Surah 15. Al-Hijr

---

Verses [Section]: 1-15[1], 16-25 [2], 26-44 [3], 45-60 [4], 61-79 [5], 80-99 [6]

---

Quran Text of Verse 45-60اِنَّIndeedالْمُتَّقِیْنَthe righteousفِیْ(will be) inجَنّٰتٍGardensوَّ عُیُوْنٍؕand water springs اُدْخُلُوْهَاEnter itبِسَلٰمٍin peaceاٰمِنِیْنَ secure وَ نَزَعْنَاAnd We (will) removeمَاwhatفِیْ(is) inصُدُوْرِهِمْtheir breastsمِّنْofغِلٍّrancorاِخْوَانًا(they will be) brothersعَلٰیonسُرُرٍthronesمُّتَقٰبِلِیْنَ facing each other لَاNotیَمَسُّهُمْwill touch themفِیْهَاthereinنَصَبٌfatigueوَّ مَاand notهُمْtheyمِّنْهَاfrom itبِمُخْرَجِیْنَ will be removed نَبِّئْInformعِبَادِیْۤMy slavesاَنِّیْۤthat IاَنَاI amالْغَفُوْرُthe Oft-Forgivingالرَّحِیْمُۙthe Most Merciful وَ اَنَّAnd thatعَذَابِیْMy punishmentهُوَitالْعَذَابُ(is) the punishmentالْاَلِیْمُ the most painful وَ نَبِّئْهُمْAnd inform themعَنْaboutضَیْفِ(the) guestsاِبْرٰهِیْمَۘ(of) Ibrahim 15. Al-Hijr Page 265اِذْWhenدَخَلُوْاthey enteredعَلَیْهِupon himفَقَالُوْاand saidسَلٰمًا ؕPeaceقَالَHe saidاِنَّاIndeed weمِنْكُمْ(are) of youوَ جِلُوْنَ afraid قَالُوْاThey saidلَا(Do) notتَوْجَلْbe afraidاِنَّاindeed weنُبَشِّرُكَ[we] bring glad tidings to youبِغُلٰمٍof a boyعَلِیْمٍ learned قَالَHe saidاَبَشَّرْتُمُوْنِیْDo you give me glad tidingsعَلٰۤیDo you give me glad tidingsاَنْalthoughمَّسَّنِیَhas overtaken meالْكِبَرُold ageفَبِمَThen about whatتُبَشِّرُوْنَ you give glad tidings قَالُوْاThey saidبَشَّرْنٰكَWe give you glad tidingsبِالْحَقِّin truthفَلَاso (do) notتَكُنْbeمِّنَofالْقٰنِطِیْنَ the despairing قَالَHe saidوَ مَنْAnd whoیَّقْنَطُdespairsمِنْofرَّحْمَةِ(the) Mercyرَبِّهٖۤ(of) his Lordاِلَّاexceptالضَّآلُّوْنَ those who are astray قَالَHe saidفَمَاThen whatخَطْبُكُمْ(is) your businessاَیُّهَاO messengersالْمُرْسَلُوْنَ O messengers قَالُوْۤاThey saidاِنَّاۤIndeed weاُرْسِلْنَاۤ[we] have been sentاِلٰیtoقَوْمٍa peopleمُّجْرِمِیْنَۙcriminals اِلَّاۤExceptاٰلَthe familyلُوْطٍ ؕof Lutاِنَّاindeed weلَمُنَجُّوْهُمْsurely will save themاَجْمَعِیْنَۙall اِلَّاExceptامْرَاَتَهٗhis wifeقَدَّرْنَاۤ ۙWe have decreedاِنَّهَاthat sheلَمِنَ(is) surely ofالْغٰبِرِیْنَ۠those who remain behind

---

Translation of Verse 45-60

(15:45) As for the God-fearing,²⁷ they shall be amid gardens and springs.

(15:46) They will be told: "Enter it in peace and security."

(15:47) And We shall purge their breasts of all traces of rancour;²⁸ and they shall be seated on couches facing one another as brothers.

(15:48) They shall face no fatigue in it, nor shall they ever be driven out of it.²⁹

(15:49) (O Prophet), declare to My servants that I am indeed Ever Forgiving, Most Merciful.

(15:50) At the same time, My chastisement is highly painful.

(15:51) And tell them about Abraham's guests.³⁰

(15:52) When they came to Abraham they said: "Peace be upon you!" He replied: "Indeed we feel afraid of you."³¹

(15:53) They said: "Do not feel afraid, for we give you the good news of a wise boy."³²

(15:54) Abraham said: "What, do you give me this tiding though old age has smitten me? Just consider what tiding do you give me!"

(15:55) They said: "The good tiding we give you is of truth. Do not, therefore, be of those who despair."

(15:56) Abraham said: "Who despairs of the Mercy of his Lord except the misguided?"

(15:57) He added: "What is your errand O sent ones?"³³

(15:58) They said: "Verily we have been sent to a guilty people³⁴

(15:59) excepting the household of Lot. We shall deliver all of them,

(15:60) except his wife (about whom Allah says that) We have decreed that she shall be among those who stay behind."

---

Commentary

27. This refers to those who did not follow Satan; who, out of their God-foreignness, lived as God’s faithful servants.

28. The hearts of the righteous will be purged of any feeling of bitterness and rancor — if they ever had any such-feelings — before entering Paradise. (For details see Towards Understanding the Qur’ an, vol. Ill, al-A‘raf7, n. 32, p. 28.)

29. This Qur’anic statement has been elaborated in the following tradition.

The Prophet (peace be on him) said: ‘It will be said to the people of Paradise: ‘‘You will now remain healthy forever and will never fall sick. You will live forever and never die. You will always remain young and never grow old. You will always remain settled, and will never require to undertake [the strain of] any journey’’.’ (For the contents of this tradition see Muslim, Kitab al-Jannah wa Sifat Na‘i miha wa Ahliha, ‘Bab fi Dawam Na‘im Ahl al-Jannah’, and al-Tirmidhi, Abwab al-Tafsir, ‘Tafsir Surah al-Zumar’ .)(We have been unable, however, to trace the last sentence quoted here, viz. This is further explained by the Qur’an and several traditions from the Prophet (peace be on him) which state that the inmate of Paradise will have no need to toil for his bread. Man will receive all that he wishes for without having to toil for it.

30. This marks the commencement of the story of Abraham (peace be on him). This is immediately followed by the story of the people of Lot (peace be on him).

In order to fully understand the underlying purpose of this narration, it is necessary to bear in mind some of the verses in the earlier part of the present surah. First of all, we encounter the statement of the Makkan unbelievers: ‘Why do you not bring down angels upon us if you are indeed truthful?’ (verse 7). At that point a brief rejoinder has been made: ‘We do not send down angels [in frivolity] and when We do send them down, We do so with truth, and then people are granted no respite’ (verse 8). An elaboration of the same point is made here with reference to these two stories. The unbelievers are told that the angels had brought one kind of ‘truth’ to Prophet Abraham (peace be on him) (verses 52-6), but brought ‘truth’ of quite another kind to the people of Lot (peace be on him). Now it was for the unbelievers themselves to decide which ‘truth’ should be communicated to them. It was quite obvious that they had not brought along the kind of truth which was sent to Abraham (peace be on him) through the angels. Were they, then, desirous that the kind of truth which was brought to the people of Lot (peace be on him) by the angels— one that spelled mass destruction should also be sent to them?

31. Cf. Hud 11: 69 ff. and the relevant notes there.

32. This alludes to the prophecy about the birth of Isaac (peace be on him), which has been clearly stated in Hud. (See verse 71 — Ed.)

33. It is evident from Prophet Abraham’s question that angels appear in human form only in extraordinary circumstances. Whenever they come in that form, it is to carry out some extraordinary mission.

34. The brevity of the reference indicates that the guilt of the people of Lot had exceeded all limits, and that they had become quite notorious for it. As a result, it was sufficient to mention them as a ‘guilty people’ ‘without specifically naming them.