English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)

by Maulana Muhammad Ali

Chapter 50: Qaf — Qaf (Revealed at Makkah: 3 sections, 45 verses)

Section 3 (Verses 50:30–50:44): The Resurrection

Translation:

یَوۡمَ نَقُوۡلُ لِجَہَنَّمَ ہَلِ امۡتَلَاۡتِ وَ تَقُوۡلُ ہَلۡ مِنۡ مَّزِیۡدٍ ﴿۳۰﴾

50:30 On the day when We say to hell: Are you filled up? And it will say: Are there any more?1

وَ اُزۡلِفَتِ الۡجَنَّۃُ لِلۡمُتَّقِیۡنَ غَیۡرَ بَعِیۡدٍ ﴿۳۱﴾

50:31 And the Garden is brought near for those who guard against evil — (it is) not distant.2

ہٰذَا مَا تُوۡعَدُوۡنَ لِکُلِّ اَوَّابٍ حَفِیۡظٍ ﴿ۚ۳۲﴾

50:32 This is what you are promised — for everyone turning (to Allah), keeping (the limits) —

مَنۡ خَشِیَ الرَّحۡمٰنَ بِالۡغَیۡبِ وَ جَآءَ بِقَلۡبٍ مُّنِیۡبِۣ ﴿ۙ۳۳﴾

50:33 who fears the Beneficent in secret, and comes with a penitent heart:

ادۡخُلُوۡہَا بِسَلٰمٍ ؕ ذٰلِکَ یَوۡمُ الۡخُلُوۡدِ ﴿۳۴﴾

50:34 Enter it in peace. That is the day of abiding.

لَہُمۡ مَّا یَشَآءُوۡنَ فِیۡہَا وَلَدَیۡنَا مَزِیۡدٌ ﴿۳۵﴾

50:35 They shall have in it all they wish, and with Us is yet more.3

وَ کَمۡ اَہۡلَکۡنَا قَبۡلَہُمۡ مِّنۡ قَرۡنٍ ہُمۡ اَشَدُّ مِنۡہُمۡ بَطۡشًا فَنَقَّبُوۡا فِی الۡبِلَادِ ؕ ہَلۡ مِنۡ مَّحِیۡصٍ ﴿۳۶﴾

50:36 And how many a generation We destroyed before them who were mightier in prowess than they, so they went about in the lands! Is there a place of refuge?

اِنَّ فِیۡ ذٰلِکَ لَذِکۡرٰی لِمَنۡ کَانَ لَہٗ قَلۡبٌ اَوۡ اَلۡقَی السَّمۡعَ وَ ہُوَ شَہِیۡدٌ ﴿۳۷﴾

50:37 Surely there is a reminder in this for him who has a heart or he listens and is a witness.

وَ لَقَدۡ خَلَقۡنَا السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضَ وَ مَا بَیۡنَہُمَا فِیۡ سِتَّۃِ اَیَّامٍ ٭ۖ وَّ مَا مَسَّنَا مِنۡ لُّغُوۡبٍ ﴿۳۸﴾

50:38 And certainly We created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them in six periods, and no fatigue touched Us.4

فَاصۡبِرۡ عَلٰی مَا یَقُوۡلُوۡنَ وَ سَبِّحۡ بِحَمۡدِ رَبِّکَ قَبۡلَ طُلُوۡعِ الشَّمۡسِ وَ قَبۡلَ الۡغُرُوۡبِ ﴿ۚ۳۹﴾

50:39 So bear patiently what they say, and celebrate the praise of your Lord before the rising of the sun and before the setting.

وَ مِنَ الَّیۡلِ فَسَبِّحۡہُ وَ اَدۡبَارَ السُّجُوۡدِ ﴿۴۰﴾

50:40 And glorify Him in the night and after prostration.5

وَ اسۡتَمِعۡ یَوۡمَ یُنَادِ الۡمُنَادِ مِنۡ مَّکَانٍ قَرِیۡبٍ ﴿ۙ۴۱﴾

50:41 And listen on the day when the crier cries from a near place —

یَّوۡمَ یَسۡمَعُوۡنَ الصَّیۡحَۃَ بِالۡحَقِّ ؕ ذٰلِکَ یَوۡمُ الۡخُرُوۡجِ ﴿۴۲﴾

50:42 the day when they hear the cry in truth. That is the day of coming forth.6

اِنَّا نَحۡنُ نُحۡیٖ وَ نُمِیۡتُ وَ اِلَیۡنَا الۡمَصِیۡرُ ﴿ۙ۴۳﴾

50:43 Surely We give life and cause to die, and to Us is the eventual coming —

یَوۡمَ تَشَقَّقُ الۡاَرۡضُ عَنۡہُمۡ سِرَاعًا ؕ ذٰلِکَ حَشۡرٌ عَلَیۡنَا یَسِیۡرٌ ﴿۴۴﴾

50:44 the day when the earth splits apart from (under) them, they hastening forth. That is a gathering easy to Us.

نَحۡنُ اَعۡلَمُ بِمَا یَقُوۡلُوۡنَ وَ مَاۤ اَنۡتَ عَلَیۡہِمۡ بِجَبَّارٍ ۟ فَذَکِّرۡ بِالۡقُرۡاٰنِ مَنۡ یَّخَافُ وَعِیۡدِ ﴿٪۴۵﴾

50:45 We know best what they say, and you are not one to compel them. So remind by means of the Quran him who fears My threat.7

Commentary:

  1. This is metaphorical. One people after another continue to do evil without taking a lesson from the fate of previous people. It is also an expression of man’s desire to have more and more of wealth and material comfort. ↩
  2. If a person used his inner sight, he could see that the keeping away from evil and the doing of good brought him nearer and nearer to true happiness, for which the Garden stands here, in this very life. ↩
  3. This is to show that the doing of good gives man all that he desires. But as his desires are limited, he is told that God will give him more than he desires. This is explained by some as meaning the sight of the Divine Being, which is the highest blessing of the next life. ↩
  4. The Bible says: “And He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made” (Genesis, 2:2). The Quran negatives any such idea in rela­tion to God, Who does not stand in need of rest: No fatigue touched Us. For the creation of the heavens and the earth in six periods or six days, see 7:54. ↩
  5. Prostration here stands for prayer. The significance is that one should not get tired of glorifying God; prayer is in its entirety a glorification of God, but even after prayer, one should continue the glorification of God. ↩
  6. The crier (v. 41) is the Prophet; see 3:193: “Our Lord, surely we have heard a Crier calling to the Faith, saying: Believe in your Lord”. This cry was a distant cry at first, but, as we are told in v. 41, it will be a cry from a near place in the end, so that people will listen to it in truth. Note that the spiritual resurrection to be brought about in this life by the Prophet is spoken of in the whole of this chapter, along with the greater Resurrection of the next life. ↩
  7. The words, you are not one to compel them, refer plainly to the spiri­tual resurrection, which the Prophet desired to see immediately; he is told that he will see the dead coming to life but he could not compel people to accept the truth. The splitting apart of the earth in v. 44 and their hastening forth to life spiri­tual and their gathering in Islam were all witnessed in the lifetime of the Prophet, and may be witnessed again in the near future. This spiritual resurrection is treated as an evidence of the greater Resurrection, and that is the reason why both resurrections are spoken of in the same words. ↩

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