English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)
by Maulana Muhammad Ali
Chapter 6: Al-Anam — The Cattle (Revealed at Makkah: 20 sections, 165 verses)
Section 3 (Verses 6:21–6:30): Polytheists’ Witness against Themselves
Translation:
وَ مَنۡ اَظۡلَمُ مِمَّنِ افۡتَرٰی عَلَی اللّٰہِ کَذِبًا اَوۡ کَذَّبَ بِاٰیٰتِہٖ ؕ اِنَّہٗ لَا یُفۡلِحُ الظّٰلِمُوۡنَ ﴿۲۱﴾
6:21 And who is more unjust than one who forges a lie about Allah, or calls His messages a lie? Surely the wrongdoers will not be successful.
وَ یَوۡمَ نَحۡشُرُہُمۡ جَمِیۡعًا ثُمَّ نَقُوۡلُ لِلَّذِیۡنَ اَشۡرَکُوۡۤا اَیۡنَ شُرَکَآؤُکُمُ الَّذِیۡنَ کُنۡتُمۡ تَزۡعُمُوۡنَ ﴿۲۲﴾
6:22 And on the day We gather them all together, then We shall say to those who set up partners (with Allah): Where are your associate-gods whom you asserted?
ثُمَّ لَمۡ تَکُنۡ فِتۡنَتُہُمۡ اِلَّاۤ اَنۡ قَالُوۡا وَ اللّٰہِ رَبِّنَا مَا کُنَّا مُشۡرِکِیۡنَ ﴿۲۳﴾
6:23 Then their excuse would be nothing but that they would say: By Allah, our Lord! we did not set up partners.
اُنۡظُرۡ کَیۡفَ کَذَبُوۡا عَلٰۤی اَنۡفُسِہِمۡ وَ ضَلَّ عَنۡہُمۡ مَّا کَانُوۡا یَفۡتَرُوۡنَ ﴿۲۴﴾
6:24 See how they lie against their own souls, and what they forged shall fail them!
وَ مِنۡہُمۡ مَّنۡ یَّسۡتَمِعُ اِلَیۡکَ ۚ وَ جَعَلۡنَا عَلٰی قُلُوۡبِہِمۡ اَکِنَّۃً اَنۡ یَّفۡقَہُوۡہُ وَ فِیۡۤ اٰذَانِہِمۡ وَقۡرًا ؕ وَ اِنۡ یَّرَوۡا کُلَّ اٰیَۃٍ لَّا یُؤۡمِنُوۡا بِہَا ؕ حَتّٰۤی اِذَا جَآءُوۡکَ یُجَادِلُوۡنَکَ یَقُوۡلُ الَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡۤا اِنۡ ہٰذَاۤ اِلَّاۤ اَسَاطِیۡرُ الۡاَوَّلِیۡنَ ﴿۲۵﴾
6:25 And some of them listen to you and We have cast veils over their hearts so that they do not understand it and a deafness into their ears. And (even) if they see every sign they will not believe in it.1 So much so that when they come to you they only dispute with you — those who disbelieve say: This is nothing but stories of the ancients.
وَ ہُمۡ یَنۡہَوۡنَ عَنۡہُ وَ یَنۡـَٔوۡنَ عَنۡہُ ۚ وَ اِنۡ یُّہۡلِکُوۡنَ اِلَّاۤ اَنۡفُسَہُمۡ وَ مَا یَشۡعُرُوۡنَ ﴿۲۶﴾
6:26 And they forbid (others) from it, and they keep away from it; and they ruin none but their own souls while they do not perceive.
وَ لَوۡ تَرٰۤی اِذۡ وُقِفُوۡا عَلَی النَّارِ فَقَالُوۡا یٰلَیۡتَنَا نُرَدُّ وَ لَا نُکَذِّبَ بِاٰیٰتِ رَبِّنَا وَ نَکُوۡنَ مِنَ الۡمُؤۡمِنِیۡنَ ﴿۲۷﴾
6:27 And if you could see when they are made to stand before the Fire, and say: If only we were sent back, we would not reject the messages of our Lord but would be from among the believers.
بَلۡ بَدَا لَہُمۡ مَّا کَانُوۡا یُخۡفُوۡنَ مِنۡ قَبۡلُ ؕ وَ لَوۡ رُدُّوۡا لَعَادُوۡا لِمَا نُہُوۡا عَنۡہُ وَ اِنَّہُمۡ لَکٰذِبُوۡنَ ﴿۲۸﴾
6:28 No, what they concealed before will become manifest to them. And if they were sent back, they would certainly go back to what they are forbidden, and surely they are liars.2
وَ قَالُوۡۤا اِنۡ ہِیَ اِلَّا حَیَاتُنَا الدُّنۡیَا وَ مَا نَحۡنُ بِمَبۡعُوۡثِیۡنَ ﴿۲۹﴾
6:29 And they say: There is nothing but our life of this world and we shall not be raised again.
وَ لَوۡ تَرٰۤی اِذۡ وُقِفُوۡا عَلٰی رَبِّہِمۡ ؕ قَالَ اَلَیۡسَ ہٰذَا بِالۡحَقِّ ؕ قَالُوۡا بَلٰی وَ رَبِّنَا ؕ قَالَ فَذُوۡقُوا الۡعَذَابَ بِمَا کُنۡتُمۡ تَکۡفُرُوۡنَ ﴿٪۳۰﴾
6:30 And if you could see when they are made to stand before their Lord! He will say: Is not this the truth? They will say: Certainly, by our Lord! He will say: Taste then the punishment because you disbelieved.
Commentary:
- Veils were cast over their hearts because they would not believe even if they saw all the signs. As the words that follow show, they came to the Prophet, not for the purpose of listening to and pondering over what he said, but to dispute with him. The veils were due to their own actions; see 2:10 and footnote. ↩︎
- The evil consequences of their deeds were hidden in this life, but they will become manifest in the life after death. And since, if they were sent back, the evil consequences of evil deeds would again be hidden from the physical eye they would revert to evil deeds. ↩︎