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 3 (Verses 14:13–14:21): Opposition is at Last Destroyed
Translation:
وَ قَالَ الَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡا لِرُسُلِہِمۡ لَنُخۡرِجَنَّکُمۡ مِّنۡ اَرۡضِنَاۤ اَوۡ لَتَعُوۡدُنَّ فِیۡ مِلَّتِنَا ؕ فَاَوۡحٰۤی اِلَیۡہِمۡ رَبُّہُمۡ لَنُہۡلِکَنَّ الظّٰلِمِیۡنَ ﴿ۙ۱۳﴾
14:13 And those who disbelieved said to their messengers: We will certainly drive you out of our land, unless you come back into our religion.1 So their Lord revealed to them: We shall certainly destroy the wrongdoers,
وَ لَنُسۡکِنَنَّـکُمُ الۡاَرۡضَ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِہِمۡ ؕ ذٰلِکَ لِمَنۡ خَافَ مَقَامِیۡ وَ خَافَ وَعِیۡدِ ﴿۱۴﴾
14:14 and We shall certainly settle you in the land after them. This is for him who fears standing in My presence and fears My threat.2
وَ اسۡتَفۡتَحُوۡا وَ خَابَ کُلُّ جَبَّارٍ عَنِیۡدٍ ﴿ۙ۱۵﴾
14:15 And they sought judgment, and every insolent opposer was disappointed:
مِّنۡ وَّرَآئِہٖ جَہَنَّمُ وَ یُسۡقٰی مِنۡ مَّآءٍ صَدِیۡدٍ ﴿ۙ۱۶﴾
14:16 Hell is before him and he is given to drink boiling water;
یَّتَجَرَّعُہٗ وَ لَا یَکَادُ یُسِیۡغُہٗ وَ یَاۡتِیۡہِ الۡمَوۡتُ مِنۡ کُلِّ مَکَانٍ وَّ مَا ہُوَ بِمَیِّتٍ ؕ وَ مِنۡ وَّرَآئِہٖ عَذَابٌ غَلِیۡظٌ ﴿۱۷﴾
14:17 he drinks it little by little and is not able to swallow it; and death comes to him from every quarter, yet he does not die.3 And before him is vehement punishment.
مَثَلُ الَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡا بِرَبِّہِمۡ اَعۡمَالُہُمۡ کَرَمَادِۣ اشۡتَدَّتۡ بِہِ الرِّیۡحُ فِیۡ یَوۡمٍ عَاصِفٍ ؕ لَا یَقۡدِرُوۡنَ مِمَّا کَسَبُوۡا عَلٰی شَیۡءٍ ؕ ذٰلِکَ ہُوَ الضَّلٰلُ الۡبَعِیۡدُ ﴿۱۸﴾
14:18 The parable of those who disbelieve in their Lord: Their works are as ashes on which the wind blows hard on a stormy day. They have no power over anything they have earned. That is straying far away.
اَلَمۡ تَرَ اَنَّ اللّٰہَ خَلَقَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضَ بِالۡحَقِّ ؕ اِنۡ یَّشَاۡ یُذۡہِبۡکُمۡ وَ یَاۡتِ بِخَلۡقٍ جَدِیۡدٍ ﴿ۙ۱۹﴾
14:19 Do you not see that Allah created the heavens and the earth with truth? If He please, He will take you away and bring a new creation,
وَّ مَا ذٰلِکَ عَلَی اللّٰہِ بِعَزِیۡزٍ ﴿۲۰﴾
14:20 and that is not difficult for Allah.4
وَ بَرَزُوۡا لِلّٰہِ جَمِیۡعًا فَقَالَ الضُّعَفٰٓؤُا لِلَّذِیۡنَ اسۡتَکۡبَرُوۡۤا اِنَّا کُنَّا لَکُمۡ تَبَعًا فَہَلۡ اَنۡتُمۡ مُّغۡنُوۡنَ عَنَّا مِنۡ عَذَابِ اللّٰہِ مِنۡ شَیۡءٍ ؕ قَالُوۡا لَوۡ ہَدٰىنَا اللّٰہُ لَہَدَیۡنٰکُمۡ ؕ سَوَآءٌ عَلَیۡنَاۤ اَجَزِعۡنَاۤ اَمۡ صَبَرۡنَا مَا لَنَا مِنۡ مَّحِیۡصٍ ﴿٪۲۱﴾
14:21 And they will all come forth to Allah, then the weak will say to those who were proud: We were your followers, can you then avert from us any of the punishment of Allah? They will say: If Allah had guided us, we would have guided you. It is the same to us whether we cry or bear patiently; there is no escape for us.
Commentary:
- This is no doubt equally a description of what the Holy Prophet was suffering at the hands of his enemies. ↩
- This verse contains a very clear prophecy of the flight of the Holy Prophet from Makkah and of his re-entry into that city as a conqueror and ruler. ↩
- He experiences, as it were, the pangs of death, but death, which would end all distress, does not come to him. ↩
- V. 18 states that all the exertions of the opponents against the Prophet will be useless, while verses 19 and 20 warn the disbelievers that their power will come to an end and another people will take their place. ↩