English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)
by Maulana Muhammad Ali
Chapter 79: An-Naziat — Those Who Yearn (Revealed at Makkah: 2 sections, 46 verses)
Section 1 (Verses 79:1–79:26): The Great Commotion
Translation:
بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
وَ النّٰزِعٰتِ غَرۡقًا ۙ﴿۱﴾
79:1 By those yearning vehemently!
وَّ النّٰشِطٰتِ نَشۡطًا ۙ﴿۲﴾
79:2 And those going forth cheerfully!
وَّ السّٰبِحٰتِ سَبۡحًا ۙ﴿۳﴾
79:3 And those running swiftly!
فَالسّٰبِقٰتِ سَبۡقًا ۙ﴿۴﴾
79:4 And those that are foremost going ahead!
فَالۡمُدَبِّرٰتِ اَمۡرًا ۘ﴿۵﴾
79:5 And those regulating the Affair!1
یَوۡمَ تَرۡجُفُ الرَّاجِفَۃُ ۙ﴿۶﴾
79:6 The day when the quaking one shall quake2 —
تَتۡبَعُہَا الرَّادِفَۃُ ؕ﴿۷﴾
79:7 the consequence will follow it.3
قُلُوۡبٌ یَّوۡمَئِذٍ وَّاجِفَۃٌ ۙ﴿۸﴾
79:8 Hearts that day will palpitate,
اَبۡصَارُہَا خَاشِعَۃٌ ۘ﴿۹﴾
79:9 their eyes downcast.
یَقُوۡلُوۡنَ ءَاِنَّا لَمَرۡدُوۡدُوۡنَ فِی الۡحَافِرَۃِ ﴿ؕ۱۰﴾
79:10 They say: Shall we indeed be restored to (our) first state?
ءَ اِذَا کُنَّا عِظَامًا نَّخِرَۃً ﴿ؕ۱۱﴾
79:11 What! After we are rotten bones?
قَالُوۡا تِلۡکَ اِذًا کَرَّۃٌ خَاسِرَۃٌ ﴿ۘ۱۲﴾
79:12 They say: That would then be a return with loss.
فَاِنَّمَا ہِیَ زَجۡرَۃٌ وَّاحِدَۃٌ ﴿ۙ۱۳﴾
79:13 It is only a single cry,
فَاِذَا ہُمۡ بِالسَّاہِرَۃِ ﴿ؕ۱۴﴾
79:14 when lo! they will be awakened.4
ہَلۡ اَتٰىکَ حَدِیۡثُ مُوۡسٰی ﴿ۘ۱۵﴾
79:15 Has not the story of Moses come to you,
اِذۡ نَادٰىہُ رَبُّہٗ بِالۡوَادِ الۡمُقَدَّسِ طُوًی ﴿ۚ۱۶﴾
79:16 when his Lord called him in the holy valley, Tuwa?
اِذۡہَبۡ اِلٰی فِرۡعَوۡنَ اِنَّہٗ طَغٰی ﴿۫ۖ۱۷﴾
79:17 Go to Pharaoh, surely he has rebelled.
فَقُلۡ ہَلۡ لَّکَ اِلٰۤی اَنۡ تَزَکّٰی ﴿ۙ۱۸﴾
79:18 And say: Will you purify yourself?
وَ اَہۡدِیَکَ اِلٰی رَبِّکَ فَتَخۡشٰی ﴿ۚ۱۹﴾
79:19 And I will guide you to your Lord so that you fear (Him).
فَاَرٰىہُ الۡاٰیَۃَ الۡکُبۡرٰی ﴿۫ۖ۲۰﴾
79:20 So he showed him the mighty sign;
فَکَذَّبَ وَ عَصٰی ﴿۫ۖ۲۱﴾
79:21 but he denied and disobeyed.
ثُمَّ اَدۡبَرَ یَسۡعٰی ﴿۫ۖ۲۲﴾
79:22 Then he went back hastily,
فَحَشَرَ فَنَادٰی ﴿۫ۖ۲۳﴾
79:23 so he gathered (his people) and called out,
فَقَالَ اَنَا رَبُّکُمُ الۡاَعۡلٰی ﴿۫ۖ۲۴﴾
79:24 and said: I am your Lord, the most high.
فَاَخَذَہُ اللّٰہُ نَکَالَ الۡاٰخِرَۃِ وَ الۡاُوۡلٰی ﴿ؕ۲۵﴾
79:25 So Allah seized him with the punishment of the Hereafter and of this life.5
اِنَّ فِیۡ ذٰلِکَ لَعِبۡرَۃً لِّمَنۡ یَّخۡشٰی ﴿ؕ٪۲۶﴾
79:26 Surely in this there is a lesson for him who fears.
Commentary:
- These verses give a description of the spiritual characteristics of the faithful. There was a vehement yearning in the hearts of the believers for their Maker (v. 1), and it was this ardent desire that made them go forth in the way of God cheerfully in spite of the severest opposition (v. 2); they ran swiftly (v. 3), so that they traversed eastern and western lands in an incredibly short time; they were thus ahead of all those who ever carried the message of Truth to their fellow-man (v. 4); and lastly, they regulated the affair of the spread of Truth in the world (v. 5), so that the farthest east (China) and farthest west (Morocco and Spain) were lit with the light of Islam within a hundred years. Compare 32:5. Taking the words in a general sense, they indicate the various stages through which an affair is brought to a successful issue. The first stage is that of an ardent desire or yearning for it; the second is that of going forth cheerfully to accomplish it; the third is that of running swiftly for its accomplishment; the fourth is that of going ahead of others; and the fifth that of regulating it in the best possible way. ↩
- The quaking of the earth is often spoken of as an indication of a great revolution. What is meant is therefore that the efforts of the faithful spoken of in the first five verses will bring about a great commotion or a great revolution in the world, indicating the transformation which was to be brought about through them. ↩
- The consequence of great commotions is the ultimate triumph of Truth. But the triumph of Truth is also the destruction of the opponents of Truth; hence the mention of palpitating hearts and downcast eyes in the next two verses. ↩
- The spiritual awakening — the great transformation to be brought about by the Prophet — is spoken of here in clear words. This awakening was first to be brought about in Arabia and then in the whole world. ↩
- The nature of the punishment in store for the opponents is made clear by citing the example of Pharaoh. ↩