English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)
by Maulana Muhammad Ali
Chapter 35: Al-Fatir — The Originator (Revealed at Makkah: 5 sections, 45 verses)
Section 1 (Verses 35:1–35:7): Divine Favours
Translation:
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
اَلۡحَمۡدُ لِلّٰہِ فَاطِرِ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضِ جَاعِلِ الۡمَلٰٓئِکَۃِ رُسُلًا اُولِیۡۤ اَجۡنِحَۃٍ مَّثۡنٰی وَ ثُلٰثَ وَ رُبٰعَ ؕ یَزِیۡدُ فِی الۡخَلۡقِ مَا یَشَآءُ ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ عَلٰی کُلِّ شَیۡءٍ قَدِیۡرٌ ﴿۱﴾
35:1 Praise be to Allah, the Originator of the heavens and the earth,1 the Maker of the angels, messengers flying on wings, two, and three, and four.2 He increases in creation what He pleases. Surely Allah is Powerful over all things.3
مَا یَفۡتَحِ اللّٰہُ لِلنَّاسِ مِنۡ رَّحۡمَۃٍ فَلَا مُمۡسِکَ لَہَا ۚ وَ مَا یُمۡسِکۡ ۙ فَلَا مُرۡسِلَ لَہٗ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِہٖ ؕ وَ ہُوَ الۡعَزِیۡزُ الۡحَکِیۡمُ ﴿۲﴾
35:2 Whatever Allah grants to people of (His) mercy, there is none to withhold it, and what He withholds, none can grant thereafter. And He is the Mighty, the Wise.
یٰۤاَیُّہَا النَّاسُ اذۡکُرُوۡا نِعۡمَتَ اللّٰہِ عَلَیۡکُمۡ ؕ ہَلۡ مِنۡ خَالِقٍ غَیۡرُ اللّٰہِ یَرۡزُقُکُمۡ مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ وَ الۡاَرۡضِ ؕ لَاۤ اِلٰہَ اِلَّا ہُوَ ۫ۖ فَاَنّٰی تُؤۡفَکُوۡنَ ﴿۳﴾
35:3 O people, call to mind the favour of Allah to you. Is there any Creator besides Allah who provides for you from the heaven and the earth? There is no God but He. How are you then turned away (from truth)!
وَ اِنۡ یُّکَذِّبُوۡکَ فَقَدۡ کُذِّبَتۡ رُسُلٌ مِّنۡ قَبۡلِکَ ؕ وَ اِلَی اللّٰہِ تُرۡجَعُ الۡاُمُوۡرُ ﴿۴﴾
35:4 And if they reject you — truly messengers before you were rejected. And to Allah are all affairs returned.
یٰۤاَیُّہَا النَّاسُ اِنَّ وَعۡدَ اللّٰہِ حَقٌّ فَلَا تَغُرَّنَّکُمُ الۡحَیٰوۃُ الدُّنۡیَا ٝ وَ لَا یَغُرَّنَّکُمۡ بِاللّٰہِ الۡغَرُوۡرُ ﴿۵﴾
35:5 O people, surely the promise of Allah is true, so do not let the life of this world deceive you. And do not let the arch-deceiver deceive you about Allah.
اِنَّ الشَّیۡطٰنَ لَکُمۡ عَدُوٌّ فَاتَّخِذُوۡہُ عَدُوًّا ؕ اِنَّمَا یَدۡعُوۡا حِزۡبَہٗ لِیَکُوۡنُوۡا مِنۡ اَصۡحٰبِ السَّعِیۡرِ ؕ﴿۶﴾
35:6 Surely the devil is your enemy, so take him for an enemy. He only invites his followers to be companions of the burning Fire.
اَلَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡا لَہُمۡ عَذَابٌ شَدِیۡدٌ ۬ؕ وَ الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَ عَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ لَہُمۡ مَّغۡفِرَۃٌ وَّ اَجۡرٌ کَبِیۡرٌ ﴿٪۷﴾
35:7 Those who disbelieve, for them is a severe punishment. And those who believe and do good, for them is forgiveness and a great reward.
Commentary:
- God is here mentioned by his name Fāṭir, which means one who splits, and also who originates or brings a thing into existence for the first time. There may be reference to the creation of primeval matter in the original significance of cleaving or splitting. From the same root is the word fiṭrah, which means nature or original quality in which all human beings are said to have been made — “the nature made by Allah in which He has created mankind” (30:30). So there may be reference to this fiṭrah in the use of the word Fāṭir, as the fiṭrah or nature of man has a close relation with the Fāṭir or the Maker of that fiṭrah. ↩
- The janāḥ or wing of an angel by no means indicates the fore-limbs of a bird, which fit it for flight. It is a symbol of power enabling these immaterial beings to execute their functions, and in Arabic the word janāḥ stands for power. Angels are here spoken of as having two, three or four wings. There may be a reference here to the rak‘ahs of prayer which are two, three or four in number in various prayers. In prayer man holds communion with God and is raised to spiritual eminence; he, as it were, flies to God, is on his wings, and the angels are the agents which make him fly to God, their wings thus standing for the rak‘ahs of prayer. ↩
- The increase in creation may refer in a general sense to the new creation which is going on momentarily in this universe, or there may be a reference here to the increase in the number of the elect which was to be brought about through the Prophet. Or still again, the meaning may be that the power of angels is not limited to two, three or four wings, for there are angels of mighty power like Gabriel, who is spoken of as having six hundred wings. ↩