English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)
by Maulana Muhammad Ali
Chapter 16: Al-Nahl — The Bee (Revealed at Makkah: 16 sections, 128 verses)
Section 4 (Verses 16:26–16:34): The Wicked will come to Disgrace
Translation:
قَدۡ مَکَرَ الَّذِیۡنَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِہِمۡ فَاَتَی اللّٰہُ بُنۡیَانَہُمۡ مِّنَ الۡقَوَاعِدِ فَخَرَّ عَلَیۡہِمُ السَّقۡفُ مِنۡ فَوۡقِہِمۡ وَ اَتٰىہُمُ الۡعَذَابُ مِنۡ حَیۡثُ لَا یَشۡعُرُوۡنَ ﴿۲۶﴾
16:26 Those before them plotted, so Allah demolished their building from the foundations, so the roof fell down on them from above them, and the punishment came to them from where they did not perceive.
ثُمَّ یَوۡمَ الۡقِیٰمَۃِ یُخۡزِیۡہِمۡ وَ یَقُوۡلُ اَیۡنَ شُرَکَآءِیَ الَّذِیۡنَ کُنۡتُمۡ تُشَآقُّوۡنَ فِیۡہِمۡ ؕ قَالَ الَّذِیۡنَ اُوۡتُوا الۡعِلۡمَ اِنَّ الۡخِزۡیَ الۡیَوۡمَ وَ السُّوۡٓءَ عَلَی الۡکٰفِرِیۡنَ ﴿ۙ۲۷﴾
16:27 Then on the day of Resurrection He will bring them to disgrace and say: Where are My partners, for whose sake you became hostile? Those who are given the knowledge will say: Surely disgrace this day and evil are upon the disbelievers,1
الَّذِیۡنَ تَتَوَفّٰىہُمُ الۡمَلٰٓئِکَۃُ ظَالِمِیۡۤ اَنۡفُسِہِمۡ ۪ فَاَلۡقَوُا السَّلَمَ مَا کُنَّا نَعۡمَلُ مِنۡ سُوۡٓءٍ ؕ بَلٰۤی اِنَّ اللّٰہَ عَلِیۡمٌۢ بِمَا کُنۡتُمۡ تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ ﴿۲۸﴾
16:28 whom the angels cause to die, while they are unjust to themselves. Then would they offer submission: We did not do any evil. Yes! Surely Allah knows what you did.
فَادۡخُلُوۡۤا اَبۡوَابَ جَہَنَّمَ خٰلِدِیۡنَ فِیۡہَا ؕ فَلَبِئۡسَ مَثۡوَی الۡمُتَکَبِّرِیۡنَ ﴿۲۹﴾
16:29 So enter the gates of hell, to abide in it. Evil indeed is the dwelling-place of the proud.
وَ قِیۡلَ لِلَّذِیۡنَ اتَّقَوۡا مَاذَاۤ اَنۡزَلَ رَبُّکُمۡ ؕ قَالُوۡا خَیۡرًا ؕ لِلَّذِیۡنَ اَحۡسَنُوۡا فِیۡ ہٰذِہِ الدُّنۡیَا حَسَنَۃٌ ؕ وَ لَدَارُ الۡاٰخِرَۃِ خَیۡرٌ ؕ وَ لَنِعۡمَ دَارُ الۡمُتَّقِیۡنَ ﴿ۙ۳۰﴾
16:30 And it is said to those who guard against evil: What has your Lord revealed? They say, Good. For those who do good in this world is good. And certainly the abode of the Hereafter is better. And excellent indeed is the abode of those who keep their duty —
جَنّٰتُ عَدۡنٍ یَّدۡخُلُوۡنَہَا تَجۡرِیۡ مِنۡ تَحۡتِہَا الۡاَنۡہٰرُ لَہُمۡ فِیۡہَا مَا یَشَآءُوۡنَ ؕ کَذٰلِکَ یَجۡزِی اللّٰہُ الۡمُتَّقِیۡنَ ﴿ۙ۳۱﴾
16:31 Gardens of perpetuity which they enter, in which rivers flow: they have therein what they please. Thus does Allah reward those who keep their duty,
الَّذِیۡنَ تَتَوَفّٰىہُمُ الۡمَلٰٓئِکَۃُ طَیِّبِیۡنَ ۙ یَقُوۡلُوۡنَ سَلٰمٌ عَلَیۡکُمُ ۙ ادۡخُلُوا الۡجَنَّۃَ بِمَا کُنۡتُمۡ تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ ﴿۳۲﴾
16:32 whom the angels cause to die in purity, saying: Peace be on you! enter the Garden for what you did.
ہَلۡ یَنۡظُرُوۡنَ اِلَّاۤ اَنۡ تَاۡتِیَہُمُ الۡمَلٰٓئِکَۃُ اَوۡ یَاۡتِیَ اَمۡرُ رَبِّکَ ؕ کَذٰلِکَ فَعَلَ الَّذِیۡنَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِہِمۡ ؕ وَ مَا ظَلَمَہُمُ اللّٰہُ وَ لٰکِنۡ کَانُوۡۤا اَنۡفُسَہُمۡ یَظۡلِمُوۡنَ ﴿۳۳﴾
16:33 They only wait that the angels should come to them or that your Lord’s command should come to pass.2 Thus did those before them. And Allah did not wrong them, but they wronged themselves.
فَاَصَابَہُمۡ سَیِّاٰتُ مَا عَمِلُوۡا وَ حَاقَ بِہِمۡ مَّا کَانُوۡا بِہٖ یَسۡتَہۡزِءُوۡنَ ﴿٪۳۴﴾
16:34 So the evil of what they did afflicted them, and what they mocked at beset them.3
Commentary:
- Disgrace is a sort of hell-fire, which they had in this very life, too. ↩
- The coming of the angels stands for the smaller afflictions, such as overtook them in the form of famine and war, while the coming to pass of the command of the Lord indicates the complete overthrow of their power. ↩
- The past tense is used to express the highest degree of certainty relating to the future. ↩