English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)
by Maulana Muhammad Ali
Chapter 46: Al-Ahqaf — The Sandhills (Revealed at Makkah: 4 sections, 35 verses)
Section 2 (Verses 46:11–46:20): Witness of Truth
Translation:
وَ قَالَ الَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡا لِلَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا لَوۡ کَانَ خَیۡرًا مَّا سَبَقُوۡنَاۤ اِلَیۡہِ ؕ وَ اِذۡ لَمۡ یَہۡتَدُوۡا بِہٖ فَسَیَقُوۡلُوۡنَ ہٰذَاۤ اِفۡکٌ قَدِیۡمٌ ﴿۱۱﴾
46:11 And those who disbelieve say of those who believe: If it had been a good, they would not have attained it before us. And as they are not guided by it, they say: It is an old lie.
وَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِہٖ کِتٰبُ مُوۡسٰۤی اِمَامًا وَّ رَحۡمَۃً ؕ وَ ہٰذَا کِتٰبٌ مُّصَدِّقٌ لِّسَانًا عَرَبِیًّا لِّیُنۡذِرَ الَّذِیۡنَ ظَلَمُوۡا ٭ۖ وَ بُشۡرٰی لِلۡمُحۡسِنِیۡنَ ﴿ۚ۱۲﴾
46:12 And before it was the Book of Moses, a guide and a mercy. And this is a Book verifying (it) in the Arabic language,1 that it may warn those who do wrong, and as good news for the doers of good.
اِنَّ الَّذِیۡنَ قَالُوۡا رَبُّنَا اللّٰہُ ثُمَّ اسۡتَقَامُوۡا فَلَا خَوۡفٌ عَلَیۡہِمۡ وَ لَا ہُمۡ یَحۡزَنُوۡنَ ﴿ۚ۱۳﴾
46:13 Surely those who say, Our Lord is Allah, then continue on the right way, on them is no fear, nor shall they grieve.
اُولٰٓئِکَ اَصۡحٰبُ الۡجَنَّۃِ خٰلِدِیۡنَ فِیۡہَا ۚ جَزَآءًۢ بِمَا کَانُوۡا یَعۡمَلُوۡنَ ﴿۱۴﴾
46:14 These are the owners of the Garden, abiding in it — a reward for what they did.
وَ وَصَّیۡنَا الۡاِنۡسَانَ بِوَالِدَیۡہِ اِحۡسٰنًا ؕ حَمَلَتۡہُ اُمُّہٗ کُرۡہًا وَّ وَضَعَتۡہُ کُرۡہًا ؕ وَ حَمۡلُہٗ وَ فِصٰلُہٗ ثَلٰثُوۡنَ شَہۡرًا ؕ حَتّٰۤی اِذَا بَلَغَ اَشُدَّہٗ وَ بَلَغَ اَرۡبَعِیۡنَ سَنَۃً ۙ قَالَ رَبِّ اَوۡزِعۡنِیۡۤ اَنۡ اَشۡکُرَ نِعۡمَتَکَ الَّتِیۡۤ اَنۡعَمۡتَ عَلَیَّ وَ عَلٰی وَالِدَیَّ وَ اَنۡ اَعۡمَلَ صَالِحًا تَرۡضٰہُ وَ اَصۡلِحۡ لِیۡ فِیۡ ذُرِّیَّتِیۡ ۚؕ اِنِّیۡ تُبۡتُ اِلَیۡکَ وَ اِنِّیۡ مِنَ الۡمُسۡلِمِیۡنَ ﴿۱۵﴾
46:15 And We have enjoined on man the doing of good to his parents. His mother bears him with trouble and she gives birth to him in pain. And the bearing of him and the weaning of him is thirty months. Till, when he attains his maturity and reaches forty years,2 he says: My Lord, grant me that I may give thanks for Your favour, which You have bestowed on me and on my parents, and that I may do good which pleases You; and be good to me in respect of my offspring. Truly I turn to You, and truly I am among those who submit.
اُولٰٓئِکَ الَّذِیۡنَ نَتَقَبَّلُ عَنۡہُمۡ اَحۡسَنَ مَا عَمِلُوۡا وَ نَتَجَاوَزُ عَنۡ سَیِّاٰتِہِمۡ فِیۡۤ اَصۡحٰبِ الۡجَنَّۃِ ؕ وَعۡدَ الصِّدۡقِ الَّذِیۡ کَانُوۡا یُوۡعَدُوۡنَ ﴿۱۶﴾
46:16 These are they from whom We accept the best of what they do and overlook their evil deeds — among the owners of the Garden. A promise of truth, which they were promised.
وَ الَّذِیۡ قَالَ لِوَالِدَیۡہِ اُفٍّ لَّکُمَاۤ اَتَعِدٰنِنِیۡۤ اَنۡ اُخۡرَجَ وَ قَدۡ خَلَتِ الۡقُرُوۡنُ مِنۡ قَبۡلِیۡ ۚ وَ ہُمَا یَسۡتَغِیۡثٰنِ اللّٰہَ وَیۡلَکَ اٰمِنۡ ٭ۖ اِنَّ وَعۡدَ اللّٰہِ حَقٌّ ۚۖ فَیَقُوۡلُ مَا ہٰذَاۤ اِلَّاۤ اَسَاطِیۡرُ الۡاَوَّلِیۡنَ ﴿۱۷﴾
46:17 And he who says to his parents: Enough of you! Do you threaten me that I shall be brought forth, when generations have passed away before me? And they both call for Allah’s aid: Woe to you! Believe; surely the promise of Allah is true. But he says: This is nothing but stories of the ancients.
اُولٰٓئِکَ الَّذِیۡنَ حَقَّ عَلَیۡہِمُ الۡقَوۡلُ فِیۡۤ اُمَمٍ قَدۡ خَلَتۡ مِنۡ قَبۡلِہِمۡ مِّنَ الۡجِنِّ وَ الۡاِنۡسِ ؕ اِنَّہُمۡ کَانُوۡا خٰسِرِیۡنَ ﴿۱۸﴾
46:18 These are they against whom the word proves true, among nations of jinn and people that have passed away before them. Surely they are losers.
وَ لِکُلٍّ دَرَجٰتٌ مِّمَّا عَمِلُوۡا ۚ وَ لِیُوَفِّیَہُمۡ اَعۡمَالَہُمۡ وَ ہُمۡ لَا یُظۡلَمُوۡنَ ﴿۱۹﴾
46:19 And for all are degrees according to what they do, and that He may pay them for their deeds and they will not be wronged.
وَ یَوۡمَ یُعۡرَضُ الَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡا عَلَی النَّارِ ؕ اَذۡہَبۡتُمۡ طَیِّبٰتِکُمۡ فِیۡ حَیَاتِکُمُ الدُّنۡیَا وَ اسۡتَمۡتَعۡتُمۡ بِہَا ۚ فَالۡیَوۡمَ تُجۡزَوۡنَ عَذَابَ الۡہُوۡنِ بِمَا کُنۡتُمۡ تَسۡتَکۡبِرُوۡنَ فِی الۡاَرۡضِ بِغَیۡرِ الۡحَقِّ وَ بِمَا کُنۡتُمۡ تَفۡسُقُوۡنَ ﴿٪۲۰﴾
46:20 And on the day when those who disbelieve are brought before the Fire: You did away with your good things in your life of the world and you enjoyed them; so this day you are rewarded with the punishment of humiliation because you were unjustly proud in the land and because you transgressed.
Commentary:
- The words refer to the subject-matter of v. 10, which speaks of Moses’ prophecy. The Quran is here declared as fulfilling that prophecy, and the reference to its being in the Arabic language signifies the coming of the Prophet from among the Ishmaelites, who spoke that language, and who were the brethren of the Israelites, this fact being clearly mentioned in the prophecy of Deut. 18:18. ↩
- It would appear from this that the spiritual maturity of man usually takes place at the age of forty. Evidence of this is also found in the fact that the Holy Prophet Muhammad received the Divine message for the regeneration of mankind at the age of forty. ↩