English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)

by Maulana Muhammad Ali

Chapter 10: Yunus — Jonah (Revealed at Makkah: 11 sections, 109 verses)

Section 2 (Verses 10:11–10:20): Punishment of Rejection

Translation:

وَ لَوۡ یُعَجِّلُ اللّٰہُ لِلنَّاسِ الشَّرَّ اسۡتِعۡجَالَہُمۡ بِالۡخَیۡرِ لَقُضِیَ اِلَیۡہِمۡ اَجَلُہُمۡ ؕ فَنَذَرُ الَّذِیۡنَ لَا یَرۡجُوۡنَ لِقَآءَنَا فِیۡ طُغۡیَانِہِمۡ یَعۡمَہُوۡنَ ﴿۱۱﴾

10:11 And if Allah were to hasten for people the (consequences of) evil, as they would hasten on the good, their doom would certainly have been decreed for them. But We leave those alone, who have no hope of meeting with Us, in their inordinacy, blindly wandering on.1

وَ اِذَا مَسَّ الۡاِنۡسَانَ الضُّرُّ دَعَانَا لِجَنۡۢبِہٖۤ اَوۡ قَاعِدًا اَوۡ قَآئِمًا ۚ فَلَمَّا کَشَفۡنَا عَنۡہُ ضُرَّہٗ مَرَّ کَاَنۡ لَّمۡ یَدۡعُنَاۤ اِلٰی ضُرٍّ مَّسَّہٗ ؕ کَذٰلِکَ زُیِّنَ لِلۡمُسۡرِفِیۡنَ مَا کَانُوۡا یَعۡمَلُوۡنَ ﴿۱۲﴾

10:12 And when affliction touches man, he calls on Us, whether lying on his side or sitting or standing; but, when We remove his affliction from him, he passes on as though he had never called on Us on account of an affliction that touched him. Thus what they do is made to seem good to the extravagant.

وَ لَقَدۡ اَہۡلَکۡنَا الۡقُرُوۡنَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِکُمۡ لَمَّا ظَلَمُوۡا ۙ وَ جَآءَتۡہُمۡ رُسُلُہُمۡ بِالۡبَیِّنٰتِ وَ مَا کَانُوۡا لِیُؤۡمِنُوۡا ؕ کَذٰلِکَ نَجۡزِی الۡقَوۡمَ الۡمُجۡرِمِیۡنَ ﴿۱۳﴾

10:13 And certainly We destroyed generations before you when they did wrong, and their messengers came to them with clear arguments, yet they would not believe. Thus do We recompense the guilty people.

ثُمَّ جَعَلۡنٰکُمۡ خَلٰٓئِفَ فِی الۡاَرۡضِ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِہِمۡ لِنَنۡظُرَ کَیۡفَ تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ ﴿۱۴﴾

10:14 Then We made you rulers in the land after them, so that We might see how you act.

وَ اِذَا تُتۡلٰی عَلَیۡہِمۡ اٰیَاتُنَا بَیِّنٰتٍ ۙ قَالَ الَّذِیۡنَ لَا یَرۡجُوۡنَ لِقَآءَنَا ائۡتِ بِقُرۡاٰنٍ غَیۡرِ ہٰذَاۤ اَوۡ بَدِّلۡہُ ؕ قُلۡ مَا یَکُوۡنُ لِیۡۤ اَنۡ اُبَدِّلَہٗ مِنۡ تِلۡقَآیِٔ نَفۡسِیۡ ۚ اِنۡ اَتَّبِعُ اِلَّا مَا یُوۡحٰۤی اِلَیَّ ۚ اِنِّیۡۤ اَخَافُ اِنۡ عَصَیۡتُ رَبِّیۡ عَذَابَ یَوۡمٍ عَظِیۡمٍ ﴿۱۵﴾

10:15 And when Our clear messages are recited to them, those who have no hope of meeting with Us say: Bring a Quran other than this or change it.2 Say: It is not for me to change it of my own accord. I follow only what is revealed to me. Indeed I fear, if I disobey my Lord, the punishment of a terrible day.3

قُلۡ لَّوۡ شَآءَ اللّٰہُ مَا تَلَوۡتُہٗ عَلَیۡکُمۡ وَ لَاۤ اَدۡرٰىکُمۡ بِہٖ ۫ۖ فَقَدۡ لَبِثۡتُ فِیۡکُمۡ عُمُرًا مِّنۡ قَبۡلِہٖ ؕ اَفَلَا تَعۡقِلُوۡنَ ﴿۱۶﴾

10:16 Say: If Allah had desired, I would not have recited it to you, nor would He have made it known to you. I have lived among you a lifetime before it. Do you not then understand?4

فَمَنۡ اَظۡلَمُ مِمَّنِ افۡتَرٰی عَلَی اللّٰہِ کَذِبًا اَوۡ کَذَّبَ بِاٰیٰتِہٖ ؕ اِنَّہٗ لَا یُفۡلِحُ الۡمُجۡرِمُوۡنَ ﴿۱۷﴾

10:17 Who is then more unjust than he who forges a lie against Allah or calls His messages a lie? Surely the guilty never succeed.

وَ یَعۡبُدُوۡنَ مِنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰہِ مَا لَا یَضُرُّہُمۡ وَ لَا یَنۡفَعُہُمۡ وَ یَقُوۡلُوۡنَ ہٰۤؤُلَآءِ شُفَعَآؤُنَا عِنۡدَ اللّٰہِ ؕ قُلۡ اَتُنَبِّـُٔوۡنَ اللّٰہَ بِمَا لَا یَعۡلَمُ فِی السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ لَا فِی الۡاَرۡضِ ؕ سُبۡحٰنَہٗ وَ تَعٰلٰی عَمَّا یُشۡرِکُوۡنَ ﴿۱۸﴾

10:18 And they serve besides Allah that which can neither harm them nor benefit them, and they say: These are our intercessors with Allah. Say: Would you inform Allah of what He does not know in the heavens and the earth? Glory be to Him, and supremely exalted is He above what they set up as partners (with Him)!

وَ مَا کَانَ النَّاسُ اِلَّاۤ اُمَّۃً وَّاحِدَۃً فَاخۡتَلَفُوۡا ؕ وَ لَوۡ لَا کَلِمَۃٌ سَبَقَتۡ مِنۡ رَّبِّکَ لَقُضِیَ بَیۡنَہُمۡ فِیۡمَا فِیۡہِ یَخۡتَلِفُوۡنَ ﴿۱۹﴾

10:19 And (all) people are but a single nation, then they disagree. And if a word had not already gone forth from your Lord, the matter would have certainly been decided between them regarding that in which they disagree.5

وَ یَقُوۡلُوۡنَ لَوۡ لَاۤ اُنۡزِلَ عَلَیۡہِ اٰیَۃٌ مِّنۡ رَّبِّہٖ ۚ فَقُلۡ اِنَّمَا الۡغَیۡبُ لِلّٰہِ فَانۡتَظِرُوۡا ۚ اِنِّیۡ مَعَکُمۡ مِّنَ الۡمُنۡتَظِرِیۡنَ ﴿٪۲۰﴾

10:20 And they say: Why is not a sign sent to him from his Lord? Say: The unseen is only for Allah, so wait; I too am waiting along with you.6

Commentary:

  1. People desire and pray for good things to be hastened on to them, and they are hastened on, but in His merciful dealing God does not hasten on the con­sequences of evil, so that people may repent and escape those consequences. ↩
  2. They desire a revelation which should not condemn their evil ways and their idol-worship, nor contain any threats of their coming doom. ↩
  3. These words show how true the Holy Prophet himself was to reve­lation, translating every one of its precepts into practice. ↩
  4. The Holy Prophet’s truthfulness and honesty before he received the Divine revelation were undisputed, and he had earned such renown for these quali­ties that he was known as al-Amīn, i.e. the Faithful one, or the Truthful one. If, as they admitted, he had never told a lie in his lifetime, even for the sake of a per­sonal advantage, how could he, now that he had passed the age of youth, speak falsely, and that to his own detriment? He was not the gainer, but a sufferer thereby, on account of the persecution which his preaching had brought about for him. Moreover, a man who had so long refrained from showing any interest in their lives and their modes of worship, and had all but lived the silent life of a recluse among them, could not, of his own accord, be imagined to have suddenly changed the course of his life. ↩
  5. The word that had gone forth is referred to in many places: “And they say: When will this promise come to pass, if you are truthful? Say: Maybe some­thing of what you seek to hasten has drawn near to you” (27:71–72). And again: “Say: You have the appointment of a day which you cannot postpone by an hour, nor bring it forward” (34:30). ↩
  6. It is clear from the context that their demand is for the punishment with which they are threatened, because they would recognize no other sign; they are told to wait for the sign which would undoubtedly come. ↩

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