English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)

by Maulana Muhammad Ali

Chapter 32: Al-Sajdah — The Adoration (Revealed at Makkah: 3 sections, 30 verses)

Section 1 (Verses 32:1–32:11): Islam will be Established

Translation:

بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

الٓـمّٓ ۚ﴿۱﴾

32:1 I, Allah, am the Best Knower.1

تَنۡزِیۡلُ الۡکِتٰبِ لَا رَیۡبَ فِیۡہِ مِنۡ رَّبِّ الۡعٰلَمِیۡنَ ؕ﴿۲﴾

32:2 The revelation of the Book, in which there is no doubt, is from the Lord of the worlds.

اَمۡ یَقُوۡلُوۡنَ افۡتَرٰىہُ ۚ بَلۡ ہُوَ الۡحَقُّ مِنۡ رَّبِّکَ لِتُنۡذِرَ قَوۡمًا مَّاۤ اَتٰہُمۡ مِّنۡ نَّذِیۡرٍ مِّنۡ قَبۡلِکَ لَعَلَّہُمۡ یَہۡتَدُوۡنَ ﴿۳﴾

32:3 Or do they say: He has forged it? No, it is the Truth from your Lord that you may warn a people to whom no warner has come before you that they may walk aright.2

اَللّٰہُ الَّذِیۡ خَلَقَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضَ وَ مَا بَیۡنَہُمَا فِیۡ سِتَّۃِ اَیَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسۡتَوٰی عَلَی الۡعَرۡشِ ؕ مَا لَکُمۡ مِّنۡ دُوۡنِہٖ مِنۡ وَّلِیٍّ وَّ لَا شَفِیۡعٍ ؕ اَفَلَا تَتَذَکَّرُوۡنَ ﴿۴﴾

32:4 Allah is He Who created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them in six periods, and He is established on the Throne of Power. You have not besides Him a guardian or an intercessor. Will you not then be mindful?

یُدَبِّرُ الۡاَمۡرَ مِنَ السَّمَآءِ اِلَی الۡاَرۡضِ ثُمَّ یَعۡرُجُ اِلَیۡہِ فِیۡ یَوۡمٍ کَانَ مِقۡدَارُہٗۤ اَلۡفَ سَنَۃٍ مِّمَّا تَعُدُّوۡنَ ﴿۵﴾

32:5 He orders the Affair from the heaven to the earth; then it will ascend to Him in a day the measure of which is a thousand years as you count.3

ذٰلِکَ عٰلِمُ الۡغَیۡبِ وَ الشَّہَادَۃِ الۡعَزِیۡزُ الرَّحِیۡمُ ۙ﴿۶﴾

32:6 Such is the Knower of the unseen and the seen, the Mighty, the Merciful,

الَّذِیۡۤ اَحۡسَنَ کُلَّ شَیۡءٍ خَلَقَہٗ وَ بَدَاَ خَلۡقَ الۡاِنۡسَانِ مِنۡ طِیۡنٍ ۚ﴿۷﴾

32:7 Who made beautiful everything that He created, and He began the creation of man from dust.4

ثُمَّ جَعَلَ نَسۡلَہٗ مِنۡ سُلٰلَۃٍ مِّنۡ مَّآءٍ مَّہِیۡنٍ ۚ﴿۸﴾

32:8 Then He made his progeny of an extract, of worthless seeming water.

ثُمَّ سَوّٰىہُ وَ نَفَخَ فِیۡہِ مِنۡ رُّوۡحِہٖ وَ جَعَلَ لَکُمُ السَّمۡعَ وَ الۡاَبۡصَارَ وَ الۡاَفۡـِٕدَۃَ ؕ قَلِیۡلًا مَّا تَشۡکُرُوۡنَ ﴿۹﴾

32:9 Then He made him complete and breathed into him of His spirit,5 and gave you ears and eyes and hearts; little thanks you give!

وَ قَالُوۡۤا ءَ اِذَا ضَلَلۡنَا فِی الۡاَرۡضِ ءَ اِنَّا لَفِیۡ خَلۡقٍ جَدِیۡدٍ ۬ؕ بَلۡ ہُمۡ بِلِقَآیِٔ رَبِّہِمۡ کٰفِرُوۡنَ ﴿۱۰﴾

32:10 And they say: When we are lost in the earth, shall we then be in a new creation? Indeed, they are disbelievers in the meeting with their Lord.

قُلۡ یَتَوَفّٰىکُمۡ مَّلَکُ الۡمَوۡتِ الَّذِیۡ وُکِّلَ بِکُمۡ ثُمَّ اِلٰی رَبِّکُمۡ تُرۡجَعُوۡنَ ﴿٪۱۱﴾

32:11 Say: The angel of death, who is given charge of you, will cause you to die, then to your Lord you will be returned.

Commentary:

  1. For explanation, see 2:1 footnote. ↩
  2. Makkah had not seen a prophet before the advent of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, who was the only Prophet raised among the descendants of Ishmael. ↩
  3. Al-Amr or the Affair is the Affair of Islam, and its ordering or regula­tion from heaven to earth means that it comes from heaven and will be established firmly on earth. Then we are told that it will ascend to God in a day, the measure of which is a thousand years according to human reckoning, which means that it will receive a set-back for a thousand years. As regards the period of its firmness, we are told by the Holy Prophet Muhammad that it will retain its purity for three centuries: “The best of the generations is my generation, then those who follow them, then those who follow them, then after them will come people who will pride themselves in abundance of wealth and love plumpness” (Tirmidhi, 31:39). That there is a prophecy here is shown by the next verse, which says, Such is the Knower of the unseen and the seen. This prophecy was made known at a time when there was not the least indication that Islam would be established in the earth. At that time the Prophet was told that Islam would be firmly established at first. That the cause would go on advancing for three centuries is made clear by the Prophet’s saying. After that the cause of Islam would be chequered and it would have its set-backs, which would continue for a thousand years. The limita­tion of the period of chequering shows clearly that, after that, the advance­ment of Islam will again be unhampered. ↩
  4. See 23:12–14, where the various stages through which man passes in his creation are spoken of in detail. The wonderful beauty of creation from the atom to the most brilliant star in the realm of matter, and from the smallest ant to the most developed form of life in man, could not have been known to an Arabian of the 7th century who could neither read nor write, yet he sees, as stated here, that everything that was created was beautiful. This beauty in creation undoubtedly emanated from the same Source, from the Great Creator Who, according to the Quran, has the “most beautiful names” (17:110, 20:8, 59:24). ↩
  5. This verse shows that the spirit of God is breathed into every human being. This points to a mystical relation between human nature and Divine nature. It is due to this spirit Divine that he rules the creation and it is due to the same Divine spirit in him that he receives a new life after death — a life in which he lives in God and with God — the meeting with God or liqā Allāh, as it is called in v. 10. ↩

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