English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)

by Maulana Muhammad Ali

Chapter 57: Al-Hadid — Iron (Revealed at Madinah: 4 sections, 29 verses)

Section 1 (Verses 57:1–57:10): Establishment of the Kingdom of God

Translation:

بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ

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

سَبَّحَ لِلّٰہِ مَا فِی السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضِ ۚ وَ ہُوَ الۡعَزِیۡزُ الۡحَکِیۡمُ ﴿۱﴾

57:1 Whatever is in the heavens and the earth declares the glory of Allah, and He is the Mighty, the Wise.

لَہٗ مُلۡکُ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضِ ۚ یُحۡیٖ وَ یُمِیۡتُ ۚ وَ ہُوَ عَلٰی کُلِّ شَیۡءٍ قَدِیۡرٌ ﴿۲﴾

57:2 His is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. He gives life and causes death, and He is Powerful over all things.

ہُوَ الۡاَوَّلُ وَ الۡاٰخِرُ وَ الظَّاہِرُ وَ الۡبَاطِنُ ۚ وَ ہُوَ بِکُلِّ شَیۡءٍ عَلِیۡمٌ ﴿۳﴾

57:3 He is the First and the Last and the Manifest and the Hidden, and He is Knower of all things.1

ہُوَ الَّذِیۡ خَلَقَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضَ فِیۡ سِتَّۃِ اَیَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسۡتَوٰی عَلَی الۡعَرۡشِ ؕ یَعۡلَمُ مَا یَلِجُ فِی الۡاَرۡضِ وَ مَا یَخۡرُجُ مِنۡہَا وَ مَا یَنۡزِلُ مِنَ السَّمَآءِ وَ مَا یَعۡرُجُ فِیۡہَا ؕ وَ ہُوَ مَعَکُمۡ اَیۡنَ مَا کُنۡتُمۡ ؕ وَ اللّٰہُ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ بَصِیۡرٌ ﴿۴﴾

57:4 He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six periods, and He is established on the Throne of Power. He knows what goes down into the earth and what comes forth out of it, and what comes down from heaven and what goes up to it. And He is with you wherever you are. And Allah is Seer of what you do.

لَہٗ مُلۡکُ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضِ ؕ وَ اِلَی اللّٰہِ تُرۡجَعُ الۡاُمُوۡرُ ﴿۵﴾

57:5 His is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth; and to Allah are (all) affairs returned.

یُوۡلِجُ الَّیۡلَ فِی النَّہَارِ وَ یُوۡلِجُ النَّہَارَ فِی الَّیۡلِ ؕ وَ ہُوَ عَلِیۡمٌۢ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُوۡرِ ﴿۶﴾

57:6 He makes the night to pass into the day, and makes the day to pass into the night. And He is Knower of what is in the hearts.

اٰمِنُوۡا بِاللّٰہِ وَ رَسُوۡلِہٖ وَ اَنۡفِقُوۡا مِمَّا جَعَلَکُمۡ مُّسۡتَخۡلَفِیۡنَ فِیۡہِ ؕ فَالَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا مِنۡکُمۡ وَ اَنۡفَقُوۡا لَہُمۡ اَجۡرٌ کَبِیۡرٌ ﴿۷﴾

57:7 Believe in Allah and His Messenger, and spend (on good works) out of that in which He has made you heirs. So those of you who believe and spend — for them is a great reward.

وَ مَا لَکُمۡ لَا تُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ بِاللّٰہِ ۚ وَ الرَّسُوۡلُ یَدۡعُوۡکُمۡ لِتُؤۡمِنُوۡا بِرَبِّکُمۡ وَ قَدۡ اَخَذَ مِیۡثَاقَکُمۡ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ مُّؤۡمِنِیۡنَ ﴿۸﴾

57:8 And what reason have you that you do not believe in Allah? And the Messenger invites you to believe in your Lord, and He has indeed accepted your covenant, if you are believers.2

ہُوَ الَّذِیۡ یُنَزِّلُ عَلٰی عَبۡدِہٖۤ اٰیٰتٍۭ بَیِّنٰتٍ لِّیُخۡرِجَکُمۡ مِّنَ الظُّلُمٰتِ اِلَی النُّوۡرِ ؕ وَ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ بِکُمۡ لَرَءُوۡفٌ رَّحِیۡمٌ ﴿۹﴾

57:9 He it is Who sends down clear messages to His servant, that he may bring you forth from darkness into light. And surely Allah is Kind, Merciful to you.

وَ مَا لَکُمۡ اَلَّا تُنۡفِقُوۡا فِیۡ سَبِیۡلِ اللّٰہِ وَ لِلّٰہِ مِیۡرَاثُ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضِ ؕ لَا یَسۡتَوِیۡ مِنۡکُمۡ مَّنۡ اَنۡفَقَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِ الۡفَتۡحِ وَ قٰتَلَ ؕ اُولٰٓئِکَ اَعۡظَمُ دَرَجَۃً مِّنَ الَّذِیۡنَ اَنۡفَقُوۡا مِنۡۢ بَعۡدُ وَ قٰتَلُوۡا ؕ وَ کُلًّا وَّعَدَ اللّٰہُ الۡحُسۡنٰی ؕ وَ اللّٰہُ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ خَبِیۡرٌ ﴿٪۱۰﴾

57:10 And what reason have you that you do not spend in Allah’s way? And Allah’s is the inheritance of the heavens and the earth. Those of you who spent before the Victory and fought are not on a level (with others).3 They are greater in rank than those who spent and fought afterwards. But Allah has promised good to all. And Allah is Aware of what you do.

Commentary:

  1. The Holy Prophet has explained the four attributes of the Divine Being mentioned here as follows. He is the First, so that there was nothing before Him, He is the Last, so that there is nothing after Him, He is the Manifest, or the Ascend­ant over all, so that there is nothing above Him, and He is the Hidden, the Knower of the hidden things, so that there is nothing hidden from Him (Sahih Muslim, 48:13). ↩
  2. The believers, who are addressed, are exhorted to be true to their belief. Belief is thus not mere confession of the Truth but the upholding of it under trials. ↩
  3. By Victory here is meant the moral victory gained by the Hudaibiyah truce, or the conquest of Makkah, which made Muslims virtually the masters of the whole of Arabia. The sacrifices made earlier had therefore a greater value on account of the trials which Muslims had then to face. ↩

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