English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)
by Maulana Muhammad Ali
Chapter 30: Ar-Rum — The Romans (Revealed at Makkah: 6 sections, 60 verses)
Section 5 (Verses 30:41–30:53): A Transformation
Translation:
ظَہَرَ الۡفَسَادُ فِی الۡبَرِّ وَ الۡبَحۡرِ بِمَا کَسَبَتۡ اَیۡدِی النَّاسِ لِیُذِیۡقَہُمۡ بَعۡضَ الَّذِیۡ عَمِلُوۡا لَعَلَّہُمۡ یَرۡجِعُوۡنَ ﴿۴۱﴾
30:41 Corruption has appeared in the land and the sea on account of what man’s hands have earned, that He may make them taste (the consequences of) some of what they have done, so that they may turn back.1
قُلۡ سِیۡرُوۡا فِی الۡاَرۡضِ فَانۡظُرُوۡا کَیۡفَ کَانَ عَاقِبَۃُ الَّذِیۡنَ مِنۡ قَبۡلُ ؕ کَانَ اَکۡثَرُہُمۡ مُّشۡرِکِیۡنَ ﴿۴۲﴾
30:42 Say: Travel in the earth, then see what was the end of those before! Most of them set up partners (with Allah).
فَاَقِمۡ وَجۡہَکَ لِلدِّیۡنِ الۡقَیِّمِ مِنۡ قَبۡلِ اَنۡ یَّاۡتِیَ یَوۡمٌ لَّا مَرَدَّ لَہٗ مِنَ اللّٰہِ یَوۡمَئِذٍ یَّصَّدَّعُوۡنَ ﴿۴۳﴾
30:43 Then set yourself to the right religion before the day comes from Allah which cannot be averted: on that day they will be separated.
مَنۡ کَفَرَ فَعَلَیۡہِ کُفۡرُہٗ ۚ وَ مَنۡ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَلِاَنۡفُسِہِمۡ یَمۡہَدُوۡنَ ﴿ۙ۴۴﴾
30:44 Whoever disbelieves will be responsible for his disbelief; and whoever does good, such prepare (good) for their own souls,
لِیَجۡزِیَ الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَ عَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ مِنۡ فَضۡلِہٖ ؕ اِنَّہٗ لَا یُحِبُّ الۡکٰفِرِیۡنَ ﴿۴۵﴾
30:45 that He may reward out of His grace those who believe and do good. Surely He does not love the disbelievers.
وَ مِنۡ اٰیٰتِہٖۤ اَنۡ یُّرۡسِلَ الرِّیَاحَ مُبَشِّرٰتٍ وَّ لِیُذِیۡقَکُمۡ مِّنۡ رَّحۡمَتِہٖ وَ لِتَجۡرِیَ الۡفُلۡکُ بِاَمۡرِہٖ وَ لِتَبۡتَغُوۡا مِنۡ فَضۡلِہٖ وَ لَعَلَّکُمۡ تَشۡکُرُوۡنَ ﴿۴۶﴾
30:46 And of His signs is this, that He sends forth the winds bearing good news, and that He may make you taste of His mercy, and that the ships may glide by His command, and that you may seek of His grace, and that you may be grateful.2
وَ لَقَدۡ اَرۡسَلۡنَا مِنۡ قَبۡلِکَ رُسُلًا اِلٰی قَوۡمِہِمۡ فَجَآءُوۡہُمۡ بِالۡبَیِّنٰتِ فَانۡتَقَمۡنَا مِنَ الَّذِیۡنَ اَجۡرَمُوۡا ؕ وَ کَانَ حَقًّا عَلَیۡنَا نَصۡرُ الۡمُؤۡمِنِیۡنَ ﴿۴۷﴾
30:47 And certainly We sent before you messengers to their people, so they came to them with clear arguments, then We punished those who were guilty. And to help believers is ever incumbent on Us.
اَللّٰہُ الَّذِیۡ یُرۡسِلُ الرِّیٰحَ فَتُثِیۡرُ سَحَابًا فَیَبۡسُطُہٗ فِی السَّمَآءِ کَیۡفَ یَشَآءُ وَ یَجۡعَلُہٗ کِسَفًا فَتَرَی الۡوَدۡقَ یَخۡرُجُ مِنۡ خِلٰلِہٖ ۚ فَاِذَاۤ اَصَابَ بِہٖ مَنۡ یَّشَآءُ مِنۡ عِبَادِہٖۤ اِذَا ہُمۡ یَسۡتَبۡشِرُوۡنَ ﴿ۚ۴۸﴾
30:48 Allah is He Who sends forth the winds, so they raise a cloud, then He spreads it forth in the sky as He pleases, and He breaks it, so that you see the rain coming forth from inside it; then when He causes it to fall upon whom He pleases of His servants, lo! they rejoice —
وَ اِنۡ کَانُوۡا مِنۡ قَبۡلِ اَنۡ یُّنَزَّلَ عَلَیۡہِمۡ مِّنۡ قَبۡلِہٖ لَمُبۡلِسِیۡنَ ﴿۴۹﴾
30:49 though they were before this, before it was sent down upon them, in sure despair.
فَانۡظُرۡ اِلٰۤی اٰثٰرِ رَحۡمَتِ اللّٰہِ کَیۡفَ یُحۡیِ الۡاَرۡضَ بَعۡدَ مَوۡتِہَا ؕ اِنَّ ذٰلِکَ لَمُحۡیِ الۡمَوۡتٰی ۚ وَ ہُوَ عَلٰی کُلِّ شَیۡءٍ قَدِیۡرٌ ﴿۵۰﴾
30:50 Look then at the signs of Allah’s mercy, how He gives life to the earth after its death. Surely He is the Giver of life to the dead; and He is Powerful over all things.
وَ لَئِنۡ اَرۡسَلۡنَا رِیۡحًا فَرَاَوۡہُ مُصۡفَرًّا لَّظَلُّوۡا مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِہٖ یَکۡفُرُوۡنَ ﴿۵۱﴾
30:51 And if We send a wind and they see it yellow, they would after that certainly continue to disbelieve.3
فَاِنَّکَ لَا تُسۡمِعُ الۡمَوۡتٰی وَ لَا تُسۡمِعُ الصُّمَّ الدُّعَآءَ اِذَا وَلَّوۡا مُدۡبِرِیۡنَ ﴿۵۲﴾
30:52 So surely you cannot make the dead to hear, nor can you make the deaf to hear the call, when they turn back retreating.
وَ مَاۤ اَنۡتَ بِہٰدِ الۡعُمۡیِ عَنۡ ضَلٰلَتِہِمۡ ؕ اِنۡ تُسۡمِعُ اِلَّا مَنۡ یُّؤۡمِنُ بِاٰیٰتِنَا فَہُمۡ مُّسۡلِمُوۡنَ ﴿٪۵۳﴾
30:53 Nor can you guide the blind out of their error. You can make none to hear but those who believe in Our messages, so they submit.
Commentary:
- History bears evidence to the truth of these words. Before the advent of the Holy Prophet corruption and darkness prevailed in all countries of the world, affecting the beliefs of people as well as their deeds. Religions had long ceased to have any healthy effect on the lives of their votaries, and their followers had not only ceased to practise virtue, but, worst of all, they had begun to look upon vice as virtue, and many of them attributed indecent and immoral practices to their sages and their gods. Such widespread corruption had never previously existed in the world’s history. J.H. Denison writes in Emotion as the Basis of Civilization: “In the fifth and sixth centuries, the civilized world stood on the verge of chaos. The old emotional cultures that had made civilization possible … had broken down, and nothing had been found adequate to take their place.… It seemed then that the great civilization which it had taken four thousand years to construct was on the verge of disintegration, and that mankind was likely to return to that condition of barbarism where every tribe and sect was against the next and law and order were unknown.… Civilization like a gigantic tree whose foliage had over-reached the world … stood tottering … rotting to the core” (pp. 265–268). And then adds, speaking of Arabia: “It was among these people that the man was born who was to unite the whole known world of the east and south” (p. 269). With the light of Islam, and through the torch of knowledge and civilization lit in Arabia, a new era dawned not only over Arabia, but also over other countries. Europe remained the longest in darkness, and it was only after the torch of knowledge had been lighted in Spain by Muslims that both the Renaissance and the Reformation came. ↩
- The verse calls attention to the change that was already coming over the peninsula; this was a clear indication of the mighty transformation that was ultimately to be brought about. ↩
- It, in this verse, refers to the seed-produce, which is meant by the expression “gives life to the earth” in the previous verse; the meaning is, the seed-produce may be rendered yellow or caused to wither away by a blast of the wind. The allusion is to the disasters which would strike a blow at the disbelievers’ plans. It also refers to their persistence in disbelief, in spite of the afflictions which they experience. ↩