded, on the authority of
AbO Hurayrah, by Bukhârï and Muslim: “God, exalted be He, says: ‘If a servant of Mine [merely]
desires to do a good deed, I shall count this [desire] as a good deed; and if he does it, I shall count
it tenfold. And if he desires to commit a bad deed, but does not commit it, I shall count this as a
good deed, seeing that he refrained from it only for My sake.. .’’’-i.e., in consequence of a moral
consideration (which, in the present instance, is described as “an evidence of God’s truth”).
24 Lit., “he was among Our sincere servants”.
25 Lit., “a present one (shähid) from her household testified”-i.e., suggested a test on these
lines. Here, again, the Qur’anic narrative differs from the story as told in the Bible, since according
to the latter (Genesis xxxix, 19-20), the husband immediately believed the false accusation and
cast Joseph into prison; the episodes related in verses 26-34 of this sürah do not appear in the
Biblical account.
 12
JOSEPH

tom from behind, he said: “Behold, this is [an

instance] of your guile, O womankind! Verily,
awesome is your guile! (29) [But,] Joseph, let this
pass!26 And thou, [O wife,] ask forgiveness for thy
sin-for, verily, thou hast been greatly at fault!”

(30) NOW the women of the city spoke [thus to one

another]: “The wife of this nobleman is trying to
induce her slave-boy to yield himself unto her! Her
(£) Û*C-J”«iE[ «iUJ* -tj
love for him has pierced her heart; verily, we see that
she is undoubtedly suffering from an aberration!”27 <z izj-p PP^ •
(31) Thereupon, when she heard of their malicious
talk, she sent for them, and prepared for them a <£) L*2
sumptuous repast,28 and handed each of them a knife
o L»l_, Ui
and said [to Joseph]: “Come out and show thyself to
them!” • J* j JT
And when the women saw him, they were greatly
amazed at his beauty,2930 32and [so flustered were they
31 jZ Ä cn
that] they cut their hands [with their knives], ex­
claiming, “God save us! This is no mortal man! This (g> jiZ

is nought but a noble angel!” ij'j Lib CJB

(32) Said she: “This, then, is he about whom you
have been blaming me! And, indeed, I did try to make JÎLJ L. J
him yield himself unto me, but he remained chaste.
Now, however, if he does not do what I bid him, he *-*•* JÉ (g)
shall most certainly be imprisoned, and shall most
certainly find himself among the despised!”10
(33) Said he: “O my Sustainer! Prison is more <S> ùjt/bÿl
desirable to me than [compliance with] what these
women invite me to: for, unless Thou turn away their (g, JujT JyJJx <-*
guile from me, I might yet yield to their allure11 and
become one of those who are unaware [of right and
wrong].”
(34) And his Sustainer responded to his prayer, and
freed him from the threat of their guile:12 verily. He
alone is all-hearing, all-knowing. (35) For, presently it

26 Lit., “turn aside from this”. According to almost all the commentators, the meaning is, “do
not mention this to anyone”, the implication being that the husband was prepared to forgive and
forget.
27 Lit., “we see her indeed in obvious error”.
28 The expression muttaka'-lit., “a place where one reclines [while eating]”, i.e., a “cushioned
couch”-seems to have been used here tropically to denote a “luxurious [or “sumptuous”]
repast”.
29 Lit., “they deemed him [i.e., his beauty] great”.
30 Lit., “become one of those who are humiliated”.
31 Lit., “incline towards them"; it should, however, be borne in mind that the verb sabä
combines the concepts of inclination, yearning and amorous indulgence (cf. Lane IV, 1649); hence
my rendering.
32 Lit., “turned away their guile from him”.
341
 YÜSUF SÜRAH

occurred to the nobleman and his household33 - [even]

after they had seen all the signs [of Joseph’s
innocence]-that they might as well imprison him for
a time.34

(36) NOW two young men happened to go to prison at the

same time as Joseph.35
One of them said: “Behold, I saw myself [in a
dream] pressing wine.”
And the other said: "Behold, I saw myself [in a
dream] carrying bread on my head, and birds were
* I............. t,
eating thereof.”
[And both entreated Joseph:] "Let us know the real
meaning of this! Verily, we see that thou art one of f CuJ» U^L^f JU (jji-dby
those who know well [how to interpret dreams].”36
(37) [Joseph] answered: “Ere there comes unto you l.^gyL J-J *4*
the meal which you are [daily] fed, I shall have
informed you of die real meaning of your dreams,3738 jQj Lt

[so that you might know what is to come] before it 4* cJuîj ($)
comes unto you: for this is [part] of the knowledge
4>L Jyj (jl UJ jlTU kJ/JUJ ^“*-’’•1
which my Sustainer has imparted to me.
“Behold, I have left behind me the ways of people
who do not believe in God,36 and who persistently
refuse to acknowledge the truth of the life to come;
(38) and I follow the creed of my forefathers Abra­
ham, Isaac and Jacob. It is not conceivable that we
should [be allowed to] ascribe divinity to aught beside
God: this is [an outcome] of God’s bounty unto us
and unto all mankind39 - but most people are un­
grateful.

33 Lit., "it occurred to them”.

34 Thus, according to the Qur’än, Joseph was imprisoned not because his master believed him
to be guilty, but because, in his weakness, he wanted to appease his wife, “being entirely
submissive to her, and behaving like a riding-camel whose reins she held in her hand”
(ZamakhsharT).
35 Lit., “entered the prison with him”. According to the Biblical account (not contradicted by
the Qur’än), they were the King’s cup-bearer and baker, both of them imprisoned for unspecified
offences.
36 This is the meaning given by BaghawT, ZamakhsharT and BaydäwT to the expression
al-muhsinïn in the above context, adopting the tropical use of the verb ahsana in the sense of “he
knew [something]” or “he knew [it] well”. Thus, the Qur’än indicates here in its elliptic manner
that Joseph’s reputation for wisdom and dream-interpretation preceded him to prison.
37 Lit., “the real meaning thereof”.
38 Joseph wants to avail himself of this opportunity to guide his two fellow-prisoners towards
the true faith; and so, while promising that he would explain their dreams presently, he asks them
to listen first to a short discourse on the oneness of God.
39 Since God is almighty and self-sufficient, it is not for His sake that man is warned not to
ascribe divine qualities to aught beside Him: the absolute condemnation of this sin is solely
designed to benefit man by freeing him from all superstition, and thus enhancing his dignity as a
conscious, rational being.

342
 12
JOSEPH
(39) “O my companions in imprisonment! Which is
more reasonable:** [belief in the existence of nu­
merous divine] lords, each of them different from the
41-or [in] the One God, who holds absolute
other40
sway over all that exists?
(40) “All that you worship instead of God is no­
thing but [empty] names which you have invented42 -
you and your forefathers - [and] for which God has
bestowed no warrant from on high. Judgment [as to
what is right and what is wrong] rests with God
alone - [and] He has ordained that you should
worship nought but Him: this is the [one] ever-true
faith; but most people know it not.43
(41) “[And now,] O my companions in imprison­
ment, [I shall tell you the meaning of your dreams:] A J 4—* L»
as for one of you two, he will [again] give his lord
[the King] wine to drink; but as for the other, he will
be crucified, and birds will eat off his head. [But 5^ /•' ($> S»
whatever be your future,] the matter on which you
have asked me to enlighten you has been decided [by <Lï» J jTs jdbÙJÎ <Jli dîj X» j
God].”
(42) And [thereupon Joseph] said unto the one of &>' D* Jlij j
the two whom he considered saved: “Mention me
unto thy lord [when thou art free]!” >-» k 'À.
But Satan caused him to forget to mention [Joseph]
to his lord, and so he remained in prison a few [more]
years.

(43) AND [one day] the King said:44 “Behold, I saw [in a
dream] seven fat cows being devoured by seven
emaciated ones, and seven green ears [of wheat] next
to [seven] others that were withered. O you nobles!

40 Lit., “better”, obviously in the sense of “better conforming to the demands of reason“.
41 The expression mutafarriqün connotes plurality äs well as separateness - in this context,
separateness in respect of qualities, functions and degrees.
42 Lit., “names which you have named”-i.e., “figments of your own imagination”.
43 Cf. the last sentence of 30 : 30.
44 This king seems to have been one of the six Hyksos rulers who dominated Egypt from about
1700 to 1580 B.C., after having invaded the country from the east by way of the Sinai Peninsula.
The name of this dynasty, which was undoubtedly of foreign origin, is derived from the Egyptian
hiq shasu or heku shoswet, meaning “rulers of nomad lands”, or-according to the late Egyptian
historian Manêtho - “shepherd kings”: all of which points to their having been Arabs who, despite
the fact that before their invasion of Egypt they were already well-established in Syria, had to a
large extent preserved their bedouin mode of life. This would explain the confidence which the
king mentioned in this story was later to place in Joseph, the Hebrew, and the subsequent
settlement of the latter’s family (and, thus, of what in due course became the Israelite nation) in
Egypt: for it must be borne in mind that the Hebrews, too, descended from one of the many
bedouin tribes who some centuries earlier had migrated from the Arabian Peninsula to Meso­
potamia and later to Syria (cf. surah 7, note 48); and that the language of the Hyksos must have
been very akin to Hebrew, which, after all, is but an ancient Arabian dialect.

343
YÜSUF SÜRAH

Enlighten me about [the meaning of] my dream, if

you are able to interpret dreams!”
(44) They answered: “[This is one of] the most
involved and confusing of dreams,45 and we have no
deep knowledge of the real meaning of dreams.”
(45) At that, the one of the two [erstwhile
prisoners] who had been saved, and [who suddenly]
remembered [Joseph] after all that time,46 spoke
[thus]: “It is I who can inform you of the real
meaning of this [dream]; so let me go [in search of
it].”47
(46) [And he went to see Joseph in the prison and JUj (J) 'jkJùM jb.
said to him:] “Joseph, O thou truthful one! Enlighten I ÛILI
us about [the meaning of a dream in which] seven fat
cows were being devoured by seven emaciated ones, L jtc-OyL j LSI ly;I
and seven green ears [of wheat appeared] next to
[seven] others that were withered-so that I may
return [with thy explanation] unto the people [of the
ôjÉjyJli (J) Up*»
court, and] that they may come to know [what man­
ner of man thou art]!” j Li l> b jç—
(47) [Joseph] replied: “You shall sow for seven
years as usual; but let all [the grain] that you harvest jl-li «til i Jùv jjC f L-Z

remain [untouched] in its ear, excepting only a little, t/t f (J) Le C L

whereof you may eat: (48) for, after that [period of
seven good years] there will come seven hard [years] (^) öj‘•^4 Ù*
which will devour all that you shall have laid up for
them, excepting only a little of that which you shall JI» Jj-*4U dlLJÎ
have kept in store. (49) And after that there will come
a year in which the people will be delivered from all j (jak* ij—ill <JLU wL j
distress,48 and in which they will press [oil and wine
j ji (j) 4 J ■‘4
as before].”
(50) And [as soon as Joseph's interpretation was
conveyed to him,] the King said: “Bring him before
me!”
But when the [King's] messenger came unto him,
[Joseph] said: “Go back to thy lord and ask him [first
to find out the truth] about those women who cut
their hands-for, behold, [until now it is] my Sus­
tainer [alone who] has full knowledge of their guile!”
(51) [Thereupon the King sent for those women;

45 Lit., “confusing medleys (adghäth) of dreams".

46 According to almost all the authorities, the noun ummah denotes here “a time” or “a long
period of time”.
47 The cup-bearer obviously addresses the assembly as a whole, and not the King alone: hence
the plural “you”.
48 Or: “will be granted rain” - depending on whether one connects the verbal form yughâth
with either of the infinitive nouns ghayth (“rain”) or ghawth (“deliverance from distress”).
Although the crops of Egypt depend entirely on the annual Nile floods, the water-level of the river
is, in its turn, contingent upon the quantity of rainfall at its upper reaches.

344
12
JOSEPH
and when they came,] he asked: “What was it that
you hoped to achieve when you sought to make
Joseph yield himself unto you?”4950
The women asnwered: “God save us! We did not
perceive the least evil [intention] on his part!”
[And] the wife of Joseph’s former master” ex­
claimed: “Now has the truth come to light! It was I
who sought to make him yield himself unto me-
whereas he, behold, was indeed speaking the truth!”
(52) [When Joseph learned what had happened, he Lil jXï cJt
said:51 “I asked for] this, so that [my former master]
might know that I did not betray him behind his (ff)
back,52 and that God does not bless with His guidance
($) Ob <*-1J JÎ
the artful schemes of those who betray their trust.
(53) And yet, I am not trying to absolve myself: for,
verily, man’s inner self does incite [him] to evil,53 and
saved are only they upon whom my Sustainer be­ dûî Jib <3>
stows His grace.54 Behold, my Sustainer is much-
forgiving, a dispenser of grace!”
(54) And the King said: “Bring him unto me, so that
I may attach him to my own person.” éç'Z & <$>
And when he had spoken with him, [the King] said:
“Behold, [from] this day thou shalt be of high stand­
ing with us, invested with all trust!”
(55) [Joseph] replied: “Place in my charge the
store-houses of the land; behold, I shall be a good and
knowing keeper.”55

49 Evidently, the King wanted to find out whether they had previously been encouraged by
Joseph, or whether he was truly innocent. The noun khafb denotes “something that one has in
view” or “desires” or “seeks to obtain”; and so the expression md khatbukunna (lit., “what was it
that you [really] had in view”) may be suitably rendered as above.
50 Lit., “the wife of the great one (al-'aziz)".
51 Some of the commentators (e.g., Ibn KathTr and, among the modems, Rashid Rida* in
Manär XII, 323 f.) regard this and the next verse as a continuation of the woman’s confession; but
the great majority of the classical authorities, including Tabari, Baghawi and Zamakhshari,
attribute the speech that follows unequivocally-and, in my opinion, most convincingly - to
Joseph: hence my interpolation at the beginning of this verse.
52 Lit., “in [his] absence” or “in secret" (bi'l-ghayb).
53 Lit., “is indeed wont to command [the doing of] evil”-i.e., is filled with impulses which
often conflict with what the mind regards as a moral good. This is obviously a reference to the
statement in verse 24 above-“she desired him, and he desired her; [and he would have
succumbed,] had he not seen [in this temptation] an evidence of his Sustainer’s truth”-as well as
to Joseph’s prayer in verse 33, “unless Thou turn away their guile from me, I might yet yield to
their allure”. (See also note 23 above.) Joseph’s stress on the weakness inherent in human nature is
a sublime expression of humility on the part of one who himself had overcome that very
weakness: for, as the sequence shows, he attributes his moral victory not to himself but solely to
the grace and mercy of God.
54 Lit., “except those upon whom..etc. According to most of the commentators, the
pronoun mä (lit., “that which”) is here synonymous with man (“he who” or “those who”).
55 By making this request, Joseph wanted to assure an efficient build-up of grain reserves during
the coming years of plenty, knowing wqll that they would be followed by seven years of scarcity.

345
 (56) And thus We established Joseph securely in
the land [of Egypt]: he had full mastery over it,
[doing] whatever he willed.
[Thus do] We cause Our grace to alight upon
whomever We will; and We do not fail to requite the
doers of good.56 (57) But in the eyes of those who
have attained to faith and have always been con­
scious of Us, a reward in the life to come is a far
greater good [than any reward in this world].57

(58) AND [after some years,] Joseph’s brothers came [to <$> 3 v;
Egypt]58 and presented themselves before him: and he
knew them [at once], whereas they did not recognize
him. f-M’r Ml <S> ,4 çèji 4k îjU.J»
(59) And when he had provided them with their
provisions, he said: “[When you come here next,] □' Ûjy ' _£-~\ J* Jy. I
bring unto me that brother of yours from your
father’s side.59 Do you not see that I have given [you]
full measure and have been the best of hosts? (60)
But if you do not bring him unto me, you shall never (j) oxa Xi
again receive a single measure [of grain] from me, nor pjCJ» JBj (J) l^i *M
shall you [be allowed to] come near me!’’
(61) They answered: “We shall try to persuade his Mi»/». J
father to part with him, and, verily, we shall do [our
utmost]!”
(62) And [Joseph] said to his servants: “Place their
merchandise60 in their camel-packs, so that they may
find it there when they come home, and hence be the
more eager to return.”61
(63) And so, when they returned to their father,
[Joseph’s brothers] said: “O our father! All grain62 is

It is obvious from the sequence that his request was granted, and that he was able to fulfil the task
which he had set himself.
56 I.e., sometimes in this world as well, but invariably in the hereafter, as the sequence shows.
57 Lit., “for those who have attained to faith..etc.
58 I.e., to buy wheat from the stores which Joseph had accumulated during the seven years of
plenty: for all the countries in the vicinity of Egypt were by now affected by the famine which he
had predicted, and Egypt alone had a surplus, the distribution of which he supervised personally
(cf. Genesis xli, 54-57).
59 Lit., “a brother of yours from your father” - i.e., their half-brother Benjamin, who was
Joseph’s full brother (their mother having been Rachel, Jacob’s favourite wife), whereas the other
ten had different mothers. Benjamin, the youngest of Jacob’s children, had not accompanied his
brothers on their first journey to Egypt, but they had presumably mentioned him in the course of
their conversation with Joseph.
60 I.e., the goods which they had bartered for wheat (Ibn Kathîr): a very plausible explanation
in view of the fact that barter was the most common form of trade in those ancient times.
61 Lit., “so that they may perceive them when they come back to their family, [and] that they
may return”.
62 Lit., “measure [of grain]”, here used metonymically in an allusion to Joseph's words (verse
60).

346
12
JOSEPH
[to be] withheld from us [in the future unless we bring
Benjamin with us]: send, therefore, our brother with
us, so that we may obtain our measure [of grain]; and,
verily, we shall guard him well!”
(64) [Jacob] replied: ‘‘Shall I trust you with him in
the same way63 as I trusted you with his brother
[Joseph] aforetime? [Nay,] but God’s guardianship is
better [than yours], for He is the most merciful of the
merciful!” <$) OJääX ,4 LI j Jl£j LUIX
(65) Thereupon, when they opened their packs,
they discovered that their merchandise had been & jCUs Ji JU
returned to them; [and] they said: “O our father!
What more could we desire? Here is our merchan­ (»o' y> âli
dise: it has been returned to us! [If thou send Ben­ Cfr1* 'jltf
jamin with us,] we shall [again] be able to bring food
for our family, and shall guard our brother [well], and
receive in addition another camel-load of grain.6465
That
[which we have brought the first time] was but a
scanty measure.”
Id lij*
(66) Said [Jacob]: ‘‘1 will not send him with you
until you give me a solemn pledge, before God, that jé âf J£ •y'4 lX» js»
you will indeed bring him back unto me, unless you
yourselves be encompassed [by death]!” -J-j- JBj
And when they had given him their solemn pledge,
[Jacob] said: “God is witness to all that we say!”
(67) And he added: “O my sons! Do not enter [the (J) «Jcj CJTfi
city all] by one gate, but enter by different gates.63
Yet [even so,] I can be of no avail whatever to you fr» 'A* M#
against [anything that may be willed by] God:
judgment [as to what is to happen] rests with none
but God. In Him have I placed my trust: for, all who
have trust [in His existence] must place their trust in
Him alone.”
(68) But although66 they entered [Joseph’s city] in
the way their father had bidden them, this proved of
no avail whatever to them against [the plan of] God.6768
[His request] had served only to satisfy Jacob’s
heartfelt desire [to protect them]:6* for, behold,

63 Lit., “not otherwise than”.

64 It would seem that Joseph used to allot to foreign buyers of grain one camel-load per person.
65 Probably in order not to attract undue attention in the foreign land and possibly fall prey to
intrigues. See in this connection note 68 below.
66 Lit., "when”.
67 As is shown in the sequence, they and their father were to suffer severe distress before their
adventures came to a happy conclusion.
68 Lit., "it [i.e., his request that they should enter the city by different gates] had been but a
desire in Jacob’s heart (na/s), which he [thus] satisfied". In other words, when he gave his sons
this advice, he followed only an instinctive, humanly-understandable urge, and did not really
expect that any outward precaution would by itself help them: for, as he himself pointed out on

347
 YÜSUF SÜRAH

thanks to what We had imparted unto him, he was

indeed endowed with the knowledge [that God’s will
must always prevail69]; but most people know it not.

(69) AND WHEN [the sons of Jacob] presented them­

selves before Joseph, he drew his brother [Benjamin]
unto himself, saying [to him in secret]: “Behold, I am
thy brother! So grieve thou not over their past do­
ings!”70 •b.1 ùfjlt ui-yt ijUi LJj (J)
(70) And [later,] when he had provided them with
their provisions, he placed the [King’s] drinking-cup ùjLJL ijîÉ'ix d^i UI Ji»
in his brother’s camel-pack. And [as they were leav­
ing the city,] a herald71 called out: “O you people of
the caravan! Verily, you are thieves!”72 îjûiJjiiî (g) Sa (J
(71) Turning towards the herald and his com­
panions, the brothers asked:73 “What is it that you jjj dwl liL ijiu ($) SjJiL*
miss?”
(72) They answered: “We miss the King’s goblet; jS âü ijitf (j) J*
and he who produces it shall receive a camel-load [of
l* y « <S> &%
grain as reward]!”
And [the herald added:] “I pledge myself to this
[promise]!”
(73) Said [the brothers]: “By God! Well do you
know that we have not come to commit deeds of
corruption in this land, and that we have not been
thieving!”
parting, “judgment as to what is to happen rests with none but God”. This stress on man's utter
dependence on God - a fundamental tenet of Islam - explains why Jacob’s advice (which in itself is
not relevant to the story) has been mentioned in the above Qur’anic narrative.
69 This interpolated clause is based on ZamakhsharT’s interpretation of the above reference to
Jacob’s having been “endowed with knowledge”.
70 Thus, contrary to the Biblical account, Joseph is stated here to have disclosed his identity to
Benjamin long before he revealed himself to his ten half-brothers. The words “their past doings”
obviously refer to their treacherous behaviour towards himself which Joseph had now presumably
disclosed to Benjamin.
71 Lit., “an announcer” (mu'adhdhin) - a noun derived from the verbal form adhdhana
(“he announced” or “proclaimed” or “called out publicly”).
72 Commenting on this verse, RäzT says: “Nowhere in the Qur’än is it stated that they made
this accusation on Joseph’s orders; the circumstantial evidence shows rather (al-aqrab Uä ?ähir
al-hdl) that they did this of their own accord: for, when they had missed the drinking-cup, [these
servants of Joseph remembered that] nobody had been near it [except the sons of Jacob], and so it
occurred to them that it was they who had taken it.” Analogous views are also advanced by Tabari
and ZamakhsharT in their comments on the last words of verse 76 below. This extremely plausible
explanation contrasts sharply with the Biblical account of this incident (Genesis xliv), according to
which the false accusation was part of an inexplicable “stratagem" devised by Joseph. If we
discard - as we must - this part of the Biblical version, it is far more logical to assume that Joseph,
who had been granted by the King full authority over all that belonged to the latter (see verse 56
above), had placed the royal cup as a present in the bag of his favourite brother; and that he did
this secretly, without informing his servants, because he did not want anyone, least of all his ten
half-brothers, to know his predilection for Benjamin. For a further explanation of this incident and
of its ethical relevance within the context of Joseph’s story, see note 77 below.
73 Lit., “They said, turning towards them".

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JOSEPH
(74) [The Egyptians] said: “But what shall be the
requital of this [deed] if you are [proved to be] liars?”
(75) [The brothers] replied: “Its requital? He in
whose camel-pack [the cup] is found-he shall be
[enslaved as] a requital thereof! Thus do we [our­
selves] requite the doers of [such] wrong.”74
(76) Thereupon [they were brought before Joseph
to be searched; and] he began with the bags of his
half-brothers75 before the bag of his brother [Ben­ <S> a
jamin]: and in the end he brought forth the drinking­
cup76 out of his brother’s bag. u-j
In this way did We contrive for Joseph [the at­ -‘•■U
tainment of his heart’s desire]: under the King’s law,
he would [otherwise] not have been able to detain his
brother, had not God so willed. We do raise to [high]
degrees [of knowledge] whomever We will - but
above everyone who is endowed with knowledge j S-ü cr ^2
there is One who knows all.77
(77) [As soon as the cup came to light out of (^) îrfj L'lC* ji çi\ JU

Benjamin’s bag, the brothers] exclaimed: “If he has

stolen-well, a brother of his used to steal afore­
time!”78
Thereupon Joseph said to himself, without re­
vealing his thought to them:79 “You are far worse in

74 Most of the commentators (relying, perhaps on Exodus xxii. 3) assume that this was the
customary punishment for theft among the ancient Hebrews. Râzï. however, suggests that this last
sentence may not be a part of the brothers’ answer but a confirmatory remark made by the
Egyptian herald, meaning, “[In fact,] thus do we [Egyptians] requite the doers of such wrong”.
75 Lit., “with their bags”.
76 Lit., “he brought it out".
77 The meaning of this story is now clear: it is a further illustration of the basic doctrine that
“judgment [as to what is to happen] rests with none but God” (verse 67 above). Joseph had wanted
to keep Benjamin with himself, but under the law of Egypt he could not do this without the
consent of his half-brothers, who were the legal guardians of their minor brother; and they - bound
as they were by the solemn promise given to their father-would certainly not have agreed to
Benjamin’s remaining behind. The only other alternative open to Joseph was to disclose his
identity to them; but since he was not yet prepared to go so far, he was obliged to allow Benjamin
to depart with his brothers. The accidental discovery of his gift, entirely unexpected by Joseph
(see note 72 above), changed everything: for now Benjamin appeared to be guilty of theft, and
under the law of the land Joseph was entitled to claim him as his slave, and thus to keep him in his
house. The words, “In this way did We contrive (kidnä) for Joseph [the attainment of his heart’s
desire]", referring to the incident of the cup, indicate that its final outcome was neither planned
nor even foreseen by Joseph.
78 The reference is obviously to Benjamin’s full brother, Joseph. In the absence of any
indication that the latter had ever before been accused of theft, it is reasonable to assume that the
brothers, unaware of the fact that they were standing before Joseph, simply wanted to vilify him in
order to dissociate themselves more effectively from Benjamin, who now appeared to have been
convicted of theft.
79 Lit., “Joseph concealed it within himself and did not reveal it to them; he said..etc.
According to almost all the commentators, the pronoun “it” refers to Joseph’s subsequent
“saying" or, rather, thought, indicated by the verb “he said” (i.e., within himself); hence my free
rendering of this phrase.

349
 YÜSUF SÜRAH

this respect, and God is fully aware of what you are

saying.”80
(78) They said: “O thou great one! Behold, he has a
father, a very old man: detain, therefore, one of us in
his stead. Verily, we see that thou art a doer of
good!”
(79) He answered: “May God preserve us from [the
sin of] detaining any other than him with whom we
have found our property - for then, behold, we would
indeed be evildoers!” ûXi LZ \j^ lI SiSjjT Çîîs yt
(80) And so, when they lost all hope of [moving]
him, they withdrew to take counsel [among them­ <j' âî Ji; 3* dv Lj 4^
selves].
The eldest of them said: “Do you not remember81
that your father has bound you by a solemn pledge
before God - and how, before that, you had failed
with regard to Joseph? Hence, I shall not depart from fkX J? ùy & J*
this land till my father gives me leave or God passes
judgment in my favour:82 for He is the best of all d Oil Qu I jl j
judges. (81) [And as for you others,] return to your
father and say: ‘O our father! Behold, thy son has
stolen-but we [can] bear witness to no more than LcJfuJÇi Cj Si
what has become known to us;83 and [although we
gave you our pledge,] we could not guard against (§) Ccliil*» <^-*11 S' U, (JX
something that [lay hidden in the future and, hence,]
was beyond the reach of our perception.8485(82) And
ask thou in the town in which we were [at the time],
i >1 JB
and of the people of the caravan with whom we
travelled hither, and [thou wilt find that] we are
indeed telling the truth!’”

(83) [AND WHEN they returned to their father and told

him what had happened,] he exclaimed: “Nay, but it
is your [own] minds that have made [so terrible] a
happening seem a matter of little account to you! But
[as for myself,] patience in adversity is most goodly;
God may well bring them all [back] unto me:83 verily,
He alone is all-knowing, truly wise!”

80 Lit., “of what you attribute”, i.e., to Joseph and Benjamin - sc., “since you yourselves have
stolen Joseph from his father”.
81 Lit., “know”-but since this expression denotes here remembrance rather than knowledge
in the proper sense of the word, it can be suitably translated as above.
82 I.e., “enables me to win back my brother Benjamin”.
83 I.e., the finding of the King’s cup in Benjamin’s bag (BaghawT and ZamakhsharT).
84 Lit., “We were not guardians over that which was beyond the reach of [our] perception":
i.e., “at the time when we gave you our pledge regarding Benjamin, we did not know that he would
steal” (ZamakhsharT).
85 I.e., Benjamin and the eldest son (who had remained in Egypt) as well as Joseph, of whose
alleged death Jacob was never fully convinced (cf. note 17).

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JOSEPH
(84) But he turned away from them and said: “O
woe is me for Joseph!”-and his eyes became dim*
from the grief with which he was filled.
(85) Said [his sons]: “By God! Thou wilt never
cease to remember Joseph till thou art broken in body
and spirit or art dead!” jij

(86) He answered: “It is only to God that I com­

plain of my deep grief and my sorrow: for I know,
from God, something that you do not know.86 87 (87) JK ($)
[Hence,] O my sons, go forth and try to obtain some
tidings of Joseph and his brother; and do not lose I* û* âî Qjrj <jf! 'X
hope of God’s life-giving mercy:88 verily, none but
people who deny the truth can ever lose hope of
God’s life-giving mercy.”
& &■>

(88) [AND THE SONS of Jacob went back to Egypt and «JcijÜ-jU» (g) ôjyilÔÏ piîî 7[ ûî
to Joseph;] and when they presented themselves be­
fore him, they said: “O thou great one! Hardship has ici-; uirJJjÎ
visited us and our folk, and so we have brought but
scanty merchandise;89 but give us a full measure [of al LJc U Jjjli
grain], and be charitable to us: behold, God rewards J^^l* fAÛé j* (g)
those who give in charity!”
(89) Replied he: “Do you remember90 what you did
to Joseph and his brother when you were still
J JjlïÜjvA-yiUIJB
unaware [of right and wrong]?”91
(90) They exclaimed: “Why-is it indeed thou who
art Joseph?”
He answered: “I am Joseph, and this is my brother.
God has indeed been gracious unto us. Verily, if

86 Lit., “white”: i.e., dim with the tears that filled them (Râzï). Although Jacob was now
deprived of three of his sons, his grief for Joseph was the most acute because he was the only one
of the three of whom Jacob did not know whether he was dead or alive.
87 Namely, that “judgment as to what is to happen rests with none but God”, and that “all who
have trust [in His existence] must place their trust in Him alone” (verse 67): the twin ideas which
underlie the whole of this surah, and which Jacob now seeks to impress upon his sons. In addition
to this, his remembrance of Joseph’s prophetic dream (verse 4) and his own conviction at the time
that his beloved son would be elected by God for His special grace (verse 6), fills Jacob with
renewed hope that Joseph is still alive (Râzï and Ibn Kathïr): and this explains the directives
which he gives his sons in the next sentence.
88 According to most of the commentators, especially Ibn cAbbâs (as quoted by Tabari and
others), the term rawh is here synonymous with rahmah (“grace” or “mercy”). Since it is
linguistically related to the noun rûh ("breath of life” or “spirit”), and has also the metonymic
significance of “rest” (rähah) from grief and sadness (Täj al-•Ariis), the most appropriate
rendering would seem to be “life-giving mercy”.
89 I.e., goods which they intended to barter for grain (see note 60 above).
90 Lit., “know" (see note 81).
91 By coupling his own name with that of Benjamin he possibly hinted at his brothers’ early
envy and hatred of the two sons of Rachel (cf. verse 8 of this surah and the corresponding note
12); alternatively, the mention of Benjamin may have been due to the readiness with which they
accepted the “evidence” of the latter’s guilt (verse 77).

351
 YÜSUF SÜRAH

one is*2 conscious of Him and patient in adversity -

behold, God does not fail to requite the doers of
good!”
(91) [The brothers] said: “By God! Most certainly
has God raised thee high above us, and we were
indeed but sinners!”
(92) Said he: “No reproach shall be uttered today
against you. May God forgive you your sins: for He
is the most merciful of the merciful! (93) [And now]
go and take this tunic of mine and lay it over my (^) & ùp UJc ûî jüj âü ijiu
father’s face, and he will recover his sight.” And âîjiJu JK
thereupon come [back] to me with all your family.”
jc ($)
(94) AND AS SOON as the caravan [with which Jacob’s
sons were travelling] was on its way,92 94 their father
93 <$) U* 45
said [to the people around him]: “Behold, were it not
yt <^1 JÏ J6-J! cü Uj
that you might consider me a dotard, [I would say
that] I truly feel the breath of Joseph [in the air]!” éiuîS $JVJj
(95) They answered: “By God! Thou art indeed still
lost in thy old aberration!” j' ^-4* (J)
(96) But when the bearer of good tidings came
[with Joseph’s tunic], he laid it over his face; and he & 3/^' i I J* jé u-4 3*
regained his sight, [and] exclaimed: “Did I not tell u ulil yi» ûjjùu y L
you, ‘Verily, I know, from God, something that you
do not know’?”95 /»[ J® ($)
(97) [His sons] answered: “O our father! Ask God
to forgive us our sins, for, verily, we were sinners.” LJÄ (J)
(98) He said: “I shall ask my Sustainer to forgive ($) • Ijtâî J
you: He alone is truly forgiving, a true dispenser of
grace!”

(99) AND WHEN they [all arrived in Egypt and] present­

ed themselves before Joseph, he drew his parents
unto himself,96 saying, “Enter Egypt! If God so wills,
you shall be secure [from all evil]!”

92 Lit., “whoever is..etc.

93 Lit., “he will become seeing [again]” - i.e., “he will cease to weep for me and the dimness of
his sight caused by unhappiness and constant weeping will disappear on learning that 1 am alive”:
thus may be summed up RäzT’s explanation of the above sentence. According to him, there is no
compelling reason to assume that Jacob had become really blind from grief. - The phrase “lay it
oyer my father’s face” could also be rendered as “lay it before my father”, since the term wajh
(lit., “face”) is often used in classical Arabic to denote, metonymically, one’s whole personality, or
whole being.
94 Lit., “had departed”, i.e., from Egypt.
95 See verse 86 above.
96 According to the Biblical account-not contradicted by the Qur’än-Joseph’s mother Rachel
had died while giving birth to Benjamin. We may, therefore, assume that the “mother" implied in
the term “parents” was another of Jacob’s wives, who had brought up Joseph and Benjamin; this
would be in consonance with the ancient Arabian custom of applying the designation “mother” to
a foster-mother.

352
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JOSEPH
(100) And he raised his parents to the highest place
of honour;97 and they [all] fell down before Him,
prostrating themselves in adoration.9*
Thereupon [Joseph] said: “O my father! This is the
real meaning of my dream of long ago, which my
Sustainer has made come true.99 And He was indeed
good to me when He freed me from the prison, and
[when] He brought you [all unto me] from the desert
after Satan had sown discord between me and my Jij

brothers. Verily, my Sustainer is unfathomable in [the

way He brings about] whatever He wills:100 verily, He
alone is all-knowing, truly wise!
(101) “O my Sustainer! Thou hast indeed bestowed
upon me something of power,101 and hast imparted
unto me some knowledge of the inner meaning of
happenings.102 Originator of the heavens and the 17 cr »lUft 3* Â-J ûj ♦
earth! Thou art near unto me in this world and in the
life to come: let me die as one who has surrendered
himself unto Thee, and make me one with the
righteous!”

(102) THIS ACCOUNT of something that was beyond the

reach of thy perception We [now] reveal unto thee, (jAJ!Jfî U» (JJ)
jij

[O Prophet:] for thou wert not with Joseph's bro­

thers103 when they resolved upon what they were
T* ^5*4
going to do and wove their schemes [against him]. G j <>•* J* (JJ)
ïjtfj
(103) Yet-however strongly thou mayest desire
it-most people will not believe [in this revelation], hO Ç*
(104) although thou dost not ask of them any reward
for it: it is but [God’s] reminder unto all mankind.
(105) But [then]-how many a sign is there in the
heavens and on earth which they pass by (unthink­
ingly], and on which they turn their backs!

97 Lit., “onto the throne (al-'arsh)", in the metaphorical sense of this word.
98 According to cAbd Allah ibn cAbbäs (as quoted by RäzT), the personal pronoun in “before
Him” relates to God, since it is inconceivable that Joseph would have allowed his parents to
prostrate themselves before himself.
99 The fulfilment of Joseph’s childhood dream consisted in the high dignity with which he was
now invested and in the fact that his parents and his brothers had come from Canaan to Egypt for
his sake: for “no reasonable person can expect that the fulfilment of a dream should be an exact
replica of the dream itself” (Râzï, alluding to the symbolic prostration of the eleven stars, the sun
and the moon mentioned in verse 4 of this sürah).
100 As regards my rendering of latff as “unfathomable”, see sflrah 6, note 89. In the present
instance, this term supplies a further accent, as it were, on the theme “judgment as to what is to
happen rests with none but God” (verse 67).
101 Lit., “of dominion”, indicating that absolute power and absolute dominion belong to God
alone.
102 See note 10 on verse 6 of this sürah.
103 Lit., “with them".

353
YÜSUF SÜRAH

(106) And most of them do not even believe in God

without [also] ascribing divine powers to other beings
beside Him. (107) Do they, then, feel free from the
fear that there might fall upon them the overwhelm­
ing tenor of God’s chastisement, or that the Last
Hour might come upon them of a sudden, without
their being aware [of its approach]?
(108) Say [O Prophet]: “This is my way: Resting
upon conscious insight accessible to reason, I am
calling [you all] unto God10*-I and they who follow (0) *LJ1 f-efcj1 ûT
me.”
And [say:] “Limitless is God in His glory; and I am Ji
not one of those who ascribe divinity to aught beside
Him!”
(109) And [even] before thy time, We never sent [as
Our apostles] any but [mortal] men, whom We
inspired, [and whom We always chose] from among
the people of the [very] communities [to whom the
message was to be brought].104105
Have, then, they [who reject this divine writ] never
journeyed about the earth and beheld what happened fr ' IrAr S** <3*
in the end to those [deniers of the truth] who lived U-L tl—* •**
before them?-and [do they not know that] to those
who are conscious of God the life in the hereafter is
indeed better [than this world]? Will they not, then,
use their reason?
(110) [All the earlier apostles had to suffer per­
secution for a long time;] but at last106-when those
apostles had lost all hope and saw themselves bran­
ded as liars107 - Our succour attained to them:

104 It is impossible to render the expression 'ala bafTrah in a more concise manner. Derived
from the verb ba$ura or ba$ira (“he became seeing” or “he saw”), the noun bafirah (as also the
verb) has the abstract connotation of “seeing with one’s mind”: and so it signifies “the faculty of
understanding based on conscious insight” as well as, tropically, “an evidence accessible to the
intellect" or “verifiable by the intellect”. Thus, the “call to God” enunciated by the Prophet is
described here as the outcome of a conscious insight accessible to, and verifiable by, man’s reason:
a statement which circumscribes to perfection the Qur’anic approach to all questions of faith,
ethics and morality, and is echoed many times in expressions like “so that you might use your
reason" (la'allakum ta'qilün), or “will you not, then, use your reason?" (a fa-lâ ta'qilûn), or “so
that they might understand [the truth]" (la'allahum yafqahûn), or “so that you might think”
(la'aliakum tatafakkarün)', and, finally, in the oft-repeated declaration that the message of the
Qur’än as such is meant specifically “for people who think” (li-qawmin yatafakkarün).
105 This is an answer to the objection often raised by unbelievers that a mortal like themselves
could not have been entrusted with God’s message to man.
106 Lit., “until" (hattû). This connects with the reference to earlier apostles in the first sentence
of the preceding verse: the implication being (according to Zamakhsharï) that they used to suffer
for a long time before they were vindicated by God.
107 Lit., “thought that they had been given the lie”-i.e., either by their people, who regarded
the apostles’ expectation of God’s succour as mere wishful thinking, or by the harsh reality which
seemed to contradict those apostles’ own hopes of speedy help from God (Zamakhsharï).
Commenting on this verse, *Abd Allah ibn (Abbâs used to quote 2:214-“so shaken were they that

354
12 JOSEPH

whereupon everyone whom We willed [to be saved]

was saved [and the deniers of the truth were des­
troyed]: for, never can Our punishment be averted
from people who are lost in sin.
(111) Indeed, in the stories of these men1“ there is a
lesson for those who are endowed with insight.
109] it could not possibly be a
[As for this revelation,108
discourse invented [by man]: nay indeed,110 it is [a
divine writ] confirming the truth of whatever there
still remains [of earlier revelations], clearly spelling
out everything,111 and [offering] guidance and grace
unto people who will believe.

the apostle, and the believers with him, would exclaim, ‘When will God’s succour come?”’(itod.)
108 Lit., “in their stories” - i.e., the stories of the prophets.
109 I.e., the Qur’än as a whole (BaghawT and ZamakhsharT). The passage that follows connects
with verses 102-105.
110 Lit., “but” - denoting here the impossibility of its having been invented by Muhammad.
Ill I.e., everything that man may need for his spiritual welfare. See also 10:37 and the
corresponding note 60.
 THE THIRTEENTH SÜRAH

AR-RACD (THUNDER)

PERIOD UNCERTAIN

HERE ARE considerable differences of opinion regarding the period in which this surah was
T revealed. According to one statement attributed to Ibn ‘Abbas, it is a Meccan sürah (Suyütî),
while according to other authorities, mentioned by Tabarânï, Ibn ‘Abbäs is reported to have
described it as belonging to the Medina period (ibid.). Suyütî himself inclines to the view that it is a
Meccan sürah but contains a few verses revealed at Medina; and so do BaghawT and Râzî.
ZamakhsharT, on the other hand, confines himself to the statement that the time of its revelation is
uncertain.
Like so many other surahs, this one, too, takes it’s title from the incidental mention of a word
which caught the imagination of the earliest generation of Muslims: in this case, the word
“thunder” occurring in verse 13, which relates to the evidence of God’s creative powers
forthcoming from the observable manifestations of nature.
The main theme of this sürah is God’s revelation, through His prophets, of certain fundamental
moral truths which man may not neglect without suffering the natural consequences of such a
neglect (see the last paragraph of verse 31 and note 57)- just as a realization of those moral truths
by those “who are endowed with insight... [and] are true to their bond with God” (verses 19-20)
invariably causes them to “find inner happiness and the most beauteous of all goals” (verse 29):
for, “God does not change men’s condition unless they change their inner selves” (verse 11).

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) Alif. Läm. Mïm. Rd*

HESE ARE MESSAGES of revelation:12 and what

T has been bestowed upon thee from on high by
thy Sustainer is the truth-yet most people will not ’M Jÿî 3JîJ
----------------- H
XJ h éi- I
believe [in it].3
(2) It is God who has raised the heavens without 0 er
any supports that you could see, and is established on
the throne of His almightiness;4 and He [it is who] has f Irjy X?je* O'jû-JÎ g,

1 See Appendix II.

2 Although some commentators are of the opinion that the term kitäb (“divine writ” or
“revelation”) refers here to this particular sürah. Ibn ‘Abbfis states emphatically that it denotes the
Qur’fin as a whole (BaghawT).
3 This passage connects with the concluding verses (102-111) of the preceding sürah, and
particularly with verse 103, all of which stress the divine origin of the Qur’fin.
4 For an explanation of this phrase, see sürah 7, note 43. As regards the “raising of the heavens
without any supports” visible to man, it should be borne in mind that the noun samü’ denotes,
primarily, “something that is above [another thing]”, and is used-mostly in its plural form
samäwät - to describe (a) the visible skies (as well as, occasionally, the clouds), (b) the cosmic
space in which the stars, the solar systems (including our own) and the galaxies pursue their
course, and (c) the abstract concept of the forces emanating from God (since He is, in the

356
 SÜRAH 13
THUNDER
made the sun and the moon subservient [to His laws],
each running its course for a term set [by Him].3*5He
governs all that exists.
Clearly does He spell out these messages, so that
you might be certain in your innermost that you are
destined to meet your Sustainer [on Judgment Day].6
(3) And it is He who has spread the earth wide and
placed on it firm mountains and running waters, and »Ul £13 Ciît JL2
created thereon two sexes of every [kind of] plant;7
[and it is He who] causes the night to cover the day. (J) iijij jwj

Verily, in all this there are messages indeed for

people who think!
(4) And there are on earth [many] tracts of land
close by one another [and yet widely differing from
one another8]; and [there are on it] vinyards, and JyÏÏ Si (J)
fields of grain, and date-palms growing in clusters
from one root or standing alone,9 [all] watered with
*7^* 3*
the same water: and yet, some of them have We
favoured above others by way of the food [which
they provide for man and beast].10
Verily, in all this there are messages indeed for
people who use their reason!

(5) BUT IF thou art amazed [at the marvels of God’s

metonymical sense of this word, “above” all that exists). To my mind, it is the second of these
three meanings of samäwät to which the above verse refers: namely, to the spatial universe in
which all aggregations of matter-be they planets, stars, nebulae or galaxies - are, as it were,
“suspended” in space within a system of unceasing motion determined by centrifugal forces and
mutual, gravitational attraction.
5 This may refer either to the end of the world as we know it-thus indicating the finality of all
creation-or, according to cAbd Alläh ibn ‘Abbäs (as quoted by Baghawï and RäzT). to the
“mansions” or stages through which the sun and the moon, like all other celestial bodies, move in
time as well as in space.
6 I.e., “so that you might realize that He who has created the universe and governs all that
exists is equally able to resurrect the dead, and to judge you in the life to come in accordance with
what you did when you were alive on earth”.
7 Lit., “and out of all [kinds of] fruits He made thereon [i.e., on earth] pairs (zawjayn ithnayn)”.
The term zawj denotes, according to the context, either “a pair” or “one of a pair”. Whenever the
dual form zawjän is followed by the additional numerical definition ithnân (“two”), it invariably
signifies “a pair comprising both sexes”. Thus, the above phrase states that there are two sexes to
every kind of plant: a statement fully in accord with botanical science. (Usually, the male and
female organs of reproduction exist together in one and the same flower of a particular plant, e.g.,
cotton; alternatively, they are placed in separate flowers of one and the same plant, e.g., in most of
the cucurbitaceae; and, in some rare cases, e.g., the date-palm, in entirely separate, uni-sexual
plants of the same species.)
8 I.e., regarding the nature of the soil, fertility and kind of vegetation. The necessity of this
interpolation-which, in the consensus of all commentators, conveys the meaning of the above
phrase - becomes apparent from the subsequent clauses.
9 Lit., “non-clustered” (ghayr finwän)- i.e., each tree having separate roots.
10 Cf. 6:99 and 141, where a similar stress is laid on the multiformity of plants-and their
varying beneficence to man and animal-as some of the signs of God’s purposeful, creative
activity.
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AR-RA'D SÜRAH

creation], amazing, too, is their saying, “What! After

we have become dust, shall we indeed be [restored to
life] in a new act of creation?”11
It is they who [thus show that they] are bent on
denying their Sustainer;12 and it is they who carry the
shackles [of their own making] around their necks;13
and it is they who are destined for the fire, therein to yt $ & l’j £ &
abide.
(6) And [since, O Prophet, they are bent on denying
the truth,] they challenge thee to hasten the coming dUjly»*- ùj.ll*»- Çj(»*jCJÎ
upon them of evil instead of [hoping for] good14-
although [they ought to know that] the exemplary c.iluHci» v.LXî L
punishments [which they now deride] have indeed
come to pass before their time. &j op
Now, behold, thy Sustainer is full of forgiveness
unto men despite all their evildoing:15 but, behold, thy <£ JjWjj (3)^’1 LH
Sustainer is [also] truly severe in retribution!
(7) However, they who are bent on denying the (J> c;» û* *.ls
truth [refuse to believe and] say, “Why has no
miraculous sign ever been bestowed on him from on
high by his Sustainer?”16
[But] thou art only a warner; and [in God] all
people have a guide.17

11 I.e., while it is amazing that one can refuse to believe in God despite all the evidence,
accessible to human observation, of the existence of a definite purpose in all life-phenomena, and
thus of the existence of a conscious Creative Power, it is no less amazing to see people who, while
vaguely believing in God, can yet refuse to believe in individual resurrection: for, if God has
created the universe and the phenomenon of life as such. He obviously has the power to n-crrate
life - and its requisite physical vehicle - in a new act of creation.
12 By denying the possibility of resurrection, they implicitly deny God's almightiness, and thus,
in effect, His reality.
13 A metaphor of man’s wilful self-abandonment to false values and evil ways, and of the
resulting enslavement of the spirit (cf. Zamakhsharî, Râzî, Bayçlâwï). See also sürah 34, note 44.
14 Lit., “they ask thee to hasten the evil before the good”: i.e., instead of willingly accepting
the guidance offered them by the Prophet, they mockingly challenge him to bring about the
exemplary punishment with which, according to him, God threatens them. (For a fuller explanation
of this “challenge”, referred to here and in several other places in the Qur’Sn, see 6:57-58 and
8:32, as well as the corresponding notes.)
15 Cf. the first sentence of 10:11 and the corresponding note 17.
16 I.e., to prove that he (Mubammad) is really a prophet inspired by God. But the Qur’än makes
it clear in several places (e.g., 6:7 and 111, 10:96-97 or 13:31) that even a miracle would not
convince those who are “bent on denying the truth”.
17 According to the classical commentators, this sentence lends itself to several interpretations:
(1) “Thou art only a warner; and every nation has had a guide like thee (i.e., a prophet)” - which
would be in consonance with the Qur’anic doctrine of the continuity of prophetic guidance; or (2)
“Thou art only a warner - but [at the same time] also a guide unto all people” - which would stress
the universality of the Qur’anic message as contrasted with the time-bound and ethnically limited
missions of the earlier prophets; or (3) “Thou art only a warner bound to do no more than deliver
the message entrusted to thee, while it is God alone who can truly guide men’s hearts towards
faith”. Since the last of the above three interpretations is the most plausible and has, moreover,
the support of ‘Abd Alläh ibn ‘Abbäs, Sa ‘Id ibn Jubayr, Mujfihid and Açl-Qabbâk, I have adopted it in

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(8) God knows what any female bears [in her
womb], and by how much the wombs may fall short
[in gestation], and by how much they may increase
[the average period]:*8 for with Him everything is
[created] in accordance with its scope and purpose.”
(9) He knows all that is beyond the reach of a
created being’s perception as well as all that can be
witnessed by a creature’s senses or mind18 20-the Great
19
One, the One far above anything that is or could ever ÙV (J)
be!2'
($>/Jit ,pi
(10) It is all alike [to Him] whether any of you
conceals his thought2223 or brings it into the open, and v*J jsJ« Ç« J* 'i
whether he seeks to hide [his evil deeds] under the
cover of night or walks [boldly] in the light of day,25
(11) [thinking that] he has hosts of helpers-both such
as can be perceived by him and such as are hidden
from him24-that could preserve him from whatever

my rendering. According to ZamakhsharT, this interpretation is further strengthened by the

subsequent reference to God’s omniscience.
18 The term unthä denotes any female being, whether human or animal. The “falling short’’
may refer either to a shortening of the usual period of gestation (e.g., to seven months in human
beings) or to a falling short of the completion of pregnancy, i.e., a miscarriage; it is to be noted that
the noun ghaytf signifies “an abortive foetus” (Taj al-*Ariis), i.e., in human beings, a foetus less
than seven months old. The “increase”, on the other hand, may mean either the completion of
gestation or its being in excess of the average period (as, for instance, the occasional lengthening
of human pregnancy from the usual period of about 280 days to 305 or, according to some medical
authorities, even 307 days). In addition to this, God’s knowledge of “what any female bears [in her
womb]” obviously relates also to the sex of the unborn embryo as well as to the number of
offspring involved in one pregnancy. - As the sequence shows, this reference to the mysteries of
gestation, fully known only to God, is meant to bring out the idea that He who knows what is in
the wombs knows also the innermost disposition of every human being and the direction in which
that human being will develop.
19 Lit., “according to a measure” (bi-miqdär) - i.e., in accordance with the particular purpose
for which it has been created, the exigencies of its existence and the role which it is destined to
play within God’s plan of creation.
20 See sürah 6, note 65.
21 God’s attribute al-muta'äl, which occurs in the Qur’än only in this one instance, denotes His
infinite exaltedness above anything existing or potential; also, according to ZamakhsharT, above
anything that could be circumscribed by human definitions. (See in this connection the last
sentence of 6:100 and the corresponding note 88.)
22 The term qawl denotes, primarily, “a saying” or “an utterance”, but it is also used tropically
in the sense of “an idea”, irrespective of whether it is expressed in actual words (as a statement,
an assertion, a formulated doctrine, etc.) or merely conceived in the mind (e.g., an opinion, a view,
or a connected set of ideas). Since in the above verse this term obviously refers to unspoken
thoughts, 1 have rendered it accordingly.
23 Lit., “and goes forth by day”-i.e., commits evil deeds openly (Ibn ’Abbäs, as quoted by
BaghawT and Râzï). In the Arabic construction, the sentence reads thus: “All alike [to Him] is he
from among you who conceals his thought (al-qawl) and he who brings it into the open, as well as
he who...," etc.
24 Lit., “from between his hands and from behind him”. As in 2 : 255, the expression “between
his hands” denotes “something that is perceivable by him” or “evident to him .while that which is
’’behind him” is a metonym for something “beyond his ken” or “hidden from him . See also next
note.
359
 AR-RA'D SÜRAH

God may have willed.25

Verily, God does not change men’s condition
unless they change their inner selves;26 and when God
wills people to suffer evil [in consequence of then-
own evil deeds], there is none who could avert it: for
they have none who could protect them from Him.
û* f-A Çj J »s & Jjîï
(12) HE IT IS who displays before you the lightning, to
give rise to [both] fear and hope,27 and calls heavy
clouds into being; (13) and the thunder extols His
limitless glory and praises Him, and [so do] the
angels, in awe of Him; and He [it is who] lets loose
J-yJ
the thunderbolts and strikes with them whom He
wills.
And yet, they stubbornly argue about God,28 not­
withstanding [all evidence] that He alone has the
power to contrive whatever His unfathomable wis­
dom wills!29
25 Lit., “from God’s command (amr)”. The rendering of the above passage hinges on the
meaning given to the term mu'aqqibät - a double plural of mu'aqqib, which signifies “something
that comes immediately after another thing’’ or “succeeds another thing without interruption".
Most of the classical commentators understand by mu'aqqibdt “hosts of angels", i.e., the
recording angels who attend on every human being, succeeding one another without interruption.
Consequently, they interpret the phrase min bayni yadayhi wa-min khalfihi as meaning “ranged
before him and behind him", i.e., surrounding man from all sides; and they explain the words
“from God’s command" as being here synonymous with "by God's command", and take them to
refer to the angels or to their function of guardianship. However, this interpretation has by no
means the support of all the commentators. Some of the earliest ones assume that the term
mu'aqqibät refers to all manner of worldly forces or concepts on which man so often relies in the
mistaken belief that they might help him to achieve his aims independently of God's will: and this
is the meaning given to this elliptic passage by the famous commentator AbO Muslim al-I$fahänT,
as quoted by Râzî. Explaining verse 10 and the first part of verse 11, he says: “All alike are, in
God’s knowledge, deeds done secretly or openly, as well as he who hides in the darkness of night
and he who walks [boldly] in the light of day...: for he that resorts to the [cover of] night can
never elude God’s will (amr), just as he [cannot] that walks in the light of day, surrounded by
hosts of helpers (mu'aqqibät) - that is, guards and aids - meant to protect him: [for] those guards
of his cannot save him from [the will of] God." It is on this convincing interpretation that 1 have
based my rendering. The worldly “guards and aids” on which a sinner relies may be tangible (like
wealth, progeny, etc.) or intangible (like personal power, high social standing, or the belief in one's
“luck”): and this explains the phrase “both such as can be perceived by him and such as are
hidden from him" (see preceding note).
26 Lit., “that which is in themselves". This statement has both a positive and a negative
connotation: i.e., God does not withdraw His blessings from men unless their inner selves become
depraved (cf. 8:53), just as He does not bestow His blessings upon wilful sinners until they
change their inner disposition and become worthy of His grace. In its wider sense, this is an
illustration of the divine law of cause and effect (sunnat Allah) which dominates the lives of both
individuals and communities, and makes the rise and fall of civilizations dependent on people’s
moral qualities and the changes in “their inner selves".
27 I.e., hope of rain, which in the Qur’än frequently symbolizes faith and spiritual life. With this
verse, the discourse returns to the theme enunciated at the beginning of this sürah (verses 2-4):
namely, to the evidence of a consciously devised plan and purpose inherent in all nature and, thus,
of the existence of God.
28 I.e., about His transcendental existence or the quality of His Being.
29 According to RSghib, the expression shadTd al-mifidl (which occurs in the Qur’än only in

360
13
THUNDER
(14) Unto Him [alone] is due all prayer aiming at
the Ultimate Truth,30 since those [other beings or
powers] whom men invoke instead of God31 cannot
respond to them in any way - [so that he who invokes
them is] but like one who stretches his open hands32
towards water, [hoping] that it will reach his mouth,
the while it never reaches him. Hence, the prayer of
those who deny the truth amounts to no more than
losing oneself in grievous error. ($) ^1* j «andT ÏUâ Uj xA alU
(15) And before God prostrate themselves, willingly
or unwillingly, all [things and beings] that are in the Up» j jmu
heavens and on earth,33 as do their shadows in the
mornings and the evenings.3435 OjiLjî *-»j & j» I <£> fJ&j

(16) Say: “Who is the Sustainer of the heavens and J-» Xp

the earth?”
Say: “(It is] God.”
Say: “[Why,] then, do you take for your protectors,
instead of Him, such as have it not within their power jjlfj luit jl e/'fl
to bring benefit to, or avert harm from, themselves?”
Say: “Can the blind and the seeing be deemed
equal?-or can the depths of darkness and the light
be deemed equal?”
Or do they [really] believe that there are, side by
side with God, other divine powers33 that have

this one place) signifies “powerful in contriving, in a manner hidden from man, that wherein
wisdom lies”; hence my rendering.
30 Lit., “His is the call [or “invocation"] of the truth"; or, possibly, “to Him [alone] is due all
true invocation”. It should, however, be remembered that the term al-haqq (“the Truth") is one of
the Qur’anic attributes of God, signifying the Ultimate Reality or Primal Cause of all that exists
(the Urgrund in German philosophical terminology): consequently, the expression da'wat al-haqq
may be understood in the sense of “prayer directed towards Him who is the Ultimate Reality”,
implying-as the sequence clearly states-that the invocation of any other being, power or
principle is to ipso wrong and futile.
31 Or: “side by side with God”.
32 Lit., “his two palms”.
33 The expression yasjud (“prostrates himself or “prostrate themselves'*) is a metonym for
complete submission to His will (Zamakhsharï). that is, to the natural laws decreed by Him with
regard to everything that exists. According to most of the classical commentators, those who
submit to God willingly (i.e., consciously) are the angels and the believers, whereas the deniers of
the truth, who are “not willing" to submit to Him, are nevertheless, without being conscious of it,
subject to His will. However, in view of the subsequent reference to “shadows" it is logical to
assume that the relative pronoun man relates in this context not merely to conscious beings but
also to all other physical objects, whether animate or inanimate-i.e., to “all things and beings that
are in the heavens and on earth”. (See also 16:48-49 and 22:18.)
34 I.e., the varying lengths of the shadow projected by any material object depend on the
position of the sun in relation to the earth; and since the earth’s rotation around the sun is-as
everything else in the universe-an outcome of God’s creative will, the greater length of a shadow
in the morning and evening and its contraction towards noon visibly expresses the shadow’s
subjection to Him.
35 Lit., “do they assign to God partners..etc.-i.e., beings that supposedly have a share in
God’s divinity and/or His creative power. (See also sürah 6, note 15.)

361
 AR-RA'D SÜRAH

created the like of what He creates, so that this act of

creation appears to them to be similar [to His]?36
Say: “God is the Creator of all things; and He is
the One who holds absolute sway over all that
exists.” J/' ($)ijj-*
(17) [Whenever] He sends down water from the l-M j ÎUftLjf
sky, and [once-dry] river-beds are running high37 ac­
cording to their measure, the stream carries scum on ■Û Qr* J1 ÛlâTjUfj ijc. Ifj Llj
its surface;38 and, likewise, from that [metal] which
they smelt in the fire in order to make ornaments or JklJÎ, *-
utensils, [there rises] scum.
In this way does God set forth the parable of truth j
and falsehood: for, as far as the scum is concerned, it -J «jr JLU
passes away as [does all] dross; but that which is of
benefit to man abides on earth. h ùî y % j y t; p>
In this way does God set forth the parables (18) of
those who have responded to their Sustainer with a
goodly response, and of those who did not respond to
<$> ^>3 f*!' py’ V-
Him.3940 [As for the latter,] if they possessed all that is
on earth, and twice as much,* they would surely offer
it as ransom [on the Day of Judgment]:41 a most evil
reckoning awaits them, and their goal is hell: and how
evil a resting-place!

(19) CAN, THEN, he who knows that whatever has been

36 Although the term khalq (“creation” or “act of creation”) is often used metaphorically with
reference to human achievements, there is an intrinsic difference between the "creation" of an artist,
a poet or a philosopher, and the act of creation as attributed to God: for whereas the human
“creator” produces his work out of already-existing elements and does no more than bring those
elements together in a (possibly) new combination, God alone has the power to create in the true
sense of the word - that is, to bring into being something that did not exist, either in its entirety or
in its components, before this particular act of creation (cf. 2 : 117 - “when He wills a thing to be.
He but says unto it, ‘Be’ - and it is”). This is the significance of the allusion, in the above verse, to
the erroneous belief that any other power or being could ever have “created the tike of what He
creates".
37 The interpolation of the adjective “once-dry” before “river-beds” (awdiyah) is necessitated
by the absence of the definite article al before this noun. According to ZamakhsharT, this indicates
that only some of the river-beds are streaming with water while others, not affected by this
particular rainfall, remain dry. It is to be borne in mind that the term wäd (or wâdï in popular
parlance) denotes, primarily, a “water-course” or “river-bed” which is normally dry and carries
water only after copious rainfalls; it is only by extension that this term is sometimes applied to an
actual river.
38 Sc., “while the water beneath remains clear”.
39 This rendering is based on ZamakhsharT's interpretation of the above passage. According to
other commentators, the beginning of verse 18 is independent of the last sentence of the preceding
verse, and is a new sentence, reading thus: “For those who have responded to their Sustainer there
is the ultimate good (al-husnä) [in store]; but as for those who did not respond to Him...”, etc. In
my opinion, ZamakhsharT’s reading-in which the expression al-husnä is regarded as an adjective
qualifying the believers’ response-is preferable inasmuch as it fully justifies the repetition of the
reference to “God’s parables”.
40 Lit., “and the like of it with it”.
41 Cf. 3:91 and the corresponding note 71.

362
 13
THUNDER
bestowed from on high upon thee by thy Sustainer is
the truth be deemed equal to one who is blind?
Only they who are endowed with insight keep this
in mind: (20) they who are true to their bond with
God and never break their covenant;4243(21) and who <3>
keep together what God has bidden to be joined,42
QjL». ($) V, âî jÇû
and stand in awe of their Sustainer and fear the most
evil reckoning [which awaits such as do not respond
V- fr J Ù*
to Him]; (22) and who are patient in adversity out of a
longing for their Sustainer’s countenance, and are îyJi'j J
constant in prayer, and spend on others, secretly and
openly, out of what We provide for them as sus­
tenance, and [who] repel evil with good.44
It is these that shall find their fulfilment in the
hereafter:45 (23) gardens of perpetual bliss, which frk jb ffr jjb
they shall enter together with the righteous from
among their parents, their spouses, and their off­
spring;46 and the angels will come unto them from
every gate [and will say]: (24) “Peace be upon you,
because you have persevered!”

42 The “covenant” is, in this context, a general term embracing the spiritual obligations arising
from one’s faith in God and the moral and social obligations, resulting from that faith, towards
one’s fellow-men (ZamakhsharT); see in this connection the first sentence of 5:1 (where the term
*aqd is used) and the corresponding note 1. As regards my rendering of *ahd Allah as “bond with
God”, see surah 2, note 19.
43 This refers to all ties arising from human relationships - e.g., the bonds of family, respon­
sibility for orphans and the poor, the mutual rights and duties of neighbours - as well as the
spiritual and practical bonds which ought to exist between all who belong to the brotherhood of
Islam (cf. 8:75 and the corresponding notes). In its widest sense, the phrase “what God has
bidden to be joined” applies to the spiritual obligation, on the part of man, to remain conscious of
the unity of purpose underlying all of God’s creation, and hence - according to RäzT- man’s moral
duty to treat all living beings with love and compassion.
44 Some of the commentators take this to mean that “if they have committed a sin, they repel it
[i.e., its effect] by repentance” (Ibn KaysSn, as quoted by ZamakhsharT), while others think that
the “repelling” connotes the doing of a good deed in atonement of a-presumably unintentional -
bad deed (RäzT), or that it refers to endeavours to set evil situations to rights by word or deed (an
alternative interpretation mentioned by ZamakhsharT). But the great majority of the classical
commentators hold that the meaning is “they repay evil with good”; thus Al-Hasan ai-Ba$rT (as
quoted by BaghawT, ZamakhsharT and RSzT): “When they are deprived [of anything], they give;
and when they are wronged, they forgive.” TabarT’s explanation is very similar: “They repel the
evil done to them by doing good to those who did it”; and “they do not repay evil with evil, but
repel it by [doing] good”. See also 41:34-36.
45 Lit., “For them there will be the end-result [or “fulfilment”] of the [ultimate] abode”. The
noun *uqbd is regarded by almost all the philological authorities as synonymous with ‘dqibah
(“consequence” or “end” or “end-result”; hence also “recompense” and, tropically, “destiny” or
“fulfilment”). The term ad-där stands for ad-där al-äkhirah, “the ultimate abode”, i.e., life in the
hereafter.
46 As I have pointed out in several places, the term zawj denotes “a pair” or “a couple” as weU
as each of the components of a couple-i.e., with reference to human couples, “a spouse”: hence
it signifies either “husband" or “wife". Similarly, the term aM’ (lit., “fathers" or “forefathers”)
usually denotes both fathers and mothers, i.e., “parents”; and this is, according to ZamakhsharT,
the meaning in this instance.-As regards the expression cadn, rendered by me as “perpetual
bliss", see note on 38:50, the earliest instance of the Qur’anic use of this term.

363
 AR-RA'D SÜRAH

How excellent, then, this fulfilment in the here­

after!
(25) But as for those who break their bond with
God after it has been established [in their nature],47
and cut asunder what God has bidden to be joined,
and spread corruption on earth - their due is rejection
and theirs is a most evil fate [in the life to
[by God],4849
50 (g) Cc
come].
i)l *4 L* j

(26) GOD GRANTS abundant sustenance, or gives it in

scant measure, unto whomever He wills; and they
[who are given abundance] rejoice in the life of this jjL j h & (J) Ir-
world-even though, as compared with the life to
come, the life of this world is nought but a fleeting j
pleasure.
y1 <$)
(27) NOW THOSE who are bent on denying the truth [of Sx xx X • >xx < .>
the Prophet’s message] say, “Why has no miraculous
sign ever been bestowed upon him from on high by at Jl, Ji yT (3) ÛU
his Sustainer?”4’
Say: “Behold, God lets go astray him who wills [to yt ($ y# &
go astray],30 just as He guides unto Himself all who
turn unto Him-(28) those who believe, and whose
hearts find their rest in the remembrance of God - for,
verily, in the remembrance of God [men’s] hearts do
find their rest -: (29) [and so it is that] they who attain
to faith and do righteous deeds are destined for
happiness [in this world] and the most beauteous of
all goals [in the life to come]!”

47 Lit., “after its establishment (mîthâq)”. For a full explanation of the expression “bond with
God” and of my interpolation, between brackets, of the words “in their nature”, see surah 2, note
19.
48 The Qur’anic term la'nah - usually but inexactly translated as “curse” (and popularly used in
this sense in post-classical Arabic parlance) - denotes “banishment” or “alienation” (ib'dd), i.e.,
from all that is good (Lisân al-'Arab). Whenever it is attributed in the Qur’än to God with
reference to a sinner, it signifies the latter’s “exclusion from God’s grace” or his “rejection by
God”. In the present context, this meaning is reinforced by the subsequent reference to “a most
evil fate” (lit., “abode”) in afterlife. - For an explanation of the phrase “what God has bidden to be
joined”, see note 43 above.
49 See verse 7 of this siirah and the corresponding note 16. The repetition of this question at
this place points to its connection with the reference to “those who break their bond with God
after it has been established [in their nature]” in verse 25 above (elucidated in note 19 on 2:27).
The abandonment of their original, innate faculty to realize the existence of God and their own
dependence on His guidance - caused by their utter immersion in the passing pleasures of this
world’s life-makes it impossible for “those who are bent on denying the truth” to sense the
breath of the divine in the message propounded to them by Muhammad: and so they refuse to
accept it as true unless it is supported by an outward “miracle". (See in this connection note 94 on
6:109.)
50 Or: “God lets go astray whomever He wills”. Regarding the rendering adopted by me, see
sürah 14, note 4.

364
13
THUNDER
(30) Thus51 have We raised thee [O Muhammad] as
Our Apostle amidst a community [of unbelievers]
before whose time [similar] communities have come
and gone,52 so that thou might propound to them what
We have revealed unto thee: for [in their ignorance]
they deny the Most Gracious!53
Say: “He is my Sustainer. There is no deity save
Him. In Him have I placed my trust, and unto Him is > J* |»*J <£4 UXj* 3^1
my recourse!”
(31) Yet even if [they should listen to] a [divine]
discourse by which mountains could be moved, or the
earth cleft asunder, or the dead made to speak - [they
who are bent on denying the truth would still refuse jT £jT
to believe in it]!54
Nay, but God alone has the power to decide what
shall be.55 Have, then, they who have attained to faith
not yet come to know that, had God so willed, He
would indeed have guided all mankind aright?56
But as for those who are bent on denying the
truth-in result of their [evil] deeds, sudden calami­
ties will always befall them or will alight close to their
homes;57 [and this will continue] until God's promise

51 Most of the commentators explain the “thus” or “thus it is” (kadhälika) as referring to the
earlier prophets, namely, “Thus, [or “in like manner”] as We sent prophets before thee, O
Muhammad, We have now sent thee...”, etc. It seems to me, however, that this speculative
interpolation is unnecessary, and that the adverb “thus” connects directly with the preceding
statement that God “guides unto Himself all who turn unto Him”: in other words, the “thus”
qualifies Muhammad’s mission as an instrument of God’s guidance. (This is, apparently, how
Tabari understands the above phrase.)
52 Lit., “before whom [other] communities have passed away”: an indirect reference to the
continuity of prophetic revelation before and up to the time of the Last Prophet, Muhammad
(ZamakhsharT, RäzT). The interpolation of the words “of unbelievers” is based on Ibn KathTr’s
commentary on this verse, whereas my rendering of arsalnäka (lit., “We have sent thee”) as “We
have raised thee as Our Apostle” is necessitated, in English, by the subsequent preposition
“amidst”.
53 I.e., by refusing to acknowledge His existence, or by rejecting His guidance, or by ascribing
divine qualities to other beings or forces side by side with Him.
54 The sentence added by me between brackets corresponds to the interpretation given to the
above passage by TabarT and also by Az-Zajjäj (as quoted by Räzi and-without the mention of
Az-Zajjäj by name-by BaghawT and ZamakhsharT as well); cf. 6:109-111.
55 Lit., “God’s alone is all [power of] command”: i.e., no “miraculous sign” can ever convince
those whose hearts God has “sealed" in consequence of their “breaking their bond with Him” (see
sürah 2, notes 7 and 19).
56 The meaning is that God grants man the freedom to choose between right and wrong: “He
guides unto Himself all who turn unto Him” (verse 27 above) and “are true to their bond with
God” (verse 20); on the other hand. He withholds His guidance from “the iniquitous, who break
their bond with God” (2 : 26-27). See also the last sentence of 6:149 and the corresponding note
143.
57 Lit., “a sudden calamity (qäri'ah) will not cease (lä yazäl) to befall them or to alight close to
their home”. However, since this phrase connotes repetition and continuity, the singular form of
the noun qäri'ah has here obviously a cumulative sense - namely, an unceasing succession of

365
 AR-RA'D SURAH

[of resurrection] is fulfilled: verily, God never fails to

fulfil His promise!
(32) And, indeed, [even] before thy time have
[God’s] apostles been derided, and for a while I gave
rein to those who were [thus] bent on denying the
truth: but then I took them to task - and how
awesome was My retribution!
(33) IS, THEN, HE who has every living being58 in His
almighty care, [dealing with each] according to what
it deserves59-[is, then, He like anything else that
exists]? And yet, they ascribe to other beings a share
j» &
in God’s divinity!
Say: “Give them any name [you please]:60 but do f’ j £**5 Qc'
you [really think that you could] inform Him of
anything on earth that He does not know-or [do
you] but play with words?’*61
Nay, goodly seems their false imagery62 to those j Ldte ($> /O û*>

who are bent on denying the truth, and so they are

turned away from the [right] path: and he whom God
lets go astray can never find any guide.6’ (34) For
such, there is suffering in the life of this world;64 but,
truly, [their] suffering in the life to come will be
harder still, and they will have none to shield them
from God.

social catastrophes, fratricidal wars and mutual deprivations which, in consequence of their
deliberate disregard of all spiritual values, will directly befall “those who are bent on denying the
truth’’ (aUadhïna kafarü), or will, indirectly, cause them to suffer by affecting their whole organic
environment: and this, to my mind, is the meaning of the phrase “or will alight close to their
homes’’. (Cf. in this connection 5 :33 and the corresponding notes, especially note 45.)
58 The term nafs has here apparently the general meaning of “soul" or “living being”, applying
both to humans and animals.
59 Lit., “what it has acquired” - i.e., according to the exigencies of its life, and - in the case of a
human being-according to his or her moral deserts as well.
60 Lit., “Name them!” Most of the commentators explain this phrase as an expression of utter
contempt for those allegedly “divine” beings: i.e., “they are so unreal and meaningless as not to
deserve even a name”. It is also conceivable that we have here an echo of the statement, to be
found in 7 :71,12:40 and 53:23, to the effect, that those false objects of worship are but “[empty]
names which you have invented”. However, in view of the next sentence - which refers to God’s
omniscience and is similar to 10:18, where imaginary “intercessors” are explicitly mentioned-it
is possible to interpret the above phrase still more precisely, viz., “Call them ’divine intercessors’,
if you so like: but...”, etc. (According to Zamakhsharf, the particle am, which usually denotes
“or”, stands here for bal, “nay, but” or simply “but”.)
61 Lit., “or [do you say this] in the outward appearance (bi-?ü/iir) of a saying”. Cf. the second
part of 10:18 (preceded by a reference to deified “intercessors”) and the corresponding note 27.
62 Lit., “their cunning [or “artful”] device (makr)": but since, as Tabari points out, this term
relates here mainly to conscious shirk (“the attribution of divine qualities to aught but God”) and,
hence, to false religious ideas in general, it can be suitably rendered as above.
63 See sürah 7, note 152, and sürah 14, note 4.
64 See the last paragraph of verse 31 and note 57 above.

366
 13
THUNDER
(35) THE PARABLE of the paradise promised to those
who are conscious of God [is that of a garden]
through which running waters flow:“ [but, unlike an
earthly garden,] its fruits will be everlasing, and [so
will be] its shade.“
Such will be the destiny of those who remain ûjisjT Jc-j ^JÎ <11 Ji* • (g) j*
conscious of God-just as the destiny of those who
deny the truth will be the fire.65
6768
66
(36) Hence, they unto whom We have vouchsafed <$> v#
this revelation“ rejoice at all that has been bestowed
upon thee [O Prophet] from on high;69 but among the
followers of other creeds there are such as deny the
validity of some of it.70 ù‘ ji ^^4
Say [unto them, O Prophet]: “I have only been
bidden to worship God, and not to ascribe divine
powers to aught beside Him:71 unto Him do I call [all
mankind], and He is my goal!”
(37) Thus, then, have We bestowed from on high
this [divine writ] as an ordinance in the Arabic ton­
gue.72 And, indeed, if thou shouldst defer to men's
likes and dislikes73 after all the [divine] knowledge
65 This rendering (and the interpolation of the words “is that of a garden”) reproduces literally
the interpretation given to the above passage by Az-Zajjäj, as quoted by Zamakhshari and - in an
abbreviated form-by Râzï; according to Zamakhshari, this passage serves “as a parabolic
illustration, by means of something which we know from our experience, of something that is
beyond the reach of our perception” (tamthïlan li-mä ghâba ‘anna bi-mâ nushähid). As in the
similar (but wider) reference to “the parable of paradise" in 47: 15, we are here reminded that the
Qur’anic descriptions of what awaits man after resurrection are, of necessity, metaphorical, since
the human mind cannot conceive of anything that is-both in its elements and its totality - entirely
different from anything that can be experienced in this world. (See in this connection Appendix 1.)
66 I.e., its gift of happiness. Regarding this metaphorical meaning of fill (“shade"), see the last
clause of 4:57 and the corresponding note 74.
67 For my rendering of *uqbä, in this context, as “destiny" see note 45 above.
68 Sc., “and who believe in it”.
69 I.e., because it offers them guidance in this world and holds out to them the promise of
ultimate happiness in the life to come.
70 I.e., while admitting that the Qur’än contains much that coincides with the spiritual concepts
taught by their own religions. The designation ahzâb (lit., “parties” or “sects”, sing, ÿüh)
connotes here the followers of other religions or creeds (Tabari and Râzï).
71 The particle “only” (innamä) at the beginning of this sentence “clearly shows that there is
[in Islam] no obligation, no ordinance and no prohibition that is not connected with this
[principle]” (RSzT).
72 Lit., “as an Arabic ordinance (hukm)”: i.e., so as to enable the Arabian Prophet to propound
it to the people of his immediate environment and, through them, to the whole world. Cf. in this
connection 14:4, where it is stated that every one of God’s prophets was entrusted with a message
“in his own people’s tongue, so that he might make [the truth] clear unto them”. That the message
of the Qur’än is universal, and not restricted to the Arabs alone, is brought out clearly in many
places, e.g., in 7:158, “Say [O Prophet]: ‘O mankind! Verily, I am an apostle of God to all of
you.”
73 Lit., “follow their likes and dislikes (ahwähum)" - i.e„ by compromising with the followers
of other creeds who, while accepting some of the fundamental verities of the Qur’än, are unwilling
to accept the whole of it.
367
 AR-RA'D SÜRAH

that has come unto thee, thou wouldst have none to

protect thee from God, and none to shield thee [from
Him].
(38) And, truly, We sent forth apostles before thee,
and We appointed for them wives and offspring;74 and
it was not given to any apostle to produce a miracle Q ix;* <$> & 'ij at 3. éïu
save at God’s behest.75
Every age has had its revelation:76 (39) God annuls
or confirms whatever He wills [of His earlier
messages] - for with Him is the source of all re­
velation.77

(40) BUT WHETHER We let thee see [in thy lifetime, O Ltfi éùJyJ j*' &-.J
Prophet, the fulfilment of] some of what We have
promised them,78 or whether We cause thee to die <£>
[before its fulfilment] - thy duty is no more than to
deliver the message; and the reckoning is Ours.
(41) Have, then, they [who deny the truth] never
yet seen how79 We visit the earth [with Our punish­
ment], gradually depriving it of all that is best
thereon?80

74 Le., they were mortals like all other men, and were not endowed with any “supernatural”
qualities. This is a rejoinder to those who refuse to accept a divine message as true on the grounds
of its having been conveyed to mankind by an “ordinary mortal”. (Cf. 25 :7, where the unbelievers
are speaking derisively of Muhammad as an apostle “who eats food [like all other mortals] and
goes about in the market-places”, and the many references to their incredulous wondering that
God should have chosen as His prophet “a man from among themselves”.) In addition to this, the
above verse stresses, by implication, the positive value of man’s natural, physical life-sum­
marized, as it were, in the expression “wives and offspring” - and the rejection of exaggerated
asceticism and self-mortification as an allegedly desirable “way to God”.
75 Lit., “by God’s leave”. Cf. 6:109-“Miracles are in the power of God alone”-and the
corresponding note 94. In the present context, this is an answer to those who refuse to believe in
Muhammad’s message unless “a miraculous sign” is bestowed upon him.
76 Or: “a divine writ” (kitäb). See 5:48-“Unto every one of you have We appointed a
[different] law and way of life” - and the corresponding note 66, which explains the succession of
divine messages culminating in, and ending with, the revelation of the Qur’än. This interpretation
of the above phrase - adopted, among others, by Ibn Kathïr - connects it plausibly with the
preceding mention of the apostles who came before Muhammad, and with the subsequent
reference to the supersession of the earlier divine messages by that of the Qur’än. Apart from this,
the statement that every age had a revelation suited to the particular needs of the time and the
people, concerned (ZamakhsharT) constitutes an answer to the objection, often raised by followers
of other creeds, that the message of the Qur’än differs in many respects from the earlier divine
revelations (Räzi).
Tl I.e., He is the fountainhead or source (off) of all revelation. - As regards the preceding
reference to the abrogation of earlier divine dispensations and their supersession by later
ones - ending with the final revelation, the Qur’än - see 2:106 and the corresponding note 87.
(According to Qatädah, as quoted by Tabari and Ibn KathTr, the passage under consideration has
the same purport as 2:106.)
78 I.e., the calamities which, according to the last paragraph of verse 31 above, are in store for
“those who are bent on denying the truth” (alladhFna kafarü).
79 Lit., “that".
80 Or: “curtailing it from [all] its sides" (min afräfihä)- depending on whether one understands

368
13
THUNDER

For, [when] God judges, there is no power that

could repel His judgment: and swift in reckoning is
He!
(42) Now those who lived before these [sinners]
did, too, devise many a blasphemy81 - but the most (£) *1

subtle devising is that of God, who knows what each

human being deserves:82 and the deniers of the truth
will [in time] come to know to whom the future
belongs.83
(43) And [if] they who are bent on denying the
truth say [unto thee, O Prophet], “Thou hast not been
sent [by God]”, say thou: “None can bear witness
between me and you as God does; and [none can bear
witness as does] he who truly understands this divine
writ.”84

by afräf the “sides” or “extremities” or “outlying parts” (of a concrete body or land) or,
alternatively, the “outstanding men”-i.e., the great leaders, scholars and thinkers (Täj al-'Ariis) -
and “the best of the [earth’s] inhabitants and fruits” (ibid.). Many commentators, taking the
primary meaning of afräf, are of the opinion that the above sentence relates to the struggle
between the early Muslim community at Medina and the pagans of Mecca, and interpret it thus:
“Do they [i.e., the pagans of Mecca] not see that we are visiting [with Our punishment] the land
[held by them], gradually curtailing it from [all] its sides?” - which would imply a prophecy of the
gradual conquest of all Arabia by the Muslims. Other commentators, however, prefer the
secondary meaning of aträf and-without denying its relevance to the early history of Islam-
interpret this passage in a more general sense, similar to the rendering adopted by me. Thus, for
instance, RäzT: “Have they [i.e., the deniers of the truth] never yet seen the turns of fortune
(ikhtiläfät) that take place in this world - destruction after prosperity, death after life, humiliation
after glory, deficiency after perfection?... Hence, what makes those deniers of the truth so sure
that God will not render them abject after they had been mighty, and subjected [by others] after
they had been rulers?” Thus, in its widest sense, the phrase “gradually depriving it of all that is
best in it” may be taken to relate not merely to physical and social catastrophes but also to the
loss of all ethical values-and, thus, to the loss of all worldly power-which “those who are bent
on denying the truth” are bound to suffer in the end.
81 Lit., “did scheme”-an expression which in this context apparently refers to blasphemous
ideas and attitudes.
82 Lit., “earns” - i.e., of good and evil.
83 For an explanation of this rendering of *uqba 'd-dâr (which is here synonymous with dqibat
ad-där), see sürah 6, note 118.
84 Lit., “and anyone who possesses (man ‘indahu) knowledge of the revelation”-implying that
a true understanding of the Qur’än unavoidably leads one to the conviction that it has been
revealed by God.

369
 THE FOURTEENTH SÜRAH

IBRÂHÎM (ABRAHAM)

MECCA PERIOD

LL AUTHORITIES agree that this sürah belongs to the last group of Meccan revela­
A tions; in the Itqân it is placed immediately after sürah 71 (Nöh), and we have no reason to
question this chronology. The title is based on Abraham’s prayer in verses 35-41; its relevance to
the rest of the surah has been explained in note 48.
As in the preceding sürah, the main theme of Ibrâhîm is the revelation of God’s word to man,
destined to lead him “out of the depths of darkness into the light’’ (verses 1 and 5) by means of
messages expressed in the language of the people to whom it was originally addressed (verse 4; cf.
also 13:37 and the corresponding note 72): but whereas all earlier instances of the divine writ
were meant only for the people thus addressed by their prophet (cf. God’s command to Moses, in
verse 5, “Lead thy people out of the depths of darkness into the light’’), the Qur’än is, as stated in
the first and the last verses of this sürah, a message for all mankind.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) AUf. Läm. Rä.1

DIVINE WRIT [is this-a revelation] which We

A have bestowed upon thee from on high in order
that thou might bring forth all mankind, by their
*
Sustainer’s leave, out of the depths of darkness into
the light: onto the way that leads to the Almighty, the
One to whom all praise is due - (2) to God, unto
whom all that is in the heavens and alt that is on earth
belongs. 0 Jjy* Jj (*-ri JI
But woe unto those who deny the truth: for suf­ J< jj J kj O'jlLjT jC /[ iplf âî
fering severe (3) awaits those who choose the life of
this world as the sole object of their love,2*preferring Cc& 0 Cl/1*
it to [all thought of] the life to come, and who turn ù* J»4—* J •x-4-ï
others away from the path of God and try to make it
appear crooked. Such as these have indeed gone far 0 J ijS?
astray!

(4) AND NEVER have We sent forth any apostle

otherwise than [with a message] in his own people’s
tongue, so that he might make [the truth] clear unto

1 See Appendix II; also sürah 11, note 1.

2 According to ZamakhsharT and RäzT, this is the real meaning of the verbal form yastahibbün
in the above context - implying that such an all-absorbing, exclusive love of the life of this world
leads inevitably to a denial of moral truths.

370
SÜRAH 14
ABRAHAM
them;3 but God lets go astray him that wills [to go
astray], and guides him that wills [to be guided]-for
He alone is almighty, truly wise.45
\(5) And [thus], indeed, have We sent forth Moses
with Our messages [and this Our command]: “Lead
thy people out of the depths of darkness into the iff UI*/
light, and remind them of the Days of God!”3
Verily, in this [reminder] there are messages indeed j âî JjT4 Ç.UÙT
for all who are wholly patient in adversity and deeply
grateful [to God]. err 0
(6) And, lo,6 Moses spoke [thus] unto his people:
“Remember the blessings which God bestowed upon
you when He saved you from Pharaoh’s people who ùjjZL» j u. I
afflicted you with cruel suffering, and slaughtered
your sons, and spared [only] your women7-which
was an awesome trial from your Sustainer. (7) And
[remember the time] when your Sustainer made [this
promise] known: ‘If you are grateful [to Me], I shall
3 Since every divine writ was meant to be understood by man, it is obvious that each had to be
formulated in the language of the people whom the particular prophet was addressing in the first
instance; and the Qur’än - notwithstanding its universal import (cf. note 126 on 7:158)-is no
exception in this respect.
4 Or: “God lets go astray whomever He wills, and guides whomever He wills”. All Qur’anic
references to God’s “letting man go astray” must be understood against the background of
2:26-27 - “none does He cause to go astray save the iniquitous, who break their bond with God”
(regarding which latter expression, see sürah 2, note 19): that is to say, man’s “going astray” is a
consequence of his own attitudes and inclinations and not a result of an arbitrary “predestination”
in the popular sense of this word (cf. sürah 2, note 7). In his commentary on the above verse,
Zamakhsharî stresses this aspect of free choice on the part of man and points out that “God does
not cause anyone to go astray except one who, as He knows, will never attain to faith; and He
does not guide anyone aright except one who, as He knows, will attain to faith. Hence, the
[expression] ‘causing to go astray’ denotes [God’s] leaving [one] alone (takhliyah) and depriving
[him] of all favour, whereas [the expression] ‘guidance’ denotes [His] grant of fulfilment (tawfïq)
and favour.... Thus, He does not forsake anyone except those who deserve to be forsaken, and
does not bestow His favour upon anyone except those who deserve to be favoured.” Commenting
on the identical phrase occurring in 16:93, Zamakhsharî states: “[God] forsakes him who, as He
knows, will [consciously] choose to deny the truth and will persevere in this [denial]; and... He
bestows His favour upon him who, as He knows, will choose faith: which means that He makes
the issue dependent on [man’s] free choice (al-üchtiyär), and thus on his deserving either [God’s]
favour or the withdrawal of [His] aid... and does not make it dependent on compulsion [Le.,
predestination], which would rule out [man’s] deserving anything of the above.”
5 In ancient Arabian tradition, the terms “day” or “days” were often used to describe
momentous historical events (e.g., ayyäm al-'arab as a metonym for the inter-tribal wars of
pre-Islamic Arabia). However, in view of the frequent Qur’anic application of the word “day” to
eschatological concepts - e.g., the “Last Day”, the “Day of Resurrection”, the “Day of Reckon­
ing", and so forth-and, particularly, in view of 45:14, where the expression “the Days of God”
unmistakably points to His judgment at the end of time-it is only logical to assume that in the
present context this expression bears the same significance: namely, God’s final judgment of man
on the Day of Resurrection. The use of the plural form (“the Days of God”) is perhaps meant to
bring out the idea that the “Day” of which the Qur’än so often speaks has nothing to do with
human time-definitions but, rather, alludes to an ultimate reality in which the concept of “time”
has neither place nor meaning.
6 For this rendering of the particle idh, see sürah 2, note 21.
7 Cf. 2:49; also Exodus i, 15-16 and 22.
371
 IBRÂHÎM SÜRAH

most certainly give you more and more;89but if you

are ungrateful, verily, My chastisement will be severe
indeed!’”
(8) And Moses added: “If you should [ever] deny
the truth - you and whoever else lives on earth, all of
you - [know that,] verily, God is indeed self-sufficient,
ever to be praised!”
Cry
(9) HAVE THE STORIES of those [deniers of the truth]
who lived before you never yet come within your
ken - [the stories of] the people of Noah, and of [the
tribes of] *Äd and Thamüd, and of those who came
after them? None knows them [now] save God.’
There came unto, them their apostles with all
evidence of the truth-but they covered their mouths
with their hands10 and answered: “Behold, we refuse
<X>
to regard as true the message with which you [claim
to] have been entrusted; and, behold, we are in grave âi jî .
doubt, amounting to suspicion, about [the meaning of]
your call to us!”11 J*’ 31 û*
(10) Said the apostles sent unto them:12 “Can there
be any doubt about [the existence and oneness of]
God, the Originator of the heavens and the earth? It
is He who calls unto you, so that He may forgive you
[whatever is past] of your sins and grant you respite
until a term [set by Him is fulfilled].”13
[But] they replied: “You are nothing but mortal
men like ourselves! You want to turn us away from

8 Le., “even more than you deserve”.

9 I e., they have disappeared from the face of the earth, and none save God knows today how
many they were and how they lived. See verse 14 and note 18 below.
10 Lit., “they put their hands into their mouths” - an idiomatic phrase indicating one’s inability
to refute a reasonable proposition by cogent, logical counter-arguments: for the out-of-hand
rejection of the apostles’ message by their recalcitrant compatriots cannot by any means be
regarded as an “argument”.
11 See sSrah 11, note 92. It is to be noted that whereas in 11:62 this reply is placed in the
mouth of people of one particular community-the ThamQd-and is phrased in the singular ("thy
call to us”), it appears here in the plural ("your call to us”) and represents the gist of the answers
given by various communities to various prophets. This generalization, underlying the entire
subsequent account and containing echos of several Qur’anic narratives relating to the experiences
of individual apostles of earlier times, is obviously meant to bring out the symptomatic character
of the attitude referred to: the stubborn attitude of people who either deny God altogether,
or-while not consciously denying His existence - yet feel compelled to interpose all manner of
imaginary “mediators” (thought to be divine or semi-divine) between themselves and Him, thus
denying, by implication, His omniscience and omnipotence.
12 Lit., “their apostles”.
13 I.e., “until the end of your life in this world”. This is, I believe, an indirect allusion to the
calamities which are bound to befall, even in this world, “those who are bent on denying the truth”
(see the last paragraph of 13:31 and the corresponding note 57)-implying that they who
consciously respond to the call of God, conveyed through His prophets, would be immune to this
kind of suffering and would be graced with abiding spiritual happiness (cf. 13:29).

372
 14
ABRAHAM
what our forefathers were wont to worship: well,
then, bring us a clear proof [of your being God’s*
message-bearers] !”
(11) Their apostles answered them: ‘‘True, we are
nothing but mortal men like yourselves: but God
bestows His favour upon whomever He wills of His
servants. Withal, it is not within our power to bring
you a proof [of our mission], unless it be by God’s
leave-and [so] it is in God that all believers must
place their trust.14 (12) And how could we not place
^5'Li ûK'Lj «mL» ilS 'ji
our trust in God, seeing that it is He . who has shown
us the path which we are to follow?15
‘‘Hence, we shall certainly bear with patience
whatever hurt you may do us: for, all who have trust
[in His existence] must place their trust in God
[alone]!” <$) ùXjlJÎjjrfîlü jcj L. £

(13) But they who denied the truth spoke [thus]

unto their apostles: “We shall most certainly expel b1 cr
you from our land, unless you return forthwith to our
ways!”16
Whereupon their Sustainer revealed this to His dB’i -ibffiCfrXUfl
apostles:17 “Most certainly shall We destroy these
evildoers, (14) and most certainly shall We cause you
to dwell on earth [long] after they have passed
away:18 this is [My promise] unto all who stand in
awe of My presence, and stand in awe of My warn­
ing!”19
(15) And they prayed [to God] that the truth be
made to triumph.20
14 Le., it is to the contents of the divine message propounded to them that all seekers after truth
must turn for illumination (see 7:75 and 13:43, as well as the corresponding notes). The Qur’ân
dwells in many places (e.g., in 6:109-111 or 13:31) on the futility - moral as well as
intellectual-of the demand that the divine origin of a prophetic message should be proved by
tangible, extraneous means: for, a morally valid and intellectually justifiable conviction of the
intrinsic truth of such a message can be gained only through “conscious insight accessible to
reason” (12:108).
15 Lit., “guided us on our paths”-a plural indicating (as does the whole of the passage
beginning with verse 9) the fundamental identity of the message preached by all the prophets.
16 Cf. 7:88-89, where this alternative is placed before Shu'ayb.
17 Lit., “to them”.
18 Lit., “after them”: implying a divine promise that the truth preached by the apostles would
outlive its detractors (cf. verse 9 above, “None knows them [now] save God”), and would triumph
in the end.
19 As ZamakhsharT points out, the divine promise expressed in the above verse is equivalent to
the statement in 7:128 that “the future (al-'äqibah) belongs to the God-conscious”.
20 Or: “they [i.e., the apostles] prayed for victory” or “for [God’s] aid”-both these meanings
being contained in the noun fath, with which the verbal form istaftahü, used here, is connected. It
should be borne in mind that the primary significance of fataba is “he opened”, and of istafta^a,
“he sought to open [something]” or “he desired that it be opened”. Thus, the above passage
echoes, in a generalized form, Shu'ayb’s prayer in 7:89, “Lay Thou open (i/mh) the truth between
us and our people”.

373
 IBRÂHÎM SÜRAH

And [thus it is:] every arrogant enemy of the truth

shall be undone [in the life to come], (16) with hell
awaiting him;21 and he shall be made to drink of the
water of most bitter distress,22 (17) gulping it [unceas­
ingly,] little by little, and yet hardly able to swallow
it.23 And death will beset him from every quarter-but Â* är*.3 f*? if <$> ±4 &
he shall not die: for [yet more] severe suffering lies
ahead of him.
(18) [This, then, is] the parable of those who are ($) & *-*'a* j cÇx U,
bent on denying their Sustainer: all their works2425 are
as ashes which the wind blows about fiercely on a
stormy day: [in the life to come,] they cannot achieve
any benefit whatever from all [the good] that they
may have wrought: for this [denial of God] is indeed
the farthest one can go astray.23 C&ÜÎJU.31 3 J Ji ($) 1^31 juiîji

(19) ART THOU NOT aware that God has created the
heavens and the earth in accordance with [an inner] JLâi â bizj <5> àjé JTj&
truth?26 He can, if He so wills, do away with you and
bring forth a new mankind [in your stead]:2728(20) nor
is this difficult for God.
(21) And all [mankind] will appear before God [on
the Day of Judgment]; and then the weak2* will say
21 Lit., "[with] hell beyond him”, i.e., as his destiny. For my rendering of jabbär, in this
context, as "enemy of the truth”, see the first part of note 58 on 26: 130.
22 The word fadïd is an infinitive noun of fadda, which in its primary meaning denotes "he
turned away” or "was averse [from something]”; also-as noted in the Qâmûs and the Asäs - "he
cried out loudly” (i.e., by reason of his aversion to something). Since fadïd signifies anything that
is repulsive, it is also used tropically to describe the pus that flows from wounds or the viscous
liquid that oozes from corpses. In his commentary on this verse. Râzï suggests that the expression
mû’ fadïd is here purely metaphorical, and should be understood as "water like [what is described
as] fadïd”. It is in pursuance of this interpretation that I have rendered the above expression as
"waters of most bitter distress”-a metaphor of the boundless suffering and bitter frustration
which, in the life to come, awaits those who during their life in this world were bent on denying all
spiritual truths. (Cf. the expression sharäb min hamïm - rendered by me as "a draught of burning
despair”-occurring in several places and elucidated in note 62 on 6:70.)
23 I.e., to reconcile himself to this suffering.
24 I.e., even the good ones (RâzT).
25 Lit., “this, this is the straying far-away”. The definite article in the expression ad-daläl
al-ba'ïd, preceded by the pronouns dhälika huwa, is meant to stress the extreme degree of this
"straying far-away” or “going astray”: a construction that can be rendered in English only by a
paraphrase, as above. It is to be noted that this phrase occurs in the Qur’än only twice - namely, in
the above passage and in 22:12-and refers in both cases to a denial, conscious or implied, of
God’s oneness and uniqueness.
26 See note 11 on 10:5.
27 Lit., “bring forth a new creation” or “new people”, for it should be remembered that the
term khalq denotes not merely “creation” or "act of creation” but also "people” or "mankind”,
which seems to be its meaning here (Ibn 'Abbas, as quoted by RäzT).
28 I.e., those who had sinned out of moral weakness and self-indulgence, relying on the
supposedly superior wisdom of the so-called "leaders of thought”, who are described in the
sequence as having "gloried in their arrogance" (astakbarii) inasmuch as they refused to pay heed
to God’s messages (Tabari, on the authority of Ibn 'Abbäs).

374
 14
ABRAHAM
unto those who had gloried in their arrogance: “Be­
hold, We were but your followers: can you, then,
relieve us of something of God’s chastisement?”
[And the others] will answer: “If God would but
show us the way [to salvation], we would indeed ft & C £> aâ
guide you [towards it].29 It is [now] all one, as far as
we are concerned, whether we grieve impatiently or
endure [our lot] with patience: there is no escape for Q* UJL çl G*UJb tyU
us!”
(22) And when everything will have been decided,
Satan will say: “Behold, God promised you some­ jèùc Jùé'L,
thing that was bound to come true!30 I, too, held out
[all manner of] promises to you - but I deceived you.
Yet I had no power at all over you: I but called
you-and you responded unto me. Hence, blame not
me, but blame yourselves.31 It is not for me to
jc JJ jj* Le o
respond to your cries, nor for you to respond to
mine:32 for, behold, I have [always] refused to admit
that there was any truth in your erstwhile belief that I
had a share in God’s divinity.”33

29 Sc., “but now it is too late for repentance”. According to Tabari and Râzï, this is the
meaning of the above passage. Zamakhsharï, however, prefers another interpretation, implying a
reference not to the present but to the past, thus: “If God had guided us aright, we would have
guided you [too] aright”: in other words, he understands the phrase as an attempt on the part of
the doomed to divest themselves of all responsibility, and to attribute their past sinning to God's
“not having willed” to guide them aright. To my mind, the interpretation offered by Tabap and
Râzï is preferable because-all other considerations apart-it provides a logical connection
between the request of “the weak” (see preceding note) and the reply of those who in their earthly
life had “gloried in their arrogance”, as well as with the latters’ subsequent, despairing utterance,
which can be summed up in the words, “too late!”
30 Lit., “God promised you a promise of truth” -i.e., the promise of resurrection and last
judgment.
31 In his commentary on this passage, Râzï remarks: “This verse shows that the real Satan
(ash-shayfân al-aslï) is [man’s own] complex of desires (an-nafs): for, Satan makes it clear [in the
above] that it was only by means of insinuations (waswasah) that he was able to reach [the
sinner’s soul]; and had it not been for an already-existing [evil] disposition due to lusts, anger,
superstition or fanciful ideas, these [satanic] insinuations would have had no effect whatsoever.”
32 I.e., “I cannot respond to your call for help, just as you should not have, in your lifetime,
responded to my call.” The above sentence is often interpreted in another sense, namely, “1
cannot succour you, just as you cannot succour me”. However, in view of Satan’s allegorical
reference - in the preceding passages as well as in the next sentence - to the sinners’ earthly past,
the rendering adopted by me seems to be more suitable; moreover, it is closer to the primary
meaning of the verb farakha (“he cried out”), from which the form mufrikh (“one who responds
to a cry”) is derived (JawharT).
33 This is, to my mind, the meaning of the highly elliptical phrase kafartu bi-mä ashraktumûnT
min qabl, which could be literally - but most inadequately - translated thus: “I have refused to
admit the truth of that whereby you associated me aforetime [with God].” The implication is that
Satan, while endeavouring to lead men astray, never claims to be God’s “equal” (cf. 7:20, where
he speaks of God, to Adam and Eve, as “your Sustainer”, or 15:36 and 39, where he addresses
Him as “my Sustainer”, or 8:48 and 59: 16, where he says, “behold, I fear God”) but. rather, tries
to make men’s sinful doings “seem goodly to them" (cf. 6:43, 8:48, 16:63, 27:24, 29:38), i.e.,
persuades them that it is morally justifiable to follow one’s fancies and selfish desires without any
restraint. But while Satan himself does not make any claim to equality with God, the sinner who

375
 IBRÂHÎM SÜRAH

Verily, for all evildoers34 there is grievous suffering

in store.
(23) But those who shall have attained to faith and
done righteous deeds will be brought into gardens
through which running waters flow, therein to abide
by their Sustainer's leave, and will be welcomed with
the greeting, “Peace!”35

(24) ART THOU NOT aware how God sets forth the
parable of a good word?36 [It is] like a good tree, 4-1» ‘-/r* J

firmly rooted, [reaching out] with its branches <5> »L-tfj eJi
towards the sky, (25) yielding its fruit at all times by
its Sustainer's leave.
And [thus it is that] God propounds parables unto
'df ($) i)jfx.
men, so that they might bethink themselves [of the
truth].37
(Ç) I* ijy ôj» 0*
(26) And the parable of a corrupt word is that of a
corrupt tree, torn up [from its roots] onto the face of ÇiT j Cjdlî ipfc JT âT
the earth, wholly unable to endure.38
(27) [Thus,] God grants firmness unto those who
have attained to faith through the word that is
unshakably true39 in the life of this world as well as in
the life to come; but the wrongdoers He lets go

submits to Satan's blandishments attributes to him thereby, as it were, “a share in God's

divinity’’.-It must be stressed, in this connection, that the Qur’anic expression shaytân is often
used as a metaphor for every human impulse that is intrinsically immoral and, therefore, contrary
to man’s best - i.e., spiritual - interests.
34 I.e., all those who had consciously - either from intellectual arrogance or from moral
weakness - responded to “Satan’s call’’.
35 As in 10:10, this phrase reads literally, “their greeting therein [will be], ’Peace!’ (sa/äm)”-a
term which has been explained in sürah 5, note 29.
36 In its wider meaning, the term kalimah (“word”) denotes any conceptual statement or
proposition. Thus, a “good word” circumscribes any proposition (or idea) that is intrinsically true
and-because it implies a call to what is good in the moral sense-is ultimately beneficent and
enduring; and since a call to moral righteousness is the innermost purport of every one of God’s
messages, the term “good word” applies to them as well. Similarly, the “corrupt word” mentioned
in verse 26 applies to the opposite of what a divine message aims at: namely, to every idea that
is intrinsically false or morally evil and, therefore, spiritually harmful.
37 See note 33 on the first clause of 39:27.
38 Lit., “having no permanance (qarâf) whatever”: i.e., the “corrupt word” (see note 36 above)
is ephemeral in its effect, however strong its original impact on the minds of people who fall prey
to it.
39 Lit., “firm” (thâbit). The term qawl- similar to the term kalimah (see note 36 above) -
denote, beyond its primary meaning of “saying” or “utterance”, also anything that can be defined
as a statement of belief or opinion, namely, “concept”, “tenet", “assertion of faith”, and so on. In
this context it expresses the concept that there is no deity save God, and that Muhammad is His
Apostle: which is an interpretation of the above phrase given by the Prophet himself, as quoted by
BukhärT in a Tradition on the authority of AI-BarS’ ibn cÄzib (Kitäb at-TafsTr), and by other
Traditionists, including Muslim, on the authority of Shu'bah. The adjective thâbit connotes the
“firmness” - that is, the unshakable truth-of the “word” (or “concept”) which it qualifies, thus
connecting it with the preceding parable of the “good word” and the “good tree’'.

376
 14
ABRAHAM
astray:** for God does whatever He wills.

(28) ART THOU NOT aware of those who have preferred a

denial of the truth to God’s blessings,40
41 and [thereby]
invited their people to alight in that abode of utter
desolation (29) - hell - which they [themselves] will
have to endure?42 And how vile a state to settle in!
(30) For, they claimed that there are powers that <S>
could rival God,43 and so they strayed from His path.
Say: “Enjoy yourselves [in this world], but, verily,
âî cZi J* •
the fire will be your journey’s end!” ($> J ($)

(31) [And] tell [those of] My servants who have

attained to faith that they should be constant in ¥ J* -4^ îJLJuiî aI ÿx;
prayer and spend [in Our way], secretly and openly,
out of what We provide for them as sustenance,4445 ere îrÂ
there come a Day when there will be no bargaining,
and no mutual befriending.43
(32) [And remember that] it is God who has created
the heavens and the earth, and who sends down water
from the sky and thereby brings forth [all manner] of *• u *5 x
fruits for your sustenance; and who has made ships
subservient to you, so that they may sail through the
sea at His behest; and has made the rivers sub­
servient [to His laws, so that they be of use] to you;
(33) and has made the sun and the moon, both of
them constant upon their courses, subservient [to His
laws, so that they be of use] to you; and has made the
night and the day subservient [to His laws, so that
they be of use] to you.46
40 See note 4 on verse 4 of this sürah.
41 Lit., “who have exchanged God’s blessings for a denial of the truth”. The expression “God’s
blessings (ni'mah)" obviously refers here to the messages revealed through His apostles.
42 This is evidently an allusion to the relationship between the arrogant leaders of thought and
their weak followers spoken of in verse 21 above.
43 Lit., “they gave God compeers (nnddd)”. For an explanation of my paraphrase of this
sentence (fully justified by RäzT), see sürah 2, note 13. - The particle U prefixed to the subsequent
verb li-yutfillu does not denote intent but is a so-called lâm al-'âqibah, Le., “the [letter] läm
indicating a consequence” or “a result” (RäzT), and is in this case suitably rendered as “and so”.
44 See sürah 2, note 4.
45 Cf. 2:254. According to the philologist AbO 'Ubaydah, as quoted by RäzT, the expression
bay* (“selling and buying” or “bargaining”) denotes here the metaphorical “[giving and taking]
ransom” which, as the Qur’än repeatedly stresses, will be inadmissible on the Day of Judgment
(cf. 3:91 and the corresponding note 71, as well as 5 : 36, 10:54, 13:18, 39:47 and 70:11-15);
similarly, the denial of khiläl- which AbO cUbaydah regards as synonymous, in this context, with
mukhälah (“mutual befriending”)-expresses the impossibility of “ransom” through intercession
on Judgment Day, for “now, indeed, you have come unto Us in a lonely state, even as We created
you in the first instance” (6:94).
46 Almost all classical commentators agree that God’s having made the natural phenomena
“subservient" to man is a metaphor (mn/dz) for His having enabled man to derive lasting benefit
from them: hence my explanatory interpolations. In the same sense, the night and the day are
spoken of in 10:67, 27 : 86 or 40:61 as having been “made for you” (resp. “for them”).

377
 IBRÂHÎM
SÜRAH

(34) And [always] does He give you something out

of what you may be asking of Him;47 and should you
try to count God’s blessings, you could never com­
pute them.
[And yet,] behold, man is indeed most persistent in
wrongdoing, stubbornly ingrate! •ybdüu jr ($) Jsrt jtr'i

(35) AND [remember the time] when Abraham spoke

[thus]:48 “O my Sustainer! Make this land secure,4950 ui« 231 JXt ûS Ju (g) Ï?
and preserve me and my children from ever
worshipping idols30 - (36) for, verily, O my Sustainer, ôi j
these [false objects of worship] have led many people
astray!
“Hence, [only] he who follows me [in this my faith] □* <$>
is truly of me;51 and as for him who disobeys me-
Thou art, verily, much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace! j 0***^ ^4 gjj
(37) “O our Sustainer! Behold, I have settled some (H*jjb fpl 3>r «Z
of my offspring in a valley in which there is no arable
land,52 close to Thy sanctified Temple, so that, O our
Sustainer, they might devote themselves to prayer:
cause Thou, therefore, people’s hearts to incline
towards them,53 and grant them fruitful sustenance,

47 I.e., God satisfies every one of man’s desires, provided that His unfathomable wisdom
regards its satisfaction as ultimately beneficial to the human being concerned: this is the meaning
of the preposition min (lit., “out of”, but in this context, “something out of”) preceding the phrase
“what you may be asking”.
4« The whole of this passage (verses 35-41)-from which the title of this sürah is derived -
represents a parenthetic reminder, in the form of Abraham’s prayer, of the only way to
righteousness, in the deepest sense of the word, open to man: namely, a recognition of God’s
existence, oneness and uniqueness and, hence, a rejection of all belief in “other powers”
supposedly co-existent with Him (cf. verse 30 above). Inasmuch as this prayer implies a realization
of, and gratitude for, God’s infinite bounty, it connects directly with the preceding verse 34 and the
subsequent verse 42.
49 I.e., the land in which the Ka*bah is situated (see sürah 2, note 102) and, more specifically,
Mecca.
50 The term “idols” (asndm, sing, sanam) does not apply exclusively to actual, concrete
representations of false “deities”: for shirk - that is, an attribution of divine powers or qualities to
anyone or anything beside God - may consist also, as Râzï points out, in a worshipful devotion to
all manner of “causative agencies and outward means to an end” - an obvious allusion to wealth,
power, luck, people’s favour or disfavour, and so forth - “whereas genuine faith in the oneness
and uniqueness of God (at-tawhid al-mahd) consists in divesting oneself of all inner attachment to
[such] causative agencies and in being convinced that there exists no real directing power apart
from God".
51 Thus, Abraham accepts God’s verdict (given in 2:124) regarding the sinners from among his
descendants.
52 I.e., the narrow desert valley of Mecca, which is enclosed by barren, rocky hills. By “some
of my offspring” Abraham refers to Ishmael and his descendants who settled at Mecca.
53 I.e., to be desirous of visiting them-namely, on pilgrimage to Mecca-and thus help them to
maintain themselves in the holy but barren land. The phrase afidah min an-nds lends itself also to
the rendering “the hearts of some people”, in which case it could be taken to mean “the hearts of
the believers” (BaghawT, Râzï, Ibn KathTr).

378
 14 ABRAHAM

so that they might have cause to be grateful.

(38) “O our Sustainer! Thou truly knowest all that
we may hide [in our hearts] as well as all that we
bring into the open: for nothing whatever, be it on
earth or in heaven, remains hidden from God.
(39) All praise is due to God, who has bestowed
upon me, in my old age, Ishmael and Isaac! Behold,
my Sustainer hears indeed all prayer: (40) [hence,] O
my Sustainer, cause me and [some] of my offspring to
remain constant in prayer!54 > jüijiUîâ ($) »uJjîjtfJ
“And, O our Sustainer, accept this my prayer: (41)
<$> JJ
Grant Thy forgiveness unto me, and my parents, and
all the believers, on the Day on which the [last] JAj Aj
reckoning will come to pass!”
fA f>. (g)
(42) AND DO NOT think that God is unaware of what the
ùJÙJijT (£)
evildoers are doing: He but grants them respite until
the Day when their eyes will stare in horror,55 (43) the
while they will be running confusedly to and fro, with
their heads upraised [in supplication], unable to look fÂ'j
away from what they shall behold,56 and their hearts
an abysmal void. JA* fx A-JfAb (g) *A
(44) Hence, warn men of the Day when this suf­
fering may befall them, and when those who did
wrong [in their lifetime] will exclaim: “O our Sus­ Jr* CTf““*1 J J* j—
tainer! Grant us respite for a short while, so that we
might respond to Thy call and follow the apostles!”5758
[But God will answer:] “Why - were you not
aforetime wont to swear that no kind of resurrection
and retribution awaited you?5* (45) And yet, you

54 I.e., metonymically, “to remain utterly devoted to Thee”. The particle min (“[some] of”)
preceding the word dhumyatT (“my offspring”) is obviously an allusion to 2 :124, where God says
in answer to Abraham’s question about his descendants: “My covenant does not embrace the
evildoers.” Thus, Abraham has been given to understand that not all of his posterity would be
righteous and that none can claim to belong to a “chosen people” by virtue of his or her descent
from an apostle of God: a statement which relates not only to the Israelites, who descended from
Abraham through Isaac, but also to the Arabian (Ishmaelite) branch of the Abrahamic peoples,
from whom the Quraysh were to spring: hence, by implication, even to the unrighteous among the
descendants of the Last Prophet, Muhammad, who belonged to the tribe of Quraysh.
55 This verse connects with the last sentence of Abraham’s prayer, namely, his reference to
“the Day on which the [last] reckoning will come to pass”. The wrongdoers mentioned here are
those who indulge in the belief “that there are other powers that can rival God” (cf. verse 30
above), and thus commit the unforgivable sin of shirk. As regards the “respite” granted to them,
see the first clause of 11:20 and the corresponding note 39.
56 Lit., “their gaze will not revert to them”.
57 Cf. 6:27.
58 Lit, “that there would be no going down [or “no removal”] whatever for you”-i.e., no
passing-over from earthly life to a life in the hereafter, attended by God’s retribution of sins: a
reference to many people’s refusal, often mentioned in the Qur’än, to believe in life after death
and, hence, in God’s ultimate judgment.
379
 IBRÂHÎM
SÜRAH

dwelt in the dwelling-places of those who had sinned

against their own selves [before your time],59 and it
was made obvious to you how We had dealt with
them: for We have set forth unto you many a parable
[of sin, resurrection and divine retribution].”60
(46) And [this retribution will befall all evildoers
Jbj &
because] they devise that false imagery of theirs61 -
and all their false imagery is within God’s knowledge. £
[And never can the blasphemers prevail against the
truth-not] even if their false imagery were so [well-
devised and so powerful] that mountains could be âf ^2- y» (g) jlXJ
moved thereby.

(47) HENCE, do not think that God will fail to fulfil the
promise which He gave to His apostles:62 verily, God
is almighty, an avenger of evil!
(48) [His promise will be fulfilled] on the Day when isjj (g) jléJÎ a

the earth shall be changed into another earth, as shall

be the heavens,63 and when [all men] shall appear
before God, the One who holds absolute sway over
all that exists. (49) For on that Day thou wilt see all
who were lost in sin linked together in fetters,64 (50)
clothed in garments of black pitch, with fire veiling
their faces.65

59 I.e., “you lived on the same earth, and in basically the same human environment, as those
earlier generations who offended against all ethical values and thereby brought destruction upon
themselves: hence, their tragic fate should have been a warning to you”.
60 Lit, “the parables”, i.e., the parables in the Qur’än which illuminate the idea of resurrection
and of God’s final judgment (RäzT). See also note 37 above.
61 Lit., “they devised their devising”, i.e., their blasphemous belief in the existence of other
“divine powers” side by side with God: this is the interpretation given by Tabari towards the end
of his long commentary on this verse. For my rendering of the term makr, in this context, as “false
imagery”, see sürah 13, note 62.
62 I.e., the promise of resurrection and recompense on the Day of Judgment. This relates
specifically to the “respite" occasionally granted to evildoers for the duration of their lifetime (cf.
verse 42 above).
63 This is an allusion to the total, cataclysmic change, on the Last Day, of all natural
phenomena, and thus of the universe as known to man (cf. 20:105-107 and the corresponding note
90). Since that change will be beyond anything that man has ever experienced or what the human
mind can conceive, all the Qur’anic descriptions - in the next two verses as well as in many other
places-of what is to happen on that Last Day are, of necessity, expressed in allegorical terms:
and this applies also to all descriptions of man’s condition, good or bad, in the life to come. (Cf.
note 37 above, relating to the term “parable” often used in the Qur’än.)
64 In his commentary on this passage, RäzT expresses the view that the reference to the sinners*
being “linked together in fetters” is a metaphor of their own evil deeds and inclinations and,
consequently, of the utter despair which will be common to all of them in the hereafter. To my
mind, it may also be an allusion to the chain-reaction which every evil deed is bound to set in
motion on earth, one evil unavoidably begetting another.
65 According to RäzT, the “garments of black pitch (qa(irtln)’’ and the **fire veiling their faces"
are metaphors of the inexpressible suffering and loathsome horror which will enwrap the sinners’
souls on the Day of Judgment. (See also sürah 73, note 7.)
 ABRAHAM

(51) [And all shall be judged on that Day,] so that

God may requite every human being for all that he
has earned [in life]: verily, God is swift in reckoning!

(52) THIS IS A MESSAGE unto all mankind. Hence, let

them be warned thereby, and let them know that He
is the One and Only God; and let those who are
endowed with insight take this to heart!
 THE FIFTEENTH SÜRAH

AL-HIJR

MECCA PERIOD

CCORDING to Suyütï, this sürah was revealed very shortly after sürah 12 (Yüsuf): in other
A words, during the last year before the Prophet’s exodus to Medina. The supposition
(mentioned by RäzT) that verse 87 was revealed at Medina lacks any factual corroboration and
may, therefore, be safely dismissed.
As in most surahs of this period, the main theme of Al-Hijr is the evidence of God’s creative
activity and of the guidance vouchsafed by Him to man through revelation - especially the
revelation of the Qur’ân, which, as verse 9 predicts, will for ail times remain impervious to
corruption.
The title, derived from the mention in verse 80 of the Arabian region known as Al-Hijr,
obviously suggested itself to the Prophet’s Companions because of the many legends attached to
that place-name since time immemorial. That it is a place-name and not a description (“rocky
tract’’ or, according to some, “forbidden tract’’) is evident from the fact that an ancient township
of that name, long since non-existent, is mentioned by Ptolemy as “Hegra’’ and by Pliny as
“Egra”. Consequently, I have left this title untranslated.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) Alif. Lâm. Râ.1

HESE ARE MESSAGES of revelation - of a dis­

T course clear in itself and clearly showing the
truth.2 (2) And it will come to pass that those who are *^»4__________ i
[now] bent on denying this truth will wish that they
had surrendered themselves to God [in their life­ U J <J>
time].3
(3) Leave them alone; let them eat and enjoy lylTL (J) P
themselves the while the hope [of vain delights] be­
guiles them: for in time they will come to know [the
truth],
(4) And never have We destroyed any community

1 See Appendix II.

2 Regarding this lengthy rendering of the participial adjective mubïn, see sürah 12, note 2. In
the above context, the term qur’ân (which, whenever it appears without the definite article al,
denotes a solemn “recital” or “discourse") is preceded by the conjunction wa, which, in its
simplest connotation, signifies “and"; but since it is used here to stress the present, particular
instance of the divine writ (al-kitäb), it can be omitted in the translation without affecting the
meaning of the sentence.
3 Since this revelation - i.e., the Qur’ân-is clear in itself and clearly shows the truth, those
who deliberately reject it now will have no excuse on Resurrection Day. As so often in the Qur’ân,
the past tense in the expression alladhïna kafarü is indicative of conscious intent (see surah 2,
note 6).

382
 SÜRAH 15
AL-HUR
[for its wrongdoing] unless a divine writ had [pre­
viously] been made known to it;4 (5) [but remember
that] no community can ever forestall [the end of] its
term - and neither can they delay [it].5
(6) And yet, they [who deny the truth] say: “O thou
unto whom this reminder has [allegedly] been be­
stowed from on high: verily, thou art mad! (7) Why (J)
dost thou not bring before us angels, if thou art a man (T)
of truth?”6
(8) [Yet] We never send down angels otherwise sfcDL LÿL- <Jj

than in accordance with the [demands of] truth;78and

[were the angels to appear now,] lo! they [who reject "^1 Jj« I* (J) J*

this divine writ] would have no further respite!6 <x> jît

(9) Behold, it is We Ourselves who have bestowed
from on high, step by step, this reminder:9 and, be­ gr* □ »2JL* & Jilj (J) OjkilX JÏ
hold, it is We who shall truly guard it [from all
corruption].1011

(10) AND, INDEED, [O Prophet,] even before thy time

did We send [Our apostles] unto communities" of old -

4 Lit., “unless it [the community] had a known divine writ (kitâb ma'lüm)" -i.e., unless the
people in question had been shown through a divine writ the meaning of right and wrong, and had
deliberately rejected this divine guidance: cf. the statement, in 26 : 208, that “never have We
destroyed any community unless it had had its wamers", or in 6:131, that God “would never
destroy a community for its wrongdoing so long as its people are still unaware [of the meaning of
right and wrong]”.
5 I.e., every community - and, in the widest sense of this term, every civilization - has a
God-willed, organic span of life resembling in this respect all other living organisms, destined to
grow, to reach maturity and ultimately to decay. For the ethical implications of this law of nature
and its bearing on the passage that follows, see 7:34 and the corresponding note 25.
6 Cf. 6:8-9. The reference of the unbelievers to the Prophet’s revelation is obviously sarcastic
(ZamakhsharT); hence my interpolation of the word “allegedly”. Although these verses relate
primarily to the pagan contemporaries of the Prophet, they broadly describe the negative attitude
of unbelievers of all times.
7 Sc., “and not just to satisfy a frivolous demand of people who refuse to consider a prophetic
message on its merits". Moreover-as is evident from the next clause-an actual appearance of the
angels to ordinary men would but presage the Day of Judgment (described in 78:39 as “the Day of
Ultimate Truth”) and, thus, the doom of the deniers of the truth spoken of here.
8 Cf. 6:8 - “had We sent down an angel, all would indeed have been decided”, i.e., the Day of
Judgment would have come.
9 I.e., the Qur’än. The grammatical form nazzalnä implies a gradual revelation (“step by step”)
over a period of time, as has been pointed out by ZamakhsharT in his commentary on 2:23 (see
the last sentence of my corresponding note 14).
10 This prophecy has been strikingly confirmed by the fact that the text of the Qur’än has
remained free from all alterations, additions or deletions ever since it was enunciated by the
Prophet in the seventh century of the Christian era; and there is no other instance of any book, of
whatever description, which has been similarly preserved over such a length of time. The
early-noted variants in the reading of certain words of the Qur’fin, occasionally referred to by the
classical commentators, represent no more than differences in respect of diacritical marks or of
vocalisation, and, as a rule, do not affect the meaning of the passage in question. (See also note 11 on
85 : 22, explaining the expression lawh mahfü?.)
11 The term shFah denotes a distinct group of people having in common the same persuasion

383
 (11) and never yet came an apostle to them without
their deriding him. (12) Even so do We [now] cause
this [scorn of Our message] to pervade the hearts of
those who are lost in sin, (13) who do not believe in
it,*12 although the way which those [evildoers] of olden ($) (J)
times had to go has long been within their ken.13
jb ($) ùsî/fl
(14) Yet even had We opened to them a gateway to
heaven and they had ascended, on and on, up to it, (15)
they would surely have said, “It is only our eyes that are
spellbound! Nay, we have been bewitched!”14is ($> Sxu**-* °?* yw
(16) AND, INDEED, We have set up in the heavens great b-jj. »I—j UL».
constellations,13 and endowed them with beauty for (£)
all to behold; (17) and We have made them secure
against every satanic force accursed16-(18) so that
anyone who seeks to learn [the unknowable] by
stealth is pursued by a flame clear to see.17

or adhering to the same principles of behaviour, and is sometimes (though not here) used in the
sense of “sect”.
12 Cf. 6:10 and the corresponding note 9. My interpolation of the words “derision of Our
message” is based on Jabari's and Zamakhshari's interpretations of the above passage. Regarding
God's “causing" the deniers of the truth to sin, see sürah 2, note 7, as well as sürah 14, note 4.
13 Lit., “although the way of life (sunnah) of those of olden times has already passed”-i.e.,
although the manner in which God has dealt with them has long since become a matter of common
knowledge (Ibn Kathir).
14 Lit., “we are people bewitched”. Cf. 6:7, as well as the last paragraph of 10:2 and the
corresponding note 5. The confusing of revealed truths with illusory “enchantment” or “sorcery”
is often pointed out in the Qur’än as characteristic of the attitude of people who a priori refuse to
accept the idea of revelation and, thus, of prophethood. The above two verses, implying that not
even a direct insight into the wonders of heaven could convince “those who are bent on denying
the truth", are a prelude to the subsequent passage, which once again draws our attention to the
wonders of nature as an evidence of God's creative activity.
15 My rendering of burüj as “great constellations" is based on the Taj al-*Ariis ; among the
classical commentators, BaghawT, Baygäwl and Ibn Kathîr give the same interpretation, while
Tabari (on the authority of Mujähid and Qatädah) explains this term as signifying “the stars” in
general.
16 The term shayfän (“satan”)-derived from the verb shafana (“he was [or “became”]
remote”)-often denotes in the Qur’än a force or influence remote from, and opposed to, all that is
true and good (Täj al-*Ariis, Räghib): thus, for instance, in 2:14 it is used to describe the evil
impulses (shayâfïn) within the hearts of “those who are bent on denying the truth”. In its widest,
abstract sense it denotes every “satanic force”, i.e., every impulsion directed towards ends which
are contrary to valid ethical postulates. In the present context, the phrase “every satanic force
accursed (rajrm)"-like the phrase “every rebellious (märid) satanic force” in a similar context in
37:7-apparently refers to endeavours, strongly condemned in Islam, to divine the future by
means of astrological speculations: hence the preceding reference to the skies and the stars. The
statement that God has made the heavens “secure” against such satanic forces obviously implies
that He has made it impossible for the latter to obtain, through astrology or what is popularly
described as “occult sciences", any real knowledge of “that which is beyond the reach of human
perception” (al-ghayb).
17 Lit., “excepting [or “except that”] anyone who seeks to hear by stealth...”, etc. The
implication seems to be that any attempt at fathoming the mysteries of the unknowable by such
illicit means (“by stealth") is inevitably followed by “a flame clear to see", i.e., by burning,
self-evident frustration. (Cf. also 37:10.)

384
 15
AL-HUR
(19) And the earth-We have spread it out wide,
and placed on it mountains firm, and caused [life] of
every kind to grow on it in a balanced manner, (20)
and provided thereon means of livelihood for you [O
men] as well as for all [living beings] whose sus­
tenance does not depend on you.18
(21) For, no single thing exists that does not have
its source with Us;1’ and nought do We bestow from <£> ïx ß f—J & Q
on high unless it be in accordance with a measure
well-defined.20
(22) And We let loose the winds to fertilize
[plants],21 and We send down water from the skies •L-JÎ û* LJÿl» ($)
and let you drink thereof: and it is not you who
dispose of its source-(23) for, behold, it is We-We
alone-who grant life and deal death, and it is We êeAüî-jî bX Jib (J) Crh
alone who shall remain after all else will have passed
away!2223 j ($) lX Sib
(24) And well do We know [the hearts and deeds of Lil» J—<b <^>
all human beings-both] those who lived before you
and those who will come after you;° (25) and, behold, KiûJL-ûLjLîj (g) j.
it is thy Sustainer who will gather them all together
[on Judgment Day]: verily, He is wise, all-knowing!

(26) AND, INDEED, We have created man out of sound­

ing clay, out of dark slime transmuted24 - (27)

18 Lit., “whose providers you are not”; i.e., all living organisms - whether plants or animals -
which are not tended by man but are nevertheless provided for. In its wider sense, this phrase
stresses the notion that all living beings-man included-are provided for by God, and by Him
alone (cf. 11:6).
19 Lit., “but with Us are its storehouses”.
20 Lit., “and We do not send it down [i.e., “create it”] otherwise than according to a measure
known [to Us]": that is, in accordance with the exigencies of God's plan as such and with the
function which any particular thing or phenomenon is to have within that plan.
21 I.e., by pollination as well as by bringing rain-clouds.
22 Lit., “We are [or “shall be”] the inheritors (al-wärithün)": an idiomatic metaphor based,
according to the consensus of all classical commentators, on the use of the term “inheritor” or
“heir” in the sense of “one who remains after his predecessor has passed away”-in this case,
after all creation has perished. (Cf. the expression “the heritage of the heavens and of the earth’*
used, with reference to God, in 3:180 and 57:10.)
23 Or: “those of you who hasten forward [towards Us], and those who lag behind”. Both these
interpretations are considered equally legitimate by the early commentators.
24 There are many references in the Qur’än to man’s having been “created out of clay (fin)” or
“out of dust (turäb)”, both these terms signifying man’s lowly biological origins as well as the fact
that his body is composed of various organic and inorganic substances existing-in other
combinations or in their elementary forms-on or in the earth. The term faifâl, occurring in three
verses of this sürah as well as in 55:14, adds a further dimension to this concept. According to
most of the philological authorities, it denotes “dried ciay that emits a sound” (i.e., when it is
struck); and since it is used in the Qur’än exclusively with reference to the creation of man, it
seems to contain an allusion to the power of articulate speech which distinguishes man from all
other animal species, as well as to the brittleness of his existence (cf. the expression “like pottery”
in 55:14). As the construction of the sentence shows, this ;alfäl is stated to have evolved (Râzï)

385
AL-HUR SÜRAH

whereas the invisible beings We had created, [long]

before that, out of the fire of scorching winds.25
(28) And lo! Thy Sustainer said unto the angels:
“Behold, I am about to create mortal man out of
sounding clay, out of dark slime transmuted; (29) and
(g)
when I have formed him fully and breathed into him
of My spirit, fall down before him in prostration!”26 fy* (g) 1%'
(30) Thereupon the angels prostrated themselves,
all of them together, (31) save IblTs: he refused to be <S> ctjj
among those who prostrated themselves.27 d* <£)
(32) Said He: “O IblTs! What is thy reason for not
being among those who have prostrated themselves?” 4ÄU Jli (g) igJaiUf £• ùjâa*
(33) [IblTs] replied: “It is not for me to prostrate
myself before mortal man whom Thou hast created xrV J"* J Js (g) C
out of sounding clay, out of dark slime transmuted!”
(34) Said He: “Go forth, then, from this [angelic
state]: for, behold, thou art [henceforth] accursed,
4M» (g>
(35) and [My] rejection shall be thy due28 until the
Day of Judgment!” dtp <g) jy*- f Qty*
(36) Said [IblTs]: “Then, O my Sustainer, grant me a
respite till the Day when all shall be raised from the JB (g) iJl <S>
dead!”
j f-1 4,*ÿ>
(37) Answered He: “Verily, so be it: thou shalt be
among those who are granted respite (38) till the Day
the time whereof is known [to Me alone].”
(39) [Whereupon IblTs] said: “O my Sustainer!
Since Thou hast thwarted me,29 I shall indeed make

out of hamay-which, according to some authorities, is the plural of ham'ah, signifying “dark,
fetid mud" or “dark slime"-while the participial adjective masnün which qualifies this noun
denotes, as RäzT points out, both “altered" (i.e., in its composition) and “brought into shape":
hence my rendering of this expression as “transmuted”, which to some extent combines both of
the above meanings. To my mind, we have here a description of the primeval biological
environment out of which the “sounding clay” - the matrix, as it were - of man's physical body has
evolved in accordance with God's plan of creation.
25 Cf. 55:15 - “out of the confusing flame of fire (mdrij min ndr)”: i.e., of non-corporeal
elements. The noun al-jänn, rendered by me as “the invisible beings", is in reality a singular,
denoting here the kind of these particular beings or forces, similar to the use of the singular noun
“man” (al-insän) which describes the collective entity “mankind". The etymology of the word
jänn (the plural of which is jinn) has been briefly touched upon in note 86 on 6:100; a more
detailed discussion of its meaning is found in Appendix 111.
26 Cf. 2 : 30-34 and the corresponding notes, as well as 7:11—18. The allegorical character of all
the passages bearing on the creation of man and on God's command to the angels to prostrate
themselves before him is brought out clearly in God’s saying, “1 am about to create mortal
num...; and when I have formed him fully..etc.: for it is obvious that, in reality, no lapse of
time is required for God’s completing His creation - since, “when He wills a thing to be, He but
says unto it, ‘Be’ - and it is” (cf. 2: 117, 3 :47 and 59, 6 : 73, 16 : 40, 19 : 35, 36 : 82 and 40:68).
God’s “breathing of His spirit” into man is obviously a metaphor for His endowing him with life
and consciousness: that is, with a soul.
27 See note 10 on 7:11. For the deeper meaning of this “rebellion”, see note 31 below.
28 Lit., “is upon thee".
29 See sürah 7, note 11.

386
 15
AL-HIJR
[all that is evil] on earth seem goodly to them, and
shall most certainly beguile them into grievous error -
(40) [all] save such of them as are truly Thy
servants!”30
(41) Said He: “This is, with Me, a straight way:31
(42) verily, thou shalt have no power over My U* JK (g> CfrXjl £ ($>
creatures-unless it be such as are [already] lost in
grievous error and follow thee [of their own will]:32 'J* (£)
(43) and for all such, behold, hell is the promised goal,
(44) with seven gates leading into it, each gate (J)
receiving its allotted share of sinners.”33 Û (g) I

(45) VERILY, those who are conscious of God [shall find (£> ô[ ($) fj-*»
themselves in the hereafter] amidst gardens and
springs, (46) [having been received with the greeting,] J* fAiM* jl* l*jUai
“Enter here in peace, secure!”
(47) And [by then] We shall have removed what­ Q (T-*.? <$> ^>1^
ever unworthy thoughts or feelings may have been
[lingering] in their breasts, [and they shall rest] as
brethren, facing one another [in love] upon thrones of
happiness.34 (48) No weariness shall ever touch them

30 Lit., “Thy sincere servants”: i.e., those who are so deeply conscious of God that no
“blandishment of Satan” can lead them astray. (See also note 32 below.)
31 I.e., “this is what I have willed” - namely, that IbITs (or Satan) should tempt man, but should
have no power to seduce those who are truly conscious of God. Thus, the Qur’an makes it clear
that despite his ostensible “rebellion” against his Creator, Satan fulfils a definite function in God’s
plan: he is the eternal tempter who enables man to exercise his God-given freedom of choice
between good and evil and, thus, to become a being endowed with moral free will. (See in this
connection 19:83, as well as note 26 on 2:34 and note 16 on 7:24.)
32 Lit., “except him who shall follow thee from among those who are lost in grievous error”.
(Cf. 14:22, according to which Satan will thus address his erstwhile followers on Judgment Day:
“I had no power at all over you: I but called you - and you responded unto me.”) This phrase
constitutes the essential difference between the above passage and the similar one in 7: 11-18.
33 Lit., “it has seven gates, [with] an allotted share of them for each gate”. This probably means
“seven degrees” of hell, i.e., of the suffering which, in the life to come, awaits the “followers of
Satan” in accordance with the gravity of their sins (RäzT; a similar explanation is given by
Qatädah, as quoted by Tabari). It should also be remembered that the concept of ’’hell” as such is
referred to in the Qur’an under seven different names, all of them metaphorical (necessarily so,
because they relate to what the Qur’än describes as al-ghayb, “something that is beyond the reach
of human perception"): namely när (“fire, which is the general term), jahannam (“hell”), jahïm
(“blazing fire”), sa'ir (“blazing flame”), saqar (“hell-fire”), lazä (“raging flame"), and hutamah
(“crushing torment”). Since, as 1 have mentioned, these designations of other-worldly suffering are
obviously allegorical, we may also assume that the “seven gates of hell" have the same character,
and signify “seven approaches [or “ways”] to hell”. Furthermore, it is well known that in the
Semitic languages - and most particularly in classical Arabic - the number “seven” is often used in
the sense of “several” or “various" (cf. Lisàn al-'Arab, Täj al-'Ariis, etc.): and so the above
Qur’anic phrase may well have the meaning of “various ways leading to hell”-in other words,
many ways of sinning.
34 I.e., all being equal in dignity, and therefore free from envy. As RäzT points out, the plural
noun surur (sing, sarir), which literally denotes “couches” or, occasionally, "thrones”, signifies
also “seats (or “thrones”] of eminence” or “of happiness (surtir)”, from which tetter word the
noun sarTr and its plural surur may be derived. The sublime quality of these “thrones of

387
 AL-IfUR SÜRAH

in this [state of bliss], and never shall they have to

forgo it?5
(49) Tell My servants that I - I alone - am truly
forgiving, a true dispenser of grace; (50) and [also,]
that the suffering which I shall impose [on sinners]
will indeed be a suffering most grievous.3536

(51) AND TELL THEM [once again] about Abraham’s • <$)

guests37 - (52) [how,] when they presented themselves
before him and bade him peace, he answered: “Be­ (g) J» ùb (J)
hold, we are afraid of you!”38 ijU» û*
(53) Said they: “Fear not! Behold, we bring thee
the glad tiding of [the birth of] a son who will be Lj J??* ($) Jjrj jL q JÉ
endowed with deep knowledge.”39
(54) Said he: “Do you give me this glad tiding <j* ÿ -7-^
despite the fact that old age has overtaken me? Of
what [strange thing], then, are you giving me a ti­ w y® <$>
ding!” û* &3 & (*)
(55) They answered: “We have given thee the glad
tiding of something that is bound to come true:40 so <$) ù>;j1£*£UCïjb ùjujî
be not of those who abandon hope!”
(5) ùr/7?
(56) [Abraham] exclaimed: “And who-other than
those who have utterly lost their way-could ever
abandon the hope of his Sustainer’s grace?”
(57) He added: “And what [else] may you have in
view, O you [heavenly] messengers?”
(58) They answered: “We are sent to people lost in
sin41 [who are to be destroyed], (59) barring Lot’s

happiness" is in some instances further symbolized by expressions like “gold-encrusted" (56:15)

or “raised high” (88:13).
35 Lit., “never shall they be caused to depart from it".
36 In his commentary on the above two verses, RâzT notes that the statement relating to God’s
forgiveness and grace contains a threefold emphasis - expressed by the repetition of the personal
pronoun and relating to God, and the definite article al before each of the two participial
adjectives - whereas there is no such stress in the mention of His chastisement of recalcitrant
sinners. (Cf. 6:12-and the corresponding note 10-as well as 6:54, both of which verses state
that God “has willed upon Himself the law of grace and mercy".)
37 For a more detailed story of Abraham and the heavenly messengers, see verses 69-76 of
surah 11 (Hüd), which was revealed shortly before the present one. The connection between this
story and the preceding stress on God’s grace arises from Abraham's saying (in verse 56),
“And who-other than those who have utterly lost their way-could ever lose the hope of his
Sustainer’s grace?" Similarly, the subsequent references (in verses 58-84) to the sinful com­
munities that were destroyed because they refused to heed the warnings of their prophets are,
obviously, meant to illustrate the reverse of God’s grace, namely. His inevitable chastisement of
deliberate, unrepented sinning (verse 50 above).
38 For the reason of Abraham’s and Sarah’s apprehension, see 11:70.
39 I.e., will be a prophet.
40 Lit., “We have given thee the glad tiding of the truth"-i.e., of the truth willed by God (Ibn
cAbbäs, as quoted by R&zT).
41 I.e., to the people of Sodom (see also 7:80-84 and 11:77-83).

388
 15
AL-HUR
household, all of whom, behold, we shall save - (60)
excepting only his wife, [of whom God says,] ‘We have
ordained [that], behold, she should be among those who
stay behind!’”42
(61) AND WHEN the messengers [of God] came to the
house of Lot, (62) he said: “Behold, you are people (g> 3^
unknown [here]!”43 JÉ (g) J»j| JU Ui (g)
(63) They answered: “Nay, but we have come unto
thee with [the announcement of] something that they M jT Îjî (g) pi ^4
[who are given to evil] have always been wont to call in ^-li (g) jXL (J) Oj/jc
question,4445(64) and we are bringing thee the certainty
[of its fulfilment]:41 for, behold, we are speaking the CJäL Vj élÛL
truth indeed. (65) Go, then, with thy household while it
is yet night, with thyself following them in the rear; and «41^0 ($>
let none of you look back,46 but proceed whither you are
bidden.”
(66) And [through Our messengers] We revealed unto ju (g> tluJî tÇJ
him this decree: “The last remnant of those [sinners]
shall be wiped out4748 in the morn.” eg» ($)
(67) And the people of the city came [unto Lot], J; «g) 5»
rejoicing at the glad tiding.46
(68) Exclaimed [Lot]: “Behold, these are my guests:
so put me not to shame, (69) but be conscious of God
and disgrace me not!”
(70) They answered: “Have we not forbidden thee
[to offer protection] to any kind of people?”49
42 See 7:83 and the corresponding note 66, as well as 11:81 and 66:10. My interpolation of
the words “of whom God says” is necessitated by the elliptic use of the verb qaddamd - which, in
the sense of “We have ordained” or “decreed”, is an act attributed in the Qur’ân invariably, and
exclusively, to God. As I have repeatedly pointed out in my notes, God's “ordaining” a sinner to
commit a sin or His “decreeing” that he should remain deaf to the voice of truth is a metonym for
the natural law instituted by Him, which has been explained in sürah 2, note 7; it refers also,
generally speaking, to God’s absolute fore-knowledge of how any of His creatures will act in a
given situation (ZamakhsharT). See also note 56 on 11:34 and note 4 on 14:4.
43 Implying that they might be assaulted by the sinful people of his town: cf. 11:77 and the
corresponding note 107.
44 Lit., “that about which they have persistently been (Mnû) in doubt”-i.e., the doom which,
in this world or in the hereafter, is the inevitable consequence of deliberate sinning: a prediction
which the sinners themselves so often deride (cf. 6:57-58, 8:32, 11:8, and the corresponding
notes). To my mind, this sentence constitutes the reason for the repetition, in this sürah, of the
stories of Lot’s people and the other sinful communities of old that were punished for their
persistent transgressions against all moral laws.
45 Lit., “We have brought thee [or “come to thee with”] the truth”.
46 For an explanation of this metaphorical “looking back”, see sürah 11, note 112.
47 Lit., “cut off”.
48 Sc., “of the arrival of handsome strangers”. See also 7:80-81 and 11:77-79, as well as the
relevant notes.
49 Lit., “all people” (al-'dlamFn): obviously, because Lot was a stranger in Sodom-having
come there from Mesopotamia, his and Abraham’s country of origin (see sürah 11, note 102)-and
had previously aroused the ire of the Sodomites by his moral reproaches (cf. 7:80-82).

389
 (71) [Lot] said: “[Take instead] these daughters of
mine,50 if you must do [whatever you intend to do]!”
(72) [But the angels spoke thus:] “As thou livest, [O
Lot, they will not listen to thee:]51 behold, in their
delirium [of lust] they are but blindly stumbling to and
fro!”
(73) And thereupon the blast [of Our punishment]
overtook them52 at the time of sunrise, (74) and We
turned those [sinful towns] upside down, and rained
down upon them stone-hard blows of chastisement I4UÜ UEX ($)
pre-ordained.53
(75) Verily, in all this there are messages indeed for j4 er r?1®
those who can read the signs:54 (76) for, behold, those
[towns] stood by a road that still exists.55
(77) Verily, herein lies a message indeed for all who jlT”
believe [in God].

(78) AND THE DWELLERS of the wooded dales [of

Madyan, too,] were inveterate evildoers,56 (79) and so
We inflicted Our retribution on them.
And, behold, both these [sinful communities] lived
by a highway, [to this day] plain to see.57

(80) AND, [likewise,] indeed, the people of Al-Hijr58 gave

the lie to [Our] message-bearers: (81) for We did
vouchsafe them Our messages, but they obstinately
turned their backs upon them -(82) notwithstanding

50 See sürah 11, note 109.

51 The above two interpolations are based on ZamakhsharT’s commentary on this verse. The
oath “As thou livest” reads, literally, “By thy life".
52 Regarding the meaning of the term fayhah, rendered by me as “blast of [God’s] punish­
ment", see sürah 11, note 98.
53 See sürah 11, note 114.
54 In its full significance, the term mutawassim denotes “one who applies his mind to the study
of the outward appearance of a thing with a view to understanding its real nature and its inner
characteristics" (Zamakhsharf and RâzT).
55 The existence of that road, which led from northern Hijäz to Syria, skirting the Dead Sea-to
the north-east of which Sodom and Gomorrah were situated - has received startling confirmation
through aerial photographs recently published by the American School of Oriental Research (New
Haven, Connecticut). These photographs clearly show the ancient road as a dark streak winding
northwards, more or less parallel with the eastern shores of the Dead Sea.
56 As is evident from 26:176 ff., the “dwellers of the wooded dales (al-aykah)" were the
people of Madyan, who refused to pay heed to their prophet, Shu'ayb, and were thereupon
destroyed, apparently by an earthquake and/or a volcanic eruption (cf. 7 : 85-93 and 11:84-95).
57 I.e., the people of Lot and those of Shu'ayb, who inhabited adjacent regions (see sürah 1,
note 67), and whose fate should be an example as plain to see as the highway which passes through
the regions once inhabited by them.
58 I.e., the tribe of ThamOd (see sürah 7, note 56), who in pre-Islamic times inhabited the region
of Al-Hijr in northernmost Hijäz, south of the oasis of Taymah. The story of the ThamOd is found
in 7:73-79.

390
 "_______________ _______________________________ ____________ _________________ AL-HUR

that they had been wont [to enjoy Our blessings and] to
hew out dwellings from the mountains, [wherein they
could live] in security39-: (83) and so the blast [of Our
punishment] overtook them at early mom, (84) and of
no avail to them was all [the power] that they had
acquired.

(85) AND [remember:] We have not created the heavens <$) ($)
and the earth and all that is between them without [an (j) L
inner] truth;“ but, behold, the Hour [when this win
become clear to all] is indeed yet to come.
Hence, forgive [men's failings] with fair forbearance:
(86) verily, thy Sustainer is the all-knowing Creator of «ib j 4 (J) 1? ï «UT
all things!61*

(87) AND, INDEED, We have bestowed upon thee seven of Sxc'J jo

the oft-repeated [verses], and [have, thus, laid open
before thee] this sublime Qur’an (88) [so] turn not
thine eyes [longingly] towards the worldly benefits (J) i-jCâJî i dX;
which We have granted unto some63 of those [that deny
the truth]. And neither grieve over those [who refuse to
heed thee], but spread the wings of thy tenderness over
the believers,“ (89) and say: “Behold, I am indeed the
plain warner [promised by God]!“63
(90) [For, thou art the bearer of a divine writ“] such

59 See 7:74 and the corresponding notes (particularly note 59).

60 For an explanation of this rendering of illä bi'l-haqq (lit., “otherwise than with [or “in“]
truth“), see sürah 10, note 11.
61 I.e., “He has created all human beings with full knowledge of their natural differentiation and
the disparity in their respective conditions“ (Râzï) - and this, of course, includes their failings and
errors. (Cf. 7:199-“Make due allowance for man's nature”-and the corresponding note 162.)
62 With these words, the discourse returns to the theme enunciated at the beginning of this
surah and indirectly alluded to in verse 85 as well: namely, the revelation of the divine writ,
destined to serve as a moral guidance to man, who cannot, as yet, discern the meaning and purpose
of God's creation. - According to most of the authorities, including some of the foremost
Companions of the Prophet, “The Seven Oft-Repeated [Verses]" is a designation given by
Muhammad himself to the first sürah of the Qur’fin, which has also been described by him as “The
Essence of the Divine Writ” (Umm al-Kitäb) inasmuch as it alludes to all the ethical and
metaphysical principles set forth in the Qur’Sn (BukhärT, Kitäb at-Tafslr). See also my introduc­
tory note to Al-Fätihah (“The Opening”).
63 The philological authorities are unanimous in that the plural noun azwäj denotes here
“kinds" of people, or “some” of them, and not - as certain modem translators of the Qur’än have
assumed - “pairs”.
64 Lit., “lower thy wing for the believers“: an idiomatic metaphor for loving tenderness and
humility (see 17:24 and the corresponding note 28).
65 The above interpolated phrase offers, to my mind, the only satisfactory explanation of the
definite articles prefixed to the words an-nadhfr al-mubTn (“the plain warner”). This construction
possibly alludes to the Biblical prediction of the advent of the Prophet Muhammad appearing in
Deuteronomy xviii, 15 and 18, which has been discussed by me in sürah 2, note 33.
66 Thus Zamakhsharï, explaining the elliptic beginning of this sentence and its logical con­
nection with the preceding verse as well as with verse 87.

391
AL-HUR SÜRAH 15

as We have bestowed from on high upon those who

[afterwards] broke it up into parts,67 (91) [and] who
[now] declare this Qur’an to be [a tissue of] false­
hoods!68 ùUyÛT(J) Jp t-Jÿl US"
(92) But, by thy Sustainer! [On the Day of Judgment]
We shall indeed call them to account, one and all, (93) (J) dLjj» <$)
for whatever they have done!
(94) Hence, proclaim openly all that thou hast been ✓*>' Cc <$>
bidden [to say], and leave alone all those who ascribe
divinity to aught beside God: (95) verily, We shall ($) ($)
c
suffice thee against all who [now] deride [this message - •tÜj ($) ùjJLu ôj-i jdi ÛÎ g
all] (96) who assert that there are, side by side with
God, other divine powers as well:69 for in time they will £r** ($) &-b*4-*
come to know [the truth].
(97) And well do We know that thy bosom is J <$) 'J
constricted by the [blasphemous] things that they say:
(98) but extol thou thy Sustainer’s limitless glory and
praise Him, and be of those who prostrate themselves
[before Him] in adoration, (99) and worship thy Sus­
tainer till death comes to thee.70

67 This is apparently a reference to the followers of the Bible, who “believe in some parts of
the divine writ and deny the truth of other parts” (cf. 2:85) - i.e., who act in accordance with
those principles of the Bible which suit their inclinations and the prevailing social trends, and
disregard the others, thus denying, by implication, their validity.
68 This, according to the Täj al-*Ariis (art. *atfiha and 'atfawa) is the meaning of ridîn in the
above context: an interpretation also advanced by TabarT and RäzT (in the last paragraph of the
latter’s commentary on this verse). Another interpretation - equally acceptable from the purely
linguistic point of view - is “[those] who cut up the Qur’ân into separate parts”: i.e., accept (on the
analogy of the Jews and the Christians) some of it as true and regard the rest as Muhammad’s
invention. But since-as TabarT points out-those who refuse to believe in the divine origin of the
Qur’ân do not accept any of it as true, the first interpretation is by far the preferable.
69 Lit., “who postulate (yaj*alün), side by side with God, another deity (iiah)”-a term which is
obviously used here in its generic sense, embracing anything that could be visualized as a “divine
power”: hence my use of the plural.
70 Lit., “till there comes unto thee that which is certain (al-yaqm)''- & term which in the
Qur’ân is often used as a metonym for “death” (BukhärT, Kitäb-at-Tafsir). However, see also the
earliest occurrence of this term in 74:47.
 THE SIXTEENTH SÜRAH

AN-NAHL (THE BEE)

MECCA PERIOD

CCORDING to almost all the authorities (including the Itqän), this siirah was revealed a few
A months before the Prophet’s emigration to Medina. Although some commentators maintain
that the last three verses belong to the Medina period, there is no evidence for this more or less
speculative view.
The title - or, rather, the key-word by which this sürah has been identified ever since the time of
the Prophet-is based on the reference, in verses 68-69, to the marvellous instance of God’s
creativeness manifested in the instincts with which He has endowed the bee. Indeed, it is the
evidence of the Creator’s purposeful activity that provides the subject-matter of most of this
sürah - an activity that culminates in the guidance which He offers man through His revealed
messages, summed up, as it were, in verse 90: “Behold, God enjoins justice, and the doing of good,
and generosity towards [one’s] fellow-men; and He forbids all that is shameful and all that runs
counter to reason, as well as envy.”

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) OD’S JUDGMENT is [bound to] come: do not,

vJ therefore, call for its speedy advent!1
Limitless is He in His glory and sublimely exalted
above anything to which men may ascribe a share in
His divinity!
Ui âf □*
(2) He causes the angels to descend with this divine
inspiration,2 [bestowed] at His behest upon whom­
ever He wills of His servants: “Warn [all human (J)
beings] that there is no deity save Me: be, there­ L*l Ji «mL» & iLu
fore, conscious of Me!”
(3) He has created the heavens and the earth in
accordance with [an inner] truth;3 sublimely exalted is
He above anything to which men may ascribe a share
in His divinity!4

1 Regarding this allusion to the incredulous inquiry of the unbelievers, see 6 : $7-58, 8 : 32 and
10:50-51, as well as the corresponding notes.
2 The term rüfr (lit., “spirit”, “soul” or “breath of life”) is often used in the Qur’än in the sense
of “inspiration”-and, more particularly, “divine inspiration”-since, as ZamakhsharT points out in
connection with the above verse as well as with the first sentence of 42:52, “it gives life to hearts
that were [as] dead in their ignorance, and has in religion the same function as a soul has in a
body”. A very similar explanation is given by RäzT in the same context. The earliest instance in
which the term rity has been used in this particular sense is 97:4.
3 I.e., in accordance with a meaning and a purpose known only to Him. See also 10:5 and, in
particular, the corresponding note 11.
4 This repetition of part of verse 1 is meant to stress the uniqueness of God’s creative powers.

393
 (4) He creates man out of a [mere] drop of sperm:
and Io! this same being shows himself endowed with
the power to think and to argue!5
(5) And He creates cattle: you derive warmth from
them, and [various other] uses; and from them you
obtain food; (6) and you find beauty in them when
you drive them home in the evenings and when you
take them out to pasture in the mornings. (7) And I4IU (J) gjti.

they carry your loads to [many] a place which

[otherwise] you would be unable to reach without
great hardship to yourselves. J at dl ' jX, (J)
Verily, your Sustainer is most compassionate, a
dispenser of grace!
(8) And [it is He who creates] horses and mules and
asses for you to ride, as well as for [their] beauty: and
He will yet create things of which [today] you have
no knowledge.6
(9) And [because He is your Creator,] it rests with
God alone to show you the right path:7 yet there is
[many a one] who swerves from it. However, had He
so willed, He would have guided you all aright.8

5 Lit., “he becomes an open contender in argument (khaçïm)''. According to ZamakhsharT

and Râzï, the above phrase is liable to two interpretations. In the words of ZamakhsharT,
“one interpretation is that after having been a [mere] drop of sperm, a particle of matter without
consciousness or motion, man becomes highly articulate (mintiq), able to argue on his own (for
or against a proposition], courageously facing disputes, and clearly formulating his arguments:
[and herein lies] an indication of God’s creative power. The other [interpretation] is that man is
[prone to become] a contender in argument against his Sustainer, refusing to acknowledge his
[very] Creator.” Râzï, on his part, gives his unqualified support to the first of these two
interpretations, “because the above verses are meant to stress the evidence of the existence of a
wise Creator, and not the fact of men’s insolence and their proneness to blasphemy and
ingratitude”. However, in view of 36 : 77-78 (revealed at a considerably earlier period), 1 am of the
opinion that the above two interpretations are not mutually exclusive but, rather, complementary,
inasmuch as this passage is meant to bring out man’s unique quality as a rational being - a quality
that may lead him to great heights of achievement, but may equally well lead him utterly astray:
hence my free rendering of this profound, elliptic phrase.
6 The use, in this context, of the aorist yakhluqu implies the future tense (“He will create”) in
contrast with the past tense khalaqa employed in the preceding passages. Since this reference to
God’s continuing creation comes immediately after a mention of primitive means of transport (i.e.,
of animals domesticated by man to this end), it obviously relates to other-as yet unknown - things
of the same category: that is to say, to new means of transport which God unceasingly creates
through the instrumentality of the inventiveness with which He has endowed man’s mind (cf.
36 : 42). Inasmuch as every successive stage of human development bears witness to new,
previously undreamt-of inventions in the realm of transport, the Qur’anic statement that “He will
yet create things of which [today] you have no knowledge” is valid for every period - past, present
and future-of man’s history.
7 Lit., “upon God rests the [showing of the] goal of the path”-i.e., the establishing of the goals
of ethics and morality implied in the concept of the “right path”. In further analysis of this phrase,
the expression “it rests upon God” Cala ’lläh) is similar in intent to the statement in 6:12 and
$4 that He “has willed upon Himself the law of grace and mercy”: in other words, God invariably
shows the right path to everyone who is willing to follow it.
8 Since the concept of morality is linked with man’s God-given freedom of choice between good
and evil, God does not “impose” His guidance upon man but leaves it to him to accept or reject it.
 16
THE BEE
(10) It is He who sends down water from the skies;
you drink thereof, and thereof [drink] the plants upon
which you pasture your beasts; (11) [and] by virtue
thereof He causes crops to grow for you, and olive
trees, and date-palms, and grapes, and all [other] <u>iLjT jji (jjjfrjik ($) j&Ûa
kinds of fruit: in this, behold, there is a message
indeed for people who think! ^^5 cf. 0 Ors/ Vjf
(12) And He has made the night and the day and
the sun and the moon subservient [to His laws, so
that they be of use] to you;’ and all the stars are
subservient to His command: in this, behold, there
are messages indeed for people who use their reason!
(13) And all the [beauty of] many hues which He
has created for you on earth: in this, behold, there is
a message for people who [are willing to] take it to
heart! j
(14) And He it is who has made the sea subservient
[to His laws], so that you might eat fresh meat from
it, and take from it gems which you may wear.
And on that [very sea] one sees91011ships ploughing
through the waves, so that you might [be able to] go ($) -«kî*
forth in quest of some of His bounty, and thus have v lAr b V û* (j-ju j ÿb
cause to be grateful [to Him].
(15) And he has placed firm mountains on earth,
lest it sway with you," and rivers and paths, so that
you might find your way, (16) as well as [various (g) SQJS’Sa $
other] means of orientation: for [it is] by the stars
that men find their way.12

(17) IS, THEN, HE who creates comparable to any [be­

ing] that cannot create?

9 See 14:33 and the corresponding note 46.

10 Lit., “thou seest”.
11 This is apparently an allusion to the fact that the mountains owe their rise to the gradual
balancing process to which the solid crust of the earth is subject-a process which, in its turn, is
the result of stresses and disturbances due to the cooling and hardening, progressing from the
surface towards the centre, of the presumably molten or perhaps even gaseous matter of which the
earth’s interior seems to be composed. It appears that part of this interior is kept solid only by the
enormous pressure of the overlaying material, of which the mountains are the most vivid evidence:
and this explains the Qur’anic reference (in 78:7) to mountains as “pegs” (awtâd), i.e.,
symbols of the firmness and relative equilibrium which the surface of the earth has gradually
achieved in the course of its geological history. Notwithstanding the fact that this equilibrium is
not absolute (as is evidenced by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions), it is the solidity of the
earth’s crust-as contrasted with its possibly fluid but certainly very unstable interior-which
makes life on earth possible: and this, to my mind, is the meaning of the phrase “lest it sway with
you” (or “with them”) occurring in the above verse as well as in 21:31 and 31:10.
12 Lit., “they find their way". This passage rounds off the preceding description of God’s
favours to man by returning, in a subtle manner, to the theme introduced in verse 4 and alluded to,
indirectly, in the last sentence of verse 8 as well as in verse 14: namely, the consideration of man’s
intellectual potential-the greatest of all the gifts bestowed upon him by God. (See in this
connection note 5 above, as well as the allegory of the creation of man enunciated in 2:30-33.)

395
AN-NAIfL SÜRAH

Will you not, then, bethink yourselves?

(18) For, should you try to count God’s blessings,
you could never compute them!
Behold, God is indeed much-forgiving, a dispenser
of grace; (19) and God knows all that you keep secret
as well as all that you bring into the open.
(20) Now those beings that some people invoke13
beside God cannot create anything, since they them­ SjpX <$> Cj
selves are but created: (21) they are dead, not living,14
and they do not [even] know when they will be raised
from the dead! »X > X - >X.>X «tx » x .xr *•

(22) Your God is the One God: but because of their

false pride, the hearts of those who do not believe in
the life to come refuse to admit this [truth].15
(23) Truly, God knows all that they keep secret as ÙjJm ly f/s'i (J) i)jj£
well as all that they bring into the open - [and,] be­
hold, He does not love those who are given to ar­ jji I su (g)
rogance, (24) and [who], whenever they are asked,
“What is it that your Sustainer has bestowed from on
high?”-are wont to answer, “Fables of ancient J?- Zc-fr j*jy
times!”16
(25) Hence,17 on Resurrection Day they shall bear
the full weight of their own burdens, as well as some
of the burdens of those ignorant ones whom they û* fr**. &
have led astray:18 oh, how evil the load with which
($) (H-b f4*>»
they shall be burdened!
(26) Those who lived before them did, too, devise
many a blasphemy19-whereupon God visited with
destruction all that they had ever built,20 [striking] at
its very foundations, so that the roof fell in upon
them from above,21 and suffering befell them without

13 Lit., “those whom they invoke”: this refers-as is obvious from verse 21 below-to dead
saints invested by their followers with divine or semi-divine qualities.
14 Cf. 7:191-194.
15 I.e., they are too arrogant to accept the idea of man’s utter dependence on, and responsibility
to, a Supreme Being.
16 Sc., “and not divine revelations” (cf. 8:21).
17 The conjunction li prefixed to the verb yahmilä (“they shall carry”) has here obviously-as
pointed out by RäzT - the function of what the grammarians call a läm al-'Oqibah, indicating no
more than a causal sequence Çâqibah)’, it may be appropriately rendered by means of the
conjunctive particle “and” or-as in this context-by the adverb “hence”.
18 Lit., “those whom they are leading astray without knowledge” - i.e., without knowledge or
understanding on the letters’ part (ZamakhsharT).
19 Lit., “schemed" (makara); i.e., they blasphemed by describing the divine revelations as
“fables of ancient times” and by refusing to admit the truth of God’s existence or of His oneness and
uniqueness.
20 Lit., “their building" (see next note).
21 This is obviously a metaphor (RäzT) describing the utter collapse of all endeavours - both
individual and social-rooted in godiessness and false pride.
their having perceived whence it came.
(27) And then, on Resurrection Day, He will cover
them [all] with ignominy,22 and will say: “Where,
now, are those beings to whom you ascribed a share
in My divinity,23 [and] for whose sake you cut your­
selves off [from My guidance]?”24
[Whereupon] those who [in their lifetime] were
endowed with knowledge25 will say: “Verily, ig­ fzi f
nominy and misery [have fallen] this day upon those
who have been denying the truth -(28) those whom
the angels have gathered in death while they were still
sinning against themselves!”
Then will they [who are thus arraigned] proffer pj UTL jjLjf
their submission, [saying:] “We did not [mean to] do
any evil!”26
[But they will be answered:] “Yea, verily, God has
full knowledge of all that you were doing!27 (29)
Hence, enter the gates of hell, therein to abide!”
And evil, indeed, shall be the state of all who are t , I 4
given to false pride! j
(30) But [when] those who are conscious of God
are asked, “What is it that your Sustainer has be­ jj jac (T) jb

stowed from on high?”-they answer, “Goodness

supreme!”
Good fortune awaits, in this world, all who per­
severe in doing good;28 but their ultimate state will be
far better still: for, how excellent indeed will be the
state of the God-conscious [in the life to come]! (31)
Gardens of perpetual bliss will they enter - [gardens]
through which running waters flow-having therein
all that they might desire.

22 Le., finally and utterly-for, “only on the Day of Resurrection will you be requited in full for
whatever you have done” (3: 185). Since the pronoun “them” refers not only to the earlier sinners
mentioned parenthetically in the preceding verse but also to those spoken of in verses 22-25,1
have interpolated the word “all”.
23 Lit., “those [alleged] partners of Mine”. Regarding the Qur’anic use of the term shank (pl.
shurakä9) in connection with religious beliefs, see sürah 6, note 15.
24 Or: “you were wont to contend [against My guidance]”. See in this connection sürah 8,
note 16.
25 I.e., those who had availed themselves of the knowledge of good and evil which God offers to
mankind through His prophets.
26 Cf. 6:23 and the corresponding note, as well as 2:11.
27 Sc., “and He will judge you on the basis of your motivation”-implying that their plea of
ignorance is rejected in view of the fact that they were offered God’s guidance through His
revealed messages, which they deliberately scorned in their false pride and dismissed out of hand
as “fables of ancient times” (see verses 22-24 above).
28 This “good fortune” (hasanah) does not necessarily signify, in this context, material benefits
but refers, rather, to the spiritual satisfaction and the feeling of inner security resulting from
genuine God-consciousness.

397
 Thus will God reward those who are conscious of
Him-(32) those whom the angels gather in death
while they are in a state of inner purity, greeting them
thus: “Peace be upon you! Enter paradise by virtue
of what you were doing [in life]!”

(33) ARE THEY [who deny the truth] but waiting for the
angels to appear unto them, or for God’s judgment to "> ff t ff If \
become manifest?® > ($> ùjül- u tit
Even thus did behave those [stubborn sinners] who dL j (jL f—ùjjti
lived before their time; and [when they were des­
troyed,] it was not God who wronged them, but it was
they who had wronged themselves: (34) for all the
evil that they had done fell [back] upon them, and SX
they were overwhelmed by the very thing which they
had been wont to deride.29 30
(35) Now they who ascribe divinity to aught beside J ây »LSjJ Vx1
God say, “Had God so willed, we would not have
worshipped aught but Him - neither we nor our J-ä dU'jf
forefathers; nor would we have declared aught as
forbidden without a commandment from Him.”31 (5)& rtPù:WT
Even thus did speak those [sinners] who lived
before their time; but, then, are the apostles bound to
do more than clearly deliver the message [entrusted
to them]?32
(36) And indeed, within every community33 have
We raised up an apostle [entrusted with this mes­
sage]: “Worship God, and shun the powers of evil!”34

29 Lit., “for the angels to come to them, or for God’s judgment (amr) to come” - i.e., for the
Day of Resurrection. The full meaning of this passage is forthcoming from 6: 158, revealed at the
same period as the present sürah.
30 See 6:10 and the corresponding note. Similar phrases occur in many places in the Qur’än,
always with reference to a derision of divine messages and, particularly, of predictions relating to
God’s chastisement of reprobate sinners. As so often, the Qur’än points out here that this
“chastisement" or “suffering" Çadhâb) is but a natural, unavoidable consequence of deliberate
wrongdoing: hence, he who becomes guilty of it is, in reality, “doing wrong to himself" or “sinning
against himself" inasmuch as he destroys his own spiritual integrity and must subsequently suffer
for it.
31 Lit., “apart from Him". See in this connection 6:148 and the corresponding note 141. (The
arbitrary, unwarranted prohibitions and taboos alluded to in that verse as well as in the present one
are discussed in 6:136-153 and explained in my notes.) The derision of God’s messages by the
deniers of the truth is implied in their questioning His grant of free will to man - that is to say, the
ability to choose between right and wrong, which is the basis of all morality.
32 I.e., the apostles could not force anyone to make the right choice.
33 Or “at every period", since the term ummah has this significance as well. In its wider sense,
it may also be taken here to denote “civilization", thus comprising a human groupment as well as a
period of time.
34 For this rendering of the term af-fdghüt, see sürah 2, note 250. It is to be bor ic in mind that,
in Qur’anic terminology, “worship of God" invariably implies the concept of man’s sense of
responsibility before Him: hence, the above commandment comprises, in the most concise
formulation imaginable, the sum-total of all ethical injunctions and prohibitions, and is the basis

398
 16
THE BEE
And among those [past generations] were people
whom God graced with His guidance,35 just as there
was among them [many a one] who inevitably fell
prey to grievous error:36 go, then, about the earth and
behold what happened in the end to those who gave
the lie to the truth!
(37) [As for those who are bent on denying the
truth-] though thou be ever so eager to show them
the right way, [know that,] verily, God does not to
bestow His guidance upon any whom He judges to
have gone astray;37 and such shall have none to At <jp (^4* J
succour them [on Resurrection Day].
(38) As it is,38 they swear by God with their most ($) &H % & &&
solemn oaths, “Never will God raise from the dead
anyone who has died!”39
Yea indeed! [This very thing has God promised] by
a promise which He has willed upon Himself; but
most people know it not. (39) [He will resurrect them] V^f-r1 fty) M f-A
to the end that He might make clear unto them all
whereon they [now] hold divergent views,40 and that $ Jjt J (g) S-if

they who are bent on denying the truth [of resur­ VW* J« ÛÎjijt/u jjJÇ (g) J*
rection] might come to know that they were liars.
(40) Whenever We will anything to be. We but say
unto it Our word “Be”-and it is.

(41) NOW as for those who forsake the domain of evil41 in

the cause of God, after having suffered wrong [on
account of their faith] - We shall most certainly grant

and source of al! morality as well as the one unchanging message inherent in every true religion.
35 I.e., who availed themselves of the guidance offered by Him to all human beings.
36 Lit., “upon whom error came to be inevitably established (haqqa 'alayhi)" or “against whom
[a verdict of] error became inevitable”: i.e., one whose heart “God has sealed” in consequence of
his persistent, conscious refusal to submit to His guidance (see sürah 2, note 7, as well as sürah
14, note 4).
37 See preceding note; also 8:55 and the corresponding note 58.
38 Lit., “And”-but since this conjunction is obviously meant to elaborate the preceding
statement, it is best rendered as above.
39 This categorical denial of resurrection - implying as it does a denial of God’s ultimate
judgment of good and evil - is characteristic of a mental attitude which refuses to admit the
reality, or even possibility, of anything that lies beyond the range of man’s actual or potential
observation. Since such an attitude is an outcome of an intrinsically materialistic outlook on life
and the “false pride” referred to in verses 22-23 above, it is anti-religious in the deepest sense of
this word even if it is accompanied by a vague - because non-consequential - belief in the
existence of God.
40 I.e., in the first instance, the truth of resurrection and judgment as such, and, in general, the
final answers to all the metaphysical problems which perplex man during his life on earth.
41 For an explanation of this rendering of alladhina häjarü, see sürah 2, note 203, and sürah 4,
note 124. That the “forsaking of the domain of evil” has here a purely spiritual connotation is
obvious from its juxtaposition with the “denial of the truth” referred to in the preceding verses.

399
 AN-NAHL SÜRAH

them a station of good fortune in this world:42 but

their reward in the life to come will be far greater yet.
If they [who deny the truth] could but understand43
(42) those who, having attained to patience in ad­
versity, in their Sustainer place their trust!4445

(43) AND [even] before thy time, [O Muhammad,] We

never sent [as Our apostles] any but [mortal] men, ùjiTy*. fjjj bj*-*
whom We inspired:43 and if you have not [yet]
realized this, ask the followers of [earlier] revela­
tion,46 (44) [and they will tell you that their prophets, jjjfj c, ".Î.ÎL (J)
too, were but mortal men whom We had endowed]
with all evidence of the truth and with books of jA
divine wisdom.4748
And upon thee [too] have We bestowed from on Ji (J)

high this reminder, so that thou might make clear ki-*- «-«UaJT psjL j I f-TJ <->-4
unto mankind all that has ever been thus bestowed
upon them,46 and that they might take thought.
(45) Can, then, they who devise evil schemes4950 ever
feel sure that God will not cause the earth to swallow
them,30 or that suffering will not befall them without
their perceiving whence [it came]?-(46) or that He
will not take them to task [suddenly] in the midst of

42 See note 28 above.

43 The verb 'alima, which primarily denotes “he knew", has also the meaning of “he came to
know”, i.e., “he understood”; and since-as pointed out by BaghawT, ZamakhsharT and RâzT-the
pronoun “they” in the phrase law Icânû ya'lamün relates to the deniers of the truth spoken of in
the preceding passages, the rendering “if they could but understand” is here clearly indicated - the
more so as it provides a self-evident connection with the subsequent, objective clause.
44 I.e., if they could really understand the spiritual motivation of the believers, they (the deniers
of the truth) would themselves begin to believe.
45 This passage has a double purport: firstly, it connects with the statement enunciated in verse
36 to the effect that God’s apostles have appeared, at one time or another, within every
civilization, and that, consequently, no substantial human groupment has ever been left without
divine guidance; secondly, it answers the objection frequently raised by unbelievers that
Muhammad could not be God’s message-bearer since he was “a mere mortal man”. (As regards
the Qur’anic doctrine that no created being, not even a prophet, has ever been endowed with
“supernatural” powers or qualities, see 6:50 and 7:188, as well as the notes relating to those
verses; also note 94 on 6:109.)
46 Lit., “reminder" - because every divine message is meant to remind one of the truth. The
people to be asked for enlightenment in this respect are apparently the Jews and the Christians
(TabarT, ZamakhsharT).
47 The above sentence is addressed, parenthetically, to all who question the divine origin of the
Qur’än on the grounds mentioned in note 45 above. For an explanation of the term zubur (“books
of divine wisdom”), see sürah 21, note 101.
48 Sc., “through revelation" - implying that moral values are independent of all time-bound
changes and must, therefore, be regarded as permanent.
49 To my mind, by “evil schemes" are meant here systems of God-denying philosophy and of
perverted morality.
50 I.e., destroy them utterly.
 16 THE BEE

their comings and goings/1 without their being able to

elude [Him], (47) or take them to task through slow
52
decay?51
And yet, behold, your Sustainer is most com­
passionate, a dispenser of grace!53

(48) HAVE, THEN, they [who deny the truth] never » /z X **X £ —X X«y X // X »/<XX^
considered any of the things that God has created54- (•-•J Cf ,421t
[how] their shadows turn right and left, prostrating y*jVïjU, o’y—IÎ jU J*-» âj (J)
themselves before God and utterly submissive [to His
will]?55
(J) lT
(49) For, before God prostrates itself all that is in
the heavens and all that is on earth-every beast that j (£) t QjUL > à» fr.J
moves, and the angels:56 [even] these do not bear
themselves with false pride: (50) they fear their Sus­
tainer high above them, and do whatever they are oSOt j u x 0
bidden to do.57
(51) And God has said: “Do not take to worship­
ping two [or more] deities.58 He is the One and Only
God: hence, of Me, of Me alone stand in awe!”59

51 I.e., in the midst of their habitual occupations. My interpolation of the word “suddenly” is
warranted by the reference, in the next verse, to the alternative of gradual decay.
52 One of the meanings of takhawwuf is “gradual diminution” or “decay” or “slow destruc­
tion” (Lisân al-*Arab, art. khawafa-, thus also Tabari and ZamakhsharT); in the above context, the
term has obviously both a social and a moral connotation: a gradual disintegration of all ethical
values, of power, of civic cohesion, of happiness and, finally, of life itself.
53 Sc., “seeing that He offers you guidance through His prophets, and gives you time to reflect
and mend your ways before you do irreparable harm to yourselves”.
54 In view of the separate mention, in the next verse, of animals and angels, the “things"
referred to here apparently denote inanimate objects and perhaps also living organisms like plants.
55 Lit., “and they are utterly lowly” or “submissive”. The “prostration” referred to in this and
the next verse is obviously a symbolism expressing the intrinsic subjection of all created beings
and things to God’s will. See also 13:15 and the corresponding notes 33 and 34.
56 I.e., the lowest as well as the highest. The term dâbbah denotes any sentient, corporeal being
capable of spontaneous movement, and is contrasted here with the non-corporeal, spiritual beings
designated as “angels” (RäzT).
57 I.e., they must, by virtue of their nature, obey the impulses implanted in them by God and
are, therefore, incapable of what is described as “sinning”. Man, however, is fundamentally
different in this respect. In contrast with the natural sinlessness of “every beast that moves, and
the angels”, man is endowed with free will in the moral sense of this term: he can choose between
right and wrong - and therefore he can, and often does, sin. But even while he sins he is subject to
the universal law of cause and effect instituted by God and referred to in the Qur’än as sunnat
Allah ("God’s way”): hence the Qur’anic statement that “before God prostrate themselves,
willingly or unwillingly, all [things and beings] that are in the heavens and on earth” (13:15).
58 The double dual in ilähayn ithnayn (“two deities”) serves to emphasize the prohibition of
worshipping “more than one deity” - i.e., anything but the One God.
59 This is a striking example of the fluctuation to which personal pronouns are subjected in the
Qur’än whenever they refer to God. As already pointed out in my Foreword, note 2, as well as in
other places, such abrupt changes of pronoun (“He”, “I”, “We”, “Us”, “Me”, etc.) indicate that
God is limitless and, therefore, beyond the range of definition implied in the use of “personal"
pronouns.

401
 (52) And His is all that is in the heavens and on
earth, and to Him [alone] obedience is always due:
will you, then, pay reverence to aught but Him?
(53) For, whatever good thing comes to you, comes
from God; and whenever harm befalls you, it is unto
Him that you cry for help60-(54) yet as soon as He
has removed the harm from you, lo! some of you
[begin to] ascribe to other powers a share in their
Sustainer’s divinity,61 (55) [as if] to prove their in­
gratitude for all that We have granted them!
Enjoy, then, your [brief] life: but in time you will S'4- J?
come to know [the truth]! Ar-*
(56) As it is, they ascribe - out of what We provide
for them as sustenance - a share unto things of which Cz (g) ùjJjùJ
they know nothing.62
By God, you shall most certainly be called to
account for all your false imagery!
z4 <$> QÄL (Uj â
(57) And [thus, too,] they ascribe daughters unto
God, who is limitless in His glory63 - whereas for
themselves [they would choose, if they could, only]
what they desire:6465(58) for, whenever any of them is
given the glad tiding of [the birth of] a girl,63 his face
darkens, and he is filled with suppressed anger, (59)
avoiding all people because of the [alleged] evil of the
glad tiding which he has received, [and debating
within himself:] Shall he keep this [child] despite the
contempt [which he feels for it] - or shall he bury it in

60 Cf. 6:40-41.
61 Lit., “associate [other powers] with their Sustainer”: i.e., by attributing the change in their
“luck” to what they regard as “extraneous” factors and influences, they invest the latter, as it
were, with divine qualities and powers.
62 According to most of the classical commentators, this relates to the custom of the pagan
Arabs - mentioned in 6:136 - to dedicate a part of their agricultural produce and cattle to their
deities; and because those deities were mere figments of imagination, they are described here as
“things of which they know nothing”. However, as I have pointed out in note 120 on 6:136, the
above statement bears a much wider, more general meaning: it connects directly with the three
preceding verses of this sürah - namely, with the attribution of a share (nafib) in God’s
creativeness-and thus of a decisive influence on one’s life-to “causes” or “powers” other than
Him. This view has also been advanced by RäzT (with a specific reference to astrological
speculations) in the concluding sentence of his commentary on the above verse.
63 -The pre-Islamic Arabs believed that the goddesses Al-Lät, Al-'Uzzä and Manät (see note 13
on 53:19-20), as well as the angels, whom they conceived as females, were “God’s daughters”. As
against this, the Qur’ân states that God is utterly remote from every imperfection (subhänahu),
complete in Himself, and therefore free from the incompleteness inherent in the concept of
“progeny" as an extension of one’s own being (cf. 6:100 and the corresponding notes 87 and
88).-This parenthetic passage, comprising verses 57-59, is explained in note 66 below.
64 Namely, only male issue, because the pre-Islamic Arabs regarded daughters as no more than
a necessary evil.
65 I.e., a tiding that should have been regarded as a happy one, since the sex of the child ought
to make no difference to parental love.
 16
THE BEE

the dust? Oh, evil indeed is whatever they decide!*6

(60) [Thus it is that] the attribute of evil applies to
all who do not believe in the life to come66 67 - whereas
unto God applies the attribute of all that is most
(J)üjL 4L. ’ill
sublime: for He alone is almighty, truly wise!
(61) Now if God were to take men [immediately] to
task for all the evil that they do [on earth], He would
not leave a single living creature upon its face.
However, He grants them respite until a term set [by fi
Him]:68 but when the end of their term approaches,
they can neither delay it by a single moment, nor can *l3j[/0su7^LI4LIj^
they hasten it.69
(62) As it is, they ascribe to God something that ùl ** * QAXj
they [themselves] dislike70-and [all the while] their
tongues utter the lie that [by doing so] they earn
supreme merit!71
Truly, they earn but the fire, and will be left out [of
God's grace]!72

66 Le., either of these alternatives is evil: to keep the child as an object of perpetual contempt,
or to bury it alive, as was frequently done by the pagan Arabs. - This passage, containing as it does
an utter condemnation of men’s attitude towards women in pre-lslamic Arabia, has - as is always
the case with Qur’anic references to historical events or customs - a meaning that goes far beyond
this specific social phenomenon and the resulting infanticide. It would seem that the pivotal point
of the whole passage is the sentence, “for themselves [they would choose, if they could, only]
what they desire”: that is to say, while they are only too ready to associate with God ideas which
are repugnant to themselves (for instance, female progeny, which they themselves despise), they are
unwilling to accept the concept of man’s ultimate responsibility to Him, because such a concept
militates against their own hedonistic inclinations by obliging them to impose a moral discipline on
themselves. And because they rebel against the idea of ultimate moral responsibility, they
instinctively reject the idea of resurrection and of life after bodily death; and since they deny, by
implication, God’s power to resurrect the dead, they deny His omnipotence and, consequently,
begin to “ascribe divinity" - i.e., a genuinely causative function-to all manner of imaginary
forces, beings or influences: and so, by means of a parenthetic reference to pre-lslamic Arabian
beliefs and customs, the discourse returns full circle to the concept of God’s oneness, uniqueness
and omnipotence, around which the whole of the Qur’än revolves.
67 I.e., inasmuch as they deny, by implication, man’s ultimate responsibility before God.
According to ZamakhsharT and RäzT, the term mathal (lit., "example" or "parable") has here and
in the next clause the connotation of fifah ("attribute").
68 Or: “known [only to Him]"-i.e., the period of their lives on earth, during which they may
reflect and repent.
69 For my rendering of sä'ah as “a single moment”, see sürah 7, note 26.
70 I.e., "daughters” (see verses 57-59 above): but this alludes also, as ZamakhsharT points out,
to the association with God of imaginary beings which allegedly have a share in His power and
thus nullify the concept of His uniqueness: in other words, while the people spoken of here would
hate to see their own legitimate spheres of influence encroached upon and curtailed by rivals, they
do not extend the same consideration to their idea of God.
71 Lit., "that theirs is the supreme good (al-husnä)"~i.e., in the sight of God-because they
regard their own religious or anti-religious views, in spite of their absurdity, as good and true. This
interpretation of al-husnä in the above context (mentioned, among others, by ZamakhsharT and
RäzT) connects logically with the statement in the next verse that "Satan had made their own
doings seem goodly to them”.
72 Lit., "theirs [or “their portion”] will be the fire, and they will be abandoned".

403
 (63) By God, [O Prophet,] even before thy time
have We sent apostles unto [various] communities:
but [those who were bent on denying the truth have
always refused to listen to Our messages because]
Satan has made all their own doings seem goodly to
them: and he is [as] close to them today73 [as he was
to the sinners of yore]; hence, grievous suffering
awaits them.
(64) And upon thee [too] have We bestowed from
on high this divine writ for no other reason than that
LJ/I Lj (g) pgjfpcbjp
thou might make clear unto them all [questions of
faith] on which they have come to hold divergent
views, and [thus offer] guidance and grace unto peo­
ple who will believe. 4L »L—J I ub <$)

«Iffic u*jVî*
(65) AND GOD sends down water from the skies, giving
life thereby to the earth after it had been lifeless:74 in ($)□,-Lu
this, behold, there is a message indeed for people who
[are willing to] listen. L» L LaJL L_J ■ ùk «/* * 3
(66) And, behold, in the cattle [too] there is indeed
a lesson for you: We give you to drink of that [fluid]
which is [secreted from] within their bellies between
that which is to be eliminated [from the animal’s
body] and [its] life-blood: milk pure and pleasant to j' £ Jl A j
those who drink it.75
(67) And [We grant you nourishment] from the fruit
of date-palms and vines: from it you derive intoxi­
cants as well as wholesome sustenance - in this, be­
hold, there is a message indeed for people who use
their reason!76
(68) And [consider how] thy Sustainer has inspired
the bee:77 “Prepare for thyself dwellings in mountains
73 Or: “He is their patron [or “master”] today”. It should be borne in mind that the noun watt
is derived from the verb waliya, which primarily signifies “he was [or “became”] close [or “near",
i.e., to someone or something]”. It is in this sense that the term waft is used in the Qur’än with
reference to God’s nearness to the believers (e.g., in 2 : 257 or 3:68), or their nearness to God (see
10:62 and the corresponding note 84). Similarly, the “powers of evil” (at-lâghût) arc spoken of in
2 : 257 as being “near unto those who are bent on denying the truth (alladhîna kafarû)".
74 As so often in the Qur’än, a reference to the spiritual life engendered by divine revelation is
followed here by a reference to the miracle of organic life as another indication of God’s creative
activity.
75 Milk - in itself a glandular secretion - is not necessary for the mother-animal’s life (or, as it is
here metonymically described, its “blood”); on the other hand, it is not just something that the
body eliminates as being of no further use to its metabolism: hence it is referred to as a substance
“between that which is to be eliminated [from the animal’s body] and [its] life-blood”.
76 The term sakar (lit., “wine” or, generically, “intoxicants”) is contrasted here with rizq hasan
(“wholesome sustenance”), thus circumscribing both the positive and the negative properties and
effects of alcohol. Although this sürah was revealed about ten years before the Qur’anic
prohibition of intoxicants in 5 :90-91, there is no doubt that their moral condemnation is already
implied in the above verse (Ibn 'Abbäs, as quoted by JabarT; also RäzT).
77 The expression “He has inspired” (awhd) is meant to bring out the wonderful quality of the
 16
THE BEE
and in trees, and in what [men] may build [for thee by
way of hives]; (69) and then eat of all manner of fruit,
and follow humbly the paths ordained for thee by thy
Sustainer.”78
[And Io!] there issues from within these [bees] a
fluid of many hues, wherein there is health for man.
In al! this, behold, there is a message indeed for
people who think!
yZi fui 4ft*
(70) AND GOD has created you, and in time will cause
you to die; and many a one of you is reduced in old
age to a most abject state, ceasing to know anything aJu JSjl 31 ü*
of what he once knew so well.79
Verily, God is all-knowing, infinite in His power! J-«* (£) Z-1*
(71) And on some of you God has bestowed more
abundant means of sustenance than on others: and
yet, they who are more abundantly favoured are
[often] unwilling to share their sustenance with those
whom their right hands possess, so that they [al!] ‘»beg)
might be equal in this respect.80 Will they, then, God’s
blessings [thus] deny?
(72) And God has given you mates of your own
kind81 and has given you, through your mates.

instinct which enables the lowly insect to construct the geometrical masterpiece of a honeycomb
out of perfectly-proportioned hexagonal, prismatic wax cells - a structure which is most economi­
cal, and therefore most rational, as regards space and material. Together with the subsequently
mentioned transmutation, in the bee’s body, of plant juices into honey, this provides a striking
evidence of “God’s ways” manifested in all nature.
78 Lit., “thy Sustainer’s paths”.
79 Lit., “is reduced to a most abject age, so that he knows nothing after [having had]
knowledge”: alluding to the organic curve of man’s growth, his acquisition of bodily strength,
intelligence and experience, followed by gradual decay and, in some cases, the utter helplessness
of senility, comparable to the helplessness of a new-born child.
80 The phrase “to share their sustenance with..etc., reads, literally, “to turn over then-
sustenance to”. The expression “those whom their right hands possess” (i.e., “those whom they
rightfully possess”) may relate either to slaves taken captive in a war in God’s cause (see sürah 2,
notes 167 and 168, and sürah 8, note 72) or, metonymically. to all who are dependent on others for
their livelihood and thus become the latters’ responsibility. The placing of one’s dependants on an
equal footing with oneself with regard to the basic necessities of life is a categorical demand of
Islam; thus, the Prophet said: “They are your brethren, these dependants of yours (khawalukum)
whom God has placed under your authority [lit., “under your hand”]. Hence, whoso has his
brother under his authority shall give him to eat of what he eats himself, and shall clothe him with
what he clothes himself. And do not burden them with anything that may be beyond their strength;
but if you [must] burden them, help them yourselves.” (This authentic Tradition, recorded by
Bukhari in several variants in his $ahih, appears in the compilations of Muslim, TirmidhI and Ibn
flanbal as well.) However, men often fail to live up to this consciousness of moral responsibility:
and this failure amounts, as the sequence shows, to a denial of God's blessings and of His
unceasing care for all His creatures.
81 Lit., “has made [or “provided”] for you mates out of yourselves”. The term zawj denotes
not only “a pair” or “a couple” but also-as in this instance-“one of a pair” or “a mate” of the
opposite sex; hence, with reference to human beings, the plural azwäj signifies both “husbands”
and “wives”.

405
children and children’s children, and has provided for
you sustenance out of the good things of life.
Will men,” then, [continue to] believe in things
false and vain, and thus blaspheme against God’s
blessings? - (73) and will they [continue to] worship,
instead of God, something that has it not within its
power to provide for them any sustenance whatever
83 and can do nothing at
from the heavens or the earth,82
(£) C ûy-p.
all?
(74) Hence, do not coin any similitudes for God!84
Verily, God knows [all], whereas you have no [real]
A IgjJw ($)
knowledge.
(75) God propounds [to you] the parable of [two
* ($)Qp*» y
men -] a man enslaved, unable to do anything of his
own accord, and a [free] man upon whom We have
bestowed goodly sustenance [as a gift] from Our­
selves, so that he can spend thereof [at will, both] xHî jyU. J*
secretly and openly. Can these [two] be deemed
ûPrj ($) OP**. j* *
equal?85
All praise is due to God [alone]: but most of them J* J* y**.^^*
do not understand it.
(76) And God propounds [to you] the parable of z iv-*. J*
two [other] men-one of them dumb,86 unable to do
anything of his own accord, and a sheer burden on his
master: to whichever task the latter directs him,87 he
accomplishes no good. Can such a one be considered
the equal of [a wise man] who enjoins the doing of
what is right and himself follows a straight way?88

82 Lit., “they", i.e., those who deny the truth of God's existence and/or oneness.
83 For the comprehensive meaning embodied in the term rizq, see the first sentence of note 4 on
2:3.
84 I.e., “do not blaspheme against God by regarding anyone or anything as comparable with
Him, or by trying to define Him in any terms whatsoever” - since “definition” is, in the last resort,
equivalent to a delimitation of the qualities of the object thus to be defined in relation to, or in
comparison with, another object or objects: God, however, is “sublimely exalted above anything
that men may devise by way of definition” (see last sentence of 6: 100, and the corresponding note
88).
85 The obvious answer is that they cannot. The implication is equally clear: if even these two
kinds of man cannot be deemed equal, how could any created being, with its intrinsic, utter
dependence on other created beings, or any force of nature conceivable or imaginable by man, be
thought of as possessing powers comparable with those of God, who is almighty, limitless,
unconceivable - the self-sufficient fount of all that exists? (This argument is continued and further
elaborated in the subsequent parable.)
86 The term abkam signifies “dumb” both in the literal, physiological sense and (as in colloquial
English) in the sense of being “unable to speak properly” on account of intellectual weakness: i.e.,
“dull-witted" or “stupid". Both these meanings are contained in the above Qur’anic description.
87 Or: “wherever he sends him”.
88 I.e., who is not only wise and righteous but also has the strength and authority to enjoin a
righteous way of living upon others. Thus, while in the first parable the main issue is the contrast
between freedom and bondage or - more generally - between dependence and independence, in the
second parable we are given the antithesis of dumbness and incompetence, on the one hand, and
16
THE BEE
(77) And89 God’s [alone] is the knowledge of the
hidden reality of the heavens and the earth.90 And so,
the advent of the Last Hour will but manifest itself
[in a single moment,] like the twinkling of an eye, or
closer still:91 for, behold, God has the power to will
anything.
(78) And God has brought you forth from your
mothers’ wombs knowing nothing-but He has en­
dowed you with hearing, and sight, and minds, so that
you might have cause to be grateful.
(79) Have, then, they [who deny the truth] never bz j> <s> SwLfri;
considered the birds, enabled [by God] to fly in
mid-air,92 with none but God holding them aloft? In
this, behold, there are messages indeed for people
who will believe! ùy ($> oAk
(80) And God has given you [the ability to build]
your houses as places of rest, and has endowed you J-w
with [the skill to make] dwellings out of the skins of
animals93-easy for you to handle when you travel
and when you camp - and [to make] furnishings and J-A-
goods for temporary use of their [rough] wool and
their soft, furry wool9495and their hair.
(81) And among the many objects of His creation,93
God has appointed for you [various] means of
protection:96 thus, He has given you in the mountains
places of shelter, and has endowed you with [the

wisdom, justice and competence, on the other; and in both parables the implication is the same
(see note 85 above).
89 This passage connects with the second sentence of verse 74 - “Verily, God knows [all],
whereas you have no [real] knowledge.”
90 As may be inferred from the sequence, the term ghayb - rendered here as the “hidden
reality” - alludes in this context to the coming of the Last Hour, the time whereof is known to God
alone (ZamakhsharT). Parallel with this, it may also relate to God’s Own existence, which cannot
be directly established by the testimony of our senses (Baydâwï) but, as the Qur’än consistently
points out, may be inferred from the observable effects of His creativeness.
91 Lit., “the case [i.e., the manifestation] of the [Last] Hour will be like...”, etc. - implying that
it will be characterized by utter suddenness and unpredictability, both of them an outcome of the
absence of any time-interval between God's decreeing it and its materialization: and this explains
the phrase “or closer still” at the end of the above sentence.
92 Lit., “subservient [to God’s laws] in the air of the sky”.
93 The term julüd (sing. jiM) denotes, literally, “skins”, but apparently comprises here also the
wool which grows on the skins of domesticated animals. It is to be noted that in Arabian usage the
noun bayt (“house”) signifies not only a solid building but also a “tent”-in brief, every kind of
dwelling, whether permanent or temporary.
94 Wabar (here given in its plural, awbdr) is the soft wool growing on the shoulders of camels
(“camel-hair”), used in the weaving of fine cloths and sometimes also of bedouin tents.
95 Lit., “out of that which He has created”.
96 Lit., “shades (?itô/. sing. fill). Metonymically, this term is occasionally used to describe
anything that “shades” one in the sense of protecting him; and since the sequence clearly refers to
means of protection, I believe that this derivative meaning of fildl is here preferable to the literal.

407
 ability to make] garments to protect you from heat
[and cold],9798
as well as such garments as might protect
99
you from your [mutual] violence.”
In this way does He bestow the full measure of His
blessings on you, so that you might surrender your­
selves unto Him.

(82) BUT IF they turn away [from thee, O Prophet,

remember that] thy only duty is a clear delivery of
the message [entrusted to thee]. (83) They [who turn
away from it] are fully aware of God’s blessings, but
none the less they refuse to acknowledge them [as Ipj»
such], since most of them are given to denying the
f 4*1 C—-j <jp/K £lpt »IM*
truth.”
(84) But one Day We shall raise up a witness out of ,4^
every community,100 whereupon they who were bent
on denying the truth will not be allowed to plead
[ignorance],101 and neither will they be allowed to
make amends.
(85) And when they who were bent on evildoing ipu f—I//-' a^i ®
behold the suffering [that awaits them, they will
realize that] it will not be lightened for them [by
virtue of their pleading]; and neither will they be
granted respite.
(86) And when they who were wont to ascribe
divinity to beings other than God behold [on
Judgment Day] those beings to whom they were wont
to ascribe a share in His divinity,102 they will exclaim:
“O our Sustainer! These are the beings to whom we

97 According to almost all the classical commentators, the mention of “heat” implies here its
opposite as well, namely “cold”; hence my interpolation.
98 According to most of the commentators, the second incidence of the term “garments”
(sarâbïl) in this verse is to be understood as “coats of mail” or “armour”, in which case it would
allude to wars and other instances of mutual violence. But although this interpretation cannot be
ruled out, it seems to me that the second mention of “garments” can be understood in a much
wider sense, perhaps metonymically denoting all manner of “coverings” (i.e., devices meant to
protect the body) which man may be constrained to use in dangerous situations of his own making:
hence the stress on “your violence” (ba'sakum).
99 I.e., although they are aware of the many blessings which man enjoys, they refuse to
attribute them to God’s creative activity, thus implicitly denying the truth of His existence. My
rendering of al-kâfirün as “[such as] are given to denying the truth” is conditioned by the definite
article al which, in the above construction, is meant to stress the quality of deliberate intent.
100 An allusion to the Day of Judgment, when the prophets whom God has called forth within
every community - or, in the wider sense of the term ummah, within every civilization or cultural
period-will symbolically bear witness to the fact that they had delivered God's message to their
people and explained to them the meaning of right and wrong, thus depriving them of any
subsequent excuse.
101 According to ZamakhsharT, their being “refused permission” to plead is a metonym for
their having no valid argument or excuse to proffer. (Cf. also 77 :35-36.)
102 Cf. 6:22 and the corresponding note 15.
 16
THE BEE

ascribed a share in Thy divinity, and whom we were

wont to invoke instead of Thee!”“0-whereupon
[those beings] will fling at them the retort: “Behold,
you have indeed been lying [to yourselves] !”,0<
(87) And on that Day will they [who had thus been
ù; V3^-/ Ci j
sinning, belatedly] proffer their surrender to God; and
all their false imagery will have forsaken them.
(88) Upon all who were bent on denying the truth
JI JjiÏÏ (►-ÇüS
and who turned others away from the path of God f-r* Jij 7^^ #•*■**•
will We heap suffering upon suffering in return for all
the corruption that they wrought: (89) for one Day Lli Vv, (2^1
We shall raise up within every community a witness
ci fxj ($) ùjj—«1 iji ITU tiji
against them from among themselves.103 104
105
And thee [too, O Prophet,] have We brought forth
to bear witness regarding those [whom thy message
may have reached],106 inasmuch as We have bestowed QsJ Jf
from on high upon thee, step by step, this divine writ,
to make everything clear,107108and to provide guidance ✓k 4 • ($> <z4—
and grace and a glad tiding unto all who have sur­
Cf èrrl J □iP J
rendered themselves to God.

(90) BEHOLD, God enjoins justice, and the doing of

good, and generosity towards [one's] fellow-men;“*
and He forbids all that is shameful and all that runs
counter to reason,109 as well as envy; [and] He ex-

103 The Qur’an states in many places that every sinner who dies without repentance will be
endowed on Judgment Day with a clear, objectified vision of his sins, every one of which will have
assumed for him the status of an independent reality bearing witness against him and forcing him
to acknowledge his now irremediable guilt. It is to be remembered in this connection that the
Qur’än describes every act of sinning - whether it be an offence against the concept of God’s
oneness and uniqueness or a wrong done to any of His creatures - as, primarily, one’s “wronging
oneself" or “sinning against oneself”.
104 Cf. 6 : 23-24 and the corresponding notes 16 and 17.
105 See note 100 above.
106 Although the Arabian contemporaries of the Prophet were, naturally, the first to whom his
revelation was conveyed-a fact that gave a particular weight to the manner in which they
responded to it-the Qur’anic message as such is addressed to all mankind (see in this connection,
in particular, 7:158 and 21:107, as well as the corresponding notes).
107 Le., everything that pertains to the knowledge of good and evil, in both the individual and
social senses of these terms. - Regarding my rendering of nazzalnd, it should be borne in mind that
this particular grammatical form is often used in the Qur’fin to bring out the fact that it was
revealed gradually (“step by step”) over a considerable period of time, and not in one piece.
108 Lit., “the giving to [one’s] kinsfolk (dhu 'l-qurbä)". The latter term usually denotes
“relatives", either by blood or by marriage; but since it occurs here in the context of a
comprehensive ethical exhortation, it obviously alludes to man’s “kinsfolk” in the widest sense of
the term, namely, to his “fellow-men”.
109 The term al-munkar (rendered by me in other places as “that which is wrong”) has here its
original meaning of “that which the mind [or the moral sense] rejects”, respectively “ought to
reject”. ZamaksharT is more specific, and expiais this term as signifying in the above context “that
which [men’s] intellects disown” or “declare to be untrue" (md tunkiruhu ai-'uqül): in other
words, all that runs counter to reason and good sense (which, obviously, must not be confused

409
horts you [repeatedly] so that you might bear [all this]
in mind.
(91) And be true to your bond with God whenever
you bind yourselves by a pledge,*110 and do not break
[your] oaths after having [freely] confirmed them111
x, ?4^
and having called upon God to be witness to your
good faith:112 behold, God knows all that you do.
(92) Hence, be not like her who breaks and com­
pletely untwists the yarn which she [herself] has spun Xj ($) ùU
and made strong-[be not like this by] using your
oaths as a means of deceiving one another,113 simply ùl ùjjjft LxJCjI « Xw
because some of you may be more powerful than
others.114
By all this, God but puts you to a test-and [He
does it] so that on Resurrection Day He might make
clear unto you all that on which you were wont to
differ.115 (93) For, had God so willed, He could surely
have made you all one single community;116 however,
He lets go astray him that wills [to go astray], and
guides aright him that wills [to be guided];117 and you
will surely be called to account for all that you ever
did!118

with that which is beyond man’s comprehension). This eminently convincing explanation relates
not merely to intellectually unacceptable propositions (in the abstract sense of the term) but also to
grossly unreasonable and, therefore, reprehensible actions or attitudes and is, thus, fully in tune
with the rational approach of the Qur’än to questions of ethics as well as with its insistence on
reasonableness and moderation in man’s behaviour. Hence my rendering of al-munkar, in this and
in similar instances, as “all that runs counter to reason*’.
110 Regarding the expression “bond with God” ('ahd Allah), see sürah 2, note 19. The clause
“whenever you bind yourselves by a pledge” has a twofold meaning: in the first instance (as in
13:20) it refers to the spiritual, moral and social obligations arising from one’s faith in God; and,
secondly, it applies to all pledges or promises given by one person to another - for, as Râzï points
out, every pledge given by man to man represents, in its essence, a pledge to God. It is to this
second aspect of man’s “bond with God” that the sequence refers.
Ill I.e., as distinct from oaths “uttered without thought” (see 2 : 225).
112 Lit., “and having made God [or “named God as”] your guarantor (kafil)".
113 Lit., “as a [means of] deception (dakhalan) among yourselves”.
114 Lit., “because there are people (ummah) more powerful than [other] people”: relating to
declarations and false promises made out of fear.
115 As is evident from the preceding passage as well as from the sequence, the differences
alluded to here relate to ethical and moral values, regarding the truth and relevance of which
people of various communities and persuasions hold most divergent views. See also siirah 2, note
94.
116 I.e., bound by mutually agreed-upon moral values. See in this connection 10:19 and the
corresponding notes, especially note 29. For an elucidation of the concept of ummah wähidah
(“one single community”) and its further implications, see sürah 2, notes 197 and 198.
117 Or: “He lets go astray whomever He wills, and guides aright whomever He wills”.
Regarding the problem of free will versus predestination, seemingly implied in the concept of
God’s “letting man go [or “causing him to go”] astray” or, alternatively, “guiding him aright”, see
sürah 14, note 4. >
118 Alluding to the erroneous idea that man’s good or evil actions-and therefore also his

410
 16
THE BEE
(94) And do not use your oaths as a means of
deceiving one another-or else [your] foot will slip
after having been firm,"’ and then you will have to
120 of your having turned
taste the evil [consequences]119
away from the path of God, with tremendous suf­
fering awaiting you [in the life to come]. J&J
(95) Hence, do not barter away your bond with God
for a trifling gain!
Verily, that which is with God is by far the best for (J,
you, if you but knew it: (96) all that is with you is
bound to come to an end, whereas that which is with
God is everlasting.
And most certainly shall We grant unto those who bj»* -t* U,
are patient in adversity their reward in accordance
with the best that they ever did.
(97) As for anyone - be it man or woman - who (AA1
does righteous deeds, and is a believer withal - him
shall We most certainly cause to live a good life;121 jaÂA lij» (J) üjLm IjilTL
and most certainly shall We grant unto such as these
their reward in accordance with the best that they
ever did.

(98) NOW whenever thou happen to read this Qur’än,

seek refuge with God from Satan, the accursed.122
(99) Behold, he has no power over those who have
attained to faith and in their Sustainer place their

propensities and resulting attitudes - are “predetermined" by God and not really an outcome of
free choice, ZamakhsharT rounds off his views on this problem (quoted by me in sürah 14, note 4)
in these words: “If [it were true that] God compels [men] to astray or, alternatively, to follow His
guidance-why should He have postulated their deeds as something for which they will be held
responsible?“
119 I.e., “you will offend against God after having attained to faith“, seeing that-as has been
pointed out in note 110 above - every pledge given by man to man is synonymous with a pledge to
God.
120 I.e., in this world (TabarT, ZamakhsharT, BaydäwT), inasmuch as the breaking of pledges
unavoidably leads to a gradual disappearance of all mutual trust and, thus, to the decomposition of
the social fabric.
121 This may relate either to life in this world - inasmuch as a true believer invariably finds
happiness in his God-consciousness-or to the happiness which awaits him in the hereafter, or to
both.
122 The present passage (verses 98-105) evidently connects with the broad ethical exhortation
given in verse 90 above and, thus, with the statement (in verse 89) that the Qur’än is meant “to
make everything clear and to provide guidance and grace and a glad tiding unto all who have
surrendered themselves to God”-which, in its turn, implies that the Qur’än is the ultimate source
of all God-willed ethical and moral values, and thus an unchanging criterion of good and evil. But
since man is always, by virtue of his nature, prone to question the very validity of the moral
standards established through revelation, the believer is now called upon to seek, whenever he
reads or meditates on this divine writ, God’s spiritual aid against the whisperings of what the
Qur’än describes as “Satan, the accursed” - that is, all the evil forces, both within man’s own soul
and within his social environment, which tend to undermine his moral convictions and to lead him
away from God.

411
AN-NAHL SÜRAH

trust: (100) he has power only over those who are

willing to follow him,123 and who [thus] ascribe to him
a share in God’s divinity.124
(101) And now that We replace one message by
another12* - since God is fully aware of what He be­
stows from on high, step by step126-they [who deny
the truth] are wont to say, “Thou but inventest it!”
Nay, but most of them do not understand it!127
(102) Say: “Holy inspiration128 has brought it down '% Ji' 0 i
from thy Sustainer by stages, setting forth the truth,
so that it might give firmness unto those who have
attained to faith, and provide guidance and a glad
tiding unto all who have surrendered themselves to Su %
God.”
(103) And, indeed, full well do We know that they 0 C5-* JJ* ùû 'x*j
say, “It is but a human being that imparts [all] this to
him!”129-[notwithstanding that] the tongue of him to
whom they so maliciously point is wholly outland­
ish,130 whereas this is Arabic speech, clear [in itself]
and clearly showing the truth [of its source].131

123 Or: “who make him their master”. Cf. in this connection 14:22 and the corresponding
note 31.
124 I.e., inasmuch as they pay an almost worshipful reverence to such blandishments as wealth,
power, social position, etc.
125 I.e., by substituting the message of the Qur’än for the earlier dispensations-and not, as
some Muslim scholars maintain, “abrogating" one Qur’anic verse and replacing it by another.
(Regarding the untenable “doctrine of abrogation", in the latter sense, see 2:106 and the
corresponding note 87; see also note 35 on 41:42.)
126 I.e., the gradualness of revelation (implied in the verbal form yunazzil) corresponds to
God’s plan, according to which He has gradually unfolded His will to man, substituting one
dispensation for another in the measure of mankind’s intellectual and social development, bringing
it to its culmination in the message of the Qur’an.
127 I.e., they do not understand the necessity of a new dispensation and, therefore, do not really
understand the Qur’än.
128 As in the three other places in which the expression rüh al-qudus occurs (2:87 and 253,
and 5 :110), I am rendering it here, too, as "holy inspiration" (see sürah 2, note 71), a term which,
to my mind, is a Qur’anic synonym for “divine revelation". However, a literal rendering-“spirit
of holiness"-is also possible if one applies this term to the angel who communicates God’s
revelations to the prophets. (See also verse 2 of this sürah and the corresponding note 2.)
129 I.e., to Muhammad - thus insinuating that his claim to divine revelation was false.
*130 Whereas some of the pagan Quraysh regarded the ideas expressed in the Qur’än as
“invented" by Muhammad, others thought that they must have been imparted to him by a
foreigner-perhaps a Christian - who lived in Mecca at that time, or whom the Prophet was
supposed to have encountered at an earlier period of his life. Various conjectures have been
advanced - both by early Muslim commentators and by modem orientalists - as to the "identity"
of the person or persons whom the suspicious Meccans might have had in mind in this connection;
but all these conjectures are purely speculative and, therefore, of no historical value whatever.
The suspicion of the pagan Meccans implies no more than the historical fact that those of the
Prophet's opponents who were unwilling to pay him the compliment of having "invented” the
Qur’än (the profundity of which they were unable to deny) conveniently attributed its authorship-
or at least its inspiration - to a mythical non-Arab "teacher" of the Prophet.
131 For an explanation of this composite rendering of the descriptive term mubrn, see sürah 12,

412
 16
THE BEE
(104) Verily, as for those who will not believe in
God's messages, God does not guide them aright; and
grievous suffering will be their lot [in the life to
come]. (105) It is but they who will not believe in
God’s messages that invent this falsehood;132 and it is *A 0y fis & âï
they, they who are lying!
(106) As for anyone who denies God after having
once attained to faith - and this, to be sure, does not
apply to133 one who does it under duress, the while his
heart remains true to his faith,134 but [only to] him
who willingly opens up his heart to a denial of the
truth upon all such [falls] God’s condemnation, and f-b J. f >0*1
tremendous suffering awaits them: (107) all this,
because they hold this world’s life in greater esteem £ lai 0
than the life to come, and because God does not
bestow His guidance upon people who deny the truth. 0 piïT & Ùb •
(108) They whose hearts and whose hearing and
whose sight God has sealed - it is they, they who are
heedless !135 (109) Truly it is they, they who in the life (.rsM 0 ùjUiÂJÏ dLUj'j
to come shall be the losers!
(110) And yet, behold, thy Sustainer [grants His
forgiveness] unto those who forsake the domain of
evil after having succumbed to its temptation,136 and J bj?—»j b-4-»- f
who thenceforth strive hard [in God’s cause] and are uj** XJ'-' pi. • 0
patient in adversity: behold, after such [repentance]
thy Sustainer is indeed much-forgiving, a dispenser i U Ç-L
of grace!
(Ill) [Be conscious, then, of] the Day when every
human being shall come to plead for himself [alone],
and every human being shall be repaid in full for

note 2. The term is used here to stress the fact that no human being-and certainly no
non-Arab - could ever have produced the flawless, exalted Arabic diction in which the Qur’än is
expressed.
132 I.e., the scurrilous allegation referred to in verse 103. Although this statement alludes, in the
first instance, to the hostile contemporaries of the Prophet, it extends, by obvious implication, to
people of ail times who refuse to believe in the reality of Muhammad's revelations, and try to
explain them away as obsessive illusions or even as deliberate fabrications.
133 Lit., “except”-but the Arabic construction of the sentence that follows makes it necessary
to render the simple particle ills in the manner adopted by me (“and this, to be sure, does not
apply to...”, etc.).
134 Lit., “one who is coerced, the while his heart is at rest in [his] faith”. This relates to
believers who, under torture or threat of death, ostensibly “recant” in order to save themselves.
Although the Qur’fin makes it clear in several places that martyrdom in the cause of faith is highly
meritorious, “God does not burden any human being with more than he is well able to bear" (cf.
2 : 233 and 286, 6:152, 7 : 42, 23:62, and many other Qur’anic statements to the same effect).
135 Sc., “of what is good and what is bad for them”.-For an explanation of God’s “sealing”
the hearts of those who are bent on denying the truth, see 2:7 and the corresponding note.
136 For an explanation of the concept of fitnah (appearing here in the verbal form futinü) and
of my rendering it as “temptation to evil”, see sürah 8, note 25. As regards the expression
alladhïna häjarü in its spiritual connotation, see sürah 2, note 203 and sürah 4, note 124.

413
 whatever he has done, and none shall be wronged.

(112) AND GOD propounds [to you] a parable: [Imagine] a

town which was [once] secure and at ease, with its
sustenance coming to it abundantly from all quarters,
and which thereupon blasphemously refused to show
gratitude for God’s blessings: and therefore God
caused it to taste the all-embracing misery137 of hun­
âl(JJJ) ùjJUb
ger and fear in result of all [the evil] that its people
had so persistently wrought.138
Û* '-4j
(113) And indeed, there had come unto them an
apostle from among themselves - but they gave him Lx ÇjjJ u-LJ âl âî
the lie; and therefore suffering overwhelmed them . » >X . » .XXX X >x.x. >x
while they were thus doing wrong [to themselves]. p-r* <j_7-.jp-» »U- juJj (JTJ)

(114) AND SO, partake of all the lawful, good things which
God has provided for you as sustenance, and render
thanks unto God for His blessings, if it is [truly] Him
that you worship.139
(115) He has forbidden to you only carrion, and
blood, and the flesh of swine, and that over which any
name other than God’s has been invoked; but if one is u X,
driven [to it] by necessity - neither coveting it nor
exceeding his immediate need - verily, God is much- ijjüd piiJùbj jiu ix» w»Ji J».«
forgiving, a dispenser of grace.140
(116) Hence, do not utter falsehoods by letting your ÇjSJî Ü J* Jf
tongues determine [at your own discretion], “This is
pjjl Jjl*
lawful and that is forbidden’’, thus attributing your
own lying inventions to God:141 for, behold, they who
attribute their own lying inventions to God will never
attain to a happy state! (117) A brief enjoyment [may
be theirs in this world] - but grievous suffering awaits
them [in the life to come]!

137 Lit., “the garment’’ (libäs)-idiomatically used in classical Arabic to describe the utmost
degree of misfortune which “envelops man like a garment*’ (Täj al-'Ariis, with specific reference
to the above verse).
138 This parable is meant to show that deliberate ingratitude for the manifold blessings which
God bestows upon man - in other words, a deliberate refusal to submit to His guidance - is bound,
in the long run and in the context of aggregate social life, to have disastrous consequences not only
in the hereafter but in this world as well, inasmuch as no society may expect to live in security and
ease unless it conforms to the ethical and social standards inherent in the concept of man’s “bond
with God’’ (as explained in sürah 2, note 19).
139 It is this call to gratitude that provides a connection between the present passage and the
foregoing parable of the ungrateful town and, thus, with the opening passages (verses 1-15) of this
sürah.
140 It is to be noted that the above two verses are almost identical with 2:172-173, and ought,
therefore, to be read in conjunction with the whole passage of which those two verses form a
part-namely, 2:168-173. Cf. also 6:145.
141 Regarding the very important problem of an arbitrary determination, based on subjective
preferences, of what is to be considered ethically right or wrong, see sürah 2, note 137.

414
 16
THE BEE

(118) And [only] unto those who followed the Jew­

ish faith did We forbid all that We have mentioned
to thee ere this;142 and no wrong did We do to them,
but it was they who persistently wronged themselves.
(119) And once again:143 Behold, thy Sustainer
[shows mercy] to those who do evil out of ignorance J«-* oj .............. t
ü-ü» l*...... îpi* 2cjî
and afterwards repent and live righteously: behold,
after such [repentance] thy Sustainer is indeed much- f <$> (iut Ç
forgiving, a dispenser of grace.
iU aâi 34
(120) VERILY, Abraham was a man who combined within
himself all virtues,144 devoutly obeying God’s will,
turning away from all that is false,145 and not being â lii; Ct ââ» 4
of those who ascribe divinity to aught beside God: (121)
[for he was always] grateful for the blessings granted ($) s^£j(
by Him who had elected him and guided him onto a
straight way. iC’lg.'jlT j (JJJ)
(122) And so We vouchsafed him good in this ù» f (jg) J
world; and, verily, in the life to come [too] he shall
find himself among the righteous. (J5> ày
(123) And lastly,146 We have inspired thee, [O
Muhammad, with this message:] “Follow the creed of ûb &CjîJ«*-Cx[
Abraham, who turned away from all that is false, and
was not of those who ascribe divinity to aught beside
God; (124) [and know that the observance of] the
Sabbath was ordained only for those who came to
hold divergent views about him;147 but, verily, God

142 Le., in 6:146, revealed shortly before the present sürah. The conjunctive particle “And” at
the beginning of this sentence establishes a connection with the precept laid down in verse 114
above, “partake of all the lawful, good things which God has provided for you as sustenance”: the
implication being (as in 6:145) that none of the really good and wholesome things have been
forbidden to the believer, and that the many dietary prohibitions and restrictions imposed on the
Jews were imposed on them alone in punishment of their persistent sinning (cf. 3:93).
143 For this rendering of thumma, see sürah 6, note 31.
144 This is one of the many meanings of the term ummah and, to my mind, the one most
appropriate in the above context. - The mention of Abraham at this place contains a subtle allusion
to verse 118, where the Jews are spoken of: for, the latter claim to be “the chosen people” on
account of their descent from Abraham, whereas the Qur’än consistently rejects all claims to a
special status by virtue of one’s descent. Moreover, the Qur’än states in many places that whereas
this particular ancestor of the Hebrews-and, by the way, of most of the Arab tribes as well-was
a personification of all that is good and upright, so that “God exalted him with His love” (4:125),
his Jewish descendants always tended to rebel against God and, thus, “persistently wronged
themselves”.
145 For an explanation of this rendering of the term /lanff, see sürah 2, note 110.
146 Lit., “thereafter” or “afterwards” (thumma): but since this particle evidently alludes here
to the climax of all revelation as manifested in the Qur’än, the above rendering seems to be
suitable.
147 I.e., about Abraham. The implication is that the majority of the Jews had deviated from the
true creed of Abraham (which is the meaning of the phrase, “those who came to hold divergent
views about him”) inasmuch as most of them became convinced that they were “God’s chosen
people" simply because of their physical descent from that great Prophet: an assumption which

415
 SÜRAH 16
AN-NAHL

will judge between them on Resurrection Day with

regard to all on which they were wont to differ.”

(125) CALL THOU [all mankind] unto thy Sustainer’s path (J2) llâjî pj
with wisdom and goodly exhortation, and argue with
them in the most kindly manner:148 149 for, behold, thy V jjï} dLj J«**

Sustainer knows best as to who strays from His path,

and best knows He as to who are the right-guided. ^»5* et j Û—*■’ uC
(126) Hence, if you have to respond to an attack [in
argument], respond only to the extent of the attack (JJj)
levelled against you;150 but to bear yourselves with
patience is indeed far better for [you, since God is
with] those who are patient in adversity. 5/ Uj
(127) Endure, then, with patience [all that they who
deny the truth may say]-always remembering that it £ if ù[ (JJ) Ljf J—« j <1L* Xj n ftk
is none but God who gives thee the strength to endure SjL* p* ajK
adversity151 - and do not grieve over them, and nei­
ther be distressed by the false arguments which they
devise:152 (128) for, verily, God is with those who are
conscious of Him and are doers of good withal!

obviously runs counter to every truly religious principle. As the Qur’än repeatedly points out, this
spiritual arrogance was punished by God’s imposition on the children of Israel-and on them
alone-of all manner of severe restrictions and rituals, of which the obligation to refrain from all
work and even travel on the Sabbath was one. In its widest implication, this passage is meant to
stress the fact that all God-imposed rituals are only a means towards the achievement of spiritual
discipline, and never a religious goal in themselves.
148 I.e., He will judge between those who are convinced of their ultimate salvation on the basis
of their alleged status of “God’s chosen people”, and those who believe in man's individual
responsibility before God: and thus the discourse returns to the problem of God-consciousness
and righteous living.
149 Cf. 29 : 46 - “And do not argue with the followers of earlier revelation otherwise than in the
most kindly manner”. This stress on kindness and tact and, hence, on the use of reason alone in all
religious discussions with adherents of other creeds is fully in tune with the basic, categorical
injunction, “There shall be no coercion in matters of faith” (2:256).
150 Lit., “retaliate [or “respond”] with the like of what you have been afflicted with”: thus, the
believers are admonished to observe self-restraint while arguing with people of another per­
suasion, and never to offend against decency and intellectual equity. Although retaliation in
argument is permissible if one’s integrity is impeached by an opponent, the sequence makes it
clear that it is morally preferable to renounce it altogether and to bear the unjust attack with
patience.
151 Lit., “and thy patience in adversity ($abr) is due to [or “rests with”] none but God”-i.e., it
must never be allowed to become a source of spiritual arrogance and false self-righteousness.
152 Lit., “all that they are scheming”, i.e., by inventing false and irrelevant arguments against
God’s messages.

416
 THE SEVENTEENTH SÜRAH

AL-ISRÄ* (THE NIGHT JOURNEY)

MECCA PERIOD

HE REFERENCE to the mystic Night Journey in the first verse of this sürah (see Appen­
T dix IV) shows that it cannot have been revealed earlier than in the last year before the
hijrah; Suyûtï places it chronologically between sürah 28 and the group of surahs 10—12. The
assumption of some authorities that certain of its verses belong to a much later time - namely, the
Medina period-is purely conjectural and may, therefore, be disregarded.
Because of the mention of the children of Israel in verses 2-8 and 101-104, some of the
contemporaries of the Prophet used to designate this sürah by the title of Banü fsrä'il (“The
Children of Israej”); most of the classical commentators, however, prefer the title Al-Isrä\
According to 'A’ishah, the Prophet used to recite this sürah every night in his prayer (TinnidhT.
Nasâ’ï and Ibn Hanbal).

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) T IMITLESS in His glory is He who transported

.1—-/His servant by night from the Inviolable House ---------------- -
of Worship [at Mecca] to the Remote House of
Worship [at Jerusalem] - the environs of which We
had blessed1-so that We might show him some of
Our symbols: for, verily, He alone is all-hearing,
all-seeing.2
(2) And [thus, too,] We vouchsafed revelation unto -a—*3 *4l
Moses,3 and made it a [source of] guidance for the

1 The above short reference to the Prophet’s mystic experience of the “Night Journey”
(al-isra9) to Jerusalem and the subsequent “Ascension” (mi'räj) to heaven is fully discussed in
Appendix IV at the end of this work.-“The Inviolable House of Worship” (al-masjid al-haräm)
is one of the designations given in the Qur’än to the Temple of the Ka'bah, the prototype of which
owed its origin to Abraham (see sürah 2, note 102) and was “the first Temple set up for mankind”
(3:96), i.e., the first ever built for the worship of the One God. “The Remote [lit., “farthest”]
House of Worship”, on the other hand, denotes the ancient Temple of Solomon-or, rather, its
site-which symbolizes here the long line of Hebrew prophets who preceded the advent of
Muhammad and are alluded to by the phrase “the environs of which We had blessed”. The
juxtaposition of these two sacred temples is meant to show that the Qur’än does not inaugurate a
“new" religion but represents a continuation and the ultimate development of the same divine
message which was preached by the prophets of old.
2 Although the term äyah is most frequently used in the Qur’än in the sense of “[divine]
message”, we must remember that, primarily, it denotes “a sign [or “token”) by which a thing is
known” (Qämüs). As defined by Räghib, it signifies any perceivable phenomenon (irrespective of
whether it is apparent to the senses or only to the intellect) connected with a thing that is not, by
itself, similarly perceivable: in brief, a “symbol”. Hence, the expression min äyätinä may be
suitably rendered as “some of Our symbols”, i.e., insight, through symbols, into some of the
ultimate truths.
3 The conjunctive particle “And” which introduces this verse is meant to show that the mystic

417
AL-ISRÄ'
SÜRAH

children of Israel, [commanding them:] “Do not as­

cribe to any but Me the power to determine your
fate,*4 (3) O you descendants of those whom We
caused to be borne [in the ark] with Noah! Behold, he
was a most grateful servant [of Ours]!” lx* &C O
(4) And we made [this] known to the children of
j j/rl # ($)
Israel through revelation:5 “Twice, indeed, will you
spread corruption on earth and will indeed become
grossly overbearing!”6
(5) Hence, when the prediction of the first of those
two [periods of iniquity] came true, We sent against
you some of Our bondmen of terrible prowess in war, (J) Vyt-i* • jb JU* xxi
and they wrought havoc throughout the land: and so
the prediction was fulfilled.7
(6) And after a time We allowed you to prevail
against them once again,8 and aided you with wealth

Night Journey-and, by implication, the subsequent Ascension as well-were experiences of the

same high order of divine grace as the revelation bestowed upoi^ Moses. The Qur’an mentions in
4:164 that “God spoke His word unto Moses”, i.e., directly (takliman); see also 7:143-144, and
especially verse 144, in which God says to Moses, “I have raised thee above all people...by
virtue of My speaking [unto thee]”. A similar directness of experience is alluded to in the opening
words of this surah, “Limitless in His glory is He who transported His servant [Muhammad] by
night... so that We might show him some of Our symbols” (see note 2 above; also, Appendix IV).
Apart from this, the reference, in this and many other places in the Qur’Sn, to the religious history
of the Hebrews is due to the fact that the revelations granted to their prophets represent the
earliest formulation of monotheism, which makes it ideologically important for its later develop­
ment
4 The term waktl denotes “one who is entrusted with the management of [another person’s]
affairs”, or “is responsible for [another person’s] conduct”. When applied to God, it is sometimes
used in the sense of “guardian” (e.g., in 3:173), or “defender” (e.g., in 4:109), or - in combination
with the phrase 'aid kulli shay^in (as, e.g., in 6: 102 or 11:12)-in the sense of “the One who has
everything in His care”. In the present instance (as well as in 39:62) the term evidently alludes to
God’s exclusive power to determine the fate of any created being or thing.
5 Lit., “in the revelation” - here evidently used in the generic sense of the word, and probably
applying to predictions contained in the Torah (Leviticus xxvi, 14-39 and Deuteronomy xxviii,
15-68) as well as the prophecies of Ishiah, Jeremiah, John and Jesus.
6 Since both the Bible and the Qur’Sn mention that the children of Israel rebelled against the
law of God on many occasions, there is every reason to assume that the expression “twice”
(marratayn) does not refer to two single instances but, rather, to two distinct, extended periods of
their history.
7 The term 'ibäd, rendered by me above as “bondmen", denotes every kind of “created beings"
(in this case, obviously human beings) inasmuch as all of them are, willingly or unwillingly,
subservient to God’s will (cf. 13:15 and the corresponding note 33). It is probable that the phrase
“Our bondmen of terrible prowess in war” relates to the Assyrians who overran Palestine in the
seventh century B.c. and caused the disappearance of the greater part of the Hebrew nation (the
ten “lost tribes”), and to the Babylonians who, about one hundred years later, destroyed
Solomon’s Temple and carried off the remainder of the children of Israel into captivity, or to both,
thus comprising all these events within one “period” (see foregoing note).-God’s “sending”
tribulations upon reprobate sinners is here, as elsewhere in the Qur’Sn, a metonym for the natural
law of cause and effect to which, in the long run, the life of man-and particularly the corporate
life of nations and communities - is subject.
8 Lit., “We gave back to you the turn against them” - apparently a reference to the return of the
Jews from the Babylonian captivity in the last quarter of the sixth century b.c., the partial

418
 17
THE NIGHT JOURNEY

and offspring, and made you more numerous [than

ever].
(7) [And We said:] “If you persevere in doing good,
you will but be doing good to yourselves; and if you
do evil, it will be [done] to yourselves.”
And so, when the prediction of the second [period
of your iniquity] came true, [We raised new enemies
against you, and allowed them] to disgrace you ut­
terly,*9 and to enter the Temple as [their forerunners]
had entered it once before, and to destroy with utter
destruction all that they had conquered.
(8) Your Sustainer may well show mercy unto you;
but if you revert [to sinning], We shall revert [to
chastising you]. And [remember this:] We have or­ 0 le*»* Ûi fUc
dained that [in the hereafter] hell shall close upon all
y £i IK 4
who deny the truth.
(9) VERILY, this Qur’ân shows the way to all that is ù'j (J) Ijg-T Vr:l j' jjL*4
most upright,10 and gives the believers who do good 0 Cji Ci* ju ££Î yt
deeds the glad tiding that theirs will be a great re­
ward; (10) and [it announces, too,] that We have &J ,6-3$ Cr-*^
readied grievous suffering for those who will not
believe in the life to come.
(11) As it is,11 man [often] prays for things that are
bad as if he were praying for something that is good:12
for man is prone to be hasty [in his judgments].
(12) And We have established the night and the day
as two symbols;13 and thereupon We have effaced the
symbol of night and set up [in its place] the light­
giving symbol of day,14 so that you might seek to

re-establishment of their state, and the building of a new temple in the place of the one that had
been destroyed.
9 Lit., “to bring evil to your faces”. Inasmuch as the face is the most prominent and expressive
part of the human body, it is often used as a metonym for one's whole being; hence, the “evil done
to one's face” is synonymous with “utter disgrace”. Most probably, this passage relates to the
destruction of the Second Temple and of Jewish statehood by Titus in the year 70 of the Christian
era.
10 I.e., conformable to ethical rectitude and beneficial to man's individual and social life. Thus,
after showing that sinning is synonymous with denying the truth, the discourse returns to the
fundamental theme of the Qur’ân, already alluded to in verse 2 of this sürah: namely, the
statement that God always offers guidance to man through the revelations which He bestows upon
His prophets.
11 This, to my mind, is the meaning of the conjunctive particle wa in the above context.
12 Cf. 2:216-“it may well be that you hate a thing the while it is good for you, and it may well
be that you love a thing the while it is bad for you: and God knows, whereas you do not know": in
other words, divine guidance is the only objective criterion as to what is good and what is bad.
13 Regarding the primary meaning of the term äyah, see note 2 above. In the present context,
the expression äyatayn (“two symbols") refers-as the subsequent clause shows-to the symbols
of spiritual darkness and light.
14 I.e., the message of the Qur’ân, which is meant to lead man out of spiritual ignorance and
error into the light of faith and reason.

419
AL-ISRÄ'
SÜRAH

obtain your Sustainer’s bounty and be aware of the

passing years15 and of the reckoning [that is bound to
come]. For clearly, most clearly, have We spelt out
everything!16
(13) And every human being’s destiny have We tied
to his neck;17 and on the Day of Resurrection We
shall bring forth for him a record which he will find
wide open; (14) [and he will be told:] “Read this thy
record! Sufficient is thine own self today to make out
thine account!”1819
(15) Whoever chooses to follow the right path,
follows it but for his own good; and whoever goes
astray, goes but astray to his own hurt; and no bearer Çï Up
of burdens shall be made to bear another’s burden.”
Moreover, We would never chastise [any com­
munity for the wrong they may do] ere We have sent
an apostle [to them].20 (16) But when [this has been
done, and] it is Our will to destroy a community, We
convey Our last warning21 to those of its people who
have lost themselves entirely in the pursuit of
pleasures;22 and [if] they [continue to] act sinfully, the
15 Lit., “the count Çadad) of years”. Since, as the Qämüs points out, this phrase denotes also
“the years of [a person’s] life, which he counts”, it obviously implies here a call to spiritual
self-criticism in view of the ephemeral nature of one’s worldly life.
16 Le., everything that man may be in need of in the domain of ethics and religion.
17 The word fd*ir literally signifies a “bird” or, more properly, ■ “flying creature”. Since the
pre-Islamic Arabs often endeavoured to establish a good or bad omen and, in general, to foretell
the future from the manner and direction in which birds would fly, the term fd’ir came to be
tropically used in the sense of “fortune”, both good and evil, or “destiny”. (See in this connection
sürah 3, note 37, and surah 7, note 95.) It should, however, be borne in mind that the Qur’anic
concept of “destiny” relates not so much to the external circumstances of and events in man’s life
as, rather, to the direction which this life takes in result of one’s moral choices: in other words, it
relates to man’s spiritual fate-and this, in its turn, depends-as the Qur’an so often points
out-on a person’s inclinations, attitudes and conscious actions (including self-restraint from
morally bad actions or, alternatively, a deliberate omission of good actions). Hence, man’s spiritual
fate depends on himself and is inseparably linked with the whole tenor of his personality; and
since it is God who has made man responsible for his behaviour on earth. He speaks of Himself as
having “tied every human being’s destiny to his neck”.
18 The “record” and the subsequent “account” represent man’s total comprehension, on
Judgment Day, of all his past life (Räzl). This allegory occurs in the Qur’Sn in many formulations,
e.g., in 37:19 or 39:68, and perhaps most incisively in 50:22 - “now We have lifted from thee thy
veil, and sharp is thy sight today!”
19 See 6:164, 35:18 and 39:7, as well as the corresponding notes; also 53:38, which
represents the earliest Qur’anic statement of this fundamental principle of ethics.
20 Sc., “so that they might fully understand the meaning of right and wrong”: cf. 6:131-132 and
the corresponding note 117, as well as 28 : 59 (which, in the chronology of revelation, immediately
precedes the present sürah).
21 Lit., “Our command”, i.e., to mend their ways. The term qaryah (lit.» “town”) denotes
usually-though not always-a “community” or “people of a community”.
22 I.e., to the exclusion of all moral considerations. (For the above rendering of the expression
mutraf, see sürah 11, note 147.) The people referred to here are those who, by virtue of their
wealth and social position, embody the real leadership of their community and are, therefore,

420
 THE NIGHT JOURNEY

sentence [of doom] passed on the community takes

effect, and We break it to smithereens.
(17) And how many a generation have We [thus]
destroyed after [the time of] Noah!
For, none has the like of thy Sustainer’s awareness
and insight into His creatures’ sins.
(18) Unto him who cares for [no more than the
enjoyment of] this fleeting life We readily grant
thereof as much as We please, [giving] to whomever LÎ4 Jjx && ’-fr-! ’-fr^“
it is Our will [to give]; but in the end We consign him
to [the suffering of] hell,23 which he will have to
endure disgraced and disowned!
(19) But as for those who care for the [good of the] CX p-v Ly-JU
life to come, and strive for it as it ought to be striven
for, and are [true] believers withal2425 -they are the
26
ones whose striving finds favour [with God]!
(20) All [of them] - these as well as those - do We
freely endow with some of thy Sustainer’s gifts, since du« (£) ijjlîâc eLj <î£
thy Sustainer’s giving is never confined [to one kind
<$>'&&'j J*». <y
of man]. (21) Behold how We bestow [on earth] more
bounty on some of them than on others: but (W) JaükJ*ûT
[remember that] the life to come will be far higher in
degree and far greater in merit and bounty.23
(22) DO NOT set up any other deity side by side with God, JL- £ for? H
lest thou find thyself disgraced and forsaken: (23)
for thy Sustainer has ordained that you shall wor­ V l1 C%; 3* l!
ship none but Him.
And do good unto [thy] parents* Should one of
them, or both, attain to old age in thy care, never say
“Ugh”27 to them or scold them, but [always] speak
unto them with reverent speech, (24) and spread over

morally responsible for the behaviour of their followers.

23 Lit., “We assign [or “shall assign”] hell to him”.
24 Since caring and striving for the good of the hereafter presupposes belief in God and in
man’s responsibility before Him, it is obvious that the term “believer” relates, in this context, to a
cognition of God’s absolute oneness and uniqueness as well as to a willing acceptance of the
guidance offered to man through prophetic revelation. - In the original, the whole preceding
sentence has the singular form (“he who cares... and strives... and is a believer"); but in view of the
next clause, which is expressed in the plural, it is preferable to render these pronouns, agreeably with
Arabic usage, uniformly in the plural.
25 Lit., “greater in degrees and greater in the bestowal of bounty (taftfîlan)''- but since the
latter term obviously comprises, in this instance, the concept of “merit” as well, a composite
rendering would seem to be indicated.
26 Whereas God is the real, ultimate cause of man’s coming to life, his parents are its outward,
immediate cause: and so the preceding call to God is followed by the injunction to honour and
cherish one’s parents. Beyond this, the whole of the present passage-up to and including verse
39-is meant to show that kindness and just dealings between man and man are an integral part of
the concept of “striving for the good of the life to come”.
27 In Arabic, w#-a word or sound indicative of contempt, dislike or disgust.

421
 SÜRAH
AL-ISRÄ’’

them humbly the wings of thy tenderness,28 and say:

“O my Sustainer! Bestow Thy grace upon them, even
as they cherished and reared me when I was a child!
(25) Your Sustainer is fully aware of what is in
your hearts. If you are righteous, [He will forgive you
your errors]:29 for, behold, He is much-forgiving to
those who turn unto Him again and again. jki j C.C (J) Lï** Ub: J
(26) And give his due to the near of kin,30 as well as
to the needy and the wayfarer,3’ but do not squander (ff) Lu-* *4
[thy substance] senselessly.32 (27) Behold, the squan­ JL; "ij >***~ öz?***^
derers are, indeed, of the ilk of the satans - inasmuch
as Satan has indeed proved most ungrateful to his ùKj •j»(ff)\jlAr
Sustainer.33
(28) And if thou [must] turn aside from those [that ®

are in want, because thou thyself art] seeking to

obtain thy Sustainer’s grace and hoping for it,3* at (J) bj-H Xp J“** à?

least speak unto them with gentle speech. JÄ» («la—tf X,

(29) And neither allow thy hand to remain shackled
to thy neck,35 nor stretch it forth to the utmost limit Jk-i, «iL j Lu-* k/* -uiû
[of thy capacity], lest thou find thyself blamed [by thy " E
dependants], or even destitute. (30) Behold, thy Sus­
tainer grants abundant sustenance, or gives it in scant
measure, unto whomever He wills: verily, fully aware
is He of [the needs of] His creatures, and sees them
all.
(31) Hence, do not kill your children for fear of
poverty:36 it is We who shall provide sustenance for

28 Lit., “lower for them the wing of humility, out of tenderness (rahmah)” - a metonymical
expression evocative of a bird that lovingly spreads its wings over its offspring in the nest.
29 This interpolation gives the meaning of the above elliptic sentence (Tabari, BaghawT,
Zamakhsharl, Râzï).
30 In this instance, “his due’’ evidently refers to the loving consideration due to one’s relatives
(ZamakhsharT and Râzï); those of them who are in a state of want are included in the subsequent
mention of “the needy” (al-miskin).
31 Regarding this expression, see sürah 2, note 145.
32 Lit., “with [utter] squandering" (tabdhïran), i.e., senselessly and to no good purpose. It is to
be borne in mind that the term tabdhîr does not relate to the quantity but, rather, to the purpose of
one’s spending. Thus, Ibn 'Abbâs and Ibn Mas'üd (both of them quoted by Tabari) defined tabdhTr
as “spending without a righteous purpose” or “in a frivolous (bdfil) cause”: and Mujahid is
reported (ibid.) to have said, “If a man were to spend all that he possesses in a righteous cause, it
could not be termed squandering; but if he spends even a small amount in a frivolous cause, it is
squandering.”
33 Since squandering-in the sense explained in the preceding note-implies an utter lack of
gratitude for the gift of sustenance bestowed by God upon man, the squanderers are described as
being of the ilk [lit., “brethren”] of the satans". Regarding the deeper meaning of the terms
“satans" and “satamc", see surah 15, note 16.
34 I.e., “because thou art thyself in want, and therefore unable to help others".
35 A metaphor signifying miserliness and, in particular, unwillingness to help others (cf. a
similar expression m 5:64). v-,.
36 Historically, this may be a reference to the pre-lslamic Arabian custom of burying unwanted

422
 17
THE NIGHT JOURNEY

them as well as for you. Verily, killing them is a

great sin.
(32) And do not commit adultery37 - for, behold, it
is an abomination and an evil way.
(33) And do not take any human being’s life - [the Y, (J)
life] which God has willed to be sacred - otherwise
than in [the pursuit of] justice.38 Hence, if anyone has
been slain wrongfully, We have empowered the
defender of his rights [to exact a just retribution];39
but even so, let him not exceed the bounds of equity (J) J-üJÏ J Yi U1ÛL
in [retributive] killing.40 [And as for him who has been
slain wrongfully -] behold, he is indeed succoured [by è? dr <>*’ JU be>- Yj
God]!4’
(34) And do not touch the substance of an orphan, (J) Yj*-*ùlTJ. iLlÿjlj j**-«**
save to improve it, before he comes of age.42
And be true to every promise - for, verily, [on
Judgment Day] you will be called to account for
every promise which you have made!43
(35) And give full measure whenever you measure,
and weigh with a balance that is true:44 this will be
female children alive (see note 4 on 81:8-9), as well as to the occasional-though much
rarer-sacrifices of male children to some of their gods (see ZamakhsharTs comments on 6:137).
Beyond this, however, the above prohibition has a timeless validity inasmuch as it relates also to
abortions undertaken “for fear of poverty”, i.e., on purely economic grounds.
37 Lit., “do not come near adultery”, thus intensifying the prohibition. It is to be noted that the term
zinä signifies all sexual intercourse between a man and a woman who are not husband and wife,
irrespective of whether either of them is married to another partner or not; hence, it denotes both
“adultery” and “fornication” in the English senses of these terms.
38 I.e., in the execution of a legal sentence or in a just war (see 2:190 and the corresponding
note 167), or in individual, legitimate self-defence.
39 This refers to the legal punishment for homicide, termed qifäf (“just retribution^ and
explained in 2: 178 and the corresponding notes. In the present context, the term waif (“protec­
tor” or “defender of [one’s] rights”) is usually taken to mean the heir or next of kin of the victim;
Zamakhsharî, however, observes that it may also apply to the government (as-sulfän): an
interpretation which is obviously based on the concept of the government as the “protector” or
“defender of the rights” of all its citizens. As regards the expression qutila maflüman (“slain
wrongfully”), it is obvious that it refers only to cases of wilful homicide, since the concept of fulm
applies in the Qur’än exclusively to intentional and never to accidental wrongdoing.
40 Thus, the defender of the victim’s rights (in this case, a court of justice) is not only not
entitled to impose a capital sentence on any but the actual murderer or murderers, but may also,
if the case warrants it, concede mitigating circumstances and refrain from capital punishment
altogether.
41 I.e., he is avenged in this world by the retribution exacted from his murderer, and in the life
to come, blessed by the special grace which God bestows on all who have been slain without any
legal or moral justification (RäzT). Some of the commentators, however, relate the pronoun “he” to
the defender of the victim’s rights, respectively, to the latter’s heir or next of kin, and explain the
above phrase as meaning “he is sufficiently helped by the law of just retribution (qi$ä$) and should
not, therefore, demand any punishment in excess of what is equitable”.
42 See sürah 6, note 149.
43 Lit., “every promise shall be asked about" or “investigated”.
44 Lit., “straight" (mustaqFm)-a term which in the Qur’än has invariably a spiritual or moral
connotation. Hence, as in the similar phrase in 6:152, the above injunction applies not merely to

423
 SÜRAH
AL-ISRÄ

[for your own] good, and best in the end.

(36) And never concern thyself with anything of
which thou hast no knowledge:45 verily, [thy] hearing
and sight and heart-all of them-will be called to
account for it [on Judgment Day]!
(37) And walk not on earth with haughty self-
conceit: for, verily, thou canst never rend the earth
asunder, nor canst thou ever grow as tall as the
mountains!
(38) The evil of all this is odious in thy Sustainer’s
ùtflré ($)
sight:46 (39) this is part of that knowledge of right and
wrong with which thy Sustainer has inspired thee.47
<$) J
Hence, do not set up any other deity side by side
with God,48 lest thou be cast into hell, blamed [by 4»Î£
thyself] and rejected [by Him]!
(g) tyl» f-è? <j
(40) HAS, THEN, your Sustainer distinguished you by
[giving you] sons, and taken unto Himself daughters
in the guise of angels?49 Verily, you are uttering a
bjTXj j Uy-» jJjj
dreadful saying!
(41) And, indeed, many facets have We given [to
uf Vak -’Z (g)
Our message] in this Qur’an, so that they [who deny
the truth] might take it to heart: but all this only
increases their aversion.
(42) Say: “If there were-as some people assert-
[other] deities side by side with Him, surely [even]

commercial transactions but to all dealings between man and man.

45 Or: “do not follow [or “pursue”] anything..etc. This would seem to relate to groundless
assertions about events or people (and hence to slander or false testimony), to statements based on
guesswork unsupported by evidence, or to interfering in social situations which one is unable to
evaluate correctly.
46 According to some commentators, this condemnation refers to what has been mentioned in
the preceding two verses; more probably, however, it extends to the subject-matter of all the
prohibitions - whether enunciated as such or merely implied - in verses 22-37.
47 Or: “which thy Sustainer has revealed to thee”. It is to be noted that the noun hikmah,
usually signifying “wisdom”, is derived from the verb hakama (“he prevented” or “restrained
[him or it]”, i.e., from acting in an undesirable manner). Hence, the primary meaning of hikmah is
“that which prevents one from evil or ignorant behaviour” (cf. Lane II, 617); in its positive sense,
it signifies “[conscious] insight into that which is most excellent” (Lisân al-'Arab, Täj al-'Ariis).
Inasmuch as this term refers here, in particular, to what is “odious in God’s sight”, it implies moral
discrimination (or “the knowledge of right and wrong”) on the part of men; and this, in its turn,
presupposes the existence of an absolute, God-willed standard of moral values.
48 Since there is no basis for an acceptance of absolute moral values-i.e., values that are
independent of time and social circumstances-without a belief in God and His ultimate judgment,
the passage ends, as it began, with a call to a cognition of God’s oneness and uniqueness.
49 Lit., “and taken unto Himself, out of the angels, females”: an allusion to the pre-Islamic
Arabian belief that the angels-conceived of as a kind of female sub-deities - were God’s
“daughters”, and this despite the pagan Arabs’ contempt for female offspring (cf. 16:57-59 and
the corresponding notes). In its wider implication, this rhetorical question is meant to bring out the
absurdity of the supposition that God’s divinity could be projected into, or shared by any other
being (cf. 6:100-101).

424
17
THE NIGHT JOURNEY

they would have to strive to find a way unto Him who

is enthroned on His almightiness?”50
(43) Limitless is He in His glory, and sublimely,
immeasurably exalted above anything that men may
say [about Him]!5’
(44) The seven heavens52 extol His limitless glory,
and the earth, and all that they contain; and there is
not a single thing but extols His limitless glory and
praise: but you [O men] fail to grasp the manner of ^b
their glorifying Him!53
<$> ’-u* y*
Verily, He is forbearing, much-forgiving!
(45) But [thus it is:]54 whenever thou recitest the Vj «±Lj> U*. Cilj
Qur’än, We place an invisible barrier between thee
and those who will not believe in the life to come: jl* J* (J)
(46) for, over their hearts We have laid veils which
prevent them from grasping its purport, and into their
ears, deafness.55 And so, whenever thou dost men­ £ । J* ($) r*rp’ ÿ Çb j
tion, while reciting the Qur’an, thy Sustainer as the
one and only Divine Being,56 they turn their backs f* ^b û/uiJ Lx
[upon thee] in aversion.
<3> 'Zj Sjisfui SAlwî j£
(47) We are fully aware of what they are listening
for when they listen to thee:57 for when they are Süijw Ju/ir .H ££
secluded among themselves, lo! these wrongdoers say
[unto one another], “If you were to follow [Muham­
mad, you would follow] only a man bewitched!”
(48) See to what they liken thee, [O Prophet,

50 The term *arsh (lit., “throne” or, more properly, “seat of power”) is used in the Qur’än to
denote God’s absolute sway over all that exists; hence, the expression dhu 'Karsh may be
suitably rendered as “He who is enthroned in His almightiness”. Beyond this, the commentators
are not entirely agreed as to the purport of the above sentence. Some take it to mean that “had
there been other deities apart from God, they would endeavour to deprive Him of some or all of
His power, and would thus create chaos in the universe”. Others - and most prominently among
them Tabari and Ibn KathTr-have a far better, though somewhat more complicated explanation to
offer. Starting from the legitimate assumption that those who believe in the existence of other
deities or divine powers apart from God regard them as no more than mediators between man and
Him, the argument runs thus: If those alleged divine or semi-divine “mediators” would really exist,
then it is obvious that, being no more than mediators, even they would have to recognize Him as
the Supreme Being-which would amount to admitting that they have no power of their own but
are, in the last resort, entirely dependent on and subject to Him: and this unavoidable conclusion
implies a negation of any divinity in those imaginary “mediators”. This being so, is it not far more
reasonable for man to turn directly to God, who is almighty, all-seeing, all-hearing, and has
therefore no need of any mediator?
51 See siirah 6, note 88.
52 For an explanation of this expression, see siirah 2, note 20.
53 I.e., although everything in creation bears witness to the existence of a conscious Creative
Will, man is only too often blind and deaf to this overwhelming evidence of God’s ever-present
almightiness.
54 This passage connects with verse 41 above.
55 Cf. 6:25. See also 2:7 and the corresponding note.
56 Lit., “whenever thou dost mention in the Qur’än thy Sustainer alone”.
57 I.e., to find fault with the message of the Qur’än.

425
 simply] because they have gone astray and are now
unable to find a way [to the truth]!
(49) And [thus, too,] they say, “After we will have
become bones and dust, shall we, forsooth, be raised
from the dead in a new act of creation?”
(50) Say: “[You will be raised from the dead even
though] you be stones or iron (51) or any [other]
substance which, to your minds, appears yet farther
removed [from life]!”58
And [if] thereupon they ask, “Who is it that will
bring us back [to life]?”-say thou: “He who has
brought you into being in the first instance.”
And [if] thereupon they shake their heads at thee
[in disbelief] and ask, “When shall this be?”-say
évi ÿ J?
thou: “It may well be soon, (52) on a Day when He ® C./ M“» 01 j-j Î-'ÔJÂj
will call you, and you will answer by praising Him,
thinking all the while that you have tarried [on earth]
but a little while.”59
(53) AND TELL My servants that they should speak in
il <s>
the most kindly manner [unto those who do not share
their beliefs]:60 verily, Satan is always ready to stir up
discord between men6'-for, verily, Satan is man’s
open foe!
(54) Your Sustainer is fully aware of what you are
[and what you deserve]: if He so wills, he will bestow
[His] grace upon you; and if He so wills, He will
chastise you.
Hence, We have not sent thee [unto men, O Pro­
phet,] with the power to determine their fate,62 (55)
seeing that thy Sustainer is fully aware of [what is in
the minds of] all beings that are in the heavens and on
earth. But, indeed, We did endow some of the pro­
phets more highly than others63 - just as We bestowed

58 Lit., “or any created matter which, in your hearts, appears yet more difficult” - i.e., even less
susceptible of having or receiving life.
59 Man’s life on earth will appear to him “but as a little while" in comparison with the unlimited
duration of the life in the hereafter (Tabari, Zamakhsharï). A further implication is that man’s
concept of “time” is earthbound and, hence, has no meaning in the context of ultimate reality. The
preceding reference to the erstwhile deniers of the possibility of resurrection as “answering God’s
call by praising Him” implies that as soon as they are resurrected they will become fully aware of
His existence and almightiness.
60 Cf. 16: 125 (and the corresponding note 149) as well as 29 : 46.
61 Lit., “Satan stirs up discord between them".
62 For my rendering of the term wakil, in this context, as “one who has the power to determine
the fate [of another being] , see note 4 on verse 2 of this sQrah. An alternative, equally acceptable
rendering of the above phrase would be, “We have not sent thee charged with responsibility for
their conduct."
63 This seems to be an allusion to the role of Mubammad as the Last Prophet (Zamakhsharï,
BaydâwT): despite his personal inability to “determine the fate" of the people to whom he

426
 17 THE NIGHT JOURNEY

upon David a book of divine wisdom [in token of Our

grace].64
(56) SAY:65 “Call upon those [beings] whom you imagine
[to be endowed with divine powers] beside Him66-
and [you will find that] they have it not in their power
to remove any affliction from you, or to shift it
[elsewhere].”67
X, •33' Sjfcjjç Ui * «ÿ a ’py
(57) Those [saintly beings] whom they invoke are
themselves striving to obtain their Sustainer’s favour f-c j dl Qj** ùj*-3 cJfr <$)
- [even] those among them who are closest [to Him]6*
-hoping for His grace and dreading His chastise­ 7*ljc f-r.'
ment: for, verily, thy Sustainer’s chastisement is some­
thing to beware of! jij J*
(58) And [bear in mind:] there is no community bljc l»j»JbMjl UjClf*
which We will not destroy before the Day of Resur­
rection,69 or chastise [even earlier, if it proves sinful,] J-y jl Uj (J) IjjU—« itj «IM’S
with suffering severe: all this is laid down in Our
decree.70 &S jJJiîÇjÇ^'jr^cAÎl
(59) And nothing has prevented Us from sending
[this message, like the earlier ones,] with miraculous
signs [in its wake], save [Our knowledge] that the
people of olden times [only too often] gave the lie to
them:71 thus, We provided for [the tribe of] Thamüd

conveyed God’s message, that message is destined to remain alive forever.

64 I.e., just as David's “book of divine wisdom" (the Psalms) had outlived the glory of his
earthly kingdom, so will Muhammad's message, the Qur'an, outlive all the changing fortunes of his
followers.
65 Sc., “to those who believe in the existence of any divine power apart from God".
66 As the sequence shows, this relates to the worship of saints or angels.
67 I.e., to transfer it onto themselves: obviously an allusion to the Christian doctrine of
“vicarious atonement".
68 I.e., the greatest of the prophets, as well as the angels.
69 I.e., since everything in this world is ephemeral and bound to perish, man ought to be
conscious of the life to come.
70 Lit., “in the decree" - i.e., in accordance with the immutable laws which God has laid down
for His creation.
71 This highly elliptic sentence has a fundamental bearing on the purport of the Qur’än as a
whole. In many places the Qur’än stresses the fact that the Prophet Muhammad, despite his being
the last and greatest of God’s apostles, was not empowered to perform miracles similar to those
with which the earlier prophets are said to have reinforced their verbal messages. His only miracle
was and is the Qur’än itself-a message perfect in its lucidity and ethical comprehensiveness,
destined for all times and all stages of human development, addressed not merely to the feelings
but also to the minds of men, open to everyone, whatever his race or social environment, and
bound to remain unchanged forever. Since the earlier prophets invariably appealed to their own
community and their own time alone, their teachings were, of necessity, circumscribed by the
social and intellectual conditions of that particular community and time; and since the people to
whom they addressed themselves had not yet reached the stage of independent thinking, those
prophets stood in need of symbolic portents or miracles (see sürah 6, note 94) in order to make the
people concerned realize the inner truth of their mission. The message of the Qur’än, on the other
hand, was revealed at a time when mankind (and, in particular, that part of it which inhabited the

427
 SÜRAH
AL-ISRÂ*

the she-camel as a light-giving portent, and they sin­

ned against it.72 And never did We send those signs
for any other purpose than to convey a warning.
(60) And lo! We said unto thee, [O Prophet:] “Be­
hold, thy Sustainer encompasses all mankind [within
His knowledge and might]: and so We have ordained
that the vision which We have shown thee73 - as also
the tree (of hell,] cursed in this Qur’än - shall be but a Cj u-CjL lui j
trial for men.74 Now [by Our mentioning hell] We
convey a warning to them: but [if they are bent on
denying the truth,] this [warning] only increases their
gross, overweening arrogance.”
(61) AND LO! We said unto the angels, “Prostrate your­
selves before Adam” - whereupon they all prostrated
themselves, save Iblîs.75 J« <S> &
Said he: “Shall I prostrate myself before one whom
Thou hast created out of clay?” (62) [And] he added:
“Tell me, is this [foolish being] the one whom Thou
hast exalted above me? Indeed, if Thou wilt but allow
me a respite till the Day of Resurrection, I shall most
certainly cause his descendants - all but a few-to
obey me blindly!”76

regions marked by the earlier, Judaeo-Christian religious development) had reached a degree of
maturity which henceforth enabled it to grasp an ideology as such without the aid of those
persuasive portents and miraculous demonstrations which in the past, as the above verse points
out, only too often gave rise to new, grave misconceptions.
72 See the second paragraph of 7:73 and the corresponding note 57. Although there is
absolutely no indication in the Qur’än that the she-camel referred to was of miraculous origin, it
was meant to be a test for the people of Thamüd (cf. 54:27), and thus a "light-giving portent"
(mubçirah).
73 The vision (ru’yd) mentioned here is the Prophet’s experience of the Ascension, preceded
by the Night Journey (see Appendix IV). Inasmuch as this experience was and is open to most
conflicting interpretations and, hence, may give rise to doubts regarding its objective reality, it
becomes-as stated in the sequence-“a trial for men”: the weak of faith and the superficial are
shaken in their belief in Muhammad’s veracity and, thus, in his prophethood: whereas those who
firmly believe in God see in it an extraordinary evidence of the spiritual grace which He bestows
on His chosen ones, and are, therefore, strengthened in their faith in the message of the Qur’än.
74 As regards “the tree cursed in this Qur’än”, there is no doubt that it is the “tree of deadly
fruit” (shajarat az-zaqqüm) spoken of in 37 : 62 If. and 44 : 43 If. as one of the manifestations of
hell (see 37:62-63 and the corresponding notes 22 and 23, the latter of which explains why this
“tree” has become “a trial for men”). In the above context it is described as “cursed” because it
obviously symbolizes hell itself. The reason why only “hell”-and no other manifestation of the
hereafter-is specifically alluded to here becomes evident in the subsequent statement that it is
meant to convey a warning.
75 For an explanation of the allegory of Adam and the angels, see 2 : 30-34, 7:11-18 and
15:26-41, as well as the corresponding notes. In the present instance, as in Al-A'räf and Al-Hijr,
the accent is on the contempt of Iblîs for Adam (which is obviously a metonym for the whole
human race): hence, this passage apparently connects with the end of verse 53 above - “verily,
Satan is man’s open foe!” The stress on man's dignity - expressed in God's commandment
to the angels to “prostrate themselves before Adam” - links this allegory with verses 70-72.
76 Cf. 7:16-17. The verb hanaka denotes, literally, “he put a rope around the lower jaw

428
 17 THE NIGHT JOURNEY

(63) [God] answered: “Go [the way thou hast

chosen]! But as for such of them as shall follow
thee - behold, hell will be the recompense of you [all],
a recompense most ample! (64) Entice, then, with thy
voice such of them as thou canst, and bear upon them
with all thy horses and all thy men,77 and be their
partner in [all sins relating to] worldly goods and
children,78 and hold out [all manner of] promises to
them: and [they will not know that] whatever Satan
promises them is but meant to delude the mind.79
(65) “[And yet,] behold, thou shalt have no power
over [such of] My servants [as place their trust in Î ' ' ' ' '
Me]:80 for none is as worthy of trust as thy Sus­
tainer.”
(£) bj/
(66) YOUR SUSTAINER is He who causes ships to move
onward for you through the sea, so that you might go £>J (J) J

about in quest of some of His bounty: verily, a

dispenser of grace is He unto you.
(67) And whenever danger befalls you at sea, all
j* j <$)
those [powers] that you are wont to invoke forsake
you, [and nothing remains for you] save Him: but as 1’1^1
soon as He has brought you safe ashore, you turn
Sy 3 ’ 'rX y 3^-. j' 1 (£) b/*^
aside [and forget Him]-for, indeed, bereft of all
gratitude is man!
(68) Can you, then, ever feel sure that He will not
J y/; j? Cu £3
cause a tract of dry land to swallow you up, or let e.’/ ÿ dx ££ j-3
loose upon you a deadly stormwind,81 whereupon you
would find none to be your protector? X* Wy f k
(69) Or can you, perchance, feel sure that He will
not make you put back to sea82 once again, and then
let loose upon you a raging tempest and cause you to
drown in requital of your ingratitude - whereupon
you would find none to uphold you against Us?

(70) NOW, INDEED, We have conferred dignity on the

children of Adam,83 and borne them over land and

(lianak) [of a horse]“, i.e., in order to lead it; hence, the form ihlanaka means “he made [another
being] follow him submissively” or “obey him blindly”.
77 This is an idiomatically established metaphor, signifying “with all thy might”.
78 An allusion to possessions acquired by sinful means or spent on sinful purposes, and to the
begetting of children through fornication or adultery. (It must, however, be pointed out that in the
ethics and the canon law of Islam no moral stigma and no legal disability whatever attaches to the
child thus begotten.)
79 Cf. 4 : 120 and the corresponding note 142.
80 I.e., “thou shalt have no real power over them”, as brought out in 14:22 and 15 :42.
81 Lit., “a stormwind that raises stones” (Täj al-'Ariis, art. ha^aba).
82 Lit., “therein”.
83 I.e., by bestowing upon them the faculty of conceptual thinking (cf. 2:31 and the cor-

429
 sea, and provided for them sustenance out of the
good things of life, and favoured them far above most
of Our creation: (71) [but] one Day We shall summon
all human beings [and judge them] according to the
conscious disposition which governed their deeds [in
life]:84 whereupon they whose record shall be placed
in their right hand85-it is they who will read their f & b*
record [with happiness]. Yet none shall be wronged
by as much as a hair’s breadth:86 (72) for whoever is
blind [of heart] in this [world] will be blind in the life JZl (g)
to come [as well], and still farther astray from the
path [of truth].87 bteiV c/* öS?
(73) AND, behold, they [who have gone astray] en­
deavour to tempt thee away from all [the truth] with
which We have inspired thee, [O Prophet,] with a
view to making thee invent something else in Our
name-in which case they would surely have made »H <$> 57
thee their friend!88 (74) And had We not made thee (£) L-k Si OL-JÎ
firm [in faith], thou might have inclined to them a
little89 - (75) in which case We would indeed have
made thee taste double [chastisement] in life and
double [chastisement] after death,90 and thou wouldst
have found none to succour thee against Us!

responding note 23), which makes them superior in this respect to all other animate beings, and
even to the angels. By stressing here this unique distinction of man, the present passage connects
with, and continues the theme of, verse 61 above.
84 Thus RäzT interprets the phrase nad'O kulla undsin bi-imâmihim (lit., “We shall summon all
human beings by [mentioning] their leaders" or "guides"). In his opinion, the expression imam
(lit., "leader" or "guide") has in this context an abstract connotation, signifying the conscious
disposition, good or bad, which governs a person’s behaviour and provides the motives for his
deeds. This interpretation is most convincing, and particularly so in view of the fundamental
hadïth quoted in my note 32 on 53:39.
85 A symbolic image, often used in the Qur’än, denoting an acknowledgement of righteousness
in the spiritual sense, just as the “left hand" indicates its opposite (cf. 69:19 and 25, as well as
84:7).
86 This last clause obviously applies to both the righteous and the unrighteous. (For my above
rendering of fatïl, see sürah 4, note 67.)
87 Cf. 20:124-125. This passage shows that man’s life in the hereafter is not merely conditioned
by the manner of his life on earth, but is also an organic extension of the latter, manifested in a
natural development and intensification of previously-existing tendencies.
88 This relates to an offer of "compromise" made by the pagan Quraysh: they demanded of the
Prophet that he give some sort of recognition to their tribal deities and attribute this recognition to
God; in return, they promised to recognize him as a prophet and to make him their leader.
Naturally, the Prophet rejected this offer.
89 The implication is that the Prophet’s deep faith made it impossible for him to consider
anything of this kind.
90 I.e., "for having gone astray despite the revelation bestowed on thee by God, and for having,
by thy example, led thy followers astray as well". The purport of the above passage goes,
however, beyond the historical event or events to which it relates: it expresses the idea that any
conscious offence against a fundamental truth is an unforgivable sin.

430
 17 THE NIGHT JOURNEY

(76) And [since they see that they cannot persuade

thee,] they endeavour to estrange thee from the land
[of thy birth]91 with a view to driving thee away from
it-but, then, after thou wilt have left,92 they them­
selves will not remain [in it] for more than a little
while:93 (77) [such has been Our] way with all of Our
apostles whom We sent before thy time;9495and no
change wilt thou find in Our ways. (g) iliVi ilikùÂ'îiSij

(78) BE CONSTANT in [thy] prayer from the time when

the sun has passed its zenith till the darkness of night,
and [be ever mindful of its] recitation at dawn:93 for, pi d;j fjî
behold, the recitation [of prayer] at dawn is indeed
witnessed [by all that is holy].96 (J) j»
(79) And rise from thy sleep and pray during part of
the night [as well], as a free offering from thee,97 and 11 j 4_»u « *

thy Sustainer may well raise thee to a glorious station jl '-fj $3 bj-i
[in the life to come].
(80) And say [in thy prayer]: “O my Sustainer! JLjÏ J w£.î,
Cause me to enter [upon whatever I may do] in a
manner true and sincere, and cause me to leave [it] in
a manner true and sincere, and grant me, out of Thy
grace, sustaining strength!”
(81) And say: “The truth has now come [to light],
and falsehood has withered away: for, behold, all
falsehood is bound to wither away!”

91 It must be borne in mind that this is a Meccan sürah, revealed at a time when the
persecution, both physical and moral, which the Prophet and his followers had to suffer at the
hands of the pagan Quraysh reached the peak of its intensity.
92 Lit., “after thee”.
93 This prophecy was fulfilled a little over two years later, in the month of Ramadan, 2 H., when
those same leaders of the Quraysh were killed in the battle of Badr.
94 I.e., the people who drove them away were invariably punished with destruction.
95 As is evidenced by the practice (sunnah) of the Prophet, this verse fully circumscribes the
five daily prayers laid down in Islam as obligatory for every adult man and woman: at dawn (fajr),
shortly after the sun passes its zenith (zuhr), in the middle of the afternoon Carr), immediately
after sunset (maghrib), and after the night has fully set in fisha’). Although parts of the Qur’än
should be recited in every prayer, the early morning prayer is metonymically singled out as the
“recitation (tjur’dn) at dawn” because the Prophet, under divine inspiration, used to lengthen his
recitation while praying at that time, thus stressing the special significance of this particular prayer.
(See next note.)
96 Most of the classical commentators take this to mean “witnessed by the angels of night as
well as those of day”, since dawn is the time between night and day. Râzï, however, is of the
opinion that the “witness” to which the Qur’än refers here is the spark of God-given illumination
in man’s own soul-the heightening of his inner perception at the time when the darkness and
stillness of night begins to give way to the life-giving light of day, so that prayer becomes a means
of attaining to deeper insight into the realm of spiritual truths and, thus, of achieving communion
with all that is holy.
97 Lit., “as a deed beyond that which is incumbent on thee” (näfilatan laka)-i.e., in addition to
the five obligatory prayers. Hence, the above is not an injunction but a recommendation, although
the Prophet himself invariably spent the greater part of the night in prayer.

431
 SÜRAH
AL-ISRÄ*

(82) THUS, step by step, We bestow from on high

through this Qur’än all that gives health [to the spirit]
and is a grace unto those who believe [in Us], the
while it only adds to the ruin of evildoers:98 (83) for [it
often happens that] when We bestow Our blessings
upon man, he turns away and arrogantly keeps aloof
[from any thought of Us]; and when evil fortune
touches him, he abandons all hope.99
(84) Say: “Everyone acts in a manner peculiar to
himself-and your Sustainer is fully aware as to who
jl^=» yijl J* UiJ (J*,/*'
has chosen the best path.”100
pjci jT j» eg) '-J4*.
(85) AND THEY will ask thee about [the nature of] divine
inspiration.101 Say: “This inspiration [comes] at my <S>%.
Sustainer’s behest; and [you cannot understand its
nature, O men, since] you have been granted very (g) <4 j cr C-tA
little of [real] knowledge.”
(86) And if We so willed, We could indeed take itf 7 éjji uXJi 3 ù£û i3a
away whatever We have revealed unto thee, and in /il»
that [state of need] thou wouldst find none to plead in
thy behalf before Us.102 (87) [Thou art spared] only by ï ÿî i J j &
thy Sustainer’s grace: behold, His favour towards
thee is great indeed! Sk'JjJ 3/ty &iyu J ÿ
(88) Say: “If all mankind and all invisible beings10’
would come together with a view to producing the ll* j (J.U1I jfij <$) j-r*"
like of this Qur’än, they could not produce its like
even though they were to exert all their strength in
aiding one another!”
(89) For, indeed, many facets have We given in this
Qur’än to every kind of lesson [designed] for [the
benefit of] mankind!104

98 By “evildoers” are meant people who, out of self-conceit or an excessive “love of this
world”, reject out of hand any suggestion of divine guidance - and, with it, any belief in the
existence of absolute moral values-and in the end, as the sequence shows, fall prey to spiritual
nihilism.
99 Cf. 11:9-10 and the corresponding notes.
100 Lit., “as to who is best guided on a path”.
101 For this interpretation of the term rü/i, see surah 16. note 2. Some commentators are of the
opinion that it refers here, specifically, to the revelation of the Qur’än; others understand by it the
“soul”, in particular the soul of man. This latter interpretation is, however, unconvincing inasmuch
as the preceding as well as the subsequent verses relate explicitly to the Qur’än and, hence, to the
phenomenon of divine revelation.
102 Lit., “to be thy guardian against [or “before”] Us”-i.e., “to provide thee with other means
of guidance”: an allusion to the fact that divine guidance is the only source of ethics in the
absolute sense of this word. The “taking away” of revelation denotes its alienation from the hearts
and the memory of men, as well as its disappearance in written form.
103 See Appendix Ill.
104 According to Räghib, the noun mathal (lit., “similitude”, “parable” or “example”) is here
more or less synonymous with watf (“description by means of a comparison”, i.e., “definition”).
In its broadest sense, this term signifies “a lesson”.

432
 17 THE NIGHT JOURNEY

However, most men are unwilling to accept any­

thing but blasphemy103 - (90) and so they say: “(O
Muhammad,] we shall not believe thee till thou cause
a spring to gush forth for us from the earth,105
106 (91) or
thou have a garden of date-palms and vines and cause
rivers to gush forth in their midst in a sudden rush,107108
(92) or thou cause the skies to fail down upon us in
O k*-**. «ÿ- iî J ÎJI»,
smithereens, as thou hast threatened,100 or [till] thou
bring God and the angels face to face before us, (93)
or thou have a house [made] of gold, or thou ascend
to heaven-but nay, we would not [even] believe in
thy ascension unless thou bring down to us [from
(J) ât j'L' 5* liS”
heaven] a writing which we [ourselves] could
read!”109
"^3 ùjJ* »ÜJT j ÿj jl C*
Say thou, [O Prophet:] “Limitless in His glory is
my Sustainer!110IllAm I, then, aught but a mortal man, jjü‘ <ÿ-
an apostle?”
(94) Yet whenever [God’s] guidance came to them *1 *>’ ($) yj-j IoJ*"
[through a prophet,] nothing has ever kept people <$) 'ijZ -î J y[
from believing [in him] save this their objection:"1
“Would God have sent a [mere] mortal man as His
(j*j J»
apostle?”
(95) Say: “If angels were walking about on earth as ‘V $ <$> & ^3* r?
their natural abode, We would indeed have sent down
unto them an angel out of heaven as Our apostle.”
(96) Say: “None can bear witness between me and r1 J” J* & a-,.
you as God does: verily, fully aware is He of His
creatures, and He sees all [that is in their hearts].”
(97) And he whom God guides, he alone has found
the right way; whereas for those whom He lets go
astray thou canst never find anyone to protect them

105 I.e., they are unwilling to accept any idea which runs counter to their own, blasphemous
inclinations.
106 I.e., like Moses (cf. 2:60).
107 This seems to be a derisory allusion to the allegory of paradise so often mentioned in the
Qur’än.
108 Lit., “claimed”: possibly a reference to the warning expressed in 34:9, which was revealed
somewhat earlier than the present sürah.
109 A reply to this demand of the unbelievers is found in verse 7 of Al-An'äm, revealed-
according to SuyflfT - shortly after the present sürah. But the allusion to this and the preceding
“conditions” is not merely historical: it illustrates a widely prevalent, psychologically con­
tradictory attitude of mind - a strange mixture of prima-facie scepticism and primitive credulity
which makes belief in a prophetic message dependent on the prophet’s “performing miracles ’ (cf.
6:37 and 109 and 7:203). Since the only miracle granted by God to Muhammad is the Qur an
itself (see the first part of verse 59 of this sürah, as well as note 71 above), he is bidden, in the next
passage, to declare that these demands are irrelevant and, by implication, frivolous.
110 I.e., “miracles are in the power of God alone" (cf. 6:109 and the corresponding note 94).
Ill Lit., “save that they said". The verb qäla (as also the noun qawl) is often used tropically in
the sense of holding or asserting an opinion or a belief; in the above case it obviously implies a
conceptual objection.
433
 SÜRAH
AL-ISRÄ*

from Him: and [so, when] We shall gather them

together on the Day of Resurrection, [they will lie]
prone upon their faces, blind and dumb and deaf,
with hell as their goal; [and] every time [the fire]
abates, We shall increase for them [its] blazing
flame.112
(98) Such will be their requital for having rejected
Our messages and having said, “After we will have uaiL b ($> ’
become bones and dust, shall we, forsooth, be raised
from the dead in a new act of creation?”113114 (g) Iju*- UJi> W
(99) Are they, then, not aware that God, who has
created the heavens and the earth, has the power to
create them anew in their own likeness,1,4 having,
beyond any doubt, set a term for their resurrection?115 u p J-» ù'
However, all [such] evildoers are unwilling to
accept anything but blasphemy!1’6 Sj£ic Ji'.? JJ
(100) Say: “If you were to own all the treasure­
houses of my Sustainer’s bounty,117 Io! you would still
try to hold on [to them] tightly for fear of spending
[too much]: for man has always been avaricious
[whereas God is limitless in His bounty].”118 ? «JS H i»T'jg. 3*“*

(101) AND, INDEED, We gave unto Moses nine clear

messages.119
Ask, then, the children of Israel120 [to tell thee what

112 The phrase “for them” is meant, I believe, to stress the individual character of the suffering
allegorized in the Qur'an as a “blazing flame” (sa'ïr). For a further discussion of this terminology
and its philosophical implications, see Appendix 1.
113 Implying that this denial of God’s power to resurrect the dead (mentioned in exactly the
same phrasing in verse 49 of this sürah) is equivalent to a denial of His almightiness and. hence, of
His Being-all of which is characterized by the words “blind and deaf and dumb” in the preceding
verse.
114 Lit., “to create the like of them”-i.e., to resurrect them individually, each of them having
the same identity (or “likeness”) which he or she had before death.
115 Lit., “a term (ajal) for them”. Since ajal denotes, primarily, “a specified term [at which
something falls due]”, it obviously relates here to the inescapable fact of resurrection.
116 See notes 98 and 105 above.
117 Lit., “grace" (rahmah).
118 I.e., since man is, by his very nature, dependent on material possessions, he instinctively
tries to hold on to them; God, on the other hand, is self-sufficient and, therefore, above all need of
placing any limits on His bestowal of bounty (hence my interpolation). This implied reference to
God s grace and bounty is necessitated by the emphasis, in the preceding as well as in the
subsequent passages, on the fact that He has never ceased to guide man, through His prophets,
towards the good life.
119 Some of the commentators assume that this is an allusion to the miracles performed by
Moses, while others (relying on a Tradition quoted in the compilations of Nasâ’ï, Ibn Hanbal,
Bayhaqi, Ibn Mäjah and Tabaränl) see in it a reference to nine specific commandments or ethical
principles, the foremost of them being a stress on God’s oneness and uniqueness. In my opinion,
however, the number nine” may be no more than a metonym for “several”, just as the numbers
seven and seventy” are often used in classical Arabic to denote “several” or “many”
120 I.e., of the present time. The whole phrase has this meaning: “Ask them about what the

434
 17 THE NIGHT JOURNEY

happened] when he came unto them, [and appealed to

Pharaoh,121] and Pharaoh said unto him, “Verily, O
Moses, I think that thou art full of sorcery!’*122
(102) Answered [Moses]: “Thou knowest well that
none but the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth
has bestowed these [miraculous signs] from on high,
as a means of insight [for thee];123 and, verily, O
Pharaoh, [since thou hast chosen to reject them,] I c >lc AjU J1» (Pp
think that thou art utterly lost!’’
b »S/jï> L
(103) And then Pharaoh resolved to wipe them off
[the face of] the earth - whereupon We caused him aijli bjr-*
and all who were with him to drown [in the sea].124
(104) And after that We said unto the children of
Israel: “Dwell now securely on earth-but [remember
that] when the promise of the Last Day shall come to
pass, We will bring you forth as [parts of] a motley
crowd!”125
jXt 3} j O &*?

(105) AND AS a guide towards the truth126 have We be­

stowed this [revelation] from on high; with this [very]
truth has it come down [unto thee, O Prophet]:127 for
We have sent thee but as a herald of glad tidings and
a warner, (106) [bearing] a discourse which We have
gradually unfolded,128 so that thou might read it out to
mankind by stages, seeing that We have bestowed it
from on high step by step, as [one] revelation.129

Qur’än tells us in this respect, and they will be bound to confirm it on the basis of their own
scriptures.” This “confirmation” apparently relates to what is said in verse 104, explaining
why the story of Moses and Pharaoh has been mentioned in the present context. (The story as
such appears in greater detail in 7 : 103-137 and 20 : 49-79.)
121 Cf. 7 : 105-“let the children of Israel go with me!”
122 Or: “that thou art bewitched”. However, my rendering is based on Tabari’s interpretation
of the passive participle mashür, which I consider preferable in view of the subsequent reference
to the miraculous signs granted by God to Moses.
123 See sürah 6, note 94.
124 See sürah 1, note 100.
125 According to RäzT, the expression lafïf denotes a human crowd composed of innumerable
heterogeneous elements, good and bad, strong and weak, fortunate and unfortunate: in short, it
characterizes mankind in all its aspects. It is obviously used here to refute, once again, the idea
that the children of Israel are a “chosen people” by virtue of their Abrahamic descent and,
therefore, a priori and invariably destined for God's grace. The Qur’än rejects this claim by stating
that on Resurrection Day all mankind will be judged, and none will have a privileged position.
126 Lit., “with truth” or “in truth”.
427 I.e., it has come down to man, through the Prophet, without any alteration, omission or
addition.
128 Lit., “which We have divided into [consecutive] parts” or, according to some authorities
(quoted by RäzT), “set forth with clarity". The rendering adopted by me allows for both these
meanings.
129 The above verse alludes both to the historical fact that the process of the revelation of the
Qur’än was gradual, extending over the twenty-three years of the Prophet’s ministry, and to the

435
 SÜRAH 17
AL-ISRÄ*

(107) Say: “Believe in it or do not believe.”

Behold, those who are already130 endowed with
[innate] knowledge fall down upon their faces in
prostration as soon as this [divine writ] is conveyed
unto them, (108) and say, “Limitless in His glory is S’ X *,x • .// x»> f
our Sustainer! Verily, our Sustainer’s promise has
been fulfilled!”131
(109) And so they fall down upon their faces, (JJ) XjmJ uZj Jcj
weeping, and [their consciousness of God’s grace]
ijwîji i (Q) is
increases their humility.
(110) Say: “Invoke God, or invoke the Most
Gracious: by whichever name you invoke Him, [He is
always the One —for] His are all the attributes of (JJ) »iH’i um y, «iüy,«
perfection.”132
And [pray unto Him; yet] be not too loud in thy prayer /J ® J a 13-T JS
nor speak it in too low a voice, but follow a way
(JJj) i J
in-between; (111) and say: “All praise is due to God, who
begets no offspring,133 and has no partner in His
dominion, and has no weakness, and therefore no need
of any aid”134-and [thus] extol His limitless greatness.

fact that it is nevertheless one integral whole and can, therefore, be properly understood only if it
is considered in its entirety - that is to say, if each of its passages is read in the light of all the other
passages which it contains. (See also 20:114 and the corresponding note 101.)
130 Lit., “before it” - i.e., before the Qur’an as such has come within their ken.
131 This may be an allusion to the many Biblical predictions of the advent of the Prophet
Muhammad, especially to Deuteronomy xviii, 15 and 18 (cf. sürah 2, note 33). In its wider sense,
however, the “fulfilment of God’s promise” relates to His bestowal of a definitive revelation, the
Qur’än, henceforth destined to guide man at all stages of his spiritual, cultural and social
development.
132 For an explanation of the expression al-asma* al-husnâ (lit., “the most perfect [or “most
goodly”] names”), see sürah 7, note 145. The epithet ar-rahman - rendered by me throughout as
“the Most Gracious” - has an intensive significance, denoting the unconditional, all-embracing
quality and exercise of grace and mercy, and is applied exclusively to God, “who has willed upon
Himself the law of grace and mercy” (6: 12 and 54).
133 Lit., “who has not taken unto Himself [or “begotten”] a son”-i.e., who is free of the
imperfection inherent in the concept of begetting a child as an extension of one’s own being. Since
this statement not merely refutes the Christian doctrine of Jesus as “the son of God” but, beyond
that, stresses the logical impossibility of connecting such a concept with God, the clause is best
rendered in the present tense, and the noun walad in its primary sense of “offspring”, which
applies to a child of either sex.
134 Lit., “and has no protector [to aid Him] on account of any [supposed] weakness [on His
part]”.

436
 THE EIGHTEENTH SÜRAH

AL-KAHF (THE CAVE)

MECCA PERIOD

IIS SÜRAH-revealed immediately before An-Nahl (“The Bee”), i.e., in the last year of the
T Mecca period - is almost entirely devoted to a series of parables or allegories built around the
theme of faith in God versus an undue attachment to the life of this world; and the key-phrase of
the whole sürah is the statement in verse 7, “We have willed that all beauty on earth be a means
by which we put men to a test” - an idea that is most clearly formulated in the parable of the rich
man and the poor man (verses 32-44).
The story of the Men of the Cave-from which the surah takes its title - illustrates (in verses
13-20) the principle of world-abandonment for the sake of faith, and is deepened into an allegory
of death, resurrection and spiritual awakening. In the story of Moses and the unnamed sage
(verses 60-82) the theme of spiritual awakening undergoes a significant variation: it is shifted to
the plane of man’s intellectual life and his search after ultimate truths. Appearance and reality are
shown to be intrinsically different-so different that only mystic insight can reveal to us what is
apparent and what is real. And, finally, the allegory of Dhu 'l-Qamayn, “the Two-Homed One”,
tells us that world-renunciation is not, in itself, a necessary complement of one's faith in God: in
other words, that worldly life and power need not conflict with spiritual righteousness so long as
we remain conscious of the ephemeral nature of all works of man and of our ultimate respon­
sibility to Him who is above all limitations of time and appearance. And so the sürah ends with the
words: “Hence, whoever looks forward to meeting his Sustainer, let him do righteous deeds, and
let him not ascribe unto anyone or anything a share in the worship due to his Sustainer."

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) A LL PRAISE is due to God, who has bestowed

XX this divine writ from on high upon His servant,
--------------------
and has not allowed any deviousness to obscure its
meaning:1 (2) [a divine writ] unerringly straight, Jj Je Jÿl 3 jîa -ÛJ-T
meant to warn [the godless] of a severe punishment
from Him, and to give unto the believers who do L.L
good works the glad tiding that theirs shall be a
goodly reward-(3) [a state of bliss] in which they l/; । ô' ÛjUm, CijJï
shall dwell beyond the count of time. àiiî ijlU <X> U > CsjC- Q LX
(4) Furthermore, [this divine writ is meant] to warn
all those who assert, “God has taken unto Himself a
son.” (5) No knowledge whatever have they of Him,2

1 Lit., “and has not given it any deviousness”. The term *iwaj signifies “crookedness”, “tor-
tuousness” or “deviation" (e.g., from a path), as well as “distortion" or “deviousness” in the
abstract sense of these words. The above phrase is meant to establish the direct, unambiguous
character of the Qur’Sn and to stress its freedom from all obscurities and internal contradictions:
cf. 4:82-“Had it issued from any but God, they would surely have found in it many an inner
contradiction!"
2 Most of the classical commentators (and, as far as I am aware, all the earlier translators of the

437
 and neither had their forefathers: dreadful is this
saying that comes out of their mouths, [and] nothing
but falsehood do they utter!
(6) But wouldst thou, perhaps,3 torment thyself to (J) ùjjh ù[ ç-yt «J?
death with grief over them if they are not willing to
believe in this message?4 l-Lç -J Si? dlkU
(7) Behold, We have willed that all beauty on earth uCj b <$>
be a means by which We put men to a test,5 [showing]
which of them are best in conduct; (8) and, verily, [in IjJcl* Up
time] We shall reduce all that is on it to barren dust!
l)I C.}..»- (T) I
(9) [AND SINCE the life of this world is but a test,]6
j[ Vjïï^îsi (j)
dost thou [really] think that [the parable of] the Men
of the Cave and of [their devotion to] the scriptures
could be deemed more wondrous than any [other] of
Our messages?7

Qur’an) relate the pronoun in bihi to the assertion that “God has taken unto Himself a son”, and
hence take the phrase to mean, “They have no knowledge of it”, i.e., no knowledge of such a
happening. However, this interpretation is weak inasmuch as absence of knowledge does not
necessarily imply an objective negation of the fact to which it relates. It is, therefore, obvious that
bihi cannot signify “of it”: it signifies “of Him", and relates to God. Hence, the phrase must be
rendered as above - meaning that they who make such a preposterous claim have no real
knowledge of Him, since they attribute to the Supreme Being something that is attributable only to
created, imperfect beings. This interpretation is supported, in an unequivocal manner, by Tabari
and, as an alternative, by Baydâwï.
3 Lit., “it may well be that thou wilt...”, etc. However, the particle la'alia does not. in this
context, indicate a possibility but, rather, a rhetorical question implying a reproach for the attitude
referred to (MaräghT XIII, 116).
4 This rhetorical question is addressed, in the first instance, to the Prophet, who was deeply
distressed by the hostility which his message aroused among the pagan Meccans, and suffered
agonies of apprehension regarding their spiritual fate. Beyond that, however, it applies to everyone
who, having become convinced of the truth of an ethical proposition, is dismayed at the
indifference with which his social environment reacts to it.
5 Lit., “We have made all that exists on earth as its adornment in order that We might put them
[i.e., all human beings] to a test”: meaning that God lets them reveal their real characters in their
respective attitudes - moral or immoral - towards the material goods and benefits which the
world offers them. In further analysis, this passage implies that the real motive underlying men's
refusal to believe in God’s spiritual message (see preceding verse) is almost always their excessive,
blind attachment to the good of this world, combined with a false pride in what they regard as their
own achievements (cf. 16:22 and the corresponding note 15).
6 This interpolation establishes the elliptically implied connection between the long passage that
follows and the preceding two verses.
7 Lit., “that the Men of the Cave... were more wondrous...”, etc. - the implication being that
die allegory or parable based on this story is entirely in tune with the ethical doctrine propounded
in the Qur’än as a whole, and therefore not “more wondrous” than any other of its statements. -
As regards the story of the Men of the Cave as such, most of the commentators incline to the
view that it relates to a phase in early Christian history - namely, the persecution of the Christians
by Emperor Decius in the third century. Legend has it that some young Christians of Ephesus,
accompanied by their dog, withdrew into a secluded cave in order to be able to live in accordance
with their faith, and remained there, miraculously asleep, for a great length of time (accordipg to
some accounts, referred to in verse 25 of this surah, for about three centuries). When they finally
awoke-unaware of the long time during which they had lain asleep-they sent one of their
company to the town to purchase some food. In the meantime the situation had changed entirely:

438
18
THE CAVE

(10) When those youths took refuge in the cave,

J <£1^5 tj* yis
they prayed: “O our Sustainer! Bestow on us grace
from Thyself, and endow us, whatever our [outward]
condition, with consciousness of what is right!”8
(11) And thereupon We veiled their ears in the
cave9 for many a year, (12) and then We awakened

Christianity was no longer persecuted and had even become the official religion of the Roman
Empire. The ancient coin (dating from the reign of Decius) with which the young man wanted to
pay for his purchases immediately aroused curiosity; people began to question the stranger, and
the story of the Men of the Cave and their miraculous sleep came to light.
As already mentioned, the majority of the classical commentators rely on this Christian legend
in their endeavour to interpret the Qur’anic reference (in verses 9-26) to the Men of the Cave. It
seems, however, that the Christian formulation of this theme is a later development of a much
older oral tradition - a tradition which, in fact, goes back to pre-Christian, Jewish sources. This is
evident from several well-authenticated ahâdïth (mentioned by all the classical commentators),
according to which it was the Jewish rabbis (ahbâr) of Medina who induced the Meccan
opponents of Muhammad to “test his veracity” by asking him to explain, among other problems,
the story of the Men of the Cave. Referring to these ahâdïth, Ibn Kathîr remarks in his
commentary on verse 13 of this sürah : “It has been said that they were followers of Jesus the son
of Mary, but God knows it better: it is obvious that they lived much earlier than the Christian
period-for, had they been Christians, why should the Jewish rabbis have been intent on
preserving their story, seeing that the Jews had cut themselves off from all friendly communion
with them [i.e., the Christians]?” We may, therefore, safely assume that the legend of the Men of
the Cave-stripped of its Christian garb and the superimposed Christian background - is, sub­
stantially, of Jewish origin. If we discard the later syncretic additions and reduce the story to its
fundamentals - voluntary withdrawal from the world, agelong “sleep” in a secluded cave and a
miraculous “awakening” after an indeterminate period of time-we have before us a striking
allegory relating to a movement which played an important role in Jewish religious history during
the centuries immediately preceding and following the advent of Jesus: namely, the ascetic Essene
Brotherhood (to which, as 1 have pointed out in note 42 on 3:52. Jesus himself may have
belonged), and particularly that of its branches which lived in self-imposed solitude in the vicinity
of the Dead Sea and has recently, after the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, come to be known
as the “Qumran community”. The expression ar-raqïm occurring in the above Qur’än-verse (and
rendered by me as “scriptures”) lends strong support to this theory. As recorded by Tabari, some
of the earliest authorities - and particularly Ibn *AbbSs - regarded this expression as synonymous
with marqûm (“something that is written") and hence with kitäb (“a writ" or “a scripture”); and
Râzï adds that “all rhetoricians and Arabic philologists assert that ar~raqïm signifies [the same as)
al-kitâb". Since it is historically established that the members of the Qumran community - the
strictest group among the Essenes - devoted themselves entirely to the study, the copying and the
preservation of the sacred scriptures, and since they lived in complete seclusion from the rest of
the world and were highly admired for their piety and moral purity, it is more than probable that
their mode of life made so strong an impression on the imagination of their more worldly
co-religionists that it became gradually allegorized in the story of the Men of the Cave who
“slept”-that is, were cut off from the outside world-for countless years, destined to be
“awakened” after their spiritual task was done.
But whatever the source of this legend, and irrespective of whether it is of Jewish or Christian
origin, the fact remains that it is used in the Qur’än in a purely parabolic sense: namely, as an
illustration of God’s power to bring about death (or “sleep") and resurrection (or “awakening”);
and, secondly, as an allegory of the piety that induces men to abandon a wicked or frivolous world
in order to keep their faith unsullied, and of God’s recognition of that faith by His bestowal of a
spiritual awakening which transcends time and death.
8 Lit., “and provide for us, out of our condition (min amnnâ), consciousness of what is
right” - which latter phrase gives the meaning of the term rushd in this context. This passage is a
kind of introduction to the allegory of the Men of the Cave, giving a broad outline of what is
expounded more fully in verses 13 ff.
9 I.e., God caused them to remain cut off-physically or metaphorically - from the sounds and

439
 SÜRAH
AL-KAHF

them:*1011[and We did all this] so that We might mark

out [to the world]" which of the two points of view
showed a better comprehension of the time-span
during which they had remained in this state.12
(13) [And now] We shall truly relate to thee their
story:13 JXL«iûp
Behold, they were young men who had attained to
faith in their Sustainer: and [so] We deepened their Jp tu rl
consciousness of the right way14 (14) and endowed
their hearts with strength, so that they stood up15 and
said [to one another]: “Our Sustainer is the Sustainer
of the heavens and the earth. Never shall we invoke ikk-i I > jj* iyj; J
any deity other than Him: [if we did,] we should
indeed have uttered an enormity! (15) These people
of ours have taken to worshipping [other] deities
instead of Him, without being able to16 adduce any
reasonable evidence in support of their beliefs;1718and
who could be more wicked than he who invents a lie
about God?” (16) Hence, now that you have with­
drawn from them and from all that they worship
instead of God, take refuge in that cave: God will
spread His grace over you, and will endow you-
whatever your [outward] condition - with all that
your souls may need!”19

the bustie of the outside world. The classical commentators take the above phrase to mean that
God “veiled their ears with sleep”.
10 Or: “sent them forth” - which may indicate a return to the active life of this world.
11 Lit., “so that We might take cognizance of”: but since God embraces all past, present and
future with His knowledge. His “taking cognizance” of an event denotes His causing it to come
into being and, thus, allowing it to become known by His creatures: hence, “marking it out” to the
world.
12 Lit., “which of the two parties” - alluding, metonymically, to the two viewpoints mentioned
in verse 19 below-“was better at computing the time-span...”, etc.: it should, however, be borne
in mind that the verb ah$ä does not merely signify “he computed” or “reckoned”, but also “he
understood” or “comprehended” (Täj al-'Ariis'). Since a “computing” of the time which those
seekers after truth had spent in the cave could have no particular bearing on the ethical
implications of this parable, ah$ä has here obviously the meaning of “better at comprehending” or
“showing a better comprehension” - namely, of the spiritual meaning of the time-lapse between
their “falling asleep” and their “awakening” (see note 25 below).
13 I.e., without the many legendary embellishments which, in times past, have obscured the
purport of this story or parable.
14 Lit., “We increased [or “advanced”] them in guidance".
15 Lit., when they stood up”-i.e., stood up to their misguided fellow-men, or to the rulers
who persecuted the believers (see note 7).
16 Lit., Why do they not...”, etc., in the form of a rhetorical query introducing a new

17 Lit., “any clear evidence [or “authority”] in their support”. The adjective bayyin (“dear”,
“obvious” , manifest ) implies an evidence accessible to reason.
18 I.e., invents imaginary deities and thus gives the lie to the truth of His
oneness and
uniqueness, or even denies His existence altogether.
19 The term mirfaq signifies “anything by which one benefits", whether concrete or abstract; in

440
 18
THE CAVE
(17) And [for many a year] thou might have seen
the sun, on its rising, incline away from their cave on
the right, and, on its setting, turn aside from them on
the left, while they lived on in that spacious cham­
ber,20 [bearing witness to] this of God’s messages: He
whom God guides, he alone has found the right way;
& »J # ($)
whereas for him whom He lets go astray thou canst
never find any protector who would point out the
j Oli 4 i»<-»
right way.
(18) And thou wouldst have thought that they were
awake, whereas they lay asleep. And We caused them
to turn over repeatedly, now to the right, now to the
left; and their dog [lay] on the threshold, its forepaws
outstretched. Hadst thou come upon them [un­
prepared], thou wouldst surely have turned away
from them in flight, and wouldst surely have been
filled with awe of them.21
(19) And so, [in the course of time,] We awakened $ n**- y($) l*j
them;22 and they began to ask one another [as to what
had happened to them].23
One of them asked: “How long have you remained
thus?”
[The others] answered: “We have remained thus a
day, or part of a day.”2425
Said they [who were endowed with deeper insight]:
“Your Sustainer knows best how long you have thus
remained.23 Let, then, one of you go with these silver

this context it has obviously a spiritual connotation, marking the young men's abandonment of the
world and withdrawal into utter seclusion.
20 Lit., “while they were in a broad cleft thereof". The cave evidently opened to the north, so
that the heat of the sun never disturbed them: and this, 1 believe is an echo of the many Qur’anic
allusions to the happiness of the righteous in paradise, symbolized by its “everlasting shade” (see,
in particular, siirah 4, note 74, on the metaphorical use of the term fill in the sense of
“happiness”).
21 I.e., an accidental onlooker would immediately have felt the mystic, awe-inspiring aura that
surrounded the Men of the Cave, and would have become conscious that he stood before God's
elect (Tabari, RäzT, Ibn KathTr, BaytjäwT).
22 See note 10 above.
23 It seems to me that the prefix li in li-yatasäyalü (which most commentators take to mean “so
that they might ask one another”) is not a particle denoting a purpose (“so that”) but, rather, a läm
al-'äqibah -that is, a particle indicating no more than a causal sequence - which in this context
may be brought out by the phrase “and they began...”, etc.
24 Cf. 2:259, where exactly the same question is asked and exactly the same wondering answer
is given in the parable of the man whom God caused to be dead for a hundred years and thereupon
brought back to life. The striking verbal identity of question and answer in the two passages is
obviously not accidental: it points, in a deliberately revealing manner, to the identity of the idea
underlying these two allegories: namely, God’s power to “bring forth the living out of that which is
dead, and the dead out of that which is alive” (3 : 27, 6 : 95, 10 : 31, 30:19), i.e., to create life, to
cause it to disappear and then to resurrect it. Beyond this, the above verse alludes to the
deceptive, purely earthbound character of the human concept of “time”.
25 I.e., they understood-in contrast to their companions, who were merely concerned about

441
 SÜRAH
AL-KAHF

coins to the town, and let him find out what food is
purest there, and bring you thereof [some] provisions.
But let him behave with great care and by no means
make anyone aware of you: (20) for, behold, if they
should come to know of you, they might stone you to
death or force you back to their faith - in which case
you would never attain to any good!”26
& itÄ (—r[ C$) ’J*1 j£* ûJjA
(21) AND IN THIS way27 have We drawn [people’s] at­
tention to their story,28 so that they might know- (£) ÇÎ Jj j y
whenever they debate among themselves as to what
jlj J*- 4#! JéJ jHjJkJ I» .,.1» Û JLOI Xll JÙ)
happened to those [Men of the Cave]29-that God’s
promise [of resurrection] is true, and that there can yö H4 S
be no doubt as to [the coming of] the Last Hour.
And so, some [people] said: ‘‘Erect a building in
their memory;30 God knows best what happened to
them.” Said they whose opinion prevailed in the end: ul* <£) »
‘‘Indeed, we must surely raise a house of worship in
their memory!”
(22) (And in times to come] some will say,31 “[They
QJ J* **7- '^*•“4
were] three, the fourth of them being their dog,”
while others will say, “Five, with their dog as the
sixth of them” - idly guessing at something of which
they can have no knowledge - and [so on, until] some
will say, “[They were] seven, the eighth of them
being their dog.”
Say: “My Sustainer knows best how many they
were. None but a few have any [real] knowledge of

what had “actually” happened to them - that the lapse of time between their “falling asleep” and
their “awakening” had no reality of its own and no meaning, just as it has no reality or meaning in
connection with a human being’s death and subsequent resurrection (cf. 17:52 and the cor­
responding note 59): and this explains the reference to the “two viewpoints” (lit., “two parties”) in
verse 12 above.
26 During their “sleep”, time had stood still for the Men of the Cave, and so they assumed that
the outside world had remained unchanged and was, as before, hostile to them. - At this point, the
story as such ends abruptly (for, as we know, the Qur’än is never concerned with narratives for
their own sake) and is revealed in the sequence as an allegory of death and resurrection and of the
relativity of “time” as manifested in man’s consciousness.
27 I.e., by means of the legend which has grown up around the Men of the Cave and, more
particularly, by means of the allegoric use which the Qur’an makes of this legend.
28 Lit., “given knowledge about them [to others]”.
29 Lit., “debate their case (amrahum) among themselves”: an indication of the fact that the
legend of the Men of the Cave occupied men’s minds for a long time, leading to many discussions
and conflicting interpretations. The next sentence explains why God has “drawn [people’s]
attention" to this story in the context of the Qur’än.
30 This, to my mind, is the meaning of the expression 'alayhbn (lit., “over them”) occurring
here as well as in the subsequent reference to the building of a house of worship at the suggestion
of those “whose opinion prevailed in the end” (alladhïna ghalabû 'alä amrihim).
31 The future tense in sayaqülün points once again to the legendary character of the story as
such, and implies that all speculation about its details is irrelevant to its parabolic, ethical purport.

442
 18
THE CAVE
them. Hence, do not argue about them otherwise than
by way of an obvious argument,” and do not ask any
of those [story-tellers] to enlighten thee about them.”

(23) AND NEVER say about anything, “Behold, I shall

do this tomorrow,” (24) without [adding], “if God so
33 And if thou ^houldst forget [thyself at the
wills.”32
time, and become aware of it later], call thy Sustainer
to mind and say: “I pray that my Sustainer guide me, aULuorfy (g> ilüß jet
even closer than this, to a consciousness of what is
□J üXc. ù' Jÿ-* J*> CaJ lbJ
right!”

(25) AND [some people assert], “They remained in their

cave three hundred years”; and some have added irr' J» I*-» si*
nine [to that number].3435
(26) Say: “God knows best how long they remained
[there]. His [alone] is the knowledge of the hidden
(g) j
reality of the heavens and the earth: how well does
He see and hear! No guardian have they apart from
Him, since He allots to no one a share in His rule!”

(27) AND CONVEY [to the world] whatever has been

revealed to thee of thy Sustainer's writ. There is X, (»rJ
nothing that could alter His words;33 and thou canst
find no refuge other than with Him.
(28) And contain thyself in patience by the side of
all who at morn and at evening invoke their Sustainer,
seeking His countenance, and let not thine eyes pass
beyond them in quest of the beauties of this world's
life;36 and pay no heed to any whose heart We have

32 I.e., for the sake of the self-evident ethical lesson to be derived from their story: an allusion
to the first paragraph of verse 21 above.
33 According to almost all of the commentators, this parenthetic passage (verses 23-24) is
primarily addressed to the Prophet, who, on being asked by some of the pagan Quraysh as to what
“really” happened to the Men of the Cave, is said to have replied, “I shall give you my answer
tomorrow” - whereupon revelation was temporarily withheld from him in token of God’s dis­
approval; in the second instance, this exhortation expresses ■ general principle addressed to
all believers.
34 This obviously connects with the “idle guesses” mentioned in the first paragraph of verse 22
above - guesses refuted by the subsequent statements, “My Sustainer knows best how many they
were” in verse 22, and “God knows best how long they remained [there]” in verse 26. This was, in
particular, the view of 'Abd Allah ibn Mas'Qd, whose copy of the Qur’än is said to have contained
the words, “And they [i.e., some people] said, ‘They remained..etc. (which was probably a
marginal, explanatory remark added by Ibn Mas'Qd). as well as of Qatâdah and of Matar ai-Warräq
(Tabari, Zamakhsharî and Ibn KathTr). My interpolation, at the beginning of the verse, of the
words “some people asserted” is based on the word qälü (“they said”) used by Ibn Mas'Qd in his
marginal note.
35 According to RäzT, it is on this passage, among others, that the great Qur’än-commentator
AbQ Muslim al-lsfahänT based his rejection of the so-called “doctrine of abrogation” discussed in
my note 87 on 2:106.
36 For an explanation of this verse, see 6:52 and the corresponding note 41.

443
 SÜRAH
AL-KAHF

rendered heedless of all remembrance of Us37 be­

cause he had always followed [only] his own desires,
abandoning all that is good and true.38
(29) And say: “The truth [has now come] from your
Sustainer: let, then, him who wills, believe in it, and let
<Li '*ù-*
him who wills, reject it.” 8- \ X» / x x t s.s.Lt
Verily, for all who sin against themselves [by
rejecting Our truth]3940We have readied a fire whose
billowing folds will encompass them from all sides/0 jX-Ç '> 1*4 <j[j
and if they beg for water, they will be given water
[hot] like molten lead, which will scald their faces: (J)
how dreadful a drink, and how evil a place to rest!
(30) [But,] behold, as for those who attain to faith <$>
and do righteous deeds - verily, We do not fail to
requite any who persevere in doing good: (31) theirs
shall be gardens of perpetual bliss - [gardens] through 'Z**“ û*
which running waters flow-wherein they will be
adorned with bracelets of gold and will wear green puû <LÜ(je LfJ
garments of silk and brocade, [and] wherein upon
• <g> llL'jZ
couches they will recline:41 how excellent a recom­
pense, and how goodly a place to rest!

(32) AND PROPOUND unto them the parable of two

men, upon one of whom We had bestowed two
vinyards, and surrounded them with date-palms, and
placed a field of grain in-between.42 (33) Each of the
two gardens yielded its produce and never failed
therein in any way, for We had caused a stream to

37 See sûrah 2, note 7. ZamakhsharT and Râzï explain the verb aghfalnâ - agreeably with
Qur’anic doctrine - as meaning “whom We have found to be heedless“. (See also my note 4 on the
second part of 14:4.)
38 Lit., “and whose case (amr) was one of abandonment of [or “transgression against“] all
bounds [of what is right]”.
39 Thus RäzT explains the expression a?-?älimün (lit., “the evildoers“) in the above context.
40 The expression surädiq - rendered by me as “billowing folds" - literally denotes an awning
or the outer covering of a tent, and alludes here to the billowing “walls of smoke” that will
surround the sinners (ZamakhsharT): a symbolism meant to stress the inescapability of their
suffering in the hereafter (RäzT).
41 Like all other Qur’anic descriptions of happenings in the hereafter, the above reference to
the “adornment” of the believers with gold and jewels and silk (cf. similar passages in 22:23,
35:33 and 76:21) and their “reclining upon couches (urd’ik)” is obviously an allegory - in this
case, an allegory of the splendour, the ever-fresh life (symbolized by "green garments”), and the
restful fulfilment that awaits them in result of the many acts of self-denial which their faith had
imposed on them during their earthly life. - Referring to the symbolism of these joys of paradise,
RäzT draws our attention to the difference in the construction of the two parts of this clause: the
first part is in the passive form (“they will be adorned...”) and the second, in the active (“they
will wear...”). In his opinion, the active form alludes to what the righteous will have earned by
virtue of their deeds, whereas the passive form denotes all that will be bestowed on them by God
above and beyond their deserts.
42 This parable connects with verses 7-8 of this surah, and serves as an illustration of the
statement that “all beauty on earth is a means by which God puts men to a test”.

444
18
THE CAVE
gush forth in the midst of each of them. (34) And so
[the man] had fruit in abundance.
And [one day] he said to his friend, bandying words
with him, “More wealth have I than thou, and
mightier am I as regards [the number and power of
my] followers!”
(35) And having [thus] sinned against himself, he
entered his garden, saying, “I do not think that this
will ever perish! (36) And neither do I think that the 'JlL UI JC-«* jjf
Last Hour will ever come. But even if [it should
come, and] I am brought before my Sustainer,4’ I will <$> V*
surely find something even better than this as [my U icUT jtl U, (ff) I jJ xJ J jW U
last] resort!”
(37) And his friend answered him in the course of L. 1<> LfU Ijj ûwj
their argument: “Wilt thou blaspheme against Him
who has created thee out of dust,43 44 and then out of a J* ,4 JÊ
drop of sperm, and in the end has fashioned thee into
a [complete] man? (38) But as for myself, [I know j* LGj (W) dbj- f kJ/
that] He is God, my Sustainer; and I cannot attribute écÇ Jj
divine powers to any but my Sustainer.”4’
(39) And [he continued:] “Alas,46 if thou hadst but
said, on entering thy garden, ‘Whatever God wills
[shall come to pass, for] there is no power save with
God!’ Although, as thou seest, I have less wealth and
offspring than thou, (40) yet it may well be that my
Sustainer will give me something better than thy <£> Ci jî uJu ;î
garden-just as He may let loose a calamity out of
jâjIÜ Je ZhS"wJL gji* *•
heaven upon this [thy garden], so that it becomes a
heap of barren dust (41) or its water sinks deep
J ‘■IAj
into the ground, so that thou wilt never be able to find it
again!” ûl J* (J)
(42) And [thus it happened:] his fruitful gardens
were encompassed [by ruin], and there he was, wring­
ing his hands over all that he had spent on that
which now lay waste, with its trellises caved in; and
he could but say, “Oh, would that I had not attributed
divine powers to any but my Sustainer!” (43)-for
now he had nought47 to succour him in God’s stead,
nor could he succour himself.
(44) For thus it is: all protective power belongs to
God alone, the True One. He is the best to grant

43 Lit., “brought back [or “referred”] to my Sustainer" - i.e., for judgment.

44 See second half of note 47 on 3:59, and note 4 on 23:12.
45 Lit., “I shall not [or “do not”] associate anyone [or “anything”] with my Sustainer” - i.e., “I
cannot associate in my mind wealth or poverty with any power or creative cause other than Him”
(QiffSJ, as quoted by Râzï).
46 For an explanation of my rendering of law-lâ as “alas", see note 119 on 10:98.
47 Lit., "he had no host whatever".

445
 SURAH
AL-KAHF

recompense, and the best to determine what is to be.48

(45) AND PROPOUND unto them the parable of the life

of this world: [it is] like the water which We send
down from the skies, and which is absorbed by the
plants of the earth: but [in time] they turn into dry
stubble which the winds blow freely about. L;j|T îjtlî <$) L b*
And it is God [alone] who determines all things.
(46) Wealth and children are an adornment of this
world’s life: but good deeds, the fruit whereof en­
dures forever, are of far greater merit in thy Sus­
tainer’s sight, and a far better source of hope.49
(47) Hence, [bear in mind] the Day on which We UjjTj QrPS JLJÎbjci*

shall cause the mountains to disappear and thou shalt

J L b* j jf*-
behold the earth void and bare: for [on that Day] We
will [resurrect the dead and] gather them all together,
leaving out none of them. (48) And they will be lined
up before thy Sustainer, [and He will say:50] “Now,
indeed, you have come unto Us [in a lonely state], >2 J’ i
even as We created you in the first instance5’- al­
though you were wont to assert that We would never
appoint for you a meeting [with Us]!’’ ^33 <3)
(49) And the record [of everyone’s deeds] will be lli JU iZp y Le
laid open; and thou wilt behold the guilty filled with
dread at what [they see] therein; and they will ex­
claim: “Oh, woe unto us! What a record is this! It jsÿu ui; â!; fX.y;
leaves out nothing, be it small or great, but takes
everything into account!’’
For they will find all that they ever wrought [now]
facing them, and [will know that] thy Sustainer does
not wrong anyone.

(50) AND [remember that] when We told the angels,

“Prostrate yourselves before Adam,”52 they all
prostrated themselves, save IblTs: he [too] was one of

48 Lit., “the best as regards the consequence”.

49 Lit., “are better in thy Sustainer’s sight as regards merit, and better as regards hope”. The
expression al-bäqiyät af-fäiihät (“good deeds, the fruit whereof endures forever”) occurs in the
Qur’än twice - in the above verse as well as in 19:76.
50 I.e., to those who in their lifetime denied the truth of resurrection.
51 Cf. 6:94.
52 This short reference to the oft-repeated allegory of God’s command to the angels to
“prostrate themselves before Adam" is meant, in the above context, to stress man’s inborn faculty
of conceptual thinking (see 2:31-34 and the corresponding notes) and, thus, his ability and
obligation to discern between right and wrong. Since man’s deliberate choice of a morally wrong
course - of which the preceding passages speak - is almost invariably due to his exaggerated
attachment to the allurements of worldly life, attention is drawn here to the fact that this attachment is
the means by which Satan (or IblTs) induces man to forgo all moral considerations and thus brings
about his spiritual ruin.

446
 18
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those invisible beings,33 but then he turned away from
his Sustainer’s command. Will you, then, take him
and his cohorts34 for [your] masters instead of Me,
although they are your foes? How vile an exchange
on the evildoers’ part!33
(51) I did not make them witnesses of the creation
of the heavens and the earth, nor of the creation of
their own selves;36 and neither do I [have any need to] s S. r?,/. , ~ ,
take as My helpers those [beings] that lead [men] (£> J. ÛjJJill>*-* r~J**
astray.37
(52) Hence, [bear in mind] the Day on which He «
will say, “Call [now] unto those beings whom you
fx 3 (g) ûsLfcj > Iku cJî uj (LpJl»
imagined to have a share in My divinity!”38 -
whereupon they will invoke them, but those [beings]
will not respond to them: for We shall have placed
between them an unbridgeable gulf.39
(53) And those who were lost in sin will behold the
3>Ç* b-^ Jj
fire, and will know that they are bound to fall into it,
and will find no way of escape therefrom.

(54) THUS, INDEED, have We given in this Qur’än many J <$>

facets to every kind of lesson [designed] for [the
benefit of] mankind.53
59
58
57
56
55
54
60 j’x ^T.J b>^-L> '>•>.
However, man is, above all else, always given jy £3 & 40
to contention: (55) for, what is there to keep people
from attaining to faith now that guidance has come
unto them, and from asking their Sustainer to forgive
them their sins-unless it be [their wish] that the fate
of the [sinful] people of ancient times should befall
them [as well], or that the [ultimate] suffering should
befall them in the hereafter?61

53 Denoting, in this instance, the angels (see Appendix 111).

54 Lit., “his offspring" - a metonym for all who follow him.
55 Lit., “for the evildoers". As regards Satan's symbolic “rebellion” against God, see note 26 on
2: 34 and note 31 on 15 :41.
56 I.e., “since they are but created beings, and not co-existent with Me. how can you take them
for your masters?"-an allusion to the beings, real or imaginary, to which men ascribe divine
qualities, either consciously or (as in the case of one's submission to the “whisperings of Satan")
by subconscious implication.
57 Since God is almighty, all-knowing and self-sufficient, the belief that any being or power
could have a “helping" share in His divinity, or could “mediate” between Him and man, causes
the latter to go utterly astray.
58 Lit., “those partners of Mine whom you supposed [to exist]": see note 15 on 6:22.
59 Or: “a gulf [or “a barrier"] of perdition”: an allusion to the wide gulf of unreality that
separates those sinners from the blasphemous figments of their imagination or. more probably, the
gulf that separates them from the saintly persons whom they were wont to worship despite the fact
that the latter had never made any claim to divine status (ZamakhsharT and Râzï in one of their
alternative interpretations, with specific mention of Jesus and Mary).
60 Cf. note 104 on 17:89, explaining my translation of mathal, in this context, as “lesson”.
61 Lit., “face to face" or “in the future" (ZamakhsharT)-both these meanings of qubulan being

447
 (56) But We send [Our] message-bearers only as
heralds of glad tidings and as warners - whereas those
who are bent on denying the truth contend [against
them] with fallacious arguments, so as to render void
the truth thereby, and to make My messages and
warnings a target of their mockery.
(57) And who could be more wicked than he to
whom his Sustainer’s messages are conveyed and ijjjfi L, *J
who thereupon turns away from them, forgetting all
[the evil] that his hands may have wrought?62 ®

Behold, over their hearts have We laid veils which

prevent them from grasping the truth, and into their
ears, deafness; and though thou call them onto the j (»r'iK Zb ù»
right path,63 they will never allow themselves to be
guided. j'i ® ''M* '*»
(58) Yet, [withal,] thy Sustainer is the Truly-For­
giving One, limitless in His grace. Were He to take
them [at once] to task for whatever [wrong] they
(g) y ^4ji j* J 4-*r
commit, He would indeed bring about their speedy
punishment [then and there]:6465but nay, they have a <3) '-uy
time-limit beyond which they shall find no
redemption63-(59) as [was the case with all] those
communities that We destroyed when they went on
and on doing wrong:66 for We had set a time-limit for
their destruction.
(60) AND LO!67 [In the course of his wanderings,] Moses

comprised in the concept of “the hereafter” or “the life to come”.

62 I.e., persevering in his unrighteous behaviour (RäzT).
63 Lit., “to guidance”.
64 Lit., “He would indeed hasten the punishment for them”-the implication being that He
invariably allows them time to repent and mend their ways.
65 Cf. somewhat similar passages in 16:61 and 35:45. The “time-limit” (niaw'id) signifies, in
this context, the end of the sinners’ life on earth or - as in the next verse - the “point of no return”
beyond which God does not allow them to sin with impunity.
66 Lit., “when [or “after”] they had been doing wrong”-i.e., persistently and for a long time.
67 The particle idh (which usually signifies “when”, but is, I believe, properly rendered here as
“Jo!”) often serves in the Qur’än to draw attention to a sudden turn in the discourse, without,
however, involving a break in the continuity of thought. In this instance, it evidently marks a
connection with verse 54 above (“many facets have We given in this Qur’än to every kind of
lesson [designed] for [the benefit of] mankind”), and introduces an allegory meant to illustrate the
fact that knowledge, and particularly spiritual knowledge, is inexhaustible, so that no human
being-not even a prophet-can ever claim to possess answers to all the questions that perplex
man throughout his life. (This idea is brought out fully in the last two verses of this surah.)
The subsequent parable of Moses and his quest for knowledge (verses 60-82) has become, in the
course of time, the nucleus of innumerable legends with which we are not concerned here. We
have, however, a Tradition on the authority of Ubayy ibn Ka'b (recorded in several versions by
BukhärT, Muslim and TirmidhT), according to which Moses was rebuked by God for having once
asserted that he was the wisest of all men, and was subsequently told through revelation that a
“servant of God” who lived at the “junction of the two seas” was far superior to him in wisdom.
When Moses expressed his eagerness to find that man, God commanded him to “take a fish in a

448
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said to his servant:“ ‘‘I shall not give up until I reach
the junction of the two seas, even if I [have to] spend
untold years [in my quest]!”
(61) But when they reached the junction between
the two [seas], they forgot all about their fish, and it
took its way into the sea and disappeared from Ç 44 'ÿ- UL Ui (X^|j‘
sight.68
69
(62) And after the two had walked some distance,
[Moses] said to his servant: “Bring us our mid-day
($) ÛK
meal; we have indeed suffered hardship on this [day
of] our journey!”
(63) Said [the servant]: “Wouldst thou believe it?70
Xs 31 si
When we betook ourselves to that rock for a rest,
behold, I forgot about the fish-and none but Satan
made me thus forget it!71 - and it took its way into the JU (J) Ue

sea! How strange!” 44 5 <S> l>jUK

(64) [Moses] exclaimed: “That [was the place] which
we were seeking!”72 iff £ & <S> U® Ujf

And the two turned back, retracing their footsetps,

(65) and found one of Our servants, on whom We had
bestowed grace from Ourselves and unto whom We
had imparted knowledge [issuing] from Ourselves.73
(66) Moses said unto him: “May I follow thee on

basket" and to go on and on until the fish would disappear: and its disappearance was to be a sign
that the goal had been reached. - There is no doubt that this Tradition is a kind of allegorical
introduction to our Qur’anic parable. The “fish" mentioned in the latter as well as in the
above-mentioned Ijadïth is an ancient religious symbol, possibly signifying divine knowledge or
life eternal. As for the “junction of the two seas", which many of the early commentators
endeavoured to “identify" in geographical terms (ranging from the meeting of the Red Sea and the
Indian Ocean at the Bab al-Mandab to that of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean at the
Straits of Gibraltar), BaydäwT offers, in his commentary on verse 60. a purely allegorical
explanation: the “two seas" represent the two sources or streams of knowledge - the one
obtainable through the observation and intellectual coordination of outward phenomena ('ibn
az-çâhir), and the other through intuitive, mystic insight ('ibn al-bâtin)- the meeting of which is
the real goal of Moses' quest.
68 Lit., “young man” (farä)-a term applied, in early Arabic usage, to one’s servant (ir­
respective of his age). According to tradition, it was Joshua, who was to become the leader of the
Israelites after the death of Moses.
69 Lit., “burrowing [into it]”. Their forgetting the symbolic “fish” (see last third of note 67) is
perhaps an allusion to man’s frequently forgetting that God is the ultimate source of all knowledge
and life.
70 Lit., “Didst thou see?” Although formulated as a question, this idiomatic phrase often
expresses-as does its modem equivalent, “Would you believe it?”-no more than a sudden
remembrance of, or surprise at, an unusual or absurd happening.
71 Lit., “made me forget it lest I remember it”.
72 I.e., the disappearance of the fish indicated the point at which their quest was to end (see
note 67).
73 In the Tradition on the authority of Ubayy ibn Ka*b (referred to in note 67) this mysterious
sage is spoken of as Al-Khatfir or Al-Khitfr, meaning “the Green One”. Apparently this is an epithet
rather than a name, implying (according to popular legend) that his wisdom was ever-fresh (“green”)
and imperishable: a notion which bears out the assumption that we have here an allegoric figure
symbolizing the utmost depth of mystic insight accessible to man.
 SÜRAH
AL-KAHF

the understanding that thou wilt impart to me some­

thing of that consciousness of what is right which has
been imparted to thee?”
(67) [The other] answered: “Behold, thou wilt
never be able to have patience with me - (68) for how
couldst thou be patient about something that thou
canst not comprehend within the compass of [thy]
experience?”74 ($) IjJy cJp Cje ÿfe Ù* dkJ'l Ja
(69) Replied [Moses]: “Thou wilt find me patient, if
God so wills; and I shall not disobey thee in any­ <$> up

thing!” JB $)
(70) Said [the sage]: “Well, then, if thou art to
follow me, do not question me about aught [that I JB ($) V** Xj C*"*
may do] until I myself give thee an account thereof.”
(71) And so the two went on their way, till [they (g) dJB S ji.1 ÿ
reached the seashore; and] when they disembarked
JB jî J Li*j LiiiiU
from the boat [that had ferried them across], the sage75
made a hole in it - [whereupon Moses] exclaimed:
Jil J' JB (^) '—-’T C-pA' J/J
“Hast thou made a hole in it in order to drown the
people who may be [travelling] in it? Indeed, thou Uj JB ÿp J
hast done a grievous thing!”
(72) He replied: “Did I not tell thee that thou wilt &»• L&iU (g) 'y-*- J*
never be able to have patience with me?”
jU-L CXi'JB /Ui» UJkê UâJ
(73) Said [Moses]: “Take me not to task for my
having forgotten [myself], and be not hard on me on éb-l Jji* J* JB • <£> JâJ
account of what I have done!"
(74) And so the two went on, till, when they met a > JUÜ j> JBj
young man, [the sage] slew him - [whereupon Moses]
exclaimed: “Hast thou slain an innocent human being (^) lj Je J J j» Ai £ IaJLaj
without [his having taken] another man's life? Indeed,
thou hast done a terrible thing!”
(75) He replied: “Did I not tell thee that thou wilt
never be able to have patience with me?”
(76) Said [Moses]: “If, after this, I should ever
question thee, keep me not in thy company: [for by]
now thou hast heard enough excuses from me.”
(77) And so the two went on, till, when they came
upon some village people, they asked them76 for food;

74 Lit., '‘that thou dost not encompass with [thy] experience (khubranX': according to Râzï, an
allusion to the fact that even a prophet like Moses did not fully comprehend the inner reality of
things (haqä'iq al-ash yâ* kamä hiya)-, and, more generally, to man’s lack of equanimity whenever
he is faced with something that he has never yet experienced or cannot immediately comprehend.
In the last analysis, the above verse implies-as is brought out fully in Moses' subsequent
experiences - that appearance and reality do not always coincide; beyond that, it touches in a
subtle manner upon the profound truth that man cannot really comprehend or even visualize
anything that has no counterpart - at least in its component elements-in his own intellectual
experience: and this is the reason for the Qur’anic use of metaphor and allegory with regard to “all
that is beyond the reach of a created being's perception” (al-ghayb).
75 Lit., “he”.
76 Lit., “asked its people”.

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but those [people] refused them all hospitality. And
they saw in that [village] a wall which was on the
point of tumbling down, and [the sage] rebuilt it-
[whereupon Moses] said: “Hadst thou so wished,
surely thou couldst [at least] have obtained some
payment for it?”
(78) [The sage] replied: “This is the parting of ways U Ijl JU. Lfci J
between me and thee. [And now] I shall let thee know
the real meaning of all [those events] that thou wert '-c* JI» (w) i/J 'j^J di ji JI»

unable to bear with patience:

(79) “As for that boat, it belonged to some needy (va) Ijm* J L (Jut- L j
people who toiled upon the sea-and I desired to
OijlijVkjTjüjLmu .«I 4J-ZJÎUI
damage it77 because [I knew that] behind them was a
king who is wont to seize every boat by brute force. elU jj jèj Ij-aI <jl
(80) “And as for that young man, his parents were
[true] believers - whereas we had every reason to “Lh' Ulj
fear78 that he would bring bitter grief upon them by
£ iu£J uiju diu
[his] overweening wickedness and denial of all truth:
(81) and so we desired that their Sustainer grant them çjdûôlôlljlïuîj
in his stead [a child] of greater purity than him, and
closer [to them] in loving tenderness. LAjfl j JmJÛ
(82) “And as for that wall, it belonged to two orphan
Ç/ZjJLAlilUL JSLj Sl>UlS
boys [living] in the town, and beneath it was (buried]
a treasure belonging to them [by right].79 Now their
✓*’J*
father had been a righteous man, and so thy Sustainer
willed it that when they come of age they should öyjjüksi ;$) Lj-
bring forth their treasure by thy Sustainer's grace.
“And I did not do [any of] this of my own accord:80 ,4 ijTs ijUL jî
this is the real meaning of all [those events] that thou
wert unable to bear with patience.”

(83) AND THEY will ask thee about the Two-Horned One.
Say: “I will convey unto you something by which he
ought to be remembered.”81

77 Lit., “to cause a fault in it” - i.e., to make it temporarily unserviceable.

78 Lit., “we feared” - but it should be borne in mind that, beyond this primary meaning, the
verb khashiya sometimes denotes “he had reason to fear” and, consequently, “he knew”, i.e., that
something bad would happen (Tâj al-'Arûs. with specific reference to the above verse): and so we
may assume that the sage’s expression of “fear” was synonymous with positive “knowledge”
gained through outward evidence or through mystic insight (the latter being more probable, as
indicated by his statement in the second paragraph of the next verse, “I did not do [any of] this of
my own accord”).
79 I.e., left to them as an inheritance. Presumably that treasure would have been exposed to
view if the wall had been allowed to tumble down, and would have been stolen by the avaricious
village folk, who had shown their true character by refusing all hospitality to weary travellers.
80 Implying that whatever he had done was done under the impulsion of a higher truth-the
mystic insight which revealed to him the reality behind the outward appearance of things and made
Jiim a conscious particle in God’s unfathomable plan: and this explains the use of the plural “we”
in verses 80-81, as well as the direct attribution, in the first paragraph of verse 82, of a concrete
human action to God’s will (RäzT).
81 Lit., “I will convey unto you a remembrance [or “mention”] of him”-i.e., something that is

451
 SÜRAH
AL-KAHF

(84) Behold, We established him securely on earth,

and endowed him with [the knowledge of] the right
means to achieve anything® [that he might set out to
achieve]; (85) and so he chose the right means [in
whatever he did].82
83
(86) [And he marched westwards] till, when he
came to the setting of the sun,84 it appeared to him
that it was setting in a dark, turbid sea;85 and nearby
he found a people [given to every kind of wrong­
doing].
We said: “O thou Two-Horned One! Thou mayest
either cause [them] to suffer or treat them with
kindness!”86
worthy of remembrance and mention: which, I believe, is an allusion to the parabolic character of
the subsequent story and the fact that is is confined, like the preceding parable of Moses and the
unknown sage, to a few fundamental, spiritual truths.-The epithet Dhu l-Qamayn signifies “the
Two-Horned One” or “He of the Two Epochs”, since the noun qam has the meaning of “horn” as
well as of “generation” or “epoch” or “age” or “century”. The classical commentators incline to
the first of these meanings (“the Two-Horned”); and in this they appear to have been influenced by
the ancient Middle-Eastern imagery of “horns” as symbols of power and greatness, although the
Qur’an itself does not offer any warrant for this interpretation. In fact, the term qam (and its
plural qurün) occurs in the Qur’ân-apart from the combination Dhu l-Qamayn appearing in
verses 83,86 and 94 of this sürah - twenty times: and each time it has the meaning of “generation”
in the sense of people belonging to one particular epoch or civilization. However, since the
allegory of Dhu l-Qamayn is meant to illustrate the qualities of a powerful and just ruler, it is
possible to assume that this designation is an echo of the above-mentioned ancient symbolism,
which-being familiar to the Arabs from very early times-had acquired idiomatic currency in
their language long before the advent of Islam. Within the context of our Qur’anic allegory, the
“two horns” may be taken to denote the two sources of power with which Dhu l-Qamayn is said
to have been endowed: namely, the worldly might and prestige of kingship as well as the spiritual
strength resulting from his faith in God. This last point is extremely important - for it is precisely
the Qur’anic stress on his faith in God that makes it impossible to identify Dhu l-Qamayn. as
most of the commentators do, with Alexander the Great (who is represented on some of his coins
with two horns on his head) or with one or another of the pre-lslamic, Himyaritic kings of Yemen.
All those historic personages were pagans and worshipped a plurality of deities as a matter of
course, whereas our Dhu l-Qamayn is depicted as a firm believer in the One God: indeed, it is this
aspect of his personality that provides the innermost reason of the Qur’anic allegory. We must,
therefore, conclude that the latter has nothing to do with history or even legend, and that its sole
purport is a parabolic discourse on faith and ethics, with specific reference to the problem of
worldly power (see the concluding passage in the introductory note to this surah).
82 According to Ibn ‘Abbäs, Mujahid, SaTd ibn Jubayr, 'Ikrimah, Qatâdah and Ad-Dahhak (all
of them quoted by Ibn KathTr), the term sabab - lit., “a means to achieve [anything]“ - denotes, in
this context, the knowledge of the right means for the achievement of a particular end.
83 Lit., “he followed (the right] means”: i.e., he never employed wrong means to achieve even a
righteous goal.
84 I.e., the westernmost point of his expedition (RäzT).
85 Or: “abundance of water" - which, according to many philologists (cf. Tâj al-'Arüs), is one of
the meanings of 'ayn (primarily denoting a “spring”). As for my rendering of the phrase “he found
it (wajadahâ) setting...”, etc., as “it appeared to him that it was setting”, see RäzT and Ibn
KathTr, both of whom point out that we have here a metaphor based on the common optical
illusion of the sun’s “disappearing into the sea”; and RäzT explains this, correctly, by the fact that
the earth is spherical. (It is interesting to note that, according to him, this explanation was already
advanced in the-now lost - Qur’än-commentary of Abfl 'AIT al-JubbäT, the famous Mu'tazilT
scholar who died in 303 h., which corresponds to 915 or 916 of the Christian era.)
86 This divine permission to choose between two possible courses of action is not only a

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(87) He answered: “As for him who does wrong
[unto others87] - him shall we, in time, cause to suffer;
and thereupon he shall be referred to his Sustainer,
and He will cause him to suffer with unnameable
suffering.88 (88) But as for him who believes and does
righteous deeds-he will have the ultimate good [of I*?' _ •' '
the life to come] as his reward; and [as for us,] we (g) 'z* “,4c *j. FA-i**
shall make binding on him [only] that which is easy to
fulfill.”89
(89) And once again90 he chose the right means [to fyÿ- <$>
achieve a right end].
(90) [And then he marched eastwards] till, when he
came to the rising of the sun,91 he found that it was
rising on a people for whom We had provided no
coverings against it: (91) thus [We had made them, Sit&fyS* ($) £*^4
and thus he left them92]; and We did encompass with
Our knowledge all that he had in mind.93 jjfJLb L*_p L. fji juj jQ-1 -if
(92) And once again he chose the right means [to VÉ (g) Xh
achieve a right end].
(93) [And he marched on] till, when he reached [a J-* û’ ÿ JJ j SjA-L
he found
place] between the two mountain-barriers,9495
beneath them a people who could scarcely under­
stand a word [of his language].
(94) They said: “O thou Two-Horned One! Behold,
Gog and Magog93 are spoiling this land. May we, then.

metonymic statement of the freedom of will accorded by God to man, but establishes also the
important legal principle of istihsän (social or moral preference) open to a ruler or government in
deciding as to what might be conducive to the greatest good (maslahah ) of the community as a whole:
and this is the first “lesson” of the parable of Dhu 'l-Qamayn.
87 Cf. 11:117 and the corresponding note 149.
88 I.e., in the hereafter-implying that nothing that pertains to the life to come could ever be
imagined or defined in terms of human experience.
89 Since righteous behaviour is the norm expected of man. the laws relating thereto must not be
too demanding-which is another lesson to be drawn from this parable.
90 For this rendering of the particle thumma, see surah 6, note 31.
91 I.e., the easternmost point of his expedition (similar to the expression “the setting of the
sun” in verse 86).
92 This is RäzT’s interpretation of the isolated expression kadhälika (“thus” or “thus it was”)
occurring here. It obviously relates to the primitive, natural state of those people who needed no
clothes to protect them from the sun, and to the (implied) fact that Dhu l-Qamayn left them as he
had found them, being mindful not to upset their mode of life and thus to cause them misery.
93 Lit., “all that was with him”-i.e., his resolve not to “corrupt [or “change”] God's creation”
(cf. the second half of my note 141 on 4:119)-which, 1 believe, is a further ethical lesson to be
derived from this parable.
94 This is generally assumed to be the Caucasus. However, since neither the Qur’än^nor any
authentic Tradition says anything about the location of these “two mountain-barriers” or the
people who lived there, we can safely dismiss all the speculations advanced by the commentators
on this score as irrelevant, the more so as the story of Dhu 'l-Qamayn aims at no more than the
illustration of certain ethical principles in a parabolic manner.
95 This is the form in which these names (in Arabic, Yâjüj and Mäjüj) have achieved currency
in all European languages on the basis of certain vague references to them in the Bible (Genesis x.

453
 SÜRAH
AL-KAHF

pay unto thee a tribute on the understanding that thou

wilt erect a barrier between us and them?”
(95) He answered: ‘‘That wherein my Sustainer has
so securely established me is better [than anything
that you could give me];* hence, do but help me with
[your labour’s] strength, [and] I shall erect a rampart
between you and them! (96) Bring me ingots of iron!” L JU (§)
Then, after he had [piled up the iron and] filled the ôfa ($) ft 4^
gap between the two mountain-sides, he said: ‘‘[Light
a fire and] ply your bellows!”96
97 iyUjT JU' Oh &A* ds*“ J->
At length, when he had made it [glow like] fire, he
commanded: “Bring me molten copper which I may IJ«? Zjc JI» LA* A-*9? Zs*“
pour upon it.”
(97) And thus [the rampart was built, and] their (ffi) Uj »jjflai, J' ILj
enemies98 were unable to scale it, and neither were “i 'xxx
ik*ji/u? Jj Jcj fU
x >,x --- XX *e . »X.X XX XX
uj '-*-* J**
they able to pierce it.
(98) Said [the King]: “This is a mercy from my
Sustainer! Yet when the time appointed by my Sus­
tainer99 shall come, He will make this [rampart] level
with the ground: and my Sustainer’s promise always
comes true!”100

2, I Chronicles i, 5, Ezekiel xxxviii, 2 and xxxix, 6, Revelation of St. John xx. 8). Most of the
post-classical commentators identify these tribes with the Mongols and Tatars (see note 100
below).
96 It is generally assumed that the phrase “that wherein my Sustainer has so securely
established me (makkannï)" refers to the power and wealth bestowed on him: but it is much more
probable-and certainly more consistent with the ethical tenor of the whole parable of Dhu
'l-Qamayn - that it refers to God’s guidance rather than to worldly possessions.
97 Lit., “Blow!”
98 Lit., “they”.
99 Lit., “my Sustainer’s promise”.
100 Some of the classical commentators (e.g., Tabari) regard this as a prediction of a definite,
historic event: namely, the future break-through of the savage tribes of ”Gog and Magog”, who
are conceived of as identical with the Mongols and Tatars (see note 95 above). This “iden­
tification” is mainly based on a well-authenticated Tradition - recorded by Ibn Hanbal, BukhärT
and Muslim - which tells us that the Apostle of God had a prophetic dream to which he referred,
on awakening, with an exclamation of distress: “There is no deity save God! Woe unto the Arabs
from a misfortune that is approaching: a little gap has been opened today in the rampart of Gog
and Magog!” Ever since the late Middle Ages, Muslims have been inclined to discern in this dream
a prediction of the great Mongol invasion in the thirteenth century, which destroyed the Abbasid
Empire and, thus, the political power of the Arabs. However, the mention, in verses 99-101 of this
surah, of “the Day” - i.e., the Day of Judgment - in connection with “Gog and Magog” shows that
“the time appointed by my Sustainer" relates to the coming of the Last Hour, when all works of
man will be destroyed. But since none of the Qur’anic references to the “approach” or the
“nearness” of the Last Hour has anything to do with the human concept of time, it is possible to
accept both of the above interpretations as equally valid in the sense that the “coming of the Last
Hour" comprises an indefinite - and, in human terms, perhaps even immensely long - span of time,
and that the break-through of the godless forces of “Gog and Magog" was to be one of the signs of
its approach. And, finally, it is most logical to assume (especially on the basis of 21:96-97) that the
terms Yäjüj and Mäjüj are purely allegorical, applying not to any specific tribes or beings but to a
series of social catastrophes which would cause a complete destruction of man’s civilization
before the coming of the Last Hour.

454
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(99) AND ON that Day101 We shall [call forth all mankind
and] leave them to surge like waves [that dash]
against one another; and the trumpet [of judgment]
will be blown, and We shall gather them all together.
(100) And on that Day We shall place hell, for all to
see, before those who denied the truth-(101) those • ($) U»- U j Jej Jè’j
whose eyes had been veiled against any remembrance >' ' t w > >
of Me because they could not bear to listen [to the (* <'“•** *: <3 Q**-* u**!
voice of truth]!
(102) Do they who are bent on denying the truth
think, perchance, that they could take [any of] My föj ci/’i j* j
creatures for protectors against Me?102 Verily, We
have readied hell to welcome all who [thus] deny the
truth!103
(103) Say: “Shall we tell you who are the greatest
losers in whatever they may do?
(104) “[It is] they whose labour has gone astray in
0 j* ÿ G
[the pursuit of no more than] this world’s life, and f-r’ 0*^*5 r®*-
who none the less think that they are doing good
1<3> CIS
works: (105) it is they who have chosen to deny their
Sustainer’s messages and the truth that they are des­
tined to meet Him.” H
Hence, all their [good] deeds come to nought, and
no weight shall We assign to them on Resurrection
Day.104105
(106) That will be their recompense - [their] ijU; yi S[ © &
hell - for having denied the truth and made My mes­
sages and My apostles a target of their mockery. (0 Vj c-ij?
(107) [But,] verily, as for those who attain to faith
J* O
and do righteous deeds - the gardens of paradise will be
there to welcome them; (108) therein will they abide, Jùü£ O' J1» AiJ C
[and] never will they desire any change therefrom.

(109) SAY: “If all the sea were ink for my Sustainer's
words, the sea would indeed be exhausted ere my
Sustainer’s words are exhausted! And [thus it would
be] if we were to add to it sea upon sea.”103

101 I.e., on the Day of Judgment alluded to in the preceding verse.

102 This is an allusion not only to the worship of created beings or forces of nature, but also to
the popular belief that saints, whether alive or dead, could effectively “intercede” with God in
behalf of anyone whom He has rejected.
103 I.e., of God’s oneness and uniqueness, and hence of the fact that no created being can have
any “influence” on God’s judgment.
104 Although each of their good actions will be taken into account on Judgment Day in
accordance with the Qur’anic statement that “he who shall have done an atom’s weight of good,
shall behold it” (99:7), the above verse implies that whatever good such sinners may do is far
outweighed by their godlessness (Al-Qâtjï cIyä<j, as quoted by Râzï).
105 Lit., “if We were to produce the like of it [i.e., of the sea] in addition”. It is to be noted that,
as pointed out by ZamakhsharT, the term al-bahr (“the sea") is used here in a generic sense,
comprising all the seas that exist: hence, the expression “the like of it” has been rendered by me
as “sea upon sea”. (See also 31:27.)
455
AL-KAHF SÜRAH 18

(110) Say [O Prophet]: “I am but a mortal man like

all of you. It has been revealed unto me that your
God is the One and Only God. Hence, whoever looks
forward [with hope and awe] to meeting his Sustainer Xj yz tUJ Jé'
[on Judgment Day], let him do righteous deeds, and
let him not ascribe unto anyone or anything a share in ($£) LU Zifj mÇw
the worship due to his Sustainer!”
 THE NINETEENTH SÜRAH

MARYAM (MARY)
MECCA PERIOD

LL THE AUTHORITIES agree in that this sürah belongs to the Mecca period; but where­
A as some of them (e.g., SuyOfT) place it chronologically towards the end of that period, there
is uncontrovertible historical evidence that it was revealed not later than the sixth and possibly even
as early as the fifth year of the Prophet’s mission, i.e., about seven or eight years before his hijrah
to Medina. The Companions who at about that time took part in the second emigration of Muslims
from Mecca to Abyssinia were already acquainted with this sürah: thus, for instance, it is
recorded that Ja'far ibn AbT Talib - the Prophet’s cousin and leader of the first group of those
emigrants - recited it before the Negus (i.e., King) of Abyssinia in order to explain the Islamic
attitude towards Jesus (Ibn Hisham).
The title by which this sürah is commonly known is based on the story of Mary and Jesus,
which (together with the story of Zachariah and his son John, the precursor of Jesus) occupies
about one-third of the whole sürah and is re-echoed towards its end in verses 88-91.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) Käf. Hä. Yä. 'Ayn. Säd.'

(2) A N ACCOUNT of the grace which thy Sustainer

2
xxbestowed upon His servant Zachariah:1
(3) When he called out to his Sustainer in the f
secrecy of his heart,3 (4) he prayed: “O my Sustainer!
Jl 4-j $ '*aj &H
Feeble have become my bones, and my head glistens
with grey hair. But never yet, O my Lord, has my cf1 J •>
prayer unto Thee remained unanswered.4
(5) “Now, behold, I am afraid of [what] my kins­
folk [will do] after I am gone,5 for my wife has always
been barren. Bestow, then, upon me, out of Thy x j# J. C Uj 0* J ’A JÎzT
grace, the gift of a successor (6) who will be my heir /*(T) Lij »-»j '-'At J*4
as well as an heir [to the dignity] of the House of
Jacob; and make him, O my Sustainer, well-pleasing
to Thee!”

1 See Appendix II.

2 Lit., “An account of thy Sustainer’s grace upon...“, etc. According to the account in the
Gospels, not contradicted by the Qur’fin, Zachariah’s wife Elisabeth was a cousin of Mary, the
mother of Jesus (Cf. Luke i, 36).
3 Lit., “with secret calling”.
4 Lit., “never have I been unfortunate in my prayer to Thee”.
5 Lit., “after me". He evidently anticipated that his kinsfolk - who, like himself, were priests
attached to the Temple-would be morally too weak to fulfil their duties with dignity and
conviction (RfizT), and thus, perhaps, unable to safeguard the future of Mary, whose guardian he
was (cf. the first paragraph of 3:37).
457
 SÜRAH
MARYAM

(7) [Thereupon the angels called out unto him:6] “O

Zachariah! We bring thee the glad tiding of [the birth
of] a son whose name shall be John. [And God says,]
‘Never have We given this name to anyone before
him.’ ”789
(8) [Zachariah] exclaimed: “O my Sustainer! How
can I have a son when my wife has always been barren 0 té-
and I have become utterly infirm through old age?”
(9) Answered [the angel]: ‘‘Thus it is; [but] thy IjJs flle J ûjCrf •—»j J1»
Sustainer says, ‘This is easy for Me - even as I have
JU JU (J) J* ciL JÎJ
created thee aforetime out of nothing.’
(10) [Zachariah] prayed: “O my Sustainer! Appoint
<$> ulievj, Jpj*
a sign for me!”
Said [the angel]: “Thy sign shall be that for full three Jûî éuu Jé tu £ jXî ÇJ J«
nights [and days] thou wilt not speak unto men.”’
(11) Thereupon he came out of the sanctuary unto
his people and signified to them [by gestures]: “Extol
His limitless glory by day and by night!” °*
(12) [And when the son was born and grew up,10 he
was told,] “O John! Hold fast unto the divine writ
with [all thy] strength!” - for We granted him wisdom » O > i y/ ***
h Jjj '-O
while he was yet a little boy, (13) as well as, by Our
grace, [the gift of] compassion11 and purity; and he
was [always] conscious of Us (14) and full of piety
towards his parents; and never was he haughty or jjT <3>
rebellious. f_^p (J) UKL»
(15) Hence, [God’s] peace was upon him on the day
when he was born, and on the day of his death, and
will be [upon him] on the day when he shall be raised
to life [again].
(16) AND CALL to mind, through this divine writ,12
Mary. Lo! She withdrew from her family to an east-

6 See 3:39.
7 Lit., “Never before have We made a namesake for him”. The name Ya/iyd (John) signifies
“he shall live”, i.e., he will be spiritually alive and will be remembered forever; and the fact that
God Himself had chosen this name for him was a singular distinction, equivalent to a divine
promise (kalimah, cf. note 28 on 3:39).
8 Lit., “when [or “although”] thou wert nothing”. This stress on God’s unlimited power to bring
into being a new chain of causes and effects forms here, as in ÄI 'Imran, a preamble to the
announcement, expressed in very similar terms, of the birth of Jesus (see verses 19 ff.).
9 See 3:41 and the corresponding note 29.
10 According to RäzT, this is clearly implied inasmuch as the sequence presupposes that John
had in the meantime reached an age which enabled him to receive and understand God’s
commandment.
11 Lit., “compassion from Us”-i.e., as a special divine gift.
12 Lit., “in the divine writ”. In this sürah as well as in ÄIcImrän the story of the birth of John
is followed by that of Jesus-firstly, because John (called “the Baptist” in the Bible) was to be a
precursor of Jesus, and, secondly, because of the obvious parallelism in the form of the
announcements of these two births.

458
19
MARY

em place (17) and kept herself in seclusion from

them,’3 whereupon We sent unto her Our angel of
revelation, who appeared to her in the shape of a
well-made human being.13 14
(18) She exclaimed: "Verily, I seek refuge from
thee with the Most Gracious! [Approach me not] if
thou art conscious of Him!”
(19) [The angel] answered: "I am but a messenger (j)
of thy Sustainer, [who says,] T shall bestow upon
thee the gift of a son endowed with purity.’” e (jtXio ok et; js
(20) Said she: "How can I have a son when no man
has ever touched me? - for, never have I been a loose
woman!”
(21) [The angel] answered: “Thus it is; [but] thy
Sustainer says, ‘This is easy for Me;15 and [thou shalt ($) L-^i. 1^1 5^5 ufCÏÇlt
have a son,] so that We might make him a symbol
unto mankind and an act of grace from Us.’ ”16 Uli L*«» «4(OXjb'ti ■‘•I -J *
And it was a thing decreed [by God]: (22) and in
time she conceived him, and then she withdrew with JJ
him to a far-off place. □5^^' 4-L—i cJ”j
(23) And [when] the throes of childbirth drove her
to the trunk of a palm-tree,17 she exclaimed: “Oh,
would that I had died ere this, and had become a
thing forgotten, utterly forgotten!”
(24) Thereupon [a voice] called out to her from

13 Apparently, in order to devote herself undisturbed to prayer and meditation. The "eastern
place” may possibly, as Ibn Kathïr suggests, signify an eastern chamber of the Temple, to the
service of which Mary had been dedicated by her mother (cf. 3:35-37).
14 As pointed out in sürah 2, note 71, and sürah 16. note 2, the term rüh often denotes “divine
inspiration". Occasionally, however, it is used to describe the medium through which such
inspiration is imparted to God’s elect: in other words, the angel (or angelic force) of revelation.
Since - as is implied in 6:9 - mortals cannot perceive an angel in his true manifestation, God
caused him to appear to Mary “in the shape of a well-made human being”, i.e., in a shape
accessible to her perception. According to Räzl, the designation of the angel as rüh (“spirit” or
“soul") indicates that this category of beings is purely spiritual, without any physical element.
15 Cf. the identical phrase in verse 9 above, relating to the announcement of John's birth to
Zachariah. In both these cases, the implication is that God can and does bring about events which
may be utterly unexpected or even inconceivable before they materialize. In connection with the
announcement of a son to Mary, the Qur’än states in 3 :47 that “when He wills ■ thing to be, He
but says unto it, ‘Be’ - and it is”: but since neither the Qur’än nor any authentic Tradition tells us
anything about the chain of causes and effects (asbäb) which God’s decree “Be” was to bring into
being, all speculation as to the “how” of this event must remain beyond the scope of a
Qur’än-commentary. (But see also note 87 on 21:91.)
16 One of the several meanings of the term äyah is “a sign” or, as elaborately defined by
Râghib, “a symbol” (cf. sürah 17, note 2). However, the sense in which it is most frequently used
in the Qur’än is “a [divine] message”: hence, its metonymic application to Jesus may mean that he
was destined to become a vehicle of God’s message to man - i.e., a prophet - and, thus, a symbol
of God’s grace.-As regards the words “thou shalt have a son” interpolated by me between
brackets, a statement to this effect is implied in the subsequent phrase beginning with “so that”
(Zamakhsharî and RäzT).
17 I.e., compelling her to cling to it for support: thus stressing the natural, normal circumstances
of this childbirth, attended-as is the case with all women-by severe labour pains.

459
 SÜRAH
MARYAM

beneath that [palm-tree]:18 “Grieve not! Thy Sustainer

has provided a rivulet [running] beneath thee; (25)
and shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards thee: it
will drop fresh, ripe dates upon thee. (26) Eat, then, CS> kf J 45

and drink, and let thine eye be gladdened! And if thou

shouldst see any human being, convey this unto
him:1920‘Behold, abstinence from speech have I vowed
unto the Most Gracious; hence, I may not speak
today to any mortal.’ ”M
(27) And in time she returned to her people, car­ " t f U .X

rying the child with her.21 (g)

They said: “O Mary! Thou hast indeed done an «il* I Bji I <jV*L
amazing thing! (28) O sister of Aaron!22 Thy father was
not a wicked man, nor was thy mother a loose woman!” jOjUU (g) Li
(29) Thereupon she pointed to him.
aJjT j
They exclaimed: “How can we talk to one who [as Ü2JCJÎ jSfc & xp <JU (g)

yet] is a little boy in the cradle?” û.1 jC* O

(30) [But] he said:23 “Behold, I am a servant of
God. He has vouchsafed unto me revelation and 2 Äj K <s> ££ s/X jjut
made me a prophet,24 (31) and made me blessed
wherever I may be; and He has enjoined upon me
prayer and charity as long as I live, (32) and [has

18 Or: “from beneath her”. However, Qatädah (as quoted by Zamakhshari) interprets this as
meaning “from beneath the palm-tree”.
19 Lit., “say”-but since actual speech would contradict what follows, the “saying” implies
here a communication by gestures.
20 In its primary sense, the term sawm denotes “abstinence” or “self-denial”; in the present
context it is synonymous with samt (“abstinence from speech”); in fact-as pointed out by
Zamakhshari-the latter term is said to have figured in the Quf’än-copy belonging to ‘Abd Alläh
ibn Mas'üd (possibly as a marginal, explanatory notation).
21 Lit, “she came with him to her people, carrying him".
22 In ancient Semitic usage, a person’s name was often linked with that of a renowned ancestor
or founder of the tribal line. Thus, for instance, a man of the tribe of Banfl Tamim was sometimes
addressed as “son of Tamim” or “brother of Tamim”. Since Mary belonged to the priestly caste,
and hence descended from Aaron, the brother of Moses, she was called a “sister of Aaron" (in the
same way as her cousin Elisabeth, the wife of Zachariah, is spoken of in Luke i, 5, as one “of the
daughters of Aaron").
23 Although the Qur’än mentions in 3:46 that Jesus would “speak unto men [while yet] in his
cradle”-i.e., would be imbued with wisdom from his early childhood - verses 30-33 seem to be in
the nature of a trope, projecting the shape of things to come by using, for the sake of emphasis, the
past tense to describe something that was to become real in the future. (See also next note.)
24 Since it is not conceivable that anyone could be granted divine revelation and made a
prophet before attaining to full maturity of intellect and experience, ‘Ikrimah and Ad-Dahhäk-as
quoted by Tabari - interpret this passage as meaning, “God has decreed (qadd) that He would
vouchsafe unto me revelation...”, etc., thus regarding it as an allusion to the future. Tabari
himself applies the same interpretation to the next verse, explaining it thus: “He has decreed that
He would enjoin upon me prayer and charity”. However, the whole of this passage (verses 30-33)
may also be understood as having been uttered by Jesus at a much later time-namely, after he
had reached maturity and been actually entrusted with his prophetic mission: that is to say, it may
be understood as an anticipatory description of the ethical and moral principles which were to
dominate the adult life of Jesus and particularly his deep consciousness of being only “a servant of
God”.

460
 __________________________ MARY
endowed me with] piety towards my mother; and He
has not made me haughty or bereft of grace.
(33) “Hence, peace was upon me on the day when I
was born, and [will be upon me] on the day of my
death, and on the day when I shall be raised to life
[again]!”

(34) SUCH WAS, in the words of truth, Jesus the son of

Mary, about whose nature they so deeply disagree.25
(35) It is not conceivable that God should have fXJ (> fXJTj (g) Lii

taken unto Himself a son: limitless is He in His (g) OjU

glory!26 When He wills a thing to be, He but says unto
it “Be”-and it is! Ijk û' â (g) ùjjû ô Jlî
(36) And [thus it was that Jesus always said]:
“Verily, God is my Sustainer as well as your Sus­ (g) JjL ixp 7*^

tainer; so worship [none but] Him: this [alone] is a

straight way.”27
(37) And yet, the sects [that follow the Bible] are at û*
variance among themselves [about the nature of
Jesus]!28 £.A tf1 <£) C*-
Woe, then, unto all who deny the truth when that
awesome Day will appear!29 (38) How well will they
hear and see [the truth] on the Day when they come
before Us!
Today, however, these evildoers are obviously lost
in error: (39) hence, warn them of [the coming of] the
J y^5 (J)
Day of Regrets, when everything will have been
decided-for as yet they are heedless, and they do
not believe [in it].
(40) Behold, We alone shall remain after the earth
and all who live on it have passed away,30 and [when]
unto Us all will have been brought back.

(41) AND CALL to mind, through this divine writ, Abra­

ham.31 Behold, he was a man of truth, [already] a
25 Lit., “about whom they are in doubt”, or “about whom they [vainly] dispute”: an allusion to
the many conflicting views about the nature of Jesus and his origins, ranging from the blasphemous
Jewish assertion that he was a “false prophet" and the product of a shameful, illicit union (cf.
4:156), to the Christian belief that he was “the son of God” and, therefore, God incarnate. In this
connection, see also 3:59 and the corresponding note 47.
26 See note 96 on 2:116.
27 Cf. 3:51 and 43 : 64.
28 I.e., either rejecting him entirely, as do the Jews, or-as is the case with the Christians -
deifying him.
29 Lit., “from the manifestation (mashhad) of an awesome Day”, i.e„ the Day of Judgment.
30 Lit., “We alone shall inherit the earth and all who are on it”. For an explanation of this
metaphoric use of the concept of “inheritance”, see sürah 15, note 22.
31 The mention of Abraham and his subsequent, unavailing plea to his father to recognize God’s
oneness and uniqueness connects with the preceding discourse, under the same aspect, on the true
nature of Jesus as ■ mortal human being and a mere servant of the One and Only God.

461
 SÜRAH
MARYAM

prophet (42) when he spoke [thus] unto his father: “O

my father! Why dost thou worship something that
neither hears nor sees and can be of no avail what­
ever to thee?
(43) “O my father! Behold, there has indeed come
to me [a ray] of knowledge such as has never yet JUJ J C-11» JK (g) Lu U»X*
come unto thee:32 follow me, then; I shall guide thee
onto a perfect way. Call» (J) U-i
(44) “O my father! Do not worship Satan-for,
verily, Satan is a rebel against the Most Gracious!33 dkb jC ^4'*
(45) O my father! I dread lest a chastisement from the
c-ll» (Ir) bj—
Most Gracious befall thee, and then thou wilt become
[aware of having been] close unto Satan!”3435 dLjçù'<4 *£ ($)
(46) He answered: “Dost thou dislike my gods, O
Abraham? Indeed, if thou desist not, I shall most J U (£) L-Jj
certainly cause thee to be stoned to death! Now
begone from me for good!”
(47) [Abraham] replied: “Peace be upon thee! I qj yUd-L» dOc *JÜ (IV) LJL*
shall ask my Sustainer to forgive thee: for, behold,
He has always been kind unto me. (48) But I shall fj» (^) Là»- J ôV*,4»[
withdraw from you all and from whatever you invoke
instead of God, and shall invoke my Sustainer (g) Lii jj Jj
[alone]: it may well be that my prayer [for thee] will
not remain unanswered by my Sustainer.”33 Caj 4»1 ùpj* ÙjJ-ajbX»
(49) And after he had withdrawn from them and
from all that they were worshipping instead of God,
We bestowed upon him Isaac and Jacob, and made <$> if Sû (a
each of them a prophet; (50) and We bestowed upon ' t # e
them [manifold] gifts out of Our grace, and granted
them a lofty power to convey the truth [unto
others].36

(51) AND CALL to mind, through this divine writ, Moses.

Behold, he was a chosen one, and was an apostle [of

32 I.e., a cognition of God’s existence and uniqueness through intellectual insight (cf. 6:74-82).
33 The absurdity inherent in the attribution of divine qualities to anything or anyone but God is
here declared, by implication, to be equivalent to “worshipping’’ the epitome of unreason and
ingratitude symbolized in Satan’s rebellion against his Creator. In this connection it should be
noted that the term shaytän is derived from the verb shatana, signifying “he was [or “became”]
remote [from the truth]” (Lisân al-Arab, Täj al-’Arüs); hence, the Qur’än describes every
impulse that inherently offends against truth, reason and morality as “satanic”, and every
conscious act of submission to such satanic influences as a “worship of Satan”.
34 According to ZamakhsharT and RäzT, the construction of this clause (beginning with “so
that”) is meant to bring out the idea that one's belated realization, in the hereafter, of having been
“close unto Satan” is the most terrible consequence of deliberate sinning.
35 Lit., “that I will not be unfortunate in the prayer to my Sustainer”.
36 Lit., “a lofty language of truth" or “of truthfulness” - the term lisän (“language” or
“tongue”) being used here metonymically for what may be pronounced by the tongue
(ZamakhsharT). An alternative interpretation of the phrase, advanced by many commentators, is
“granted them a lofty renown for truth” or “truthfulness”, or simply “a most goodly renown”.

462
 ____ _______________________ MARY
God], a prophet37
(52) And [remember how] We called upon him from
the right-hand slope of Mount Sinai38 and drew him
near [unto Us] in mystic communion, (53) and [how],
out of Our grace, We granted unto him his brother
Aaron, to be a prophet [by his side].

(54) AND CALL to mind, through this divine writ, Ish­

mael.3940Behold, he was always true to his promise, ($) dè'j <3
and was an apostle [of God], a prophet, (55) who used
to enjoin upon his people prayer and charity,* and (g) b-Jy*
found favour in his Sustainer’s sight.
(J) Lxi IL-U«
(56) AND CALL to mind, through this divine writ, Idns.41 aî pûi y1 kSy <$>
Behold, he was a man of truth, a prophet, (57) whom
We exalted onto a lofty station.42 3^3*
(58) THESE WERE some of the prophets upon whom
God bestowed His blessings - [prophets] of the seed
of Adam and of those whom We caused to be borne
[in the ark] with Noah, and of the seed of Abraham
and Israel43: and [all of them were] among those
37 The mention of Moses and other prophets in this context serves to reinforce the statement
that all of them - like Jesus - were but mortal servants of God whom He had inspired with His
message to man (cf. verse 30 above). As regards the distinction between the terms “prophet”
(nabï) and “apostle” (rasül), see the opening clause of 22:52 and the corresponding note 65.
38 I.e., to the right side from the standpoint of Moses, as he was facing Mount Sinai (Tabari).
However, it is much more probable that the term “right side” has here, as elsewhere in the Qur’ân,
the abstract connotation of “blessedness” (cf. note 25 on 74 : 39). For a fuller account of God’s
calling Moses to prophethood, see 20:9 If.
39 After the mention of Moses, who descended from Abraham through Isaac, we are reminded
of Ishmael, Abraham’s first-born son and the progenitor of the “northern” group of Arab tribes,
and thus of the Prophet Muhammad, who descended in direct line, through the tribe of Quraysh,
from Ishmael.
40 This may perhaps mean that Ishmael was the first among the prophets to establish prayer and
charity as obligatory forms of worship.
41 The majority of the classical commentators identify the Prophet Idris-who is mentioned in
the Qur’ân once again, namely in 21:85-with the Biblical Enoch (Genesis v, 18-19 and 21-24),
without, however, being able to adduce any authority for this purely conjectural identification.
Some modern Qur’Sn-commentators suggest that the name Idris may be the Arabicized form of
Osiris (which, in its turn, was the ancient Greek version of the Egyptian name As-ar or Us-ar), said
to have been a wise king and/or prophet whom the Egyptians subsequently deified (cf. Maräghi
XVI, 64, and Sayyid Qutb, FT Ziläl al-Qur’än, Cairo, n.d., vol. XVI, 44); but this assumption is too
far-fetched to deserve any serious consideration. Finally, some of the earliest Qur’än-com-
mentators (*Abd Alläh ibn Mas'Od, Qatfidah, clkrimah and Ad-Dahhäk) assert-with, to my mind,
great plausibility - that “Idris" is but another name for Ilyfis, the Biblical Elijah (regarding whom
see note 48 on 37:123).
42 As regards my rendering of rafa'nähu as “whom We exalted”, see 3:55 and 4:158,
where the same expression is used with reference to Jesus, as well as note 172 on the last-named
verse.
43 Whereas the Hebrew prophets, whose line ended with Jesus, descended from Abraham
through Isaac and Israel (Jacob), Muhammad traced his descent from the same patriarch through
the latter’s first-born son, Ishmael.

463
 MARYAM SÜRAH

whom We had guided and elected; [and] whenever

the messages of the Most Gracious were conveyed
unto them, they would fall down [before Him], pros­
trating themselves and weeping.4445
(59) Yet they were succeeded by generations [of
people] who lost all [thought of] prayer and followed
[but] their own lusts; and these will, in time, meet
with utter disillusion.43
(60) Excepted, however, shall be those who repent
and attain to faith and do righteous deeds: for it is A
they who will enter paradise and will not be wronged
in any way:46 (61) [theirs will be the] gardens of
perpetual bliss which the Most Gracious has prom­
ejjJL /jLp Jpj $ ($) 1*2
ised unto His servants, in a realm which is beyond the
reach of human perception:47 [and,] verily, His prom­ &E A & <£>
ise is ever sure of fulfilment!
(62) No empty talk will they hear there - nothing ^1 ($) Uuj ijL, Q ^4»jj J-Aj
but [tidings of] inner soundness and peace;48 and
A 3. iJ
there will they have their sustenance by day and by
(63) this is the paradise which We grant as a
night:4950
heritage unto such of Our servants as are conscious
of Us. <$) L-J

(64) AND [the angels say]: “We do not descend [with

revelation], again and again, other than by thy Sus­
tainer's command: unto Him belongs all that lies open
before us and all that is hidden from us and all that is
in-between.30 And never does thy Sustainer forget

44 Le., all of the prophets were conscious of being no more than mortal, humble servants of
God. (See also 32:15.)
45 I.e., they will realize in the hereafter the full extent of the self-deception which has led to
their spiritual ruin.
46 I.e., they will not only not be deprived of reward for the least of their good deeds, but will be
granted blessings far beyond their actual deserts (cf. 4:40).
47 This lengthy paraphrase of the expression bi'l-ghayb gives, I think, the closest possible
interpretation of the idea underlying it: namely, the prospect of a reality which is inconceivable by
man in terms of his worldly experiences, and which can, therefore, only be hinted at by means of
allegorical allusions. (See also the first clause of 2:3 and the corresponding note 3.)
48 The term saläm comprises the concepts of spiritual soundness and peace, freedom from
faults and evils of any kind, and inner contentment. As I have pointed out in note 29 on 5:16
(where this term has been rendered, in a different context, as “salvation"), its closest-though by
no means perfect - equivalent would be the French salut, in the abstract sense of that word, or the
German Heil.
49 I.e., always. It is to be noted that the term rizq (“sustenance") applies to all that might be of
benefit to a living being, spiritually as well as physically.
50 I.e., that which even the angels can only glimpse but not fully understand. Literally, the
above phrase reads, “that which is between our hands and that which is behind us and that which
is between these”. Regarding this idiomatic expression, see 2:255-“He knows all that lies open
before men and all that is hidden from them"-and the corresponding note 247. The reference to
the angels connects with the preceding mention of some of the earlier prophets who, like
Mufiammad, were recipients of divine revelation.

464
 _ ____________________________________________________ ________ MARY
[anything] - (65) the Sustainer of the heavens and the
earth and all that is between them! Worship, then,
Him alone, and remain steadfast in His worship! Dost
thou know any whose name is worthy to be men­
tioned side by side with His?”

(66) WITH ALL THIS, man [often] says, “What! Once I

am dead, shall I again be brought forth alive?”
(67) But does man not bear in mind that We have
J J* '-G-J É»l Jyûj (J) uL-
Cj
created him aforetime out of nothing?51
(68) And so, by thy Sustainer, [on Judgment Day] UI Vjl (J) iX
We shall most certainly bring them forth together
with the satanic forces [which impelled them in life],52
and then We shall most certainly gather them, on
f ($) «SL Jj

their knees, around hell; (69) and thereupon We shall,

indeed, draw forth from every group [of sinners] the
ones that had been most determined in their dis­
dainful rebellion against the Most Gracious:53 (70) for, (£> y- 4;
indeed, We know best as to which of them is most
deserving of the fires of hell.54
(71) And every one of you will come within sight of
it:55 this is, with thy Sustainer, a decree that must be
fulfilled.
g q; q

(72) And once again:56 We shall save [from hell]

those who have been conscious of Us; but We shall
leave in it the evildoers, on their knees.57

(73) AS IT IS, whenever Our messages are conveyed to

them in all their clarity, those who are bent on
51 Lit., “when [or “although“] he was nothing”.
52 See sürah 15, first half of note 16; cf. also the reference to the “worship of Satan” in verses
44-45 of the present sürah, as well as the corresponding notes 33 and 34. The symbolism of the
sinners being linked on Judgment Day “with the satanic forces which impelled them in life” is
easily understood if we remember-as has been pointed out in note 10 on 2:14-that the term
shaytän (“satan" or “satanic force”) is often used in the Qur'an to describe every evil propensity
in man’s own self. The personal pronoun relates to those who reject the concept of resurrection
and life after death.
53 I.e., those who have consciously and deliberately rejected the idea of man’s responsibility
before God and have thus led their weaker, less conscious fellow-men astray will be consigned to
the deepest suffering in the hereafter.
54 Lit., “of burning therein”: an allusion to the fact that not every one of the sinners will be
irrevocably consigned to the suffering described in the Qur’än as hell. (The particle thumma which
introduces this clause has here the function of an explanatory conjunction with the preceding
statement and is, therefore, best rendered as “for”.)
55 Lit., “none of you but will reach it”. According to some of the classical authorities, the
pronoun “you” relates to the sinners spoken of in the preceding passages, and particularly to those
who refuse to believe in resurrection; the majority of the commentators, however, are of the
opinion that all human beings, sinners and righteous alike, are comprised within this address in the
sense that all “will come within sight of it”: hence my rendering.
56 For this particular rendering of thumma, see sürah 6, note 31.
57 I.e., utterly humbled and crushed by their belated realization of God’s judgment and of the
ethical truths which they had arrogantly neglected in life.
465
 SÜRAH
MARYAM

denying the truth are wont to say unto those who

have attained to faith: “Which of the two kinds of
man38 is in a stronger position and superior as a
community?”39
(74) And yet, how many a generation have We
destroyed before their time - [people] who surpassed
them in material power58 60 and in outward show!
59 jy* i>* (HL* Tj <2> Û—
(75) Say: “As for him who lives in error, may the
Most Gracious lengthen the span of his life!”61 âjUgli xWUJÏ j* (§) k*j-> * »>■*■*
[And let them say whatever they say62] until the
<1 Ijlj Ig»- Ijl> J
time when they behold that [doom] of which they
were forewarned - whether it be suffering [in this j *LJl
world] or [at the coming of] the Last Hour -: for then
they will understand which [of the two kinds of man] cXilJÎj ju âî j, >5
was worse in station and weaker in resources!63
(76) And God endows those who avail themselves b Ijî «Zb j JJ* <-*—'* yif
of [His] guidance with an ever-deeper consciousness
of the right way;64 and good deeds, the fruit whereof
endures forever, are, in thy Sustainer’s sight, of far
greater merit [than any worldly goods], and yield far
58 Lit., “two groups" or “parties": an allusion to two kinds or types of human society
characterized by their fundamentally different approach to problems of faith and morality. (See
next note.)
59 Lit., “better in assembly". This parabolic “saying” of the unbelievers implies, in the garb of a
rhetorical question, a superficially plausible but intrinsically fallacious argument in favour of a
society which refuses to submit to any absolute moral imperatives and is determined to obey the
dictates of expediency alone. In such a social order, material success and power are usually seen
as consequences of a more or less conscious rejection of all metaphysical considerations - and, in
particular, of all that is comprised in the concept of God-willed standards of morality-on the
assumption that they are but an obstacle in the path of man’s free, unlimited “development". It
goes without saying that this attitude (which has reached its epitome in the modern statement that
“religion is opium for the people") is diametrically opposed to the demand, voiced by every higher
religion, that man’s social life, if it is to be a truly “good" life, must be subordinated to definite
ethical principles and restraints. By their very nature, these restraints inhibit the unprincipled
power-drive which dominates the more materialistic societies and enables them to achieve -
without regard to the damage done to others and, spiritually, to themselves - outward comforts
and positions of strength in the shortest possible time: but precisely because they do act as a brake
on man’s selfishness and power-hunger, it is these moral considerations and restraints - and they
alone-that can free a community from the interminable, self-destructive inner tensions and
frustrations to which materialistic societies are subject, and thus bring about a more enduring,
because more organic, state of social well-being. This, in short, is the elliptically implied answer of
the Qur’än to a rhetorical question placed in the mouths of “those who are bent on denying the
truth".
60 Lit., “in property” or “abundance of property”. In this context-as in the last verse of this
sürah-the term qam apparently signifies “people of one and the same epoch”, i.e., a “civiliza­
tion".
61 Or: “grant him a respite", so that he might have a chance to realize the error of his ways and
to repent: thus, every believer is enjoined to pray for those who are sinning.
62 This interpolation refers to, and connects with, the “saying” of the deniers of the truth
mentioned in verse 73 above (Zamakhshari).
63 Lit., “in respect of support” or “of forces" (jundan)-an expression which, in this context,
denotes both material resources and the ability to utilize them towards good ends.
64 Lit., “God increases in guidance those who...’’, etc.

466
 19
MARY
better returns.63
(77) And hast thou ever considered [the kind of
man] who is bent on denying the truth of Our mes­
sages and says, “I will surely be given wealth and
children”?6566
(78) Has he, perchance, attained to a realm which is
beyond the reach of a created being's perception?67 -
or has he concluded a covenant with the Most
Gracious?
(79) Nay! We shall record what he says, and We («) L* fi gy
shall lengthen the length of his suffering [in the
hereafter], (80) and divest him of68 all that he is [now] (J) JJ** -

speaking of: for [on Judgment Day] he will appear (£) IqrLj Jjifu
before Us in a lonely state.69
(81) For [such as] these have taken to worshipping fpC" Vf<£> jUiJjQuh
deities other than God, hoping that they would be a
[source of] strength for them.70 (82) But nay! [On ûLÙlT Œyl U l y J» (g) Lu» ÔJyCjJ
Judgment Day] these [very objects of adoration] will
disavow the worship that was paid to them, and will •4 J*«’ * 0 U'
turn against those [who had worshipped them]!

(83) ART THOU NOT aware that We have let loose all
[manner of] satanic forces71 upon those who deny the
truth - [forces] that impel them [towards sin] with
strong impulsion?72

65 Lit., “which are better in thy Sustainer’s sight as regards merit, and better as regards
returns” (cf. 18:46.)
66 This is a further illustration of the attitude described in verses 73-75 (and referred to in note
59): namely, the insistence on material values to the exclusion of all moral considerations,
and the conviction that worldly “success” is the only thing that really counts in life. As in many
other places in the Qur’än, this materialistic concept of “success” is metonymically equated with
one’s absorption in the idea of “wealth and children”.
67 In this context, the term al-ghayb denotes the unknowable future.
68 Lit., “inherit from him” - a metaphor based on the concept of one person's taking over what
once belonged to, or was vested in, another.
69 I.e., bereft of any extraneous support, and thus depending on God’s grace and mercy alone
(cf. 6:94 as well as verse 95 of the present sürah).
70 This refers to the type of man spoken of in the preceding passage as well as in verses 73-75:
people who “worship” wealth and power with an almost religious devotion, attributing to these
manifestations of worldly success the status of divine forces.
71 Lit., “the satans", by which term the Qur’än often describes all that is intrinsically evil,
especially the immoral impulses in man's own soul (cf. note 10 on 2:14 and note 33 on verse 44 of
the present sürah).
72 See note 31 on 15 :41. According to ZamakhsharT and RäzT, the expression “We have let
loose (arsalnâ) all [manner of] satanic forces (shayüfîn) upon those who deny the truth” has here
the meaning of “We have allowed them to be active (khallaynä) among them”, leaving it to man’s
free will to accept or to reject those evil influences or impulses. RäzT, in particular, points in this
context to sürah 14, verse 22, according to which Satan will thus address the sinners on
Resurrection Day: “I had no power at all over you: I but called you-and you responded to me.
Hence, blame not me, but blame yourselves." See also note 31 on 14:22, in which RäzT’s comment
is quoted verbatim.

467
MARYAM SÜRAH

(84) Hence, be not in haste [to call down God’s

punishment] upon them: for We but number the
number of their days.73
(85) On the Day when We shall gather the God­
conscious unto [Us,] the Most Gracious, as honoured
guests, (86) and drive those who were lost in sin unto ji ($) tu j-i
hell as a thirsty herd is driven to a well - (87) [on that
Day] none will have [the benefit of] intercession
unless he has [in his lifetime] entered into a bond with
1x* XtT 'J
the Most Gracious.74
(88) As it is,75 some assert, “The Most Gracious has
taken unto Himself a son’’!76 ($) uli Jii ($) Mj Js-jt 121
(89) Indeed, [by this assertion] you have brought
forth something monstrous, (90) whereat the heavens
might well-nigh be rent into fragments, and the earth Ly (£) ù' (J) Lu JUXI
be split asunder, and the mountains fall down in
ruins! (91) That men should ascribe a son to the Most
Gracious, (92) although it is inconceivable that the
Most Gracious should take unto Himself a son!77
(93) Not one of all [the beings] that are in the
heavens or on earth appears before the Most

73 Lit., “We number for them but a number”. Cf. also the first sentence of verse 75 above.
74 Lit., “except him who has...”, etc. According to the classical commentators - including
some of die most outstanding Companions of the Prophet-the “bond with God” denotes, in this
context, the realization of His oneness and uniqueness; for the wider implications of this term, see
sürah 2, note 19. Consequently, as pointed out by Râzî, even great sinners may hope for God's
forgiveness - symbolically expressed by the right of “intercession” which will be granted to the
prophets on Judgment Day (see note 7 on 10:3) - provided that, during their life on earth, they
were aware of God’s existence and oneness.
75 Lit, “And” (wa), connecting the present passage with verse 81.
76 This allusion to the Christian belief in Jesus as “the son of God” - and, in general, to every
belief in God’s “incarnation” in a created being-takes up the theme broached in verse 81 above:
namely, the deification of powers or beings other than God “with a view to their being a source of
strength” to those who turn to them. But whereas verse 81 refers specifically to the godless who
accord a quasi-divine status to material wealth and power and abandon themselves entirely to the
pursuit of worldly success, the present passage refers to people who, while believing in God, deify
prophets and saints, too, in the subconscious hope that they might act as “mediators” between
them and the Almighty. Since this deification offends against the principle of God's transcendent
oneness and uniqueness, it implies a breach of man’s “bond with God” and, if consciously
persisted in, constitutes an unforgivable sin (cf. 4:48 and 116).
77 The idea that God might have a “son” - either in the real or in the metaphorical sense of this
term-would presuppose a degree of innate likeness between “the father” and “the son”: but God
is in every respect unique, so that “there is nothing like unto Him" (42: 11) and “nothing that
could be compared with Him” (112:4). Moreover, the concept of “progeny” implies an organic
continuation of the progenitor, or of part of him, in another being and, therefore, presupposes a
degree of incompleteness before the act of procreation (or incarnation, if the term “sonship” is
used metaphorically): and the idea of incompleteness, in whatever sense, negates the very concept
of God. But even if the idea of “sonship” is meant to express no more than one of the different
“aspects” of the One Deity (as is claimed in the Christian dogma of the “Trinity”), it is described
in the Qur’fin as blasphemous inasmuch as it amounts to an attempt at defining Him who is
“sublimely exalted above anything that men may devise by way of definition" (see last sentence of

468
 19 MARY

Gracious other than as a servant:78 (94) indeed, He

has full cognizance of them, and has numbered them
with [unfailing] numbering; (95) and every one of
them will appear before Him on Resurrection Day in 4JÜ ($) Lu*
a lonely state.79

(96) VERILY, those who attain to faith and do righteous

deeds will the Most Gracious endow with love:80 (97)
and only to this end have We made this [divine writ]
easy to understand, in thine own tongue, [O Pro­
phet,]81 so that thou might convey thereby a glad
tiding to the God-conscious, and warn thereby those
who are given to [futile] contention: (98) for, how
many a generation82 have We destroyed before then-
time-[and] canst thou perceive any one of them
[now], or hear any whisper of them?
78 I.e., all of them-whether men or angels-are but created beings, having no share whatever
in His divinity, and all of them submit, consciously or unconsciously, to His will (cf. 13:15 and
16:48-49).
79 See note 69 above.
80 I.e., bestow on them His love and endow them with the capability to love His creation, as
well as cause them to be loved by their fellow-men. As is shown in the next verse, this gift of love
is inherent in the guidance offered to man through divine revelation.
81 Since man is incapable of understanding the “word” of God as such, it has always been
revealed to him in his own, human tongue (cf. 14:4-“never have We sent forth any apostle
otherwise than [with a message] in his own people’s tongue”), and has always been expounded in
concepts accessible to the human mind: hence the reference to the Prophet’s revelations as
“brought down upon thy heart" (2:97), or “[divine inspiration] has alighted with it upon thy heart”
(26:193-194).
82 I.e., civilization - a meaning which the term qam has also in the identical phrase in verse 74.
 THE TWENTIETH SÜRAH

TÄ HÄ (O MAN)

MECCA PERIOD

OR THE RENDERING of the title of this surah as “O Man”, see note 1 below. As is the case
F with the preceding surah, its position in the chronology of Qur’anic revelation is not difficult
to establish. Despite the vague assertions of some of the later authorities that it was revealed
during the last phase (or even in the last year) of the Prophet’s sojourn in Mecca, we know for
certain that it was fully known to his Companions as early as the sixth year of his mission (that is,
at least seven years before he left Mecca for Medina): for it was this very sürah which at that
period accidentally fell into the hands of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattâb - who until than had been a bitter
opponent of the Prophet-and caused his conversion to Islam (Ibn Sa‘d III/l, 191 ff.).
The main theme of Tä Hä is the guidance which God offers man through His prophets, and the
fact that the fundamental truths inherent in all revealed religions are identical: hence the long story
of Moses in verses 9-98, and the reference to the “clear evidence [of the truth of this divine writ]”,
i.e., of the Qur’an, forthcoming from “what is [to be found] in the earlier scriptures” (verse 133).

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) /^\MAN!' (2) We did not bestow the Qur’an on thee

V-/from on high to make thee unhappy,123(3) but only -------------------

as an exhortation to all who stand in awe [of God]: (4) a CÖ L (J)

revelation from Him who has created the earth and the
high heavens - (5) the Most Gracious, established on
the throne of His almightiness?
(6) Unto Him belongs all that is in the heavens and (J) (j) jTj
all that is on earth, as well as all that is between them U, j Uj O'Â-IÏ j C/J
and all that is beneath the sod.
(7) And if thou say anything aloud, [He hears it - ]
since, behold, He knows [even] the secret [thoughts
1 According to some commentators, the letters t and h (pronounced td hä) which introduce this
sürah belong to the group of al-muqattacät -the “single [or “disjointed”] letters” - which are
prefixed to a number of the Qur’anic sürahs (see Appendix II). However, in the opinion of some of
the Prophet’s Companions (e.g., ‘Abd Alläh ibn ‘Abbäs) and a number of outstanding personalities
of the next generation (like Sa‘id ibn Jubayr, Mujahid, Qatädah, Al-Hasan al-Basrl, ‘Ikrimah,
Atj-Dahhäk, Al-Kalbï, etc.), id hä is not just a combination of two single letters but a meaningful
expression of its own, signifying “O man” (synonymous with yd rajul) in both the Nabataean and
Syriac branches of the Arabic language (Tabari, RäzT, Ibn Kathir), as well as in the-purely
Arabian- dialect of the Yemenite tribe of ‘Akk, as is evident from certain fragments of their
pre*Islamic poetry (quoted by Tabari and Zamakhshari). Tabari, in particular, gives his unquali­
fied support to the rendering of fd hä as “O man”.
2 I.e., the ethical discipline imposed upon man by the teachings of the Qur’an is not meant to
narrow down his feel of life, but, on the contrary, to enhance it by deepening his consciousness of
right and wrong.
3 For my rendering of the metaphorical term al-'arsh as “the throne of His almightiness”. see
note 43 on 7:54.

470
 SÜRAH 20
O MAN
of man] as well as all that is yet more hidden [within
him].45
(8) God-there is no deity save Him; His [alone]
are the attributes of perfection!3

(9) AND HAS the story of Moses ever come within thy
ken?6
(10) Lo! he saw a fire [in the desert];7 and so he
said to his family: “Wait here! Behold, I perceive a Jis ijU Uj (J) e-jto.
fire [far away]: perhaps I can bring you a brand
therefrom, or find at the fire some guidance.” /jT > y5 £ fe* ß bU cJh
(11) But when he came close to it, a voice called
out:8 “O Moses! (12) Verily, I am thy Sustainer! Take
O (J)
off, then, thy sandals! Behold, thou art in the twice-
hallowed valley,9 (13) and I have chosen thee [to be
My apostle]: listen, then, to what is being revealed
[unto thee].
(14) “Verily, I-I alone-am God; there is no deity
save Me. Hence, worship Me alone, and be constant Ct C^\ llK 4
in prayer, so as to remember Me!1011
(15) “Behold, [although] I have willed to keep it"
hidden, the Last Hour is bound to come, so that
every human being may be recompensed in ac­
cordance with what he strove for [in life].12 (16)

4 I.e., He knows not only man's unspoken, conscious thoughts but also all that goes on within
his subconscious self.
5 For an explanation of this rendering of al-asma* al-husnä. see surah 7, note 145.
6 Apart from two short references to Moses in earlier surahs (53: 36 and 87 : 19). the narrative
appearing in verses 9-98 is undoubtedly the earliest Qur’anic exposition of the story of Moses as
such. Its mention at this stage is connected with the reference to revelation at the beginning of this
sürah (verses 2-4) and, generally, with the Qur’anic doctrine of the basic ideological unity of all
revealed religions.
7 From the sequence (here as well as in 27 :7 and 28 : 29) it appears that Moses had lost his way
in the desert: probably a symbolic allusion to his dawning awareness that he was in need of
spiritual guidance. This part of the story relates to the period of his wanderings subsequent to his
flight from Egypt (see 28 : 14ff.). Regarding the allegory of the “fire"-the "burning bush” of the
Bible - see note 7 on 27 :7-8.
8 Lit., “he was called”.
9 Whereas some commentators assume that the word tuwan (or tuwâ) is the, name of the
“hallowed valley”, Zamakhsharï explains it, more convincingly, as meaning “twice” (from tu w an
or fiwan, “twice done”) - i.e., “twice-hallowed” - apparently because God's voice was heard in it
and because Moses was raised there to prophethood.
10 Thus, conscious remembrance of God and of His oneness and uniqueness is declared to be
the innermost purpose, as well as the intellectual justification, of all true prayer.
11 I.e., the time of its coming.
12 The expression “what he strove for” implies consciousness of endeavour, and thus excludes
involuntary actions (in the widest sense of the latter term, comprising everything that is
manifested in word or actual deed), as well as involuntary omissions, irrespective of whether the
relevant action or omission is morally good or bad. By enunciating the above principle within the
context of the story of Moses, the Qur’än stresses the essential identity of the ethical concepts
underlying all true religions. (See also 53:39 and the corresponding note 32.)

471
 SÜRAH
TÄHÄ

Hence, let not anyone who does not believe in its

coming13 and follows [but] his own desires divert thee
from [belief in] it, lest thou perish!
(17) “Now, what is this in thy right hand, O
Moses?”
(18) He answered: “It is my staff; I lean on it; and
with it I beat down leaves for my sheep; and [many]
(g)
other uses have I for it.”
(19) Said He: “Throw it down, O Moses!” Lfj Jj J? W* ’jG*’
(20) So he threw it-and lo! it was a snake, moving
rapidly. (g) ($)
(21) Said He: “Take hold of it, and fear not: We
shall restore it to its former state.*415 1^4 ; iX Ju <$> i
(22) “Now place thy hand within thy armpit: it will
iJjj ^s*b (g)
come forth [shining] white, without blemish,,s as an­
other sign [of Our grace], (23) so that We might make
(g) *4
thee aware of some of Our greatest wonders.
(24) “[And now] go thou unto Pharaoh: for, verily, <g> cA >I dl (g> &&14^18
he has transgressed all bounds of equity.”16
(25) Said [Moses]: “O my Sustainer! Open up my «gj^'d^u
heart [to Thy light], (26) and make my task easy for
me, (27) and loosen the knot from my tongue (28) so (g) d>»b*ii4 (g)
that they might fully understand my speech,17 (29) and U! (J) ùjjU <g> j* Jj-rb
appoint for me, out of my kinsfolk, one who will help
me to bear my burden:1819 (30) Aaron, my brother. (31) iO □ (g) (g>
Add Thou through him to my strength, (32) and let
him share my task, (33) so that [together] we might <g>U*» \L (g) LeifijyJ«j <g) Le^*
abundantly extol Thy limitless glory (34) and remem­
ber Thee without cease!” (35) Verily, Thou seest ail dl—k U> Jiij (g) ^7*^4 d**

that is within us!”

(36) Said He: “Thou art granted all that thou hast
asked for, O Moses!
(37) “And, indeed, We bestowed Our favour upon

13 Lit., “in it”.

14 The miraculous transformation of the staff into a serpent has, I believe, a mystic significance:
it seems to be an allusion to the intrinsic difference between appearance and reality, and,
consequently, to the spiritual insight into this difference bestowed by God on His chosen servants
(cf. the experience of Moses with the unnamed sage described in 18 : 66-82). This interpretation
finds strong support in 27:10 and 28:31, in both of which places it is said that Moses saw the staff
“move rapidly, as if it were a serpent (ka*anna hä jänn)”
15 I.e., strangely luminescent by virtue of the prophethood to which he had been raised. (See
also note 85 on 7: 108.)
16 This seems to be a reference to Pharaoh's greatest sin, namely, his claim to divine status (cf
28: 38 and 79 : 24).
17 I.e., “remove all impediment from my speech” (cf. Exodus iv, 10, “I am slow of speech, and
of a slow tongue"), which would imply that he was not gifted with natural eloquence.
18 This is the primary meaning of the term wazFr (lit., "burden-carrier”, derived from wizr, “a
burden”); hence its later-post-classical-application to government ministers.
19 Lit., “much” or “abundantly".

472
20
OMAN

thee at a time long since past,20 (38) when We inspired

thy mother with this inspiration: (39) ‘Place him in a
chest and throw it into the river, and thereupon the
river will cast him ashore, [and] one who is an enemy
unto Me and an enemy unto him will adopt him.’21
“And [thus early] I spread Mine Own love over (g)
thee - and [this] in order that thou might be formed
under Mine eye.22
(40) “[And thou wert under Mine eye] when thy s* éùe c-uij jucJ J jjto
sister went forth and said [to Pharaoh’s people],
‘Shall I guide you unto [a woman] who might take Jjii» g) Jc
charge of him?’23 And so We returned thee unto thy
mother, so that her eye be gladdened, and that she je j£j>*
might not sorrow [any longer].24
“And [when thou earnest of age,25] thou didst slay a
man: but We did save thee from all grief, although
We tried thee with various trials.26
“And then thou didst sojourn for years among the (J) (g) dT-T-l J4*
people of Madyan;2728and now thou hast come [here]
as ordained [by Me], O Moses: (41) for I have chosen (g> j Cy J ‘i-1
thee for Mine Own service.
(g)
(42) “Go forth, [then,] thou and thy brother, with
My messages, and never tire of remembering Me: (43) (g>
go forth, both of you, unto Pharaoh: for, verily, he
has transgressed all bounds of equity! (44) But speak
unto him in a mild manner, so that he might bethink
himself or [at least] be filled with apprehension.”2*

20 Lit., “at another time”, i.e., the time of Moses’ childhood and youth, which is recalled in
verses 38-40. For a fuller explanation of the subsequent references to that period-the Pharaonic
persecution of the children of Israel and the killing of their new-born males, the rescue of the
infant Moses and his adoption by Pharaoh’s family, his killing of the Egyptian, and his subsequent
flight from Egypt-see 28 : 3-21, where the story is narrated in greater detail.
21 Lit., “take him” (cf. 28:9). Pharaoh is described as an enemy of God because of his
overweening arrogance and cruelty as well as his claim to the status of divinity (see 79:24); and he
was, unknowingly, an enemy of the infant Moses inasmuch as he hated and feared the people to
whom the latter belonged.
22 I.e., “under My protection and in accordance with the destiny which 1 have decreed for
thee”: possibly a reference to Moses’ upbringing within the cultural environment of the royal
palace and his subsequent acquisition of the ancient wisdom of Egypt - circumstances which were
to qualify him for his future leadership and the special mission that God had in view for him.
23 For b fuller account, see 28:12.
24 As is implied here and in 28:12-13, his own mother became his wet-nurse.
25 Cf. 28: 14.
26 For the details of this particular incident, which proved a turning-point in the life of Moses,
see 28:15-21.
27 See 28 : 22-28.
28 Lit., “or [that he might] fear”-i.e., that there is some truth in the words of Moses. Since
God knows the future, the tentative form in the above phrase-“so that he might (la'allahu)
bethink himself”, etc., - obviously does not imply any “doubt" on God’s part as to Pharoah’s
future reaction: it implies no more than His command to the bearer of His message to address the

473
 (45) The two [brothers] said: “O our Sustainer!
Verily, we fear lest he act hastily with regard to us,
or lest he [continue to] transgress all bounds of
equity.”
(46) Answered He: “Fear not! Verily, I shall be
with you two, hearing and seeing [all]. (47) Go, then,
you two unto him and say, ‘Behold, we are apostles
sent by thy Sustainer: let, then, the children of Israel
go with us, and cause them not to suffer [any lon­
30 We have now come unto thee with a message J-yli «ib j Vj-j
ger].29 ($) Cf"’
from thy Sustainer; and [know that His] peace shall
be [only] on those who follow [His] guidance: (48)
for, behold, it has been revealed to us that [in the life cry jéjuLjïj ebj
to come] suffering shall befall all who give the lie to
the truth and turn away [from it]!’” JK ($) û* J® *j’*^*^
(49) [But when God’s message was conveyed unto
Pharaoh,] he said: “Who, now, is this Sustainer of
you two, O Moses?” JK <£> ju G jé
(50) He replied: “Our Sustainer is He who gives
unto every thing [that exists] its true nature and form,
and thereupon guides it [towards its fulfilment].”31
(51) Said [Pharaoh]: “And what of all the past
generations?”32
(52) [Moses] answered: “Knowledge thereof rests
with my Sustainer [alone, and is laid down] in His
decree;33 my Sustainer does not err, and neither does
He forget.”34

sinner with a view to the latter’s bethinking himself: in other words, it relates to the intention or
hope with which the message-bearer should approach his task (RäzT). And since every Qur’anic
narrative aims at bringing out an eternal truth or truths or at elucidating a universal principle of
human behaviour, it is evident that God’s command to Moses to speak to one particular sinner “in
a mild manner, so that he might [have a chance to] bethink himself’’ retains its validity for all times
and all such attempts at conversion.
29 I.e., “lest he prevent us, by banishing or killing us outright, from delivering Thy message
fully”.
30 Cf. 2:49, 7:141 and 14:6. For a more detailed description of this Pharaonic oppression of
the Israelites, see Exodus i, 8-22.
31 In the original, this sentence appears in the past tense (“has given” and “has guided”); but as
it obviously relates to the continuous process of God's creation, it is independent of the concept of
time and denotes, as in so many other places in the Qur’än, an unceasing present. The term khalq
signifies in this context not merely the inner nature of a created thing or being but also the outward
form in which this nature manifests itself; hence my composite rendering of khalqahu as “its true
nature and form”. The idea underlying the above sentence is expressed for the first time in
87:2-3, i.e., in a surah which belongs to the earliest period of Qur’anic revelation.
32 Sc., “who used to worship a plurality of deities: are they, in thy view, irretrievably
doomed?”
33 I.e., He alone decrees their destiny in the life to come, for He alone knows their motives and
understands the cause of their errors, and He alone can appreciate their spiritual merits and
demerits.
34 According to RfizT, the dialogue between Moses and Pharaoh ends here for the time being,
with verses 53-55 representing a direct Qur’anic discourse addressed to man in general.

474
(53) HE IT IS who has made the earth a cradle for you,
and has traced out for you ways [of livelihood]
thereon,35 and [who] sends down waters from the sky:
and by this means We bring forth various kinds36 of
plants. (54) Eat, [then, of this produce of the soil,]
and pasture your cattle [thereon]. Q j£j éiS, JX di
In all this, behold, there are messages indeed for
those who are endowed with reason: (55) out of this jJ* »Ui Jj'j
[earth] have We created you, and into it shall We
return you, and out of it shall We bring you forth
once again.37

(56) AND, INDEED, We made Pharaoh aware of38 all Our

messages-but he gave them the lie and refused [to
heed them].39 5; uÿj uM jv <$>
(57) He said: “Hast thou come to drive us out of
our land40 by thy sorcery, O Moses? (58) In that case, A-*,

we shall most certainly produce before thee the like

'jcj* CLl.
thereof! Appoint, then, a tryst between us and thee- «i:i YJ
which we shall not fail to keep, nor [mayest] thou - at
a suitable place!”
(59) Answered [Moses]: “Your tryst shall be the
day of the Festival;41 and let the people assemble
when the sun is risen high.”
(60) Thereupon Pharaoh withdrew [with his coun­
sellors] and decided upon the scheme which he
would pursue;42 and then he came [to the tryst].
(61) Said Moses to them: “Woe unto you! Do not
invent lies against God,43 lest He afflict you with most
grievous suffering: for He who contrives [such] a lie
is already undone!”
35 I.e., “has provided you with ways and means-both material and intellectual - to gain your
livelihood on earth and from it”.
36 Lit., “pairs" (azwäj), a term which in this context apparently denotes “kinds”; but see also
13:3 and the corresponding note 7.
37 Regarding the creation of man’s body "out of the earth”, see the second half of note 47 on
3 :59, as well as note 24 on 15 :26; its “return into it” signifies the dissolution of this body, after
death, into the elementary organic and inorganic substances of which it was composed; and all these
facts - creation, subsistence and dissolution-contain the message of God’s almightiness, of the
ephemera! nature of man’s life on earth, and of his future resurrection.
38 Lit., We showed him” (araynähu), i.e.. Pharaoh. According to Zamakhsharï, RäzT and
BaydäwT, this verb has here the meaning of "We made him acquainted with” or "aware of’.
39 The messages alluded to here are both those entrusted directly to Moses and the intangible
“messages" forthcoming from God’s creation and referred to in the preceding passage.
40 I.e., “deprive us of our rule" (cf. 7:110).
41 Lit., "the day of adornment"-possibly the Egyptian New Year’s Day. The expression “your
tryst" has the connotation of "the tryst proposed by you".
42 Lit., "he decided upon his artful scheme” (jama'a kaydahu): evidently an allusion to his
summoning all the greatest sorcerers of Egypt (cf. 7:111-114).
43 I.e., by deliberately denying the truth of His messages.

475
 SÜRAH
TÂ HÄ

(62) So they debated among themselves as to what

to do; but they kept their counsel secret, (63) saying
[to one another]: “These two are surely sorcerers
intent on driving you from your land44 by their sor­
cery, and on doing away with your time-honoured
way of life.45 (64) Hence, [O sorcerers of Egypt,] û’Ai* ijJIJ ($) bj-b f-Ai
decide upon the scheme which you will pursue, and
then come forward in one single body:46 for, indeed, L-*jfj L—»ù!
he who prevails today shall prosper indeed!”47
(65) Said [the sorcerers]: “O Moses! Either thou
throw [thy staff first], or we shall be the first to
ùl IpK ($)
throw.”
(66) He answered: “Nay, you throw [first].” IjiJI J, Jlî (J)
And lo! by virtue of their sorcery, their [magic]
ropes and staffs seemed to him to be moving rapidly:
(67) and in his heart Moses became apprehensive.48
(68) [But] We said: “Fear not! Verily, it is thou who
shalt prevail! (69) And [now] throw that [staff] which
is in thy right hand-it shall swallow up all that they
have wrought: [for] they have wrought only a sor­ Sil;
cerer’s artifice, and the sorcerer can never come to
any good, whatever he may aim at!”4951 53
52
50 l>H bJK lx? ÿli ($) dS JZ1Î
(70) [And so it happened30-] and down fell the
sorcerers, prostrating themselves in adoration,3' [and] ùiK ji t4 JU (£) jj.A* 't’z
exclaimed: “We have come to believe in the Sus­
tainer of Moses and Aaron!”
(71) Said [Pharaoh]: “Have you come to believe in
him32 ere I have given you permission? Verily, he
must be your master who has taught you magic! But I
shall most certainly cut off your hands and feet in
great numbers, because of [your] perverseness, and I
shall most certainly crucify you in great numbers on
trunks of palm-trees:33 and [I shall do this] so that you

44 See note 40 above. The dual form refers to Moses and Aaron.
45 Lit., “your exemplary [or “ideal”! way of life (fariqah)".
46 Lit., “in one [single] line”, i.e., in unison.
47 Cf. 7:113-114.
48 Lit., “conceived fear within himself”. The implication is that the feat of the sorcerers was
based on mass-hallucination (cf. 7:116 - “they cast a spell upon the people’s eyes”), a hal­
lucination to which even Moses succumbed for a while.
49 Lit., “wherever he may come”-i.e., irrespective of whether he aims at a good or at an evil
end (RäzT). The above statement implies a categorical condemnation of all endeavours which fall
under the heading of “magic”, whatever the intention of the person who devotes himself to it. (In
this connection, see also sürah 2, note 84.)
50 Cf. 7:117-119.
51 See note 90 on 7:120.
52 I.e., Moses (cf. note 91 on 7:123).
53 Regarding the meaning of the stress on “great numbers”, forthcoming from the grammatical
form of the verbs employed by Pharaoh, see sürah 7, note 92.

476
 20
OMAN
might come to know for certain as to which of us
[two]54 can inflict a more severe chastisement, and
[which] is the more abiding !”
(72) They answered: ‘‘Never shall we prefer thee to
all the evidence of the truth that has come unto us,
nor to Him who has brought us into being! Decree,
then, whatever thou art going to decree: thou canst J IpK (g) U* jdl LL I
decree only [something that pertains to] this worldly
life!55 (73) As for us, behold, we have come to believe
in our Sustainer, [hoping] that He may forgive us our
faults and all that magic unto which thou hast forced
us:56 for God is the best [to look forward to], and the ljJJu û'x uh
One who is truly abiding.”57
aj û* ,4
(74) VERILY, as for him who shall appear before his
Sustainer [on Judgment Day] lost in sin-his [por­
tion], behold, shall be hell: he will neither die therein
nor live;58 (75) whereas he who shall appear before
Him as a believer who has done righteous deeds5960 - it <3) JJjî
is such that shall have lofty stations [in the life to
come]: (76) gardens of perpetual bliss, through which <S> tr^J û* *ÏX
running waters flow, therein to abide: for that shall be f-k
the recompense of all who attain to purity.
X> J* 11
(77) AND, INDEED, [a time came“ when] We thus in­
spired Moses: ‘‘Go forth with My servants by night,
and strike out for them a dry path through the sea;
[and] fear not of being overtaken, and dread not [the
sea].”61

54 Sc., ‘‘I or the God in whom you now believe”.

55 Or: ‘‘thou canst end [for us] only this worldly life”. It is to be noted that the verb qadä
signifies, among other meanings, “he decreed” as well as "he ended [something]”.
56 Pharaoh (a title borne by every indigenous ruler of Egypt) was considered to be a "god-king”
and, thus, the embodiment of the Egyptian religion, in which occult practices and magic played a
very important role; hence, every one of his subjects was duty-bound to accept magic as an
integral part of the scheme of life.
57 Lit., "and the most abiding”, i.e., eternal: cf. 55 : 26-27.
58 I.e., he will neither be reborn spiritually nor find peace through extinction (BaghawT,
BaydäwT). As is apparent from the juxtaposition, in the next verse, of the term mujrim (rendered
by me as “one who is lost in sin”) with that of mu'min (“believer”), the former term is here
applied to one who, in his lifetime, has consciously and persistently denied God (BaydäwT).
59 Thus the Qur’än implies-here as well as in many other places-that the spiritual value of a
person’s faith depends on his doing righteous deeds as well: cf. the statement in 6:158 that on
Judgment Day “believing will be of no avail to any human being... who, while believing, did
no good works”.
60 I.e., after all the trials which the Israelites had to undergo in Egypt, and after the plagues
with which Pharaoh and his followers were afflicted (cf. 7:130 ff.).
61 Referring to the phrase “strike out (idrib) for them a dry path through the sea”, TabarT
explains it as meaning “choose (ittakhidh) for them a dry path”. See also 26 : 63-66 and the
corresponding notes 33 and 35.
477
 SÜRAH
TÄ HÄ

(78) And Pharaoh pursued them with his hosts: and

they were overwhelmed by the sea which was des­
tined to overwhelm them6263 (79) because Pharaoh had
led his people astray and had not guided [them]
aright.
(80) O children of Israel! [Thus] We saved you ($) fTr1*
from your enemy, and [then] We made a covenant
with you on the right-hand slope of Mount Sinai, <$>
and repeatedly sent down manna and quails unto you,
[saying,] (81) “Partake of the good things which We j jkji y^^jj Jr,-«» (>•
have provided for you as sustenance,64 but do not
transgress therein the bounds of equity65 lest My
condemnation fall upon you: for, he upon whom My M
condemnation falls has indeed thrown himself into
utter ruin!”66 ÛU jj JÛàJ(ff) (X? Jii üfiÀ sk
(82) Yet withal, behold, I forgive all sins unto any
who repents and attains to faith and does righteous
deeds, and thereafter keeps to the right path.
(83) [AND GOD SAID:67] “Now what has caused thee, O
Moses, to leave thy people behind in so great a
haste?”68
(84) He answered: “They are treading in my foot­
steps69 while I have hastened unto Thee, O my Sus-
62 Lit., “there overwhelmed them [that] of the sea which overwhelmed them" - expressing the
inevitability of the doom which encompassed them.
63 See note 38 on 19:52. As regards God's “covenant" with the children of Israel, see 2 :63 and
83.
64 The reference to God’s bestowal of “manna (mann) and quails (salwâ)" upon the Israelites
during their wanderings in the Sinai Desert after their exodus from Egypt is found in the Qur’än in
two other places as well (namely, in 2:57 and 7: 160). According to Arab philologists, the term
mann denotes not only the sweet, resinous substance exuded by certain plants of the desert, but
also everything that is “bestowed as a favour”, i.e., without any effort on the part of the recipient.
Similarly, the term salwä signifies not merely “a quail" or “quails", but also “all that makes man
content and happy after privation" (Qämüs). Hence the combination of these two terms denotes,
metonymically, the gift of sustenance freely bestowed by God upon the followers of Moses.
65 Or: “do not behave in an overweening manner" - i.e., “do not attribute these favours to your
own supposed excellence on account of your descent from Abraham".
h 66 There is almost complete unanimity among the classical commentators in that God’s
“condemnation” (ghatiab, lit., “wrath”) is a metonym for the inescapable retribution which man
brings upon himself if he deliberately rejects God's guidance and “transgresses the bounds of
equity”.
67 This passage relates to the time of Moses’ ascent of Mount Sinai, mentioned in 2:51 and
7:142.
68 Lit., “what has hastened thee ahead of thy people?” - implying that he should not have left
them alone, without his personal guidance, at so early a stage in their freedom. In this inimitable
elliptic manner the Qur’än alludes to the psychological fact that a community which attains to
political and social freedom after centuries of bondage remains for a long time subject to the
demoralizing influences of its past, and cannot all at once develop a spiritual and social discipline
of its own.
69 The classical commentators understand this phrase in its physical sense i e “they are
coming up behind me and are now close by”. Since, however, Moses was obviously meant to be

478
_________________________________________________________________ OMAN
tainer, so that Thou might be well-pleased [with me].”
(85) Said He: “Then [know that], verily, in thy
absence We have put thy people to a test, and the
Samaritan has led them astray.”70
(86) Thereupon Moses returned to his people full of
wrath and sorrow, [and] exclaimed: “O my people! o-4i JU J'
Did not your Sustainer hold out [many] a goodly
promise to you? Did, then, [the fulfilment of] this ‘ err
promise seem to you too long in coming?71 Or are
JÛ LU
you, perchance, determined to see your Sustainer’s
condemnation fall upon you,72 and so you broke your & j-4 <ji fi jiiJî
promise to me?”
(87) They answered: “We did not break our prom­ kiji.IL ij)U (m) tfjcy ^^ji-U ji
ise to thee of our own free will, but [this is what çJaîT <1 j b£ï iLCjJ èix
happened:] we were loaded with the [sinful] burdens
of the [Egyptian] people’s ornaments, and so we
threw them [into the fire],73 and likewise did this
Samaritan cast [his into it].”
(88) But then, [so they told Moses,7475the Samaritan]
had produced for them [out of the molten gold] the
effigy of a calf, which made a lowing sound;73 and
alone on his ascent of Mount Sinai, I am of the opinion that his answer has a tropical sense,
expressing his assumption that the children of Israel would follow his guidance even in his
absence: an assumption which proved erroneous, as shown in the sequence.
70 The designation as-sâmirî is undoubtedly an adjectival noun denoting the person's descent
or origin. According to one of the explanations advanced by Tabari and Zamakhsharï. it signifies
. “a man of the Jewish clan of the Sämirah”, i.e.. the ethnic and religious group designated in later
times as the Samaritans (a small remnant of whom is still living in Nablus, in Palestine). Since that
sect as such did not yet exist at the time of Moses, it is possible that-as Ibn 'Abbas maintained
(Râzï)-the person in question was one of the many Egyptians who had been converted to the
faith of Moses and joined the Israelites on their exodus from Egypt (cf. note 92 on 7:124): in
which case the designation sâmirî might be connected with the ancient Egyptian shemer, “a
foreigner” or “stranger”. This surmise is strengthened by his introduction of the worship of the
golden calf, undoubtedly an echo of the Egyptian cult of Apis (see note 113 on 7:148). In any
case, it is not impossible that the latter-day Samaritans descended-or were reputed to descend-
from this personality, whether of Hebrew or of Egyptian origin; this might partly explain the
persistent antagonism between them and the rest of the Israelite community.
71 Or, according to Zamakhsharï: “Did, then, the time [of my absence] seem too long to you?"
(It is to be noted that the term 'ahd signifies a “time” or “period” as well as a “covenant" or
“promise”.)
72 Lit., “Or have you decided that condemnation by your Sustainer should fall due upon
you?” - i.e., “are you determined to disregard the consequences of your doings?”
73 It is mentioned in Exodus xii, 35 that, immediately before their departure from Egypt the
Israelites “borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver and jewels of gold”. This “borrowing” was
obviously done under false pretences, without any intention on the part of the Israelites to return
the jewellery to its rightful owners: for, according to the Biblical statement (ibid., verse 36). “they
spoiled [i.e., robbed] the Egyptians” by doing so. While it is noteworthy that the Old Testament, in
its present, corrupted form, does not condemn this behaviour, its iniquity seems to have gradually
dawned upon the Israelites, and so they decided to get rid of those sinfully acquired ornaments
(Baghawï, Zamakhsharï and - in one of his alternative interpretations - Râzï).
74 This interpolation is necessary in view of the change from the direct speech in the preceding
verse to the indirect in this one and in the sequence.
75 See sürah 7, note 113.
479
TÄ HÄ SÜRAH

thereupon they said [to one another], “This is your

deity, and the deity of Moses-but he has forgotten
[his past]!”76
(89) Why-did they not sec that [the thing] could
not give them any response, and had no power to
harm or to benefit them?
(90) And, indeed, even before [the return of Moses] ïsj* err A
had Aaron said unto them: “O my people! You are *r* yj* f-^l ûjjt y»l
but being tempted to evil by this [idol]-for, behold,
your [only] Sustainer is the Most Gracious! Follow JlJj (J)
me, then, and obey my bidding!”77
(91) [But] they answered: “By no means shall we
cease to worship it until Moses comes back to us!”
(92) [And now that he had come back, Moses] said: M cy. ûsjÇ* g** J y ®
“O Aaron! What has prevented thee, when thou didst ($) lyU JB <$>
see that they had gone astray, (93) from [abandoning
them and] following me? Hast thou, then, [deli­ JB (g) C I,,««*!
berately] disobeyed my commandment?”78
(94) Answered [Aaron]: “O my mother’s son! Seize ÛH cJjJ JyL'jl C.J.
me not by my beard, nor by my head!79 Behold, I was
H-V -b SSä
afraid lest [on thy return] thou say, ‘Thou hast caused
a split among the children of Israel, and hast paid no •“***?• J -i
heed to my bidding!”’80
(95) Said [Moses]: “What, then, didst thou have in J <— Jyojf y I
view, O Samaritan?”
(96) He answered: “I have gained insight into some­
thing which they were unable to see:81 and so I
took hold of a handful of the Apostle’s teachings and
cast it away: for thus has my mind prompted me [to
act].”82
76 An allusion to the fact that Moses had been brought up - obviously as an Egyptian-at
Pharaoh’s court.
77 Sc., “and do not follow the Samaritan”. This is in sharp contrast to the Bible (Exodus xxxii,
1-5), which declares Aaron guilty of making and worshipping the goldeh calf.
78 Cf. the last sentence of 7:142, where Moses, before leaving for Mount Sinai, exhorts Aaron
to “act righteously” (if/i/i). In this connection see also Aaron’s reply to Moses in 7:150, as well
as the corresponding note 117.
79 See 7:150.
80 Lit, “to my word” or “to what I had said” - evidently, about the importance of keeping the
people united (ZamakhsharT).
81 It is to be noted that the verb basura (lit., “he became seeing") has the tropical significance
of “he perceived [something] mentally", or “he gained insight" or “he understood". Hence, AbO
Muslim al-IsfahänT (whose interpretation of the whole of this verse RfizI analyzes and finds most
convincing) explains the above phrase as meaning, “I realized what they [i.e., the rest of the
people] did not realize - namely, that some of thy beliefs, O Moses, were wrong". It would seem
that the Samaritan objected to the idea of a transcendental, imperceivable God, and thought that
the people ought to have something more “tangible" to believe in. (See also next note.)
82 Contrary to the fanciful interpretations advanced by some of the other commentators, Abü
Muslim (as quoted by Râzï) explains the term athar (lit., “vestige” or “trace") in its tropical sense
of the “practices and sayings” or-collectively-the “teachings" of any person, and particularly of
a prophet; thus, he makes it clear that the phrase qabatftu qabtfatan min athari 'r-rasül

480
 20
OMAN
(97) Said [Moses]; “Begone, then! And, behold, it
shall be thy lot to say throughout [thy] life, Touch
me not!**83 But, verily, [in the life to come] thou shalt
be faced with a destiny from which there will be no
escape!8485And [now] look at this deity of thine to
Ôl (j JI» (J)
whose worship thou hast become so devoted: we
shall most certainly bum it, and then scatter (what­
ever remains of] it far and wide over the sea! (98)
Your only deity is God-He save whom there is no
deity, [and who] embraces all things within His j* iS& H ($> I*-»
knowledge!’’

(99) THUS DO WE relate unto thee some of the stories of

what happened in the past; and [thus] have We J;—
vouchsafed unto thee, out of Our grace, a reminder.83
(100) All who shall turn away from it will, verily,
bear a [heavy] burden on the Day of Resurrection:
(101) they will abide in this [state], and grievous for
them will be the weight [of that burden] on the Day of 4f-rk 0/*^ <S>
Resurrection - (102) on the Day when the trumpet is
blown: for on that Day We will assemble all such as (jj)
had been lost in sin, their eyes dimmed8687[by terror],
(103) whispering unto one another, “You have spent
but ten [days on earth]... .’,87
(104) [But] We know best88 what they will be saying
fa-nabadhtuhä signifies “I took hold of a handful [i.e., “something“] of the teachings of the
Apostle, and discarded it”: it being understood that “the Apostle“ referred to by the Samaritan in
the third person is Moses himself. (As already mentioned in the preceding note, RäzT unreservedly
subscribes to AbO Muslim’s interpretation of this passage.) In my opinion, the Samaritan's
rejection of a part of Moses’ teachings is meant to explain the subconscious tendency underlying
all forms of idolatry and of the attribution of divine qualities to things or beings other than God: a
futile, self-deceiving hope of bringing the Unperceivable closer to one’s limited perception by
creating a tangible “image” of the Divine Being or, at least, of something that could be conceived
as His “emanation". Inasmuch as all such endeavours obscure rather than illuminate man’s
understanding of God, they defeat their own purpose and destroy the misguided devotee’s spiritual
potential: and this is undoubtedly the purport of the story of the golden calf as given in the Qur’än.
83 Lit., “no touching"-a metaphorical description of the loneliness and the social ostracism in
which he would henceforth find himself.
84 Lit., “there is for thee an appointment which thou canst not fail to keep".
85 The adverb kadhälika (“thus”) which introduces this verse is meant to stress the purpose of
all Qur’anic references to past events - be they historical or legendary - as well as the manner in
which the relevant stories are treated. Since the purpose underlying every Qin’anic narrative is,
invariably, the illustration of certain fundamental truths, the narrative as such is often condensed
and elliptic, omitting all that has no direct bearing on the point or points which the Qur’än means
to bring out. The term “reminder” alludes to the unceasing guidance which God offers to man
through His revelations.
86 Lit., “blue [of eye]’’-i.e., as if their eyes were covered with a bluish, opaque film.
87 As in several other places in the Qur’än (e.g., in 2 : 259, 17 : 52, 18:19, 23:112-113, 30 : 55,
79:46, etc.), this and the next verse touch upon the illusory character of man’s consciousness of
“time” and, thus, upon the relativity of the concept of “time” as such. The number “ten” is often
used in Arabic to denote “a few" (RäzT).
88 Signifying, in this context, “We alone understand fully”.

481
 SÜRAH
TÄ HÄ

when the most perceptive of them shall say, “You

have spent [there] but one day!”
(105) AND THEY WILL ask thee about [what will happen
to] the mountains [when this world comes to an end].
Say, then: “My Sustainer will scatter them far and
wide, (106) and leave the earth89 level and bare, (107)
[so that] thou wilt see no curve thereon, and no
(£$) LuLi JiJ JUJJ
ruggedness.”90
(108) On that Day, all will follow the summoning (JJ) Ci*l X, Uli
Voice from which there will be no escape;91 and all
sounds will be hushed before the Most Gracious, and /I Qyui Â-*y.
thou wilt hear nothing but a faint sough in the air.
^**-**- 'A£—1
(109) On that Day, intercession shall be of no avail
[to any] save him in whose case the Most Gracious
will have granted leave therefor, and whose word [of (0 ,4 4 ùSI J*
faith] He will have accepted:9293(110) [for] He knows
all that lies open before men and all that is hidden
from them,” whereas they cannot encompass Him • <$)
with their knowledge.
(Ill) And [on that Day] all faces will be humbled <G> L-Âl»
before the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsistent Fount of
(JJ) LU» y» 47*3-* j
All Being; and undone shall be he who bears [a
- (112) whereas anyone who
burden of] evildoing9495
will have done [whatever he could] of righteous
deeds, and was a believer withal, need have no fear
of being wronged or deprived [of aught of his merit].”
(113) AND THUS96 have We bestowed from on high this
89 Lit., “leave it”-the pronoun relating, by implication, to the earth (Zamakhsharî and RäzT).
90 In the eschatology of the Qur’ân, the “end of the world” does not signify an annihilation -
i.e., reduction to nothingness - of the physical universe but, rather, its fundamental, cataclysmic
transformation into something that men cannot now visualize. This is brought out in many
allegorical allusions to the Last Day, e.g., in 14:48, which speaks of “the Day when the earth shall
be changed into another earth, as shall be the heavens”.
91 Lit., “the caller in whom there will be no deviation (lä 'iwaja lahu)"-i.e., the summons to
the Last Judgment.
92 Regarding the Qur’anic concept of “intercession” on the Day of Judgment, see note 7 on
10:3. The “word [of faith]” referred to towards the end of the above verse is-according to Ibn
'Abbas (as quoted by Baghawï)-a metonym for the belief that “there is no deity save God”, i.e.,
the realization of His oneness and uniqueness. See also 19:87 and the corresponding note 74.
93 For an explanation of this phrase - which occurs in exactly the same wording in 2:255,
21:28 and 22:76 as well - see sürah 2, note. 247.
94 I.e., evildoing which has not been atoned for by repentance before death (Râzï). In this
particular context, it may be an allusion to the rejection of God's guidance - His “reminder” -
spoken of in verses 99-101.
95 Lit., “no fear of [any] wrong” - i.e., punishment for any sin which he may have contemplated
but not committed-“and neither of a diminution”, i.e., of his merit: cf. the twice-repeated
statement in 16:96-97 that the righteous shall be recompensed in the hereafter “in accordance
with the best that they ever did”.
96 As in verse 99 above-with which this passage connects-the adverb kadhälika (“thus”)
refers to the method and purpose of the Qur’fin.

482
 20
OMAN
[divine writ] as . a discourse in the Arabic tongue,9798 99
and have given therein many facets to all manner of
warnings, so that men might remain conscious of Us,
or that it give rise to a new awareness in them.”
(114) [Know,] then, [that] God is sublimely exalted,
the Ultimate Sovereign, the Ultimate Truth:” and
[knowing this,] do not approach the Qur’än in haste,100
ere it has been revealed unto thee in full, but [always]
say: “O my Sustainer, cause me to grow in knowl-
edge!”101
A J—» fj* -i «ij
(115) AND, INDEED, long ago did We impose Our com­
mandment on Adam;102 but he forgot it, and We b4*-* fVurfjSZiJLi lli* 4$ uj*
found no firmness of purpose in him.
éfida 4$ ql
(116) For [thus it was:] when We told the angels,
“Prostrate yourselves before Adam!”-they all pros­
trated themselves, save Iblïs, who refused [to do
it];103 (117) and thereupon We said: “O Adam! Verily,
this is a foe unto thee and thy wife: so let him not
drive the two of you out of this garden and render
97 Lit., “as an Arabic discourse (qur'än)”. See, in particular, 12:2, 13 : 37, 14:4 and 19:97, as
well as the corresponding notes.
98 Lit., “so that they might be [or “remain"] God-conscious, or that it create for them a
remembrance”, i.e., of God. The verb ahdatha signifies “he brought [something] into existence”,
i.e., newly or for the first time, while the noun dhikr denotes “remembrance" as well as the
“presence [of something] in the mind" (Räghib), i.e., awareness.
99 Whenever the noun al-haqq is used as a designation of God, it signifies “the Truth” in the
absolute, intrinsic sense, eternally and immutably existing beyond the ephemeral, changing
phenomena of His creation: hence, “the Ultimate Truth". God’s attribute of al-maiik. on the other
hand, denotes His absolute sway over all that exists and can, therefore, be suitably rendered as
“the Ultimate Sovereign".
100 Lit., “be not hasty with the Qur’än” (see next note).
101 Although it is very probable that - as most of the classical commentators point out - this
exhortation was in the first instance addressed to the Prophet Muhammad, there is no doubt that it
applies to every person, at all times, who reads the Qur’än. The idea underlying the above verse
may be summed up thus: Since the Qur’an is the Word of God, all its component parts-phrases,
sentences, verses and surahs - form one integral, coordinated whole (cf. the last sentence of 25 : 32
and the corresponding note 27). Hence, if one is really intent on understanding the Qur’anic
message, one must beware of a “hasty approach” - that is to say, of drawing hasty conclusions
from isolated verses or sentences taken out of their context - but should, rather, allow the whole of
the Qur’än to be revealed to one’s mind before attempting to interpret single aspects of its
message. (See also 75: 16-19 and the corresponding notes.)
102 The relevant divine commandment - or, rather, warning-is spelled out in verse 117.
The present passage connects with the statement in verse 99, “Thus do We relate unto thee some
of the stories of what happened in the past”, and is meant to show that negligence of spiritual
truths is one of the recurrent characteristics of the human race (RäzT), which is symbolized
here-as in many other places in the Qur’än-by Adam.
103 See 2:30-34 and the corresponding notes, especially 23, 25 and 26, as well as note 31 on
15:41. Since-as I have shown in those notes-the faculty of conceptual thinking is man’s
outstanding endowment, his “forgetting” God’s commandment - resulting from a lack of all
“firmness of purpose" in the domain of ethics-is an evidence of the moral weakness charac­
teristic of the human race (cf. 4:28 - “man has been created weak”): and this, in its turn, explains
man’s dependence on unceasing divine guidance, as pointed out in verse 113 above.

483
TÄ HÄ SÜRAH

thee unhappy.104 (118) Behold, it is provided for thee

that thou shalt not hunger here or feel naked,105 (119)
and that thou shalt not thirst here or suffer from the
heat of the sun.”
(120) But Satan whispered unto him, saying: “O
Adam! Shall I lead thee to the tree of life eternal, and
[thus] to a kingdom that will never decay?”106107 JV uO-y if*-*
(121) And so the two ate [of the fruit] thereof: and
thereupon they became conscious of their nakedness ($)
and began to cover themselves with pieced-together
leaves from the garden. And [thus] did Adam disobey
his Sustainer, and thus did he fall into grievous
error. 107 ip,
(122) Thereafter, [however,] his Sustainer elected Lo-r; ÇI* 11LJ Jli (jg) 4_Jc «_A_Û

him [for His grace], and accepted his repentance, and

bestowed His guidance upon him, (123) saying:
“Down with you all108 from this [state of innocence,
and be henceforth] enemies unto one another! None J-?-
the less, there shall most certainly come unto you fX J- i J«»
guidance from Me: and he who follows My guidance
will not go astray, and neither will he be unhappy.
(124) But as for him who shall turn away from
remembering Me - his shall be a life of narrow
scope;109 and on the Day of Resurrection We shall

104 Lit., “so that thou wilt become unhappy”. Regarding the significance of “the garden”
spoken of here, see sürah 2, note 27.
105 Lit., “be naked“: but in view of the statement in verse 121 (as well as in 7:22) to the
effect that only after their fall from grace did Adam and Eve become “conscious of their
nakedness”, it is but logical to assume that the words “that thou shalt not... be naked” have a
spiritual significance, implying that man, in his original state of innocence, would not feel naked
despite all absence of clothing. (For the deeper implications of this allegory, see note 14 on 7:20.)
106 This symbolic tree is designated in the Bible as “the tree of life” and “the tree of knowledge
of good and evil” (Genesis ii, 9), while in the above Qur’anic account Satan speaks of it as “the
tree of life eternal (al-khuld)“. Seeing that Adam and Eve did not achieve immortality despite their
tasting the forbidden fruit, it is obvious that Satan’s suggestion was, as it always is, deceptive. On
the other hand, the Qur’fin tells us nothing about the real nature of that “tree” beyond pointing out
that it was Satan who described it-falsely-as “the tree of immortality”: and so we may assume
that the forbidden tree is simply an allegory of the limits which the Creator has set to man’s
desires and actions: limits beyond which he may not go without offending against his own,
God-willed nature. Man’s desire for immortality on earth implies a wishful denial of death and
resurrection, and thus of the ultimate reality of what the Qur’ân describes as “the hereafter” or
‘‘the life to come” (al-äkhirah). This desire is intimately connected with Satan’s insinuation that it
is within man’s reach to become the master of “a kingdom that will never decay”: in other words,
to become “free” of all limitations and thus, in the last resort, of the very concept of God-the
only concept which endows human life with real meaning and purpose.
107 Regarding the symbolism of Adam and Eve’s becoming “conscious of their nakedness”, see
note 105 above as well as the reference, in 7 : 26-27, to “the garment of God-consciousness”’, the
loss of which made man’s ancestors “aware of their nakedness”, i.e., of their utter helplessness
and, hence, their dependence on God.
108 See sürah 7, note 16.
109 I.e., sterile and spiritually narrow, without any real meaning or purpose: and this as is
indicated in the subsequent clause, will be a source of their suffering in the hereafter.
 20
OMAN
raise him up blind.”
(125) [And so, on Resurrection Day, the sinner] will
ask: "O my Sustainer! Why hast Thou raised me up
blind, whereas [on earth] I was endowed with sight?”
(126) [God] will reply: “Thus it is: there came unto
thee Our messages, but thou wert oblivious of them;
and thus shalt thou be today consigned to oblivion!”
(127) For, thus shall We recompense him who jijCZ'ÿjîfi* J JB <©> eZ*
wastes his own self"0 and does not believe in his
Sustainer’s messages: and, indeed, the suffering [of
such sinners] in the life to come shall be most severe
and most enduring! Jj •Ar'1 û*($)

(128) CAN, THEN, they [who reject the truth] learn no

lesson by recalling how many a generation We have f-4-» bJZKI
destroyed before their time?"1-[people] in whose
dwelling-places they [themselves now] walk about?
In this, behold, there are messages indeed for those jJ® uÿô étJ Q. CiS
who are endowed with reason!
(129) Now were it not for a decree that has already
gone forth from thy Sustainer, setting a term"1 [for
each sinner’s repentance], it would inescapably fol­ $ »fW* ÛJ> urpÜ
low [that all who sin must be doomed at once]."3
(130) Hence, bear with patience whatever they ($) ÿj dW jLjJl Qp
[who deny the truth] may say, and extol thy Sus­ uJjl U d--v>
tainer’s limitless glory and praise Him before the
rising of the sun and before its setting; and extol His ($> Cjib-e-* ôjjj S* (-
glory, too, during some of the hours of the night as
well as during the hours of the day,"4 so that thou
might attain to happiness.
(131) And never turn thine eyes [with longing]
towards whatever splendour of this world’s life We
may have allowed so many others"3 to enjoy in order
that We might test them thereby: for the sustenance
110 Regarding this rendering of the phrase man asrafa, see sürah 10, note 21, in which I have
discussed the meaning of the participial noun musrif, derived from the same verba! tool
111 Lit., “Is it, then, no guidance for them how many a generation..etc. It is to be borne in
mind that, in Qur’anic usage, the noun qam signifies not only “a generation”, but also-and rather
more often - “people belonging to one particular epoch”, i.e., “a civilization” in the historical
sense of this term.
112 Lit., “and a term set [by Him]”. This phrase, placed in the original at the end of the
sentence, connects-as most of the classical commentators point out-with the opening clause of
this verse, and has been rendered accordingly.
113 Cf. 10:11 and 16:61.
114 Lit., “at the sides [or “extremities”] of the day”. See in this connection also 11:114 and the
corresponding note 145.
115 Lit., “groups [or “kinds”] of them" (azwäjan minhum). According to most of the com­
mentators, this relates to the deniers of the truth spoken of in the preceding passages; but since the
above injunction has obviously a wider purport, condemning envy in general, I have rendered this
expression as “so many others”.
485
 which thy Sustainer provides [for thee] is better and
more enduring."6
(132) And bid thy people to pray, and persevere
therein. [But remember:] We do not ask thee to
provide sustenance [for Us]:"7 it is We who provide
sustenance for thee. And the future belongs to the
God-conscious."8

(133) NOW THEY [who are blind to the truth] are wont to
say, “If [Muhammad] would but produce for us a
miracle from his Sustainer!”"’ [But] has there not
come unto them a clear evidence [of the truth of this (Jg) ekM jU izu ûr
divine writ] in what is [to be found] in the earlier
jb
scriptures?’20
(134) For [thus it is:] had We destroyed them by JjÜ £-.*'•» Xr*J d-jl

means of a chastisement ere this [divine writ was

revealed], they would indeed [be justified to] say [on J* öjiZ-i JTS*
Judgment Day]: “O our Sustainer! If only Thou hadst
sent an apostle unto us, we would have followed Thy (Jg)
messages rather than be humiliated and disgraced [in
the hereafter]!”121
(135) Say: “Everyone is hopefully waiting [for what
the future may bring]:122 wait, then, [for the Day of
Judgment-] for then you will come to know as to
who has followed the even path, and who has found
guidance!”

116 Implying that whatever God grants a person is an outcome of divine wisdom and. therefore,
truly appropriate to the destiny which God has decreed for that person. Alternatively, the phrase
may be understood as referring to the life to come and the spiritual sustenance which God bestows
upon the righteous.
117 My interpolation of the words “for Us” is based on Râzï's interpretation of the above
sentence: “God makes it clear that He has enjoined this [i.e., prayer] upon men for their own
benefit alone, inasmuch as He Himself is sublimely exalted above any [need of] benefits.” In other
words, prayer must not be conceived as a kind of tribute to a “jealous God”-as the Old
Testament, in its present corrupted form, frequently describes Him-but solely as a spiritual
benefit for the person who prays.
118 Lit., “to God-consciousness”.
119 I.e., in proof of his prophetic mission: cf. 6:109 and many other instances in which the
deniers of the truth are spoken of as making their belief in the Qur’anic message dependent on
tangible “miracles”.
120 I.e., “Does not the Qur’än express the same fundamental truths as were expressed in the
revelations granted to the earlier prophets?” Beyond this, the above rhetorical question contains
an allusion to the predictions of the advent of Muhammad to be found in the earlier scriptures,
e.g., in Deuteronomy xviii, 15 and 18 (discussed in my note 33 on 2:42) or in John xiv, 16, xv,
26 and xvi, 7, where Jesus speaks of the “Comforter” who is to come after him. (Regarding this
latter prediction, see my note on 61:6.)
121 Cf. 6:131, 15:4 or 26:208-209, where it is stressed that God never punishes man for any
wrong committed in ignorance of what constitutes right and wrong in the moral sense - i.e., before
making it possible for him to avail himself of divine guidance.
122 I.e., human nature is such that no man, whatever his persuasion or condition, can ever cease
to hope that the way of life chosen by him will prove to have been the right way.

486
 THE TWENTY-FIRST SÜRAH

AL-ANBIYÄ* (THE PROPHETS)

MECCA PERIOD

HE MAIN theme of this siirah - which according to the cItqän belongs to the last group of the
T Meccan revelations - is the stress on the oneness, uniqueness and transcendence of God and
on the fact that this truth has always been the core of all prophetic revelation, “the essence of all
that you ought to bear in mind” (verse 10), and which man only too often forgets: for “the deaf [of
heart] will not hearken to this call, however often they are warned” (verse 45), and “but listen to it
with playful amusement, their hearts set on passing delights" (verses 2-3).
The repeated allusions to some of the prophets of old, all of whom preached the same
fundamental truth, provide the title of this sürah. The stories of those prophets are meant to
illustrate the continuity and intrinsic unity of all divine revelation and of man’s religious
experience: hence, addressing all who believe in Him, God says, “Verily, this community of yours
is one single community, since I am the Sustainer of you all" (verse 92), thus postulating the
brotherhood of all true believers, whatever their outward designation, as a logical corollary of their
belief in Him - the belief that “your God is the One and Only God” (verse 108).

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) LOSER DRAWS unto men their reckoning: and

K-zyet they remain stubbornly heedless [of its ap­ __________ a
proach].1
(2) Whenever there comes unto them any new re­O Or*/**
minder from their Sustainer, they but listen to it with
playful amusement,2 (3) their hearts set on passing
delights; yet they who are [thus] bent on wrongdoing
f-r/i (J) jjjJb
conceal their innermost thoughts3 [when they say to
one another], “Is this [Muhammad] anything but a
mortal like yourselves? Will you, then, yield to [his]
spellbinding eloquence with your eyes open?”45
(4) Say:3 “My Sustainer knows whatever is spoken

1 Lit., “and yet in [their] heedlessness they are obstinate (mu'ridûn)''.

2 Lit., “while they are playing”.
3 See next note.
4 As regards my occasional rendering of sihr (lit., “sorcery" or “magic”) as “spellbinding
eloquence”, see 74 : 24, where this term occurs for the first time in the chronology of Qur’anic
revelation. - By rejecting the message of the Qur’än on the specious plea that Muhammad is but a
human being endowed with “spellbinding eloquence”, the opponents of the Qur’anic doctrine in
reality “conceal their innermost thoughts”: for, their rejection is due not so much to any pertinent
criticism of this doctrine as, rather, to their instinctive, deep-set unwillingness to submit to the
moral and spiritual discipline which an acceptance of the Prophet’s call would entail.
5 According to the earliest scholars of Medina and Ba$rah, as well as some of the scholars of
Kflfah, this word is spelt qui, as an imperative (“Say”), whereas some of the Meccan scholars and
the majority of those of Kûfah read it as qäla (“He [i.e.. the Prophet] said"). In the earliest copies

487
 SÜRAH
AL-ANBIYÄ'

in heaven and on earth; and He alone is all-hearing,

all-knowing.”
(5) “Nay,” they say, “[Muhammad propounds] the
most involved and confusing of dreams!”*6-“Nay,
but he has invented [all] this!”-“Nay, but he is
[only] a poet!” - [and,] “Let him, then, come unto us
with a miracle, just as those [prophets] of old were sent
[with miracles]!”
(6) Not one of the communities that We destroyed
in bygone times7 would ever believe [their prophets]:
will these, then, [be more willing to] believe?8
(7) For [even] before thy time, [O Muhammad,] We
never sent [as Our apostles] any but [mortal] men,
whom We inspired - hence, [tell the deniers of the U—*• ly (J)
truth,] “If you do not know this, ask the followers of
earlier revelation”9-(8) and neither did We endow f «T» îfuuî t4
them with bodies that could dispense with food,10 nor
<x> zy
were they immortal.
(9) In the end, We made good unto them Our
promise, and We saved them and all whom We willed
[to save],11 and We destroyed those who had wasted
their own selves.12

(10) [O MEN!] We have now bestowed upon you from on

high a divine writ containing all that you ought to
bear in mind:13*will you not, then, use your reason?
of the Qur’än the spelling was apparently confined, in this instance, to the consonants q-l: hence
the possibility of reading it either as qui or as qâla. However, as Tabari points out. both these
readings have the same meaning and are, therefore, equally valid, “for, when God bade Muham­
mad to say this, he [undoubtedly] said it.... Hence, in whichever way this word is read, the reader
is correct (mu$Tb a$-?awäb) in his reading.” Among the classical commentators, Baghawi and
Baydâwï explicitly use the spelling qui, while Zamakhsharî’s short remark that “it has also been
read as qäla" seems to indicate his own preference for the imperative qui.
6 Lit., “confusing medleys (adghâth) of dreams”.
7 Lit., “before them”.
8 'Hie downfall of those communities of old - frequently referred to in the Qur’än - was
invariably due to the fact that they had been resolved to ignore all spiritual truths which militated
against their own, materialistic concept of life: is it, then (so the Qur’anic argument goes),
reasonable to expect that the opponents of the Prophet Muhammad, who are similarly motivated,
would be more willing to consider his message on its merits?
9 Lit., “followers of the reminder” - i.e., of the Bible, which in its original, uncorrupted form
represented one of God’s “reminders” to man.
10 Lit., “neither did We fashion them [i.e., those apostles] as bodies that ate no food”, implying
a denial of any supernatural quality in the prophets entrusted with God’s message (cf. 5 :75,13:38
and 25:20, as well as the corresponding notes). The above is an answer to the unbelievers’
objection to Muhammad’s prophethood expressed in verse 3 of this surah.
11 I.e., their believing followers.
12 As regards my rendering of al-musrifûn as “those who had wasted their own selves”, see
note 21 on the last sentence of 10:12.
13 The term dhikr, which primarily denotes a “reminder” or a “remembrance", or, as Räghib
defines it, the “presence [of something] in the mind”, has also the meaning of “that by which one

488
 21
THE PROPHETS
(11) For, how many a community that persisted in
evildoing have We dashed into fragments, and raised
another people in its stead!14
(12) And [every time,] as soon as they began to feel
Our punishing might, lo! they tried to flee from it-
(13) [and at the same time they seemed to hear a UaJS iÙfc b - ,1a JJ
scornful voice]: “Do not try to flee, but return to all
that [once] gave you pleasure and corrupted your J«-* Ll— I*
whole being.15 and [return] to your homes, so that you
might be called to account [for what you have ($)
done]!”*6 yi 0
(14) And they could only cry:'7 “Oh, woe unto us!
Verily, we were wrongdoers!” Ci (J)
(15) And that cry of theirs did not cease until We
caused them to become [like] a field mown down, still «Of £££<$)
and silent as ashes.
V ft jU? J ÜîJ Jj (J) ftZ £
(16) AND [know that] We have not created the heavens Je
and the earth and all that is between them in mere
idle play:18 (17) [for,] had We willed to indulge in a Cz
pastime, We would indeed have produced it from
within Ourselves-if such had been Our will at all!19 j J* (J) -jj*-®
(18) Nay, but [by the very act of creation] We hurl
the truth against falsehood,20 and it crushes the latter:
and lo! it withers away.21
But woe unto you for all your [attempts at] defining
[God]22-(19) for, unto Him belong all [beings] that

is remembered”, i.e., with praise - in other words, “renown” or “fame” - and, tropically,
“honour”, “eminence” or “dignity”. Hence, the above phrase contains, apart from the concept of
a “reminder”, an indirect allusion to the dignity and happiness to which man may attain by
following the spiritual and social precepts laid down in the Qur'an. By rendering the expression
dhikrukum as “all that you ought to bear in mind”, 1 have tried to bring out all these meanings.
14 Lit., “after it”.
15 For an explanation of the phrase mâ utrifturn fïhi, see sürah 11, note 147.
16 The Qur'an does not say whose words these are, but the tenor of this passage indicates, I
believe, that it is the scornful, self-accusing voice of the sinnvrs’ own conscience: hence my
interpolation, between brackets, at the beginning of this verse.
17 Lit., “They said”.
18 Lit., “playing" or “playfully”, i.e., without meaning and purpose: see note 11 on 10:5.
19 Lit., “if We had [ever] willed to do so”: meaning that, had God ever willed to "indulge in a
pastime" (which, being almighty and self-sufficient. He has no need to do). He could have found it
within His Own Self, without any necessity to create a universe which would embody His
hypothetical - and logically inconceivable - will to “please Himself”, and would thus represent a
“projection”, as it were, of His Own Being. In the elliptic manner of the Qur’än, the above passage
amounts to a statement of God’s transcendence.
20 I.e., the truth of God’s transcendence against the false idea of His existential immanence in,
or co-existence with, the created universe.
21 The obvious fact that everything in the created universe is finite and perishable effectively
refutes the claim that it could be a “projection" of the Creator, who is infinite and eternal.
22 Lit., “for all that you attribute [to God] by way of description" or “of definition" (cf. the last

489
AL-ANBIYÄ* SÜRAH

are in the heavens and on earth; and those that are

with Him23 are never too proud to worship Him and
never grow weary [thereof]: (20) they extol His lim­
itless glory by night and by day, never flagging
[therein].
(21) And yet,2425some people choose to worship (J) ùj/Xc-
certain earthly things or beings as deities that [are
supposed to] resurrect [the dead; and they fail to
realize that], (22) had there been in heaven or on
earth26 any deities other than God, both [those xi! l—ùQ fff*)
realms] would surely have fallen into ruin!
But limitless in His glory is God, enthroned in His
U-UâJ
awesome almightiness27 [far] above anything that men (g)
may devise by way of definition!28
(23) He cannot be called to account for whatever yi yu jJ À-in *
He does, whereas they will be called to account: (24)
and yet,29 they choose to worship [imaginary] deities
instead of Him! Jj-j
Say [O Prophet]: “Produce an evidence for what
you are claiming:30 this is a reminder [unceasingly
voiced] by those who are with me, just as it was a
reminder [voiced] by those who came before me.”31
But nay, most of them do not know the truth, and
so they stubbornly turn away [from it]32-(25) and

sentence of 6:100 and the corresponding note 88) - implying that the idea of God's “immanence"
in His creation is equivalent to an attempt to define His Being.
23 According to the classical commentators, this refers to the angels; but it is possible to
understand the expression “those who are with Him" in a wider sense, comprising not only the
angels but also all human beings who are truly God-conscious and wholly dedicated to Him. In
either case, their “being with Him” is a metaphorical indication of their spiritual eminence and
place of honour in God’s sight, and does not bear any spatial connotation of “nearness"
(Zamakhsharï and Râzï): obviously so, because God is limitless in space as well as in time. (See also
40:7 and the corresponding note 4.)
24 As stressed by Zamakhsharï, the particle am which introduces this sentence has not, as is so
often the case, an interrogative sense (“is it that... ”), but is used here in the sense of bal, which
in this instance may be rendered as “and yet".
25 Lit., “they have taken unto themselves deities from the earth", i.e., from among the things or
beings found on earth: an expression which alludes to all manner of false objects of worship-
idols of every description, forces of nature, deified human beings, and, finally, abstract concepts
such as wealth, power, etc.
26 Lit., “in those two [realms]”, alluding to the first clause of verse 19 above.
27 Lit., “the Sustainer (rabb) of the awesome throne of almightiness”. (For this rendering of
al-'arsh, see note 43 on 7:54.
28 Cf. last sentence of verse 18 and the corresponding note 22, as well as note 88 on 6:100.
29 See note 24 above.
30 Lit., “produce your evidence”, i.e., for the existence of deities other than God, as well as for
the intellectual and moral justification of worshipping anything but Him.
31 I.e., the earlier prophets, the purport of whose messages was always the stress on the oneness
of God.
32 In other words, most people’s obstinate refusal to consider a reasonable proposition on its

490
 21
THE PROPHETS
[this despite the fact that even] before thy time We
never sent any apostle without having revealed to him
that there is no deity save Me, [and that,] therefore,
you shall worship Me [alone]!
(26) And [yet,] some say, “The Most Gracious has
taken unto Himself a son”!
Limitless is He in His glory!33 Nay, [those whom
they regard as God’s “offspring”34 are but His] Jî A2”?- ,Jb
honoured servants: (27) they speak not until He has
spoken unto them,35 and [whenever they act,] they act ($) QA". f3

at His behest. Cr £3 ts»jjJ &3

(28) He knows all that lies open before them and all
that is hidden from them:36 hence, they cannot in­
tercede for any but those whom He has [already]
graced with His goodly acceptance,37 since they them­ <S>
selves stand in reverent awe of Him. i£ryTz Jy
(29) And if any of them were to say, “Behold, I am
a deity beside Him” - that one We should requite with
hell: thus do We requite all [such] evildoers.
j' jj ù'Î j (^) jy*ji I
(30) ARE, THEN, they who are bent on denying the truth
not aware that the heavens and the earth were [once]
one single entity, which We then parted asunder?3*-
and [that] We made out of water every living thing?
Will they not, then, [begin to] believe?39

merits is often due to no more than the simple fact that it is not familiar to them.
33 I.e., utterly remote from the imperfection implied in the concept of “offspring": see note 77
on 19:92.
34 This alludes to prophets like Jesus, whom the Christians regard as “the son of God", as well
as to the angels, whom the pre-lslamic Arabs considered to be “God's daughters" (since they were
conceived of as females).
35 Lit., “they do not precede Him in speech" - meaning that they proclaim only what He has
revealed to them and bidden them to proclaim.
36 See note 247 on 2 : 255.
37 Cf. 19: 87 and 20: 109. Regarding the problem of “intercession" as such, see note 7 on 10:3.
38 It is, as a rule, futile to make an explanation of the Qur’än dependent on “scientific findings”
which may appear true today, but may equally well be disproved tomorrow by new findings.
Nevertheless, the above unmistakable reference to the unitary origin of the universe - metonymic-
ally described in the Qur’än as “the heavens and the earth” - strikingly anticipates the view of almost
all modern astrophysicists that this universe has originated as one entity from one single element,
namely, hydrogen, which became subsequently consolidated through gravity and then separated into
individual nebulae, galaxies and solar systems, with further individual parts progressively breaking
away to form new entities in the shape of stars, planets and the latters' satellites. (Regarding the
Qur’anic reference to the phenomenon described by the term “expanding universe”, see 51:47 and
the corresponding note 31.)
39 The statement that God “made out of water every living thing” expresses most concisely a
truth that is nowadays universally accepted by science. It has a threefold meaning: (1) Water-and,
specifically, the sea - was the environment within which the prototype of all living matter
originated; (2) among all the innumerable - existing or conceivable - liquids, only water has the
peculiar properties necessary for the emergence and development of life; and (3) the protoplasm,
which is the physical basis of every living cell-whether in plants or in animals-and represents

491
 SÜRAH
AL-ANBIYÂ*

(31) And [are they not aware that] We have set up

firm mountains on earth, lest it sway with them,40 and
[that] We have appointed thereon broad paths, so that
they might find their way, (32) and [that] We have set
up the sky as a canopy well-secured?41
And yet, they stubbornly turn away from [all] the
signs of this [creation], (33) and [fail to see that] it is
He who has created the night and the day and the sun
and the moon-all of them floating through space!
L,-’Ç—*) LlijâjÉ J' l—-Le-,

(34) AND [remind those who deny thee, O Prophet,42 that]

never have We granted life everlasting to any mortal Cj (g) jjxÇû eMi j jT 5^b
before thee:43 but do they, perchance, hope that al­
though thou must die, they will live forever?44
(35) Every human being is bound to taste death;
and We test you [all] through the bad and the good
[things of life] by way of trial: and unto Us you all
must return.45
(36) But [thus it is:] whenever they who are bent on
denying the truth consider thee,46 they make thee but
a target of their mockery, [saying to one another,] “Is
this the one who speaks [so contemptuously] of your
gods?”47
And yet, it is they themselves who, at [every]
mention of the Most Gracious, are wont to deny the
truth!48
(37) Man is a creature of haste;49 [but in time] I

the only form of matter in which the phenomena of life are manifested, consists overwhelmingly
of water and is, thus, utterly dependent on it. Read together with the preceding statement, which
alludes to the unitary origin of the physical universe, the emergence of life from and within an
equally unitary element points to the existence of a unitary plan underlying all creation and,
hence, to the existence and oneness of the Creator. This accent on the oneness of God and the
unity of His creation is taken up again in verse 92 below.
40 See 16:15 and the corresponding note 11.
41 See note 4 on the first sentence of 13 :2, which seems to have a similar meaning.
42 This relates to the objection of the unbelievers, mentioned in verse 3 of this surah, that
Muhammad is “but a mortal like yourselves”, and connects also with verses 7-8, which stress that
all of God’s apostles were but mortal men (cf. 3 : 144).
43 The obvious implication is, “and so We shall not grant it unto thee, either”. Cf. 39:30- “thou
art bound to die”.
44 Lit., “but if, then, thou shouldst die, will they live forever?” - implying an assumption on
their part that they would not be called to account on death and resurrection.
45 Lit., “you shall be brought back”, i.e., for judgment.
46 Lit., “see thee”: but since this verb has here obviously an abstract meaning, relating to the
message propounded by the Prophet, it is best rendered as above.
47 Sc., “and dares to deny their reality although he is a mere mortal like ourselves?”
48 I.e., although they resent any aspersion cast on whatever things or forces they unthinkingly
worship, they refuse to acknowledge God’s planning will manifested in every aspect of His creation.
49 Lit., “is created out of haste" - i.e., he is by nature imbued with impatience: cf. last sentence
of 17:11. In the present context this refers to man’s impatience regarding things to come: in this

492
 21
THE PROPHETS
shall make obvious to you [the truth of] My mes­
sages: do not, then, ask Me to hasten [it]!50
(38) But they [who reject My messages are wont to]
ask, “When is that promise [of God’s judgment] to be
fulfilled? [Answer this, O you who believe in it,] if
you are men of truth!”51
(39) If they but knew - they who are bent on deny­
ing the truth - [that there will come] a time when they
will not be able to ward off the fire from their faces,
nor from their backs, and will not find any succour!
(40) Nay, but [the Last Hour] will come upon them —VX faß ($>
of a sudden, and will stupefy them: and they will be
unable to avert it, and neither will they be allowed
any respite.
(41) And, indeed, [O Muhammad, even] before thy y* I* JÎ <s> f* x,
time have [God’s] apostles been derided-but those
^3 <j£) ôiAî p—• X> öjx.U'u
who scoffed at them were [in the end] overwhelmed
by the very thing which they had been wont to byr
deride.52
(42) Say: “Who could protect you, by night or by û; jÇdü *>• 5*
day, from the Most Gracious?”53
And yet, from a remembrance of their Sustainer do Cut p f » £■> (L» ÿ
they stubbornly turn away!
(43) Do they [really think that they] have deities l>f^3pr-*’1 r“<j*f**“*
that could shield them from Us? Those [alleged dei­ Jlk iÿ- dr) jj .*■'*»
ties] are not [even] able to succour themselves:
hence, neither can they [who worship them hope to] er V**-- ji» i»* jjx v»* p-çJc
be aided [by them] against Us.
jf j» r**'
(44) Nay, We have allowed these [sinners] - as [We
allowed] their forebears - to enjoy the good things of
life for a great length of time:54 but then-have they
never yet seen how We visit the earth [with Our
punishment], gradually depriving it of all that is best
thereon?55 Can they, then, [hope to] be the winners?

(45) SAY [unto all men]: “I but warn you on the strength
of divine revelation!”
But the deaf [of heart] will not hearken to this call,
however often they are warned.56

case-as is obvious from the sequence-his hasty refusal to believe in God’s coming judgment.
50 Cf. 16:1-“God’s judgment is [bound to] come: do not, then, call for its speedy advent!”
51 The Qur’anic answer to this question is given in 7:187.
52 See 6:10 (which has exactly the same wording) and the corresponding note 9.
53 The reference to God, in this context, as “the Most Gracious” (ar-rahmân) is meant to bring
out the fact that He-and He alone-is the protector of all creation.
54 Lit., “until their lives fumur) grew long"-i.e., until they grew accustomed to the thought
that their prosperity would last forever (Zamakhsharï).
55 For an explanation, see the identical phrase in 13:41 and the corresponding notes 79 and 80.
56 Lit., “whenever they are warned".
493
 AL-ANBIYÄ' SURAH

(46) And yet, if but a breath of thy Sustainer’s

chastisement touches them, they are sure to cry, “Oh,
woe unto us! Verily, we were evildoers!”
(47) But We shall set up just balance-scales on
Resurrection Day, and no human being shall be wrong­
ed in the least: for though there be [in him but] the
weight of a mustard-seed [of good or evil], We shall
bring it forth; and none can take count as We do!

(48) AND, INDEED, We vouchsafed unto Moses and

Aaron [Our revelation as] the standard by which to jT.» tÇ: Lar' J*
discern the true from the false,57 and as a [guiding]
light and a reminder for the God-conscious (49) who U SiJj (1y)
stand in awe of their Sustainer although He is beyond
the reach of human perception,58 and who tremble at
the thought of the Last Hour. «LJÿl JjÇyi Lt*/ (4$) icLJÏ j.
(50) And [like those earler revelations,] this one,
too, is a blessed reminder which We have bestowed
from on high: will you, then, disavow it?
«opj jli 0 3^ yj >
(51) AND, INDEED, long before [the time of Moses] We
vouchsafed unto Abraham his consciousness of what ix; iJ» (g) u ÿî t-uî
is right;59 and We were aware of [what moved] him
(52) when he said unto his father and his people, Jï
“What are these images to which you are so intensely
devoted?”
(53) They answered: “We found our forefathers oy x.jî jjL j jT ji
worshipping them.”
(54) Said he: “Indeed, you and your forefathers
have obviously gone astray!”
(55) They asked: “Hast thou come unto us [with
this claim] in all earnest-or art thou one of those
jesters?”
(56) He answered: “Nay, but your [true] Sustainer

57 See note 38 on 2:53. The reference to the revelation bestowed on the earlier prophets as
“the standard by which to discern the true from the false" (al-furqän) has here a twofold
implication: firstly, it alludes to the Qur’anic doctrine - explained in note 5 on 2:4 - of the
historical continuity in all divine revelation, and, secondly, it stresses the fact that revelation - and
revelation alone - provides an absolute criterion of all moral valuation. Since the Mosaic dis­
pensation as such was binding on the children of Israel alone and remained valid only within a
particular historical and cultural context, the term al-furqän relates here not to the Mosaic Law as
such, but to the fundamental ethical truths contained in the Torah and common to all divine
revelations.
58 For an explanation of the above rendering of the expression bi'l-ghayb, see note 3 on
2:3.
59 The possessive pronoun "his” affixed to the noun rushd (which, in this context, has the
meaning of "consciousness of what is right”) emphasizes the highly personal, intellectual quality
of Abraham’s progressive realization of God’s almightiness and uniqueness (cf. 6:74-79 as well as
note 69 on 6:83); while the expression min qabl- rendered by me as "long before (the time of
Moses]”-stresses, once again, the element of continuity in man’s religious insight and experience.
 21
THE PROPHETS
is the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth-He
who has brought them into being: and I am one of
those who bear witness to this [truth]!”
(57) And [he added to himself,] “By God, I shall
most certainly bring about the downfall of your idols
as soon as you have turned your backs and gone
away!”
(58) And then he broke those [idols] to pieces, [all] (g) £j'i jÿ Ulj
save the biggest of them, so that they might [be able
to] turn to it.60 ($) â/Â* Lpy û’ jxfV âùj
(59) [When they saw what had happened,] they
said: “Who has done this to our gods? Verily, one of
the worst wrongdoers is he!”
<5> J*»y**
(60) Said some [of them]: “We heard a youth speak
of these [gods with scorn]: he is called Abraham.” iyliIjJB (£)ji[7J JLL Ltf-Ij)B
(61) [The others] said: “Then bring him before the
people’s eyes, so that they might bear witness [against
him]!”
JB Ui*<£Ia»
(62) [And when he came,] they asked: “Hast thou
done this to our gods, O Abraham?” <3> 4 Ui* r-*-'?/'
(63) He answered: “Nay, it was this one, the big­
gest of them, that did it: but ask them [yourselves] - f <$) !>-»•>
provided they can speak!”
(64) And so they turned upon one another,61 saying,
“Behold, it is you who are doing wrong.”62 X, lilî âî ôjJlÂûI JB
(65) But then they relapsed into their former way of
thinking63 and said: “Thou knowest very well that jjX*t
these [idols] cannot speak!”
(66) Said [Abraham]: “Do you then worship, instead
of God, something that cannot benefit you in any
<3> £*4 ÿ
way, nor harm you? (67) Fie upon you and upon all
that you worship instead of God! Will you not, then,
use your reason?”
(68) They exclaimed: “Burn him, and [thereby]
succour your gods, if you are going to do [anything]!”
(69) [But] We said: “O fire! Be thou cool, and [a
source of] inner peace for Abraham!”64-(70) and

60 Sc., “for an explanation of what had happened”.

61 Lit., “they turned to [or “upon”] themselves”, i.e., blaming one another.
62 I.e., “you are doing wrong to Abraham by rashly suspecting him” (TabarT).
63 Lit., “they were turned upside down upon their heads”: an idiomatic phrase denoting a
“mental somersault” - in this case, a sudden reversal of their readiness to exonerate Abraham and
a return to their former suspicion.
64 Nowhere does the Qur’an state that Abraham was actually, bodily thrown into the fire and
miraculously kept alive in it: on the contrary, the phrase “God saved him from the fire” occurring
in 29:24 points, rather, to the fact of his nor having been thrown into it. On the other hand, the
many elaborate (and conflicting) stories with which the classical commentators have embroidered
their interpretation of the above verse can invariably be traced back to Talmudic legends and may,
therefore, be disregarded. What the Qur’ân gives us here, as well as in 29 : 24 and 37 : 97, is

495
 whereas they sought to do evil unto him, We caused
them to suffer the greatest loss:“ (71) for We saved
him and Lot, [his brother’s son, by guiding them] to
the land which We have blessed for all times to
come.“
(72) And We bestowed upon him Isaac and [Isaac’s
son] Jacob as an additional gift,65
6768
6669and caused all of <£*5 (£)
them to be righteous men, (73) and made them leaders
(q) U’jb
who would guide [others] in accordance with Our
behest: for We inspired them [with a will] to do good (J) <jy* L'.lo» yfj
works, and to be constant in prayer, and to dispense
charity: and Us [alone] did they worship. J** f-nH f

'^3
(74) AND UNTO Lot, too, We vouchsafed sound judg­
ment and knowledge [of right and wrong], and saved *^-^3 Ljc3 aLU.*** IUjJj Ct-1-*
him from that community which was given to deeds
of abomination.“ [We destroyed those people-for,] f-r» >-*■
verily, they were people lost in evil, depraved -
(75) whereas him We admitted unto Our grace: for, j (*£)
behold, he was among the righteous.
,J Uji,
(76) AND [remember] Noah-[how,] when He called out û; <$) ùt ,&3
[unto Us], long before [the time of Abraham and Lot],
We responded to him and saved him and his house­ >3" 'Xf-r»
hold from that awesome calamity;“ (77) and [how]
We succoured him against the people who had given ûKé *’3'*3

the lie to Our messages: verily, they were people lost %3 H

in evil-and [so] We caused them all to drown.
&l4L-3 ±^4* <$>
(78) AND [remember] David and Solomon - [how it was]
when both of them gave judgment concerning the field
into which some people’s sheep had strayed by night
and pastured therein, and [how] We bore witness to
their judgment:70 (79) for, [though] We made Solomon

apparently an allegorical allusion to the fire of persecution which Abraham had to suffer and
which, by dint of its intensity, was to become in his later life a source of spiritual strength and
inner peace (saläm). Regarding the deeper implications of the term salâm, see note 29 on 5: 16.
65 Inasmuch as Abraham forsook-as shown in the next verse-his homeland, and thus
abandoned his people to their spiritual ignorance.
66 Lit., “for all the worlds’’ or “for all people”: i.e., Palestine, which subsequently became the
homeland of a long line of prophets. (Abraham’s native place - and the scene of his early struggles
against polytheism - was Ur in Mesopotamia.)
67 I.e., in addition (näfilatan) to his eldest son Ishmael (lsmâ*ïl) who had been born years
before Isaac.
68 For the story of Lot, see 7:80-84, 11:77-83 and 15 :58-76.
69 I.e., the Deluge. The story of Noah is mentioned several times in the Qur'an, and particularly
in 11:25-48. Regarding the Deluge itself, see siirah 7, note 47.
70 For an elucidation of the story-or, rather, legend-to which the above verse alludes, we
must rely exclusively on the Companions of the Prophet, since neither the Qur'an nor any

496
21 THE PROPHETS

understand the case [more profoundly], yet We

vouchsafed unto both of them sound judgment and
knowledge [of right and wrong].7’
And We caused71 72 the mountains to join David in JCZIJ iijb g Ùlitj

extolling Our limitless glory, and likewise the birds:73

($)
for We are able to do [all things].
(80) And We taught him how to make garments [of £? ijr44> <£) J;;'
God-consciousness] for you, [O men,] so that they
might fortify you against all that may cause you fear:
but are you grateful [for this boon]?74

authentic saying of the Prophet spells it out to us. However, the fact that a good many
Companions and their immediate successors (täbi'ün) fully agreed on the substance of the story,
differing only in one or two insignificant details, seems to indicate that at that period it was already
well-established in ancient Arabian tradition (cf. note 77 below). According to this story, a flock of
sheep strayed at night into a neighbouring field and destroyed its crop. The case was brought
before King David for judicial decision. On finding that the incident was due to the negligence of
the owner of the sheep, David awarded the whole flock - the value of which corresponded roughly
to the extent of the damage-as an indemnity to the owner of the field. David's young son,
Solomon, regarded this judgment as too severe, inasmuch as the sheep represented the defendant’s
capital, whereas the damage was of a transitory nature, involving no more than the loss of one
year’s crop, i.e., of income. He therefore suggested to his father that the judgment should be
altered: the owner of the field should have the temporary possession and usufruct of the sheep
(milk, wool, new-born lambs, etc.), while their owner should tend the damaged field until it was
restored to its former productivity, whereupon both the field and the flock of sheep should revert
to their erstwhile owners; in this way the plaintiff would be fully compensated for his loss without
depriving the defendant of his substance. David realized that his son's solution of the case was
better than his own, and passed judgment accordingly; but since he, no less than Solomon, had
been inspired by a deep sense of justice, God - in the words of the Qur'an - “bore witness to their
judgment”.
71 I.e., the fact that Solomon’s judgment was more profound did not disprove the intrinsic
justice of David’s original judgment or deprive it of its merit.
72 Lit., “We compelled”.
73 A reference to the Psalms of David, which call upon all nature to extol the glory of
God-similar to the Qur’anic verses, “The seven heavens extol His limitless glory, and the earth,
and all that they contain” (17:44), or “All that is in the heavens and on earth extols God’s limitless
glory” (57:1).
74 The noun tabus is synonymous with Ubas or libs, signifying “a garment" or “garments”
(Qâmüs, Lisân al-'Arab). But since this term has occasionally been used by pre-Islamic Arabs in
the sense of “mail” or “coats of mail" (ibid.), the classical commentators assume that it has this
meaning in the above context as well; and in this they rely on the - otherwise unsupported -
statement of the täbi'T QatSdah to the effect that “David was the first to make chain mail"
(TabarT). Accordingly, they understand the term ha’s which occurs at the end of the sentence in
its secondary sense of “war” or “warlike violence", and interpret the relevant part of the verse
thus: “We taught him how to make coats of mail for you, so that they might fortify you against
your [mutual acts of] violence”, or “against [the effects of] your warlike violence”. One should,
however, bear in mind that ba*s signifies also “harm”, “misfortune”, "distress”, etc., as weH as
“danger”; hence it denotes, it its widest sense, anything that causes distress or fear (Taj al-'Arüs).
If we adopt this last meaning, the term labüs may be understood in its primary significance of
“garment” - in this case, the metaphorical “garment of God-consciousness” (libäs at-taqwä) of
which the Qur’än speaks in 7 :26. Rendered in this sense, the above verse expresses the idea that
the Almighty taught David how to imbue his followers with that deep God-consciousness which
frees men from all spiritual distress and all fears, whether it be fear of one another or the
subconscious fear of the Unknown. The concluding rhetorical question, “but are you grateful [for
this boon]?” implies that, as a rule, man does not fully realize-and, hence, is not really grateful
for-the spiritual bounty thus offered him by God.
497
 SÜRAH
AL-ANBIYÄ'

(81) And unto Solomon [We made subservient] the

Stormy wind, so that it sped at his behest towards the
land which We had blessed:75 for it is We who have
knowledge of everything. (82) And among the rebel-
lious forces [which We made subservient to him]7
there were some that dived for him [into the sea] and
performed other works besides: but it was We who
kept watch over them.77

(83) AND [remember] Job, when he cried out to his Sus­ J' H ®
tainer, “Affliction has befallen me: but Thou art the
most merciful of the merciful!”78-(84) whereupon LtjXJ ,3 0 '.J
We responded unto him and removed all the affliction
from which he suffered; and We gave him new 3* A*’ -J

offspring,79 doubling their number as an act of grace crLPb i ($)

from Us, and as a reminder unto all who worship Us.

(85) AND [remember] Ishmael and Idris,80 and every one

who [like them] has pledged himself [unto God]:81

75 This is apparently an allusion to the fleets of sailing ships which brought untold riches to
Palestine (“the land which We had blessed”) and made Solomon's wealth proverbial.
76 My rendering, in this particular context, of shayâtîn (lit., “satans”) as “rebellious forces” is
based on the tropical use of the term shayfän in the sense of anything “rebellious”, “inordinately
proud” or “insolent” (cf. Lane IV, 1552)-in this case, possibly a reference to subdued and
enslaved enemies or, more probably, to “rebellious” forces of nature which Solomon was able to
tame and utilize; however, see also next note.
77 In this as well as in several other passages relating to Solomon, the Qur'an alludes to the
many poetic legends which were associated with his name since early antiquity and had become
part and parcel of Judaeo-Christian and Arabian lore long before the advent of Islam. Although it
is undoubtedly possible to interpret such passages in a “rationalistic” manner, I do not think that
this is really necessary. Because they were so deeply ingrained in the imagination of the people to
whom the Qur'an addressed itself in the first instance, these legendary accounts of Solomon’s
wisdom and magic powers had acquired a cultural reality of their own and were, therefore,
eminently suited to serve as a medium for the parabolic exposition of certain ethical truths with
which this book is concerned: and so, without denying or confirming their mythical character, the
Qur'an uses them as a foil for the idea that God is the ultimate source of all human power and
glory, and that all achievements of human ingenuity, even though they may sometimes border on
the miraculous, are but an expression of His transcendental creativity.
78 The story of Job (AyyQb in Arabic), describing his erstwhile happiness and prosperity, his
subsequent trials and tribulations, the loss of all his children and his property, his own loathsome
illness and utter despair and, finally, God’s reward of his patience in adversity, is given in full in
the Old Testament (The Book of Job). This Biblical, highly philosophical epic is most probably a
Hebrew translation or paraphrase - still evident in the language employed-of an ancient Naba­
taean (i.e., North-Arabian) poem, for “Job, the author of the finest piece of poetry that the ancient
Semitic world produced, was an Arab, not a Jew, as the form of his name (/y.vob) and the scene of
his book. North Arabia, indicate” (Philip K. Hitti, History of the Arabs» London 1937, pp. 42-43).
Since God “spoke" to him. Job ranks in the Qur’än among the prophets, personifying the supreme
virtue of patience in adversity (fahr).
79 Lit., “his family” - i.e., new children in place of those who had died.
80 See sürah 19, note 41.
81 Lit., “and him of the pledge”. The expression dhu 'l-kifl is derived from the verb
kafala-tmd especially the form takaffala - which signifies “he became responsible [for some­

498
 21
THE PROPHETS

they all were among those who are patient in adver­

sity, (86) and so We admitted them unto Our grace:
behold, they were among the righteous!

(87) AND [remember] him of the great fish82-when he

went off in wrath, thinking that We had no power
over him!83 But then he cried out in the deep darkness
[of his distress]: “There is no deity save Thee! Limit­
less art Thou in Thy glory! Verily, I have done
wrong!”8485
(«) Ly-j
(88) And so We responded unto him and delivered j 2$jLi jjL J jl Jü

him from [his] distress: for thus do We deliver all

who have faith.

(89) AND [thus did We deliver] Zachariah when he cried

out unto his Sustainer: “O my Sustainer! Leave me bp ûj Aj
not childless! But [even if Thou grant me no bodily
heir, I know that] Thou wilt remain when all else has ($)
ceased to be!”83
(90) And so We responded unto him, and bestowed
upon him the gift of John, having made his wife fit to
jf-rl 7*wû A
(£) 3^* u ft
bear him a child:86 [and,] verily, these [three] would
vie with one another in doing good works, and would
call unto Us in yearning and awe; and they were
always humble before Us.

(91) AND [remember] her who guarded her chastity.

thing or someone]” or “pledged himself [to do something]". Although the classical commentators
consider dhu 'l-kifl to be the epithet or the proper name of a particular prophet-whom they
variously, more or less at random, identify with Elijah or Joshua or Zachariah or Ezekiel -1 fail to
see any reason whatever for such attempts at "identification", the more so since we have not a
single authentic hadïth which would mention, or even distantly allude to, a prophet by this name. I
am, therefore, of the opinion that we have here (as in the identical expression in 38:48) a generic
term applying to every one of the prophets, inasmuch as each of them pledged himself un­
reservedly to God and accepted the responsibility for delivering His message to man.
82 I.e., the Prophet Jonah, who is said to have been swallowed by ■ “great fish", as mentioned
in 37:139 ff. and more fully narrated in the Old Testament (The Book of Jonah).
83 According to the Biblical account (which more or less agrees with the Qur’anic references to
his story), Jonah was a prophet sent to the people of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. At first his
preaching was disregarded by his people, and he left them in anger, thus abandoning the mission
entrusted to him by God; in the words of the Qur’an (37:140), “he fled like a runaway slave”. The
allegory of his temporary punishment and his subsequent rescue and redemption is referred to
elsewhere in the Qur’än (i.e., in 37:139^148) and explained in the corresponding notes. It is to that
punishment, repentance and salvation that the present and the next verse allude. (The redemption of
Jonah's people is mentioned in 10:98 and 37:147-148.)
84 Lit., “I was among the wrongdoers”.
85 Lit., “Thou art the best of inheritors" - a phrase explained in note 22 on 15:23. The words
interpolated by me between brackets correspond to Zamakhsharï’s and Râzî’s interpretation of
this phrase. For more detailed references to Zachariah, father of John the Baptist, see 3:37 ff. and
19:2 ff.
86 Lit., “for We had made his wife At for him”, i.e., after her previous barrenness.
 SÜRAH
AL-ANBIYÄ

whereupon We breathed into her of Our spirit87 and

caused her, together with her son, to become a sym­
bol [of Our grace] unto all people.88

(92) VERILY, [O you who believe in Me,] this community

of yours is one single community, since I am the
Sustainer of you all: worship, then, Me [alone]!89
(93) But men have torn their unity wide asunder,90
($) Uj «J» J
[forgetting that] unto Us they all are bound to return.
(94) And yet, whoever does [the least] of righteous
deeds and is a believer withal, his endeavour shall not
be disowned: for, behold, We shall record it in his ($) lî£

favour.91
(95) Hence, it has been unfailingly true of92 any ’Hs* <£> fr1

community whom We have ever destroyed that they

[were people who] would never turn back [from their
sinful ways]93 (96) until such a time as Gog and Magog

87 This allegorical expression, used here with reference to Mary’s conception of Jesus, has been
widely-and erroneously - interpreted as relating specifically to his birth. As a matter of fact, the
Qur’an uses the same expression in three other places with reference to the creation of man in
general - namely in 15:29 and 38:72, “when I have formed him... and breathed into him of My
spirit”; and in 32:9, “and thereupon He forms [lit., “formed”] him fully and breathes [lit.,
“breathed”] into him of His spirit”. In particular, the passage of which the last-quoted phrase is a
part (i.e., 32:7-9) makes it abundantly and explicitly clear that God “breathes of His spirit” into
every human being. Commenting on the verse under consideration, Zamakhsharï states that “the
breathing of the spirit [of God] into a body signifies the endowing it with life”: an explanation with
which Râzï concurs. (In this connection, see also note 181 on 4: 171.) As for the description of
Mary as allatî ahfanat farjahä, idiomatically denoting “one who guarded her chastity" (lit., “her
private parts”), it is to be borne in mind that the term ihfän - lit., “[one's] being fortified [against
any danger or evil]”-has the tropical meaning of “abstinence from what is unlawful or reprehen­
sible” (Taj al-'Ariis), and especially from illicit sexual intercourse, and is applied to a man as well
as a woman: thus, for instance, the terms muhsan and muhsanah are used elsewhere in the Qur’an
to describe, respectively, a man or a woman who is “fortified [by marriage) against unchastity”.
Hence, the expression allatî ahfanat farjahä, occurring in the above verse as well as in 66:12
with reference to Mary, is but meant to stress her outstanding chastity and complete abstinence, in
thought as well as in deed, from anything unlawful or morally reprehensible: in other words, a
rejection of the calumny (referred to in 4: 156 and obliquely alluded to in 19:27-28) that the birth
of Jesus was the result of an “illicit union”.
88 For my rendering of the term âyah as “symbol", see surah 17, note 2, and surah 19, note 16.
89 After calling to mind, in verses 48-91, some of the earlier prophets, all of whom stressed the
oneness and uniqueness of God, the discourse returns to that principle of oneness as it ought to be
reflected in the unity of all who believe in Him. (See 23:51 ff.)
90 This is the meaning of the idiomatic phrase, taqatfa'û amrahum baynahum. As Zamakhsharï
points out, the sudden turn of the discourse from the second person plural to the third person is
indicative of God’s severe disapproval-His “turning away", as it were, from those who are or
were guilty of breaking the believers’ unity. (See also 23:53 and the corresponding note 30.)
91 I.e., even a breach of religious unity may not be unforgivable so long as it does not involve a
worship of false deities or false moral values (cf. verses 98-99 below): this is the meaning of the
stress, in this context, on man’s being “a believer withal”-an echo of the principle clearly spelt
out in 2:62 and several other Qur’anic passages.
92 Lit., an inviolable law (haräm) upon ..expressing the impossibility of conceiving
anything to the contrary (Zamakhsharï).
93 I.e., whenever God consigns a community to destruction, He does it not because of its

500
21
THE PROPHETS
are let loose [upon the world] and swarm down from
every corner [of the earth],94 (97) the whüe the true
promise [of resurrection] draws close [to its
fulfilment].
But then, lo! the eyes of those who [in their
lifetime] were bent on denying the truth will stare in
horror, [and they will exclaim:] “Oh, woe unto us! We
were indeed heedless of this [promise of resur­
rection]!-nay, we were [bent on] doing evil!”95
(98) [Then they will be told:] “Verily, you and all
that you [were wont to] worship instead of God are
but the fuel of hell: that is what you are destined for,96
(99) If those [false objects of your worship] had truly IX JJ jjàôjAy»» U, [
been divine, they would not have been destined for it:
IfJ üoß (J)
but [as it is, you] all shall abide therein!”
(100) Moaning will be their lot therein, and nothing 3» 0 3^2# Q y/jij Q <$>
[else] will they hear therein.97
(101) [But,] behold, as for those for whom [the (J5> ôjJ«— Çé X-! l> ci- JIÎ
decree of] ultimate good has already gone forth from
Us98-these will be kept far away from that [hell]:
(102) no sound thereof will they hear; and they will
frXÎ (fj)
abide in all that their souls have ever desired.
(103) The supreme awesomeness [of the Day of pl 0
Resurrection] will cause them no grief, since the
angels will receive them with the greeting, “This is
your Day [of triumph-the Day] which you were
promised!”
(104) On that Day We shall roll up the skies as
written scrolls are rolled up; [and] as We brought into
being the first creation, so We shall bring it forth

people's occasional lapses but only because of their irremediable, conscious unwillingness to
forsake their sinful ways.
94 I.e., until the Day of Resurrection, heralded by the allegorical break-through of “Gog and
Magog" (see siirah 18, note 100, especially the last sentence): for it is on that Day that even the
most hardened sinner will at last realize his guilt and be filled with belated remorse.-The term
hadab literally denotes “raised gtound” or “elevation", but the expression min kulli hadabin is
used here idiomatically, signifying “from all directions” or “from every comer [of the earth]”: an
allusion to the irresistible nature of the social and cultural catastrophes which will overwhelm
mankind before the coming of the Last Hour.
95 I.e., deliberately and without any excuse, since all the prophets had warned man of the Day
of Resurrection and Judgment.: cf. 14 : 44-45. The words “bent on” interpolated by me within
brackets indicate intent, similar to the preceding expression alladhïna kafarû, “those who were
bent on denying the truth" (see also note 6 on 2:6).
96 Lit., “you are bound to reach it”. The expression “all that you have worshipped instead of
God” comprises not merely all false religious imagery but also all false ethical values endowed
with quasi-divine sanctity, all of which are but “the fuel of hell".
97 Thus, spiritual “deafness" in the life to come will be the inexorable consequence of one’s
having remained deaf, in this world, to the voice of truth, just as “blindness” and oblivion will be
part of the suffering of all who have been spiritually blind to the truth (cf. 20:124-126).
98 I.e., those who have been promised paradise on account of their faith and their good deeds.

501
 AL-ANBIYÄ* SÜRAH

anew"-a promise which We have willed upon Our­

selves: for, behold, We are able to do [all things]!
(105) AND, INDEED, after having exhorted [man],'" We
laid it down in all the books of divine wisdom that My
righteous servants shall inherit the earth:101 (106) herein,
behold, there is a message for people who [truly]
worship God. ($?•> j' J"j|T
(107) And [thus, O Prophet,] We have sent thee as [an
evidence of Our] grace towards all the worlds.102 eJjSLji Lj 0 UdJ j
(108) Say: “It has but been revealed unto me103 that
your God is the One and Only God: will you, then,
surrender yourselves unto Him?” •> ’ ' , > .1 ft ‘S ,
(109) But if they turn away, say: “I have proclaimed (tt) j«»
this in equity unto all of you alike;,0< but I do not know
whether that [judgment] which you are promised [by (£J) I* -*-5« f' j £

God] is near or far [in time].

(110) “Verily, He knows all that is said openly, just as
He [alone] knows all that you would conceal. (111) But
[as for me,] I do not know whether, perchance, this
[delay in God’s judgment] is but a trial for you, and a
[merciful] respite for a while.”'05

99 See in this connection 14:48 and the corresponding note 63.

100 Lit., “after the reminder (adh-dhikr)". For the deeper implications of the Qur’anic term
dhikr, see note 13 on verse 10 of this sürah.
101 Zabür (lit., “scripture” or “book”) is a generic term denoting any "book of wisdom”: hence, any
and all of the divine scriptures revealed by God to the prophets (Tabari). The statement that “My
righteous servants shall inherit the earth” is obviously an echo of the promise, “You are bound to rise
high if you are [truly] believers” (3:139) - the implication being that it is only through faith in God and
righteous behaviour on earth that man can reach the heights envisaged for him by his Creator’s grace.
102 I.e., towards all mankind. For an elucidation of this fundamental principle underlying the
message of the Qur’än, see 7:158 and the corresponding note 126. The universality of the Qur’anic
revelation arises from three factors: firstly, its appeal to all mankind irrespective of descent, race or
cultural environment; secondly, the fact that it appeals exclusively to man's reason and, hence, does
not postulate any dogma that could be accepted on the basis of blind faith alone; and, finally, the fact
that - contrary to all other sacred scriptures known to history - the Qur’än has remained entirely
unchanged in its wording ever since its revelation fourteen centuries ago and will, because it is so
widely recorded, forever remain so in accordance with the divine promise, “it is We who shall truly
guard it [from all corruption]” (cf. 15:9 and the corresponding note 10). It is by virtue of these three
factors that the Qur’än represents the final stage of all divine revelation, and that the Prophet through
whom it has been conveyed to mankind is stated to have been the last (in Qur’anic terminology, “the
seal”) of all prophets (cf. 33:40).
103 Cf. the first sentence of verse 45 of this sürah. This stress on divine revelation as the only
source of the Prophet’s knowledge referred to in the sequence is expressed, in Arabic, by means
of the restrictive particle innamd.
104 The expression calä sawd (lit., “in an equitable manner”) comprises in this context two
distinct concepts: that of fairness as regards the clarity and unambiguity of the above announce­
ment, as well as of equality, implying that it is being made to all human beings alike; hence my
composite rendering of this phrase.
105 Lit., “enjoyment [of life] for a while”: i.e., a chance, mercifully granted by God, to attain to
faith.

502
21_________________________________________________________________________ THE PROPHETS

(112) Say:106 “O my Sustainer! Judge Thou in ___ *

truth!”-and [say]: “Our Sustainer is the Most
Gracious, the One whose aid is ever to be sought against '> ,, „, ~ \ '
all your [attempts at] defining [Him]!”107 <®><>ùkî-JÎû>/U.JJ

106 See note 5 on verse 4 of this surah.

107 Lit., “against Cala) all that you attribute [to Him] by way of description" or “of definition"
(see note 88 on the last sentence of 6:100): implying that only God’s grace can save man from the
blasphemous attempts - prompted by his inherent weakness - to bring God “closer” to his own,
human understanding by means of humanly-conceived “definitions" of Him who is transcendent,
infinite and unfathomable.
 THE TWENTY-SECOND SÜRAH

AL-HAJJ (THE PILGRIMAGE)

PERIOD UNCERTAIN

UYÜTÏ places most of this surah chronologically in the middle of the Medina period, except­
S ing verses 39M0 - which (according to Ibn 'Abbas, as quoted by Tabari) were revealed during the
Prophet’s exodus from Mecca to Medina-as well as some other verses said to have been revealed
at the time of the battle of Badr (in the year 2 H.). As against this, however, most of the classical
Qur’än-commentators (e.g., BaghawT, ZamakhsharT, Râzï, BaydäwT) describe it unequivocally as a
Meccan revelation, with the possible exception of six verses (19-24) which, according to some
authorities, may belong to the Medina period. On the whole, it is most probable that by far the
largest part of the surah is Meccan, while the rest was revealed shortly after the Prophet’s arrival
at Medina.
The title is derived from the reference, in verses 25 ff., to the Mecca pilgrimage (al-hajj) and
some of the rituals connected therewith.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) /^VMEN! Be conscious of your Sustainer: for, veri-

V^ly, the violent convulsion of the Last Hour will be
an awesome thing!
(2) On the Day when you behold it, every woman ---- *
that feeds a child at her breast will utterly forget her
nursling, and every woman heavy with child will bring iui
forth her burden [before her time]; and it will seem
j**s j J** fx o
to thee that all mankind is drunk,1 although they will
not be drunk-but vehement will be [their dread of] f XÇf'S
God’s chastisement.2
(3) And yet, among men there is many a one who J* J? <î>
argues about God without having any knowledge [of
Him], and follows every rebellious satanic force3 (4)
about which it has been decreed that whoever m H » Ms»*** * >:t * K
entrusts himself to it, him will it lead astray and guide
towards the suffering of the blazing flame! Jj Çjls (J) jçaJÎ

(5) O MEN! If you are in doubt as to the [truth of]

1 Lit., “thou shalt see [or “behold’’] mankind drunk’’, i.e., behaving as if they were drunk. The
illusory, purely subjective character of this “seeing” - implied in the use of the singular form tarä
(“thou shalt see”) after the plural “you” employed in the first clause of this verse-justifies the
rendering “it will seem to thee that...”, etc.
2 My interpolation of the words “their dread of” is based on the statement in 21:103 that, as far
as the righteous are concerned, “the supreme awesomeness [of the Day of Resurrection] will cause
them no grief” despite the dread with which it will overwhelm every human being.
3 See first half of note 16 on 15:17.

504
SÜRAH 22
THE PILGRIMAGE
resurrection, [remember that,] verily, We have
created [every one of] you out of dust, then out of a
drop of sperm, then out of a germ-cell, then out of an
embryonic lump complete [in itself] and yet incom­
plete,4 so that We might make [your origin] clear unto
you.
And whatever We will [to be born] We cause to rest
in the [mothers’] wombs for a term set [by Us], and
then We bring you forth as infants and [allow you to
UJb f û* f j* Uji

live] so that [some of] you might attain to maturity:

for among you are such as are caused to die [in
childhood], just as many a one of you is reduced in
old age to a most abject state, ceasing to know
J jji 3j jy, s■ ei
anything of what he once knew so well.5
And [if, O man, thou art still in doubt as to resur­
rection, consider this:] thou canst see the earth dry
and lifeless-and [suddenly,] when We send down b ^55 O Çfe ÛjH Sji iiu
waters upon it, it stirs and swells and puts forth every
kind of lovely plant! (J)
(6) All this [happens] because God alone is the •LJÎ ùb jK ùjR £
Ultimate Truth,6 and because He alone brings the
dead to life, and because He has the power to will (J) jâ'OÎ j û* »i-** ùb
anything.
(7) And [know, O man] that the Last Hour is bound _c-i» 4»î j J. jjAjJÏ jy
to come, beyond any doubt, and that God will [in­
deed] resurrect all who are in their graves.
(8) And yet, among men there is many a one that *?•** AÂjb Cjulî j ,4 ûî
argues about God without having any knowledge [of
Him], without any guidance, and without any light­ (J)
giving revelation - (9) scornfully turning aside [from
the truth] so as to lead [others] astray from the path
of God.
Disgrace [of the spirit] is in store for him in this
world;7 and on the Day of Resurrection We shall
make him taste suffering through fire; (10) [and he
shall be told:] “This is an outcome of what thine own

4 This rendering conforms with the interpretation of the phrase mukhallaqah wa-ghayr mu­
khallaqah by Ibn ‘Abbas and Qatädah (the latter quoted by Tabari and the former by Baghawi),
alluding to the various stages of embryonic development. In addition, Tabari explains the
expression ghayr mukhallaqah as denoting the stage at which the embryonic lump (mujghahWas
as yet no individual life-or, in his words, “when no soul has as yet been breathed into it’’ (lä
yunfakh fïhâ ar-rüh). - As regards the expression “created out of dust”, it is meant to indicate
man’s lowly biological origin and his affinity with other “earthy" substances; see in this connection
the second half of note 47 on 3:59, and note 4 on 23:12.
5 See note 79 on 16:70.
6 See sürah 20, note 99.
7 Since many unrighteous people apparently “prosper” in this world, it is clear that the disgrace
of which the above verse speaks is of a moral nature - namely, a gradual coarsening of all moral
perceptions and, thus, a degradation of the spirit.

505
 AL-HAJJ SURAH

hands have wrought-for, never does God do the

least wrong to His creatures!”
(11) And there is, too, among men many a one who
worships God on the border-line [of faith]:8 thus, if
good befalls him, he is satisfied with Him; but if a
trial assails him, he turns away utterly,9 losing
[thereby both] this world and the life to come: [and] uJUkî
this, indeed, is a loss beyond compare!10
(12) [By behaving thus,] he invokes, instead of God,
something that can neither harm nor benefit him:11
[and] this is indeed the utmost one can go astray.1213 //*>.'&• âî jji ÎjpJj (J) ôj-jl

(13) [And sometimes] he invokes [another human

«-»>1 Lr1 4Î*
being-] one that is far more likely to cause harm
than benefit: vile, indeed, is such a patron, and vile (J) J-M
the follower!”
(14) VERILY, God will admit those who have attained to
faith and have done righteous deeds into gardens
through which running waters flow: for, behold, God
does whatever He wills.
(15) If anyone thinks that God will not succour
him14 in this world and in the life to come, let him
reach out unto heaven by any [other] means and [thus
try to] make headway:15 and then let him see whether
this scheme of his will indeed do away with the cause
of his anguish.16

8 I.e., wavering between belief and disbelief, and not really committed to either.
9 Lit., “he turns about on his face”-the “face” (wojh) of man signifying metonymically his
whole being.
10 Lit., “the [most] obvious loss”.
11 By failing to commit himself unreservedly to the faith which he professes, man is often
inclined to attribute to all manner of extraneous forces, be they real or imaginary, a decisive
“influence” on his own destiny, and thus invests them, as it were, with divine qualities.
12 Lit., “this, this (dhälika huwa) is the straying far-away”. For an explanation of my paraphrase,
see note 25 on the last sentence of 14: 18.
13 The interpolation of “another human being” in the opening clause of this verse is necessitated
by the relative pronoun man (“one that” or “who”), which almost always relates to an animate
person-in this case, a human being who, by allowing himself to be idolized by those who
“worship God on the border-line of faith”, causes infinite spiritual harm to himself and to his
followers.
14 I.e., that God is not enough to succour him: obviously an allusion to the type of man who
“worships God on the border-line of faith” (verse 11 above) and therefore doubts His power to
guide men towards happiness in this world and in the hereafter. The assumption of the majority of
the commentators that the personal pronoun “him” relates to the Prophet Muhammad is, to my
mind, very far-fetched and certainly not warranted by the context.
15 The rendering of la-yaqfa' as “let him [try to] make headway” is based on the accepted,
tropica] use of the verb qafa'a (lit., “he cut”) in the sense of “traversing a distance”: and this is
the interpretation of yaqfa' by Abü Muslim (as quoted by Râzï). The expression “by any [other]
means” (bi-sabab) relates to what has been said in verses 12-13 above.
16 Lit., “that which causes anger” or “exasperation”, i.e., anguish at finding himself helpless and
abandoned.

506
 22
THE PILGRIMAGE
(16) And thus have We bestowed from on high this
[divine writ] in the shape of clear messages: for [thus
it is] that God guides him who wills [to be guided].17
(17) Verily, as for those who have attained to faith
[in this divine writ], and those who follow the Jewish
faith, and the Sabians,18 and the Christians, and the
Magians,19 [on the one hand,] and those who are bent
on ascribing divinity to aught but God, [on the <j[ Az
other,]20 verily, God will decide between them on
Resurrection Day: for, behold, God is witness unto
everything.

UfÄj âv ,4 -uu J'

(18) ART THOU NOT aware that before God prostrate
themselves all [things and beings] that are in the
heavens and all that are on earth21 - the sun, and the
moon, and the stars, and the mountains, and the trees,
ûcû*J
and the beasts?
And many human beings [submit to God con­ f (W) RuU âîù[ ,4IJ ÛÏ
sciously],22 whereas many [others, having defied
Him,] will inevitably have to suffer [in the life to
come];23 and he whom God shall scorn [on Resur­
rection Day] will have none who could bestow honour
on him: for, verily, God does what He wills.
(19) These two contrary kinds of man24 have

17 Or: “God guides aright whomever He wills". For an explanation of the rendering adopted by
me, see note 4 on 14:4.
18 See siirah 2, note 49.
19 Al-majüs: the followers of Zoroaster or Zarathustra (Zardusht), the Iranian prophet who
lived about the middle of the last millenium B.c. and whose leachings are laid down in the
Zend-Avesta. They are represented today by the Gabrs of Iran and, more prominently, by the
Parsis of India and Pakistan. Their religion, though dualistic in philosophy, is based on belief in
God as the Creator of the universe.
20 The Christians and the Magians (Zoroastrians) are included in the first category, for although
they do ascribe divine qualities to other beings beside God. they regard those beings, fundament­
ally, as no more than manifestations - or incarnations-of the One God, thus persuading them­
selves that they are worshipping Him alone; whereas "those who are bent on ascribing divinity to
beings other than God" (alladhïna ashrakü) by obvious implication reject the principle of His
oneness and uniqueness.
21 For the meaning of this “prostration", see 13:15 and 16:48-49, and the corresponding notes.
My rendering of the relative pronoun man, in this context, as "all [things and beings] that..is
explained in note 33 on 13:15.
22 According to Zamakhsharï and Râzï, this interpolated phrase - with its stress on
“consciously" - is an elliptically implied predicate (khabar) linked with the preceding nominal
subject (mubtada*): the purport being that although everything in creation “prostrates itself"
before God, willingly or unwillingly (cf. 13:15), not all human beings do so consciously.
23 Lit., “whereas upon many a one the suffering [in the life to come] has become unavoidably
incumbent (haqqa *alayhi)", i.e., as a necessary consequence and corollary of his attitude in this
world, and not as an arbitrary “punishment” in the conventional sense of this term.
24 Lit., “these two adversaries” or “antagonists”, i.e., those who believe in God’s oneness and
uniqueness, and those who ascribe divine qualities to beings other than Him, or even deny His
existence altogether.
507
 AL-HAJJ SÜRAH

become engrossed in contention about their Sus­

tainer!
But [thus it is:] as for those who are bent on
denying the truth25 - garments of fire shall be cut out
for them [in the life to come]; burning despair26 will
be poured over their heads, (20) causing all that is
within their bodies, as well as the skins, to melt
away.27 (21) And they shall be held [in this state as if] cr
by iron grips;28 (22) and every time they try in
their anguish to come out of it, they shall be returned
thereto and [be told]: “Taste suffering through fire [to ù* ipijiLX <S> û* f-A,
the full]!”
(23) [As against this,] behold, God will admit those
who attain to faith and do righteous deeds into gar­
'A yT 4
dens through which running waters flow, wherein
they will be adorned with bracelets of gold and pearls,
and where silk will be their raiment:29 (24) for they
were [willing to be] guided towards the best of all 3* ($) V
tenets,30 and so they were guided onto the way that
leads to the One unto whom all praise is due. û». 4

(25) BEHOLD, as for those who are bent on denying the

truth and bar [others] from the path of God31 and
from the Inviolable House of Worship which We
have set up for all people alike - [both] those who
dwell there and those who come from abroad - and all
who seek to profane it32 by [deliberate] evildoing: [all]
such shall We cause to taste grievous suffering [in the
life to come.]33

25 I.e., in distinction from those who err out of ignorance.

26 For this rendering of hamim, see note 62 on the concluding sentence of 6:70. as well as note
65 on 14:50 and note 7 on 73:12-13, which mention RäzT's interpretations of similar
allegorical descriptions of the suffering that will befall the sinners in the hereafter.
27 I.e., causing their inner and outer personality utterly to disintegrate.
28 Lit., “for them will be grips (maqämi*) of iron". The noun miqma*ah - of which maqämi* is
the plural-is derived from the verb qama*a, signifying “he curbed” or “restrained” or “held in
subjection” (Lisän al-*Arab). Hence, the “iron grips” mentioned in the above verse denote the
inescapability of the suffering in the hereafter to which “they who are bent on denying the truth”
condemn themselves.
29 See 18:31 and the corresponding note 41.
30 I.e., that there is no deity save God. (One must bear in mind that the term qawl denotes not
merely a “saying” but also an intellectually formulated “opinion” or “tenet”.)
31 This connects with the allusion, in the preceding verse, to “the way that leads to the One unto
whom all praise is due”.
32 Lit., “who aim therein at a deviation from the right course (i//iäd)”-a term which
circumscribes every perversion of religious tenets.
33 According to Ibn ‘Abbas, as quoted by Ibn Hishäm, this verse was revealed towards the end
of the year 6 H., when the pagan Quraysh refused the Prophet and his followers, who had come on
pilgrimage from Medina, the right of entry into Mecca, and thus into the sanctuary of the Ka'bah

508
22
THE PILGRIMAGE
(26) For, when We assigned unto Abraham the site
of this Temple,34 [We said unto him:] “Do not ascribe
divinity to aught beside Me!”35-and: “Purify My
Temple for those who will walk around it,36 and those
who will stand before it [in meditation], and those Tv’T*
who will bow down and prostrate themselves (in ùjxâù Ci 4 J 3^;
prayer].”
(27) Hence, [O Muhammad,] proclaim thou unto all gJ-l j jj'j <5) £ft ^131>
people the [duty of] pilgrimage:37 they will come unto
thee on foot and on every [kind of] fast mount,38
coming from every far-away point [on earth], (28) so
that they might experience much that shall be of
benefit to them,39 and that they might extol the name
of God on the days appointed [for sacrifice], over
whatever heads of cattle He may have provided for
them40 [to this end]: eat, then, thereof, and feed the

(the “Inviolable House of Worship”). But whether or not this claim is correct-and we have no
definite historical evidence in either sense - the purport of the above verse is not restricted to any
historical situation but relates to every attempt at preventing believers, be it physically or through
intellectual seduction, from going on pilgrimage to this symbolic centre of their faith, or at
destroying its sanctity in their eyes.
34 I.e., the Ka'bah: see note 102 on 2: 125.
35 In view of the oft-repeated Qur’anic statement that Abraham was beyond all temptation to
ascribe divinity to anything but God, it seems to me that the above injunction has a specific
import, namely, “Do not allow this Temple to become an object of worship, but make it clear that
it is holy only by virtue of its being the first temple ever dedicated to the worship of the One God”
(cf. 3:96). Apart from that, it refers to “those who are bent on denying the truth” spoken of at the
beginning of the preceding verse.
36 See sürah 2, note 104.
37 Lit., “proclaim thou the pilgrimage among the people”, i.e., the believers (Tabari). Most of
the commentators assume that this passage is a continuation of God's command to Abraham; but
some of them - in particular, Al-Hasan al-Ba$rï-consider it to have been addressed to the Prophet
Muhammad. (Regarding the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, as instituted in Islam, see 2:196-203 and
the corresponding notes.)
38 Lit., “lean mount” - an expression which has induced some of the commentators to assume that
it denotes “a camel that has become lean on account of a long and fatiguing journey”. However, the
verb tfammarahu or admarahu relates in classical Arabic not only to camels but also to horses, and
has the meaning of “he made it [i.e., the mount] lean and fit [for racing or war]”; thus, the noun midmär
signifies “a training-ground where horses are prepared for racing or war”, as well as “a race-course”
(Jawharî, Asäs, etc.; cf. also Lane V, 1803 f.). Hence, the adjectival noun garnir-especially when
contrasted, as above, with the expression rijälan (“on foot”) - has the connotation of “fleetness” or,
more properly, “fitness for speed”, and may by inference be applied to every kind of “fast
conveyance”.
39 Lit., "that they might witness benefits [accruing] to them”-i.e., increased consciousness of
God through facing the first temple ever dedicated to Him, as well as the consciousness of being
part of a brotherhood embracing all believers. Apart from these spiritual benefits, the annual
pilgrimage to Mecca provides an opportunity for believers from all parts of the world to become
acquainted with the many social and political problems that confront the various geographically
separated sectors of the community.
40 The repeated Qur’anic insistence on pronouncing the name of God whenever one slaughters
an animal is meant to make the believers “realize the awfulness of taking life, and the solemn
nature of the trust which God has conferred upon them in the permission to eat the flesh of
animals" (Marmaduke Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran, London 1930, p. 342,

509
AL-HAJJ SÜRAH

unfortunate poor.41
(29) Thereafter let them bring to an end their state
of self-denial,42 and let them fulfil the vows which
they [may] have made, and let them walk [once again]
around the Most Ancient Temple.43
(30) All this [is ordained by God]; and if one honours f ($)
God’s sacred commandments, it will redound to his
own good in his Sustainer’s sight. W’Cb
And all [kinds of] cattle have been made lawful to
you [for sacrifice and food], save what is mentioned
to you [as forbidden].4445
Shun, then, [all that God has forbidden and, most
of all,] the loathsome evil of idolatrous beliefs and
practices;43 and shun every word that is untrue, (31)
[inclining] towards God, [and] turning away from all jdtft Lf lO 4>L llyù ^3

that is false,46 without ascribing divine qualities to

aught beside Him: for he who ascribes divinity to (jj*. & j èZ * j'
aught but God is like one who is hurtling down from
the skies - whereupon the birds carry him off, or the
wind blows him away onto a far-off place.
(32) This is [to be borne in mind]. And anyone who
honours the symbols set up by God47 [shall know
footnote 2). As regards the “days appointed” (ayyäm ma'lümât) spoken of above, they apparently
denote the Festival of Sacrifices, which falls on the 10th of the lunar month of Dhu '1-Hijjah, as
well as the next two days, marking the end of the pilgrimage (Ibn cAbbäs, as quoted by RäzT).
41 Whereas the pilgrims are merely permitted to eat some of the flesh of the animals which they
have sacrificed, the feeding of the poor is mandatory (TabarT and ZamakhsharT) and constitutes,
thus, the primary objective of these sacrifices. Apart from this, they are meant to commemorate
Abraham’s readiness to sacrifice his first-born son after he dreamt that God demanded of him this
supreme sacrifice (see 37:102-107 and the corresponding notes); furthermore, they are a reminder
that God is the Provider of all sustenance and the One who gives life and deals death, and that all must
return to Him; and, lastly (as stressed by RäzT), they are to be symbols of each believer’s readiness to
sacrifice himself in the cause of truth.
42 In Jabari’s opinion, the phrase thumma ’l-yaqdü tafathahum signifies “then let them
complete the acts of worship (manäsik) incumbent on them by virtue of their pilgrimage”. Other
commentators, however, understand by the (extremely rare) expression tafath the prohibition of
enjoying, while in the actual state of pilgrimage, certain bodily comforts like cutting or shaving
one’s hair (see 2:196), wearing any clothing but the simple, unsewn pilgrim's garb (ihrâm),
indulging in sexual intercourse (2: 197), etc. Consequently, they explain the above phrase as
meaning “let them bring to an end the [condition of self-denial described as] tafath which was
incumbent on them during pilgrimage”.
43 I.e., around the Ka'bah (see sürah 2, notes 102 and 104), thus completing the pilgrimage.
44 See the first paragraph of 5 :3. Once again, the Qur’än stresses the principle that everything
that has not been explicitly forbidden is per se lawful.
45 The term awthän (lit., “idols”) denotes not merely actual, concrete images of false deities
but also, in its widest sense, everything that is associated with false beliefs and practices or with a
tendency to “worship” false values: hence the subsequent injunction to shun “every word that is
untrue”.
46 For an explanation of the term hunafä’> (sing, hanff), see note 110 on 2:135.
47 Lit., “God’s symbols (sha'ä'ir)” - an expression which in this context refers to the rites of
pilgrimage (see the second half of note 4 on 5 :2). This stress on the symbolic character of all the
rites connected with the pilgrimage is meant to draw the believer’s attention to the spiritual

510
22
THE PILGRIMAGE
that,] verily, these [symbols derive their value] from
the God-consciousness in the [believers’] hearts. (33)
In that [God-consciousness] you shall find benefits
until a term set [by Him is fulfilled],48 and [you shall
know that] its goal and end is the Most Ancient
Temple.49
(34) And [thus it is:] unto every community [that
has ever believed in Us] have We appointed [sacrifice
as] an act of worship, so that they might extol the
name of God over whatever heads of cattle He may <£> j^’f cjiî j[îÿ £\ ai
have provided for them [to this end].50 And [always
bear in mind:] your God is the One and Only God:
hence, surrender yourselves unto Him. J *2^ pJü Vf
And give thou the glad tiding [of God’s acceptance]
unto all who are humble - (35) all whose hearts tremble fCj1* J ^f êc^f (g)
with awe whenever God is mentioned, and all who
patiently bear whatever ill befalls them, and all who
are constant in prayer and spend on others out of what l*2dL>. SxJÇ (g)
We provide for them as sustenance.51
(36) And as for the sacrifice of cattle, We have Qt âÇflJæ Q, 5J âf
ordained it for you as one of the symbols set up by
God,5253
in which there is [much] good for you. Hence, ^JÜÎÎ J bikini Ln-Pr I

extol the name of God over them when they are lined up
[for sacrifice]; and after they have fallen lifeless to the
ground, eat of their flesh,55 and feed the poor who is
contented with his lot [and does not beg], as well as him
who is forced to beg. It is to this end54 that We have
made them55 subservient to your needs, so that you

meaning of those rites, and thus to warn him against making, unthinkingly, a sort of fetish of
them.-The assumption of some of the commentators that the "symbols” referred to here relate
specifically to the sacrificial animals, resp. their sacrifice as such, is not warranted by the text. As
Tabari explains in his commentary on this and the next verse, the term sha'ä'ir comprises all the
rites, actions and places connected with the pilgrimage (all of which have a symbolic meaning), and
cannot be restricted to any one of them.
48 I.e., “until the end of your lives” (Baydâwï).
49 The noun mahill, derived from the verb halla (lit., "he untied" or “undid" [e.g., a knot]", or
“he loosened [a load]”, or “he alighted"), denotes primarily a “destination”, as well as “the time or
place at which an obligation [e.g., a debt] falls due” (Täj al-'Ariis). In the above context, in which
this term obviously relates to the “God-consciousness” (taqwä) unequivocally mentioned in the
preceding verse, it has the tropical meaning of “goal and end”, implying that the realization of God’s
oneness and uniqueness - symbolized by the Ka'bah (the “Most Ancient Temple”) - is the goal and
end of all true God-consciousness.
50 I.e., as a conscious, selfless offering in His name of something that one cherishes as
necessary and valuable, and not as an attempt to “propitiate” Him who is far above anything that
resembles human emotion. (See also verse 36 below.)
51 See sürah 2, note 4.
52 See note 47 above.
53 Lit., “of them”.
54 Lit., “thus”.
55 I.e., the sacrificial animals.

511
 might have cause to be grateful.
(37) [But bear in mind:] never does their flesh reach
God, and neither their blood: it is only your God­
consciousness that reaches Him. It is to this end that
We have made them subservient to your needs, so that
you might glorify God for all the guidance with which
He has graced you.
And give thou this glad tiding unto the doers of good:
(38) Verily, God will ward off [all evil] from those who
attain to faith; [and,] verily, God does not love anyone a > S > -
who betrays his trust and is bereft of gratitude.56

(39) PERMISSION [to fight] is given to those against whom • ($>

war is being wrongfully waged5758 - and, verily, God has
indeed the power to succour them - : (40) those who
have been driven from their homelands against all right y1 (g) £ âl 3 ipu
for no other reason than their saying, “Our Sustainer is
God!” il U.J ijixk J*- f-*jk*
For, if God had not enabled people to defend
themselves against one another,56 [all] monasteries u**rî fr-“*
and churches and synagogues and mosques-in [all
of] which God's name is abundantly extolled - would
surely have been destroyed [ere now].59 4 ù*4,1
And God will most certainly succour him who suc­
cours His cause: for, verily, God is most powerful,
almighty, (41) [well aware of] those who, [even] if We
firmly establish them on earth, remain constant in ’j-rJ -
prayer, and give in charity, and enjoin the doing of what fji Jûi (J)
is right and forbid the doing of what is wrong; but with
God rests the final outcome of all events. 0 -VJ
(42) AND IF THEY [who are bent on denying the truth] give
thee the lie, [O Muhammad, remember that, long]
before their time, the people of Noah and [the tribes of]
eÄd and Thamüd gave the lie [to their prophets], (43) as
did the people of Abraham, and the people of Lot, (44)

56 See sürah 4, note 134.

57 Lit., “inasmuch as they have been wronged”. Connecting with the promise, in the preceding
verse, that “God will ward off [all evil] from those who attain to faith”, the present verse
enunciates the permission to fight physically in self-defence. All relevant Traditions (quoted, in
particular, by Tabari and Ibn Kathir) show that this is the earliest Qur’anic reference to the
problem of war as such. According to 'Abd Allah ibn 'Abbas, it was revealed immediately after the
Prophet left Mecca for Medina, i.e., at the beginning of the year 1 H. The principle of war in
self-defence-and only in self-defence - has been further elaborated in Al-Baqarah, which was
revealed about a year later (see 2:190-193 and the corresponding notes).
58 Lit., “were it not that God repels some people by means of others” (cf. the identical phrase
in the second paragraph of 2:251).
59 The implication is that the defence of religious freedom is the foremost cause for which arms
may-and, indeed, must-be taken up (see 2:193 and the corresponding note 170), or else, as
stressed in the concluding clause of 2:251, “corruption would surely overwhelm the earth”.

512
 22
THE PILGRIMAGE
and the dwellers of Madyan; and [so, too,] Moses was
given the lie [by Pharaoh].60
And [in every case] I gave rein, for a while, to the
deniers of the truth: but then I took them to task-and
how awesome was My denial [of them]!
(45) And how many a township have We destroyed
because it had been immersed in evildoing - and now
they [all] lie deserted, with their roofs caved in! And
how many a well lies abandoned, and how many a castle
that [once] stood high!
(46) Have they, then, never journeyed about the |J-»' (J) A-l*JLj
earth, letting their hearts gain wisdom, and causing their
ears to hear?6* Yet, verily, it is not their eyes that have
become blind - but blind have become the hearts that
are in their breasts!
(47) And [so, O Muhammad,] they challenge thee to
hasten the coming upon them of [God’s] chastisement:62
but God never fails to fulfil His promise - and, behold,
in thy Sustainer’s sight a day is like a thousand years of
your reckoning.63 ’ ÇjI» 4*^"j
(48) And to how many a community that was im­
mersed in evildoing have I given rein for a while! But
then I took it to task: for with Me is all journeys’ end! (•—A (J) Oh* jC**'

(49) SAY [O Muhammad]: “O men! I am but a plain warner ût >5** □’?*- Ci/G <£> *j**
[sent by God] unto you!”
dUj* üSS'uJ (J»
(50) And [know that] those who attain to faith and do
righteous deeds shall be granted forgiveness of sins and
a most excellent sustenance;6465(51) whereas those who
□ Xin jj' $ "Tj j4;

strive against Our messages, seeking to defeat their

purpose - they are destined for the blazing fire.
(52) Yet whenever We sent forth any apostle or
prophet before thee, and he was hoping63 [that his

60 Le., not by his own people, since these2 despite their sinning, had accepted him as God’s
prophet (Tabari). References to the tribes of cÂd and Thamüd and the people of Madyan are given
in sürah 7, notes 48, 56 and 67.
61 Lit., ’’whereupon they would have hearts wherewith they might understand, or ears whereby
they might hear”.
62 For an explanation, see 6:57, 8:32 and 13:6, as well as the corresponding notes.
63 I.e., what men conceive of as “time” has no meaning with regard to God, because He is
timeless, without beginning and without end, so that “in relation to Him, one day and a thousand
years are alike" (Räzl). Cf. 70:4, where in the same sense, a “day” is said to be equal to “fifty
thousand years”, or the well-authenticated saying of the Prophet, “God says, i am Time Absolute
(ad-dahr)',"
64 See 8:4 and the corresponding note 5.
65 Lit., “We never sent any apostle or prophet before thee without that, when he was hoping
(tamannâ)...”, etc. According to most of the commentators, the designation “apostle” (rasû/) is
applied to bearers of divine revelations which comprise a new doctrinal system or dispensation; a
“prophet” (nabf), on the other hand, is said to be one whom God has entrusted with the
enunciation of ethical principles on the basis of an already-existing dispensation, or of principles

513
 AL-HAJJ SÜRAH

warnings would be heeded], Satan would cast an asper­

sion on his innermost aims:66 but God renders null and
void whatever aspersion Satan may cast; and God
makes His messages clear in and by themselves67 - for
God is all-knowing, wise.
(53) [And He allows doubts to arise] so that He might
cause whatever aspersion Satan may cast [against His
prophets] to become a trial for all in whose hearts is
disease68 and all whose hearts are hardened: for, verily,
all who are [thus] sinning [against themselves]69 are (£)

most deeply in the wrong.

(54) And [God renders Satan’s aspersions null and 4J Ji j^Ji j
void] so that they who are endowed with [innate] ~$\jj y7-ÿ >5 j
knowledge might know that this [divine writ] is the truth
from thy Sustainer, and that they might believe in it,
and that their hearts might humbly submit unto Him.
yt <$> —Ji y>
For, behold, God does guide onto a straight way those
who have attained to faith - (55) whereas those who are f-rA jl U j ’j|X
bent on denying the truth will not cease to be in doubt
about Him until the Last Hour comes suddenly upon fr-h ® C-*4
them and [supreme] suffering befalls them on a Day
void of all hope.70 cjX j yc
(56) On that Day, all dominion shall [visibly] belong to
wLîljl* L2>lb
God. He shall judge [all men and make a distinction]
between them: thus, all who had attained to faith and did Î/L jl IjJa» Jiî JjL j J#
righteous deeds shall find themselves in gardens of bliss,
(57) whereas for those who were bent on denying the
truth and gave the lie to Our messages, there shall be
shameful suffering in store.

(58) AND AS FOR those who forsake the domain of evil71

common to all divine dispensations. Hence, every apostle is a prophet as well, but not every
prophet is an apostle.
66 I.e., insinuating that the innermost aim (umniyyah, lit., “longing" or "hope”) of the message-
bearer in question was not the spiritual improvement of his community but, rather, the attainment
of personal power and influence: cf. 6: 112-“against every prophet We have set up as enemies
the evil forces (shayâtïn) from among humans as well as from among invisible beings (al-jinn)”-a
statement which is explained in siirah 6, note 98.
67 Lit., “and God makes His messages clear in and by themselves". This is the meaning of the
phrase yuhkimu äyätahu (cf. the expression uhkiniat âyâtuhu in 11:1): i.e., God causes His
messages to speak for themselves, so that any insinuation as to the prophet’s "hidden motives" is
automatically disproved. The conjunction thumma at the beginning of this clause does not connote
a sequence in time but a coordination of activities, and is best rendered by the simple conjunction
“and”.
68 See 2:10 and the corresponding note.
69 Lit., “all [such] evildoers”.
70 Lit., “or [until] there comes upon them the chastisement [or “suffering] of a barren Day”,
i.e., the Day of Judgment, which will offer no hope to those who, until their death, failed to realize
the existence of God or to submit to His guidance.
71 For this rendering of the phrase alladhina hâjarü, see note 203 on 2:218. The subsequent

514
22
THE PILGRIMAGE
[and strive] in God’s cause, and then are slain or
die - God will most certainly provide for them a goodly
sustenance [in the life to come]: for, verily, God-He
alone - is the best of providers; (59) [and] He will most
certainly cause them to enter upon a state [of being] that
shall please them well:72 for, verily, God is all-knowing,
most forbearing. (60) Thus shall it be. ä j
And as for him who responds to aggression only to the
extent of the attack levelled against him,73 and is f **'<-’* •
thereupon [again] treacherously attacked-God will
most certainly succour him: for, behold, God is indeed âî ÛU (g) jj-â* j LaJ âî âî

an absolver of sins, much-forgiving.74 j'j Jrtf û jÇtf gJj».J j JJÎ gjjt

(61) Thus it is, because God [is almighty75 - the One
who] makes the night grow longer by shortening the day, U 4>( ÙL
and makes the day grow longer by shortening the night;
and because God is all-hearing, all-seeing.76
(62) Thus it is, because God alone is the Ultimate
Truth,77 so that all that men invoke beside Him is sheer
»0(3; £•' *( S* 7 J*
falsehood, and because God alone is exalted, great!
(63) Art thou not aware that it is God who sends down
water from the skies, whereupon the earth becomes

mention of “those who strive in God’s cause, and then are slain or die" connects with the
reference, in verses 39-40, to God’s permission to the believers to fight in defence of their faith and
liberty. The extreme merit of the self-sacrifice involved is stressed in several Qur’anic passages,
and particularly in 4 : 95-96; hence, it has also a bearing on the Day of Judgment spoken of in the
preceding passage.
72 Or: “cause them to enter [upon their life after death] in a manner that will please them well"
(cf. note 40 on the last clause of 4:31)- thus implying that by sacrificing their lives in God's cause
they will have obtained His forgiveness of whatever sins they may have previously committed.
73 Lit., “who has retaliated with the like of what he had been afflicted with”-i.e„ has acted
only in self-defence and done to his enemy no more than the enemy had done to him. (A similar
phrase, relating to retaliation in argument, is found in 16: 126 and explained in the corresponding
note 150.)
74 While the opening sentence of this verse stresses the principle of self-defence as the only
justification of war (cf. 2:190 and 192-193)-with the proviso that retaliation must not exceed the
injury initially suffered - the concluding part of the verse implies that in case of repeated,
unprovoked aggression the believers are allowed to wage an all-out war with a view to destroying
completely the enemy’s military power. Since such an all-out war might seem to conflict with the
principle of limited retaliation alluded to above, the Qur’ân states that God absolves the believers of
what otherwise might have been a sin, since it is they “against whom war is being wrongfully
waged" (verse 39) by repeated acts of aggression.
75 Sc., “and therefore has the power to succour the believers who have been wronged”.
76 I.e., it is He who knows what is in the hearts of men. and nevertheless, in His unfathomable
wisdom, allows the darkness of oppression to grow at the expense of the light of freedom, and
then causes the light to overcome the darkness: an eternal, cyclical recurrence which dominates
the life of mankind. (As Ibn Kathïr points out, the above passage contains a direct allusion to
3:26-27-“Say: O God, Lord of all dominion! Thou grantest dominion unto whom Thou wiliest,
and takest away dominion from whom Thou wiliest.... Thou hast the power to will anything:
Thou makest the night grow longer by shortening the day, and Thou makest the day grow longer by
shortening the night...."
77 See sürah 20, note 99.
515
 AL-HAJJ SÜRAH

green? Verily, God is unfathomable [in His wisdom],

all-aware.78
(64) Unto Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all
that is on earth; and, verily, God-He alone-is self-
sufficient, the One to whom all praise is due.
(65) Art thou not aware that it is God who has made
subservient to you all that is on earth,79 and the ships oy-jl vijjal
that sail through the sea at His behest - and [that it is He
who] holds the celestial bodies80 [in their orbits], so that J* (J) ■*.«■^•1j jUj
they may not fall upon the earth otherwise than by His
leave?81 Vî (j U jJte âl J/
Verily, God is most compassionate towards men, a
dispenser of grace - (66) seeing that it is He who gave ç** ù' _/*Jl j
you life, and then will cause you to die, and then will J*J ($) «Ajy jA-Jt al
bring you back to life: [but,] verily, bereft of all
gratitude is man! ^^’3^1
(67) UNTO every community have We appointed [different] j»-* % -U M<w? y-J (J)
ways of worship,82 which they ought to observe. Hence,
[O believer,] do not let those [who follow ways other
than thine] draw thee into disputes on this score,83 but Lf ^*1 al^ii lljUl»- ($) 4 .»’■
summon [them all] unto thy Sustainer: for, behold, thou
art indeed on the right way. (68) And if they [try to] al (J) jjLL'
argue with thee, say [only]: “God knows best what you
are doing.”84 >'i2j1j 11 3‘p jî <$)
(69) [For, indeed,] God will judge between you [all] on
t 'à. '
Resurrection Day with regard to all on which you were
wont to differ.85 Lj LjjL «4, jjw JU âl <jjA
(70) Dost thou not know that God knows all that
occurs in heaven as well as on earth? All this, behold, is
in [God’s] record: verily, [to know] all this is easy for
God.
(71) And yet,86 they [who claim to believe in Him
often] worship [other beings or forces] beside God -

78 For an explanation of the term la(ïf (“unfathomable”), see sürah 6, note 89.
79 I.e., “has enabled you to benefit from all...”, etc. (cf. sürah 14, note 46).
80 Lit., “the sky”-used here as a metonym for the stars and planets, which are held on their
courses by the God-willed laws of cosmic movement (Maraghï XVII, 137).
81 I.e., at the Last Hour, which - as the Qur’an so often states - will manifest itself in a
universal cosmic catastrophe.
82 Lit., “a way of worship” (mansak, which sometimes denotes also “an act of worship”). For
a fuller emplanation of this passage, see the second paragraph of 5 :48-“Unto every one of you
have We appointed a [different] law and way of life” - and the corresponding notes 66-68.
83 I.e., do not allow thyself to be drawn into disputes” (ZamakhsharT and BaghawT).
84 Cf. 10:41 - “To me [shall be accounted] my doings, and to you, your doings: you are not
accountable for what I am doing, and I am not accountable for whatever you do”.
85 See sürah 2, note 94.
86 I.e., despite their awareness that God alone knows all and is, therefore, unique in His
all-embracing Presence.

516
 22
THE PILGRIMAGE
something for which He has never bestowed any
warrant from on high,87 and [of the reality] whereof they
cannot have any knowledge:8889 and such evildoers shall
have none to succour them [on Judgment Day].
(72) As it is, whenever Our messages are conveyed
unto them in all their clarity, thou canst perceive utter
repugnance on the faces of those who are bent on
denying the truth: they would almost assault those who & <$)ûjXki Uj jjb
convey Our messages unto them!
Say: “Shall I, then, tell you of something worse than
what you feel at present?® It is the fire [of the hereafter]
that God has promised to those who are bent on denying Lal« f-ple jjll öJLj JjjKL JLjT
the truth: and how vile a journey’s end!”

(73) O MEN! A parable is set forth [herewith]; hearken, (g, J

then, to it! Behold, those beings whom you invoke
instead of God cannot create [as much as] a fly, even
were they to join ail their forces to that end ! And if a fly
robs them of anything, they cannot [even] rescue it from
him! Weak indeed is the seeker, and [weak] the sought!
(g) KjjlLjî,
(74) No true understanding of God have they [who err
in this way]: for, verily, God is most powerful, almighty! ($) JÇ* ûî 7 »jà j».
(75) [In His almightiness,] God chooses message­
bearers from among the angels as well as from among Crsf Cr 4^"-
men. But, behold, God [alone] is all-hearing, all-see­
ing:90 (76) [whereas their knowledge is limited,] He
knows all that lies open before them and all that is
hidden from them91 - for all things go back to God [as
U-X çq yîç't' &
their source].

(77) O YOU who have attained to faith! Bow down and >■ j '.PPrJ
prostrate yourselves, and worship your Sustainer
[alone], and do good, so that you might attain to a happy
state!
(78) And strive hard in God's cause with all the
striving that is due to Him: it is He who has elected you
[to carry His message], and has laid no hardship on you
in [anything that pertains to] religion,92 [and made you

87 See sürah 3, note 106.

88 I.e., through independent reasoning or observation.
89 Lit., “worse than this”-i.e., “more painful than the repugnance which you feel with regard
to God’s messages”.
90 I.e., the prophets and the angels are but created beings having no share whatever in His
omniscience and, hence, no claim to being worshipped.
91 For an explanation of this rendering of the phrase ma bayna aydïhim wa-mä khalfahum, see
sürah 2, note 247.
92 The absence of any “hardship” in the religion of Islam is due to several factors: (1) it is free
of any dogma or mystical proposition which might make the Qur’anic doctrine difficult to
understand or might even conflict with man’s innate reason; (2) it avoids all complicated ritual or

517
AL-HAJJ SÜRAH 22

follow] the creed of your forefather Abraham.”

It is He who has named you - in bygone times as well
as in this [divine writ] - “those who have surrendered
themselves to God”,93 94 so that the Apostle might bear
witness to the truth before you, and that you might bear
witness to it before all mankind.
Thus, be constant in prayer, and render the purifying
dues, and hold fast unto God. He is your Lord Supreme: Jjjî ^cà >2^ J» âl
and how excellent is this Lord Supreme, and how
excellent this Giver of Succour! <$> Ji

system of taboos which would impose undue restrictions on man’s everyday life; (3) it rejects all
self-mortification and exaggerated asceticism, which must unavoidably conflict with man’s true
nature (cf. in this connection note 118 on the first sentence of 2:143); and (4) it takes fully into
account the fact that “man has been created weak’’ (4:28).
93 Abraham is designated here as “your forefather’’ not only because he was, in fact, an
ancestor of the Prophet Muhammad-to whose followers this passage is addressed - but also
because he is the prototype (and thus, the spiritual “forefather’’) of all who consciously
“surrender themselves to God” (see next note).
94 The term muslim signifies “one who surrenders himself to God”; correspondingly, islam
denotes “self-surrender to God”. Both these terms are applied in the Qur’än to all who believe
in the One God and affirm this belief by an unequivocal acceptance of His revealed messages.
Since the Qur’an represents the final and most universal of these divine revelations, the believers
are called upon, in the sequence, to follow the guidance of its Apostle and thus to become an
example for all mankind (cf. 2:143 and the corresponding note 119).
 THE TWENTY-THIRD SÜRAH

AL-MITMINÜN (THE BELIEVERS)

MECCA PERIOD

OST of the classical commentators agree in that this sürah was revealed towards the end of
M the Mecca period; some authorities (quoted by SuyütT) are even of the opinion that it is the
very last Meccan revelation, but we have no conclusive evidence to that effect.
From the first to the last verse, the discourse centres-as the title of the sürah indicates-on the
problem of true faith, the overwhelming evidence which points to the existence of an almighty
Creator, and on man’s ultimate responsibility before Him. Stress is laid on the fact of unceasing
divine guidance manifested in a long succession of God-inspired prophets; and since all of them
propounded one and the same truth, all who believe in God are reminded-as in 21:92-93-that
“this community of yours is one single community’’ (verse 52), and that this unity has been tom
asunder by man’s egotism, greed and striving after power (verses 53 ff.). But the main theme of the
sürah is the reminder, expressed in a variety of arguments, that it is logically impossible to believe
in God as a conscious Creative Power without believing in the reality of a life after death as well.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) f N '’RULY, to a happy state shall attain the believ-

JL ers: (2) those who humble themselves in their
prayer, (3) and who turn away from all that is
4 r* yT O c?*
frivolous, (4) and who are intent on inner purity;1 (T) f-* b <X>
(5) and who are mindful of their chastity,23(6) [not
giving way to their desires] with any but their r* ’S & yTj
spouses - that is, those whom they rightfully possess
[through wedlock] - for then, behold, they are free of

1 Lit., “working for” or “active in behalf of [inner] purity”, which is the meaning of zakdh in
this context (ZamakhsharT; the same interpretation has been advanced by Abü Muslim).
2 Lit., “who guard their private parts”.
3 Lit., “or those whom their right hands possess” (ow m3 malakat aymänuhum). Most of the
commentators assume unquestioningly that this relates to female slaves, and that the particle aw
(“or”) denotes a permissible alternative. This conventional interpretation is, in my opinion,
inadmissible inasmuch as it is based on the assumption that sexual intercourse with one’s female
slave is permitted without marriage: an assumption which is contradicted by the Qur’än itself (see
4: 3, 24, 25 and 24:32, with the corresponding notes). Nor is this the only objection to the
above-mentioned interpretation. Since the Qur’än applies the term “believers” to men and women
alike, and since the term azwäj (“spouses”), too, denotes both the male and the female partners in
marriage, there is no reason for attributing to the phrase m3 malakat aym3nuhum the meaning of
“their female slaves”; and since, on the other hand, it is out of the question that female and male
slaves could have been referred to here, it is obvious that this phrase does not relate to slaves at
all, but has the same meaning as in 4:24-namely, “those whom they rightfully possess through
wedlock" (see note 26 on 4:24)-with the significant difference that in the present context this
expression relates to both husbands and wives, who “rightfully possess” one another by virtue of
marriage. On the basis of this interpretation, the particle oh> which precedes this clause does not

519
 AL-MLPMINÜN SÜRAH

all blame, (7) whereas such as seek to go beyond that

[limit] are truly transgressors;
(8) and who are faithful to their trusts and to their
pledges,
(9) and who guard their prayers [from all worldly
intent].
(10) It is they, they who shall be the inheritors (11)
that will inherit the paradise; [and] therein shall they <$> Jry5 (£) 3x5
abide. j-» x y (3> s/jSït j-i djjj*
(12) NOW, INDEED, We create man out of the essence of ,^—»^1 Ljîli-
(ff> QpU»
clay,45(13) and then We cause him to remain as a drop of
sperm in [the womb’s] firm keeping, (14) and then We f <$>
create out of the drop of sperm a germ-cell, and then We ûH uxjl uiijt iSkjî Gîjl.
create out of the germ-cell an embryonic lump, and then
We create within the embryonic lump bones, and then lui J? LJ. JAjî ÇX5 iLu ilijî
We clothe the bones with flesh - and then We bring [all]
this into being as a new creation:3 hallowed, therefore, jJT (j) yiî 11 LSÇj
is God, the best of artisans!6
(15) And then, behold! after all this, you are destined (IJ) 1 f (ff) Jß
to die; (16) and then, behold! you shall be raised from (jlXl Lj £—* JJji luit XÜj
the dead on Resurrection Day.
(17) And, indeed, We have created above you seven iiLCu >l2jî 3* ûjtj (ff, yx
[celestial] orbits;7 and never are We unmindful of [any
aspect of Our] creation.
(18) And We send down water from the skies in
accordance with a measure [set by Us], and then We

denote an alternative (“or”) but is, rather, in the nature of an explanatory amplification, more or
less analogous to the phrase “in other words’* or “that is’’, thus giving to the whole sentence the
meaning, “...save with their spouses-that is, those whom they rightfully possess [through
wedlock]...”, etc. (Cf. a similar construction 25 : 62 - “for him who has the will to take thought - that
is [lit., “or”], has the will to be grateful*’.)
4 The frequent Qur’anic references to man’s being “created out of clay” or “out of dust” or (as
in this instance) “out of the essence (sulälah) of clay” point to the fact that his body is composed
of various organic and inorganic substances existing on or in the earth, as well as to the continuous
transmutation of those substances, through the intake of earth-grown food, into reproductive cells
(Râzï)-thus stressing man’s humble origin, and hence the debt of gratitude which he owes to God
for having endowed him with a conscious soul. The past tense in verses 12-14 (lit., “We have
created”, “We have caused him to remain”, etc.) emphasizes the fact that all this has been
ordained by God and has been happening again and again ever since man was brought into being
by Him; in the above context, this recurrence is brought out best by the use of the present tense.
5 Lit., “as another creature”, i.e., existing independently of the mother's body.
6 Lit., “the best of creators”. As Tabari points out, the Arabs apply the designation “creator” to
every artisan (fâni*) - a usage also current in European languages with reference to the “creation”
of works of art and imagination. Since God is the only Creator in the real, primary sense of this
word, the phrase ahsan al-khâliqîn must be understood in this secondary sense of the term khäliq
(cf. Tâj al-'Ariis, art. khalaqa).
7 Lit., “seven paths”, which may signify the orbits of the visible planets or-as the classical
commentators assume-the ’‘seven heavens” (i.e., cosmic systems) repeatedly spoken of in the
Qur’an. In either case, the number “seven” is used metonymically, indicating multiplicity. See in
this connection note 20 on 2:29.

520
 23
THE BELIEVERS
cause it to lodge in the earth: but, behold, We are most
certainly able to withdraw this [blessing]!
(19) And by means of this [water] We bring forth for
you gardens of date-palms and vines, wherein you have
fruit abundant and whereof you eat, (20) as well as a
tree that issues from [the lands adjoining] Mount Sinai,’
yielding oil and relish for all to eat. <$>
(21) And, behold, in the cattle [too] there is indeed a
lesson for you: We give you to drink of that [milk]
which is within their bellies; and you derive many û; V& ($) ûjlTl?
[other] uses from them: for, you eat of their flesh,’ (22)
and by them - as by the ships [over the sea] - you are (£)
borne [overland],

(23) AND, INDEED, We sent forth Noah unto his people,10

and he said: “O my people! Worship God [alone]: you
C£)
have no deity other than Him. Will you not, then, pii» «Jlââ JLj (W)
become conscious of Him?”
(24) But the great ones among his people, who (g)
refused to acknowledge the truth, replied: ‘‘This [man]
'Si' -»JJ* ip-*! J* jX
yû J11»
is nothing but a mortal like yourselves who wants to
make himself superior to you! For, if God had willed [to It iU S5 ££ jJux j*
convey a message unto us], He would surely have sent
down angels; [moreover,] we have never heard [any­
thing like] this from our forebears of old!" (25) He is
nothing but a madman: so bear with him for a while.” «-u (£) ÿ- Jw
(26) Said [Noah]: “O my Sustainer! Succour me
dfo’T ZX J sHu*# <$) 4r-it
against their accusation of lying!”
(27) Thereupon We inspired him thus: “Build, un­
der Our eyes12 and according to Our inspiration, the
£ éiX jJIjî fa &X «H» Çi 4^
ark [that shall save thee and those who follow thee].1’
And when Our judgment comes to pass, and waters
gush forth in torrents over the face of the earth, place
on board of this [ark] one pair of each [kind of

8 I.e., the olive-tree, native to the lands around the easten. Mediterranean, where so many
pre-Qur’anic prophets (here symbolized - because of its sacred associations - by Mount Sinai)
lived and preached.
9 Lit., “of them”.
10 Sc., “who had lost sight of all the multiform evidence of the Creator's uniqueness and, thus,
all gratitude for the innumerable blessings which He bestows upon man”.
11 Lit., “in connection with (fï) our early forebears” - a Qur’anic allusion to the fact that people
often reject a new ethical proposition on no better grounds than that it conflicts with their
“inherited” habits of thought and ways of life. Indirectly, this allusion implies a condemnation of
all blind taqlid, i.e., an unthinking acceptance of religious doctrines or assertions which are not
unequivocally supported by divine revelation, the explicit teachings of a prophet, or the evidence
of unprejudiced reason.
12 I.e., “under Our protection".
13 Regarding this interpolation, see sürah 11, note 60. For an explanation of the passage that
follows, see 11:40 and the corresponding notes 62-64. The reason for the (abbreviated) repetition
of Noah’s story - given in much greater detail in 11:25-48 - becomes evident from verse 29

521
 AL-MITMINÜN SÜRAH

animal] of either sex, as well as thy family - excepting

those on whom sentence has already been passed - ;
and do not appeal to Me [any more] in behalf of those
who are bent on evildoing - for, behold, they are
destined to be drowned!
(28) “And as soon as thou and those who are with
thee are settled in the ark, say: ‘All praise is due to
God, who has saved us from those evildoing folk!’
(29) “And say: ‘O my Sustainer! Cause me to reach
a destination blessed [by Thee]14-for Thou art the Û dlüî Ijp
best to show man how to reach his [true]
jg ($)
destination!’ ”15
(30) In this [story], behold, there are messages
indeed [for those who think]: for, verily, We always «llTi (J) jjjJ

put [man] to a test.

(31) AND AFTER those [people of old] We gave rise to new j» iIEjU ($) uy
generations;16 (32) and [every time] We sent unto them
JÉj ($) aî
an apostle from among themselves, [he told them:]
“Worship God [alone]: you have no deity other than
Him. Will you not, then, become conscious of Him?”1718
(33) And [every time] the great ones among his Ct U Ci’ s£Xî j
people, who refused to acknowledge the truth and
gave the lie to the announcement of a life to come - ($) ùjf/j
[simply] because We had granted them ease and
plenty in [their] worldly life, and they had become JJ* SjJl lit JJ> JS
corrupted by it”-[every time] they would say: “This
Lilî»j Uly j ii[
[man] is nothing but a mortal like yourselves, eating
of what you eat, and drinking of what you drink: (34)
and, indeed, if you pay heed to a mortal like your­
selves, you will surely be the losers! (35) Does he
promise you that, after you have died and become
[mere] dust and bones, you shall be brought forth [to

14 Lit., “Cause me to alight with a blessed alighting” - i.e., in a blessed condition of alighting, or
at a blessed place of alighting (TabarT); both these meanings are implied in the word “destination”.
15 Lit., “the best of all who cause [man] to alight", i.e., at his true destination. In this prayer
enjoined upon Noah-and, by implication, on every believer-the story of the ark is raised to
symbolic significance: it reveals itself as a parable of the human soul's longing for divine
illumination, which alone can show man how to save himself and to reach his true destination in
the realm of the spirit as well as in worldly life.
16 Lit., “a generation (qam) of others”. For a wider meaning of the term qam, see sürah 6,
note 5.
17 Most of the classical commentators assume that the apostle referred to in verses 32-41 is
Hfld, the prophet of the tribe of cÂd (see sürah 7, note 48). Since, however, this passage contains
elements appearing in the stories of many prophets - including that of the Prophet Muhammad -1
am of the opinion that it has a general import: namely, an allusion to all of God’s apostles and to
the ever-recurring similarity of their experiences.
18 Thus TabarT interprets the concise but meaningful phrase atrafnâhum fi 'l-hayâti 'd-dunyä.
For a fuller explanation of the verb tarifa, see note 147 on 11:116.

522
 23
THE BELIEVERS
a new life]? (36) Far-fetched, far-fetched indeed is
what you are promised! (37) There is no life beyond
our life in this world: we die and we live [but once],
and we shall never be raised from the dead! (38) He is
nothing but a man who attributes his own lying in­
ventions to God, and we are not going to believe him!”
(39) [Whereupon the prophet] would say: “O my
Sustainer! Succour me against their accusation of
lying!”
(40) [And God] would say: “After a little while they (£> <j£>«r4 Ù* £ £5 OjX Oil
will surely be smitten with remorse!”19
(41) And then the blast [of Our punishment] over­ ($) ö*
took them, justly and unavoidably,20 and We caused
<$)
them to become as the flotsam of dead leaves and the
scum borne on the surface of a torrent: and so -
away with those evildoing folk!
ktr* Cr f <$) tJtaJ
(42) AND AFTER them We gave rise to new genera­
tions:21 (43) [for,] no community can ever forestall ($) Cj IfUl 4.1 J. JpJÜ (g)

[the end of] its term - and neither can they delay [its
coming].22 «Ç u jr i>' J?
(44) And We sent forth Our apostles, one after
another: [and] every time their apostle came to a
community, they gave him the lie: and so We caused UiLlb Qtr* »û'j
them to follow one another [into the grave], and let
them become [mere] tales: and so-away with the
folk who would not believe!
jt/J (J) ÛS* **■>*
(45) AND THEN We sent forth Moses and his brother(ly) j. jjilO (Iv) U)
Aaron with Our messages and a manifest authority
but
[from Us] (46) unto Pharaoh and his great ones;2324
these behaved with arrogance, for they were people
wont to glorify [only] themselves.
(47) And so they said: “Shall we believe [them-J
two mortals like ourselves - although their people are
our slaves?”
(48) Thus, they gave the lie to those two, and
earned [thereby] their place among the doomed:29 (49)
for, indeed, We had vouchsafed revelation unto

19 Lit., “they will surely become of those who feel remorse’’.

20 The expression bi'l-haqq (lit., “in accordance with truth” or “with justice”) combines in
this instance the concepts of justice, wisdom, reality, inescapability, and consonance with the
exigencies of the case under consideration (Räghib), and can be only approximately rendered in
translation.
21 Lit., “generations of others", i.e., new civilizations.
22 See note 5 on the identical phrase in 15:5.
23 Moses and Aaron are mentioned here by name because their case was different from that of
all other prophets: they were rejected not by their own community but by their community s
oppressors.
24 Lit., “became of those who were destroyed".
523
 AL-MU’MINÜN SÜRAH

Moses in order that they might find the right way.

(50) And [as We exalted Moses, so, too,] We made
the son of Mary and his mother a symbol [of Our
grace],25 and provided for both an abode in a lofty
place of lasting restfulness and unsullied springs.26

(51) O YOU APOSTLES! Partake of the good things of

life,27 and do righteous deeds: verily, I have full
knowledge of all that you do. C* ($) Jjp ùJLj Cx
(52) And, verily, this community of yours is one
single community, since I am the Sustainer of you all:
remain, then, conscious of Me!28
(53) But they [who claim to follow you] have torn
their unity wide asunder,29 piece by piece, each group
delighting in [but] what they themselves possess [by
way of tenets].30
(54) But leave them alone, lost in their ignorance,

25 For my rendering of ayah, in this instance, as “symbol”, see siirah 19, note 16. Jesus and his
mother Mary are mentioned here specifically because they, too, had to suffer persecution and
slander at the hands of “those who were bent on denying the truth”.
26 I.e., in paradise. The expression ma'fn signifies “unsullied springs” or “running waters” (Ibn
'Abbäs, as quoted by Tabari; also Lisân al-*Arab and Täj al-*Ariis), and thus symbolizes the
spiritual purity associated with the concept of paradise, the “gardens through which running
waters flow”.
27 This rhetorical apostrophe to all of God's apostles is meant to stress their humanness and
mortality, and thus to refute the argument of the unbelievers that God could not have chosen “a
mortal like ourselves” to be His message-bearer: an argument which overlooks the fact that only
human beings who themselves “partake of the good things of life” are able to understand the
needs and motives of their fellow-men and, thus, to guide them in their spiritual and social
concerns.
28 As in 21:92, the above verse is addressed to all who truly believe in God, whatever their
historical denomination. By the preceding reference to all of God's apostles the Qur'an clearly
implies that all of them were inspired by, and preached, the same fundamental truths, notwith­
standing all the differences in the ritual or the specific laws which they propounded in accordance
with the exigencies of the time and the social development of their followers. (See notes 66-68 on
the second paragraph of 5 :48.)
29 Cf. 21:93.
30 Lit.*, “in what they have [themselves]”. In the first instance, this verse refers to the various
religious groups as such: that is to say, to the followers of one or another of the earlier revelations
who, in the course of time, consolidated themselves within different “denominations”, each of
them jealously guarding its own set of tenets, dogmas and rituals and intensely intolerant of all
other ways of worship (manäsik, see 22:67). in the second instance, however, the above
condemnation applies to the breach of unity within each of the established religious groups; and
since it applies to the followers of all the prophets, it includes the latter-day followers of
Muhammad as well, and thus constitutes a prediction and condemnation of the doctrinal disunity
prevailing in the world of Islam in our times-cf. the well-authenticated saying of the Prophet
quoted by Ibn Hanbal, Abfl Dâ'ûd, Tirmidhï and Dârimî: “The Jews have been split up into
seventy-one sects, the Christians into seventy-two sects, whereas my community will be split up
into seventy-three sects.” (It should be remembered that in classical Arabic usage the number
’’seventy” often stands for “many"-just as “seven" stands for “several" or “various"-and does
not necessarily denote an actual figure; hence, what the Prophet meant to say was that the sects
and divisions among the Muslims of later days would become many, and even more numerous
than those among the Jews and the Christians.)

524
 23
THE BELIEVERS
until a [future] time.31
(55) Do they think that by all the wealth and offspring
with which We provide them (56) We [but want to]
make them vie with one another in doing [what they
consider] good works?32 Nay, but they do not perceive
[their error]!
(57) Verily, [only] they who stand in reverent awe J* ‘4 (J)
of their Sustainer, (58) and who believe in their Sus­
tainer’s messages, (59) and who do not ascribe
divinity to aught but their Sustainer, (60) and who
give whatever they [have to] give33 with their hearts ($) j|T
trembling at the thought that unto their Sustainer they
f-rj. <$> cJil pj
must return: (61) it is they who vie with one another in
doing good works, and it is they who outrun [all others] f-rx/ô u (g) 'S
in attaining to them!
(62) And [withal,] We do not burden any human
being with more than he is well able to bear: for with
Us is a record that speaks the truth [about what men
do and can do]; and none shall be wronged. jp.1 jk. jIj

(63) NAY, [as for those who have tom asunder the unity J-X
of faith-] their hearts are lost in ignorance of all
this!34
4 ÿ. (j) 3JL^ Ci drê
But apart from that [breach of unity] they have [on
their conscience even worse] deeds;35 and they will
[continue to] commit them (64) until-after We shall
have taken to task, through suffering, those from
among them who [now] are lost in the pursuit of
pleasures36 - they cry out in [belated] supplication.

31 I.e., until they themselves realize their error. This sentence is evidently addressed to the last of
the apostles, Muhammad, and thus to all who truly follow him.
32 I.e., “Do they think that by bestowing on them worldly prosperity God but wants them to vie
with one another in their race after material goods and comforts, which they mistakenly identify
with ‘doing good works’?” Another-linguistically permissible - rendering of the above two verses
would be: “Do they think that by all the wealth and offspring with which We provide them We
[but] hasten on [the coming] to them of all that is good?” Either of these two renderings implies,
firstly, that worldly prosperity is not the ultimate good, and, secondly, that the breach of the unity
spoken of in the preceding passage was, more often than not. an outcome of mere worldly greed
and of factional striving after power.
33 This is an allusion to the giving of what one is morally obliged to give, whether it be in
charity or in satisfaction of rightful claims on the part of one’s fellow-men, including such
intangible “gifts" as the dispensing of justice.
34 This passage obviously connects with the last sentence of verse 56-“Nay. but they do not
perceive [their error]!”-and, hence, refers to the people spoken of in verse 54 as being “lost in
their ignorance" (fî ghamratihim).
35 Namely, actions and dogmatic assertions which utterly contradict the teachings of the very
apostles whom they claim to follow, like ascribing divine qualities to beings other than God,
worshipping saints, or rejecting divine revelations which do not accord with their own likes and
dislikes or with their customary mode of thinking.
36 See siirah 17, note 22. The particular reference, in this context, to people “who [at present]
are lost in the pursuit of pleasures” contains an allusion to verse 55 above (see my explanation in

525
AL-MU’MINÜN SÜRAH

(65) [But they will be told:] “Cry not in supplication

today: for, behold, you shall not be succoured by Us!
(66) Time and again37 were My messages conveyed
unto you, but [every time] you would turn about on
your heels (67) [and,] impelled by your arrogance,
you would talk senselessly far into the night.”38
XJc Ji* 0 ùjj-fc.-'î Ü
(68) Have they, then, never tried to understand this
word [of God]? Or has there [now] come to them ($)
something that never came to their forefathers of
old?39 oL JU (***U- JjÂlî bz4s ÔLAT
(69) Or is it, perchance, that they have not recog­
nized their Apostle, and so they disavow him? jA J ('
(70) Or do they say, “There is madness in him”? fC > > t >
Nay, he has brought them the truth - and the truth
do most of them detest!40
(71) But if the truth41 were in accord with their own G
likes and dislikes, the heavens and the earth would (H—ê"' y cuü
surely have fallen into ruin, and all that lives in them
[would long ago have perished] !42 ‘ <£> rt/* a* r* rtZh
Nay, [in this divine writ] We have conveyed unto x c >. > »L > f“
them all that they ought to bear in mind:43 and from x* J
this their reminder they [heedlessly] turn away!
(72) Or dost thou [O Muhammad] ask of them any
worldly recompense? But [they ought to know that] a
recompense from thy Sustainer is best, since He is
the best of providers!44

note 32, especially the last sentence). The “taking to task through suffering'’ spoken of here may
refer to the Day of Judgment or-as in 17: 16-to the inevitable social ruin which, in the long run,
wrong beliefs and actions bring with themselves in this world.
37 This is the meaning implied in the auxiliary verb kânat. preceded by the particle qad.
38 Lit., “as one who keeps awake at night” (samiran). In combination with the phrase
kuntum... tahjurün, this expression indicates the pursuit of endless, fruitless discussions divorced
from all reality, or a mere play with words leading nowhere. (See also 31:6 and the corresponding
note 4.)
39 Implying that the message of the Qur'an is but a continuation of all the divine messages ever
revealed to man.
40 I.e., they hate to admit the truth: the reason being - as the sequence shows - that the
world-view propounded by the Qur'an is not in accord with their own likes and dislikes or
preconceived notions.
41 I.e., the reality of all creation.
42 I.e., if the universe - and, especially, human life-had been as devoid of meaning and
purpose as they imagine, nothing could have endured, and everything would have long since
perished in chaos.
43 For this rendering of the term dhikr, see note 13 on 21:10.
44 The terms kharj and kharâj which occur in the above verse are more or less synonymous,
both of them denoting “recompense”. According to ZamakhsharT, however, there is a slight
difference between these two expressions, kharj being more restricted in its meaning than kharâj:
hence, the first has been rendered as "worldly recompense” and the second as “recompense”
without any restrictive definition, implying that a recompense from God is unlimited, relating both
to this world and the hereafter.

526
 23
THE BELIEVERS
(73) And, verily, thou callest them onto a straight
way —(74) but, behold, those who will not believe in
the life to come are bound to deviate from that way.
(75) And even were We to show them mercy and
remove whatever distress might befall them [in this
life],4546
they would still persist in their overweening
arrogance, blindly stumbling to and fro.
(76) And, indeed, We tested them* through suffer­
ing, but they did not abase themselves before
their Sustainer; and they will never humble them­
selves (77) until We open before them a gate of [truly]
severe suffering [in the life to come]: and then, lo!
they will be broken in spirit.4748
49 •üb <&> 0*-»

(78) [O MEN! Pay heed to God’s messages,] for it is He 0 pcJu 331 r^’
who has endowed you with hearing, and sight, and
pu» vJi IS Lb LmJ
minds: [yet] how seldom are you grateful!
(79) And He it is who has caused you to multiply
on earth; and unto Him you shall be gathered.
(80) And He it is who grants life and deals death; ^3 0 L\_J» VTj
and to Him is due the alternation of night and day. *»/' <S> ^3^- j
Will you not, then, use your reason?
(81) But nay, they speak as the people of olden 0 ùji; 3
times did speak: (82) they say: “What! After we have
died and become mere dust and bones, shall we, 0 jéljL ys £
forsooth, be raised from the dead? (83) Indeed, this
bjLUj Jüü 0) L'kfrj
[very thing] we have been promised-we and our
forefathers - long ago! This is nothing but fables of
£ Ji 0
ancient times!”
(84) Say: “Unto whom belongs the earth and all
that lives thereon?* [Tell me this] if you happen to
know [the answer]!” ^33 3* 0 J»
(85) [And] they will reply: “Unto God.”
Say: “Will you not, then, bethink yourselves [of
0 < jf â «jjl/L- 0
Him]?”
(86) Say: “Who is it that sustains the seven heavens
and is enthroned in His awesome almightiness?”*
(87) [And] they will reply: “[All this power belongs]
to God.”
Say: “Will you not, then, remain conscious of
Him?”

45 Sc., “as it inevitably befalls all human beings": an oblique allusion to the fact that human life
is never free from distress.
46 Lit., “We took them to task”.
47 Or: “they will despair of all hope".
48 Lit., “and all who are on it".
49 Lit., “who is the Sustainer (raW>) of the seven heavens"-see note 20 on 2:29-“and the
Sustainer of the awesome throne of almightiness": cf. 9:129 as well as note 43 on 7:54.
527
 AL-MITMINÜN SÜRAH

(88) Say: “In whose hand rests the mighty

dominion over all things, and who is it that protects,
the while there is no protection against Him? [Tell me
this] if you happen to know [the answer]!”
(89) [And] they will reply: “[All this power belongs]
to God.’*
Say: “How, then, can you be so deluded?”50
(90) Nay, We have conveyed unto them the truth:
^3 ‘ Û* J*
and yet, behold, they are intent on lying [to them­
selves]!51 □u J» àl ff
(91) Never did God take unto Himself any
offspring,52 nor has there ever been any deity side by <£> jj-l S'-
side with Him: [for, had there been any,] lo! each
deity would surely have stood apart [from the others] IÛ* j*** j-jtï U
in whatever it had created,53 and they would surely
have [tried to] overcome one another!
Limitless in His glory is God, [far] above anything
that men may devise by way of definition,54 (92)
knowing all that is beyond the reach of a created (x> “ LSJ-/ *** '“?■> J*
being’s perception as well as all that can be witnessed
Ô* ÿ Û’ 3 f
by a creature’s senses or mind55 - and, hence, sublimely
exalted is He above anything to which they may ascribe
a share in His divinity!

(93) SAY: “O my Sustainer! If it be Thy will to let me

witness56 [the fulfilment of] whatever they [who
blaspheme against Thee] have been promised [to
suffer] - (94) do not, O my Sustainer, let me be one of
50 Sc., “as to deny the prospect of resurrection”.
51 Lit., “they are indeed liars”-i.e., they deceive themselves by asserting that they believe in
God and, at the same time, rejecting the idea of a life after death, which-in view of the fact that
many wrongdoers prosper in this world while many righteous lead a life of suffering - is insolubly
bound up with the concept of divine justice. Apart from this, a denial of the possibility of
resurrection implies a doubt as to God's unlimited power and, thus, of His Godhead in the true
sense of this concept. This latter doubt often finds its expression in the mystic belief in a
multiplicity of divine powers: and it is to this erroneous belief that the next verse alludes.
52 This allusion to the pre-Islamic Arabian belief in angels as “God’s daughters” and the
Christian dogma of Jesus’ “sonship of God” connects with the statement “they are intent on lying
[to themselves]”, which has been explained in the preceding note.
53 This is how almost all the classical commentators explain the phrase la-dhahaba bi-mâ
khalaqa (lit., “would surely have taken away whatever he had created”), implying that in such a
hypothetical case each of the gods would have been concerned only with his own sector of
creation, thus causing complete confusion in the universe.
54 See note 88 on 6:100.
55 See siirah 6, note 65.
56 Lit., “to show me” [sc., “in my lifetime”]. According to Zamakhsharï, the combination of the
conditional particle in (“if”) with ma (“that which” or “whatever”)-spelt and pronounced
immâ - endows the verb turihr (lit., “Thow wilt show me”) with the quality of intrinsic necessity -
thus: “If it is inevitable (là budd) that Thou show me [or “let me witness”]...”, etc. In
translation, this particular phrasing is best rendered as above, since anything that is God’s will
becomes eo ipso inevitable.

528
 23
THE BELIEVERS
those evildoing folk!”
(95) [Pray thus-] for, behold, We are most cer­
tainly able to let thee witness [the fulfilment, even in
this world, of] whatever We promise them!
(96) [But whatever they may say or do,] repel the
evil [which they commit] with something that is bet­
ter: We are fully aware of what they attribute [to
Us].
(97) And say: “O my Sustainer! I seek refuge with
Thee from the promptings of all evil impulses;57 58 (98)
($) I» tiLj
and I seek refuge with Thee, O my Sustainer, lest
they come near unto me!”

($) ji <_>j 11
(99) [AS FOR THOSE who will not believe in the life to
come, they go on lying to themselves59] until, when
• u. û 5».
death approaches any of them, he prays: “O my
Sustainer! Let me return, let me return60 [to life], ÇtU j» cJ'y L_à Ûü, jzî
(100) so that I might act righteously in whatever I
have failed [aforetime]!”61 C? O fx 4 üy
Nay, it is indeed but a [meaningless] word that he O ûjituT % jjli! j
utters: for behind those [who leave the world] there is
a barrier [of death] until the Day when all will be ($) XüîjU jy cJi> Ji
raised from the dead!
(101) Then, when the trumpet [of resurrection] is yî j'3

blown, no ties of kinship will on that Day prevail

|*O 2^' O’ j
among them, and neither will they ask about one
another.
(102) And they whose weight [of righteousness] is
dr O'
heavy in the balance-it is they, they who will have
attained to a happy state; (103) whereas they whose
weight is light in the balance - it is they who will have
squandered their own selves, [destined] to abide in
hell: (104) the fire will scorch their faces, and they
will abide therein with their lips distorted in pain.
(105) [And God will say:] “Were not My messages

57 See sürah 13, note 44. In the present context, the evil referred to consists-as the next clause
shows - in blasphemous attempts at “defining” God (cf. verse 91); but the ethical principle implied
in the above injunction is the same as that expressed in the last clause of 13 : 22 as well as in
41: 34 - namely, that evil must not be countered with another evil but, rather, repelled by an act of
goodness.
58 Lit., "of the satans" or “satanic forces”: see note 10 on 2 : 14.
59 Cf. verses 74 and 90 above, with which the present passage connects.
60 Most of the commentators regard the plural form of address in the verb irjfünT (“let me
return”) as an expression of reverence. Since, however, the Qur*än offers no other instance of
God’s being addressed in the plural (in contrast with the frequent use of the plural in His speaking
of HimselO, Baydâwî suggests - on the strength of examples from pre-Islamic poetry - that this
plural form of address is equivalent to an emphatic repetition of the singular form irji'nï: hence
the repetition of this phrase in my rendering.
61 Lit., “in respect of that which (fT-mä) I have left”, comprising both the omission of good and
the commission of bad deeds.

529
 AL-MU’MINÜN SÜRAH

conveyed unto you, and were you [not] wont to give

them the lie?”
(106) They will exclaim: “O our Sustainer! Our bad
luck has overwhelmed us, and so we went astray!62
(107) O our Sustainer! Cause us to come out of this
[suffering] - and then, if ever We revert [to sinning],
may we truly be [deemed] evildoers!”
(108) [But] He will say: “Away with you into this llfj LJc cJc Lj ijlli (£5) QjjjSj
[ignominy]!63 And speak no more unto Me!
(109) “Behold, there were among My servants such
as would pray, ‘O our Sustainer! We have come to
(TÀ) y3 Ji
believe [in TheeJ; forgive, then, our sins and bestow
Thy mercy on us: for Thou art the truest bestower of c.’b Uytü J
mercy!’6465(110)-but you made them a target of your
66
derision to the point where it made you forget" all <3>
remembrance of Me; and you went on and on laugh­
ing at them. (Ill) [But,] behold, today I have rewarded
them for their patience in adversity: verily, it is they,
<G> ùi~ j
they who have achieved a triumph!”
(112) [And] He will ask [the doomed]: “What o[ y lyt QjijW
number of years have you spent on earth?”
(113) They will answer: “We have spent there a
day, or part of a day; but ask those who [are able to]
count [time]... .”* (£S) UJ[ Lu>
(114) [Whereupon] He will say: “You have spent
there but a short while: had you but known [how
short it was to be]! (115) Did you, then, think that We
created you in mere idle play, and that you would not
have to return to Us?”67

(116) [KNOW,] then, [that] God is sublimely exalted, the

62 Lit., “we became people who go astray”. This allegorical “dialogue” is meant to bring out the
futile excuse characteristic of so many sinners who attribute their failings to an abstract “bad
luck” (which is the meaning of shiqwah in this context); and thus, indirectly, it stresses the element
of free will - and, therefore, of responsibility - in man’s actions and behaviour.
63 My interpolation of the word “ignominy” is based on the fact that this concept is inherent in
the verb khasa’a (lit., “he drove [someone or something] scornfully away”), and is, therefore,
forcefully expressed in the imperative ikhsd*ü.
64 Lit., “the best of those [or “of all”] who show mercy”. The same expression is found in the
concluding verse of this sürah.
65 Lit., “until they made you forget”: i.e., “your scoffing at them became the cause of your
forgetting”.
66 This part of the allegorical “dialogue” between God and the doomed sinners touches (as do
several other verses of the Qur’än) upon the illusory, problematical character of “time” as
conceived by man, and the comparative irrelevancy of the life of this world within the context of
the ultimate - perhaps timeless - reality known only to God. The disappearance, upon resurrection,
of man’s earth-bound concept of time is indicated by the helpless answer, “ask those who are able
to count time”.
67 Lit., “that you would not be brought back to Us”, i.e., for judgment.

530
 THE BELIEVERS

Ultimate Sovereign, the Ultimate Truth:“ there is no

deity save Him, the Sustainer, in bountiful almightiness
enthroned!“
(117) Hence, he who invokes, side by side with God,
any other deity [ - a deity] for whose existence he has
no evidence - shall but find his reckoning with his
Sustainer: [and,] verily, such deniers of the truth will
never attain to a happy state!
(118) Hence, [O believer,] say: “O my Sustainer! <3> JÖ
Grant [me] forgiveness and bestow Thy mercy [upon
me]: for Thou art the truest bestower of mercy!”

68 See siirah 20, note 99.

69 Lit., “the Sustainer (rabb) of the bountiful throne of almightiness (al-'arsh al-karîm)". See
also siirah 7, note 43, for an explanation of my rendering of al-'arsh as “the throne of [His]
almightiness”.
 THE TWENTY-FOURTH SÜRAH

AN-NÜR (THE LIGHT)

MEDINA PERIOD

ROM various allusions (particularly in verses 11-20) to historical incidents connected with the
F Prophet’s campaign against the tribe of Mustaliq, it is evident that this sürah was revealed
towards the end of the fifth or the beginning of the sixth year after the hijrah.
A large part of it deals with the mutual relations of the sexes and with certain ethical rules to be
observed in the context of this relationship. Verses 2-9, in particular, lay down definite legal
injunctions concerning illicit sexual intercourse, while verses 27-29 and 58-59 stress each in­
dividual’s right to privacy.
The title is derived from the mystic parable of the “light of God” in verse 35 and its echo in
verse 40: “he to whom God gives no light, no light whatever has he!”

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) A SÜRAH [is this] which We have bestowed

XX from on high, and which We have laid down
in plain terms;1 and in it have We bestowed from on
high messages which are clear [in themselves], so that Üÿlj ’ by*
you might keep [them] in mind.
■«*5 y j’% :4;>ÿ o
(2) AS FOR the adulteress and the adulterer2-flog each
of them with a hundred stripes, and let not com­ Ù-? j J 4:
passion with them keep you from [carrying out] this
law of God, if you [truly] believe in God and the Last
Day; and let a group of the believers witness their
chastisement.3

1 I.e., “the injunctions whereof We have made self-evident by virtue of their wording”: thus,
according to Bukhârî (Kitab at-Tafsîr), 'Abd Allah ibn 'Abbas explains the expression faradnâhâ
in this context (cf. Fath al-BärT VIII, 361). The same explanation, also on the authority of Ibn
'Abbâs, is advanced by Tabari. It would seem that the special stress on God's having laid down
this surah “in plain terms” is connected with the gravity of the injunctions spelt out in the
sequence: in other words, it implies a solemn warning against any attempt at widening or
re-defining those injunctions by means of deductions, inferences or any other considerations
unconnected with the plain wording of the Qur'an.
2 The term zinä signifies voluntary sexual intercourse between a man and a woman not married
to one another, irrespective of whether one or both of them are married to other persons or not:
hence, it does not - in contrast with the usage prevalent in most Western languages - differentiate
between the concepts of “adultery” (i.e., sexual intercourse of a married man with a woman other
than his wife, or of a married woman with a man other than her husband) and “fornication” (i.e..
sexual intercourse between two unmarried persons). For the sake of simplicity I am rendering zinâ
throughout as “adultery”, and the person guilty of it as “adulterer” or “adulteress”, respectively.
3 The number of those to be present has been deliberately left unspecified, thus indicating that
while the punishment must be given publicity, it need not be made a “public spectacle”.

532
SÜRAH 24
THE LIGHT
(3) [Both are equally guilty:] the adulterer couples
with none other than an adulteress — that is, a woman
who accords [to her own lust] a place side by side
with God; and with the adulteress couples none
other than an adulterer - that is, a man who accords
[to his own lust] a place side by side with God: and
this is forbidden unto the believers.5
(4) And as for those who accuse chaste women [of
adultery],6 and then are unable to produce four wit­
nesses [in support of their accusation], flog them with
eighty stripes;’ and ever after refuse to accept from

4 The term mushrik (fem. mushrikah), which normally signifies a person who associates in his
or her mind all manner of imaginary deities or forces with God, or who believes that any created
being has a share in His qualities or powers, is here evidently used in the widest metaphorical
sense of this term, denoting one who accords to his or her desires a supremacy which is due to
God alone, and thus blasphemes against the principles of ethics and morality enjoined by Him. The
particle aw (lit., “or”) which connects the word mushrikah with the preceding word zäniyah
(“adulteress”) has in this context - as well as in the next clause, where both these terms appear in
their masculine form-an amplifying, explanatory value equivalent to the expression “in other
words” or “that is”, similar to the use of this particle in 23:6. For a further elucidation of the
above passage, see next note.
5 Some of the commentators understand this passage in the sense of an injunction: “The
adulterer shall not marry any but an adulteress or a mushrikah : and as for the adulteress, none
shall marry her but an adulterer or a mushrik.” This interpretation is objectionable on several
counts: firstly, the Qur’an does not ever countenance the marriage of a believer, however great a
sin he or she may have committed,* with an unbeliever (in the most pejorative sense of this term);
secondly, it is a fundamental principle of Islamic Law that once a crime has been expiated by the
transgressor’s undergoing the ordained legal punishment (in this case, a hundred stripes), it must
be regarded, insofar as the society is concerned, as atoned for and done with; and. lastly, the
construction of the above passage is clearly that of a statement of fact (Râzï), and cannot be
interpreted as an injunction. On the other hand, since adultery is an illicit sexual union, the verb
yankihu, which appears twice in this passage, cannot have the customary, specific meaning of “he
marries” but must, rather, be understood in its general sense - applicable to both lawful and
unlawful sexual intercourse - namely, “he couples with”. It is in this sense that the great
commentator AbQ Muslim (as quoted by Râzï) explains the above verse, which stresses the fact
that both partners are equally guilty inasmuch as they commit their sin consciously - implying that
neither of them can excuse himself or herself on the ground of having been merely “seduced".
6 The term muhfanät denotes literally “women who are fortified [against unchastity]”, i.e., by
marriage and/or faith and self-respect, implying that, from a legal point of view, every woman
must be considered chaste unless ■ conclusive proof to the contrary is produced. (This passage
relates to women other than the accuser’s own wife, for in the latter case - as shown in verses 6-9
- the law of evidence and the consequences are different.
7 By obvious implication, this injunction applies also to cases where a woman accuses a man of
illicit sexual intercourse, and is subsequently unable to prove her accusation legally. The severity
of the punishment to be meted out in such cases, as well as the requirement of four witnesses -
instead of the two that Islamic Law regards as sufficient in all other criminal and civil suits- is
based on the imperative necessity of preventing slander and off-hand accusations. As laid down in
several authentic sayings of the Prophet, the evidence of the four witnesses must be direct, and
not merely circumstantial: in other words, it is not sufficient for them to have witnessed a situation
which made it evident that sexual intercourse was taking or had taken place: they must have
witnessed the sexual act as such, and must be able to prove this to the entire satisfaction of the
judicial authority (Râzï, summing up the views of the greatest exponents of Islamic Law). Since
such a complete evidence is extremely difficult, if no,t impossible, to obtain, it is obvious that the
purpose of the above Qur’anic injunction is to preclude, in practice, all third-party accusations
relating to illicit sexual intercourse-for, “man has been created weak” (4:28)-and to make a

533
 AN-NÜR SÜRAH

them any testimony - since it is they, they that are

truly depraved!-(5) excepting [from this interdict]
only those who afterwards repent and made amends:*89
for, behold, God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of
grace. <3> aL
(6) And as for those who accuse their own wives
[of adultery], but have no witnesses except them­ tîap Jb f—**-jti*
selves, let each of these [accusers] call God four
times to witness’ that he is indeed telling the truth, (7)
and the fifth time, that God’s curse be upon him if he
jU”«Je cJd <jl 4—"Xîj
is telling a lie.
(8) But [as for the wife, all] chastisement shall be ■M —* <jl «-*1j-jl</•
averted from her by her calling God four times to
witness that he is indeed telling a lie, (9) and the fifth O jJ /** '&'xri £J
[time], that God’s curse be upon her if he is telling the
truth.10 (T) yijj^ 4»t w-â» Ü»
(10) AND WERE it not for God’s favour upon you, [O dif j'j f J-i»
man,] and His grace, and that God is a wise acceptor
of repentance... !11 jtz yi Si o JLcx
(11) Verily, numerous among you are those who
would falsely accuse others of unchastity:12 [but, O

proof of adultery dependent on a voluntary, faith-inspired confession of the guilty parties

themselves.
8 I.e., who publicly withdraw their accusation after having suffered the punishment of flogging -
which, being a legal right of the wrongly accused person, cannot be obviated by mere repentance
and admission of guilt. Thus, the above-mentioned exemption relates only to the interdict on giving
testimony and not to the punishment by flogging.
9 Lit., “then the testimony of any of these shall be four testimonies [or “solemn affirmations”]
before God”.
10 Thus, the husband’s accusation is to be regarded as proven if the wife refuses to take an oath
to the contrary, and disproved if she solemnly sets her word against his. Inasmuch as this
procedure, which is called li'än (“oath of condemnation”), leaves the question of guilt legally
undecided, both parties are absolved of all the legal consequences otherwise attending upon
adultery-resp. an unproven accusation of adultery-the only consequence being a mandatory
divorce.
11 This sentence, which introduces the section dealing with the condemnation of all unfounded
or unproven accusations of unchastity - as well as the similar sentence which closes it in verse 20
- is deliberately left incomplete, leaving it to man to imagine what would have happened to
individual lives and to society if God had not ordained all the above-mentioned legal and moral
safeguards against possibly false accusations, or if He had made a proof of adultery dependent on
mere circumstantial evidence. This idea is further elaborated in verses 14-15.
12 Lit., “those who brought forth the lie (al-ifk, here denoting a false accusation of unchastity)
are a numerous group Çufbah) among you”. The term <ufbah signifies any group of people, of
indeterminate number, banded together for a particular purpose (Tâj al-'Ariis). -According to all
the commentators, the passage comprising verses 11-20 relates to an incident which occurred on
the Prophet’s return from the campaign against the tribe of Mu$faliq in the year 5 H. The Prophet's
wife ‘Ä’ishah, who had accompanied him on that expedition, was inadvertently left behind when
the Muslims struck camp before dawn. After having spent several hours alone, she was found by
one of the Prophet's Companions, who led her to the next haltingjtlace of the army. This incident
gave rise to malicious insinuations of misconduct on the part of ‘A’ishah; but these rumours were
short-lived, and her innocence was established beyond all doubt. - As is the case with all Qur’anic

534
 24
THE LIGHT
you who are thus wronged,] deem it not a bad thing
for you: nay, it is good for you!13
[As for the slanderers,] unto every one of them
[will be accounted] all that he has earned by [thus]
sinning; and awesome suffering awaits any of them
who takes it upon himself to enhance this [sin]!14
(12) Why do not the believing men and women,
whenever such [a rumour] is heard,'516think the best of
one another and say, “This is an obvious falsehood”? W <$>
(13) Why do they not [demand of the accusers14
& XP 0 éeJ élit Tâii yé;
that they] produce four witnesses to prove their
allegation?17 - for, if they do not produce such wit­
nesses, it is those [accusers] who, in the sight of God,
are liars indeed! 0
(14) And were it not for God’s favour upon you, [O
à Çjî j
men,] and His grace in this world and in the life to
come, awesome suffering would indeed have afflicted
you1819in result of all [the calumny] in which you
^L) l Sué
indulge (15) when you take it up with your tongues, -^^15 JLJU
uttering with your mouths something of which you
jlî-J ù/LL (£) âî
have no knowledge, and deeming it a light matter
whereas in the sight of God it is an awful thing! 0 Üi
(16) And [once again]: Why do you not say,
whenever you hear such [a rumour], “It does not ÛW0 ù[ U» ïaÛJÏjJj«' jl âf
behove us to speak of this, O Thou who art limitless
in Thy glory: this is an awesome calumny”?1’
(17) God admonishes you [hereby] lest you ever
revert to the like of this [sin], if you are [truly]

allusions to historical events, this one, too, is primarily meant to bring out an ethical proposition
valid for all times and all social circumstances: and this is the reason why the grammatical
construction of the above passage is such that the past-tense verbs occurring in verses 11-16 can
be-and, I believe, should be - understood as denoting the present tense.
13 I.e., in the sight of God: for, the unhappiness caused by unjust persecution confers-as does
every undeserved and patiently borne suffering-a spiritual merit on the person thus afflicted. Cf.
the saying of the Prophet, quoted by Bukhari and Muslim: “Whenever a believer is stricken with
any hardship, or pain, or anxiety, or sorrow, or harm, or distress - even if it be a thorn that has
hurt him - God redeems thereby some of his failings.”
14 I.e., by stressing, in a legally and morally inadmissible manner, certain “circumstantial”
details or aspects of the case in order to make the slanderous, unfounded allegation more
believable.
15 Lit., “whenever you hear it"-the pronoun “you” indicating here the community as a whole.
16 This interpolation is necessary in view of the fact that the believers spoken of in the
preceding verse are blamed, not for making the false accusation, but for not giving it the lie.
17 Lit., “in support thereof" Çalayhï).
18 Sc., “yourselves and your whole society”. With this and the next verse the discourse returns
to, and elaborates, the idea touched upon in verse 10 and explained in note 11.
19 The interjection subhänaka (“O Thou who art limitless in Thy glory”) stresses here the
believer’s moral duty to bethink himself of God whenever he is tempted to listen to, or to repeat, a
calumny (since every such rumour must be considered ■ calumny unless its truth is legally
proved).
535
 AN-NÜR SÜRAH

believers; (18) for God makes [His] messages clear

unto you-and God is all-knowing, wise!
(19) Verily, as for those who like [to hear] foul
slander20 spread against [any of] those who have
attained to faith - grievous suffering awaits them in ($) ^5 cJï1 2»1
this world21 and in the life to come: for God knows
[the full truth], whereas you know [it] not.22 «—»I je j V.».: <jî

(20) And were it not for God’s favour upon you and (J) UjJT j ^Ji
His grace, and that God is compassionate, a dispenser
of grace... Î23 iSjtj IdJ-i» XPj

(21) O YOU who have attained to faith! Follow not

Satan’s footsteps: for he who follows Satan’s foot­
steps [will find that], behold, he enjoins but deeds of £-i
abomination and all that runs counter to reason.24
/iAjj J-λ» Yjjj Jk—JÏ j »UmäJL
And were it not for God’s favour upon you and His
grace, not one of you would ever have remained pure.
For [thus it is:] it is God who causes whomever He
wills to grow in purity: for God is all-hearing, all- jxb X, (£>
knowing.
(22) Hence, [even if they have been wronged by
slander,] let not those of you who have been graced
with [God’s] favour and ease of life ever become
remiss in helping25 [the erring ones among] their near
of kin, and the needy, and those who have forsaken

20 The term fâhishah signifies anything that is morally reprehensible or abominable: hence,
“immoral conduct” in the widest sense of this expression. In the above context it refers to unfounded
or unproven allegations of immoral conduct, in other words, “foul slander”.
21 I.e., the legal punishment as stipulated in verse 4 of this siirah.
22 This Qur’anic warning against slander and, by obvious implication, against any attempt at
seeking out other people’s faults finds a clear echo in several well-authenticated sayings of the
Prophet: “Beware of all guesswork [about one another], for, behold, all [such] guesswork is most
deceptive (akdhab al-hadîth)-, and do not spy upon one another, and do not try to bare [other
people’s] failings” (Mun'atta’; almost identical versions of this Tradition have been quoted by
Bukhârî, Muslim and Abü Dâ’üd); “Do not hurt those who have surrendered themselves to God
(al-muslimih), and do not impute evil to them, and do not try to uncover their nakedness [i.e.,
their faults]: for, behold, if anyone trie® to uncover his brother's nakedness, God will uncover his
own nakedness [on the Day of Judgmr nt]” (Timiidhi); and, “Never does a believer draw a veil
over the nakedness of another believer without God's drawing a veil over his own nakedness on
Resurrection Day’’ (Bukhârî). All these injunctions have received their seal, as it were, in the
Qur’anic exhortation: "Avoid most guesswork [about one another] - for, behold, some of [such]
guesswork is [in itself] a sin” (49:12).
23 See verse 10 of this siirah and the corresponding note 11.
24 In this context, the term abmunkar has apparently the same meaning as in 16:90 (explained
in the corresponding note 109) since, as the sequence shows, it clearly relates to the unreasonable
self-righteousness of so many people who “follow Satan's footsteps” by imputing moral failings to
others and forgetting that it is only due to God’s grace that man, in his inborn weakness, can ever
remain pure.
25 Or: “Swear that [henceforth] they would not help [lit., “give to”]..etc. Both these
meanings - “he swore [that]" and “he became remiss [in]” - are attributable to the verb ala, which
appears in the above sentence in the form ya’tai. My rendering is based on the interpretation given
to this verb by the great philologist AbQ 'Ubayd al-Qâsim al-Harawî (cf. Lane 1, 84).

536
 24
THE LIGHT
the domain of evil for the sake of God,“ but let them
pardon and forbear. [For,] do you not desire that God
should forgive you your sins, seeing that God is
2728
much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace?26
(23) [But,] verily, those who [falsely, and without
îjiÂjj
repentance,“] accuse chaste women who may have
been unthinkingly careless but have remained true to J. iz^ <j[ ($)
their faith,29 shall be rejected [from God’s grace] in
this world as well as in the life to come: and awesome 3C'1-*J-jf■_* ’‘t*—
suffering awaits them (24) on the Day when their own
-4-^ fX <g) fJ* 4’^ fX
tongues and hands and feet will bear witness against
them by [recalling] all that they did! ($) fçA. b f-Q"
(25) On that day will God pay them in full their just
due, and they will come to know that God alone is the y.'ti S' JU
Ultimate Truth, manifest, and manifesting [the true
(J) ûtQ 0-^
nature of all that has ever been done].30
(26) [In the nature of things,] corrupt women are
for corrupt men, and corrupt men, for corrupt
women-just as good women are for good men, and 0 &i> •>“ (—* ijb*4
good men, for good women. [Since God is aware that]
these are innocent of all that evil tongues may impute L-giL

to them,31 forgiveness of sins shall be theirs, and a

J3'S Qû‘ ÿ QX i/ibu
most excellent sustenance!32

(27) O YOU who have attained to faith! Do not enter

houses other than your own unless you have obtained
permission and greeted their inmates. This is

26 For an explanation of this rendering of the designation al-muhäjirün (or, in other places,
alladhïna häjarü), see sürah 2, note 203.
27 It is generally assumed that this verse refers to AbQ Bakr, who swore that he would never
again help his poor relative, the muhäjir Mistah (whom he used to support until then) after the
latter had taken part in slandering AbQ Bakr’s daughter, 'Ä’ishah (see note 12 above). There is no
doubt that this assumption of the commentators is well-founded: but there is also no doubt that the
ethical purport of the above verse is timeless and, therefore, independent of the fact or facts with
which it appears to be historically linked. (This view finds additional support in the use of the plural
form throughout the above passage.) The call to “pardon and forbear" is fully consonant with the
Qur’anic principle of countering evil with good (see 13:22 and the corresponding note 44).
28 According to RäzT, the absence of repentance is incontrovertibly implied in the condemnation
expressed in the sequence, since the Qur’ân makes it clear in many places that God always accepts a
sinner’s sincere repentance.
29 Lit., “chaste, unmindful [or “careless”] believing women”, i.e., virtuous women who
thoughtlessly expose themselves to situations on which a slanderous construction may be put.
30 Regarding the double meaning (“manifest” and “manifesting") inherent in the adjective mubïn,
see note 2 on 12 : I ; for my rendering of God’s attribute al-fraqq as “the Ultimate Truth”, see note 99
on 20:114. In this particular instance, the active form of mubïn (“manifesting”) apparently relates to
God’s revelation, on Judgment Day, of the true nature of man’s actions and, thus, of the enormity of
the sin to which this passage refers.
31 Lit., “innocent of all that they [i.e., the slanderers] may say”.
32 See note 5 on 8:4. The reference, in this context, to God’s “forgiveness of sins” (maghfirah) is
obviously meant to stress the innate weakness of man’s nature, which makes him prone to sinning,
however good and pure he may be (cf. 4:28).
537
 AN-NÜR SÜRAH

[enjoined upon you] for your own good, so that you

might bear [your mutual rights] in mind.33
(28) Hence, [even] if you find no one within [the
house], do not enter it until you are given leave;34 and
if you are told, “Turn back,” then turn back. This will LjJ b J (g) ùj/i
be most conducive to your purity; and God has full
cf3' J? >5
knowledge of all that you do.
(29) [On the other hand,] you will incur no sin if j-U*-($)£ùjûu Crib >3
you [freely] enter houses not intended for living in
but serving a purpose useful to you:35 but [always Q If? < Ji* UJ— Ijli-Jt jl
remember that] God knows all that you do openly,
and all that you would conceal. ûï-^M J» ($) Qp-A

(30) TELL the believing men to lower their gaze and to be âî j

mindful of their chastity:36 this will be most con­
ducive to their purity - [and,] verily, God is aware of C^jj—»•
all that they do. ûA5 iJ&i 'll
(31) And tell the believing women to lower their
gaze and to be mindful of their chastity, and not to ü&tVj ùr^&Çyfà
display their charms [in public] beyond what may
[decently] be apparent thereof;3738
hence, let them draw
their head-coverings over their bosoms.36 And let

33 This categorical prohibition connects with the preceding passages inasmuch as it serves as an
additional protection of individuals against possible slander. In its wider purport, it postulates the
inviolability of each person's home and private life. (For the socio-political implications of this
principle, see State and Government in Islam, pp. 84 If.)
34 I.e., by the rightful owner or caretaker.
35 Lit., “uninhabited houses wherein there are things of use (mata*) for you“. In the consensus
of all the authorities, including the Companions of the Prophet, this relates to buildings or
premises of a more or less public nature, like inns, shops, administrative offices, public baths, etc.,
as well as to ancient ruins.
36 Lit., “to restrain [something] of their gaze and to guard their private parts". The latter
expression may be understood both in the literal sense of “covering one’s private parts” -
i.e., modesty in dress - as well as in the metonymical sense of “restraining one's sexual urges”, i.e.,
restricting them to what is lawful, namely, marital intercourse (cf. 23:5-6). The rendering adopted
by me in this instance allows for both interpretations. The “lowering of one's gaze", too, relates
both to physical and to emotional modesty (Râzï).
37 My interpolation of the word “decently" reflects the interpretation of the phrase ilia mä
fahara minhä by several of the earliest Islamic scholars, and particularly by Al-Qiffäl (quoted by
RSzT), as “that which a human being may openly show in accordance with prevailing custom
(al-*ädah al-järiyahY’. Although the traditional exponents of Islamic Law have for centuries been
inclined to restrict the definition of “what may [decently] be apparent" to a woman's face, hands
and feet-and sometimes even less than that-we may safely assume that the meaning of illä mä
Sahara minhä is much wider, and that the deliberate vagueness of this phrase is meant to allow for
all the time-bound changes that are necessary for man's moral and social growth. The pivotal
clause in the above injunction is the demand, addressed in identical terms to men as well as to
women, to “lower their gaze and be mindful of their chastity": and this determines the extent of
what, at any given time, may legitimately - i.e., in consonance with the Qur’anic principles of
social morality - be considered “decent" or “indecent" in a person’s outward appearance.
38 The noun khimär (of which khumur is the plural) denotes the head-covering customarily
used by Arabian women before and after the advent of Islam. According to most of the classical
commentators, it was worn in pre-Islamic times more or less as an ornament and was let down

538
 24
_____________________ THE LIGHT
them not display [more of] their charms to any but
their husbands, or their fathers, or their husbands’
fathers, or their sons, or their husbands’ sons, or their
brothers, or their brothers’ sons, or their sisters’ sons,
or their womenfolk, or those whom they rightfully
possess, or such male attendants as are beyond all CnJ? ?
or children that are as yet unaware of
sexual desire,3940
Ji .>1x1 cXXU jl OyX-i jt^>1
women’s nakedness; and let them not swing their legs
[in walking] so as to draw attention to their hidden
charms*
And [always], O you believers - all of you-turn ‘T’jj* (ÿ '/<£» J

unto God in repentance, so that you might attain to a

happy state!41

(32) AND [you ought to] marry the single from among
you42 as well as such of your male and female slaves
as are fit [for marriage].43
If they [whom you intend to marry] are poor, [let
this not deter you;] God will grant them sufficiency
««Lx» äf fn'**. U-ISS' ^j|T
out of His bounty-for God is infinite [in His mercy],
all-knowing. (33) And as for those who are unable to
marry,44 let them live in continence until God grants

loosely over the wearer’s back; and since, in accordance with the fashion prevalent at the time, the
upper part of a woman’s tunic had a wide opening in the front, her breasts were left bare. Hence,
the injunction to cover the bosom by means of a khimär (a term so familiar to the contemporaries of
the Prophet) does not necessarily relate to the use of a khimär as such but is. rather, meant to
make it clear that a woman's breasts are not included in the concept of “what may decently be
apparent’’ of her body and should not, therefore, be displayed.
39 I.e., very old men. The preceding phrase “those whom they rightfully possess" (lit., “whom
their right hands possess’’) denotes slaves; but see also note 78.
40 Lit., “so that those of their charms which they keep hidden may become known”. The phrase
yatfribna bi-arjulihinna is idiomatically similar to the phrase daraba bi-yada yhi fï mishyatihi, “he
swung his arms in walking’’ (quoted in this context in Täj al-‘Ariis), and alludes to a deliberately
provocative gait.
41 The implication of this general call to repentance is that since “man has been created weak”
(4:28), no one is ever free of faults and temptations - so much so that even the Prophet used to
say, “Verily, I turn unto Him in repentance a hundred times every day” (Ibn Hanbal, Bukhari and
BayhaqT, all of them on the authority of ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar).
42 I.e., from among the free members of the community, as is evident from the subsequent
juxtaposition with slaves. (As most of the classical commentators point out, this is not an
injunction but a recommendation to the community as a whole: hence my interpolation of the
words “you ought to”.) The term ayyim-of which ayämä is the plural - signifies a person of
either sex who has no spouse, irrespective of whether he or she has never been married or is
divorced or widowed. Thus, the above verse expresses the idea- reiterated in many authentic
sayings of the Prophet - that, from both the ethical and the social points of view, the married state
is infinitely preferable to celibacy.
43 The term af-fâlihïn connotes here both moral and physical fitness for marriage: i.e., the
attainment of bodily and mental maturity as well as mutual affection between the man and the
woman concerned. As in 4:25, the above verse rules out all forms of concubinage and postulates
marriage as the only basis of lawful sexual relations between a man and his female slave.
44 I.e., because of poverty, or because they cannot find a suitable mate, or for any other
personal reason.
539
 AN-NÜR SÜRAH

them sufficiency out of His bounty.

And if any of those whom you rightfully possess43
desire [to obtain] a deed of freedom, write it out for
them if you are aware of any good in them:45
46 and give
them [their share] of the wealth of God which He has
given you.47
And do not, in order to gain48 some of the fleeting
JU jj* 1 f-r*
pleasures of this worldly life, coerce your [slave]
maidens into whoredom if they happen to be desirous
of marriage;49 and if anyone should coerce them,
then, verily, after they have been compelled [to
submit in their helplessness], God will be much-
uZjy' Jiij (J)
forgiving, a dispenser of grace!

(34) AND, INDEED, from on high have We bestowed

upon you messages clearly showing the truth, and
[many] a lesson from [the stories of] those who have
passed away before you, and [many] an admonition
to the God-conscious.

45 Lit., “whom your right hands possess”, i.e., male or female slaves.
46 The noun kitäb is, in this context, an equivalent of kitäbah or mukâtabah (lit., “mutual
agreement in writing”), a juridical term signifying a “deed of freedom" or "of manumission"
executed on the basis of an agreement between a slave and his or her owner, to the effect that the
slave undertakes to purchase his or her freedom for an equitable sum of money payable in
instalments before or after the manumission, or, alternatively, by rendering a clearly specified
service or services to his or her owner. With this end in view, the slave is legally entitled to engage
in any legitimate, gainful work or to obtain the necessary sum of money by any other lawful means
(e.g., through a loan or a gift from a third person). In view of the imperative form of the verb
kätibühum (“write it out for them”), the deed of manumission cannot be refused by the owner, the
only pre-condition being an evidence-to be established, if necessary, by an unbiassed arbiter or
arbiters-of the slave’s good character and ability to fulfil his or her contractual obligations. The
stipulation that such a deed of manumission may not be refused, and the establishment of precise
juridical directives to this end, clearly indicates that Islamic Law has from its very beginning aimed at
an abolition of slavery as a social institution, and that its prohibition in modern times constitutes no
more than a final implementation of that aim. (See also next note, as well as note 146 on 2 :177.)
47 According to all the authorities, this relates (a) to a moral obligation on the part of the owner
to promote the slave’s efforts to obtain the necessary revenues by helping him or her to achieve an
independent economic status and/or by remitting part of the agreed-upon compensation, and (b) to
the obligation of the state treasury (bayt al-mäl) to finance the freeing of slaves in accordance
with the Qur’anic principle - enunciated in 9:60 - that the revenues obtained through the obligatory
tax called zakäh are to be utilized, among other purposes, “for the freeing of human beings from
bondage” (fi 'r-riqäb, an expression explained in sürah 2, note 146). Hence, Zamakhsharï holds
that the above clause is addressed not merely to persons owning slaves but to the community as a
whole. - The expression “the wealth of God" contains an allusion to the principle that “God has
bought of the believers their lives and their possessions, promising them paradise in return”
(9: 111)-implying that all of man’s possessions are vested in God, and that man is entitled to no
more than their usufruct.
48 Lit., “so that you might seek out” or “endeavour to attain to”.
49 Lit., “if they desire protection against unchastity (tahasçun)", i.e., through marriage (cf. the
expression muhfanät as used in 4: 24). Most of the classical commentators are of the opinion that
the term fatayät (“maidens”) denotes here “slave-girls”: an assumption which is fully warranted
by the context. Hence, the above verse reiterates the prohibition of concubinage by explicitly
describing it as “whoredom” (big/iä’).

540
 24
THE LIGHT
(35) God is the Light of the heavens and the earth.
The parable of His light is, as it were,50 that of a niche
containing a lamp; the lamp is [enclosed] in glass, the
o'jUJt _y> • ($)
glass [shining] like a radiant star:51 [a lamp] lit from a
blessed tree-an olive-tree that is neither of the east
nor of the west52 - the oil whereof [is so bright that it]
would well-nigh give light [of itself] even though fire /a*
had not touched it: light upon light!53
God guides unto His light him that wills [to be JA <^5 5 O VJ »AJ
guided];54 and [to this end] God propounds parables t s'
«LA & ^X £ JX A
unto men, since God [alone] has full knowledge of all
things.55

(36) IN THE HOUSES [of worship] which God has

allowed to be raised so that His name be remembered
/-c-l Çj çàj ù' âî ùil j

in them,56 there [are such as] extol His limitless glory

50 The particle ka (“as if” or “as it were”) prefixed to a noun is called käf at-tashbïh (“the
letter käf pointing to a resemblance [of one thing to another]” or “indicating a metaphor”). In the
above context it alludes to the impossibility of defining God even by means of a metaphor or a
parable-for, since “there is nothing like unto Him” (42: 11), there is also “nothing that could be
compared with Him” (112:4). Hence, the parable of “the light of God” is not meant to express
His reality - which is inconceivable to any created being and, therefore, inexpressible in any
human language-but only to allude to the illumination which He, who is the Ultimate Truth,
bestows upon the mind and the feelings of all who are willing to be guided. Tabari, Baghawi and
Ibn Kathir quote Ibn cAbbäs and Ibn Mas'üd as saying in this context: “It is the parable of His
light in the heart of a believer."
51 The “lamp” is the revelation which God grants to His prophets and which is reflected in the
believer’s heart-the “niche” of the above parable (Ubayy ibn Ka'b. as quoted by Tabari)-after
being received and consciously grasped by his reason (“the glass [shining brightly] like a radiant
star”): for it is through reason alone that true faith can find its way into the heart of man.
52 It would seem that this is an allusion to the organic continuity of all divine revelation which,
starting like a tree from one “root" or proposition - the statement of God’s existence and
uniqueness - grows steadily throughout man’s spiritual history, branching out into a splendid
variety of religious experience, thus endlessly widening the range of man’s perception of the truth.
The association of this concept with the olive-tree apparently arises from the fact that this
particular kind of tree is characteristic of the lands in which most of the prophetic precursors of
the Qur’anic message lived, namely, the lands to the east of the mediterranean: but since all true
revelation flows from the Infinite Being, it is “neither of the east nor of the west”-and especially
so the revelation of the Qur’än, which, being addressed to all mankind, is universal in its goal as
well.
53 The essence of the Qur’anic message is described elsewhere as “clear [in itself] and clearly
showing the truth” (cf. note 2 on 12:1); and it is, I believe, this aspect of the Qur’än that the
above sentence alludes to. Its message gives light because it proceeds from God; but it “would
well-nigh give light [of itself] even though fire had not touched it”: i.e., even though one may be
unaware that it has been “touched by the fire” of divine revelation, its inner consistency, tfuth and
wisdom ought to be self-evident to anyone who approaches it in the light of his reason and without
prejudice.
54 Although most of the commentators read the above phrase in the sense of “God guides unto
His light whomever He wills", Zamakhshari gives it the sense adopted in my rendering (both being
syntactically permissible).
55 I.e., because of their complexity, certain truths can be conveyed to man only by means of
parables or allegories: see notes 5 and 8 on 3:7.
56 Lit., “and [ordained] that His name ..etc.: implying, as the sequence shows, that the

541
 AN-NÜR SÜRAH

at morn and evening - (37) people whom neither

[worldly] commerce nor striving after gain57 can
divert from the remembrance of God, and from con­
stancy in prayer, and from charity:58 [people] who are
filled with fear [at the thought] of the Day on which
all hearts and eyes will be convulsed, (38) [and who Xjjt- «jÇj ($) dCTîj Q&
only hope] that God may reward them in accordance
\
with the best that they ever did, and give them, out of
His bounty, more [than they deserve]: for, God grants »-Ui’ Lj» ùjtë
sustenance unto whom He wills, beyond all reckon­
ing.
(39) But as for those who are bent on denying the
® J*
truth, their [good] deeds are like a mirage in the
desert, which the thirsty supposes to be water-until,
when he approaches it, he finds that it was nothing:5’
instead, he finds [that] God [has always been present]
with him, and [that] He will pay him his account in
full-for God is swift in reckoning! f )» (J)
(40) Or [else, their deeds60 are] like the depths of stiff/ 9 •
darkness upon an abysmal sea, made yet more dark
by wave billowing over wave, with [black] clouds J&z •£*. J M £>’ ü] uj*e
above it all: depths of darkness, layer upon layer,61
[so that] when one holds up his hand, he can hardly & *4 aî S* J J* (£) jJ 3 L» »j>/<[
see it: for he to whom God gives no light, no light
whatever has he! jjéâljT o’yljî j
(41) ART THOU NOT aware that it is God whose limit­ (£) Or
less glory all [creatures] that are in the heavens and
on earth extol, even the birds as they spread out their
wings?62 Each [of them] knows indeed how to pray
& j'J J1
unto Him and to glorify Him; and God has full Ltf'j ,4*6 GJ II*

knowledge of all that they do: (42) for, God's is the J j- ) « jâpï <55*
dominion over the heavens and the earth, and with
God is all journeys’ end.
(43) Art thou not aware that it is God who causes
the clouds to move onward, then joins them together,
then piles them up in masses, until thou canst see rain
come forth from their midst?

spiritual purpose of those houses of worship is fulfilled only by some, and not all, of the people
who are wont to congregate in them out of habit.
57 Lit., “bargaining” or “selling” or “buying and selling" (bay*) - a metonym for anything that
might bring worldly gain.
58 For this rendering of the term zatô/t, see sürah 2, note 34.
59 I.e., he is bound to realize on Judgment Day that all his supposedly “good” deeds have been
rendered worthless by his deliberate refusal to listen to the voice of truth (ZamakhsharT and Râzï).
60 I.e., their bad deeds, as contrasted with their good deeds, which in the preceding verse have
been likened to a mirage.
61 Lit., “one above another”.
62 Ct. 17:44 and the corresponding note 53.

542
 24
THE LIGHT
And He it is who sends down from the skies, by
degrees, mountainous masses [of clouds] charged
with hail, striking therewith whomever He wills and
averting it from whomever He wills, [the while] the
flash of His lightning well-nigh deprives [men of their]
sight!
(44) It is God who causes night and day to alter­ ù* J Q JÛ-
nate: in this [too], behold, there is surely a lesson for
all who have eyes to see!
(45) And it is God who has created all animals out
of water;63 and [He has willed that] among them are
such as crawl on their bellies, and such as walk on J f-3 ib âîj
two legs, and such as walk on four.
God creates what He wills: for, verily, God has the *>* f-ry 3e & ^y
power to will anything.

(46) INDEED, from on high have We bestowed messages

clearly showing the truth; but God guides onto a x Z Z •
straight way [only] him that wills [to be guided].64
UK jjJjk, j ' dl
(47) For, [many are] they [who] say, “We believe in
God and in the Apostle, and we pay heed!”-but
then, some of them turn away after this [assertion]:
^-^3 J ($> Cej-jJC
and these are by no means [true] believers. (48) And
[so it is that] whenever they are summoned unto God
jC J. >
and His Apostle in order that [the divine writ] might
judge between them,65 lo! some of them turn away; fj J'S <£) ÛPA

(49) but if the truth happens to be to their liking, they

are quite willing to accept it!66 j* *•'<j' jjiUi jî

(50) Is there disease in their hearts? Or have they (J) fi

begun to doubt [that this is a divine writ]? Or do they
fear that God and His Apostle might deal unjustly
with them?67
Nay, it is [but] they, they who are doing wrong [to
themselves]!
(51) The only response of believers, whenever they

63 See note 39 on 21:30. The term däbbah denotes every corporeal being endowed with both
life and spontaneous movement; hence, in its widest sense, it comprises the entire animal world,
including man.
64 Or: “God guides whomever He wills onto a straight way”. The rendering adopted by me in
this instance seems preferable in view of the preceding, intensive stress on the evidence,
forthcoming from all nature, of God’s creative, planning activity and the appeal to “all who have
eyes to see” to let themselves be guided by this overwhelming evidence.
65 I.e., in order that the divine writ-which is implied in the preceding expression “God and His
Apostle” - might determine their ethical values and, consequently, their social behaviour.
66 Lit., “if the truth happens to be with them, they come to it willingly”: cf. 4:60-61 and the
corresponding notes, especially note 80.
67 Ie by depriving them of what they choose to regard as “legitimate” liberties and
enjoyments or by supposedly preventing them from “keeping up with the times”. As in verses 47
and 48 (as well as in verse 51 below) the expression “God and His Apostle” is here a synonym for
the divine writ revealed to the Apostle.
543
are summoned unto God and His Apostle in order
that [the divine writ] might judge between them, can
be no other than,“ “We have heard, and we pay
heed!”-and it is they, they who shall attain to a
happy state: (52) for, they who pay heed unto God
and His Apostle, and stand in awe of God and are
conscious of Him, it is they, they who shall triumph
[in the end]!
(53) Now [as for those half-hearted ones,] they do
swear by God with their most solemn oaths that if
thou [O Apostle] shouldst ever bid them to do so, (J) dLdjb
they would most certainly go forth [and sacrifice 0 ûjÿi’î (»*
themselves].“
Say: “Swear not! Reasonable compliance [with J* rr</*’Cÿ •
70 Verily,
God’s message is all that is required of you].68
69
God is aware of all that you do!”
(54) Say: “Pay heed unto God, and pay heed unto
ZiLcpÿy
the Apostle.”
And if you turn away [from the Apostle, know that]
he will have to answer only for whatever he has been
charged with, and you, for what you have been
charged with; but if you pay heed unto him, you will
be on the right way. Withal, the Apostle is not bound
to do more than clearly deliver the message [entrust­
ed to him].
(55) God has promised those of you who have
attained to faith and do righteous deeds that, of a
certainty, He will cause them to accede to power on
earth,71 even as He caused [some of] those who lived
before them to accede to it; and that, of a certainty,
He will firmly establish for them the religion which
He has been pleased to bestow on them;72 and that, of
a certainty, He will cause their erstwhile state of fear
to be replaced by a sense of security73 - [seeing that]

68 Lit., “The only saying of the believers ...is that they say”- i.e., without any mental
reservation. The term qawl (lit., “saying”) has here the sense of a genuine spiritual “response” in
contrast to the mere lip-service alluded to in verse 47 above.
69 This is an allusion to the ephemeral, self-deceiving enthusiasms of the half-hearted and their
supposed readiness for “self-sacrifice”, contrasting with their obvious reluctance to live up to the
message of the Qur’än in their day-to-day concerns.
70 This elliptic phrase alludes to the principle - repeatedly stressed in the Qur’än-that God does
not burden man with more than he can easily bear.
71 Lit., “cause them to be successors on earth”-i.e., enable them to achieve, in their turn,
power and security and, thus, the capability to satisfy their worldly needs. This Qur’anic reference
to God’s “promise” contains an oblique allusion to the God-willed natural law which invariably
makes the rise and fall of nations dependent on their moral qualities.
72 Cf. 5 :3-“I have willed that self-surrender unto Me (al-islâm) shall be your religion". Its
“firm establishment” (tamkîn) relates to the strengthening of the believers’ faith as well as to the
growth of its moral influence in the world.
73 Lit., “exchange for them, after their fear [or “danger”], security”. It is to be noted that the

544
 24
THE LIGHT
they worship Me [alone], not ascribing divine powers
to aught beside Me.74
But all who, after [having understood] this, choose
to deny the truth-it is they, they who are truly
iniquitous!
(56) Hence, [O believers,] be constant in prayer,
and render the purifying dues,75 and pay heed unto <S> ùji-ml érs
the Apostle, so that you might be graced with God’s
mercy.
(57) [And] think not that those who are bent on E
denying the truth can elude [their final reckoning even
if they remain unscathed] on earth:76 the fire is then-
goal [in the life to come]-and vile indeed is such a
journey’s end!

(58) O YOU who have attained to faith!77 At three times

[of day], let [even] those whom you rightfully pos­
sess,78 as well as those from among you who have not »lLjî ; jU, 4^ îjjiiiî jèSç;
yet attained to puberty,79 ask leave of you [before
intruding upon your privacy]: before the prayer of
daybreak, and whenever you lay aside your garments
in the middle of the day, and after the prayer of
nightfall:80 the three occasions on which your naked-

term amn signifies not merely outward, physical security but also-and, indeed, originally-
“freedom from fear” (Taj al-Ariis). Hence, the above clause implies not only a promise of
communal security after an initial period of weakness and danger (which, as history tells us,
overshadows the beginnings of every genuine religious movement), but also the promise of an
individual sense of inner security - that absence of all fear of the Unknown which characterizes a
true believer. (See next note.)
74 I.e., the believer’s freedom from fear is a direct outcome of his intellectual and emotional
refusal to attribute to anyone or anything but God the power to shape his destiny.
75 The specific mention of the “purifying dues” (az-zakäh) in this context is meant to stress the
element of unselfishness as an integral aspect of true faith. According to Zamakhsharî, the above
verse connects with, and concludes, verse 54.
76 For an explanation of the above sentence and the words interpolated by me, see note 39 on a
similar phrase in 11:20.
77 In pursuance of the Qur’anic principle that the social and individual - as well as the spiritual
and material - aspects of human life form one indivisible whole and cannot, therefore, be dealt
with independently of one another, the discourse returns to the consideration of some of the rules
of healthy social behaviour enunciated in the earlier parts of this sürah. The following passage
takes up and elaborates the theme of the individual's right to privacy, already touched upon in
verses 27-29 above.
78 Lit., “whom your right hands possess” - a phrase which, primarily and as a rule. denotes male
and female slaves. Since, however, the institution of slavery is envisaged in the Qur’än as a mere
historic phenomenon that must in time be abolished (cf. notes 46 and 47 on verse 33 of this surah,
as well as note 146 on 2: 177), the above expression may also be understood as referring, in
general, to one’s close dependants and to domestic servants of either sex. Alternatively, the phrase
mä malakat aymänukum may denote, in this context, “those whom you rightfully possess through
wedlock", i.e., wives and husbands (cf. 4:24 and the corresponding note 26).
79 I.e., all children, irrespective of whether they are related to one or not.
80 The term fahirah (lit., “midday” or, occasionally, “heat of midday”), which occurs in the

545
 AN-NÜR SÜRAH

ness is likely to be bared.81 Beyond these [occasions],

neither you nor they will incur any sin if they move
[freely] about you, attending to [the needs of] one
another.
In this way God makes clear unto you His mes­
sages: for God is all-knowing, wise!
(59) Yet when the children among you attain to
puberty, let them ask leave of you [at all times], even
as those [who have reached maturity] before them
have been enjoined to ask it.82
In this way God makes clear unto you His mes­
sages: for God is all-knowing, wise!
(60) AND83 [know that] women advanced in years,
who no longer feel any sexual desire,84 incur no sin if
they discard their [outer] garments, provided they do
not aim at a showy display of [their] charms. But
[even so,] it is better for them to abstain [from this]:
and God is all-hearing, all-knowing.
(61) [ALL OF YOU, O believers, are brethren:85 hence,]

Qur’an only in this one instance, may have been used metonymically in the sense of “day-time” as
contrasted with the time after the prayer of nightfall and before the prayer of daybreak: hence my
tentative rendering as “middle of the day”.
81 Lit., “three [periods] of nakedness (thaläth *awrät) for you”. This phrase is to be understood
both literally and figuratively. Primarily, the term *awrah signifies those parts of a mature person's
body which cannot in decency be exposed to any but one’s wife or husband or, in case of illness,
one’s physician. In its tropical sense, it is also used to denote spiritual “nakedness”, as well as
situations and circumstances in which a person is entitled to absolute privacy. The number “three”
used twice in this context is not, of course, enumerative or exclusive, but is obviously meant to
stress the recurrent nature of the occasions on which even the most familiar members of the
household, including husbands, wives and children, must respect that privacy.
82 Lit., “have asked it”: a reference to the injunction laid down in verses 27-28 above. My
interpolation, between brackets, of the phrase “who have reached maturity” is based on
Zamakhshan’s interpretation of the words “those before them”.
83 This conjunction is, I believe, meant to indicate that the verse which it introduces is
connected with certain previously revealed passages, namely, verse 31 above and 33:59, both of
which allude to the principle of modesty to be observed by Muslim women in the matter of dress:
hence, it must be regarded as a separate “section”.
84 Lit., “who do not desire [or “hope for”] sexual intercourse" - the latter evidently being the
meaning of nikafy in this context. Although this noun, as well as the verb from which it is derived,
is almost always used in the Qur’an in the sense of “marriage” or “marrying”, there are
undoubtedly exceptions from this general rule: for instance, the manner in which the verbal form
yankihu is used in verse 3 of this sürah (see the corresponding note 5 above). These exceptions
confirm the view held by some philologists of great renown, e.g., Al-Jawharî or Al-AzharT (the
latter quoted in the Lisän al-'Arab), to the effect that “in the speech of the Arabs, the original
meaning of nikâh is sexual intercourse (al-waf*)”,
85 The whole of verse 61 is construed in so highly elliptic a form that disagreements as to its
purport have always been unavoidable. However, if all the explanations offered by the early
commentators are taken into consideration, we find that their common denominator is the view
that the innermost purport of this passage is a stress on the brotherhood of all believers, expressed
in a call to mutual charity, compassion and good-fellowship and, hence, the avoidance of all
unnecessary formalities in their mutual relations.

546
 24
THE LIGHT
no blame attaches to the blind, nor does blame attach
to the lame, nor does blame attach to the sick [for
accepting charity from the hale], and neither to your­
selves for eating [whatever is offered to you by
others, whether it be food obtained] from your [chil­
dren s] houses,86 or your fathers’ houses, or your
mothers houses, or your brothers’ houses, or your
sisters’ houses, or your paternal uncles’ houses, or
your paternal aunts’ houses, or your maternal uncles’
houses, or your maternal aunts’ houses, or [houses]
the keys whereof are in your charge,87 or [the house]
of any of your friends; nor will you incur any sin by
eating in company or separately. But whenever you
enter [any of these] houses, greet one another with a i U *y jl
blessed, goodly greeting, as enjoined by God.
In this way God makes clear unto you His mes­
IS|£ Util y
sages, so that you might [learn to] use your reason.
’-A-*
(62) [TRUE] BELIEVERS are only they who have 0 St
attained to faith in God and His Apostle, and who,
whenever they are [engaged] with him upon a matter
of concern to the whole community,88 do not depart
[from whatever has been decided upon] unless they
have sought [and obtained] his leave.89 lip aL ji ^JT JLÏJjI duJitZS
Verily, those who [do not abstain from the agreed-
ç-r* djütsJ
upon action unless, they] ask leave of thee - it is
[only] they who [truly] believe in God and His
Apostle!
Hence, when they ask leave of thee for some
[valid] reason of their own, grant thou this leave to
whomsoever of them thou choose [to grant it],90 and
ask God to forgive them: for, behold, God is much-
forgiving, a dispenser of grace!91

86 In the consensus of all the authorities, the expression “your houses" implies in this context
also “your children's houses’’, since all that belongs to a person may be said to belong, morally, to
his parents as well.
87 I.e., “for which you are responsible".
88 Lit., “a uniting [or “collective”] matter" (amr jami*). The personal pronoun in “with him”
relates to the Apostle and, by analogy, to every legitimate leader (imam) of the Muslim community
acting in accordance with the spirit of the Qur’än and the Prophet's life-example.
89 I.e., his permission to abstain, for valid reasons, from participating in a course of action or a
policy agreed upon by the majority of the community (‘ammd ijtama'ü lahu min al-amr: Tabarî).
In a logical development of this principle we arrive at something like the concept of a “loyal
opposition”, which implies the possibility of dissent on a particular point of communal or state
policy combined with absolute loyalty to the common cause. (But see also note 9.1.)
90 I.e., after weighing the reasons advanced by the individual or the individuals concerned
against the interests of the society as a whole.
91 The statement that "God is much-forgiving” obviously implies that an avoidance of “asking
leave” to abstain from participation in an agreed-upon course of action is, under all circumstances,
morally preferable (Zamakhshari).
547
 AN-NÜR SÜRAH 24

(63) DO NOT regard the Apostle’s summons to you92 [in

the same light] as a summons of one of you to
another: God is indeed aware of those of you who
would withdraw surreptitiously: so let those who
would go against His bidding beware, lest a [bitter]
trial befall them [in this world] or grievous suffering J 3^ 3>)£ llÇjJL
befall them [in the life to come].
(64) Oh, verily, unto God belongs all that is in the OjU-11jL <jpi I (^)
heavens and on earth: well does He know where you
Jc j\
stand and at what you aim!93
And one Day, all [who have ever lived] will be
brought back unto Him, and then He will make them
[truly] understand all that they were doing [in life]:
for, God has full knowledge of everything.

92 I.e., his summons to God’s message in general, spoken of in verses 46-54 above, as well as to
a particular course of communal action, referred to in verse 62. Alternatively, “the Apostle's
summons” may, in this context, be synonymous with the Qur’ân itself.
93 Lit., “well does He know upon what you are”: i.e., “what your beliefs are and what moral
principles govern your attitudes and actions”.
 THE TWENTY-FIFTH SÜRAH

AL-FURQÄN (THE STANDARD OF TRUE AND FALSE)

MECCA PERIOD

HERE IS little doubt that this sürah belongs to the middle group of Meccan revelations, and
T is almost contemporaneous with Maryam (which can be placed chronologically in the fifth or
the beginning of the sixth year of the Prophet’s mission).
The title by which it has always been known - Al-Furqän - pithily circumscribes the main theme
of this sürah: namely, the statement that it is the innermost purport of every divine revelation to
provide man with a stable criterion of true and false or right and wrong and, thus, with a standard
of moral valuation binding on the individual and on the society. Consequent upon this proposition
is the stress on the humanness of every apostle sent by God to man (verse 20), in rebuttal of the
false argument that the Qur’än could not have been God-inspired inasmuch as Muhammad was but
a mortal human being who shared the physical needs of all other monals and took pan in ail
normal human activities (verses 7-8).
By implication, the revelation of the divine writ is shown as belonging to the same majestic
order of God’s creative activity as all the visible phenomena of nature (see. e.g., verses 2, 45-54,
61-62, etc.). But men do not easily submit to this divine guidance: hence, on the Day of Judgment
the Prophet himself will point out that many of his own followers had “come to regard this Qur’än
as something [that ought to be] discarded’’ (verse 30): a statement of particular significance for our
time.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS. THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) T TALLOWED is He who from on high, step by step,

X -Lhas bestowed upon His servant the standard by
which to discern the true from the false,1 so that to all
----------------- a.
the world it might be a warning: (2) He to whom the
dominion over the heavens and the earth belongs, and
who begets no offspring,2 and has no partner in His
dominion: for it is He who creates every thing and JL»s •—'L** .ilwiUo
determines its nature in accordance with [His own]
design.3
(3) And yet, some choose to worship, instead of
&s ,3 >^7; û;
ii'4 b 'z44' /J4*
Him, [imaginary] deities that cannot create anything
but are themselves created,4 and have it not within

1 Almost all the commentators give this meaning to the term al-furqân. In the above context it
denotes the Qur’än as well as the phenomenon of divine revelation as such. (For an amplified
interpretation of this term by Muhammad ‘Abduh, see note 38 on 2:53.) The verbal form nazzala
implies gradualness both in time (“successively’’) and in method (' step by step ).
2 See note 133 on 17 : 111.
3 I.e., in accordance with the function assigned by Him to each individual thing or phenomenon:
cf. the oldest formulation of this idea in 87 : 2-3.
4 I.e., whether they be inanimate “representations” of imaginary deities, or personified forces of
nature, or deified human beings, or simply figments of the imagination.
549
AL-FURQÄN SÜRAH

their power to avert harm from, or bring benefit to,

themselves, and have no power over death, nor over
life, nor over resurrection!
(4) Moreover, those who are bent on denying the
truth are wont to say, “This [Qur’än] is nothing but a
lie which he [himself] has devised with the help of
other people,3 who thereupon have perverted the
truth and brought a falsehood into being.”56 LdJ IVf Uli
(5) And they say, “Fables of ancient times which
he has caused to be written down,7 so that they might JBj (J) X» •je*’ Vf kr
be read out to him at morn and evening!”
(6) Say [O Muhammad]: “He who knows all the pj *Jc

mysteries of the heavens and the earth has bestowed

IjKj (J) Ijj Jj Ljfc jtu. J—ii
from on high this [Qur’än upon me]! Verily, He is
much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace!”
(7) Yet they say: “What sort of apostle is this [man]
who eats food [like all other mortals] and goes about by*
in the market-places? Why has not an angel [visibly]
Jj--ß Ui» JU IjIU, (T) U_>-j
been sent down unto him, to act as a warner together
with him?” (8) Or: “[Why has not] a treasure been
granted to him [by God]?” Or: “He should [at least]
*** Jj'XP
have a [bountiful] garden, so that he could eat thereof ? o u*
[without effort]!”8
And so these evildoers say [unto one another], “If (T) by»— jyJ* Jtfj
you were to follow [Muhammad, you would follow] 5y-k—» ’jLr*
but a man bewitched!”
(9) See to what they liken thee, [O Prophet, simply] été jZ »% 3 -âî
because they have gone astray and are now unable to
find a way [to the truth]! (£) bj*» S^fJ^

(10) Hallowed is He who, if it be His will, shall give

thee something better than that [whereof they
speak] - gardens through which running waters flow -
and shall assign to thee mansions [of bliss in the life
to come].
(11) But nay! It is [the very coming of] the Last
Hour to which they give the lie!

5 Implying that the Qur’än, or most of it, is based on Judaeo-Christian teachings allegedly
communicated to Muhammad by some unnamed foreigners (cf. 16: 103 and the corresponding
notes, especially note 130) or, alternatively, by various Arab converts to Judaism or Christianity;
furthermore, that Muhammad had either deceived himself into believing that the Qur’an was a
divine revelation, or had deliberately - knowing that it was not so - attributed it to God.
6 Lit., “and thus, indeed, have they come with [or “brought”] a perversion of the truth” [which
obviously is the meaning of fulm in this context] “and a falsehood”. Whereas it is generally
assumed that this clause constitutes a Qur’anic rebuttal of the malicious allegation expressed in the
preceding clause, I am of the opinion that it forms part of that allegation, making the mythical
“helpers” of Muhammad co-responsible, as it were, for the “invention” of the Qur’an.
7 Because it was known to his contemporaries that he was unlettered (ummi) and could not read
and write.
8 A sarcastic allusion to the “gardens of paradise” of which the Qur’än so often speaks. (Cf.
13:38 and the corresponding notes 74 and 75; also 5:75 and 21:7-8.)

550
 25
THE STANDARD OF TRUE AND FALSE
However, for such as give the lie to [the announce­
ment of] the Last Hour We have readied a blazing
flame: (12) when it shall face them from afar,9 they
will hear its angry roar and its hiss; (13) and when
they are flung, linked [all] together, into a tight space
within, they will pray for extinction there and then!1011
(14) [But they will be told:] “Pray not today for one
single extinction, but pray for many extinctions!’’" 0 uû? Lx fjî; $
(15) Say: “Which is better-that, or the paradise of
life abiding which has been promised to the God­ 0 bjr b** ùjjz* lr*
conscious as their reward and their journey’s end-
(16) a promise given by thy Sustainer, [always] to be
0 L* '•**j 'j_r f'jLc'?
prayed for?”

(17) BUT [as for people who are oblivious of thy Sus­ & ôjtëC p 0 \j^j
tainer’s oneness12-] one Day He will gather them
together with all that they [now] worship instead of
God, and will ask [those to whom divinity was falsely f f’ Jji-i âî jjj j.
ascribed13]: “Was it you who led these My creatures
astray, or did they by themselves stray from the right J 1LL2 yB (J) JsxJîiJLk
path?” k ^ù: &
(18) They will answer: “Limitless art Thou in Thy
glory! It was inconceivable for us to take for our
masters anyone but Thyself!14 But [as for them -]
Thou didst allow them and their forefathers to enjoy
[the pleasures of] life to such an extent that15 they

9 Lit., “When it shall see them from a far-off place”: a metaphorical allusion, it would seem, to
the moment of their death on earth. As in many other instances, we are given here a subtle verbal
hint of the allegorical nature of the Qur’anic descriptions of conditions in the life to come by a
rhetorical “transfer” of man’s faculty of seeing to the object of his seeing: a usage which
Zamakhsharï explicitly characterizes as metaphorical Çalâ sabil al-majâz).
10 For a tentative explanation of the allegory of the sinners’ being “linked together” in hell, sec my
note 64 on 14:49. As regards the “tight space" into which they will be flung, Zamakhsharï remarks:
“Distress is accompanied by [a feeling of] constriction, just as happiness is accompanied by [a feeling
of] spaciousness ; and because of this, God has described paradise as being 'as vast as the heavens and
the earth’ [3:133].”
11 Although the concept of “extinction” (thubûfj implies finality and is, therefore, unrepeatable,
the sinners’ praying for “many extinctions" is used here as a metonym for their indescribable
suffering and a corresponding, indescribable desire for a final escape.
12 This passage connects elliptically with verse 3 above.
13 The rhetorical "question” which follows is obviously addressed to wrongfully deified rational
beings-i.e., prophets or saints-and not, as some commentators assume, to lifeless idols which, as
it were, “will be made to speak”.
14 Sc., “and so it would have been morally impossible for us to ask others to worship as”. On
the other hand, Ibn Kathïr understands the expression “for us” (/ana) as denoting "us human
beings" in general, and not merely the speakers - in which case the sentence could be rendered
thus: "It is not right for us [human beings] to take ...”, etc. In either case, the above allegorical
"question-and-answer” - repeated in many variations throughout the Qur’än - is meant to stress, in
a dramatic manner, the moral odiousness and intellectual futility of attributing divine qualities to
any being other than God.
15 This is the meaning of frattä (lit., "till" or "until") in the present context.
551
 AL-FURQÄN SÜRAH

forgot all remembrance [of Thee]: for they were

people devoid of all good.”
(19) [Thereupon God will say:] “And now, they
[whom you regarded as divine] have given the lie to
all your [past] assertions, and you can neither ward
off [your punishment] nor obtain any succour! For,
whoever of you has committed [such] evil, him shall
We cause to taste great suffering!”

(20) AND [even] before thee, [O Muhammad,] We never (g)

sent as Our message-bearers any but [mortal men,]
who indeed ate food [like other human beings] and
went about in the market-places: for [it is thus that] SdSJj! 'j, uj (J) 4ÔJ
We cause you [human beings] to be a means of
testing one another.16
Are you17 able to endure [this test] with patience?
For [remember, O man,] thy Sustainer is truly all-
seeing!
(21) But those who do not believe that they are
destined to meet Us18 are wont to say, “Why have no
angels been sent down to us?” - or, “Why do we not
see our Sustainer?”
Indeed, they are far too proud of themselves, hav­
ing rebelled [against God’s truth] with utter disdain! 4^ b^1* ’WAJ
(22) [Yet] on that Day-the Day on which they
shall see the angels19-there will be no glad tiding for
those who were lost in sin; and they will exclaim, “By
a forbidding ban [are we from God’s grace
debarred]!”-(23) for We shall have turned towards
all the [supposedly good] deeds they ever wrought,
and shall have transformed them into scattered dust -
(24) [whereas] on that same Day those who are
destined for paradise will be graced with the best of
abodes and the fairest place of repose.20

16 This elliptic passage undoubtedly alludes to the fact that the appearance of each new prophet
had, as a rule, a twofold purpose: firstly, to convey a divinely-inspired ethical message to man, and
thus to establish a criterion of right and wrong or a standard by which to discern the true from the
false (al-furqän, as stated in the first verse of this siirah)', and, secondly, to be a means of testing
men’s moral perceptions and dispositions as manifested in their reactions to the prophet's
message - that is, their willingness or unwillingness to accept it on the basis of its intrinsic merit,
without demanding or even expecting any “supernatural” proof of its divine origin. Indirectly, in
its deepest sense, this passage implies that not only a prophet but every human being is, by virtue
of his social existence, a means whereby the moral qualities of his fellow-men are put to a test: hence,
some of the earliest commentators (among them TabarT) give to the above phrase the connotation of
“We caused you human beings to be a means of testing one another”.
17 I.e., “you men” or, more specifically, “you whom the message of the Qur’an has reached”.
18 Lit., “who do not hope for [i.e., expect] a meeting with Us”: the implication being that they
do not believe in resurrection and, consequently, do not expect to be judged by God in after-life.
19 I.e., on Judgment Day, when “all will have been decided” (cf. 6:8).
20 Lit., “will be happiest as regards their abode, and best as regards their place of repose”.

552
 25
THE STANDARD OF TRUE AND FALSE
(25) And on the Day on which the skies, together
with the clouds, shall burst asunder, and the angels
are made to descend in a mighty descent-(26) on that
Day [it will become obvious to all that] true sover­
eignty belongs to the Most Gracious [alone]: hence, a
Day of distress will it be for all who deny the truth,
(27) and a Day on which the evildoer will bite his
hands [in despair], exclaiming: “Oh, would that I had
followed the path shown to me by the apostle!21 (28)
Oh, woe is me! Would.that I had not taken so-and-so
for a friend! (29) Indeed, he led me astray from the piJ <$> ht
remembrance [of God] after it had come unto me!” (g) g j> jc
For [thus it is:] Satan is ever a betrayer of man.22
la <$> if wi JL-X
(30) AND [on that Day] the. Apostle will say:23 “O my
Sustainer! Behold, [some of] my people have come to
regard this Qur’än as something [that ought to be] Li* Ji, (g)
discarded!”2425
(31) For so it is that against every prophet We have
set up enemies from among those who are lost in
(g> éÇ}
sin:23 yet none can guide and give succour as thy
Sustainer does!
SitJaiîÇi jj
(32) Now they who are bent on denying the truth
are wont to ask, “Why has not the Qur’än been
bestowed on him from on high in one single re­
velation?”26
[It has been revealed] in this manner so that We
might strengthen thy heart thereby-for We have so

21 Lit., “taken a path with the apostle”. The terms “the apostle” and “the evildoer” are here
obviously used in their generic sense, applying to all of God’s apostles and all who consciously
reject their guidance. Similarly, the expression “so-and-so” (fulän) occurring in the next verse
circumscribes any person or personified influence responsible for leading a human being astray.
22 For the implication of the term “Satan” as used here, see note 10 on 2:14, first half of note
16 on 15 :17, as well as note 31 on 14:22.
23 My interpolation of the words “on that Day” and the (linguistically permissible) attribution
of futurity to the past-tense verb qäla is based on the identical interpretation of the above phrase
by great commentators like Abü Muslim (as quoted by RäzT) or BaghawT.
24 I.e., as mere wishful thinking and, therefore, of no account, or as something that in the
course of time has “ceased to be relevant”. Since many of those whom the message of the Qur’än
has reached did and do regard it as a divine revelation and therefore as most “relevant" in every
sense of the word, it is obvious that the expression “my people” cannot possibly denote here all of
the Prophet’s community (either in the national or in the ideological sense of this word), but
signifies only such of his nominal followers as have lost all real faith in the Qur’anic message:
hence the necessity of interpolating the (elliptically implied) words “some of” before “my people”.
25 Cf. 6:112, which refers in very similar terms to the evil forces (shayâtîn) against which
every prophet has had to contend. The “glittering half-truths meant to delude the mind” spoken of
in that verse are exemplified in the present passage, prophetically, by the deceptive argument that
the Qur’än, having been enunciated fourteen centuries ago, must now be considered “obsolete”.
26 Lit., “in one piece” or ”as one statement” (jumlatan wâhidatan)- implying, in the view of
the opponents of Islam, that the gradual, step-by-step revelation of the Qur’än points to its having
been “composed” by Muhammad to suit his changing personal and political requirements.

553
 AL-FURQÄN SÜRAH

arranged its component parts that they form one

consistent whole27-(33) and [that] they [who deny
the truth] might never taunt thee with any deceptive
half-truth28 without Our conveying to thee the [full]
truth and [providing thee] with the best explanation.29
(34) [And so, tell those who are bent on denying the
truth that] they who shall be gathered unto hell upon
their faces30 - it is they who [in the life to come] will
be worst in station and still farther astray from the y t

path [of truth]!31

(35) AND, INDEED, [long before Muhammad] We Lm'» Sij, (ff) %*-
vouchsafed revelation unto Moses, and appointed his
brother Aaron to help him to bear his burden;32 (36) d* 'jr jj
and We said, “Go you both unto the people who have
given the lie to Our messages!”-and thereupon We y
broke those [sinners] to smithereens.
(37) And [think of] the people of Noah: when they
gave the lie to [one of] the apostles, We caused them
to drown, and made them a symbol for all mankind:
for, grievous suffering have We readied for all who
[knowingly] do wrong!
(38) And [remember how We punished the tribes
of] 'Äd and Thamüd, and the people of Ar-Rass,33 and

27 I.e., free of all inner contradictions (cf. 4:82). See also 39:23, where the Qur’an is spoken of
as “fully consistent within itself”. The concise phrase rattalnähu tartilan comprises the parallel
concepts of “putting the component parts [of a thing] together and arranging them well” as well as
“endowing it with inner consistency”. Inasmuch as full consistency and freedom from contradic­
tions in a message spread over twenty-three years of a life as full of movement and drama as that
of the Prophet does give a clear indication of its God-inspired quality, it is bound to strengthen the
faith of every thinking believer: and herein lies, according to the Qur’ân itself, the deepest reason
for its slow, gradual revelation. (When applied to the reciting of the Qur’ân - as in 73:4 - the term
tartil refers to the measured diction and the thoughtful manner in which it ought to be enunciated.)
28 Lit., “come to thee with a parable (mathal)" - i.e., with all manner of seemingly plausible
parabolic objections (exemplified in verses 7-8, 21 and 32 of this sürah as well as in many other
places in the Qur’ân) meant to throw doubt on Muhammad's claim to prophethood and, hence, on
the God-inspired character of the Qur’anic message.
29 Sc., “of the problem or problems involved”: an allusion to the self-explanatory character of
the Qur’an. Throughout this section (verses 30-34) the personal pronoun “thou” (in the forms
“thy” and “thee”) relates not only to the Prophet but also to every one of his followers at all
times.
30 I.e., in utter spiritual abasement (Râzï, mentioning some other commentators as well).
31 Cf. 17:72 and the corresponding note 87.
32 For this rendering of the term wazir, see note 18 on 20:29. The mention, at this place, of
Moses and Aaron-and of Noah, etc., in the following verses-is intended to remind us of the
statement in verse 31 above that “against every prophet We have set up enemies from among
those who are lost in sin”.
33 Regarding the tribes of *Äd and Thamüd, see surah 7, notes 48 and 56. As for Ar-Rass, a
town of that name exists to this day in the Central-Arabian province of Al-Qasîm; in the ancient
times referred to it seems to have been inhabited by descendants of the Nabataean tribe of
ThamOd (Tabari). There is, however, no agreement among the commentators as to the real

554
 25
THE STANDARD OF TRUE AND FALSE
many generations [of sinners] in-between: (39) and
unto each of them did We proffer lessons” and each
of them did We destroy with utter destruction.
(40) And they [who now deny Our messages] must
surely have come across that town which was rained
35 have they, then, never beheld
upon by a rain of evil:34
it [with their mind’s eye]? But nay, they would not \
believe in resurrection!36
(41) Hence, whenever they consider thee, [O
<$)
Muhammad,] they but make thee a target of then-
mockery, [saying:] “Is this the one whom God has sent
as an apostle? (42) Indeed, he would well-nigh have
led us astray from our deities, had we not been [so] (J, (ß $£$
steadfastly attached to them!’’ UliJ (g)
But in time, when they see the suffering [that
awaits them], they will come to know who it was that
went farthest astray from the path [of truth]!
(43) Hast thou ever considered [the kind of man]
who makes his own desires his deity? Couldst thou,
then, [O Prophet,] be held responsible for him? (44)
f1S £ /
oA’
Or dost thou think that most of them listen [to thy
message] and use their reason? Nay, they are but like
cattle - nay, they are even less conscious of the right
way!37
cg> ÂJî sï LfC &
(45) ART THOU NOT aware of thy Sustainer [through & ui
His works]? - how He causes the shadow to lengthen
[towards the night] when, had He so willed, He could
indeed have made it stand still: but then. We have
made the sun its guide; (46) and then, [after having
caused it to lengthen,] We draw it in towards Our­
selves38 with a gradual drawing-in.

meaning of this name or designation; Râzï cites several of the current, conflicting interpretations
and rejects all of them as purely conjectural.
34 Sc., “which they failed to heed”. For my rendering of mathal, in this context, as “lesson”,
see note 104 on 17:89.
35 A reference to Sodom and its destruction by a rain of “stone-hard blows of chastisement
pre-ordained" (see 11 :82 and the corresponding note 114). The phrase “they have come across”
may be understood in either of two ways: (a) in its literal sense of “chancing upon” or “passing
by”, in which case it applies to the Prophet’s contemporaries and opponents, the pagan Meccans,
whose customary caravan route to Syria passed close by the Dead Sea and the probable site of
Sodom and Gomorrah; or (b) in the tropical sense of “becoming aware [of something]” through
reading or hearsay - in which case it may be taken to refer to people of all times, and to the fact
that the story of Sodom and Gomorrah is part and parcel of mankind’s moral heritage.
36 Lit., “they were wont not to look forward to [i.e., to expect or believe in] resurrection”.
37 Lit., “they are farther astray from the path [of truth]”: see note 144 on 7:179.
38 I.e., “We cause it to contract in accordance with the ‘laws of nature’ which We Ourselves
have instituted.” As in so many other instances in the Qur’ân, the abrupt change from the
third-person pronoun “He” to “We” is meant to illustrate the fact that God is undefinable, and that
it is only the inadequacy of human speech-and, hence, of the human mind-that makes it

555
 (47) And He it is who makes the night a garment for
you, and [your] sleep a rest, and causes every [new]
day to be a resurrection.
(48) And He it is who sends forth the winds as a
glad tiding of His coming grace; and [thus, too,] We
cause pure water to descend from the skies, (49) so
that We may bring dead land to life thereby, and give b^* fL4J JjT
to drink thereof to many [beings] of Our creation,
Û* 4/b ûw Lh &&
beasts as well as humans.
(50) And, indeed, many times have We repeated ij£ <$>
[all] this unto men,” so that they might take it to
heart: but most men refuse to be aught but ingrate. Lbul LjC
(51) Now had We so willed, We could have [con­ Ä î bT&
tinued as before and] raised up a [separate] warner in
every single community:39 40 (52) hence, do not defer to
[the likes and dislikes of] those who deny the truth,
but strive hard against them, by means of this [divine
writ], with utmost striving.
cAj wMc ULk
(53) AND HE it is who has given freedom of movement
to the two great bodies of water41 - the one sweet and (J) hr** b^>
thirst-allaying, and the other salty and bitter - and yet (J)IjjjJ JLj br^b-*
has wrought between them a barrier and a forbidding
ban.42
(54) And He it is who out of this [very] water has
created man,43 and has endowed him with [the con­
sciousness of] descent and marriage-tie:44 for thy
Sustainer is ever infinite in His power.

necessary to refer to the Supreme Being by pronouns which in reality are applicable only to finite,
created “persons" (cf. Foreword, note 2).
39 Lit., “have We turned it over (sarrafnâhu) among them”: a reference to the frequent,
many-faceted reiteration, in the Qur'an as well as in earlier revelations, of all the evidence
unmistakably pointing to the existence of a conscious Creator (Zamakhsharï).
40 Sc., “but We have willed instead that Muhammad be Our last prophet and, hence, a warner
unto all people for all times to come".
41 The noun bahr, usually signifying “sea”, is also applied to large agglomerations of sweet
water, like rivers, lakes, etc.; in the above context, the dual ai-bahrayn denotes “the two great
bodies [or “kinds"] of water” - the salty and the sweet - existing side by side on earth.
42 I.e., has caused them-as if by an invisible barrier-to remain distinct in kind despite their
continuous meeting and mingling in the oceans: an indirect reminder of God’s planning creative­
ness inherent in the cyclic transformation of water - its evaporation from the salty seas, followed
by a formation of clouds, their condensation into rain and snow which feed springs and rivers, and
its return to the seas. Some Muslim mystics see in this stress on the two kinds of water an allegory
of the gulf - and, at the same time, interaction - between man’s spiritual perceptions, on the one
hand, and his worldly needs and passions, on the other.
43 See second half of 21:30 where the creation of “every living thing out of water” is spoken
of, as well as 24 : 45, which mentions in this connection the entire animal world (including, of
course, man).
44 I.e., has enabled him to attribute spiritual value to, and to derive strength from, his organic
and social relationships.

556
 25 THE STANDARD OF TRUE AND FALSE

(55) And yet, some people45 worship, instead of

God, things that can neither benefit them nor harm
them: thus, he who denies the truth does indeed turn
his back on his Sustainer!
(56) Yet [withal, O Prophet,] We have sent thee
only as a herald of glad tidings and a warner. (57)
Say: “For this, no reward do I ask of you [-no
reward] other than that he who so wills may unto his
Sustainer find a way!”
(58) Hence, place thy trust in the Living One who
dies not, and extol His limitless glory and praise: for t; (g) 4; $
none is as aware of His creatures’ sins as He - (59)
1U £ J; (g)
He who has created the heavens and the earth and all
that is between them in six aeons, and is established
on the throne of His almightiness:46 the Most
Gracious! Ask, then, about Him, [the] One who is
[truly] aware.47
(60) Yet when they [who are bent on denying the
truth] are told, “Prostrate yourselves before the Most
j*-* A’ 5^ J
Gracious,” they are wont to ask, “And [who and]
what is the Most Gracious? Are we to prostrate
ourselves before whatever thou biddest us [to
worship]?”- and so [thy call] but increases their
aversion.
(g) Le-^* bX j
(61) HALLOWED is He who has set up in the skies great
constellations, and has placed among them a [radiant]
lamp and a light-giving moon.48 jé ùjljt CcJfr ASj <$) UA* J*
(62) And He it is who causes the night and the day
to succeed one another, [revealing Himself in His (g) lliS ÎjJB 5jl3j f-nU. fyj
works] unto him who has the will to take thought - OÎA a#»
that is,49 has the will to be grateful.
(63) For, [true] servants of the Most Gracious are
[only] they who walk gently on earth, and who,
whenever the foolish address them,50 reply with
[words of] peace;
(64) and who remember their Sustainer far into the
night, prostrating themselves and standing;
(65) and who pray: “O our Sustainer, avert from us

45 Lit., “they”.
46 See note 43 on the first sentence of 7:54.
47 Le., “ask God Himself”: since He alone holds the keys to the mysteries of the universe, it is
only by observing His creation and listening to His revealed messages that man can obtain a
glimpse, however distant, of God’s Own reality.
48 See 10:5, where the sun if spoken of as “a [source of] radiant light”, explained in the
corresponding note 10. For my rendering of burüj as “great constellations”, see note 15 on 15:16.
49 Lit., “or" (aw) - a particle which obviously does not denote here an alternative but, rather, an
explanatory amplification, similar to the expression “in other words”.
50 Sc., “with the aim to ridicule them or to argue against their beliefs”.
557
AL-FURQÄN SÜRAH

the suffering of hell - for, verily, the suffering caused

by it is bound to be a torment dire: (66) verily, how
evil an abode and a station!” - ;
(67) and who, whenever they spend on others,51 are
neither wasteful nor niggardly but [remember that]
there is always a just mean between those [two
extremes];
(68) and who never invoke any [imaginary] deity
side by side with God, and do not take any human J Srilj (^) iXj »ÔÔS
being’s life-[the life] which God has willed to be
sacred-otherwise than in [the pursuit of] justice,52
and do not commit adultery.
And [know that] he who commits aught thereof53 Ai

shall [not only] meet with a full requital (69) [but] JL <Ll’ i Ô», x, jit Jil
shall have his suffering doubled on Resurrection Day:
for on that [Day] he shall abide in ignominy.
(70) Excepted, however, shall be they who repent
and attain to faith and do righteous deeds: for it is ($>
they whose [erstwhile] bad deeds God will transform
into good ones-seeing that God is indeed much- jIS'j
forgiving, a dispenser of grace, (71) and seeing that he
J’,
who repents and [thenceforth] does what is right has
truly turned unto God by [this very act of] repent­ bz jc^b (£)
ance.
(72) And [know that true servants of God are only]
those who never bear witness to what is false,54 and
û Cj
[who], whenever they pass by [people engaged in]
frivolity, pass on with dignity; (J) iji JÛ*
(73) and who, whenever they are reminded of their
Sustainer’s messages, do not throw themselves upon
them [as if] deaf and blind;5556
(74) and who pray: “O our Sustainer! Grant that
our spouses and our offspring be a joy to our eyes,54
and cause us to be foremost among those who are
conscious of Thee!”
51 In the Qur’an, the verb anfaqa (and the corresponding noun nafaqah) has usually this
connotation.
52 See sürah 6, note 148.
53 Lit., “he who does that (dhälika)”, i.e., any of the three sins referred to in this verse. (For
my translation of zinä as “adultery”, see sürah 24, note 2.)
54 Implying that neither do they themselves ever bear false witness (i.e., in the widest sense of
this expression, tell any lie), nor do they knowingly take part in anything that is based on falsehood
(Râzî).
55 Explaining this verse, Zamakhsharï remarks that whereas the average run of people
approach the divine writ with a mere outward show of eagerness, “throwing themselves upon it”
for the sake of appearances but, in reality, not making the least attempt to understand the message
as such and, hence, remaining deaf and blind to its contents - the truly God-conscious are deeply
desirous of understanding it, and therefore “listen to it with wide-awake ears and look into it with
seeing eyes”.
56 I.e., by living a righteous life.

558
 X THE STÀNDARD OF TRUE AND FALSE

(75) [Such as] these will be rewarded for ail their

patient endurance [in life] with a high station [in
paradise], and will be met therein with a greeting of
welcome and peace, (76) therein to abide: [and] how
goodly an abode and [how high] a station! \

(77) SAY [unto those who believe]: “No weight or value u

would my Sustainer attach to you were it not for your * > / , J-»
faith [in Him]!”57
[And say unto those who deny the truth:] “You
have indeed given the lie [to God’s message], and in
time this [sin] will cleave unto you!”58

57 Lit., “were it not for your prayer”, which term Ibn 'Abbas (as quoted by TabarT) equates in
this context with “faith”.
58 I.e., “unless you repent, this sin will determine your spiritual destiny in the life to come”.
 THE TWENTY-SIXTH SÜRAH

ASH-SHU'ARA9 (THE POETS)

MECCA PERIOD

HE WORD which suggested to the Companions of the Prophet the “title” of this surah is found in
T verse 224. Some of the commentators are of the opinion that the last four verses (beginning with
this very key-word) were revealed at Medina, but all the available evidence shows that the entire sürah
belongs to the middle Mecca period, having been revealed about six or seven years before the
Prophet’s hijrah. Similarly, there is no cogent reason to assume, as Suyütï does, that verse 197 belongs
to the Medina period simply because it mentions the “learned men from among the children of Israel”,
since references to the latter abound in many Meccan revelations.
The main purport of this surah lies in its stress on the unchanging character of man's weakness
and proneness to self-deception, which explains why the great majority of people, at all times and
in all communities, so readily reject the truth - whether it be the truth of God's messages or of
self-evident moral values-and, in consequence, lose themselves in a worship of power, wealth or
what is commonly described as “glory”, as well as in a mindless acceptance of slogans and
prevailing fashions of thought.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) Tâ. Sin. Mim.1

(2) r ri ^HESE ARE MESSAGES of the divine writ,

1 clear in itself and clearly showing the truth.2 _______ a
(3) Wouldst thou, perhaps, torment thyself to death
[with grief] because they [who live around thee] cÎh éi- jL-J»
refuse to believe [in it]?3
(4) Had We so willed, We could have sent down il» >>>
unto them a message from the skies, so that their
necks would [be forced to] bown down before it in
humility.4
(5) [But We have not willed it:] and so, whenever
- i rçjt C
there comes unto them any fresh reminder from the
Most Gracious, they [who are blind of heart] always
turn their backs upon it: (6) thus, indeed, have they
given the lie [to this message as well]. But [in time]

1 The letters (5, sin and mim are among the mysterious, disjointed letter-symbols («/•
muqatla'at) preceding some of the chapters of the Qur’än (see Appendix 11).
2 See sürah 12, note 2.
3 See notes 3 and 4 on 18:6.
4 Inasmuch as the spiritual value of man’s faith depends on its being an outcome of free choice
and not of compulsion, the visible or audible appearance of a “message from the skies” would, by
its very obviousness, nullify the element of free choice and, therefore, deprive man’s faith in that
message of all its moral significance.

560
 SÛRAH26
THE POETS
they will come to understand what it was that they
were wont to deride!3
(7) Have they, then, never considered the earth -
how much of every noble kind [of life] We have
caused to grow thereon? (8) In this, behold, there is a
message [unto men], even though most of them will
not believe [in it]. (9) But, verily, thy Sustainer-He
alone - is almighty, a dispenser of grace!56
JTj j ù[ (J) $J"
(10) HENCE, [remember how it was] when thy Sustainer
summoned Moses: “Go unto those evildoing people, S au <£>
(11) the people of Pharaoh, who refuse to be con­
scious of Me!“78
9 <S>
(12) He answered: “O my Sustainer! Behold, I fear ûj Ju 0 y*
that they will give me the lie, (13) and then my breast
will be straitened and my tongue will not be free:
send, then, [this Thy command] to Aaron.’ (14)
® i jut; J* 5 <® îi
Moreover, they keep a grave charge [pending] against
me, and I fear that they will slay me.“’ Ou <® ûj Ki çæSfjiî
(15) Said He: “Not so, indeed! Go forth, then, both
of you, with Our messages: verily, We shall be with J-?1 o* <® Z'j j/J
you, listening [to your call]! (16) And go, both of you,
unto Pharaoh and say, ‘Behold, we bear a message
from the Sustainer of all the worlds: (17) Let the
children of Israel go with us!’ “
(18) [But when Moses had delivered his message,
Pharaoh] said: “Did we not bring thee up among us
when thou wert a child? And didst thou not spend
among us years of thy [later] life? (19) And yet thou
didst commit that [heinous] deed of thine,10 and [hast
thus shown that] thou art one of the ingrate!”
(20) Replied [Moses]: “I committed it while I was

5 See 6:4-5 and the corresponding note 4.

6 The above two verses appear eight times in this surah. Apart from the present instance, they
conclude, like a refrain, each of the subsequent seven stories of earlier prophets, which-by means
of their, in places, almost identical phrasing-are meant to stress the essential identity of the
ethical teachings of all the prophets, as well as to illustrate the statement, in verse 5, that a
rejection of God’s messages is a recurrent phenomenon in the history of mankind despite the fact
that His existence is clearly manifested in all living creation.
7 Lit., “Will they not be [or “become“] conscious [of me]?” Zamakhshari and Ràzî understand
this rhetorical question in the sense apparent in my rendering, namely, as a statement of fact.
8 Cf. 20:25-34 and the corresponding notes. In the present context, stress is laid on the deep
humility of Moses, who considered himself incapable of fulfilling the task for which he had been
chosen, and asked God to entrust it to Aaron instead.
9 Sc., “and thus frustrate my mission”. This is a reference to Moses’ killing of the Egyptian,
which was the cause of his subsequent flight from his native land (cf. 28:15 n.)
10 Lit., “thou didst commit thy deed which thou hast committed”-a construction meant to
express the speaker’s utter condemnation of the deed referred to: hence, my interpolation of the
word “heinous”. As regards the above ajlusions to Moses’ childhood and youth at Pharaoh s court,
the manslaughter committed by him, and his flight from Egypt, see 28:4-22.

561
ASH-SHU'ARÄ- SÜRAH

still going astray; (21) and I fled from you because I

feared you. But [since] then my Sustainer has
endowed me with the ability to judge [between right
and wrong],11 and has made me one of [His] message­
bearers. (22) And [as for] that favour of which thou
so tauntingly remindest me-[was it not] due to thy
having enslaved the children of Israel?”12
(23) Said Pharaoh: “And what [and who] is that
‘Sustainer of all the worlds’?”13 J ^5 <£> ûjJujî
(24) [Moses] answered: “[He is] the Sustainer of LfJC J (jjLyJÎ tjy
the heavens and the earth and all that is between
them: if you would but [allow yourselves to] be U, JU (g) J' Jp
convinced!”14
(25) Said [Pharaoh] unto those around him: “Did I* rk JU
you hear [what he said]?”15
(26) [And Moses] continued: “[He is] your Sus­ JU (J)

tainer, [too,] as weir as the Sustainer of your fore­

($) JU
fathers of old!”
(27) [Pharaoh] exclaimed: “Behold, [this] your »-o JU 3^^

‘apostle’ who [claims that he] has been sent unto you
is mad indeed!” <jji JU (1a)

(28) [But Moses] went on: “[He of whom I speak

. jl iS JiÀ
is] the Sustainer of the east and the west and of all
that is between the two16-[as you would know] if JU (T) dkLbrjJjl JU
you would but use your reason!”
(29) Said [Pharaoh]: “Indeed, if thou choose to ûÇj «û* jpli ($) J^-4^
worship any deity other than me, I shall most cer­
tainly throw thee into prison!1718
(30) Said he: “Even if I should bring about before
thee something that clearly shows the truth?”1’
(31) [Pharaoh] answered: “Produce it, then, if thou
art a man of truth!”
(32) Thereupon [Moses] threw down his staff - and
lo! it was a serpent, plainly visible; (33) and he drew

11 As is shown in 28:15-16, after having killed the Egyptian, Moses suddenly realized that he
had committed a grievous sin (see also note 15 on the last two sentences of 28:15).
12 See 28:4-5.
13 A reference to the terms in which Moses was to-and apparently did-announce his mission
(see verse 16 above).
14 Sc., “by the evidence of His creative will in all that exists”: this proposition being, I believe,
the main reason for a repetition of the story of Moses in the present surah. (Cf. also verse 28
above.)
15 Lit., “Do you not hear?"-a rhetorical question meant to convey astonishment, indignation or
derision, which may be idiomatically rendered in translation as above.
16 Cf. 2:115.
17 In the religion of ancient Egypt, the king (or “Pharaoh", as each of the rulers was styled)
represented an incarnation of the divine principle, and was considered to be a god in his own right.
Hence, a challenge to his divinity implied a challenge to the prevalent religious system as a whole.
18 For this rendering of the term mubîn, see note 2 on 12:1.

562
 THE POETS
ÄS’and Io! ft ~d *
(34) Said [Pharaoh] unto the great ones around him:
Verily, this is indeed a sorcerer of great knowledge
(35)^“ ‘° drive you out of your land by his
sorcery. What, then, do you advise9”
(36) They answered: “Let him and his brother wait <®> y ,4 ££ ûs-jî
a while, and send unto all cities heralds (37) who shall
<S> JB
assemble before thee all sorcerers of great knowl­
edge.”
(g) bL» ^5 J-
(38) And so the sorcerers were assembled at a set
time on a certain day, (39) and the people were asked- -b* k (g) êo—j s—«fcij
“Are you all present, (40) so that we might follow (in
the footsteps of] the sorcerers if it is they who
prevail?”1920
21
ULJ (g) J/, (g)
(41) Now when the sorcerers came, they said unto
Pharaoh: “Verily, we ought to have a great reward if
it is we who prevail.”2223
(42) Answered he: “Yea-and, verily, in that case <g)
you shall be among those who are near unto me.” "isry & <$) «JK
(43) [And] Moses said unto them: “Throw whatever
you are going to throw!” ÎjIBj jLiÇ- (Jiîl (g)
(44) Thereupon they threw their [magic] ropes and
their staffs, and said: “By Pharaoh's might, behold, it isry ($)

is we indeed who have prevailed!”22

(g) ùjCiLU jûl»
(45) [But] then Moses threw his staff-and lo! it
swallowed up all their deceptions.2425 cyy ($> '-»x ù** ’
(46) And down fell the sorcerers, prostrating them­
selves in adoration, (47) [and] exclaimed: “We have JÎ* 5'j-J JB (g) î>j%j
come to believe in the Sustainer of all the worlds, (48)
the Sustainer of Moses and Aaron!”
(49) Said [Pharaoh]: “Have you come to believe in
him22 ere I have given you permission? Verily, he
must be your master who has taught you magic!26 But
in time you shall come to know [my revenge]: most
certainly shall I cut off your hands and your feet in

19 See 7:107-108 and the corresponding note 85, as well as 20:22, 27:12 and 28:32.
20 Cf. 7:109-110 and the corresponding note 86.
21 There is no doubt that these “sorcerers” were priests of the official Amon cult, in which
magic played an important role. Thus, their victory over Moses would constitute a public
vindication of the state religion.
22 See note 88 on 7:113.
23 The reason for their premature sense of triumph is given in 7:116 (“they cast a spell upon the
People’s eyes, and struck them with awe”) and 20 : 66-67 (“by virtue of their sorcery, their [magic]
ropes and staffs seemed to him to be moving rapidly; and in his heart, Moses became apprehen­
sive").
24 See note 89 on 7:117.
25 See note 91 on 7:123.
26 I.e., “he is so superior a sorcerer that he could be your teacher .

563
 ASH-SHU'ARÄ' SÜRAH

great numbers, because of [your] perverseness, and

shall most certainly crucify you in great numbers, all
together!”27
(50) They answered: ‘‘No harm [canst thou do to
us]: verily, unto our Sustainer do we turn! (51)
Behold, we [but] ardently desire that our Sustainer
forgive us our faults in return for our having been
foremost among the believers!”
4 <£) c; dffy >•
(52) AND [there came a time28 when] We inspired Moses
thus: “Go forth with My servants by night: for, dy U5"ùl I •' ;'£»• Ujiiu Ô'
behold, you will be pursued!”
(53) And Pharaoh sent heralds unto all cities,
(54) [bidding them to call out his troops and to
proclaim:] “Behold, these [children of Israel] are but
a contemptible band;29 (55) but they are indeed filled
with hatred of us (56) seeing that we are, verily, a
nation united, fully prepared against danger30 - (57)
and so we have [rightly] driven them out of [their]
gardens and springs, (58) and [deprived them of their # (g) >./
erstwhile] station of honour!”31
(59) Thus it was: but [in the course of time] We ùULXî h vûi (J) u <$) j»X/4
were to bestow all these [things] as a heritage on the jjk* JB (J) c/"jÂJ 1;^ Is'j*
children of Israel.32
(60) And so [the Egyptians] caught up with them at ÎJLmL j’ Jÿ-x J» 4J
sunrise; (61) and as soon as the two hosts came in sight
of one another, the followers of Moses exclaimed:
“Behold, we shall certainly be overtaken [and
defeated]!”
(62) He replied: “Nay indeed! My Sustainer is with
me, [and] He will guide me!”
(63) Thereupon We inspired Moses thus: “Strike

Tl See notes 44 and 45 on 5:33, and note 92 on 7:124, which explain the repeated stress on "great
numbers’* in the above sentence.
28 I.e., after the period of plagues with which the Egyptians were visited (cf. 7:130 ff.).
29 Lit., “a small band": ZamakhsharT, however, suggests that in this context the adjective
qaïîlün is expressive of contempt, and does not necessarily denote “few in numbers”.
30 Thus the Qur’än illustrates the psychological truth that, as a rule, a dominant nation is unable
really to understand the desire for liberty on the part of the group or groups which it oppresses,
and therefore attributes their rebelliousness to no more than unreasonable hatred and blind envy
of the strong.
31 This is apparently an allusion to the honourable state and the prosperity which the children of
Israel had enjoyed in Egypt for a few generations after the time of Joseph-i.e., before a new
Egyptian dynasty dispossessed them of their wealth and reduced them to the bondage from which
Moses was to free them. In the above passage, Pharaoh seeks to justify his persecution of the
Israelites by emphasizing their dislike (real of alleged) of the Egyptians.
32 This parenthetical sentence echoes the allusion, in 7:137, to the period of prosperity and
honour which the children of Israel were to enjoy in Palestine after their sufferings in Egypt. The
reference to “heritage" is, in this and in similar contexts, a metonym for God’s bestowal on the
oppressed of a life of well-being and dignity.
 26
THE POETS
the sea with thy staff!”-whereupon it parted, and
each part appeared like a mountain vast.33
(64) And We caused the pursuers34 to draw near
unto that place: (65) and We saved Moses and all who
were with him, (66) and then We caused the others to
drown.35
(67) In this [story], behold, there is a message [unto
all men], even though most of them will not believe j***ù*j isrj* (g)
[in it]. (68) And yet, verily, thy Sustainer - He alone -
«i JTj j (^)
is almighty, a dispenser of grace!36
AJ f (g)
(69) AND CONVEY unto them37 the story of Abraham -
(70) [how it was] when he asked his father and his J# ■»[ (g) £»’.4 <$)
people, “What is it that you worship?”
(71) They answered: “We worship idols, and we Ci jki ÙLj IJü y8 (£) SjZZ-C
remain ever devoted to them.”
(72) Said he: “Do [you really think that] they hear
($) J* JV (£) csiés*!*
you when you invoke them, (73) or benefit you or do usLHÜiij (j)
you harm?”
(74) They exclaimed: “But we found our fore­ (^) I» *y*' <JI» ($) ÙjUL
fathers doing the same!”38
-O f-rŸ Xlpb
(75) Said [Abraham]: “Have you, then, ever con­
sidered what it is that you have been worshipping - J» iS&j ($) (w) ü&îT
(76) you and those ancient forebears of yours?
(77) “Now [as for me, I know that,] verily, these (£) ûAm* ’H-» <$>
[false deities] are my enemies, [and that none is my
helper] save the Sustainer of all the worlds, (78) who J û’ 33b
has created me and is the One who guides me, (79) and is
the One who gives me to eat and to drink, (80) and when
I fall ill, is the One who restores me to health, (81) and
who will cause me to die and then will bring me back to

33 See 20:77 and the corresponding note 61. Cf. also the Biblical account (Exodus xiv, 21),
according to which “the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and
made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided”.
34 Lit., “the others”.
35 From various indications in the Bible (in particular. Exodus xiv, 2 and 9), it appears that the
miracle of the crossing of the Red Sea took place at the north-western extremity of what is known
today as the Gulf of Suez. In those ancient times it was not as deep as it is now, and in some
respects may have resembled the shallow part of the North Sea between the mainland and the
Frisian Islands, with its total ebbs which lay bare the sandbanks and make them temporarily
passable, followed by sudden, violent tides which submerge them entirely.
36 See note 6 on verses 8-9.
37 I.e., to the kind of people spoken of in verses 3-8 of this sürah.
38 The particle bal at the beginning of the sentence expresses astonishment. Thus, evading a
direct answer to Abraham’s criticism of idol-worship, his people merely stress its antiquity,
forgetting - as Zamakhsharî points out - that “ancient usage and precedence in tune are no proof
of [a concept’s] soundness”. Râzï, for his part, states that the above verse represents “one of the
strongest [Qur’anic] indications of the immorality (fa sâd) inherent in [the principle of] taqiïd'\
i.e., the blind, unquestioning adoption of religious concepts or practices on the basis of one’s
uncritical faith in no more than the “authority” of a scholar or religious leader.

565
 SÜRAH
ASH-SHU'ARÄ'

life-(82) and who, I hope, will forgive me my faults

on Judgment Day!
(83) “O my Sustainer! Endow me with the ability to
judge [between right and wrong], and make me one
with the righteous, (84) and grant me the power to
convey the truth unto those who will come after me,39
(85) and place me among those who shall inherit the £>• d ‘T’J (*£) 0^ pi.
garden of bliss!
(86) “And forgive my father - for, verily, he is (*£) O'. dJ-* 3Û J (&) ü*J—
among those who have gone astray40 - (87) and do not
put me to shame on the Day when all shall be raised
from the dead:41 (88) the Day on which neither wealth (w) f ci» (W)
will be of any use, nor children, (89) [and when] only
he [will be happy] who comes before God with a I jy. Y, JU pj
heart free of evil!”
(90) For, [on that Day,] paradise will be brought ûÿ.j (J) (jjiijl (g)

within sight of the God-conscious, (91) whereas the

blazing fire will be laid open before those who had (£> 0,-^*» ûJ f-A (£)
been lost in grievous error; (92) and they will be @ j» J* Jpjr
asked: “Where now is all that you were wont to
worship (93) instead of God?42 Can these [things and <S> Jai <$)f &
beings] be of any help to you or to themselves?”
(94) Thereupon they will be hurled into hell4’ - they, jJ h» (—9®
as well as all [others] who had been lost in grievous
error, (95) and the hosts of Iblïs - all together.44 X ($) »rtt /KA *1 (S’
(96) And there and then, blaming one another,4’
y? lj Ai
they [who had grievously sinned in life] will exclaim:
(97) “By God, we were most obviously astray (98)
when we deemed you [false deities] equal to the
Sustainer of all the worlds-(99) yet they who have
seduced us [into believing in you] are the truly guilty
ones!46 (100) And now we have none to intercede for

39 Lit., “grant me a language of truth among the others" or “the later ones". For alternative
interpretations of this phrase, see note 36 on 19: 50.
40 Cf. 19:47-48.
41 Sc., “by letting me see my father among the damned" (Zamakhshan).
42 Or: “beside God". Whenever the relative pronoun ma (“that which" or “all that which”) is
used in the Qur’an with reference to false objects of worship, it indicates not merely inanimate
things (like idols, fetishes, supposedly “holy” relics, etc.) or falsely deified saints, dead or alive,
but also forces of nature, real or imaginary, as well as man's “worship” of wealth, power, social
position, etc. (See also 10 : 28-29 and the corresponding notes.)
43 Lit., “into it”.
44 Cf. 2:24 - “the fire whose fuel is human beings and stones" - and the corresponding note 16.
The “hosts of Iblïs” are the forces of evil (“satans”) frequently mentioned in the Qur’an in
connection with man’s sinning (see note 10 on 2:14, the first half of note 16 on 15:17, as well as
note 52 on 19:68; also cf. 19:83 and the corresponding note 72).
45 Lit., “while they quarrel with one another”.
46 Lit., “yet none but those guilty ones (al-mujrimün) have led us astray”: cf. 7 : 38, 33 : 67-68,
38:60-61 and the corresponding notes.

566
 us, (101) nor any loving friend. (102) Would that we
had a second chance [in life],47 so that we could be
among the believers!”
(103) In all this, behold, there is a message [unto
men], even though most of them will not believe [in
it]. (104) But, verily, thy Sustainer-He alone-is
almighty, a dispenser of grace!48
<S> à; «jjCl* û 31Ju 0
(105) THE PEOPLE of Noah [too] gave the lie to [one of
God’s] message-bearers (106) when their brother
Noah said unto them: ‘‘Will you not be conscious of
g/ fj* * (JJ) j J
God? (107) Behold, I am an apostle [sent by Him] to
you, [and therefore] worthy of your trust: (108) be, <S> Jyii’ V I Qj! JU JjLJJT
then, conscious of God, and pay heed unto me!
(109) “And no reward whatever do I ask of you for (ffi) Jy.1 J^5

it: my reward rests with none but the Sustainer of all

‘r’j jé Ï*,
the worlds. (110) Hence, remain conscious of God,
and pay heed unto me!”
(Ill) They answered: “Shall we place our faith in
thee, even though [only] the most abject [of people] iJlf'G. ^iujju ($) ÿsyfléOja
follow thee?”49
X XX g X • X >x»x
(112) Said he: “And what knowledge could I have (3) JjyuJ / »Jj Je JjLa,
as to what they were doing [before they came to me]?
(”•) Jj-« Li I <j[ t'ffp 1 Jjlki UI Ly
(113) Their reckoning rests with none but my Sus­
tainer: if you could but understand [this]!5051(114)
Hence, I shall not drive away [any of] those [who
profess to be] believers', (115) I am nothing but a plain fr4. '■?J
warner.”
(116) Said they: “Indeed, if thou desist not, O
Noah, thou wilt surely be stoned to death!"11
(117) [Whereupon] he prayed: “O my Sustainer!
Behold, my people have given me the lie: (118) hence,
lay Thou wide open the truth between me and them,52
and save me and those of the believers who are with
me!”

47 Lit., “would that there were a return for us”. See also 6 : 27-28 and the corresponding note.
48 Sc., “and He may grant forgiveness to whomever He wills".
49 See note 47 on 11:27.
50 This is obviously a retort to the unbelievers’ suggestion (ellipticaily implied here) that those
“abject” followers of Noah had declared their faith in him. not out of conviction, but only in order
to gain some material advantages. Noah’s answer embodies a cardinal principle of Qur’anic ethics
and, hence, of Islamic Law: No human being has the right to sit in judgment on another person’s
faith or hidden motives; whereas God knows what is in the hearts of men, society may judge only
by external evidence (a?-?âhir), which comprises a person’s words as well as deeds. Thus, if
anyone says, “I am a believer", and does not act or speak in a manner contradicting his professed
faith, the community must consider him a believer.
51 Lit., “thou wilt surely be among those who are stoned [to death]’’.
52 Or: “decide Thou with a [clear] decision between me and them". My choice of the primary
significance of iftah (“lay open”, i.e., the truth) has been explained in note 72 on the last sentence of
7:89.
567
 ASH-SHU'ARÄ1 SÜRAH

(119) And so We saved him and those [who were]

with him in the fully-laden ark, (120) and then We
caused those who stayed behind to drown.”
(121) In this [story], behold, there is a message
[unto men],54 even though most of them will not
believe [in it]. (122) But, verily, thy Sustainer-He (tjj) ûjJLJï j*» f dim î j
alone-is almighty, a dispenser of grace!
(tj) dll’j j
(123) [AND the tribe of] cÄd gave the lie to [one of God’s]
message-bearers (124) when their brother Hüd55 said
unto them: “Will you not be conscious of God? (125) x >Sx xt J J M .>/ xz, X x,S,f

Behold, I am an apostle [sent by Him] to you, [and (»g) I '

therefore] worthy of your trust: (126) be, then, con­ (Jg) «blîjL'Ü <f?J) <J>-j (j[

scious of God, and pay heed unto me!

(127) “And no reward whatever do I ask of you for ‘r’J dût* Uj
it: my reward rests with none but the Sustainer of all
jy-Aj LI»
the worlds.
(128) “Will you, in your wanton folly, build [idola­
trous] altars on every height,56 (129) and make for
yourselves mighty castles, [hoping] that you might ($) jyJWj âil (J) Ct
become immortal?57 (130) And will you [always],
whenever you lay hand [on others], lay hand [on «g)
them] cruelly, without any restraint?58
(131) “Be, then, conscious of God and pay heed J* ÿk
unto me: (132) and [thus] be conscious of Him who £ £ J f‘ 45*
has [so] amply provided you with all [the good] that
you might think of59 - (133) amply provided you
with flocks, and children, (134) and gardens, and
springs -: (135) for, verily, I fear lest suffering befall
you on an awesome day!”
(136) [But] they answered: “It is all one to us

53 The story of Noah and his people, as well as of the Deluge, is given in greater detail in 11:25-48.
54 For the message specifically alluded to here, see verses 111-115, as well as note 50 above.
55 See 7 :65 and the corresponding note 48.
56 The noun ayah, which primarily denotes “a sign" or “a token", evidently refers here to the
ancient Semitic custom of worshipping the tribal gods on hilltops, which were crowned to this end by
sacrificial altars or monuments, each of them devoted to a particular deity: hence my rendering of
äyah, in this particular context, as “altars" (in the plural).
57 The meaning could be either “hoping that you might live in them forever", or “that you might
gain immortal renown for having built them".
58 The term jabbar, when applied to man, as a rule denotes one who is haughty, overbearing,
exorbitant and cruel, and does not submit to any moral restraints in his dealings with those who are
weaker than himself. Sometimes (as, e.g., in 11:59 or 14:15) this term is used to describe a person's
negative ethical attitude, and in that case it may be rendered as “enemy of the truth”. In the present
instance, however, stress is laid on the tyrannical behaviour of the tribe of cÄd, evidently relating to
their warlike conflicts with other people: and in this sense it expresses a Qur’anic prohibition, valid for
all times, of all unnecessary cruelty in warfare, coupled with the positive, clearly-implied injunction to
subordinate every act of war - as well as the decision to wage war as such - to moral considerations
and restraints.
59 Lit., “with all that you know” or “that you are [or “might be”) aware of’.
568
 26
THE POETS
whether thou preachest [something new] or art not of
those who [like to] preach. (137) This [religion of
ours] is none other than that to which our forebears
clung,60 (138) and we are not going to be chastised
[for adhering to it]!”
(139) And so they gave him the lie: and thereupon
We destroyed them.
In this [story], behold, there is a message [unto
men], even though most of them will not believe [in
it].61 (140) But, verily, thy Sustainer-He alone-is k, (g) (g)

almighty, a dispenser of grace! - Sx/

- S»ÙH-jûu

(141) [AND the tribe of] Thamöd gave the lie to [one of J j (tg> 1»*^1 àtfCj
God’s] message-bearers (142) when their brother
Çâlih62 said unto them: “Will you not be conscious of f—l JB »jJ
God? (143) Behold, I am an apostle [sent by Him] to
you, [and therefore] worthy of your trust: (144) be, Jjo (JJ) Y' fjpA

then, conscious of God, and pay heed unto me! ûr* *4® £ !*■«' Ly <j
(145) “And no reward whatever do I ask of you for
it: my reward rests with none but the Sustainer of all j ô/S’ ùi

the worlds.
(146) “Do you think that you will be left secure
[forever] in the midst of what you have here and
now?63-(147) amidst [these] gardens and springs
(148) and fields, and [these] palm-trees with slender
spathes?-(149) and that you will [always be able to]
hew dwellings out of the mountains with [the same] ufi saj yï j y
great skill?64
OU UoJS U SyîSjîJJ
(150) “Be, then, conscious of God, and pay heed
unto me, (151) and pay no heed to the counsel of
those who are given to excesses-(152) those who
spread corruption on earth instead of setting things to
rights!”
(153) Said they: “Thou art but one of the be­
witched! (154) Thou art nothing but a mortal like our­
selves! Come, then, forward with a token [of thy

60 Lit., “the innate habit of the earlier people (al-awwalïn)". The noun khuluq denotes one’s
“nature” in the sense of “innate disposition” (tabï'ah )or “moral character” (Tâjal-*Ariis); hence tiie
use of this term to describe “that to which one dings”, i.e., one’s “innate habit" or “custom”, and, in a
specific sense, one’s religion (ibid.).
61 The message referred to here is contained in verses 128-130, which point out the three cardinal
sins resulting from man’s inordinate striving for power: worship of anything apart from God,
self-admiring search for “glory”, and cruelty or harshness towards one’s fellow-men.
62 For the story of $älife and the tribe of Thamfld, see 7:73 and the corresponding note 56; also, the
version appearing in 11:61-68.
63 Lit., “of what is here”, i.e., on earth. In the original, this question has a direct form, thus: “Will
you be left secure... ?”, etc. (See also note 69 below.)
64 See note 59 on 7:74.
569
 ASH-SHU'ARÄ' SÜRAH

mission]61 if thou art a man of truth!"

(155) Replied he: “This she-camel65 66 shall have a
share of water, and you shall have a share of water,
on the days appointed [therefor];67 (156) and do her
no harm, lest suffering befall you on an awesome
day!”
(157) But they cruelly slaughtered her-and then u. uü ju <$> 's &
they had cause to regret it:68 (158) for the suffering
[predicted by $âlih] befell them [then and there]. (9>
In this [story], behold, there is a message [unto
men], even though most of them will not believe [in UjyLû (tS)
it].69 (159) But, verily, thy Sustainer-He alone-is sift; t.f jSi
almighty, a dispenser of grace!
<3) Âj J
(160) [AND] the people of Lot70 gave the lie to [one of
God’s] message-bearers (161) when their brother Lot (Aj*’ JU (tv) fp cJt
said unto them: “Will you not be conscious of God?
(nr) J^-j yj '
(162) Behold, I am an apostle [sent by Him] to you,
[and therefore] worthy of your trust: (163) be, then,
conscious of God, and pay heed unto me!
(164) “And no reward whatever do I ask of you for
it: my reward rests with none but the Sustainer of all
the worlds. r’<K
(165) “Must you, of all people, [lustfully] approach
JJjCJ J.jLS 4ii- J y ÿï ($) ôjik f
men, (166) keeping yourselves aloof from all the
[lawful] spouses whom your Sustainer has created for '-p ($> (*4^ Jl J* 4$
you? Nay, but you are people who transgress all
bounds of what is right!”
(167) Said they: “Indeed, if thou desist not, O Lot,
thou wilt most certainly be expelled [from this town­
ship]!”
(168) [Lot] exclaimed: “Behold, I am one of those
who utterly abhor your doings!”

65 Tabarï: .. that is to say, 'with an indication (dalâlah) and a proof that thou art to be trusted as
regards thy claim that thou hast been sent to us by God’.”
66 Cf. the second paragraph of 7 :73 - “This she-camel belonging to God shall be a token for
you”-and the corresponding note 57, which explains that the “token” spoken of by Çâlib was to
consist in the manner in which the tribe would treat the animal.
67 Lit., “on a day appointed”, which may mean either "each on a day appointed” (i.e., by turns), or,
more probably - because more in consonance with the tribal customs of ancient Arabia - “on the days
appointed for the watering of camels”: implying that on those days the ownerless she-camel should
receive a full share of water side by side with the herds and flocks belonging to the tribe.
68 Lit., “they became regretful”. For my rendering of 'aqarùhâ as “they cruelly slaughtered her”,
see note 61 on 7:77.
69 In my opinion, the specific message alluded to here relates, in the first instance, to the individual
person’s emotional reluctance to visualize the limited, transitory character of his own life on earth
(hinted at in verses 146—149 above) and, hence, the judgment that awaits everyone in the life to come;
and, secondly, to the element of compassion for all other living beings as a basis of true morality.
70 The story of Lot and the sinful people among whom he lived is narrated in greater detail in
11:69-83.

570
 26
THE POETS
(169) [And then he prayed:] “O my Sustainer! Save
me and my household from all that they are doing!”
(170) Thereupon We saved him and all his
household - (171) all but an old woman, who was
among those that stayed behind;71 (172) and then We
utterly destroyed the others, (173) and rained down
upon them a rain [of destruction]:72 and dire is such
rain upon all who let themselves be warned [to no
<&> <"-s* öjLL Ir j
avail]!73
(174) In this [story], behold, there is a message
[unto men], even though most of them will not be­
lieve [in it]. (175) But, verily, thy Sustainer-He
alone-is almighty, a dispenser of grace!

(176) [AND] the dwellers of the wooded dales [of Madyan]

gave the lie to [one of God’s] message-bearers (177)
when their brother Shu'ayb74 said unto them: “Will
you not be conscious of God? (178) Behold, I am an
apostle [sent by Him] to you, [and therefore] worthy
of your trust: (179) be, then, conscious of God, and <&> 4 jii
pay heed unto me!
(180) “And no reward whatever do I ask of you for it: <$> i •

my reward rests with none but the Sustainer of all the

worlds.
(181) “[Always] give full measure, and be not
among those who [unjustly] cause loss [to others];
(182) and [in all your dealings] weigh with a true
balance, (183) and do not deprive people of what is
rightfully theirs;75 and do not act wickedly on earth «il'ki f Û2» yj vü' Üj (Jm)
by spreading corruption, (184) but be conscious of
Him who has created you, just as [He created] those
countless generations of old!”76
(185) Said they: “Thou art but one of the be­
witched, (186) for thou art nothing but a mortal like
ourselves! And, behold, we think that thou art a

71 As is evident from 7 :83,11:81,27:57 and 29:32-33, the old woman was Lots’ wife -a native
of Sodom - who chose to remain with her own people instead of accompanying her husband, whom
she thus betrayed (cf. also 66:10).
72 See 11:82 and the corresponding note 114.
73 Or, in the past tense: “dire was the rain upon those who had been warned” - in which case
this sentence would refer specifically to the sinful people of Sodom and Gomorrah. However, it is
much more probable that its purport is general (see note 115 on the last sentence of 11:83).
Zamakhshan’s interpretation of the above sentence is analogous to mine.
74 See note 67 on the first sentence of 7:85. The story of Shu'ayb and the people of Madyan
(the “wooded dales”) is given in greater detail in 11:84-95.
75 Cf. sürah 7, note 68.
76 An allusion to the ephemeral character of man’s life on earth and, by implication, to God's
judgment.
571
 ASH - SHITARÄZ SÜRAH

consummate liar!77 (187) Cause, then, fragments of

the sky to fall down upon us, if thou art a man of
truth!”
(188) Answered [Shucayb]: “My Sustainer knows
fully well what you are doing.” UJ'UJbJaUi (g)
(189) But they gave him the lie. And thereupon
suffering overtook them on a day dark with shadows:78 (<m) ÔjLm'Lx Qj JK (tw) CiT
and, verily, it was the suffering of an awesome day!
4-WI <-»lJc U-U »y
(190) In this [story], behold, there is a message
[unto men], even though most of them will not be­ |i—•«lU’i □ (ut) la*
lieve [in it]. (191) But, verily, thy Sustainer - He
alone-is almighty, a dispenser of grace!79

(192) NOW, BEHOLD, this [divine writ] has indeed been ($>
bestowed from on high by the Sustainer of all the ùLL <^JJ) û. *1Lλ Jp
worlds:80 (193) trustworthy divine inspiration has
alighted with it from on high (194) upon thy heart, [O J <$>
Muhammad,]81 so that thou mayest be among those
who preach (195) in the clear Arabic tongue.82
(196) And, verily, [the essence of] this [revelation] is
indeed found in the ancient books of divine wisdom [as
well].83

Tl Lit., “that thou art indeed one of the liars”.

78 This may refer either to the physical darkness which often accompanies volcanic eruptions
and earthquakes (which, as shown in 7:91, overtook the people of Madyan), or to the spiritual
darkness and gloom which comes in the wake of belated regrets.
79 With this refrain ends the cycle of seven stories showing that spiritual truth in all its
manifestations - whether it relates to an intellectual realization of God's existence, to a refusal to
regard power, wealth or fame as real values, or to the virtues of compassion and kindness towards
all that lives on earth - has at all times been unacceptable to the overwhelming majority of
mankind, and has always been submerged under the average man's blindness and deafness of
heart. The very repetition of phrases, sentences and situations in all of the above stories - or, rather,
in the above versions of these oft-narrated stories - tends to bring home to us the fact that the
human situation as such never really changes, and that, in consequence, those who preach the
truth must always struggle against human greed, power-hunger and proneness to self-adulation.
80 Thus the discourse returns to the theme enunciated at the beginning of this sürah, namely,
the phenomènon of divine revelation as exemplified in the Qur'an, and men's reactions to it.
81 According to almost all the classical commentators, the expression ar-rüh al-amïn (lit., “the
faithful [or “trustworthy”] spirit”) is a designation of Gabriel, the Angel of Revelation, who, by
virtue of his purely spiritual, functional nature, is incapable of sinning and cannot, therefore, be
other than utterly faithful to the trust reposed in him by God (cf. 16:50). On the other hand, since
the term rüh is often used in the Qur'an in the sense of “divine inspiration” (see sürah 2, note 71,
and sürah 16, note 2), it may have this latter meaning in the above context as well, especially in
view of the statement that it had “alighted from on high upon the heart" of the Prophet.
82 See 14:4-“never have We sent forth any apostle otherwise than [with a message] in his
own people’s tongue”-and the corresponding note 3. That the message of the Qur’an is,
nevertheless, universal has been stressed in many of its verses (e.g., in 7:158 or 25 :1). The other
prophets mentioned in the Qur'an who “preached in the Arabic tongue” were Ishmael, Hüd, $âlib
and Shu'ayb, all of them Arabians. In addition, if we bear in mind that Hebrew and Aramaic are
but ancient Arabic dialects, all the Hebrew prophets may be included among “those who preached
in the Arabic tongue”.
83 Lit., “in the scriptures (zubur, sing, zabür) of the ancients" (see sürah 21, note 101). This

572
26
THE POETS
(197) Is it not evidence enough for them8485that
(so many] learned men from among the children of
Israel have recognized this [as true]?"
(198) But [even] had We bestowed it from on high
upon any of the non-Arabs, (199) and had he recited it
unto them [in his own tongue], they would not have jib <&>
believed in it.86
(200) Thus have We caused this [message] to pass
[unheeded] through the hearts of those who are lost
in sin:87 (201) they will not believe in it till they behold
the grievous suffering (202) that will come upon them
[on resurrection,] all of a sudden, without their being
aware [of its approach]; (203) and then they will
exclaim, “Could we have a respite?’’88
H <”■ « "» <j[ ■> UJ-Jla-* I
(204) Do they, then, [really] wish that Our chas­
tisement be hastened on?89
(205) But hast thou ever considered [this]: If We do
allow them to enjoy [this life] for some years, (206) Cl 'tfi Sw uj <$> iji'u
and thereupon that [chastisement] which they were
promised befalls them - (207) of what avail to them
will be all their past enjoyments?
(208) And withal, never have We destroyed any
community unless it had been warned (209) and

interpretation of the above verse - advanced among others by ZamakhsharT and BaydäwT (and,
according to the former, attributed to Imäm AbQ HanTfah as well)-is in full consonance with the
oft-repeated Qur’anic doctrine that the basic teachings revealed to Muhammad are in their purport
(ma'ânï) identical with those preached by the earlier prophets. Another, more popular inter­
pretation is, . this [Qur’an] has been mentioned [or “foretold”] in the earlier scriptures" (see in
this connection note 33 on 2 : 42 and - with particular reference to a prediction made by Jesus -
note 6 on 61:6).
84 I.e., for those who disbelieve in the prophethood of Muhammad.
85 Sc., “and in consequence have become Muslims": for instance. 'Abd Allah ibn Salam. Ka*b
ibn Mâlik and other learned Jews of Medina in the lifetime of the Prophet. KaT> al-Ahbär the
Yemenite and a number of his compatriots during the reign of 'Umar, and countless others
throughout the world who embraced Islam in the course of centuries. The reason why only learned
Jews and not learned Christians as well are spoken of in this context lies in the fact that - contrary
to the Torah, which still exists, albeit in a corrupted form - the original revelation granted to Jesus
has been lost (see sürah 3, note 4) and cannot, therefore, be cited in evidence of the basic identity
of his teachings with those of the Qur’an.
86 As the Qur’an points out in many places, most of the Meccan contemporaries of Muhammad
refused in the beginning to believe in his prophethood on the ground that God could not have
entrusted “a man from among themselves” with His message : and this in spite of the fact that the
Qur’an was expressed “in the clear Arabic tongue”, which they could fully understand: but (so the
argument goes) if the Prophet had been a foreigner, and his message expressed in a non-Arabic
tongue, they would have been even less prepared to accept it - for then they would have had the
legitimate excuse that they were unable to understand it (cf. 41:44).
87 I.e., not to take root in their hearts, but to “go into one ear and out of the other”. As regards
God’s “causing” this to happen, see sürah 2, note 7, and sürah 14, note 4.
88 I.e., a second chance in life.
89 For this sarcastic demand of the unbelievers, see 6:57 and 8:32, as well as the correspond­
ing notes; also verse 187 of the present sürah.
573
 SÜRAH
ASH-SHU'ARÄ'

reminded:90 for, never do We wrong [anyone].

(210) And [this divine writ is such a reminder:] no
evil spirits have brought it down:9' (211) for, neither
does it suit their ends, nor is it in their power [to 4, cJyJ U, (Q) S’Cj jjjài*

impart it to man]: (212) verily, [even] from hearing it

(wj) JL-. u Cj U, (g)
are they utterly debarred!
(213) Hence, [O man,] do not invoke any other dit £ Si
deity side by side with God, lest thou find thyself
among those who are made to suffer [on Judgment jjjlj (O) ày
Day].92
(214) And warn [whomever thou canst reach, (ffi) ÙM
beginning with] thy kinsfolk,93 (215) and spread the
wings of thy tenderness over all of the believers who Cs>

may follow thee;9495 (216) but if they disobey thee, say,

“I am free of responsibility for aught that you may
do!” - (217) and place thy trust in the Almighty, the (JJJ) (jrj eÇlL'j (rtj)
Dispenser of Grace, (218) who sees thee when thou >Sxx X XX .>>.xl .X / X.,/ »rx>>«
x^1 j*
standest [alone],93 (219) and [sees] thy behaviour among
those who prostrate themselves [before Him]:9697 (220)
ùfiL (gj) Jjw (<n)
for, verily, He alone is all-hearing, all-knowing!
(221) [And] shall I tell you upon whom it is that
those evil spirits descend? (222) They descend upon
all sinful self-deceivers” (223) who readily lend ear

90 Lit., “unless it had its warners by way of a reminder": see 6:131, 15 : 4, 20:134, and the
corresponding notes.
91 During the early years of his prophetic mission, some of Muhammad's Meccan opponents
tried to explain the rhetorical beauty and persuasiveness of the Qur'an by insinuating that he was a
soothsayer (kähin) in communion with all manner of dark forces and evil spirits (shayâtïn).
92 The conjunctive particle fa at the beginning of this sentence (rendered here as “hence")
evidently connects with verse 208 above. As shown in note 94 below, the whole of the present
passage is addressed to man in general.
93 A believer is morally obliged to preach the truth to all whom he can reach, but obviously he
must begin with those who are nearest to him, and especially those who recognize his authority.
94 For an explanation of the metaphorical expression "lower thy wing” - rendered by me as
“spread the wings of thy tenderness" - see 17 :24 and the corresponding note 28. The phrase “ail
of the believers who follow thee” shows that (contrary to the assumption of most of the
commentators) the above passage is not addressed to the Prophet - since all who believe in him
are, by definition, his followers, and vice versa - but to everyone who chooses to be guided by the
Qur'an, and who is herewith called upon to extend his loving kindness and care to all believers
who may “follow” him, i.e., who may regard him as spiritually or intellectually superior or more
experienced. This interpretation also explains verse 213 above: for whereas the exhortation
contained in that verse is meaningful with regard to all who may listen to or read the Qur'an, it
would be meaningless with reference to its Prophet, for whom the principle of God’s oneness and
uniqueness was the unquestionable beginning and end of all truth.
95 According to Mujahid (as quoted by Tabari), this means "wherever thou mayest be”. Other
commentators take it to mean “when thou standest up for prayer”, but this seems to be too narrow
an interpretation.
96 I.e., among the believers, as contrasted with those who “disobey thee” (see verse 216 above).
97 The term affâk, which literally denotes “a great [or “habitual”] liar”, has here the meaning of
“one who lies to himself”: this is brought out in the next verse, which stresses the psychological
fact that most of such self-deceivers readily lie to others as well.

574
26 THE POETS

[to every falsehood], and most of whom lie to others

as well.98
(224) And as for the poets99 - [they, too, are prone to
deceive themselves: and so, only] those who are lost
in grievous error would follow them. (225) Art thou
not aware that they roam confusedly through all the
valleys [of words and thoughts],100 (226) and that they ÿ/ J "j JÎ (® ôJlÂÎÏ
[so often] say what they do not do [or feel]? ùfcZyt ôJa
(227) [Most of them are of this kind - ] save those
who have attained to faith, and do righteous deeds,
and remember God unceasingly, and defend them­
selves [only] after having been wronged,101 and [trust (Jg) ûjJl. tS1
in God's promise that] those who are bent on wrong­
doing will in time come to know how evil a turn their
destinies are bound to take!102

98 Lit., “most of them are lying".

99 An allusion to the fact that some of the pagan Arabs regarded the Qur’ân as a product of
Muhammad’s supposedly poetic mind. (See also 36:69 and the corresponding notes 38 and 39.)
100 The idiomatic phrase hâma fï widyân (lit., “he wandered [or “roamed”] through valleys”) is
used, as most of the commentators point out, to describe a confused or aimless - and often
self-contradictory - play with words and thoughts. In this context it is meant to stress the
difference between the precision of the Qur’an, which is free from all inner contradictions (cf. note
97 on 4:82), and the vagueness often inherent in poetry.
101 Thus the Qur’an makes it clear that a true believer may fight only in self-defence: cf.
22:39^-40, the earliest reference to war as such, and 2:190-194, where the circumstances making
war fully justified are further elaborated.
102 Lit., “by what [kind of] turning they will turn".
 THE TWENTY-SEVENTH SÛRAH

AN-NAML (THE ANTS)

MECCA PERIOD

HE PROPHET and most of his close Companions used to refer to this sûrah as Ja-Sin (the
T letter-symbols which precede its first verse). In later times, however, it came to be known as
An-Naml after a word occurring in verse 18, which, because of its association with Solomonic
legends, caught and held the imagination of countless Muslims who listened to or read the Qur’an.
As pointed out in my note 77 on 21:82, the Qur’an often employs such legends as a vehicle for
allegories expressing certain universal ethical truths; and it employs them for the simple reason
that even before the advent of Islam they had become so firmly embedded in the poetic memories
of the Arabs-the people in whose language the Qur’an was expressed and to whom it was
addressed in the first instance - that most of these legends had acquired, as it were, a cultural
reality of their own, which made a denial or a confirmation of their mythical origin utterly
irrelevant. Within the context of the Qur’an, the only thing that is relevant in this respect is the
spiritual truth underlying each one of these legends: a many-sided, many-layered truth which the
Qur’an invariably brings out, sometimes explicitly, sometimes elliptically, often allegorically, but
always with a definite bearing on some of the hidden depths and conflicts within our own. human
psyche.
In the consensus of most of the authorities, An-Naml belongs to the middle Mecca period,
having been revealed shortly after the preceding sûrah.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) Tâ. Sin.1

HESE ARE MESSAGES of the Qur’an - a di­

T vine writ clear in itself and clearly showing the
truth:2 (2) a guidance and a glad tiding to the believers G di- jx
(3) who are constant in prayer and spend in charity:3 for
it is they, they who in their innermost are certain of the
life to come! «Jty (J) (A
(4) As for those who will not believe in the life to
come - behold, goodly have We made their own
doings appear unto them, and so they stumble blindly
to and fro.4 (5) It is they whom the worst of suffering

1 See Appendix II.

2 For an explanation of this composite rendering of the adjective mubih, see note 2 on 12:1. In
the present instance, the term kitab (“divine writ”) is preceded by the conjunction wa, which
primarily signifies “and”, but in this case has a function more or less similar to the expression
“namely"; hence, it may be replaced in translation by a dash without affecting the meaning of the
sentence.
3 This is obviously the meaning of the term zakäh in the above context, since at the time of the
revelation of this sûrah it had not yet received its later, specific connotation of a tax incumbent
upon Muslims (cf. sûrah 2, note 34).
4 The implication is that people who do not believe in life after death concentrate all their

576
 SÜRAH 27
THE ANTS
awaits: for it is they, they who in the life to come
shall be the greatest losers!
(6) But [as for thee, O believer,] verily, thou hast
received this Qur’an out of the grace of One who is
wise, all-knowing.*5

(7) LO! [While lost in the desert,6] Moses said to his

family: “Behold, I perceive a fire [far away]; I may ù J jj* jLj 0
bring you from there some tiding [as to which way we
are to pursue], or bring you [at least] a burning brand Ijb c—> it H O

so that you might warm yourselves.”

(8) But when he came close to it, a call was
sounded: “Blessed are all who are within [reach of] jliff j Û* UtU LJL» (T) ûjlVds
this fire, and all who are near it!7 And limitless in His
glory is God, the Sustainer of all the worlds!”
(9) [And God spoke thus:] “O Moses! Verily, I
ui ijû; jj';
alone am God, the Almighty, the Wise!”
(10) [And then He said:] “Now throw down thy i 'z/- d, j » z-r **,4j
staff!”89
But when he saw it move rapidly, as if it were a
serpent, he drew back [in terror], and did not [dare to]
return.’ '3 f?,> ‘J4! ?

[And God spoke to him again:] “O Moses! Fear

not - for, behold, no fear need the message-bearers
have in My Presence, (11) and neither10 need anyone
who has done wrong and then has replaced the wrong
with good:11 for, verily, I am much-forgiving, a dis­
penser of grace!
(12) “Now place thy hand into thy bosom: it will

endeavours, as a rule, on material gains alone, and cannot think of anything worthwhile beyond
“.their own doings”. See also note 7 on 2:7, which explains why the "causing" of this spiritual
blindness and confusion-in itself but a consequence of man's own behaviour-is attributed to
God.
5 This stress on the spiritual illumination offered to man through divine revelation not only
connects with the opening verses of this sürah, but also forms a link between this passage and the
following one, which calls to mind the sudden illumination of Moses, symbolized by the vision of
the burning bush.
6 Cf. 20:9 ff., and particularly note 7 on verse 10 of that sürah.
7 Thus Zamakhsharï explains the expression hawlahâ (lit., “around it”). According to some of
the earliest commentators, quoted by fabarï, the “fire” (nâr) is in this context synonymous with
“light" (nür), namely, the illumination which God bestows on His prophets, who-one may
presume-are a priori “near it” by virtue of their inborn spiritual sensitivity. Alternatively, the
phrase man fi 'n-nâr wa-man hawlahâ may be understood as referring to God's Own light, which
encompasses, and is the core of, all spiritual illumination.
8 Cf. 20:17-20.
9 For a tentative explanation of the symbolism underlying the miracle of the staff, see note 14
on 20:20-21.
10 For my rendering of illä, in this context, as “and neither”, see note 38 on 4:29.
11 I.e., by sincere repentance. Apart from its general significance, this may also be an allusion to
the crime which Moses had committed in his youth by slaying the Egyptian (see 28:15-17).
577
 SÜRAH
AN-NAML

come forth [shining] white, without blemish!12

‘‘[And thou shalt go] with nine [of My] messages
unto Pharaoh and his people13 - for, verily, they are
people depraved!”
(13) But when Our light-giving messages came unto
them, they said, “This is clearly [but] spellbinding
deception!”’4 (14)-and in their wickedness and self­
exaltation they rejected them, although their minds 0 fri
were convinced of their truth: and behold what hap­
pened in the end to those spreaders of corruption!
Jliili l>j C-lli LI LtUiù-rJ Ç. ijxij
(15) AND, INDEED, We granted [true] knowledge15 unto
David and Solomon [as well]; and both were wont to Ayb Ltflt XU, (J) jrJ—LJ1 Li*
say: “All praise is due to God, who has [thus]
favoured us above many of His believing servants!” jâJ'ÿ LJU tUU 211 LJb juXj
(16) And [in this insight] Solomon was [truly] ✓ X-* X > + ) ___ t *’ **
David’s heir; and he would say: “O you people! We
have been taught the speech of birds, and have been
given [in abundance] of all [good] things: this, behold,
is indeed a manifest favour [from God]!” Ji 'U j’
(17) And [one day] there were assembled before
Solomon his hosts of invisible beings,1617and of men, ($) f-P
and of birds; and then they were led forth in orderly jlîfl $7 S« >’3 jé iy 11 S',
ranks, (18) till, when they came upon a valley [full] of
ants, an ant exclaimed: “O you ants! Get into your ç-*3 ,^3^-j
dwellings, lest Solomon and his hosts crush you
without [even] being aware [of you]!” O
(19) Thereupon [Solomon] smiled joyously at her
jzi ô'j c—i' Û'
words, and said: “O my Sustainer! Inspire me so that
I may forever be grateful for those blessings of Thine (J) ÎJaû j 'tH
with which Thou hast graced me and my parents,'7
and that I may do what is right [in a manner] that will 3* Stf’p 1*111 ^ji y 31 J1-»*
please Thee; and include me, by Thy grace, among
Thy righteous servants!” -ÜçÏiV JÎ »1J. ul o
(20) And [one day] he looked in vain for [a parti­
cular one of] the birds; and so he said: “How is it that
I do not see the hoopoe? Or could he be among the
absent? (21) [If so,] I will punish him most severely or
will kill him unless he bring me a convincing
12 See note 85 on 7: 108.
13 Cf. 17: 101 - “We gave unto Moses nine clear messages”-and the corresponding note 119.
14 See note 99 on 10:76. The people referred to as “they” are Pharaoh and his nobles.
15 I.e., spiritual insight.
16 Apart from 114:6, which contains the earliest Qur’anic reference to the concept of jinn, the
above is apparently the oldest instance where this concept occurs in the personalized form of
“invisible beings”. (For a fuller discussion, see Appendix III.)
17 In this instance, Solomon evidently refers to his own understanding and admiration of nature
(cf. 38:31-33 and the corresponding notes) as well as to his loving compassion for the humblest of
God’s creatures, as a great divine blessing: and this is the Qur’anic moral of the legendary story of
the ant.

578
 27
THE ANTS
excuse!”1819
(22) But [the hoopoe] tarried but a short while; and
[when it came] it said: ‘‘I have encompassed [with my
knowledge] something that thou hast never yet
encompassed [with thine] - for I have come to thee
from Sheba with a tiding sure!”
(23) “Behold, I found there a woman ruling over
them; and she has been given [abundance] of all <$>&. JU j u cjJ.1
[good] things, and hers is a mighty throne. (24) And I
found her and her people adoring the sun instead of jKo* cjÿij f-iZlê î£ï Ji
God; and Satan has made these doings of theirs seem
goodly to them, and [thus] has barred them from the
path [of God], so that they cannot find the right way: if (►*■*■*•
(25) [for they have come to believe] that they ought
not to adore God20-[although it is He] who brings
forth all that is hidden in the heavens and on earth,21
k, C oyljr j «ÇJkî
and knows all that you would conceal as well as all
that you bring into the open: (26) God, save whom 4 ^dl VaT
there is no deity - the Sustainer, in awesome almighti-
ness enthroned!”2223 <S> fl JiJL JC •
(27) Said [Solomon]: “We shall see whether thou
hast told the truth or art one of the liars! (28) Go with
this my letter and convey it to them; and thereafter jj> -Ji '£jT<Æ
withdraw from them and see what [answer] they
return.” ?l ri >1 <$> JI
(29) [When the Queen had read Solomon's letter,]
she said: “O you nobles! A truly distinguished letter <£> Jy13 j* iyir \ I (j) ^y ^>y
has been conveyed unto me. (30) Behold, it is from
Solomon, and it says, ‘In the name of God, the Most
Gracious, the Dispenser of Grace: (31) [God says:]
Exalt not yourselves against Me, but come unto Me
in willing surrender!’”22

18 Lit., “a dear evidence". The threat of “killing" the hoopoe is, of course, purely idiomatic,
and not to be taken literally.
19 Thus, we are parabolically reminded that even the most lowly being can-and on occasion
does-have knowledge of things of which even a Solomon in all his wisdom may be ignorant
(RäzT)-a reminder which ought to counteract the ever-present danger (fitnah) of self-conceit to
which learned men, more than anyone else, are exposed (Zamakhshari). - As regards the kingdom
of Sheba, see note 23 on 34:15.
20 I.e., their own immoral impulses (which is the meaning of ash-shayfan in this context) had
persuaded them that they should not submit to the idea of man's responsibility to a Supreme Being
who, by definition, is "beyond the reach of human perception", but should worship certain
perceivable natural phenomena instead.
21 An allusion to the appearance and disappearance of the sun and other celestial bodies which
the Sabaeans - in common with almost all the Semites of antiquity - used to worship. (Cf. the story
of Abraham's search for God in 6:74 ff.)
22 See sürah 9, note 171.
23 My interpolation, at the beginning of this verse, of the words “God says” is based on the fact
that, within the context of the above legend, the information brought by the hoopoe is the very
first link between the kingdoms of Sheba and of Solomon. In the absence of any previous contact,
hostile or otherwise, there would have been no point whatever in Solomon's telling the people of

579
 SÜRAH
AN-NAML

(32) She added: “O you nobles! Give me your

opinion on the problem with which I am now faced;24
I would never make a [weighty] decision unless you
are present with me."
(33) They answered: ‘‘We are endowed with power
and with mighty prowess in war - but the command is U cJii

thine; consider, then, what thou wouldst command.”

cA bbl, •>* 9? tZ «4,-Çj (ÿ-
(34) Said she: ‘‘Verily, whenever kings enter a
country they corrupt it,25 and turn the noblest of its
(g)
people into the most abject. And this is the way they
[always] behave.26 (35) Hence, behold, I am going to SjaI I»' djLJÎ
send a gift to those [people], and await whatever
'«Ly» Ji? ($) ùjkL j 4si
[answer] the envoys bring back.”
(36) Now when [the Queen’s messenger] came unto
Solomon, he said: “Do you people mean to add to my ju jZL. tÇ Ci

wealth? But that which God has given me27 is [so 2 O JLc Jjlcî
much] better than all that He has given you! Nay, it is
[only such as] you28 that would rejoice in this gift of
yours!
(37) “Go thou back unto them [that have sent thee]! ($) Lr*
For, [God says:] ‘We shall most certainly come upon
them with forces which they will never be able to
withstand, and shall most certainly cause them to be
driven from that [land of theirs], despicable and
humbled!’”29
Sheba that they should not “exalt themselves” against or above himself. On the other hand, the
narrative of the hoopoe makes it clear that the Sabaeans did “exalt themselves" against God by
worshipping the sun and by being convinced “that they ought not to worship God" (verses 24-25
above). Hence, Solomon, being a prophet, is justified in calling upon them, in the name of God. to
abandon this blasphemy and to surrender themselves to Him. (Cf. the almost identical phrase,
“Exalt not yourselves against God”, in 44: 19.)
24 Lit., “on this case [or “problem”] of mine”.
25 In this context-as pointed out by all classical commentators-the term dukhûl undoubtedly
connotes “entering by force Canwatan)”, whether it be by armed invasion or by usurpation of
political power from within the country. (The term nudiik, lit., “kings", may be understood to
denote also persons who, while not being “kings" in the conventional sense of this word,
wrongfully seize and forcibly hold absolute power over their “subjects".)
26 Thus, the Queen of Sheba rules out force as a suitable method for dealing with Solomon.
Implied in her statement is the Qur’anic condemnation of all political power obtained through
violence Canwatan) inasmuch as it is bound to give rise to oppression, suffering and moral
corruption.
27 I.e., not only worldly wealth but also faith, wisdom and an insight into realities normally
hidden from other men.
28 I.e., people who prize only material things and have no inkling of spiritual values.
29 Lit., “and they will be humbled”. Since the Qur’än explicitly prohibits all wars of aggression
(see 2:190-194 and the corresponding notes), it is not plausible that this same Qur’än should place
a crude threat of warlike aggression in the mouth of a prophet. We must, therefore, assume that
here again, as in verse 31 above, it is God who, through His prophet, warns the people of Sheba of
His “coming upon them”-i.e., punishing them-unless they abandon their blasphemous belief
that they “ought not” to worship God. This interpretation finds considerable support in the sudden
change from the singular in which Solomon speaks of himself in the preceding (as well as in the
subsequent) verses, to the majestic plural “We" appearing in the above sentence.

580
 27
THE ANTS
(38) [WHEN SOLOMON learned that the Queen of Sheba
was coming,30] he said (to his council]: “O you nobles!
Which of you can bring me her throne ere she and her
followers come unto me in willing surrender to
God?”3*
(39) Said a bold one of the invisible beings [subject
to Solomon]: “I shall bring it to thee ere thou rise
from thy council-seat - for, behold, I am powerful
Js (W)
enough to do it, [and] worthy of trust!”
(40) Answered he who was illumined by revela­
tion:32 “[Nay,] as for me - I shall bring it to thee
ere the twinkling of thy eye ceases!”33
And when he saw it truly before him,3435he
J?* I jé
exclaimed: “This is [an outcome] of my Sustainer’s
bounty, to test me as to whether I am grateful or
ungrateful!33 However, he who is grateful [to God] is
but grateful for his own good; and he who is ungrate­
ful [should know that], verily, my Sustainer is self-
sufficient, most generous in giving!” û* ùjC; fl 3x^:1 JU; L1 ijjt;
(41) [And] he continued: “Alter her throne so that
cJK U*(T)
she may not know it as hers: let us see whether she
allows herself to be guided [to the truth] or remains
one of those who will not be guided.”36
(42) And so, as soon as she arrived, she was asked:
“Is thy throne like this?”
She answered: “It is as though it were the same!”37

30 Le., evidently in response to his message (Râzï, Ibn Kathîr).

31 Lit., “before they come unto me as people who surrender themselves (muslimin)" i.e., to
God (see verse 31 above). The term “throne” farsh) is used here and in the sequence-as well as
at the end of verse 23 - in its metonymic sense of “dominion” or “regal power" (Räghib). It
appears that Solomon intends to confront his guest with an image of her worldly power, and thus
to convince her that her “throne” is as nothing when compared with the awesome almightiness of
God.
32 Lit., “he who had knowledge out of [or “through”] revelation (al-kitäb)" - i.e., Solomon
himself (RäzT).
33 I.e., faster than any magic could achieve: thus alluding to the symbolic nature of the
forthcoming appearance of the “throne”. Here, as in the whole of the story of Solomon and the
Queen of Sheba, symbolism and legendary “fact” are subtly intertwined, evolving into an allegory
of the human soul’s awakening to a gradual realization of spiritual values.
34 Lit., “established before him”. Since the verbal form istaqarra and its participle mustaqirr
often indicate no more than that something “has being” or “exists” (cf. Lane VII, 2500), the
phrase ra'ähu mustaqirran 'indahu may be understood as “he saw it being [i.e., actually] before
him”: hence my rendering.
35 I.e., “whether I attribute my spiritual powers to God or, vaingloriously, to myself”.
36 I.e., whether she remains satisfied with perceiving only the outward appearance of things and
happenings, or endeavours to fathom their spiritual reality. Seeing that the people of Sheba were,
until then, motivated by love of luxury and worldly power, Solomon intends to show (he Queen
her “throne”, or the image of her domainion, as it could be if it were inspired by faith in God and,
hence, by a consciousness of moral responsibility.
37 Sc., “and yet not quite the same”: thus, she expresses doubt-and doubt is the first step in all
spiritual progress. She realizes that the “altered throne” is outwardly the same as that
581
 SÜRAH
AN-NAML

[And Solomon said to his nobles: “She has arrived

at the truth without any help from us,38] although it is
we who have been given [divine] knowledge before
her, and have [long ago] surrendered ourselves unto
God! (43) [And she has recognized the truth] although
that which she has been wont to worship instead of
God39 had kept her away [from the right path]: for,
behold, she is descended of people who deny the
truth!”40
(44) [After a while] she was told: “Enter this
court!”-but when she saw it, she thought that it was
a fathomless expanse of water, and she bared her < » s, x-
tj* /»l$ J «-À
legs.41
Said he: “Behold, it is [but] a court smoothly paved
«y-4* £ C-L-lj J, 'r'J Zj'j»
with glass!”42
Cried she: “O my Sustainer! I have been sinning LÎ-j' Jüiij (ff) J,
against myself [by worshipping aught but Thee]: but
[now] I have surrendered myself, with Solomon, unto (g) ü» Ut*
the Sustainer of all the worlds!”
(45) AND [likewise], indeed, We sent unto [the tribe of]
ThamOd their brother Sälih [with this message]:
“Worship God alone!”43 - and, behold, they were
[split into] two factions contending with one another.
(46) Said [Sälih to the erring ones]: “Why do you
seek to hasten the coming upon you of evil instead of
hoping for the good?44 Why do you not, rather, ask
which she has left behind; but she perceives intuitively that it is imbued with a spiritual quality
which the other did not possess, and which she cannot yet quite understand.
38 Thus Jabari, ZamakhsharT and Ibn Kathïr, on whose interpretation of this passage my
rendering and the above interpolation are based.
39 An allusion to her and her people’s worship of celestial bodies (cf. verses 24-25 and the
corresponding notes 20 and 21).
40 Lit., “she was [sc., “born”] of people..etc. - thus stressing the role of the idolatrous
tradition in which she had grown up, and which in the past had made it difficult for her to find the
right path. Considering this cultural background, Solomon points out, her awakening at the very
moment of her leaving her ancestral environment must be deemed most remarkable and praise*
worthy.
41 I.e., in order to wade into it, or perhaps to swim through it, thus braving the seemingly
fathomless deep: possibly a symbolic indication of the fear which a human being may feel when
his own search after truth forces him to abandon the warm, soothing security of his erstwhile
social and mental environment, and to venture into the - as yet - unknown realm of the spirit.
42 I.e., not a dangerous, bottomless deep, as it appeared at first glance, but, rather, the firm,
glass-clear light of truth: and with her perception of the ever-existing difference between
appearance and reality, the Queen of Sheba comes to the end of her spiritual journey.
43 For the story of the ThamOd and their prophet Çâlih, see notes 56 and 57 on 7:73. My
interpolation of the word “likewise” at the beginning of this verse is based on the fact that $älih’s
message to the tribe of ThamOd is identical with that of Solomon to the Queen of Sheba-which,
in itself, is an indication of the sameness of the fundamental truths underlying all revealed
religions.
44 Lit., “hasten the evil before the good”: cf. 13:6 and the corresponding note 14; also the
second sentence of 10:50 and note 71.

582
 27
THE ANTS
God to forgive you your sins, so that you might be
graced with His mercy?”
(47) They answered: “We augur evil from thee and
those that follow thee!”4546
Said he: “Your destiny, good or evil, rests with
God: yea, you are people undergoing a test!”
(48) Now there were in the city nine men47 who
were wont to commit deeds of depravity all over the
J (J) ty-j
land, and would not reform; (49) [and] after having
bound one another by an oath in God’s name,48 they ($>
said: “Indeed, we shall suddenly fall upon him and
his household by night [and slay them all]; and then <j op-*» -i**j jjîj
we shall boldly say to his next of kin, ‘We did not
witness the destruction of his household - and,
behold, we are indeed men of truth!’ ” ($) li| i jijU
(50) And so they devised an evil scheme; but We
devised a subtle scheme [of Our own], and they (£) f—‘J b Jm, '£*
perceived it not.
w (•<£■* LZ* OlfkjJOrti
(51) Behold, then, what all their scheming came to
in the end: We utterly destroyed them and their
people, all of them; (52) and [now] those dwellings of
theirs are empty, [ruined] as an outcome of their evil 'jilTj ûjjaj

deeds.
b ûj» b" 1 ï 4»yJ Jlï 51 Uylj (J) jji-
In this, behold, there is a message indeed for peo­
ple of [innate] knowledge - (53) seeing that We saved
(J)
those who had attained to faith and were conscious of
Us. j^Cl • "£) fp *LÎK

(54) AND [thus, too, did We save] Lot, when he said unto
his people:49 “Would you commit this abomination
with your eyes open [to its being against all nature50]?
(55) Must you really approach men with lust instead
of women? Nay, but you are people without any
awareness [of right and wrong]!”

45 See sürah 7, note 95.

46 Sc., “who has tied every human being's destiny (fä*ir) to his neck”: see 17:13 and the
corresponding note 17.
47 Or “nine clans”, since, in the above context, the term rahf is liable to either of these two
interpretations. The “city” referred to is evidently the region known as Al-Hijr, in northern Hijäz
(cf. sürah 7, notes 56 and 59). - In contrast with the preceding story of the Queen of Sheba’s eager
way to faith, the stories of the tribe of Thamüd and (in verses 54-58) of Lot’s people are
meant to call attention to the hostility which a call to righteousness so often evokes in people who
are strong but vain, or, alternatively, weak and addicted to senseless passions.
48 Lit., “by God”. As is evident from 7:73 ff. and from the above allusion, the Thamüd did
have a vague notion of God, but their erstwhile faith had been overlaid by their excessive
arrogance and thus deprived of all spiritual value.
49 The story of Lot and the perverted people of Sodom is mentioned in several places,
particularly in 7 : 80-84, 11:69-83 and 26:160-173.
50 Thus ZamakhsharT and Râzï, stressing the principle that a revolt against the God-willed
nature of heterosexuality is a revolt against God Himself.

583
 AN-NAML SÜRAH

(56) But his people's only answer was this : “Expel

[Lot and] Lot’s followers from your township! Verily,
they are folk who make themselves out to be pure!”51
(57) Thereupon We saved him and his household -
all but his wife, whom We willed to be among those
that stayed behind52 - (58) the while We rained a rain
[of destruction] upon the others: and dire is such rain
upon all who let themselves be warned [to no avail]!53

(59) SAY: “All praise is due to God, and peace be upon

those servants of His whom He chose [to be His (g)
message-bearers] !” t lj (£. (g) 3./^ 3-
Is not God far better than anything to which men
[falsely] ascribe a share in His divinity?54 «Lp 4» (m) jr jXjT
(60) Nay-who is it that has created the heavens
and the earth, and sends down for you [life-giving] (J) ÛI jJT
water from the skies? For it is by this means that We
cause gardens of shining beauty to grow - [whereas] it
is not in your power to cause [even one single of] its La J' jtf’U o'S j> ' ju- « 4,
trees to grow!
Could there be any divine power besides God? o f>* f-*
Nay, they [who think so] are people who swerve
[from the path of reason]! 'At- ’ ’ j '„•*
(61) Nay-who is it that has made the earth a fitting
'>;U- *
abode55 [for living things], and has caused running
waters [to flow] in its midst, and has set upon it moun­ j •£> bl
tains firm, and has placed a barrier between the two z 3 C, ,» . . I 4 .» .» ».... <
great bodies of water?56 £ <J»I 4 Lil» j »j-tf

Could there be any divine power besides God?

oÛt j J*’ O U
Nay, most of those [who think so] do not know [what
they are saying]!
(62) Nay-who is it that responds to the distressed
when he calls out to Him, and who removes the ill
[that caused the distress], and has made you inherit
the earth?57
Could there be any divine power besides God?
How seldom do you keep this in mind!
(63) Nay-who is it that guides you in the midst of

51 See note 65 on 7:82.

52 See note 66 on 7:83; also 11:81 and 66:10, and the corresponding notes.
53 Cf. 26:173 and the corresponding note 73.
54 Lit., “Is God better, or that to which they ascribe..etc.: thus including, by implication,
not only deified beings or forces of nature, but also false social and moral values to which custom
and ancestral tradition have lent an almost “religious" sanction.
55 Lit., “place of rest" (qarär). But see also 77 :25-26 and the corresponding note 9.
56 See 25 :53 and the corresponding notes 41 and 42.
57 Cf. 2:30 and the corresponding note 22. In the present instance the accent is on God’s
having caused man to “inherit the earth" by endowing him with specific faculties and abilities-an
implicit denial of man’s claim that he is independent and “master of his fate”.

584
 27
THE ANTS
the deep darkness of land and sea,58 and sends forth
the winds as a glad tiding of His coming grace?5960
Could there be any divine power besides God?
Sublimely exalted is God above anything to which
men may ascribe a share in His divinity!
(64) Nay-who is it that creates [all life] in the first
instance, and then brings it forth anew?40 And who is %&&
it that provides you with sustenance out of heaven
and earth?61 ,•4« û*' ai
Could there be any divine power besides God?
Say: “[If you think so,] produce your evidence - if J*
you truly believe in your claim!”62
($>
(65) Say: “None in the heavens or on earth knows
the hidden reality [of anything that exists: none ûjy»-1.U, «»Iu*oyJLjT j
knows it] save God.”63
And neither can they [who are living] perceive f*J< J|»< (J)<jCI
when they shall be raised from the dead: (66) nay, LfZäS j
their knowledge of the life to come stops short of the
truth:64 nay, they are [often] in doubt as to its reality: X-D L.I UJLL’y Uâ» I
nay, they are blind to it.65
(67) And so, they who are bent on denying the truth I X» JJ UL» liJcj
are saying: “What! After we have become dust-we
and our forefathers - shall we [all], forsooth, be
brought forth [from the dead]? (68) Indeed, we were
promised this-we and our forefathers - in the past as
well; it is nothing but fables of ancient times!”

58 I.e., metonymically, through all the seemingly insoluble complexities of human life.
59 See 7 :57 and the corresponding note 44.
60 This relates to man’s life on earth and his resurrection after bodily death as well as to the
this-worldly cycle of birth, death and regeneration manifested in all organic nature.
61 As in 10:31, the term “sustenance” (rfcq) has here both a physical and a spiritual
connotation; hence the phrase, “out of heaven and earth”.
62 Lit., “if you are truthful” - the implication being that most people who profess a belief in a
multiplicity of divine powers, or even in the possibility of the One God's “incarnation" in a created
being, do so blindly, sometimes only under the influence of inherited cultural traditions and habits
of thought, and not out of a reasoned conviction.
63 In this context, the term al-ghayb - rendered by me here as “the hidden reality” - apparently
relates to the “how” of God's Being, the ultimate reality underlying the observable aspects of the
universe, and the meaning and purpose inherent in its creation. My repetition, within brackets, of
the words “none knows it”, i.e., save God, is necessitated by the fact that He is infinite, unlimited
as to space, and cannot, therefore, be included among the beings “in the heavens or on earth”,
who have all been created by Him.
64 I.e., they cannot truly visualize the hereafter because its reality is beyond anything that man
may experience in this world: and this, it cannot be stressed often enough, is an indirect
explanation of the reason why all Qur’anic references to the conditions, good or bad, of man s life
after death are of necessity expressed in purely allegorical terms.
65 I.e., blind to its logical necessity within God’s plan of creation. For, it is only on the premise
of a life after death that the concept of man’s moral responsibility and, hence, of God’s ultimate
judgment can have any meaning; and if there is no moral responsibility, there can be no question
of a preceding moral choice-, and if the absence of choice is taken for granted, all differentiation
between right and wrong becomes utterly meaningless as well.
585
 SÜRAH
AN-NAML

(69) Say: “Go all over the earth and behold what
happened in the end to those [who were thus] lost in
sin!”66
(70) But do not grieve over them, and neither be
distressed by the false arguments which they devise
[against God’s messages].67
(71) And [when] they ask, “When is this promise
[of resurrection] to be fulfilled? [Answer this, O you
who believe in it,] if you are men of truth!”-(72) say v; yj &
thou: “It may well be that something of that which [in
your ignorance] you so hastily demand68 has already '-Û* (ÿ* (£) Jr-* j
drawn close unto you... (vt)
(73) Now, verily, thy Sustainer is indeed limitless in
His bounty unto men - but most of them are bereft of
gratitude.
(74) But, verily, thy Sustainer knows all that their & (g» S//2* v jUjr»
hearts conceal as well as all that they bring into the
open: (75) for there is nothing [so deeply] hidden in j4-* ** A j

the heavens or on earth but is recorded in [His] clear j j A-l* Û*

decree.
(76) BEHOLD, this Qur’an explains69 to the children of
ÿ£ 4 &
ZjAJJ igJLÀ (£) *
Israel most [of that] whereon they hold divergent
views;70 (77) and, verily, it is a guidance and a grace
unto all who believe [in it].
(78) Verily, [O believer,] thy Sustainer will judge
between them in His wisdom - for He alone is
almighty, all-knowing.
(79) Hence, place thy trust in God [alone]-for,
behold, that in which thou believest is truth self-
evident.71
(80) [But,] verily, thou canst not make the dead hear:

66 I.e., those who denied the reality of a life after death and, hence, of man's ultimate
responsibility for his conscious doings. As pointed out in the preceding note, the unavoidable
consequence of this denial is the loss of all sense of right and wrong: and this, in its turn, leads to
spiritual and social chaos, and so to the downfall of communities and civilizations.
67 Lit., “by their scheming”. For the Qur’anic use of the term make in the sense of “devising
false arguments [against something]”, see 10:21 and the corresponding note 33.
68 I.e., the end of their own life, which must precede their resurrection.
69 For this rendering of the verb yaqu^u, see note 5 on 12: 3.
70 I.e., where they differ from the truth made evident to them in their scriptures. The term
“children of Israel” comprises here both the Jews and the Christians (ZamakhsharT) inasmuch as
both follow the Old Testament, albeit in a corrupted form. It is precisely because of this
corruption, and because of the great influence which Jewish and Christian ideas exert over a large
segment of mankind, that the Qur’fin sets out to explain certain ethical truths to both these
communities. The above reference to “most” (and not all) of the problems alluded to in this
context shows that the present* passage bears only on man’s moral outlook and social life in this
world, and not on ultimate, metaphysical questions which-as the Qur’an so often repeats-will be
answered only in the hereafter.
71 Lit., “thou art [or “standest"] upon the obvious [or “self-evident”] truth”.

586
 27
THE ANTS
and [so, too,] thou canst not make the deaf [of heart]
hear this call when they turn their backs [on
thee] and go away, (81) just as thou canst not lead the
blind [of heart] out of their error; none canst thou
make hear save such as [are willing to] believe in Our
messages, and thus surrender themselves unto Us.7273 41U jT^jT JJjl V
(82) Now, [as for the deaf and blind of heart-]
when the word [of truth] stands revealed against J uj (g) æ
them, We shall bring forth unto them out of the
earth a creature which will tell them that mankind had (g)
no real faith in Our messages.74
(83) And on that Day We shall gather from within
every community a host of those who gave the lie to
Our messages; and they will be grouped [according to
the gravity of their sins] (84) until such a time as they ÛLlb «-< jSL Jr Uji z.}
shall come [to be judged. And] He will say: “Did you
give the lie to My messages even though you failed to u. >SI 5»- 0 |^j
encompass them with [your] knowledge?75 Or what
was it that [you thought] you were doing?”
(85) And the word [of truth] will stand revealed J1 (g) Gc jJ?
against them in the face of76 all the wrong which they
4 »J&J JJT ÜX
had committed, and they will not [be able to] utter a
single word [of excuse]: (86) for, were they not aware
that it is We who had made the night for them, so that
they might rest therein, and the day, to make [them]
see?77
In this, behold, there are messages indeed for peo­
ple who will believe!

72 This passage corresponds to the oft-repeated Qur’anic statement that “God guides him that
wills [to be guided] (yahdï man yasMT)".
73 Lit., “comes to pass against them” - i.e., when the truth becomes obvious to them against all
their expectations, and thus confounds them utterly: an allusion to the approach of the Last Hour.
Resurrection and God's Judgment, all of which they were wont to regard as ‘’fables of ancient
times” (cf. verses 67-68 above). Alternatively, the phrase idhâ waqa'a al-qawl 'alayhim may be
understood as “when the sentence [of doom] is passed on them”, i.e., at the approach of the Last
Hour, when it will be too late for repentance.
74 The “creature brought forth out of the earth" is apparently an allegory of man's “earthly”
outlook on life-in other words, the soul-destroying materialism characteristic of the time
preceding the Last Hour. This “creature” parabolically “tells” men that their submergence in
exclusively materialistic values-and, hence, their approaching self-destruction - is an outcome of
their lack of belief in God. (See also 7 : 175-176 and the corresponding note 141.)
75 I.e., without having understood them or made any attempt to understand them
(ZamakhsharT).
76 Or: “the sentence [of doom] will have been passed on them in recompense of... , etc. (see
note 73 above).
77 In the present context (as in 10 :67 or 40:60 the reference to “night” and “day" has a
symbolic significance: namely, man’s God-given ability to gain insight through conscious reasoning
(“the day that makes them see”) as well as through the intuition that comes from a restful
surrender to the voice of one’s own heart (“the night made for rest )-both of which tell us that
the existence of God is a logical necessity, and that a rejection of His messages is a sin against
ourselves.
587
 SÜRAH27
AN-NAML

(87) And on that Day the trumpet [of judgment] will

be sounded, and all [creatures] that are in the heavens
and all that are on earth will be stricken with terror,
except such as God wills [to exempt]: and in utter
lowliness all will come unto Him.
(88) And thou wilt see the mountains, which [now] J& j J. j
thou deemest so firm, pass away as clouds pass away: X X > X A.
a work of God, who has ordered all things to per­
fection!78
Verily, He is fully aware of all that you do! ç-* Ji Sj* jCll
(89) Whoever shall come [before Him] with a good
(J) ûjUl'Cc
deed will gain [further] good therefrom;79 and they
will be secure from the terror of that Day. •Çx £> ^*3 Ç* cr
(90) But they who shall come with evil deeds80 -
their faces will be thrust into the fire, [and they will p—(Ä) ûy-'t
be asked:] “Is this aught but a just requital81 for what
<£) t \ '^3ji j-i jüî j
you were doing [in life]?”
iSÛJÎ . Ûj Ui
(91) [SAY, O Muhammad:] “I have been bidden to
worship the Sustainer of this City82-Him who has (g) ÛjX-JÎ □’ ^S'3 & X/b
made it sacred, and unto whom all things belong; and
I have been bidden to be of those who surrender
themselves to Him, (92) and to convey this Qur’an [to
the world].”
Whoever, therefore, chooses to follow the right
path, follows it but for his own good; and if any wills
to go astray, say [unto him]: “I am only a warner!”
(93) And say: “All praise is due to God! In time He
will make you see [the truth of] His messages, and
then you shall know them [for what they are].”
And thy Sustainer is not unmindful of whatever
you all may do.

78 I.e., in perfect consonance with the purpose for which He has created them: which is the
approximate meaning of the verb atqana. In this particular instance, stress is laid on the
God-willed transitory nature of the world as we know it (cf. 14:48 and 20: 105-107, and the
corresponding notes) in contrast with the lasting reality of the life to come.
79 Lit., “good shall be his from it", i.e., in consequence or in result of it (ibn * Abbäs, Al-Hasan,
Qatädah, Ibn Jurayj, all of them quoted by Tabari)- thus stressing the Qur’anic doctrine that what
is metaphorically described as “rewards” and “punishments” in the life to come are but the natural
consequences, good or bad, of man's attitudes and doings in this world. On a different level, the
above phrase may also be understood thus: “Whoever shall come with a good deed will gain
something better than [or “through”] it”-an allusion to the‘fact that whereas the deed itself may
be transitory, its merit is enduring (Zamakhshari).
80 I.e., those who did only evil, or whose evil deeds greatly outweigh their good deeds (Ibn
KathTr).
81 Lit., "Are you requited for anything else than..etc.
82 I.e., Mecca, where the first temple dedicated to the One God was built (cf. 3:96).
 THE TWENTY-EIGHTH SÜRAH

AL-QAÇAS (THE STORY)

MECCA PERIOD

HERE is hardly any doubt that this siirah as a whole was revealed in the late part of the Mecca
T period, immediately preceding siirah 17 (A/-Zsrä*); but according to some authorities, verse
85 was revealed at a place called Juhfah during the Prophet’s flight from Mecca to Medina.
The conventional * title” appears to have been taken at random from the word al-qa$a$ occurring
in the second part of verse 25 - a choice that may have been influenced by the fact that about
one-half of the siirah is devoted to the story of Moses. It is noteworthy that most of this story
depicts the purely human aspects of his life - that is to say, the impulses, perplexities and errors
which are part of the human condition as such: aspects which the Qur’än stresses in order to
counteract any possible tendency on the part of the pious to attribute “superhuman” or, in the last
resort, semi-divine qualities to God’s apostles. Appropriately, the siirah ends with a sonorous
evocation of the truth that “there is no deity save God”, and that “everything is bound to perish,
save His [eternal] Self”.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) Ja. Sîn. Mïm.'

(ZJ’T’HESE ARE MESSAGES of a divine writ clear in --------------- %

JL itself and clearly showing the truth.1
23
(3) We [now] convey unto thee some of the story of
ÿl- (T) Çs-JT cSit éi; Q
Moses and Pharaoh, setting forth the truth for [the
benefit of] people who will believe.
<î>
(4) Behold, Pharaoh exalted himself in the land and
divided its people into castes.1 One group of them he
deemed utterly low; he would slaughter their sons and
spare [only] their women:4 for, behold, he was one of
J (J)
those who spread corruption [on earth].
(5) But it was Our will to bestow Our favour upon
those [very people] who were deemed [so] utterly low
in the land, and to make them forerunners in faith,5

1 See Appendix II.

2 For an explanation of the above rendering of the adjective mubin, see note 2 on 12:1.
3 Lit., “parties” or “sects”-here undoubtedly referring to the division of people into “high”
and “low-born”: a division which the Qur’än utterly condemns. The group which, as mentioned m
the next sentence. Pharaoh “deemed utterly low” were the Israelites, who had been placed on the
lowest rung of the Egyptian social scale and were deprived of almost all human rights.
4 See note 7.
5 Lit., “leaders” or “exemplars" (a'immah, sing, imam)- an allusion to the historical fact that
the Hebrews were the first to accept a monotheistic creed in a clear, unequivocal formulation, and
thus became the forerunners of both Christianity and Islam.
589
and to make them heirs [to Pharaoh’s glory], (6) and
to establish them securely on earth, and to let
Pharaoh and Haman6 and their hosts experience
through those [children of Israel] the very thing
against which they sought to protect themselves.7
(7) And so, [when he was born,] We inspired [thus]
the mother of Moses: “Suckle him [for a time], and
then, when thou hast cause to fear for him, cast him o* (T) ûjji-k ijîé'u
into the river,89and have no fear and do not grieve -
^7^ j SÄJU
for We shall restore him to thee, and shall make him
one of Our message-bearers!” (£) Lr •A'r-J ^01 'j
(8) And [some of] Pharaoh’s household’ found [and
spared] him: for [We had willed] that he become an ûjp/ IbJ* j*A J’*
enemy unto them and [a source of] grief, seeing that
Pharaoh and Hämän and their hosts were sinners
indeed!
(9) Now the wife of Pharaoh said: “A joy to the
eye [could this child be] for me and thee! Slay him
not: he may well be of use to us, or we may adopt
him as a son!” And they had no presentiment [of
what he was to become].
(10) On the morrow, however, an aching void grew
up in the heart of the mother of Moses, and she
would indeed have disclosed all about him10 had We
not endowed her heart with enough strength to keep
alive her faith [in Our promise].11 (II) And so she said
to his sister, “Follow him”-and [the girl] watched
him from afar, while they [who had taken him in]
were not aware of it.
(12) Now from the very beginning We caused him
to refuse the breast of [Egyptian] nurses; and [when
6 This Hämän, who is mentioned several times in the Qur’an as Pharaoh's chief adviser, is not
to be confused with the Persian Haman of the Old Testament (The Book of Esther iii ff.).
Most probably, the word “Hämän” as used in the Qur’an is not a proper name at all but the
Arabicized echo of the compound designation Hä-Amen given to every high priest of the Egyptian
god Amon. Since at the time in question the cult of Amon was paramount in Egypt, his high priest
held a rank second only to that of the reigning Pharaoh. The assumption that the person spoken of
in the Qur’än as Hämän was indeed the high priest of the cult of Amon is strengthened by
Pharaoh’s demand (mentioned in verse 38 of this sürah as well as in 40 : 36—37) that Hämän erect
for him “a lofty tower” from which he could “have a look at [or “ascend to"] the god of Moses":
which may be, among other things, an allusion to the hieratic purpose of the great pyramids of
Egypt and to the function of the high priest as their chief architect. (But see also note 37.)
7 The Egyptians-obviously remembering the earlier, alien Hyksos dynasty that had invaded
Egypt and subsequently allied itself with the Hebrews (see sürah 12, note 44)-feared that the
latter might in the future, too, make common cause with foreign invaders (cf. Exodus i, 10): and to
protect themselves against this danger, they decided - as mentioned in several places in the Qur’än
as well as in the Bible - to have every male Hebrew child killed.
8 Sc., “and he will be saved”: cf. 20:39.
9 As is evident from the next verse as well as from 66 : II, it was Pharaoh's own wife.
10 I.e., disclose his true identity in the hope that he would be returned to her.
11 Lit., “so that she might be of those who have faith".

590
 28
THE STORY
his sister came to know this,] she said: “Shall I guide
you to a family that might rear him for you, and look
after him with good will?”
(13) And thus We restored him to his mother, so
that her eye might be gladdened, and that she might
grieve no longer, and that she might know that God’s
promise always comes true-even though most of
them know it not!

(14) NOW WHEN [Moses] reached full manhood and had

become mature [of mind], We bestowed upon him the
ability to judge [between right and wrong] as well as & <$> 1jCjJ £3
[innate] knowledge: for thus do We reward the doers
of good.12
(15) And [one day] he entered the city at a time
when [most of] its people were [resting in their
houses,] unaware of what was going on [in the
streets];1’ and there he encountered two men fighting
with one another-one of his own people,14 and the
other of his enemies. And the one who belonged to
IÂ1* JB
his own people cried out to him for help against him
who was of his enemies - whereupon Moses struck
him down with his fist, and [thus] brought about his
end.
[But then] he said [to himself]: “This is of Satan's
doing! Verily, he is an open foe, leading [man]
astray!”15
(16) [And] he prayed: O my Sustainer! Verily, I
have sinned against myself! Grant me, then. Thy
forgiveness!”
And He forgave him - for, verily, He alone is truly-

12 This statement, almost entirely identical with 12 :22 (where it refers to Joseph), stresses the
supreme divine blessing of spiritual consciousness film in its deepest significance) combined with
rational thought, as expressed in the concept of Mm, the ‘ ability to judge [between right and
wrong]”. As is evident from 26:20, Moses reached this spiritual maturity after the events
described in verses 15 ff.
13 Lit., “at a time of its people’s unawareness”.
14 I.e., of the Hebrews.
15 Regarding the reference to “Satan’s doing”, see first half of note 16 on 15:17. In the present
instance, verses 16-17 seem to indicate that it was the Israelite, and not the Egyptian, who
had been in the wrong (cf. next note). Apparently, Moses had come to the assistance of the
Israelite out of an instinctive sense of racial kinship without regard to the rights and wrongs of the
case; but immediately afterwards he realized that he had committed a grave sin not only by killing,
however inadvertently, an innocent person, but also by basing his action on a mere tribal - or, as
we would describe it today, racial or national - prejudice. Evidently, this is the purport of the
above Qur’anic segment of the story of Moses. Its moral has been stressed and explained by the
Prophet on many occasions: cf. his famous saying, “He is not of us who proclaims the cause of
tribal partisanship Çafabiyyahy, and he is not of us who fights in the cause of tribal partisanship; and
he is not of us who dies in the cause of tribal partisanship” (Abû Da’ûd. on the authority of Jubayr ibn
Mufim). When he was asked to explain the meaning of “tribal partisanship”, the Prophet answered, ‘It
means helping thine own people in an unjust cause” (ibid., on the authority of Wäthilah ibn al-Asqa j.

591
 AL-QA$A$ SÜRAH

forgiving, a dispenser of grace.

(17) Said he: “0 my Sustainer! [I vow] by all the
blessings which Thou hast bestowed on me: Never­
more shall I aid such as are lost in sin!”16
(18) And next morning he found himself in the city,
looking fearfully about him, when lo! the one who
had sought his help the day before [once again] cried
out to him [for help17 - whereupon] Moses said unto (£) lx ji;
him: “Behold, thou art indeed, most clearly, deeply in
the wrong!’’18 t»j * IS^i I* I* j
(19) But then,19 as soon as he was about to lay •' - » > l>>'
violent hands on the man who was their [common] ($) ûir* Â

enemy, the latter exclaimed: “O Moses, dost thou

JI* L-l J-** aly jl Qi
intend to slay me as thou didst slay another man
yesterday? Thy sole aim is to become a tyrant in this
I-*’ j' Jj/’
land, for thou dost not care to be of those who would
set things to rights!” .j» Ù' j»7k, j'jl^ j'
(20) And [then and there] a man came running from
C.JJÎ Qi* jZ
the farthermost end of the city, and said: “O Moses!
Behold, the great ones [of the kingdom] are deli­
y (i JjUÎJ 11 jj l j', J8
berating upon thy case with a view to killing thee!
Begone, then: verily, I am of those who wish thee lit.
well!”
(21) So he went forth from thence, looking fearfully tub y.y Uj T 'r’J Jli

about him, and prayed: “O my Sustainer! Save me

(£> uJjt j' q. Jii
from all evildoing folk!”
(22) And as he turned his face towards Madyan, he jpûJ J» J»’} jr-k* »- *J) Q,
said [to himself]: “It may well be that my Sustainer
will [thus] guide me onto the right path!”20 iX.ktf-U Jli j*

(23) NOW WHEN he arrived at the wells21 of Madyan. he

found there a large group of men who were watering
[their herds and flocks]; and at some distance from
them he came upon two women who were keeping
back their flock.
He asked [them]: “What is the matter with you?”
They answered: “We cannot water [our animals]

16 According to Ibn 'Abbäs and Muqâtil (both of them quoted by BaghawT). “this is an
indication that the Israelite whom Moses had helped was a denier of the truth (kafir)" - i.e., in the
moral sense of this definition. (See also last sentence of verse 86 of this sûra/i.)
17 Sc., “against another Egyptian”.
18 Lit., “lost in grievous error” or “deviating from what is right”.
19 Sc., “swayed once again by his feeling of kinship with the Israelite”, as indicated in the
subsequent reference to the Egyptian as “their [common] enemy”.
20 The inhabitants of Madyan (called Midian in the Bible) were Arabs of the Amorite group.
Since they were racially and linguistically closely related to the Hebrews, they could be counted
upon to help Moses in his plight. For the geographical location of the region of Madyan, see sürah
7, note 67.
21 Lit., “water” or “waters".

592
 28
THE STORY
until the herdsmen drive [theirs] home-for [we are
weak and] our father is a very old man.”
(24) So he watered [their flock] for them; and then
he withdrew into the shade and prayed: ‘‘0 my Sus­
tainer! Verily, in dire need am I of any good which
Thou mayest bestow upon me!”
(25) [Shortly] afterwards, one of the two [maidens] (g) y ÿ. t UJT £ ,p VGfê
approached him, walking shyly, and said: “Behold,
my father invites thee, so that he might duly reward’ ji û; ji £7 ci
thee for thy having watered [our flock] for us.”
And as soon as [Moses] came unto him and told him (g) 3- 4
the story [of his life], he said: “Have no fear! Thou art
now safe from those evildoing folk!” ........
(26) Said one of the two [daughters]: “O my father! JU '.su LÎi» Ü
Hire him: for, behold, the best [man] that thou
Ç.IL' cJB <g) jjJtlüTf 4^.
couldst hire is one who is [as] strong and worthy of
trust [as he]!” rPft o_^*£^T -T
(27) [After some time, the father] said: “Behold, I
am willing to let thee wed one of these two daughters ù* ÿ jl’T ù‘ i y JB
of mine on the understanding that thou wilt remain
eight years in my service; and if thou shouldst com­
plete ten [years], that would be [an act of grace] from
ÛA ù; J-i* 5’ j> J
thee, for I do not want to impose any hardship on
thee: [on the contrary,] thou wilt find me, if God so çXïîu‘ éû.') p JT; JB .g) 3-jJjT
wills, righteous in all my dealings.”22
(28) Answered [Moses]: “Thus shall it be between û > â’J j
me and thee! Whichever of the two terms I fulfil, let
there be no ill-will against me. And God be witness to all
that we say!”

(29) AND WHEN Moses' had fulfilled his term, and was jùî 3; J p-4 y J£. <-£ 53
wandering with his family [in the desert], he per­
ceived a fire on the slope of Mount Sinai;23 [and so] pVr ÿîr
he said to his family: “Wait here. Behold, 1 perceive a
ûî Ji J îî'Vjt pjîj
fire [far away]; perhaps I may bring you from there
some tiding,2425or [at least] a burning brand from the
fire, so that you might warm yourselves.”
(30) But when he came close to it, a call was
sounded from the right-side bank of the valley, out of
the tree [burning] on blessed ground:23 “O Moses!

22 Lit., “one of the righteous”.

23 For an explanation of Moses’ wanderings in the desert, see note 7 on 20:10; for that of the
allegory of the “fire”, note 7 on 27:7-8. - Throughout this work, the noun at-fûr (“the mountain”)
is being rendered as “Mount Sinai”, for it is to this and to no other mountain that the Qur’an
invariably refers in the above term.
24 Sc., “as to which way we are to pursue”.
25 As in 19:52 and 20 : 80, the reference to the “right” side has a connotation of “blessedness":
see in this respect note 25 on 74:39. As regards the “blessed ground”, see note 9 on the
expression “twice-hallowed valley” in 20:12. The “tree” referred to in the above verse is
obviously identical with the “burning bush" of the Bible (Exodus iii, 2).

593
 SÜRAH
AL-QA$A$

Verily, I am God, the Sustainer of all the worlds!”

(31) And [then He said]: ‘‘Throw down thy staff !”
But as soon as [Moses] saw it move rapidly, as if it
were a snake, he drew back [in terror], and did not
[dare to] return.26
[And God spoke to him again:] “O Moses! Draw
near, and have no fear-for, behold, thou art of those UUj Ui llUx-, j ' j') (fr) ùvJbJÏk.»,

who are secure [in this world and in the next]!27 ** x E „ x - <■
(32) “[And now] put thy hand into thy bosom: it 3^ Y, j-j» ' Ji 'z.3 ûU.
will come forth [shining] white, without blemish.28
]£■ dl; ;*• j
And [henceforth] hold thine arm close to thyself, free
of all fear.29 (Jr* dUL»- V- j* ^3-

“These, then, shall be the two signs [of thy bearing

a message] from thy Sustainer30 unto Pharaoh and L*(*r» ‘ JJ 3'-*i
his great ones - for, behold, they are people depraved !”
(33) Said [Moses]: “O my Sustainer! I have slain (-- L 33
one of them, and so I fear that they will slay me... .31
3* J* jjp» Ù'
(34) And my brother Aaron - he is far better in speech
than I am.32 Send him, therefore, as a helper, so that J»u.‘ □»
he might [more eloquently] bear witness to my
speaking the truth: for I fear indeed that they will |£j -•*-<»* * ■* ■- w i v'_wjSL

give me the lie.” 1 * JlU >i

(35) Said He: “We shall strengthen thine arm
through thy brother, and endow both of you with
power, so that they will not be able to touch you:33 by
virtue of Our messages shall you two, and all who Cj #
follow you, prevail !”
(36) BUT AS SOON as Moses came unto them with Our
clear messages [Pharaoh and his great ones] said:
“All this is nothing but spellbinding eloquence
devised [by man]:34 and never did we hear [the like

26 The miracle of the staff has, possibly, a symbolic significance: see siirah 20. note 14.
27 Cf. 27:10 - “no fear need the message-bearers have in My Presence”.
28 See note 85 on 7 :108.
29 As pointed out by ZamakhsharT, the above idiomatic sentence is a metonym recalling a
well-known gesture of terror-the involuntary stretching-fort h of one’s hands or arms when
suddenly faced with something terrifying; conversely, the ’’holding of one's arm (lit., ‘‘wing’’] close
to oneself” is expressive of freedom from fear. In the present instance, the phrase echoes the
concluding words of verse 31 - “behold, thou art of those who are secure [in this world and in the
next]”.
30 The “two signs” (burhänän) may be understood as Moses' ability to remain, by
virtue of his certainty of God’s omnipresence, forever free of alt physical or moral fear, as well as
his ability to show that appearance and reality are not always identical.
31 Sc., “and thus make it impossible for me to accomplish my mission": for, as regards himself,
Moses was henceforth free of fear.
32 Cf. 20 : 27-28 and 26:12-13, as well as the corresponding notes.
33 Lit., “so that they will pot reach you”.
34 See note 12 on 74:24, which is the earliest Qur’anic instance of the term sihr in the above
connotation.

594
28________________________________________
THE STORY
of] this, [nor has it ever been heard of] in the time of
our forebears of old!”
(37) And Moses replied: “My Sustainer knows best
as to who comes with guidance from Him, and to
whom the future belongs!35 Verily, never will evil­
(g)
doers attain to a happy state!”
(38) Whereupon Pharaoh said: “O you nobles! I did
not know that you could have any deity other than
($) 5/kÛÎ
myself!36 Well, then, O Hämän, kindle me a fire for
[baking bricks of] clay, and then build me a lofty 4 Cr**- d ^15;
tower, that haply I may have a look at the god of
Moses37 - although, behold, I am convinced that he is J
of those who [always] tell lies!”
(39) Thus arrogantly, without the least good sense,38 J!*. J J* @
did he and his hosts behave on earth - just as if they (g) JÏÎ
thought that they would never have to appear before
Us [for judgment]!3’
(40) And so We seized him and his hosts and cast
them into the sea: and behold what happened in the fx i & Ä O
end to those evildoers: (41) [We destroyed them,] and
We set them up as archetypes [of evil] that show the
klj ÇjJÎ j ^4*-^ J'j (g) âLjuï
way to the fire [of hell];40 and [whereas] no succour
will come to them on Resurrection Day, (42) We have
caused a curse to follow them in this world as well;41

35 For an explanation of the above phrase, see sûrah 6, note 118.

36 In view of the fact that the ancient Egyptians worshipped many gods, this observation is not
to be taken literally; but since each of the Pharaohs was regarded as an incarnation of the divine
principle as such, he claimed-and received-his people's adoration as their “Lord All-Highest”
(cf. 79 : 24), combining within himself, as it were, all the qualities attributable to gods.
37 Or: “ascend to the god of Moses”. Whichever of the two meanings is given to the verb
itfali'u, Pharaoh’s demand for a “lofty tower” is not only an allusion to the building of one of the
great pyramids (see note 6 above), but also a derisory, contemptuous reference to Moses' concept
of God as an all-embracing Power, inconceivably high above all that exists.
38 Lit., “without [any] truth” or “justification” (bi-ghayr al-haqq).
39 Lit., “and they thought that they would not be brought back to Us”. There is no doubt that
the ancient Egyptians did believe in a life after death, and that this belief included the concept of a
divine judgment as well. Since, however, the particular Pharaoh whom Moses confronted is said to
have behaved with an arrogance opposed to all good sense, the Qur’an - by implication - likens his
attitude to that of a person who does not believe in resurrection and in man's ultimate
responsibility before God: hence my rendering of the conjunctive particle wa at the beginning of
the above clause as “just as if".
40 Lit., “archetypes (a’immah) inviting to the fire”. This is the pivotal sentence of the above
fragment of the story of Moses. Just as verses 15-16 are meant to draw our attention to the sin of
tribal or racial prejudice (see note 15), the present reference to Pharaoh as an “archetype [of evil]”
points to the fact that false pride (takabbur) and arrogance (istikbär) are truly “satanic” attitudes
of mind, repeatedly exemplified in the Qur’an by IbITs's symbolic “revolt” against God (for the
meaning of which see note 26 on 2:34 and note 31 on 15:41). Inasmuch as they are intrinsically evil,
these “satanic" impulses lead to evil actions and, consequently, to a weakening or even a total destruc­
tion of man’s spiritual potential: which, in its turn, is bound to cause suffering in the hereafter.
41 I.e., in the pejorative connotation universally given to the adjective “pharaonic”. It is to be
noted that the term la'nah, here rendered as “curse”, primarily denotes “estrangement” (ibcdd),
i.e., from all that is good and, hence, really desirable.
595
 SÜRAH
AL-QAÇAÇ

and on Resurrection Day they will find themselves

among those who are bereft of all good.42
(43) And [then,] indeed, after We had destroyed
those earlier generations [of sinners], We vouchsafed
unto Moses [Our] revelation as a means of insight for
men,43 and as a guidance and grace, so that they might
bethink themselves [of Us]. iJaZH (g) fjb lui,iJÎ J

(44) NOW [as for thee, O Muhammad,] thou wert not

present on the sunset slope [of Mount Sinai] when
We imposed the Law upon Moses, nor wert thou
among those who witnessed [his times]:44 (45) nay,
but [between them and thee] We brought into being
[many] generations, and long was their span of life. Jjiki é’û» ußJj 0 ù;

And neither didst thou dwell among the people of z E

Madyan, conveying Our messages unto them:45 nay,
but We have [always] been sending [Our message­
<$>
bearers unto man].
(46) And neither wert thou present on the slope of J* by jXJ 1Îj jCJj Cali a[
Mount Sinai when We called out [to Moses]:46 but
[thou, too, art sent] as an act of thy Sustainer’s grace,
to warn people to whom no warner has come before
thee, so that they might bethink themselves [of Us]; Ct'ÙJ
(47) and [We have sent thee] lest they say [on Judg­
($) LJ[
ment Day], when disaster befalls them as an outcome
of what their own hands have wrought, “O our Sus­ jS V? V« i
tainer, if only Thou hadst sent an apostle unto us, we
would have followed Thy messages, and would have
been among those who believe!”
(48) And yet, now that the truth has come unto
them from Us, they say, “Why has he not been vouch­
safed the like of what Moses was vouchsafed?”47

42 I.e., among those who by their own actions will have removed themselves from God's grace:
a meaning given to the term maqbûh, in this context, by most of the classical commentators and
philologists (cf. Lisän al-Arab, Tâj al-'Ariis, etc.).
43 By virtue of its being the first instance of a divinely-inspired Law, the Torah inaugurated a
new phase in mankind’s religious history (cf. the reference to the children of Israel as “forerunners
in faith” in verse 5 of this surah).
44 Implying that the story of Moses as narrated in the Qur’än could not have come to
Mufiammad’s knowledge otherwise than through revelation: consequently, the Qur’an as such
must obviously be a result of divine revelation.-The term al-amr, rendered above as “the Law”,
is the Arabic equivalent of the Hebrew word torah (“law” or “precept"), the commonly-accepted
title of the revelation granted to Moses.
45 I.e., “thou art not the first of Our apostles, O Muhammad: We have sent thee to the people of
thy time just as We sent Shu'ayb to the people of Madyan" (Ad-Qafchäk, as quoted by Râzî).
46 According to some of the classical commentators, this second reference to “the slope of
Mount Sinai” contains an allusion to the divine assurance mentioned in 7:156: “My grace
overspreads everything ..(Tabarï, Râzî). This interpretation is most plausible in view of the
subsequent reference to Muhammad's mission as “an act of thy Sustainer’s grace (rahma/i)”.
47 As the Qur’fin frequently points out, the basic ethical truths enunciated in it are the same as
 28
THE STORY
But did they not also, before this, deny the truth of
what Moses was vouchsafed? [For] they do say,
“Two examples of delusion, [seemingly] supporting
each other!”48 And they add, “Behold, we refuse to
accept either of them as true!”
(49) Say: “Produce, then, [another] revelation from
Jj’
God which would offer better guidance than either of
these two49-[and] I shall follow it, if you speak the Ji ($)
truth!”
(50) And since they cannot respond to this thy <j[ âî x» JI îy u
challenge,50 know that they are following only their
(ï£)
own likes and dislikes: and who could be more astray
than he who follows [but] his own likes and dislikes J-*1 (►**!>*' Ü-V
without any guidance from God?
Verily, God does not grace with His guidance peo­ (£>
ple who are given to evildoing!
(J) ■*“. jJijI p—i UImj SiJj •

(51) NOW, INDEED, We have caused this word [of Ours]

to reach mankind step by step,51 so that they might
[learn to] keep it in mind.
(52) As for those unto whom We have vouchsafed
revelation aforetime - they [are bound to] believe in

those of earlier revelations. It is this very statement which induced the opponents of Muhammad -
in his own time as well as in later times - to question the authenticity of the Qur’än: “If it had
really been revealed by God,” they argue, “would so many of its propositions, especially its social
laws, differ so radically from the laws promulgated in that earlier divine writ, the Torah?" By
advancing this argument (and quite apart from the question of whether the text of the Bible as we
know it today has or has not been corrupted in the course of time), the opponents of Muhammad’s
message deliberately overlook the fact, repeatedly stressed in the Qur’än. that the earlier systems
of law were conditioned by the spiritual level of a particular people and the exigencies of a
particular chapter of human history, and therefore had to be superseded by new laws at a higher
stage of human development (see in this connection the second paragraph of 5:48 and the
corresponding note 66). However, as is evident from the immediate sequence - and especially from
the last sentence of this verse-the above specious argument is not meant to uphold the
authenticity of the Bible as against that of the Qur’än. but. rather, aims at discrediting both-and,
through them, the basic religious principle against which the irreligious mind always revolts:
namely, the idea of divine revelation and of man’s absolute dependence on end responsibility to
God, the Ultimate Cause of all that exists.
48 A contemptuous allusion, on the one hand, to Old-Testament predictions of the coming of
the Prophet Muhammad (cf. sürah 2, note 33), and, on the other, to the oft-repeated Qur’anic
statement that this divine writ had been revealed to “confirm the truth of earlier revelations”. As
regards my rendering of the term sihr (lit., “magic” or “sorcery") as “delusion” - and occasionally as
“spellbinding eloquence" - see note 12 on 74 : 24.
49 I.e., the Torah and the Qur’an. The Gospel is not mentioned in this context because, as Jesus
himself had stressed, his message was based on the Law of Moses, and was not meant to displace
the latter.
50 Lit., “if they do not respond to thee", implying that they are unable to accept the above
challenge.
51 Lit., “We have caused this word to reach them gradually”: this meaning is implied in the
verbal form wa$$alnä, which-like the grammatically identical form nazzalnä - points to the
gradual, step-by-step revelation of the Qur’än during the twenty-three years of Muhammad’s
prophetic ministry.
597
 SÜRAH
AL-QAÇA?

this one [as well];52 (53) and whenever it is [clearly]

conveyed unto them, they [are bound to] profess,
“We have come to believe in it, for, behold, it is the
truth from our Sustainer - and, verily, even before
this have we surrendered ourselves unto Him!”
(54) These it is that shall receive a twofold reward
for having been patient in adversity, and having <jj4—
repelled evil with good,53 and having spent on
C-tj <1* V—J-L jj*jJ« ) îj j*—C-X Oy,/*
others out of what We provided for them as sus­
tenance, (55) and, whenever they heard frivolous
«-* 1i (J)
talk,54 having turned away from it and said: “Unto us
shall be accounted our deeds, and unto you, your
deeds. Peace be upon you - [but] we do not seek out
such as are ignorant [of the meaning of right and
wrong].”
(£)

(56) VERILY, thou canst not guide aright everyone whom

thou lovest: but it is God who guides him that wills
[to be guided];55 and He is fully aware of all who
would let themselves be guided.56
(57) Now some say, “If we were to follow the
guidance to which thou invitest us, we would be torn

52 This is both a statement of historical fact - alluding to conversions of Jews and Christians in
Muhammad’s lifetime-and a prophecy. It must, however, be understood that, in the above
context, God’s “vouchsafing” revelation implies a conscious, sincere acceptance of its teachings
by those to whom it has been conveyed: for it is this sincerity that has enabled them-or will
enable them-to realize that the Qur’ân preaches the same ethical truths as those forthcoming
from earlier revelations. (Cf. 26: 196-197 and the corresponding notes 83-65.)
53 See note 44 on the identical phrase in 13:22. In the present context, the reference to
“patience in adversity” and “repelling evil with good" evidently relates to the loss of erstwhile
communal links, social ostracism, and all manner of physical or moral persecution which is so
often the lot of persons who accept religious tenets different from those of their own community.
54 This obviously refers to attempts, based on prejudice, at deriding the spiritual re-orientation
of the person concerned.
55 Or: "God guides whomever He wills”-either of these two renderings being syntactically
correct. According to several extremely well-authenticated Traditions, the above verse relates to
the Prophet’s inability to induce his dying uncle Abû Tälib, whom he loved dearly and who had
loved and protected him throughout his life, to renounce the pagan beliefs of his ancestors and to
profess faith in God’s oneness. Influenced by Abû Jahl and other Meccan chieftains, Abû Tälib
died professing, in his own words, “the creed of cAbd al-Muttalib” (Bukhari) or, according to
another version (quoted by TabarT), "the creed of my ancestors (al-ashyäkh)'\ However, the
Qur’anic statement "thou canst not guide aright everyone whom thou lovest” has undoubtedly a
timeless import as well: it stresses the inadequacy of all human endeavours to “convert” any other
person, however loving and loved, to one’s own beliefs, or to prevent him from falling into what
one regards as error, unless that person wills to be so guided.
56 The above rendering of thé expression al-muhtadïn conforms to the interpretations offered
in this context by many classical commentators - e.g., "those who accept guidance”
(ZamakhsharT), "everyone who in time would find the right way" (Râzï), “those who are prepared
(musta'iddïn) for it” (Baytjâwï), "all who deserve guidance” (Ibn KathTr), and so forth. Thus,
God’s guidance is but the final act of His grace with which He rewards all who desire to be guided.
For a further consideration of this problem, the reader is referred to ZamakhsharT’s illuminating
remarks quoted in note 4 on 14:4.

598
28
THE STORY
away from our very soil!””
Why - have We not established for them a sanc­
tuary secure, to which, as a provision from Us, shall
be gathered the fruits of all [good] things?38
But most of them are unaware [of this truth].
(58) And how many a community that [once] exult­
ed in its wanton wealth and ease of life have We
destroyed, so that those dwelling-places of theirs-all
but a few - have never been dwelt-in after them: for it
is indeed We alone who shall remain when all else will
have passed away!39
(59) Yet, withal, thy Sustainer would never destroy ùé'uj (g) ùy yçii

a community without having [first] raised in its midst

<3 Cs*- ùîyü’f
an apostle who would convey unto them Our mes­
sages;57
6061
59
58 and never would We destroy a community J Uj(J) 3jJl£
unless its people are wont to do wrong [to one
another].6'
».L , i ~ ,

(60) And [remember:] whatever you are given

[now] is but for the [passing] enjoyment of life in this I; ..*• IJcj CJcj/U' (J)

world, and for its embellishment-whereas that which

is with God is [so much] better and more enduring.
Will you not, then, use your reason?
(61) Is, then, he to whom We have given that

57 Lit., “If we were to follow the guidance together with thee, we would be snatched away from
our land” (or “our soil”). This passage has obviously a twofold connotation. On the historical
plane, it echoes an objection voiced by many pagan Meccans to Muhammad's preaching: “If we
were to accept thy call, most of the other tribes would regard this as a betrayal of our common
ancestral beliefs, and would drive us away from our land.” In a more general, timeless sense it
reflects the hesitation of so many people - of whatever period, environment or religious
persuasion - who, while realizing the truth of a new spiritual call, are yet fearful of acknowledging
it as true lest this acknowledgment cause a total breach between them and their community and
thus, as it were, cut the ground from under their feet.
58 Like the preceding expression of fear, this Qur’anic answer, too, can be understood in two
senses. In the limited, historical sense it is an allusion to Abraham's prayer that the land around
the Ka'bah be made secure for all times and its natural barrenness be compensated by fruitful help
from outside (cf. 14:35-41; also 2: 126), and to God's acceptance of this prayer: thus, the
Prophet’s Meccan contemporaries are reminded that they need not fear to be dispossessed of this
holy land so long as they remain righteous and trust in God. In its purely spiritual connotation, on
the other hand, the “sanctuary secure" is God's promise - referred to in verse 61 below-that all
who have faith in Him and are conscious of their responsibility to Him shall be graced with a sense
of inner peace in this world and with enduring bliss in the life to come; and since they are thus to
be rewarded with the “fruits” of all their good deeds, “no fear need they have, and neither shall
they grieve” (cf. 2:62, 3:170, 5:69, 6:48, 7:35, 10:62, 46:13). See also note 59 on 29:67.
59 Lit., “We are indeed (fcunnd) the inheritors". For an explanation of my rendering of this
phrase, see note 22 on 15 :23. The above passage stresses the insignificance and brittleness of all
worldly “advantages” as compared with the imperishable good of divine guidance.
60 Sc., "and thus make them aware of the meaning of right and wrong": cf. 6:130-132 and the
corresponding notes 116 and 117.
61 Cf. in this connection 11: 117 and note 149. All the three passages referred to in this as well
as the preceding note (i.e., 6:130-132,11:117 and 28:59) are interdependent and must, therefore,
be read side by side. The present passage connects with verse 58 above and its reference to
“wanton wealth and ease of life”, for the sake of which people so often wrong one another.
599
 SÜRAH
AL-QA$A$

goodly promise which he shall see fulfilled [on his

resurrection]62 comparable to one on whom We have
bestowed [all] the enjoyments of this worldly life but
who, on Resurrection Day, will find himself among
those that shall be arraigned [before Us]?63
(62) For, on that Day He will call unto them, and
will ask: “Where, now, are those [beings or powers] fcr*
whom you imagined to have a share in My
divinity?”64-(63) [whereupon] they against whom the
word [of truth] shall thus stand revealed65 will
a* të* fx -» <$>

exclaim: “O our Sustainer! Those whom we caused to

err so grievously, we but caused to err as we our­ ÇjP '--I/' j
selves had been erring.66 We [now] disavow them
before Thee: it was not us that they worshipped!”67
(64) And [they] will be told: “Call [now] unto those
[beings or powers] to whom you were wont to ascribe
a share in God’s divinity!”68-and they will call unto UU jji-i fçAplJ <£>
them [for help], but those [false objects of worship]
will not respond to them: whereupon they will see the
suffering [that awaits them - the suffering which could
have been avoided] if only they had allowed them­
selves to be guided!69
(65) And on that Day He will call unto them, and
will ask: “How did you respond to My message­
bearers?”70-(66) but all arguments and excuses will

62 See second half of note 58.

63 Sc., “for having misused Our gifts and attributed them to powers other than Us”.
64 Lit., “those partners of Mine whom you supposed [to exist]”: see notes 15 and 16 on
6:22-23.
65 I.e., in the very fact of God’s calling them to account (cf. 27 :82 and the corresponding note
73). As the sequence shows, the persons thus addressed are the “leaders of thought” supposed to
have set the community’s faulty standards of social behaviour and moral valuation; and since they
are primarily responsible for the wrong direction which their followers have taken, they will be the
first to suffer in the life to come.
66 I.e., “we did not lead them astray out of malice, but simply because we ourselves had been
led astray by our predecessors”. This “answer” is, of course, evasive, but it is quoted here to show
that man’s attachment to false - but, nevertheless, almost deified - values and concepts based on
stark materialism is, more often than not, a matter of “social continuity”: in other words, the
validity of those materialistic pseudo-values is taken for granted simply because they are
time-honoured, with every generation blindly subscribing to the views held by their forebears. In its
deepest sense, this passage - as so many similar ones throughout the Qur’an - points to the moral
inadmissibility of accepting an ethical or intellectual proposition as true on no other grounds than that
it was held to be true by earlier generations.
67 In other words, they were but wont to worship their own passions and desires projected onto
extraneous beings. See in this connection 10:28 and the corresponding notes, especially note 46;
also 34:41 and note 52.
68 Lit., “those [God-]partners of yours”: see note 64 above.
69 For this rendering of the phrase law känü yahtadün, see note 56 above.
70 This connects with the first sentence of verse 59, which has been explained in the
corresponding note 60. The present verse clearly implies that those sinners had not responded to
 28
THE STORY
by then have been erased from their minds,71 and
they will not [be able to] obtain any [helpful] answer
from one another.72
(67) But as against this - anyone who repents73 and
attains to faith and does righteous deeds may well
[hope to] find himself among those who achieve a
happy state [in the life to come].

(68) AND [thus it is:] thy Sustainer creates whatever He

wills; and He chooses [for mankind] whatever is best uî ùtf'C jtéj ÆjU
for them.74 Limitless is God in His glory, and sub­
limely exalted above anything to which they may
ascribe a share in His divinity!
(69) And thy Sustainer knows all that their hearts
conceal as well as all that they bring into the open:
(70) for He is God, save whom there is no deity. Unto
Him all praise is due, at the beginning and at the end
[of time];75 and with Him rests all judgment; and unto
Him shall you all be brought back.
(71) Say: “Have you ever considered [this]: If God
f_-H 4 ü J&J J*
had willed that there should always be night about
you, without break, until the Day of Resurrection - is
there any deity other than God that could bring you
light?76 Will you not, then, listen [to the truth]?”
(72) Say: “Have you ever considered [this]: If God

the guidance offered them by God’s apostles. As in many other instances in the Qur* Sn, God's
“question" is but meant to stress a moral failure which by now has become obvious to man's
self-accusing conscience.
71 Lit., “will on that Day have become obscured to them". The operative noun anW, which
literally denotes “tidings", has here the compound meaning of “arguments and excuses" (TabarT).
72 I.e., they will all be equally confused. For the above rendering of là yatasä'alün (lit., “they
will not [be able to] ask one another"), see the explanations of this phrase advanced by BaghawT,
ZamakhsharT and Bayçlâwï.
73 I.e., during his life in this world. For an explanation of this stress on repentance - which
flows from one’s realization of moral failure-see sürah 24, note 41.
74 Some of the classical commentators incline to interpret the mä in the phrase mä käna lahum
al-khîrah as a particle of negation and the noun khîrah as “choice" or “freedom of choice”, thus
giving to this phrase the meaning of “He chooses, [but] they [i.e., human beings] have no freedom
of choice”. To my mind, however, this interpretation conflicts not only with the immediately
preceding passages but with the tenor of the Qur'an as a whole, which insists throughout on man’s
responsibility for (and, hence, on relative freedom in) choosing between right and wrong-and this
side by side with its stress on God’s unlimited power to determine the factual course of events.
Hence, I prefer to base my rendering on the interpretation advanced and convincingly argued by
TabarT, who regards the crucial particle mä not as a negation but as a relative pronoun
synonymous with alladhî (“that which” or "whatever”), and understands the noun khîrah in its
primary significance of “that which is chosen" or “preferred”, i.e., because it is considered to be
the best: in another word, as a synonym of khayr. ZamakhsharT refers to this interpretation with
evident approval (without, however, mentioning TabarT specifically), and enlarges upon it thus:
“God chooses for mankind whatever is best (mä huwa khayr) and most beneficial (a;lab) for
them, for He knows better than they themselves do what is good for them.”
75 Or: "in this first [i.e.. present life] as well as in the life to come”.
76 Lit, “who [i.e., “where"] is a deity ...”, etc., obviously implying that no such “deity" exists.

601
 SÜRAH
AL-QA$A$

had willed that there should always be daylight about

you, without break, until the Day of Resurrection - is
there any deity other than God that could bring you
[the darkness of] night, wherein you might rest? Will
you not, then, see [the truth]?”77
(73) For it is out of His grace that He has made for
you the night and the day, so that you might rest
therein as well as seek to obtain [what you need] of
His bounty: and [He gave you all this] so that you i L <CJ[
might have cause to be grateful.
jMb
(74) AND ON THAT DAY78 He will call unto those [that ($) ÿ ÎjXÙJ
shall have been arraigned before His judgment seat],
and will ask: “Where, now, are those [beings or powers]
whom you imagined to have a share in My divinity?”79
Ç25 y U iliii «ly: C»
(75) And [they will remain silent: for by then] We
will have called forth witnesses from within every
j[ # u à jlT ji
community,80 and will have said [unto the sinners]:
“Produce an evidence for what you have been claim­
crr (y-*
ing!”8'
And so they will come to understand that all truth is
God’s [alone];82 and al! their false imagery will have
forsaken them.83

(76) [NOW,] BEHOLD, Qârûn was one of the people of

Moses;84 but he arrogantly exalted himself above
them - simply because We had granted him such

77 I.e., “Will you not recognize the miracle of planned and purposeful creation?”
78 I.e., the Day of Resurrection - thus reverting to the theme enunciated in verses 62-66 above.
79 This repetition of God’s “question”, already mentioned in verse 62 above, is meant to stress
the utter inability of the sinners concerned to justify their erstwhile attitude rationally: hence my
interpolation at the beginning of the next verse.
80 I.e., the prophets who had appeared at various stages of man's history, and who will now
bear witness that they had duly conveyed God’s message to the people for whom it was meant.
81 Lit., “Produce your evidence” - i.e., for the possibility of anyone or anything having a share
in God’s divinity.
82 I.e., that He is the Ultimate Reality, and that whatever is or could be is an outcome of His
will alone.
83 For the meaning of the phrase ma kânu yaftarûn (lit., “all that they were wont to
invent” - rendered by me here as well as in 6:24,7:53, 10: 30,11:21 and 16:87 as “all their false
imagery"), see sürah 11, note 42; also note 15 on 6:22. A specific instance of such “false
imagery”-the futility of man’s relying on his own wealth and worldly power-is illustrated in the
immediately following legend of QärOn (see next note).
84 The structure of the above sentence is meant to show that even a person who had
been a follower of one of the greatest of God’s apostles was not above the possibility of sinning
under the influence of false pride and self-exaltation - a particular example of the “false imagery”
referred to in the preceding passage. The conventional “identification” of Qärün with the Korah of the
Old Testament (Numbers xvi) is neither relevant nor warranted by the Qur’anic text, the more so
as the purport of this legend is a moral lesson and not a historical narrative. This, by the way, explains
also the juxtaposition, elsewhere in the Qur’an (29:39 and 40:24), of Qärün with Pharaoh, the
arch-sinner.

602
28
THE STORY
riches that his treasure-chests alone would surely
have been too heavy a burden for a troop of ten men or
even more.85
When [they perceived his arrogance,] his people
said unto him: “Exult not [in thy wealth], for, verily,
God does not love those who exult [in things vain]!
(77) Seek instead, by means of what God has granted
thee, [the good of] the life to come,86 without forget­
ting, withal, thine own [rightful] share in this world;87 ■»**■** H
and do good [unto others] as God has done good unto Nj jÙfàî lÖH LU
thee; and seek not to spread corruption on earth: for,
verily, God does not love the spreaders of corrup­
tion!”
(78) Answered he: “This [wealth] has been given to JU ($h j
me only by virtue of the knowledge that is in me!”8889
.ÂJ4J 0'^(1 .,1
Did he not know that God had destroyed [the
arrogant of] many a generation that preceded him -
iji O Ail
people who were greater than he in power, and richer xxxx > > > 9 ' 9 >' X
in what they had amassed?
But such as are lost in sin may not be asked about
their sins... Ju j
(79) And so he went forth before his people in all
his pomp; [and] those who cared only for the life of
j/u Ji. u
this world would say, “Oh, if we but had the like of
3*14 Zkfflw yT tä
what Qârün has been given! Verily, with tremendous
good fortune is he endowed !”
(80) But those who had been granted true knowl­
J* *“* J* 1*-*
edge said: “Woe unto you! Merit in the sight of
God90 is by far the best for any who attains to faith
and does what is right: but none save the patient in
adversity can ever achieve this [blessing].”
(81) And thereupon We caused the earth to swallow
him and his dwelling; and he had none and nothing to
succour him against God, nor was he of those who
could succour themselves.91

85 The term 'usbah denotes a company of ten or more (up to forty) persons; since it is used
here metonymically, pointing to the great weight involved, it is best rendered as above.-The noun
mafätih is a plural of both miftah or miftâh (“key”) and maftah (“that which is under lock
and key”, i.e., a “hoard of wealth” or “treasure chest”), which latter meaning is obviously the one
intended in the present context.
86 I.e., by spending in charity and on good causes.
87 Lit., “and do not forget..etc.: a call to generosity and, at the same time, to moderation
(cf. 2:143-“We have willed you to be a community of the middle way”).
88 I.e., “as a result of my own experience, shrewdness and ability” (cf. 39:49 and the
corresponding note 55).
89 Obviously implying that “such as are lost in sin” (al-mujrimün) are, as a rule, blind to their
own failings and, therefore, not responsive to admonition.
90 Lit., “God’s reward”, sc., “of spiritual merit”.
91 Lit., “he had no host whatever to succour him ..etc. Qärün’s being “swallowed by the

603
 SÜRAH
al-qaçaç
(82) And on the morrow, those who but yesterday
had longed to be in his place exclaimed: “Alas [for
our not having been aware] that it is indeed God
[alone] who grants abundant sustenance, or gives it in
scant measure, unto whichever He wills of His crea­
tures! Had not God been gracious to us, He might 41! iJO* Iÿl
have caused [the earth] to swallow us, too! Alas [for
our having forgotten] that those who deny the truth ££&3* Jyp û*Û-J

can never attain to a happy state!”

(83) As for that [happy] life in the hereafter, We till/ U.

grant it [only] to those who do not seek to exalt j IjJc jljjT

themselves on earth, nor yet to spread corruption: for
the future belongs to the God-conscious.92
(84) Whosoever shall come [before God] with a
good deed will gain [further] good therefrom;93 but as û*j J^- ,4»
for any who shall come with an evil deed-[know
(ÏÏ)
that] they who do evil deeds will not be requited with
more than [the like of] what they have done.9495
96 tu. J» Qj JJ ' j jfcyiÏÏ 3ûk

(85) VERILY, [O believer,] He who has laid down this

Qur’än in plain terms, making it binding on thee,93 will
assuredly bring thee back [from death] to a life
renewed*
Say [unto those who reject the truth]: “My Sus-

earth” may possibly be a metaphor of a catastrophic, unforeseen loss - from whatever cause - of all
his worldly goods and, thus, of his erstwhile grandeur.
92 This last clause makes it clear that, in order to have spiritual value, man's “not seeking"
worldly grandeur or self-indulgence in things depraved must be an outcome, not of indifference or
of a lack of opportunity, but solely of a conscious moral choice.
93 See note 79 on the identical phrase in 27:89.
94 Cf. 6:160 and the corresponding note 162.
95 According to Mujähid (as quoted by Tabari), the phrase faratfa *alayka is almost synony­
mous with a'fäka, “He gave [it] to thee”. This, however, elucidates only one part of the above
complex expression, which, I believe, has here ■ meaning similar to that of faradnâhâ (“We laid it
down in plain terms”) occurring in the first verse of surah 24 (An-Nür) and explained in the
corresponding note 1. In the present context, the particle *alayka (“upon thee"), with its
pronominal suffix, gives to the above clause the additional meaning of a moral obligation on the
part of the recipient of the Qur’anic message to conform his or her way of life to its teachings;
hence my compound rendering of the phrase.
96 The term ma'âd denotes, literally, “a place [or “a state”] to which one returns", and,
tropically, one’s “ultimate destination” or “ultimate condition”; in the present context, it is
obviously synonymous with “life in the hereafter”. This is how most of the classical authorities
interpret the above phrase. But on the vague assumption that this passage is addressed exclusively
to the Prophet, some commentators incline to the view that the noun has here a specific, purely
physical connotation - “a place of return” - allegedly referring to God’s promise to His Apostle
(given during or after the latter’s exodus from Mecca to Medina) that one day he would return
victoriously to the city of his birth. To my mind, however, the passage has a much deeper
meaning, unconnected with any place or specific point in history: it is addressed to every believer,
and promises not only a continuation of life after bodily death but also a spiritual rebirth, in this
world, to anyone who opens his heart to the message of the Qur’än and comes to regard it as
binding on himself.
28 THE STORY

tainer knows best as to who is right-guided97 and who

is obviously lost in error!”
(86) Now [as for thyself, O believer,] thou couldst
never foresee98 that this divine writ would [one day]
be offered to thee: but [it did come to thee] by thy
Sustainer’s grace.
Hence, never uphold those who deny the truth [of
divine guidance], (87) and never let them turn thee
away from God’s messages after they have been i *k; 4 gt; luj 3/ s»
bestowed upon thee from on high: instead,99 summon
[all men] to thy Sustainer. âï J g' % (g) Sr/jf
And never be of those who ascribe divinity to A. > > 5 X f U
aught but Him, (88) and never cal! upon any other /-r-j »Cr y j*
deity side by side with God.
There is no deity save Him. Everything is bound to
perish, save His [eternal] Self.100 With Him rests all
judgment; and unto Him shall you all be brought
back.

97 Lit., “as to who comes with guidance”.

98 Lit., “hope” or “expect”.
99 Lit., “and”.
100 See 55 : 26-27 and the corresponding note 11.
 THE TWENTY-NINTH SÜRAH

AL-eANKABÜT (THE SPIDER)

PERIOD UNCERTAIN

OST of the authorities are of the opinion that this surah is one of the last to have been re­
M vealed in Mecca, while some maintain that it is one of the earliest Medina revelations. Others,
again, assert that while the main body of the surah is Meccan, the first ten or eleven verses were
revealed at Medina. And, finally, there are some scholars who hold the opposite view, ascribing the
first nine verses to Mecca, and the rest to Medina. On the whole, it would seem that, historically,
the sürah marks the transition between the Mecca and Medina periods.
The title has been derived from the parable of “the spider’s house” in verse 41, a symbol of false
beliefs and false values, which in the long run are bound to be blown away by the winds of tnith.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) Alif. Lam. Mïm.1

(2) TAO MEN THINK that on their [merel saying,

JLx“We have attained to faith”, they will be left to
themselves, and will not be put to a test?
(3) Yea, indeed, We did test those who lived before
them; and so, [too, shall be tested the people now
living: and] most certainly will God mark out those
Us J ÿX j'
who prove themselves true, and most certainly will Ct (J)
He mark out those who-are lying.2
(4) Or do they think-they who do evil deeds [while 'y-1-* âf
claiming to have attained to faith] - that they can
escape Us? Bad, indeed, is their judgment! CJ ît Ji SJ. f*
(5) Whoever looks forward [with hope and awe] to
meeting God [on Resurrection Day, let him be ready
for it]: for, behold, the end set by God [for every­
one’s life] is bound to come-and He alone is all-
£* ijK o
hearing, all-knowing!
(6) Hence, whoever strives hard [in God’s cause]
friJ^b frÇ- fr*
does so only for his own good: for, verily, God does
not stand in need of anything in all the worlds! (7) (J) spfr >*■’
And as for those who attain to faith and do righteous
deeds, We shall most certainly efface their [previous]
bad deeds, and shall most certainly reward them in
accordance with the best that they ever did.

1 See Appendix II.

2 I.e., to others and/or to themselves (see note 7).
606
 SÜRAH 29
THE SPIDER
(8) Now [among the best of righteous deeds which]
We have enjoined upon man [is] goodness towards
his parents;3 yet [even so,] should they endeavour to
make thee ascribe divinity, side by side with Me, to
something which thy mind cannot accept [as divine],45
obey them not: [for] it is unto Me that you all must
return, whereupon I shall make you [truly] under­
stand [the right and wrong of] all that you were doing
[in life].
(9) But as for those who have attained to faith and
have done righteous deeds, We shall most certainly
cause them to join the righteous [in the hereafter as
well].
Jjk>_ (J) (jy» I’ j
(10) NOW THERE IS among men many a one who says Jal i/Uf ix» jX âî j jÿjl
[of himself and of others like him], “We do believe in
God” - but whenever he is made to suffer in God’s
cause, he thinks that persecution at the hands of man
is as [much to be feared, or even more than,] God’s
chastisement;3 whereas, if succour from thy Sustainer
comes [to those who truly believe],67he is sure to say, J’ô (£) ûk**'-*i ’
“Behold, we have always been with you!”
Is not God fully aware of what is in the hearts of all
creatures?
(11) [Yea-] and most certainly will God mark out
those who have [truly] attained to faith, and most
certainly will He mark out the hypocrites.’

3 Cf. 31: 14-15 and, particularly, the corresponding note 15.

4 Lit., “something of which thou hast no knowledge'’: i.e., in this particular case, “something
which conflicts with thy knowledge that none and nothing can have any share in God's qualities or
powers”. According to RäzT, this phrase may also allude to concepts not evolved through personal
knowledge but, rather, acquired through a blind, uncritical acceptance of other people's views
(taqlîd).
5 I.e., the suffering which is bound to befall in the hereafter all who abandon their faith for fear
of being persecuted in this world. (It is to be borne in mind that a mere outward renunciation of
faith under torture or threat of death is not considered a sin in Islam, although martyrdom for the
sake of one’s faith is the highest degree of merit to which man can attain.)
6 I.e., when it is no longer risky to be counted as one of them.
7 This is probably the earliest occurrence of the term niunäfiq in the chronology of Qur’anic
revelation. Idiomatically, the term is derived from the noun nafaq. which denotes an “underground
passage” having an outlet different from the entry, and signifying, specifically, the complicated
burrow of a field-mouse, a lizard, etc., from which the animal can easily escape or in which it can
outwit a pursuer. Tropically, the term niunäfiq describes a person who is “two-faced”, inasmuch
as he always tries to find an easy way out of any real commitment, be it spiritual or social, by
adapting his course of action to what promises to be of practical advantage to him in the situation
in which he happens to find himself. Since a person thus characterized usually pretends to be
morally better than he really is, the epithet munäfiq may roughly be rendered as “hypocrite”. It
should, however, be noted that whereas this Western term invariably implies conscious dissem­
bling with the intent to deceive others, the Arabic term munäfiq may also be applied - and
occasionally is applied in the Qur’fin - to a person who, being weak or uncertain in his beliefs or moral
convictions, merely deceives himself. Hence, while using in my rendering of the Qur’anic text the

607
 AL-ANKABÜT SÜRAH

(12) And [He is aware, too, that] they who are bent
on denying the truth speak [thus, as it were,] to those
who have attained to faith: “Follow our way [of
life], and we shall indeed take your sins upon
ourselves!”*89
But never could they take upon themselves’ aught ÛjJL—LLu«
of the sins of those [whom they would thus mislead]:
behold, they are liars indeed!
(13) Yet most certainly will they have to bear their
own burdens, and other burdens besides their own;1011
and most certainly will they be called to account on d-U U/ LÎ-jl -ÛJj (^) îyé*
Resurrection Day for all their false assertions!
Ulc k^x (Jjl
(14) AND, INDEED, [in times long past] We sent forth
Noah unto his people," and he dwelt among them a H | j'-, À;,« ,|T jyXJj
thousand years bar fifty;12 and then the floods over­ ?>ïfxxxf.
•>'lj 4ttl
.X XX. X %X. X
Ji»
X xx_

whelmed them while they were still lost in evildoing:

(15) but We saved him, together with all who were in
the ark, which We then set up as a symbol [of Our
grace] for all people [to remember].
(16) AND ABRAHAM, [too, was inspired by Us] when he

conventional expression “hypocrite”, I have endeavoured to point out the above differentiation,
whenever possible and necessary, in my explanatory notes.
8 The above “saying” of the deniers of the truth is, of course, but a metonym for their attitude
towards the believers; hence my interpolation, between brackets, of the words “as it were”. The
implication is that people who deny the validity of any spiritual commitment arising out of one's
faith in “something that is beyond the reach of human perception” (al-ghayb)-in this case, the
existence of God-are, as a rule, unwilling to tolerate such b faith and such a commitment in
others as well: and so they endeavour to bring the believers to their way of thinking by a sarcastic,
contemptuous reference to the alleged irrelevance of the concept of “sin” as such.
9 Lit., “bear” - implying a reduction of the burden which the others would have to bear (Râzï).
See also next note.
10 Cf. the Prophet's saying: “Whoever calls [others] unto the right way shall have a reward
equal to the [combined] rewards of all who may follow him until Resurrection Day, without
anything being lessened of their rewards; and whoever calls unto the way of error will have to
bear a sin equal to the [combined] sins of all who may follow him until Resurrection Day, without
anything being lessened of their sins” (Bukhârï).
11 This passage connects with verse 2 above, “We did test those who lived before them”. The
story of Noah and of his failure to convert his people occurs in the Qur'an several times, and most
extensively in 11:25-48. In the present instance it is meant to illustrate the truth that no one-not
even a prophet-can bestow faith on another person (cf. 28:56-“thou canst not guide aright
everyone whom thou lovest”). The same purport underlies the subsequent references, in verses
16-40, to other prophets.
12 Sc., “and despite this great length of time was unable to convince them of the truth of his
mission”. The identical figure - 950 years - is given in the Bible (Genesis ix, 29) as Noah's life-span.
By repeating this element of the Biblical legend, the Qur'än merely stresses the fact that the
duration of a prophet's mission has nothing to do with its success or failure, since “all true
guidance is God's guidance” (3:73) - and, as we are so often told in the Qur'an« “God guides
[only] him that wills [to be guided]”. Thus, the reference to Noah is meant to reassure the believer
who may be distressed at seeing the majority of his fellow-men refuse to accept, all at once, a
truth which appears self-evident to him.
 29
THE SPIDER
said unto his people: “Worship God, and be conscious
of Him: this is the best for you, if you but knew it! (17)
You worship only [lifeless] idols instead of God, and
[thus] you give visible shape to a lie!13 Behold, those
[things and beings] that you worship instead of God
have it not in their power to provide sustenance for you:
seek, then, all [your] sustenance from God, and (g) ûjjl» jj». jjJ’S
worship Him [alone] and be grateful to Him: [for] unto
ùjjJu" j', jp J*
Him you shall be brought back!
(18) “And if you give [me] the lie-well, [other]
communities have given the lie [to God’s prophets]
xp ipi li Ujj jj.Cljr 'i

before your time: but no more is an apostle bound to

<j[ i (J)
do than clearly deliver the message [entrusted to
him].’’ <j/)T J G

(19) ARE, THEN, they [who deny the truth] not aware of
how God creates [life] in the first instance, and then
This, verily, is easy for God!
brings it forth anew?1415 y y.

(20) Say: “Go all over the earth and behold how
[wondrously] He has created [man] in the first in­
stance:13 and thus, too, will God bring into being your
second life - for, verily, God has the power to will
anything!
(21) “He causes to suffer whomever He wills, and
jp Cj »iljfj y, 4
bestows His mercy on whomever He wills; and unto
Him you shall be made to return: (22) and never-not
on earth and not in the skies - can you [hope to] elude
Him; and you have none to protect you from God.
and none to bring you succour.”
(23) And [thus it is:] they who are bent on denying
the truth of God’s messages and of their [ultimate]
meeting with Him - it is they who abandon all hope of
My grace and mercy: and it is they whom grievous
suffering awaits [in the life to come].16

13 Lit., “you create a lie”.

14 This passage - consisting of verses 19-23-is parenthetically placed in the midst of the story
of Abraham, connecting with the latter’s reference to resurrection at the end of verse 17 (“unto
Him you shall be brought back”). The ever-recurring emergence, decay and re-emergence of life,
so vividly exemplified in all organic nature, is often cited in the Qur’an not merely in support of
the doctrine of resurrection, but also as evidence of a consciously-devised plan underlying creation
as such - and, thus, of the existence of the Creator.
15 Cf., for example, 23:12-14, which alludes to man’s coming into existence out of most
primitive elements, and gradually evolving into a highly complex being endowed not only with a
physical body but also with a mind, with feelings, and instincts.
16 Implying that such people deprive themselves of God’s grace and mercy (which is the twofold
significance of the term rahmah in this context) by rejecting all belief in His existence: in other
words, belief in God - or one’s readiness to believe in Him - is, in and by itself, already an outcome
of His grace and mercy, just as suffering in the hereafter is an outcome of one’s being “bent on
denying the truth”.
 SÜRAH
AL-ANKABÜT

(24) NOW [as for Abraham,] his people’s only answer

was,17 “Slay him, or burn him!” - but God saved him
from the fire.18
Behold, in this [story] there are messages indeed
for people who will believe!
(25) And [Abraham] said: “You have chosen to
worship idols instead of God for no other reason than t
to have a bond of love,19 in the life of this world, j ‘j* &&
between yourselves [and your forebears]:20 but then,
on Resurrection Day, you shall disown one another
and curse one another - for the goal of you all will be
the fire, and you will have none to succour you.”
(26) Thereupon [his brother’s son] Lot came to
believe in him and said: “Verily, I [too] shall forsake
the domain of evil [and turn] to my Sustainer:21 for, ‘J'o Ap • <$>

verily, He alone is almighty, truly wise!” "4 (J) J* >1 cj J

(27) And [as for Abraham,] We bestowed upon him
Isaac and [Isaac’s son] Jacob,22 and caused pro­ »j ji j j
phethood and revelation to continue among his
offspring. And We vouchsafed him his reward in this (^) j ,*» ■> ^4’^ j
world;23 and, verily, in the life to come [too] he shall
^jÇ*U kivùtJÎ jy cJ 1 ojü Jii
find himself among the righteous.
JU.)! jytj 3^ 5; > <4
(28) AND LOT, [too, was inspired by Us] when he said unto
his people: “Verily, you commit abominations such jlf'O j
as none in all the world has ever committed before
you! (29) Must you indeed approach men [with lust],
and thus cut across the way [of nature]?24 - and must
you commit these shameful deeds in your [open]
assemblies?”
But his people’s only answer was, “Bring down
upon us God’s chastisement, if thou art a man of truth !”

17 Lit., “the answer of his people was nothing but that they said” - thus connecting with the
passage ending with verse 18.
18 See note 64 on 21:69.
19 Lit., “solely out of love”.
20 Thus RäzT, explaining this idol-worship as a result of a mere blind imitation (taqlid) of
attitudes inherited from past generations.
21 For an explanation of the concept of hijrah and of my above rendering of the term muhâjir,
see sürah 2, note 203, and sürah 4, note 124. In the present instance this term is obviously used in
both its physical and spiritual senses, analogous to the earlier allusion (in 19:48-49) to Abraham's
“withdrawal" (irtizä/) from his evil, native environment and to his physical migration to IJarrän (in
northern Mesopotamia), and thence to Syria and Palestine. The story of Lot (Lût) is mentioned in
the Qur’än several times, and particularly in 11:69-83.
22 I.e., in addition to Ishmael (IsmäTI), who had been born some years earlier (cf. 21 :72).
23 Among other things, by making him “a leader of men" (2: 124).
24 This particular interpretation of the phrase taq(arün as-sabïl is advanced by BaghawT and
(on the authority of Al-Hasan) by ZamakhsharT; RäzT adopts it exclusively and without reser­
vation.

610
 29
THE SPIDER
(30) [And] he prayed: “O my Sustainer! Succour
Thou me against these people who spread corrup­
tion!”
(31) And so, when Our [heavenly] messengers came
to Abraham with the glad tiding [of the birth of
Isaac],25 they [also] said, “Behold, we are about to
destroy the people of that land,26 for its people are truly
evildoers!”
(32) [And when Abraham] exclaimed, “But Lot
■Z
lives there!”-they answered: “We know fully well
who is there; most certainly we shall save him and his
ly ITL-^U1 »JL* J—*'
household - all but his wife: she will indeed be among
those that stay behind.”27
(33) And when Our messengers came unto Lot, he
was sorely grieved on their account, seeing that it was
beyond his power to shield them;28 but they said:
“Fear not, and grieve not! Behold, we shall save thee
and thy household - all but thy wife: she will indeed be
among those that stay behind. (34) Verily, we shall bring
down upon the people of this land a horror from heaven À,jj^ J*1 jjJ J j- j Çâ! ’ c-'S
in requital of all their iniquitous doings!”
(35) And [so it happened; and] thereof, indeed. We 8Tj JijjjJL—i> »I«—P Ijrtj

have left a clear sign for people who use their

reason.29

(36) AND UNTO [the people of] Madyan [We sent] their '-rjSJi ilLLt
brother Shu'ayb,30 who thereupon said: “O my peo­
ple! Worship God [alone], and look forward to the
Last Day, and do not act wickedly on earth by bbtj ‘Ilf |»*jb j b’V-** Va»Ji!
spreading corruption!”
(37) But they gave him the lie. Thereupon an
earthquake overtook them: and then they lay lifeless,
in their very homes, on the ground.31

(38) AND [the tribes of] 'Äd and ThamOd,32 [too, did We

25 See 11:69 ft., as well as the first half of the corresponding note 99.
26 The term qaryah has here, as so often in classical Arabic, the connotation of “land”, in this
instance comprising the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah.
27 See note 66 on 7 :83 and note 113 on 11:81. In the present instance, as well as in the next
verse, the past-tense auxiliary verb kânat is meant to stress the inevitability of the future event
referred to; hence, “she will indeed be..etc.
28 See note 107 on 11:77.
29 This is an allusion to the Dead Sea - known to this day as Bahr Lût (“The Sea of
Lot”)-which covers most of the region in which Sodom and Gomorrah were once situated. Its
waters contain so high a percentage of sulphur and potash that no fish or plants can live in them.
30 See note 67 on 7:85. The story of Shu'ayb and his people appears in greater detail in
11:84-95.
31 See note 62 on 7 : 78 (a passage which relates to the tribe of Thamüd), and note 73 on 7 : 91.
32 See surah 7, second half of note 48, and note 56.
611
 SÛRAH
AL-'ANKABÜT

destroy-] as should have become obvious to you

from [whatever there remains of] their dwellings.33
[They perished] because Satan had made their [sinful]
doings seem goodly to them, and thus had barred
them from the path [of God] despite their having been
endowed with the ability to perceive the truth.3435
(39) And [thus, too, did We deal with] Qârün and
Pharaoh, and Hämän:33 to them had come Moses ($) <>.^4-* b» ^5 f

with all evidence of the truth, but they behaved

tyb
arrogantly on earth [and rejected him]; and withal,
they could not escape [Us]. ® ifj'H<j bjJlLAi
(40) For, every one of them did We take to task for
his sin: arid so, upon some of them We let loose a CS ç-ty L-»U- pli

deadly stormwind; and some of them were overtaken

by a [sudden] blast;36 and some of them We caused to à* Û* ft?

be swallowed by the earth; and some of them We > x> I—x C

caused to drown. And it was not God who wronged
them, but it was they who had wronged themselves. à! àJu <ff) Spt

(41) THE PARABLE of those who take [beings or forces]

other than God for their protectors is that of the
(ff) <j_rlL ’>
spider which makes for itself a house: for, behold, the
frailest of all houses is the spider's house. Could they
but understand this!
(42) Verily, God knows whatever it is that men (ff> ùjLjî u/
invoke instead of Him3738 -for He alone is almighty,
truly wise.
(43) And so We propound these parables unto man:
but none can grasp their innermost meaning save
those who [of Us] are aware,36 (44) [and hence are
33 As regards the tribe of cÂd, the above seems to be an allusion to their one-time capital, the
legendary “Iram the many-piilared” (mentioned in the Qur’an only once, namely, in 89:7). It has
since been buried by the moving sand-dunes of Al-Ahqäf (a region between CUman and
Haçiramawt, within the great South-Arabian desert of Rub' al-Khâlî); it is said, however, that its
traces are occasionally uncovered by strong winds. For an explanation of the reference to the
dwellings of the ThamQd, see note 59 on 7:74.
34 Thus, the Qur’an implies that it is man’s "ability to perceive the truth” (istibsär) that makes
him morally responsible for his doings and, hence, for his failure to resist his own evil impulses -
which is evidently the meaning of "Satan” in this context. See in this connection 14:22 and the
corresponding notes 31 and 33.
35 As regards Qârün, see 28:76 ff. and, in particular, the corresponding note 84; for Hâmân,
note 6 on 28:6. The common denominator between these two and Pharaoh is their false pride
(takabbur) and arrogance (istikbär), which cause them to become "archetypes of evil” (cf. 28:41
and the corresponding note 40). A similar attitude of mind is said to have been characteristic of
the tribes of 'Ad and Thamûd, mentioned in the preceding verse.
36 Sc., “of God’s punishment”: cf. note 98 on 11:67.
37 Lit., “whatever thing they invoke instead of Him”: i.e., He knows the nothingness of those
false objects of worship (Zamakhsharï),'irrespective of whether they be imaginary deities, or
deified saints, or forces of nature, or even false concepts or ideas; but He also knows the weakness of
the human heart and mind and, hence, the hidden motivation of all such irrational worship.
38 Inasmuch as awareness of the existence of God is here postulated as a prerequisite of a full

612
 29
THE SPIDER
certain that] God has created the heavens and the earth
in accordance with [an inner] truth:39for, behold, in this
[very creation] there is a message indeed for all who
believe [in Him].

(45) CONVEY [unto others] whatever of this divine writ

has been revealed unto thee,40 and be constant in
prayer: for, behold, prayer restrains [man] from
loathsome deeds and from all that runs counter to
reason;4' and remembrance of God is indeed the
greatest [good]. And God knows all that you do.
(46) And do not argue with the followers of earlier
revelation otherwise than in a most kindly manner - « (JjSJXä &
unless it be such of them as are bent on evildoing42 -
ipu yT SX* y
and say: “We believe in that which has been be­
stowed from on high upon us, as well as that which M Jÿ* zUt
has been bestowed upon you: for our God and your
God is one and the same, and it is unto Him that We Uj>-' tâ', ® ,4 L5j&b
[all] surrender ourselves.”
□AJi yU étJI
(47) For it is thus43 that We have bestowed this
divine writ from on high upon thee [O Muhammad].
And they to whom we have vouchsafed this divine
writ4445
believe in it-just as among those [followers of
earlier revelation] there are some who believe in it.
And none could knowingly reject Our messages43
unless it be such as would deny [an obvious] truth:
(48) for, [O Muhammad,] thou hast never been able to
recite any divine writ ere this one [was revealed], nor

understanding of the Quranic parables (and, by implication, allegories as well), the above verse
should be read side by side with the statement that the Qur'an is meant to be “a guidance for all
the God-conscious, who believe in [the existence of) a reality which is beyond the reach of human
perception” (see 2:2-3 and the corresponding note 3).
39 I.e., endowed with meaning and purpose: see surah 10, note II. In other words, belief in the
existence of a meaning and a purpose underlying the creation of the universe is a logical corollary
of one’s belief in God.
40 If we assume that verses 45-46 are addressed not merely to the Prophet but to believers in
general (an assumption which is strengthened by the plural form of address in the last clause of
verse 45 and throughout verse 46), the above phrase may be taken to mean ‘ whatever of the divine
writ has revealed itself to thy understanding".
41 For an explanation of this rendering of the term and concept of al-munkar, see surah 16,
note 109.
42 Sc., “and are therefore not accessible to friendly argument”: the implication being that in
such cases all disputes should a priori be avoided. As regards religious discussions in general, see
note 149 on 16:125.
43 I.e., “in this spirit”: a reference to the sameness of the fundamental truths in all revealed
religions.
44 I.e., “they to whom We grant the ability to understand this divine writ”.
45 This rendering of the verb jahada - in the present instance and in verse 49 below (as well as
in 31:32, 40:63 or 41:28)-in the sense of a person’s denying or rejecting something which he
knows to be true is based on the authority of Zamakhsharï’s Asäs.
613
AL-'ANKABÜT SÜRAH

didst thou ever transcribe one with thine own hand* -

or else, they who try to disprove the truth [of thy
47 might indeed have had cause to doubt
revelation]46
[it].
(49) Nay, but this [divine writ] consists of messages
clear to the hearts of all who are gifted with [innate]
knowledge48-and none could knowingly reject Our
messages unless it be such as would do wrong [to
themselves]. Jt 'H <^8 AX
(50) And yet they say, “Why have no miraculous E
Uj Jjj-» j C-’.X;
signs ever been bestowed upon him from on high by
his Sustainer?” 4 û* <£) 3^
Say: “Miracles are in the power of God alone;4’
and as for me -1 am but a plain warner.” fji ÛX—J»
(51) Why-is it not enough for them that We have
bestowed this divine writ on thee from on high, to be dj’s j ûlçjî 111 u# u*
conveyed [by thee] to them?50 For, verily, in it is
[manifested Our] grace, and a reminder to people who
will believe. yr; ç^jr yy; up
(52) Say [unto those who will not believe]: “God is
witness enough between me and you! He knows all
that is in the heavens and on earth; and they who are
bent on believing in what is false and vain, and thus (»*»1—À; w>’ JlajL .tLjl

on denying God - it is they, they who shall be the .... ~ _

losers!”
(53) Now they challenge thee to hasten the coming
upon them of [God’s] chastisement:51 and indeed, had
not a term been set [for it by God], that suffering
would already have come upon them! But indeed, it
will most certainly come upon them of a sudden, and
they will be taken unawares.
(54) They challenge thee to hasten the coming upon

46 Lit., “with thy right hand”-the term yaniîn being used here melonymically, denoting no
more than one’s “own hand”.-It is historically established that Muhammad, the “unlettered
prophet” (cf. 7: 157 and 158), could neither read nor write, and could not, therefore, have derived
his extensive knowledge of the contents of earlier revelations from the Bible or other scriptures:
which - as the Qur'an points out - ought to convince any unprejudiced person that this knowledge
must have come to him through divine revelation.
47 ,The P.articipial l?oun is derived from the verb abfala. “he made a false |or “vain”]
claim”, or “tried to disprove the truth [of something)”, or “to reduce (something! to nothing”, or
to prove [it] to be of no account”, or “null and void”, or “unfounded”, “false”, “spurious”, etc.,
irrespective of whether the object is true or false, authentic or spurious, valid or unfounded (Lisân
al-'Arab and Täj al-'Ariis).
48 Lit., "self-evident (bayyiniit) in the breasts of those who have been given knowledge” - the
term 'Uni having here the connotation of intuitive, spiritual perception.
49 See note 94 on 6: 109.
50 I.e., “are the contents of this revelation not enough for them to make them grasp its
intrinsic truth without the help of 'miraculous proofs’ of its divine origin?” (Cf. note 60 on the last
sentence of 7 ; 75.)
51 See note 32 on 8:32.

614
 29
THE SPIDER
them of [God’s] chastisement: but, verily, hell is
bound to encompass all who deny the truth - (55)
[encompass them] on the Day when suffering will
overwhelm them from above them and from beneath
their feet,52 whereupon He shall say: “Taste [now the
fruit of] your own doings!’’

CH <$) fa jxX
(56) O YOU servants of Mine who have attained to faith!
Behold, wide is Mine earth: worship Me, then, Me
alone!53
(57) Every human being is bound to taste death, •4 Lr*15 <3)
[and] in the end unto Us shall all be brought back:
CÿJÎiiïi y-i; JT
(58) whereupon unto those who have attained to faith
and wrought good works We shall most certainly j y îj & Qi
assign mansions in that paradise through which run­
ning waters flow, therein to abide: how excellent a
reward for those who labour - (59) those who are
f-cj '?z-» y f ç»
patient in adversity and in their Sustainer place their
trust!
*1 J j (•£
(60) And how many a living creature is there that
• s Mi, „ > .
takes no thought of its own sustenance,54 [the while]
God provides for it as [He provides] for you-since
He alone is all-hearing, all-knowing.
(61) And thus it is [with most people]: if5556thou ask
them, “Who is it that has created the heavens and
the earth, and made the sun and the moon subservi­ djb JS->
ent [to His laws]?” - they will surely answer, “God.”
How perverted, then, are their minds!54
(62) God grants abundant sustenance, or gives it in
scant measure, to whichever He wills of His crea­
tures: for, behold, God has full knowledge of every­
thing.57

52 I.e., from all directions and from many causes.

53 Implying that since the earth offers innumerable, multiform facilities to human life, there is
no excuse for forgetting God "owing to the pressure of adverse circumstances”. Whenever or
wherever the worship of God - in its essential, and not merely liturgical sense - becomes im­
possible, the believer is obliged to “forsake the domain of evil” (which, as explained in note 124 on
4:97, is the innermost meaning of the concept of hijrah) and to "migrate unto God”, that is. to a
place where it is possible to live in accordance with one's faith.
54 Lit., “that does not bear [or “assume responsibility for"] its sustenance”-i.e., is either too
weak to fend for itself or (according to Al-Hasan, as quoted by ZamakhsharT) does not store up
provisions for the morrow. This passage connects with the reference at the end of the preceding
verse to “those who in their Sustainer place their trust”.
55 Regarding my rendering of la ’in as “thus it is: if...”, etc., see siirah 30, note 45. The
people spoken of in the sequence are such as do acknowledge the existence of God but have only
a vague idea as to what this acknowledgment implies or should imply.
56 See surah 5, note 90 The perversion consists in their thinking that they really “believe in
God” and nevertheless worshipping false values and allegedly "divine” powers side by side with
Him: all of which amounts to a virtual denial of His almightiness and uniqueness.
57 Sc., “and, hence, knows what is really good and, from the viewpoint of His unfathomable

615
 (63) And thus it is: if thou ask them, “Who is it that
sends down water from the skies, giving life thereby
to the earth after it had been lifeless?” - they will
surely answer, “God.”
Say thou: “[Since this is so,] all praise is due to
God [alone]!”
But most of them will not use their reason: (64) for,
[if they did, they would know that] the life of this
c/ »tljT J* JJ
world is nothing but a passing delight and a play-
whereas, behold, the life in the hereafter is indeed G G*

the only [true] life: if they but knew this!

(65) And so, when they embark on a ship [and find
themselves in danger], they call unto God, [at that
moment] sincere in their faith in Him alone; but as dllÂJÎ<j (^)ÔjJm V’TP
soon as He has brought them safe ashore, they [begin
to] ascribe to imaginary powers a share in His
divinity: (66) and thus58 they show utter ingratitude
for all that We have vouchsafed them, and go on
[thoughtlessly] enjoying their worldly life. j L-i» Uf. ilk». t ' 'jj-, jp-.
(67) Are they, then, not aware that We have set up x > lE
a sanctuary secure [for those who believe in Us], the
while all around them men are being carried away [by
u JJX jé
fear and despair]?5’ Will they, then, [continue to]
believe in things false and vain, and thus God's ($) f*? j 5*^
blessings deny?
(68) And who could be more wicked than he who
attributes his own lying inventions to God,60 or gives
the lie to the truth when it comes unto him [through
revelation]? Is not hell the [proper] abode for all who
[thus] deny the truth?
(69) But as for those who strive hard in Our cause -
We shall most certainly guide them onto paths that
lead unto Us:61 for, behold, God is indeed with the
doers of good.

plan, necessary for each living being”.

58. The particle li prefixed to the subsequent verbs yakfurû (“they show [utter] ingratitude”) and
yatamatta'u (“they enjoy [or “go on enjoying”] their worldly life”) is not an indication of intent
(“so that” or “in order that”) but merely of a causal sequence; in the above context, it may be
appropriately rendered as “and thus”.
59 See note 58 on the second paragraph of 28:57. In contrast to the “sanctuary secure” - the
inner peace and sense of spiritual fulfilment which God bestows on those who truly believe in
Him —the atheist or agnostic is more often than not exposed to fear of the Unknown and a despair
born of the uncertainty as to what will happen to him after death.
60 I.e., by persuading himself that there is, side by side with God or even independently of Him,
any “power" that could govern men’s destinies.
• ^°Ur ?athsThc p,ural used here is obviously meant to stress the fact - alluded to often
tn the Qur an-that there are many paths which lead to a cognizance (ma'rifah) of God.

616
 THE THIRTIETH SÜRAH

AR-RÜM (THE BYZANTINES)

MECCA PERIOD

FI SÜRAH, revealed about six or seven years before the hijrah, takes its designation from
iv reference to the Byzantines in the opening verses. (For the historical
background of this prophecy, see notes 2 and 3 below.) From this unequivocal prediction of events
which at the time of its revelation were still shrouded in the mists of the future, the sürah
proceeds rapidly to its central theme: the wonder of God’s creation of all that exists. His constant
bringing forth the living out of that which is dead”, and thus His ability, and promise, to resurrect
the dead at the end of time. But this, the Qur’än says, most people are “determined not to know”
(verse 56), because “they know but the outer surface of this world's life, whereas of the ultimate
things they are utterly unaware” (verse 7); and because of their oblivion of those ultimate things,
corruption has appeared on land and in the sea as an outcome of what men’s hands have’
wrought (verse 41): a most incisive prediction of what is happening in the world of our days.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) Atif. Läm. Mïm.'

(2) "TVEFEATED have been the Byzantines (3) in the

.L/lands close-by; yet it is they who, notwithstand­
ing this their defeat, shall be victorious (4) within a few
years: [for] with God rests all power of decision, first
and last?
And on that day will the believers [too, have cause

1 See Appendix II.

2 Lit., “before and after”. The defeats and victories spoken of above relate to the last phases of
the centuries-long struggle between the Byzantine and Persian Empires. During the early years of
the seventh century the Persians conquered parts of Syria and Anatolia, “the lands close-by”, i.e.,
near the heartland of the Byzantine Empire: in 613 they took Damascus, and in 614, Jerusalem;
Egypt fell to them in 615-16, and at the same time they laid siege to Constantinople itself. At the
time of the revelation of this sürah-about the seventh year before the hijrah. corresponding to
615 or 616 of the Christian era-the total destruction of the Byzantine Empire seemed imminent.
The few Muslims around the Prophet were despondent on hearing the news of the utter
discomfiture of the Byzantines, who were Christians and, as such, believed in the One God. The
pagan Quraysh, on the other hand, sympathized with Persians who, they thought, would
vindicate their own opposition to the One-God idea. When Muhammad enunciated the above
Qur’än-verses predicting a Byzantine victory “within a few years”, this prophecy was received
with derision by the Quraysh. Now the term bid* (commonly rendered as “a few”) denotes any
number between three and ten; and, as it happened, in 622-i.e., six or seven years after the
Qur’anic prediction - the tide turned in favour of the Byzantines. In that year, Emperor Heraclius
succeeded in defeating the Persians at Issus, south of the Taurus Mountains, and subsequently
drove them out of Asia Minor. By 624, he carried the war into Persian territory and thus put the
enemy on the defensive; and in the beginning of December, 626, the Persian armies were
completely routed by the Byzantines.
617
 AR-RÜM SÜRAH

to] rejoice (5) in God’s succour:3 [for] He gives suc­

cour to whomever He wills, since He alone is almighty,
a dispenser of grace.
(6) (This is] God’s promise. Never does God fail to
fulfil His promise - but most people know [it] not: (7)
they know but the outer surface of this world’s life,
whereas of the ultimate things they are utterly un­
aware.4 (J) jjjÂj
(8) Have they never learned to think for them­
selves?5
God has not created the heavens and the earth and r-• & f3
all that is between them without [an inner] truth and a ju. u □ b%=uT J? Q
term set [by Him]:6 and yet, behold, there are many
^b JXb 7»
people who stubbornly deny the truth that they are
destined to meet their Sustainer! X' (J) ç-rJ C*
(9) Have they, then, never journeyed about the
earth and beheld what happened in the end to those j b jj-»
[deniers of the truth] who lived before their time?
Greater were they in power than they are; and they •>* (-A-*
left a stronger impact on the earth, and built it up
4»^ jé’Û (»4I—_• j»^4 »j '
even better7 than these [are doing]; and to them [too]
came their apostles with all evidence of the truth: and
so, [when they rejected the truth and thereupon
perished,] it was not God who wronged them, but it
was they who had wronged themselves.
(10) And once again:8 evil is bound to be the end of
those who do evil by giving the lie to God's messages
and deriding them.

(11) GOD CREATES [man] in the first instance, and then

brings him forth anew:9 and, in the end, unto Him you
all will be brought back.
(12) And when the Last Hour dawns, those who

3 This is a prediction of the battle of Badr, which was to take place eight or nine years later, in
the month of Ramadan, 2h. (corresponding to January, 624, of the Christian era), when the
Muslims decisively defeated a very much superior force of pagan Quraysh (see introductory note
to sürah 8). The expression “on that day’’ has in this context the meaning of “at the same time”,
for although the battle of Badr began and ended on one day, the victories of Heraclius over the
Persians took some years to materialize.
4 The term al-äkhirah circumscribes, in this context, both the inner reality of this world's life
and the ultimate reality of the hereafter.
5 Lit., “Have they never thought within themselves?”
6 I.e., in contrast to God, who is eternal and unlimited, everything created is limited and
subject to change and termination. As regards my rendering of Ulä bi'I-haqq (lit., “otherwise than
with (or “in”] truth”) as “without [an inner] truth”, see note 11 on the second sentence of 10:5.
7 Lit., “more". The phrase can also be rendered as “peopled it (or “dwelt in it”] in great
numbers”.
8 For this particular rendering of thumma, see surah 6, note 31.
9 I.e., He will bring him forth anew: cf. 10:4 and the corresponding note 8. (A more general
formulation of the same statement is found in verse 27 of this sürah.)

618
 30
THE BYZANTINES
were lost in sin will be broken in spirit: (13) for they
will have no intercessors in the beings to whom they
were wont to ascribe a share in God’s divinity,1011
seeing that [by then] they themselves win have
ceased to believe in their erstwhile blasphemous fan-

(14) And when the Last Hour dawns-on that Day

will all [men] be sorted out: (15) as for those who
attained to faith and did righteous deeds, they shall be
made happy in a garden of delight; (16) but as for <$) QZA po 0
those who refused to acknowledge the truth and gave
j f—<* i*i*
the lie to Our messages - and [thus] to the announce­
ment12 of a life to come — they will be given over to
^LiJ, LiLlb (ff)
suffering.
j lùij u

(17) EXTOL, then, God’s limitless glory when you enter

upon the evening hours, and when you rise at morn; -ull 4, 0 ùr-j jj—* «la*
(18) and [seeing that] unto Him is due all praise in the ($> ûxrfJÎ' o'yl—JÎ j
heavens and on earth, [glorify Him] in the afternoon
as well, and when you enter upon the hour of noon.13 ù*, ch
(19) He [it is who] brings forth the living out of that
^j*-**!u*j^
which is dead, and brings forth the dead out of that
which is alive, and gives life to the earth after it had
0 J* S'
been lifeless: and even thus will you be brought forth
[from death to life]. ij'.Cuj U'j ï it y?
(20) And among His wonders is this: He creates
you out of dust1415 -and then, lo! you become human
beings ranging far and wide!
O’yLj! jii. < It J.J 0
(21) And among His wonders is this: He creates for
you mates out of your own kind,13 so that you might Jf* J S’
incline towards them, and He engenders love and
tenderness between you: in this, behold, there are Jy 0
messages indeed for people who think!
(22) And among his wonders is the creation of the
heavens and the earth, and the diversity of your
tongues and colours: for in this, behold, there are
messages indeed for all who are possessed of [innate]
knowledge!
(23) And among His wonders is your sleep, at night
or in daytime, as well as your [ability to go about in]
quest of some of His bounties: in this, behold, there

10 Lit., “among their [God-]partners’* (see sürah 6, note 15).

11 Lit., “they will have rejected those [God-lpartners of theirs”.
12 See note 111 on 7:147.
13 I.e., “remember God at all times”. Apart from this general exhortation, the hours mentioned
above circumscribe the times of the five daily prayers incumbent upon a Muslim. The “evening
hours" indicate the prayer after sunset (maghrib) as well as that after nightfall fishä*).
14 See second half of note 47 on 3:59, and note 4 on 23:12.
15 Lit., “from among yourselves" (see sürah 4, note 1).
619
AR-RÜM SURAH

are messages indeed for people who [are willing to]

listen!
(24) And among His wonders is this: He displays
before you the lightning, giving rise to [both] fear and
hope,16 and sends down water from the skies, giving
life thereby to the earth after it had been lifeless: in
this, behold, there are messages indeed for people ^J**—*.
E t
who use their reason! LfZy JÙU (J*4> i L» »Lfcjt J
(25) And among His wonders is this: the skies and
the earth stand firm at His behest.17
(t£) iB'i j
[Remember all this: for] in the end, when He will
call you forth from the earth with a single call-lo!
you will [all] emerge [for judgment].
(26) For, unto Him belongs every being that is in o’y—JÎj j*
the heavens and on earth; all things devoutly obey jCU (£) Jy
His will.
(27) And He it is who creates [all life] in the first
instance, and then brings it forth anew:18 and most
easy is this for Him, since His is the essence of all
that is most sublime in the heavens and on earth,19
and He alone is almighty, truly wise.
(28) He propounds unto you a parable drawn from
your own life:20 Would you [agree to] have some of
those whom your right hands possess21 as [full-
fledged] partners in whatever We may have bestowed
upon you as sustenance, so that you [and they] would
have equal shares in it, and you would fear [to make
use of it without consulting] them, just as you might
fear [the more powerful of] your equals?22

16 I.e., hope of rain-an oft-recurring Qur’anic symbol of faith and spiritual life (cf. 13:12).
17 Cf. 13 :2, where God is spoken of as having “raised the skies without any supports that you
could see“ - a phrase explained in the corresponding note 4.
18 Although this statement is phrased in almost exactly the same words as in verse 11 above (as
well as in 10:4), it evidently has here a more general purport, relating not only to man and man’s
individual resurrection but to the creation and constant re-creation of all life.
19 Primarily, the term mathal denotes a “likeness” or “similitude”, and hence is often used in
the Qur’än (e.g., in the next verse) in the sense of “parable". Occasionally, however, it is
synonymous with fifah, which signifies the intrinsic “attribute”, “quality” or “nature” of a thing,
concept or living being (cf. the reference to “the nature of Jesus” and “the nature of Adam” in
3 :59). With reference to God, who is “sublimely exalted above anything that men may devise by
way of definition” (see 6: 100 and the corresponding note 88), the expression mathal clearly points
to a quality of being entirely different from all other categories of existence, inasmuch as there is
“nothing like unto Him” (42:11) and “nothing that could be compared with Him” (112:4): hence,
the rendering of mathal as “essence" is most appropriate in this context.
20 Lit., “a parable (mathal) from yourselves".
21 I.e., slaves or persons otherwise subject to one’s authority.
22 Lit., “yourselves"-i.e., “those who are equal to you in status”. The question is, of course,
rhetorical, and must be answered in the negative. But if (so the implied argument goes) a human
master would not willingly accept his slaves as full-fledged partners - even though master and
slave are essentially equal by virtue of the humanness common to both of them (Zamakhshari) -

620
 30
THE BYZANTINES
Thus clearly do We spell out these messages unto
people who use their reason.
(29) But nay - they who are bent on evildoing fol­
low but their own desires, without having any knowl­
edge [of the truth].*23 And who could guide those whom
God has [thus] let go astray, and who [thereupon]
have none to succour them?2425
)*«» *

(30) AND SO, set thy face23 steadfastly towards the [one
ever-true] faith, turning away from all that is false,26 cUaj» f" <S> £
in accordance with the natural disposition which God
has instilled into man:27 [for,] not to allow any
change to corrupt what God has thus created28-this
(£) JJ’i
is the [purpose of the one] ever-true faith; but most
people know it not. Iji'Jj «jLdlî »jii lj •
(31) [Turn, then, away from all that is false,] turn­
ing unto Him [alone]; and remain conscious of Him, rrp
and be constant in prayer, and be not among those
who ascribe divinity to aught beside Him, (32) [or] > <£> f
among those who have broken the unity of their faith
and have become sects, each group delighting in but
what they themselves hold [by way of tenets].29

(33) NOW [thus it is:] when affliction befalls men, they

how can man regard any created beings or things as equal to Him who is their absolute Lord and
Master, and is beyond comparison with anything that exists or could ever exist? (Parables with a
similar purport are found in 16 : 75-76.
23 In this instance, the phrase alladhîna zalamü (“they who are bent on evildoing”) relates to
those who deliberately ascribe divinity or divine powers to anyone or anything beside God, thus
yielding to a desire for divine or semi-divine "mediators” between themselves and Him. Inasmuch
as such a desire offends against the concept of God’s omniscience and omnipresence, its very
existence shows that the person concerned does not really believe in Him and, therefore, does not
have the least knowledge of the truth.
24 For an explanation of God’s “letting man go astray”, see note 4 on the second sentence of
14:4, as well as note 7 on 2:7.
25 I.e., “surrender thy whole being”; the term “face” is often used metonymically in the sense
of one’s “whole being”.
26 For this rendering of hanif, see note 110 on 2:135.
27 See 7:172 and the corresponding note 139. The term fitrah, rendered by me as “natural
disposition”, connotes in this context man’s inborn, intuitive ability to discern between right and
wrong, true and false, and, thus, to sense God’s existence and oneness. Cf. the famous saying of
the Prophet, quoted by BukhärT and Muslim: “Every child is born in this natural disposition; it is
only his parents that later turn him into a ‘Jew’, a ‘Christian’, or a ‘Magian’.” These three religious
formulations, best known to the contemporaries of the Prophet, are thus contrasted with the
“natural disposition” which, by definition, consists in man’s instinctive cognition of God and
self-surrender (istôm) to Him. (The term “parents” has here the wider meaning of “social
influences" or “environment”).
28 Lit., “no change shall there be [or “shall be made”] in God’s creation (khalqY\ i.e., in the
natural disposition referred to above (ZamakhsharT). In this context, the term tabdil (“change )
obviously comprises the concept of “corruption”.
29 See 6:159,21:92-93 and 23 : 52-53, as well as the corresponding notes.

621
AR-RÜM SÜRAH

cry out unto their Sustainer, turning unto Him [for

help]; but as soon as He lets them taste of His grace, lo!
some of them [begin to] ascribe to other powers a share
in their Sustainer’s divinity,10 (34) (as if] to prove their
ingratitude for all that We have granted them! 4-Aj f f-r J >>
Enjoy, then, your [brief] life: but in time you will
come to know (the truth]!
(35) Have We ever bestowed upon them from on
'•.'LL. L-J/l fl (& iijSi
high a divine writ31 which would speak [with appro­
val] of their worshipping aught beside Us?32 CJjllS(j (r£)
(36) And [thus it is:] when we let men taste [Our]
grace, they rejoice in it; but if evil befalls them as an U pr* Ç'j’ÿ *-<> crûï
outcome of what their own hands have wrought33 - lo!
ù* ijy, (g) ùjléî fA ’fLfJJ
they lose all hope!
(37) Are they, then, not aware that it is God who j 3 * Û-J 0$
grants abundant sustenance, or gives it in scant
measure, unto whomever He wills?
In this, behold, there are messages indeed for peo­
ple who will believe! f Q,JUjr Jr jil jjj- «LOS

(38) Hence, give his due to the near of kin, as well

(j-UlT Jyil^jijf^J L
as to the needy and the wayfarer;34 this is best for all
who seek God’s countenance: for it is they, they that
shall attain to a happy state!
(39) And [remember:] whatever you may give out
in usury so that it might increase through [other]
people’s possessions will bring [you] no increase in
the sight of God35 - whereas all that you give out in

30 See note 61 on 16:54.

31 Lit., “a warrant” or “authority” (sultan), in this context obviously denoting a revelation.
32 Lit., “of that which they were wont to associate (with Us]”. Cf. second paragraph of 35:40
and the corresponding note 27.
33 See 4:79 and the corresponding note 94.
34 Cf. 17:26.
35 This is the earliest mention of the term and concept of ribä in the chronology of Qur’anic
revelation. In its general, linguistic sense, this term denotes an “addition” to or an “increase” of a
thing over and above its original size or amount; in the terminology of the Qur’an, it signifies any
unlawful addition, by way of interest, to a sum of money or goods lent by one person or body of
persons to another. Considering the problem in terms of the economic conditions prevailing at or
before their time, most of the early Muslim jurists identified this “unlawful addition” with profits
obtained through any kind of interest-bearing loans irrespective of the rate of interest and the
economic motivation involved. With all this - as is evidenced by the voluminous juridical literature
on this subject - Islamic scholars have not yet been able to reach an absolute agreement on the
definition of ribä'. a definition, that is, which would cover all conceivable legal situations and
positively respond to all the exigencies of a variable economic environment. In the words of Ibn
KathTr (in his commentary on 2 : 275), “the subject of ribä is one of the most difficult subjects for
many of the scholars (ahi al-cilm)”. It should be borne in mind that the passage condemning and
prohibiting ribä in legal terms (2:275-281) was the last revelation received by the Prophet, who
died a few days later (cf. note 268 on 2:281); hence, the Companions had no opportunity to ask
him about the sharer implications of the relevant injunction - so much so that even *Umar ibn
al-KhaUâb is reliably reported to have said: “The last [of the Qur’Sn] that was revealed was the
passage [lit., “the verse”] on ribä; and, behold, the Apostle of God passed away without (lit.»

622
 30
THE BYZANTINES
charity, seeking God’s countenance, [will be blessed
by Him:*36] for it is they, they [who thus seek His
countenance] that shall have their recompense mul­
tiplied!

(40) IT IS GOD who has created you, and then has provided (JJ) dLjjjli
you with sustenance, and then will cause you to die, and
then will bring you to life again. Can any of those beings
or powers to whom you ascribe a share in His divinity37
do any of these things? Limitless is He in His glory, and
sublimely exalted above anything to which men may C-à-S'Cjc j jUijTjji
ascribe a share in His divinity!
(41) [Since they have become oblivious of God,]
corruption has appeared on land and in the sea as an
outcome of what men’s hands have wrought: and so
He will let them taste38 [the evil of] some of their
doings, so that they might return [to the right path].39

“before”] having explained its meaning to us” (Ibn Hanbal, on the authority of SaTd ibn
al-Musayyab). Nevertheless, the severity with which the Qur’än condemns ribâ and those who
practice it furnishes - especially when viewed against the background of mankind’s economic
experiences during the intervening centuries-a sufficiently clear indication of its nature and its
social as well as moral implications. Roughly speaking, the opprobrium of ribâ (in the sense in
which this term is used in the Qur’än and in many sayings of the Prophet) attaches to profits
obtained through interest-bearing loans involving an exploitation of the economically weak by the
strong and resourceful: an exploitation characterized by the fact that the lender, while retaining
full ownership of the capital loaned and having no legal concern with the purpose for which it is to
be used or with the manner of its use, remains contractually assured of gain irrespective of any
losses which the borrower may suffer in conseqence of this transaction. With this definition in
mind, we realize that the question as to what kinds of financial transactions fall within the category
of ribâ is, in the last resort, a moral one, closely connected with the socio-economic motivation
underlying the mutual relationship of borrower and lender; and. stated in purely economic terms, it
is a question as to how profits and risks may be equitably shared by both partners to a loan
transaction. It is, of course, impossible to answer this double question in a rigid, once-for-all
manner: our answers must necessarily vary in accordance with the changes to which man’s social
and technological development-and, thus, his economic environment - is subject. Hence, while
the Qur’anic condemnation of the concept and practice of ribâ is unequivocal and final, every
successive Muslim generation is faced with the challenge of giving new dimensions and a fresh
economic meaning to this term which, for want of a better word, may be rendered as “usury”. - In
the present instance (which, as I have mentioned, is the earliest in the history of the Qur’än), no
clear-cut prohibition is as yet laid down; but the prohibition appearing in 2:275 ff. is already
foreshadowed by the reference to the immoral hope of increasing one’s own substance “through
[other] people’s possessions”, i.e., through the exploitation of others.
36 Cf. 2 : 276.
37 Lit., “any of your [God-]partners”. Cf. note 15 on 6:22.
38 The prefix U in li-yudhîqahum does not indicate here a purport or intent (“so that” or “in
order that”), but is a läm al-'âqibah, i.e., a prefix expressing a factual consequence (best rendered
as “thereupon” or “and so”).
39 Thus, the growing corruption and destruction of our natural environment, so awesomely-if
as yet only partially-demonstrated in our time, is here predicted as “an outcome of what men’s
hands have wrought”, i.e., of that self-destructive - because utterly materialistic - inventiveness
and frenzied activity which now threatens mankind with previously unimaginable ecological
disasters: an unbridled pollution of land, air and water through industrial and urban waste, a
progressive poisoning of plant and marine life, all manner of genetic malformations in men’s own
bodies through an ever-widening use of drugs and seemingly “beneficial” chemicals, and the

623
AR-RÜM SÜRAH

(42) Say: “Go all over the earth, and behold what
happened in the end to those [sinners] who lived
before [you]: most of them were wont to ascribe
divine qualities to things or beings other than
God.”40
(43) Set, then, thy face steadfastly towards the one
ever-true faith,41 ere there come from God a Day [of jVT (j bjJ** J*
reckoning-the Day] which cannot be averted.
On that Day all will be sundered: (44) he who has Çr,jI fÿi (g)
denied the truth will have to bear [the burden of] his
denial, whereas all who did what is right and just will J fX 3b «j* Jr*
have made goodly provision for themselves, (45) so Uh* /Aû* 0 -’X'4'-.
that He might reward, out of His bounty, those who
have attained to faith and done righteous deeds. ($)
Verily, He does not love those who refuse to
acknowledge the truth-(46) for among His wonders (£) /»l S.'
is this: He sends forth [His messages as He sends
forth] the winds that bear glad tidings,42 so that He
might give you a taste of His grace [through life­ bixJj û*
giving rains], and that ships might sail at His behest,
and that you might go about in quest of some of His a» éjy se; ($) sjÿu

bounties, and that you might have cause to be

grateful. b*z? û* f«?*
(47) And indeed, [O Muhammad, even] before thee J-y àiï (g) LJe lE jlf'j
did We send forth apostles - each one unto his own
people43-and they brought them all evidence of the tlu Uij"klljî j
truth: and then, [by causing the believers to triumph,]
We inflicted Our retribution upon those who [de­
liberately] did evil: for We had willed it upon Our­
selves to succour the believers.
(48) It is God who sends forth the winds [of
hope],44 so that they raise a cloud - whereupon He
spreads it over the skies as He wills, and causes it to
break up so that thou seest rain issue from within it:

gradual extinction of many animal species essentia) to human well-being. To all this may be added
the rapid deterioration and decomposition of man's social life, the all-round increase in sexual
perversion, crime and violence, with, perhaps, nuclear annihilation as the ultimate stage: all of
which is, in the last resort, an outcome of man’s oblivion of God and, hence, of all absolute moral
values, and their supersession by the belief that material “progress” is the only thing that matters.
40 I.e., they worshipped material comfort and power, and thus lost sight of all spiritual values
and, in the end, destroyed themselves.
41 See verse 30 above, as well as the corresponding notes; also 3:19-“the only [true] religion
in the sight of God is [man’s] self-surrender unto Him”.
42 The mention of God’s messages, interpolated by me between brackets, is justified by the
verses which precede and follow this passage. Moreover, it is only by means of such an
interpolation that the symbolic purport of the above reference to “the winds that bear glad tidings"
can be made fully obvious.
43 Lit., “did We send apostles to their [own] people”: see note 96 on 10:74.
A? vcrsc 46 above, the reference to “the winds” has here a symbolic significance, namely»
spiritual life and hope; hence my interpolation.

624
 30
THE BYZANTINES
and as soon as He causes it to fall upon whomever
He wills of His servants-lo! they rejoice, (49) even
though a short while ago, [just] before it was sent
down upon them, they had abandoned all hope!
(50) Behold, then, [O man,] these signs of God’s
grace-how He gives life to the earth after it had
been lifeless! Verily, this Selfsame [God] is indeed
the One that can bring the dead back to life: for He f ’^1 ÛC»
has the power to will anything!
(51) But thus it is: if45 We send a wind [that
scorches their land], and they see it turn yellow, they
begin, after that [erstwhile joy], to deny the truth [of
Our almightiness and grace]!46
(52) And, verily, thou canst not make the dead
hear: and [so, too,] thou canst not make the deaf [of iJkJ lx.j CXJ* ÿ
heart] hear this call when they turn their backs [on
thee] and go away, (53) just as thou canst not lead the
blind [of heart] out of their error: none canst thou
c"' <£) ucz-i* *Pj
make hear [thy call] save such as [are willing to]
believe in Our messages, and thus surrender them­
selves unto Us.47
J-»*- f •
(54) IT IS GOD who creates you [all in a state] of weak­
JU*
ness, and then, after weakness, ordains strength [for
you], and then, after [a period of] strength, ordains
[old-age] weakness and grey hair.48 He creates what
He wills; and He alone is all-knowing, infinite in His «UjjÀ'yJU
power.
(55) [He it is who will cause you to die, and in time
will resurrect you.]49 And when the Last Hour dawns,
those who had been lost in sin will swear that they
had not tarried [on earth] longer than an hour: thus
were they wont to delude themselves [all their
lives]!50

45 The particle la*in (lit., “indeed, if ...”) is often used in the Qur’än to express the recurrent,
typical character of the attitude or situation referred to in the sequence: in all such cases it may be
suitably rendered as “thus it is: if ...", etc.
46 For a full explanation of this verse, see 11:9 and the corresponding notes 16-19.
47 Cf. the identical passage in 27:80-31 and the corresponding note 72.
48 In the original, this sentence is formulated in the past tense (“has created you” and “has
ordained”), stressing the recurrent character of man’s life-phases. In translation, this recurrence
can be suitably expressed by using the present tense.
49 This interpolation-the meaning of which is elliptically implied here-shows the connection
of the present passage with the preceding one, as well as with verses 11-16 and 27.
50 The illusory character of man’s earthbound concept of “time” is brought out in the Qurän
in several places. In the above context stress is laid, firstly, on the relativity of this concept-i.e.,
on the infinitesimal shortness of our life on earth as compared with the timeless duration of life in
the hereafter (cf., for instance, 10:45 or 17:52)-and, secondly, on the resurrected sinners’
self-deluding excuse that their life on earth had been too short to allow them to realize their errors
and mend their ways. It is to this second aspect of the problem that the Qur’än alludes in the

625
 AR-RÜM SÜRAH 30

(56) But those who [in their lifetime] were endowed

with knowledge31 and faith will say: “Indeed, you
have been tardy in [accepting as true] what God has
revealed,32 [and you have waited] until the Day of
Resurrection: this, then, is the Day of Resurrection: j& yy Jib
but you-you were determined not to know it!”33
(57) And so, on that Day their excuse will be of no fX d[ âî
avail to those who were bent on evildoing, nor will Mt QAJV
they be allowed to make amends.
li* j Yj
(58) AND, INDEED, We have propounded unto men all XX A..
X * L XX C XX ->

kinds of parables in this Qur’än.34 But thus it is: if

thou approach them with any [such] message, those
who are bent on denying the truth are sure to say, & bit <$> 5[ i;X
“You are but making false claims!”
....... ' '
(59) In this way does God seal the hearts of those
<2) ùjjZ i
who do not [want to] know [the truth].33
(60) Remain, then, patient in adversity: verily,
God’s promise [of resurrection] is true indeed - so let
not those who are devoid of all inner certainty
disquiet thy mind!

words, “thus were they wont to delude themselves” (lit., “to be turned away”, i.e., from the truth).
For an explanation of the verb yiffikûn, see sürah 5, note 90.
51 See sürah 16, note 25.
52 Lit., “with regard to (ff) God’s revelation (kitab)", i.e., that the dead shall be resurrected and
judged by Him. It is to be noted that the verb labitha signifies “he waited (for something] or “he
was tardy [with regard to something]” as well as “he stayed (in a place]” or “he remained”. Evidently,
in verse 55 mâ labithü has the meaning of “they had not stayed” or “remained”, while in verse 56
labithtum denotes “you have been tardy” or “you have waited”.
53 Lit., “you were wont not to know”-i.e., “you persistently closed your mind to this
promise”.
54 See note 33 on the first clause of 39 : 27.
55 For an explanation of God’s “sealing” the hearts of such people, see note 7 on 2:7.
 THE THIRTY-FIRST SÜRAH

LUQMÄN
MECCA PERIOD

EVEALED, like the preceding surah, in the middle of the Mecca period, Luqmân owes its title to
R verses 12-19, where this legendary sage (see note 12) is spoken of as counselling his son.
There is no cogent reason to ascribe, as some commentators do, certain verses of this sürah to the
Medina period.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) Alif. Lâm. Mïm.'

(2) r I ’HESE ARE MESSAGES of the divine writ, full

------------------------ *
2 (3) providing guidance and grace
X of wisdom,1
unto the doers of good (4) who are constant in prayer 0 pCXî ci it éi; (j) Ui
and dispense charity:3 for it is they, they who in their
innermost are certain of the life to come! 3 (J)
(5) It is they who follow the guidance [that comes
to them] from their Sustainer; and it is they, they who
shall attain to a happy state!
(6) But among men there is many a one that prefers
a mere play with words [to divine guidance],45so as to
lead [those] without knowledge astray from the path
of God, and to turn it to ridicule: for such there is (T)
shameful suffering in store.
(7) For, whenever Our messages are conveyed to
such a one, he turns away in his arrogance3 as though
he had not heard them-as though there were deaf-

1 See Appendix II.

2 See note 2 on 10:1.
3 The term az-zakäh seems to have here its more general meaning of “charity’* rather than the
legal connotation of “purifying dues" (see note 34 on 2:43), the more so as the above passage has
a close inner resemblance to 2:2-4, where “spending on others out of what We provide as
sustenance" is described as one of the characteristics of the God-conscious.
4 Lit., “among the people there is he who [or “such as”] takes playful [or “idle”] talk in
exchange", i.e., for divine guidance: apparently an allusion to a pseudo-philosophical play with
words and metaphysical speculations without any real meaning behind them (cf. note 38 on
23:67). Contrary to what some of the commentators assume, the above statement does not refer
to any one person (allegedly a contemporary of the Prophet) but describes a type of mentality and
has, therefore, a general import.
5 Cf. 23:66-67.

627
 LUQMÂN SÜRAH

ness in his ears: give him, then, the tiding of grievous

suffering [in the life to come].
(8) [As against this,] verily, those who attain to
faith and do righteous deeds shall have gardens of
bliss, (9) to abide therein in accordance with God’s
, f » * " x Z.X
true promise: for He alone is almighty, truly wise.6 (T) «yiÜ Ifij □
(10) He [it is who] has created the skies without
any supports that you could see,7 and has placed firm
mountains upon the earth, lest it sway with you,89and
JÎ JU- (J) âf jcj
has caused all manner of living creatures to multiply
thereon. Js/ Û' JJ JyÏÏ j &\f ÇjJ J*.
And We’ send down water from the skies, and thus
We cause every noble kind [of life] to grow on
earth.10
ISL JjjU jU lli 0
(11) [All] this is God’s creation: show Me, then,
what others than He may have created! Nay, but the
evildoers11 are obviously lost in error!
â j'CltfK jIJj
(12) AND, INDEED, We granted this wisdom unto Luq­
mân:12 “Be grateful unto God-for he who is grateful
[unto Him] is but grateful for the good of his own
self; whereas he who chooses to be ungrateful [ought
to know that], verily, God is self-sufficient, ever to
be praised!”
(13) And, lo, Luqmân spoke thus unto his son.

6 Commenting on the above three verses, RäzT points out, firstly, that the deliberate contrast
between the plural in the promise of “gardens (jannät) of bliss" and the singular in that of
“suffering" Çadhâb) is meant to show that God’s grace surpasses His wrath (cf. note 10 on
6:12); and, secondly, that the use of the expression “to abide therein" in connection with the
mention of paradise only, and not with that of otherworldly suffering (or hell), is an indication that
whereas the enjoyment of the former will be unlimited in duration, suffering in what is described
as “hell” will be limited.
7 See note 4 on 13 :2.
8 See note 11 on 16:15.
9 This is another of the many Qur’anic instances where the personal pronoun relating to God is
suddenly changed-in this instance, from “He" to “We"-in order to indicate that God, being
infinite, cannot be circumscribed by any pronoun applicable to created, finite beings, and that the
use of such pronouns with reference to Him is no more than a concession to the limited nature of
every human language.
10 Lit., “thereon". As in 26:7, the term zawj has here the significance of “a kind".
11 Sc., “who ascribe divine powers to beings or things other than God".
12 Popularly (though without sufficient justification) identified with Aesop, Luqmân is a
legendary figure firmly established in ancient Arabian tradition as a prototype of the sage who
disdains worldly honours or benefits and strives for inner perfection. Celebrated in a poem by
Ziyfid ibn Mu'âwiyah (better known under his pen-name Näbighah adh-Dhubyânï), who lived in the
sixth century of the Christian era, the person of Luqmân had become, long before the advent of
Islam, a focal point of innumerable legends, stories and parables expressive of wisdom and
spiritual maturity; and it is for this reason that the Qur’än uses this mythical figure - as it uses the
equally mythical figure of Al-Khi<jr in sürah 18-as a vehicle for some of its admonitions bearing
upon the manner in which man ought to behave.

628
31
LUQMÄN
admonishing him: “O my dear son!13 Do not ascribe
divine powers to aught beside God: for, behold, such
[a false] ascribing of divinity is indeed an awesome
wrong!
(14) “And [God says:] ‘We have enjoined upon man
goodness towards his parents: his mother bore him by
bearing strain upon strain, and his utter dependence
on her lasted two years:14 [hence, O man,] be grateful
towards Me and towards thy parents, [and remember
that] with Me is all journeys’ end.15 js jJj} 0/*33 ($> piUJ iJ/K
(15) ‘“[Revere thy parents;] yet should they
endeavour to make thee ascribe divinity, side by side j/li! jl JmU j ^3 & /*'

with Me, to something which thy mind cannot accept

[as divine],16 obey them not; but [even then] bear
them company in this world’s life with kindness, and j 1*^*3 £ (Jc j
follow the parti of those who turn towards Me. In the \ t, \> L , A ,Z
f J] U»> J* J*“"
end, unto Me you all must return; and thereupon I
shall make you [truly] understand all that you were
doing [in life].’
(16) “O my dear son,” [continued Luqmän,] J&j Jl2.
“verily, though there be aught of but the weight of a
mustard-seed, and though it be [hidden] in a rock, or j[ jjl
in the skies, or in the earth, God will bring it to light:
if" ^3 </*'->
for, behold, God is unfathomable [in His wisdom],
all-aware.17
(17) “O my dear son! Be constant in prayer, and
enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid the doing llü’J*-• 'ij
of what is wrong, and bear in patience whatever [ill]
j ÂJ!j (£) JU*
may befall thee: this, behold, is something to set
one’s heart upon!
(18) “And turn not thy cheek away from people in
[false] pride, and walk not haughtily on earth: for,
behold, God does not love anyone who, out of self-
conceit, acts in a boastful manner.
(19) “Hence, be modest in thy bearing, and lower
thy voice: for, behold, the ugliest of all voices is the
[loud] voice of asses....”

13 Lit., “O my little son”-a diminutive idiomatically expressive of endearment irrespective of

whether the son is a child or a grown man.
14 Lit., “his weaning is [or “takes place”] within two years”. According to some philologists,
the term ji;d/ circumscribes the entire period of conception, gestation, birth and earliest infancy
(Töj al-cAräj): in brief, the period of a child’s utter dependence on its mother.
15 Thus, gratitude towards parents, who were instrumental in one’s coming to life, is here
stipulated as a concomitant to man’s gratitude towards God, who is the ultimate cause and source
of his existence (cf. 17 : 23-24).
16 Lit, “something of which thou hast no knowledge”, i.e„ “something which is contrary to thy
knowledge that divine qualities are God’s alone” (cf. 29:8).
17 For my rendering of tap/ as “unfathomable", see sürah 6, note 89.

629
 LUQMÂN SÜRAH

(20) ARE YOU NOT aware that God has made subservient
to you all18 that is in the heavens and all that is on
earth, and has lavished upon you His blessings, both
outward and inward?19
And yet, among men there is many a one that
argues about God without having any knowledge [of
Him], without any guidance, and without any light­
giving revelation; (21) and when such [people] are jU jir xft jl \jJ JI (J)

told to follow that which God has bestowed from on

j •j tj»j Lj
high, they answer, “Nay, we shall follow that which
we found our forefathers believing in and doing!”
Y, à*
Why - [would you follow your forefathers] even if
Satan had invited them unto the suffering of the b~'Ç* j? fyj
blazing flame?20
(22) Now whoever surrenders his whole being unto ÜîCh CZjC JJ- JT
God,21 and is a doer of good withal, has indeed taken
hold of a support most unfailing: for with God rests
the final outcome of all events.
(23) But as for him who is bent on denying the
truth - let not his denial grieve thee: unto Us they
must return, and then We shall make them [truly] f £
understand all that they were doing [in life]: for, -*-^c AÎ Ô[ fr*"*
verily, God has full knowledge of what is in the
hearts [of men]. (24) We will let them enjoy them­
selves for a short while - but in the end We shall
drive them into suffering severe.
w*>^b dçb (J) -k-k
<5> v p* > JS «■ jbO
(25) AND THUS it is [with most people]: if22 thou ask
them, “Who is it that has created the heavens and the 4»! <j k 4»
earth?” - they will surely answer, “God.”
Say: “[Then you ought to know that] all praise is
due to God!”-for most of them do not know [what
this implies].23
(26) Unto God belongs all that is in the heavens and
on earth. Verily, God alone is self-sufficient, the One
to whom all praise is due!

18 I.e., “has enabled you to derive benefit from all...”, etc. (Cf. note 46 on 14:32-33.)
19 I.e., both visible and invisible benefits, as well as both physical and intellectual (or spiritual)
endowments.
20 Regarding the implications of the term “Satan” in this context, see note 10 on 2:14 and note
16 on 15:17. As in many other places in the Qur’fin, the above verse expresses an oblique
condemnation of the principle and practice of taqlïd (see RäzT’s observations quoted in note 38 on

21 See note 91 on 2:112.

22 For the above rendering of la*m, see sürah 30, note 45.
23 I.e., they give the above answer unthinkingly, following a vague habit of thought, without
realizing that a cognition of God as the Ultimate Cause of all existence logically postulates one’s
full surrender to Him, and to Him alone.
 31
LUQMÄN
(27) And if all the trees on earth were pens, and the
sea (were] ink, with seven [more] seas yet34 added to
it, the words of God would not be exhausted: for,
25
verily, God is almighty, wise.24
(28) [For Him,] the creation of you all and the
resurrection of you all is but like [the creation and
resurrection of] à single soul:26 for, verily, God is
all-hearing, all-seeing.
(29) Art thou not aware that it is God who makes the ' jb (n) 4-J.Î
night grow longer by shortening the day, and makes
the day grow longer by shortening the night, and that ÛÎ dll ClXCzXL'L jfX 4«—» <«Ja>
He has made the sun and the moon subservient [to
His laws], each running its course for a term set [by (W)
Him]27-and that God is fully aware of aU that you
do?
(30) Thus it is, because God alone is the Ultimate
Truth,28 so that all that men invoke instead of Him is
sheer falsehood; and because God alone is exalted, ($) Jh* 3jL-‘ C^âl j’j 3/é

truly great!
«j'j üùLdl’S
(31) Art thou not aware how the ships speed
through the sea by God’s favour, so that He might JÎijî j‘ (T)
show you some of His wonders?
Herein, behold, there are messages indeed for all
who are wholly patient in adversity and deeply grate­
ful [to God]. Jr»
(32) For [thus it is with most men:] when the waves (4M ?r Ji es yrô yj*
engulf them like shadows [of death], they call unto
God, sincere [at that moment] in their faith in Him
alone: but as soon as He has brought them safe ashore,
some of them stop half-way [between belief and
unbelief].29
j»- dJ Jcj ItS ÿ
Yet none could knowingly reject Our messages
unless he be utterly perfidious, ingrate.

(33) O MEN! Be conscious of your Sustainer, and stand in

awe of the Day on which no parent will be of any
avail to his child, nor a child will in the least avail his
parent!
Verily, God’s promise (of resurrection] is true in­
deed: let not, then, the life of this world delude you.

24 Lit., “after that”.

25 Cf. a similar passage in 18:109.
26 I.e., in view of His almightiness, there is no difference between the creation and resurrection
of many and of one, just as every single soul is as much within His ken as is all mankind.
27 See note 5 on 13:2.
28 See sürah 20, note 99.
29 Cf. 17:67, as well as 29:65, which says - in a similar context - that “they [begin to] ascribe
to imaginary powers a share in His divinity" (yushrikün). The parable of a storm at sea is, of
course, a metonym applying to every kind of danger that may beset man in life.

631
LUQMÄN SÜRAH 31

and let not [your own] deceptive thoughts about God

delude you!30 »WS®*
(34) Verily, with God alone rests the knowledge of
when the Last Hour will come; and He [it is who]
sends down rain; and He [alone] knows what is in the .1 **' ~
wombs:31 whereas no one knows what he will reap
tomorrow, and no one knows in what land he will die.
Verily, God [alone] is all-knowing, all-aware.

30 For instance, the self-deluding expectation, while deliberately committing a sin, that God will
forgive it (SaTd ibn Jubayr, as quoted by TabarT, BaghawT, ZamakhsharT). According to Tabari,
the term gharür denotes “anything that deludes” (mä gharra) a person in the moral sense, whether
it be Satan, or another human being, or an abstract concept, or (as in 57:14) “wishful thinking".
31 This relates not merely to the problem of the sex of the as yet unborn embryo, but also to the
question of whether it will be born at all, and if so, what its natural endowments and its character
will be, as well as what role it will be able to play in life; and life itself is symbolized by the
preceding mention of rain, and the end of all life in this world, by the mention of the Last Hour.
 THE THIRTY-SECOND SÜRAH

AS-SAJDAH (PROSTRATION)
MECCA PERIOD

LMOST all the authorities agree in that this surah belongs to the late Mecca period, and that
A it was revealed immediately after sürah 23 (“The Believers”). The view advanced by some
commentators that verses 16-20 were revealed at Medina is purely speculative and does not
deserve senous consideration.
The key-word which came to be accepted as the “title” of this sürah is found in verse 15.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) Alif. Lâm. Mïm.'

(2) T"1 HE BESTOWAL from on high of this divine writ

X issues, beyond any doubt, from the Sustainer of
all the worlds: (3) and yet,23they [who are bent on
denying the truth] assert, “[Muhammad] has invented
------------ *
it!”
Nay, but it is the truth from thy Sustainer, enabling
»->j (T) I—H
thee to warn [this] people to whom no warner has J* «yA f ’ <J>
come before thee, so that they might follow the right
path.

(4) IT IS GOD who has created the heavens and the

earth and all that is between them in six aeons, and is
established on the throne of His almightiness? You
J*
have none to protect you from God, and none to
intercede for you [on Judgment Day]: will you not,
then, bethink yourselves?
(5) He governs all that exists, from the celestial
J <4 ÇA Vtf
space to the earth; and in the end all shall ascend
O 0>-u> LJ
unto Him [for judgment] on a Day the length whereof
will be [like] a thousand years of your reckoning.4
(6) Such is He who knows all that is beyond the
reach of a created being’s perception, as well as all

1 See Appendix II.

2 Cf. note 61 on 10:38.
3 See note 43 on 7:54.
4 I.e., the Day of Judgment will seem to be endless to those who are judged. In the ancient
Arabic idiom, a day that is trying or painful is described as “long", just as a happy day is spoken
of as “short” (MarighT XXI, 105).

633
AS-SAJDAH SÜRAH

that can be witnessed by a creature’s senses or mind:5

the Almighty, the Dispenser of Grace, (7) who makes
most excellent everything that He creates.6
Thus, He begins the creation of man out of clay;7
(8) then He causes him to be begotten8 out of the
essence of a humble fluid; (9) and then He forms him
in accordance with what he is meant to be, and
breathes into him of His spirit:9 and [thus, O men,] (J)
He endows you with hearing, and sight, and feelings
as well as minds:10 [yet] how seldom are you grateful!
(10) For, [many are] they [who] say, “What! After û; v (J) ÿse
we have been [dead and] lost in the earth, shall we
■ indeed be [restored to life] in a new act of crea­ <T>
tion?’’
Nay, but [by saying this] they deny the truth that
they are destined to meet their Sustainer!11
(11) Say: “[One day,] the angel of death who has
been given charge of you will gather you, and then
unto your Sustainer you will be brought back.”
(12) If thou couldst but see [how it will be on &ÔÇ*11*. JprJ
Judgment Day], when those who are lost in sin will
hang their heads before their Sustainer, [saying:] “O Cù ßj g, ùjif
our Sustainer! [Now] we have seen, and we have
heard! Return us, then, [to our earthly life] that we
may do good deeds: for [now], behold, we are certain
[of the truth]!”
(13) Yet had We so willed, We could indeed have
imposed Our guidance upon every human being:12 but
5 See sûrah 6, note 65.
6 I.e., He fashions every detail of His creation in accordance with the functions intended for it,
irrespective of whether those functions can be understood by us or are beyond the reach of our
perception. In the text, the passage comprising verses 7-9 is in the past tense; but since it relates to
a continuous act of creation, it signifies the present and the future as well as the past, and may,
therefore, be suitably rendered in the present tense.
7 Cf. note 4 on 23:12. In view of the next verse, this “beginning” of man’s creation seems to
allude to the basic composition of the human body as such, as well as to each individual’s pre-natal
existence in the separate bodies of his parents.
8 Lit., “He caused [i.e., as pointed out in note 6 above, “He causes”] his procreation [or “his
begetting”] to be out of ..etc.
9 As in 15 :29 and 38:72, God’s “breathing of His spirit into man" is a metaphor for the divine
gift of life and consciousness, or of a “soul” (which, as pointed out in sûrah 4, note 181, is one of
the meanings of the term rüh). Consequently, “the soul of every human being is of the spirit of
God” (R&zï). Regarding the verb sawwâhu - rendered by me as “He forms him in accordance with
what he is meant to be” - see note 1 on 87 :2 and note 5 on 91:7.
*0 **iearts” (of*idah), which in classical Arabic is a metonym for both “feelings" and
minds”; hence my composite rendering of this term.
11 Sc., “and thus, by implication, they deny His existence”. (Cf. notes 11 and 12 on 13:5.)
12 Lit., “We could indeed have given unto every human being (na/s) his guidance”, i.e.,
forcibly: but since this would have deprived man of his ability to choose between right and
” ?n<*’ .thus’ of all moral responsibility - God does not “impose” His guidance upon anyone
(cf. 26:4 and the corresponding note).

634
 32
PROSTRATION
[We have not willed it thus-and so] that word of
Mine has come true: “Most certainly will I fill hell
with invisible beings as well as with humans, all
together!”13
(14) [And He will say unto the sinners:] “Taste,
then, [the recompense] for your having been obli­
vious of the coming of this your Day [of Judgment] -
for, verily, We are [now] oblivious of you: taste,
then, [this] abiding suffering for all [the evil] that you
were wont to do!” tUJ Ce ijô-ü (g)

(15) ONLY THEY [truly] believe in Our messages who, <-j'je jp'i J
whenever they are conveyed to them, fall down,
<yji ($) QjUJ
prostrating themselves in adoration, and extol their
Sustainer’s limitless glory and praise; and who are
never filled with false pride; (16) [and] who are im­
pelled to rise14 from their beds [at night] to call out to
Uj (-r J ùjejj je
their Sustainer in fear and hope; and who spend on
others out of what We provide for them as sus­ H ‘T-’b
tenance.
(17) And [as for all such believers,] no human being
can imagine what blissful delights, as yet hidden, yi u* 0 Lt
await them [in the life to come]15 as a reward for all
that they did.
(18) Is, then, he who [in his earthly life] was a
believer to be compared with one who was in­
iquitous? [Nay,] these two are not equal!
w*'je IjâijXei LfU
(19) As for those who attain to faith and do right­
eous deeds - gardens of rest await them, as a wel­ ùji CP'ïîf (£) •*
come [from God], in result of what they did; (20) but
as for those who are lost in iniquity - their goal is the
fire: as oft as they will try to come out of it, they will
be thrown back into it; and they will be told, “Taste
[now] this suffering through fire which you were wont
to call a lie!”
(21) However, ere [We condemn them to] that
supreme suffering, We shall most certainly let them

13 See 7:18 as well as the last paragraph of 11:119. As regards the “invisible beings” (jinn),
see Appendix III.
14 Lit., “whose sides [i.e., bodies] restlessly rise”.
15 Lit., "what is kept hidden for them [by way] of a joy of the eyes”. Le., of blissful delights,
irrespective of whether seen, heard or felt. The expression “what is kept hidden for them” clearly
alludes to the unknowable-and, therefore, only allegorically describable - quality of life in the
hereafter. The impossibility of man’s really “imagining” paradise has been summed up by the
Prophet in the well-authenticated fradith: “God says: ‘I have readied for My righteous servants
what no eye has ever seen, and no ear has ever heard, and no heart off man has ever conceived’"
(BukhärT and Muslim, on the authority of Abfl Hurayrah; also Tirmidhï). This hadïth has always
been regarded by the Companions as the Prophet’s own comment on the above verse*(cf. Fath
al-Bârr VIII, 418 f.).
635
 AS-SAJDAH SÜRAH

taste of a suffering closer at hand,16 so that they might

[repent and] mend their ways.17
(22) And who could be more wicked than he to
whom his Sustainer’s messages are conveyed and who
thereupon turns away from them? Verily, We shall
inflict Our retribution on those who are [thus] lost in
sin!
(£)
(23) AND, INDEED, [O Muhammad,] We did vouchsafe
revelation unto Moses [as well]: so be not in doubt of
[thy] having met with the same [truth in the revelation
vouchsafed to thee].18
And [just as] We caused that [earlier revelation] to
be a guidance for the children of Israel, (24) and [as]
We raised among them leaders who, so long as they bz-* W Ce» ÛX5
bore themselves with patience and had sure faith in
Our messages, guided [their people] in accordance pi (J)
with Our behest19 - [so, too, shall it be with the divine
writ revealed unto thee, O Muhammad.]20

(25) VERILY, it is God alone who will decide between

men21 on Resurrection Day with regard to all on u bz Jj* <$> 0^15 y>\ iff* j 4
which they were wont to differ.22 (26) [But] can, then,
they [who deny the truth] learn no lesson by recalling
how many a generation We have destroyed before
their time?23 - [people] in whose dwelling-places they
[themselves now] walk about?
In this, behold, there are messages indeed: will they
not, then, listen?
16 Lit., “nearer", i.e., in this world: for an explanation, see note 27 on 52:47.
17 Lit., “so that they might return [to righteousness]".
18 With this passage the discourse returns to the theme enunciated at the beginning of this
sßrah - namely, the divine origin of the revelation granted to Muhammad, which, as the present
passage points out, proceeds from the same source as that granted to Moses (the last of the great
apostles of God accepted as such by all the three monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity and
Islam). Furthermore, the identity of the fundamental truths in all divine revelations, stressed in the
above verse, implies an identity of the moral demands made of the followers of those revelations
irrespective of period, race or social environment.
19 I.e., in accordance with the divine ordinances enunciated in and for their time in the Torah:
an allusion to the decline of faith, frequently mentioned in the Qur’än, among the children of Israel
of later times, and the tendency among many of their leaders and learned men to corrupt the text
of the Torah and, thus, to “overlay the truth with falsehood" (see, e.g., 2:42, 75, 79, and the
corresponding notes).
20 This interpolation reflects ZamakhsharT’s commentary on the above passage, to the effect
that the Qur’än is destined to provide guidance and light so long as the community’s religious
leaders are patient in adversity and steadfast in their faith: an interpretation which implies that the
Qur’än will cease to be of benefit to people who have lost their moral virtues and their faith.
21 Lit., “between them".
22 See sßrah 2, note 94; also 22:67-69. In the present instance, this difference of opinion
relates to belief in resurrection, on the one hand, and its denial, on the other.
23 For the wider meaning of the term qam (lit., “generation"), see note 111 on 20:128.

636
 PROSTRATION

(27) Are they not aware that it is We who drive the

rain onto dry land devoid of herbage, and thereby
bring forth herbage of which their cattle and they
themselves do eat? Can they not, then, see [the truth
of resurrection]?
(28) But they answer: “When will that final decision
take place, if what you [believers] say is true?”24 j-» ($)

(29) Say: “On the Day of the Final Decision, their

[newly-found] faith will be of no use to those who [in <S> f* Vj

their lifetime] were bent on denying the truth, nor will (£> f-rlX’Ij fi*
they be granted respite!”-(30) and then leave them
alone, and wait [for the truth to unfold as] they,
behold, are waiting....

24 A reference to the statement in verse 25.

 THE THIRTY-THIRD SÜRAH

AL-AHZÄB (THE CONFEDERATES)

MEDINA PERIOD

HE DESIGNATION of this sürah is derived from the references in verses 9-27 to the War
T of the Confederates, which took place in the year 5 H. (see note 13 below). The tone of these
references, and especially of verse 20, shows that this part of the surah was revealed immediately
after that war, i.e., towards the end of 5 h. Verses 37-40, which deal with the Prophet’s marriage
to Zaynab bint Jahsh, were revealed in the same year, probably a few months earlier; the same can
be said of verses 4-5, which apparently contain an indirect allusion to the Prophet’s adoptive
relationship with Zaynab’s first husband, Zayd ibn Härithah (see in this connection note 42 below).
On the other hand, verses 28-29 and 52 cannot have been revealed earlier than the year 7 H.. and
may even belong to a later period (cf. note 65 on verse 52). There is no clear evidence as to the
date of the rest of this sürah, although some authorities (e.g., Suyütï) maintain that much-if not
most-of it was revealed after sürah 3 (“The House of *Imrän”) and before sürah 4 (“Women”),
which would place it towards the end of 3 H. or in the early part of 4 H. In brief, it can be stated
with certainty that the sürah was revealed in small segments at various times between the end of
the first and the middle of the last third of the Medina period. This, together with the fact that a
considerable portion of it deals with the personal history of the Prophet, the relationship between
him and his contemporaries - in particular, his family-and certain rules of behaviour which
applied explicitly, and specifically, to his wives alone, explains why this sürah is so complex in its
structure and so diversified in its modes of expression.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) /^PROPHET! Remain conscious of God, and defer

Vxnot to the deniers of the truth and the hypo­ ------------ J
crites: for God is truly all-knowing, wise. (2) And
follow [but] that which comes unto thee through J* f
revelation from thy Sustainer:1 for God is truly aware
of all that you do, [O men], (3) And place thy trust in
God [alone]: for none is as worthy of trust as God. JGm (J) le* ôjL«* dij

(4) NEVER has God endowed any man with two hearts
in one body:2 and [just as] He has never made your
wives whom you may have declared to be “as un- ûê J*»- Uj « vj* 4

1 Lit., “what is revealed to thee from thy Sustainer” - indicating that He is the source of all
revelation.
2 Lit., “within him”. In the first instance, this connects with the preceding passage, implying
that man cannot be truly conscious of God and at the same time defer to the views of “the deniers
of the truth and the hypocrites” (Râzï). Beyond this, however, the above sentence forms a
conceptual link with the sequence, which states that it is against the God-willed laws of
nature - and, therefore, unreasonable and morally inadmissible - to attribute to one and the same
person two mutually incompatible roles within the framework of human relationships
(ZamakhsharT).

638
SÜRAH 33
THE CONFEDERATES
lawful to you as your mothers’ bodies” [truly] your
mothers,3 so, too, has He never made your adopted
sons [truly] your sons:4 these are but [figures ofj
speech uttered by your mouths - whereas God speaks
the [absolute] truth:5 and it is He alone who can show
[you] the right path. (J) JA jL'Jit
(5) [As for your adopted children,] call them by
their [real] fathers’ names: this is more equitable in ÎJjL* J âî XJ* XXilj»
the sight of God; and if you know not who their
fathers were, [call them] your brethren in faith and
your friends.6 However, you will incur no sin if you
jli oLL' U jCjj ÎL» qLL>-
err in this respect:7 [what really matters is] but what
your hearts intend-for God is indeed much-forgiv­ djl (T) Ijjip âî û&j
ing, a dispenser of grace!
(6) The Prophet has a higher claim on the believers
than [they have on] their own selves, [seeing that he
is as a father to them] and his wives are their
mothers:8 and they who are [thus] closely related

' 3 This is a reference to the pre-Islamic Arabian custom called zihar, whereby a husband could
divorce his wife by simply declaring, “Thou art [henceforth as unlawful] to me as my mother’s
back”, the term fahr (“back”) being in this case a metonym for “body”. In pagan Arab society,
this mode of divorce was considered final and irrevocable; but a woman thus divorced was not
allowed to remarry, and had to remain forever in her former husband’s custody. As is evident from
the first four verses of sürah 58 (Al-Mujädalah)-which was revealed somewhat earlier than the
present sürah - this cruel pagan custom had already been abolished by the time of the revelation of the
above verse, and is mentioned here only as an illustration of the subsequent dictum that the “figures of
speech [lit., “your sayings”] which you utter with your mouths" do not necessarily coincide with the
reality of human relations.
4 I.e., in the sense of blood relationship: hence, the marriage restrictions applying to real
sons-and, by obvious implication, daughters as well-do not apply to adoptive children. This
statement has a definite bearing on verses 37 ff. below.
5 Sc., by bringing into being the factual, biological relationship of parent and child in distinction
from all man-made, social relationships like husband and wife, or foster-parent and adoptive child.
In this connection it should be borne in mind that the Qur’än frequently uses the metaphor of
God’s “speech” to express His creative activity.
6 I.e., “make it clear that your relationship is an adoptive one, and do not create the
impression that they are your real children” - thus safeguarding their true identity.
7 I.e., by making a mistake in the attribution of the child's parentage, or by calling him or her,
out of love, “my son" or “my daughter”.
8 Thus, connecting with the preceding mention of voluntary, elective relationships (as con­
trasted with those by blood), this verse points to the highest manifestation of an elective, spiritual
relationship: that of the God-inspired Prophet and the person who freely chooses to follow him.
The Prophet himself is reported to have said: “None of you has real faith unless I am dearer unto
him than his father, and his child, and all mankind” (Bukhari and Muslim, on the authority of
Anas, with several almost identical versions in other compilations). The Companions invariably
regarded the Prophet as the spiritual father of his community. Some of them-e.g., Ibn Mas'Od
(as quoted by Zamakhsharï) or Ubayy ibn Ka*b, Ibn ‘Abbas and Mu‘äwiyah (as quoted by Ibn
Kathïr) - hardly ever recited the above verse without adding, by way of explanation, “seeing that
he is [as] a father to them”; and many of the tabi*tn - including Mujähid, Qatädah, ‘Ikrimah and
Al-Hasan (cf. TabarT and Ibn Kathïr)-did the same: hence my interpolation, between brackets, of
this phrase. (However, see also verse 40 of this sürah and the corresponding note 50.) As regards
the status of the Prophet’s wives as the “mothers of the believers”, this arises primarily from the
fact of their having shared the life of God's Apostle in its most intimate aspect. Consequently, they

639
 AL-AHZÄB SÜRAH

have, in accordance with God’s decree, a higher claim

upon one another than [was even the case between]
the believers [of Yathrib] and those who had migrated
[there for the sake of God].’ None the less, you are to
act with utmost goodness towards your [other] close
friends as well:910 this [too] is written down in God’s
decree.
(7) AND LO! We did accept a solemn pledge from all the O UA-*
prophets11 - from thee, [O Muhammad,] as well as Z» x lx XX»X X X X /xx ,X» X 4 X
from Noah, and Abraham, and Moses, and Jesus the t'Âx-b f.s isr^3 xl 3 à*3
son of Mary-: for We accepted a most weighty,
solemn pledge from [all of] them, (8) so that [at the 0 f-ê
end of time] He might ask those men of truth as to y î C3£ 0 Ä
[what response] their truthfulness [had received on
earth].12 And grievous suffering has He readied for all
who deny the truth!
0 tjM« ûjUâ' û âT J ’■»>»■>
(9) O YOU who have attained to faith! Call to mind the
blessings which God bestowed on you [at the time]
when [enemy] hosts came down upon you, where­
upon We let loose against them a stormwind and
[heavenly] hosts that you could not see:13 yet God

could not remarry after his death (see verse 53 below), since all the believers were, spiritually,
their “children”.
9 See note 86 on the last but one sentence of 8:75. As explained in that note, neither of these
two passages (8:75 and 33:6) can be satisfactorily interpreted as bearing on the laws of
inheritance: all endeavours to interpret them in that sense only do violence to the logical build-up
and inner cohesion of the Qur’anic discourse. On the other hand, it is obvious that both passages
have basically a similar (namely, spiritual) import-with the difference only that whereas the
concluding sentences of Al-Anfäl refer to the brotherhood of all believers in general, the present
passage lays stress on the yet deeper, special relationship between every true believer and God’s
Apostle.
10 I.e., towards all other believers, as stressed so often in the Qur’ân, and particularly in 8:75
(see preceding note): in other words, a believer’s exalted love for the Prophet should not blind him
to the fact that “all believers are brethren” (49:10). The extremely complex term ma'riif,
rendered by me in this context as “innermost goodness”, may be defined as “any act [or attitude]
the goodness whereof is evident to reason” (Râghib).
•I U This parenthetic passage connects with verses 1-3 above, and relates to every prophet’s
“pledge” - i.e., sacred duty-to convey God’s message to man, and thus to act as “a bearer of glad
tidings and a Warner”. (For my rendering of Wh, in this context, as “lo”, see surah 2, note 21.)
12 Cf. 5 :109 and, more particularly, 7:6-“We shall most certainly call to account all those
unto whom Our message was sent, and We shall most certainly call to account the message­
bearers [themselves]”.
JU* 124-125 and 010 corresponding note 93. The present passage (verses 9-27) relates to
. °f th< Confcdcratc8 (al-ahzäb)-also called the War of the Trench (al-khandaq)-which
took place in 5 H. At the instigation of the Jewish tribe of Banu ’n-Nadïr, who had been expelled
from Yathnb (Medina) after they had broken the treaty binding them to the Muslims, several of
the most powerful Abrabian tribes formed a confederacy with a view to overcoming, once and for
all, the threat posed by Islam to the beliefs and many of the customs of pagan Arabia- In the
month of Shawwäl, 5 H., a force of well over 12,000 men, composed of the Quraysh and their
33
THE CONFEDERATES
saw all that you did.
(10) [Remember what you felt] when they came
upon you from above you and from below you,’4 and
when [your] eyes became dim and [your] hearts came
up to [your] throats, and [when] most conflicting a H û* H
thoughts about God passed through your minds:115’ 4(11) Al öjjüj
*1 ûJuif ciL J yJjVî
[for] there and then were the believers tried, and
shaken with a shock severe.
(12) And [remember how it was] when the hypo­
crites and those with hearts diseased16 said [to one f-cj1* j Jji 0 U
aS
another], “God and His Apostle have promised us
nothing but delusions!”1718-(13) and when some of
3 CJ» 0 âJ UjcjL

them said, “O you people of Yathrib! You cannot

withstand [the enemy] here:16 hence, go back [to your
ifrjî j£J fCjuy j—u»
homes]!” - whereupon a party from among them kf «jj* ù[
^3x
asked leave of the Prophet, saying, “Behold, our
houses are exposed [to attack]!” - the while they
were not [really] exposed: they wanted nothing but to
£ Û/ÎilùjîiJu J?
flee.
(14) Now if their town had been stormed,19 and
they had been asked [by the enemy] to commit apos­
tasy, [the hypocrites] would have done so without

allies- the Banü Kinânah, Banü Asad and the people of the coastlands (the Tihâmah), as well as
the great NajdT tribe of Ghatafän and its allies, the Hawâzin (or Banü cÄmir) and Banü
Sulaym - converged upon Medina. Forewarned of their coming, the Prophet had ordered a deep
trench to be dug around the town - a defensive measure unknown in pre-lslamic Arabia-and thus
brought the assault of the Confederates to a halt. At that point, however, another danger arose for
the Muslims: the Jewish tribe of Banü Qurayzah, who lived in the outskirts of Medina and until
then had been allied with the Muslims, broke the treaty of alliance and openly joined the
Confederates. Nevertheless, during a siege lasting several weeks all the attempts of the latter to
cross the trench - manned by the numerically much weaker and less well-armed Muslims - were
repulsed with heavy losses to the attackers; dissensions, based on mutual distrust, gradually
undermined the much-vaunted alliance between the Jewish and the pagan Arab tribes; in the
month of Dhu ’l-Qacdah their frustration became complete when a bitterly-cold stormwind raged
for several days, making life unbearable even for hardened warriors. And so, finally, the siege was
raised and the Confederates dispersed, thus ending the last attempt of the pagans to destroy
the Prophet and his community.
14 The Ghatafän group tried to take the trench by assault from the upper, eastern part of the
Medina plain, while the Quraysh and their allies launched an attack from its lower, i.e., western
part (ZamakhsharT), and this obviously in consonance with their original lines of approach-the
Ghatafän having come from the highlands (Najd), and the Quraysh from the coastal lowlands (the
Tihâmah),
15 Lit., “[when] you thought all [manner of] thoughts about God”: i.e., “whether He would save
you or allow your enemies to triumph".
16 This phrase obviously denotes here the weak of faith among the believers.
17 This is a reference to Muhammad’s prophetic vision, at the time of digging the trench, of the
future Muslim conquest of the whole Arabian Peninsula as well as of the Persian and Byzantine
Empires (TabarT). Several authentic Traditions testify to the Prophet’s announcement of this
vision at the time in question.
18 I.e., outside the city, defending the trench.
19 Lit., “if entry to them had been forced”.
641
 SÜRAH
AL-AtfZÄB

much delay20—(15) although ere that they had vowed

before God that they would never turn their backs
[on His message]: and a vow made to God must
surely be answered for!
(16) Say: ‘‘Whether you flee from [natural] death or
from being slain [in battle], flight will not profit you -
for, however you fare,21 you are not [allowed] to
(J) »
enjoy life for more than a little while!”
(17) Say: “Who is there that could keep you away
from God if it be His will to harm you, or if it be His
will to show you mercy?” j 4^^ OjJl fjji jÇiîl
For, [do they not know that] besides God they can
find none to protect them, and none to bring them
succour? ’ilj
(18) God is indeed aware of those of you who
would divert others [from fighting in His cause], as 1* • 0 LJj âlùp
well as of those who say to their brethren, “Come
hither to us [and face the enemy]!” - the while they
[themselves] join battle but seldom, (19) begrudging
JjXî X isf ££ ZA &
you all help. But then, when danger threatens, thou
canst see them looking to thee [for help, O Prophet],
4^ Cf-"- JJ-* ùjjii
their eyes rolling [in terror] like [the eyes of] one who
is overshadowed by death: yet as soon as the danger
has passed, they will assail you [believers] with sharp
tongues, begrudging you all that is good! ii&J J JLJjl
[People like] these have never known faith-and
therefore God will cause all their works to come to J 0 J*
nought: for this is indeed easy for God.
(20) They think that the Confederates have not
[really] withdrawn;2223and should the Confederates
return, these [hypocrites] would prefer to be in the
desert, among the bedouin, asking for news about îix & j/; j is 0 is
you, [O believers, from far away;] and even were
0 J” jj iS
they to find themselves in your midst, they would but
make a pretence at fighting [by your side].21

(21) VERILY, in the Apostle of God you have a good

example for everyone who looks forward [with hope
and awe] to God and the Last Day, and remembers
God unceasingly.24

20 Lit., “and would not have tarried more than a little [while]”.
21 Lit., “for then” or "in that case” (id/ian), signifying here “however it may be”.
22 Sc., “but would come back in force and resume the siege”.
23 Lit., “they would not fight except a little”.
24 This verse (and the passage that follows) connects with verses 9-11 above, and especially
with verse 11 - “there and then were the believers tried, and shaken with a shock severe” - which
summarizes, as it were, their experiences during the critical days and weeks of the War of the
Trench. Although it is addressed, in the first instance, to those early defenders of Medina who
were thus exhorted to emulate the Prophet’s faith, courage and steadfastness, the above verse is

642
33
THE CONFEDERATES
(22) And [so,] when the believers saw the Con­
federates [advancing against them], they said, “This
is what God and His Apostle have promised us!”-
and, “Truly spoke God and His Apostle!”*25-and all
this but increased their faith and their readiness to
surrender themselves unto God.
(23) Among the believers are men who have
[always] been true to what they have vowed before
God;26 and among them are such as have [already]
redeemed their pledge by death, and such as yet await ûf JUj LJuj
[its fulfilment] without having changed [their resolve]
in the least.
(24) [Such trials are imposed upon man] so that
> f «*->■<» ûUxJÎâï ($)
God may reward the truthful for having been true to
their word, and cause the hypocrites to suffer-if that »Li
be His will-or [if they repent,] accept their repen­
tance:27 for, verily, God is indeed much-forgiving, a Is*- lAl J & *>3 ($)

dispenser of grace!
(25) Thus, for all their fury, God repulsed those (J) Ijy
who were bent on denying the truth;2* no advantage yt
did they gain, since God was enough to [protect] the
believers in battle - seeing that God is most powerful,
almighty-; (26) and He brought down from their
J Lijb f-i ($)
strongholds those of the followers of earlier reve­
lation who had aided the aggressors,2930 and cast terror
into their hearts: some you slew, and some you made
captive; (27) and He made you heirs to their lands,
and their houses, and their goods - and [promised
you] lands on which you had never yet set foot:10 for

timeless in its import and its validity for all situations and conditions. - Since the verb rajawa, as
well as the noun-forms rajw, rujuww and ray’d7 derived from it, carry the connotation of both
“hope" and “fear” (or “awe”), I have rendered yarjü accordingly.
25 These seem to be allusions to 29:2 (which may have been one of the last Meccan
revelations) as well as to 2:155 and 214 (i.e., verses of the first surah of the Medina period).
26 Specifically, this verse is said to apply to certain of the Companions who vowed, at the time
of the early campaigns, that they would fight until death at the Prophet’s side (Zamakhshari); in its
wider sense, however, it relates to all efforts involving a supreme sacrifice in God’s cause.
27 Cf. 6:12-“God, who has willed upon Himself the law of grace and mercy”-and the
corresponding note 10.
28 I.e., the pagans among the Confederates (see note 13 above); their Jewish allies are
mentioned separately in the next verse.
29 Lit., “them”, i.e., the tribes allied against Muhammad and his community. The “followers of
earlier revelation” (ahi al-kitäb) referred to here were the Jews of the tribe of Banû Quray?ah,
who despite their monotheistic faith had betrayed the Muslims and made common cause with the
pagan Confederates. After the dismal rout of the latter, the BanQ Quray^ah, anticipating the
vengeance of the community which they had betrayed, withdrew to their fortresses in the vicinity
of Medina. After a siege lasting twenty-five days they surrendered to the Muslims, forfeiting all
that they possessed.
30 I.e., lands which the Muslims were to conquer and hold in the future. This clause-with its
allusion to yet more prosperous times to come - provides a connection between the present
passage and the next.
643
 SÜRAH
AL-AHZÄB

God has indeed the power to will anything.

(28) O PROPHET! Say unto thy wives: ‘‘If you desire

(g>
[but] the life of this world and its charms - well, then,
I shall provide for you and release you in a becoming
manner;31 (29) but if you desire God and His Apostle,
and [thus the good of] the life in the hereafter, then Ù[ i <3> ^5 **lr*
[know that], verily, for the doers of good among you
God has readied a mighty reward!”32
(30) O wives of the Prophet! If any of you were to
jO* ob M«* W
become guilty of manifestly immoral conduct,33
double [that of other sinners] would be her suffering
[in the hereafter]: for that is indeed easy for God. (31)
But if any of you devoutly obeys God and His • o
Apostle and does good deeds, on her shall We bestow
Cx >'</’ kr’
her reward twice-over: for We shall have readied for
her a most excellent sustenance [in the life to come].34
» LJÏ jL-j (fr) Bj j
(32) O wives of the Prophet! You are not like any
of the [other] women, provided that you remain
[truly] conscious of God.35 Hence, be not over-soft in
your speech, lest any whose heart is diseased should X, <j ($) XP
be moved to desire [you]: but, withal, speak in a
kindly way. (33) And abide quietly in your homes,
and do not flaunt your charms as they used to flaunt
them in the old days of pagan ignorance;36 and be

31 By the time this verse was revealed (see note 65 on verse 52 of this sürah) the Muslims had
conquered the rich agricultural region of Khaybar, and the community had grown more pros­
perous. But while life was becoming easier for most of its members, this ease was not reflected in
the household of the Prophet who, as before, allowed himself and his family only the absolute
minimum necessary for the most simple living. In view of the changed circumstances, it was no
more than natural that his wives were longing for a share in the comparative luxuries which other
Muslim women could now enjoy: but an acquiescence by Muhammad to their demand would have
conflicted with the principle, observed by him throughout his life, that the standard of living of
God’s Apostle and his family should not be higher than that of the poorest of the believers.
32 When, immediately after their revelation, the Prophet recited the above two verses to his
wives, all of them emphatically rejected all thought of separation and declared that they had
chosen “God and His Apostle and the [good of the] hereafter" (recorded in several compilations of
ahâdîth, among them BukhârT and Muslim). Some of the earliest Islamic scholars (e.g., Qatädah
and Al-Hasan, as quoted by Tabari) held that the subsequent revelation of verse 52 of this surah
constituted God’s reward, as it were, for this attitude.
33 Regarding this connotation of the term fähishah, see sürah 4, note 14. According to
ZamakhsharT, in his commentary on the present verse, this term comprises all that may be
described as a “gross sin" (kabïrah).
34 See note 5 on 8:4.
35 Sc., “and, thus, conscious of your special position as the consorts of God’s Apostle and
mothers of the believers".
36 The term jähiliyyah denotes the period of a people’s-or civilization’s - moral ignorance
between the obliteration of one prophetic teaching and the emergence of another; and, more
specifically, the period of Arabian paganism before the advent of Muhammad. Apart from these
historical connotations, however, the term describes the state of moral ignorance or unconscious­
ness in its general sense, irrespective of time or social environment. (See also note 71 on 5:50.)

644
 33
THE CONFEDERATES
constant in prayer, and render the purifying dues,
and pay heed unto God and His Apostle: for God
only wants to remove from you all that might be
loathsome, O you members of the [Prophet’s]
household, and to purify you to utmost purity.
(34) And bear in mind all that is recited in your s-Aj Jtj. jyjlT
homes of God’s messages and [His] wisdom: for God
is unfathomable [in His wisdom], all-aware.” <£> cîJÎj-»' JXjîjC*
(35) VERILY, for all men and women who have sur­
rendered themselves unto God, and all believing men
C/X.IÎj 'jgXJÎ (g) iLkl jlf'uî ù[
and believing women, and all truly devout men and
truly devout women, and all men and women who are
true to their word, and all men and women who are
patient in adversity, and all men and women who cJjùjÇ

humble themselves [before God], and all men and

women who give in charity, and all self-denying men
and self-denying women,3738 and ail men and women
who are mindful of their chastity,39 and all men and
women who remember God unceasingly: for [all of]
them has God readied forgiveness of sins and a
mighty reward. LJie
(36) Now whenever God and His Apostle have J; (—^ OA», ù» '«/*’ âî
decided a matter,40 it is not for a believing man or a
believing woman to claim freedom of choice insofar (g) Lù-* jî Aiîb*))
as they themselves are concerned:41 for he who [thus]
rebels against God and His Apostle has already, most
obviously, gone astray.

(37) AND LO,42 [O Muhammad,] thou didst say unto the

37 For the meaning of the term lafîf as applied to God, especially in combination with the term
khabïr, see note 89 on 6:103.
38 The term ÿd’im, usually rendered as “fasting”, has here its primary connotation of “one who
abstains [from anything]“ or “denies to himself [anything]": cf. 19:26, where the noun fawm
denotes “abstinence from speech”.
39 Lit., “the men who guard their private parts and the women who guard [them]”: see note 36
on 24 : 30.
40 I.e., whenever a specific law has been formulated as such in the Qur’ân or in an injunction
promulgated by the Prophet.
41 Lit., “to have a choice in their concern (min amrihim)"-i.e., to let their attitude or course of
action be determined, not by the relevant law, but by their personal interests or predilections.
42 For this rendering of the particle idh, see sürah 2, note 21.-With the above verse, the
discourse returns to the problem of “elective” relationships touched upon in verses 4 If.
Several years before Muhammad’s call to prophethood, his wife Khadïjah made him a present
of a young slave, Zayd ibn Härithah, a descendant of the North-Arabian tribe of BanO Kalb, who
had been taken captive as a child in the course of one of the many tribal wars and then sold into
slavery at Mecca. As soon as he became the boy’s owner, Muhammad freed him, and shortly
afterwards adopted him as his son; and Zayd, in his turn, was among the first to embrace Islam.
Years later, impelled by the desire to break down the ancient Arabian prejudice against a slave’s or
even a freedman’s marrying a “free-born” woman, the Prophet persuaded Zayd to many his

645
 SÜRAH
AL-AHZÄB

one to whom God had shown favour and to whom

thou hadst shown favour,43 “Hold on to thy wife, and
remain conscious of God!” And [thus] wouldst thou
hide within thyself something that God was about to dJL»l 4»t (»«I
bring to light44 - for thou didst stand in awe of [what]
people [might think], whereas it was God alone of
whom thou shouldst have stood in awe!45
[But] then, when Zayd had come to the end of his
union with her,46 We gave her to thee in marriage, so
that [in future] no blame should attach to the be­ > OA- b-h
lievers for [marrying] the spouses of their adopted
children when the latter have come to the end of their
union with them.47 And [thus] God’s will was done.
(38) [Hence,] no blame whatever attaches to the
Prophet for [having done] what God has ordained for
him.48 [Indeed, such was] God’s way with those that ûl (jjjîï (W) Iy4i» IjJ»
have passed away aforetime49-and [remember that]
God’s will is always destiny absolute (39) [and such
will always be His way with] those who convey God’s
messages [to the world], and stand in awe of Him,

(Muhammad’s) own cousin, Zaynab bint Jahsh, who, without his being aware of it, had been in
love with Muhammad ever since her childhood. Hence, she consented to the proposed marriage
with great reluctance, and only in deference to the authority of the Prophet. Since Zayd, too, was
not at all keen on this alliance (being already happily married to another freed slave, Umm Ayman,
the mother of his son Usämah), it was not surprising that the marriage did not bring happiness to
either Zaynab or Zayd. On several occasions the latter was about to divorce his new wife who, on
her part, did not make any secret of her dislike of Zayd; and each time they were persuaded by the
Prophet to persevere in patience and not to separate. In the end, however, the marriage proved
untenable, and Zayd divorced Zaynab in the year 5 H. Shortly afterwards the Prophet married her
in order to redeem what he considered to be his moral responsibility for her past unhappiness.
43 I.e., Zayd ibn Hârithah, whom God had caused to become one of the earliest believers, and
whom the Prophet had adopted as his son.
44 Namely, that the marriage of Zayd and Zaynab, which had been sponsored by Muhammad
himself, and on which he had so strongly insisted, was a total failure and could only end in divorce
(see also next note).
45 Lit., “whereas God was more worthy (ahaqq) that thou shouldst stand in awe of Him’’.
Referring to this divine reprimand (which, in itself, disproves the allegation that the Qur’än was
“composed by Muhammad’’), ‘Ä’ishah is reliably quoted as having said, “Had the Apostle of God
been inclined to suppress anything of what was revealed to him, he would surely have suppressed
this verse" (BukhärT and Muslim).
46 Lit., “ended his want of [or “claim on”] her”, sc., by divorcing her (Zamakhsharï)*
47 Thus, apart from the Prophet’s desire to make amends for Zaynab's past unhappiness, the
divine purpose in causing him to marry the former wife of his adopted son (stressed in the phrase,
**We gave her to thee in marriage”) was to show that - contrary to what the pagan Arabs
believed - an adoptive relationship does not involve any of the marriage-restrictions which result
from actual, biological parent-and-child relations (cf. note 3 on verse 4 of this süra/i).
48 I.e., his marriage with Zaynab, which was meant to exemplify a point of canon law as well as
to satisfy what the Prophet regarded as his personal moral duty.
49 I.e., the prophets who preceded Muhammad, in all of whom, as in him, all personal
desires coincided with their willingness to surrender themselves to God: an inborn, harmonious
disposition of the spirit which characterizes God’s elect and - as the subsequent, parenthetic clause
declares-is their “destiny absolute" (qadar maqdür).

646
 33
THE CONFEDERATES
and hold none but God in awe: for none can take
count [of man’s doings] as God does!
(40) [And know, O believers, that] Muhammad is
not the father of any one of your men,50 but is
God’s Apostle and the Seal of all Prophets.5' And
God has indeed full knowledge of everything.
<8> iLj. ât ÿ; âï iLJ 3^22 vj
(41) O YOU who have attained to faith! Remember God
with unceasing remembrance, (42) and extol His j jGj juJ LI* ju* JlTL
limitless glory from morn to evening.52
(43) He it is who bestows His blessings upon you,
with His angels [echoing Him], so that He might take •% (J) i dfr
you out of the depths of darkness into the light.
And, indeed, a dispenser of grace is He unto the
believers. (44) On the Day when they meet Him, they
c? Jlilt
will be welcomed with the greeting, “Peace”; and He ($> îj ûKj

will have readied for them a most excellent reward.

(45) [And as for thee,] O Prophet-behold, We
have sent thee as a witness [to the truth], and as a ($) 'zAù '-4^ eli-jl
herald of glad tidings and a warner, (46) and as one
who summons [all men] to God by His leave,53 and as J (£) & & 4 LpUJ
a light-giving beacon.
(47) And [so,] convey to the believers the glad
tiding that a great bounty from God awaits them; (48)
and defer not to [the likes and dislikes of] the deniers
of the truth and the hypocrites, and disregard their Çk yt ö; (g)
hurtful talk,54 and place thy trust in God: for none is
as worthy of trust as God.

(49) O YOU who have attained to faith! If you marry

believing women and then divorce them ere you have
touched them, you have no reason to expect, and to
calculate, any waiting-period on their part:55 hence.

50 I.e., he is the spiritual “father” of the whole community (cf. note 8 on verse 6 of this surah),
and not of any one person or particular persons - thus, incidentally, refuting the erroneous idea
that physical descent from a prophet confers, by itself, any merit on the persons concerned.
51 I.e., the last of the prophets, just as a seal (khätam) marks the end of a document; apart from
this, the term khätam is also synonymous with khitäm, the “end” or “conclusion” of a thing: from
which it follows that the message revealed through Muhammad-the Qur’än-must be regarded as
the culmination and the end of all prophetic revelation (cf. note 66 on the first sentence of the
second paragraph of 5:48, and note 126 on 7:158). See also note 102 on 21:107.
52 Lit., *.*at morn and evening”, i.e., at all times.
53 I.e., at His behest (TabarT).
54 Or: "yet [withal,] abstain from injuring them" (Zamakhsharî)-depending on whether adhâ-
hum is taken to mean “the hurt caused by them” or “done to them”.
55 Lit., “you have no waiting-period whatever upon them which you should count” - i.e.,
“which either of you should take into account as an obligation”: cf. the first part of 2:228, and the
corresponding note 215. Since the question of pregnancy does not arise if the marriage has not
been consummated, a waiting-period on the part of the divorced wife would be meaningless and of no
benefit either to her or to her former husband.

647
 SÜRAH
AL-AHZÄB

make [at once] provision for them, and release them in a

becoming manner.16
(50) O PROPHET! Behold, We have made lawful to the« ($) Hr*
thy wives unto whom thou hast paid their dowers,17
as well as those whom thy right hand has come to
possess from among the captives of war whom God
has bestowed upon thee.16 And [We have made lawful dJLJc *Lil Lt dL-c cXJL* Lj

to thee] the daughters of thy paternal uncles and

<iliU CjLj-j <iL^
aunts, and the daughters of thy maternal uncles and
aunts, who have migrated with thee [to Yathrib];19 Ô-*,
and any believing woman who offers herself freely to
the Prophet and whom the Prophet might be willing
to wed:5660 [this latter being but] a privilege for thee,
59
58
57
and not for other believers - [seeing that] We have
already made known what We have enjoined upon
them with regard to their wives and those whom their
right hands may possess.61
[And] in order that thou be not burdened with
[undue] anxiety-for God is indeed much-forgiving, a
56 This injunction, relating to certain marital problems which affect the believers in general,
forms an introduction, as it were, to a resumption, in the next verse, of the discourse on the
marital laws applying exclusively to the Prophet: thus, it connects with the passage beginning with
the words, “O wives of the Prophet! You are not like any of the [other] women” (verse 32), as weB
as with the subsequent reference to his marriage with Zaynab (verses 37 f.).
57 The term ajr is in this context synonymous with fantfah in its specific sense of “dower”
(mahr): see sûrah 2, note 224.
58 As pointed out in several places (see, in particular, note 32 on 4:25), Islam does not
countenance any form of concubinage, and categorically prohibits sexual relations between a man
and a woman unless they are lawfully married to one another. In this respect, the only difference
between a “free” woman and a slave is that whereas the former must receive a dower from her
husband, no such obligation is imposed on a man who marries his rightfully owned slave (lit., “one
whom his right hand possesses”) - that is, a woman taken captive in a “holy war” (jihäd) waged in
defence of the Faith or of liberty (note 167 on 2:190 and note 72 on 8 :67) - : for, in such a case,
the freedom conferred upon the bride by the very act of marriage is considered to be equivalent to
a dower.
59 This was-in addition to his not being allowed to divorce any of his wives (see verse 52
below) - a further restriction imposed on the Prophet in the matter of marriage: whereas all other
Muslims are free to marry any of their paternal or maternal cousins, the Prophet was allowed to
marry only such from among them as had proved their strong, early attachment to Islam by having
accompanied him on his exodus (the hijrah) from Mecca to Medina. In the opinion of BaghawT-
an opinion obviously based on the corresponding, ancient Arabian usage - the term “daughters of
thy paternal uncles and aunts” comprises in this context not only the actual paternal cousins but,
in general, all women of the tribe of Quraysh, to which Muhammad’s father belonged, while the
term “daughters of thy maternal uncles and aunts” comprises all women of his mother’s tribe,
the BanQ Zuhrah.
60 The relevant clause reads, literally, “if she offered herself as a gift (in wahabat nafsaha) to
the Prophet". Most of the classical commentators take this to mean “without demanding or
expecting a dower (mahr)'\ which, as far as ordinary Muslims are concerned, is an essential item
in a marriage agreement (cf. 4:4 and 24, and the corresponding notes; also siirah 2, note 224).
61 The above parenthetic sentence refers to the previously revealed, general laws relating to
marriage (see 2 : 221, 4 : 3-4 and 19-25, as well as the corresponding notes), and particularly the
laws bearing on the question of dower.

648
33
THE CONFEDERATES

dispenser of grace-(51) [know that] thou mayest put

off for a time whichever of them thou pleasest, and
mayest take unto thee whichever thou pleasest; and
[that,] if thou seek out any from whom thou hast kept
away [for a time], thou wilt incur no sin [thereby]:62
this will make it more likely that their eyes are
gladdened [whenever they see thee],63 and that they
do not grieve [whenever they are overlooked], and
that all of them may find contentment in whatever
thou hast to give them: for God [alone] knows what is
in your hearts-and God is indeed all-knowing, for­ JjuJ VJ Q di (J) Cu
bearing.6465
(52) No [other] women shall henceforth be lawful au.
to thee63-nor art thou [allowed] to supplant [any of]
^3^
them by other wives,66 even though their beauty cUf ÇlL* <£) L-»j JTjé âî
should please thee greatly-: [none shall be lawful to
thee] beyond those whom thou [already] hast come to
possess.67 And God keeps watch over everything.

62 Thus, the Prophet was told that he need not observe a strict “rotation” in the conjugal
attentions due to his wives, although he himself, impelled by an inborn sense of fairness, always
endeavoured to give them a feeling of absolute equality.
63 I.e., by the inner certainty that whenever he turned to any of them, he did so on impulse, out
of genuine affection, and not out of a sense of marital “obligation”.
64 According to a hadïth on the authority of 'Â’ishah, recorded in the Musnad of Ibn Hanbal,
the Prophet “used to divide his attentions equitably among his wives, and then would pray: ‘O
God! I am doing whatever is in my power: do not, then, blame me for [failing in] something which
is in Thy power [alone], and not in mine!’-thus alluding to his heart, and to loving some [of his
wives] more than others."
65 Some commentators (e.g., TabarT) assume that this restriction relates to the four categories
of women enumerated in verse 50 above: it is, however, much more probable that it is a
prohibition barring the Prophet from marrying any woman in addition to those to whom he was
already married (Baghawï, Zamakhshari). Some of the earliest, most outstanding authorities on the
Qur’än, like Ibn cAbbäs, Mujähid, Atj-Qahhäk, Qatädah, Ibn Zayd (all of them cited by Ibn
KathTr), or Ai-Hasan al-Baçrï (quoted by Tabari in his commentary on verses 28-29), link this
prohibition of further marriages with the choice between the charms of worldly life and the good
of the hereafter with which the wives of the Prophet were confronted on the strength of verses
28-29, and their emphatic option for “God and His Apostle” (cf. note 32 above). All those early
authorities describe the revelation of verse 52 - and the assurance which it was meant to convey to
the wives of the Prophet-as God's reward, in this world, of their faith and fidelity. Since it is
inconceivable that the Prophet could have disregarded the categorical injunction, “No [other]
women shall henceforth be lawful to thee”, the passage in question cannot have been revealed
earlier than the year 7 H., that is, the year in which the conquest of Khaybar and the Prophet’s
marriage with $afiyyah - his last marriage - took place. Consequently, verses 28-29 (with which, as
we have seen, verse 52 is closely connected) must have been revealed at that later period, and not,
as some commentators think, in the year 5 H. (i.e., at the time of the Prophet’s marriage with
Zaynab).
66 I.e., to divorce any of them with a view to taking another wife in her stead (with the
prohibitive accent on the “supplanting” - i.e., divorcing-of any of his wives).
67 In my opinion, the expression ma malakat yamïnuka (lit., “what thy right hand possesses",
or “has come to possess") has here the same meaning as in 4:24, namely, “those whom thou hast
come to possess through wedlock" (see sürah 4, note 26); thus, the above verse is to be understood
as limiting the Prophet’s marriages to those already contracted.

649
 SÜRAH
AL-AIIZÄB_________________________________________

(53) O YOU who have attained to faith! Do not enter the

Prophet’s dwellings unless you are given leave; [and
when invited] to a meal, do not come [so early as] to
wait for it to be readied: but whenever you are
invited, enter [at the proper time]; and when you have Ji
partaken of the meal, disperse without lingering for
the sake of mere talk: that, behold, might give offence
to the Prophet, and yet he might feel shy of [asking] Si %
you [to leave]: but God is not shy of [teaching you]
what is right.*8
And [as for the Prophet’s wives,] whenever you
ask them for anything that you need, ask them from »Lj û**zA-* j

behind a screen:*9 this will but deepen the purity of

îpj* ù' Xj
your hearts and tjieirs. Moreover, it does not behove
you to give offence to God’s Apostle - just as it would
IjUI £«Jkl0 (jl 4*1
not behove you ever to marry his widows after he has
passed away:6968that, verily, would be an enormity in the
70
sight of God.
(54) Whether you do anything openly or in secret, Ô (J) L-Jt »Cy* iXj Ô]»
[remember that,] verily, God has full knowledge of
everything.
(55) [However,] it is no sin for them71 [to appear
freely] before their fathers, or their sons, or their
y, 'L »CÎ Vj
brothers, or their brothers’ sons, or their sisters’ sons,
or their womenfolk, or such [male slaves] as their
right hands may possess. ijü Cz.jji Ur Ü Je ÙjL»
But [always, O wives of the Prophet,72] remain con­
scious of God - for, behold, God is witness unto
everything.
(56) Verily, God and His angels bless the Prophet:

68 Connecting with the reference, in verses 45-48, to the Prophet’s mission, the above passage
is meant to stress his unique position among his contemporaries; but as is so often the case with
Qur’anic references to historical events and situations, the ethical principle enunciated here is not
restricted to a particular time or environment. By exhorting the Prophet's Companions to revere
his person, the Qur’an reminds all believers, at all times, of his exalted status (cf. note 85 on
2:104); beyond that, it teaches them certain rules of behaviour bearing on the life of the
community as such: rules which, however insignificant they may appear at first glance, are of
psychological value in a society that is to be governed by a genuine feeling of brotherhood, mutual
consideration, and respect for the sanctity of each other's personality and privacy.
69 The term hijäb denotes anything that intervenes between two things, or conceals, shelters or
protects the one from the other; it may be rendered, according to the context, as “barrier”,
“obstacle”, “partition”, “screen”, “curtain”, “veil”, etc., in both the concrete and abstract
connotations of these words. The prohibition to approach the Prophet’s wives otherwise than
“from behind a screen" or “curtain” may be taken literally - as indeed it was taken by most of the
Companions of the Prophet-or metaphorically, indicating the exceptional reverence due to these
“mothers of the faithful”.
70 Lit., “to marry his wives after him".
71 I.e., the wives of the Prophet (connecting with the injunction, in verse 53 above, that they
should be spoken to “from behind a screen").
72fThis interpolation is conditioned by the feminine gender of the subsequent plural imperative

650
 33
THE CONFEDERATES
[hence,] O you who have attained to faith, bless him
and give yourselves up [to his guidance] in utter
self-surrender!
(57) Verily, as for those who [knowingly] affront
God and His Apostle - God will reject them” in this
world and in the life to come; and shameful suffering
will He ready for them.
(58) And as for those who malign believing men Ar"JJ û* <ff) ÎjJLj «X
and believing women without their having done any (ff) Ue Lli JJ j^j ÇjJÎ j aT
wrong-they surely burden themselves with the guilt
of calumny, and [thus] with a flagrant sin!
(59) O Prophet! Tell thy wives and thy daughters,
as well as all [other] believing women, that they j; ÿî (ff) uJ ùh ; ùj îjL^îaii
should draw over themselves some of their outer
garments [when in public]: this will be more con­
ducive to their being recognized [as decent women] if J Û». * Jlr- j'î, \
ÜP' c'
and not annoyed.73 But [withal,] God is indeed much-
7475
forgiving, a dispenser of grace!”

(60) THUS IT IS: if76 the hypocrites, and they in whose fjJ*j
and they who, by spreading false
hearts is disease,7778
80
79
rumours, would cause disturbances” in the City [of
the Prophet] desist not [from their hostile doings]. We
shall indeed give thee mastery over them, [O
Muhammad] - and then they will not remain thy
neighbours in this [city] for more than a little while:”
(61) bereft of God's grace, they shall be seized
wherever they may be found, and slain one and all.“

73 In classical Arabic, the term la'nah is more or less synonymous with ib'âd (“removal into
distance’’ or “banishment”); hence, God’s la'nah denotes “His rejection of a sinner from all that
is good" (Lisân al-Arab) or “exclusion from His grace” (Manor II. 50). The term mal'ün which
occurs in verse 61 below signifies, therefore, “one who is bereft of God’s grace”.
74 Cf. the first two sentences of 24:31 and the corresponding notes 37 and 38.
75 The specific, time-bound formulation of the above verse (evident in the reference to die
wives and daughters of the Prophet), as well as the deliberate vagueness of the recommendation
that women “should draw upon themselves some of their outer garments (min jalâbïbihinna)"
when in public, makes it clear that this verse was not meant to be an injunction (hukm) in the
general, timeless sense of this term but, rather, a moral guideline to be observed against the
ever-changing background of time and social environment. This finding is reinforced by the
concluding reference to God’s forgiveness and grace.
76 For my above rendering of la'in, see surah 30, note 45. With this passage, the discourse
returns to the theme touched upon in verse 1 and more fully dealt with in verses 9-27: namely, the
opposition with which the Prophet and his followers were faced in their early years at Yathrib
(which by that time had come to be known as Madïnat an-Nabi, “the City of the Prophet”).
77 See note 16 above.
78 Thus ZamakhsharT, explaining the term al-murjifün in the above context.
79 I.e., “there will be open warfare between thee and them”, which will result in their expulsion
from Medina: a prediction which was fulfilled in the course of time.
80 Lit., “slain with [a great] slaying”. See in this connection note 168 on 2:191. For my
rendering of mal'ünïn as “bereft of God’s grace”, see note 73 above.
651
 SÜRAH
AL-AHZÂB

(62) Such has been God's way with those who [sinned
in like manner and] passed away aforetime - and
never wilt thou find any change in God’s way!81

(63) PEOPLE will ask thee about the Last Hour. Say:
“Knowledge thereof rests with God alone; yet for all (p 0 Lfe bjJ
thou knowest, the Last Hour may well be near!”8283
0) jL/jJ
(64) Verily, God has rejected the deniers of the
truth, and has readied for them a blazing fire, (65)
therein to abide beyond the count of time: no protec­
ji ÎÛÎ
tor will they find, and none to bring them succour. 0 û/ j
(66) On the Day when their faces shall be tossed
about in the fire,81 they will exclaim, “Oh, would that
we had paid heed unto God, and paid heed unto the /Ji j j fy. 0)
Apostle!”
(67) And they will say: “O our Sustainer! Behold,
we paid heed unto our leaders and our great men, and
it is they who have led us astray from the right path!
(68) O our Sustainer! Give them double suffering, and
0) U/Su &C
banish them utterly from Thy grace!”84

(69) O YOU who have attained to faith! Be not like those

[children of Israel] who gave offence to Moses, and 0) Ju* jV”j ijiii Le
[remember that] God showed him to be innocent of
whatever they alleged [against him or demanded of jZi 0) 'jjJU. \yi } 31' 'jtf !

him]:8’ for of great honour was he in the sight of God.

(70) O you who have attained to faith! Remain
conscious of God, and [always] speak with a will
to bring out [only] what is just and true86 - (71)
[whereupon] He will cause your deeds to be virtuous,
and will forgive you your sins. And [know that)

81 Cf. 35 :42-44, and particularly the last paragraph of verse 43.

82 See 7 :187.
83 As in several other instances in the Qur’an, the “face", being the noblest and most
expressive part of a human person, represents here man's “personality" in its entirety: and its
being “tossed about in the fire" is symbolic of the annihilation of the sinner's will and his reduction
to utter passivity.
84 Lit., “reject them (il'anhum) with a great rejection", i.e., “from Thy grace".
85 This is an allusion to the aspersions occasionally cast upon Moses by some of his followers
and mentioned in the Old Testament (e.g.. Numbers xii, 1-13), as well as to the blasphemous
demands of which the Qur’än speaks-e.g., “O Moses, indeed we shall not believe thee until we
see God fi.cc to face” (2:55) or, “Go forth, thou and thy Sustainer, and fight, both of you!”
(5 :24). These instances are paralleled here with the frequently cited accusations that Muhammad
had “invented" the Qur’an and then falsely attributed it to God. that he was a madman, and so
forth, as well as with frivolous demands to prove his prophethood by bringing about miracles
or-as is re-stated in verse 63 of this sürah - by predicting the date of the Last Hour.
86 The expression qawl sadïd signifies, literally, “a saying that hits the mark", i.e.. is truthful,
relevant and to the point. In the only other instance where this expression is used in the Qur’än (at
the end of 4 : 9) it may be appropriately rendered as "speaking in a just manner”; in the present
instance, however, it obviously relates to speaking of others in a manner devoid of all hidden
meanings, insinuations and frivolous suspicions, aiming at no more and no less than the truth.

652
33 THE CONFEDERATES

whoever pays heed unto God and His Apostle has

already attained to a mighty triumph.
(72) Verily, We did offer the trust [of reason and ïCVî (g) JLii
volition] to the heavens, and the earth, and the
mountains:87 but they refused to bear it because they jjwti JrAb
were afraid of it. Yet man took it up88-for, verily, he
has always been prone to be most wicked, most (J) Vj-Ft

foolish. ‘jÇTrtjff J JgLilujf if

(73) [And so it is] that God imposes suffering on the
hypocrites, both men and women, as well as on the men
and women who ascribe divinity to aught beside Him.89
(g) jé'j
And [so, too, it is] that God turns in His mercy unto the
believing men and believing women: for God is indeed
much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace!

87 The classical commentators give all kinds of laborious explanations to the term amänah
(“trust”) occurring in this parable, but the most convincing of them (mentioned in Lane I. 102, with
reference to the above verse) are “reason", or “intellect”, and “the faculty of volition"-i.e., the
ability to choose between two or more possible courses of action or modes of behaviour, and thus
between good and evil.
88 Sc., “and then failed to measure up to the moral responsibility arising from the reason and
the comparative free will with which he has been endowed" (ZamakhsharT). This obviously applies
to the human race as such, and not necessarily to all of its individuals.
89 In other words, on those who offend against what their own reason and conscience would
have them do. This suffering, whether in this world or in the hereafter, is but a causal
consequence - as the lâm al-'äqibah at the beginning of this sentence shows-of man's moral
failure, and not an arbitrary act of God. (Cf. in this connection note 7 on 2:7. which speaks of
God’s “sealing” the hearts of those who arc bent on denying the truth.)
 THE THIRTY-FOURTH SÜRAH

SABA9 (SHEBA)
MECCA PERIOD

LMOST certainly, this sürah was revealed in the second half of the Mecca period, prob­
A ably a short time before sürah 17 (“The Night Journey”). The title is based on the reference,
in verses 15-20, to the people of Sabâ’ (the Biblical Sheba), who are cited as an example of the
impermanence of all human power, wealth and glory.
The pivotal ideas of the whole sürah may be summed up m the question, addressed to all human
beings, in verse 9: “Are they, then, not aware of how little of the sky and the earth lies open
before them, and how much is hidden from them?”-and in the call to moral responsibility
sounded in verse 46: “Say: T counsel you one thing only: Be ever conscious of standing before God,
whether you are in the company of others or alone.’ ”

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) A LL PRAISE is due to God, to whom all that

xlis in the heavens and all that is on earth belongs;
and to Him will be due all praise in the life to come.
For He alone is truly wise, all-aware: (2) He knows
all that enters the earth, and all that comes out of it,
as well as all that descends from the skies, and all
that ascends to them.1 And He alone is a dispenser of
grace, truly-forgiving.
(3) And yet, they who are bent on denying the truth
assert, “Never will the Last Hour come upon us!”2
Say: “Nay, by my Sustainer! By Him who knows
all that is beyond the reach of a created being’s
perception: it will most certainly come upon you!”
Not an atom’s weight [of whatever there is] in the
heavens or on earth escapes His knowledge; and

1 This definition comprises things physical and spiritual: waters disappearing underground and
reappearing; the metamorphosis of seed into plant, and of decaying plant into oil and coal; traces
of old artifacts and entire civilizations buried in the earth and then reappearing within the sight and
consciousness of later generations of men; the transformation of dead bodies of animals and men
into elements of nourishment for new life; the ascent of earthy vapours towards the skies, and
their descent as rain, snow or hail; the ascent towards the heavens of men’s longings, hopes and
ambitions, and the descent of divine inspiration into the minds of men, and thus a revival of faith
and thought and, with it, the growth of new artifacts, new skills and new hopes: in short, the
endless recurrence of birth, death and re-birth which characterizes all of God’s creation.
2 This assertion of the godless has a twofold meaning: (1) "The universe is without beginning
and without end; it can only change, but can never cease to exist" - which amounts to a denial of
the fact that God alone is eternal; and (2) “There is no resurrection and divine judgment as
symbolized by the Last Hour”-which amounts to a denial of life after death and, hence, of all
significance and purpose attaching to human life as such.

654
 SÜRAH 34
SHEBA
neither is there anything smaller than that, or larger,
but is recorded in [His] clear decree, (4) to the end
that He may reward those who believe and do right­
eous deeds: [for] it is they whom forgiveness of sins
awaits, and a most excellent sustenance3 - (5)
whereas for those who strive against Our messages,
seeking to defeat their purpose, there is grievous
suffering in store as an outcome of [their] vileness.45

ijLzj
(6) NOW THEY who are endowed with [innate] knowl­
edge are well aware that whatever has been be­
stowed upon thee from on high by thy Sustainer is
O f.f<3jj? f-i

indeed the truth, and that it guides onto the way that <-**■1-* ce
leads to the Almighty, the One to whom all praise is
due!
(7) As against this, they who are bent on denying
^-r-J J;
the truth say [unto all who are of like mind]: “Shall
we point out to you a man who will tell you that [after jé £jji j* JuJ (T)
your death,] when you will have been scattered in
countless fragments, you shall-Io and behold!-be
[restored to life] in a new act of creation? (8) Does he
[knowingly] attribute his own lying inventions to
God-or is he a madman?” d[ bip* 0 wAiîî j
Nay, [there is no madness in this Prophet-] but
they who will not believe in the life to come are
[bound to lose themselves] in suffering and in a
profound aberration.3
(9) Are they, then, not aware of how little of the
sky and the earth lies open before them, and how
much is hidden from them?6-[or that,] if We so
willed, We could cause the earth to swallow them,7 or

3 See note 5 on 8:4.

4 The particle min (lit., “out of”) which precedes the noun rijz (“vileness” or “vile conduct”)
indicates that the suffering which awaits such sinners in the life to come is an organic consequence
of their deliberately evil conduct in this world.
5 Lit., “remote aberration”. (For the Qur’anic use of the term daläl - lit., “error” or “going
astray”-in the sense of “aberration”, see 12:8 and 95.) The construction of this phrase points
definitely to suffering in this world (in contrast with the suffering in the hereafter spoken of in
verse 5 above): for whereas the concept of “aberration” is meaningless in the context of the life to
come, it has an obvious meaning in the context of the moral and social confusion-and, hence, of
the individual and social suffering - which is the unavoidable consequence of people’s loss of
belief in the existence of absolute moral values and, thus, in an ultimate divine judgment on the
basis of those values.
6 Lit., “... not aware of what of the sky and the earth is between their hands, and what is
behind them”: an idiomatic phrase explained in sürah 2, note 247. In the present context-as well
as in 2:255 - the above phrase stresses the insignificance of the knowledge attained to by man, or
accessible to him; hence, so the argument goes, how can anyone be so presumptuous as to deny
the reality of resurrection and life after death, seeing that it is a phenomenon beyond man’s
experience, while, on the other hand, everything within the universe points to God’s unlimited
creative power?
7 I.e., in an earthquake.

655
 SABÄ' SÜRAH

cause fragments of the sky to fall down upon them?8

In all this, behold, there is a message indeed for
every servant [of God] who is wont to turn unto Him
[in repentance].9

(10) AND [thus], indeed, did We grace David with Our

“O you mountains! Sing with him the praise
favour:1011
of God! And [likewise] you birds!”"
And We softened all sharpness in him,12 (11) [and
inspired him thus:] ‘‘Do good deeds lavishly, without 4 CJb jjjjTj l. jyG
stint, and give deep thought to their steady flow.”13
And [thus should you all, O believers,] do righteous
Q
ijlzl, j Jjïj C2ÂL. Jzl jl ijlf
deeds: for, verily, I see all that you do!

(12) AND UNTO Solomon [We made subservient] the

wind: its morning course [covered the distance of] a
month’s journey, and its evening course, a month’s
journey.1415
And We caused a fountain of molten copper to flow
at his behest;13 and [even] among the invisible beings

8 This allusion to unpredictable geological and cosmic occurrences - earthquakes, the fall of
meteors and meteorites, cosmic rays, and so forth - reinforces the statement about “how little of
the sky and the earth lies open before them, and how much is hidden from them”, and contrasts
man’s insignificance with God’s omniscience and almightiness.
9 See last sentence of 24:31 and the corresponding note 41.
10 Lit., “did We bestow upon David a favour from Ourselves”. This connects with the elliptic
reference to repentance in the preceding verse: David is singled out for special mention in view of
the allusion, in sürah 38, to his having suddenly become aware that he had committed a sin,
whereupon “he asked his Sustainer to forgive him his sin... and turned unto Him in repentance"
(38:24).
11 Cf. 21:79 and the corresponding note 73.
12 Lit., “for him”. The term hadid denotes, primarily, something that is “sharp” in both the
concrete and abstract senses of the word: for the latter sense, cf. the Qur’anic phrase “sharp
(hadid) is thy sight today” (50:22), or the many idiomatic expressions like rajul hadid. “a man of
sharp intellect”, hadid an-nazar, “one who looks boldly [at others]", râ'ihah hadidah. “a sharp
odour”, etc. (Lisän al-eArab). As a noun with a definite article (al-hadid), it signifies “all that is
sharp”, or “sharpness”, as well as “iron”. God’s having “softened all sharpness" in David is
evidently an allusion to his exalted sense of beauty (expressed in the poetry of his Psalms) as well
as to his goodness and humility. - An alternative rendering of the above phrase would be: “We
caused iron to become soft for him”, which might be an allusion to his outstanding abilities as
poet, warrior and ruler.
" 13 The adjective säbigh (fem. säbighah) signifies anything that is “ample", “abundant” and
“complete” (in the sense of being perfect). In its plural form sâbighât it assumes the function of
the noun which it is meant to qualify, and denotes, literally, “things [or “deeds”] ample and
complete” or “perfect” - i.e., good deeds done abundantly and without stint: cf. the only other
Qur’anic instance of the same stem in 31:20-“[God] has lavished (asbagha) upon you His
blessings". The noun sard, on the other hand, denotes something “carried on consecutively”, or
something the parts (or stages) whereof are “following one another steadily”, i.e., are continued or
repeated.
14 Cf. 21:81 and the corresponding note 75. For a more general explanation of the legends
connected with the person of Solomon, see note 77 on 21:82.
15 Lit., “for him’’: probably a reference to the many furnishings of copper and brass which,
according to the Bible (cf. II Chronicles iv), Solomon caused to be made for his newly-built
temple.
656
 34
SHEBA
there were some that had [been constrained] to labour
by his Sustainer’s leave-and whichever of
for him1617
them deviated from Our command, him would We let
taste suffering through a blazing flame-: (13) they
made for him whatever he wished of sanctuaries, and
statues, and basins as [large as] great watering­
troughs, and cauldrons firmly anchored." A ùjUL 0 J}-—it
[And We said:] “Labour, O David’s people, in
gratitude [towards Me]18-and [remember that] few
are the truly grateful [even] among My servants!”19
(14) Yet [even Solomon had to die; but] when We
decreed that he should die, nothing showed them that
he was dead except an earthworm that gnawed away
(jc ojjf aJL liLi cji 0
his staff.20 And when he fell to the ground, those Ui LU 71'

invisible beings [subservient to him] saw clearly that,

had they but understood the reality which was be­ j ijU u ß ji
yond the reach of their perception,21 they would not
have continued [to toil] in the shameful suffering [of
servitude].22

(15) INDEED, in [the luxuriant beauty of] their homeland,

the people of Sheba had an evidence [of God’s

16 Lit., “between his hands”, i.e., subject to his will: see 21:82 and the corresponding notes 76
and 77. For my rendering of jinn as “invisible beings”, see Appendix III.
17 I.e., because of their enormous size. Cf. II Chronicles iii, 10-13, where statues (“images") of
cherubim are mentioned, as well as iv, 2-5, describing “a molten sea" (i.e.. basin) of huge
dimensions, resting upon twelve statues of oxen, and meant to contain water "for the priests to
wash in” (ibid., iv, 6). The “sanctuaries” were apparently the various halls of the new temple.
18 These words, ostensibly addressed to “the people" or “the family" of David, are in reality an
admonition to all believers, at all times, since all of them are, spiritually. “David's people'’.
19 I.e., even among those who consider themselves God's servants-for “truly grateful [to God]
is only he who realizes his inability to render adequate thanks to Him" (Zamakhsharï).
20 This is yet another of the many Solomonic legends which had become an inalienable part of
ancient Arabian tradition, and which the Qur’an uses as a vehicle for the allegorical illustration of
some of its teachings. According to the legend alluded to above, Solomon died on his throne,
leaning forward on his staff, and for a length of time nobody became aware of his death: with the
result that the jinn, who had been constrained to work for him, went on labouring at the heavy tasks
assigned to them. Gradually, however, a termite ate away Solomon's staff, and his body, deprived
of support, fell to the ground. This story-only hinted at in its outline-is apparently used here as
an allegory of the insignificance and inherent brittleness of human life and of the perishable nature
and emptiness of all worldly might and glory.
21 Al-ghayb, “that which is beyond the reach of [a created being’s] perception", either in an
absolute or-as in this instance-in a relative, temporary sense.
22 I.e., because they would have known that Solomon’s sway over them had ended. In the
elliptic manner so characteristic of the Qur’ân, stress is laid here, firstly, on the limited nature of all
empirical knowledge, including the result of deductions and inferences based on no more than
observable or calculable phenomena, and, secondly, on the impossibility to determine correctly, on
the basis of such limited fragments of knowledge alone, what course of action would be right in a
given situation. Although the story as such relates to “invisible beings”, its moral lesson (which
may be summed up in the statement that empirical knowledge cannot provide any ethical
guideline unless it is accompanied, and completed, by divine guidance) is obviously addressed to
human beings as well.
657
SABÄ SÜRAH

grace]23-two [vast expanses of] gardens, to the right

and to the left, [calling out to them, as it were:] “Eat
of what your Sustainer has provided for you, and
render thanks unto Him: a land most goodly, and a
Sustainer much-forgiving!“
(16) But they turned away [from Us], and so We let jS '-?■»
loose upon them a flood that overwhelmed the
dams,24 and changed their two [expanses of luxuriant] J
gardens into a couple of gardens yielding bitter fruit,
and tamarisks, and some few [wild] lote-trees: (17) (JJ)
thus We requited them for their having denied the ÛHJf-r-hJ*-*
truth. But do We ever requite [thus] any but the
utterly ingrate?25
(18) Now [before their downfall,] We had placed
between them and the cities which We had blessed26 te u.j yi* <3*> Uly ju Q bjj^
[many] towns within sight of one another; and thus
We had made travelling easy [for them, as if to say]:
“Travel safely in this [land], by night or by day!”

23 This connects with the call to gratitude towards God in the preceding passage, and the
mention, at the end of verse 13, that “few are the truly grateful” even among those who think of
themselves as “God’s servants” (see note 19 above).-The kingdom of Sheba (Saba* in Arabic)
was situated in south-western Arabia, and at the time of its greatest prosperity (i.e., in the first
millenium B.c.) comprised not only the Yemen but also a large part of Hadramawt and the Mahrah
country, and probably also much of present-day Abyssinia. In the vicinity of its capital Ma’rib -
sometimes also spelled Märib - the Sabaeans had built in the course of centuries an extraordinary
system of dams, dykes and sluices, which became famous in history, with astonishing remnants
extant to this day. It was to this great dam that the whole country of Sheba owed its outstanding
prosperity, which became proverbial throughout Arabia. (According to the geographer Al-Ham-
dänT, who died in 334 H., the area irrigated by this system of dams stretched eastward to the desert
of $ayhad on the confines of the Rub' al-Khâlî.) The flourishing state of the country was reflected
in its people’s intense trading activities and their control of the “spice road” which led from Ma’rib
northwards to Mecca, Yathrib and Syria, and eastwards to Dufär on the shores of the Arabian Sea,
thus connecting with the maritime routes from India and China.-The period to which the above
Qur’anic passage refers is evidently much later than that spoken of in 27: 22-44.
24 Lit., “the flooding of the dams" (sayl al-'arim). The date of that catastrophe cannot be
established with any certainty, but the most probable period of the first bursting of the Dam of
Ma’rib seems to have been the second century of the Christian era. The kingdom of Sheba was
largely devastated, and this led to the migration of many southern (Qahtän) tribes towards the
north of the Peninsula. Subsequently, it appears, the system of dams and dykes was to some
extent repaired, but the country never regained its earlier prosperity; and a few decades
before the advent of Islam the great dam collapsed completely and finally.
25 Neither the Qur’än nor any authentic hadïth tells us anything definite about the way in which
the people of Sheba had sinned at the time immediately preceding the final collapse of the Dam of
Ma’rib (i.e., in the sixth century of the Christian era). This omission, however, seems to be
deliberate. In view of the fact that the story of Sheba’s prosperity and subsequent catastrophic
downfall had become a byword in ancient Arabia, it is most probable that its mention in the Qur’än
has a purely moral purport similar to that of the immediately preceding legend of Solomon’s death,
inasmuch as both these legends, in their Qur’anic presentation, are allegories of the ephemeral
nature of all human might and achievement. As mentioned at the beginning of note 23 above, the
story of Sheba’s downfall is closely linked with the phenomenon of men’s recurrent ingratitude
towards God. (See also verse 20 and the corresponding note 29.)
26 I.e., Mecca and Jerusalem, both of which lay on the caravan route much used by the people
of Sheba.

658
 34
SHEBA
(19) But now they would say, “Long has our Sus­
tainer made the distance between our journey­
stages!”27-for they had sinned against themselves.
And in the end We caused them to become [one of
those] tales [of things long past], and scattered them
in countless fragments.28
Herein, behold, there are messages indeed for all
who are wholly patient in adversity and deeply grate­
ful [to God].
(20) Now, indeed, IblTs did prove that his opinion
of them had been right:29 for [when he called them,]
they followed him-all but some of the believers ce -25
[among them].
(J)
(21) And yet, he had no power at all over them:30
[for if We allow him to tempt man,] it is only to the jX4 Cf* Cf
end that We might make a clear distinction between
those who [truly] believe in the life to come and those ce W 4* &
who are in doubt thereof:31 for thy Sustainer watches
j o’JlLjî j iß jCÜ, ù/Luy
over all things.

(22) SAY: “Call upon those [beings] whom you imagine

[to be endowed with divine powers] beside God: they
have not an atom's weight of power either in the
heavens or on earth, nor have they any share in
[governing] either, nor does He [choose to] have any
helper from among them.”32
(23) And, before Him, intercession can be of no

27 In its generally-accepted spelling - based on the reading adopted by most of the early
scholars of Medina and Küfah - the above phrase reads in the vocative rabbanä and the
imperative bä'id ("Our Sustainer! Make long the distances ..etc.), which, however, cannot be
convincingly explained. On the other hand, TabarT, BaghawT and Zamakhsharï mention, on the
authority of some of the earliest Qur’än-commentators, another legitimate reading of the relevant
words, namely, rabbunä (in the nominative) and ba'ada (in the indicative), which gives the
meaning adopted by me: “Long has our Sustainer made the distances ..etc. To my mind, this
reading is much more appropriate since (as pointed out by Zamakhsharï) it expresses the belated
regrets and the sorrow of the people of Sheba at the devastation of their country, the exodus of
large groups of the population, and the resultant abandonment of many towns and villages on the
great caravan routes.
28 An allusion to the mass-migration of South-Arabian tribes in ail directions - particularly
towards central and northern Arabia-subsequent to the destruction of the Dam of Ma’rib.
29 See 17:62, as well as the last sentence of 7:17, in which IblTs (i.e., Satan) says of the
human race, “most of them wilt Thou find ungrateful".
30 Cf. a similar phrase placed in the mouth of IblTs in 14:22 (“I had no power at all over you: I
but called you - and you responded unto me"), and the corresponding note 31; also, see note 30 on
15:39-40. - Although, on the face of it, verses 20-21 of the present sürah refer to the people of
Sheba, their import is (as the sequence shows) much wider, applying to the human race as such.
31 See 15:41 and the corresponding note 31.
32 I.e., anybody who would “mediate" between Him and any of His creatures. As is evident
from the sequence (as well as from 17:56-57), this passage relates, in particular, to the attribution
of divine or semi-divine qualities to saints and angels and to the problem of their “intercession"
with God.

659
 SABÄ' SÜRAH

avail [to any] save one in whose case He may have

granted leave [therefor]:33 so much so that when the
terror [of the Last Hour] is lifted from their hearts,
they [who have been resurrected] will ask [one an­
other], “What has your Sustainer decreed [for you]?” -
[to which] the others will answer, “Whatever is true
and deserved34-for He alone is exalted, great!”
(24) Say: “Who is it that provides for you sus­
tenance out of the heavens and the earth?”35
Say: “It is God. And, behold, either we [who
believe in Him] or you [who deny His oneness] are on
the right path, or have clearly gone astray!”
(25) Say: “Neither shall you be called to account J* •
for whatever we may have become guilty of, nor shall
we be called to account for whatever you are doing.”
(26) Say: “Our Sustainer will bring us all together [on
Judgment Day], and then He will lay open the truth
between us, in justice - for He alone is the One who ipA J j» (ff)
opens all truth, the All-Knowing!”
(27) Say: “Point out to me those [beings] that you Jj J > J* ($)
have joined with Him [in your minds] as partners [in
His divinity]! Nay-nay, but He [alone] is God, the
Almighty, the Wise!” 'jri,
(28) NOW [as for thee, O Muhammad,] We have not sent 4 er Q/A ? 0
thee otherwise than to mankind at large, to be a
herald of glad tidings and a Warner; but most people
do not understand [this], (29) and so they ask, “When
is this promise [of resurrection and judgment] to be
J«; c
fulfilled? [Answer this, O you who believe in it,] if v; ii;
you are men of truth!”36
(30) Say: “There has been appointed for you a Day
which you can neither delay nor advance by a single
moment.”37
(31) And [yet,] those who are bent on denying the
truth do say, “We shall never believe in this Qur’an,
and neither in whatever there still remains of earlier
revelations!”38

33 Regarding the Qur’anic concept of “intercession”, see note 7 on 10:3. Cf. also 19:87 and
20:109.
34 Lit., “the truth”-i.e., whatever God decides regarding His grant or refusal of leave for
intercession (which is synonymous with His redemptive acceptance or His rejection of the human
beingjConcerned) will conform with the requirements of absolute truth and justice (see note 74 on

35 See note 49 on the first sentence of 10:31.

36 The Qur’anic answer to this ironic question is found in 7:187.
37 For my rendering of sä*ah (lit., “hour”) as “a single moment”, see sürah 7, note 26.
38 For the rendering of m3 bayna yadayhi, in relation to the Qur’Sn, as “whatever there still
remains of earlier revelations", see sürah 3, note 3. As is evident from the preceding and

660
34
SHEBA
But if thou couldst only see [how it will be on
Judgment Day,] when these evildoers shall be made
to stand before their Sustainer, hurling reproaches
back and forth at one another!
Those [of them] who had been weak [on earth] will
say unto those who had gloried in their arrogance:39
“Had it not been for you, we would certainly have
been believers!”
(32) [And] those who were wont to glory in their
arrogance will say unto those who had been weak:
“Why-did we keep you [forcibly] from following the
right path after it had become obvious to you?40 Nay,
it was but you [yourselves] who were guilty!” fa. si j&x
(33) But those who had been weak will say unto
those who had gloried in their arrogance: “Nay, [what (J)
kept us away was your] devising of false arguments,
night and day,41 [against God’s messages - as you did] ji SI
when you persuaded us to blaspheme against God
ûiLj’î bb u iAutf ij^b wiî-ï
and to claim that there are powers that could rival
Him!”42 J* bz^ □ jJZS/’î
And when they see the suffering [that awaits them],
they will [all] be unable to express [the full depth of] <j I-Î o'b>K*U^[
their remorse:43 for We shall have put shackles around
(j)
the necks of those who had been bent on denying the
[and] will this be aught but a [just] requital for
truth:4445
what they were doing?
(34) For [thus it is:] whenever We sent a warner to
any community, those of its people who had lost
themselves entirely in the pursuit of pleasures43
would declare, “Behold, we deny that there is any
truth in [what you claim to be] your message!”-(35)

subsequent verses, the rejection by “those who are bent on denying the truth” of all revelation is
motivated by their refusal to believe in resurrection and God's judgment, and, hence, to admit the
validity of absolute moral standards as postulated by every higher religion.
39 I.e., as the “intellectual leaders” of their community.
40 Lit., “did we keep you away from guidance after it had come to you?"
41 I.e., always. The term rnakr (lit., “a scheme” or “scheming”) has here the connotation of
“devising false arguments” against something that is true: in this case, as is shown in the first
paragraph of verse 31 above, against God’s messages (cf. a similar use of this term in 10:21 and
35 :43; see also 86:15).
42 Lit., “[that we should] give God compeers (andöd)”. For an explanation of this phrase and
my rendering of it, see sürah 2, note 13.
43 For a justification of this rendering of the phrase asarru ’n-nadâmah, see sürah 10, note 77.
44 As pointed out by several of the classical commentators (e.g., ZamakhsharT, RäzT and
Baytjâwï) in their explanations of similar phrases occurring in 13:5 and 36:8, the “shackles”
(aghläl) which these sinners carry, as it were, “around their necks” in life, and will cany on
Judgment Day, are a metaphor of the enslavement of their souls to the false values to which they
had surrendered, and of the suffering which will be caused by that surrender.
45 The term mutraf denotes “one who indulges in the pursuit of pleasures”, i.e., to the
exclusion of all moral considerations: cf. note 147 on 11:116.
661
SABÄ SÜRAH

and they would add, “Richer [than you] are we in

wealth and in children, and [so] we are not going to
be made to suffer!”*
(36) Say: “Behold, my Sustainer grants abundant
sustenance, or gives it in scant measure, unto (g) Cj ixJjb û* W,
whomever He wills: but most men do not understand
[God’s ways].”46 4748
49
(37) For, it is neither your riches nor your children j **j/ «P
that can bring you nearer to Us: only he who attains Yj j£J L, <g) J? 1
to faith and does what is right and just [comes near
unto Us]; and it is [such as] these whom multiple J>> s 'A fàj ’
recompense awaits for all that they have done; and it IjlA C-Ç (JiajilT il UL-»
is they who shall dwell secure in the mansions [of
paradise] - (38) whereas all who strive against Our lji» I* □ □
messages, seeking to defeat their purpose, shall be
given over to suffering. Ji (g) J Lt
(39) Say: “Behold, my Sustainer grants abundant ,4jxJL j -»aL* jJ Jjjl L-l jj
sustenance, or gives it in scant measure, unto
whomever He wills of His servants;* and whatever it x f z „y»',,»' /
be that you spend on others, He [always] replaces it:* (g) &}' Kr ù;
for He is the best of providers.” jTl»[ »YjIaI ^'l.U JJL f
(40) And [as for those who now deny the truth,]
one Day He will gather them all together, and will ask frpCf, CJ’O ÛJ-S".
the angels, “Was it you that they were wont to
worship?”50 (j) b^J
(41) They will answer: “Limitless art Thou in Thy
glory! Thou [alone] art close unto us, not they!51 Nay,
[when they thought that they were worshipping us,]
they were but [blindly] worshipping forces concealed
from their senses; most of them believed in them.”52

46 Implying, firstly, that the only thing that really counts in life is the enjoyment of material
benefits; and, secondly, that a materially successful life is, by itself, an evidence of one's being
“on the right way”.
47 Sc., “and foolishly regard riches and poverty as indications of God’s favour or disfavour”.
Indirectly, this statement refutes the belief held by many people in the present as well as in the
past that material prosperity is a justification of all human endeavour.
48 I.e., God’s promise to the righteous that they would attain to happiness in the life to come
neither precludes nor implies their being wealthy or poor in this world.
49 I.e., either with worldly goods, or with inner contentment, or with spiritual merit
(ZamakhsharT).
SO This allegorical “question” - allegorical, because God is omniscient and has no need to
“ask”-implies that many of “those who deny the truth" of God's messages delude themselves
into believing that they are, nevertheless, worshipping spiritual forces, here comprised in the term
“angels”.
51 Implying that they (the angels) would never have accepted that worship which is due to
God alone.
52 In this instance, I believe, the term jinn has its primary meaning of “that which is concealed
from [man’s] senses” (see Appendix III), thus including all manner of unknown forces, both real
and imaginary, believed to be inherent in what we describe as “nature”. Hence, the answer of
the angels implies that the sinners’ alleged worship of them had never been more than a

662
34
SHEBA
(42) And [on that Day God will say]: “None of you
[created beings] has today any power to benefit or to
harm another!”
And [then] We shall say unto those who had been
bent on evildoing: “Taste [now] that suffering through
fire which you were wont to call a lie!”
(43) For [thus it is:] whenever Our messages are
conveyed unto them in all their clarity, they [who are
bent on denying the truth] say [to one another], “This
^-r; fcjli \jiji Cc-i
[Muhammad] is nothing but a man who wants to turn
you away from what your forefathers were wont to
worship!”
And they say, “This [Qur’än] is nothing but a JAjJUU L
falsehood invented [by man]!”
And [finally,] they who are bent on denying the
truth speak thus of the truth when it comes to them:
“This is clearly nothing but spellbinding eloquence!”33
(44) And yet, [O Muhammad,] never have We rr1» V, y Uj
vouchsafed them any revelations which they could
quote,5354 and neither have We sent unto them any ÎA rtpcr a/1 cr 4M
warner before thee.
(45) Thus, too, gave the lie to the truth [many of]
those who lived before them; and although those ji il/jj pèti Cc[ J-» • <£>
[earlier people] had not attained to even a tenth of
[the evidence of the truth] which We have vouch­
safed unto these [late successors of theirs], yet when
they gave the lie to My apostles, how awesome was <$> ‘•ÿ’à’î Ù» 4

My rejection!5556
(46) Say: “I counsel you one thing only: Be [ever­
conscious of] standing before God, whether you are
in the company of others or alone;54 and then bethink
yourselves [that] there is no madness in [this pro­
phet,] your fellow-man:57 he is only a warner to you
of suffering severe to come.”

subconscious screen for their fear of the invisible forces of nature and, ultimately, of the yet
deeper fear of the Unknown - that fear which sooner or later engulfs all who refuse to believe in
the existence of God and, hence, cannot see any meaning or purpose in human life. (See also the
last sentence of 10:28 and the corresponding note 46.)
53 Lit., “sorcery" or “magic” - a term frequently used in the sense of “spellbinding eloquence”
(cf. 74:24, the earliest instance in the chronology of Qur’anic revelation).
54 Lit., “which they could study”, i.e., in support of the blasphemous beliefs and practices
inherited from their ancestors. Cf. 30 : 35, which expresses a similar idea.
55 Sc., “And how much worse will fare the deniers of the truth to whom so explicit and so
comprehensive a divine writ as the Qur’än has been conveyed!” My rendering of the whole of this
verse is based on RäzT’s interpretation, which differs from that of most of the other commentators.
56 Lit., “two by two (mathna) and singly (furädä)". According to Râzï, the expression mathnd
denotes, in this context, “together with another person” or “other persons”: hence, the above
phrase may be understood to refer to man’s social behaviour -i.e.. his actions concerning
others-as well as to his inner, personal attitude in all situations requiring a moral choice.
57 See note 150 on 7:184.
663
 SÜRAH
SABÄ'

(47) Say: “No reward have I ever asked of you [out

of anything] that is yours:58 my reward rests with
none but God, and He is witness unto everything!”
(48) Say: “Verily, my Sustainer hurls the truth
[against all that is false]59-He who fully knows all
the things that are beyond the reach of a created
being's perception!”
(49) Say: “The truth has now come [to light, and
falsehood is bound to wither away60]: for, falsehood jj (g) 1-ri p

cannot bring forth anything new, nor can it bring back

[what has passed away].”61
(50) Say: “Were I to go astray, I would but go OV cïi jj <$> 1^. u; jkjT
astray [due to my own self, and] to the hurt of
myself;62 but if I am on the right path, it is but by /I QJ Crx V 4#?*
virtue of what my Sustainer reveals unto me: for,
verily, He is all-hearing, ever-near!”

(51) IF THOU couldst but see [how the deniers of the

p—(ff)
truth will fare on Resurrection Day,] when they will
shrink in terror, with nowhere to escape - since they
will have been seized from so close nearby63 - (52) fr-h 3^i (&)J*

and will cry, “We do [now] believe in it!”

But how can they [hope to] attain [to salvation]
from so far away,64 (53) seeing that aforetime they had
been bent on denying the truth, and had been wont to
cast scorn, from far away, on something that was
beyond the reach of human perception?65

58 I.e., no reward of a material nature: cf. 25:57 - “no reward other than that he who so wills
may unto his Sustainer find a way".
59 Cf. 21:18.
60 Cf. 17:81.
61 I.e., in contrast to the creativeness inherent in every true idea, falsehood - being in itself an
illusion - cannot really create anything or revive any values that may have been alive in the past.
62 According to ZamakhsharT, the idea expressed by the interpolated words “due to my own
self” is implied in the above, inasmuch as “everything that goes against [the spiritual interests of]
oneself is caused by oneself". (See note 4 on 14:4.)
63 Lit., “from a place nearby" - i.e., from within their own selves: cf. 17: 13 (“every human
being’s destiny have We tied to his neck") and the corresponding note 17. The same idea is
expressed in 13 : 5 (“it is they who carry the shackles [of their own making] around their necks"),
as well as in the second part of verse 33 of the present siirah (“We shall have put shackles around
the necks of those who had been bent on denying the truth"). See also 50:41 and the
corresponding note 33.
64 Lit., “from a place far-away"-i.e., from their utterly different past life on earth.
65 The obvious implication is that man’s fate in the hereafter will be a consequence of, and
invariably conditioned by, his spiritual attitude and the manner of his life during the first, earthly
stage of his existence. In this instance, the expression “from far away" is apparently used in a
sense similar to sayings like “far off the mark" or “without rhyme or reason", and is meant to
qualify as groundless and futile all negative speculations about what the Qur’än describes as
al-ghayb (“that which is beyond the reach of human [or “a created being’s"] perception"): in this
case, life after death.

664
34 SHEBA

C
(54) And so, a barrier will be set between them and
all that they had [ever] desired,66 as will be done to
f-r* Jr’û; & ûjrLJ
such of their kind as lived before their time: for,
behold, they [too] were lost in doubt amounting to
suspicion.67

66 Thus, the impossibility of attaining to the fulfilment of any of their desires-whether positive
or negative - sums up, as it were, the suffering of the damned in the life to come.
67 I.e., a suspicion that al! moral postulates were but meant to deprive them of what they
considered to be the “legitimate advantages” of life in this world.
 THE THIRTY-FIFTH SÜRAH

AL-FÄTIR (THE ORIGINATOR)

MECCA PERIOD

OST of the authorities place this surah - which derives its title from God’s attribute of
M “Originator of the heavens and the earth” in its first verse - chronologically between sürahs 25
(Al-Furqän) and 19 (Maryam): that is, about seven or eight years before the Prophet’s exodus from
Mecca to Medina. Another title given to it by some of the Companions and several classical
commentators is Al-MaliFikah (“The Angels”), also based on verse 1.
Almost the whole of Al-Fâtir deals with God’s unique power to create and to resurrect, as well
as with His having revealed His will through the medium of His prophets-but “only such as arc
endowed with [innate] knowledge stand [truly] in awe of God: [for they alone comprehend that,]
verily, God is almighty, much-forgiving” (second paragraph of verse 28).

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) A LL PRAISE is due to God, Originator of the ------------------------- %

XX heavens and the earth, who causes the angels
to be [His] message-bearers, endowed with wings, two, -fljl*l>juXI
or three, or four.1
Unceasingly] He adds to His creation whatever He j -hj. üb’
wills:2 for, verily, God has the power to will anything.
(2) Whatever grace God opens up to man, none can
withhold it; and whatever He withholds, none can
henceforth release: for He alone is almighty, truly
wise. L^-IL (J)'* J*1
(3) O men! Call to mind the blessings which God
has bestowed upon you! Is there any creator, other
than God, that could provide for you sustenance out
(J) ùjCiJj Jlî
of heaven and earth?3 There is no deity save Him:
and yet, how perverted are your minds!4
(4) But if they [whose minds are perverted] give
âT c-jTlii âjf

1 The “wings” of the spiritual beings or forces comprised within the designation of angels
are, obviously, a metaphor for the speed and power with which God’s revelations are conveyed to
His prophets. Their multiplicity (“two, or three, or four") is perhaps meant to stress the countless
ways in which He causes His commands to materialize within the universe created by Him: an
assumption which, to my mind, is supported by an authentic hadith to the effect that on the night
of his Ascension (see Appendix IV) the Prophet saw Gabriel “endowed with six hundred wings”
(BukhSrT and Muslim, on the authority of Ibn Mascüd).
2 I.e., the process of creation is continuous, constantly expanding in scope, range and variety.
3 See 10:31 and the corresponding note 49.
4 Sc., “inasmuch as you attribute divine qualities or powers to anyone or anything beside Him”.
For an explanation of the phrase annd tuÿakûn (lit., “how turned-away you are”, i.e., from the
truth), see sOrah 5, note 90.

666
 SÜRAH 35
THE ORIGINATOR
thee the lie, [O Prophet, remember that] even so,
before thy time, have [other] apostles been given the
lie: for [the unbelievers always refuse to admit that]
all things go back to God [as their source].

(5) O MEN! Verily, God’s promise [of resurrection] is true

indeed: let not, then, the life of this world delude you,
and let not [your own] deceptive thoughts about God
delude you!’ J»- ôSjcj uAJîÇÎb
(6) Behold, Satan is a foe unto you: so treat him as
a foe. He but calls on his followers to the end that
they might find themselves among such as are des­
tined for the blazing flame - (7) [seeing that] for those
who are bent on denying the truth there is suffering
severe in store, just as for those who have attained to
faith and do righteous deeds there is forgiveness of
sins, and a great reward.
(8) Is, then, he to whom the evil of his own doings b—»• 4*/ »4-^ /I j I (T)
is [so] alluring that (in the end] he regards it as good
[anything but a follower of Satan]?
For, verily, God lets go astray him that wills [to go (J)Ce£uî
astray], just as He guides him that wills [to be
guided].56 Hence, [O believer,] do not waste thyself in Zdi

sorrowing over them: verily, God has full knowledge of

all that they do!
(T) Im
4a
(9) AND [remember:] it is God who sends forth the
winds, so that they raise a cloud, whereupon We
drive it towards dead land and thereby give life to the
0ÜS* % '?*r,T
earth after it had been lifeless: even thus shall resur­
rection be!
(10) He who desires might and glory [ought to
know that] all might and glory belong to God [alone].
Unto Him ascend all good words, and the righteous
deed does He exalt. But as for those who cunningly
devise evil deeds - suffering severe awaits them; and
all their devising is bound to come to nought.78
(11) And [remember:] God creates [every one of]
you out of dust,* then out of a drop of sperm; and

5 See 31:33 (which is phrased in exactly the same way) and the corresponding note 30.-As
regards the explicit reference to Satan in the next verse of the present sürah, see Râzï’s remarks
quoted in note 31 on 14:22, as well as note 16 on 15:17.
6 See sürah 14, note 4, which explains my rendering of this sentence.
7 It appears that in this context-as in the first paragraph of 10:21 or in 34:33-both the
noun makr (lit., “a scheme”, or “scheming" or “plotting") and the verb yamkurün (lit., “they
scheme" or “plot") have the connotation of “devising false [or “fallacious”] arguments" against
something that is true. Since the preceding passages refer to God’s creativeness and, in particular,
to His power to create life and resurrect the dead (verse 9), the “evil deeds” spoken of above are,
presumably, specious arguments meant to “disprove” the announcement of resurrection.
8 See second half of note 47 on 3:59, and note 4 on 23:11

667
 SÛRAH
AL-FÄTIR

then He fashions you into either of the two sexes.’

And no female conceives or gives birth unless it be
with His knowledge; and none that is long-lived has
his days lengthened - and neither is aught lessened of
his days-unless it be thus laid down in [God’s]
decree: for, behold, all this is easy for God.
(12) [Easy is it for Him to create likeness and
] thus, the two great bodies of water [on
variety:91011
earth]" are not alike-the one sweet, thirst-allaying,
pleasant to drink, and the other salty and bitter: and
yet, from either of them do you eat fresh meat, and
[from either] you take gems which you may wear; (_jje IJL* Ù'($)
and on either thou canst see ships ploughing through
the waves, so that you might [be able to] go forth in qX’U j ch aV4

quest of some of His bounty, and thus have cause to

be grateful.
(13) He makes the night grow longer by shortening
0
the day, and He makes the day grow longer by
shortening the night; and He has made the sun and
the moon subservient [to His laws], each running its
course for a term set [by Him].1213
Thus is God, your Sustainer: unto Him belongs all
dominion - whereas those whom you invoke instead
of Him do not own so much as the husk of a
date-stone! (14) If you invoke them, they do not hear >. . x »................ *x
your call; and even if they could hear, they would not
[be able to] respond to you. And [withal,] on the Day
if ji 4i%jÇ* • 0
of Resurrection they will utterly disown your having
associated them with God."
ob,j> (j)
And none can make thee understand [the truth] like
the One who is all-aware.
(15) O men! It is you who stand in need of God,
whereas He alone is self-sufficient, the One to whom
all praise is due.
(16) If He so wills, He can do away with you and
bring forth a new mankind [in your stead]:14 (17) nor
is this difficult for God.

(18) AND NO BEARER of burdens shall be made to bear

9 Lit., “makes you pairs” or ’’mates [of one another]”.
10 This interpolated sentence reflects Ràzï’s convincing explanation of the passage that follows
here, and its connection with the preceding one.
11 For this rendering of al-bahrän, see note 41 on 25:53.
12 See sQrah 13, note 5.
13 The Qur’Sn states in many places that all false objects of worship - whether saints, angels,
relics, fetishes, or deified forces of nature - will “bear witness” against their one-time worshippers
on Resurrection Day, and will “disown” them: a symbolic allusion to man’s perception, at the end
of time, of the ultimate reality.
14 See note 27 on 14:19.

668
 35
THE ORIGINATOR
another’s burden;“ and if one weighed down by his
load calls upon [another] to help him carry it, nothing
thereof may be carried [by that other], even if it be
one’s near of kin.15
16
Hence, thou canst [truly] warn only those who
stand in awe of their Sustainer although He is beyond
the reach of their perception,17 and are constant in
prayer, and [know that] whoever grows in purity,
attains to purity but for the good of his own self, and jX.' qy IS 11.
[that] with God is all journeys’ end.
(19) For [thus it is:] the blind and the seeing are not
equal; (20) nor are the depths of darkness and the
i. I*, (J) âî 3 «4 -J-.l
light; (21) nor the [cooling] shade and the scorching
heat: (22) and neither are equal the living and the JÛÎ VJ (T) 'Jit UkjT 'Tj
dead [of heart].
Behold, [O Muhammad,] God can make hear y, Lj (J) 33j-^ Xj

whomever He wills, whereas thou canst not make

hear such as are [dead of heart like the dead] in their kz o* -» tfï ô[
graves: (23) thou art nothing but a warner.
(fr) jjj
(24) Verily, We have sent thee with the truth, as a
bearer of glad tidings and a warner: for there never
* s< xe
was any community but a warner has [lived and]
passed away in its midst.18 (25) And if they give thee p |1.> <_*Â xJL»

the lie - even so gave the lie to the truth [many of]
(W) 3 j^\{3 C.'-îptj p-iJ—J
those who lived before their time, [when] there came
unto them their apostles with all evidence of the J' (n) jjCj jK'hùûO j»l J?
truth, and with books of divine wisdom, and with
light-giving revelation; (26) [but] in the end I took to
task all those who were bent on denying the truth:
and how awesome was My rejection!

(27) ART THOU NOT aware that God sends down water
from the skies, whereby We bring forth fruits of

15 I.e., on Judgment Day - for “whatever [wrong] any human being commits rests upon him
alone’’ (6:164, which is followed by a sentence identical with the one above).
16 Thus, any transfer of moral responsibility from one person to another is shown to be
impossible. Whereas the first part of the above statement implies a negation of the Christian
doctrine of “original sin" with which mankind is supposedly burdened, the second part categorically
refutes the doctrine of the “vicarious atonement" of that sin by Jesus. (See also 53:38 and the
corresponding note 31.)
17 For an explanation of this rendering of bi'l-ghayb, see sürah 2, note 3. The meaning is that only
those “who believe in the existence of that which is beyond the reach of human perception" can really
benefit by the “warning” inherent in the preceding statement. (See also 27 : 80-81 and 30 : 52-53.)
18 One of the meanings of the term ummah (preferred by ZamakhsharT in his commentary on
the above verse) is “people of one time” or “age”; another, “people of one kind", i.e., “a nation"
or “a community” (which is adopted by me in this context). Taking into consideration a third,
well-established meaning, namely, “a (particular] way of life” or “of behaviour” (Jawharï), the
term “community" comes, in this instance, close to the modern concept of “civilization" in its
historical sense. - The stress on the warners' (i.e., prophets) having “passed away” is meant to
emphasize the humanness and mortality of each and all of them.

669
 SÜRAH
AL-FÀTIR

many hues - just as in the mountains there are streaks

of white and red of various shades, as well as [others]
raven-black, (28) and [as] there are in men, and in
crawling beasts, and in cattle, too, many hues?”
Of all His servants, only such as are endowed with
[innate] knowledge20 stand [truly] in awe of God: [for
they alone comprehend that,] verily, God is almighty,
much-forgiving. û*J ($)
(29) [It is] they who [truly] follow God’s revelation, * & .
and are constant in prayer, and spend on others,
secretly and openly, out of what We provide for them t » i' t s
ùl ijûujî «iS
as sustenance - it is they who may look forward to a
bargain that can never fail, (30) since He will grant Ce îjiib îjLàî âîûixTSjLi
them their just rewards, and give them yet more out
of His bounty: for, verily, He is much-forgiving, ($) Jj-r J 5j£ Lr f-4^»JJ

ever-responsive to gratitude.
(31) And [know that] all of the divine writ with j> /I r?*!
which We have inspired thee is the very truth,
confirming the
connrnung U1C truth
num UI WliaiCV^l there
of whatever still remains
UIVIV own of
ivmamo vt * ' ' ’ '
earlier revelations21 - for, behold, of [the needs of] ” \ 1' Jj.1
His servants
Use carvontc God îc is fllllv
fully aware,
9W9rA aall-seeing.
ILcp.pjiw ** '
(32) And so, We have bestowed this divine writ as a
heritage unto such of Our servants as We chose: and
among them are some who sin against themselves;
and some who keep half-way [between right and .Cilell's
wrong];22 and some who, by God’s leave, are fore-
most in deeds of goodness: [and] this, indeed, is a *-«•* û* JJ^1’ û* W «J*
merit most high!
(33) [Hence,] gardens of perpetual bliss will they
enter, therein to be adorned with bracelets of gold
and pearls, and therein to be clad in raiments of silk;23
(34) and they will say: “All praise is due to God, who
has caused all sorrow to leave us: for, verily, our
Sustainer is indeed much-forgiving, ever-responsive (g) x
to gratitude - (35) He who, out of His bounty, has
made us alight in this abode of life enduring, wherein $ bs* r? <*■*•
no struggle can assail us, and wherein no weariness
can touch us!”
(36) But as for those who are bent on denying the
truth - the fire of hell awaits them: no end shall be put
to their lives so that they could die, nor shall aught of
19 Cf. 16:13, where the splendour of nature (“the beauty of many hues”) is spoken of as an
evidence of God’s creative power.
20 I.e., spiritual knowledge, bom of the realization that the phenomena which can be observed
do not comprise the whole of reality, inasmuch as there is “a realm beyond the reach of a created
being’s perception” (cf. surah 2, note 3).
21 For this explanatory rendering of the phrase mâ bayna yadayhi, see note 3 on 3:3.
22 See 7:46 and the corresponding note 37.
23 Regarding this symbolic “adornment” of the blessed in paradise, see note 41 on 18:31.

670
 35
THE ORIGINATOR
the suffering caused by that [fire] be lightened for
them: thus shall We requite all who are bereft of
gratitude.
(37) And in that [hell] they will cry aloud: “O our
Sustainer! Cause us to come out [of this suffering]!
We shall [henceforth] do good deeds, not such as we
were wont to do [aforetime]!”
[But We shall answer:] ‘‘Did We not grant you a
life long enough so that whoever was willing to take
thought could bethink himself? And [withal,] a War­
ner had come unto you! Taste, then, [the fruit of your
evil deeds]: for evildoers shall have none to succour
them!”
(J5* <£>
(38) VERILY, God knows the hidden reality of the
(J) c*U> jÇîJ
heavens and the earth: [and,] behold, He has full
knowledge of what is in the hearts [of men].
(39) He it is who has made you inherit the earth.2425
Hence, he who is bent on denying the truth [of God’s
oneness and uniqueness ought to know that] this
J* <$)
denial of his will fall back upon him: for their [per­
sistent] denial of this truth does but add to the £ U jjj1 âî j*
deniers’ loathsomeness in their Sustainer’s sight and,
thus, their denial of this truth does but add to the
deniers’ loss.
(40) Say: ‘‘Have you ever [really] considered those
beings and forces to whom you ascribe a share in
God’s divinity,21 [and] whom you invoke beside God? • (j,

Show me what it is that they have created on earth - 3; uiÔ 5» utf £ 'ijJ J
or do [you claim that] they have a share in [govern­
ing] the heavens?”
Have We ever vouchsafed them26 a divine writ on
which they could rely as evidence [in support of their
views]?2728Nay, [the hope which] the evildoers hold
out to one another [is] nothing but a delusion.26
(41) Verily, it is God [alone] who upholds the
celestial bodies29 and the earth, lest they deviate

24 See note 22 on 2:30. In this instance, God’s having made man “inherit the earth” implies the
grant to him of the ability to discern between right and wrong as well as between truth and
falsehood.
25 Lit., “those [God-]partners of yours”: see note 15 on 6:22.
26 I.e., to those who ascribe divinity to beings or forces other than God.
27 Cf. 30:35-“Have We ever bestowed upon them from on high a divine writ which would
speak [with approval] of their worshipping aught beside Us?” The reference to a “divine writ”
makes it clear that the people spoken of here are the erring followers of earlier revelation, and not
atheists.
28 I.e., their expectation that the saints whom they invest with divine or semi-divine qualities
will “mediate" between them and God, or “intercede” for them before Him, is based on nothing
but wishful thinking.
29 Lit., “the heavens” - in this case apparently a metonym for all the stars, galaxies, nebulae,

671
 SÜRAH 35
AL-FÄTIR

[from their orbits]-for if they should ever deviate,

there is none that could uphold them after He will
have ceased to do so.30
[But,] verily, He is ever-forbearing, much-for­
giving!31
(42) As it is, they [who are averse to the truth
often] swear by God with their most solemn oaths
that if a warner should ever come to them, they âl (ft) W* j*
would follow his guidance better than any of the
communities [of old had followed the warner sent to
them]:32 but now that a warner has come unto them,
[his call] but increases their aversion, (43) their arro­ \ z4*
gant behaviour on earth, and their devising of evil
[arguments against God’s messages].33
Yet [in the end,] such evil scheming will engulf
none but its authors; and can they expect anything but
[to be made to go] the way of those [sinners] of olden bz^.
times?3435
Thus [it is]: no change wilt thou ever find in God’s
way; yea, no deviation wilt thou ever find in God’s
way!
(44) Have they never journeyed about the earth and ($) j x> □
beheld what happened in the end to those [deniers of
the truth] who lived before their time and were [so s çs û jùï fr
much] greater than they in power? And [do they not
see that the will of] God can never be foiled by
anything whatever in the heavens or on earth, since, (g) ojLw jtffr
verily, He is all-knowing, infinite in His power?
(45) Now if God were to take men [at once] to task
for whatever [wrong] they commit [on earth], He
would not leave a single living creature upon its
surface. However, He grants them respite for a term
set [by Him]:33 but when their term comes to an
end-then, verily, [they come to know that] God sees
all that is in [the hearts of] His servants.

etc., which traverse the cosmic spaces in obedience to a most intricate system of God-willed laws,
of which the law of gravity, perhaps most obvious to man, is but one.
30 Lit., “after Him’’. This seems to be an allusion to the Last Hour, which, according to the
Qur’an, will be heralded by a cosmic catastrophe.
31 I.e., inasmuch as He does not speed up the end of the world despite the sinfulness of most of
its inhabitants, and neither punishes without giving the sinner time to reflect and to repent (cf.
verse 45).
32 Cf. 6:157 and the corresponding note 158.
33 I.e., fallacious arguments meant to disparage those messages and to “disprove" their divine
origin (cf. 10:21 or 34 : 33 and the corresponding notes on the Qur’anic use of the term makr in
this sense).
34 I.e., the way (sunnah) in which God has punished them.
35 Or: “known [to Him alone]’’ - i.e., the end of their lives on earth.

672
 THE THIRTY-SIXTH SÜRAH

YÄ SÎN (O THOU HUMAN BEING)

MECCA PERIOD

OR an explanation of my rendering of the title Yâ Sîn as “O Thou Human Being”, see note 1
F below.
Revealed in the early part of what is termed the “middle” Mecca period (probably just before
Al-Furqän), this sürah is almost entirely devoted to the problem of man's moral responsibility
and, hence, to the certainty of resurrection and God’s judgment: and it is for this reason that the
Prophet called upon his followers to recite it over the dying and in prayers for the dead (cf. several
Traditions to this effect quoted by Ibn KathTr at the beginning of his commentary on this surah).

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) Z’ATHOU human being!1 (2) Consider this Qur’an

V-Zfull of wisdom: (3) verily, thou art indeed one
------------- *
of God’s message-bearers, 23 (4) pursuing a straight
way (5) by [virtue of] what is being bestowed from on (T> ^jCÏ.1 jltpjTj Q
high by the Almighty, the Dispenser of Grace,1 (6)
[bestowed upon thee] so that thou mayest warn peo­
ple whose forefathers had not been warned, and who
therefore are unaware [of the meaning of right and f-4* p—(T)
wrong].4

1 Whereas some of the classical commentators incline to the view that the letters y-s
(pronounced yd sin) with which this sürah opens belong to the category of the mysterious
letter-symbols (al-muqatta'ât) introducing a number of Qur’anic chapters (see Appendix II), ’Abd
Allah ibn 'Abbas states that they actually represent two distinct words, namely the exclamatory
particle yâ (“O”) and sin, which in the dialect of the tribe of Tayy’ is synonymous with insân
(“human being" or “man”): hence, similar to the two syllables fä hä in sürah 20, yâ sin denotes
“O thou human being!” This interpretation has been accepted by 'Ikrimah, Ad-Dahhak, Al-Hasan
al-Ba$rï, Sa'Td ibn Jubayr, and other early Qur’än-commentators (see fabari, BaghawT,
Zamakhsharï, BayçlâwT, Ibn KathTr, etc.). According to ZamakhsharT, it would seem that the syllable
sth is an abbreviation of unaysin, the diminutive form of insdn used by the Tayy’ in exclamations. (It
is to be borne in mind that in classical Arabic a diminutive is often expressive of no more than
endearment: e.g., yâ bunayya, which does not necessarily signify “O my little son” but, rather, “my
dear son" irrespective of the son’s age.) On the whole, we may safely assume that the words yâ sin
apostrophize the Prophet Muhammad, who is explicitly addressed in the sequence, and are meant to
stress - as the Qur’&n so often does - the fact of his and all other apostles’ humanness.
2 This statement explains the adjurative particle wa (rendered by me as “Consider") at the
beginning of the preceding verse - namely: “Let the wisdom apparent in the Qm’än serve as an
evidence of the fact that thou art an apostle of God". As regards my rendering of al-quFän
al-hakim as “this Qur’&n full of wisdom", see note 2 on 10:1.
3 Cf. 34:50-“if I am on the right path, it is but by virtue of what my Sustainer reveals unto
me”.
4 Cf. 6:131-132. In the wider sense of this expression, the “forefathers” may be a metonym for
a community’s cultural past: hence, the reference to those “forefathers” not having been

673
 SÜRAH
YÂSÏN

(7) Indeed, the word [of God’s condemnation] is

bound to come true3*5against most of them: for they
will not believe.
(8) Behold, around their necks We have put shack­
les,6 reaching up to their chins, so that their heads are
forced up;7 (9) and We have set a barrier before them
and a barrier behind them,8 and We have enshrouded
them in veils so that they cannot see: (10) thus, it is all
one to them whether thou warnest them or dost not
warn them: they will not believe.
(11) Thou canst [truly] warn only him who is willing
to take the reminder to heart,9 and who stands in awe
of the Most Gracious although He is beyond the
reach of human perception: unto such, then, give the
glad tiding of [God’s] forgiveness and of a most # ‘4"''

excellent reward!
(12) Verily, We shall indeed bring the dead back to
life; and We shall record whatever [deeds] they have
sent ahead, and the traces [of good and evil] which
they have left behind: for of all things do We take 5 0 ~j,
account in a record clear.
λ 0 Û0
(13) AND SET FORTH unto them a parable - [the story L> y15 (^) jjL-y* îÛj/J
of how] the people of a township [behaved] when
[Our] message-bearers came unto them.
(14) Lo! We sent unto them two [apostles], and
they gave the lie to both; and so We strengthened [the
two] with a third; and thereupon they said: “Behold,
we have been sent unto you [by God]!’’10

“warned’’ (i.e., against evil) evidently alludes to the defectiveness of the ethical heritage of people
who have become estranged from true moral values.
5 Lit., “has come true”, the past tense indicating the inevitability of its “coming true”-i.e.,
taking effect.
6 Zamakhsharï: “[This is] an allegory of their deliberate denial of the truth.” See note 13 on
13:5 and note 44 on 34:33.
7 Sc., “and they cannot see the right way” (Râzï); their “forced-up heads” symbolize also their
arrogance. On the other hand, God's “placing shackles” around the sinners' necks is a metaphor
similar to His “sealing their hearts and their hearing", spoken of in 2:7 and explained in the
corresponding note 7. The same applies to the metaphor of the “barriers” and the “veiling”
mentioned in the next verse.
8 Sc., “so that they can neither advance nor go back”: a metaphor of utter spiritual stagnation.
9 Lit., “who is following the reminder”.
10 As is usual with such passages, the commentators advance various speculations as to the
“identity” of the town and the apostles. Since, however, the story is clearly described as a parable,
it must be understood as such and not as an historical narrative. It seems to me that we have here
an allegory of the three great monotheistic religions, successively propounded by Moses, Jesus and
Muhammad, and embodying, essentially, the same spiritual truths. The “township” (qaryah)
mentioned in the parable represents, I think, the common cultural environment within which these
three religions appeared. The apostles of the first two are said to have been sent “together”,
implying that the teachings of both were-and are-anchored in one and the same scripture, the

674
36 O THOU HUMAN BEING

(15) [The others] answered: “You are nothing but

mortal men like ourselves; moreover, the Most
Gracious has never bestowed aught [of revelation]
from on high. You do nothing but lie!’’1*1
(16) Said [the apostles]: “Our Sustainer knows that
we have indeed been sent unto you; (17) but we are
not bound to do more than clearly deliver the mes­
sage [entrusted to us].’’
(18) Said [the others]: “Truly, we augur evil from 0 C iju (J)
you!12 Indeed, if you desist not, we will surely stone
you, and grievous suffering is bound to befall you at (3)
our hands!’* V * 4 xx Sx 2.SSxxxx x/Sx/xxx. Axx x
(19) [The apostles] replied: “Your destiny, good or
evil, is [bound up] with yourselves!13 [Does it seem
evil to you] if you are told to take [the truth] to heart? 0 f/ f’ y.

Nay, but you are people who have wasted their own iyo'lJU (y<-» JfJ J* tUj
selves!”14
(20) At that, a man came running from the farthest <£>
end of the city, [and] exclaimed: “O my people!
Follow these message-bearers! (21) Follow those who JLj (£)

ask no reward of you, and themselves are rightly

Ji ‘ *<‘j •> 14
guided!
(22) “[As for me,] why should I not worship Him
who has brought me into being, and to whom you all
will be brought back? (23) Should I take to worship­ <$>
ping [other] deities beside Him? [But then,] if the
Most Gracious should will that harm befall me, their crji J*

intercession could not in the least avail me, nor could

they save me: (24) and so, behold, I would have
indeed, most obviously, lost myself in error!
(25) “Verily, [O my people,] in the Sustainer of you
all have I come to believe: listen, then, to me!”
(26) [And] he was told,13 “[Thou shalt] enter

Old Testament of the Bible. When, in the course of time, their impact proved insufficient to mould
the ethical attitude of the people or peoples concerned, God “strengthened” them by means of His
final message, conveyed to the world by the third and last of the apostles, Muhammad.
II Cf. 6:91 - “no true understanding of God have they when they say, ‘Never has God revealed
anything unto man.’” See also 34: 31 and the corresponding note 38. Both these passages, as well
as the one above, allude to people who like to think of themselves as “believing” in God without,
however, allowing their “belief" to interfere in the practical concerns of their lives: and this they
justify by conceding to religion no more than a vaguely emotional role, and by refusing to admit
the fact of objective revelation - for the concept of revelation invariably implies a promulgation,
by God, of absolute moral values and, thus, a demand for one’s self-surrender to them.
12 For an explanation of the phrase tafayyamd bikum, see sürah 7, note 95.
13 Cf. 17:13-“every human being’s destiny (/d’t'r) have We tied to his neck"-and the
corresponding note 17.
14 For this rendering of musrifün (sing, musrif), see note 21 on the last sentence of 10:12.
. 15 I.e., by the apostles or, more probably (in view of the allegorical character of this story), by
his own insight. The intervention of the man who “came running from the farthest end of the city”

675
 YÂSÏN SURAH

paradise!”-[whereupon] he exclaimed: ‘‘Would that

my people knew (27) how my Sustainer has forgiven
me [the sins of my past], and has placed me among
the honoured ones!”
(28) And after that, no host out of heaven did We
send down against his people, nor did We need to ($) Lr Jj J QrLt
send down any: (29) nothing was [needed] but one
single blast [of Our punishment] - and lo! they »UJtJZ •
became as still and silent as ashes.
up CLZ ér uj
(30) OH, THE REGRETS that [most] human beings will
have to bear!is1617Never has an apostle come to them Jj-.j iLjl Je
without their deriding him! $ jrij; jî \
(31) Are they not aware of how many a generation
We have destroyed before their time, [and] that those û j’ ; P'l P* 4
[that have perished] will never return to them,” (32)
and [that] all of them, all together, will [in the end] iZjîjXjÿî p-i (n)
before Us be arraigned? Ip» WwMCffiùtlTLi l»
(33) And [yet,] they have a sign [of Our power to
create and to resurrect] in the lifeless earth which We ($> cr 'L’t’ô
make alive, and out of which We bring forth grain,
whereof they may eat; (34) and [how] We make ($) ^£4 **’ ’ÂÛ
gardens of date-palms and vines [grow] thereon, and
cause springs to gush [forth] within it, (35) so that jjv ö iÿ£;jVî ju sjî
they may eat of the fruit thereof, though it was not
their hands that made it.
Will they not, then, be grateful?
(36) Limitless in His glory is He who has created
opposites in whatever the earth produces, and in
men’s own selves, and in that of which [as yet] they
have no knowledge.18

is evidently a parable of the truly believing minority in every religion, and of their desperate,
mostly unavailing endeavours to convince their erring fellow-men that God-consciousness alone
can save human life from futility.
16 Lit., “Oh, the regrets upon the bondmen’’ (al-'ibäd) - since all human beings, good or bad.
are God’s “bondmen’’. This phrase alludes to the Day of Judgment - which is described in 19:39
as “the Day of Regrets"-as well as to the fact, repeatedly stressed in the Qur’än, that most
human beings choose to remain deaf to the voice of truth, and thus condemn themselves to
spiritual death.
17 I.e., to the people now living. As in many other Qur’anic passages, the term qam, which
literally signifies a “generation" or “people living at the same period", has in this context the wider
meaning of “society" or “civilization" in the historical connotation of these terms. Thus, the
downfall and utter disappearance of past societies and civilizations is here linked to their spiritual
frivolity and consequent moral failure. A further lesson to be drawn from this parable is the
implied conclusion that the majority of people in every society, at all times (our own included),
refuse to be guided by moral considerations, regarding them as opposed to their conventional
mode of life and their pursuit of materialistic values - with the result that “never has an apostle
come to them without their deriding him".
18 Lit., “who has created all the pairs out of whatever the earth produces, and out of
themselves, and out of that of which they have no knowledge": a reference to the polarity evident
in all creation, both animate and inanimate, which expresses itself in the existence of antithetic and

676
36 O THOU HUMAN BEING

(37) And [of Our sway over all that exists] they
have a sign in the night: We withdraw from it the
[light of] day-and Io! they are in darkness.
(38) And [they have a sign in] the sun: it runs in an
orbit of its own”-[and] that is laid down by the will
of the Almighty, the All-Knowing; (39) and [in] the
moon, for which We have determined phases [which
it must traverse] till it becomes like an old date-stalk,
dried-up and curved:19 20 (40) [and] neither may the sun
overtake the moon, nor can the night usurp the time ($) (ÿ-
of day,21 since all of them float through space [in
jji v;^Ji j Ju JJjW
accordance with Our laws].
(41) And [it ought to be] a sign for them that We LD- Ut eUi j jf,
bear their offspring [over the seas] in laden ships,22
(42) and [that] We create for them things of a similar
kind, on which they may embark [in their travels];23
(43) and [that,] if such be Our will, We may cause
them to drown, with none to respond to their cry for
$ %
d; jjxL-
help: and [then] they cannot be saved, (44) unless it
be by an act of mercy from Us and a grant of life for
a [further span of] time.
lÿC \£r (UJj

(45) And [yet,] when they are told, “Beware of

[God’s insight into] all that lies open before you and
all that is hidden from you,24 so that you might be
graced with His mercy,” [most men choose to remain
deaf;] (46) and no message of their Sustainer's mes­
sages25 ever reaches them without their turning away

yet complementary forces, like the sexuality in human beings, animals and plants, light and
darkness, heat and cold, positive and negative magnetism and electricity, the positive and negative
charges (protons and electrons) in the structure of the atom, and so forth. (It is to be borne in mind
that the noun zawj denotes both “a pair" and “one of a pair", as explained in note 7 on 13:3.) The
mention of “that of which they have no knowledge“ evidently relates to things or phenomena not
yet understood by man but potentially within the range of his comprehension: hence my
interpolation, between brackets, of the words “as yet”.
19 In the generally-accepted reading, this phrase is spelled li-mustaqarrin lahâ, which may be
rendered as above or, more conventionally, as “to its point of rest”, i.e., the time (or point) of the-
daily sunset (RâzT). However, ‘Abd Allah ibn Mas'üd is reliably reported to have read these words
as lâ mustaqarra lahä (Zamakhsharî), which gives us the meaning of “it runs [on its course]
without having any rest”, i.e., unceasingly.
20 This is, in a condensed form, the meaning of the noun 'urjün - the raceme of the date-palm,
which, when old and dry, becomes slender and curves like a crescent (cf. Lane V, 1997).
21 Lit., “nor does the night outrun [or “outstrip”] the day”.
22 Lit., “in the laden ship”: a generic singular with a plural significance. The term “offspring”
denotes here the human race as a whole (cf. the recurring expression “children of Adam”).
23 Cf. 16:8 and the corresponding note 6. In both of these passages man’s ingenuity is shown to be a
direct manifestation of God’s creativeness.
24 For an explanation of this rendering of the above phrase, see sürah 2, note 247. In the
present instance it apparently denotes men’s conscious doings as well as their unconscious or
half-conscious motivations.
25 Or: “no sign of their Sustainer’s signs”-since the noun äyah, repeated several times in the
preceding passage, denotes “a message” as well as “a sign”.

677
 SÜRAH
yâsTn
from it.
(47) Thus, when they are told, “Spend on others
out of what God has provided for you as sus­
tenance,”26 those who are bent on denying the truth
say unto those who believe, “Shall we feed anyone
whom, if [your] God had so willed, He could have fed
[Himself]? Clearly, you are but lost in error!” (48)
^JÜI
And they add, “When is this promise [of resurrection]
to be fulfilled? [Answer this] if you are men of truth!”
(49) [And they are unaware that] nothing awaits
them beyond a single blast [of God’s punishment],27 '■*"* >
which will overtake them while they are still arguing
[against resurrection]: (50) and so [sudden will be (g) ÎJ—'j 4m
their end that] no testament will they be able to make,
(£) Y, 'ii
nor to their own people will they return!
(51) And [then] the trumpet [of resurrection] will be f-c i (J* (•—• ’ij» j>—<j )
blown - and lo! out of their graves towards their
Sustainer will they all rush forth! Ujjy* LjL LL jb ijlli (£) jjL*
(52) They will say: “Oh, woe unto us! Who has
roused us from our sleep [of death]?” (^) JcjU

[Whereupon they will be told:] “This is what the

(£) jj£-Z; iJ» j
Most Gracious has promised! And His message­
bearers spoke the truth!”
(53) Nothing will there have been but one single
blast-and lo! before Us will ail of them be arraigned (J) jjL-M
[and be told]: (54) “Today, then, no human being shall
be wronged in the least, nor shall you be requited for ebb'yf 3^
aught but what you were doing [on earth]. (£) jLi (J)
(55) “Behold, those who are destined for paradise
shall today have joy in whatever they do: (56) in *J!p*b <3> '-?■> 'tji*
happiness will they and their spouses on couches
recline;28 (57) [only] delight will there be for them, (jit Â4*1 J1 • <3>
and theirs shall be all that they could ask for: (58)
peace and fulfilment29 through the word of a Sustainer
who dispenses all grace.
(59) “But stand aside today, O you who were lost in
sin! (60) Did I not enjoin on you, O you children of

26 In Qur’anic usage, the verb anfaqa (lit., “he spent”) invariably signifies one's spending on
others, or for the good of others, whatever the motive. The ethical importance of this “spending on
others” is frequently stressed in the Qur’än, and is embodied in the concept of zakâh, which denotes
“purifying dues” or, in its broader sense, “charity” (see note 34 on 2:43).
27 Lit., “they wait for nothing but a single blast...”, etc.
28 In the Qur’anic descriptions of paradise, the term fill (“shade”) and its plural filai is often
used as a metaphor for “happiness" - thus, for instance, in 4:57, where fill falîl signifies
“happiness abounding" (see sürah 4, note 74) - while the “couches" on which the blessed are to
recline are obviously a symbol of inner fulfilment and peace of mind, as pointed out by RäzT in his
comments on 18:31 and 55:54.
29 This composite expression is, I believe, the nearest approach in English to the concept of
salâm in the above context. For a further explanation of this term, see note 29 on 5:16, where
saläm is rendered as “salvation".

678
 36 O THOU HUMAN BEING

Adam, that you should not worship Satan-since,

verily, he is your open foe30-(61) and that you should
worship Me [alone]? This would have been a straight
way! (62) And [as for Satan-] he had already led
astray a great many of you: could you not, then, use
your reason?
(63) “This, then, is the hell of which you were
warned again and again:31 (64) endure it today as an
outcome of your persistent denial of the truth!” JSl MsJ (£) llu jjliî
(65) On that Day We shall set a seal on their
mouths32-but their hands will speak unto Us, and
<S)
their feet will bear witness to whatever they have
earned [in life].

(66) NOW HAD IT BEEN Our will [that men should not f ($) Ùjj/O
be able to discern between right and wrong], We
could surely have deprived them of their sight,33 so
that they would stray forever from the [right] way: Jîii’JjîijLlJÜ|-^*ÿiLu
for how could they have had insight [into what is
true]?3435 rr & & 4 LuJb
(67) And had it been Our will [that they should not
be free to choose between right and wrong]. We
could surely have given them a different nature” [and A^je Cj Q JCU j
created them as beings rooted] in their places, so that
they would not be able to move forward, and could
not turn back.36
(68) But [let them always remember that] if We
lengthen a human being’s days, We also cause him to
decline in his powers [when he grows old]: will they
not, then, use their reason?37

30 For the meaning of what the Qur’an describes as “worship of Satan”, see note 33 on 19:44.
31 The phrase “This, then, is the hell” points to the fact that the sinners’ realization of their
having gone astray despite repeated warnings by the prophets will, in itself, be a source of intense
suffering Çadhâb) in the life to come. The element of repetition or persistence is implied in the use
of the auxiliary verb kuntum both here and in the next verse.
32 A metaphor for their being unable really to excuse or defend their past actions and attitudes.
33 Lit., “We could surely have effaced their eyes”: a metaphor for “We could have created
them morally blind” and, thus, devoid of all sense of moral responsibility - which, in its turn,
would constitute a negation of all spiritual value in human life as such. (Cf. 2:20-“if God so
willed, He could indeed take away their hearing and their sight”.)
34 In this instance-as, e.g., in 20 : 96-the verb ba$ura (“he became seeing” or “he saw”) is
obviously used in its tropical sense of “perceiving [something] mentally”. According to Ibn
'Abbäs, as quoted by Tabari, the phrase annâ yubfirün signifies “how could they perceive the
truth”.
35 Lit., “transformed [or “transmuted”] them”.
36 Le., if it had been God’s will that men should have no freedom of will or moral choice. He
would have endowed them from the very beginning with a spiritually and morally stationary
nature, entirely rooted in their instincts (“in their places”), devoid of all urge to advance, and
incapable either of positive development or of retreat from a wrong course.
37 I.e., man should never postpone his exercise of moral choice-for if human beings are

679
 SÜRAH
YÄSlN

(69) AND [thus it is:] We have not imparted to this

[Prophet the gift of] poetry, nor would [poetry] have
suited this [message]:“ it is but a reminder and a
[divine] discourse, clear in itself and clearly showing
the truth,38 (70) to the end that it may warn everyone
3940
> « * 2
who is alive [of heart], and that the word [of God] J? C)
may bear witness** against all who deny the truth.
(71) Are they, then, not aware that it is for them 1—1 L’o U»ju I cJZ' Ce ç-k I L. üi ij y
that We have created, among all the things which Our
hands have wrought,41 the domestic animals of which p-t; fj Lp <£) üyClïZ
they are [now] masters?-(72) and that We have
subjected them to men’s will,42 so that some of them
they may use for riding and of some they may eat,
(73) and may have [yet other] benefits from them, and jl+LJiàHâî (g) SjjLu
[milk] to drink?
Will they not, then, be grateful? .
(74) But [nay,] they take to worshipping deities
other than God,43 [hoping] to be succoured [by them,
and not knowing that] (75) they are unable to succour
their devotees,44 even though to them they may

superior creatures inasmuch as they have been endowed with the faculty of discernment and a
wide measure of free will, let them also remember that “man has been created weak" (4:28) and
liable to decline still further in old age, so that the time at his disposal is short.
38 This passage resumes the theme enunciated in the opening verses of this sürah. namely, the
revelation of the Qur’än. As in 26 : 224, we have here an allusion to the allegation of Muhammad's
opponents, in his own as well as in later times, that what he described as divine revelation was in
reality an outcome of his own poetic invention. This the Qur’än refutes by alluding to the
fundamental difference between poetry - especially Arabic poetry - and divine revelation as
exemplified by the Qur’än: whereas in the former the meaning is often subordinated to the rhythm
and the melody of language, in the Qur’än the exact opposite is the case, inasmuch as here the
choice of words, their sound and their position in the sentence - and. hence, its rhythm and
melody-are always subordinated to the meaning intended. (Cf. also 26: 225 and the corresponding
note 100.)
39 For this composite rendering of the adjective niubih, see sürah 12. note 2. Literally, the
above phrase reads, “a reminder and a [divine] discourse...”, etc., with the conjunctive particle
wa (“and") being used here, as in 15 : I, to point out that the Qur’än is an integral element in the
process of divine revelation.
40 Lit., “may come [or “be proved”] true”, i.e., on the Day of Judgment (cf. verse 7 of this
sürah).
41 I.e., “which We alone have or could have created” (ZamakhsharT and RäzT). The above
metaphorical expression is based on the concept of “handiwork” in its widest sense, abstract as
well as concrete.
42 Lit., “made them submissive (dhallalnähä) to them” : implying also that man is morally
responsible for the manner in which he uses or misuses them.
43 Or: “other deities beside God” - alluding, in either case, to objects of worship consciously
conceived as such-i.e., idols, imaginary deities, deified persons, saints, etc.-as well as to abstract
concepts like power, wealth or “luck”, which may not be consciously “worshipped" but are
nevertheless often revered in an almost idolatrous fashion. The verb ittakhadhü (lit., “they took
[or “have taken”] for themselves"), used in the Qur’an in this and in similar contexts, is
particularly suited for the wide range of meanings alluded to inasmuch as it bears the connotation
of adopting something - whether it be concrete or abstract - for one’s own use or adoration.
44 Lit., “them”.

680
 36 O THOU HUMAN BEING

[appear to] be hosts drawn up [for succour].

(76) However, be not grieved by the sayings of
those [who deny the truth]: verily, We know all that
they keep secret as well as all that they bring into the
open.

(77) IS MAN, then, not aware that it is We who create

him out of a [mere] drop of sperm - whereupon, lo!
he shows himself endowed with the power to think
and to argue?45 J (w) uh* j* *ip Â-ii»

(78) And [now] he [argues about Us, and] thinks of ($) (jrl»
Us in terms of comparison,46 and is oblivious of how
he himself was created! [And so] he says, “Who y JjJ
could give life to bones that have crumbled to dust?”
(79) Say: “He who brought them into being in the
first instance will give them life [once again], seeing
jU. ? (£) jjJJj
that He has full knowledge of every act of creation:
(80) He who produces for you fire out of the green j’ÿjXi
tree, so that, lo! you kindle [your fires] therewith.”47
(81) Is, then, He who has created the heavens and ,4 j'lui (£)
the earth not able to create [anew] the like of those
JrojCL «.aJj
[who have died]?
Yea, indeed-for He alone is the all-knowing Crea­ <3> ûj—
tor: (82) His Being alone48 is such that when He wills
a thing to be, He but says unto it, “Be”-and it is.
(83) Limitless, then, in His glory is He in whose
hand rests the mighty dominion over all things; and
unto Him you all will be brought back!

45 See similar passage in 16:4, as well as the corresponding note 5. Completing the inter­
pretation advanced in his (and Zamakhshari’s) commentary on the above-mentioned verse. Râzî
equates here the term khafïm (lit., “contender in argument”) with the highest manifestation of
what is described as nafiq (“articulate [or “rational”] being”).
46 Lit., “he coins for Us a simile (mathal)" - an elliptic allusion lo the unwillingness of “those
who deny the truth” to conceive of a transcendental Being, fundamentally different from all that is
graspable by man’s senses or imagination, and having powers beyond all comparison with those
which are available to any of the created beings. (Cf. 42 : II, “there is nothing like unto Him”, and
112:4, “there is nothing that could be compared with Him”.) Since they are enmeshed in a
materialistic outlook on life, such people deny - as the sequence shows - all possibility of
resurrection, which amounts to a denial of God’s creative powers and. in the final analysis, of His
existence.
47 Cf. the ancient Arabian proverb, “In every tree there is a fire” (Zamakhsharï): evidently an
allusion to the metamorphosis of green - i.e., water-containing - plants into fuel, be it through
desiccation or man-made carbonization (charcoal), or by a milleniai, subterranean process of
decomposition into oil or coal. In a spiritual sense, this “fire” seems also to symbolize the
God-given warmth and light of human reason spoken of in verse 77 above.
. 48 This is the meaning of the phrase innamä amruhu- the term amr being synonymous, in this
instance, with sha'n (“state [or “manner”] of being”). The exclusiveness of God’s creative Being
is stressed by the restrictive particle innamä.

681
 THE THIRTY-SEVENTH SÜRAH

AS-SAFFÄT (THOSE RANGED IN RANKS)

MECCA PERIOD

LL authorities agree in that this sürah was revealed in its entirety in Mecca, most probably
A about the middle of that period.
Like the preceding sürah, this one deals mainly with the prospect of resurrection and, hence, the
certainty that all human beings will have to answer before God for what they have done on earth.
Since man is apt to err (cf. verse 71 - “most of the people of old went astray ), he is in constant
need of prophetic guidance: and this explains the renewed reference (in verses 75-148) to the
stories of some of the earlier prophets, as well as the frequent allusions to the message of the
Qur’än itself, which centres in the tenet that “your God is One” (verse 4), “above anything that
men may devise by way of definition” (verses 159 and 180).

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) /'"CONSIDER these [messages] ranged in serried

Vz ranks,'
(2) and restraining [from evil] by a call to restraint, ---------- a
(3) and conveying [to all the world] a reminder:
(4) Verily, most surely, your God is One - (5) the
Sustainer of the heavens and the earth and of all that
is between them, and the Sustainer of all the points of O <t> 9*
sunrise!12
(6) Behold, We have adorned the skies nearest to
the earth with the beauty of stars, (7) and have made
them secure against every rebellious, satanic force,3
(8) [so that] they [who seek to learn the unknowable]

1 Regarding the adjurative particle wa and my rendering it as “Consider”, see first half of
note 23 on 74:32. - Most of the classical commentators assume that verses 1-3 refer to angels - an
assumption which Abü Muslim al-I$fahânï (as quoted by Râzî) rejects, stating that the passage
refers to the true believers among human beings. However, Râzî advances yet another (and. to my
mind, most convincing) interpretation, suggesting that what is meant here are the messages (üyüO
of the Qur’än, which-in the commentator’s words - “deal with various subjects, some speaking of
the evidence of God’s oneness or of the evidence of His omniscience, omnipotence and wisdom,
and some setting forth the evidence of [the truth of] prophetic revelation or of resurrection, while
some deal with man’s duties and the laws [relating thereto], and yet others are devoted to the
teaching of high moral principles; and these messages are arranged in accordance with a coherent
system above all [need of] change or alteration, so that they resemble beings or things standing
*in serried ranks’.”
2 Sc., “and of sunset” (cf. 55:17 and the corresponding note 7). The stress on the various
“points of sunrise" (al-mashâriq) brings out the endless variety of all created phenomena as
contrasted with the oneness and uniqueness of their Creator. The mention of “the points of
sunrise” and omission of “the points of sunset” in the wording (though not in the meaning) of the
above phrase alludes, I believe, to the light-giving quality of the Qur’än spoken of in verses 1-3«
3 For an explanation of this passage, see note 16 on 15:17.

682
 SÜRAH 37 THOSE RANGED IN RANKS

should not be able to overhear the host on high,4 but

shall be repelled from all sides, (9) cast out [from all
grace], with lasting suffering in store for them [in the
life to come]; (10) but if anyone5 does succeed in
snatching a glimpse [of such knowledge], he is
[henceforth] pursued by a piercing flame.6

(11) AND NOW ask those [who deny the truth] to enlight­
ÔjiÂi J 0 >jl*
en thee: Were they more difficult to create than all S* ^0 4^'5 û* jï /
those [untold marvels] that We have created?-for,
behold, them have We created out of [mere] clay 0 «--»V /-"r UÜl
commingled with water!7
(12) Nay, but whereas thou dost marvel,8 they
[only] scoff; (13) and when they are reminded [of the b£> (J) *3 0
truth], they refuse to take it to heart; (14) and when
they become aware of a [divine] message, they turn it Wh 0 £> bb J 0
to ridicule (15) and say: “This is clearly nothing but [a
mortal’s] spellbinding eloquence! (16) Why-after we iLkpJ £. & 0 v.Hu $
Cf} £'j

have died and become mere dust and bones, shall we,
forsooth, be raised from the dead?-(17) and perhaps
r"j* 0 ÜB'14.? 0 ùjbfcJL»!
also our forebears of old?’’ r* ***> 0
(18) Say: “Yea, indeed-and most abject will you
then be!’’-(19) for that [resurrection which they U* 0 j’ fx1 ulX 9*0 0
j.

deride] will be [upon them of a sudden, as if it were]

but a single accusing cry - and then, lo! they will byiU • 0 px
begin to see [the truth] (20) and will say: “Oh, woe ôp j*0 b»^b, {H?bib b^
unto us! This is the Day of Judgment!’’
(21) [And they will be told:] “This is the Day of
Distinction [between the true and the false9-the Day]
which you were wont to call a lie!’’
(22) [And God will thus command:] “Assemble all
those who were bent on evildoing, together with
others of their ilk10 and [with] all that they were wont
4 I.e., the angelic forces, whose “speech” is a metonym for God’s decrees.
5 Lit., “excepting [or “except that”] anyone who ...”, etc. However, as pointed out by some
authorities (e.g., Mug/tnl), the particle illä is occasionally synonymous with the simple conjunction
M’a, which in this case has the significance of “but”.
6 For the meaning of this phrase, see note 17 on 15:18. After the stress on God’s oneness in
verses 4-5, the passage comprising verses 6-10 points to the fact that human beings are precluded
from really grasping the variety and depth of the universe created by Him. We have here an echo
of 34:9-“Are they, then, not aware of how little of the sky and the earth lies open before them,
and how much is hidden from them?”-and, thus, a new. oblique approach to the theme of
resurrection, which is taken up in the sequence in the form of an indirect question.
7 I.e., out of primitive substances existing in their elementary forms in and on the earth (see
sürah 23, note 4) - substances which are as nothing when compared with the complexity of “the
heavens and the earth and all that is between them”: hence, man’s individual resurrection is as
nothing when compared with the creation of the multiform universe.
8 I.e., at God’s creative power as well as at the blind arrogance of those who deny it.
9 See note 6 on 77:13.
10 According to almost all of the earliest authorities - including cUmar ibn al-Khaßäb, cAbd

683
 SÜRAH
A$-$AFFÄT

to worship (23) instead of God, and lead them all onto

the way to the blazing fire, (24) and halt them
[there]!”
[And then,] behold, they shall be asked, (25) ‘‘How
is it that [now] you cannot succour one another?”
(26) Nay, but on that Day they would willingly
surrender [to God]; (27) but [since it will be too late,] f-îI <$> A ?
they will turn upon one another, demanding of each
other [to relieve them of the burden of their past
sins].1* (g) ùJtL* fr-“! (P'-» <$)
(28) Some [of them] will say: “Behold, you were
wont to approach us [deceptively] from the right!”12
J J* V® <3>
(29) [To which] the others will reply: “Nay, you
yourselves were bereft of all faith! (30) Moreover, we
had no power at all over you: nay, you were people
filled with overweening arrogance! (31) But now our
Sustainer’s word has come true against us [as well]:
verily, we are bound to taste [the fruit of our sins]. ($) <£>

(32) So then, [if it be true that] we have caused you to

Jaâ; dll'jQ ui 3) q/*j
en grievously - behold, we ourselves had been lost in
grievous error!”13 & V» diV (3 £ is»
(33) And, verily, on that Day they all will share in
their common suffering.
(34) Verily, thus shall We deal with all who were
lost in sin: (35) for, behold, whenever they were told, J*
“There is no deity save God,” they would glory in
their arrogance (36) and would say, “Shall we, then,
give up our deities at the bidding of a mad poet?”14
(37) Nay, but he [whom you call a mad poet] has
brought the truth; and he confirms the truth of [what
the earlier of God’s] message-bearers [have taught].13

Allah ibn 'Abbäs, Qatädah, Mujâhid, As-SuddT, SacTd ibn Jubayr, Al-Hasan al-Basrî, etc.,-the
expression azwäj denotes here “people resembling one another [in their dispositions]“, or “people
of the same kind” or “of the same ilk”.
11 Cf. the contrasting - though verbally identical - passage in verses 50 ff. of the present sürah.
Whereas in the latter instance the verb yatasa'alün has its primary connotation of “asking one
another [about something]“, it signifies here “demanding [something] of one another”-as the
sequence shows, to assume responsibility for their erstwhile denial of the truth.
12 I.e., “claiming that what you were asking us to do was right and good”. The idiomatic phrase
“approaching one from the right” is more or less synonymous with “pretending to give a morally
good advice", as well as “approaching another person from a position of power and influence”
(Zamakhsharï).
13 For an explanation see 28:62-64 and the corresponding notes.
14 Lit., “for [or “for the sake of”] a mad poet"-thus alluding to the allegation that the Qur’än
is a product of Muhammad’s mind (see note 38 on 36:69). The reference to “deities" comprises, in
this context, everything that man may "worship” in both the literal and the metaphorical senses of
this word.
15 See sürah 2, note 5. It is to be borne in mind that this refers to the fundamental teachings, which
have always been the same in every true religion, and not to the many time-bound laws evident in the
earlier religious codes.

684
 37 THOSE RANGED IN RANKS

(38) Behold, you will indeed taste grievous suffer­

ing [in the life to come], (39) although you shall not be
requited for aught but what you were wont to do.
(40) Not so, however, God’s true servants:16 (41) [in
the hereafter,] theirs shall be a sustenance which they
will recognize17 (42) as the fruits [of their life on
earth]; and honoured shall they be (43) in gardens of
bliss, (44) facing one another [in love] upon thrones of
happiness.1819 1^1 (£) jjjJuLjT ÙjLÂj
(45) A cup will be passed round among them [with j (g) Qr(g) pu* Jjj
a drink] from unsullied springs, (46) clear, delightful
to those who drink it: (47) no headiness will be in it,
and they will not get drunk thereon.
(48) And with them will be mates of modest gaze,” J/ <$) (£><>* j*
most beautiful of eye, (49) [as free of faults] as if they & (J ç;
were hidden [ostrich] eggs.20
(50) And they will all turn to one another, asking 3e ff"! Jr J*
each other [about their past lives].21
(51) One of them speaks thus: “Behold, I had [on J [ j» J * J ß
earth] a close companion (52) who was wont to ask
[me], ‘Why-art thou really one of those who believe uû ij»i j^j **^jj «îk»’ ja* czj
it to be true (53) [that] after we have died and become «J® (^) OyxJU»IU’l>ljllfj
mere dust and bones we shall, forsooth, be brought to
judgment?’” JÉ ^) J <£)
(54) [And] he adds: “Would you like to look [and
see him]?”-(55) and then he looks and sees that c-Ci jjZb-«;"ijij âU
[companion of his] in the midst of the blazing fire, £) à^*JT y
(56) and says: “By God! Verily, thou hast almost
destroyed me [too, O my erstwhile companion] - (57) JI y Lj
for had it not been for my Sustainer’s favour, 1 would
surely be [now] among those who are given over [to
suffering]! (58) But then, [O my friends in paradise,]
is it [really] so that we are not to die (59) [again.]
beyond our previous death, and that we shall never
[again] be made to suffer? (60) Verily, this - this
16 Lit., “sincere servants”. In contrast to the principle that "a bad deed will be requited with no
more than the like thereof”, implied in the preceding verse, the Qur’än states here that he who
“shall come [before God] with a good deed will receive ten times the like thereof” (see 6:160).
17 Lit., “a known sustenance”. For a tentative explanation of this phrase, see note 17 on 2:25.
18 For my occasional rendering of the plural noun surur as “thrones of happiness”, see note 34
on 15:47.
19 See note 46 on 38:52, where the expression qâfirât at-tarf (lit., “such as restrain their
gaze") appears for the first time in the chronology of Qur’anic revelation.
20 This is an ancient Arabian figure of speech derived from the habit of the female ostrich,
which buries its eggs in the sand for protection (Zamakhsharî). Its particular application to the
women who attain to paradise becomes clear from 56:34 ff., which states that all righteous women,
irrespective of their age and condition at the time of death, will be resurrected as beautiful maidens.
21 Cf. verse 27 above and the corresponding note 11. Like the mutual reproaches of the sinners
in that passage, the “conversation” of the blessed which follows here is, of course, allegorical, and
>« meant to stress the continuity of individual consciousness in the hereafter.

685
 A$-$AFFÄT SURAH

indeed-is the triumph supreme!”

(61) For the like of this, then, let them labour, those
who labour [in God’s way]!
(62) Is such [a paradise] the better welcome - or the iu'i* (2) QjLill O (Jwl
[hellish] tree of deadly fruit?22
(63) Verily, We have caused it to be a trial for kjJÛ 14(g) ç tHF f' y J J*-»-
evildoers:23 (64) for, behold, it is a tree that grows in
the very heart of the blazing fire [of hell], (65) its fruit Cj£) J-*’ ***
[as repulsive] as satans’ heads;24 (66) and they [who Çî. f-rp (v) /îtf’lfdk
are lost in evil] are indeed bound to eat thereof, and
to fill their bellies therewith. (67) And, behold, above û* f—<j[ f ûjSÂJ
all this they will be confounded with burning des­
pair!25 f-r[ ’j* f
(68) And once again:26 Verily, the blazing fire is
their ultimate goal - (69) for, behold, they found
their forebears on a wrong way, (70) and [now] they (£) 1 J—-^b &
make haste to follow in their footsteps!2728
(71) Thus, indeed, most of the people of old went ii* Ù6 (^) pàLL-)> Ji);
astray before them, (72) although, verily, We had sent
warners unto them: (73) and behold what happened in -üJj (fT) «ill (J) ÛL.A—JÎ
the end to those that had been warned [to no avail]!

(74) EXCEPT for God’s true servants, [most people are

apt to go astray.]“

22 According to the lexicographers, the noun zaqqüm (which occurs, apart from the present
instance, in 44:43 and in 56:52 as well) denotes any “deadly food“; hence, the expression
shajarat az-zaqqüm, a symbol of hell, may be appropriately rendered as “the tree of deadly fruit"
(undoubtedly identical with “the tree cursed in this Qur’än“, mentioned in 17 :60), symbolizing the
fact that the otherworldly sufferings which the Qur’än describes as “hell“ are but the fruit - i.e.,
organic consequence - of one’s evil deeds done on earth.
23 It cannot be often enough repeated that all Qur’anic references to hell and paradise - and, for
that matter, all descriptions of men’s conditions in the hereafter - are, of necessity, highly
allegorical (see Appendix I) and therefore liable to be grossly misunderstood if one takes them in
their literal sense or, conversely, interprets them in an arbitrary manner (cf. 3:7 and the
corresponding notes 5, 7 and 8): and this, to my mind, explains why the symbol of the “tree of
deadly fruit”-one of the metonyms for the suffering of the sinners in the hereafter-has become
“a trial (fitnah) for evildoers” (or “for men” in 17 :60). See in this connection 74:31, which is the
earliest Qur’anic instance of this concept of “trial”.
24 According to ZamakhsharT, “this purely verbal metaphor (isti'ärah laf;iyyah) is meant to
express the ultimate in repulsiveness and ugliness ... inasmuch as Satan is considered to be the
epitome of all that is evil”.
25 Lit., “and upon it, behold, they will have an admixture [or “confusion“] of hamim". (For my
rendering of the last term as “burning despair”, see surah 6, note 62.)
26 See surah 6, note 31.
27 I.e., blind imitation (taqlïd) of the - obviously absurd - beliefs, valuations and customs of
one’s erring predecessors, and disregard of all evidence of the truth supplied by both reason and
divine revelation, is here shown to be the principal cause of the suffering referred to in the
preceding passage (ZamakhsharT).
28 Sc., “and are, therefore, in need of prophetic guidance”: which explains the subsequent
mention of stories relating to several of the prophets. The story of Noah, which is briefly referred
to here, appears in greater detail in 11:25-48.

686
 37 THOSE RANGED IN RANKS

(75) And, indeed, [it was for this reason that] Noah
cried unto Us-and how excellent was Our response:
(76) for We saved him and his household from that
awesome calamity,29 (77) and caused his offspring to
endure [on earth]; (78) and We left him thus to be
remembered30 among later generations: (79) “Peace
be upon Noah throughout all the worlds!”
(80) Verily, thus do We reward the doers of good-
(81) for he was truly one of our believing servants: T r* /G* ($)
(82) [and so We saved him and those who followed
him] and then We caused the others to drown. 4 2^ ® j 4^
X (g) ûjJLaJÎ
(83) AND, BEHOLD, of his persuasion was Abraham,
too, (84) when he turned to his Sustainer with a heart ($)
free of evil, (85) and [thus] spoke to his father and his
people: “What is it that you worship? (86) Do you
want [to bow down before] a lie - [before) deities
।s u H (jL
other than God? (87) What, then, do you think of the
Sustainer of all the worlds?”31
àJ j jjï «—il*
(88) Then he cast a glance at the stars,32 (89) and
said, “Verily, I am sick [at heart]!”33 - (90) and at that
they turned their backs on him and went away.
(91) Thereupon he approached their gods stealthily
and said, “What! You do not eat [of the offerings
placed before you]? (92) What is amiss with you that 3 jiii

you do not speak?”

(93) And then he fell upon them, smiting them with
his right hand.3435 ÔjLm* û, jTi U jy* U üjXju •
(94) [But] then the others came towards him hur*
riedly [and accused him of his deed].
(95) He answered: “Do you worship something that
you [yourselves] have carved, (96) the while it is God
who has created you and all your handiwork?”
(97) They exclaimed: “Build a pyre33 for him, and
cast him into the blazing fire!”
(98) But whereas they sought to do evil unto him.

29 Le., the Deluge.

30 Lit., “and We left upon him”, sc., “this praise” or “remembrance”, expressed in the
salutation which follows.
31 Abraham’s argument goes thus: “Do you believe in the existence of a Creator and Lord of
the universe?” - a question which his people were bound to answer in the affirmative, since belief
in a Supreme Deity was an integral part of their religion. The next stage of the argument would be:
“How, then, can you worship idols - the work of your own hands - side by side with the idea of a
Creator of the universe?”
32 Obviously an allusion to his early, futile attempts at identifying God with the stars, the sun or
the moon (see 6 ; 76-78).
33 Sc., “at your worshipping idols instead of God” (Ibn KathTr; cf. also Lane IV, 1384).
34 A metonym for “with all his strength”. For what happened afterwards, see 21:58 ff.
35 Lit., “a building” or “a structure".

687
A$-$AFFÄT SÜRAH

We [frustrated their designs, and thus] brought them

low.36
(99) And [Abraham] said: “Verily, I shall [leave this
land and] go wherever my Sustainer will guide me!”37
(100) [And he prayed:] “O my Sustainer! Bestow
upon me the gift of [a son who shall be] one of the
righteous!”-(101) whereupon We gave him the glad Sb juj <$>
tiding of a boy-child gentle [like himself].38 (£•) (jnmlLMÎ J (^) j
(102) And [one day,] when [the child] had become
old enough to share in his [father’s] endeavours,39 the Jli (jujiCjj (v>) —pl« <<yiai
latter said: “O my dear son! I have seen in a dream
that I should sacrifice thee: consider, then, what IjUjliiU il Qi
would be thy view!”
[Ishmael] answered: “O my father! Do as thou art al « Id J-S—' J'*
bidden: thou wilt find me, if God so wills, among AidJkiij (tj) UM uii (vj)
those who are patient in adversity!”
(103) But as soon as the two had surrendered Vïÿ 3S J ($
themselves to [what they thought to be] the will of
God,40 and [Abraham] had laid him down on his face, <£J) O
(104) We called out to him: “O Abraham, (105) thou
hast already fulfilled [the purpose of] that dream-
vision!”41
Thus, verily, do We reward the doers of good: (106)
for, behold, all this was indeed a trial, clear in itself.42
(107) And We ransomed him with a tremendous
sacrifice,43 (108) and left him thus to be remembered
among later generations:44 (109) “Peace be upon
36 See sürah 21, note 64.
37 Lit., “I shall go to my Sustainer: He will guide me.”
38 I.e., Abraham’s first-born son, Ishmael (IsmäTl).
39 Lit., “attained to [the age of] walking [or “striving”] with him”: evidently a metonym for the
child’s attaining to an age when he could understand, and share in, his father's faith and aims.
40 The above interpolation is, I believe, absolutely necessary for a proper understanding of this
passage. As pointed out repeatedly in these notes, the verb astama signifies, in Qur’anic usage,
“he surrendered himself to God", or “to God’s will”, even if there is no express mention of God:
hence, the dual form aslamä occurring in the above verse might, on the face of it, have this
meaning as well. Since, however, the sequence clearly shows that it was not God's will that
Ishmael should be sacrificed, his and his father’s “self-surrender to God’s will” can have in this
context only a purely subjective meaning-namely “to what they thought to be the will of God”.
41 I.e., the moral significance of Abraham's dream-vision consisted in a test of his readiness to
sacrifice, at what he thought to be God’s behest (see preceding note), all that was dearest to him in
life.
42 I.e., a trial of this severity clearly implied that Abraham would be capable to bear it, and thus
constituted a high moral distinction - in itself a reward from God.
43 The epithet ca?im (“tremendous” or “mighty”) renders it improbable that this sacrifice refers
to nothing but the ram which Abraham subsequently found and slaughtered in Ishmael’s stead
(Genesis xxii, 13). To my mind, the sacrifice spoken of here is the one repeated every year by
countless believers in connection with the pilgrimage to Mecca (al-hajj), which, in itself, com­
memorates the experience of Abraham and Ishmael and constitutes one of the “five oillars” of Islam.
(See 22 : 27-37, as well as 2:196-203.)
44 See note 30 on verse 78.

688
 37 THOSE RANGED IN RANKS

Abraham!”
(110) Thus do We reward the doers of good-(111)
for he was truly one of our believing servants.
(112) And [in time] We gave him the glad tiding of
Isaac, [who, too, would be] a prophet, one of the
righteous; (113) and We blessed him and Isaac: but <$•> &&($) ^*’4 ÿ JX
among the offspring of these two there were [des­
tined] to be both doers of good and such as would ùy -> (JS) uX 3* X
glaringly sin against themselves.43

(114) THUS, INDEED, did We bestow Our favour upon ÂiJj 0

Moses and Aaron;45 46 (115) and We saved them and
their people from the awesome calamity [of bondage],
(116) and succoured them, so that [in the end] it was
they who achieved victory. (rtj)
(117) And We gave them the divine writ that made
[right and wrong] distinct,47 (118) and guided them the <3> > t
straight way, (119) and left them thus to be remem­
bered among later generations: (120) “Peace be upon je (X <S>
Moses and Aaron!”
(121) Thus do We reward the doers of good-(122)
for those two were truly among Our believing ser­
vants.

(123) AND, BEHOLD, Elijah [too] was indeed one of Our

message-bearers48 (124) when he spoke [thus] to his
people: “Will you not remain conscious of God? (125)
Will you invoke Baal and forsake [God,] the best of
artisans49 - (126) God, your Sustainer and the Sustainer
of your forebears of old?”

45 I.e., commit evil. With this prediction the Qur’än refutes, as in so many other places, the
spurious contention of the Jews that (hey are “the chosen people" by virtue of their descent from
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and therefore a priori “assured", as it were, of God's acceptance. In
other words, God's blessing a prophet or a saint does not, by itself, imply the conferment of any
special status on his descendants.
46 I.e., in consideration of their own merit, and not because of (heir descent from Abraham and
Isaac (see preceding verse and note).
47 I.e., “the Torah, wherein there was guidance and light ... unto those who followed the
Jewish faith” (5 :44).
48 The Hebrew prophet Elijah (Ilyas in Arabic) is mentioned in the Bible (I Kings xvii ff. and
II Kings i-ii) as having lived in the Northern Kingdom of Israel during the reigns of Ahab and
Ahaziah - i.e., in the ninth century B.C. - and having been succeeded by Elisha (Al-Yasa' in
Arabic). The above stress on his, too, having been “one of the message-bearers” (min al-mursalîn)
recalls the Qur’anic principle that God makes “no distinction between any of His apostles” (cf.
2:136 and 285, 3 : 84, 4:152, and the corresponding notes).
49 As regards this rendering of ahsan al-khâliqïn, see sürah 23, note 6.-The term ba*l
(conventionally spelt Baal in European languages) signified “lord” or “master” in all branches of
ancient Arabic, including Hebrew and Phoenician; it was an honorific applied to every one of the
many “male” deities worshipped by the ancient Semites, especially in Syria and Palestine. In the
Old Testament this designation has sometimes the generic connotation of “idol-worship”-a sin
into which, according to the Bible, the early Israelites often relapsed.
 SÛRAH
A$-$AFFÂT

(127) But they gave him the lie: and therefore they
will most surely be arraigned [on Judgment Day],
(128) excepting only [those who were] God’s true
servants; (129) and him We left thus to be remem­
bered among later generations: (130) “Peace be 05 05 ùjJj V1 jLuU
upon Elijah and his followers!”50
(131) Verily, thus do We reward the doers of good- 05 05
(132) for he was truly one of Our believing servants!
iijJt JI'âês» 05
(133) AND, BEHOLD, Lot was indeed one of Our mes­ S[j 05 ûî^ 44 i >1 05
sage-bearers; (134) [and so,] when [We decreed the
doom of his sinful town,51] We saved him and his 05ûj**:,74*,j 05 itjl
household, (135) except an old woman who was
among those that stayed behind;52 (136) and then We 05 05
utterly destroyed the others: (137) and, verily, [to this *’ <3 S-'b
day] you pass by the remnants of their dwellings53 at
morning-time (138) and by night. Ji1 05 Jr*-’ > 05
Will you not, then, use your reason?
05û~m--ÛK j’<J ^Li 0£ eiift
(139) AND, BEHOLD, Jonah was indeed one of Our mes­
sage-bearers (140) when he fled like a runaway slave J£ 05 ■* u
onto a laden ship.54
(141) And then they cast lots, and he was the one
who lost;55 (142) [and they cast him into the sea,]
whereupon the great fish swallowed him, for he had
50 The form Il-Yâsîn in which this name appears in the above verse is either a variant of Ilyas
(Elijah) or, more probably, a plural-“the Elijahs” - meaning “Elijah and his followers” (Tabari,
ZamakhsharT, et al.). According to Tabari, cAbd Allah ibn Mas'üd used to read this verse as
“Peace be upon Idräsin”, which, apart from giving us a variant or a plural of Idris (“Idris and his
followers”), lends support to the view that Idris and Ilyäs are but two designations of one and the
same person, the Biblical Elijah. (See also note 41 on 19:56.)
51 See 7 : 80-84 and 11:69-83.
52 As is evident from 7:83 and 11 :81, that woman was Lot's wife, who had chosen to stay
behind (cf. note 66 on 7:83).
53 Lit., “you pass by them”, i.e., by the places where they lived (see 15:76 and the
corresponding note 55).
54 I.e., when he abandoned the mission with which he had been entrusted by God (see sûrah 21,
note 83, which gives the first part of Jonah’s story), and thus, in the words of the Bible (The Book
of Jonah i, 3 and 10), committed the sin of “fleeing from the presence of the Lord”. In its primary
significance, the infinitive noun ibâq (derived from the verb abaqa) denotes “a slave's running-
away from his master”; and Jonah is spoken of as having “fled like a runaway slave” because-
although he was God’s message-bearer - he abandoned his task under the stress of violent anger.
The subsequent mention of “the laden ship” alludes to the central, allegorical part of Jonah's
story. The ship ran into a storm and was about to founder; and the mariners “said everyone to his
fellow, Come and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us” (The
Book of Jonah i, 7)-a procedure to which Jonah agreed.
55 Lit., “he cast lots [with the mariners], and was among the losers”. According to the Biblical
account (The Book of Jonah i, 10-15), Jonah told them that he had "fled from the presence of -the
Lord", and that it was because of this sin of his that they all were now in danger of drowning.
“And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto
you: for I know that for my sake this tempest is upon you.... So they took up Jonah, and cast
him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.”

690
 37 THOSE RANGED IN RANKS

been blameworthy.56 (143) And had he not been of'

those who [even in the deep darkness of their distress
are able to] extol God’s limitless glory,57 (144) he
would indeed have remained in its belly till the Day
when all shall be raised from the dead: (145) but We
caused him to be cast forth on a desert shore, sick [at
heart] as he was, (146) and caused a creeping plant to <$> 0^-. j éJT<g)
grow over him [out of the barren soil].58
(147) And [then] We sent him [once again] to [his Q b ($) »‘ÇjX cj *
people,] a hundred thousand [souls] or more: (148)
and [this time] they believed [in him]5’-and so We (y*) J1 «J’ *
allowed them to enjoy their life during the time
allotted to them.60 AJ’ f x*<3 ÿz r-i'Z’-'iïj-Àti
LÜ. fl (tg) jjûî OUJÎ
(149) AND NOW ask them61 to enlighten thee: Has thy
Sustainer daughters, whereas they would have [only] lit (3)
sons?62 (150) - or is it that We have created the angels
jé OÛJÎjkll (g) jj,±0
female, and they [who believe them to be divine]
have witnessed [that act of creation]? ' (y») j y*' tub
(151) Oh, verily, it is out of their own [inclination
to] falsehood that some people63 assert, (152) “God
has begotten [a son]’’; and, verily, they are lying [too,
when they say], (153) “He has chosen daughters in
preference to sons”!64
(154) What is amiss with you and your judgment?65
56 In all the three instances where Jonah's “great fish’’ is explicitly mentioned in the Qur’an (as
al-hût in the above verse and in 68 : 48, and an-nun in 21:87), it carries the definite article al. This
may possibly be due to the fact that the legend of Jonah was and is so widely known that every
reference to the allegory of “the great fish’’ is presumed to be self-explanatory. The inside of the
fish that “swallowed” Jonah apparently symbolizes the deep darkness of spiritual distress of which
21:87 speaks: the distress at having “fled like a runaway slave” from his prophetic mission and,
thus, “from the presence of the Lord”. Parenthetically, the story is meant to show that, since
“man has been created weak” (4:28), even prophets are not immune against all the failings
inherent in human nature.
57 I.e., to remember God and to repent: see 21:87, which reveals in its very formulation the
universal purport of Jonah’s story.
58 I.e., to shade and comfort him. Thus, rounding off the allegory of Jonah and the fish, the
Qur’än points out in the figurative manner so characteristic of its style that God, who can cause a
plant to grow out of the most arid and barren soil, can equally well cause a heart lost in darkness
to come back to light and spiritual life.
59 Cf. the reference to the people of Jonah in 10:98. For the Biblical version of this story, see
The Book of Jonah iii.
60 Lit., “for a time”: i.e., for the duration of their natural lives (RäzT; also Manär XI, 483).
61 This reference to people who ascribe divinity to beings other than God connects with verse 4
(“verily, most surely, your God is One”) as well as with verses 69-70 (“behold, they found their
forebears on a wrong way, and [now] they make haste to follow in their footsteps ’).
62 For an explanation of this passage, see 16:57-59 and the corresponding notes.
63 Lit., “they".
64 Cf. 6:100 (“they have invented for Him sons and daughters”) and the corresponding notes
87 and 88. See also note 49 on 17:40, as well as 53:19-22 and the corresponding notes.
65 Lit., “how do you judge?”
691
 A$-$AFFÄT SÜRAH

(155) Will you not, then, bethink yourselves?

(156) Or have you, perchance, a clear evidence [for
your assertions]? (157) Produce, then, that divine writ
of yours, if you are speaking the truth!
(158) And some people66 have invented a kinship
between Him and all manner of invisible forces67 -
although [even] these invisible forces know well that, (fi?) ®

verily, they [who thus blaspheme against God] shall

ùy.J j*—h
indeed be arraigned (before Him on Judgment
Day:68 for] (159) limitless is God in His glory, above
anything that men may devise by way of definition!69
(160) Not thus, however, [behave] God’s true ser­ l> (ffi) U, «if

vants: (161) for, verily, neither you [blasphemers] nor

the objects of your worship (162) can cause anyone to Lj JL» y»
fall prey to your temptation (163) unless it be such as (nï) jÿj (nJ) pk* fii»L»
rushes towards the blazing fire [of his own accord]!70
(164) [All forces of nature praise God and say:7'] (Tjv,. jJjiJ’jiS
“Among us, too, there is none but has a place
assigned to it [by Him]; (165) and, verily, we too are if UL' 'j s 7
ranged [before Him in worship]; (166) and, verily, we
too extol His limitless glory!”

(167) AND, INDEED, they [who deny the truth] have

always been wont to say, (168) “If only we had a
tradition [to this effect] from our forebears,72 (169) we
66 Lit., “they”.
67 See Appendix III. Whereas most of the classical commentators are of the opinion that the
term al-jinnah denotes here the angels, since they - like all beings of this category - are im­
perceptible to man’s senses, I believe that the above verse refers to those intangible forces of
nature which elude all direct observation and manifest themselves only in their effects: hence their
designation, in this context, by the plural noun al-jinnah, which primarily denotes “that which is
concealed from [man’s] senses”. Inasmuch as people who refuse to believe in God often tend to
regard those elemental forces as mysteriously endowed with a purposeful creative power (cf.
Bergson’s concept of the élan vital), the Qur’än states that their votaries invent a “kinship”
between them and God, i.e., attribute to them qualities and powers similar to His.
68 For this metaphorical attribution of “knowledge” to the elemental forces of nature, see
verses 164-166 and the corresponding note 71.
69 See note 88 on the last sentence of 6:100.
70 True belief in God precludes all temptation to define Him who is undefinable, or to associate,
conceptually, anyone or anything with Him; conversely, the blasphemy inherent in such attempts
destroys the potential value of one’s belief in God and, thus, brings about the spiritual ruin of the
person concerned.
71 The metaphorical “saying” that follows is in tune with many other Qur’anic passages which
speak of even inanimate objects as “praising God", e.g., “The seven heavens extol His limitless
glory, and the earth, and all that they contain” (17:44), or “We caused the mountains to join
David in extolling Our glory" (21:79), or “O you mountains! Sing with him the praise of God!”
(34:10); similarly, even the shadows of material things are spoken of as “prostrating themselves
before God” (16:48).
72 Lit., “a reminder (dhikr) from those of old”: see note 27 on verses 69-70 above. Most of the
commentators assume that the term dhikr connotes here, as so often in the Qur’än, a “divine
writ”. In my opinion, however, it is far more probable - because more in tune with the context -
that in this case it signifies an ancestral tradition bearing on the (to them astonishing) message of God's

692
 37 THOSE RANGED IN RANKS

would certainly be true servants of God.” (170) And

yet, [now that this divine writ has been placed before
them,] they refuse to acknowledge it as true!
In time, however, they will come to know [what it
was that they had rejected]: (171) for, long ago has
Our word gone forth unto Our servants, the message­
bearers, (172) that, verily, they-they indeed-would
be succoured, (173) and that, verily, Our hosts-they
indeed-would [in the end] be victorious! f—rl ûjLyJ' tjÇj LlJS" C-i~- âllj
(174) Hence, turn thou aside for a while from those
[who deny the truth], (175) and see them [for what J/* ùj-hâjlp-l UJUsfc <j[3 (wt)
they are];*73 and in time they [too] will come to see
[what they do not see now].74
(176) Do they, then, [really] wish that Our chas­
j>' I jp iLlùLji
tisement be hastened on?7S (177) But then, once it
alights upon them, hapless will be the awakening of
those who were warned [to no avail]!76 <S> <S*)
(178) Hence, turn thou aside for a while from them, (JJ)
(179) and see [them for what they are]; and in time
they [too] will come to see [what they do not see -ûlf» (tfi) Je (ff)
now].

(180) LIMITLESS in His glory is thy Sustainer, the Lord

of almightiness, [exalted] above anything that men
may devise by way of definition!
(181) And peace be upon all His message-bearers!
(182) And all praise is due to God alone, the Sus­
tainer of all the worlds!

oneness and uniqueness as promulgated by the Qur’än.

73 I.e., as people who are bent on deceiving themselves. In this context, the verb bafura (lit.,
“he saw” or “became seeing”) is used tropically, in the sense of “seeing mentally” or “gaining
insight”.
74 I.e., they will realize the truth as well as the suffering which its rejection entails: obviously a
reference to the Day of Judgment.
75 This is an allusion to the sarcastic demand of the people who refused to regard the Qur’än as
a divine revelation, to be punished forthwith “if this be indeed the truth from God” (see 8:32 and
the corresponding note).
76 Lit., “when it alights in their courtyard, evil [or “hapless”] is the morning of those...”, etc.
In ancient Arabic usage, the idiomatic phrase “chastisement [or “suffering”] has alighted (nazaia)
in so-and-so’s courtyard” denotes its coming-down upon, or befalling, the person or persons
concerned (Tabari). Similarly, the “morning” (fabäh) is a metonym for “awakening”.
 THE THIRTY-EIGHTH SÜRAH

SÄD
MECCA PERIOD

EVEALED comparatively early-probably towards the end of the fourth or the beginning of
R the fifth year of the Prophet’s mission-this sürah is devoted almost entirely to the problem
of divine guidance and its rejection by those who are “lost in false pride, and [hence] deeply in the
wrong” (verse 2).
The only “title”-or, rather, key-word - applied to this sürah since the earliest times is the letter
f (fäd) which introduces the first verse.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) $5d.*

ONSIDER1 2 this Qur’än, endowed with all that one

C ought to remember!3
(2) But nay-they who are bent on denying the ------------------ ».
truth are lost in [false] pride, and [hence] deeply in
the wrong.4
(3) How many a generation5 have We destroyed
before their time [for this very sin]! And [how] they
called [unto Us] when it was too late to escape!6
(4) Now these [people] deem it strange that a
warner should have come unto them from their own
midst - and [so] the deniers of the truth are saying:
“A [mere] spellbinder is he, a liar!7 (5) Does he claim

1 See Appendix II.

2 For an explanation of this rendering of the adjurative particle wa, see first half of note 23 on
74 : 32.
3 Or: “endowed with eminence” (Zamakhsharï), since the term dhikr (lit., “reminder” or
“remembrance”) has also the connotation of “that which is remembered”( i.e., “renown”, “fame"
and, tropically, “eminence”. As regards the rendering preferred by me, see 21:10, where the phrase
fihi dhikrukum (relating, as above, to the Qur’än) has been translated as “wherein is found all that
you ought to bear in mind”, i.e., in order to attain to dignity and happiness.
4 I.e., they refuse to acknowledge the fact of divine revelation because such an acknowledg­
ment would imply an admission of man’s responsibility to God - and this their false pride,
manifested in their arrogant belief in man’s “self-sufficiency”, does not allow them to do. The
same idea is expressed in 16:22 and, in a more general way, in 2 : 206. Cf. also 96:6-7.
5 It is to be noted that the term qam signifies not merely a “generation” but also - and quite
frequently in the Qur’&n - “people belonging to a particular period and environment”, i.e., a
“civilization" in the historical connotation of this wonl.
6 Lit., “while there was no time for escaping".
7 Although this passage describes, in the first instance, the attitude of the pagan Quraysh

694
SÜRAH 38 SÄD

that all the deities are [but] one God? Verily, a most
strange thing is this!”8
(6) And their leaders launch forth [thus]: “Go
ahead, and hold steadfastly onto your deities: this,
behold, is the only thing to do!910
(7) Never did we hear 0 ÛSa f^j ùi il.*;
of [a claim like] this in any faith of latter days!” It is ______ - * ,
ijj^\} ji ^1*
.

nothing but [a mortal man’s] invention! (8) What!

Upon him alone from among all of us should a j IJLj; (T) ilJ.
[divine] reminder have been bestowed from on high?”
Nay, but it is My Own reminder that they distrust!11
Nay, they have not yet tasted the suffering which I f1Q »•J* Lôî
do impose!12
(9) Or do they [think that they] own the treasures oyljl ei* pj f I (T) j. 1C j
of thy Sustainer’s grace - [the grace] of the Almighty,
the Giver of Gifts?13 (10) Or [that] the dominion over
the heavens and the earth and all that is between
them is theirs? Why, then, let them try to ascend [to 3; «Je MiC xi
God-like power] by all [conceivable] means!14
(11) [But] there it is: any and all human beings,
however [strongly] leagued together,15 are bound to

towards the Prophet, it touches upon the reluctance of most people, at all times, to recognize “a
man from their own midst” - i.e., a human being like themselves - as God-inspired. (See note 2 on
50:2.)
8 Divorced from its purely historical background, this criticism acquires a timeless significance,
and may be thus paraphrased: “Does he claim that all creative powers and qualities are inherent
exclusively in what he conceives as ‘one God'?”-a paraphrase which illustrates the tendency of
many people to attribute a decisive influence on human life - and. hence, a quasi-divine status - to
a variety of fortuitous phenomena or circumstances (like wealth, “luck”, social position, etc.)
rather than to acknowledge the overwhelming evidence, in all observable nature, of God's unique
existence.
9 Lit., “a thing desired” or “to be desired”, i.e.. a sensible course of action.
10 I.e., “in any of the faiths prevalent in our days”: an oblique reference to Christianity and its
dogma of the Trinity, which contrasts with the Qur’anic concept of God's oneness and uniqueness,
as well as to any other faith based on the belief in a multiplicity or multiform incarnation of divine
powers (e.g., Hinduism with its triad of Brahma. Vishnu and Shiva).
11 Lit., “that they are in doubt of": i.e., it is not the personality of the Prophet that fills them
with distrust, but, rather, the substance of the message proclaimed by him - and. in particular, his
insistence on God’s absolute oneness and uniqueness, which runs counter to their habits of
thought and social traditions.
12 Sc., “on people who refuse to accept the truth”.
13 I.e., “Do they think that it is for them to decide as to who should and who should not be
graced with divine revelation?”
14 I.e., “Do they think that human beings are so highly endowed that they are bound to attain,
some day, to mastery over the universe and all nature, and thus to God-like power? ’ Cf. tn this
connection 96:6-8 and the corresponding note 4.-As regards my rendering of al-asbäb as “all
[conceivable] means”, see note 82 on 18:84.
15 The collective noun fund, which primarily denotes “a host” or “an army”, has also the
meaning of “created beings”, in this context obviously human beings; in combination with the
Particle ma, “any number of human beings”. The term hizb (of which afizah is the plural), on the
other hand, denotes “a party’’ or “a group of people of the same mind” or “people leagued
together”, i.e., for a definite purpose.

695
 SÜRAH
$ÄD

suffer defeat [whenever they refuse to accept the

truth].
(12) To the truth gave the lie aforetime16 Noah’s
people, and [the tribe of] eÄd, and Pharaoh of the
[many] tent-poles,17 (13) and [the tribe of] Thamüd,
and the people of Lot, and the dwellers of the
wooded dales [of Madyan]: they all were leagued
together, [as it were, in their unbelief:] (14) not one fjb0 4,&p»
[was there] but gave the lie to the apostles - and
thereupon My retribution fell due. (J)
(15) And they [who now deny the truth-they, too,] tVjï* U, (£)
have but to wait for one single blast [of punishment
to overtake them]: it shall not be delayed a whit.18 UJ (£)
(16) As it is, they say [mockingly]: “O our Sus­
tainer! Hasten on to us our share [of punishment yjîj Q) JJ
even] before the Day of Reckoning!”1’ JLXÎ UI 0 4'j*1ÂVî U jJb Lxp
(17) [But] bear thou with patience whatever they
may say, and remember Our servant David, him who Ä G) J’/ÿG
was endowed with [so much] inner strength! He,
verily, would always turn unto Us: (18) [and for this,] ' 7^ J®*
behold, We caused20 the mountains to join him in
extolling Our limitless glory at eventide and at sun­ * (T) J—
rise, (19) and [likewise] the birds in their assemblies:21
[together] they all would turn again and again unto f-r; £> »•/» > ‘A * o bjJ*
Him [who had created them]. (20) And We streng­
thened his dominion, and bestowed upon him wisdom
and sagacity in judgment.

(21) AND YET, has the story of the litigants come within
thy ken - [the story of the two] who surmounted the
walls of the sanctuary [in which David prayed]?22

16 Lit., “before them”, i.e., before the people who opposed or oppose Muhammad’s message.
17 In classical Arabic, this ancient bedouin term is used idiomatically as a metonym for “mighty
dominion” or “firmness of power" (ZamakhsharT). The number of poles supporting a bedouin tent
is determined by its size, and the latter has always depended on the status and power of its owner:
thus, a mighty chieftain is often alluded to as “he of many tent-poles”.
18 Sc., “beyond the term set for it by God”.
19 Cf. 8:32. This mocking “demand” of the unbelievers is mentioned in several other places in
the Qur’än.
20 Lit., “We compelled” or “constrained”.
21 See sürah 21, note 73.
22 The story which, according to the oldest sources at our disposal, is alluded to in verses 21-26
affects the question as to whether God’s elect, the prophets-all of whom were endowed, like
David, with “wisdom and sagacity in judgment” - could or could not ever commit a sin: in other
words, whether they, too, were originally subject to the weaknesses inherent in human nature as
such or were a priori endowed with an essential purity of character which rendered each of them
“incapable of sinning" (ma^üm). In the form in which it has been handed down from the earliest
authorities (including, according to Tabari and Baghawi, Companions like 'Abd Allah ibn 'Abbas and
Anas ibn Mälik, as well as several of the most prominent of their immediate successors), the story
contradicts the doctrine - somewhat arbitrarily developed by Muslim theologians in the course of the

696
38
$ÄD

(22) As they came upon David, and he shrank back

in fear from them, they said: “Fear not! [We are but]
two litigants. One of us has wronged the other: so
judge thou between us with justice, and deviate not
from what is right, and show [both of] us the way to
rectitude.
(23) “Behold, this is my brother: he has ninety-nine <$) *' r X, J1X uiS
ewes, whereas I have [only] one ewe-and yet he
said, ‘Make her over to me,’ and forcibly prevailed Ï4 ^’ > *** Je* à»
against me in this [our] dispute.’’
(24) Said [David]: “He has certainly wronged thee eut -ûj JJ ._4kU j 3^-3 Jii
by demanding that thy ewe be added to his ewes!
Thus, behold, do many kinsmen23 wrong one another-
[all] save those who believe [in God] and do righteous 'ÂfJ ’>* ' '*
deeds: but how few are they!”
And [suddenly] David understood that We had UcI
tried him:24 and so he asked his Sustainer to forgive dli'S U jlùi J ._>L; bJ'lj j^3 jt, j jÜlJÎ
him his sin, and fell down in prostration, and turned
unto Him in repentance. H / 45
(25) And thereupon We forgave him that [sin]: and,
verily, nearness to Us awaits him [in the life to
come], and the most beauteous of all goals!
(26) [And We said:] “O David! Behold, We have
made thee a [prophet and, thus, Our] vicegerent on
earth: judge, then, between men with justice, and do
not follow vain desire, lest it lead thee astray from

centuries - that prophets cannot sin by virtue of their very nature, and tends to show that their purity
and subsequent sinlessness is a result of inner struggles and trials and. thus, represents in each case a
moral achievement rather than an inborn quality.
As narrated in some detail by TabarT and other early commentators, David fell in love with a
beautiful woman whom he accidentally observed from his roof terrace. On inquiring, he was told
that she was the wife of one of his officers, named Uriah. Impelled by his passion, David ordered
his field-commander to place Uriah in a particularly exposed battle position, where he would be
certain to be killed; and as soon as his order was fulfilled and Uriah died. David married the widow
(who subsequently became the mother of Solomon). This story agrees more or less with the Old
Testament, which gives the woman’s name as Bath-Sheba (II Samuel xi), barring the Biblical
allegation that David committed adultery with her before Uriah's death (ibid, xi, 4-5) - an
allegation which has always been rejected by Muslims as highly offensive and slanderous: cf. the
saying of the fourth Caliph, 'AIT ibn Abï Tälib (quoted by Zamakhsharî on the authority of Said
ibn al-Musayyab): “If anyone should narrate the story of David in the manner in which the
story-tellers narrate it, I will have him flogged with one hundred and sixty stripes-for this is a
[suitable] punishment for slandering prophets” (thus indirectly recalling the Qur’anic ordinance, in
24 :4, which stipulates flogging with eighty stripes for accusing ordinary persons of adultery
without legal proof).
According to most of the commentators, the two “litigants” who suddenly appeared before
David were angels sent to bring home to him his sin. It is possible, however, to see in their appearance
an allegory of David’s own realization of having sinned: voices of his own conscience which at last
“surmounted the walls" of the passion that had blinded him for a time.
23 The term khulafâ* (sing, khaltf) denotes, literally, “people who mix [i.e., are familiar or
intimate] with others" or “with one another". In the present instance it evidently alludes to the
“brotherhood" between the two mysterious litigants, and is therefore best rendered as “kinsmen".
24 Sc., “and that he had failed" (in the matter of Bath-Sheba).

697
 the path of God: verily, for those who go astray from
the path of God there is suffering severe in store for
having forgotten the Day of Reckoning!”
(27) AND [thus it is:] We have not created heaven and
earth and all that is between them without meaning
and purpose, as is the surmise of those who are bent
on denying the truth:25 but then, woe from the fire [of
hell] unto all who are bent on denying the truth!26
(28) [For,] would We treat those who have attained
to faith and do righteous deeds in the same manner
as [We shall treat] those who spread corruption on
earth? Would We treat the God-conscious in the same yi f'
manner as the wicked?27
(29) [All this have We expounded in this] blessed (ff) jl~iJ J«? f'
divine writ which We have revealed unto thee, [O
Muhammad,] so that men may ponder over its mes­ bz Xj M ’
sages, and that those who are endowed with insight
may take them to heart. AJÎ(Ju jiX J ÇJj ijb‘
> X < X.» »XX X >. t SI >1
(30) AND UNTO DAVID We granted Solomon [as a
son-and] how excellent a servant [of Ours he grew /'S (£) jLJ-J
up to be]!
Behold, he would always turn unto Us28-(31) [and kSjÂk» jc Ujij '•p
even] when, towards the close of day, nobly-bred,
swift-footed steeds were brought before him, (32) he
would say, ‘‘Verily, I have come to love the love of
all that is good because I bear my Sustainer in mind!”2930
-[repeating these words as the steeds raced away,]
until they were hidden by the veil [of distance” -
whereupon he would command], (33) ‘‘Bring them
back unto me!”-and would [lovingly] stroke their

25 Cf. 3:191. The above statement appears in the Qur'an in several formulations: see. in
particular, note 11 on 10:5. In the present instance it connects with the mention of the Day of
Reckoning in the preceding verse, thus leading organically from a specific aspect of David’s story
to a moral teaching of wider import.
26 I.e., a deliberate rejection of the belief that the universe - and, in particular, human life - is
imbued with meaning and purpose leads unavoidably - though sometimes imperceptibly - to a
rejection of all moral imperatives, to spiritual blindness and, hence, to suffering in the life to come.
27 By implication, belief in resurrection, judgment and life after death is postulated in this
passage (verses 27-28) as a logical corollary - almost a premise-of all belief in God: for, since we
see that many righteous people suffer all manner of misery and deprivations in this world, while,
on the other hand, many of the wicked and depraved enjoy their lives in peace and affluence, we
must either assume that God does not exist (because the concept of injustice is incompatible with
that of Godhead), or - alternatively - that there is a hereafter in which both the righteous and the
unrighteous will harvest in full what they had morally sown during their lives on earth.
28 I.e., he would always think of God, as illustrated by the example given in the sequence.
29 Lit., “because of [or “out of”] fun) the remembrance of my Sustainer”.
30 This and the preceding interpolation are based on Râzî's interpretation of this passage.

698
 legs and their necks.31
(34) But [ere this], indeed, We had tried Solomon
by placing upon his throne a [lifeless] body;32 and
thereupon he turned [towards Us; and] (35) he prayed:
“O my Sustainer! Forgive me my sins, and bestow
upon me the gift of a kingdom which may not suit & b ûM- ($) j/jl

anyone after me:33 verily, Thou alone art a giver of

gifts!”
(36) And so3435 We made subservient to him the wind,
<$>
so that it gently sped at his behest withersoever he
willed,33 (37) as well as all the rebellious forces [that We <$) ûl*1 j. £ jï J
made to work for him]-every kind of builder and
diver-(38) and others linked together in fetters.36 ^f-3
(39) [And We told him:] “This is Our gift, for thee
to bestow freely on others, or to withhold, without J3*î j' JUU IjLkp IjL» jlLtVî j

[having to render] account!” O jjA'-U-P / J ($) 'T’û-

(40) And, verily, nearness to Us awaits him [in the
life to come], and the most beauteous of all goals! 1^“* <j' 7* J b’4—p jrllj

(41) AND CALL to mind Our servant Job,37 [how it was]

when he cried out to his Sustainer, “Behold, Satan
has afflicted me with [utter] weariness and
suffering!”38-(42) [and thereupon was told:] “Strike
[the ground] with thy foot: here is cool water to wash
with and to drink!”39

31 The story of Solomon’s love of beautiful horses is meant to show that all true love of God is
bound to be reflected in one’s realization of, and reverence for, the beauty created by Him.
32 To explain this verse, some of the commentators advance the most fantastic stories, almost
all of them going back to Talmudic sources. Râzï rejects them all. maintaining that they are
unworthy of serious consideration. Instead, he plausibly suggests that the “body” (jasad) upon
Solomon’s throne is an allusion to his own body, and - metonymically - to his kingly power, which
was bound to remain “lifeless” so long as it was not inspired by God-willed ethical values. (It is to
be borne in mind that in classical Arabic a person utterly weakened by illness, worry or fear, or
devoid of moral values, is often described as “a body without a soul“.) In other words, Solomon’s
early trial consisted in his inheriting no more than a kingly position, and it rested upon him to
endow that position with spiritual essence and meaning.
33 I.e., a spiritual kingdom, which could not be inherited by anyone and, hence, would not be
exposed to envy or worldly intrigue.
34 I.e., as a reward for his humility and tuming-away from worldly ambitions, implied in the
P'ayer, “Forgive me my sins”.
35 Cf. 21:81 and the corresponding note 75. For the meaning, in general, of the many legends
strrounding the person of Solomon, see note 77 on 21:82.
36 I.e., subdued and, as it were, tamed by him: see note 76 on 21:82, which explains my
rendering, in this context, of shaydfïn as “rebellious forces”.
37 See note 78 on 21:83.
38 I.e., with life-weariness in consequence of suffering. As soon as he realizes that God has
been testing him. Job perceives that his utter despondency and weariness of life-eloquently
described in the Old Testament (The Book of Job iii) - was but due to what is described as
“Satan’s whisperings": this is the moral to be drawn from the above evocation of Job’s story.
39 According to the classical commentators, the miraculous appearance of a healing spring
heralded the end of Job’s suffering, both physical and mental.

699
 SÜRAH
$ÂD

(43) And We bestowed upon him new offspring,40

doubling their number as an act of grace from Us,
and as a reminder unto all who are endowed with
insight
(44) [And finally We told him:] “Now take in thy
(H** ,4-»* 7^ ^^*33 ($) '-zAjb
hand a small bunch of grass, and strike therewith, and
thou wilt not break thine oath!’*41-for, verily, We iL-j. ji-j (^)
found him full of patience in adversity: how excellent
a servant [of Ours], who, behold, would always turn
unto Us!
(45) AND CALL to mind Our servants Abraham and
Isaac and Jacob, [all of them] endowed with inner
strength and vision: (46) for, verily, We purified them Ux* (ff) jÙÎ
by means of a thought most pure: the remembrance
of the life to come.42 (47) And, behold, in Our sight Ijj itj (ff) ^LLIVl
they were indeed among the elect, the truly good!
(48) And call to mind Ishmael and Elisha,43 and »K (ff)
every one who [like them] has pledged himself [unto
for, each of them was of the truly good!
Us]:4445 (ff) vi aie (ff) *-<u*
(ff) ^^3 »'j^ Q
(49) LET [all] this be a reminder [to those who believe in
God]-for, verily, the most beauteous of all goals >JL* (ff) I jÇjjf 3 •
awaits the God-conscious: (50) gardens of perpetual
bliss,43 with gates wide-open to them, (51) wherein
they will recline, [and] wherein they may [freely] call
for many a fruit and drink, (52) having beside them
well-matched mates of modest gaze.46

40 Lit., “his family” (cf. 21:84 and the corresponding note 79).
41 In the words of the Bible (The Book of Job ii, 9), at the time of his seemingly hopeless
suffering Job’s wife reproached her husband for persevering in his faith: “Dost thou still retain
thine integrity? Curse God, and die.” According to the classical Qur’än-commentators, Job swore
that, if God would restore him to health, he would punish her blasphemy with a hundred stripes.
But when he did recover, he bitterly regretted his hasty oath, for he realized that his wife's
“blasphemy" had been an outcome of her love and pity for him; and thereupon he was told in a
revelation that he could fulfil his vow in a symbolic manner by striking her once with "a bunch of
grass containing a hundred blades or more”. (Cf. 5:89-“God will not take you to task for oaths
which you may have uttered without thought.”)
42 Lit., “of the [final] abode”.
43 Al-Yasa' in Arabic - the Biblical prophet who succeeded Elijah (see sürah 37, note 48).
44 For an explanation of this rendering of dhu 'l-kifl, see sürah 21, note 81.
45 In all the eleven instances in which the noun radn occurs in the Qur'an-and of which the
present is the oldest-it is used as a qualifying term for the “gardens” (janndt) of paradise. This
noun is derived from the verb 'adana, which primarily denotes “he remained [somewhere]" or “he
kept [to something]", i.e., permanently: cf. the phrase 'adantu 'l-balad (“I remained for good [or
“settled”] in the country”). In Biblical Hebrew - which, after all, is but a very ancient Arabian
dialect-the closely related noun cedên has also the additional connotation of “delight", “pleasure"
or “bliss”. Hence the combination of the two concepts in my rendering of 'adn as “perpetual
bliss”. As in many other places in the Qur’än, this bliss is here allegorized - and thus brought
closer to man’s imagination - by means of descriptions recalling earthly joys.
46 Lit., “such as restrain their gaze”, i.e., are of modest bearing and have eyes only for their

700
38
$ÄD

(53) This is what you are promised for the Day of

Reckoning: (54) this, verily, shall be Our provision
[for you], with no end to it!
(55) All this [for the righteous]: but, verily, the
most evil of all goals awaits those who are wont to
transgress the bounds of what is right: (56) hell will û: ®(£) Sjiy u
they have to endure-and how vile a resting-place!
(57) This, [then, for them-] so let them taste it: Ui* 0 kL
burning despair and ice-cold darkness (58) and,
coupled with it, further [suffering] of a similar nature.47 'il* (£)
(59) [And they will say to one another: “Do you see]
'ii* (J)
this crowd of people who rushed headlong [into sin]
with you?48 No welcome to them! Verily, they [too]
shall have to endure the fire!”49
(60) [And] they [who had been seduced] will j;#
exclaim: “Nay, but it is you! No welcome to you! It is
(J)
you who have prepared this for us: and how vile a
state to abide in!”
(61) [And] they will pray: “O our Sustainer! Who­
ever has prepared this for us, double Thou his f-r* *’j f' f
suffering in the fire!”50
(62) And they will add: “How is it that we do not
see [here any of the] men whom we were wont to
count among the wicked, (63) [and] whom we made
the target of our derision?51 Or is it that [they are
mates (Râzï). This allegorical reference to the delights of paradise occurs in the Qur’än three times
(apart from the above instance, which is chronologically the earliest, in 37:48 and 55:56 as well).
As an allegory, this phrase evidently applies to the righteous of both sexes, who in the life to
come will be rejoined with those whom they loved and by whom they were loved in this world:
for, “God has promised the believers, both men and women, gardens through which running
waters flow, therein to abide, and goodly dwellings in gardens of perpetual bliss” (9:72);
and, “anyone - be it man or woman - who does [whatever he can] of good deeds and is a
believer withal, shall enter paradise” (4:124, with similar statements in 16:97 and 40:40). Finally,
we are told in 36:56 that in this paradise “will they and their spouses on couches recline”-i.e.,
will find peace and inner fulfilment with and in one another. (For an explanation of the term aträb,
rendered by me as “well-matched”, see note 15 on 56:38.)
47 Lit., “of its kind”: i.e., corresponding in intensity to what the Qur’än describes as hamrm
and ghassâq. For my rendering of hamîm as “burning despair”, see surah 6, note 62. The term
ghassâq, on the other hand, is derived from the verb ghasaqa, “it became dark” or “intensely
dark” (Tâj al-'Arüs); thus, al-ghäsiq denotes “black darkness” and, tropically, “the night” or,
rather, “the black night”. According to some authorities, the form ghassâq signifies 'intense [or
“icy”] cold”. A combination of these two meanings gives us the concept of the “ice-cold
darkness” of the spirit which, together with “burning despair” (hamîm), will characterize the
suffering of inveterate sinners in the life to come. All other interpretations of the term ghassâq are
purely speculative and, therefore, irrelevant.
48 I.e., “people whom you had seduced, and who thereupon blindly followed you”: an
apostrophe stressing the double responsibility of the seducers.
49 In Arabic usage, the phrase “no welcome to them” or “to you” (Id marhaban bihim, resp.
bikum) is equivalent to a curse. In this context —carried on into the next verse —it expresses a
mutual disavowal of the seducers and the seduced.
50 Cf. 7:38 (and the corresponding notes 28 and 29) as well as 33:67-68.
51 I.e., the prophets and the righteous, who-as the Qur’än points out in many places-have

701
 SÜRAH
$ÄD

here, and] our eyes have missed them?”

(64) Such, behold, will in truth be the [confusion and]
mutual wrangling of the people of the fire!

(65) SAY [O Muhammad]: “I am only a warner; and there

is no deity whatever save God, the One, who holds
absolute sway over all that exists, (66) the Sustainer Ji ($) ùl
of the heavens and the earth and all that is between ' ***'
them, the Almighty, the All-Forgiving!”
(67) Say: “This is a message tremendous: (68) [how
can] you turn away from it?”
(69) [Say, O Muhammad:] “No knowledge would I (jé'U (g) (w) J»
have had of [what passed among] the host on high
when they argued [against the creation of man]/2 (70) CAX H ûy J

had it not been revealed unto me [by God]-to no jgÿLi jf; ju *1 y $0’^4
other end than that I might convey (unto you] a plain
warning.”53
(71) [For,] lo,34 thy Sustainer said unto the angels:
“Behold, I am about to create a human being out of
clay;55 (72) and when I have formed him fully and êr* J fw) j» 4 IT
breathed into him of My spirit, fall you down before
him in prostration!”56 U 4a-» JU
(73) Thereupon the angels prostrated themselves,
all of them together, (74) save Iblïs: he gloried in his
arrogance, and [thus] became one of those who deny
the truth.57
(75) Said He: “O Iblïs! What has kept thee from
prostrating thyself before that [being] which I have
created with My hands?5* Art thou too proud [to bow

always been derided by people enamoured of the life of this world and, therefore, averse to all
moral exhortation.
52 For the allegorical contention of the angels (“the host on high") against the creation of man.
see 2: 30 ff. and the corresponding notes 22-24. The allegory of man's creation, of God’s command
to the angels to “prostrate themselves” before the new creature, and of Iblïs’ refusal to do so
appears in the Qur’än six times (2 : 30-34, 7 : 11 ff., 15 : 28-44, 17 : 61-65, 18 : 50, and 38 : 69-85),
each time with an accent on a different aspect of this allegory. In the present instance (which is
undoubtedly the earliest in the chronology of revelation) it is connected with the statement, in
2 : 31, that God “imparted unto Adam the names of all things”, i.e., endowed man with the faculty
of conceptual thinking (see note 23 on 2:31) and, thus, with the ability to discern between what is
true and what false. Since he possesses this faculty, man has no excuse for not realizing God's
existence and oneness - the “message tremendous” referred to in the preceding passage.
53 Lit., “otherwise than that I be (illä annamä anä) a plain warner” - i.e., of the prospect of
spiritual self-destruction inherent in a wilful disregard of the fact of God’s existence and oneness,
which is the core of all religious cognition and, hence, of all true prophethood.
54 For this rendering of idh, see sürah 2, note 21.
55 See note 24 on 15 :26.
56 See 15:29 and the corresponding note 26.
57 See note 26 on 2:34 and note 31 on 15 :41.
58 Cf. the metaphorical phrase “the things which Our hands have wrought” in 36:71, explained
in the corresponding note 42. In the present instance, the stress lies on the God-willed superiority

702
 38
$ÄD

down before another created being], or art thou of

those who think [only] of themselves as high?”39
(76) Answered [IblTs]: ‘‘I am better than he: Thou
hast created me out of fire,“ whereas him Thou hast
created out of clay.”
(77) Said He: ‘‘Go forth, then, from this [angelic
state] - for, behold, thou art henceforth accursed, (78)
and My rejection shall be thy due until the Day of
Judgment!” <S)
(79) Said [IblTs]: “Then, O my Sustainer, grant me a
respite till the Day when all shall be raised from the d* j* !
dead!” Zp®-» JK (g) j. x
(80) Answered He: “Verily, so [be it:] thou shalt be
among those who are granted respite (81) till the Day Jli
the time whereof is known [only to Me].”6’
(82) [Whereupon IblTs] said: “Then [I swear] by
Thy very might: I shall most certainly beguile them
all into grievous error-(83) [all] save such of them as
are truly Thy servants!” J*-3
(84) (And God] said: “This, then, is the truth!“ And
this truth do I state: (85) Most certainly will I fill hell
with thee and such of them as shall follow thee, all
together!”

(86) SAY (O Prophet]: “No reward whatever do I ask of

you for this [message]; and I am not one of those who
claim to be what they are not.63 (87) This [divine writ],
behold, is no less than a reminder to all the worlds -
(88) and you will most certainly grasp its purport
after a lapse of time!”

of man’s intellect-which, like everything else in the universe, is God’s “handiwork” - over the
rest of creation (see note 25 on 2 :34).
59 This “question” is, of course, only rhetorical, since God is omniscient. The phrase inter­
polated by me (“to bow down before another created being”) reflects ZamaksharT’s interpretation
of this passage.
60 I.e., out of something non-corporeal and, therefore (in the view of IblTs), superior to the
“clay” out of which man has been created. Inasmuch as “fire” is a symbol of passion, the above
“saying” of IblTs contains, I believe, a subtle allusion to the Qur’anic concept of the “satanic
forces” (shayâfïn) active within man’s own heart: forces engendered by uncontrolled passions and
love of self, symbolized by the preceding characterization of IblTs, the foremost of the shayâfïn,
as “one of those who think only of themselves as high” (min al-(alïn).
61 The grant of “respite” to IblTs implies that he would have the power to tempt man until the
end of time.
62 Cf. 15 :41 - “This is, with Me, a straight way”-and the corresponding note 31.
63 The expression mutakallif denotes, primarily, “a person who takes too much upon himself”,
be it in action or in feeling; hence, a person who pretends to be more than he really is, or to feel
what he does not really feel. In this instance, it indicates the Prophet’s disclaimer of any
“supernatural” status.

703
 THE THIRTY-NINTH SÜRAH

AZ-ZUMAR (THE THRONGS)

MECCA PERIOD

EVEALED in the middle of the Mecca period, this surah derives its title from the inci­
R dental mention of the word zumaran (“in throngs”) in verses 71 and 73. Its central theme is the
evidence, in all manifestations of nature, of God’s existence and oneness - from which it follows
that He alone can determine man’s fate, and that it is to Him that man is ultimately responsible. A
pivotal idea is expressed in verse 53-“O you servants of Mine who have transgressed against
your own selves! Despair not of God’s mercy: behold, God forgives all sins , i.e., to him who
repents before his death. Hence, a large part of the sürah consists of allegories of the Last Hour
and the Day of Judgment-for “in this way does God imbue His servants with fear” (verse 16),
just as He promises the righteous that “all that they have ever yearned for awaits them with their
Sustainer” (verse 34).

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) rT1HE BESTOWAL from on high of this divine

A writ issues from God, the Almighty, the Wise: (2)
for, behold, it is We who have bestowed this revela­
tion upon thee from on high, setting forth the truth:
so worship Him, sincere in thy faith in Him alone!
(3) Is it not to God alone that all sincere faith is due? LJ/'L»l zjJ)'4)’ **?•*
And yet, they who take for their protectors aught
beside Him [are wont to say], “We worship them for (T) Jr j|l 4 Ûît'âî jJu Jib ÛjJT îu;
no other reason than that they bring us nearer to
God.”' îcî} yi; yî i'j*
Behold, God will judge between them23[on Resur­
rection Day] with regard to all wherein they differ rrh j» "ÿj A? **
, *.
................ J t
[from the truth]: for, verity, God does not grace with
His guidance anyone who is bent on lying [to himself*
j* <>-^-5 <»'
and is] stubbornly ingrate! Jllî Lf JkJy uj Li' J jT yy JjJiT
(4) Had God willed to take unto Himself a son, He
could have chosen anyone that He wanted out of
whatever He has created - [but] limitless is He in His

1 This relates not only to the worship of saints, angels and “deified” persons as such, but also to
that of their symbolic representations (statues, pictures, relics, etc.) and, in the case of defunct
human personalities, of their real or reputed tombs. Since all such practices are based on the
worshipper’s hope of “mediation” between himself and God, they obviously conflict with the
concept of His omniscience and justice, and are, therefore - notwithstanding their widespread
occurrence - utterly rejected by the Qur’än.
2 I.e., between those worshippers and the spiritual leaders who have led them astray (cf.
34:31-33).
3 Cf. 6 : 22-24 and the corresponding notes.

704
 SÜRAH 39
THE THRONGS
glory!4 He is the One God, the One who holds absolute
sway over all that exists!
(5) He it is who has created the heavens and the
earth in accordance with [an inner] truth.5 He causes
the night to flow into the day, and causes the day to <£> j&M l
flow into the night; and He has made the sun and the
moon subservient [to His laws], each running its
course for a term set [by Him].6
Is not He the Almighty, the All-Forgiving?
(6) He has created you [all] out of one living entity,
and out of it fashioned its mate;78 and he has be­
stowed upon you four kinds of cattle of either sex;’ tj* J_7b & J-** f j
[and] He creates you in your mothers’ wombs, one
act of creation after another, in threefold depths of
darkness.9
Thus is God, your Sustainer: unto Him belongs all
dominion: there is no deity save Him: how, then, can ö1* \ cijî
you lose sight of the truth?1011
(7) If you are ingrate" - behold, God has no need of
you; none the less, He does not approve of in­ s#£. *■>
j£J*—
gratitude in His servants: whereas, if you show grati­
tude, He approves it in you.
And no bearer of burdens shall be made to bear
another’s burden.12

4 The implication is this: Since God is almighty. He can have or do anything that He wills; and
so, if He wanted, He could “take unto Himself a son” (which is an allusion to the Christian
doctrine of Jesus as “the son of God”). Since, however. He is “limitless in His glory”-i.e.,
complete in His excellence and utterly remote from all imperfection - He is ipso facto remote
from the incompleteness inherent in the need of. or desire for, progeny, which logically precludes
the possibility of His having a “son”. (Cf. the last sentence of 6: 100 and the corresponding note
88.)
5 See note 11 on the last but one sentence of 10:5.
6 See note 5 on 13:2.
7 See 4:1 and the corresponding note 1.
8 Lit., “eight [in] pairs”, i.e., the male and the female of four kinds of cattle (sheep, goats,
camels and bovine cattle). For an explanation of my rendering, see note 130 on 6: 143-144, where
the same kinds of domesticated cattle are spoken of in connection with certain meaningless,
superstitious taboos of pre-lslamic times, whereas here they are mentioned as “bestowed upon
you" by God, and therefore lawful. Beyond this, the mention of cattle in this context is meant to
remind man that it is God who provides his sustenance and that, therefore, man is utterly
dependent on Him.
9 Lit., “by creation after creation, in three darknesses”: an allusion to the successive stages of
embryonic development, repeatedly spoken of in the Qur’Sn (cf. 22:5 and 23:12-14), and to the
darkness of the womb, the membrane enveloping the embryo, and its pre-natal blindness.
10 Lit., “how, then, are you turned away?" - i.e., from the truth.
11 Or: “If you deny the truth”.
12 This statement occurs in the Qur’fin five times in exactly the same formulation (apart from
the above instance, in 6:164, 17:15, 35:18 and 53:38 - this last being the earliest in the
chronology of revelation). In the present instance, it contains an allusion to (and rejection of) the
Christian doctrine of “vicarious atonment” and, indirectly, to the worship of saints, etc., spoken of
in verse 3 above and referred to in note 1. (See also note 31 on 53:38.)

705
 SÜRAH
AZ-ZUMAR

In time, unto your Sustainer you all must return,

and then He will make you [truly] understand all that
you were doing [in life]: for, verily, He has full
knowledge of what is in the hearts [of men].

(8) NOW [thus it is:] when affliction befalls man, he is

likely to cry out13 to his Sustainer, turning unto Him
[for help]; but as soon as He has bestowed upon him
a boon by His grace, he forgets Him whom he in­
voked before, and claims that there are other powers Û y«*
that could rival God14-and thus leads [others] astray
from His path. (_5-j lSJ, f Aj

Say [unto him who sins in this way]: “Enjoy

J—bljCl 4> Jju»,
thyself for a while in this thy denial of the truth;
[yet,] verily, thou art of those who are destined for 0 jCjl JX Z3 ji
the fire! (9) Or [dost thou deem thyself equal to] one
who devoutly worships [God] throughout the night, LcUj tun 3**
prostrating himself or standing [in prayer], ever­
mindful of the life to come, and hoping for his û& jyiÂi j* J» j s
Sustainer’s grace?”1516
17
Say: “Can they who know and they who do not ' E
know be deemed equal?”
[But] only they who are endowed with insight keep
this in mind!
(10) Say: “[Thus speaks God:’6] ‘O you servants of
Mine who have attained to faith! Be conscious of x - 'T / }
your Sustainer! Ultimate good awaits those who per­
severe in doing good in this world. And [remember:] <$> s^xji j;î s/î 0
wide is God’s earth,” [and,] verily, they who are
patient in adversity will be given their reward in full, ex 4*’* qJ i-* q >
beyond all reckoning!’” LIpJli ,4 Laßt 4_;*l 4)1J»
(11) Say [O Muhammad]: “Behold, I am bidden to
worship God, sincere in my faith in Him alone; (12)
and I am bidden to be foremost among those who
surrender themselves unto God.”
(13) Say: “Behold, I would dread, were I to rebel
against my Sustainer, the suffering [which would
befall me] on that awesome Day [of Judgment].”
(14) Say: “God alone do I worship, sincere in my

13 Lit., “he cries out”, i.e., instinctively, and as a rule.

14 Lit., “and gives God compeers (andäd, sing. nidd)”. Cf. the last sentence of 2:22 and the
corresponding note 13.
15 Alternatively, the above verse could be rendered thus: “Is, perchance, he who worships ...
hoping for his Sustainer’s grace, [equal to one who denies the truth]?”
16 This interpolation is justified by the fact that the possessive pronoun in the subsequent
phrase “servants of Mine" obviously relates to God.
17 I.e., there is always a possibility of doing good and “migrating from evil unto God” - which is
the permanent, spiritual connotation of the concept of hijrah implied here: see note 124 on 4:97.

706
39_________________________________________________
THE THRONGS
faith in Him alone - (15) and [it is up to you, O
sinners, to] worship whatever you please instead of
Him!”
Say: ‘‘Behold, the [true] losers will be they who
shall have lost their own selves and their kith and kin
on Resurrection Day:” for is not this, this, the [most]
obvious loss? (16) Clouds of fire will they have above J» <43*
them, and [similar] clouds beneath them....” «Ji’s y I icùiî
In this way does God imbue His servants with
fear.” fell’s
O you servants of Mine! Be, then, conscious of
Me-(17) seeing that for those who shun the powers
of evil lest they [be tempted to] worship them,“ and
turn unto God instead, there is the glad tiding [of
c
happiness in the life to come].18 21
20
19 7*'—JjiJÎ jî(^) a
Give, then, this glad tiding to [those of] My ser­
vants (18) who listen [closely] to all that is said, and f «lljJj'j JU <jr
follow the best of it:22 [for] it is they whom God has
graced with His guidance, and it is they who are j J»- (jjl
[truly] endowed with insight!
(19) On the other hand,23 could one on whom
[God’s] sentence of suffering has been passed [be
rescued by man]? Couldst thou, perchance, save one
who is [already, as it were,] in the fire?24

18 Implying that on Resurrection Day they will be irretrievably separated from all whom they
had loved, and all who had been close to them in this world. The "loss of one's own self" signifies,
I think, the destruction of one’s true identity and uniqueness as a human being, which is described
in the next clause as "the most obvious loss" that man may be made to suffer in the life to come.
19 As in many other instances, the Qur’an alludes in this phrase to the allegorical nature as well
as to the real purpose of all descriptions of the suffering which awaits the sinners in the hereafter;
cf. 74:35-36-“that [hell-fire] is indeed one of the great [forewarnings]: a warning to mortal man”.
20 For my rendering of af-tä^hüt as "powers of evil”, see sürah 2, note 250. In the present
context, this term apparently circumscribes the seductive force of certain evil ambitions or
desires - like striving after power for its own sake, acquisition of wealth by exploiting one’s
fellow-beings, social advancement by all manner of immoral means, and so forth-any of which
may cause man to lose all spiritual orientation, and to be enslaved by his passions.
21 Cf. 10:62-64.
22 According to RäzT, this describes people who examine every religious proposition (in the
widest sense of this term) in the light of their own reason, accepting that which their mind finds to
be valid or possible, and rejecting all that does not measure up to the test of reason. In Râzï’s
words, the above verse expresses “a praise and commendation of following the evidence supplied
by one’s reason (hujjat and of reaching one’s conclusions in accordance with [the results
of] critical examination (nafar) and logical inference (istidlâl)." A somewhat similar view is
advanced, albeit in simpler terms, by TabarT.
23 This, to my mind, is the meaning of the prefix fa in fa-man -stressing, by implication, the
contrast between the glad tiding given to those who have attained to faith and the suffering which
awaits those "who shall have lost their own selves” through sinning (verses 15-16).
24 In view of the repeated Qur’anic statements that God always accepts a sinner s sincere
repentance, provided it is proffered before the hour of death. His ineluctable ‘ sentence of
suffering” obviously relates to such as die without repentance, and hence find themselves, as it
were, "already in the fire”.
707
 SÜRAH
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(20) As against this,25 they who of their Sustainer

are conscious shail [in the life to come] have man­
sions raised upon mansions high, beneath which run­
ning waters flow: [this is] God’s promise - [and] never
does God fail to fulfil His promise.
(21) ART THOU NOT aware that it is God who sends
down water from the skies, and then causes it to «A/ kj? s r* f-r j ’Â'T $
travel through the earth in the shape of springs? And
then He brings forth thereby herbage of various hues;
and then it withers, and thou canst see it turn yellow;
and in the end He causes it to crumble to dust.26 *03- Jjfàf
Verily, in [all] this there is indeed a reminder to f ,4$JI Uli lejj f Jy Vf j
those who are endowed with insight!
(22) Could, then, one whose bosom God has j! wJl 3 j f IÇc
opened wide with willingness towards self-surrender
unto Him, so that he is illumined by a light [that
flows] from his Sustainer, [be likened to the blind and
deaf of heart]? û: r-r> S. /
Woe, then, unto those whose hearts are hardened JJ j dLdjl iS
against all remembrance of God! They are most
obviously lost in error! JjL- 4_>yi.Mi' If.', u* U2S’
(23) God bestows from on high27 the best of all
teachings in the shape of a divine writ fully consistent f-rAb f f-r.J
within itself, repeating each statement [of the truth] in
manifold forms28-[a divine writ] whereat shiver the
skins of all who of their Sustainer stand in awe: [but]
in the end their skins and their hearts do soften at the
remembrance of [the grace of] God....
Such is God’s guidance: He guides therewith him
that wills [to be guided]2930
-whereas he whom God lets
go astray can never find any guide.10
(24) Could, then, one who shall have nothing but

25 Lit., “But” (läkin), indicating a return to the theme of verses 17-18.

26 As in many other instances, the above Qur’anic reference to the endless transformations and
the miraculous cycle of life and death in all nature serves to emphasize God's almightiness and,
specifically, His power to resurrect the dead - thus alluding, indirectly, to the statement at the end
of the preceding verse that “never does God fail to fulfil His promise”.
27 Lit., “has been bestowing from on high", i.e., step by step. The verbal form nazzala indicates
both gradualness and continuity in the process of divine revelation and may, therefore, be
appropriately rendered by the use of the present tense.
28 This is the most acceptable meaning, in this context, of the term mathänT (pl. of mathnä), as
explained by Zamakhsharï in his commentary on the above verse. Another possible meaning,
preferred by Râzï, is “pairing its statements", i.e., referring to the polarity stressed in all Qur’anic
teachings (e.g., command and prohibition, duties and rights, reward and punishment, paradise and
hell, light and darkness, the general and the specific, and so forth). As regards the inner
consistency of the Qur’ân, see also 4:82 and 25 :32, as well as the corresponding notes.
29 Or: “He guides therewith whomever He wills", either of these two formulations being
syntactically correct.
30 See note 4 on 14:4.

708
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his [bare] face to protect him31 from the awful

suffering [that will befall him] on Resurrection Day
[be likened to the God-conscious]?
[On that Day,] the evildoers will be told: “Taste
[now] what you have earned [in life]!”
(25) Those who lived before them did [too] give the
lie to the truth - whereupon suffering befell them
without their having perceived whence it came: (26)
and thus God let them taste ignominy [even] in the cLiUjt y
life of this world.32 Yet [how] much greater will be the
[sinners’] suffering in the life to come - if they [who ÇjîpJ j âT (g) 4
now deny the truth] but knew it!
j-ib ($> Qj-ÏÂj ijj i• î
(27) THUS, INDEED, have We propounded unto men all
kinds of parables in this Qur’an,33 so that they might
bethink themselves; [and We have revealed it] (28) as
a discourse in the Arabic tongue, free of all devious­ LIV* ®
ness,34 so that they might become conscious of God.
(29) [To this end,] God sets forth a parable: A man
who has for his masters several partners,31 [all of £ । iiî ûu
them] at variance with one another, and a man
O 'j.A* frb <$) i
depending wholly on one person: can these two be
deemed equal as regards their condition?34
[Nay,] all praise is due to God [alone]: but most of
them do not understand this.
(30) Yet, verily, thou art bound to die, [O

31 Lit., “who will protect himself with his face”: an idiomatic phrase implying that the person
concerned has nothing whatever with which to protect himself.
32 Cf. 16:26, which contains the additional sentence, “God visited with destruction al) that they
had ever built..etc., which explains the present reference to their suffering and ignominy “in
the life of this world”.
33 As in many other passages of the Qur’än, the use of the term “parable” (mathal) im­
mediately or shortly after a description of men’s condition - whether good or bad-in the hereafter
is meant to remind us that all such descriptions relate to something that is “beyond the reach of a
created being’s perception” (al-ghayb), and cannot, therefore, be conveyed to man otherwise than
by means of allegories or parables expressed in terms of human experience and therefore
accessible, in a general sense, to human imagination.
34 Lit., “without any deviousness Çiwaj)", i.e., which could obscure its meaning: see note 1 on
18:1, where this term occurs in a slightly different phrasing. As regards the stress on the
formulation of this divine writ “in the Arabic tongue”, see 12:2, 13:37, 14:4 and 41:44, as well
as the corresponding notes.
35 Lit., “with regard to whom there are [several] partners (s/iurokd’)”, i.e., as masters: a
metaphor for belief in a plurality of divine powers.
36 The term mathal, which is usually rendered by me as “parable" (e.g., at the beginning of this
verse as well as in verse 27), primarily denotes a “likeness”, i.e., of one thing to another;. but
sometimes it is used tropically as a synonym for fifah (the “quality”, “intrinsic attribute” or
“nature” of a thing) or hâlah (its “state” or “condition”). In the present instance, the last-
mentioned of these meanings is most appropriate, inasmuch as it alludes to man’s condition arising
from either of two contrasting attitudes: a belief in God’s transcendental oneness and uniqueness,
on the one hand, and a readiness to ascribe divine powers and qualities to a variety of created
beings or supposed “incarnations” of God, on the other.
 SÛRAH
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Muhammad,] and, verily, they, too, are bound to die:

(31) and then, behold, on the Day of Resurrection you
all shall place your dispute before your Sustainer.
(32) And who could be more wicked than he who
invents lies about God,37 and gives the lie to the truth
as soon as it has been placed before him? Is not hell
the [proper] abode for all who deny the truth?38
(33) But he who brings the truth, and he who
wholeheartedly accepts it as true-it is they, they,
who are [truly] conscious of Him! (g) 1 7**1!-
(34) All that they have ever yearned for awaits
them with their Sustainer: such will be the reward of (g) jyûJÏ (►* *4 <5-*—-»j JjuaJL »U.
the doers of good. (35) And to this end, God will
efface from their record the worst that they ever did, (r£) t [jn »tlTi f-gj X* jj »LjÛ pi
and give them their reward in accordance with the fT-jf- 3 f—r*
best that they were doing [in life].

(36) IS NOT God enough for His servant? And yet, they
would frighten thee with those [imaginary divine
powers which they worship] beside Him!39
But he whom God lets go astray can never find any
guide, (37) whereas he whom God guides aright can
never be led astray.
Is not God almighty, an avenger of evil? ôjpx u I j; âî jjjij îj
(38) And thus it is [with most people]: if40 thou ask
âî Jjiy jji j»
them, “Who is it that has created the heavens and the
earth?”-they will surely answer, “God.”41 jj J* jjy y
Say: “Have you, then, ever considered what it is
that you invoke instead of God? If God wills that
harm should befall me, could those [imaginary
powers] remove the harm inflicted by Him? Or, if He
wills that grace should alight on me, could they
withhold His grace [from me]?”

37 In this instance, the “inventing of lies about God” alludes to the attribution of a share in His
divinity to anyone or anything beside Him, whether it be a belief in a plurality of deities, or in an
imaginary “incarnation” of God in human form, or in saints allegedly endowed with semi-divine
powers.
38 Lit., “Is not in hell an abode ...”, etc.: a rhetorical question indicating, firstly, that
otherworldly suffering is the unavoidable destiny - symbolically, “an abode”-of all such sinners;
and, secondly, that in the concept and picture of “hell” we are given an allegory of that self-caused
suffering.
39 Or: “instead of Him”. This relates not merely to false deities, but also to saints alive or dead,
and even to certain abstract concepts which the popular mind endows with charismatic qualities -
like wealth, power, social status, national or racial pre-eminence, the idea of man's “self-
sufficiency”, etc.-and, finally, to all false values which are allowed to dominate man’s thoughts
and desires. The godless always stress the supposed necessity of paying attention to all these
imaginary forces and values, and frighten themselves and their fellow-men by the thought that a
neglect to do so might have evil consequences in their practical life.
40 For this rendering of ta’in, see sûrah 11, note 11.
41 See note 23 on 31:25.

710
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Say: “God is enough for me! In Him [alone] place
their trust all who have trust [in His existence].”
(39) Say: “O my [truth-denying] people! Do yet all
that may be within your power, [whereas] I, behold,
shall labour [in God's way]: in time you will come to
know (40) who it is that shall be visited [in this world]
by suffering which will cover him with ignominy,42
and upon whom long-lasting suffering shall alight [in (Z*2* J-» ($) jjirJijT
the life to come]!”

(41) BEHOLD, from on high have We bestowed upon

thee this divine writ, setting forth the truth for [the et* 4»’J* ô*
benefit of all] mankind. And whoever chooses to be ÿU crû JùlçjT Ljji 4
guided [thereby], does so for his own good, and L, Çk «jJdi
whoever chooses to go astray, goes but astray to his
own hurt; and thou hast not the power to determine
their fate.43
(42) It is God [alone that has this power - He] who Sy.3 Qé j
causes all human beings to die at the time of their
[bodily] death, and [causes to be as dead], during $ J— 4?'
their sleep, those that have not yet died:44 thus, He
withholds [from life] those upon whom He has Jj «bàlâî (T) ùjjtîi
decreed death, and lets the others go free for a term
set [by Him].
In [all] this, behold, there are messages indeed for
people who think!
(43) And yet,45 they choose [to worship], side by
side with God, [imaginary] intercessors!46

42 Lit., “suffering Çadhâb) that will disgrace him": implying that surrender to false values
inevitably leads to man’s spiritual decay and, if persisted in by many, to social catastrophes and
widespread suffering.
43 Or: “thou art not responsible for their conduct” (see note 4 on 17:2).
44 According to Râzï, this passage connects allegorically with the preceding - the light of
guidance being likened to life, and man's going astray, to death or, if it is not permanent, to
death-like sleep followed by awakening. Beyond this, however, we have here a reminder-in tune
with the subsequent passages - of God's almightiness, and especially of His exclusive power to
create and to withdraw life. As to the operative verb yatawaffâ. it primarily denotes “He takes
[something] away in full’’; and because death is characterized by a disappearance of all vital
impulses (the “soul") from the once-living body-their being "taken away in full”, as it were-this
form of the verb has been used tropically, since time immemorial, in the sense of “causing to die”,
and (in its intransitive form) "dying” or (as a noun) “death”: a usage invariably adhered to in the
Qur’än. The traditional likening of sleep to death is due to the fact that in both cases the body
appears to be devoid of consciousness, partially and temporarily in the former case, and
completely and permanently in the latter. (The popular translation of anfus - pl. of nafs - as
“souls” is certainly inappropriate in the above context, since, according to the fundamental
teaching of the Qur’än, man’s soul does not “die” at the time of his bodily death but, on the
contrary, lives on indefinitely. Hence, the term anfus must be rendered here as “human beings”.)
45 This is the meaning of the particle am in this context (ZamakhsharT), implying that despite all
the evidence of God’s almightiness, many people tend to disregard it.
46 I.e., intercessors who could act as such independently of God’s permission - an assumption
which the Qur’än categorically denies (see sürah 10, note 7).

711
 SÜRAH
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Say: “Why-even though they have no power over

anything, and no understanding?”47
(44) Say: “God’s alone is [the power to bestow the
right of] intercession:48 His [alone] is the dominion
over the heavens and the earth; and, in the end, unto
Him you will all be brought back.”
(45) And yet, whenever God alone is mentioned, J» j-» <$) ù*5j ôjCix j'
the hearts of those who will not believe in the life to
come contract with bitter aversion - whereas, when
those [imaginary powers] are mentioned side by side Ü‘-’J* »-L,
with Him, lo, they rejoice!495054
53
52
51
(46) Say: “O God! Originator of the heavens and
the earth! Knower of all that is beyond the reach of a
created being’s perception, as well as of all that can
be witnessed by a creature’s senses or mind!30 It is
Thou who wilt judge between Thy servants [on
Resurrection Day] with regard to all on which they j u »pt > s' m
were wont to differ!”
(47) But if those who are bent on evildoing posses­ /*• ,4x«j
sed all that is on earth, and twice as much,31 they
would surely offer it as ransom from the awful
suffering [that will befall them] on the Day of Resur­ « JujijLr u (U £
rection:32 for, something with which they had not
reckoned before will [by then] have been made
obvious to them by God;33 (48) and obvious to them
will have become the evil that they had wrought [in Gr[ Ju u CL
life]: and thus shall they be overwhelmed by the very
truth which they were wont to deride.34

(49) NOW [thus it is:] when affliction befalls man, he cries

out unto Us for help; but when We bestow upon him
a boon by Our grace, he says [to himself], “I have

47 A reference to the adoration of dead saints or their tombs or relics, as well as of inanimate
representations of saints, of imaginary deities, etc.
48 Regarding the problem of intercession as such, see note 7 on 10:3.
49 Since a cognition of God must have a sense of moral responsibility as its correlate, the
godless shrink from it, and joyfully turn to the “worship” - real or metaphoric-of imaginary
powers which make no such moral demand.
50 See siirah 6, note 65.
51 Lit., “and the like of it with it”.
52 Cf. 3:91 and the corresponding note 71.
53 Lit., “will have become obvious to them (badä lahum) from God”-i.e., the fact that man’s
attitudes and actions in this world determine his state and further development in the hereafter: in
other words, that happiness or suffering in the life to come (allegorically described as “paradise”
or “hell”, and “reward" or “chastisement”) are but natural consequences of the use which man
makes in this life of his capabilities, endowments and opportunities.
54 Lit., “that which they were wont to deride will enfold them” or “will have enfolded them”:
i.e., the reality of life after death and of the spiritual truths preached by God’s prophets will
overwhelm them.

712
 been given [all] this by virtue of [my own] wisdom!”55
Nay, this [bestowal of grace] is a trial: but most of
them understand it not!
(50) The same did say [to themselves many of]
those who lived before their time; but of no avail to
them was all that they had ever achieved: (51) for all
the evil deeds that they had wrought fell [back] upon ^^1121» Ji
them. And [the same will happen to] people of the
present time who are bent on wrongdoing:56 all the evil
deeds that they have ever wrought will fall [back] upon Liu yr; l Xç:
them, and never will they be able to elude [God]!
(52) Are they, then, not aware that it is God who <j’ ’j-i“ J j' (•£) f cAtlS
grants abundant sustenance, or gives it in scant
measure, unto whomever He wills? la's j X; JjjîilTâî
In this, behold, there are messages indeed for peo­
ple who will believe!

(53) SAY: “[Thus speaks God:57] ‘O you servants of Mine

who have transgressed against your own selves!
Despair not of God's mercy: behold, God forgives all
(J) f ji Jjy ,4 ïyJL.ij
sins58-for, verily, He alone is much-forgiving, a dis­
penser of grace!”’ J jZ ^2J £ jÿl Ü ÇL-îJ
(54) Hence, turn towards your Sustainer [alone]
and surrender yourselves unto Him ere the suffering Jji' jl j,/J Y AiM «~>IÂaK JL.'L
[of death and resurrection] comes upon you, for then
you will not be succoured.59 (55) And ere that CiTjc-k>U
suffering comes upon you of a sudden, without your ûî jl^J Jjiï y
being aware [of its approach], follow the most goodly
[teaching] that has been revealed unto you by your
Sustainer, (56) lest any human being60 should say [on
Judgment Day], “Alas for me for having been remiss
in what is due to God, and for having been indeed one
of those who scoffed [at the truth]!’’-(57) or lest he

55 Lit., “knowledge’’ - i.e., “my prosperity is due to my own ability and shrewdness’’: see the
first sentence of 28:78 and the corresponding note. But whereas there this “saying” or thought is
attributed to the legendary Qärün, in the present instance - which is by far the earlier in the
chronology of Qur’anic revelation - it is said to be characteristic of man as such (see, e.g.,
7:189-190, where this tendency is referred to in connection with the experience of parenthood).
56 Lit., “those who are bent on wrongdoing (alladhîna falamü) from among these here”.
57 See note 16 on the opening words of verse 10 of this sürah.
58 Sc., “whenever the sinner repents and turns to Him”: cf., for instance, 6:54 - “Your
Sustainer has willed upon Himself the law of grace and mercy-so that if any of you does a bad
deed out of ignorance, and thereafter repents and lives righteously. He shall be [found] much-
forgiving, a dispenser of grace”; or 4:110- “he who does evil or [otherwise] sins against himself,
and thereafter prays God to forgive him, shall find God much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace”.
59 Cf. 4:18-“repentance shall not be accepted from those who do evil deeds until their dying
hour, and then say, ‘Behold, I now repent’; nor from those who die as deniers of the truth”.
60 Whenever there is no clear indication that the term nafs has another meaning, it signifies a
'’human being”; hence, the personal pronouns relating to this term (which is feminine in Arabic)
are masculine in my rendering.
713
 SÜRAH
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should say, “If God had but guided me, I would

surely have been among those who are conscious of
Him!”-(58) or lest he should say, when he becomes
aware of the suffering [that awaits him], “Would that
I had a second chance [in life], so that I could be
among the doers of good!”61
(59) [But God will reply:] “Yea, indeed! My mes­
sages did come unto thee; but thou gavest them the
lie, and wert filled with false pride, and wert among J (jl ûj* jI (*v) êgâxjT J*
those who deny the truth!” J» jj« «j/" I* »Jr
(60) And [so,] on the Day of Resurrection thou wilt
see all who invented lies about God [with] their faces
darkened [by grief and ignominy].62 Is not hell the
[proper] abode for all who are given to false pride?63
(61) But God will safeguard all who were conscious
of Him, [and will grant them happiness] by virtue of y (£>
their [inner] triumphs; no evil shall ever touch them, âï(g) fyj S-tf fr
and neither shall they grieve.
(62) GOD is the Creator of all things, and He alone has
the power to determine the fate of all things.6465 & c/ii bXy 'j
(63) His are the keys [to the mysteries] of the ,m>.i x > ~.f>
heavens and the earth: and they who are bent on Iß» QaA' <•'.©*»* J* f-*

denying the truth of God’s messages-it is they, they,

who are the losers! 3 -3“
(64) Say: “Is it, then, something other than God
that you bid me to worship, O you who are unaware
[of right and wrong]?”
(65) And yet, it has already been revealed to thee
[O man,]63 as well as to those who lived before thee,
that if thou ever ascribe divine powers to aught
but God, all thy works shall most certainly have
been in vain: for [in the life to come] thou shaft most
certainly be among the lost.
61 Cf. 2:167 and 26:102, as well as 6:27-28 and the corresponding note 19.
62 The phrase iswadda wajhuhu (lit., “his face became black” or “dark”) is used idiomatically
to describe a face expressive of grief or ignominy (cf. 16:58), just as its opposite, ibyatfda
wajhuhu (lit., “his face became white” or “shining”) describes a countenance expressive of
happiness or justified pride: cf. 2:106 - “some faces will shine [with happiness] and some faces
will be dark [with grief]”. Apart from this, both phrases have also a tropical significance, namely,
“he became [or “felt”] disgraced”, resp. “honoured". - As regards the “inventing of lies about
God” spoken of in this verse, see note 37 above.
63 See note 38 on the last sentence of verse 32 of this sürah.
64 For the meaning of the term wakïl in this context, see note 4 on 17:2.
65 I.e., “it has been conveyed to thee through the divine messages revealed to the prophets”.
The assumption of almost all the classical commentators that this passage is addressed to
Muhammad does not make much sense in view of God's knowledge that neither he nor any of the
prophets who came before him would ever commit the deadly sin (referred to in the sequence) of
“ascribing divine powers to aught beside God". On the other hand, the above reminder becomes
very cogent and relevant as soon as it is conceived as being addressed to man in general,
irrespective of time and circumstance.

714
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(66) Nay, but thou shalt worship God [alone], and

be among those who are grateful [to Him]!
(67) And no true understanding of God have they
[who worship aught beside Him], inasmuch as the
whole of the earth will be as a [mere] handful to Him
on Resurrection Day, and the heavens will be rolled
up in His right hand:“ limitless is He in His glory, and
sublimely exalted above anything to which they may
ascribe a share in His divinity!
(68) And [on that Day,] the trumpet [of judgment]
will be sounded, and all [creatures] that are in the
heavens and all that are on earth will fall down
senseless, unless they be such as God wills [to
exempt].666768
f & j» j j»3
And then it will sound again - and lo! standing
[before the Seat of Judgment], they will begin to see <3> r*
[the truth]!“
(69) And the earth will shine bright with her Sus­ 3 »’ -4^ 3 »3^3
tainer’s light.69 And the record [of everyone’s deeds]
will be laid bare,70 and all the prophets will be brought y ^33
forward, and all [other] witnesses;71 and judgment
will be passed on them all in justice. And they will
not be wronged, (70) for every human being will be
repaid in full for whatever [good or evil] he has
done:72 and He is fully aware of all that they do.
(71) And those who were bent on denying the truth
will be urged on in throngs towards hell till, when

66 I.e., the whole universe is as nothing before Him: for this specific allegory of God's
almightiness, see 21:104. There are many instances, in the Qur’än as well as in authentic ahâdïth,
of the clearly metaphorical use of the term “hand” in allusions to God's absolute power and
dominion. The particular reference, in the above, to the Day of Resurrection is due to the fact that
it will be only on his own resurrection that a human being shall fully grasp the concept of God's
almightiness, referred to in the subsequent words, “limitless is He in His glory” (subhânahuY'.
67 As is evident from 27:89, the above is an allusion to the unbroken spiritual life in this
world-and, therefore, happiness in the hereafter-of those who have attained to faith and have
done righteous deeds. Cf. 21:103 - “the supreme awesomeness [of the Day of Resurrection] will
cause them no grief’’.
68 Cf. 37:19.
69 I.e., with a clear revelation of His will. See also 14:48, where it is stated that on
Resurrection Day “the earth shall be changed into another earth, as shall be the heavens”. A
further allusion to this transformation (and not annihilation) of the universe is found in 20:105-
107.
70 Cf. 17 : 13-14 (and the corresponding note 18); also 18:49.
71 See 4:41 and the corresponding note 52. Accordingly, the above phrase may well have the
meaning of “all the prophets as witnesses”, i.e., for or against those to whom they conveyed
God’s message. In all probability, however, the term shuhadâ' (or ashhäd in 40:51) signifies
here-as its singular shahid obviously does in 50:21-man’s newly-awakened consciousness,
which will compel him to bear witness against himself on Judgment Day (cf. 6:130, 17:14,24:24,
36 : 65,41:20 ff.).
72 Cf. 99:7-8, “he who shall have done an atom’s weight of good, shall behold it; and he who
shall have done an atom’s weight of evil, shall behold it”.

715
 SÜRAH 39
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they reach it, its gates will be opened, and its keepers
will ask them, “Have there not come to you apostles
from among yourselves, who conveyed to you your
Sustainer’s messages and warned you of the coming
of this your Day [of Judgment]?”
They will answer: “Yea, indeed!” JK, Ç->l
But the sentence of suffering will [already] have
fallen due upon the deniers of the truth;73 (72) [and] C-J* QÂ >£> J-j JpÇ
they will be told, “Enter the gates of hell, therein to
abide!” £ yu ui* jPx yz
And how vile an abode for those who were given to
false pride!74
(73) But those who were conscious of their Sus­
tainer will be urged on in throngs towards paradise
till, when they reach it, they shall find its gates wide-
open;75 and its keepers will say unto them, “Peace be
upon you! Well have you done: enter, then, this
[paradise], herein to abide!” tfjîâ JulTijJUj (J) UjU-îli
(74) And they will exclaim: “All praise is due to
God, who has made His promise to us come true, and C-*- «-if Ix* j hi
has bestowed upon us this expanse [of bliss] as our
portion,76 so that we may dwell in paradise as we
please!”
And how excellent a reward will it be for those
who laboured [in God’s way]!
(£) ‘r’J
(75) And thou wilt see the angels surrounding the
throne of [God’s] almightiness,77 extolling their Sus­
tainer’s glory and praise. And judgment will have
been passed in justice on all [who had lived and died],
and the word will be spoken:78 “All praise is due to
God, the Sustainer of all the worlds!”

73 I.e., as an ineluctable consequence of their unrepented sinning.

74 Sc., “and therefore refused to submit to the guidance offered them by God's apostles”: cf.
96:6-7 - “man becomes grossly overweening whenever he believes himself to be self-sufficient”.
See also 16:22 and the corresponding note 15.
75 Lit., "and its gates have [or "will have"] been opened”, i.e., before their arrival, as indicated
by the particle wa (lit., “and”), which in this case denotes precedence in time (Zamakhsharï). Cf.
in this connection 38:50 - “gardens of perpetual bliss, with gates wide-open to them”.
76 Lit., “has made us heirs to this land”, i.e., of paradise. According to all the classical
commentators, the concept of “heritage" is used here metaphorically, to denote the rightful due, or
portion, of the blessed. The term artf (lit., “earth” or “land”) has also - especially in poetry-the
connotation of “anything that is spread" (cf. Lane I, 48): hence my rendering of it, in the above
context, as “expanse".
77 Whenever the term al-'arsh (“the throne [of God]") occurs in the Qur’än, it is used as a
metaphor for His absolute dominion over all that exists: hence my rendering, "the throne of
[God’s] almightiness". (See also 7:54 and the corresponding note 43.) The mention of the “angels
surrounding" it has, obviously, a metaphorical meaning: see note 4 on 40:7.
78 Lit., “it will be said”.

716
 THE FORTIETH SÜRAH

GHÄFIR (FORGIVING)
MECCA PERIOD

HE MAIN THEME of this sürah is that false pride which often makes man think that he is
T the centre of the universe, and thus impels him to remain smugly satisfied with his own,
empirically-acquired knowledge (verse 83), to worship all manner of imaginary forces and false
values seemingly helpful to human aggrandizement - like wealth, power, or even the conceit of
“progress” - and to deny validity to any truth, however obvious, which runs counter to his sense
of self-importance. The arrogant assumption that man is self-sufficient - an illusion already
touched upon in verses 6-7 of one of the earliest Qur’anic revelations (surah 96) - brings with it
the conviction that he is above all need of divine guidance, implying a rejection of the belief in
resurrection and of God’s ultimate judgment on “the Day of Reckoning” (verse 27). The opening
chord of this theme appears in the statement that “none but those who are bent on denying the
truth would call God’s messages in question” (verse 4), and is developed in many variations
throughout the surah: thus, “in their hearts is nothing but overweening self-conceit, which they
will never be able to satisfy" (verse 56); and “perverted are the minds of those who knowingly
reject God’s messages” (verse 63)-for “God sets a seal on every arrogant, self-exalting heart”
(verse 35), condemning it to spiritual blindness in this world and, as a consequence, to suffering in
the life to come.
As so often in the Qur’än, these ideas are illustrated by references to the stories of earlier
prophets, and to what happened in the end to deniers of the truth in bygone times (verses 21-22
and 82 ff.) - “such being the way of God that has always obtained for His creatures” (verse 85).
The key-word by which the sürah is known has been taken from verse 3, where God is spoken
of as ghäfir adh-dhanb (“forgiving sins”): but it has also been designated as Al-Mu’min (“The
Believer”), alluding to the “believing man of Pharaoh's family" who tried to convince his erring
compatriots of the truth of Moses’ mission.
All authorities agree that the present and the six successive surahs (all of which are prefixed
with the letter-symbols Hâ-Mïm) belong to the later part of the middle Mecca period.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS. THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) Hd. MTm.1

(2) TH HE BESTOWAL from on high of this divine

A writ issues from God, the Almighty, the All-Know­ ■a
ing, (3) forgiving sins and accepting repentance, severe
in retribution, limitless in His bounty. <X> *7^9^Ji/*' ***•
There is no deity save Him: with Him is all jour­
neys’ end. Jjklf J>.lA

(4) NONE BUT THOSE who are bent on denying the ça1» □ Jx?.u <4
truth would call God’s messages in question. But let it <J> xlJT j yÏ "4 A1
not deceive thee that they seem to be able to do as
they please on earth: (5) to the truth gave the lie,

1 See Appendix II.

717
 SÜRAH
GHÄFIR

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 com­
munities 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! 'J42*-? y
(6) And thus shall thy Sustainer’s word come true dtâ} (T) jXf 4
against all who are bent on denying the truth: they
shall find themselves in the fire [of hell].

(7) THEY WHO BEAR [within themselves the knowl­ A’-ûv O jUl
edge of] the throne of [God’s] almightiness, as well • X X / »X »XX X / »Jx • »X »X
as all who are near it,45extol their Sustainer’s limitless '>*'* (jr.lJÜ ûjjÂÂX-* j f— yrJ

glory and praise, and have faith in Him, and ask >j»U â4^ Lij J
forgiveness for all [others] who have attained to faith:
“O our Sustainer! Thou embracest all things within Lj. j (T) (»—♦*?
[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! »' » « 6 » /* /1. . L

(8) “And, O our Sustainer, bring them into the f-A jb p-fr

gardens of perpetual bliss3 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-(9) 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

2 Cf. 38:12-14, where some of those who were “leagued together” (al-ahzäb) are enumerated;
also verses 30 ff. of this sürah.
3 Lit., “each community schemed against their apostle”.
4 Lit, “around it”: cf. ZamakhsharTs explanation of the expression hawlahä occurring in 27 : 8
in the sense of “near it”. In his commentary on the verse which we are now considering, Baydâwî
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 (majäz 'an
hiffihim wa-tadbirihim lahu), or a metonym (kinäyah) 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 BaydäwT’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, exclusively 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.
5 See note 45 on 38:50.

718
 Thou have graced with Thy mercy: and that, that will
be the triumph supreme!”
(10) [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 (J) JjijTjfc «IB’S,
(11) [Whereupon] they will exclaim: “O our Sus­
tainer! Twice hast Thou caused us to die, just as
twice Thou hast brought us to life!9 But now that we u. j ijIK (£>
have acknowledged our sins, is there any way out [of
this second death]?”
(12) [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 Ujj ȟ-jf Jjv J jA
Great!”10

(13) 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.
(14) Invoke, then, God, sincere in your faith in Him
alone, however hateful this may be to those who deny
the truth!
(15) High above all orders [of being] is He, in

6 Lit., “they will be called” or “summoned”.

7 I.e., “on realizing, belatedly, your past sinfulness”.
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 (RäzT), 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).
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 wilful
spiritual blindness on earth.”
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 Judg­
ment,] 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 Abü Sa'Td
al-KhudrT, in Kitâb al-Iman and Kitab Bad* al-Khalq-, also Muslim, Nasä’T 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 - because meaningless - request on Judgment Day to be given a “second chance” on earth
(Cf. 6 : 27-28 or 32:12). See also last but one sentence of 6:128 and the corresponding note 114.

719
 SÜRAH
GHÄFIR

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 Him1213 -(16)
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!
(17) 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!
(18) 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 jy-»-
have, nor any intercessor who would be heeded:”
($)
(19) [for] He is aware of the [most] stealthy glance,
and of all that the hearts would conceal.1415 (J) -»>*—
(20) And God will judge in accordance with truth
and justice, whereas those [beings] whom they invoke
beside Him” cannot judge at all: for, verily, God
i-il* Jy'Nj bj^* J•
alone is all-hearing, all-seeing.
(21) Have they, then, never journeyed about the b^’b f-r; f b^ b'^'cc^
earth and beheld what happened in the end to those
[deniers of the truth] who lived before their time? (—rjij; j
Greater were they in power than they are, and in the
impact which they left on earth: but God took them C—î-K ^•*1 pi/1* pt-L —Ä a cff) ^b

to task for their sins, and they had none to defend (£) âî b/iö
them against God: (22) this, because their apostles
had come to them with all evidence of the truth, and QaâÎJI <$) ÿr* .xr
yet they rejected it: and so God took them to task-
for, verily, He is powerful, severe in retribution!

(23) THUS, INDEED, did We send Moses with Our mes­

sages and a manifest authority [from Us] (24) unto
Pharaoh, and Hämän, and Qärün;16 but they [only]

11 Lit., “He of the throne of almightiness“. For the meaning of the term 'arsh, see note 43 on
7:54.
12 Lit., “the Day of the Meeting“. - For my rendering of ar-rüh as “inspiration”, see note 2 on
16:2, as well as note 71 on 2:87.
13 Regarding the problem of “intercession“ (shafä'ah) and its meaning in the Qur'an, see note
7 on 10:3.
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. sürah 10, note 27).
15 I.e., saints, whether real or imaginary, or angels. (The pronoun alladhina is used only with
reference to sentient beings endowed with reason.)
16 As regards QfirQn, who is said to have been a follower-and subsequently an opponent-of
Moses, see 28:76 If., as well as the corresponding note 84. For a discussion of the name “Hâmàn”,
see note 6 on 28:6.

720
said, "A spellbinder is he, a liar!”
(25) 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,1718 20
19
and spare [only] their women!”-but the guile of
those deniers of the truth could not lead to aught but
failure.
(26) And Pharaoh said: “Leave it to me to slay L-li ($) <_,!$y Im
Moses-and let him invoke his [alleged] sustainer!"
sÇî y b Uup
Behold, I fear lest he cause you to change your
religion, or lest he cause corruption to prevail in the
land!”
(27) But Moses said: “With [Him who is] my Sus­ try J»1 Jü
tainer as well as your Sustainer have I indeed found
refuge from everyone who, immersed in false pride, (3) XLVj’Vr
will not believe in [the coming of] the Day of Reckon­
ing!”
(28) At that, a believing man of Pharaoh’s family,
who [until then] had concealed his faith," exclaimed:
“Would you slay a man because he says, *God is my j JyL jl jjLL* ) ^4? ■À
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 ù[ y.*« uäS cl j
man of truth, something [of the punishment] whereof
he warns you is bound to befall you: for, verily, God ü*
would not grace with His guidance one who has
wasted his own self by lying [about Him].10
(29) “O my people! Yours is the dominion today, uj CJ J U L JB ÛU 4 uT
[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 ji> <£) <J»u'
see myself;21 and I would never make you follow any
path but that of rectitude!”
(30) 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]-(31) the like of what
happened to Noah’s people, and to [the tribes of] *Äd

17 Lit., “those who have come to believe with him”.

18 My interpolation of the word “alleged” is necessitated by the obvious sarcasm of Pharaoh’s
remark.
19 Cf. the parable of the believer in 36:20-27 and, in particular, the corresponding note 15.
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.
21 Thus alluding to the reasons underlying his intention to kill Moses, expressed in verse 26.

721
 SÜRAH
GHÄFIR

and Thamüd and those who came after them! And,

withal, God does not will any wrong for His crea­
tures.22
(32) “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] - (33) the
Day when you will [wish to] turn your backs and flee,
having none to defend you against God: for he whom ($> aûjl pi piL j (g) jÇJ
God lets go astray can never find any guide.23
(34) “And [remember:] it was to you that Joseph
came aforetime with all evidence of the truth; but you
never ceased to throw doubt on all [the messages] ($> y*
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 revela­ ô yT ($) j» S* &
tions] - (35) such as would call God’s messages in 4«! X* LÎ- jX pL*l jwa dJ
question without having any evidence therefor:25 [a
sin] exceedingly loathsome in the sight of God and of yT

those who have attained to faith. It is in this way that

U}-» J jlij (ff) jL»-
God sets a seal on every arrogant, self-exalting
heart.”26
(36) But Pharaoh said: “O Hâmân! Build me a lofty Ji 31
tower, that haply I may attain to the [right] means - *4^ jjrj «ÎBj Jl t
(37) 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!” Jr*'«ZjjfrJö
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.
(38) Still, the man who had attained to faith went
on: “O my people! Follow me: I shall guide you onto

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.
23 See note 152 on 7:186 and note 4 on 14:4.
24 Thus not only refusing to acknowledge Joseph’s prophethood, but also denying the pos­
sibility of any prophet being sent by God (ZamakhsharT). 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. sürah 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.
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 jädaia
primarily denotes “he argued"; followed by the particle fî (“with regard to" or “about") it has the
meaning of “contesting" the truth of something, or “calling it in question".
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.
27 See sürah 28, notes 6 and 37.

722
 the path of rectitude!
(39) “O my people! This worldly life is but a brief
enjoyment, whereas, behold, the life to come is the
home abiding. (40) [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 Jf Ç Jfcr (£) j’>ÎT
(41) “And, O my people, how is it29 that I summon
you to salvation, the while you summon me to the ùjU-ïéljJjü
fire? (42) - [for] you call upon me to deny [the one­
ness of] God and to ascribe a share in His divinity to
aught of which I cannot [possibly] have any knowl­
edge,30 the while I summon you to [a cognition of] * (S> J» J[
the Almighty, the All-Forgiving!
(43) “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 Ji J X, Cy'jT J ^4
who have wasted their own selves shall find them­
Jj»l u X-» ifîr) jUÎ f (j*/—jlj
selves in the fire: (44) and at that time you will [have
cause to] remember what I am telling you [now]. (£) âî 4
“But [as for me,] I commit myself unto God: for,
verily, God sees ail that is in [the hearts of] His Ja», bk?* ûfajj*
servants.”
(45) And God preserved him from the evil of their '>■* Qr«jw.jUÎ kJjJ!

scheming, whereas suffering vile was to encompass rtV) «-AUaJÎ Xil JK Ipi-a' «LJÎ pÂT
Pharaoh’s folk: (46) the fire [of the hereafter - that
fire] which they had been made to contemplate [in J jt-iN JjjLi jUÎ j jj>-Tîe
vain], morning and evening:31 for on the Day when
(3» £: ja £14
the Last Hour dawns [God will say], “Make Phar­
aoh’s folk enter upon suffering most severe!”

(47) 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

28 I.e., beyond any earthly imagination. The concept of rizq (expressed in the verb yurzaqûn)
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 yurzaqûn (lit., “they will be
given sustenance") as “they shall be blest with good”.
29 Lit., "what is the matter with me”: an expression of astonishment at the incongruity of the
two attitudes referred to in the sequence.
30 I.e., because there is no reality whatsoever in those supposedly "divine” beings or forces
(Zamakhsharï).
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.
723
 SÛRAH
GHÄFIR

our] share of this fire?”32-(48) [to which] they who

had [once] been arrogant will reply, “Behold, we are
all in it [together]! Verily, God has judged between
His creatures!”
(49) 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 $ ui yf J«
suffering of ours!” Jÿîj jCJÏ j y ! Jib (g) oÇjjf
(50) [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, Uj IjPj&IpU Ipli
“Pray, then!”34-for the prayer of those who deny the
truth cannot lead to aught but delusion. U[(£) j

(j) jÇîV! fji3

(51) BEHOLD, We shall indeed succour Our apostles and
those who have attained to faith, [both] in this ISIuTçJlj fM
world’s life and on the Day when all the witnesses
shall stand up35-(52) the Day when their excuses will UbÄ <$> b-*
be of no avail to the evildoers, seeing that their lot
will be rejection from all that is good, and a woeful <2>
hereafter.36
(53) And, indeed, We bestowed aforetime [Our]
guidance on Moses, and [thus] made the children of
Israel heirs to the divine writ [revealed to him] (54) as
a [means of] guidance and a reminder for those who
were endowed with insight:37 (55) hence, remain thou

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

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.
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 (Jalâl) 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.
35 See note 71 on 39:69.
36 Lit., “the evil of the [otherworldly] abode". As regards the term la'nah, its primary
significance is “estrangement” or “rejection”; in Qur’anic terminology it denotes “rejection from
all that is good” (Lisän al-Arab) and, specifically, “estrangement from God's grace”
(Zamakhshari).
37 Sc., “and thus, too, have We bestowed Our revelation upon Mufiammad". 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’än that this divine writ, too, is for “those who are endowed with insight" (ülu 'l-albäb),

724
 40
FORGIVING
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
(56) Behold, as for those who call God’s messages <j[ (g) sJjVt
in question without having any evidence therefor3940 - (g) '-kj4*^
in their hearts is nothing but overweening self-con­
ceit, which they will never be able to satisfy:** seek J6« al
thou, then, refuge with God - for, verily, He alone is
all-hearing, all-seeing! at
(57) 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]. (g>
(58) 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! (g) jCb 1^»
(59) Verily, the Last Hour is sure to come: of this
there is no doubt; yet most men will not believe it.42 j* >5 ùsL* □ Ji!
(60) But your Sustainer says: “Call unto Me, [and] I
shall respond to you!43 Verily, they who are too .X-J 5^
proud to worship Me will enter hell, abased!’’

(61) 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.
(62) Such is God, your Sustainer, the Creator of all

for “people who think” (qawm yatafakkarün), and “people who use their reason” (qawm
ya'qilun).
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.
39 See note 25 above.
40 Lit., “which they will never (be able to] reach” or “fulfil”. 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 96:6-7, which is one of the earliest Qur’anic 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.)
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’än points out the absurdity of the man-centred world-view alluded to
in the preceding verse.
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.
43 Cf. 2:186.
44 See note 77 on 27 : 86.

725
 SÜRAH
GHÄFIR

that exists: there is no deity save Him.

How perverted, then, are your minds!45
(63) [For] thus it is: perverted are the minds of
those who knowingly reject God’s messages.46
(64) 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.
(ff) jj «ill'ür
Such is God, your Sustainer: hallowed, then, is
God, the Sustainer of all the worlds!
(65) 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
Ji V
of all the worlds!
(66) Say: “Since all evidence of the truth has come (ff) (jjJbJÎt-»j 4» -ulf 4
to me from my Sustainer, I am forbidden to worship
[any of] those beings whom you invoke instead of J* •
God; and I am bidden to surrender myself to the
Sustainer of all the worlds.’’ ûj jXLÎ ù‘ jtU U
(67) 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; f o- j* (ff) CeJbJl
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],4950
51and that you might [learn ($) Qjli*' **>*<►'
to] use your reason.
(68) It is He who grants life and deals death; and J' <$>
when He wills a thing to be, He but says unto it,
“Be” - and it is. ($> J’ &
(69) ART THOU NOT aware of how far they who call
God’s messages in question have lost sight of the
truth?30-(70) they who give the lie to this divine writ
and [thus] to all [the messages] with which We sent
forth Our apostles [of old]?31
But in time they will come to know [how blind they

45 Sc., “O you who deny this truth!’’ For my above rendering of tu'fakün, see note 90 on the
last sentence of 5:75.
46 See surah 29, note 45.
47 I.e., in accordance with the exigencies of human life. See also note 9 on the first sentence of
7:11.
48 See note 4 on 23:12.
49 Or: “a term known [only to Him]”-cf. 6:2 and the corresponding note 2.
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.
51 Since, as the Qur’än 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.

726
 40
FORGIVING

have been: they will know it on Judgment Day], (71)

when they shall have to carry the shackles and chains
[of their own making] around their necks,52 and are
dragged (72) into burning despair, and in the end
become fuel for the fire [of hell].53
(73) And then they will be asked: “Where now are
those [powers] to which you were wont to ascribe
divinity (74) side by side with God?”
They will, answer: “They have forsaken us - or,
rather, what we were wont to invoke aforetime did O jLJÏ j f j (g)
not exist at all!”54
[And they will be told:] “It is thus that God lets the
deniers of the truth go astray:5556(75) this is an out­
come of your having arrogantly exulted on earth
without any [concern for what is] right, and of your
having been so full of self-conceit! (76) Enter [now]
the gates of hell, therein to abide: and how vile an (J) OrALei jïîJ*; jyiAJ

abode for all who are given to false pride!”

(77) HENCE, remain thou patient in adversity - for. jîjum

verily, God’s promise always comes true. And
whether We show thee [in this world] something of S U-> 'Xjl ?

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 bf âf Ju j» jé'ûj JLJc
they will be brought back.54
(78) 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

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.
53 Thus Mujahid (as quoted by Tabari) explains the verb yusjarûn. As regards my rendering of
hamîm as “burning despair", see sürah 6, note 62.
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.
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.
56 See the almost identical passage in 10:46, as well as the corresponding notes 66 and 67.
57 I.e., in the Qur’än.
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’än-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".
727
 SÜRAH
GHÄFIR

Yet when God’s will becomes manifest,5960 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].“
(79) It is God who [at all times works wonders for
you:61 thus, He] provides for you [all manner of] j-*-3 </*' I»
livestock, so that on some of them you may ride, and
from some derive your food, (80) and find [yet other] _£J J-«>- âï
benefits in them;62 and that through them you may Zx X x*xx. '> " ' •L" '
attain to the fulfilment of [many] a heartfelt need:63 IfU. ($)

for on them, as on ships, you are borne [through life]. © QA*eiüîjéjÇx, j

(81) And [thus] He displays His wonders before
you: which, then, of God’s wonders can you still
deny?
(82) HAVE THEY, then, never journeyed about the earth
LJ j*jVi j y* i*> 1/^
and beheld what happened in the end to those
[deniers of the truth] who lived before their time? fX-j Û* <z>
More numerous were they, and greater in power than
they are, and in the impact which they left on earth: fTj ûc r*A A ‘tAA
but all that they ever achieved was of no avail to
them - (83) for when their apostles came to them with
all evidence of the truth, they arrogantly exulted in
whatever knowledge they [already] possessed:6465 66and "P <£> 3^* uh
[so, in the end,] they were overwhelmed by the very
thing which they were wont to deride.63
(84) And then, when they [clearly] beheld Our
punishment,“ they said: “We have come to believe in
the One God, and we have renounced all belief in that

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.
60 I.e., in this case, divine revelation as such. For the above rendering of al-mubfilün, see note
47 on the last sentence of 29 : 48.
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.)
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 : 6-8, as well as Solomon's reverence for
the God-created beauty of horses expressed in 38:31-33) or the all-time companionship of man
and dog symbolized in the legend of the Men of the Cave (18:18 and 22).
63 Lit., “a need in your bosoms’’ [or “hearts’’]: i.e., a genuine need.
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.
65 I.e., the idea of God’s existence and inescapable judgment: see 6:10 and the corresponding
note 9.
66 I.e., the God-willed, catastrophic breakdown of their society and civilization in consequence
of their persistent rejection of all spiritual values.

728
40 FORGIVING

to which we were wont to ascribe a share in His

divinity!”*7
(85) But their attaining to faith after they had •X C#x-xC> «x,»x xSAxx/x

beheld Our punishment could not possibly benefit

them67 -such being the way of God that has always
6869 (£) ùjyilCjT «U U» j Su
obtained for His creatures - : and so, then and there,
lost were they who had denied the truth.49

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”.
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.
69 The “way of God” (sunnat Allah) is the Qur’anic 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.
 ' THE FORTY-FIRST SÜRAH

FUSSILAT (CLEARLY SPELLED OUT)

MECCA PERIOD

EVEALED immediately after the preceding sürah, this one continues the theme begun in the
R latter: man’s reasoned acceptance or wilful rejection of divine revelations.
The title is derived from the verb fu^ilat occurring in verse 3, where it relates to the ‘clearly
spelled-out” messages of the Qur’än.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) Hä. Mïm.'

(2)rpHE BESTOWAL from on high [of this reve-

1 lation] issues from the Most Gracious, the Dis­
penser of Grace: (3) a divine writ, the messages ----------------------------
whereof have been clearly spelled out as a discourse
in the Arabic tongue12 for people of [innate] knowl­ (T) J* Ji/7 O
edge, (4) to be a herald of glad tidings as well as a
(T) ^>2 C.-y- 13»^-* c'«*
warning.
And yet, [whenever this divine writ is offered to (J) N (H» 'jH
men,] most of them turn away, so that they cannot
hear [its message];3 (5) and so they say, [as it were:] C'ait □ J îÿjé Cê jIU Â-i'X
“Our hearts are veiled from whatever thou cal lest us
to, [O Muhammad,] and in our ears is deafness, and (J) jjlc* C[ JZU CLj. j Û1

between us and thee is a barrier.45Do, then, [whatever

thou wilt, whereas,] behold, we shall do [as we have ’J| £ji Gi JI ££%ÜiGfi ji
always done]!“
(6) Say thou, [O Prophet:] “I am but a mortal like
you.3 It has been revealed to me that your God is the

1 See Appendix II.

2 See 12:2 and the corresponding note 3.
3 The “people of [innate] knowledge" mentioned in the preceding verse are obviously those
who understand the spiritual purport of this divine writ and, therefore, submit to its guidance:
hence, it cannot be “most of them" who are referred to in the above phrase and in the next verse,
but, on the contrary, people who are devoid of such knowledge and to whom, in consequence, the
Qur’än is meaningless. This elliptically implied differentation - overlooked by almost all of the
commentators (with perhaps the sole exception of Ibn KathTr)-can only be brought out by means
of an interpolation at the beginning of the sentence.
4 For this rendering of the term hijab, see note 36 on the first sentence of 7:46. See also 6:25.
The “saying" of those who turn away from the message of the Qur’än is, of course, figurative,
describing only their attitude.
5 Cf. 6:50 and the corresponding note 38.

730
 SÜRAH 41
CLEARLY SPELLED OUT

One God: go, then, straight towards Him and seek

His forgiveness!”
And woe unto those who ascribe divinity to aught
beside Him, (7) [and] those who do not spend in
charity: for it is they, they who [thus] deny the truth
of the life to come!6
(8) [But,] verily, they who have attained to faith
(T)
and do good works shall have a reward unending!
(U iJLzj t
(9) SAY: “Would you indeed deny Him who has created
the earth in two aeons?78And do you claim that there Ju. ji» ji # (T)
is any power that could rival Him,’ the Sustainer of
all the worlds?”
(10) For He [it is who, after creating the earth,] Ä-b j. Q
placed firm mountains on it, [towering] above its
surface, and bestowed [so many] blessings on it, and O éoÿj £ Lu'S ‘
equitably apportioned9 its means of subsistence to all
who would seek it: [and all this He created] in four 3 ÛL JÄ ùC »UJ14
aeons.10
(11) And11 He [it is who] applied His design to the 0 ç-iljé cÿjî
skies, which were [yet but] smoke;1213and He [it is
who] said to them and to the earth, “Come [into
being], both of you, willingly or unwillingly!”-to
which both responded, “We do come in obedience.” ”
6 Belief in God’s oneness and charitableness towards one's fellow-men are two cardinal demands
of Islam. Conversely, a deliberate offence against either of these two demands amounts to a denial
of man’s responsibility before God and hence, by implication, of a continuation of life in the
hereafter. (For my rendering of zakäh, in this context, as “charity”, see sürah 2, note 34. It is to be
borne in mind that the application of this term to the obligatory tax incumbent on Muslims dates
from the Medina period, whereas the present sürah is a Meccan revelation.)
7 For the above rendering of the term yawm (lit., “day”), as “aeon”, see last third of note 43 on
7:54. As in so many verses of the Qur’än which relate to cosmic events, the repeated mention of
the “six aeons” during which the universe was created - “two” of which, according to the above
verse, were taken by the evolution of the inorganic universe, including the earth-has a purely
allegorical import: in this case, I believe, an indication that the universe did not exist “eternally”
but had a definite beginning in time, and that it required a definite time-lapse to evolve to its
present condition.
8 Lit., “do you give Him compeers (andâd)?" For an explanation, see note 13 on 2:22.
9 I.e., in accordance with divine justice, and not with human concepts of “equity” or “need”.
10 Almost all the classical commentators agree in that these “four aeons” include the “two**
mentioned in the preceding verse: hence my interpolation of the words “and all this He created”.
Together with the “two aeons” of verse 12, the entire allegorical number comes to six.
11 Whenever the particle thumma is used, as in the above instance, to link parallel statements -
i.e., statements not necessarily indicating a sequence in time-it has the function of a simple
conjunction, and may be rendered as “and”.
12 I.e., a gas - evidently hydrogen gas, which physicists regard as the primal element from
which all material particles of the universe have evolved and still evolve. For the meaning of the
term samä* (“sky” or “skies” or “heaven”) in its cosmic connotation, see note 20 on 2:29.
13 Explaining this passage, Zamakhsharî observes: “The meaning of God's command to the
skies and the earth to ’come’, and their submission [to His command] is this: He willed their
coming into being, and so they came to be as He willed them to be... : and this is the kind of
metaphor (majäz) which is called ’allegory’ (tamrhil).... Thus, the purport [of this passage] is but

731
 (12) And He [it is who] decreed that they become
seven heavens’4 in two aeons, and imparted unto each
heaven its function. And We adorned the skies
nearest to the earth with lights, and made them
secure:'5 such is the ordaining of the Almighty, the
All-Knowing. fj ü OljLe*

(13) BUT IF they turn away,*1415 16say: “I warn you of [the jrJûJ Uà** j L>'u}T»L«_jT
coming of] a thunderbolt of punishment17 like the
thunderbolt [that fell upon the tribes] of cÄd and jppsîJ-1» 3^ 0
Thamûd!”'819
(14) Lo! There came unto them [God’s] apostles,
j) ijIK at 'tfl pçx I
speaking of what lay open before them and what was
[still] beyond their ken,” [and calling unto them,]
“Worship none but God!”
They answered: “If our Sustainer had willed [us to Ijllij j £ LG
believe in what you say], He would have sent down
angels [as His message-bearers]20. As it is, behold, we I» jkii- 4»ï j* bx J J ' *J-» •A-i*
deny that there is any truth in what you [claim to]
have been sent with!” LX*jG (ff) UäLU, } iji Xil
(15) Now as for [the tribe of] *Äd, they walked X xx . >x >. x J .«» . Zx.x Z .
arrogantly on earth, [offending] against all right, and «.«U» p j'J I□

saying, “Who could have a power greater than ours?”

Why-were they, then, not aware that God, who
created them, had a power greater than theirs?
But they went on rejecting Our messages; (16) and
thereupon We let loose upon them a stormwind ra-
an illustration (tafwif) of the effect of His almighty power on all that is willed (by Him], and
nothing else...(It is obvious that ZamakhsharT’s reasoning is based on the oft-repeated Qur’anic
statement, “When God wills a thing to be. He but says unto it, ‘Be’-and it is.”) Concluding his
interpretation of the above passage, Zamaksharï adds: “If I am asked about the meaning of (the
words] ‘willingly or unwillingly ’, I say that it is a figurative expression (mathal) indicating that His
almighty will must inevitably take effect.”
14 I.e., a multiplicity of cosmic systems (cf. note 20 on 2:29).
15 Cf. 15:16-18 and the corresponding notes 16 and 17; also 37: 6ff.
16 This connects with the opening sentence of verse 9 above: “Would you indeed deny Him
who has created...”, etc.
17 See note 40 on 2:55.
18 For the story of these two ancient tribes, see 7 : 65-79 and the corresponding notes, in
particular 48 and 56; also 26:123-158.
19 Lit., “from between their hands and from behind them”: i.e., reminding them of something
that was known to them - namely, what happened to sinners like themselves who lived before their
time - and warning them of what was bound to happen in the future to them, too, if they persisted
in their denial of the truth (Al-Hasan al-Ba$rT, as quoted by Zamakhsharï). However, it is possible
to understand the above phrase (which has been explained in note 247 on 2 : 255) in yet another, more
direct way: God’s message-bearers pointed out to those sinning communities something that
should have been obvious to them (lit., “between their hands”) - namely, their patently wrong
attitude in their worldly, social concerns and moral concepts-as well as the unreasonableness of
their denying something that was still beyond their ken (lit., “behind them”): namely, life after
death and God’s ultimate judgment.
20 Cf. 6:8-9and 15:7.

732
41
CLEARLY SPELLED OUT

ging through days of misfortune,21 so as to give them,

in the life of this world, a foretaste of suffering
through humiliation: but [their] suffering in the life to
come will be far more humiliating, and they will have
none to succour them.
(17) And as for [the tribe of] Thamüd, We offered
them guidance, but they chose blindness in pre­ c5>' t—Z7-JÎ j
ference to guidance: and so the thunderbolt of shame­
ful suffering fell upon them as an outcome of all [the <$) 'î ç-ik,

evil] that they had wrought; (18) and We saved [only]

those who had attained to faith and were conscious of
Us. ’A yT ($>
(19) Hence, [warn all men of] the Day when the
enemies of God shall be gathered together before the
fire, and then shall be driven onward, (20) till, when
they come close to it, their hearing and their sight and r-e** f?16 V u S*- <S> °-***
their [very] skins will bear witness against them,
speaking of what they were doing [on earth]. y**, (^) ys'Lx
(21) And they will ask their skins, “Why did you jW alLikî yu Çk Jr’-çi
bear witness against us?” - [and] these will reply:
“God, who gives speech to all things, has given O •/* J? yj >j- JT
speech to us [as well]: for He [it is who] has created Xr-“1 J
you in the first instance-and unto Him you are [now]
brought back. (22) And you did not try to hide [your
sins] lest your hearing or your sight or your skins
bear witness against you: nay, but you thought that
God did not know much of what you were doing -
(23) and that very thought which you thought about
your Sustainer has brought you to perdition, and so
now you find yourselves among the lost!”
(24) And then, [even] if they endure [their lot] in r-çjj c« u f-x f-x •
patience, the fire will still be their abode;22 and if they
pray to be allowed to make amends, they will not be
allowed to do so:23 (25) for [when they became obli­
vious of Us,] We assigned to them [their own evil
impulses as their] other selves,2425and these made
appear goodly to them whatever lay open before
them and whatever was beyond their ken.23

21 See 69:6-8.
22 Sc., “unless God wills to reprieve them": see the last paragraph of 6:128 and the
corresponding note 114; also the hadith quoted in note 10 on 40:12.
23 Lit., “they will not be of those who are allowed to make amends”: an allusion to the request
of the doomed, on the Day of Judgment, to be granted a “second chance” on earth, and to God s
refusal of this request (cf. 6 : 27-28 and 32:12).
24 Or: “soul-mates” (cf. 4:38). The verb qarana, from which the noun qann is derived,
signifies “he linked” or “intimately associated" or “yoked together [one thing with another] . Cf.
43:36-“as for anyone who chooses to remain blind to the remembrance of the Most Gracious, to
him We assign an [enduring] evil impulse [lit., “a satan"], to become his other self .
25 Lit., “that which was between their hands and that which was behind them : i.e., their own

733
 SÜRAH
FU$$ILAT

And so, the sentence [of doom] will have fallen due
upon them together with the [other sinful] com­
munities of invisible beings26 and humans that passed
away before their time: verily, they [all] will indeed
be lost!
(26) NOW THOSE who are bent on denying the truth say
[unto one another]: “Do not listen to this Qur’an, but <S> f-r I
rather talk frivolously about it, so that you might gain
the upper hand!”27 *** ILJLX 'j**—* "y
(27) But We shall most certainly give those who are
[thus] bent on denying the truth a taste of suffering
severe, and We shall most certainly requite them
according to the worst of their deeds! (28) That (W)
requital of God’s enemies will be the fire [of the
hereafter]: in it will they have an abode of un­
measurable duration as an outcome of their having Jl»j LjIL l±»
knowingly rejected Our messages.28
(29) And they who [in their life on earth] were bent
on denying the truth will [thereupon] exclaim: “O our ($)
Sustainer! Show us those of the invisible beings and
humans that have led us astray:29 we shall trample yï V & é'j'ijiï
them underfoot, so that they shall be the lowest of
all!”30 (£) j* y yy ' yr» j
(30) [But,] behold, as for those who say, “Our
Sustainer is God,” and then steadfastly pursue the ££ X iOJ j >
right way - upon them do angels often descend, [say­ y i' ; q jtç
ing:] “Fear not and grieve not, but receive the glad
tiding of that paradise which has been promised to
you! (31) We are close unto you in the life of this
world and [will be so] in the life to come; and in that
[life to come] you shall have ail that your souls may
desire, and in it you shall have all that you ever

evil impulses (which had become their “other selves”, as it were) made alluring to them the
unrestrained enjoyment, without any moral discrimination, of all the worldly attractions which lay
open before them, causing them, at the same time, to dismiss as an illusion the idea of resurrection
and of God’s judgment - thus giving them a false sense of security with regard to something that
was beyond their ken.
26 For this rendering - and the meaning - of the term jinn, see Appendix III.
in This is an allusion to efforts aimed at discrediting the Qur’an by describing it as “invented”
by Muhammad for his own - personal and political - ends, as a series of “misunderstood quo­
tations" from earlier scriptures, as the result of “hallucinations”, and so forth: all of which implies
that the opponents of the Qur’anic message instinctively feel its force, realizing at the same time
that it endangers their self-complacent, materialistic outlook on life and ought, therefore, to be
combatted. This explains the statement, at the end of verse 28, that they “knowingly reject”
God’s messages.
28 For the above rendering of the verb jahada, see sürah 29, note 45.
29 See 6:112-“against every prophet We have set up as enemies the evil forces (shayâfîn)
from among humans as well as from among invisible beings”-and the corresponding note 98.
30 Cf. 7:38.

734
41
CLEARLY SPELLED OUT
prayed for, (32) as a ready welcome from Him who is
much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace!”
(33) And who could be better of speech than he
who calls [his fellow-men] unto God, and does what
is just and right, and says, ‘‘Verily, I am of those who
have surrendered themselves to God”?
(34) But [since] good and evil cannot be equal,
repel thou [evil] with something that is better3' - and lo!
he between whom and thyself was enmity [may then ù; J'*-’
become] as though he had [always] been close [unto
thee], a true friend!
(35) Yet [to achieve] this is not given to any but Jc lj, jjf
j Z j
those who are wont to be patient in adversity: it is not
given to any but those endowed with the greatest y • V’0
good fortune!
(36) Hence, if it should happen that a prompting
from Satan stirs thee up [to blind anger], seek refuge it J- •
with God: behold, He alone is all-hearing, ail-
knowing!31 32 b ^$'3 3^3 j-jî
(37) Now among His signs are the night and the
day, as well as the sun and the moon: [hence,] adore •4 j’ a nS
not the sun or the moon, but prostrate yourselves in
adoration before God, who has created them - if it is
Him whom you [really] worship.33 I <£) y J -jj*—*
(38) And though some be too proud [to listen to this
call], they who [in their hearts] are with thy Sustainer
extol His limitless glory by night and by day, and
never grow weary [thereof].
S'jJ3;£*îtLJïÇ£
(39) For among His signs is this: thou seest the SjLx yt j> jrg
earth lying desolate-and lo! when We send down
water upon it, it stirs and swells [with life]! Verily, He r‘ y jû( j Çk && □
who brings it to life can surely give life to the dead
[of heart as well]: for, behold, He has the power to
will anything.34

31 See note 44 on 13:22. In the present instance, the injunction to ‘‘repel [evil] with something
that is better” relates to scurrilous objections to, and hostile criticism of, the Qur’an. The whole of
this passage (verses 33 ff.) connects with verse 26.
32 I.e., He alone sees what is in the hearts of men, and He alone understands the innermost
motivations, of which they themselves are unconscious, of those who criticize the Qur’än
adversely. - See 7:199-200 and the corresponding notes, especially note 164.
33 This, according to RäzT, connects with the phrase “calling [one’s fellow-men] unto God”
in verse 33 above. God is the sole cause and source of all that exists: and whatever exists is but a
wondrous sign of His creative pôwer. Hence, it is a blasphemy - apart from being unreasonable -
to ascribe real power (which is the meaning of “adoration” in this context) to anything created,
whether it be a concrete phenomenon, or an abstract force of nature, or a set of circumstances, or
even an idea.
34 Although the allusion to the reviving earth often occurs in the Qur’än as a parable of man’s
ultimate resurrection, in the present context (and in tune with the entire passage comprising
verses 33-39) it appears to be an illustration of God’s power to bestow spiritual life upon hearts
that have hitherto remained closed to the truth of His existence and omnipotence. Hence, it

735
 SÜRAH
FU$$ILAT

(40) VERILY, they who distort the meaning of Our mes­

sages are not hidden from Us: hence, which [of the
two] will be in a better state - he that is [destined to
be] cast into the fire, or he that shall come secure
[before Us] on Resurrection Day?
Do what you will: verily, He sees all that you do.
(41) Verily, they who are bent on denying the truth
of this reminder as soon as it comes to them - [they t_c L

are the losers]: for, behold, it is a sublime divine writ:

(42) no falsehood can ever attain to it openly, and
neither in a stealthy manner,35 [since it is] bestowed £ £ S- jkjf
from on high by One who is truly wise, ever to be
praised. JILU (J) J* Jjjw
(43) [And as for thee, O Prophet,] nothing is being
said to thee but what was said to all [of God’s]
apostles before thy time.36 yûj lJi JjJ
Behold, thy Sustainer is indeed full of forgiveness - . rZ
but He has also the power to requite most grie­ üJUI y*JJ -«Lit CL» yp
vously!
(44) Now if We had willed this [divine writ] to be a
discourse in a non-Arabic tongue, they [who now
reject it] would surely have said, “Why is it that its
messages have not been spelled out clearly?37 Why -
[a message in] a non-Arabic tongue, and [its bearer]
an Arab?”
Say: “Unto all who have attained to faith, this
[divine writ] is a guidance and a source of health; but

implies a call to the believer never to abandon the hope that “those who deny the truth” may one
day grasp the truth of the Qur’anic message.
35 Lit., “neither from between its hands, nor from behind it”, i.e., it cannot be openly changed
by means of additions or omissions (Râzï), and neither surreptitiously, by hostile or deliberately
confusing interpretations. The above is one of the Qur’anic passages on which the great com­
mentator Abfl Muslim al-I$fahânï (as quoted by Râzï) bases his absolute rejection of the theory of
“abrogation” (for which see note 87 on 2:106). Since the “abrogation” of any Qur’än-verse would
have amounted to its ib(äl - that is, to an open or implied declaration that it was henceforth to be
regarded as null and void - the verse in question would have to be considered “false" (bätil) in the
context of the Qur’än as it is before us: and this, as AbO Muslim points out, would clearly
contradict the above statement that “no falsehood (bäfil) can ever attain to it”.
36 This is an allusion to the allegation of the Prophet’s opponents that he himself was the
“author” of what he claimed to be a divine revelation, as well as to their demand that he should
“prove” the truth of his prophetic mission by producing a miracle: a scornful attitude with which
all the earlier prophets had been confronted at one time or another, and which is epitomized in the
“saying” of the unbelievers mentioned in verse 5 of this sûrah.
37 Sc., “in a tongue which we can understand”. Since the Prophet was an Arab and lived in an
Arabian environment, his message had to be expressed in the Arabic language, which the people
to whom it was addressed in the first instance could understand: see in this connection note 72 on
the first sentence of 13:37, as well as the first half of 14:4-“never have We sent forth any
apostle otherwise than [with a message] in his own people’s tongue, so that he might make [the
truth] clear unto them”. Had the message of the Qur’än been formulated in a language other than
Arabic, the opponents of the Prophet would have been justified in saying, “between us and thee is
a barrier” (verse 5 of this sûrah).

736
 41
CLEARLY SPELLED OUT

as for those who will not believe - in their ears is

deafness, and so it remains obscure to them: they are
[like people who are] being called from too far
away.38
(45) Thus, too, have We vouchsafed revelation unto
Moses aforetime, and thereupon disputes arose about
it.39 And [then, as now,] had it not been for a decree
that had already gone forth from thy Sustainer, all
would indeed have been decided between them [from j*J »Liij ifJ»
the outset].40 As it is, behold, they [who will not
believe in this divine writ] are in grave doubt,
amounting to suspicion, about what it portends.41

(46) WHOEVER does what is just and right, does so for ^^r-rb r-H-. ^4-^
his own good; and whoever does evil, does so to his
(J)
own hurt: and never does God do the least wrong to
His creatures.
(47) In Him alone is vested the knowledge of when
the Last Hour will come. And no fruit bursts forth Jr k, 1 jr ^5-* Jr
from its calyx, and no female ever conceives, nor
ever gives birth, save with His knowledge.
And so, on the Day when He shall call out to them,
“Where, now, are those [alleged] partners of Mine?”
-they will [surely] answer, “We confess unto Thee
that none of us can bear witness [to anyone’s having
a share in Thy divinity]!” (48) And so, all that they <zjM »"l" Jr
were wont to invoke aforetime will have forsaken • llyi Jbu & jçJj (J)
them; and they shall know for certain that there is no
escape for them.

(49) MAN NEVER TIRES of asking for the good [things

of life]; and if evil fortune touches him,'he abandons
all hope,42 giving himself up to despair.
(50) Yet whenever We let him taste some of Our
grace after hardship has visited him, he is sure to say.

38 Lit., “from a far-off place”: i.e., they only hear the sound of the words, but cannot
understand their meaning.
39 As was and is the case with the Qur’än, some people accepted the divine message revealed to
Moses, and some rejected it (Zamakhsharï, RäzT), while others disagreed about the import and
application of its tenets (Tabari).
40 For an explanation of this passage, as well as of the above parallel between men’s attitudes
towards the earlier scriptures and the Qur’än, see the second sentence of 10:19 and the
corresponding note 29.
41 Lit., “about it”, i.e., doubts as to whether the Qur’anic approach to problems of man’s spirit
and body-and, in particular, its stress on the essential unity of these twin aspects of human life
(cf. note 118 on the first sentence of 2:143)-is justified or not. In a wider sense, these doubts of
the deniers of the truth relate to the question of whether religion as such is “beneficial” or
“injurious” to human society-a question which is posed and answered by them with a strong bias
against all religious faith.
42 See note 17 on 11:9.

737
 SÜRAH 41
FU$$ILAT

“This is but my due!*’-and, “I do not think that the

Last Hour will ever come:4’ but if [it should come,
and] I should indeed be brought back unto my Sus­
tainer, then, behold, the ultimate good awaits me with
Him!“434445
But [on the Day of Judgment] We shall most cer­
tainly give those who were bent on denying the truth41
c-»?j Cçb J ûW
full understanding of all that they ever did, and shall
most certainly give them [thereby] a taste of suffering
severe.46
(51) And, too, when We bestow Our blessings upon
man, he tends to turn aside and keep aloof [from
remembering Us]; but as soon as evil fortune touches
him, he is full of wordy prayers!47 J* (3)
(52) HAVE YOU given thought [to how you will fare] if
this be truly [a revelation] from God, the while you
deny its truth? Who could be more astray than one fTT**' (T/- ®
who places himself [so] deeply in the wrong?48
(53) In time We shall make them fully understand4950 51
Our messages [through what they perceive] in the
utmost horizons [of the universe] and within them­
selves,10 so that it will become clear unto them that
this [revelation] is indeed the truth. [Still,] is it not
enough [for them to know] that thy Sustainer is
witness unto everything?”
(54) Oh, verily, they are in doubt as to whether they
will meet their Sustainer [on Judgment Day]!
Oh, verily, He encompasses everything!

43 I.e., man is, as a rule, so blinded by his love of this world that he cannot imagine its ever
coming to an end. Implied in this statement is a doubt as to whether there will really be an
afterlife, and whether man will really be judged by God on resurrection.
44 Being fully convinced of his own merit (as expressed in the words, “This is but my due"), he
is confident that-in case there should really be a life after death-his own flattering view of
himself will be confirmed by God.
45 I.e., the truth of resurrection and of God’s judgment.
46 I.e., the realization of the spiritual blindness in which they spent their life will in itself be ■
source of their suffering in the hereafter: cf. 17:72-“whoever is blind [of heart] in this [world]
will be blind in the life to come [as well]’’.
47 Lit., “wide [i.e., prolonged or diffuse] prayers’’.
48 According to RäzT, this is an implied allusion to the attitude of people who-as mentioned in
verses 4 and 5 of this sürah - “tum away’’ from the message of the Qur’ân, saying, as it were:
“Our hearts are veiled from whatever thou callest us to, [O Muhammad,] and in our ears is
deafness, and between us and thee is a barrier.”
49 Lit., “We will show them” or “make them see”.
50 I.e., through a progressive deepening and widening of their insight into the wonders of the
universe as well as through a deeper understanding of man’s own psyche-all of which points to
the existence of a conscious Creator.
51 I.e., that He is almighty and all-seeing: a fundamental truth which, by itself, should be
enough to remind man of his responsibility before Him.

738
 THE FORTY-SECOND SÜRAH

ASH-SHÜRA (CONSULTATION)

MECCA PERIOD

HE BEGINNING and the end of this siirah stress the reality of divine revelation, and the
T fact that all prophets, at all times, preached one and the same essential truth - namely, the
existence and oneness of God - and the same ethical principles: either of which makes it imperative
that all believers in the One God, whatever their historical “denomination", should regard
themselves as “one single community” (see verse 13 and the corresponding note 14, as well as
verse 15). Hence, all divisive speculations about the “nature" of God are “null and void in their
Sustainer’s sight" (verse 16), because “there is nothing like unto Him" (verse 11), and, therefore,
nothing by which to define Him. And because God is undefinable and unfathomable, man cannot
grasp even the real nature of His activity beyond the fact that He has imposed on ail creation the law of
cause and effect - so that in the life to come man will only harvest “what his own hands have wrought"
in this world.
The key-word by which this siirah has always been designated is derived from the phrase shûrâ
baynahum (“consultation among themselves") in verse 36, outlining one of the basic social
principles which ought to characterize the community of true believers.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) Hä. Mîm. (2) cAyn. Sin. Qäf.1

(3) 'T'HUS has God, the Almighty, the Wise, revealed

1 [the truth] unto thee, [O Muhammad,] and unto
those who preceded thee:2
(4) His is all that is in the heavens and all that is on
earth; and most exalted, tremendous is He.
(5) 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 for­
giveness for all who are on earth?
Oh, verily, God alone is truly-forgiving, a dispenser
of grace!
(6) NOW AS FOR those who take aught beside Him for
their protectors - God watches them, and thou art not ' u~ __ _
responsible for their conduct. ■» C1 4^
(7) [Thou art but entrusted with Our message:] and______
1 See Appendix II.
2 I.e., the basic truths propounded in the Qur’anic revelation - some of which are summarized in
the sequence - are the same as those revealed to all the earlier prophets.
3 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” (13:6). See also the first sentence of 10:11 and the corresponding note 17.

739
 SÜRAH
ASH-SHÜRÄ

so We have revealed unto thee a discourse in the

Arabic tongue4 in order that thou mayest warn the
foremost of all cities and all who dwell around it5 - 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. Làj»* f* ^4
(8) Now had God so willed, He could surely have
made them all one single community:6 none the less,
He admits unto His grace him that wills [to be il»-') Jjj (£) jjaJÎJ
admitted]78- whereas the evildoers shall have none to
protect them and none to succour them [on Judgment
Day].
(9) Did they, perchance, [think that they could] J!—
choose protectors other than Him? But God alone is
the Protector [of all that exists], since it is He alone (J) far £ & djR

who brings the dead to life, and He alone who has the
power to will anything.
# <£) Jr/
(10) AND ON WHATEVER you may differ, [O believers,]
the verdict thereon rests with God.6 UJkJ J/
[Say, therefore:] “Such is God, my Sustainer: in
Him have I placed my trust, and unto Him do I
always turn!”
(11) The Originator [is He] of the heavens and the
earth. He has given you mates of your own kind9-
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,

4 Cf. 14:4-“never have We sent forth any apostle otherwise than [with a message] in his own
people’s tongue"; see also note 72 on the first sentence of 13:37.
5 I.e., all mankind (Tabari, BaghawT, RäzT). As regards the designation of Mecca as “the
foremost of all cities", see note 75 on the identical phrase in 6:92.
6 The implication being, “but He has not willed it": see second paragraph of 5:48 and the
corresponding notes 66 and 67; 16:93 and note 116; also note 29 on 10:19.
7 Or: “He admits whomever He wills unto His grace" - similar to the double meaning inherent
in the oft-recurring phrase, Allâhu yahdî man yashä'u wa-yudillu man yashä'u, 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 let go astray him that wills [to go
astray]". See, in particular, ZamakhsharT’s elaborate comment on this problem quoted in note 4 on
the second half of 14:4.
8 This, connecting with the first sentence of verse 8 above, evidently relates to problems of faith
and religious law (BaghawT, ZamakhsharT). 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 (qiyäs) as a means to “establish" points of religious law not
formulated as such in the na^-i.e., the self-evident (fâhir) wording of the Qur’än and, by
obvious implication, of the Prophet’s commandments. This, as RäzT 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 120 on 5:101; also the section on “The Scope of Islamic Law” in my State and
Government, pp. 11-15.)
9 See note 81 on 16:72.

740
 CONSULTATION
all-seeing.1011
(12) 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.”
(13) In matters of faith,12 He has ordained for you i—* o'/LjTjjJU. J ($)

that which He had enjoined upon Noah-and into

which We gave thee [O Muhammad] insight through 0 & jX Jj
revelation13-as well as that which We had enjoined
upon Abraham, and Moses, and Jesus: Steadfastly ^te*J** {A •
uphold the [true] faith, and do not break up your â’ (yx,
unity therein.14
[And even though] that [unity of faith] to which L (> Â yT
thou callest them appears oppressive to those who
are wont to ascribe to other beings or forces a share Cr* j-sH SJ-cj tlfi & 4_J|âT
in His divinity, God draws unto Himself everyone
who is willing, and guides unto Himself everyone
who turns unto Him.
(14) 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].15 And
10 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 88 on 6:100); and since “there is nothing that could be compared with Him" (112:4), even
the “how” of His being “different" from everything else is beyond the categories of human
thought.
11 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".
12 See first paragraph of note 249 on 2:256. Since, as the sequence shows, the term dm 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 66 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
sürah, namely, the unchanging sameness of the spiritual and moral principles underlying all
revealed religions.
13 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”.
14 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., Zamakhsharï. Râzï, Ibn Kathïr) understand this as an unequivocal reference
to the ecumenical unity of all religions based on beiief 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 Cala basab ahwâlihâ)", as
expressed by Zamakhsharf in his comments on the verse under discussion.
15 Lit., “they did not break up their unity until after knowledge had come to them”-i.e., the

741
 SÜRAH
ASH-SHÜRÄ

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].*1617 19As it is,
18
behold, they who have inherited their divine writ
from those who preceded them” are [now] in grave
doubt, amounting to suspicion, about what it por­
tends.”
(15) Because of this, then,1’ summon [all mankind], ï/jj'•
and pursue the right course, as thou hast been bidden
[by God]; and do not follow their likes and dislikes,
but say: LicJfc jjj
“I believe in whatever revelation God has be­
stowed from on high; and I am bidden to bring about
equity in your mutual views.20 God is our Sustainer as lLhGj
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.” û*
(16) And as for those who would [still] argue about
God21 after He has been acknowledged (by them] - alt 0 V-* m

their arguments are null and void in their Sustainer’s kiL jJj Lj û'jjjbjjil» Jÿ' ûl
sight, and upon them will fall [His] condemnation,
and for them is suffering severe in store: (17) [for] it yî 4 <3* 4^
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].22
And for all thou knowest, the Last Hour may well
be near!
(18) Those who do not believe in it [mockingly] ask

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 30 on 23:53).
16 For an explanation of this passage, see note 29 on 10:19.
17 Lit., “who have become heirs to the divine writ after them”: obviously referring to the Bible
and its followers in later times.
18 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.
19 I.e., because of this breach of the original unity of men’s faith in the One God.
20 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.
21 I.e., about His attributes and the “how” of His Being, all of which is beyond the grasp of the
human mind.
22 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.

742
 42_________________________________________ _ ______________________________ CONSULTATION

for its speedy advent23 - whereas 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!

(19) GOD is most kind unto His creatures: He provides

sustenance for whomever He wills-for He alone is
powerful, almighty! <$) j 0,
(20) 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 j V (J) z^Jjt
have no share in [the blessings of] the life to come.2425 A ^-r; * Az
(21) Is it that they [who care for no more than this
world] believe in forces supposed to have a share in H b*/2 b^z2 r^f10 J
God’s divinity,23 which enjoin upon them as a moral
âî^ùjL^JL^jlT^
law something that God has never allowed?26
Now were it not for [God’s] decree on the final (ff) (J ûsJJètfj[j
judgment,27 all would indeed have been decided be*
tween them [in this world]:28 but, verily, grievous Cz^b f-c j*j ’z—

suffering awaits the evildoers [in the life to come].

(22) [In that life to come,] thou wilt see the evil­
doers full of fear at [the thought of] what they have
earned: for [now] it is bound to fall back upon them.
And in the flowering meadows of the gardens [of
paradise thou wilt see] those who have attained to
23 This is not merely a reference to the sarcastic demand of Muhammad’s opponents (men­
tioned several times in the Qur’än) 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.
24 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 all, of
their aims, without having any reason to expect “a share in the blessings” that await the righteous
in the hereafter.
25 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 shurukd’-lit., “partners” or “associates”
[of God] - see note 15 on 6:22.)
26 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 correspond­
ing disregard of all spiritual and ethical values. For my rendering of din, in this context, as “moral
law”, see note 3 on 109:6.
27 Lit., “word of decision”, i.e., that His final judgment shall be postponed until the Day of
Resurrection (see next note).
28 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.

743
 faith and done righteous deeds: all that they might
desire shall they have with their Sustainer: [and] this,
this is the great bounty-(23) that [bounty] whereof
God gives the glad tiding to such of His servants as
attain to faith and do righteous deeds.
Say [O Prophet]: “No reward do I ask of you for ùjtlùu çX cZJj j ijlz,
this [message] other than [that you should] love your
fellow-men.”29 Jß (u) jjXjî JÎaJÏ X*
For, if anyone gains [the merit of] a good deed, We
shall grant him through it an increase of good: and, j*
verily, God is much-forgiving, ever responsive to £ &&

gratitude.
L-!»■ J »y <—»- û/jL
(24) DO THEY, perchance, say, “[Muhammad] has attri­
ôp lÂÂÏjé ôJjL ç I (w) jjCi
buted 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.30
(tF)
Verily, He has full knowledge of what is in the
hearts [of men]; (25) and it is He who accepts repen­ oùLjTj*
tance from His servants, and pardons bad deeds, and
îjILZ-j I>*'• (jr.jjl«yjS-U <3> QjW* ** (KJ
knows all that you do, (26) and responds unto all who
attain to faith and do righteous deeds; and [it is He
3
who, in the life to come,] will give them, out of His
bounty, far more [than they will have deserved], UÏ Xu Jî • (£) Âxi ù*
whereas for the deniers of the truth there is [but]
suffering severe in store., tl—J L jXJL Jjw û
(27) For, if God were to grant [in this world]
J. CJjî
abundant sustenance to [all of] His servants, they
would behave on earth with wanton insolence:31 but
as it is, He bestows [His grace] from on high in due
measure, as He wills: for, verily, He is fully aware of
[the needs of] His creatures, and sees them all.
(28) And it is He who sends down rain after [men]

29 Lit., “love for those who are near (al-qurbä)". Some commentators take this to mean “those
who are near to me”, i.e., Muhammad’s kinsfolk: but quite apart from the objection that such a
“personal” demand would conflict with the preceding assurance, “No reward do 1 ask of you”, the
deliberate ommission of any possessive pronoun in respect of the term al-qurbâ indicates that it is
not limited to any personal relationship but, rather, alludes to a relationship common to all human
beings: namely, the fellowship of man-a concept which implies the fundamental ethical postulate
to care for one another’s material and spiritual welfare.
30 See note 103 on 10:82.
31 This passage connects with, and elucidates, the statement in the preceding verse that God
“responds unto all who attain tp 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” (96:6). To
counteract this tendency, the Qur’&n stresses again and again that God’s “response” to the
righteous-as well as to wrongdoers-will become fully evident only in the life to come, and not
necessarily in this world, which, after all, is only the first, short stage of man’s existence.

744
 42________________________________________________________________ CONSULTATION
have lost all hope, and unfolds His grace [thereby]:32
for He alone is [their] Protector, the One to whom all
praise is due.
(29) 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:33 and [since He has created them,]
He has [also] the power to gather them [unto Him­ o'yLjT Ju. ««jfc j»,

self] whenever He wills.

(30) Now whatever calamity may befall you [on
Judgment Day] will be an outcome of what your own
hands have wrought,3435although He pardons much; û* < -?^**û* ' «**

(31) 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. <S>
(32) And among His signs33 are the ships that sail
Lu j[ ($)
like [floating] mountains through the seas: (33) if He
so wills, He stills the wind, and then they lie motion­ jjdctfétfa j JÜJ
less on the sea’s surface - [and] herein, behold, there
are messages indeed for all who are wholly patient in J- 0
adversity and deeply grateful [to God]; (34) or else |»-i J (£> JS-AÎ’
He may cause them to perish because of what they
have wrought;36-and [withal,] He pardons much.
;^1T <S>
(35) And let them know, those who call Our mes­
sages in question,37 that for them there is no escape.

(36) AND [remember that] whatever you are given [now]

is but for the [passing] enjoyment of life in this

32 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.
33 Lit., "in both”. In the Qur’fin, the expression "the heavens and the earth” invariably denotes
the universe in its entirety.
34 This oft-recurring phrase is a Qur’anic 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”.
35 As is evident from the sequence, in this instance the term äyah (lit., "sign” or “[divine]
message”) is used in the sense of “parable”. (See next note.)
36 I.e., because of the evil which they have committed. The above passage is, I believe, a
parabolical 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 ’1-a‘rd/
spoken of in 7:46 f. and explained in the corresponding note 37.
37 For this rendering of yujädilün, see note 25 on 40:35.

745
 ASH-SHÜRÄ SÜRAH

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; (37) and who shun
the more heinous sins and abominations; and who,
whenever they are moved to anger, readily forgive; fr J js* iî I* Lj Lutf
(38) 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 ($) ûjjiÂj p-»IL
themselves;38 and who spend on others out of what We
provide for them as sustenance;39 (39) and who, f-r*
whenever tyranny afflicts them, defend themselves.
f-* 'H y b
(40) But [remember that an attempt at] requiting
evil may, too, become an evil:40 hence, whoever par­ Up (g)
dons [his foe] and makes peace, his reward rests with
God - for, verily, He does not love evildoers.4’
(41) Yet indeed, as for any who defend themselves
after having been wronged - no blame whatever (J) f ‘<41» xJm
attaches to them: (42) blame attaches but to those j uA-jî jjjL y îjéj-xjT
who oppress [other] people and behave outrageously
on earth, offending against all right: for them there is
grievous suffering in store!
(43) But withal, if one is patient in adversity and (1?) V ! f jf- 21TS $
forgives - this, behold, is indeed something to set a ,'
one’s heart upon!42

(44) AND [thus it is:] he whom God lets go astray43 has

henceforth no protector whatever: and so thou wilt
see such evildoers44 [on Judgment Day, and wilt hear

38 This particular qualification of true believers - regarded by the Prophet's Companions as so

important that they always referred to this sürah by the key-word "consultation" (s/iürä)-has a
double import: firstly, it is meant to remind all followers of the Qur’än 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.).
39 See note 4 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.
40 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., Baghawï, Zamakhsharî, Râzï, BayçlâwT) stress the
absolute prohibition of “going beyond what is right” (i'tida ) when defending oneself against
tyranny and oppression. (Cf. the passage relating to fighting against “those who wage war against
you” in 2:190 ft.)
41 I.e., in this context, such as succumb to the temptation of indulging in undue acts of revenge
against their former oppressors.
42 Cf. 41:34-35, as well as note 44 on 13:22.
43 See note 4 on 14:4.
44 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.

746
 42 ________________________________
CONSULTATION
how] they exclaim as soon as they - behold the
suffering [that awaits them], “Is there any way of
return?”45
(45) 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] J* U J'fall
Day of Resurrection are they who have squandered
their own and their followers’ selves!”46 p-sv.» ($>
Oh, verily, the evildoers will fall into long-lasting ô[ JVj Jsf
suffering, (46) and will have no protector whatever to
succour them against God: for he whom God lets go rr?'-’ p-*1 y
astray shall find no way [of escape].
(47) [Hence, O men,] respond to your Sustainer
before there comes, at God’s behest,47 a Day on ,s.
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]. ft* & i ch

(48) BUT IF they turn away [from thee, O Prophet, know

that] We have not sent thee to be their keeper: thou X -I X *•
art not bound to do more than deliver the message
[entrusted to thee]. Q. ^3 (i-J 4 ; Ç. £> 13^ L>
And, behold, [such as turn away from Our mes­
sages are but impelled by the weakness and incon­
stancy of human nature:4849thus,] when We give man a
taste of Our grace, he is prone to exult in it;4* but if
misfortune befalls [any of] them in result of what
their own hands have sent forth, then, behold, man

45 I.e., a “second chance” on earth: cf. 6: 27-28.

46 The term ahi 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.. ahi al-'ilm (“people of knowledge”,
i.e., scholars), or who follow one and the same persuasion or belief, e.g., ahi al-kitäb (“the
followers of [earlier] revelation”), ahi al-Qur'än ("the followers of the Qur’än"), and so forth.
Since, as has been pointed out in note 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 (;u/m),
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.
47 Lit., “from God”.
48 This interpolation - necessary for a proper understanding of the context - is based on Râzî’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.
49 Le., 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).

747
ASH-SHÜRÄ SÜRAH 42

shows how bereft he is of all gratitude!30

(49) 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 du 5 <g> op
the gift of male offspring on whomever He wills; (50) 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.31
(51) And it is not given to mortal man that God
<s> J* >2j
should speak unto him otherwise than through sudden
inspiration,32 or [by a voice, as it were,] from behind a cf Uj kZ-,' •
veil, or by sending an apostle to reveal, by His leave,
whatever He wills [to reveal]:33 for, verily, He is
exalted, wise. IÇii uXji (^) ÿ
(52) And thus, too,34* [O Muhammad,] have We
revealed unto thee a life-giving message,33 [coming] at
Our behest.
[Ere this message came unto thee,] thou didst not jûb ù; ù*
know what revelation is, nor what faith [implies]:36
but [now] We have caused this [message] to be a cjj!4»! J»'zf d*
light, whereby We guide whom We will of Our ser­
z—-*>" <#1। u*ji» ^4
vants: and, verily, [on the strength thereof] thou, too,
shalt guide [men] onto the straight way - (53) the way
(g>
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!37
50 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.
51 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”.
52 This is the primary meaning of wahy, a term which combines the concepts of suddenness and
inner illumination (Räghib); in the usage of the Qur’än, 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.
53 Cf. 53:10.
54 I.e.,* in all the three ways mentioned in the preceding verse.
55 The term rûh (lit., “spirit” or “soul”) has in the Qur’än often the meaning of “divine
inspiration” (see surah 16, note 2). In the present context, it evidently denotes the contents of the
divine inspiration bestowed on the Prophet Mufiammad, i.e., the Qur’än (Tabari, ZamakhsharT,
RäzT, Ibn KathTr), which is meant to lead man to a more intensive spiritual life: hence my above
rendering.
56 I.e., that the very concept of “faith” implies man’s complete self-surrender (isläm) to God.
57 Lit., “unto God do all things (al-umilr) pursue their course”: i.e., all things go back to Him as
their source, and from His will depends the course which they take (Bay^äwT).

748
 THE FORTY-THIRD SÜRAH

ZUKHRUF (GOLD)
MECCA PERIOD

ERIVING its title from the incidental mention of the word zukhruf in verse 35, this sürah is
D almost entirely devoted to the principle that to attribute divinity, in whatever form, to anyone or
anything but God is not only spiritually destructive but also logically inadmissible. Furthermore,
stress is laid on the fact that all such spiritual aberration is, as a rule, due to people’s blind adherence to
what they regard as the faith of their forebears: “Behold, we found our forefathers agreed on what to
believe-and, verily, it is in their footsteps that we find our guidance’’ (verse 22 and, in a slightly
modified form, verse 23).

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) Ha. Mim'

(2) /CONSIDER this divine writ, clear in itself and

clearly showing the truth:123(3) behold, We have
caused it to be a discourse in the Arabic tongue, so
that you might encompass it with your reason.1
(4) And, verily, [originating as it does] in the source,
with Us, of all revelation,4 it is indeed sublime, full
£5 ^ÎCJT f ' □ >> j 0 SJ&jÖJ 4?
of wisdom.
0
(5) [O YOU who deny the truth’] Should We, perchance,
withdraw this reminder from you altogether, seeing 0 Tj 0
that you are people bent on wasting your own
selves?5 0 j-TJr-*.
(6) And how many a prophet did We send to people
of olden times! (7) But never yet came a prophet to (-3*^ 0 fr;
them without their deriding him-(8) and so, [in the
end,] We destroyed them [even though they were] of
greater might than these:6 and the [very] image of
those people of old became a thing of the past.
1 See Appendix II.
2 Regarding this rendering of the term tnubin, see note 2 on 12:1.
3 See note 3 on 12:3.
4 Cf. last clause of 13:39 - “with Him Çindahu} is the source (umm) of all revelation’’. The
term umm (lit., “mother") has often the idiomatic connotation of “origin” or “source” (oÿl), and
sometimes - as in 3:7 - of “essence”. In the present context, only the former meaning is
applicable. See also note 11 on the last verse of sürah 85.
5 For this rendering of the term musrif, see note 21 on the last sentence of 10:12. The above
rhetorical question answers itself, of course, in the negative - implying that God never ceases to
“remind” the sinner through His revelations, and always accepts repentance.
6 I.e., than the people addressed in verse 5 above.
 SÛRAH
ZUKHRUF

(9) Yet thus it is [with most people]: if7 thou ask

them, “Who is it that has created the heavens and the
earth?” - they will surely answer, “The Almighty, the
All-Knowing has created them.”
(10) He it is who has made the earth a cradle for z $ <5^- tj*
you, and has provided for you ways [of livelihood]
thereon,8 so that you might follow the right path, (J)
(11) And He it is who sends down, again and again,9
waters from the sky in due measure: and [as] We Û* 4/ O X-i
raise therewith dead land to life, even thus will you ill’i LjS ** UyJlijXJL '»L. Siî
be brought forth [from the dead].
(12) And He it is who has created all opposites.10
And He [it is who] has provided for you all those
ships and animals whereon you ride, (13) in order that ‘ J* '->>-4 (J) j U eiijl
you might gain mastery over them,11 and that,
whenever you have mastered them, you might f
remember your Sustainer’s blessings and: say: d> (J) jJ £ £ Illi C-Jxtfjfr
“Limitless in His glory is He who has made [all] this
subservient to our use - since [but for Him,] we ttj! -wû S* ,4 (j) SpLj Cj
would not have been able to attain to it. (14) Hence,
verily, it is unto Him that we must always turn.”
(15) AND YET,1213they attribute to Him offspring from
among some of the beings created by Him!12 Verily,
7 See sûrah 30, note 45.
8 Cf. 20:53.
9 The grammatical form nazzala implies here recurrence: hence, “again and again”.
10 Lit., “all pairs”. Some commentators regard the term azwâj as synonymous in this context
with “kinds” (BaghawT, ZamakhsharT, Baydâwï, Ibn Kathïr): i.e., they take the above phrase to
mean no more than that God created all kinds of things, beings and phenomena. Others (e.g.,
Tabari) see in it a reference to the polarity evident in all creation. Ibn 'Abbäs (as quoted by Râzï)
says that it denotes the concept of opposites in general, like “sweet and sour, or white and black,
or male and female”; to which Râzï adds that everything in creation has its complement, “like high
and low, right and left, front and back, past and future, being and attribute”, etc., whereas
God - and He alone - is unique, without anything that could be termed “opposite” or “similar” or
“complementary". Hence, the above sentence is an echo of the statement that “there is nothing
that could be compared with Him" (112:4).
11 Lit., “over its backs"-i.e., according to all classical commentators, the “backs” of the
above-mentioned animals and ships alike, the singular form of the pronoun (“its”) relating to the
collective entity comprised in the concept of “all whereon you ride” (mû tarkabûnj: in other
words, “all that you use or may use by way of transport”. As regards my rendering of li-tasta'u as
“so that you might gain mastery", I should like to point out that the verb istawa (lit., “he
established himself") has often the connotation adopted by me: see JawharT, Räghib and Lisän
al -Arab, art. sawâ ; also Lane IV, 1478.
12 I.e., despite the fact that most people readily admit that God has created all that exists (verse
9 above), some of them tend to forget His uniqueness.
13 Lit., “attribute to Him a part out of [some of] His creatures fihdd)”: cf. 6:100 and the
corresponding notes. The noun juz' (lit., “part”) evidently denotes here “a part of Himself", as
implied in the concept of “offspring"; hence my rendering. If, on the other hand, juz' is
understood in its literal sense, the above sentence could have (as Râzï assumes) a more general
meaning, namely, “they attribute a part of His divinity to some of the beings created by Him”.
However, in view of the sequence, which clearly refers to the blasphemous attribution of
“offspring" to God, my rendering seems to be preferable.

750
43
GOLD
most obviously bereft of all gratitude is man!
(16) Or [do you think], perchance, that out of all
His creation He has chosen for Himself daughters,
and favoured you with sons?14
(17) For [thus it is:] if any of them is given the glad
tiding of [the birth of] what he so readily attributes to
the Most Gracious,15 his face darkens, and he is filled *3^* 0^ L/4jCÎ çl (IT) (jj-.
with suppressed anger: (18) “What! [Am I to have a
daughter-] one who is to be reared [only] for the
sake of ornament?’’16-and thereupon he finds himself f f > » x C x / XX
torn by a vague inner conflict.17 <JV) MW
(19) And [yet] they claim that the angels-who in
(3> yjr* z* J& j
themselves are but beings created by the Most
Gracious18-are females: [but] did they witness their
creation? • x.^xx X >x.>X.»XXX >X»,*X » >X»X
This false claim of theirs19 will be recorded, and y io (j) àjûû 3
they will be called to account [for it on Judgment
Day]!
(20) Yet they say, “Had [not] the Most Gracious so
willed, we would never have worshipped them!’’
[But] they cannot have any knowledge of [His ÿ l;*L>U J5 (rt) -• -

having willed] such a thing: they do nothing but

guess.20
(21) Or have We, perchance, vouchsafed them,
before this one, a revelation [to the contrary,] to
which they are still holding fast?21
(22) Nay, but they say, “Behold, We found our
forefathers agreed on what to believe - and, verily, it
is in their footsteps that we find our guidance!’’

14 It should be remembered that the people thus addressed were the pagan Arabs, who believed
that some of their goddesses, as well as the angels, were “God’s daughters”. In view of the fact that
those pre*Islamic Arabs regarded daughters as a mere liability and their birth as a disgrace, this verse is
obviously ironical. (Cf. in this connection 16:57-59.)
15 Lit., “what he postulates as a likeness of [or “as likely for"] the Most Gracious": i.e., female
offspring, which implies a natural “likeness" to its progenitor.
16 I.e., one who, from the viewpoint of the pre-Islamic Arabs, would have no function other
than “embellishing" a man’s life.
17 Lit., “he finds himself in an invisible (ghayr mubîn) conflict” - i.e., an inner conflict which he
does not quite admit to his consciousness: cf. 16:59-“[he debates within himself:] Shall he keep
this child despite the contempt [which he feels for it] - or shall he bury it in the dust?” (See also, in
particular, the corresponding note 66.)
18 Or: "who are but worshippers [or “creatures”] fibûd) of the Most Gracious"-in either case
stressing their having been created and, hence, not being divine.
19 Lit., "their testimony", i.e., regarding the "sex" of the angels, who are spiritual in nature
(Râzî) and, therefore, sexless.
20 I.e., they cannot have any "knowledge" of something that is devoid of all reality - because,
far from having "willed" their sin, God had left it to their free will to make a moral choice between
right and wrong. (See in this connection sürah 6, note 143.)
21 I.e., a revelation which would allow man to worship other beings beside God, or to attribute
“offspring" to Him: a rhetorical question implying its own negation.

751
 SÜRAH
ZUKHRUF

(23) And thus it is: whenever We sent, before thy

time, a warner to any community, those of its people
who had lost themselves entirely in the pursuit of
pleasures2223would always say, “Behold, we found our
forefathers agreed on what to believe —and, verily, it
is but in their footsteps that we follow!”25
(24) [Whereupon each prophet] would say,24 “Why,
L'jLj JI*
even though I bring you a guidance better than that
which you found your forefathers believing in?” - [to <2> ÿ Hj
which] the others would reply, “Behold, we deny that
there is any truth in [what you claim to be] your L-jf Jjjl JJ *

messages!”
(25) And so We inflicted Our retribution on them: («-<-• (ff) IjJK
and behold what happened in the end to those who
<$)
gave the lie to the truth!
(ff) 0,-uL* Cf fly.
(26) AND WHEN Abraham spoke to his father and his
people, [he had this very truth in mind:25] “Verily, far
be it from me to worship what you worship! (27)
None [do I worship] but Him who has brought me
into being: and, behold, it is He who will guide me!”
(28) And he uttered this as a word destined to jit Ç Uj (ff) O*?* Jt-jj
endure among those who would come after him, so
that they might [always] return [to it].
(29) Now [as for those who did come after him,] I
allowed them - as [I had allowed] their forebears - to
enjoy their lives freely until the truth should come
unto them through an apostle who would make all
things clear:26 (30) but now that the truth has come to
22 For this rendering of the term mutraf (derived from the verb tarafa), see note 147 on
11:116.
23 Commenting on this passage, Râzï says: “Had there been in the Qur’än nothing but these
verses, they would have sufficed to show the falsity of the principle postulating [a Muslim's] blind,
unquestioning adoption of [another person’s] religious opinions (ibtal al-qawl bi't-taqlid): for, God
has made it clear [in these verses] that those deniers of the truth had not arrived at their
convictions by way of reason, and neither on the clear authority of a revealed text, but solely by
blindly adopting the opinions of their forebears and predecessors; and all this God has mentioned
in terms of blame and sharp disparagement.”
24 Whereas in some of the readings of the Qur’än the opening word of this verse is vocalized as
an imperative, qui (“say”), the reading of Hafs ibn Sulaymän al-Asadï - on which this translation
is based - gives the pronounciation qäla (“he said” or, since it is a repeated occurrence, “he would
say”).
25 Namely, the inadmissibility of blindly accepting the religious views sanctioned by mere
ancestral tradition and thus prevalent in one’s environment, and regarding them as valid even
plough they may conflict with one’s reason and/or divine revelation. Abraham’s search after truth
is mentioned several times in the Qur’än, and particularly in 6:74 ff. and 21:51 ff.
26 I.e., God did not impose on them any moral obligations before making the meaning of right
and wrong clear to them through a revealed message. Primarily, this is an allusion to the pagan
contemporaries of the Prophet, and to the prosperity which they had been allowed to enjoy for a
long time (cf. 21:44); in its wider sense, however, this passage implies that God would never call
people to task for any wrong they may have done so long as they have not been clearly shown how
to discriminate between good and evil (cf. 6:131-132).

752
 43_________________________________________
GOLD
them, they say, “All this is mere spellbinding
eloquence27-and, behold, we deny that there is any
truth in it!”
(31) And they say, too, “Why was not this Qur’ân
bestowed from on high on some great man of the two
cities?”28
(32) But is it they who distribute thy Sustainer’s
grace?
[Nay, as] it is We who distribute their means of "îp ijiUj (g) [ft
livelihood among them in the life of this world, and
raise some of them by degrees above others, to the r*’ <%.£?■> & oiyK
end that they might avail themselves of one another’s
help - [so, too, it is We who bestow gifts of the spirit
upon whomever We will]: and this thy Sustainer’s
fr*** j
grace is better than all [the worldly wealth] that they
may amass. L j/e Uuu .ik'.l
(33) And were it not that [with the prospect of
boundless riches before them] all people would UkÀ iJ» J LI jjC. <jl (W' OjaL:
become one [evil] community,2930We might indeed
have provided for those who [now] deny the Most
Gracious roofs of silver for their houses, and [silver]
stairways whereon to ascend, (34) and [silver] doors
for their houses, and [silver] couches whereon to
recline, (35) and gold [beyond count]....“
Yet all this would have been nothing but a [brief] Cf Cfi ->

enjoyment of life in this world - whereas [happiness

in] the life to come awaits the God-conscious with thy
Sustainer. ($> f-r ' $^Cf frP«J
(36) But as for anyone who chooses to remain blind
to the remembrance of the Most Gracious, to him We
assign an [enduring] evil impulse, to become his other
self:31 (37) whereupon, behold, these [evil impulses]
bar all such from the path [of truth], making them
think that they are guided aright!
(38) But in the end,32 when he [who has thus
sinned] appears before us [on Judgment Day], he will
27 See note 12 on 74:24, where this connotation of sihr appears for the first time in the course
of Qur’anic revelation.
28 I.e., Mecca and Tä’if-implying that if it were really a divine revelation it would have been
bestowed on a person of “great standing’’, and not on Muhammad, who had neither wealth nor a
position of eminence in his native city.
29 Since “man has been created weak” (4:28), it is almost a “law of nature” that whenever he
is exposed to the prospect of great wealth he is liable to lose sight of all spiritual and moral
considerations, and to become utterly selfish, greedy and ruthless.
30 The primary meaning of the noun zukhruf is “gold”; its application to “ornaments” or (as in
10:24) to “artful adornment” is only secondary (Täj al-*Ariis).
31 Lit., “to him We assign a satan, and he becomes his other self (qarih)”: see note 24 on
41:25. For the psychological connotation of the term shayfan as “evil impulse”, see first half of
note 16 on 15:17 as well as note 31 on 14:22.
32 Lit., “until”.

753
 SÜRAH
ZUKHRUF

say [to his other self], “Would that between me and

thee there had been the distance of east and
west!”33 - for, evil indeed [has proved] that other self!
(39) On that Day it will not profit you in the least
[to know] that, since you have sinned [together], you Xn dLx clb JI»
are now to share your suffering [as well].34
ch <s>
(40) CANST THOU, perchance, [O Muhammad,] make
the deaf hear, or show the right way to the blind or (g) j
to such as are obviously lost in error?35
(41) But whether We do [or do not] take thee away 4* (g)
[ere thy message prevails] - verily, We shall inflict
iSJi ItLy jl (g) It ôjAÂi
Our retribution on them; (42) and whether We show
thee [or do not show thee in this world] the fulfilment el .ZiJà (g) ùjjJïL plie
of what We have promised them-verily, We have
full power over them! yJ % J & 3!» JJ13J
(43) So hold fast to all that has been revealed to
thee: for, behold, thou art on a straight way; (44) and, û*
verily, this [revelation] shall indeed become [a source
j-rjliîj»J»l U«*-'LL-j
of] eminence for thee and thy people:36 but in time
you all will be called to account [for what you have <jy-/ bâi/iL ui-ji jiJj (j)
done with it].37
(45) Yet [above all else,] ask any of Our apostles
whom We sent forth before thy time38 whether We
have ever allowed that deities other than the Most
Gracious be worshipped!

33 Thus do most of the commentators interpret the above phrase which, literally, reads “the two
easts” (al-mashriqayn). This interpretation is based on the idiomatic usage, not infrequent in
classical Arabic, of referring to two opposites - or two conceptually connected entities - by giving
them the designation of one of them in the dual form: e.g., “the two moons”, denoting “sun and
moon”; “the two Baçrahs”, i.e., KQfah and Basrah; and so forth.
34 I.e., “you will not be consoled, as would have been the case in earthly suffering, by the
knowledge that you are not to suffer alone” (Zamakhsharï, Râzï, Baydâwï). Since this address is
formulated in the plural and not in the dual, it evidently relates to all sinners who. in their lifetime,
were impelled by their own evil impulses - their “other selves”, as it were - to “remain blind to the
remembrance of God”. In its wider meaning, the above verse implies that all evil deeds, whenever and
wherever committed, are but links of one chain, one evil ineluctably leading to another: cf.
14:49-“on that Day thou wilt see those who were lost in sin linked together (muqarranïn) in
fetters”-a phrase which has been explained in my corresponding note 64. It is noteworthy that the
participle muqarran is derived from the same verbal root (qarana) as the term qarïn (rendered by me
in verses 36 and 38 of this sürah and in 41:25 as “other self”): and this, 1 believe, is a further
indication, alluded to in the present verse, to the “togetherness” of all evil deeds.
35 This rhetorical question implies a negative answer: cf. 35:22-“thou canst not make hear
such as are [deaf of heart like the dead], in the graves”.
36 For the above rendering of dhikr as “[a source of] eminence”, see first half of note 13 on
21:10.
37 The meaning is that on the Day of Judgment all prophets will be asked, metaphorically, as to
what response they received from their people (cf. 5:109), and those who professed to follow
them will be called to account for the spiritual and social use they made-or did not make-of the
revelation conveyed to them: and thus, the “eminence” promised to the followers of Muhammad
will depend on their actual behaviour and not on their mere profession of faith.
38 I.e., “look into the earlier revelations and ask thyself”.

754
 43
GOLD
(46) THUS, INDEED,” have We sent Moses with Our
messages unto Pharaoh and his great ones; and he
said: “Behold, I am an apostle of the Sustainer of all
the worlds!”
(47) But as soon as he came before them with Our
40 lo! they derided them, (48)
[miraculous] signs,39
although each sign that We showed them was weigh­
tier than the preceding one: and [each time] We took
them to task through suffering, so that they might
return [to Us].41
(49) And [every time] they exclaimed: “O thou
sorcerer! Pray for us to thy Sustainer on the strength lb J Û 4,b ijll», (u) (»«LJ

of the covenant [of prophethood] which He has made

LlITCJi» (k) Lx
with thee: for, verily, we shall now follow the right
way!”
(50) But whenever We removed the suffering from
them, lo! they would break their word.
(51) And Pharaoh issued a call to his people, say­
ing: “O my people! Does not the dominion over
Egypt belong to me, since all these running waters
flow at my feet?42 Can you not, then, see [that I am
your lord supreme]? (52) Am I not better than this <3) «U
contemptible man who can hardly make his meaning
clear?43
(53) “And then - why have no golden armlets been
bestowed on him?44-or why have no angels come (£) ût**:' f-*—f-r; bliif lyiJt Ci
together with him?”
(54) Thus he incited his people to levity, and they
obeyed him: for, behold, they were people depraved!
(55) But when they continued to challenge Us, We
inflicted Our retribution on them, and drowned them
all: (56) and so We made them a thing of the past, and
an example to those who would come after them.
39 I.e., in pursuance of the principle, referred to above, that it is not permissible to worship
anyone or anything but God.
40 See note 94 on the last sentence of 6:109.
41 The concept of “returning” to God implies that the instinctive ability to perceive His
existence is inherent in human nature as such, and that man’s “turning away” from God is only a
consequence of spiritual degeneration, and not an original tendency or predisposition: cf.
7:172-173.-The “suffering” Çadhâb) mentioned above relates to the plagues with which the
recalcitrant Egyptians were struck (see 7:130 ff.).
42 Lit., “beneath me", i.e., “at my command”: a reference to the imposing irrigation system
originating in the Nile and controlled by royal power.
43 An allusion to the impediment in speech from which Moses suffered (cf. 20 : 27-28 and the
corresponding note 17), or perhaps to the contents of his message, which to Pharaoh appeared
unconvincing.
44 In ancient Egypt, golden armlets and necklaces were regarded as princely insignia (cf.
Genesis xli, 42), or at least as evidence of high social dignity. This is apparently an echo of the pagan
objection to Muhammad, mentioned in verse 31 above: “Why was not this Qur’än bestowed from
on high on some great man of the two cities?” The same is the case with the subsequent reference
to the “absence of angels”.

755
 SÜRAH
ZUKHRUF

(57) NOW WHENEVER [the nature of] the son of Mary

is set forth as an example, [O Muhammad,] lo! thy
people raise an outcry on this score, (58) and say,
“Which is better-our deities or he?’’45
[But] it is only in the spirit of dispute that they put
IpKj (g)
this comparison before thee: yea, they are conten­
tious folk!46 ’ Ji s
(59) [As for Jesus,] he was nothing but [a human
being-] a servant [of Ours] whom We had graced AXUmtJ LLm' J* (^) '“'j- -tf
[with prophethood], and whom We made an example
for the children of Israel. (60) And had We so willed, [O
you who worship angels,] We could indeed have made «ÛÏ ùpûîu-jVî j
you into angels succeeding one another on earth!47
JC L« V, (g) —• 1’ùÇ.
(61) AND, BEHOLD, this [divine writ] is indeed a means
to know [that] the Last Hour [is bound to come];48
(ÿ-ic tu. LJ, (m) ÛJ—• Jjc
hence, have no doubt whatever about it, but follow
Me: this [alone] is a straight way. (62) And let not
Satan bar you [from it] - for, verily, he is your open
<j[ (3> û& 'A'u «j jî
foe!
(63) NOW WHEN Jesus came [to his people] with all
evidence of the truth, he said: “I have now come unto
you with wisdom,49 and to make clear unto you some
of that on which you are at variance:50 hence, be

45 Objecting to the Qur’anic condemnation of their idolatrous worship of angels-whom they

describe here as “our deities” - the pagan Quraysh pointed to the parallel Christian worship of
Jesus as “the son of God”, and even as “God incarnate”, and argued more or less thus: “The
Qur’än states that Jesus was purely human-and yet the Christians, whom the same Qur’än
describes as ‘followers of earlier revelation’ (ahi al-kitäb), consider him divine. Hence, are we not
rather justified in our worshipping angels, who are certainly superior to a mere human being?” The
fallacy inherent in this “argument” is disposed of in the sequence.
46 Since the Qur’än condemns explicitly, and in many places, the deification of Jesus by the
Christians, this unwarranted deification cannot be used as an argument in favour of the pagan
worship of angels and, thus, against the Qur’än: in the words of ZamakhsharT, such an argument
amounts to “applying a false analogy to a false proposition” (qiyâs bäfil bi-bâtil).
47 Implying not only that Jesus was not a supernatural being, but that the angels, too, are mere
created beings finite in their existence - as indicated by the phrase “succeeding one another” - and,
therefore, utterly removed from the status of divinity (Baydäwt).
48 Whereas most of the commentators regard the pronoun hu in innahu as relating to Jesus and,
consequently, interpret the above phrase as “he is indeed a means to know [i.e., an indication of
the coming of] the Last Hour”, some authorities-e.g., Qatädah, Al-Hasan al-Ba$n and Sa'Td ibn
Jubayr (all of them quoted by TabarT, BaghawT and Ibn KathTr) - relate the pronoun to the Qur’än,
and understand the phrase in the sense adopted in my rendering. The specific mention of the Last
Hour in the above context is meant to stress man's ultimate responsibility before the Creator and,
therefore, the fact that worship is due to Him alone: and so this parenthetic passage follows
logically upon the mention of the false deification of Jesus.
49 I.e., with divine revelation.
50 According to TabarT, the restrictive allusion to “some of that..etc.; bears on the realm of
faith and morals alone, since it was not a part of Jesus’ mission to deal with problems of his
people's worldly life. This observation coincides with the image of Jesus forthcoming from the
(admittedly fragmentary) description of his teachings available to us in the Synoptic Gospels.

756
 conscious of God, and pay heed unto me.
(64) “Verily, God is my Sustainer as well as your
Sustainer; so worship [none but] Him: this [alone] is a
straight way!”
(65) But factions from among those [who came
after Jesus] began to hold divergent views:51 woe,
then, unto those who are bent on evildoing-[woe]
for the suffering [that will befall them] on a grie­
vous Day!
(66) ARE THEY [who are lost in sin] but waiting for the
Last Hour-[waiting] that it come upon them of a
sudden, without their being aware [of its approach]? f"tA' jl «eût J* <$> O’-
(67) On that Day, [erstwhile] friends will be foes
unto one another52-[all] save the God-conscious. fr**» Â-V*1 'M <jjth (X
(68) [And God will say:] “O you servants of Mine! ysi jZjZi
No fear need you have today, and neither shall you
grieve-(69) [O you] who have attained to faith in Our (3)
messages and have surrendered your own selves unto
Us! (70) Enter paradise, you and your spouses, with (£) jj’j «JJjîîjU.af <$) (jjJL*
happiness blest!”
(71) [And there] they will be waited upon with trays *-*'*-^f e*6
and goblets of gold; and there will be found all that
the souls might desire, and [all that] the eyes might
delight in. Lx jji ^jî éjjj,
And therein shall you abide, [O you who believe:]
(72) for such will be the paradise which you shall ûrz-tf 4 (£) Q j£J
have inherited by virtue of your past deeds:. (73)
fruits [of those deeds] shall you have in abundance,
[and] thereof shall you partake! (2> (H—41»ly (W) ôj-L*
(74) [But,] behold, they who are lost in sin shall
abide in the suffering of hell:53 (75) it will not be
lightened for them; and therein they will be lost in
hopeless despair.
(76) And it is not We who will be doing wrong unto
them, but it is they who will have wronged them­
selves.
(77) And they will cry: “O thou [angel] who rulest
51 Sc., regarding the nature of Jesus and the inadmissibility of worshipping anyone but God: an
allusion to subsequent developments in Christianity.
52 I.e., they will hate one another-those who realize that they have been led astray by their
erstwhile friends, and the latter, because they see that they will be held responsible for the sins of
those whom they have led astray.
53 I.e., for an unspecified period: see the last paragraph of 6:128 and the corresponding note
114, as well as the saying of the Prophet quoted in note 10 on 40:12, indicating that-in
accordance with the Qur’anic statement, “God has willed upon Himself the law of grace and
mercy” (6:12 and 54)-the otherworldly suffering described as “hell" will not be of unlimited
duration. Among the theologians who hold this view is Râzï, who stresses in his comments on the
above passage that the expression “they shall abide (Ichälidün) in the suffering of hell" indicates
only an indeterminate duration, but “does not convey the meaning of perpetuity” (/à yafïdu
'd-dawäm).

757
 SÜRAH
ZUKHRUF

[over hell]! Let thy Sustainer put an end to us!”-

[whereupon] he will reply: “Verily, you must live on
[in this state]...
(78) INDEED, [O you sinners,] We have conveyed the
truth unto you; but most of you abhor the truth.54
(79) Why - can they [who deny the truth ever]
determine what [the truth] should be?55 (80) Or
do they, perchance, think that We do not hear their
hidden thoughts and their secret confabulations?56
Yea, indeed, [We do,] and Our heavenly forces57
are with them, recording [all].
(81) Say [O Prophet]: “If the Most Gracious [truly]
had a son, I would be the first to worship him!”
(82) Utterly remote, in His glory, is the Sustainer of
the heavens and the earth - the Sustainer, in almigh­ f—«H b-Ak J b-TÄ pAA-»

tiness enthroned5*-from all that they may attribute to

»L—JÏ j isj^3 (ff)
Him by way of definition!59
(83) But leave them to indulge in idle talk and play
[with words]60 until they face that [Judgment] Day of
theirs which they have been promised: (84) for [then
they will come to know that] it is He [alone] who is
God in heaven and God on earth, and [that] He alone
is truly wise, all-knowing.

54 As is evident from verses 81 ff. above, this is a reference to the truth of God’s oneness and
uniqueness, which those who believe in Jesus as “the son of God” refuse, as it were, to
acknowledge: thus, the discourse returns here to the question of the “nature” of Jesus touched
upon in verses 57-65.
55 The verb barama or abrama signifies, literally, “he twined” or “twisted [something]
together”, e.g., the strands that are to form a rope; or “he twisted [something] well” or “strongly”.
Tropically, it connotes the act of “establishing” or “determining” a thing, a proposition, a course
of events, etc. (JawharT). According to the Lisän al-'Arab, the phrase abrama al-amr has the
meaning of “he determined (ahkama) the case". In the present context, the term amr, having no
definite article, signifies “anything” or - in its widest sense - “anything that should [or “could"]
be": and so, taking the preceding verse into account, we arrive at the meaning of arbitrarily
“determining what [the truth] should be”-i.e., in contradiction to what the Qur’än postulates as
the truth.
56 This is most probably an allusion to the centuries-long subtle Christian controversies on the
question as to whether or not Jesus was “the son of God” and, hence, divine. These controversies
were often influenced by a subconscious leaning of some of the early Christian thinkers towards
ancient, mostly Mithraistic, cults and concepts which were in the beginning strongly opposed by
Unitarian theologians, foremost among them Arius, Patriarch of Alexandria (about 280-336 C.E.).
However, at the politically-motivated Council of Nicaea (325C.E.), the Arian views-which until
then had been shared by the overwhelming majority of articulate Christians - were condemned as
“heretical", and the doctrine of Christ’s divinity was officially formulated in the so-called Nicene
Creed as the basis of Christian beliefs. (See also note 60 below).
57 Lit., “Our messengers", i.e., angels.
58 Cf. the last clause of sürah 9 and the corresponding note 171.
59 See note 88 on the last sentence of 6:100.
60 Evidently an allusion to the verbal subtleties of the Nicene Creed, and particularly the
statement, “Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten, not made [i.e., not created], by the Father as
His only Son, of the same substance as the Father, God of God ..etc.

758
43 GOLD

(85) And hallowed be He unto whom the dominion

over the heavens and the earth and all that is between
them belongs, and with whom the knowledge of the
Last Hour rests, and unto whom you all shall be
brought back!
(86) And those [beings] whom some invoke beside
God61 have it not in their power to intercede [on
Judgment Day] for any but such as have [in their
lifetime] borne witness to the truth, and have been
aware [that God is one and unique].*2 Cçb (© 4r*
(87) Now if thou ask those [who worship any being
other than God] as to who it is that has created them,
they are sure to answer, “God.” How perverted, then, (m) »VjîiÙ» ‘«Mj
are their minds!
0 Jjj
(88) [But God has full knowledge of the true be­
liever*3] and of his [despairing] cry: “O my Sustainer!
Verily, these are people who will not believe!”
(89) Yet bear thou with them, and say, “Peace [be
upon you]!” - for in time they will come to know [the
truth].
61 A reference to falsely deified saints or prophets and, particularly (in view of the context), to
Jesus.
62 For an explanation of the Qur’anic concept of “intercession”, see 10:3-“There is none that
could intercede with Him unless He grants leave therefor” - and the corresponding note 7. - My
interpolation, at the end of the above verse, of the words “that God is one and unique” is based on
Râzî's interpretation of this passage, implying that a mere oral “bearing witness to the truth” is
useless if it is not the outcome of an inner awareness of God's oneness and uniqueness.
63 Râzî (on whose commentary the above interpolation is based), regards this as a reference to
the Prophet Muhammad. It seems, however, that the meaning is wider, embracing every believer,
of whatever denomination, who is distressed at the blindness of people who attribute divinity or
divine qualities to any being other than God Himself.
 THE FORTY-FOURTH SÜRAH

AD-DUKHÄN (SMOKE)
MECCA PERIOD

EVEALED at the same period as the other six chapters of the Hâ-Mïm sequence - that is, in the
R later half of the middle Mecca period-this sürah derives its customary title from the word
dukhan occurring in verse 10.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) Hä. Mïm.1

(2)/CONSIDER this divine writ, clear in itself and

Vz clearly showing the truth!2 __________________

(3) Behold, from on high have We bestowed it on a

blessed night:3 for, verily, We have always been j 4 <X> *7^9^ c> **
warning [man].45
(4) On that [night] was made clear, in wisdom, the
distinction between all things [good and evil]3 (5) at a
behest from Ourselves: for, verily, We have always
been sending [Our messages of guidance] (6) in pur­ (j>
suance of thy Sustainer’s grace [unto man]. Verily,
He alone is all-hearing, all-knowing, (7) the Sustainer
of the heavens and the earth and all that is between
them-if you could but grasp it with inner certainty!6
(8) There is no deity save Him: He grants life and
deals death: He is your Sustainer as well as the

1 See Appendix II.

2 See note 2 on 12:1.
3 I.e., the night on which the revelation of the Qur’än began: see sürah 97.
4 The revelation of the Qur’än is but a continuation and, indeed, the climax of all divine
revelation which has been going on since the very dawn of human consciousness. Its innermost
purpose has always been the warning extended by God to man not to abandon himself to mere
material ambitions and pursuits and, thus, to lose sight of spiritual values.
5 Lit., “was made distinct everything wise”, i.e., “wisely” or “in wisdom”: a metonymical
attribution of the adjective “wise”-which in reality relates to God, the maker of that distinction -
to what has thus been made distinct (Zamakhshari and Räzi). The meaning is that the revelation
of the Qur’än, symbolized by that “blessed night" of its beginning, provides man with a standard
whereby to discern between good and evil, or between all that leads to spiritual growth through an
ever-deepening realization (ma'rifah) of God’s existence, on the one hand, and al) that results in
spiritual blindness and self-destruction, on the other.
6 Lit., “if you had but inner certainty”. According to Abü Muslim al-Isfahäni (as quoted by
RäzT), this means, “you would know it if you would but truly desire inner certainty and would pray
for it”.

760
 SÜRAH 44__________________ _____________________________________________________________________ SMOKE

Sustainer of your forebears of old.

(9) Nay, but they [who lack inner certainty] are but
toying with their doubts.78
(10) WAIT, THEN, for the Day when the skies shall bring
forth a pall of smoke which will make obvious [the
approach of the Last Hour], (11), enveloping all
mankind, [and causing the sinners to exclaim:]
“Grievous is this suffering! (12) O our Sustainer,
relieve us of suffering, for, verily, we [now] believe
[in Thee]!”
(13) [But] how shall this remembrance avail them
(^) ÜJÎ Lp C.J (g) pjl
[at the Last Hour], seeing that an apostle had pre­
viously come unto them, clearly expounding the
truth, (14) whereupon they turned their backs on him
0 Cot* f'* I* f-î
and said, “Taught [by others] is he,’ a madman”?
(15) [Still,] behold, We shall postpone9 this suffer­
H (jiiû pt (ff)
ing for a little while, although you are bound to
revert [to your evil ways: but] (16) on the Day when
We shall seize [all sinners] with a most mighty
Li Jkity * (n)
onslaught, We shall, verily, inflict Our retribution [on Jib*’51 <$)('/’Jry
you as well]!
3i ? > Æ (S) y
(17) AND, INDEED, [long] before their time did We try
Pharaoh’s people [in the same way]: for there came O «jyty jj Lmc jIj <$)
unto them a noble apostle, [who said:] (18) “Give in
unto me, O God’s bondmen!1011 Verily, I am an apostle
[sent] unto you, worthy of trust!
(19) “And exalt not yourselves against God: for,
verily, I come unto you with a manifest authority
[from Him]; (20) and, behold, it is with my Sustainer-
and your Sustainer - that I seek refuge against all
your endeavours to revile me." (21) And if you do not

7 Lit., “are toying in doubt": i.e., their half-hearted admission of the possibility that God exists
is compounded of doubt and irony (Zamakhsharï)-doubt as to the proposition of God’s
existence, and an ironical amusement at the idea of divine revelation.
8 A reference to the allegation of the Prophet’s opponents that someone else had “imparted” to
him the ideas expressed in the Qur’än (see 16:103 and the corresponding notes 129 and 130), or at
least had “helped" him to compose it (cf. 25 :4 and notes 5 and 6).
9 Lit., “remove”. This is apparently said on the time-level of the present-i.e., before the
coming of the Last Hour - so as to give the sinners an opportunity to repent.
10 Most of the classical commentators (e.g., Jabarï, Zamakhsharï, Râzï, Baydâwï) point out
that this phrase can be understood in either of two senses, namely: "Give in unto me, O God’s
bondmen (*«bdd)", implying a call to the Egyptians (since all human beings are “God’s bondmen”)
to accept the divine message which Moses was about to convey to them; or, alternatively, “Give
up to me God’s servants", i.e., the children of Israel, who were kept in bondage in Egypt.
Inasmuch as the vocalization 'ibäda is applicable to the vocative as well as the accusative case,
either of these two interpretations is legitimate.
11 Lit., “lest you throw stones at me". It is to be noted that the verb rajama is used in the
Physical sense of “throwing stones" as well as, metaphorically, in the sense of “throwing
aspersions" or “reviling".

761
believe me, [at least] stand away from me!**
(22) But then, [when they beset him with then-
enmity,] he called out to his Sustainer, “These are
[indeed] people lost in sin!’’ 5* ta» (g) j
(23) And [God said]: “Go thou forth with My
servants by night, for you will surely be pursued; (24)
and leave the sea becalmed12 [between thee and (g) <2> c»5
Pharaoh’s men]: for, verily, they are a host destined Cj£) (—rl £
to be drowned!”
(25) [And so they perished: and] how many gardens (n) fcjjjj ($) ô&j
did they leave behind, and water-runnels, (26) and
fields of grain, and noble dwellings, (27) and [all that] UjJ (3) ***<,
life of ease in which they used to delight!
(28) Thus it was. And [then] We made another
people heirs [to what they had left], (29) and neither 3; <2>
sky nor earth shed tears over them, nor were they
allowed a respite.13
(30) And, indeed, We delivered the children of
Israel from the shameful suffering (31) [inflicted on J
them] by Pharaoh, seeing that he was truly outstand­
ing among those who waste their own selves;14 (32) >^4 <S> ùsf ** û:

and, indeed, We chose them knowingly above all

other people,15 (33) and gave them such signs [of Our
grace] as would clearly presage a test.1617
(34) [Now,] behold, these [people] say indeed:” (35)
12 Or: “cleft” - the expression rahwan having both these connotations (Jawharï, with especial
reference to the above phrase). See also notes 33 and 35 on 26:63-66.
13 Sc., “to repent their sins”.
14 For this rendering of the term musrif, see sürah 10, note 21.
15 I.e., according to all commentators, above all people of their time, because at that time the
children of Israel were the only people who worshipped the One God: which is the reason of the
.frequent Qur’anic references to the story of their delivery from bondage. The stress on God’s
having “chosen them knowingly" alludes to His foreknowledge that in later times they would
deteriorate morally and thus forfeit His grace (ZamakhsharT and Râzï).
16 Lit., “as would have in them a manifest test”: an allusion to the long line of prophets raised
in their midst, as well as to the freedom and prosperity which they were to enjoy in the Promised
Land. All this presaged a test of their sincerity with regard to the spiritual principles which in the
beginning raised them “above all other people” and, thus, of their willingness to act as God’s
message-bearers to all the world. The formulation of the above sentence implies elliptically that
they did not pass that test inasmuch as they soon forgot the spiritual mission for which they had
been elected, and began to regard themselves as God’s “chosen people” simply on account of their
descent from Abraham: a notion which the Qur’än condemns in many places. Apart from this, the
majority of the children of Israel very soon lost their erstwhile conviction that the life in this
world is but the first and not the final stage of human life, and - as their Biblical history
shows - abandoned themselves entirely to the pursuit of material prosperity and power. (See next
note.)
17 Although, on the face of it, by “these people” the Israelites are meant, the reference is
obviously a general one, applying to all who hold the views expressed in the sequence, and in
particular to the pagan contemporaries of the Prophet Muhammad. Nevertheless, there is a subtle
connection between this passage and the preceding allusion to the “test” with which the children
of Israel were to be faced: for it is a historical fact that up to the time of the destruction of the
Second Temple and their dispersion by the Roman emperor Titus, the priestly aristocracy among

762
 44
SMOKE
“That [which is ahead of us] is but our first [and only]
death,18 and we shall not be raised to life again. (36)
So then, bring forth our forefathers [as witnesses], if
what you claim is true!“19
(37) Are they, then, better than the people of
Tubbae and those before them, whom We destroyed n
because they were truly lost in [the same] sin?20
(38) For [thus it is:] We have not created the
heavens and the earth and all that is between them in
mere idle play:21 (39) none of this have We created x" *.Tl^r r •'tte-
without [an inner] truth:22 but most of them under- A
stand it not.
(40) VERILY, the Day of Distinction [between the true
and the false] is the term appointed for all of them:23
(41) the Day when no friend shall be of the least avail <£> Jr û* Jr i£*». fr.
to his friend, and when none shall be succoured (42)
save those upon whom God will have bestowed His
grace and mercy: for, verily, He alone is almighty, a
dispenser of grace.
(43) Verily, [in the life to come] the tree of deadly .jUpli vJ» (£) (g) (jjkJTj
26(44) will be the food of the sinful:23 (45) like
fruit2425
molten lead will it boil in the belly, (46) like the boiling JP f <3>
of burning despair.20
(47) [And the word will be spoken:] “Seize him, [O
you forces of hell,] and drag him into the midst of the
blazing fire: (48) then pour over his head the anguish

the Jews, known as the Sadducees, openly denied the concepts of resurrection, divine judgment
and life in the hereafter, and advocated a thoroughly materialistic outlook on life.
18 I.e., “it is a final death, with nothing beyond it“.
19 I.e., “bring our forefathers back to life and let them bear witness that there is a hereafter“.
This ironic demand accords with the saying of the unbelievers mentioned in 43:22 and 23, “We
found our forefathers agreed on what to believe - and, verily, it is in their footsteps that we find
our guidance!” Thus, in the last resort, the fact that their ancestors did not believe in a hereafter is
to them as conclusive an argument against it as the fact that nobody has as yet come back to life to
confirm the truth of resurrection.
20 “Tubba*" was the title borne by a succession of powerful Himyar kings who ruled for
centuries over the whole of South Arabia, and were finally overcome by the Abyssiniens in tiie
fourth century of the Christian era. They are mentioned elsewhere in the Qur’än (50:14) as having
denied the truth of resurrection and God’s judgment.
21 I.e., without meaning or purpose (cf. 21:16)-implying that ifjhere were no hereafter, man’s
life on earth would be utterly meaningless, and thus in contradiction to the above as well as the
subsequent statement, “none of all this have We created without [an inner] truth”.
22 See note 11 on 10:5.
23 See note 6 on 77:13.
24 See surah 37, note 22.
25 The term al-athim (lit., “the sinful one”) has here apparently a specific connotation,
referring to a wilful denial of resurrection and of God’s judgment: in other words, of ail sense and
meaning in man’s existence.
26 For this tropical meaning of the term humim, see surah 6, note 62.

763
 SÜRAH 44
AD-DUKHÄN

of burning despair! (49) Taste it - thou who [on earth]

hast considered thyself so mighty, so noble!27 (50)
This is the very thing which you [deniers of the truth]
were wont to call in question!”28
(51) [As against this-] verily, the God-conscious
will find themselves in a state secure, (52) amid
gardens and springs, (53) wearing [garments] of silk
and brocade, facing one another [in love].29
(54) Thus shall it be. And We shall pair them with
companions pure, most beautiful of eye.30
(55) In that [paradise] they shall [rightfully] claim (j) ûæL j
all the fruits [of their past deeds],31 resting in security;
(56) and neither shall they taste death there after
having passed through their erstwhile death.32
Thus will He have preserved them from all suffer­
j* »lU’i «iL j (W) jé
ing through the blazing fire-(57) an act of thy
Sustainer’s favour:33 and that, that will be the triumph (g) üjJ"À- (»fU «1LLL
supreme!
(58) THUS, THEN, [O Prophet,] have We made this <$) f-rl
[divine writ] easy to understand, in thine own
[human] tongue, so that men might take it to heart.3435
(59) So wait thou [for what the future will bring]:
behold, they, too, are waiting.33

27 Lit., “for, behold, thou wert..etc. - thus alluding to the sin of arrogance due to disbelief
in a continuation of life after death and, hence, in man’s ultimate responsibility to God. (Cf.
96:6-7-“Verily, man becomes grossly overweening whenever he believes himself to be self-
sufficient’’ - and the corresponding note 4.)
28 I.e., the continuation of life after death.
29 For these particular allegories of life in paradise, see note 41 on 18:31.
30 For the rendering of hûr *în as “companions pure, most beautiful of eye”, see surah 56,
notes 8 and 13. It is to be noted that the noun zawj (lit., “a pair” or - according to the context - “one
of a pair”) applies to either of the two sexes, as does the transitive verb zawaja, “he paired”
or "joined”, i.e., one person with another.
31 Cf. 43 : 73.
32 Lit., “except [or “beyond”] the first [i.e., erstwhile] death” (cf. 37:58-59).
33 I.e., by His having offered them guidance, of which they availed themselves: thus, the
attainment of ultimate felicity is the result of an interaction between God and man, and of man’s
communion with Him.
34 See note 81 on 19:97.
35 I.e., whether they know it or not, God’s will shall be done.

764
 THE FORTY-FIFTH SÜRAH

AL-JÂTHIYAH (KNEELING DOWN)

MECCA PERIOD

HE DESIGNATION of this sûrah - revealed immediately after the preceding one - is based on a
T word which appears in verse 28 and refers to the humility with which all human beings will face
on resurrection, their final judgment.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) Hä. Mîm.12

3

(2) r I ’HE BESTOWAL from on high of this divine writ

---------------------
A issues from God, the Almighty, the Wise.
(3) Behold, in the heavens as well as on earth there
<5*
are indeed messages for all who [are willing to] believe?
(4) And in your own nature, and in (that of] all the 0 j
animals which He scatters [over the earth) there are
messages for people who are endowed with inner 0 jj
certainty?
(5) And in the succession of night and day. and in
*
0* »ÜJÎ j ûî Jy' u, jÇüîj
the means of subsistence4* which God sends down
from the skies, giving life thereby to the earth after it
had been lifeless, and in the change of the winds: (in all
this] there are messages for people who use their
0 Ä
reason.
(6) These messages of God do We convey unto
thee, setting forth the truth. In what other tiding, if
not in God’s messages? will they, then, believe?
(7) Woe unto every sinful self-deceiver 6 (8) who

1 See Appendix II.

2 Cf. 2:164, where the term äyät has been rendered by me in the same way, inasmuch as those
visible signs of a consciously creative Power convey a spiritual message to man.
3 Cf. 7: 185 and the corresponding note 151.-The intricate structure of human and animal
bodies, and the life-preserving instincts with which all living creatures have been endowed, make it
virtually impossible to assume that all this has developed “by accident": and if we assume, as we
must, that a creative purpose underlies this development, we must conclude, too, that it has been
willed by a conscious Power which creates all natural phenomena “in accordance with an inner
truth" (see note 11 on 10:5).
4 I.e., rain, with the symbolic connotation of physical and spiritual grace often attached to it in
the Qur’fin.
3 Lit., "in what tiding after God and His messages".
6 The term affak, which literally signifies a "liar" - and, particularly, a “habitual liar" - has here

765
 SÜRAH
AL-JÄTHIYAH

hears God’s messages when they are conveyed to

him, and yet, as though he had not heard them,
persists in his haughty disdain!
Hence, announce unto him grievous suffering-(9)
for when he does become aware of any of Our
messages, he makes them a target of his mockery!
For all such there is shameful suffering in store. »y^li If*—* j ùV*ly/ù—• yUB j? «Je
(10) Hell is ahead of them; and ah that they may have
gained [in this world] shall be of no avail whatever to l_,j> UxJtlIt-i UlLl* jÿ* (►Jt (T)
them, and neither shall any of those things which,
instead of God, they have come to regard as their J iZ (J) û**
protectors:*78for, awesome suffering awaits them.
(11) [To pay heed to God’s signs and messages:]
this is [the meaning of] guidance; on the other hand,*
for those who are bent on denying the truth of their <g> iÿj
Sustainer’s messages there is grievous suffering in
store as an outcome of [their] vileness.9 O ■>
(12) IT IS GOD who has made the sea subservient [to His At*
laws, so that it be of use] to you10-so that ships
might sail through it at His behest, and that you might
seek to obtain [what you need] of His bounty, and A-i* j Uy Oy*—Jf j L
that you might have cause to be grateful.
(13) And He has made subservient to you, [as a aJi Ji 0 JT* J
gift] from Himself, all that is in the heavens and on
earth:11 in this, behold, there are messages indeed for jjl ’jj/MU
people who think!
(14) Tell all who have attained to faith that they
should forgive those who do not believe in the com­ Î# ^*0 (£> ùy-ry j f
ing of the Days of God,12 [since it is] for Him [alone]
to requite people for whatever they may have earned. f brJb
(15) Whoever does what is just and right, does so
for his own good; and whoever does evil, does so to
his own hurt; and in the end unto your Sustainer you
all will be brought back.
(16) AND, INDEED, [already] unto the children of Israel
did We vouchsafe revelation, and wisdom, and pro­

the connotation of “one who lies to himself” because he is ma'fük, i.e., “perverted in his intellect
and judgment” (JawharT).
7 I.e., anything to which they may attribute a quasi-divine influence on their lives, whether it be
false deities or false values, e.g., wealth, power, social status, etc.
8 Lit., "and” or “but".
9 For an explanation of this rendering of the phrase min rijzin, see note 4 on 34:5.
10 For the reason of the above interpolation, see sürah 14, note 46.
11 I.e., by endowing man, alone among all living beings, with a creative mind and, thus, with the
ability to make conscious use of the nature that surrounds him and is within him.
12 Lit., “who do not hope for [i.e., expect] the Days of God”, implying that they do not believe
in them. As regards the meaning of “the Days of God”, see sürah 14, note 5.

766
 45
KNEELING DOWN
phethood;13 and We provided for them sustenance out
of the good things of life, and favoured them above
all other people [of their time].14
(17) And We gave them clear indications of the
purpose [of faith];15 and it was only after all this
knowledge had been vouchsafed to them that they JUkC i>£.f (j
began, out of mutual jealousy, to hold divergent
views:16 [but,] verily, thy Sustainer will judge be­
tween them on Resurrection Day regarding all
whereon they were wont to differ. f (J)
(18) And, finally,17 [O Muhammad,] We have set
thee on a way by which the purpose [of faith] may be
fulfilled:18 so follow thou this [way], and follow not
the likes and dislikes of those who do not know [the
truth].19 (19) Behold, they could never be of any avail
to thee if thou wert to defy the will of God20-for,
verily, such evildoers are but friends and protectors Ç-J. fl (T) ùyijf

of one another, whereas God is the Protector of all

who are conscious of Him.
(20) This [revelation, then,]21 is a means of insight
for mankind, and a guidance and grace unto people
13 Sc., “in the same way and for the same purpose as We now bestow this revelation of the
Qur’än" - thus stressing the fact of continuity in all divine revelation.
14 I.e., inasmuch as at that time they were the only truly monotheistic community (cf. 2:47).
15 This, I believe, is the meaning of the phrase min al-amr in the above context, although most
of the classical commentators are of the opinion that amr signifies here “religion” (din), and
interpret the whole phrase, accordingly, as “of what pertains to religion”. Since, however, the
common denominator in all the possible meanings of the term amr-e.g., “command”, “in­
junction", “ordinance", “matter [of concern]”, “event”, “action”, etc. - is the element of purpose,
whether implied or explicit, we may safely assume that this is the meaning of the term in the above
elliptic phrase, which obviously alludes to the purpose underlying all divine revelation and,
consequently, man’s faith in it. Now from the totality of the Qur’anic teachings it becomes
apparent that the innermost purpose of all true faith is, firstly, a realization of the existence of God
and of every human being’s responsibility to Him; secondly, man's attaining to a consciousness of
his own dignity as a positive element - a logically necessary element - in God’s plan of creation
and, thus, achieving freedom from all manner of superstitions and irrational fears; and, lastly,
making man aware that whatever good or evil he does is but done for the benefit, or to the
detriment, of his own seif (as expressed in verse 15 above).
16 See 23 : 53 and the corresponding note 30.
17 Lit., “thereafter" or “in the end" (thumma)-i.e., after the failure of the earlier communities
to realize the ideal purpose of faith in their actual mode of life.
18 Lit., “on a way of the purpose [of faith]”: see note 15 above. It is to be borne in mind that
die literal meaning of the term sharFah is “the way to a watering-place”, and since water is
indispensable for all organic life, this term has in time come to denote a “system of laws”, both
moral and practical, which shows man the way towards spiritual fulfilment and social welfare:
hence, “religious law” in the widest sense of the term. (See in this connection note 66 on the
second part of 5 :48.)
19 I.e., who are not - or not primarily - motivated by God-consciousness and, hence, are swayed
only by what they themselves regard as “right" in accordance with worldly, changing circum­
stances.
20 Lit., “against [i.e., “in defiance of"] God".
21 I.e., the Qur’än, which unfolds to man the purpose of all faith.

767
 SÜRAH
AL-JÂTHIYAH

who are endowed with inner certainty.

(21) Now as for those who indulge in sinful doings
- do they think that We place them, both in their life and
their death, on an equal footing with those who have
attained to faith and do righteous deeds?22
Bad, indeed, is their judgment: (22) for, God has
created the heavens and the earth in accordance with
[an inner] truth,23 and [has therefore willed] that <3 ù/St U Z «ÇL cJdûî
every human being shall be recompensed for what he
has earned and none shall be wronged.
(23) HAST THOU ever considered [the kind of man] who *—iS*' Jit Cj -V*Lc
makes his own desires his deity, and whom God has
[thereupon] let go astray, knowing [that his mind is /in
closed to all guidance],24 and whose hearing and heart //I X- f f st "
He has sealed, and upon whose sight He has placed a
veil?25 Who, then, could guide him after God [has
abandoned him]? Will you not, then, bethink your­
* 6
selves? 2b'(Zl ÛJ Jut Uj
(24) And yet they say: “There is nothing beyond
our life in this world. We die as we come to life,26 and Sift ÿ* ; <3
nothing but time destroys us.”
But of this they have no knowledge whatever: they
do nothing but guess. (25) And [so,] whenever Our
messages are conveyed to them in all their clarity,
their only argument is this:27 “Bring forth our fore­ ($ SpiS'i *7* 4-5^
fathers [as witnesses], if what you claim is true!“28
(26) Say: “It is God who gives you life, and then * LJ î j c/yLjî wû*
causes you to die; and in the end He will gather you
together on Resurrection Day, [the coming of] which
is beyond all doubt-but most human beings under­
stand it not.“
(27) For, God’s is the dominion over the heavens
and the earth; and on the Day when the Last Hour

22 The meaning is twofold: “that We consider them to be equal with those who..etc., and
“that We shall deal with them in the same manner as We deal with those who...”, etc. The
reference to the intrinsic difference between these two categories with regard to “their life and
their death” points not merely to the moral quality of their worldly existence, but also, on the one
hand, to the inner peace and tranquility with which a true believer faces life's tribulations and the
moment of death, and on the other, to the nagging anxiety which so often accompanies spiritual
nihilism, and the “fear of the unknown” at the time of dying.
23 See note 11 on 10:5. The implication is that without a differentiation between right and
wrong-or true and false-there would be no “inner truth” in the concept of a divinely-planned
creation.
24 Thus RfizT, evidently reflecting the views of Zamakhsharï, which have been quoted at length
in my note 4 on 14:4.
25 See note 7 on 2:7
26 I.e., by accident, or as an outcome of blind forces of nature.
27 Lit., “their argument is nothing but that they say”.
28 Cf. 44 : 36 and the corresponding note 19.

768
 45
KNEELING DOWN

dawns - on that Day will be lost all who [in their

lifetime] tried to reduce to nothing [whatever they
could not understand].29
(28) And [on that Day] thou wilt see all people
kneeling down [in humility]: all people will be called
upon to [face] their record: “Today you shall be
requited for all that you ever did! (29) This Our
record speaks of you in all truth: for, verily, We have S< !»/, x S< SA xxx X »
caused to be recorded all that you ever did!” ÿ' iZ Mf **’ <X/J (3) QAlJÎ^-4

(30) Now as for those who have attained to faith uér I («) ujQ ôjji pJî
and done righteous deeds, their Sustainer will admit
X >x,x,> > x > x.x > - C
them to His grace: that, that will be [their] manifest
triumph!
(31) But as for those who were bent on denying the l*-c j SJî Uli
s \»x /»x» x>x x E\.x
truth, [they will be told:] “Were not My messages
Qs O J* j
conveyed to you? And withal, you gloried in your
arrogance, and so you became people lost in sin: (32)
for when it was said, ‘Behold, God's promise always
comes true, and there can be no doubt about [the *üîj <îîm'
} JI J (g) Jty*
coming of] the Last Hour’ - you would answer, ‘We
^3
do not know what that Last Hour may be: we think it
is no more than an empty guess, and [so] we are by
f-r ' J; J jçiÇ—r
no means convinced !’ ’’
(33) And [on that Day,] the evil of their doings will LT■X': JL- t'fri
become obvious to them, and they will be over­
whelmed by the very thing which they were wont to cr £->3^3
deride.20
Ü ce h <$>
(34) And [the word] will be spoken: “Today We
shall be oblivious of you as you were oblivious of the
coming of this your Day [of Judgment]; and so your
goal is the fire, and you shall have none to succour jy* ^j3
you: (35) this, because you made God’s messages the
target of your mockery, having allowed the life of this
world to beguile you!”11
On that Day, therefore, they will not be brought out j*3

of the fire,’2 nor will they be allowed to make amends.

(36) AND THUS, all praise is due to God, Sustainer of the

heavens and Sustainer of the earth: the Sustainer of
all the worlds!
(37) And His alone is all majesty in the heavens and
on earth; and He alone is almighty, truly wise!

29 I.e., whatever they could not “prove” by direct observation or calculation. For the above
rendering of al-mubfilün, see sürah 29, note 47.
30 Lit., “and that which they were wont to deride will have enfolded them”.
31 Lit., “since the life of this world has beguiled you": implying that this self-abandonment to
worldly pursuits was the cause of their scornful disregard of God’s messages.
32 Lit., “out of it”. Regarding the stress on the phrase, “On that Day , see note 114 on the last
Paragraph of 6:128, note 10 on 40:12 and note 59 on 43:74.
769
 THE FORTY-SIXTH SÜRAH

AL-AHQÄF (THE SAND-DUNES)

MECCA PERIOD

HE KEY-WORD of this surah (the last of the Ha-Mîm series) is found in verse 21. It was most
T probably revealed at approximately the same time as sürah 72, that is, about two years, or even
less, before the Prophet’s hijrah to Medina.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) Hä. Mim.1

(2) 'T’HE BESTOWAL from on high of this divine writ

± issues from God, the Almighty, the Wise. «^•>4----------------- a
(3) We have not created the heavens and the earth
and all that is between them otherwise than in accord­ (T) jaJÏ J, (T)
ance with [an inner] truth, and for a term set [by
Us]:23and yet, they who are bent on denying the truth jlLf >«Uje»*yu
turn aside from the warning which has been conveyed
unto them?
(4) Say: “Have you [really] given thought to what it
is that you invoke instead of God? Show me what Jjjl ÛÎ jp Ji
these [beings or forces] have created anywhere on
earth! Or had they, perchance, a share in [creating] CT f'
the heavens? [If so,] bring me any divine writ pre­ (J) 3^’^ ÿ jA** J* ‘ J?
ceding this one, or any [other] vestige of knowledge45-
if what you claim is true!" dl 74 4^5 & ? ûp >>
(5) And who could be more astray than one who
invokes, instead of God, such as will not respond to
him either now or on the Day of Resurrection? and (T) 'Äj
are not even conscious of being invoked?-(6) such
as, when all mankind is gathered [for judgment], will
be enemies unto those [who worshipped them], and
will utterly reject their worship?6
1 See Appendix II.
2 Regarding the expression “in accordance with [an inner] truth”, see note 11 on 10:5. The
reference to the “term" set by God to all creation is meant to stress the fact of its finality in time
as well as in space, in contrast with His Own timelessness and infinity.
3 Lit., “from that whereof they have been warned": i.e., they refuse to heed the warning not to
attribute divine qualities to any being or force beside God.
4 Sc., “in support of your claim that there are other divine powers besides God".
5 Lit., “will not respond to him till the Day of Resurrection”, i.e., never.
6 For this symbolic “enmity” of all false objects of worship, see note 13 on 35 :14.

770
 SÜRAH 46
THE SAND-DUNES
(7) But whenever Our messages are conveyed to
them in all their clarity, they who are bent on denying
the truth speak thus of the truth as soon as it is
brought to them: “This is clearly nothing but spell­
binding eloquence!”7
(8) Or do they say, "He has invented all this”?
Say [O Muhammad]: "Had I invented it, you would
not be of the least help to me against God.89He is
fully aware of that [slander] into which you so reck­ J* S». fl 0 U
lessly plunge: enough is He as a witness between me
and you! And [withal,] He alone is truly-forgiving, a
true dispenser of grace.”’ ^41 J^è>. ÿ
(9) Say: "I am not the first of [God’s] apostles;1011
and [like all of them,] I do not know what will be Ji 0
done with me or with you:“ for I am nothing but a
plain warner.” uiu, \
(10) Say: “Have you given thought [to how you will Ji 0
fare] if this be truly [a revelation] from God and yet
you deny its truth? - even though a witness from <4-^ Jé J.?
among the children of Israel has already borne wit­
ness to [the advent of] one like himself,1213and has
believed [in him], the while you glory in your arro­ Ujâ2u ij-Zis y
gance [and reject his message]? Verily, God does not
grace [such] evildoing folk with His guidance!”
(11) But they who are bent on denying the truth
speak thus of those who have attained to faith: “If
this [message] were any good, these [people] would
not have preceded us in accepting it!”1’ And since

7 Lit., “sorcery”: see note 12 on 74:24, where the term sihr has been used, chronologically, for
the first time in the above sense. As in that early instance, the truth referred to here is the message
of the Qur’an.
8 Sc., "then why should I have invented all this for your sake?”
9 The implication is, “May God forgive you, and grace you with His guidance” (Zamakhsharï).
10 Thus Tabari, BaghawT, RäzT, Ibn Kathir, implying-as Râzï stresses-"! am but a human
being like all of God’s message-bearers who preceded me”. Alternatively, the phrase may be
rendered as “I am no innovator among the apostles" - i.e., "I am not preaching anything that was
not already preached by all of God’s apostles before me” (Râzï and Baydäwi): which coincides
with the Qur’anic doctrine of the identity of the ethical teachings propounded by all of God’s
prophets.
11 I.e., “What will happen to all of us in this world” (Tabari, quoting with approval this
interpretation of Al-Hasan al-Ba$ri), or "both in this world and in the hereafter” (Baydäwi). Either
of these two interpretations implies a denial on the Prophet’s part of any foreknowledge of the
future and, in a wider sense, any knowledge of “that which is beyond the reach of human
perception” (al-ghayb): cf. 6:50 or 7:188.
12 I.e„ a prophet like himself. The "witness” spoken of here is evidently Moses: cf. the two
Biblical passages relating to the advent of the Prophet Muhammad (Deuteronomy xviii, 15 and 18):
“The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like
unto me”; and "I will raise them up a prophet from among thy brethren, like unto thee, and will
put My words in his mouth." (See in this connection note 33 on 2:42.)
13 Lit., “towards it”. Almost all of the classical commentators assume that this refers,
specifically, to the contempt with which the pagan Quraysh looked down upon the early followers

771
 SÜRAH
ÀL-AHQÂF

they refuse to be guided by it, they will always say,

“This14isis [but] an ancient falsehood!”
(12) And yet, before this there was the revelation of
Moses, a guide and a [sign of God’s] grace; and this
[Qur’än] is a divine writ confirming the truth [of the
Torah,s] in the Arabic tongue, to warn those who are
bent on evildoing, and [to bring] a glad tiding to the « , , ,, zi-Ajj 1*4 CS'-f > X ,
doers of good: (13) for, behold, all who say, “Our
Sustainer is God”, and thereafter stand firm [in their tS/jj 'j-U* ö4—
faith] - no fear need they have, and neither shall they
grieve: (14) it is they who are destined for paradise, i/uLLîJ? iî iju y* 4 0
therein to abide as a reward for all that they have
done.
(15) NOW [among the best of the deeds which] We have Iji^Cc Cil
enjoined upon man is goodness towards his parents.16
In pain did his mother bear him, and in pain did she
ty;;
give him birth; and her bearing him and his utter À^3 yf**&33
dependence on her took thirty months.17 And so, when
he attains to full maturity and reaches forty years,1* he jti» û' j J® Cw j’ e* 3
[that is righteous] prays: “O my Sustainer! Inspire me
so that I may forever be grateful for those blessings ul» jij j« c—
of Thine with which Thou hast graced me and my
parents, and that I may do what is right [in a manner] Ji 3 ÿ? j 4
that will meet with Thy goodly acceptance; and grant 1Ur j’ 3 's
me righteousness in my offspring [as well]. Verily,
unto Thee have I turned in repentance:19 for, verily, I
am of those who have surrendered themselves unto
Thee!”
(16) It is [such as] these from whom We shall

of Muhammad, most of whom came from the poorest, lowliest strata of Meccan society. However,
the above “saying” has undoubtedly a timeless import inasmuch as the poor and lowly have
always been among the first to follow a prophet. Moreover, it may also have a bearing on our times
as well, inasmuch as the materially powerful nations, whom their technological progress has
blinded to many spiritual verities, are increasingly contemptuous of the weakness of those
civilizations in which religion still plays an important, albeit largely formalistic, role: and so, not
realizing that this very formalism and the ensuing cultural sterility, and not religious faith as such,
is the innermost cause of that weakness, they attribute it to the influence of religion per se, saying
as it were, “If religion were any good, we would have been the first in holding on to it"-
thus “justifying” their own materialistic attitude and their refusal to be guided by spiritual
considerations.
14 I.e., the concept of divine revelation as such, as is evident from the subsequent reference to
the revelation of Moses.
15 Sc., in its original, uncorrupted form.
16 Cf. 29:8 and 31:14. In the present instance, this connects with the reference to the “doers
of good” at the end of verse 12 and in verses 13-14.
17 See note 14 on 31:14.
18 I.e., the age at which man is supposed to attain to full intellectual and spiritual maturity. It is
to be borne in mind that the masculine noun insän (“man” or “human being”) appearing in the first
sentence of this verse applies to both sexes alike.
19 Sc., “of whatever sin I may have committed”. See note 41 on the last sentence of 24:31.

772
 46
THE SAND-DUNES

accept the best that they ever did,20 and whose bad
deeds We shall overlook: [they will find themselves]
among those who are destined for paradise, in
fulfilment of the true promise which they were given
[in this world].
(17) But [there is many a one] who says to his
parents [whenever they try to imbue him with faith in
God]: “Fie upon both of you! Do you promise me
that I shall be brought forth [from the dead], although
[so many] generations have passed away before
me?”21 And [while] they both pray for God’s help
[and say], “Alas for thee! For, behold, God’s promise
always comes true!” - he but answers, “All this is
nothing but fables of ancient times!”
(18) It is [such as] these upon whom the sentence
[of doom] will fall due, together with the [other
sinful] communities of invisible beings22 and humans
that have passed away before their time. Verily, they
will be lost: (19) for, [in the life to come,] all shall
have their degrees in accordance with whatever [good
or evil] they did: and so,23 He will repay them in full
for their doings, and none shall be wronged.
(20) And on the Day when those who were bent on
denying the truth will be brought within sight of the
fire, [they will be told:] “You have exhausted your
[share of] good things in your worldly life, having
enjoyed them [without any thought of the hereafter]:
and so today you shall be requited with the suffering
of humiliation for having gloried on earth in your
arrogance,2425 offending against all that is right, and for
all your iniquitous doings!”
(21) AND REMEMBER that brother of [the tribe of]
'Âd,23 how - seeing that [other] warnings had already
come and gone within his own knowledge as well as

20 I.e., “whom We shall reward in accordance with the best that they ever did”: cf. 29:7.
21 Sc., “without any indication that anyone has been or will be resurrected’’. This parabolical
“dialogue” is not only meant to illustrate the ever-recurring - and perhaps natural - conflict
between older and younger generations, but also points to the transmission of religious ideas as the
most important function of parenthood, and thus, in a wider sense, as the basic element of all
social continuity.
22 See Appendix III.
23 The particle li prefixed to the subsequent verb is evidently what the grammarians call a lâm
al-'äqibah: i.e., not an indication of intent (“so that") but simply of a causal sequence, which is
best rendered as “and”, “and so”, or "hence”.
24 I.e., for having arrogantly, without any objective justification, asserted that there is no life
after death.
25 I.e., the Prophet Höd (see surah 7, note 48). The mention of Hüd and the tribe of *Äd connects
with the last sentence of the preceding verse, inasmuch as this tribe “transgressed all bounds of equity
all over their lands” (89:11).

773
in times beyond his ken26-he warned his people [who
lived] among those sand-dunes: “Worship none but
God! Verily, I fear lest suffering befall you on an
awesome day!”
(22) They answered: “Hast thou come to seduce us
away from our gods? Bring, then, upon us that
[doom] with which thou threatenest us, if thou art a ûljc JLJ® □» V*
man of truth!” Lili LjlXU (jp iJlBfff*)
(23) Said he: “Knowledge [of when it is to befall
you] rests with God alone: I but convey unto you the
message with which I have been entrusted; but I see
that you are people ignorant [of right and wrong]!”
(24) And so, when they beheld it27 in the shape of a
dense cloud approaching their valleys, they exclaimed, ijIK (MjO* vb I-A* <$)
“This is but a heavy cloud which will bring us [wel­ ~ M ,
& ^fJ**^'*-’*J* 0^
come] rain!”
[But Hfid said:] “Nay, but it is the very thing which
you [so contemptuously] sought to hasten-a wind
bearing grievous suffering, (25) bound to destroy
everything at its Sustainer’s behest!”
And then they were so utterly wiped out28 that Lœ" M <41*? (»<'■£•

nothing could be seen save their [empty] dwellings:

thus do We requite people lost in sin.
(26) And yet, We had established them securely in JUj âî cil*. »jié' f-r-“»’

a manner in which We have never established you, [O

U £_UI ÜJj (J) «^'>1^1* (MJ
31and We had endowed them
people of later times;]2930
with hearing, and sight, and [knowledgeable] hearts:10
but neither their hearing, nor their sight, nor their
hearts were of the least avail to them, seeing that they
went on rejecting God’s messages; and [in the end]
they were overwhelmed11 by the very thing which
they had been wont to deride.

26 Lit., “from between his hands and from behind him”. This idiomatic phrase (explained in
note 247 on 2:255) is evidently an allusion to the many warning messages, in Hüd's own time as
well as in the almost forgotten past, which ought to have made - but did not make - the tribe of
rÄd conscious of how far astray they had gone. We have here a subtle, parenthetic reminder that,
apart from the revelations which He bestows upon His prophets, God offers His guidance to man
through the many signs and warnings apparent in all nature as well as in the changing conditions of
human society.
27 I.e., when they beheld, without recognizing it as such, the approach of their doom.
28 Lit., "then they became so that .. etc. See 69:6-8, describing the sandstorm which
destroyed the tribe of cÄd without leaving any trace of them.
29 This relates in the first instance tothe pagan contemporaries of the Prophet, but applies to
later generations as well. - The tribe of *Äd were the unchallenged lords in the vast region in which
they lived (cf. 89:8-"the like of whom has never been reared in all the land"). Moreover, the
social conditions of their time were so simple and so free of the many uncertainties and dangers
which beset people of higher civilizations that they could be regarded as more "securely
established” on earth than people of later, more complex times.
30 I.e., intellect and feeling, both of which are comprised in the noun fu*äd.
31 Lit., "enfolded”.

774
 46 THE SAND-DUNES

(27) Thus have We destroyed many a [sinful]

community living round about you;32 and yet, [before
destroying them,] We had given many facets to [Our
warning] messages, so that they might turn back
[from their evil ways].
(28) But, then, did those [beings] whom they had
chosen to worship as deities beside God, hoping that ®
they would bring them nearer [to Him],33 help them
[in the end]? Nay, they forsook them: for that
[alleged divinity] was but an outcome of their self-
delusion and all their false imagery.3435
(29) AND LO!3Î We caused a group of unseen beings to Ijii wJLJ[ J

incline towards thee, [O Muhammad,]36 so that they A® » yé en

might give ear to the Qur’an; and so, as soon as they
became aware of it,37 they said [unto one another], J Jr I (g) iij j>
“Listen in silence!” And when [the recitation] was
j J[ cPr *■* uw e err j-»
ended, they returned to their people as warners.3*
(30) They said: “O our people! Behold, we have
been listening to a revelation bestowed from on high (J) JijU
after [that of] Moses, confirming the truth of what­
ever there still remains [of the Torah]:39 it guides
towards the truth, and onto a straight way. <_rjj
(31) “O our people! Respond to God's call, and
have faith in Him: He will forgive you [whatever is
past] of your sins, and deliver you from grievous
suffering [in the life to come]. (32) But he who does
not respond to God's call can never elude [Him] on
earth, nor can he have any protector against Him [in

32 I.e., “close to you in space as well as in time”. In its wider sense, this phrase denotes “all the
rest of the world".
33 This clause gives the meaning of the expression qurbänan, which contains an allusion not
merely to false deities but also to the deification of saints, living or dead, who allegedly act as
mediators between man and the transcendental Supreme Being.
34 Lit., “that was their lie and all that they were wont to invent".
35 See surah 2, note 21. The connection between this passage and the preceding one apparently
lies in the fact that whereas “those who are lost in sin" (of whom the tribe of cÄd is given as an
example) refuse to heed God’s messages, the “unseen beings" spoken of in the sequence
immediately perceived their truth and accepted them.
36 The term nafar signifies a group of more than three and up to ten persons. The occurrence
mentioned in this passage - said to have taken place in the small oasis of Nakhlah, on the way
leading from Mecca to Jä’if (TabarT) - is evidently identical with that described in 72:1-15; for a
tentative explanation, see note I on 72:1.
37 Lit., “as soon as they attended to it”, i.e., to its recitation by the Prophet.
38 I.e., as preachers of the Qur’anic creed. The expression “as warners” connects with the
preceding references to “warning messages”.
39 For an explanation of this rendering of the phrase mä bayna yadayhi, see surah 3, note
3.-As pointed out in note 1 on 72:1, this reference to the Qur’ân as revealed “after Moses”,
omitting any mention of Jesus, seems to indicate that the speakers were followers of the Jewish
faith; hence my interpolation of the words “of the Torah".

775
 AL-AHQÄF SÜRAH 46

the life to come]: all such are most obviously lost in

error.”40
(33) ARE, THEN, they [who deny the life to come] not
aware that God, who has created the heavens and the
earth and never been wearied by their creation,41 has
[also] the power to bring the dead back to life? Yea,
verily, He has the power to will anything! jU. O' J_,l
(34) And so, on the Day when those who were bent
on denying the truth will be brought within sight of cJ >1 & ûi j’ÿ Ji

the fire [and will be asked], ‘‘Is not this the truth?” - J 3 Qu* & /
they will answer, ‘‘Yea, by Our Sustainer!”
[And] He will say: “Taste, then, this suffering as an lyjâi JU jUjl
outcome of your denial of the truth!”
Lb* jf* ($) sJiijT
(35) REMAIN, then, [O believer,] patient in adversity,
SjzfX f-r^ f“* J***“* V#
just as all of the apostles, endowed with firmness of
heart, bore themselves with patience. And do not ask
J ûjJcji.U
for a speedy doom of those [who still deny the truth]:
on the Day when they see [the fulfilment of] what (J) l>ji -lilf fjiJÎ
they were promised,42 [it will seem to them] as though
.they had dwelt [on earth] no longer than one hour of [an
earthly] day!43
[This is Our] message. Will, then, any be [really]
destroyed save iniquitous folk?44
40 See note 11 on 72:15.
41 This is apparently an allusion to the Qur’anic doctrine that God's creative activity is
continuous and unending.
42 I.e., the reality of life after death.
43 In this parabolic manner the Qur’än points to the illusory concept of “time” as experienced by
the human mind-a concept which has no bearing on the ultimate reality to be unfolded in the
hereafter.
44 Cf. the last sentence of 6:47 and the corresponding note 37.
 THE FORTY-SEVENTH SÜRAH

MUHAMMAD
MEDINA PERIOD

HIS IS undoubtedly one of the earliest revelations- perhaps the earliest-of the Medina périod­
T es pointed out in note 11 below, verse 13 may have been revealed during the Prophet’s hijrah. The
view of Ad-Dahhâk and Sa'Td ibn Jubayr (cited by ZamakhsharT) that it is a Meccan sürah lacks both
internal and external evidence, and cannot be accepted.
The title is based on the mention of the name of the Prophet Muhammad in verse 2; but since
the sürah deals prominently with various aspects of fighting (qitöO’in God’s cause, it was often
designated by the Prophet’s Companions and their immediate successors as Sürat al-QitäL

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) FOR THOSE who are bent on denying the truth

XX and on barring [others] from the path of God -
all their [good] deeds will He let go to waste;1 (2)
whereas those who have attained to faith and do --------------
righteous deeds, and have come to believe in what
has been bestowed from on high on Muhammad - for it
is the truth from their Sustainer-[shall attain to
God’s grace:] He will efface their [past] bad deeds,
and will set their hearts at rest.23
(3) This, because they who are bent on denying the
truth pursue falsehood, whereas they who have T ùl éii'à (T) (La
attained to faith pursue [but] the truth [that flows]
from their Sustainer.
In this way does God set forth unto man the
parables of their true state.1

(4) NOW WHEN you meet [in war] those who are bent

1 I.e., whatever good deeds they may do will be so completely outweighed by the above-
mentioned sin that they will amount to nothing on the Day of Judgment. (But see also note 9
below.) The above verse connects with the last sentence of the preceding sürah, “Will, then, any
be [really] destroyed save iniquitous folk?’’
2 Lit., “will set aright their hearts” or “their minds”, inasmuch as one of the several meanings
of the term bäl is the “heart” or “mind" of man (JawharT).
3 Lit., “their parables” (amthälahum}. This, according to some of the most outstanding
commentators, relates to the parabolic expressions in the above three verses: the “going to
waste”-in consequence of their deliberate “pursuance of falsehood"-of the good deeds of those
who deny the truth, as well as the "effacement of the bad deeds” of the true believers in
consequence of their “pursuance of the truth" (BaghawT, ZamakhsharT, RäzT, BaydäwT). In a
broader perspective, this interpretation takes into account the parabolic nature not only of the
above sentence but also of many other Qur’anic statements relating to men’s spiritual conditions
and destinies in this world as well as in the life to come.
777
on denying the truth,4 smite their necks until you
overcome them fully, and then tighten their bonds;5
but thereafter [set them free,] either by an act of
grace or against ransom, so that the burden of war
may be lifted:6 thus [shall it be]. ,Sx Sx , i >, .>
And [know that] had God so willed, He could
indeed punish them [Himself]; but [He wills you to
struggle] so as to test you [all] by means of one -ri * / ->JJ -

another.7
And as for those who are slain in God’s cause, ' A '
never will He let their deeds go to waste: (5) He will <£>
guide them [in the hereafter as well], and will set their
hearts at rest, (6) and will admit them to the paradise Ub* C fA cHJ
which He has promised them.
(7) O you who have attained to faith! If you help
[the cause of] God, He will help you, and will make jib b/^ aA# O
firm your steps; (8) but as for those who are bent on
denying the truth, ill fortune awaits them, since He j>-iu M
will let all their [good] deeds go to waste: (9) this,
byLU^jVl • <$>
because they hate [the very thought of] what God has
bestowed from on high8 - and thus He causes all their
deeds to come to nought!9
(10) Have they, then, never journeyed about the
earth and beheld what happened in the end to those
[wilful sinners] who lived before their time? God
destroyed them utterly: and the like thereof awaits all
who deny the truth.10

4 Sc., “and on barring [others] from the path of God” - thus connecting with verse 1 and laying
down the fundamental condition which alone justifies physical warfare: namely, a defence of the
Faith and of freedom (cf. in this connection note 167 on 2:190). In other words, when “those who
are bent on denying the truth" try to deprive the Muslims of their social and political liberty and
thus to make it impossible for them to live in accordance with the principles of their faith, a just
war (jihäd) becomes allowable and, more than that, a duty. The whole of the above verse relates to
war actually in progress (cf. note 168 on the first part of 2: 191); and there is no doubt that it was
revealed after 22:39-40, the earliest Qur’anic reference to physical warfare.
5 Lit., “tighten the bond". According to almost all the commentators, this expression denotes
the taking of prisoners of war. In addition, it may also refer to any sanctions or safeguards which
would make it unlikely that the aggression could be resumed in the foreseeable future.
6 Lit., “so that (hattä) the war may lay down its burdens”. The term “ransom” comprises also,
in this context, a mutual exchange of prisoners of war (ZamakhsharT, quoting an opinion of Imam
Ash-Shâfi'ï).
7 Le., so as to enable the believers to prove by actual deeds the depth of their faith and their
readiness for self-sacrifice, and to enable the aggressors to realize how wrong they have been, and
thus to bring them closer to the truth.
8 Namely, the revelation relating to man’s moral responsibility to a Supreme Being.
9 The particle fa (“and thus") at the beginning of this clause connotes a consequence: in other
words, it is their rejection of the idea of moral responsibility, inherent in all divine revelation, that
deprives the deeds of “those who are bent on denying the truth” - even such deeds as might be
termed “good” - of all moral value. This taw of inner causality explains fully the phrase “He will
let all their [good] deeds go to waste" occurring in verses 1 and 8.
10 Cf. 6:10 and the corresponding note 9.

778
 47
MUHAMMAD
(11) This, because God is the Protector of all who
have attained to faith, whereas they who deny the
truth have no protector.
(12) Verily, God will admit all who attain to faith
and do righteous deeds into gardens through which
running waters flow, whereas they who are bent on
denying the truth shall have-even though they may yf % & > (j)
enjoy their life [in this world] and eat as cattle
eat-the fire [of the hereafter] for their abode. 4 <$> P $ »a
(13) And how many a community11 of greater
power than this thy community which has driven thee
out, [O Muhammad,] have We destroyed, with none
to succour them!
U^fCf, ÿf» 0 f-A jüJb piiVt
(14) CAN, THEN, he who takes his stand on a clear
evidence from his Sustainer be likened unto one1213 to
whom the evil of his own doings [always] seems
goodly, and unto such as would follow but their own
lusts? $ <$> «4^ & A
(15) [And can] the parable of the paradise which Cf^J^j^î^CfJ^^ jrxJÎjo
the God-conscious are promised11 - [a paradise]
wherein there are rivers of water which time does not Jr'* Cv.J^ *^^CfSr{J $

corrupt, and rivers of milk the taste whereof never .J \

alters, and rivers of wine delightful to those who < ij^J M J-**v)-* j;
drink it,14 and rivers of honey of all impurity cleansed,
tu ’ji-j jUJÎ j J»
and the enjoyment1516of all the fruits [of their good
deeds] and of forgiveness from their Sustainer-: Zs*" A-’l Cf fr? ®
can this [parable of paradise] be likened unto [the
parable of the recompense of14] such as are to abide
in the fire and be given waters of burning despair1718 to
drink, so that it will tear their bowels asunder?
(16) Now among those [hapless sinners] are such as
[pretend to] listen to thee, [O Muhammad,]1* and
11 See note 116 on 6:131. It is said that this verse was revealed on the first night of the
Prophet’s hijrah from Mecca to Medina (Tabari, on the authority of Ibn cAbbäs).
12 Lit., “Is, then, one who takes his stand... like one...”, etc.
13 My rendering of this verse is based in its entirety on the grammatical construction given to it
by Zamakhsharï and supported by Râzï. In this construction, the parabolic description of
paradise - beginning with the phrase “wherein there are rivers...“, etc., and ending with the
words “and forgiveness from their Sustainer” - is a parenthetic passage (jumlah mu'taritfah). As
for the term “parable” (mathal) itself, it is undoubtedly meant to impress upon those who read or
listen to the Qur’än that its descriptions of life in the hereafter are purely allegorical: see in this
connection Zamakhsharï’s explicit remarks cited in note 65 on 13:35.
14 Cf. 37 : 45-47, especially verse 47: “no headiness will there be in it, and they will not get
drunk thereon”.
15 Lit., “and wherein they (i.e.. the God-conscious] will have..etc.
16 This interpolation reproduces literally Zamakhsharï’s explanation of the above ellipticism.
17 Lit., “exceedingly hot [or “boiling”] water”. For an explanation of this metaphor, see note 62 on
6:70. z
18 Cf. 6:25 and 10:42-43.
779
 then, as soon as they leave thy presence, speak [with
scorn] unto those who have understood [thy mes­
sage]:” “What is it that he has said just now?”
It is such as these whose hearts God has sealed
because they [always] followed but their own lusts192021
-
(17) just as for those who are [willing to be] guided, dJJi uju jb isu'Jjl îyj y yi; iix*
He increases their [ability to follow His] guidance
and causes them to grow in God-consciousness. (j)
(18) Are, then, they [whose hearts are sealed] wait­
ing for the Last Hour - [waiting] that it come upon
them of a sudden? But it has already been foretold!22
And what will their remembrance [of their past sins]
tU iii 0* «UÏ J4À
avail them, once it has come upon them?23 Ju
(19) Know, then, [O man,] that there is no deity
save God, and [while there is yet time,] ask forgive­ j wL*J9
ness for thy sins and for [the sins of] all other
believing men and women: for God knows all your j <&&& %
comings and goings as well as your abiding [at rest].2425 ifj yjj cJj * * ip «y* cj j yp
(20) NOW THOSE who have attained to faith say, Slji jjjt- j c-b jUiK
“Would that a revelation [allowing us to fight] were
bestowed from on high!”23 «IL (£) <Là J,U
But now that a revelation clear in and by itself,26
mentioning war, has been bestowed from on high,
thou canst see those in whose hearts is disease look­
ing at thee, [O Muhammad,] with the look of one who
is about to faint for fear of death! And yet, far better

19 Lit., “unto those who have been given knowledge”, sc., “of the truth” or “of thy message”:
i.e., the believers. The people spoken of in the above are the hypocrites among the contemporaries
of the Prophet as well as all people, at all times, who pretend to approach the Qur’anic message
with a show of “reverence” but are in their innermost unwilling to admit that there is any sense in
it.
20 I.e., the “sealing” of their hearts (for an explanation of which see note 7 on 2:7) is a
consequence of their “following but their own lusts”.
21 Lit., “and gives them their God-consciousness (taqu’â/ium)”.
22 Lit., “its indications have already come”: a reference to the many Qur’anic predictions of its
inevitability, as well as to the evidence, accessible to every unprejudiced mind, of the temporal
finality of all creation.
23 I.e., “of what benefit will be to them, when the Last Hour comes, their dawning awareness of
having sinned, and their belated repentance?”
24 I.e., “He knows all that you do and all that you fail to do”.
25 I am rendering the term sûrah here and in the next sentence as “a revelation”, for whereas
there is no sûrah as such which deals exclusively with questions of war, there are numerous
references to it in various surahs-, and this is evidently the meaning of this term in the present
context as well as in 9:86. - There is no doubt that this verse precedes the revelation, in the year
1 h., of 22 : 39, which states categorically - and for the first time - that the believers are allowed to
wage war whenever “war is wrongfully waged” against them (see in this connection note 57 on
22:39).
26 This is a reference to 22 : 39-40. For an explanation of the expression muhkamah (“clear in
and by itself”), see note 5 on 3:7. (As in the preceding sentence, the term sûrah has been
rendered here, exceptionally, as “revelation”.)

780
 47
MUHAMMAD
for them would be (21) obedience [to God’s call] and
a word that could win [His] approval:2728for, since the
matter has been resolved [by His revelation], it would
be but for their own good to remain true to God.
(22) [Ask them:] “Would you, perchance, after
having turned away [from God’s commandment, pre­
fer to revert to your old ways, and] spread corruption ùèJ at Ju up 3^
on earth, and [once again] cut asunder your ties of
kinship?”“
(23) It is such as these whom God rejects, and
whom He makes deaf [to the voice of truth], and
whose eyes He blinds [to its sight]!29 ùfcjiïî y» I (g) Iÿ a!
(24) Will they not, then, ponder over this Qur’än? -
or are there locks upon their hearts? ÿ b*? yT $ £ Jî
(25) VERILY, those who turn their backs [on this mes­
sage] after guidance has been vouchsafed to them, al <j>-u yI iju' Ji’s (J) jU
[do it because] Satan has embellished their fancies
and filled them with false hopes: (26) [they do turn <$> r^b-l j
their backs on it] inasmuch as30 they are wont to say
unto those who abhor all that God has revealed, “We f—pjrj f-r*y <J«X»

will comply with your views on some points.”31 aî Üh U ïjuî pL Jß (g)

But God knows their secret thoughts: (27) hence,
how [will they fare] when the angels gather them in jy ûj- ?

death, striking their faces and their backs?32 (28) This,

because they were wont to pursue what God con­
demns, and to hate [whatever would meet with] His
goodly acceptance:33 and so He has caused all their
[good] deeds to come to nought.
(29) Or do they in whose hearts is disease think.
27 I.e., an expression of readiness to fight in His cause: which is obviously the meaning of qawl
ma'rüf in this context.
28 The above interpolations are in tune with the explanation of this passage advanced by
almost all of the classical commentators, who regard this rhetorical "question” as an allusion to
the chaotic conditions of pre-lslamic Arabia, its senseless internecine wars, and the moral
darkness from which Islam had freed its followers. Nevertheless, this verse has, like the whole of
the passage of which it forms a part, a timeless import as well.
29 Cf. the reference to God’s “sealing” the hearts of stubborn wrongdoers in 2:7.
30 Lit., “this, because..etc.
31 Lit., “in some [or “parts of”] the matter”: i.e., “although we cannot agree with you [atheists]
as regards your denial of God, or of resurrection, or of the fact of revelation as such, we do agree
with you that Muhammad is an impostor and that the Qur’an is but his invention” (RäzT). By
“those who turn their backs [on this message] after guidance has been vouchsafed to them” are
meant, in the first instance, the hypocrites and half-hearted followers of Islam at the time of the
Prophet who refused to fight in defence of the Faith; in a wider sense, however, this definition
applies to all people, at all times, who are impressed by the teachings of the Qur’än but
nevertheless refuse to accept it as God-inspired and, therefore, morally binding.
32 See note 55 on 8:50.
33 See first clause of verse 3 of this sürah, which speaks of the “pursuit of falsehood”. In the
Present instance, “that which would meet with His goodly acceptance” is the believer's readiness
to sacrifice, if necessary, his life in the defence of the Faith.
781
 SÜRAH
MUHAMMAD

perchance, that God would never bring their moral

failings to light?34
(30) Now had We so willed, We could have shown
them clearly to thee, so that thou wouldst know them
for sure as by a visible mark:35 but [even so,] thou
wilt most certainly recognize them by the tone of
their voice.36
And God knows all that you do, [O men;] (31) and
most certainly We shall try you all, so that We might
mark out37 those of you who strive hard [in Our (g) I âJj jJiJÎ
cause] and are patient in adversity: for We shall put
to a test [the truth of] all your assertions.38
(32) Verily, they who are bent on denying the truth
and on barring [others] from the path of God, and
[who thus] cut themselves off from the Apostle3’ after -Lf's-v âï ijÎ5a!T pA ju U
guidance has been vouchsafed to them, can in no
wise harm God; but He will cause all their deeds to • (J)
come to nought.
(33) O you who have attained to faith! Pay heed
unto God, and pay heed unto the Apostle, and let not
jU jUT
your [good] deeds come to nought!
(34) Verily, as for those who are bent on denying 'j-r f—L ^7*4
the truth and on barring [others] from the path of
<g> >17* ’/K JJ SjiA’f
God, and then die as deniers of the truth - indeed,
God will not grant them forgiveness!
>-_>» ù[ »
(35) AND SO, [when you fight in a just cause,] do not lose
heart and [never] beg for peace: for, seeing that God
is with you, you are bound to rise high [in the end];40
and never will He let your [good] deeds go to waste.
(36) The life of this world is but a play and a
passing delight: but if you believe [in God] and are

34 The noun dighn (of which adghän is the plural) denotes, primarily, “rancour” or “hate”; in
its wider sense it signifies a person’s “disposition”, “inclination" or “leaning”, especially in its
negative aspects (JawharT): hence, a “moral defect” or “failing".
35 Lit., “by their marks": implying, elliptically, that God does not grant to anyone a clear
insight, as by a visible mark, into another human being’s heart or mind.
36 Lit., “the tone (/a/in) of speech”: indicating that a true believer recognizes hypocrisy even
without a “visible mark” (simä).
37 Cf. 3:140, where the verb *alama has been rendered in the same way.
38 Lit., “your announcements” - i.e., ail assertions relating to belief. The “test” consists in
one’s readiness to undergo any sacrifice-and, since most of this sürah deals with the problem of a
just war (jihâd) in God’s cause - even the sacrifice of one’s life.
39 For the above rendering of shâqqü, see note 16 on 8:13. The “cutting oneself off” from the
Apostle signifies, of course, a rejection of his message, and, in this particular context, a refusal to
follow the Qur’anic call to fight in a just cause, i.e., in defence of the Faith or of freedom (see note
167 on 2:190).
40 I.e., even if the fortunes of war go against them, the consciousness of having fought in the
cause of truth and justice is bound to enhance the inner strength of the believers and, thus, to
become a source of their future greatness: cf. 3:139.

782
47
MUHAMMAD
conscious of Him, He will grant you your deserts.
And withal, He does not demand of you [to
sacrifice in His cause all of] your possessions:41 (37)
[for,] if He were to demand of you all of them, and ji (g) •££»' y;

urge you,42 you would niggardly cling [to them], and

so He would [but] bring out your moral failings.43
(38) Behold, [O believers,] it is you who are called
upon to spend freely in God’s cause: but [even]
among you are such as turn out to be niggardly! And
yet, he who acts niggardly [in God’s cause] is but
niggardly towards his own self: for God is indeed
self-sufficient, whereas you stand in need [of Him];
and if you turn away [from Him], He will cause other
people to take your place, and they will not be the
likes of you!
41 Although the life of this world is “but a play and a passing delight”, God does not want to
deprive the believers of its rightful enjoyment: and so He expects them to sacrifice only a small
part of their possessions in His cause. This passage evidently foreshadows the imposition of the
obligatory annual tax called zakäh (“the purifying dues”), amounting to about 2Î percent of
a Muslims’s income and property, as pointed out by most of the classical commentators in
connection with the above verse (hence my interpolation). The proceeds of this tax are to be
utilized in what the Qur’an describes as “the cause [lit., “way"] of God", i.e., for the defence and
propagation of the Faith and the welfare of the community; and its spiritual purpose is the
“purification” of a Muslim’s possessions from the blemish of greed and selfishness. (It is to be
noted that the payment of zakäh was made obligatory at the very beginning of the Medina period,
that is, at approximately the same time as the revelation of the present sürah.)
42 Sc., “to divest yourselves of all your possessions".
43 For my rendering of adghän as “moral failings”, see note 37. In the present context
this term has more or less the same meaning as the term fujûr in 91:8. The implication is that
since “man has been created weak” (4:28), the imposition of too great a burden on the believers
would be self-defeating inasmuch as it might result not in an increase of faith but, rather, in its
diminution. This passage illustrates the supreme realism of the Qur’än, which takes into account
human nature as it is, with all its God-willed complexity and its inner contradictions, and does not,
therefore, postulate a priori an impossible ideal as a norm of human behaviour. (Cf. 91:8, which
speaks of man’s personality as “imbued with moral failings as well as consciousness of God”-a
phrase which is explained in the corresponding note 6.)
 THE FORTY-EIGHTH SÜRAH

AL-FATH (VICTORY)
MEDINA PERIOD

OWARDS the end of the sixth year of the hijrah, the Prophet decided to perform,
T accompanied by his followers, the “lesser pilgrimage” or “pious visit” Cumrah) to Mecca.
Although for nearly six years there had been a more or less permanent state of war between the
Muslim community at Medina and the pagan oligarchy of Mecca, the Prophet did not anticipate
any hostilities on that occasion, since the month of Dhu '1-Qa'dah, in which he intended to reach
Mecca, was one of the four “sacred months” during which, in accordance with time-honoured
Arabian custom, all warfare was outlawed, and particularly so in and around the Holy City. A call
was issued to some of the allied bedouin tribes in the vicinity of Medina to join the Prophet on this
pilgrimage, but most of them excused themselves on some pretext or other (see note 10 on verse
11 of this sürah). Thus, the Prophet’s party which set out for Mecca consisted of only 1400-1500
men, all of them dressed in the pilgrim’s garb (ihräm) and, apart from their sheathed swords,
unarmed.
On learning of the Prophet’s approach, the Meccans decided - against all Arabian tradition - to
oppose the entry of the pilgrims by force of arms. A detachment of two hundred horsemen under
the command of Khalid ibn al-Walîd (who was destined to embrace Islam less than two years
later) was sent out to intercept the Prophet’s party, while several thousand heavily-armed men
took up positions around Mecca. Since the Prophet was neither inclined nor in a position to give
battle, he turned westwards from Bïr 'Usfân (a place about one day’s journey from Mecca) and
alighted on the plain of Al-Hudaybiyyah, where he and his followers remained for the next few
days. There and then negotiations were opened between the Muslims and the Meccan oligarchy.
After some preliminary discussions conducted by various emissaries of both parties, the Prophet
sent 'Uthman ibn ‘Affân (who belonged to one of the most influential Meccan clans) as his envoy.
Shortly after 'Uthman’s arrival in Mecca, a rumour that he had been murdered reached the Muslim
camp at Hudaybiyyah. Thereupon the Prophet, expecting a treacherous attack by the Meccans,
assembled his followers and, sitting under a wild acacia tree, took, amid scenes of the greatest
enthusiasm, a pledge from each one of his followers that they would remain steadfast and fight
unto death; and after the revelation of verse 18 of this sürah, this “Pledge of the Tree” became
known to history as Bay'at ar-Rifwän (“the Pledge of [God’s] Goodly Acceptance”).
When a few days later the rumour of 'Uthmän’s death proved false and he himself returned to
Hudaybiyyah, it became clear that the Meccans were prepared to conclude a truce. A treaty was
drawn up, stipulating, among other provisions, that all warfare between Mecca and Medina should
be suspended for ten years, and that the Prophet and his followers should refrain from entering
Mecca that year, but would be free to do so the following year. The Prophet also agreed that if a
Meccan minor or any other person under guardianship should go over to the Muslims without the
permission of his guardian, he would be returned to the latter; but should any follower of the
Prophet-whether minor or of age-go over to the Quraysh of his own free will, he or she would
not be returned. Although this last stipulation appeared at first glance to be disadvantageous to the
Muslims, it is obvious that the Prophet agreed to it in pursuance of the principle that “there shall
be no coercion in matters of faith” (2:256).
The Truce of Hudaybiyyah was to prove of the greatest importance to the future of Islam. For
the first time in six years peaceful contacts were established between Mecca and Medina, and thus
the way was opened to the penetration of Islamic ideas into the citadel of Arabian paganism. The
Meccans who had occasion to visit the Muslim camp at Hudaybiyyah returned deeply impressed
by the spirit and the unity of Muhammad’s followers, and many of them began to waver in their
hostility towards the faith preached by him. As soon as the perennial warfare came to an end and
people of both sides could meet freely, new converts rallied around the Prophet, first in tens, then
in hundreds, then in thousands - so much so that when the pagan Quraysh broke the truce two

784
 SÜRAH 48
VICTORY
years after its conclusion, the Prophet could and did occupy Mecca almost without resistance
Thus, in fact if not m appearance, the Trace of Hudaybiyyah ushered in the moral and political
victory of Islam over all Arabia.
In the consensus of all the authorities, the sürah commemorating this victory was revealed
during the Prophet's return march from Hudaybiyyah to Medina,

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) X TERILY, [O Muhammad,] We have laid open

V before thee a manifest victory,1 (2) so that God
might show His forgiveness of all thy faults, past as
well as future,2 and [thus] bestow upon thee the full -------------------- «
measure of His blessings, and guide thee on a straight
way,3 (3) and [show] that God will succour thee with âl o Ci ÎS
[His] mighty succour.
Krf
(4) It is He who from on high has bestowed inner
peace upon the hearts of the believers,4 so that - 3^? & 'j.s ** 3 0 Cilj
seeing that God’s are all the forces of the heavens
and the earth, and that God is all-knowing, truly C ^4 J Jy*
wise - they might grow yet more firm in their faith;5
(5) [and] that He might admit the believers, both men
and women, into gardens through which running
waters flow, therein to abide, and that He might
efface their [past bad] deeds: and that is, in the sight
of God, indeed a triumph supreme! ....................................
0 U* 'jj* X* j6 ) piUL.
(6) And [God has willed] to impose suffering [in the
life to come] on the hypocrites, both men and women, c.'Âîi.jîj
and on those who ascribe divinity to aught beside
Him, both men and women: all who entertain evil ^;UÎIÎ

thoughts about God.6 Evil encompasses them from all

sides, and God’s condemnation rests upon them; and
He has rejected them [from His grace], and has ^£^3 àj
readied hell for them: and how evil a journey’s end!
(7) For, God’s are all the forces of the heavens and
the earth; and God is indeed almighty, truly wise!

1 Namely, the moral victory achieved by the Trace of Hudaybiyyah, which opened the doors to
the subsequent triumph of Islam in Arabia (see introductory nute, which explains many allusions
to this historic event found in the subsequent verses).
2 Lit., “so that God might forgive thee all that is past of thy sins and all that is yet to
come”-thus indicating elliptically that freedom from faults is an exclusive prerogative of God,
and that every human being, however exalted, is bound to err on occasion.
3 Sc., “to a fulfilment of thy mission”, which the Trace of Hudaybiyyah clearly presaged.
4 I.e., endowed them, although they were few and practically unarmed, with calm courage in the
face of the much more powerful forces of the enemy.
5 Lit., “so that they might add faith to their faith, seeing that God’s are..etc. Since the latter
is obviously a parenthetic clause, I have transposed it in my rendering in order to make the
meaning clear.
6 I.e., who deny His existence or man’s responsibility to Him, or offend against the concept of
His oneness.
 SÜRAH
AL-FATH

(8) VERILY, [O Muhammad,] We have sent thee as a

witness [to the truth], and as a herald of glad tidings
and a Warner - (9) so that you [O men] might believe
in God and His Apostle, and might honour Him, and
revere Him, and extol His limitless glory from morn
to evening.7
(10) Behold, all who pledge their allegiance to thee
pledge their allegiance to God: the hand of God is
over their hands.89 Hence, he who breaks his oath, .X âî JI
breaks it only to his own hurt; whereas he who
remains true to what he has pledged unto God, on Je C-C-âî
him will He bestow a reward supreme.
(11) Those of the bedouin who stayed behind’ will (g) LJâ» 17^1 li jjl

say unto thee: “[The need to take care of] our chat­ ljÇiGjIS ei jj£
tels and our families kept us busy: do then, [O
Prophet,] ask God to forgive us!” [Thus,] they will j
utter with their tongues something that is not in their
hearts.1011 S* S# Ô1 âî £ £j éiu Ji j;

Say: “Who, then, has it in his power to avert from r J.

you aught that God may have willed,” whether it be J-j 'zr*“ Û ÛÎ J5 J, LmJ jIj'

His will to harm you or to confer a benefit on you? I» nJ*1j! jl

Nay, but God is fully aware of what you do! (12)
Nay, you thought that the Apostle and the believers > »jjî J* f^Jii J J.ii '-M*
would never return to their kith and kin: and this
ÜLÄlUJi * J«it J by? L>i
seemed goodly to your hearts.12 And you entertained
[such] evil thoughts because you have always been
people devoid of all good!”
(13) Now as for those who will not believe in God
and His Apostle - verily, We have readied a blazing
flame for all [such] deniers of the truth!
7 Lit., “at morn and evening”, i.e., at all times.
8 This refers, in the first instance, to the pledge of faith and allegiance (bay1at ar-ridwän) which
the Muslims assembled at Hudaybiyyah gave to the Prophet (see introductory note). Beyond this
historical allusion, however, the above sentence implies that as one's faith in God's message­
bearer is to all intents and purposes synonymous with a declaration of faith in God Himself, so
does one’s willingness to obey God necessarily imply a willingness to obey His message-bearer. -
The phrase “the hand of God is over their hands” does not merely allude to the hand-clasp with
which all of the Prophet’s followers affirmed their allegiance to him, but is also a metaphor for His
being a witness to their pledge.
9 Lit., “who were left behind”: i.e., the bedouin belonging to the tribes of Ghifär, Muzaynah,
Juhaynah, Ashja', Aslam and Dhayl, who, although allied with the Prophet and outwardly
professing Islam, refused under various pretexts to accompany him on his march to Mecca (which
resulted in the Truce of Hudaybiyyah), since they were convinced that the Meccans would give
battle and destroy the unarmed Muslims (ZamakhsharT). The excuses mentioned in the sequence
were made after the Prophet’s and his followers’ successful return to Medina; hence the future
tense, sayaqül.
10 Implying that the excuses which they would proffer would be purely hypocritical.
11 Lit., “has anything in his power [that could be obtained] in your behalf from God”: a
construction which, in order to become meaningful in translation, necessitates a paraphrase.
12 Implying that the real sympathies of those bedouin were with the pagan Quraysh rather than
with the Muslims.

786
 VICTORY
(14) But God’s is the dominion over the heavens
and the earth: He forgives whomever He wills, and
imposes suffering on whomever He wills - and
[withal,] He is indeed much-forgiving, a dispenser of
grace.13
(15) As soon as you [O believers] are about to set
c£LjT ei. â, (gj
forth on a war that promises booty,14 those who
stayed behind (aforetime] will surely say, “Allow us St SfrJ to 5 üS
to go with you”-(thus showing that] they would like
to alter the Word of God.1516
Say: “By no means shall you go with us: God has I, > ,
declared aforetime“ [to whom all spoils shall
belong].”
Thereupon they will [surely] answer, “Nay, but you
begrudge us [our share of booty]!”
Nay, they can grasp but so little of the truth!
(16) Say unto those bedouin who stayed behind: “In
time you will be called upon [to fight] against people
of great prowess in war:1718you will have to fight
against them [until you die] or they surrender. And jlj
then, if you heed [that call], God will bestow on you
a goodly reward; but if you turn away as you turned
away this time,“ He will chastise you with grievous
chastisement.”
(17) No blame attaches to the blind, nor does blame «H-- ù*->
attach to the lame, nor does blame attach to the sick
[for staying away from a war in God’s cause];19 but
whoever heeds [the call of] God and His Apostle (in
deed or in heart20], him will He admit into gardens
through which running waters flow; whereas him who

13 Implying that He may forgive even the most hardened sinners if they truly repent and mend
their ways: an allusion to what the Prophet was to say according to verse 16.
14 Lit., “set forth to take booty”: i.e., any expedition other than against the Quraysh of Mecca,
with whom the Prophet had just concluded a truce. This is generally taken as an allusion to the
forthcoming war against the Jews of Khaybar (in the year 7 h.), but the meaning may well be more
general.
15 Evidently a reference to 8:1 - “All spoils of war belong to God and the Apostle”-which, as
pointed out in note 1 on that verse, implies that no individual warrior can have any claim to the
booty obtained in war. Moreover, fighting for the sake of booty contravenes the very principle of a
“war in God’s cause", which may be waged only in defence of faith or liberty (cf. sürah 2, note
167), “until there is no more oppression and all worship is devoted to God alone’’ (see 2:193 and
the corresponding note 170). It is to these principles, too, that the Prophet’s anticipated answer,
mentioned in the sequence, refers.
16 I.e., in the first verse of Al-Anfäl, which was revealed in the year 2 H. (see preceding note).
17 This is evidently a prophecy relating to the future wars against Byzantium and Persia.
18 Lit., “before”, i.e., at the time of the expedition which resulted in the Truce of Hudaybiyyah.
19 These three categories circumscribe metonymically all kinds of, infirmities or disabilities
which may prevent a person from actively participating in a war in God’s cause.
20 This latter applies, by obvious implication, to such as are unable to participate in the fighting
Physically, but are in their hearts with those who fight.

787
 turns away will He chastise with grievous chastise­
ment.
(18) INDEED, well-pleased was God with the believers
when they pledged their allegiance unto thee [O
Muhammad] under that tree,21 for He knew what was
in their hearts; and so He bestowed inner peace upon
them from on high, and rewarded them with [the • ($) y*
glad tiding of] a victory soon to come22 (19) and [of] Jÿ'li p—j U jUa* ^3*^
many war-gains which they would achieve: for God is
indeed almighty, wise. fi*3 (3>
(20) [O you who believe!] God has promised you
many war-gains which you shall yet achieve; and He jKj bv-Wj
has vouchsafed you these [worldly gains] well in
ip» I uiTj Jm» Ijj Ji-L'
advance,23 and has stayed from you the hands of
[hostile] people, so that this [your inner strength] may
become a symbol to the believers [who will come
], and that He may guide you all on a
after you2425 Ji -
straight way.
(21) And there are yet other [gains] which are still <3> bA-* jé «û
beyond your grasp,23 [but] which God has already <$> y,' & 3^5 f JSV*
encompassed [for you]: for God has the power to will
anything. âi 4--J jJ-Jij âî
(22) And [now,] if they who are bent on denying the
truth should fight against you, they will indeed turn
their backs [in flight], and will find none to protect *Xi&3
them and none to bring them succour:26 (23) such
being God’s way which has ever obtained in the
past-and never wilt thou find any change in God’s
way!27
(24) And He it is who, in the valley of Mecca,
stayed their hands from you, and your hands from
them, after He had enabled you to vanquish them;

21 I.e., at Hudaybiyyah (see introductory note).

22 Most of the commentators assume that this relates to the conquest of Khaybar, which took
place a few months after the Truce of Hudaybiyyah. It is probable, however, that the implication
is much wider than that - namely, a prophecy of the almost bloodless conquest of Mecca in the
year 8h., the victorious establishment of Islam in all of Arabia and, finally, the tremendous
expansion of the Islamic Commonwealth under the Prophet’s immediate successors.
23 Sc., “of what is to come to you in the hereafter’*.
24 Thus Râzï.
25 I.e., the achievement of final bliss in the life to come.
26 This divine promise was fulfilled in the unbroken sequence of Muslim victories after the
Truce of Hudaybiyyah, ultimately leading to the establishment of an empire which extended from
the Atlantic Ocean to the confines of China. - For the conditional nature of the above promise, see
note 82 on 3: 111.
27 This reference to “God’s way*’ (sunnat Allah) is twofold: on the one hand, “you are bound
to rise high if you are [truly] believers’* (3:139), and, on the other, “God does not change men’s
condition unless they change their inner selves’* (13:11), in both the positive and negative
connotations of the concept of “change".

788
and God saw indeed what you were doing.28
(25) [It was not for your enemies’ sake that He
stayed your hands from them:29 for] it was they who
were bent on denying the truth, and who debarred
you from the Inviolable House of Worship30 and
prevented your offering from reaching its destina­
tion.31 And had it not been for the believing men
and believing women [in Mecca], whom you might k « » »_____ '
have unwittingly trampled underfoot,32 and on whose
account you might have become guilty, without
J '-—''r JrJ
knowing it, of a grievous wrong-: [had it not been
for this, you would have been allowed to fight your ij~
way into the city: but you were forbidden to fight3?]
so that [in time] God might admit to His grace
whomever He wills.3435Had they [who deserve Our f-r/* j Ù’J” Jr IA* f-r*
mercy and they whom We have condemned] been
clearly discernible [to you],33 We would indeed have
imposed grievous suffering [at your hands] on such of
them as were bent on denying the truth.
(26) Whereas they who are bent on denying the
truth harboured a stubborn disdain in their hearts-
the stubborn disdain [born] of ignorance36 - God be-
28 Shortly before the Truce of Hudaybiyyah was concluded, a detachment of Quraysh
warriors - variously estimated at between thirty and eighty men - attacked the Prophet’s camp, but
his practically unarmed followers overcame them and took them prisoner; after the signing of the
treaty the Prophet released them unharmed (Muslim, Nasâ’ï, Tabari).
29 This interpolation is based on Râzï’s explanation of the connection between this and the
preceding verse.
30 I.e., the Ka'bah, which, until the year 7 H., the Muslims were not allowed to approach.
31 See surah 2, note 175.
32 I.e., killed. After the Prophet’s and his followers’ exodus to Medina, a number of Meccans -
both men and women - had embraced Islam, but had been prevented by the pagan Quraysh from
emigrating (Tabari, Zamakhshari). Their identities were not generally known to the Muslims of
Medina.
33 Thus Zamakhshari, supported by Räzi, Ibn Kathir, and other commentators.
34 I.e., so that the believers might be spared, and that in time many a pagan Meccan might
embrace Islam, as actually happened.
35 Lit., ’’had they been separated from one another": i.e., the believers and the pagans among the
Meccans. In its wider sense, the above implies that man never really knows whether another human
being deserves God’s grace or condemnation.
36 Although this reference to the ‘‘stubborn disdain" (hamiyyah) on the part of the pagan
Quraysh may have been characteristic of their over-all attitude towards the Prophet and his
mission, it is probable-as Zamakhshari points out-that its special mention here relates to an
incident which occurred at Hudaybiyyah during the truce negotations between the Prophet and the
emissary of the Meccans, Suhayl ibn *Amr. The Prophet began to dictate to *Ali ibn Abi Tähb
the text of the proposed agreement: “Write down. Tn the name of God, the Most Gracious, the
Dispenser of Grace’ but Suhayl interrupted him and said: “We have never heard of [the
expression] ‘the Most Gracious’; write down only what we know.” Whereupon the Prophet said to
*AIi: “Write, then, Tn Thy name, O God’.” *Ali wrote as he was told; and the Prophet continued:
“This is what has been agreed upon between Muhammad, God’s Apostle, and the people of
Mecca ..But Suhayl interrupted again: “If thou wert [really] an apostle of God, [this would be
mi admission on our part that] we have been doing wrong to thee; write, therefore, as we

789
 SÜRAH
AL-FATH

stowed from on high His [gift of] inner peace upon His
Apostle and the believers, and bound them to the
spirit of God-consciousness:37 for they were most
worthy of this [divine gift], and deserved it well. And
God has full knowledge of all things.
(27) Indeed, God has shown the truth in His
Apostle’s true vision:38 most certainly shall you enter '' s.
the Inviolable House of Worship, if God so wills, in Jx»XUL-kùKj Çwj
full security, with your heads shaved or your hair cut
short,3’ without any fear: for He has [always] known »Li Jä—JÎ
that which you yourselves could not know.40 And He
has ordained [for you], besides this, a victory soon to
come.41
(28) He it is who has sent forth His Apostle with (g)L./ ûpj* J**: M*» J1* (J**
the [task of spreading] guidance and the religion of
truth, to the end that He make it prevail over every
[false] religion; and none can bear witness [to the
truth] as God does.42
41 7*** ùÆ»
(29) MUHAMMAD is God’s Apostle; and those who are
[truly] with him are firm and unyielding43 towards all
deniers of the truth, [yet] full of mercy towards one
another.4445Thou canst see them bowing down, pros­
trating themselves [in prayer], seeking favour with
God and [His] goodly acceptance: their marks are on
their faces, traced by prostration.43
understand it.” And so the Prophet dictated to ‘AIT: “Write thus: *This is what has been agreed
upon between Muhammad, the son of ‘Abd Allah, son of ‘Abd al-Muttalib, and the people of
Mecca..(This story is recorded in many versions, among others by Nasa’T, Ibn Hanbai and
TabarT.)
37 Lit., “the word of God-consciousness” (kalimat at-taqwâ): implying that their consciousness
of God and of His all-pervading power enabled them to bear the “stubborn disdain” of their
enemies with inner calm and serenity.
38 Shortly before the expedition which ended at Hudaybiyyah, the Prophet had a dream in
which he saw himself and his followers entering Mecca as pilgrims. This dream-vision was
destined to be fulfilled a year later, in 7 H.» when the Muslims were able to perform their first
peaceful pilgrimage to the Holy City.
39 Male pilgrims usually shave or (which is the meaning of the conjunctive wa in this context)
cut their hair short before assuming the pilgrim’s garb (ihräm), for it is not permitted to do so
while in the state of pilgrimage. A repetition of the same act marks the completion of the
pilgrimage (cf. 2:196).
40 Namely, the future.
41 See note 22.
42 Sc., “through the revelations which He grants to His prophets". See also 3:19-“the only
[true] religion in the sight of God is [man’s] self-surrender unto Him”: from which it follows that
any religion (in the widest sense of this term) which is not based on the above principle is, eo ipso»
false.
43 This composite gives, I believe, the full meaning of the term ashiddâ* (sing, shadid) in the
above context
44 Lit., “among themselves”. Cf. 5:54-“humble towards the believers, proud towards all who
deny the truth”.
45 The infinitive noun sujud (“prostration") stands here for the innermost consummation of

790
48 VICTORY

This is their parable in the Torah as well as their

parable in the Gospel:46 [they are] like a seed that
brings forth its shoot, and then He strengthens it, so /jUi /iLt gjjâs» j
that it grows stout, and [in the end] stands firm upon
its stem, delighting the sowers....
[Thus will God cause the believers to grow in
strength,] so that through them He might confound47
the deniers of the truth. [But] unto such of them as
may [yet] attain to faith and do righteous deeds, God
has promised forgiveness and a reward supreme.48

faith, while its “trace” signifies the spiritual reflection of that faith in the believer’s manner of life
and even in his outward aspect. Since the “face" is the most expressive part of man’s personality,
it is often used in the Qur’än in the sense of one’s “whole being".
46 Regarding the significance of the term ZnjH (“Gospel") as used in the Qur’än, see sürah 3, note 4.
47 Lit., “infuse with wrath”.
48 Whereas most of the classical commentators understand the above sentence as alluding to
believers in general, Râzï relates the pronoun minhum (“of them" or “among them") explicitly to
the deniers of the truth spoken of in the preceding sentence-i.e., to those of them who might yet
attain to faith and thus achieve God’s forgiveness: a promise which was fulfilled within a few years
after the revelation of this verse, inasmuch as most of the Arabian enemies of the Prophet
embraced Islam, and many of them became its torchbearers. But in a wider sense, this divine
promise remains open until Resurrection Day (TabarT), relating to everybody, at all times and in all
cultural environments, who might yet attain to the truth and live up to it.
 THE FORTY-NINTH SÜRAH

AL-HUJURÄT (THE PRIVATE APARTMENTS)

MEDINA PERIOD

EVEALED, in the consensus of most of the authorities, in the year 9 H., this sürah deals
R predominantly with social ethics. Beginning with the reverence due to the Prophet and - by
implication - to the righteous leaders of the community after him, the discourse culminates in the
principle of the brotherhood of all believers (verse 10) and, in its widest sense, the brotherhood of all
mankind (verse 13). The concluding passage (verses 14 ff.) points out the difference between true faith
and a mere outward observance of religious formalities.
The title is derived from the mention of the word al-hujurât in verse 4.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) /~\YOU who have attained to faith! Do not put

yourselves forward1 in the presence of [what] God
and His Apostle [may have ordained], but remain
---------------
conscious of God: for, verily, God is all-hearing,
all-knowing!
(2) O you who have attained to faith! Do not raise
your voices above the voice of the Prophet,2 and 'A y G) y
neither speak loudly to him, as you would speak loudly
to one another,3 lest all your [good] deeds come to j-»’
nought without your perceiving it.
(3) Behold, they who lower their voices in the
presence of God’s Apostle - it is they whose hearts Jr*j Qr--. j[
God has tested [and opened] to consciousness of
Himself; [and] theirs shall be forgiveness and a uî yf &
reward supreme.
(4) Verily, [O Prophet,] as for those who call thee »*JJ û* JI (J> j-Jj

from without thy private apartments4 - most of them

do not use their reason: (5) for, if they had the
patience [to wait] until thou come forth to them [of

1 I.e., “do not allow your own desires to have precedence’’.

2 This has both a literal and a figurative meaning: literal in the case of the Prophet’s
Companions, and figurative for them as well as for believers of later times - implying that one’s
personal opinions and predilections must not be allowed to overrule the clear-cut legal ordinances
and/or moral stipulations promulgated by the Prophet (cf. 4:65 and the corresponding note 84).
3 I.e., address him, or (in later times) speak of him, with unbecoming familiarity.
4 While this relates in the first instance to the Prophet, it may also be taken to apply to any
supreme leader of the community (amïr al-mu'minïn) who acts as the Prophet’s successor
(khalifah) and rules in his name, i.e., under the aegis of Islamic Law. (As regards the Prophet
himself, the above exhortation to reverent behaviour implies, in the view of many outstanding
Islamic thinkers, a prohibition to “call out to him’’ when visiting his tomb.)

792
 SÜRAH 49
THE PRIVATE APARTMENTS
thine own accord], it would be for their own good.
Still, God is much forgiving, a dispenser of grace.

(6) 0 YOU who have attained to faith! If any iniquitous

person comes to you with a [slanderous] tale, use
your discernment,5 lest you hurt people unwittingly 0
and afterwards be filled with remorse for what you CS lx/j-ü ji yr
have done.6
(7) And know that God’s Apostle is among you:789
were he to comply with your inclinations in each and
every case,’ you would be bound to come to harm [as
a community]. But as it is, God has caused [your]
faith to be dear to you, and has given it beauty in
your hearts, and has made hateful to you all denial of
the truth, and all iniquity, and all rebellion [against
what is good]. (T) Jjijji

Such indeed are they who follow the right course j* «XûÂl» (T) ^Jc ûîj
(8) through God’s bounty and favour; and God is
all-knowing, truly wise. Je L <*■■>*■( CJm L ph I^JL »I*
(9) Hence, if two groups of believers fall to fighting,*
make peace between them; but then, if one of the two
[groups] goes on acting wrongfully towards the other,
fight against the one that acts wrongfully until it
reverts to God’s commandment;10 and if they revert, 'j»i ; [ i'T? Jy« ijf
make peace between them with justice, and deal
equitably [with them]: for verily, God loves those
who act equitably!
(10) All believers are but brethren." Hence, (when­
ever they are at odds,] make peace between your
two brethren, and remain conscious of God, so that

5 I.e., verify the truth before giving credence to any such report or rumour. The tale-bearer is
characterized as “iniquitous" because the very act of spreading unsubstantiated rumours affecting
the reputation of other persons constitutes a spiritual offence.
6 Thus, after laying stress in the preceding verses on the reverence due to God’s message­
bearer-and, by implication, to every righteous leader of the community - the discourse turns to
the moral imperative of safeguarding the honour and reputation of every member of the
community, man and woman alike. This principle is taken up, more explicitly, in verse 12.
7 Sc., “and he ought to be an example for you as regards your behaviour towards one another”:
i.e., he would not accept rashly a hearsay tale affecting the honour of third persons, but would
either refuse to listen to it altogether or, should a clarification become necessary in the interests of
the community, would insist on ascertaining the truth objectively.
8 Lit., “in many a case (amr)”: the implication being that, more often than not, man is prone to
give credence to malicious rumours devoid of any real evidence.
9 The expression “fighting” comprises in this context all modes of discord and contention, both
in word and deed, evidently as a consequence of the slanderous rumours spoken of in verse 6
above.
10 I.e., that the believers should act as brethren (see next verse).
. U The plural noun ikhwah (“brethren” or “brotherhood”) has here, of course, a purely
ideological connotation, comprising men and women alike; the same applies to the subsequent
mention of “your two brethren”.
793
 SÜRAH
AL-HUJURÄT

you might be graced with His mercy.

(11) O YOU who have attained to faith! No men shall
deride [other] men: it may well be that those [whom
they deride] are better than themselves; and no
women [shall deride other] women: it may well be
that those [whom they deride] are better than them­ IxAi j’ sir* ’>*'*

selves.12 And neither shall you defame one another,

nor insult one another by [opprobrious] epithets: evil ër* ù*

is all imputation of iniquity after [one has attained to] J

faith;13 and they who [become guilty thereof and] do
not repent - it is they, they who are evildoers!
(12) O you who have attained to faith! Avoid y1 0 3/kill
most guesswork [about one another]1415 - for, behold,
some of [such] guesswork is [in itself] a sin; and do
not spy upon one another, and neither allow your­
I.Uxl I ft
selves to speak ill of one another behind your backs.
Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead
brother? Nay, you would loathe it!
And be conscious of God. Verily, God is an accep­
tor of repentance, a dispenser of grace!
(13) O men! Behold, We have created you all out 4mT JJ x* ' 3^
of a male and a female,11 and have made you into
ÿjjîj Ji .
nations and tribes, so that you might come to know one
another.16 Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of
God is the one who is most deeply conscious of Him.
Behold, God is all-knowing, all-aware.

(14) THE BEDOUIN say, “We have attained to faith.”

Say [unto them, O Muhammad]: ‘‘You have not

12 The implication is that believers, whether men or women, shall never deride one another
(Zamakhsharï, Baydâwï).
13 This applies no less to the faith of the one who insults than to that of the insulted (Râzï): cf.
6:82-“[those] who have not obscured their faith by wrongdoing”.
14 I.e., guesswork that may lead to unfounded suspicion of another person’s motives: see note
22 on 24:19.
15 I.e., “We have created every one of you out of a father and a mother” (Zamakhsharï, Räzi,
Baydâwï) - implying that this equality of biological origin is reflected in the equality of the human
dignity common to all.
16 I.e., know that all belong to one human family, without any inherent superiority of one over
another (Zamakhsharï). This connects with the exhortation, in the preceding two verses, to respect
and safeguard each other’s dignity. In other words, men’s evolution into ‘‘nations and tribes” is
meant to foster rather than to diminish their mutual desire to understand and appreciate the
essential human oneness underlying their outward differentiations; and, correspondingly, all racial,
national or tribal prejudice Ça^abiyyah) is condemned - implicitly in the Qur’an, and most
explicitly by the Prophet (see second half of note 15 on 28:15). In addition, speaking of people’s
boasting of their national or tribal past, the Prophet said: “Behold, God has removed from you the
arrogance of pagan ignorance (jähiliyyah) with its boast of ancestral glories. Man is but a
God-conscious believer or an unfortunate sinner. All people are children of Adam, and Adam was
created out of dust." (Fragment of a hadïth quoted by Tirmidhï and Abü Dä’üd, on the authority
of Abfl Hurayrah.)

794
49 THE PRIVATE APARTMENTS

[yet] attained to faith; you should [rather] say, ‘We

have [outwardly] surrendered’ - for [true] faith has
not yet entered your hearts.” But if you [truly] pay
heed unto God and His Apostle, He will not let the
least of your deeds” go to waste: for, behold, God is
much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.”
(15) [Know that true] believers are only those who ÙÎljaJs jl j

have attained to faith in God and His Apostle and Cr» (J) jjii. âT
have left all doubt behind,'9 and who strive hard in
God’s cause with their possessions and their lives: it J
is they, they who are true to their word!
(16) Say: “Do you, perchance, [want to] inform
God of [the nature of] your faith17 20-although God E Z J
19
18 jU
9 t
41T
knows all that is in the heavens and all that is on
earth? Indeed, God has full knowledge of every­ ipj (J) Jt ft;
thing!’’
(17) Many people21 think that they have bestowed a
favour upon thee [O Prophet] by having surrendered
[to thee].22 Say thou: “Deem not your surrender a
favour unto me: nay, but it is God who bestows a
favour upon you by showing you the way to faith - if
you are true to your word!”
(18) Verily, God knows the hidden reality of the
heavens and the earth; and God sees all that you do.

17 Inasmuch as this is evidently an allusion to the intense tribalism of the bedouin and their
“pride of descent” (RäzT), the above verse connects with the preceding condemnation of all tribal
preferences and prejudices, and with the call for their abandonment as a prerequisite of true faith.
Primarily, this relates to the bedouin contemporaries of the Prophet, but its import is general and
timeless.
18 I.e., “your own deeds, in distinction from the supposed ‘glorious deeds’ of your ancestors,
which count for nothing in His sight”.
19 Lit., “and thereafter have had no doubt".
20 Like the preceding passage, this, too, is addressed in the first instance to certain contem­
poraries of the Prophet, but its meaning extends to all people, at all times, who think that their
mere profession of faith and outward adherence to its formalities makes them “believers”.
21 Lit., “They” (see preceding note).
22 I.e., “by professing to be thy followers".

795
 THE FIFTIETH SÜRAH

QÄF
MECCA PERIOD

NOWN only by the letter-symbol q (qäf) preceding the first verse, this surah appears to have
K been revealed ip the fourth year of the Prophet’s mission. Commencing and ending with a
reference to the Qur’än, it is devoted in its entirety to the twin problems of death and resurrection.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) Qfi/.'
ONSIDER this sublime Qur’an!
C (2) But nay-they deem it strange that a warner
should have come unto them from their own midst;12
and so these deniers of the truth are saying, “A
strange thing is this! (3) Why-[how could we be Ui* 'S»' (T) Jû»
resurrected] after we have died and become mere J&C (T)
dust? Such a return seems far-fetched indeed!”
(4) Well do We know how the earth consumes their
bodies,3 for with Us is a record unfailing. (5) Nay, but
they [who refuse to believe in resurrection] have been
wont to give the lie to this truth whenever it was
proffered to them; and so they are in a state of

1 Chronologically, the above is the second occurrence (after sürah 68) of one of the disjointed
letter-symbols which precede some of the Qur’anic sürahs. For the theories relating to these
symbols, see Appendix II. As regards my rendering of the adjurative particle wa which opens the
next sentence as ’’Consider”, see first half of note 23 on 74:32, where this adjuration appears for
the first time in the chronological order of revelation.
2 This is the earliest Qur’anic mention - repeated again and again in other places - of people’s
“deeming it strange” that a purportedly divine message should have been delivered by someone
“from their own midst”, i.e., a mortal like themselves. Although it is undoubtedly, in the first
instance, a reference to the negative attitude of the Meccan pagans to Muhammad’s call, its
frequent repetition throughout the Qur’än has obviously an implication going far beyond that
historical reference: it points to the tendency common to many people, at all stages of human
development, to distrust any religious statement that is devoid of all exoticism inasmuch as it is
enunciated by a person sharing the social and cultural background of those whom he addresses,
and because the message itself relies exclusively - as the Qur’än does-on an appeal to man’s
reason and moral sense. Hence, the Qur’än explicitly mentions people’s “objections” to a prophet
“who eats food [like ordinary mortals] and goes about in the market-places” (25 :7; see also note 16
on 25 : 20).
3 Lit., “what the earth diminishes of them” - implying that God's promise of resurrection takes
the fact of the dead bodies’ decomposition fully into account. Consequently, resurrection will be
like “a new creation” (cf. 10 : 4, 21:104, 30:11, 85:13, etc.), recalling the recurrent process of
creation and re-creation visible in all organic nature (cf. 10:34,27:64, 30:27).

796
 SÜRAH 50
QÄF

confusion.
(6) Do they not look at the sky above them-how
We have built it and made it beautiful and free of all
faults?45
(7) And the earth-We have spread it wide, and set
upon it mountains firm, and caused it to bring forth
plants of all beauteous kinds, (8) thus offering an o* Cl u, £1 jj »Of
insight and a reminder unto every human being who Q Qj ij ÇQ
willingly turns unto God.
(9) And We send down from the skies water rich in X X?\3 •rfr 0 gr C UljJ
blessings, and cause thereby gardens to grow, and
fields of grain, (10) and tall palm-trees with their fc'x- *15 0 y
thickly-clustered dates, (11) as sustenance appor­
tioned to men; and by [all] this We bring dead land to Cl eû-Ç 4x5
life: [and] even so will be [man’s] coming-forth from
death. ZJjjj (T) -Ç-Çÿu
(12) [Long] before those [who now deny resur­ *^'3 c-jT 0 4/Xrji jS*
rection] did Noah’s people give the lie to this truth,
and [so did] the folk of Ar-Rass,6 and [the tribes of] O jfj-h (g) »jJj ^}\
Thamûd (13) and *Äd, and Pharaoh, and Lot’s
brethren,789(14) and the dwellers of the wooded dales & J—S KA’Î
[of Madyan], and the people of Tubba*:1 they ail gave
the lie to the apostles - and thereupon that whereof I ù; j f-* Jî J 3^ l Cjj
had warned [them] came true. * j%3 tâii» -üJj 3? xÇ jiî.
(15) Could We, then, be [thought of as being] worn
out by the first creation?’ 0 j, JKuX v '% ,<-x
Nay - but some people10 are [still] lost in doubt
about [the possibility of] a new creation! 0 x_-’ j'CT j- jÇüj< ju

(16) NOW, VERILY, it is We who have created man, and

We know what his innermost self whispers within
him: for We are closer to him than his neck-vein. (17)
[And so,] whenever the two demands [of his nature]
come face to face, contending from the right and
4 Since they reject a priori all thought of life after death, they are perplexed by the lack of any
answer to the “why” and “what for” of man’s life, by the evident inequality of human destinies,
and by what appears to them as a senseless, blind cruelty of nature: problems which can be
resolved only against the background of a belief in a continuation of life after bodily “death” and,
hence, in the existence of a purpose and a plan underlying all creation.
5 Lit., “and it has no gaps [or “breaks”] whatever”.
6 See note 33 on 25:38.
7 The term “brethren” (ikhwân) is used here metonymically, denoting a group of people who
share the same views or, alternatively, the same environment. Since the people referred to formed
Lot’s social environment (cf. 7 : 83 or 11: 77-83), they are described as his “brethren” although his
moral concepts and inclinations were entirely different from theirs.
8 Regarding “the people of Tubba*”, see 44:37 and the corresponding note. The “dwellers of
the wooded dales” are the people of Madyan (the Biblical Midian), as is evident from 26:176 ff.
Their story is found in the Qur’än in several places; for the most detailed version, see 11:84-95.
9 I.e., by the creation of the universe or, more specifically, of man.
10 Lit., “they".
 SÜRAH
QAF

from the left," (18) not even a word can he utter but
there is a watcher with him, ever-present.1112
(19) And [then,] the twilight of death brings with it
the [full] truth13 - that [very thing, O man,] from ■*■;*■* 4-Â) * J !•
which thou wouldst always look away!-(20) and [in
the end] the trumpet [of resurrection] will be blown: 0 tiffs jit
that will be the Day of a warning fulfilled.
(21) And every human being will come forward JT (£) fx j C?J
with [his erstwhile] inner urges and [his] conscious 5* is* j c-J'in <$) -W-J
mind,14 (22) [and will be told:] “Indeed, unmindful
j,ju- pjl tit» ullCJ IX»
hast thou been of this [Day of Judgement]; but now
We have lifted from thee thy veil, and sharp is thy
j &JÎ (£) U*
sight today!”
(23) And one part15 of him will say: “This it is that
has been ever-present with me!”16
(24) [Whereupon God will command:] “Cast, cast17

11 The first part of the above sentence-i.e., the phrase yatalaqqä al-mutalaqqiyän - may be
understood in either of two senses: “the two that are meant to receive do receive”, or “the two
that aim at meeting each other do meet". The classical commentators adopt, as a rule, the first
sense and, consequently, interpret the passage thus: “... the two angels that are charged with
recording man’s doings do record them, sitting on his right and on his left". In my opinion,
however, the second of the two possible meanings (“the two that aim at meeting each other”)
corresponds better with the preceding verse, which speaks of what man’s innermost self (nafs)
“whispers within him”, i.e., voices his subconscious desires. Thus, “the two that aim at meeting”
are, I believe, the two demands of, or, more properly, the two fundamental motive forces within
man’s nature: his primal, instinctive urges and desires, both sensual and non-sensual (all of them
comprised in the modern psychological term “libido”), on the one side, and his reason, both
intuitive and reflective, on the other. The “sitting (qä'id) on the right and on the left” is, to my
mind, a metaphor for the conflicting nature of these dual forces which strive for predominance
within every human being: hence, my rendering of qä'id as “contending”. This interpretation is,
moreover, strongly supported by the reference, in verse 21, to man's appearing on Judgment Day
with “that which drives and that which bears witness”-a phrase which undoubtedly alludes to
man’s instinctive urges as well as his conscious reason (see note 14 below).
12 I.e., his conscience. The “uttering of a word" is conceptually connected with the “whisper­
ing" within man’s psyche spoken of in the preceding verse.
13 I.e., full insight into one’s own self.
14 Lit., “with that which drives (sä'iq) and that which bears witness (shahid)". While the
former term evidently circumscribes man’s primal urges-and particularly those which drive him
into unrestrained self-indulgence and, thus, into sin - the term shahid (rendered by me as
“conscious mind") alludes here to the awakening of the deeper layers of man’s consciousness,
leading to a sudden perception of his own moral reality-the “lifting of the veil" referred to in the
next verse-which forces him to “bear witness" against himself (cf. 17:14, 24 : 24. 36 : 65,
41:20ff.).
15 Lit., “his intimate companion" (qarinuhu). The term qarin denotes something that is
“connected”, “linked” or “intimately associated" with another thing (cf. 41:25 and 43 : 36, where
qarin is rendered as “[one’s] other self”). In the present instance - read together with verse
21-the term apparently denotes “one part” of man, namely, his awakened moral consciousness.
16 I.e., the sinner’s reason will plead that he had always been more or less conscious, and
perhaps even critical, of the urges and appetites that drove him into evildoing: but, as is shown in
the sequence, this belated and, therefore, morally ineffective rational cognition does not diminish
but, rather, enhances the burden of man’s guilt.
17 In this instance, as well as in verse 26, the imperative “cast" has the dual form
(a/qiyd). As many classical philologists (and almost all of the commentators) point out, this is

798
 50
QÄF
into hell every [such] stubborn enemy of the truth
(25) [every] withholder of good [and] sinful aggressor
[and] fomentor of distrust [between man and man-
everyone] (26) who has set up another deity beside
cast him, then, cast him into suffering severe!”
God:1819
(27) Man’s other self*’ will say: “O our Sustainer! It
was not I that led his conscious mind20 into evil-
cjjJ^(ff) (ff) jU?"
[nay,] but it had gone far astray [of its own
accord]!”21 (^) JbJdlcjlJUjL Î »Lilli jAl
(28) [And] He will say: “Contend not before Me, [O
you sinners,] for I gave you a forewarning [of this
Day of Reckoning]. (29) The judgment passed by Me Uj $ (ff)
shall not be altered; but never do I do the least wrong
unto My creatures!” .» ’ll«; Lil L«j JjÂ)î (ff)
(30) On that Day We will ask hell, ‘‘Art thou
filled?”-and it will answer, “[Nay,] is there yet more J*
[for me]?”
(31) And [on that Day] paradise will be brought (ff) (ff)
within the sight of2223the God-conscious, and will no
<ff)
longer be far away; [and they will be told:] (32) “This
is what you were promised - [promised] unto every­ JÎ (ff) sUi SU.J
one who was wont to turn unto God and to C2j QinSÇÏ (J) érs
keep Him always in mind - (33) [everyone] who
stood in awe of the Most Gracious although He is
beyond the reach of human perception, and who has
come [unto Him] with a heart full of contrition.21 (34)
Enter this [paradise] in peace; this is the Day on
which life abiding begins!”24

linguistically permissible for the sake of special stress, and is equivalent to an emphatic repetition
of the imperative in question. Alternatively, the dual form may be taken as indicative of an actual
duality thus addressed: namely, the two manifestations within man’s psyche alluded to in verse 17
and described in verse 21 as sä'iq and shahid (see note 14 above), both of which, in their
interaction, are responsible for his spiritual downfall and, hence, for his suffering in the life to
come.
18 This relates not merely to the veneration of real or imaginary beings or forces to which one
ascribes divine qualities, but also to the “worship” of false values and immoral concepts to which
people often adhere with an almost religious fervour.
19 Lit., as in verse 23, “his intimate companion” (qann): but whereas there it may be taken as
denoting man’s moral consciousness or reason (cf. note 15 above), in the present instance the
“speaker” is obviously its counterpart, namely, the complex of the sinner’s instinctive urges and
inordinate, unrestrained appetitites summarized in the term sa'iq (“that which drives”) and often
symbolized as shayfân (“satan” or “satanic force”: see Räzi’s remarks quoted in note 31 on
14:22.) In this sense, the term qarin has the same connotation as in 41:25 and 43 : 36.
20 Lit., “him” or “it” - referring to man’s faculty of conscious, controlling reason (shahid).
21 I.e., man’s evil impulses and appetites cannot gain ascendancy unless his conscious mind
goes astray from moral verities: and this explains the purport, in the present context, of verses
24-25 above.
22 Lit., “brought near to”.
23 See last sentence of 24:31 and the corresponding note 41.
24 Lit., “the Day of Abiding”.
 QÂF SÜRAH

(35) In that [paradise] they shall have whatever they

may desire-but there is yet more with Us.

(36) AND HOW MANY a generation have We destroyed

before those [who now deny the truth]25 - people of
greater might than theirs - : but [when Our chastise­ (4£» $3 (£)

ment befell them,] they became wanderers on the

face of the earth, seeking no more than a place of
refuge.26 (g) Ar- j*3 jP $
(37) In this, behold, there is indeed a reminder for
everyone whose heart is wide-awake27 - that is, [every­
one who] lends ear with a conscious mind28 - (38) and
[who knows that] We have indeed created the heavens
and the earth and all that is between them in six aeons, <g>
and [that] no weariness could ever touch Us.29

(39) HENCE, [O believer,] bear thou with patience what­

ever they may say,30 and extol thy Sustainer’s limit­
less glory and praise before the rising of the sun and
before its setting;31 (40) and in the night, too, extol
His glory, and at every prayer’s end.32
(41) And [always] listen for the day when He who
issues the call [of death] shall call [thee] from close-

25 This connects with verses 12-14 above. It should be borne in mind that in ancient Arabic
usage the term qam - here rendered as “generation” - often denotes “a period of time succeeding
another’’: hence, a “century”, or “people of one and the same period’’ and, finally, a “civilization’’
in the historical sense of this word. That this last significance is intended here becomes evident
from the sequence.
26 Lit., “they wandered searching (naqqabû) in the lands: Is there any place of refuge?” -
implying that after the destruction of their civilization they could do no more than strive for bare
survival.
27 Thus Zamakhsharî; literally, the phrase reads, “who has a heart’’.
28 Lit., “or lends ear and is withal a witness (wa-huwa shahid)", which latter phrase
Zamakhsharî explains as meaning “is present with his intellect’’, i.e., with a conscious mind. (Cf.
the same use of the term shahid in verse 21.) The conjunctive particle “or” (aw) which precedes
the above clause does not signify an alternative but has - as is often the case in Qur’anic usage - an
explanatory function, similar to phrases like “that is” or “in other words”, followed by an
amplification of what was said before.
29 The whole of this passage (verses 36-38) stresses God’s omnipotence, which can be
perceived by “anyone whose heart is wide-awake". The above reference to God’s having created
the universe “in six aeons" is the oldest in the chronology of Qur’anic revelation. In this
connection it is to be noted that in ancient Arabic usage the term yawm does not always denote
the twenty-four hours of the earthly “day", but is also applied to any period of time, however long
or short. In the cosmic sense in which it is used here and elsewhere in the Qur’än, the plural
ayydm is best rendered as “aeons". The mention of the impossibility of God’s ever being
“wearied" by the process of creation connects the present passage with verse 15 of this sürah and,
thus, alludes to God’s power to resurrect the dead.
30 Sc., “regarding the alleged ’impossibility’ of resurrection".
31 I.e., “remember His almightiness at all times of day".
32 Lit., “at the ends (adbär) of prostration".

800
50 QÄF

by;” (42) [and bethink thyself, too, of] the Day on

which all [human beings] will in truth hear the final
blast-that Day of [their] coming-forth [from death].
(43) Verily, it is We who grant life and deal death;
and with Us will be all journeys' end (44) on the Day
when the earth is riven asunder all around them as
they hasten forth [towards God’s judgment]: that ch 0
gathering will be easy for Us [to encompass].
(45) Fully aware are We of what they [who deny
resurrection] do say; and thou canst by no means (g, (5^ y*

force them [to believe in it]. Yet none the less,

remind, through this Qur’an, all such as may fear My
warning.
33 Lit., “from a place nearby” - i.e., from within man himself: an echo of verse 15, “We are
closer to him than his neck-vein”. The “call” spoken of here is evidently the call of death, for
which man should always be prepared.
 THE FIFTY-FIRST SÜRAH

ADH-DHÄRIYÄT (THE DUST-SCATTERING WINDS)

MECCA PERIOD

HE TITLE of this sürah-revealed, according to Suyütf, about two years before the
T Prophet’s exodus to Medina-is based on the adjectival participle adh-dhäriyät occurring in
the first verse.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) /CONSIDER the winds that scatter the dust far and
X-zwide,
(2) and those that carry the burden [of heavy
clouds],
(3) and those that speed along with gentle ease,
(4) and those that apportion [the gift of life] at Ci (T) 'jij 'jß Ci J

[God’s] behest!1
(5) Verily, that which you are promised2 is true 'S»*}(J) O 'A
indeed, (6) and, verily, judgment is bound to come! C'j»L—(T) jr (£) JjÜJ
(7) CONSIDER the firmament full of starry paths!3 && (£) Sßj ^-[(3 jlIi
(8) Verily, [O men,] you are deeply at variance as
to what to believe:4 (9) perverted in his views thereon jx j f* 0 QApit Jâ (j) éiji
is he who would deceive himself!5
(10) They but destroy themselves,6 they who are
given to guessing at what they cannot ascertain7-(11)
1 These symbolical epithets, consisting of adjectival participles without any mention of the
nouns which they qualify, have been variously interpreted by the early commentators; but since
there is a consensus of opinion regarding the first of these participles-adh-dhäriyät - as denoting
“dust-scattering winds’’, we may assume that the other three relate to different phases or
manifestations of the same phenomenon (RäzT) - namely, to the life-giving function of the
combination of wind, clouds and rain - pointing, symbolically, to the miraculous creation of life as
such and, thus, to the existence of a conscious, purposeful Creator.
2 I.e., life after death.
3 I.e., “think of the Creator of this great universe and, hence, of your responsibility to Him”.
4 Lit., “you are indeed in a discordant opinion (qaw/)”, i.e., as to whether or not there is life
after death, whether God exists, whether there is any truth in divine revelation, and so forth.
5 Lit., “perversely turned away from this [truth] is he who is made to lie”-or, according to the
Taj al-*Ariis, “he who is perverted in his reason and opinion”, i.e., who is a priori disposed to
deceive himself: implying that belief in God and, hence, in life after death is inherent in man’s
mind and feeling, and that, therefore, a departure from this belief is but an outcome of intellectual
perversion.
6 For this rendering of the expression qutila, see note 9 on 74:19.
7 Thus the Taj al-* Ariis, explaining the deeper meaning of al-kharräfün. “That which they

802
 SÜRAH 51
THE DUST-SCATTERING WINDS
they who blunder along, in ignorance lost-(12) they
who [mockingly] ask, “When is that Day of Judgment
to be?”
(13) [It will be] a Day when they will be sorely
tried by the fire,*89(14) [and will be told:] “Taste this your
trial! It is this that you were so hastily asking for!”’
(15) [But,] behold, the God-conscious will find f f-H <$> pi à» I (ff) SjaU
themselves amid gardens and springs, (16) enjoying
all that their Sustainer will have granted them (ff)
[because], verily, they were doers of good in the
past:1011(17) they would lie asleep during but a small
part of the night, (18) and would pray for forgiveness Jr* f-r[ |»-rj (^1 * u
from their innermost hearts;" (19) and [would assign]
in all that they possessed a due share unto such as
might ask [for help] and such as might suffer priva­
tion.12
jj (J)
(20) AND ON EARTH there are signs [of God’s exis­ O

tence, visible] to all who are endowed with inner jj

certainty, (21) just as [there are signs thereof] within
your own selves:13 can you not, then, see? X (j) jj Uj
(22) And in heaven is [the source of] your sus­ j* (J) JL;' U j-i*
tenance [on earth]1415and [of] all that you are promised
[for your life after death]: (23) for, by the Sustainer
of heaven and earth, this [life after death] is the very
truth-as true as that you are endowed with speech!13
(24) AND HAS the story of Abraham’s honoured guests
ever come within thy ken?16
cannot ascertain” is, in this context, synonymous with al-ghayb, “the reality which is beyond the
reach of human perception”.
8 This “trial (fitnah) by the fire” is in tune with several Qur’anic allusions to the effect that the
otherworldly suffering described as “hell" is not to be eternal: see in this connection note 114 on
6 : 128, note 10 on 40 : 12 and note 53 on 43 : 74.
9 A reference to their one-time sarcastic demand that they should be punished for their
rejection of the Qur’anic message: cf. 6:57-58 and 8:32.
10 Lit., “before that [Day]”.
11 See note 10 on 3 :17.
12 Sc., “but could not beg”-and this applies to all living creatures, whether human beings or
mute animals (Râzï), irrespective of whether the need is of a physical or an emotional nature.
13 See note 3 on 45 :4.
14 I.e., both physical (rain) and spiritual (truth and guidance).
15 Lit., “even as you speak” or “are able to speak”: an allusion to man’s ability to think
conceptually and to express himself-that is, to something of which man is absolutely, axiomatic-
ally conscious.
16 This story (as well as the subsequent mention of what happened to Lot s people and to the
tribes of ‘Äd and Thamüd, of Moses and Pharaoh’s people, and of Noah’s people) is connected
with the preceding references to the “signs”, visible and conceptual, of God s existence and
almightiness and the inflexible moral causality apparent in what the Qur ân describes as the way
of God” (sunnat Allah). The story of Abraham’s angelic guests appears also in 11:69 ff. and-in a
somewhat shorter version-in 15 :51 ff. as well.

803
 SÜRAH
ADH-DHÄRIYÄT

(25) When those [heavenly messengers] came unto

him and bade him peace, he answered, “(And upon
you be] peace!” - [saying to himself,] “They are
strangers.”17
(26) Then he turned quietly to his household, and
brought forth a fat [roasted] calf, (27) and placed it
before them, saying, “Will you not eat?”
(28) [And when he saw that the guests would not JU si (J)
eat,] he became apprehensive of them;1819[but] they
said, “Fear not” - and gave him the glad tiding of [the 4^?« 4*< (ff) Jj/L p»
birth of] a son who would be endowed with deep
knowledge.” <yri; ju ($>
(29) Thereupon his wife approached [the guests]
with a loud cry, and struck her face [in astonishment]
and exclaimed: “A barren old woman [like me]!”
(30) They answered: “Thus has thy Sustainer
decreed; and, verily, He alone is truly wise, all- A j $ Jité—yu
knowing!”
(31) Said [Abraham]: “And what [else] may you <ff) jjLJJîÇ.i
have in view, O you [heavenly] messengers?”
Ci
ju • <ff>
(32) They answered: “Behold, we have been sent J-yJ <2> «$» '■’I V®
unto a people lost in sin,20 (33) to let loose upon them
stone-hard blows of chastisement,21 (34) marked out (ff)
in thy Sustainer’s sight for [the punishment of] such L» (ff) JK'
as have wasted their own selves.”22
(35) And in the course of time23 We brought out [of ütjj i*
Lot’s city] such [few] believers as were there: (36) for
\^=»j} (ff) ji.
apart from one [single] house2425 We did not find there
26
any who had surrendered themselves to Us.
(37) And so We left therein23 a message for those
who fear the grievous suffering [which awaits all
evildoers].

(38) AND IN [the story of Pharaoh and] Moses, too, [We

left the same message:36 for] when We sent him unto

17 Lit., “unknown people” -i.e., not realizing that they were angels.
18 See note 101 on 11:70.
19 I.e., with prophethood (cf. 15:53).
20 I.e., Lot’s people.
21 Lit., “stones of clay”-the noun “clay” (fin) is, according to ZamakhsharT, identical with the
term sijjTl mentioned in 11:82 and tentatively explained in the corresponding note 114 as
signifiying “chastisement pre-ordained”.
22 For an explanation of this rendering of the term musrifin, see note 21 on 10:12.
23 Lit., “And then”, i.e., after the events described in 11:77 ff. and 15:61 ff.
24 I.e., Lot’s family.
25 I.e., in the utter destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
26 The above interpolations are based on the consensus of most of the classical commentators
regarding the phrase “And in Moses, too”.

804
 51
THE DUST-SCATTERING WINDS
Pharaoh with [Our] manifest authority, (39) and he
turned away in [the pride of] his power and said, “A
sorcerer [is this Moses], or a madman!” - (40) We
seized him and his hosts, and cast them all into the
sea: and (none but Pharaoh] himself was to blame
[for what happened].27
(41) And [you have the same message] in [what
happened to the tribe of] cÄd, when We let loose
Jÿj (f*)
against them that life-destroying wind (42) which
spared nothing of what it came upon, but caused [all
of] it to become like bones dead and decayed.28
(43) And in [the story of the tribe of] Thamüd, too,
when they were told, “You shall enjoy your life for
(44) after they had turned with
[but] a little while,”2930
33
32
31
disdain from their Sustainer’s commandment - ca 0 'j£ (% jî*
whereupon the thunderbolt of punishment overtook
them while they were [helplessly] looking on: (45) for
they were unable even to rise, and could not defend fpj î
themselves.
(46) And [thus, too, We destroyed] Noah’s people
aforetime: for they were iniquitous folk.

(47) AND IT IS We who have built the universe70 with

0
[Our creative] power; and, verily, it is We who are
steadily expanding it.”
(48) And the earth have We spread out wide - and
how well have We ordered it!’2
(49) And in everything have We created oppos­
ites,” so that you might bear in mind [that God alone is
One].3435
(50) And so, [O Muhammad, say unto them:] “Flee
unto God [from all that is false and evil]! Verily, I am
a plain warner to you from Him! (51) And do not
ascribe divinity to aught” side by side with God:

27 This is an illustration of the Qur'anic doctrine that the suffering which is bound to befall an
evildoer in this world or in the life to come, or in both, is but a consequence of his own doings.
28 See 69:6-8. For the story of the tribe of cÂd as such, see second half of note 48 on 7:65.
29 Cf. 11:65. An outline of the story of the Thamöd is given in 7:73-79.
30 Lit., “the sky” or "the heaven”, which in the Qur’än often has the connotation of “universe”
or, in the plural (“the heavens"), of “cosmic systems".
31 See note 38 on the first part of 21: 30. The phrase innä la-müsfün clearly foreshadows the
modern notion of the "expanding universe" - that is, the fact that the cosmos, though finite tn
extent, is continuously expanding in space.
32 I.e., in accordance with the requirements of the living organisms that were to-and did-
develop on it.
33 Lit., "of every thing have We created pairs”-a phrase which is explained in note 18 on
36 : 36.
34 Cf. 89:3 and the corresponding note 2.
35 Lit., "do not set up any other deity”.
805
ADH-DHÄRIYÄT SÜRAH 51

verily, I am a plain warner to you from Him!”

(52) [But] thus it is: never yet came any apostle to
those who lived before their time but they said, “A
spellbinder36 [is he], or a madman!” (53) Have they,
perchance, handed down this [way of thinking] as a
legacy unto one another?
Nay, they are people filled with overweening ar­ ijll* fj* rjh* étJTj 1 ù

rogance! && P* r* 1 Q> j*

(54) Turn, then, away from them, and thou shalt
incur no blame; (55) yet go on reminding [all who (J)CXl L> Jp
would listen]: for, verily, such a reminder will profit
the believers. v[ b du <$>
(56) And [tell them that] I have not created the ù' jbjl Lj Jjj j* •*!? L* (£)
invisible beings37 and men to any end other than that
they may [know and] worship Me.38 (57) [But withal,] (J) JjtjT (J)
no sustenance do I ever demand of them, nor do I
demand that they feed Me: (58) for, verily, God f r/x' J-U k»** b-fc
Himself is the Provider of all sustenance, the Lord of
all might, the Eternal! (►£>. ù^b^ù^ (£>
(59) And, verily, they who are bent on doing evil (£)
shall have their share [of evil] like unto the share of
their fellows [of old]:39 so let them not ask Me to
hasten [their doom]!
(60) For, woe unto those who are bent on denying
the truth-[woe] on the Day which they have been
promised!
36 Lit., “sorcerer”.
37 For a full discussion of the term jinn (“invisible beings”), see Appendix III. As pointed out
by most of the philologists - and stressed by Râzï in his comments on the above verse - this term
includes also the angels, since they, too, are beings or forces “concealed from man’s senses”.
38 Thus, the innermost purpose of the creation of all rational beings is their cognition
(ma'rifah) of the existence of God and, hence, their conscious willingness to conform their own
existence to whatever they may perceive of His will and plan: and it is this twofold concept of
cognition and willingness that gives the deepest meaning to what the Qur’än describes as
“worship” Çibâdah). As the next verse shows, this spiritual call does not arise from any supposed
“need” on the part of the Creator, who is self-sufficient and infinite in His power, but is designed
as an instrument for the inner development of the worshipper, who, by the act of his conscious
seif-surrender to the all-pervading Creative Will, may hope to come closer to an understanding of
that Will and, thus, closer to God Himself.
39 Implying that every act of evildoing bears the seed of its own retribution either in this world
or in the hereafter.
 THE FIFTY-SECOND SÜRAH

AT-TÜR (MOUNT SINAI)

MECCA PERIOD

HIS SÜRAH, revealed most probably in the later half of the Mecca period (according to some
T 32)’ t“kC8 'tS designation from “ention of Mount

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MÖST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) ON SIDER Mount Sinai!1

Vz(2) Consider [God’s] revelation, inscribed (3) on
wide-open scrolls.2
(4) Consider the long-enduring house [of worship]!3
(5) Consider the vault [of heaven] raised high!
(6) Consider the surf-swollen sea!4
O Jj j 3» (T» jjiç

(7) VERILY, [O man,] the suffering decreed by thy

Sustainer [for the sinners] will indeed come to pass:
/3Ç O ,/n eLt;
(8) there is none who could avert it. er > j Û& 4 ($ jyiLLit
(9) [It will come to pass] on the Day when the skies
will be convulsed in [a great] convulsion, (10) and the (T) lu-jf i}£ çx (T)

mountains will move with [an awesome] movement.

(11) Woe, then, on that Day to all who give the lie
j r* C 1 j« âJx £>

to the truth - (12) all those who [throughout their lives] fX -’jA u*>
but idly played with things vain - (13) on the Day when
they shall be thrust into the fire with [an irresistible] (j» Sj'iJ Ç.

thrust, [and will be told:]

(14) “This is the fire which you were wont to call a
He! (15) Was it, then, a delusion3 - or is it that you

1 For my rendering of the adjurative particle wa as “Consider", see first half of note 23 on
74:32. The expression af-für (lit., “the mountain") is used in the Qur’fin exclusively to denote
Mount Sinai, on which Moses received his decisive revelation. In the present context it signifies,
“etonymically, revelation as such, to which the next verse calls attention.
2 I.e., always open to man’s understanding (RäzT).
3 This is a metonym for the fact that ever since the dawn of human consciousness men have
Persistently-although often but dimly - realized the existence of God and have tried, spurred on
by the continuous, direct revelation granted to His prophets, to come closer to Him through
Worship. Hence, Bayd&wT regards the expression ai-bayt al-ma'miir as a metaphor for the heart
«f the believer.
4 I.e., “Consider the immensity and wonderful configuration of the visible universe as an
•vidence of a conscious Creator.”
3 This is obviously the meaning of the term sihr in the present context (see sürah 74, note 12).

807
 SÜRAH
AT-TÜR

failed to see [its truth]? (16) Endure it [now]! But

[whether you] bear yourselves with patience or
without patience, it will be the same to you: you are
but being requited for what you were wont to do.”6
(17) [But,] verily, the God-conscious will find
themselves [on that Day] in gardens and in bliss, (18) ($) f*
rejoicing in all that their Sustainer will have granted
them: for their Sustainer will have warded off from 4 (f£) ÙjL-w
them all suffering through the blazing fire.
(19) [And they will be told:] “Eat and drink with
good cheer as an outcome of what you were wont to
do, (20) reclining on couches [of happiness] ranged in ’X rrJ (***■>■>
rows!”7 (je 0 qa-
And [in that paradise] We shall mate them with
companions pure, most beautiful of eye.89 (£)
(21) And as for those who have attained to faith Uj (~rt > pj;
and whose offspring will have followed them in faith,
We shall unite them with their offspring; and We shall (£)
not let aught of their deeds go to waste:’ [but] every
human being will be held in pledge for whatever he has ùjpgii (g) r*^*1*^
earned.1011
(22) And We shall bestow on them fruit and meat in
abundance - whatever they may desire: (23) and in JjJj <jÛ»
that [paradise] they shall pass on to one another a cup
which will not give rise to empty talk, and neither incite
to sin."
(24) And they will be waited upon by (immortal]
youths,1213[as if they were children] of their own,” [as
pure] as if they were pearls hidden in their shells.

6 I.e., “you will have to endure it in either case, for it is but a consequence of your own doings
and attitudes”: a subtle allusion to the fact that the “punishments” and “rewards” in the life to
come are but allegories of the logical consequences of the manner in which one acts or behaves
in this life.
7 As explained by Râzî in his comments on the above verse as well as on 18:31 and 55:54, the
“reclining on couches” or “on carpets” in paradise is a symbol of inner fulfilment and peace of
mind; and he points out that this is also alluded to in the identity of the verbal root sarra (“he was [or
“became”] happy”) in both the nouns surûr (“happiness”) and sarïr (“couch”).
8 For an explanation of the expression hür 'in, see sürah 56, note 8.
9 Implying that the righteousness of their children increases the merit of the parents.
10 I.e., the righteousness of the parents cannot absolve their offspring from individual respon­
sibility.
11 Cf. 37:47-“no headiness will there be in it, and they will not get drunk thereon”: and
56:19-“by which their minds will not be clouded, and which will not make them drunk”: an
allegory of conscious, joyful elation. As regards the preceding reference to “fruit and meat in
abundance-whatever they may desire", Râzî observes that this symbolic “abundance" of sensual
satisfaction will not lead to satiety but, rather, to a pleasureable desire which-contrary to what is
man’s lot in this world - can always be gratified.
12 See note 6 on 56:17-18.
13 Thus RäzT, explaining the selfless devotion implied in the pronoun lahum (lit., “for them",
i.e., “of their own").

808
 52
MOUNT SINAI
(25) And they [who are thus blest] will turn to one
another, asking each other [about their past lives]14
(26) They will say: “Behold, aforetime - when we
were [still living] in the midst of our kith and kin - we
were full of fear [at the thought of God’s dis­
pleasure]:15 (27) and so God has graced us with His
favour, and has warded off from us all suffering
through the scorching winds [of frustration]. (28)
Verily, we did invoke Him [alone] ere this: [and now
He has shown us16] that He alone is truly benign, a
true dispenser of grace!’’ Ûfjj LJe uî £ (g)

(29) EXHORT, then, [O Prophet, all men:] for, by thy

Sustainer’s grace, thou art neither a soothsayer nor a
madman.
(30) Or do they say, “[He is but] a poet-let us J-» (£)
await what time will do unto him’’?17
(31) Say thou: “Wait, [then,] hopefully; behold, I,
too, shall hopefully wait with you!”182*0 j». f ' ($> (4^’
(32) Is it their minds that bid them [to take] this
[attitude]-or are they '[simply] people filled with
overweening arrogance?”
*4 Ci* S*.
(33) Or do they say, “He himself has composed this f-*f'»i* je-* (3)

[message]”?
Nay, but they are not willing to believe!
(34) But then, [if they deem it the work of a mere
mortal,] let them produce another discourse like it - if
what they say be true!
(35) [Or do they deny the existence of God?70]
Have they themselves been created without anything

14 This symbolic “asking one another about their past lives” is meant to bring out the fact,
often stressed in the Qur’an, that man's individual consciousness invariably survives his bodily
death, to continue unbroken in the life to come.
15 Thus do all classical commentators - without, to my knowledge, any exception - interpret the
above verse.
16 Sc., “through our own, actual experience”. This interpolation is based on the reading of the
subsequent word as annahu (“that He is”), according to the Medina school, in contrast with the
more conventional Kflfah and Baçrah reading innahu ("verily. He is”). As Jabari stresses, either
of these two readings is correct ; 1 have chosen for my rendering the former inasmuch as it points to the
overwhelming, direct insight which will be granted to the blessed on resurrection.
17 Lit., “let us await for him the evil happenings of time”, i.e., brought about by time: this is
the meaning given by JawharT and Zamakhshari (in the Asäs) to the expression rayb al-manûn (which
latter word is, according to these two authorities, a synonym of dahr, “time”). In the present context,
the phrase obviously denotes the expectation of the Prophet’s detractors that time would prove his
teachings to have been false or, at best, a delusion.
18 I.e., “Whereas you are waiting for my message to be proved false, I am awaiting its fulfilment! ’
, 15 The meaning is: Have they any reasoned objection to the contents of this message - or do they
simply reject the truth because their false pride in man’s supposed “self-sufficiency” (cf. 96:6-7)
Prevents them from accepting the notion of responsibility before a Supreme Being?
20 I.e., implicitly, by denying the fact of His revelation.
 SÜRAH
AT-TÛR

[that might have caused their creation]?21 - or were

they, perchance, their own creators? (36) [And] have
they created the heavens and the earth?22
Nay, but they have no certainty of anything!
(37) [How could they?] Are thy Sustainer’s
treasures with them?23 Or are they in charge [of
destiny]? (38) Or have they a ladder by which they
could [ascend to ultimate truths and] listen [to what is
beyond the reach of human perception]? Let, then,
any of them who has listened [to it] produce a
manifest proof [of his knowledge]! jS —fl bit f ' (rt)
(39) Or, [if you believe in God, how can you believe
that] He has [chosen to have] daughters, whereas you r* f' f’
yourselves would have [only] sons?24 OLI* Ç» (►-A f I (W) ÙJ
(40) Or is it that [they who reject thy message, O
Muhammad, fear lest] thou ask of them a reward, sb C.'.Lj!4 fl (^) (jjr*f-•
that they would be burdened with debt [if they should X . >, /.I X
listen to thee]? (T) IjJ fl (J) jyjl
(41) Or [do they think] that the hidden reality [of all
l-xlr fl (Tp p-** f'
that exists] is almost within their grasp, so that [in
time] they can write it down?2526 4»! jj* jLi fl (g) üj-L-CJÎ ju
(42) Or do they want to entrap (thee in contradic­
tions]? But they who are bent on denying the truth - it »1—
is they who are truly entrapped!24
(43) Have they, then, any deity other than God? C£) f/> «J* 9Ä
Utterly remote is God, in His limitless glory, from (X <£> 4-* f-rX
anything to which men may ascribe a share in His
divinity! Ij-M» j-iJI

(44) AND YET, if they [who refuse to see the truth] were
to see part of the sky falling down, they would [only]
say, “[It is but] a mass of clouds!”
(45) Hence, leave them alone until they face that
[Judgment] Day of theirs, when they will be stricken
with tenor: (46) the Day when none of their scheming
will be of the least avail to them, and they will receive
no succour...........
(47) But, verily, for those who are bent on doing

21 I.e., by “spontaneous generation”, as it were.

22 This is a reductio ad absurdum of their unwillingness to admit the existence of a conscious
Primary Cause underlying all creation.
23 I.e., the treasures of His infinite knowledge and power.
24 This is addressed specifically to the pagan contemporaries of the Prophet, implying that “you
not only blaspheme by ascribing progeny to God, but you intensify your blasphemy by ascribing to
Him something that you yourselves despise, i.e., female offspring'*: cf. 16:57-59 and the
corresponding notes.
25 For an explanation, see note 26 on the identical passage in 68 : 47.
26 I.e., it is they who constantly lose themselves in contradictions, whereas the message of the
Qur’än is free thereof (cf. 4:82 and the corresponding note).

810
52 MOUNT SINAI

evil, there is suffering in store [even] closer at hand

than that [supreme suffering in the hereafter]:2728but
most of them are not aware of it. oÇb drê qp u£
(48) And so, await in patience thy Sustainer’s
judgment, for thou art well within Our sight.“ And
extol thy Sustainer’s limitless glory and praise 0 f>‘
whenever thou risest up, (49) and extol His glory at
night, and at the time when the stars retreat.
27 As in 32:21, the Qur’ân stresses here the fact that every evil deed is bound to react in some
way or other, even in this world, against him who commits it-either by depriving him of the
affection of those who surround him and, thus, deepening his inner loneliness, or, more directly, by
creating circumstances which make the achievement of real happiness and satisfaction in­
creasingly impossible.
28 I.e., “under Our protection”.
 THE FIFTY-THIRD SÜRAH

AN-NAJM (THE UNFOLDING)

MECCA PERIOD

T IS generally assumed that this is a comparatively early Meccan sürah, revealed shortly after
I sürah 112. However, some parts of it undoubtedly belong to a later period - especially verses 13-18,
which allude to the Prophet’s mystic experience of an ascension to heaven (mi* raj), about one
year before his exodus to Medina (see Appendix IV).
The title - explained in note 1 below-is taken from the word an-najm at the beginning of the
first verse.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) /CONSIDER this unfolding [of God’s message],

V>zas it comes down from on high!1
(2) This fellow-man of yours has not gone astray, --------------*
nor is he deluded,23(3) and neither does he speak out
of his own desire: (4) that [which he conveys to you] (J) fy* U, .XJ-ÛjSu (T) &JÏ
is but [a divine] inspiration with which he is being
inspired-(5) something that a very mighty one’ has CD CD
imparted to him: (6) [an angel] endowed with sur­
passing power, who in time manifested himself in his
true shape and nature, (7) appearing in the horizon’s
loftiest part,4 (8) and then drew near, and came close,
(9) until he was but two bow-lengths away, or even

1 Or: “Consider the star when it sets”-an interpretation which for some reason has the
preference of the majority of the commentators. However, almost all of them admit that the term
najm - derived from the verb najama, “it appeared”, “began”, “ensued", or “proceeded" -
denotes also the “unfolding" of something that comes or appears gradually, as if by instalments.
Hence, this term has from the very beginning been applied to each of the gradually-revealed parts
(nujüm) of the Qur’än and, thus, to the process of its gradual revelation, or its “unfolding", as such.
This was, in fact, the interpretation of the above verse given by cAbd Allah ibn 'Abbäs (as quoted
by Tabari); in view of the sequence, this interpretation is regarded as fully justified by Räghib,
Zamakhsharï, Râzï, Baydâwï, Ibn Kathïr and other authorities. Räghib and Ibn Kathir, in
particular, point to the phrase mawâqi* an-nujüm in 56:75, which undoubtedly refers to the
step-by-step revelation of the Qur’än. - As regards my rendering of the adjective particle wa as
“Consider”, see sürah 74, note 23.
2 See note 150 on 7:184.
3 I.e., the Angel of Revelation, Gabriel.
4 Cf. 81:23 and the corresponding note 8. According to the Qur’an and the testimony of
authentic Traditions, the Prophet had no more than twice in his lifetime a vision of this angelic
force “manifested in its true shape and nature” (which, as pointed out by Zamakhsharï, is the
meaning of the expression istawä in this context): once after the period called fatrat al-wahy (see
introductory note to sürah 74), and another time, as alluded to in verses 13-18, in the course of his
mystic vision known as the “Ascension” (see Appendix IV).

812
 SÜRAH 53
THE UNFOLDING
nearer.5
(10) And thus did [God] reveal unto His servant
whatever He deemed right to reveal.6
(11) The [servant’s] heart did not give the lie to
what he saw:7 (12) will you, then, contend with him as
to what he saw?89
0<y->’ £ (j) JSÎJi JSp
(13) And, indeed, he saw him’ a second time (14) by 0 0 aijlif ûùf l
(15) near unto the
the lote-tree of the farthest limit,1011
garden of promise, (16) with the lote-tree veiled in a 0 îjj_- X* 0 Jij xüj
veil of nameless splendour... 0 0 isjuft
(17) [And withal,] the eye did not waver, nor yet
did it stray: (18) truly did he see some of the most 4j (£) J£
profound of his Sustainer’s symbols.12
0 (3
(19) HAVE YOU, then, ever considered [what you are
worshipping in] Al-Lät and Al-'Uzzä, (20) as well as
[in] Manât, the third and last [of this triad]?13
5 This graphic “description” of the angel's approach, based on an ancient Arahian figure of
speech, is meant to convey the idea that the Angel of Revelation became a clearly perceptible, almost
tangible, presence.
6 Lit., “whatever He revealed”: an allusion to the exceptional manifestation of the angel “in his
true shape and nature” as well as to the contents of divine revelation as such. In its deeper sense
the above phrase implies that even to His chosen prophets God does not entirely unveil the
ultimate mysteries of existence, of life and death, of the purpose for which He has created the
universe, or of the nature of the universe itself.
7 Inasmuch as the Prophet was fully aware of the spiritual character of his experience, there
was no conflict between his conscious mind and his intuitive perception (the “vision of the heart”)
of what is normally not perceptible.
8 Thus the Qur’an makes it clear that the Prophet’s vision of the angel was not a delusion but a
true spiritual experience: but precisely because it was purely spiritual in nature, it could be
conveyed to others only by means of symbols and allegories, which sceptics all too readily dismiss
as fancies, “contending with him as to what he saw".
9 I.e., he saw the angel “manifested in his true shape and nature”.
10 I.e., on the occasion of his mystic experience of the “Ascension” (mfraj). Explaining the
vision conveyed in the expression sidrat al-muntahä, Räghib suggests that owing to the abundance
of its leafy shade, the sidr or sidrah (the Arabian lote-tree) appears in the Qur’an as well as in the
Traditions relating to the Ascension as a symbol of the “shade” - i.e., the spiritual peace and
fulfilment-of paradise. One may assume that the qualifying term al-muntahâ (“of the utmost [or
“farthest”] limit”) is indicative of the fact that God has set a definite limit to all knowledge
accessible to created beings, as pointed out in the Nihâyah: implying, in particular, that human
knowledge, though potentially vast and penetrating, can never-not even in paradise (the “garden
of promise” mentioned in the next verse)-attain to an understanding of the ultimate reality, which
the Creator has reserved for Himself (cf. note 6 above).
11 Lit., “when the lote-tree was veiled with whatever veiled [it]”: a phrase deliberately vague
(rnubham), indicative of the inconceivable majesty and splendour attaching to this symbol of
paradise “which no description can picture and no definition can embrace” (Zamakhsharï).
12 Lit., “[some] of the greatest of his Sustainer’s symbols (âyât)". For this specific rendering of
the term äyah, see note 2 on 17:1, which refers to the same mystic expenence, namely, the
Ascension. In both these Qur’anic allusions the Prophet is said to have been ‘ made to see (i.e.»
Biven to understand) some, but not all, of the ultimate truths (cf. also 7:187-188); and this, too,
serves to explain the idea expressed in verse 10 above.
13 After pointing out that the Prophet was granted true insight into some of the most profound
verities, the Qur’&n draws our attention to the “false symbols” which men so often choose to

813
 SÜRAH
AN-NAJM

(21) Why - for yourselves [you would choose only]

male offspring, whereas to Him [you assign] female:14
(22) that, lo and behold, is an unfair division!
(23) These [allegedly divine beings] are nothing but
empty names which you have invented - you and éi; <$> ($) uô
your forefathers - [and] for which God has bestowed
no warrant from on high.15 They [who worship them] 3^1 (£)
follow nothing but surmise and their own wishful
thinking16-although right guidance has now indeed
come unto them from their Sustainer.
(24) Does man imagine that it is his due to have” all
that he might wish for, (25) despite the fact that Xfl Î & (£) iffy}* 0
[both] the life to come and this present [one] belong • (J)
to God [alone]?18
(26) For, however many angels there be in the Jj âl ûSL Û' ls2S

heavens, their intercession can be of no least avail [to

anyone] - except after God has given leave [to inter­ I fn} (ÿ’ZJ

cede] for whomever He wills and with whom He is çL 3- < « (Ji Cj <$>
well-pleased.”
(27) Behold, it is [only] such as do not [really]
believe in the life to come that regard the angels as
female beings;20 (28) and [since] they have no knowl-

invest with divine qualities or powers: in this instance - by way of example - to the blasphemous
imagery of the Prophet’s pagan contemporaries epitomized in the triad of Al-Lât, Manât and
Al-'Uzzä. These three goddesses - regarded by the pagan Arabs as “God's daughters" side by side
with the angels (who, too, were conceived of as females) - were worshipped in most of pre-lslamic
Arabia, and had several shrines in the Hijäz and in Najd. The worship of Al-Lät was particularly
ancient and almost certainly of South-Arabian origin; she may have been the prototype of the
Greek semi-goddess Leto, one of the wives of Zeus and mother of Apollo and Artemis.
14 In view of the contempt which the pagan Arabs felt for their female offspring (cf. 16:57-59
and 62, as well as the corresponding notes), their attribution of "daughters" to God was
particularly absurd and self-contradictory: for, quite apart from the blasphemous belief in God’s
having “offspring” of any kind, their ascribing to Him what they themselves despised gave the lie
to their alleged “reverence” for Him whom they, too, regarded as the Supreme Being - a point
which is stressed with irony in the next sentence.
15 Cf. 12:40.
16 An allusion to the pagan idea that those goddesses, as well as the angels, would act as
“mediators” between their worshippers and God: a wishful idea which lingers on even among
adherents of higher religions in the guise of a veneration of saints and deified persons.
17 Lit., “Is it for man to have ...”, etc.
18 I.e., despite the fact (which is the meaning of the particle fa in this context) that God is
omnipotent and omniscient and does not, therefore, require any “mediator” between Himself and
His creatures.
19 For an explanation of the Qur’anic concept of “intercession”, see note 7 on 10:3, as well as
notes 26 and 27 on 10:18.
20 Lit., “that name the angels with a female name”-i.e., think of them as being endowed with
sex and/or as being “God’s daughters”. As the Qur’Sn points out in many places, the people
spoken of in this context do believe in life after death, inasmuch as they express the hope that the
angels and the imaginary deities which they worship will “mediate” between them and God, and
will “intercede” for them. However, their belief is far too vague to make them realize that the
quality of man’s life in the hereafter does not depend on such outside factors but is causally, and
directly, connected with the manner of his life in this world: and so the Qur’ân declares that their

814
 53
THE UNFOLDING
edge whatever thereof,*21 they follow nothing but
surmise: yet, behold, never can surmise take the
place of truth.
(29) Avoid thou, therefore, those who turn away from
all remembrance of Us and care for no more than the
life of this world, (30) which, to them, is the only thing
. worth knowing.22 Behold, thy Sustainer is fully aware
as to who has strayed from His path, and fully aware is (j)
He as to who follows His guidance.
(31) Indeed, unto God belongs all that is in the
heavens and all that is on earth: and so He will
reward those who do evil in accordance with what
they did, and will reward those who do good with
ultimate good.23
(32) As for those who avoid the [truly] grave sins yf-.j lx 1
and shameful deeds - even though they may some­
times stumble24 - behold, thy Sustainer is abounding
in forgiveness.
He is fully aware of you25 when He brings you into
being out of dust,26 and when you are still hidden in
your mothers’ wombs: do not, then, consider your­
selves pure - [for] He knows best as to who is
conscious of Him.2728
(33) HAST THOU, then, ever considered him who turns
away [from remembering Us, and cares for no more
than the life of this world], (34) and gives so little [of
himself for the good of his soul], and so grudgingly?9

attitude is, for all practical purposes, not much different from the altitude of people who reject the
idea of a hereafter altogether.
21 Namely, of the real nature and function of the category of beings spoken of in the Qur’ân as
angels, inasmuch as they belong to the realm of al-ghayb, “that which is beyond the reach of
human perception". Alternatively, the pronoun in bihi may relate to God, in which case the
phrase could be rendered as "they have no knowledge whatever of Him" - implying that both the
attribution of “progeny" to Him and the belief that His judgment depends on, or could be
influenced by, “mediation" or “intercession" is the result of an anthropomorphic concept of God
and, therefore, far removed from the truth.
22 Lit., “that is their sum-total [or "goal”] of knowledge".
23 Le., whereas good deeds will be rewarded with far more than their merits may warrant, evil
will be recompensed with no more than its equivalent (cf. 6: 160): and either will be decided by the
Almighty without the need of “mediation" or “intercession”.
24 Lit., “save for a touch [thereof]": a phrase which may be taken to mean “an occasional
stumbling into sin”-i.e., not deliberately - followed by sincere repentance (BaghawT, RazT, Ibn
KathTr).
25 Sc., “and of your inborn weakness" - an implied echo of the statement that ‘man has been
created weak" (4:28) and, therefore, liable to stumble into sinning.
26 Lit., “out of the earth": see second half of note 47 on 3:59, as well as note 4 on 23:12.
27 I.e., “never boast about your own purity", but remain humble and remember that “it is God
w**° causes whomever He wills to remain pure” (4:49).
28 My rendering of the above two verses (together with the two interpolations between

815
 SÜRAH
AN-NAJM

(35) Does he [claim to] have knowledge of some­

thing that is beyond the reach of human perception,
so that he can see [it clearly]?29
(36) Or has he never yet been told of what was
[said] in the revelations of Moses, (37) and of Abra­
ham, who to his trust was true:30
(38) that no bearer of burdens shall be made to ($) k-***L? J f’ <S> i&J. jè
bear another’s burden;31
(39) and that nought shall be accounted unto man (™) tub JZ
but what he is striving for;32 ($) **
(40) and that in time [the nature of] all his striving
will be shown [to him in its true light],33 (41) where­
upon he shall be requited for it with the fullest
requital;
(42) and that with thy Sustainer is the beginning (£) > b ($)
and the end [of all that exists];34
(43) and that it is He alone who causes [you] to
laugh and to weep;
(44) and that it is He alone who deals death and
grants life;
(45) and that it is He who creates the two kinds -
the male and the female-(46) out of a [mere] drop
of sperm as it is poured forth, (47) and that [therefore]
brackets) is based on Râzï’s convincing interpretation of this passage as a return to the theme
touched upon in verses 29-30.
29 I.e., “How can he be so sure that there is no life in the hereafter, and no judgment?”
30 Cf. 2:124 and the corresponding note 100. It is obvious that the names of Abraham and
Moses are cited here only by way of example, drawing attention to the fact that all through human
history God has entrusted His elect, the prophets, with the task of conveying certain unchangeable
ethical truths to man.
31 This basic ethical law appears in the Qur’än five times-in 6: 164, 17:15, 35: 18, 39:7, as
well as in the above instance, which is the oldest in the chronology of revelation. Its implication is
threefold: firstly, it expresses a categorical rejection of the Christian doctrine of the “original sin”
with which every human being is allegedly burdened from birth; secondly, it refutes the idea that a
person’s sins could be “atoned for” by a saint’s or a prophet’s redemptive sacrifice (as evidenced,
for instance, in the Christian doctrine of Jesus’ vicarious atonement for mankind’s sinfulness, or in
the earlier, Persian doctrine of man’s vicarious redemption by Mithras); and, thirdly, it denies, by
implication, the possibility of any “mediation” between the sinner and God.
32 Cf. the basic, extremely well-authenticated saying of the Prophet, “Actions will be [judged]
only according to the conscious intentions [which prompted them]; and unto everyone will be
accounted only what he consciously intended”, i.e., while doing whatever he did. This Tradition is
quoted by Bukhari in seven places-the first one as a kind of introduction to his $ahîh - as well as
by Muslim, Tirmidhi, Abfl Dä’üd, NasäT (in four places), Ibn Mäjah, Ibn Hanbâl, and several
other compilations. In this connection it is to be noted that in the ethics of the Qur’än, the term
“action” Carnal) comprises also a deliberate omission of actions, whether good or bad, as well as
a deliberate voicing of beliefs, both righteous and sinful: in short, everything that man consciously
aims at and expresses by word or deed.
33 Lit., “his striving will be seen”, i.e., on the Day of Judgment, when-as the Qur’än states in
many places-God “will make you [truly] understand all that you were doing [in life]”.
34 Lit., “the utmost limit” or “goal”, circumscribing the beginning and the end of the universe
both in time and in space, as well as the source from which everything proceeds and to which
everything must return.

816
 53
THE UNFOLDING

it is within His power to bring about a second life;35

(48) and that it is He alone who frees from want
and causes to possess;
(49) and that it is He alone who sustains the bright­
est star;36
(50) and that it is He who destroyed the ancient <3> 't’j j* > b (£> j» >b
[tribes of] 'Äd (51) and Thamüd, leaving no trace [of
them],37 (52) as well as the people of Noah before (ff) ûJtJbÆ (£) j/'iîbkéÔ/Jî;
them - [since,] verily, they all had been most wilful in
their evildoing and most overweening - (53) just as
He thrust into perdition those cities that were tjL» (J) (ÿiÀU IjLUi (g) ûîj*'
overthrown (54) and then covered them from sight <«) (£) Qj
forever.38
(55) About which, then, of thy Sustainer’s powers Üié'âî Qp j» (J) eijl
canst thou [still] remain in doubt?39
(J) I
(56) THIS IS a warning like those warnings of old:40 (57)
that [Last Hour] which is so near draws ever nearer, 4* (£) (£)

(58) [although] none but God can unveil it.... t o uâ

(59) Do you, perchance, find this tiding strange?
(60) And do you laugh instead of weeping, (61) and
divert yourselves all the while?
(62) [Nay,] but prostrate yourselves before God,
and worship [Him alone]!
35 Lit., “that upon Him rests the other [or “second”] coming to life (nush’ah)”, i.e., resur­
rection.
36 Lit., “who is the Sustainer of Sirius (ash-shi*rä)", a star of the first magnitude, belonging to
the constellation Canis Major. Because it is the brightest star in the heavens, it was widely
worshipped in pre-Islamic Arabia. Idiomatically, the phrase nibb ash-shfrâ is used as a metonym
for the Creator and Upholder of the universe.
37 For the story of the tribe of cÄd. see second half of note 48 on 7:65; for that of the ThamOd,
note 56 on 7:73.
38 Lit., “so that there covered them that which covered”: a reference to Sodom and Gomorrah,
the cities of “Lot’s people” (see, in particular, 11:77-83).
39 This rhetorical question is evidently addressed to the type of man spoken of in verses
33-35.-For the reason of my rendering of a/d’ (lit., “blessings" or “bounties”) as “powers”, see
second half of note 4 on 55 : 13.
40 Lit., “a warning of [or “from among”] the warnings of old" - implying that the revelation
granted to Muhammad does not aim at establishing a “new" religion but, on the contrary,
continues and confirms the basic message entrusted to the earlier prophets-in this particular
instance alluding to the certainty of the coming of the Last Hour and of God s ultimate judgment.
 THE FIFTY-FOURTH SÜRAH

AL-QAMAR (THE MOON)

MECCA PERIOD

S RÂZÎ points out, the first verse of this surah appears almost like a continuation of the last
A uverses of the preceding one, especially 53:57-“that [Last Hour] which is so near draws
ever nearer”-: and so we may assume that both were revealed at approximately the same time,
i.e., towards the end of the early part (perhaps the fourth year) of Muhammad’s prophethood.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) 'T’HE LAST HOUR draws near, and the moon is

X split asunder!1
(2) But if they [who reject all thought of the Last __________
Hour] were to see a sign [of its approach], they would
turn aside and say, “An ever-recurring delusion!” - (3)
for they are bent on giving it the lie,2 being always wont
to follow their own desires.
Yet everything reveals its truth in the end.3

1 Most of the commentators see in this verse a reference to a phenomenon said to have been
witnessed by several of the Prophet’s contemporaries. As described in a number of reports going
back to some Companions, the moon appeared one night as if split into two distinct parts. While
there is no reason to doubt the subjective veracity of these reports, it is possible that what actually
happened was an unusual kind of partial lunar eclipse, which produced an equally unusual optical
illusion. But whatever the nature of that phenomenon, it is practically certain that the above
Qur’än-verse does not refer to it but, rather, to a future event: namely, to what will happen when
the Last Hour approaches. (The Qur’än frequently employs the past tense to denote the future,
and particularly so in passages which speak of the coming of the Last Hour and of Resurrection
Day; this use of the past tense is meant to stress the certainty of the happening to which the verb
relates.) Thus, Räghib regards it as fully justifiable to interpret the phrase inshaqqa 'l-qamar (“the
moon is split asunder”) as bearing on the cosmic cataclysm - the end of the world as we know
it-that will occur before the coming of Resurrection Day (see art. shaqq in the Mufrodât}. As
mentioned by Zamakhsharï, this interpretation has the support of some of the earlier com­
mentators; and it is, to my mind, particularly convincing in view of the juxtaposition, in the above
Qur’än-verse, of the moon’s “splitting asunder” and the approach of the Last Hour. (In this
connection we must bear in mind the fact that none of the Qur’anic allusions to the “nearness” of
the Last Hour and the Day of Resurrection is based on the human concept of “time”.)
2 Lit., “they have given [it] the lie”: an allusion to the prediction of the Last Hour and the Day
of Resurrection. The use of the past tense indicates conscious intent or determination (cf. sürah 2,
note 6). For my rendering of sihr as “delusion”, see sürah 74, note 12.
3 Lit., “everything is settled in its [own] being”: i.e., everything has an intrinsic reality
(haqïqah) of its own, and is bound to reveal that reality either in this world or in the next
(BaghawT, on the authority of Al-KalbT); hence, everything must have a purpose or “goal" of its
own (Zamakhsharï). These two - mutually complementary - interpretations reflect the repeated
Qur’anic statement that everything that exists or happens has a meaning and a purpose: cf. 3:191.
10:5 and 38 : 27 (particularly, see note 11 on 10:5). In the present context, the phrase relates both

818
 SÜRAH 54
THE MOON
(4) And withal, there has come unto them many a
tiding that should have restrained [their arrogance]:45
(5) far-reaching wisdom [was held out to them]: but
[since] all warnings have been of no avail, (6) turn thou
away from them.
On the Day when the Summoning Voice will sum­
mon [man] unto something that the mind cannot
conceive/ (7) they will come forth from their graves,
with their eyes downcast, [swarming about] like
locusts scattered [by the wind], (8) running in con­
fusion towards the Summoning Voice; [and] those
who [now] deny the truth will exclaim, “Calamitous is
this Day!”

(9) [LONG] BEFORE those [who now deny resurrec­

tion] did Noah’s people call it a lie; and they gave the
lie to Our servant and said, “Mad is he!”-and he was
repulsed.6
(10) Thereupon he called out to his Sustainer,
“Verily, I am defeated; come Thou, then, to my
succour!” $ 3 >J
(11) And so We caused the gates of heaven to open
with water pouring down in torrents, (12) and caused «i’i
the earth to burst forth with springs, so that the
waters met for a purpose pre-ordained: (13) but him
We bore on that (vessel] made of [mere] planks and
nails, (14) and it floated under Our eyes:7 a recom­
pense for him who had been rejected with ingratitude.
(15) And, indeed, We have caused such (floating
vessels] to remain forever a sign [of Our grace unto
man]:8 who, then, is willing to take it to heart?9

to the truth referred to in the preceding verses and to its rejection by those who are “wont to
follow [but] their own desires".
4 Lit., “in which there was a restraint": i.e., many an indication, in observable nature, of God's
creative and re-creative power, as well as many a tiding, through God-inspired prophets, of a
continuation of life after bodily death and, therefore, of the fact that a person’s attitudes and doings in
this world must have definite consequences in the life to come.
5 Lit., “something not known (nukur)” - that is, “something that human beings cannot know
[i.e., visualize] because they have never met with anything like it" (ZamakhsharT).
6 See 11:25-48, where the story of Noah and the Flood is given in greater detail.
7 I.e., “under Our protection”. The reference to Noah’s ark as “made of mere planks and nails”
>8 meant to stress the frailty of this-as well as any other-human contrivance.
8 See 36 : 41-42 and the corresponding notes 22 and 23. Literally, the above phrase reads, “We
have left them (or "such”] as a sign...", etc. According to Ibn KathTr, the pronoun hä in
taraknähä relates to “ships in a generic sense" (jins as-sufun), and quotes in this connection the
above-mentioned passage (36:41-42); hence my interpolation, between brackets, of the words
‘‘floating vessels”. The “sign” spoken of here alludes to God’s having endowed man’s mind with
mventiveness and, thus, with the ability to widen the scope of his life through conscious effort.
9 Lit., “And is there any that will.. ”, etc. The above sentence recurs several times, like a
refrain, in this siirah.

819
 AL-QAMAR SÜRAH

(16) And how severe is the suffering which I inflict

when My warnings are disregarded!10
(17) Hence, indeed, We made this Qur’än easy to
bear in mind:11 who, then, is willing to take it to
heart?
(18) TO THE TRUTH gave the lie [the tribe of] *Äd: and » X-Uj fff) jjij jjlûc jU*

how severe was the suffering which I inflicted when

My warnings were disregarded!
(19) Behold, We let loose upon them a raging
stormwind on a day of bitter misfortune: (20) it swept
the people away as though they were palm-trunks jc3‘ ($
uprooted:12 (21) for, how severe is the suffering which
I inflict when My warnings are disregarded! Çu liij (g) jij O
(22) Hence, indeed, We made this Qur’an easy to
bear in mind: who, then, is willing to take it to heart?
$ 6*5 4 iS* 0 Ä
(23) [AND the tribe of] Thamûd gave the lie to all [Our]
warnings; (24) and they said: “Are we to follow one
single mortal, one from among ourselves?13 In that
case, behold, we would certainly sink into error and & 3/1^ <$>5? 4'^
folly! (25) Why-on him alone from among all of us <5> r-* *"4
should a [divine] reminder have been bestowed?
Nay, but he is a boastful liar!" (g) /îî* X fr*. **-• • j’
(26) [And God said:] “On the morrow1415they will
come to know who the boastful liar is! (27) Behold,
[O $älih,] We are letting loose this she-camel as a test
for them;13 and thou but watch them, and contain
thyself in patience. (28) And let them know that the
water [of their wells] is to be divided between them,16
10 Lit., “how was My [causing] suffering Çadhâbî) and My warnings“ - i.e., after the warnings.
Although this sentence is phrased in the past tense, its purport is evidently timeless.
11 The noun dhikr primarily denotes “remembrance”, or-as defined by Raghib-the “presence
[of something] in the mind”. Conceptually, and as used in the above context as well as in verses
22,32 and 40, this term comprises the twin notions of understanding and remembering, i.e., bearing
something in mind.
12 As mentioned in 69:6-8, this wind - obviously an exceptionally violent sandstorm - raged
without break for seven nights and eight days. For particulars of the tribe of 'Ad, see second half of
note 48 on 7:65.
13 For the general implication of this rhetorical question, see note 2 on 50:2. For the story of
the tribe of ThamOd, their prophet $älib, and the incident of the she-camel, see 7 : 73-79,
11:61-68, 26:141-158, and the corresponding notes.
14 I.e., soon. In classical Arabic, the term ghadan (“tomorrow”) often applies to a relatively
near future, signifying “tomorrow” (in its literal sense) as well as “in time” or “soon”. Hence-as
pointed out by all authorities - it may have been used in the above context with reference to the
Last Hour, which in the first verse of this very sürah is spoken of as having “drawn near”.
15 For this and other Qur’anic references to the she-camel that was to be “let loose as a test”
for the ThamOd, see sürah 7, note 57. God’s “letting her loose” is in this context evidently
synonymous with “allowing her to become” a test.
16 I.e., between their own herds and the ownerless she-camel: see 26:155 and the correspond­
ing note 67.

820
 54______________________________
THE MOON
with each share of water equitably apportioned.”
(29) But they summoned their [boldest] companion,
and he ventured [upon the evil deed], and cruelly
slaughtered [the animal]:*7 (30) and how severe was
the suffering which I inflicted when My warnings
were disregarded!
(31) Behold, We let loose upon them one single
blast [of Our punishment],*8 and they became like the
dried-up, crumbling twigs of a sheepfold. i (J) y** ÎJâUi
(32) Hence, indeed, We made this Qur’än easy to
bear in mind: who, then, is willing to take it to heart?

(33) LOTS PEOPLE [too] gave the lie to all [Our] warn­ Â-ty (ff)
ings: (34) [and so,] behold, We let loose upon them a
(ff) j j-jL J» jl pj cJS* (ff) jTju
deadly tempest; *’ and only Lot’s kinsfolk did We save
at the break of dawn, (35) as a blessing from Us: thus (ff)L-X
do We reward all who are grateful.
(36) For he had truly warned them of Our punishing
might; but they stubbornly cast doubt on these warn­
« & «p/j <ff) j-iJ t bjX XxL
ings, (37) and even demanded that he give up his
20 whereupon We deprived them of
guests [to them]:17
19
18 (H*-* (ff) A» J.1-* bôX I—Xi
their sight [and thus told them, as it were]:2' “Taste,
then, the suffering which I inflict when My warnings ■X, (ff) jX 'jiyii (ff)>Xi ûîjL*
are disregarded!”
JH SU £) JTjuIlÇ*
(38) And, indeed, abiding suffering did befall them
early on the morrow: (39) “Taste, then, the suffering ài.i -U-ii /
which I inflict when My warnings are disregarded!”
(40) Hence, indeed, We made this Qur’än easy to /jüTi (j)
bear in mind: who, then, is willing to take it to heart?
(41) Now surely, unto Pharaoh’s folk [too] came
such warnings; (42) they, too, gave the lie to all Our
messages: and thereupon We took them to task as
only the Almighty, who determines all things, can
take to task.22

(43) ARE, THEN, those of you who [now] deny the

17 For the above rendering of *aqara, see note 61 on 7:77.

18 See note 98 on 11:67.
19 Sc., “of chastisement”: see 11:82 and the corresponding note 114.-The story of Lot and the
People among whom he dwelt is mentioned in several places, most extensively in 11:69-83.
20 See 11:77-79 and the corresponding notes.
21 According to Ibn *Abbäs (as quoted by Râzî), the expression fams al'ayit (“deprivation of
sight”) denotes here a “veiling [of something] from one’s consciousness” (hajb can al-idräk).
Hence, the phrase famasnd a'yunahum may be understood to mean that God deprived them, in
consequence of their evil propensities, of ail moral insight (cf. 36 : 66 and the corresponding notes),
and thus made them liable - as the sequence shows - to undergo bitter suffering in this world and in
the next.
22 Lit., “We gripped them with the grip of an almighty...”, etc. The special-and concluding-
mention of “Pharaoh’s folk” is due to the fact that the Egyptians were the most highly developed
and powerful nation in the antiquity to which this and the preceding passages refer.

821
 SÜRAH
AL-QAMAR

truth23 better than those others - or have you, per­

chance, [been promised] immunity in the [ancient]
books of [divine] wisdom?2425
(44) Or do they say, “We are a group united, [and
therefore] bound to prevail”?23
(45) [Yet] the hosts [of those who deny the truth]
shall be routed, and they shall turn their backs [in
flight]!26
(46) But nay - the Last Hour is the time when they ($) CâT û* f ' ($> j s*Lt
shall truly meet their fate;27 and that Last Hour will
f-*4®** ® C*»**
be most calamitous, and most bitter: (47) for, behold,
those who are lost in sin [will at that time come to (^) tZb
know that it is they who] were sunk in error and
folly!28 p*-
(48) On the Day when they shall be dragged into -x/.t-XX
!■<✓** Lj
XX •» XJXX X SA -
J5
-y Z,

the fire on their faces,29 [they will be told:] “Taste

now the touch of hell-fire!”
(49) BEHOLD, everything have We created in due measure - 0 jG
and proportion; (50) and Our ordaining [a thing and its
coming into being] is but one [act], like the twinkling of
an eye.30
(51) Thus, indeed, did We destroy people like you
[in the past]: who, then, is willing to take it to heart?
(52) [They were truly guilty] because all [the evil]
that they ever did had been [revealed to them as

23 Lit., “your deniers of the truth”.

24 See surah 21, note 101.
25 The reasoning which underlies this thought may be summed up thus: “We who reject these
so-called divine revelations represent a very large body of opinion: and because our views are held
by so many, they are obviously right and, therefore, bound to triumph in the end.” In other words,
the people characterized as “deniers of the truth" draw their assurance from the mere fact of their
being representative of the “majority opinion"-a self-delusion based on a purely materialistic
outlook on life.
26 The fact that the Prophet recited this verse just before the battle of Badr (see note 10 on
8:10) has caused most of the commentators to assume that it had been revealed as a specific
prophecy of the future victory of the Muslims over the pagan Quraysh. While this is possible. I
believe, nevertheless, that the above passage has the much wider, timeless meaning explained in
the preceding note. This view finds strong support in the subsequent verses, which speak of the
evil otherworldly consequences of deliberate sinning, quite apart from the social and moral defeat,
in this world, of the sinful community as a whole.
27 Lit., “the time appointed for them” (maw'iduhum).
28 See verse 24 above.
29 See note 83 on 33 :66 as well as note 30 on 25 : 34.
30 I.e., there is no time lag and no conceptual difference between God’s “willing” the creation
of a thing and His “creating" it, for “when He wills a thing to be, He but says unto it, ’Be’ - and it
is” (2:117, 3 : 47, 16:40, 19 : 35, 36 : 82 and 40 : 68). The comparison with the “twinkling of an
eye” is, of course, merely idiomatic, i.e., based on the human concept of something instantaneous.
In the present context this is - as the sequence shows - an allusion to the rapidity with which God
can, if He so wills, destroy a sinful community.

822
54 THE MOON

such] in the [ancient] books of [divine] wisdom ;M (53)

and everthing [that man does], be it small or great, is
recorded [with God].
(54) [Hence, too,] behold, the God-conscious will
find themselves in [a paradise of] gardens and running 0 j-ul* dLXi Ja^ 4Û» j 0
waters, (55) in a seat of truth, in the presence of a
Sovereign who determines all things....
31 I.e., the ancient revealed scriptures (az-zubur) had made the meaning of good and evil
absolutely clear to them, but they wilfully disregarded or even consciously rejected that teaching.
The above verse implies, firstly, that the basic ethical teachings of all revealed religions are
essentially identical, and, secondly, that God “would never destroy a community for [its]
wrongdoing so long as its people are still unaware [of the meaning of right and wrong]” (see
6 : 131-132, 15 : 4, 26 : 208-209, and the corresponding notes).
 THE FIFTY-FIFTH SÜRAH

AR-RAHMÄN (THE MOST GRACIOUS)

PERIOD UNCERTAIN

LTHOUGH most of the commentators regard this sürah as a Meccan revelation, Zamakh-
A sharï and (among the later scholars) Suyütî ascribe it to the Medina period. Baydâwî leaves
the question open, and adds that parts of it may have been revealed before and parts after the
Prophet’s hijrah to Medina. Some authorities are of the opinion that it followed immediately upon
sürah 13 (“Thunder”): an opinion which is not very helpful since that sürah, too, cannot be
assigned to either of the two periods with any degree of certainty.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) rp»HE MOST GRACIOUS (2) has imparted this

J. Qur’än [unto man].
(3) He has created man: (4) He has imparted unto
him articulate thought and speech.1
(5) [At His behest] the sun and the moon run their
appointed courses;2 (6) [before Him] prostrate them­ 0 Ju 0 Q
selves the stars and the trees. 0 JUjÎ 0 ÎLjllX
(7) And the skies has He raised high, and has
devised [for all things] a measure,3 (8) so that you J 0^ jl I«» J
[too, O men,] might never transgress the measure [of
what is right]: (9) weigh, therefore, [your deeds] with 0 Tj 0 T
equity, and cut not the measure short! U**, 0
(10) And the earth has He spread out for all living
beings, (11) with fruit thereon, and palm trees with 0 0
sheathed clusters [of dates], (12) and grain growing
tall on its stalks, and sweet-smelling plants. j »S/u <0
(13) Which, then, of your Sustainer’s powers can
you disavow?4
1 The term al-bayän- denoting “the means whereby a thing is [intellectually] circumscribed
and made clear” (Râghib) - applies to both thought and speech inasmuch as it comprises the
faculty of making a thing or an idea apparent to the mind and conceptually distinct from other
things or ideas, as well as the power to express this cognition clearly in spoken or written
language (Täj al-'Arüs): hence, in the above context, “articulate thought and speech”, recalling
the “knowledge of all the names” (i.e., the faculty of conceptual thinking) with which man is
endowed (see 2:31 and the corresponding note 23).
2 Lit., “according to a definite reckoning”.
3 The noun mïzân, usually denoting a “balance”, has here the more general connotation of
“measure” or “measuring” by any means whatsoever (Zamakhshari), in both the concrete and
abstract senses of the word. (Cf. also the parabolic use of the term mïzân in 42:17 and 57 : 25.)
4 The majority of the classical commentators interpret the dual form of address appearing in
this phrase - rabbikumâ (“the Sustainer of you two”) and tukadhdhibän (“do you [or “can you’’]
two disavow”) - as relating to the worlds of men and of the “invisible beings” (jinn - see Appendix

824
SÜRAH55
THE MOST GRACIOUS

(14) He has created man out of sounding clay, like

pottery,*5 (15) whereas the invisible beings He has
created out of a confusing flame of fire.6 (16) Which,
then, of your Sustainer’s powers can you disavow?
(17) [He is] the Sustainer of the two farthest points
of sunrise, and the Sustainer of the two farthest
»W (g) jU j*
points of sunset.7 (18) Which, then, of your Sustain­
er’s powers can you disavow? O (fl)
(19) He has given freedom to the two great bodies
of water, so that they might meet: (20) [yet] between (J) jCj£-»'L£=sbj*Wiu
them is a barrier which they may not transgress.89(21)
(£) ûÛÜ.S Qjy (J)
Which, then, of your Sustainer’s powers can you
disavow? 0 Q jÇX'
(22) Out of these two [bodies of water] come forth
pearls, both great and small. (23) Which, then, of your *k j »^1 I* i
Sustainer’s powers can you disavow?
(24) And His are the lofty ships that sail like (£) jliL" »^|lt j
[floating] mountains through the seas.’ (25) Which,
then, of your Sustainer’s powers can you disavow?
(26) All that lives on earth or in the heavens1011is j ’• h* o f
bound to pass away: (27) but forever will abide thy
Sustainer’s Self," full of majesty and glory. (28) j * jrf Jr j»j j*
Which, then, of your Sustainer’s powers can you
disavow?
(29) On Him depend all creatures12 in the heavens
III); but the most obvious explanation (mentioned, among others, by Râzï) is that it refers to the
two categories of human beings, men and women, to both of whom the Qur’an is addressed. The
plural noun ô/ô’, rendered by me as "powers”, signifies literally "blessings” or “bounties”; but as
the above refrain, which is repeated many times in this sûrah, bears not only on the bounties
which God bestows on His creation but, more generally, on all manifestations of His creativeness
and might, some of the earliest commentators -e.g., Ibn Zayd. as quoted by Tabari - regard the
term älä\ in this context, as synonymous with qudrah (“power” or “powers”).
5 See 15 :26 and the corresponding note 24.
6 Cf. 15 :27-"the fire of scorching winds (när as-samüm)” - thus stressing their non-corporeal
origin and composition. The significance of the term jinn (“invisible beings”) has been touched
upon briefly in note 86 on 6:100 and note 67 on 37:158; for a more detailed explanation, see
Appendix III.
7 I.e., of the extreme points of sunrise and sunset in summer and in winter (see 37:5 and
70:40), including "all that is between them”: a metonym for God’s being the Ultimate Cause of
the orbital movement within the universe.
8 See 25 :53 and the corresponding notes 41 and 42.
9 Lit., "in the sea like mountains". The reference to ships as "belonging to God” is meant to
stress the God-given nature of man’s intelligence and inventiveness - a reflection of God’s creative
powers - which expresses itself in all that man is able to produce. (See also 42 : 32-34 and the
corresponding notes.)
10 Lit., "Everyone who is upon it", i.e., on earth and/or, according to Ibn Kathïr, in the
heavens - since the pronoun in ‘alayhä apparently relates to the whole universe.
11 Lit., "face", or "countenance”, a term used metonymically in classical Arabic to denote the
"self" or "whole being" of a person - in this case, the essential Being, or Reality, of God. Cf. also
28:88, "Everything is bound to perish, save His [eternal] Self”.
12 Lit., "Him does ask [or "of Him does beg”] whoever is ..", etc.: i.e., all depend on Him for

825
 AR-RAHMÂN SÜRAH

and on earth; [and] every day He manifests Himself

in yet another [wondrous] way. (30) Which, then, of
your Sustainer's powers can you disavow?
(31) [ONE DAY] We shall take you to task,” O you è/*-* O <$) Oli
sin-laden two!1314 (32) Which, then, of your Sustainer’s
powers can you disavow? (g> ft* & aSât#
(33) O you who live in close communion with [evil] & ijJLL: jî pualaL—îù[ G^yb
invisible beings and humans!15 If you [think that you]
can pass beyond the regions of the heavens and the IjJLLîb jlk»l
earth,16 pass beyond them! [But] you cannot pass
beyond them, save by a sanction [from God]!1718 19(34) ($)
Which, then, of your Sustainer’s powers can you
disavow? (ff) jU X'y- KJ*
(35) A flash of fire will be let loose upon you, and C--Ö JiuT (£)
smoke, and you will be left without succour! (36)
Which, then, of your Sustainer’s powers can you (r*)
disavow?
(37) And when the sky is rent asunder and becomes (^) OU 'Sj
red like [burning] oil1’-(38) which, then, of your
Sustainer’s powers can you disavow? p j'«:-1* yu j »V't

(39) For on that Day neither man nor invisible

being will be asked about his sins.” (40) Which, then,
of your Sustainer’s powers can you disavow?
(41) All who were lost in sin shall by their marks be
known, and shall by their forelocks and their feet be
seized!20 (42) Which, then, of your Sustainer’s powers
can you disavow?
(43) This will be the hell which those who are lost

their safety and sustenance.

13 Lit., “We shall apply Ourselves to you’’.
14 I.e., “you sin-laden men and women’’ (see note 4 above). According to an interpretation
quoted by Râzï, the designation thaqalän (the dual form of thaqal, “a thing of weight”) signifies
that both these categories of human beings are liable to, and therefore burdened with, sinning.
15 For an explanation of this rendering of ma'shar al-jinn wa-'l-ins, see note 112 on the first
paragraph of 6:128.
16 I.e., in order to escape God’s judgment and chastisement.
17 I.e., “unless He wills to reprieve you”: cf. the last paragraph of 6:128 and the corresponding
note 114.
18 This is one of several legitimate interpretations of the term dihän (see TabarT); another is
“freshly tanned [or “red”! leather”, synonymous with adïm (ZamakhsharT); and yet another,
“dregs of olive-oil” (Râghib). All these interpretations have one idea in common - namely, the
sudden and surprising change (or changes) of colour to which the sky will be subject at the Last
Hour.
19 I.e., the sinners “will find all that they ever wrought [now] facing them” (18:49), and “their
(24° 24)n8UeS and *iands and feCt W’“ kear w*tness against them by [recalling] all that they did”

20 This is an allusion to their utter humiliation and disgrace. When the ancient Arabs wanted to
stress someone’s subjection to another person, they would say, “His forelock is in the hand of
so-and-so.” (See also 96: 15-16 and the corresponding note 8.)

826
 55
THE MOST GRACIOUS
in sin [now] call a lie: (44) between it and [their own]
burning-hot despair will they wander to and fro!21 (45)
Which, then, of your Sustainer’s powers can you
disavow?
j (J) ûk ûjijU
(46) BUT FOR THOSE who of their Sustainer’s Presence
stand in fear, two gardens [of paradise are readied]22 - (g) ùlSj
(47) which, then, of your Sustainer’s powers can you jbil Lflp (g) ÇCj
disavow? — (48) [two gardens] of many wondrous
hues.23 (49) Which, then, of your Sustainer’s powers
can you disavow?
(50) In [each of] these two [gardens] two springs (& àÇjj ùlSj çCj
will flow.24 (51) Which, then, of your Sustainer’s
powers can you disavow?
(52) In [each of] these two will two kinds of every
(53) Which, then, of your Sustainer’s
fruit be [found].2526
powers can you disavow?
(54) [In such a paradise the blest will dwell,] reclin­
ing upon carpets lined with rich brocade;“ and the fruit
21 For my rendering of hamïm as “burning despair”, see note 62 on the last sentence of 6:70.
The allegorical nature of all Qur’anic descriptions of "rewards” and "punishments” in the
hereafter is clearly hinted at in the phrasing of the above verse, which speaks of the sinners’
“wandering to and fro” between hell and burning despair (baynahâ wa-bayna hamïm)-i.e., tossed
between factual suffering and the despair of vain regrets.
22 I.e., two kinds of paradise, to be experienced simultaneously. Various interpretations are
advanced on this score by the classical commentators: e.g.. "a paradise for their doing of good
deeds, and another paradise for their avoidance of sins” (Zamakhsharï): or a paradise that "will
comprise both spiritual and physical joys, [so that it will seem] as if it were two paradises" (RâzT).
Finally, one might conclude that the pointed reference to the "two gardens” of paradise
contains - like the preceding reference to the sinners' "wandering between hell and burning
despair” - a pointed allusion to the allegorical character of all descriptions of the life to come, as
well as to the inexpressible intensity (or multiplication) of ail imaginable and unimaginable
sensations in that afterlife. The subsequent descriptions of the joys of paradise must be under­
stood in the sdme symbolic light.
23 According to Tabari, the noun fann (lit., "mode” or "manner”) is in this case synonymous
with lawn (“colour” or "hue”). Afnän is a double plural, and hence denotes "many hues”: and
since-as pointed out in the Taj al-' Ariis -one of the several accepted meanings of fann is "a
wonderful thing”, afnän can also be understood as "many wonderful things". The rendering
adopted by me combines both these interpretations. - As regards the indescribable nature of what
is termed “paradise”, see 32: 17 and the corresponding note 15.
24 The “two springs” of paradise call to mind the "two seas” spoken of in 18 :60-61, which,
according to Baytjâwï, symbolize the two sources or streams of knowledge accessible to man: the
one obtained through the observation and intellectual analysis of external phenomena film
a?-?ähir), and the other through inward, mystic insight film al-bätin).
25 Zamakhsharï: “a kind that is known and a kind that is strange (gharib)" - i.c., cognitions or
sensations that are imaginable on the basis of our experiences in the present life, and such as ye,
as yet, unimaginable to us, and can, therefore, be only hinted at by means of symbols or allegories.
Regarding the concept of "allegory” as such, see 3:7 and the corresponding note 8.
26 Cf. 18: 31 and the corresponding note 41. The “reclining upon carpets” (or "upon couches”
in 18:31) is a symbol of utter restfulness and peace of mind. The mention of the “carpets” of
paradise being lined with rich brocade is perhaps meant to convey the idea that-just as the lining
of a carpet is, as a rule, invisible - the beauty of paradise has nothing to do with outward show,
being of an inner, spiritual nature (Räzi). This concept appears already in an earlier interpretation,
quoted by Zamakhsharï, according to which the "carpets" spoken of here consist of light.

827
AR-RAHMÄN SÜRAH

of both these gardens will be within easy reach. (55)

Which, then, of your Sustainer’s powers can you
disavow?
(56) In these [gardens] will be mates of modest
gaze, whom neither man nor invisible being will have
touched ere then.27 (57) Which, then, of your Sus­
tainer’s powers can you disavow?
(58) [When you are promised splendours] as though
»Vit
[of] rubies and [of] pearls - (59) which, then, of your
Sustainer’s powers can you disavow? (60) Could the »V* Ju (W) O/Uf
reward of good be aught but good? (61) Which, then,
of your Sustainer’s powers can you disavow? (j) Vi i > j; (j) jX
(62) And besides those two will be yet two [other]
gardens28 - (63) which, then, of your Sustainer’s (J) (^) ùL ÇCj »Vit cfLi
powers can you disavow?-(64) two [gardens] of the
»Slit Ju
deepest green.29 (65) Which, then, of your Sustainer’s
powers can you disavow? (^) jUrf’U»-* (^) utiL* ÇCj»yit
(66) In [each of] these two [gardens] will two
springs gush forth. (67) Which, then, of your Sus­ (^) fcCj »\'lt Jl_i
tainer’s powers can you disavow?
(68) In both of them will be [all kinds of] fruit, and tjr* (%) »yitj^l» (y) jl*jj
date-palms and pomegranates. (69) Which, then, of
(J) »V» Jli jU»-
your Sustainer’s powers can you disavow?
(70) In these [gardens] will be [all] things most ^»VhJu (£) fClîj
excellent and beautiful. (71) Which, then, of your
Sustainer’s powers can you disavow? (£) (hM '££•. J
(72) [There the blest will live with their] companions
pure30 and modest, in pavillions [splendid] - (73) Ju
which, then, of your Sustainer’s powers can you
disavow? - (74) [companions] whom neither man nor
invisible being will have touched ere then. (75)
Which, then, of your Sustainer’s powers can you
disavow?
(76) [In such a paradise will they dwell,] reclining
upon meadows green and carpets rich in beauty. (77)

27 See 56 : 35-36 and the corresponding note 14. As regards the expression qâfirât af-farf (lit.,
“such as restrain their gaze”), see note 46 on 38:52, the earliest Qur’anic instance of this
expression.
28 Most of the commentators assume - not very convincingly - that the “two other gardens” are
those to which believers of lesser merit will attain. As against this weak and somewhat arbitrary
interpretation, it seems to me that the juxtaposition of “two other gardens” with the “two”
previously mentioned is meant to convey the idea of infinity in connection with the concept of
paradise as such: gardens beyond gardens beyond gardens in an endless vista, slightly varying in
description, but all of them symbols of supreme bliss.
29 I.e., by reason of abundant watering (Täj al-'Arils). It is to be noted that the adjective
“green” is often used in the Qur’&n to indicate ever-fresh life: e.g., the “green garments” which
the inmates of paradise will wear (18:31 and 76:21), or the “green meadows” upon which they
will recline (cf. verse 76 of the present sürah).
30 For this rendering of the plural noun (iflr (which is both masculine and feminine), see note 8
on 56 : 22, the earliest occurrence of this term in the Qur’&n; also note 13 on 56 : 34.
 THE MOST GRACIOUS

Which, then, of your Sustainer’s powers can you

disavow? (J) ùÇSL" j »’ills ûsU

(w) f*if* Or?

(78) HALLOWED be thy Sustainer’s name, full of
majesty and glory!
 THE FIFTY-SIXTH SÜRAH

AL-WÄQVAH (THAT WHICH MUST COME TO PASS)

MECCA PERIOD

CCORDING to all available evidence, this siirah was revealed about seven years before the
A tProphet’s hijrah.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1)TT 7HEN THAT which must come to pass' [at last]

VV comes to pass, (2) there will be nought that could
give the lie to its having come to pass, (3) abasing
[some], exalting [others]!
(4) When the earth is shaken with a shaking ----------
[severe], (5) and the mountains are shattered into
[countless] shards, (6) so that they become as scat­
tered dust - (7) [on that Day,] then, shall you be
[divided into] three kinds. jar cJ ; o t
(8) Thus, there shall be such as will have attained to
what is right:12 oh, how [happy] will be they who have
attained to what is right!
(9) And there shall be such as will have lost them­
selves in evil:3 oh, how [unhappy] will be they who G 3)
have lost themselves in evil!
(10) But the foremost shall be [they who in life j <5> 5>Ljr
were] the foremost [in faith and good works]: (11)
they who were [always] drawn close unto God! (12)
In gardens of bliss [will they dwell] - (13) a good
many of those of olden times, (14) but [only] a few of
later times.4
1 I.e., the Last Hour and Resurrection.
2 Lit., “those [or “the people“] of the right side”: see note 25 on 74: 39.
3 Lit., “those [or “the people“] of the left side“. Similarly to the use of the expression
maymanah as a metonym for “attaining to what is right“, the term mash'amah is used to denote
“losing oneself in evil“ (e.g., in 90:19). The origin of both these metonyms is based on the belief
of the pre-lslamic Arabs that future events could be predicted by observing the direction of the
flight of birds at certain times: if they flew to the right, the event in question promised to be
auspicious; if to the left, the contrary. This ancient belief was gradually absorbed by linguistic
usage, so that “right" and “left” became more or less synonymous with “auspicious" and
“inauspicious". In the idiom of the Qur’än, these two concepts have been deepened into
“righteousness" and “unrighteousness", respectively.
4 The above stress on the “many” and the “few" contains an allusion to the progressive
diminution, in the historical sense, of the element of excellence in men’s faith and ethical
achievements. (See also note 16 on verses 39-40.)

830
 SÜRAH 56_____________________________________________ THAT WHICH MUST COME TO PASS

(15) [They will be seated] on gold-encrusted

thrones of happiness, (16) reclining upon them,
facing one another [in love]/
(17) Immortal youths will wait upon them (18) with
goblets, and ewers, and cups filled with water from <S> ($) &
unsullied springs6 (19) by which their minds will not
be clouded and which will not make them drunk; (20) ij ù’jI, SJb
and with fruit of any kind that they may choose, (21)
and with the flesh of any fowl that they may desire.7 Q/jw y, Ç* üj*-x^b_V çj)
(22) And [with them will be their] companions pure,
most beautiful of eye,8 (23) like unto pearls [still]
hidden in their shells.
(24) [And this will be] a reward for what they did
[in life]. (25) No empty talk will they hear there, nor
any call to sin, (26) but only the tiding of inner
soundness and peace.9 ûj4j’î 4^'5 o 'S? <3) ûû
j L- j 3?
(27) NOW AS FOR those who have attained to righteous­
ness - what of those who have attained to righteous­ <3 ilij <3
ness?10
(28) [They, too, will find themselves] amidst fruit-
laden lote-trees,11 (29) and acacias flower-clad, (30)
and shade extended,12 (31) and waters gushing, (32)
5 See note 34 on 15 :47, which explains the symbolism of the above two verses.
6 This is evidently a symbolic allusion to the imperishable quality - the eternal youthfulness, as
it were - of all the experiences in the state described as “paradise”. (See also next two notes.)
7 Regarding this and any other Qur’anic description of the joys of paradise, see 32:17 and, in
particular, the corresponding note 15. The famous hadirh quoted in that note must be kept in mind
when reading any Qur’anic reference to the state or quality of human life in the hereafter.
8 The noun hur - rendered by me as “companions pure”-is a plural of both ah war (masc.) and
hawrä* (fem.), either of which describes “a person distinguished by /luwar”, which latter term
primarily denotes “intense whiteness of the eyeballs and lustrous black of the iris" (Qämüs). In a
more general sense, hawar signifies simply “whiteness" (Ariis) or, as a moral qualification,
“purity“ (cf. TabarT, RäzT and Ibn KathTr in their explanations of the term hawäriyyün in 3:52).
Hence, the compound expression hür 'in signifies, approximately, “pure beings [or, more
specifically, “companions pure“], most beautiful of eye" (which latter is the meaning of cih, the
plural of a'yan). In his comments on the identical expression in 52:20, RäzT observes that
inasmuch as a person’s eye reflects his soul more clearly than any other part of the human body,
'in may be understood as “rich of soul” or “soulful". As regards the term hür in its more current,
feminine » -annotation, quite a number of the earliest Qur’ân-commentators - among them Al-Hasan
al-Ba$rT - understood it as signifying no more and no less than “the righteous among the women of
the human kind” (Tabari) - “[even] those toothless old women of yours whom God will resurrect
as new beings” (Al-Hasan, as quoted by RäzT in his comments on 44:54). See in this connection
also note 46 on 38:52.
9 Lit., “only the saying, ‘Peace, peace’ (solüm)!” Regarding this latter term, see note 48 on
19:62, as well as note 29 on 5 :16.
10 Lit., “those on the right hand”. According to some commentators, it is those who had not
always been “foremost in faith and good works”, but have gradually, after erring and sinning,
attained to righteousness (RäzT). However, though they may not have been as perfect in life as the
“foremost”, their ultimate achievement brings them to the same state of spiritual fulfilment as
those others.
U See note 10 on 53:14.
12 See note 74 on 4: 57.
831
 AL-WÄQPAH SÜRAH

and fruit abounding, (33) never-failing and never out

of reach.
(34) And [with them will be their] spouses, raised
high:13 (35) for, behold, We shall have brought them
into being in a life renewed, (36) having resurrected
them as virgins,14 (37) full of love, well-matched (38)
with those who have attained to righteousness:15 (39)
a good many of olden times, (40) and a good many of ($) bz ($) ‘X?
later times.16
(41) BUT AS FOR those who have persevered in evil - 4^'5 <& ■$>
what of those who have persevered in evil?17
(42) [They will find themselves] in the midst of
scorching winds, and burning despair,18 (43) and the f-r*
shadows of black smoke - (44) [shadows] neither
cooling nor soothing.
(45) For, behold, in times gone by they were wont ft? & 'V SJa »Xj £)
to abandon themselves wholly to the pursuit of
pleasures,19 (46) and would persist in heinous sinning, Jj 0 cjuj j*0 l\‘

(47) and would say, “What! After we have died and

become mere dust and bones, shall we, forsooth, be
raised from the dead?-(48) and perhaps, too, our
forebears of old?”
13 Or: “[they will rest on] couches raised high”. The rendering adopted by me is regarded as
fully justified by some of the most outstanding commentators (e.g., Baghawï, Zamakhsharï, Râzï,
Baydäwi, etc.), and this for two reasons: firstly, because in the classical Arabic idiom, the term
firash (lit., “bed” or “couch”) is often used tropically to denote “wife” or “husband” (Räghib; also
Qâmüs, Tâj al-•Arûs, etc.); and, secondly, because of the statement in the next verse that God
“shall have brought them (hunna) into being in a life renewed”. (In the context of this
interpretation, Zamakhsharï quotes also 36 : 56, which thus refers to the inmates of paradise: ..
in happiness will they and their spouses on couches recline”. There is no doubt that the “spouses
raised high”-i.e., to the status of the blest-are identical with the hür mentioned in verse 22
above as well as in 44:54, 52:20 and 55 :72.
14 Lit., “and We shall have made them virgins". According to a number of authentic Traditions
(quoted in full byTabari and Ibn Kathlr), the Prophet stated on several occasions that all righteous
women, however old and decayed they may have been on earth, will be resurrected as virginal
maidens and will, like their male counterparts, remain eternally young in paradise.
15 I.e., equal in dignity with all other inmates of paradise. As regards the term aträb (sing, tirb),
rendered above - as well as in 38:52 and 78:33 - as “well-matched”, there is no doubt that it
primarily denotes “[persons] of equal age” (a meaning adopted by most of the commentators);
however, as pointed out by all philological authorities, this term is also used in the sense of
“[persons] equal in quality", that is, “well-matched”: a significance which, to my mind, is
eminently appropriate here inasmuch as it is meant to stress the equal excellence of all who have
attained to righteousnéss, whether they be men or women; or, alternatively, the equal attraction
towards one another and, thus, a mutual fulfilment of their spiritual and emotional needs; or both
of the above meanings.
16 In contrast with “the foremost”, who have always been “drawn close unto God”-and of
whom there are less and less as time goes on (see note 4 above)-there will always be many of
those who attain to righteousness after initial stumbling and sinning (see note 10).
17 I.e., until their death. Literally, the phrase reads, “those on the left hand” (see note 3 above).
18 For this rendering of hamim, see surah 6, note 62.
19 I.e., to the exclusion of all moral considerations. For the meaning of the term mutraf, see
sürah 11, note 147.

832
 THAT WHICH MUST COME TO PASS
(49) Say: “Verily, those of olden times and those of
later times (50) will indeed be gathered together
at an appointed time on a Day known [only to God]: (51)
and then, verily, O you who have gone astray and called
the truth a lie, (52) you will indeed have to taste of the
tree of deadly fruit,20 (53) and will have to fill your
bellies therewith, (54) and will thereupon have to drink
[many a draught] of burning despair - (55) drink it as the
most insatiably thirsty camels drink!”
(56) Such will be their welcome on Judgment Day!
(57) IT IS WE who have created you, [O men:] why, then, do t-r*
you not accept the truth?
(58) Have you ever considered that [seed] which
you emit?21 (59) Is it you who create it-or are We the
source of its creation? f>- fÀz <3>
(60) We have [indeed] decreed that death shall be
[ever-present] among you: but there is nothing to
prevent Us (61) from changing the nature of your
existence22 and bringing you into being [anew] in a
manner [as yet] unknown to you. JL.' j’ ÿ (£) Cy Ojjt

(62) And [since] you are indeed aware of the s lii; (j) nuj
[miracle of your] coming into being in the first
instance - why, then, do you not bethink yourselves k Q3
[of Us]?
(63) Have you ever considered the seed which you f’
cast upon the soil? (64) Is it you who cause it to Jt H lek»»
grow-or are We the cause of its growth? (65) [For,]
were it Our will. We could indeed turn it into chaff, ($> (£) Syyytjî
and you would be left to wonder [and to lament], (66)
tlip jjl jUll ùjJî &
“Verily, we are ruined! (67) Nay, but we have been
deprived [of our livelihood]!”
(68) Have you ever considered the water which you
drink? (69) Is it you who cause it to come down from (^) j^iekJÎ^Î fl l/j* (J> '"•ju/
the clouds - or are We the cause of its coming down?
(70) [It comes down sweet - but] were it Our will. We
could make it burningly salty and bitter: why, then,
do you not give thanks [unto Us]?
(71) Have you ever considered the fire which you
kindle? (72) Is it you who have brought into being the
tree that serves as its fuel23 - or are We the cause of
20 See note 22 on 37 : 62.
21 This refers to both the male semen and the female ovum, and thus, by implication, to the
awe-inspiring, complex phenomenon of procreation as such.
22 Lit., “changing your likenesses (amthdlY'. However, the term mathal signifies also, tropic­
ally, the state, condition and the qualities (ÿi/ût) of a thing or person-in brief, “the nature of his
[or its] existence”.
23 Lit., “its tree”: a metonym pointing to the plant-origin, direct or indirect, of almost all the
known fuels, including mineral fuels like coal, which is but petrified wood, or petroleum, which is a
liquefied residue of plant-nourished organisms buried in the earth for millions of years.
 AL-WÄQUAH SÜRAH

its coming into being?

(73) It is We who have made it a means to remind
and a comfort for all who are lost and
[you Qf Us],2425
hungry in the wilderness [of their lives].23
(74) Extol, then, the limitless glory of thy Sus­
tainer’s mighty name! ér* <2*
(75) NAY, I call to witness the coming-down in parts [of
this Qur’ân]26 - (76) and, behold, this is indeed a most
solemn affirmation, if you but knew it! (77) Behold, it is
a truly noble discourse, (78) [conveyed unto man] in a (g) ÙjjtkJÎ y*—C (ft) ujliTj

well-guarded divine writ (79) which none but the pure

[of heart] can touch:27 (80) a revelation from the I(J) ûfrXJÎ tj» Ù-jï
Sustainer of all the worlds! (ff) ôyjés«; j£jl jpjj (£)
(81) Would you, now, look down with disdain on a
tiding like this,28 (82) and make it your daily bread [as (a£) (&
it were] to call the truth a lie?
(83) Why, then,29 when [the last breath] comes up (£)
to the throat [of a dying man], (84) the while you are
[helplessly] looking on - (85) and while We are closer <S>
to him than you, although you see [Us] not-: (86)
why, then, if [you think that] you are not truly
dependent [on Us], (87) can you not cause that [ebbing
life] to return - if what you claim is true?
24 Inasmuch as “fire” (in the widest sense of this word) is the source of all light known to man.
it is apt to remind him that “God is the light of the heavens and the earth” (see 24 : 35 and the
corresponding notes).
25 The participial noun muqw is derived from the verb qawiya, “it became deserted” or
“desolate”. From the same root is derived the noun qawä' (or qiwa*), which signifies “desert”,
“wilderness” or “wasteland” as well as “hunger” or “starvation”. Hence, muqw denotes “one
who is hungry” as well as “one who is lost [or “who wanders”] in a deserted place”. In the above
verse this expression is evidently used tropically, for it is difficult to imagine that, as some
commentators assume, it relates merely to “wayfarers in the desert”. My composite rendering of
al-muqwïn as “all who are lost and hungry in the wilderness”, on the other hand, is literal and
tropical at the same time, inasmuch as it describes people who are lonely, unfortunate and
confused, and who hunger after human warmth and spiritual light.
26 Or: “the setting [or “orbiting”] of the stars". The term mawqi* (pt which mawaqi* is the
plural) denotes the “time [or “place” or “manner”] at which something comes down”. Although
many of the commentators think that the phrase mawâqi' an-nujüm relates to the break-up of the
stars at the Last Hour, Ibn 'Abbas, 'Ikrimah and As-Suddï were definitely of the opinion, strongly
supported by the subsequent verses, that this phrase refers to the step-by-step revelation - or
“coming-down in parts (nujöm)”-of the Qur’ân (cf. Tabari and Ibn KathTr; see also note 1 on
53 :1). By “calling to witness” the gradual manner of its revelation, the Qur’an points implicitly to
the astounding fact that it has remained free of all inconsistencies and inner contradictions (cf.
4:82 and the corresponding note 97) despite all the dramatic changes in the Prophet’s life during
the twenty-three years of the “unfolding” of the divine writ: and this explains, too, the subsequent
parenthetic clause (verse 76).
27 I.e., which only the pure of heart can truly understand and derive benefit from. As for the
preceding reference to “a well-guarded [i.e., incorruptible] divine writ” (kitâb maknün), see
85 : 21-22 and the corresponding note 11.
28 I.e., the message of resurrection and judgment.
29 The elliptic implication is: “If, then, as you claim, you are really independent of any Supreme
Power, why do you not...”, etc., thus connecting with verses 57-74.

834
 56 THAT WHICH MUST COME TO PASS

(88) [ALL OF YOU are destined to die.] Now if one

happens to be of those who are drawn close unto
God,30 (89) happiness [awaits him in the life to come],
and inner fulfilment, and a garden of bliss. ÇJj* Uli (av)
(90) And if one happens to be of those who have
attained to righteousness,31 (91) [he, too, will be wel­ y

comed into paradise with the words,] “Peace be unto «—(J) ûî*s^
thee [that art] of those who have attained to right­
eousness!” (2> 'Jj**
(92) But if one happens to be of those who are
(£) J*- 4 ($) ç* Cli J
wont to call the truth a lie, and [thus] go astray, (93) a
welcome of burning despair [awaits him in the life to
<$>
come,] (94) and the heat of a blazing fire!
(95) Verily, this is indeed the truth of truths!32
(96) Extol, then, the limitless glory of thy Sus­
tainer’s mighty name!
30 I.e., the “foremost” spoken of in verses 10-11 of this sürah.
31 See note 10 on verse 27.
32 Lit., “a truth of certainty”, i.e., a truth most certain. The pronoun “this” in the above
sentence relates not merely to the announcement of resurrection and life after death, but also-and
primarily-to the stress on man’s utter dependence on God.
 THE FIFTY-SEVENTH SÜRAH

AL-HADÏD (IRON)
MEDINA PERIOD

HE MENTION in verse 25 of “iron” and all that this word implies (see note 42 below) so
T impressed the contemporaries and successors of the Prophet that this sürah has always been
known as “the surah in which iron is mentioned” (Tabari)- From the reference to the conquest of
Mecca (al-fath) in verse 10 it is obvious that the earliest date of its revelation would be the end of
the year 8 H.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) A LL THAT IS in the heavens and on earth extols

^XGod’s limitless glory: for He alone is almighty,
truly wise! -----------------
(2) His is the dominion over the heavens and the
earth; He grants life and deals death; and He has the
power to will anything. JyK o'yLj! liu,4 Q
(3) He is the First and the Last,1 and the Outward
as well as the Inward:23and He has full knowledge
of everything.
(4) He it is who has created the heavens and the (?)
earth in six aeons, and is established on the throne of
His almightiness?
He knows all that enters the earth, and all that
comes out of it, as well as all that descends from the
skies, and all that ascends to them.4 j' Cj »I—jtJ>.
And He is with you wherever you may be; and God
sees all that you do.
(5) His is the dominion over the heavens and the j a0 JU
earth; and all things go back unto God [as their
source].
1 I.e., His Being is eternal, without anything preceding His existence and without anything
outlasting its infinity: an interpretation given by the Prophet himself, as recorded in several
well-authenticated Traditions. Thus, “time” itself-a concept beyond man's understanding-is but
God's creation.
2 I.e., He is the transcendental Cause of all that exists and, at the same time, immanent in every
phenomenon of His creation - cf. the oft-repeated Qur’anic phrase (e.g., in verse 5), “all
things go back unto God [as their source]"; in the words of Tabari, “He is closer to everything
than anything else could be". Another - perhaps supplementary - rendering could be, “He is the
Evident as well as the Hidden": i.e., “His existence is evident (?ähir) in the effects of His activity,
whereas He Himself is not perceptible (ghayr mudrak) to our senses" (ZamakhsharT).
3 Cf. the identical phrase in 7:54 and the corresponding note 43.
4 See note 1 on 34:2.

836
 SÜRAH 57
IRON
(6) He makes the night grow longer by shortening
the day, and makes the day grow longer by shortening
the night; and He has full knowledge of what is in the
hearts [of men].

(7) BELIEVE in God and His Apostle, and spend on

others out of that of which He has made you trus­
tees:5 for, those of you who have attained to faith and
who spend freely [in God’s cause] shall have a great zj fl
reward.
(8) And why should you not believe in God, seeing h (J) |U
that the Apostle calls you to believe in [Him who is] Jj-jG fî*
your Sustainer, and [seeing that] He has taken a
pledge from you?6 [Why should you not believe in
Him] if you are able to believe [in anything]?7
(9) It is He who bestows from on high clear mes­ /J pi H
sages unto [this] His servant, to lead you out of the
deep darkness into the light: for, behold, God is most
compassionate towards you, a dispenser of grace. ^y 'j c« âj f j
(10) And why should you not spend freely in the
cause of God, seeing that God’s [alone] is the heritage
of the heavens and the earth?89
Not equal are those of you who spent and fought
[in God’s cause] before the Victory’ [and those who ’V o Xt; ep-T
did not do so]: they are of a higher rank than those
who would spend and fight [only] after it-although
God has promised the ultimate good to all [who strive
in His cause].1011And God is aware of all that you do.

(11) WHO IS IT that will offer up unto God a goodly loan,

which He will amply repay?“
For, such [as do so] shall have a noble reward (12)
on the Day when thou shalt see all believing men and
believing women, with their light spreading rapidly
5 Implying that all that man "possesses” is but held in trust from God, since “all that is in the
heavens and on earth belongs to Him”, whereas man is allowed only its usufruct.
6 God’s “taking a pledge” is a metonymic allusion to the faculty of reason with which He has
endowed man, and which ought to enable every sane person to grasp the evidence of God’s
existence by observing the effects of His creativeness in all nature and by paying heed to the
teachings of His prophets (Zamakhsharï). See in this connection 7:172 and the corresponding note
139.
7 Lit., “if you are believers": implying, according to RSzT, “if you can believe in anything on the
basis of sound evidence".
8 I.e., “that to God belongs all that is ...", etc.: see note 5 above; also note 22 on 15:23.
9 I.e., before the conquest of Mecca in 8 H., when the Muslims were stiff weak and their future
uncertain.
10 The above principle applies, of course, to the relative merits of believers of all times who
strive in God’s cause before and/or after success has been achieved.
11 See note 234 on the identical phrase in 2 : 245. In the present instance the meaning is
apparently wider, applying to all that man may do selflessly, for the sake of God alone.

837
 AL-HADÏD SÜRAH

before them and on their right,12 [and with this wel­

come awaiting them:] “A glad tiding for you today:
gardens through which running waters flow, therein to
abide! This, this is the triumph supreme!”
(13) On that Day shall the hypocrites, both men and
women,13 speak [thus] unto those who have attained
to faith: “Wait for us! Let us have a [ray of] light ' f E "
from your light!” [But] they will be told: “Turn back, ftH (J) dtfs Çj ixjdii
and seek a light [of your own]!”1415
And thereupon a wall will be raised between them UjJijT iy-lt Jr di C-LUL-JÎ, ùyiilLjî J
[and the believers], with a gate in it: within it will be
grace and mercy, and against the outside thereof, bÿ / J? X> j* j-j-x
suffering.13
(14) They [who will remain without] will call out to >*j&3 pr*.
those [within], “Were we not with you?” - [to which] yt$ZjZ 0
the others will answer: “So it was! But you allowed
yourselves to succumb to temptation,16 and you were
hesitant [in your faith17], and you were doubtful [of
resurrection]; and your wishful thinking beguiled you 0 j jj-àjî it tZ JX- juVf
until God’s command came to pass:1819for, [indeed,
your own] deceptive thoughts about God deluded
you!” ÙL J* • fer
(15) “And so, no ransom20 shall be accepted today
from you, and neither from those who were [openly]
bent on denying the truth. Your goal is the fire: it is
your [only] refuge21-and how evil a journey’s end!”

(16) IS IT NOT time that the hearts of all who have

12 See note 25 on the expression ashâb al-yamïn (“those on the right hand") in 74:39. In many
instances, the metaphor of “the right hand" or “right side" is used in the Qur’an to denote
“righteousness" and, therefore, “blessedness", symbolized in the present context by the “light
spreading rapidly" before and on the right side of the believers as a result of their “cognition of God,
and their high morality, and their freedom from ignorance and blameworthy traits" (Râzî).
13 Meant here are, apparently, not only outright “hypocrites" (in the connotation given to this
term in Western languages), but also people who, being shaky in their beliefs and uncertain in their
moral convictions, are inclined to deceive themselves (see note 7 on 29:11).
14 I.e., “you should have sought light while you lived on earth”.
15 The stress on there being a gate in the wall separating true believers and hypocrites (or the
weak of faith) points to the possibility of the latters’ redemption: cf. the famous hadïth quoted in
note 10 on 40:12. Mujahid (as quoted by Tabari) identifies the “wall" spoken of here with the
“barrier” (hijäb) mentioned in 7:46.
16 Sc., “by the prospect of worldly gains” or “by fear for your personal safety”-both of
which characterize the half-hearted as well as the hypocrites.
17 Thus Ibn Zayd (quoted by TabarT), explaining the verb tarabbaftum.
18 I.e., “until your death”.
19 See note 30 on the last sentence of 31:33.
20 I.e., belated repentance.
21 Lit., “your friend” (mawläkum)-i.e., “the only thing by which you may hope to be purified
and redeemed”: cf. the saying of the Prophet mentioned in note 10 on 40:12; see also note 15
above.

838
 57
IRON
attained to faith should feel humble at the remem­
brance of God and of all the truth that has been
bestowed [on them] from on high,22 lest they become
like those who were granted revelation aforetime,2’
and whose hearts have hardened with the passing of
time so that many of them are [now] depraved?2425 Jÿ Cj jl» jl IyJî
(17) [But] know that God gives life to the earth
j-J s iyy
after it has been lifeless!21
We have indeed made Our messages clear unto
Jiu
you, so that you might use your reason.
(18) Verily, as for the men and women who accept I—r_T & j’ <3
the truth as true,26 and who [thus] offer up unto God a
goodly loan, they will be amply repaid,27 and shall î jjliâr C-L 'S f L* Ji

have a noble reward [in the life to come].

(19) For, they who have attained to faith in God
and His Apostle - it is they, they who uphold the J ‘ J <3? (Ty(Uj
truth, and they who bear witness [thereto] before
God:28 [and so] they shall have their reward and their
light!
But as for those who are bent on denying the truth
and on giving the lie to Our messages - it is they who
are destined for the blazing fire!

(20) KNOW [O men] that the life of this world is but a

play and a passing delight, and a beautiful show, and
[the cause of] your boastful vying with one another,
and [of your] greed for more and more riches and
children.29
22 I.e., “Should not the remembrance of God and His revelation make them humble rather than
proud?” This is an emphatic warning against all smugness, self-righteousness and false pride at
having “attained to faith”-a failing which only too often attains to such as consider themselves
“pious”.
23 This is apparently an allusion to the spiritually arrogant among the Jews, who regard
themselves as “God’s chosen people” and, therefore, as predestined for His acceptance.
24 I.e., so that now they act contrary to the ethical precepts of their religion: implying that the
purpose of all true faith is to make man humble and God-conscious rather than self-satisfied, and
that a loss of that spiritual humility invariably results in moral degeneration.
25 According to most of the commentators - and. particularly, Zamakhsharî, Râzî and Ibn
KathTr-this is a parabolic allusion to the effect of a re-awakening of God-consciousness in hearts
that had become deadened by self-satisfaction and false pride.
26 Or: “who give in charity” - depending on the vocalization of the consonants $äd and dal. In
view of the sequence, the sense given in my rendering seems preferable (and is, indeed, stressed
by Zamakhsharî), although in the reading of Haf$ ibn Sulaymân al-Asadî. on which this translation
is based, the relevant nouns appear in the spelling muffaddiqih and mu$$addiqat, “men and
women who give in charity”.
27 See verse 11 above.
28 I.e., by their readiness for any sacrifice.
29 Commenting at length on this passage, Râzî makes it clear that life ns such is not to be
despised, inasmuch as it has been created by God: cf. 38:27 - “We have not created heaven and
earth and all that is between them without meaning and purpose”; and 23: 115-“Did you think
that We have created you in mere idle play?” But whereas life in itself is a positive gift of God

839
 AL-HADÏD SÜRAH

Its parable is that of*30 [life-giving] rain: the herbage

which it causes to grow delights the tillers of the
soil;31 but then it withers, and thou canst see it turn
yellow; and in the end it crumbles into dust.
But [the abiding truth of man’s condition will
> Xxtfjx > xxx > xS{ W xxx S xx,l
become fully apparent] in the life to come: [either]
suffering severe, or32 God’s forgiveness and His goodly
4»!^ JbA-S- 'r** j*
acceptance: for the life of this world is nothing but
an enjoyment of self-delusion. (g)
(21) [Hence,] vie with one another in seeking to
attain to your Sustainer’s forgiveness,33 and [thus] to ♦Lui
a paradise as vast as the heavens and the earth, which
has been readied for those who have attained to faith dJJ’j '_>>'* OJcl Jjijy îj

in God and His Apostle:34 such is the bounty of God

which He grants unto whomever He wills - for God is (g) J» âî

limitless in His great bounty. uÿVf j CJ ûû*Z

* G '/
(22) NO CALAMITY can ever befall the earth, and nei­ tXfy ï*’jyr j’j
ther your own selves,35 unless it be [laid down] in Our *■> ' ' > > '»
decree before We bring it into being: verily, all this36 is
easy for God. (23) [Know this,] so that you may not
despair over whatever [good] has escaped you nor jjcyt e> & y 4*^
exult [unduly] over whatever [good] has come to
you:37 for, God does not love any of those who, out
of self-conceit, act in a boastful manner38 - (24) those
who are niggardly [with God’s bounty] and bid others
to be niggardly!39

and-as RäzT points out-the potential source of all blessings, it loses this positive quality if it is
indulged in recklessly, blindly and with disregard of spiritual values and considerations: in brief, if it is
indulged in without any thought of the hereafter.
30 Lit., “[It is] like the parable of ..etc.
31 This is the sole instance in the Qur’an where the participial noun kafir (in its plural form
kuffäf) has its original meaning of “tiller of the soil”. For the etymology of this meaning, see note
4 on 74:10, where the term kâfir (in the sense of “denier of the truth”) appears for the first time in
the sequence of Qur’anic revelation.
32 According to TabarT, the conjunction wa has here the meaning of aw (“or”).
33 Sc., “rather than in striving for glory and worldly possessions”: implying elliptically that no
man is free from faults and transgressions, and hence everyone is in need of God’s forgiveness.
(Cf. note 41 on 24:31.)
34 For a further qualification of the humility which characterizes true believers, see 3: 133-135.
35 I.e., “the earth or mankind as a whole, or any of you individually”: an allusion to natural as
well as man-made catastrophes, and to individual suffering through illness, moral or material
deprivation, etc.
36 I.e., God’s decreeing an event and bringing it into being.
37 Thus, the knowledge that whatever has happened had to happen-and could not have not
happened-because, obviously, it had been willed by God in accordance with His unfathomable
plan, ought to enable a true believer to react with conscious equanimity to whatever good or ill
comes to him.
38 I.e., attributing their good fortune to their own merit or “luck”.
39 Cf. last sentence of 4:36 and the whole of verse 37.

840
57
IRON
And he who turns his back [on this truth* ought to
know that], verily, God alone is self-sufficient, the
One to whom all praise is due!
(25) Indeed, [even aforetime] did We send forth
Our apostles with all evidence of [this] truth; and
through them4041 We bestowed revelation from on high,
and [thus gave you] a balance [wherewith to weigh
right and wrong], so that men might behave with
equity; and We bestowed [upon you] from on high
LJylj c--J.lL LJxj LLjl .a --XT
[the ability to make use ofl iron, in which there is
awesome power as well as [a source of] benefits for
man:42 and [all this was given to you] so that God
might mark out those who would stand up for him
and His Apostle,43 even though He [Himself] is
beyond the reach of human perception.4445 îjjf j lIL-j jUji CIS,i Ji,
Verily, God is powerful, almighty!
(26) And, indeed, [to the same end43] We sent forth f-r^ i
Noah and Abraham [as Our message-bearers], and
established prophethood and revelation among their & £*** f
descendants; and some of them were on the right
way, but many were iniquitous. «b •>>? y T j ÛuJj J/'iî cJFkJ
(27) And thereupon We caused [other of] Our
apostles to follow in their footsteps; and [in the
course of time] We caused them to be followed by
Jesus, the son of Mary, upon whom We bestowed the
Gospel;46 and in the hearts of those who [truly] fol­
40 I.e., does not want to admit that whatever has happened must have been willed by God.
41 Lit., “with them”.
42 Side by side with enabling man to discriminate between right and wrong (which is the
innermost purpose of all divine revelation), God has endowed him with the ability to convert to his
use the natural resources of his earthly environment. An outstanding symbol of this ability is
man’s skill, unique among all animated beings, in making tools', and the primary material for all
tool-making - and, indeed, for all human technology - is iron: the one metal which is found
abundantly on earth, and which can be utilized for beneficial as well as destructive ends. The
“awesome power” (ba*s shadîd) inherent in iron manifests itself not merely in the manufacture of
weapons of war but also, more subtly, in man’s every-growing tendency to foster the development
of an increasingly complicated technology which places the machine in the foreground of all
human existence and which, by its inherent - almost irresistible - dynamism, gradually estranges
man from all inner connection with nature. This process of growing mechanization, so evident in
our modern life, jeopardizes the very structure of human society and, thus, contributes to a
gradual dissolution of all moral and spiritual perceptions epitomized in the concept of “divine
guidance”. It is to warn man of this danger that the Qur’an stresses - symbolically and
metonymically - the potential evil (ha’s) of “iron” if it is put to wrong use: in other words, the
danger of man’s allowing his technological ingenuity to run wild and thus to overwhelm his
spiritual consciousness and, ultimately, to destroy all possibility of individual and social happiness.
43 Lit., “those who succour Him and His Apostle", i.e., those who stand up for the cause of
God and His Apostle. The meaning is that only they who put God’s spiritual and material gifts to
right use can be described as “true believers”.
44 See note 3 on 2 : 3.
45 I.e., to give man a balance wherewith to weigh right and wrong, and so to enable him to
behave with equity (see preceding verse).
46 See sürah 3, note 4.
 AL-HADÏD SÜRAH 57

lowed him We engendered compassion and mercy.

But as for monastic asceticism47 - We did not enjoin it
upon them: they invented it themselves out of a
desire for God's goodly acceptance.48 But then, they «UZT
did not [always] observe it as it ought to have been
observed:49 and so We granted their recompense unto
such of them as had [truly] attained to faith, whereas
many of them became iniquitous.30 0$($) QA-li p—

(28) O YOU who have attained to faith!31 Remain con­ ' ' c '
scious of God, and believe in His Apostle, [and] He
will grant you doubly of His grace, and will light for
you a light wherein you shall walk, and will forgive u2i.CJÏ jil jli (ff) jjH

you [your past sins]: for God is much-forgiving, a

dispenser of grace. & Kr J?
(29) And the followers of earlier revelation should
(ff) ï J* I—*
know32 that they have no power whatever over any of
God’s bounty,33 seeing that all bounty is in God’s
hand [alone]: He grants it unto whomever He wills-
for God is limitless in His great bounty.
47 The term rahbäniyyah combines the concepts of monastic life with an exaggerated asceti­
cism, often amounting to a denial of any value in the life of this world - an attitude characteristic
of early Christianity but disapproved of in Islam (cf. 2:143-“We have willed you to be a
community of the middle way’’-and the corresponding note 118).
48 Or: “they invented it themselves, [for] We did not enjoin it upon them: [We enjoined upon
them] only the seeking of God’s goodly acceptance". Both these interpretations are equally
legitimate, and are accepted as such by most of the classical commentators. The rendering adopted
by me corresponds to the interpretation given by Sa'Td ibn Jubayr and Qatâdah (both of them cited
by TabarT and Ibn KathTr).
49 I.e., not all of them observed it in the right spirit (Tabari, ZamakhsharT, Ibn Kathir),
inasmuch as in the course of time many of them - or, rather, many of those who came after the
early ascetics (TabarT)-corrupted their devotions by accepting the ideas of Trinity and of God's
incarnation in Jesus, and by lapsing into empty formalism (RäzT).
50 Sc., “and were deprived of Our grace".
51 As is evident from the preceding passage as well as from verse 29, the people thus
addressed are the followers of earlier revelation (ahi al-kitäb), and in particular the true-i.e.,
Unitarian - followers of Jesus.
52 Lit., “so that the followers of earlier revelation [i.e., the Bible] may know".
53 I.e., that they have no exclusive claim to any of God’s bounty-which latter term relates, in
the present context, to a bestowal of divine revelation. This is addressed in the first instance to the
Jews, who reject the revelation granted to Muhammad in the belief that the office of prophethood
is an exclusive “preserve" of the children of Israel, as well as to the Christians who, as followers
of the Bible, implicitly accept this unwarranted claim.

842
 THE FIFTY-EIGHTH SÜRAH

AL-MUJÄDALAH (THE PLEADING)

MEDINA PERIOD

?°n to h/ yrongs done to woman in pre-Islamic times, followed by a

Î absurdum-and thus, a prohibition - of the pagan method of divorce known
as fihar (see note 1 below as well as a fuller explanation in note 3 on 33:4), the surah proceeds to
questions of faith and its absence as well as their repercussions on man’s social life, to the problem
of hypocrisy, and ends with a discussion of the attitude which believers should adopt towards
non-believers.
The date of revelation may be placed at the beginning of the year 5 H. or, possibly, towards the end
of 4 H. The customary title of this surah is based on the mention of “her who pleads” in its first verse.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) /^OD has indeed heard the words of her who

\Jpleads with thee concerning her husband, and ----------- a
complains unto God.1
And God does hear what you both have to say:23
verily, God is all-hearing, all-seeing.
(2) As for those of you who [henceforth] separate O if *T5 ^4
themselves from their wives by saying, “Thou art as
rr*,‘ S* rjp* j*
unlawful to me as my mother“,’ [let them bear in

1 According to the classical commentators, this is a reference to the case of Khawlah (or
Khuwaylah) bint Tha'labah, whose husband Aws ibn a$-$ämit divorced her by pronouncing the
arbitrary pre-Islamic oath known as fihâr (explained in note 3 on 33:4). When she pleaded before the
Prophet against this divorce - which deprived her of all her marital rights and, at the same time, made
it impossible for her to remarry - the iniquitous custom of ;ihâr was abolished by the revelation of
verses 2-4 of this surah. - In view of the sequence, as well as of several Traditions to this effect, there
is no doubt that the above verse alludes, in the first instance, to the divine condemnation of ;ihar.
However, the deliberately unspecified reference to “her who pleads concerning her husband” seems
to point to all cases where a wife has reason to complain against her husband: that is to say. not merely
to an appeal against an unjustified or cruel divorce, but also to a wife's demand for release from an
unbearable marriage. Such a dissolution of the marriage-tie at the wife’s instance - termed khul' - is
fully sanctioned by the sharï'ah on the basis of 2:229 and a number of extremely well-authenticated
Traditions. (For a fuller discussion of this problem, see note 218 on the second paragraph of 2:229.)
2 Lit., “does hear the mutual contentions of both of you (tahawurakumä)", i.e., of husband and
wife alike, embracing with His infinite wisdom and justice the innermost motivations of both.
Alternatively-if the above verse is understood as referring specifically to the case of Khawlah -
the second person indicated by the suffix kumâ (“both of you”) may relate to the Prophet, who,
before the revelation of this surah, thought that a divorce through ?ihdr was valid and, therefore,
repeatedly told Khawlah, “Thou art now indeed unlawful to him” ÇTabarï). This opinion was
subsequently - almost immediately - reversed by the divine prohibition of fihär expressed in
verses 2 ff.
3 For this explanatory rendering of the verb yufâhirûn, see surah 33, note 3. My interpolation
of the word “henceforth" is necessary in view of the fact that the custom of fihdr - in its sense of

843
AL-MUJÂDALAH SÜRAH

mind that] they can never be [as] their mothers: none

are their mothers save those who gave them birth:
and so, behold, they but utter a saying that runs
counter to reason,45and is [therefore] false.
But, behold, God is indeed an absolver of sins,
much-forgiving: (3) hence, as for those who would
separate themselves from their wives by saying,
r s x E,
“Thou art as unlawful to me as my mother”, and (J) bjjj
thereafter would go back on what they have said,
[their atonement] shall be the freeing of a human being
from bondage3 before the couple may touch one Jx x 6 x >5 / .> x C-X xxx" /
iSlL.
.X
j*
another again: this you are [hereby] exhorted to do -
for God is fully aware of all that you do.6
u.jr' (C? J c? 0
(4) However, he who does not have the where­
withal shall fast [instead] for two consecutive
months7 before the couple may touch one another
again; and he who is unable to do it shall feed sixty,
needy ones:8 this, so that you might prove your faith
in God and His Apostle.9 'üj> Ùt yT & JrJ*
Now these are the bounds set by God; and grievous LJ/’ p
suffering [in the life to come] awaits all who deny the s
truth.
(5) Verily, those who contend against God and His
Apostle shall be brought low even as those [evildoers]
who lived before them were brought low after We had
bestowed [on them] clear messages from on high.10
And [so,] for those who deny the truth there will be
shameful suffering in store (6) on the Day when God
a definitive act of divorce-had been abolished by verses 2-4 of the present sûrah.
4 For this particular rendering of the term munkar, see sûrah 16, note 109.
5 I.e., the freeing or purchasing the freedom of a slave or captive. In modern times, when
slavery is more or less non-existent, the concept of tahrir raqabah may, 1 believe, be legitimately
extended to the redeeming of a human being from the bondage of debt or of great poverty.
6 Cf. 2:225 - “God will not take you to task for oaths which you may have uttered without
thought, but will take you to task [only] for what your hearts have conceived [in earnest]“.
7 I.e., in the manner prescribed for fasting during the month of Ramadan (see 2:183-187). As
regards the phrase “he who does not find the wherewithal (lam yajid)", it may indicate either a
lack of financial means or the impossibility of finding anyone else who could be redeemed from
factual or figurative bondage (see note 5 above). According to many Islamic scholars of our times
(e.g., Rashid Rida’, commenting on 4:92), this relates, in the first instance, to circumstances in
which “slavery will have been abolished in accordance with the aim of Islam“ (Manär V, 337).
8 Or, alternatively, one needy person for sixty days. The inability to fast for two consecutive
months may be due either to ill-health or to really compelling external circumstances (for instance,
the necessity of performing labours which require great physical and/or mental vigour and
alertness).
9 Sc., “by showing that you have renounced the practices of the Time of Ignorance” (Râzï)- In
other words, the pronouncement of fihär is not to be considered a divorce, as was the case in
pre-Islamic times, but solely as a reprehensible act which must be atoned for by a sacrifice.
10 Sc., “which they chose to disregard”. Thus, proceeding from the particular to the general, the
present passage connects with the reference, at the end of verse 4, to “all who deny the truth”, i.e.,
of divine revelation.

844
 58
THE PLEADING
will raise them all from the dead and will make them
truly understand all that they did [in life]: God will
have taken [all of] it into account, even though they
[themselves] may have forgotten it-for God is wit­
ness unto everything.

(7) ART THOU NOT aware that God knows all that is in
the heavens and all that is on earth?
Never can there be a secret confabulation between
three persons without His being the fourth of them,
nor between five without His being the sixth of them;
and neither between less than that, or more, without
His being with them wherever they may be. But in
the end, on Resurrection Day, He will make them
truly understand what they did: for, verily, God has
full knowledge of everything.
(8) Art thou not aware of such as have been for­
bidden [to intrigue through] secret confabulations,”
and yet [always] revert to that which they have been
forbidden, and conspire with one another with a view
to sinful doings, and aggressive conduct, and dis­
obedience to the Apostle?121113
Now whenever such [people] approach thee, [O
Muhammad,]11 they salute thee with a greeting which
God has never countenanced;14 and they say to
themselves, “Why does not God chastise us for what
we are saying?”15
Hell shall be their allotted portion: they shall [in­
deed] enter it-and how vile a journey’s end!
(9) [Hence,] O you who have attained to faith,
when you do hold secret confabulations, do not con-

11 The prohibition referred to here arises from the Qur’anic statement. “No good comes, as a
rule, out of secret confabulations - save those which are devoted to enjoining charity, or equitable
dealings, or setting things to rights between people” (see 4:114 and the corresponding note 138).
Although there is no doubt that, as the classical commentators point out, the “secret con­
fabulations” spoken of in this passage relate to intrigues aimed against the Prophet and his
followers by some of their unbelieving contemporaries, there is no doubt, either, that the passage
has a general import, and is, therefore, valid for all times.
12 I.e., in the wider sense, disobedience to the Apostle’s ethical teachings.
13 The reference to “approaching” the Prophet has here a twofold meaning, relating literally to
his unbelieving contemporaries, and figuratively to an intellectual “approach” to his person and his
teachings by hostile critics of all later times. The same observation is valid with regard to the next
clause as well.
14 Lit., “with which God has never saluted thee”. Historically, this is an allusion to the hostile
attitude of the Jews of Medina towards the Prophet. It is recorded that instead of pronouncing the
traditional greeting “Peace be upon thee" when encountering him, some of them used to mumble
the word salârn (“peace") in such a way as to make it indistinguishable from sum (“death"); and
they employed the same scurrilous play of words with regard to the Prophet’s Companions as well.
(The relevant ahâdïth are quoted in full, with indication of the sources, by Tabari and Ibn Kathir
in their commentaries on the above verse.) But see also the preceding note.
15 Sc., “if Muhammad is truly a prophet”.
845
 AL-MUJÄDALAH SÜRAH

spire with one another with a view to sinful doings,

and aggressive conduct, and disobedience to the
Apostle,16 but [rather] hold counsel in the cause of
virtue and God-consciousness: and [always] remain
conscious of God, unto whom you all shall be gathered.
(10) [AU other kinds of] secret confabulations are
but of Satan’s doing, so that he might cause grief to (T) 5/u
those who have attained to faith; yet he cannot harm
them in the least, unless it be by God’s leave:17 in y1 t Ui
God, then, let the believers place their trust!

(11) O YOU who have attained to faith! When you are JJ II(^^1 If; (L
told, “Make room for one another in your collective
life”,18 do make room: [and in return,] God will make
room for you [in His grace].1’
And whenever you are told, “Rise up [for a good
deed]”, do rise up;20 [and] God will exalt by [many]
degrees those of you who have attained to faith and,
[above all,] such as have been vouchsafed [true]
knowledge:21 for God is fully aware of all that you do.

(12) O YOU who have attained to faith! Whenever you

[intend to] consult the Apostle, offer up something in
charity on the occasion of your consultation:22 this

16 See note 12.

17 I.e., in and by itself, the force of evil epitomized in the concept of “Satan” has no power
whatever: cf. 14:22-“I had no power at all over you: I but called you-and you responded unto
me. Hence, blame not me, but blame yourselves.” (See also Râzï's views quoted in my note 31 on
the above-mentioned verse.) As regards the problem of God's “letting” or “allowing” a person to
go astray (implied in the phrase “unless it be by God’s leave”), see note 4 on 14:4.
18 Lit., “in the assemblies (al-majälis)". Although it is frequently assumed that this refers to
the assemblies held by the Prophet, when his followers would throng around him in their eagerness
the better to hear what he had to say, or - more generally - to congregations in mosques, etc., in
later times, 1 am (with Râzï) of the opinion that the plural noun majälis is used here in a tropical or
metaphorical sense, denoting the totality of men’s social life. Taken in this sense, the “making
room for one another” implies the mutual providing of opportunities for a decent life to all - and
especially to the needy or handicapped - members of the community. See also next note.
19 Commenting on this passage, RäzT says: “This verse indicates that if one widens the means
(abwâb) of happiness and well-being of God’s creatures fibad), God will widen for him all that is
good in this life and in the hereafter. Hence, no reasonable person (ai-caqil) could ever restrict (the
purport of] this verse to merely making room for one another in an [actual] assembly.”
20 The interpretation implied in the words “for a good deed” interpolated by me above is
analogous to that offered by most of the classical commentators, and most explicitly by Tabari; in
the words of Qatädah (ibid.), “Whenever you are called upon to do a good deed, respond to this
call.”
21 Cf. the saying of the Prophet: “The superiority of a learned man fd/im) over a [mere]
worshipper Cobid) is like the superiority of the moon on the night when it is full over all other
stars” (Ibn Hanbal, AbO Dâ’ûd, TirmidhT, Nasa’I, Ibn Mäjah and Därimi).
22 This call to an exercise of charity on every occasion (bayna yaday) of one’s “consultation”
with God’s Apostle has been widely misunderstood as applying only to factual consultations with
him, i.e„ in his lifetime, supposedly with a view to lessening the encroachments on his time by
some of his too-eager followers. This misunderstanding, together with the qualified dispensation

846
 58
THE PLEADING
will be for your own good, and more conducive to
your [inner] purity. Yet if you are unable to do so,2325
24
[know that,] verily, God is much-forgiving, a dispen­
ser of grace.
(13) Do you, perchance, fear lest [you may be
sinning if] you cannot offer up anything in charity on
the occasion of your consultation [with the Apostle]?
But if you fail to do it [for lack of opportunity], and
God turns unto you in His mercy, remain but con­
stant in prayer and render [no more than] the purify­
ing dues,24 and [thus] pay heed unto God and His
Apostle: for God is fully aware of all that you do.

(14) ART THOU NOT aware of those who would be

friends with people whom God has condemned?25
They are neither of you [O believers] nor of those
[who utterly reject the truth]: and so they swear to a
falsehood the while they know [it to be false].
(15) God has readied for them suffering severe [in
the life to come]. Behold, evil indeed is what they are
wont to do: (16) they have made their oaths a cover
[for their falseness], and thus they turn others away
from the path of God:26 hence, shameful suffering
awaits them.
from the above-mentioned injunction expressed in the next verse, has given rise to the unwar­
ranted contention by some of the commentators that this injunction has been “abrogated”. But
apart from the fact that the theory of “abrogation” as such is entirely untenable (see 2:106 and
the corresponding note 87), the above verse reveals its true meaning as soon as we realize that the
term “the Apostle” (ar-rasûl) is used in the Qur’än not merely to designate the unique person of
the Prophet Muhammad but also the sum-total of the teachings conveyed by him to the world.
This is evident from the many Qur’anic exhortations, “Pay heed unto God and the Apostle”, and,
more specifically (in 4:59), “if you are at variance over any matter, refer it unto God [i.e., the
Qur’än] and the Apostle [i.e., his su/mo/ij”, which latter is but meant to elucidate the former.
Taken in this sense, the above reference to a “consultation with the Apostle” obviously applies not
only to his person and his contemporaries, but rather to his teachings in general and to believers of
all times and environments. In other words, every believer is exhorted to “offer up something in
charity" - whether it be material alms to a needy person, or the imparting of knowledge to such as
may be in need of enlightenment, or even a mere word of kindness to a weak human being -
whenever he intends to immerse himself in a study of the Apostle’s teachings or, as the Qur’än
phrases it, to “consult” him who has conveyed the divine writ to us.
23 Lit., “if you do not find”, sc., anyone on whom to bestow charity at that particular moment,
or have - for whatever reason - no opportunity to exercise it.
24 I.e., the obligatory tax (zakäh) which is meant to purify a believer’s possessions and income
from the taint of selfishness: implying that one’s inability to do more by way of charity does not
constitute a sin.
25 For the meaning of “God’s condemnation", see note 4 on the last verse of Al-Fâtihah. In this
particular context, the ones "who would be friends with people whom God has condemned” are
the half-hearted who-while dimly perceiving the truth of God s existence and self-revelation-are
nevertheless unwilling to surrender themselves to this truth for fear of estranging themselves from
their God-denying environment and, thus, of losing what they regard as the material advantages of
a spiritually uncommitted life: and it is this moral falsehood to which the last sentence of this
verse refers. (See also the last verse of surah 60.)
26 I.e., by sowing doubts in other people’s hearts.
AL-MUJÄDALAH SÜRAH 58

(17) Neither their worldly possessions nor their

offspring will be of the least avail to them against
God: it is they who are destined for the fire, therein to
abide!
(18) On the Day when God will raise them all from
the dead, they will swear before Him as they [now] dLJjl U;-* ûîI
swear before you, thinking that they are on firm
ground [in their assumptions].27
Oh, verily, it is they, they who are the [greatest]
liars!28 (19) Satan has gained mastery over them, and
has caused them to remain oblivious of the remem­ (J?)
brance of God.
Such as these are Satan’s partisans: oh, verily, it is
they, the partisans of Satan, who will truly be the
losers!
(20) Verily, those who contend against God and His Jùc'î (£) ïAr'JJ
Apostle - it is they who [on Judgment Day] shall find
themselves among the most abject. (21) [For] God has
thus ordained: “I shall most certainly prevail, I and
jij J 4$ y 'y fyJ b
My apostles!”
c
Verily, God is powerful, almighty!
^rJi^ (-TJ*’» *' ’ ■>’
(22) Thou canst not find people who [truly] believe
in God and the Last Day and [at the same time] love *■> gjz Z f-r/* j 4^
anyone who contends against God and His Apostle - e ' 'l "
even though they be their fathers, or their sons, or
their brothers, or [others of] their kindred.29
[As for the true believers,] it is they in whose hearts
He has inscribed faith, and whom He has strength­
(£) '-'y
ened with inspiration from Himself,30 and whom [in
time] He will admit into gardens through which running
waters flow, therein to abide. Well-pleased is God with
them, and well-pleased are they with Him. They are
God’s partisans: oh, verily, it is they, the partisans
of God, who shall attain to a happy state!
27 Namely, that their preference of worldly benefits to a spiritual commitment is “reasonable”
and, therefore, morally “justified”. It is to this flagrant self-deception that the next sentence refers.
28 The definite article al prefixed to the participial noun kâdhibün indicates that the people thus
characterized have reached the utmost degree of self-deception: hence my interpolation of the
adjective “greatest” in consonance with ZamakhsharT ’s interpretation of the above phrase.
29 The operative phrase of this passage is contained in the words, “anyone who contends
against (man hâdda) God and His Apostle": i.e., anyone who is engaged in active hostility against
God’s message and the person or the teachings of His Apostle. As regards relations with
non-believers who are not actively hostile to Islam, the Qur’än explicitly permits and implicitly
ordains in many places (e.g., in 60:8-9) kindness and friendliness towards them.
30 For my rendering of rüh as “inspiration" or, occasionally, as “divine inspiration", see note 2
on 16:2. As pointed out by Zamakhsharî, the pronominal suffix in minhu may relate either to
God-as in my rendering-or to the believers’ faith, in which latter case the phrase could be
rendered as “strengthened with inspiration [flowing] therefrom".
 THE FIFTY-NINTH SÜRAH

AL-HASHR (THE GATHERING)

MEDINA PERIOD

OST of this sürah (i.e., verses 2-17) refers, directly or indirectly, to the conflict between the
M Muslim community and the Jewish tribe of Banu *n-Nadïr of Medina, and to the subsequent
banishment of the latter. Shortly after his and his followers’ exodus from Mecca to Medina, the
Prophet concluded a treaty with the Banu ’n-Nadir, according to which they pledged themselves to
neutrality in the hostilities between the Muslims and the pagan Quraysh. After the Muslim victory
in the battle of Badr, in the year 2 h., the leaders of that Jewish tribe spontaneously declared that
Muhammad was indeed the prophet whose coming had been predicted in the Torah; but one year
later, after the near-defeat of the Muslims at Uhud (see surah 3, note 90), the Banu ’n-Nadir
treacherously broke their compact with the Prophet Muhammad and entered into an alliance with
the Meccan Quraysh with a view to destroying the Muslim community once and for all. Thereupon
the Prophet placed before them an alternative: either war or departure from Medina with all their
possessions. If they accepted this latter proposition, they would be allowed to return every year to
gather the produce of their date groves, which would thus remain their property. Ostensibly
agreeing to the second alternative, the Banu ’n-Nadir asked for-and were granted-ten days of
respite. In the meantime they secretly conspired with the hypocrites among the Arabs of Medina,
led by 'Abd Allah ibn Ubayy, who promised them armed support by two thousand warriors in case
they decided to remain in their fortified settlements on the outskirts of the town: “Hence, do not
leave your homes; if the Muslims fight against you, we shall fight side by side with you; and if they
should succeed in driving you away, we shall leave Medina together with you.’’ The Banu ’n-Nadir
followed this advice, defied the Prophet and took up arms. In the ensuing conflict, their forts were
besieged by the Muslims - though without actual fighting - for twenty-one days; but when the
promised help of eAbd Allah ibn Ubayy’s followers did not materialize, the Nadir surrendered in
the month of Rabi' al-Awwal, 4 H., and sued for peace. This they were granted on condition that
they would leave Medina, taking with them all their movable properties, but not their arms. Most
of them emigrated to Syria in a caravan of about six hundred camels; only two families chose to
settle in the oasis of Khaybar, while a few individuals went as far as Al-Hirah in lower
Mesopotamia. As shown in verses 7-8 of this surah, their fields and plantations were forfeited;
most of them were divided among needy Muslims, and the remainder was reserved for the
requirements of the Islamic community as a whole.
As always in the Qur’ân, these historical references serve to illustrate a spiritual truth: in this
case, the lesson that believers - even if they are inferior in numbers, wealth and equipment-are
bound to triumph over their opponents so long as they remain truly conscious of God: for, as the
opening and closing verses of this sürah declare. “He alone is almighty, truly wise”.
The date of revelation is the year 4 H. The conventional title of the sürah echoes the mention of
the “gathering [for war]” in verse 2. although some of the Prophet’s Companions - e.g., Ibn
'Abbas-used to refer to it as Sûrat Bani 'n-Natfir (Tabari).

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

-------------------- *
(0 ALL that IS in the heavens and all that is on
XX earth extols God's limitless glory: for He alone is
almighty, truly wise.
(2) He it is who turned out of their homes, at the J-*' c O
time of [their] first gathering [for war], such of
the followers of earlier revelation as were bent on
849
 SÜRAH
AL-IdASHR

denying the truth.1

You did not think [O believers] that they would
depart [without resistance] - just as they thought that
their strongholds would protect them against God:
but God came upon them in a manner which they had
not expected,2 and cast terror into their hearts; [and . ■Sr-'-
4bT
" •* *
rr* L pr 11^
thus] they destroyed their homes by their own hands
as well as the hands of the believers.3
Learn a lesson, then, O you who are endowed with
fr«
E

*r*-/fr J* j **7^J

insight! (J)pjjtL

(3) And had it not been for God’s having ordained L jJf j juJ âï jl V
banishment for them, He would indeed have imposed
[yet greater] suffering on them in this world: still, in Ü b» Li dJJi (£) -L j
the life to come there awaits them suffering through
fire: (4) this, because they cut themselves off from (J) <_AâaJ^j>jl£
God and His Apostle:45 and as for him who cuts £uu £££
himself off from God and His Apostle - verily, God is
severe in retribution! »Ui Lj 0 âî
(5) Whatever [of their] palm trees you may have
cut down, [O believers,] or left standing on their
roots, was [done] by God’s leave,3 and in order that
He might confound the iniquitous.
(6) Yet [remember:] whatever [spoils taken] from
the enemy6 God has turned over to His Apostle, you
did not have to spur horse or riding-camel for its
sake:7 but God gives His apostles mastery over

1 For this and the subsequent historical references, see the introductory note to this sürah. The
tribe of Banu ’n-Nadïr - who, as Jews, are naturally termed ahi al-kitäb (“followers of earlier
revelation”)-are characterized as “such as were bent on denying the truth” (alladhïna kafarü. see
note 6 on 2:6) because they treacherously turned against the Prophet despite their earlier
admission that he was truly the bearer of God’s message announced in their own holy scriptures
(Deuteronomy xviii, 15 and 18).
2 Lit., “from whence they had not thought [it possible]”: an allusion to the last-minute,
unexpected failure of ‘Abd Allah ibn Ubayy to come to their aid.
3 As mentioned in the introductory note, the Banu ’n-Nadïr had originally concluded a treaty of
mutual non-interference with the Muslim community, and were to live at Medina as its friendly
neighbours; and even later, when their hostility to the Muslims had become apparent and they
were ordered to emigrate, they were to be allowed to retain ownership of their plantations.
Subsequently, however, they forfeited by their treachery both their citizenship and the rights to
their landed property, and thus “destroyed their homes by their own hands”.
4 For this condemnation of the Banu ’n-Nadïr, see note 1 above. As regards my rendering of the
verb shäqqü as “they cut themselves off”, see note 16 on 8:13.
5 I.e., to facilitate the military operations against the strongholds of the Banu ’n-Nadïr fAbd
Allah ibn Mas'Od, as quoted by Zamakhsharï et al.). It should, however, be noted that apart from
such stringent military exigencies, all destruction of enemy property - and, in particular, of trees
and crops-had been and continued to be prohibited by the Prophet (Tabarï, Baghawï,
Zamakhsharï, Râzî, Ibn Kathïr), and has thus become an integral part of Islamic Law.
6 Lit., “from them”: i.e., from the Banu *n-Nadïr.
7 I.e., “you did not have to fight for it, since the enemy surrendered without giving battle”. The
term fay' (a noun derived from the verb fä'a, “he returned [something]” or “turned [it] over”) is

850
 5»
THE GATHERING
whomever He wills - for God has the power to will
anything.
(7) Whatever [spoüs taken] from the people of
those villages God has turned over to His Apostle-
[all of it] belongs to God and the Apostle,*89and the
near of kin [of deceased believers], and the orphans,
and the needy, and the wayfarer,’ so that it may not
be [a benefit] going round and round among such of ‘Ar'/j & *Li* L
you as may [already] be rich. Hence, accept [willing­
ly] whatever the Apostle10 gives you [thereof], and
refrain from [demanding] anything that he withholds
from you; and remain conscious of God: for, verily,
God is severe in retribution.
(8) [Thus, part of such war-gains shall be given] to
the poor among those who have forsaken the domain
of evil:11 those who have been driven from their
homelands and their possessions, seeking favour with ■*-i» jjkiA \j (L»Xa
God and [His] goodly acceptance, and who aid [the
cause of] God and His Apostle: it is they, they who
are true to their word! ' J j’îT J J0.^3
(9) And [it shall be offered, too, unto the poor from
among] those who, before them,12 had their abode in Lz i-U. j

this realm and in faith -[those] who love all that

come to them in search of refuge, and who harbour in Jx rtr*'1 3*
their hearts no grudge for whatever the others may
have been given, but rather give them preference
over themselves, even though poverty be their own
lot:13 for, such as from their own covetousness are

applied in the Qur'an and the Traditions exclusively to war-gains - whether consisting of lands, or
tribute, or indemnities - which are obtained, as a condition of peace, from an enemy who has laid
down arms before actual fighting has taken place (Tâj al-’Ariis).
8 Sc., and not to individual Muslim warriors. As so often in the Qur'an, the expression “God
and the Apostle” is here a metonym for the Islamic cause, resp. for a government that rules in
accordance with the laws of the Qur'an and the teachings of the Prophet.
9 Cf. 8:41, which relates to booty acquired in actual warfare, out of which only one-fifth is to
be reserved for the above five categories (see note 41 on 8:41). In distinction from all such booty,
the gains obtained through fay' are to be utilized in their entirety under these five headings. As
regards the term ibn as-sabïl (“wayfarer’’), see sürah 2, note 145.
10 Respectively, in later times, the head of an Islamic state, who has to decide-in the light of
the exigencies - how the share of “God and His Apostle’’ is to be utilized for the common weal.
11 For this rendering of the term muhäjirün (“emigrants"), see sürah 2, note 203.
12 I.e., before the coming to them of “those who have forsaken the domain of evil" (see next
note).
13 This relates, in the first instance, to the historical anfär (“helpers”) of Medina, who had
embraced Islam before the Prophet’s and his Meccan followers’ coming to them, and who received
the refugees with utmost generosity, sharing with them like brethren their own dwellings andI all
their possessions. In a wider sense, the above refers also to all true believers, at all times, who live
in freedom and security within the realm of Islam, and are prepared to receive with open arms
anyone who is compelled to leave his homeland in order to be able to live in accordance with the
dictates of his faith.
851
 SÜRAH
AL-flASHR

saved-it is they, they that shall attain to a happy

state!14
(10) And so, they who come after them1516 pray: “O
our Sustainer! Forgive us our sins, as well as those of
our brethren who preceded us in faith, and let not our
hearts entertain any unworthy thoughts or feelings
against [any of] those who have attained to faith. O
our Sustainer! Verily, Thou art compassionate, a 3 <X> U « 4—i;

dispenser of grace!"
iÿi-• U-‘ j’-y 3 J ^3*t Jr*

(11) ART THOU NOT aware of how those who would

always dissemble [their real feelings]14 speak to their
truth-denying brethren from among the followers of JrJÎ'J' • (J) J».ij
earlier revelation:17 “If you are driven away, we shall
most certainly go forth with you, and shall never pay
heed to anyone against you; and if war is waged
against you, we shall most certainly come to your
succour."
(£) f-rl V*.
But God bears witness that they are most flagrantly
lying: (12) [for] if those [to whom they have pledged £3f~ ^3 rr3j-*-y 9» J» ü$3 r*“
themselves] are indeed driven away, they will not go
forth with them; and if war is waged against them,
they will not come to their succour; and even if they
[try to] succour them, they will most certainly turn ($) f-A Jr 4
their backs [in flight], and in the end will [themselves] »Lj Jr j1 j A ^sf. >^7^-
find no succour.
(13) Nay, [O believers,] you arouse in their bosoms
a fear more intense than [even their fear of] God:
this, because they are people who fail to grasp the
truth.1’
(14) Never will they fight you, [even] in unison,
otherwise than from within fortified strongholds or
from behind walls.19 Severe is their warlike discord

14 Thus, greed, niggardliness and covetousness are pointed out here as the main obstacles to
man’s attaining to a happy state in this world and in the hereafter (cf. sürah 102).
15 I.e., all who attain to a belief in the Qur’än and its Prophet (RäzT).
16 I.e., the hypocrites of Medina (see introductory note as well as next note).
17 The Banu 'n-Naçlïr. From the construction of the next verse it appears that the whole of this
passage (verses 11-14) was revealed before the actual advance of the Muslims against the Nadir
strongholds: verses 12-14 might be of a prophetic nature, predicting what was yet to happen
(ZamakhsharT). Alternatively, the passage may be understood in a wider, timeless sense, applying
to the falsity and futility inherent in all ’’alliances” between, on the one hand, people who openly
deny the truth and, on the other, half-hearted waverers who have neither the will to commit
themselves to a spiritual proposition nor the moral courage to declare openly their lack of belief.
18 Inasmuch as they do not-or, at best, only half-heartedly - believe in God, the tangible,
material dangers facing them in this world arouse in them a far greater fear than the thought of His
ultimate judgment.
19 The meaning is: ’’Even if they were able-which they are not-to put forth against you a
truly unified front, they will always fight you only from what they regard as well-established
’positions of strength’."

852
 59
THE GATHERING
among themselves: thou wouldst think that they are
united, whereas [in fact] their hearts are at odds [with
one another]: this, because they are people who will
not use their reason.20
(15) [To both kinds of your enemies,2' O believers
is bound to happen] the like of [what happened to]’
those who, a short while before them, had to taste the
evil that came from their own doings,22 with [yet
more] grievous suffering awaiting them [in the life to Cr- rrÄ jZ.
come]: (16) the like of [what happens], when Satan
says unto man, “Deny the truth!”-but as soon as <3? çj» jts
[man] has denied the truth, [Satan] says, “Behold, I
am not responsible for thee: behold, I fear God, the
Sustainer of all the worlds!”23 Ju JIT CL
(17) Thus, in the end, both [the deniers of the truth
and the hypocrites]24 will find themselves in the fire, (it)
therein to abide: for such is the recompense of evil­
doers.

(18) O YOU who have attained to faith! Remain conscious yî 0 2e-JL-Lj(

of God; and let every human being look to what he d'Jsd uîxi dl; tjz
sends ahead for the morrow!
And [once again]: Remain conscious of God, for f b-* .itb»j£* yj (J) OjL*«
God is fully aware of all that you do; (19) and be not
like those who are oblivious of God, and whom He
therefore causes to be oblivious of [what is good for]
their own selves: [for] it is they, they who are truly
depraved!25 tid d; j 5»<a(iK q-ijr
(20) Not equal are those who are destined for the
fire and those who are destined for paradise: those
who are destined for paradise - it is they, they [alone]
who shall triumph [on Judgment Day]!
(21) HAD WE bestowed this Qur’an from on high upon a
mountain, thou wouldst indeed see it humbling itself.

20 Sc., “with a view to achieving what is good for themselves": implying that people who have
no real faith and no definite moral convictions can never attain to true unity among themselves,
but are always impelled to commit acts of aggression against one another.
21 This interpolation - relating as it does to both the outright deniers of the truth and the
hypocrites - is justified by the occurrence of the dual form in verse 17.
22 In the first instance, this is apparently an allusion to the fate of the pagan Quraysh at the battle
of Badr (Zamakhsharî) or, according to some authorities (quoted by Tabari), to the treachery and
subsequent expulsion from Medina, in the month of Shawwäl, 2 H.» of the Jewish tribe of Bang
Qaynuqä*. But in a wider perspective - strongly suggested by the next two verses - the meaning is
general and not restricted to any particular time or historical occurrence.
23 Cf. 8:48; also 14:22 and the corresponding notes.
24 Lit., “the end Cäqibah) of both will be that both..etc.
25 I.e., by having made a deliberately wrong use of the faculty of reason with which God has
endowed man, and - by remaining oblivious of Him - having wasted their own spiritual potential.

853
 AL-HASHR SÜRAH 59

breaking asunder for awe of God...

And [all] such parables We propound unto men, so
that they might [learn to] think.

(22) GOD IS HE save whom there is no deity: the One

who knows all that is beyond the reach of a created
being’s perception, as well as all that can be wit­
nessed by a creature’s senses or mind:2627 He, the Most
Gracious, the Dispenser of Grace.
(23) God is He save whom there is no deity: the
Sovereign Supreme, the Holy, the One with whom all
salvation rests,28 the Giver of Faith, the One who
determines what is true and false,29 the Almighty, the <$) 0/^*
One who subdues wrong and restores right,30 the One
to whom all greatness belongs! tLc-Sn 4
Utterly remote is God, in His limitless glory, from
anything to which men may ascribe a share in His
divinity!
(24) He is God, the Creator, the Maker who shapes
all forms and appearances!31
His [alone] are the attributes of perfection.32 All
that is in the heavens and on earth extols His limitless
glory: for He alone is almighty, truly wise!
26 Le., in contrast with those who, by remaining oblivious of God and all moral imperatives, are
spiritually more dead than an inert mountain.
27 See note 65 on the second paragraph of 6:73.
28 Lit., “the Salvation” (as-saläm): see sürah 5, note 29.
29 For this rendering of muhaymin, see 5:48 - where this term is applied to the Qur’an - and
the corresponding note 64.
30 Since the verb jabara- from which the noun jabbâr is derived - combines the concepts of
“setting right” or “restoring” (e.g., from a state of brokenness, ill-health, or misfortune) and of
“compelling” or “subduing [someone or something] to one’s will”, I believe that the term al-jabbâr,
when applied to God, is best rendered as above.
31 Thus BaydâwT. The two terms al-bäri* (“the Maker”) and al~mu$awwir (“the Shaper”, i.e.,
of all forms and appearances) evidently constitute here one single unit.
32 For this rendering of al-asmä* al-husnâ, see sürah 7, note 145.
 THE SIXTIETH SÜRAH

AL-MUMTAHANAH (THE EXAMINED ONE)

MEDINA PERIOD

HE KEY-WORD by which this surah has been known from earliest times is based on the
T injunction examine them in verse 10. Revealed some months after the conclusion of the Truce
of Hudaybiyyah (see introductory note to sürah 48)-that is, not earlier than the year 7h. and
probably as late as the beginning of 8 h. - Al-Mumtahanah is in its entirety devoted to the
problem of the believers’ relations with unbelievers. Although, as was quite natural, most of the
Prophet’s Companions visualized these problems under the aspect of the historical events of
which they were witnesses, the import of the injunctions laid down in this sürah cannot be
restricted to that particular historical situation but has, as always in the Qur’an, a definite bearing
on how believers of all times should behave.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) /^VYOU who have attained to faith! Do not take

y_ZMy enemies-who are your enemies as well1-
for your friends, showing them affection even though -------------------- *
they are bent on denying whatever truth has come
unto you, [and even though] they have driven the
Apostle and yourselves away, [only] because you
believe in God, your Sustainer!23
If [it be true that] you have gone forth [from your «»I ji y ku
homes] to strive in My cause, and out of a longing for
My goodly acceptance, [do not take them for your
friends,] inclining towards them in secret affection:
for I am fully aware of all that you may conceal as
well as of all that you do openly. And any of you who
does this has already strayed from the right path? 4 Q Jr}—
(2) If they could but overcome you, they would
[still] remain your foes, and would stretch forth their
hands and tongues against you with evil intent: for \ (J)
they desire that you [too] should deny the truth.
(3) But [bear in mind that] neither your kinsfolk nor

1 Lit., “and your enemies’’ - implying that people who deliberately reject God’s messages are
ipso facto inimical to those who believe in them.
2 Historically, this is a reference to the forced emigration of the Prophet end !®U®*®”
Mecca to Medina. In a more general sense, however, it is an allusion to the potenttalI pereec«bon
of believers of all times by “those who are bent on denying the truth , i.e., those who are averse to
religious beliefs as such.
3 As is shown in verses 7-9, this prohibition of taking,aJZSSM^ranote
to such of them as are actively hostile towards the believers (cf. 58:22 and the po ng
29).
«55
AL-MUMTAHANAH SURAH

[even] your own children will be of any benefit to you

on Resurrection Day, [for then] He will decide be­
tween you [on your merit alone]: and God sees all
that you do.
(4) Indeed, you have had a good example in Abra­
ham and those who followed him, when they said
unto their [idolatrous] people: “Verily, we are quit of J-**!
you and of all that you worship instead of God: we
deny the truth of whatever you believe; and between <j^b v-’ X
us and you there has arisen enmity and hatred, to last
until such a time4 as you come to believe in the One ôjxJu* lcj ' v. yi>
God!” • 3 4)1
The only exception was5 Abraham’s saying to his
father, “I shall indeed pray for [God’s] forgiveness .xi 'J* ' ,
for thee,6 although I have it not in my power to obtain
anything from God in thy behalf.”
[And Abraham and his followers prayed:] “O our
Sustainer! In Thee have we placed our trust, and unto 0 éui J LTy'XLkû”
Thee do we turn: for unto Thee is all journeys’ end.
(5) O our Sustainer! Make us not a plaything78 for ici uJûjâbbXajï
those who are bent on denying the truth! And forgive
us our sins, O our Sustainer: for Thou alone art
almighty, truly wise!” Jjà>-z *—*■
(6) In them, indeed, you have a good example for
everyone who looks forward [with hope and awe’] to
God and the Last Day. And if any turns away, [let jA* 44 b ijf-r* {•>.£ Cxj f û* i
him know that] God is truly self-sufficient, the One to
whom all praise is due. O
(7) [But] it may well be that God will bring about
[mutual] affection between you [O believers] and j' X-b C-4 X j
some of those whom you [now] face as enemies: for,
God is all-powerful - and God is much-forgiving, a
dispenser of grace.
(8) As for such [of the unbelievers] as do not fight
against you on account of [your] faith, and neither
drive you forth from your homelands, God does not

4 Since the adverb abadan is immediately followed by the particle hattâ (“until such a time
as...’’), it is obviously erroneous to give it the meaning of “forever", as has been hitherto done in
all translations of the Qur'an into Western languages. In view of the original connotation of the
noun abad as “time" or “long time", i.e., of indefinite duration (Jawharï, Zamakhsharï’s Asas,
Mughnî, etc.), abadan is best rendered in the present context as “to last [until]..etc.
5 Lit., “Except for”: i.e., an exception from Abraham’s statement, “between us and you there
has arisen enmity and hatred, to last...”, etc. In other words, his filial love prevented Abraham
from including his father in his declaration of “enmity and hatred", although later-after his father
had died as an idolater-Abraham could not but disavow him (cf. 9:114).
6 Cf. 19 : 47-48.
7 Lit., “temptation to evil" (fitnah): cf. 10:85, where the term fitnah has the same meaning as
in the present instance.
8 As in the similar phrase in 33:21, this double connotation is implied in the verb rajawa and all
the noun-forms derived from it.

856
 60
---------------------------------------------------------------- the examined one
forbid you to show them kindness and to behave
towards them with full equity:’ for, verily, God loves
those who act equitably.
(9) God only forbids you to turn in friendship
towards such as fight against you because of [your] -^1 (T)
faith, and drive you forth from your homelands, or
aid [others] in driving you forth: and as for those j Xjûj ûJlîjfr aï
[from among you] who turn towards them in friend­
ship, it is they, they who are truly wrongdoers!
(10) O YOU who have attained to faith! Whenever believ­ L-f- (L (T) jj -1* lilTp. m

ing women come unto you, forsaking the domain of

evil,10 examine them, [although only] God is fully
aware of their faith;11 and if you have thus ascer­
tained that they are believers, do not send them back
to the deniers of the truth, [since] they are [no longer]
lawful to their erstwhile husbands,12 and these are [no
longer] lawful to them. None the less, you shall return
to them whatever they have spent [on their wives by
way of dower];13 and [then, O believers,] you will be
9 The expression “God does not forbid you" implies in this context a positive exhortation
(Zamakhsharï). See also note 29 on 58:22.
10 Lit., as emigrants’* (muhäjirät). For an explanation of my rendering this term as above, see
sürah 2, note 203.
11 Under the terms of the Truce of Hudaybiyyah. concluded in the year 6 H. between the
Prophet and the pagan Quraysh of Mecca, any Meccan minor or other person under guardianship
who went over to the Muslims without the permission of his or her guardian was to be returned to
the Quraysh (see introductory note to sürah 48). The Quraysh took this stipulation to include also
married women, whom they considered to be under the "guardianship'* of their husbands.
Accordingly, when several Meccan women embraced Islam against the will of their husbands and
fled to Medina, the Quraysh demanded their forcible return to Mecca. This the Prophet refused on
the grounds that married women did not fall within the category of “persons under guardianship”.
However, since there was always the possibility that some of these women had gone over to the
Muslims not for reasons of faith but out of purely worldly considerations, the believers were
enjoined to make sure of their sincerity; and so. the Prophet asked each of them: “Swear before
God that thou didst not leave because of hatred of thy husband, or out of a desire to go to another
country, or in the hope of attaining to worldly advantages: swear before God that thou didst not
leave for any reason save the love of God and His Apostle" (Tabari). Since God alone knows what
is in the heart of a human being, n positive response of the woman concerned was to be regarded
as the only humanly attainable - and, therefore, legally sufficient - proof of her sincerity. The fact
that God alone is really aware of what is in a human being's heart is incorporated in the shar'ï
principle that any adult person’s declaration of faith, in the absence of any evidence to the
contrary, makes it mandatory upon the community to accept that person-whether man or
woman - as a Muslim on the basis of this declaration alone.
12 Lit., “to them”. Thus, if a wife embraces Islam while her husband remains outside its pale,
the marriage is considered, from the Islamic point of view, to have been automatically annulled.
13 Such an annulment is to be subject to the same conditions as a khul* (dissolution of marnage,
at the wife's instance, from her Muslim husband - see note 218 on the second paragraph of 2:22v).
that is to say, since the non-Muslim former husband is presumed to have been innocent of any
breach of his marital obligations as such, the wife is to be considered the contract-breaking party
and has, therefore, to refund the dower (mohr) which she received from him at the time of
concluding the marriage. In case of her inability to do so, the Muslim community-is obliged to
indemnify the erstwhile husband: hence the plural form in the imperative you shall return (lit.,
“give”).
857
AL-MUMTAHANAH SÜRAH

committing no sin if you marry them after giving

them their dowers.
On the other hand, hold not to the marriage-tie with
women who [continue to] deny the truth,14 and ask
but for [the return of] whatever you have spent [by
way of dower] - just as they [whose wives have gone
over to you] have the right to demand15 [the return of]
whatever they have spent.
Such is God’s judgment: He judges between you
[in equity]-for God is all-knowing, wise.
(11) And if any of your wives should go over to the 'S5' Cf O
deniers of the truth, and you are thus afflicted in
turn,16 then give unto those whose wives have gone uJSZ jj' c-*s
away the equivalent of what they had spent [on their
wives by way of dower],17 and remain conscious of
God, in whom you believe! il J ÿ 4&.L cSJjt&V
(12) O Prophet! Whenever believing women come
unto thee to pledge their allegiance to thee,18 [pledg­ ûy ùyÿ.X, ùb—

ing] that [henceforth] they would not ascribe divinity,

in any way, to aught but God, and would not steal,19
and would not commit adultery, and would not kill
their children,20 and would not indulge in slander,
falsely devising it out of nothingness,21 and would not
disobey thee in anything [that thou declarest to be]
right-then accept their pledge of allegiance, and pray
to God to forgive them their [past] sins: for, behold,

14 I.e., such of the pagan wives of Muslim converts as refuse to abandon their beliefs and their
non-Muslim environment, in which case the Muslim husband is to regard the marriage as null and
void. As for Muslim wives who, abandoning their husbands, go over to the unbelievers and
renounce their faith, see verse 11.
15 Lit., “and let them demand..etc.
16 Lit., “and you are thus taking your turn”, i.e., like the unbelievers whose wives have gone
over to the Muslims and renounced their erstwhile faith.
17 Since, as a rule, the unbelievers cannot really be expected to indemnify a husband thus
deserted, the Muslim community as a whole is bound to undertake this obligation. As a matter of
fact, there were only six such cases of apostasy in the lifetime of the Prophet (all of them before
the conquest of Mecca in 8h.); and in each case the Muslim husband was awarded by the
communal treasury, on orders of the Prophet, the equivalent of the dower originally paid by him
(BaghawT and ZamakhsharT)*
18 This connects with verse 10 above, and particularly with the words, “examine them... and if
you have thus ascertained that they are believers...”, etc. (see note 11). Thus, after having
“ascertained” their belief as far as is humanly possible, the Prophet - or, in later times, the head of
the Islamic state or community-is empowered to accept their pledge of allegiance (bay'ah),
which concludes, as it were, the “examination”. It should be noted that this pledge does not differ
essentially from that of a male convert.
19 In this context, according to RäzT, the term “stealing” comprises also all acquisition of gains
through cheating or other unlawful means.
20 Sc., “as the pagan Arabs often did, burying their unwanted female offspring alive” (see also
note 147 on 6:151).
21 Lit., “between their hands and their feet”: i.e., by their own effort, the “hands” and “feet”
symbolizing all human activity.

858
 60 THE EXAMINED ONE

God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.

(13) O YOU who have attained to faith! Be not friends

with people whom God has condemned!22 They [who
would befriend them] are indeed bereft of all hope of
a life to come23 - just as those deniers of the truth are 0
bereft of all hope of [ever again seeing] those who are
[now] in their graves.24
22 Cf. 58:14 and the corresponding note 25, which explains the reference to those “who would
be friends with people whom God has condemned”.
23 I.e., only people without any real belief in a life to come can remain “neutral” between right
and wrong.
24 I.e., because they utterly reject the idea of resurrection.
 THE SIXTY-FIRST SÜRAH

A$-$AFF (THE RANKS)

MEDINA PERIOD

HE TITLE of this sürah has been derived from the expression faffan (“in [solid] ranks”)
T occurring in verse 4. The central idea, first enunciated in verse 2 and developed in the subsequent
passages, is “Why do you say one thing and do another?” Thus, it is essentially a call to unity between
professed belief and actual behaviour.
The date of revelation cannot be established with absolute certainty, but it is probable that it
was revealed shortly after the near-defeat of the Muslims in the battle of Uhud-that is, towards
the end of the year 3 or the beginning of 4 H.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) A LL THAT IS in the heavens and all that is on

earth extols God's limitless glory: for He alone is _________
almighty, truly wise!
Vîj Lj o’yL-jT
(2) O YOU who have attained to faith! Why do you say
one thing and do another?1 (3) Most loathsome is
it in the sight of God that you say what you do not do!
(4) Verily, God loves [only] those who fight in His
cause in [solid] ranks,2 as though they were a building
firm and compact. j ôjcLL 0 ÛjLm»
(5) Now when Moses spoke to his people, [it was
this same truth that he had in mind:] “O my people!
Why do you cause me grief,3 the while you know that
I am an apostle of God sent unto you?”
And so, when they swerved from the right way,
God let their hearts swerve from the truth:4 for God

1 Lit., “Why do you say what you do not do?" In the first instance, this may be an allusion to
such of the Prophet’s Companions as had retreated in disorder from their battle stations at Uhud
(see sürah 3, note 90) despite their previous assertions that they were ready to lay down their lives
in the cause of God and His Apostle. In a wider sense, the passage is addressed to all those who
claim that they are willing to live up to anything that the divine writ declares to be desirable, and
then fall short of this determination.
2 I.e., in unison, with their deeds corresponding to their assertions of faith. This moral necessity
is further illustrated - by its opposite - in the subsequent reference to Moses and the recalcitrant
among his followers.
3 Sc., “by admitting that I speak in the name of God, and acting contrary to this your
assertion”: an allusion to the many instances of the contrariness and rebelliousness of the children
of Israel evident from their own scriptures.
4 Thus, persistence in wrong actions is bound to react on man’s beliefs as well. As regards
God’s “letting their hearts swerve from the truth”, see sürah 14, note 4. Cf. also the oft-recurring
reference to God’s “sealing" a sinner’s heart explained in note 7 on 2:7.

860
 SÜRAH 61
THE RANKS
does not bestow His guidance upon iniquitous folk.
(6) And [this happened, too,] when Jesus, the son
of Mary, said: ‘‘O children of Israel! Behold, I am an
apostle of God unto you, [sent] to confirm the truth of
whatever there still remains5 of the Torah, and to give
[you] the glad tiding of an apostle who shall come
after me, whose name shall be Abmad.”6
But when he [whose coming Jesus had foretold]
LJ
came unto them7 with all evidence of the truth, they
said: “This [alleged message of his] is [nothing but]
spellbinding eloquence!”89
(7) And who could be more wicked than one who
invents [such] a lie about [a message from] God,
seeing that he is [but] being called to self-surrender
unto Him?
But God does not bestow His guidance upon evil-
doing folk. (8) They aim to extinguish God’s light with •/‘ • jji <»■ jy
their utterances:’ but God has willed to spread His
Xr-j Jpj1 0
light in all its fullness, however hateful this may be to
all who deny the truth. 0 j£2-jT j.jiTy. jZT
(9) He it is who has sent forth His Apostle with [the
task of] spreading guidance and the religion of truth, Jc J*
to the end that He make it prevail over all [false]
religion,10 however hateful this may be to those who
ascribe divinity to aught but God.
(10) O YOU who have attained to faith! Shall I point out
to you a bargain that will save you from grievous

5 Lit., “whatever there is between my hands” - a phrase explained in sürah 3, note 3.

6 This prediction is supported by several references in the Gospel of St. John to the Parâklêtos
(usually rendered as “Comforter”) who was to come after Jesus. This designation is almost
certainly a corruption of Periklytos (“the Much-Praised”), an exact Greek translation of the
Aramaic term or name Mawhamana. (It is to be borne in mind that Aramaic was the language used
in Palestine at the time of, and for some centuries after, Jesus, and was thus undoubtedly the
language in which the original - now lost - texts of the Gospels were composed.) In view of the
phonetic closeness of Periklytos and Parâklêtos it is easy to understand how the translator-or,
more probably, a later scribe - confused these two expressions. It is significant that both the
Aramaic Mawhamana and the Greek Periklytos have the same meaning as the two names of the
Last Prophet, Muhammad and Ahmad, both of which are derived from the verb hamida (“he
praised”) and the noun hamd (“praise"). An even more unequivocal prediction of the advent of
the Prophet Muhammad - mentioned by name, in its Arabic form-is said to be forthcoming from
the so-called Gospel of St. Barnabas, which, though now regarded as apocryphal, was accepted as
authentic and was read in the churches until the year 496 of the Christian era, when it was banned
as “heretical" by a decree of Pope Gelasius. However, since the original text of that Gospel is not
available (having come down to us only in an Italian translation dating from the late sixteenth
century), its authenticity cannot be established with certainty.
7 I.e., to the later followers of the Bible.
8 Alluding to the Qur’än (see 74:24-25 and the corresponding note 12).
9 Lit., “with their mouths"-i.e., by describing God’s message as “nothing but spellbinding
eloquence" on the part of Muhammad.
10 Cf. 3:19- “the only [true] religion in the sight of God is (man’s) self-surrender unto Him”.

' 86!
 A$-$AFF SÛRAH 61

suffering [in this world and in the life to come]?11

(11) You are to believe in God and His Apostle, and
to strive hard in God’s cause with your possessions
and your lives: this is for your own good - if you but
knew it!
(12) [If you do so,] He will forgive you your sins, ^>^3* O -7^'
and [in the life to come] will admit you into gardens
through which running waters flow, and into goodly
mansions in [those] gardens of perpetual bliss:12 that
-*1J (£) jp»'
[will be] the triumph supreme!
(13) And [withal, He will grant you] yet another
thing that you dearly love: succour from God [in this
world], and a victory soon to come:13 and [thereof, O
Prophet,] give thou a glad tiding to all who believe.
(14) O YOU who have attained to faith! Be helpers [in
the cause of God - even as Jesus, the son of
Mary, said unto the white-garbed ones,1415“Who will
be my helpers in God’s cause?” - whereupon the
white-garbed [disciples] replied, “We shall be [thy]
helpers [in the cause] of God!”
And so [it happened that] some of the children of <2> >?<*• ^3* Jf >’•
Israel came to believe [in the apostleship of Jesus],
whereas others denied the truth.13 But [now] We have
given strength against their foes unto those who have
[truly] attained to faith:16 and they have become the
ones that shall prevail.
11 Cf. 9: 111-“God has bought of the believers their lives and their possessions, promising
them paradise in return” - which explains the metaphor of a “bargain” (tijärah). My interpolation,
between brackets, of the phrase “in this world and in the life to come” is justified by the
subsequent verses 12 and 13, one of which relates to the hereafter, and the other to this world.
12 For this rendering of cadn, see note 45 on 38: 50.
13 Some of the commentators see in this promise of victory a prediction of actual, warlike
conquests by the Muslims. It is, however, much more probable that it relates to a spiritual victory
of the Qur’anic message, and its spread among people who had not previously understood it.
14 For this rendering of al-hawäriyyün, see sûrah 3, note 42.
15 I.e., some of them recognized him as a prophet - and, therefore, as no more than a created,
human being - whereas others denied this truth in the course of time by regarding him as “the son
of God”-and, therefore, as “God incarnate”-while still others rejected him and his message
altogether. The fact that the earliest followers of Jesus regarded him as purely human is evident
from the many theological controversies which persisted during the first three or four centuries of
the Christian era. Thus, some renowned theologians, like Theodotus of Byzantium, who lived
towards the end of the second century, and his followers - among them Paul of Samosata, Bishop
of Antioch in the year 260 - maintained that the “sonship of God” mentioned in the then-existing
texts of the Gospels was purely symbolic, denoting no more than that Jesus was a human being
exalted by God. The originally widespread teachings of Bishop Arius (280-326) centred in the
concept of Jesus as a mortal man chosen by God for a specific task, and in the concept of God as
absolutely One, unknowable, and separate from every created being; this doctrine, however, was
ultimately condemned by the Councils.of Nicaea (325) and Constantinople (381), and gradually
ceased to have any influence on the Christian masses.
16 I.e., all who truly believe in Jesus as God’s Apostle and, thus, as a forerunner of the Last
Prophet, Muhammad, whose message confirms and expands the true message of Jesus.

862
 THE SIXTY-SECOND SÜRAH

AL-JVMU’AH (THE CONGREGATION)

medina period

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) ALL THAT IS in the heavens and all that is on

XXearth extols the limitless glory of God, the
Sovereign Supreme, the Holy, the Almighty, the Wise!
(2) He it is who has sent unto the unlettered people
an apostle from among themselves,1 to convey unto
them His messages, and to cause them to grow in
purity, and to impart unto them the divine writ as well
as wisdom-whereas before that they were indeed, VJ j cZ (jÇib.p
most obviously, lost in error - ; (3) and [to cause this
message to spread] from them unto other people as
soon as they come into contact with them:23for He
alone is almighty, truly wise!
(4) Such is God's bounty: He grants it to anyone 3’S (Ln U
who is willing [to receive it]:’ for God is limitless in
His great bounty. (J* * j* *r3*.
juif j >
(5) THE PARABLE of those who were graced with the
burden of the Torah, and thereafter failed to bear this
burden,4 is that of an ass that carries a load of books

1 The term “unlettered people“ (ummiyün) denotes a nation or community who had not
previously had a revealed scripture of their own (Râzî). The designation of the Prophet as a man
“from among themselves" is meant, in this context, to stress the fact that he, too, was unlettered
(ummï) in the primary sense of this word (cf. 7:157 and 158), and could not, therefore, have
"invented” the message of the Qur’än or “derived” its ideas from earlier scriptures.
2 I.e., to cause the message of the Qur’än to reach people of other environments and of future
times through the medium of the Arabs and their language: thus stressing the universality and
timeless validity of all that has been revealed to Muhammad.
3 Or: “He grants it unto whomever He wills”. Both these formulations are syntactically
correct; but since the bounty of God referred to in this passage relates to the divine guidance
granted to man through the medium of the revelation bestowed upon God’s Apostle, the
construction chosen by me seems to be more appropriate, expressing as it does the idea that the
bounty of God’s guidance is always available to one who sincerely desires it.
4 Connecting with the idea-implied in the preceding passage-that God’s revelation is a sacred
trust as well as a bounty, the discourse turns now to the problem of man’s betrayal of this trust,
exemplified by the Jews of post-Biblical times. They had been entrusted by God with the task of

863
 AL-JUMU'AH SÜRAH

[but cannot benefit from them].

Calamitous is the parable of people who are bent
on giving the lie to God’s messages-for God does
not bestow His guidance upon such evildoing folk!
(6) Say: “O you who follow the Jewish faith!*5 If
you claim that you [alone] are close to God, to the
exclusion of all other people, then you should be
longing for death - if what you say is true!”6
(7) But never will they long for it, because [they are
aware] of what their hands have wrought in this
world;7 and God has full knowledge of evildoers. ixi x," q SyxJ ji Sjj’r
(8) Say: “Behold, the death from which you are
fleeing89is bound to overtake you-and then you will
be brought back unto Him who knows all that is
beyond the reach of a created being’s perception as
well as all that can be witnessed by a creature’s
senses or mind,’ whereupon He will make you truly ££ O '£3ft û. fcip
understand all that you were doing [in life].

(9) O YOU who have attained to faith! When the call to

prayer is sounded on the day of congregation,10 has­
ten to the remembrance of God, and leave all worldly
commerce: this is for your own good, if you but knew
it. (10) And when the prayer is ended, disperse freely
on earth11 and seek to obtain [something] of God’s
bounty; but remember God often, so that you might
attain to a happy state!
(11) Yet [it doos happen that] when people12
become aware of [an occasion for] worldly gain13 or a
passing delight, they rush headlong towards it, and

carrying the message of His oneness and uniqueness to all the world: but they failed in this task
inasmuch as they came to believe that they were “God’s chosen people" because of their descent
from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and that, therefore, the divine message was meant for them alone
and not for people of other nations. Hence, too, they came to deny the possibility of prophethood
being bestowed on anyone who did not belong to the children of Israel (cf. 2:90 and 94. and the
corresponding notes 75 and 79), and so they summarily rejected the idea of Muhammad’s
prophethood despite the clear predictions of his advent in the Torah itself (see note 33 on 2:42).
By thus corrupting the innermost purport of the divine writ bestowed on Moses, they themselves
became unable to derive any real spiritual benefit from it, and to live up to its teachings.
5 I.e., in its present form, estranged from the original purport of the Torah.
6 For this and the next verse, cf. 2:94-95.
7 Lit., “of what their hands have sent ahead”.
8 An allusion to what is said in 2:96.
9 See sûrah 6, note 65.
10 I.e., on Friday, when the congregational prayer at noon is obligatory. Nevertheless, as the
sequence shows, Friday is not a day of compulsory rest in Islamic Law.
11 I.e., “you may devote yourselves to worldly pursuits”.
12 Lit., “they”.
13 Lit., “trade" or “a bargain".
62 THE CONGREGATION

leave thee standing [and preaching].14

Say: “That which is with God is far better than all „ ' *"• ' ' '■
passing delight and all gain! And God is the best of ^33^

providers!”

14 Sc., “O Prophet”-thus alluding to an historical incident, when most of the congregation, on

hearing that a long-expected trade caravan had come from Syria, rushed out of the mosque in the
midst of the Prophet’s Friday-sermon. In a wider, timeless sense, the above verse contains an
allusion to an all-too-human weakness against which even true believers are not always immune:
namely, the tendency to overlook religious obligations for the sake of a transitory, worldly
advantage.
 THE SIXTY-THIRD SÜRAH

AL-MUNÄFIQÜN (THE HYPOCRITES)

MEDINA PERIOD

HE MAIN PART of this sürah - most of which was revealed shortly after the battle of Uhud
T (see sürah 3, note 90), that is to say, towards the end of the year 3 or the beginning of
4 H. - is devoted to the problem of hypocrisy as it faced the Prophet and his followers during the
early years after their exodus from Mecca to Medina. Nevertheless, the Qur’anic treatment of this
problem renders its lessons applicable to all times and circumstances.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) TT7HEN THE HYPOCRITES come unto thee,

W they say, “We bear witness that thou art in­
deed God’s Apostle!’’ But God knows that thou art
truly His Apostle; and He bears witness that the hypo­
crites are indeed false [in their declaration of faith].
(2) They have made their oaths a cover [for their
falseness], and thus they turn others away from
the path of God.1 Evil, indeed, is all that they are
wont to do: (3) this, because [they profess that] they
have attained to faith, whereas2 [inwardly] they deny
the truth-and so, a seal has been set on their hearts,
so that they can no longer understand [what is true
and what false].3
(4) Now when thou seest them, their outward
appearance may please thee; and when they speak,
thou art inclined to lend ear to what they say.4 [But
though they may seem as sure of themselves] as if
they were timbers [firmly] propped up, they think that
every shout is [directed] against them.
They are the [real] enemies [of all faith], so beware
of them. [They deserve the imprecation,] “May God
destroy them!’’5

1 See note 26 on the identical sentence in 58: 16.

2 The particle thumma (“and then”) has often the same function as the simple conjunctive wa
(“and”), which in this case may be properly rendered as “whereas”.
3 See sürah 2, note 7.
4 Lit., “thou dost give ear to them”: i.e., hypocrisy has usually a plausible outward aspect
inasmuch as it is meant to deceive.
5 Regarding my interpolation of the phrase “They deserve the imprecation”, see note 45 on the
identical sentence at the end of 9: 30.
 SÜRAH 63
THE HYPOCRITES
How perverted are their minds!6 - (5) for, when
they are told, “Come, the Apostle of God will pray
[unto God] that you be forgiven”, they turn their
heads away, and thou canst see how they draw back
in their false pride. (6) As for them, it is all the same
whether thou dost pray that they be forgiven or dost y& H j <x> o/Jjf
not pray for them: God will not forgive them-for
f-rdj J
behold, God does not bestow His guidance upon such
iniquitous folk.7
(7) It is they who say [to their compatriots8], “Do
not spend anything on those who are with God’s
Apostle, so that they [may be forced to] leave.”9
û* d6 »«fl
However, unto God belong the treasures of the
heavens and the earth: but this truth the hypocrites
cannot grasp.
(8) [And] they say, “Indeed, when we return to the
City,10 [we,] the ones most worthy of honour, will
surely drive out therefrom those most contemptible
ones!”
However, all honour belongs to God, and [thus] to
His Apostle and those who believe [in God]: but of
this the hypocrites are not aware.1112

(9) O YOU who have attained to faith! Let not your

worldly goods or your children make you oblivious of
the remembrance of God: for if any behave thus-it > 'r'j JJL jl
is they, they who are the losers!
(10) And spend on others out of what We have
provided for you as sustenance,'1 ere there come a
time when death approaches any of you, and he then

6 See surah 5, note 90.

7 Cf. 9:80 and the corresponding note 111.
8 I.e., to the people of Medina in general, and to the anfàr in particular (see next note).
9 The leader of the hypocrites of Medina, ‘Abd Allah ibn Ubayy, never forgave the Prophet for
having overshadowed him who previously had been unquestioningly recognized by the people of
Medina as their most outstanding leader. Since the Prophet’s political strength depended mainly on
the Meccan Muslims who followed him in his hijrah to Medina, Ibn Ubayy tried to persuade his
compatriots - many of whom were supporting the newcomers with all the means at their disposal -
to withdraw this material support and thereby force the muhâjirün, most of whom were very poor,
to leave Medina: a stratagem which, if successful, would have greatly weakened the Prophet’s
position. This suggestion of the leader of the hypocrites was, of course, rejected by the anfàr.
10 I.e., Medina, the “City of the Prophet” (Madinat an-NabT), as the town previously called
Yathrib began to be known after the hijrah. Since-as is established through several ahâdithi- the
subsequent saying was uttered by ‘Abd Allah ibn Ubayy during the campaign against the tribe of
Banü Muçjaliq in 5 H., it is obvious that verses 7 and 8 were revealed at the same date or a little
later.
11 It is in these two Qur’anic statements - “unto God belong the treasures...”, etc., and “all
honour belongs to God..etc.-that the real, lasting purport of the above historical allusions is
to be found.
12 See sürah 2, note 4.
867
AL-MUNÄFIQÜN SÜRAH 63

says, “O my Sustainer! If only Thou wouldst grant me

a delay for a short while,13 so that I could give in
charity and be among the righteous!”
(11) But never does God grant a delay to a human Cr Lit* «Ç û; j*
being when his term has come; and God is fully
aware of all that you do.
13 Lit., “for (flä) a term close-by”.
 THE SIXTY-FOURTH SÜRAH

AT-TAGHÄBUN (LOSS AND GAIN)

PERIOD UNCERTAIN

Sw °f commentators regard this surah as belonging to the Medina period

T but many others are of the opinion that it is a late Meccan revelation.
desisted'688*0" tag
’
' °CCUrnng in verse 9’has become the key-word by which this sürah is

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) A LL THAT IS in the heavens and all that is on

zVearth extols God’s limitless glory: His is all
dominion, and to Him all praise is due; and He has the
power to will anything.
(2) He it is who has created you: and among you
are such as deny this truth, and among you are such
as believe [in it].1 And God sees all that you do.
(3) He has created the heavens and the earth in
accordance with [an inner] truth,23 and has formed
you-and formed you so well;’ and with Him is your
journey’s end.
(4) He knows all that is in the heavens and on
earth; and He knows all that you keep secret as well
as all that you bring into the open: for God has full
knowledge of what is in the hearts [of men].
(5) HAVE THE STORIES of those who, in earlier times,
refused to acknowledge the truth never yet come
within your ken? [They denied it - ] and so they had
to taste the evil outcome of their own doings,4 with

1 The above construction, pointing to man’s acceptance or denial of the truth of God s creative
activity, is in accord with Tabari's interpretation of this passage, as well as with that of Az-Zajjäj
(quoted by RäzT). According to ZamakhsharT, those who deny this truth are mentioned first
because they are more numerous and possess greater influence than those who consciously believe
in God. A further implication appears to be this: Since all human beings are endowed with the
instinctive ability to perceive the existence of the Creator (cf. 7:172 and the corresponding note
139), one man’s denial of this truth and another’s belief in it is, in the last resort, an outcome of free
choice.
2 See sürah 10, note 11.
3 I.e., in accordance with the exigencies of human life. See also note 9 on 7:11.
4 This is an allusion to the disasters and the suffering which, as history shows, '"®v,tab’y
every community or nation bent on rejecting the basic ethical truths and, thus, all standards of
morality.
869
 AT-TAGHÄBUN SÜRAH

[more] grievous suffering awaiting them [in the life to

come]: (6) this, because time and again there came
unto them their apostles5 with all evidence of the
truth, but they [always] replied, “Shall mere mortal
men be our guides?”6 And so they denied the truth
and turned away.
But God was not in need [of them]: for God is
self-sufficient, ever to be praised.
(7) They who are bent on denying the truth claim
that they will never be raised from the dead!7
Say: “Yea, by my Sustainer! Most surely will you
be raised from the dead, and then, most surely, will
you be made to understand what you did [in life]!
For, easy is this for God!”
(8) Believe, then, [O men,] in God and His Apostle,
and in the light [of revelation] which We have
bestowed [on you] from on high! And God is fully
aware of all that you do.
(9) [Think of8] the time when He shall gather you
all together unto the Day of the [Last] Gathering-
that Day of Loss and Gain!
For, as for him who shall have believed in God and
done what is just and right, He will [on that Day]
efface his bad deeds, and will admit him into gardens
' through which running waters flow, therein to abide
beyond the count of time: that will be a triumph
supreme!
(10) But as for those who are bent on denying the
truth and on giving the lie to Our messages - they are
destined for the Are, therein to abide: and how vile a
journey’s end!

(11) NO CALAMITY can ever befall [man] unless it be by

God’s leave: hence, whoever believes in God guides
his [own] heart [towards this truth];9 and God has full

5 I.e., apostles from their own midst, entrusted with divine messages specifically meant for
them. The expression “time and again’’ is conditioned by the phrase känat ta*atîhimt which
implies repetition and duration.
6 Lit., “guide us”. This negative response is characteristic of people who, in result of their own
estrangement from all moral standards, are instinctively, and deeply, distrustful of all things
human and cannot, therefore, accept the idea that a divine message could manifest itself through
mere human beings that have nothing “supernatural” about them.
7 Their refusal to believe in resurrection and a life to come implies a conviction that no one will
be called upon, after death, to answer for what he did in life.
8 This or a similar interpolation is necessary in view of the manfûb form of the subsequent
noun, yawma (lit., “day”), which I am rendering in this context as “the time".
9 I.e., in the words of Râzï, “towards self-surrender to God’s will... [and so] towards gratitude
in times of ease, and patience in times of misfortune”. It is also possible - as some of the
commentators do - to understand the phrase in another sense, namely, “if anyone believes in God.
He [i.e., God] guides his heart". However, the rendering adopted by me seems to be preferable

870
 64
LOSS AND GAIN
knowledge of everything.
(12) Pay heed, then, unto God, and pay heed unto
the Apostle; and if you turn away, [know that] Our
Apostle s only duty is a clear delivery of this
message: (13) God —there is no deity save Him!*1011
In God, then, let the believers place their trust.

(14) O YOU who have attained to faith! Behold, some of

your spouses" and your children are enemies unto 0 Vi iji Y âî
you: so beware of them!12 But if you pardon [their fé s, yf

faults], and forbear, and forgive - then, behold, God

will be much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.
(15) Your worldly goods and your children are but
a trial and a temptation,13 whereas with God there is a 0 jjit-

tremendous reward. JJ1»!; 0 f Ua I -r.

(16) Remain, then, conscious of God as best you
can, and listen [to Him], and pay heed. And spend in
charity for the good of your own selves: for, such as
from their own covetousness are saved-it is they,
they that shall attain to a happy state!1415
(17) If you offer up to God a goodly loan, He will
amply repay you for it, and will forgive you your
sins: for God is ever responsive to gratitude,
forbearing, (18) knowing all that is beyond the reach
of a created being’s perception as well as all that can
be witnessed by a creature’s senses or mind"-the
Almighty, the Wise!
inasmuch as it stresses the idea that conscious belief in God impels man's reason to control and
direct his emotions and inclinations in accordance with all that this belief implies.
10 The above construction of this passage makes it clear, firstly, that a realization of God's
existence, oneness and almightiness is the innermost purport-and, thus, the beginning and the
end-of God’s message to man: and, secondly, that His prophets can do no more than deliver and
expound this message, leaving it to man’s reason and free choice to accept or reject it.
11 I.e., "sometimes, your spouses ...”, etc. Since, in the teachings of the Qur’än, all moral
duties are binding on women as well as on men, it is obvious that the term a:wäjikum must not be
rendered as “your wives”, but is to be understood - according to classical Arabic usage — as
applying equally to both the male and the female partners in a marriage.
12 Love of his or her family may sometimes tempt a believer to act contrary to the demands of
conscience and faith; and, occasionally, one or another of the loved ones - whether wife or
husband or child - may consciously try to induce the person concerned to abandon some ofJus or
her moral commitments in order to satisfy some real or imaginary “family interest”, and thus
becomes the other’s spiritual “enemy”. It is to this latter eventuality that the next sentence alludes.
13 For an explanation, see note 28 on 8:28, which is almost identical with the present passage.
14 Cf. last sentence of 59:9 and the corresponding note 14.
15 See sürah 6, note 65.

871
 THE SIXTY-FIFTH SÜRAH

AT-TALÄQ (DIVORCE)

MEDINA PERIOD

HE WHOLE of this sürah (revealed about the middle of the Medina period) is devoted to one
T particular aspect of the problem of divorce, namely, to ordinances relating to the waiting-period
which divorced women must undergo before the marriage is finally dissolved and they are allowed to
remarry - thus amplifying and elucidating verses 228-233 of Al-Baqarah.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) PROPHET I When you' [intend to] divorce wom-

Vxen, divorce them with a view to the waiting­
period appointed for them,12 and reckon the period
[carefully], and be conscious of God, your Sustainer.
Do not expel them from their homes;3 and neither
shall they [be made to] leave45unless they become
openly guilty of immoral conduct.3
These, then, are the bounds set by God-and he
who transgresses the bounds set by God does indeed
sin against himself: [for, O man, although] thou
knowest it not, after that [first breach] God may well
cause something new to come about.6
(2) And so, when they are about to reach the end of
their waiting-term, either retain them in a fair manner
1 The plural “you” indicates that the whole community is thus addressed.
2 See 2 : 228 and the corresponding notes, especially note 215.-Most of the great jurists hold
the view that the required three pronouncements of divorce, which make it final and irrevocable
(cf. first paragraph of 2 : 229), must be made singly, i.e., spaced over the waiting-period of three
months, so as to give the husband time to reconsider his intention, and thus to prevent a hasty act
which might be subsequently regretted. This provision is in tune with the well-authenticated saying
of the Prophet, “In the sight of God, the most hateful of all things allowed (abghatf al-halâli) is
divorce” (Abü Dâ’Od, on the authority of ‘Abd Alläh ibn ‘Umar). In other words, divorce is just
barely permissible, and must not be resorted to unless it is absolutely evident that nothing can save
the marriage from utter hopelessness.
3 I.e., during the waiting-period. As shown in verse 6 below, during that period the husband is
fully responsible for the maintenance of the wife whom he is divorcing in accordance with the
standard of living observed during their married life.
4 E.g., by their husbands’ failure to provide for their maintenance. (This particular injunction
does not imply a prohibition of a divorced woman’s leaving her home of her own free will.)
5 Implying that in such a case she may be lawfully turned out of her marital home. Regarding
the term fâhishah (“immoral conduct”), see surah 4, note 14.
6 According to Ibn ‘Abbas (as quoted by Râzï) and several other authorities (see Ibn KathTr),
this is an allusion to the possibility of reconciliation and, hence, a resumption of marital relations
before the divorce becomes final (see surah 2, second part of verse 228 and first paragraph of 229).

872
SÜRAH 65
DIVORCE

or part with them in a fair manner. And let two

persons of [known] probity from among your own
community7 witness [what you have decided]; and do
yourselves bear true witness before God:8 thus are
admonished all who believe in God and the Last Day.
And unto everyone who is conscious of God, He
[always] grants a way out [of unhappiness], (3) and
provides for him in a manner beyond all expectation;9
and for everyone who places his trust in God, He
[alone] is enough.
Verily, God always attains to His purpose: [and]
indeed, unto everything has God appointed its [term
and] measure.
(4) Now as for such of your women as are beyond
the age of monthly courses, as well as for such as do
not have any courses,1011their waiting-period - if you
have any doubt [about it]-shall be three [calendar]
months; and as for those who are with child, the end
of their waiting-term shall come when they deliver
their burden.
And for everyone who is conscious of God, He
makes it easy to obey His commandment:" (5) [for]
all this is God’s commandment, which He has
bestowed upon you from on high. And unto everyone
who is conscious of God will He pardon [some of] his
bad deeds, and will grant him a vast reward.
(6) [Hence,] let the women [who are undergoing a
waiting-period] live in the same manner as you live
yourselves,12 in accordance with your means; and do
not harass them with a view to making their lives a
misery. And if they happen to be with child, spend
freely on them until they deliver their burden; and if
they nurse your offspring [after the divorce has become
final], give them their [due] recompense; and take
counsel with one another in a fair manner [about the
7 Lit., “from yourselves": i.e., persons who are sufficiently acquainted with the circumstances
of the case.
8 Sc., that the relevant decision has not been made in a frivolous spirit.
9 Lit., “whence he does not expect". It is to be noted that the relative pronoun man (whoever”
or “everyone who”) - although grammatically requiring the use of the masculine gender in the
verbs or pronouns to which it relates - applies to persons of either sex, as is evidenced by
innumerable passages in the Qur’än: hence, the present passage, too, including the sentence that
follows, must be understood as relating to the women as well as to the men in question; and the
same holds good of verses 5 and 11 below.
10 I.e., for any physiological reason whatever.
11 Lit., “He grants ease out of his condition”-i.e., makes his condition easy: the implication
being that God-consciousness makes it easy for the believer to submit gladly to whatever God may
decree.
12 Lit., “let them dwell wherever you dwell” - i.e., tropically, “let them share fully your
standard of living”.

873
 SÜRAH 65
at-taläQ
child’s future]. And if both of you find it difficult [that
the mother should nurse the child],’3 let another woman
nurse it on behalf of him [who has begotten it].13 1415
(7) [In all these respects,] let him who has ample
means spend in accordance with13 his amplitude; and
let him whose means of subsistence are scanty spend
in accordance with what God has given him: God
does not burden any human being with more than He
has given him-[and it may well be that] God will
grant, after hardship, ease.
(8) AND HOW MANY a community has turned with QiKG I—d>i dJ ent
disdain from the commandment of its Sustainer and iJ 6j 0 y* -*-*! &
His apostles!16-whereupon We called them all to
account with an accounting severe, and caused them
to suffer with a suffering unnameable: (9) and thus
they had to taste the evil outcome of their own 1*^1 k—ils- jé'jUy*! JLjCj'jj Q ijîj
doing:17 for, [in this world,] the end of their doings dJjtel 3)1,2*
was ruin, (10) [the while] God has readied for them
[yet more] suffering severe [in the life to come]. 0 tÿs Jj* % >y 1
Hence, remain conscious of God, O you who are
endowed with insight - [you] who have attained to yî ÎVj
faith!
God has indeed bestowed on you a reminder from
on high: (11) [He has sent] an apostle who conveys
unto you God’s clear messages, so that He might lead if 4»-*: udt-• j2L j d»L ^5*
those who have attained to faith and do righteous j4 id iy-JL» 1-i.lX j|> p — ÿ*
deeds out of the depths of darkness into the light.
And whoever believes in God and does what is
right and just, him will He admit into gardens through
which running waters flow, therein to abide beyond
the count of time: indeed, a most goodly provision (0 t-je i»’ X» 4J j1,
will God have granted him!
(12) GOD is He who has created seven heavens,18 and,
like them, [the many aspects] of the earth. Through
all of them flows down from on high, unceasingly, His
[creative] will,19 so that you might come to know that
God has the power to will anything, and that God
encompasses all things with His knowledge.

13 E.g., for reasons of her health, or because she intends to remarry, etc.
14 I.e., at the father’s expense: see 2:233 and the corresponding notes 219 and 220.
15 Lit., “out of’’.
16 This connects with, and stresses, the fact that all the preceding injunctions are divinely
ordained.
17 See note 4 on 64:5.
18 See sürah 2, note 20.
19 Lit., “the command’’. The verbal form yatanazzalu implies recurrence and continuity;
its combination with the noun al-amr reflects the concept of God’s unceasing creative activity.

874
 THE SIXTY-SIXTH SÜRAH

AT-TAHRÎM (PROHIBITION)
MEDINA PERIOD

EVEALED in the second half of the Medina period — probably in 7 H. — this surah has been
R occasionally designated as “The Surah of the Prophet’’ (Zamakhsharî) inasmuch as the first half
of it deals with certain aspects of his personal and family life.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) PROPHET! Why dost thou, out of a desire to

please [one or another of] thy wives, impose [on
thyself] a prohibition of something that God has made
lawful to thee?1
But God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace:
(2) God has already enjoined upon you [O believers]
the breaking and expiation of [such of] your oaths [as
may run counter to what is right and just]:2 for, God
is your Lord Supreme, and He alone is all-knowing,
truly wise.
(3) And lo!3 [It so happened that] the Prophet told
something in confidence to one of his wives; and
when she thereupon divulged it, and God made this
known to him, he acquainted [others] with some of it
and passed over some of it.4 And as soon as he let her

1 There are several essentially conflicting - and, therefore, in their aggregate, not very
trustworthy - reports as to the exact reason or reasons why. at some time during the second half
of the Medina period, the Prophet declared on oath that for one month he would have no
intercourse with any of his wives. Still, while the exact reason cannot be established with
certainty, it is sufficiently clear from the above-mentioned ahädith that this emotional, temporary
renunciation of marital life was caused by a display of mutual jealousy among some of the
Prophet’s wives. In any case, the purport of the above Qur’anic allusion to this incident is not
biographical but, rather, intended to bring out a moral lesson applicable to all human situations:
namely, the inadmissibility of regarding as forbidden (haräm) anything that God has made lawful
(/ia/al), even if such an attitude happens to be motivated by the desire to please another person or
other persons. Apart from this, it serves to illustrate the fact - repeatedly stressed in the
Qur’ân - that the Prophet was but a human being, and therefore subject to human emotions and
even liable to commit an occasional mistake (which in his case, however, was invariably pointed out
to him, and thus rectified, through divine revelation).
2 See 2 : 224 and the corresponding note 212, which shows that in certain circumstances an oath
should be broken and then atoned for: hence the above phrase, “God has enjoined upon you the
breaking and expiation’’ (with the term tahillah comprising both these concepts).
3 See sürah 2, note 21.
4 Lit., “he turned aside from [or “avoided’’] some of it”. There is no reliable Tradition as to the
subject of that confidential information. Some of the early commentators, however, connect it with

875
 AT-TAHRÏM SURAH

know it, she asked, “Who has told thee this?”*5-[to

which] he replied, “The All-Knowing, the All-Aware
has told me.”
(4) [Say, O Prophet:6] “Would that you two turn
unto God in repentance, for the hearts of both of you
have swerved [from what is right]!7 And if you up­
hold each other against him [who is God’s message­
bearer, know that] God Himself is his Protector, and
jl» Cm 4_ü L; (T)
[that,] therefore,89Gabriel, and all the righteous among
the believers, and all the [other] angels will come to J* ‘’P M6 ’*4 3
his aid.”
(5) [O wives of the Prophet!] Were he to divorce (J)
[any of] you, God might well give him in your stead
C* J ■» b»* 'îÙJ' 7^-Â j'
spouses better than you - women who surrender them­
selves unto God, who truly believe, devoutly obey
His will, turn [unto Him] in repentance [whenever
they have sinned], worship [Him alone], and go on
and on [seeking His goodly acceptance]’-be they
women previously married or virgins.10

(6) O YOU who have attained to faith! Ward off from

yourselves and those who are close to you11 that fire
[of the hereafter] whose fuel is human beings and
the Prophet’s veiled prediction that Abu Bakr and 'Umar ibn al-Khattäb would succeed him as
leaders of the Muslim community; the recipient of the information is said to have been Hafsah. the
daughter of ‘Umar, and the one to whom she disclosed it, ‘A’ishah, the daughter of AbQ Bakr
(BaghawT, on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas and AI-KalbT; also ZamakhsharT). If this interpretation is
correct, it would explain why the Prophet “acquainted [others] with some of it and passed over
some of it”: for, once his confidential prediction had been divulged, he saw no point in withholding
it any longer from the community; nevertheless, he alluded to it in deliberately vague terms -
possibly in order not to give to the succession of Abil Bakr and ‘Umar the appearance of an
“apostolic sanction” but to leave it, rather, to a free decision of the community in pursuance of the
Qur’anic principle amruhum shürä baynahum (see 42 : 38).
5 I.e., that she had broken the Prophet’s confidence.
6 Although in the sequence the Prophet is referred to in the third person, it is obvious that it is
he who is commanded through revelation to speak thus to his wives Hafçah and ‘Ä’ishah (see note
4); hence my above interpolation.
7 Referring to Hafçah, who betrayed the Prophet’s confidence, and to ‘A’ishah, who by listening
contributed to this betrayal (see note 4 above).
8 Lit., “after that”, i.e., in consequence of the fact that God Himself protects him.
9 For this rendering of the expression sä’ihät, see note 147 on 9 : 112, where the same
expression occurs in the masculine gender relating to both men and women.
10 I.e., like the actual wives of the Prophet, one of whom fÄ’ishah) was a virgin when she
married him, one (Zaynab bint Jahsh) had been divorced, while the others were widows. This
allusion, together with the fact that the Prophet did not divorce any of his wives, as well as the
purely hypothetical formulation of this passage, shows that it is meant to be an indirect admonition
to the Prophet’s wives, who, despite their occasional shortcomings - unavoidable in human
beings-did possess the virtues referred to above. On a wider plane, it seems to be an admonition
to all believers, men and women alike: and this explains the subsequent change in the discourse.
11 Lit., “your families" or “your people”; however, the term ahi denotes also people who share
one’s race, religion, occupation, etc., as well as “dependants” in the most comprehensive sense of
this word (JawharT, Räghib; also Mughnî).

876
 stones:12 [lording] over it are angelic powers awesome
[and] severe,13 who do not disobey God in whatever
He has commanded them, but [always] do what they
are bidden to do.14
(7) [Hence,] O you who are bent on denying the jlxi Lfjc SjIhJ-Ïj !/*
truth, make no [empty] excuses today:15 [in the life to
come] you shall be but recompensed for what you
were doing [in this world].
(8) O you who have attained to faith! Turn unto
God in sincere repentance:16 it may well be that your
y> ÇET (T) ûjL-â*
Sustainer will efface from you your bad deeds, and
will admit you into gardens through which running
waters flow, on a Day on which God will not shame
the Prophet and those who share his faith:17 their light
will spread rapidly before them, and on their right;18
[and] they will pray: “O our Sustainer! Cause this our
light to shine for us forever,19 and forgive us our sins: JTj ùjl>.
for, verily, Thou hast the power to will anything!”
ûs£^b v. O 4*
(9) O PROPHET! Strive hard against the deniers of the
truth and the hypocrites, and be adamant with them.20 (£ p-rA -^b
And [if they do not repent,] their goal shall be hell - JLj
and how vile a journey’s end!
(10) For those who are bent on denying the truth ûi r <Jit* jlA*
God has propounded a parable in [the stories of]
Noah’s wife and Lot’s wife: they were wedded to two
of Our righteous servants, and each one betrayed her
husband;21 and neither of the two [husbands] will be
of any avail to these two women when they are
12 See sürah 2, note 16.
13 See 74:27 ff. and the corresponding notes, particularly notes 15 and 16, in which I have tried
to explain the allegorical meaning of that passage.
14 I.e., these angelic powers are subject to the God-willed law of cause and effect which
dominates the realm of the spirit no less than the world of matter.
15 I.e., “do not try to rationalize your deliberate denial of the truth”-the element of conscious
intent being implied in the past-tense phrase alladhïna kafarü (see note 6 on 2:6).
16 Sc., “since no human being, however imbued with faith, can ever remain entirely free from
faults and temptations”.
17 The implication is that He will not only “not shame” the Prophet and his followers but will,
on the contrary, exalt them: an idiomatic turn of phrase similar to sayings like “I shall let you
know something that will not be to your detriment" - i.e., “something that will benefit you".
18 Cf. 57:12 and the corresponding note 12.
19 Lit., “Complete for us our light”, i.e., by making it permanent.
20 See note 101 on 9:73, which is identical with the above verse.
21 Lit., “and both betrayed them”, i.e., their respective husbands. The story of Lot’s wife and
her spiritual betrayal of her husband is mentioned in the Qur’än in several places; see, in
particular, note 66 on 7:83 and note 113 on 11:81. As regards Noah’s wife, the above is the only
explicit reference to her having betrayed her husband; it would seem, however, that the
qualification of “those on whom [God’s] sentence has already been passed” in 11:40 applies to her
no less than to her son (whose story appears in 11:42-47).

877
AT-TAHRÏM SÜRAH 66

told [on Judgment Day], “Enter the fire with all those
[other sinners] who enter it!”22
(11) And for those who have attained to faith God
has propounded a parable in [the story of] Pharaoh’s
wife23 as she prayed, “O my Sustainer! Build Thou CJK LjjJ
for me a mansion in the paradise [that is] with Thee,
and save me from Pharaoh and his doings, and save
me from all evildoing folk!”
(12) And [We have propounded yet another parable
of God-consciousness in the story of] Mary, the
daughter of Imran,24 who guarded her chastity,
whereupon We breathed of Our spirit inkvthat [which
was in her womb],25 and who accepted the truth of
her Sustainer’s words - and [thus,] of His revelations26
- and was one of the truly devout.
22 The “parable” (mathal) of these two women implies, firstly, that even the most intimate
relationship with a truly righteous person - even though he be a prophet - cannot save an
unrepentant sinner from the consequences of his sin; and, secondly, that a true believer must cut
himself off from any association with “those who are bent on denying the truth” even if they
happen to be those nearest and dearest to him (cf. 11:46).
23 Cf. 28:8-9.
24 I.e., a descendant of the House of ‘Imran (cf. the last third of note 22 on 3 :33).
25 I.e., into the as yet unborn child (Râzï, thus explaining the pronoun in fthi). For an
explanation of the much-misunderstood allegorical phrase, “We breathed of Our spirit into it”, see
note 87 on 21:91.
26 For the meaning of God’s “words” (kalimät), see note 28 on 3 :39.
 THE SIXTY-SEVENTH SÜRAH

AL-MULK (DOMINION)
MECCA PERIOD

HE FUNDAMENTAL idea running through the whole of this sürah is man's inability ever to
T encompass the mysteries of the universe with his earthbound knowledge, and, hence, his utter
dependence on guidance through divine revelation.
Best known by the key-word al-mulk (“dominion”) taken from its first verse, the surah has
sometimes been designated by the Companions as “The Preserving One” (Al-Wâqiyah) or “The
Saving One” (Al-Munjiyah) inasmuch as it is apt to save and preserve him who takes its lesson to
heart from suffering in the life to come (ZamakhsharT).

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) T TALLOWED be He in whose hand all dominion

AArests, since He has the power to will anything: (2)
He who has created death as well as life,1 so that He
might put you to a test [and thus show] which of you is
best in conduct, and [make you realize that) He alone is o -'■-•H r
almighty, truly forgiving.
(3) [Hallowed be] He who has created seven J-*-' jO
heavens in full harmony with one another:23no fault
wilt thou see in the creation of the Most Gracious.
And turn thy vision [upon it] once more: canst thou
see any flaw?
(4) Yea, turn thy vision [upon it] again and yet
again: [and every time] thy vision will fall back upon
thee, dazzled and truly defeated ... ?
(5) And, indeed, We have adorned the skies nearest Lull
to the earth with lights,45 and have made them the
object of futile guesses for the evil ones [from among
men]:’ and for them have We readied suffering

1 Since what is termed “death” is stated here to have been created, it cannot be identical with
"non-existence", but obviously must have a positive reality of its own. To my mind, it connotes,
firstly, the inanimate state of existence preceding the emergence of life in plants or animated
beings; and, secondly, the state of transition from life as we know it in this world to the-as yet to
us unimaginable - condition of existence referred to in the Qur’ân as “the hereafter" or “the life to
come" (al-äkhirah).
2 Or: “conforming [with one another]", this being the primary significance of tibäq (sing, tabaq).
For the meaning of the "seven heavens", see sürah 2, note 20.
3 Sc., in its endeavour to encompass the mysteries of the universe.
4 Lit., “lamps”-i.e., stars: cf. 37:6, “We have adorned the skies nearest to the earth with the
beauty of stars”.
5 For the wider meaning of shayüfïn-u term which in this context points specifically to “the

879
 AL-MULK SÜRAH

through a blazing flame-(6) for, suffering in hell

awaits all who are [thus] bent on blaspheming against
their Sustainer:*6 and how vile a journey’s end!
(7) When they are cast into that [hell], they will
hear its breath indrawing as it boils up, (8) well-nigh
bursting with fury; [and] every time a host [of such
sinners] is flung into it, its keepers will ask them,
“Has no warner ever come to you?”
(9) They will reply: “Yea, a warner did indeed
come unto us, but we gave him the lie and said, ÜT jp* J&J (T) Jjki
‘Never has God sent down anything [by way of
revelation]! You [self-styled warners] are but lost in a O -J’Q
great delusion!’”7
(10) And they will add: “Had we but listened [to ù' Jÿ U L-j$3 jjù bîÂf jj

those warnings], or [at least] used our own reason, we ;î (T)

would not [now] be among those who are destined for
the blazing flame!”8
(11) Thus will they come to realize their sins: but
[by that time,] remote will have become all good from 3J2 y Gi O

those who are destined for the blazing flame.

y (J) js-fzsb
(12) [As against this,] behold, for those who stand
in awe of God although He is beyond the reach of
their perception,9 there is forgiveness in store and a
great reward.

(13) AND [know, O men, that] whether you keep your

beliefs10 secret or state them openly, He has full
satans from among mankind, that is, the astrologers” (Baydäwi) - see sürah 15, note 16. As
regards the term rajm (pl. rujüm), which literally denotes the “throwing [of something] like a
stone” - i.e., at random - it is often used metaphorically in the sense of “speaking conjecturally” or
“making [something] the object of guesswork” (Jawharï, Räghib-the latter connecting this
metaphor explicitly with the above verse -, Lisän al-*Arab, Qätnüs, Täj al-'Arüs, etc.). Cf. also
37:6-10.
6 I.e., by presuming to know what will happen in the future-a knowledge which rests with God
alone. This connects with the statement in verse 4 that man can never truly unravel the mysteries
of cosmic space (“the heavens”), which in its turn implies that he should not presume to foretell
terrestrial events from the position and the aspects of the stars. Since only God knows “that which
is beyond the reach of a created being’s perception” (al-ghayb), any such attempt is a blasphemy
(kufr).
7 Lit., “You are in nothing but a great error ((ta/d/)” - thus denying the reality of divine
revelation as such.
8 Reason, properly used, must lead man to a cognition of God’s existence and, thus, of the fact
that a definite plan underlies all His creation. A logical concomitant of that cognition is the
realization that certain aspects of the divine plan touching upon human life-in particular, the
distinction between right and wrong-are being continuously disclosed to man through the medium
of the revelation which God bestows on His chosen message-bearers, the prophets. This innate
“bond with God” (referred to in 2:27 and explained in the corresponding note 19) may be broken
only at the expense of man’s spiritual future, with suffering in the life to come as the inevitable
alternative.
9 For this rendering of the expression bi'l-ghayb, see sürah 2, note 3.
10 While the primary significance of the noun qawl is “a saying” or “an utterance”, it is often
used tropically in the sense of “a statement”, i.e., of a belief, an opinion, a teaching, a doctrine.
knowledge indeed of all that is in [your] hearts.11
(14) How could it be that He who has created [all]
should not know [all]?12
Yea, He alone is unfathomable [in His wisdom],
all-aware!13
(15) He it is who has made the earth easy to live
upon:14 go about, then, in all its regions, and partalf*
of the sustenance which He provides: but [always
bear in mind that] unto Him you shall be resurrected.
(16) Can you ever feel secure that He who is in ® 3*3 &■
heaven15 will not cause the earth to swallow you up
* 3^ ÎPG j Vjjj j7T
when, lo and behold, it begins to quake?
(17) Or can you ever feel secure that He who is in /■! J*-* <j' »U-JÎ jj- (IT)
heaven will not let loose against you a deadly
stormwind,16 whereupon you would come to know Ù' jllji j J. ç1 1V
how [true] My warning was?
(18) And, indeed, [many of] those who lived
aforetime1718did give the lie [to My warnings]: and how J? y Çùf
awesome was My rejection [of them]!
(19) Have they, then, never beheld the birds above
them, spreading their wings and drawing them in?
3^ ■ X» -«_*> JÎ
None but the Most Gracious upholds them: for,
verily, He keeps all things in His sight. \ ’Jj IL
(20) [And] is there any, besides the Most Gracious,
that could be a shield16 for you, and could succour «y—1 -4» iîjz y' ’■*> y j

you [against danger]?

They who deny this truth are but lost in self-
delusion!
(21) Or is there any that could provide you with
sustenance if He should withhold His provision [from
you]?
Nay, but they [who are bent on denying the truth]
etc. In the present context it evidently relates to man's beliefs in general, be they affirmative or
negative: hence the plural form in my rendering of this term.
11 I.e., He knows why one person believes in Him and another rejects this belief; hence. He
takes man’s innermost motivations, abilities and inabilities fully into account.
12 Lit., “Does He not know, [He] who has created?"
13 See sürah 6, note 89.
14 Lit., “who has made the earth submissive (dha/ü/an) to you": i.e., yielding to the intelligence
with which He has endowed man.
15 This expression is, of course, purely metaphorical since God is limitless in space as well as in
time. Its use here is apparently meant to stress the unfathomable quality of His existence and
power, which penetrates, and reveals itself in. every aspect of His cosmic creativeness, sym­
bolized in the term “heaven".
16 Lit., “a stormwind that raises stones".
17 Lit., “before them” (min qablihim). This personal pronoun relates-as does the whole of the
passage beginning with verse 13 - to people of alt times, who are herewith reminded of what
happened to deniers of the truth in earlier times; hence my rendering of min qablihim as
“aforetime".
18 Lit., “an army".
 AL-MULK SÜRAH 67

stubbornly persist in their disdain [of God’s mes­

sages] and in their headlong flight [from Him]!
(22) But then, is he that goes along with his face
close to the ground19 better guided than he that walks
upright on a straight way?

(23) SAY: “[God is] He who has brought you [all] into
being, and has endowed you with hearing, and sight,
and hearts:20 [yet] how seldom are you grateful!” S S*1 j SA S
(24) Say: “It is He who has multiplied you on earth;
and it is unto Him that you shall be gathered [on S J» ® J*' S-»*'
resurrection].”
(25) But they [only] ask, “When is this promise to
be fulfilled? [Answer this, O you who believe in it,] if
you are men of truth!”
(26) Say thou, [O Prophet:] “Knowledge thereof es*
rests with God alone; and I am only a plain warner.”
(27) Yet in the end, when they shall see that
[fulfilment] close at hand, the faces of those who liJj o’j ûi* .^)
were bent on denying the truth will be stricken with
grief; and they will be told, “This it is that you were <j[ 3)
[so derisively] calling for!”
i **
(28) SAY [O Prophet]: “What do you think? Whether God
ÜT£ ** UU y» J» —J’ 'j»’-*
destroys me and those who follow me, or graces us
with His mercy21 - is there anyone that could protect
[you] deniers of the truth from grievous suffering [in
jlf'»’ j* <3*
the life to come]?” (£) û-* S/ 4 ZT*'
(29) Say: “He is the Most Gracious: we have
attained to faith in Him, and in Him have we placed
our trust; and in time you will come to know which of
us was lost in manifest error.”
(30) Say [unto those who deny the truth]: “What do
you think? If of a sudden all your water were to
vanish underground, who [but God] could provide
you with water from [new] unsullied springs?”22

19 Lit., “prone upon his face”-i.e., seeing only what is immediately beneath his feet, and
utterly unaware of the direction into which his path is taking him: a metaphor of the spiritual
obtuseness which prevents a person from caring for anything beyond his immediate, worldly
concerns, and thus makes him resemble an earthworm that “goes along prone upon its face”.
20 I.e., with the faculty of feeling as well as of rational thinking.
21 I.e., “Whether we succeed in spreading God’s message or not, what have you unbelievers to
gain?"
22 Apart from a further reminder of God’s providential power (thus continuing the argument
touched upon in verses 19-21), the above verse has a parabolic significance as well. Just as water is
an indispensable element of all organic life, so is a constant flow of moral consciousness an
indispensable prerequisite of all spiritual life and stability: and who but God could enable man to
regain that consciousness after all the older ethical stimuli have dried up and “vanished under­
ground”?

882
 THE SIXTY-EIGHTH SÜRAH

AL-QALAM (THE PEN)

MECCA PERIOD

T N THE chronological order of revelation, this surah most probably occupies the third place.
± Some authorities -among them Suyûtï - incline to the view that it was revealed immediately after
the first five verses of surah 96 (“The Germ-Cell"); this, however, is contradicted by some of the
best-authenticated Traditions, according to which most of surah 74 came second in the order of
revelation (see introductory note to that sürah). In any case, “The Pen" is undoubtedly one of the
oldest parts of the Qur’än.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) Nun.1

ONSIDER the pen, and all that they write

C [therewith]!2
(2) Thou art not, by thy Sustainer's grace, a mad­
man!3 (3) And, verily, thine shall be a reward never­
ending-(4) for, behold, thou keepest indeed to a
sublime way of life;4 (5) and [one day] thou shall see.

1 Chronologically, this is the first appearance of any of the “disjointed" [i.e., single] letters
(ai-muqaffa'at) which precede a number of the surahs of the Qur’än: for the various theories
relating to these letters, see Appendix II. The supposition of some of the early commentators
(extensively quoted by Tabari) that the letter n, pronounced nun. represents here an abbreviation
of the identically-pronounced noun which signifies both “great fish“ and “inkwell" has been
convincingly rejected by some of the most outstanding authorities (e.g., Zamakhshari and Räzi) on
grammatical grounds.
2 For the meaning of the adjurative particle wa at the beginning of this sentence, see first half
of note 23 on 74 : 32. The mention of "the pen” is meant to recall the earliest Qur’anic revelation,
namely, the first five verses of surah 96 (“The Germ-Cell”), and thus to stress the fact of
Muhammad’s prophethood. As regards the symbolic significance of the concept of “the pen”, see
96:3-5 and the corresponding note 3.
3 This is an allusion to the taunt with which most of Muhammad's contemporaries greeted the
beginning of his preaching, and with which they continued to deride him for many years. In its
wider sense, the above passage relates-as is so often the case in the Qur’än-not merely to the
Prophet but also to all who followed or will follow him: in this particular instance, to all who base
their moral valuations on their belief in God and in life after death.
4 The term khuluq, rendered by me as “way of life”, describes a person’s “character”, “innate
disposition” or “nature" in the widest sense of these concepts, as well as “habitual behaviour”
which becomes, as it were, one’s “second nature” (Tâj al-* Ariis). My identification of khuluq with
“way of life” is based on the explanation of the above verse by cAbd Allah ibn cAbbâs (as quoted
by Tabari), stating that this term is here synonymous with din: and we must remember that one of
the primary significances of the latter term is “a way [or “manner”] of behaviour" or “of acting”
(Qâmûs). Moreover, we have several well-authenticated Traditions according to which Muham­
mad’s widow ‘Ä’ishah, speaking of the Prophet many years after his death, repeatedly stressed
 SÜRAH
AL-QALAM

and they [who now deride thee] shall see, (6) which of
you was bereft of reason.
(7) Verily, thy Sustainer alone is fully aware as to
who has strayed from His path, just as He alone is
fully aware of those who have found the right way.
(8) Hence, defer not to [the likes and dislikes of]
those who give the lie to the truth: (9) they would like
thee to be soft [with them], so that they might be soft
(£> ®
[with thee].*5
(10) Furthermore,6 defer not to the contemptible X, (T)
swearer of oaths, (11) [or to] the slanderer that goes
about with defaming tales, (12) [or] the withholder of 0 7A 0
good, [or] the sinful aggressor, (13) [or] one who is
cruel, by greed possessed,7 and, in addition to all this, (J) gH j LL 0
utterly useless [to his fellow-men].89 ikJ ju uLjt jJz bi 0 34ju b
(14) Is it because he is possessed of worldly goods
and children (15) that, whenever Our messages are fA 4 0 a-*- 0
conveyed to him, such a one says, “Fables of ancient
(0 *•* 4»Z-J 'J-“*' LijL
times”?’
(16) [For this] We shall brand him with indelible
disgrace!10
(17) [As for such sinners,] behold, We [but] try
them11 as We tried the owners of a certain garden
who vowed that they would surely harvest its fruit on
the morrow, (18) and made no allowance [for the will
that “his way of life (khuluq) was the Qur’än” (Muslim, Tabari and Häkim, on the authority of
Sa'ïd ibn Hishâm; Ibn Hanbal, AbQ Dâ’ûd and NasäT, on the authority of Al-Hasan al-Basri;
Tabari, on the authority of Qatâdah and Jubayr ibn Nufayl; and several other compilations).
5 I.e., “they would like thee to be conciliatory in the matter of ethical principles and moral
valuations, whereupon they would reciprocate and desist from actively opposing thee”.
6 Lit., “And”. The subsequently enumerated types of moral deficiency are, of course, men­
tioned only as examples of the type of man to whose likes or dislikes no consideration whatever
should be shown.
7 The term 'utul - derived from the verb 'atala, “he dragged [someone or something] in a rough
and cruel manner” - is used to describe ■ person combining within himself the attributes of cruelty
and greed; hence the composite rendering adopted by me.
8 The commentators give the most divergent interpretations to the term zanïm, which is
evidently derived from the noun zanamah, denoting either of the two wattles, or fleshy skin
protuberances, hanging below the ears of a goat. Since these wattles do not seem to have any
physiological function, the term zanïm has come to signify “someone [or “something”] not
needed” (Taj al-Ariis): in other words, redundant or useless. It is, therefore, logical to assume
that in the above context this term describes a person who is entirely useless in the social sense.
9 The term banün (lit., “children” or “sons”) is often used in the Qur’än metonymically,
denoting “popular support” or “many adherents”; in conjunction with the term mal (“worldly
goods”) it is meant to illustrate a certain mentality which attributes a pseudo-religious significance
to wealth and influence, and regards these visible signs of worldly success as a post-factum
evidence of the “righteousness” of the person concerned and, hence, of his not being in need of
further guidance.
10 Lit., “We shall brand him on the snout" (khurfûm)", All commentators point out that this
idiomatic phrase has a strictly metaphorical meaning, namely, “We shall stigmatize him with
indelible disgrace” (cf. Lane II, 724, quoting both Räghib and Tâj al-Ariis).
11 I.e., by bestowing on them affluence out of all proportion to their moral deserts.
 68
THE PEN
of God]:“ (19) whereupon a visitation from thy Sus­
tainer came upon that [garden] while they were
asleep, (20) so that by the morrow it became barren
and bleak.
(21) Now when they rose at early morn, they called
unto one another, (22) “Go early to your tilth if you
want to harvest the fruit!”
(23) Thus they launched forth, whispering unto one
another, (24) “Indeed, no needy person shall enter it •»x //< C-x »
today [and come] upon you [unawares]!”“ (25)-and baliii (ff) (ff) jjjc U ^3

early they went, strongly bent upon their purpose.

(26) But as soon as they beheld [the garden and J* jl (ff) <>*■—
could not recognize] it, they exclaimed, “Surely we Ô’ (ff) (ff) ÛKr-*
have lost our way!” (27) - [and then,] “Nay, but we
have been rendered destitute!”
(28) Said the most right-minded among them: “Did
J5 (ff) 5/uj 14 ÿu* ujî; Cii (ff) ajxi
I not tell you, ‘Will you not extol God’s limitless
glory?’”12
1415
13
£-1 J*' J’ (ff) Qrtr*
(29) They answered: “Limitless in His glory is our
Sustainer! Verily, we were doing wrong!” (30) - and <5> Ür 14 4; 3^ ÿk (ff)
then they turned upon one another with mutual
reproaches. b* > fr*“
(31) [In the end] they said: “Oh, woe unto us! •t4—Lr-UU-
««*• Z» * * * * gß <
ÙIU (ff) ff
Verily, we did behave outrageously! (32) [But] it may
be that our Sustainer will grant us something better JbJj 3rjS"(ff) jjjÀ'j \i.j
instead:11 for, verily, unto our Sustainer do we turn
with hope!” (ff)

(33) SUCH is the suffering [with which We try some <ff*

people in this world];16 but greater by far will be the
suffering [which sinners shall have to bear] in the life
to come-if they but knew it!
(34) For, behold, it is the God-conscious [alone]
whom gardens of bliss await with their Sustainer:
(35) or should We, perchance, treat those who sur­
render themselves unto Us17 as [We would treat]
12 I.e., they resolved upon their objective without the reservation, "if God so wills": which
points to the first lesson to be derived from this parable, as well as to its connection with the
rhetorical question in verses 14-15 above.
13 Ever since Biblical times it has been understood that the poor have a right to a share in the
harvest of the fields and gardens owned by their more fortunate fellow-men (cf. 6 : 141 - “give
[unto the poor] their due on harvest-day"). The determination of the “owners of the garden" to deprive
the poor of this right is the second type of sin to which the above parable points: and inasmuch
as it is a social sin, it connects with verses 10-13.
14 This is obviously a reference to their failure to realize that nothing can come about unless the
Almighty so wills (verse 18).
15 Namely, His forgiveness.
16 This connects with the first clause of verse 17 above, which, in its turn, contains an allusion
to the mentality spoken of in verses 14-15.
17 This is the earliest occurrence of the term muslimûn (sing, mtislim) in the history of

885
AL-QALAM SÜRAH

those who remain lost in sin?

(36) What is amiss with you?18 On what do you
base your judgment [of right and wrong]? (37) Or
have you, perchance, a [special] divine writ which
you study, (38) and in which you find all that you may
wish to find?1’
(39) Or have you received a solemn promise, bind­
ing on Us till Resurrection Day, that yours will
assuredly be whatever you judge [to be your rightful . •j*
due]?
(40) Ask them which of them is able to vouch for
this! (41) Or have they, perchance, any sages to îyUJ vQ Ju \‘ O ^5 ‘
support their views?2®
Well, then, if they are sincere in this their claim, let Û* (£> 'Jk'c’ (Lj-Vp.
them produce those supporters of theirs (42) on the
Day when man’s very being shall be bared to the (j> J-
bone,21 and when they [who now deny the truth] shall
Ji
be called upon to prostrate themselves [before God],22
and shall be unable to do so: (43) downcast will be 1 jlj. j£_j jt) j JL» 'fr*' jjJU I**J
their eyes, with ignominy overwhelming them - seeing
that they had been called upon [in vain] to prostrate
themselves [before Him] while they were yet sound
[and alive].
(44) Hence, leave Me alone with such as give the lie
to this tiding.23 We shall bring them low, step by step,
without their perceiving how it has come about:24 (45)
for, behold, though I may give them rein for a while,

Qur’anic revelation. Throughout this work, I have translated the terms muslim and isläm in
accordance with their original connotations, namely, “one who surrenders (or “has surrendered”!
himself to God”, and “man’s self-surrender to God”; the same holds good of all forms of the verb
aslama occurring in the Qur’an. It should be borne in mind that the “institutionalized” use of
these terms-that is, their exclusive application to the followers of the Prophet Muhammad -
represents a definitely post-Qufanic development and, hence, must be avoided in a translation of
the Qur’an.
18 Sc., “O you sinners”.
19 Lit., “so that in it you [may] have all that you choose [to have]” - i.e., a moral justification of
the claim that whatever is considered “expedient” is eo ipso right.
20 Lit., “Or have they any associates?” - i.e., wise people ('uqa/â’) who would share their views
and their way of life (ZamakhsharT and Râzï). Accordingly, the expression shurakiFuhum in the
next sentence has been rendered as “those supporters of theirs”.
21 Lit., “when the shin(-bone] shall be bared”: i.e., when man’s innermost thoughts, feelings
and motivations will be laid bare. The implication is that their erstwhile claim that whatever is
“expedient” is morally justifiable (see note 19 above), shall be revealed in all its nakedness-
namely, as something indefensible and spiritually destructive.
22 I.e., willingly, gladly humbling themselves before Him.
23 I.e., to divine revelation in general, and to the tiding of resurrection and judgment, in
particular - the implication being that God alone has the right to decide whether or how to chastise
them.
24 Lit., “without their knowing whence [it comes]”. The above sentence, as well as the next
(verse 45), are found in exactly the same formulation in 7:182-183.
68________________________
THE PEN
My subtle scheme is exceedingly firm!2526
(46) Or is it that [they fear lest] thou ask them for a
reward, [O Prophet,] so that they would be burdened
with debt [if they listened to thee]?
(47) Or [do they think] that the hidden reality [of all
that exists] is within their grasp, so that [in time] they
can write it down?“
(g) (g) ùjlii*
BEAR, THEN, with patience thy Sustainer’s will, and
be not like him of the great fish, who cried out [in si Ÿj 2Ç
distress] after having given in to anger.27 (49) [And
remember:] had not grace from his Sustainer reached
him,28 he would indeed have been cast forth upon that
barren shore in a state of disgrace:29 (50) but [as it
was,] his Sustainer had elected him and placed him
among the righteous.
(51) Hence, [be patient,] even though they who are
bent on denying the truth would all but kill thee with
their eyes whenever they hear this reminder, and
[though] they say, “[As for Muhammad,] behold,
most surely he is a madman!”
(52) [Be patient:] for this is nought else but a
reminder [from God] to all mankind.
25 The term “subtle scheme” (kayd) evidently circumscribes here God’s unfathomable plan
of creation of which man can glimpse only isolated fragments and never the totality: a plan in which
every thing and happening has a definite function, and nothing is accidental. (See in this connection
note 11 on 10:5-“None of this has God created without (an inner) truth”.) Indirectly, the above
passage alludes to the question as to the reason why God allows so many evil persons to enjoy
their lives to the full, while so many of the righteous are allowed to suffer: the answer being that
during his life in this world man cannot really understand where apparent happiness and
unhappiness ultimately lead to, and what role they play in God's “subtle scheme” of creation.
26 Sc., “and that, therefore, they need not listen to divine revelation. For the real significance of
the term al-ghayb - of which the above is undoubtedly the earliest instance in the chronology of
Qur’anic revelation - see surah 2, note 3. Its use in the above context is meant to elucidate and
further develop the idea already touched upon in 96:6-“man becomes grossly overweening
whenever he believes himself to be self-sufficient”. More particularly, the present passage points
to the fallacy of the arrogant belief that the solution of all the mysteries of the universe is “just
around the corner” and that man-centred science - epitomized in the reference to its being
“written down” - can and will teach its adepts how to “conquer nature” and to attain to what they
regard as the good life.
27 This is a reference to the Prophet Jonah-see 21:87 and the corresponding notes 82 and 83.
As mentioned in 37:140, “he fled like a runaway slave" from the task with which he had been
entrusted by God, because his people did not all at once accept his preaching as valid: and so
Muhammad is exhorted not to give in to despair or anger at the opposition shown to him by most
of his contemporaries in Mecca, but to persevere in his prophetic mission.
28 Cf. 37:143 - “had he not been of those who (even in the deep darkness of their distress
are able to] extol God’s limitless glory”: i.e., who always remember God and pray for His forgiveness.
29 Lit., “while he was still blameworthy”, i.e., burdened with sin and unredeemed by repent­
ance: implying that but for God’s grace he would have died as a sinner.

887
 THE SIXTY-NINTH SÜRAH

AL-HÄQQAH (THE LAYING-BARE OF THE TRUTH)

MECCA PERIOD

EVEALED shortly after surah 67 (Al-Mulk), i.e., about three or four years before the
R Prophet’s exodus to Medina.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) /^KH, THE LAYING-BARE of the truth!’ (2) How

awesome that laying-bare of the truth!
(3) And what could make thee conceive what that
laying-bare of the truth will be?12

(4) THE LIE gave [the tribes of] Thamüd and cÄd to [all
tidings of] that sudden calamity!3
(5) Now as for the Thamüd - they were destroyed
by a violent upheaval [of the earth];45(6) and as for the ûij (£) «cjCib
*Äd - they were destroyed by a stormwind furiously
raging, (7) which He willed against them for seven (J) <->*t j-*f» jc
nights and eight days without cease, so that in the end f ' SyZJ J y ** frr*
thou couldst see those people laid low [in death], as
though they were so many [uprooted] trunks of hol­ 0'7 SA ’ f-r M
low palm trees: (8) and dost thou now see any rem­
nant of them? C-LÙ;J.J i u_,
(9) And there was Pharaoh, too, and [many of] those
iai-* j Jj-'j
who lived before him, and the cities that were
overthrown3 - [all of them] indulged in sin upon sin
(10) and rebelled against their Sustainer’s apostles: i JIT j : lj! ul ij l;
and so He took them to task with a punishing grasp
exceedingly severe!
(11) [And] behold: when the waters [of Noah's
flood] burst beyond all limits, it was We who caused
1 I.e., the Day of Resurrection and Judgment, on which man will become fully aware of the
quality of his past life and, freed from all self-deception, will see himself as he really was, with the
innermost meaning of all his past doings-and thus of his destiny in the hereafter - blindingly
revealed. (Cf. 37:19, the last sentence of 39:68, and 50:21-22.)
2 Implying that this sudden perception of the ultimate reality will be beyond anything that man
can anticipate or imagine: hence, no answer is given to the above rhetorical question.
3 I.e., the Last Hour (see note 1 on 101 : 1). For particulars of the pre-Islamic tribes of 'Âd and
ThamQd, see 7 : 65-79 and the corresponding notes.
4 Cf. 7:78.
5 I.e., Sodom and Gomorrah, the cities of Lot’s people (see 11:69-83),
 THE LAYING-BARE OF THE TRUTH
you to be borne [to safety] in that floating ark, (12)
so that We ought make all this’ a [lasting] reminder to
you all, and that every wide-awake ear might con-
sciously take it in.
(13) Hence, [bethink yourselves of the Last Hour,]
when the trumpet [of judgment] shall be sounded
with a single blast, (14) and the earth and the moun- ct ‘ip 0 % Sa
tarns shall be lifted up and crushed with a single
stroke!
(15) And so, that which must come to pass’ will on
that Day have come to pass; (16) and the sky will be ûJj i-y-i (fl) Uu-J J éai
rent asunder -for, frail will it have become on that
Day - ’» (17) and the angels [will appear] at its ends,67891011
and, above them, eight will bear aloft on that Day the j ÇÇj
throne of thy Sustainer’s almightiness....”
(18) On that Day you shall be brought to judg­ jj’ o* Ulî ($)
ment: not [even] the most hidden of your deeds will
(j) fJ û»
remain hidden.
(19) Now as for him whose record shall be placed 0 J j4» & J*
in his right hand,'2 he will exclaim: “Come you all!
Read this my record! (20) Behold, I did know that
[one day] I would have to face my account!’’1213
(21) And so he will find himself in a happy state of
life, (22) in a lofty paradise, (23) with its fruits within
easy reach.
(24) [And all who are thus blest will be told:] “Eat
and drink with good cheer in return for all [the good
6 I.e., metonymically (in the consensus of all classical commentators), “your ancestors".
7 Alluding to the punishment of evildoers and the saving grace bestowed upon the righteous.
8 I.e., the end of the world as we know it, followed by resurrection and the Last Judgment.
9 The term as-samâ* may denote here "the sky" or "skies", i.e., the visible firmament, or
“heaven” in its allegorical sense, or the aggregate of cosmic systems comprised in the concept of
“the universe” (cf. surah 2, note 20). Its being "rent asunder" is perhaps a metaphor for a total
breakdown of the cosmic order.
10 Or: “at its sides”.
11 Since God is infinite in space as well as in time, it is obvious that His "throne" farsh) has a
purely metaphorical connotation, circumscribing His absolute, unfathomable sway over all that
exists or possibly could exist (cf. note 43 on 7:54). Hence, too, the "bearing aloft" of the throne
of His almightiness cannot be anything but a metaphor-namely, an allusion to the full mani­
festation of that almightiness on the Day of Judgment. The Qur’än is silent as to who or what the
“eight" are on whom this manifestation rests. Some of the earliest commentators assume that they
are eight angels; others, that they are eight ranks of angels: while still others frankly admit that it
is impossible to say whether “eight" or “eight thousand" are meant (Al-Hasan al-Basrl, y quoted
by Zamakhshari). Possibly, we have here an allusion to eight (unspecified) attributes of God or
aspects of His creation; but, as the Qur’än states elsewhere, “none save God knows its final
meaning” (see 3:7 and the corresponding note 8).
12 I.e., whose record shows that he was righteous in his life on earth: cf. 17:71, as well as the
symbolic expression “those on the right hand" in 74:39. The linguistic origin of the symbolism of
“right" and “left” as “righteous" and “unrighteous” is explained in note 3 on 56.8-v.
13 Implying that he had always been conscious of resurrection and judgment, and had tried to
behave accordingly.
 deeds] that you have sent ahead in days gone by!”
(25) But as for him whose record shall be placed in
his left hand,14 he will exclaim: “Oh, would that I had
never been shown this my record, (26) and neither
known this my account! (27) Oh, would that this
(ff) J U&». /UxT
[death of mine] had been the end of me! (28>Of no
avail to me is all that I have [ever] possessed, (29) (ff) (ff) Jj
[and] all my power of argument has died away from
(t£) 4.r’Iaî (ff)
me!”15
(30) [Thereupon the command will go forth:] “Lay
hold of him, and shackle him,16 (31) and then let him '4JL j(T (r£)
enter hell, (32) and then thrust him into a chain [of (q) «jO-Ai ItljS
other sinners like him17 - a chain] the length whereof
is seventy cubits:18 (33) for, behold, he did not believe (ff) V*
in God, the Tremendous, (34) and did not feel any
urge19 to feed the needy: (35) and so, no friend has he % ff)
here today, (36) nor any food save the filth (37) which
none but the sinners eat!”20 yi (ff) V çff)
Jj-j JjiJ 'JCj (ff) Q
(38) BUT NAY! I call to witness all that you can see, (39)
as well as all that you cannot see!21
(40) Behold, this [Qur'an] is indeed the [inspired]

14 Thus signifying that he had been unrighteous in his earthly life, in contrast with those
“whose record will be placed in their right hand” (see verse 19 and note 12 above).
15 The term sultan, which primarily signifies “power” or “authority”, has here - as in many
other places in the Qur'an - evidently the meaning of “argument", synonymous with hujjah (Ibn
‘Abbas, Tkrimah, Mujahid, Ad-Dahhäk, all of them quoted by TabarT): in this case, an argument or
arguments against the idea of life after death and, hence, of divine judgment.
16 For an explanation of the allegory of “shackles”, 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.
17 See 14:49-“on that Day thou wilt see all who were lost in sin (al-mujrimïn) linked together
in fetters”-and the corresponding note 64, which explains my above interpolation of the phrase,
“of other sinners like him".
18 I.e., a chain exceedingly long-the number “seventy” being used here metonymically, as is
often done in classical Arabic, in the sense of “very many” (ZamakhsharT); hence “of a measure
the length whereof is known only to God” (TabarT; also Al-Hasan, as quoted by RäzT).
19 Lit., “did not urge”, i.e., himself.
20 The noun ghislïn, which appears in the Qur'an only in this one instance, has been
variously - and very contradictorily-explained by the early commentators. Ibn ‘Abbas, when
asked about it, frankly answered, “I do not know what ghislïn denotes” (RäzT). The term “filth”
used by me contains an allusion to the “devouring” of all that is abominable in the spiritual sense:
cf. its characterization in the next verse as “[that] which none but the sinners eat” - i-®-
(metaphorically) in this world and, consequently, in the hereafter as well.
21 The phrase “all that you can see” comprises all the observable phenomena of nature-
including man himself and the organic conditions of his own existence - as well as the configure*
tion of human society and the perceptible rules of its growth and decay in the historical sense;
whereas “that which you cannot see” relates to the intangible spiritual verities accessible to man’s
intuition and instinct, including the voice of his own conscience: all of which “bears witness”, as it
were, to the fact that the light which the divine writ (spoken of in the sequence) casts on the
innermost realities and interrelations of all that exists objectively - or, as the case may be,
manifests itself subjectively in man’s own psyche - must be an outcome of genuine revelation,
inasmuch as it goes far beyond anything that unaided human intellect could ever achieve.
 the laying-bare of the truth
word of a noble apostle, (41) and is not - however
little you may [be prepared to] believe it - the word
of a poet; (42) and neither is it - however little you
may [be prepared to] take it to heart - the word of a
L Cj (£)
soothsayer: (43) [it is] a revelation from the Sustainer
of all the worlds.
. (44) Now if he [whom We have entrusted with it]
had dared to attribute some [of his own] sayings unto (ff) LJe Jji: (g)
Us, (45) We would indeed have seized him by his
right hand,22 (46) and would indeed have cut his II ükly (g) IL iXV
life-vein, (47) and none of you could have saved him!
(48) And, verily, this [Qur’an] is a reminder to all
the God-conscious.23 j' Hj ùy*L^
(49) And, behold, well do We know that among you
are such as will give the lie to it: (50) yet, behold, this <$>
[rejection] will indeed become a source of bitter
regret for all who deny the truth [of God’s
revelation]-(51) for, verily, it is truth absolute!
(52) Extol, then, the limitless glory of thy Sus­
tainer’s mighty name!
22 I.e., deprived him of all ability to act - the “right hand" symbolizing power.
23 Sc., “who believe in [the existence of] that which is beyond the reach of human perception":
cf. 2:2-3.
 THE SEVENTIETH SÜRAH

AL-MACÄRIJ (THE WAYS OF ASCENT)

MECCA PERIOD

HUS cat T ED after the word al-ma'iirij appearing in verse 3, this sürah belongs to the
T middle of the Mecca period. It is mainly devoted to the challenge which unbelief-or,
rather, unwillingness to believe — offers to faith, both of them being conditioned by the restlessness
inherent in human nature.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) /^VNE who is minded to ask might ask* about the

suffering which [in the hereafter] is bound to befall
(2) those who deny the truth.12 _______________
[Know, then, tiiat] nothing can ward it off, (3)
,4 jjÛJ Çr jjilCjl (T) JL«
[since it will come] from God, unto whom there are
many ways of ascent:3 (4) all the angels and all the
(T) £ 4»^ O
inspiration [ever granted to man] ascend unto Him4
[daily,] in a day the length whereof is [like] fifty - uil •1jj—** /J*-1**
thousand years... .5
(5) Therefore, [O believer,] endure ail adversity Olj^! /OX f-rl O
with goodly patience: (6) behold, men6 look upon that
[reckoning] as something far away-(7) but We see ùjOj (T) jjO fx (Tj Ly

it as near!
(8) [It will take place] on a Day when the sky will
1 Lit., "An inquirer inquired” or “might inquire”.
2 In view of the fact that many of “those who deny the truth"-and, by implication, do evil in
consequence of that deliberate denial - prosper in this world, a doubter might well ask whether or
when this state of affairs will really be reversed and the values adjusted in accord with divine
justice. An answer to the “whether” is given in the second paragraph of verse 2; and to the
“when”, elliptically, at the end of verse 4.
3 Lit., “He of the [many] ascents": a metonymical phrase implying that there are many ways by
which man can “ascend” to a comprehension of God’s existence, and thus to spiritual “nearness”
to Him-and that, therefore, it is up to each human being to avail himself of any of the ways
leading towards Him (cf. 76:3).
4 For my rendering of rüh as “inspiration”, see surah 16, note 2. The “ascent” of the angels and
of ail inspiration may be understood in the same sense as the frequently-occurring phrase “all
things go back to God [as their source]” (Râzî).
5 The very concept of “time” is meaningless in relation to God, who is timeless and infinite: cf.
note 63 on the last sentence of 22 : 47 - “in thy Sustainer’s sight a day is like a thousand years of
your reckoning": in other words, a day, or an aeon, or a thousand years, or fifty thousand
years are alike to Him, having an apparent reality only within the created world and none with the
Creator. And since in the hereafter time will cease to have a meaning for man as well, it is
irrelevant to ask as to “when" the evildoers will be chastised and the righteous given their due.
6 Lit., “they".

892
 SÜRAH 70
THE WAYS OF ASCENT
tofts X (” and *he "»«•‘’io» will be like
tofts of woo 10) and [when] no friend will ask about
skht'Tfor’/11 th°Ugh U>ey may be in one “other's
J^ht. [f°ÿ etvery°ne who was lost in sin will on that
Day but desire to ransom himself from suffering at
the pnce of lus own children, (12) and of his spouse,
and of his brother, (13) and of all the kinsfolk who
on'e^h * nd ??>.' (14) and °f whoever [else] lives
on earth, all of them - so that he could but save
nunself.
(15) But nay! Verily, all [that awaits him] is a raging
flame, (16) tearing away his skin!
(17) It will claim all such as turn their backs [on
what is right], and turn away (from the truth], (18)
and amass [wealth] and thereupon withhold [it from
their fellow-men]. 0 0/jy?’ >1'(J) Wy
(19) VERILY, man is born with a restless disposition.7 0 Ujk jU.
(20) [As a rule,] whenever misfortune touches him, 0 xiî A— W J 0 Jijf
he is filled with self-pity;89 (21) and whenever good
fortune comes to him, he selfishly withholds it [from W* nf*- £ J» yT Vi
others].
(22) Not so, however, those who consciously turn 0 yf>
towards God in prayer,’ (23) [and] who incessantly
persevere in their prayer; û^^yr> 0 y
(24) and in whose possessions there is a due share, 0 j ** (»y-j wJ JC f—CJ
acknowledged [by them], (25) for such as ask (for
help] and such as are deprived [of what is good in
life];1011
(26) and who accept as true the [coming of the] Day
of Judgment;
(27) and who stand in dread of their Sustainer’s
chastisement - (28) for, behold, of their Sustainer’s
chastisement none may ever feel [wholly] secure;'*
7 Lit., ’’man has been created restless (hu/ü‘<jn)”-that is, endowed with an inner restlessness
which may equally well drive him to fruitful achievement or to chronic discontent and frustration.
In other words, it is the manner in which man utilizes this God-willed endowment that determines
whether it shall have a positive or a negative character. The subsequent two verses (20 and 21)
allude to the latter, while verses 22-25 show that only true spiritual and moral consciousness can
mould that inborn restlessness into a positive force, and thus bring about inner stability and
abiding contentment.
8 The participle jazü'-derived from the verb jazfa - combines the concepts of ’’lacking
patience” and ’’lamenting over one’s misfortune”, and is therefore the contrary of fabr (Jawharï).
9 This, 1 believe, is the meaning of the expression al-mufallin (lit., ‘‘the praying ones”), which
evidently does not relate here to the mere ritual of prayer but, rather, as the next verse shows, to
the attitude of mind and the spiritual need underlying it. In this sense it connects with the
statement in verse 19 that ‘‘man is born with a restless disposition which, when rightly used toads
him towards conscious spiritual growth, as well as to freedom from all self-pity and selfishness.
10 Sc., ‘‘but do not or cannot beg": see Râzï’s comments on a similar phrase in 51:19, quoted in
my corresponding note 12.
11 This warning against Pharisaic self-righteousness implies that however “good" a person may
893
 AL-MA'ÄRIJ SÜRAH

(29) and who are mindful of their chastity,*12 (30)

[not giving way to their desires] with any but their
spouses - that is, those whom they rightfully possess
[through wedlock] - :13 for then, behold, they are free
of all blame, (31) whereas such as seek to go beyond
that [limit] are truly transgressors; ÿ (g) à/G
(32) and who are faithful to their trusts and to then-
pledges ; O ûrpr p (*rLcJ
(33) and who stand firm whenever they bear wit­
ness;
(34) and who guard their prayers [from all worldly rx f ($)
intent].
(35) These it is who in the gardens [of paradise] (r£) ck f*
shall be honoured!
bj

(36) WHAT, THEN, is amiss with such as are bent on

denying the truth, that they run about confusedly to
and fro before thee, (37) [coming upon thee] from the
right and from the left, in crowds?’415
(38) Does every one of them hope to enter [by J'-fj. f*'' (»4’^U.
this means] a garden of bliss?”
(39) Never! For, behold, We have created them out
of something that they know [only too well]!16
(40) But nay! I call to witness [Our being] the
Sustainer of all the points of sunrise and sunset:17
be, there is always a possibility of his or her having done a moral wrong (e.g., an injury to a
fellow-being) and then conveniently “forgotten” this sin. Elliptically, this warning contains a call
to increasing consciousness in all one's doings-for, “temptation to evil (fitnah) does not befall
only those who are bent on denying the truth” (8:25), but may also befall people who are
otherwise righteous.
12 Lit., “who guard their private parts”.
13 See the identical passage in 23:5-7, as well as the corresponding note 3, in which I have
fully explained the reasons for my rendering of the phrase aw mä malakat aymänuhum as “that is,
those whom they rightfully possess [through wedlock]”. As regards this interpretation, see also
Râzï’s comments on 4:24, as well as one of the alternative interpretations of that verse advanced
by Tabarï on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas and Mujahid.
14 This, again, connects with the statement in verse 19, “man is born with a restless disposition”
(see note 7 above). People who do not want to see the truth of God’s existence and have,
therefore, no solid basis on which to build their world-view, are, by the same token, unable to
conceive any definite standards of personal and social ethics. Hence, whenever they are con­
fronted with anyone’s positive assertion of faith, they “run about to and fro” in spiritual
confusion, trying, in order to justify themselves intellectually, to demolish the premises of that
faith by means of many-sided, contradictory arguments - an endeavour depicted in the metaphor,
“coming upon thee from the right and from the left”; and since they derive all their strength from
a conformity with shallow mass-opinions, they can do this only “in crowds”.
15 I.e., “Do they hope to achieve inner peace and fulfilment by ’disproving’ another person’s
faith?"
16 Namely, out of “dust” - i.e., out of the same primitive organic and inorganic substances as
are found in and on the earth: the implication being that only spiritual consciousness and
endeavour can raise man above the mere material form of his existence, and thus enable him to
achieve the inner fulfilment metaphorically described here as “a garden of bliss”.
17 I.e., of all the variation, throughout the solar year, of the points at which the sun “rises" and
70
THE WAYS OF ASCENT
verily, well able are We (41) to replace them with
[people] better than they are; for there is nothing to
prevent Us [from doing what We will].*8 G Jx; d* ÿ (T) SjieSbi
(42) Hence, leave them to indulge in idle talk and
play [with words]19 until they face that [Judgment]
Day of theirs which they have been promised - (43)
the Day when they shall come forth in haste from
their graves, as if racing towards a goal-post, (44)
with downcast eyes, with ignominy overwhelming
them: that Day which they were promised again and
again....20
“sets”: thus stressing the fact that He is the Ultimate Cause of all orbital movement in the
universe and, hence, its Creator (cf. 37:5 and 55:17).
18 The implication is that it is not His will to replace “those who are bent on denying the truth”,
in this world, by believers, inasmuch as such a “replacement” would not be in accord with His
design of multiform human existence, in which faith is always challenged and tested by unbelief,
and vice versa.
19 I.e., their philosophizing about a supposedly “uncreated” world and a hypothetical “self­
generation" of life, as well as their blatant “denial”, unsupported by any factual evidence, of a life
after death or even of the existence of God.
20 The concept of “again and again”-i.e., by a succession, through the ages, of prophetic
revelations-is implied in the auxiliary verb kânû, which usually connotes repetition and/or
duration.
 THE SEVENTY-FIRST SÜRAH

NÜH (NOAH)

MECCA PERIOD

EVOTED in its entirety to Noah’s preaching to his erring fellow-men, this sürah depicts sym­
D bolically every conscious believer’s struggle against blind materialism and the resulting lack of
all spiritual values. The story of Noah as such is mentioned in several places in the Qur’än, and
particularly in 11:25 ff.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) T> EHOLD, We sent Noah unto his people, [saying:]

D “Warn thy people ere grievous suffering befall
them!”
(2) [And Noah] said: “O my people! I am but a
plain warner to you, [sent to tell you] (3) that you
should worship God [alone] and be conscious of Him.
“Now do pay heed unto me, (4) so that He may ju 0 y
forgive you some of your sins, and grant you respite
until a term known [to Him alone]:1 but, behold, when j*". O •A’b 0
the term appointed by God does come, it can never
be put back-if you but knew it!”
(5) [And after a time, Noah] said: “O my Sustainer!
Verily, I have been calling unto my people night and 0 ùxiÂi
day, (6) but my call has only caused them to flee farther
and farther away [from Thee].2 (7) And, behold,
whenever I called unto them with a view to Thy
granting them forgiveness, they put their fingers into
their ears, and wrapped themselves up in their garments b jj^-b bf-rb* b-*-**b 3
[of sin],3 and grew obstinate, and became [yet more]
arrogant in their false pride. bk ££ Jl? 0
(8) “And, behold, I called unto them openly; (9) '£■>. j cis 0 b'y-»
and, behold, I preached to them in public; and I spoke
to them secretly, in private; (10) and I said:
'“Ask your Sustainer to forgive you your sins-for,
1 Namely, until the end of each person's life - implying that although they might be forgiven all
sins committed before their postulated change of heart, they would henceforth, until their death,
be held fully accountable for their behaviour in the light of that new-found faith. Cf. 4:18-
“repentance shall not be accepted from those who do evil deeds until their dying hour and then
say, ’Behold, I now repent’
2 Lit., “has not increased them in anything but flight”.
3 For the reason of the above interpolation - which endows the concept of “garments” with a
metaphorical meaning-see note 2 on 74:4; cf. also the expression “garment of God-conscious­
ness” (libäs at-taqwä) in 7:26.

896
 SÜRAH 71
NOAH
venly, He is all-forgiving! (11) He will shower upon
you heavenly blessings abundant,4 (12) and will aid
you with worldly goods and children, and wfllZ^
X"rsy,OU B S’ and beSt°W “POn y0U runnin«
0
(13) “‘What is amiss with you that you cannot look
forward to God s majesty,* (14) seeing that He has
created [every one of] you in successive stages?7
(15) “‘Do you not see how God has created seven
heavens in full harmony with one another,’ (16) and
has set up within them the moon as a light [reflected]
and set up the sun as a [radiant] lamp?’ (3)
(17) ‘“And God has caused you to grow out of the •’Vf" i ""'t.' z , c
earth in [gradual] growth;10 and thereafter He will (fl)

return you to it [in death]: (18) and [then] He will (fl) ui/j0 L-Ç
bring you forth [from it] in resurrection.11
(19) “‘And God has made the earth a wide expanse X—Ç-i^CÛJ (fl) ILÛ
for you, (20) so that you might walk thereon on
spacious paths.’”12 Jlî (J) UL»
(21) [And] Noah continued: “O my Sustainer! te 1A; j
Behold, they have opposed me [throughout], for they
follow people whose wealth and children lead them
increasingly into ruin,13 (22) and who have devised a

4 Lit., “He will let loose the sky over you with abundance” (but see also note 76 on 11:52).
5 The two last-mentioned blessings are an allusion to the state of happiness in the hereafter,
symbolized in the Qur’än as “gardens through which running waters flow”.
6 I.e., “that you refuse to believe in God” (ZamakhsharT). Some authorities (e.g., JawharT) give
to the above phrase the meaning, “that you will not fear God's majesty”, which, too, implies lack
of belief in Him.
7 I.e., by a process of gradual evolution, in the mother's womb, from a drop of sperm and a
fertilized germ-cell (the female ovum), up to the point where the embryo becomes a new,
self-contained human entity (cf. 22:5): all of which points to the existence of a plan and a purpose
and, hence, to the existence of a conscious Creator.
8 Cf. 67:3 and the corresponding note 2.
9 See 10:5, where the sun is described as “a [source of] radiant light” (diyd’) and the moon as
“light [reflected]” (nur); both these interpolations are explained in note 10 on 10:5.
10 This phrase has a twofold meaning. In the first instance, it alludes to the evolution of the
individual human body out of the same substances - both organic and inorganic-as are found in
and on the earth as well: and in this sense it enlarges upon the creation of the human individual “in
successive stages” referred to in verse 14 above. Secondly, it alludes to the evolution of the human
species, which, starting from the most primitive organisms living on earth, has gradually ascended
to ever higher stages of development until it has finally reached that complexity of body, mind and
soul evident in the human being.
11 Lit., “with a [final] bringing-forth”.
12 I.e., “He has provided you with all facilities for a good life on emth”-the unspoken
implication being, “Will you not, then, acknowledge Him and be grateful to Hun.
13 Lit., “and have followed him whose wealth and children do not increase him in aught but
loss”- i e neonle whose propensity and power only enhance their false pride and arrogance, and
thuS8 Beyondto. we have here ».»»We aUusto.
exclusive devotion to material prosperity must of necessity, in the long run. destroy all moral
values and, thus, the very fabric of society.
897
NÜH SÜRAH 71

most awesome blasphemy [against Thee], (23) inas­

much as they said [to their followers], ‘Do not ever
abandon your gods: abandon neither Wadd nor
Suwä’, and neither Yaghüth nor Ya'ûq nor Nasr!’14
(24) “And so they have led many a one astray:
hence, ordain Thou that these evildoers stray but
(3) bÇ?
farther and farther away [from all that they may
desire]!”15
(25) And so, because of their sins, they were
drowned [in the great flood], and were doomed to
Ci <$> &LS
suffer the fire [of the hereafter];16 and they found 'A/1
none who could succour them against God.
(26) And Noah prayed: “O my Sustainer! Leave
& & <S> ‘W
not on earth any of those who deny the truth: (27) ljLâ> fn)
for, behold, if Thou dost leave them, they will
[always try to] lead astray those who worship Thee,
and will give birth to nothing but wickedness and
ûj !$) 'j&te 51'
stubborn ingratitude.17
(28) “O my Sustainer! Grant Thy forgiveness unto 0 ■»•}
me and unto my parents, and unto everyone who
enters my house as a believer, and unto all believing
men and believing women [of later times]; and grant
Thou that the doers of evil shall increasingly meet
with destruction!””

14 As is evident from early sources, these five gods were among the many worshipped by the
pre-Islamic Arabs as well (see the small but extremely valuable work by Hishäm ibn Muhammad
al-Kalbï, Kitäb al-Asnäm, ed. Ahmad Zakï, Cairo 1914). Their cult had probably been introduced
into Arabia from Syria and Babylonia, where it seems to have existed in earliest antiquity.
15 Lit., “increase Thou not the evildoers in aught but in straying-away", i.e., from an achieve­
ment of their worldly goals (Râzï).
16 Lit., “and were made to enter the fire”-the past tense indicating the inevitability of the
suffering yet to come (Zamakhsharï).
17 Lit., “to such as are wicked (Jäjir), stubbornly ingrate (kaffär)": but since no one-and
particularly not a prophet- is ever justified in assuming that the progeny of evildoers must of
necessity be evil, it is obvious that the terms fâjir and kaffär are used here metonymically,
denoting qualities or attitudes, and not persons.
t 18 Lit., “increase Thou not the evildoers in aught but destruction" - i.e., destruction of their
aims and, thus, of evil as such.
 THE SEVENTY-SECOND SÜRAH

AL-JINN (THE UNSEEN BEINGS)

mecca period

Rtakes its name from ttepfSOTn'dS üX toTve™.1“1 “ “J0“" “ MeCCa- ““ ,Bmk

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) 0 AY: “It has been revealed to me that some of the

O unseen beings gave ear [to this divine writ],' and
thereupon said [unto their fellow-beings]:
“‘Verily, we have heard a wondrous discourse, (2)
guiding towards consciousness of what is right; and
so We have come to believe in it. And we shall never
ascribe divinity to anyone beside our Sustainer, (3)
for [we know] that sublimely exalted is our Sus­
tainer’s majesty: no consort has He ever taken unto
Himself, nor a son!
(4) “‘And [now we know] that the foolish among us
were wont to say outrageous things about God,23(5)
and that [we were mistaken when] we thought that
neither man nor [any of] the invisible forces would
ever tell a lie about God? (6) Yet [it has always
1 I.e., had heard and accepted it: this being the meaning, in the above context, of the verbal
form istama'a. - As regards the various meanings attributable to the plural noun jinn (rendered by
me here as “unseen beings”), see Appendix III. As pointed out there, the jinn are referred to in the
Qur’än in many connotations. In a few cases-e g.. in the present instance and in 46 : 29-32 -this
expression may possibly signify "hitherto unseen beings”, namely, strangers who had never before
been seen by the people among and to whom the Qur’an was then being revealed. From 46:30
(which evidently relates to the same occurrence as the present one) it transpires that the jinn in
question were followers of the Mosaic faith, inasmuch as they refer to the Qur’än as “a revelation
bestowed from on high after [that of] Moses", thus pointedly omitting any mention of the
intervening prophet, Jesus, and equally pointedly (in verse 3 of the present sürah) stressing their
rejection of the Christian concept of the Trinity. All this leads one to the assumption that they may
have been Jews from distant parts of what is now the Arab world, perhaps from Syria or even
Mesopotamia. (TabarT mentions in several places that the jinn referred to in this sürah as well as
in 46:29 ff. hailed from Naçïbïn, a town on the upper reaches of the Euphrates.) I should,
however, like to stress that my explanation of this occurrence is purely tentative.
2 If we accept the supposition that the beings spoken of here were Jewish strangers, the
“outrageous things" (shafaf) which they mention would appear to be an allusion to the deep-set
belief of the Jews that they were “God’s chosen people"-a belief which the Qur in consistently
rejects, and of which the new converts now divested themselves.
3 In this and the next verse, the term //""(rendered here as “invisible forces") W^ntly refers
to what is described as “occult powers” or, rather, to a person s preoccupation with them (see
Appendix III). Irrespective of whether these “forces" are real or mere products of human

«99
AL-JINN SÜRAH

happened] that certain kinds of humans would seek

refuge with certain kinds of [such] invisible forces:45
but these only increased their confusion - (7) so much
so that they came to think, as you [once] thought, that
God would never [again] send forth anyone [as His
apostle].1
(8) ‘“And [so it happened] that we reached out J Ù1 (T) li*>
towards heaven:6 but we found it filled with mighty
guards and flames,78(9) notwithstanding that we were L»c/L I4I; *L»—il V.. J L'lj
established in positions [which we had thought well-
suited] to listening to [whatever secrets might be in]
it:’ and anyone who now [or ever] tries to listen will 3jjjtf L*J (T) Lip /[
[likewise] find a flame lying in wait for him!9
(10) ‘“And [now we have become aware] that we O &■>
[created beings] may not know whether evil fortune is
intended for [any of] those who live on earth, or iä I - jrs Sj'i lLj -‘5
it l
whether it is their Sustainer’s will to endow them with Jj J ùl bib Llj (J) bi
consciousness of what is right:10 (11) just as [we do
not know how it happens] that some from among us
are righteous, while some of us are [far] below that:
we have always followed widely divergent paths.
(12) ‘“And, withal, we have come to know that we

imagination, they “tell lies about God’’ inasmuch as they induce their devotees to conceive all
manner of fantastic, arbitrary notions about the “nature” of His Being and of His alleged relations
with the created universe: notions exemplified in all mystery-religions, in the various gnostic and
theosophical systems, in cabalistic Judaism, and in the many medieval offshoots of each of them.
4 Lit., “that men (rijäl) from among the humans used to (käna) seek refuge with men from
among the jinn". Since the reference to “the humans” (al-ins) applies to men and women, the
expression rijäl is obviously used here - as so often in the Qur’ân - in the sense of “some persons"
or “certain kinds” of people. “Seeking refuge" is synonymous with seeking help, protection or the
satisfaction of physical or spiritual needs; in the context of the above passage, this is evidently an
allusion to the hope of “certain kinds of humans" that the occult powers to which they have turned
would successfully guide them through life, and thus make it unnecessary for them to look
forward to the coming of a new prophet.
5 Thus JabarT (on the authority of Al-KaibT) and Ibn KathTr. The overwhelming majority of the
Jews were convinced that no prophet would be raised after those who were explicitly mentioned in
the Old Testament: hence their rejection of Jesus and, of course, Muhammad, and their “reaching
out towards heaven" (see next verse) in order to obtain a direct insight into God's plan of creation.
6 The above may be understood as alluding not only, metaphorically, to the arrogant Jewish
belief in their being “God’s chosen people”, but also, more factually, to their old inclination to, and
practice of, astrology as a means to foretell the future. Apart from this - and in a more general
sense - their “reaching out towards heaven" may be a metaphorical description of a state of mind
which causes man to regard himself as “self-sufficient" and to delude himself into thinking that he
is bound to achieve mastery over his own fate.
7 See notes 16 and 17 on 15:17-18.
8 I.e., “we failed notwithstanding our status as descendants of Abraham, and despite all our
ability and learning”.
9 As the sequence shows (and as has been pointed out in note 17 on 15 :18), this relates to all
attempts at predicting the future by means of astrology or esoteric calculations, or at influencing
the course of future events by means of “occult sciences".
10 Thus, as in verses 2 and 21 of this sürah, “consciousness of what is right" (rashad or rvshd)
is equated with the opposite of evil fortune, i.e., with happiness.

900
 72
the unseen beings
can never elude God [while we live] on earth, and
that we can never elude Him by escaping [from life].
(13) Hence, as soon as we heard this [call to His]
guidance, we came to believe in it: and he who
believes in his Sustainer need never have fear of loss
or injustice.
(14) “‘Yet [it is true] that among us are such as
have surrendered themselves to God-just as there ........ .»
are among us such as have abandoned themselves to
wrongdoing. Now as for those who surrender them-
selves to Him - it is they that have attained to con- ' 3 3 J "'
sciousness of what is right; (15) but as for those who ùjLjüÎU.5 ù/ZjÎ
abandon themselves to wrongdoing - they are indeed , * ,„ z ,,
but fuel for [the fires of] hell!”’"

(16) [KNOW,] THEN, that if they [who have heard Our

call] keep firmly to the [right] path, We shall certainly
shower them with blessings abundant,12 (17) so as to
test them by this means: for he who shall turn away
from the remembrance of his Sustainer, him will He
cause to undergo suffering most grievous.13
(18) And [know] that all worship'* is due to God
[alone]: hence, do not invoke anyone side by side
with God! (19) Yet [thus it is] that whenever a servant
of God stands up in prayer to Him, they [who are
bent on denying the truth] would gladly overwhelm
him with their crowds.”
(20) Say: “I invoke my Sustainer alone, for 1 do not
ascribe divinity to anyone beside Him."
(21) Say: “Verily, it is not in my power to cause11 15
14
13
12

11 With this assertion ends, according to all classical commentators, the '‘confession of faith”
of the beings described at the beginning of this passage as jinn. Whatever be the real meaning of
this term in the present instance - whether it signifies "unseen beings" of a nature unknown to man
or, alternatively, a group of humans from distant lands - matters little, for the context makes it
abundantly clear that the “speech” of those beings is but a parable of the guidance which the
Qur'an offers to a mind intent on attaining to “consciousness of what is right”.
12 Lit., “water abundant”: a metaphor of happiness, echoing the allegorical reference, so
frequently occurring in the Qur'an, to the “running waters” of paradise (AbQ Muslim, quoted by
Râzï).
13 Le., God’s bestowal of blessings is not just a “reward” of righteousness but, rather, a test of
man’s remaining conscious of, and therefore grateful to. Him.
14 Lit., “the places of worship" {al-masajidy. i.e., worship as such.
15 Lit., “would almost be upon him in crowds (libad, sing, libdah)"-i.e., with a view to
“extinguishing God’s [guiding] light” (TabarT, evidently alluding to 9:32). Most of the com­
mentators assume that the above verse refers to the Prophet Muhammad and the hostility shown
to him by his pagan contemporaries. While this may have been so in the first instance, it is obvious
that the passage has a general import as well, alluding to the hostility shown by the majority of
People, at all times and in all societies, to a minority or an individual who stands up for a
self-evident-but unpopular-moral truth. (In order to be understood fully, the above verse should
he read in conjunction with 19:73-74 and the corresponding notes.)
901
 SÜRAH 72
AL-JINN

you harm or to endow you with consciousness of

what is right.”
(22) Say: “Verily, no one could ever protect me
from God, nor could I ever find a place to hide from
Him (23) if I should fail to convey16 [to the world
whatever illumination comes to me] from God and
His messages.”
Now as for him who rebels against God and His JdiJi <$> '^5 Ÿ # élûîVJl jj
j

Apostle - verily, the fire of hell awaits him, therein to ($) J* 4»^ jjä-6
abide beyond the count of time.17 E
(24) [Let them, then, wait] until the time when they
behold that [doom] of which they were forewarned:18
for then they will come to understand which [kind of b'j ($)
man] is more helpless and counts for less!19
(7£)J* i jjjc
(25) Say: “I do not know whether that [doom] of
which you were forewarned is near, or whether my
4-» f' I* cS_p’ J-»
Sustainer has set for it a distant term.”
(26) He [alone] knows that which is beyond the (g)
reach of a created being’s perception, and to none
does He disclose aught of the mysteries of His Own Cs-Z/ "A
unfathomable knowledge,20 (27) unless it be to an
apostle whom He has been pleased to elect [there­ f-rJ '■U*J
for]:21 and then He sends forth [the forces of heaven]
e tz jr^; ” j Xu»;
to watch over him in whatever lies open before him
and in what is beyond his ken22-(28) so as to make
manifest that it is indeed [but] their Sustainer’s mes­
sages that these [apostles] deliver: for it is He who
encompasses [with His knowledge] all that they have
[to say],23, just as He takes count, one by one, of
everything [that exists].
16 Lit., “except through an announcement" (illä baläghan). In this instance, however, the particle
ilia is evidently a contraction of in lä (“if not’’): thus, the above phrase signifies “if I do not [or “if I
should fail to”] convey...”, etc. (Tabari, Zamakhsharï, Râzî).
17 This obviously relates to “those who are bent on denying the truth” - i.e., consciously-and
thus destroy their own spiritual identity. The people alluded to in this particular instance are those
who “would gladly overwhelm God’s servant with their crowds” (verse 19).
18 I.e., on the Day of Judgment. Cf. the second paragraph of 19:75, which is similarly phrased.
19 Lit., “is weaker as to helpers and less in numbers" - i.e., less significant despite its greater
numbers.
20 The possessive pronoun “His" in the phrase *alâ ghaybihi evidently indicates God’s
exclusive knowledge of “that which is beyond the perception of any created being" (al-ghayb):
hence the above, somewhat free, rendering of this truly untranslatable phrase.
21 Cf. 3 : 179 - “And it is not God’s will to give you insight into that which is beyond the reach
of human perception: but [to that end] God elects whomsoever He wills from among His
apostles".
22 For an explanation of this rendering of the phrase min bayni yadayhi wa-min khalfihi (lit.,
“from between his hands and from behind him"), see note 247 on 2 : 255. In the present context
the phrase implies that the very fact of his being graced by divine revelation protects every
apostle, spiritually, in all concerns of his life, irrespective of whether these concerns are obvious
to him or are beyond his ken.
23 Lit., “all that is with them”, i.e., of knowledge and wisdom.

902
 the seventy-third sOrah

AL-MUZZAMMIL (THE ENWRAPPED ONE)

mecca period

*1 XViTS“0"-Al,hough »f î“
period. The contention of some authorises that’verse hM w!be °'!gj'° ,he earl''s* Mecca
substance, as is pointed out in note 131 Wow rev“1“1 M Medina lacks »“

IN THE NAME OF GOD. THE MOST GRACIOUS. THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(0 AATHOU enwrapped one!1

(2) Keep awake [in prayer] at night, all but a small
part (3) of one-half thereof23-or make it a little less
than that, (4) or add to it [at will]; and [during that
time] recite the Qur’an calmly and distinctly, with thy
mind attuned to its meaning?
(5) Behold, We shall bestow upon thee a weighty
message-(6) [and,] verily, the hours of night impress
the mind most strongly and speak with the clearest
voice,4 (7) whereas by day a long chain of doings is
thy portion. (8) But [whether by night or by day.]
remember thy Sustainer’s name, and devote thyself
unto Him with utter devotion.
(9) The Sustainer of the east and the west [is He]:
there is no deity save Him: hence, ascribe to Him

1 The expression muzzantmil has a meaning similar to that of muddaththir, which occurs at the
beginning of the next surah', namely, “one who is covered (with anything]“, "enwrapped” or
“enfolded [in anything]’’; and, like that other expression, it may be understood in a concrete,
literal sense-i.e., “wrapped up in a cloak” or “blanket"-as well as metaphorically, i.e., "wrapped
up in sleep’’ or even “wrapped up in oneself". Hence, the commentators differ widely in their
interpretations of the above apostrophe, some of them preferring the literal connotation, others the
metaphorical; but there is no doubt that irrespective of the linguistic sense in which the address “O
thou enwrapped one’’ is understood, it implies a call to heightened consciousness and deeper
spiritual awareness on the part of the Prophet.
2 Thus ZamakhsharT, relating the phrase ilia qalTtan (“all but a small part" to the subsequent
word niffahu (“one-half thereof", i.e., of the night).
3 This, I believe, is the closest possible rendering of the phrase raitil al-qur'âna tartilan. The
term tartfl primarily denotes "the putting (of something] together distinctly, in a
manner, and without any haste" (Jawhari, Baydâwï; also Lisan al- Arab,
to the recitation of a text, it signifies a calm, measured utterance with thoughtful consideration of
the meaning to be brought out. A somewhat different significance attaches to a variant of this
phrase in 25 : 32, applying to the manner in which the Qur an was revealed.
4 Lit., “are strongest of tread and most upright of speech’.
903
 SÜRAH
AL-MUZZAMMIL

alone the power to determine thy fate,5 (10) and

endure with patience whatever people may say
[against thee], and avoid them with a comely avoid­
ance.
(11) And leave Me alone [to deal] with those who
give the lie to the truth6-those who enjoy the bless­
Q/Ai k Jp (J) Ȕjfcii
ings of life [without any thought of God] - and bear
thou with them for a little while: (12) for, behold,
heavy fetters [await them] with Us, and a blazing fire,
(13) and food that chokes, and grievous suffering78
(14) on the Day when the earth and the mountains
jul/j £0 w

will be convulsed, and the mountains will [crumble

and] become like a sand-dune on the move!6
(Cj’Ç; ji lL? uf££
(15) BEHOLD, [O men,] We have sent unto you an
apostle who shall bear witness to the truth before 0 31 Ji- ! C Ji. U Jî
you, even as We sent an apostle unto Pharaoh:9 (16)
and Pharaoh rebelled against the apostle, whereupon 0 b*1 jfj’, ûjii’
We took him to task with a crushing grip. *• <j[ 0) yJcj ùÉ* *4» j'**'-*
(17) How, then, if you refuse to acknowledge the
truth, will you protect yourselves on that Day which
shall turn the hair of children grey,10 (18) [the Day] on
which the skies shall be rent asunder, [and] His
promise [of resurrection] fulfilled?

5 For this rendering of the term wakil, see surah 17, note 4.
6 Cf. 74:11 and the last sentence of the corresponding note 5.
7 Explaining this symbolism of torment in the hereafter, Râzï says: “These four conditions may
well be understood as denoting the spiritual consequences [of one's doings in life]. As regards the
‘heavy fetters’, they are a symbol of the soul’s remaining shackled to its [erstwhile] physical
attachments and bodily pleasures... : and now that their realization has become impossible, those
fetters and shackles prevent the [resurrected] human personality (an-nafs) from attaining to the
realm of the spirit and of purity. Subsequently, those spiritual shackles generate spiritual ‘fires’,
inasmuch as one’s strong inclination towards bodily concerns, together with the impossibility of
attaining to them, give rise, spiritually, to [a sensation of] severe burning...: and this is [the
meaning of] ‘the blazing fire’ (al-jahîm). Thereupon [the sinner] tries to swallow the choking
agony of deprivation and the pain of separation [from the objects of his desire]: and this is the
meaning of the words, ‘and food that chokes’. And, finally, because of these circumstances, he
remains deprived of all illumination by the light of God, and of all communion with the blessed
ones: and this is the meaning of the words ‘and grievous suffering'.... But [withal,] know that 1 do
not claim to have exhausted the meaning of these [Qur’än-]verses by what I have stated
[above]....’’
8 See the first part of 14:48, and the corresponding note 63, as well as note 90 on 20:105-107.
9 This is probably the oldest Qur’anic reference to the earlier prophets, to the historic
continuity in mankind's religious experience, and, by implication, to the fact that the Qur’än does
not institute a “new” faith but represents only the final, most comprehensive statement of a
religious principle as old as mankind itself: namely, that “in the sight of God, the only [true]
religion is [man’s] self-surrender unto Him" (3: 19), and that “if one goes in search of a religion
other than self-surrender unto God, it will never be accepted from him" (3:85).
10 In ancient Arabian usage, a day full of terrifying events was described metaphorically as “a
day on which the locks of children turn grey”; hence the use of this phrase in the Qur’än. Its
purely metaphorical character is obvious since, according to the teachings of the Qur’än, children
are considered sinless - i.e., not accountable for their doings-and will, therefore, remain un­
touched by the ordeals and terrors of the Day of Judgment (Râzï).

904
 73 THE ENWRAPPED ONE

(19) This, verily, is a reminder: let him who wills,

then, set out on a way to his Sustainer!

(20) BEHOLD, [O Prophet,] thy Sustainer knows that

thou keepest awake [in prayer] nearly two-thirds of
the night, or one-half of it, or a third of it, together
with some of those who follow thee.11 And God, who JÎjXjL Âûj
determines the measure of night and day, is aware
that you would never grudge it:12 and therefore He
turns towards you in His grace.
Recite, then, as much of the Qur’än as you may do
with ease. He knows that in time there will be among
you sick people, and others who will go about the
land in search of God’s bounty, and others who will
fight in God’s cause.13 Recite, then, [only] as much of
it as you may do with ease, and be constant in prayer,
and spend in charity,14 and [thus] lend unto God a
’j**-j* *3^X
goodly loan: for whatever good deed you may offer
up in your own behalf, you shall truly find it with God
- yea, better, and richer in reward.
And [always] seek God’s forgiveness: behold, God
is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace!
11 Lit., “of those who are with thee’*. With this concluding passage, the discourse returns to
the theme of the opening verses, namely, the great spiritual value of praying at night.
12 Lit., “count it’’, i.e., the length of your vigil.
13 This reference to “fighting in God’s cause’’ has induced many commentators to assume that
the whole of verse 20 was revealed at Medina, that is, years after the rest of the surah: for, the
principle of “fighting in God’s cause” (jihäd) was introduced only after the Prophet’s hijrah from
Mecca to Medina. This assumption must, however, be dismissed as unwarranted. Although there is
no doubt that jihad was first sanctioned during the Medina period, the sentence in question is
clearly expressed in the future tense: “in time there will be" (sayakûn)-and must, therefore, as
Ibn Kathïr points out, be understood as a prediction of future circumstances. With all this, the
above passage stresses the necessity of avoiding all exaggeration even in one s devotions.
14 For an explanation of the term zakâh - of which the above is the earliest Qur’anic instance-
see sürah 2, note 34.
 THE SEVENTY-FOURTH SÜRAH

AL-MUDDATHTHIR (THE ENFOLDED ONE)

MECCA PERIOD

FTER the Prophet’s earliest revelation - consisting of the first five verses of sürah 96 (“The
A Germ-Cell’’) - a period elapsed during which he received no revelation at all. The length of
this break in revelation (fatrat al-wahy) cannot be established with certainty; it may have been as
little as six months or as much as three years. It was a time of deepest distress for the Prophet: the
absence of revelation almost led him to believe that his earlier experience in the cave of Mount
Hirä’ (see introductory note to sürah 96) was an illusion; and it was only due to the moral support
of his wife KhadTjah and her undaunted faith in his prophetic mission that he did not entirely lose
his courage and hope. At the end of this intermission the Prophet had a vision of the Angel Gabriel,
“sitting between heaven and earth”. Almost immediately afterwards, the present sürah was
revealed; and from then on, in Muhammad’s own words, “revelation became intense and
continuous" (BukhärT, Bad’ al-Wahy and Kitäb at-Tafsïr, also Muslim).
Although some verses of this sürah may have been revealed at a slightly later time, there is no
doubt that all of it belongs to the earliest part of the Mecca period, that is, to the very beginning of
Muhammad’s mission. But in spite of its early origin and its brevity, the sürah outlines almost all
the fundamental concepts to which the Qur’än as a whole is devoted: the oneness and uniqueness
of God, resurrection and ultimate judgment; life after death and the allegorical nature of all
descriptions relating to it; man’s weakness and utter dependence on God, his proneness to false
pride, greed and selfishness; each human being’s responsibility for his own behaviour and doings;
“paradise” and “hell” as natural consequences of one’s earthly life, and not as arbitrary rewards or
punishments; the principle of the historical continuity of all true religious experience; and various
other ideas and concepts which were to be more fully developed in later revelations.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) /'"XTHOU [in thy solitude] enfolded!1

v/(2) Arise and warn! -
(3) And thy Sustainer’s greatness glorify! _ _ •.
(4) And thine inner self purify!2 O

1 The expression muddaththir (an abbreviated form of mutadaththir) signifies “one who is
covered [with something]” or “enfolded [in something]”; and all philologists point out that the
verb dathara, from which the above participial noun is derived, may equally well have a concrete
or abstract connotation. Most of the commentators understand the phrase “O thou enfolded one”
in its literal, concrete sense, and assume that it refers to the Prophet’s habit of covering himself
with a cloak or blanket when he felt that a revelation was about to begin. Râzî, however, notes
that this apostrophe may well have been used metaphorically, as an allusion to Muhammad’s
intense desire for solitude before the beginning of his prophetic mission (cf. introductory note to
sürah 96): and this, according to RäzT, would explain his being thus addressed in connection with
the subsequent call, “Arise and warn” - i.e., “Give now up thy solitude, and stand up before all the
world as a preacher and warner.”
2 Lit., “thy garments (thiyäb) purify”: but almost all the classical commentators point out that
the noun thawb and its plural thiyäb is often metonymically applied to that which a garment
encloses, i.e., a person’s “body” or, in a wider sense, his “self” or his “heart”, or even his
“spiritual state" or “conduct” (Taj al-'Arüs). Thus, commenting on the above verse, Zamakhsharï
draws the reader’s attention to the well-known idiomatic phrases fähir ath-thiyäb (lit., “one who is

906
 SÜRAH 74
THE ENFOLDED ONE
(5) And all defilement shun!
(6) And do not through giving seek thyself to gain,3
(7) but unto thy Sustainer turn in patience.
(8) And [warn all men that] when the trumpet-call
[of resurrection] is sounded, (9) that very Day shall
be a day of anguish, (10) not of ease, for all who
[now] deny the truth!4 O fji-LfX

(11) LEAVE Me alone [to deal] with him whom I have SL ^4 (£) >X»-J CJU jji (£)jfJ
created alone,3 (12) and to whom I have granted
C£) ,Js4^ ,4^-^*3 ,ajr-ûçjJbjxf
resources vast, (13) and children as [love’s] witnesses,
(14) and to whose life I gave so wide a scope:6 (15) (j) ;} j* g£ "i
and yet, he greedily desires that I give yet more!
(16) Nay, verily, it is against Our messages that he
knowingly, stubbornly sets himself7-(17) [and so] I
clean in his garments”) and danis ath-thiyäb (“one who is filthy in his garments”), and stresses
their tropical significance of “free from faults and vices” and “vicious and perfidious”, respec­
tively. RäzT states with approval that “according to most of the [earlier] commentators, the
meaning [of this verse] is, ‘purify thy heart of all that is blameworthy'”.
3 Lit., “and do not bestow favours to obtain increase”.
4 Since this is the earliest Qur’anic occurrence of the expression kâfir (the above surah having
been preceded only by the first five verses of sürah 96), its use here - and. by implication, in the
whole of the Qur’an - is obviously determined by the meaning which it had in the speech of the
Arabs before the advent of the Prophet Muhammad: in other words, the term kafir cannot be
simply equated, as many Muslim theologians of post-classical times and practically all Western
translators of the Qur’an have done, with “unbeliever” or “infidel” in the specific, restricted sense
of one who rejects the system of doctrine and law promulgated in the Qur’an and amplified by the
teachings of the Prophet - but must have a wider, more general meaning. This meaning is easily
grasped when we bear in mind that the root verb of the participial noun kafir (and of the infinitive
noun kufr) is kafara, “he [or “it”] covered [a thing]”: thus, in $7 : 20 the tiller of the soil is called
(without any pejorative implication) kafir, “one who covers”, i.e., the sown seed with earth, just as
the night is spoken of as having “covered” (kafara) the earth with darkness. In their abstract sense,
both the verb and the nouns derived from it have a connotation of “concealing” something that
exists or “denying” something that is true. Hence, in the usage of the Qur’an-with the exception
of the one instance (in 57 : 20) where this participial noun signifies a “tiller of the soil” - a kâfir is
“one who denies [or “refuses to acknowledge”] the truth” in the widest, spiritual sense of this
latter term: that is, irrespective of whether it relates to a cognition of the supreme truth - namely,
the existence of God-or to a doctrine or ordinance enunciated in the divine writ, or to a
self-evident moral proposition, or to an acknowledgment of, and therefore gratitude for, favours
received. (Regarding the expression alladhîna kafarü, implying conscious intent, see sürah 2, note 6.)
5 Or: “.. .whom I alone have created”. The above sentence can be understood in either of these
two senses, depending on whether one relates the expression “alone” (wa/iitf) to God-thus
stressing His uniqueness as Creator-or to this particular object of His creation, man, who begins
and ends his life in a state of utter loneliness (cf. 6:94 and 19:80 and 95). In either case, our
attention is drawn to the fact of man’s inescapable dependence on God. Beyond that, the phrase in
question carries a further meaning, namely, “Leave it to Me alone to decide what to do with him
who forgets that I am his Creator and Sustainer” - thus forbidding any human punishment of
“those who deny the truth”.
6 Lit., “for whom I have spread [all] out in a [wide] spread” - i.e., “whom I have endowed with
potentialities far beyond those open to other living beings”.
7 Lit., “he is wont (kana) to set himself”. The noun 'anid. derived from the verb vaaada,
denotes “one who opposes or rejects something that is true, knowing it to be true (Lisait
al-'Arab). The element of human contrariness and stubbornness is implied in the use of the
auxiliary verb kâna. which indicates hero a permanently recurring phenomenon despite its
AL-MUDDATHTHIR SÜRAH

shall constrain him to endure a painful uphill climb!*8

(18) Behold, [when Our messages are conveyed to
one who is bent on denying the truth,] he reflects and
meditates [as to how to disprove them] -(19) and thus
he destroys himself,9 the way he meditates: (20) yea,
he destroys himself, the way he meditates!-(21) and «jj*(g) jjJj /iMjC

then he looks [around for new arguments], (22) and

(23) and in the end he
then he frowns and glares,1011
turns his back [on Our message], and glories in his
IJÜ* J11» (g) f (g) yjj
arrogance," (24) and says, “All this is mere spell­
binding eloquence handed down [from olden times]!12 *41* <j[ (tF)j'ÿ.j*
(25) This is nothing but the word of mortal man!”
(26) [Hence,] I shall cause him to endure hell-fire (ff) jX X,(^)«lEpfUj yi-

[in the life to come]!13

(27) And what could make thee conceive what
hell-fire is?
(28) It does not allow to live, and neither leaves [to
die], (29) making [all truth] visible to mortal man.14

past-tense formulation. I am, therefore, of the opinion that verses 18-25, although ostensibly
formulated in the past tense, must also be rendered in the present tense.
8 In combination with the verb urhiquhu (“I shall constrain him to endure”) the term ça'üd (lit.,
“ascent” or “climb”) has the tropica! connotation of something extremely difficult, painful or
distressing. In the above context, it is an allusion to the loss of all instinctive innocence-and,
hence, to the individual and social suffering-which unavoidably follows upon man’s wilful neglect
of moral and spiritual truths (“God’s messages”) in this world, and bars his spiritual development
in the life to come.
9 The expression qutila reads, literally, “he has been killed” or, as an imprecation, “may he be
killed”. Since a literal rendering of this expression - whether conceived as a statement of fact or an
imprecation - would be meaningless here, many commentators (TabarT among them) understand it
as signifying “he is rejected from God’s grace” (Ju'ina), i.e., “killed" spiritually by his own action
or attitude; hence my rendering, “he destroys himself”.
10 I.e., he becomes emotionally involved because he suspects in his heart that his arguments
are weak (RäzT).
11 See 96:6-7.
12 The term sihr, which usually denotes “sorcery” or “magic”, primarily signifies “the turning
of something from its proper [or “natural”] state of being into another state”; hence, it is often
applied to the fascination or enchantment caused by exceptional, "spellbinding" eloquence (Täj
al-cAriis). In its pejorative sense-as used by deniers of the truth to describe a divine message-it
has also the connotation of “wilful deception" or “delusion".
13 This is unquestionably the earliest instance of the term saqar (“hell-fire”), one of the seven
metaphorical names given in the Qur’an to the concept of the suffering in the hereafter which man
brings upon himself by sinning and deliberately remaining blind and deaf, in this world, to spiritual
truths (cf. surah 15, note 33). The allegorical character of this and all other Qur’anic descriptions
of man’s condition and destiny in the hereafter is clearly alluded to in the subsequent verse as well
as in verses 28 ff.
14 Most of the commentators interpret the above elliptic phrase in the sense of “changing the
appearance of man” or “scorching the skin of man". The rendering adopted by me, on the other
hand, is based on the primary significance of the verb läha - “it appeared", “it shone forth” or “it
became visible”. Hence, the primary meaning of the intensive participial noun lawwâh is “that
which makes (something] visible”. In the above context, it relates to the sinner’s belated cognition
of the truth, as well as to his distressing insight into his own nature, his past failings and deliberate
wrongdoings, and the realization of his own responsibility for the suffering that is now in store for
him: a state neither of life nor of death (cf. 87:12-13).

908
74 THE ENFOLDED ONE

(30) Over it are nineteen [powers].15

(31) For We have caused none but angelic powers
to lord over the fire [of hell];16 and We have not
Qj
caused their number to be aught but a trial for
those who are bent on denying the truth17-to the end
that they who have been granted revelation aforetime Cù VIuLj; Uj jÇl jÛT ^2X1
might be convinced [of the truth of this divine writ];1819
and that they who have attained to faith [in it] might
grow yet more firm in their faith; and that [both] they Ijijl jT Vj ly*l?

who have been granted the earlier revelation and they

who believe [in this one] might be freed of all doubt;
and that they in whose hearts is disease” and they
who deny the truth outright might ask, “What does
[your] God mean by this parable?’’20
In this way God lets go astray him that wills [to go

15 Whereas most of the classical commentators are of the opinion that the “nineteen” are the
angels that act as keepers or guardians of hell, RäzT advances the view that we may have here a
reference to the physical, intellectual and emotional powers within man himself: powers which
raise man potentially far above any other creature, but which, if used wrongly, bring about a
deterioration of his whole personality and. hence, intense suffering in the life to come. According
to RäzT, the philosophers (arbäb al-hikmah) identify these powers or faculties with, firstly, the
seven organic functions of the animal-and therefore also human-body (gravitation, cohesion,
repulsion of noxious foreign matter, absorption of beneficent external matter, assimilation of
nutrients, growth, and reproduction): secondly, the five “external" or physical senses (sight,
hearing, touch, smell and taste); thirdly, the five "internal" or intellectual senses, defined by Ibn
STnä-on whom RäzT apparently relies-as (I) perception of isolated sense-images, (2) conscious
apperception of ideas, (3) memory of sense-images. (4) memory of conscious apperceptions, and
(5) the ability to correlate sense-images and higher apperceptions; and. lastly, the emotions of
desire or aversion (resp. fear or anger), which have their roots in both the "external” and
“internal” sense-categories - thus bringing the total of the powers and faculties which preside over
man’s spiritual fate to nineteen. In their aggregate, it is these powers that confer upon man the
ability to think conceptually, and place him. in this respect, even above the angels (cf. 2:30 ff. and
the corresponding notes; see also the following note).
16 Since it is by virtue of his powers of conscious perception and conceptual thinking that man
can arrive at a discriminating cognition of good and evil and. thus, rise to great spiritual heights,
these powers are described here as “angelic” (lit., “angels” - this being the earliest occurrence of
the term malak in the history of Qur’anic revelation). On the other hand, since a neglect or a
deliberately wrong use of these angelic powers is at the root of all sinning on the part of man and,
therefore, of his suffering in the hereafter, they are spoken of as “the lords (afhäb) of the fire [of
hell]”, which complements the expression “over it” in the preceding verse.
17 This is apparently an allusion to the allegorical character of this passage, which “those who
are bent on denying the truth” are unwilling to recognize as such and, hence, fail to grasp its real
purport. By speculating on the reasons which allegedly induced Muhammad - whom they regard as
the “author” of the Qur’än - to lay stress on one particular number, they tend to take the allegory
in a literal sense, thus missing its point entirely.
18 Namely, by being enabled, through an understanding of the above allegory, to appreciate the
rational approach of the Qur’än to all questions of faith. The reference to those who have been
granted revelation aforetime” is the earliest statement outlining the principle of continuity in
mankind's religious experience.
19 I.e., in this instance, the half-hearted ones who, despite their ability to discern between right
and wrong, incline towards unbelief.
20 Cf. the identical phrase in 2:26, together with the corresponding note 18. My interpolation,
in both these passages, of the word “your” between brackets is necessitated by the fact that it is
the unbelievers who ask this question.
 SÜRAH
AL-MUDDATHTHIR

astray], and guides aright him that wills [to be

guided].21
And none can comprehend thy Sustainer's forces
save Him alone: and all this22 is but a reminder to

(32)
mortal man.

NAY, but consider the moon!23

Cj J jZ. L,

(33) Consider the night when it departs, (34) and the

mom when it dawns! (J)
(35) Verily, that [hell-fire] is indeed one of the great
j' fji-
[forewarnings] - (36) a warning to mortal man - (37) to
every one of you, whether he chooses to come forward
eg) <$>
or to hang back!2425
(38) [On the Day of Judgment,] every human being <£)ûj) *1—i <j
will be held in pledge for whatever [evil] he has
wrought - (39) save only those who shall have «jj Jj (g) et J ijiu j
attained to righteousness:23 (40) [dwelling] in gardens
[of paradise], they will inquire (41) of those who were
lost in sin: (42) “What has brought you into hell-fire?”
(43) They will answer: “We were not among those
who prayed,26 (44) and neither did we feed the needy;
(45) and we were wont to indulge in sinning together

21 Or: “God lets go astray whomever He wills, and guides aright whomever He wills” (see
sürah 14, note 4). The stress on the allegorical nature of the above passage, spoken of as a
“parable” (mathal), has here the same purpose as in 2:26-namely, to prevent the followers of
the Qur’än from attaching a literal meaning to its eschatological descriptions - a purpose that is
unmistakably expressed in the concluding sentence of this passage: “All this is but a reminder to
mortal man”. (See also next note.)
22 Lit., “it" or “these” - depending on whether the personal pronoun hiya is taken to denote a
singular-in which case it would refer to the feminine noun saqar, “hell-fire” (Tabari,
Zamakhsharï, BaghawT, Ibn Kathïr)-or a plural, referring to what Râzî pinpoints as “those
[Qur’anic] verses dealing with these allegories (hädhihi 'l-mutashäbihät)": hence my comprom­
ise rendering “all this”.
23 This is the earliest Qur’anic instance of the adjurative particle wa used in the sense of a
solemn, oathlike assertion-a calling to witness, as it were-meant (as in the expression “by
God!”) to give weight to a subsequently stated truth or evidence of the truth: hence, 1 am
rendering it here and elsewhere as “consider". In the present case, the truth thus to be stressed is
the implied statement that just as the changing phases of the moon and the alternation of night and
day are the outcome of God-given, natural laws, so, too, a sinner's suffering in the hereafter is but
a natural outcome of his deliberate wrongdoing in this world. (See also note 7 on 2:7.)
24 Lit., “any of you who chooses..etc. - i.e., irrespective of whether one has chosen to
follow or to disregard the divine call: implying that even true believers may stumble into sinning,
and hence need to be warned.
25 Lit., “those [or “the people"] on the right hand" (açhâb al-yamîn), an expression based on
the tropical significance of yamin as “righteous" or “righteousness" and, consequently, “blessed­
ness". The above is probably the oldest Qur’anic incidence of this expression, which evidently
comprises all those whose conduct in life will have earned them God’s forgiveness of whatever
sins they may have committed.
26 In view of the fact that at the time of the revelation of this very early sürah the canonical
prayer (jalah) had not yet been made obligatory on the followers of the Qur’än, it is reasonable to
assume that in the above context this term is used in its widest sense, namely, conscious belief in
God.

910
74 THE ENFOLDED ONE

with all [the others] who indulged in it; (46) and the
Day of Judgment we were wont to call a lie - (47) until
certainty came upon us [in death].”
(48) And so, of no benefit to them could be the
intercession of any that would intercede for them.27
j~.
WHAT, THEN, is amiss with them28 that they turn
away from all admonition (50) as though they were
terrified asses (51) fleeing from a lion?
(52) Yea, every one of them claims that he
[himself] ought to have been given revelations un­
folded!29
(53) Nay, but they do not [believe in and, hence, do ûj/j. h /fs t ^[5^
not] fear the life to come.
(54) Nay, verily, this is an admonition - (55) and
whoever wills may take it to heart.
(56) But they [who do not believe in the life to
come] will not take it to heart unless God so wills:30
[for] He is the Fount of all God-consciousness, and the
Fount of all forgiveness.
27 Lit., “the intercession of intercessors" - implying that there would be none to intercede for
them with God. As regards the much-misunderstood Islamic concept of “intercession", see
10:3-“there is none that could intercede with Him unless He grants His leave therefor" - and the
corresponding note 7.
28 I.e., with so many people who refuse to listen to the truth.
29 Lit., “every one of them wants to be given wide-open scriptures", or “scriptures unfolded"
(i.e., open to everyone’s understanding): cf. 2:118-“Why does not God speak unto us, nor is a
message conveyed to us?"-i.e., directly, without the intervention of a prophet. The above is the
earliest illustration of the “arrogance” or “false pride" to which the Qur’än so often refers.
30 Namely, unless He bestows His grace on them by making their minds and hearts receptive to
the truth, so that they are compelled - from within themselves, as it were-to make the right
choice. (See also note 1 i on 81:28-29, as well as note 4 on 14:4.)
 THE SEVENTY-FIFTH SÜRAH

AL-QIYÄMAH (RESURRECTION)
MECCA PERIOD

EVEALED during the first third of the Mecca period, this sürah is devoted almost entirely
R (with the exception of the parenthetic passage in verses 16-19) to the concept of resurrection, on
which its traditional “title” is based.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) X TAY! I call to witness the Day of Resurrection!'

±N (2) But nay! I call to witness the accusing voice of
2
man’s own conscience!1
(3) Does man think that We cannot [resurrect him --------------- \
and] bring his bones together again? (4) Yea indeed, We
are able to make whole his very finger-tips! 0
(5) None the less, man chooses to deny what lies jaj £ (T) Z2 J*
ahead of him, (6) asking [derisively], “When is that
Resurrection Day to be?” 0 j* ÿ
(7) But [on that Day,] when the eyesight is by fear
confounded, 0 0 /Û
(8) and the moon is darkened,
(9) and the sun and the moon are brought together3- 0 0
(10) on that Day will man exclaim, “Whither to
0 î* j-pî JA 0
flee?”
(11) But nay: no refuge [for thee, O man]! (12) With 0 jiLZif11j 0
thy Sustainer, on that Day, the journey’s end will be!
(13) Man will be apprised, on that Day, of what he A 0 >’J fj-J Cx ÿî iJA
has done and what he has left undone:45(14) nay, but
man shall against himself be an eye-witness, (15) even
0
though he may veil himself in excuses.1 Ä Œ S» 0 âxj
(16) MOVE NOT thy tongue in haste, [repeating the
words of the revelation:]6 (17) for, behold, it is for

1 By “calling it to witness”, i.e., by speaking of the Day of Resurrection as if it had already

occurred, the above phrase is meant to convey the certainty of its coming.
2 Lit., “the [seif-]reproaching soul”: i.e., man’s subconscious awareness of his own shortcom­
ings and failings.
3 I.e., in their loss of light, or in the moon’s colliding with the sun.
4 Lit., “what he has sent ahead and left behind”, i.e., whatever good and bad deeds he
committed or omitted (Zamakhsharî).
5 Cf. 24 : 24, 36 : 65 or 41:20-22.
6 Lit., “Move not thy tongue therewith so that thou might hasten it”-the pronoun undoubtedly

912
 RESURRECTION
Us to gather it [in thy heart,] and to cause it to be
read [as it ought to be read].7
(18) Thus, when We recite it, follow thou its word­
ing [with all thy mind]:8 (19) and then, behold, it will
be for Us to make its meaning clear.’

00) NAY, but [most of] you love this fleeting life, (21)
(£) (J)
and give no thought to the life to come [and to
Judgment Day]! Çj
(22) Some faces will on that Day be bright with
happiness, (23) looking up to their Sustainer; (24) and '—u’j*»' (§) • —'u. •j-«*'*
some faces will on that Day be overcast with despair,
(25) knowing that a crushing calamity is about to
befall them.
(26) NAY, but when [the last breath] comes up to the throat Ji—-i—«jj <iL j Ji-jt
[of a dying man], (27) and people ask, “Is there any
wizard [that could save him]?”10-(28) the while he
[himself] knows that this is the parting, (29) and is
enwrapped in the pangs of death" - : (30) at that time
towards thy Sustainer does he feel impelled to turn!12

referring to the contents of revelation. In order to understand this parenthetic passage (verses
16-19) more fully, one should read it side by side with the related passage in 20:114, together with
the corresponding note 101. Both these passages are in the first instance addressed to the Prophet,
who is said to have been afraid that he might forget some of the revealed words unless he repeated
them at the very moment of revelation; but both have also a wider import inasmuch as they apply
to every believer who reads, listens to or studies the Qur'an. In 20:114 we are told not to draw
hasty-and therefore potentially erroneous-conclusions from isolated verses or statements of the
Qur’ân, since only the study of the whole of its message can give us a correct insight. The present
passage, on the other hand, lays stress on the need to imbibe the divine writ slowly, patiently, to
give full thought to the meaning of every word and phrase, and to avoid the kind of haste which is
indistinguishable from mechanical glibness, and which, moreover, induces the person who reads,
recites or listens to it to remain satisfied with the mere beautiful sound of the Qur’anic language
without understanding - or even paying adequate attention to-its message.
7 I.e., “it is for Us to make thee remember it and to cause it to be read with mind and heart”. As
pointed out in the preceding note, the Qur’ân can be understood only if it is read thoughtfully, as
one integral whole, and not as a mere collection of moral maxims, stories or disjointed laws.
8 Lit., "follow thou its recitation”, i.e., its message as expressed in words. Since it is God who
reveals the Qur’ân and bestows upon man the ability to understand it. He attributes its "recitation”
to Himself.
9 I.e., if the Qur’ân is read ‘‘as it ought to be read" (see note 7 above), it becomes-as stressed
by Muhammad vAbduh - ‘‘its own best commentary".
10 Lit., "Who is a wizard [or "a charmer"]?" A similar construction is found in 28:71 and 72.
11 Lit., "when shank is wrapped around shank"-an idiomatic phrase denoting “the affliction of
the present state of existence... combined with that of the final state" (Lane IV, 1471, quoting
both the Qâmûs and the Tâj al-'Ariis). As pointed out by Zamakhsharî, the noun sâq (lit.,
‘shank") is often used metaphorically in the sense of "difficulty”, “hardship or vehemence
(shiddflh); hence the well-known phrase, qâmat al-ftari» 'alâ sâq, "the war broke out with
I vehemence" (Tâj al-*Ariis).
j 12 Lit., “towards thy Sustainer will be the driving", i.e., with belated repentance (see next three
! verses). The phrase rendered above as “at the time" reads, literally, “on that day”; but the term
is often used idiomatically in the sense of “time" regardless of its duration.

913
 AL-QIYÄMAH SÜRAH75

(31) [Useless, though, will be his repentance:13] for

[as long as he was alive] he did not accept the truth,
nor did he pray [for enlightenment], (32) but, on the
contrary, he gave the lie to the truth and turned away
[from it], (33) and then went arrogantly back to what (£) àyj (£) "h J 'M
he had come from.'4
(34) [And yet, O man, thine end comes hourly] <$) ifJ? <$
nearer unto thee, and nearer-(35) and ever nearer
<$>
unto thee, and nearer!

(36) DOES MAN, then, think that he is to be left to C$)

himself, to go about at will?'1
J-*A
(37) Was he not once a [mere] drop of sperm that
had been spilt, (38) and thereafter became a germ­ JJ! <$>
cell - whereupon He created and formed [it] in ac­
cordance with what [it] was meant to be,16 (39) and ©P#

fashioned out of it the two sexes, the male and the

' female?
(40) Is not He, then, able to bring the dead back to
life?

13 This interpolation, necessary for a full understanding of the sequence, is based on 4:17-18,
which has a definite bearing on the above passage.
14 Lit., “to his people”: i.e., to the arrogant belief, rooted in the materialism of his social
environment, that man is “self-sufficient” and, therefore, not in need of any divine guidance (cf.
96:6).
15 I.e., without being held morally responsible for his doings.
16 For this rendering of sawwâ, see note 1 on 87:2 and note 5 on 91:7. The stress on God's
creating man after he had been a germ-cell is a metonym for His endowing the (originally) lowly
organism with what is described as a “soul”.
 THE SEVENTY-SIXTH SÜRAH

AL-INSÄN (MAN)

PERIOD UNCERTAIN

HE OPINIONS of the earliest commentators are divided as to whether this sürah - also called
T Ad-Dahr (“Time” or “Endless Time”) after a word occurring in the first verse - belongs to the
Mecca or the Medina period. Many authorities of the second generation - among them Mujahid,
Qatâdah, Al-Hasan al-Baçrî and 'Ikrimah (all of them quoted by Baghawi) - hold the view that it
was revealed at Medina.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) TTAS THERE [not] been an endless span of time1

AA before man [appeared-a time] when he was not
yet a thing to be thought of?2
(2) Verily, it is We who have created man out of a
drop of sperm intermingled,3 so that We might try
him [in his later life]: and therefore We made him a
being endowed with hearing and sight.
(3) Verily, We have shown him the way:45[and it
rests with him to prove himself] either grateful or
ungrateful.
(4) [Now,] behold, for those who deny the truth3
We have readied chains and shackles, and a blazing
flame6-(5) [whereas,] behold, the truly virtuous shall
drink from a cup flavoured with the calyx of sweet-

1 Implying, according to all the classical commentators, “there has indeed been an immensely
long [or “endless”] span of time”-the interrogative particle hal having here the positive meaning
of qad. However, this meaning can be brought out equally well by interpolating the word “not”.
2 Lit., “a thing mentioned” or “mentionable”-i.e., non-existent even as a hypothetical concept.
The purport of this statement is a refutation of the blasphemous “anthropocentric” world-view,
which postulates man as he exists-and not any Supreme Being-as the centre and ultimate reality
of all life.
3 Sc., “with the female ovum”: cf. 86:6-7.
4 I.e., God has not only endowed man with “hearing and sight”, i.e., with reason and the
instinctive ability to discern between right and wrong, good and evil (cf. 90:10), but He also
actively guides him by means of the revelation bestowed on the prophets.
5 In this context, the “denial of the truth" (kufr) apparently relates to man’s deliberate
suppression of his inborn cognition of God's existence (cf. 7: 172 and the corresponding note 139)
®8 well as to his disregard of his own instinctive perceptions of good and evil.
.6 Sc., “of despair”. For the metaphor of “shackles and chains” - i.e., the consequence of the
sinners’ blind surrender to their own passions and to false values, and the resulting enslavement of
their spirit-see sürah 34, note 44; also Râzï’s elaborate comments (quoted in note 7 on 73:12-13)
°n this allegory of suffering in the hereafter.

915
AL-INSÄN SÜRAH

smelling flowers:7 (6) a source [of bliss] whereof

God's servants shall drink, seeing it flow in a flow
abundant.89
(7) [The truly virtuous are] they [who] fulfil their 0 b>^=»
vows,’ and stand in awe of a Day the woe of which is
bound to spread far and wide, (8) and who give food - (T)
however great be their own want of it1011 - unto the
needy, and the orphan, and the captive," (9) [saying, 0 bkLJ
in their hearts,] “We feed you for the sake of God
V 0 Ut 3
alone: we desire no recompense from you, nor
thanks: (10) behold, we stand in awe of our j 0 ^3 JÉÙ.
on a distressful, fateful Day!”
Sustainer’s judgment1213
(11) And so, God will preserve them from the woes f fpp 0 uA* C'
of that Day, and will bestow on them brightness and
’jJ5—•^f-4'>.3 0 f-&3
joy, (12) and will reward them for all their patience in
adversity with a garden [of bliss] and with [garments ^3J^ C?0 b.x-J
of] silk."
(13) In that [garden] they will on couches recline, I—0 b.xb Vj Lr
and will know therein neither [burning] sun nor cold
severe, (14) since its [blissful] shades will come down
low over them,1415 and low will hang down its clusters
16 1x^0’^^'^^
of .fruit, most easy to reach."
(15) And they will be waited upon with vessels of ii'uV’Q (J) bÿ; pi
silver and goblets that will [seem to] be crystal-(16)
crystal-like, [but] of silver - the measure whereof
they alone will determine."

7 The Lisân al-Arab gives “the calyx (kimm) of the grape before its flowering" as the primary
significance of käftir; according to other lexicologists (e.g., Taj al-'Artis), it denotes “the calyx of
any flower”; JawharT applies it to the “spathe of a palm tree". Hence, this - and not “camphor" - is
evidently the meaning of kâfûr in the above context: an allusion to the sweet, extremely delicate
fragrance of the symbolic “drink" of divine knowledge (cf. 83 :25-28 and the corresponding notes
8 and 9).
8 Lit., “making [or “letting”] it flow..etc.: i.e., having it always at their disposal.
9 I.e., the spiritual and social obligations arising from their faith.
10 Or, as in 2:177, “however much they themselves may cherish [i.e., “need"] it”; cf. also
90:14-16. It is to be noted that in this context the concept of “giving food" comprises every kind
of help and care, both material and moral.
11 The term asir denotes anyone who is a “captive" either literally (e.g., a prisoner) or
figuratively, i.e., a captive of circumstances which render him helpless; thus, the Prophet said,
“Thy debtor is thy captive; be, therefore, truly kind to thy captive" (Zamakhsharï, Râzî, et al.).
The injunction of kindness towards all who are in need of help-and therefore “captive" in one
sense or another-applies to believers and non-believers alike (Tabarï, Zamakhsharï), and
apparently also to animals dependent on man.
12 Lit., “we fear our Sustainer”.
13 For this allegory, see first half of note 41 on 18:31.
14 Regarding the allegorical implication of the term “shades” (filai), see note 74 on 4:57. It is
to be noted that the existence of shade presupposes the existence of light (JawharT), which latter is
one of the characteristics implicit in the concept of “paradise”.
15 Lit., “in all humility".
16 I.e., partaking of as much as they may desire.

916
 76 MAN

(17) And in that [paradise] they will be given to

drink of a cup flavoured with ginger, (18) [derived
I from] a source [to be found] therein, whose name is
“Seek Thy Way”?7
(19) And immortal youths will wait upon them:17 1819
when thou seest them, thou wouldst deem them to be
scattered pearls; (20) and when thou seest [anything
that is] there, thou wilt see [only] bliss and a realm
transcendent.
(21) Upon those [blest] will be garments of green
silk and brocade; and they will be adorned with
Ct »Si 5
bracelets of silver.” And their Sustainer will give
them to drink of a drink most pure.20
(22) [And they will be told:] “Verily, all this is your 01 pr j y jjû' 'A-j
reward, since your endeavour [in life] has met with
[God’s] goodly acceptance!” 3
(23) VERILY, [O believer,] it is We who have bestowed 3: CIÇk àj £ Lj
from on high this Qur’än upon thee, step by step21 - 'Jfj' Ci* £ XÏ 11 ')
truly a bestowal from on high!
(24) Await, then, in all patience thy Sustainer’s *£j
judgment,22 and pay no heed to any of them who is a
^UÎ ijCzLj
wilful sinner or an ingrate; (25) and bear in mind thy
Sustainer’s name23 at morn and evening (26) and
during some of the night,24 and prostrate thyself
before Him, and extol His limitless glory throughout
the long night.25

17 This is how 'Ali ibn Abi Tälib-as quoted by Zamakhsharï and Râzî - explains the
(obviously compound) word salsabilan. dividing it into its two components, sal sabïlan (“ask [or
“seek”] the way”): namely, “seek thy way to paradise by means of doing righteous deeds”.
Although Zamakhsharï does not quite agree with this interpretation, it is. in my opinion, very
convincing inasmuch as it contains an allusion to the highly allegorical character of the concept of
“paradise” as a spiritual consequence of one’s positive endeavours in this world. That its delights
are not of a material nature is also evident from their varying descriptions - i.e., “a cup flavoured
with ginger” in verse 17, and “flavoured with the calyx of sweet-smelling flowers” in verse 5; or
“they will be waited upon with trays and goblets of gold” in 43:71, and “vessels of silver and
goblets that will [seem to] be crystal - crystal-like, [but] of silver”, in verses 15-16 of this sürah}
and so forth.
18 See note 6 on 56:17-18.
19 See 18:31 (where “bracelets of gold" are mentioned) and the corresponding note 41.
20 Implying that God Himself will slake their spiritual thirst by purifying their inner selves “of
all envy, and rancour, and malice, and all that leads to harm, and all that is base in man’s nature
(Ibn Kathïr, quoting cAlï ibn AbT Talib), and by allowing them to “drink” of His Own Light (Râzî).
21 The gradualness of Qur’anic revelation is implied in the verbal form nazzalnâ.
22 This connects with the preceding mention of the life to come, in which the righteous will
meet with bliss, and the evildoers with suffering.
23 I.e., His “attributes" as they manifest themselves in His creation - since the human mind can
grasp only the fact of His existence and the manifestation of those “attributes , but never the
“how” of His Reality (Râzî).
24 Le., at all times of wakefulness.
25 Le., “whenever unhappiness oppresses thee and all seems dark around thee".

917
 AL-INSÄN SÜRAH 76

(27) Behold, they [who are unmindful of God] love

this fleeting life, and leave behind them [all thought
of] a grief-laden Day.
(28) [They will not admit to themselves that] it is
We who have created them and strengthened their
make“-and [that], if it be Our will, We can replace
them entirely with others of their kind.26
27
*»'/'Js ù[ £?*) 5Laj LJj. Gli
(29) VERILY, all this is an admonition: whoever, then, so
Lj (g) tUjJ
wills, may unto his Sustainer find a way.
(30) But you cannot will it unless God wills [to û* UX»- y* âî t Lj jl
show you that way]:28 for, behold, God is indeed
all-seeing, wise. UJ*p-X J*l «cv-jcjîïû
(31) He admits unto His grace everyone who wills
[to be admitted];29 but as for the evildoers-for them
has He readied grievous suffering [in the life to
come].
26 I.e., endowed their bodies and minds with the ability to enjoy “this fleeting life”.
27 I.e., with other human beings who would have the same powers of body and mind, but would
put them to better use.
28 See note 11 on 81:28-29. The perplexity of some of the commentators at the apparent
“contradiction” between those two verses-as well as between verses 29-30 of the present
sürah - has been caused by their elliptic formulation, which, I believe, is resolved in my rendering.
In the present instance, in particular, there is a clear connection between the above two verses and
verse 3 of this sürah: “We have shown him the way: [and it rests with him to prove himself] either
grateful or ungrateful”. (Cf. also 74:56.)
29 Or: “whomever He wills” - either of these two formulations being syntactically justified.
 THE SEVENTY-SEVENTH SÜRAH

AL-MURSALAT (THOSE SENT FORTH)

MECCA PERIOD

AKING its name from the word al-mursalät which appears in the first verse (and which
T obviously refers to the gradual revelation of the Qur’an), this surah may be placed chronolo­
gically between surahs 104 (Al-Humazah) and 50 (Qäf), i.e., almost certainly in the fourth year o
the Prophet’s mission.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) /CONSIDER these [messages,] sent forth in waves’

V-z(2) and then storming on with a tempest's force!
(3) Consider these [messages] that spread [the
truth] far and wide,
(4) thus separating [right and wrong] with all
23
clarity,1
(5) and then giving forth a reminder.
(6) [promising] freedom from blame or (offering] a
warning!1

(7) BEHOLD, all that you are told to expect45will surely

come to pass.
(8) Thus, [it will come to pass] when the stars are
effaced,
(9) and when the sky is rent asunder.
(10) and when the mountains are scattered like
dust, fx* j* 3*
(11) and when all the apostles are called together at
a time appointed ....’
(12) For what day has the term [of all this] been
set?
(13) For the Day of Distinction [between the true

1 I.e., one after another: an allusion to the gradual, step-by-step revelation of the Qur’an. By
contrast, the next clause (verse 2) obviously relates to the impact of the divine writ as a whole. For
my rendering of the adjurative particle wa as ’'Consider”, see surah 74, first half of note 23.
2 Lit., "with [all] separation” (farqan). Cf. 8:29 and the corresponding note; also note 38 on
2 :53.
3 I.e., showing what leads to freedom from blame-in other words, the principles of right
conduct - and what is ethically reprehensible and, therefore, to be avoided.
4 Lit., "that which you are promised", i.e., resurrection.
5 Sc., to bear witness for or against those to whom they conveyed God’s message (cf. 4:41-42.
5: 109, 7:6 or 39:69).

919
 AL-MURSALÄT SÜRAH

and the false] !6

(14) And what could make thee conceive what that
Day of Distinction will be?
(15) Woe on that Day unto those who give the lie to
the truth!
(16) Did We not destroy [so many of] those [sin­
ners] of olden days? (17) And We shall let them be eV Ji (£) ùy'^JÎ x-v.55 0
followed by those of later times:7 (18) [for] thus do
We deal with such as are lost in sin. JmJ (g) (» < ■;*> /Cg)
(19) Woe on that Day unto those who give the lie to
the truth! JI (J) Û« J1-, <$>
(20) Did We not create you out of a humble fluid,
J (j) ÿje
(21) which We then let remain in [the womb’s] firm
keeping (22) for a term pre-ordained? jb 0 ûjji* (g)
(23) Thus have We determined [the nature of man’s
creation]: and excellent indeed is Our power to eg) <$)
determine [what is to be]!89
(24) Woe on that Day unto those who give the lie to
the truth! iJLU 0 3/^ ji ) <$) LV
(25) Have We not caused the earth to hold within
itself (26) the living and the dead?’-(27) and have We
not set on it proud, firm mountains, and given you
sweet water to drink?1011 (g)
(28) Woe on that Day unto those who give the lie to
the truth!

(29) GO ON towards that [resurrection] which you were

wont to call a lie!
(30) Go on towards the threefold shadow" (31) that
will offer no [cooling] shade and will be of no avail

6 This is chronologically the earliest occurrence of the expression yawm al-fasl, which
invariably relates to the Day of Resurrection (cf. 37 :21, 44:40, 78 : 17, as well as verse 38 of the
present sürah): an allusion to the oft-repeated Qur’anic statement that on resurrection man will
gain a perfect, unfailing insight into himself and the innermost motivation of his past attitudes and
doings (cf. 69:1 and the corresponding note 1).
7 The use of the conjunction thumma -which in this case has been rendered as “And” - implies
that suffering in the hereafter is bound to befall the sinners “of later times” (al-âkhirûn) even if
God, in His unfathomable wisdom, wills to spare them in this world.
8 The process of man’s coming into being (illustrated, for instance, in 23:12-14) clearly points
to God’s creative activity and, hence, to His existence. Consequently, lack of gratitude on man's
part amounts to what the Qur’än describes as “giving the lie to the truth”.
9 This refers not merely to the fact that the earth is an abode for living and dead human beings
and animals, but is also an allusion to the God-willed, cyclic recurrence of birth, growth, decay and
death in all organic creation - and thus an evidence of the existence of the Creator who “brings
forth the living out of that which is dead, and brings forth the dead out of that which is alive”
(3 : 27,6 : 95, 10 : 31 and 30:19).
10 Parallel with the preceding, this verse refers to God’s creation of inanimate matter, and thus
rounds off the statement that He is the Maker of the universe in all its manifestations, both organic
and inorganic.
11 I.e., of death, resurrection and God’s judgment, all three of which cast dark shadows, as it
were, over the sinners' hearts.

920
 77 THOSE SENT FORTH

against the flame (32) which-behold {-will throw up

sparks like [burning] logs, (33) like giant fiery ropes!12
(34) Woe on that Day unto those who give the lie to
the truth-(35) that Day on which they will not [be
able to] utter a word, (36) nor be allowed to proffer
excuses!
(37) Woe on that Day unto those who give the lie to
the truth-(38) that Day of Distinction [between the
true and the false, when they will be told]: “We have (7£) fH ’-‘L* & ûy
brought you together with those [sinners] of olden
times; (39) and if you [think that you] have a subter­
fuge left, try to outwit Me!’’
(40) Woe on that Day unto those who give the lie to xir ys ô'è’ (ä)
the truth!
(41) [AS AGAINST this,] behold, the God-conscious shall
dwell amidst [cooling] shades and springs, (42) and
[partake of] whatever fruit they may desire; (43) [and
they will be told:] “Eat and drink in good cheer in
return for what you did [in life]!”13
(44) Thus, behold, do We reward the doers of good;
(45) [but] woe on that Day unto those who give the lie
to the truth!
(46) EAT [your fill] and enjoy your life for a little while, O
you who are lost in sin!14 (47) [But] woe on that Day
unto those who give the lie to the truth, (48) and when
they are told, “Bow down [before God]”, do not bow
down: (49) woe on that Day unto those who give the
lie to the truth!
(50) In what other tiding, then, will they, after this,
believe?

12 Lit., “like yellow twisted ropes”, yellow being “the colour of fire” (Baghawî). The con­
ventional rendering of jimälät (also spelt jimälät and jimälah) as “camels”, adopted by many
commentators and, until now, by all translators of the Qur’an, must be rejected as grossly
anomalous; see in this connection note 32 on the second part of 7:40-“they shall not enter
paradise any more than a twisted rope can pass through a needle’s eye”. In the above verse, too, the
plural noun jimälah (or jimälät) signifies “twisted ropes” or “giant ropes” - a connotation that has
been forcefully stressed by Ibn cAbbâs, Mujähid, SacTd ibn Jubayr and others (cf. Tabari,
Baghawî, Râzï, Ibn Kathir; also Bukhari, Kitäb at-Tafsîr). Moreover, our observation of
the trajectory of shooting stars fully justifies the rendering “giant fiery ropes”. Similarly, my
rendering of qafr, in this context, as “(burning] logs” - instead of the conventional (and utterly
meaningless) “castles”, “palaces”, etc. - goes back to all of the above-mentioned authorities.
13 For this symbolism of the joys of paradise, see Appendix I.
14 Lit., “behold, you are lost in sin (mujrimün)".
 THE SEVENTY-EIGHTH SÜRAH

AN-NABÄ123 (THE TIDING)

MECCA PERIOD

HE THEME of this undoubtedly late Meccan sürah (SuyQtï) is the continuation of human life
T after bodily death, i.e., resurrection and God’s ultimate judgment. Its conventional title is derived
from the word naba* appearing in the second verse.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) A BOUT WHAT do they [most often] ask one anoth-

er? (2) About the awesome tiding [of resurrec­ -------------
tion], (3) on which they [so utterly] disagree.1
(4) Nay, but in time they will come to understand (T) 0 SptUiJU
[it]’
(5) And once again:2 Nay, but in time they will come 0 #0 M
to understand!
0 j ' 0 sæ
(6) HAVE WE NOT made the earth a resting-place [for
you], (7) and the mountains [its] pegs?3 Q U.,ji0 bjji
(8) And We have created you in pairs;4 (9) and We

1 The question which preoccupies man above all others - the question as to whether there is life
after death-has been variously answered throughout the ages. It is, of course, impossible to
describe the innumerable variations of those answers; nevertheless, a few main lines of thought
are clearly discernible, and their mention may be useful for a better understanding of the Qur’anic
treatment of this problem. Some people - probably a minority - seem to be convinced that bodily
death amounts to total and irreversible extinction, and that, therefore, all talk about a hereafter is
but an outcome of wishful thinking. Others are of the opinion that after individual death the human
“life-essence” returns to the supposed source of its origin - conceived as the “universal soul”-
and merges with it entirely. Some believe in a successive transmigration of the individual soul, at
the moment of death, into another body, human or animal, but without a continuation of individual
consciousness. Others, again, think that only the soul, and not the entire human “personality”,
continues to live after death-that is, in a purely spiritual, disembodied form. And. lastly, some
believe in an undiminished survival of the individual personality and consciousness, and regard
death and resurrection as the twin stages of a positive act of re-creation of the entire human
personality, in whatever form this may necessarily involve: and this is the Qur’anic view of the life
to come.
2 For this rendering of the particle thumma, see sürah 6, note 31.
3 See 16:15-“He has placed firm mountains on earth, lest it sway with you”-and the
corresponding note 11, which explains the reference to mountains as “pegs”.-The whole of this
passage (verses 6-16) is meant to illustrate God’s almightiness and creativeness, as if to say, “Is
not He who has created the universe equally able to resurrect and re-create man in whatever form
He deems necessary?"
4 I.e., “with the same creative power We have created the miraculous polarity of the two sexes
in you and in other animated beings”. The phenomenon of polarity, evident throughout the
universe (see 36 : 36 and the corresponding note 18), is further illustrated in verses 9-11.

922
 SÜRAH 78
THE TIDING

have made your sleep [a symbol of] death3 (10) and

made the night [its] cloak (11) and made the day [a
symbol of] life.56
(12) And We have built above you seven firma­
ments,7 (13) and have placed [therein the sun,] a lamp
full of blazing splendour. ljuXJ <g) uj jJt lv
(14) And from the wind-driven clouds We send
down waters pouring in abundance, (15) so that We
might bring forth thereby grain, and herbs, (16) and
gardens dense with foliage.8
ùi 3
(17) VERILY, the Day of Distinction [between the true
and the false]9 has indeed its appointed time: (18) the
Day when the trumpet [of resurrection] is sounded
and you all come forward in multitudes; (19) and '* <3* fl
when the skies are opened and become [as wide-
flung] gates;10 (20) and when the mountains are made <3- L; juLî
to vanish as if they had been a mirage."
(21) [On that Day,] verily, hell will lie in wait [for
those who deny the truth] - (22) a goal for all who are
wont to transgress the bounds of what is right!
< > g) 3 C# yj 6*
(23) In it shall they remain for a long time.1213(24)
Neither coolness shall they taste therein nor any
[thirst-quenching] drink - (25) only burning despair
and ice-cold darkness:11 (26) a meet requital [for their
sins]!

5 Thus ZamakhsharT, stressing the primary significance of subat as “cutting-off” (qar*)* ’-c”
“death”; also the famous second-century philologist Abû ‘Ubaydah Ma‘mar ibn al-Muthannâ. who
(as quoted by RäzT) explains the above Qur’anic phrase as an “analogue (shibh) of death”.
6 According to ZamakhsharT, the term nia'âsh (“that whereby one lives“) is here synonymous
with “life”. In the polarity of sleep (or “death”) and wakefulness (or “life”) we see the allusion to
bodily death and subsequent resurrection already touched upon in 6:60.
7 Lit., “seven firm ones", indicating the multiplicity of cosmic systems (see surah 2, note 20).
8 Implying that the overwhelming evidence of purpose and plan in all observable nature points to
the existence of a conscious Creator who has “not created [anything of] this without meaning and
purpose” (3 : 191), and who - as is stressed in the sequence - will one day pronounce His judgment on
every human being's willingness or unwillingness to live up to the standards of morality made clear to
him through inborn instinct as well as through divine revelation.
9 See note 6 on 77 : 13. This passage connects with verses 4-5.
10 Allegorically, “its mysteries will be opened to man’s understanding ” - thus further amplifying
the concept of “the Day of Distinction between the true and the false”.
11 See note 90 on 20: 105-107, as well as note 63 on 14:48.
12 I.e., not forever, since the term huqb or hiqbah (of which ahqäb is the plural) denotes no
more than “a period of time" or “a long time" (JawharT)-according to some authorities, “eighty
years", according to others, “a year" or simply "years” (Asüs, Qâmûs, Lisän al-'Arab, etc.). But
however one defines this term, it is obvious that it signifies a limited period of time, and not
eternity: and this is in tune with many indications in the Qur’än to the effect that the suffering
described as “hell" is not eternal (see note 114 on the last paragraph of 6:128), as well as with
several authentic sayings of the Prophet (e.g., the one quoted in note 10 on 40:12).
13 For my rendering of hamiin as “burning despair", see sürah 6, note 62. The meaning of
ghassâq is explained in note 47 on 38 : 57-58.

923
AN-NABÀ' SÜRAH

(2 7) Behold, they were not expecting to be called to

account, (28) having given the lie to Our messages
one and all: (29) but We have placed on record every
single thing [of what they did].
(3 0) [And so We shall say:] “Taste, then, [the fruit
of your evil doings,] for now We shall bestow on you (g) UxTJS'j (g) L&UXUL
nothing but more and more suffering!”14
(3 1) [But,] verily, for the God-conscious there is (g)
supreme fulfilment in store:’5 (32) luxuriant gardens
and vinyards, (33) and splendid companions well- (g) Uy I 3 (5>
matched,16 (34) and a cup [of happiness] overflowing.
(3 5) No empty talk will they hear in that [paradise], (g) <g) l*l*a L»K”j

nor any lie. <g)

(3 6) [All this will be] a reward from thy Sustainer, a
gift in accordance with [His Own] reckoning17 - (37) [a (g)LlUt y
reward from] the Sustainer of the heavens and the
earth and all that is between them, the Most Gracious! Li— rjß Çyi»

[And] none shall have it in their power to raise their

jJf (g) kb-*
voices unto Him (38) on the Day when all [human]
souls18 and all the angels will stand up in ranks: none
will speak but he to whom the Most Gracious will
have given leave; and [everyone] will say [only] what
is right.19_______________________________________________
14 Lit., “We shall not increase you in anything but suffering’’: i.e., until the sins committed in
this world are atoned for by commensurate suffering in the hereafter - for “whoever shall come
[before God] with an evil deed will be requited with no more than the like thereof; and none shall
be wronged” (6:160).
15 I.e., the fulfilment of all that a human being may ever desire (Râzï). symbolized by the
“luxuriant gardens”, etc., of the sequence.
16 For the above rendering of aträb, see sürah 56, note 15. As regards my rendering of kawä’ib
as “splendid companions", it is to be remembered that the term ka’b - from which the participle
kä’ib is derived-has many meanings, and that one of these meanings is “prominence’’,
“eminence” or “glory” (Lisän al-’Arab)-, thus, the verb ka’ba, when applied to a person, signifies
“he made [another person] prominent”, “glorious” or “splendid” (ibid.) Based on this tropical
meaning of both the verb ka’ba and the noun ka’b, the participle kä’ib has often been used, in
popular parlance, to denote “a girl whose breasts are becoming prominent” or “are budding”:
hence, many commentators see in it an allusion to some sort of youthful “female companions”
who would entertain the (presumably male) inmates of paradise. But quite apart from the fact that
all Qur’anic allegories of the joys of paradise invariably apply to men and women alike, this
interpretation of kawâ’ib overlooks the purely derivative origin of the above popular usage -
which is based on the tropical connotation of “prominence” inherent in the noun ka’b -and
substitutes for this obvious tropism the literal meaning of something that is physically prominent:
and this, in my opinion, is utterly unjustified. If we bear in mind that the Qur’anic descriptions of
the blessings of paradise are always allegorical, we realize that in the above context the term
kawâ’ib can have no other meaning than “glorious [or “splendid”] beings”, without any definition
of sex; and that, in combination with the term aträb, it denotes, “splendid companions well-
matched” - thus alluding to the relations of the blest with one another, and stressing the absolute
mutual compatibility and equal dignity of all of them. See also note 13 on 56 : 34.
17 I.e., not merely in accordance with their good deeds but far in excess of them, in accordance
with God’s unlimited bounty.
18 Lit., “the soul”, in the singular but implying a plural. This is, according to Ibn 'Abbas,
Qatfidah and Al-Hasan (all of them quoted by Tabari), the meaning of ar-rüh in the above context.
19 This includes the symbolic right of the prophets to “intercede” for the sinners on Judgment

924
78 THE TIDING

(39) That will be the Day of Ultimate Truth:*20

whoever wills, then, let him take the path that leads
towards his Sustainer! Llj* Lit* «4p

(40) Verily, We have warned you of suffering near ÿlOÎ JjiiJ •'■*» I» f-H
at hand - [suffering] on the Day when man shall
[clearly] see what his hands have sent ahead, and 0
when he who has denied the truth shall say, “Oh,
would that I were mere dust... !”21

Day (see 10:3 - “There is none that could intercede with Him unless He grants leave therefor” -
and the corresponding note 7, which makes it clear that such “intercession” implies God’s a-priori
acceptance of the sinner’s repentance). In a wider sense, the statement that he whom God will
allow to speak “will say [only] what is right” implies the impossibility of anyone’s being untruthful
on Judgment Day.
20 Cf. 69:1 and the corresponding note 1. Objectively, it will be the moment when the ultimate
reality of human life and its purpose will become fully accessible to man’s understanding.
21 Cf. 69:27.
 THE SEVENTY-NINTH SÜRAH

AN-NÄZIeÄT (THOSE THAT RISE)

MECCA PERIOD

HIS late Meccan siirah, revealed shortly after the preceding one, takes its name from the word
T an-näzieät in the first verse.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) /CONSIDER those [stars] that rise only to set,’

2
and move [in their orbits] with steady motion,1
(3) and float [through space] with floating serene, _____________
(4) and yet overtake [one another] with swift over­
taking:3
(5) and thus they fulfil the [Creator’s] behest!
aJU(T)liSJU(T) uL>< ' 'I}
(6) [HENCE,4 think of] the Day when a violent con­
vulsion will convulse [the world], (7) to be followed by Q UÏ* o ->-7 fx 0
further [convulsions]!
(8) On that Day will [men’s] hearts be throbbing, (9)
o !*>•? 0
[and] their eyes downcast....
(10) [And yet,] some say, “What! Are we indeed

1 For my rendering of the adjurative particle wa as "Consider’’, see first half of note 23 on
74: 32.-The early commentators differ widely in their explanations of verses 1-5 of this siirah.
The most popular interpretation is based on the view that the descriptive participles an-nàzfât,
an-näshität, as-säbihät, as-säbiqät and al-mudabbirât refer to angels and their activities with
regard to the souls of the dying: an interpretation categorically rejected by AbQ Muslim al-
Isfahânï, who - as mentioned by RäzT - points out that the angels are never referred to in the
Qur’än in the female gender, as is the case in the above five participles, and that the present passage
cannot be an exception. Almost equally unconvincing - because somewhat laboured-are the
explanations which link those five participles to the souls of the dying, or to warriors engaged in holy
war, or to war-mounts, and so forth. The clearest and simplest interpretation is that advanced by
Qatädah (as quoted by TabarT and BaghawT) and Al-Hasan al-Ba$rT (quoted by BaghawT and
RäzT), who maintain that what is meant in this passage are the stars - including the sun and the
moon-and their movements in space: and this interpretation is fully in tune with many other
passages in the Qur’än in which the harmony of those celestial bodies in their multiform orbits and
graded speeds is cited as an evidence of God’s planning and creativeness. In accordance with this
interpretation, the participle an-näzi'ät occurring in the first verse denotes the daily "ascending” or
“rising” of the stars, while their subsequent "setting” is indicated by the expression gharqan,
which comprises the two concepts of “drowning” (i.e., disappearing) and, tropically, of the
“completeness" of this daily phenomenon (ZamakhsharT).
2 I.e., passing from constellation to constellation (ZamakhsharT)-
3 This is apparently an allusion to the different speeds of the orbiting stars (Al-Hasan and AbQ
TJbaydah, as quoted by RäzT), as well as to the extent of their orbits in relation to one another.
4 I.e., upon realizing the above-mentioned evidence of God’s almightiness and, therefore, of
man’s subjection to His ultimate judgment.

926
 to be restored to our former state-(11) even though
we may have become [a heap of] crumbling bones?”
(12) [And] they add, “That, then, would be a return
with loss!”5
(13) [But,] then, that [Last Hour] will be [upon
them of a sudden, as if it were] but a single accusing
cry-(14) and then, lo, they will be fully awakened [to
the truth]! Lit* ܻl

(15) HAS THE STORY of Moses ever come within thy

ken?6
(16) Lo! His Sustainer called out to him in the
twice-hallowed valley:7
(17) “Go unto Pharaoh-for, verily, he has trans­
gressed all bounds of what is right - (18) and say
[unto him], ‘Art thou desirous of attaining to purity?
(19) [If so,] then I shall guide thee towards [a cog­
nition of] thy Sustainer, so that [henceforth] thou wilt
stand in awe [of Him].’”8
(20) And thereupon he [went to Pharaoh and] made
him aware of the great wonder [of God's grace].9
(21) But [Pharaoh] gave him the lie and rebelliously
rejected [all guidance], (22) and brusquely turned his
back [on Moses]; (23) and then he gathered (his great
ones], and called [unto his people], (24) and said, “I
am your Lord All-Highest!”1011
(25) And thereupon God took him to task, (and
made him] a warning example in the life to come as
well as in this world."
(26) In this, behold, there is a lesson indeed for all
who stand in awe [of God].

5 Implying derisively (Zamakhsharï) that in such a case they would be proved wrong in what
they now consider a “reasonable" assumption.
6 Connecting with the preceding passage, the story of Moses (which appears in much greater
detail in 20 : 9-98) is cited here as an illustration of the fact that everyone will have to answer on
Judgment Day for whatever he did in life, and that it is the main function of every prophet to make
man aware of this responsibility.
7 See note 9 on 20: 12.- For the meaning of the particle idh at the beginning of this sentence,
rendered by me as “Lo!", see sürah 2, note 21.
8 Implying that so long as man is not fully aware of the existence of God, he cannot really
discern between what is morally right or wrong; and since God is just. He does not punish anyone
who has not yet attained to such a discernment (or, as expressed in the preceding sentence, “to
[moral] purity"): cf. 6: 131 - “thy Sustainer would never destroy a community for its wrongdoing
so long as its people are still unaware [of the meaning of right and wrong]".
9 Lit., “showed him the great wonder", i.e., of the guidance which God, in His measureless
grace, offers even to the most recalcitrant sinner.
10 Cf. 28:38 and the corresponding note 36. Pharaoh’s claim to divine status is the cardinal sin
whereby “he has transgressed all bounds of what is right" (verse 17 above).
11 Lit., “in the first (life]”. See last sentence of 7:137-“We utterly destroyed all that Pharaoh
and his people had wrought, and all that they had built" - and the corresponding note 100.

927
(27) [O MEN!] Are you more difficult to create than the
heaven which He has built?12
(28) High has He reared its vault and formed it in
accordance with what it was meant to be;13 (29) and
He has made dark its night and brought forth its light
of day.
(30) And after that, the earth: wide has He spread
(u) <n£) 4iljT
its expanse, (31) and has caused its waters to come
out of it, and its pastures,14 (32) and has made the (g) £>..» Ja> bû
mountains firm: (33) [all this] as a means of livelihood
for you and your animals.'5 (g) (n)
(34) AND SO, when the great, overwhelming event [of ClkllCAk (g) A’
resurrection] comes to pass-(35) on that Day man
will [clearly] remember all that he has ever wrought; (g)
(36) and the blazing fire [of hell] will be laid open
before all who [are destined to] see it.16 C?J'ü'L*Li ($>
(37) For, unto him who shall have transgressed the (n) CS jü I H,
bounds of what is right, (38) and preferred the life of
this world [to the good of his soul], (39) that blazing (£> r'**
fire will truly be the goal!
(40) But unto him who shall have stood in fear of jt i «ü* jLj csjili' üf

his Sustainer's Presence, and held back his inner self

from base desires, (41) paradise will truly be the goal!
(42) THEY WILL ASK thee [O Prophet] about the Last
Hour: “When will it come to pass?”
(43) [But] how couldst thou tell anything about it,1718
(44) [seeing that] with thy Sustainer alone rests the
beginning and the end [of all knowledge] thereof?"
(45) Thou art but [sent] to warn those who stand in
awe of it.
12 Lit., “or the heaven ... ”, etc. The “heaven” is here, as in many other places in the Qur’an, a
metonym for “cosmic system” (cf. note 20 on 2:29). The above verse is an echo of an earlier,
more explicit passage - namely, 40:56-57, which should be read together with the corresponding
notes 40 and 41. Both these passages refute the “man-centred” view of the universe by pointing
out man’s insignificance as compared with the vastness and complexity of the whole God-created
universe.
13 See 87:2, which is the earliest instance, in the chronology of Qur’anic revelation, of the use
of the verb sawwä in the above sense.
14 The term “pasture” (mar'ä) connotes here, metonymically, all herbal produce suitable for
consumption by man or animal (Râzî).
15 Implying (as in 80 : 24-32) that man ought to be grateful to God, and should always be
conscious of His being the Provider: hence the subsequent return of the discourse to the theme of
resurrection and ultimate judgment.
16 Cf. 26:91-“will be laid open before those who had been lost in grievous error”: thus
reminding man that suffering in the hereafter (“hell”) is the inevitable consequence of spiritual
self-destruction through deliberate wrongdoing.
17 Lit., “wherein [or “whereon”] art thou with regard to stating it (min dhikrähä)?"
18 Lit., “its utmost limit”, i.e., the beginning and the end of all that can be known about it. Cf.
7:187 and the corresponding note 153.

928
79 THOSE THAT RISE

(46) On the Day when they behold it, [it will seem
to them] as if they had tarried [in this world] no longer
than one evening or [one night, ending with] its morn!19
19 As in many other places in the Qur’an (e.g., in 2:259, 17:52, 18:19, 20:103-104, 23:112—
113, 30:55, etc.), this is a subtle indication of the illusory, earthbound nature of man’s concept of
“time” - a concept which, we are told, will lose all its meaning in the context of the ultimate reality
comprised in the term “hereafter” (al-äkhirah).
 THE EIGHTIETH SÜRAH

'ABASA (HE FROWNED)

MECCA PERIOD

EVEALED at a very early stage of the Prophet’s mission, this sürah has always been
R designated by the predicate with which its first sentence opens. The immediate cause of the
revelation of the first ten verses was an incident witnessed by a number of the Prophet’s
contemporaries (see verses 1-2 and the corresponding note 1 below).

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(l)TTE FROWNED and turned away (2) because the

.[□.blind man approached him!1
(3) Yet for all thou didst know, [O Muhammad,] he
might perhaps have grown in purity, (4) or have been
reminded [of the truth], and helped by this reminder.
(5) Now as for him who believes himself to be
self-sufficient2 - (6) to him didst thou give thy whole
attention, (7) although thou art not accountable for his
failure to attain to purity;3 (8) but as for him who came
unto thee full of eagerness (9) and in awe [of God] -
(10) him didst thou disregard!

(11) NAY, VERILY, these [messages] are but a remind­

er:4 (12) and so, whoever is willing may remember

1 One day, as recorded in many well-authenticated Traditions, the Prophet was engrossed in a
conversation with some of the most influential chieftains of pagan Mecca, hoping to convince
them-and, through them, the Meccan community at large-of the truth of his message. At that
point, he was approached by one of his followers, the blind ‘Abd Allah ibn Shurayh - known after
his grandmother’s name as Ibn Umm Maktüm-with the request for a repetition or elucidation of
certain earlier passages of the Qur’an. Annoyed by this interruption of what he momentarily
regarded as a more important endeavour, Muhammad “frowned and turned away” from the blind
man - and was immediately, there and then, reproved by the revelation of the first ten verses of
this sürah. In later years he often greeted Ibn Umm MaktQm with these words of humility:
“Welcome unto him on whose account my Sustainer has rebuked me Câtabanî)!”
Indirectly, the sharp Qur’anic rebuke (stressed, in particular, by the use of the third-person form
in verses 1-2) implies, firstly, that what would have been a minor act of discourtesy on the part of
an ordinary human being, assumed the aspect of a major sin, deserving a divine rebuke, when
committed by a prophet; and, secondly, it illustrates the objective nature of the Qur’anic
revelation: for, obviously, in conveying God’s reproof of him to the world at large, the Prophet
“does not speak out of his own desire" (cf. 53 :3).
2 I.e., who does not feel the need of divine guidance: a reference to the arrogant pagan
chieftains with whom the Prophet was conversing.
3 Lit., “it is not upon thee Çalayka) that he does not attain to purity”.
4 Sc., of the existence and omnipotence of God. The Qur’Sn is described here, as in many other

930
 SÜRAH 80
HE FROWNED

Him (13) in [the light of His] revelations blest with

dignity, (14) lofty and pure, (15) [borne] by the hands
of messengers (16) noble and most virtuous.
(17) [But only too often] man destroys himself:3*5
how stubbornly does he deny the truth!
(18) [Does man ever consider] out of what sub­
stance [God] creates him? <$>
(19) Out of a drop of sperm He creates him, and
thereupon determines his nature,6 (20) and then
makes it easy for him to go through life;78(21) and in
the end He causes him to die and brings him to the
grave; (22) and then, if it be His will, He shall raise
him again to life.
(23) Nay, but [man] has never yet fulfilled what He
has enjoined upon him !*
(24) Let man, then, consider [the sources of] his C^) LL—■ . y* i*ùr è 1 L'jl
food: (25) [how it is] that We pour down water,
pouring it down abundantly; (26) and then We cleave
the earth [with new growth], cleaving it asunder, (27)
and thereupon We cause grain to grow out of it, (28)
and vines and edible plants, (29) and olive trees and
date-palms, (30) and gardens dense with foliage, (31)
and fruits and herbage, (32) for you and for your
animals to enjoy.9
(33) AND SO,10 when the piercing call [of resurrection] is
heard (34) on a Day when everyone will [want to] flee
from his brother, (35) and from his mother and father.

places, as “a reminder" because it is meant to bring man's instinctive - though sometimes hazy or
unconscious - realization of God's existence into the full light of consciousness. (Cf. 7:172 and
the corresponding note 139.)
5 For my rendering of qutila as "he destroys himself", see sürah 74, note 9.
6 I.e., in accordance with the organic functions which man's body and mind are to fulfil, and the
natural conditions to which he will have to adapt himself. Verses 18-22, although formulated in the
past tense, obviously describe a recurrent phenomenon.
7 Lit., "He makes easy the way for him". This is an allusion to man's being endowed with the
intellectual equipment enabling him to discern between good and evil and to make fruitful use of
the opportunities offered to him by his earthly environment.
8 In other words, man has failed to make adequate use of the intellectual and spiritual
endowment referred to in verse 20. Whereas some commentators are of the opinion that this
relates only to the type of man spoken of in verse 17 above, others maintain, with greater
plausibility, that it is a reference to man in general - thus: "No human being has ever fulfilled all
that was imposed on him as a [moral] duty" (Mujahid, as quoted by TabarT, with a similar
statement attributed by BaghawT to Al-Hasan al-BasrT); or "From the time of Adam to this time,
no human being has ever been free of shortcomings" (Zamakhsharî, BaytfawT). This is in tune with
the Qur’anic doctrine that perfection is an attribute of God alone.
9 The implication is that man ought to be grateful for all this God-given bounty, but as a rule is
not: and this connects with the subsequent evocation of the Day of Resurrection, already hinted at
in the reference to the recurring phenomenon of life-renewal.
10 I.e., as God is able to bring forth new life out of a seemingly dead earth, so is He able to
resurrect the dead.

931
'ABASA SÜRAH 80

(36) and from his spouse and his children: (37) on that
Day, to every one of them will his own state be of
sufficient concern. (g) dli j

(38) Some faces will on that Day be bright with

<$) Li iji
happiness, (39) laughing, rejoicing at glad tidings.
(40) And some faces will on that Day with dust be
covered, (41) with darkness overspread: (42) these,
<g) O
these will be the ones who denied the truth and were
immersed in iniquity!
 THE EIGHTY-FIRST SÜRAH

AT-TAK WIR (SHROUDING IN DARKNESS)

MECCA PERIOD

HE conventional designation of this very early sürah (most probably the seventh in the order
T of revelation) is derived from the verb kuwwirat, which occurs in the first verse and introduces the
symbolic image of the Last Hour and, hence, of man's resurrection.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) TT THEN THE SUN is shrouded in darkness,

W (2) and when the stars lose their light,
(3) and when the mountains are made to vanish,1
(4) and when she-camels big with young, about
to give birth, are left untended,
(5) and when all beasts are gathered together,2
(6) and when the seas boil over,
(7) and when all human beings are coupled [with
their deeds],3
(8) and when the girl-child that was buried alive is
made to ask (9) for what crime she had been slain.4
(10) and when the scrolls [of men's deeds] are
unfolded,
(11) and when heaven is laid bare.

1 See 20: 105-107 and the corresponding note 90: also note 63 on 14:48.
2 I.e., when they crowd together in terror of the manifestation of the Last Hour, or - as
Mu'tazilT commentators maintain - in order to be indemnified by God for man's cruelty to them
(RäzT). It is also said that the animals which were loved by human beings will live in the hereafter
together with those who loved them (Zamakhsharî). This interpretation is evidently based on
6: 38 - "there is no beast that walks on earth and no bird that flies on its two wings which is not
[God’s] creature like yourselves" - followed almost immediately by the words, "Unto their
Sustainer shall they [all] be gathered."
3 I.e., when none will be able to divest himself of responsibility for his past deeds.
4 The barbaric custom of burying female infants alive seems to have been fairly widespread in
pre-Islamic Arabia, although perhaps not to the extent as has been commonly assumed. The
motives were twofold: the fear that an increase of female offspring would result in economic
burdens, as well as fear of the humiliation frequently caused by girls being captured by a hostile
tribe and subsequently preferring their captors to their parents and brothers. Before Islam, one of
the foremost opponents of this custom was Zayd ibn 'Amr ibn Nufayl, a cousin of 'Umar ibn
al-Kha||âb and spiritually a precursor of Muhammad (cf. Bukhari, Fadä’il Afhâb an-Nabï, on the
authority of 'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar); he died shortly before Muhammad's call to prophethood (Fath
al-Bàn VII, 112). Another man, $a'$a'ah ibn Nâjiyah at-Tamïmï - grandfather of the poet
Farazdaq - achieved equal fame as a saviour of infants thus condemned to death: he later
embraced Islam. Ibn Khallikän (II, 197) mentions that $a'$a'ah saved about thirty girls by paying
ransom to their parents.

933
 SÜRAH 81
AT-TAKWÎR________________________________________

(12) and when the blazing fire [of hell] is kindled

bright,
(13) and when paradise is brought into view:
(14) [on that Day] every human being will come to
know what he has prepared [for himself].
(15) BUT NAY! I call to witness the revolving stars,
(16) the planets that run their course and set,
(17) and the night as it darkly falls,
(18) and the morn as it softly breathes:
(19) behold, this [divine writ] is indeed the [in­ (3) 0
spired] word of a noble apostle,5 (20) with strength
cA/j! & x* <3 Jn J4J
endowed, secure with Him who in almightiness is
enthroned6 (21) [the word] of one to be heeded, and (3) <3)
worthy of trust!
(22) For, this fellow-man of yours is not a mad­
man:7 (23) he truly beheld [the angel - beheld] him on
the clear horizon;8 (24) and he is not one to begrudge
others the knowledge [of whatever has been revealed
(g) J'S f (£)
to him] out of that which is beyond the reach of
human perception.9 45 ùj 45 Lj (3> J42
(25) Nor is this [message] the word of any satanic
force accursed.1011
(26) Whither, then, will you go?
(27) This [message] is no less than a reminder to all
mankind - (28) to every one of you who wills to walk
a straight way.
(29) But you cannot will it unless God, the Sus­
tainer of all the worlds, wills [to show you that way]."

5 By “calling to witness” certain natural phenomena which are familiar to man because of their
permanent recurrence, attention is drawn to the fact that what we call “laws of nature" are but the
observable elements of God’s plan of creation - a plan in which His revelations (referred to in this
and the subsequent verses) play a decisive role: and so, by implication, the divine writ granted to
Muhammad is as intrinsically “natural" as any other phenomenon, concrete or abstract, in the
realm of God’s creation.
6 Lit., “with Him of the throne of almightiness". It is to be noted that the Qur’anic term
*arsh - of which the above is the earliest occurrence in the order of revelation - invariably signifies
God’s absolute sovereignty and almightiness (cf. note 43 on 7:54).
7 See surah 68, note 3. The characterization of Muhammad as “this fellow-man of yours” is
meant to stress his absolute humanness, and thus to counteract any possibility on the part of his
followers to deify him. (See also note 150 on 7:184.)
8 This is evidently a reference to the Prophet’s vision of the Angel Gabriel which ended the
break in revelation (fatrat al-wahy) mentioned in the introductory note to sürah 74. See also
53:5 If. and the corresponding notes.
9 Sc., “and so he conveys this revelation to you".
10 For my occasional rendering of shayfân as “satanic force", see first half of note 16 on
15:17.
11 I.e., “you can will it only because God has willed to show you the right way by means of the
positive instincts which He has implanted in you, as well as through the revelations which He has
bestowed on His prophets": implying that the choice of the right way is open to everyone who is
willing to avail himself of God’s universal guidance. (Cf. a similar passage in 76 : 29^30.)

934
 THE EIGHTY-SECOND SÜRAH

AL-INFITÄR (THE CLEAVING ASUNDER)

MECCA PERIOD

LTHOUGH some authorities assign this surah to the early part of the Mecca period, others
A regard it as more probable that it belongs to the last group of Meccan revelations.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) IT 7HEN THE SKY is cleft asunder,1

VV (2) and when the stars are scattered,
(3) and when the seas burst beyond their bounds,
(4) and when the graves are overturned -
(5) every human being will [at last] comprehend
what he has sent ahead and what he has held back [in
this world].23

(6) O MAN! What is it that lures thee away from thy

bountiful Sustainer,1 (7) who has created thee, and
formed thee in accordance with what thou art meant
to be,45and shaped thy nature in just proportions,1 (8)
having put thee together in whatever form He willed
[thee to have]?
(9) Nay, [O men,] but you [are lured away from
God whenever you are tempted to] give the lie to

1 An allusion to the Last Hour, when the world as known to man will come to an end and the
ultimate reality of the hereafter will begin.
2 I.e., what he has done and what he has omitted to do. An alternative rendering would be,
“what he has placed forward and what he has placed behind", i.e., what he prized more and what
less in his erstwhile, subjective valuation. Thus, at the moment of resurrection man will suddenly
understand the true motivations and moral implications of whatever he did - or consciously
refrained from doing-during his life in this world: and this applies to all the good deeds he did and
the sins he refrained from, as well as to all the sins he committed and the good deeds he failed to
do.
3 A rhetorical question implying that no human being is ever entirely immune against “that
temptation to evil (fitnah) which does not befall only those among you who are bent on denying
the truth" (see 8: 25 and the corresponding note 25). The answer is given in verse 9 below.
4 I.e., “endowed thee with all the qualities and abilities relevant to the exigencies of thy
individual life and thy environment".
5 Lit., “made thee proportionate”, i.e„ a being subject to physical needs and emotional urges,
and at the same time endowed with intellectual and spiritual perceptions: in other words, a being in
whom there is no inherent conflict between the demands of “the spirit and the flesh”, since both
these aspects of the human condition are-as stressed in the next verse-God-willed and,
therefore, morally justified.

935
AL-INFTTÄR SÜRAH 82

[God’s] Judgment!6
(10) And yet, verily, there are ever-watchful forces
over you, (11) noble, recording, (12) aware of what­
ever you do!7 0 ûl j 0 j-.il 5^'£
(13) Behold, [in the life to come] the truly virtuous ^—4 0 ÛjJlL (J)
will indeed be in bliss, (14) whereas, behold, the
wicked will indeed be in a blazing fire-(15) [a fire] (S) 0
which they shall enter on Judgment Day, (16) and
which they shall not [be able to] evade.
(17) And what could make thee conceive what that
Judgment Day will be? pe,u Lf 0
(18) And once again: What could make thee con­ fX 0 ü.jtf
ceive what that Judgment Day will be?8
(19) [It will be] a Day when no human being shall 04» JL£
be of the least avail to another human being: for on
that Day [it will become manifest that] all sovereignty
is God’s alone.
6 In view of the fact that the whole of this passage is addressed to “man” or “men” in general,
and not merely to deniers of the truth, I believe that the expression “you give the lie” does not, in
this context, necessarily imply a conscious denial of God’s ultimate judgment but, rather, a
tendency inherent in most human beings to close one’s mind - occasionally or permanently, as the
case may be-to the prospect of having to answer before God for one’s doings: hence my
rendering, “you are tempted to give the lie”.
7 The classical commentators are of the opinion that we have here a reference to the guardian
angels who record, allegorically, all of men’s deeds. However, another explanation has been
suggested by me in my rendering of 50:16-23 and elaborated in the corresponding notes 11-16. In
consonance with that interpretation, the “watchful force" (häfiz) set over every human being is his
own conscience, which “records” all his motives and actions in his subconscious mind. Since it is
the most precious element in man’s psyche, it is described in verse 11 as “noble”.
8 For my rendering of thumma at the beginning of this verse as “And once again”, see surah 6,
note 31. The repetition of this rhetorical question is meant to indicate that man’s intellect and
imagination cannot possibly answer it, since what is described as the Day of Judgment will usher in a
reality which as yet is wholly outside our human experience and, therefore, cannot be grasped
conceptually: hence, only allegory - and our own emotional response to it - can give us an inkling of
what that reality might be.
 THE EIGHTY-THIRD SÜRAH

AL-MUTAFFIFÏN (THOSE WHO GIVE SHORT MEASURE)

PERIOD UNCERTAIN

ANY AUTHORITIES - among them Suyütï - regard this surah as the last Meccan revelation.
M However, a number of authentic Traditions make it clear that at least the first four verses were
revealed shortly after the Prophet’s arrival at Medina (cf. Tabari, BaghawT, Ibn Kathir): some com­
mentators go even further and ascribe the whole of the surah to the Medina period. If we take all the
available evidence into account and disregard all speculations based on no more than theme and style,
we may assume that the main body of this sürah indeed represents the very last Meccan revelation,
while the opening passage (to which the above-mentioned Traditions explicitly refer) belongs to the
earliest Medina period. Thus, the surah as a whole stands - like surah 29 (Al-Ankabüt) - on the
threshold between these two periods.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1)TT7OE UNTO THOSE who give short measure:

W (2) those who, when they are to receive their due
from [other] people, demand that it be given in full - (3)
but when they have to measure or weigh whatever they __________ -3-
owe to others, give less than what is due!1
y Î .3 iiiklï Jj;
(4) Do they not know that they are bound to be
raised from the dead (5) [and called to account] on an
awesome Day-(6) the Day when all men shall stand
before the Sustainer of all the worlds? C' 7^ (~r1 ^y J»* ’
(7) NAY, VERILY, the record of the wicked is indeed
[set down] in a mode inescapable!2
(8) And what could make thee conceive what that
mode inescapable will be?
(9) A record [indelibly] inscribed!
(10) Woe on that Day unto those who give the lie to
the truth-(11) those who give the lie to the [coming

1 This passage (verses 1-3) does not, of course, refer only to commercial dealings but touches
upon every aspect of social relations, both practical and moral, applying to every individual’s
rights and obligations no less than to his physical possessions.
2 According to some of the greatest philologists (e.g., AbQ 'Ubaydah, as quoted in the Lisân
al-*Arab), the term sijjîn is derived from-or even synonymous with-the noun si/n, which
signifies “a prison”. Proceeding from this derivation, some authorities attribute to sijjîn the
tropical meaning of dayim, i.e., “continuing" or “lasting" (ibid.). Thus, in its metaphorical
application to a sinner’s "record”, it is evidently meant to stress the latter’s inescapable quality.as
if its contents were lastingly “imprisoned”, i.e., set down indelibly, with no possibility of escaping
from what they imply: hence my rendering of the phrase fî sijjîn as “[set down] in a mode
inescapable”. This interpretation is, to my mind, fully confirmed by verse 9 below.

937
 SÜRAH
AL-MUTAFFIFÎN

of] Judgment Day: (12) for, none gives the lie to it but
such as are wont to transgress against all that is right
[and are] immersed in sin:3 (13) [and so,] whenever
Our messages are conveyed to them, they but say,
“Fables of ancient times!”
(14) Nay, but their hearts are corroded by all [the
evil] that they were wont to do!4 0 ü&i1 40
(15) Nay, verily, from [the grace of] their Sustainer
shall they on that Day be debarred; (16) and then, 0 U f-rjl* 31j **£=»
behold, they shall enter the blazing fire (17) and be x > > r/£ ^.x • .£ x •
told: “This is the [very thing] to which you were wont rr I f rsJiZr-rl
to give the lie!” *4j(§)
(18) NAY, VERILY, the record of the truly virtuous is
[set down] in a mode most lofty!5 0 Jz Vf 0
(19} And what could make thee conceive what that
0 p»<Z 0 0^ **
mode most lofty will be?
(20) A record [indelibly] inscribed, (21) witnessed <S> («rjJ 3'z‘V^i 0
by all who have [ever] been drawn close unto God.6
(22) Behold, [in the life to come] the truly virtuous 0 0
will indeed be in bliss: (23) [resting] on couches, they
will look up [to God]:78(24) upon their faces thou wilt S> <s>
see the brightness of bliss.
(25) They will be given a drink of pure wine
whereon the seal [of God] will have been set, (26)
pouring forth with a fragrance of musk.6

3 Implying that a denial of ultimate responsibility before God-and, hence, of His judgment-is
invariably conducive to sinning and to transgression against all moral imperatives. (Although this
and the next verse are formulated in the singular, 1 am rendering them in the plural inasmuch as
this plurality is idiomatically indicated by the word kull before the descriptive participles
mu'tad and athîm, as well as by the use of a straight plural in verses 14 ff.)
4 Lit., “that which they were earning has covered their hearts with rust”: implying that their
persistence in wrongdoing has gradually deprived them of all consciousness of moral responsibility
and, hence, of the ability to visualize the fact of God's ultimate judgment.
5 I.e., in contrast to the record of the wicked (see verse 7 above). As regards the term ci//iyyüa»
it is said to be the plural of *Ulï or 'illiyyah (“loftiness") or, alternatively, a plural which has no
singular (Qämüs, Täj al-'Arüs)-, in either case it is derived from the verb ca/ä, which signifies
“[something] was [or “became”] high" or “lofty” or - tropically - “exalted”: thus in the well-
known idiomatic phrase, huwa min 'illiyyat qawmihi, “he is among the [most] exalted of his
people”. In view of this derivation, the plural 'illiyyün has evidently the intensive connotation of
“loftiness upon loftiness” (Täj al-'Arüs) or “a mode most lofty".
6 I.e., by the prophets and saints of all times as well as by the angels.
7 Cf. 75:23. As elsewhere in the Qur’än, the “couches” of the virtuous in paradise symbolize
complete restfulness and inner fulfilment.
8 Lit., “the end whereof (khitämuhu) will be musk”. My rendering of the above phrase reflects
the interpretation given to it by several authorities of the second generation of Islam, and by AbQ
'Ubaydah ibn al-Muthannä (all of them quoted by Râzï). The “pure wine” (ra/iiq) of the
hereafter - which, contrary to the wine of this world, will carry “the seal” (i.e., the sanction) of
God because “no headiness will be in it, and they will not get drunk thereon” (37 : 47)-is another
symbol of paradise, alluding, by means of comparisons with sensations that can be experienced by
man, to the otherworldly sensations of joy which, in a form intensified beyond all human
imagination, are in store for the righteous. Some of the great Muslim mystics (e.g., Jalal ad-Dïn

938
 83 THOSE WHO GIVE SHORT MEASURE

To that [wine of paradise], then, let all such aspire

as [are willing to] aspire to things of high account:
(27) for it is composed of all that is most exalting*9 -
(28) a source [of bliss] whereof those who are drawn
close unto God shall drink.10
(29) BEHOLD, those who have abandoned themselves to
sin are wont to laugh at such as have attained to
faith;11 (30) and whenever they pass by them, they
wink at one another [derisively]; (31) and whenever
they return to people of their own kind,1213
they return
full of jests; (32) and whenever they see those [who
believe,] they say, “Behold, these [people] have in­
deed gone astray!”
(33) And, withal, they have no call to watch over J jli&T 3- SJ<
[the beliefs of] others... .n
(34) But on the Day [of Judgment], they who had Iji'f LjLlOΫjji wL 1
attained to faith will [be able to] laugh at the [erst­
while] deniers of the truth:14 (35) [for, resting in
paradise] on couches, they will look on [and say to
themselves]: (36) “Are these deniers of the truth
being [thus] requited for [aught but] what they
were wont to do?”

Rûmï) see in that “pure wine” an allusion to a spiritual vision of God: an interpretation which, 1
believe, is fully justified by the sequence.
9 Whereas most of the classical commentators regard the infinitive noun tasnim as the proper
name of one of the allegorical “fountains of paradise", or, alternatively, refrain from any definition
of it, it seems to me that the derivation of tasnim from the verb sannama - “he raised [some­
thing]” or “made [it] lofty"-points, rather, to the effect which the "wine" of divine knowledge
will have on those who “drink” of it in paradise. Hence, the tûbfï 'Ikrimah (as quoted by Râzî)
equates tasntm with tashrif, “that which is ennobling" or "exalting".
10 Cf. 76 : 5-6 and the corresponding notes.
11 In the original, verses 29-33 are in the past tense, as if viewed from the time-level of
Judgment Day. However, since the preceding and the following passages (i.e., verses 18-28 and
34-36) are formulated in the future tense, verses 29-33 (which relate to life in this world) may be
adequately rendered in the present tense.
12 Lit., "to their [own] people”.
13 Lit., “they have not been sent as watchers over them” - implying that none who is devoid of
faith has the right to criticize the faith of any of his fellow-men.
14 Speaking of the righteous, the Qur'an repeatedly stresses that on the Day of Judgment God
“shall have removed whatever unworthy thoughts or feelings (ghill) may have been [lingering] in
their bosoms” (7:43 and 15 :47). Since an expression of vengeful joy on the part of the blest at
the calamity which in the hereafter will befall the erstwhile sinners would certainly fall within the
category of “unworthy feelings”, their “laughing" can only have a metaphorical meaning, denoting
no more than a realization of their own good fortune.
 THE EIGHTY-FOURTH SÜRAH

AL-INSHIQÄQ (THE SPLITTING ASUNDER)

MECCA PERIOD

N THE chronological order, this sürah conies immediately after surah 82 (Al-Infitâr) and,
I hence, is probably one of the last Meccan revelations.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) XT THEN THE SKY is split asunder,'

W (2) obeying its Sustainer, as in truth it must;
(3) 2
and when the earth is levelled,1
(4) and casts forth whatever is in it, and becomes
utterly void,3
(5) obeying its Sustainer, as in truth it must
(6) [then,] O man - thou [that] hast, verily, been
toiling towards thy Sustainer in painful toil4-then
shalt thou meet Him!
(7) And as for him whose record shall be placed in
his right hand,5 (8) he will in time be called to account
with an easy accounting, (9) and will [be able to] turn
joyfully to those of his own kind.6
(10) But as for him whose record shall be given to
him behind his back,78 (11) he will in time pray for
utter destruction: (12) but he will enter the blazing
flame. O' jjt 'jjj—* -4*'□
(13) Behold, [in his earthly life] he lived joyfully
among people of his own kind*-(14) for, behold, he

1 I.e., at the coming of the Last Hour and the beginning of a new reality, both in fact and in
man’s perception.
2 See 20:105-107.
3 I.e., loses all its reality.
4 An allusion to the fact that in man’s earthly life - irrespective of whether one is consciously
aware of it or not-sorrow, pain, drudgery and worry by far outweigh the rare moments of true
happiness and satisfaction. Thus, the human condition is described as "painful toiling towards the
Sustainer” - i.e., towards the moment when one meets Him on resurrection.
5 I.e., whose behaviour in life characterizes him as “righteous”: see note 12 on 69:19.
6 Lit., “his people” - i.e., those who, like him, were righteous in life.
7 At first glance, this seems to contrast with 69 : 25, where it is stated that the record of the
unrighteous “shall be placed in his left hand”. In reality, however, the present formulation alludes
to the sinner’s horror at his record, and his wish that he had never been shown it (69:25-26): in
other words, his not wanting to see it is symbolized by its appearance "behind his back”.
8 Lit., “his people" - i.e., people of the same sinful inclinations. (Cf. note 14 on 75:33.)

940
 SURAH 84 THE SPLITTING ASUNDER

never thought that he would have to return [to God].

(15) Yea indeed! His Sustainer did see all that was
in him !
(16) BUT NAY! I call to witness the sunset’s [fleeting]
afterglow,
(17) and the night, and what it [step by step]
unfolds,
(18) and the moon, as it grows to its fullness:9
(19) [even thus, O men,] are you bound to move (£) oy-jj Lj /J
onward from stage to stage.1011
(20) What, then, is amiss with them that they will yfC $ S’sL’r
not believe [in a life to come]?”-(21) and [that],
when the Qur’ân is read unto them, they do not fall 4 A*! b>^
down in prostration?12
(22) Nay, but they who are bent on denying the
truth give the lie [to this divine writ]! (23) Yet God has
full knowledge of what they conceal [in their hearts].13
(24) Hence, give them the tiding of grievous suffer­
ing [in the life to come] - (25) unless it be such [of them]
as [repent, and] attain to faith, and do good works: for
theirs shall be a reward unending!
9 Thus God “calls to witness” the fact that nothing in His creation is ever at a standstill, since
everything moves unceasingly from one state of being into another, at every moment changing its
aspect and its condition: a phenomenon aptly described by the Greek philosopher Heraclitus by
the phrase panta rhei (“everything is in flux”).
10 Or: “from one state to another state” (Zamakhsharî): i.e.. in an unceasing progression-
conception, birth, growth, decline, death and, Anally, resurrection.
11 Since the inexorable movement of all that exists from stage to stage or from one condition
into another corresponds to a fundamental law evident in all creation, it is unreasonable to assume
that man alone should be an exception, and that his onward movement should cease at the
moment of his bodily death, not to be followed by a change-over into another state of being.
12 I.e., seeing how consistently it stresses the divine law of unceasing change and progression in
all that exists.
13 Namely, their unwillingness to admit their responsibility to a Supreme Being.
 THE EIGHTY-FIFTH SÜRAH

AL-BURÜJ (THE GREAT CONSTELLATIONS)

MECCA PERIOD

J^EVEALED after sürah 91 (“The Sun”).

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) ONSIDER the sky full of great constellations,

Vz(2) and [then bethink thyself of] the promised
Day»1 ---------------*
(3) and [of] Him who witnesses [all],
and [of] that unto which witness is borne [by Him]!2 0 0 »lL-JÎj

(4) THEY DESTROY [but] themselves,3 they who would

ready a pit (5) of fire fiercely burning [for all who have
attained to faith]!45 0 ç-* 0
(6) Lo! [With glee do] they contemplate that [fire], I» t* Uj (0 ùjLmL l jc
(7) fully conscious of what they are doing to the
believers,3 (8) whom they hate for no other reason /I 0 xJ-î j, ât iyLjJ j* Vi
than that they believe in God, the Almighty, the One
to whom all praise is due, (9) [and] to whom the
dominion of the heavens and the earth belongs.

1 I.e., the Day of Resurrection.

2 By creating the universe, God “bears witness”, as it were, to His Own almightiness and
uniqueness: cf. 3:18-“God [Himself] bears witness that there is no deity save Him”-and the
corresponding note 11.
3 For an explanation of this rendering of quitta, see note 9 on 74:19-20.
4 Lit., “those responsible (ashab) for the pit of fire abounding in fuel”. In order to
explain this parabolic passage, the commentators interpret it-quite unnecessarily - in the past
tense, and advance the most contradictory legends meant to “identify” those evildoers in historical
terms. The result is a medley of stories ranging from Abraham's experiences with his idolatrous
contemporaries (cf. 21:68-70) to the Biblical legend of Nebuchadnezzar's attempt to burn three
pious Israelites in a fiery furnace (The Book of Daniel iii, 19 ff.), or the persecution, in the sixth
century, of the Christians of Najrän by the King of Yemen, DhQ Nawäs (who was a Jew by
religion), or the entirely apocryphal story of a Zoroastrian king who burnt to death those of his
subjects who refused to accept his dictum that a marriage of brother and sister was “permitted by
God”; and so forth. None of these legends needs, of course, to be seriously considered in this
context. As a matter of fact, the very anonymity of the evildoers referred to in the above Qur’anic
passage shows that we have here a parable and not an allusion to “historical" or even legendary
events. The persecutors are people who, having no faith whatsoever, hate to see faith in others
(see verse 8 below); the “pit of fire” is a metaphor for the persecution of the latter by the former: a
phenomenon not restricted to any particular time or to a particular people but recurring in many
forms and in varying degrees of intensity throughout recorded history.
5 Lit., “as they sit over it, the while they witness all that they are doing ..etc.

942
 SÜRAH 85 THE GREAT CONSTELLATIONS

But God is witness unto everything!

(10) Verily, as for those who persecute believing
men and believing women, and thereafter do not
repent, hell’s suffering awaits them: yea, suffering
through fire awaits them!6
(11) [But,] verily, they who attain to faith and do ir? J îr4* <j[
righteous deeds shall [in the life to come] have gar­
dens through which running waters flow - that triumph ^4 &
most great!7
(12) VERILY, thy Sustainer’s grip is exceedingly strong!
(13) Behold, it is He who creates [man] in the first
instance, and He [it is who] will bring him forth anew. 3 AJ-iJ
(14) And He alone is truly-forgiving, all-embracing
in His love, (15) in sublime almightiness enthroned,8 u jUj 3 3
(16) a sovereign doer of whatever He wills.
3 ^*<5* <$>
(17) HAS IT ever come within thy ken, the story of the
[sinful] hosts (18) of Pharaoh, and of [the tribe of] %3 3 Ȁ
Thamüd?9
(19) And yet, they who are bent on denying the 3 j-s* <$>
truth persist in giving it the lie: (20) but all the while
God encompasses them [with His knowledge and
might] without their being aware of it.1011
(21) Nay, but this [divine writ which they reject] is
a discourse sublime, (22) upon an imperishable tablet
[inscribed]."
6 Lit., “through burning”.
7 This is almost certainly the earliest Qur’anic reference to “gardens through which running
waters flow” as an allegory of the bliss which awaits the righteous in the hereafter.
8 Lit., “He of the sublime throne of almightiness (al-*arsh al-majid)”. For my rendering of
al-'arsh as “the throne of almightiness”, see 7 :54 and the corresponding note 43.
9 Sc., “both of which were destroyed because of their sins”. The story of Pharaoh and his
forces, and their destruction by drowning, is referred to many times in the Qur’än; for the story of
the Thamüd see, in particular, 7 :73 If. and the corresponding notes 56-62.
10 Lit., “from behind them”, an idiomatic phrase denoting a happening imperceptible to those
whom it closely concerns.
11 Lit., “upon a well-guarded tablet (lawh mahfu;)”-* description of the Qur’än to be found
only in this one instance. Although some commentators take it in its literal sense and understand
by it an actual “heavenly tablet” upon which the Qur’än is inscribed since all eternity, to many
others the phrase has always had a metaphorical meaning: namely, an allusion to the imperishable
quality of this divine writ. This interpretation is pointedly mentioned as justified by. e.g., TabarT,
BaghawT, Râzî or Ibn Kathir, all of whom agree that the phrase “upon a well-guarded tablet”
relates to God’s promise that the Qur’än would never be corrupted, and would remain free of all
arbitrary additions, diminutions and textual changes. See in this connection also 15:9 and the
corresponding note 10.
 THE EIGHTY-SIXTH SÜRAH

AT-TÄRIQ (THAT WHICH COMES IN THE NIGHT)

MECCA PERIOD

EVEALED at a comparatively early date (probably in the fourth year of the Prophet’s
R mission), the sürah takes its name from the noun a(-(äriq in its first verse.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) /'"CONSIDER the heavens and that which comes in

V-/the night!1
(2) And what could make thee conceive what it is
that comes in the night?
(3) It is the star that pierces through [life’s] dark­
ness:
(4) [for] no human being has ever been left un­
guarded.23 Q Lu Çk

(5) LET MAN, then, observe out of what he has been

created: (6) he has been created out of a seminal fluid
(7) issuing from between the loins [of man] and the Mo
pelvic arch [of woman]? (8) Now, verily, He [who
thus creates man in the first instance] is well able to
bring him back [to life] (9) on the Day when all
secrets will be laid bare, (10) and [man] will have
neither strength nor helper!

1 Some commentators assume that what is described here as at-täriq (“that which comes in the
night’’) is the morning-star, because it appears towards the end of the night; others-like
Zamakhsharï or Räghib - understand by it "the star” in its generic sense. Now if we analyze the
origin of this noun, we find that it is derived from the verb taraqa, which primarily means “he beat
[something]” or “knocked [at something]"; hence, faraqa 'l-bâb, “he knocked at the door”.
Tropically, the noun signifies “anything [or “anyone”] that comes in the night”, because a person
who comes to a house by night is expected to knock at the door (Täj al-cArüs). In the Qur’anic
mode of expression, a(-färiq is evidently a metaphor for the heavenly solace which sometimes
comes to a human being lost in the deepest darkness of affliction and distress; or for the sudden,
intuitive enlightenment which disperses the darkness of uncertainty; or, finally, for divine
revelation, which knocks, as it were, at the doors of man’s heart, and thus fulfils the functions of
both solace and enlightenment. (For my rendering of the adjurative wa as “Consider”, see sürah
74, first half of note 23.)
2 Lit., “there is no human being without a guardian [or “without a watch being kept”] over it”.
See in this connection note 7 on 82:10-12.
3 The plural noun tarâ'ib, rendered by me as “pelvic arch”, has also the meaning of “ribs” or
“arch of bones"; according to most of the authorities who have specialized in the etymology of rare
Qur’anic expressions, this term relates specifically to female anatomy (Tâj al-Ariis).

944
 SÜRAH 86 THAT WHICH COMES IN THE NIGHT

(11) Consider45the heavens, ever-revolving, (12) and

the earth, bursting forth with plants!
(13) BEHOLD, this [divine writ] is indeed a word that
cuts between truth and falsehood/ (14) and is no idle <$> £ ($) x <s>
tale.
$ Q) i/b (£) &ùjA-Ct j-rl
(15) Behold, they [who refuse to accept it] devise
many a false argument6 [to disprove its truth]; (16)
but I shall bring all their scheming to nought.7
(17) Let, then, the deniers of the truth have their
will: let them have their will for a little while!
4 Sc., “And, finally, in order to grasp more fully God’s power of creation and re-creation,
consider ..etc.
5 Lit., “a decisive word", or “word of distinction", i.e., between the true and the false-in this
case, belief in a continuation of life after “death”, on the one hand, and a denial of its possibility, on the
other. (Cf. 37:21,44:40,77:13 and 38, and 78:17, where Resurrection Day is spoken of as “the Day
of Distinction"; see also note 6 on 77:13.)
6 Lit., “devise [many] an artful scheme (kayd)": see note 41 on 34:33, where the almost
synonymous term makr is used in the same sense.
7 Lit., “I shall devise a [yet more subtle] scheme", sc., “to bring theirs to nought". The
paraphrase adopted by me gives, according to all the authorities, the meaning of the above
sentence.
 THE EIGHTY-SEVENTH SÜRAH

AL-A'LÂ (THE ALL-HIGHEST)

MECCA PERIOD

HIS IS most probably the eighth sürah in the chronology of revelation. The key-word by which
T it has always been known appears in the first verse.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) TJXTOL the limitless glory of thy Sustainer’s name:

FL [the glory of] the All-Highest,
(2) who creates [every thing], and thereupon forms
it in accordance with what it is meant to be,1
(3) and who determines the nature [of all that
exists],2 and thereupon guides it [towards its
fulfilment],
(4) and who brings forth herbage, (5) and thereupon
0 Jpj; ")G dUyu- (T) 3^.' IÂÎÀ /UX
causes it to decay into rust-brown stubble!3

(6) WE SHALL teach thee, and thou wilt not forget

[aught of what thou art taught], (7) save what God
may will [thee to forget]4-for, verily, He [alone]

1 I.e., He endows it with inner coherence and with qualities consistent with the functions which
it is meant to perform, and thus adapts it a priori to the exigencies of its existence.
2 Cf. the last sentence of 25 :2 and the corresponding note 3; also 20:50 and note 31.
3 I.e., metonymically, “who brings forth life and deals death”.
4 The classical commentators assume that the above words are addressed specifically to the
Prophet, and that, therefore, they relate to his being taught the Qur'an and being promised that he
would not forget anything thereof, “save what God may will [thee to forget]”. This last clause has
ever since given much trouble to the commentators, inasmuch as it is not very plausible that He
who has revealed the Qur’än to the Prophet should cause him to forget anything of it. Hence,
many unconvincing explanations have been advanced from very early times down to our own
days, the least convincing being that last refuge of every perplexed Qur’an-commentator, the
“doctrine of abrogation" (refuted in my note 87 on 2:106). However, the supposed difficulty of
interpretation disappears as soon as we allow ourselves to realize that the above passage, though
ostensibly addressed to the Prophet, is directed at man in general, and that it is closely related to
an earlier Qur’anic revelation - namely, the first five verses of surah 96 (“The Germ-Cell") and, in
particular, verses 3-5, which speak of God’s having “taught man what he did not know". In note 3
on those verses I have expressed the opinion that they allude to mankind’s cumulative acquisition
of empirical and rational knowledge, handed down from generation to generation and from one
civilization to another: and it is to this very phenomenon that the present passage, too, refers. We
are told here that God, who has formed man in accordance with what he is meant to be and has
promised to guide him, will enable him to acquire (and thus, as it were, “impart” to him) elements
of knowledge which mankind will accumulate, record and collectively “remember” - except what
God may cause man to “forget" (in another word, to abandon) as having become redundant by

946
 SÜRAH 87
THE ALL-HIGHEST
knows all that is open to [man’s] perception as well as
all that is hidden [from it]s*—: (8) and [thus] shall We
make easy for thee the path towards [ultimate] ease?
(9) REMIND, THEN, [others of the truth, regardless of]
whether this reminding [would seem to] be of use [or
not]:7 (10) in mind will keep it he who stands in awe
[of God], (11) but aloof from it will remain that most
hapless wretch - (12) he who [in the life to come] shall
have to endure the great fire (13) wherein he will neither
die nor remain alive?
(14) To happiness [in the life to come] will indeed
attain he who attains to purity [in this world], (15) and
remembers his Sustainer’s name, and prays [unto
Him].
(16) But nay, [O men,] you prefer the life of this
world, (17) although the life to come is better and 0 ism

more enduring.
(18) Verily, [all] this has indeed been [said] in the
earlier revelations-(19) the revelations of Abraham
and Moses?
virtue of his new experiences and his acquisition of wider, more differentiated elements of
knowledge, empirical as well as deductive or speculative, including more advanced, empirically
acquired skills. However, the very next sentence makes it clear that all knowledge arrived at
through our observation of the external world and through speculation, though necessary and most
valuable, is definitely limited in scope and does not, therefore, in itself suffice to give us an insight
into ultimate truths.
5 I.e., all that is intrinsically beyond the reach of human perception (al-ghayb): the implication
being that, since human knowledge must forever remain imperfect, man cannot really find his way
through life without the aid of divine revelation.
6 I.e., towards an ease of the mind and peace of the spirit.
7 Thus BaghawT, as well as RäzT in one of his alternative interpretations of this phrase.
8 I.e., in consequence of having remained aloof from the divine reminder. (Cf. 74:28-29.)
9 These two names are given here only as examples of earlier prophetic revelations, thus
stressing, once again, the twofold fact of continuity in mankind’s religious experiences and of the
identity of the basic truths preached by all the prophets. (Cf. also 53 : 36 ff.) The noun fuhuf (sing.
fahïfah), which literally denotes “leaves [of a book]” or “scrolls”, is synonymous with kitäb in all
the senses of this term (JawharT): hence, in the above context, “revelations”.
 THE EIGHTY-EIGHTH SÜRAH

AL-GHÄSHIYAH (THE OVERSHADOWING EVENT)

MECCA PERIOD

EVEALED most probably about the middle of the Mecca period, this sürah derives its title
R from the participial noun al-ghâshiyah in the first verse.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) T TAS THERE COME unto thee the tiding of the

-LJ-Overshadowing Event?’
(2) Some faces will on that Day be downcast, (3)
__________ -y-
toiling [under burdens of sin], worn out [by fear], (4)
about to enter a glowing fire, (5) given to drink from a
boiling spring. <T) ICi»- »>tj (J) j*
(6) No food for them save the bitterness of dry
thorns, (7) which gives no strength and neither stills 3- 1’ Q A** 0
hunger.12
(8) [And] some faces will on that Day shine with
bliss, (9) well-pleased with [the fruit of] their striving,
(10) in a garden sublime, (11) wherein thou wilt hear
no empty talk. Çi 0 a 0 îiib çj
(12) Countless springs3 will flow therein, (13) [and] 0 0 V? ü* kj 0 &
there will be thrones [of happiness] raised high,4 (14)
and goblets placed ready, (15) and cushions ranged, IfjJS 0 0
(16) and carpets spread out....
0 <j>A: 0
(17) DO, THEN, they [who deny resurrection] never gaze
at the clouds pregnant with water, [and observe] how
they are created?5

1 I.e., the Day of Resurrection.

2 According to Al-Qiffäl (as quoted by Râzï), this kind of hellish drink and food is a metonym
for utter hopelessness and abasement. As regards the noun darf*-which is said to be a bitter,
thorny plant in its dried state (JawharT)-it is to be borne in mind that it is derived from the verb
daru'a or (lari'a, which signifies “he [or “it“] became abject" or “abased" (ibid.): hence my
rendering of this (obviously metaphorical) expression as “the bitterness of dry thorns". A similarly
metaphorical meaning attaches to the expression “a boiling spring" in verse 5, which recalls the
term bamim so often mentioned in the Qur’än (see note 62 on the last sentence of 6:70).
3 Lit., “a spring”-but, as Zamakhsharï and Ibn KathTr point out, the singular form has here a
generic import, implying “a multitude of springs". This metaphor of the life-giving element is
analogous to that of the “running waters" (anhär) frequently mentioned in Qur’anic descriptions
of paradise.
4 See note 34 on 15:47.
5 Implying that a denial of resurrection and life in the hereafter renders the concept of a

948
SÜRAH 88 THE OVERSHADOWING EVENT

(18) And at the sky, how it is raised aloft?

(19) And at the mountains, how firmly they are
reared?
(20) And at the earth, how it is spread out?
(21) And so, [O Prophet,] exhort them; thy task is
only to exhort: (22) thou canst not compel them [to
believe].6
(23) However, as for him who turns away, being ($) »lüft âï » 4/û*
bent on denying the truth, (24) him will God cause to
($ û. Œ (3) ^.11 LJ’ûi
suffer the greatest suffering [in the life to come]: (25)
for, behold, unto Us will be their return, (26) and,
verily, it is for Us to call them to account.
conscious Creator utterly meaningless; hence my interpretation of the words “who deny resur­
rection” in the first part of this verse. - As regards the noun ibil, it denotes, as a rule, “camels”: a
generic plural which has no singular form. But one must remember that it also signifies “clouds
bearing rain-water” (Lisân al-'Arab, Qâmüs, Tâj al-'Ariis)-a meaning which is preferable in the
present context. If the term were used in the sense of “camels", the reference to it in the above
verse would have been primarily - if not exclusively - addressed to the Arabian contemporaries of
the Prophet, to whom the camel was always an object of admiration on account of its outstanding
endurance, the many uses to which it could be put (riding, load-bearing, and as a source of milk,
flesh and fine wool) and its indispensability to people living amid deserts. But precisely because a
reference to “camels” would restrict its significance to people of a particular environment and a
particular time (without even the benefit of a historical allusion to past events), it must be ruled out
here, for the Qur’anic appeals to observe the wonders of the God-created universe are invariably
directed at people of all times and all environments. Hence, there is every reason to assume that
the term ibil relates here not to camels but to “clouds pregnant with water": the more so as such
an allusion to the miraculous, cyclic process of the evaporation of water, the skyward ascension of
vapour, its condensation and, finally, its precipitation over the earth is definitely more in tune with
the subsequent mention (in verses 18-20) of sky, mountains and earth, than would be a reference
to “camels", however admirable and noteworthy these animals may be.
6 Lit., “thou hast no power over them”.
 THE EIGHTY-NINTH SÜRAH

AL-FAJR (THE DAYBREAK)

MECCA PERIOD

HE DESIGNATION of this sürah -the tenth in the order of revelation - is based on the
T mention of “the daybreak” in the first verse.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) /CONSIDER the daybreak (2) and the ten nights!1

V-z(3) Consider the multiple and the One!2
(4) Consider the night as it runs its course!3
_________ a
(5) Considering all this - could there be, to anyone (j> 0^ jO; 0^
endowed with reason, a [more] solemn evidence of
the truth?4 0À J* O £ $
(6) ART THOU NOT aware of how thy Sustainer has 0 jÜJï cjj pi (T) &j jf
dealt with [the tribe of] cÄd,5 (7) [the people of] Iram
the many-pillared, (8) the like of whom has never been yT <£> j Uli. Jüç
reared in all the land?-(9) and with [the tribe of]
ThamOd,6 who hollowed out rocks in the valley? - (10)
and with Pharaoh of the [many] tent-poles?7
1 The “daybreak” (fajr) apparently symbolizes man’s spiritual awakening: hence, the “ten
nights” is an allusion to the last third of the month of Ramadan, in the year 13 before the hijrah,
during which Muhammad received his first revelation (see introductory note to sürah 96) and was
thus enabled to contribute to mankind’s spiritual awakening.
2 Lit., “the even and the odd” or “the one”: i.e., the multiplicity of creation as contrasted with
the oneness and uniqueness of the Creator (BaghawT, on the authority of Sa*Td ibn al-KhudrT, as
well as Tabari in one of his alternative interpretations of the above phrase). The concept of the
“even number” implies the existence of more than one of the same kind: in other words, it
signifies every thing that has a counterpart or counterparts and, hence, a definite relationship with
other things (cf. the term azwäj in 36 : 36, referring to the polarity evident in all creation). As
against this, the term al-watr- or, in the more common (NajdT) spelling, al-witr-primarily
' denotes “that which is single” or “one” and is, hence, one of the designations given to God - since
“there is nothing that could be compared with Him” (112:4) and “nothing like unto Him" (42:11).
3 An allusion to the night of spiritual darkness which is bound to “run its course” -i.e.» to
disappear-as soon as. man becomes truly conscious of God.
4 Lit., “a [more] solemn affirmation” (qasam): i.e., a convincing evidence of the existence and
oneness of God.
5 See 7:65-72, and particularly the second half of note 48 on 7:65. Iram, mentioned in the next
verse, seems to have been the name of their legendary capital, now covered by the sands of the
desert of Al-Ahqäf.
6 See sürah 7, notes 56 and 59. The “valley” referred to in the sequence is the Wädi ’1-QurS.
situated north of Medina on the ancient caravan route from South Arabia to Syria.
7 For an explanation of this epithet, see sürah 38, note 17.

950
 SÜRAH 89 THE DAYBREAK

(11) (It was they] who transgressed all bounds of

equity all over their lands, (12) and brought about
great corruption therein: (13) and therefore thy Sus­
tainer let loose upon them a scourge of suffering: (14)
for, verily, thy Sustainer is ever on the watch!
(15) BUT AS FOR man,8 whenever his Sustainer tries him
by His generosity and by letting him enjoy a life of ease, <3) it—ill LfJ <3> XJLJÎ
he says, “My Sustainer has been [justly] generous
towards me“;9 (16) whereas, whenever He tries him by
straitening his means of livelihood, he says, “My <2>
Sustainer has disgraced me!“10
(17) But nay, nay, [O men, consider all that you do (& 3.J 4/H-*
and fail to do:] you are not generous towards the
orphan, (18) and you do not urge one another to feed the (3)«^“*'^J ,*-• j J J4-**
needy,11 (19) and you devour the inheritance [of others]
with devouring greed, (20) and you love wealth with
boundless love! <3) u Si'û'ùjirîô (3
(21) Nay, but [how will you fare on Judgment Day,]
when the earth is crushed with crushing upon crush­
ing, (22) and [the majesty of] thy Sustainer stands
revealed,12 as well as [the true nature of] the angels, 3> llS JLS XîÇ '3 <3 i’ti’ î
rank upon rank? 3b Je. x_*x x
(23) And on that Day hell will be brought [within
sight]; on that Day man will remember [all that he did
and failed to do]: but what will that remembrance
avail him?
(24) He will say, “Oh, would that 1 had provided
di5^2j 3 3 ■**'
beforehand for my life [to come]!“
(25) For, none can make suffer as He will make <3 j 4*- 2Î 3) s-3’j
suffer [the sinners] on that Day, (26) and none can bind
with bonds like His.13
(27) [But unto the righteous God will say,] “O
thou human being that hast attained to inner peace!
(28) Return thou unto thy Sustainer, well-pleased
[and] pleasing [Him]: (29) enter, then, together with
My [other true] servants - (30) yea, enter thou My
paradise!“
8 The above phrase, introduced by the particle fa-ammä (“But as for ...”), obviously connects
with the reference to the “solemn evidence of the truth" in verse 5 - implying that man does not,
as a rule, bethink himself of the hereafter, being concerned only with this world and what promises
to be of immediate advantage to him (Zamakhshari, Râzî, Baycjawi).
9 I.e., he regards God’s bounty as something due to him (Râzî).
10 I.e., he regards the absence or loss of affluence not as a trial, but as an evidence of divine
“injustice“ - which, in its turn, may lead to a denial of God’s existence.
11 I.e., “you feel no urge to feed the needy” (cf. 107:3).
12 Lit., “[when] thy Sustainer comes”, which almost all of the classical commentators under­
stand as the revelation (in the abstract sense of this word) of God’s transcendental majesty and the
manifestation of His judgment.
13 See note 7 on 73:12—13.

951
 THE NINETIETH SÜRAH

AL-BALAD (THE LAND)

MECCA PERIOD

LTHOUGH SuyOti places this surah in the middle of the Mecca period (after sürah 50), it is
A . most probable that it belongs to the earliest years of Muhammad’s prophethood.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(l)XTAY! I call to witness this land-(2) this land in

IN which thou art free to dwell -*
(3) and [I call to witness] parent and offspring:12
(4) Verily, We have created man into [a life of]
pain, toil and trial? 0 jU’T J- ûb (0 jUÎ 'A: V
(5) Does he, then, think that no one has power over
him? 0 aJ'j üjI âiï 0 jÇlJ
(6) He boasts, “I have spent wealth abundant!”45 VU j£ 0 L.Î J j* 4^1
(7) Does he, then, think that no one sees him?3
(8) Have We not given him two eyes, (9) and a y j* 0 j j'
tongue, and a pair of lips,6 (10) and shown him the
two highways [of good and evil]?
(11) But he would not try to ascend the steep uphill
road....
1 Lit., “while thou art dwelling in this land”. The classical commentators give to the term balad
the connotation of “city”, and maintain that the phrase hadha 'I-balad (“this city") signifies
Mecca, and that the pronoun “thou” in the second verse refers to Muhammad. Although this
interpretation is plausible in view of the fact that the sacredness of Mecca is repeatedly stressed in
the Qur'an, the sequence - as well as the tenor of the whole sürah - seems to warrant a wider,
more general interpretation. In my opinion, the words hadha 'l-balad denote “this land of man",
i.e., the earth (which latter term is, according to all philologists, one of the primary meanings of
balad). Consequently, the “thou” in verse 2 relates to man in general, and that which is
metaphorically “called to witness” is his earthly environment.
2 Lit., “the begetter and that which he has begotten”. According to Tabari's convincing
explanation, this phrase signifies “every parent and all their offspring"-i.e., the human race from
its beginning to its end. (The masculine form al-wâlid denotes, of course, both male and female
parents.)
3 The term kabad, comprising the concepts of “pain”, “distress”, “hardship”, “toil”, “trial”,
etc., can be rendered only by a compound expression like the one above.
4 Implying that his resources - and, therefore, his possibilities - are inexhaustible. We must
remember that the term “man” is used here in the sense of “human race”: hence, the above boast
is a metonym for the widespread belief - characteristic of all periods of religious decadence - that
there are no limits to the power to which man may aspire, and that, therefore, his worldly
“interests” are the only criteria of right and wrong.
5 I.e., “Does he think that he is responsible to none but himself?”
6 I.e., to recognize and to voice the truth of God’s existence or, at least, to ask for guidance.

952
SÜRAH 90_____________________ ________________________ ____________ THE LAND

(12) And what could make thee conceive what it is,

that steep uphill road?
(13) [It is] the freeing of one’s neck [from the
burden of sin],7 (14) or the feeding, upon a day of
(J)
[one’s own] hunger, (15) of an orphan near of kin, (16)
or of a needy [stranger] lying in the dust-(17) and
being, withal, of those who have attained to faith, and
who enjoin upon one another patience in adversity, and oyJ u jy-a; t lj-»yj ’>*** '

enjoin upon one another compassion.

(18) Such are they that have attained to righteous­
ness;89(19) whereas those who are bent on denying
the truth of Our messages - they are such as have lost
themselves in evil, (20) [with] fire closing in upon
them.’
7 Thus ‘Ikrimah, as quoted by BaghawT; also RäzT. Alternatively, the phrase fakk raqabah may
be rendered as “the freeing of a human being from bondage” (cf. note 146 on 2:177), with the
latter term covering all those forms of subjugation and exploitation - social, economic or political -
which can be rightly described as “slavery”.
8 Lit., “people (ashâb) of the right side”: see note 25 on 74 : 39.
9 I.e., the fires of despair in the life to come “rising over the [sinners’] hearts” and “closing in
upon them": cf. 104:6-8 and the corresponding note 5. The phrase rendered by me as “such as
have lost themselves in evil” reads, literally, “people of the left side (al-mash'amahy\
 THE NINETY-FIRST SÜRAH

ASH-SHAMS (THE SUN)

MECCA PERIOD

HE KEY-WORD by which this sürah has always been identified occurs in its first verse. It is
T generally assumed that it was revealed shortly after sürah 97 (Al-Qadr).

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) /CONSIDER the sun and its radiant brightness, (2)

K-zand the moon as it reflects the sun!1 --------------a
(3) Consider the day as it reveals the world,2 (4) and
the night as it veils it darkly!
(5) Consider the sky and its wondrous make,3 (6)
<$>
and the earth and all its expanse!
(7) Consider the human self,45and how it is formed
in accordance with what it is meant to be,3 (8) and
how it is imbued with moral failings as well as with ÿ1 .T)
consciousness of God!6
1 Lit., “as it follows it (talähä)'\ i.e., the sun. According to the great philologist Al-Farrä’,
who lived in the second century after the hijrah, “the meaning is that the moon derives its light from
the sun” (quoted by Râzî). This is also Râghib's interpretation of the above phrase.
2 Lit., “it“ - a pronoun apparently indicating “the world“ or “the earth“ (Zamakhsharî). It is to
be noted that verses 1-10 stress the polarity - both physical and spiritual - inherent in all creation
and contrasting with the oneness and uniqueness of the Creator.
3 Lit., “and that which has built it“-i.e., the wondrous qualities which are responsible for the
harmony and coherence of the visible cosmos (which is evidently the meaning of the term sama*
in this context). Similarly, the subsequent reference to the earth, which reads literally, “that which
has spread it out”, is apparently an allusion to the qualities responsible for the beauty and variety
of its expanse.
4 As in so many other instances, the term nafs, which has a very wide range of meanings (see
first sentence of note 1 on 4:1), denotes here the human self or personality as a whole: that is, a
being composed of a physical tody and that inexplicable life-essence loosely described as “soul”.
5 Lit., “and that which has made [or “formed“] it (sawwähä) in accordance with ...“, etc. For
this particular connotation of the verb sawwä, see note 1 on 87:2, which represents the oldest
Qur’anic instance of its use in the above sense. The reference to man and that which constitutes
the “human personality“, as well as the implied allusion to the extremely complex phenomenon of
a life-entity in which bodily needs and urges, emotions and intellectual activities are so closely
intertwined as to be indissoluble, follows organically upon a call to consider the inexplicable
grandeur of the universe-so far as it is perceptible and comprehensible to man-as a compelling
evidence of God's creative power.
6 Lit., “and [consider] that which has inspired it with its immoral doings (fujürahä) and its
God-consciousness (taqwâhâ)" - i.e., the fact that man is equally liable to rise to great spiritual
heights as to fall into utter immorality is an essential characteristic of human nature as such. In its
deepest sense, man's ability to act wrongly is a concomitant to his ability to act rightly: in other
words, it is this inherent polarity of tendencies which gives to every “right" choice a value and,

954
 SÜRAH 91
THE SUN

(9) To a happy state shall indeed attain he who

causes this [self] to grow in purity, (10) and truly lost
is he who buries it [in darkness].
(11) TO [THIS] TRUTH gave the lie, in their overweening c-a (J)
arrogance, [the tribe of] Thamûd,*78 (12) when that
f—L Jlii LfU ■*'
most hapless wretch from among them rushed for­
ward [to commit his evil deed], (13) although God’s bjjJûû «g j& (J) iJU dî
apostle had told them, “It is a she-camel belonging to
God, so let her drink [and do her no harm]!’’*
(14) But they gave him the lie, and cruelly slaugh­
tered her9-whereupon their Sustainer visited them
with utter destruction for this their sin, destroying
them all alike: (15) for none [of them] had any fear of
what might befall them.10
thus, endows man with moral free will (cf. in this connection note 16 on 7:24-25).
7 For the story of the tribe of ThamOd, given here as an illustration of man’s potential
wickedness, see 7 :73-79 and the corresponding notes.
8 Regarding this “she-camel belonging to God”, see surah 7, note 57. For the particular reference
to the injunction, “Let her drink”, see 26:155 and the corresponding note 67. The formulation of
this passage shows that the legend of the she-camel was well known in pre-Islamic Arabia.
9 For this rendering of 'aqarühä, see note 61 on 7:77.
10 Implying that their total lack of compassion for God’s creatures showed that they did not
fear His retribution and, hence, did not really believe in Him.
 THE NINETY-SECOND SÜRAH

AL-LAYL (THE NIGHT)

MECCA PERIOD

NANIMOUSLY regarded as one of the very early revelations - most probably the ninth in
U the chronological order-the sürah derives its name from the mention of “the night” in the
first verse.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) /'"CONSIDER the night as it veils [the earth] in

K-zdàrkness, (2) and the day as it rises bright!
(3) Consider the creation of the male and the
female!1 --------------------- a.
(4) Verily, [O men,] you aim at most divergent
ends!2 0 4 aX 0 j
(5) Thus, as for him who gives [to others] and is
conscious of God, (6) and believes in the truth of the O
ultimate good3-(7) for him shall We make easy the
path towards [ultimate] ease.45 0 ^3 0 J**
(8) But as for him who is niggardly, and thinks that
he is self-sufficient,3 (9) and calls the ultimate good a ^3 0 JX Ù* *•*> 0
lie - (10) for him shall We make easy the path towards ^3 0 (J)
hardship: (11) and what will his wealth avail him
when he goes down [to his grave]?6
(12) BEHOLD, it is indeed for Us to grace [you] with <$) 0 Cj
guidance; (13) and, behold, Ours is [the dominion
over] the life to come as well as [over] this earlier
part [of your life]:7
1 Lit., “Consider that which has created [or “creates”] the male and the female”, i.e., the
elements which are responsible for the differentiation between male and female. This, together
with the symbolism of night and day, darkness and light, is an allusion - similar to the first ten
verses of the preceding sürah - to the polarity evident in all nature and, hence, to the dichotomy
(spoken of in the next verse) which characterizes man’s aims and motives.
2 I.e., at good and bad ends (cf. note 6 on 91:8)- sc., “and so the consequences of your doings
are, of necessity, divergent”.
3 I.e., in moral values independent of time and social circumstance and, hence, in the absolute
validity of what may be described as “the moral imperative”.
4 See note 6 on 87 :8.
5 Cf. 96:6-7.
6 Or (as a statement): “of no avail will be to him his wealth when he...”, etc.
7 This statement is meant to stress the fact that man's life in this world and in the hereafter are
but two stages of one continuous entity.

956
SURAH 92 THE NIGHT
(14) and so I warn you of the raging fire - (15) [the
fire] which none shall have to endure but that most
hapless wretch (16) who gives the lie to the truth and
turns away [from it].
(17) For, distant from it shall remain he who is truly
conscious of God: (18) he that spends his possessions
[on others] so that he might grow in purity-(19) not
as payment for favours received,8 (20) but only out of
a longing for the countenance of his Sustainer, the
All-Highest: (21) and such, indeed, shall in time be
well-pleased.
8 Lit., “no one having with him any favour to be repaid”. In its widest sense, projected towards
the future, the phrase implies also the expectation of a reward.
 THE NINETY-THIRD SÜRAH

AD-DUHÄ (THE BRIGHT MORNING HOURS)

MECCA PERIOD

T IS SAID that after sürah 89 (Al-Fajr) was revealed, some time elapsed during which
I the Prophet did not receive any revelation, and that his opponents in Mecca taunted him on
this score, saying, “Thy God has forsaken and scorned thee!”-whereupon the present sürah was
revealed. Whether or not we accept this somewhat doubtful story, there is every reason to assume
that the sürah as such, although in the first instance addressed to the Prophet, has a far wider
purport: it concerns - and is meant to console - every faithful man and woman suffering from the
sorrows and bitter hardships which so often afflict the good and the innocent, and which
sometimes cause even the righteous to question God’s transcendental justice.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) /“CONSIDER the bright morning hours, (2) and the

night when it grows still and dark.1
(3) Thy Sustainer has not forsaken thee, nor does
He scorn thee:2 (4) for, indeed, the life to come will
be better for thee than this earlier part [of thy life]! -------------- a
(5) And, indeed, in time will thy Sustainer grant thee
[what thy heart desires], and thou shalt be well* eLjXkjjL (T> 0
pleased. 0 aXS* ü 0 $ Cj
(6) Has He not found thee an orphan, and given
thee shelter?3 0 •) jf 0 Sl IllA
j

(7) And found thee lost on thy way, and guided

thee? 0 M* 3Ajj 0
(8) And found thee in want, and given thee
sufficiency? 0^' m jâjî u»; 0 Su lu
(9) Therefore, the orphan shalt thou never wrong,
(10) and him that seeks [thy] help shalt thou never
chide,4
1 The expression “bright morning hours” apparently symbolizes the few and widely-spaced
periods of happiness in human life, as contrasted with the much greater length of “the night when
it grows still and dark", i.e., the extended periods of sorrow or suffering that, as a rule,
overshadow man’s existence in this world (cf. 90 : 4). The further implication is that, as sure as
morning follows night, God’s mercy is bound to lighten every suffering, either in this world or in
the life to come-for God has “willed upon Himself the law of grace and mercy” (6:12 and 54).
2 Sc., “as the thoughtless might conclude in view of the suffering that He has willed thee to
bear”.
3 Possibly an allusion to the fact that Muhammad was born a few months after his father’s
death, and that his mother died when he was only six years old. Apart from this, however, every
human being is an “orphan” in one sense or another, inasmuch as everyone is “created in a lonely
state” (cf. 6 : 94), and “will appear before Him on Resurrection Day in a lonely state” (19 : 95).
4 The term sä'il denotes, literally, “one who asks", which signifies not only a “beggar” but

958
SÜRAH 93 THE BRIGHT MORNING HOURS

(11) and of thy Sustainer’s blessings shalt thou

[ever] speak.*5
anyone who asks for help in a difficult situation, whether physical or moral, or even for
enlightenment.
5 Sc., “rather than of thy suffering”.
 THE NINETY-FOURTH SÜRAH

ASH-SHARK (THE OPENING-UP OF THE HEART)

MECCA PERIOD

rp HIS SÜRAH, revealed almost immediately after the preceding one, appears to be a direct
I continuation of the latter. Indeed, some renowned scholars of the first century after the
hijrah - e.g., Tä’üs ibn Kaysän, or the Caliph TJmar ibn 'Abd al-'Azïz (known as “the Second
'Umar”)-regarded Ad-Duhä and Ash-Sharh as one sürah, and used to recite them in prayer
accordingly, that is, without separating the one from the other by a second invocation “In the
name of God” (Râzï)- Whether this view is accepted or not, there is no doubt that the present
surah, like the preceding one, is addressed in the first instance to the Prophet and, through him, to
every true follower of the Qur’än.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(l)TTAVE WE NOT opened up thy heart,1 (2) and

Xllifted from thee the burden (3) that had weighed _________ J
so heavily on thy back?2
(4) And [have We not] raised thee high in dignity?3 O jjj j uiSyj Q Lb
(S) And, behold, with every hardship comes ease: <t>
(6) verily, with every hardship comes ease!
(7) Hence, when thou art freed [from distress], <X> S[ (0 ÿ
remain steadfast, (8) and unto thy Sustainer turn with
love. 0 > 0 Slili IS|Ä
1 Lit, “thy breast” or “bosom”.
2 I.e., “the burden of thy past sins, which are now forgiven” (TabarT, on the authority of
Mujähid, Qatädah, Ad-Qahhâk and Ibn Zayd). In the case of Muhammad, this relates apparently to
mistakes commited before his call to prophethood (ibid.), and is obviously an echo of 93 : 7 -
‘Has He not found thee lost on thy way, and guided thee?”
3 Or: “raised high thy renown”. The primary meaning of the term dhikr is “reminder" or
“remembrance”; and, secondarily, “that by which something [or “someone”) is remembered”, i.e.,
with praise: hence, it signifies “fame” or “renown”, and, tropically - as in the present context-
“eminence” or “dignity”.

960
 THE NINETY-FIFTH SÜRAH

AT-TÎN (THE FIG)

MECCA PERIOD

EVEALED after sürah 85 (“The Great Constellations”), the present sürah formulates a
R fundamental moral verity, stressing the fact that it is common to all true religious teachings.
The “title”-or, rather, the key-word by which it is known-is derived from the mention of the fig
(i.e., fig tree) in the first verse.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

_____________ $
(1) /CONSIDER the fig and the olive, (2) and Mount
V-zSinai, (3) and this land secure!1
(4) Verily, We create man in the best confor­
mation,2 (5) and thereafter We reduce him to the
lowest of low3-(6) excepting only such as attain to
faith and do good works: and theirs shall be a reward C ? (T) Xji;
unending!
<X> j £ J,* ÎJlzj Îyjt
1 The “fig” and the “olive” symbolize, in this context, the lands in which these trees
predominate: i.e., the countries bordering on the eastern part of the Mediterranean, especially
Palestine and Syria. As it was in these lands that most of the Abrahamic prophets mentioned in
the Qur’än lived and preached, these two species of tree may be taken as metonyms for the
religious teachings voiced by the long line of those God-inspired men. culminating in the person of
the last Judaic prophet, Jesus. “Mount Sinai”, on the other hand, stresses specifically the
apostleship of Moses, inasmuch as the religious law valid before, and up to. the advent of
Muhammad - and in its essentials binding on Jesus as well - was revealed to Moses on a mountain
of the Sinai Desert. Finally, “this land secure” signifies undoubtedly (as is evident from 2:126)
Mecca, where Muhammad, the Last Prophet, was born and received his divine call. Thus, verses
1-3 draw our attention to the fundamental ethical unity underlying the teachings - the genuine
teachings - of all the three historic phases of monotheistic religion, metonymically personified by
Moses, Jesus and Muhammad. The specific truth to be considered here is referred to in the next
three verses.
2 I.e., endowed with all the positive qualities, physical as well as mental, corresponding to the
functions which this particular creature is meant to perform. The concept of “the best con­
formation” is related to the Qur’anic statement that everything which God creates, including the
human being or self (na/s), is “formed in accordance with what it is meant to be” (see 91:7 and
the corresponding note 5, as well as-in a more general sense-87 :2 and note 1). This statement
does not in any way imply that all human beings have the same “best conformation” in respect of
their bodily or mental endowments: it implies simply that irrespective of his natural advantages or
disadvantages, each human being is endowed with the ability to make the, for him, best possible
use of his inborn qualities and of the environment to which he is exposed. (See in this connection
30: 30 and the corresponding notes, especially 27 and 28.)
3 This “reduction to the lowest of low" is a consequence of man’s betrayal - in another word,
corruption - of his original, positive disposition: that is to say, a consequence of man's own
doings and omissions. Regarding the attribution, by God, of this “reduction” to His Own doing,
see note 7 on 2:7.

961
AT-TÏN SÜRAH 95

(7) What, then, [O man,] could henceforth cause 0 CJ

thee to give the lie to this moral law?4 c '
(8) Is not God the most just of judges? Q) —

4 I.e., to the validity of the moral law - which, to my mind, is the meaning of the term din in this
context-outlined in the preceding three verses. (For this specific significance of the concept of
dm, see note 3 on 109:6.) The above rhetorical question has this implication: Since the moral law
referred to here has been stressed in the teachings of all monotheistic religions (cf. verses 1-3 and
note 1 above), its truth ought to be self-evident to any unprejudiced person; its negation,
moreover, amounts to a negation of all freedom of moral choice on man’s part and, hence, of
justice on the part of God, who, as the next verse points out, is-by definition - “the most just of
judges’’.
 THE NINETY-SIXTH SÜRAH

AL-'ALAQ (THE GERM-CELL)

MECCA PERIOD

HERE IS no doubt that the first five verses of this surah represent the very beginning of the
T revelation of the Qur’än. Although the exact date cannot be established with certainty, all
authorities agree in that these five verses were revealed in the last third of the month of Ramadan,
thirteen years before the hijrah (corresponding to July or August, 610, of the Christian era).
Muhammad was then forty years old. At that period of his life “solitude became dear unto him,
and he used to withdraw into seclusion in a cave of Mount Hirä’ [near Mecca] and there apply
himself to ardent devotions” consisting of long vigils and prayers (Bukhari). One night, the Angel
of Revelation suddenly appeared to him and said, “Read!” Muhammad at first thought that he was
expected to read actual script, which, being unlettered, he was unable to do; and so be answered, “I
cannot read” - whereupon, in his own words, the angel “seized me and pressed me to himself until
all strength went out of me; then he released me and said, ‘Read!’ I answered. ‘I cannot read.... *
Then he seized me again and pressed me to himself until all strength went out of me; then he
released me and said, ‘Read!’ - to which I [again] answered, T cannot read...Then he seized me
and pressed me to himself a third time; then he released me and said, 'Read in the name of thy
Sustainer, who has created - created man out of a germ-cell! Read-for thy Sustainer is the Most
Bountiful One...’”: and so Muhammad understood, in sudden illumination, that he was called
upon to “read”, that is, to receive and understand, God's message to man.
The above excerpts are quoted from the third Tradition of the section Bud’ al-Wahy, which
forms the introductory chapter of Bukhari’s $ahïh". almost identical versions of this Tradition are
found in two other places in Bukhari as well as in Muslim, NasäT and Tirmidhi.
Verses 6-19 of this sürah are of somewhat later date.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS. THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) TJEAD1 in the name of thy Sustainer, who has

J\.created - (2) created man out of a germ-cell!23
(3) Read-for thy Sustainer is the Most Bountiful O
One (4) who has taught [man] the use of the pen - (5)
taught man what he did not know!1 (U 33
if# <r> p 5 c <t> pt
1 Sc., “this divine writ”. The imperative iqrd’ may be rendered as “read” or “recite”. The
former rendering is, to my mind, by far the preferable in this context inasmuch as the concept of
“reciting” implies no more than the oral delivery-with or without understanding-of something
already laid down in writing or committed to memory, whereas “reading” primarily signifies a
conscious taking-in, with or without an audible utterance but with a view to understanding them,
of words and ideas received from an outside source: in this case, the message of the Qur’an.
2 The past tense in which the verb khalaqa appears in these two verses is meant to indicate that
the act of divine creation (khalq) has been and is being continuously repeated. It is also
noteworthy that this very first Qur’anic revelation alludes to man's embryonic evolution out of a
“germ-cell” - i.e., out of a fertilized female ovum - thus contrasting the primitiveness and sim­
plicity of his biological origins with his intellectual and spiritual potential: a contrast which clearly
points to the existence of a conscious design and a purpose underlying the creation of life.
3 “The pen” is used here as a symbol for the art of writing or. more specifically, for all

963
 AL-'ALAQ SURAH

(6) Nay, verily, man becomes grossly overweening

(7) whenever he believes himself to be self-sufficient:
(8) for, behold, unto thy Sustainer all must return.*4
Si 0 J 0 ÿQ
(9) HAST THOU ever considered him who tries to
prevent (10) a servant [of God] from praying?5 ix^ 0 0
(11) Hast thou considered whether he is on the
right way, (12) or is concerned with God-conscious­ 0 é-’b* 0 b[
ness?6 (0 (0 ^1 jl
(13) Hast thou considered whether he may [not] be
giving the lie to the truth and turning his back [upon ’^^0 jî
it]?7
(14) Does he, then, not know that God sees [all]?
(15) Nay, if he desist not, We shall most surely drag

knowledge recorded by means of writing: and this explains the symbolic summons “Read!” at the
beginning of verses 1 and 3. Man’s unique ability to transmit, by means of written records, his
thoughts, experiences and insights from individual to individual, from generation to generation,
and from one cultural environment to another endows all human knowledge with a cumulative
character; and since, thanks to this God-given ability, every human being partakes, in one way or
another, in mankind’s continuous accumulation of knowledge, man is spoken of as being “taught
by God" things which the single individual does not-and, indeed, cannot-know by himself. (This
double stress on man’s utter dependence on God, who creates him as a biological entity and
implants in him the will and the ability to acquire knowledge, receives its final accent, as it were, in
the next three verses.) Furthermore, God’s “teaching" man signifies also the act of His revealing,
through the prophets, spiritual truths and moral standards which cannot be unequivocally
established through human experience and reasoning alone: and, thus, it circumscribes the
phenomenon of divine revelation as such.
4 Lit., “is the return (ar-rujcä)”. This noun has here a twofold implication: “everyone will
inescapably be brought before God for judgment", as well as “everything that exists goes back to
God as its source". In ultimate analysis, the statement expressed in verses 6-8 rejects as absurd
the arrogant idea that man could ever be self-sufficient and, hence, “master of his own fate”;
furthermore, it implies that all moral concepts - that is, all discrimination between good and evil, or
right and wrong-are indissolubly linked with the concept of man's responsibility to a Supreme
Power: in other words, without such a feeling of responsibility - whether conscious or
subconscious - the concept of “morality" as such loses all its meaning.
5 Lit., “who forbids a servant [of God] when he prays”, implying an attempt at preventing.
Since this seems to refer to praying in public, most of the classical commentators see in this
passage (which was revealed at least a year later than the first five verses) an allusion to Abû Jahl,
the Prophet’s bitterest opponent in Mecca, who persistently tried to prevent Muhammad and his
followers from praying before the Ka'bah. However, there is no doubt that the purport of the
above passage goes far beyond any historical incident or situation inasmuch as it applies to all
attempts, at all times, to deny to religion (symbolized in the term “praying”) its legitimate function
in the shaping of social life - attempts made either in the conviction that religion is every individual’s
“private affair” and, therefore, must not be allowed to “intrude” into the realm of social
considerations, or, alternatively, in the pursuit of the illusion that man is above any need of
metaphysical guidance.
6 Lit., “or enjoins God-consciousness (taqwâ)" - i.e., whether his aim is to deepen his fellow­
men’s God-consciousness by insisting that religion is a purely personal matter: the obvious
implication being that this is not his aim, and that he is not on the right way in thinking and acting
as he does.-Throughout this work, the term taqwâ-of which the present is the earliest instance
in the chronology of Qur’anic revelation-has been rendered as “God-consciousness", with the
same meaning attaching to the verbal forms from which this noun is derived. (See also surah 2,
note 2.)
7 Sc., “because in his arrogance he cannot face it".

964
96 THE GERM-CELL

him down upon his forehead89-(16) the lying, rebel­

lious forehead! - (17) and then let him summon [to his
aid] the counsels of his own [spurious] wisdom,’ (18)
[the while] We shall summon the forces of heavenly £1/41^ 0 %£
chastisement!
(19) Nay, pay thou no heed to him, but prostrate
thyself [before God] and draw close [unto Him]!
8 Or: “by his forelock” - an ancient Arabian expression denoting a person’s utter subjection and
humiliation (see 11:56 and the corresponding note 80). However, as RäzT points out, the term
“forelock” (nâçiyah) is here used metonymically for the place on which the forelock grows, i.e.,
the forehead (cf. also Täj al-eAriis).
9 Lit., “his council”. According to the commentators who tend to interpret verses such as this in
purely historical terms, this may be a reference to the traditional council of elders (dar an-
nadwah) in pagan Mecca; but more probably, I think, it is an allusion to the arrogance which so
often deludes man into regarding himself as "self-sufficient” (verses 6-7 above).
 THE NINETY-SEVENTH SÜRAH

AL-QADR (DESTINY)
MECCA PERIOD

PENING with a reference to the revelation of the first five verses of the preceding
O sürah - that is, to the beginning of Muhammad’s prophetic mission - Al-Qadr undoubtedly
belongs to a very early part of the Mecca period.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) Td EHOLD, from on high have We bestowed this

-D[divine writ] on the Night of Destiny?
(2) And what could make thee conceive what it is,
that Night of Destiny?
(3) The Night of Destiny is better than a thousand
months:2 Jjw (T) (T) jSijl
(4) in hosts descend in it the angels,3 bearing divine
inspiration4 by their Sustainer’s leave;
from all [evil] that may happen (5) does it make
secure,3 until the rise of dawn.
1 Or: “of Almightiness” or “of Majesty” - thus describing the night on which the Prophet
received his first revelation (see introductory note to the preceding sürah). On the basis of several
Traditions it may be assumed that it was one of the last ten nights - probably the twenty-seventh -
of the month of Ramadan, thirteen years before the Prophet’s emigration to Medina.
2 Sc., “in which there was no similar night” (RäzT).
3 The grammatical form tanazzalu implies repetition, frequency or multitude; hence-as sug­
gested by Ibn KathTr - “descending in hosts”.
4 Lit., “and [divine] inspiration”. For this rendering of ruh, see first sentence of 16:2 and the
corresponding note 2. The present instance is undoubtedly the earliest example of the Qur’anic use
of this term in the sense of “divine inspiration”.
5 Lit., “it is salvation (salâm, see surah 5, note 29) - i.e., it makes the believer secure from all
spiritual evil: thus Mujahid (as quoted by Ibn Kathïr), evidently implying that a conscious
realization of the sanctity of this night acts as a shield against unworthy thoughts and inclinations.
 THE NINETY-EIGHTH SÜRAH

AL-BAYYINAH (THE EVIDENCE OF THE TRUTH)

PERIOD UNCERTAIN

HEREAS some of the authorities are of the opinion that this sürah belongs to the Medina
W period, many others regard it as a late Meccan revelation. The key-word by which it is
designated is found at the end of the first verse.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) TT IS NOT [conceivable] that such as are bent on

-Ldenying the truth-[be they] from among the fol­
lowers of earlier revelation or from among those who
ascribe divinity to aught beside God1 - should ever be
abandoned [by Him] ere there comes unto them the
[full] evidence of the truth: (2) an apostle from God,
conveying [unto them] revelations blest with purity,
(3) wherein there are ordinances of ever-true sound­
ness and clarity.2

1 I.e., idol-worshippers or animisls (in the anthropological sense of this word) who have never
had any revealed scripture to fall back upon.
2 This aggregate connotation is inherent in the adjective qayyimah as used here (RäzT).-The
above passage has caused some difficulties to the classical commentators on account of the
participle munfakkîn occurring in the first verse. It is generally assumed that this participle, in
combination with the phrase lam yakun at the beginning of the verse, denotes “they did not [or
“could not"] give up" or “separate themselves from"-i.e., supposedly, from their erroneous
beliefs - “until there came to them the evidence of the truth" in the person of the Prophet
Muhammad and in the revelation of the Qur'an: implying that after the evidence came, they did
give up those false beliefs. This assumption is, however, deficient on two counts: firstly, it is
well-known that not all of the erring ones from among the ahi al-kitäb and the mushrikin accepted
the message of the Qur'an when it was conveyed to them; and, secondly, the ahi al-kitäb are
spoken of in verse 4 as having “broken their unity [of faith)"-i.e., offended against the
fundamental principles of that faith - after “the evidence of the truth” had come to them. This
apparent contradiction has been convincingly resolved by no less an authority than Ibn Taymiyyah
(see Tafstr Sitt Suwar, pp. 391 ff.); and it is his interpretation that I have followed in my
rendering of the above three verses. According to Ibn Taymiyyah. the pivotal phrase lam yakun
munfakkîn does not denote “they did not give up” or "separate themselves from”, but, rather,
“they are not abandoned" - i.e., condemned by God-unless and until they have been shown the
right way by a God-sent prophet, and thereupon have consciously refused to follow it: and this is
in accord with repeated statements in the Qur'an to the effect that God does not take anyone to
task for wrong beliefs and wrong actions unless the true meaning of right and wrong has
previously been made clear to him (cf. 6:131-132 and the second paragraph of 17:15, as well as
the corresponding notes). Hence, the above reference to “the evidence of the truth” does not
relate only to the Qur’an and the Prophet Muhammad but to all the earlier prophets and
revelations as well (cf. 42:13 and the corresponding notes 12-14)-just as the “ordinances of
ever-true soundness and clarity" (spelled out in verse 5 below) are common to all God-inspired
messages, of which the Qur’fin is the final, most perfect expression.

967
 SÜRAH 98
AL-BAYYINAH

(4) Now those who have been vouchsafed reve­

lation aforetime3 did break up their unity [of faith]
after such an evidence of the truth had come to
them.45
(5) And withal, they were not enjoined aught but L X«j ll Ijjjl jjij
that they should worship God, sincere in their
faith in Him alone, turning away from all that is
false;3 and that they should be constant in prayer; and
that they should spend in charity:6 for this is a moral '»-■> 3 '*
law endowed with ever-true soundness and clarity.7
4“*’ (J)
(6) Verily, those who [despite all evidence] are bent
on denying the truth8-[be they] from among the f-**- ß j lLCLjT

followers of earlier revelation or from among those

who ascribe divinity to aught beside God-will find
themselves in the fire of hell, therein to abide: they
are the worst of all creatures. (J)
(7) [And,] verily, those who have attained to faith
and do righteous deeds - it is they, they who are the
best of all creatures.
(8) Their reward [awaits them] with God: gardens
of perpetual bliss, through which running waters flow, 0
therein to abide beyond the count of time; well-
pleased is God with them, and well-pleased are they
with Him: all this awaits him who of his Sustainer
stands in awe!
3 This definition is general, comprising the followers of all religious teachings revealed before
the advent of the Prophet Muhammad (Ibn KathTr), and not-as some commentators assume-
only the Jews and the Christians. (See also notes 12 and 13 on 3: 19.)
4 I.e., most of them strayed from the teachings of the prophets sent to them, all of whom had
preached the same fundamental truths (see next verse and note 6 below).
5 For this rendering of hunafä" (sing, hanif), see sürah 2, note 110.
6 Since the term zakâh has here obviously a wider meaning than the obligatory tax incumbent
on Muslims (which, as its name indicates, is meant to purify their income and their possessions
from the taint of selfishness), I am rendering the above phrase in the more general sense of
“spending in [i.e., practicing] charity".
7 As regards the connotation of “moral law” in the term din, see note 3 on 109:6; the
qualifying noun al-qayyimah (in the genitive case) has here the same meaning as the adjective
qayyimah at the end of verse 3. The above definition of moral law outlines, in a condensed form,
all the basic demands of true religion: a cognition of God's oneness and uniqueness and, implicitly,
of man’s responsibility to Him; a turning-away from all false concepts, values and dubious beliefs,
all over-estimation of oneself, and all superstition; and, finally, kindness and charity towards all of
God’s creatures.
8 Namely, the self-evident principles formulated in the preceding verse as the beginning and the
end of all moral law.
 THE NINETY-NINTH SÜRAH

AL-ZALZALAH (THE EARTHQUAKE)

PERIOD UNCERTAIN

OST PROBABLY revealed in the early part of the Medina period (Itqan), although some
M authorities regard it as a Meccan revelation.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) VX7HEN THE EARTH quakes with her [last]

W mighty quaking,
(2) and [when] the earth yields up her burdens,1
(3) and man cries out, “What has happened to
her?”-
(4) on that Day will she recount all her tidings, (5)
as thy Sustainer will have inspired her to do.2
(6) On that Day will all men come forward, cut
off from one another,3 to be shown their [past] deeds.
(7) And so, he who shall have done an atom's
weight of good, shall behold it;
(8) and he who shall have done an atom's weight of
evil, shall behold it.

1 I.e., all that was hitherto hidden in it, including the bodies - or the remnants - of the dead.
2 I.e., on the Day of Judgment the earth will bear witness, as it were, to all that has ever been
done by man: an explanation given by the Prophet, according to a Tradition on the authority of
Abd Hurayrah (quoted by Ibn Hanbal and TirmidhT).
3 Lit., "as separate entities’’ (ashtâtun). Cf. 6:94-"And now, indeed, you have come unto Us
in a lonely state, even as We created you in the first instance”: thus stressing the individual,
untransferable responsibility of every human being.
 THE HUNDREDTH SÜRAH

AL-CÄDIYÄT (THE CHARGERS)

MECCA PERIOD

EVEALED after sürah 103. For an explanation of the symbolism of “the chargers”, see note
R 2 below.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) /^Vh,1 the chargers that run panting,

Vy (2) sparks of fire striking,
(3) rushing to assault at morn,
(4) thereby raising clouds of dust,
(5) thereby storming [blindly] into any host!2
(6) VERILY, towards his Sustainer man is most ungrate­
ful3 - (7) and to this, behold, he [himself] bears
witness indeed: (8) for, verily, to the love of wealth is
he most ardently devoted.
(9) But does he not know that [on the Last Day,]
when all that is in the graves is raised and brought

1 Since the subsequent clauses refer to a parabolic, imaginary situation, the adjurative particle
wa is more suitably rendered here as “Oh”, instead of the rendering “Consider” usually adopted
by me, or the adjuration “By” appearing in most other translations.
2 I.e., blinded by clouds of dust and not knowing whether their assault aims at friend or foe.
The metaphoric image developed in the above five verses is closely connected with the sequence,
although this connection has never been brought out by the classical commentators. The term
al-'ädiyät undoubtedly denotes the war-horses, or chargers, employed by the Arabs from time
immemorial down to the Middle Ages (the feminine gender of this term being due to the fact that,
as a rule, they preferred mares to stallions). But whereas the conventional explanation is based on
the assumption that “the chargers” symbolize here the believers’ fight in God’s cause (jihad) and,
therefore, represent something highly commendable, it takes no account whatever of the dis­
crepancy between so positive an imagery and the condemnation expressed in verses 6 ff., not to
speak of the fact that such a conventional interpretation does not provide any logical link between
the two parts of the sürah. But since such a link must exist, and since verses 6-11 are undoubtedly
condemnatory, we must conclude that the first five verses, too, have the same-or, at least, a
similar-character. This character becomes at once obvious if we dissociate ourselves from the
preconceived notion that the imagery of “the chargers" is used here in a laudatory sense. In fact,
the opposite is the case. Beyond any doubt, “the chargers” symbolize the erring human soul or
self - a soul devoid of all spiritual direction, obsessed and ridden by all manner of wrong, selfish
desires, madly, unseeingly rushing onwards, unchecked by conscience or reason, blinded by the
dust-clouds of confused and confusing appetites, storming into insoluble situations and, thus, into
its own spiritual destruction.
3 I.e., whenever he surrenders to his appetites, symbolized by the madly storming chargers, he
forgets God and his own responsibility to Him.

970
SÜRAH 100 THE CHARGERS

out, (10) and all that is [hidden] in men’s hearts is 9 * x'

bared-(11) that on that Day their Sustainer [will
show that He] has always been fully aware of them?
 THE HUNDRED-FIRST SÜRAH

AL-QÄRI'AH (THE SUDDEN CALAMITY)

MECCA PERIOD

early Meccan surah, most probably revealed after sürah 95 (At-Tîn).

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) the sudden calamity!’ (2) How awesome

y^Zthe sudden calamity!
(3) And what could make thee conceive what that
sudden calamity will be?
(4) [It will occur] on the Day when men will be like 0 fcjÉKu ü; 0 ijüjf L 0 ijüïî
moths swarming in confusion, (5) and the mountains
will be like fluffy tufts of wool....
(6) And then, he whose weight [of good deeds] is
heavy in the balance (7) shall find himself in a happy
state of life; l*’j 0 j .H* 0
(8) whereas he whose weight is light in the balance
(9) shall be engulfed by an abyss.12 0 ébjâi 0 * jU 0
(10) And what could make thee conceive what that
[abyss] will be?
(11) A fire hotly burning!3
1 I.e., the coming of the Last Hour, which will involve a terrifying transformation of the world
(see note 63 on 14:48 and note 90 on 20: 105-107).
2 Lit., “his mother [i.e., goal] will be an abyss1’, sc., of suffering and despair. The term “mother”
(«mm) is used idiomatically to denote something that embraces or enfolds.
3 Lit., “hot fire”, the adjective meant to stress the essential quality of fire. It should be borne in
mind that all Qur’anic descriptions of the sinner's suffering in the hereafter are metaphors or al*
legories relating to situations and conditions which can be understood only by means of com­
parisons with physical phenomena lying within the range of human experience (see Appendix I).

972
 THE HUNDRED-SECOND SÜRAH

AT-TAKÄTHUR (GREED FOR MORE AND MORE)

MECCA PERIOD

HIS early Meccan sürah is one of the most powerful, prophetic passages of the Qur’an,
T illuminating man’s unbounded greed in general, and, more particularly, the tendencies which have
come to dominate all human societies in our technological age.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) ’Vf’OU ARE OBSESSED by greed for more and

X more (2) until you go down to your graves.1
(3) Nay, in time you will come to understand!
(4) And once again:23Nay, in time you will come to
understand!
(5) Nay, if you could but understand [it] with an
understanding [born] of certainty, (6) you would in­
deed, most surely, behold the blazing fire [of hell]!’
(7) In the end you will indeed, most surely, behold
it with the eye of certainty:4
(8) and on that Day you will most surely be called
to account for [what you did with] the boon of life!
1 The term takâthur bears the connotation of “greedily striving for an increase", i.e.. in benefits,
be they tangible or intangible, real or illusory. In the above context it denotes man’s obsessive
striving for more and more comforts, more material goods, greater power over his fellow-men or
over nature, and unceasing technological progress. A passionate pursuit of such endeavours, to the
exclusion of everything else, bars man from all spiritual insight and. hence, from the acceptance of
any restrictions and inhibitions based on purely moral values - with the result that not only
individuals but whole societies gradually lose all inner stability and, thus, all chance of happiness.
2 See sürah 6, note 31.
3 Sc., “in which you find yourselves now" - i.e., the “hell on earth" brought about by a
fundamentally wrong mode of life: an allusion to the gradual destruction of man's natural
environment, as well as to the frustration, unhappiness and confusion which an overriding,
unrestrained pursuit of “economic growth" is bound to bring-and has, indeed, brought in our
time - upon a mankind that is about to lose the remnants of all spiritual, religious orientation.
4 I.e., in the hereafter, through a direct, unequivocal insight into the real nature of one’s past
doings, and into the inescapability of the suffering which man brings upon himself by a
wrong, wasteful use of the boon of life (an-na'ïm).
 THE HUNDRED-THIRD SÜRAH

AL-'ASR (THE FLIGHT OF TIME)

MECCA PERIOD

J^EVEALED shortly after surah 94.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) ✓'CONSIDER the flight of time!1 ------------- =1

V-z (2) Verily, man is bound to lose himself (3) un­
less he be of those2 who attain to faith, and do (J) O
good works,
and enjoin upon one another the keeping to truth,
and enjoin upon one another patience in adversity. <X> J!—

1 The term *a$r denotes “time" that is measurable, consisting of a succession of periods (in
distinction from dahr, which signifies “unlimited time", without beginning or end: i.e., “time
absolute"). Hence, ca$r bears the connotation of the passing or the flight of time - time which can
never be recaptured.
2 Lit., “man is indeed in [a state of] loss, except those...", etc.
 THE HUNDRED-FOURTH SÜRAH

AL-HUMAZAH (THE SLANDERER)

MECCA PERIOD

AKING its conventional name from a noun occurring in the first verse, this surah seems to
T have been revealed towards the end of the third year of Muhammad’s prophethood-probably
after sürah 75 (“Resurrection").

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) XT7OE unto every slanderer, fault-finder!1

VV (2) [Woe unto him2] who amasses wealth and
counts it a safeguard, (3) thinking that his wealth will
make him live forever!3 0 0 ïjj Ï? &'ü;
(4) Nay, but [in the life to come such as] he shall
indeed be abandoned to crushing torment!45 0-^fjS£iJ#0 Lzâ

(5) And what could make thee conceive what that

crushing torment will be?
(6) A fire kindled by God, (7) which will rise over
the [guilty] hearts:1
(8) verily, it will close in upon them (9) in endless 0iLk3x> j
columns!6
1 I.e., everyone who maliciously tries to uncover real or imaginary faults in others.
2 This repetitive interpolation is necessary because the blameworthy attitude spoken of in
verses 2-3 obviously belongs to a category entirely different from the two mentioned in verse 1.
3 This is a metonym for the tendency to attribute an almost “religious" value to the acquisition
and possession of material goods and facilities - a tendency which precludes man from giving any
real importance to spiritual considerations (cf. note I on 102:1). My rendering of 'addadahu in the
preceding verse as “[he] counts it a safeguard" is based on Jawhari’s explanation of this term.
4 Al-hufamah -one of several metaphors for the otherworldly suffering comprised within the
concept of “hell" (see note 33 on 15 : 43-44).
5 I.e., originating in their hearts - thus clearly alluding to the spiritual nature of the “fire" in the
sinners’ belated realization of their guilt.
6 Lit., “in extended columns", i.e., overwhelming with despair.
 THE HUNDRED-FIFTH SÜRAH

AL-FÏL (THE ELEPHANT)

MECCA PERIOD

AKING its name from the mention of the “Army of the Elephant” in the first verse, this surah
T alludes to the Abyssinian campaign against Mecca in the year 570 of the Christian era.
Abrahah, the Christian viceroy of the Yemen (which at that time was ruled by the Abyssinians),
erected a great cathedral at San'ä’, hoping thus to divert the annual Arabian pilgrimage from the
Meccan sanctuary, the Ka'bah, to the new church. When this hope remained unfulfilled, he
determined to destroy the Ka'bah; and so he set out against Mecca at the head of a large army,
which included a number of war elephants as well, and thus represented something hitherto
unknown and utterly astounding to the Arabs: hence the designation of that year, by contem­
poraries as well as historians of later generations, as “the Year of the Elephant”. Abrahah's army
was totally destroyed on its march (see Ibn Hisham; also Ibn Sa'd 1/1, 55 f.)- probably by an
extremely virulent outbreak of smallpox or typhus (see note 2 below) - and Abrahah himself died
on his return to San'ä’.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) A RT THOU NOT aware of how thy Sustainer

xx dealt with the Army of the Elephant?1
(2) Did He not utterly confound their artful plan­
ning?
(3) Thus, He let loose upon them great swarms of
flying creatures (4) which smote them with stone-hard
blows of chastisement pre-ordained,2 (5) and caused

1 Lit., “the companions (afhâb) of the elephant” - see introductory note.

2 Lit., “with stones of sijjîT'. As explained in note 114 on 11:82, this latter term is synonymous
with sijill, which signifies “a writing” and, tropically, “something that has been decreed [by God]”:
hence, the phrase hijârah min sijjïl is a metaphor for “stone-hard blows of chastisement
pre-ordained”, i.e., in God’s decree (Zamakhsharï and Râzî, with analogous comments on the
same expression in 11:82). As already mentioned in the introductory note, the particular
chastisement to which the above verse alludes seems to have been a sudden epidemic of extreme
virulence: according to Wâqidï and Muhammad ibn Ishäq- the latter as quoted by Ibn Hisham and
Ibn KathTr-“this was the first time that spotted fever (haçbah) and smallpox (judarî) appeared in
the land of the Arabs”. It is interesting to note that the word hafbah - which, according to some
authorities, signifies also typhus - primarily means “pelting [or smiting”] with stones” (Qämüs). -
As regards the noun fä’ir (of which fayr is the plural), we ought to remember that it denotes any
“flying creature”, whether bird or insect (Täj af-'Arüs). Neither the Qur’an nor any authentic
Tradition offers us any evidence as to the nature of the “flying creatures” mentioned in the above
verse; and since, on the other hand, all the “descriptions" indulged in by the commentators are
purely imaginary, they need not be seriously considered. If the hypothesis of an epidemic is
correct, the “flying creatures” - whether birds or insects - may well have been the carriers of the
infection. One thing, however, is clear: whatever the nature of the doom that overtook the
invading force, it was certainly miraculous in the true sense of this word - namely, in the sudden,
totally unexpected rescue which it brought to the distressed people of Mecca.

976
SÜRAH 105 THE ELEPHANT
them to become like a field of grain that has been iL, ■’
eaten down to stubble3- , r* •Œ's,

3 This passage is evidently continued in the next sürah, which, according to some authorities, is
part of the present one (see introductory note to sürah 106).
 THE HUNDRED-SIXTH SÜRAH

QURAYSH
MECCA PERIOD

CCORDING to some of the Companions of the Prophet and several learned men of the next
A generation, this surah and the preceding one form, in fact, one entity. Thus, in the
Qur’än-copy owned by Ubayy ibn KaTj, Al-FTl and Quraysh were written as one surah, i.e.,
without the customary invocation “In the name of God” intervening between them (BaghawT and
ZamakhsharT). We must remember that side by side with Zayd ibn Thäbit and 'AIT ibn AbT Tälib,
Ubayy ibn Ka'b was one of the foremost authorities on whom both Abü Bakr and TJthmän relied
for the final recension of the text of the Qur’än; and it is probably for this reason that Ibn Hajar
al-'AsqalänT regards the evidence of Ubayy’s Qur’än-copy as fairly conclusive (Fath al-Barf VIII,
593). Moreover, it is established that, when leading the congregational prayer, 'Umar ibn al-
Khattäb used to recite the two surahs as one (ZamakhsharT and RäzT). But whether Al-Fil and
Quraysh are one sürah or two separate ones, there is hardly any doubt that the latter is a
continuation of the former, implying that God destroyed the Army of the Elephant “so that the
Quraysh might remain secure" (see verse 1 below and the corresponding note).

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) OO THAT the Quraysh might remain secure,1

0(2) secure in their winter and summer jour­
neys.2
(3) Let them, therefore, worship the Sustainer of
this Temple,3 (4) who has given them food against
hunger, and made them safe from danger.4

1 Lit., “for the safeguarding of the Quraysh”, i.e., as the custodians of the Ka'bah and the tribe in
the midst of which the Last Prophet, Muhammad, was to appear. Thus, the “security of the Quraysh”
is a metonym for the security of the Ka'bah, the focal point of the Faith based on the concept of God’s
oneness, for the sake of which the army of Abrahah was destroyed (see introductory note as well as
preceding surah).
2 I.e., the two annual trade caravans-to the Yemen in winter and to Syria in summer-on
which the prosperity of Mecca depended.
3 I.e., the Ka'bah (see note 102 on 2:125).
4 Cf. Abraham’s prayer, “O my Sustainer! Make this a land secure, and grant its people fruitful
sustenance” (2:126).
 THE HUNDRED-SEVENTH SÜRAH

AL-MÄ'ÜN (ASSISTANCE)

MECCA PERIOD

HE NAME of this sürah, which was revealed in the early years of the Prophet’s mission
T (probably after surah 102), is derived from the word al-mä'ün occurring in the last verse. The
view of some commentators that verses 4-7 were revealed at Medina lacks all historical or textual
evidence and may, therefore, be disregarded.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) TT AST THOU ever considered [the kind of man] _____________

JL A who gives the lie to all moral law?1
(2) Behold, it is this [kind of man] that thrusts the jsL Sj'
orphan away,
(3) and feels no urge23to feed the needy. C f ^jf
(4) Woe, then, unto those praying ones (5) whose
hearts from their prayer are remote1-
(6) those who want only to be seen and praised. • *3 r-» O *’>*{—*
(7) and, withal, deny all assistance [to their fellow­
men]!4
1 I.e., who denies that there is any objective validity in religion as such and, thus, in the
concept of moral law (which is one of the primary connotations of the term dfri-cf. note 3 on
109:6). Some commentators are of the opinion that in the above context din signifies "judgment”,
i.e., the Day of Judgment, and interpret this phrase as meaning "who calls the Day of Judgment a
lie”.
2 Lit., “does not urge", i.e., himself.
3 Lit., "who are [knowingly] unmindful of their prayers”.
4 The term al-mä'ün comprises the many small items needed for one’s daily use, as well as the
occasional acts of kindness consisting in helping out one’s fellow-men with such items. In its wider
sense, it denotes "aid” or "assistance” in any difficulty.
 THE HUNDRED-EIGHTH SÜRAH

AL-KAWTHAR (GOOD IN ABUNDANCE)

PERIOD UNCERTAIN

HEREAS most of the authorities assign this surah to the early part of the Mecca period, Ibn
W KathTr considers it most probable that it was revealed at Medina. The reason for this
assumption (shared by many other scholars) is to be found in an authentic hadîth on the authority
of Anas ibn Mälik, who narrates - with a good deal of circumstantial detail - how the sürah was
revealed “while the Apostle of God was among us in the mosque" (Muslim, Ibn Hanbal, AbQ
Dä’üd, Nasâ’ï). The “mosque” referred to by Anas can only have been the mosque of Medina:
for, on the one hand, Anas-a native of that town-had never met the Prophet before the latter’s
exodus to Medina (at which time Anas was barely ten years old); and, on the other hand, there
had been no mosque-i.e., a public place of congregational worship - available to the Muslims at
Mecca before their conquest of that city in 8 h.
The three verses of the sürah are addressed, in the first instance, to the Prophet and, through
him, to every believing man and woman.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) TOEHOLD, We have bestowed upon thee good in

IJ abundance:1 (2) hence, pray unto thy Sustainer _________
[alone], and sacrifice [unto Him alone]. O Z*- b ) J—1» y/Jî uj
(3) Verily, he that hates thee has indeed been cut
off [from all that is good]!2 <J>

1 The term kawthar is an intensive form of the noun kathrah (ZamakhsharT), which, in its turn,
denotes “copiousness”, “multitude" or “abundance”; it also occurs as an adjective with the same
connotation (Qâmüs, Lisân al-*Arab, etc.). In the above context, which is the sole instance of its
use in the Qur'an, al-kawthar obviously relates to the abundant bestowal on the Prophet of all that
is good in an abstract, spiritual sense, like revelation, knowledge, wisdom, the doing of good
works, and dignity in this world and in the hereafter (Râzï); with reference to the believers in
general, it evidently signifies the ability to acquire knowledge, to do good works, to be kind
towards all living beings, and thus to attain to inner peace and dignity.
2 Lit., “it is he that is cut off (abtar)". The addition, between brackets, of the phrase “from all
that is good” is based on an explanation forthcoming from the Qâmüs.
 THE HUNDRED-NINTH SÜRAH

AL-KÄHRÜN (THOSE WHO DENY THE TRUTH)

MECCA PERIOD

J^EVEALED shortly after sürah 107.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) ÇJAY: “O you who deny the truth!

0(2) “I do not worship that which you worship, (3)
and neither do you worship that which I worship.1
(4) “And I will not worship that which you have
[ever] worshipped, (5) and neither will you [ever]
worship that which I worship.23
(6) “Unto you, your moral law, and unto me, mine!“ ’

1 In the above rendering, the particle mâ (“that which”) alludes, on the one hand, to all positive
concepts and ethical values -e.g., belief in God and the believer's self-surrender to Him-and, on
the other, to false objects of worship and false values, such as man’s belief in his own supposed
“self-sufficiency” (cf. 96:6-7), or his overriding, almost compulsive “greed for more and more”
(sürah 102).
2 Sc., “so long as you are unwilling to abandon the false values which cause you to deny the
truth”.
3 Lit., “unto me, my moral law”. The primary significance of din is “obedience”; in particular,
obedience to a law or to what is conceived as a system of established-and therefore binding-
usages, i.e., something endowed with moral authority: hence “religion", “faith” or “religious law”
in the widest sense of these terms (cf. first half of note 249 on 2:256); or simply “moral law”, as in
the above instance as well as in 42 : 21, 95 : 7, 98 : 5 or 107 :1.
 THE HUNDRED-TENTH SÜRAH

AN-NASR (SUCCOUR)
MEDINA PERIOD

EVEALED at Minä during the Prophet’s Farewell Pilgrimage in the month of Dhu ’1-Hijjah,
R .10 H. - that is, a little over two months before his death - this is unquestionably the last
complete sürah conveyed by him to the world. It was preceded one day earlier (on Friday, the 9th
of Dhu ’1-Hijjah) by the revelation of the words, “Today have I perfected your religious law for
you, and bestowed upon you the full measure of My blessings, and willed that self-surrender unto
Me (al-islam) shall be your religion” (5:3); and since those words were almost immediately
followed by the present sürah, some of the Prophet’s Companions concluded that his mission was
fulfilled, and that he was about to die (Bukhäri)- As a matter of fact, the only revelation which the
Prophet received after An-Na$r was verse 281 of Al-Baqarah.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

----------------
(1) HEN GOD’S SUCCOUR comes, and victory,
W (2) and thou seest people enter God’s religion' in
hosts, (3) extol thy Sustainer’s limitless glory, and 5. „.T?
praise Him, and seek His forgiveness: for, behold, He
is ever an acceptor of repentance.12

1 I.e., the religion of self-surrender to God: cf. 3:19-“the only [true] religion in the sight of
God is [man’s] self-surrender unto Him”.
2 Implying that even if people should embrace the true religion in great numbers, a believer
ought not to grow self-complacent but should, rather, become more humble and more conscious of
his own failings. Moreover, the Prophet is reported to have said, “Behold, people have entered
God’s religion in hosts-and in time they will leave it in hosts” (Ibn Ha|tbal. on the authority of
Jäbir ibn ‘Abd Allah; a similar Tradition, on the authority of Abû Hurayrah, is found in the
Mustadrak).
 THE HUNDRED-ELEVENTH SÜRAH

AL-MASAD (THE TWISTED STRANDS)

MECCA PERIOD

T IS « 7y y ÎLSU£h ~ l2 te S, rth ,n the order of revelation - derives its name from its last word.
I uï re U s•!? the b,t?r ho.st,1,ty aJways shown to the Prophet’s message by his uncle Abû
Lahab. a hostility rooted in his inborn arrogance, pride in his great wealth, and a dislike of the
idea, propounded by Muhammad, that all human beings are equal before God and will be judged
by Him on their merits alone (Ibn Zayd, as quoted by TabarT in his commentary on the first verse
of this surah).
As reported by several unimpeachable authorities - Bukhârï and Muslim among them - the Prophet
ascended one day the hillock of As-Safä in Mecca and called together all who could hear him from
among his tribe, the Quraysh. When they had assembled, he asked them: “O sons of‘Abd al-Muttalib!
O sons of Fihr! If I were to inform you that enemy warriors are about to fall upon you from behind that
hill, would you believe me?” They answered: “Yes, we would.” Thereupon he said: “Behold, then. I
am here to warn you of the coming of the Last Hour!” At that, Abu Lahab exclaimed: “Was it for this
purpose that thou hast summoned us? May thou be doomed!" And shortly afterwards this sürah was
revealed.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) OOMED are the hands of him of the glowing

_L/ countenance,1 and doomed is he! --------------a
(2) What will his wealth avail him, and all that he
has gained?
(3) [In the life to come] he shall have to endure a
fire fiercely glowing,3 (4) together with his wife, that
carrier of evil tales,1 (5) [who bears] around her neck
a rope of twisted strands!4

1 The real name of this uncle of the Prophet was ‘Abd al-‘Uzzâ. He was popularly nicknamed Abû
Lahab (lit., “He of the Flame”) on account of his beauty, which was most notably expressed in his
glowing countenance (BaghawT, on the authority of Muqâtil; Zamakhsharï and Râzï passim in their
comments on the above verse: Fath al-Bârî VIII, 599). Since this nickname, or kunyah, appears to
have been applied to him even before the advent of Islam, there is no reason to suppose that it had a
pejorative significance.-The expression “hands” in the above clause is, in accordance with classical
Arabic usage, a metonym for “power”, nludst the great influence which Abû Lahab wielded.
2 The expression när dhät lahab is a subtle play upon the meaning of the nickname Abû Lahab.
3 Lit., ‘‘carrier of firewood”, a well-known idiomatic expression denoting one who surrep­
titiously carries evil tales and slander from one person to another “so as to kindle the flames of
hatred between them” (Zamakhsharï; see also ‘Ikrimah, Mujahid and Qatädah, as quoted by
Tabarï). The woman’s name was Arwâ umm Jamïl bint Harb ibn Umayyah: she was a sister of Abû
Sufyan and, hence, a paternal aunt of Mu'äwiyah. the founder of the Umayyad dynasty. Her
hatred of Muhammad and his followers was so intense that she would often, under the cover or
darkness, scatter thorns before the Prophet’s house with a view to causing him hurt; and she
employed her great eloquence in persistently slandering him and his message.
4 The term masad signifies anything that consists of twisted strands, irrespective of the material
AL-MASAD SÜRAH 111

(Qâmûs, Mughnï, Lisän al-'Arab). In the abstract sense in which it is evidently used here, the
above phrase seems to have a double connotation: it alludes to the woman’s twisted, warped
nature, as well as to the spiritual truth that “every human being’s destiny is tied to his neck” (see
17:13 and, in particular, the corresponding note 17)-which, together with verse 2, reveals the
general, timeless purport of this sürah.
 THE HUNDRED-TWELFTH SÜRAH

AL-IKHLAÇ (THE DECLARATION OF [GOD’S] PERFECTION)

MECCA PERIOD

S REPORTED in a great number of authentic Traditions, the Prophet was wont to de­
A scribe this sürah as “equivalent to one-third of the whole Qur’an” (BukhärT, Muslim, Ibn
Hanbal, Abu Dä’üd, Nasä’T, Tirmidhï, Ibn Mäjah). It seems to have been revealed in the early part
of the Mecca period.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) QAY: “He is the One God:

0(2) “God the Eternal, the Uncaused Cause of All
Being.1
(3) “He begets not, and neither is He begotten:
(4) “and there is nothing that could be compared
with Him.”2
I This rendering gives no more than an approximate meaning of the term as-samad. which occurs
in the Qur’an only once, and is applied to God alone. It comprises the concepts of Primary Cause
and eternal, independent Being, combined with the idea that everything existing or conceivable
goes back to Him as its source and is, therefore, dependent on Him for its beginning as well as for
its continued existence.
2 Cf. note 2 on 89: 3, as well as sürah 19, note 77. The fact that God is one and unique in every
respect, without beginning and without end, has its logical correlate in the statement that “there is
nothing that could be compared with Him”-thus precluding any possibility of describing or
defining Him (see note 88 on the last sentence of 6: 100). Consequently, the quality of His Being is
beyond the range of human comprehension or imagination: which also explains why any attempt at
“depicting" God by means of figurative representations or even abstract symbols must be qualified
as a blasphemous denial of the truth.
 THE HUNDRED-THIRTEENTH SÜRAH

AL-FALAQ (THE RISING DAWN)

PERIOD UNCERTAIN

HEREAS most of the commentators assign this and the next sürah to the early part of the
W Mecca period, some authorities (e.g., RäzT, Ibn KathTr) consider them to have been revealed at
Medina, while yet others (e.g., BaghawT, ZamakhsharT, BaydäwT) leave the question open. On the
basis of the scant evidence available to us it appears probable that both these surahs are of early
Meccan origin.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) ÇJAY: “I seek refuge with the Sustainer of the

O rising dawn,1
(2) “from the evil of aught that He has created,
______
(3) “and from the evil of the black darkness when­
ever it descends,2
(4) “and from the evil of all human beings bent on o Aiiifj
occult endeavours,3
(5) “and from the evil of the envious when he
0
envies.”4
1 The term al-falaq (“the light of dawn” or “the rising dawn”) is often used tropically to
describe “the emergence of the truth after [a period of] uncertainty” (Tâj al-*Ariis): hence, the
appellation “Sustainer of the rising dawn” implies that God is the source of all cognition of truth,
and that one’s “seeking refuge” with Him is synonymous with striving after truth.
2 I.e., the darkness of despair, or of approaching death. In all these four verses (2-5). the term
“evil" (sharr) has not only an objective but also a subjective connotation - namely, fear of evil.
3 Lit., “of those that blow (an-naffäthät) upon knots”: an idiomatic phrase current in pre-
lslamic Arabia and, hence, employed in classical Arabic to designate all supposedly occult
endeavours; it was probably derived from the practice of “witches” and “sorcerers" who used to
tie a string into a number of knots while blowing upon them and murmuring magic incantations.
The feminine gender of naffäthät does not, as ZamakhsharT and RäzT point out, necessarily indicate
“women", but may well relate to “human beings" (anfus, sing, nafs, a noun that is grammatically
feminine). In his explanation of the above verse, ZamakhsharT categorically rejects all belief in the
reality and effectiveness of such practices, as well as of the concept of “magic" as such. Similar
views have been expressed - albeit in a much more elaborate manner, on the basis of established
psychological findings-by Muhammad cAbduh and RashTd Ri0ä’ (see Manor I. 398 ff.). The
reason why the believer is enjoined to “seek refuge with God” from such practices despite their
palpable irrationality is - according to ZamakhsharT - to be found in the inherent sinfulness of such
endeavours (see sürah 2, note 84), and in the mental danger in which they may involve their author.
4 I.e., from the effects - moral and social - which another person's envy may have on one's life,
as well as from succumbing oneself to the evil of envy. In this connection, ZamakhsharT quotes a
saying of the Caliph cUmar ibn cAbd al-'AzTz (called “the Second 'Umar” on account of his piety
and integrity): “I cannot think of any wrongdoer (?äiim) who is more likely to be the wronged one
(maflüm) than he who envies another."
 THE HUNDRED-FOURTEENTH SÜRAH

AN-NÄS (MEN)
PERIOD UNCERTAIN

(Ç4EE introductory note to the preceding sürah, with which this one is closely connected.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:

(1) ÇJAY: “I seek refuge with the Sustainer of men,

0(2) “the Sovereign of men, ^££4-____
(3) “the God of men,
(4) “from the evil of the whispering, elusive tempter
(5) “who whispers in the hearts of men1 - <X> C utCjMi
(6) “from all [temptation to evil by] invisible forces
as well as men.”2

1 I.e., “Satan” in the widest meaning of this designation, as pointed out by Râzî (quoted in
surah 14, note 31).
2 The above is perhaps the oldest Qur’anic mention of the term and concept of al-jinnah
(synonymous with al-jinn), which has been tentatively explained in Appendix III. In the above
context, the term probably denotes the intangible, mysterious forces of nature to which man's
psyche is exposed, and which sometimes make it difficult for us to discern between right and
wrong. However, in the light of this last verse of the last sürah of the Qur’an it is also possible to
conclude that the “invisible forces" from which we are told to seek refuge with God are the
temptations to evil emanating from the blindness of our own hearts, from our gross appetites, and
from the erroneous notions and false values that may have been handed down to us by our
predecessors.
 appendix I

SYMBOLISM AND ALLEGORY IN THE QUR’ÄN

HEN studying the Qur’an, one frequently encounters what may be described as key­
W phrases” - that is to say, statements which provide a clear, concise indication of the idea
underlying a particular passage or passages: for instance, the many references to the creation of
man ‘‘out of dust” and “out of a drop of sperm”, pointing to the lowly biological origin of the
human species; or the statement in the ninety-ninth sürah (Az-Zalzalah) that on Resurrection
Day “he who shall have done an atom’s weight of good, shall behold it; and he who shall have
done an atom’s weight of evil, shall behold it” - indicating the ineluctible afterlife consequences
of, and the responsibility for, all that man consciously does in this world; or the divine declaration
(in 38:27), “We have not created heaven and earth and all that is between them without meaning
and purpose (bâ(ilan), as is the surmise of those who are bent on denying the truth.”
Instances of such Qur’anic key-phrases can be quoted almost ad infinitum, and in many varying
formulations. But there is one fundamental statement in the Qur’än which occurs only once, and
which may be qualified as “the key-phrase of all its key-phrases”: the statement in verse 7 of ÂI
*Imran to the'effect that the Qur’än “contains messages that are clear in and by themselves (äyät
muhkamât) as well as others that are allegorical (mutashâbihât)". It is this verse which represents,
in an absolute sense, a key to the understanding of the Qur’anic message and makes the whole of it
accessible to “people who think” (li-qawmin yatafakkarün).
In my notes on the above-mentioned verse of Ârimrân I have tried to elucidate the meaning of
the expression âyât muhkamât as well as the general purport of what is termed mutashäbih
(“allegorical” or “symbolic”). Without a proper grasp of what is implied by this latter term, much
of the Qur’än is liable to be - and, in fact, has often been - grossly misunderstood both by
believers and by such as refuse to believe in its divinely-inspired origin. However, an appreciation
of what is meant by “allegory” or “symbolism” in the context of the Qur’än is, by itself, not
enough to make one fully understand its world-view: in order to achieve this we must relate the
Qur’anic use of these terms to a concept touched upon almost at the very beginning of the divine
writ - namely, the existence of “a realm which is beyond the reach of human perception”
(al-ghayb). It is this concept that constitutes the basic premise for an understanding of the call of
the Qur’än, and, indeed, of the principle of religion - every religion - as such: for all truly religious
cognition arises from and is based on the fact that only a small segment of reality is open to man’s
perception and imagination, and that by far the larger part of it escapes his comprehension
altogether.
However, side by side with this clear-cut metaphysical concept we have a not less clear-cut
finding of a psychological nature: namely, the finding that the human mind (in which term we
comprise conscious thinking, imagination, dream-life, intuition, memory, etc.) can operate only on
the basis of perceptions previously experienced by that very mind either in their entirety or in
some of their constituent elements: that is to say, it cannot visualize, or form an idea of, something
that lies entirely outside the realm of previously realized experiences. Hence, whenever we arrive
at a seemingly “new” mental image or idea, we find, on closer examination, that even if it is new as
a composite entity, it is not really new as regards its component elements, for these are invariably
derived from previous - and sometimes quite disparate - mental experiences which are now but
brought together in a new combination or series of new combinations.
Now as soon as we realize that the human mind cannot operate otherwise than on the basis of
previous experiences - that is to say, on the basis of apperceptions and cognitions already
recorded in that mind - we are faced by a weighty question: Since the metaphysical ideas of
religion relate, by virtue of their nature, to a realm beyond the reach of human perception or

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APPENDIX I

experience - how can they be successfully conveyed to us? How can we be expected to grasp
ideas which have no counterpart, not even a fractional one, in any of the apperceptions which we
have arrived at empirically?
The answer is self-evident: By means of loan-images derived from our actual - physical or
mental - experiences; or, as Zamakhshari phrases it in his commentary on 13:35, “through a
parabolic illustration, by means of something which we know from our experience, of something
that is beyond the reach of our perception” (tamthflan li-mä ghäba cannâ bi-mâ nushähid). And
this is the innermost purport of the term and concept of al-mutashäbihät as used in the Qur’an.
Thus, the Qur’än tells us clearly that many of its passages and expressions must be understood
in an allegorical sense for the simple reason that, being intended for human understanding, they
could not have been conveyed to us in any other way. It follows, therefore, that if we were to take
every Qur’anic passage, statement or expression in its outward, literal sense and disregard the
possibility of its being an allegory, a metaphor or a parable, we would be offending against the very
spirit of the divine writ.
Consider, for instance, some of the Qur’anic references to God’s Being - a Being indefinable,
infinite in time and space, and utterly beyond any creature’s comprehension. Far from being able
to imagine Him, we can only realize what He is not: namely, not limited in either time or space,
not definable in terms of comparison, and not to be comprised within any category of human
thought. Hence, only very generalized metaphors can convey to us, though most inadequately, the
idea of His existence and activity.
And so, when the Qur’än speaks of Him as being “in the heavens” or “established on His throne
(al-earshy\ we cannot possibly take these phrases in their literal senses, since then they would
imply, however vaguely, that God is limited in space: and since such a limitation would contradict
the concept of an Infinite Being, we know immediately, without the least doubt, that the “heavens”
and the “throne” and God’s being “established" on it are but linguistic vehicles meant to convey
an idea which is outside all human experience, namely, the idea of God's almightiness and
absolute sway over all that exists. Similarly, whenever He is described as “all-seeing”, “all-
hearing" or “all-aware", we know that these descriptions have nothing to do with the phenomena
of physical seeing or hearing but simply circumscribe, in terms understandable to man. the fact of
God’s eternal Presence in all that is or happens. And since “no human vision can encompass Him"
(Qur’än 6:103), man is not expected to realize His existence otherwise than through observing the
effects of His unceasing activity within and upon the universe created by Him.
But whereas our belief in God’s existence does not - and, indeed, could not - depend on our
grasping the unfathomable “how" of His Being, the same is not the case with problems connected
with man's own existence, and, in particular, with the idea of a life in the hereafter: for, man’s
psyche is so constituted that it cannot accept any proposition relating to himself without being
given a clear exposition of its purport.
The Qur’än tells us that man’s life in this world is but the first stage - a very short stage - of a
life that continues beyond the hiatus called “death"; and the same Qur’än stresses again and again
the principle of man’s moral responsibility for all his conscious actions and his behaviour, and of
the continuation of this responsibility, in the shape of inescapable consequences, good or bad, in a
person’s life in the hereafter. But how could man be made to understand the nature of these
consequences and, thus, of the quality of the life that awaits him? - for, obviously, inasmuch as
man’s resurrection will be the result of what the Qur’än describes as “a new act of creation", the
life that will follow upon it must be entirely different from anything that man can and does
experience in this world.
This being so, it is not enough for man to be told, “If you behave righteously in this world, you
will attain to happiness in the life to come", or, alternatively, “If you do wrong in this world, you
will suffer for it in the hereafter". Such statements would be far too general and abstract to appeal
to man’s imagination and, thus, to influence his behaviour. What is needed is a more direct appeal
to the intellect, resulting in a kind of “visualization" of the consequences of one’s conscious acts
and omissions: and such an appeal can be effectively produced by means of metaphors, allegories
and parables, each of them stressing, on the one hand, the absolute dissimilarity of all that man
will experience after resurrection from whatever he did or could experience in this world; and, on
the other hand, establishing means of comparison between these two categories of experience.

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 SYMBOLISM AND ALLEGORY

Thus, explaining the reference to the bliss of paradise in 32:17, the Prophet indicated the
essential difference between man’s life in this world and in the hereafter in these words: “God
says, T have readied for My righteous servants what no eye has ever seen, and no ear has ever
heard, and no heart of man has ever conceived”’ (Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhï). On the other hand,
in 2:25 the Qur’än speaks thus of the blessed in paradise: “Whenever they are granted fruits
therefrom as their appointed sustenance, they will say, Tt is this that in days of yore was granted
to us as our sustenance’ - for they shall be given something which will recall that [past]’’: and so
we have the image of gardens through which running waters flow, blissful shade, spouses of
indescribable beauty, and many other delights infinitely varied and unending, and yet somehow
comparable to what may be conceived of as most delightful in this world.
However, this possibility of an intellectual comparison between the two stages of human
existence is to a large extent limited by the fact that all our thinking and imagining is indissolubly
connected with the concepts of finite time and finite space: in other words, we cannot imagine
infinity in either time or space - and therefore cannot imagine a state of existence independent of
time and space - or, as the Qur’än phrases it with reference to a state of happiness in afterlife, “a
paradise as vast as the heavens and the earth” (3:133): which expression is the Qur’anic synonym
for the entire created universe. On the other hand, we know that every Qur’anic statement is
directed to man’s reason and must, therefore, be comprehensible either in its literal sense (as in the
case of the äyät muhkamät) or allegorically (as in the äyät mutashäbihäty, and since, owing to the
constitution of the human mind, neither infinity nor eternity are comprehensible to us, it follows
that the reference to the infinite “vastness” of paradise cannot relate to anything but the intensity
of sensation which it will offer to the blest.
By obvious analogy, the principle of a “comparison through allegory” applied in the Qur’än to
all references to paradise - i.e., a state of unimaginable happiness in afterlife - must be extended
to all descriptions of otherworldly suffering - i.e., hell - in respect of its utter dissimilarity from all
earthly experiences as well as its unmeasurable intensity. In both cases the descriptive method of
the Qur’än is the same. We are told, as it were: “Imagine the most joyous sensations, bodily as
well as emotional, accessible to man: indescribable beauty, love physical and spiritual, conscious­
ness of fulfilment, perfect peace and harmony; and imagine these sensations intensified beyond
anything imaginable in this world - and at the same time entirely different from anything
imaginable: and you have an inkling, however vague, of what is meant by ‘paradise’.” And, on the
other hand: “Imagine the greatest suffering, bodily as well as spiritual, which man may
experience: burning by fire, utter loneliness and bitter desolation, the torment of unceasing
frustration, a condition of neither living nor dying; and imagine this pain, this darkness and this
despair intensified beyond anything imaginable in this world - and al the same time entirely
different from anything imaginable: and you will know, however vaguely, what is meant by ‘hell’.”
Side by side with these allegories relating to man’s life after death we find in the Qur’än many
symbolical expressions referring to the evidence of God's activity. Owing to the limitations of
human language - which, in their turn, arise from the inborn limitations of the human mind - this
activity can only be circumscribed and never really described. Just as it is impossible for us to
imagine or define God’s Being, so the true nature of His creativeness - and, therefore, of His plan
of creation - must remain beyond our grasp. But since the Qur’än aims at conveying to us an
ethical teaching based, precisely, on the concept of God’s purposeful creativeness, the latter must
be, as it were, “translated" into categories of thought accessible to man. Hence the use of
expressions which at first sight have an almost anthropomorphic hue, for instance, God’s “wrath”
(ghadab) or “condemnation"; His "pleasure" at good deeds or “love” for His creatures; or His
being “oblivious" of a sinner who was oblivious of Him; or “asking” a wrongdoer on Resurrection
Day about his wrongdoing; and so forth. All such verbal “translations" of God’s activity into
human terminology are unavoidable as long as we are expected to conform to ethical principles
revealed to us by means of a human language; but there can be no greater mistake than to think
that these “translations" could ever enable us to define the Undefinable.
And, as the Qur’än makes it clear in the seventh verse of ÂI 'Imran, only “those whose hearts
are given to swerving from the truth go after that part of the divine writ which has been expressed
in allegory, seeking out [what is bound to create] confusion, and seeking [to arrive at] its final
meaning [in an arbitrary manner]: but none save God knows its final meaning. *
 APPENDIX II

AL-MUQATIA'ÄT

A BOUT one-quarter of the Qur’anic sürahs are preceded by mysterious letter-symbols called
XX muqaffa'ät (“disjointed letters”) or, occasionally, fawätih (“openings”) because they appear
at the beginning of the relevant sürahs. Out of the twenty-eight letters of the Arabic alphabet,
exactly one-half - that is, fourteen - occur in this position, either singly or in varying combinations
of two, three, four or five letters. They are always pronounced singly, by their designations and not
as mere sounds - thus: alif läm mïm, or hä mïm, etc.
The significance of these letter-symbols has perplexed the commentators from the earliest times.
There is no evidence of the Prophet’s having ever referred to them in any of his recorded
utterances, nor of any of his Companions having ever asked him for an explanation. None the less,
it is established beyond any possibility of doubt that all the Companions - obviously following the
example of the Prophet - regarded the muqaffa'ät as integral parts of the sürahs to which they
are prefixed, and used to recite them accordingly: a fact which disposes effectively of the
suggestion advanced by some Western orientalists that these letters may be no more than the
initials of the scribes who wrote down the individual revelations at the Prophet’s dictation, or of
the Companions who recorded them at the time of the final codification of the Qur’an during the
reign of the first three Caliphs.
Some of the Companions as well as some of their immediate successors and later Qur’ân-
commentators were convinced that these letters are abbreviations of certain words or even
phrases relating to God and His attributes, and tried to “reconstruct” them with much ingenuity:
but since the possible combinations are practically unlimited, all such interpretations are highly
arbitrary and, therefore, devoid of any real usefulness. Others have tried to link the muqaffa'ät to
the numerological values of the letters of the Arabic alphabet, and have “derived” by this means
all manner of esoteric indications and prophecies.
Yet another, perhaps more plausible interpretation, based on two sets of facts, has been
advanced by some of the most outstanding Islamic scholars throughout the centuries:
Firstly, all words of the Arabic language, without any exception, are composed of either one
letter or a combination of two, three, four or five letters, and never more than five: and, as already
mentioned, these are the forms in which the muqaffa'ät appear.
Secondly, all sürahs prefixed by these letter-symbols open, directly or obliquely, with a
reference to revelation, either in its generic sense or its specific manifestation, the Qur’an. At first
glance it might appear that three sürahs (29, 30 and 68) are exceptions to this rule; but this
assumption is misleading. In the opening verse of sürah 29 (Al-'Ankabüt), a reference to
revelation is obviously implied in the saying, “We have attained to faith” (amannä), i.e., in God
and His messages. In sürah 30 (Ar-Rüm), divine revelation is unmistakably stressed in the
prediction of Byzantine victory in verses 2-4. In verse 1 of sürah 68 (Al-Qalam) the phenomenon
of revelation is clearly referred to in the evocative mention of “the pen” (see note 2 on the first
verse of that sürah). Thus, there are no “exceptions" in the sürahs prefixed by one or more of the
muqaffa'ät: each of them opens with a reference to divine revelation.
This, taken together with the fact that the muqaffa'ät mirror, as it were, all word-forms of the
Arabic language, has led scholars and thinkers like Al-Mubarrad, Ibn Hazm, Zamakhsharï, Râzï,
BaytjäwT, Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn KathTr - to mention only a few of them - to the conclusion that the
muqaffa'ät are meant to illustrate the inimitable, wondrous nature of Qur’anic revelation, which,
though originating in a realm beyond the reach of human perception (al-ghayb), can be and is
conveyed to man by means of the very sounds (represented by letters) of ordinary human speech.
However, even this very attractive interpretation is not entirely satisfactory inasmuch as there

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are many siirahs which open with an explicit reference to divine revelation and are nevertheless
not preceded by any letter-symbol. Secondly - and this is the most weighty objection - the above
explanation, too, is based on no more than conjecture: and so, in the last resort, we must content
ourselves with the finding that a solution of this problem still remains beyond our grasp. This was
apparently the view of the four Right-Guided Caliphs, summarized in these words of Abu Bakr.
“In every divine writ (kitäb) there is [an element of] mystery - and the mystery of the Qur’an is
[indicated] in the openings of [some of] the surahs.”
 APPENDIX III

ON THE TERM AND CONCEPT OF JINN

N ORDER to grasp the purport of the term jinn as used in the Qur’än, we must dissociate
I our minds from the meaning given to it in Arabian folklore, where it early came to denote all
manner of “demons” in the most popular sense of this word. This folkloristic image has somewhat
obscured the original connotation of the term and its highly significant - almost self-explanatory -
verbal derivation. The root-verb is janna, “he (or “it”] concealed” or “covered with darkness”: cf.
6:76, which speaks of Abraham “when the night overshadowed him with its darkness (janna
*alayhi)". Since this verb is also used in the intransitive sense (“he [or “it”] was [or “became”]
concealed”, resp. “covered with darkness"), all classical philologists point out that al-jinn signifies
“intense [or “confusing”] darkness” and, in a more general sense, “that which is concealed from
[man’s] senses”, i.e., things, beings or forces which cannot normally be perceived by man but
have, nevertheless, an objective reality, whether concrete or abstract, of their own.
In the usage of the Qur’än, which is certainly different from the usage of primitive folklore, the
term jinn has several distinct meanings. The most commonly encountered is that of spiritual
forces or beings which, precisely because they have no corporeal existence, are beyond the
perception of our corporeal senses: a connotation which includes “satans” and “satanic forces”
(shayâfïn - see note 16 on 15:17) as well as “angels” and “angelic forces”, since all of them are
“concealed from our senses” (JawharT, Räghib). In order to make it quite evident that these
invisible manifestations are not of a corporeal nature, the Qur’än states parabolically that the jinn
were created out of “the fire of scorching winds" (nâr as-samüm, in 15:27), or out of “a confusing
flame of fire" (mârij min nâr, in 55:15), or simply “out of fire" (7:12 and 38:76, in these last two
instances referring to the Fallen Angel, IblTs). Parallel with this, we have authentic ahâdïth to the
effect that the Prophet spoke of the angels as having been “created out of light" (khuliqat min
nur: Muslim, on the authority of ‘Ä’ishah) - light and fire being akin, and likely to manifest
themselves within and through one another (cf. note 7 on verse 8 of sürah 27).
The term jinn is also applied to a wide range of phenomena which, according to most of the
classical commentators, indicate certain sentient organisms of so fine a nature and of a physio­
logical composition so different from our own that they are not normally accessible to our
sense-perception. We know, of course, very little as to what can and what cannot play the role of a
living organism; moreover, our inability to discern and observe such phenomena is by no means a
sufficient justification for a denial of their existence. The Qur’än refers often to “the realm which
is beyond the reach of human perception" (al-ghayb), while God is frequently spoken of as “the
Sustainer of all the worlds" (rabb al-câlamïn): and the use of the plural clearly indicates that side
by side with the “world” open to our observation there are other “worlds” as well - and, therefore,
other forms of life, different from ours and presumably from one another, and yet subtly
interacting and perhaps even permeating one another in a manner beyond our ken. And if we
assume, as we must, that there are living organisms whose biological premises are entirely
different from our own, it is only logical to assume that our physical senses can establish contact
with them only under very exceptional circumstances: hence the description of them as “invisible
beings". Now that occasional, very rare crossing of paths between their life-mode and ours may
well give rise to strange - because unexplainable - manifestations, which man’s primitive fantasy
has subsequently interpreted as ghosts, demons and other such “supernatural” apparitions.
Occasionally, the term jinn is used in the Qur’än to denote those elemental forces of nature -
including human nature - which are “concealed from our senses" inasmuch as they manifest
themselves to us only in their effects but not in their intrinsic reality. Instances of this connotation
are found, e.g., in 37:158 ff. (and possibly also in 6:100), as well as in the earliest occurrence of this
concept, namely, in 114:6.

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_______________________________________________ ON THE TERM AND CONCEPT OF JINN

Apart from this, it is quite probable that in many instances where the Qur’än refers to jinn in
terms usually applied to organisms endowed with reason, this expression either implies a symbolic
“personification” of man’s relationship ynth “satanic forces” (shayâtîn) - an implication evident,
e.g., in 6:112, 7:38, 11:119, 32:13 - or, alternatively, is a metonym for a person’s preoccupation
with what is loosely described as “occult powers”, whether real or illusory, as well as for the
resulting practices as such, like sorcery, necromancy, astrology, soothsaying, etc.: endeavours to
which the Qur’an invariably refers in condemnatory terms (cf. 2:102 and the corresponding note
84; also 6:128 and 130, or 72:5-6).
In a few instances (e.g., in 46:29-32 and 72:1-15) the term jinn may conceivably denote beings not
invisible in and by themselves but, rather, “hitherto unseen beings” (see note 1 on 72:1).
Finally, references to jinn are sometimes meant to recall certain legends deeply embedded in the
consciousness of the people to whom the Qur’an was addressed in the first instance (e.g., in
34:12-14, which should be read in conjunction with note 77 on 21:82) - the purpose being, in every
instance, not the legend as such but the illustration of a moral or spiritual truth.
 APPENDIX IV

THE NIGHT JOURNEY

HE PROPHETS “Night Journey” (isrä9) from Mecca to Jerusalem and his subsequent
T “Ascension” (mi'räj) to heaven are, in reality, two stages of one mystic experience, dating
almost exactly one year before the exodus to Medina (cf. Ibn Sa'd 1/1,143). According to various
well-documented Traditions - extensively quoted and discussed by Ibn KathTr in his commentary
on 17:1, as well as by Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Bäri VII, 155 ff. - the Apostle of God, accompanied by
the Angel Gabriel, found himself transported by night to the site of Solomon’s Temple at
Jerusalem, where he led a congregation of many of the earlier, long since deceased prophets in
prayer; some of them he afterwards encountered again in heaven. The Ascension, in particular, is
important from the viewpoint of Muslim theology inasmuch as it was in the course of this
experience that the five daily prayers were explicitly instituted, by God’s ordinance, as an integral
part of the Islamic Faith.
Since the Prophet himself did not leave any clear-cut explanation of this experience, Muslim
thinkers - including the Prophet’s Companions - have always widely differed as to its true nature.
The great majority of the Companions believed that both the Night Journey and the
Ascension were physical occurrences - in other words, that the Prophet was borne bodily to
Jerusalem and then to heaven - while a minority were convinced that the experience was purely
spiritual. Among the latter we find, in particular, the name of ‘Ä’ishah, the Prophet’s widow and
most intimate companion of his later years, who declared emphatically that “he was transported
only in his spirit (bi-rühihï), while his body did not leave its place” (cf. Tabari, ZamakhsharT and
Ibn KathTr in their commentaries on 17:1); the great Al-Hasan al-Baçrï, who belonged to the next
generation, held uncompromisingly to the same view (ibid.). As against this, the theologians who
maintain that the Night Journey and the Ascension were physical experiences refer to the
corresponding belief of most of the Companions - without, however, being able to point to a single
Tradition to the effect that the Prophet himself described it as such. Some Muslim scholars lay
stress on the words asrä bi-abdihi (“He transported His servant by night”) occurring in 17:1, and
contend that the term *abd (“servant”) denotes a living being in its entirety, i.e., a combination of
body and soul. This interpretation, however, does not take into account the probability that the
expression asrä bi-'abdihi simply refers to the human quality of the Prophet, in consonance with
the many Qur’anic statements to the effect that he, like all other apostles, was but a mortal servant
of God, and was not endowed with any supernatural qualities. This, to my mind, is fully brought
out in the concluding words of the above verse - “verily. He alone is all-hearing, all-seeing” -
following upon the statement that the Prophet was shown some of God’s symbols (min äyätinä),
i.e., given insight into some, but by no means all, of the ultimate truths underlying God's creation.
The most convincing argument in favour of a spiritual interpretation of both the Night Journey
and the Ascension is forthcoming from the highly allegorical descriptions found in the authentic
Traditions relating to this double experience: descriptions, that is, which are so obviously symbolic
that they preclude any possibility of interpreting them literally, in “physical” terms. Thus, for
instance, the Apostle of God speaks of his encountering at Jerusalem, and subsequently in heaven,
a number of the earlier prophets, all of whom had undoubtedly passed away a long time before.
According to one Tradition (quoted by Ibn KathTr on the authority of Anas), he visited Moses in
his grave, and found him praying. In another Tradition, also on the authority of Anas (cf. Fath
al-Bäri VII, 158), the Prophet describes how, on his Night Journey, he encountered an old
woman, and was thereupon told by Gabriel, “This old woman is the mortal world (ad-dunyä)". In
the words of yet another Tradition, on the authority of Abfl Hurayrah (ibid.), the Prophet “passed
by people who were sowing and harvesting; and every time they completed their harvest, [the

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 THE NIGHT JOURNEY
grain] grew up again. Gabriel said, ‘These are the fighters in God’s cause (al-mujähidün).' Then
they passed by people whose heads were being shattered by rocks; and every time they were
shattered, they became whole again. [Gabriel] said, These are they whose heads were oblivious of
prayer.’ ... Then they passed by people who were eating raw, rotten meat and throwing away
cooked, wholesome meat. [Gabriel] said, These are the adulterers.”’
In the best-known Tradition on the Ascension (quoted by Bukhârï)» the Prophet introduces his
(narrative with the words: “While I lay on the ground next to the Ka*bah [lit., “in the hijr”], lo!
there came unto me an angel, and cut open my breast and took out my heart. And then a golden
basin full of faith was brought unto me, and my heart was washed [therein] and was filled [with it];
then it was restored to its place....” Since “faith” is an abstract concept, it is obvious that the
Prophet himself regarded this prelude to the Ascension - and therefore the Ascension itself and,
ipso facto, the Night Journey to Jerusalem - as purely spiritual experiences.
But whereas there is no cogent reason to believe in a “bodily” Night Journey and Ascension,
there is, on the other hand, no reason to doubt the objective reality of this event The early Muslim
theologians, who could not be expected to possess adequate psychological knowledge, could
visualize only two alternatives: either a physical happening or a dream. Since it appeared to them -
and rightly so - that these wonderful occurrences would greatly lose in significance if they were
relegated to the domain of mere dream, they instinctively adopted an interpretation in physical
terms and passionately defended it against all contrary views, like those of 'Ä’ishah, Mu'äwiyah or
Al-Hasan al-Ba$rï. In the meantime, however, we have come to know that a dream-experience is
not the only alternative to a physical occurrence. Modern psychical research, though still in its
infancy, has demonstrably proved that not every spiritual experience (that is, an experience in
which none of the known organs of man’s body has a part) must necessarily be a mere subjective
manifestation of the “mind” - whatever this term may connote - but that it may, in special
circumstances, be no less real or “factual” in the objective sense of this word than anything that
man can experience by means of his physiological organism. We know as yet very little about the
quality of such exceptional psychic activities, and so it is well-nigh impossible to reach definite
conclusions as to their nature. Nevertheless, certain observations of modem psychologists have
confirmed the possibility - claimed from time immemorial by mystics of all persuasions - of a
temporary “independence” of man’s spirit from his living body. In the event of such a temporary
independence, the spirit or soul appears to be able freely to traverse time and space, to embrace
within its insight occurrences and phenomena belonging to otherwise widely separated categories
of reality, and to condense them within symbolical perceptions of great intensity, clarity and
comprehensiveness. But when it comes to communicating such “visionary” experiences (as we are
constrained to call them for lack of a better term) to people who have never experienced anything
of the kind, the person concerned - in this case, the Prophet - is obliged to resort to figurative
expressions: and this would account for the allegorical style of all the Traditions relating to the
mystic vision of the Night Journey and the Ascension.
At this point I should like to draw the reader's attention to the discussion of “spiritual
Ascension" by one of the truly great Islamic thinkers, Ibn al-Qayyim (Zäd al-Ma'äd II, 48 f.):
“'Ä’ishah and Mu'äwiyah maintained that the [Prophet’s] Night Journey was performed by his
soul (bi-rühihï), while his body did not leave its place. The same is reported to have been the view
of Al-Hasan al-Ba$rT. But it is necessary to know the difference between the saying, ‘the Night
Journey took place in dream (manâman)', and the saying, ‘it was [performed] by his soul without
his body’. The difference between these two [views] is tremendous.... What the dreamer sees are
mere reproductions (amthäl) of forms already existing in his mind; and so he dreams [for example]
that he ascends to heaven or is transported to Mecca or to [other] regions of the world, while [in
reality] his spirit neither ascends nor is transported....
“Those who have reported to us the Ascension of the Apostle of God can be divided into two
groups - one group maintaining that the Ascension was in spirit and in body, and the other group
maintaining that it was performed by his spirit, while his body did not leave its place. But these
latter [also] do not mean to say that the Ascension took place in a dream: they merely mean that it
was his soul itself which actually went on the Night Journey and ascended to heaven, and that the
soul witnessed things which it [otherwise] witnessses after death [lit., mufäraqah, separation ].
APPENDIX IV

Its condition on that occasion was similar to the condition [of the soul] after death.... But that
which the Apostle of God experienced on his Night Journey was superior to the [ordinary]
experiences of the soul after death, and, of course, was far above the dreams which one sees in
sleep.... As to the prophets [whom the Apostle of God met in heaven], it was but their souls
which had come to dwell there after the separation from their bodies, while the soul of the Apostle
of God ascended there in his lifetime.”
It is obvious that this kind of spiritual experience is not only not inferior, but, on the contrary,
vastly superior to anything that bodily organs could ever perform or record; and it goes without
saying, as already mentioned by Ibn al-Qayyim, that it is equally superior to what we term
“dream-experiences”, inasmuch as the latter have no objective existence outside the subject’s
mind, whereas spiritual experiences of the kind referred to above are not less “real” (that is,
objective) than anything which could be experienced “in body”. By assuming that the Night
Journey and the Ascension were spiritual and not bodily, we do not diminish the extraordinary
value attaching to this experience of the Prophet. On the contrary, it appears that the fact of his
having had such an experience by far transcends any miracle of bodily ascension, for it
presupposes a personality of tremendous spiritual perfection - the very thing which we expect
from a true Prophet of God. However, it is improbable that we ordinary human beings will ever be
in a position fully to comprehend spiritual experiences of this kind. Our minds can only operate
with elements provided by our consciousness of time and space; and everything that extends
beyond this particular set of conceptions will always defy our attempts at a clear-cut definition.
In conclusion, it should be noted that the Prophet’s Night Journey from Mecca to Jerusalem,
immediately preceding his Ascension, was apparently meant to show that Islam is not a new
doctrine but a continuation of the same divine message which was preached by the prophets of
old, who had Jerusalem as their spiritual home. This view is supported by Traditions (quoted in
Fath al-Bârï VII, 158), according to which the Prophet, during his Night Journey, also offered
prayers at Yathrib, Sinai, Bethlehem, etc. His encounters with other prophets, mentioned in this
connection, symbolize the same idea. The well-known Traditions to the effect that on the occasion
of his Night Journey the Prophet led a prayer in the Temple of Jerusalem, in which all other
prophets ranged themselves behind him, expresses in a figurative manner the doctrine that Islam,
as preached by the Prophet Mubammad, is the fulfilment and perfection of mankind's religious
development, and that Muhammad was the last and the greatest of God's message-bearers.
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