Surah 37. As-Saffat

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Verses [Section]: 1-21[1], 22-74 [2], 75-113 [3], 114-138 [4], 139-182 [5]

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Quran Text of Verse 1-2137. As-Saffat Page 44637. As-Saffatبِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِوَ الصّٰٓفّٰتِBy those linedصَفًّاۙ(in) rows فَالزّٰجِرٰتِAnd those who driveزَجْرًاۙstrongly فَالتّٰلِیٰتِAnd those who reciteذِكْرًاۙ(the) Message اِنَّIndeedاِلٰهَكُمْyour Lordلَوَاحِدٌؕ(is) surely One رَبُّLordالسَّمٰوٰتِ(of) the heavensوَ الْاَرْضِand the earthوَ مَاand whatبَیْنَهُمَا(is) between both of themوَ رَبُّand Lordالْمَشَارِقِؕ(of) each point of sunrise اِنَّاIndeed Weزَیَّنَّا[We] adornedالسَّمَآءَthe heavenالدُّنْیَاnearestبِزِیْنَةِwith an adornmentِ۟الْكَوَاكِبِۙ(of) the stars وَ حِفْظًاAnd (to) guardمِّنْagainstكُلِّeveryشَیْطٰنٍdevilمَّارِدٍۚrebellious لَاNotیَسَّمَّعُوْنَthey may listenاِلَیtoالْمَلَاِthe assemblyالْاَعْلٰی[the] exaltedوَ یُقْذَفُوْنَare peltedمِنْfromكُلِّeveryجَانِبٍۗۖside دُحُوْرًاRepelledوَّ لَهُمْand for themعَذَابٌ(is) a punishmentوَّاصِبٌۙperpetual اِلَّاExceptمَنْ(him) whoخَطِفَsnatchesالْخَطْفَةَ(by) theftفَاَتْبَعَهٗbut follows himشِهَابٌa burning flameثَاقِبٌ piercing فَاسْتَفْتِهِمْThen ask themاَهُمْAre theyاَشَدُّa strongerخَلْقًاcreationاَمْorمَّنْ(those) whomخَلَقْنَا ؕWe have createdاِنَّاIndeed Weخَلَقْنٰهُمْcreated themمِّنْfromطِیْنٍa clayلَّازِبٍ sticky بَلْNayعَجِبْتَyou wonderوَ یَسْخَرُوْنَ۪while they mock وَ اِذَاAnd whenذُكِّرُوْاthey are remindedلَاnotیَذْكُرُوْنَ۪they receive admonition وَ اِذَاAnd whenرَاَوْاthey seeاٰیَةًa Signیَّسْتَسْخِرُوْنَ۪they mock وَ قَالُوْۤاAnd they sayاِنْNotهٰذَاۤ(is) thisاِلَّاexceptسِحْرٌa magicمُّبِیْنٌۚۖclear ءَاِذَاIs it whenمِتْنَاwe are deadوَ كُنَّاand have becomeتُرَابًاdustوَّ عِظَامًاand bonesءَاِنَّاshall we thenلَمَبْعُوْثُوْنَۙbe certainly resurrected اَوَ اٰبَآؤُنَاOr our fathersالْاَوَّلُوْنَؕformer قُلْSayنَعَمْYesوَ اَنْتُمْand youدَاخِرُوْنَۚ(will be) humiliated فَاِنَّمَاThen onlyهِیَitزَجْرَةٌ(will be) a cryوَّاحِدَةٌsingleفَاِذَاthen behold!هُمْTheyیَنْظُرُوْنَ will see وَ قَالُوْاAnd they will sayیٰوَیْلَنَاO woe to us!هٰذَاThisیَوْمُ(is the) Dayالدِّیْنِ (of) the Recompense هٰذَاThisیَوْمُ(is the) Dayالْفَصْلِ(of) Judgmentالَّذِیْwhichكُنْتُمْyou used toبِهٖ[of it]تُكَذِّبُوْنَ۠deny

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Translation of Verse 1-21 In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

1. By those who range themselves (angles) in ranks,¹

2. And by those who drive away (Evil) with reproof,²

3. And by those who recite the Divine Praise,³

4. Verily, your God is one: ⁴

5. Lord of the heavens and of the earth and all that is between them, and Lord of the easts. ⁵

6. We have adorned the heaven of the world with the ornaments of the stars,⁶

7. With security from every rebellious devil. ⁷

8. They cannot listen to the Exalted Assembly and they are pelted from every side, ⁸

9. Outcast,⁹ and theirs is a perpetual punishment; ¹⁰

10. Except him, who snatches something then gets pursued by shining flame. ¹¹

11. Ask them if they are a harder creation than those whom We have created?¹² Verily We have created them from sticky clay.¹³

12. Nay, but you marvel, while they mock, ¹⁴

13. And when they are reminded, they do not pay heed,

14. And when they see a sign they mock at it.

15. And they say: “It is plain magic. ¹⁵

16. “What! When we are dead and turned to dust and bones, shall we be raised to life (again)?

17. “And our forefathers too?”

18. Say: “Yes, and you will be disgraced.”¹⁶

19. It will be only one shout, and they will suddenly see (the scene of the Doomsday).¹⁷

20. They will say: “Woe to us ! This is the Day of Requital.”¹⁸

21. This is the Day of Judgment which you used to deny.¹⁹

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Commentary

1. By ranged in ranks are meant angels as is clear from the ayah No.165 of this very surah, in which this statement of the angels has been quoted:

“And we are ranged in ranks (in the presence of Allah)”

And the swearing conveys the sense of evidence or testimony and this is a figure of speech in Arabic. On such occasions the meaning of oath is not the same as we understand it in our languages, that is to swear by someone who is great, such an oath is taken of Allah only.

In the ayat a glimpse of the heavenly court is presented. Standing of the angels, ranged in ranks, with humility is a testimony of the fact that for them only Allah is worthy of worship.

2. That is: Angels reproach and rebuke satans. They have nothing to do with this rebellious group, they only curse them.

3. That is: Angels, who are always busy with remembering Allah. With Zikr (remembering) there is a mention of reciting (tilawat) which indicates that for the angels certain words for recitation have been reserved, as some words like Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah, etc. have been reserved for us. These specific words for zikr, which have been taught by Allah only, have great importance.

Angels remember Allah with the words specifically taught them by Allah, therefore, it has been termed as recitation of zikr, and this recitation of Zikr is worship.

4. This is the thing for which the worship of the angels has been presented as testimony. It means that your God is only one, and it is He alone who is also the God of the angels in the heaven.

5. Things existing between the earth and the heavens are innumerable. Astronomers say that in the galaxy in which our earth is situated has crores of stars:

“Our Galaxy is a vast system of 100 billion stars.” -(The Cambridge Ency. of Astronomy, London, P. 313).

Who is the Creator and Master of such a vast universe and who rules over it? The only answer to this question on the academic level can be one, and that is: one God is the Creator and the Master of the entire universe and only His sovereignty rules over it.

And from the ayah it is also learnt that there is not only one East but there are many east’s and it has become easier for man to understand this thing in the light of the modern Astronomy. As there are east and west on the earth on account of the rising and setting of the sun, similarly there are east and west on various planets. By terming Allah as the Lord of the easts, Quran has hinted at this reality that this universe is very vast, do not consider it limited to only one east, and that the master of this entire universe is only one, that is Allah.

6. The sky has been adorned with the stars in such a way that its beautiful appearance has become an attraction for the beholder, and provides an invitation to him to contemplate as to who is that master craftsman who has presented this beautiful sample of His art.

7. That is: When the rebellious satans fly towards the sky in order to bring the information from the heavens, they are unable to reach the heavens, as the sky has been made safe from their reach.

8.’Mala-e-A’la’ means the heavenly court or the meeting of the angels. The satans cannot hear anything from this meeting. Therefore this view is wrong that satans carry the information from the heavens to the sooth-sayers, and because of this concept the disbelievers of Makkah nursed the doubt that the Prophet was a sooth-sayer. They used to say that the Prophet who was giving them the information of the next world was getting the information from satans, which contains falsehood also. In refutation of such a view it is stated here that satans cannot hear any information from the heavens, they have been kept away from it, and such an arrangement is made that if the satans try to cross the limit of flight fixed for them they receive beatings from every direction.

9. That is: Angels rebuke them, reproach them, and curse them,

10. In the Hereafter there is everlasting punishment for these satans.

11. The word ‘Shahab’ used here means flame, which refers to flames emanating from the stars. If any satan tries to fly beyond the stars to get the news from there, the flame from the stars chases it, that is: the flame hits it and the satan cannot go further.

For further explanation please see Surah Hijr Note No.16.

12. Humans, angels and jinns whom Allah has created was it more difficult to create them from non-existence or is it more difficult to create humans again? If the first thing was easy for Allah, then the second thing should be easier for Him. What is their answer to this? The word ‘mun’ in Arabic is used for creatures with intelligence, that is why we have translated it as ‘whom’ instead of ‘which’.

13. Man was created from dust. The dust from which man was created had to pass through various stages. Quran has mentioned at different places its different stages and states. Here that state of dust is mentioned when it had become sticky after being mixed with water. From this dust man’s structure was moulded.

14. That is: O Prophet! You marvel at Allah’s miraculous craftsmanship that how He has presented these excellent samples of artistic creations, but the condition of these people is that they are ridiculing the might of Allah and they say that creating for the second time is not possible.

15. When an argument is presented to them which proves that the Arabic Prophet is a Messenger from Allah, they mock at it, and when they see its impact that it conquers the hearts of the people, they interpret it by saying that it is magic which is showing its effects. Thus neither counsel acts on them nor argument.

16. That is: You will be raised in such a state that your pride would have finished and you will find yourselves quite helpless.

17. On the Doomsday there will be a reproachful shout from Allah for His slaves: Get up and present yourselves before Me for answering about your misdeeds. As a result of this shout all dead humans will rise from the earth instantly, as if one shout will wake up all the humans who were sleeping, and will bring them in the ground of Hashr, where everybody will experience the happenings of Day of Judgment.

18. Seeing the scenes of Day of Judgment they will feel sorry for themselves. They will realise that they were denying the Day of Resurrection but in reality it did occur and they are now facing it and now they will receive their due punishment.

19. i.e. that time they will be told that you were not believing in the Day of judgment. Now have a look the same day has taken place.