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 5 (Verses 41:33–41:44): Effect of the Revelation

Translation:

وَ مَنۡ اَحۡسَنُ قَوۡلًا مِّمَّنۡ دَعَاۤ اِلَی اللّٰہِ وَ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا وَّ قَالَ اِنَّنِیۡ مِنَ الۡمُسۡلِمِیۡنَ ﴿۳۳﴾

41:33 And who is better in speech than one who calls to Allah and does good, and says: I am surely one of those who submit?

وَ لَا تَسۡتَوِی الۡحَسَنَۃُ وَ لَا السَّیِّئَۃُ ؕ اِدۡفَعۡ بِالَّتِیۡ ہِیَ اَحۡسَنُ فَاِذَا الَّذِیۡ بَیۡنَکَ وَ بَیۡنَہٗ عَدَاوَۃٌ کَاَنَّہٗ وَلِیٌّ حَمِیۡمٌ ﴿۳۴﴾

41:34 And not alike are the good and the evil. Repel (evil) with what is best, when lo! he between whom and you is enmity would be as if he were a warm friend.1

وَ مَا یُلَقّٰہَاۤ اِلَّا الَّذِیۡنَ صَبَرُوۡا ۚ وَ مَا یُلَقّٰہَاۤ اِلَّا ذُوۡحَظٍّ عَظِیۡمٍ ﴿۳۵﴾

41:35 And none is granted it but those who are patient, and none is granted it but the owner of a mighty good fortune.

وَ اِمَّا یَنۡزَغَنَّکَ مِنَ الشَّیۡطٰنِ نَزۡغٌ فَاسۡتَعِذۡ بِاللّٰہِ ؕ اِنَّہٗ ہُوَ السَّمِیۡعُ الۡعَلِیۡمُ ﴿۳۶﴾

41:36 And if a false imputation from the devil afflict you, seek refuge in Allah.2 Surely He is the Hearing, the Knowing.

وَ مِنۡ اٰیٰتِہِ الَّیۡلُ وَ النَّہَارُ وَ الشَّمۡسُ وَ الۡقَمَرُ ؕ لَا تَسۡجُدُوۡا لِلشَّمۡسِ وَ لَا لِلۡقَمَرِ وَ اسۡجُدُوۡا لِلّٰہِ الَّذِیۡ خَلَقَہُنَّ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ اِیَّاہُ تَعۡبُدُوۡنَ ﴿۳۷﴾

41:37 And of His signs are the night and the day and the sun and the moon. Do not adore the sun nor the moon, but adore Allah Who created them, if He it is that you serve.

فَاِنِ اسۡتَکۡبَرُوۡا فَالَّذِیۡنَ عِنۡدَ رَبِّکَ یُسَبِّحُوۡنَ لَہٗ بِالَّیۡلِ وَ النَّہَارِ وَ ہُمۡ لَا یَسۡـَٔمُوۡنَ ﴿ٛ۳۸﴾

41:38 But if they are proud, yet those with your Lord glorify Him night and day, and they do not tire.Prostration

وَ مِنۡ اٰیٰتِہٖۤ اَنَّکَ تَرَی الۡاَرۡضَ خَاشِعَۃً فَاِذَاۤ اَنۡزَلۡنَا عَلَیۡہَا الۡمَآءَ اہۡتَزَّتۡ وَ رَبَتۡ ؕ اِنَّ الَّذِیۡۤ اَحۡیَاہَا لَمُحۡیِ الۡمَوۡتٰی ؕ اِنَّہٗ عَلٰی کُلِّ شَیۡءٍ قَدِیۡرٌ ﴿۳۹﴾

41:39 And of His signs is this, that you see the earth still, but when We send down water upon it, it stirs and swells. He Who gives it life is surely the Giver of life to the dead.3 Surely He is Powerful over all things.

اِنَّ الَّذِیۡنَ یُلۡحِدُوۡنَ فِیۡۤ اٰیٰتِنَا لَا یَخۡفَوۡنَ عَلَیۡنَا ؕ اَفَمَنۡ یُّلۡقٰی فِی النَّارِ خَیۡرٌ اَمۡ مَّنۡ یَّاۡتِیۡۤ اٰمِنًا یَّوۡمَ الۡقِیٰمَۃِ ؕ اِعۡمَلُوۡا مَا شِئۡتُمۡ ۙ اِنَّہٗ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ بَصِیۡرٌ ﴿۴۰﴾

41:40 Those who distort Our messages are not hidden from Us. Is he then who is cast into the Fire better or he who comes safe on the day of Resurrection? Do what you like, surely He is Seer of what you do.

اِنَّ الَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡا بِالذِّکۡرِ لَمَّا جَآءَہُمۡ ۚ وَ اِنَّہٗ لَکِتٰبٌ عَزِیۡزٌ ﴿ۙ۴۱﴾

41:41 Those who disbelieve in the Reminder when it comes to them, and surely it is an Invincible Book:

لَّا یَاۡتِیۡہِ الۡبَاطِلُ مِنۡۢ بَیۡنِ یَدَیۡہِ وَ لَا مِنۡ خَلۡفِہٖ ؕ تَنۡزِیۡلٌ مِّنۡ حَکِیۡمٍ حَمِیۡدٍ ﴿۴۲﴾

41:42 falsehood cannot come at it from before or behind it — a revelation from the Wise, the Praised One.

مَا یُقَالُ لَکَ اِلَّا مَا قَدۡ قِیۡلَ لِلرُّسُلِ مِنۡ قَبۡلِکَ ؕ اِنَّ رَبَّکَ لَذُوۡ مَغۡفِرَۃٍ وَّ ذُوۡ عِقَابٍ اَلِیۡمٍ ﴿۴۳﴾

41:43 Nothing is said to you but what was said to messengers before you. Surely your Lord is the Lord of forgiveness and the Lord of painful retribution.

وَ لَوۡ جَعَلۡنٰہُ قُرۡاٰنًا اَعۡجَمِیًّا لَّقَالُوۡا لَوۡ لَا فُصِّلَتۡ اٰیٰتُہٗ ؕ ءَؔاَعۡجَمِیٌّ وَّ عَرَبِیٌّ ؕ قُلۡ ہُوَ لِلَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا ہُدًی وَّ شِفَآءٌ ؕ وَ الَّذِیۡنَ لَا یُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ فِیۡۤ اٰذَانِہِمۡ وَقۡرٌ وَّ ہُوَ عَلَیۡہِمۡ عَمًی ؕ اُولٰٓئِکَ یُنَادَوۡنَ مِنۡ مَّکَانٍۭ بَعِیۡدٍ ﴿٪۴۴﴾

41:44 And if We had made it a Quran in a foreign tongue, they would have said: Why have not its messages been made clear? What! a foreign (tongue) and an Arab!4 Say: It is to those who believe a guidance and a healing,5 and those who do not believe, there is a deafness in their ears and it is obscure to them. These are called to from a place afar.

Commentary:

  1. Editor’s Note: Verses 33–35 show that Muslims should preach Islam by means of speech and not force, by setting an example themselves of doing good deeds, and by responding to evil with good. This approach requires patience and is a great good fortune (v. 35). Thus do you win over your enemy. ↩
  2. The previous verses teach the repelling of evil with good. This verse suggests another remedy for evil. The Prophet is here told that, if his work is interfered with by evildoers or if false imputations are made against him, he should seek refuge in Allah, and Divine help, which always comes to the right­eous, will make truth triumphant. ↩
  3. The still earth signifies land dried up and without vegetation; its stirring indicates its moving with life and its swelling the producing of vegetation. This is entirely metaphorical, indicating that when Divine revelation comes it gives a new life to people. The effect of rain upon earth is likened to the effect of the Quran upon the hearts of people. Dead here are the spiritually dead. ↩
  4. There seems to be a reference here to the prophecies which spoke of the coming of an Ishmaelite or an Arab prophet. The reference to Moses in the next verse confirms this, because Moses spoke plainly of a prophet like himself appearing from among the brethren of the Israelites, who are the Ishmaelites. ↩
  5. The Quran is here called a healing because it was a remedy for the spiritual diseases which prevailed in the world. It is the book which found a nation affected with the worst possible spiritual and moral diseases, and within less than a quarter of a century cleansed a whole country and a whole nation of all those diseases. Its healing effect, however, has not been limited to Arabia, and today there is no people on earth that does not bear witness to the great healing power of the Quran, which is so far-reaching in its effect that non-Muslims have benefited by it equally with Muslims. ↩

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