English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)

by Maulana Muhammad Ali

Chapter 52: At-Tur — The Mountain (Revealed at Makkah: 2 sections, 49 verses)

Section 2 (Verses 52:29–52:49): Opponents are Doomed

Translation:

فَذَکِّرۡ فَمَاۤ اَنۡتَ بِنِعۡمَتِ رَبِّکَ بِکَاہِنٍ وَّ لَا مَجۡنُوۡنٍ ﴿ؕ۲۹﴾

52:29 So remind for, by the grace of your Lord, you are no soothsayer, nor madman.

اَمۡ یَقُوۡلُوۡنَ شَاعِرٌ نَّتَرَبَّصُ بِہٖ رَیۡبَ الۡمَنُوۡنِ ﴿۳۰﴾

52:30 Or say they: A poet — we wait for him the evil accidents of time.

قُلۡ تَرَبَّصُوۡا فَاِنِّیۡ مَعَکُمۡ مِّنَ الۡمُتَرَبِّصِیۡنَ ﴿ؕ۳۱﴾

52:31 Say: Wait, I too am waiting along with you.

اَمۡ تَاۡمُرُہُمۡ اَحۡلَامُہُمۡ بِہٰذَاۤ اَمۡ ہُمۡ قَوۡمٌ طَاغُوۡنَ ﴿ۚ۳۲﴾

52:32 Or do their understandings tell them this? Or are they an inordinate people?

اَمۡ یَقُوۡلُوۡنَ تَقَوَّلَہٗ ۚ بَلۡ لَّا یُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ ﴿ۚ۳۳﴾

52:33 Or say they: He has forged it. Indeed, they have no faith.

فَلۡیَاۡتُوۡا بِحَدِیۡثٍ مِّثۡلِہٖۤ اِنۡ کَانُوۡا صٰدِقِیۡنَ ﴿ؕ۳۴﴾

52:34 Then let them bring a saying like it, if they are truthful.1

اَمۡ خُلِقُوۡا مِنۡ غَیۡرِ شَیۡءٍ اَمۡ ہُمُ الۡخٰلِقُوۡنَ ﴿ؕ۳۵﴾

52:35 Or were they created without a (creative) agency?2 Or are they the creators?

اَمۡ خَلَقُوا السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضَ ۚ بَلۡ لَّا یُوۡقِنُوۡنَ ﴿ؕ۳۶﴾

52:36 Or did they create the heavens and the earth? No, they are sure of nothing.

اَمۡ عِنۡدَہُمۡ خَزَآئِنُ رَبِّکَ اَمۡ ہُمُ الۡمُصَۜیۡطِرُوۡنَ ﴿ؕ۳۷﴾

52:37 Or do they possess the treasures of your Lord with them? Or do they have absolute authority?3

اَمۡ لَہُمۡ سُلَّمٌ یَّسۡتَمِعُوۡنَ فِیۡہِ ۚ فَلۡیَاۡتِ مُسۡتَمِعُہُمۡ بِسُلۡطٰنٍ مُّبِیۡنٍ ﴿ؕ۳۸﴾

52:38 Or do they have the means by which they listen? Then let their listener bring a clear authority.4

اَمۡ لَہُ الۡبَنٰتُ وَ لَکُمُ الۡبَنُوۡنَ ﴿ؕ۳۹﴾

52:39 Or does He have daughters and you have sons?

اَمۡ تَسۡـَٔلُہُمۡ اَجۡرًا فَہُمۡ مِّنۡ مَّغۡرَمٍ مُّثۡقَلُوۡنَ ﴿ؕ۴۰﴾

52:40 Or do you ask a reward from them so that they are over-burdened by a debt?

اَمۡ عِنۡدَہُمُ الۡغَیۡبُ فَہُمۡ یَکۡتُبُوۡنَ ﴿ؕ۴۱﴾

52:41 Or do they possess the unseen, so they write (it) down?5

اَمۡ یُرِیۡدُوۡنَ کَیۡدًا ؕ فَالَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡا ہُمُ الۡمَکِیۡدُوۡنَ ﴿ؕ۴۲﴾

52:42 Or do they intend a plot? But those who disbelieve will be the trapped ones in the plot.6

اَمۡ لَہُمۡ اِلٰہٌ غَیۡرُ اللّٰہِ ؕ سُبۡحٰنَ اللّٰہِ عَمَّا یُشۡرِکُوۡنَ ﴿۴۳﴾

52:43 Or do they have a god other than Allah? Glory be to Allah from what they set up as partners (with Him)!

وَ اِنۡ یَّرَوۡا کِسۡفًا مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ سَاقِطًا یَّقُوۡلُوۡا سَحَابٌ مَّرۡکُوۡمٌ ﴿۴۴﴾

52:44 And if they were to see a portion of the heaven coming down,7 they would say: Piled-up clouds!

فَذَرۡہُمۡ حَتّٰی یُلٰقُوۡا یَوۡمَہُمُ الَّذِیۡ فِیۡہِ یُصۡعَقُوۡنَ ﴿ۙ۴۵﴾

52:45 Leave them then till they meet that day of theirs in which they are struck with punishment,

یَوۡمَ لَا یُغۡنِیۡ عَنۡہُمۡ کَیۡدُہُمۡ شَیۡئًا وَّ لَا ہُمۡ یُنۡصَرُوۡنَ ﴿ؕ۴۶﴾

52:46 the day when their struggle will not avail them at all, nor will they be helped.8

وَ اِنَّ لِلَّذِیۡنَ ظَلَمُوۡا عَذَابًا دُوۡنَ ذٰلِکَ وَ لٰکِنَّ اَکۡثَرَہُمۡ لَا یَعۡلَمُوۡنَ ﴿۴۷﴾

52:47 And surely for those who do wrong there is a punishment besides that, but most of them do not know.9

وَ اصۡبِرۡ لِحُکۡمِ رَبِّکَ فَاِنَّکَ بِاَعۡیُنِنَا وَ سَبِّحۡ بِحَمۡدِ رَبِّکَ حِیۡنَ تَقُوۡمُ ﴿ۙ۴۸﴾

52:48 And wait patiently for the judgment of your Lord, for surely you are before Our eyes,10 and celebrate the praise of your Lord, when you rise,

وَ مِنَ الَّیۡلِ فَسَبِّحۡہُ وَ اِدۡبَارَ النُّجُوۡمِ ﴿٪۴۹﴾

52:49 and in the night, glorify Him too, and at the setting of the stars.

Commentary:

  1. So early did the Quran challenge its opponents to produce the like of it. See 2:23 footnote, as to the uniqueness of the Holy Quran. ↩
  2. Or without a cause, or without a purpose. ↩
  3. Their authority or power in the land would soon be brought to naught. ↩
  4. The Arab astrologers and diviners pretended that they could listen to the secrets of the future, but their conjectures about the future failed to make any impression, as they did not turn out true. See also 15:17, 37:8, 67:5 and 72:8. From what is said further on in v. 41, and elsewhere, challenging them to put down their pretended knowledge of the unseen in writing, a challenge repeatedly given but never accepted, it is clear that the diviners themselves knew that what they said was no more than mere conjecture. ↩
  5. Here we have a clear proof that from the very beginning the Quran was written down as it was revealed. This chapter is one of the very early revelations, and here we find the opponents challenged to write down prophecies relating to the future, the suggestion clearly being that the prophecies of the Quran relating to the future were handed over to them in a written form. ↩
  6. Mark the clear language in which their vanquishment and the over­throw of their power is spoken of. ↩
  7. By a portion of the heaven coming down upon them is meant a punish­ment from heaven, which they repeatedly demanded. See 17:92 and 26:187. ↩
  8. Mark the clearness and force with which the prophecy is continued. The reference to war and their vanquishment in it is made clearer here. ↩
  9. The two kinds of punishment with which the opponents were threat­ened are spoken of distinctly in this verse, namely, a punishment which was to overtake them in this very life in the form of famines and the wars which were to result in the complete overthrow of their power, and a punishment in the form of spiritual torment in another life. ↩
  10. The judgment of the Lord signifies the punishment of the wicked. The Prophet is not to have any fear, for he is spoken of as being before Our eyes. ↩

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