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 2 (Verses 57:11–57:19): Light and Life Given by the Prophet

Translation:

مَنۡ ذَا الَّذِیۡ یُقۡرِضُ اللّٰہَ قَرۡضًا حَسَنًا فَیُضٰعِفَہٗ لَہٗ وَ لَہٗۤ اَجۡرٌ کَرِیۡمٌ ﴿ۚ۱۱﴾

57:11 Who is it that will offer to Allah a goodly gift, so He will double it for him, and he will have a generous reward.

یَوۡمَ تَرَی الۡمُؤۡمِنِیۡنَ وَ الۡمُؤۡمِنٰتِ یَسۡعٰی نُوۡرُہُمۡ بَیۡنَ اَیۡدِیۡہِمۡ وَ بِاَیۡمَانِہِمۡ بُشۡرٰىکُمُ الۡیَوۡمَ جَنّٰتٌ تَجۡرِیۡ مِنۡ تَحۡتِہَا الۡاَنۡہٰرُ خٰلِدِیۡنَ فِیۡہَا ؕ ذٰلِکَ ہُوَ الۡفَوۡزُ الۡعَظِیۡمُ ﴿ۚ۱۲﴾

57:12 On that day you will see the believers, men and women, their light gleaming before them and on their right hand.1 Good news for you this day! — Gardens in which rivers flow, to abide in them! That is the mighty achievement.

یَوۡمَ یَقُوۡلُ الۡمُنٰفِقُوۡنَ وَ الۡمُنٰفِقٰتُ لِلَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوا انۡظُرُوۡنَا نَقۡتَبِسۡ مِنۡ نُّوۡرِکُمۡ ۚ قِیۡلَ ارۡجِعُوۡا وَرَآءَکُمۡ فَالۡتَمِسُوۡا نُوۡرًا ؕ فَضُرِبَ بَیۡنَہُمۡ بِسُوۡرٍ لَّہٗ بَابٌ ؕ بَاطِنُہٗ فِیۡہِ الرَّحۡمَۃُ وَ ظَاہِرُہٗ مِنۡ قِبَلِہِ الۡعَذَابُ ﴿ؕ۱۳﴾

57:13 On the day when the hypocrites, men and women, will say to those who believe: Wait for us, that we may borrow from your light. It will be said: Turn back and seek a light. Then a wall, with a door in it, will be raised between them. Within it shall be mercy, and outside of it punishment.2

یُنَادُوۡنَہُمۡ اَلَمۡ نَکُنۡ مَّعَکُمۡ ؕ قَالُوۡا بَلٰی وَ لٰکِنَّکُمۡ فَتَنۡتُمۡ اَنۡفُسَکُمۡ وَ تَرَبَّصۡتُمۡ وَ ارۡتَبۡتُمۡ وَ غَرَّتۡکُمُ الۡاَمَانِیُّ حَتّٰی جَآءَ اَمۡرُ اللّٰہِ وَ غَرَّکُمۡ بِاللّٰہِ الۡغَرُوۡرُ ﴿۱۴﴾

57:14 They will cry out to them: Were we not with you? They will say: Indeed, but you caused yourselves to fall into temptation, and you waited and doubted,3 and vain desires deceived you, till the threatened punishment of Allah came, and the arch-deceiver deceived you about Allah.

فَالۡیَوۡمَ لَا یُؤۡخَذُ مِنۡکُمۡ فِدۡیَۃٌ وَّ لَا مِنَ الَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡا ؕ مَاۡوٰىکُمُ النَّارُ ؕ ہِیَ مَوۡلٰىکُمۡ ؕ وَ بِئۡسَ الۡمَصِیۡرُ ﴿۱۵﴾

57:15 So this day no ransom will be accepted from you, nor from those who disbelieved. Your abode is the Fire; it is your patron and evil is the destination.4

اَلَمۡ یَاۡنِ لِلَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡۤا اَنۡ تَخۡشَعَ قُلُوۡبُہُمۡ لِذِکۡرِ اللّٰہِ وَ مَا نَزَلَ مِنَ الۡحَقِّ ۙ وَ لَا یَکُوۡنُوۡا کَالَّذِیۡنَ اُوۡتُوا الۡکِتٰبَ مِنۡ قَبۡلُ فَطَالَ عَلَیۡہِمُ الۡاَمَدُ فَقَسَتۡ قُلُوۡبُہُمۡ ؕ وَ کَثِیۡرٌ مِّنۡہُمۡ فٰسِقُوۡنَ ﴿۱۶﴾

57:16 Has not the time yet come for the believers that their hearts should be humble for the remembrance of Allah and the Truth that is revealed, and (that) they should not be like those who were given the Book before, but time was prolonged for them, so their hearts hardened.5 And most of them are transgressors.

اِعۡلَمُوۡۤا اَنَّ اللّٰہَ یُحۡیِ الۡاَرۡضَ بَعۡدَ مَوۡتِہَا ؕ قَدۡ بَیَّنَّا لَکُمُ الۡاٰیٰتِ لَعَلَّکُمۡ تَعۡقِلُوۡنَ ﴿۱۷﴾

57:17 Know that Allah gives life to the earth after its death.6 Indeed, We have made the signs clear for you that you may understand.

اِنَّ الۡمُصَّدِّقِیۡنَ وَ الۡمُصَّدِّقٰتِ وَ اَقۡرَضُوا اللّٰہَ قَرۡضًا حَسَنًا یُّضٰعَفُ لَہُمۡ وَ لَہُمۡ اَجۡرٌ کَرِیۡمٌ ﴿۱۸﴾

57:18 The men who give in charity and the women who give in charity and set apart for Allah a goodly portion, it will be doubled for them, and theirs is a generous reward.

وَ الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا بِاللّٰہِ وَ رُسُلِہٖۤ اُولٰٓئِکَ ہُمُ الصِّدِّیۡقُوۡنَ ٭ۖ وَ الشُّہَدَآءُ عِنۡدَ رَبِّہِمۡ ؕ لَہُمۡ اَجۡرُہُمۡ وَ نُوۡرُہُمۡ ؕ وَ الَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡا وَ کَذَّبُوۡا بِاٰیٰتِنَاۤ اُولٰٓئِکَ اَصۡحٰبُ الۡجَحِیۡمِ ﴿٪۱۹﴾

57:19 And those who believe in Allah and His messengers, they are the truthful and the faithful ones with their Lord. They have their reward and their light. And those who disbelieve and reject Our messages, they are the inmates of hell.

Commentary:

  1. The light of faith, which was given through the Prophet, will become manifest on the day of Resurrection. ↩
  2. Although the hypocrites remained mixed with the believers for a time, yet separation was brought about even in this life towards the close of the Holy Prophet’s life. As the Resurrection will bring hidden things to light, the hypocrites will find themselves devoid of light, because they did not possess the light of faith in this life. ↩
  3. The hypocrites hoped that the Muslims would be annihilated by their powerful opponents. ↩
  4. The Fire is here called a maulā, or a friend or patron, of the disbelie­vers, thus showing that it is for their good that they will have to undergo the suffering of fire. Hell is elsewhere also represented to be a place or a state which will ultimately lead to the purification of man, as fire purifies gold of dross. The process of purification, which is in other words hell, is thus a necessary stage in the spiri­tual perfection of those who do not avail themselves of the opportunity granted to them in this life. ↩
  5. This verse speaks of Muslims of a later age, for it compares their case to those who were given the scriptures before them and then a long time having passed over them, their hearts hardened. They are reminded that after the passing of a long time, they will fall off from the high standard of the earlier generations, and their hearts will be hardened like the hearts of the earlier people. ↩
  6. Having spoken of the falling off of the Muslims of a later age, the good news is here announced that, after that, the dead earth will be generated with a new life, the life spiritual. The next verse then goes on to add that it will be through the sacrifices of a part of them that the Muslim nation will again be raised to eminence. ↩

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