English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)

by Maulana Muhammad Ali

Chapter 41: Ha Mim — Ha Mim (Revealed at Makkah: 6 sections, 54 verses)

Section 2 (Verses 41:9–41:18): The Warning

Translation:

قُلۡ اَئِنَّکُمۡ لَتَکۡفُرُوۡنَ بِالَّذِیۡ خَلَقَ الۡاَرۡضَ فِیۡ یَوۡمَیۡنِ وَ تَجۡعَلُوۡنَ لَہٗۤ اَنۡدَادًا ؕ ذٰلِکَ رَبُّ الۡعٰلَمِیۡنَ ۚ﴿۹﴾

41:9 Say: Do you indeed disbelieve in Him Who created the earth in two periods, and do you set up equals with Him? That is the Lord of the worlds.

وَ جَعَلَ فِیۡہَا رَوَاسِیَ مِنۡ فَوۡقِہَا وَ بٰرَکَ فِیۡہَا وَ قَدَّرَ فِیۡہَاۤ اَقۡوَاتَہَا فِیۡۤ اَرۡبَعَۃِ اَیَّامٍ ؕ سَوَآءً لِّلسَّآئِلِیۡنَ ﴿۱۰﴾

41:10 And He made in it mountains above its surface, and He placed blessings in it and ordained in it its foods, in four periods;1 alike for (all) seekers.2

ثُمَّ اسۡتَوٰۤی اِلَی السَّمَآءِ وَ ہِیَ دُخَانٌ فَقَالَ لَہَا وَ لِلۡاَرۡضِ ائۡتِیَا طَوۡعًا اَوۡ کَرۡہًا ؕ قَالَتَاۤ اَتَیۡنَا طَآئِعِیۡنَ ﴿۱۱﴾

41:11 Then He directed Himself to the heaven and it was a vapour, so He said to it and to the earth: Come both, willingly or unwillingly. They both said: We come willingly.3

فَقَضٰہُنَّ سَبۡعَ سَمٰوَاتٍ فِیۡ یَوۡمَیۡنِ وَ اَوۡحٰی فِیۡ کُلِّ سَمَآءٍ اَمۡرَہَا ؕ وَ زَیَّنَّا السَّمَآءَ الدُّنۡیَا بِمَصَابِیۡحَ ٭ۖ وَ حِفۡظًا ؕ ذٰلِکَ تَقۡدِیۡرُ الۡعَزِیۡزِ الۡعَلِیۡمِ ﴿۱۲﴾

41:12 So He ordained them seven heavens in two periods,4 and revealed in every heaven its affair. And We adorned the lower heaven with lights, and (made it) to guard.5 That is the decree of the Mighty, the Knowing.

فَاِنۡ اَعۡرَضُوۡا فَقُلۡ اَنۡذَرۡتُکُمۡ صٰعِقَۃً مِّثۡلَ صٰعِقَۃِ عَادٍ وَّ ثَمُوۡدَ ﴿ؕ۱۳﴾

41:13 But if they turn away, then say: I warn you of a scourge like the scourge of Ād and Thamūd.

اِذۡ جَآءَتۡہُمُ الرُّسُلُ مِنۡۢ بَیۡنِ اَیۡدِیۡہِمۡ وَ مِنۡ خَلۡفِہِمۡ اَلَّا تَعۡبُدُوۡۤا اِلَّا اللّٰہَ ؕ قَالُوۡا لَوۡ شَآءَ رَبُّنَا لَاَنۡزَلَ مَلٰٓئِکَۃً فَاِنَّا بِمَاۤ اُرۡسِلۡتُمۡ بِہٖ کٰفِرُوۡنَ ﴿۱۴﴾

41:14 When messengers came to them from before them and behind them,6 saying, Serve nothing but Allah, they said: If our Lord had pleased, He would have sent down angels. So we are disbelievers in that with which you are sent.

فَاَمَّا عَادٌ فَاسۡتَکۡبَرُوۡا فِی الۡاَرۡضِ بِغَیۡرِ الۡحَقِّ وَ قَالُوۡا مَنۡ اَشَدُّ مِنَّا قُوَّۃً ؕ اَوَ لَمۡ یَرَوۡا اَنَّ اللّٰہَ الَّذِیۡ خَلَقَہُمۡ ہُوَ اَشَدُّ مِنۡہُمۡ قُوَّۃً ؕ وَ کَانُوۡا بِاٰیٰتِنَا یَجۡحَدُوۡنَ ﴿۱۵﴾

41:15 Then as to Ād, they were unjustly proud in the land, and said: Who is mightier in power than we? Do they not see that Allah Who created them is mightier in power than they? And they denied Our messages.

فَاَرۡسَلۡنَا عَلَیۡہِمۡ رِیۡحًا صَرۡصَرًا فِیۡۤ اَیَّامٍ نَّحِسَاتٍ لِّنُذِیۡقَہُمۡ عَذَابَ الۡخِزۡیِ فِی الۡحَیٰوۃِ الدُّنۡیَا ؕ وَ لَعَذَابُ الۡاٰخِرَۃِ اَخۡزٰی وَ ہُمۡ لَا یُنۡصَرُوۡنَ ﴿۱۶﴾

41:16 So We sent on them a furious wind in unlucky days that We might make them taste the punishment of disgrace in this world’s life. And the punishment of the Hereafter is truly more disgracing, and they will not be helped.

وَ اَمَّا ثَمُوۡدُ فَہَدَیۡنٰہُمۡ فَاسۡتَحَبُّوا الۡعَمٰی عَلَی الۡہُدٰی فَاَخَذَتۡہُمۡ صٰعِقَۃُ الۡعَذَابِ الۡہُوۡنِ بِمَا کَانُوۡا یَکۡسِبُوۡنَ ﴿ۚ۱۷﴾

41:17 And as for Thamūd, We showed them the right way, but they preferred blindness to guidance, so the scourge of a humiliating punishment overtook them for what they had earned.

وَ نَجَّیۡنَا الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَ کَانُوۡا یَتَّقُوۡنَ ﴿٪۱۸﴾

41:18 And We delivered those who believed and kept their duty.

Commentary:

  1. For the creation of the heavens and the earth in six periods of time, see 7:54; the word yaum (period) here does not mean a day of 24 hours but in fact stands for a stage in growth. The making of the earth in two periods and the making on it of the mountains, rivers and of plant and animal life in four periods is really one continuous process, of six stages in all: (1) the throwing off of the cosmic matter called the earth; (2) the cooling of its surface; (3) the making of the moun­tains; (4) blessing it by waters and making in it rivers; (5–6) the ordaining of foods, being, in the first place, the growth of plant life and, in the second, the growth of animal life, culminating in the creation of man. Even the earlier commen­­tators note that the creation in six yaum does not refer to six days as the time actually taken in making the heavens and the earth, which is still going on. ↩
  2. The meaning is that the foods which are made in the earth are equally accessible to all seekers (human beings as well as animals of all kinds). ↩
  3. Heaven is here plainly spoken of as being originally dukhān, meaning smoke, vapour or gaseous matter. The command to creation to come willingly or un­willingly is a reference to the Divine laws working in nature. Everything crea­ted, whether in the heavens or the earth, is subject to law. The existence of one law throughout the universe is clear evidence of the existence of One God, the Maker of that law. ↩
  4. As in the case of the earth, we are told that the heavenly bodies, too, were created in two stages. The creation of heavenly bodies is thus subject to the same law. For the seven heavens, see 2:29. The words, and revealed in every heaven its affair, show that everything created in nature serves a purpose. ↩
  5. See 37:7. ↩
  6. The coming of the prophets from before and behind signifies their impressing the truth of their message upon their people in every possible way. Some understand the coming of the prophets from near and from far. ↩

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