English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)
by Maulana Muhammad Ali
Chapter 39: Az-Zumar — The Companies (Revealed at Makkah: 8 sections, 75 verses)
Section 3 (Verses 39:22–39:31): A Perfect Guidance
Translation:
اَفَمَنۡ شَرَحَ اللّٰہُ صَدۡرَہٗ لِلۡاِسۡلَامِ فَہُوَ عَلٰی نُوۡرٍ مِّنۡ رَّبِّہٖ ؕ فَوَیۡلٌ لِّلۡقٰسِیَۃِ قُلُوۡبُہُمۡ مِّنۡ ذِکۡرِ اللّٰہِ ؕ اُولٰٓئِکَ فِیۡ ضَلٰلٍ مُّبِیۡنٍ ﴿۲۲﴾
39:22 Is he whose heart Allah has opened to Islam so that he follows a light from his Lord (like the hard-hearted) —? So woe to those whose hearts are hardened against the remembrance of Allah! Such are in clear error.
اَللّٰہُ نَزَّلَ اَحۡسَنَ الۡحَدِیۡثِ کِتٰبًا مُّتَشَابِہًا مَّثَانِیَ ٭ۖ تَقۡشَعِرُّ مِنۡہُ جُلُوۡدُ الَّذِیۡنَ یَخۡشَوۡنَ رَبَّہُمۡ ۚ ثُمَّ تَلِیۡنُ جُلُوۡدُہُمۡ وَ قُلُوۡبُہُمۡ اِلٰی ذِکۡرِ اللّٰہِ ؕ ذٰلِکَ ہُدَی اللّٰہِ یَہۡدِیۡ بِہٖ مَنۡ یَّشَآءُ ؕ وَ مَنۡ یُّضۡلِلِ اللّٰہُ فَمَا لَہٗ مِنۡ ہَادٍ ﴿۲۳﴾
39:23 Allah has revealed the best announcement, a Book consistent, repeating (its injunctions),1 at which do shudder the skins of those who fear their Lord, then their skins and their hearts soften to Allah’s remembrance. This is Allah’s guidance — He guides with it whom He pleases. And he whom Allah leaves in error, there is no guide for him.
اَفَمَنۡ یَّتَّقِیۡ بِوَجۡہِہٖ سُوۡٓءَ الۡعَذَابِ یَوۡمَ الۡقِیٰمَۃِ ؕ وَ قِیۡلَ لِلظّٰلِمِیۡنَ ذُوۡقُوۡا مَا کُنۡتُمۡ تَکۡسِبُوۡنَ ﴿۲۴﴾
39:24 Is then he who has to guard himself with his own person against the evil punishment of the day of Resurrection (like the righteous) —? And it will be said to the wrongdoers: Taste what you earned.
کَذَّبَ الَّذِیۡنَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِہِمۡ فَاَتٰىہُمُ الۡعَذَابُ مِنۡ حَیۡثُ لَا یَشۡعُرُوۡنَ ﴿۲۵﴾
39:25 Those before them denied, so the punishment came to them from where they did not perceive.
فَاَذَاقَہُمُ اللّٰہُ الۡخِزۡیَ فِی الۡحَیٰوۃِ الدُّنۡیَا ۚ وَ لَعَذَابُ الۡاٰخِرَۃِ اَکۡبَرُ ۘ لَوۡ کَانُوۡا یَعۡلَمُوۡنَ ﴿۲۶﴾
39:26 So Allah made them taste disgrace in this world’s life; and certainly the punishment of the Hereafter is greater, if only they knew!
وَ لَقَدۡ ضَرَبۡنَا لِلنَّاسِ فِیۡ ہٰذَا الۡقُرۡاٰنِ مِنۡ کُلِّ مَثَلٍ لَّعَلَّہُمۡ یَتَذَکَّرُوۡنَ ﴿ۚ۲۷﴾
39:27 And certainly We have set forth for people in this Quran examples of every sort that they may be mindful.2
قُرۡاٰنًا عَرَبِیًّا غَیۡرَ ذِیۡ عِوَجٍ لَّعَلَّہُمۡ یَتَّقُوۡنَ ﴿۲۸﴾
39:28 An Arabic Quran without any crookedness, that they may guard against evil.
ضَرَبَ اللّٰہُ مَثَلًا رَّجُلًا فِیۡہِ شُرَکَآءُ مُتَشٰکِسُوۡنَ وَ رَجُلًا سَلَمًا لِّرَجُلٍ ؕ ہَلۡ یَسۡتَوِیٰنِ مَثَلًا ؕ اَلۡحَمۡدُ لِلّٰہِ ۚ بَلۡ اَکۡثَرُہُمۡ لَا یَعۡلَمُوۡنَ ﴿۲۹﴾
39:29 Allah sets forth a parable: A man belonging to partners differing with one another, and a man (devoted) wholly to one man. Are the two alike in condition? Praise be to Allah! But most of them do not know.
اِنَّکَ مَیِّتٌ وَّ اِنَّہُمۡ مَّیِّتُوۡنَ ﴿۫۳۰﴾
39:30 Surely you will die and they (too) will die;
ثُمَّ اِنَّکُمۡ یَوۡمَ الۡقِیٰمَۃِ عِنۡدَ رَبِّکُمۡ تَخۡتَصِمُوۡنَ ﴿٪۳۱﴾
39:31 then surely on the day of Resurrection you will contend with one another before your Lord.
Commentary:
- The Quran was revealed by portions during a period of twenty-three years, and during this period the circumstances under which the Holy Prophet lived were of such a varied nature that the history of no other man offers a similar combination of varying circumstances. Yet, through all these vicissitudes, the Quran shows a strict uniformity. The consistency of its various parts, however, signifies more than a mere uniformity; it signifies that some parts explain other parts. It is also called repeating here because it repeats over and over again the most important subjects, especially the Unity of the Divine Being and the accountability of human actions. See also 3:7. ↩
- The Quran repeatedly claims to be a complete collection of the best teachings for the moral and spiritual welfare of mankind. Here it claims to be a perfect book, as not only containing all the necessary teachings, but also answering all the objections of its opponents; see 17:89 and 25:33. ↩