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 3 (Verses 10:21–10:30): Merciful Dealing
Translation:
وَ اِذَاۤ اَذَقۡنَا النَّاسَ رَحۡمَۃً مِّنۡۢ بَعۡدِ ضَرَّآءَ مَسَّتۡہُمۡ اِذَا لَہُمۡ مَّکۡرٌ فِیۡۤ اٰیَاتِنَا ؕ قُلِ اللّٰہُ اَسۡرَعُ مَکۡرًا ؕ اِنَّ رُسُلَنَا یَکۡتُبُوۡنَ مَا تَمۡکُرُوۡنَ ﴿۲۱﴾
10:21 And when We make people taste of mercy after an affliction touches them, lo! they devise plans against Our messages. Say: Allah is quicker to plan. Surely Our messengers write down what you plan.
ہُوَ الَّذِیۡ یُسَیِّرُکُمۡ فِی الۡبَرِّ وَ الۡبَحۡرِ ؕ حَتّٰۤی اِذَا کُنۡتُمۡ فِی الۡفُلۡکِ ۚ وَ جَرَیۡنَ بِہِمۡ بِرِیۡحٍ طَیِّبَۃٍ وَّ فَرِحُوۡا بِہَا جَآءَتۡہَا رِیۡحٌ عَاصِفٌ وَّ جَآءَہُمُ الۡمَوۡجُ مِنۡ کُلِّ مَکَانٍ وَّ ظَنُّوۡۤا اَنَّہُمۡ اُحِیۡطَ بِہِمۡ ۙ دَعَوُا اللّٰہَ مُخۡلِصِیۡنَ لَہُ الدِّیۡنَ ۬ۚ لَئِنۡ اَنۡجَیۡتَنَا مِنۡ ہٰذِہٖ لَنَکُوۡنَنَّ مِنَ الشّٰکِرِیۡنَ ﴿۲۲﴾
10:22 He it is Who makes you travel by land and sea; until, when you are in the ships, and they sail on with them in a pleasant breeze, and they rejoice at it, a violent wind overtakes them and waves surge in on them from all sides, and they think they are surrounded. Then they pray to Allah, being sincere to Him in obedience: If You deliver us from this, we will certainly be from among the grateful ones.
فَلَمَّاۤ اَنۡجٰہُمۡ اِذَا ہُمۡ یَبۡغُوۡنَ فِی الۡاَرۡضِ بِغَیۡرِ الۡحَقِّ ؕ یٰۤاَیُّہَا النَّاسُ اِنَّمَا بَغۡیُکُمۡ عَلٰۤی اَنۡفُسِکُمۡ ۙ مَّتَاعَ الۡحَیٰوۃِ الدُّنۡیَا ۫ ثُمَّ اِلَیۡنَا مَرۡجِعُکُمۡ فَنُنَبِّئُکُمۡ بِمَا کُنۡتُمۡ تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ ﴿۲۳﴾
10:23 But when He delivers them, lo! they are unjustly rebellious in the earth. O people, your rebellion is against yourselves — a provision (only) of this world’s life. Then to Us is your return, so We shall inform you of what you did.
اِنَّمَا مَثَلُ الۡحَیٰوۃِ الدُّنۡیَا کَمَآءٍ اَنۡزَلۡنٰہُ مِنَ السَّمَآءِ فَاخۡتَلَطَ بِہٖ نَبَاتُ الۡاَرۡضِ مِمَّا یَاۡکُلُ النَّاسُ وَ الۡاَنۡعَامُ ؕ حَتّٰۤی اِذَاۤ اَخَذَتِ الۡاَرۡضُ زُخۡرُفَہَا وَ ازَّیَّنَتۡ وَ ظَنَّ اَہۡلُہَاۤ اَنَّہُمۡ قٰدِرُوۡنَ عَلَیۡہَاۤ ۙ اَتٰہَاۤ اَمۡرُنَا لَیۡلًا اَوۡ نَہَارًا فَجَعَلۡنٰہَا حَصِیۡدًا کَاَنۡ لَّمۡ تَغۡنَ بِالۡاَمۡسِ ؕ کَذٰلِکَ نُفَصِّلُ الۡاٰیٰتِ لِقَوۡمٍ یَّتَفَکَّرُوۡنَ ﴿۲۴﴾
10:24 The likeness of this world’s life is only as water which We send down from the clouds, then the vegetation of the earth, of which people and cattle eat, grows luxuriantly thereby; until when the earth puts on its golden attire and it becomes adorned, and its people think that they are masters of it, Our command comes to it, by night or by day, so We render it as reaped seed-produce, as though it had not flourished yesterday. Thus do We make clear the messages for a people who reflect.
وَ اللّٰہُ یَدۡعُوۡۤا اِلٰی دَارِ السَّلٰمِ ؕ وَ یَہۡدِیۡ مَنۡ یَّشَآءُ اِلٰی صِرَاطٍ مُّسۡتَقِیۡمٍ ﴿۲۵﴾
10:25 And Allah invites to the abode of peace, and guides whom He pleases to the right path.1
لِلَّذِیۡنَ اَحۡسَنُوا الۡحُسۡنٰی وَ زِیَادَۃٌ ؕ وَ لَا یَرۡہَقُ وُجُوۡہَہُمۡ قَتَرٌ وَّ لَا ذِلَّۃٌ ؕ اُولٰٓئِکَ اَصۡحٰبُ الۡجَنَّۃِ ۚ ہُمۡ فِیۡہَا خٰلِدُوۡنَ ﴿۲۶﴾
10:26 For those who do good is good (reward) and more (than this).2 Neither darkness nor disgrace will cover their faces. These are the owners of the Garden; in it they will abide.
وَ الَّذِیۡنَ کَسَبُوا السَّیِّاٰتِ جَزَآءُ سَیِّئَۃٍۭ بِمِثۡلِہَا ۙ وَ تَرۡہَقُہُمۡ ذِلَّۃٌ ؕ مَا لَہُمۡ مِّنَ اللّٰہِ مِنۡ عَاصِمٍ ۚ کَاَنَّمَاۤ اُغۡشِیَتۡ وُجُوۡہُہُمۡ قِطَعًا مِّنَ الَّیۡلِ مُظۡلِمًا ؕ اُولٰٓئِکَ اَصۡحٰبُ النَّارِ ۚ ہُمۡ فِیۡہَا خٰلِدُوۡنَ ﴿۲۷﴾
10:27 And those who earn evil, the punishment of an evil is the like of it, and humiliation will cover them — they will have none to protect them from Allah — as if their faces had been covered with slices of the dense darkness of night. These are the companions of the Fire; in it they will abide.
وَ یَوۡمَ نَحۡشُرُہُمۡ جَمِیۡعًا ثُمَّ نَقُوۡلُ لِلَّذِیۡنَ اَشۡرَکُوۡا مَکَانَکُمۡ اَنۡتُمۡ وَ شُرَکَآؤُکُمۡ ۚ فَزَیَّلۡنَا بَیۡنَہُمۡ وَ قَالَ شُرَکَآؤُہُمۡ مَّا کُنۡتُمۡ اِیَّانَا تَعۡبُدُوۡنَ ﴿۲۸﴾
10:28 And on the day when We gather them all together, then We shall say to those who set up partners (with Allah): Stay where you are, you and your associate-gods. Then We shall separate them from one another, and their associate-gods will say: It was not us that you served.
فَکَفٰی بِاللّٰہِ شَہِیۡدًۢا بَیۡنَنَا وَ بَیۡنَکُمۡ اِنۡ کُنَّا عَنۡ عِبَادَتِکُمۡ لَغٰفِلِیۡنَ ﴿۲۹﴾
10:29 So Allah is sufficient as a witness between us and you that we were quite unaware of your serving (us).
ہُنَالِکَ تَبۡلُوۡا کُلُّ نَفۡسٍ مَّاۤ اَسۡلَفَتۡ وَ رُدُّوۡۤا اِلَی اللّٰہِ مَوۡلٰىہُمُ الۡحَقِّ وَ ضَلَّ عَنۡہُمۡ مَّا کَانُوۡا یَفۡتَرُوۡنَ ﴿٪۳۰﴾
10:30 There will every soul become acquainted with what it did before, and they will be brought back to Allah, their true Patron, and what they devised will escape from them.
Commentary:
- This is another description of the Muslim paradise, which is called dar al-salām, or the abode of peace. The word salām in dar al-salām is from the same root as Islām. Islam, in fact, makes even this world an abode of peace for a true Muslim; he makes his peace with his Lord, and he lives at peace with his fellow beings. The peace of the next life is, in fact, a continuation of the peace of mind which a Muslim finds in this very life. ↩
- Throughout the Quran the reward of virtue is spoken of as being much more than actual recompense, while evil is either spoken of as being forgiven or as being punished only with a like punishment. See 42:25–26 and 6:160. ↩