Al-A’raf  · Part Two

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.

✦

The Surah · Verses 59 to 102

﴾٥٩﴿ لَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحًا إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِۦ فَقَالَ يَٰقَوْمِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَٰهٍ غَيْرُهُۥٓ إِنِّىٓ أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍۢ

Laqad arsalnaa noohan ilaa qawmihee faqaala yaa qawmi' budul laaha maa lakum min ilaahin ghairuhoo inneee akhaafu 'alaikum 'azaaba Yawmin 'Azeem

We sent Nuh to his people. He said, my people, worship Allah. You have no god other than Him. I fear for you the punishment of a great Day.

﴾٦٠﴿ قَالَ ٱلْمَلَأُ مِن قَوْمِهِۦٓ إِنَّا لَنَرَىٰكَ فِى ضَلَٰلٍۢ مُّبِينٍۢ

Qaalal mala-u min qaw miheee innaa lanaraaka fee dalaalim mubeen

The assembly of his people said, we see you in clear error.

﴾٦١﴿ قَالَ يَٰقَوْمِ لَيْسَ بِى ضَلَٰلَةٌۭ وَلَٰكِنِّى رَسُولٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ

Qaala yaa qawmi laisa bee dalaalatunw wa laakinnee Rasoolum mir Rabbil 'aalameen

He said, my people, there is no error in me, but I am a messenger from the Lord of all worlds.

﴾٦٢﴿ أُبَلِّغُكُمْ رِسَٰلَٰتِ رَبِّى وَأَنصَحُ لَكُمْ وَأَعْلَمُ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

Uballighukum Risaalaati Rabbee wa ansahu lakum wa a'lamu minal laahi maa laa ta'lamoon

I deliver to you the messages of my Lord and I advise you sincerely, and I know from Allah what you do not know.

﴾٦٣﴿ أَوَعَجِبْتُمْ أَن جَآءَكُمْ ذِكْرٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ عَلَىٰ رَجُلٍۢ مِّنكُمْ لِيُنذِرَكُمْ وَلِتَتَّقُوا۟ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ

Awa'ajibtum an jaaa'akum zikrum mir Rabbikum 'alaa rajulim minkum liyunzirakum wa litattaqoo wa la'allakum turhamoon

Do you find it strange that a reminder came to you from your Lord through a man from among you, to warn you, and so that you would be conscious, and so that you might receive mercy.

﴾٦٤﴿ فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَأَنجَيْنَٰهُ وَٱلَّذِينَ مَعَهُۥ فِى ٱلْفُلْكِ وَأَغْرَقْنَا ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَآ ۚ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ قَوْمًا عَمِينَ

Fakazzaboohu fa anjai naahu wallazeena ma'ahoo fil fulki wa aghraqnal lazeena kazzaboo bi Aayaatinaa; innahum kaanoo qawman 'ameen

So they called him a liar, and We saved him and those with him in the ship, and We drowned those who called Our signs a lie. They were a blind people.

﴾٦٥﴿ وَإِلَىٰ عَادٍ أَخَاهُمْ هُودًۭا ۗ قَالَ يَٰقَوْمِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَٰهٍ غَيْرُهُۥٓ ۚ أَفَلَا تَتَّقُونَ

Wa ilaa 'aadin akhaahum Hoodaa; qaala yaa qawmi' budul laaha maa lakum min ilaahin ghairuh; afalaa tattaqoon

And to Ad, their brother Hud. He said, my people, worship Allah. You have no god other than Him. Will you not be conscious of Him.

﴾٦٦﴿ قَالَ ٱلْمَلَأُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ مِن قَوْمِهِۦٓ إِنَّا لَنَرَىٰكَ فِى سَفَاهَةٍۢ وَإِنَّا لَنَظُنُّكَ مِنَ ٱلْكَٰذِبِينَ

Qaalal mala ul lazeena kafaroo min qawmiheee innaa lanaraaka fee safaahatinw wa innaa lannazunnuka minal kaazibeen

The assembly of those who disbelieved from his people said, we see you in foolishness, and we think you are one of the liars.

﴾٦٧﴿ قَالَ يَٰقَوْمِ لَيْسَ بِى سَفَاهَةٌۭ وَلَٰكِنِّى رَسُولٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ

Qaala yaa qawmi laisa bee safaahatunw wa laakinnee Rasoolum mir Rabbil 'aalameen

He said, my people, there is no foolishness in me, but I am a messenger from the Lord of all worlds.

﴾٦٨﴿ أُبَلِّغُكُمْ رِسَٰلَٰتِ رَبِّى وَأَنَا۠ لَكُمْ نَاصِحٌ أَمِينٌ

Uballighukum Risaalaati Rabbee wa ana lakum naasihun ameen

I deliver to you the messages of my Lord, and I am a trustworthy adviser to you.

﴾٦٩﴿ أَوَعَجِبْتُمْ أَن جَآءَكُمْ ذِكْرٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ عَلَىٰ رَجُلٍۢ مِّنكُمْ لِيُنذِرَكُمْ ۚ وَٱذْكُرُوٓا۟ إِذْ جَعَلَكُمْ خُلَفَآءَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ قَوْمِ نُوحٍۢ وَزَادَكُمْ فِى ٱلْخَلْقِ بَصْۜطَةًۭ ۖ فَٱذْكُرُوٓا۟ ءَالَآءَ ٱللَّهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

Awa 'ajibtum an jaaa'akum zikrum mir Rabbikum 'alaa rajulim minkum liyunzirakum; wazkurooo iz ja'alakum khulafaaa'a mim ba'di qawmi noohinw wa zaadakum filkhalqi bastatan fazkurooo aalaaa'al laahi la'allakum tuflihoon

Do you find it strange that a reminder came to you from your Lord through a man from among you, to warn you. And remember when He made you successors after the people of Nuh and increased you in stature. So remember the favors of Allah, so that you may succeed.

﴾٧٠﴿ قَالُوٓا۟ أَجِئْتَنَا لِنَعْبُدَ ٱللَّهَ وَحْدَهُۥ وَنَذَرَ مَا كَانَ يَعْبُدُ ءَابَآؤُنَا ۖ فَأْتِنَا بِمَا تَعِدُنَآ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ ٱلصَّٰدِقِينَ

Qaalooo aji'tanaa lina'budal laaha wahdahoo wa nazara maa kaana ya'budu aabaaa'u naa faatinaa bimaa ta'idunaaa in kunta minas saadiqeen

They said, have you come to us so that we would worship Allah alone and leave what our fathers worshipped. Then bring us what you promise us, if you are of the truthful.

﴾٧١﴿ قَالَ قَدْ وَقَعَ عَلَيْكُم مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ رِجْسٌۭ وَغَضَبٌ ۖ أَتُجَٰدِلُونَنِى فِىٓ أَسْمَآءٍۢ سَمَّيْتُمُوهَآ أَنتُمْ وَءَابَآؤُكُم مَّا نَزَّلَ ٱللَّهُ بِهَا مِن سُلْطَٰنٍۢ ۚ فَٱنتَظِرُوٓا۟ إِنِّى مَعَكُم مِّنَ ٱلْمُنتَظِرِينَ

Qaala qad waqa'a alaikum mir Rabbikum rijsunw wa ghadab, atujaadiloonanee feee asmaaa'in sammaitumoohaaa antum wa aabaaa'ukum maa nazzalal laahu bihaa min sultaan; fantazirooo innee ma'akum minal muntazireen

He said, defilement and anger from your Lord have already fallen on you. Do you argue with me about names you and your fathers have named, for which Allah has sent down no authority. Then wait. I am with you among those who wait.

﴾٧٢﴿ فَأَنجَيْنَٰهُ وَٱلَّذِينَ مَعَهُۥ بِرَحْمَةٍۢ مِّنَّا وَقَطَعْنَا دَابِرَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا ۖ وَمَا كَانُوا۟ مُؤْمِنِينَ

Fa anjainaahu wallazeena ma'ahoo birahmatim minnaa wa qata'naa daabiral lazeena kazzaboo bi Aayaatinaa wa maa kaanoo mu'mineen

So We saved him and those with him by a mercy from Us, and We cut off the last of those who called Our signs a lie. And they were not believers.

﴾٧٣﴿ وَإِلَىٰ ثَمُودَ أَخَاهُمْ صَٰلِحًۭا ۗ قَالَ يَٰقَوْمِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَٰهٍ غَيْرُهُۥ ۖ قَدْ جَآءَتْكُم بَيِّنَةٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ ۖ هَٰذِهِۦ نَاقَةُ ٱللَّهِ لَكُمْ ءَايَةًۭ ۖ فَذَرُوهَا تَأْكُلْ فِىٓ أَرْضِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَلَا تَمَسُّوهَا بِسُوٓءٍۢ فَيَأْخُذَكُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌۭ

Wa ilaa Samooda akhaahum Saalihaa; qaala yaa qawmi' budul laaha maa lakum min ilaahin ghairuhoo qad jaaa'atkum baiyinatum mir Rabbikum haazihee naaqatul laahi lakum Aayatan fazaroohaa taakul feee ardil laahi wa laa tamassoohaa bisooo'in fa yaakhuzakum 'azaabun aleem

And to Thamud, their brother Salih. He said, my people, worship Allah. You have no god other than Him. A clear proof has come to you from your Lord. This is the she-camel of Allah, a sign for you. So leave her to eat in the land of Allah, and do not touch her with harm, or a painful punishment will seize you.

﴾٧٤﴿ وَٱذْكُرُوٓا۟ إِذْ جَعَلَكُمْ خُلَفَآءَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ عَادٍۢ وَبَوَّأَكُمْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ تَتَّخِذُونَ مِن سُهُولِهَا قُصُورًۭا وَتَنْحِتُونَ ٱلْجِبَالَ بُيُوتًۭا ۖ فَٱذْكُرُوٓا۟ ءَالَآءَ ٱللَّهِ وَلَا تَعْثَوْا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ

Wazkkurooo iz ja'alakum khulafaaa'a mim ba'di 'Aadinw wa bawwa akum fil ardi tattakhizoona min suhoolihaa qusooranw wa tanhitoonal jibaala buyootan fazkurooo aalaaa'al laahi wa laa ta'saw fil ardi mufsideen

And remember when He made you successors after Ad and settled you in the land. You take palaces from its plains and carve houses out of the mountains. So remember the favors of Allah, and do not spread corruption in the land.

﴾٧٥﴿ قَالَ ٱلْمَلَأُ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱسْتَكْبَرُوا۟ مِن قَوْمِهِۦ لِلَّذِينَ ٱسْتُضْعِفُوا۟ لِمَنْ ءَامَنَ مِنْهُمْ أَتَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّ صَٰلِحًۭا مُّرْسَلٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّهِۦ ۚ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا بِمَآ أُرْسِلَ بِهِۦ مُؤْمِنُونَ

Qaalal mala ul lazeenas takbaroo min qawmihee lillazeenas tud'ifoo liman aamana minhum ata'almoona anna Saaliham mursalum mir Rabbih; qaalooo innaa bimaaa ursila bihee mu'minoon

The assembly of those who were arrogant from his people said to those who were considered weak, to those among them who believed, do you know that Salih is sent from his Lord. They said, we are believers in what he was sent with.

﴾٧٦﴿ قَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱسْتَكْبَرُوٓا۟ إِنَّا بِٱلَّذِىٓ ءَامَنتُم بِهِۦ كَٰفِرُونَ

Qaalal lazeenas takbarooo innaa billazeee aamanntum bihee kaafiroon

Those who were arrogant said, we reject what you have believed in.

﴾٧٧﴿ فَعَقَرُوا۟ ٱلنَّاقَةَ وَعَتَوْا۟ عَنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّهِمْ وَقَالُوا۟ يَٰصَٰلِحُ ٱئْتِنَا بِمَا تَعِدُنَآ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ ٱلْمُرْسَلِينَ

Fa'aqarun naaqata wa'ataw 'an amri Rabbihim wa qaaloo yaa Saalihu' tinaa bimaa ta'idunaaa in kunta minal mursaleen

So they hamstrung the she-camel and defied the command of their Lord, and they said, Salih, bring us what you promise us, if you are of the messengers.

﴾٧٨﴿ فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ ٱلرَّجْفَةُ فَأَصْبَحُوا۟ فِى دَارِهِمْ جَٰثِمِينَ

Fa akhazat humur rajftu fa asbahoo fee daarihim jaasimmeen

So the earthquake seized them, and they lay lifeless in their homes by morning.

﴾٧٩﴿ فَتَوَلَّىٰ عَنْهُمْ وَقَالَ يَٰقَوْمِ لَقَدْ أَبْلَغْتُكُمْ رِسَالَةَ رَبِّى وَنَصَحْتُ لَكُمْ وَلَٰكِن لَّا تُحِبُّونَ ٱلنَّٰصِحِينَ

Fa tawalla 'anhum wa qaala yaa qawmi laqad ablaghtukum Risaalata Rabbee wa nasahtu lakum wa laakil laa tuhibboonan naasiheen

So he turned away from them and said, my people, I delivered to you the message of my Lord and I advised you sincerely, but you do not love those who advise.

﴾٨٠﴿ وَلُوطًا إِذْ قَالَ لِقَوْمِهِۦٓ أَتَأْتُونَ ٱلْفَٰحِشَةَ مَا سَبَقَكُم بِهَا مِنْ أَحَدٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ

Wa Lootan iz qaala liqawmiheee ataatoonal faahishata maa sabaqakum bihaa min ahadim minal 'aalameen

And Lut, when he said to his people, do you commit the indecency that no one in all the worlds committed before you.

﴾٨١﴿ إِنَّكُمْ لَتَأْتُونَ ٱلرِّجَالَ شَهْوَةًۭ مِّن دُونِ ٱلنِّسَآءِ ۚ بَلْ أَنتُمْ قَوْمٌۭ مُّسْرِفُونَ

Innakum lataatoonar rijaala shahwatam min doonin nisaaa'; bal antumqawmum musrifoon

You approach men with desire instead of women. You are a people who cross every limit.

﴾٨٢﴿ وَمَا كَانَ جَوَابَ قَوْمِهِۦٓ إِلَّآ أَن قَالُوٓا۟ أَخْرِجُوهُم مِّن قَرْيَتِكُمْ ۖ إِنَّهُمْ أُنَاسٌۭ يَتَطَهَّرُونَ

Wa maa kaana jawaaba qawmihee illaa an qaalooo akhrijoohum min qaryatikum innahum unaasuny yatatah haroon

And the answer of his people was nothing but to say, drive them out of your town. They are people who keep themselves pure.

﴾٨٣﴿ فَأَنجَيْنَٰهُ وَأَهْلَهُۥٓ إِلَّا ٱمْرَأَتَهُۥ كَانَتْ مِنَ ٱلْغَٰبِرِينَ

Fa anjainaahu wa ahlahooo illam ra atahoo kaanat minal ghaabireen

So We saved him and his family, except his wife. She was of those who stayed behind.

﴾٨٤﴿ وَأَمْطَرْنَا عَلَيْهِم مَّطَرًۭا ۖ فَٱنظُرْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَٰقِبَةُ ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ

Wa 'amtarnaa 'alaihim mataran fanzur kaifa kaana aaqibatul mujjrimeen

And We rained down a rain on them. So look how the end was for the criminals.

﴾٨٥﴿ وَإِلَىٰ مَدْيَنَ أَخَاهُمْ شُعَيْبًۭا ۗ قَالَ يَٰقَوْمِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَٰهٍ غَيْرُهُۥ ۖ قَدْ جَآءَتْكُم بَيِّنَةٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ ۖ فَأَوْفُوا۟ ٱلْكَيْلَ وَٱلْمِيزَانَ وَلَا تَبْخَسُوا۟ ٱلنَّاسَ أَشْيَآءَهُمْ وَلَا تُفْسِدُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ بَعْدَ إِصْلَٰحِهَا ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ خَيْرٌۭ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

Wa ilaa Madyana akhaahum Shu'aybaa; qaala yaa qawmi' budul laaha maa lakum min ilaahin ghairuhoo qad jaaa'atkum baiyinatum mir Rabbikum fa awful kaila walmeezaana wa laa tabkhasun naasa ashyaa'ahum wa laa tufsidoo fil ardi ba'da islaahihaa; zaalikum khairul lakum in kuntum mu'mineen

And to Madyan, their brother Shu'ayb. He said, my people, worship Allah. You have no god other than Him. A clear proof has come to you from your Lord. So give full measure and weight, and do not shortchange people in their goods, and do not spread corruption in the land after it has been set right. That is better for you, if you are believers.

﴾٨٦﴿ وَلَا تَقْعُدُوا۟ بِكُلِّ صِرَٰطٍۢ تُوعِدُونَ وَتَصُدُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ مَنْ ءَامَنَ بِهِۦ وَتَبْغُونَهَا عِوَجًۭا ۚ وَٱذْكُرُوٓا۟ إِذْ كُنتُمْ قَلِيلًۭا فَكَثَّرَكُمْ ۖ وَٱنظُرُوا۟ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَٰقِبَةُ ٱلْمُفْسِدِينَ

Wa laa taq'udoo bikulli siraatin too'idoona wa tasuddoona 'an sabeelil laahi man aamana bihee wa abghoonahaa 'iwajaa; waz kurooo iz kuntum qaleelan fakassarakum wanzuroo kaifa kaana 'aaqibatul mufsideen

And do not sit on every road, threatening and turning away from the way of Allah those who believe in Him, and seeking to make it crooked. And remember when you were few and He made you many. And look how the end was for those who spread corruption.

﴾٨٧﴿ وَإِن كَانَ طَآئِفَةٌۭ مِّنكُمْ ءَامَنُوا۟ بِٱلَّذِىٓ أُرْسِلْتُ بِهِۦ وَطَآئِفَةٌۭ لَّمْ يُؤْمِنُوا۟ فَٱصْبِرُوا۟ حَتَّىٰ يَحْكُمَ ٱللَّهُ بَيْنَنَا ۚ وَهُوَ خَيْرُ ٱلْحَٰكِمِينَ

Wa In kaana taaa'ifatum minkum aamanoo billazeee ursiltu bihee wa taaa'ifatul lam yu'minoo fasbiroo hattaa yahkumual laahu bainanaa; wa Huwa khairul haakimeen

And if a group of you has believed in what I was sent with, and a group has not believed, then be patient until Allah judges between us. And He is the best of judges.

﴾٨٨﴿ قَالَ ٱلْمَلَأُ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱسْتَكْبَرُوا۟ مِن قَوْمِهِۦ لَنُخْرِجَنَّكَ يَٰشُعَيْبُ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مَعَكَ مِن قَرْيَتِنَآ أَوْ لَتَعُودُنَّ فِى مِلَّتِنَا ۚ قَالَ أَوَلَوْ كُنَّا كَٰرِهِينَ

Qaalal mala ul lazeenas takbaroo min qawmihee lanukhrijannaka yaa Shu'aibu wallazeena aamanoo ma'aka min qaryatinaaa aw lata'oo dunna fee millatinaa; qaala awa law kunnaa kaariheen

The assembly of those who were arrogant from his people said, we will drive you out of our town, Shu'ayb, and those who believed with you, or you will return to our way. He said, even if we hate it.

﴾٨٩﴿ قَدِ ٱفْتَرَيْنَا عَلَى ٱللَّهِ كَذِبًا إِنْ عُدْنَا فِى مِلَّتِكُم بَعْدَ إِذْ نَجَّىٰنَا ٱللَّهُ مِنْهَا ۚ وَمَا يَكُونُ لَنَآ أَن نَّعُودَ فِيهَآ إِلَّآ أَن يَشَآءَ ٱللَّهُ رَبُّنَا ۚ وَسِعَ رَبُّنَا كُلَّ شَىْءٍ عِلْمًا ۚ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ تَوَكَّلْنَا ۚ رَبَّنَا ٱفْتَحْ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَ قَوْمِنَا بِٱلْحَقِّ وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ ٱلْفَٰتِحِينَ

Qadif tarainaa 'alal laahi kaziban in 'udnaa fee millatikum ba'da iz najjaanal laahu minhaa; wa maa yakoonu lanaaa an na'ooda feehaaa illaaa ai yashaaa'al laahu Rabbunaa; wasi'a Rabbunaa kulla shai'in 'ilmaa; 'alal laahi tawakkalnaa; Rabbanaf tah bainanaa wa baina qawminaa bilhaqqi wa Anta khairul faatiheen

We would have invented a lie against Allah if we returned to your way after Allah saved us from it. And it is not for us to return to it unless Allah our Lord wills. Our Lord encompasses everything in knowledge. Upon Allah we rely. Our Lord, decide between us and our people with the truth, and You are the best of deciders.

﴾٩٠﴿ وَقَالَ ٱلْمَلَأُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ مِن قَوْمِهِۦ لَئِنِ ٱتَّبَعْتُمْ شُعَيْبًا إِنَّكُمْ إِذًۭا لَّخَٰسِرُونَ

Wa qaalal mala ul lazeena kafaroo min qawmihee la'init taba'tum Shu'aiban innakum izal lakhaasiroon

And the assembly of those who disbelieved from his people said, if you follow Shu'ayb, you will be the losers.

﴾٩١﴿ فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ ٱلرَّجْفَةُ فَأَصْبَحُوا۟ فِى دَارِهِمْ جَٰثِمِينَ

Fa akhazat humur rajfatu fa asbahoo fee daarihim jaasimeen

So the earthquake seized them, and they lay lifeless in their homes by morning.

﴾٩٢﴿ ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا۟ شُعَيْبًۭا كَأَن لَّمْ يَغْنَوْا۟ فِيهَا ۚ ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا۟ شُعَيْبًۭا كَانُوا۟ هُمُ ٱلْخَٰسِرِينَ

Allazeena kazzaboo Shu'aiban ka al alm yaghnaw feehaa; allazeena kazzaboo Shu'aiban kaanoo humul khaasireen

Those who called Shu'ayb a liar, it was as if they had never lived there. Those who called Shu'ayb a liar, they were the losers.

﴾٩٣﴿ فَتَوَلَّىٰ عَنْهُمْ وَقَالَ يَٰقَوْمِ لَقَدْ أَبْلَغْتُكُمْ رِسَٰلَٰتِ رَبِّى وَنَصَحْتُ لَكُمْ ۖ فَكَيْفَ ءَاسَىٰ عَلَىٰ قَوْمٍۢ كَٰفِرِينَ

Fatawalla 'anhum wa qaala yaa qawmi laqad ablaghtukum Risaalaati Rabbee wa nasahtu lakum fakaifa aasaa'alaa qawmin kaafireen

So he turned away from them and said, my people, I delivered to you the messages of my Lord and I advised you sincerely. So how could I grieve over a disbelieving people.

﴾٩٤﴿ وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا فِى قَرْيَةٍۢ مِّن نَّبِىٍّ إِلَّآ أَخَذْنَآ أَهْلَهَا بِٱلْبَأْسَآءِ وَٱلضَّرَّآءِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَضَّرَّعُونَ

Wa maaa arsalnaa fee qaryatim min Nabiyyin illaaa akhaznaaa ahlahaa bil baasaaa'i waddarraaa'i la'allahum yaddarra'oon

And We did not send a prophet into a town without seizing its people with hardship and difficulty, so that they would humble themselves.

﴾٩٥﴿ ثُمَّ بَدَّلْنَا مَكَانَ ٱلسَّيِّئَةِ ٱلْحَسَنَةَ حَتَّىٰ عَفَوا۟ وَّقَالُوا۟ قَدْ مَسَّ ءَابَآءَنَا ٱلضَّرَّآءُ وَٱلسَّرَّآءُ فَأَخَذْنَٰهُم بَغْتَةًۭ وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ

Summa baddalnaa makaa nas saiyi'atil hasanata hattaa 'afaw wa qaaloo qad massa aabaa'anad darraaa'u wassarraaa'u fa akhaznaahum baghtatanw wa hum laa yash'uroon

Then We exchanged good in place of the bad, until they increased and said, hardship and ease touched our fathers too. So We seized them suddenly, while they did not perceive it.

﴾٩٦﴿ وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ ٱلْقُرَىٰٓ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَٱتَّقَوْا۟ لَفَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِم بَرَكَٰتٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَٰكِن كَذَّبُوا۟ فَأَخَذْنَٰهُم بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَكْسِبُونَ

Wa law anna ahlal quraaa aamanoo wattaqaw lafatahnaa 'alaihim barakaatim minas samaaa'i wal ardi wa laakin kazzaboo fa akhaznaahum bimaa kaanoo yaksiboon

And if the people of the towns had believed and been conscious of Allah, We would have opened blessings on them from the sky and the earth. But they called it a lie, so We seized them for what they had been earning.

﴾٩٧﴿ أَفَأَمِنَ أَهْلُ ٱلْقُرَىٰٓ أَن يَأْتِيَهُم بَأْسُنَا بَيَٰتًۭا وَهُمْ نَآئِمُونَ

Afa amina ahlul quraaa ai yaatiyahum baasunaa bayaatanw wa hum naaa'imoon

Do the people of the towns feel safe that Our force will not come to them at night while they are asleep.

﴾٩٨﴿ أَوَأَمِنَ أَهْلُ ٱلْقُرَىٰٓ أَن يَأْتِيَهُم بَأْسُنَا ضُحًۭى وَهُمْ يَلْعَبُونَ

Awa amina ahlul quraaa ai yaatiyahum baasunaa duhanw wa hum yal'aboon

Or do the people of the towns feel safe that Our force will not come to them in the morning while they are playing.

﴾٩٩﴿ أَفَأَمِنُوا۟ مَكْرَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ فَلَا يَأْمَنُ مَكْرَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَّا ٱلْقَوْمُ ٱلْخَٰسِرُونَ

Afa aminoo makral laah; falaa yaamanu makral laahi illal qawmul khaasiroon

Do they feel safe from the plan of Allah. No one feels safe from the plan of Allah except the losing people.

﴾١٠٠﴿ أَوَلَمْ يَهْدِ لِلَّذِينَ يَرِثُونَ ٱلْأَرْضَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ أَهْلِهَآ أَن لَّوْ نَشَآءُ أَصَبْنَٰهُم بِذُنُوبِهِمْ ۚ وَنَطْبَعُ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ فَهُمْ لَا يَسْمَعُونَ

Awa lam yahdi lillazeena yarisoonal arda mim ba'di ahlihaaa al law nashaaa'u asabnaahum bizunoobihim; wa natba'u 'alaa quloobihim fahum laa yasma'oon

Has it not been made clear to those who inherit the earth after its people that if We willed We could strike them for their sins. And We seal their hearts so they do not hear.

﴾١٠١﴿ تِلْكَ ٱلْقُرَىٰ نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ مِنْ أَنۢبَآئِهَا ۚ وَلَقَدْ جَآءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُم بِٱلْبَيِّنَٰتِ فَمَا كَانُوا۟ لِيُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِمَا كَذَّبُوا۟ مِن قَبْلُ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يَطْبَعُ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ

Tilkal quraa naqussu 'alaika min ambaaa'ihaa; wa laqad jaaa'at hum Rusuluhum bilbaiyinaati famaa kaanoo liyu'minoo bimaa kazzaboo min qabl; kazaalika yatba'ul laahu 'alaa quloobil kaafireen

Those are the towns whose accounts We recount to you. Their messengers came to them with clear proofs, but they would not believe in what they had already called a lie. In this way Allah seals the hearts of the disbelievers.

﴾١٠٢﴿ وَمَا وَجَدْنَا لِأَكْثَرِهِم مِّنْ عَهْدٍۢ ۖ وَإِن وَجَدْنَآ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَفَٰسِقِينَ

Wa maa wajadnaa li aksarihim min 'ahd; wa inw wajadnaaa aksarahum lafaasiqeen

And We found no covenant kept by most of them. And We found most of them defiantly disobedient.

Tafsir

The Commentary

Overview

Five Messengers, One Argument.

Read this passage for the repetition rather than around it. Nuh, Hud, Salih and Shu’ayb all open with the same sentence. My people, worship Allah. You have no god other than Him. Four men, four centuries apart, four different civilizations, and the identical opening line.

The responses are equally standardized. We see you in clear error. We see you in foolishness. Bring us what you promise us. Have you come so that we would leave what our fathers worshipped. If you follow him you will be the losers. Different tribes producing the same five objections without contact between them.

And each messenger’s reply has the same structure. There is no error in me, but I am a messenger. I deliver the messages of my Lord and I advise you sincerely. Each one claims nasiha, sincere advice, and Salih closes his account by naming the reason it failed. You do not love those who advise.

The passage ends by turning from history to the reader. Hardship sent first. Ease sent after. And the ease named as the more dangerous of the two, because of what people conclude when it arrives.

Verses 59 to 79

Nuh, Hud, Salih.

Verse 63 raises the objection that has followed every prophet. Do you find it strange that a reminder came to you from your Lord through a man from among you. The problem was never the content. It was the delivery mechanism. A familiar man, from the same streets, whose family everyone knew, saying something that would have been easier to accept from a stranger or from the sky.

Verses 69 and 74 do something worth noticing. Ad are reminded that they were made successors after the people of Nuh. Thamud are reminded that they were made successors after Ad. Each civilization is told, plainly, that it is standing on the site of the last one that heard this and refused it. Neither of them found the information useful.

Verse 71 exposes the shape of the whole dispute. Do you argue with me about names you and your fathers have named, for which Allah has sent down no authority. The gods being defended had nothing behind them except the naming. Someone assigned the label, the label was inherited, and generations later men were prepared to die defending a word their ancestors made up.

Verses 75 and 76 show the social structure of the rejection more clearly than anywhere else in the chapter. The arrogant assembly goes to the ones considered weak, the ones who had already believed, and asks a question designed to make them waver. Do you actually know that Salih is sent from his Lord. And the weak give the cleanest answer in the passage: we are believers in what he was sent with. No argument, no defensiveness. The reply from the powerful is not a counter-argument either. We reject what you have believed in. Position, not reasoning.

And verse 79 is the sentence to carry out of this section. Salih stands over a dead city and says, I delivered the message and I advised you sincerely, but you do not love those who advise. The failure was not in the argument or the evidence. It was a settled dislike of being advised at all, which no amount of correct information gets past.

Verses 80 to 93

Lut and Shu’ayb.

Verse 82 records the charge brought against Lut and his household, and it is worth reading twice. Drive them out of your town. They are people who keep themselves pure. The accusation is purity. When a practice becomes the norm of a place, the people abstaining from it are experienced as an insult by their mere presence, and the case against them can be made without alleging any wrongdoing at all.

Shu’ayb’s message in verse 85 puts two things in one breath that people prefer to keep separate. Worship Allah, you have no god other than Him. Then, give full measure and weight, and do not shortchange people in their goods. The theology and the scales, in the same sentence, with no transition between them.

Verse 86 adds a third demand. Do not sit on every road, threatening and turning away from the way of Allah those who believe in Him. Blocking somebody else’s access is treated as a separate offense from disbelief itself.

Verse 88 is the standard offer made to anyone who leaves a system. We will drive you out, or you will return to our way. Two options, both of them theirs. And the reply in verse 89 refuses the framing rather than choosing between the options. Return to it, after Allah saved us from it. The word return is rejected on the grounds that going back would be the invention, not the leaving.

Then verse 89 ends on a prayer worth memorizing. Our Lord, decide between us and our people with the truth, and You are the best of deciders. Not a request for victory. A request for the matter to be settled correctly.

And verse 92 gives the outcome in a phrase that does more work than a description. It was as if they had never lived there. A town with markets, houses, families and a functioning economy, and the record of it closes with the observation that nothing remained to suggest anyone had ever been there at all.

Note the two closing lines side by side. Salih, in verse 79: but you do not love those who advise. Shu’ayb, in verse 93: so how could I grieve over a disbelieving people. Both men delivered, both were refused, and each was left with a different thing to say about it.

Verses 94 to 102

The Comfortable Are Seized.

Verses 94 and 95 describe a two-stage process, and the second stage is the one that finishes people.

First, hardship and difficulty, and the stated purpose is that they would humble themselves. That is a mercy operating through discomfort, and most people recognise it as such eventually.

Then, We exchanged good in place of the bad, until they increased. The relief arrives. And here is what they did with it: they said, hardship and ease touched our fathers too. Which is a true statement. It is also the exact conclusion that empties both events of meaning. Read as a natural cycle rather than as an address, the hardship was just weather and the relief was just weather clearing. And the verse continues, so We seized them suddenly, while they did not perceive it. The suddenness is a consequence of the interpretation.

Verse 96 states what was available instead. If the people of the towns had believed and been conscious of Allah, We would have opened blessings on them from the sky and the earth. Not compensation in the next life. Opened blessings, from above and below, in this one.

Verses 97 and 98 then name the two states in which the seizure came, and both are ordinary. At night while they are asleep. In the morning while they are playing. Not while they were committing the offense. During rest, and during recreation.

And verse 99 gives the line that has kept scholars sober for fourteen centuries. Do they feel safe from the plan of Allah. No one feels safe from the plan of Allah except the losing people. Security about one’s own standing is itself listed as the marker. Not sin. Confidence.

Verse 100 then addresses whoever is living on the site now. Has it not been made clear to those who inherit the earth after its people. The ruins are readable. The question is whether the current occupants have read them.

Structural Summary

Verses Fifty-Nine to One Hundred and Two. Five Messengers, One Argument.

Four men opening with the identical sentence. The same five objections from unconnected tribes. Two civilizations told they are standing on the last one’s site. Gods with nothing behind them except a name. The powerful interrogating the weak, and the weak answering cleanly. A city that did not love being advised. An accusation of purity used as grounds for expulsion. Worship and honest scales in one breath. A prayer for the matter to be decided rightly rather than won. Hardship as mercy, relief as the harder test, and the conclusion that empties both. And confidence named as the marker of the losing.

The Practice

Take It Into the Week

Verse 79. The verse names the real obstacle as a dislike of being advised. Ask one person who knows you well for a correction, and receive the answer without explaining yourself. Say only that you will think about it.

Verse 95. The verse catches people reading relief as a natural cycle. Take the last good turn in your circumstances and name, out loud, who it came from. Do it before the next hard turn arrives.

Verse 99. The verse lists security about your own standing as the marker. Say the du’a for a good ending tonight, and mean it as something not yet settled.

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.

Verses 59 to 691 / 13

The Opening Line

What sentence do Nuh, Hud, Salih and Shu'ayb each open with?