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 3 (Verses 41:19–41:25): Man’s Evidence against Himself
Translation:
وَ یَوۡمَ یُحۡشَرُ اَعۡدَآءُ اللّٰہِ اِلَی النَّارِ فَہُمۡ یُوۡزَعُوۡنَ ﴿۱۹﴾
41:19 And the day when the enemies of Allah are gathered to the Fire, they will be formed into groups.
حَتّٰۤی اِذَا مَا جَآءُوۡہَا شَہِدَ عَلَیۡہِمۡ سَمۡعُہُمۡ وَ اَبۡصَارُہُمۡ وَ جُلُوۡدُہُمۡ بِمَا کَانُوۡا یَعۡمَلُوۡنَ ﴿۲۰﴾
41:20 Until, when they come to it, their ears and their eyes and their skins will bear witness against them as to what they did.1
وَ قَالُوۡا لِجُلُوۡدِہِمۡ لِمَ شَہِدۡتُّمۡ عَلَیۡنَا ؕ قَالُوۡۤا اَنۡطَقَنَا اللّٰہُ الَّذِیۡۤ اَنۡطَقَ کُلَّ شَیۡءٍ وَّ ہُوَ خَلَقَکُمۡ اَوَّلَ مَرَّۃٍ وَّ اِلَیۡہِ تُرۡجَعُوۡنَ ﴿۲۱﴾
41:21 And they will say to their skins: Why do you bear witness against us? They will say: Allah Who makes everything speak has made us speak, and He created you at first, and to Him you are returned.
وَ مَا کُنۡتُمۡ تَسۡتَتِرُوۡنَ اَنۡ یَّشۡہَدَ عَلَیۡکُمۡ سَمۡعُکُمۡ وَ لَاۤ اَبۡصَارُکُمۡ وَ لَا جُلُوۡدُکُمۡ وَ لٰکِنۡ ظَنَنۡتُمۡ اَنَّ اللّٰہَ لَا یَعۡلَمُ کَثِیۡرًا مِّمَّا تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ ﴿۲۲﴾
41:22 And you did not cover yourselves that your ears and your eyes and your skins should not bear witness against you, but you thought that Allah did not know much of what you did.
وَ ذٰلِکُمۡ ظَنُّکُمُ الَّذِیۡ ظَنَنۡتُمۡ بِرَبِّکُمۡ اَرۡدٰىکُمۡ فَاَصۡبَحۡتُمۡ مِّنَ الۡخٰسِرِیۡنَ ﴿۲۳﴾
41:23 And that, your (evil) thought which you entertained about your Lord, ruined you, so have you become losers.
فَاِنۡ یَّصۡبِرُوۡا فَالنَّارُ مَثۡوًی لَّہُمۡ ۚ وَ اِنۡ یَّسۡتَعۡتِبُوۡا فَمَا ہُمۡ مِّنَ الۡمُعۡتَبِیۡنَ ﴿۲۴﴾
41:24 Then if they are patient, the Fire is their abode. And if they ask for goodwill, they are not among those who are granted goodwill.2
وَ قَیَّضۡنَا لَہُمۡ قُرَنَآءَ فَزَیَّنُوۡا لَہُمۡ مَّا بَیۡنَ اَیۡدِیۡہِمۡ وَ مَا خَلۡفَہُمۡ وَ حَقَّ عَلَیۡہِمُ الۡقَوۡلُ فِیۡۤ اُمَمٍ قَدۡ خَلَتۡ مِنۡ قَبۡلِہِمۡ مِّنَ الۡجِنِّ وَ الۡاِنۡسِ ۚ اِنَّہُمۡ کَانُوۡا خٰسِرِیۡنَ ﴿٪۲۵﴾
41:25 And We have appointed for them comrades,3 so they make seem good to them what is before them and what is behind them, and the word proved true against them among the nations of jinn and people that have passed away before them: they are surely losers.
Commentary:
- The bearing of witness by the ears and the eyes and the skin shows the truth of the law that the consequences of evil deeds will become manifest. (Editor’s Note: Modern science has shown that, in this very life, parts of a person’s body and samples taken from it can disclose information about, or bear witness against, the deeds that he committed.) ↩
- God’s goodwill can be gained in this life, and for those who waste that opportunity here the only way to that goodwill is to go through the ordeal of Fire. ↩
- These comrades are wicked companions. ↩