English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)
by Maulana Muhammad Ali
Chapter 20: Ta Ha — Ta Ha (Revealed at Makkah: 8 sections, 135 verses)
Section 8 (Verses 20:129–20:135): Punishment is Certain
Translation:
وَ لَوۡ لَا کَلِمَۃٌ سَبَقَتۡ مِنۡ رَّبِّکَ لَکَانَ لِزَامًا وَّ اَجَلٌ مُّسَمًّی ﴿۱۲۹﴾ؕ
20:129 And if a word had not gone forth from your Lord, and a term been fixed, it would surely have come upon them.
فَاصۡبِرۡ عَلٰی مَا یَقُوۡلُوۡنَ وَ سَبِّحۡ بِحَمۡدِ رَبِّکَ قَبۡلَ طُلُوۡعِ الشَّمۡسِ وَ قَبۡلَ غُرُوۡبِہَا ۚ وَ مِنۡ اٰنَآیِٔ الَّیۡلِ فَسَبِّحۡ وَ اَطۡرَافَ النَّہَارِ لَعَلَّکَ تَرۡضٰی ﴿۱۳۰﴾
20:130 So bear patiently what they say, and celebrate the praise of your Lord before the rising of the sun and before its setting, and glorify (Him) during the hours of the night and parts of the day, that you may be well pleased.1
وَ لَا تَمُدَّنَّ عَیۡنَیۡکَ اِلٰی مَا مَتَّعۡنَا بِہٖۤ اَزۡوَاجًا مِّنۡہُمۡ زَہۡرَۃَ الۡحَیٰوۃِ الدُّنۡیَا ۬ۙ لِنَفۡتِنَہُمۡ فِیۡہِ ؕ وَ رِزۡقُ رَبِّکَ خَیۡرٌ وَّ اَبۡقٰی ﴿۱۳۱﴾
20:131 And do not strain your eyes (with desire) at what We have provided different classes of them with — the splendour of this world’s life — that We may try them by means of it. And the sustenance of your Lord is better and more lasting.
وَ اۡمُرۡ اَہۡلَکَ بِالصَّلٰوۃِ وَ اصۡطَبِرۡ عَلَیۡہَا ؕ لَا نَسۡـَٔلُکَ رِزۡقًا ؕ نَحۡنُ نَرۡزُقُکَ ؕ وَ الۡعَاقِبَۃُ لِلتَّقۡوٰی ﴿۱۳۲﴾
20:132 And enjoin prayer on your people, and steadily adhere to it. We do not ask from you a sustenance. We provide for you. And the (good) end is for guarding against evil.
وَ قَالُوۡا لَوۡ لَا یَاۡتِیۡنَا بِاٰیَۃٍ مِّنۡ رَّبِّہٖ ؕ اَوَ لَمۡ تَاۡتِہِمۡ بَیِّنَۃُ مَا فِی الصُّحُفِ الۡاُوۡلٰی ﴿۱۳۳﴾
20:133 And they say: Why does he not bring us a sign from his Lord? Has not a clear evidence come to them of what is in the previous Books?2
وَ لَوۡ اَنَّـاۤ اَہۡلَکۡنٰہُمۡ بِعَذَابٍ مِّنۡ قَبۡلِہٖ لَقَالُوۡا رَبَّنَا لَوۡ لَاۤ اَرۡسَلۡتَ اِلَیۡنَا رَسُوۡلًا فَنَتَّبِعَ اٰیٰتِکَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِ اَنۡ نَّذِلَّ وَ نَخۡزٰی ﴿۱۳۴﴾
20:134 And if We had destroyed them with punishment before it, they would have said: Our Lord, why did You not send to us a messenger, so that we might have followed Your messages before we met disgrace and shame?
قُلۡ کُلٌّ مُّتَرَبِّصٌ فَتَرَبَّصُوۡا ۚ فَسَتَعۡلَمُوۡنَ مَنۡ اَصۡحٰبُ الصِّرَاطِ السَّوِیِّ وَ مَنِ اہۡتَدٰی ﴿۱۳۵﴾٪
20:135 Say: Everyone (of us) is waiting, so wait. Soon you will come to know who is the follower of the even path and who goes aright.
Commentary:
- The Holy Prophet, while told to bear persecutions patiently for a time, is also told to seek comfort in prayer. And he did find comfort in prayer under the severest persecutions. “The coolness of my eyes is in prayer,” he is reported to have said (Mishkāt, 25). This verse speaks of the five obligatory prayers and the two optional ones. Before the rising of the sun is the dawn prayer (fajr), before its setting the ‘aṣr prayer. Three prayers, the maghrib, the ‘ishā’ and the tahajjud (the last named being optional), occur during the hours of the night, while during parts of the day are the ẓuhr and the ḍuḥā, the latter again being optional, being a short prayer in the early forenoon. ↩
- The Quran is here called a clear evidence of what is contained in the previous Books, because it fulfils their prophecies and corroborates their truth. ↩