Surah Al-Isra Part Two: Verses 53 to 111 | Quran Study Guide

أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ

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بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

The Surah · Verses 53 to 111

﴾٥٣﴿ وَقُل لِّعِبَادِى يَقُولُوا۟ ٱلَّتِى هِىَ أَحْسَنُ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنَ يَنزَغُ بَيْنَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنَ كَانَ لِلْإِنسَٰنِ عَدُوًّۭا مُّبِينًۭا

Wa qul li'ibaadee yaqoolul latee hiya ahsan innash shaitaana yanzaghu bainahum innash shaitaana kaana lil insaani 'aduwwam mubeenaa

And tell My servants to say that which is best. Satan sows discord between them. Satan has always been a clear enemy to man.

﴾٥٤﴿ رَّبُّكُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِكُمْ ۖ إِن يَشَأْ يَرْحَمْكُمْ أَوْ إِن يَشَأْ يُعَذِّبْكُمْ ۚ وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَٰكَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَكِيلًۭا

Rabbukum a'lamu bikum iny yashaaa yarhamkum aw iny yashaa yu'azzibkum wa maaa arsalnaaka 'alaihim wakeelaa

Your Lord knows you best. If He wills, He will have mercy on you, and if He wills, He will punish you. We did not send you over them as a guardian.

﴾٥٥﴿ وَرَبُّكَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَن فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ وَلَقَدْ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَ ٱلنَّبِيِّۦنَ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍۢ ۖ وَءَاتَيْنَا دَاوُۥدَ زَبُورًۭا

Wa Rabbuka a'lamu biman fis samaawaati wal lard wa laqad faddalnaa ba'dan Nabiyyeena 'alaa ba'dinw wa aatainaaa Daawooda Zabooraa

And your Lord knows best whoever is in the heavens and the earth. And We favored some of the prophets over others, and We gave Dawud the Psalms.

﴾٥٦﴿ قُلِ ٱدْعُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ زَعَمْتُم مِّن دُونِهِۦ فَلَا يَمْلِكُونَ كَشْفَ ٱلضُّرِّ عَنكُمْ وَلَا تَحْوِيلًا

Qulid 'ul lazeena za'amtum min doonihee falaa yamlikoona kashfad durri'ankum wa laa tahweelaa

Say, "Call those you claim besides Him. They have no power to remove harm from you, nor to change it."

﴾٥٧﴿ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ يَبْتَغُونَ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمُ ٱلْوَسِيلَةَ أَيُّهُمْ أَقْرَبُ وَيَرْجُونَ رَحْمَتَهُۥ وَيَخَافُونَ عَذَابَهُۥٓ ۚ إِنَّ عَذَابَ رَبِّكَ كَانَ مَحْذُورًۭا

Ulaaa'ikal lazeena yad'oona yabtaghoona ilaa Rabbihimul waseelata ayyuhum aqrabu wa yarjoona rahmatahoo wa yakhaafoona 'azaabah inna 'azaaba rabbika kaana mahzooraa

Those they call upon themselves seek a means to their Lord, which of them is nearest, and they hope for His mercy and fear His punishment. The punishment of your Lord is something to beware of.

﴾٥٨﴿ وَإِن مِّن قَرْيَةٍ إِلَّا نَحْنُ مُهْلِكُوهَا قَبْلَ يَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ أَوْ مُعَذِّبُوهَا عَذَابًۭا شَدِيدًۭا ۚ كَانَ ذَٰلِكَ فِى ٱلْكِتَٰبِ مَسْطُورًۭا

Wa im min qaryatin illaa Nahnu muhlikoohaa qabla Yawmil Qiyaamati aw mu'az ziboohaa 'azaaban shadeedaa kaana zaalika fil Kitaabi mastooraa

And there is no town but that We will destroy it before the Day of Resurrection, or punish it with a severe punishment. That is written in the Book.

﴾٥٩﴿ وَمَا مَنَعَنَآ أَن نُّرْسِلَ بِٱلْءَايَٰتِ إِلَّآ أَن كَذَّبَ بِهَا ٱلْأَوَّلُونَ ۚ وَءَاتَيْنَا ثَمُودَ ٱلنَّاقَةَ مُبْصِرَةًۭ فَظَلَمُوا۟ بِهَا ۚ وَمَا نُرْسِلُ بِٱلْءَايَٰتِ إِلَّا تَخْوِيفًۭا

Wa maa mana'anaaa an nursila bil aayaati illaaa an kazzaba bihal awwaloon wa aatainaa Samoodan naaqata mubsiratan fazalamoo bihaa wa maa nursilu bil aayaati illaa takhweefaa

And nothing prevented Us from sending the signs except that the earlier peoples denied them. And We gave Thamud the she-camel as a clear sign, and they wronged her. And We send the signs only to frighten.

﴾٦٠﴿ وَإِذْ قُلْنَا لَكَ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ أَحَاطَ بِٱلنَّاسِ ۚ وَمَا جَعَلْنَا ٱلرُّءْيَا ٱلَّتِىٓ أَرَيْنَٰكَ إِلَّا فِتْنَةًۭ لِّلنَّاسِ وَٱلشَّجَرَةَ ٱلْمَلْعُونَةَ فِى ٱلْقُرْءَانِ ۚ وَنُخَوِّفُهُمْ فَمَا يَزِيدُهُمْ إِلَّا طُغْيَٰنًۭا كَبِيرًۭا

Wa iz qulnaa laka inna rabbaka ahaata binnaas wa maa ja'alnar ru'yal latie arainaaka illaa fitnatal linnaasi washshajaratal mal'oonata fil quraan wa nukhaw wifuhum famaa yazeeduhum illa tughyaanan kabeeraa

And when We said to you, "Your Lord has encompassed the people." And We made the vision We showed you only a trial for people, and the accursed tree in the Quran. And We frighten them, but it only increases them in great transgression.

﴾٦١﴿ وَإِذْ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةِ ٱسْجُدُوا۟ لِءَادَمَ فَسَجَدُوٓا۟ إِلَّآ إِبْلِيسَ قَالَ ءَأَسْجُدُ لِمَنْ خَلَقْتَ طِينًۭا

Wa iz qulnaa lilma laaa'ikatis judoo li Aadama fasajadooo illaaa Ibleesa qaala 'a-asjudu liman khalaqta teena

And when We said to the angels, "Prostrate to Adam," they prostrated, except Iblis. He said, "Shall I prostrate to one You created from clay?"

﴾٦٢﴿ قَالَ أَرَءَيْتَكَ هَٰذَا ٱلَّذِى كَرَّمْتَ عَلَىَّ لَئِنْ أَخَّرْتَنِ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ لَأَحْتَنِكَنَّ ذُرِّيَّتَهُۥٓ إِلَّا قَلِيلًۭا

Qaala ara'aytaka haazal lazee karramta 'alaiya la'in akhhartani ilaa Yawmil Qiyaamati la-ah tanikanna zurriyyatahooo illaa qaleelaa

He said, "Do You see this one You have honored above me? If You delay me until the Day of Resurrection, I will take hold of his descendants, except a few."

﴾٦٣﴿ قَالَ ٱذْهَبْ فَمَن تَبِعَكَ مِنْهُمْ فَإِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ جَزَآؤُكُمْ جَزَآءًۭ مَّوْفُورًۭا

Qaalaz hab faman tabi'aka minhum fa inna Jahannama jazaaa'ukum jazaaa'am mawfooraa

He said, "Go. Whoever of them follows you, Hell is your reward, a full reward.

﴾٦٤﴿ وَٱسْتَفْزِزْ مَنِ ٱسْتَطَعْتَ مِنْهُم بِصَوْتِكَ وَأَجْلِبْ عَلَيْهِم بِخَيْلِكَ وَرَجِلِكَ وَشَارِكْهُمْ فِى ٱلْأَمْوَٰلِ وَٱلْأَوْلَٰدِ وَعِدْهُمْ ۚ وَمَا يَعِدُهُمُ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنُ إِلَّا غُرُورًا

Wastafziz manis tat'ta minhum bisawtika wa ajlib 'alaihim bikhailika wa rajilika wa shaarik hum fil amwaali wal awlaadi wa 'idhum wa maa ya'iduhumush Shaitaanu illaa ghurooraa

And unsettle whoever of them you can with your voice, and rally against them your cavalry and your infantry, and share with them in wealth and children, and promise them." And Satan promises them nothing but delusion.

﴾٦٥﴿ إِنَّ عِبَادِى لَيْسَ لَكَ عَلَيْهِمْ سُلْطَٰنٌۭ ۚ وَكَفَىٰ بِرَبِّكَ وَكِيلًۭا

Inna 'ibaadee laisa laka 'alaihim sultaan wa kafaa bi Rabbika Wakeelaa

"As for My servants, you have no authority over them." And your Lord is sufficient as a Trustee.

﴾٦٦﴿ رَّبُّكُمُ ٱلَّذِى يُزْجِى لَكُمُ ٱلْفُلْكَ فِى ٱلْبَحْرِ لِتَبْتَغُوا۟ مِن فَضْلِهِۦٓ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ بِكُمْ رَحِيمًۭا

Rabbukumul lazee yuzjee lakumul fulka fil bahri litabtaghoo min fadlih innahoo kaana bikum Raheemaa

Your Lord is the One who drives the ships for you through the sea, so that you may seek of His bounty. He has always been Merciful to you.

﴾٦٧﴿ وَإِذَا مَسَّكُمُ ٱلضُّرُّ فِى ٱلْبَحْرِ ضَلَّ مَن تَدْعُونَ إِلَّآ إِيَّاهُ ۖ فَلَمَّا نَجَّىٰكُمْ إِلَى ٱلْبَرِّ أَعْرَضْتُمْ ۚ وَكَانَ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ كَفُورًا

Wa izaa massakumuddurru fil bahri dalla man tad'oona illaaa iyyaahu falammaa najjaakum ilal barri a'radtum wa kaanal insaanu kafooraa

And when harm touches you at sea, those you call upon vanish, except Him. Then when He delivers you to land, you turn away. The human being has always been ungrateful.

﴾٦٨﴿ أَفَأَمِنتُمْ أَن يَخْسِفَ بِكُمْ جَانِبَ ٱلْبَرِّ أَوْ يُرْسِلَ عَلَيْكُمْ حَاصِبًۭا ثُمَّ لَا تَجِدُوا۟ لَكُمْ وَكِيلًا

Afa amintum any yakhsifa bikum jaanibal barri aw yursil 'alaikum haasiban summa laa tajidoo lakum wakeelaa

Do you feel secure that He will not cause a side of the land to swallow you, or send upon you a storm of stones, and then you will find no protector for yourselves?

﴾٦٩﴿ أَمْ أَمِنتُمْ أَن يُعِيدَكُمْ فِيهِ تَارَةً أُخْرَىٰ فَيُرْسِلَ عَلَيْكُمْ قَاصِفًۭا مِّنَ ٱلرِّيحِ فَيُغْرِقَكُم بِمَا كَفَرْتُمْ ۙ ثُمَّ لَا تَجِدُوا۟ لَكُمْ عَلَيْنَا بِهِۦ تَبِيعًۭا

Am amintum any yu'eedakum feehi taaratan ukhraa fa yursila 'alaikum qaasifam minar reehi fa yugh riqakum bimaa kafartum summa laa tajidoo lakum 'alainaa bihee tabee'aa

Or do you feel secure that He will not return you to it another time, and send upon you a hurricane of wind and drown you for your ingratitude, and then you will find no avenger for yourselves against Us?

﴾٧٠﴿ ۞ وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ وَحَمَلْنَٰهُمْ فِى ٱلْبَرِّ وَٱلْبَحْرِ وَرَزَقْنَٰهُم مِّنَ ٱلطَّيِّبَٰتِ وَفَضَّلْنَٰهُمْ عَلَىٰ كَثِيرٍۢ مِّمَّنْ خَلَقْنَا تَفْضِيلًۭا

Wa laqad karramnaa Banie aadama wa hamalnaahum fil barri walbahri wa razaqnaahum minat taiyibaati wa faddalnaahum 'alaa kaseerim mimman khalaqnaa tafdeelaa

And We have honored the children of Adam, and carried them on land and sea, and provided them with good things, and favored them greatly over much of what We created.

﴾٧١﴿ يَوْمَ نَدْعُوا۟ كُلَّ أُنَاسٍۭ بِإِمَٰمِهِمْ ۖ فَمَنْ أُوتِىَ كِتَٰبَهُۥ بِيَمِينِهِۦ فَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ يَقْرَءُونَ كِتَٰبَهُمْ وَلَا يُظْلَمُونَ فَتِيلًۭا

Yawma nad'oo kulla unaasim bi imaamihim faman ootiya kitaabahoo bi yameenihee fa ulaaa'ika yaqra'oona kitaabahum wa laa yuzlamoona fateelaa

On the Day We call every people by their leader, whoever is given his record in his right hand, those will read their record and will not be wronged by a thread.

﴾٧٢﴿ وَمَن كَانَ فِى هَٰذِهِۦٓ أَعْمَىٰ فَهُوَ فِى ٱلْءَاخِرَةِ أَعْمَىٰ وَأَضَلُّ سَبِيلًۭا

Wa man kaana fee haazihie a'maa fahuwa fil aakhirati a'maa wa adallu sabeelaa

And whoever is blind in this, he will be blind in the hereafter and further astray in way.

﴾٧٣﴿ وَإِن كَادُوا۟ لَيَفْتِنُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَيْكَ لِتَفْتَرِىَ عَلَيْنَا غَيْرَهُۥ ۖ وَإِذًۭا لَّٱتَّخَذُوكَ خَلِيلًۭا

Wa in kaadoo la yaftinoonaka 'anil lazie awhainaaa ilaika litaftariya 'alainaaa ghairahoo wa izallat takhazooka khaleelaa

And they were about to tempt you away from what We revealed to you, so that you would invent something else against Us, and then they would have taken you as a friend.

﴾٧٤﴿ وَلَوْلَآ أَن ثَبَّتْنَٰكَ لَقَدْ كِدتَّ تَرْكَنُ إِلَيْهِمْ شَيْـًۭٔا قَلِيلًا

Wa law laaa an sabbatnaaka laqad kitta tarkanu ilaihim sha'an qaleela

And had We not made you firm, you would have almost inclined toward them a little.

﴾٧٥﴿ إِذًۭا لَّأَذَقْنَٰكَ ضِعْفَ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ وَضِعْفَ ٱلْمَمَاتِ ثُمَّ لَا تَجِدُ لَكَ عَلَيْنَا نَصِيرًۭا

Izal la azaqnaaka di'falhayaati wa di'fal mamaati summa laa tajidu laka 'alainaa naseeraa

Then We would have made you taste a double portion of life and a double portion of death, and then you would find no helper for yourself against Us.

﴾٧٦﴿ وَإِن كَادُوا۟ لَيَسْتَفِزُّونَكَ مِنَ ٱلْأَرْضِ لِيُخْرِجُوكَ مِنْهَا ۖ وَإِذًۭا لَّا يَلْبَثُونَ خِلَٰفَكَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًۭا

Wa in kaadoo la yastafizzoonaka minal ardi liyukhri jooka minhaa wa izal laa yalbasoona khilaafaka illaa qaleelaa

And they were about to unsettle you from the land, to drive you out of it. And then they would not have remained after you except a little.

﴾٧٧﴿ سُنَّةَ مَن قَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ مِن رُّسُلِنَا ۖ وَلَا تَجِدُ لِسُنَّتِنَا تَحْوِيلًا

Sunnata man qad arsalnaa qablakamir Rusulinaa wa laa tajidu lisunnatinaa tahhweelaa

That is the way with those We sent before you of Our messengers, and you will find no change in Our way.

﴾٧٨﴿ أَقِمِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ لِدُلُوكِ ٱلشَّمْسِ إِلَىٰ غَسَقِ ٱلَّيْلِ وَقُرْءَانَ ٱلْفَجْرِ ۖ إِنَّ قُرْءَانَ ٱلْفَجْرِ كَانَ مَشْهُودًۭا

Aqimis Salaata liduloo kish shamsi ilaa ghasaqil laili wa quraanal Fajri inna quraa nal Fajri kaana mashhoodaa

Establish the prayer at the decline of the sun until the darkness of the night, and the recitation at dawn. The recitation at dawn is witnessed.

﴾٧٩﴿ وَمِنَ ٱلَّيْلِ فَتَهَجَّدْ بِهِۦ نَافِلَةًۭ لَّكَ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَبْعَثَكَ رَبُّكَ مَقَامًۭا مَّحْمُودًۭا

Wa minal laili fatahajjad bihee naafilatal laka 'asaaa any yab'asaka Rabbuka Maqaamam Mahmoodaa

And in part of the night, keep vigil with it as an extra for you. Perhaps your Lord will raise you to a praised station.

﴾٨٠﴿ وَقُل رَّبِّ أَدْخِلْنِى مُدْخَلَ صِدْقٍۢ وَأَخْرِجْنِى مُخْرَجَ صِدْقٍۢ وَٱجْعَل لِّى مِن لَّدُنكَ سُلْطَٰنًۭا نَّصِيرًۭا

Wa qur Rabbi adkhilnee mudkhala sidqinw wa akhrijnee mukhraja sidqinw waj'al lee milladunka sultaanan naseeraa

And say, "My Lord, cause me to enter a truthful entrance, and cause me to exit a truthful exit, and grant me from Yourself a supporting authority."

﴾٨١﴿ وَقُلْ جَآءَ ٱلْحَقُّ وَزَهَقَ ٱلْبَٰطِلُ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلْبَٰطِلَ كَانَ زَهُوقًۭا

Wa qul jaaa'al haqqu wa zahaqal baatil innal baatila kaana zahooqaa

And say, "The truth has come and falsehood has vanished. Falsehood was always bound to vanish."

﴾٨٢﴿ وَنُنَزِّلُ مِنَ ٱلْقُرْءَانِ مَا هُوَ شِفَآءٌۭ وَرَحْمَةٌۭ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ۙ وَلَا يَزِيدُ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ إِلَّا خَسَارًۭا

Wa nunazzilu minal quraani maa huwa shifaaa'unw wa rahmatul lilmu mineena wa laa yazeeduz zaalimeena illaa khasaaraa

And We send down of the Quran what is a healing and a mercy for the believers, and it increases the wrongdoers only in loss.

﴾٨٣﴿ وَإِذَآ أَنْعَمْنَا عَلَى ٱلْإِنسَٰنِ أَعْرَضَ وَنَـَٔا بِجَانِبِهِۦ ۖ وَإِذَا مَسَّهُ ٱلشَّرُّ كَانَ يَـُٔوسًۭا

Wa izaaa an'amnaa 'alal insaani a'rada wa na-aa bijaani bihee wa izaa massahush sharru kaana ya'oosaa

And when We favor the human being, he turns away and moves aside. And when harm touches him, he is in despair.

﴾٨٤﴿ قُلْ كُلٌّۭ يَعْمَلُ عَلَىٰ شَاكِلَتِهِۦ فَرَبُّكُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنْ هُوَ أَهْدَىٰ سَبِيلًۭا

Qul kulluny ya'malu 'alaa shaakilatihee fa rabbukum a'lamu biman huwa ahdaa sabeelaa

Say, "Each works according to his own manner, and your Lord knows best who is best guided in way."

﴾٨٥﴿ وَيَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلرُّوحِ ۖ قُلِ ٱلرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّى وَمَآ أُوتِيتُم مِّنَ ٱلْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًۭا

Wa yas'aloonaka 'anirrooh qulir roohu min amri rabbee wa maaa ooteetum minal 'ilmi illaa qaleelaa

And they ask you about the spirit. Say, "The spirit is from the command of my Lord, and you have been given only a little of knowledge."

﴾٨٦﴿ وَلَئِن شِئْنَا لَنَذْهَبَنَّ بِٱلَّذِىٓ أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَيْكَ ثُمَّ لَا تَجِدُ لَكَ بِهِۦ عَلَيْنَا وَكِيلًا

Wa la'in shi'naa lanaz habanna billazie awhainaaa ilaika summa laa tajidu laka bihee 'alainaa wakeelaa

And if We willed, We could take away what We revealed to you. Then you would find for yourself no trustee against Us,

﴾٨٧﴿ إِلَّا رَحْمَةًۭ مِّن رَّبِّكَ ۚ إِنَّ فَضْلَهُۥ كَانَ عَلَيْكَ كَبِيرًۭا

Illaa rahmatam mir Rabbik inna fadlahoo kaana 'alaika kabeeraa

except as a mercy from your Lord. His favor upon you has always been great.

﴾٨٨﴿ قُل لَّئِنِ ٱجْتَمَعَتِ ٱلْإِنسُ وَٱلْجِنُّ عَلَىٰٓ أَن يَأْتُوا۟ بِمِثْلِ هَٰذَا ٱلْقُرْءَانِ لَا يَأْتُونَ بِمِثْلِهِۦ وَلَوْ كَانَ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍۢ ظَهِيرًۭا

Qul la'inij tama'atil insu waljinnu 'alaaa any yaatoo bimisli haazal quraani laa yaatoona bimislihee wa law kaana ba'duhum liba 'din zaheeraa

Say, "If mankind and the jinn gathered together to produce the like of this Quran, they could not produce the like of it, even if they backed one another."

﴾٨٩﴿ وَلَقَدْ صَرَّفْنَا لِلنَّاسِ فِى هَٰذَا ٱلْقُرْءَانِ مِن كُلِّ مَثَلٍۢ فَأَبَىٰٓ أَكْثَرُ ٱلنَّاسِ إِلَّا كُفُورًۭا

Qa laqad sarrafnaa linnaasi fee haazal quraani min kulli masalin fa abaaa aksarun naasi illaa kufooraa

And We have turned about for people in this Quran every kind of example, but most people refused anything but denial.

﴾٩٠﴿ وَقَالُوا۟ لَن نُّؤْمِنَ لَكَ حَتَّىٰ تَفْجُرَ لَنَا مِنَ ٱلْأَرْضِ يَنۢبُوعًا

Wa qaaloo lan nu'mina laka hattaa tafjura lanaa minal ardi yamboo'aa

And they said, "We will never believe you until you cause a spring to gush out for us from the earth,

﴾٩١﴿ أَوْ تَكُونَ لَكَ جَنَّةٌۭ مِّن نَّخِيلٍۢ وَعِنَبٍۢ فَتُفَجِّرَ ٱلْأَنْهَٰرَ خِلَٰلَهَا تَفْجِيرًا

Aw takoona laka jannatum min nakheelinw wa 'inabin fatufajjiral anhaara khilaalahaa tafjeeraa

or you have a garden of palms and grapes, and cause rivers to gush abundantly through it,

﴾٩٢﴿ أَوْ تُسْقِطَ ٱلسَّمَآءَ كَمَا زَعَمْتَ عَلَيْنَا كِسَفًا أَوْ تَأْتِىَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةِ قَبِيلًا

Aw tusqitas samaaa'a kamaa za'amta 'alainaa kisafan aw taatiya billaahi walma laaa'ikati qabeelaa

or you cause the sky to fall upon us in pieces, as you claimed, or you bring Allah and the angels before us,

﴾٩٣﴿ أَوْ يَكُونَ لَكَ بَيْتٌۭ مِّن زُخْرُفٍ أَوْ تَرْقَىٰ فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَلَن نُّؤْمِنَ لِرُقِيِّكَ حَتَّىٰ تُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْنَا كِتَٰبًۭا نَّقْرَؤُهُۥ ۗ قُلْ سُبْحَانَ رَبِّى هَلْ كُنتُ إِلَّا بَشَرًۭا رَّسُولًۭا

Aw yakoona laka baitum min zukhrufin aw tarqaa fis samaaa'i wa lan nu'mina liruqiyyika hatta tunazzila 'alainaa kitaaban naqra'uh qul Subhaana Rabbee hal kuntu illaa basharar Rasoolaa

or you have a house of ornament, or you climb into the sky. And we will not believe your climbing until you bring down to us a book we can read." Say, "Glory to my Lord. Am I anything but a human being, a messenger?"

﴾٩٤﴿ وَمَا مَنَعَ ٱلنَّاسَ أَن يُؤْمِنُوٓا۟ إِذْ جَآءَهُمُ ٱلْهُدَىٰٓ إِلَّآ أَن قَالُوٓا۟ أَبَعَثَ ٱللَّهُ بَشَرًۭا رَّسُولًۭا

Wa maa mana'an naasa any yu'minooo iz jaaa'ahumul hudaaa illaaa an qaalooo aba'asal laahu basharar Rasoolaa

And nothing prevented people from believing when guidance came to them except that they said, "Has Allah sent a human being as a messenger?"

﴾٩٥﴿ قُل لَّوْ كَانَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مَلَٰٓئِكَةٌۭ يَمْشُونَ مُطْمَئِنِّينَ لَنَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَلَكًۭا رَّسُولًۭا

Qul law kaana fil ardi malaaa 'ikatuny yamshoona mutma'inneena lanazzalnaa 'alaihim minas samaaa'i malakar Rasoolaa

Say, "If there were angels on the earth walking about, settled, We would have sent down to them from the sky an angel as a messenger."

﴾٩٦﴿ قُلْ كَفَىٰ بِٱللَّهِ شَهِيدًۢا بَيْنِى وَبَيْنَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ بِعِبَادِهِۦ خَبِيرًۢا بَصِيرًۭا

Qul kafaa billaahi shaheedam bainee wa bainakum innahoo kaana bi'ibaadihee Khabeeram Baseeraa

Say, "Allah is sufficient as a witness between me and you. He is Aware and Seeing of His servants."

﴾٩٧﴿ وَمَن يَهْدِ ٱللَّهُ فَهُوَ ٱلْمُهْتَدِ ۖ وَمَن يُضْلِلْ فَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُمْ أَوْلِيَآءَ مِن دُونِهِۦ ۖ وَنَحْشُرُهُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ عَلَىٰ وُجُوهِهِمْ عُمْيًۭا وَبُكْمًۭا وَصُمًّۭا ۖ مَّأْوَىٰهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ ۖ كُلَّمَا خَبَتْ زِدْنَٰهُمْ سَعِيرًۭا

Wa mai yahdil laahu fahuwal muhtad wa mai yudlil falan tajida lahum awliyaaa'a min doonih wa nahshuruhum Yawmal Qiyaamati 'alaa wujoohihim umyanw wa bukmanw wa summaa maa waahum Jahannamu kullamaa khabat zidnaahum sa'eeraa

Whoever Allah guides is the guided one, and whoever He leaves astray, you will find for them no protectors besides Him. And We will gather them on the Day of Resurrection on their faces, blind, mute and deaf. Their refuge is Hell. Every time it subsides, We increase them in blazing fire.

﴾٩٨﴿ ذَٰلِكَ جَزَآؤُهُم بِأَنَّهُمْ كَفَرُوا۟ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا وَقَالُوٓا۟ أَءِذَا كُنَّا عِظَٰمًۭا وَرُفَٰتًا أَءِنَّا لَمَبْعُوثُونَ خَلْقًۭا جَدِيدًا

Zaalika jazaa'uhum biannahum kafaroo bi aayaatinaa wa qaalooo 'a izaa kunnaa 'izaamanw wa rufaatan'a innaa lamaboosoona khalqan jadeedaa

That is their reward for having disbelieved in Our verses and saying, "When we are bones and fragments, will we really be raised as a new creation?"

﴾٩٩﴿ ۞ أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ قَادِرٌ عَلَىٰٓ أَن يَخْلُقَ مِثْلَهُمْ وَجَعَلَ لَهُمْ أَجَلًۭا لَّا رَيْبَ فِيهِ فَأَبَى ٱلظَّٰلِمُونَ إِلَّا كُفُورًۭا

Awalam yaraw annal laahal lazee khalaqas samaawaati wal arda qaadirun 'alaaa any yakhluqa mislahum wa ja'ala lahum ajalal laa raiba fee fa abaz zaalimoona illaa kufooraa

Have they not seen that Allah, who created the heavens and the earth, is able to create the like of them, and has set for them a term about which there is no doubt? But the wrongdoers refuse anything but denial.

﴾١٠٠﴿ قُل لَّوْ أَنتُمْ تَمْلِكُونَ خَزَآئِنَ رَحْمَةِ رَبِّىٓ إِذًۭا لَّأَمْسَكْتُمْ خَشْيَةَ ٱلْإِنفَاقِ ۚ وَكَانَ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ قَتُورًۭا

Qul law antum tamlikoona khazaaa'ina rahmati Rabbie izal la amsaktum khash yatal infaaq wa kaanal insaanu qatooraa

Say, "If you possessed the treasuries of the mercy of my Lord, you would hold back out of fear of spending. The human being has always been stingy."

﴾١٠١﴿ وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَىٰ تِسْعَ ءَايَٰتٍۭ بَيِّنَٰتٍۢ ۖ فَسْـَٔلْ بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ إِذْ جَآءَهُمْ فَقَالَ لَهُۥ فِرْعَوْنُ إِنِّى لَأَظُنُّكَ يَٰمُوسَىٰ مَسْحُورًۭا

Wa laqad aatainaa Moosaa tis'a Aayaatim baiyinaatin fas'al Banie Israaa'eela iz jaaa'ahum faqaala lahoo Fir'awnu inee la azunnuka yaa Moosaa mas hooraa

And We gave Musa nine clear signs. Ask the Children of Israel, when he came to them, and Pharaoh said to him, "I think you are bewitched, Musa."

﴾١٠٢﴿ قَالَ لَقَدْ عَلِمْتَ مَآ أَنزَلَ هَٰٓؤُلَآءِ إِلَّا رَبُّ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ بَصَآئِرَ وَإِنِّى لَأَظُنُّكَ يَٰفِرْعَوْنُ مَثْبُورًۭا

Qaala laqad 'alimta maaa anzala haaa'ulaaa'i illaa Rabbus samaawaati wal ardi basaaa'ira wa innee la azun nuka yaa Fir'awnu masbooraa

He said, "You know that none has sent these down except the Lord of the heavens and the earth, as clear proofs. And I think you are ruined, Pharaoh."

﴾١٠٣﴿ فَأَرَادَ أَن يَسْتَفِزَّهُم مِّنَ ٱلْأَرْضِ فَأَغْرَقْنَٰهُ وَمَن مَّعَهُۥ جَمِيعًۭا

Fa araada any yastafizzahum minal ardi fa aghraqnaahu wa mam ma'ahoo jamee'aa

So he intended to unsettle them from the land, and We drowned him and those with him, all of them.

﴾١٠٤﴿ وَقُلْنَا مِنۢ بَعْدِهِۦ لِبَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ ٱسْكُنُوا۟ ٱلْأَرْضَ فَإِذَا جَآءَ وَعْدُ ٱلْءَاخِرَةِ جِئْنَا بِكُمْ لَفِيفًۭا

Wa qulnaa mim ba'dihee li Banie Israaa'eelas kunul arda faizaa jaaa'a wa'dulaakhirati ji'naa bikum lafeefaa

And We said after him to the Children of Israel, "Dwell in the land. Then when the promise of the hereafter comes, We will bring you as a mixed crowd."

﴾١٠٥﴿ وَبِٱلْحَقِّ أَنزَلْنَٰهُ وَبِٱلْحَقِّ نَزَلَ ۗ وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَٰكَ إِلَّا مُبَشِّرًۭا وَنَذِيرًۭا

Wa bilhaqqi anzalnaahu wa bilhaqqi nazal wa maaa arsalnaaka illaa mubash shiranw wa nazeeraa

And with the truth We sent it down, and with the truth it came down. And We sent you only as a bringer of good news and a warner.

﴾١٠٦﴿ وَقُرْءَانًۭا فَرَقْنَٰهُ لِتَقْرَأَهُۥ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ عَلَىٰ مُكْثٍۢ وَنَزَّلْنَٰهُ تَنزِيلًۭا

Wa quraanan faraqnaahu litaqra ahoo 'alan naasi 'alaa muksinw wa nazzalnaahu tanzeelaa

And a Quran We divided, so that you may recite it to people at intervals, and We sent it down in stages.

﴾١٠٧﴿ قُلْ ءَامِنُوا۟ بِهِۦٓ أَوْ لَا تُؤْمِنُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْعِلْمَ مِن قَبْلِهِۦٓ إِذَا يُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ يَخِرُّونَ لِلْأَذْقَانِ سُجَّدًۭا

Qul aaaniminoo bihie aw laa tu'minoo innal lazeena ootul 'ilma min qablihie izaa yutlaa 'alaihim yakhirroona lil azqaani sujjadaa

Say, "Believe in it or do not believe. Those given knowledge before it, when it is recited to them, fall down on their faces in prostration,

﴾١٠٨﴿ وَيَقُولُونَ سُبْحَٰنَ رَبِّنَآ إِن كَانَ وَعْدُ رَبِّنَا لَمَفْعُولًۭا

Wa yaqooloona Subhaana Rabbinaaa in kaana wa'du Rabbinaa lamaf'oolaa

and they say, "Glory to our Lord. The promise of our Lord has been fulfilled."

﴾١٠٩﴿ وَيَخِرُّونَ لِلْأَذْقَانِ يَبْكُونَ وَيَزِيدُهُمْ خُشُوعًۭا ۩

Wa yakhirroona lil azqaani yabkoona wa yazeeduhum khushoo'aa

And they fall down on their faces weeping, and it increases them in humility.

✦

A prostration is made here in recitation.

﴾١١٠﴿ قُلِ ٱدْعُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ أَوِ ٱدْعُوا۟ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنَ ۖ أَيًّۭا مَّا تَدْعُوا۟ فَلَهُ ٱلْأَسْمَآءُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ ۚ وَلَا تَجْهَرْ بِصَلَاتِكَ وَلَا تُخَافِتْ بِهَا وَٱبْتَغِ بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ سَبِيلًۭا

Qulid'ul laaha awid'ur Rahmaana ayyam maa tad'oo falahul asmaaa'ul Husnaa wa laa tajhar bi Salaatika wa laa tukhaafit bihaa wabtaghi baina zaalika sabeela

Say, "Call upon Allah, or call upon the Most Gracious. Whichever you call, to Him belong the most beautiful names." And do not be loud in your prayer, and do not be silent in it, but seek a way between that.

﴾١١١﴿ وَقُلِ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِى لَمْ يَتَّخِذْ وَلَدًۭا وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُۥ شَرِيكٌۭ فِى ٱلْمُلْكِ وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُۥ وَلِىٌّۭ مِّنَ ٱلذُّلِّ ۖ وَكَبِّرْهُ تَكْبِيرًۢا

Wa qulil hamdu lillaahil lazee lam yattakhiz waladanw wa lam yakul lahoo shareekun fil mulki wa lam yakul lahoo waliyyum minaz zulli wa kabbirhu takbeeraa

And say, "Praise belongs to Allah, who has not taken a son, who has no partner in dominion, and who has no protector out of weakness." And magnify Him greatly.

The Tafsir · The Breakdown

What This Part Means

Overview

Say What Is Best.

Part Two opens on speech and closes on praise, and everything between is about what a man says, what is whispered to him, and what he asks for. Verse 53 sets the standard higher than most people expect. Tell My servants to say that which is best. Allati hiya ahsan. Not that which is true, which would already be demanding. The best available option. And the reason given is not politeness. Satan sows discord between them. Careless speech among believers is named as the enemy's working method, which makes the choice of words a defensive act rather than a courtesy.

Verses 53 to 77

The Voice, and the Firmness.

Verses 61 through 65 record the terms Iblis was given, and they are worth reading as an inventory of what he actually has. Verse 64 lists four instruments. Unsettle whoever you can with your voice. Rally your cavalry and your infantry. Share with them in wealth and children. And promise them. Note the third one. Sharikhum fil amwali wal awlad, a partnership in acquisition, meaning he is present in how a man earns and in how he raises his family, not only in his sins. And note the last one, which the verse immediately deflates: Satan promises them nothing but delusion. Then verse 65 gives the exemption in seven words. As for My servants, you have no authority over them. He was granted a voice, a following and a promise, and no authority. Verse 67 gives the diagnostic anyone can run on himself. When harm touches you at sea, those you call upon vanish, except Him. Then when He delivers you to land, you turn away. The sincerity in the crisis was real. What he does on the shore is the reading. Verse 70 then states the standing every human being holds by default. We have honored the children of Adam, karramna, honored them, carried them, provided for them, and favored them greatly. That is said of the species, before any of them earned anything. Verses 73 through 75 are among the most exposed in the Quran. They were about to tempt you away from what We revealed, so that you would invent something else against Us. Then verse 74: had We not made you firm, you would have almost inclined toward them a little. The Prophet, peace be upon him, is told that his firmness was supplied and that the margin was thin. Any man who has held a position under pressure and thinks he did it on his own strength should read that verse twice.

Verses 78 to 89

A Praised Station.

Verse 78 sets the prayer against the sun rather than against a clock, from its decline until the darkness of night, and then singles out one recitation: the recitation at dawn is witnessed. Mashhuda. Something is present for it that is not present for the others. Verse 79 then gives the night prayer and attaches a promise unlike any other in the Book. Keep vigil with it as an extra for you. Perhaps your Lord will raise you to a praised station. Maqaman mahmuda, and the word perhaps is left in place even for the one being addressed. Verse 80 is the prayer to carry into anything you enter or leave. My Lord, cause me to enter a truthful entrance, and cause me to exit a truthful exit, and grant me from Yourself a supporting authority. Entrance, exit, and the backing to hold the ground between them. Verse 81 gives the sentence to say when the thing finally turns. The truth has come and falsehood has vanished. Falsehood was always bound to vanish. Its nature was always to go. Verse 82 names what the Quran does to two different men in one line. A healing and a mercy for the believers, and it increases the wrongdoers only in loss. Same text, opposite effect, and the difference is entirely in the receiver. Verse 84 states it as a rule. Each works according to his own manner, shakilah, the shape a man has made of himself. Verse 85 answers the question about the spirit with a refusal and then a measurement that applies to everyone reading. You have been given only a little of knowledge. Verse 88 then puts the whole matter on the table. If mankind and the jinn gathered together to produce the like of this Quran, they could not, even if they backed one another. The challenge is still open and it has never had to be repeated.

Verses 90 to 111

The Demands, and the Praise.

Verses 90 through 93 list six demands, and reading them in sequence shows what they actually were. A spring from the ground. A garden with rivers. The sky brought down in pieces. Allah and the angels produced in person. A house of ornament. And a climb into the sky, with the added condition that even that would not be believed without a book they could read on their own. Six escalating requirements, and the last one moves the goalposts inside the same sentence. The answer in verse 93 is one line and it does not negotiate. Glory to my Lord. Am I anything but a human being, a messenger? Verse 94 then names the real objection under all six. They said, has Allah sent a human being as a messenger? Verse 100 is the verse for anyone who has ever told himself he would give if he had more. If you possessed the treasuries of the mercy of my Lord, you would hold back out of fear of spending. The human being has always been stingy. The verse does not say he would spend badly. It says that with infinite supply he would still clamp down, because the tightness was never about the amount. Verse 106 explains the pacing of the whole revelation in one clause. A Quran We divided, so that you may recite it to people at intervals. Delivered in pieces because that is how a person absorbs anything. Verses 107 through 109 then show what recognition looks like in a body. Those given knowledge fall on their faces, and verse 109 adds that they fall weeping, and that it increases them in humility. The knowledge did not make them more upright in posture. It put them lower. Verse 110 gives the instruction on the voice in prayer, and it is a middle. Do not be loud, and do not be silent, but seek a way between that. And verse 111 closes the surah, and the whole chapter that began with a night journey ends with a man told to say four things: praise to the One who has taken no son, has no partner in dominion, and has no protector out of weakness. And then, magnify Him greatly.

Structural Summary

Verses Fifty-Three to One Hundred Eleven. Say That Which Is Best.

The part opens by raising the standard for speech from true to best, and names careless words among believers as the enemy's working method. It inventories what that enemy was actually given, a voice, a following, a share in earning and raising, and a promise, and then states that he holds no authority over the servants. It records that even the Prophet's firmness was supplied and the margin was thin. It sets the prayer against the sun, names the dawn recitation as witnessed, attaches a praised station to the night vigil, and hands over a prayer for a truthful entrance and exit. Then it lists six demands that move their own goalposts, tells the man waiting for more money that infinite supply would not loosen his hand, and closes on people falling on their faces weeping and a command to magnify Him greatly.

The Practice

Take It Into the Week

Verse 53. For one week, do not merely say what is true. Say the best available version of it, especially to the believers closest to you.

Verse 80. Learn the entrance and exit prayer and say it before every meeting, every deal, and every difficult room you walk into.

Verse 100. Stop waiting for the amount. Give the thing you have been deferring, at the size you can do today.

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 531 / 12

The Verse

What standard does verse 53 set for speech, and why?