Surah Al-Anbiya

Ta'awwudh · Seeking Refuge

أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ

A'udhu billahi min ash-shaytani ar-rajim. I seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the accursed.

The Name · Bismillah

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Bismillahi ar-Rahmani ar-Rahim. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ

✦

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

The Surah · Verses 1 to 50

﴾١﴿ ٱقْتَرَبَ لِلنَّاسِ حِسَابُهُمْ وَهُمْ فِى غَفْلَةٍۢ مُّعْرِضُونَ

Iqtaraba linnaasi hisaa buhum wa hum fi ghaflatim mu'ridun

Their reckoning has drawn near for people, while they are in heedlessness, turning away.

﴾٢﴿ مَا يَأْتِيهِم مِّن ذِكْرٍۢ مِّن رَّبِّهِم مُّحْدَثٍ إِلَّا ٱسْتَمَعُوهُ وَهُمْ يَلْعَبُونَ

Maa yaatihim min zikrim mir rabbihim muhdasin illas tama'uhu wa hum yal'abun

No new reminder comes to them from their Lord except that they listen to it while they are playing,

﴾٣﴿ لَاهِيَةًۭ قُلُوبُهُمْ ۗ وَأَسَرُّوا۟ ٱلنَّجْوَى ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا۟ هَلْ هَٰذَآ إِلَّا بَشَرٌۭ مِّثْلُكُمْ ۖ أَفَتَأْتُونَ ٱلسِّحْرَ وَأَنتُمْ تُبْصِرُونَ

Laahiyatan qulubuhum; wa asarrun najwal lazina zalamu hal haazaa illaa basharum mislukum afataa tunas sihra wa antum tubsirun

their hearts distracted. And those who did wrong confer secretly: "Is this anything but a human being like you? Will you go to magic while you see it clearly?"

﴾٤﴿ قَالَ رَبِّى يَعْلَمُ ٱلْقَوْلَ فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ

Qaala rabbi ya'lamul qawla fis samaaa'i wal ardi wa huwas sami'ul alim

He said, "My Lord knows what is said in the heaven and the earth. He is the Hearing, the Knowing."

﴾٥﴿ بَلْ قَالُوٓا۟ أَضْغَٰثُ أَحْلَٰمٍۭ بَلِ ٱفْتَرَىٰهُ بَلْ هُوَ شَاعِرٌۭ فَلْيَأْتِنَا بِـَٔايَةٍۢ كَمَآ أُرْسِلَ ٱلْأَوَّلُونَ

Bal qaaluo adghaasu ahlaamim balif taraahu bal huwa shaa'irun falyaatinaa bi aayatin kamaa ursilal awwalun

Rather, they said, "Confused dreams. Rather, he invented it. Rather, he is a poet. So let him bring us a sign, as the earlier ones were sent."

﴾٦﴿ مَآ ءَامَنَتْ قَبْلَهُم مِّن قَرْيَةٍ أَهْلَكْنَٰهَآ ۖ أَفَهُمْ يُؤْمِنُونَ

Maaa aaamanat qablahum min qaryatin ahlaknaahaa a-fahum yu'minun

No town before them that We destroyed believed. Will these believe?

﴾٧﴿ وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ إِلَّا رِجَالًۭا نُّوحِىٓ إِلَيْهِمْ ۖ فَسْـَٔلُوٓا۟ أَهْلَ ٱلذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

Wa maaa arsalnaa qablaka illaa rijaalan nuhie ilaihim fas'alu ahlaz zikri in kuntum laa ta'lamun

We sent none before you except men to whom We revealed. So ask the people of the reminder, if you do not know.

﴾٨﴿ وَمَا جَعَلْنَٰهُمْ جَسَدًۭا لَّا يَأْكُلُونَ ٱلطَّعَامَ وَمَا كَانُوا۟ خَٰلِدِينَ

Wa maa ja'alnaahum jasadal laa yaakulunat ta'aama wa maa kaanu khaalidin

We did not make them bodies that ate no food, nor were they immortal.

﴾٩﴿ ثُمَّ صَدَقْنَٰهُمُ ٱلْوَعْدَ فَأَنجَيْنَٰهُمْ وَمَن نَّشَآءُ وَأَهْلَكْنَا ٱلْمُسْرِفِينَ

Summa sadaqnaa humul wa'da fa-anjainaahum wa man nashaaa'u wa ahlaknal musrifin

Then We fulfilled the promise to them, and We saved them and whomever We willed, and We destroyed those who went to excess.

﴾١٠﴿ لَقَدْ أَنزَلْنَآ إِلَيْكُمْ كِتَٰبًۭا فِيهِ ذِكْرُكُمْ ۖ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ

Laqad anzalnaaa ilaikum kitaaban fihi zikrukum afalaa ta'qilun

We have sent down to you a Book in which is your reminder. Will you not reason?

﴾١١﴿ وَكَمْ قَصَمْنَا مِن قَرْيَةٍۢ كَانَتْ ظَالِمَةًۭ وَأَنشَأْنَا بَعْدَهَا قَوْمًا ءَاخَرِينَ

Wa kam qasamnaa min qaryatin kannat zaalimatanw wa anshadnaa ba'dahaa qawman aakharin

How many towns We shattered that were doing wrong, and produced after them another people.

﴾١٢﴿ فَلَمَّآ أَحَسُّوا۟ بَأْسَنَآ إِذَا هُم مِّنْهَا يَرْكُضُونَ

Falammaaa ahassu baasanaaa izaaa hum minhaa yarkudun

When they sensed Our punishment, they were running from it.

﴾١٣﴿ لَا تَرْكُضُوا۟ وَٱرْجِعُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ مَآ أُتْرِفْتُمْ فِيهِ وَمَسَٰكِنِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُسْـَٔلُونَ

Laa tarkudu warji'uo ilaa maaa utriftum fihe wa masaakinikum la'allakum tus'alun

Do not run. Return to the comforts you were given and to your dwellings, so that you may be questioned.

﴾١٤﴿ قَالُوا۟ يَٰوَيْلَنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَٰلِمِينَ

Qaalu yaa wailanaaa innaa kunnaa zaalimin

They said, "Woe to us. We were wrongdoers."

﴾١٥﴿ فَمَا زَالَت تِّلْكَ دَعْوَىٰهُمْ حَتَّىٰ جَعَلْنَٰهُمْ حَصِيدًا خَٰمِدِينَ

Famaa zaalat tilka da'waahum hattaa ja'alnaahum hasidan khaamidin

That did not cease to be their cry until We made them harvested and still.

﴾١٦﴿ وَمَا خَلَقْنَا ٱلسَّمَآءَ وَٱلْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا لَٰعِبِينَ

Wa maa khalaqnas samaaa'a wal arda wa maa bainahumaa laa'ibin

We did not create the heaven and the earth and what is between them in play.

﴾١٧﴿ لَوْ أَرَدْنَآ أَن نَّتَّخِذَ لَهْوًۭا لَّٱتَّخَذْنَٰهُ مِن لَّدُنَّآ إِن كُنَّا فَٰعِلِينَ

Law aradnaaa an nattakhiza lahwal lat takhaznaahu mil ladunnaaa in kunnaa faa'ilin

If We had wanted a diversion, We could have taken it from Ourselves, if We were to do so.

﴾١٨﴿ بَلْ نَقْذِفُ بِٱلْحَقِّ عَلَى ٱلْبَٰطِلِ فَيَدْمَغُهُۥ فَإِذَا هُوَ زَاهِقٌۭ ۚ وَلَكُمُ ٱلْوَيْلُ مِمَّا تَصِفُونَ

Bal naqzifu bilhaqqi 'alal baatili fa yadmaghuhu fa izaa huwa zaahiq; wa lakumul wailu mimmaa tasifun

Rather, We hurl the truth against falsehood, and it crushes its head, and it vanishes. And woe to you for what you describe.

﴾١٩﴿ وَلَهُۥ مَن فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ وَمَنْ عِندَهُۥ لَا يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِهِۦ وَلَا يَسْتَحْسِرُونَ

Wa lahu man fis samaawaati wal ard; wa man 'indahu laa yastakbiruna 'an 'ibaada tihi wa laa yastahsirun

To Him belongs whoever is in the heavens and the earth. Those who are with Him are not too proud to worship Him, and they do not tire.

﴾٢٠﴿ يُسَبِّحُونَ ٱلَّيْلَ وَٱلنَّهَارَ لَا يَفْتُرُونَ

Yusabbihuna laila wannahaara laa yafturun

They glorify Him night and day, without pause.

﴾٢١﴿ أَمِ ٱتَّخَذُوٓا۟ ءَالِهَةًۭ مِّنَ ٱلْأَرْضِ هُمْ يُنشِرُونَ

Amit takhazuo aalihatam minal ardi hum yunshirun

Or have they taken gods from the earth who raise the dead?

﴾٢٢﴿ لَوْ كَانَ فِيهِمَآ ءَالِهَةٌ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ لَفَسَدَتَا ۚ فَسُبْحَٰنَ ٱللَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَرْشِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ

Law kaana fihimaaa aalihatun illal laahu lafasadataa; fa-Subhaanal laahi rabbil 'Arshi 'ammaa yasifun

If there were gods in them other than Allah, both would have been ruined. So glory to Allah, Lord of the Throne, above what they describe.

﴾٢٣﴿ لَا يُسْـَٔلُ عَمَّا يَفْعَلُ وَهُمْ يُسْـَٔلُونَ

Laa yus'alu 'ammaa yaf'alu wa hum yus'alun

He is not questioned about what He does, and they are questioned.

﴾٢٤﴿ أَمِ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ ءَالِهَةًۭ ۖ قُلْ هَاتُوا۟ بُرْهَٰنَكُمْ ۖ هَٰذَا ذِكْرُ مَن مَّعِىَ وَذِكْرُ مَن قَبْلِى ۗ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ٱلْحَقَّ ۖ فَهُم مُّعْرِضُونَ

Amit takhazu min dunihi aalihatan qul haatu burhaanakum haaza zikru mam ma'iya wa zikru man qabli; bal aksaruhum laa ya'lamunal haqqa fahum mu'ridun

Or have they taken gods besides Him? Say, "Bring your proof. This is the reminder of those with me and the reminder of those before me." Rather, most of them do not know the truth, so they turn away.

﴾٢٥﴿ وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا نُوحِىٓ إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُۥ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّآ أَنَا۠ فَٱعْبُدُونِ

Wa maaa arsalnaa min qablika mir rasulin illaa nuhie ilaihi annahu laaa ilaaha illaaa ana fa'budun

We sent no messenger before you except that We revealed to him that there is no god but Me, so worship Me.

﴾٢٦﴿ وَقَالُوا۟ ٱتَّخَذَ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنُ وَلَدًۭا ۗ سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ ۚ بَلْ عِبَادٌۭ مُّكْرَمُونَ

Wa qaalut takhazar rahmaanu waladan subhaanah; bal 'ibaadum mkkramun

And they said, "The Most Gracious has taken a son." Glory to Him. Rather, they are honored servants.

﴾٢٧﴿ لَا يَسْبِقُونَهُۥ بِٱلْقَوْلِ وَهُم بِأَمْرِهِۦ يَعْمَلُونَ

Laa yasbiqunahu bil qawli wa hum bi amrihi ya'malun

They do not speak before He does, and they act by His command.

﴾٢٨﴿ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ وَلَا يَشْفَعُونَ إِلَّا لِمَنِ ٱرْتَضَىٰ وَهُم مِّنْ خَشْيَتِهِۦ مُشْفِقُونَ

Ya'lamu maa baina aidihim wa maa khalfahum wa laa yashfa'una illaa limanir tadaa wa hum min khash yatihi mushfiqun

He knows what is before them and what is behind them, and they do not intercede except for one He approves, and they tremble in awe of Him.

﴾٢٩﴿ ۞ وَمَن يَقُلْ مِنْهُمْ إِنِّىٓ إِلَٰهٌۭ مِّن دُونِهِۦ فَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِيهِ جَهَنَّمَ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِى ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ

Wa mai yaqul minhum innie ilaahum min dunihi fazaalika najzihi jahannam; kazaalika najziz zaalimin

Whoever of them says, "I am a god besides Him," We repay him with Hell. That is how We repay the wrongdoers.

﴾٣٠﴿ أَوَلَمْ يَرَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ أَنَّ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ كَانَتَا رَتْقًۭا فَفَتَقْنَٰهُمَا ۖ وَجَعَلْنَا مِنَ ٱلْمَآءِ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ حَىٍّ ۖ أَفَلَا يُؤْمِنُونَ

Awalam yaral lazina kafaruo annas samaawaati wal arda kaanataa ratqan faftaqnaahumaa wa ja'alnaa minal maaa'i kulla shai'in haiyin afalaa yu'minun

Have those who disbelieve not seen that the heavens and the earth were joined together, and We split them apart, and We made from water every living thing? Will they not believe?

﴾٣١﴿ وَجَعَلْنَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ رَوَٰسِىَ أَن تَمِيدَ بِهِمْ وَجَعَلْنَا فِيهَا فِجَاجًۭا سُبُلًۭا لَّعَلَّهُمْ يَهْتَدُونَ

Wa ja'alnaa fil ardi rawaasiya an tamida bihim wa ja'alnaa fihaa fijaajan subulal la'allahum yahtadun

And We placed in the earth firm mountains, so that it would not shift with them, and We made in it broad passages as roads, so that they may find their way.

﴾٣٢﴿ وَجَعَلْنَا ٱلسَّمَآءَ سَقْفًۭا مَّحْفُوظًۭا ۖ وَهُمْ عَنْ ءَايَٰتِهَا مُعْرِضُونَ

Wa ja'alnas samaaa'a saqfam mahfuzanw wa hum 'an aayaatihaa mu'ridun

And We made the sky a protected ceiling, and they turn away from its signs.

﴾٣٣﴿ وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلَّيْلَ وَٱلنَّهَارَ وَٱلشَّمْسَ وَٱلْقَمَرَ ۖ كُلٌّۭ فِى فَلَكٍۢ يَسْبَحُونَ

Wa huwal lazi khalaqal laila wannahaara washshamsa wal qamara kullun fi falakiny yashbahun

He is the One who created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon, each swimming in an orbit.

﴾٣٤﴿ وَمَا جَعَلْنَا لِبَشَرٍۢ مِّن قَبْلِكَ ٱلْخُلْدَ ۖ أَفَإِي۟ن مِّتَّ فَهُمُ ٱلْخَٰلِدُونَ

Wa maa ja'alnaa libasharim min qablikal khuld; afaimmitta fahumul khaalidun

We granted no human being before you immortality. So if you die, will they live forever?

﴾٣٥﴿ كُلُّ نَفْسٍۢ ذَآئِقَةُ ٱلْمَوْتِ ۗ وَنَبْلُوكُم بِٱلشَّرِّ وَٱلْخَيْرِ فِتْنَةًۭ ۖ وَإِلَيْنَا تُرْجَعُونَ

Kullu nafsin zaaa'iqatul mawt; wa nablukum bishsharri walkhairi fitnatanw wa ilainaa turja'un

Every soul will taste death. We test you with evil and with good, as a trial, and to Us you will be returned.

﴾٣٦﴿ وَإِذَا رَءَاكَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ إِن يَتَّخِذُونَكَ إِلَّا هُزُوًا أَهَٰذَا ٱلَّذِى يَذْكُرُ ءَالِهَتَكُمْ وَهُم بِذِكْرِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ هُمْ كَٰفِرُونَ

Wa izaa ra aakal lazina kafaruo iny-yattakhizunaka illa huzuwaa; ahaazal lazi yazkuru aalihatakum wa hum bi zikrir rahmaani hum kaafirun

When those who disbelieve see you, they take you only in mockery. "Is this the one who talks about your gods?" while they reject any mention of the Most Gracious.

﴾٣٧﴿ خُلِقَ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ مِنْ عَجَلٍۢ ۚ سَأُو۟رِيكُمْ ءَايَٰتِى فَلَا تَسْتَعْجِلُونِ

Khuliqal insaanu min 'ajal; sa urikum aayaati falaa tasta'jilun

The human being was created hasty. I will show you My signs, so do not ask Me to hurry.

﴾٣٨﴿ وَيَقُولُونَ مَتَىٰ هَٰذَا ٱلْوَعْدُ إِن كُنتُمْ صَٰدِقِينَ

Wa yaquluna mataa haazal wa'du in kuntum saadiqin

They say, "When is this promise, if you are truthful?"

﴾٣٩﴿ لَوْ يَعْلَمُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ حِينَ لَا يَكُفُّونَ عَن وُجُوهِهِمُ ٱلنَّارَ وَلَا عَن ظُهُورِهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يُنصَرُونَ

Law ya'lamul lazina kafaru hina laa yakuffuna 'anw wujuhihimun naara wa laa 'an zuhurihim wa laa hum yunsarun

If those who disbelieve only knew the time when they will not hold back the Fire from their faces or their backs, and they will not be helped.

﴾٤٠﴿ بَلْ تَأْتِيهِم بَغْتَةًۭ فَتَبْهَتُهُمْ فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ رَدَّهَا وَلَا هُمْ يُنظَرُونَ

Bal taatihim baghtatan fatabhatuhum falaa yastati'una raddahaa wa laa hum yunzarun

It will come to them suddenly and stun them, and they will not be able to turn it back, nor will they be given time.

﴾٤١﴿ وَلَقَدِ ٱسْتُهْزِئَ بِرُسُلٍۢ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَحَاقَ بِٱلَّذِينَ سَخِرُوا۟ مِنْهُم مَّا كَانُوا۟ بِهِۦ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ

Wa laqadis tuhzi'a bi-Rusulim min qablika fahaaqa billazina sakhiru minhum maa kaanu bihi yastahzi'un

Messengers before you were mocked, and those who ridiculed them were surrounded by what they used to mock.

﴾٤٢﴿ قُلْ مَن يَكْلَؤُكُم بِٱلَّيْلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ مِنَ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ۗ بَلْ هُمْ عَن ذِكْرِ رَبِّهِم مُّعْرِضُونَ

Qul mai yakla 'ukum billaili wannahaari minar rahmaan; bal hum 'an zikri rabbihim mu'ridun

Say, "Who guards you by night and by day from the Most Gracious?" Rather, they turn away from the remembrance of their Lord.

﴾٤٣﴿ أَمْ لَهُمْ ءَالِهَةٌۭ تَمْنَعُهُم مِّن دُونِنَا ۚ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ نَصْرَ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَلَا هُم مِّنَّا يُصْحَبُونَ

Am lahum aalihatun tamna'ulum min duninaa; laa yastati'una nasra anfusihim wa laa hum minnna yus-habun

Or do they have gods who defend them besides Us? They cannot help themselves, nor are they protected from Us.

﴾٤٤﴿ بَلْ مَتَّعْنَا هَٰٓؤُلَآءِ وَءَابَآءَهُمْ حَتَّىٰ طَالَ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْعُمُرُ ۗ أَفَلَا يَرَوْنَ أَنَّا نَأْتِى ٱلْأَرْضَ نَنقُصُهَا مِنْ أَطْرَافِهَآ ۚ أَفَهُمُ ٱلْغَٰلِبُونَ

Bal matta'naa haaa'ulaaa'i wa aabaaa'ahum hattaa taala 'alaihimul 'umur; afalaa yarawna anna naatil arda nanqusuhaa min atraafihaa; afahumul ghaalibun

Rather, We gave enjoyment to these and their fathers until life grew long for them. Do they not see that We come to the land, reducing it from its outlying parts? Are they then the victors?

﴾٤٥﴿ قُلْ إِنَّمَآ أُنذِرُكُم بِٱلْوَحْىِ ۚ وَلَا يَسْمَعُ ٱلصُّمُّ ٱلدُّعَآءَ إِذَا مَا يُنذَرُونَ

Qul innamaaa unzirukum bilwahyi; wa laa yasma'us summud du'aaa'a izaa maa yunzarun

Say, "I only warn you by revelation." But the deaf do not hear the call when they are warned.

﴾٤٦﴿ وَلَئِن مَّسَّتْهُمْ نَفْحَةٌۭ مِّنْ عَذَابِ رَبِّكَ لَيَقُولُنَّ يَٰوَيْلَنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَٰلِمِينَ

Wa la'im massat hum nafhatum min 'azaabi rabbika la yaqulunna yaawailanaaa innnaa kunnaa zaalimin

If a breath of the punishment of your Lord touched them, they would say, "Woe to us. We were wrongdoers."

﴾٤٧﴿ وَنَضَعُ ٱلْمَوَٰزِينَ ٱلْقِسْطَ لِيَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ فَلَا تُظْلَمُ نَفْسٌۭ شَيْـًۭٔا ۖ وَإِن كَانَ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍۢ مِّنْ خَرْدَلٍ أَتَيْنَا بِهَا ۗ وَكَفَىٰ بِنَا حَٰسِبِينَ

Wa nada'ul mawaazinal qista li yawmil qiyaamati falaa tuzlamu nafsun shai'aa; wa in kaana misqaala habbatim min khardalin atainaa bihaa; wa kafaa binaa haasibin

We will set up the just scales for the Day of Resurrection, and no soul will be wronged in anything. Even if it is the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it. And We are sufficient as reckoners.

﴾٤٨﴿ وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَىٰ وَهَٰرُونَ ٱلْفُرْقَانَ وَضِيَآءًۭ وَذِكْرًۭا لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ

Wa laqad aatainaa musa wa haarunal furqaana wa diyaa'anw wa zikral lilmuttaqin

We gave Musa and Harun the Criterion, a light, and a reminder for those mindful of Allah,

﴾٤٩﴿ ٱلَّذِينَ يَخْشَوْنَ رَبَّهُم بِٱلْغَيْبِ وَهُم مِّنَ ٱلسَّاعَةِ مُشْفِقُونَ

Allazina yakhshawna rabbahum bilghaibi wa hum minas saa'ati mushfiqun

those who fear their Lord unseen and are apprehensive of the Hour.

﴾٥٠﴿ وَهَٰذَا ذِكْرٌۭ مُّبَارَكٌ أَنزَلْنَٰهُ ۚ أَفَأَنتُمْ لَهُۥ مُنكِرُونَ

Wa haazaa zikrum mubaarakun anzalnaah; afa antum lahu munkirun

And this is a blessed reminder We have sent down. Will you then reject it?

The Tafsir · The Breakdown

What This Part Means

Overview

It Has Drawn Near, and They Are Playing.

Verse 1 puts two facts in one sentence and lets the gap between them do the work. Their reckoning has drawn near for people, while they are in heedlessness, turning away. Not ignorant of it. Turning away from it. Verse 2 sharpens it further. No new reminder comes to them from their Lord except that they listen to it while they are playing, their hearts distracted. They are not refusing to listen. They are listening, with the attention they give to entertainment. That is the condition Part One diagnoses, and everything after it is aimed at breaking it: a creation that was not made in play, an argument that two gods would have ruined it, a reminder that nobody has ever been granted immortality, and a scale that will weigh a mustard seed.

Verses 1 to 20

Listening While Playing.

Verse 3 records the private conversation. Those who did wrong confer secretly: is this anything but a human being like you? The objection is old by now in this Book, and here it is delivered in a whisper among men who agreed in advance. Verse 5 shows them cycling through explanations that contradict each other in a single breath. Confused dreams. Rather, he invented it. Rather, he is a poet. Three theories, incompatible, offered by the same speakers, which is what a man does when the conclusion is fixed and only the reason is still being selected. Verse 10 is the verse worth stopping on. We have sent down to you a Book in which is your reminder. Dhikrukum, which carries both your reminder and your mention, your standing, the thing by which you will be remembered. A people's whole significance is located in a Book, and then the question follows: will you not reason. Verses 12 and 13 contain the sharpest line in the section. When they sensed the punishment, they ran, and they are told: do not run. Return to the comforts you were given and to your dwellings, so that you may be questioned. They are told to go back to the very things they were enjoying, because those things are the subject of the questioning. Verse 16 states the premise the surah rests on. We did not create the heaven and the earth and what is between them in play. Verse 18 gives the mechanism opposite to play. We hurl the truth against falsehood, and it crushes its head, and it vanishes. Yadmaghuhu, striking the skull. Not a debate. A demolition. And verses 19 and 20 give the contrast that should shame a tired man. Those who are with Him are not too proud to worship Him, and they do not tire. They glorify Him night and day, without pause.

Verses 21 to 33

Two Would Have Ruined It.

Verse 22 is the argument. If there were gods in them other than Allah, both would have been ruined. Two wills of unlimited scope cannot govern one system, because either they agree in everything, in which case there is one will, or they differ in something, in which case the system tears. The verse states it as a conclusion about the observable order: the heavens and the earth are still standing, so the premise fails. Verse 23 then closes the last exit a man reaches for. He is not questioned about what He does, and they are questioned. This is not a refusal to explain. It is a statement about position. A creature inside a system does not hold standing to audit the One who built it, and the same verse reminds him that his own audit is coming. Verse 30 is dense with things worth reading slowly. The heavens and the earth were joined together, and We split them apart. And We made from water every living thing. Verse 32 calls the sky a protected ceiling, saqfan mahfuza, and then notes what men do with it: they turn away from its signs. Verse 33 gives the motion. The night and the day, the sun and the moon, each swimming in an orbit. Yasbahun, swimming, a word for moving through a medium under your own motion, applied to bodies men assumed were fixed lamps.

Verses 34 to 50

Tested With Evil and With Good.

Verse 34 asks a question that dismantles the fantasy behind most ambition. We granted no human being before you immortality. So if you die, will they live forever? The men waiting for the message to die with the messenger were themselves on the same clock. Verse 35 is the verse from this part to carry for life. Every soul will taste death. We test you with evil and with good, as a trial. Both are named. Bish-sharri wal-khayri fitnah. Hardship is a test, and every man knows that. Ease is also a test, and almost no man treats it as one. The good that arrives is not the pause between the trials. It is one of them, and it is the one more men fail. Verse 37 then names the defect that makes a man mishandle both. The human being was created hasty. Khuliqa al-insanu min 'ajal, made out of haste, as though it were the material. Then the instruction: I will show you My signs, so do not ask Me to hurry. Verse 44 gives the warning that arrives so quietly most readers miss it. We gave enjoyment to these and their fathers until life grew long for them. Do they not see that We come to the land, reducing it from its outlying parts? Something is being taken from the edges while the men in the center feel secure. Verse 47 closes with the standard. We will set up the just scales for the Day of Resurrection, and no soul will be wronged in anything. Even if it is the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it. The precision cuts both ways, and it is meant to. Nothing small enough to be overlooked, in either direction.

Structural Summary

Verses One to Fifty. We Test You With Evil and With Good.

The surah opens on men listening to revelation with the attention they give to entertainment, while the reckoning closes in. It shows them cycling through incompatible explanations, and locates their whole significance in the Book they are dismissing. It states that the creation was not made in play, that two unlimited wills would have torn the system apart, and that the One who built it is not the one being audited. Then it removes the fantasy of permanence, names ease as a trial in the same clause as hardship, identifies haste as the material a man is made from, and sets a scale that will weigh a mustard seed.

The Practice

Take It Into the Week

Verse 2. Notice the attention you give the Book compared to the attention you give a screen. Change one of the two this week.

Verse 35. Name the good thing currently in your life and treat it as the test the verse says it is. Write down how you would fail it.

Verse 37. Pick the one thing you have been trying to force ahead of schedule and stop pushing it for seven days.

آمِين

Prepared with discipline · Ameen

Verse-By-Verse · Test Yourself

The Quiz

Two questions per verse. Translation and a key Arabic word. Walk through it slow. The goal is comprehension, not speed.

Verse 11 / 10

The Verse

What two things does verse 1 put side by side?