English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)

by Maulana Muhammad Ali

Chapter 25: Al-Furqan — The Criterion (Revealed at Makkah: 6 sections, 77 verses)

Section 2 (Verses 25:10–25:20): Truth of the Warning

Translation:

تَبٰرَکَ الَّذِیۡۤ اِنۡ شَآءَ جَعَلَ لَکَ خَیۡرًا مِّنۡ ذٰلِکَ جَنّٰتٍ تَجۡرِیۡ مِنۡ تَحۡتِہَا الۡاَنۡہٰرُ ۙ وَ یَجۡعَلۡ لَّکَ قُصُوۡرًا ﴿۱۰﴾

25:10 Blessed is He Who, if He please, will give you what is better than this: Gardens in which rivers flow. And He will give you palaces.1

بَلۡ کَذَّبُوۡا بِالسَّاعَۃِ ۟ وَ اَعۡتَدۡنَا لِمَنۡ کَذَّبَ بِالسَّاعَۃِ سَعِیۡرًا ﴿ۚ۱۱﴾

25:11 But they deny the Hour, and We have prepared a burning Fire for him who denies the Hour.

اِذَا رَاَتۡہُمۡ مِّنۡ مَّکَانٍۭ بَعِیۡدٍ سَمِعُوۡا لَہَا تَغَیُّظًا وَّ زَفِیۡرًا ﴿۱۲﴾

25:12 When it sees them from a far-off place, they will hear its raging and roaring.

وَ اِذَاۤ اُلۡقُوۡا مِنۡہَا مَکَانًا ضَیِّقًا مُّقَرَّنِیۡنَ دَعَوۡا ہُنَالِکَ ثُبُوۡرًا ﴿ؕ۱۳﴾

25:13 And when they are cast into a narrow place in it, in chains, they will there pray for destruction.

لَا تَدۡعُوا الۡیَوۡمَ ثُبُوۡرًا وَّاحِدًا وَّ ادۡعُوۡا ثُبُوۡرًا کَثِیۡرًا ﴿۱۴﴾

25:14 Do not pray this day for destruction once but pray for destruction again and again.

قُلۡ اَذٰلِکَ خَیۡرٌ اَمۡ جَنَّۃُ الۡخُلۡدِ الَّتِیۡ وُعِدَ الۡمُتَّقُوۡنَ ؕ کَانَتۡ لَہُمۡ جَزَآءً وَّ مَصِیۡرًا ﴿۱۵﴾

25:15 Say: Is this better or the Garden of Perpetuity, which the dutiful are promised? That is a reward and a destination for them.

لَہُمۡ فِیۡہَا مَا یَشَآءُوۡنَ خٰلِدِیۡنَ ؕ کَانَ عَلٰی رَبِّکَ وَعۡدًا مَّسۡـُٔوۡلًا ﴿۱۶﴾

25:16 They shall have in it what they desire, to abide. It is a promise to be prayed for from your Lord.2

وَ یَوۡمَ یَحۡشُرُہُمۡ وَ مَا یَعۡبُدُوۡنَ مِنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰہِ فَیَقُوۡلُ ءَاَنۡتُمۡ اَضۡلَلۡتُمۡ عِبَادِیۡ ہٰۤؤُلَآءِ اَمۡ ہُمۡ ضَلُّوا السَّبِیۡلَ ﴿ؕ۱۷﴾

25:17 And on the day when He will gather them, and what they serve besides Allah, He will say: Was it you who led astray these My servants, or did they themselves stray from the path?

قَالُوۡا سُبۡحٰنَکَ مَا کَانَ یَنۡۢبَغِیۡ لَنَاۤ اَنۡ نَّتَّخِذَ مِنۡ دُوۡنِکَ مِنۡ اَوۡلِیَآءَ وَ لٰکِنۡ مَّتَّعۡتَہُمۡ وَ اٰبَآءَہُمۡ حَتّٰی نَسُوا الذِّکۡرَ ۚ وَ کَانُوۡا قَوۡمًۢا بُوۡرًا ﴿۱۸﴾

25:18 They will say: Glory be to You! It was not befitting for us to take for protectors others besides You, but You made them and their fathers to enjoy until they forgot the Reminder, and they became a lost people.3

فَقَدۡ کَذَّبُوۡکُمۡ بِمَا تَقُوۡلُوۡنَ ۙ فَمَا تَسۡتَطِیۡعُوۡنَ صَرۡفًا وَّ لَا نَصۡرًا ۚ وَ مَنۡ یَّظۡلِمۡ مِّنۡکُمۡ نُذِقۡہُ عَذَابًا کَبِیۡرًا ﴿۱۹﴾

25:19 So they will call you liars in what you say, then you can neither avert (punishment), nor (obtain) help. And whoever among you does wrong, We shall make him taste a great punishment.

وَ مَاۤ اَرۡسَلۡنَا قَبۡلَکَ مِنَ الۡمُرۡسَلِیۡنَ اِلَّاۤ اِنَّہُمۡ لَیَاۡکُلُوۡنَ الطَّعَامَ وَ یَمۡشُوۡنَ فِی الۡاَسۡوَاقِ ؕ وَ جَعَلۡنَا بَعۡضَکُمۡ لِبَعۡضٍ فِتۡنَۃً ؕ اَتَصۡبِرُوۡنَ ۚ وَ کَانَ رَبُّکَ بَصِیۡرًا ﴿٪۲۰﴾

25:20 And We did not send before you any messengers but they surely ate food and went about in the markets. And We make some of you a trial for others. Will you bear patiently? And your Lord is ever Seeing.4

Commentary:

  1. These words contain a clear prophecy that the Prophet and his follow­ers will receive the good things of this life too. The gardens of Mesopo­tamia, the palaces of Persia and of the Caesars, were given to the companions of the Holy Prophet.
  2. The Garden is promised to the faithful but they should pray to their Lord for its bestowal, because prayer to God is the means by which it can be attained.
  3. The words it was not befitting for us to take for protectors others besides You show that those who worshipped God alone could not ask their followers to worship others than God. The reference is clearly to Jesus Christ.
  4. This is an injunction to the Muslims to bear the persecutions of their opponents patiently, for these trials will distinguish the bad from the good. The concluding words are a solace to them: your Lord is ever Seeing — He will punish the oppressors.

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