This translation of the Koran is the achievement of my life. Its
source is in my youth in Egypt. But I was able to approach the Koran closely
only in my forties, after I had acquired life experience, spiritual potential,
and the desire to understand the Muslim Scripture. Now that the Word of the
Koran has penetrated into my heart, I want to share my experience with others.
Some comments on how I approached the prject are found in the Foreword. May the
simple words of this translation bring to the reader the essence of Islam and
uncover the reasons why millions of people in the contemporary world are
attracted and tremendously influenced by this inspirational Book.
Being versed in both the Arabic and the Western cultures and
languages, I am well qualified to translate the Koran. I was born in
Alexandria, Egypt in 1922 and I spent thirty-five years in that country before
coming to the United States. My first language was Russian, Arabic was my
third, and English — my fifth. I earned a doctorate degree at Cairo University
and I took graduate courses in English at George Mason University in Virginia.
Having cultivated my interest in Islam since my early youth, I have started
this translation years ago when some of my friends, both in Egypt and the USA,
both Muslims and non-Muslims, asked me to introduce them to the Koran. In the
process of explaining the Koran to them, I gained a deep-seated appreciation
for its wisdom and a better understanding of myself and my fellow man.
I am deeply indebted to my wife, Lilia Kurasheva Starkovsky, with
whom I made a simultaneous translation of the Koran to Russian, for her advice,
encouragement and poetic talent. I should also want to thank all the people
who stimulated my interest in this work for over half of a century.
This book is dedicated to the generous peoples of Egypt and the
United States of America, among whom I have equally shared my life.
The Koran as It Defines Itself
(In lieu of an
epigraph)
Verily, this is the Holy Koran in a
well guarded Book.
It can be touched only by those who
are purified.
This is a Revelation from the Lord of
the Worlds!
(S.56:77-80)
Verily, this is a Revelation from the
Lord of the Worlds.
The faithful Spirit descended with it
into your heart to make you w arn in the clear Arabic tongue,
as [revealed] in the Books of the
Ancients.
(S.26:192-196)
In the past the Scripture of Moses was a Guidance and a mercy.
This Scripture confirms it in the
Arabic language.
It warns the wrong-doers
and brings good
tidings to those who do right.
(S.46:12)
We have made the Koran easy to
remember, but who remembers [it] now?
(S.54:17)
Here are some Verses from the lucid
Scripture
that We have sent down as an Arabic Koran — perhaps you will
understand!
(S.12:1-2)
Verily, We made [the Koran] easy in your tongue — perhaps they will
remember!
(S.44:58)
We have been sending a Messenger
only to give clear
explanations in the language of his people.
(S.14:4)
[This is] a Revelation from the
Compassionate, the Merciful, a Scripture with Verses made clear,
an Arabic Koran for the people who
understand.
(S.41:2-3)
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
The aim of this work is to give to the English reader an authentic
translation of the Koran and to convey to him the essence of the Muslim
Scripture, while preserving as much as possible of its specific flavor and its
concise imagery.
At the mention of the Koran, one often hears such observations as:
“Why should we read the Koran? Who can make sense of it, if many Arabs and
Muslims do not read and understand it? Should we invest our time in reading a
forbidding religious text when even the Bible is not easy to comprehend?”
This translation of the Koran is an attempt at answering these
questions and an effort at making it available to a wide range of readers. It
should make the Koran interesting, revealing, exciting to the reader who, be
he believing, unbiased, skeptical, or hostile, will gain a new insight into the
development of religious, social, and political thought in the contemporary
world.
The cultural map of the Judeo-Christian-Muslim world extends over
the five continents, with the exclusion of Hinduist/Buddhist cultures and a few
animistic pockets in Africa and the Pacific.
The Koran is the spiritual and cultural inheritance of millions of
people. It is built upon the faith and the ethics of the Old and New
Testaments, so that any denizen of the Western world should feel that the Koran
belongs to the same cultural tradition, the beneficiaries of which can come to
terms with each other to end wars, hatred, derision, terrorism, and
persecutions that have disgraced humanity for centuries of discord.
The reading of the third installment of our tradition — the Koran —
will help even those who had not studied the Bible and the Gospels to defuse in
a personal way the enmity between the three religions that sustain the same
ideals, laws and spiritual values and to gain an objective understanding of
what is shared by the different cultures that seem to be so inimical to each
other in the modern world.
Each religious tradition has its “Book”: Judaism — the Torah,
Christianity — the Old and New Testaments, and Islam — the
Koran. For a Muslim, the Koran is a prescriptive Revelation from God
communicated through the Angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad during his
mission in Arabia in 610-632; it is also a spiritual and moral guide and the
foundation of social and political life.
The collection of sermons, stories, parables, exhortations and
prescriptions that constitute the Koran is considered to be the creation of
God. From the point of view of a devout Muslim, the Koran, being perfect and
complete, contains everything of value to man; it teaches mankind how to live
in righteousness and deserve a reward in the Hereafter.
The Koran calls to strict monotheism, expressed in five acts of
faith, the so- called “pillars” of Islam: belief in one God, prayer,
almsgiving, fasting, and pilgrimage to Mecca (the hajj) at least once in
a lifetime. The chanting of the Koran, inherent to each of these obligations,
is a devotional act, remotely resembling a religious service.
In the Koran, God and man exist on totally different planes. Whereas
in the Bible, God talks directly to the Prophets (thus supporting the idea of a
“personal God”), in the Koran, God talks to the Prophet Muhammad through an
intermediate “Spirit” (Gabriel). If the theme of the Koran is the relationship
between God and man, then the Prophet Muhammad is only an instrument of the
transmission of this connection to man.
Inspired by the idea of monotheism, the Prophet preached his faith
with the zeal of an innovator who would rather be imprisoned, declared insane,
or killed rather than accept a compromise. By his incessant missionary work he
became the founder, the mover, and the leader of one of the most powerful and
cohesive religious and political forces in modern history.
The Prophet Muhammad (May God accept his prayers and grant him
peace! — a greeting that traditionally follows his name) was a merchant of the
prominent Meccan tribe of Quraish at the crossing of east-west trade roads from
the city of Taif to the Red Sea port of Djedda and north-south roads from
Damascus and Jerusalem down to Yemen and the Indian Ocean.
At the beginning of the VIIth century — the century of the Prophet
Muhammad — Arabia supported innumerable agricultural or nomadic tribes and
clans. Most of the tribes were pagan, but there were some enclaves of Jews and
Christians who were more on the fringes than in the mainstream of their own
faiths. The idea of one supreme God existed even among the idolaters, yet the
sanctuary of Mecca was consecrated to hundreds of divinities. Prominent among
them were a few female idols: the guardian angels of birth and fertility.
In the center of the “sacred temple” stood a masonry shrine, the Ka'ba,
believed to have been built by the ancestors of Arabs: Abraham and his son
Ishmael. The shrine attracted crowds of worshippers of all creeds during the
yearly pilgrimage months when all wars were banned. The Meccan shrines were
managed by the Hashemite clan of the Quraish tribe, for which guarding and
maintaining them was a lucrative business. Since the economic prosperity of
this clan depended on the support received from different groups and sects
represented by their idols, the appeal to monotheism by the Prophet Mohammed
was bitterly opposed by his tribesmen.
The Koran, a synthesis of man’s highest spiritual quests, appeared
in a region where communication was assured by the already well developed
Arabic language. The text of the Koran, however, can be baffling in the extreme
for the unprepared reader, especially if its 114 chapters are read in their
canonical order. These chapters (suras) have been assembled more or less
in the order of their length, starting with the longest (usually the latest)
and ending with the shortest (usually the earliest). Under these conditions,
the embedded scant historical and liguistic markers can’t help the reader to
get his bearings, but if the Koran is read in the thematic and chronological
order proposed in these pages, it is easy to grasp the Muslim Scripture in its
development from the simplest ideas to the most complex moral, ethical and
legal prescriptions. To further help the reader, each translated sura is
accompanied by a short introduction and a few pertinent notes.
It should be emphasized that this book cannot be called the “English
Koran.” No book can exist under such a contradictory title, as there is only
one Koran, the Arabic one.
No consistent attempt will be made in this book at teaching the
correct pronunciation of Arabic words. Half-knowledge is no knowledge at all.
Therefore, we start by calling the Koran by its traditional English-language
name and not Alkoran, Qur'an or Qur'aan.
bismil-lah ar-rahman ar-rahim
F OREWORD
I am offering this translation of the Koran to the general reader
because the existing versions are either too free or too academic. They may be
scholarly, literary, highly emotive or poetic, but they do not sound or feel
authentic. This rendition is faithful both to the words of the original and to
their deeper meaning. It uses a language that most people understand, and it
is arranged in a novel way that makes its perusal not only thought-provoking
and informative, but also enjoyable.
The general reader would easily lose his way in the Koran if he
tried to follow the translations now on the market. For all their merits, they
lack the necessary uncluttered step-by-step guidance which is provided in this
translation. I urge the reader to follow this guidance if he wants to benefit
from this Book.
My innovation consists in arranging the chapters of the Koran
thematically and chronologically, so that they proceed from the simplest
concepts to the most complicated ones and from the earliest to the latest. In
no way the transposition of the suras does violate the integrity of the Koran.
Each chapter is preceded by a short summary or introduction and is followed by
brief Notes that place it in the proper context and lead the reader to the next
chapter. These Notes seem to be justified by the Koran itself, since it pauses
at times to explain the words that could have sounded unfamiliar to the first
Muslims. For example: “The Disaster! And what is the Disaster? How to explain
the Disaster to you? It is the Day when men shall be scattered like moths...”
(S.101:1-4).
In my comments, I give priority to the traditional Muslim
ideology and I carefully avoid adapting the Koran to a modern way of thinking
or presenting it as a solution to our present social, economic, or political
ills. And, yes, I am fascinated by the Koran and I have derived immense
satisfaction from working on it.
Much effort has been devoted to making the text of the
Koran easy to read and to recite. This is important because the Koran is meant
to be read aloud. Reading the Koran “in measure” and its chanting are the basic
sources of popular faith and inspiration.
After a first acquaintance with the Koran in this book,
the reader can find satisfaction in re-reading it in its traditional order
established by its first editors, from its first chapter, “The Opening Sura” to
the last one, “The People.”
N.A.S.
Chronology of Events Relevant to the Koran
(Years of the Muslim calendar are followed by the letter H)
|
A.D. 578 |
Birth of the Prophet Muhammad in Mecca. His tribe is
the Quraish and his clan, the Hashemites. |
|
612 622 |
Beginning of his public life in Mecca among his
tribesmen, the Quraish. The hijra: emigration of the Prophet to Yathrib,
soon to be renamed Medina. The beginning of
the Muslim era. |
|
623, 1 H |
Consolidation of Islam in Medina with the help of the
Emigrants from Mecca (the Muhajjirun) and the local faithful (the Ansar). |
|
624,
2 H 625,
3 H |
Victory over the Meccans at Badr south of Medina. Severe setback for the Muslims in a battle against the
Meccans at Uhud in the vicinity of Medina; the Prophet is wounded, but Medina
is saved. |
|
626, 4 H |
Successful campaign against the Jewish tribe Bani
Nadir, an ally of the Meccans. |
|
627, 5 H |
Victory over the attacking Meccans in the “War of
the Trenches” at Medina; a successful campaign against the Jewish tribe Bani
Quraiza. |
|
628, 6 H |
Truce with the Meccans at Hudabiya; growth of Islam;
civil war against the “Hypocrites” and the Nomads. |
|
629, 7 H |
Defeat of Jewish tribes at Khaibar; appeal to
neighboring nations to join Islam; the Prophet's pilgrimage to Mecca under a
truce. |
|
630, 8 H |
Conquest of Mecca by the Prophet; the battle of Hunain
and the expedition to the eastern city of Taif. |
|
631, 9 H |
Subjugation of the remaining Christian, Jewish and
pagan groups. Expedition to Tabuk, north of Medina. |
|
632, 10 H |
Consolidation of the Islamic state; last pilgrimage of
the Prophet to Mecca and his death in Medina. |
|
651. |
The first and definitive edition of the Koran produced
by the relatives and the followers of the Prophet Muhammad. |
In the Name of
God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
What is the Koran? — For a Muslim, it is the speech of
God descended upon the Prophet Muhammad during the two decades of his mission,
permanently recorded within fifteen years of his death.
Described as “the Mother of Scriptures” (S.13:39) or “the
source of Scripture” (S.43:4), the Koran is much more than a compendium of
religious prescriptions. Its text is wowen into each prayer and act of Muslim
worship, and is endlessly recited in all religious settings. It is a hymn and a
prayer, it is a state Constitution, it is a pledge of allegiance to Islam. Its
reverent recital in a mosque can be compared not only to the reading of the
Scriptures in synagogues and churches, but to a Jewish service or a Christian
sacrament.
The Koran consists of 114 chapters or “suras”
varying in length from three to 286 verses, totaling 6244 verses. Only a few
suras cover just one topic; most of the others are highly complex and contain
re-statements and illustrations of previously presented material. For those who
want to read the Koran in one month, the Arabic original is divided into thirty
parts by special marks in the margins.
Since many suras are made of passages revealed to the
Prophet at different stages of his mission, it is next to impossible to
re-arrange all the suras chronologically. This task has been attempted rather
loosely on the basis of comparative linguistics, trends in rhetoric, and the
analysis of historical references that surface here and there, especially in
the later suras. In the XIX century, Rodwell divided the suras into four
groups: the poetic suras, the “Compassionate” (ar-rahman) suras
characterized by the frequent occurence of this word, the prophetic suras, and
the late suras. This division is too superficial to be of value. Later, Bell, a
literalist, has tried to disentangle the different “fragments” in the suras.
However, this approach makes the Koran seem still more forbidding, especially
for the beginner.
In this translation the suras are divided into seven
groups according to their thematic content:
I.
The Foundation of Islamic Belief
Short and early, these thirty-four suras establish the
tenets of the Muslim faith. They stand out by their highly emotional content
and poetic form. The verses are compact and incisive, and carry direct messages
that can be easily understood when read in the proposed arrangement. They speak
of One God, the Judgement Day, and the Afterlife, and define the basic rules of
conduct by short and clear descriptions of virtue and evil. The existence of
God is proven by the perfection of His Creation. The Koranic exortations to
faith are not directed to reason as much as to man’s longings, emotions, and
imagination. The suras of this group are replete with depictions of the
attributes of God, Who is merciful to the believers and vengeful toward the
sinners. The suras also inform us about the mission of the Prophet and his
initial rejection by the people of his native Mecca.
II.
Eschatology and Apocalypsis
Longer than the preceding ones, but still highly
emotional in content, the eighteen suras of this group dramatize the fate of
man during and after the “inevitable” Day of Judgment. Descriptions of Hell and
Paradise alternate with exhortations to ethical conduct and submission to the
will of God. The reader is introduced to the Angels and the Jinn, the good and
evil spirits of the “Unseen.”
Eschatology is the religious doctrine of the last events
that will take place at the farthest boundary (Gr.: eschaton) of time and
space. This boundary is the veil that separates our world from the Unseen and
prevents us from seeing Hell and Paradise. Muslim eschatological events are
brief because the Last Day shall come when least expected and it will usher man
directly into apocalyptic events.
Apocalypsis is the lifting of this veil (Gr.
apokalupsis), and thus the revelation of the Unseen. The Koran aptly uses the
metaphor of veils and curtains when it invites us to glimpse beyond the end of
the world. Apocalypsis is not just a description of punishments for sins, but
also an invitation to salvation.
The suras belonging to this group are not devoid of other
Koranic elements. Apocalyptic visions blend with praises of God, exhortations
to virtue and the prophetic stories that are the subject of the next group of
suras. Some of the apocalyptic events described in the Koran could be cross-referenced
with the prophetic Books of Daniel and Ezekiel, and the Revelation of St. John.
III.
Stories about the Prophets
While an apocalypse forecasts the future after the end of
the world, a prophesy predicts the historical future. The Koran compares the
mission of the Prophet Mohammed to that of twenty-eight Biblical and
non-Biblical Prophets or Messengers from Adam to Jesus. The point is made that
God had been selecting men of high virtue to bring His Warning to the first men
and to the descendants of Abraham: the Hebrews and the Arabs.
The lives and the missions of all the Prophets are seen
as part of an uninterrupted tradition culminating in the descent of the Koran.
Therefore, their stories share the same tonality and movement: they begin with
statements that God had never judged a nation without first sending a Prophet
with a Reminder, continue with descriptions of the tribulations of a people
who neglected the divine Warnings, and end with an appeal to Muslims to learn
from the examples of their predecessors in order to avoid their fate.
In the Prophetic stories, the Koran resembles the Bible
in presenting a panorama of man’s life from his origin to and beyond his death.
In the Bible, the Prophetic missions are a succession of “historical” events
with a detailed chronology that we may believe or not. The Koran presents the
past as a succession of God’s Signs that guide man to worship One God. Except
for a few hints at some historical events in Arabia during the last ten years
of the Prophet’s preaching, chronology is missing. The Biblical characters are
blurred because the focus is on their mission. Joseph is the only personage to
whom a whole lengthy sura is devoted. The two most frequently mentioned
Prophets are Moses and Abraham, but their personalities fade beside the
importance of their religious experience, which was high in educational value
for all of mankind.
Man is a passive bystander in the apocalyptic events, but
in the seventeen prophetic suras he is an actor participating in debates and
confrontations. The vivid dialogs and the startling developments in the stories
take the listener from flights of vivid imagination to periods of contemplation
and from overt poetry to rhymed prose. The onus of the stories is the
uniqueness of God with emphasis on His Creation and his Compassion. This theme
brings up a passionate castigation of the “Associators” — those who deny the
uniqueness of God.
IV.
Attitude Toward the Other Religions
The suras become more and more polemic. The brunt of the
criticism are the “Associ- ators” of all kinds who deviate from strict
monotheism, to wit, the pagans and the Christians. In Jesus, the Koran sees a
great Prophet, a great human being, who did not want to be worshiped like God.
The Jews are not spared, either: they are accused of disrespecting their own
laws, of presumptuously rejecting the Koran, and of joining the enemies of
Islam.
Almost all of the fourteen suras of this group, together
with parts of SS. 2, 3, and 6, are early and Meccan in content, belonging to
the period that preceded the relocation of the Prophet to Medina. Re-statements
increase in frequency; the verses increase in length, lose their haunting
rhythm, and gradually merge into rhymed prose.
This short set of nine suras, reputedly of the late Meccan
period, does not quite fit the other groups. The suras concentrate on praising
God and extolling His compassion to man. They contain sermons consisting of
Signs, Warnings, and some often repeated phrases, which by their changes in
tone and mode of assembly, express shades of meaning that can be better
appreciated in the beautiful and expressive Arabic text.
The seven suras gathered under this heading (together
with parts of SS. 2, 4 and 6) describe the Muslim legal system in detail. The
Koran shifts from teaching moral precepts to enunciating rules and laws in its
version of Leviticus and Deuteronomy, and becomes a Codex of Law (S.13:37;
S.4:105).
The need for elaborate pronouncements results in long and
ponderous verses sounding like prose, occasionally spiked with added rhymed
phrases and sentences.
These eleven late Medinan suras, together with parts of
SS. 3 and 4, deal with the organization of the Islamic nation and its military
expeditions against its opponents in Arabia and on the boundaries of Byzantium
and Persia. Fighting in the cause of God becomes the duty of all Muslims. The
emerging state needs to be protected not only from foreign enemies, but also
from the tepid or discontented Muslims — the Bedouins and the so-called “Hypocrites,”
who resist civil obedience and refuse to join the fight to spread the message
of Islam across Arabia and beyond.
The sequence of the suras in this group can be
established with some reliability thanks to the historical references they
contain. The last suras of this group (SS. 9 and 110) exalt the achievements of
the Prophet and forecast the triumph of Islam.
It is important to remember that the Koran is to be
listened to and not only to be read silently. The emotional content of its
verses requires an inspired oral transmission. This requirement led to the
emergence in each Muslim community of skilled religious readers capable of
chanting the Koran by heart and of enriching its rhythm and rhymes by voice
modulations, dramatic pauses and breathing sounds.
The Koran is strikingly different in form and content
from the Bible and the Gospels, even though Prophet Muhammad continued and
completed the religion of the Peoples of the Book (as the Christians and Jews
are collectively called).
For Muslims, the Koran is the recorded Word of God, from
its initial stroke of the pen to the last. Coming from a single source and
transmitted by one Prophet over only twenty years, the Koran focuses on a few
sharply defined articles of faith and presents, unlike the other Scriptures — a
monolithic Revelation with one Message, one Prophet, one God.
In contrast, the Old Testament is a discontinuous series
of books widely different in style and subject matter, and the New Testament is
a collection of oral accounts compiled long after the death of Jesus Christ and
selected by contending religious factions over several generations. In the
process, some books (the apocryphia) have been discarded, and others retained
as God-inspired, according to the criteria of the first churches.
The Koran has been recorded during the life of the
Prophet Muhammad. It was codified and published soon after his death by the
people who had intimately known him and one another. The testimonies of
doubtful value were discarded. Since the Koran has been revealed during a time
replete with historical events, it reflects the Muslim ideas in creation and
action. In turn, these events were likely to mold some of its ideas. Being
God's Creation, the Koran can be changed through the infinite power of the
Creator.
Secondly, the Koran is not only a collection of religious
prescriptions, but a blueprint for social life, statehood, and an international
unity in faith. No other Book has ever changed the customs and life of so many adherents
as fast as the Koran.
Thirdly, in the form we read them nowadays, the Old and
New Testaments have been translated and re-translated from one language to
another (Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Latin, and, later on, German, English, Church
Slavonic...) with inevitable losses, glosses, distortions and editorial
changes. The original Word of the Bible was irremediately dissolved, diluted
and charged with new meanings, while the Koran has been preserved in its
original edition. The first and only definitive written collection of its suras
was published in A.D. 651, under the Khalif 'Othman, with the help of
the Prophet’s secretary Zein Abu-sabit and some contemporaries of the Prophet
who had committed passages of the Koran to memory and to written records. Each
of them might have remembered the sacred verses in somewhat different
versions, and so, as in the Bible, the reliable versions could have been
reverently preserved side by side. This may explain some of the repetitions
that are so characteristic of the Koran. Several centuries later, the Koran was
issued in two canonical editions, the Turkish and the Egyptian, which differ
from the original only by added vowel and diacritical signs, and by the
splitting of a few verses resulting in a slight discrepancy in the number and
enumeration of the verses, but not in their content or their order. The
Egyptian Edition has been used throughout this translation.
It would be improper to submit to a rational critical
analysis a Book meant to elevate the soul of its listener. Just as Genesis
offers, side by side, two scenarios of the Creation or the Flood, the Koran may
present numerous versions of a single dramatic event. The Koran cannot be
treated like any literary genre — it does not belong to epics, poetry, lyrics,
history, legends, fables, or tragedies. It is a genre by itself, the sum of all
genres. It includes tragedy conveyed in lively dialogs, but its action seems to
take place behind a curtain because the Koran does not dwell on the description
of time and places. Therefore, the Koran should be looked at anagogically, as a
simultaneous description of several layers of reality and several partially
fused meanings.
The Biblical stories in the Koran frequently turn into
fables — indeed, fables were popular in teaching. But fables are out of the
historical context and Solomon, for example, may come before Moses in S.27, and
after him in S.21, before Lot in S.27 and after Lot in S.21. The locale of
Solomon’s story is not indicated and his crystal palace is unreal. The story
turns into a fable when Solomon talks to a bird and the ants speak among
themselves in a human tongue he understands. In fact, the Koran focuses on
Solomon’s preaching of monotheism and the rest is there to attract the
listener’s attention. At first reading, one can get the impression that some
suras are “hanging in the air,” lacking in mood and in unifying purpose. But on
closer look, almost each sura has an introduction, a conclusion, and an
internal logic, if not a particular style. The Arab reader becomes totally
immersed in the original text; a nonArab reader should also be deeply involved
in its meanings, if the words of the translation are authentic and the
inspiration of the translator is true.
The Koran is revered by hundreds of millions of people
because it provides hope and a deep emotional motivation. To this day, it is
the foundation of Islam, even if Islamic thought has evolved through the
centuries. Had this thought gelled in one immutable form, Islam would have been
still-born. Thus, the reading of the Koran must be accompanied by the study of
Islamic history and outlook. Only then will the reader make the first step
towards the knowledge of Islam, as a cultural and historical event with great
cultural, historical, and political prospects in the XXI century.
The available translations of the Koran into European
languages range from literal (and incoherent) transcriptions to elaborate (and
often imaginative) adaptations. The first Latin translation of the Koran was
made by Robertus Retenensis in the Xiith century and was re-published in Basel
centuries later. A French translation by Andre de Ryer appeared in 1647. These
early translations were, naturally, anti-Islamic in spirit because they were
designed to protect the (Christian) youth of their times from Muslim influence.
A German version appeared in Hamburg in 1694 and a new Latin one in Padua in
1698.
An English version, reprinted several times since its
first edition in 1734, was authored by George Sale. One can gather some idea of
the value of these translations by Thomas Carlyle’s comment: “It is as toilsome
reading as I ever undertook, a wearisome, confused jumble, crude, incondite.
Nothing but a sense of duty could carry any European through the Koran” (AJA
Vol.I, 12).
The XIXth century saw the much improved versions of
Gustav Fluegel in Leipzig (1841), J.M. Rodwell’s (1861), and Edward Henry
Palmer’s (1880) in England.
Translations in Urdu and a few Turkic languages of
Central Asia and the Caucasus have been known for centuries. By now, the Koran
can be read in most of the languages of the world.
Translations Quoted in
this Book
(AA): Ahmad 'Ali, Al-Qur'an. A Contemporary Translation, Princeton University Press, Princeton,
NJ, 1988. 569 pp. and 2001, 572 pp. First published by Akrash Publishing, 1984.
Arabic and English texts in parallel columns without any explanatory notes.
(AH): Abdel Haleem, M.A.S., The Qur'an. A New Trans- la ti on, Oxford University Press, USA, 2004, 464 pp. with very few notes.
(AJA): Arberry, Arthur J., The Koran Interpreted, George Allen & Unwin Ltd, London,
1955 in two volumes, and Simon and Schuster's Touchtone Books, several reprints
since 1996, 358 pp. A poetic version.
(AO): Amatul Rahman 'Omar and Abdul Mannan 'Omar, The Holy Q ur 'an, Noor Foundation-International, Inc.,
Hockesin, DE, last printing, 2002, 723 pp. and appendices. Bilingual.
(AYA): 'Abdallah Yusuf 'Ali, The Holy Qur'an , Amana
Corp., Brentwood, MD, 1403/1983. 1862 pp. First published in 1934. Also
Tahrike Tarsile Qur'an, Inc., Elmshurst, N.Y., last edition 2002,
1862 pp. A bilingual edition with copious paraphrasing and an extensive
religious commentary in introductions and footnotes.
(ChG): Chingiz Guseinov, The Suras of the Koran Rearranged by Abu Hassan
According to the Order of Their Revelation to the Prophet, Moscow, Three Squares (2002). A
translation to Russian from an Azeri dialect, 495 pp.
(EHP): Palmer, E.H., The Koran (Qur'an), The Worlds Classics, London Oxford University Press (1928).
Reprinted from an original 1880 edition.
(FN): Fazlollah Nikayin, The Holy Quran. A Poetic Translation from the
Original, The Ultimate Book, Inc., Skokie, IL
(2000), 1104 pp.
(GSS): Sablukov, G.S., The Koran, third ed.,
Central Publishing House, Kazan, 1907. 1169 pp., reprinted by MP “MIF,” Moscow
(in Russian and Arabic), 1991. 1169 + viii pp.
(IYuK):
Krachkovsky, I.Yu., The
Kora n, Publishing House of Oriental Literature,
Moscow (in Russian), 1963. 714 pp. A post-humous work with sketchy references;
also published by MNPP “The Word,” Moscow, 1991. 528 pp., without notes.
(EK): Elmir Kuliev, The Meanings of the Koran, Umma Corp., Moscow, Russia, 2003 (in Russian), a translation made
specifically for Muslims.
(JMR): Rodwell, J.M., The Koran, Everyman’s
Library. J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd, London and E.P. Dutton Co., New York, 2003,
509 pp. First pub. in 1861. The chapters of the Koran are divided in four
loosely chronological groups; notes at the end of the text. Also published by
Ballantine Books, New York, N.Y., 1993, after the 1861 original, 412 pp. with
no introductions to suras.
(MAA): Mir Ahmad Ali, S.V., The Holy Qur'an, Tahrike Tarsile Qur'an,
Inc., Elmshurst, N.Y., 2004, 1951 pp. A bilingual edition with extensive
introductions and comments by the Shi'ite Ayatullah Agha Pooya Yazdi.
(MHS): Shakir, M.H., Holy Qur'an, ibid, 1982, 634 pp. Bilingual edition; in an expanded version, 1998, 662
pp., but again without any explanatory notes.
(MMA): Maulana Mohammed Ali, The Holy Qur'an
Ahmadiyyah Anjuman Isha'at Islam, Lahore, Inc. USA, Columbus, OH. First edition
in 1917 with subsequent editions, 1995, 1256 pp; 2002, 1324 pp. Russian edition
available. Bilingual with commentary in line with the Ahmadiyyah doctrine.
(MMK): Muhammad Muhsin Khan and Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din
Al-Hilali, Interpretation
of the Meanings of the Noble Qur'an, Dar-us-Salam
Publications, Saudi Arabia, 1995, 990 pp.
(MMP): Pickthall, Mohammed Marmaduke, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran, A Mentor Book, New York, 1953. 464 pp.
First published in 1930. A poetic rendition by a Muslim. Also published by
Everyman’s, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, NY, 1992. 693 pp. (first published in
1909), by Dar Al Kitab Al Masri, Cairo, Egypt, 1981, and by Kitab Bhavan, New
Delhi, India, 1982 and 1990, 912 pp. Bilingual editions without notes.
(MS): Savary, M., Mah omet — Le Koran,
Editions Garnier Freres, Paris, (in French), 1951. 587 pp. A rather free
translation with an excellent historical introduction.
(MZK): Muhammad Zafrulla Khan, The Q ur 'a n, Olive
Branch Press, New York, N,Y, 1997 and 2003, 673 pp. First published in 1970.
Arabic text and translation without notes.
(NJD): Dawood, NJ., The Kora n, Penguin
Books, London, England, 1990. 456 pp. First pub. in 1956. Reprinted in 1997,
614 pp. In contemporary English with very short notes. Penguin Classics, 2000,
612 pp. Several bilingual editions.
(PIR): The Presidency of Islamic Research, IFTA, The Holy Qur-an, Revised and Edited. King Fahd Holy Qur-an Printing Complex,
Al-Medinah Al- Munawarah, Saudi Arabia, 1410 H. Bilingual edition.
(RB): Bell, Richard, The Qur'an, Translation
with internal rearrangement in some Surahs. T. & T. Clark, Edinburgh,
1960. Two Vols., 697 pp. First published in 1937.
(SM): Sells, Michael, Approaching the Qur'an. The Early R e velation , White Cloud Press, Ashland OR, 1999, 219 pp. with call to prayer
and 6 suras on CD.
(SQ): Qutb, Sayyid, In the Shade of the Qur'an, Translated by M. Adil Salahi and Ashur A. Shamis. MWH London
Publishers, London, England, 1979, in thirty volumes. With extensive sura by
sura and verse by verse religious commentary by a radical author.
(TBI): Irving, T.B., The Qur'an, Amana
Books, Brattleboro, VT, 1991. 401 pp. Annotated and commented upon, but with no
clear division into verses and with confusing headings.
(TC): Cleary, Thomas, The Essential Koran,
Harper San Fran-cisco, CA, 1993. 203 pp. A partial translation of 39 suras in
the canonical order, but no numbering of the verses.
(TC2): Cleary, Thomas, The Qur'an. A New Translation. Starlatch Press, USA, 2004, 301 pp.
without notes.
(TSh): Shumovsky, Teodor, The Holy Koran. A poetical translation, Moscow, St. Petersburg (in Russian),
Dilia Publishing, 2001, 639 pp. An imitation of the Koran in rhyming two-line
verses.
(VP): Porokhova, Valeria, The Koran. A translation of meanings and Comments, Damascus and Moscow (in Russian), “Al Furqan Center,”
Dar-al-Bashair, 1996, 815 pp. A bilingual translation with comments at the end
of the book.
(***): No author’s name, The Wisdom of the Qur'an, Oneworld Publications, Oxford, England. Excerpts by topics.
***
The Arabic texts on which this translation is based are Qur'an Karim,
Al Ahram At-Tugarya Press, Cairo, 1390/1970. 827 pp., and Qur'an Karim — an artistic rendition of the Ottoman variant by the General Agency
for Distribution, Beirut, Lebanon, 522 pp.
Citations from the Bible are from The Holy Bible in the
King James Version, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN, 1977.
I.
The
Foundation of Islamic Belief
SURA
1 The OPENING SURA. The first chapter of the Koran, appropriately enough
named “The Opening,” (al-fatiha), resembles the Christian Lord's Prayer and contains
the same number of petitions. An integral part of worship, al-fatiha is recited
at all religious functions and public events. It is customary to end its
recitation with amin (amen), although this word is rarely heard in other
contexts of Muslim devotions. S.2 is called by a host of other names, two of
which are “The Often Repeated Seven” and “The Essence of the Scripture.”
Meccan, 7
verses
1* In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
2* Praised be God, the Lord of the Worlds,
3* the Compassionate, the Merciful,
4* the Sovereign of Judgment Day.
5. You alone do we worship,
You alone do we beg for assistance!
6* Lead us on the straight path,
7. the path of those for whom You have mercy,
but not of those
who have incurred Your wrath and gone astray.
Notes:
A chapter of the Koran is called a sura, meaning
row or sequence. Arabic words are highlighted the first time they are used.
Verses explained in the Notes are marked by an asterisk.
V. 1: In this translation, God is not called Allah.
Calling God Allah in an English text might falsely suggest that
the God of Islam is different from the God of the Judeo-Christian tradition.
The God of Islam is the One and Same God of Jews and Christians; He is
Abraham’s God (el), omnipotent, omnipresent, demanding,
forgiving, jealous, generous, as is the God of the Koran. Al-lah is
derived from el, whose plural Hebrew form elohim
is used in the Bible. Its definite article al underscores His
uniqueness. For a Muslim, Allah is the Creator God, the God of Adam and the
Prophets. His most exalted attribute is His infinite mercy for mankind.
The words of vs.1, bismillah ar-rahman ar-rahim, have
a special meaning in Muslim religion and culture. They are prefixed to all
contracts, letters and writings. Pupils write them at the top of each page of
their notebooks. In the Koran they precede each sura, except the ninth, and
they sanctify all human actions. Ar-Rahman and ar-Rahim are two
of God’s names, derived from rahma (mercy). The former may denote the
source of mercy on earth, and the latter the source of mercy in the spiritual
realm.
The Names of God are capitalized, in
contrast to His attributes, for example, The V/ercilul; He is merciful.
Discrepancies among the translators of the Koran start at
the very first verse of the first sura. Here are a few examples of earlier
renderings, with the initials of the translators as they appear in the
Bibliography:
In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate
(RB).
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
(AJA,NJD,TC).
In the name of Allah, most benevolent, ever-merciful
(AA).
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful (MMP,
SK).
In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful (AYA).
Vv. 1-3: In public prayers, Islam favors celebrating
God’s mercy over asking for personal favors. Indeed, God knows our needs even
before we tell Him about them.
V. 2: “The Worlds” (al-'alamin) has the meaning of
“the Universe” or “all beings”; it has the same root 'lm as knowledge ('ilm).
“Worlds” in plural suggests the complexity of the universe and the existence
of the supernatural realm of the Unseen. Some Muslim mystics believe that the
Worlds comprise at least three realms: the material world, the world of the
Angels, and the world of God.
Personified by Gabriel, the world of the Angels allows
man to communicate with God without actually meeting Him or seeing Him.
V. 4: Islam proclaims its belief in the Judgment Day, the
Day when people will appear before God to answer for their deeds.
V. 6: The Koran teaches that God leads the righteous to
the straight path. He leads and guides them as their Helper, Defender, and
Sustainer. Deprived of God’s mercy, the sinners go astray and lose their way in
disbelief.
Here is the text of the Christian Lord’s prayer (Matt.
6:9-13) for a direct comparison with S.1:
(1)
Our Father
which art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
(3)
Thy will
be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
(4)
Give us
this day our daily bread.
(5)
And
forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
(6)
And lead
us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:
(7)
For thine
is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
SURA 112 The UNITY. S.112, addressed by God to His Prophet and through him to all Muslims,
establishes that Islam is based on the unity of God. The word “say” is used in
the Koran some 300 times in order to usher in the words addressed by God to the
Prophet Muhammad. This four-verse sura, also called al-ikhlas (Unity in faith),
summarizes the whole Koran.
Meccan, 4
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* Say: “God is One,
2* God is steadfast.
3* He didn’t give birth nor was He begotten,
4.
and no one
is equal to Him.”
V. 1: The Koran is God’s Word transmitted to the Prophet
by Gabriel, Djibril, the Archangel of the Christians, often called in
the Koran “The Spirit.” As a Messenger of God, the Prophet is responsible for
passing God’s Words along to the people.
The Koran is not a narrative, but rather a compendium of
exhortations. Unlike the Torah, the Koran does not suggest that the spiritual
reality depends on historical order and chronology.
When introduced by “Say,” God’s words are addressed to
the Prophet himself, though he is called by name only five times; otherwise
they are addressed to the people at large. The “Say passages” need not be
connected to any definite time or place. The frequent occurrence of “say” (qul)
and “said” (qala) is so typical of the Koran that their occasional
replacement by “replied” or “exclaimed” could compromise the tonality of the
translation.
V. 2: The Arabic word as-samad (steadfast)
suggests completeness and perfection, divine permanence and eternity. All the
attributes of God are one in His Oneness, something man cannot comprehend. The
Koran is full of comparisons and metaphors that describe abstract ideas.
Explanations are given in the notes whenever they seem necessary, but educated
Muslims are conscious of the allegorical character of metaphors and see no
purpose in dwelling on what defies explanation.
V. 3: Contractions such as “didn’t” or “I’ll” are used in
all direct speech and in all the “Say passages” spoken by the Prophet.
V. 4: There are two opposite doctrines concerning the unity
of God: 1) God is unique, absolute, and free of anything, except His Oneness,
and 2) God is all-inclusive and thus encompassing all that is in this World
and in the Unseen.
Sura 114 T he People. A prayer for God's protection against evil
thoughts.
Meccan, 6
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* Say:
“I seek refuge by the Lord of the people,
4* from the evil of the hiding Whisperer
5* who whispers into the hearts of the people,
6* the Jinn and the people!”
V. 1: The words to be
spoken by the Prophet Muhammad or the words spoken by anyone else are in
quotation marks. The words of God are not in put in quotation marks, as the
whole Koran is God’s Word, but are occasionally preceded by a dash for
clarity’s sake.
V. 4: The Whisperer is Satan, the Tempter.
V. 5: In the Koran, the site of both understanding and
feeling is “the chest” or “the heart.” Some translators prefer “breast.” In
English, “heart” seems to be more appropriate. The substitution of Arabic
words that seem strange or out of place by better sounding or “more logical”
English words is acceptable only when such a substitution is essential for
preserving the meaning.
V. 6: “The Jinn and the people.” Like all revealed
religions, Islam believes in the existence of immaterial beings: the Angels —
the benevolent spirits who assist God and fulfill His orders and the genies
(Jinn; singular, Jinni), some benevolent, others mischievous (Cf. S.72).
In the Koran, like in the Bible, God speaks, sees, and
hears. Such attributes are to be understood metaphorically: they are not meant
to create an anthropomorphic image of the Supreme Being.
Islam forbids to make any kind of images of God and
Muhammad, and at first it was forbidden to represent both people and animals —
only arabesques and sacred calligraphy were allowed for decoration.
Concordances between different suras, and between the Koran and other
Scriptures are limited to a minimum. Also omitted are references to scholarly
works on the Koran: such references would only confuse the reader. The
translators listed in this work are referred to by their initials (See Bibliography,
p. xvii).
SURA 113 The Dawn. This sura resembles S.114 in construction
and intent. It is used both as a prayer and as an inscription on amulets for
protection against the evil eye and the satanic forces.
Meccan, 5
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* Say:
“I seek refuge by the Lord of the dawn
2* from the evil of what He has created,
3. from the evil of spreading darkness,
4* from the evil of those who blow on knots,
5.
from the
evil of the envious one when he envies.”
V. 1: In the Koran, “Lord” is always preceded by a
possessive pronoun “my Lord, your Lord,” etc., unless it is followed by a
possessive case as in “the Lord of the Worlds.” It precludes the possibility of
attributing the title of Lord to anyone other than God.
The name of the sura, The Da wn, suggests
spiritual awakening.
God is “the Lord of the dawn” because He is the real
Light that brings enlightenment to man.
V. 2: God uses evil and
Satan to fulfill His Design. As it is said in Isaiah 45:7: “I form the light,
and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil; I the Lord do all these
things.”
The Koran frequently says that God has elevated man above
all His creatures, including the Angels, whom, to make them acknowledge the
supremacy of man, He ordered to bow to Adam. Only one Angel (or Jinni) refused
to do it, the one called Iblis. He became the chief Tempter, the enemy
of mankind, and the leader of the forces of evil — the Shaitans (Satans)
or the Devils. Satan/Iblis seduces people by making evil and sin attractive to
their eyes and souls, but only when God allows it.
V. 4: The people of Arabia practiced a kind of witchcraft
that consisted in tying knots along a rope while cursing and blowing on them.
Another pre-Islamic superstition was the worship of idols and the attribution
of “Angelic daughters” to the Supreme Being.
Sura 109 The
Disbelievers. S.109is
an eloquent condemnation of polytheism. Emphasis is attained by the haunting
repetition of the same words.
109. T H E D I S B E L I E V E R S
Meccan, 6
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* Say:
“O you, disbelievers!
2* I don’t worship what you worship.
3.
You won’t
worship what I worship,
4.
and I
won’t worship what you worshiped.
5.
You won’t
worship what I worship!
6* You have your faith, and I have my faith.”
V. 1: The vocative “O” is ubiquitous in Arabic.
The Arabic term for those who reject Islam is kafirun,
to be conveyed as “disbelievers” rather than “atheists” or “unbelievers”
because the kafirun, be they pagans, Zoroastrians, Christians or Jews, while
denying the Prophet’s mission, still can have religious beliefs.
Muslims considered that both Christians and pagans were
not monotheists but Associators. Indeed, idolaters worshiped
heathen goddesses as God’s “divine daughters” (Cf. S.53) and the Christians
believed that God had a divine son in the person ofJesus Christ.
The elevated style of this sura is typical of the Koran.
This style reinforces direct speech, exhortations and narratives. Like all the
Koran, S.109 consists of simple words made solemn by its rhythm and
interjections.
V. 2f: In the Koran, events of the future may be referred
to in the present or even in the past tense. In some cases, this may be
required by the rhyme. But one can also reason as follows: the past has already
passed and the present becomes past as soon as it occurs. Therefore, the past
and the present have a common function: to help understand the future.
V. 6: Islam stands on five pillars: belief in God and the
Judgment Day, prayer, fasting, pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a
lifetime, and paying the prescribed alms (zakat or zakawa).
Sura 107 Religion. S.107can be called “Religion”or
“Judgment”because its Arabic name “din” doubles for both. Belief in Judgment
Day is an essential requirement of Islam. Divine justice requires that the
righteous be recompensed and the evil people punished. Hence, the need for
Paradise and Hell.
The Muslim ethics is now
expanded to include the duties of prayer and charity. Such religious concepts
as prayer, almsgiving, Hell, Heaven, and Day of Judgment belong to
Christianity, Judaism, and many other creeds as well However, they may acquire
a different meaning in the Koran because of the particular connotations of the
Arabic words, if not for theological and ethical reasons.
Meccan, 7
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* Have you observed the man
who denies religion,
2.
who drives
the orphan away,
3.
who urges
not to feed the poor?
7* and abstain from almsgiving.
V. 1: The Muslim religion is based on devotion to God, to
His Message, to His Prophet, and to the community. Devotion to the community
consists in giving alms, protecting the weak and the destitute, honoring one’s
equals, and respecting one’s parents and superiors. Islam cannot be called
Muhammadism or Muslimism, as there is no cult of the Prophet and all Muslims
worship one God.
V. 7: “Abstain from almsgiving” or “refuse to help
[others]”.
Belief in God is tightly bound to charity. By giving alms
man purifies his soul. Compassion to the indigent cleanses the soul from greed
and egoism, and elevates it to the Truth, i.e., to God. The ethics of the Koran
is based on the idea that the highest value in life besides faith is what we do
for others. Man cannot be good if he leads a self-centered life, no matter how
strong is his faith and how virtuous is his behavior.
Sura 103 T he late Afternoon. S.103 starts with a rhetorical oath or
adjuration, a feature common to many early suras. The apparent purpose of the
oath is not only to establish the veracity of the statements that follow, but
also to create a tone, an ambience, a mode of feeling and thinking for the
whole sura. Some of these emotional invocations create a mystical atmosphere
by conjuring surrealistic associations. For example, a horse race may remind
one of the flight of time and the approach of Judgment Day. The short oath at
the beginning of this sura bespeaks of the end of an afternoon that suggests
the running out of time before Resurrection Day.
According to tradition, the
Prophet recited S.103 shortly before his death.
103. T H E L A T E A F T E R N O O N
Meccan, 3 verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* [I swear] by the late afternoon!
2* Verily, men will suffer a loss!
3* But not those who
believed, did good works, urged to the Truth, and called to forbearance.
V. 1: The word 'asr (the late afternoon) refers
not only to the end of the day, but also to time without beginning or end, or
to the “never resting time,” as in Shakespeare’s Fifth Sonnet.
V. 2: The Arabic text is rich in expletives such as inna
that can be rendered by “verily,” “indeed,” “in truth,” “surely,” “in
fact,” etc. These words bring emotions into the text; in addition, “verily”
conveys to it a sacramental character.
The Koran is read aloud with frequent stops that are not
indicated by punctuation. In this text, long verses are broken into different
themes or ideas by means of skipped lines that divide the text into paragraphs,
thus helping to understand complex suras. For example, in this sura the oath is
made into a separate epigraph.
In order to preserve at least a few Arabisms and unusual
associations of ideas, some rules of standard English, especially, those of
punctuation, are relaxed or modified.
V. 3: The phrase “But not those who believed...” is the
mark of late texts; it is probably an addition to an early short sura.
Sura 93 The Morning Light. S.93 contains words of comfort to the
Prophet, an orphan who went through a period of poverty andpersecution.
93. TH E M O R N I N G L I G H T
Meccan, 11
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* [I swear] by the morning light
2.
and the
night when it is still!
3* Your Lord has not forsaken
you and He does not disdain you!
4* Verily, the later [life]
shall be better for you than the first one.
5. Soon your Lord will
provide you with what will make you happy.
6* Did He not shelter you
when He found you orphaned?
7.
Did He not
offer you guidance when He found you wandering?
8* Did He not enrich you when He found you in need?
9.
So, do not
oppress the orphan
10* or drive the beggar away,
11.
but
proclaim the mercy of your Lord!
V. 1: Light and darkness
are often mentioned in the Koran. The morning light is the nascent and
developing spiritual life, and the night is the quiet preparation for its
further growth.
V. 3: At the beginning of his mission the Prophet
Muhammad stopped receiving the divine Revelation for about six months.
V. 4: This verse must remind the believer that each
moment of his life is better than the preceding one.
V. 6: The Prophet lost his father, 'Abdullah, at
the age of two and was raised first by his grandfather, 'Abdul-Muttaleb,
and then by his uncle, Abu-Taleb. Protecting the orphans and feeding the
poor are two sacred duties of a devoted Muslim.
V. 8: The Prophet and his first wife Khadidja, his
companion of many years, were endowed with spiritual gifts and mutual love.
Sura 94 Reassurance. The Koranic suras cannot be classified
rigidly: some are short, with just a few verses, like S.94; others are long,
like S.2; some are highly emotional and exhortative, others tell stories or
offer advice; but they are all unique in their diversity and unpredictable
constructions. S.94 appeals by its pleasing rhythmic verses. It deals with the
poor reception accorded to the Prophet by his own folks. The preaching of the
Prophet was the butt of jokes and the target of attacks on the part of the rich
hedonistic Meccans. They could not stand in their midst a man who extolled a
new way of life and condemned the lucrative business of the cult of idols.
S.94 is wholly addressed to
the Prophet. Some translators call it “The Opening, ” but then it could be
confused with S.1. Here, it is called “Reassurance, ” according to its content.
Meccan, 8
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* Have We not opened your heart
2* and eased your burden
3.
that was
straining your back?
4.
Have We
not exalted your fame?
5* Verily,
after tension [comes] ease,
6.
verily,
after tension [comes] ease.
7* Work hard in your free time
V. 1: The heart shrinks under the influence of sin, pain,
and grief. To open or widen one’s heart is to cleanse the soul from evil and
sin, and to fill it with Knowledge and happiness.
V. 2: The burden of the Prophet is his responsibility for
preaching monotheism.
V. 5: Relief follows strenuous efforts at accomplishing a
task. The Koran teaches that deliberateness is from God and haste is from the
Devil.
V. 7: “Work hard in your free time” i.e., after
fulfilling your secular obligations, switch to spiritual pursuits: work on
self-improvement and preach the Word of God.
Sura 95 The Fig. Islam is inconceivable without the belief in
Judgment Day. The further you read the Koran, the more you hear about “that
Day. ” The short “poetical” suras are followed by longer suras dealing with the
end of the world and life beyond the grave.
Meccan, 8
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* [I swear] by the fig and the olive,
3* and
this safe city!
4.
We have
created man in the best shape.
5.
Then We
will make him the lowest of the lowest.
6* But not those who believed and did good works —
an unlimited reward is [in store] for them!
7.
What makes
you deny the Judgment?
8.
Is not God
the wisest of judges?
V. 1: The objects of the oaths — a common feature of the
earliest suras — are night and day, places, animals, plants, celestial bodies,
or even entities that defy identification. Later on, the object of the oaths
becomes the Koran itself.
To some interpreters, the olive-tree suggests
Christianity, Mount Sinai — Judaism, and the fig-tree — Buddhism; thus the
Koran is an affirmation of the universal validity of Islam. According to
others, the fig-tree represents man: like any other fruit-tree it needs care and
protection from pests to produce a perfect fruit.
V. 3: The safe city (or country) is Mecca, a sacred site
in Arabia since pre-Islamic times. Wars and acts of violence were prohibited
within its boundaries.
V. 6: This is one of the most often repeated statements
in the Koran: indeed, salvation is not possible without belief and works of
kindness. To do good works is not only to hold onto the five pillars of Islam,
but also to deal with relatives and strangers with patience, charity, and
respect. A strong family, clan, and society are based on a feeling of
communality, togetherness, and solidarity, supported by earnest faith. Pushed
to its logical extreme, this ethical imperative abolishes all personal
property.
Sura 100 T hose Who race. a dramatic apocalyptic vision, this beautiful
sura has been the subject of many mystic interpretations. The Koran has a
unique preoccupation with the Day of Judgment and the dreadful fate that will
befall the transgressors. In counterpoint, it is rich in pictures of the
joyous rewards that are in store for the believers.
Meccan, 11
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* [I swear] by those who race at full speed,
4.
and,
raising clouds of dust,
5* irrupt
in a body!
6* Verily,
man is ungrateful to his Lord!
7.
Verily, he
himself is a witness to that!
8.
Verily, he
has a passion for wealth!
9* Does he not know
that when the graves are emptied out
10.
and the
content of the hearts is exposed,
their Lord will know everything about them.
V. 1-5: Those who race are horses that are striking
sparks with their horseshoes.
V. 5: Depending on their spiritual development and mystic
perception, Muslims perceive in this oath the battle horses that give the most
of themselves in the war for the cause of God or the heroic defenders of Islam
who fight for their faith with all their might and courage, or the Holy War for
spiritual awakening and the supremacy of Islam in the whole world.
Vv. 6-8: The two most serious transgressions for a Muslim
are ingratitude to God (synonymous with disbelief) and a passion for wealth.
The Prophet himself was frugal and lived with minimal comfort. His example was
lost on the Khalifs, Shahs and Emirs of Islam who surrounded themselves with
the most refined luxury.
V. 9: The destiny of man does not end with death: man
will continue to be responsible for his deeds through the Afterlife.
SURA
102 GREED. As already proclaimed in S.100, the passion for wealth
is a passport to Hell, and generosity is the supreme purifying virtue.
Meccan, 8
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* You will be distracted by greed
2.
until you
meet with [your] grave.
5* If you
had real Knowledge,
7.
Yes, you
would surely see with an unerring eye!
8* Yes, on that Day, you
shall surely be asked about your good times.
V. 1: The reader might be interested in comparing a few renderings
of other translators, v.1 being chosen as example:
“The mutual rivalry // For piling up [the good things//
Of this world] diverts you // [From the more serious things]” (AYA).
“Abundance diverts you” (MHS).
“The desire of increasing riches occupieth you” (JMR).
“Emulation occupies you” (RB).
“The avarice of plenitude keeps you occupied” (AA).
“Competition has distracted you” (TBI).
“Your hearts are taken up with worldly gain” (NJD).
“Passion for hoarding wealth // Distracts you from the
required deeds (VP).
V. 5: In the Koran “Knowledge” ('ilm) has the
religious meaning of understanding God’s way and choosing the right path. If
“Truth” (haqq) encompasses everything that exists, “Knowledge” is the
acceptance of Truth.
V. 8: The Judgment Day is also called the Day, the Last
Day, the Resurrection Day, the Awful Day, the Day of Tumult, the Separation
Day, or simply the Hour. The believers thought that the Day was due soon and
that the Prophet knew its date (cf. S.79:42). Jesus had also been predicting the
end of the world for the near future.
SURA
101 The DISASTER.
The Day ofJudgment
will be a Day of calamity, horror, and turmoil. The Koran is very rich in
epithets and metaphors that describe the punishment of the wrong-doers.
Meccan, 11
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
3* How
will you know what the Disaster is?
when men shall be like scattered moths,
5.
and the
mountains like carded wool.
6* The
one whose balance is heavy
8.
The one
whose balance is light,
9.
his mother
shall be an Abyss.
10.
And how
will you know what it is? —
11* It is a raging Fire!
V. 3 More accurately “What will explain to you what the
Disaster is?” Such rhetorical questions serve to define the terms that were not
clear to the Prophet’s contemporaries themselves.
V. 6 The balance of the just is heavy with good deeds and
that of the sinners is light for the lack of them.
V. 11: Soon the descriptions of Hell and Paradise will be
amplified with vivid details. Hell is “the Fire,” and Paradise is “the Garden,”
or “the Gardens under which the rivers flow.”
According to Arabic lore, the Fire in Hell has seven
layers: 1) Hellfire (djohannam) for the rebels and the believers who
died without contrition; 2) laza — a blazing Fire for the disbelievers;
3) al-djahim, the Hell of Gog and Magog; 4) as-sair where the
issue of Iblis are grinding their teeth; 5) saqar for those who did not
pray; 6) al-khutama (the smasher) for the Pagan and Christian
Associators; and 7) hawia — a fiery Abyss for the Hypocrites. Hawia is
loaded with another suggestive meaning: a mother who lost her first child. The
distinction between the seven names for Hellfire is not a matter of principle and
may be disregarded in translation.
Sura 99 T he Earthquake. This sura has a beautiful beginning with a
powerful visual imagery like anywhere in the Koran where abstract thoughts are
supported by striking graphic metaphors. The important questions — what is man
and what is his fate are answered simply and succintly. The similes for the
Afterlife are drawn from the life of the nomads of the desert. Water and rest,
comfort and quiet were so much on the mind of the desert dweller that he
pictured Heaven as a peaceful shady Garden where he will enjoy food and
relaxation, and where the faithful will savor friendship untainted by disputes.
Hell is a torrid place where the damned will be at one another's throat and
ever feel hot and thirsty, nauseated and exhausted.
99. T H E E A R T H Q U A K E
Meccan, 8 verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* When the earth is jolted by an earthquake,
2* when the earth releases her burdens,
3.
man shall
say: “What’s the matter with her?”
4* On
that Day she shall announce her news
5.
inspired
to her by your Lord.
6.
On that
Day men shall march in groups to review what they have done.
7* Whoever produced a tiny weight of good shall see it.
8.
Whoever
produced a tiny weight of evil shall see it.
Vv. 1-5: The verses end in the “feminine” rhyme “aha” (ha
is the feminine possessive pronoun) and thus have a special rich sonority that
makes this sura resemble S.91.
V. 1: “The earth” is a feminine noun in Arabic.
V. 2: Because in Arabic common names are masculine or
feminine, the meaning of some utterances can be extended to metaphors that are
not possible in English. Thus “the earth” can conceivably not only “release her
burdens” (the ashes of the dead), but also give birth (to plants, for example).
V. 4: The earth symbolizes the world and its order. A New
World will come into being on Judgment Day.
V. 7: Some translators call the “tiny weight” an “atom.”
As zarra designates the atom in modern physics, this word may seem
inappropriate in a translation of the Koran.
Sura 86 The Shooting Star. S.86 consists of two suras fused together,
or of two separate parts, as evidenced by the additional “Oath passage” of vv.
11-12.
Part I deals with the
creation of man in three stages: the initial creation of Adam from mud or clay,
the continuous renewed creation of men through fertilization (as in vv 5-7),
and the resurrection seen as a new creation on Judgment Day. According to the
Koran, God can create an unlimited number of times; thus, the Jinn and the
Angels resulted from separate acts of creation.
Part II contains short
statements with abrupt transitions, a common feature in the Koran. It should be
noted that sudden changes of theme and pace can add meaning and emotion to a
text recited with modulations and inflections. To be on the right path to
understanding the Koran, one should put logic aside for a while and let
imagination and feeling linger around the suggested images.
Some of verses are so
concise that their translation would not be intelligible enough without the
words added in square brackets.
86. T H E S H O O T I N G S T A R
Meccan, 17
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* [I swear] by the sky and by the shooting star!
2.
How will
you know what a shooting star is?
3.
It is a
star of piercing light!
4*
Verily, every soul has her Protector.
5.
Let man
consider what he is made of!
6.
He is made
of emitted water
7* issued
between his spine and his ribs.
8.
Verily,
[God] has the power to resurrect him!
9.
But on the
Day when the secrets are revealed,
10* he shall have no strength and no assistance.
11* [I swear] by the sky with its cycles
12* and the earth with its awakening
13* that this is the deciding Word
14* and not a joke!
15* They are plotting a plot,
17.
But grant
the disbelievers a reprieve, a light reprieve!
V. 1: The Arabic word tariq has been understood as
“a night traveler,” a “visitor,” or “a shooting star.” The latter fits the
following verses best, but it is not important to know if it is a star or a
night visitor, or if the Protector of v. 4 is an Angel or God. Muslims believe
that the words of the Koran cannot be the subject of discussion or doubt. When
asked about them, they say: “So it is.”
In the desolate landscape of the desert, the splendor of
the sky is dazzling. No wonder that there is a predilection in the Koran for
metaphors about stars and light. Truth is as unfathomable and beautiful as the
sky. God is the Guiding Light; His Revelation in the three Scriptures
recognized by Islam as God-inspired — the Torah, the Evangel, and the Koran —
brings enlightenment to man. The first three verses of this sura should remind
man of the light of God’s Revelation that shines in spiritual darkness.
V. 4: As the soul is feminine in Arabic, “she” and “her”
are more appropriate pronouns for her than the impersonal “it.” This verse
would support the idea of a “personal God”.
V. 7: The spine and the ribs keep the body together just
as religion keeps the soul together. The spine conducts nerve energy to the
body; the ribs prevent it from collapsing.
V. 10: On Judgment Day God’s Guidance shall be withdrawn
and each man will have to justify himself on the strength of his own deeds.
Nothing can be hidden from God, and neither from men who, in the Hereafter,
will see each other’s good and bad deeds.
V. 11: The spiritual world is compared again to the sky.
V. 12: The earth is split by springs and sprouting
plants.
V. 13: “The deciding Word” is the Law of God that spells
the difference between good and evil. Continuing the metaphor of the preceding
verse, this Word — the Koran — tears through the material fabric of life. The
Koran makes God, the Truth, the Guiding Light visible, and the language of the
Koran gives shape to the Universe. The Koran is actual and humanistic to its core.
Natural like life, it accurately depicts the whole Universe.
V. 14: Simple and direct words such as “joke” make
translators search for mild substitutes such as quip, jest, frivolity, fun, and
amusement.
Vv. 15,16: “They are plotting a plot” is a typical Arabic
construction. Men are plotting evil and God is plotting goodness. Some Western
commentators are taken aback by the idea that God can devise a plot or connive.
These words are allegorical, of course, but they are quite natural if we
remember that part of God’s Design is the fight of virtue against evil in which
deception and violence are inevitable.
SURA. 81 The FOLDED UP. Like the preceding sura, S.81 consists of two parts which start with a
description of the sky and the celestial bodies. When the physical world comes
to an end, it will be dimmed and put out, and the most valuable asset of God's
Creation — the spiritual and moral achievement of man — will come to the
forefront.
The reader should interpret
the metaphors in accordance with his own imagination, taste, education, and
conception of the world, without much concern for the explanations given by
others.
Visions such as the one
mentioned in v.23 establish the connection of man with the Unseen world. The
Muslims believe that man comes in contact with the Unseen in his dreams.
S.81 is rich in thoughts
concerning the destiny of man, his toils on earth (vv. 4, 8), and his fate
afterJudgment Day. Predestination is reminded in v.29.
Further “doublesuras”areSS.
84, 91, 74, 69and56.
81. TH E F O L D E D U P
Meccan, 29 verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
3.
when the
mountains are dissolved,
4.
when the
ten-month [pregnant] she-camels are left unattended,
5.
when the
beasts huddle together,
7.
when the
souls are sorted out,
8* when
the infant-girl buried alive is asked
9.
for what
crime she has been slain,
10* when
the Scrolls are unrolled,
11.
when the
sky is uncovered,
14* then each soul shall know
what her hands have brought forth.
15* I swear by the receding planets,
16.
as they
rise and as they set,
17.
by the
night, as it darkens,
18.
by the
dawn, as it breathes!
19*
Verily, this is the Word of a noble Envoy,
20.
who has
power and eminence
in the eyes of the Lord of the Throne.
22* Your companion is not demented!
23* He has really seen [the Envoy] on the clear horizon,
24*and he is not cagey about the Unseen.
25* These are not the words of Satan, the stoned one!
27.
Verily,
this is but a Warning to the Worlds,
28.
to those
of you who want to be upright.
29* But you can will only
what God wills, the Lord of the Worlds.
V. 8: A reference to the slaying of girls practiced by
some Arabian tribes to reduce population. The Prophet was strongly opposed to
this custom. As for abortion, Muslims usually do not approve of it because it
seemingly interferes with God’s Design.
V. 10: These Scrolls contain the record of all men.
V. 14: On Resurrection Day every soul will be judged by
her deeds — lit., by “what she has brought forth.”
V. 15: The “receding” or retrograde planets are Mercury,
Venus, Jupiter, Mars and Saturn.
V. 19: Gabriel is an En
voy and the Prophets Abraham, Jesus and Muhammad are Messengers.
Some commentators erroneously attach the attributes of vv. 19-22 to the person
of the Prophet Muhammad.
V. 22: A defense of the Prophet Muhammad against his
foes.
V. 23: There is more about the Prophet’s vision in S.53.
V. 24: The Prophet is not a soothsayer: he speaks openly
and does not hide any tricks up his sleeve.
V. 25: “The stoned one” is the literal translation of ar-ragim.
In the Koran the word “Satan” is used both in the singular and in the plural.
Prayers and readings from the Koran are usually preceded by calling to God for
protection from the Satan to be stoned (aghuzu bil-lah min ash-shaitan
ar-ragim).
V. 29: An affirmation of predestination. Theologians of
all persuasions have a hard time reconciling man’s free will with God’s knowledge
of the future. Predestination is basically a Christian idea. God had chosen us
before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4) and “many are called, but few are
chosen” (Matt. 22:14). Muslims are sensitive to this issue and recognize the
supremacy of God’s will in all their actions. In His infinite compassion, God
is willing to pardon repenting disbelievers. Just as the seen and the “Unseen”
coexist and complement each other, so do God’s omniscience and man’s freedom of
choice.
Sura 82 Cleft Asunder. This sura can be compared to S.99 for its
wealth of images and expression. Like in S.99 the first five verses have a
haunting feminine rhyme (rat). “As the scrolls are unrolled, ” the reader may
appreciate the effect of repetitions and subtle changes in tone and details
that can be easily missed in translation.
The purpose of S.82 is to
call the people to Islam. In exhortative preaching that includes politics and
the modern media, repetition is one of the most powerful means of convincing
people. If we look for parallels in other religions, we might think of
“mantras” in the Eastern cults, and the recitation of litanies in churches.
Meccan, 19
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* When the sky is cleft asunder
2.
and the
stars are dispersed,
4.
and the
graves are overturned,
5* then each soul shall know
what she has brought forth, and
what she has kept back.
6.
O man!
What seduces you away
from your generous Lord,
formed you, shaped you,
8.
and
assembled you according to His Will?
9.
But no,
you still deny the Judgment Day!
10.
Verily,
there are Guardians over you,
13.
Verily,
for the righteous there shall be bliss,
14.
and for
the corrupt there shall be the Fire
15.
which they
shall enter on Judgment Day.
16.
They shall
not escape from it!
what is Judgment Day?
18. And again, how will you know what is Judgment
Day?
19* — It is the Day when no
soul shall help another soul!
On that Day all power shall be with God!
Vv. 1f: The sura opens with the description of the chaos
that will overtake the material world on Judgment Day. Its first five verses
summarize S.81:1-14. As already made clear in the notes to the preceding suras,
such passages resemble a series of “onion skins,” which, when peeled, reveal a
vision of Judgment Day, a glimpse of man in spiritual revival, or a revelation
of the stormy spiritual life of the universe.
“When the sky is cleft asunder” is an image of the
destruction of the barrier between the life of this world and the Afterlife;
“the stars are dispersed” is an image of the annihilation of the natural order
in the world; “the oceans boil over” — an image of the advent of a unified
Knowledge and Truth; and “the graves are up-turned” — an image of the
transition from death to Life. Many Arab commentators contend that such images
do not lend themselves to translation and that, therefore, attempts at
translating them are reprehensible. However, these commentators often paraphrase
the sacred verses in colloquial speech, in fact, conveying them from one
language to another.
V. 5: Man easily forgets his trespasses, but he shall be
reminded of each of them on Judgment Day.
V. 19: Man is doomed when God leaves him alone and his
friends and family deprive him of companionship and assistance. Before Judgment
Day people should help one another — only on the Last Day man shall carry his
burden alone. He can achieve virtue only by a recourse to God and through his
own good deeds in the society he belongs to.
C.82 resembles the preceding one, S.81. Both affirm that
each soul is responsible for its fate and that we are all individually
answerable to God for the life we have lived. In both suras one can easily spot
an introduction and a conclusion. As is typical for short suras, the verses are
ringing and richly rhymed; their tone is solemn. The sentences are brisk and
seem to be clipped — the reader can complete them by using his imagination.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to fully restore the harmony and vigor of the
Koranic verses in English.
SURA
84 The SPLIT OPEN. The first part of this “double sura” starts with a five
verse oath-Uk'c injunction with the rhyme “at, ’’followed by an emotional
appeal to righteousness. In the second part starting with another Oath, the
Prophet Muhammad is ordered by God to warn the enemies of faith of the dire
consequences of their rejection of the Koran.
Meccan, 25
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1.
When the
sky is split open,
2.
it will
obey its Lord as ordained.
3.
When the
earth is stretched flat,
4.
expels its
content, and empties itself,
5.
it will
hear its Lord as ordained.
Strive strenuously to your Lord
and you shall meet Him!
7* Whoever receives his record in his right hand
8.
shall have
his record readily accepted
9* and
shall return to his people fulfilled.
10* But
whoever receives his record behind his back,
11.
let him
call perdition upon himself!
12.
His
destination is the scorching Fire!
13.
Indeed, he
enjoyed himself with his kin
14.
and did
not think of his return [to God].
15.
Yet his
Lord has ever been watching him!
16.
I swear by
the [flaming] sunset,
17* and
by the night and by what it collects,
18.
and by the
moon and by what makes it full
19* that you shall be ascending step by step!
20* But what is the matter with them,
why do they disbelieve,
21* why do they not fall prostrate
when the Koran is read to them?
22.
Only the
disbelievers deny it,
23.
and God
knows best what they conceal.
24.
So
announce to them a painful punishment!
25.
But not to
those who believed and did good works — for them there is a sure reward!
V. 6: The Koran contains many teaching statements that
resemble proverbs. In contrast to the Biblical Proverbs and the sayings of
Ecclesiastes, in general, their content is more religious than secular. Comp.
“Strive strenuously to your Lord and you shall meet Him!” with “Train up a
child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it”
(Prov. 22:6).
V. 7: The believers will receive the record of their
deeds in their right hand and the disbelievers in their left hand or behind
their back. In addition, the sinners will have their right hand tied behind
their head and their left hand tied behind their back. Therefore, the
inhabitants of the earth will be divided into “the people of the right hand”
and “the people of the left hand.”
This admonishment brings the future into the present to
make the reader or listener realize the imminence and inevitability of the
Judgment Day.
V. 9: “His family” includes its righteous members, provided
he himself is righteous.
Vv. 10-15: Verses that invite to caution can be called
Warning or Guidance passages.
V. 17: The night brings animals and people to their
homes.
V. 19: “You shall be ascending step by step,” or “from
layer to layer” — a reference to the gradual spiritual growth of man.
According to the Koran both the material and the
spiritual worlds consist of clearly defined levels or strata. Both the sky and
the Heaven were believed to mirror these worlds by being built in the shape of
concentric spheres.
V. 20: In general, God addresses the believers in the
second person and speaks of the disbelievers in the third person.
V. 21: In this arrangement of suras, the Koran is
mentioned by name for the first time. At first, the divine Message was called
Revelation, Warning, Reminder, or simply the Word. After several suras had been
revealed, they were collected to form the Koran (the Recitation). Still
later, the Koran was called a Scripture, kitab, from the root ktb (to
write). It is said that the Prophet himself started collecting the suras to
publish the Revelation during his lifetime on the model of the Torah and the
Gospel.
Sura 106 The Quraish. In the earlier suras, accusations of
disbelief are addressed to the Prophet's opponents, the Meccans. The Prophet
belonged to the tribe of Quraish, which ruled over Mecca and its vicinity.
However, most of Muhammad's relatives were hostile to Islam till 630 (8 H). In
this short sura the Prophet wishes success to his tribesmen.
Meccan, 4
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* For the treaties of Quraish!
in their summer and winter journeys!
3* Let them worship the Lord of this House,
4.
Who fed
them, saved them from famine, and secured them from fear!
V. 1: “For the treaties of Quraish” or “in favor of the
commercial dealings of Quraish.” The Prophet’s tribe, the Quraish, was divided
into two clans: the Ommayyad clan (after its founder Ommayya) and the
Hashemite clan (after its founder, Hashem, the Prophet’s great-grandfather).
The kings of Jordan claim to descend from this particular Hashem.
“Arab” is the generic name of those who speak Arabic, but
its meaning in Arabic is “nomad.” However, at the time of the Prophet, many
Arabs lived in cities like Mecca and were involved in trade and in
catering for pilgrims visiting holy shrines. Some Arabs settled in the valleys
of Yemen and lived by agriculture and the production of frankincense and myrrh,
which were in demand in the Middle East. Others lived in the desert near meager
waterwheels, raising livestock, especially camels, and maintaining caravan
routes through Arabia. Mecca (known also as Bacca), with its
sanctuaries, including the Ka'ba, existed for centuries and was mentioned
by Ptolemy in the II century A.D. The Quraish was one of the prominent
tribes living in the vicinity of Mecca. The Prophet Muhammad was born near
Mecca in 570 in a spot that does not attract particular devotions.
V.3: “This House” is the sacred Mosque in Mecca or the
Ka’ba itself. “The Lord of this House” is the One God.
Sura 105 The Elephant. This sura has been sent down to comfort the
Prophet during hard times (cf. S.93). It is a reference to the failed
expedition against Mecca of Abraha, the Ethiopian governor of Yemen, shortly
before the Prophet was born. The expedition included elephants. Apparently,
Abraha's troops were disfigured and decimated by smallpox. This is alluded to
by the metaphors of vv. 3-5.
Meccan, 5
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* Have you not seen
what your Lord did to the owners of the elephant?
2.
Did He not
foil their plans?
3.
Did He not
send upon them the flocks of birds
4* which pelted them with lumps of baked clay
5.
and made
[their faces] look like eaten up fields?
V. 1: “Have you not seen” — in spiritual vision?
Vv. 1f: To explain who were “the owners of the elephant”
one needs to delve into the eventful history of the south-east corner of
Arabia, the mountainous country of Yemen. In antiquity it was the probable home
of the nation of ’Ad, frequently mentioned in the Koran (S.69). Later on, Yemen
and adjacent regions were ruled by the apparently Jewish Sabaean nation (Sheba)
whose capital was Marid, site of a famous dam (SS. 89,34). According to the
Bible, a queen of Sheba paid a visit to Solomon in ca. 950 B.C. (S.34). In A.D.
340, Yemen was converted by the Abyssinians to Christianity. Some 200 years
later the Jews re-instated themselves in Yemen and their ruler, Zhun-Nuwas
fought the Christians and destroyed their community in Najran (S.85). Under
the instigation of Byzantine, Abyssinia reconquered Yemen and returned it to
Christianity. In about 560, give or take five years, the governor of Yemen,
Abraha, unsuccessfully attacked Mecca (this event is the object of this
sura). In 575, Yemen was conquered by the Zoroastrian Persians,
and when their governor embraced Islam (628, 6 H), Yemen became Muslim. Since
the IX century it practices a special creed (Zaydism).
V. 4: Stones or lumps of baked clay (sijjil) are
also mentioned as carriers of God’s wrath against Sodom and Gomorrah (cf. SS.
11:82, 15:74).
SURA. 91 The
Sun.
The first part of
this two-part sura is an eloquent appeal to the people to save their souls. The
second part alludes to Salih, the Prophet of the ancient Arabian tribe of
Thamood, who once asked his people to spare a she-camel consecrated to God.
After they dismissed his warning, their country was destroyed by a raging
storm.
All the 15 verses of C91
have one rhyme (aha) like the beginning of S99 and thus create the impression
of wholeness and completeness. Other suras like S.81 and S.82 change their
rhymes with each theme, sharpening the esthetic sensation of the listener.
Stories about the
predecessors of the Prophet Muhammad will become more and more frequent in the
coming Prophetic suras that will remind the reader that history constantly
repeats itself.
Meccan, 15
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* [I swear] by the sun and its radiance
2.
and the
moon that follows it,
3.
and the
day that reveals its splendor,
4.
and the
night that conceals it,
5.
and the
sky and what raised it up,
6.
and the
earth and what spread it forth,
7.
and the
soul and what set her up
8.
and
enlightened her about corruption and devotion!
9*
Successful will be the one who purifies [his soul],
10.
at a loss
will be the one who corrupts her!
11* In their wrong-doing Thamood rejected [the
Messenger].
12* When the most sinful of them came forth,
13* the Messenger of God said to them:
“This she-camel belongs to God. Let her drink!”
14.
But they
called him a liar and cut her down.
Their Lord wiped them out for their crime
and leveled them [to the ground].
15* He was not intimidated by the outcome!
Vv. 1-8: Harmony in the world is based on contrasting
pairs such as the sun and the moon, day and night, evil and virtue.
Vv. 9-10: Proverbs or verses resembling proverbs are
common in the Koran. They are remembered better than plain prose and sometimes
become integral parts of the language. Many proverbs, like vv. 9-10, are built
on a contrast between two ideas: “Successful will be the one who purifies [his
soul], but at loss will be the one who corrupts her!” This dictum has the same
structure as the Biblical “The wise shall inherit glory; but shame shall be the
promotion of fools” (Prov. 3:35).
V. 11: The Arabian tribe of Thamood is usually
identified with the Nabateans who lived on the territory of present Jordan;
their capital city was Petra. The “Thamoodites” are mentioned in the Koran 26
times. Stories of the Arabian Prophets are followed by those of Semitic
Prophets and Jesus ('Issa). Neither Buddha and Confucius, nor any other
Far Eastern sage is mentioned in the Koran.
The stories of the pre-Islamic Arabian Prophets are
important reminders that the Jews did not have the monopoly of God-inspired
people, and that pre-Islamic monotheistic cultures have prefigured Islam. The
Koran does not specify what was the religion of these cultures; presumably,
they were followers of God-fearing people, called the hanifs.
Some lovers of trivia become occasionally engrossed in
numerology, the study of numerical coincidences to which they attribute occult
meanings. Thus, the Koran mentions 28 Prophets, which is both the number of
days in a lunar month and the number of letters in the Arabic alphabet. The
number of Angels in S.74:30 is 19 and the number of suras in the Koran is 19 x
6 = 114. Ibn Hasan came out with the conclusion that the numbers of suras must
be as high as 19 x 7 = 137, the number 7 being “more perfect” than 6 (Ch.G.).
V. 12: He was sent to kill a she-camel consecrated to
God.
V. 13: Muhammad is both Messenger (rasul) and
Prophet (nabi). A Messenger transmits God’s Revelation. All the Prophets
from Adam to Muhammad have carried divine Messages. Thus, Adam was a Prophet:
he talked to God and received His instructions, so did Jesus; both did not
leave a Scripture. They were also Messengers. If Adam and Noah had not been
Prophets and Messengers, the Ancient people would have been deprived of
Guidance. The Koran is “the Reminder” of God’s Messages transmitted to mankind
by a line of Messengers from Adam to Jesus.
V. 15: “He was not intimidated by the outcome.” “He”
could be God, the Prophet Salih, or the man who killed the she-camel.
The seekers of esoteric meanings attach undue importance
to such grammatical ambiguities as this one.
Sura 108 Abundance. The name of this sura, “Abundance, ” has the
mystical sense of Wisdom, Knowledge, and Truth that had been given to the
Prophet Muhammad at the beginning of his mission.
Meccan, 3
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* We have granted you Abundance.
2* So pray to your Lord
and offer a sacrifice.
3* Verily, the one who hates
you shall remain without a tail!
V. 1: The Arabic word for “Abundance” is Kauthar,
the name of a fountain or river in Paradise. Kauthar is the symbol of the
innumerable gifts of God. According to legend, the faithful will cross it after
the Last Judgment on their way to Paradise.
V. 2: The “sacrifice” is the offering of a camel as
prescribed in the Old Testament (Cf. S.91:13); here it is a symbol of contrition
because Islam replaced animal offerings by spiritual exercises: limiting one’s
desires, fasting, and almsgiving.
The Koran has a high regard for charity, and thus helping
the poor is like offering a sacrifice to God. Charity is the absolute requirement
for ritual purification and for making effective the faith that opens the gates
of Paradise.
In modern Islam the slaughter of animals for food during
pilgrimage and religious celebrations is also called a sacrifice.
V. 3: A more transparent translation is: “Your foe shall
be without descendants!” The Prophet’s two male children died in infancy and
his opponents gloated that it was a punishment for his alleged misbehavior.
Since Biblical times the lack of male posterity has been a sign of divine discontent.
The indiscriminate literal translation of Arabic
metaphors may obscure the text, but their replacement with English equivalents
may deprive the Koran of its color. Thus, some Arabic expressions are retained,
but usually with an explanation in the Notes. Also, the choice of words in the
translation is dictated not only by linguistic demands, but also by the inspiration
of the translator.
Sura 111 The Palm Fiber. S.111 is a curse against an enemy of the
Prophet, his uncle (nicknamed Abu Lahab). His wife used to spread thorny sticks
tied with palm fibers in the path of the Prophet. As in some other suras, the
Prophet is pictured as a righteous man who is painfully hurt by the attacks and
the slanders of his opponents.
Meccan, 5
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* Let both hands of Abu Lahab perish,
and let him perish himself!
nor his deeds will benefit him:
3* soon he will be burning
in the flames of the Fire!
the carrier of firewood, —
5.
a noose of
palm fibers ’round her neck!
V. 1: The hands symbolize man — all he does and all he
owns, including his slaves who are usually called “those whom one’s hands
possess.” A common expression in the Koran is “what his hands have brought,”
meaning his good and bad deeds. Apart from Abu Lahab, the only contemporary of
the Prophet mentioned in the Koran by name or nickname is his adopted son Zeid
(S.33:37).
V. 3: Abu Lahab means “Father of Flame,” so that this
verse echoes his name and suggests his hellish nature.
Because Abu Lahab died after the emigration of the
Muslims to Medina, some commentators think that S.111 belongs to a much later
period (2-4 H). However, it is more reasonable to count C.111 and similar
suras, in which the Prophet is defended against slander (e.g., SS. 104 and 86)
among the earliest, revealed when his rich relatives were ganging up against
him.
Sura 104 The Slanderer. The slanderer of the first verse is probably
the same Abu Lahab as in the preceding sura. Like SS. 100 and 92, S.104
condemns the wealthy Meccans for their stinginess.
Meccan, 9
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1.
Woe to the
slanderer and backbiter
2.
who
amasses wealth, relies upon it,
3.
and thinks
that wealth will make him immortal!
4* But not at all!
Surely, He shall be flung into
the Smasher!
5.
How will
you know what the Smasher is?
6.
[It is]
the Fire of God flaring up
9.
with
pillars swooping upwards!
V. 4: “The Smasher” (the 6th circle of Hell) suggests not
only the helplessness of the damned, but also the divisiveness caused by
slander and cupidity. It symbolizes the breakdown of the human soul under the
influence of the passion for hoarding riches. The early suras of the Koran
accentuate God’s justice and their tone is sharp and stern. In later suras the
Koran celebrates God’s compassion and leniency, and shows the disbelievers the
way to redemption.
S.104 is the last of the harsh warning suras in this
series. The emphasis in the next suras is on the righteous people and on their
destiny on earth and in the Hereafter.
Sura 92 The Night. S.92 has only one theme: man's obligations
and the reward he will earn for fulfilling them. That is uncommon among the
longer suras which are usually replete with unrelated stories and appeals.
According to vv. 5'10 God leads to happiness those who do good and to misery
those who do evil; however He does not determine in advance who will be
righteous or evil. God treats people differently depending on the good and evil
in their souls, and He forgives the sins of those who repent.
S. 92
is often recited on joyous occasions.
Meccan, 21
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1.
[I swear]
by the enshrouding night
3.
and by
what has created man and woman!
4.
Verily,
diverse are your aspirations!
5.
To the
generous one who fears God
7.
We will
smoothen the path to prosperity.
8.
But to the
greedy, the self-sufficient one
10.
We will
smoothen the path to misery.
11.
His wealth
shall not help him after his fall!
12.
Verily, it
is upon Us to show the right path!
13*
Verily, the End and the Beginning are in Our Hands!
14.
I am
warning you about the raging Fire
15.
in which
the most wretched shall fall,
16.
the one
who denied and turned away.
17.
The most
devout shall escape it —
18.
the one
who gave of his riches to purify himself,
19.
and not to
repay the favors he had received.
20.
He only
strived toward his Lord, the Exalted.
21.
Soon he
shall be gratified!
V. 13: “The End and the Beginning,” or “the last and the
former [life].”
Sura 97 The
Night of Power. S.97commemorates the descent of the first words of the Koran on one of
the last nights of the month of Ramadan.
97. TH E N I G H T O F P O W E R
Meccan, 5
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* Verily, We sent down [the Koran] on the Night of
Power!
2* How will you know what the Night of Power is?
3* The Night of Power is better than a thousand months.
4* That [Night], by permission of their Lord,
the Angels and the Spirit descend with all the Decrees.
5. And peaceful it stays till sunrise.
V. 1: In the original: “We sent it (or him) down,” — it
is unclear whether the Koran or the Prophet is meant.
The Arabic name of the sura is “al-qadr.” Qdr is
the root of “to be able to,” “to establish,” “to ponder,” “power,” “fate,” and
many other words. Accordingly, different translators call this sura “Power”
(SQ, TBI), “the Glory” (FN), “Determination” (AA), “the Majesty” (MHS), etc.
However, the word “Night” is the key to its content.
V. 2: One of the nights in 620 when the Koran descended
into the soul of the Prophet to be transmitted to the people.
V. 3: S.97 deals with “the
Unseen” or “the Unknown” as op-posed to the material world of our senses. The
Unseen does not obey our laws of physics and mathematics: a night in the Unseen
may last a thousand months, and a day — a thousand years (S.32:5).
The Unseen doubles for the future and the past. The words
that refer to the Unseen, such as Angels and Fire, are capitalized.
Man cannot fully apprehend their significance.
V. 4: The Spirit is Gabriel (Djibril). The highest
Angels are “those nearest to God”: Gabriel, Michael (Miqal), 'Asrafil,
who will proclaim the Judgment day, and the Angel of death, 'Isra'il.
The Angels have no intellect, and thus, no free will.
There-fore, they are one degree lower than man. The Angels may
eventually vanish to reappear in “a new Creation.”
Sura 96 The Clot. S.96 is especially important because,
according to tradition; its first five verses were the first ones revealed to
the Prophet (ca. 610). They establish the relationship between man and his
Creator and emphasize the importance of prayer.
Meccan, 19
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* — Recite in the Name of your Lord, the Creator,
2* Who created man from a clot.
3.
Recite
[how] your Lord, the most Bountiful,
4* Who taught by the pen,
5* taught man what he did not know.
Verily, man has rebelled
7* and pretended he was self-sufficient.
8. But verily, they shall all return to your Lord!
9* Have you seen the one who disturbed
10* the servant [of God] in prayer?
11.
Have you
seen him on the right path,
13* No, you saw him denying and turning away!
14.
Does he
not know that God sees [everything]?
If he persists,
We will certainly seize him by his forelock,
16* his lying, sinful forelock!
17.
Then let
him call his companions,
18* and We will call the Heavenly Hosts!
19* So do not follow him,
but prostrate yourself
and come nearer [to God]!
V.1f: “Recite,” “proclaim,” or even “intone” convey the
intended meaning of the Arabic word iqra' better than “read” (see
S.73:4). These verses are addressed to the Prophet, but without the sacramental
“Say.” The Prophet’s duty was to convey God’s Words to the world and not only
to one chosen nation.
V. 2: “Clot,” by extension, a “clot of blood” or
“embryo.”
V. 4: Some translators prefer “taught the use of the
pen,” introducing the idea that God literally taught writing to man.V. 4 may
also suggest that a written copy of the Koran was in preparation at a very
early stage of the Prophet’s public life.
V. 5: God’s teaching should be taken in the broad sense
of imparting Knowledge and religious awareness (in Arabic “to teach” and “to
know” have the same root 'lm).
V. 7: Arrogant self-sufficiency is the desire to escape
God’s wardship and to challenge the harmony He gave to life.
Vv. 9f: This passage is probably directed against a
fierce opponent of the Prophet, 'Amr Abul-Hikam (lit. Father of Wisdom),
called by derision Abu-Jahl (Father of Ignorance).
V. 10: The servant of God in this verse is the Prophet,
but he might be man in general.
“Servant of God,” lit. a “slave of God” ('abd),
for Muslims a title they are proud of; ordinary slaves were called “those who
are in someone’s hands.”
Among the most popular Muslim names are 'Abdulla (the
Slave of God) and 'Abdu (His Slave). The Spirit (Gabriel), the Angels,
and the benevolent Jinns are also Slaves or servants of God. In the Christian
Orthodox Church the same expression, slaves of God, is used for the faithful
who are about to partake of the communion.
Disturbing a man in prayer is a serious moral and civic
offense.
V. 13: To reject God or to deceive about Him is the worst
sin imaginable (isn’t Satan the master of deceit?). The harshest circle of
Hell, the seventh, is reserved for the liars and the hypocrites who do not
keep their word. The Arabic root kzb means not only telling a lie (kizb),
but also denying the Truth, God, and His Judgment, and being a blasphemer and a
militant atheist.
V. 16: Forlocks were consecrated to God and were worn by
freemen (S.55:41).
V. 18: The Heavenly Hosts are the Castigating Angels or
the Angels of Death who approach a dying man to carry his soul away to his
grave, to some waiting place, to Hell or Paradise. As the life of the soul
after death is outside of our perception of time and space, the question about
the whereabouts of the soul between death and Judgment is purely rhetorical and
has no answer.
V. 19: “Prostrate yourself”: bend forward from a kneeling
position and touch the ground with your forehead. The feeling of humility and
obedience toward God’s plan is contrasted to the blasphemous self-reliance
alluded to in v.7.
SURA
87 T HE EXALTED. S.87 advises the Prophet to preach the Koran by
reciting it clearly, word by word. The continuity of the divine Revelation from
the first words of Genesis to the last sura of the Koran is demonstrated by
means of Arabian and Biblical stories.
Meccan, 19
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1.
Praise the
Name of your Lord, the Exalted,
3.
Who
distributed and guided,
5.
and then
turned them into rusty stubble!
6* — [O Muhammad!] We will make you recite, and do not forget
anything,
7.
except if
God wills it otherwise —
indeed, He knows the revealed and the concealed.
8.
We will
make your way easy for you,
9.
and you
keep reminding, reminding is useful indeed!
10.
The
God-fearing will remember,
11.
but the
most wretched one will turn away,
12.
the one
who will burn in the greatest Fire
13.
where he
shall neither die nor live!
14.
Successful
shall be the one who purified himself,
15.
who
glorified his Lord’s Name and prayed.
16.
Yet you
prefer the life of this world,
17.
even
though the Hereafter is better and more lasting!
18.
Verily,
this is from the first Scriptures,
19.
the
Scriptures of Abraham and Moses.
Vv. 6-9: The Prophet is told how to recite the Koran.
God can change the Words of the Koran without
contradicting the Truth because Truth can be expressed in various ways
depending on time and circumstances, and regardless of how man understands it.
Sura 85 The Constellations. Likes.i05, s.85 refers topreiimc times;
namely the massacre of Christians by the King Nawas of Yemen, a convert to
Judaism, who tried to convert the Christians of Najran (ca. 525). S.85 ends
with an affirmation of the divine origin of the Koran.
85. T H E C O N S T E L L A T I O N S
Meccan, 22
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* [I swear] by the sky and its constellations,
2. and the promised Day,
3* and the witness and the witnessed!
4* Death to the owners of the pit
7.
and
watched the believers being ill-treated
8.
in
retaliation for their belief in God,
the Almighty, the
Praise-worthy,
9. the Owner of Heavens and earth.
God is Witness to
all things!
10* Verily, those who persecute believing men and women, and do not
repent, shall be punished by Hell, they shall be punished by the Fire!
11* But those who
believed and did good works
shall dwell in the
Gardens
under which the
rivers flow.
And this will be a
great success!
12. Verily, unlimited is the power of your Lord!
13* Indeed, He is
the One,
Who begins and
restores [life].
14* He is the
All-Forgiving and the Loving,
15* He is the
Sovereign of the Glorious Throne,
17. Have you heard of the hosts
18* of Pharaoh and Thamood?
19. But no! The disbelievers are still denying,
20. though God encircles them from behind.
21. Yes, this is the Glorious Koran
22* preserved on a
Tablet.
V. 1: Because of homonymy, the “constellations” (al-buruj)
could also be “towers” or signs of the Zodiac.
V. 3: The witness might be God, the Prophet, the Angels,
the Records of deeds in Heaven, and even the stars mentioned in the first
verse. Those witnessed might be either the sinners or those who died for their
faith.
Vv. 4: “Pit” or
“trench.” The compassion shown here to the Christians is worth noting.
V. 10: The sinners
will be punished in this life by the Fire of hate, shame, and remorse.
Vv. 10-11: It seems that while the Koran was being
collated, some verses have been added and others separated from their con-text.
Some changes in verse length, rhythm and rhyme might have been introduced
during the editorial process.
V. 11: The metaphor about the rivers of Paradise may
refer to the river of life in Heaven (Comp. “And he shewed me a pure river of
water of life” in Rev. 22:1). Paradise is frequently called “Gardens” or “Garden.”
V. 14: God’s Names such as the Merciful, the Almighty,
and the Compassionate are all in the superlative degree. There are 100 of them,
including the Name Allah. In Arabic these Names are preceded by the
article al; in English they are capitalized.
Many Muslims carry on their persons a rosary of 33 beads
of equal size and one larger, oblong bead, called “the minaret.” They use the
rosary to recite the 99 Names of God in 3 groups; at the minaret they say the
Name, Allah. Some authorities think that the 100th name of God is not
necessarily Allah; it might be revealed only on Judgment Day.
V. 15: The Throne of God —
the site of His power and glory, or the symbol of His eternal Presence.
V. 18: “Pharaoh” brings to mind the Prophet Moses to whom
God revealed the Torah. Bringing a new Revelation is the prerogative of a
Prophet. Although the Bible does not attribute any scripture to Abraham, the
Arabs revere him and his elder son Ishmael (by Agar) as Prophets and ancestors.
Thus they consider themselves as a people not less “chosen” than the Hebrews.
According to the Bible, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekkah, Jacob and Leah were
buried in Palestine in the cave of Machpelah, enclosed nowadays inside a
mosque and revered both by the Muslims and the Jews.
V. 22: The original of the Koran is kept in Heaven on a
Tablet or in a Book.
SURA
74 The '^WRAPPED UP.
According to
tradition, this sura was revealed about six months after S.96. It is composed
of two parts. Part I is an address to the Prophet about his mission (the
castigation of the disbelievers in vv. 30'31 that ends this Part seems to be a
later gloss). Part II (v.32f) is a vivid depiction of scenes from the Last
Judgment.
C. 74 opposes the
predestination of man (vv. 31, 38, 56) to his full responsibility for his fate
(v.38): the two concepts are not contradictory, but complete each other.
The further we proceed in
this rendition of the Koran, the components of a sura increase in number and
complexity.
Meccan, 56
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
* —
O you, wrapped up [in a mantle]!
6.
and when
you give, do not seek a profit.
7.
Be patient
for your Lord’s sake!
8* When
the bugle is sounded,
9.
that Day
will come, the Day of Distress —
10.
it will
not be easy for the disbelievers.
11* Let Me deal with the one
that I created special!
12.
I endowed
him with abundant riches
13.
and sons
standing by his side.
14* I
spread for him a smooth [path],
15.
yet he is
asking Me for more!
16* But
no! For opposing Our Signs,
17* I
will submit him to an [exhausting] climb!
18.
He thought
it over and plotted:
19.
so let him
die for what he has plotted!
20.
And once
more: let him die for what he has plotted!
and making much of
himself,
“That’s
nothing but magic passed on from father to son —
26* — Soon I will burn him in the Saqar!
27. How will you know what the Saqar is?
28. It does not spare anything, it leaves nothing
untouched
30* Over there
they are nineteen.
31* They are
Angels.
We
have entrusted to them the Fire, and We have fixed their number to test the
disbelievers.
Let
those who received the Scripture be sure of it, and let those who believed grow
in faith.
And
let no doubts remain in those who received the Scripture and believed.
Only
the infirm of heart and the disbelievers are saying:
“What did He mean
by this example?”
Thus
God leads astray those He wills and guides aright those He wills!
He
is the only One to know the Hosts of your Lord.
This is just a
Reminder to mankind!
32. But no! [I swear] by the moon,
34. and the dawn shining forth
35. that this is one of the greatest [Signs]!
36. This is a Warning to mankind,
37. to those of you who advance,
and to those of
you who fall behind.
38* Every soul is
responsible for her deeds.
40. the ones in the Gardens, will be asking one
another
42. “What has brought you into the Sakar?
“We didn’t pray,
45.
we babbled
with the babblers,
46.
and we
denied the Judgment Day,
47.
until the
Inevitable came upon us!”
48.
No
intercessor shall intercede for them!
49.
But what
is the matter with them?
Why are they running away from the Reminder
52*They
all want to receive their Scroll unfurled!
53. But
no! They did not dread the Hereafter!
54*But
no! This is the Reminder!
55.
Anyone who
cares will remember it,
56.
but he
shall remember it only if God wills.
He is the Lord of righteousness
and the Lord of forgiveness.
V. 1: While receiving the Revelation, the Prophet
Muhammad used to wrap himself in a mantle, the symbol of prophetic mission. For
example, it is said in the Bible that Elijah passed his mantle on to Elisha (I
Kings 19:19). Usually, the Prophets covered their entire body to seclude
themselves and commune with the Unknown in a trance. The title and the first
verse of this sura are not much different from the title and the first verse of
the next S.73.
V. 8: The advent of the Judgment Day will be announced by
the sound of a bugle or a trumpet, by a deafening noise, or by a soul-rendering
cry.
V. 11: “Special” is a more suitable word here than
“unique” or “alone.”
Vv. 11-25: This passage is about man in general and the
enemy of the Prophet, Walid ibn Mugaira, in particular.
V. 14: “I spread for him a smooth [path],” lit., “I made
his bed smooth.”
V. 16: While the New Testament, especially the Gospel
according to John, sees miracles in such violations of the laws of nature as
miraculous cures, the multiplication of bread and wine, and the awakening of
the dead, the Koran sees miracles in the laws of nature themselves. The harmony
and beauty of the world is by itself a proof of God’s existence.
Many suras describe such wonders of nature as the
movement of celestial bodies, the majesty of mountains and seas, the merits of
cattle, down to the mystery of the sprouting seed and the conception of a human
embryo. These are the “wonders” or Signs that prove the existence of a generous
and intelligent Creator. The Koran avoids the word “miracle” (mu'ji-za)
because the Signs, astounding as they are, usually do not defy the laws of
nature and are miraculous in themselves.
In the Koran the same word, aya is used both for
“Sign” and “verse.” Are not the Verses of the Koran miraculous Signs,
representing God’s inspiration and mercy? The miraculous transformation of
Moses’s staff into a snake is also a Sign. The Bible uses “Sign” in the same sense
as the Koran: “For the Jews require a sign” (1 Cor. 1:22).
V. 17: “I will submit him to an [exhausting] climb!” A
steep or forbidding side of a mountain is called 'aqaba. ’Aqaba is also
the name of a hill in the vicinity of Mecca upon which a group of Arabs swore
allegiance to the Prophet in 620.
We remind the reader that
the words between square brackets are not in the Arabic original. Sometimes
such additions may look like unwarranted commentaries, but they are needed to
clarify the meaning and the shades of the text. Words required by English
grammar and syntax, and occasional transition words are introduced without
brackets. Stylistic modifications are explained in the text whenever
necessary.
V. 26: The Saqar is the fifth circle of Hell.
Vv. 30-31 are later additions. It is said that the number
of Angels (19) is equal to the number of positive qualities in a good man.
Nineteen is a number that intrigued the mystics searching for hidden messages
in mathematics.
V. 31: With regard to predestination, already met with in
S.81 and S.92, the Koran adopts the teaching of the Bible: “Many shall be
purified, and made white, and tried; but the wickedly shall do wickedly: and
none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand” (Dan.
12:10). Predestination is discussed in the New Testament by Mark (Cf. Mark
4:11-12, 25, 33-34). As the community of Mark was persecuted, the belief in
predestination was likely to reinforce the self-confidence and solidarity of
people in peril.
V. 38: Predestination is a logical consequence of the
doctrine of the unlimited Knowledge of God, but the fact that God knows the
past, the present, and the future does not limit the responsibility of man for
his destiny.
V. 52: The disbelievers dare God to show them the original
Koran or the Record of their deeds which are both kept in Heaven.
V. 54: Especially in the earliest suras, the Holy Koran
is called “a Reminder” (of the previous Revelations).
Sura 73 The Enfolded. This sura seems to be one of the earliest, either following or
preceding S.74. Basically, it is a call for prayer, different from the ritual
prescribed in post-Koranic times. Nightly prayers can me made longer or shorter
according to circumstances, and the reading of the Koran should never be a
chore that interferes with the essential demands of life. Short as it is, S.73
is complex, with an unusually long concluding verse.
Meccan, 20
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* — O you, enfolded [in a mantle]!
2.
Stand up [in
prayer] at night, but not all night —
3.
half of
it, or a little less,
4* or more, and recite the Koran in measured recitation.
5.
Soon We
will send you a mighty Word!
6.
Verily,
the watches of the night
fortify the feelings and sharpen the words.
7.
Truly, you
are busy all day!
8.
Glorify
the Name of your Lord
and with full devotion strive to Him,
9* the Lord of the East and the West!
There is no god
but Him,
so take Him as
your Protector.
10. Endure their contentions with fortitude, and
leave them with dignity.
11. Let Me deal with the disbelievers who enjoy
their life, and you, bear with them a little longer!
12. Verily, We have chains and Hellfire,
13. and food that chokes, and a painful punishment
14. for the Day when the earth
and the mountains
start shaking,
and the mountains
collapse to loose hills!
15* We have sent to you a Messenger to witness against you, as We
had sent before a Messenger to Pharaoh.
16. Pharaoh disobeyed the Messenger, and We grabbed
him a mighty grab.
then how will you
save yourselves on the Day
when your
children’s hair turns white,
and the promise
comes true!
19* Verily, this
is a Reminder.
Let anyone who
wishes seek a way to his Lord!
20*Verily, your
Lord knows
that
you stand up [in prayer]
almost
two-thirds of the night, or one half, or one-third of it, and some of your
followers do the same.
God
has measured out the night and the day [for prayer]. He knows how difficult it
is for you to keep this count, and He is ready to forgive you!
So recite from the
Koran what is easier [for you]!
He knows who of
you is sick,
who
travels in the land in search of God’s bounty, and who fights in the cause of
God.
So
recite what is easier [for you], stand up in prayer, pay the zakat, and extend
to God a generous loan!
All
the good deeds you have prepared for your soul, you shall find with God as a
better and greater reward.
So ask for God’s
forgiveness!
Verily, God is
forgiving and merciful!
V. 1: While the
Prophet was receiving the Revelation on the mountain, he was wrapping himself
in a mantle not only because of the cold, but also because of his ecstatic
fever.
V. 4: “Recite the
Koran in measured recitation” suggests that the Koran should be chanted, not
merely read (Cf. SS.96,75).
V. 9: “The Lord of the East and the West,” i.e., the Lord of the whole
Universe.
To this day, “there is no god but God” or “la ilaha
illal-lah” is the rallying call of the Muslims.
Vv. 15-19 are addressed to the people; the rest of the
sura is addressed to the Prophet Muhammad personally.
V. 19: Predestination is not absolute because God is
compassionate and inclined to forgive.
V. 20 is a late addition, as attested by its length and
by its references to the Koran and to fighting in the cause of God.
Sura 90 The
City.
This sura, like S.92,
describes the basic duties of a Muslim in a few sections that are smoothly
connected to each other.
90. T H E C I T Y
Meccan, 20 verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* I do not swear by this city —
2.
the city
in which you are a freeman,
3.
and by the
progenitor or his issue!
4.
We have
created man for hard work,
5.
but he
thinks that no one has power over him.
“I’ve squandered enormous riches!”
7.
Does he
think that nobody is watching him?
8.
Have We
not given him a pair of eyes,
10* We led him to two high places,
11.
but he did
not hurry up the steep incline.
12.
How will
you know what the steep incline is?
14.
or feeding
in a day of famine
17.
[It is] to
join those who believed
and called to forbearance,
and called to compassion.
18* These are the people of the right hand.
19.
And those
who rejected Our Signs are the people of the left hand.
20.
They are
under a Fiery Vault!
V. 1: The city is
Mecca. One should not swear by a city that defiled itself by rejecting Islam.
V. 10: Two high places or “paths” — the steep one of toil
and virtue ('aqaba), and the easy one of sloth and dissipation.
Vv. 18: On Judgment Day the just will receive the Record
of their deeds in their right hand, and the unjust in their left hand, which
will be tied behind their back (S.84:7-12).
Sura 79 T he Snatching. S.79is the first sura about a Biblical
Prophet, namely Moses. It consists of seven parts, each with its own rhyme: 1)
an oath; 2) a warning about the Judgment; 3) the story of Moses; 4) a
glorification of God; 5) a promise of Hell and Paradise; 6) another warning
about the Judgment Day; 7) a description of the Hour of Judgment. The seven
parts of the sura are well balanced in length and content, and the sura is
tightly knit together.
Meccan, 46
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* [I swear] by those who snatch ruthlessly,
5.
and distributing
the commands.
6* On that Day when everything quakes and shakes
8.
on that
Day the hearts shall tremble
9.
and the
eyes shall be downcast!
10* [The disbelievers] say:
“Shall we really become like before
11.
after our
bones have decayed?”
“If it’s so, [our] return will be a setback!”
15* Have you heard the story of Moses?
in the holy valley of Tuwa:
17.
— Go to
Pharaoh, who transgressed all limits,
18* and say:
“Don’t you want to purify yourself?
19.
I’ll guide
you to your Lord to make you fear Him.”
20.
[Moses]
showed him a great Sign,
21.
but
[Pharaoh] rejected it and disobeyed.
22.
Then,
turning away, he left.
23.
He
gathered [his men] and addressed them,
“I am your lord supreme!”
25.
God seized
him with a punishment
in the present life and the Afterlife.
26.
Verily,
this is a Warning for those who fear God!
27* What was it harder to create, you or the sky?
[God] has built it.
28.
He has
raised its vault and gave it its form.
29.
He has covered
the night with darkness
and drew out the dawn.
31.
and He
drew from it water and pastures.
32.
He has
reinforced the mountains
33.
for your
and your cattle’s use.
34* And when the great calamity comes,
35. on that Day everyone shall remember
what he has been striving to!
36* Hell will be seen by all who can see.
37.
The one
who transgressed all bounds
38.
and
preferred the present life,
39.
verily,
Hellfire shall be his destination.
40.
But the
one who feared to stand before his Lord
and refrained from passions,
41* verily, Paradise shall be his refuge.
42.
They ask
you about the Hour:
“When is it due?”
44.
Its time
is with your Lord,
45*and you are only a Warner for those who fear it.
46* On the Day they see it, [they will think]
they had waited only one evening or the following
morning!
Vv. 1-5: This oath about death is a powerful call to
attention. Among the possible protagonists are Angels, winds, souls, stars,
conquerors, or even their horses (as in S.100). It would make more sense if we
chose the Angels: they snatch the souls of the sinners and carry away those of
the just. Judging from the variety of existing renditions, oaths prove
difficult to translate without the inclusion of unnecessary comments as is
apparent in the following examples of v.1:
Drawing full stretch (RB).
In the name of those who expel (the souls of the sinners)
by force (VP).
By those who snatch [men’s souls] away // at their last
gasp (TI).
I swear by the angels who violently pull out the souls of
the wicked (MHS).
By those sent forth with goodness, one after another
(MAA).
By Emissaries in succession sent (FN).
Vv. 6-9: As a sequel to the preceding, the material world
shall be utterly destroyed; only the spiritual world will remain.
Vv. 10-14: A reminder about the Resurrection, addressed
to the Meccans, who doubted that a human being could be reassembled from his
remains.
Vv. 15-26: A short description of Moses’s mission that
was hinted at in S.73:5-16. The Biblical stories place the Prophet Muhammad in
the succession of Prophets from Adam to Jesus.
The Koran is the last appeal to man to submit to the
Creator, as there will be no other Prophets after Jesus and Muhammad.
The Koran contains the Wisdom and Knowledge necessary for
a man, but no man will ever have access to full Wisdom. No one can grasp the
Koran completely, but everyone must believe in it.
V. 18: The greatest
punishment for a transgressor is to be abandoned by God to his fate. However,
God may give a chance for redemption even to such an obstinate sinner as
Pharaoh.
Vv. 27-33: This is a typical “Sign passage” that
describes the creation of the world.
Vv. 34-39: A typical passage with Warnings and Reminders
(S.84:10-15).
V. 36: On Judgment Day, Hell will be displayed to all
mankind and the just will see who has been thrown into it.
V. 41: Lit., “Garden,” meaning “Paradise.”
V. 45: The Prophet’s mission consisted in reciting the
Koran, demonstrating God’s Signs, and calling to monotheism. The Messenger was
instructed to exercise patience, to use only verbal persuasion, and never ask
for a fee. It is only at the close of his mission that the Prophet began to
demand from his followers the respect and obedience due to a secular leader and
a religious guide.
V. 46: “On the day they see it” — “it” is Hell, in
accordance with v.36.
Sura 80 He Frowned. This sura can be divided into five sections:
1) a rebuke to the Prophet for neglecting a poor supplicant and giving all his
attention to a wealthy man, even though all men are equal before God; 2) an
affirmation of the sacredness of the Revelation; 3) a description ofman's
reproduction; 4) a Sign passage; 5) a Warning that the Day of Judgment will be
ushered by a horrifying noise or a cry rather than by the sounding of trumpets.
Meccan, 42
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1.
[The
Prophet] frowned and turned away
2.
when a
blind man approached him.
3* How could you know —
he might have cleansed himself
and Remembrance would have helped him!
5.
To the one
who flaunted his wealth,
6* you gave your attention,
7.
albeit it
was not of your concern
if he did or did not cleanse himself.
8.
But the
one who approached you with hope
10* him you ignored!
11* This is a Reminder
12. for those who care to remember!
13* [It is] in the honored Scrolls,
15.
[written]
by the hands of Scribes,
17.
Woe to man
for his denial!
18.
What has
[God] created him from?
19.
He has
created him from a drop, shaped him,
21* Then He will make him die, bury him,
22.
and revive
him when He wills.
23.
But alas!
Man does not heed His commands!
24*Let man look at what he consumes
25.
and at how
We pour rain in downpours
26.
and split
the earth with cracks.
28.
and
grapes, and edible plants,
32.
for you
and for your cattle to use!
33.
When the
deafening blast resounds,
34.
on that
Day, man will flee from his brother,
36.
his wife,
and his children.
37.
On that
Day every one will care only for himself!
38.
On that
Day [some] faces shall glow
40.
On that
Day the faces of [others]
shall be covered with dust
41.
and
enshrouded in darkness.
42.
They are
those who disbelieved and transgressed!
V. 3: “Cleansing” can be understood in different ways:
making the highly ritualized ablutions before praying, becoming pure in
spirit, and giving the prescribed alms: the sure way to keep oneself pure is to
be generous and compassionate (S.107:7).
V. 10: According to commentators, the Prophet was talking
to some important men in Mecca when he was interrupted by the blind man. In
expiation, he elevated the blind man to a high position.
V. 11: The Koran is addressed to all the people,
regardless of their origin or wealth.
Vv. 13-15: The original of the Koran was written by Angel
scribes on Scrolls or Tablets (S.85:21-22).
V. 21: God “will bury him,” meaning that He will let him
repose during the time between death and resurrection. This time is the barrier
mentioned in S.23:100.
The Koran speaks of the restoration of man’s body to its
original state, as he will appear at the Last Judgment. This return to life
should not be confused with the resurrection of a person in a new, exalted
state, or “a new creation.”
Vv. 24f: The impression might arise that the Prophet
addressed himself mainly to pastoral and nomadic tribes, but he also appealed
to agricultural communities in the few fertile valleys of Arabia. The Koran
asserts that it is God’s Revelation (S.56:80; S.26:192) to all nations, to the
whole Universe, seen and Unseen.
II.
Eschatology and Apocalypsis
Sura 77 T hose Who Are Sent. As in S.79, a hermetic oath artfully sets a
mood of anxiety. This oath might refer to winds, human souls, Angels, or verses
of the Koran, depending on what plane, the material or the spiritual one, the
listener thinks “those who are sent” stand. The dramatic invective against
disbelievers is punctuated by a gloomy refrain. Although S.77 is made of
messages with brief descriptions of Hell and Pai- adise, it holds tightly
together: it has one topic, one rhythm, one spiritual message.
77. T HO S E W H OA R E S E N T
Meccan, 50
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* [I swear] by those
who are sent in succession,
5* and carrying the Reminder
7.
What has
been promised to you shall certainly come to pass
10.
when the
mountains are blown away,
11.
when the
Messengers face a deadline!
12.
To which
Day shall [it] be deferred?
13* — to the Separation Day!
14. How will you know the separation Day?
15* Woe on that Day to those who deny!
16* Have We not destroyed the first ones
17. and have We not sent others in their wake?
18. This is how We deal with transgressors!
19* Woe on that
Day to those who deny!
20* Have We not
created you from a measly drop
21. that We firmly secured in a safe place
23* We managed
like the best of Managers!
24. Woe on that Day to those who deny!
25* Have We not
made the earth a repository
26. for the living and the dead?
27. Have We not raised on it lofty mountains? Have
We not given you fresh water to drink?
28. Woe on that Day to those who deny!
29. So, enter [the place] that you have denied, 30*
enter the shadow in three columns
31. that will not refresh nor shelter you from
flames!
32. They are shooting up sparks [huge] like
castles,
34. Woe on that Day to those who deny!
35* On that Day they shall not speak
36. nor shall they be allowed to justify
themselves!
37. Woe on that Day to those who deny!
38. Such will be the Separation Day when We bring
you all together — you and the first ones.
Then try to plot
against Me!
40. Woe on that Day to those who deny!
41* The
God-fearing shall stay
in the shade by
the springs
42. with fruit to their hearts’ desire:
43. — Eat and drink to your health for what you
have done!
44. This is how We reward those who did right!
45. Woe on that Day to those who deny!
to
feast and rejoice — indeed, you are the transgressors!
47. Woe on that Day to those who deny!
48. They are told to worship, but they do not worship.
49. Woe on that Day to those who deny!
50. In what Message will they now believe?
V. 1: It is said that this
sura was revealed to the Prophet Mohammad and his closest friends in the cave
of Mina.
Vv. 1-6: The winds that are described in these verses
carry clouds, bring rain, whisper and howl, transmit noises and voices.
Oftentimes they occur unexpectedly, and if they are strong, they may cause
destruction. In the spiritual realm winds suggest change and purification; they
can perturb or arouse fear. The wind itself is invisible, but its results are
perceived by our senses. The wind is the breath of the holy Spirit: “And
suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it
filled all the house where they were sitting... And they were all filled with
the Holy Ghost...” (Acts, 2:2-4).
Vv. 1-6 could also speak of Angels or of God’s
Messengers.
V. 5: The word “Reminder” (zikr) often occurs in
the Koran. Man is forgetful and he constantly needs a reminder to follow the
precepts of the Koran and to never let the Afterlife get out of his sight. The
repetition of the same exhortations aim at maintaining man in a perpetual state
of alertness. Once the Reminder has firmly sunk into the inner heart of man,
his soul achieves the closest nearness to God.
V. 13: On Judgment Day the wrong-doers shall be separated
from the just and evil deeds shall be separated from good deeds, hence the name
“Separation Day.”
V. 15: Denying the Truth or the Day of Judgment.
V. 16: The first ones — the Ancients, the men of Old, the
forefathers.
V. 19: Similar refrains occur in the New Testament, for
instance: “Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched” (Mark
9:44, 46, 48).
V. 20: Man should feel ashamed of his lowly origin.
V. 23: “We managed” — We established conception and
birth.
V. 25: “Have We not made the earth a repository...” — an
example of a rhetorical question introducing a Sign or a Warning passage about
God’s power and His goodness to man.
V. 30: The shadow is that of billowing smoke; its branches
might represent three major sins: hate, superstition and greed.
Vv. 35-36: In the Koran the sinners are punished
individually, as each man is responsible only for himself. In the Bible sin is
treated in a totally different way. God often punishes whole nations for the
sins of a few people, sparing no women or children, scourging a multitude of
innocent souls, enemies, even His chosen people, and absolves of their sins
morally unworthy people like David and Solomon. The Koran is silent about the
shortcomings of the Prophets out of respect for their mission.
Vv. 41-45: An early description of Paradise. In Paradise,
fruit, food, and beverages are allegorical. The Koran promises that all the
spiritual needs of man shall be fulfilled in the Hereafter.
Sura 88 The Overpowering. Although it consists of disparate sections,
S.88 is outstanding for its balanced composition with short, but powerful depictions
of the Afterlife, followed by Signs and Warnings. In the next suras the theme
of Hell and Paradise is expanded with further details.
88. T H E O V E R P O W E R I N G
Meccan, 26 verses
In
the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1*
Has the story of the Overpowering reached you? 2* On that Day downcast shall be
the faces 3* [of those] who toil to exhaustion
4. and burn in the scorching Fire.
5. They shall be watered at a scalding fountain,
6*
and shall have no other food than the bitter dari’ 7. which shall neither
nourish nor satisfy hunger!
8* On that Day
delighted shall be the faces
9. [of those] who rejoice at their deeds.
10* There, in a
lofty Garden,
11. they shall hear no idle talk.
12. Therein is a gushing spring
14. Therein are goblets within reach,
17* Let them
consider the camels —
how they were
created,
18* the firmament
— how it was raised,
19. the mountains — how they were piled up,
20. and the earth — how it was spread out!
21. So keep warning, for you are their Warner
23* But to those
who turned away and disbelieved,
24. God will deal the greatest punishment.
25. Verily, they shall return to Us!
26* Verily, it is
upon Us to call them to account!
V. 1: “The Overpowering” or “the Enveloping” refers to an
event or a Day. The Prophet believed that this sura was addressed directly to
him, as the “you” is singular. It’s obvious, however, that God speaks here to
all listeners.
V. 2: Compare “...
gloomy shall be some faces” (S.75:24).
V. 3: The inmates
of Hell will be dragging heavy chains (S.73:12). Note that according to the
Christian belief, sinners will be tormented in the presence of the Lamb (Rev.
14:9-10).
V. 6: Dari' — a
bitter plant. The images of suffering in Hell are, of course, allegorical.
Nobody has the slightest idea what the torments of Hell will be like.
V. 8: Comp. “...
some faces shall lighten up” (S.75:22).
V. 10: “A lofty
Garden” or “a Garden on the heights.”
V. 17: The camel,
wonderfully adapted to life in the desert, was the most precious animal for the
Arabians, who considered it to be a special gift of God. Domestic animals are
very important in pastoral societies and Arabs find in them beauty and grace.
They do not allow dogs in their houses, but they love cats and do not object to
their presence in mosques and other sacred areas.
Vv. 18f: The sky, the earth and the mountains are the greatest
creations of God.
Vv. 23-24: The Koran says that the strongest punishment
is deserved by those who have had a chance to become Muslims, but then “turned
around and denied.” Rejection of God is equivalent to lying and breaking the
first commandment of devotion. The ungrateful and the sinful must fear God’s
disapproval. Pious Muslims believe that the words “God, have mercy” (astaghfarul-lah)
must be repeated a hundred times a day.
The mercy of God being unlimited, it could extend to
Hell, a part of His Creation. Then the Muslim Hell is more like the Catholic
Purgatory than the traditional Christian Hell. “Everything shall disappear,
only the Countenance of you Lord will remain” (S.55:26 and S.28:88). Thus, Hell
(and Paradise) seem to be for a protracted and not an eternal sejourn as the
Christians believe. Their dwellers will exist as long as it pleases God, and
when Hell and Paradise vanish, the individuality and self-conscience of people
will already have been dissolved.
In Arabic, “God-fearing” is synonymous with “devoted to
God,” “devout” and “fulfilling his duties.”
V. 26: The themes of S.88 are developed and explained in
S.52. Apparently these two suras belong to a late period, though they are both
listed as Meccan. Repetition of the same themes and verses in the Koran does
not make it monotonous and unexciting, as they usually contain subtle changes
either in words or in tonality and emphasis. Thus, when the text is read aloud,
these variations confer to it a special color and musicality; and the absence
of punctuation allows the free flow of rhythm and cadence.
SURA
83 T HE CHEATERS. Detailed descriptions of the Hereafter bring more
comparisons between the fate of the believers and the disbelievers.
Meccan, 36
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* Woe to those who cheat in weighing,
2.
and demand
a full measure for themselves,
3.
but reduce
it when they weigh [for the others].
4.
Do they
not realize that they shall be revived
5* on the Great Day,
6.
the Day
when all men shall stand before the Lord of the Worlds!
The record of the wrong-doers is surely in Sijjin!
8* How will you know what Sijjin is?
10.
Woe on
that Day to those who deny,
11.
who deny
the Judgment Day!
12.
Indeed,
only a wicked sinner denies it.
13.
He says
when Our Verses are recited to him: “These are fables of the Ancients!”
The rust of their deeds clings to their hearts!
15* Surely, on that Day they shall be veiled from their
Lord
16.
and they
shall enter Hellfire,
17.
and hear: —
This is what you have denied!
18* But no!
The record of the righteous is surely in ’Illiyin!
19.
How will
you know what ’Illiyin is?
21* attested by those who are the nearest [to God].
22.
Verily,
the righteous in rapture
23.
shall be
looking from [their] couches.
24.
You will
see in their faces the glow of delight!
25.
They shall
be given to drink wine sealed
let all those who aspire to it! —
27.
[wine]
mixed with [water] from Tasnim,
28* the source of drink for the nearest [to God].
29.
Verily,
the sinners mocked the believers,
30.
and winked
at one another while passing by.
31.
And upon
returning home, they continued to jest,
“Surely these are the ones who lost their way!”
33.
But they
were not sent to be their keepers!
34.
On that
Day the believers shall laugh at the disbelievers,
35.
while
looking around from [their] couches.
36* Will not the disbelievers get what they deserve?
V. 1: Trade ethics was of prime importance in a society
engaged mainly in commerce. Apparently, cheating in weighing was common enough
to elicit this reprimand.
The search for illicit profit is a test or a temptation.
God could have made everybody rich and contented, but then it would have been
more difficult to discern the righteous from the sinner. Like wealth, poverty
is a test from God, and the road to the Afterlife goes through trials on earth.
If all mankind renounced faith, there would be no need to test anyone, as all
mankind would be on the way to Hell.
V. 5: Comp. with Joel, 2:30-31: “And I will shew wonders
in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun
shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and
the terrible day of the Lord come.”
V. 8: The word Sijjin is derived from sijn (prison),
and Illiyin from 'ali (high). However, there is no need to
speculate on the meaning of the words that are explained in the Koran, itself
(Cf. vv. 18, 27).
V. 15: “They shall be veiled from their Lord,” or “a
curtain shall descend between them,” (S.7:46) after a preliminary selection
based on merits is carried out on Judgment Day.
V. 18: The righteous are also called upright, virtuous,
just, faithful, innocent, and blameless.
Vv. 21, 28: “The nearest [to God]” are the Angels and the
Spirit Gabriel, who is mentioned by name only in late suras.
V. 36: “Will not the
disbelievers get what they deserve?”
Such questions without an answer are rhetoric devices
akin to sayings and proverbs. Example: “How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard?
when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? (Prov. 6:9).
Sura 75 The
Resurrection. S.75
consists of several short passages which might have been revealed at different
times and then assembled into a sura. The sura starts with a Warning blended
with a description of the Last Day, followed by an order to the Prophet to
recite the Koran slowly and clearly. Then comes the description of the death
and the fate of a sinner, and an affirmation of God's power.
75.
T H E R
E S U R R E C T I O N
Meccan, 40
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
I.
I do swear
by the Day of Resurrection!
2* I do swear by the soul that has repented!
3* Does man think that We cannot collect his bones
4.
and
re-assemble him down to [his] finger tips?
Man wants to do evil to the last of his days!
“When is the Day of Resurrection coming?”
7.
— When his
sight is blinded,
9.
when the
sun and the moon merge into one!
10.
On that
Day man shall say:
“Where is my refuge?”
He has no safe refuge!
12.
On that
Day refuge will be only by your Lord.
13* On that Day man will be informed
of what he put forward and what he kept back.
14.
Then man
shall become his own accuser,
15.
even if he
tries to vindicate himself.
16* — [O Muhammad!] Do not hasten your tongue
in order to speed up [the Reading]!
17.
Verily, it
is upon Us to collate and promulgate,
18.
and it is
upon you to follow what We read.
19.
Verily, it
is upon Us to explicate it!
You love the fleeting [life]
21.
and
neglect the Hereafter!
22.
On that
Day some faces shall lighten up
23.
at the sight
of their Lord.
24.
On that
Day gloomy shall be the faces of those
25.
who
realized that their spines shall be broken.
26* But no!
When [his soul] arises to the collar bone,
27.
and a
wizard is summoned [to help],
28.
then he
will realize that parting time has come.
29*With his legs pressed together,
30.
on that
Day he shall be driven to your Lord!
31* He gave no alms and did not pray,
32.
he denied
[the Truth] and, turning away,
33.
he
returned to his family full of himself.
35.
And once
more: woe and woe to you!
36.
Does man
imagine that he will be left unattended?
37.
Was he not
a drop of emitted sperm?
and [God] created him and gave him a shape.
39.
He made
him as a pair, male and female.
40.
Then is
[God] unable to revive the dead?
V. 2: The Koran speaks of three steps in the growth of
the soul (nafs), each with its own name: the untamed soul driven to evil
('ammara, S.12:53)); the recanting, the self-accusing soul (lawwama,
S.75:2); and the peaceful, soul (mutma'inna, S.89:27).
Vv. 3-4: One of the most persistent objections to the
Prophet’s doctrine was the raising of the dead from bones and ashes. His
audience accused him of reciting old fables and demanded that he perform
miracles (Cf. S.79:10-11).
V. 13: “What he put forward and what he kept back” are
man’s good and bad deeds.
Vv. 16-19: An advice about how to recite the Koran,
complementing the instructions of SS.96 and 87: its recitation should be
expressive and as clear as possible. In the Catholic and Orthodox liturgy, the
chanting of the Gospel is preceded by a measured recitation of the Epistle of
the day. Similarly, the Koran becomes fully authentic when it is chanted by
expert readers.
V. 26: At agony the soul is believed to raise to the
throat or to the collar bone before leaving the body.
V. 29: “With his legs pressed together,” or “leg to leg”
— in the way a corpse is wrapped in a shroud for burial.
V. 31: “He gave no alms,” implies that he lacked faith
and was impure — the faithful purify themselves by giving to charity.
Sura 89 T he Daybreak. This sura is constructed on the model of the
preceding one, with a crisp “oath” for introduction, a stern Warning to
disbelievers, and a few kind words to the faithful, in conclusion.
Meccan, 30
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
2* by the ten nights,
3* by the even and the odd,
for those who understand?
how your Lord had treated ’Ad
7* and Iram with its pillars,
9.
And
Thamood who dug into the rocks in the valleys,
10* and Pharaoh, the owner of stakes?
II.
They were
oppressors in the land,
12.
and kept
on spreading corruption.
13.
Your Lord
submitted them to the scourge of punishment —
14.
verily, your
Lord is watching from the heights!
15* When his Lord tests a man
by giving him honors and favors,
he says:
“My Lord has honored me.”
16* But when [God] withholds
his sustenance in order to test him, he says:
“My Lord has humiliated me.”
17* But no!
You do not honor the orphan
18.
and you do
not advocate feeding the poor.
19.
You
greedily devour [your] inheritance
20.
and have a
passion for wealth!
When the earth crumbles to dust,
22.
and your
Lord comes with Angels in ranks,
23* on that Day man shall face Hell.
He will remember on that Day,
but remembrance will not help him!
24*He will say:
“Alas, if only I’d prepared [some good deeds]
for my [future] Life!”
25.
On that
Day he will be punished as only [God] can punish.
26.
He shall
bind him in chains!
28.
return to
your Lord satisfied and pleasing!
30* enter My Paradise!
V. 2: This probably refers to the ten days of pilgrimage.
When a verse allows two or more interpretations, it is better to convey in
translation the most obvious meaning.
V. 3: Each even number
follows an odd number and each even number is the sum of two odd numbers.
Comparison between opposites is an effective way to deepen understanding.
V. 7: Iram (or Ubar) is a quasi-mythological city.
In 1992, a fortress and campsites were unearthed in Oman, following surveys
taken from the space shuttle Challenger in 1984. Artifacts presumably
belonging to Iram date from 2000 B.C., i.e, prior to Greek and Roman times.
V. 10: The stakes could be stelas, obelisks, or wooden
posts for raising tents. Apparently, Pharaoh used them to impale or attack his
enemies. As in the Bible, Pharaoh is a proper noun.
Vv. 15-16: Such variations on the theme of ingratitude
and light-mindedness among men are common in the late suras.
V. 16: “Sustenance” or “subsistence” refer to both the
material and the spiritual needs of man.
Vv. 17-18: The
basic duties of a Muslim (cf. S.107).
V. 24: The reader is reminded that colloquial
contractions and quotation marks distinguish direct speech from God’s words
and the rest of the text (cf. Note to S.112:3). The words of God to man are
occasionally introduced by dashes, for clarity’s sake, even though the whole
Koran is the direct speech of God.
V. 30: Garden or
Paradise? Here, it is definitely Paradise.
Sura 69 T he Inevitable. The first part of this “double sura” starts
with a brief description of the fate of the peoples of Thamood, 'Ad, Pharaoh,
and Noah, who refused to obey their Messengers. It is followed by a vivid
depiction of Hell In the secondpart it is affirmed that the Prophet Muhammad is
not a magician or apoet and that he has been forbidden to tamper with the Koran
under the penalty of death. The sura ends with the proclamation that the Koran
is the Truth and that the Creator is to be glorified at all times.
Meccan, 52
verses
In the Name of
God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* The Inevitable!
3. How will you know what the Inevitable is?
4. Thamood and ’Ad denied [the Day of] Calamity.
5. For that [sin] Thamood was destroyed by a
thunderbolt
6. and ’Ad was crushed by a roaring windstorm.
7. [God] let it rage against them seven nights and
eight days in a row. You could have seen people
felled like hollow trunks of palm-trees.
8. Can you see now a single survivor?
9. Pharaoh, his predecessors, and the smitten
[cities] have all indulged in sinning.
10. They disobeyed their Lord’s Messengers, and
[God] seized them in a mighty grip.
11.
When the
flood came, We carried you all in the ark.
12.
Let it be
a Warning to you
and let a hearing ear hear it!
13.
When a
single blast is blown on the trumpet,
14.
when the
earth and the mountains move
and are smashed in one stroke,
15.
then, on
that Day, the Event shall occur!
16.
On that
Day the sky, turning brittle, shall split.
17.
On that
Day the Angels [will stand] at its edges,
and eight [of them] will carry God’s Throne above them.
18. On that Day you shall be brought to Judgment
and everything you used to hide shall be on display.
9* The one who receives his Book
in his right hand shall say:
“Here it is, read my Book!
20.
Indeed, I
knew that I’ll face my account!”
21.
And he
shall live in bliss
24* — Eat and drink to your health
for what you have prepared in the past days!
25* But the one who receives his Book
in his left hand shall say:
“Oh! I wish I wouldn’t receive such a Book
26.
and
wouldn’t know my account!
27.
Oh! If
only my end came soon!
28.
Wealth has
not protected me,
29.
and all my
power has vanished!”
30* —
Grab him, bind him,
32.
Then
attach him to a chain seventy cubit long.
33.
Indeed, he
did not believe in God, the Highest,
34.
and did
not call for feeding the poor!
35.
Today he
cannot find any friend in this place,
37.
that only
the transgressors eat.
I swear by what you see 39* and by what you do not see!
40.
Truly,
these are the words of a noble Messenger,
41.
and not
the words of a poet, so weak is your belief,
42.
and not of
a soothsayer, so little do you remember!
43.
This is a
Revelation of the Lord of the Worlds. 44*But if he ascribes a single of his
sayings to Us,
45.
We will
surely seize him by his right hand,
46.
We will
surely slash his heart’s artery,
47.
and nobody
among you will defend him.
48.
Verily,
this is a Reminder for those who fear God.
49.
Verily, We
know that some of you deny [Him].
50.
Verily, bitter
it shall be for the disbelievers!
51.
Verily,
[this] is the absolute Truth!
52* So, glorify the Name of your Lord, the Highest.
Vv. 1-3: S.69 starts with the already familiar question
that introduces uncommon words. In this instance, we are left to our own guess
as to what “The Inevitable” is. Warnings that are cut short produce the
impression of suspended threats.
Vv. 19-20 and 25-29: These verses are apparently
addressed to the Angels who escort a man to the Last Judgment. About the
righteous holding their Book in the right hand, see S.84:7.
Vv. 24, 30-34: These commands are all issued by God.
Vv. 30-37: The duration of punishment is rarely specified
in the descriptions of retributions for the sinners. Although the expression
“eternal punishment” is occasionally met with in the Koran, the word “eternal”
does not carry the meaning of infinite duration that is implied by Christians.
The root khld of the word khaled (eternal) signifies perpetuity,
duration, continuity, a long sojourn in some place. Many educated Muslims
believe that the world which will come into existence after the Last Judgment
will also come to an end. Before that time, the people of the Afterlife will
gradually lose their sense of identity; then punishment or reward will become
meaningless. Only God will be left as the One Reality, capable of creating anew
in a void which might be filled by God’s will with a new world with new
properties.
V. 39: Heaven is conceived as consisting of seven domes
or vaults. The material sky, as a reflection of Heaven, is also seen in the
form of seven vaults or spheres.
V. 41: A believing Muslim would not agree that the Koran
has any resemblance to poetry. It’s blasphemous to imagine that God, the author
of the Koran, was involved in composing verses. The Koran is a marvelous
happening and does not belong to any genre. It cannot be compared to the
Gospel, even though the two Books have the same general purpose. The Koran is
full of teaching words and explanations inspired to the Prophet by God. In
contrast, the four Gospels describe the life of Jesus and contain only a few of
his direct pronouncements as reported by his followers, the majority of whom
never saw him face to face.
In 1897, fragments of papyrus reporting “The sayings of
our Lord” were found in al- Bahnasa, in Upper Egypt. Fifty years later, more
complete manuscripts of early Christian literature were discovered in another
location of Upper Egypt, Nag Hammadi. Among them is a collection of 114
sayings ascribed to Jesus, with the title of “The Gospel according to Thomas.”
These sayings are highly moral and inspiringly Christian, but the Church will
always consider them apocryphal because a few of them seem to contradict the
canonic Gospel according to John.
Vv. 44f: A stern warning to the Prophet Muhammad.
V. 52: Such a sudden coda concludes several suras.
Sura 70 The Steps. This well-constructed sura is the most
complete codex of the Muslim tenets so far. It spells out the duties of man:
charity, belief in the Hereafter, prayer, respect for marriage and for
covenants, trustworthiness. S.70 paints Hell in somber colors and opposes the
ethics of the believers to the laxity of the sinners.
70. T H E S T E P S
Meccan, 44 verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* The inquirer asked about the inevitable punishment
2.
for the
unbelievers that nobody can avert.
3* It is
from God, the Lord of the Steps
4* by which the Angels and the Spirit ascend to Him in a Day of fifty
thousand years.
5.
So, endure
with gracious endurance!
6.
Indeed,
they see [the Day ofJudgment] far away,
8.
This is
the Day when the sky shall be like melted copper
9.
and the
mountains like carded wool,
10.
Then a
friend will not ask about [his] friend,
11.
albeit
they will be in sight of each other.
The wrong-doer will want to avoid the punishment
of that Day [at the price of] his children,
12.
his spouse
and his brother,
13.
the family
that shelters him,
14.
and all of
mankind, just to save himself.
The raging Fire
who turned around and ran away,
18.
who
hoarded and concealed.
19*
Verily, man was created restless!
20.
He is
fretful when touched by evil
21.
and
miserly when touched by success.
23.
who are
steadfast in their devotions
24.
and share
their possessions
25.
with the asking
and the poor.
26.
They
believe in the Day of Judgment
27.
and fear
the punishment of their Lord.
28.
Verily,
their Lord’s displeasure deprives them of peace!
29.
They
reserve their impulses
30.
for their
wives and their slaves, and are blameless!
31.
(And those
who covet more are transgressors!)
32.
They honor
their trusts and obligations,
34.
and they
keep to their prayers.
35.
They shall
be honored in the Gardens!
36* What
is the matter with the disbelievers who rush to you
37.
in crowds
from right and left?
38.
Do they
also want to enter the Garden of Bliss?
39.
But no!
They know what We created them from!
40*But no! I swear by the Lord of the East and the West
that We surely can
41.
replace
[them] by better [people] with no trouble for Us!
42.
So, let
them babble and make merry
until they face the promised Day —
43* the Day when they shall
dash out of their graves, hurrying as if they raced to a stone marker.
44. With eyes downcast, they shall be covered with
shame — this is how it shall be on their promised Day!
V. 1: The disbelievers wanted to know the date of the Day
ofJudgment (S.51:12).
V. 3: “The Steps” (al-ma'aridj, from 'aradja =
to ascend) remind one of Jacob’s ladder, but they have a deeper meaning: though
God sits on High, He gradually becomes more accessible to people with pure
hearts. A cognate word is mi'radj — the mystical Ascent when the Prophet
was transported from Mecca to Jerusalem (S.17). One night Gabriel took
Muhammad, while he was asleep at the Ka’ba, to the rock of the Temple of the
Mount in Jerusalem on a flying horse. From there he brought him to the
“Sidra-tree,” the limit of Being before the Absolute. After experiencing the
Presence of God, he returned to Mecca as miraculously as he had gone to
Jerusalem.
V. 4: As in most of the oath sections, the length of the
Day is unreal, since it refers to the Unseen (S.97:3).
V. 19: “Restless,” or impatient, timid, fretful,
insecure.
Vv. 36-37: Did they rush toward him to receive his
Message?
V. 40: “I swear... that We...
can”: God makes no distinction between the pronouns when He speaks of Himself
(S.88: 23-24).
V. 43: “A stone marker” — an altar stone or a goal post.
Sura 78 The News. The News is the announcement of the
Resurrection and the Last Judgment. Particularly strong imagery is used to
depict Hell and Paradise and to describe the Proofs of God's existence and His
compassion to man.
Meccan, 40
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* What are they asking one another?
5.
And once
more: soon they shall know!
6.
Have We
not spread the earth
7.
and
[placed] the mountains as supports,
9.
and gave
you sleep to rest,
10.
and made a
cover of the night,
11.
and gave
you daytime to eke out a livelihood?
12.
We have
built over you seven skies
13* and placed a resplendescent torch.
14.
We poured
abundant water from the clouds
15.
and
produced with it grain, vegetables,
17.
Verily,
the Separation Day is set —
18. the Day when the trumpet shall resound, and you
shall come forth in crowds.
19.
Then the
sky shall open its gates,
20.
and the
mountains shall dissolve like a mirage.
21.
Verily,
Hellfire is a trap —
22.
the
destination of the oppressors.
23.
They shall
remain there for ever,
24.
with
nothing fresh to eat or to drink,
25* but boiling water and pus.
26.
Indeed,
they deserved this reward!
27.
They did
not fear their account
28. when they denied our Signs, declaring them
false!
29.
We have
preserved everything on record.
We
will not add to you anything, except some more punishment!
31.
Successful
shall be those who fear God!
32.
For them
there will be orchards and vineyards,
33* and buxom maidens of their age,
35.
They shall
not hear therein any lies or vain talk!
36.
Such will
be their reward,
such will be the generous gift from your Lord,
37. the Lord of Heavens and earth and what is in
between, the Compassionate, Whom no one dares contradict!
38.
On that
Day, the Spirit and the Angels will stand in ranks.
Nobody
shall speak without permission of the Compassionate, and then only to tell the
truth.
39.
That will
be the Day of Truth!
Let anyone who wills return to his Lord!
40. Verily, We have warned you of the impending
punishment!
On
that Day, everyone shall see what his hands have prepared, and the disbeliever
will say: “Woe to me! If only I were dust!”
Vv. 1-5: The “Great Day” is expected “soon,” but it will
be on the time scale of the Unseen that is different from ours.
V. 13: The “resplendescent torch” is the sun.
V. 25: “Pus” (ghassaq) — icy, putrid water, or
tears.
V. 33: This allegorical verse indicates that man shall
not suffer in Paradise because of loneliness and lack of womanly love.
The huris are not mentioned by this name yet, but
are called here kaua'ib (full-breasted maidens). Each author translates
this verse according to his taste:
Companions of Equal Age (AYA).
and high-bosomed maidens for companions (NJD).
And those showing freshness of youth, equals of age
(MHS).
And mates, maidens beautiful (MAA).
Sura 52 T he Mountain. The description of the Hereafter is replete
with picturesque details. We learn that the believers will be reunited in
Paradise with their believing children. The Prophet is encouraged, and the
slander that he is no more than a poet is dispelled (vv. 29-49).
Meccan, 49
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* [I swear] by the mountain
4.
and the
House well attended,
5.
and the
roof raised up high,
7.
Verily,
imminent is the punishment of your Lord
9.
On that
Day when the sky is jolted a [mighty] jolt
10.
and the
mountains are moved a [mighty] move,
11.
woe on
that Day to those who denied,
12* and
[whose life] was like romping in a pond!
13.
On that
Day they shall be ruthlessly flung into Hellfire:
14.
— This is
the Fire you used to deny!
15.
Is it
magic, or can you not see?
16.
Then burn
in it! Bear it or bear it not,
you shall get the reward for what you have done!
17* Among the delights in the Gardens, the God-fearing
18.
will be
relishing the gifts of their Lord.
Indeed, their Lord rescued them
from punishment by the blazing Fire:
19.
— Eat and
drink to your health for what you have done
20* and recline on thrones standing in rows!
We will join them to the wide-eyed huris.
21.
We will
reunite them with their believing siblings
whose posterity shares their faith.
We will not deprive them of
anything they achieved — every one will answer for whatever he earned.
22. We will supply them with fruit and meats to
their hearts’ desire.
23.
They shall
be passing cups
without frivolous talk or sinful thoughts.
24.
They shall
be attended by youths,
as [handsome] as well protected pearls.
25.
Approaching
one another with questions,
“We used to worry about our families,
27* but God had mercy upon us.
He saved us from punishment by the scorching wind.
28.
Indeed, we
had prayed to Him in the past!
Verily, He is the Beneficent, the Merciful.”
29.
— [O
Muhammad!] Let you preach!
By your Lord’s mercy you are not a seer or a madman.
30* They say:
“He’s a poet! Wait and see how cruel his fate will be!”
“Wait, and I’ll be waiting with you!”
32. Have they not been carried away by their
imagination, are they not people gone astray?
“He made [the Koran] up!”
Yes, they will never believe!
34. Let them produce a similar recitation if they
are telling the truth!
35.
Are they
capable of creating
if they themselves have been created from nothing?
36.
Are they
the creators of Heavens and earth?
No, they are not sure!
37.
Do they
possess the treasures of your Lord?
Are they the overseers?
38* Do they have a ladder [to Heaven] for eavesdropping
there?
Then let those who listen come up with the proofs!
39.
Are
daughters for God and sons for you?
40.
Do you ask
them for a fee when they are mired in debt?
41.
Or do they
possess the Unseen and write [about it]?
42.
Or are
they plotting deception?
But the disbelievers can deceive only themselves!
43.
Or do they
have another god besides God?
But God is above anything they associate with Him!
44. Even if a piece of the sky fell upon them, they
would say:
“This is a heap of clouds!”
45. So, leave them alone till they meet with their
Day, till they are stricken down by lightning!
46.
On that
Day all their plots shall fail
and they shall not receive any help.
47.
Verily,
there is still another punishment for the sinners,
but most of them do not know [about it].
48.
So wait
for the judgment of your Lord
and be patient, for you are in His sight!
Praise your Lord when you get up
49. and praise Him part of the night, and at the
setting of the stars!
Vv. 1-6: The spiritual life of man is stimulated by such
images as Scriptures revealed on a mountain (Mt. Sinai, Mt. Hira, Mt. of
Olives), or holy buildings (the temples of Jerusalem, the Ka’ba), or Heaven
depicted as a roof, or the seas, rivers, and springs presented as symbols of
life.
V. 12: “Romping in a pond” — “toying with trifles.”
V. 17f: Symbolically, fulfillment will be enjoyed in
Paradise: resting, eating and drinking (vv. 19-20 and 22), socializing (vv.
20-21 and 23-25), and freedom from worries (v. 26).
V. 20: Like eating and drinking in Paradise, the huris
must be understood metaphorically; the vagueness of their description,
centered upon their eyes, emphasizes their immateriality. Their presence in
Heaven is a reminder to man that happiness is complete only when it is shared
with another living being (a spouse or a friend, or, here, a huri). The
Afterlife will bring the spiritual fulfillment of all of God’s gifts, without
exception.
V. 27: The scorching desert wind or the simoon.
V. 30: The rumor that the Prophet Muhammad was a gifted
poet was damaging to the idea of a God-sent Koran.
The Arabs descend from Ishmael, the elder son of Abraham
by Hagar, about whom God has said: “And as for Ishmael... I have blessed him,
and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly... I will make him
a great nation” (Gen. 17:20). At the insistence of his wife Sarah, Abraham sent
Hagar and her son away into the desert (Gen. 21:14). The first born of Ishmael,
named after their towns, were Nebajot and Kedar (Gen. 25:13-16). Now, according
to Isaiah (21:13-17), Kedar was located in Arabia and the promised Messenger of
whom God says: “Mine elect, in whom my soul delighted, I have put my spirit
upon him” (Is. 42:1) was to arise from “the villages that Kedar does inhabit”
(Is. 42:11). We also read in Ezekiel (27:21): “Arabia, and all the princes of
Kedar, they occupied with thee in lambs, and rams, and goats.” Therefore, the
coming of the Prophet, a descendant of Ishmael and Kedar, took place as
predicted in the Bible.
V. 38: The steps are for Angels, not for the Jinn
(S.70:3-4).
Sura 56 T he Event. The “double” Sura 56 is long and
complicated. We learn in it about the Inevitable (death andJudgment, Hell and
Heaven) and the accession of virtuous ancestors to Paradise. The apocalyptic
depiction of Hell brings to mind the Revelation of St. John.
Part 1:1) an oath (vv.
1-6); 2) a description of Paradise (vv. 7-26); 3) its repeated description (vv.
27-40); 4) a description of Hell (vv. 41-50); 5) a Warning (vv. 51-56); 6) a
Sign passage (vv. 57-73); 7) a short Doxology for conclusion (v.74).
Part II: 1) a new oath (vv.
75-76); 2) a definition of the Koran (vv. 77-82); 3) a Warning passage (vv.
83-94); 4) a Doxology that repeats v.74 (vv. 95-96).
Meccan, 96
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
2.
— and, no
doubt, it will occur —
3.
it will be
humbling [for some] and exalting [for others].
4.
When the
earth shakes shakingly,
5* when the mountains crumble to crumbles
6. and become scattered dust,
7* then you will be divided into three groups:
8* those of the right hand —
who are those of the right hand?
9. And those of the left hand
— who are those of the left hand?
10* And the first ones —
[who are] the first ones? —
11.
The ones
who are nearest [to God]!
13.
there will
be a multitude of the first
16.
they shall
recline facing one another.
17.
They shall
be waited upon by never aging youths
18.
with
goblets, ewers, and cups with spring water
19.
that will
cause no headache and no inebriation.
20.
They will
have the fruit of their choice,
21.
and the
fowl to their liking;
23* like well-guarded pearls.
24.
They are
their reward for what they have done.
any frivolous or sinful words,
26.
but only
the words: “Peace! Peace!”
27.
Those of
the right hand? —
What about those of the right hand?
28.
They are
among thornless lote-trees
29* and trees with flowering clusters
33.
inexhaustible
and never forbidden.
34.
They are
upon lofty thrones!
35.
We have
created [the huris in a special] creation.
36.
We have
made them virgins,
37.
loving and
of the same age
38.
as those
of the right hand.
39.
There
shall be [there] a multitude of the first
40.
and a
multitude of later [generations].
41.
And those
of the left hand? —
What about those of the left hand?
42.
[They are]
in the scorching wind and boiling water,
43.
in the
shade of black smoke
44.
without
any refreshment or uplift.
45.
Indeed, in
the past they lived in dissipation
46.
and
persisted in heinous sin.
“What! We shall be raised after we die
and become dust and bones,
“Verily, the first and the latter
50.
shall be
surely assembled on the appointed Day!”
51.
Then
truly, you, the erring, the denying
52* shall eat of the Zakkum-tree,
54.
and
washing it down with boiling water
55.
like
camels overcome with thirst.
56.
Such will
be their reception on Judgment Day!
57.
Indeed, We
have created you,
so why do you not believe?
58.
Do you not
see what you are emitting?
59.
Are you
those who create, or do We create?
60.
We
distribute death among you,
so who can prevent Us
61.
from
changing your likeness and re-creating you in a form that you cannot even
imagine?
62.
Indeed,
you know about the first [creation], so why do you not reflect?
63.
Do you not
see what you are sowing?
64.
You make
[it] grow, or do We make [it] grow?
65.
If it
pleased Us, We could scorch it to chaff.
Then you would wonder:
68.
Do you not
see the water you drink?
69.
Do you
pour it from a cloud, or do We pour [it]?
70.
If it
pleased Us, We could make it brackish.
Then, why are you so ungrateful?
71.
Do you not
see the fire you strike?
72.
Did you
make the tree for the fire,
or did We make [it]?
73* We made it as a reminder
and as a commodity for the desert dwellers.
74.
Exalt,
therefore, the Name of your Lord, the Great!
75* Yes! I swear by the setting place of the stars!
76.
If you
only knew how great is this oath!
77* Verily, this is the Holy Koran
79.
It can be
touched only by the purified ones.
80.
This is a
Revelation from the Lord of the Worlds!
81.
So why do
you take this Recitation so lightly,
82.
and make a
livelihood at disproving [it]?
83.
When [the
soul of a dying man] raises to his throat,
85.
why do you
not see Us, though We are closer to him?
86.
Why, if
you are not accountable [for your deeds],
87* do you not bring [his soul] back
if you are telling the truth?
88.
And if he
is among the nearest [to God],
89.
to him belongs
the rest, the fragrance,
and the Garden of Bliss.
90.
If he is
of the right hand,
from those of the right hand.
who denied and went astray,
93.
he shall
be treated to scalding water
95.
Verily,
this is the absolute Truth!
96.
So exalt
the Name of your Lord, the Great.
Vv. 5-6: This event is the end of the physical world.
Vv. 7f: All the people since Creation will be treated
alike; it is assumed that since the dawn of man the righteous have resisted the
seduction of Satan and lived and thought like Muslims.
Of all the Scriptures that deal with both the material
and the spiritual world, the Koran is the most apt at describing their
coexistence and their areas of contact. A deeply religious person belongs to
the two worlds simultaneously.
V. 8: “Of the right hand” are the righteous (S.90:18-19).
V. 10: “The first ones” are the Ancients or the first men
who believed in God. Muslims consider that it would be unjust to deny access to
Paradise to the forefathers only because they lived before the time ofJesus
Christ.
V. 23: The huris are “like well-guarded pearls.” (cf.
S.52: 24). Their heavenly beauty and purity exclude sexual relations. V. 29:
Acacias (talkh), or “plantain trees”.
V. 52: The zakkum-tree appears also in SS. 44, 37,
15.
V. 73: A fire in the desert is a sign of human habitation
or a source of spiritual light like Moses’s burning bush.
V. 75: The setting of the
stars should remind Muslims that material light is not permanent, and that only
the divine Light that guides man can never be extinguished.
Vv. 77-80: The original of the Koran is in Heaven; it can
be touched only by Angels (S.85:21-22). Apparently, when this sura was
revealed, a portion of the Koran was already in a Book form.
V. 87: This verse continues v.83.
V. 91: “You” instead of “him” in the original text.
Sura 44 T he Smoke. The first verse of S.44 consists of the two
Arabic letters ha and mim. Twenty-nine suras, most of them from Parts III and
IV in this arrangement, start with 1-5 letters usually followed by a tribute to
the Koran. These letters could be editors' or copiers 'marks; but they may also
form separate verses by themselves as integral parts of the Book, possibly with
mystical meaning. S.44 consists of 1) an introduction (vv. 1-9); 2) a Warning
about the Last Day (vv. 10-16); 3) the story of Moses (vv. 17-37); 4) a new
reminder about the Separation Day (vv. 38-42); 5) a description of the
Hereafter (vv. 43-57); and 6) a short conclusion (vv. 58-59).
Meccan, 59
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
2* [I swear] by the persuasive Scripture!
3* We sent it down on a
blessed Night — indeed, We are the Warners!
4.
[On that
Night] all the wise decisions are sorted out
Indeed, We are the Senders
6.
by the
mercy of your Lord —
He is the Hearer, the Knowing.
7.
He is the
Lord of the Heavens and earth and what is in between.
For someone whose faith is strong,
He is the One, Who dispenses life and death,
He is your Lord and your forefathers’ Lord.
9.
And yet,
they still dally in doubt!
10.
So watch
for the Day when the sky belches a thick smoke
II.
that
enshrouds the people.
How painful the retribution will be! [They will say:]
12.
“Our Lord!
Save us from punishment, we do believe!”
13.
But then,
would the Warning help them?
Indeed, a Messenger came to them with clear explanations,
14.
but they
turned away from him, saying:
“He’s a madman, taught [by some others]!”
15.
Even if We
postponed the punishment for some time, you would surely return to sin!
16. But on that Day We will grasp you in a powerful
grasp, and We will retaliate!
17* Long before them We had tested the people of Pharaoh.
An honorable Messenger came to them [and said]:
18.
“Return to
me the servants of God!
I’m truly your trustworthy Messenger!
19. And don’t exalt yourselves before God — indeed,
I came to you with clear authority.
20. I’m taking refuge in my Lord and your Lord to
prevent you from stoning me.
21.
If you
don’t trust me, keep away from me!”
22.
Then he
turned to his Lord:
“Truly, this is a people of transgressors!”
— Depart with My
Slaves at night:
you will certainly be pursued!
24. And leave the sea parted, their army is
destined to drown!
25.
How many
gardens and fountains they have left behind,
26.
and fields
and stately buildings,
27.
and riches
they had enjoyed!
28.
We let
others inherit their wealth.
29. Neither Heaven nor earth have shed tears over
them, and they have not received a reprieve!
30* We saved the Sons of Israel from the vile punishment
31.
of
Pharaoh, an arrogant sinner.
32. We chose them for a mission among the peoples
of the Worlds, 33* and gave them Signs for a manifest trial.
35.
“We’ll die
only once, and we won’t be raised!
36.
Bring our
fathers back if you’re telling the truth!”
37* Are they really better than the people of Tubba’
and those who were before them?
We destroyed them all — indeed, they were sinful!
38. We have not created the Heaven and earth and
what is between them on a whim.
39. We have created them in Truth, but the majority
do not know [it].
40.
Verily,
Separation Day is set for everybody!
41. It is the Day when a friend will not help a
friend and when every one shall be helpless,
42.
except
those whom God will take into His mercy.
Verily, He is the Mighty, the Merciful.
44*shall be the food of the wrong-doers.
45.
It shall
boil in their bellies like molten brass,
47* Seize him, cast him in the midst of the Fire,
48.
and pour
the punishing scalding water on his head!
49.
Taste it
if you are so mighty and noble!
50.
Verily, this
is what you doubted about!
51.
Verily,
the God-fearing shall have a safe haven
53.
Attired in
silk and brocade,
they shall behold one another.
54.
We will
join them to the wide-eyed huris.
55.
They shall
enjoy there the fruit they desire.
56.
They shall
not taste [another] death after the first one!
We will save them from the penalty of the blazing Fire
this will be a great success!
58* Verily, We made [the
Koran] easy on your tongue — perhaps they will remember!
59. So wait, and let them wait too!
V. 2: “[I swear] by the persuasive Scripture!” or “by the
Glorious Koran!” is a common introduction in late Meccan suras.
V. 3: “We sent it down on a blessed Night” (S.97).
V. 17: This is the story of Moses. Since it disregards chronology,
the Koran is not a record of events. Repetition makes the stories seem unreal
and timeless. Life is being constantly replenished by the events of the past
and the past lives in the present as an eternal reality. Man’s efforts to
recover the “lost time” were in vain. The Koran found it and reinstated it in
life.
V. 30: “The Sons of Israel” or “the Children of Israel”
is the usual designation of the Jews.
V. 33: Examples of “trials”: exodus from Egypt, the
conquest of Palestine, the preaching of Prophets culminating with Jesus.
V. 37: Tubba' is a locality controlled by the
Thamood tribe, or, possibly, a title of the kings of Yemen.
Vv. 44f: Commentators tend to identify with Abu Jahl
every wrong-doer mentioned in the Koran (S.96:9-19).
Vv. 47-49 are addressed to the Angels.
V. 58: The natives of Arabia spoke different dialects,
but many of them understood Arabic.
Sura 76 Man. S.76 is a rare example of an apocalyptic
sura where more space is devoted to the believers in Paradise than to the
reprobates in Hell. Its longer verses are typical of the transition from early
suras to later ones; the content and the rhythm are still poetical.
Structure: 1) a Sign
passage for introduction (vv. 1-3); 2) events on Judgment Day with emphasis on
Paradise (vv. 4-22); 3) an address to the Prophet about the Meccans and an
injunction to pray (vv. 23-28); and 4) a Doxology for conclusion (vv. 29-31).
In the Name of
God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* Was there not a long period of time when man has not been worth
mentioning?
2. Yes, We have created man from a drop of mixed
seed! Yes, to test him We gave him hearing and sight!
3* Yes, We guided
him — both thankful and disbelieving!
4. Yes, We prepared chains, restraints, and a Fire
for the disbelievers!
5* Verily, the righteous shall be drinking from a cup a mixture with
[the water of] Kafur,
6. the fountain from which the servants of God
drink, thereby speeding its flow.
7. They abide by their vows and dread the Day, the
furor of which will be out of control.
8. For the love of Him they feed the poor, the
orphan, and the captive:
9. “We feed you for God’s sake, and we don’t
expect from you any reward or gratitude.
10. Verily, we fear from our Lord a gloomy and
distressful Day!”
from the furor of
that Day!
He will shower
them with light and joy.
12. He will reward them for their patience with a
Garden and silk.
13. They shall be reclining on couches, protected
from the sun and the cold.
14. The shade shall spread over them,
and low over them
shall hang clusters [of fruit].
15. ’Round them shall be passed silver vessels and
goblets of crystal,
16. of silver crystal of [the desired] capacity.
17* They shall be
offered cups with a mixture with ginger
18. from the fountain called Salsabil.
19. They shall be attended by perpetually young
men.
If you saw them,
you would think
they were scattered pearls!
20. Look [around], and you will see joy and a great
dominion!
21. They wear silk and brocade, and silver
bracelets, and their Lord gives them a pure beverage to drink.
22. Verily, such is the reward for your efforts!
23. — [O Muhammad!] We are sending you the Koran in
parts.
24. Wait patiently for the commands of your Lord
and do not follow the sinners and renegades.
25. Celebrate the Name of your Lord mornings and
evenings.
26.
Prostrate
yourself before Him part of the night
or glorify Him throughout the long night.
27.
Verily,
they love the fleeting [life]
and pay no attention to the grievous Day.
28.
We have
created them and strengthened their joints,
but had it pleased Us,
We would have replaced [them] by others like them.
29.
Verily,
this is a Reminder!
Let anyone who wills follow the path of his Lord!
30* But you cannot will what God does not will.
Verily, God is knowing and wise!
31.
He admits
to His mercy those He wills,
and for the sinners He has prepared a painful punishment.
V. 1: Man was a lower form of life for a long period of
time (dahr). The extended duration precludes the possibility that the
verse speaks of the short-term development of the human embryo.
V. 3: But this happens only as God wills (vv. 30-31).
V. 5: Here Kafur (camphor) is the name of a river.
V. 17: Salsabil, Zanjabil (ginger, Zingiber
officinale).
V. 30: As the verses and suras grow longer, rhyme and
rhythm are enhanced by such phrases as “God is knowing and wise!” or “You shall
see!” Sometimes these additions seem to be of out of context, but they
introduce breathing space and color into otherwise a terse and stern text. Like
oaths, additions and repetitions create an emotional framework and help hold
together dissimilar topics.
Sura 72 The Jinn. This sura belongs to a later period when the
followers of the Prophet were already called Muslims and his enemies —
Associators. To understand this sura and the following ones, especially, S.55,
it is necessary to explain who are the Jinn. They are spirits from the Unknown,
maleficent more often than not, who personify the evil schemes of men and their
foolish illusions.
S.72 starts with a story
about the Jinn eavesdropping on recitations of the Koran, possibly before it
has even been revealed to the Prophet. The conversation of theJinn about the
Koran is interrupted by a glorification of God and “Say” passages which are
important components of many suras (SS. 112,113 and 114 are by themselves
exemplars of such passages).
72. T H E J I N N
Meccan, 28 verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* — Say, [O Muhammad!]:
“It has been revealed to me that a company of Jinn
said after hearing [the Koran]:
‘Truly we’ve heard a wonderful Reading
2.
that
guides to the right way. We believed in it
and we’ll never associate anyone with our Lord.
3. Let the Majesty of our Lord be exalted!
He hasn’t taken a
consort or a child for Himself.
4* A fool among us
has been slandering God,
5. yet we thought that a man or a Jinni would
never lie about God.
6. True, some males among mankind sought the help
of males among the Jinn, but it only increased their folly.
7. They thought like you that God would never
revive anyone.
8. When we sneaked to Heaven, we found it full of
mighty guards and flaming shooting stars.
9. We found there a place to sit and began to
listen. But if someone eavesdrops [again],
he’ll be the
target of a flaming meteor!
10. We don’t know if the ones who are on earth
are destined to
perish,
or if their Lord
will guide them on the straight path.
11. Some of us are righteous, but others are not,
and we follow separate ways.
12. We know that we cannot prevail upon God on
earth, or frustrate Him by slipping away.
13. But we heard the Guidance and we believed in
Him.
And
the one who believes in his Lord isn’t afraid of want or injustice.
14* Some of us are Muslims, and others are renegades. Those who
submitted themselves [to God] have found the right way,
15. and the
renegades shall be kindling for Hellfire.’”
16* Had [people]
stayed on the right path,
We would have
given them rain in abundance
But
those who neglect to remember their Lord, We will submit them to a severe
punishment.
18. The places of worship belong to God,
so don’t call
there to any one, except God!
19* As soon as the servant of God stands up to pray, they crowd
closely around him.
“I’m calling upon
my Lord
and I’m not
associating anyone with Him!”
“I
don’t have the power to harm you or to improve your conduct.”
“No one will save
me from God,
and I won’t find a
refuge anywhere, but in Him,
23* if I don’t
pass along
what I’ve received from God and His Messages.”
Those who disobey God and His Messenger,
Hellfire is waiting for them —
they will stay in it forever.
24. When at last they see what has been promised to
them, they will know who is weaker in protection
and smaller in number.
“I don’t know whether what has been promised to you
is nearby or whether my Lord will postpone it.
26.
Indeed, He
Alone knows the Unseen
and He will not disclose the Unseen to anyone,
27.
except a
Messenger of His choice.
He makes some Observers walk behind and in front of him
28.
to watch
how he transmits the Messages of their Lord.
He knows everything about them,
and He keeps count of all things!”
Vv. 1f: This passage connects to S.46:29-32.
V. 4: The foolish member of the Jinn clan is Iblis,
the leader of their sinful company. The Jinn of the two sexes represent a
separate Creation. Unlike the Angels, they possess an intellect and free will.
Like men, they are under the Laws of God and will be judged at the end of the
World. The virtuous among them can be Muslims. Although the Jinn are of both
genders, there are no indications that they can multiply themselves like people
do. Some authors prefer to call them spirits (TC), even though they are the
genii or Jinn (doublet words) of Islamic folklore.
V. 14: The word “Muslim” is encountered in this version
of the Koran for the first time. Most authors insist on translating this word
literally, as “the one who surrendered himself [to God].” The common root of
Muslim and Islam (slm), has the double meaning of “peace” and
“surrender,” and so “Muslim” covers the two notions of accepting peace and
committing oneself to God.
V. 16: Rain suggests spiritual gifts.
V. 19: “They” — the people who interfered with his
prayers.
V. 20: Absolute faith in One God without association of
any deities to Him is the cornerstone of Islam. To be righteous, man must
believe in One God and His Word, which is His Law, and observe His
commandments, which are stated in their most complete form in S.17:22-37.
Righteousness built upon the Word of God as His Law is equivalent to high
morals: it is incompatible with thievery, disrespect for parents, disdain for
other people, adultery and other sins. A righteous person treats the others at
least as well as he likes to be treated himself. Only faith in one God and a
universal attraction to righteousness can suppress the ethnic hatred that fans
wars and injustice in the world.
V. 23: “To obey God and His Messenger,” an expression in
which God and His Messenger are mentioned together, occurs rarely and only in
the late suras.
SURA
55 T H E C O M P A S S
I O N A T E. This
remarkable sura is quintessentially poetic. By its eerie refrain it combines
two of God's Creations: that of mankindmade from clay and that of the Jinn made
from fire. This combination leads to the musical dominance of the sonorous
Arabic dual form. Everything is in twos, and even, as with the Gardens, in two
times two. Afterlife is also described twice. The duality of goodness and evil,
reward and punishment, past and future, male and female, is universal and
causes the perpetual search for perfection that can be found only in unity. No
wonder that this poetic and mystic hymn to dualism is very popular among Muslims.
55.
T H E C
O M P A S S I O N A T E
Meccan, 78
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
4.
and has
taught him intelligent speech.
5.
The sun
and the moon follow on schedule,
6* grasses and trees are bowing [to Him].
7.
He has
raised the sky and set up the balance.
9.
and do not
cheat by weighing short!
10.
He has
spread the earth for all living creatures.
11.
It bears
fruit and dates sheathed in clusters,
12.
and grain,
and grasses, and fragrant herbs.
13* Which of your Lord’s favors will you both deny?
14.
He has
created man from ringing potter’s clay,
15* He has made the Jinn from smokeless fire.
16.
Which of
your Lord’s favors will you both deny?
17* He is the Lord of the two Easts
and the Lord of the two Wests.
18.
Which of
your Lord’s favors will you both deny?
19.
He let the
two seas meet each other.
20.
There is a
barrier between them they cannot overflow.
21.
Which of
your Lord’s favors will you both deny?
22.
You get
corals and pearls from each of them.
23.
Which of
your Lord’s favors will you both deny?
24.
His ships
tower above the sea like mountains.
25.
Which of
your Lord’s favors will you both deny?
26.
Everything
will disappear,
27.
only the
Face of your Lord will remain, full of majesty and nobility.
28.
Which of
your Lord’s favors will you both deny?
29* Everything in Heaven and earth entreats Him.
He abides in [His] Glory day after day!
30.
Which of
your Lord’s favors will you both deny?
31* O you, the two burdensome
burdens, We shall deal with you soon!
32.
Which of
your Lord’s favors will you both deny?
33.
O you,
companies of Jinn and men!
Do you want to trespass the limits of Heaven and earth?
Then let you trespass!
But you will not get there without authority.
34.
Which of
your Lord’s favors will you both deny?
35.
Intense
Fire and smoke shall be sent upon you, and defenseless you shall be against
them!
36.
Which of
your Lord’s favors will you both deny?
37* When the sky cleaves asunder and reddens like
leather,
38. which of your Lord’s favors will you both deny?
39* On that Day neither men
nor Jinn shall be asked about their sins.
40.
Which of
your Lord’s favors will you both deny?
41.
The
wrong-doers shall be recognized by their marks and shall be dragged by their
feet and forelocks.
42.
Which of
your Lord’s favors will you both deny?
43.
Behold the
Hellfire that the transgressors denied!
44*They trudge between it and scalding water.
45.
Which of
your Lord’s favors will you both deny?
46*But for those who fear
their Lord’s Judgment, there shall be two Gardens.
47.
Which of
your Lord’s favors will you both deny?
48.
Each with
[plants] of different kinds.
49.
Which of
your Lord’s favors will you both deny?
50.
Each with
two running springs.
51.
Which of
your Lord’s favors will you both deny?
52.
Each with
two kinds of every fruit.
53.
Which of
your Lord’s favors will you both deny?
54.
They shall
recline on carpets lined with brocade, the fruit of both Gardens within easy
reach.
55.
Which of
your Lord’s favors will you both deny?
56.
Therein
shall be the ones with restrained glances, never touched by a man or a Jinni.
57.
Which of
your Lord’s favors will you both deny?
58.
They are
like rubies, they are like pearls!
59.
Which of
your Lord’s favors will you both deny?
60* Is not virtue the best reward for virtue?
61. Which of your Lord’s favors will you both deny?
62* Besides these there shall be two [other] Gardens.
63.
Which of
your Lord’s favors will you both deny?
65.
Which of
your Lord’s favors will you both deny?
66.
Each with
two abundant springs.
67.
Which of
your Lord’s favors will you both deny?
68.
Each with
fruit, dates, and pomegranates.
69.
Which of
your Lord’s favors will you both deny?
70* Each with the virtuous and the beautiful!
71.
Which of
your Lord’s favors will you both deny?
72.
These are
the huris confined to their tents.
73.
Which of
your Lord’s favors will you both deny?
74.
They have never
been touched by a man or a Jinni.
75.
Which of
your Lord’s favors will you both deny?
76.
They
recline on green cushions and magnificent rugs.
77.
Which of
your Lord’s favors will you both deny?
78.
Blessed be
the Name of your Lord
in His Majesty and Glory!
V. 6: “Grasses” (Nadjm) or, by homonymy, “stars.”
V. 13: The refrain, “Which of your Lord’s favors will you
both deny?” addressed to both men and Jinn is weaved into descriptions of the
Afterlife. The word “both” is essential to preserve the Arabic dual number.
The refrain seems to intrude from some higher plane. Compare: “O give thanks
unto the Lord, for He is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks
unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks to the
Lords of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever...” (Ps.136:1-3).
V. 15: The Jinn are made from a nobler material than men.
V. 17: The plurals of “East” and “West” make sense
because the sun rises and sets at different points on the horizon with two
extreme points during the year (S.70:40).
V. 29: In Glory or in Deeds.
V. 31: The “two burdensome burdens” are men and Jinn.
Comp.:
We will find leisure to judge you, O ye men and jinn
(JMR).
Soon shall We // Settle your affairs, // O both ye
worlds! (AYA).
We shall finish off both loads for you (TBI).
Soon We will apply Ourselves to you, O you two armies
(MHS).
V. 37: “Reddens like
leather” or like overheated fat.
V. 39: It will be too late to ask about their sins.
V. 44: The condemned sinners will be deprived of rest.
V. 46: “Their Lord’s Judgment,” lit. “their Lord’s
Standing.” One Garden for Muslim men and one for Muslim Jinn; or one for those
nearest to God and one for the other righteous.
V. 60: It is significant that the prescription for virtue
follows after the mention of the huris in vv. 56-59.
V. 62: These two Gardens are apparently for those nearest
to God; then for whom are the other two? The right perception of a religious
text requires immersion in its spiritual and mystical content much more than
its logical analysis.
V. 70: The righteous will not be deprived of the ability
of appreciating loveliness. In later suras, they will be in the company of
their wives; indeed, beauty is a feminine attribute. Many verses of the Koran
are devoted to beauty: they are beautiful by themselves to hear and to read and
they celebrate the splendor of nature. The strongest proofs of the existence of
God and His compassion are based on the attraction of man to beauty.
Sura 68 The Pen. Like S.96, this complex sura begins with the
mention of the pen. It has six parts: 1) a short oath; 1) words of
encouragement to the Prophet (vv. 216); 3) a parable about the men who failed
to recognize God's will in human affairs (vv. 17' 33); 4) an admonition to the
disbelievers and a prediction of their fate (vv. 34'45); 5) a second passage of
encouragement to the Prophet with a reference to Jonah (vv. 46'50); and 6) a
conclusion (vv. 51'52).
Meccan, 52
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* Nun. [I swear] by the pen and by what they write!
2.
— [O
Muhammad!] By the grace of your Lord, you are not insane!
3.
Verily, a
sure reward is in store for you,
4.
for you
have a noble character.
5.
Soon you
shall see, and they shall see
7.
Verily,
your Lord knows best
who has strayed away from His
path, and He knows best who follows the Guidance.
8.
So, do not
yield to the disbelievers!
9.
They want
you to yield [first], then they would yield.
10.
But do not
yield to any despicable swearer,
11.
slanderer,
peddler of calumny,
12.
enemy of
the good, foe and transgressor,
13.
violent,
and impure of birth as well,
14.
even if he
has money and sons!
15. When Our Verses are recited to him, he says:
“Some fables of
the Old!”
16. — Soon We will brand him on the snout!
17. Verily, We will test them,
as We have tested
the owners of the orchard
who decided to harvest in the morning, 18* but forgot to acknowledge
[God’s Will].
19* [An Envoy] of
your Lord came in their sleep,
20. and at dawn [their orchard] was bare!
21. In the morning they called to one another:
22. “Hurry up to your orchard if you want to
harvest!”
23. They set off, whispering among themselves:
24*“Today we won’t let any indigent in!”
25. They started the morning with this resolve,
26. but when they saw everything, they said:
“Truly, we’ve
sinned,
27. and we’ve suffered a loss!”
28* One of the
more reasonable among them said:
“Didn’t I tell you
to glorify [God]?”
“Glory to our
Lord! Indeed, we were wrong!”
30. And they began blaming one another,
“Woe to us, we’ve
really transgressed!
32. Maybe Our Lord would give us another garden
better than this
one if we turned to Him!”
33* Such was their
retribution,
but
their punishment in the Hereafter shall be still harsher, if they only knew!
34. Verily, the God-fearing shall be with their
Lord in the Gardens of Bliss.
35. Would We treat Muslims and sinners alike?
36. What is the matter with you, how do you judge?
37. Or does your Scripture teach you
38. that you will get anything you choose?
that before
Resurrection Day
you will get
everything you demand?
40. Ask them, who can vouch for that?
41* Are they not
the ones who associate partners [to God]
Then, let them
produce their partners
if they are
telling the truth!
42* On the Day
when their knees are laid bare
and they are told
to bow,
they will not be
able [to do it].
43. Overcome with shame, they shall lower their stare: indeed, they
have been called to bow when they were sound!
44.
Then leave
to Me those who reject these words.
We will chastise them in stages
from where they do not expect.
45.
I will
give them a respite,
but, verily, final is My Decision!
46.
— [O
Muhammad!] Are you asking them for a fee
when they are mired in debt?
47.
Or do they
own the Unseen so well that they can write [about it]?
48*So wait patiently for your Lord’s Ruling!
And do not be like the companion of the whale
who called to [God] only when in trouble.
49.
Had it not
been for his Lord’s mercy,
he would have been cast, in shame, on a deserted shore.
50.
But his
Lord chose him and made him righteous.
51.
The
disbelievers are ready to stare you down
when they hear the Reminder. They say:
“He’s really insane!”
52.
And this
is just a Reminder to the Worlds!
V. 1: “What they write” — presumably, what people write.
To avoid a possible anachronism, “pen” could be replaced by “writing reed.”
However, as “the pen” creates a certain mystical tone, it is not necessary to
look for the historical and linguistic “truth” in translation. Literalness may
blur the meaning.
V. 18: By forgetting to say “If God wills” (in
sha'-allah) or “As God wills” (ma sha'-allah), the owners of the
orchards violated an obligation a Muslim must constantly keep in mind: to
acknowledge that nothing ever happens without God’s permission.
V. 19f: The owners of the orchards were punished for
their self-reliance. Muslims rely on God so fully that they are often blamed by
foreigners for being slow and irresolute in making decisions.
V. 24: The owners are guilty of harshness towards the
poor.
V. 28: “One of the more reasonable among them,” lit.,
“the average among them.”
V. 33: “If they only knew!” i.e., “if they only had
spiritual insight!” is one of the exclamations characteristic for the Koran.
V. 41: Sin thrives when “partners” are associated to God:
this aberration blurs and distorts the very idea of One sovereign God, and
dilutes personal responsibility.
V. 42: A person rendered vulnerable by some disaster is
said to have bare knees.
Vv. 48f: “The companion of the whale” is the Biblical
Jonas.
“When in trouble” — when he was swallowed by the whale.
Sura 50 [The Letter] Qaf. S.50 is named after the letter “qaf” it
starts with. It consists of six main themes: 1) a one-verse oath by the Koran
(v.1); 2) warnings that blend into a Sign passage (vv. 2-11); 3) a reference to
Biblical and Arab Prophets (vv. 12-14); 4) a description of the death of a man
(vv. 17-19); 5) a depiction of the Last Day and a Warning to man (vv. 20-37);
and 6) an advice to the Prophet about praying and dealing with his opponents
(vv. 38-45).
Henceforward the reader
will be helped to unravel only the most intricate passages. Breaking the text
into all its separate items may hinder the assimilation of the sura and
compromise the understanding of the Koran as a complex, yet complete entity.
50. [The Letter] Q A F
Meccan, 45 verses
In the Name of
God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* Qaf.
[I swear] by the
glorious Koran!
2. The disbelievers were surprised
when a Warner came
to them from their midst.
They said:
“What a strange
thing!
3* Is it possible
that after we die and turn into dust...
What an unexpected
turn!”
4* We know how much of [their bodies] will be reclaimed by the soil
— indeed, We keep a reliable Record!
5. But they denied the Truth when it came to them,
and now they are in disarray.
6. Do they not see the sky above them: how We
built it,
how We decorated
it without any flaws?
7. And the earth: how We spread it out, how We
arranged mountains on it,
how We grew on it
a multitude of splendid pairs
8. for everyone who turns [to God] to see and
remember.
9. We pour blessed water down from the sky.
With its help We
grow gardens and fields,
10. and tall palm trees with rows of fruit clusters
11* to serve as
provisions for [Our] servants!
Thus
We revive the dead lands, and such will be the Resurrection!
12* The people of Noah denied before them, and so did the dwellers
of Ar-rass, [the people of] Thamood,
[the people of]
Pharaoh, the brethren of Lot,
14. the dwellers of Al-’aika, and the people of
Tubba’ —
they all rejected
the Messengers.
Thus My Warning
came true!
15. Why do they doubt the new Creation?
Did the first
Creation exhaust Us?
16* Indeed, We have
created man,
and We know what
his soul whispers to him.
Indeed, We are
closer to him than his jugular vein!
17* When the two Receiving [Angels] will sit to his right and to his
left,
18* he will not say a word, but a keen Observer will be at his side.
19. Truth will be revealed to him at the stupor of
death — this is what you tried to avoid!
20. The trumpet shall be blown and the Promised Day
will arrive!
21* All the souls shall come forth, each with a Driver and a
Witness.
22. You have not expected it, but We removed your
veil, and sharp is your sight today!
23* His Qarina
shall say:
“This is what I
have [on him]...”
24* — Cast into
Hell every stubborn disbeliever
transgresses the
limits, sows doubts,
26* and associates another god with God! Submit him to a severe
punishment!
“O
our Lord! It’s not I who led him into sin, he went far astray all by himself!”
— Do not argue
before Me. Indeed, I warned you,
I shall never be
unjust to [My] servants.
30. But the Day when We say to Hellfire:
—
Are you full?, it shall say: “There is room for some more!”
31. And the God-fearing? Paradise shall approach
them and will not be so far [anymore].
32. This is what had been promised to every one who
turned to [God] and kept [His Word],
33. who feared the Compassionate deep in his soul
and brought [to Him] a devoted heart.
34. Enter in peace — today is the Day of Eternity!
35. They will find therein everything they desire,
and We will give it to them, and even some more!
36. How many generations have We destroyed before
them that were stronger than they,
but wandered in
the land without a place to hide!
37* Verily, this is a Reminder
for anyone who has a heart,
who listens and observes.
38* We have created the Heavens and the earth
and what is in between in six days,
and tiredness has not touched Us!
39.
— [O
Muhammad!] Bear patiently everything they say,
and glorify your Lord with praise
before sunrise and before sunset.
40.
Glorify
Him part of the night and after the prostrations.
when the call of the Calling [Angel] is [heard] nearby,
42.
for the
Day when they hear the Shout —
truly, that shall be the Resurrection Day!
43. Verily, We give life and death, and to Us is
[your] return!
44.
On the Day
when the earth is split open
by those who rush out [of their graves],
it will be easy for Us to round them up!
45* — [O Muhammad!],
We know best what they are saying,
and you cannot submit them by force.
So remind by the Koran
any one who dreads My Threat!
V. 1: Qaf is the name of a letter, not to be
confused with a legendary mountain Qaf purported to encircle the world.
V. 3: Koranic ellipses are preserved as suspension signs.
V. 4: The decayed parts of the body are absorbed by the
soil, while the bones are well preserved in dry climate.
V. 7: “How We grew on it a multitude of splendid pairs” —
apparently a reference to sex in plants.
V. 11: The dead shall come forth from under the ground
(v. 44).
V. 12: Ar-rass was a community in the realm of the
Thamood.
V. 16: The Muslims believe in the close mystic union
between God and man. God is ever present in the conscience and soul of His
ward. While man is asleep, his spirit is drawn still nearer to his Creator, and
as he wakes up, he returns enriched by his dreams. It is natural, therefore, to
seek God first within oneself.
V. 17: The two Angels are the ones who carry away the
soul of a dead person (S.96:18).
V. 18: The Observer is the Angel or the Demon of the
dying person who cannot sin after losing the ability to speak because thoughts cannot
be sinful as long as they are not verbalized. Thus animals can never transgress
God’s Laws.
V. 21: The Driver and the Witness are two Angels. They
seem to be the same as the two Receiving Angels of v. 17.
V. 23f: Each person has
two companions: a Recording Angel and a personal Demon of the opposite sex (men
have a feminine counterpart, a Qarina, and women have a masculine counterpart,
a Qarin). These Demons obviously belong to the progeny of Satan and
personify man’s attraction to evil. The evildoers and their Qarins/Qarinas will
be cast into Hell together. Only the Prophets Muhammad and Jesus have subdued
their Qarinas into submission to God.
V. 24: “Cast” is addressed to two Angels; so is the order
to “submit” in v.26.
V. 26: Warnings about polytheism are now ubiquitous.
V. 37: “Who observes” or “is a witness” (to the Truth or
to the fall of the guilty cities).
V. 38: “And tiredness has not touched Us” — Muslims do
not believe that God needed to rest after Creation: indeed, how could the
Omnipotent ever feel tired?
V. 45: The duty of the Prophet is not to coerce people,
but to persuade them with the help of the Koran.
SURA
53 The STAR. S.53 deserves particular attention. It
consists of several sections different in subject, versification, and rhythm.
Prominent among these sections are the two visions of the Prophet: Gabriel,
descending from Heaven with a portion of the Holy Koran, and the boundary of
the Unseen at the Sidrah-tree (vv. 2'18).
Vv. 19'20 refute the
divinity of A—lat, A— 'uzza and Manat, the three feminine idols which were
worshiped as daughters of God.
Meccan, 62
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* [I swear] by the star when it sets!
2* Your companion did not
lose his way and did not go astray!
3.
He does
not speak for himself,
4.
but
reveals the inspiration that inspired him.
5* He was taught by someone great in power,
6.
full of
wisdom, who stood upright
8.
Then he
descended and approached
9.
within two
bow shots or nearer,
10* and inspired to His servant what He inspired.
11.
His heart
did not deceive him about what he saw!
12.
So, why do
you argue with him about his vision?
13* He saw [the Spirit] at the second descent
14* by the farthest Sidrah-tree
15* near the Garden of Salvation,
16.
by the
Sidrah-tree enshrouded in what enshrouded it.
17.
His eyes
neither strayed nor faltered.
18.
Verily, he
saw the greatest Sign of his Lord!
19* And you, have
you seen
[the goddesses] Al-lat and Al-’Uzza, 20*and the third one, Manat?
21* Is it possible that male [children] are for you, and the female
are for Him?
22. Unfair is such a distinction!
23. These are nothing but names
that you and your
fathers gave them.
God did not send
any authority down to them.
They follow
nothing but guesses
and their souls’
desires,
albeit they have
received the Guidance of their Lord!
24. Will man ever get all he wants?
25* To God belongs
the beginning and the end!
26. Whatever the number of Angels in Heaven, their
intercession would be worthless
if
God did not allow it to whom He pleases and to whom He approves of.
27. Verily, only those who deny the Hereafter name
Angels after females.
28. They have no knowledge about it, they only
guess, but guesses cannot prevail against the Truth!
29. — [O Muhammad!] Withdraw from those who turn
away from Our Reminder,
who crave only the
life of this world.
30. Their knowledge stops there!
Verily,
God knows best who strayed from His path, and He knows best who accepted the
Guidance.
31. To God belongs everything in Heavens and on
earth.
He
will reward the wrong-doers according to their deeds and He will reward with
goodness those who do good works.
32. Your Lord is truly generous in forgiving those
who avoid serious sins and abominations and are guilty only of light offenses.
He knows all about
you
since
the time He has created you from dirt, and you were embryos in your mothers’
wombs.
So do not justify
yourselves,
indeed, He knows
best who of you is God-fearing!
33* Have you seen
the one who turns away,
34. gives sparingly and lacks benevolence?
35. Does he know the Unseen, can he encompass [it]?
36. Has he not heard from the writings of Moses
37* and Abraham —
the faithful [to the law] —
38.
that the
one who carries a burden
should not carry some one else’s burden;
39.
that man
will get only what he aspires to;
40.
that his
striving will soon bear fruit,
41.
and that
then he shall get a full reward;
42.
that your
Lord is the final destination;
43.
that He
grants laughter and grief;
44*that He grants death and life;
45.
that He
has created spouses in pairs, male and female,
46.
from a sheltered
sperm drop;
47* that upon Him is the Second Creation;
48.
that He
enriches and satisfies;
49*that He is the Lord of Sirius;
50.
that He
had destroyed the ancient ’Ad
51.
and
Thamood without mercy,
52.
and
earlier, the people of Noah,
the worst sinners and transgressors;
53* that He had destroyed the overturned [cities]
54.
which were
buried under what buried them.
55* About which of your Lord’s favors
will you still contend?
like [all] the Warners of the past.
57* You are being overtaken by the approaching event,
58.
but
nobody, except God, can disclose its [time].
59.
Are you
not amazed by this Revelation?
60.
You should
cry, yet you are laughing
62.
So
prostrate yourselves before God and worship Him!
V. 1: “When it sets” or “when it rises.”
V. 2: “Your companion” is the Prophet Muhammad.
V. 5: “Someone great in power” is the Angel Gabriel.
“Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in
vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time
of the evening oblation. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O
Daniel, I am now come forth to give you skill and understanding” (Dan.
9:21-22).
V. 10: “And inspired to His servant what He inspired” is
a typical Arabic expression in which, for emphasis, a verb is repeated or
followed by its verbal noun (see vv. 16, 54 and 57). Such cognate accusatives
are common in Arabic and rare in English.
V. 13: Prophetic missions are accompanied by visions. We
are told only how they occurred; their meaning and results are omitted.
V. 14: According to legend, the Sidrah-tree is
covered with a veil made of/by Angels: a startling eschatological image.
V. 15: “Garden of Salvation” or Garden of Serenity, or
Garden of the Presence of God... Sometimes it is not possible to find even a
remote equivalent of an Arabic word, especially if it has several different
meanings, but it is important to use words that bolster devotion to God.
Vv. 19f: In the mind of the idolaters, Al-lat manifested
itself as the full moon, Manat as the new moon, and Al-’uzza as a combination
of the two. According to Abu-Ja’far Al-Tabari (X-th century), the Prophet
initially tolerated the devotion to the three fertility goddesses, and then
forbade their cult.
Vv. 20-28: These verses could have been garbled somewhat
by the editors, whose work was made difficult by the plausible existence of
several versions of the same texts and the sensitivity of the matter.
Logically, one should read these verses in this order:
23.
These are
nothing but names
that you and your fathers gave them.
God did not send them down any authority.
They follow nothing but guesses
and [their] souls’ desires, albeit they have received the Guidance of their
Lord!
27. Verily, only those who deny the Hereafter give
to the Angels the names of females.
28. They have no knowledge about it, they only
guess, but guesses cannot prevail against the Truth!
21* Is it possible that male
[children] are for you, and the female are for Him?
22.
Unfair is
such a distinction!
The length of these verses and vv. 29-32 that follow
suggests that they are late insertions or modifications. According to the
Koran, God can change His Scripture at will (S.87:6-7).
Vv. 21-22: In a society where the birth of a boy was
considered to be the result of God’s blessing, the attribution of daughters to
God was particularly blasphemous.
V. 25: “The beginning and the end” or “the first [life]”
and the Hereafter.
Vv. 33f: A return to the cadence of the first verses.
V. 37: One can surmise that Abraham had received a part
of the divine Scripture before Moses.
V. 44: The chronological order of events is irrelevant.
V. 47: The second Creation is the Resurrection of the
dead.
V. 49: Sirius, the brightest star, was worshiped by
pagans.
V. 53: “The overturned cities” are Sodom and Gomorrah.
V. 55: A slightly modified refrain of S.55.
V. 57: The approaching Event is death or Judgment Day.
Sura 36 [The Letters] Ya Seen. Called by the Prophet “the heart of the
Koran, ” this sura is often recited at funerals. It speaks of the fate of the
sinners and of their double punishment on earth and in Heaven. Its structure is
complicated and tumultuous; appeals to righteousness alternate with warnings.
S.36 features a lengthy parable (vv. 13'27) about some allegorical Messengers,
probably inspired by the New Tcs- tament (the Evangel, as it is called in the
Koran).
36.
[The
Letters] Y A S E E N
Meccan, 83 verses
In the Name of
God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* Ya seen.
2. [I swear] by the wise Koran!
3. Indeed, you are one of the Messengers
5. This is a Revelation from the Mighty, the
Compassionate 6* to make you warn a people
whose
fathers have not received a Warning and remained carefree.
7. The Word [of God] came true against most of
them, but they still do not believe.
8. We have tied chains ’round their necks up to
their chins to force their heads up.
9. We have put a barrier before them and a barrier
behind them,
and
We have veiled them to prevent them from seeing.
10. Warn them or warn them not, they will not
believe!
11* You can warn only someone who follows the Reminder and secretly
fears the Compassionate.
So
give him the good news of a pardon and a noble reward!
12. Verily, We shall raise the dead!
We
write down in a clear record what they have brought forth and the traces they
have left behind.
We
have recorded everything in the clear Original [Record]!
13. Give them the example of the dwellers of a town
that had been visited by Messengers.
14. We had sent them two [of them], but they
rejected them both.
Then We sent them
a third one in support.
They all said:
“We’ve been truly
sent to you.”
“You’re men like
us.
The Compassionate
hasn’t sent anything!
You do nothing but
lie!”
“Our Lord knows
that we’ve been sent to you.
17. Our only duty is to deliver a clear Message.”
18* [The people]
said:
“For us you’re a
bad omen.
If you don’t give
up, we’ll surely stone you
and inflict upon you a grievous punishment!”
“Your omens concern you alone.
Have you not been warned? —
Indeed you’re a people transgressing all bounds!”
20.
A man came
running from the end of the city and said: “O my people, obey the Messengers!
21* Obey those who don’t ask
you for a fee and are guided right!
22.
How
wouldn’t I worship the One, Who has created me,
and to Whom you shall all return?
23.
Why should
I take other gods beside Him?
Their intercession wouldn’t help me a bit.
They wouldn’t save me
if the Compassionate wished to hurt me,
24.
and,
indeed, I’d be in obvious error.
25.
I believe
in your Lord, so listen to me!”
— Enter the Garden!
He said:
“Ah! If only my people knew
and made me join the honorable ones!”
28.
After that
We did not send
Our Heavenly Hosts against his
people — We did not have to send them down!
29.
Only one
Shout, and they were snuffed out!
Indeed, as soon as a Messenger
comes to them, they mock him.
31* Do they not see how many
generations that shall never return
We have destroyed before them?
32. Verily, they shall be all brought before Us!
33* Let a Sign for them be the dead earth
and how We revive it,
how We grow upon it the grain they consume,
34.
how We
raise upon it gardens with date-palms and vines,
and make therein springs gush forth,
35.
how We let
them consume the fruit that have not been made by their hands.
So why are they so ungrateful?
36.
Glory to
Him, Who has created in pairs everything the earth brings forth:
people and much of what they are not aware of.
37* A Sign for them is the night.
When We withdraw from it the day,
they remain in
darkness.
38. The sun hastens on its prescribed course, that
the Mighty, the Knowing, has decreed.
39. We measured stations along the path of the
moon, and when it returns,
it looks like a
dried palm branch.
40. The sun cannot overtake the moon, the night
cannot overtake the day,
and everything
sails on the celestial sphere.
is that We carried
their kind on a loaded ark.
42. We built for them similar [ships] to let them
sail upon them.
43. Had it pleased Us, We would have drowned them
all, and nobody would have helped them.
They would not
have been saved
and would not have
enjoyed [life] a little longer.
45*They were told:
“If
you fear what was before you and what will be after you, then, perhaps, you
will be pardoned.”
46. But not a single Sign of the Signs of their
Lord had come to them that they have not rejected.
“Contribute
of what God has given to you.”
But
the disbelievers say to the believers:
“Why
should we feed the ones that God could feed if He pleased?” Indeed, you are in
plain error!
“When
will the promise come true if you’re telling the truth?”
49. They can expect nothing but a Shout, which
shall overtake them
in the midst of
their disputes!
50. They will have no time to draw a will or to
return to their families!
51. At the sound of the trumpet,
they will rush
from their graves to their Lord,
“Oh, woe to us!
Who raised us up from our place of repose?”
—
But this is what the Compassionate had promised, and the Messengers have been
telling the truth!
and they shall be
all brought before Us.
54. No soul on that Day shall be wronged in the
least, and you shall be repaid only for your deeds.
55* Verily, on that Day the dwellers of the Garden shall rejoice at
their work.
56*They shall recline with their spouses on thrones in the shade,
57. where they shall have fruit and everything they
ask for.
58. And the Word of the Merciful Lord will be:
Peace!
59. On this Day, you, sinners, step aside!
Have
I not ordered you not to worship Satan, your open enemy,
This is the right
path.
62. [Satan] has led astray many of you, will you
not comprehend?
63. Here is Hellfire that has been promised to you!
64. You shall enter it today for your disbelief!
65*On
this Day We will seal their mouths to let them speak to Us with their hands and
witness about their deeds with their feet.
We
would blind their eyes to let them grope for their path! But then, how would
they see?
We would chain
them to their place!
But then, how
would they advance or return?
68* We cripple the bodies of those to whom We grant a long life.
Will they not understand?
69. We have not taught poetry [to Muhammad] — that
is not proper for him!
This is a Reminder
and a lucid Koran
and denounce the
disbelievers.
71. Do they not see the cattle in their possession
among the things We have made with Our hands?
some for riding,
some for eating,
73. and for other uses and drinks.
Then, why are they
so ungrateful?
74. Why have they taken other gods besides God and
hoped that these would help them?
75* But they will not be able to help when they are driven all in
one troop!
76. So, do not let
their words grieve you —
indeed, We know
very well
what they hide and
what they reveal.
that We have
created him from sperm?
And yet, he is
[Our] staunch opponent
78. when he makes Us equal to others and forgets
how he was created. He says:
“Who can revive
some rotten bones?”
“They can be
revived by the One,
Who
has created them from the beginning and is well informed about the whole
creation.
80. He is the One, who gives you the fire
from the green
trees that you use for kindling.
81. Is the Creator of the Heavens and the earth
unable
to create [others] like them?” Yes, He can!
Indeed, He is the
Creator, the All-Knowing.
82. If He wills a thing, He says to it:
— Be! And it
appears.
Who
holds all things in His Hands — indeed, to Him you shall return!
V. 1: The rhyme “een” and “oon” of the sura lends it a
tone of sorrow, often appropriate for the recitation of the Koran.
V. 6: The ancestors lived under the preceding Revelations
as Christians or Jews; the people who had not received these Revelations
directly live under the third Revelation — the Koran.
V. 11: A preacher succeeds when the audience is already
on his side. “Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice” (John, 18:37).
V. 18: “Omen” or
“bird” — birds were used in divination.
V. 21: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven
with a shout, with the voice of the archangel... “ (1 Thess. 4:16).
Vv. 33f: The Koran convinces people by Signs (S.74:16).
Any manifestation of God’s power and benevolence is also a Sign. One Sign
should suffice to convert a disbeliever. In reality this is not so; hence the
disappointment: “So why are they not thankful?”
The Koran mentions the Signs about three hundred times.
Each verse can be considered as a Sign, and the Koran as a collection of Signs.
All the manifestations of Nature, all the creatures, are Divine Signs carrying
part of God’s Revelation.
V. 37: Darkness ensues when the day is withdrawn from the
night. Obviously, what is meant here is spiritual darkness.
V. 45: “If you fear what was before you and what will be
after you,” i.e., if you fear the past and the future, or the punishment on
earth and the punishment in the Hereafter.
V. 55: People will
experience full lives in Heaven without any set-backs and disappointments.
However, We do not know how closely life in Heaven will resemble life on earth.
V. 56: It has already been said that the believers will
be joined in Paradise by their believing children (S.52:21).
V. 65: “Their deeds,” lit., “what they have earned.”
V. 68: “We cripple the bodies” — We make them feeble.
V. 75: The pagans will be judged together with their
idols.
III.
Stories about the Prophets
Sura 37 T he
Ranks.
The third group of
suras contains stories about Bib' lical and Arabian Prophets. The stories are
extremely stylized because what matters is not the event, but its message.
There is little concern for the temporal sequence of events; only an occasional
phrase or word identifies the characters, the time, and the place. The protag'
onists are all alike, be they Noah's family or ancient Arabs.
In spite of its length, S.37 is remarkable for its smooth
transitions and uniform rhythm and style. Judging by its opening oath and short
verses, it is one of the oldest suras, but with so many references to the
Associators it may be seen as an introduction to the next group ofsuras: IV. Attitude
toward the Other Religions.
S.37 consists of a short oath, a doxology, a story
about the mischiefs of the Demons, a Sign and a Warning passage, a defense of
the Prophet, and a description of the Hereafter. The sura centers on Noah,
Abraham, Moses and Aaron, Elias (Elijah), Lot and Jonas. It ends with a Warning
to the Associators and a doxology.
Meccan, 182
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* [I swear] by those who stand in ranks,
2.
who
relentlessly fight back
5* He is the Lord of the
Heavens and earth and what is in between.
He is the Lord of the Easts!
6. Verily, We have bedecked
the lower sky with stars for splendor
7* and for protection against all the rebellious Satans
8* to prevent them from
overhearing the Heavenly Conclave. They are assailed from everywhere,
9. and if they do not retreat, they shall get an everlasting
punishment!
10* And if anyone of them steals [a single word], he will be pursued
by a blinding flame!
11. — [O Muhammad!] Ask them whom it was more
difficult to create: them or the other creatures We have made?
Indeed, We have
made them from sticky clay.
12. You wonder, but they sneer;
13. they are reminded, but they do not remember.
14. And when they see a Sign, they scoff at it
15* and say: “This
is plain magic!
16. Is it possible that we shall be raised after we
die and become dust and bones,
17. we, and our forefathers too?”
“Yes, and you’ll
be covered with shame!”
19* Just one
Shout, and they will open their eyes,
“Woe to us,
Judgment Day has come!”
21. Yes, this is the Day of Selection you used to
deny!
22. [O Angels!], round up the wrong-doers, their
wives and whatever they worshiped
Lead them on the
road to the Blazing Fire,
25. “What is the matter with you, why don’t you
help one another?”
26. Yes, today they are submissive.
28* they say:
“It’s you who
forced us!”
“No, you were
faithless yourselves!
30. We had no power over you — indeed, you’re a
people of rebels!
31* Now the Word of our Lord against us has come true, and we’ll
taste [the punishment] for sure.
32. We misled you, and we ourselves went astray.”
33. Verily, on that Day they shall share the
punishment!
34. Verily, this is how We deal with the sinners!
35. Verily, when told that there is no god except
God, they bristled with pride
36* and said:
“What!
Shall we leave our gods for the sake of a demented poet?”
37. But no! He came with the Truth to vindicate the Messengers.
38.
Verily,
you shall taste a painful punishment
39.
in
retribution for all you have done —
40.
[you], but
not the devoted servants of God!
42*is the fruit [of their deeds]. They are honored
44.
They face
one another on couches.
45.
A cup from
a fountain is passed around
46.
with clear
water, delicious to drink,
47.
that does
not inebriate nor fatigue.
48*With them are the wide-eyed ones with modest gazes,
50.
They will
turn to one another with questions.
51* One of them will say:
“I had a friend
52.
who said:
‘Were you one of those who believed
53.
that we’ll
be brought to judgment
after we died and became dust and bones?’”
— Look [at him]!
55.
He will
look and see him in the midst of the Fire;
“By God! You’ve almost caused my ruin!
57.
If it
weren’t for my Lord’s favor,
I’d have been brought into it myself!
and we’ll avoid the punishment!”
60.
Verily,
this will be a great achievement
61.
For the
sake of it, let all the toilers toil!
62.
Is this
reward not better than the Zakkum-tree
63* of which We made an ordeal for the wrong-doers?
64*This tree grows from the depth of Hellfire,
65.
and its
fruits resemble the heads of Satans.
66.
Verily,
they shall consume it, filling their bellies,
67.
washing it
down with a boiling drink
68.
before
they are returned into the Blazing Fire.
69.
They found
that their fathers were deep in error,
70.
and now,
they are driven in their footsteps!
71.
Many of
their forefathers had gone astray before,
72.
even
though We were sending them Warners.
73.
And now
see the end of those who were warned,
74.
but not
those who dutifully served God!
75* Noah called to Us, the best of Respondents.
76.
We saved
him and his family from a mighty distress
78.
With his
posterity We left [the greeting]:
79. Peace upon Noah in the Worlds!
80. This is how we reward those who do good —
81. indeed, he was one of Our believing servants.
82. And then We drowned all the others.
83. One of his successors was Abraham.
84. He used to approach his Lord with a pure heart.
85. Once he said to his father and to his folks:
“What are you worshiping?
when you look for other gods besides God!
87. What’s your idea of the Lord of the Worlds?”
88* He glanced at
the stars
“I’m really sick!”
90. They turned away from him and departed.
91. Then he approached their gods and said:
“Why don’t you eat?
92* What’s wrong
with you? Why don’t you talk?”
93.
And he
approached closer, hitting them with his right hand.
94. When [the people] hurried back to him,
“How can you worship what you’ve carved yourselves?
96. It’s God, Who created you and everything you’ve
made!”
“Build a furnace and cast him into the blazing fire!”
98. And they started plotting against him.
“Verily, I’m turning to my Lord,
and He will show me the right way.
100.O my Lord! Give me a righteous [son]!”
101. And We cheered him up with the news of a gentle boy.
102*When his son was old enough to share his work,
[Abraham] said to him:
“O my Son! I saw in a dream that I sacrificed you.
Tell me, what do you think of that?”
[The son] said:
“O my Father! Act as you were told.
You’ll find me compliant if God wills.”
103. When they submitted themselves [to God’s Will],
and [Abraham] laid [his son] face down,
— O Abraham!
105. You have fulfilled [your] vision!
This is how We reward those who do good.
106. Verily, that was a real test!
107. We ransomed [his son] with a splendid victim,
108. and with the posterity We left [the greeting]:
110. This is how we reward those who do good —
111. indeed, he was one of Our believing servants.
112.
We gave
him the good news of Isaac,
a Prophet among the righteous,
113.
and We
blessed both him and Isaac.
Among their offspring some did
right, and [others] openly wronged their souls.
114.
We
bestowed a favor upon Moses and Aaron:
115.
We rescued
them and their people from a great distress.
116.
We helped
them, and they were successful.
117.
We gave
them a lucid Scripture
118.
and guided
them on the right way.
119.
And with
the posterity We left [the greeting]:
120.
— Peace
upon Moses and Aaron!
121.
This is
how we reward those who do good —
122.indeed, they were both Our believing servants.
123.
Verily,
Elias was one of the Messengers.
“Don’t you fear God?
and forsake the best of Creators —
126.
God, your
Lord and your forefathers’ Lord!”
They will surely be called [to punishment],
128.
but not
the devoted servants of God.
129.
And with
the posterity We left [the greeting]:
130* — Peace upon Eliacin!”
131.
This is
how we reward those who do good —
132.
indeed, he
was one of Our believing servants.
133.
Verily,
Lot was one of the Messengers.
134.
We rescued
him and all of his family,
135.
except an
old woman who lagged behind.
136.
Then, We
destroyed the others.
137.
You pass
by [their ruins] mornings
138.
and
nights, so why do you not understand?
139.
Verily,
Jonas was one of the Messengers.
141.
and he
lost at throwing lots.
142.
A fish
swallowed him — indeed, he was to blame!
143.
Had he not
been of those who praised Us,
144.
he would
have stayed in its belly till Resurrection Day.
145.
We cast
him sick on a barren shore,
146.
and We grew
over him a plant, a kind of gourd.
147.
We sent
him to a hundred thousand people or more,
148.
and We
gave them a reprieve after they trusted him.
149* — [O Muhammad!] Ask them if it is possible
that daughters were for your Lord
and sons for themselves?
150.Have We created the Angels female, and have they witnessed [it]?
151.
But no!
All they say are inventions.
152.
“God
begat...” They are liars, indeed!
153.
Could He
have preferred daughters to sons?
154.
What is
wrong with you if such is your belief?
156.
or do you
have some clear authority?
157. Then produce your scripture if you are telling
the truth!
158. They invented a kinship between [God] and the
Jinn,
albeit the Jinn know that they shall be judged.
159*Glory to God! [Exalted He is] above what th ey
associate,
160.
but not
His devoted servants!
161.
Verily,
you and whatever you worship
162.
cannot
mislead [anyone] about Him —
163.
indeed,
you shall burn in the Blazing Fire!
164.
Everyone
has a designated place.
165.
Verily, we
are standing in ranks.
166.
Verily, we
glorify [Him]!
168.
“Had the
Reminder come to us from our forefathers,
169.
surely, we
would have been devoted servants of God.”
170.
But they
rejected [the Koran], and soon they shall know!
171.
Our Word
has preceded Our servants, the Messengers,
172.
that they
shall be helped,
173.
and that,
verily, Our hosts shall overcome!
174.
Turn away
from them for a while,
175*then look at them again,
and soon they shall look back [at you]!
176.
Are they
not hastening Our punishment?
177.
But when
it descends in their court,
evil shall be that morning for those who were warned!
178.
Turn away
from them for a while,
and soon they shall look back [at you]!
180.
Glory to
your Lord, the Lord of Greatness.
[Exalted He is] above what they ascribe [to Him].
182.
and
praised be God, the Lord of the Worlds!
Vv. 1-3: The Angels stand in ranks to repel the Demons.
V. 5: About the plural of “East,” cf. S.55:17.
V. 7: About the rebellious Satans or Jinn, cf. S.72:1f.
V. 8: “There was a day when the sons of God came to
present themselves to the Lord, and Satan came also among them” (Job, 1:6).
V. 10: The “blinding flame” might be a meteor.
V. 15: Pretending that the Signs are feats of magic is
disbelieving in God.
V. 19: “A Shout” or a “frightening cry.”
V. 28: “It’s you who forced us!,” lit., “it’s you who
came to us from the right [side].” The adjective “right” is applied to
everything pure, righteous, beneficent. The word “left” characterizes
everything impure, evil, rebuked. For example, the people of the right hand are
the righteous and the people of the left hand are the sinners. Another
example: Abraham hits the idols with his right, virtuous hand (v.93).
Theologians believe that God has two right hands; He uses either His right hand
(S.39:67) or both hands.
V. 31: “The Word ... has come true” or “we have been
judged.”
Vv. 31 and 32: These verses could be switched around.
V. 36: Crazy, majnun, i.e., possessed by the Jinn.
V. 42: “The fruit [of their deeds]”: their spiritual
gifts.
V. 48: Here the Huris are described, but not called by
name (cf. S.52:20; S.56:35-37).
V. 51: “The friend” is called here “a qarina” (cf. S.50).
V. 63: “An ordeal” — fitna, a word with many
meanings: trial, judgment, or the choice between good and evil. At the
beginning it also meant persecution; later on it was used to designate revolt
or civil war.
V. 64: From “the bottom” or from “the root” of Hell.
Vv. 88-89: To be left alone, Abraham pretended to be
sick.
V. 92: An idol is recognized by his inability to speak.
V. 98: They started their intrigues after they failed to burn
Abraham in the furnace.
V. 102: According to the Koran, Abraham was asked to
sacrifice his son Ishmael, but in Gen. 22:2, Abraham was told to immolate his
“only son Isaac.” But Ishmael was 14 years older than Isaac, and, therefore, at
the time of this event h e was the only son, and not Isaac. The
Muslims believe that Abraham’s ordeal took place in the vicinity of Mecca,
sanctified by the rites of pilgrimage, and not at “Moriah” in Palestine (Gen.
22:2). The child is asked for his consent in the Koran, but not in the Bible,
and so, for a Muslim, the Biblical version suggests the pagan sacrifice of a
child to Moloch and not a free act of devotion.
V. 130: Eliasin instead of Elias (Elijah), for
rhyme’s sake.
V. 149f: God could not have daughters (Cf. S.53).
V. 159: Association to God is an odious sin.
“Associators” (mushtarikin) are first the pagans and then the
Christians, for their worship of the Prophet Jesus. In a general sense, the
term Associator can be applied to those who believe in magic feats and
superstitions, in healing amulets and astrology, and even to Muslims who do not
practice the basic rites of their religion and to scholars who make a fetish
out of science.
Vv. 180: “[Exalted He is] above what they ascribe [to
Him]”or “[Free He is] of what they ascribe [to Him].”
Muslim theologians have elaborated a sophisticated
mystical representation of God based on the postulate that God is the Truth,
the Reality, the Absolute. The best known version of the degrees of Reality is
the system of Five Divine Presences:
1)
God as
“He” or “Him.” It is the perfect, absolute reality to which nothing can be
added and nothing can be subtracted, it is God as defined in S.112.
2)
God as
Allah, the absolute Being. This manifestation of the divine is one step below
God as “He.” Allah is the Compassionate, the Merciful. God as Being interacts
with His Creation, and man in particular. God participates in the two opposing
acts of giving and taking. This polarity and complementariness is mirrored in
the contrasting but not opposing pairs such as male/female, light/darkness,
sin/virtue. These pairs are resolved in unity and agreement, and not in
conflict or mutual destruction. This is why dualism as conceived in many
Western and Eastern religions is a hateful heresy for Muslims.
3)
The World
of Power symbolized by the Throne of God. It comprises the Angels who execute
the orders of God. As man is superior to Angels by virtue of God’s choice and
his intellect, he will be included in the World of Power after Judgment Day.
4)
The World
of Dominion symbolized by the footstool of God (al-kursi). It comprises
the Jinn and rampant evil and doubt.
5)
The World
of the Human, created in the image of God, yet representing the material, the
obvious, the totally manifest.
SURA 51 The SCATTERING. S.51 is a composite sura consisting of looselyknit stories and appeals.
It is difficult to spot its main intention or even its general direction. A
mystical introduction (vv. 1'23) leads to the stories of the Biblical Prophets
Abraham, Moses, and Noah and the Arabian prelslamic Prophets of 'Ad and Thamood
(vv. 24'46).
The Koran has a large
number of protagonists from man to inanimate objects that live, act, and
fulfill God's will. Traditionally, literary figures draw life from consecutive
bits of information about their likeness, feelings and actions; and each plot
is expected to have a temporal and spatial backdrop. Here all is different. The
protagonists appear from the thickness of words heavy with meaning and
expressive metaphors; the sinners emerge from the fire of remorse and the
righteous from the Light of faith. The field of action is the whole world,
Heaven and earth. Such is the colorful world of the Koran, such is its amazing
language.
Meccan, 60
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* [I swear] by those who scatter far and wide,
4.
and
distribute the commands.
5.
What has
been promised to you is true,
6.
and,
verily, Judgment will surely come!
7.
[I swear]
by the sky and its paths
8.
that,
verily, your words are conflicting,
9* and the deluded ones are deluded by them.
“When will Judgment Day come?”
when they shall be tried by the Fire!
14.
Have a
taste of your trial —
is it not what you were so eager to hasten!
15. Verily, the God-fearing shall be amidst Gardens
and springs,
16. receiving their Lord gifts for their past good
deeds.
17. They used to sleep little at night,
18. and at dawn they prayed for forgiveness;
19. and in their wealth there was a part for the
asking and the poor.
20. There are Signs on earth for the believers!
21. Some of them are in yourselves — do you not
see?
22. But in Heaven is your sustenance and what has
been promised to you.
23. [I swear] by the Lord of the Heaven and earth,
that this is as real as your ability to speak!
24. Has the story of Abraham’s honored guests
reached you?
25. They came to him, and said: “Peace!”
He said: “Peace!”
[and thought]:
“These people are
so strange!”
26. Then he hastened to his family
and brought [the
meat] of a fattened calf.
27. Setting it before them, he said:
“Wouldn’t you like
to eat?”
28* He felt afraid
of them, but they said:
“Don’t be scared”
and announced to
him [the birth of] a wise son.
29. His wife came forward crying, slapping her
face, and saying: “I’m a barren old woman!”
“Thus spoke your
Lord! He’s the Wise, the All-Knowing.”
“O Envoys! What’s
your mission?”
32* They said:
“We’re sent to
sinful people
33. to pelt them down with stones of [baked] clay
34. reserved by your Lord for those who do wrong.”
35. We pulled out of there all the believers,
36* and found
Muslims only in one household.
37. We left there a Sign for those who dread a
harsh retribution.
We sent him to
Pharaoh with clear authority.
39. But he turned away with his courtiers and said:
“He’s a sorcerer or a madman!”
40. We seized him together with his army and cast
them all into the sea — guilty he was indeed!
We sent against them a devastating wind,
42.
which
spared nothing in its path
and reduced everything to rubble.
43.
And
Thamood — they were told:
“Enjoy [life] a little longer!”
44.
but they
rebelled against their Lord’s command.
Then a thunderbolt hit them as they were looking.
45.
They could
not stay on their feet nor protect themselves.
46.
And before
them the people of Noah —
they were sinful people indeed!
47.
We have
built the sky with Our Hands
and We stretched it out wide!
48*We have spread forth the earth,
and how well We spread [it]!
49. We have created everything in pairs —
perhaps you will reflect
50* and hurry up to God!
“In truth, He [has sent] me as your lucid Warner!
51* Do not set up another god besides God.
In truth, He [has sent] me as your lucid Warner!”
52.
No
Messenger has ever come to their predecessors
without them saying:
“He’s a sorcerer or a madman”
53.
and then
passing [these words] along.
Yes, these people have transgressed all limits!
54.
So, turn
away from them — for that you will not be blamed,
55.
and keep
warning, for Warning is useful to the believers!
56* I have created Jinn and men
to make them worship Me alone.
57* I do not need any provisions from them,
I do not need their food!
58.
Verily, He
is God, the Provider,
the All-Mighty, the Powerful.
59.
Verily,
the fate of those who do wrong
will be like the fate of their predecessors.
So it is better for them not to hurry!
60.
Woe to the
disbelievers on their promised Day!
V. 1-4: The words of this oath are simple and direct, and
they are not addressed only to the contemporaries of Mohammad, but to all the
people in the world. Theologians and philosophers might recognize in these
words a mystic meaning and see Angels, Demons, cosmic maelstroms, and fast
currents of celestial matter — indeed, unlimited is the fantasy of man. Most
probably this oath is about the Angels bringing God’s gifts to man. Oaths
remind man that not all is accessible to him, and that there is between God and
him an ineffable spiritual realm to which he might partake if he deserves it by
his good deeds.
V. 9: “Deluded by them are the deluded ones” meaning that
are deluded only those who seek delusion.
V. 28: Abraham was scared when he understood that his
visitors were Angels because they could not eat (in the Bible they do eat). To
offer and to accept hospitality is a strong tradition in the Middle East to
the present time.
V. 32: An introduction to the Biblical story of Lot and
the destruction of Sodom. In the following suras stories about the Prophets are
enriched by new details. The Prophet’s audience must have liked these stories
that inspired and uplifted them, and the Prophet used them to show that all the
Messengers had the one and same mission — to transmit to man the eternal
spiritual Truth.
V. 36: “Muslims,” or “those surrendering themselves to
God.”
V. 41f: According to ancient accounts and legends, South
Arabia was inhabited by the people of ’Ad since 2000 B.C. who made successful
incursions into Egypt and Mesopotamia (Egypt was seized by the Hyksos in the
17th century, but their relation to ’Ad is uncertain). The people of Madyan
lived in Northern Arabia and was contemporary with Abraham (17th century B.C.)
and Moses (14th); they prospered till our era. They built their dwellings and
temples in the mountains, and, presumably, they can be identified with the
Nabateans whose capital city was Petra. After their decline, the people of ’Ad
was replaced by that of Samood in Southern Arabia — some localities in Arabia
are named after their Prophet Salih.
V. 48: If the earth is flat like a rug, it can be spread
and rolled up.
Vv. 50-51: These words are spoken by the Prophet.
V. 51: The proclamation that God is One is as important
in Islam as the confession of faith “In the Name of the Father, the Son and the
Holy Spirit” in Christianity. The profession of faith “There is no god but God
(la-illaha-illa-llah), and Muhammad is the Messenger of God” inspired
artisans, calligraphers, and architects to produce sumptuous objects of art.
Muslim soldiers have it on their lips during an attack, and it is displayed in
graceful arabesques on the Saudi flag and the banners of innumerable Muslim
civic groups and organizations.
V. 57: The pagans used to offer food to their idols.
Sura 54 T he Moon. This sura, with its refrain “Such were My
punishment and My Warning!” has some resemblance to S.51, but its tone is more
quiet and its construction better balanced. It describes the nations who
rejected their Messengers and chased them off their lands. For their misdeeds,
God will “reward” the disbelievers with a double punishment: on earth and in
the Afterlife. The moral of these stories is that people should learn from the
mistakes of other nations and accept the admonitions of the Prophet before it
is too late.
Meccan, 55
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1.
The Hour
is drawing near and the moon is split!
they turn away and
say:
“This is a
fleeting delusion!”
3* They have not
believed
and have succumbed
to their passions.
But each affair
has its time!
4* To restrain
them, they have been sent Messages
5. full of the highest wisdom.
But Warning did
not help,
6. so, [o Muhammad], turn away from them!
On the Day when
the Caller
summons them to
the horrible [event],
7. they shall emerge from their graves,
their eyes
downcast, like scattered locusts,
The disbelievers
shall say:
“What a difficult
Day!”
9. The people of Noah have denied before them.
They rejected Our
servant, saying:
“He’s a madman!”
and chased him away.
“Help me! They
have defeated me!”
11.
Then We
opened the gates of the sky, and water poured down.
12.
We gushed
springs from the earth, and water gathered by Our command.
13. We carried [Noah] on [an ark]
made of planks
[tied] with palm fibers.
14. It floated before Our eyes —
such was the
reward for the rejected one!
but who remembers
[it] now?
16* Such was My
punishment and My Warning!
17.
We have
made the Koran easy to remember, but who remembers [it] now?
18. The people of ’Ad disbelieved [as well].
Such was My
punishment and My Warning!
19. On a day of unceasing distress,
We sent upon them
a destructive wind
20. [which] scattered people like uprooted
palm-trees.
21. Such was My punishment and My Warning!
22.
We have
made the Koran easy to remember, but who remembers [it] now?
23. And [the people of] Thamood rejected [their]
Warner.
“Is he not a man
like us?
Why should we
follow him?
That would be an
error and a folly on our part!
25. Why has the Reminder been sent to him, [and not
to someone else] in our midst? Indeed, he’s an insolent liar!”
26. — Tomorrow they shall know who is an insolent
liar!
27. To test them We sent them a she-camel.
— [O Salih!] Watch
them and brace yourself!
28. Tell them to share water [with her] and to
drink in turns.
29. But they called their companion who took a
knife and hamstrung her.
30. Such was My punishment and My Warning!
31. We sent upon them a single blast,
and they became
like sticks used by a fence builder.
32. We have made the Koran easy to remember, but
who remembers [it] now?
33. And the people of Lot rejected the Warning,
34. so We sent upon them a storm of rocks!
At dawn We rescued
only Lot’s family
35. by Our mercy: this is how We reward the
grateful!
36. [Lot] had warned them about Our retribution,
but they disregarded the Warning
37. and tried to divert his guests.
[In retaliation]
We blinded their eyes:
— Let you taste My
Wrath and My Warning!
38. In the morning they were hit by an abiding
punishment:
39. — Let you taste My Wrath and My Warning!
40. We have made the Koran easy to remember, but
who remembers [it] now?
41. The Warning came to the people of Pharaoh,
42. but they denied all Our Signs and We grasped
them by the grasp of the Mighty, the Powerful.
43* Are your
disbelievers any better than they?
Or is there an
excuse for you in the Scripture?
“United we’ll
win!”
45. But the moment they are united,
they will run away
showing their backs.
46. The Hour is indeed promised to them,
and that Hour
shall be the most scary and bitter!
47. Verily, the sinners are in error and madness.
48* On the Day they are dragged face down into the Fire [they will
hear:]
— Let you taste
the touch of the Saqar!
49.
Verily, We have created everything in good proportions. 50* And Our Command is
executed in the twinkling of an eye!
51. We have destroyed the likes of you in the past,
but who remembers
[it] now?
52. All their deeds [are] in the Book —
53. they are recorded, small and great!
54. Verily, the God-fearing shall be amid Gardens
and rivers
55. by the throne of Truth, before the almighty
King!
V. 3: “Each affair
has its time,” i.e., every man will be judged at the time designated for him.
V. 4: “Messages” —
“news” in the original.
V. 43: “In the
Scripture” — “in the Psalms” in the original.
V. 48: The Saqar:
one of the circles of Hell (S.101:11).
V. 50: “Our
Command” — the impending Judgment (cf. S.37:31).
Sura 15 Al-Hijr. S.15 is named Al-Hijr after an area or a
town that belonged to the tribe of Thamood (v.80). Its complexity suggests that
some of its passages belong to the Medinan period; it deals with the
disbelievers who have rejected their Messengers; it presents the episode of
Adam and Iblis, and tells the stories of the Prophets. Although the stories are
expanded and enlivened by protracted dialogues, the characters are distilled to
the bare essentials, so that at times they seem shadowy and unreal. As elsewhere,
the moral of the story is more important than the fine points of the narrative.
S.15 is rich in metaphors and unusual expressions.
Meccan, 99
verses
In the Name of
God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* Alif lam ra.
These
are some Verses from the Scripture, from the lucid Koran!
2. The time may come when the disbelievers would wish to become
Muslims,
3* but leave them alone for the time being, let them feast and enjoy
themselves, let them bask in their wishes — indeed, they will know soon enough!
4. We have never destroyed a town without warning
it about its fate.
5. No nation can speed up or retard its destiny!
“O you who has
received the Reminder!
You’re really
possessed!
7. Why don’t you come to us accompanied by Angels
if you’re one of the truthful?”
8* — We send
Angels only for a just cause;
otherwise [the
sinners] would not have a respite.
9.
We have
truly sent down the Reminder that We truly intend to protect!
10. And before you, We used to send [Messengers] to
ancient communities,
11.
but no
Messenger had ever come without being derided.
12* Thus We implant in the hearts of the sinners
13* disbelief [in God].
The ways of the Ancients belong to the past.
14.
If We
opened to them the gate of Heaven,
they would rush through it,
“Our eyes were beclouded,
yes, we were a people bewitched!”
16.
We have
set up constellations in the sky
that We beautified for the beholders.
17* We have guarded it from Satans, the stoned ones.
18.
And if one
of them listens on the sly,
a bright flame shall chase him away!
19.
We have
spread up the earth,
We have strewn upon it mighty mountains,
and We have grown on it everything in good measure.
20*We have given on it provisions to you
and to those for whom you are not accountable.
21. Nothing exists that is not in store with Us,
and We release everything in measured amounts.
22* We send fecundating winds
and pour water from the sky
to let it quench your thirst,
although you are not its keepers.
23. Verily, We dispense life and death, and We
shall inherit [all things].
24. We know which of you is going ahead, and which
of you is lagging behind.
25. Verily, your Lord shall round them all up —
indeed, He is wise and all-knowing!
from resounding clay, from molded mud.
27.
And
earlier We have created the Jinn from scorching wind.
28.
Your Lord
said to the Angels:
— I will create
man from baked clay, from molded mud.
and fill him with My Spirit,
prostrate yourselves before him.
30.
The Angels
prostrated themselves in a body,
31.
but not
Iblis, who refused to join
those who prostrated themselves.
32* [God] said:
— O Iblis! Why are you not with
those who prostrated themselves?
“I’m not going to prostrate
myself before a man whom You’ve created
from resounding clay, from molded mud!”
— Get out of here, you, the stoned one,
35.
and be
accursed till Judgment Day!
“O my Lord! Grant me a reprieve till Resurrection Day!”
— Reprieve is granted to you
“O my Lord! Since You’ve led me into sin,
I’ll tempt [the people] on earth and seduce them [all],
40.
except
Your devoted servants.”
— They are all on the straight path to Me!
42.
You have
no power over My servants,
only over the sinners who will follow you.
43.
Verily,
the abode promised to them is Hell.
44*It has seven gates, each gate for one group.
45.
Verily,
The God-fearing shall be amid Gardens and springs:
46.
— Come
inside in peace and confidence!
47.
We will
remove all bitterness from their hearts
and they shall be brothers, facing each other on thrones.
48.
Tiredness
shall not touch them, and they shall not be asked to leave.
49.
— [O
Muhammad!] Announce to My servants that, verily, I am the Forgiving, the
Merciful.
50.
But,
verily, a painful punishment shall be My retribution!
51.
Tell them
about Abraham’s guests.
52.
They came
to him and said: “Peace!”
He said:
“We’re really afraid of you!”
“Don’t be afraid! We’re bringing you the glad tidings
of [the birth] of a wise son.”
54.
[Abraham]
said: “How can I rejoice at this news if old age has already touched me?
What good is there in your announcement?”
“Don’t despair: we’re bringing you
some truly good tidings!”
“Only the sinners lose faith in God’s mercy.
57.
O Envoys!
What’s your mission?”
“We have been sent to a people of sinners
59.
of whom
we’ll save only Lot and his family,
60.
but not
his wife: we know she’s one of those
who will be left behind!”
61.
When the
Envoys came to the family of Lot,
“You’re an alien people!”
“Yes, and we came to you
with something [many] have qualms about.
64.
We’re
bringing you the Truth and we’re trustworthy.
65* Let your family leave at night, then follow in their
steps.
Let no one turn around, but proceed whereto you’ll be told!” 66. We
announced to him the Command
that those left behind shall be mowed down by the
morning.
67* When the city dwellers came out,
exulting at the news [of the visitors],
“They are my guests, so don’t dishonor me.
69.
Fear God
and don’t put me to shame!”
70* [The people] said:
“Have we not forbidden you to entertain outsiders?”
“Here are my daughters, if you must have your way.”
72.
— By your
life, [O Prophet!],
they wandered aimlessly in their drunkenness!
73* And at sunrise a blast overtook them.
74* We turned everything upside down
and rained upon them rocks of baked clay.
75.
Verily,
there are Signs in this
for those who foresee the future,
76.
indeed,
[the ruins of the sinners] are along the road.
77.
Verily,
there is a Sign in this for those who believe!
78* Verily, the dwellers of Al-’aika were sinners as
well,
79.
and We
took revenge upon them.
[The ruins] of
both are along the road for everyone to see!
80*And the people of Al-Hijr rejected the Messengers.
81.
We had
been sending them Our Signs,
but they turned away from them.
82.
They
excavated dwellings in the mountains for security.
83.
But a
blast overtook them early in the morning,
84.
and what
they had hoarded did not help them!
85* We have created the heavens and the earth
and what is in between only for a just cause.
And verily, the Hour is near!
So turn away [from them] with dignity!
86.
Verily,
your Lord is the Creator, the All-knowing.
87* We gave you the seven often repeated [Verses]
and the glorious Koran!
88* So do not covet what We gave to others.
And do not grieve over them,
but spread your wing over the believers
89. and say: “Truly, I’m a clear Warner.”
90*We are sending [the Message] also to the Dividers —
91.
to those
who tear the Koran to sections.
92.
By your
Lord, We will bring them to account
93.
for
everything they have done.
94.
Preach as
commanded to you and shun the Associators!
95.
We are
sufficient to you against those who mock
96.
and
associate other gods to God.
Soon they shall know!
97.
We know
how disheartened you are by their words.
98.
So
celebrate the praise of your Lord
and be among those who prostrate themselves.
99*Serve your Lord before the Inevitable comes to you!
V. 1: The word aya usually means “Sign” (S.74:16),
but here it is obviously “Verse.”
V. 3: “Soon they shall know” — about their fate.
V. 8: With “a just cause,” lit., “in Truth.” The Angels
come down to earth only to collect the souls of the dying.
V. 12: “Sinner” — wrong-doer, criminal (mugrim).
V. 13: “They forgot the ways of the Ancients” or “the
ways of the Ancients have been changed.” This verse may be understood in
different ways (S.10:102). According to S.48:23, the ways of the Ancients
cannot be changed — here they seem to have been abrogated.
V. 17: According to tradition, when he was getting ready
to sacrifice his son, Abraham chased Satans away by throwing rocks at him.
Hence, one of the rites of pilgrimage consists in throwing rocks at three
pillars erected where Satan had bothered Abraham.
V. 20: “Those for whom you are not responsible”: people
and the other living creatures.
V. 22: Strong winds often carry away the topsoil.
Vv. 32f: The dialog between God and Iblis recalls the
opening of the Book of Job. In the Prophetic suras, the utterances of the
protagonists are preceded by “he said’ or “they said.” The exchanges are easier
to follow if the names of the speakers are brought in square brackets before
the quotations. The dramatic effect can be still enhanced, as follows:
53.
THE
GUESTS: “Don’t be afraid!
We’re bringing you the glad tidings
of [the birth] of a wise son.”
54.
ABRAHAM:
“How can I rejoice at this news
if old age has already claimed me?
What good is there in your announcement?”
55* THE GUESTS: “We’re bringing you some really good
tidings,
so don’t despair!”
56.
ABRAHAM:
“Only those who are astray lose faith in God’s mercy.
V. 44: The different groups referred to are religious
sects — Gnostics, Nestorians, Mono- physites, Marcionites, Valentinians, etc.
Some of them rejected the ignominious death of Christ on the cross.
V. 65: In the steps of the family or the Angels?
V. 67: They greeted Lot’s guests with sinful intentions.
V. 70: “Outsiders” lit., “the Worlds,” or from all the
world.
'Alamin (worlds) is a
cognate of the Hebrew ’ olam, signifying “all creation” or “all
the universe.”
V. 73: The end of the world will be announced by the
sound of a trumpet, by a noise, or by a desperate shriek (S.37:2).
V. 74: Burnt clay (sijjil) is a kind of hard
volcanic rock.
V. 78: “The dwellers of Al-'aika,” “the dwellers
of forests,” also known as Madyan (S.91:11).
V. 80: Al-hijr, like Ar-rass (S.50:12), was a
locality or a clan on the territory of Thamood between Syria and Medina.
V. 85: Cf. v.8. In the Koran, the word “Truth” is one of
the symbols of human hopes (Truth is God).
V. 87: “The seven often repeated [Verses],” i.e., S.1.
V. 88: “Do not covet,” lit., “do not strain your eyes
at.” God did not give wealth and sons to the Prophet Muhammad.
The “wing” is the wide sleeve of a caftan or the symbol
of the prophetic mission.
V. 90: The Dividers (Muqtasimin) are “those who
tear the Koran into sections,” i.e., those who select parts of the Scripture
and reject or hide others: they are the opportunists who recognized in the
Koran only what best served their interests. Unfortunately, many Muslim
communities are ruled nowadays by such miscreants.
V. 99: The “Inevitable” is death and the Last Judgment.
Sura 26 The Poets. S.26 should have been called “The Prophets”
because it gives the longest and most balanced descriptions of Prophetic
missions (Moses, vv. 1069; Abraham, vv. 70-104; Noah, vv. 105-122; Hood, vv.
123-140; Salih, vv. 141-159; Lot, vv. 160-175; and Shu'aib, vv. 176-191). The
narratives are framed between repeated Warnings and Signs. Their brisk dialog
is suitable for the transposition showed in the Note to S.15:32f. This
stylistic variation makes the verbal exchanges more meaningful and lively. It
is more important to convey the meaning of the Book as closely as possible,
even at the price of some stylistic innovation in translation, rather than to
fuddle it by sticking to an archaic style. The poets are condemned at the very
end of the sura, in vv. 224-226.
Meccan, 221
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
2.
Here are
some Verses from the lucid Scripture.
3.
— [O
Muhammad!] Perhaps you are ready to kill yourself from grief
because they refuse to believe.
4.
If it
pleased Us, We would have sent down to them a Sign from Heaven
before which they would have bowed their heads.
5.
But not a
single of the Reminders from the Compassionate ever reaches them without them
turning away.
6.
They deny
them, but soon some news will reach them about what they were scoffing at!
7.
Do they
not see when they look at the soil
that We have produced on it so many noble pairs?
8.
Verily,
there a Sign in this,
but most of them still disbelieve.
9.
Verily,
your Lord is the Mighty, the Merciful.
10* Your Lord called to Moses:
— Go to the sinful people,
11. the people of Pharaoh. Would they not fear
[God]?
“O my Lord! I’m afraid they’ll reject me.
13. My chest is tight and my tongue is in knots —
send me Aaron [for help].
and I’m afraid they’ll kill me.”
Go forth with Our Signs, the two
of you, and We will be listening with you.
“We’re truly the Messengers of the Lord of the Worlds.
17. Release the Children of Israel to us!”
“Haven’t we raised you as a child?
Haven’t you spent many years among us?
19. Didn’t you commit the crime you know about?
Then, why are you so ungrateful!”
20* [Moses]:
“I committed it when I was astray
21.
and I fled
because I feared you,
but my Lord granted me wisdom and made me a Messenger.
22.
Is your
enslaving the Children of Israel the favor you’re blaming me for?”
“Who’s the Lord of the Worlds?”
“He’s the Lord of the Heavens and the earth,
and what is in between if you want the truth.”
25.
[Pharaoh]
to those around him:
“Did you hear him?”
“He’s your Lord and your forefathers’ Lord.”
“The Messenger who came to you is really insane!”
“[He’s] the Lord of the East and
the West, and what is in between if you have any sense!”
“If you serve any
god other than me,
I’ll surely throw
you in prison!”
“And if I show you
something convincing?”
“Show it if you’re
telling the truth!”
and it turned into
a live snake.
and everybody saw
it was white.
34. [Pharaoh] to the attendants around him:
“Yes, he’s a
clever magician,
he wants to drive
you out of your lands.
What’s your
advice?”
“Let
him and his brother wait, while you send recruiters to the cities
37. in order to bring you the craftiest magicians.”
38. The magicians gathered on the appointed day.
“Are you all
here?”
“Yes, and we’ll
follow the magicians if they win!”
41. The magicians to Pharaoh upon their arrival:
“Is it true that
we’ll be rewarded if we win?”
“Yes, and I’ll
make you [my] retainers.”
“Cast what you
wanted to cast!”
44. [The magicians] cast their ropes and staves,
[saying]:
“By the power of
Pharaoh we shall win!”
45. Then Moses cast his staff, and it swallowed
their fakes.
46. The magicians prostrated themselves,
“We do believe in
the Lord of the Worlds,
48. the Lord of Moses and Aaron.”
“How
dare you believe in Him without my permission?
Surely,
he’s your master, the one who taught you magic! But soon you shall know!
I’ll
cut off each of you a hand on one side and a foot on the other, and then I’ll
crucify you all!”
“We can’t care
less, for we’ll return to our Lord!
51. We only wish that our Lord forgave our errors
and that we were the first to believe!”
— Depart with My servants at night:
you will certainly be pursued.
53.
Pharaoh
sent recruiters to the cities,
54.
[and
said]: “Their band isn’t that big,
55.
and though
they’re furious at us,
56.
there are
many of us, and we’ve been warned!”
57.
We
expelled them from gardens and springs,
58.
from
treasuries and honorable positions.
And We made the Sons of Israel inherit it all.
60.
[Pharaoh’s
armies] pursued them at sunrise.
61.
When the
two parties came in view of each other, Moses’s companions [said]:
We’ll be overtaken for sure!”
“No, by no means! Verily, My Lord is with me,
and soon He’ll show me the way!”
— Strike the sea with your staff!
And it parted, the sides overhanging like huge mountains.
64.
We let
them engage therein,
65.
and We
saved Moses and those who were with him.
66.
And the
others We drowned.
67.
Verily,
there a Sign in this,
yet most of them do not believe.
68.
Verily,
your God is the Mighty, the Merciful.
69.
Tell them
the story of Abraham.
70.
[He said]
to his father and to his people:
“What are you worshiping?”
“We worship idols and revere them.”
“Do they hear you when you call to them?
73.
Do they
benefit you or harm you in any way?”
“No, but we know our fathers [served them].”
“Look at what you worship,
76.
following
your forefathers!
77.
Indeed, th
ey are my enemies,
but not the Lord of the Worlds,
78.
Who has
created me and guided me,
79.
Who gives
me food and drink,
80.
Who heals
me when I am sick,
and then will revive me,
will forgive my sins on Judgment Day.
83* O my Lord!
Give me wisdom and join me to the righteous.
84.
And let my
posterity keep a good memory of me.
85.
Make me an
inheritor of the Garden of Bliss!
86.
Forgive my
father for going astray.
87.
Don’t put
me to shame on Resurrection Day,
88.
the Day
when neither wealth nor children will help,
who comes to God with a pure heart will be saved.”
90.
The Garden
shall be brought near the God-fearing,
91.
Hellfire
shall be displayed
to those who went astray.
— Where are those you worshiped
Did they help you or did they help themselves?
94.
They will
be cast [into Hellfire] together with those who went astray,
95.
together
with the hosts of Iblis!
96.
While
arguing among themselves, they will say:
97.
“By God,
indeed, we were in blatant error
98.
when we
associated to the Lord of the Worlds.
99.
Only
criminals could have misled us!
100.
And now
we’re left without an intercessor
102. But we would join the believers if we were
allowed to return!”
103.
Verily,
there a Sign in this,
yet most of them still do not believe.
104.
Verily,
your God is the Mighty, the Merciful.
105.
The people
of Noah rejected the Messengers.
106.
Their
brother Noah said to them:
“Won’t you fear [God]?
107.
I’m your
faithful Messenger,
109.I’m not asking you for a reward —
my reward is with the Lord of the Worlds!
110.
So fear
God and obey me!”
“How can we believe you
if you are followed by the lowest of us?”
“What do I know about their deeds?
113.
Their
account is with my Lord, don’t you understand?
114.
I wouldn’t
drive the believers away.
115.
I’m just a
plain Warner.”
“O Noah! You’ll be stoned if you don’t quit!”
117.
[Noah]: “O
my Lord! My people reject me.
118. Decide fairly between us and save me and the
believers who are on my side!”
119.
We saved
him and his followers in a laden ship,
120.
and then,
We drowned the others.
121.
Verily,
there is a Sign in this,
but most of them still do not believe.
122.
Verily,
your God is the Mighty, the Merciful.
123.
’Ad
rejected the Messengers as well.
124.
Their
brother Hood said to them:
“Won’t you fear [God]?
125.
I’m your
faithful Messenger,
127.
I’m not asking
you for a reward —
my reward is with the Lord of the Worlds!
128.
You raise
a landmark for amusement on every hill.
129.
You build
castles, hoping to live in them for ever.
as [only] tyrants can oppress!
132.
Yes! Fear the
One, Who gave you everything you know,
133.
Who gave
you cattle and sons,
135.
Verily, I
fear for you the punishment of the Great Day!”
“We don’t care whether you warn or don’t warn us.
137.
These are
just some superstitions of the Ancients,
138.
and we’re
not of those who will be punished.”
139.
They
rejected [the Messenger], and We destroyed them.
Verily, there is a Sign in this,
but most of them still do not believe.
140.
Verily,
your God is the Mighty, the Merciful.
141.
And
Thamood also rejected the Messengers.
142.
Their
brother Salih said to them:
“Won’t you fear [God]?
143.
I’m your
faithful Messenger,
145.I’m not asking you for a reward —
my reward is with the Lord of the Worlds!
146.
Are you
secure amid all your possessions —
147.
amid gardens
and springs,
148.
amid
fields and palm-trees with edible clusters,
you skillfully excavate in the mountains?
150.So fear God and obey me!
151. And don’t follow the profligate
152*who corrupt the land
instead of doing good deeds.”
“You’re one of the bewitched,
154.
and you’re
a mortal like us.
Show us a Sign if you’re telling the truth!”
“Here’s a she-camel. She has to drink
like you have to drink on appointed days.
156. Don’t harm her, lest you shall be overcome by
the punishment of the Great Day!”
157.
But they
hamstrung her and regretted it later
158.
when the
punishment came upon them.
Verily, there is a Sign in this,
but most of them do not believe.
159.
Verily,
your Lord is the Mighty, the Merciful.
160.
The people
of Lot rejected the Messengers.
161.
Their
brother Lot said to them:
“Won’t you fear [God]?”
162.
I’m your
faithful Messenger,
164.I’m not asking you for a reward —
my reward is with the Lord of the Worlds!
165. Of all the creatures in the Worlds, you’re the
only ones to go after the males,
166.
abandoning
the wives your Lord has created for you!
You’re a people of transgressors!”
“O Lot! If you don’t stop it,
surely you’ll be expelled!”
“How I loathe your comportment!
169.O my Lord! Save me and my family from their doings!”
170.
We saved
him and his family, all of them,
171.
except an
old woman who stayed behind.
172.
Then We
wiped out all the others.
173. We pelted them with rain — dreadful was that
rain
for those who were warned!
174. Verily, there is a Sign in this, but most of
them do not believe.
175.
Verily,
your Lord is the Mighty, the Merciful.
176.
And the
people of Al-’aika rejected the Messengers.
177.
Their
brother Shu’aib said to them:
“Won’t you fear [God]?”
178.
I’m your
faithful Messenger.
180.
I’m not
asking you for a reward —
my reward is with the Lord of the Worlds!
181.
Give a
full measure, don’t cheat,
182.
and use an
accurate balance to weigh.
183. Don’t steal the people’s possessions, and don’t
walk in the land spreading evil.
184.
Fear the
One, Who created you and the first people.”
“You’re one of the bewitched!
186.
You’re a
mortal like us, and we know you for a liar!
187.
Make a
piece of the sky fall upon us
if you’re telling the truth!”
“My Lord is well aware of your deeds!”
and the punishment of the Day of Darkening hit them,
the punishment of the Great Day!
190. Verily, there is a Sign in this, but most of
them do not believe.
191.
Verily,
your Lord is the Mighty, the Merciful.
192.
Verily,
this is a Revelation from the Lord of the Worlds.
193.
The faithful
Spirit descended with it
194.into your heart to make you warn
195.in the clear Arabic tongue,
196*as [revealed] in the Books of the Ancients.
197.
Is it not
a Sign that this was known
by learned men among the Children of Israel?
198.
Had We
sent [the Revelation] down to a foreigner
they would not have believed in it.
200.
We let
[disbelief] sink into the hearts of the sinners,
201.
so that
they would not believe
until they see the painful punishment
202.
that shall
suddenly hit them unawares.
“Won’t we get a reprieve?”
204.
— But are
they not the ones who hastened Our retribution?
205.See, if We let them enjoy a few more years
206.
before
[Our] warning comes true,
207.
their
enjoyment would not benefit them!
208.
We have
not destroyed a single town
before sending them Warners
209.
to remind
them — indeed, We are never unjust.
210.
The
Revelation is not from the Satans:
211.
it does
not suit them, it is beyond their power;
212.
they
cannot even eavesdrop upon it!
213.
Therefore,
to avoid punishment,
do not call to any other god, except God.
the believers who are following you.
216.
And to
those who disobey you, say:
“I’m not responsible for your deeds!”
217.
Put your
trust in the Mighty, the Merciful,
219.
and bowing
with those who prostrate themselves.
220.Indeed, He is the Hearer, the Knowing.
221.Shall I tell you upon whom do the Satans descend?
222. — They descend upon every despicable sinner,
223. filling his ears [with rumors] —
indeed, most of
them are dissemblers!
224. And the Poets? They are followed only by
sinners!
225. Do you not see them, wandering in the valleys,
226. preaching what they themselves do not do?
227. They are not of those who believed,
did
right, remembered God oftentimes, and fought back only when oppressed. The
oppressors shall soon learn how their fate will turn out!
V. 21: “When I was
astray,” lit., “when I was among the ones who went astray.” By the rules of
Arabic versification, all the verses of a poem or a sura, or, at least,
extended passages, must have the same rhyme. Grammatical forms such as the
well-sounding Arabic plural endings are a rich source of rhyming words.
Vv. 83-89: A rare
example of a prayer in the Koran.
V. 152: “Instead
of doing good deeds” or “instead of improving themselves,” or “instead of
improving it [the land].”
V. 196: “The Books
of the Ancients,” lit., “the Psalms”.
The Koran mentions
David’s Psalms (zubur) as a separate Scripture.
Sura 20 [The Letters] Ta Ha. The main subject of this sura is an expanded
and dramatized story of Moses that includes his confrontation with Pharaoh and
his dealing with the golden calf One gets the impression that S20 consists of
unrc- lated passages revealed at different periods of the Prophet's mission, as
one can gather from abrupt changes in style and content (eg, Aaron is present
in some passages and absent in others). The story of Moses is accompanied by
sundry advice and appeals that include a piece on Adam, who was a reprobate
before he became a Prophet and received the Reminder from God.
20. [The Letters] TA HA
Meccan, 135 verses
In the Name of
God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* Ta ha.
2. We have sent the Koran down to you not to upset
you,
3. but to make you warn the God-fearing
4. [by a] Message from the Creator of the earth
and the lofty Heavens,
5. the Compassionate firmly established on the
Throne.
6. To Him belongs everything in the Heavens and
earth, everything between them and underground.
7. Say something aloud, and He knows about it, be
it secret or concealed.
8. He is God! There is no god, but Him.
To Him belong the
most magnificent Names!
9. Did the story of Moses reach you?
10* Once, he saw a
fire and said to his family:
“Stop! I see a fire!
I might fetch you from it a burning brand
or I might find some guidance by the fire.”
11. When he reached it, he heard:
— O Moses!
Remove your shoes for you are in the holy valley of
Toowa.
so listen to what I will inspire to you!
14. I am God! There is no god, but Me.
So worship Me and establish the prayer in My remembrance.
15* Verily, the
Hour is near! I keep it secret,
so that every soul might be rewarded according to her
merit.
16. Do not let those who do not believe
and follow their passions
distract you from it, lest you perish.
— O Moses! What is in your right hand?
“It’s my staff. I lean upon it,
I beat [leaves] down with it for my sheep,
and I have other uses for it.”
20. He cast it down, and it became a writhing
snake.
21. — Do not be scared, seize it,
and We will restore it to what it was before.
22* — Now, press
your hand to your side,
and it shall come out white without harming you.
This is another Sign,
23. and to let Us display to you the greatest of
Our Signs,
24. go to Pharaoh who has transgressed all bounds!
“O my Lord! Expand my breast,
27* and loosen my
tongue
28. to let them
understand my speech.
29* And give me a
deputy from my family,
30. my brother
Aaron,
31* to bolster my
strength
33. We’ll glorify You relentlessly
35. indeed, we’re in Your sight!”
36. — O Moses! Granted is your request!
37. Truly, We have shown you Our favor in the past
38. when We inspired your mother
with what We have inspired:
39* — Put your
child in a chest and cast it in the river.
The
river will push it to the shore and Our common enemy will pick him up.
—
[O Moses!] I took you in My affection to let you grow in My sight.
40. Then your sister came forth and said:
“Let
me show you someone who will take good care of him.” Thus, We returned you to
your mother to cool her eyes and to stop her grief.
When
you killed a man, We saved you from trouble and submitted you to many a test.
You
have stayed many years with the people of Madyan, and now, o Moses, you came
here as preordained.
41. I have chosen you to serve Me.
42. So, you and your brother take My Signs and,
without ceasing remembering Me,
43. go to Pharaoh — indeed, he has transgressed all
bounds!
perhaps he will
come to his senses or fear [God].
“O
our Lord! We’re afraid that he’ll insult us or resort to violence!”
46. — Do not be afraid: indeed, I will be by your
side, listening and watching.
47. Go to him together and say:
“We’re the
Messengers of your Lord.
Stop
tormenting the Sons of Israel and let them go with us!
We come to you
with a Sign from your Lord.
Peace be on him
who follows the Guidance,
48. for it has been revealed to us that anyone
who disbelieves
and turns away shall be punished!”
“O Moses! Who is
your Lord?”
“Our
Lord is the One Who shaped all things and then provided Guidance.”
“And what about
the former generations?”
“Knowledge about
them is in my Lord’s Book.
My Lord doesn’t
err and doesn’t forget!
53. He is the One Who spread the earth for you like
a bed, traced tracks on it for your use,
and
sent you water down from the sky!” [God]:
— With its help We
grow various plants in pairs
54. to let you eat and graze your cattle.
Verily, there are
Signs in this for those who understand!
55. We have created you from [the earth], into it
We will return you, and then from it We will restore you again.
56. We showed [Pharaoh] all Our Signs, but he
rejected [them] and turned away.
Did you come to
drive us from our lands by your magic?
58. We’ll surely counter you with similar magic!
Call
a meeting that will be convenient for both sides at a place where chances are
equal.”
“Let
the meeting be on Decoration Day and let the people assemble at midday.”
60. Pharaoh retired to devise his plan; then he
returned.
61. [Moses to Pharaoh and his men]:
“Woe
to you! Stop slandering God, lest He destroys you by His punishment. A liar
won’t be successful!”
62. They discussed the matter among themselves, but
kept their deliberations secret.
“O
Pharaoh! It’s clear that these two magicians want to chase you from your lands
by their magic and abolish your exemplary institutions.
64. Therefore, confer among yourselves and tighten
your ranks:
lucky will be the
one who wins today!”
O
Moses! Will you throw first, or shall we start throwing?”
“Yes, let you
throw!”
It
seemed to him that their ropes and staves began to move under their spell.
67. Moses felt fear in his soul.
— Do not be
afraid, indeed, advantage is in your court!
69. Throw what you hold in your right hand, and it
shall swallow their fakes,
for these are just
some magic tricks.
A magician shall
never succeed no matter where he goes.
70. [The magicians], prostrating themselves:
“We believe in the
God of Aaron and Moses!”
“How dare you
believe in Him without my leave!
Your
leader is surely [Moses] — he’s the one who taught you witchcraft!
So
from each of you I’ll cut off a hand on one side and a foot on the other, and
then I’ll crucify you on trunks of palm-trees!
Then
you’ll know for sure whose punishment is the most painful and the most
lasting!”
72. [The magicians to Pharaoh]:
“We’ll
never put you above the Proofs that came to us, and above the One, Who created
us!
So,
decide what you want to decide, but you can decide [only] in the present life!
73. We have truly believed in our Lord.
Let
Him forgive us our errors and the magic you’ve forced upon us.
God is the best
and the most lasting!”
74. Verily, for anyone who appears before his Lord
as a sinner, there will be Hellfire
in which he shall
neither die nor live.
75. But for anyone who appears before Him
as
a believer and does good deeds, there will be the highest levels:
76. the Gardens of Eden under which the rivers
flow, where they shall remain for ever.
Such is the reward
for those who stay pure!
—
Leave with My servants at night and open a dry path for them through the sea.
Do not fear to be
overtaken, do not fear [anything]!
78. Pharaoh followed them with his forces,
but the sea
swallowed them as swallow it can —
79. indeed, Pharaoh misled his people instead of
guiding them right.
We rescued you
from your enemy,
We
gave you a Covenant at the right side of the mountain, and We sent down to you
manna and quails.
81. Eat of the good things We are supplying you
with, but in moderation, lest you incur My wrath — indeed, anyone who incurs My
wrath shall perish!
82. But, verily, I am forgiving for those who
repented and believed,
did good works,
and followed the Guidance.
Why are you running
away from your people?
“They are the ones
who run in my tracks,
and I’m rushing to
You, o my Lord, to please You.”
85* [God] said:
—
In your absence We submitted your people to a test, but As-Samiri misled them.
86. Moses returned
to his people angry and grieving.
He said:
“O My people!
Didn’t your Lord
make you a good promise?
Or had you waited
for the promise too long?
Or
do you want the wrath of your Lord to crash upon you, and that’s why you broke
your promise to me?
“We’ve
not broken our promise to you willingly.
We
have been forced to bring loads of [golden] ornaments from the people and to
throw them [into the fire], as As-Samiri had been throwing them.”
88. When he cast for them the likeness a lowing
calf, they said:
“This is your god
and Moses’ God he has forgotten about.”
that
[the calf] was not responding to their words, and that it could neither harm
nor benefit them?
90. Aaron had been warning them:
“O my people! This
is a test for you.
Verily,
your Lord is the Compassionate, so follow me and obey my command!”
“We’ll
continue to worship [the calf] until Moses returns to us!”
“O
Aaron! When you saw that they were going astray, what prevented you
93. from obeying me? Didn’t you defy my command?”
94* [Aaron]:
“O Son of my
mother’s!
Don’t grab me by
my beard and my hair!
I was afraid you’d
say:
’You’ve
sown division among the Children of Israel and disobeyed my word!’”
95. [Moses]:
“And you,
As-Samiri, what will you say to that?”
96* [As-Samiri]:
“When I saw that
nobody was looking,
I
took a handful of dust from the track of the Messenger and cast it inside [the
calf], as my soul had inspired!”
“Begone!
To the end of your days you’ll have to warn [every passerby]:
’Don’t
touch me!’
And
verily, the promised [punishment] will not spare you. Look at the god you
worshiped so keenly: we’ll burn it and scatter its ashes over the sea.”
98. Verily, your God is One God!
There
is no god besides Him, and His Knowledge extends to all things.
We are telling you
about past events
and We have sent
you a Reminder from Us.
100. Anyone who turns away from it
shall carry a
burden on Resurrection Day
Grievous shall be this burden on Resurrection Day, 102*the Day when
the trumpet is blown,
the Day when We
gather all the wrong-doers!
With eyes turned
white [by terror],
103*they will
whisper to one another:
“You tarried there
only ten [days]!”
104.We will know best what they are talking about
when the most devout of them says:
“You tarried there
only one day!”
105.If they ask you what will happen to the
mountains, say: “My Lord will scatter them like dust
106. and level them to a smooth plain
107. on which you will see no curves and no bumps.”
108*On that Day
they shall follow the Caller
[on a path] without
curves.
All
voices shall be hushed before the Compassionate, only a rustle shall be audible
to you.
109*No one shall benefit from intercession on that Day, except those
allowed by the Compassionate, and whose word He will be satisfied with.
110*He knows what they have brought in their hands and what they
have left behind.
But they cannot
encompass that with [their] knowledge!
111. Humbled shall be their faces
before the Living,
the Self-existing.
Anyone carrying a
load of evil shall lose all hope,
112.but anyone who does good works and believes
shall not fear injustice or deprivation.
113*We have sent
down an Arabic Koran,
with
detailed explanation of some Admonitions — perhaps they will fear God,
or they will wake
up to remembering [Him].
114*Exalted be
God, He is the King, He is the Truth!
— [O Muhammad!]
Do
not be hasty with the Koran until its revelation to you is completed, and keep
saying:
“O
my Lord, increase my knowledge!”
115*In the beginning We made a Covenant with Adam. But he forgot
[about it] — We found no firmness in him.
—
Prostrate yourselves before Adam, they all complied, except Iblis, who refused.
—
O Adam! Truly, he is your and your wife’s enemy. Do not let him drive you away
from the Garden and make you both miserable.
118. Verily, you shall never be hungry or naked,
119. nor shall you suffer from thirst and heat.
120*But Satan
whispered to him:
“O Adam! Would you
like me to lead you
to the Tree of
Eternity and the invincible Dominion?”
121. They both ate [of the tree] and, discovering their shame,
stitched for themselves some leaves from the Garden, Thus Adam disobeyed his
Lord and went astray.
122*Later on his Lord chose him, forgave him, and guided him.
123*[God] said:
—
Get out, both of you, and be enemies to one another.
If
My Guidance comes to you, then anyone who follows My way shall not err nor be
miserable.
124. But anyone who turns away from My Remembrance
shall have a arduous life,
and on
Resurrection Day We shall raise him blind.
“O
my Lord! Why have you raised me blind, could I not see before?”
126. — On this Day, you shall be ignored
just as you
ignored Our Signs when they came to you!
127. This is how We reward those who transgressed
and did not believe in the Signs of their Lord. And the punishment in the
Hereafter
shall be still
stronger and more lasting!
128.Is it not a
lesson for them
that
We destroyed so many of the past generations? Do they not walk in [the ruins
of] their dwellings? Verily, there are Signs in this for those who can reason!
129.If the Word of your Lord had not come before, [the Judgment]
would have surely taken place. Instead, they have been given a definite time.
130. [O Muhammad!] Bear patiently everything they say. Praise your
Lord before sunrise and before sundown. Praise [Him] during a part of the
night, and at the beginning and the end of the day — then, perhaps, you’ll be
filled with joy!
131*Do not covet what We give to some couples because the glitter of
this life is given to them to test their faith,
and your Lord’s sustenance is better and lasts longer! 132*Enjoin
the prayer on your family and persevere in it.
We do not ask you to sustain Us —
We are the One, Who sustains you,
and the fear of God tops it all!
“Why doesn’t he bring us a Sign from his Lord?”
— Have they not received the Proofs of the first
Scriptures?
134.
Had We
destroyed them before by Our punishment,
they would have said:
“O our Lord! Had You sent us a Messenger,
we would’ve recognized Your Signs
and avoided shame and humiliation.”
135.Say:
“Everyone is waiting, let you wait too!
Soon you’ll know who took the smooth path,
and who accepted Guidance!”
V. 1: The initial letters of a few suras are used as
names of people, like Taha (this sura) and Yaseen (S.36).
Vv. 10-12: According to the Bible, the burning bush
episode happened near Mount Horeb (Exod. 3:1f). Muslim commentators place the
valley of Toowa at the foot of Mount Sinai.
Vv. 15: “I keep it secret,” or, perhaps, the opposite: “I
divulge it.” Linguistic ambiguities feed mystic ratiocinations.
V. 22: Lit., “press your hand to your wing.” The verse
can also be read “brace yourself, your hand doesn’t deserve a blame.”
V. 27: Lit., “loosen the knot on my tongue.” Moses had a
speech defect since childhood.
V. 29: “A deputy” or a minister or assistant — wazir (vizier).
V. 31; Lit., “to let him strengthen my back.”
V. 39: “Our common enemy” — the Egyptians.
V. 85: In The Bible, the person directly responsible for
the worship of the Golden Calf was Aaron himself. The Koran mitigates his guilt
because a Prophet could not be such a miscreant. As-Samiri, mentioned
only in this sura, is not a Biblical character. He might be an ancestor of the
Samaritans.
V. 94: “Hair,” lit., “head.”
V. 96: The Messenger is either the Prophet or an Angel.
V. 102: “With eyes turned white [by terror]” — “their
eyes turned blue” in the original.
V. 103-104: Ten days or one day are equal in eternity.
V. 108: The Caller is the Angel 'Asrafil.
V. 109: Or “Only those who received permission from the
Compassionate... will be allowed to intercede.”
V. 110: “What they have brought in their hands and what
they have left behind” — their future and their past.
V. 114: Wait until the revelation of the Koran comes to
its end: indeed, only a completed Koran can be perfect.
Vv. 115-123: In the episode of Adam and Iblis, the latter
was ordered to prostrate himself before Adam, but not to worship
him. Worship would have contradicted monotheism and the refusal of Iblis would
have been commendable (prostrations in front of an Oriental potentate are
still common in the East).
V. 120: The tree of knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:9)
is called, in the Koran, “the Tree of Eternity.” However, eternal as it could
be, it is “the Tree of Knoweldge of Good and Evil,” judging by the effect
eating its fruit had on Adam and Eve.
V. 121: Adam and Eve both ate from the forbidden tree;
both disobeyed God. In the Bible, Eve is singled out as the culprit who incited
Adam to sin against God (Gen. 3:1-6).
V. 122: “We chose him” in the sense: “We chose him to
bestow Our Grace upon him.”
V. 123: Ihbita (get out of here, both of you) is
the dual form. In S.2:38, it is ihbitu: (get out, you all), Satan
included.
V. 131: God allows some people to be richer than others.
V. 132: God is not a pagan idol that needs food offerings
and sustenance. He is the One Who provides man with all he needs.
Sura 11 Hood. Like S.26, with which it has much in common,
S.11 recounts the stories of Biblical and Arabian Prophets, namely, Noah (vv. 25-49),
Hood (vv. 50-60), Salih (vv. 61-68), Abraham and Lot (vv. 69-83), and Shu 'aib
(vv. 84-95). A few verses speak of Moses (vv. 96-99, 100). These stories are
similar in style and conclusion, but they approach the Prophets from a somewhat
different point of view than in S.26, where the style is concise and direct.
Here, it is more ponderous, even convoluted at times, with an accumulation of
Signs and Warnings, especially in the introduction and conclusion. S.11
obviously belongs to a late period, as evidenced, for example, by the use of
the word “Proof” for Sign, and by a discussion of dissensions among the Jews in
vv. 110-111.
Meccan, 123
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
[This
is] a Scripture from the Wise and All-knowing whose Verses based on Wisdom are
explained in detail, so that you would not worship anyone, except God.
“Verily, He has [sent] me to you
to warn and to bring good tidings.
3. Ask forgiveness of your Lord and turn to Him in
repentance, then He’ll give you a good provision till your appointed time.
He bestows His Grace upon any one rich in Grace.
But if you turned away,
I’d fear for you the punishment of the Great Day.
He has power over all things!”
5* They cover up their hearts
in order to hide from Him, but even if they wrap themselves in their garments,
He will know what they hide and what they disclose —
indeed, He knows
well what is in the hearts!
6. There is not a single living creature on earth whose existence
does not depend upon God. [God] knows where it settles and where it is kept —
everything is in a clear Book!
7* He is the One, Who has
created the Heavens and the earth in six Days. His Throne was on the Waters.
This
was to find out who of you is the best in deeds. If you say to the
disbelievers:
“Verily,
you’ll be raised after you die,” they will surely say:
“That’s nothing
but plain magic!”
8. Yet if We delayed their punishment for a while,
they would surely say:
“What
has kept it back?” But on that Day, when it comes to them, nothing shall save
them from it, and they shall be encircled by what they were laughing at!
9.
If We give
a man a taste Our mercy, and then We withdraw it from him, he would be in
despair and disbelief.
10.
But if We
allowed him to taste [Our] Grace after he had suffered misfortunes,
he
would surely say: “Evil has left me!”
And
he will start exulting and showing off.
11. But not those who are patient and do good
works: for them there is forgiveness and a great reward.
12* — [O Muhammad!] You might omit part of what is inspired to you,
and your heart might feel tight when they say: “Why hasn’t a treasure been sent
down to him, or why didn’t an Angel accompany him?” But you are only a Warner,
and God is responsible for everything!
“He
invented [the Koran],”
Say:
“Bring
up ten suras in its likeness, and summon anyone you want besides God if you’re
telling the truth!”
14. If they fail to respond, then know that [the
Koran] has been sent down to you with the knowledge of God,
and that there is
no god, but Him.
So, would you not become Muslims?
15. We shall fully pay for their deeds those who
prefer this life with its frills.
16. They are those who cannot expect anything in
the Hereafter, except Fire. Void shall be all their works,
and fruitless shall
be all their deeds.
17. The believers are those who accept the clear
Verses of their Lord
that
are read to them by a witness from Himself, as the Book of Moses was read to
them before — this is Guidance and mercy [for mankind].
But
the factions who reject it shall meet in the Fire. Have no doubts about it:
this
is the Truth from your Lord, although most people do not believe.
18. Who does more evil than the one who invents
lies against God?
They
shall be returned to their Lord, and the witnesses shall say:
“These are the
ones who lied about their Lord!
Let the curse of
God be upon those who do wrong
19. by seducing others from God’s way and striving
to make it crooked.
They are of those
who deny the Hereafter!”
20. They shall not change anything on earth, and
they shall have no protectors, except God.
Their
punishment shall be doubled — indeed, they are blind and deaf!
21. They are of those who lost their souls; their
fabrications have abandoned them.
the greatest
losses in the Hereafter.
23. But those who have believed, have done good
deeds, and have been humble before their Lord,
shall dwell in
Paradise and stay in it for ever.
24. Some of them can be compared to those who do
not see nor hear, and others to those who hear and see. Are they equal in this
comparison? Will you not come to your senses?
25. We sent Noah to his people. [He said]: “Truly,
I’m your lucid Warner.
26. Don’t worship anyone besides God,
or I’ll fear for
you the punishment of the painful Day!”
27. The disbelieving chieftains of his people said:
“We see that you’re a mortal like us,
and that you’re
followed only by the lowest
and the most
immature of us.
We
don’t see that you exceed us in merit, and, therefore, we think that you’re
liars!”
28* [Noah] said:
“O
my people! Don’t you see that I have a Proof from my Lord?
He
has bestowed upon me a Mercy to which you’re blind, but can we force upon you
what you deny?
I’m not asking you
for a fee — my reward is only with God.
And
I’m not going to drive the believers away — indeed, they will surely meet with
their Lord.
But I see that you
are ignorant folks!
Who would
intercede for me before God
if I drove [the
believers] away?
Will you not come
to your senses?
31. I’m not telling you that I own God’s treasuries
and
know the Unseen; and I don’t pretend to be an Angel.
I
wouldn’t say about those you despise that God won’t bestow upon them any favors
— indeed, God knows best what’s in their souls — otherwise, I would be doing
wrong.”
“O Noah! By
arguing with us you prolong our dispute.
Bring your threat
upon us if you’re telling the truth!”
“God
will bring it upon you if He wills, and you won’t be able to avoid it!
34. Much as I desire to advise you, my advice
wouldn’t help you
if God wanted you
to go astray.
He’s your Lord,
and to Him is your return!”
35. — [O Muhammad!] When they say:
“He invented [the
Koran],”
say:
“If
I invented it, my sin would be upon me, but I’m not guilty of your sins.”
36. Noah received the inspiration:
—
No one of your people will believe, except those who already have faith.
So, do not grieve
over what they do,
37. but build an ark in Our sight by inspiration
from Us, and don’t talk to Me about the transgressors — they shall be drowned,
all of them!
38. [Noah] began to build the ark, and the chieftains
of his people mocked him each time they passed by.
He was saying to
them:
“You’re mocking us
now, but our turn will come to mock you.
for
whom there will be a humiliating punishment, for whom there will be a lasting
punishment!”
40*When Our Command was issued, and the waters gushed out, We said:
—
Embark a pair of each kind together with your household and those who have
believed, but not those who have already been sentenced.
However, only a
few shared his faith.
41. [Noah] said:
“Embark
on it in the Name of God, whether it sails or stands still!
Verily, my Lord is
forgiving and merciful!”
42*When it sailed with them on waves [huge] like mountains, Noah
called to his son who was standing aside: “O my son!
Come with us,
don’t stay with the disbelievers!”
43. He said:
“I’ll
climb a mountain to save myself from the flood.” [Noah] said:
“Today
no one shall escape from God’s Command, except those upon whom He bestowed
[His] mercy.” A wave came between them, and [the son] was drowned.
44*And it was
said:
—
O earth, swallow up your waters! O sky, stop [raining]! The waters receded, the
event was completed.
[The ark] stood
firm on [Mount] Al-Djudi, and it was said:
— Down with those
who do wrong!
45. Noah called to his Lord, saying:
“O
my Lord! Surely my son is part of my family, but Your promise is true — indeed,
You’re the wisest ofJudges!”
—
O Noah! If he misbehaved, he is not part of your family. Do not ask Me what you
are not supposed to know.
I urge you not to
be one of the ignorant!
“O
my Lord! Protect me from asking You what I’m not supposed to know.
Unless
You forgive me and have mercy upon me, I’ll be among the losers!”
—
O Noah! Disembark with peace from Us and with blessings upon you and the nations
that will descend from those who are with you. We will allow some nations to
enjoy life before We unleash upon them Our painful punishment.
49. Such are some stories of the Unseen
We are disclosing
to you.
Neither you nor
your people knew of them before.
Be patient:
the outcome will
be [good] for the God-fearing!
50. [To the people of] ’Ad [We sent] their brother
Hood.
He said:
“O my people!
Worship
God! You’ve no other gods besides Him: they are just your inventions.
I’m not asking you
for a fee —
my reward is only
with the One, Who has created me.
Don’t you
understand?
Ask your Lord to
forgive you and turn to Him.
He’ll
send upon you a copious rain from the sky and add strength to your strength.
So don’t turn away
like the sinners!”
“O Hood! What
you’ve brought to us aren’t any Proofs.
We won’t abandon
our gods just upon your word.
We don’t believe
you!
54. We can only say that one of our gods
has struck you
with evil.”
[Hood] said:
“I’m
calling God to witness, and you’re witnesses too that I’m innocent of your
associating with Him
Now plot together
against me without respite!
56. I’m putting my trust in God, my Lord and your
Lord.
There isn’t any
living creature
that He doesn’t
hold by its forelock!
Verily, my Lord is
on the straight path!
I’ve
delivered to you what I’d been sent with.
My
Lord shall replace you by another people, and you won’t harm Him in the least,
for my Lord is the guardian of all things!”
58. When We issued Our Command, by Our mercy
We
saved Hood and those who had believed with him — We saved them from a severe
punishment.
59. And such were [the people of] ’Ad.
They
spurned the Signs of their Lord, disobeyed His Messengers, and followed the
commands of some inveterate lawbreakers.
in this life and
on Resurrection Day.
Indeed,
’Ad have not believed in their Lord, therefore, down with ’Ad, the people of
Hood!
61. [To the people of] Thamood [We sent] their
brother Salih.
He said:
“O my people, worship
God!
You’ve no other
god, but Him.
He
is the One, Who made you from the earth and settled you on it;
so ask for His
forgiveness and turn to Him.
Verily, my Lord is
nearby, ready to respond!”
“O Salih! We had
expected much from you in the past.
Do you forbid us
to worship what our fathers have served?
We’re in great
doubt about what you’re calling us to.”
“O my people!
Consider that if I have the Proofs
from
my Lord and that He has bestowed His mercy upon me, who will protect me from
God if I disobeyed Him?
You’ll only
increase my losses!
This she-camel
belongs to God, she is a Sign for you.
Let
her graze on God’s land, and don’t harm her, lest an impending punishment
befalls you!”
65. But they hamstrung her, and he said:
“You
can rejoice in your homes three more days until this threat comes true!”
66. Once Our decision was made, by Our mercy We
rescued from the humiliation of that Day Salih and those who had believed with
him.
Verily, your Lord
is the Strong, the Almighty.
67. A Shout overtook the wrong-doers,
and at dawn they
were lying prostrate in their dwellings,
68. as if they had never flourished in them.
[The
people of] Thamood have rejected their Lord, therefore, down with Thamood!
69. Our [heavenly] Envoys came with good tidings to
Abraham and said: “Peace!”
And he said:
“Peace!”,
and hurried to
bring a roasted calf.
70. When he saw that they did not extend their
hands to it, he became suspicious and felt afraid of them.
But they said:
“Fear not — we’ve
been sent to the people of Lot.”
71* His wife, who was standing by, laughed when We gave her the good
news of [the birth of] Isaac to be followed by Jacob.
“Alas! How can I
give birth when I’m so old?
Here’s my husband,
he’s old, too.
That would really
be an amazing thing!”
“Why
are you surprised at God’s decree? O members of this household!
Let
God’s mercy and His blessings be upon you, Verily, He is praiseworthy and full
of glory!”
74.
When
Abraham’s fear was dispelled, and he received the good news,
he began pleading
with Us for the people of Lot,
75. for Abraham was kind, sensitive, and striving
to God.
— O Abraham! Do
not insist!
Your
Lord’s decision has already been issued and a sure punishment is coming to
them!
77. When Our Envoys came to Lot, he felt sorry for
them, knowing that he had no power to protect them, and he said: “What a
difficult day!”
78* Used to doing abominations, his people came rushing to him. He
said:
“O
my people! Here are my daughters — they’re purer for you. Fear God and don’t
embarrass me before my guests.
Isn’t there a
single righteous man among you?”
“You
know it’s not your daughters that we want, you know very well what we’re
looking for!”
“If I only had
power over you, or a mighty support!”
“O
Lot! We’re the Envoys of your Lord.
They
can’t get at you!
Leave
with your household before the end of the night and let nobody look back,
except your wife who will share the fate of the rest.
Verily,
morning is their appointed time, and morning is already near.”
82. When Our Decision was made,
We turned [their
cities] upside down.
We rained upon
them a hail of stones hard like baked clay,
[Punishment] is
not far from those who do wrong!
84.
To [the people
of] Madyan [came] their brother Shu’aib. He said:
“O
my people, worship God! You have no god besides Him. Don’t measure or weigh
short.
I
see that you’re doing well, but I fear for you the punishment of the
Overwhelming Day.
Measure and weigh
accurately,
don’t
defraud the people of their possessions, and don’t commit evil in the land
by giving
yourselves to corruption.
86* If you’re believers, the
best for you is what God has bequeathed to you — but your guardian I’m not!”
“O Shu’aib! Does
your religion demand of you
that
we abandon what our fathers used to worship, and that we stop managing our
property as we like?
Are you not kind
and just?”
“O
my people! Don’t you see
that
I’ve the Proofs from my Lord?
Didn’t
He provide me with a good sustenance?
Would
I want for myself what I’m forbidding you?
I
want to help you mend your ways as much as I can, and I rely upon God alone —
in Him I trust, and to Him I turn!
89* O my people!
Let not my
disapproval lead you to sin,
lest
what happened to the peoples of Noah, Hood, and Salih shall happen to you.
And the people of
Lot isn’t far from you!
90. Ask your Lord to forgive you and turn to Him,
for my Lord is
merciful and loving!”
“O
Shu’aib! We don’t understand much of what you say, but you’re a weakling in
comparison to us.
If
it weren’t for your clan, we would’ve stoned you — you’re not that prominent
among us!”
“O
my people! Is my clan more important to you than God to Whom you’ve turned your
backs?
Verily, God
encompasses all what you do!
Act as you want,
and I’ll act [as I want].
Soon
you shall know who gets a humiliating punishment and who is a liar.
So
watch, and I’ll be watching with you!”
94. When Our decision was issued, by Our mercy
We rescued Shu’aib
and those who believed with him.
But
the Shout came upon the wrong-doers, and in the morning they were lying
prostrate in their dwellings,
95. as if they had not flourished in them in the
past. Madyan went away, as Thamood went away!
96. We sent Moses with Our Signs and a clear
authority
97. to Pharaoh and to the chieftains under
Pharaoh’s command.
But how unjust
were Pharaoh’s commands!
98. On Resurrection Day he shall lead his people
and bring them
straight to the watering place in the Fire.
Awful is the
watering place to which they shall be led!
99. A curse shall follow them in this [life],
and
on Resurrection Day, awful shall be the gift that they will receive!
100.These are some of the events regarding the
towns We are telling you about. Some of them are standing,
and [others] are
already mown down.
101. We have not wronged them — they have wronged
themselves. When God’s decision was issued, whatever they worshiped besides God
didn’t help them in the least.
It only aggravated
their fall!
102.Such is the
hold of your Lord
over
the towns for their evil-doing — painful and violent is His grasp!
103. There is a Sign in this for those
who fear the
punishment of the Hereafter.
The
Day when all the people are gathered together will be the Day of Witnessing.
104. We will delay it only a little.
no soul shall dare
speak without His permission.
Then some shall
feel miserable, and others elated.
106. The miserable ones shall be in the Fire, where
there shall be nothing but sighs and sobs.
107. They shall stay there for the duration of
Heavens and earth, unless your Lord wills it otherwise —
indeed, your Lord
acts as He wills!
108*And the happy ones? They shall stay in Paradise for the duration
of Heavens and earth, unless your Lord wills it otherwise.
And this gift
shall endure for ever!
Do
not be troubled by whatever they worship: they worship what their fathers had
worshiped before. Verily, We will pay them a full price for their deeds!
110*We gave a Scripture to Moses, but they disagreed about it. Had
it not been for an earlier Word of your Lord, the matter between them would
have been resolved, but they have strong doubts about it!
111. Your Lord will surely pay them a full price for
their deeds.
He is well
informed of what they do.
112. Let you and those who turned with you [to God],
be firm as commanded, and do not transgress — indeed, all your deeds are in His
sight!
113. Do not side with the evildoers
or the Fire shall
also engulf you.
You
shall have no protectors besides God, and nobody shall assist you!
114. Stand up for prayer at the beginning
and
the end of the day, and at the approach of the night. Good deeds cancel the bad
ones!
This is a Reminder
for those who remember.
Verily, God will
not waste the reward of the righteous.
116. How is it, that except the few We have saved,
so few were virtuous in the former generations, who could have forbidden
corruption on earth? But the wrong-doers pursued the good things that were
given to them and continued to sin.
117*Your Lord
will never destroy a town for one transgression if their people are willing to
amend.
He could have made
one nation of all the people.
But they continue
to argue,
119. except those upon whom God has bestowed His
mercy — indeed, He created them to confer it to them!
The Word of Your
Lord will come true:
— I will fill
Hellfire with Jinn and men, together!
120. We are telling you these stories about the
Messengers to fortify your heart — indeed, they bring you the Truth, and they
are a Warning and a Reminder to the believers.
“Do what’s best
for you, and we’ll do [what’s best for us]!
122. Wait, and we’ll be waiting [too]!”
123. To God belongs the Unseen in Heavens and on
earth, and each affair returns to Him.
So
worship Him and trust Him — indeed, your Lord is not unmindful of your deeds!
V. 5: To hide from
God is to leave the real world for the realm of empty dreams and material
values.
V. 7: Water, so
essential to life, is an apt metaphor for the creative power of God, indeed,
His Throne is upon the Waters.
V. 12:
Occasionally the Prophet doubted his ability of transmitting the Koran
accurately and completely.
V. 28: “Proof,”
“evidence,” or “clear explanation” (bayina), implying the use of reason,
as opposed to “Sign” (aya).
V. 40: God rescued
all the righteous and not only Noah and his family. “Water gushed out,” lit.,
“the oven boiled over.”
V. 42: The Bible
does not mention this son of Noah’s.
V. 44: Is Al-Djudi
a mountain in Arabia or is it Mt. Ararat?
V. 71: Sarah
laughed when she overheard the Angels announcing the birth of a son to the
centenarian Abraham.
Vv. 78, 79:
Obviously, Islam does not condone homosexuality.
V. 86: The best
part of an estate is that which remains after one gives away generous contributions.
V. 89: “Isn’t far
from you” — in time or in space?
V. 108: The
punishment will not be eternal, as the Christians understand it, but temporary,
until the present world ends (God is free to replace the present Universe by
another Creation).
V. 110: God grants
a respite to men to allow them to repent.
V. 117: “Just one
sin” — probably, polytheism.
SURA 7 T HE HEIGHTS. The Arabic name of this sura (Al-a 'raf) means “The Heights” or “The
Barriers” (cf. v. 48). Long as it is, S.7 is easy to follow. Like S.20 it
starts with a statement that the Prophetic mission requires much emotional
exertion. Then Warning passages frame the stories of Ibis and the fall of Adam
(vv. 11'27), and the par' allel descriptions of the missions of Noah (vv.
59'64), Hood (vv. 65'72), Salih (vv. 73'79), Lot (vv. 80'84), Shu'aib (vv.
85'93), and Moses (vv. 103f). Abraham is conspicuously missing.
To some, S.7 may seem to be too elaborate, but an
artful recitation of short discon' nected passages attains a highly emotional
pitch by the effect of contrasts and repetitions. The Koran is meant for
expressive reading aloud more than for silent perusal.
Meccan, 206
verses
In the Name of
God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* Alif lam mim
sad.
2. [This] Scripture is revealed to you
to let you warn
and remind the believers.
Let it not be
heavy on your chest!
3. [O people!] Follow what your Lord has revealed
to you and do not seek any protectors besides Him.
But how little do
you remember!
4* How many towns
have We destroyed!
Our wrath came
upon them at night or during the midday rest.
5. When Our wrath came upon them, they could only
say:
“Truly, we have
transgressed!”
6. We will question those who received [the
Revelations], and We will question those who transmitted them.
7. We will recount to them everything with
Knowledge — indeed, We are [never] absent.
8. Accurate shall be the Balance on that Day,
and successful
will be those whose scales are heavy,
9. but those whose scales are light shall lose
their souls for being hostile to Our Signs.
10. We have settled you firmly on the earth and We
gave you the necessities of life, but how small is your gratitude!
11. We have created you and gave you a shape.
Then We said to
the Angels:
— Prostrate
yourselves before Adam!
And they [all]
prostrated themselves, except Iblis,
who refused to
join those who prostrated themselves.
12* [God] said:
—
Why did you not prostrate yourself as I have commanded? [Iblis] said:
I’m better than
he,
for You’ve created
me of fire, and him of clay!”
— Get out of here!
This is not the
place for you to be arrogant.
Out of here,
measly one!
“Grant me a
reprieve till Resurrection Day!”
— So be among the
reprieved!
“Since You’ve led
me into sin,
I’m going to
ambush those who are on Your straight path.
17. I’ll assail them from front and back, from
right and left!
You’ll see that
most of them are ungrateful.”
— Get out from
here and be scorned and exiled!
And if anyone of
them follows you,
I will pack Hell
up with all of you!
19. And you, Adam, dwell in the Garden with your
spouse. Eat anything you want, but do not approach this tree, lest you become
transgressors.
20. Then Satan whispered to them to let them see
their shame that was hitherto hidden from them, and he said to them: “Your Lord
has forbidden you this tree,
lest you became
Angels and lived for ever.”
“Truly, I’m your
good adviser!”
22. Thus, by his deception he caused their fall.
When they tasted
of the tree,
they
noticed their shame, and to cover it up, they stitched together some leaves
from the Garden.
Their Lord called
them:
—
Have I not warned you that this tree is not for you and that, verily, Satan is
your open foe?
“O our Lord! We’ve
hurt our souls!
If
You don’t forgive us and don’t grant us Your mercy, we’ll certainly be among
the losers!”
—
Get out of here, and live in enmity to one another! Inhabit the earth and use
it for some time.
—
On it you shall live, and on it you shall die; and from it you shall be brought
forth.
26* — O Children
of Adam!
We
have sent down to you some clothing to cover your shame and make you
attractive, but the best garment for you is devotion to God!
This
is one of God’s Signs — perhaps you will remember!
Do
not let Satan seduce you as he seduced your foreparents whom he got out of
Paradise and divested of their clothes, thus uncovering their shame.
He
and his tribe are watching you from where you cannot see them.
We made Satans
patrons of the disbelievers!
28. When [the disbelievers] commit indecency, they
say: “We found out that this was our fathers’ way,”
or “God has
commanded us to do that.”
Say:
“Verily, God
doesn’t prescribe indecency.
How can you say about God what you don’t know?” 29*Say:
“My
Lord commands justice.
Lift
your faces [to Him] in each mosque and call upon Him with sincere devotion.
You
shall return [to Him] the same as He has created you!”
30. He guided some people and let others go astray, to make them
take Satans as protectors instead of God, while assuming that they were on the
right path.
31* — O Children
of Adam!
Don a beautiful
apparel when you pray.
Eat and drink in
moderation —
indeed, [God] does
not love those given to excess.
32* Say:
“Who
forbade the beautiful [things] that God gives to His servants, and the good
things He gives them for food?” Say:
“They are for
those who in this life
have sincerely
believed in the Day of Resurrection.”
This is how We
explain the Signs to knowledgeable people.
“My
Lord has forbidden indecencies, open and secret, and vice, and sedition against
the truth, and association to God without His sanction, and saying of God that
which you do not know.”
34. Each community has its term. When this term is
reached, they will not be able to advance it
or to retard it
even by one hour.
35* — O Children
of Adam!
When
Messengers of your kin come to you to read you My Verses, those who feared God
and mended their ways should neither fear nor grieve.
36. But those who rejected Our Verses and scorned them shall dwell
in the Fire and stay in it for ever.
37* Who does a greater wrong than those who lie about God or reject
His Signs? Their fate has already been sealed in the part of the Scripture that
was given to them. When Our Envoys come to recall their souls, saying: “Where
are those you’ve worshiped besides God?”, they will say:
“They’ve deserted
us!”
In their
disbelief, they shall witness against themselves.
38* [God] will
say:
—
Enter the Fire with the nations ofJinn and men who died before you. As one
community enters, it will curse those who are like it, until they all get
inside.
The
last ones shall say of the first ones: “O our Lord!
These
are the ones who led us astray, so give them a double punishment by the Fire!”
[God] will say:
—
A double one for each of them, even though you do not know it.
39. And the first ones shall say to the last ones: “You were no
better than us,
so taste the
punishment for all you’ve amassed!”
40*Verily, the Gates of Heaven shall not open for those who
disdained Our Signs and rejected them. They shall not enter Paradise until a
camel passes through a needle’s eye. This is how We will treat the sinners!
41. Hellfire shall be their couch, and a shroud
their cover. Such is Our reward for those who do wrong!
42. As to those who believe and do good works,
We
do not load their souls more than they can bear. They shall dwell in Paradise
and stay in it for ever!
43. We will cleanse their hearts of all grief.
Rivers
shall flow at their feet, and they will say: “Praised be God for guiding us —
indeed, without God’s Guidance we wouldn’t be here. Our Lord’s Messengers have
brought us the Truth!” And they will hear:
— This is the
Paradise you have inherited for your deeds!
44. The dwellers of Paradise shall call
to the inmates of
the Fire:
“We’ve
found that our Lord’s promise to us is true, and you, have you found
that your Lord’s
promise to you is true?”
They shall say:
“Yes!”
Then a herald
shall proclaim among them:
“Let the curse of
God be upon the sinners
45. for turning others away from God’s path and for
seeking crookedness in it.
Indeed, they are of those who denied the Hereafter!” 46*And a
curtain shall descend between them.
The
men on the Heights shall know everyone by their marks, and they shall call to
the dwellers of Paradise:
“Peace upon you!”
They have not
entered therein, but wished they had.
47. Turning their eyes to the inmates of the Fire,
they shall say:
“Our Lord! Don’t
lodge us together with the wrong-doers!”
48. The men on the Heights shall call
those
they recognized by their marks, and say: “Have you been helped by what you’ve
amassed and by what made you so proud?
49. Are you not the ones who swore
that God will
never bless them with His mercy:
— Enter Paradise!
You shall not fear nor grieve!”
50* The inmates of
the Fire shall call
to
the dwellers of Paradise:
“Throw
us some water or something of the provision God is providing you with!” But
they will say:
“God
has forbidden both to the disbelievers
51. who took their religion for sport and amusement
and were seduced by the life of this world.”
On
that Day We will forget them, just as they forgot the meeting on this Day of
theirs and denied Our Signs!
52. We have sent down to them a Scripture based on
Knowledge and We explained it in detail.
It is a Guidance
and a mercy for those who believed.
53* Or, maybe they
are waiting for the Promise to be fulfilled?
The
Day when the Promise is fulfilled, those who have long forgotten about it will
say: “Indeed, our Lord’s Messengers have brought us the Truth. Don’t we have
any intercessors to intercede for us?
If
we were returned [to life], we would never behave like we behaved in the past!”
They have lost their souls, and their inventions have disappeared!
He
has created the Heavens and the earth in six days; then He established Himself
on the Throne.
He
covers the day with the veil of the night, and they unfailingly succeed each
other.
The sun, the moon,
and the stars are obeying His Law.
Is He not the One,
Who creates?
Is He not the One,
Who rules?
Blessed be God,
the Lord of the Worlds!
55. Call on your Lord humbly and in secret —
verily, He does not love the sinners!
56. And avoid corruption on the land after it had
been set in order,
but call on Him in
fear and with hope.
Verily, God’s
mercy is near those who do good!
57. He is the One, Who sends the winds that signal
the approach of His mercy.
When
they carry heavy clouds, We propel them to dry land and pour rain down on it to
bring forth fruits of all kinds.
Likewise
We will revive the dead — perhaps you will come to your senses!
58. Plants sprout on good soil by permission of
their Lord, but they are scarce on a bad one.
This is how We
explain Our Signs to grateful people.
59. When We sent Noah to his people, he said:
“O my people,
worship God!
You have no other
god but Him.
I fear for you the
punishment of the Great Day!”
60. The chieftains of his people said:
“We see that
you’re in deep error!”
“O my people! I’m
not the one in error:
I’m a Messenger of
the Lord of the Worlds,
62. I deliver to you the Messages of my Lord and I
advise you. Indeed, I know from God what you don’t know.
63. Why are you surprised that a Reminder from your
Lord is brought to you by a man from your midst
to
warn you that if you fear God, perhaps you’ll deserve His mercy.”
We
rescued him in the ark with some others and We drowned those who denied Our
Signs. Verily, these people were blind!
65. To ’Ad [We sent] their brother Hood, who said:
“O my people, worship God!
You’ve no other
god but Him, so why don’t you fear Him?”
66. The disbelieving chieftains of his people said:
“We see that you’re out of your mind
and we think that
you’re also a liar!”
“O
my people! I’m not out of my mind, I’m a Messenger of the Lord of the Worlds
68. and I’m delivering to you the Messages of my
Lord — I’m your faithful adviser.
69* Why are you so surprised that a man from your midst brings to
you the Reminder of your Lord to warn you? Remember that [God] has made you the
heirs of the people of Noah, and that He raised you above the nations.
If
you remember God’s gifts to you, perhaps you will succeed!”
“If
you came to us to make us worship one God and abandon the ones our fathers had
worshiped, then bring your threat upon us if you’re telling the truth!”
“Your
Lord’s retribution and wrath
have
already fallen upon you.
So
why do you argue with me about some names that you and your fathers have
invented without God’s permission?
So wait, and I’ll
wait with you!”
72. By Our mercy We rescued him and his companions.
And those who denied Our Signs and refused to believe, We destroyed them to the
last one!
73* To Thamood [We sent] their brother Salih, who said: “O my
people, worship God!
You have no other
god but Him.
A
clear Proof from your Lord has come to you: this she-camel, consecrated to God.
She is a Sign for
you.
Let her graze in
the land of God.
Don’t hurt her,
lest a painful punishment befalls you.
74. Remember that [God] made you the successors of
’Ad, and settled you in [this] land
where
you build castles in the valleys and excavate dwellings in the mountains.
So remember God’s
gifts
and don’t spread corruption
in the land!”
75. The haughty chieftains of his people
said
to the believers they considered as weaklings: “Are you sure that Salih is a
Messenger of his Lord?” They said:
“Yes, and we
believe in what has been sent down with him.”
76. Then the haughty ones said:
“We reject what
you believe in!”
77. And in defiance to their Lord’s command, they
hamstrung the she-camel and said: “O Salih! Bring your threat upon us
if you’re really
one of the Messengers!”
78. An earthquake disposed of them unawares, and in
the morning they were lying prostrate in their dwellings.
79. [Salih] turned away from them and said:
“O
my people! I’ve delivered to you the Message of my Lord, and I gave you good
advice; but you dislike the advisers!”
80. And Lot? He said to his people:
“How
can you commit shameful acts unheard of in the Worlds?
81. Lusting after men instead of women!...
Yes, you’re a
people without restraint!”
82. But his people had just one response:
“Expel
them from your town — indeed, these people want to stay pure!”
83. We rescued [Lot] and his family, except his
wife, who stayed behind.
84. We pelted the others with a hail [of stones].
Look at the fate of the transgressors!
85. And to Madyan [We sent] their brother Shu’aib,
who said: “O my people, worship God!
You’ve
no other God, except Him.
A clear
Proof has come to you from your Lord.
Give
a full measure, weigh justly,
don’t
appropriate what isn’t yours, and don’t spread corruption in the land after it
has been set right.
It’s best for you
to believe!
86. Don’t sit by the roads, threatening the believers,
and don’t seduce them from the way of God
in an effort at
making it crooked.
Remember
how few you were, and how He multiplied you! Consider the fate of the corrupt!
87. If some of you believe in what I’ve been sent
with, and some others don’t believe,
then
wait patiently until God rules between us, for He is the best of the Judges!”
88. The haughty chieftains of the people said: “O
Shu’aib!
Return
to our way; otherwise, we’ll expel you from town together with those who
believe like you.”
He said:
“And what if we
hate it?
89. We would lie against God if we returned to your
way after God has rescued us from it.
We
won’t return to it, unless God, our Lord, wills it. Our Lord’s Knowledge
extends to all things,
and in God we
trust.
O
our Lord! Rule between us and our people by the Truth, for you’re the best of
the Judges!”
90. The disbelieving chieftains of his people said:
“If you follow Shu’aib, you’ll be the losers!”
91. An earthquake caught them unawares,
and at daybreak
they were lying prostrate in their houses.
92. Wiped out were all those who rejected Shu’aib,
as if they had never flourished there!
Yes, the losers
were those who rejected Shu’aib!
93. He turned away from them and said:
“O my people!
I’ve
delivered to you the Messages of my Lord and I’ve given you some advice.
Why should I
grieve over the people who disbelieve?”
94. We have never sent a Prophet to a town
without
first testing its people by suffering or adversity, hoping they would humble
themselves.
95. Then We kept replacing their suffering by
prosperity until they recovered and began to say:
“Our
fathers had also experienced turns of adversity and prosperity.”
And at that We
took them suddenly, unawares!
96. If the town-dwellers believed and feared God,
We would have certainly extended to them the blessings of Heaven and earth.
But they rejected
[Our Message],
and We seized them
for what they deserved!
97. Do the townspeople feel secure, knowing that
Our wrath can overtake them at night when they are asleep?
knowing
that Our wrath can overtake them during the day while they are having fun?
99. Are they secure from God’s planning?
Only
the people who are doomed think themselves secure from God’s planning!
100.Have We not warned those who inherited the land
from its [former] possessors that if We willed, We could punish them for their
sins
and seal their hearts to prevent them from hearing?
101. This is what happened to the towns
We are telling you
about.
Their
Messengers came to them with the Proofs, but they refused to believe in what
they had denied before. This is how God seals the hearts of the disbelievers!
102.We found that most of them were not keeping the
Covenant. And We found that most of them were corrupt.
103.
Later on
We sent Moses with Our Signs
to Pharaoh and his chieftains, but they rejected them.
Consider the fate of those who did wrong!
I’m a Messenger from the Lord of the Worlds.
105.
My duty is
to speak only the Truth about God.
I brought to you the Proofs of
your Lord — let the Children of Israel leave with me!”
“If you brought a Sign, show it
if you’re telling the truth.”
107.
[Moses]
cast his staff, and it turned into a snake;
108*he pulled his hand out, and everyone saw it was
white.
109.
The
chieftains of Pharaoh’s people said:
“Surely, he’s a clever magician
110.
who wants
to expel you from your lands.
What is your command?”
“Let him and his brother wait
while you’re sending recruiters to the cities
112.
to round
up to you the most skilled magicians.”
113.
When the
magicians came to Pharaoh, they said:
“We expect to get a reward if we win!”
“Yes, I’ll make you [my] retainers.”
“O Moses! Will you cast, or shall we cast first?”
“Let you cast!”
While casting, they put a spell
on the eyes of the people and frightened them by showing a great magic feat.
— Cast your staff!
And lo and behold, it swallowed their fakes.
118.
Thus,
Truth has won and their deeds have been exposed!
119.
Instead of
winning, they were humiliated.
120.
The
magicians prostrated themselves
“We believe in the Lord of the Worlds,
122.
the Lord
of Moses and Aaron.”
“How could you believe in Him without my permission?
Surely it’s a plot you devised to
exile the people from the city!
But soon you shall know!
124.Off each of you I’ll cut a hand on one side
and a foot on the other; then I’ll crucify you all!”
“Verily, We’re turning to our Lord.
126.
You
retaliate against us only because
we believed in the Signs of Our Lord when they reached
us.
O our Lord! Give us endurance and let us
die as Muslims!”
127. The chieftains of Pharaoh’s people said:
“Shall you let
Moses and his people
spread corruption
in the land
after they have
repudiated you and your gods?”
[Pharaoh] said:
“Let’s kill their
sons and spare their women —
are they not in
our power?”
128. Moses said to his people:
“Seek God’s help
and arm yourselves with patience.
The land belongs
to God,
and He’ll give it
in inheritance
to those of His
servants He pleases —
such is the
outcome for the God-fearing!
“We’ve been
persecuted before and after you came to us.”
[Moses] said:
“Your
Lord can destroy your enemy and make you inherit the earth.
He’s watching over
your deeds.”
130*To make them
come to their senses,
We struck the
people of Pharaoh
with years [of
drought] and scarcity of fruit;
131*but as soon as
things improved for them, they said:
“We’ve deserved
that!”
When
evil befell them, they blamed it on the bad omens of Moses and his followers.
But
in God’s sight bad omens were in themselves, albeit most of them did not
understand [it].
132.They said [to
Moses]:
“No
matter what Sign you show to bewitch us with, we won’t believe you!”
133*We sent upon them as evident Signs a flood, locusts, lice,
frogs, and blood, but they remained as arrogant as before — indeed, they were
sinful people!
134. Each time retribution fell upon them, they
said:
“O Moses!
Call upon your
Lord on our behalf, as He bequeathed you!
If
you lifted the retribution from us, we’d believe you and we’d let the Children
of Israel go with you.”
135. But each time We lifted the retribution from
them
to let them
fulfill [their promise], they broke it.
136. In the end, We punished them:
We drowned them in
the sea
for denying Our
Signs instead of heeding them.
137. We let the people who were reputedly weak
inherit the East and West of the earth We had blessed.
The
good promise of your Lord to the Children of Israel came true thanks to their
fortitude.
We
destroyed everything built by Pharaoh and his people, everything they had made.
138. We moved the Children of Israel across the sea.
There
they met some people who worshiped idols, and they said:
“O Moses! Make us
a god in the image of their gods.”
He said:
“Truly you are
ignorant people!
139*What they’re holding to will soon be in shambles, and useless
will be all their deeds!”
“Why
should I seek for you a god other than God if He is the One, Who put you above
the Worlds?”
141. Indeed, We rescued you from the people of
Pharaoh who afflicted you with a most cruel punishment by killing your sons and
sparing your women.
Mighty was this
test on the part of your Lord!
142*We promised
Moses thirty nights,
then We added ten
more,
to let him spend
forty nights with his Lord.
Moses said to his
brother:
“O Aaron! Be my
deputy before my people.
Act right, and
don’t tread the path of the corrupt.”
143*When Moses came to the place We have designated, his Lord
addressed him.
[Moses] said:
“O my Lord! Reveal
Yourself to me to let me see You.”
[God] said:
— You cannot see
Me!
Look
at [this] mountain: if nothing happens to it, then you will be able to see Me.
But
when his Lord appeared before the mountain in His glory, it crumbled to dust,
and Moses passed out.
When he recovered,
he said:
“Glory
to You! I’m turning to You in repentance — I’m the first among the believers!”
144.[God] said:
—
O Moses! I have chosen you among all the people for My Messages and My Words.
Take what I am
giving to you and be grateful.
145*We wrote for him all the matters on Tables, admonishing and
explaining everything:
— Hold fast onto
this
and
order your people to hold onto the best — soon I will show you the abode of the
corrupt!
146.I will turn away from My Signs
those who unlawfully aggrandize themselves in the land,
so that even if they saw all the Signs,
they would not believe in them,
and if they saw the right path, they would not follow it.
But if they see the path to corruption,
they will rush upon it —
indeed, they denied Our Signs and made fun of them!
147.Fruitless are the deeds of those who denied Our Signs and the meeting
in the Hereafter!
Shall their reward be unlike their own deeds?
his people fashioned their
ornaments into the shape of a lowing calf.
Did they imagine that it would
talk to them or guide them on the right path?
But they embraced it and joined
the wrong-doers.
149*When they were slapped on their hands,
they saw their error and said:
“If our Lord does not absolve us
and doesn’t forgive, then surely, we’ll be the losers!”
150*Moses returned to his people angry and grieved.
He said:
“Evil were your deeds while I was away.
Do you really want to hasten the judgment of your Lord?”
He cast the Tablets down and,
seizing his brother by the head, dragged him to his side.
[Aaron] said:
“O my mother’s son! The truth is
that the people subdued me and almost killed me.
Don’t humiliate me before the enemies
and don’t assimilate me to the sinful people!”
151.
[Moses]
said: “O my Lord!
Forgive me and my brother and admit us into Your mercy,
for You’re the Most Compassionate of all the
compassionate.”
152.Verily, the wrath of their Lord and shame in this life shall fall on
those who took to the calf —
this is how We reward those who spin lies!
153.But for those who do wrong and then repent and believe, verily, your
Lord is forgiving and merciful.
154.When his anger subsided, Moses picked up the Tablets on which were
inscribed the Guidance
and the mercy for the God-fearing.
155.
For Our
appointed meeting
Moses chose seventy men of his people.
When an earthquake jolted them, he said:
“O my Lord! Had You so willed,
You would’ve destroyed them
together with me long ago. Shall You destroy us [now]
because of the
actions of some fools among us?
Apparently it’s a
trial on Your part
to
send some people astray as You will, and to guide the others as You will.
So forgive us and have
mercy upon us.
You’re our Protector and the best of forgivers! 156*Prescribe
goodness for us in this world and the Next One —
truly, we are
turning to You!”
[God] said:
—
I strike with My punishment anyone I want, but My mercy extends to everything.
I dispense it to
those who fear God,
pay the zakat, believe in Our Signs, 157*and follow the Messenger,
the Prophet ummi,
who is mentioned
in their Torah and Evangel.
He exhorts them to
the lawful and restrains them from evil.
He
allows them wholesome [food] and forbids what is foul. He relieves them of
their burdens and chains.
They
believe in him, honor him, assist him, and follow the Light that was sent down
with him.
They are the ones
who will prosper!
158.Say:
“O
my people! For all of you I’m a Messenger of God, the Sovereign of the Realm of
Heavens and earth.
There is no god,
but Him!
He is the One, Who
gives life and death.
So,
believe in God and his Messenger, the Prophet ummi, who believes in God and His
Words.
Follow him —
perhaps you will receive Guidance.”
159. Among the people of Moses some
were guided by the
Truth and judged by it.
160. We divided them into twelve tribes.
When the people
asked Moses to drink, We inspired him:
— Strike the rock
with your staff!
Thereupon,
twelve springs gushed forth, and everyone knew from which one to drink.
We shielded them
with clouds,
and We sent upon
them manna and quails:
— Eat the good
things We are providing you with!
They did not wrong
Us, they have wronged themselves!
161*They were
told:
— Dwell in this
town and eat there anything you please.
When you enter a
gate,
[say] hittaton and
prostrate yourselves.
Then
We will forgive your sins, and increase [the share] of the righteous.
162.But the wrong-doers among them replaced this word by another
one. Then, for all their sins,
We sent upon them
a calamity from Heaven.
163*Ask them about the town by the sea where the Sabbath was not
observed.
On
the day of Sabbath fish came up to them, but on the days other than the
Sabbath, they did not come to them.
This
is how We tried them for their impiety!
164.Some of them used to say [to the Warners]: “Why are you warning
the people that God is going to destroy anyway or afflict with a strong
punishment?” [The Warners] said:
“We’re
fulfilling our duty to your Lord and we hope that they will fear God.”
165. But they forgot what they were warned about,
and
We rescued only those who abstained from evil. We struck the wrong-doers with a
painful punishment for their sins.
166.When they continued to disregard the
prohibitions, We said to them:
— Be despicable
apes!
167.And your Lord announced to them that before
Resurrection Day He will unleash upon them those
who will submit
them to a violent retribution.
Verily,
your Lord is quick in punishing, but, verily, He is also forgiving and
merciful!
168.We divided them in the land into communities.
Some were virtuous, and others were sinful. We tested them with goodness and
evil, hoping that they would return [to Us].
169*Their successors inherited the Scripture, but chose the vanities
of this life, saying: “We’ll be forgiven [for everything].” But if these
vanities returned, they would cling to them [again]. Did they not pledge in the
Covenant of their Scripture which they had studied that they will speak only
the Truth about God? But the best for the God-fearing is the abode of the
Hereafter.
Will you not
understand?
170.And what about those who hold onto the
Scripture and stand up in prayer?
Surely,
We will not allow the reward of the righteous be wasted.
171.When We shook the mountain over them and it
[hang] like a canopy,
they
thought that it will crash upon them, and [We said]:
—
Hold fast to [the Scripture] We have brought to you, and remember everything it
says — perhaps you will fear God!
172*When your Lord raised their posterity from the loins of the Sons
of Adam, He made them testify about themselves:
— Am I not your
Lord?
They said:
“Yes, we do
testify [to that].”
Otherwise,
on Resurrection Day you would have to say: “Yes, we’ve been mindless about
that,”
173. or “Our fathers had been Associators before us,
and we are their descendants.
Will You destroy
us for the deeds of the mindless?”
174. This is how We make the Signs clear —
perhaps they will
return [to God]!
175*Tell them about the man to whom We sent Our Signs, and he
rejected them —
Satan tagged along
with him, and he lost the way.
176. Had We so willed, We would have inspired him,
but he took to the earth and followed his lusts.
He
can be compared to a dog: attack it — it lolls its tongue; leave it alone — it
lolls its tongue.
This
analogy is for those who reject Our Signs.
Give
them [this] example — perhaps they will reflect.
177. A bad example are the people who hurt their
souls by rejecting Our Signs.
178. Anyone guided by God is on the right path, and
anyone He sends astray suffers a loss.
179. We have created for Hellfire many Jinn and men.
They have hearts,
but cannot understand;
they have eyes,
but cannot see;
they have ears,
but cannot hear;
they are like
cattle, but farther astray.
How mindless they
are!
180*To God belong
the most beautiful Names.
So
call Him accordingly and avoid those who desecrate His Names — soon they shall
pay for their deeds!
181. There is a community among those We have
created which guides by the Truth and dispenses justice by it.
182. But those who have rejected Our Signs,
We will lead them
to [punishment] step by step, unawares.
183. I will give them a reprieve, but firm is My
decision!
184. Did they not realize that their companion is
not crazy, that he is just their lucid Warner.
185. Do they not see when they look
at
the Kingdom of Heavens and earth and everything created by God
that their term is
coming to an end?
In what Message
will they be able to believe after that?
186.
Those whom
God sends astray
are deprived of
Guidance and wander blindly in sin.
187*They ask you:
“When is that Hour
coming?”
Say:
“Only
my Lord knows it! He alone can disclose its time that will be burdensome in the
Heavens and earth, and will catch you by surprise!”
They ask you
[about the Hour], as if you knew it.
Say:
“Only God knows
it, but most people do not know!”
188.Say: “It’s not in my power to benefit or to hurt myself, except
as God wills.
Had
I known the Unseen, I would’ve multiplied goodness, and no evil would’ve
touched me.
But
I’m only a Warner and a carrier of good news for the people who believe.”
189. He is the One, Who has created you as a single
soul.
From
it He made for you a spouse to let you find comfort in her.
After they get
together,
she bears a light
burden and carries it about.
When it becomes
heavy, they both call to God, their Lord:
“Give us a
righteous [son], and we’ll be grateful!”
190.But as soon as He gives them a righteous [son],
they attribute a share of this gift to His partners. Exalted is God above what
they associate!
191.How can they associate with Him those who do
not create, but have been created,
192. who cannot help either them or themselves.
193. They will not follow you if you call them to
Guidance:
it makes no
difference for you
if you call onto
them or keep silent.
194. Verily, those you call to besides God
are servants like
yourselves; call onto them
and let them
answer you if you are telling the truth!
195.Do they have legs to walk and hands to grasp
with, and eyes to see, and ears to hear?
Say:
“Then call upon
your associate-gods
and plot
relentlessly against me!
196. Verily, my Protector is God.
He
has sent down the Scripture, and He assists the upright.
197. But those you call to besides Him
will help neither
you nor themselves.”
198.
You call
them to Guidance, but they do not hear you.
You think they are looking at you, but they are blind.
199.
Uphold
forgiveness, enjoin righteousness,
and avoid the ignorant.
200.
And if
temptation from Satan affects you,
seek refuge with God — He is hearing and all-knowing!
201.
Verily,
when Satan tempts the God-fearing,
they remember [God] and recover their sight.
202*But their brothers are sparing no efforts
to lead them farther astray.
203.If you do not bring them a Verse [of the Koran], they
say:
“Why didn’t you contrive one?”
Say:
“I’m following only what my Lord inspires me.
It’s an enlightenment from your Lord,
it’s a Guidance and a mercy for the people who believe.”
204.
Listen in
silence when the Koran is recited —
perhaps you will receive mercy.
205.Remember your Lord within yourself mornings and evenings, without
raising your voice, humbly and fearfully,
and do not be one of the heedless!
206.
Verily,
those who are by your Lord
do not disdain serving Him.
They glorify Him and prostrate themselves before Him!
V. 1: Like S.44, this sura begins with letters — here
they are alif lam mim sad. People with a passion for decoding letters
and numbers try to discover in “a l m s” meaningful combinations like
“alpha and omega” and mystical messages to the delight of “numerologists,” as
each letter has a numerical value. However, these letters are probably
editorial marks that helped to arrange the suras in a certain order. Thus, ha
mim starts all the suras from 7.40 to S.47; alif lam ra — from S.10
to S.15; alif lam mim — suras 2,3,7,29,32; ta sin mim — SS.26,28.
The position of other suras with unique combinations of letters or without
letters might have been questionable until the whole Koran was published. Some
authorities believe that the letters are in the mythic Syriatic language spoken
before the Flood.
V. 4: God destroyed some towns to punish them for their
sins.
V. 12: “Created me from fire.” Is Iblis one of the Jinn
or a fallen Angel?
V. 26: “Make you attractive,” lit. “cover you with
feathers”.
V. 29: “In each mosque” or during each prayer. The
command to pray in the direction of Mecca was issued later.
V. 31: The Meccans still supply the pilgrims with white
cloth to wear in the sacred land. The first part of this sura might belong to a
late period when pilgrimage became a Muslim rite.
V. 32: “The beautiful [things]” or “gifts.” The Koran
calls for moderation, but does not approve of asceticism.
V. 35: “To read My Verses” is more logical and direct
than “to recite My Signs” or “to convey My Message” (S.36:33f).
V. 37: “In the part of the Scripture that was given
them.” Here, the Scripture is the Revelation consisting of the Torah, the
Evangel and the Koran. The “Envoys” are the Angels of death.
V. 38: “Those who preceded it,” lit. “their sisters”.
V. 40: The camel passing through the eye of a needle:
comp. Matt. 19:24; Luke 18:25; Mark 10:25.
V. 46: The Heights separate Paradise from Hell. The fate
of the men on the Heights is still undecided — they are in a kind of Purgatory.
They recognize the righteous by the glow on their faces.
In the West evil is perceived black and virtue white, but
this convention is often reversed in the East. Black is the color of a quiet
night, a refreshing shade, the splendid eyes of a gazelle or a beautiful woman,
the blessed stone of the Ka’ba. White is the color of dead bodies and dried
bones, the blinding sun, the burning sand, leprosy, and the flames of Hell.
The root of the Arabic word for “heights” (al-a'raf)
is the same as in “knowledge” ('rf), so that “the heights” also suggest
“high knowledge.”
V. 50: The dwellers of Paradise and Hell will see one
another. The righteous might pity the sinners and ask God to forgive them.
Perhaps, He will. According to the Hadith, God wrote over His Throne the words:
“My Mercy Supersedes my Wrath!”
V. 53: “The Promise is fulfilled” or the transmission of
the Scripture is completed.
V. 69: One gets the impression that Hood and the other
Arab Prophets lived after Noah and before Abraham and Moses.
“Perhaps you will succeed,” “you will prosper,” or still
more precisely, you will flourish,” as the Arabic word taflahun is
stronger than “you will be successful.” The root of taflahun is flh — to
blossom, to burst forth (hence fallah — peasant). The call to the prayer
is usually translated with neutral words: “Get up to prayer, get up to
success.” In reality it is sounded on a much higher note: Come to life for
prayer, come to life for flourishing” (haiyu 'ala-salah, haiyu 'alal falah).
V. 73: In the late suras the word “Sign” (aya) is
occasionally replaced by “proof” (bayina). All the meanings of “aya” are
combined by some translators in one word — “communication” (MHS).
V. 108: Moses’s hand looked white not because of leprosy
but because of divine glow. Muslims believe that Moses was a Black man.
V. 130: “Years [of drought]” or “years of hardship.”
V. 131: It was believed that birds carried good or bad
omens. V. 133: The flood is not mentioned in the Bible among the plagues that
afflicted the Egyptians.
V. 139: This verse has different interpretations,
depending on the identity of the pagans mentioned in v. 138.
V. 142: “Forty days” for the meeting with God on Mt.
Sinai.
V. 143: Moses did not see God, but only spoke to Him.
V. 145: The Biblical ten commandments are not spelled out
because they have been replaced by the Koranic laws that vigorously support
them.
V. 149: “When they were slapped on their hands,” i.e.,
when they came to their senses.
V. 150: Contrary to the Bible, Moses didn’t break the
Tables of the Law: that would have been sacrilegious. They remain intact
further down in v.154.
V. 156: Zakat, the tithe
(S.93:10), was usually set at 2.5% of the net worth, as estimated by the taxpayer
himself.
V. 157: The Torah and the Evangel (injil) are
mentioned by name only in the late suras. For Muslims, the Torah has the same
meaning as for the Jews, and Injil is a primary account of Jesus’s life, close
to the source of the synoptic Gospels.
Vv. 157-8: It is better to leave the word ummi untranslated
because of its many meanings: illiterate, popular, national, ignorant, simple.
The divine origin of the Koran is supported by the illiteracy of the Prophet
who could have been unlettered in the sense that he was not touched by mundane
knowledge, even though he had literate assistants: his wives ’Aisha and Hafza,
for example. Some of the Prophet’s enemies pretended that he was just repeating
the words of a human teacher, but then the Koran would not have been in perfect
Arabic (C.16:103) The followers ofJesus also believed that Jesus was
illiterate (John 7:13, Acts 4:13).
In principle all translations of the Koran are
unwarranted unless the translator himself is ummi and reflects the Koran
as a mirror. Still, irreproducible sounds and subtle meanings will be always
lost in translation. To the opinion that total spiritual immersion in the Koran
is possible only in the language in which God expressed His Will is opposed
the opinion of many scholars who believe that man ought to pray in the language
of the heart that is directly accessible to God, and not necessarily in
Arabic, and that a person can be a true Muslim without studying the original
text of the Holy Book.
V. 161: The meaning of hittaton is unclear. It
could be: “in humility we come.”
V. 163: The town is, apparently, a port on the Red Sea.
The fish used to surface up to town folks on the Sabbath, as if fish knew that
catching them was forbidden on that day. This situation was a temptation for
the Jews. According to Islam, all living creatures have some knowledge and
conscience, but people usually do not notice it.
V. 169: The “Scripture” — the Pentateuch (the Torah).
V. 172: “From their loins” or “from their backs.”
V. 175: The dodger might be the Biblical Balaam.
V. 180: About the Names of God, cf. S.85:14.
V. 187: “When is the Hour due” — in the original: “when
the anchor is cast” or “when they sail into the harbor.”
V. 202: The “brothers [in evil]” are probably the Qarinas
(S. 50:23f) or else, the Shaitans.
SURA 28 STORIES. This sura deals with the life of Moses from his birth to his
confrontation with Pharaoh. The account of his marriage is patterned on the
Biblical story of Laban and Jacob. The story of Moses ends with the episode of
the wealthy Korah of the Bible. The castigation of the Associators is stepped
up: it will become a recurrent theme in the Koran.
Meccan, 88
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* Ta sin mim.
2.
Here are
some Verses from the lucid Scripture.
3. We will recite to you from the story of Moses
and Pharaoh which is true for believers.
4* Verily, Pharaoh had elevated himself in the land, divided the
people into groups, and persecuted one of them by killing their sons and
sparing their women.
Truly, He was
among the corrupt!
5* We wished to be gracious to those who were persecuted in that
land and make them imams and inheritors,
6. improve their position in the land,
and
show Pharaoh, Haman and their hosts what they were so afraid of.
7. So We inspired the mother of Moses:
— Breast-feed him, and when you will fear for his safety,
cast him into the river.
Do not worry or
grieve —
We will return him
to you and make him a Messenger.
8* Thus the family of Pharaoh retrieved the one who will become their
enemy and cause them much grief. Pharaoh, Haman and their hosts were all
transgressors.
9. Pharaoh’s wife
said:
“Spare
him: he’ll be a joy for my eyes and yours.
Perhaps
he’ll be useful to us or we’ll adopt him as our son.” Little did they know!
10* In the morning the heart of Moses’s mother was empty, and she
was about to reveal [her secret],
but We
strengthened her heart to let her stay a believer.
11. She said to
[Moses’s] sister:
“Watch over him!”
She
began to watch over him from aside, but little did they know!
12* At first We
forbade him a wet nurse
until [his sister]
said:
“Let
me show you a household that will bring him up for you
and will become
sincerely attached to him!”
13. Thus We returned him to his mother to comfort
her eyes, stop her grief,
and
let her know that God’s promise is true, albeit the majority do not know [it].
14. When [Moses] grew up and reached maturity, We
gave him Wisdom and Knowledge.
This is how We
reward those who do good!
15* [One day] he entered the city, unnoticed by its inhabitants.
There he came upon two fighting men.
One was of his
creed and the other of that of his enemies.
His
fellow in creed called him to help against his enemy, and Moses slayed him by a
blow with his fist.
He said:
“This is the work
of Satan!
Verily, he’s the
enemy who leads everyone astray!”
“O
my Lord! Truly, I’ve wronged my soul! Forgive me!” And [God] forgave him —
verily, He is the
Forgiving, the Merciful!
“O
my Lord! Since You’ve bestowed Your favor upon me, I’ll never support the
corrupt!”
18. In the morning, as he was [walking] in the
city, cautiously looking around, he was called [again] by the man who had
sought his help the day before. Moses said to him:
“You’re truly a
troublemaker!”
19. When he had almost subdued their common enemy,
the latter said:
“O
Moses! Do you want to murder me, as you murdered someone else yesterday?
Apparently
you want to be an oppressor in the land, and not a peacemaker!”
20. At this, a man came running
from the farthest
end of the city and said:
“O Moses! The
chieftains are considering killing you.
Go away from here
— such is my good advice!”
21. He continued to walk, fearfully looking around,
and said:
“O my Lord! Deliver me from the people who do wrong!” 22*And turning
his face to Madyan, he said:
“I hope that my
Lord will show me the straight path!”
23. Arriving at
the watering place in Madyan,
he came upon a
group of people watering [their cattle].
There he met two
women backing [their flock].
He said:
“What is the
matter with you?”
They said:
“We can’t water
[our flock] until the shepherds are gone;
and our father is
a very old man.”
24*After watering
[their flock],
[Moses] turned
aside to the shade and said:
“O my Lord! I need
all the favor You can bestow upon me!”
25. One of the two [women] modestly walked toward
him and said: “My father invites you to repay you
for watering [our
flock]!”
When
he arrived, [Moses] told him what happened, and he said:
“Don’t be afraid,
you’re safe here from the unjust people!”
26. One of the two [women] said:
“O
my father, hire him! Who would be a better hired hand than a strong and
trustworthy [man]!”
“I’d wed you to one of my two
daughters, if you work for me for eight years, unless you want to make it ten —
you decide.
I don’t want to place any
hardship upon you, and, God willing, you’ll find me upright.”
“So let it be so
between us.
Neither of the
terms will burden me.
God is witness to
your words.”
29*At the end of
the term,
Moses and his kin
went their way.
When
he saw a fire on the side of a mountain, he said to his kin:
“Wait! I see a
fire!
From
it I might bring you some news or a burning brand to keep you warm.”
30. When he approached [the fire],
a
voice was heard from a tree in the hallowed grove on the right side of the
valley:
— O Moses! Verily,
I am God, the Lord of the Worlds.
When
he saw that it crawled like a snake, he backed up and ran away. [And he heard]:
— O Moses! Come
back, do not be afraid, you are safe!
32* Slip your hand into your
bosom, and it shall come out white without harm.
Now
press your wing to your side and ward off [your] fear. These are two Proofs
from your Lord for Pharaoh and his notables.
Verily,
these people are corrupt!
“O my Lord! I
committed a murder and I fear for my life.
34. My brother Aaron is more eloquent than I,
so send him along
with me as assistant and guarantor;
I’m really afraid
of being accused of falsehood.”
— We will strengthen your arm with your brother’s help
and give you both such power
that they will not
molest you.
With
Our Signs you shall certainly win — you and those who will follow you!
36. When Moses came to them with Our clear Signs,
they said: “This’s just some faked magic!
We haven’t heard
anything like it from our forefathers.”
“My
Lord knows best who comes forth with His Guidance and who is assigned to the
best abode.
Verily, the
wrong-doers shall never prosper!”
“O Chiefs! I don’t
know of any god for you, except myself.
O Haman! Fire me
an oven for [firing] clay
and
build me a tower to let me ascend to the God of Moses, albeit I’m sure he’s
lying!”
39. Falsely imagining themselves the greatest in
the land, [Pharaoh] and his army presumed they will not return to Us.
40. We took hold of him and his army and cast them
into the sea. Look at the end of the wrong-doers!
41. We made them leaders calling to the Fire — on
Resurrection Day no one shall help them!
42. We sent a curse after them in this world,
and on
Resurrection Day they shall be among the despised!
43. After We destroyed the former generations, We
gave Moses the Scripture — an insight, a Guidance, and a mercy for the people —
perhaps they will remember!
44. — [O Muhammad!] You were not on the western
side
[of
the valley] when We gave the Commandments to Moses, and you did no witness
[it].
45. Ever since We have raised [new] generations
that lived for a long time.
You
have not dwelt among the people of Madyan and have not recited Our Verses to
them.
Yet, We kept
sending [them] Messengers!
46. You were not on the side of the mountain
when We addressed
[Moses].
And
now, by the mercy of your Lord, you shall be warning a people
to
whom no Warner had ever come before — perhaps they will remember!
47. Otherwise, if they are hit by distress for the
deeds they have wrought with their hands, they would say: “O our Lord! Why
haven’t You sent us a Messenger? Then we would’ve followed Your Verses
and joined the
believers!”
48* Now that Our
Truth has come to them, they say:
“Why
hasn’t he received what had been sent down to Moses?” But are they not the ones
who rejected
what
had been sent down to Moses in the past? They say: “[The Torah and the Koran]
are two bits of
magic that reinforce each other.”
And they [also]
say:
“We do reject it
all!”
49*Say:
“Then,
produce a Scripture from God that guides better than either of these two,
and I’ll follow it
if you’re telling the truth!”
50. But if they do not answer you,
then know that
they follow only their passions.
Who
is further astray than the one who follows his passions and is deprived of the
Guidance of God?
Verily, God does
not guide those who do wrong!
51. Now that We brought [Our] Word to them,
perhaps, they will remember [the Guidance]!
52*Those to whom
We had sent the Scripture before, trust it.
53. When it is
recited to them, they say:
“We believe in it
because it’s the Truth from our Lord.
Indeed, we had
been Muslims even before it!”
54*They shall
receive a double reward:
for
being patient, for repelling evil by virtue, and for spending out of Our
provisions.
55. When they hear vain talk, they turn away and
say: “Our affairs are ours, and your affairs are yours! Peace upon you!
We don’t go the
way of the ignorant!”
56. — [O Muhammad!] You cannot guide everyone you
like, but God guides everyone He wills —
He knows best
those who live by Guidance.
57* [The disbelievers]
say:
“Had
we followed you in Guidance, we would have been expelled from our land.” Have
We not settled them in a sacred place where all kinds of fruit
are
brought as sustenance from Us?
But
most of them do not know [it]!
58. How many towns We have destroyed that cherished
their way of living!
Almost
all their dwellings are deserted by now, and We became [their] inheritors!
59. Your Lord is not such as to destroy a town
before sending a Messenger to its people in order to recite Our Verses to them.
We destroy a town
only when its people are doing wrong.
60. All the things you receive
are
mere conveniences and adornments of this life, but that which is with God is
better and more lasting! Why do you not understand?
61. Can you compare those to whom We made a generous
promise that shall be certainly fulfilled
to
those to whom We gave the provisions of this life, but who will be brought [as
sinners] on Resurrection Day.
62* On that Day
[God] will summon them and say:
— Where are the
ones you claimed to be My ‘partners’?
63* The ones whose guilt has
already been established shall say: “O our Lord! Here are the ones we’ve led
astray.
We’ve
led them astray because we have been misled.
We
repudiate them in Your Presence — indeed, it wasn’t us that they worshiped!”
64. And [the Associators] shall be told:
“Call your
‘partners’ to the rescue!”
They
shall call them, but they will not respond, and they shall see the punishment
before them. It would have been better for them to accept Guidance!
65. On that Day [God] will call them and say:
— How did you
answer the Messengers?
66. The events shall be obscured for them on that
Day, and they shall not be able to consult one another.
67* But whoever repented, believed and acted uprightly, will hope to
be among the successful ones.
68. Your Lord creates and chooses as He wills, but
they will have no choice.
Glory to God!
Exalted He is above those they associate!
69. Your Lord knows what they conceal in their
hearts and what they reveal.
70. He is God, and there is no god but Him!
Praise be to Him
in this and the Last [life]!
He will be the
Judge, and to Him is your return.
“Think,
if God prolonged your night till Resurrection Day, which god besides God would
return you the light?
Why don’t you
listen?”
72* Say:
“Think,
if God prolonged your day till Resurrection Day, which god besides God would
return to you the night to rest?
Why can’t you
see?”
73. By His mercy He has made for you the night and
the day to rest and to seek His favors —
perhaps you will
be grateful?
74. The Day will come when He will call them and
say:
— Where are My
‘partners’ of your invention?
75. We shall produce a witness from each community
and say:
— Come up with
your proofs!
Then
they shall realize that all Truth is with God, and their inventions will
disappear.
76* Verily, Korah belonged to the people of Moses, but he oppressed
them.
We
gave him such fortune that a band of strong men were not enough to carry its
keys.
His people said to
him:
“Don’t exult so
much,
verily, God
doesn’t like those who exult!
TT. Better look for an abode in the Hereafter, using what you’ve
received from God. Don’t forget about your share in this world and be as kind
as God is kind to you. And don’t spread corruption in the land, for God doesn’t
love the corrupt!”
T8. [Korah] said:
“All this has been
given to me for my knowledge.”
Did he not know
that God had destroyed
many
generations before him that were stronger in power and richer in possessions?
The wrong-doers
will not be brought to account [right away]!
T9* Behold, he
went out to his people in all his pomp.
Those
who were seduced by the life of this world said: “If we only had as much as was
given to Korah!
He’s truly a man
of great luck!”
80. But those gifted with Knowledge said:
“Woe to you!
For
those who believed and acted uprightly, God’s reward will be much better.
Only those who
endure shall get it!”
81. We made the earth swallow him together with his
dwelling. There was no one at his side to defend him against God, and he was
not able to defend himself.
82. In the morning those who had coveted his
position the day before, were saying:
“Yes!
God increases or decreases provisions to those of His servants He pleases.
If God wasn’t
beneficent to us,
He would’ve let
[the earth] swallow us as well.
No! The
disbelievers shall never prosper!”
83. We shall give the abode of the Hereafter
to
those who do not make much of themselves and do not [spread] evil on earth —
such will be the outcome for the God-fearing!
84. The one who does good works shall receive in
exchange something better than the evil-doer.
The reward of the
wrong-doers will be their own deeds!
85* — [O Muhammad!] Verily, He, Who trusted you with the Koran will
lead you back to the Place of Return.
Say:
“My
Lord knows best who came with the Guidance and who’s in deep error.”
86. You have not expected that the Scripture would
be dealt to you, except as a mercy from your Lord, so do not support the
disbelievers!
8T. Do not let them turn you away from the Verses of God after they
have been sent down to you.
So call [people]
to your Lord and do not be an Associator!
88.
Do not
call on any god, except God.
There is no god, but Him!
Everything shall perish, only His Self shall remain.
He will be the Judge, and to Him you will return!
Vv. 1,2: They are identical to the first two verses of
S.26. Both S.26 and S.28 start with the story of Moses.
V. 4: Pharaoh was trying to weaken the Hebrews.
V. 5: The imam is a religious leader. In Iran, he
is the ruler of a district or a province, often with a prophetic gift.
V. 8: In the Book of Esther, the enemy of the Jews was a
minister of Ahasuerus, Haman. Here, he is the Vizier of Pharaoh.
V. 10: Until now, no distinction was made between the
heart and the chest, and “heart” was the word of choice. Now, when in this sura
three different words are used for the center of faith and knowledge, it makes
sense to point out these differences. The Knowledge that God is One, or Islam
itself, is in the chest (sadr) (v.69); faith is in the heart proper (qalb)
(v.10); the knowledge of God’s attributes, based on faith, is in the depth of
the heart (fu'ad)(also v.10).
V. 12: God forbade him to use a wet nurse because all the
available nurses were not Jewish.
V. 15: “Unnoticed” or: “their people lacking vigilance.”
As a member Pharaoh’s family, Moses was not supposed to walk in the city alone.
V. 22f: A similar story in the Bible is told about Laban
and Jacob (Gen.29).
V. 24: “Turning aside to the shade” — to avoid creating
the impression that Moses worshiped the sun. To separate themselves from the
cult of the sun, Muslims forbade praying at sunrise and sunset, and replaced
the solar calendar by the lunar calendar.
V. 29: “On the side of the mountain” or “on the side of
[Mt.] Al-Toor.”
V. 32: “Press your wing” — if a man wearing a mantle
extends his arm holding a staff, he creates the impression of a wing.
V. 48: This verse is addressed to the Jews of that time.
V. 49: The mentioned Scriptures are the Torah and the
Koran.
V. 50: The Koran is easy to understand by members of
occidental cultures not only because they share many of their thoughts with
Muslims, but also because most of the stories and episodes recounted in it are
familiar to the foreigners.
People must control their passions if they don’t want to
be punished. An often repeated Warning to the sinners is: “How many towns We
have destroyed...” (v. 58). Sin exists in the world because, like everything
else, sin is part of God’s Creation. God is compassionate and forgiving, and
sin allows Him to forgive. Some sins are due to bad judgment. They are errors
that are even useful inasmuch they help man to correct his behavior and
find his proper place in society. Man’s desires are also legitimate because it
is God Himself Who inspired them to man. However, it is incumbent upon man to
rule over his desires and prevent them from escalating to sinful passions.
V. 52: If the Jews had accepted the Koran, there would
have been hope for reconciliation between the monotheistic religions.
V. 54: Twice — first here on earth, and then in Heaven.
V. 57: The sacred place is Mecca. For the Kuraish it was
a source of income; for Islam it is a symbol of spiritual life.
Vv. 62-64f; 74-75; 87-88: The “partners” of the
Associators are not only their idols but also the passions that distract man
from God: an excessive pursuit of wealth, art, sports, science.
V. 63: “The ones whose guilt is established”: the sinners
and the objects of their cult that will be judged as well. In the light of then
Koran idols are not only material representations of gods, but also all those
who are falsely endowed by superstitious people with extraordinary qualities.
The Koran does not accept the cult of the “saints,” marabouts, miracle workers,
hermits, and healers. While defending themselves on Judgment Day, these
“saints” will reject their worshipers.
V. 67: “Will hope...” God’s promise is not absolute: it
is predicated upon man’s behavior till the last day of his life.
Vv. 72-73: The sun and the moon, the night and the day
are Signs of God’s might and grace. “He appointed the moon for sea-sons; the
sun knows his going down. Thou makest darkness, and it is night...” (Ps. 104:
19-20).
V. 76: Korah or Qarun was a fabulously rich Levite who
led the opposition against Moses and Aaron (Num.16).
V. 79: “In all of his pomp,” lit., “in his adornments.”
V. 85: “The Place of Return” is Mecca or Paradise.
V. 88: “Only His Self shall remain,” i.e., the first of
His manifestations according to the doctrine of Five Presences. The first
Presence — the One God — is eternal. The other presences are not perfect as
they are potentially or totally transient. The term “eternal” has not the same
meaning in Arabic and in the other languages. In Arabic it means perpetuity or
even “a very long time”.
Sura 71 Noah. S.71 is entirely dedicated to Noah as S.12is
toJoseph. However, S.71 is wanting in expository unity and smoothness in
transitions. Noah's mission is described in terms that could easily apply to
any other Prophet. That reminds us that all the Biblical characters in the
Koran are legendary and symbolic. Their stories may be unconvincing to the
rational mind, but they create a powerful spiritual mood.
Meccan, 28
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* We sent Noah to his people:
— Warn your people
before they are overtaken by a painful punishment!
2. Noah said:
“O my people! I’m your lucid Warner.
3* Serve God, fear Him, and obey me.
4.
Then He
will forgive your sins
and reprieve you for a definite term.
Indeed, when God sets a time,
it’s impossible to postpone it, if you [only] knew!”
“O my Lord! I’ve
been calling to my people night and day,
6. but my call only increased their alienation.
7. Each time I told them that You might forgive
them, they stuck their fingers in their ears
and wrapped
themselves in garments.
They were stubborn
and full of haughty arrogance.
9. I talked to them in gatherings and in secret.
10. I kept telling them: ‘Beg your Lord’s
forgiveness — indeed, He’s all-forgiving.
11. He’ll make abundant rain fall upon you from the
sky.
12. He’ll multiply your wealth and your sons.
He’ll give you
gardens, He’ll give you rivers.
13. So what’s the matter with you
that you don’t
trust the greatness of God?
14* He has created
you in stages.
that God has
created the sky in seven layers,
16. and set up in it the moon as a light and the
sun as a lamp?
17. God has made you grow from the earth like
plants.
18. Later He’ll return you into it
and resurrect you
in a [great] resurrection.
19. God has spread the earth for you like a rug
20*to let you
travel on its wide roads.’”
“O
my Lord! They’ve disobeyed me and followed those whose wealth and children only
increase their loss.
23* saying:
’Don’t abandon
your gods.
Don’t abandon
Wadd, Suawa’, Yaguth, Ya’uk, and Nasr.’
24*They’ve seduced
many [people] in this way,
so don’t increase
the wrong-doers in anything, but error.”
25. They were drowned for their sins and led into
the Fire — nobody could have helped them, except God!
26* Noah said:
“O my Lord! Don’t
spare
a single disbelieving
dweller on earth.
27. Indeed, if You spare them, they’ll seduce Your servants and
breed only wicked disbelievers.
28* O my Lord! Forgive me and my parents, and every believer who
enters my house, and all the believing men and women.
And don’t increase
the sinners in anything, but perdition!”
V. 1: S.71 might
have been originally a part of a longer sura because it lacks an introduction
and deals only with Noah.
V. 3: A Muslim surren ders to God (S.72:4).
He believes in God’s Plan founded on reason and beauty, and wishes to be part
of this Plan. He fears God because much is mysterious and
menacing for him in His Way. V. 3 lists the duties of man in a nutshell.
V. 14: A non sequitur referring to
embryonic development.
V. 20: “Wide roads” or “mountain passes.”
V. 23: Wadd, Suawa', Yaguth, Ya'uk, and Nasr are
the names of five pre-Islamic idols; they were also the symbols of beauty,
man-hood, and other human qualities.
V. 24: Continuity requires that it be followed by v.27.
V. 26: “A single disbelieving dweller” or “a single
dwelling of the disbelievers.”
V. 28: Noah prays only for the believers and the
penitents because it makes no sense to pray for the sinners (cf. v.24).
Sura 12 Joseph. S.12 is devoted to one Biblical character,
Joseph, son of Jacob. His story is told in chronological order, but in the
typical Koranic style, with the omission of most of the personal names. In
contrast to the other Biblical stories, S.12 is not condensed from the Bible,
but expanded by the introduction of new details. Some Muslims like the
Kharajites mistakenly wanted to exclude it from the Koran as a love story
without a clear moral value. Others see in it a deep meaning with universal
value.
Meccan, 111
verses
In the Name of
God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
Here are some
Verses from the lucid Scripture
2. that We have sent down as an Arabic Koran —
perhaps you will understand!
3*. — [O Muhammad!] As We reveal this Koran to you, We will tell you
some of the best stories that you did not know before.
4. Once Joseph said to his father:
“O my father!
I dreamt of eleven
stars, the sun, and the moon,
and I saw that
they prostrated themselves before me.”
“O
my dear son!
Don’t
tell your brothers about your vision, lest they conspire against you — verily,
Satan is man’s open enemy!
6. Know that your Lord will choose you, teach you
the interpretation of events,
and
extend His mercy to you and to the posterity ofJacob, as He had previously
extended it to your forefathers Abraham and Isaac.
Verily,
your Lord is knowing and wise!”
7. Joseph and his brothers were Signs for the
probing minds.
“It’s
obvious that our father loves Joseph and his [younger] brother more than us,
although together we are a mighty force.
Verily,
our father is in manifest error.”
“Kill
Joseph or expel him to a [faraway] land, then our father will turn his
attention to you and you’ll become righteous people again!”
“Don’t
kill Joseph, but if you want to do something, better throw him to the bottom of
a well —
perhaps some
passing caravan will pick him up!”
“O
our father! Why don’t you trust us with Joseph? Indeed, we sincerely wish him
well.
12. Send him with us tomorrow: let him have fun and
play, and we’ll take care of him.”
“Surely I’ll feel
sad if you take him away with you.
I’m afraid that a
wolf will devour him
when you divert
your attention from him.”
“But there are
many of us;
we’ll rather be
hurt ourselves
than let a wolf
devour him!”
conspiring to
throw him to the bottom of a well.
We inspired
[Joseph]:
—
You will surely remind them of their action when they will not know who you
are!
16. At nightfall they came back to their father in
tears,
“O
our father! When we went off to race, we left Joseph with our belongings, and a
wolf devoured him.
You won’t believe
us, but we’re telling the truth!”
18* They had
smeared his shirt with some one else’s blood.
[The father] said:
“Yes,
you’ve made up a good excuse for yourselves, but patience is a virtue,
and only [God]
will help me to unravel your assertions!”
19. A caravan came
by,
and one of their
men was sent to the well.
He lowered his
bucket and said:
“Good luck! Here’s
a youth!”
They hid him among
their goods,
but God was well
aware of what they had done.
20*They sold him for a low price, just for a few dirhams, thinking
that he was not worth much more.
21. A man from Egypt bought him and said to his
wife: “Shelter him honorably — he might be useful to us, or we might adopt
him.”
Thus
We settled Joseph in [that] land to teach him the interpretation of events.
God
is in full control of His Designs, but most people do not know [it].
22. When [Joseph] reached manhood,
We
gave him Wisdom and Knowledge — this is Our reward to the righteous!
23* The mistress of the house where he lived tried to subvert his
will.
She locked the
doors and said:
“Come here!”
He said:
“God
forbid! Isn’t [your husband] my master who has kindly sheltered me?
Verily, the
wrong-doers won’t succeed!”
24. But she desired him; and he would have desired
her, had he not known the Commands of his Lord.
Thus
We turned evil and depravation away from him — verily, he was one of Our
faithful servants.
25. They raced to the door, and she tore his shirt
on his back.
At
the door they ran into her husband. She said: “Is there a harsher retribution
than prison or a painful ordeal
for
someone who has plotted evil against your wife?”
“She’s the one who
tried to seduce me!”
A witness from her
household said:
“If
his shirt is torn from the front, she’s telling the truth and he’s lying,
27. but if his shirt is torn from behind, she’s
lying and he’s telling the truth.”
28. [The husband] saw the shirt torn from behind
and said: “Such are the deceits of women!
Verily, mighty are
your deceits!
And
you, ask forgiveness for your sin — indeed, you are the guilty one!”
30* The women in
the city began talking:
“The
wife of a noble man tries to seduce a young slave against his will.
He inspired her
with love,
and apparently she
has really gone astray!”
31* Having heard their gossip, she sent for them and invited them to
a banquet.
She
gave a knife to each of them and called [Joseph]: “Come before them!”
When
they saw him, they became so excited that they cut their hands. They said:
“God help us! He
isn’t a mortal but a noble Angel!”
“This’s
the one you’re blaming me for.
I
tried to seduce him, but he resisted.
If
he doesn’t yield to my demand, he’ll surely be thrown into prison, and be among
the vilest!”
“O my Lord! I
prefer prison to what I’m urged to do.
If You don’t avert
their intrigues against me,
I might become
like them and join the ignorant!”
and saved him from
their ill doings.
Verily, He is the
Hearer, the Knowing!
35* Although the evidence was clear, they decided to send him to
prison for some time.
36. Two youths were sent to prison with him.
One of them said:
“I dreamt that I
was pressing wine.”
The other one said:
“I
dreamt that I was carrying bread on my head, and birds were pecking at it.
[O Joseph!]
Interpret this for us —
indeed, we see
that you’re one of those who do good.”
“I’ll
interpret it before they bring you your food — indeed, it’s part of what my
Lord has taught me.
I’ve left the
creed of the people
who rejected God
and denied the Hereafter,
38. and I’ve joined the creed of my forefathers
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
With
God’s grace bestowed upon us and mankind, we should not associate anything with
God.
But most people
are ungrateful!
Who’s
better: several lords differing among themselves or God, the One, the
Victorious?
40. Indeed, you aren’t worshiping Him, but only
some names that you and your fathers have invented,
and for which God
hasn’t sent down any authority.
But only God will
be the Judge,
and He commands
you to worship Him alone.
This
is the right faith, but most people don’t know!
One of you shall
be pouring wine for his master.
The
other one will be crucified, and birds will peck at his head.
Such
will be the outcome of the matter you’re asking me about.”
42. [Joseph] said to the one he thought would be
saved: “Remind your master about me!”
But Satan made him
forget to tell his master,
and [Joseph]
stayed in prison for a few more years.
43* [One day] the
King said:
“I’ve
seen in my dream seven fat cows that are eaten by seven lean ones, and ears of
corn — seven green and the others dry.
O,
you Chiefs! Explain my dream to me if you know how to interpret dreams!”
44. [The Chiefs]
said:
“This
dream is a very confusing vision, and we aren’t skilled at interpreting
dreams!”
45* But one of the two men, the one who was released, remembered
[Joseph], though much time had passed, [and said]:
“Let me deal with
that,
and I’ll interpret
them for you.”
46. [He went to the prison and said]:
“O
Joseph! O man of Truth!
Interpret
to us [the dream] about seven fat cows that are eaten by seven leans ones, and
ears of corn — seven green and the others dry. If I return to the people,
perhaps they’ll understand!”
47. [Joseph] said: “Sow for seven years as usual,
but save your harvest in the ear,
except a little to
eat from.
48. There shall follow seven hard [years] that will
consume all you’ve saved, except a little that you’ve put aside.
49*Finally, there shall come a rainy year, and people shall resume
pressing [wine and oil].”
50. The King said:
“Bring him to me!”
When the messenger
arrived, Joseph said:
“Return to your
master and ask him:
’What
happened to the women who cut their hands?’ Verily, my Lord is well aware of
their plots!”
51* [The King]
said [to the women]:
“What
was on your mind when you tried to seduce Joseph?” They said:
“God
forbid! We haven’t heard anything evil about him!” And the wife of the notable
said:
“Truth is now
revealed!
It
was I who tried to seduce him, but he proved to be one of the truthful!”
52. This is to let
[my husband] know
that I’ve never
betrayed him, even in secret —
indeed, God doesn’t support the plots of the wrong-doers! 53* I’m
not trying to justify myself.
Verily,
the unfettered soul is inclined to evil, unless my Lord dispenses His mercy.
Verily, my Lord is
forgiving and merciful!”
“Bring him to me,
and I’ll attach him to my person.”
After talking to
him, he said:
“From
now on you’ll stand before us, reliable and trustworthy!”
“Assign to me the
stores of the land —
I’ll be their
knowledgeable guardian.”
56. Thus We gave Joseph power in the land to rule
over it as he liked.
We bestow Our
mercy upon any one We please,
and We do not
waste the reward of those who do good!
57. Verily, the best reward in the Hereafter is for
those who believed and feared God.
58. Joseph’s brothers arrived and were brought in
his presence. He recognized them, but they did not recognize him.
59. After supplying them with provisions, he said:
“Bring me your [younger] brother by your father.
Don’t
you see that I’m giving you a full measure and that I’m the best in
hospitality?
60* But if you
don’t bring him to me,
there
won’t be any measure from me [anymore], then don’t even approach me!”
“We’ll
get him from his father, yes, we’ll do that!”
62. [Joseph] said to his servants:
“Return
their goods to their packs, but so that they wouldn’t know what’s in them until
they return home.
Then, perhaps they
will come back.”
63. When they returned to their father, they said:
“O
our father! They won’t give us another measure unless you send our brother with
us.
We promise to take
care of him!”
“How can I trust
you with him
after I’ve once
trusted you with his brother?
God is the best
Protector,
He is the Most
Compassionate of the compassionate!”
65. When they opened their packs, they saw that
their goods had been returned to them. They said:
“O our father!
What else could we wish for!
We got our goods
back,
thus we’ll feed
our family, keep our brother safe, and have an additional camel-load in store,
be it a small amount.”
“I won’t send him
with you
before
you swear by God that you’ll bring him back, unless something happens to you.”
After they had
sworn their oath, he said:
“God is witness to
our words.”
67* Then he said:
“O
my sons! Don’t enter [a city] by one gate, but enter by different ones.
I can’t help you
against God:
truly, it’s God
alone Who decides,
and Him alone I
trust. Let those who trust, trust Him!”
68* They entered
[the city] as their father had commanded.
It
could not have helped them against God, but it was the wish of Jacob’s soul,
and he fulfilled it. Indeed, he was full of Knowledge from Our teaching, but
most people did not know [it].
69. When they appeared before Joseph, he invited
his [younger] brother to stay with him, and said: “I’m your brother! Don’t feel
sorry for their deeds.”
70. He supplied them with provisions
and placed a cup
in his [younger] brother’s pack.
Then a crier
proclaimed:
“O, men of the
caravan!
There are thieves
among you!”
71. They turned around and said:
“What are you
missing?”
“The King’s cup is
missing!
A
camel-load for the one who finds it — we vouch for it!”
“By God! You know
that we didn’t come here
to make mischief
in the land, and we aren’t thieves!”
“How should we
punish you if you’re lying?”
75* [The brothers]
said:
“Enslave the one
in whose pack [the cup] is found.
This is how we
punish those who do wrong!”
76* [Joseph]
started with their packs
and pulled [the
cup] from the [younger] brother’s pack.
Such was Our plan
for Joseph.
He
would not have applied the law of the King had it not been God’s will.
Thus We raise in
ranks anyone We will.
For each one who
knows, someone knows better.
77* [The
Egyptians] said:
“If he is a thief,
he should have a brother
who was a thief
before him.”
But Joseph kept
this to himself
and did not
confide [to his brothers]. He thought:
“You’re in a hot
spot,
but God knows best
what is on your mind!”
“O
Chief! His father is a very old man, so better take one of us instead of him —
indeed, we see that you’re of those who do good.”
“God forbid that
we hold anyone,
except
the one with whom we found our property, or we would be unjust!”
80* In despair,
they stepped aside to confer.
The eldest said:
“Don’t you
remember that your father
made you swear by
God,
and that in the
past
you’d been unfair
to Joseph?
Therefore, I’ll
not leave [this] land
until my father
gave me permission,
or God commanded
me — indeed, He is the best of all judges!
81. Return to your father and tell [him]:
’O our father!
Your son has been caught stealing.
We vouch only for
what we know
and we aren’t
keeping any secrets.
82. Ask in the town in which we have stayed and the
caravan with whom we came back if we’re telling the truth!’”
“No, you’ve made
up all of this, but patience is best.
God
might bring me back all [my sons], for He is the All-knowing, the Wise.”
84. Turning away from them, he said:
“Oh how much do I
grieve over Joseph!”
His
eyes became white from grief, and he was unable to control his sorrow.
“By God! You won’t
stop remembering Joseph
till you’re senile
and pass away.”
“Of my distress
and my grief I complain [only] to God —
I know from God
what you don’t know.
87. O my sons! Go to search for Joseph and his
brother, and don’t despair of God’s mercy.
Verily,
nobody despairs of God’s mercy except people without faith!”
88. When [the brothers] appeared before [Joseph],
they said:
“O
Chief! An affliction came upon us and our family. We brought a few inexpensive
goods with us, yet give us a full measure for charity’s sake.
Verily, God
rewards those who give to charity!”
“Do
you remember how you treated Joseph and his brother when you were astray?”
“Is it possible that you’re Joseph?”
He said:
“Yes, I’m Joseph, and this’s my brother.
God has been gracious to us.
Truly, God won’t allow that the
reward of a God-fearing and patient man be lost if he has acted right.”
“By God! God has elevated you
above us, and, verily, we’ve sinned!”
“Today there won’t be any reproaches to you,
and God will forgive you —
He’s the Most
Compassionate of the compassionate!
93. Take my shirt and cast it upon my father’s
face, and he’ll recover his sight.
Then, return to me with all your family.”
94. When the caravan departed [from Egypt], their
father said: “I feel that Joseph is nearby.
Don’t think that I’ve lost my mind!”
“By God! You
surely keep to your old delusions!”
96. When the messenger came with the good news and
cast [the shirt] upon his face,
he regained his sight and said:
“Didn’t I tell you that I know
from God what you don’t know?”
“O our father! Pray for the forgiveness of our sins
— yes, we’re guilty.”
“I’ll ask my Lord to forgive you.
Verily, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful!”
99.
When they all
appeared before Joseph,
he lodged his parents in his
house and said: “Enter Egypt in peace if such is God’s will.”
100.
He raised
his parents upon the throne,
and they prostrated themselves
before him. [Joseph] said: “O my father! My old dream is fulfilled!
My Lord let it come true.
He has been good to me when He
released me from prison and brought you here from the desert
after Satan had sown enmity
between me and my brothers. Verily, my Lord is generous to any one He wills.
Indeed, He is the All-Knowing, the Wise!
101.
O my Lord!
You’ve given me power and You’ve taught me how to interpret events. O Creator
of the Heavens and the Earth!
You’re
my Protector in this world and the Hereafter. Let me die in submission to You
and make me join the upright!”
102*Such is one of
the events of the past
that
We are inspiring you with — you were not there when evil was planned and
intrigues were sprung.
103. But no matter how you wished it, most people
would not believe,
104. albeit you do not ask them to be rewarded for
that.
This is only a
Reminder to the Worlds!
105. How many Signs there are in Heavens and earth
by which they pass
by and from which they turn away!
106. Most of them believe in God,
but only after
they associate [other gods] with Him.
107. But does this make them safe from the punishment
of God that shall fall upon them like a pall,
or from the Hour
[of Judgment]
that shall come
upon them suddenly, taking them unawares!
108.Say:
“This is my way!
I
see what is evident, and I’m calling you to God together with those who follow
me.
Thanks God, I’m
not an Associator!”
109. And before your time We have been sending men
from amongst the townspeople We had inspired. Did they not travel in the land,
did
they not see the fate of their predecessors? The abode in the Hereafter is best
for the God-fearing. How come you do not understand?
110. When the Messengers lose hope after suffering
rejection, Our help comes to them, and We save those We will. But Our
punishment will not spare the guilty people!
111*There is a
lesson in these stories for the right-minded.
It
is not a fiction, but a confirmation of past events with a description of all
things.
It is a Guidance
and a mercy for the people who believe!
V. 3: The
Prophet’s audience did not know Joseph’s story.
V. 18: The father
is already suspicious of his sons.
V. 20: It seems
that the brothers were watching from afar. When the wayfarers pulled Joseph out
of the well, the brothers approached to take money for him.
A believer does
not seek continuity in a story. The Prophet is not a historian, but a reporter
of ideas and a preacher. The lack of punctuation gives unity and compactness to
the Arabic text, but creates some vagueness that encourages meditation and a mystic
outlook. Whereas Christianity is built on theology that spurns logical
analysis, Islam is built on intuition and meditation about the beauty of the
world and the wisdom of God’s Word. Joseph and his brothers were Signs for th
e pro bi ng minds (v.7). A dirham (the Greek drahma) is the 20th
part of a dinar.
V. 23: According to tradition, the woman was Zulaikha.
She “tried to subvert his will” or “tried to seduce him.”
Vv. 30-34: The story about women swooning at the sight of
Joseph is not in the Bible. Thomas Mann borrowed this episode from the Koran
and used it in his epic work “Joseph in Egypt” (1936). He thought that the
legend ofJoseph had a universal teaching value for mankind. Apparently a
particularly long sura was devoted to Joseph for this same reason. Muslim
mystics valued this theme, and the Persian poet Nur-eddin Djami wrote in the
15th century a poem entitled “Joseph and Zulaikha”.
V. 31: “A banquet” or “a place to recline.” The beauty
ofJoseph is proverbial in the Muslim world. It is said that all men in Paradise
will be as handsome as Yusuf (Joseph).
V. 35: “Proofs” or “Signs” [of his innocence], or simply
“Signs.” Joseph was safer in prison than in his master’s house.
V. 43: Here Pharaoh is called “the King.”
V. 45: This man remembered Joseph and wanted to learn his
interpretation of the dreams, and then pass it on as his own.
V. 49: Egypt relies upon the flood of the Nile and not
upon rain for irrigation.
V. 51: It isn’t clear who is the speaker in this verse:
the King or Joseph’s master.
V. 53: “The unfettered soul” — man’s low desires
(S.75:2).
V. 60: “Provision” or load, measure.
V. 67: Entering through different gates is an advice to
avoid envy and suspicion on the part of the local population.
V. 68: Although everything will be according to God’s
will, Jacob, being righteous, must still teach piety to the others in the hope
that they will mend their ways.
V. 75: “Will lose his freedom,” lit., “will be His own
punishment.”
V. 76: Joseph leads the investigation himself.
V. 77: The brother who stole first is not identified.
V. 80: The righteous elder brother remains unnamed.
V. 102: “The past,” lit., “the Unseen.”
V. 111: The Koran never says that Islam is for the Arabs
only. Islam should unite all people from Adam to the last newborn in the world.
The Muslims respect all religions; although Truth is absolute, it is recognized
that it can be attained in different ways. Therefore, it is not necessary to
destroy temples and monuments if they are not detrimental to Islam. They are
valuable in the sight of God if He allowed their building and preservation for
ages. Muslim extremists are wrong in their intolerance, but they caused less
damage than the Christian zealots who destroyed civilizations and rival
Christian beliefs they deemed heretical.
Sura 18 The Cave. This sura is remarkable for its four stories
inspired by Biblical and Ancient legends:
1. The
Story of the Seven Sleepers. Seven young believers hide from their persecutors in
a cave where they stay in suspended animation for 309years (vv. 9- 26). The
story shows that people have a personal perception of time and events, and that
it is useless to contradict them in these matters.
2. The
Story of the Two Neighbors. The richer of the two is so self- reliant that he
forgets to put his fate in the hands of God. He is punished by the loss of his
property (vv. 32-44).
3. The
Story of Moses and the Stranger. It teaches that one must never judge people by
appearances alone, and that all events have an underlying meaning that cannot
be understood without divine inspiration. The Stranger is not named, but as
this story merges with the next one, he must be Dhul-Qarnein (vv. 60-82).
4. The
Story of Dh ul-Qa rn ei n. This mysterious character whose name means “the one
with two horns” is usually identified with Alexander the Great, who traveled in
the world and built a rampart in Central Asia against the evil forces of Gog
and Magog. Alexander is in communication with God because no human achievement
is conceivable without God's intervention (vv. 83-98).
Meccan, 110
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1.
Praise be
to God, Who has sent down to His servant
a Scripture that is not twisted,
to warn about His mighty retribution
and to announce a generous reward
to the believers who do good —
3.
[a
dwelling] where they will abide for ever.
4* And also to caution those who say:
“God has begotten a son.”
5.
Terrible
are these words coming out of their mouths!
Neither they nor their fathers
know anything about it, and everything they say is a plain lie!
you might have killed yourself out of grief,
knowing that they will never believe in this Revelation!
7.
We made
everything on earth to embellish it and to test which of them are the best in
deeds.
8.
But verily,
We will reduce everything on it to waste and dust!
9* Do you not think that the
youths of the cave and ar-raqim were one of Our most amazing Signs?
10.
Once,
after hiding in the cave, the young men said:
“O our Lord! Grant us Your mercy
and settle our matter in the right way!”
11.
There in
the cave, We sealed their ears for many years.
12* Then We brought them back to life to find out
which of the two sides would better estimate
how long they had stayed [inside].
13. We are telling you their true story.
These youths believed in their Lord,
so We increased
[Our] Guidance to them
14. and fortified their hearts.
Once,
they stood up and said: “Our Lord is the Lord of Heavens and earth.
We’ll
never call to any one besides Him — that would be blasphemy.
15. Our people had taken gods besides Him, but why
don’t they bring convincing proofs in their favor?
Is there a worse
offender
than the one who
invents lies about God?”
16. — [O young men!] Withdraw from them and from
those they worship besides God, and escape to a cave.
Your
Lord will grant you of His mercy and will facilitate your affair.
17* You could have observed that when the sun rose, it leaned to the
right of the cave, and when it set, it moved to the left, while they remained
in the middle.
This
was one of God’s Signs.
Whoever
is guided by God is on the right path, but for whomever He leads astray, you
shall not find a protector to show him the right way!
18. You could have thought
they were awake, but they were asleep.
We
kept turning them right and left, and their dog stretched its forepaws at the
entrance. Had you suddenly come upon them, you would have surely fled from them
in terror!
19* Then We brought them back to life to let them question one
another. One of them said:
“How long we’ve
been [here]?”
They said:
“We’ve been here
one day or a part of a day.”
And they all said:
“Our
Lord knows best how long we’ve been here. Send one of you to the city with your
money.
Let
him find the purest food and bring it to you to satisfy your hunger.
And let him be
careful and not tell anyone about you.
20. Indeed, if they find you,
they’ll stone you or force you to return to their cult.
Then you’ll never
be successful!”
21* We are telling their story to make it known that God’s promise
is true, and that the Hour [ofJudgment] will certainly come. As they were
arguing about their affair, [someone] said: “Build a house over them — indeed,
their Lord knows them best!”
But those who prevailed in this matter said: “We’d rather build a
mosque over them!” 22* Soon [some people] will say that they were three, and
that the dog was the fourth.
[Others]
will say, guessing the unknown, that they were five, and the dog was the sixth.
[Still
others] will say that they were seven, and the dog was the eighth.
Say, [O
Muhammed!]:
“My
Lord knows best how many they were, but only a few [people] know it.”
Do
not argue about them, unless the facts are clear, and do not question anyone
about them!
23. And never say
about anything:
“I promise, I’ll
do it tomorrow,”
24*without adding:
“If God wills.”
Each time you
forget [it],
remember your Lord
and say:
“I
hope that my Lord will bring me still closer to the right path!”
25* They stayed in
the cave three hundred and nine years.
“God
knows best how long they’ve stayed [there] — indeed, He holds the secrets of
Heavens and earth. And how He sees! And how He hears!
They’ve no
protector besides Him!
And He doesn’t
associate anyone to His decisions!”
27. So recite what has been revealed to you of the
Scripture of your Lord — indeed, no one can change His Words. And you will find
a shelter only by Him!
28. Hold onto those who, seeking His Face, pray to
their Lord mornings and evenings, and do not avert your eyes from them, lest
the frills of this life tempt you.
Do
not obey any one, whose heart We allow to neglect remembering Us, who pursues
his passions, and is extravagant in his affairs.
“Truth
emanates from your Lord.” Whoever wants it, let him believe, and whoever does
not want it, let him deny.
We
have prepared a Fire for the wrong-doers which will take them under its pall!
They
will cry out for help, but they shall be given water like molten metal that
will scorch their faces.
What
a dreadful drink, what an awful refuge!
30. And what about those who believed and did
right? Verily, We shall not suffer that the reward of those who believed and
did right goes to waste.
31* For them there are the Gardens of Eden with rivers flowing
underneath.
They
shall be adorned therein with golden bracelets and dressed in green silk and
brocade.
They
shall recline therein on raised lounges — what a beautiful reward, what a
splendid couch!
32. — [O Muhammed!] Give them the example of two
men. To one of them We gave two vineyards.
We
surrounded them with palm-trees and placed corn fields in between.
33. We caused a river to flow in the middle,
to let each
vineyard produce a plentiful crop.
34. [One of the men] harvested the fruit and argued
with his companion, saying:
“I’m richer than
you in money and mightier in kinsmen!”
35. He went into his garden with thoughts harmful
to his soul and said:
“I’m sure this is
for ever,
36. and I think that the Hour will never come.
And if I were
returned to my Lord,
I’d certainly
receive something better in exchange!”
37. Continuing to argue, his companion said:
“Do
you deny the One, Who has created you from dust and then from a drop, and gave
you a human figure?
38. For me, He is God, my Lord,
and I’ll never
associate anyone with my Lord!
39. Why haven’t you said, upon entering your
garden:
‘If God wills!
There’s no power other than God’s!’
As you see, I’m
poorer than you in wealth and children,
would
give me something better than your garden, which He can reduce to a heap of
dust by sending upon it a thunderbolt from the sky
41. or by letting water run underground, so that
you won’t recover it.”
42. When his fruit was wiped out, he was wringing
his hands —
indeed,
he had spent a lot [on his garden], and now it was utterly destroyed! He said:
“Woe to me! I wish I had not associated to my Lord!”
43. But no one is able to protect him like God, and
he is not able to protect himself.
44. Indeed, protection is only from the True God —
He is the best at
rewarding and the best at achieving!
45. — [O Muhammad!] Give them the example of life
in this world.
It
is like the water We send down from the sky.
It
mixes with the soil and feeds the plants that the wind soon scatters as dry
stubble. God has power over everything!
46. Wealth and sons are just frills of this life,
but good deeds endure for ever!
They
are the best in the sight of your Lord, the best in rewards and the best in
expectations.
47. The Day when We sweep away the mountains, you
will see how the earth will become a flat plain. We will gather them together,
all to the last one,
48. and they will appear before your Lord in ranks:
— Here you came to
Us as We had first created you!
And you thought
that We will not set up a meeting for you!
and
imagine the horror of the wrong-doers at what is recorded in it! They shall
say: “Oh!, woe to us! What kind of a Book it is — it doesn’t conceal anything,
small or great, and takes everything into account!” And they shall be faced
with all their deeds.
Your
Lord will not be unjust to anyone!
— Prostrate
yourselves before Adam!
They
prostrated themselves, except one of the Jinn called Iblis, who disobeyed his
Lord’s Command.
— Would you take
him and his offspring
as
protectors in My place? Are they not your enemies? What an evil turn for the
wrong-doers!
51. I have not called them to witness the creation
of Heavens and earth and their own creation.
How
could I have taken helpers from among those who lead [people] astray!
52* On the Day
when He says:
—
Call those you claimed to be My partners!, they shall call to them, but they
will not respond: We shall separate them by a screen!
53. The wrong-doers will realize at the sight of
the Fire that they will fall into it and will find no way to escape.
54. In this Koran We give to men all kinds of
examples, but man is contentious in everything!
55. When Guidance came to the people, nothing
prevented them from believing and asking their Lord to forgive them.
Then
they would have avoided the fate of the Ancients and would not have met the
punishment head on.
only
as bearers of good news and as warners, but the disbelievers enter into vain
disputes in order to weaken the Truth.
They take My Signs
and Warnings for a joke.
57. Who is more sinful than the one
who,
being reminded of the Signs of his Lord, turns away from them and forgets [the
deeds] that his hands have brought forth!
Verily,
We have veiled their hearts
and
sealed their ears, so that they would not understand!
If
you exhorted them to Guidance,
still
they would not walk on the straight path!
58* Your Lord is
the Forgiving, the Full of Mercy!
Had He called them
to account for their deeds,
He would have
certainly hastened their punishment.
But their term is
fixed, they cannot avoid it!
59. We used to
destroy their towns,
but
only after they had fallen into sin, and after We set a time for their
destruction.
60*Once Moses said
to his young servant:
“Even
if it takes me many years, I will not give up until I reach the junction of the
two seas!”
61* But when they reached the junction, they forgot about their
fish, which found its way right into the sea.
62. On the road he said to his young servant:
“Bring our morning
meal,
for we’re
exhausted by the journey.”
“Didn’t
you notice that when we took shelter by the rock, I forgot about the fish!
None
other than Satan distracted me from it,
and
it slithered into the sea in a marvelous way.”
“This is what we
were looking for.”
And they went
back, retracing their steps.
65* [On their way]
they met one of Our servants
to whom We had
extended Our mercy
and whom We had
instructed in Our Knowledge.
“May I join you to
let you teach me
your insight about
the right way?”
“You won’t have
enough patience with me!
with what you
don’t fully understand?”
“If God wills,
you’ll find me patient.
I won’t disobey
you in anything.”
“Follow me if you
wish,
but ask me no
questions before I speak to you first.”
71. Then they proceeded on their way.
As
they were sailing on a ship, [the stranger] drilled a hole in her.
[Moses] said:
“Did you drill a
hole to drown everyone on board?
What a strange
thing to do!”
“Didn’t I warn you
that you won’t
have enough patience with me?”
“Don’t
blame me for forgetting, and don’t expect too much of me!”
74. Farther down the road they met a youth.
[The stranger]
killed him.
[Moses] said:
“You
killed an innocent [man]. Odious is your action if it isn’t in retaliation for
murder!”
“Didn’t I tell you
that you won’t
have enough patience with me?”
“If
I ask you another question, then go your way, but for now, accept my apology!”
77. Farther on they met the dwellers of a town whom
they asked for food;
but they were not
welcome there.
Then they came
upon a wall that was about to collapse.
[The stranger]
rebuilt it.
[Moses] said:
“You could’ve been
paid for that, if you wanted to!”
“It’s
time for us to part, but let me explain to you the things that made you lose
patience.
79. The ship belonged to poor people toiling upon
the sea.
I
damaged her because they were chased by a King who was taking all the ships by
force.
80* Regarding the boy, we feared that he’d aggrieve his believing
parents by his rebellion and ingratitude.
81. We wished their Lord to replace him
[by a son] better
in virtue and compassion.
82. As to the wall in the city,
it
belongs to two young orphans. There is a treasure intended for them under it.
Their
father was a righteous man, and your Lord wanted them to dig up their treasure
upon reaching manhood, as a mercy of your Lord. Therefore, I did not act on my
own.
This is the
explanation of what made you lose patience.”
83* — [O Muhammad!] If they ask you about Dhul-Qarnain, say: “I’ll
tell you something about him.”
84. Verily, We have established his power on the
earth, and We gave him access to all things.
86. he came upon the place where the sun sets and
found it setting in a muddy spring. There he encountered some people.
We said:
— O Dhul-Qarnain!
Punish them or treat them well.
87* [Dhul-Qarnain]
said:
“We’ll
punish any one who does wrong, and when he’s returned to his Lord,
[God] will
chastise him with a terrible retribution.
88. But for any one who believed and did right
there shall be a good reward,
and our command
will be easy for him.”
90*until he
reached [the place] where the sun rises.
He
saw it rising over a people whom We have not sheltered from it.
91. And so it was, and We knew what would happen to
him.
92. He proceeded farther on his way
93* until he
reached two barriers
in front of which
he met some people
who could scarcely
understand his words.
94*They said:
“O Dhul-Qarnain!
Gog and Magog are
spreading corruption in the land.
Shall
we pay you a tribute to build a dam between us and them?”
95* He said:
“The best for me
is what My Lord has bestowed upon me.
Help me with
power: I’ll set a dam between you and them.
After levelling
two mountainsides, he said:
“Fan [the fire]!”
When the flames
appeared, he said:
“Bring them, and
I’ll pour molten lead over them!”
97. [Gog and Magog] were unable to climb over [the
dam] or to dig through it.
98* [Dhul-Qarnain]
said:
“This is a mercy
from my Lord,
but
when the promise of my Lord is fulfilled, He’ll turn all of this into dust.
True is the
promise of my Lord!”
99* On that Day We will send them against each other in waves.
And when the trumpet resounds,
We will gather them all together.
100.On that Day We will have Hellfire
wide open for the disbelievers
101.
whose eyes
are veiled from remembering Me,
and who do not hear anything.
102.
Do the
disbelievers think
that they can take My servants
as protectors instead of Me?
Verily, We have prepared Hellfire
to shelter the disbelievers!
103.Say:
“Shall I tell you who shall lose most of his labor?
104.It’s the one who wastes his efforts in this life,
imagining that he’s doing good works.”
105.
These are
the ones who denied the Signs of their Lord
and their meeting with Him.
Useless will be their works, and on Resurrection Day
We will not give them any credit —
106.
their
reward shall be Hellfire!
Indeed, they have not believed
and only mocked My Signs and My Messengers.
107*But those who have believed and done right,
shall receive as a gift the Gardens of Paradise,
108.
and will
remain therein for ever,
never wishing for anything better.
109.Say:
“If the sea were ink
for [writing] the Words of My Lord,
it would have surely run out
before the Words of my Lord were exhausted,
even if We had added an equal [sea] to it!”
110. Say:
“I’m a man like you,
but I’ve been inspired that your God is One God.
If someone hopes to meet his Lord,
let him do good works, worship his Lord,
and avoid associating anyone to Him!”
V. 4: “Son” could also be “child” or “offspring.”
V. 9: “Ar-raqim” means “inscription.” This story
seems to be patterned on the legend of the seven sleepers of Ephesus that was
popular during the persecution of Christians under the Emperor Decius
(201-251).
A cave is a place of refuge for a soul from the demands
of the world. It represents the hidden and the spiritual realm and when there
are people in it, it is an image of the whole world. Therefore, caves are
sanctified places, suitable for meditation. The Prophet used to hide in them
from enemies, and many spiritually endowed have people spent all their lives in
caves.
V. 12: Some relied on themselves, others on God’s will.
V. 17: “In the middle [of the cave]” or “in the center of
the world.”
Vv. 19f: The moral of the story is that man often forms
opinions before knowing all the facts. In these verses “you” is replaced by the
more natural “we.”
V. 21: Instead of thinking of the Judgment Day, the
people offered to commemorate the youths by building them monuments.
V. 22: Details such as the exact number of youths in the cave
are irrelevant. The vagueness of this number points out to the allegorical
nature of the story.
V. 24: Acknowledging God’s will, cf. S.68:17-33.
V. 25: “And they stayed in the cave three hundred and
nine years.” In the Koran, events take place in a sacral time. The same is true
of the stories of Moses, Zhul-Qarnain, and Khidr who were endowed with uncanny
knowledge and spiritual vision. So it was with David and Solomon (SS. 27,34):
David understood the language of birds and ants, Solomon got the throne of the
Queen of Sheba in an instant... In these stories, images are piled on top of
images, there is no time and place, some words have no direct meaning, and
there is a lack of logical continuity. It follows that even the best
translation of the Koran is a man’s collection of words. The true Words of God
are only in the Arabic Koran.
Occasionally, translators introduce in their books copies
of the Arabic original, but someone who can read the Koran in the original does
not need a translation, and someone who does not know Arabic cannot be helped
by the Arabic text.
V. 31: “Gardens of eternity” or Eden ('Aden),
instead of “Gardens of Bliss.”
V. 52: “A ravine” — a dam, or a place of perdition.
V. 58: Another variant — “Indeed, their term is fixed and
they have no refuge [except in God].”
V. 60: The junction of two bodies of water like that of
the Tigris and Euphrates is a metaphor about the contact between the physical
world with the Unseen, where the water of life flows. There, the notions of
virtue are dissolved, and the righteous Khidr (v.65) may seem to act
like a criminal (vv. 71, 74).
V. 61: The fish could be a symbol of human knowledge that
Moses had temporarily lost (cf. v.66).
V. 65: In the Muslim tradition, the mysterious person met
by Moses is Khidr (the Green One). His Biblical prototype is King
Melchisedec (Gen. 14:18-20), of whom it is said: “Without father, without
mother, without descent, having neither beginning, nor days, nor end of life.”
(Heb. 7:3). Khidr has reached the highest wisdom (cf. v.68). He
is pure intellect, and some Muslims greet him upon entering an empty room,
believing that he might reside there in spirit.
V. 80: Khidr refers to himself both as “I” and “we.”
V. 83: Alexander the Great was identified with Ammon, an
Egyptian god represented with two horns; hence his Koranic name the “Two-horned
one” (Dhul-Qarnain). Here, he is the paragon of wisdom and virtue.
Vv. 87-88: Dhul-Qarnain behaves as he was told to do, but
he acts cautiously and defers the final authority to God.
Vv. 90-91: Apparently, the people of the east led a very
primitive life, and Dhul-Karnain, having received no instruction concerning
them, has resumed his journey.
Vv. 93f: As the direction of the journey is not
indicated, he presumably went farther east. A “dam” or “a barrier.”
V. 94: The Biblical Gog
and Magog were unruly tribes of Central Asia (cf. “And the word of
the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land
of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him...”
(Ezek. 38:1-2). The names Gog and Magog and the construction of a barrier
against their incursions in the Asian Far West bring associations with the
Mongol invasions and the Great Chinese Wall.
V. 95: Although Dhul-Qarnain was not interested in
material gain, he was on a lower level of spirituality than Khidr.
V. 98: Being a righteous person, Dhul-Qarnein ascribes
his good deeds to God’s Providence.
V. 99: “We will send them against each other in waves” —
We will let them fight among themselves.
V. 107: First use of the Persian word firdus for
Paradise. The ritual public prayer is called salat in Persian and namaz
in Turkish.
The custom of praying fi ve times a day has
been established after the revelation of the Koran. According to Islam, one
ought to pray: 1) just after sunset; 2) when it is really dark; 3) at daybreak;
4) shortly after noon; and 5) midway between noon and sunset. These prayers are
public: the household, the neighbors and passers-by may join in (S.40:60).
Sura 10 Jonah. Although S.10 is named afterJonah, it
mentions him only in one verse (v.98). The sura speaks of Noah (vv. 71-73) and
repeats the events related to Moses (vv. 74-93). The bulk of S.10 consists of
the three elements the reader is familiar with by now, namely, Warning, Sign,
and Say passages, so that part of this sura could also be placed with the Doxologies
(Part V). Suras
based essentially on these elements often mix early Meccan with later Medinan
inspirational phrases and teachings. Like many later suras, S.10 defends
monotheism against Associators of all persuasions.
10.
J O
N A H
Meccan, 109 verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
Here are some Verses from the wise Scripture.
2.
Why are
people surprised that We have inspired a man from their midst to warn them
and
to bring to the believers the glad tidings that their standing is truly high
before their Lord! But the disbelievers say: “Indeed, he’s a real magician!”
3* Verily, your
Lord is God,
Who has created Heavens and earth in six days
and then sat firmly on the Throne to manage [His] Design.
There is no intercessor without His permission.
He is God, your Lord, so worship Him!
Would you not you come to your senses?
4. You shall all return to
Him — indeed, God’s promise is true!
He
starts the Creation and then repeats it in order to give a just reward
to those who
believed and worked good deeds.
But
for those who denied Him, there is a boiling drink and a painful punishment for
their disbelief!
5* He is the One Who made the sun a luminary and the moon a light,
and marked its path by stations to teach you how to count the years and how to
compute. God has created that only by the Truth, and He explains the Signs to
the people who understand.
6* Verily, in the contrast between night and day, and in God’s
creations in the Heavens and earth, there are Signs for the people who fear
God.
7. Verily, those who do not hope to meet Us, who
enjoy the life of this world,
who are content
with it and disregard Our Signs —
8. their abode shall be the Fire
for what they have
prepared for themselves.
9.
Verily,
those who believed and worked good deeds, their Lord shall guide them on the
path of their faith. Rivers shall flow at their feet in the Gardens of Bliss.
10. Their prayer will be there: Glory to You, O God!
their greeting wll be: Peace!,
and
the conclusion of their prayer will be: Praise be to God, the Lord of the
Worlds!
11. If God were to hasten evil to people
as
fast as they want to hasten their well-being, their fate would have already
been sealed! Those who do not hope to meet Us, We let them wander blindly in
sin.
12. When harm touches a man, he calls upon Us lying
down on his side, sitting, or standing. But as soon as We free him from harm,
he
walks by, as if he had never called upon Us because of the harm that touched
him.
This
is how the deeds of the sinners are made attractive to them!
13. We have destroyed former generations while they
were transgressing.
Their
Messengers came to them with the Proofs, yet they refused to believe.
This is how We
reward the people who transgress!
14. We made you their successors in the land to let
Us observe how you will behave.
15. When Our clear Verses are recited to them,
those
who do not hope to meet with Us, say to you: “Bring us another Koran or change
this one!” Say:
“I
can’t change it on my own accord:
I’m following only
what is inspired to me.
If I disobeyed my
Lord,
I’d fear the
punishment of the Great Day.”
16* Say:
“God
willing, I wouldn’t be reciting to you [the Koran], and He wouldn’t have let
you know about it.
Indeed,
I’ve spent my whole life with you, so why don’t you understand?”
17. Who is more unjust than the one who slanders
God or rejects His Signs? Verily, the wrong-doers will not succeed!
18. Besides God they worship some [idols]
that
neither harm nor benefit them. They say: “These are our intercessors before
God!”
Say:
“Can you tell God
anything
He doesn’t already
know in Heavens and on earth?
Glory to Him!
Exalted He is above anything they associate!”
19* In the beginning people formed one community, but later on they went
their separate ways.
Had
it not been for an earlier Word from your Lord, their differences would have
already been settled.
20*They say:
“Why does’t his
Lord send him a Sign?”
Say:
“The future is in
God’s hands.
Wait, and I’ll be
waiting with you.”
21. As soon as We make people taste of Our mercy
after adversity had touched them,
they start
scheming against Our Signs.
Say:
“God
is faster at scheming, and all your schemes are recorded by Angels!”
22. He is the One, Who guides you on your path by
land and sea. When they are sailing on ships
and
the wind is favorable, they rejoice. But when a gale comes along upon them, and
the waves lash at them from all sides, they think of death and call to God
truly believing in Him: “If you rescue us, we’ll be so grateful!”
23. But after He rescues them,
they
break the law by transgressing in the land. O people! Your transgressions shall
turn against you — they are enjoyable only in this life.
And
when you return to Us, We will reveal to you what you have done.
24. The present life is like rainwater that We pour
down from the sky!
Mingling with the
soil, it [brings forth] the plants that feed people and cattle.
When
the land turns golden and beautifies itself, its owners think they control it,
but by night or day We issue Our Command and strip it naked, as if it were not
thriving the day before.
This
is how We interpret the Signs to the people who think!
25* God invites to
the Home of Peace
and guides to the
right path anyone He wills.
26. Those who do good will receive some goodness,
and then some more [goodness].
Neither
gloom nor shame shall cover their faces — indeed, they are the dwellers of
Paradise, where they shall dwell for ever.
27. As for those who amassed evil, their reward
shall be a matching evil. They shall be overcome by shame,
and
no one will protect them from God. Their faces shall be covered with the
likeness of shreds from the depth of the darkest night — indeed, they are the
dwellers of Fire, where they shall remain for ever!
28* The Day We round them up, We will say to the Associators: — Go,
you and your partners, each to your place!
We
will separate them, and their partners shall say: “It wasn’t us that you
worshiped,
29. and God is
sufficient as a witness between us.
Indeed, we had no
idea that you were serving us.”
30* Then every soul shall realize what it has brought forth. They
shall be returned to God, their true Lord, and their inventions shall vanish
from their sight.
“Who
provides you with sustenance from Heaven and earth? Who has power over [your]
hearing and seeing?
Who
brings forth the living from the dead and the dead from the living? Who manages
the Design?” They shall say: “It’s God”.
Say:
“Then why don’t
you fear Him?”
32. He is God, your true Lord,
and
what is not Truth is nothing but error! So why are you turning away?
33. The Word of your Lord has prevailed against
those who indulge in iniquity. Verily, they will never believe!
“Can
any of your partners start a creation and then repeat it?”
Say:
“It’s
God, Who starts a creation and then repeats it. Then why are you so deluded?”
“Can
any of your partners guide you to the Truth?”
Say:
“It’s
God Who guides to the Truth!”
Who
is more worthy to be followed: the One, Who guides to the Truth, or the one who
does not guide unless he is guided himself?
What
is the matter with you if such is your judgement!
36. Most of them follow only conjectures,
but,
verily, conjectures do not stand up to the Truth! Verily, God knows best what
they are doing.
37. Nobody but God could have composed this Koran!
It confirms what
has been revealed before
and
explains the Scripture of the Lord of the Worlds that cannot be doubted.
“He
forged it!”
Say:
“Produce
a single sura comparable to it and call on anyone you want, except God, if
you’re telling the truth!”
39. They reject what they cannot grasp with their
knowledge before its interpretation had reached them,
and so did their
predecessors,
but see what was
the end of those who did wrong!
40. Some of them believe, and others do not
believe;
but your Lord
knows best which of them are corrupt!
41* And if they
reject you, say:
“I have my work,
and you have your work.
You’re not
responsible for what I do,
and I’m not
responsible for what you do.”
42*Some of them
pretend that they listen to you,
but can you make
the deaf understand if they cannot hear?
43. Others pretend to be looking at you,
but can you guide
the blind if they cannot see?
44. Verily, God is never unjust to the people — the
people are unjust to themselves.
45. The Day He gathers them together, it will seem
to them that they have lived only one hour of a day.
They
will recognize one another, and those who denied the meeting with God and
rejected Guidance will surely be the losers.
46. — [O Muhammad!] Whether We show you
part
of Our promise to them, or We [first] take your soul, they shall return to Us!
God
is witness to everything they do!
47. Each nation has its Messenger.
When
the Messenger arrives, their matter is settled according to the law, and nobody
is treated unjustly.
“When
will this promise come true if you’re telling the truth?”
“I
cannot to harm or benefit myself, except if God wills. Each nation has its
term, and this term cannot be delayed or advanced by a single hour.”
“What
do you think: if His punishment overtakes you during the night or during the day,
what part of it the sinners would like to hasten?
51* Or if it does
overtake you, would you believe in Him?
Then why were you
so eager to hasten it before?”
52. And the wrong-doers shall be told:
— Taste of the
everlasting punishment!
Should you not be
rewarded as you deserve?
53. They ask you: “Is it really true?”
Say:
“Yes!
By my Lord, this is the Truth, and you can’t avoid [it]!”
54. Every single sinning soul,
if
it possessed everything on earth, would give it all away to ransom herself.
At
the sight of the punishment they will assert that they repent, but equitable
shall be their sentence — they shall not be treated unjustly!
55. Verily, everything in Heavens and earth belongs
to God. God’s promise is true, but the majority do not know [it].
56* He gives life
and death, and to Him is your return!
You have received
an Admonition from your Lord.
It is a cure for
the hearts,
a Guidance and a
mercy for the believers!
“Let
them rejoice at God’s favors and His mercy — indeed, that’s better than what they’re
hoarding.”
59* Say:
“Don’t
you see what God sends you for sustenance?
But
why have you prohibited part of it and made another part of it lawful?” Say:
“Did
God allow it to you, or are you making up about God?”
60. What do those who make up about God
think
about the Resurrection Day? Verily, God is generous to people, but most of them
are ungrateful!
whatever you
recite from the Koran, whatever the work [you] undertake, We are witnessing
what attracts you the most. Even the flimsiest particle cannot hide from your
Lord on earth or in heaven!
And
there is nothing smaller or larger than it that is not in the clear Book.
62. Verily, the friends of God should not fear nor
grieve.
63. For those who have believed and feared God,
64. there shall be good news in this life and in
the Hereafter. Immutable are the Words of God — in this is a great success!
65. Do not let their talk sadden you — indeed, all
power is with God.
He is the Hearer,
the All-Knowing!
66. Verily, everything in Heavens and earth belongs
to God.
And
those who call on partners instead of God, what do they follow? —
They follow only
conjectures and lies!
67. He is the One, Who gave you the night to rest
and the day to see.
Verily, there are
Signs in this for the people who listen!
68* They say:
“God has begotten
a son!”
Glory to Him! He
is rich!
Everything
in Heavens and earth belongs to Him — you have no part in it,
and you have no
right to say of God what you do not know!
“Verily,
those who lie about God shall not be successful!”
70. Let they enjoy themselves in this world;
then
they shall return to Us, and We will make them taste a severe punishment for
their disbelief.
71* Tell them the
story of Noah. He said to his people:
“O
my people! Perhaps my presence
and
my reminding you of God’s Signs are hard on you!
While
I’m putting my trust in God,
make
up your mind about your matters and partners, clarify your intent from all
ambiguity, then judge me without delay!
72* But if you turn away, I’m not asking you for a reward — verily,
my reward is from God, and I am commanded to be a Muslim.”
but
We saved him with his companions in the ark and made them inherit [the earth].
And
We drowned those who rejected Our Signs. See what was the end of those who were
warned!
74. After him We have sent many Messengers with
Proofs to peoples who refused to believe
in what they had been rejecting before.
This is how We seal the hearts of the sinners!
75. Then We sent Moses and Aaron with Our Signs to
Pharaoh and his attendants.
But they were arrogant and sinful people.
76.
When Our
Truth came to them, they said:
“This is obvious magic!”
“How can you say that about the Truth
that has come to you? Is this [really] magic?
The magicians won’t be successful!”
“Didn’t you come to us to divert
us from our fathers’ ways and to become, you and your brother, great in the
land?
We’ll never believe you!”
“Round up to me all the skillful magicians!”
80. When the magicians came, Moses said to them:
“Throw what you intended to throw!”
81.
They threw
[their staves] and Moses said:
“What you’ve done is magic,
and, verily, God will bring it to naught!
Verily, God doesn’t support the work of the corrupt!
82. God establishes the Truth by His Words, even if
the sinners hate it!”
83* But fearing persecution
from Pharaoh and his attendants,
only a few of his people believed Moses.
Verily, Pharaoh wielded a great
power in the land, and he was transgressing all bounds.
“O my people! If you really believe in God
and surrender to Him, then put your trust in Him!”
“In God we trust! O our Lord!
Don’t make us victims of the people who do evil,
86.
save us by
Your mercy from the people who disbelieve!”
87* We inspired Moses and his brother:
— Build houses for your people in
Egypt and turn these houses into houses of worship.
Set up the prayer
and bring the good news to the believers.
88* Moses said:
“O our Lord! You gave Pharaoh and
his attendants beauty and wealth in this life.
O our Lord! Is it to let them
lead astray from Your way? O our Lord! Wipe out their wealth and harden their
hearts, so that they won’t believe until they see the painful punishment!”
— Your prayer is
well taken,
so be firm and do
not walk in the path of the ignorant.
90*We led the Children
of Israel across the sea.
Pharaoh
and his hosts pursued them in rancor and enmity. But as the sea was closing
upon him, he said: “I believe there’s no god, except the One in Whom the Sons
of Israel believe,
and
I’m submitting myself to God!”
91. — Now, at last! And before that you were a rebel, [one] of the
corrupt,
92* but today We
will save your body
to
let you be a Sign for those who are with you. Verily, many people still
disregard Our Signs!
93. We settled the Children of Israel in a blessed haven and gave
them the best of provisions.
They
did not disagree among themselves until Knowledge came to them.
Verily, your Lord
will judge their disputes on Judgment Day!
94* — [O Muhammad!] If you have doubts about what We have descended
upon you, ask those who have read the Scripture before you. Indeed, Truth came
to you from your Lord — so do not be of those who have doubts about it
95. and reject the Signs of God, otherwise you
shall be among the losers.
96. Verily, those against whom the Word of your
Lord was fulfilled, will not believe
97. until they saw the painful punishment, even if
all the Signs appeared before them.
98. How is it that not a [single] community, except
the people of Jonah,
believed
to their own advantage?
As
soon as they believed, We lifted from them the humiliating punishment in this
life and allowed them to live a little longer.
99. God willing, everyone in the land would have
believed.
But
can you compel people to believe against their will?
100.No soul will believe without God’s permission,
and He will cast ignominy
upon those who do
not understand.
“Look
at everything in the heavens and earth!” No Signs and no Warners can help the
disbelievers.
102. Can they expect anything different
from what happened
to those who died before them?
Say:
“So wait, and I’ll
be waiting with you!”
103.Then We will save Our Messengers and the believers — indeed, Our
task is to save those who have faith!
104.Say:
“O
people! You can doubt my religion, but I won’t worship what you worship besides
God.
I
do worship God, the One, Who will recall you, and I’m ordered to remain with
the believers.”
105*Like a Hanif,
turn your face to religion
and don’t be an
Associator.
106. Don’t call on anything besides God
that can neither
help nor harm you,
lest you be a
transgressor!
107. If God touches you with harm,
He alone is able
to lift it from you,
and if He wishes
you good,
nobody can retard
His favor.
He dispenses it to
those of His servants He wills.
He is the
Forgiving, the Merciful.
108.Say:
“O people! The
Truth of your Lord has reached you.
Whoever accepts
Guidance, it’s good for his soul,
and whoever goes
astray, it’s to her detriment.
And I’m not your
guardian!”
109.— [O Muhammad!] Follow what is inspired to you
and be patient until God passes His judgment — indeed, He is the best of all
judges!
V. 3: “The intercessors” in this verse are the idols.
They are the “partners” mentioned in v.18. The real intercessors or protectors
are the Angels. They operate under the authority of God, Who is the ultimate
and the only Protector (cf. S.86:4).
V. 5: The stations
in the sky are the signs of the Zodiac.
V. 6: The Koran is rich in contrasts: night and day,
right and wrong, past and present, fortitude and cowardice, truth and
deception, pride and shame, Hell and Paradise, freedom of choice and
predestination. These contrasts are complementing and not opposing each other.
Dualism, as it is understood in the West, is incompatible with Islamic thought,
but some of its forms came to be tolerated under the strong influence of
Manicheism.
God knows all about each of His creatures; their fate is
in His hands. In His infinite compassion, God extends His mercy to the
repenting disbelievers. Are not the most often mentioned Names of God the
Compassionate, the Merciful, and the Forgiving.
The Koran, just as S.10 itself, is the sum of the
religious, philosophical, and historical experience of Arabian nations in the
VIIth century. It deals with the spiritual and material quests of the people of
that time; therefore, those who do not believe in it must still consider it as
one of the Great Books of World Culture.
V. 16: The Prophet started
receiving the Koran when he was forty years old — fully grown physically and
spiritually.
V. 19: “The Word,” i.e., God’s judgment or design. It is
also God’s Law. God gives a reprieve to the apostates of different creeds;
their differences will be settled on Judgment Day.
V. 20: “The future” or “the Unseen.”
V. 25: “The Home of Peace” — a metaphor for spiritual
life.
V. 28: God makes the idols accuse their worshipers
(S.28:63).
V. 30: “What it has brought forth” — what it has done in
life.
V. 41: This verse seems to be addressed to the Jews.
V. 42: “Some of them pretend to be listening to you, but
can you make the deaf understand if they cannot hear?” In the original: “some
of them pretend to be listening to you. But is it possible to make the deaf
hear if they cannot understand?”
V. 51: “Would you believe in Him' or in its
[punishment]? Usually ambiguity impoverishes a text, but in the Koran it may
be enriching when it encourages the reader to think and wonder.
V. 56: God has instituted death, as He has created sin in
order to let the people be free to choose righteousness in the period of time
allotted to them. Angels do not have the freedom to sin and cannot die.
V. 59: The Jews are blamed for self-imposed dietary
rules.
V. 68: This verse is obviously aimed at the Christians.
Glorification of God (tamjeed) must be constantly
on the lips of the believers. Usually they do it by saying: subhana-llah.
V. 71: “Tell them the story of Noah” — the story or the
news? Narratives about the Prophets can be called stories because their
protagonists act and talk, and also news because they are communications with
one central message: fear God and serve Him.
V. 72: “I am commanded to be a Muslim” or: ...to be one
of those who submit themselves [to God]. Submission to God is not valid if it
is blind: it must be accompanied by a determination of being righteous.
V. 83: “Of his people” — of the people of Moses or of the
people of Pharaoh — probably of the latter (cf. S.7:120).
V. 87: The qibla, “the place of prayer” or the
direction for praying. At first the qibla was Jerusalem (Al-Quds), “the
sacred city”; thus Daniel prayed in the direction of Jerusalem three times a
day (Dan. 6:10). Later on Jerusalem was replaced by Mecca. Mecca, Medina, and
Jerusalem are the three most sacred sites of Islam. The Shi’ites add Najaf and
Kufa in Iraq to this list.
V. 88: “Is it to make them lead [others] astray from Your
way” or “let them go off Your way!”
V. 90, 92: Apparently, Pharaoh repented before he died,
and his body floated up (for burial?).
V. 94: “Those who preceded you in reading the Scripture”
— here, “Scripture” refers to the Revelation received before the Koran.
V. 105: The posterity of Abraham and Ishmael were hanifs,
righteous men, the monotheists of pre-Islamic times. This appellation was
adopted by the companions of the Prophet before “Muslim” came into general use.
Islam is the primordial “natural” religion; therefore, all the Biblical
prophets, including Adam, were Muslims.
Sura 40 The Believer. Like S.10, S.40 contains early and late
passages; thus it marks the transition between Meccan and Medinan suras. The
composite nature of the sura is felt in the Arabic text by its frequent changes
of rhyme. A new rendering of the story of Moses (vv. 23-27) is introduced and
concluded by Warning and apocalyptic passages. The sura speaks of an anonymous
believer who tried to turn the Egyptians to faith (vv. 28-35; 38-45). Vv.
61-76are a sustained doxology.
40.
T H E B
E L I E V E R
Meccan, 85 verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
2.
This
Scripture is sent down from God, the Mighty, the Knowing,
3.
Who
forgives sins and accepts repentance.
He is strict in punishment and rich in bounties.
There is no god but Him, and to Him [is our] return!
4.
Nobody
argues about the Signs of God, except the disbelievers.
Do not be deluded by their resourcefulness in the land!
5* [The Signs] have been rejected before them
by the people of Noah and other confederates.
Each people conspired to seize their Messenger
and to dispute unfairly with him to taint the Truth.
But I seized them — such was My punishment!
6. The Word of your Lord
against the disbelievers came true — they are indeed the dwellers of the Fire!
7* Those who bear the Throne
of their Lord, surround Him and glorify Him.
They believe in Him and ask forgiveness for the
believers:
“O our Lord!
You encompass everything with mercy and Knowledge.
Forgive those who turn to You and follow Your way.
Save them from the punishment by the blazing Fire!
8.
O our
Lord! Lead them into the Gardens of Eden
that You promised to them
and to the upright among their
fathers, their spouses, and their offspring.
You are the Almighty, the Wise.
9.
Preserve
them from evil deeds,
and on that Day, bestow Your mercy
upon those whom You have preserved from evil.
This shall be a great success!”
10.
Verily,
the disbelievers shall be told:
— God hates you more than you hate yourselves.
Indeed, you rejected faith
when you had been called to it.
“O
our Lord! You have made us die twice, and twice You have revived us.
Don’t
we have a way out after we confessed our sins?”
12. — [No!] You rejected faith when you were called
to One God,
yet
you believed when you joined partners to Him. You shall be judged by God, the
Exalted, the Great.
13. He is the One, Who shows you His Signs and
sends you sustenance from the sky.
But only those who
turn [to Him] remember it!
14. So call on God and devote yourselves entirely
to Him, even if this is hateful for the disbelievers.
15. The most exalted in rank is the Owner of the
Throne!
He
inspires by His Command to warn of the Meeting Day anyone of His servants He
wills.
16. On that Day when they come forth before God,
they shall not be able to conceal anything. Who will be the Sovereign on that
Day? — God, the One, the Victorious.
17. On that Day every soul shall be rewarded for
everything she had amassed.
There shall be no
injustice on that Day!
Verily, God is
quick at accounting!
18. Warn them that close by is the Day
when
their hearts shall be choked with grief and will rise to their throats.
Then
the sinners will have neither a friend nor an intercessor to rely upon.
19. [God] knows the treachery of the eyes and the
secrets of the hearts.
20. God judges by the Truth, but those
whom
they invoke besides Him do not judge anything. Verily, God is the Hearing, the
Seeing.
21* Do they not see when they travel about in the land what was the
end of their predecessors?
Yet,
they were superior to them in power and in their traces on earth!
God
seized them for their sins, and nobody protected them from God.
22. God seized them for rejecting the Messengers
who came to them with the Proofs.
Verily, He is
powerful and strict in punishment!
23. We sent Moses with Our Signs and a clear
authority
24. to Pharaoh, Haman, and Korah.
But they said:
“He’s a magician
and a liar!”
25. And when he brought the Truth from Us, they
said: “Kill the sons of those who share his belief,
but spare their
women.”
The plots of the
disbelievers are the way to perdition!
“Let me kill
Moses, and let him turn to his Lord.
I’m
afraid that he’ll change your religion or spread corruption in the land.”
“I’m
calling to my Lord — your Lord, against anyone who makes much of himself and
disbelieves in the Reckoning Day.”
28* One of the
believers from Pharaoh’s household
who
was concealing his faith said:
“Would
you really kill a man only because he says:
’My
Lord is God!’
Yet
he came to you with the Proofs of your Lord.
If
he’s lying, his lies will turn against him, but if he’s telling the truth, then
you’ll suffer what he’s been warning you about.
Verily,
God will not guide an inveterate liar!
29. O my people! Today the power and the land are
in your hands.
But
who would save us from God’s retribution if it fell upon us?”
Pharaoh said:
“I
want to show you what I see myself, and I’m guiding you only on the way of
righteousness.”
“O
my people! I fear for you [what happened] on the Day of the confederates,
31. or [what happened] to the peoples of Noah,
’Ad
and Thamood, and those who followed them. God doesn’t wish injustice to [His]
servants!
32. O my people! I fear for you the Day when you’ll
be called,
33. the Day when you’ll run away showing your
backs, when nobody will intercede for you before God. Whoever God sends astray
shall be left without a guide!
34. Joseph came to you with the Proofs,
but
you doubted what he brought to you. And when he died, you said:
‘God shall not
send any Messenger after him.’
This
is how God sends astray those who are given to dissipation and doubt!
35. Great is the hatred of God and the believers
for
those who contest the Signs of God without authority. This is how God seals the
heart of every haughty sinner!”
36* Pharaoh said:
“O Haman! Build me
a lofty tower to be my way —
37. my way to heaven — that I could use to ascend
to the God of Moses, although I think he’s lying.” Thus the evil of his deeds
was made
attractive to Pharaoh,
and
he was turned away from the [straight] path. Pharaoh’s plot had led him to
ruin!
“O my people!
Follow me,
and I’ll guide you
to the way of righteousness.
39. O my people! Fleeting is the life of this
world, but verily, the Hereafter is a lasting abode!
40. Whoever does evil shall be rewarded with the
same.
But
the men or women who do good and believe shall enter Paradise
where they shall
receive unlimited provisions.
41. O my people! If I call you to salvation, why do
you call me to the Fire?
42. You urge me to renounce God
and to associate
with Him something unknown to me.
But I’m calling
you to the Mighty, the Forgiving.
43. It’s obvious that your’re calling me to what
isn’t worth to be invoked either in this life or in the Hereafter. To God is
our return!
The extravagant
shall dwell in the Fire!
44. Soon you’ll remember my words!
As for myself,
I’ll commit my case to God.
Verily, God is
watching [His] servants!”
45. God saved him from the evil that had been
schemed, but Pharaoh’s household got an evil retribution:
46. the Fire into which they shall be brought every
morning and evening.
The Day when the
Hour comes, [God will say]:
— Submit Pharaoh’s
people to the harshest punishment!
47. But they will argue among themselves even in
the Fire.
The weak among them shall say to the arrogant ones: “Haven’t we
followed you?
So take upon
yourselves a share of the Fire!”
48. But the arrogant ones will say:
“We’re all in it!
Verily, such was God’s judgment upon [His] servants!” 49*The ones in
the Fire shall say to the Keepers of Hell:
“Call
onto your Lord to make Him shorten the punishment [at least] by one day!”
50* They shall
say:
“Haven’t your
Messengers come to you with the Proofs?
They
shall say: “Yes, they have!”
They shall be
told:
“Then pray!”
But the prayer of
the disbelievers is just a delusion!
51. We will surely assist Our Messengers and the
believers in this life and on the Day
when the witnesses
take the stand.
52. On that Day excuses will not help the
wrong-doers: for them is a curse, for them is an evil abode!
53. We gave Moses the Guidance,
and We made the
Sons of Israel heirs to the Scripture —
54. it is a Guidance and a Reminder for those who
understand.
55* — [O
Mohammad!] Be patient.
Verily, God’s
promise is true.
Ask forgiveness
for your sin
and praise your
Lord evenings and mornings.
56. Verily, only those who have no authority argue about the Signs
of God.
They
have just one [wish] in their hearts: to be greater than the others.
But they shall not
see it come true!
And
you, seek refuge in God — indeed, He is the Hearing, the Observing.
57* The creation of the Heavens and the earth was more important
than the creation of man, but most people do not understand [it].
58. The blind cannot be compared with the seeing,
and
those who believe and do good with the evil-doers. How little [of the Guidance]
do you remember!
59. Verily, the Hour is approaching — no doubt
about it, but most people do not believe!
60*Your Lord said:
—
Call on Me and I will answer you! But those who are too proud to serve Me shall
soon enter Hell in disgrace.
61. God! He gave you the night to let you rest and
the day to let you see!
Verily,
God is full of mercy for people, but most people are ungrateful.
62. He is God, your Lord, the Creator of all
things.
There is no god
but Him, so why are you turning away?
63. Indeed, the ones who turn away
are those who
reject the Signs of God!
64. God! He gave you the earth as a dwelling, and
the sky as a canopy; He gave you a shape, and how attractive He made your
shape!
He
provided you with the best sustenance. He is God, your Lord.
Blessed be God,
the Lord of the Worlds!
65. He is the Living One, and there is no god
besides Him. So call upon Him and serve Him faithfully in religion. Praised be
God, the Lord of the Worlds!
“Ever
since I have received the Proofs from my Lord, I’ve been forbidden to call
upon
the ones you worship besides God. I’ve been ordered to surrender
to the Lord of the
Worlds.”
67. He is the One, Who created you from dust, then
from a sperm drop, then from a blood clot; then He brought you forth as an
infant
and
let you mature and grow to old age, albeit some of you will die before their
appointed time. Perhaps you would reflect!
68. He is the One, Who gives life and death. When
He decides a case, He says to it:
— Let it be! And
it is.
who
argue about the Signs of God are turning away?
and
what We have sent down to them with Our Messengers. But soon they shall know,
71. when with yokes on their necks they are dragged
in chains
and then into the
Fire to be burned!
“Where are those
you associated
They shall say:
“They have
abandoned us!
And we have never
invoked anything!”
This is how God
sends the disbelievers astray!
75. — This is because you wrongfully rejoiced in
the land and were arrogant.
76. Enter the gates of Hellfire and stay therein
for ever. What an evil abode for the arrogant!
77* — [O Muhammad!] Arm yourself with patience! Verily, God’s
promise is true.
Even if [before]
recalling you [to Us]
We show you a part
of
what We are threatening them with, they shall all return to Us!
78. We have been sending Messengers before you. We
have told you about some of them, but We have not told you about the others.
But
no Messenger could have brought a Sign without God’s consent.
When
God’s decision is announced, the matter shall be decided in Truth, and the loss
shall be upon the liars.
79. God is the One, Who has given you domestic
animals, some to ride upon and some to use for food.
80. They are useful to you for another purpose:
they enable you to reach any destination according to your hearts’ [desire].
They transport you
like ships.
81. He is ever showing you His Signs.
Which of God’s
Signs will you then deny?
82. Do they not see when they travel in the land
what was the end of their predecessors?
They
were greater in number and stronger in power, and in the traces [they left] in
the land.
Yet, what they had hoarded has not profited them!
83. When their Messengers came to them with the
Proofs, they exulted in their scholarship,
until
they were struck down by what they were laughing at.
84. At the sight of Our punishment, they said:
“We believe in one God,
and we reject what we used to associate with Him.”
85. But after they see Our punishment, faith will
not benefit them any more! Such is the Law of God for His servants, and the
disbelievers will suffer a loss!
V. 5: Nowadays, the word hezb (pl. ahzab)
means a political party. Here it refers to the confederation
or alliance of evil forces (see also v.30 and S.38:11,13). In later suras it
applies to the confederation against Islam, as in S.33, The Confederates.
V. 7: “Those who support the Throne” are the Angels or
those who fulfill God’s commandments (cf. Isa. 6:1-2 and Ezek. 10:1).
V. 21: “The
traces” are archeological ruins (see v.82).
V. 28: This man
from Pharaoh’s household is not a Biblical character.
V. 36: Haman has
been encountered in S.28:8.
V. 49: The Keepers of Hell are the Angels guarding it.
V. 50: The prayer of a disbeliever has no value or
purpose. As in Christian teaching, communion with God requires His Grace.
V. 55: Like all humans, the Prophet was not blameless.
V. 57: According to this verse, the center of Creation is
not man, but the sky and the earth. Man’s assumption that he is at the center
of the Universe is false, even if he is one step above the Angels.
V. 60: The private prayer is called da'wa and the
communal prayer, salat. It is the first one that is meant here.
Sura 38 [The Letter] Sad. S.38 starts with castigations of polytheists
and ends with descriptions of Hell. Conspicuous is the use of the word
“Reminder. ” Parables about David (vv. 17-26) and Solomon (vv. 30-40)
constitute new narrative elements. Intercalated between them are the stories of
Job (vv. 41-44) and Iblis (vv. 71-85).
38. [The Letter] S A D
Meccan, 88 verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
1* Sad. By the Koran and its Reminder!
2* The disbelievers are [mired] in pride and dissent.
3.
How many
generations We have destroyed before them! When they called [to Us],
it was too late for their salvation!
that a Warner came from their midst.
The disbelievers said:
“He’s a wizard, a liar!
5.
How could
he combine [all] gods in one God? Verily, this is such a strange thing!”
6.
Their
chieftains retired, [saying]:
“Go your way and hold fast to
your gods, it’s obviously a plot!
7.
We haven’t
heard anything like that in the old creed — these are nothing but fabrications!
8.
And why
did the Reminder descend upon him and not upon one of us?”
— Yes, they have doubts about My Reminder.
But they have not tasted My punishment yet!
9.
Do they
own the treasury of the bounties of your Lord, the Mighty, the Giver?
10.
Do they
own the Heavens and earth and what is in between? Even if they hoist themselves
[to Heaven] on ropes.
11.
the army
of their confederation shall be defeated there!
12.
Before
them, the peoples of Noah, ’Ad,
and Pharaoh, the lord of stakes, disbelieved [in Us],
13.
and
Thamood, and the people of Lot,
and the dwellers al-’Aika — all their confederations!
14.
They have
all rejected their Messengers, and thus deserved My punishment.
15.
They are
waiting for the single Shout that shall not be postponed,
“Our Lord, hasten our lot before the Reckoning Day!”
17* — [O Muhammad!] Bear
patiently whatever they say, and remember Our servant David,
the man of
strength who used to turn [to Us].
18* We made the mountains join him in glorifying [Us] evenings and
at sunrise.
19. And the birds flocked together to join him in
turning [to Us].
and gave him
Wisdom and eloquence.
21* Have you heard the story of the two litigants? They climbed over
the wall into his chamber.
22. David was scared when they appeared before him.
They said:
“Don’t
be afraid! We are fighting each other because one of us has wronged the other
one.
Judge
between us by the Truth, but don’t judge unjustly, and guide us to the right
way.”
“This
is my brother. He has ninety-nine ewes, and I’ve only one. He said to me:
’Put her in my
care’, and he insisted on his demand.”
24* [David] said:
“He
has surely wronged you
by
insisting that you add your ewe to his flock.
Verily,
partners often do wrong to each other, but not those who believe and do good
works, but there are so few of them!”
David
understood that We were testing him.
He
asked his Lord to forgive him;
he
prostrated himself and turned [to Him].
25. We forgave him, brought him near Us, and gave him a good
retreat:
26* — O David! We
appoint you Our deputy on earth.
Judge
between men by the Truth and do not indulge in passions, lest they divert you
from God’s way.
Verily,
those who strayed from God’s way shall receive a severe punishment for
forgetting the Reckoning Day.
27. We have created the heaven and the earth, and
what is in between not without purpose as the disbelievers pretend.
Woe from the Fire
to those who disbelieve!
28. Can We treat those who believed and did right
like those who spread corruption in the land?
Can We treat the
God-fearing like the corrupt?
29*This is the blessed Scripture that We have sent down to you to
let [people] meditate on its Verses and let the intelligent ones be reminded.
30. To David We gave a son, Solomon, an outstanding servant, who,
verily, used to turn [to Us].
31* One evening,
they brought him a few highbred steeds.
32. He said:
“My
love for beauty distracts me from remembering my Lord.” [When the sun] hid
behind the veil [of the night],
33* [he said]:
“Bring them back
to me!”
And he began to
stroke their legs and necks.
34* We were
testing Solomon
when We placed a
dead body on his throne.
But he turned to
Us
“O
my Lord! Forgive me and bestow upon me a dominion that nobody will ever deserve
after me, for You’re the Giver [of all bounties]!
36. We subjected to him the wind
to blow softly at
his command any way he chose,
37. and Satans — builders and divers of all kinds,
38. and others bound in chains.
— This is Our gift
to you!
You may pass it
along or keep it outright.
40*Verily, We admitted him to Our Presence and gave him a good
retreat.
41. Remember Our servant Job. He called out to his
Lord:
“Satan has
afflicted me with suffering and distress!”
42. — [O Job!] Stomp [the ground] with your foot,
and you shall have
cool [water] for washing and drinking.
43. We returned him his family and doubled its size
as
a mercy from Us and as a Reminder for those who can reason.
44* — Take a wisp
[of grass] in your hand,
strike [your wife]
with it,
and do not break
[your oath]!
We found him a
patient and outstanding servant.
Verily, he used to
turn often [to Us]!
45. Remember Our servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, men of power and
insight.
46*We purified
them with purity
and reminded them
about [the future] abode.
47. For Us they
were among the elect and the upright.
48*And remember
Ishmael, Elisha and Dhul-Kifl —
they were all
among the upright.
49. This is a Reminder that, verily,
there is a
splendid abode for the God-fearing:
50. the Gardens of Eden with its gates wide open
for them.
51.
Therein
they shall recline,
asking for a variety of fruits and drinks.
52.
Beside
them there shall be [females] of their age with modest glances.
53.
This is
what is promised to you for the Reckoning Day!
54.
Verily,
such is Our unlimited provision!
As for the sinners, there shall be an evil refuge:
56.
Hellfire,
in which they shall burn — evil is this bed!
57* So be it!
Therein they shall drink boiling water, a chilling
beverage,
59.
Behold the
crowd that rushes with you!
No welcome for them — they shall all burn in the Fire!
60.
They shall
say [to their leaders]:
“Yes, it’s all because of you!
It’s you who aren’t welcome!
It’s you who brought us to this wretched destination!”
“O our Lord! Double the punishment by the Fire
to the one who brought this upon us!”
62* And they shall say:
“What’s wrong with us,
why don’t we see those we deemed wicked
Why don’t we see them anymore?”
64.
Verily,
this is how the inmates of the Fire will be bickering among themselves!
“I’m truly a Warner!
There is no god besides God, the One, the Victorious,
66.
the Lord
of Heavens and earth and what is in between.
He’s the Almighty, the All-Forgiving.”
“This is a great Message, yet you turn away from it!
69.
I don’t
know about the deliberations of the Powers on High.
70.
I’ve been
inspired only to be a clear Warner!”
71.
And your
Lord said to the Angels:
— I am going to create a mortal from clay.
72.
After I
shape him and breathe of My spirit into him, prostrate yourselves before him!
73.
The Angels
prostrated themselves in a body,
74.
but not
Iblis who was arrogant and became a disbeliever.
75.
— O Iblis!
What kept you from prostrating yourself before the one I made with My own
hands?
Are you so haughty or are you one of the Highest?
76.
[Iblis]
said: “I’m better than he is,
since You made me of fire, and him of clay.”
77.
— Get out
of here! May you be stoned,
78.
and may My
curse be upon you till Judgment Day!
“O my Lord! Grant me a reprieve till Resurrection Day.”
81.
till the
Day of the appointed time!
“[I swear] by Your greatness
that I’ll seduce them by evil, all of them to the last
one,
83.
except
Your devoted servants!”
84.
— This is
the Truth, and I speak the Truth!
85.
Truly, I
will fill Hellfire with you
and all those who are following you.
“I’m not asking you for a fee and I’m not a liar!
87.
This is
only a Reminder to the Worlds.
88.
Soon you
will learn all the truth about it.”
V. 1: “The Reminder” (zikr) brings up the ideas of
warning, remembrance, teaching, revelation, and even mystical mood.
Vv. 2-3: A non-sequitur, a frequent occurrence in the
Koran (cf. vv. 49, 67). During the chanting of the Koran, such abrupt shifts
convey the spontaneity and intensity of the sacred text.
V. 17: David, the slayer of Goliath, was “a man of
strength.” Vv. 18, 19: Nature praises God by the singing of birds, and David by
playing the harp and reciting the Psalms. The mountains may represent the
mighty of this world, and the birds — a tribe defeated by David. One can make
numerous comparisons of this type, but they do not add much to the
understanding of the Koran.
Vv. 21f: The story of the two litigants is an allegory
based on the admonition of the Prophet Nathan to King David for appropriating
Uria’s wife while possessing numerous wives and concubines of his own (2
Samuel, 12: 1-4).
V. 24: The intruders disappeared as unexpectedly as they
appeared, and David did not judge them. He repented when he realized that the
allegory of the litigants was directed against his own misdeeds and that he was
not qualified to lecture them.
V. 26: The Koran does not deal directly with the Biblical
stories that cast doubt on David’s moral character. The same can be said of
Solomon: indeed, a Prophet has to inspire respect for himself and his
preaching.
V. 29: This verse may refer either to David and the
Psalms, or to the Prophet Muhammad and the Koran.
V. 31: “Highbred,” lit., “strong on their legs, speedy.”
V. 33: Solomon stroked the horses in recognition of the
beauty of God’s gifts — or slashed their legs to prove his detachment from
material things. This passage is not in the Bible.
V. 34: A dead body — a Jinni, or a ghost.
V. 40: The same has been said about David in v. 25.
V. 44: “Take a wisp [of grass] in your hand and strike
[your wife] with it.” This verse can be understood in different ways.
To start with, it is logical to relate it to the story of
Job. While God was testing Job by calamities, his wife advised him to curse God
and die (Job, 2:9). Job probably swore that he would punish her. God ordered
Job to punish her leniently by slapping her with a bunch of grass to avoid
breaking his oath. Another possible translation of the verse: “Take a wisp [of
grass] in your hand, strike with it and don’t sin” has a different meaning —
God had pity for Job and ordered him to strike himself with a wisp of grass in
order to alleviate his suffering (in Arabic, “to break an oath” and “to sin”
are one and the same word, cf. S.56:46).
V. 46: “We purified them with purity,” probably meaning
“we chose them for a pure [purpose].”
V. 48: Ishmael, the elder son of Abraham, is the
Patriarch of the Arab race.
V. 57: “Chilling beverages” or “pus.” (S.78:25).
Vv. 62-63: The sinners talk about the Prophet and his
followers, who obviously are not in Hell. The dwellers of Hell and Paradise
will be able to see one another, cf. S.74:39-42.
Sura 27 The Ants. S.27 gives short versions of the stories of
Moses (vv. 714), Salih (vv. 45-53), and Lot (vv. 54-58), the latter taken
almost verbatim from an earlier sura. The centerpiece is the story of Solomon
and the Queen of Sheba (vv. 15-45) with the colorful episodes of the ants
(v.18) and the birds (vv. 20-28). Arguments for monotheism, the Last Judgment,
and the importance of God's Message to man are presented between the stories.
Meccan, 93
verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful!
These are some Verses from the
Koran, from the lucid Scripture.
2.
This is
Guidance and glad tidings for the believers,
3.
for those
who observe the prayer, pay the zakat, and firmly believe in the Hereafter.
4.
As for
those who disbelieve in the Hereafter,
We have embellished their deeds,
so that they wander in confusion.
5.
An evil
punishment is waiting for them —
they shall suffer the greatest loss in the Hereafter.
6.
— [O
Muhammad!] You are receiving the Koran from the Wisest, the All-knowing.
“I see a fire.
I’ll fetch for you from it some
news or a burning brand — perhaps it’ll help you to keep warm.”
8* When he approached, a voice was heard:
— Blessed be the One, Who is in the fire and beside it,
and glory to God, the Lord of the Worlds!
9.
O Moses!
Verily, I am God, the Almighty, the Wisest.
When [Moses] saw it crawling like a snake,
he ran away and
refused to return.
— O Moses! Do not
be afraid!
Verily, Messengers
are not afraid in My Presence.
11* And if anyone of them does wrong and then replaces evil by
goodness, I am the Forgiving, the Merciful.
12* Put your hand into your bosom — it shall come out white, without
harm.
This
is one of the nine Signs for Pharaoh and his people, indeed, these people are
corrupt!
13. When Our eye-opening Signs reached them, they
said: “This is obvious magic!”
14. They rejected them out of iniquity and pride,
though deep inside they have been convinced by them. Consider the fate of the
corrupt!
15* We had given
Knowledge to David and Solomon.
They said:
“Praise
be to God, Who has elevated both of us above many of His believing servants!”
16* Solomon was
David’s heir. He said:
“O
people! We’ve been taught the language of birds and we’ve been given all
things.
Verily, this is a
real favor!”
17. And Solomon’s army ofJinn, men, and birds was
brought before him in ranks.
18. When they reached the valley of the ants, an
ant said: “O ants! Repair to your dwellings,
lest Solomon and
his army unwittingly squash you.”
19. [Solomon] laughed at its words and said with a
smile: “O my Lord! Inspire me to be thankful for all the favors You showered
upon me and my parents,
and
for allowing me do the good works that please You. Make me join by Your mercy
[the ranks] of
Your righteous servants!”
20* He reviewed
the birds and said:
“I don’t see the
lapwing. Why is he missing?
21. I’ll punish him harshly, I’ll even kill him, if
he comes to me without a convincing excuse.”
22* But he did not tarry long, and, [flying in], said: “I’ve
surveyed [some lands] that you had not surveyed, I come to you from Sheba with
reliable news.
23. I found out that its ruler is a woman,
who received
everything and owns a splendid throne.
24. And I found that she and her people worship the
sun instead of God. Satan has embellished their deeds
and made them go
astray — they have no Guidance.
Who reveals the
secrets of Heavens and earth
and knows what you
hide and what you reveal.
26. He is God, and there’s no god but Him, the Lord
of the great Throne!”
“Soon enough we’ll
see if you tell the truth or you lie.
28. Return to them with my letter and throw it to
them, then step aside and wait for their response.”
“O notables! An
important letter has been delivered to me.
‘In the Name of
God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
31* Don’t make much of yourselves before me, and come to me as
Muslims.’”
“O notables!
Advise me in this matter,
indeed, I decide
all affairs in your presence!”
“We’re strong and
experienced in ruthless war,
but you’re the one
who gives orders. What’s your command?”
“When
kings enter a town, they destroy it and disgrace its most reputable dwellers —
that’s what they do!
35. But I’ll send them a gift and consider what the
envoys will bring back in return.”
36* When they came before Solomon, he said: “How can anything make
me richer if what God has given to me is better than what He gave you?
Only you can
rejoice at your gifts!
37. Go back to your [people]. We’ll march against
them with armies that they will not be able to withstand. We’ll drive them from
there in disgrace,
and they’ll feel
humiliated.”
“O
Chiefs! Which of you will bring me her throne before they come before me in
submission?”
39* One of the
Jinn, Ifreet, said:
“I’ll bring it to
you before you leave your place.
Believe me, I’m
strong in such stunts!”
40. Someone who was versed in the Scripture said:
“I’ll bring it to
you in the twinkling of an eye!”
When
[Solomon] saw [the throne] standing firmly before him, he said:
“By
the grace of my Lord, this is a test to see if I’m grateful or ungrateful. To
be grateful is good for the soul, but to be ungrateful...
Verily,
my Lord is generous and rich!”
“Disguise her
throne, and then we’ll see
whether she
follows the right way, or needs Guidance.”
42*When she
arrived, she was asked:
“Is this your
throne?”
She said:
“It
looks like mine! Knowledge came to us long ago, and we’ve submitted ourselves to
God.”
43. And [Solomon] turned her away from worshipping [other gods]
besides God, indeed, she belonged to a people without faith.
44*She was told:
“Enter
the palace!” Seeing what she thought was a pool of water, she bared her legs.
[Solomon] said:
“The palace is
paved with glass.”
She said:
“O my Lord! I have
harmed my soul! Now, together with Solomon,
I surrender myself
to God, the Lord of the Worlds.”
45. We sent to [the people of] Thamood their
brother Salih.
[He said]:
“Worship God!”
But they [split
into] two disputing factions.
“O my People! Why
do you hasten evil instead of virtue?
Ask God for
forgiveness — perhaps He’ll show you mercy!”
“Our
birds have warned us against you and those who are with you.” He said:
“Your birds are
from God, and you’re a people on trial!”
48. In the city there were nine people
who
were spreading corruption in the land and did not want to reform.
49*They said:
“Let’s swear to
one another by God
that we’ll go at
night after [Salih] and his kin.
Then, we’ll tell
his heir that we haven’t witnessed
the
murder of his family, and that we’re telling the truth!”
50. They plotted a scheme, and We plotted a scheme,
but they did not suspect [it].
51. Now, see the end of their plot:
— We wiped them
out, with all their nation!
52. Their houses are now in ruins for the wrong
they did. Verily, there is a Sign in this for the people who know!
53. And We saved those who believed and who feared
[God].
54. And Lot... He said to his people:
“Don’t you realize
that you’re committing indecency!
55. Don’t you lust after men instead of women?
Yes, you’re an
ignorant people!”
56. But his people had only one answer: “Expel
Lot’s family from our city — these people insist on staying pure!”
57. We rescued him and his family,
except his wife —
We decided to leave her behind.
58. And We pelted them with rain:
fatal was that
rain for those who were warned!
“Praise to God and
peace upon the servants He chose!
Who is better, God
or those you associate [with Him]?”
60. Has He not created the Heavens and earth
and sent you down
from the sky
the water We use
to grow luxuriant gardens?
Are you able to
grow such trees by yourselves?
So, is there a god
besides God?
But these people
refuse to commit themselves.
61. Has He not made the earth firm,
and
traced riverbeds, and raised mountains upon it, and set up a barrier between
the two seas?
So, is there a god
besides God?
But most of them
do not know [it].
62* Does He not answer the call of [a man] in distress, who calls to
Him, does He not relieve his pain? [Did He not] appoint you heirs to the land?
So, is there a god
besides God?
How little do you
remember!
63. Does He not guide you through the darkness of
land and sea, and send winds as forerunners of His mercy!
So, is there a god
besides God?
Exalted is God
above whatever they associate with Him!
64. Does He not begin the Creation, then repeat it
and give provisions from the sky and the earth? So, is there a god besides God?
Say:
“Bring forth your
Proof if you’re telling the truth!”
“Nobody
but God knows the Unseen in Heavens and earth, and nobody knows when he will be
raised.”
66. Yes, little do they know about the Hereafter,
and, moreover, they are in doubt about it. How blind they are in this matter!
“Shall we really
be raised
after we and our
fathers turned to dust?
68. This has been promised to us and to our fathers
before us, yet, these are just some fables of the Ancients!”
69. Say [to the disbelievers]:
“Go through the
land
and see what was
the end of the sinners!”
70. — [O Muhammad!] Do not grieve over them and do
not worry about their plots!
“When
will the promise come true if you’re telling the truth!”
“Maybe
a part of what you’d like to hasten is already catching on you!”
73. Verily, your Lord is full of mercy for mankind,
but most of them are ungrateful.
what they hide in
their hearts and what they reveal.
75. There is nothing hidden in Heaven and earth
that is not in the lucid Book.
76. Verily, this Koran enlightens the Children of
Israel about most of the matters in their dissensions.
77. Verily, it is a Guidance and a mercy for the
believers.
78. Verily, your Lord will rule between them in His
Judgment — He is the Mighty, the Knowing.
79. So, trust God — indeed, you are facing the
manifest Truth!
80. Verily, you cannot make the dead listen, as you
cannot make the deaf hear your call if they run away [from you].
81. And you cannot pull the blind out of their
error!
Only
those who believe in Our Signs will hear you: they are the Muslims!
82* When Our Word
is fulfilled,
We
will summon a Beast from the earth — let it talk to them! Indeed, Our Signs
have not convinced these people!
83. On that Day We will gather from each nation a
crowd of those who deny Our Signs
and they shall be
sorted out.
84. When they come, [God] will say:
— Have you rejected My Signs out
of ignorance or because of what you have done?
85. The Word against them shall be fulfilled
because of their wrong-doing,
and they shall not
be able to respond!
86. Don’t they see that We gave them the night to
rest and the day to have light?
Verily, there are Signs
in this for the people who believe!
87. On the Day when a blast on the trumpet is
sounded, everybody in Heavens and on earth shall be terrified; they shall come
before God in abjection,
except those He
will want [to save].
88. And you will see the mountains
that
you thought immovable, move like clouds. Such are the works of God,
Who has brought everything to perfection.
Verily, He is aware of your deeds!
89.
Goodness
shall accrue to those who do good
and they shall be saved from the terror of that Day.
90.
But whoever
comes forward with bad [deeds]
shall be cast face down into the Fire:
— Is there any other reward for you,
except what you have done yourselves?
“I’ve been ordered to worship the Lord of this city
that He has sanctified — indeed, all things belong to
Him!
I’m ordered to be a Muslim
Those who accept Guidance, do it for their souls.
Say to the one in error:
“I’m just a Warner.”
“Praised be God!
Soon He’ll show you His Signs and you’ll recognize them!
Your Lord is not heedless of anything you do!”
V. 8: The fire may emanate from Angels. “Who is in the
fire and beside it” or “who goes to God or is looking for Him.”
V. 11: Predestination can be mitigated only by God’s
mercy and forgiveness (S.81:29).
V. 12: Moses’s hand was luminous, but not leprous as in
the Biblical story (S.7:108).
V. 16: All living things know God and praise Him. Cf.:
“Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways and be wise” (Prov. 6:6).
V. 20: The lapwing, hudhud in Arabic.
V. 22: Sheba (Saba') was a locality in Southern
Arabia, ruled by a Queen called Bilqis. (Cf. 1 Kings 10:1-10).
V. 31: “As Muslims,” or “like those who surrendered to
God.”
Surrendering to God is only the first step on God’s path.
True Islam (islam) consists in offering one’s whole life to God and
doing good deeds, without which faith (iman) is not possible.
Faith includes Knowledge ('ilm or ma'rifa),
charity (ihsan), and sincerity (ikhlas). The latter includes the
repudiation of the association (shirk) of idols to God and ihsan
includes belief in one God, purity, as well as goodness, beauty, and the
pursuit of the ideals expressed in God’s names. One of God’s names is the
Grateful (ash-Shakur); if God is the Grateful, then an ungrateful man is
the lowest of the lowest (S.27: 40; S. 100:6).
Disbelief or unbelief (kufr) is the rejection of
Truth, and therefore of God (God is the Truth) and His Koran (the Word of
Truth). Disbelieving is concealing God from oneself and others. Faith is based
on accepting the Koran, the teaching of scholars, and mystical communication
with God. Total immersion in Islam (taqawa) comprises fear of God and
obedience to Him. “Devout” and “righteous” are too weak to convey the full
meaning of this word.
Knowledge and understanding are the cornerstones of
Islam. Neither the belief in a trinity nor solemn rites nor the cult of saints
distracts the faithful from direct contact with the Creator.
V. 36: It was more
important for Solomon to bring the people of Sheba into Islam than to receive
their gifts.
V. 39: Ifreet is a wicked spirit. Solomon prefers
the spiritual power of a believer to the sorcery of an evil imp.
Vv. 42-43: These verses can be rendered differently,
viz., she said: “It looks like mine!” [Solomon said]: Knowledge has come to us
long ago, and we’ve submitted ourselves to God,” and he turned her away from
worshipping [other gods] besides God...
V. 44: If the glass floor symbolizes the Truth, then the
Queen’s hesitation speaks of the weakness of her faith.
V. 49: The stratagem of Salih’s enemies was aimed at
avoiding the retaliation of his nearest relative. Revenge for murder was a duty
that could lead to the decimation of entire families. Islam offered repentance
and pardon as alternatives to the Biblical injunction, “an eye for an eye, a
life for a life.”
V. 62: This call to God is the private prayer of S.40:60.
V. 82: “Speak” or “wound.” Here the “Beast” is a metaphor
for unbelief, cf. Rev. 13:1f.