Surah 46. Al-Ahqaf

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Verses [Section]: 1-10[1], 11-20 [2], 21-26 [3], 27-35 [4]

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Quran Text of Verse 27-35وَ لَقَدْAnd certainlyاَهْلَكْنَاWe destroyedمَاwhatحَوْلَكُمْsurrounds youمِّنَofالْقُرٰیthe townsوَ صَرَّفْنَاand We have diversifiedالْاٰیٰتِthe Signsلَعَلَّهُمْthat they mayیَرْجِعُوْنَ return فَلَوْ لَاThen why (did) notنَصَرَهُمُhelp themالَّذِیْنَthose whomاتَّخَذُوْاthey had takenمِنْbesidesدُوْنِbesidesاللّٰهِAllahقُرْبَانًاgods as a way of approachاٰلِهَةً ؕgods as a way of approachبَلْNayضَلُّوْاthey were lostعَنْهُمْ ۚfrom themوَ ذٰلِكَAnd thatاِفْكُهُمْ(was) their falsehoodوَ مَاand whatكَانُوْاthey wereیَفْتَرُوْنَ inventing 46. Al-Ahqaf Page 506وَ اِذْAnd whenصَرَفْنَاۤWe directedاِلَیْكَto youنَفَرًاa partyمِّنَofالْجِنِّthe jinnیَسْتَمِعُوْنَlisteningالْقُرْاٰنَ ۚ(to) the QuranفَلَمَّاAnd whenحَضَرُوْهُthey attended itقَالُوْۤاthey saidاَنْصِتُوْا ۚListen quietlyفَلَمَّاAnd whenقُضِیَit was concludedوَ لَّوْthey turned backاِلٰیtoقَوْمِهِمْtheir peopleمُّنْذِرِیْنَ (as) warners قَالُوْاThey saidیٰقَوْمَنَاۤO our peopleاِنَّاIndeed, weسَمِعْنَا[we] have heardكِتٰبًاa BookاُنْزِلَrevealedمِنْۢafterبَعْدِafterمُوْسٰیMusaمُصَدِّقًاconfirmingلِّمَاwhatبَیْنَ(was) before itیَدَیْهِ(was) before itیَهْدِیْۤguidingاِلَیtoالْحَقِّthe truthوَ اِلٰیand toطَرِیْقٍa Pathمُّسْتَقِیْمٍ Straight یٰقَوْمَنَاۤO our people!اَجِیْبُوْاRespondدَاعِیَ(to the) callerاللّٰهِ(of) Allahوَ اٰمِنُوْاand believeبِهٖin himیَغْفِرْHe will forgiveلَكُمْfor youمِّنْofذُنُوْبِكُمْyour sinsوَ یُجِرْكُمْand will protect youمِّنْfromعَذَابٍa punishmentاَلِیْمٍ painful وَ مَنْAnd whoeverلَّا(does) notیُجِبْrespondدَاعِیَ(to the) callerاللّٰهِ(of) Allahفَلَیْسَthen notبِمُعْجِزٍhe can escapeفِیinالْاَرْضِthe earthوَ لَیْسَand notلَهٗfor himمِنْbesides Himدُوْنِهٖۤbesides Himاَوْلِیَآءُ ؕprotectorsاُولٰٓىِٕكَThoseفِیْ(are) inضَلٰلٍerrorمُّبِیْنٍ clear اَوَ لَمْDo notیَرَوْاthey seeاَنَّthatاللّٰهَAllahالَّذِیْ(is) the One Whoخَلَقَcreatedالسَّمٰوٰتِthe heavensوَ الْاَرْضَand the earthوَ لَمْand (did) notیَعْیَget tiredبِخَلْقِهِنَّby their creationبِقٰدِرٍ(is) ableعَلٰۤیto give lifeاَنْto give lifeیُّحْیِ َۧto give lifeالْمَوْتٰی ؕ(to) the deadبَلٰۤیYesاِنَّهٗindeed Heعَلٰی(is) onكُلِّeveryشَیْءٍthingقَدِیْرٌ All-Powerful وَ یَوْمَAnd (the) Dayیُعْرَضُare exposedالَّذِیْنَthose whoكَفَرُوْاdisbelievedعَلَیtoالنَّارِ ؕthe FireاَلَیْسَIs notهٰذَاthisبِالْحَقِّ ؕthe truthقَالُوْاThey will sayبَلٰیYesوَ رَبِّنَا ؕby our LordقَالَHe will sayفَذُوْقُواThen tasteالْعَذَابَthe punishmentبِمَاbecauseكُنْتُمْyou used (to)تَكْفُرُوْنَ disbelieve فَاصْبِرْSo be patientكَمَاasصَبَرَhad patienceاُولُواthose of determinationالْعَزْمِthose of determinationمِنَofالرُّسُلِthe Messengersوَ لَاand (do) notتَسْتَعْجِلْseek to hastenلَّهُمْ ؕfor themكَاَنَّهُمْAs if they hadیَوْمَ(the) Dayیَرَوْنَthey seeمَاwhatیُوْعَدُوْنَ ۙthey were promisedلَمْnotیَلْبَثُوْۤاremainedاِلَّاexceptسَاعَةًan hourمِّنْofنَّهَارٍ ؕa dayبَلٰغٌ ۚA clear MessageفَهَلْBut willیُهْلَكُ(any) be destroyedاِلَّاexceptالْقَوْمُthe peopleالْفٰسِقُوْنَ۠the defiantly disobedient

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Translation of Verse 27-35

27. We have destroyed populations round about you.⁴⁶ We had shown Our Signs in various ways so that they might turn.

28. Then why did those whom they had deified beside Allah as a means of approach (unto Allah) help them?⁴⁷ But all of them left them in the lurch. This was their lie and fabricated things.

29. And when We turned toward you a group of the Jinns ⁴⁸ so that they may hear the Quran⁴⁹ and when they reached there they said (to each other): keep quiet (and listen). When its recitation ended they returned to their community as warners.

30. They said: O our people! We have heard a Book which has been revealed after Moosa⁵⁰, confirming what came before it ⁵¹, it guides to the Truth and to the straight path.⁵²

31. O our people! Respond to Allah’s summoner ⁵³ and believe in him.⁵⁴ He will forgive your sins” and will spare you from a painful punishment.⁵⁶

32. And whoever will not respond Allah’s summoner he has no power on the earth to escape from the control of Allah ⁵⁷ neither will he have any protector beside Allah. These are in error manifest.⁵⁸

33. Have they not thought that Allah who created the heavens and the earth and Who was not wearied by their creation is Able to give life to the dead. why not? He has power over all things.

34. And on the Day⁵⁹ when the disbelievers will be placed before Fire. (They will be asked): Is this not real?⁶⁰ They will say: Yes, by our Lord. He will say: Then taste the punishment for that you disbelieved.

35. Then (O Messenger!) have patience as did apostles having courageous resolve and be in no haste about them.⁶¹ On the Day when these people will see that which they are promised it will seem to them as if (in the world) they had not tarried for more than an hour in a single day.⁶² This is the Message. Then who except the disobedient people will be destroyed?⁶³

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Commentary

46. Meaning the habitations of Aad, Thamood, Madyan etc. which were situated in the Arab region.

47. That is: why those ‘gods’ of them, about whom they believed that they were the medium of approaching Allah did not come to help them when Allah’s punishment descended upon them? The fact that these ‘deities’ could not save their worshippers from the clutches of Allah’s punishment proves that there is none except Allah who is redresser of grievances (Ghaus), remover of difficulties and helper and protector and there is none save Him who is worthy of worship. It is sheer deviation and a lie against Allah, to think that some one is a medium of access to Allah and then to deal with him or her in a way which be fits only Allah.

48. Jinn (genii) which is the creation of Allah is invisible to us. Divine Revelation has informed us of it. Please see Surah Hijr, Note 25.

49. Almighty Allah caused a folk of the Jinns to be attentive to the prophet so that they may hear Quran from his mouth. When they heard it they found no difficulty in understanding that it was Divine Revelation. So they were instantly convinced of it and they accepted Faith. Not only did they become believers but they returned to their people as propagators of Islam. They warned their folk. The aim of describing this event here is to show that Quran’s being the Divine Word is a clear fact. Neither a rightminded man nor a right-minded jinn experiences any difficulty in recognizing it. This is a miraculous quality of the Quran. The event of the jinns’ hearing of and believing in the Quran has been described in Surah Jinn too. But in these Ayaat of Surah Ahqaaf it is also mentioned that they had become summoner of Faith and they warned their folk. It appears that these were two separate events. The happening mentioned in Surah Jinn seems to have occurred in the primary stage of the Meccan period, and that the event mentioned in Surah Ahqaaf is a later one, that is, it happened in the middle of the Makkan period. Commentators have mostly relied on the narration of Ibne Hishaam according to which this event took place at a place called Nakhla when the Holy Prophet returned from his journey to Taaif. But the narratives of Bukhari and Muslim connect this event with the revelation of Surah Jinn. It seems to be correct. (Please see Bukhari. Kitabut Tafseer, Tafseere Sura-e- Jinn and Muslim. Kitaabus Salaat, Baabul Jahr bil Quraan fis - Subh…………) Therefore it does not seem to be correct to think that the event described in Surah Ahqaaf is the Nakhlaa event. It must have occurred some where else. It may be kept in mind that the Quran has nowhere specified that the Prophet had seen the Jinns and had a face to face talk with them. Rather it clarifies that he was informed of their hearing the Quran through the revelation. The same thing has been mentioned in the traditions of Bukhari and Muslim relating to the revelation of Surah Jinn. For further clarification see Surah Anaam, Note: 241.

50. The Jinns mentioned Prophet Moosa because he was given a comprehensive Book Torah. Zaboor (Psalms) and Injeel (Gospels) were revealed to renew the Original Book and also because Prophet Sulaiman was from the sect of prophet Moosa and the Jinns were made subordinate to Prophet Sulaiman.

51. That is: it testifies that Torah was Allah’s Book Quran’s teaching was the same as that of the Torah.

52. That is: it presents the true belief and shows the path which leads to Allah.

53. Means Allah’s Messenger. Responding to him also includes having Faith in Quran.

54. Have Faith in the Prophet.

55. Jinns also commit sins as men do. Similarly just as man’s earlier sins are pardoned on his accepting the Faith, same is the case with the Jinns. This makes it clear that Jinns too are made responsible for believing in Divine Messengers and Divine Books and for worshipping ONLY ONE ALLAH and doing good deeds. This world is a place of examination for both men and jinns. Of course man has been made the ruler of the earth, not the jinn. Hence the fields of their work are different. Hence, maybe they (jinns) do not require a detailed shariat (code of conduct) and following the general formulaized of Faith may suffice for them, for example, belief, morals, commanding good and prohibiting evil etc. Since the affair of jinn belongs to the unseen realm we must remain content with whatever knowledge may be available from the Quran and true traditions. We should not delve deeper.

56. Delivery from Divine punishment is in itself a great success. As for the Jannah (paradise), both men and jinn are addressed in Surah Rahmaan : “For him who fears the standing before his Lord there are two Gardens.” (Rahmaan : 46) Righteous jinns too will, like the virtuous men, get the Jannat and both will enjoy luxuries according to their respective nature, therein.

57. The original dwelling place of the jinns is the earth. Therefore it is said: “He has no power in the earth to escape from the control of Allah.”

58. Narration of the Jinns ends here.

Have they not thought that Allah who created the heavens and the earth and Who was not wearied by their creation is Able to give life to the dead. why not? He has power over all things. (Al-Quran

59. Meaning on the Day of Resurrection.

60. You were denying the punishment of Hell Now is it not before your as a reality?

61. This is both a consolation and an instruction to the prophet and, through him, to those who invite others to Faith, that when you have presented the Message correctly and still the deniers continue to oppose you and to use painful language for you, then be pa tient a nd d o not beseech a ha sty punishment for them.

62. For Explanation see Surah Yunus Note:74 and Surah Nazi’aat, Note:32

63. That is : this is the Divine Massage which His Prophet has presented to you. Now only those will be doomed who will remain disobedient. Those who respond positively will definitely be saved from destruction.