[Mary, Mecca 44]

19. Surah Maryam

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

أُوْلَئِكَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ النَّبِيِّينَ...   

19: 58.  Those were some of the prophets on whom Allah did bestow His Grace --

...مِن ذُرِّيَّةِ آدَمَ وَمِمَّنْ حَمَلْنَا مَعَ نُوحٍ...

of the posterity of Adam, and of those whom We carried (in the Ark) with Noah,

...وَمِن ذُرِّيَّةِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْرَائِيلَ...

and of the posterity of Abraham and Israel --

C2509. The earlier generations are grouped into three epochs from a religious point of view:

-        from Adam to Noah,

-        from Noah to Abraham, and

-        from Abraham to an indefinite time, say to the time when the Message of Allah was corrupted and the need arose for the final Messenger of Unity and Truth.

Israel is another name for Jacob.

...وَمِمَّنْ هَدَيْنَا وَاجْتَبَيْنَا...

of those whom We guided and chose;

...إِذَا تُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُ الرَّحْمَن خَرُّوا سُجَّدًا وَبُكِيًّا ﴿٥٨﴾

whenever the Signs of (Allah) Most Gracious were rehearsed to them,

they would fall down in prostrate adoration and in tears.

C2510. The original is in the Aorist tense, implying that the "Posterity" alluded to includes not only the messengers but their worthy followers who are true to Allah and uphold His standard.

فَخَلَفَ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ أَضَاعُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَاتَّبَعُوا الشَّهَوَاتِ...   

19: 59.  But after them there followed a posterity who missed prayers and followed after lusts:

...فَسَوْفَ يَلْقَوْنَ غَيًّا ﴿٥٩﴾

soon, then, will they face Destruction --

C2511. This selfish godless posterity gains the upper hand at certain times, but even then there is always a minority who see the error of their ways, repent and believe, and live righteous lives.

They are not penalized in the Hereafter because they were associated with the ungodly in time. They reap the full reward of their faith and righteousness.

إِلَّا مَن تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَأُوْلَئِكَ يَدْخُلُونَ الْجَنَّةَ...   

19: 60.  Except those who repent and believe, and work righteousness:

for these will enter the Garden

...وَلَا يُظْلَمُونَ شَيْئًا ﴿٦٠﴾

and will not be wronged in the least --

جَنَّاتِ عَدْنٍ الَّتِي وَعَدَ الرَّحْمَنُ عِبَادَهُ بِالْغَيْبِ...   

19: 61. Gardens of Eternity, those which (Allah) Most Gracious has promised to His servants in the Unseen:

...إِنَّهُ كَانَ وَعْدُهُ مَأْتِيًّا ﴿٦١﴾

for His promise must (necessarily) come to pass.

لَا يَسْمَعُونَ فِيهَا لَغْوًا إِلَّا سَلَامًا...   

19: 62.  They will not there hear any vain discourse, but only salutations of peace:

C2512. Salam, translated "Peace", has a much wide signification. It includes;

-         a sense of security and permanence, which is unknown in this life;

-         soundness, freedom from defects, perfection as in the word salim;

-         preservation, salvation, deliverance, as in the word sallama,

-         salutation, accord with those around us;

-         resignation, in the sense that we are satisfied and not discontented;

-         besides the ordinary meaning of Peace, i.e., freedom from any jarring element. All these shades of meaning are implied in the word Islam. (R).

...وَلَهُمْ رِزْقُهُمْ فِيهَا بُكْرَةً وَعَشِيًّا ﴿٦٢﴾

and they will have therein their sustenance, morning and evening.

C2513. Rizq: literally sustenance or means of subsistence, the term covers all the means of perfect satisfaction of body and soul.

Morning and evening, i.e., early and late, all the time, always. (R).

تِلْكَ الْجَنَّةُ الَّتِي نُورِثُ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا مَن كَانَ تَقِيًّا ﴿٦٣﴾

19: 63.  Such is the Garden which We give as an inheritance to those of Our Servants who guard against evil.

وَمَا نَتَنَزَّلُ إِلَّا بِأَمْرِ رَبِّكَ...   

19: 64.  (The angels say):

"We descend not but by command of thy Lord:

C2514. We are apt to be impatient of the evils we see around us. We may give of our best service to Allah, and yet see no results. In our human short-sightedness we may complain within ourselves. But we must not be impatient.

The angels of Grace come not haphazard, but by command of Allah according to His Universal Will and Purpose. Allah does not forget. If things are delayed, it is in accordance with a wise providence, which cares for all. Our plain duty is to be patient and constant in His service. (R).

...لَهُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِينَا وَمَا خَلْفَنَا وَمَا بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ...

to Him belongeth what is before us, and what is behind us, and what is between:

...وَمَا كَانَ رَبُّكَ نَسِيًّا ﴿٦٤﴾

and thy Lord never doth forget" --

رَبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا...   

19: 65.  "Lord of the heavens and of the earth, and of all that is between them:

...فَاعْبُدْهُ وَاصْطَبِرْ لِعِبَادَتِهِ ...

so worship Him, and be constant and patient in His worship:

...هَلْ تَعْلَمُ لَهُ سَمِيًّا ﴿٦٥﴾

knowest thou of any who is worthy of the same Name as He?"

C2515. The more we taste of the truth and mystery of life, the more do we realise that there is no one to be mentioned in the same breath as Allah.

He is above all names. But when we think of His beautiful qualities, and picture them to ourselves by names which give us some idea of Him, we can search the whole wide world of our imagination, and we shall not find another to be compared with Him in name or quality.

He is the One: praise be to Him!

وَيَقُولُ الْإِنسَانُ أَئِذَا مَا مِتُّ لَسَوْفَ أُخْرَجُ حَيًّا ﴿٦٦﴾

19: 66.  Man says: "What! when I am dead, shall I then be raised up alive?"

أَوَلَا يَذْكُرُ الْإِنسَانُ أَنَّا خَلَقْنَاهُ مِن قَبْلُ وَلَمْ يَكُ شَيْئًا ﴿٦٧﴾

19: 67.  But does not man call to mind that We created him before out of nothing?

فَوَرَبِّكَ لَنَحْشُرَنَّهُمْ وَالشَّيَاطِينَ ...

19: 68.  So, by thy Lord, without doubt, We shall gather them together, and (also) the Evil Ones (with them);

C2516. The disbelief in a future life is not merely a philosophic doubt, but a warped will, a disingenuous obstinacy in face of our inner spiritual instincts and experiences. We were nothing before. Cannot the same Allah, Who created us out of nothing also continue our personality?

But if we refuse to accept His light and guidance, our state will grow worse and worse. We shall be deprived of His grace. We shall be herded with Satan.

In utter humiliation we shall be faced with all the consequences of our refusal of Truth.

... ثُمَّ لَنُحْضِرَنَّهُمْ حَوْلَ جَهَنَّمَ جِثِيًّا ﴿٦٨﴾

then shall We bring them forth on their knees round about Hell;

C2517. Round about Hell: There are many ways leading to evil, and people get to it from all round.

Hence the mention of the seven Gates to Hell: see 15:44. and n. 1977. (R).

ثُمَّ لَنَنزِعَنَّ مِن كُلِّ شِيعَةٍ أَيُّهُمْ أَشَدُّ عَلَى الرَّحْمَنِ عِتِيًّا ﴿٦٩﴾

19: 69.  Then shall We certainly drag out from every sect all those who were worst in obstinate rebellion against (Allah) Most Gracious.

ثُمَّ لَنَحْنُ أَعْلَمُ بِالَّذِينَ هُمْ أَوْلَى بِهَا صِلِيًّا ﴿٧٠﴾

19: 70.  And certainly We know best those who are most worthy of being burned therein.

وَإِن مِّنكُمْ إِلَّا وَارِدُهَا...   

19: 71.  Not one of you but will pass over it:

C2518. Three interpretations are possible,

1.    The general interpretation is that every person must pass through or by or over the Fire. Those who have had Taqwa (see. n. 26 to 2:2) will be saved by Allah's Mercy, while unrepentant sinners will suffer the torments in ignominy,

2.     If we refer the pronoun "you" to those "in obstinate rebellion" in verse 69 above, both leaders and followers in sin, this verse only applies to the wicked,

3.     Some refer this verse to the Bridge over Hell, the Bridge Sirat, over which all must pass to their final Destiny. This Bridge is not mentioned in the Quran. (R).

...كَانَ عَلَى رَبِّكَ حَتْمًا مَّقْضِيًّا ﴿٧١﴾

this is, with thy Lord, a Decree which must be accomplished.

ثُمَّ نُنَجِّي الَّذِينَ اتَّقَوا وَّنَذَرُ الظَّالِمِينَ فِيهَا جِثِيًّا ﴿٧٢﴾

19: 72. But We shall save those who guarded against evil, and We shall leave the wrongdoers therein, (humbled) to their knees.

وَإِذَا تُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُنَا بَيِّنَاتٍ قَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا...   

19: 73.  When Our Clear Signs are rehearsed to them, the Unbelievers say to those who believe,

...أَيُّ الْفَرِيقَيْنِ خَيْرٌ مَّقَامًا وَأَحْسَنُ نَدِيًّا ﴿٧٣﴾

"Which of the two sides is best in point of position?

Which makes the best show in council?"

C2519. The Unbelievers may, for a time, make a better show in worldly position, or in people's assemblages where things are judged by the counting of heads. But Truth must prevail even in this world, and ultimately the positions must be reversed.

وَكَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا قَبْلَهُم مِّن قَرْنٍ هُمْ أَحْسَنُ أَثَاثًا وَرِئْيًا ﴿٧٤﴾

19: 74.  But how many (countless) generations before them have We destroyed, who were even better in equipment and in glitter to the eye?

قُلْ مَن كَانَ فِي الضَّلَالَةِ فَلْيَمْدُدْ لَهُ الرَّحْمَنُ مَدًّا...   

19: 75.  Say:

"If any men go astray, (Allah) Most Gracious extends (the rope) to them.

...حَتَّى إِذَا رَأَوْا مَا يُوعَدُونَ إِمَّا الْعَذَابَ وَإِمَّا السَّاعَةَ...

Until, when they see the warning of Allah (being fulfilled) -- either in punishment or in (the approach of) the Hour --

C2520. Allah's warning is that every evil deed must have its punishment, and that there will be a Hereafter, the Day of Judgment, or the Hour, as it is frequently called.

The punishment of evil often begins in this very life. For instance, over-indulgence and excesses of all kinds bring on their Nemesis quite soon in this very life. But some subtler forms of selfishness and sin will be punished as every evil will be punished-in its own good time, as the Hour approaches.

In either case, the arrogant boasting sinners will realise that their taunt-who is best in position and in forces? (19:73)-is turned against themselves.

...فَسَيَعْلَمُونَ مَنْ هُوَ شَرٌّ مَّكَانًا وَأَضْعَفُ جُندًا ﴿٧٥﴾

they will at length realize who is worst in position, and (who) weakest in forces!

وَيَزِيدُ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ اهْتَدَوْا هُدًى...   

19: 76.  "And Allah doth advance in guidance those who seek guidance;

...وَالْبَاقِيَاتُ الصَّالِحَاتُ خَيْرٌ عِندَ رَبِّكَ ثَوَابًا وَخَيْرٌ مَّرَدًّا ﴿٧٦﴾

and the things that endure. Good Deeds, are best in the sight of thy Lord, as rewards, and best in respect of (their) eventual returns."

C2521. These lines are the same as in 18:46 (second clause), (where see n. 2387), except that the word maradd (eventual returns) is here substituted for amal (hope).

The meaning is practically the same: but "hope" is more appropriate in the passage dealing generally with this world's goods, and "eventual returns" in the passage dealing with the sinner's specific investments and commitments in worldly position and organized cliques.

أَفَرَأَيْتَ الَّذِي كَفَرَ بِآيَاتِنَا وَقَالَ لَأُوتَيَنَّ مَالًا وَوَلَدًا ﴿٧٧﴾ 

19: 77. Hast thou then seen the (sort of) man who rejects Our Signs, yet says: "I shall certainly be given wealth and children"?

C2522. Besides the man who boasts of wealth and power in actual possession, there is a type of man who boasts of getting them in the future and builds his worldly hopes thereon.

Is he sure?

He denies Allah, and His goodness and Mercy. But all good is in the hands of Allah.

Can such a man then bind Allah to bless him when he rejects faith in Allah?

Or does he pretend that he has penetrated to the mysteries of the future? For no man can tell what the future holds for him.

أَاطَّلَعَ الْغَيْبَ أَمِ اتَّخَذَ عِندَ الرَّحْمَنِ عَهْدًا ﴿٧٨﴾

19: 78.  Has he penetrated to the Unseen, or has he taken a contract with (Allah) Most Gracious?

كَلَّا...   

19: 79.  Nay!

...سَنَكْتُبُ مَا يَقُولُ وَنَمُدُّ لَهُ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ مَدًّا ﴿٧٩﴾

We shall record what he says, and We Shall add and add to his punishment.

C2523. Such a man deserves double punishment,

-         for rejecting Allah, and

-         for his blasphemies with His Holy Name.

وَنَرِثُهُ مَا يَقُولُ وَيَأْتِينَا فَرْدًا ﴿٨٠﴾

19: 80.  To Us shall return all that he talks of, and he shall appear before Us bare and alone.

C2524. Literally, "We shall inherit", Cf. 19:40 and n. 2492.

Even if the man had property and power, it must go back to the Source of all things, and the man must appear before the Judgment-seat, alone and unaccompanied, stripped of all the things from which he expected so much!

وَاتَّخَذُوا مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ آلِهَةً لِّيَكُونُوا لَهُمْ عِزًّا ﴿٨١﴾

19: 81.  And they have taken (for worship) gods other than Allah, to give them power and glory!

C2525. 'Izz: exalted rank, glory, power, might, the ability to impose one's will or to carry out one's will.

كَلَّا سَيَكْفُرُونَ بِعِبَادَتِهِمْ وَيَكُونُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ ضِدًّا ﴿٨٢﴾

19: 82.  Instead, they shall reject their worship, and become adversaries against them.

C2526. Cf. 10:28-30, where the idols deny that they knew anything of their worship, and leave their worshippers in the lurch;

and 5:119, where Jesus denies that he asked for worship, and leaves his false worshippers to the punishment of Allah.

أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّا أَرْسَلْنَا الشَّيَاطِينَ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ تَؤُزُّهُمْ أَزًّا ﴿٨٣﴾

19: 83.  Seest thou not that We have set the Evil Ones on against the Unbelievers, to incite them with fury?

C2527. Under the laws instituted by Allah, when evil reaches a certain stage of rebellion and defiance, it is left to gather momentum and to rush with fury to its own destruction. It is given a certain amount of respite, as a last chance: but failing repentance, its days are numbered.

The godly therefore should not worry themselves over the apparent worldly success of evil, but should get on with their own duties in a spirit of trust in Allah.

فَلَا تَعْجَلْ عَلَيْهِمْ إِنَّمَا نَعُدُّ لَهُمْ عَدًّا ﴿٨٤﴾

19: 84.  So make no haste against them, for We but count out to them a (limited) number (of days).

يَوْمَ نَحْشُرُ الْمُتَّقِينَ إِلَى الرَّحْمَنِ وَفْدًا ﴿٨٥﴾

19: 85. The day We shall gather the righteous to (Allah) Most Gracious, like a band presented before a king for honors.

وَنَسُوقُ الْمُجْرِمِينَ إِلَى جَهَنَّمَ وِرْدًا ﴿٨٦﴾

19: 86.  And We shall drive the sinners to Hell, like thirsty cattle driven down to water --

C2528. Note the contrast between the saved and the doomed.

-        The one march with dignity like honoured ones before a king,

-        and the other rush in anguish to their punishment like a herd of cattle driven down by thirst to their watering place.

Note the metaphor of the water. They rush madly for water but are plunged into the Fire!

لَا يَمْلِكُونَ الشَّفَاعَةَ إِلَّا مَنِ اتَّخَذَ عِندَ الرَّحْمَنِ عَهْدًا ﴿٨٧﴾

19: 87.  None shall have the power of intercession, but such a one as has received permission (or promise) from (Allah) Most Gracious.

وَقَالُوا اتَّخَذَ الرَّحْمَنُ وَلَدًا ﴿٨٨﴾

19: 88.  They say: "(Allah) Most Gracious has begotten a son!"

لَقَدْ جِئْتُمْ شَيْئًا إِدًّا ﴿٨٩﴾

19: 89.  Indeed ye have put forth a thing most monstrous!

C2529. The belief in Allah begetting a son is not a question merely of words or of speculative thought. It is a stupendous blasphemy against Allah. It lowers Allah to the level of an animal.

If combined with the doctrine of vicarious atonement, it amounts to a negation of Allah's justice and man's personal responsibility.

It is destructive of all moral and spiritual order, and is condemned in the strongest possible terms.

تَكَادُ السَّمَاوَاتُ يَتَفَطَّرْنَ مِنْهُ وَتَنشَقُّ الْأَرْضُ...   

19: 90.  At if the skies are ready to burst, the earth to split asunder,

...وَتَخِرُّ الْجِبَالُ هَدًّا ﴿٩٠﴾

and the mountains to fall down in utter ruin.

أَن دَعَوْا لِلرَّحْمَنِ وَلَدًا ﴿٩١﴾

19: 91.  That they should invoke a son for (Allah) Most Gracious.

وَمَا يَنبَغِي لِلرَّحْمَنِ أَن يَتَّخِذَ وَلَدًا ﴿٩٢﴾

19: 92.  For it is not consonant with the majesty of (Allah) Most Gracious that He should beget a son.

C2530. This basic principle was laid down early in the argument (19:35).

It was illustrated by a reference to the personal history of many messengers, including Jesus himself, who behaved justly as men to their kith and kin and humbly served Allah.

The evil results of such superstitions were pointed out in the case of many previous generations which went to their ruin by dishonouring Allah.

And the argument is now rounded off towards the close of the Surah.

إِن كُلُّ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ إِلَّا آتِي الرَّحْمَنِ عَبْدًا ﴿٩٣﴾

19: 93.  Not one of the beings in the heavens and the earth but must come to (Allah) Most Gracious as a servant.

لَقَدْ أَحْصَاهُمْ وَعَدَّهُمْ عَدًّا ﴿٩٤﴾

19: 94.  He does take and account of them (all), and hath numbered them (all) exactly.

C2531. Allah has no sons or favorites or parasites, such as we associate with human beings.

On the other hand every creature of His gets His love, and His cherishing care.

Everyone of them, however humble, is individually marked before His Throne of Justice and Mercy, and will stand before Him on his own deserts.

وَكُلُّهُمْ آتِيهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَرْدًا ﴿٩٥﴾

19: 95.  And every one of them will come to him singly on the Day of Judgment.

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ سَيَجْعَلُ لَهُمُ الرَّحْمَنُ وُدًّا ﴿٩٦﴾

19: 96.  On those who believe and work deeds of righteousness, will (Allah) Most Gracious bestow Love.

C2532. His own love, and the love of man's fellow-creatures, in this world and in the Hereafter.

Goodness breeds love and peace, and sin breeds hatred and contention.

Asad’s Version:

19:51

AND CALL to mind, through this divine writ, Moses. Behold, he was a chosen one, and was an apostle [of God], a prophet. 37

[[Asad’s notes:-

32 I.e., a cognition of God's existence and uniqueness through intellectual insight (cf. 6:74- 82).

33 The absurdity inherent in the attribution of divine qualities to anything or anyone but God is here declared, by implication, to be equivalent to "worshipping" the epitome of unreason and ingratitude symbolized in Satan's rebellion against his Creator. In this connection it should be noted that the term shaytan is derived from the verb shatana, signifying "he was [or "became"] remote [from the truth] " (Lisan al-'Arab, Taj al-'Arus); hence, the Qur'an describes every impulse that inherently offends against truth, reason and morality as "satanic", and every conscious act of submission to such satanic influences as a "worship of Satan".

34 According to Zamakhshari and Razi, the construction of this clause (beginning with "so that") is meant to bring out the idea that one's belated realization, in the hereafter, of having been "close unto Satan" is the most terrible consequence of deliberate sinning.

35 Lit., "that I will not be unfortunate in the prayer to my Sustainer".

36 Lit., "a lofty language of truth" or "of truthfulness" - the term lisan ("language" or "tongue") being used here metonymically for what may be pronounced by the tongue (Zamakhshari). An alternative interpretation of the phrase, advanced by many commentators, is "granted them a lofty renown for truth" or "truthfulness", or simply "a most goodly renown".

19:52

And [remember how] We called upon him from the right-hand slope of Mount Sinai 38 and

drew him near [unto Us] in mystic communion,

19:53

(19:53) and [how], out of Our grace, We

granted unto him his brother Aaron, to be a prophet [by his side] .

19:54

AND CALL to mind, through this divine writ, Ishmael. 35 Behold, he was always true to his

promise, and was an apostle [of God], a prophet,

19:55 who used to enjoin upon his people

prayer and charity, 40 and found favour in his Sustainer's sight.

19:56

AND CALL to mind, through this divine writ, Idris. 41 Behold, he was a man of truth, a

prophet, (19:57) whom We exalted onto a lofty station. 42

19:58

THESE WERE some of the prophets upon whom God bestowed His blessings - [prophets] of

the seed of Adam and of those whom We caused to be borne [in the ark] with Noah, and of the

seed of Abraham and Israel 43 : and [all of them were] among those whom We had guided and

elected; [and] whenever the messages of the Most Gracious were conveyed unto them, they

would fall down [before Him], prostrating themselves and weeping. 44

Asad’s Note - 37 The mention of Moses and other prophets in this context serves to reinforce the statement that

all of them - like Jesus - were but mortal servants of God whom He had inspired with His message to man (cf verse 30 above). As regards the distinction between the terms "prophet" (nabi) and "apostle" (rasul), see the opening clause of 22:52 and the corresponding note 65.

38 I.e., to the right side - from the standpoint of Moses, as he was facing Mount Sinai (Tabari).

However, it is much more probable that the term "right side" has here, as elsewhere in the Qur'an, the abstract connotation of "blessedness" (cf. note 25 on 74:39). For a fuller account of God's

calling Moses to prophethood, see 20:9 ff

39 After the mention of Moses, who descended from Abraham through Isaac, we are reminded of

Ishmael,

Abraham's first-born son and the progenitor of the "northern" group of Arab tribes, and thus of

the Prophet Muhammad, who descended in direct line, through the tribe of Quraysh, from

Ishmael.

40 This may perhaps mean that Ishmael was the first among the prophets to establish prayer and

charity as obligatory forms of worship.

41 The majority of the classical commentators identify the Prophet Idris - who is mentioned in the

Qur'an once again, namely in 21 :85 - with the Biblical Enoch (Genesis v. 18-19 and 21-24),

without,

however, being able to adduce any authority for this purely conjectural identification. Some

modern

Qur'an - commentators suggest that the name Idris may be the Arabicized form of Osiris (which,

in

its turn, was the ancient Greek version of the Egyptian name As-ar or Us-ar), said to have been a

wise king and/or prophet whom the Egyptians subsequently deified (cf. Maraghi XVI, 64, and

Sayyid

Qutb, Fi Zilal al-Qur'an, Cairo, n.d., vol. XVI, 44); but this assumption is too far-fetched to

-592-

deserve any serious consideration. Finally, some of the earliest Qur'an-commentators ('Abd

Allah

ibn Mas'ud, Qatadah, 'Ikrimah and Ad-Dahhak) assert - with, to my mind, great plausibility -

that "Idris" is but another name for Ilyas, the Biblical Elijah (regarding whom see note 48 on

37:123).

42 As regards my rendering of rafa'nahu as "whom We exalted", see 3:55 and 4:158, where the

same

expression is used with reference to Jesus, as well as note 172 on the last-named verse.

43 Whereas the Hebrew prophets, whose line ended with Jesus, descended from Abraham through

Isaac

and Israel (Jacob), Muhammad traced his descent from the same patriarch through the latter's

first-born son, Ishmael.

44 I.e., all of the prophets were conscious of being no more than mortal, humble servants of God.

(See also 32:15.)

19:59

Yet they were succeeded by generations [of people] who lost all [thought of] prayer and

followed [but] their own lusts; and these will, in time, meet with utter disillusion. 45

19:60

Excepted, however, shall be those who repent and attain to faith and do righteous deeds: for it

is they who will enter paradise and will not be wronged in any way: 46 (19:61) [theirs will be

the] gardens of perpetual bliss which the Most Gracious has promised unto His servants, in a

realm which is beyond the reach of human perception: 47 [and,] verily, His promise is ever sure

of fulfilment!

19:62

No empty talk will they hear there - nothing but [tidings of] inner soundness and peace; 48 and

there will they have their sustenance by day and by night: 4 ' (19:63) this is the paradise which

We grant as a heritage unto such of Our servants as are conscious of Us.

19:64

AND [the angels say]: "We do not descend [with revelation], again and again, other than by

thy Sustainer's command: unto Him belongs all that lies open before us and all that is hidden -

from us and all that is in-between." And never does thy Sustainer forget [anything] –

(19:65)

the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them! Worship, then, Him

alone, and remain steadfast in His worship! Dost thou know any whose name is worthy to be

mentioned side by side with His?"

-593 -

45 I.e., they will realize in the hereafter the full extent of the self-deception which has led to

their spiritual ruin.

46 I.e., they will not only not be deprived of reward for the least of their good deeds, but will be

granted blessings far beyond their actual deserts (cf.4:40).

47 This lengthy paraphrase of the expression bi'1-ghayb gives, I think, the closest possible

interpretation of the idea underlying it: namely, the prospect of a reality which is inconceivable

by man in terms of his worldly experiences, and which can, therefore, only be hinted at by

means

of allegorical allusions. (See also the first clause of 2:3 and the corresponding note 3.)

48 The term salam comprises the concepts of spiritual soundness and peace, freedom from faults

and

evils of any kind, and inner contentment. As I have pointed out in note 29 on 5 : 1 6 (where this

term

has been rendered, in a different context, as "salvation"), its closest - though by no means perfect

equivalent would be the French salut, in the abstract sense of that word, or the German Heil.

49 I.e., always. It is to be noted that the term rizq ("sustenance") applies to all that might be of

benefit to a living being, spiritually as well as physically.

50 I.e., that which even the angels can only glimpse but not fully understand. Literally, the above

phrase reads, "that which is between our hands and that which is behind us and that which is

between

these". Regarding this idiomatic expression, see 2:255 - "He knows all that lies open before men

and

all that is hidden from them" - and the corresponding note 247. The reference to the angels

connects

with the preceding mention of some of the earlier prophets who, like Muhammad, were

recipients of

divine revelation.

19:66

WITH ALL THIS, man [often] says, "What! Once I am dead, shall I again be brought forth

alive?" (19:67) But does man not bear in mind that We have created him aforetime out of

nothing? 51

19:68

And so, by thy Sustainer, [on Judgment Day] We shall most certainly bring them forth

together with the satanic forces [which impelled them in life] "and then We shall most

certainly gather them, on their knees, around hell; (19:69) and thereupon We shall, indeed,

-594-

draw forth from every group [of sinners] the ones that had been most determined in their

disdainful rebellion against the Most Gracious: 53 (19:70) for, indeed, We know best as to

which of them is most deserving of the fires of hell.

19:71

And every one of you will come within sight of it: 55 this is, with thy Sustainer, a decree that

must be fulfilled. (19:72) And once again: " We shall save [from hell] those who have been

conscious of Us; but We shall leave in it the evildoers, on their knees. 57

19:73

AS IT IS, whenever Our messages are conveyed to them in all their clarity, those who are bent

on denying the truth are wont to say unto those who have attained to faith: "Which of the two

kinds of man 58 is in a stronger position and superior as a community?" 55

51 Lit., "when [or "although"] he was nothing".

52 See surah 15, first half of note 16; cf. also the reference to the "worship of Satan" inverses

44-45 of the present surah, as well as the corresponding notes 33 and 34. The symbolism of the

sinners being linked on Judgment Day "with the satanic forces which impelled them in life" is

easily understood if we remember - as has been pointed out in note 10 on 2:14 - that the term

shaytan ("satan" or "satanic force") is often used in the Qur'an to describe every evil propensity

in man's own self. The personal pronoun relates to those who reject the concept of resurrection

and life after death.

53 I.e., those who have consciously and deliberately rejected the idea of man's responsibility

before

God and have thus led their weaker, less conscious fellow-men astray will be consigned to the

deepest suffering in the hereafter.

54 Lit., "of burning therein": an allusion to the fact that not every one of the sinners will be

irrevocably consigned to the suffering described in the Qur'an as hell. (The particle thumma

which introduces this clause has here the function of an explanatory conjunction with the

preceding

statement and is, therefore, best rendered as "for".)

55 Lit., "none of you but will reach it". According to some of the classical authorities, the pronoun

"you" relates to the sinners spoken of in the preceding passages, and particularly to those who

refuse to believe in resurrection; the majority of the commentators, however, are of the opinion

that all human beings, sinners and righteous alike, are comprised within this address in the sense

that all "will come within sight of it" : hence my rendering.

56 For this particular rendering of thumma, see surah 6, note 3 1 .

-595-

57 I.e., utterly humbled and crushed by their belated realization of God's judgment and of the

ethical

truths which they had arrogantly neglected in life.

58 Lit., "two groups" or "parties" : an allusion to two kinds or types of human society

characterized

by their fundamentally different approach to problems of faith and morality. (See next note.)

59 Lit., "better in assembly". This parabolic "saying" of the unbelievers implies, in the garb of a

rhetorical question, a superficially plausible but intrinsically fallacious argument in favour of

a society which refuses to submit to any absolute moral imperatives and is determined to obey

the

dictates of expediency alone. In such a social order, material success and power are usually seen

as consequences of a more or less conscious rejection of all metaphysical considerations - and, in

particular, of all that is comprised in the concept of God - willed standards of morality - on the

assumption that they are but an obstacle in the path of man's free, unlimited "development". It

goes

without saying that this attitude (which has reached its epitome in the modern statement that

"religion is opium for the people") is diametrically opposed to the demand, voiced by every

higher

religion, that man's social life, if it is to be a truly "good" life, must be subordinated to definite

ethical principles and restraints. By their very nature, these restraints inhibit the unprincipled

power-drive which dominates the more materialistic societies and enables them to achieve -

without

regard to the damage done to others and, spiritually, to themselves - outward comforts and

positions

of strength in the shortest possible time: but precisely because they do act as a brake on maris

selfishness and power-hunger, it is these moral considerations and restraints - and they alone -

that can free a community from the interminable, self-destructive inner tensions and frustrations

to which materialistic societies are subject, and thus bring about a more enduring, because more

organic, state of social well-being. This, in short, is the elliptically implied answer of the Qur'an

to a rhetorical question placed in the mouths of "those who are bent on denying the truth".

19:74

And yet, how many a generation have We destroyed before their time - [people] who

surpassed them in material power 60 and in outward show! (19:75) Say: "As for him who lives

in error, may the Most Gracious lengthen the span of his life!""

[And let them say whatever they say 62 ] until the time when they behold that [doom] of which

they were forewarned - whether it be suffering [in this world] or [at the coming of] the Last

Hour -: for then they will understand which [of the two kinds of man] was worse in station and

weaker in resources! 65

19:76

-596-

And God endows those who avail themselves of [His] guidance with an ever-deeper

consciousness of the right way;" and good deeds, the fruit whereof endures forever, are, in thy

Sustainer's sight, of far greater merit [than any worldly goods], and yield far better returns.

60 Lit., "in property" or "abundance of property". In this context - as in the last verse of this

surah - the term qarn apparently signifies "people of one and the same epoch", i.e., a

"civilization".

61 Or: "grant him a respite", so that he might have a chance to realize the error of his ways and to

repent: thus, every believer is enjoined to pray for those who are sinning.

62 This interpolation refers to, and connects with, the "saying" of the deniers of the truth

mentioned

in verse 73 above (Zamakhshari).

63 Lit., "in respect of support" or "of forces" (jundan) - an expression which, in this context,

denotes

both material resources and the ability to utilize them towards good ends.

64 Lit., "God increases in guidance those who...", etc.

19:77

And hast thou ever considered [the kind of man] who is bent on denying the truth of Our

messages and says, "I will surely be given wealth and children"? 67

19:78

Has he, perchance, attained to a realm which is beyond the reach of a created being's

perception? 67 - or has he concluded a covenant with the Most Gracious? (19:79) Nay! We shall

record what he says, and We shall lengthen the length of his suffering [in the hereafter],

(19:80) and divest him of 68 all that he is [now] speaking of: for [on Judgment Day] he will

appear before Us in a lonely state."

19:81

For [such as] these have taken to worshipping deities other than God, hoping that they would

be a [source of] strength for them. 70 (19:82) But nay! [On Judgment Day] these [very objects

of adoration] will disavow the worship that was paid to them, and will turn against those [who

had worshipped them] !

19:83

ART THOU NOT aware that We have let loose all [manner of] satanic forces 71 upon those

who deny the truth - [forces] that impel them [towards sin] with strong impulsion? 72

-597-

65 Lit., "which are better in thy Sustainer's sight as regards merit, and better as regards

returns" (cf. 18:46.)

66 This is a further illustration of the attitude described in verses 73-75 (and referred to in

note 59): namely, the insistence on material values to the exclusion of all moral considerations,

and the conviction that worldly "success" is the only thing that really counts in life. As in many

other places in the Qur'an, this materialistic concept of "success 1 ." is metonymically equated with

one's absorption in the idea of "wealth and children" .

67 In this context, the term al-ghayb denotes the unknowable future.

68 Lit., "inherit from him" - a metaphor based on the concept of one person's taking over what

once

belonged to, or was vested in, another.

69 I.e., bereft of any extraneous support, and thus depending on God's grace and mercy alone

(cf. 6:94 as well as verse 95 of the present surah).

70 This refers to the type of man spoken of in the preceding passage as well as inverses 73-75:

people who "worship" wealth and power with an almost religious devotion, attributing to these

manifestations of worldly success the status of divine forces.

71 Lit., "the satans", by which term the Qur'an often describes all that is intrinsically evil,

especially the immoral impulses in maris own soul (cf. note 10 on 2:14 and note 33 on verse 44

of the present surah).

72 See note 31 on 15:41. According to Zamakhshari and Razi, the expression "We have let loose

(arsalna) all [manner of] satanic forces (shayatin) upon those who deny the truth" has here the

meaning of "We have allowed them to be active (khallayna) among them", leaving it to maris

free

will to accept or to reject those evil influences or impulses. Razi, in particular, points in this

context to surah 14, verse 22, according to which Satan will thus address the sinners on

Resurrection

Day: "I had no power at all over you: I but called you - and you responded to me. Hence, blame

not me, but blame yourselves. " See also note 3 1 on 1 4:22, in which Razi's comment is quoted

verbatim.

19:84

Hence, be not in haste [to call down God's punishment] upon them: for We but number the

number of their days. 73 (19:85) On the Day when We shall gather the God-conscious unto

[Us,] the Most Gracious, as honoured guests, (19:86) and drive those who were lost in sin unto

hell as a thirsty herd is driven to a well - (19:87) [on that Day] none will have [the benefit of]

intercession unless he has [in his lifetime] entered into a bond with the Most Gracious. 74

-598-

19:88

As it is, 75 some assert, "The Most Gracious has taken unto Himself a son!"

19:89

Indeed, [by this assertion] you have brought forth something monstrous, (19:90) whereat the

heavens might well-nigh be rent into fragments, and the earth be split asunder, and the

mountains fall down in ruins! (19:91) That men. should ascribe a son to the Most Gracious,

(19:92) although it is inconceivable that the Most Gracious should take unto Himself a son! 77

19:93

Not one of all [the beings] that are in the heavens or on earth appears before the Most

Gracious other than as a servant: 78 (19:94) indeed, He has full cognizance of them, and has

numbered them with [unfailing] numbering; (19:95) and every one of them will appear before

Him on Resurrection Day in a lonely state. 7 '

73 Lit., "We number for them but a number". Cf. also the first sentence of verse 75 above.

74 Lit., "except him who has...", etc. According to the classical commentators - including some of

the

most outstanding Companions of the Prophet - the "bond with God" denotes, in this context, the

realization of His oneness and uniqueness; for the wider implications of this term, see surah 2,

note 19. Consequently, as pointed out by Razi, even great sinners may hope for God's

forgiveness -

symbolically expressed by the right of "intercession" which will be granted to the prophets on

Judgment Day (see note 7 on 10:3)- provided that, during their life on earth, they were aware of

God's existence and oneness.

75 Lit., "And" (wa), connecting the present passage with verse 81.

76 This allusion to the Christian belief in Jesus as "the son of God" - and, in general, to every

belief in God's "incarnation" in a created being - takes up the theme broached inverse 81 above:

namely, the deification of powers or beings other than God "with a view to their being a source

of strength" to those who turn to them. But whereas verse 81 refers specifically to the godless

who accord a quasi-divine status to material wealth and power and abandon themselves entirely

to

the pursuit of worldly success, the present passage refers to people who, while believing in God,

deify prophets and saints, too, in the subconscious hope that they might act as "mediators"

between

them and the Almighty. Since this deification offends against the principle of God's transcendent

oneness and uniqueness, it implies a breach of maris "bond with God" and, if consciously

persisted

in, constitutes an unforgivable sin (cf. 4:48 and 116).

-599-

77 The idea that God might have a " son" - either in the real or in the metaphorical sense of this

term - would presuppose a degree of innate likeness between "the father" and "the son" : but God

is in every respect unique, so that "there is nothing like unto Him" (42:1 1) and "nothing that

could be compared with Him" (1 12:4). Moreover, the concept of "progeny" implies an organic

continuation of the progenitor, or of part of him, in another being and, therefore, presupposes

a degree of incompleteness before the act of procreation (or incarnation, if the term "sonship"

is used metaphorically): and the idea of incompleteness, in whatever sense, negates the very

concept

of God. But even if the idea of "sonship" is meant to express no more than one of the different

"aspects" of the One Deity (as is claimed in the Christian dogma of the "Trinity"), it is described

in the Qur'an as blasphemous inasmuch as it amounts to an attempt at defining Him who is

"sublimely

exalted above anything that men may devise by way of definition" (see last sentence of 6 : 1 00).

19:96

VERILY, those who attain to faith and do righteous deeds will the Most Gracious endow with

love:™ (19:97) and only to this end have We made this [divine writ] easy to understand, in

thine own tongue, [O Prophet,] 81 so that thou might convey thereby a glad tiding to the God-

conscious, and warn thereby those who are given to [futile] contention:

(19:98) for, how many

a generation 82 have We destroyed before their time - [and] canst thou perceive any one of

them [now], or hear any whisper of them?

78 I.e., all of them - whether men or angels - are but created beings, having no share whatever in

His divinity, and all of them submit, consciously or unconsciously, to His will (cf 13:15 and

16:48-49).

79 See note 69 above.

80 I.e., bestow on them His love and endow them with the capability to love His creation, as well

as cause them to be loved by their fellow-men. As is shown in the next verse, this gift of love

is inherent in the guidance offered to man through divine revelation.

81 Since man is incapable of understanding the "word" of God as such, it has always been

revealed

to him in his own, human tongue (cf. 14:4 - "never have We sent forth any apostle otherwise

than

[with a message] in his own people's tongue"), and has always been expounded in concepts

accessible

to the human mind: hence the reference to the Prophet's revelations as "brought down upon thy

heart" (2 : 97), or " [divine inspiration] has alighted with it upon thy heart" (26 : 1 93- 1 94).

82 I.e., civilization - a meaning which the term qarn has also in the identical phrase in verse 74.

25.Surah Al Furqan

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَابَ وَجَعَلْنَا مَعَهُ أَخَاهُ هَارُونَ وَزِيرًا ﴿٣٥﴾

25: 35. Before this, We sent Moses the Book, and appointed his brother Aaron with him as Minister;

C3092. Cf. 20:29, and the whole passage there, which is merely referred to here, to show how previous Prophets were treated, but how they stuck fast to the Criterion given, to distinguish between Good and Evil.

فَقُلْنَا اذْهَبَا إِلَى الْقَوْمِ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا...

25: 36. And We commanded: "Go ye both, to the people who have rejected Our Signs":

... فَدَمَّرْنَاهُمْ تَدْمِيرًا ﴿٣٦﴾

and those (people) We destroyed with utter destruction.

وَقَوْمَ نُوحٍ لَّمَّا كَذَّبُوا الرُّسُلَ أَغْرَقْنَاهُمْ وَجَعَلْنَاهُمْ لِلنَّاسِ آيَةً...

25: 37. And the people of Noah -- when they rejected the messengers, We drowned them, and We made them as a Sign for mankind;

C3093. The stories of Noah, of the prophets of 'Ad and Thamud (and of other prophets), in the reactions of their communities to their teaching are told in 26:105-159.

Here they are just mentioned to illustrate how little respect past ages had for their prophets and teachers of Truth. But Allah's Truth did not suffer: it was the blind rejecters of spiritual Truth who were wiped out.

... وَأَعْتَدْنَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا ﴿٣٧﴾

and We have prepared for (all) wrongdoers a grievous Penalty --

وَعَادًا وَثَمُودَ وَأَصْحَابَ الرَّسِّ وَقُرُونًا بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ كَثِيرًا ﴿٣٨﴾

25: 38. As also 'Ad and Thamud, and the Companions of the Rass, and many a generation between them.

C3094. Commentators are not clear as to who the "Companions of the Rass" were. The root meaning of "rass" is an old well or shallow water-pit. Another root connects it with the burial of the dead. But it is probably the name of a town or place.

The "Companions of the Rass" may well have been the people of Shu'aib, as they are here mentioned with the 'Ad, the Thamud, and Lut's people, and the people of Shu'aib are mentioned in a similar connection in 26:176-190 and in 11:84-95.

Shu'aib was the prophet of the Madyan people in the north-west of Arabia, where many old wells are found. There is however an oasis town al-Rass in the district of Qasim in Middle Najd, about thirty-five miles south-west of the town of 'Unaiza, reputed to be the central point of the Arabian Peninsula, and situated midway between Makkah and Basra.

See Doughly's Arabia Deserts, thin-paper one-volume edition, London 1926, 11, 435 and Map, Lat. 26*N., and Long. 43*E.

وَكُلًّا ضَرَبْنَا لَهُ الْأَمْثَالَ...

25: 39. To each one We set forth parables and examples;

... وَكُلًّا تَبَّرْنَا تَتْبِيرًا ﴿٣٩﴾

and each one We broke to utter annihilation (for their sins).

Asad’s Version:

25:35 [al-Furqan, Mecca 42]

AND, INDEED, [long before Muhammad] We vouchsafed revelation unto Moses, and appointed his brother Aaron to help him to bear his burden;[ 32

(25:36) and We said, "Go you both unto the people who have given the lie to Our messages!" - and thereupon We broke those [sinners] to smithereens.

25:37

And [think of] the people of Noah: when they gave the lie to [one of] the apostles, We caused them to drown, and made them a symbol for all mankind: for, grievous suffering have We readied for all who [knowingly] do wrong!

(25:38) And [remember how We punished the tribes of] Ad and Thamud, and the people of Ar-Rass, 33 and many generations [of sinners] in- between:

(25:39) and unto each of them did We proffer lessons, 34 and each of them did We destroy with utter destruction.

[Asad’s notes - 32 For this rendering of the term wazir, see note 18 on 20:29. The mention, at this place, of Moses and Aaron - and of Noah, etc., in the following verses - is intended to remind us of the statement in verse 31 above that "against every prophet We have set up enemies from among those who are lost 33 Regarding the tribes of Ad and Thamud, see surah 7, notes 48 and 56. As for Ar-Rass, a town of that name exists to this day in the Central- Arabian province of Al-Qasim; in the ancient times referred to it seems to have been inhabited by descendants of the Nabataean tribe of Thamud Tabari). There is, however no agreement among the commentators as to the real meaning of this name or designation; Razi cites several of the current, conflicting interpretations and rejects all of them as purely conjectural.

34 Sc, "which they failed to heed". For my rendering of mathal, in this context, as "lesson see note 104 on 17:89. ]]