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 6 (Verses 27:67–27:82): The Spiritual Resurrection
Translation:
وَ قَالَ الَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡۤا ءَ اِذَا کُنَّا تُرٰبًا وَّ اٰبَآؤُنَاۤ اَئِنَّا لَمُخۡرَجُوۡنَ ﴿۶۷﴾
27:67 And those who disbelieve say: When we have become dust and our fathers (too), shall we really be brought forth?
لَقَدۡ وُعِدۡنَا ہٰذَا نَحۡنُ وَ اٰبَآؤُنَا مِنۡ قَبۡلُ ۙ اِنۡ ہٰذَاۤ اِلَّاۤ اَسَاطِیۡرُ الۡاَوَّلِیۡنَ ﴿۶۸﴾
27:68 We have certainly been promised this — we and our fathers before; this is nothing but stories of the ancients!
قُلۡ سِیۡرُوۡا فِی الۡاَرۡضِ فَانۡظُرُوۡا کَیۡفَ کَانَ عَاقِبَۃُ الۡمُجۡرِمِیۡنَ ﴿۶۹﴾
27:69 Say: Travel in the earth, then see what was the end of the guilty!
وَ لَا تَحۡزَنۡ عَلَیۡہِمۡ وَ لَا تَکُنۡ فِیۡ ضَیۡقٍ مِّمَّا یَمۡکُرُوۡنَ ﴿۷۰﴾
27:70 And do not grieve for them, nor be distressed because of what they plan.
وَ یَقُوۡلُوۡنَ مَتٰی ہٰذَا الۡوَعۡدُ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ صٰدِقِیۡنَ ﴿۷۱﴾
27:71 And they say: When will this promise come to pass, if you are truthful?
قُلۡ عَسٰۤی اَنۡ یَّکُوۡنَ رَدِفَ لَکُمۡ بَعۡضُ الَّذِیۡ تَسۡتَعۡجِلُوۡنَ ﴿۷۲﴾
27:72 Say: Maybe something of what you seek to hasten has drawn near to you.
وَ اِنَّ رَبَّکَ لَذُوۡ فَضۡلٍ عَلَی النَّاسِ وَ لٰکِنَّ اَکۡثَرَہُمۡ لَا یَشۡکُرُوۡنَ ﴿۷۳﴾
27:73 And surely your Lord is full of grace to people, but most of them do not give thanks.
وَ اِنَّ رَبَّکَ لَیَعۡلَمُ مَا تُکِنُّ صُدُوۡرُہُمۡ وَ مَا یُعۡلِنُوۡنَ ﴿۷۴﴾
27:74 And surely your Lord knows what their hearts conceal and what they manifest.
وَ مَا مِنۡ غَآئِبَۃٍ فِی السَّمَآءِ وَ الۡاَرۡضِ اِلَّا فِیۡ کِتٰبٍ مُّبِیۡنٍ ﴿۷۵﴾
27:75 And there is nothing hidden in the heaven and the earth but it is in a clear book.
اِنَّ ہٰذَا الۡقُرۡاٰنَ یَقُصُّ عَلٰی بَنِیۡۤ اِسۡرَآءِیۡلَ اَکۡثَرَ الَّذِیۡ ہُمۡ فِیۡہِ یَخۡتَلِفُوۡنَ ﴿۷۶﴾
27:76 Surely this Quran declares to the Children of Israel most of what they differ about.
وَ اِنَّہٗ لَہُدًی وَّ رَحۡمَۃٌ لِّلۡمُؤۡمِنِیۡنَ ﴿۷۷﴾
27:77 And surely it is a guidance and a mercy for the believers.
اِنَّ رَبَّکَ یَقۡضِیۡ بَیۡنَہُمۡ بِحُکۡمِہٖ ۚ وَ ہُوَ الۡعَزِیۡزُ الۡعَلِیۡمُ ﴿ۙۚ۷۸﴾
27:78 Truly your Lord will judge between them by His judgment, and He is the Mighty, the Knowing.
فَتَوَکَّلۡ عَلَی اللّٰہِ ؕ اِنَّکَ عَلَی الۡحَقِّ الۡمُبِیۡنِ ﴿۷۹﴾
27:79 So rely on Allah. Surely you are on the plain truth.
اِنَّکَ لَا تُسۡمِعُ الۡمَوۡتٰی وَ لَا تُسۡمِعُ الصُّمَّ الدُّعَآءَ اِذَا وَلَّوۡا مُدۡبِرِیۡنَ ﴿۸۰﴾
27:80 Certainly you cannot make the dead to hear, nor can you make the deaf to hear the call, when they turn back retreating.1
وَ مَاۤ اَنۡتَ بِہٰدِی الۡعُمۡیِ عَنۡ ضَلٰلَتِہِمۡ ؕ اِنۡ تُسۡمِعُ اِلَّا مَنۡ یُّؤۡمِنُ بِاٰیٰتِنَا فَہُمۡ مُّسۡلِمُوۡنَ ﴿۸۱﴾
27:81 Nor can you lead the blind out of their error. You can make none to hear except those who believe in Our messages, so they submit.
وَ اِذَا وَقَعَ الۡقَوۡلُ عَلَیۡہِمۡ اَخۡرَجۡنَا لَہُمۡ دَآبَّۃً مِّنَ الۡاَرۡضِ تُکَلِّمُہُمۡ ۙ اَنَّ النَّاسَ کَانُوۡا بِاٰیٰتِنَا لَا یُوۡقِنُوۡنَ ﴿٪۸۲﴾
27:82 And when the word comes to pass against them, We shall bring forth for them a creature from the earth that will speak to them, because people did not believe in Our messages.2
Commentary:
- This verse is a clear testimony to what is meant by the Prophet’s raising the dead; for here we are told that, if the dead turn back retreating, the Prophet cannot make them hear. Evidently this verse and the opening words of the next speak of the reprobate who shut their eyes and close their ears to all truth. ↩
- By the creature from the earth that will speak to them are evidently meant people who are bent low upon earth. These people are the materialistic nations of the West who have lost all sense of the higher values of life. The coming forth of this creature, the dābbat al-arḍ, is one of the signs of the approach of the Hour according to the Hadith. But the Hour may mean either the day of Judgment or the doom of a people, and this verse gives us an indication that the Hour in this case stands for the doom of a nation; because here it is spoken of as being a punishment for not believing in the Divine messages. ↩