Surah Ta-Ha

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 80 to 135

﴾٨٠﴿ يَٰبَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ قَدْ أَنجَيْنَٰكُم مِّنْ عَدُوِّكُمْ وَوَٰعَدْنَٰكُمْ جَانِبَ ٱلطُّورِ ٱلْأَيْمَنَ وَنَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْمَنَّ وَٱلسَّلْوَىٰ

Yaa Banie Israaa'ila qad anjainaakum min 'aduw wikum wa wa'adnaakum jaanibat Turil aimana wa nazzalnaa 'alaikumul Manna was Salwaa

Children of Israel, We saved you from your enemy, and We made an appointment with you on the right side of the mount, and We sent down manna and quails upon you.

﴾٨١﴿ كُلُوا۟ مِن طَيِّبَٰتِ مَا رَزَقْنَٰكُمْ وَلَا تَطْغَوْا۟ فِيهِ فَيَحِلَّ عَلَيْكُمْ غَضَبِى ۖ وَمَن يَحْلِلْ عَلَيْهِ غَضَبِى فَقَدْ هَوَىٰ

Kulu min taiyibaati maa razaqnaakum wa laa tatghaw fihi fa yahilla 'alaikum ghadabi wa mai yahlil 'alaihi ghadabi faqad hawaa

Eat from the good things We provided you, and do not go to excess in it, or My anger will settle upon you. Whoever My anger settles upon has fallen.

﴾٨٢﴿ وَإِنِّى لَغَفَّارٌۭ لِّمَن تَابَ وَءَامَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَٰلِحًۭا ثُمَّ ٱهْتَدَىٰ

Wa inni la Ghaffaarul liman taaba wa aamana wa 'amila saalihan summah tadaa

And I am the Forgiving toward whoever repents, believes, does righteous work, and then remains guided.

﴾٨٣﴿ وَمَآ أَعْجَلَكَ عَن قَوْمِكَ يَٰمُوسَىٰ

Wa maaa a'jalaka 'an qawmika yaa Musa

And what made you hurry ahead of your people, Musa?

﴾٨٤﴿ قَالَ هُمْ أُو۟لَآءِ عَلَىٰٓ أَثَرِى وَعَجِلْتُ إِلَيْكَ رَبِّ لِتَرْضَىٰ

Qaala hum ulaaa'i 'alaaa asari wa 'ajiltu ilaika Rabbi litardaa

He said, "They are close behind me, and I hurried to You, my Lord, so that You would be pleased."

﴾٨٥﴿ قَالَ فَإِنَّا قَدْ فَتَنَّا قَوْمَكَ مِنۢ بَعْدِكَ وَأَضَلَّهُمُ ٱلسَّامِرِىُّ

Qaala fa innaa qad fatannaa qawmaka mim ba'dika wa adallahumus Saamiriyy

He said, "We tested your people after you left, and the Samiri led them astray."

﴾٨٦﴿ فَرَجَعَ مُوسَىٰٓ إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِۦ غَضْبَٰنَ أَسِفًۭا ۚ قَالَ يَٰقَوْمِ أَلَمْ يَعِدْكُمْ رَبُّكُمْ وَعْدًا حَسَنًا ۚ أَفَطَالَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْعَهْدُ أَمْ أَرَدتُّمْ أَن يَحِلَّ عَلَيْكُمْ غَضَبٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ فَأَخْلَفْتُم مَّوْعِدِى

Faraja's Musaaa ilaa qawmihi ghadbaana asifaa; qaala yaa qawmi alam ya'idkum Rabbukum wa'dan hasanaa; afataala 'alaikumul 'ahdu am arattum ai yahilla 'alaikum ghadabum mir Rabbikum fa akhlaftum maw'idi

So Musa returned to his people, angry and grieved. He said, "My people, did your Lord not make you a good promise? Did the covenant take too long for you, or did you want anger from your Lord to settle upon you, so you broke your appointment with me?"

﴾٨٧﴿ قَالُوا۟ مَآ أَخْلَفْنَا مَوْعِدَكَ بِمَلْكِنَا وَلَٰكِنَّا حُمِّلْنَآ أَوْزَارًۭا مِّن زِينَةِ ٱلْقَوْمِ فَقَذَفْنَٰهَا فَكَذَٰلِكَ أَلْقَى ٱلسَّامِرِىُّ

Qaalu maaa akhlafnaa maw'idaka bimalkinna wa laakinna hummilnaaa awzaaram min zinatil qawmi faqazafnaahaa fakazaalika alqas Saamiriyy

They said, "We did not break the appointment with you by our own choice, but we were loaded with burdens from the ornaments of the people, so we threw them, and that is what the Samiri cast."

﴾٨٨﴿ فَأَخْرَجَ لَهُمْ عِجْلًۭا جَسَدًۭا لَّهُۥ خُوَارٌۭ فَقَالُوا۟ هَٰذَآ إِلَٰهُكُمْ وَإِلَٰهُ مُوسَىٰ فَنَسِىَ

Fa akhraja lahum 'ijlan jasadal lahu khuwaarun faqaalu haazaaa ilaahukum wa ilaahu Musaa fanasi

Then he brought out for them a calf, a body that made a lowing sound, and they said, "This is your god and the god of Musa, but he forgot."

﴾٨٩﴿ أَفَلَا يَرَوْنَ أَلَّا يَرْجِعُ إِلَيْهِمْ قَوْلًۭا وَلَا يَمْلِكُ لَهُمْ ضَرًّۭا وَلَا نَفْعًۭا

Afalaa yarawna allaa yarji'u ilaihim qawlanw wa laa yamliku lahum darranw wa laa naf'aa

Did they not see that it did not return a word to them, and held no harm or benefit for them?

﴾٩٠﴿ وَلَقَدْ قَالَ لَهُمْ هَٰرُونُ مِن قَبْلُ يَٰقَوْمِ إِنَّمَا فُتِنتُم بِهِۦ ۖ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنُ فَٱتَّبِعُونِى وَأَطِيعُوٓا۟ أَمْرِى

Wa laqad qaala lahum Haarunu min qablu yaa qawmi innamaa futintum bihi wa inna Rabbakumur Rahmaanu fattabi'uni wa ati'uo amri

Harun had already said to them, "My people, you are only being tested by it. Your Lord is the Most Gracious, so follow me and obey my command."

﴾٩١﴿ قَالُوا۟ لَن نَّبْرَحَ عَلَيْهِ عَٰكِفِينَ حَتَّىٰ يَرْجِعَ إِلَيْنَا مُوسَىٰ

Qaalu lan nabraha 'alaihi 'aakifina hattaa yarji'a ilainaa Musaa

They said, "We will not stop being devoted to it until Musa returns to us."

﴾٩٢﴿ قَالَ يَٰهَٰرُونُ مَا مَنَعَكَ إِذْ رَأَيْتَهُمْ ضَلُّوٓا۟

Qaala Yaa Haarunu maa mana 'aka iz ra aitahum dalluo

He said, "Harun, what prevented you, when you saw them going astray,

﴾٩٣﴿ أَلَّا تَتَّبِعَنِ ۖ أَفَعَصَيْتَ أَمْرِى

Allaa tattabi'ani afa'asaita amri

from following me? Did you disobey my order?"

﴾٩٤﴿ قَالَ يَبْنَؤُمَّ لَا تَأْخُذْ بِلِحْيَتِى وَلَا بِرَأْسِىٓ ۖ إِنِّى خَشِيتُ أَن تَقُولَ فَرَّقْتَ بَيْنَ بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ وَلَمْ تَرْقُبْ قَوْلِى

Qaala yabna'umma laa taakhuz bilihyati wa laa biraasi inni khashetu an taqula farraqta baina Banie Israaa'ila wa lam tarqub qawli

He said, "Son of my mother, do not take hold of my beard or my head. I feared that you would say, you divided the Children of Israel and did not observe my word."

﴾٩٥﴿ قَالَ فَمَا خَطْبُكَ يَٰسَٰمِرِىُّ

Qaala famaa khatbuka yaa Saamiriyy

He said, "And what is your case, Samiri?"

﴾٩٦﴿ قَالَ بَصُرْتُ بِمَا لَمْ يَبْصُرُوا۟ بِهِۦ فَقَبَضْتُ قَبْضَةًۭ مِّنْ أَثَرِ ٱلرَّسُولِ فَنَبَذْتُهَا وَكَذَٰلِكَ سَوَّلَتْ لِى نَفْسِى

Qaala basurtu bimaa lam yabsuru bihi faqabadtu qabdatam min asarir Rasuli fanabaztuhaa wa kazaalika sawwalat li nafsi

He said, "I saw what they did not see, so I took a handful from the track of the messenger and threw it. That is what my soul suggested to me."

﴾٩٧﴿ قَالَ فَٱذْهَبْ فَإِنَّ لَكَ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ أَن تَقُولَ لَا مِسَاسَ ۖ وَإِنَّ لَكَ مَوْعِدًۭا لَّن تُخْلَفَهُۥ ۖ وَٱنظُرْ إِلَىٰٓ إِلَٰهِكَ ٱلَّذِى ظَلْتَ عَلَيْهِ عَاكِفًۭا ۖ لَّنُحَرِّقَنَّهُۥ ثُمَّ لَنَنسِفَنَّهُۥ فِى ٱلْيَمِّ نَسْفًا

Qaala fazhab fa inna laka fil hayaati an taqula laa misaasa wa inna laka maw'idal lan tukhlafahu wanzur ilaaa ilaahikal lazi zalta 'alaihi 'aakifaa; lanuharriqannnahu summa lanansifanahu fil yammi nasfaa

He said, "Go. In this life you will say, do not touch me. And you have an appointment you will not fail. Look at your god to which you remained devoted. We will burn it, then scatter it in the sea completely."

﴾٩٨﴿ إِنَّمَآ إِلَٰهُكُمُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ وَسِعَ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ عِلْمًۭا

Innamaaa ilaahukkumul laahul lazi laa ilaaha illaa Hu; wasi'a kulla shai'in ilmaa

Your God is only Allah, other than whom there is no god. He encompasses all things in knowledge.

﴾٩٩﴿ كَذَٰلِكَ نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ مِنْ أَنۢبَآءِ مَا قَدْ سَبَقَ ۚ وَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَٰكَ مِن لَّدُنَّا ذِكْرًۭا

Kazaalika naqussu 'alaika min ambaaa'i maa qad sabaq; wa qad aatainaaka mil ladunnaa Zikraa

In this way We relate to you some of the accounts of what has passed, and We have given you a reminder from Us.

﴾١٠٠﴿ مَّنْ أَعْرَضَ عَنْهُ فَإِنَّهُۥ يَحْمِلُ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ وِزْرًا

Man a'rada 'anhu, fa innahu yahmilu Yawmal Qiyaamati wizraa

Whoever turns away from it will carry a burden on the Day of Resurrection,

﴾١٠١﴿ خَٰلِدِينَ فِيهِ ۖ وَسَآءَ لَهُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ حِمْلًۭا

Khaalidina fihi wa saaa'a lahum Yawmal Qiyaamati himlaa

remaining under it. It is an evil load for them on the Day of Resurrection,

﴾١٠٢﴿ يَوْمَ يُنفَخُ فِى ٱلصُّورِ ۚ وَنَحْشُرُ ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ زُرْقًۭا

Yawma yunfakhu fissuri wa nahshurul mujrimina Yawma 'izin zurqaa

on the Day the horn is blown, and We gather the criminals that Day with blue eyes,

﴾١٠٣﴿ يَتَخَٰفَتُونَ بَيْنَهُمْ إِن لَّبِثْتُمْ إِلَّا عَشْرًۭا

Yatakhaafatuna bainahum il labistum illaa 'ashraa

whispering among themselves, "You stayed only ten."

﴾١٠٤﴿ نَّحْنُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يَقُولُونَ إِذْ يَقُولُ أَمْثَلُهُمْ طَرِيقَةً إِن لَّبِثْتُمْ إِلَّا يَوْمًۭا

Nahnu a'lamu bimaa yaquluna iz yaqulu amsaluhum tariqatan illabistum illaa yawmaa

We know best what they say, when the most exemplary of them in conduct will say, "You stayed only a day."

﴾١٠٥﴿ وَيَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلْجِبَالِ فَقُلْ يَنسِفُهَا رَبِّى نَسْفًۭا

Wa yas'alunaka 'anil jibaali faqul yansifuhaa Rabbi nasfaa

They ask you about the mountains. Say, "My Lord will scatter them completely,

﴾١٠٦﴿ فَيَذَرُهَا قَاعًۭا صَفْصَفًۭا

Fa yazaruhaa qaa'an safsafaa

and leave the earth a level plain.

﴾١٠٧﴿ لَّا تَرَىٰ فِيهَا عِوَجًۭا وَلَآ أَمْتًۭا

Laa taraa fihaa 'iwajanw wa laaa amtaa

You will see in it no crookedness and no rise."

﴾١٠٨﴿ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ يَتَّبِعُونَ ٱلدَّاعِىَ لَا عِوَجَ لَهُۥ ۖ وَخَشَعَتِ ٱلْأَصْوَاتُ لِلرَّحْمَٰنِ فَلَا تَسْمَعُ إِلَّا هَمْسًۭا

Yawma iziny yattabi'unad daa'iya laa 'iwaja lahu wa khasha'atil aswaatu lir Rahmaani falaa tasma'u illaa hamsaa

That Day they will follow the caller, with no deviation from him, and voices will be hushed before the Most Gracious, so that you hear nothing but a faint sound.

﴾١٠٩﴿ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ لَّا تَنفَعُ ٱلشَّفَٰعَةُ إِلَّا مَنْ أَذِنَ لَهُ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنُ وَرَضِىَ لَهُۥ قَوْلًۭا

Yawma 'izil laa tanfa'ush shafaa'atu illaa man azina lahur Rahmaanu wa radiya lahu qawlaa

That Day intercession will not benefit, except from one whom the Most Gracious permits and whose speech He approves.

﴾١١٠﴿ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِهِۦ عِلْمًۭا

Ya'lamu maa bainaa aidihim wa maa khalfahum wa laa yauhituna bihi 'ilmaa

He knows what is before them and what is behind them, and they do not encompass Him in knowledge.

﴾١١١﴿ وَعَنَتِ ٱلْوُجُوهُ لِلْحَىِّ ٱلْقَيُّومِ ۖ وَقَدْ خَابَ مَنْ حَمَلَ ظُلْمًۭا

Wa 'anatil wujuhu lil Haiiyil Qaiyumi wa qad khaaba man hamala zulmaa

Faces will be humbled before the Living, the Sustainer, and whoever carried wrongdoing will have failed.

﴾١١٢﴿ وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِنَ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌۭ فَلَا يَخَافُ ظُلْمًۭا وَلَا هَضْمًۭا

Wa mai ya'mal minas saalihaati wa huwa mu'minun falaa yakhaafu zulmanw wa laa hadmaa

Whoever does righteous deeds while a believer will fear no injustice and no loss.

﴾١١٣﴿ وَكَذَٰلِكَ أَنزَلْنَٰهُ قُرْءَانًا عَرَبِيًّۭا وَصَرَّفْنَا فِيهِ مِنَ ٱلْوَعِيدِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ أَوْ يُحْدِثُ لَهُمْ ذِكْرًۭا

Wa kazaalika anzalnaahu Qur-aanan 'Arabiyyanw wa sarrafnaa fi hi minal wa'idi la'allahum yattaquna aw yuhdisu lahum zikraa

In this way We sent it down as an Arabic Quran, and We turned the warning about in it in various ways, so that they may be mindful, or it may produce a reminder for them.

﴾١١٤﴿ فَتَعَٰلَى ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمَلِكُ ٱلْحَقُّ ۗ وَلَا تَعْجَلْ بِٱلْقُرْءَانِ مِن قَبْلِ أَن يُقْضَىٰٓ إِلَيْكَ وَحْيُهُۥ ۖ وَقُل رَّبِّ زِدْنِى عِلْمًۭا

Fata'aalal laahul Malikul Haqq; wa laa ta'jal bil Quraani min qabli ai yuqdaaa ilaika wahyuhu wa qur Rabbi zidni 'ilmaa

So exalted is Allah, the True King. And do not hurry with the Quran before its revelation to you is completed, and say, "My Lord, increase me in knowledge."

﴾١١٥﴿ وَلَقَدْ عَهِدْنَآ إِلَىٰٓ ءَادَمَ مِن قَبْلُ فَنَسِىَ وَلَمْ نَجِدْ لَهُۥ عَزْمًۭا

Wa laqad 'ahidnaaa ilaaa Aadama min qablu fanasiya wa lam najid lahu 'azmaa

We had made a covenant with Adam before, but he forgot, and We found no firm resolve in him.

﴾١١٦﴿ وَإِذْ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةِ ٱسْجُدُوا۟ لِءَادَمَ فَسَجَدُوٓا۟ إِلَّآ إِبْلِيسَ أَبَىٰ

Wa iz qulnaa lilma laaa'ikatis judu li Aadama fasajaduo illaaa Iblis; abaa

And when We said to the angels, "Prostrate to Adam," they prostrated, except Iblis. He refused.

﴾١١٧﴿ فَقُلْنَا يَٰٓـَٔادَمُ إِنَّ هَٰذَا عَدُوٌّۭ لَّكَ وَلِزَوْجِكَ فَلَا يُخْرِجَنَّكُمَا مِنَ ٱلْجَنَّةِ فَتَشْقَىٰٓ

Faqulnaa yaaa Aadamu inna haazaa 'aduwwul laka wa lizawjika falaa yukhrijan nakumaa minal Jannati fatashqaa

So We said, "Adam, this is an enemy to you and to your wife, so do not let him drive you both out of the Garden, and you become miserable.

﴾١١٨﴿ إِنَّ لَكَ أَلَّا تَجُوعَ فِيهَا وَلَا تَعْرَىٰ

Innaa laka allaa taju'a fiha wa laa ta'raa

You will not go hungry in it, nor be naked,

﴾١١٩﴿ وَأَنَّكَ لَا تَظْمَؤُا۟ فِيهَا وَلَا تَضْحَىٰ

Wa annaka laa tazma'u fihaa wa laa tadhaa

and you will not thirst in it, nor be exposed to the sun."

﴾١٢٠﴿ فَوَسْوَسَ إِلَيْهِ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنُ قَالَ يَٰٓـَٔادَمُ هَلْ أَدُلُّكَ عَلَىٰ شَجَرَةِ ٱلْخُلْدِ وَمُلْكٍۢ لَّا يَبْلَىٰ

Fa waswasa ilaihish Shaitaanu qaala yaaa Aadamu hal adulluka 'alaa shajaratil khuldi wa mulkil laa yablaa

Then Satan whispered to him. He said, "Adam, shall I direct you to the tree of eternity, and a kingdom that does not decay?"

﴾١٢١﴿ فَأَكَلَا مِنْهَا فَبَدَتْ لَهُمَا سَوْءَٰتُهُمَا وَطَفِقَا يَخْصِفَانِ عَلَيْهِمَا مِن وَرَقِ ٱلْجَنَّةِ ۚ وَعَصَىٰٓ ءَادَمُ رَبَّهُۥ فَغَوَىٰ

Fa akalaa minhaa fabadat lahumaa saw aatuhumaa wa tafiqaa yakhsifaani 'alaihimaa minw waraqil jannah; wa 'asaaa Aadamu Rabbahu faghawaa

So they both ate from it, and their nakedness became apparent to them, and they began to fasten upon themselves leaves from the Garden. Adam disobeyed his Lord and went astray.

﴾١٢٢﴿ ثُمَّ ٱجْتَبَٰهُ رَبُّهُۥ فَتَابَ عَلَيْهِ وَهَدَىٰ

Summaj tabbahu Rabbuhu fataaba 'alaihi wa hadaa

Then his Lord chose him, turned to him in mercy, and guided him.

﴾١٢٣﴿ قَالَ ٱهْبِطَا مِنْهَا جَمِيعًۢا ۖ بَعْضُكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ عَدُوٌّۭ ۖ فَإِمَّا يَأْتِيَنَّكُم مِّنِّى هُدًۭى فَمَنِ ٱتَّبَعَ هُدَاىَ فَلَا يَضِلُّ وَلَا يَشْقَىٰ

Qaalah bita minhaa jami'am ba'dukum liba'din 'aduww; fa immaa yaati yannakum minni hudan famanit taba'a hudaaya falaa yadillu wa laa yashhqaa

He said, "Go down from it, all of you, some of you enemies to others. If guidance comes to you from Me, then whoever follows My guidance will not go astray and will not be miserable.

﴾١٢٤﴿ وَمَنْ أَعْرَضَ عَن ذِكْرِى فَإِنَّ لَهُۥ مَعِيشَةًۭ ضَنكًۭا وَنَحْشُرُهُۥ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ أَعْمَىٰ

Wa man a'rada 'an Zikri fa inna lahu ma'ishatan dankanw wa nahshuruhu Yawmal Qiyaamati a'maa

And whoever turns away from My remembrance will have a constricted life, and We will raise him blind on the Day of Resurrection."

﴾١٢٥﴿ قَالَ رَبِّ لِمَ حَشَرْتَنِىٓ أَعْمَىٰ وَقَدْ كُنتُ بَصِيرًۭا

Qaala Rabbi lima hashar tani a'maa wa qad kuntu basiraa

He will say, "My Lord, why did You raise me blind, when I used to see?"

﴾١٢٦﴿ قَالَ كَذَٰلِكَ أَتَتْكَ ءَايَٰتُنَا فَنَسِيتَهَا ۖ وَكَذَٰلِكَ ٱلْيَوْمَ تُنسَىٰ

Qaala kazaalika atatka Aayaatunaa fanasitahaa wa kazaalikal Yawma tunsaa

He will say, "In the same way, Our signs came to you and you forgot them. In the same way, today you are forgotten."

﴾١٢٧﴿ وَكَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِى مَنْ أَسْرَفَ وَلَمْ يُؤْمِنۢ بِـَٔايَٰتِ رَبِّهِۦ ۚ وَلَعَذَابُ ٱلْءَاخِرَةِ أَشَدُّ وَأَبْقَىٰٓ

Wa kazaalika najzi man asrafa wa lam yu'mim bi Aayaati Rabbih; wa la'azaabul Aakhirati ashaddu wa abqaa

That is how We repay whoever goes to excess and does not believe in the signs of his Lord. And the punishment of the hereafter is more severe and more lasting.

﴾١٢٨﴿ أَفَلَمْ يَهْدِ لَهُمْ كَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا قَبْلَهُم مِّنَ ٱلْقُرُونِ يَمْشُونَ فِى مَسَٰكِنِهِمْ ۗ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَءَايَٰتٍۢ لِّأُو۟لِى ٱلنُّهَىٰ

Afalam yahdi lahum kam ahlaknaa qablahum minal quruni yamshuna fi masaakinihim; inna fi zaalika la Aayaatil li ulinnuhaa

Is it not a guidance for them, how many generations We destroyed before them, in whose dwellings they walk? In that are signs for those of understanding.

﴾١٢٩﴿ وَلَوْلَا كَلِمَةٌۭ سَبَقَتْ مِن رَّبِّكَ لَكَانَ لِزَامًۭا وَأَجَلٌۭ مُّسَمًّۭى

Wa law laa Kalimatun sabaqat mir Rabbika lakaana lizaamanw wa ajalum musammaa

Were it not for a word that had gone forth from your Lord, and a stated term, it would have been inevitable.

﴾١٣٠﴿ فَٱصْبِرْ عَلَىٰ مَا يَقُولُونَ وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ قَبْلَ طُلُوعِ ٱلشَّمْسِ وَقَبْلَ غُرُوبِهَا ۖ وَمِنْ ءَانَآئِ ٱلَّيْلِ فَسَبِّحْ وَأَطْرَافَ ٱلنَّهَارِ لَعَلَّكَ تَرْضَىٰ

Fasbir 'alaa maa yaquluna wa sabbih bihamdi Rabbika qabla tulu'ish shamsi wa qabla ghurubihaa wa min aanaaa'il laili fasbbih wa atraafan nahaari la 'allaka tardaa

So be patient over what they say, and glorify your Lord with praise before the rising of the sun and before its setting, and glorify during the hours of the night and at the ends of the day, so that you may be pleased.

﴾١٣١﴿ وَلَا تَمُدَّنَّ عَيْنَيْكَ إِلَىٰ مَا مَتَّعْنَا بِهِۦٓ أَزْوَٰجًۭا مِّنْهُمْ زَهْرَةَ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا لِنَفْتِنَهُمْ فِيهِ ۚ وَرِزْقُ رَبِّكَ خَيْرٌۭ وَأَبْقَىٰ

Wa laa tamuddanna 'ainaika ilaa ma matta'na bihie azwajam minhum zahratal hayaatid dunya linaftinahum fih; wa rizqu Rabbika khairunw wa abqaa

And do not extend your eyes toward what We have given some of them to enjoy, the splendor of the life of this world, so that We may test them by it. The provision of your Lord is better and more lasting.

﴾١٣٢﴿ وَأْمُرْ أَهْلَكَ بِٱلصَّلَوٰةِ وَٱصْطَبِرْ عَلَيْهَا ۖ لَا نَسْـَٔلُكَ رِزْقًۭا ۖ نَّحْنُ نَرْزُقُكَ ۗ وَٱلْعَٰقِبَةُ لِلتَّقْوَىٰ

Waamur ahlaka bis Salaati wastabir 'alaihaa la nas'aluka rizqaa; nahnu narzuquk; wal 'aaqibatu littaqwaa

And instruct your family in the prayer, and be steadfast in it. We do not ask you for provision. We provide for you. And the good outcome belongs to mindfulness of Allah.

﴾١٣٣﴿ وَقَالُوا۟ لَوْلَا يَأْتِينَا بِـَٔايَةٍۢ مِّن رَّبِّهِۦٓ ۚ أَوَلَمْ تَأْتِهِم بَيِّنَةُ مَا فِى ٱلصُّحُفِ ٱلْأُولَىٰ

Wa qaalu law laa yaatinaa bi Aayatim mmir Rabbih; awalam taatihim baiyinatu maa fis suhufil ulaa

And they said, "Why does he not bring us a sign from his Lord?" Has there not come to them clear evidence of what is in the earlier scriptures?

﴾١٣٤﴿ وَلَوْ أَنَّآ أَهْلَكْنَٰهُم بِعَذَابٍۢ مِّن قَبْلِهِۦ لَقَالُوا۟ رَبَّنَا لَوْلَآ أَرْسَلْتَ إِلَيْنَا رَسُولًۭا فَنَتَّبِعَ ءَايَٰتِكَ مِن قَبْلِ أَن نَّذِلَّ وَنَخْزَىٰ

Wa law annaaa ahlaknaahum bi'azaabim min qablihi laqaalu Rabbanaa law laaa arsalta ilainaa Rasulan fanattabi's Aayaatika min qabli an nazilla wa nakhzaa

If We had destroyed them with a punishment before him, they would have said, "Our Lord, if only You had sent us a messenger, so that we could follow Your signs before we were humiliated and disgraced."

﴾١٣٥﴿ قُلْ كُلٌّۭ مُّتَرَبِّصٌۭ فَتَرَبَّصُوا۟ ۖ فَسَتَعْلَمُونَ مَنْ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلصِّرَٰطِ ٱلسَّوِىِّ وَمَنِ ٱهْتَدَىٰ

Qul kullum mutarabbisun fatarabbasu fasta'lamuna man Ashaabus Siraatis Sawiyyi wa manih tadaa

Say, "Each one is waiting, so wait. You will come to know who are the companions of the even path, and who is guided."

The Tafsir · The Breakdown

What This Part Means

Overview

They Made It Out of Their Own Ornaments.

Part Two contains the hardest thing in the surah, and it is not the tyrant. It is what the saved people did with forty days of freedom. Verse 87 tells you exactly where the calf came from. They were carrying the ornaments of the people, so they threw them in, and the Samiri cast them into a shape. The god they bowed to was made out of their own jewelry. Everything they had brought out of Egypt went into an object that verse 89 says returned no word to them and held no harm or benefit. From there the part moves to Adam, who was given a Garden with every need met and was still reached by an offer, and then closes with the verse that describes what a man's life actually feels like when he turns away: a constricted life, and one instruction for his household.

Verses 80 to 98

The Calf, and the Man Who Held the Line.

Verse 83 is a question no one expects. What made you hurry ahead of your people, Musa? He is being asked about his eagerness, and verse 84 is his answer: I hurried to You, my Lord, so that You would be pleased. Even good haste toward Allah is examined, which sits alongside verse 114 later in this same part. Verse 86 shows him coming back angry and grieved, ghadbana asifa, both at once, and the first thing he does is ask questions rather than strike. Verse 87 is their excuse, and it is worth reading twice for how modern it sounds. We did not break the appointment by our own choice, but we were loaded with burdens from the ornaments of the people. They describe their own wealth as a burden they had to unload, and the unloading is presented as the reason. Verse 88 records the result and the sentence they said out loud. This is your god and the god of Musa, but he forgot. They did not abandon Musa. They upgraded his story. Verse 89 answers the whole thing in one line by testing the object the same way this Book always tests an object. It did not return a word to them, and held no harm or benefit. Verse 90 then establishes that they had already been told. Harun had said to them, you are only being tested by it, your Lord is the Most Gracious, follow me. And verse 91 is their answer, which is the most useful line in the passage for anyone in a community. We will not stop being devoted to it until Musa returns to us. They had the argument, they had the correction, and they chose to wait for the authority figure rather than act on what they had been shown. Verse 94 is Harun's account of his own decision, and it should be read with respect. Son of my mother, do not take hold of my beard or my head. I feared that you would say, you divided the Children of Israel and did not observe my word. He weighed a split community against a corrupted one and chose to hold them together until his brother returned. The surah records his reasoning without condemning him. Verse 96 gives the Samiri's explanation, and the last clause is the whole confession. That is what my soul suggested to me. Sawwalat li nafsi. He does not claim revelation. He admits the source. Verse 97 gives the sentence, and it is social rather than physical. In this life you will say, do not touch me. The man who gathered a nation around an object is made untouchable to it.

Verses 99 to 114

My Lord, Increase Me in Knowledge.

Verses 103 and 104 compress every human life into an argument between two estimates. One group whispers, you stayed only ten. The most exemplary of them in conduct says, you stayed only a day. Even the most careful man is off by a factor. Verse 105 through verse 107 answers a question about mountains with an image of the whole earth flattened. No crookedness and no rise. Every high place a man ever climbed toward, leveled. Verse 108 gives the sound of that Day, and it is the absence of sound. Voices will be hushed before the Most Gracious, so that you hear nothing but a faint sound. Every loud voice, gone quiet at once. Verse 111 names who the faces are humbled before, and the two names chosen are exact. The Living, the Sustainer. The One who does not die, and the One who holds everything else up. Verse 114 is the verse from this part that any man who is trying to learn should take. And do not hurry with the Quran before its revelation to you is completed, and say, "My Lord, increase me in knowledge." Two instructions in one verse, and they belong together. Do not run ahead of what you have actually been given. And then ask for more. The only thing in the entire Quran that the Prophet, peace be upon him, is commanded to ask for an increase of is knowledge.

Verses 115 to 135

A Constricted Life.

Verse 115 opens the account of Adam with a diagnosis rather than a crime. He forgot, and We found no firm resolve in him. Nasiya, and no azm. Forgetfulness and a lack of resolve are named as the failure, before anything is eaten. Verses 118 and 119 list what he already had, and the list is precise: you will not go hungry, nor be naked, and you will not thirst, nor be exposed to the sun. Food, clothing, water, shelter. Every material need a human being has, all four, already met. Verse 120 is what still worked on him. Shall I direct you to the tree of eternity, and a kingdom that does not decay? Not food. Not comfort. Permanence, and power that does not fade. A man whose needs are all met is still reachable through those two, and every advertisement since has been built on the same pair. Verse 121 states plainly what happened, without softening: Adam disobeyed his Lord and went astray. And verse 122 is the answer, in three verbs. Then his Lord chose him, turned to him in mercy, and guided him. Chosen after the fall, not before it. Verse 124 is the verse that explains a condition many men live inside without naming it. Whoever turns away from My remembrance will have a constricted life. Ma'ishatan danka. Not poverty. Constriction, tightness, a narrow life. It is possible to have everything and live in a small room, and the verse identifies the cause. Verse 126 gives the reason for the blindness on that Day, and the wording is exact and symmetrical. Our signs came to you and you forgot them. In the same way, today you are forgotten. Verse 130 gives the instruction for the man carrying this. Be patient over what they say, and glorify your Lord before sunrise, before sunset, in the hours of the night, and at the ends of the day. The remedy for what people say is a schedule. Verse 131 handles the other pressure. Do not extend your eyes toward what We have given some of them to enjoy, the splendor of the life of this world, so that We may test them by it. Note who is being tested in that clause. Not you. Them. What a man is envying is somebody else's examination. And verse 132 gives the last instruction in the surah, and it is a household one. Instruct your family in the prayer, and be steadfast in it. We do not ask you for provision. We provide for you. The order matters. A man is told to lead his house in prayer and then told, in the same verse, not to worry about where the money comes from.

Structural Summary

Verses Eighty to One Hundred Thirty-Five. Instruct Your Family in the Prayer.

A saved people melt their own ornaments into an object that answers nothing, having already been warned by the man left in charge, and choose to wait for the authority figure rather than act on the argument they were given. The Samiri names his own soul as the source. Then the surah turns to Adam, who had every material need met and was reached anyway through permanence and undecaying power, and who was chosen after the fall rather than before it. It names the constricted life as what follows turning away from remembrance, prescribes a schedule of glorification as the remedy for what people say, tells the reader that the wealth he is looking at is somebody else's test, and ends by putting the prayer of his household in his hands.

The Practice

Take It Into the Week

Verse 114. Say it as it stands this week, and mean the first half too. Do not run ahead of what you have been given, and ask for more.

Verse 124. If your life feels narrow while your circumstances are fine, this verse names the cause. Test it for two weeks with daily remembrance and see what widens.

Verse 132. Lead one prayer in your house this week, and be steadfast in it after the first one.

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 831 / 12

What is Musa asked in verse 83?