English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)
by Maulana Muhammad Ali
Chapter 26: Al-Shuara — The Poets (Revealed at Makkah: 11 sections, 227 verses)
Section 5 (Verses 26:69–26:104): History of Abraham
Translation:
وَ اتۡلُ عَلَیۡہِمۡ نَبَاَ اِبۡرٰہِیۡمَ ﴿ۘ۶۹﴾
26:69 And recite to them the story of Abraham.
اِذۡ قَالَ لِاَبِیۡہِ وَ قَوۡمِہٖ مَا تَعۡبُدُوۡنَ ﴿۷۰﴾
26:70 When he said to his sire and his people: What do you worship?
قَالُوۡا نَعۡبُدُ اَصۡنَامًا فَنَظَلُّ لَہَا عٰکِفِیۡنَ ﴿۷۱﴾
26:71 They said: We worship idols, so we shall remain devoted to them.
قَالَ ہَلۡ یَسۡمَعُوۡنَکُمۡ اِذۡ تَدۡعُوۡنَ ﴿ۙ۷۲﴾
26:72 He said: Do they hear you when you call (on them),
اَوۡ یَنۡفَعُوۡنَکُمۡ اَوۡ یَضُرُّوۡنَ ﴿۷۳﴾
26:73 or do they benefit or harm you?
قَالُوۡا بَلۡ وَجَدۡنَاۤ اٰبَآءَنَا کَذٰلِکَ یَفۡعَلُوۡنَ ﴿۷۴﴾
26:74 They said: But we found our fathers doing so.
قَالَ اَفَرَءَیۡتُمۡ مَّا کُنۡتُمۡ تَعۡبُدُوۡنَ ﴿ۙ۷۵﴾
26:75 He said: Do you then see what you worship —
اَنۡتُمۡ وَ اٰبَآؤُکُمُ الۡاَقۡدَمُوۡنَ ﴿۫ۖ۷۶﴾
26:76 you and your ancient sires?
فَاِنَّہُمۡ عَدُوٌّ لِّیۡۤ اِلَّا رَبَّ الۡعٰلَمِیۡنَ ﴿ۙ۷۷﴾
26:77 Surely they are an enemy to me, but not (so) the Lord of the worlds,
الَّذِیۡ خَلَقَنِیۡ فَہُوَ یَہۡدِیۡنِ ﴿ۙ۷۸﴾
26:78 Who created me, then He shows me the way,
وَ الَّذِیۡ ہُوَ یُطۡعِمُنِیۡ وَ یَسۡقِیۡنِ ﴿ۙ۷۹﴾
26:79 and Who gives me to eat and to drink,
وَ اِذَا مَرِضۡتُ فَہُوَ یَشۡفِیۡنِ ﴿۪ۙ۸۰﴾
26:80 and when I am sick, He heals me,
وَ الَّذِیۡ یُمِیۡتُنِیۡ ثُمَّ یُحۡیِیۡنِ ﴿ۙ۸۱﴾
26:81 and Who will cause me to die, then give me life,
وَ الَّذِیۡۤ اَطۡمَعُ اَنۡ یَّغۡفِرَ لِیۡ خَطِیۡٓئَتِیۡ یَوۡمَ الدِّیۡنِ ﴿ؕ۸۲﴾
26:82 and Who, I hope, will forgive me my mistakes on the day of Judgment.1
رَبِّ ہَبۡ لِیۡ حُکۡمًا وَّ اَلۡحِقۡنِیۡ بِالصّٰلِحِیۡنَ ﴿ۙ۸۳﴾
26:83 My Lord, grant me wisdom, and join me with the righteous,
وَ اجۡعَلۡ لِّیۡ لِسَانَ صِدۡقٍ فِی الۡاٰخِرِیۡنَ ﴿ۙ۸۴﴾
26:84 and ordain for me a goodly mention in later generations,
وَ اجۡعَلۡنِیۡ مِنۡ وَّرَثَۃِ جَنَّۃِ النَّعِیۡمِ ﴿ۙ۸۵﴾
26:85 and make me from among the heirs of the Garden of bliss,
وَ اغۡفِرۡ لِاَبِیۡۤ اِنَّہٗ کَانَ مِنَ الضَّآلِّیۡنَ ﴿ۙ۸۶﴾
26:86 and forgive my sire, surely he is in error,
وَ لَا تُخۡزِنِیۡ یَوۡمَ یُبۡعَثُوۡنَ ﴿ۙ۸۷﴾
26:87 and do not disgrace me on the day when they are raised —
یَوۡمَ لَا یَنۡفَعُ مَالٌ وَّ لَا بَنُوۡنَ ﴿ۙ۸۸﴾
26:88 the day when wealth will not avail, nor sons,
اِلَّا مَنۡ اَتَی اللّٰہَ بِقَلۡبٍ سَلِیۡمٍ ﴿ؕ۸۹﴾
26:89 except him who comes to Allah with a sound heart.
وَ اُزۡلِفَتِ الۡجَنَّۃُ لِلۡمُتَّقِیۡنَ ﴿ۙ۹۰﴾
26:90 And the Garden is brought near for the dutiful,
وَ بُرِّزَتِ الۡجَحِیۡمُ لِلۡغٰوِیۡنَ ﴿ۙ۹۱﴾
26:91 and hell is made manifest to the deviators,2
وَ قِیۡلَ لَہُمۡ اَیۡنَمَا کُنۡتُمۡ تَعۡبُدُوۡنَ ﴿ۙ۹۲﴾
26:92 and it is said to them: Where are those that you worshipped
مِنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰہِ ؕ ہَلۡ یَنۡصُرُوۡنَکُمۡ اَوۡ یَنۡتَصِرُوۡنَ ﴿ؕ۹۳﴾
26:93 besides Allah? Can they help you or help themselves?
فَکُبۡکِبُوۡا فِیۡہَا ہُمۡ وَ الۡغَاوٗنَ ﴿ۙ۹۴﴾
26:94 So they are hurled into it, they and the deviators,
وَ جُنُوۡدُ اِبۡلِیۡسَ اَجۡمَعُوۡنَ ﴿ؕ۹۵﴾
26:95 and the followers of the devil, all.
قَالُوۡا وَ ہُمۡ فِیۡہَا یَخۡتَصِمُوۡنَ ﴿ۙ۹۶﴾
26:96 They will say, while they quarrel in it:
تَاللّٰہِ اِنۡ کُنَّا لَفِیۡ ضَلٰلٍ مُّبِیۡنٍ ﴿ۙ۹۷﴾
26:97 By Allah! We were certainly in manifest error,
اِذۡ نُسَوِّیۡکُمۡ بِرَبِّ الۡعٰلَمِیۡنَ ﴿۹۸﴾
26:98 when we made you equal with the Lord of the worlds.
وَ مَاۤ اَضَلَّنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡمُجۡرِمُوۡنَ ﴿۹۹﴾
26:99 And none but the guilty led us astray.
فَمَا لَنَا مِنۡ شَافِعِیۡنَ ﴿۱۰۰﴾ۙ
26:100 So we have no intercessors,
وَ لَا صَدِیۡقٍ حَمِیۡمٍ ﴿۱۰۱﴾
26:101 nor a true friend.
فَلَوۡ اَنَّ لَنَا کَرَّۃً فَنَکُوۡنَ مِنَ الۡمُؤۡمِنِیۡنَ ﴿۱۰۲﴾
26:102 Now, if only we could return once, we would be believers.
اِنَّ فِیۡ ذٰلِکَ لَاٰیَۃً ؕ وَ مَا کَانَ اَکۡثَرُہُمۡ مُّؤۡمِنِیۡنَ ﴿۱۰۳﴾
26:103 Surely there is a sign in this, yet most of them do not believe.
وَ اِنَّ رَبَّکَ لَہُوَ الۡعَزِیۡزُ الرَّحِیۡمُ ﴿۱۰۴﴾٪
26:104 And surely your Lord is the Mighty, the Merciful.
Commentary:
- The prophets, being always conscious of their weakness, seek Allah’s protection. Expressions like this invariably indicate human weakness before Divine perfection, and are not evidence of sinfulness. Compare Jesus’ confession of weakness in a similar strain: “Why do you call me good? No one is good but One, that is, God” (Matthew, 19:17). ↩
- The making manifest of hell shows that it already exists, but is hidden from the human eye, while on the day of Resurrection it will be made plain. ↩