English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)

by Maulana Muhammad Ali

بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

قٓ ۟ۚ وَ الۡقُرۡاٰنِ الۡمَجِیۡدِ ۚ﴿۱﴾

50:1 Almighty (God)!¹ By the glorious Quran!²

بَلۡ عَجِبُوۡۤا اَنۡ جَآءَہُمۡ مُّنۡذِرٌ مِّنۡہُمۡ فَقَالَ الۡکٰفِرُوۡنَ ہٰذَا شَیۡءٌ عَجِیۡبٌ ۚ﴿۲﴾

50:2 Yet they wonder that a warner has come to them from among themselves; so the disbelievers say: This is a wonderful thing!

ءَاِذَا مِتۡنَا وَ کُنَّا تُرَابًا ۚ ذٰلِکَ رَجۡعٌۢ بَعِیۡدٌ ﴿۳﴾

50:3 When we die and become dust — that is a far return.

قَدۡ عَلِمۡنَا مَا تَنۡقُصُ الۡاَرۡضُ مِنۡہُمۡ ۚ وَ عِنۡدَنَا کِتٰبٌ حَفِیۡظٌ ﴿۴﴾

50:4 We know indeed what the earth diminishes of them and with Us is a book that preserves.³

بَلۡ کَذَّبُوۡا بِالۡحَقِّ لَمَّا جَآءَہُمۡ فَہُمۡ فِیۡۤ اَمۡرٍ مَّرِیۡجٍ ﴿۵﴾

50:5 But they reject the Truth when it comes to them, so they are in a state of confusion.

اَفَلَمۡ یَنۡظُرُوۡۤا اِلَی السَّمَآءِ فَوۡقَہُمۡ کَیۡفَ بَنَیۡنٰہَا وَ زَیَّنّٰہَا وَ مَا لَہَا مِنۡ فُرُوۡجٍ ﴿۶﴾

50:6 Do they not look at the sky above them? — how We have made it and adorned it and it has no flaws.

وَ الۡاَرۡضَ مَدَدۡنٰہَا وَ اَلۡقَیۡنَا فِیۡہَا رَوَاسِیَ وَ اَنۡۢبَتۡنَا فِیۡہَا مِنۡ کُلِّ زَوۡجٍۭ بَہِیۡجٍ ۙ﴿۷﴾

50:7 And the earth, We have spread it out, and cast in it mountains, and We have made to grow in it (things) of every beautiful kind —

تَبۡصِرَۃً وَّ ذِکۡرٰی لِکُلِّ عَبۡدٍ مُّنِیۡبٍ ﴿۸﴾

50:8 as an insight and a reminder to every servant who turns (to Allah).

وَ نَزَّلۡنَا مِنَ السَّمَآءِ مَآءً مُّبٰرَکًا فَاَنۡۢبَتۡنَا بِہٖ جَنّٰتٍ وَّ حَبَّ الۡحَصِیۡدِ ۙ﴿۹﴾

50:9 And We send down from the clouds water abounding in good, then We cause to grow with it gardens and the grain that is reaped,

وَ النَّخۡلَ بٰسِقٰتٍ لَّہَا طَلۡعٌ نَّضِیۡدٌ ﴿ۙ۱۰﴾

50:10 and the tall palm-trees having flower spikes piled one above another —

رِّزۡقًا لِّلۡعِبَادِ ۙ وَ اَحۡیَیۡنَا بِہٖ بَلۡدَۃً مَّیۡتًا ؕ کَذٰلِکَ الۡخُرُوۡجُ ﴿۱۱﴾

50:11 a sustenance for the servants, and We give life with it to a dead land. Thus is the rising.⁴

کَذَّبَتۡ قَبۡلَہُمۡ قَوۡمُ نُوۡحٍ وَّ اَصۡحٰبُ الرَّسِّ وَ ثَمُوۡدُ ﴿ۙ۱۲﴾

50:12 Before them the people of Noah rejected (the Truth) and (so did) the dwellers of Rass and Thamūd

وَ عَادٌ وَّ فِرۡعَوۡنُ وَ اِخۡوَانُ لُوۡطٍ ﴿ۙ۱۳﴾

50:13 and Ād and Pharaoh and Lot’s brethren,

وَّ اَصۡحٰبُ الۡاَیۡکَۃِ وَ قَوۡمُ تُبَّعٍ ؕ کُلٌّ کَذَّبَ الرُّسُلَ فَحَقَّ وَعِیۡدِ ﴿۱۴﴾

50:14 and the dwellers of the grove and the people of Tubba.⁵ They all rejected the messengers, so My threat came to pass.

اَفَعَیِیۡنَا بِالۡخَلۡقِ الۡاَوَّلِ ؕ بَلۡ ہُمۡ فِیۡ لَبۡسٍ مِّنۡ خَلۡقٍ جَدِیۡدٍ ﴿٪۱۵﴾

50:15 Were We then fatigued with the first creation? Yet they are in doubt about a new creation.⁶

The letter Qāf, with which v.1 begins, stands for the name Qādir (or Qadīr) of the Divine Being, meaning Omnipotent or All-Powerful, or for al-Qiyāmat, the Resurrection. ↩
An expression of wonder at the disbelief of people. The whole of the Quran is spoken of as one book even at this early period. ↩
What the earth diminishes is the body, dust going to dust. The book that preserves is the record of the deeds which a person has done. The consequences of deeds are preserved in their entirety and out of them grows a new life in the Resurrection. ↩
The rising here includes both the spiritual resurrection of a dead people in this life and also the greater Resurrection in a life after death. ↩
For the dwellers of Rass, see 25:38 footnote; for dwellers of the grove, 15:78 footnote; for Tubba, 44:37 footnote. ↩
The meaning is that Allah did not lack power in dealing with the former generations so that they should doubt His power in dealing with a new one. Or, the first creation is the physical creation of man, and the second creation his spiritual regeneration. ↩