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 3 (Verses 25:21–25:34): The Day of Discrimination

Translation:

وَ قَالَ الَّذِیۡنَ لَا یَرۡجُوۡنَ لِقَآءَنَا لَوۡ لَاۤ اُنۡزِلَ عَلَیۡنَا الۡمَلٰٓئِکَۃُ  اَوۡ  نَرٰی رَبَّنَا ؕ لَقَدِ اسۡتَکۡبَرُوۡا فِیۡۤ  اَنۡفُسِہِمۡ وَ عَتَوۡ عُتُوًّا کَبِیۡرًا ﴿۲۱﴾

Part 1925:21 And those who do not look for meeting with Us, say: Why have not angels been sent down to us, or (why) do we not see our Lord? Indeed they are too proud of themselves and revolt in great revolt.1

یَوۡمَ یَرَوۡنَ الۡمَلٰٓئِکَۃَ لَا بُشۡرٰی یَوۡمَئِذٍ لِّلۡمُجۡرِمِیۡنَ وَ یَقُوۡلُوۡنَ حِجۡرًا مَّحۡجُوۡرًا ﴿۲۲﴾

25:22 On the day when they will see the angels, there will be no good news for the guilty, and they will say: Let there be a strong barrier!2

وَ قَدِمۡنَاۤ اِلٰی مَا عَمِلُوۡا مِنۡ عَمَلٍ فَجَعَلۡنٰہُ ہَبَآءً مَّنۡثُوۡرًا ﴿۲۳﴾

25:23 And We shall turn to the work they have done, so We shall render it as scattered dust.3

اَصۡحٰبُ الۡجَنَّۃِ یَوۡمَئِذٍ خَیۡرٌ مُّسۡتَقَرًّا وَّ اَحۡسَنُ مَقِیۡلًا ﴿۲۴﴾

25:24 The owners of the Garden will on that day be in a better abiding-place and a fairer resting-place.

وَ یَوۡمَ تَشَقَّقُ السَّمَآءُ بِالۡغَمَامِ وَ نُزِّلَ الۡمَلٰٓئِکَۃُ تَنۡزِیۡلًا ﴿۲۵﴾

25:25 And on the day when the heaven bursts apart with clouds, and the angels are sent down, as they are sent.4

اَلۡمُلۡکُ یَوۡمَئِذِۣ الۡحَقُّ لِلرَّحۡمٰنِ ؕ وَ کَانَ یَوۡمًا عَلَی الۡکٰفِرِیۡنَ عَسِیۡرًا ﴿۲۶﴾

25:26 The kingdom on that day rightly belongs to the Beneficent, and it will be a hard day for the disbelievers.

وَ یَوۡمَ یَعَضُّ الظَّالِمُ عَلٰی یَدَیۡہِ یَقُوۡلُ یٰلَیۡتَنِی اتَّخَذۡتُ مَعَ الرَّسُوۡلِ سَبِیۡلًا ﴿۲۷﴾

25:27 And on the day when the wrongdoer will bite his hands, saying: If only I had taken a way with the Messenger!5

یٰوَیۡلَتٰی لَیۡتَنِیۡ لَمۡ اَتَّخِذۡ فُلَانًا خَلِیۡلًا ﴿۲۸﴾

25:28 O woe is me! If only I had not taken such a one for a friend!

لَقَدۡ اَضَلَّنِیۡ عَنِ الذِّکۡرِ بَعۡدَ اِذۡ جَآءَنِیۡ ؕ وَ کَانَ الشَّیۡطٰنُ لِلۡاِنۡسَانِ خَذُوۡلًا ﴿۲۹﴾

25:29 Certainly he led me astray from the Reminder after it had come to me. And the devil ever deserts man.

وَ قَالَ الرَّسُوۡلُ یٰرَبِّ اِنَّ قَوۡمِی اتَّخَذُوۡا ہٰذَا الۡقُرۡاٰنَ مَہۡجُوۡرًا ﴿۳۰﴾

25:30 And the Messenger will say: My Lord, surely my people treat this Quran as a forsaken thing.

وَ کَذٰلِکَ جَعَلۡنَا لِکُلِّ نَبِیٍّ عَدُوًّا مِّنَ الۡمُجۡرِمِیۡنَ ؕ وَ کَفٰی بِرَبِّکَ ہَادِیًا وَّ نَصِیۡرًا ﴿۳۱﴾

25:31 And thus have We made for every prophet an enemy from among the guilty, and sufficient is your Lord as a Guide and a Helper.

وَ قَالَ الَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡا لَوۡ لَا نُزِّلَ عَلَیۡہِ الۡقُرۡاٰنُ جُمۡلَۃً وَّاحِدَۃً ۚۛ کَذٰلِکَ ۚۛ لِنُثَبِّتَ بِہٖ فُؤَادَکَ وَ رَتَّلۡنٰہُ تَرۡتِیۡلًا ﴿۳۲﴾

25:32 And those who disbelieve say: Why has not the Quran been revealed to him all at once? It is so that We may strengthen your heart with it and We have arranged it well in arranging.6

وَ لَا یَاۡتُوۡنَکَ بِمَثَلٍ اِلَّا جِئۡنٰکَ بِالۡحَقِّ وَ اَحۡسَنَ تَفۡسِیۡرًا ﴿ؕ۳۳﴾

25:33 And they cannot bring you a question, but We have brought you the truth and the best explanation.7

اَلَّذِیۡنَ یُحۡشَرُوۡنَ عَلٰی وُجُوۡہِہِمۡ اِلٰی جَہَنَّمَ ۙ اُولٰٓئِکَ شَرٌّ مَّکَانًا وَّ اَضَلُّ سَبِیۡلًا ﴿٪۳۴﴾

25:34 Those who will be gathered to hell on their faces — they are in an evil plight and straying farther away from the path.

Commentary:

  1. The coming of the angels and the Lord signifies the coming of the threatened punishment, and the next verse makes it clear; see 2:210. ↩
  2. The words “strong barrier” bear different interpretations accord­ing to whether they are taken to be spoken by the angels or by the guilty. In the former case, the meaning is that good news will be a forbidden thing to the guilty, which is equivalent to saying that they will be punished. In the latter case, the words are a kind of prayer for the coming of a barrier between them and their punishment. ↩
  3. All the exertions of the Quraish were brought to naught in the battle of Badr, and all attempts to uproot Truth are dealt with similarly. ↩
  4. This description of the day of Badr is also given in 8:11–12, where the falling of rain is clearly mentioned, and on the same occasion is also mentioned the coming of the angels. The next verse shows that it will be a day of victory for the Muslims, the believers in the Beneficent, and a hard day for the disbelievers. In fact, the distress and hardship the Quraish experienced in the battle of Badr were not tasted by them in any of their subsequent encounters with the Muslims. ↩
  5. Commentators have here mentioned the names of some people who fought with the Prophet at Badr. But the statement is general and the evildoer often regrets the evil he did, when he suffers the consequences of the evil done. ↩
  6. The Quran was revealed piecemeal so that, under the varying circum­stances through which the Prophet passed, the Divine revelation might be a source of strength to his heart; and then, as it were, to refute any suggestion that the revelation might remain a disorderly collection of fragments revealed under different circumstances, it is added that the entire arrangement was also Divinely accomplished. The arrangement of the Quran, according to this verse, was a part of the Divine scheme, brought about in the lifetime of the Holy Prophet. ↩
  7. This verse lays down the basis of an important principle, namely, that the Quran not only contains answers to all objections against it, but also adduces arguments of the truth of the assertions made. No other religious book of the world satisfies this requirement, which circumstance alone places the Quran above all scriptures, and points to it as a unique revelation capable of satisfying the spiri­tual requirements of all people in all times. ↩

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