English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)
by Maulana Muhammad Ali
Chapter 33: Al-Ahzab — The Allies (Revealed at Makkah: 9 sections, 73 verses)
Section 8 (Verses 33:59–33:68): Those who Spread Evil Reports
Translation:
یٰۤاَیُّہَا النَّبِیُّ قُلۡ لِّاَزۡوَاجِکَ وَ بَنٰتِکَ وَ نِسَآءِ الۡمُؤۡمِنِیۡنَ یُدۡنِیۡنَ عَلَیۡہِنَّ مِنۡ جَلَابِیۡبِہِنَّ ؕ ذٰلِکَ اَدۡنٰۤی اَنۡ یُّعۡرَفۡنَ فَلَا یُؤۡذَیۡنَ ؕ وَ کَانَ اللّٰہُ غَفُوۡرًا رَّحِیۡمًا ﴿۵۹﴾
33:59 O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of believers to let down upon them their over-garments. This is more proper, so that they may be known, and not be given trouble. And Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.1
لَئِنۡ لَّمۡ یَنۡتَہِ الۡمُنٰفِقُوۡنَ وَ الَّذِیۡنَ فِیۡ قُلُوۡبِہِمۡ مَّرَضٌ وَّ الۡمُرۡجِفُوۡنَ فِی الۡمَدِیۡنَۃِ لَنُغۡرِیَنَّکَ بِہِمۡ ثُمَّ لَا یُجَاوِرُوۡنَکَ فِیۡہَاۤ اِلَّا قَلِیۡلًا ﴿ۖۛۚ۶۰﴾
33:60 If the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is a disease and the agitators in Madinah do not stop, We shall certainly urge you on against them, then they shall not be your neighbours in it but for a little while —
مَّلۡعُوۡنِیۡنَ ۚۛ اَیۡنَمَا ثُقِفُوۡۤا اُخِذُوۡا وَ قُتِّلُوۡا تَقۡتِیۡلًا ﴿۶۱﴾
33:61 accursed, wherever they are found they will be seized and killed.
سُنَّۃَ اللّٰہِ فِی الَّذِیۡنَ خَلَوۡا مِنۡ قَبۡلُ ۚ وَ لَنۡ تَجِدَ لِسُنَّۃِ اللّٰہِ تَبۡدِیۡلًا ﴿۶۲﴾
33:62 That was the way of Allah concerning those who have gone before; and you will find no change in the way of Allah.
یَسۡـَٔلُکَ النَّاسُ عَنِ السَّاعَۃِ ؕ قُلۡ اِنَّمَا عِلۡمُہَا عِنۡدَ اللّٰہِ ؕ وَ مَا یُدۡرِیۡکَ لَعَلَّ السَّاعَۃَ تَکُوۡنُ قَرِیۡبًا ﴿۶۳﴾
33:63 People ask you about the Hour. Say: The knowledge of it is only with Allah. And what will make you comprehend that the Hour may be near?2
اِنَّ اللّٰہَ لَعَنَ الۡکٰفِرِیۡنَ وَ اَعَدَّ لَہُمۡ سَعِیۡرًا ﴿ۙ۶۴﴾
33:64 Surely Allah has cursed the disbelievers and prepared for them a burning Fire,
خٰلِدِیۡنَ فِیۡہَاۤ اَبَدًا ۚ لَا یَجِدُوۡنَ وَلِیًّا وَّ لَا نَصِیۡرًا ﴿ۚ۶۵﴾
33:65 to abide in it for a long time; they will find no protector nor helper.
یَوۡمَ تُقَلَّبُ وُجُوۡہُہُمۡ فِی النَّارِ یَقُوۡلُوۡنَ یٰلَیۡتَنَاۤ اَطَعۡنَا اللّٰہَ وَ اَطَعۡنَا الرَّسُوۡلَا ﴿۶۶﴾
33:66 On the day when their leaders are turned back into the Fire, they say: If only we had obeyed Allah and obeyed the Messenger!
وَ قَالُوۡا رَبَّنَاۤ اِنَّاۤ اَطَعۡنَا سَادَتَنَا وَ کُبَرَآءَنَا فَاَضَلُّوۡنَا السَّبِیۡلَا ﴿۶۷﴾
33:67 And they say: Our Lord, we only obeyed our leaders and our great men, so they led us astray from the path.
رَبَّنَاۤ اٰتِہِمۡ ضِعۡفَیۡنِ مِنَ الۡعَذَابِ وَ الۡعَنۡہُمۡ لَعۡنًا کَبِیۡرًا ﴿٪۶۸﴾
33:68 Our Lord, give them a double punishment and curse them with a great curse.
Commentary:
- The injunction to wear an over-garment is here given with the object that women may not be annoyed and followed by men inclined to evil, who would come to know by this mark of distinction that these were pure and chaste women who would not tolerate insult or ill-treatment. ↩
- By the Hour is meant the hour of their doom, as prophesied in the previous verses. ↩