The surah that translates into human experience the overpowering meaning of what Thunder says when it resounds through the sky and God sends bolts to the earth. It takes its name from thunder (al-raʿd), mentioned in verse 13. The surah is distinguished by its moving description of God’s power and knowledge. Muḥammad’s place in a long tradition of prophets, none of whom could produce miracles on request, is stressed, and his role emphasized: it is only to deliver the message. God is the One who will call people to account for their deeds, and He is the witness for the truth of the message.
1
المر ۚ تِلكَ آياتُ الكِتابِ ۗ وَالَّذي أُنزِلَ إِلَيكَ مِن رَبِّكَ الحَقُّ وَلٰكِنَّ أَكثَرَ النّاسِ لا يُؤمِنونَ
a-l-m-r (ʾalif lām mīm rā) tilka ʾāyātu l-kitābi wa-lladhī ʾunzila ʾilayka min rabbika l-ḥaqqu wa-lākinna ʾakthara n-nāsi lā yuʾminūna
Alif, Lām, Mīm, Rā. These are the signs of the Book. That which has been sent down to you from your Lord is the truth, but most people do not believe [in it].
2
اللَّهُ الَّذي رَفَعَ السَّماواتِ بِغَيرِ عَمَدٍ تَرَونَها ۖ ثُمَّ استَوىٰ عَلَى العَرشِ ۖ وَسَخَّرَ الشَّمسَ وَالقَمَرَ ۖ كُلٌّ يَجري لِأَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى ۚ يُدَبِّرُ الأَمرَ يُفَصِّلُ الآياتِ لَعَلَّكُم بِلِقاءِ رَبِّكُم توقِنونَ
allāhu lladhī rafaʿa s-samāwāti bi-ghayri ʿamadin tarawnahā thumma stawā ʿalā l-ʿarshi wa-sakhkhara sh-shamsa wa-l-qamara kullun yajrī li-ʾajalin musamman yudabbiru l-ʾamra yufaṣṣilu l-ʾāyāti laʿallakum bi-liqāʾi rabbikum tūqinūna
It is Allah who raised the heavens without any pillars that you see, and then presided over the Throne. He disposed the sun and the moon, each moving for a specified term.1 He directs the command, [and] elaborates2 the signs that you may be certain of encountering your Lord.Or ‘until a specified time.’Or ‘unravels.’
3
وَهُوَ الَّذي مَدَّ الأَرضَ وَجَعَلَ فيها رَواسِيَ وَأَنهارًا ۖ وَمِن كُلِّ الثَّمَراتِ جَعَلَ فيها زَوجَينِ اثنَينِ ۖ يُغشِي اللَّيلَ النَّهارَ ۚ إِنَّ في ذٰلِكَ لَآياتٍ لِقَومٍ يَتَفَكَّرونَ
wa-huwa lladhī madda l-ʾarḍa wa-jaʿala fīhā rawāsiya wa-ʾanhāran wa-min kulli th-thamarāti jaʿala fīhā zawjayni thnayni yughshī l-layla n-nahāra ʾinna fī dhālika la-ʾāyātin li-qawmin yatafakkarūna
It is He who has spread out the earth and set in it firm mountains and streams, and of every fruit He has made in it two kinds.1 He draws the night’s cover over the day. There are indeed signs in that for a people who reflect.Or ‘a pair,’ or ‘two mates.’
4
وَفِي الأَرضِ قِطَعٌ مُتَجاوِراتٌ وَجَنّاتٌ مِن أَعنابٍ وَزَرعٌ وَنَخيلٌ صِنوانٌ وَغَيرُ صِنوانٍ يُسقىٰ بِماءٍ واحِدٍ وَنُفَضِّلُ بَعضَها عَلىٰ بَعضٍ فِي الأُكُلِ ۚ إِنَّ في ذٰلِكَ لَآياتٍ لِقَومٍ يَعقِلونَ
wa-fī l-ʾarḍi qiṭaʿun mutajāwirātun wa-jannātun min ʾaʿnābin wa-zarʿun wa-nakhīlun ṣinwānun wa-ghayru ṣinwānin yusqā bi-māʾin wāḥidin wa-nufaḍḍilu baʿḍahā ʿalā baʿḍin fī l-ʾukuli ʾinna fī dhālika la-ʾāyātin li-qawmin yaʿqilūna
In the earth are neighbouring terrains [of diverse kinds] and vineyards, farms, and date palms growing from the same root and from diverse roots, [all] irrigated by the same water, and We give some of them an advantage over others in flavour. There are indeed signs in that for a people who apply reason.
5
۞ وَإِن تَعجَب فَعَجَبٌ قَولُهُم أَإِذا كُنّا تُرابًا أَإِنّا لَفي خَلقٍ جَديدٍ ۗ أُولٰئِكَ الَّذينَ كَفَروا بِرَبِّهِم ۖ وَأُولٰئِكَ الأَغلالُ في أَعناقِهِم ۖ وَأُولٰئِكَ أَصحابُ النّارِ ۖ هُم فيها خالِدونَ
wa-ʾin taʿjab fa-ʿajabun qawluhum ʾa-ʾidhā kunnā turāban ʾa-ʾinnā la-fī khalqin jadīdin ʾulāʾika lladhīna kafarū bi-rabbihim wa-ʾulāʾika l-ʾaghlālu fī ʾaʿnāqihim wa-ʾulāʾika ʾaṣḥābu n-nāri hum fīhā khālidūna
If you are to wonder [at anything], then wonderful1 is their remark, ‘When we have become dust, shall we be [ushered] into a new creation?’ They are the ones who defy their Lord; they shall have iron collars around their necks, they shall be the inhabitants of the Fire, and they shall remain in it [forever].That is, odd, astonishing.
6
وَيَستَعجِلونَكَ بِالسَّيِّئَةِ قَبلَ الحَسَنَةِ وَقَد خَلَت مِن قَبلِهِمُ المَثُلاتُ ۗ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَذو مَغفِرَةٍ لِلنّاسِ عَلىٰ ظُلمِهِم ۖ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَشَديدُ العِقابِ
wa-yastaʿjilūnaka bi-s-sayyiʾati qabla l-ḥasanati wa-qad khalat min qablihimu l-mathulātu wa-ʾinna rabbaka la-dhū maghfiratin li-n-nāsi ʿalā ẓulmihim wa-ʾinna rabbaka la-shadīdu l-ʿiqābi
They would press you for evil sooner than for good,1 though there have already gone by before them exemplary punishments. Indeed your Lord is forgiving to mankind despite their wrongdoing, and indeed your Lord is severe in retribution.That is, they ask you to bring about the Divine punishment with which you have threatened them, instead of pleading for Divine mercy and forgiveness.
7
وَيَقولُ الَّذينَ كَفَروا لَولا أُنزِلَ عَلَيهِ آيَةٌ مِن رَبِّهِ ۗ إِنَّما أَنتَ مُنذِرٌ ۖ وَلِكُلِّ قَومٍ هادٍ
wa-yaqūlu lladhīna kafarū law-lā ʾunzila ʿalayhi ʾāyatun min rabbihī ʾinnamā ʾanta mundhirun wa-li-kulli qawmin hādin-i
The faithless say, ‘Why has not some sign been sent down to him from his Lord?’ You are only a warner, and there is a guide for every people.
8
اللَّهُ يَعلَمُ ما تَحمِلُ كُلُّ أُنثىٰ وَما تَغيضُ الأَرحامُ وَما تَزدادُ ۖ وَكُلُّ شَيءٍ عِندَهُ بِمِقدارٍ
allāhu yaʿlamu mā taḥmilu kullu ʾunthā wa-mā taghīḍu l-ʾarḥāmu wa-mā tazdādu wa-kullu shayʾin ʿindahū bi-miqdārin
Allah knows what every female carries [in her womb], and what the wombs reduce and what they increase,1 and everything is by [precise] measure with Him,That is, what the wombs reduce or increase of the embryo or the foetus or the time of gestation.
9
عالِمُ الغَيبِ وَالشَّهادَةِ الكَبيرُ المُتَعالِ
ʿālimu l-ghaybi wa-sh-shahādati l-kabīru l-mutaʿāli
the Knower of the sensible and the Unseen, the All-great, the All-sublime.
10
سَواءٌ مِنكُم مَن أَسَرَّ القَولَ وَمَن جَهَرَ بِهِ وَمَن هُوَ مُستَخفٍ بِاللَّيلِ وَسارِبٌ بِالنَّهارِ
sawāʾun minkum man ʾasarra l-qawla wa-man jahara bihī wa-man huwa mustakhfin bi-l-layli wa-sāribun bi-n-nahāri
It is the same [to Him] whether any of you speaks secretly, or does so loudly, or whether he lurks in the night, or is open to view in daytime.1Or ‘marches in daytime.’
11
لَهُ مُعَقِّباتٌ مِن بَينِ يَدَيهِ وَمِن خَلفِهِ يَحفَظونَهُ مِن أَمرِ اللَّهِ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يُغَيِّرُ ما بِقَومٍ حَتّىٰ يُغَيِّروا ما بِأَنفُسِهِم ۗ وَإِذا أَرادَ اللَّهُ بِقَومٍ سوءًا فَلا مَرَدَّ لَهُ ۚ وَما لَهُم مِن دونِهِ مِن والٍ
lahū muʿaqqibātun min bayni yadayhi wa-min khalfihī yaḥfaẓūnahū min ʾamri llāhi ʾinna llāha lā yughayyiru mā bi-qawmin ḥattā yughayyirū mā bi-ʾanfusihim wa-ʾidhā ʾarāda llāhu bi-qawmin sūʾan fa-lā maradda lahū wa-mā lahum min dūnihī min wālin
He has guardian angels, to his front and his rear, who guard him by Allah’s command. Indeed Allah does not change a people’s lot, unless they change what is in their souls. And when Allah wishes to visit ill on a people, there is nothing that can avert it, and they have no protector besides Him.
12
هُوَ الَّذي يُريكُمُ البَرقَ خَوفًا وَطَمَعًا وَيُنشِئُ السَّحابَ الثِّقالَ
huwa lladhī yurīkumu l-barqa khawfan wa-ṭamaʿan wa-yunshiʾu s-saḥāba th-thiqāla
It is He who shows you the lightning, inspiring fear and hope, and He produces the clouds heavy [with rain].
13
وَيُسَبِّحُ الرَّعدُ بِحَمدِهِ وَالمَلائِكَةُ مِن خيفَتِهِ وَيُرسِلُ الصَّواعِقَ فَيُصيبُ بِها مَن يَشاءُ وَهُم يُجادِلونَ فِي اللَّهِ وَهُوَ شَديدُ المِحالِ
wa-yusabbiḥu r-raʿdu bi-ḥamdihī wa-l-malāʾikatu min khīfatihī wa-yursilu ṣ-ṣawāʿiqa fa-yuṣību bihā man yashāʾu wa-hum yujādilūna fī llāhi wa-huwa shadīdu l-miḥāli
The Thunder celebrates His praise, and the angels [too], in awe of Him, and He releases the thunderbolts and strikes with them whomever He wishes. Yet they dispute concerning Allah, though He is great in might.1Or ‘though He is severe in punishment.’
14
لَهُ دَعوَةُ الحَقِّ ۖ وَالَّذينَ يَدعونَ مِن دونِهِ لا يَستَجيبونَ لَهُم بِشَيءٍ إِلّا كَباسِطِ كَفَّيهِ إِلَى الماءِ لِيَبلُغَ فاهُ وَما هُوَ بِبالِغِهِ ۚ وَما دُعاءُ الكافِرينَ إِلّا في ضَلالٍ
lahū daʿwatu l-ḥaqqi wa-lladhīna yadʿūna min dūnihī lā yastajībūna lahum bi-shayʾin ʾillā ka-bāsiṭi kaffayhi ʾilā l-māʾi li-yablugha fāhu wa-mā huwa bi-bālighihī wa-mā duʿāʾu l-kāfirīna ʾillā fī ḍalālin
[Only] to Him belongs the true invocation;1 and those whom they invoke besides Him do not answer them in any wise— like someone who stretches his hands towards water [desiring] that it should reach his mouth, but it does not reach it— and the invocations of the faithless only go awry.Or ‘His is the invitation to the truth,’ or ‘His is the true invitation.’
15
وَلِلَّهِ يَسجُدُ مَن فِي السَّماواتِ وَالأَرضِ طَوعًا وَكَرهًا وَظِلالُهُم بِالغُدُوِّ وَالآصالِ ۩
wa-li-llāhi yasjudu man fī s-samāwāti wa-l-ʾarḍi ṭawʿan wa-karhan wa-ẓilāluhum bi-l-ghuduwwi wa-l-ʾāṣāli
To Allah prostrates whoever there is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, and their shadows at sunrise and sunset.
16
قُل مَن رَبُّ السَّماواتِ وَالأَرضِ قُلِ اللَّهُ ۚ قُل أَفَاتَّخَذتُم مِن دونِهِ أَولِياءَ لا يَملِكونَ لِأَنفُسِهِم نَفعًا وَلا ضَرًّا ۚ قُل هَل يَستَوِي الأَعمىٰ وَالبَصيرُ أَم هَل تَستَوِي الظُّلُماتُ وَالنّورُ ۗ أَم جَعَلوا لِلَّهِ شُرَكاءَ خَلَقوا كَخَلقِهِ فَتَشابَهَ الخَلقُ عَلَيهِم ۚ قُلِ اللَّهُ خالِقُ كُلِّ شَيءٍ وَهُوَ الواحِدُ القَهّارُ
qul man rabbu s-samāwāti wa-l-ʾarḍi quli llāhu qul ʾa-fa-ttakhadhtum min dūnihī ʾawliyāʾa lā yamlikūna li-ʾanfusihim nafʿan wa-lā ḍarran qul hal yastawī l-ʾaʿmā wa-l-baṣīru ʾam hal tastawī ẓ-ẓulumātu wa-n-nūru ʾam jaʿalū li-llāhi shurakāʾa khalaqū ka-khalqihī fa-tashābaha l-khalqu ʿalayhim quli llāhu khāliqu kulli shayʾin wa-huwa l-wāḥidu l-qahhāru
Say, ‘Who is the Lord of the heavens and the earth?’ Say, ‘Allah!’ Say, ‘Have you then taken others besides Him for guardians, who have no control over their own benefit or harm?’ Say, ‘Are the blind one and the seer equal? Or are the darkness and the light equal?’ Have they set up for Allah partners who have created like His creation, so that the creations seemed confusable to them? Say, ‘Allah is the creator of all things, and He is the One, the All-paramount.’
17
أَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّماءِ ماءً فَسالَت أَودِيَةٌ بِقَدَرِها فَاحتَمَلَ السَّيلُ زَبَدًا رابِيًا ۚ وَمِمّا يوقِدونَ عَلَيهِ فِي النّارِ ابتِغاءَ حِليَةٍ أَو مَتاعٍ زَبَدٌ مِثلُهُ ۚ كَذٰلِكَ يَضرِبُ اللَّهُ الحَقَّ وَالباطِلَ ۚ فَأَمَّا الزَّبَدُ فَيَذهَبُ جُفاءً ۖ وَأَمّا ما يَنفَعُ النّاسَ فَيَمكُثُ فِي الأَرضِ ۚ كَذٰلِكَ يَضرِبُ اللَّهُ الأَمثالَ
ʾanzala mina s-samāʾi māʾan fa-sālat ʾawdiyatun bi-qadarihā fa-ḥtamala s-saylu zabadan rābiyan wa-mimmā yūqidūna ʿalayhi fī n-nāri btighāʾa ḥilyatin ʾaw matāʿin zabadun mithluhū ka-dhālika yaḍribu llāhu l-ḥaqqa wa-l-bāṭila fa-ʾammā z-zabadu fa-yadhhabu jufāʾan wa-ʾammā mā yanfaʿu n-nāsa fa-yamkuthu fī l-ʾarḍi ka-dhālika yaḍribu llāhu l-ʾamthāla
He sends down water from the sky whereat the valleys are flooded to [the extent of] their capacity, and the flood carries along a swelling scum. And from what they smelt in the fire for the purpose of [making] ornaments or wares, [there arises] a similar scum. That is how Allah compares the truth and falsehood. As for the scum, it leaves as dross, and that which profits the people remains in the earth. That is how Allah draws comparisons.
18
لِلَّذينَ استَجابوا لِرَبِّهِمُ الحُسنىٰ ۚ وَالَّذينَ لَم يَستَجيبوا لَهُ لَو أَنَّ لَهُم ما فِي الأَرضِ جَميعًا وَمِثلَهُ مَعَهُ لَافتَدَوا بِهِ ۚ أُولٰئِكَ لَهُم سوءُ الحِسابِ وَمَأواهُم جَهَنَّمُ ۖ وَبِئسَ المِهادُ
li-lladhīna stajābū li-rabbihimu l-ḥusnā wa-lladhīna lam yastajībū lahū law ʾanna lahum mā fī l-ʾarḍi jamīʿan wa-mithlahū maʿahū la-ftadaw bihī ʾulāʾika lahum sūʾu l-ḥisābi wa-maʾwāhum jahannamu wa-biʾsa l-mihādu
For those who answer [the summons of] their Lord there shall be the best [of rewards]. But those who do not answer Him, even if they possessed all that is on the earth and as much of it besides, they would surely offer it to redeem themselves with it.1 For such there shall be an adverse reckoning, and their refuge shall be hell, and it is an evil resting place.Cf. 5:36 & 39:47.
19
۞ أَفَمَن يَعلَمُ أَنَّما أُنزِلَ إِلَيكَ مِن رَبِّكَ الحَقُّ كَمَن هُوَ أَعمىٰ ۚ إِنَّما يَتَذَكَّرُ أُولُو الأَلبابِ
ʾa-fa-man yaʿlamu ʾannamā ʾunzila ʾilayka min rabbika l-ḥaqqu ka-man huwa ʾaʿmā ʾinnamā yatadhakkaru ʾulū l-ʾalbābi
Is someone who knows that what has been sent down to you from your Lord is the truth, like someone who is blind? Only those who possess intellect take admonition
20
الَّذينَ يوفونَ بِعَهدِ اللَّهِ وَلا يَنقُضونَ الميثاقَ
alladhīna yūfūna bi-ʿahdi llāhi wa-lā yanquḍūna l-mīthāqa
—those who fulfill Allah’s covenant and do not break the pledge solemnly made,
21
وَالَّذينَ يَصِلونَ ما أَمَرَ اللَّهُ بِهِ أَن يوصَلَ وَيَخشَونَ رَبَّهُم وَيَخافونَ سوءَ الحِسابِ
wa-lladhīna yaṣilūna mā ʾamara llāhu bihī ʾan yūṣala wa-yakhshawna rabbahum wa-yakhāfūna sūʾa l-ḥisābi
and those who join what Allah has commanded to be joined, and fear their Lord, and are afraid of an adverse reckoning
22
وَالَّذينَ صَبَرُوا ابتِغاءَ وَجهِ رَبِّهِم وَأَقامُوا الصَّلاةَ وَأَنفَقوا مِمّا رَزَقناهُم سِرًّا وَعَلانِيَةً وَيَدرَءونَ بِالحَسَنَةِ السَّيِّئَةَ أُولٰئِكَ لَهُم عُقبَى الدّارِ
wa-lladhīna ṣabarū btighāʾa wajhi rabbihim wa-ʾaqāmū ṣ-ṣalāta wa-ʾanfaqū mimmā razaqnāhum sirran wa-ʿalāniyatan wa-yadraʾūna bi-l-ḥasanati s-sayyiʾata ʾulāʾika lahum ʿuqbā d-dāri
—those who are patient for the sake of their Lord’s pleasure, maintain the prayer, and spend out of what We have provided them, secretly and openly, and repel evil [conduct] with good. For such will be the reward of the [ultimate] abode:
23
جَنّاتُ عَدنٍ يَدخُلونَها وَمَن صَلَحَ مِن آبائِهِم وَأَزواجِهِم وَذُرِّيّاتِهِم ۖ وَالمَلائِكَةُ يَدخُلونَ عَلَيهِم مِن كُلِّ بابٍ
jannātu ʿadnin yadkhulūnahā wa-man ṣalaḥa min ʾābāʾihim wa-ʾazwājihim wa-dhurriyyātihim wa-l-malāʾikatu yadkhulūna ʿalayhim min kulli bābin
the Gardens of Eden, which they will enter along with whoever is righteous from among their forebears, their spouses, and their descendants, and the angels will call on them from every door:
24
سَلامٌ عَلَيكُم بِما صَبَرتُم ۚ فَنِعمَ عُقبَى الدّارِ
salāmun ʿalaykum bi-mā ṣabartum fa-niʿma ʿuqbā d-dāri
‘Peace be to you, for your patience.’ How excellent is the reward of the [ultimate] abode!
25
وَالَّذينَ يَنقُضونَ عَهدَ اللَّهِ مِن بَعدِ ميثاقِهِ وَيَقطَعونَ ما أَمَرَ اللَّهُ بِهِ أَن يوصَلَ وَيُفسِدونَ فِي الأَرضِ ۙ أُولٰئِكَ لَهُمُ اللَّعنَةُ وَلَهُم سوءُ الدّارِ
wa-lladhīna yanquḍūna ʿahda llāhi min baʿdi mīthāqihī wa-yaqṭaʿūna mā ʾamara llāhu bihī ʾan yūṣala wa-yufsidūna fī l-ʾarḍi ʾulāʾika lahumu l-laʿnatu wa-lahum sūʾu d-dāri
But as for those who break Allah’s compact after having pledged it solemnly, and sever what Allah has commanded to be joined, and cause corruption in the earth —it is such on whom the curse will lie, and for them will be the ills of the [ultimate] abode.
26
اللَّهُ يَبسُطُ الرِّزقَ لِمَن يَشاءُ وَيَقدِرُ ۚ وَفَرِحوا بِالحَياةِ الدُّنيا وَمَا الحَياةُ الدُّنيا فِي الآخِرَةِ إِلّا مَتاعٌ
allāhu yabsuṭu r-rizqa li-man yashāʾu wa-yaqdiru wa-fariḥū bi-l-ḥayāti d-dunyā wa-mā l-ḥayātu d-dunyā fī l-ʾākhirati ʾillā matāʿun
Allah expands the provision for whomever He wishes, and tightens it. They exult in the life of this world, but compared with the Hereafter the life of this world is but a [trifling] enjoyment.
27
وَيَقولُ الَّذينَ كَفَروا لَولا أُنزِلَ عَلَيهِ آيَةٌ مِن رَبِّهِ ۗ قُل إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُضِلُّ مَن يَشاءُ وَيَهدي إِلَيهِ مَن أَنابَ
wa-yaqūlu lladhīna kafarū law-lā ʾunzila ʿalayhi ʾāyatun min rabbihī qul ʾinna llāha yuḍillu man yashāʾu wa-yahdī ʾilayhi man ʾanāba
The faithless say, ‘Why has not some sign been sent down to him from his Lord?’ Say, ‘Indeed Allah leads astray whomever He wishes, and guides to Himself those who turn penitently [to Him]
28
الَّذينَ آمَنوا وَتَطمَئِنُّ قُلوبُهُم بِذِكرِ اللَّهِ ۗ أَلا بِذِكرِ اللَّهِ تَطمَئِنُّ القُلوبُ
alladhīna ʾāmanū wa-taṭmaʾinnu qulūbuhum bi-dhikri llāhi ʾa-lā bi-dhikri llāhi taṭmaʾinnu l-qulūbu
—those who have faith, and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah.’ Look! The hearts find rest in Allah’s remembrance!
29
الَّذينَ آمَنوا وَعَمِلُوا الصّالِحاتِ طوبىٰ لَهُم وَحُسنُ مَآبٍ
alladhīna ʾāmanū wa-ʿamilū ṣ-ṣāliḥāti ṭūbā lahum wa-ḥusnu maʾābin
Those who have faith and do righteous deeds —happy are they and good is their [ultimate] destination.
30
كَذٰلِكَ أَرسَلناكَ في أُمَّةٍ قَد خَلَت مِن قَبلِها أُمَمٌ لِتَتلُوَ عَلَيهِمُ الَّذي أَوحَينا إِلَيكَ وَهُم يَكفُرونَ بِالرَّحمٰنِ ۚ قُل هُوَ رَبّي لا إِلٰهَ إِلّا هُوَ عَلَيهِ تَوَكَّلتُ وَإِلَيهِ مَتابِ
ka-dhālika ʾarsalnāka fī ʾummatin qad khalat min qablihā ʾumamun li-tatluwa ʿalayhimu lladhī ʾawḥaynā ʾilayka wa-hum yakfurūna bi-r-raḥmāni qul huwa rabbī lā ʾilāha ʾillā huwa ʿalayhi tawakkaltu wa-ʾilayhi matābi
Thus have We sent you to a nation before which many nations have passed away, that you may recite to them what We have revealed to you. Yet they defy the All-beneficent. Say, ‘He is my Lord; there is no god except Him; in Him I have put my trust, and to Him will be my return.’
31
وَلَو أَنَّ قُرآنًا سُيِّرَت بِهِ الجِبالُ أَو قُطِّعَت بِهِ الأَرضُ أَو كُلِّمَ بِهِ المَوتىٰ ۗ بَل لِلَّهِ الأَمرُ جَميعًا ۗ أَفَلَم يَيأَسِ الَّذينَ آمَنوا أَن لَو يَشاءُ اللَّهُ لَهَدَى النّاسَ جَميعًا ۗ وَلا يَزالُ الَّذينَ كَفَروا تُصيبُهُم بِما صَنَعوا قارِعَةٌ أَو تَحُلُّ قَريبًا مِن دارِهِم حَتّىٰ يَأتِيَ وَعدُ اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يُخلِفُ الميعادَ
wa-law ʾanna qurʾānan suyyirat bihi l-jibālu ʾaw quṭṭiʿat bihi l-ʾarḍu ʾaw kullima bihi l-mawtā bal li-llāhi l-ʾamru jamīʿan ʾa-fa-lam yayʾasi lladhīna ʾāmanū ʾan law yashāʾu llāhu la-hadā n-nāsa jamīʿan wa-lā yazālu lladhīna kafarū tuṣībuhum bi-mā ṣanaʿū qāriʿatun ʾaw taḥullu qarīban min dārihim ḥattā yaʾtiya waʿdu llāhi ʾinna llāha lā yukhlifu l-mīʿāda
If only it were a Qurʾān1 whereby the mountains could be moved, or the earth could be toured,2 or the dead could be spoken to … .3 Rather all dispensation belongs to Allah. Have not the faithful yet realised that had Allah wished He would have guided mankind all together? The faithless will continue to be visited by catastrophes because of their doings —or they4 will land near their habitations— until Allah’s promise comes to pass. Indeed Allah does not break His promise.Or ‘Even if it were a Qurʾān.’Or ‘the ground could be split,’ i.e., for making springs and wells.Ellipsis. The phrase omitted is ‘all unbelievers would have embraced the faith.’ Or ‘still they would not have embraced the faith.’ Cf. 6:111.That is, the disasters.
32
وَلَقَدِ استُهزِئَ بِرُسُلٍ مِن قَبلِكَ فَأَملَيتُ لِلَّذينَ كَفَروا ثُمَّ أَخَذتُهُم ۖ فَكَيفَ كانَ عِقابِ
wa-la-qadi stuhziʾa bi-rusulin min qablika fa-ʾamlaytu li-lladhīna kafarū thumma ʾakhadhtuhum fa-kayfa kāna ʿiqābi
Apostles were certainly derided before you. But then I gave respite to those who were faithless, then I seized them; so how was My retribution?
33
أَفَمَن هُوَ قائِمٌ عَلىٰ كُلِّ نَفسٍ بِما كَسَبَت ۗ وَجَعَلوا لِلَّهِ شُرَكاءَ قُل سَمّوهُم ۚ أَم تُنَبِّئونَهُ بِما لا يَعلَمُ فِي الأَرضِ أَم بِظاهِرٍ مِنَ القَولِ ۗ بَل زُيِّنَ لِلَّذينَ كَفَروا مَكرُهُم وَصُدّوا عَنِ السَّبيلِ ۗ وَمَن يُضلِلِ اللَّهُ فَما لَهُ مِن هادٍ
ʾa-fa-man huwa qāʾimun ʿalā kulli nafsin bi-mā kasabat wa-jaʿalū li-llāhi shurakāʾa qul sammūhum ʾam tunabbiʾūnahū bi-mā lā yaʿlamu fī l-ʾarḍi ʾam bi-ẓāhirin mina l-qawli bal zuyyina li-lladhīna kafarū makruhum wa-ṣuddū ʿani s-sabīli wa-man yuḍlili llāhu fa-mā lahū min hādin
Is He who sustains every soul1 in spite of what it earns [comparable to the idols]? And yet they ascribe partners to Allah! Say, ‘Name them!’ Will you inform Him of something He does not know about on the earth, or of [what are] mere words? Rather their scheming is presented as decorous to the faithless, and they have been barred from the [right] way; and whomever Allah leads astray, has no guide.Or ‘Is He who maintains every soul in spite of what it earns.’ Or ‘Is He who is vigilant over every soul as to what it earns.’ See 9:25, where bimā is used in the sense of ‘in spite of.’
34
لَهُم عَذابٌ فِي الحَياةِ الدُّنيا ۖ وَلَعَذابُ الآخِرَةِ أَشَقُّ ۖ وَما لَهُم مِنَ اللَّهِ مِن واقٍ
lahum ʿadhābun fī l-ḥayāti d-dunyā wa-la-ʿadhābu l-ʾākhirati ʾashaqqu wa-mā lahum mina llāhi min wāqin
There is a punishment for them in the life of this world, and the punishment of the Hereafter will surely be harder, and they have no defender against Allah.
35
۞ مَثَلُ الجَنَّةِ الَّتي وُعِدَ المُتَّقونَ ۖ تَجري مِن تَحتِهَا الأَنهارُ ۖ أُكُلُها دائِمٌ وَظِلُّها ۚ تِلكَ عُقبَى الَّذينَ اتَّقَوا ۖ وَعُقبَى الكافِرينَ النّارُ
mathalu l-jannati llatī wuʿida l-muttaqūna tajrī min taḥtihā l-ʾanhāru ʾukuluhā dāʾimun wa-ẓilluhā tilka ʿuqbā lladhīna ttaqaw wa-ʿuqbā l-kāfirīna n-nāru
A description of the paradise promised to the Godwary: streams run in it, its fruits and shade are everlasting. Such is the requital of those who are Godwary; and the requital of the faithless is the Fire.
36
وَالَّذينَ آتَيناهُمُ الكِتابَ يَفرَحونَ بِما أُنزِلَ إِلَيكَ ۖ وَمِنَ الأَحزابِ مَن يُنكِرُ بَعضَهُ ۚ قُل إِنَّما أُمِرتُ أَن أَعبُدَ اللَّهَ وَلا أُشرِكَ بِهِ ۚ إِلَيهِ أَدعو وَإِلَيهِ مَآبِ
wa-lladhīna ʾātaynāhumu l-kitāba yafraḥūna bi-mā ʾunzila ʾilayka wa-mina l-ʾaḥzābi man yunkiru baʿḍahū qul ʾinnamā ʾumirtu ʾan ʾaʿbuda llāha wa-lā ʾushrika bihī ʾilayhi ʾadʿū wa-ʾilayhi maʾābi
Those whom We have given the Book1 rejoice in what has been sent down to you. Among the factions2 are those who deny a part of it. Say, ‘Indeed I have been commanded to worship Allah and not to ascribe any partner to Him. To Him do I summon [all mankind] and to Him will be my return.’That is, the Jews and the Christians, or the faithful who followed the Prophet (ṣ).That is, from among those belonging to Jewish and Christian sects, or the Arab polytheists.
37
وَكَذٰلِكَ أَنزَلناهُ حُكمًا عَرَبِيًّا ۚ وَلَئِنِ اتَّبَعتَ أَهواءَهُم بَعدَما جاءَكَ مِنَ العِلمِ ما لَكَ مِنَ اللَّهِ مِن وَلِيٍّ وَلا واقٍ
wa-ka-dhālika ʾanzalnāhu ḥukman ʿarabiyyan wa-la-ʾini ttabaʿta ʾahwāʾahum baʿda mā jāʾaka mina l-ʿilmi mā laka mina llāhi min waliyyin wa-lā wāqin
Thus We have sent it down as a dispensation in Arabic; and should you follow their desires after the knowledge that has come to you, you shall have against Allah neither any guardian nor any defender.1Cf. 2:120, 145; 5:48, 49; 23:71; 42:15.
38
وَلَقَد أَرسَلنا رُسُلًا مِن قَبلِكَ وَجَعَلنا لَهُم أَزواجًا وَذُرِّيَّةً ۚ وَما كانَ لِرَسولٍ أَن يَأتِيَ بِآيَةٍ إِلّا بِإِذنِ اللَّهِ ۗ لِكُلِّ أَجَلٍ كِتابٌ
wa-la-qad ʾarsalnā rusulan min qablika wa-jaʿalnā lahum ʾazwājan wa-dhurriyyatan wa-mā kāna li-rasūlin ʾan yaʾtiya bi-ʾāyatin ʾillā bi-ʾidhni llāhi li-kulli ʾajalin kitābun
Certainly We have sent apostles before you, and We appointed for them wives and descendants; and an apostle may not bring a sign except by Allah’s leave. There is a written [schedule] for every term:
39
يَمحُو اللَّهُ ما يَشاءُ وَيُثبِتُ ۖ وَعِندَهُ أُمُّ الكِتابِ
yamḥū llāhu mā yashāʾu wa-yuthbitu wa-ʿindahū ʾummu l-kitābi
Allah effaces and confirms whatever He wishes and with Him is the Mother Book.1Cf. 43:4.
40
وَإِن ما نُرِيَنَّكَ بَعضَ الَّذي نَعِدُهُم أَو نَتَوَفَّيَنَّكَ فَإِنَّما عَلَيكَ البَلاغُ وَعَلَينَا الحِسابُ
wa-ʾin mā nuriyannaka baʿḍa lladhī naʿiduhum ʾaw natawaffayannaka fa-ʾinnamā ʿalayka l-balāghu wa-ʿalaynā l-ḥisābu
Whether We show you a part of what We promise them,1 or take you away [before that], your duty is only to communicate, and it is for Us to do the reckoning.That is, the punishment.
41
أَوَلَم يَرَوا أَنّا نَأتِي الأَرضَ نَنقُصُها مِن أَطرافِها ۚ وَاللَّهُ يَحكُمُ لا مُعَقِّبَ لِحُكمِهِ ۚ وَهُوَ سَريعُ الحِسابِ
ʾa-wa-lam yaraw ʾannā naʾtī l-ʾarḍa nanquṣuhā min ʾaṭrāfihā wa-llāhu yaḥkumu lā muʿaqqiba li-ḥukmihī wa-huwa sarīʿu l-ḥisābi
Have they not seen how We visit the land diminishing it at its edges? Allah judges, and there is none who may repeal His judgement, and He is swift at reckoning.
42
وَقَد مَكَرَ الَّذينَ مِن قَبلِهِم فَلِلَّهِ المَكرُ جَميعًا ۖ يَعلَمُ ما تَكسِبُ كُلُّ نَفسٍ ۗ وَسَيَعلَمُ الكُفّارُ لِمَن عُقبَى الدّارِ
wa-qad makara lladhīna min qablihim fa-li-llāhi l-makru jamīʿan yaʿlamu mā taksibu kullu nafsin wa-sa-yaʿlamu l-kuffāru li-man ʿuqbā d-dāri
Those who were before them [also] schemed;1 yet all devising belongs to Allah. He knows what every soul earns. Soon the faithless will know in whose favour the outcome of that abode will be.Ellipsis. The omitted phrase is ‘but their plotting was of no avail to them.’
43
وَيَقولُ الَّذينَ كَفَروا لَستَ مُرسَلًا ۚ قُل كَفىٰ بِاللَّهِ شَهيدًا بَيني وَبَينَكُم وَمَن عِندَهُ عِلمُ الكِتابِ
wa-yaqūlu lladhīna kafarū lasta mursalan qul kafā bi-llāhi shahīdan baynī wa-baynakum wa-man ʿindahū ʿilmu l-kitābi
The faithless say, ‘You have not been sent [by Allah].’ Say, ‘Allah suffices as a witness between me and you, and he who possesses the knowledge of the Book.’