Surah Al-jinn in english

Verse 1

Say, O Muhammad (s), to people: ‘It has been revealed to me, that is to say, I have been informed by way of revelation from God, exalted be He, that (annahu: the [suffixed] pronoun is that of the matter) a company of the jinn, the jinn of Nasībīn. This was at the time of the morning prayer at Batn Nakhla, a location between Mecca and Tā’if — these [jinn] being those mentioned in God’s saying, And when We sent a company of jinn your way…’ [Q. 46:29] — listened, to my recitation, then said, to their people upon returning to them: “We have indeed heard a marvellous Qur’ān, whose clarity, the richness of its meanings and other aspects one marvels at,

Verse 2

which guides to rectitude, to faith and propriety. Therefore we believe in it and we will never, after this day, associate anyone with our Lord.

Verse 3

And [we believe] that (annahu: the pronoun in this and in the next two instances is that of the matter) — exalted be the majesty of our Lord, transcendent is His majesty and magnificence above what is ascribed to Him — He has taken neither spouse nor son.

Verse 4

And that the fool among us, the ignorant one among us, used to utter atrocious lies against God, extreme calumny by attributing to Him a spouse and a son.

Verse 5

And we thought that (an: softened, that is to say, annahu) humans and jinn would never utter a lie against God, by attributing such things to Him, until we discovered their mendacity thereby. God, exalted be He, says:

Verse 6

And that certain individuals of mankind used to seek the protection of certain individuals of the jinn, when they stopped over in dangerous places during their journeys — whereat every man would say, ‘I seek the protection of the lord of this place against the evil of the insolent ones in it’ — so that they increased them, by their seeking their protection, in oppressiveness, such that they would say, ‘We are now lords of jinn and humans!’.

Verse 7

And they, namely, the jinn, thought just as you, O humans, thought, that (an: softened in place of the hardened form, that is to say, annahu) God would never raise anyone, after his death.

Verse 8

The jinn say: And we made for the heaven, we desired to listen by stealth, but we found it filled with mighty guards, from among the angels, and meteors, scorching stars: this was at the time of the sending of the Prophet (s).

Verse 9

And we used to, that is to say, before his Mission, sit in [certain] places therein to listen in; but anyone listening now will find a meteor lying in wait for him, aimed at him, ready to strike him.

Verse 10

And we do not know, by not being able to eavesdrop by stealth, whether ill is intended for those who are in the earth, or whether their Lord intends for them good.

Verse 11

And that among us some have become righteous, after having listened to the Qur’ān, and some of us are otherwise, that is to say, a folk who are unrighteous; we are [made up of] different sects, opposing groups, [some] submitters to God and [others] disbelievers.

Verse 12

And we assume that (an: softened in place of the hardened form, that is to say, annahu) we will never be able to elude God in the earth, nor will we be able to elude Him by fleeing — we will not be able to escape Him, whether we are on earth or, fleeing from it, in the heavens.

Verse 13

And that when we heard the guidance, the Qur’ān, we believed in it. For whoever believes in his Lord (read an implied huwa, ‘he’, [before fa-lā yakhāfu]) shall fear neither loss, a diminishing of his good deeds, nor oppression, [nor] injustice, by having his evil deeds increased.

Verse 14

And that among us some have submitted [to God], while some of us are unjust, tyrants — on account of their disbelief. So whoever has submitted [to God], those are the ones who seek right guidance.

Verse 15

And as for those are unjust, they will be firewood, fuel, for Hell!” ’ (annā, annahum, and annahu totalling all twelve instances [above], including innahu ta‘ālā and annā minnā’l-muslimūna and what comes in between them may be read with a kasra [sc. innā, innahum etc.] indicating a new sentence [every time], or with a fatha [sc. annā, annahum etc.] indicating the statement that will follow [as a relative clause]).

Verse 16

God, exalted be He, says [the following] about the Meccan disbelievers: And [it has been revealed to me] that if they (allaw: softened in place of the hardened form, its subject having been omitted, that is to say, annahum [law], which is a supplement to annahu istama‘a, ‘that [a company of jinn] listened’) adopt the [right] path, the path of submission [to God], We will give them abundant water to drink, plenteous [water], from the heaven — this was after rain had been withheld from them for seven years —

Verse 17

so that We may try them, test them, therein, and so know, through knowledge outwardly manifested, the nature of their gratitude. And whoever turns away from the remembrance of his Lord, [from] the Qur’ān, We will admit him (naslukhu, or read [first person] yaslukhu, ‘He will admit him’) into a tortuous chastisement.

Verse 18

And [it has been revealed to me] that the places of prayer belong to God, so do not invoke, in them, anyone along with God, by associating others with Him, like the Jews and Christians do, who, when they enter their churches and temples, they ascribe partners to God.

Verse 19

And that (annahu; or innahu as a new sentence, the pronoun being that of the matter) when the servant of God, the Prophet Muhammad (s), rose to invoke Him, to worship Him, at Batn Nakhla, they, that is, the jinn listening to his recitation, were almost upon him in heaps (libadan or lubadan, the plural of libda [or lubda], like felt in the way they were heaped on top of one another, crowding in their eagerness to listen to the Qur’ān).

Verse 20

He said, in response to the disbelievers saying, ‘Abandon this affair of yours!’ (a variant reading [for qāla, ‘he said’], has qul, ‘Say:’) ‘I invoke only my Lord, as God, and I do not associate anyone with Him’.

Verse 21

Say: ‘I truly have no power to bring you any harm, to lead [you] astray, or any guidance’, any good.

Verse 22

Say: ‘Indeed none shall protect me from God, from His chastisement, were I to disobey Him, and I shall never find besides Him, that is, other than Him, any refuge.

Verse 23

[I have power to bring you] only a communication (illā balāghan is excepted from the direct object clause of amliku, ‘I have power [to bring]’, that is to say, I have power only to communicate [the Message] to you, from God, that is, on His behalf, and His Messages (wa-risālātihi is a supplement to balāghan, ‘a communication’; what comes between the excepted clause and the clause from which it is excepted is a parenthetical statement intended to emphasise the preclusion of [the Prophet’s] ‘ability [to bring them anything else]’). And whoever disobeys God and His Messenger, concerning the affirmation of [His] Oneness, and hence does not believe — indeed there will be for him the fire of Hell, abiding (khālidīna is a circumstantial qualifier referring to the person indicated by man, ‘whoever’, in lahu, ‘for him’, taking into account its [plural] import; it [khālidīna] is also an implied circumstantial qualifier, in other words, they shall enter it with their abiding having been preordained) therein forever’.

Verse 24

Such that when they see (hattā is for inceptiveness, [but] also entailing a purposive sense to an implied preceding clause, that is to say, they persist in their disbelief until they come to see …) what they are promised, of chastisement, they will then know, at the moment that it befalls them, [either] on the day of Badr or on the Day of Resurrection, who is weaker in supporters and fewer in numbers, in assistants: is it them or the believers — according to the former [reading]? Or, is it Me or them, according to the latter. Some of them said, ‘When will this promise be [fulfilled]?’, whereupon the following was revealed:

Verse 25

Say: ‘I do not know if what you are promised, of chastisement, is near, or if my Lord has set a [distant] length for it, an extent and a term which only He knows.

Verse 26

Knower [He is] of the Unseen, what is hidden from servants, and He does not disclose, He [does not] reveal, His Unseen to anyone, from mankind,

Verse 27

except to a messenger of whom He approves. Then, in addition to disclosing to him what He will [to disclose] of it, by way of [making it] a miracle for him, He despatches, He appoints and sends forth, before him, namely, the Messenger, and behind him watchers, angels to preserve him until He has conveyed [it] to him as part of the [entire] revelation,

Verse 28

so that He, God, may know, by knowledge outwardly manifested, that (an: softened in place of the hardened form, that is to say, annahu) they, that is, the messengers, have conveyed the Messages of their Lord (the plural person [of the verb ablaghū, ‘they have conveyed’] takes into account [the plural] implication of man, ‘whom’), and He encompasses all that is with them (wa-ahāta bimā ladayhim is a supplement to an implied clause, that is to say: so He has knowledge of that) and keeps count of all things’ (‘adadan, ‘count’, is for specification; it is transformed from a direct object [sc. ‘adada], originally: ahsā ‘adada kulli shay’in, ‘He keeps count of all things’).

Verse 1

O you enwrapped in your garment!, the Prophet (al-muzzammil is actually al-mutazammil, but the tā’ has been assimilated with the zāy), that is to say, the one who wraps himself up in his clothes when the Revelation [Gabriel] comes to him, in fear of him because of his awe-inspiring presence.

Verse 2

Stand vigil, perform prayer, through the night, except a little,

Verse 3

a half of it (nisfahu substitutes for qalīlan, with ‘little’ [being little by] taking into account the whole [night]), or reduce of it, of the half, a little, up to a third,

Verse 4

or add to it, up to two thirds (aw implies [free] choice), and recite the Qur’ān, recite it carefully, in a measured tone.

Verse 5

Verily [soon] We shall cast on you a weighty, an awe-inspiring or stern, word, [a weighty] Qur’ān, because of the prescriptions [imposed] in it.

Verse 6

Assuredly rising in the night, to wake up after [having been in] sleep, is firmer in tread, [more] conducive to [establishing] harmony between the hearing and the heart for the purpose of comprehending the Qur’ān, and more upright in respect to speech, clearer for utterance [of devotions].

Verse 7

[For] assuredly during the day you have extended engagements, administering your affairs, and you do not have the time to recite Qur’ān.

Verse 8

And mention the Name of your Lord, that is, say, bi’smi’Llāhi’l-rahmāni’l-rahīm, ‘In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful’, to begin your recitation, and devote yourself [exclusively] to Him with complete devotion (tabtīlan is the verbal noun from batala, used here [instead of tabattulan] in order to concord with the end-rhyme of the verses) for he [the Prophet] is obliged to devote himself to God.

Verse 9

He is, Lord of the east and the west; there is no god except Him, so take Him for a Guardian, entrusting your affairs to Him,

Verse 10

and bear patiently what they say, that is, the disbelievers of Mecca, in the way of their maltreatment [of you], and part with them in a gracious manner, without any anguish — this was [revealed] before the command to fight them.

Verse 11

And leave Me [to deal] with the deniers (wa’l-mukadhdhibīna is a supplement to the direct object, or [it is] an object of accompaniment; the meaning is: ‘I will avail you of them’, they being the doughty [leaders] of Quraysh), those enjoying affluence, and respite them a little, while — they were killed soon afterwards at Badr.

Verse 12

[For] indeed with Us are heavy fetters (ankāl is the plural of nikl), heavy shackles, and a hell-fire, a scorching Fire,

Verse 13

and a food that chokes, one that causes the throat to choke, and this is [either] zaqqūm [cf. Q. 44:43], darī‘ [cf. Q. 88:6], ghislīn [cf. Q. 69:36] or thorns of fire, which can neither be vomited nor ingested, and a painful chastisement, in addition to the [punishment] mentioned, for those who deny the Prophet (s),

Verse 14

on the day when the earth and the mountains will quake and the mountains will be like heaps of shifting sand (mahīl derives from hāla, yahīlu; it is actually mahyūl, but the damma sound is considered too heavy for the yā’ and is therefore transposed onto the hā’, while the wāw, the second of two unvocalised consonants, is omitted on account of it being extra, and the damma is replaced by a kasra because of its [phonetic] affinity the [letter] yā’).

Verse 15

We have indeed sent to you, O people of Mecca, a Messenger, namely, Muhammad (s), to be a witness against you, on the Day of Resurrection to any disobedience that you engage in, just as We sent to Pharaoh a messenger, namely, Moses, peace be upon him.

Verse 16

But Pharaoh disobeyed the messenger, so We seized him with a severe seizing.

Verse 17

So, if you disbelieve, in this world, how will you guard against a day (yawman is the direct object of tattaqūna, ‘you guard against’) that is, against the chastisement thereof, by what defence will you defend yourselves against the chastisement of a day, that will make the children grey-haired (shīb is the plural of ashyab) by the severity of its terrors, this being the Day of Resurrection (the shīn of shīb should actually have a damma, but it is given a kasra because of its [phonetic] affinity with the yā’) — a distressing day is described as being ‘a day that makes the forelocks of children turn grey’, which is [usually] understood figuratively; but it may be that in the case of this verse it is meant literally —

Verse 18

with the heaven being rent asunder thereon, on that Day, because of its severity. His promise, exalted be He, of the coming of that [Day], shall be fulfilled, that is to say, it will come to pass without doubt.

Verse 19

Indeed these, threatening verses, are a reminder, an admonition for all creatures. Let him who will, then, choose a way to his Lord, a path [to Him], through faith and obedience.

Verse 20

Assuredly your Lord knows that you stand vigil less than two thirds of the night, or [at times] a half of it or a third of it (if read wa-nisfihi wa-thuluthihi, then these constitute a supplement to thuluthay, ‘two thirds’; if read wa-nisfahu wa-thuluthahu, then a supplement to adnā, ‘less than’) — his keeping vigil in the way mentioned is in accordance with what was enjoined on him at the beginning of this sūra — along with a group of those with you (wa-tā’ifatun mina’lladhīna ma‘aka constitutes a supplement to the subject [of the verb] taqūmu, ‘you stand vigil’, but it may also constitute, although it is not certain, a separating clause). The keeping vigil by some of his companions in this way indicates their emulation of him. Some of them could not tell how much of the night they had spent in prayer and how much of it had remained, and would therefore keep vigil all night as a precaution; and so they used to keep vigil [in this way] for a whole year or more with their feet swollen, until God alleviated matters for them. He, exalted be He, says: and God keeps measures, He keeps count of, the night and the day. He knows that (an: softened in place of the hardened form, its subject having been omitted, that is to say, annahu) you will not be able to keep count of it, that is, the [length of the] night, so that you may perform the vigil at the time in which it is required unless you stay up all night, which is hard on you, and so He has relented to you, making you revert to what is easier. So recite as much as is feasible of the Qur’ān, during prayer, by performing as much prayer as is feasible. He knows that (an: softened in place of the hardened form, that is to say, annahu) some of you will be sick, while others will be travelling in the land, seeking the bounty of God, seeking of His provision through commerce and otherwise, and others will be fighting in the way of God: for each of the three groups mentioned the keeping of nightly vigil is hard, and so God has alleviated things for them by [enjoining on them] what is feasible. Later this was abrogated by the five [daily] prayers. So recite as much as is feasible of it (as [explained] above) and perform, obligatory, prayer and pay alms and lend God, by expending in the way of good in addition to what is due from your wealth [as alms], a goodly loan, out of the goodness of [your] hearts. For whatever good you send ahead for [the sake of] your souls, you will find that, with God, it will be better, than what you left behind (huwa khayran: huwa is for separation; what follows it [khayran, ‘better’] is comparable to a definite, even if it is not [actually] so, on account of the impossibility of it being given [the al- of] definition) and greater in terms of reward. And seek forgiveness from God; assuredly God is Forgiving, Merciful, to believers.

Verse 1

O you enveloped in your mantle, the Prophet (s) (al-muddaththir is actually al-mutadaththir, but the tā’ has been assimilated with the dāl) that is to say, the one who is enwrapped in his clothes when the Revelation [Gabriel] comes down on him,

Verse 2

arise and warn: threaten the people of Mecca with [punishment in] the Fire should they refuse to believe;

Verse 3

and magnify your Lord, exalt [Him] above what is ascribed [to Him] by the idolaters;

Verse 4

and purify your clothes, from impurity, or [it means] shorten them, instead of [imitating] the way in which the Arabs [are wont to] let their robes drag [behind them], out of vanity, for perhaps they will be sullied by some impurity;

Verse 5

and shun [all] defilement, [this rijz] was explained by the Prophet (s) to be the graven images; in other words, persist in shunning them.

Verse 6

And do not grant a favour seeking greater gain (read tastakthiru as a circumstantial qualifier) in other words, do not give something in order to demand more in return: this [stipulation] is specific to the Prophet (s), since he is enjoined to [adopt] the fairest traits and the noblest of manners;

Verse 7

and endure patiently for the sake of your Lord, [all His] commands and prohibitions.

Verse 8

For when the trumpet is sounded, when the trumpet is blown, that is, the Horn (qarn), at the second blast,

Verse 9

that day, that is to say, the time of the sounding (yawma’idhin is a substitution for the preceding subject, and is not declined because it is annexed to something that cannot be declined; the predicate of the subject [is the following]) will be a harsh day (idhā is operated by what is indicated by the statement: ishtadda’l-amru, ‘[for when the trumpet is sounded] the situation will be terrible’),

Verse 10

for the disbelievers, not at all easy: herein is an indication that it will be easy for believers despite its harshness.

Verse 11

Leave Me [to deal] with him whom I created (wa-man khalaqtu is a supplement to the direct object, or [it is] an object of accompaniment) lonely (wahīdan is a circumstantial qualifier referring to the man, ‘whom’, or to the pronoun referring to it but omitted from khalaqtu [sc. khalaqtuhu]), alone, without family or wealth — this was al-Walīd b. al-Mughīra al-Makhzūmī —

Verse 12

and [then] assigned him ample means, abundant and continuous, [generated] from [his] crops, livestock and commerce,

Verse 13

and sons, ten or more, present [by his side], present at social gatherings and whose testimonies are listened to,

Verse 14

and facilitated, extended, for him greatly, [his] livelihood, duration of life and children.

Verse 15

Still he is eager that I should give [him] more.

Verse 16

Nay!, I shall not give him more than that. He is indeed stubborn to Our signs, [to] the Qur’ān.

Verse 17

[Soon] I shall burden him with a trying chastisement; alternatively [sa‘ūdan means] a mountain of fire which he will be made to ascend and then fall down from, forever.

Verse 18

Indeed he pondered, what to say about the Qur’ān which he heard from the Prophet (s), and decided, this, in his mind.

Verse 19

Perish he, may he be cursed and chastised, how he decided!, [perish he] whatever the nature of his decision may have been.

Verse 20

Again, perish he, how he decided!

Verse 21

Then he contemplated, the faces of his people; or [he contemplated] with what [words] he might cast aspersions upon it.

Verse 22

Then he frowned, he contracted his face and glowered, anguished by what he wanted to say, and scowled, increasing the contracting and the glowering [in his face].

Verse 23

Then he turned his back, to faith, in disdain, scornful of following the Prophet (s),

Verse 24

and said, of what he [the Prophet] had brought: ‘This is nothing but handed-down sorcery, learnt from sorcerers;

Verse 25

this is nothing but the speech of humans’, similar to what they [the idolaters] had said: ‘It is only a human that is teaching him’ [Q. 16:103].

Verse 26

I shall [soon] admit him into Saqar! — Hell.

Verse 27

And how would you know what is Saqar? — this [interrogative] is intended to emphasise its enormity.

Verse 28

It neither spares nor leaves behind, anything of flesh or nerve, but destroys it [all], after which he is restored to his former state.

Verse 29

It burns away the flesh, scorching the surface of skin.

Verse 30

There are nineteen [keepers] standing over it, angels, its keepers; a certain disbeliever, who was a mighty stalwart, said, ‘I will avail you seventeen of them, if you avail me [just] two’. God, exalted be He, says:

Verse 31

And We have appointed only angels as wardens of the Fire, in other words, and so they cannot be withstood as these [disbelievers are wont to] imagine; and We have made their number, so, only as a stumbling-block, a cause for error, for those who disbelieve, when they then say, ‘Why are there nineteen of them?’, so that those who were given the Scripture, namely, the Jews, may be certain, of the sincerity of the Prophet (s) in [saying that] they are nineteen, for this concords with what is in their Scripture; and that those who believe, from among the People of the Scripture, may increase in faith, in affirmation of the truth, given that what the Prophet (s) has said concords with what is in their Scripture, and that those given the Scripture and the believers, [those] other than these [Jews], may not be in doubt, concerning the number of [these] angels, and that those in whose hearts there is a sickness, an uncertainty, [those] in Medina, and the disbelievers, in Mecca, may say, ‘What did God mean by this, number [as a], similitude?’ (mathalan: they referred to it thus [as a mathal] on account of it being a curious matter; in terms of syntax, it [mathalan] is a circumstantial qualifier). Thus, that is, just as the one who rejects this number is led astray and the one who affirms the truth of it is guided, God leads astray whom He will and guides whom He will. And none knows the hosts of your Lord, namely, the angels, [none knows them] in terms of their strength and their assistants, except Him. And it, that is, Saqar, is nothing but a reminder for humans.

Verse 32

Nay, (kallā: denoting a commencement [of a new sentence], to be understood as alā) by the moon!

Verse 33

And by the night when it returns! (if read as idhā dabara), when it comes back after day (a variant reading has idh adbara, meaning ‘when it has receded’).

Verse 34

And by the dawn when it appears!

Verse 35

Verily it, that is, Saqar, is one of the enormities, [one of] the greatest calamities —

Verse 36

a warning (nadhīran is a circumstantial qualifier referring to ihdā, ‘one of’, and it is masculine because it denotes [masculine] ‘adhāb, ‘chastisement’) to [all] humans;

Verse 37

[alike] to those of you who wish (li-man shā’a minkum is a substitution for li’l-bashar, ‘to [all] humans’) to advance, towards good, or towards Paradise by means of faith, or linger behind, in evil, or in Hell because of [their] disbelief.

Verse 38

Every soul is held to ransom by what it earns, [it is] ransomed and requited for its deeds with the Fire,

Verse 39

except those of the right [hand], namely, the believers who will be saved from it, and [who] will be,

Verse 40

in gardens, questioning one another,

Verse 41

about the guilty, and their predicament; and they will say to them, after all those who believed in the One God (muwahhidūn) are brought out of the Fire:

Verse 42

‘What has landed you in, [what has] made you enter, Saqar?’

Verse 43

They will say, ‘We were not of those who prayed.

Verse 44

Nor did we [ever] feed the needy.

Verse 45

And we used to delve, into falsehood, along with those who delved,

Verse 46

and we used to deny the Day of Judgement, [the Day] of Resurrection and Requital,

Verse 47

until [finally] the inevitable came to us’ — death.

Verse 48

Thus the intercession of the intercessors, from among the angels, the prophets and the righteous, will not avail them, in other words, there will be no intercession for them.

Verse 49

So what (fa-mā: the subject) is wrong with them (lahum: the predicate thereof, semantically connected to an omitted clause, the person of which has been transposed onto it) that they turn away (mu‘ridīna is a circumstantial qualifier referring to the [suffixed] pronoun [in lahum, ‘them’]) from the Reminder — in other words, ‘what has happened to them that they have turned away from admonition’ —

Verse 50

as if they were wild asses

Verse 51

fleeing from a lion?, that is to say, fleeing from it with absolute fright.

Verse 52

Nay, but everyone of them desires to be given unrolled scrolls, from God, exalted be He, [enjoining them] to follow the Prophet (s), as they said [before], ‘And [even then] we will not believe your ascension until you bring down for us a book that we may read’ [Q. 17:93].

Verse 53

No indeed! (kallā: a deterrent of what they desire). Rather they do not fear the Hereafter, that is, the chastisement thereof.

Verse 54

No indeed! (kallā: a commencement [of a new sentence]) Assuredly it, that is, the Qur’ān, is a Reminder, an admonition.

Verse 55

So whoever wills shall remember it, he shall read it and be admonished by it.

Verse 56

And they will not remember (yadhkurūna or [read second person plural] tadhkurūna) unless God wills [it]. He is [the One] worthy of [your] fear, and [the One] worthy to forgive, by forgiving those who fear Him.

Verse 1

Nay! (the lā is extra in both instances) I swear by the Day of Resurrection.

Verse 2

And, nay, I swear by the (self-)reproaching soul, the one that reproaches itself, even if it should expend great effort in being virtuous (the response to the oath has been omitted, that is to say, la-tub‘athunna, ‘you shall indeed be resurrected!’, as indicated by [what follows]):

Verse 3

Does man, that is, [does] the disbeliever, suppose that We shall not assemble his bones?, for the raising [from the graves] and [for] the bringing back to life.

Verse 4

Yes, indeed!, We shall assemble them. We are able, in addition to assembling them, to reshape [even] his fingers, that is to say, to restore their bones just as they had been, despite their smallness: so how much more so [are We able to restore] the larger ones!

Verse 5

Nay, but man desires to deny (li-yafjura: the lām is extra, and the subjunctive mood is because of an implied [preceding] an, ‘that’) what lies ahead of him, namely, the Day of Resurrection, as is indicated by:

Verse 6

He asks, ‘When is the Day of Resurrection?’ — the question is meant in mockery and denial.

Verse 7

But when the eyes are dazzled (read bariqa or baraqa), startled and perplexed upon seeing some of those things which it used to deny;

Verse 8

and the moon is eclipsed, darkening, its light disappearing,

Verse 9

and the sun and the moon are brought together, so that both of them will rise from the west; or [it means when] the light of both of them disappears — and this will be on the Day of Resurrection —

Verse 10

on that day man will say, ‘Where is the escape?’

Verse 11

No indeed! — a deterrent against seeking to escape — There is no refuge, no shelter to seek protection in.

Verse 12

On that day the recourse will be to your Lord, the [final] recourse of all creatures, whereupon they will be reckoned with and requited.

Verse 13

On that day man will be informed of what he has sent ahead and left behind, [he will be informed] of the his first and last deeds.

Verse 14

Rather man has insight into his [own] soul, for his limbs will speak of his deeds (the hā’ [sc. the tā’ marbūta in basīratun] is for hyperbole), and so he must be requited,

Verse 15

though he should offer his excuses (ma‘ādhīr is the plural of ma‘dhira, but following a different pattern [from the usual ma‘dhira, ma‘ādhir]) that is to say, whatever excuse he offers will not be accepted from him.

Verse 16

God, exalted be He, says to His Prophet: Do not move your tongue with it, with the Qur’ān, before Gabriel is through with [reciting] it, to hasten it, fearing to lose it.

Verse 17

Assuredly it is for Us to bring it together, in your breast, and to recite it, your reciting of it, that is, its flowing off your tongue.

Verse 18

So, when We recite it, to you, by means of Gabriel’s recital, follow its recitation, listen to its recitation: thus the Prophet (s) would listen to it and then repeat it.

Verse 19

Then, it is for Us to explain it, by making you comprehend [it]: the connection between this verse and what preceded [it] is that those [verses before] imply turning away from God’s signs, whereas this one implies applying oneself to them by memorising them.

Verse 20

No indeed! (kallā is for commencement, with the sense of alā) Rather you love the transitory [life], this world (both verbs [here and below] may be read in the second or third person plural),

Verse 21

and forsake the Hereafter, thus neglecting to work towards [attaining bliss in] it.

Verse 22

Some faces on that day, that is, on the Day of Resurrection, will be radiant, fair and resplendent,

Verse 23

looking upon their Lord, in other words, they will see God, glorified and exalted be He, in the Hereafter.

Verse 24

And other faces on that day will be scowling, glowering, frowning terribly,

Verse 25

certain that a spine-crushing calamity will fall on them, a great catastrophe, one that ‘crushes the spine’ (fiqār).

Verse 26

No indeed! (kallā: in the sense of alā) When it, the soul, reaches up to the collar bones,

Verse 27

and it is said, [and] those around him [the dying one] say: ‘Where is the enchanter?’, to perform incantations on him and cure him,

Verse 28

and he suspects, [he] the one whose soul has reached this [stage], that it is the [time of] parting, the parting with this world,

Verse 29

and the shank is intertwined with the [other] shank, that is, one of his shanks [will be intertwined] with his other shank at the moment of death; or [it means] the distress of parting with this world is intertwined with the distress of the arrival of the Hereafter;

Verse 30

on that day to your Lord will be the driving [of the souls] (al-masāq means al-sawq; this indicates the operator of the [above] idhā, ‘when’, the meaning being: ‘when the soul reaches the throat, it will be driven towards the judgement of its Lord’).

Verse 31

For he, man, neither affirmed [the truth] nor prayed,

Verse 32

but he denied, the Qur’ān, and he turned away, from faith,

Verse 33

then went off to his family swaggering, strutting about in self-conceit.

Verse 34

[Woe be] nearer to you (there is a shift from the third [to the second] person address here; the term [awlā] is a noun of action, with the [following] lām being explicative, in other words, ‘what you are averse to is [now] near to you’) and nearer, that is because you are more deserving of it [woe] than anyone else,

Verse 35

then [may woe be] nearer to you and nearer! — [repeated] for emphasis.

Verse 36

Does man suppose that he is to be left aimless?, left to his own devices without being obligated to the [prescribed] laws: let him not suppose that!

Verse 37

Was he not — that is, [indeed] he was — a drop of emitted semen? (read yumnā or tumnā) deposited into the womb.

Verse 38

Then it, the drop of semen, became a clot; then He, God, created, from it man, and proportioned [him], making the parts of his body upright,

Verse 39

and made of it, of the drop of semen that became a blood-clot, then an embryo, a [small] mass of flesh, the two sexes, the two kinds, the male and the female, at times coming together and at times each being on their own.

Verse 40

Is not such, a Doer of [all] these things, able to revive the dead? — the Prophet (s) would say, ‘Yes, indeed!’

Verse 1

Has there [ever] been — there has indeed [been] — for man, Adam, a period of time, forty years, in which he was a thing unmentioned? — he was during this [period] a fashioned in clay and not mentioned; alternatively what is meant by insān, ‘man’, is the generic noun and by hīn, ‘a period of time’, the period of gestation.

Verse 2

Verily We created man, the species, from a drop of mixed fluid, [from] a mixture, that is from the [seminal] fluid of the man and the [ovarian] fluid of the woman that have mixed and blended, so that We may test him, trying him with the moral obligations [of religion] (nabtalīhi is either a new sentence [‘We will test him’], or an implied circumstantial qualifier, meaning ‘intending to test him when he is ready’). So We made him, for that [very] reason, hearing, seeing.

Verse 3

Verily We have guided him to the way, We have pointed out to him the path of guidance by sending messengers [to mankind], whether he be grateful, that is to say, [whether he be] a believer, or ungrateful (both [shākiran and kafūran] are circumstantial qualifiers referring to the direct object; in other words, We have pointed out to him in both presupposed states, whether his gratefulness or his unthankfulness; immā is used to list the ‘states’).

Verse 4

We have assuredly prepared for the disbelievers chains, with which they are dragged through the Fire, and fetters, around their necks to which the chains will be attached, and a hell-fire, a fire set ablaze, burning fiercely, in which they shall be chastised.

Verse 5

Truly the righteous (abrār is the plural of barr or bārr), namely, the obedient ones, will drink from a cup (ka’s is a vessel for drinking wine and this [wine] will be in it; what is meant is [that they will drink] from ‘wine’, [a case where] the actuality is referred to by the name of the locus [in which it is found]; min, ‘from, is partitive) whose mixture, that with which it is mixed, is camphor;

Verse 6

a spring (‘aynan substitutes for kāfūran), containing the scent thereof, from which the servants of God, His friends, drink, making it gush forth plenteously, directing it to wherever they wish of their dwellings.

Verse 7

They fulfil their vows, [pledged] in obedience to God, and fear a day the evil of which will be widespread.

Verse 8

And they give food, despite [their] love of it, that is to say, [despite their love] of food and their craving for it, to the needy, the poor, and the orphan, who does not have a father, and the prisoner, meaning the one who has been rightly imprisoned.

Verse 9

‘We feed you only for the sake of God, seeking His reward. We do not desire any reward from you, nor any thanks: this contains the reason for the giving of the food. Now, do they actually say this, or is it that God knows this [to be true] of them and has thus praised them by [mentioning] it? The two are different opinions [regarding this matter].

Verse 10

Indeed we fear from our Lord a day of frowning, one in which faces scowl, in other words, a horrid day to observe on account of its severity, calamitous’, severe in that respect.

Verse 11

God has therefore shielded them from the evil of that day, and has granted them radiance, fairness and resplendence in their faces, and joy.

Verse 12

And He has rewarded them for their patience, for their steadfastness in refraining from disobedience, with a Garden, into which they are admitted, and silk, which they are given to wear;

Verse 13

reclining (muttaki’īna is a circumstantial qualifier referring to the subject of the implicit [verb] udkhilūhā, ‘they are admitted into it’) therein upon couches (arā’ik are beds inside canopies). They will not find (lā yarawna is a second circumstantial qualifier) therein either sun or bitter cold, neither heat nor cold; but it is also said that zamharīr means ‘the moon’, and so, in other words, it [means that it] will be bright without any sun or moon.

Verse 14

And close (dāniyatan is a supplement to the [syntactical] locus of the clause lā yarawna, in other words, [it is a supplement to the import] ghayra rā’īna) over them will be its shades, its trees, and its clusters [of fruits] will hang low, its fruits will brought close, so that they are reached by the one standing, the one sitting or the one lying down.

Verse 15

And they will be waited upon from all around them, in it, with vessels of silver, and goblets (akwāb are cups without handles) of crystal —

Verse 16

crystal of silver, that is, they are made of silver which is transparent like crystal — which they, that is, the ones passing around them [in service], have measured in a precise measure, according to the measure required by the one drinking it, neither more nor less, which makes for a most delightful drink.

Verse 17

And they will be given to drink therein a cup, wine, whose mixture, that with which it is mixed, is ginger,

Verse 18

a spring (‘aynan substitutes for zanjabīlan, ‘ginger’) therein named Salsabīl, meaning that its water is like ginger, which the Arabs find very tasteful, [and which is] very palatable for the throat.

Verse 19

And they will be waited upon by immortal youths, [immortally] in the form of youths, never ageing, whom, when you see them you will suppose them, because of their beauty and the way in which they are scattered about [offering] service, to be scattered pearls, [strewn] from their string, or from their shells, in which they are fairer than [when they, the pearls, are] otherwise [not in their shells].

Verse 20

And when you look there, that is to say, when you begin to look about in Paradise, you will see (ra’ayta is the response to idhā, ‘when’) bliss, that is indescribable, and a great kingdom, vast, without limit.

Verse 21

Upon them (‘āliyahum is in the accusative as an adverbial clause, and constitutes the predicate of a subject that will follow; a variant reading has ‘ālīhim as a subject, with what follows as its predicate; the suffixed pronoun [-hum] denotes those persons to whom the supplement refers) will be garments of fine green silk and [heavy] silk brocade (sundus is fine silk and constitutes the outer cushion, while istabraq is coarse silk and constitutes the inner lining; either read thiyābu sundusin khudrun wa’stabraqin or thiyābu sundusin khudrin wa’stabraqun, or thiyābu sundusin khudrun wa’stabraqun, or wa-thiyābu sundusin khudrin wa’stabraqin). And they will be adorned with bracelets of silver — elsewhere it is stated, ‘of gold’, in order to show that they will be adorned with both types at the same time or separately — and their Lord will give them a pure drink to drink (tahūran, ‘pure’, is intended as a hyperbolic qualification of its purity and cleanness, in contrast to the wine of this world).

Verse 22

‘Verily this, bliss, is a reward for you, and your endeavour has been appreciated’.

Verse 23

Assuredly We (nahnu reiterates the subject of innā, ‘assuredly, for the purpose of emphasis; alternatively it is a separating pronoun) have revealed the Qur’ān to you as a gradual revelation (tanzīlan is the predicate of inna, ‘assuredly’), in other words, We have divided it into parts instead of not revealing it all at once.

Verse 24

So submit patiently to your Lord’s decree, to you to deliver His Message, and do not obey of them, that is, [of] the disbelievers, any sinner or disbeliever, namely, ‘Utba b. Rabī‘a and al-Walīd b. al-Mughīra — both of whom said to the Prophet (s), ‘Abandon this affair of yours!’; it is also possible that what is meant is every sinner or disbeliever, in other words, ‘Do not obey any of these, whichever of the two he may be, in what he may summon you to of sin or disbelief’.

Verse 25

And mention the Name of your Lord, during prayer, at dawn and with the declining of the sun, that is, at dawn (fajr), noon (zuhr) and in the afternoon (‘asr);

Verse 26

and prostrate to Him for a portion of the night, that is, at after sunset (maghrib) and at night (‘ishā’), and glorify Him the length of the night: perform supererogatory prayers during it, as mentioned above, for either two thirds, a half or a third of it.

Verse 27

Assuredly these love the transitory [life], this world, and leave behind them a burdensome day, an awful [one], namely, the Day of Resurrection, not working towards it.

Verse 28

We created them and made firm their frames, their limbs and their joints, and, whenever We will, We can completely replace them with others like them, in terms of their created form, in place of them, by destroying them (tabdīlan, ‘completely’, is for emphasis; idhā, ‘when’, functions in the sense of in, ‘if’, similar to [where God says in several places], in yasha’ yudhhibkum, If He will, He can take you away [cf. Q. 14:19]; but because He, exalted be He, has not willed this, it has not happened thus far).

Verse 29

This, sūra, is indeed a reminder, an admonition for [all] creatures. Let him who will, then, choose a way to his Lord, a path, through obedience.

Verse 30

But you will not (tashā’ūna, may also be read yashā’ūna, ‘they will’), choose a way through obedience, unless God wills, this. Assuredly God is ever Knower, of His creatures, Wise, in what He does.

Verse 31

He admits whomever He will into His mercy, His Paradise, namely, the believers; and as for the evildoers (al-zālimīna is in the accusative because of an implied verb, that is to say, a‘adda, ‘He has prepared’, as explained by [what follows]), He has prepared for them a painful chastisement — these are the disbelievers.

Verse 1

By those sent in succession (‘urfan), that is, [by] the winds that follow [one another] in succession, like the mane (‘urf) of a horse, one part [of hair] coming after the other (‘urfan is in the accusative because it is a circumstantial qualifier);

Verse 2

by the raging hurricanes, the violent winds;

Verse 3

by the sweeping spreaders, [by] the winds that scatter the rains;

Verse 4

by the decisive discriminators, that is, [by] the verses of the Qur’ān, which discriminate between truth and falsehood, and between what is lawful and what is unlawful;

Verse 5

by the casters of the remembrance, that is, [by] angels that descend with the revelation upon the prophets and messengers, casting the revelation onto the [various] communities [of mankind],

Verse 6

to excuse or to warn, that is to say, in order to excuse or to warn on behalf of God, exalted be He (a variant reading [for nudhran and ‘udhran] has nudhuran and ‘udhuran).

Verse 7

Surely that which you are promised, O disbelievers of Mecca, in the way of resurrection and chastisement, will befall: it will be, without any doubt.

Verse 8

So when the stars are obliterated, [when] their light is extinguished,

Verse 9

and when the heaven is rent asunder,

Verse 10

and when the mountains are blown away, crushed to pieces and blown in the air,

Verse 11

and when the time is set for the [testimony of the] messengers (read uqqitat or wuqqitat), that is to say, [when] they are gathered to an appointed time,

Verse 12

For what day — for a tremendous day — has it been appointed?, [it has been appointed] for witnessing [of the messengers] against their communities [to the effect] that they delivered [their messages from God].

Verse 13

For the Day of Decision, for creatures (from this one may infer the response to [the clauses beginning with] idhā, ‘when’, in other words, ‘[when …], the decision will be made for [all] creatures’).

Verse 14

And how would you know what the Day of Decision is? — emphasising the enormity of its terror.

Verse 15

Woe to the deniers on that day! — a threat of chastisement for them.

Verse 16

Did We not destroy the ancients, for their denial, in other words, We certainly destroyed them,

Verse 17

then made the latter folk follow them?, [the latter folk] of those who denied, such as the disbelievers of Mecca, whom We will destroy.

Verse 18

So, just as We dealt with those who denied, will We deal with the guilty, with every individual who will be guilty in the future, and destroy them.

Verse 19

Woe to the deniers on that day! — [reiterated] for emphasis.

Verse 20

Did We not create you from a base fluid, one that is delicate — and this is semen,

Verse 21

then lodged it in a secure abode, that is, the womb,

Verse 22

for a known span?, namely, the time for delivery.

Verse 23

Thus We were able, to do this; so [how] excellent able ones We are!

Verse 24

Woe to the deniers on that day!

Verse 25

Have We not made the earth a receptacle (kifātan is a verbal noun, from kafata, meaning damma, ‘enclosed’), that is, an enclosure,

Verse 26

for the living, on its surface, and the dead, inside it,

Verse 27

and set therein soaring mountains and give you sweet water to drink?

Verse 28

Woe to the deniers on that day!

Verse 29

And on the Day of Resurrection it will be said to the deniers: Depart to that, chastisement, which you used to deny!

Verse 30

Depart to a triple-forked shadow — this is the smoke of Hell, which, as it rises, splits into three parts because of its magnitude —

Verse 31

which is neither shady, [neither] protective, [unable] to shade them from the heat of that Day, nor of any avail against, [nor] wards off from them anything of, the flame, the Fire.

Verse 32

Indeed it, that is, the Fire, throws up sparks, namely, those [flame] that are thrown by it into the air, [huge] like palace edifices, in terms of their enormity and vertical extension,

Verse 33

as if they were [dark] yellow camels (jimālātun is the plural of jimalatun, the plural of jamalun; a variant reading has jimālatun), in terms of their shape and colour. In hadīth [it is stated], ‘The sparks of humans [thrown into the air by the Fire] are black as pitch (qīr)’; the Arabs call dark camels sufr, ‘yellow’, because a touch of yellow is mixed with their blackish colour, and therefore it is said that ‘yellow’ in this verse [actually] means ‘black’, on account of what has been mentioned; but some say no [to this interpretation]; (sharar is the plural of sharāra; qīr is qār, ‘pitch’).

Verse 34

Woe to the deniers on that day!

Verse 35

This, namely, the Day of Resurrection, is the day in which they will not utter, anything,

Verse 36

nor will they be given permission, to offer excuses, and so offer excuses (fa-ya‘tadhirūna is a supplement to yu’dhanu, ‘given permission’, but without being a direct result of it, since it belongs within the confines of the [general] denial [of permission], in other words, ‘there will be no permission, hence no excuses’).

Verse 37

Woe to the deniers on that day!

Verse 38

‘This is the Day of Decision. We have brought you, O deniers from this community, and the ancients together, [the ancients] from among the deniers before you, so that you will [all] be reckoned with and chastised together;

Verse 39

So if you have any stratagems, any ploy to ward off your chastisement, try your strategems against Me!’ — put them into effect!

Verse 40

Woe to the deniers on that day!

Verse 41

Truly the God-fearing will be amid shades, that is, amid clusters of trees, since there is no sun therein from whose heat to seek shade, and springs, issuing forth with water,

Verse 42

and fruits such as they desire: this is meant to point out that eating and drinking in Paradise is [done] according to their desires, in contrast to [the case in] this world, where it is predominantly determined by what people are able to procure. It will also be said to them:

Verse 43

‘Eat and drink in [full] enjoyment (hanī’an is a circumstantial qualifier, in other words, mutahanni’īna) for what you used to do’, in the way of obedience.

Verse 44

Indeed so, in the same way that We reward the God-fearing, do We reward the virtuous.

Verse 45

Woe to the deniers on that day!

Verse 46

‘Eat and enjoy — addressing the disbelievers in this world — for a little, time, at the end of which comes death — this is meant as a threat for them. Indeed you are guilty!’

Verse 47

Woe to the deniers on that day!

Verse 48

For when it is said to them, ‘Bow down!’, perform prayer, they do not bow down, they do not perform prayer.

Verse 49

Woe to the deniers on that day!

Verse 50

In what discourse, then, after this, namely, the Qur’ān, will they believe? In other words, they cannot believe in any other of God’s Scriptures after having denied this [Qur’ān], since it comprises that inimitability (i‘jāz) which none of the others do.

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Hizb 58 | AL-JINN 72:1 -> AL-MURSALATE 77:50

Surah 72 AL-JINN

Surah 73 AL-MUZZAMIL

Surah 74 AL-MUDDATTIR

Surah 75 AL-QIYAMAH

Surah 76 AL-INSAN

Surah 77 AL-MURSALATE

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