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 4 (Verses 35:27–35:37): The Elect

Translation:

اَلَمۡ تَرَ اَنَّ اللّٰہَ اَنۡزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَآءِ مَآءً ۚ فَاَخۡرَجۡنَا بِہٖ ثَمَرٰتٍ مُّخۡتَلِفًا اَلۡوَانُہَا ؕ وَ مِنَ الۡجِبَالِ جُدَدٌۢ بِیۡضٌ وَّ حُمۡرٌ مُّخۡتَلِفٌ اَلۡوَانُہَا وَ غَرَابِیۡبُ سُوۡدٌ ﴿۲۷﴾

35:27 Do you not see that Allah sends down water from the clouds, then We bring forth with it fruits of various colours? And in the mountains are streaks, white and red, of various colours and (others) intensely black.

وَ مِنَ النَّاسِ وَ الدَّوَآبِّ وَ الۡاَنۡعَامِ مُخۡتَلِفٌ اَلۡوَانُہٗ کَذٰلِکَ ؕ اِنَّمَا یَخۡشَی اللّٰہَ مِنۡ عِبَادِہِ الۡعُلَمٰٓؤُا ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ عَزِیۡزٌ غَفُوۡرٌ ﴿۲۸﴾

35:28 And of mankind and beasts and cattle there are various colours likewise. Those of His servants only who are possessed of knowledge fear Allah. Surely Allah is Mighty, Forgiving.

اِنَّ الَّذِیۡنَ یَتۡلُوۡنَ کِتٰبَ اللّٰہِ وَ اَقَامُوا الصَّلٰوۃَ وَ اَنۡفَقُوۡا مِمَّا رَزَقۡنٰہُمۡ سِرًّا وَّ عَلَانِیَۃً یَّرۡجُوۡنَ تِجَارَۃً لَّنۡ تَبُوۡرَ ﴿ۙ۲۹﴾

35:29 Surely those who recite the Book of Allah and keep up prayer and spend (on good works) out of what We have given them, secretly and openly, hope for a gain which does not perish —

لِیُوَفِّیَہُمۡ اُجُوۡرَہُمۡ وَ یَزِیۡدَہُمۡ مِّنۡ فَضۡلِہٖ ؕ اِنَّہٗ غَفُوۡرٌ شَکُوۡرٌ ﴿۳۰﴾

35:30 that He may pay them back fully their rewards and give them more out of His grace. Surely He is Forgiving, Multiplier of reward.

وَ الَّذِیۡۤ اَوۡحَیۡنَاۤ اِلَیۡکَ مِنَ الۡکِتٰبِ ہُوَ الۡحَقُّ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَیۡنَ یَدَیۡہِ ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ بِعِبَادِہٖ لَخَبِیۡرٌۢ بَصِیۡرٌ ﴿۳۱﴾

35:31 And what We have revealed to you of the Book, that is the truth, verifying what is (already) before it.1 Surely Allah is Aware, Seer of His servants.

ثُمَّ اَوۡرَثۡنَا الۡکِتٰبَ الَّذِیۡنَ اصۡطَفَیۡنَا مِنۡ عِبَادِنَا ۚ فَمِنۡہُمۡ ظَالِمٌ لِّنَفۡسِہٖ ۚ وَ مِنۡہُمۡ مُّقۡتَصِدٌ ۚ وَ مِنۡہُمۡ سَابِقٌۢ بِالۡخَیۡرٰتِ بِاِذۡنِ اللّٰہِ ؕ ذٰلِکَ ہُوَ الۡفَضۡلُ الۡکَبِیۡرُ ﴿ؕ۳۲﴾

35:32 Then We have given the Book as inheritance to those whom We have chosen from among Our servants: so some of them do wrong to themselves, and some of them take a middle course, and some of them are foremost in deeds of goodness by Allah’s permission.2 That is the great grace,

جَنّٰتُ عَدۡنٍ یَّدۡخُلُوۡنَہَا یُحَلَّوۡنَ فِیۡہَا مِنۡ اَسَاوِرَ مِنۡ ذَہَبٍ وَّ لُؤۡلُؤًا ۚ وَ لِبَاسُہُمۡ فِیۡہَا حَرِیۡرٌ ﴿۳۳﴾

35:33 Gardens of perpetuity, which they enter — they are made to wear therein bracelets of gold and pearls, and their dress therein is silk.3

وَ قَالُوا الۡحَمۡدُ لِلّٰہِ الَّذِیۡۤ اَذۡہَبَ عَنَّا الۡحَزَنَ ؕ اِنَّ رَبَّنَا لَغَفُوۡرٌ شَکُوۡرُۨ ﴿ۙ۳۴﴾

35:34 And they say: Praise be to Allah, Who has removed grief from us!4 Surely our Lord is Forgiving, Multiplier of reward,

الَّذِیۡۤ اَحَلَّنَا دَارَ الۡمُقَامَۃِ مِنۡ فَضۡلِہٖ ۚ لَا یَمَسُّنَا فِیۡہَا نَصَبٌ وَّ لَا یَمَسُّنَا فِیۡہَا لُغُوۡبٌ ﴿۳۵﴾

35:35 Who out of His grace has settled us in a house abiding forever; therein toil does not touch us nor does fatigue afflict us therein.5

وَ الَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡا لَہُمۡ نَارُ جَہَنَّمَ ۚ لَا یُقۡضٰی عَلَیۡہِمۡ فَیَمُوۡتُوۡا وَ لَا یُخَفَّفُ عَنۡہُمۡ مِّنۡ عَذَابِہَا ؕ کَذٰلِکَ نَجۡزِیۡ کُلَّ کَفُوۡرٍ ﴿ۚ۳۶﴾

35:36 And those who disbelieve, for them is Fire of hell; it is not finished with them so that they should die, nor is its punishment lightened to them. Thus do We recompense every ungrateful one.

وَ ہُمۡ یَصۡطَرِخُوۡنَ فِیۡہَا ۚ رَبَّنَاۤ اَخۡرِجۡنَا نَعۡمَلۡ صَالِحًا غَیۡرَ الَّذِیۡ کُنَّا نَعۡمَلُ ؕ اَوَ لَمۡ نُعَمِّرۡکُمۡ مَّا یَتَذَکَّرُ فِیۡہِ مَنۡ تَذَکَّرَ وَ جَآءَکُمُ النَّذِیۡرُ ؕ فَذُوۡقُوۡا فَمَا لِلظّٰلِمِیۡنَ مِنۡ نَّصِیۡرٍ ﴿٪۳۷﴾

35:37 And in it they cry for help: Our Lord, take us out! we will do good deeds, not those which we used to do! Did We not give you a life long enough, for him to be mindful who would mind? And the warner came to you. So taste; because for the wrongdoers there is no helper.

Commentary:

  1. Note that as the Quran recognizes that prophets were raised in every nation, so it claims that previous revelation contains prophecies which have been fulfilled in the advent of the Holy Prophet. This is an early Makkan revelation. ↩
  2. After speaking of the revelation of the Quran to the Prophet, we are told that the Holy Book was now being given as an inheritance to a chosen people, i.e., the Muslim community, who are chosen to carry this great message to the whole world. But the chosen people are not all alike. Among them are some who wrong themselves — they do not fulfil Divine commandments. There are others among them who follow a middle course; they are not wrongdoers but they are not very active in the doing of good. There are others still, who are foremost in the doing of good, those who have attained to nearness to God. It is thus made clear that when a community is spoken of as being a chosen community, all mem­bers of it are not alike. It is chosen because of those who are foremost in the doing of good, whose example the others should try to follow. ↩
  3. The promise refers to this life as well as to the next. See 22:23 foot­note. ↩
  4. Here is drawn a true picture of paradise: Who has removed grief from us. This shows that freedom from grief and anxiety is the real bliss of paradise. The repeated promise to the righteous, that they shall have no fear nor shall they grieve, expresses the same truth, and shows that paradise begins in this life. ↩
  5. Note this further description of a spiritual paradise: where toil and fatigue no more afflict a man. It is all peace and satisfaction and the highest bliss. ↩

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