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 7 (Verses 43:68–43:89): The Two Parties

Translation:

یٰعِبَادِ لَا خَوۡفٌ عَلَیۡکُمُ الۡیَوۡمَ وَ لَاۤ اَنۡتُمۡ تَحۡزَنُوۡنَ ﴿ۚ۶۸﴾

43:68 O My servants, there is no fear for you this day, nor will you grieve —

اَلَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا بِاٰیٰتِنَا وَ کَانُوۡا مُسۡلِمِیۡنَ ﴿ۚ۶۹﴾

43:69 those who believed in Our messages and submitted (to Us).

اُدۡخُلُوا الۡجَنَّۃَ اَنۡتُمۡ وَ اَزۡوَاجُکُمۡ تُحۡبَرُوۡنَ ﴿۷۰﴾

43:70 Enter the Garden, you and your wives,¹ being made happy.

یُطَافُ عَلَیۡہِمۡ بِصِحَافٍ مِّنۡ ذَہَبٍ وَّ اَکۡوَابٍ ۚ وَ فِیۡہَا مَا تَشۡتَہِیۡہِ الۡاَنۡفُسُ وَ تَلَذُّ الۡاَعۡیُنُ ۚ وَ اَنۡتُمۡ فِیۡہَا خٰلِدُوۡنَ ﴿ۚ۷۱﴾

43:71 Round about them are made to go golden bowls and drinking-cups, and therein is what (their) souls yearn for and the eyes delight in, and in it you will abide.

وَ تِلۡکَ الۡجَنَّۃُ الَّتِیۡۤ اُوۡرِثۡتُمُوۡہَا بِمَا کُنۡتُمۡ تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ ﴿۷۲﴾

43:72 And this is the Garden which you are made to inherit on account of what you did.

لَکُمۡ فِیۡہَا فَاکِہَۃٌ کَثِیۡرَۃٌ مِّنۡہَا تَاۡکُلُوۡنَ ﴿۷۳﴾

43:73 You shall have in it abundant fruit, of which to eat.

اِنَّ الۡمُجۡرِمِیۡنَ فِیۡ عَذَابِ جَہَنَّمَ خٰلِدُوۡنَ ﴿ۚۖ۷۴﴾

43:74 Surely the guilty will abide in the punishment of hell.

لَا یُفَتَّرُ عَنۡہُمۡ وَ ہُمۡ فِیۡہِ مُبۡلِسُوۡنَ ﴿ۚ۷۵﴾

43:75 It is not abated for them and in it they will despair.

وَ مَا ظَلَمۡنٰہُمۡ وَ لٰکِنۡ کَانُوۡا ہُمُ الظّٰلِمِیۡنَ ﴿۷۶﴾

43:76 And We did not wrong them but they were themselves the wrongdoers.

وَ نَادَوۡا یٰمٰلِکُ لِیَقۡضِ عَلَیۡنَا رَبُّکَ ؕ قَالَ اِنَّکُمۡ مّٰکِثُوۡنَ ﴿۷۷﴾

43:77 And they cry: O Mālik,² let your Lord make an end of us. He will say: You shall stay (here).

لَقَدۡ جِئۡنٰکُمۡ بِالۡحَقِّ وَ لٰکِنَّ اَکۡثَرَکُمۡ لِلۡحَقِّ کٰرِہُوۡنَ ﴿۷۸﴾

43:78 Certainly We bring the Truth to you, but most of you dislike the Truth.

اَمۡ اَبۡرَمُوۡۤا اَمۡرًا فَاِنَّا مُبۡرِمُوۡنَ ﴿ۚ۷۹﴾

43:79 Or have they settled a matter? But it is We Who settle (matters).³

اَمۡ یَحۡسَبُوۡنَ اَنَّا لَا نَسۡمَعُ سِرَّہُمۡ وَ نَجۡوٰىہُمۡ ؕ بَلٰی وَ رُسُلُنَا لَدَیۡہِمۡ یَکۡتُبُوۡنَ ﴿۸۰﴾

43:80 Or do they think that We do not hear their secrets and their private counsels? Yes indeed, and Our messengers with them write down.

قُلۡ اِنۡ کَانَ لِلرَّحۡمٰنِ وَلَدٌ ٭ۖ فَاَنَا اَوَّلُ الۡعٰبِدِیۡنَ ﴿۸۱﴾

43:81 Say: The Beneficent has no son; so I am the foremost of those who serve (God).⁴

سُبۡحٰنَ رَبِّ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضِ رَبِّ الۡعَرۡشِ عَمَّا یَصِفُوۡنَ ﴿۸۲﴾

43:82 Glory be to the Lord of the heavens and the earth, the Lord of the Throne of Power, from what they describe!

فَذَرۡہُمۡ یَخُوۡضُوۡا وَ یَلۡعَبُوۡا حَتّٰی یُلٰقُوۡا یَوۡمَہُمُ الَّذِیۡ یُوۡعَدُوۡنَ ﴿۸۳﴾

43:83 So let them talk and sport until they meet their day which they are promised.

وَ ہُوَ الَّذِیۡ فِی السَّمَآءِ اِلٰہٌ وَّ فِی الۡاَرۡضِ اِلٰہٌ ؕ وَ ہُوَ الۡحَکِیۡمُ الۡعَلِیۡمُ ﴿۸۴﴾

43:84 And He it is Who is God in the heavens and God in the earth. And He is the Wise, the Knowing.

وَ تَبٰرَکَ الَّذِیۡ لَہٗ مُلۡکُ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضِ وَ مَا بَیۡنَہُمَا ۚ وَ عِنۡدَہٗ عِلۡمُ السَّاعَۃِ ۚ وَ اِلَیۡہِ تُرۡجَعُوۡنَ ﴿۸۵﴾

43:85 And blessed is He Whose is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them; and with Him is the knowledge of the Hour, and to Him you will be returned.

وَ لَا یَمۡلِکُ الَّذِیۡنَ یَدۡعُوۡنَ مِنۡ دُوۡنِہِ الشَّفَاعَۃَ اِلَّا مَنۡ شَہِدَ بِالۡحَقِّ وَ ہُمۡ یَعۡلَمُوۡنَ ﴿۸۶﴾

43:86 And those whom they call upon besides Him do not control intercession, but he who bears witness to the Truth and they know (him).⁵

وَ لَئِنۡ سَاَلۡتَہُمۡ مَّنۡ خَلَقَہُمۡ لَیَقُوۡلُنَّ اللّٰہُ فَاَنّٰی یُؤۡفَکُوۡنَ ﴿ۙ۸۷﴾

43:87 And if you were to ask them who created them, they would say: Allah. How are they then turned away (from truth)!

وَ قِیۡلِہٖ یٰرَبِّ اِنَّ ہٰۤؤُلَآءِ قَوۡمٌ لَّا یُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ ﴿ۘ۸۸﴾

43:88 And his cry — O my Lord, these are a people who do not believe!⁶

فَاصۡفَحۡ عَنۡہُمۡ وَ قُلۡ سَلٰمٌ ؕ فَسَوۡفَ یَعۡلَمُوۡنَ ﴿٪۸۹﴾

43:89 So turn away from them and say, Peace! They will soon come to know.⁷

Commentary:

It is with their wives that the faithful are told to enter paradise. ↩
Mālik means literally master. Here it signifies the angel appointed over those in hell. ↩
The disbelievers are told that they should not think that they have settled the matter of the Holy Prophet by their plans to kill him, for it is Allah Who really settles all matters. ↩
This verse is commonly translated as meaning that if God had a son, the Prophet would be the foremost of those who serve that son. While the Arabic word in (occurring after “say”) means if, it is also used to indicate negation. See, for instance, 10:68. The word “Beneficent” (Raḥmān) itself negatives the very idea on which the doctrine of sonship is based; see 19:88–93. Even if in is taken as meaning if, the verse would mean that when a man serves God he may metaphorically be called a son of God, and therefore the Holy Prophet, being the foremost of those who serve, would be a son in that sense, but he refused to be called son of God because such metaphorical words had given rise to grievous errors. ↩
The bearer of witness to the Truth is no other than the Holy Prophet, and they knew well that he was the most truthful of people. ↩
After years of hard work among them and after being subjected to every kind of persecution, the Holy Prophet still prays to Allah not to inflict punishment upon his opponents. He, however, unburdens his mind in the cry: “O my Lord, these are a people who do not believe”. An unparalleled example of heroic fortitude under trials and loving sympathy for fellow-men! ↩
Turning away from them and saying “Peace!” are clear prophecies of the emigration. The early Makkan revelation contains undeniable prophecies of all the important later events in the life of the Holy Prophet. ↩

Top