English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)

by Maulana Muhammad Ali

Chapter 38: Sad — Sad (Revealed at Makkah: 5 sections, 88 verses)

Section 5 (Verses 38:65–38:88): Opposition to Prophets

Translation:

قُلۡ اِنَّمَاۤ اَنَا مُنۡذِرٌ ٭ۖ وَّ مَا مِنۡ اِلٰہٍ اِلَّا اللّٰہُ الۡوَاحِدُ الۡقَہَّارُ ﴿ۚ۶۵﴾

38:65 Say: I am only a warner; and there is no god but Allah, the One, the Subduer (of all) —

رَبُّ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضِ وَ مَا بَیۡنَہُمَا الۡعَزِیۡزُ الۡغَفَّارُ ﴿۶۶﴾

38:66 the Lord of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them, the Mighty, the Forgiving.

قُلۡ ہُوَ نَبَؤٌا عَظِیۡمٌ ﴿ۙ۶۷﴾

38:67 Say: It is a message of importance,¹

اَنۡتُمۡ عَنۡہُ مُعۡرِضُوۡنَ ﴿۶۸﴾

38:68 from which you turn away.

مَا کَانَ لِیَ مِنۡ عِلۡمٍۭ بِالۡمَلَاِ الۡاَعۡلٰۤی اِذۡ یَخۡتَصِمُوۡنَ ﴿۶۹﴾

38:69 I have no knowledge of the exalted chiefs when they contend.²

اِنۡ یُّوۡحٰۤی اِلَیَّ اِلَّاۤ اَنَّمَاۤ اَنَا نَذِیۡرٌ مُّبِیۡنٌ ﴿۷۰﴾

38:70 Only this is revealed to me that I am a plain warner.

اِذۡ قَالَ رَبُّکَ لِلۡمَلٰٓئِکَۃِ اِنِّیۡ خَالِقٌۢ بَشَرًا مِّنۡ طِیۡنٍ ﴿۷۱﴾

38:71 When your Lord said to the angels: Surely I am going to create a mortal from dust.³

فَاِذَا سَوَّیۡتُہٗ وَ نَفَخۡتُ فِیۡہِ مِنۡ رُّوۡحِیۡ فَقَعُوۡا لَہٗ سٰجِدِیۡنَ ﴿۷۲﴾

38:72 So when I have made him complete and breathed into him of My spirit, fall down submitting to him.

فَسَجَدَ الۡمَلٰٓئِکَۃُ کُلُّہُمۡ اَجۡمَعُوۡنَ ﴿ۙ۷۳﴾

38:73 And the angels submitted, all of them,

اِلَّاۤ اِبۡلِیۡسَ ؕ اِسۡتَکۡبَرَ وَ کَانَ مِنَ الۡکٰفِرِیۡنَ ﴿۷۴﴾

38:74 but not Iblīs.⁴ He was proud and he was one of the disbelievers.

قَالَ یٰۤاِبۡلِیۡسُ مَا مَنَعَکَ اَنۡ تَسۡجُدَ لِمَا خَلَقۡتُ بِیَدَیَّ ؕ اَسۡتَکۡبَرۡتَ اَمۡ کُنۡتَ مِنَ الۡعَالِیۡنَ ﴿۷۵﴾

38:75 He said: O Iblīs, what prevented you from submitting to him whom I created with both My hands? Are you proud or are you one of the exalted ones?

قَالَ اَنَا خَیۡرٌ مِّنۡہُ ؕ خَلَقۡتَنِیۡ مِنۡ نَّارٍ وَّ خَلَقۡتَہٗ مِنۡ طِیۡنٍ ﴿۷۶﴾

38:76 He said: I am better than he; You have created me of fire, and him You did create of dust.⁵

قَالَ فَاخۡرُجۡ مِنۡہَا فَاِنَّکَ رَجِیۡمٌ ﴿ۚۖ۷۷﴾

38:77 He said: Go forth from here! surely you are driven away:

وَّ اِنَّ عَلَیۡکَ لَعۡنَتِیۡۤ اِلٰی یَوۡمِ الدِّیۡنِ ﴿۷۸﴾

38:78 and surely My curse is on you to the day of Judgment.

قَالَ رَبِّ فَاَنۡظِرۡنِیۡۤ اِلٰی یَوۡمِ یُبۡعَثُوۡنَ ﴿۷۹﴾

38:79 He said: My Lord, grant me respite till the day when they are raised.⁶

قَالَ فَاِنَّکَ مِنَ الۡمُنۡظَرِیۡنَ ﴿ۙ۸۰﴾

38:80 He said: Surely you are granted respite,

اِلٰی یَوۡمِ الۡوَقۡتِ الۡمَعۡلُوۡمِ ﴿۸۱﴾

38:81 till the day of the time made known.

قَالَ فَبِعِزَّتِکَ لَاُغۡوِیَنَّہُمۡ اَجۡمَعِیۡنَ ﴿ۙ۸۲﴾

38:82 He said: Then, by Your Might! I will surely lead them all astray,

اِلَّا عِبَادَکَ مِنۡہُمُ الۡمُخۡلَصِیۡنَ ﴿۸۳﴾

38:83 except Your servants from among them, the purified ones.

قَالَ فَالۡحَقُّ ۫ وَ الۡحَقَّ اَقُوۡلُ ﴿ۚ۸۴﴾

38:84 He said: The Truth is — and the truth I speak —

لَاَمۡلَـَٔنَّ جَہَنَّمَ مِنۡکَ وَ مِمَّنۡ تَبِعَکَ مِنۡہُمۡ اَجۡمَعِیۡنَ ﴿۸۵﴾

38:85 that I shall fill hell with you and with all those among them who follow you.

قُلۡ مَاۤ اَسۡـَٔلُکُمۡ عَلَیۡہِ مِنۡ اَجۡرٍ وَّ مَاۤ اَنَا مِنَ الۡمُتَکَلِّفِیۡنَ ﴿۸۶﴾

38:86 Say: I ask you no reward for it; nor am I one of the impostors.

اِنۡ ہُوَ اِلَّا ذِکۡرٌ لِّلۡعٰلَمِیۡنَ ﴿۸۷﴾

38:87 It is nothing but a Reminder for the nations.

وَ لَتَعۡلَمُنَّ نَبَاَہٗ بَعۡدَ حِیۡنٍ ﴿٪۸۸﴾

38:88 And certainly you will come to know about it after a time.

Commentary:

The message of importance is the Prophet’s message to the whole of humanity, the message which discloses the vast spiritual realm hidden to the ordinary human eye. That those who turn away from it are doomed to perdition is the necessary consequence, and hence the doom of the opponents forms part of this message. ↩
The exalted chiefs are the heavenly beings who come first to know of the Divine decree relating to the punishment of the opponents of Truth, referred to in v. 68. It is these opponents that are spoken of here as contending; they carried on a contention against Truth. ↩
The creation of Adam and the submission of the angels typifies the raising of a prophet and the submission to him of the good and the righteous. ↩
See 2:34. ↩
The creation from fire is an indication of rebelliousness, of a fiery temper, and the creation from dust signifies submissiveness and meekness; see 7:12. ↩
See 15:36. ↩

Top