Surah 74. Al-Muddaththir

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Verses [Section]: 1-31[1], 32-56 [2]

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Quran Text of Verse 32-56كَلَّاNay!وَ الْقَمَرِۙBy the moon وَ الَّیْلِAnd the nightاِذْwhenاَدْبَرَۙit departs وَ الصُّبْحِAnd the morningاِذَاۤwhenاَسْفَرَۙit brightens اِنَّهَاIndeed itلَاِحْدَی(is) surely oneالْكُبَرِۙ(of) the greatest نَذِیْرًاA warningلِّلْبَشَرِۙto (the) human being لِمَنْTo whoeverشَآءَwillsمِنْكُمْamong youاَنْtoیَّتَقَدَّمَproceedاَوْorیَتَاَخَّرَؕstay behind كُلُّEveryنَفْسٍۭsoulبِمَاfor whatكَسَبَتْit has earnedرَهِیْنَةٌۙ(is) pledged اِلَّاۤExceptاَصْحٰبَ(the) companionsالْیَمِیْنِؕۛ(of) the right فِیْInجَنّٰتٍ ۛؕ۫Gardensیَتَسَآءَلُوْنَۙasking each other عَنِAboutالْمُجْرِمِیْنَۙthe criminals مَاWhatسَلَكَكُمْled youفِیْintoسَقَرَ Hell قَالُوْاThey will sayلَمْNotنَكُwe wereمِنَofالْمُصَلِّیْنَۙthose who prayed وَلَمْAnd notنَكُwe usedنُطْعِمُ(to) feedالْمِسْكِیْنَۙthe poor وَ كُنَّاAnd we used (to)نَخُوْضُindulge in vain talkمَعَwithالْخَآىِٕضِیْنَۙthe vain talkers وَ كُنَّاAnd we used (to)نُكَذِّبُdenyبِیَوْمِ(the) Dayالدِّیْنِۙ(of) the Judgment حَتّٰۤیUntilاَتٰىنَاthere came to usالْیَقِیْنُؕthe certainty 74. Al-Muddaththir Page 577فَمَاThen notتَنْفَعُهُمْwill benefit themشَفَاعَةُintercessionالشّٰفِعِیْنَؕ(of) the intercessors فَمَاThen whatلَهُمْ(is) for themعَنِ(that) fromالتَّذْكِرَةِthe Reminderمُعْرِضِیْنَۙthey (are) turning away كَاَنَّهُمْAs if they (were)حُمُرٌdonkeysمُّسْتَنْفِرَةٌۙfrightened فَرَّتْFleeingمِنْfromقَسْوَرَةٍؕa lion بَلْNay!یُرِیْدُDesiresكُلُّeveryامْرِئٍpersonمِّنْهُمْof themاَنْthatیُّؤْتٰیhe may be givenصُحُفًاpagesمُّنَشَّرَةًۙspread out كَلَّا ؕNay!بَلْButلَّاnotیَخَافُوْنَthey fearالْاٰخِرَةَؕthe Hereafter كَلَّاۤNay!اِنَّهٗIndeed itتَذْكِرَةٌۚ(is) a Reminder فَمَنْSo whoeverشَآءَwillsذَكَرَهٗؕ(may) pay heed to it وَ مَاAnd notیَذْكُرُوْنَwill pay heedاِلَّاۤexceptاَنْthatیَّشَآءَwillsاللّٰهُ ؕAllahهُوَHeاَهْلُ(is) worthyالتَّقْوٰیto be fearedوَ اَهْلُand worthyالْمَغْفِرَةِ۠to forgive

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Translation of Verse 32-56

32. Never, ²⁷ by the moon. ²⁸

33. and by the night when it retreats.

34. and by the morn when it brightens.

35. that this (Quran) is one of the very big signs. ²⁹

36. a warning to mankind. ³⁰

37. to everyone of you who may like to march on or to remain behind. ³¹

38. Every person is a pledge for his earning ³²

39. except those of the right hand. ³³

40. hey will be the people of the Garden, there they will ask.

41. about the guilty’s.

42. what brought you into Hell? ³⁴

43. They will say: we were not of those who prayed (Salat).³⁵

44. nor were we feeding the poor. ³⁶

45. and we were disputing with the disputers. ³⁷

46. and we were denying the Day of requital (Judgment).

47. till we confronted the certain thing. ³⁸

48. So the intercession of the intercessors will avail them nothing. ³⁹

49. What has happened to them that they are turning away from admonition.

50. as if they are frightened asses.

51. That have fled from a lion ⁴⁰

52. Rather, everyone of them wants that he should be given an open scripture.⁴¹

53. never, but they have no fear of the Hereafter. ⁴²

54. Never, this is but an admonition. ⁴³

55. So whosoever wishes may take heed.

56. And they cannot heed, unless Allah so wills ⁴⁴ He is worthy of being afraid of ⁴⁵ and HE alone has the authority to pardon. ⁴⁶

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Commentary

27. That is, it is not at all correct to think that Quran is a word of magic, or a human oratory.

28. This oath is in the sense of witness and evidence.

29. That is, the revelation of the holy Quran is the manifestation of a very great sign of Allah. It gives man the correct knowledge about his Lord. It describes the aim of his life, that is, it informs us about the reward of deeds along with Unity of God. This sign in the form of God’s Word is thus very great. It is supported by the signs scattered in the horizons. For example, the moon that besides revealing Her creator’s beauty also announces His unity (being only one), and this arrangement of night and day according to which the night disappears with its darkness and the day breaks with its light. This turn of night and day is a witness to God’s greatness. It also testifies that Resurrection is going to come out of the womb of this world. Thus you will find harmony in the signs of this universe and in this talking testimony of the holy Quran. This is a proof of the fact that the revelation of Quran is the manifestation of a very great sign of Allah.

30. That is, the foremost aim of the Holy Quran is to warn the people about the Day of judgment (reward and punishment).

31. That is, after being cautious by this, those who want to walk further in the path of Allah and to make provision for their future may do so. Likewise those who, despite this warning, want to remain backward and who do not intend to proceed in the path of God and do not wish to make any provision for their future, may suffer the punishment of their carelessness and shortsightedness.

32. This has been explained in note: 21 of Surah Toor.

33. By ‘those of the right hand’ is meant the righteous believers, who will get their work sheet in their right hands.

34. The Faithful believers will be talking about the disbelievers in the Paradise as to what happened to them? So they will be given a chance to talk personally with the people of the Hell. While remaining in Paradise, they will talk directly with the sinners in Hell. They will also get answer to their question which follows. Hell will be very far away from Paradise. Yet it will be possible for them to communicate. This could have been astonishing at the time of the revelation of the Quran. But now, when it has become easy for two person to talk with others living thousands of miles away through telephone and when the invention of wireless communication has enabled man even to talk from this earth with others flying in the outer space, this statement of the Quran that the people of Paradise will talk with the criminals lodged in Hell, is no more astonishing. It can be said that the inventions of such instruments has highlighted the truth telling of the Holy Quran. The statement of the holy Quran that:

“Soon WE will show them Our signs in horizons and in their own souls. until it will be manifest to them that it is the Truth.” (Haa Meem Sajdah:53) Is now before us in the form of reality.

So the intercession of the intercessors will avail them nothing. What has happened to them that they are turning away from admonition, as if they are frightened asses. That have fled from a lion. Rather, everyone of them wants that he should be given an open scripture. Never, but they have no fear of the Hereafter. Never, this is but an admonition. So whosoever wishes may take heed. And they cannot heed, unless Allah so wills He is worthy of being afraid of and HE alone has the authority to pardon. (Al-Quran)

35. The importance of Salat has hereby become more clear because the loss of neglecting it will be felt by the sinners in the Hell. Salat is the biggest pillar of Islam and Faith is essential for it. Without Faith no Salat can be called a Salat nor it will be accepted by Allah. Similar is the case of worships like Zakaat also. In other words, the responsibility of acting upon the orders of Shariat falls on all men but, for its performance and its acceptance by Allah, Faith is a must.

After reading this ayah those Muslims should also become mindful who are neglecting salat totally.

36. For explanation please see Surah Al Haaqqah, note: 32.

37. In their worldly life these people were raising various kinds of discussions about Allah and Hereafter and Quran and Messengership and targeting religion with their objections. But they will get the feeling of this big mistake in the Hell.

38. Means death, the occurrence of which was certain and which brought those things before them by seeing which they believed that it was all truth.

39. The statement of the sinners has ended above. Now Allah says that those who had adopted a criminal attitude are now relying on intercession (Shafa’at) hoping that in case resurrection occurs they will get salvation by intercession of such and such persons. The truth, however, is that no intercession will bring about salvation. Salvation depends not on intercession but on true Faith and righteous deeds. When these persons have become criminals by denying Resurrection, the door of intercession has been totally closed for them and those persons whom they had made their intercessors, almost deifying, them will not be available there for making intercession.

40. Just as wild donkeys run away frighteningly on seeing a lion these unwise people are, running away from the admonition of the prophet. This flight of theirs from the Quran and its Messenger is sheer foolishness.

41. These people are prepared to accept that Allah has sent HIS Book to HIS Messenger. But they want that if Allah at all wants to send a book HE should supply a copy of it to everyone of them. In their view there is no need of a Messenger; that God should give His Book directly to them. These were their boastful talks and this demand was totally nonsense.

42. It is not that Quran’s being a revelation from God is an unclear fact, and hence these people are running away from it. No, the real reason of their flight from it is that they have no feeling regarding their responsibility in the Hereafter and they are totally careless about it. Fear of the Hereafter is created by the INZAAR (frightening) of the Quran provided man pays attention to it. Then when he becomes fearful of the Hereafter it becomes easy for him to listen to all the discourses of admonition and to accept them. But when man does not consider himself responsible to God and is not impressed even by the warnings concerning the Hereafter then this treasure of admonition (Holy Quran) cannot affect him at all.

43. That is, the Quran is never magic. It is admonition and a reminder from God.

44. It should be well understood that the acceptance of admonition by you also depends on the will of Allah. If there is no will of Allah, you cannot accept admonition, Whatever discretion of accepting admonition you possess is given by God, otherwise, you do not have any authority of your own.

45. On the basis of His Greatness, Highness and Divinity, Allah deserves that His creation should fear Him and be righteous.

46. The authority of forgiving sins also is only with Him. Obviously only HE Who is the Creator and the LORD can be worthy of pardoning sins of His slaves. There is no one except Him who can pardon sins. This refutes the Christian belief that prophet Isa (Jesus: peace be upon him) will pardon the sins of his followers.