English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)
by Maulana Muhammad Ali
Chapter 14: Ibrahim — Abraham (Revealed at Makkah: 7 sections, 52 verses)
Section 2 (Verses 14:7–14:12): Truth is Rejected First
Translation:
وَ اِذۡ تَاَذَّنَ رَبُّکُمۡ لَئِنۡ شَکَرۡتُمۡ لَاَزِیۡدَنَّکُمۡ وَ لَئِنۡ کَفَرۡتُمۡ اِنَّ عَذَابِیۡ لَشَدِیۡدٌ ﴿۷﴾
14:7 And when your Lord made it known: If you are grateful, I will give you more, and if you are ungrateful, My punishment is truly severe.
وَ قَالَ مُوۡسٰۤی اِنۡ تَکۡفُرُوۡۤا اَنۡتُمۡ وَ مَنۡ فِی الۡاَرۡضِ جَمِیۡعًا ۙ فَاِنَّ اللّٰہَ لَغَنِیٌّ حَمِیۡدٌ ﴿۸﴾
14:8 And Moses said: If you are ungrateful, you and all those on earth, then Allah is surely Self-sufficient, Praised.
اَلَمۡ یَاۡتِکُمۡ نَبَؤُا الَّذِیۡنَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِکُمۡ قَوۡمِ نُوۡحٍ وَّ عَادٍ وَّ ثَمُوۡدَ ۬ؕۛ وَ الَّذِیۡنَ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِہِمۡ ؕۛ لَا یَعۡلَمُہُمۡ اِلَّا اللّٰہُ ؕ جَآءَتۡہُمۡ رُسُلُہُمۡ بِالۡبَیِّنٰتِ فَرَدُّوۡۤا اَیۡدِیَہُمۡ فِیۡۤ اَفۡوَاہِہِمۡ وَ قَالُوۡۤا اِنَّا کَفَرۡنَا بِمَاۤ اُرۡسِلۡتُمۡ بِہٖ وَ اِنَّا لَفِیۡ شَکٍّ مِّمَّا تَدۡعُوۡنَنَاۤ اِلَیۡہِ مُرِیۡبٍ ﴿۹﴾
14:9 Has not the account reached you of those before you, of the people of Noah and Ād and Thamūd — and those after them? None knows them but Allah.1 Their messengers came to them with clear arguments, but they thrust their hands into their mouths2 and said: We deny what you are sent with, and surely we are in serious doubt about that to which you invite us.3
قَالَتۡ رُسُلُہُمۡ اَفِی اللّٰہِ شَکٌّ فَاطِرِ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضِ ؕ یَدۡعُوۡکُمۡ لِیَغۡفِرَ لَکُمۡ مِّنۡ ذُنُوۡبِکُمۡ وَ یُؤَخِّرَکُمۡ اِلٰۤی اَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّی ؕ قَالُوۡۤا اِنۡ اَنۡتُمۡ اِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِّثۡلُنَا ؕ تُرِیۡدُوۡنَ اَنۡ تَصُدُّوۡنَا عَمَّا کَانَ یَعۡبُدُ اٰبَآؤُنَا فَاۡتُوۡنَا بِسُلۡطٰنٍ مُّبِیۡنٍ ﴿۱۰﴾
14:10 Their messengers said: Is there doubt about Allah, the Maker of the heavens and the earth? He invites you to forgive you your faults and to give you respite till an appointed term. They said: You are nothing but mortals like us; you wish to turn us away from what our fathers used to worship, so bring us clear authority.
قَالَتۡ لَہُمۡ رُسُلُہُمۡ اِنۡ نَّحۡنُ اِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِّثۡلُکُمۡ وَ لٰکِنَّ اللّٰہَ یَمُنُّ عَلٰی مَنۡ یَّشَآءُ مِنۡ عِبَادِہٖ ؕ وَ مَا کَانَ لَنَاۤ اَنۡ نَّاۡتِیَکُمۡ بِسُلۡطٰنٍ اِلَّا بِاِذۡنِ اللّٰہِ ؕ وَ عَلَی اللّٰہِ فَلۡیَتَوَکَّلِ الۡمُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ ﴿۱۱﴾
14:11 Their messengers said to them: We are nothing but mortals like yourselves, but Allah bestows (His) favours on whom He pleases of His servants. And it is not for us to bring you an authority, except by Allah’s permission. And on Allah let the believers rely.
وَ مَا لَنَاۤ اَلَّا نَتَوَکَّلَ عَلَی اللّٰہِ وَ قَدۡ ہَدٰىنَا سُبُلَنَا ؕ وَ لَنَصۡبِرَنَّ عَلٰی مَاۤ اٰذَیۡتُمُوۡنَا ؕ وَ عَلَی اللّٰہِ فَلۡیَتَوَکَّلِ الۡمُتَوَکِّلُوۡنَ ﴿٪۱۲﴾
14:12 And why should we not rely on Allah and He has indeed guided us in our ways? And we would certainly bear with patience your persecution of us. And on Allah should the reliant rely.
Commentary:
- The Quran does not claim to give a history of all the prophets; see 4:164 and 40:78. The statement made here is much wider. It is claimed that no other book mentions them all; they are known only to Allah. ↩
- This expression may mean their inability to give an answer, or that they bit their hands by reason of rage, or that they put their hands into the mouths of the messengers to silence them. ↩
- The general statements made with regard to the messengers and the treatment of their people, in this and the following section, are particularly made in reference to the mission of the Prophet Muhammad, the opposition and enmity of his people, their turning him out of the city, and their final discomfiture. ↩