Surah Ash-Shu'ara

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 69 to 140

﴾٦٩﴿ وَٱتْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ نَبَأَ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ

Watlu 'alaihim naba-a Ibraahim

And recite to them the account of Ibrahim,

﴾٧٠﴿ إِذْ قَالَ لِأَبِيهِ وَقَوْمِهِۦ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ

Iz qaala li abihi wa qawmihi maa ta'budun

when he said to his father and his people, "What do you worship?"

﴾٧١﴿ قَالُوا۟ نَعْبُدُ أَصْنَامًۭا فَنَظَلُّ لَهَا عَٰكِفِينَ

Qaalu na'budu asnaaman fanazallu lahaa 'aakifin

They said, "We worship idols, and we remain devoted to them."

﴾٧٢﴿ قَالَ هَلْ يَسْمَعُونَكُمْ إِذْ تَدْعُونَ

Qaala hal yasma'una kum iz tad'un

He said, "Do they hear you when you call?

﴾٧٣﴿ أَوْ يَنفَعُونَكُمْ أَوْ يَضُرُّونَ

Aw yanfa'unakum aw yadurrun

Or do they benefit you, or harm you?"

﴾٧٤﴿ قَالُوا۟ بَلْ وَجَدْنَآ ءَابَآءَنَا كَذَٰلِكَ يَفْعَلُونَ

Qaalu bal wajadnaaa aabaaa 'anaa kazaalika yaf'alun

They said, "No, but we found our fathers doing so."

﴾٧٥﴿ قَالَ أَفَرَءَيْتُم مَّا كُنتُمْ تَعْبُدُونَ

Qaala afara 'aitum maa kuntum ta'budun

He said, "Have you considered what you have been worshipping,

﴾٧٦﴿ أَنتُمْ وَءَابَآؤُكُمُ ٱلْأَقْدَمُونَ

Antum wa aabaaa'ukumul aqdamun

you and your ancient fathers?

﴾٧٧﴿ فَإِنَّهُمْ عَدُوٌّۭ لِّىٓ إِلَّا رَبَّ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ

Fa innahum 'aduwwwul lie illaa Rabbal 'aalamin

They are an enemy to me, except the Lord of the worlds,

﴾٧٨﴿ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَنِى فَهُوَ يَهْدِينِ

Allazi khalaqani fa Huwa yahdin

who created me, and He guides me,

﴾٧٩﴿ وَٱلَّذِى هُوَ يُطْعِمُنِى وَيَسْقِينِ

Wallazi Huwa yut'imuni wa yasqin

and who feeds me and gives me drink,

﴾٨٠﴿ وَإِذَا مَرِضْتُ فَهُوَ يَشْفِينِ

Wa izaa mardtu fahuwa yashfin

and when I am ill, He heals me,

﴾٨١﴿ وَٱلَّذِى يُمِيتُنِى ثُمَّ يُحْيِينِ

Wallazi yumituni summa yuhyin

and who will cause me to die and then give me life,

﴾٨٢﴿ وَٱلَّذِىٓ أَطْمَعُ أَن يَغْفِرَ لِى خَطِيٓـَٔتِى يَوْمَ ٱلدِّينِ

Wallazie atma'u ai yaghfira li khatie' ati Yawmad Din

and who I hope will forgive me my faults on the Day of Judgment.

﴾٨٣﴿ رَبِّ هَبْ لِى حُكْمًۭا وَأَلْحِقْنِى بِٱلصَّٰلِحِينَ

Rabbi hab li hukmanw wa alhiqni bis saalihin

My Lord, grant me judgment and join me with the righteous.

﴾٨٤﴿ وَٱجْعَل لِّى لِسَانَ صِدْقٍۢ فِى ٱلْءَاخِرِينَ

Waj'al li lisaana sidqin fil aakhirin

And give me a truthful tongue among those who come after.

﴾٨٥﴿ وَٱجْعَلْنِى مِن وَرَثَةِ جَنَّةِ ٱلنَّعِيمِ

Waj'alni minw warasati Jannnatin Na'im

And make me among the inheritors of the Garden of delight.

﴾٨٦﴿ وَٱغْفِرْ لِأَبِىٓ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ مِنَ ٱلضَّآلِّينَ

Waghfir li abie innahu kaana mind daallin

And forgive my father. He was among those who went astray.

﴾٨٧﴿ وَلَا تُخْزِنِى يَوْمَ يُبْعَثُونَ

Wa laa tukhzini Yawma yub'asun

And do not disgrace me on the Day they are raised,

﴾٨٨﴿ يَوْمَ لَا يَنفَعُ مَالٌۭ وَلَا بَنُونَ

Yawma laa yanfa'u maalunw wa laa banun

the Day when neither wealth nor sons will benefit,

﴾٨٩﴿ إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى ٱللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍۢ سَلِيمٍۢ

Illaa man atal laaha biqalbin salim

except one who comes to Allah with a sound heart."

﴾٩٠﴿ وَأُزْلِفَتِ ٱلْجَنَّةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ

Wa uzlifatil Jannatu lilmuttaqin

And the Garden will be brought near to those mindful of Allah,

﴾٩١﴿ وَبُرِّزَتِ ٱلْجَحِيمُ لِلْغَاوِينَ

Wa burrizatil Jahimu lilghaawin

and the blaze will be shown to those who went astray.

﴾٩٢﴿ وَقِيلَ لَهُمْ أَيْنَ مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْبُدُونَ

Wa qila lahum aina maa kuntum ta'budun

It will be said to them, "Where is what you used to worship

﴾٩٣﴿ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ هَلْ يَنصُرُونَكُمْ أَوْ يَنتَصِرُونَ

Min dunil laahi hal yansurunakum aw yantasirun

besides Allah? Can they help you, or help themselves?"

﴾٩٤﴿ فَكُبْكِبُوا۟ فِيهَا هُمْ وَٱلْغَاوُۥنَ

Fakubkibu fihaa hum walghaawun

They will be thrown into it on their faces, they and those who went astray,

﴾٩٥﴿ وَجُنُودُ إِبْلِيسَ أَجْمَعُونَ

Wa junudu Iblisa ajma'un

and the armies of Iblis, all of them.

﴾٩٦﴿ قَالُوا۟ وَهُمْ فِيهَا يَخْتَصِمُونَ

Qaalu wa hum fihaa yakkhtasimun

They will say, while disputing in it,

﴾٩٧﴿ تَٱللَّهِ إِن كُنَّا لَفِى ضَلَٰلٍۢ مُّبِينٍ

Tallaahi in kunnaa lafi dalaalim mubin

"By Allah, we were in clear error

﴾٩٨﴿ إِذْ نُسَوِّيكُم بِرَبِّ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ

Iz nusawwikum bi Rabbil 'aalamin

when we made you equal with the Lord of the worlds.

﴾٩٩﴿ وَمَآ أَضَلَّنَآ إِلَّا ٱلْمُجْرِمُونَ

Wa maaa adallanaaa illal mujrimun

No one led us astray except the criminals.

﴾١٠٠﴿ فَمَا لَنَا مِن شَٰفِعِينَ

Famaa lanaa min shaa fi'in

Now we have no intercessors,

﴾١٠١﴿ وَلَا صَدِيقٍ حَمِيمٍۢ

Wa laa sadiqin hamim

and no close friend.

﴾١٠٢﴿ فَلَوْ أَنَّ لَنَا كَرَّةًۭ فَنَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

Falaw anna lanaa karratan fanakuna minal mu'minin

If only we had a return, so that we could be among the believers."

﴾١٠٣﴿ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَءَايَةًۭ ۖ وَمَا كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

Inna fi zaalika la Aayatanw wa maa kaana aksaruhum mu'minin

In that is a sign, but most of them were not believers.

﴾١٠٤﴿ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ

Wa inna Rabbaka la Huwal 'Azizur Rahim

Your Lord is the Mighty, the Merciful.

﴾١٠٥﴿ كَذَّبَتْ قَوْمُ نُوحٍ ٱلْمُرْسَلِينَ

Kazzabat qawmu Nuhinil Mursalin

The people of Nuh denied the messengers,

﴾١٠٦﴿ إِذْ قَالَ لَهُمْ أَخُوهُمْ نُوحٌ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ

Iz qaala lahum akhuhum Nuhun alaa tattaqun

when their brother Nuh said to them, "Will you not be mindful of Allah?

﴾١٠٧﴿ إِنِّى لَكُمْ رَسُولٌ أَمِينٌۭ

Inni lakum Rasulun amin

I am a trustworthy messenger to you,

﴾١٠٨﴿ فَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ

Fattaqullaaha wa ati'un

so be mindful of Allah and obey me.

﴾١٠٩﴿ وَمَآ أَسْـَٔلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَجْرٍ ۖ إِنْ أَجْرِىَ إِلَّا عَلَىٰ رَبِّ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ

Wa maaa as'alukum 'alaihi min ajrin in ajriya illaa 'alaa Rabbil 'aalamin

I ask you no reward for it. My reward is only from the Lord of the worlds.

﴾١١٠﴿ فَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ

Fattaqul laaha wa ati'un

So be mindful of Allah and obey me."

﴾١١١﴿ ۞ قَالُوٓا۟ أَنُؤْمِنُ لَكَ وَٱتَّبَعَكَ ٱلْأَرْذَلُونَ

Qaaluo anu'minu laka wattaba 'akal arzalun

They said, "Shall we believe you when the lowest of people follow you?"

﴾١١٢﴿ قَالَ وَمَا عِلْمِى بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ

Qaala wa maa 'ilmi bimaa kaanu ya'malun

He said, "What knowledge do I have of what they used to do?

﴾١١٣﴿ إِنْ حِسَابُهُمْ إِلَّا عَلَىٰ رَبِّى ۖ لَوْ تَشْعُرُونَ

In hisaabuhum illaa 'alaa Rabbi law tash'urun

Their account is only with my Lord, if you only realized.

﴾١١٤﴿ وَمَآ أَنَا۠ بِطَارِدِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

Wa maaa ana bitaaridil mu'minin

I am not going to drive away the believers.

﴾١١٥﴿ إِنْ أَنَا۠ إِلَّا نَذِيرٌۭ مُّبِينٌۭ

In ana illaa nazirum mubin

I am only a clear warner."

﴾١١٦﴿ قَالُوا۟ لَئِن لَّمْ تَنتَهِ يَٰنُوحُ لَتَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلْمَرْجُومِينَ

Qaalu la'il lam tantahi yaa Nuhu latakunanna minal marjumin

They said, "Nuh, if you do not stop, you will be among those stoned."

﴾١١٧﴿ قَالَ رَبِّ إِنَّ قَوْمِى كَذَّبُونِ

Qaala Rabbi inna qawmi kazzabun

He said, "My Lord, my people have denied me.

﴾١١٨﴿ فَٱفْتَحْ بَيْنِى وَبَيْنَهُمْ فَتْحًۭا وَنَجِّنِى وَمَن مَّعِىَ مِنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

Faftab baini wa bai nahum fat hanw wa najjini wa mam ma'iya minal mu'minin

So judge decisively between me and them, and save me and those with me among the believers."

﴾١١٩﴿ فَأَنجَيْنَٰهُ وَمَن مَّعَهُۥ فِى ٱلْفُلْكِ ٱلْمَشْحُونِ

Fa anjainaahu wa mamma'ahu fil fulkil mashhun

So We saved him and those with him in the loaded ship.

﴾١٢٠﴿ ثُمَّ أَغْرَقْنَا بَعْدُ ٱلْبَاقِينَ

Summa aghraqnaa ba'dul baaqin

Then We drowned the rest afterward.

﴾١٢١﴿ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَءَايَةًۭ ۖ وَمَا كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

Inna fi zaalika la Aayaah; wa maa kaana aksaruhum mu'minin

In that is a sign, but most of them were not believers.

﴾١٢٢﴿ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ

Wa inna Rabbaka la huwal 'Azizur Rahim

Your Lord is the Mighty, the Merciful.

﴾١٢٣﴿ كَذَّبَتْ عَادٌ ٱلْمُرْسَلِينَ

Kazzabat 'Aadunil mursalin

Ad denied the messengers,

﴾١٢٤﴿ إِذْ قَالَ لَهُمْ أَخُوهُمْ هُودٌ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ

Iz qaala lahum akhuhum Hudun alaa tattaqun

when their brother Hud said to them, "Will you not be mindful of Allah?

﴾١٢٥﴿ إِنِّى لَكُمْ رَسُولٌ أَمِينٌۭ

Inni lakum Rasulun amin

I am a trustworthy messenger to you,

﴾١٢٦﴿ فَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ

Fattaqullaaha wa ati'un

so be mindful of Allah and obey me.

﴾١٢٧﴿ وَمَآ أَسْـَٔلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَجْرٍ ۖ إِنْ أَجْرِىَ إِلَّا عَلَىٰ رَبِّ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ

Wa maa as'alukum 'alaihi min ajrin in ajriya illaa 'alaa Rabbil 'aalamin

I ask you no reward for it. My reward is only from the Lord of the worlds.

﴾١٢٨﴿ أَتَبْنُونَ بِكُلِّ رِيعٍ ءَايَةًۭ تَعْبَثُونَ

Atabnuna bikulli ri'in aayatan ta'basun

Do you build on every high place a monument, amusing yourselves,

﴾١٢٩﴿ وَتَتَّخِذُونَ مَصَانِعَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَخْلُدُونَ

Wa tattakhizuna masaani'a la'allakum takhludun

and take for yourselves strongholds, as though you will live forever?

﴾١٣٠﴿ وَإِذَا بَطَشْتُم بَطَشْتُمْ جَبَّارِينَ

Wa izaa batashtum batashtum jabbaarin

And when you seize, you seize as tyrants.

﴾١٣١﴿ فَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ

Fattaqul laaha wa ati'un

So be mindful of Allah and obey me.

﴾١٣٢﴿ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَمَدَّكُم بِمَا تَعْلَمُونَ

Wattaqul lazie amad dakum bimaa ta'lamun

Be mindful of the One who supplied you with what you know.

﴾١٣٣﴿ أَمَدَّكُم بِأَنْعَٰمٍۢ وَبَنِينَ

Amaddakum bi an'aa minw wa banin

He supplied you with cattle and sons,

﴾١٣٤﴿ وَجَنَّٰتٍۢ وَعُيُونٍ

Wa jannaatinw wa 'uyun

and gardens and springs.

﴾١٣٥﴿ إِنِّىٓ أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍۢ

Inni akhaafu 'alaikum 'azaaba Yawmin 'azim

I fear for you the punishment of a great Day."

﴾١٣٦﴿ قَالُوا۟ سَوَآءٌ عَلَيْنَآ أَوَعَظْتَ أَمْ لَمْ تَكُن مِّنَ ٱلْوَٰعِظِينَ

Qaalu sawaaa'un 'alainaaa awa 'azta am lam takum minal waa'izin

They said, "It is the same to us whether you admonish or are not among those who admonish.

﴾١٣٧﴿ إِنْ هَٰذَآ إِلَّا خُلُقُ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ

In haazaaa illaa khuluqul awwalin

This is nothing but the custom of the ancients,

﴾١٣٨﴿ وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمُعَذَّبِينَ

Wa maa nahnu bimu 'azzabin

and we are not going to be punished."

﴾١٣٩﴿ فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَأَهْلَكْنَٰهُمْ ۗ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَءَايَةًۭ ۖ وَمَا كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

Fakazzabuhu fa ahlaknaahum; inna fi zaalika la aayah; wa maa kaana aksaruhum mu'minin

So they denied him, and We destroyed them. In that is a sign, but most of them were not believers.

﴾١٤٠﴿ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ

Wa inna Rabbaka la huwal 'Azizur Rahim

Your Lord is the Mighty, the Merciful.

The Tafsir · The Breakdown

What This Part Means

Overview

The Sound Heart, and Two Refusals.

Part Two holds the verse the whole surah is pointing at. In verse 88 and verse 89, Ibrahim names the only currency accepted on the Day when wealth and sons stop working. Except one who comes to Allah with a sound heart. Qalbun salim. Everything a man accumulates is listed and dismissed in a single verse, and then one thing is named as the exception, and it is not an achievement. It is a condition of the organ. Around that prayer the part sets three failures of reasoning: people who cannot answer a direct question about what they worship, men in the Fire discovering they have no friend left, and a nation that built monuments on hilltops to be remembered. Nuh and Hud both open with the same two credentials, word for word, and both are refused for reasons that have nothing to do with the message.

Verses 69 to 89

Seven Statements and a Prayer.

Verse 70 opens with the plainest possible question. What do you worship? Verses 72 and 73 narrow it to three tests any object of devotion should survive. Do they hear you when you call? Do they benefit you? Do they harm you? Verse 74 is the answer, and it does not address any of the three. No, but we found our fathers doing so. That is not a rebuttal. It is a change of subject, and it is the most common one there is. Then Ibrahim answers his own question in verses 78 through 82, in a sequence of statements about what his Lord does. Created me and guides me. Feeds me and gives me drink. Heals me when I am ill. Causes me to die and gives me life. Forgives my faults on the Day of Judgment. Read verse 80 again and watch where he puts the illness. When I am ill, he says, not when He makes me ill, and then the healing is attributed directly to Allah. He assigns the affliction to himself and the cure to his Lord in the same breath. That is a man being careful about how he speaks of his Lord even while describing his own suffering. Then the prayer, verses 83 through 87, and it is worth taking one clause at a time. Grant me judgment, hukm, the ability to decide correctly. Join me with the righteous, which is a request for company, not rank. Give me a truthful tongue among those who come after, lisana sidqin fil akhirin, a request that his name mean something true after he is gone rather than merely be known. Make me among the inheritors of the Garden. Forgive my father. Do not disgrace me on the Day they are raised. Not a request for wealth, safety, victory or ease anywhere in it. Then verse 88 and verse 89 close the prayer by naming what all of it was for. The Day when neither wealth nor sons will benefit, except one who comes to Allah with a sound heart. Wealth and sons are the two things every man in every century has used to measure whether his life worked. Both are named and both are set aside in nine words.

Verses 90 to 104

No Intercessor, and No Friend.

Verse 92 asks the question that ends the case. Where is what you used to worship? Verse 93 finishes it. Can they help you, or help themselves? Verses 96 through 102 then record what men say to each other after the fact, and it is a full confession delivered too late. By Allah, we were in clear error when we made you equal with the Lord of the worlds. Verse 99 is the shifting of blame, and verse 100 and verse 101 are the two sentences that should stay with a man. Now we have no intercessors, and no close friend. La sadiq hamim. Not one warm friend. This surah puts that loss beside the loss of intercession, at the same weight, which tells you what kind of company is being described. The friend who would have been a friend on that Day is the one who was pulling toward this, and the surah has already shown, in As-Saffat and in Az-Zukhruf, what happens between men whose bond was built on anything else. Verse 102 is the last thing they say, and it is a request no one gets. If only we had a return, so that we could be among the believers. Everything a man needs in order to make that return is currently in his possession.

Verses 105 to 140

Trustworthy, and Asking Nothing.

Nuh and Hud are given the same two credentials, in the same words, in verses 107 and 109 and again in verses 125 and 127. I am a trustworthy messenger to you. I ask you no reward for it. Ameen, and no fee. Character, and no financial interest in the outcome. Those are the only two things either man offers, and the surah repeats them deliberately so that a reader can measure anyone who calls him to something by the same two. Verse 111 gives the objection Nuh received, and it is about class, not content. Shall we believe you when the lowest of people follow you? They did not dispute the message. They disputed the guest list. Verse 112 through verse 114 is his answer and it is the correct one in every century. What knowledge do I have of what they used to do? Their account is only with my Lord. I am not going to drive away the believers. He refuses to trade the poor for the powerful, which is the exact offer being made. Then Hud, and verses 128 through 130 read like a description of the present moment. Do you build on every high place a monument, amusing yourselves, and take for yourselves strongholds as though you will live forever? And when you seize, you seize as tyrants. Three charges. Building for display. Building for permanence a man does not have. And using strength without restraint when the moment comes. None of the three is about disbelief in the abstract. They are about what a powerful people do with materials, land and force. Verse 132 gives the correction in one line: be mindful of the One who supplied you with what you know. Not with mysteries. With the things they could count, listed in verses 133 and 134, cattle and sons and gardens and springs. Verse 136 is their answer and it is the coldest sentence in the part. It is the same to us whether you admonish or are not among those who admonish. Then verse 138. And we are not going to be punished. The part ends, as every account in this surah ends, with the same two lines.

Structural Summary

Verses Sixty-Nine to One Hundred Forty. Except One Who Comes With a Sound Heart.

Ibrahim asks three questions no idol survives and receives an answer about ancestors instead. He then describes his Lord in a sequence that assigns the illness to himself and the healing to Allah, and prays for judgment, righteous company, a truthful name after his death, and no disgrace, before naming the only thing that counts on a Day when wealth and sons do not. The men in the Fire produce a perfect confession and find they have neither intercessor nor friend. Nuh offers two credentials and is refused over the social rank of his followers. Hud names three charges against a people who built to be remembered, and is told it makes no difference either way.

The Practice

Take It Into the Week

Verses 72 and 73. Run the three questions on whatever currently has your devotion. Does it hear you. Does it benefit you. Can it harm you.

Verse 84. Ask for it in your own words this week. A truthful tongue among those who come after. Then do one thing that would make it true.

Verse 101. Name the friend who is actually pulling you toward the sound heart. Call him this week.

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 72 and 731 / 10

The Verse

What three questions does Ibrahim ask about the idols in verses 72 and 73?