Surah Al-Hijr: The Rocky Tract | Quran Study Guide

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The Surah · Al-Hijr

﴾١﴿ الٓر ۚ تِلْكَ ءَايَٰتُ ٱلْكِتَٰبِ وَقُرْءَانٍۢ مُّبِينٍۢ

Alif-Laaam-Raa; tilka Aayaatul Kitaabi wa Qur-aa-nim Mubeen

Alif Lam Ra. These are the verses of the Book and a clear Quran.

﴾٢﴿ رُّبَمَا يَوَدُّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لَوْ كَانُوا۟ مُسْلِمِينَ

Rubamaa yawaddul lazeena kafaroo law kaanoo muslimeen

Perhaps those who disbelieved will wish they had been Muslims.

﴾٣﴿ ذَرْهُمْ يَأْكُلُوا۟ وَيَتَمَتَّعُوا۟ وَيُلْهِهِمُ ٱلْأَمَلُ ۖ فَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ

Zarhum yaakuloo wa tatamatta'oo wa yulhihimul amalu fasawfa ya'lamoon

Leave them to eat and enjoy themselves, and let hope distract them. They will come to know.

﴾٤﴿ وَمَآ أَهْلَكْنَا مِن قَرْيَةٍ إِلَّا وَلَهَا كِتَابٌۭ مَّعْلُومٌۭ

Wa maaa ahlaknaa min qaryatin illaa wa lahaa kitaabum ma'loom

And We destroyed no town except that it had a known decree.

﴾٥﴿ مَّا تَسْبِقُ مِنْ أُمَّةٍ أَجَلَهَا وَمَا يَسْتَـْٔخِرُونَ

Maa tasbiqu min ummatin ajalahaa wa maa yastaakhiroon

No nation can outrun its term, nor delay it.

﴾٦﴿ وَقَالُوا۟ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِى نُزِّلَ عَلَيْهِ ٱلذِّكْرُ إِنَّكَ لَمَجْنُونٌۭ

Wa qaaloo yaaa aiyuhal lazee nuzzila 'alaihiz Zikru innaka lamajnoon

And they said, "You upon whom the Reminder has been sent down, you are mad.

﴾٧﴿ لَّوْ مَا تَأْتِينَا بِٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةِ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ ٱلصَّٰدِقِينَ

Law maa taateenaa bil malaaa'ikati in kunta minas saadiqeen

Why do you not bring us the angels, if you are truthful?"

﴾٨﴿ مَا نُنَزِّلُ ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةَ إِلَّا بِٱلْحَقِّ وَمَا كَانُوٓا۟ إِذًۭا مُّنظَرِينَ

Maa nunazzilul malaaa'i kata illaa bilhaqqi wa maa kaanooo izam munzareen

We do not send down the angels except in truth, and they would not then be given respite.

﴾٩﴿ إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا ٱلذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُۥ لَحَٰفِظُونَ

Innaa Nahnu nazalnaz Zikra wa Innaa lahoo lahaa fizoon

We have sent down the Reminder, and We are its guardian.

﴾١٠﴿ وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ فِى شِيَعِ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ

Wa laqad arsalnaa min qablika fee shiya'il awwaleen

And We sent messengers before you among the factions of the earlier peoples.

﴾١١﴿ وَمَا يَأْتِيهِم مِّن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا كَانُوا۟ بِهِۦ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ

Wa maa yaateehim mir Rasoolin illaa kaanoo bihee yastahzi'oon

And no messenger came to them except that they mocked him.

﴾١٢﴿ كَذَٰلِكَ نَسْلُكُهُۥ فِى قُلُوبِ ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ

Kazaalika naslukuhoo fee quloobil mujrimeen

In the same way We let it pass through the hearts of the criminals.

﴾١٣﴿ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِۦ ۖ وَقَدْ خَلَتْ سُنَّةُ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ

Laa yu'minoona bihee wa qad khalat sunnatul awwaleen

They do not believe in it, and the way of the earlier peoples has already passed.

﴾١٤﴿ وَلَوْ فَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِم بَابًۭا مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ فَظَلُّوا۟ فِيهِ يَعْرُجُونَ

Wa law fatahnaa 'alaihim baabam minas samaaa'i fazaloo feehi ya'rujoon

And if We opened for them a gate from the sky and they kept ascending through it,

﴾١٥﴿ لَقَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّمَا سُكِّرَتْ أَبْصَٰرُنَا بَلْ نَحْنُ قَوْمٌۭ مَّسْحُورُونَ

Laqaaloo innamaa sukkirat absaarunaa bal nahnu qawmum mashooroon

they would say, "Our eyes have been dazzled. Rather, we are a people bewitched."

﴾١٦﴿ وَلَقَدْ جَعَلْنَا فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ بُرُوجًۭا وَزَيَّنَّٰهَا لِلنَّٰظِرِينَ

Wa laqad ja'alnaa fissamaaa'i buroojanw wa zaiyannaahaa linnaazireen

And We placed constellations in the sky and made it beautiful for those who look,

﴾١٧﴿ وَحَفِظْنَٰهَا مِن كُلِّ شَيْطَٰنٍۢ رَّجِيمٍ

Wa hafiznaahaa min kulli Shaitaanir rajeem

and We guarded it from every accursed devil,

﴾١٨﴿ إِلَّا مَنِ ٱسْتَرَقَ ٱلسَّمْعَ فَأَتْبَعَهُۥ شِهَابٌۭ مُّبِينٌۭ

Illaa manis taraqas sam'a fa atba'ahoo shihaabum mubeen

except one who steals a hearing, and a clear flame pursues him.

﴾١٩﴿ وَٱلْأَرْضَ مَدَدْنَٰهَا وَأَلْقَيْنَا فِيهَا رَوَٰسِىَ وَأَنۢبَتْنَا فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ مَّوْزُونٍۢ

Wal arda madadnaahaa wa alqainaa feehaa rawaasiya wa ambatnaa feehaa min kulli shai'im mawzoon

And the earth We spread out, and cast into it firm mountains, and caused every balanced thing to grow in it,

﴾٢٠﴿ وَجَعَلْنَا لَكُمْ فِيهَا مَعَٰيِشَ وَمَن لَّسْتُمْ لَهُۥ بِرَٰزِقِينَ

Wa ja'alnaa lakum feehaa ma'aayisha wa mal lastum lahoo biraaziqeen

and We made in it livelihoods for you, and for those you do not provide for.

﴾٢١﴿ وَإِن مِّن شَىْءٍ إِلَّا عِندَنَا خَزَآئِنُهُۥ وَمَا نُنَزِّلُهُۥٓ إِلَّا بِقَدَرٍۢ مَّعْلُومٍۢ

Wa im min shai'in illaa 'indanaa khazaaa 'inuhoo wa maa nunazziluhooo illaa biqadarim ma'loom

And there is nothing whose treasuries are not with Us, and We send it down only in a known measure.

﴾٢٢﴿ وَأَرْسَلْنَا ٱلرِّيَٰحَ لَوَٰقِحَ فَأَنزَلْنَا مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءًۭ فَأَسْقَيْنَٰكُمُوهُ وَمَآ أَنتُمْ لَهُۥ بِخَٰزِنِينَ

Wa arsalnar riyaaha la waaqiha fa anzalnaa minas samaaa'i maaa'an fa asqai naakumoohu wa maaa antum lahoo bikhaazineen

And We send the fertilizing winds, and send down water from the sky and give it to you to drink, and you are not the ones who store it.

﴾٢٣﴿ وَإِنَّا لَنَحْنُ نُحْىِۦ وَنُمِيتُ وَنَحْنُ ٱلْوَٰرِثُونَ

Wa innnaa la nahnu nuhyee wa numeetu wa nahnul waarisoon

And it is We who give life and cause death, and We are the inheritors.

﴾٢٤﴿ وَلَقَدْ عَلِمْنَا ٱلْمُسْتَقْدِمِينَ مِنكُمْ وَلَقَدْ عَلِمْنَا ٱلْمُسْتَـْٔخِرِينَ

Wa la qad 'alimnal mustaqdimeena minkum wa laqad 'alimnal mustaakhireen

And We know those among you who go forward, and We know those who lag behind.

﴾٢٥﴿ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ يَحْشُرُهُمْ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ حَكِيمٌ عَلِيمٌۭ

Wa inna Rabbaka Huwa yahshuruhum; innahoo Hakeem 'Aleem

And your Lord will gather them. He is Wise, Knowing.

﴾٢٦﴿ وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا ٱلْإِنسَٰنَ مِن صَلْصَٰلٍۢ مِّنْ حَمَإٍۢ مَّسْنُونٍۢ

Wa laqad khalaqnal insaana min salsaalim min hama im masnoon

And We created the human being from sounding clay, from dark mud shaped into form.

﴾٢٧﴿ وَٱلْجَآنَّ خَلَقْنَٰهُ مِن قَبْلُ مِن نَّارِ ٱلسَّمُومِ

Waljaaanna khalaqnaahu min qablu min naaris samoom

And the jinn We created before, from the fire of a scorching wind.

﴾٢٨﴿ وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةِ إِنِّى خَٰلِقٌۢ بَشَرًۭا مِّن صَلْصَٰلٍۢ مِّنْ حَمَإٍۢ مَّسْنُونٍۢ

Wa iz qaala Rabbuka lilmalaaa' ikati innee khaaliqum basharam min salsaalim min hama im masnoon

And when your Lord said to the angels, "I am creating a human being from sounding clay, from dark mud shaped into form.

﴾٢٩﴿ فَإِذَا سَوَّيْتُهُۥ وَنَفَخْتُ فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِى فَقَعُوا۟ لَهُۥ سَٰجِدِينَ

Fa izaa sawwaituhoo wa nafakhtu feehi mir roohee faqa'oo lahoo saajideen

So when I have proportioned him and breathed into him of My spirit, fall down before him in prostration."

﴾٣٠﴿ فَسَجَدَ ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ كُلُّهُمْ أَجْمَعُونَ

Fasajadal malaaa'ikatu kulluhum ajma'oon

So the angels prostrated, all of them together,

﴾٣١﴿ إِلَّآ إِبْلِيسَ أَبَىٰٓ أَن يَكُونَ مَعَ ٱلسَّٰجِدِينَ

Illaaa ibleesa abaaa ai yakoona ma'as saajideen

except Iblis. He refused to be with those who prostrated.

﴾٣٢﴿ قَالَ يَٰٓإِبْلِيسُ مَا لَكَ أَلَّا تَكُونَ مَعَ ٱلسَّٰجِدِينَ

Qaala yaaa Ibleesu maa laka allaa takoona ma'as saajideen

He said, "Iblis, what is with you that you are not with those who prostrated?"

﴾٣٣﴿ قَالَ لَمْ أَكُن لِّأَسْجُدَ لِبَشَرٍ خَلَقْتَهُۥ مِن صَلْصَٰلٍۢ مِّنْ حَمَإٍۢ مَّسْنُونٍۢ

Qaala lam akul li asjuda libasharin khalaqtahoo min salsaalim min hama im masnoon

He said, "I was not one to prostrate to a human being You created from sounding clay, from dark mud shaped into form."

﴾٣٤﴿ قَالَ فَٱخْرُجْ مِنْهَا فَإِنَّكَ رَجِيمٌۭ

Qaala fakhruj minhaa fa innaka rajeem

He said, "Then get out of it. You are expelled.

﴾٣٥﴿ وَإِنَّ عَلَيْكَ ٱللَّعْنَةَ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ

Wa inna 'alikal la'nata ilaa Yawmid Deen

And upon you is the curse until the Day of Judgment."

﴾٣٦﴿ قَالَ رَبِّ فَأَنظِرْنِىٓ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ

Qaala Rabbi fa anzirneee ilaa Yawmi yub'asoon

He said, "My Lord, then give me respite until the Day they are raised."

﴾٣٧﴿ قَالَ فَإِنَّكَ مِنَ ٱلْمُنظَرِينَ

Qaala fa innaka minal munzareen

He said, "You are among those given respite,

﴾٣٨﴿ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ ٱلْوَقْتِ ٱلْمَعْلُومِ

Ilaa Yawmil waqtil ma'loom

until the Day of the appointed time."

﴾٣٩﴿ قَالَ رَبِّ بِمَآ أَغْوَيْتَنِى لَأُزَيِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَأُغْوِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ

Qaala Rabbi bimaaa aghwaitanee la uzayyinaana lahum fil ardi wa la ughwiyan nahum ajma'een

He said, "My Lord, because You have let me go astray, I will make things on the earth attractive to them, and I will lead them all astray,

﴾٤٠﴿ إِلَّا عِبَادَكَ مِنْهُمُ ٱلْمُخْلَصِينَ

Illaa 'ibaadaka minhumul mukhlaseen

except Your servants among them, the chosen ones."

﴾٤١﴿ قَالَ هَٰذَا صِرَٰطٌ عَلَىَّ مُسْتَقِيمٌ

Qaala haaza Siraatun 'alaiya Mustaqeem

He said, "This is a straight path upon Me.

﴾٤٢﴿ إِنَّ عِبَادِى لَيْسَ لَكَ عَلَيْهِمْ سُلْطَٰنٌ إِلَّا مَنِ ٱتَّبَعَكَ مِنَ ٱلْغَاوِينَ

Inna 'ibaadee laisa laka 'alaihim sultaanun illaa manittaba'aka minal ghaaween

Over My servants you have no authority, except those who follow you of the deviators."

﴾٤٣﴿ وَإِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ لَمَوْعِدُهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ

Wa inna jahannama lamaw'iduhum ajma'een

And Hell is the promised place for all of them.

﴾٤٤﴿ لَهَا سَبْعَةُ أَبْوَٰبٍۢ لِّكُلِّ بَابٍۢ مِّنْهُمْ جُزْءٌۭ مَّقْسُومٌ

Lahaa sab'atu abwaab; likulli baabim minhum juz'um maqsoom

It has seven gates. For each gate is an assigned portion of them.

﴾٤٥﴿ إِنَّ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ فِى جَنَّٰتٍۢ وَعُيُونٍ

Innal muttaqeena fee Jannaatinw wa 'uyoon

Those mindful of Allah will be in gardens and springs.

﴾٤٦﴿ ٱدْخُلُوهَا بِسَلَٰمٍ ءَامِنِينَ

Udkhuloohaa bisalaamin aamineen

Enter them in peace, secure.

﴾٤٧﴿ وَنَزَعْنَا مَا فِى صُدُورِهِم مِّنْ غِلٍّ إِخْوَٰنًا عَلَىٰ سُرُرٍۢ مُّتَقَٰبِلِينَ

Wa naza'naa ma fee sudoorihim min ghillin ikhwaanan 'alaa sururim mutaqaabileen

And We will remove whatever is in their chests of resentment, brothers on couches facing one another.

﴾٤٨﴿ لَا يَمَسُّهُمْ فِيهَا نَصَبٌۭ وَمَا هُم مِّنْهَا بِمُخْرَجِينَ

Laa yamas suhum feehaa nasabunw wa maa hum minhaa bimukhrajeen

No fatigue will touch them there, and they will not be removed from it.

﴾٤٩﴿ ۞ نَبِّئْ عِبَادِىٓ أَنِّىٓ أَنَا ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ

Nabbi' 'ibaadeee annneee anal Ghafoorur Raheem

Inform My servants that I am the Forgiving, the Merciful,

﴾٥٠﴿ وَأَنَّ عَذَابِى هُوَ ٱلْعَذَابُ ٱلْأَلِيمُ

Wa anna 'azaabee uwal 'azaabul aleem

and that My punishment is the painful punishment.

﴾٥١﴿ وَنَبِّئْهُمْ عَن ضَيْفِ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ

Wa nabbi'hum 'an daifi Ibraaheem

And inform them about the guests of Ibrahim,

﴾٥٢﴿ إِذْ دَخَلُوا۟ عَلَيْهِ فَقَالُوا۟ سَلَٰمًۭا قَالَ إِنَّا مِنكُمْ وَجِلُونَ

Iz dakhaloo 'alaihi faqaaloo salaaman qaala innaa minkum wajiloon

when they entered upon him and said, "Peace." He said, "We are apprehensive of you."

﴾٥٣﴿ قَالُوا۟ لَا تَوْجَلْ إِنَّا نُبَشِّرُكَ بِغُلَٰمٍ عَلِيمٍۢ

Qaaloo la tawjal innaa nubashshiruka bighulaamin 'aleem

They said, "Do not be apprehensive. We give you good news of a boy of knowledge."

﴾٥٤﴿ قَالَ أَبَشَّرْتُمُونِى عَلَىٰٓ أَن مَّسَّنِىَ ٱلْكِبَرُ فَبِمَ تُبَشِّرُونَ

Qaala abashshartumoonee 'alaaa am massaniyal kibaru fabima tubashshiroon

He said, "Do you give me good news when old age has reached me? With what do you give good news?"

﴾٥٥﴿ قَالُوا۟ بَشَّرْنَٰكَ بِٱلْحَقِّ فَلَا تَكُن مِّنَ ٱلْقَٰنِطِينَ

Qaaloo bashsharnaaka bilhaqqi falaa takum minal qaaniteen

They said, "We have given you good news in truth, so do not be among those who despair."

﴾٥٦﴿ قَالَ وَمَن يَقْنَطُ مِن رَّحْمَةِ رَبِّهِۦٓ إِلَّا ٱلضَّآلُّونَ

Qaala wa mai yaqnatu mir rahmati Rabbiheee illad daaaloon

He said, "And who despairs of the mercy of his Lord except those who have gone astray?"

﴾٥٧﴿ قَالَ فَمَا خَطْبُكُمْ أَيُّهَا ٱلْمُرْسَلُونَ

Qaala famaa khatbukum aiyuhal mursaloon

He said, "So what is your business, messengers?"

﴾٥٨﴿ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّآ أُرْسِلْنَآ إِلَىٰ قَوْمٍۢ مُّجْرِمِينَ

Qaaloo innaaa ursilnaaa ilaa qawmim mujrimeen

They said, "We have been sent to a criminal people,

﴾٥٩﴿ إِلَّآ ءَالَ لُوطٍ إِنَّا لَمُنَجُّوهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ

Illaaa Aala Loot; innaa lamunajjoohum ajma'een

except the family of Lut. We will save all of them,

﴾٦٠﴿ إِلَّا ٱمْرَأَتَهُۥ قَدَّرْنَآ ۙ إِنَّهَا لَمِنَ ٱلْغَٰبِرِينَ

Illam ra atahoo qaddarnaaa innahaa laminal ghaabireen

except his wife. We decreed that she would be among those who stayed behind."

﴾٦١﴿ فَلَمَّا جَآءَ ءَالَ لُوطٍ ٱلْمُرْسَلُونَ

Falamma jaaa'a Aala Lootinil mursaloon

So when the messengers came to the family of Lut,

﴾٦٢﴿ قَالَ إِنَّكُمْ قَوْمٌۭ مُّنكَرُونَ

Qaala innakum qawmum munkaroon

he said, "You are people unknown to me."

﴾٦٣﴿ قَالُوا۟ بَلْ جِئْنَٰكَ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ فِيهِ يَمْتَرُونَ

Qaaloo bal ji'naaka bimaa kaanoo feehi yamtaroon

They said, "Rather, we have come to you with what they were doubting.

﴾٦٤﴿ وَأَتَيْنَٰكَ بِٱلْحَقِّ وَإِنَّا لَصَٰدِقُونَ

Wa atainaaka bilhaqqi wa innaa lasaadiqoon

And we have brought you the truth, and we are truthful.

﴾٦٥﴿ فَأَسْرِ بِأَهْلِكَ بِقِطْعٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلَّيْلِ وَٱتَّبِعْ أَدْبَٰرَهُمْ وَلَا يَلْتَفِتْ مِنكُمْ أَحَدٌۭ وَٱمْضُوا۟ حَيْثُ تُؤْمَرُونَ

Fa asri bi ahlika biqit'im minal laili wattabi' adbaarahum wa laa yaltafit minkum ahadunw wamdoo haisu tu'maroon

So travel with your family in a portion of the night, and follow behind them, and let none of you look back. And go on to where you are commanded."

﴾٦٦﴿ وَقَضَيْنَآ إِلَيْهِ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْأَمْرَ أَنَّ دَابِرَ هَٰٓؤُلَآءِ مَقْطُوعٌۭ مُّصْبِحِينَ

Wa qadainaaa ilaihi zaalikal amra anna daabira haaa'ulaaa'i maqtoo'um musbiheen

And We conveyed to him the decree of that matter, that the last remnant of these people would be cut off by morning.

﴾٦٧﴿ وَجَآءَ أَهْلُ ٱلْمَدِينَةِ يَسْتَبْشِرُونَ

Wa jaaa'a ahlul madeenati yastabshiroon

And the people of the city came, rejoicing.

﴾٦٨﴿ قَالَ إِنَّ هَٰٓؤُلَآءِ ضَيْفِى فَلَا تَفْضَحُونِ

Qaala inna haaa'ulaaa'i daifee falaa tafdahoon

He said, "These are my guests, so do not disgrace me.

﴾٦٩﴿ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَلَا تُخْزُونِ

Wattaqul laaha wa laa tukhzoon

And be mindful of Allah, and do not humiliate me."

﴾٧٠﴿ قَالُوٓا۟ أَوَلَمْ نَنْهَكَ عَنِ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ

Qaalooo awalam nanhaka 'anil 'aalameen

They said, "Did we not forbid you from the people of the world?"

﴾٧١﴿ قَالَ هَٰٓؤُلَآءِ بَنَاتِىٓ إِن كُنتُمْ فَٰعِلِينَ

Qaala haaa'ulaaa'i banaateee in kuntum faa'ileen

He said, "These are my daughters, if you must act."

﴾٧٢﴿ لَعَمْرُكَ إِنَّهُمْ لَفِى سَكْرَتِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ

La'amruka innahum lafee sakratihim ya'mahoon

By your life, they were wandering blindly in their intoxication.

﴾٧٣﴿ فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ ٱلصَّيْحَةُ مُشْرِقِينَ

Fa akhazat humus saihatu mushriqeen

So the blast seized them at sunrise.

﴾٧٤﴿ فَجَعَلْنَا عَٰلِيَهَا سَافِلَهَا وَأَمْطَرْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ حِجَارَةًۭ مِّن سِجِّيلٍ

Faja'alnaa 'aaliyahaa saafilahaa wa amtamaa 'alaihim hijaaratam min sjijjeel

And We turned it upside down and rained upon them stones of hard clay.

﴾٧٥﴿ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَءَايَٰتٍۢ لِّلْمُتَوَسِّمِينَ

Inna fee zaalika la Aayaatil lilmutawassimeen

In that are signs for those who read the marks.

﴾٧٦﴿ وَإِنَّهَا لَبِسَبِيلٍۢ مُّقِيمٍ

Wa innahaa labi sabeelim muqeem

And it lies on an established road.

﴾٧٧﴿ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَءَايَةًۭ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

Inna fee zaalika la Aayatal lilmu'mineen

In that is a sign for the believers.

﴾٧٨﴿ وَإِن كَانَ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلْأَيْكَةِ لَظَٰلِمِينَ

Wa in kaana Ashaabul Aikati lazaalimeen

And the companions of the thicket were wrongdoers,

﴾٧٩﴿ فَٱنتَقَمْنَا مِنْهُمْ وَإِنَّهُمَا لَبِإِمَامٍۢ مُّبِينٍۢ

Fantaqamnaa minhum wa innahumaa labi imaamim mubeen

so We took retribution from them, and both are on a clear road.

﴾٨٠﴿ وَلَقَدْ كَذَّبَ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلْحِجْرِ ٱلْمُرْسَلِينَ

Wa laqad kazzaba ashaabul Hijril mursaleen

And the companions of Al-Hijr denied the messengers.

﴾٨١﴿ وَءَاتَيْنَٰهُمْ ءَايَٰتِنَا فَكَانُوا۟ عَنْهَا مُعْرِضِينَ

Wa aatainaahum Aayaatinaa fakaanoo 'anhaa mu'rideen

And We gave them Our signs, but they turned away from them.

﴾٨٢﴿ وَكَانُوا۟ يَنْحِتُونَ مِنَ ٱلْجِبَالِ بُيُوتًا ءَامِنِينَ

Wa kaanoo yanhitoona minal jibaali buyootan aamineen

And they used to carve houses out of the mountains, feeling secure.

﴾٨٣﴿ فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ ٱلصَّيْحَةُ مُصْبِحِينَ

Fa akhazat humus saihatu musbiheen

So the blast seized them in the morning.

﴾٨٤﴿ فَمَآ أَغْنَىٰ عَنْهُم مَّا كَانُوا۟ يَكْسِبُونَ

Famaaa aghnaa 'anhum maa kaanoo yaksiboon

And what they used to earn did not help them.

﴾٨٥﴿ وَمَا خَلَقْنَا ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَآ إِلَّا بِٱلْحَقِّ ۗ وَإِنَّ ٱلسَّاعَةَ لَءَاتِيَةٌۭ ۖ فَٱصْفَحِ ٱلصَّفْحَ ٱلْجَمِيلَ

Wa maa khalaqnas samaawaati wal arda wa maa bainahumaaa illaa bilhaqq; wa innas Saa'ata la aatiyatun fasfahis safhal jameel

And We created the heavens and the earth and what is between them only in truth. The Hour is coming, so overlook with gracious overlooking.

﴾٨٦﴿ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ ٱلْخَلَّٰقُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ

Inna Rabbaka Huwal khallaaqul 'aleem

Your Lord is the Creator, the Knowing.

﴾٨٧﴿ وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَٰكَ سَبْعًۭا مِّنَ ٱلْمَثَانِى وَٱلْقُرْءَانَ ٱلْعَظِيمَ

Wa laqad aatainaaka sab'am mnal masaanee wal Qur-aanal 'azeem

And We have given you seven of the often repeated, and the great Quran.

﴾٨٨﴿ لَا تَمُدَّنَّ عَيْنَيْكَ إِلَىٰ مَا مَتَّعْنَا بِهِۦٓ أَزْوَٰجًۭا مِّنْهُمْ وَلَا تَحْزَنْ عَلَيْهِمْ وَٱخْفِضْ جَنَاحَكَ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

Laa tamuddanna 'ainaika ilaa maa matta 'naa biheee azwaajam minhum wa laa tahzan 'alaihim wakhfid janaahaka lilmu 'mineen

Do not extend your eyes toward what We have given certain groups of them to enjoy, and do not grieve over them, and lower your wing to the believers.

﴾٨٩﴿ وَقُلْ إِنِّىٓ أَنَا ٱلنَّذِيرُ ٱلْمُبِينُ

Wa qul inneee anan nazeerul mubeen

And say, "I am the clear warner,"

﴾٩٠﴿ كَمَآ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَى ٱلْمُقْتَسِمِينَ

Kamaaa anzalnaa 'alal muqtasimeen

as We sent down upon those who divided,

﴾٩١﴿ ٱلَّذِينَ جَعَلُوا۟ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ عِضِينَ

Allazeena ja'alul Quraana'ideen

those who made the Quran into portions.

﴾٩٢﴿ فَوَرَبِّكَ لَنَسْـَٔلَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ

Fawa Rabbika lanas'a lannahum ajma'een

By your Lord, We will question all of them

﴾٩٣﴿ عَمَّا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ

'Ammaa kaanoo ya'maloon

about what they used to do.

﴾٩٤﴿ فَٱصْدَعْ بِمَا تُؤْمَرُ وَأَعْرِضْ عَنِ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ

Fasda' bimaa tu'maru wa a'rid anil mushrikeen

So proclaim what you are commanded, and turn away from those who associate others with Allah.

﴾٩٥﴿ إِنَّا كَفَيْنَٰكَ ٱلْمُسْتَهْزِءِينَ

Innaa kafainaakal mustahzi'een

We are sufficient for you against the mockers,

﴾٩٦﴿ ٱلَّذِينَ يَجْعَلُونَ مَعَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَٰهًا ءَاخَرَ ۚ فَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ

Allazeena yaj'aloona ma'al laahi ilaahan aakhar; fasawfa ya'lamoon

those who set up another god with Allah. They will come to know.

﴾٩٧﴿ وَلَقَدْ نَعْلَمُ أَنَّكَ يَضِيقُ صَدْرُكَ بِمَا يَقُولُونَ

Wa laqad na'lamu annak yadeequ sadruka bimaa yaqooloon

And We know that your chest tightens at what they say.

﴾٩٨﴿ فَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ وَكُن مِّنَ ٱلسَّٰجِدِينَ

Fasbbih bihamdi Rabbika wa kum minas saajideen

So glorify your Lord with praise, and be among those who prostrate.

﴾٩٩﴿ وَٱعْبُدْ رَبَّكَ حَتَّىٰ يَأْتِيَكَ ٱلْيَقِينُ

Wa'bud Rabbaka hattaa yaatiyakal yaqeen

And worship your Lord until the certainty comes to you.

The Tafsir · The Breakdown

What The Surah Means

Overview

Worship Until the Certainty Comes.

Al-Hijr ends with an instruction that settles a question every serious man eventually asks, which is when the work is finished. Verse 99. And worship your Lord until the certainty comes to you. Hatta ya'tiyaka al-yaqin. The certainty is death, and the answer is that there is no earlier stopping point, no rank at which the requirement lifts. Before that, the surah gives the guarantee that the Book itself will survive, the terms Iblis was granted and the exact limit placed on him, the ruins of three peoples still sitting beside a road men travel, and finally the prescription for a man whose chest is tight from what people are saying about him.

Verses 1 to 25

Let Hope Distract Them.

Verse 2 opens with a sentence about a moment that has not happened yet. Perhaps those who disbelieved will wish they had been Muslims. Not that they will be argued into it. That they will wish it, later, when wishing changes nothing. Verse 3 then gives an instruction that sounds merciful and is not. Leave them to eat and enjoy themselves, and let hope distract them. Yulhihimu al-amal. Amal is expectation, the long plan, the thing a man is going to get to. It is named here as the mechanism of distraction, and it works better than any pleasure, because a man who is enjoying himself knows he is being distracted while a man who is planning believes he is being productive. Verse 9 is the promise the whole Book rests on, and it is nine words. We have sent down the Reminder, and We are its guardian. The preservation is not delegated to the community. Verse 14 and verse 15 then close off the fantasy that a big enough sign would settle it. If We opened a gate in the sky and they kept ascending through it, they would say our eyes have been dazzled, we are a people bewitched. Given the thing they demanded, they would reinterpret it before they came down. Verse 20 contains a clause worth stopping on. And We made in it livelihoods for you, and for those you do not provide for. Every creature a man does not feed is fed anyway, out of the same earth he draws his own living from. Verse 21 then states the supply chain of everything. There is nothing whose treasuries are not with Us, and We send it down only in a known measure. Not withheld. Metered. And verse 22 adds the detail a man forgets in a dry season: We send down water and give it to you to drink, and you are not the ones who store it.

Verses 26 to 50

The Refusal, and the Terms.

Verses 26 through 33 give the refusal in its own words, and the reason Iblis states is the reason men still state. I was not one to prostrate to a human being You created from sounding clay. The objection is to the material. He looked at what the thing was made of and decided the origin settled the value. Verse 39 then records what he asked for and what he intended. Because You have let me go astray, I will make things on the earth attractive to them. Uzayyinanna, I will beautify. Not I will force them, not I will deceive them with arguments. I will make things look good. That is the whole method, stated by the one using it. Verse 40 gives the exception he concedes himself: except Your servants among them, the chosen ones. And verse 42 confirms the limit from the other side. Over My servants you have no authority, except those who follow you of the deviators. He has a technique and no power, and the access is granted by the man who follows. Verses 45 through 48 then describe the other outcome, and one line in it is worth more than the scenery. Verse 47. And We will remove whatever is in their chests of resentment, brothers on couches facing one another. Ghill, the old grudge that sits in the chest. It is not forgiven or forgotten by the men holding it. It is removed. And only after the removal are they seated facing one another, because men carrying that cannot actually face each other. Verse 48 adds that no fatigue will touch them there, which is the promise a working man notices before any other. Verses 49 and 50 then give the two announcements together, in order. Inform My servants that I am the Forgiving, the Merciful, and that My punishment is the painful punishment. Mercy stated first, and the warning immediately after it, so that neither one is carried alone.

Verses 51 to 84

Do Not Look Back.

Verse 54 is Ibrahim receiving news of a son in old age, and his response is honest rather than pious. With what do you give good news? Verse 55 answers, so do not be among those who despair. And verse 56 is his correction, which is the line to keep from this section. And who despairs of the mercy of his Lord except those who have gone astray? Despair is classified as a form of straying, not as an emotional weather pattern. Verse 65 gives Lut the instruction for leaving, and the middle clause is the one that carries. Travel with your family in a portion of the night, and follow behind them, and let none of you look back. Wa la yaltafit minkum ahad. He is told to walk behind his household so nobody falls back, and then told that not one of them may turn around. A man leaving something has to leave it completely, and the looking back is prohibited before anyone has even tried it. Verse 68 and verse 69 show Lut under the worst pressure of his life, and what he pleads is hospitality. These are my guests, so do not disgrace me. Be mindful of Allah, and do not humiliate me. Verse 72 then contains something that occurs nowhere else in the Quran. By your life. Allah swears by the life of the Prophet, peace be upon him, in the middle of an account about another prophet. Verses 75 through 79 note that the wreckage is not hidden. It lies on an established road, on a clear road, and the signs in it are for the mutawassimin, those who read marks. The evidence is beside the highway and the qualification for seeing it is the habit of looking. Verse 82 then describes the people this surah is named for, and the description is a warning to any builder. They used to carve houses out of the mountains, feeling secure. The security was in the stone. Verse 84 closes them out in seven words. And what they used to earn did not help them.

Verses 85 to 99

When the Chest Tightens.

Verse 85 gives an instruction most men would not connect to the sentence before it. The Hour is coming, so overlook with gracious overlooking. Safhan jamila, a forgiving that is done well, without a lecture attached and without keeping the receipt. The reason given for it is the approach of the Hour, which means grudges are described as a poor use of remaining time. Verse 87 then names what he was given instead of what they had: seven of the often repeated, and the great Quran. Verse 88 follows immediately with the comparison forbidden. Do not extend your eyes toward what We have given certain groups of them to enjoy. And in the same verse, the correction of posture: lower your wing to the believers. Eyes off the ones who have more, wing lowered to the ones who came. Verse 94 gives the command for public work in one word. Fasda', proclaim, split it open, say it out loud, followed by turn away from those who associate others with Allah. Speak plainly and do not stay in the argument. Then the last three verses, which are the most useful sequence in the surah for anyone under public pressure. Verse 97 states the condition without minimizing it. We know that your chest tightens at what they say. It is not denied and it is not scolded. Then verse 98 gives the prescription, and it is not a strategy or a reply. Glorify your Lord with praise, and be among those who prostrate. The answer to a tight chest is tasbih and the floor. And verse 99 sets the term. Worship your Lord until the certainty comes to you. Not until they stop talking. Not until you are vindicated. Until the certainty arrives, which it will, on its own schedule.

Ninety-Nine Verses. Until the Certainty Comes to You.

The surah names long expectation as the most effective distraction there is, guarantees the preservation of the Reminder in nine words, and shows that a sign large enough to settle the matter would be reinterpreted on the way down. It records the refusal that objected to the material a man was made from, the method stated in the refuser's own words, and the exact limit placed on him. It classifies despair as a form of straying, forbids looking back at a thing being left, and points at wreckage sitting beside a road for anyone in the habit of reading marks. And it closes by acknowledging a tightened chest, prescribing glorification and prostration rather than a reply, and setting the end of the work at death rather than at vindication.

The Practice

Take It Into the Week

Verse 3. Name the plan you have been using to postpone the thing you already know you should do. That verse is about the plan, not the pleasure.

Verse 47. Name one grudge sitting in your chest. Ask for it to be removed rather than trying to argue yourself out of it.

Verses 97 and 98. The next time your chest tightens over what someone said, do not draft the reply. Say subhanallah wa bihamdih and put your forehead on the floor.

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 31 / 12

The Verse

What does verse 3 name as the thing that distracts them?