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51: Adh-Dhariyat - الذاريات
Introduction
This is an early Makkan Surah, the second of the seven Surahs forming a group dealing with revelation and the Hereafter. See introduction to Surah 50. this Surah deals with the varying ways in which Truth prevails irresistibly even against all human probabilities. (R). Summary- The winds may blow and scatter, lift and rash, or divide in all directions; but the Truth and Promise of Allah are sure and stable, whereof you may see Signs both around and within you (51;1-23 and C. 226). Past events and what you see before you point to the unfailing consequences of all you do: Allah, of His Grace, sends you a Reminder: the loss is your own if you reject and deny (51:24-60, and C. 227).
51:1
[ Original ]
وَالذَّارِيَاتِ ذَرْوًا
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
By the (Winds) that scatter broadcast;
Tafseer Commentary
4986 Four agencies are mentioned in verses 1 to 4 as evidences or types or symbols of the certainty and unity of a Truth described in verses 5-6. What these agencies are is described by certain adjectival participles, the noun understood being usually taken to be "Winds": the word for Wind (Rih) being feminine in Arabic. Some Commentators however understand other nouns as being implied, e.g., angels in all four verses, or different things in each of the four verses. Whatever the agencies are, their different modes of working are evidence of the power and goodness of Allah, the Unity of His Plan, and the certainty of Good and Evil reaching their own destined ends, when Judgement and Justice will have given each one his due. (R).
4987 Winds may blow strong, and scatter particles of dust far and wide; but they do not diminish by one jot the substance of Allah's material creation; on the contrary they help to readjust things. They reshape the configuration of the earth; in the vegetable kingdom they carry seeds about and plant new seeds in old soils; in the region of air they produce mighty changes in temperature and pressure that affect animal and vegetable life; they carry the moisture of equatorial Africa to the parched plains of India; and so on. Yet they are just one little agency showing Allah's working in the material world. So in the spiritual world. Revelation works mighty changes; it may be resisted, but the resistance will be swept away; it ever points to the one Great Final Event, "to which the whole Creation moves".
51:2
[ Original ]
فَالْحَامِلَاتِ وِقْرًا
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
And those that lift and bear away heavy weights;
Tafseer Commentary
4988 The things that lift and bear away heavy weights may be the Winds that carry the heavy rain clouds or that sweep off every resistance from their path, or it may be the heavy moisture-laden clouds themselves. So works Revelation: it lifts and sweeps away the burdens of custom, superstition, or man's inertia, and ever leads onwards to the destined End.
51:3
[ Original ]
فَالْجَارِيَاتِ يُسْرًا
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
And those that flow with ease and gentleness;
Tafseer Commentary
4989 These may be Winds that fill the sails of ships with gentle and favourable breezes, that carry men and merchandise to their destinations. Or they may be the ships themselves, whose smooth motion through the waters is described in many places by the verb jam, "to flow", e.g., Cf. 2:164.
51:4
[ Original ]
فَالْمُقَسِّمَاتِ أَمْرًا
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
And those that distribute and apportion by Command;-
Tafseer Commentary
4990 These may be Winds (or other agencies) that distribute and apportion moisture or rain or atmospheric pressure to other blessings of Allah-not haphazard but by fixed laws, i.e., according to the Command of their Lord. So with Revelation. Its blessings are distributed all around, and it produces its marvelous effects sometimes in the most unlikely places and ways.
51:5
[ Original ]
إِنَّمَا تُوعَدُونَ لَصَادِقٌ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
Verily that which ye are promised is true;
Tafseer Commentary
4991 That which ye are promised: the Promise of Allah about Mercy and Forgiveness to the Penitent, and Justice and Penalty to the Rebellious; the promise of the Hereafter; the promise that all does not end here, but that there is a truer and more lasting world to come, for which this is but a preparation.
51:6
[ Original ]
وَإِنَّ الدِّينَ لَوَاقِعٌ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
And verily Judgment and Justice must indeed come to pass.
Tafseer Commentary
4992 .Din=the giving to each person his precise and just due; this is implied in Judgement and Justice. All the inequalities of this life are to be redressed.
51:7
[ Original ]
وَالسَّمَاءِ ذَاتِ الْحُبُكِ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
By the Sky with (its) numerous Paths,
Tafseer Commentary
4993 The study of the numerous regular orbits of the planets and irregularly regular orbits of comets, and the various motions, visible or invisible, of the fixed stars or revolving stars, form in themselves a network of knowledge or science, of a highly technical nature; the highest astronomy or mathematics can only barely reach its fringe. But these have all a fixed Plan and Purpose under Allah's Dispensation. In them variety leads to Unity. In contrast look at the confused medley of doctrines, views, and dicta put forward by the Sceptics, as described in the next verse.
51:8
[ Original ]
إِنَّكُمْ لَفِي قَوْلٍ مُخْتَلِفٍ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
Truly ye are in a doctrine discordant,
Tafseer Commentary
4994 Qawl = saying, word, theory, doctrine. Mukhtalif= differing, various, inconsistent with itself, discordant. No theory or doctrine based on a denial of a Hereafter can be consistent with spiritual facts as we know them, or with Allah's Goodness, Justice, and Mercy.
51:9
[ Original ]
يُؤْفَكُ عَنْهُ مَنْ أُفِكَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
Through which are deluded (away from the Truth) such as would be deluded.
Tafseer Commentary
4995 Some Commentators draw from this a rigid doctrine of Calvinistic Predestination or Determinism, which I do not think is fairly deducible from the words. "Yu'fak" should I think be translated "will be or would be deluded", meaning "have the wish or desire to be", and not "must necessarily be deluded by eternal predestination". The word occurs in many places in the Qur'an: e.g., Cf. 5:75, or 9:30.
51:10
[ Original ]
قُتِلَ الْخَرَّاصُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
Woe to the falsehood-mongers,-
51:11
[ Original ]
الَّذِينَ هُمْ فِي غَمْرَةٍ سَاهُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
Those who (flounder) heedless in a flood of confusion:
Tafseer Commentary
4996 They are in great spiritual danger: yet they care not.
51:12
[ Original ]
يَسْأَلُونَ أَيَّانَ يَوْمُ الدِّينِ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
They ask, "When will be the Day of Judgment and Justice?"
51:13
[ Original ]
يَوْمَ هُمْ عَلَى النَّارِ يُفْتَنُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
(It will be) a Day when they will be tried (and tested) over the Fire!
51:14
[ Original ]
ذُوقُوا فِتْنَتَكُمْ هَٰذَا الَّذِي كُنْتُمْ بِهِ تَسْتَعْجِلُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
"Taste ye your trial! This is what ye used to ask to be hastened!"
Tafseer Commentary
4997 They used to say scoffingly, "if there is to be punishment for our sins, let it come at once!" When it comes, they will know what a terrible thing it is! Cf. 26:204 n. 3230.
51:15
[ Original ]
إِنَّ الْمُتَّقِينَ فِي جَنَّاتٍ وَعُيُونٍ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
As to the Righteous, they will be in the midst of Gardens and Springs,
Tafseer Commentary
4998 Gardens and Springs are the two most frequent symbols for the highest satisfaction and bliss.
51:16
[ Original ]
آخِذِينَ مَا آتَاهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ ۚ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا قَبْلَ ذَٰلِكَ مُحْسِنِينَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
Taking joy in the things which their Lord gives them, because, before then, they lived a good life.
51:17
[ Original ]
كَانُوا قَلِيلًا مِنَ اللَّيْلِ مَا يَهْجَعُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
They were in the habit of sleeping but little by night,
Tafseer Commentary
4999 They were engaged most of the night in worship and in the planning of good deeds. They preferred activity to idleness, the service of Allah and His creatures to the indulgence of Self.
51:18
[ Original ]
وَبِالْأَسْحَارِ هُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
And in the hour of early dawn, they (were found) praying for Forgiveness;
Tafseer Commentary
5000 They were up early before dawn, ready for their devotions. The praying for Forgiveness and Mercy does not necessarily imply that they had committed fresh sins. Indeed they began the day with such devotions, showing their great humility before Allah and their anxious care for others, for whom they prayed as much as for themselves. See the last sentence of n. 21 to 1:5.
51:19
[ Original ]
وَفِي أَمْوَالِهِمْ حَقٌّ لِلسَّائِلِ وَالْمَحْرُومِ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
And in their wealth and possessions (was remembered) the right of the (needy,) him who asked, and him who (for some reason) was Prevented (from asking).
Tafseer Commentary
5001 True charity remembers not only those in need who ask, but also those who are prevented by some reason from asking. The man of true charity seeks out the latter. There may be various reasons which prevent a man from asking for help: (1) he may be ashamed to ask, or his sense of honour may prevent him from asking; (2) he may be so engrossed in some great ideal that he may not think of asking; (3) he may even not know that he is in need, especially when we think of wealth and possessions in a spiritual sense, as including spiritual gifts and talents; (4) he may not know that you possess the things that can supply his needs; and (5) he may be a dumb and helpless creature, whether a human being or a dumb animal, or any creature within your ken or power. Charity in the higher sense includes all help, from one better endowed to one less well endowed. Cf. n. 179 to 2:177; also 2:273-274, and notes n. 322 and n. 323.
51:20
[ Original ]
وَفِي الْأَرْضِ آيَاتٌ لِلْمُوقِنِينَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
On the earth are signs for those of assured Faith,
51:21
[ Original ]
وَفِي أَنْفُسِكُمْ ۚ أَفَلَا تُبْصِرُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
As also in your own selves: Will ye not then see?
Tafseer Commentary
5002 The Signs and Evidence of Allah are in all nature and within the body and soul of man, if man has but the spiritual eyes to see. Cf. 41:53.
51:22
[ Original ]
وَفِي السَّمَاءِ رِزْقُكُمْ وَمَا تُوعَدُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
And in heaven is your Sustenance, as (also) that which ye are promised.
Tafseer Commentary
5003 "Sustenance", here as elsewhere, includes physical sustenance, as well as spiritual sustenance. Similarly heaven or sky has both the physical and the spiritual meaning. The physical sustenance grows from rain from the sky; the spiritual sustenance comes from divine aid, grace, and mercy, and includes the Good News and the Warning which come from Revelation about the Hereafter. (Cf. n. 4554).
51:23
[ Original ]
فَوَرَبِّ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ إِنَّهُ لَحَقٌّ مِثْلَ مَا أَنَّكُمْ تَنْطِقُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
Then, by the Lord of heaven and earth, this is the very Truth, as much as the fact that ye can speak intelligently to each other.
Tafseer Commentary
5004 Attention having been called to the Signs or Evidences of Allah's working on the earth, within ourselves, and in the heavens, in verses 20-22, an appeal is made to our own inner conscience, in the name of the Lord of heaven and earth, to acknowledge and act up to the truth of Revelation, and turn to the spiritual Realities. For they are as real as our own conscious and self-intelligent existence, on which is based all our knowledge. As a philosopher (Descartes) has said: "I think; therefore I am."
51:24
[ Original ]
هَلْ أَتَاكَ حَدِيثُ ضَيْفِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الْمُكْرَمِينَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
Has the story reached thee, of the honoured guests of Abraham?
Tafseer Commentary
5005 Cf. 11:69-73 and notes, where further details of the story will be found. Cf. also 15:51-56.
51:25
[ Original ]
إِذْ دَخَلُوا عَلَيْهِ فَقَالُوا سَلَامًا ۖ قَالَ سَلَامٌ قَوْمٌ مُنْكَرُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
Behold, they entered his presence, and said: "Peace!" He said, "Peace!" (and thought, "These seem) unusual people."
Tafseer Commentary
5006 They were angels, who appeared suddenly before him at his tent door in the guise of men, and saluted him with the salutation of peace. He returned the salutation, but felt, from their appearance and their manner, that they were unusual, not ordinary, strangers.
5007 Munkar, unknown, uncommon, unusual, not customary, (hence by derived meaning, not applicable here, not fair or just): opposite in both primary and secondary meanings to ma'ruf, well-known, usual, customary, just. Cf. 15:62.
51:26
[ Original ]
فَرَاغَ إِلَىٰ أَهْلِهِ فَجَاءَ بِعِجْلٍ سَمِينٍ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
Then he turned quickly to his household, brought out a fatted calf,
Tafseer Commentary
5008 They seemed unusual strangers, but he said nothing and quietly proceeded to perform the rites of hospitality. He brought a roast fatted calf and placed it before them to eat. But the strangers did not eat (11:70). This disconcerted him. According to the laws of hospitality, a stranger under your roof is under your protection, but if he refuses to eat, he refuses your hospitality and keeps himself free from any ties of guest and host. "What were their designs?" thought Abraham, and he felt some distrust. But they were angels and could not eat. They declared themselves, and announced the birth to Abraham of a son endowed with wisdom-in other words that Abraham was to be the head of a long line of Prophets! (15:53 ).
51:27
[ Original ]
فَقَرَّبَهُ إِلَيْهِمْ قَالَ أَلَا تَأْكُلُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
And placed it before them.. he said, "Will ye not eat?"
51:28
[ Original ]
فَأَوْجَسَ مِنْهُمْ خِيفَةً ۖ قَالُوا لَا تَخَفْ ۖ وَبَشَّرُوهُ بِغُلَامٍ عَلِيمٍ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
(When they did not eat), He conceived a fear of them. They said, "Fear not," and they gave him glad tidings of a son endowed with knowledge.
51:29
[ Original ]
فَأَقْبَلَتِ امْرَأَتُهُ فِي صَرَّةٍ فَصَكَّتْ وَجْهَهَا وَقَالَتْ عَجُوزٌ عَقِيمٌ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
But his wife came forward (laughing) aloud: she smote her forehead and said: "A barren old woman!"
Tafseer Commentary
5009 Abraham's wife Sarah was old and barren. This news seemed to her too good to be true. She carne forward, laughed aloud (11:71), struck her forehead with her hands, indicative of her amusement and incredulity as "a barren old woman": 11:72.
51:30
[ Original ]
قَالُوا كَذَٰلِكِ قَالَ رَبُّكِ ۖ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْحَكِيمُ الْعَلِيمُ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
They said, "Even so has thy Lord spoken: and He is full of Wisdom and Knowledge."
Tafseer Commentary
5010 The angels said: "What may sound improbable to human beings will yet come to pass if Allah commands. And Allah thy Lord has spoken. So shall it be. For all His promises are full of wisdom and knowledge." But the application is for all time and to all human affairs. Never despair. However much Truth may be in the shade, it will shine with full splendour. And the Judgement will come, when good will come to its own! [Eds.].
51:31
[ Original ]
قَالَ فَمَا خَطْبُكُمْ أَيُّهَا الْمُرْسَلُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
(Abraham) said: "And what, O ye Messengers, is your errand (now)?"
51:32
[ Original ]
قَالُوا إِنَّا أُرْسِلْنَا إِلَىٰ قَوْمٍ مُجْرِمِينَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
They said, "We have been sent to a people (deep) in sin;-
51:33
[ Original ]
لِنُرْسِلَ عَلَيْهِمْ حِجَارَةً مِنْ طِينٍ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
"To bring on, on them, (a shower of) stones of clay (brimstone),
Tafseer Commentary
5011 Cf. 11:82, and n. 1052 to 7:84. The angels' errand of mercy to Abraham (to announce the succession of godly men in his line) was coupled with their errand of justice and punishment to the people of Lut, the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, who were deep in the most abominable and unnatural sins. So Allah's Mercy and Justice go hand in hand in all human affairs. Faith has nothing to fear, and wickedness has only to turn and repent, to obtain Allah's Mercy.
51:34
[ Original ]
مُسَوَّمَةً عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ لِلْمُسْرِفِينَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
"Marked as from thy Lord for those who trespass beyond bounds."
Tafseer Commentary
5012 Cf. 11:83, and n. 1580. Every crime has its due punishment as marked out in the decrees of Allah.
51:35
[ Original ]
فَأَخْرَجْنَا مَنْ كَانَ فِيهَا مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
Then We evacuated those of the Believers who were there,
Tafseer Commentary
5013 The only just or righteous persons found in Sodom and Gomorrah (Cities of the Plain by the Dead Sea ) were in the house of Lut, who was the Prophet sent to call them to repentance. He and his believing family and adherents were told to leave in due time, and the wicked were destroyed in a shower of brimstone.
51:36
[ Original ]
فَمَا وَجَدْنَا فِيهَا غَيْرَ بَيْتٍ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
But We found not there any just (Muslim) persons except in one house:
Tafseer Commentary
5014 That was the house of Lut; and even there, his wife had no faith: she disobeyed the Command and perished: 11:81, n. 1577.
51:37
[ Original ]
وَتَرَكْنَا فِيهَا آيَةً لِلَّذِينَ يَخَافُونَ الْعَذَابَ الْأَلِيمَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
And We left there a Sign for such as fear the Grievous Penalty.
Tafseer Commentary
5015 The Grievous Penalty: that is, the Final Judgement. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in this life is taken as the type of the Final Judgement. The vestiges can be seen-as a Sign and a Warning-in the sulphury plain round the Dead Sea : Cf. 15:79.
51:38
[ Original ]
وَفِي مُوسَىٰ إِذْ أَرْسَلْنَاهُ إِلَىٰ فِرْعَوْنَ بِسُلْطَانٍ مُبِينٍ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
And in Moses (was another Sign): Behold, We sent him to Pharaoh, with authority manifest.
Tafseer Commentary
5016 Cf. 44:17-31. The story of Moses and Pharaoh is here just referred to. The points emphasised here are: (1) that Moses had manifest authority, yet Pharaoh doubted; (2) that Pharaoh's reliance was on his Chiefs and his forces, but they could not help when his doom came; and (3) that in the most extraordinary and incredible ways (judged by ordinary human standards), his arrogance and his reliance on his Chiefs and forces were his undoing.
51:39
[ Original ]
فَتَوَلَّىٰ بِرُكْنِهِ وَقَالَ سَاحِرٌ أَوْ مَجْنُونٌ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
But (Pharaoh) turned back with his Chiefs, and said, "A sorcerer, or one possessed!"
51:40
[ Original ]
فَأَخَذْنَاهُ وَجُنُودَهُ فَنَبَذْنَاهُمْ فِي الْيَمِّ وَهُوَ مُلِيمٌ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
So We took him and his forces, and threw them into the sea; and his was the blame.
Tafseer Commentary
5017 The ungodly Egyptians were all destroyed, but the chief blame lay on Pharaoh for misleading them. Pharaoh's punishment was just. He could not blame anyone else. And certainly no one can blame the course of Allah's Justice, for Allah was long-suffering, and gave him many chances to repent.
51:41
[ Original ]
وَفِي عَادٍ إِذْ أَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمُ الرِّيحَ الْعَقِيمَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
And in the 'Ad (people) (was another Sign): Behold, We sent against them the devastating Wind:
Tafseer Commentary
5018 Cf. 46:21-26. The point here is that the 'Ad were a gifted people: Allah had given them talents and material wealth: but when they defied Allah, they and all their belongings were destroyed in a night, by a hurricane which they thought was bringing them the rain to which they were looking forward. How marvelously Allah's Providence works, to help the good and destroy the wicked!
51:42
[ Original ]
مَا تَذَرُ مِنْ شَيْءٍ أَتَتْ عَلَيْهِ إِلَّا جَعَلَتْهُ كَالرَّمِيمِ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
It left nothing whatever that it came up against, but reduced it to ruin and rottenness.
51:43
[ Original ]
وَفِي ثَمُودَ إِذْ قِيلَ لَهُمْ تَمَتَّعُوا حَتَّىٰ حِينٍ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
And in the Thamud (was another Sign): Behold, they were told, "Enjoy (your brief day) for a little while!"
Tafseer Commentary
5019 See the story of the Thamud and their prophet Salih in 7:73-79. Here the point is the suddenness of their punishment and its unexpected nature.
5020 Salih, their prophet, gave them three days' clear warning for repentance (11:65). But they heeded him not. On the contrary they flouted him and continued in their evil courses.
51:44
[ Original ]
فَعَتَوْا عَنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّهِمْ فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ الصَّاعِقَةُ وَهُمْ يَنْظُرُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
But they insolently defied the Command of their Lord: So the stunning noise (of an earthquake) seized them, even while they were looking on.
Tafseer Commentary
5021 They had already defied the order to preserve the She-camel, which was symbolical of the grazing rights of the common people: see 11:64-65 and n. 1560. They continued to flout the warnings of the prophet until the earthquake came on them with a stunning noise and buried them where they were:7:78; and 11:67.
5022 Sa'iqah: a stunning sound like that of thunder and lightning ( 2:55 ); such a sound often accompanies an earthquake, (see 41:17, n. 4485, and 7:78 and n. 1047).
51:45
[ Original ]
فَمَا اسْتَطَاعُوا مِنْ قِيَامٍ وَمَا كَانُوا مُنْتَصِرِينَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
Then they could not even stand (on their feet), nor could they help themselves.
Tafseer Commentary
5023 They were swept off in the earthquake.
51:46
[ Original ]
وَقَوْمَ نُوحٍ مِنْ قَبْلُ ۖ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا قَوْمًا فَاسِقِينَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
So were the People of Noah before them for they wickedly transgressed.
Tafseer Commentary
5024 The generation of Noah was swept away in the Flood for their sins: 7:59-64. The point is that such a flood seemed so unlikely to them that they thought Noah was "wandering in his mind" when he delivered Allah's Message: 7:60.
51:47
[ Original ]
وَالسَّمَاءَ بَنَيْنَاهَا بِأَيْدٍ وَإِنَّا لَمُوسِعُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
With power and skill did We construct the Firmament: for it is We Who create the vastness of pace.
Tafseer Commentary
5025 If you do not wish to go back to the wonderful things of the past, which show the power and goodness of Allah, and His justice supreme over all wrongdoing, look at the wonderful things unfolding themselves before your very eyes! (1) The space in the heavens above! Who can comprehend it but He Who made it and sustains it? (2) The globe of the earth under your feet! How great its expanse seems over sea and land, and spread out for you like a wonderful carpet or bed of rest! (3) All things are in twos: sex in plants and animals, by which one individual is complementary to another; in the subtle forces of nature, Day and Night, positive and negative electricity, forces of attraction and repulsion: and numerous other opposites, each fulfilling its purpose, and contributing to the working of Allah's Universe: and in the moral and spiritual world, Love and Aversion, Mercy and Justice, Striving and Rest, and so on-all fulfilling their functions according to the Artistry and wonderful Purpose of Allah. Everything has its counterpart, or pair, or complement. Allah alone is One, with none like Him, or needed to complement Him. These are noble things to contemplate. And they lead us to a true understanding of Allah's Purpose and Message.
51:48
[ Original ]
وَالْأَرْضَ فَرَشْنَاهَا فَنِعْمَ الْمَاهِدُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
And We have spread out the (spacious) earth: How excellently We do spread out!
51:49
[ Original ]
وَمِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ خَلَقْنَا زَوْجَيْنِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
And of every thing We have created pairs: That ye may receive instruction.
Tafseer Commentary
5026 See (3) in the last note. Cf. 36:36, n. 3981.
51:50
[ Original ]
فَفِرُّوا إِلَى اللَّهِ ۖ إِنِّي لَكُمْ مِنْهُ نَذِيرٌ مُبِينٌ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
Hasten ye then (at once) to Allah. I am from Him a Warner to you, clear and open!
Tafseer Commentary
5027 If you understand Nature arid yourselves aright, you will know that Allah is all-in-all, and you will fly at once to Him. This is the teaching which the Prophet of Allah has come to give you, in clear terms and openly to all.
51:51
[ Original ]
وَلَا تَجْعَلُوا مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَٰهًا آخَرَ ۖ إِنِّي لَكُمْ مِنْهُ نَذِيرٌ مُبِينٌ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
And make not another an object of worship with Allah. I am from Him a Warner to you, clear and open!
Tafseer Commentary
5028 Verses 50 and 51, ending with the same clause to emphasise the connection between the two, should be read together. The Prophet's mission was (and is): (1) to show us the urgent need for repentance; and (2) to wean us from the precipice of false worship. The one convinces us of sin and opens the door to the Mercy of Allah; the other cures us of the madness of paying court to idle or worthless objects of desire: for in the worship of Allah, the One True God, is included the best service to ourselves and our fellow-creatures. If fully understood, this sums up the whole duty of man: for it leads us by the right Path to the love of Allah and the love of man and of all creatures.
51:52
[ Original ]
كَذَٰلِكَ مَا أَتَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ مِنْ رَسُولٍ إِلَّا قَالُوا سَاحِرٌ أَوْ مَجْنُونٌ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
Similarly, no messenger came to the Peoples before them, but they said (of him) in like manner, "A sorcerer, or one possessed"!
Tafseer Commentary
5029 They said this of Moses: 51:39. And they said this of the Prophet: 38:4; 44:14.
51:53
[ Original ]
أَتَوَاصَوْا بِهِ ۚ بَلْ هُمْ قَوْمٌ طَاغُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
Is this the legacy they have transmitted, one to another? Nay, they are themselves a people transgressing beyond bounds!
Tafseer Commentary
5030 There is a tradition of Evil as there is a tradition of Good. The ways of Evil in dealing with the teachers of Truth are similar in all ages. But such evil traditions would have no effect, were it not that the generation following them is itself ungodly, "transgressing beyond bounds."
51:54
[ Original ]
فَتَوَلَّ عَنْهُمْ فَمَا أَنْتَ بِمَلُومٍ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
So turn away from them: not thine is the blame.
Tafseer Commentary
5031 When the Prophet freely proclaims his Message, it is not his fault if obstinate wickedness refuses to listen. He can leave them alone, but he should continue to teach for the benefit of those who have Faith.
51:55
[ Original ]
وَذَكِّرْ فَإِنَّ الذِّكْرَىٰ تَنْفَعُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
But teach (thy Message) for teaching benefits the Believers.
51:56
[ Original ]
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنْسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
I have only created Jinns and men, that they may serve Me.
Tafseer Commentary
5032 Creation is not for idle sport or play: 21:16 . Allah has a serious Purpose behind it, which, in our imperfect state, we can only express by saying that each creature is given the chance of development and progress towards the Goal, which is Allah. Allah is the source and centre of all power and all goodness, and our progress depends upon our putting ourselves into accord with His Will. This is His service. It is not of any benefit to Him: (see the next two verses)-it is for our own benefit.
51:57
[ Original ]
مَا أُرِيدُ مِنْهُمْ مِنْ رِزْقٍ وَمَا أُرِيدُ أَنْ يُطْعِمُونِ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
No Sustenance do I require of them, nor do I require that they should feed Me.
Tafseer Commentary
5033 Sustenance, in both the literal and the figurative sense: so also "Feed Me" at the end of the verse. Allah is independent of all needs. It is therefore absurd to suppose that He should require any Sustenance, and still more absurd to suppose that we can feed Him! The gifts, the Sustenance, the goodness, all come from His side.
51:58
[ Original ]
إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الرَّزَّاقُ ذُو الْقُوَّةِ الْمَتِينُ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
For Allah is He Who gives (all) Sustenance,- Lord of Power,- Steadfast (for ever).
Tafseer Commentary
5034 Allah commands all power; therefore any power we seek must be from Him. And His power is steadfast, the same today as yesterday, and forever. Therefore His help is always sure.
51:59
[ Original ]
فَإِنَّ لِلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا ذَنُوبًا مِثْلَ ذَنُوبِ أَصْحَابِهِمْ فَلَا يَسْتَعْجِلُونِ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
For the Wrong-doers, their portion is like unto the portion of their fellows (of earlier generations): then let them not ask Me to hasten (that portion)!
Tafseer Commentary
5035 Each generation, that acts like any of its predecessors, must meet a similar fate. If the wicked came to an evil end in the past, the same results will follow in the present and the future. The punishment will come suddenly enough: let them not in mockery ask that it should be hastened.
51:60
[ Original ]
فَوَيْلٌ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ يَوْمِهِمُ الَّذِي يُوعَدُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
Woe, then, to the Unbelievers, on account of that Day of theirs which they have been promised!
Tafseer Commentary
5036 That is, their eternal Punishment in the Hereafter, as well as any punishment that may come to them in this life.
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