About the Surah

In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

       Blessed is He Who sent down the criterion (of right and wrong i.e. the Quran) to His slave [Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him)] so that he may be a warner to mankind and jinn. (Also Surah Al-Araf:158)

       He to Whom belongs the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth, and He has not begotten any son and He has no partner in the Sovereignty, and He has created everything and fixed (suitable) quantity and quality of everything [i.e. (i) fixed the life and provision for everything in advance or (ii) everything has specific taste, colour etc].

       Yet they worship other gods besides Him while their gods created nothing, rather they themselves are created, and they are neither able to harm nor benefit themselves; and they are also not able to cause death, nor give life, nor are able to raise the dead.

       And the disbelievers say: “This Quran is nothing but a lie that he [Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him)] has fabricated and other people helped him in this. In fact, they (the disbelievers) are very unjust and big liars.

       And they say: “(The Quran) is the tales of the ancient people which he has written down and they are dictated to him every morning and evening.”

       Say: “It (the Quran) has been sent down by Him Who knows the secrets of the heavens and the earth. Indeed, He is Very-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

       And they say: “What a strange messenger is this? He eats (as we eat) and walks around the market (like we do). Why is not an angel sent down to him to act as a warner with him?

       “Or (why) has he not been granted a treasure (so that he doesn’t have to look for means of livelihood)? Or why does he not have a garden to eat from it?” And the wrong-doers say: “You are merely following a bewitched man.”

       [O Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him)!] Note how many different examples they coin about you. So they themselves are led astray by these, and cannot find a (Right) Path.

       Blessed is He Who, if He wills, will grant you far superior (gardens) than all that – Gardens beneath which rivers flow and will grant you palaces (in the Paradise).

       In fact, they deny the Hereafter, and We have prepared a flaming Fire for those who deny the Hereafter.

       When it (Hell) will see them from a distant, they will hear its raging (with anger) and roaring. (Also Surah Al-Mulk:7, 8)

       And when they shall be chained together and thrown in some narrow spot (of Hell), they shall long for death there.

       Today don’t long for one death, rather long for many deaths.

       [O Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him)] say: “Is that (torment) better or the Paradise of Eternity which is promised to the pious people?” It (Paradise) is their reward and their final destination.

       They will have in it whatever they desire. They will reside there (forever). It is a promise from your Creator which must be fulfilled.

       And on the Day when Allah will gather them and those whom they worshipped besides Allah, then Allah will ask them: “Did you lead my slaves astray or did they (themselves) go astray from the (Right) Path?”

       They will say: “Glorified You are! It was not befitting for us to make protectors beside You, but You gave them and their forefathers luxuries till they forgot the reminder and actually they were the people who deserved the destruction.”

       (Allah will say): “Now they (your false gods) have denied what you used to say. So neither you can turn away My torment, nor can you help yourselves. And whoever among you have wronged, We will make him taste a big torment.”

       [O Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him)!] And We did not send any messenger before you, but they ate food and walked in the markets. And We have made some of you as a trial for the others. (Those who were patient came out successful). Will you have patience too? And your Creator is All-Seer (of everything).

       And those who don’t expect a Meeting with Us, said: “Why are the angels not sent down to us (i.e. (i) angels should be sent as messengers to us (ii) we should see the angels with our eyes and they testify your Prophethood)? Or why do we not see our Creator?” Indeed, they think too high of themselves and are extremely arrogant.

       On the Day they will see the angels, there will be no glad tidings for the criminals that Day. (Angels will) say: “These are the ones who are absolutely deprived (of any glad tidings).”

       And We will advance towards the (good) deeds of the disbelievers (which they did in this world) and make them (useless) like scattered particles of dust.

       On that Day the residents of Paradise will have an excellent residence and wonderful resting place.

       And the Day when the sky shall split apart along with the clouds and the angels will be sent down continuously.

       That Day the sovereignty will be true (sovereignty) and for the Most Gracious (Allah) only, and that Day will be very hard for the disbelievers.

       And that Day the wrong-doer, while biting his hand, will say: “Oh! Would that I had followed the Path of the messenger (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him)!

       “Woe to me! Would that I had never made so-and-so my close friend!

       “He certainly led me astray from the Reminder (the Quran) after it had come to me. And Satan always betrays a man (at the time of need).”

       And the messenger [Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him)] will say: “O my Creator! Indeed, my people deserted this Quran (neither listened to it, nor tried to understand its meanings, nor followed its teaching).”

       And thus We made enemies for every Prophet from the criminal people. And your Creator is Suffi-cient as a Guide and Helper.

       And the disbelievers say: “Why is not the Quran sent down to you [O Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him)] altogether as one unit?” Thus (We sent down in parts) so that We may strengthen your heart with it and We have recited it to you at a slow pace. (Also Surah Al-Isra:106)

       [O Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him)!] What-ever example they bring to you, We shall reveal to you the truth and a superior explanation of it (this is also the wisdom of sending the Quran in parts).

       Those people who will be gathered to Hell on their faces, they will have an evil place to reside and they are the most astray from the (Straight) Path.

       And, indeed, We gave Musa ( )  the Scripture (Taurat) and made his brother, Harun ( )  a helper for him.

       So We said: “Both of you go to the people who have denied Our proofs”. (They went and guided but the people denied them). Hence, We destroyed them completely.

       And We drowned the people of Nuh ( )  when they denied their messengers, and made them a lesson for mankind (in this world) and We have prepared a painful torment for the wrong-doers (in the Hereafter).

       And also A’d (people) and Thamud (people), and the dwellers of well (scholars differ about them. Imam Tabari said that they are same as described in Surah Al-Buruj-Ibn Kathir), and many communities in between.

       And for each of them We gave many examples. (i.e. proofs, which they denied). And We destroyed them all completely.

       And, indeed, they have come across the town (during their journey to Syria), on which was rained an evil rain (i.e. people of Lut ( ) ]. Why don’t they see (ponder over) it? In fact, they do not have any hope to be raised after death. 

       [O Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him)!] When they see you, they mock at you (stating): “Is this the one (the poor person) whom Allah has sent as a messenger?

       Had we not been patient and steadfast, he (with his effective speech) would have almost led us astray from our gods.” And they will soon know (in the Hereafter) when they see the torment, who is most astray from the (Right) Path.

       [O Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him)!], Have you seen that person who has made his vain desires as his god? Can you be guardian of such a person?

       Or do you think that most of them hear (the truth) or understand it? (Not at all.) They are rather like cattle. In fact, they are more astray from the Path (than the cattle).

       Have you not observed (the power of Allah), that He makes the shadow (of standing things) spread over a long distance (at the time of rising of the sun). If (He) willed, He would have made the shadow still but We have made the sun its guide (i.e. to change the size of the shadow).

       Then We withdraw it to Us gradually (and it is replaced by pitch darkness of the night).

       And He has made the night a covering for you, and sleep for your comfort. And made the day as time to rise (for activities).

       And He sends the winds as a good tiding in advance before He sends down the rain and We send down pure water from the sky.

       So that We give life to the dead land and let many of the cattle and mankind, which We have created, drink it.

       And, We have distributed it (the rain) among the people (according to Our wisdom) so that they learn a lesson from it. In spite of this most people accept nothing but disbelief or ingratitude.

       And had We willed, We would have sent a warner in every town (we rather made you the warner for the entire Universe).

       So don’t obey the disbelievers but strive very hard against them with it (i.e. the teachings of the Quran).

       And He has made two seas joined yet separated. One of them has sweet and thirst-quenching water and the other salty and bitter, and He has put (through His Power) a barrier and a strong partition between them (over long distances).

       And He has created man from water and made for him the blood relatives and also relatives from his wife’s side. And your Creator is All-Powerful.

       And they (the disbelievers) worship others besides Allah while their false gods can neither benefit nor harm them. And the disbeliever is, indeed, the helper (of Satan) against his Creator.

       And We have not sent you but to give glad tidings (of Paradise to the believers) and to warn (the disbelievers about Hell).

       [O Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him)] Say: “I am not asking you for any reward for this (guidance) except that whosoever wills may seek the Path to his Creator (that will be My reward).

       [O Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him)!] And put your full trust in the Ever Living One Who does not die, and glorify His Praises, and He is Sufficient as the All-Knower of the sins of His slaves,

       It is He Who created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them (e.g.plasma) in six Days. Then He rose over the Throne (in a manner that suits His Majesty). He is the Most Gracious (Allah)! [O Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him)!] So you may ask about Him from any knowledgeable person. (Also see 15:85, 19:65, 20:6, 21:16, 25:59, 29:8, 32:4.)

       And when it is said to them: “You prostrate yourselves to the Most Gracious (Allah).” The disbelievers say: “And what is the Most Gracious? Shall We fall down in prostration to that which you [O Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him)] command us?” And it (this guidance) increases hatred in them.

       Blessed is He Who has created big stars in the heavens, and He created a lamp with its own light (i.e. the sun) and the moon with borrowed or reflected light – (Man has discovered recently that the sun has its own light and the moon has borrowed light). Also see 10:5, 71:16

       And He made the night and the day follow each other in succession, for the person who seeks to learn a lesson or intends to be grateful (to Allah).

       And the (faithful) slaves of the Most Gracious (Allah) are those who walk on the earth modestly, and when the ignorant people address them (with bad words), they simply reply with ‘Salam’ (peace; to avoid evil).

       And those who spend the night in worship of their Creator, prostrating and standing.

       And those who say: “Our Creator! (Please) keep us safe from the torment of Hell. Indeed, it is an ever clinging (i.e. permanent) tor-ment. (Also Surah Al-Muminun:60)

       Indeed, it (Hell) is an evil place to stay and an evil place to reside.

       And when they spend, they are neither extravagant nor miserly, but they keep balance between these two (extremes).

       And those who don’t call other gods along with Allah, and they do not kill anyone whom Allah has made unlawful, except with just cause, nor do they indulge in illegal sexual activities – and whoever does this, shall cause himself a great torture.

       And his punishment will be doubled on the Day of Resurrection and he will reside there disgraced.

       Except those who repent, and believe, and do good deeds. So, Allah will change their sins into good deeds. And Allah is Very Forgiving, Most Merciful.

       And whosoever repents (for his sins) and does good deeds (avoiding future sins), then, indeed, he repents towards Allah with true repentance.

       And those who don’t give false testimony, and if they happen to pass by some evil activity, they pass by it in a dignified manner (totally ignoring it).

       And those who when reminded by the revelations of their Creator, they don’t act as deaf and blind to them.

       And those who say: “Our Creator! Grant us wives and children which are the comfort of our eyes, and make us leaders of the pious persons.”

       Those will be rewarded with the high places (in Paradise) because of their patience. They will receive Dua and Salaam (Peace be upon you) there.

       Residing there forever. It is an excellent place to stay and an excellent place to reside.

       [O Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him)!] Say (to the disbelievers): “My Creator does not care about your not worshipping Him. Since you have denied Him, hence (due to your denial) you will soon have an unavoidable torment.