English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)
by Maulana Muhammad Ali
Chapter 31: Luqman — Luqman (Revealed at Makkah: 4 sections, 34 verses)
Section 3 (Verses 31:20–31:30): Greatness of Divine Power
Translation:
اَلَمۡ تَرَوۡا اَنَّ اللّٰہَ سَخَّرَ لَکُمۡ مَّا فِی السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ مَا فِی الۡاَرۡضِ وَ اَسۡبَغَ عَلَیۡکُمۡ نِعَمَہٗ ظَاہِرَۃً وَّ بَاطِنَۃً ؕ وَ مِنَ النَّاسِ مَنۡ یُّجَادِلُ فِی اللّٰہِ بِغَیۡرِ عِلۡمٍ وَّ لَا ہُدًی وَّ لَا کِتٰبٍ مُّنِیۡرٍ ﴿۲۰﴾
31:20 Do you not see that Allah has made subservient to you whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth, and granted to you His favours complete outwardly and inwardly? And some people dispute about Allah without knowledge or guidance or a Book giving light.1
وَ اِذَا قِیۡلَ لَہُمُ اتَّبِعُوۡا مَاۤ اَنۡزَلَ اللّٰہُ قَالُوۡا بَلۡ نَتَّبِعُ مَا وَجَدۡنَا عَلَیۡہِ اٰبَآءَنَا ؕ اَوَ لَوۡ کَانَ الشَّیۡطٰنُ یَدۡعُوۡہُمۡ اِلٰی عَذَابِ السَّعِیۡرِ ﴿۲۱﴾
31:21 And when it is said to them, Follow what Allah has revealed, they say: No, we follow that (path) upon which we found our fathers. What! Though the devil calls them to the punishment of the burning Fire!
وَ مَنۡ یُّسۡلِمۡ وَجۡہَہٗۤ اِلَی اللّٰہِ وَ ہُوَ مُحۡسِنٌ فَقَدِ اسۡتَمۡسَکَ بِالۡعُرۡوَۃِ الۡوُثۡقٰی ؕ وَ اِلَی اللّٰہِ عَاقِبَۃُ الۡاُمُوۡرِ ﴿۲۲﴾
31:22 And whoever submits himself to Allah and does good (to others), he indeed takes hold of the firmest handle. And Allah’s is the end of (all) matters.
وَ مَنۡ کَفَرَ فَلَا یَحۡزُنۡکَ کُفۡرُہٗ ؕ اِلَیۡنَا مَرۡجِعُہُمۡ فَنُنَبِّئُہُمۡ بِمَا عَمِلُوۡا ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ عَلِیۡمٌۢ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُوۡرِ ﴿۲۳﴾
31:23 And whoever disbelieves, do not let his disbelief grieve you. To Us is their return, then We shall inform them of what they did. Surely Allah is Knower of what they did. Surely Allah is Knower of what is in the hearts.
نُمَتِّعُہُمۡ قَلِیۡلًا ثُمَّ نَضۡطَرُّہُمۡ اِلٰی عَذَابٍ غَلِیۡظٍ ﴿۲۴﴾
31:24 We give them to enjoy a little, then We shall drive them to a severe punishment.
وَ لَئِنۡ سَاَلۡتَہُمۡ مَّنۡ خَلَقَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضَ لَیَقُوۡلُنَّ اللّٰہُ ؕ قُلِ الۡحَمۡدُ لِلّٰہِ ؕ بَلۡ اَکۡثَرُہُمۡ لَا یَعۡلَمُوۡنَ ﴿۲۵﴾
31:25 And if you ask them who created the heavens and the earth, they will say: Allah. Say: Praise be to Allah! But most of them do not know.
لِلّٰہِ مَا فِی السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضِ ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ ہُوَ الۡغَنِیُّ الۡحَمِیۡدُ ﴿۲۶﴾
31:26 To Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth. Surely Allah is the Self-Sufficient, the Praised.
وَ لَوۡ اَنَّ مَا فِی الۡاَرۡضِ مِنۡ شَجَرَۃٍ اَقۡلَامٌ وَّ الۡبَحۡرُ یَمُدُّہٗ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِہٖ سَبۡعَۃُ اَبۡحُرٍ مَّا نَفِدَتۡ کَلِمٰتُ اللّٰہِ ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ عَزِیۡزٌ حَکِیۡمٌ ﴿۲۷﴾
31:27 And if all the trees in the earth were pens, and the sea with seven more seas added to it (were ink), the words of Allah would not be exhausted. Surely Allah is Mighty, Wise.2
مَا خَلۡقُکُمۡ وَ لَا بَعۡثُکُمۡ اِلَّا کَنَفۡسٍ وَّاحِدَۃٍ ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ سَمِیۡعٌۢ بَصِیۡرٌ ﴿۲۸﴾
31:28 Your creation or your raising is only like a single soul. Surely Allah is Hearing, Seeing.
اَلَمۡ تَرَ اَنَّ اللّٰہَ یُوۡلِجُ الَّیۡلَ فِی النَّہَارِ وَ یُوۡلِجُ النَّہَارَ فِی الَّیۡلِ وَ سَخَّرَ الشَّمۡسَ وَ الۡقَمَرَ ۫ کُلٌّ یَّجۡرِیۡۤ اِلٰۤی اَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّی وَّ اَنَّ اللّٰہَ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ خَبِیۡرٌ ﴿۲۹﴾
31:29 Do you not see that Allah makes the night to pass into the day, and He makes the day to pass into the night, and He has made the sun and the moon subservient (to you) — each pursues its course till an appointed time — and that Allah is Aware of what you do?
ذٰلِکَ بِاَنَّ اللّٰہَ ہُوَ الۡحَقُّ وَ اَنَّ مَا یَدۡعُوۡنَ مِنۡ دُوۡنِہِ الۡبَاطِلُ ۙ وَ اَنَّ اللّٰہَ ہُوَ الۡعَلِیُّ الۡکَبِیۡرُ ﴿٪۳۰﴾
31:30 This is because Allah is the Truth, and what they call upon besides Him is falsehood, and that Allah is the High, the Great.
Commentary:
- The words are meant as well for Muslims. So long as they adhered to the Book giving light they continued to advance in the world, and they will again lead the world when they place the Book giving light in the forefront. ↩
- It is noteworthy that a man who himself could not use the pen and who lived in a country where pen and ink were scarce, expresses such an idea of the abundance of pens and ink. While containing a prophetic allusion to the abundant use of pen and ink in the world, the words are expressive of the unimaginable vastness of the Creation of God, for everything created is a word of God in the sense that it is created by Divine commandment. ↩