English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)
by Maulana Muhammad Ali
Chapter 43: Az-Zukhruf — Gold (Revealed at Makkah: 7 sections, 89 verses)
Section 1 (Verses 43:1–43:15): Revelation is a Divine Favour
Translation:
بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
حٰمٓ ۚ﴿ۛ۱﴾
وَ الۡکِتٰبِ الۡمُبِیۡنِ ۙ﴿ۛ۲﴾
43:2 By the Book that makes manifest!
اِنَّا جَعَلۡنٰہُ قُرۡءٰنًا عَرَبِیًّا لَّعَلَّکُمۡ تَعۡقِلُوۡنَ ۚ﴿۳﴾
43:3 Surely We have made it an Arabic Quran that you may understand.
وَ اِنَّہٗ فِیۡۤ اُمِّ الۡکِتٰبِ لَدَیۡنَا لَعَلِیٌّ حَکِیۡمٌ ؕ﴿۴﴾
43:4 And it is in the Original of the Book with Us,1 truly elevated, full of wisdom.
اَفَنَضۡرِبُ عَنۡکُمُ الذِّکۡرَ صَفۡحًا اَنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ قَوۡمًا مُّسۡرِفِیۡنَ ﴿۵﴾
43:5 Shall We then turn away the Reminder from you altogether because you are a people committing excesses?2
وَ کَمۡ اَرۡسَلۡنَا مِنۡ نَّبِیٍّ فِی الۡاَوَّلِیۡنَ ﴿۶﴾
43:6 And how many a prophet did We send among the ancients!
وَ مَا یَاۡتِیۡہِمۡ مِّنۡ نَّبِیٍّ اِلَّا کَانُوۡا بِہٖ یَسۡتَہۡزِءُوۡنَ ﴿۷﴾
43:7 And no prophet came to them but they mocked him.
فَاَہۡلَکۡنَاۤ اَشَدَّ مِنۡہُمۡ بَطۡشًا وَّ مَضٰی مَثَلُ الۡاَوَّلِیۡنَ ﴿۸﴾
43:8 Then We destroyed those stronger than these in prowess, and the example of the ancients has gone before.
وَ لَئِنۡ سَاَلۡتَہُمۡ مَّنۡ خَلَقَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضَ لَیَقُوۡلُنَّ خَلَقَہُنَّ الۡعَزِیۡزُ الۡعَلِیۡمُ ﴿ۙ۹﴾
43:9 And if you ask them, Who created the heavens and the earth, they would say: The Mighty, the Knowing One, has created them,
الَّذِیۡ جَعَلَ لَکُمُ الۡاَرۡضَ مَہۡدًا وَّ جَعَلَ لَکُمۡ فِیۡہَا سُبُلًا لَّعَلَّکُمۡ تَہۡتَدُوۡنَ ﴿ۚ۱۰﴾
43:10 Who made the earth a resting-place for you, and made in it ways for you that you might go aright.
وَ الَّذِیۡ نَزَّلَ مِنَ السَّمَآءِ مَآءًۢ بِقَدَرٍ ۚ فَاَنۡشَرۡنَا بِہٖ بَلۡدَۃً مَّیۡتًا ۚ کَذٰلِکَ تُخۡرَجُوۡنَ ﴿۱۱﴾
43:11 And Who sends down water from the cloud according to a measure, then We raise to life by it a dead land; even so will you be brought forth.3
وَ الَّذِیۡ خَلَقَ الۡاَزۡوَاجَ کُلَّہَا وَ جَعَلَ لَکُمۡ مِّنَ الۡفُلۡکِ وَ الۡاَنۡعَامِ مَا تَرۡکَبُوۡنَ ﴿ۙ۱۲﴾
43:12 And Who created pairs of all things, and made for you ships and cattle on which you ride,
لِتَسۡتَوٗا عَلٰی ظُہُوۡرِہٖ ثُمَّ تَذۡکُرُوۡا نِعۡمَۃَ رَبِّکُمۡ اِذَا اسۡتَوَیۡتُمۡ عَلَیۡہِ وَ تَقُوۡلُوۡا سُبۡحٰنَ الَّذِیۡ سَخَّرَ لَنَا ہٰذَا وَ مَا کُنَّا لَہٗ مُقۡرِنِیۡنَ ﴿ۙ۱۳﴾
43:13 that you may sit firmly on their backs, then remember the favour of your Lord, when you are firmly seated on them, and say: Glory be to Him Who made this subservient to us and we were not able to do it,
وَ اِنَّاۤ اِلٰی رَبِّنَا لَمُنۡقَلِبُوۡنَ ﴿۱۴﴾
43:14 and surely to our Lord we must return.
وَ جَعَلُوۡا لَہٗ مِنۡ عِبَادِہٖ جُزۡءًا ؕ اِنَّ الۡاِنۡسَانَ لَکَفُوۡرٌ مُّبِیۡنٌ ﴿ؕ٪۱۵﴾
43:15 And they assign to Him some of His servants (as His offspring).4 Man, to be sure, is clearly ungrateful.
Commentary:
- The term Umm al-Kitāb literally signifies mother or original of the Book, and the opening chapter of the Quran is also known by this name, because, in its essence, it contains the whole of the Quran. But here it signifies the original source — the knowledge of God — from which the Quran comes, and the meaning is that the Quran cannot be destroyed because it exists in Divine Knowledge. The words, in fact, contain a prophecy, uttered at a time when the Prophet was alone and helpless, that the Quran will be exalted in the world, for that is its position in Divine Knowledge. The same term Umm al-Kitāb in 3:7 and 13:39 signifies the basis of the book. ↩
- Allah would not refrain from admonishing a people who commit excesses. ↩
- As rain descending from heaven quickens a dead earth, so Divine revelation would regenerate or raise to life people who, sunk in ignorance and superstitions, were spiritually, morally, and intellectually a dead people. ↩
- This refers to the Christian doctrine of assigning a son to God, and in the next verse to the idolatrous doctrine of ascribing daughters to God. ↩