About the Surah

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

       All praise and thanks are due to Allah, the Originator of the heavens and the earth, Who made angels  messengers with wings, two or three or four. He increases in creation what He wills [e.g. (i) wings-Jibrael ( )   has six hundred wings – Bukhari (ii) increases the beauty of eyes, face, nose etc]. Indeed, Allah is Able to do all things.

       Whatever mercy Allah bestows upon mankind (e.g. rain, vegetation etc) none can withhold it, and what-ever He withholds none can grant it after that. And He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.

       O mankind! Keep in mind the Grace of Allah upon you! Is there any Creator, besides Allah, who gives you provision from the sky (by rain) and from the earth (through vegetations etc). None has the right to be worshipped but He. How then are you turning away (from Allah)?

       And if they deny you [O Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him)!], so were the messengers denied before you (by such people, so don’t be sad). And all the matters will return to Allah (for decision). (He shall deal with them. Why should you be grieved?)

       O mankind! Indeed, the promise of Allah is true. So let this worldly life not deceive you, and let not the chief deceiver (Satan) deceive you regarding Allah (e.g. Satan whispers that Allah will not punish you etc).

       Indeed, Satan is your enemy. Hence, treat him as an enemy. Indeed, he invites his followers so that they may become the residents of the blazing Fire. (Also see Surah Al-Kahf:50)

       (Hence) those who disbelieve (through the invitation of Satan), there will be severe torment for them, and those who believe and do good deeds (by rejecting the invitation of Satan), there will be forgiveness and great reward for them (i.e. Paradise).

       Is he to whom the evil of his deeds is made attractive, so he considers his deeds good (like a person who is rightly guided)? Indeed, Allah sends astray whom He wills (e.g. the intellect of a person is fouled up), and guides whom He wills (by giving proper understanding of matters). [O Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him)!] Don’t hurt yourself by grieving about them. Indeed, Allah is All-Knower of what they do. (He will deal with them at the right time).

       (Allah is very Powerful) and Allah sends the winds (before rain), the winds raise the clouds, so We drive these clouds towards a dead land, and hence We revive the land after its death. Similarly will be the resurrection (of the creatures).

       Whosoever desires honour (Here and in the Hereafter, he should seek it by obeying Allah), since all honour belongs to Allah. All goodly words (e.g. remembrance of Allah etc) ascends to Allah (i.e. Allah accepts them). Good deeds enhance its status (hence, verbal remembrance must be followed by good deeds). And those who hatch evil plots, they will have severe torment. And such plots will perish. (Also see Surah An-Nisa:139)

       (Here is a proof of the Oneness of Allah) and Allah did create you [Adam ( )  ] from dust, then He created (the children of Adam ( )  ] from semen drops, then He made you pairs (male and female). And no female conceives or gives birth except with the Knowledge of Allah. And prolonging of the age of an old person or shortening it from his age is already recorded in the Book (Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuz). Indeed, this is easy for Allah.

       (Here are proofs of the Power of Allah). And two seas are not alike. One is sweet, quenches the thirst and is pleasant for drinking and the other is salty and bitter to drink. And you eat fresh tender meat (fish) from each of them, and you obtain from them ornaments (pearls) that you wear. And you see the ships sailing through them by tearing apart the sea water, so that you may seek His Bounty (by travelling in these ships) and (consequently) be thankful (to Allah).

       (Here are more proofs of the Power of Allah). He merges the night into the day and He merges the day into the night (which changes the length of day and night). And He has subjected the sun and the moon, each float in its orbit for a fixed term. Such is Allah, your Creator. His is the kingdom. And those whom you call besides Allah, they don’t own anything even equivalent to the thin cover around the seed of a date.

       If you call upon your false gods, they don’t hear your call, and (in case) they were to hear, they could not help you (regarding your request). And on the Day of Resurrection, they will deny your worshipping them. [O Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him)!]. None can inform you like He Who is Well-Acquainted (with everything). (Also see Surah Yunus:28, 29)

       O mankind! It is you who are in need of the help of Allah. Allah is All-Rich (free of all needs), Worthy of all praise.

       If He willed, He could destroy you (due to your disbelief) and replace you with a new creation (which will not disbelieve like you).

       And that is not difficult for Allah. 

       (That Day of Resurrection is such that) no bearer of burdens shall bear another’s burden. And if a heavily loaded (sinful) person calls another one to bear (part of) his load, he shall not carry any of it even if he happens to be his close relative. [O Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him)!] You can warn only those who fear their Creator unseen and those who perform Salat (punctually). And whosoever purifies himself (from sins), purifies for his own benefit. And to Allah is the (final) return (of all). (Also see Surah Yasin:11)

       And a blind (i.e. disbeliever) and the seeing person (i.e. believer) are not alike.

       Nor the darkness (i.e. false-hood) and the light (i.e. truth).

       Nor the shade (i.e. good reward or Paradise) and the sun’s heat (i.e. punishment or Hell).

       Nor are alike the living persons (i.e. the believers) and the dead persons (i.e. the disbelievers). In-deed, Allah makes to hear whom He wills (i.e. Allah can give guidance to whom He wills), but you cannot make to hear those who are (buried) in graves (i.e. a stubborn disbeliever cannot benefit from your guidance just like a dead person).

       [O Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him)!] You are only a warner. (i.e. your duty is to convey Allah’s message to mankind but guidance is in Allah’s hand).

       Indeed, We have sent you with the truth to convey glad tidings and as a warner. And every nation that passed before you had a warner among them.

       And if they deny you, but they also denied those (messengers) before them while their messengers came to them with clear signs, and the Scriptures, and the book giving light (i.e. guidance). (Also see Surah An-Nahl:36)

       (When they denied the truth) then I seized the disbelievers, and how terrible was My denial (i.e. punishment)!

       Don’t you see that Allah sends down rain water from the sky, so We produce fruits of various colours with it, and (you also see) white and red tracks of mountains, somewhat varying in colours, and others are intensely black?

       And (similarly) from the human being, and the other (living) creatures and the cattle are of various colours (it shows the Greatness of Allah). Indeed, only those people fear Allah who have the knowledge (of His Greatness). Indeed, Allah is All-Mighty, Very-Forgiving.

       Indeed, those who recite the Quran, and perform Salat, and spend (in charity) from what We have given them, secretly and openly, they are hopeful of such (beneficial) trading in which there is never loss. (Since this trading is with Allah and there is a Promise of Allah for the generous reward).

       So that He may pay them their reward in full and increase it for them from His Bounty. Indeed, He is Very-Forgiving, Highly Appre-ciative (of good deeds). 

       [O Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him)!] And the Book which We have revealed to you is the (absolute) truth. It confirms that which was (revealed) before it. Allah is, indeed, Well-Acquainted with, and All-Seer of His slaves.

       Then We gave the Quran as an inheritance to Our chosen slaves [i.e. followers of Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him)]. Then some of them wronged themselves (i.e. are lazy about obligatory forms of worship) and some of them follow the middle course (i.e. their deeds are mixed up), and some of them, by the help of Allah, excel in good deeds. Indeed, (inheritance of the Quran) is a great Bounty of Allah (since by following this Book they will receive tremendous reward). (Also see Surah Al-Baqarah:143)

       (And that reward is) they will reside in the everlasting Gardens, in which they will be decorated with bracelets of gold and pearls, and their garments will be of silk.

       And they will say: “All praise and thanks are Allah’s Who removed from us our grief. Indeed, our Creator is Very-Forgiving, Highly Appreciative.

       “It is He Who, out of His Grace, has brought us to a place where we shall not feel any inconvenience or any weariness.” 

       And there is Hell-Fire for the disbelievers. This Fire will not have a complete killing effect on them so that they die, nor shall the torment be lightened for them. Thus We reward every disbeliever!

       And the disbelievers will cry bitterly in the Fire: “Our Creator! (Please) bring us out. (We promise) we shall do good deeds and not the evil deeds we used to do.” (Allah will reply): “Did We not give you a long life, so that whosoever cares to receive the advice could receive it? And the warner (i.e. Prophets) came to you (directly or indirectly, but you denied them). Hence, taste (the result of it). Surely, there is no helper for the wrong-doers.”

       Indeed, Allah is All-Knower of the Unseen of the heavens and the earth. Indeed, He also Knows what is in the breasts.

       He (Allah) established you on the earth. So whosoever disbelieves, he will suffer for his disbelief. (That suffering is as follows) and the disbelief of the disbeliever increases the displeasure of his Creator (in this world as seen often). And the disbelief of the disbeliever increases his loss (in the Hereafter).

       [O Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him)!] Say: “Give me some information about your (so-called) partners of Allah. What (part) of the earth have they created? Or, do they have any share in the skies? Or, have We given them any Book, so that they are following its proof? In fact, the wrong-doers make very deceiving promises to one another.”

       Indeed, Allah is (by His Power) holding the heavens and the earth in their positions lest they deviate or seize to function in their places. And if they deviate (from their places), there is none who could hold them after Allah. Indeed, He is the Most Forbearing, Very Forgiving. (Also see Surah Ar-Rum:25)

       And they swore by Allah using their most binding oaths that if a warner came to them, they would be more guided than any of the earlier nations. But when a warner (Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him)] came to them, it increased in them nothing but hatred (for the truth).

       (This increase in hatred was due to) their arrogance in the land, and their evil plotting. (Thus they added to their loss). And the result of evil plotting always falls back on its plotter. So are they waiting for the way of dealing (of Allah) with the people of the past (i.e. the torment)? And you will not find any change in this method of dealing of Allah (i.e. Allah punishes only deserving criminals). And you will not find any shift in Allah’s way of dealing (i.e. the torment of one nation is not shifted to another nation).

       Have they not travelled in the land, and seen the end of those (disbelievers) before them although they were far superior to them in power? There is nothing in the heavens or in the earth that can defeat Allah. Indeed, He is All-Knowing, All-Powerful.

       And if Allah were to punish people (quickly) for what they do, He would not have left any (living) creature on the surface of the earth, but Allah is postponing it for them for a fixed term. However, when that fixed time (or promise) comes, Allah will see His slaves (i.e. will deal with them).