وَ لَوْ لَا And if not كَلِمَةٌ (for) a Word سَبَقَتْ (that) preceded مِنْ from رَّبِّكَ your Lord لَكَانَ surely (would) have been لِزَامًا an obligation وَّ اَجَلٌ and a term مُّسَمًّیؕ determined فَاصْبِرْ So be patient عَلٰی over مَا what یَقُوْلُوْنَ they say وَ سَبِّحْ and glorify بِحَمْدِ with praise رَبِّكَ (of) your Lord قَبْلَ before طُلُوْعِ (the) rising الشَّمْسِ (of) the sun وَ قَبْلَ and before غُرُوْبِهَا ۚ its setting وَ مِنْ and from اٰنَآئِ (the) hours الَّیْلِ (of) the night فَسَبِّحْ and glorify وَ اَطْرَافَ (at the) ends النَّهَارِ (of) the day لَعَلَّكَ so that you may تَرْضٰی be satisfied وَ لَا And (do) not تَمُدَّنَّ extend عَیْنَیْكَ your eyes اِلٰی towards مَا what مَتَّعْنَا We have given for enjoyment بِهٖۤ [with it] اَزْوَاجًا pairs مِّنْهُمْ of them زَهْرَةَ (the) splendor الْحَیٰوةِ (of) the life الدُّنْیَا ۙ۬ (of) the world لِنَفْتِنَهُمْ that We may test them فِیْهِ ؕ in it وَ رِزْقُ And (the) provision رَبِّكَ (of) your Lord خَیْرٌ (is) better وَّ اَبْقٰی and more lasting وَ اْمُرْ And enjoin اَهْلَكَ (on) your family بِالصَّلٰوةِ the prayer وَ اصْطَبِرْ and be steadfast عَلَیْهَا ؕ therein لَا Not نَسْـَٔلُكَ We ask you رِزْقًا ؕ (for) provision نَحْنُ We نَرْزُقُكَ ؕ provide (for) you وَ الْعَاقِبَةُ and the outcome لِلتَّقْوٰی (is) for the righteous[ness] وَ قَالُوْا And they say لَوْ لَا Why not یَاْتِیْنَا he brings us بِاٰیَةٍ a sign مِّنْ from رَّبِّهٖ ؕ his Lord اَوَ لَمْ Has not تَاْتِهِمْ come to them بَیِّنَةُ evidence مَا (of) what فِی (was) in الصُّحُفِ the Scriptures الْاُوْلٰی the former وَ لَوْ And if اَنَّاۤ We اَهْلَكْنٰهُمْ (had) destroyed them بِعَذَابٍ with a punishment مِّنْ before him قَبْلِهٖ before him لَقَالُوْا surely they (would) have said رَبَّنَا Our Lord لَوْ لَاۤ why not اَرْسَلْتَ You sent اِلَیْنَا to us رَسُوْلًا a Messenger فَنَتَّبِعَ so we (could) have followed اٰیٰتِكَ Your signs مِنْ before قَبْلِ before اَنْ [that] نَّذِلَّ we were humiliated وَ نَخْزٰی and disgraced قُلْ Say كُلٌّ Each مُّتَرَبِّصٌ (is) waiting فَتَرَبَّصُوْا ۚ so await فَسَتَعْلَمُوْنَ Then you will know مَنْ who اَصْحٰبُ (are the) companions الصِّرَاطِ (of) the way السَّوِیِّ [the] even وَ مَنِ and who اهْتَدٰی۠ is guided
(20:129) Were it not for a word already gone from your Lord, the decree (of their destruction) would have come to pass.
(20:130) So bear patiently with what they say. Glorify your Lord, praising Him before sunrise and before sunset, and in the watches of the night,111 and glorify Him and at the ends of the day that you may attain to happiness.112
(20:131) Do not turn your eyes covetously towards the embellishments of worldly life that We have bestowed upon various kinds of people to test them. But the clean provision bestowed upon you113 by your Lord is better and more enduring.
(20:132) Enjoin Prayer on your household,114 and do keep observing it. We do not ask you for any worldly provision; rather, it is We Who provide you, and ultimately the pious will end up the best.115
(20:133) They ask: "Why does he not bring us a (miraculous) sign from his Lord?" Has there not come to them a Book containing the teachings of the previous scriptures?116
(20:134) Had We destroyed them through some calamity before his coming, they would have said: "Our Lord! Why did You not send any Messenger to us that we might have followed Your signs before being humbled and disgraced?"
(20:135) Tell them, (O Muhammad): "Everyone is waiting for his end.117 Wait, then, and you will soon know who are the people of the Right Way, and are rightly-guided."
111. Since God did not want to destroy them at that particular moment, and since a term had been earmarked for them by God, the Prophet (peace be on him) is asked to bear with their misdeeds during the term granted to them by God. He is also asked to persist in preaching his message and reminding people of their duties, and to disregard all the unpleasant things which they may say to him. It is from Prayers that one draws the necessary strength to endure opposition and hostility. Being of vital importance, Prayers must be properly observed according to the time-schedule prescribed for them. ‘Glorify your Lord, praising Him before sunrise and before sunset’ means the observance of Prayer. It is noteworthy that a little later it is said: ‘Enjoin prayer on your household, and do keep observing it’ (verse 132).
This verse also indicates the timings of Prayer: Fajr Prayer before sunrise, ‘Asr Prayer before sunset, and ‘Isha’ and Tahajjud Prayers in the hours of the night. As to the ‘ends of the day’, they can, at most, be three in number: in the, morning, at midnight, and in the evening. Hence ‘the sides of the day’ refer to Fajr, Zuhr and Maghrib Prayers. (For further details see Hud 11, n. 113; Bani Isra’il 17, nn. 91-7; al-Rum 30, n. 25 and al-Mu' min 40, n. 74.)
112. There are two possible meanings of this verse and it is quite probable that both of them are meant. In one sense, the verse urges the Prophet (peace be on him) to feel contented with his present state wherein he has to endure a number of unpalatable things. It also urges him to reconcile himself to the fact that, for the moment the oppressors and wrong-doers will not be punished and that they will be allowed, for a short while longer, to strut about the earth, oppressing the proponents of truth. According to the alternative meaning of the verse, the Prophet (peace be on him) is urged to do as he was directed because his efforts would soon bear fruit and this would gladden his heart. This idea is expressed at several different junctures in the Qur’an. For example: ‘possibly your Lord will raise you to an honored position’ (Bani Isra’ il 17: 79). In like manner: ‘Soon will your Lord give you that wherewith you shall be well-pleased’ (al-Duha 93: 5).
113. We have translated the word rizq here as meaning ‘clean provision’.
For any unlawful earning cannot be a clean provision from God. The purpose of the directive is to impress upon the Prophet (peace be on him) and his Companions that they should not feel envious of the iniquitous who hoarded their unlawful wealth, There is no reason why the artificial sheen of wealth and power should lure the believers. Whatever little they earn as a result of their sweat and toil is much better for honest and righteous people since it conduces to their good in both worlds — the present and the Next.
114. The believers are told to enjoin upon their children not to feel heart-broken at the fact that their miserable state is in sharp contrast to the pomp and luxury of unbelieving swindlers. Instead, they should ‘be urged to regularly observe Prayers. This is likely to change their perspective on life, their values, and the focus of their attentions; a change that will make them satisfied with their lawfully earned livelihood, even if it be meagre. All this will lead them to prefer a virtuous life ensuing from faith and godliness to a life of luxury and self-indulgence arising out of sin, disobedience and excessive worldliness.
115. When a man observes Prayers, it does not benefit God. It is only he who prays who derives any benefit from it. That benefit consists of piety which will be a means to his success both in this world and in the Next.
116. It was nothing short of a miracle that a person from among them, an unlettered person, had come forth with a Book which embodied the quintessence of the Scripture teachings. Not only did it bring together all the guidance embodied in the Scriptures, it also explained their content in such a manner that could now be comprehended by men of even ordinary understanding.
117. Since the rise of this movement in Makka everyone in and around the town were concerned as to what its ultimate end would be.