English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)
by Maulana Muhammad Ali
Chapter 27: Al-Naml — The Naml (Revealed at Makkah: 7 sections, 93 verses)
Section 1 (Verses 27:1–27:14): A Reference to Moses’ History
Translation:
بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
طٰسٓ ۟ تِلۡکَ اٰیٰتُ الۡقُرۡاٰنِ وَ کِتَابٍ مُّبِیۡنٍ ۙ﴿۱﴾
27:1 Benignant, Hearing God!1 These are the verses of the Quran and the Book that makes manifest:
ہُدًی وَّ بُشۡرٰی لِلۡمُؤۡمِنِیۡنَ ۙ﴿۲﴾
27:2 A guidance and good news for the believers,
الَّذِیۡنَ یُقِیۡمُوۡنَ الصَّلٰوۃَ وَ یُؤۡتُوۡنَ الزَّکٰوۃَ وَ ہُمۡ بِالۡاٰخِرَۃِ ہُمۡ یُوۡقِنُوۡنَ ﴿۳﴾
27:3 who keep up prayer and give the due charity, and they are sure of the Hereafter.
اِنَّ الَّذِیۡنَ لَا یُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ بِالۡاٰخِرَۃِ زَیَّنَّا لَہُمۡ اَعۡمَالَہُمۡ فَہُمۡ یَعۡمَہُوۡنَ ؕ﴿۴﴾
27:4 Those who do not believe in the Hereafter, We make their deeds seem good to them, but they blindly wander on.2
اُولٰٓئِکَ الَّذِیۡنَ لَہُمۡ سُوۡٓءُ الۡعَذَابِ وَ ہُمۡ فِی الۡاٰخِرَۃِ ہُمُ الۡاَخۡسَرُوۡنَ ﴿۵﴾
27:5 These are they for whom is an evil punishment, and in the Hereafter they are the greatest losers.
وَ اِنَّکَ لَتُلَقَّی الۡقُرۡاٰنَ مِنۡ لَّدُنۡ حَکِیۡمٍ عَلِیۡمٍ ﴿۶﴾
27:6 And you are surely made to receive the Quran from the Wise, the Knowing.
اِذۡ قَالَ مُوۡسٰی لِاَہۡلِہٖۤ اِنِّیۡۤ اٰنَسۡتُ نَارًا ؕ سَاٰتِیۡکُمۡ مِّنۡہَا بِخَبَرٍ اَوۡ اٰتِیۡکُمۡ بِشِہَابٍ قَبَسٍ لَّعَلَّکُمۡ تَصۡطَلُوۡنَ ﴿۷﴾
27:7 When Moses said to his family: Surely I see a fire; I will bring you from it some news, or bring you a burning brand, so that you may warm yourselves.
فَلَمَّا جَآءَہَا نُوۡدِیَ اَنۡۢ بُوۡرِکَ مَنۡ فِی النَّارِ وَ مَنۡ حَوۡلَہَا ؕ وَ سُبۡحٰنَ اللّٰہِ رَبِّ الۡعٰلَمِیۡنَ ﴿۸﴾
27:8 So when he came to it, a voice issued, saying: Blessed is he who is in search of fire and those around it.3 And glory be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds!
یٰمُوۡسٰۤی اِنَّہٗۤ اَنَا اللّٰہُ الۡعَزِیۡزُ الۡحَکِیۡمُ ۙ﴿۹﴾
27:9 O Moses, surely I am Allah, the Mighty, the Wise:
وَ اَلۡقِ عَصَاکَ ؕ فَلَمَّا رَاٰہَا تَہۡتَزُّ کَاَنَّہَا جَآنٌّ وَّلّٰی مُدۡبِرًا وَّ لَمۡ یُعَقِّبۡ ؕ یٰمُوۡسٰی لَا تَخَفۡ ۟ اِنِّیۡ لَا یَخَافُ لَدَیَّ الۡمُرۡسَلُوۡنَ ﴿٭ۖ۱۰﴾
27:10 And throw down your staff. So when he saw it in motion as if it were a snake, he turned back retreating and did not return. O Moses, do not fear. Surely the messengers do not fear in My presence —
اِلَّا مَنۡ ظَلَمَ ثُمَّ بَدَّلَ حُسۡنًۢا بَعۡدَ سُوۡٓءٍ فَاِنِّیۡ غَفُوۡرٌ رَّحِیۡمٌ ﴿۱۱﴾
27:11 Nor he who does wrong,4 then does good instead after evil; surely I am Forgiving, Merciful,
وَ اَدۡخِلۡ یَدَکَ فِیۡ جَیۡبِکَ تَخۡرُجۡ بَیۡضَآءَ مِنۡ غَیۡرِ سُوۡٓءٍ ۟ فِیۡ تِسۡعِ اٰیٰتٍ اِلٰی فِرۡعَوۡنَ وَ قَوۡمِہٖ ؕ اِنَّہُمۡ کَانُوۡا قَوۡمًا فٰسِقِیۡنَ ﴿۱۲﴾
27:12 and put your hand into your bosom, it will come forth white without evil, among nine signs to Pharaoh and his people. Surely they are a transgressing people.
فَلَمَّا جَآءَتۡہُمۡ اٰیٰتُنَا مُبۡصِرَۃً قَالُوۡا ہٰذَا سِحۡرٌ مُّبِیۡنٌ ﴿ۚ۱۳﴾
27:13 So when Our clear signs came to them, they said: This is clear enchantment.
وَ جَحَدُوۡا بِہَا وَ اسۡتَیۡقَنَتۡہَاۤ اَنۡفُسُہُمۡ ظُلۡمًا وَّ عُلُوًّا ؕ فَانۡظُرۡ کَیۡفَ کَانَ عَاقِبَۃُ الۡمُفۡسِدِیۡنَ ﴿٪۱۴﴾
27:14 And they denied them unjustly and proudly, while their souls were convinced of them. See, then, what was the end of the mischief-makers!
Commentary:
- See 26:1 footnote, for explanation. The letters here are ṭā and sīn. ↩
- By their deeds are meant the deeds which they ought to perform. Evil deeds are made to seem good to evildoers by the devil (6:43), while Allah commends good deeds. Elsewhere we have: “But Allah has endeared the faith to you and has made it attractive in your hearts, and He has made hateful to you disbelief and transgression and disobedience” (49:7). ↩
- The words man fi-l-nār (“who is in search of fire”) have been explained in several ways, the best being that in which the word fī (lit., in) may be rendered as meaning after or in search of. According to another explanation, these words mean that which is in fire and the place where fire was seen by Moses to be burning is meant. The addition of the words those (or whatever is) around it is to show that the whole of this land was blessed, because so many prophets for the guidance of humanity were raised there. That the fire was not a physical fire is suggested by commentators. This is in fact clear. The voice that came to Moses was the voice of God and it came in the manner in which the Divine call comes to all prophets. Moses received a Divine revelation, and what he saw was during a state of transformation. ↩
- The word illā, with which this verse opens, does not here mean except but is equivalent to wāw (and). Being joined to the “not” in the previous passage, the correct translation of illā here is and not, i.e. nor. ↩