Towards Understanding the Quran
With kind permission of Islamic Foundation UK
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Tafsirs: Maarif | Dawat | Ishraq | Clear
Surah An-Naml 27:87-90   Chapters ↕   Word for Word
Verses [Section]: 1-14[1], 15-31 [2], 32-44 [3], 45-58 [4], 59-66 [5], 67-82 [6], 83-93 [7]
وَ یَوْمَAnd (the) Dayیُنْفَخُwill be blownفِی[in]الصُّوْرِthe trumpetفَفَزِعَand will be terrifiedمَنْwhoeverفِی(is) inالسَّمٰوٰتِthe heavensوَ مَنْand whoeverفِی(is) inالْاَرْضِthe earthاِلَّاexceptمَنْwhomشَآءَAllah willsاللّٰهُ ؕAllah willsوَ كُلٌّAnd allاَتَوْهُ(will) come to Himدٰخِرِیْنَ humbled وَ تَرَیAnd you seeالْجِبَالَthe mountainsتَحْسَبُهَاthinking themجَامِدَةًfirmly fixedوَّ هِیَwhile theyتَمُرُّwill passمَرَّ(as the) passingالسَّحَابِ ؕ(of) the cloudsصُنْعَ(The) Workاللّٰهِ(of) AllahالَّذِیْۤWhoاَتْقَنَperfectedكُلَّallشَیْءٍ ؕthingsاِنَّهٗIndeed Heخَبِیْرٌۢ(is) All-Awareبِمَاof whatتَفْعَلُوْنَ you do 27. An-Naml Page 385مَنْWhoeverجَآءَcomesبِالْحَسَنَةِwith the goodفَلَهٗthen for himخَیْرٌ(will be) betterمِّنْهَا ۚthan itوَ هُمْand theyمِّنْfromفَزَعٍ(the) terrorیَّوْمَىِٕذٍ(of) that Dayاٰمِنُوْنَ (will be) safe وَ مَنْAnd whoeverجَآءَcomesبِالسَّیِّئَةِwith the evilفَكُبَّتْwill be cast downوُجُوْهُهُمْtheir facesفِیinالنَّارِ ؕthe FireهَلْAreتُجْزَوْنَyou recompensedاِلَّاexceptمَا(for) whatكُنْتُمْyou used (to)تَعْمَلُوْنَ do

Translation

(27:87) The Day when the Trumpet will be blown all those who are in the heavens and on the earth shall be terror stricken106 - all except those whom Allah wills - and everyone shall come to Him utterly abject.

(27:88) You now see the mountains and consider them firmly fixed, but then they shall pass away even as clouds pass away. That will be the handiwork of Allah Who has created everything with perfect wisdom. He is well aware of what you do.107

(27:89) Whosoever comes with good will receive a reward better than his deed,108 and they will be made secure from the terror of that Day.

(27:90) And whosoever comes with evil, they will be flung upon their faces into the Fire. Will you be recompensed for aught other than what you do?109

Commentary

106. For a detailed discussion of the blowing of the Trumpet, see Towards Understanding the Qur’an, Vol. II, al-An‘am 6: n. 48, p. 244, Vol. V, Ta Ha 20: n. 78, pp. 223-4 and Vol.VI, al-Hajj 22: n. 1, pp. 5-6.

107. Do not fancy that God, Who gave you the intelligence and the ability to discern and the power to exercise the authority given to you, will be unaware of your deeds and how you used the powers bestowed upon you.

108. The reward will be better in two ways: (i) it will be better than what a person actually deserves-for his good deeds, and (ii) it will be forever although the good deeds were circumscribed by time and their effects limited to a certain period.

109. The horrors of the Resurrection will stun and confound the unbelievers but the believers will remain calm and satisfied because what will happen will be in accordance with their expectations. They would have already known, as told by God and His Prophets, that the Resurrection and the Next Life are a reality, and, therefore, they will neither be bewildered nor alarmed like those who denied these as long as they lived. They will also be calm and satisfied because, having believed in it, they will have prepared themselves for this Day and would have carried some provision for it. They would be unlike those who did not believe in it and who spent all they had in pursuit of worldly gains and never even thought that there would be a Hereafter for which they should prepare themselves. Unlike the unbelievers, these believers will also be satisfied because the Day for which they had been preparing and for which they had sacrificed the pleasures and unlawful advantages and benefits and for whose sake they had endured so many difficulties during their worldly life had eventually arrived. They will feel reassured that their hard work has not gone to waste.

109a. The Qur’an mentions, over and over again, that in the Hereafter the reward for an evil deed will be equal to that evil deed itself but the reward for good deeds will be multiplied many fold. For more examples, see Yunus 10:26- 7; al-Qasas 28:84; al-‘Ankabut 29:7; Saba’ 34:37-8 and al-Mu'min 40:40.