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 4 (Verses 31:31–31:34): The Doom Comes

Translation:

اَلَمۡ تَرَ اَنَّ الۡفُلۡکَ تَجۡرِیۡ فِی الۡبَحۡرِ بِنِعۡمَتِ اللّٰہِ لِیُرِیَکُمۡ مِّنۡ اٰیٰتِہٖ ؕ اِنَّ فِیۡ ذٰلِکَ لَاٰیٰتٍ لِّکُلِّ صَبَّارٍ شَکُوۡرٍ ﴿۳۱﴾

31:31 Do you not see that the ships glide on the sea by Allah’s grace, that He may show you of His signs? Surely there are signs in this for every patient, grateful one.1

وَ اِذَا غَشِیَہُمۡ مَّوۡجٌ کَالظُّلَلِ دَعَوُا اللّٰہَ مُخۡلِصِیۡنَ لَہُ الدِّیۡنَ ۬ۚ فَلَمَّا نَجّٰہُمۡ اِلَی الۡبَرِّ فَمِنۡہُمۡ مُّقۡتَصِدٌ ؕ وَ مَا یَجۡحَدُ بِاٰیٰتِنَاۤ اِلَّا کُلُّ خَتَّارٍ کَفُوۡرٍ ﴿۳۲﴾

31:32 And when a wave like awnings covers them, they call upon Allah, being sincere to Him in obedience. But when He brings them safe to land, some of them follow the middle course. And none denies Our signs but every perfidious, ungrateful one.

یٰۤاَیُّہَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوۡا رَبَّکُمۡ وَ اخۡشَوۡا یَوۡمًا لَّا یَجۡزِیۡ وَالِدٌ عَنۡ وَّلَدِہٖ ۫ وَ لَا مَوۡلُوۡدٌ ہُوَ جَازٍ عَنۡ وَّالِدِہٖ شَیۡئًا ؕ اِنَّ وَعۡدَ اللّٰہِ حَقٌّ فَلَا تَغُرَّنَّکُمُ الۡحَیٰوۃُ الدُّنۡیَا ٝ وَ لَا یَغُرَّنَّکُمۡ بِاللّٰہِ الۡغَرُوۡرُ ﴿۳۳﴾

31:33 O people, keep your duty to your Lord and dread the day when no father can avail his son in the least, nor will the child avail his father. Surely the promise of Allah is true, so do not let this world’s life deceive you, nor let the arch-deceiver deceive you about Allah.2

اِنَّ اللّٰہَ عِنۡدَہٗ عِلۡمُ السَّاعَۃِ ۚ وَ یُنَزِّلُ الۡغَیۡثَ ۚ وَ یَعۡلَمُ مَا فِی الۡاَرۡحَامِ ؕ وَ مَا تَدۡرِیۡ نَفۡسٌ مَّاذَا تَکۡسِبُ غَدًا ؕ وَ مَا تَدۡرِیۡ نَفۡسٌۢ بِاَیِّ اَرۡضٍ تَمُوۡتُ ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ عَلِیۡمٌ خَبِیۡرٌ ﴿٪۳۴﴾

31:34 Surely Allah is He with Whom is the knowledge of the Hour, and He sends down the rain, and He knows what is in the wombs. And no one knows what he will earn tomorrow. And no one knows in what land he will die.3 Surely Allah is Knowing, Aware.

Commentary:

  1. The signs for the patient, grateful one no doubt contain a hint to the suffering but grateful Muslims, and to their being made a great nation. ↩
  2. Gharūr, which literally means the great deceiver, stands for the devil. ↩
  3. By the Hour is meant the hour of the fulfilment of prophecy and of the downfall of the opponents, as well as the Resurrection. The wonderful dis­closure of knowledge relating to the future could not be made by a mere mortal, who cannot foretell the ordinary events of life happening before his eyes day and night. But there may also be a deeper reference to the transformation that was to be brought about in Arabia: the sending down of rain signifying the quickening of the spiritually dead; those that were in the wombs were ordained to be Muslims; the opponents of today would prove the supporters of tomorrow; and those who turned the Muslims out of their houses would themselves meet death, when away from their habitations, even as they did when they attacked Madinah to crush the Muslims. ↩

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