(Revealed before Hijrah)
Date of Revelation and Context
Preponderance of scholarly opinion regards this Surah as of Meccan origin and assigns it to the last Meccan period. Certain Western writers are of the view that it was revealed very early in the Holy Prophet's ministry. They attribute this inference to the absence of any reference to persecution of Muslims on the part of the Quraish which, they say, began some years later. This assumption is too flimsy to merit serious consideration. This is like saying that because some Medinite Chapters are almost devoid of any mention of disbelievers, therefore, no fighting had taken place between Muslims and disbelievers in the Medinite period. Surah Al-Nur had ended on a note about the very great importance and usefulness of the Islamic organization. It had also stated that certain Muslims were unacquainted with its great potentialities; on the other hand, they were afraid of the organization of disbelievers which was rotten to the core. The present Surah gives the reasons why the fear of the people of weak of faith is but an illusion and a figment of their own distraught imagination and does not exist in fact.
Subject-Matter
The Surah opens with the categorical statement that the Quranic Message is meant for the whole of mankind. It further says that the Almighty God Who has revealed the Qur'an is the sole and undisputed Master of the heavens and the earth, and the sole Creator of every atom of the universe. His Word, therefore, is and must be in perfect harmony with the laws of nature, hence its acceptance or rejection does not merely mean the acceptance or rejection of a revealed Law but amounts to submission to or violation of the laws of nature itself. Next, it is stated that because disbelievers find it difficult to deny the excellence and superiority of the teachings of the Qur'an, they take refuge behind the subterfuge that it is not the work of a single individual but is the result of the combined efforts of many persons. They further allege that its teaching has been plagiarized from old Scriptures. But these pleas possess no substance because if the Qur'an had been the work of human effort, it could not have possessed a teaching which it is beyond the power of man to produce. And if it had been merely a copy of the ancient Scriptures, those Scriptures should also have possessed the excellences and beauties possessed by it, but that is not the case. Next, it answers some worn out and hackneyed objections of disbelievers such as the Holy Prophet is a mere mortal and is subject to the demands of the flesh. Then, a brief reference is made to the law of the rise and fall of nations and disbelievers are warned that the time of their decadence and downfall and that of the rise, progress and prosperity of Muslims has already arrived.
Further, attention of disbelievers is drawn to the phenomenon that God has made two waters, one bitter and the other sweet, both flowing side by side. They continue their parallel course and do not mix with each other. Similarly, the teachings of the Qur'an and those of other Scriptures will continue to exist side by side in order that by comparing them people might distinguish the true from the false and the sweet from the bitter. Towards its end the Surah mentions a few special signs and marks of those righteous servants of God who by acting upon the teachings of the Qur'an attain to the highest pinnacle of spiritual eminence, and closes with a pointed reference to the great truth that God has created man to serve a very sublime and noble object and whosoever fails to fulfil this object will forfeit God's mercy and grace.
 بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
[25:1] In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.
 تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي نَزَّلَ الْفُرْقَانَ عَلَى عَبْدِهِ لِيَكُونَ لِلْعَالَمِينَ نَذِيرًا
[25:2] Blessed[2062] is He Who has sent down the Discrimination[2063] to His servant, that he may be a Warner to all the worlds —
الَّذِي لَهُ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَلَمْ يَتَّخِذْ وَلَدًا وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ شَرِيكٌ فِي الْمُلْكِ وَخَلَقَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ فَقَدَّرَهُ تَقْدِيرًا
[25:3] He to Whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. And He has taken unto Himself no son, and has no partner in the kingdom, and has created everything, and has ordained for it its proper measure[2064].
وَاتَّخَذُوا مِنْ دُونِهِ آلِهَةً لاَ يَخْلُقُونَ شَيْئًا وَهُمْ يُخْلَقُونَ وَلاَ يَمْلِكُونَ ِلأَنفُسِهِمْ ضَرًّا وَلاَ نَفْعًا وَلاَ يَمْلِكُونَ مَوْتًا وَلاَ حَيَاةً وَلاَ نُشُورًا
[25:4] Yet they have taken beside Him gods, who create nothing but are themselves created, and who have no power to harm or benefit themselves and they control not death nor life nor resurrection[2065].
 وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِنْ هَذَا إِلاَّ إِفْكٌ افْتَرَاهُ وَأَعَانَهُ عَلَيْهِ قَوْمٌ آخَرُونَ فَقَدْ جَاءُوا ظُلْمًا وَزُورًا
[25:5] And those who disbelieve say, ‘It is naught but a lie which he has forged, and other people have helped him with it.’ Indeed[2066], they have brought forth an injustice and an untruth.
 وَقَالُوا أَسَاطِيرُ الأَوَّلِينَ اكْتَتَبَهَا فَهِيَ تُمْلَى عَلَيْهِ بُكْرَةً وَأَصِيلاً
[25:6] And they say, ‘These are fables of the ancients; and he has got them written down, and they are dictated to him morning and evening.’
 قُلْ أَنزَلَهُ الَّذِي يَعْلَمُ السِّرَّ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ إِنَّهُ كَانَ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا
[25:7] Say, ‘He Who knows every secret that is in the heavens and the earth has revealed it. Verily, He is Most Forgiving, Merciful.’
وَقَالُوا مَالِ هَذَا الرَّسُولِ يَأْكُلُ الطَّعَامَ وَيَمْشِي فِي الأَسْوَاقِ لَوْلاَ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مَلَكٌ فَيَكُونَ مَعَهُ نَذِيرًا
[25:8] And they say, ‘What is the matter with this Messenger[2066A] that he eats food, and walks in the streets? Why has not an angel been sent down to him that he might be a warner with him?
أَوْ يُلْقَى إِلَيْهِ كَنزٌ أَوْ تَكُونُ لَهُ جَنَّةٌ يَأْكُلُ مِنْهَا وَقَالَ الظَّالِمُونَ إِنْ تَتَّبِعُونَ إِلاَّ رَجُلاً مَسْحُورًا
[25:9] ‘Or a treasure should have been thrown down to him, or he should have had a garden to eat therefrom.’ And the wrongdoers say, ‘You follow none but a man bewitched.’
 انظُرْ كَيْفَ ضَرَبُوا لَكَ الأَمْثَالَ فَضَلُّوا فَلاَ يَسْتَطِيعُونَ سَبِيلاً
[25:10] See how they coin similitudes for thee![2067] Thus they have gone astray and cannot find a way.
تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي إِنْ شَاءَ جَعَلَ لَكَ خَيْرًا مِنْ ذَلِكَ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الأَنْهَارُ وَيَجْعَلْ لَكَ قُصُورًا
[25:11] Blessed is He Who, if He please, will assign thee better than all that — Gardens through which rivers flow — and will also assign thee palaces[2068].
 بَلْ كَذَّبُوا بِالسَّاعَةِ وَأَعْتَدْنَا لِمَنْ كَذَّبَ بِالسَّاعَةِ سَعِيرًا
[25:12] Nay, they deny the Hour, and for those who deny the Hour We have prepared a blazing fire[2069].
 إِذَا رَأَتْهُم مِنْ مَكَانٍ بَعِيدٍ سَمِعُوا لَهَا تَغَيُّظًا وَزَفِيرًا
[25:13] When it sees them from a place far off, they will hear its raging and roaring[2070].
 وَإِذَا أُلْقُوا مِنْهَا مَكَانًا ضَيِّقًا مُقَرَّنِينَ دَعَوْا هُنَالِكَ ثُبُورًا
[25:14] And when they are thrown into a narrow place thereof, chained together, they will pray there for destruction.
 لاَ تَدْعُوا الْيَوْمَ ثُبُورًا وَاحِدًا وَادْعُوا ثُبُورًا كَثِيرًا
[25:15] ‘Pray not today for one destruction, but pray for many destructions.’
 قُلْ أَذَلِكَ خَيْرٌ أَمْ جَنَّةُ الْخُلْدِ الَّتِي وُعِدَ الْمُتَّقُونَ كَانَتْ لَهُمْ جَزَاءً وَمَصِيرًا
[25:16] Say, ‘Is that better or the Garden of Eternity, which is promised to the righteous? It will be their reward and resort.’
 لَهُمْ فِيهَا مَا يَشَاءُونَ خَالِدِينَ كَانَ عَلَى رَبِّكَ وَعْدًا مَسْئُولاً
[25:17] They will have therein whatsoever they desire[2071], abiding therein for ever. It is a promise from thy Lord, to be always prayed for.
وَيَوْمَ يَحْشُرُهُمْ وَمَا يَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ فَيَقُولُ أَأَنْتُمْ أَضْلَلْتُمْ عِبَادِي هَؤُلاَءِ أَمْ هُمْ ضَلُّوا السَّبِيلَ
[25:18] And the day when He will assemble them and those whom they worship beside Allah, He will ask, ‘Was it you who led astray these My servants, or did they themselves stray away from the path?’
قَالُوا سُبْحَانَكَ مَا كَانَ يَنْبَغِي لَنَا أَنْ نَتَّخِذَ مِنْ دُونِكَ مِنْ أَوْلِيَاءَ وَلَكِنْ مَتَّعْتَهُمْ وَآبَاءَهُمْ حَتَّى نَسُوا الذِّكْرَ وَكَانُوا قَوْمًا بُورًا
[25:19] They will say, ‘Holy art Thou! It was not proper for us to take protectors other than Thee; but Thou didst bestow on them and their fathers the good things of this life until they forgot the admonition and became a ruined people.’
فَقَدْ كَذَّبُوكُمْ بِمَا تَقُولُونَ فَمَا تَسْتَطِيعُونَ صَرْفًا وَلاَ نَصْرًا وَمَنْ يَظْلِمْ مِنْكُمْ نُذِقْهُ عَذَابًا كَبِيرًا
[25:20] Then We shall say to the idolaters: ‘Now have they given you the lie regarding what you said, so you cannot avert the punishment or get help.’ And whosoever among you does wrong, We shall make him taste a grievous punishment.
وَما أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ مِنْ الْمُرْسَلِينَ إِلاَّ إِنَّهُمْ لَيَأْكُلُونَ الطَّعَامَ وَيَمْشُونَ فِي الأَسْوَاقِ وَجَعَلْنَا بَعْضَكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ فِتْنَةً أَتَصْبِرُونَ وَكَانَ رَبُّكَ بَصِيرًا
[25:21] And We never sent any Messengers before thee but surely they ate food and walked in the streets. And We make some of you a trial for others. Will you then be steadfast? And thy Lord is All- Seeing.
وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ لاَ يَرْجُونَ لِقَاءَنَا لَوْلاَ أُنزِلَ عَلَيْنَا الْمَلاَئِكَةُ أَوْ نَرَى رَبَّنَا لَقَدْ اسْتَكْبَرُوا فِي أَنفُسِهِمْ وَعَتَوْا عُتُوًّا كَبِيرًا
[25:22] And those who look not for a meeting with Us say: ‘Why are angels not sent down to us?[2071A] Or why do we not see our Lord?’ Surely they are too proud of themselves and have greatly exceeded the bounds.
 يَوْمَ يَرَوْنَ الْمَلاَئِكَةَ لاَ بُشْرَى يَوْمَئِذٍ لِلْمُجْرِمِينَ وَيَقُولُونَ حِجْرًا مَحْجُورًا
[25:23] On the day when they see the angels — there will be no good tidings on that day for the guilty; and they will say: ‘Would that there were a great barrier![2072]’
 وَقَدِمْنَا إِلَى مَا عَمِلُوا مِنْ عَمَلٍ فَجَعَلْنَاهُ هَبَاءً مَنْثُورًا
[25:24] And We shall turn to the works they did and We shall scatter it into particles of dust[2073].
 أَصْحَابُ الْجَنَّةِ يَوْمَئِذٍ خَيْرٌ مُسْتَقَرًّا وَأَحْسَنُ مَقِيل
[25:25] The inmates of Heaven on that day will be better off as regards their abode, and better off in respect of their place of repose.
 وَيَوْمَ تَشَقَّقُ السَّمَاءُ بِالْغَمَامِ وَنُزِّلَ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ تَنزِيلاً
[25:26] And the day when the heaven shall be rent asunder with the clouds, and the angels shall be sent down in large numbers —
 الْمُلْكُ يَوْمَئِذٍ الْحَقُّ لِلرَّحْمَنِ وَكَانَ يَوْمًا عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ عَسِيرًا
[25:27] The true kingdom shall that day[2074] belong to the Gracious God; and it shall be a hard day for the disbelievers.
 وَيَوْمَ يَعَضُّ الظَّالِمُ عَلَى يَدَيْهِ يَقُولُ يَالَيْتَنِي اتَّخَذْتُ مَعَ الرَّسُولِ سَبِيلاً
[25:28] Remember the day when the wrongdoer will bite his hands; he will say, ‘O, would that I had taken the same way with the Messenger!
 يَاوَيْلَتِي لَيْتَنِي لَمْ أَتَّخِذْ فُلاَنًا خَلِيلاً
[25:29] ‘Ah, woe is me! Would that I had never taken such a one for a friend!
 لَقَدْ أَضَلَّنِي عَنْ الذِّكْرِ بَعْدَ إِذْ جَاءَنِي وَكَانَ الشَّيْطَانُ لِلإِنسَانِ خَذُول
[25:30] ‘He led me astray from the Reminder after it had come to me.’ And Satan is man’s great deserter.
 وَقَالَ الرَّسُولُ يَارَبِّ إِنَّ قَوْمِي اتَّخَذُوا هَذَا الْقُرْآنَ مَهْجُورًا
[25:31] And the Messenger will say, ‘O my Lord, my people indeed treated this Qur’an as a discarded thing.’[2075]
 وَكَذَلِكَ جَعَلْنَا لِكُلِّ نَبِيٍّ عَدُوًّا مِنْ الْمُجْرِمِينَ وَكَفَى بِرَبِّكَ هَادِيًا وَنَصِيرًا
[25:32] Thus did We make for every Prophet an enemy from among the sinners; and sufficient is thy Lord as a Guide and a Helper.
وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَوْلاَ نُزِّلَ عَلَيْهِ الْقُرْآنُ جُمْلَةً وَاحِدَةً كَذَلِكَ لِنُثَبِّتَ بِهِ فُؤَادَكَ وَرَتَّلْنَاهُ تَرْتِيلاً
[25:33] And those who disbelieve say, ‘Why was not the Qur’an revealed to him all at once?’ We have revealed it thus that We may strengthen thy heart therewith. And We have arranged it in the best form[2076].
 وَلاَ يَأْتُونَكَ بِمَثَلٍ إِلاَّ جِئْنَاكَ بِالْحَقِّ وَأَحْسَنَ تَفْسِيرًا
[25:34] And they bring thee no similitude but We provide thee with the truth and an excellent explanation[2077].
 الَّذِينَ يُحْشَرُونَ عَلَى وُجُوهِهِمْ إِلَى جَهَنَّمَ أُوْلَئِكَ شَرٌّ مَكَانًا وَأَضَلُّ سَبِيلاً
[25:35] Those who will be gathered on their faces[2077A] unto Hell — they will be the worst in plight and most astray from the right path.
 وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَابَ وَجَعَلْنَا مَعَهُ أَخَاهُ هَارُونَ وَزِيرًا
[25:36] We gave Moses the Book, and appointed with him his brother Aaron as his assistant.
 فَقُلْنَا اذْهَبَا إِلَى الْقَوْمِ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا فَدَمَّرْنَاهُمْ تَدْمِيرًا
[25:37] And We said, ‘Go both of you to the people who have rejected Our Signs;’ then We destroyed them, an utter destruction.
وَقَوْمَ نُوحٍ لَمَّا كَذَّبُوا الرُّسُلَ أَغْرَقْنَاهُمْ وَجَعَلْنَاهُمْ لِلنَّاسِ آيَةً وَأَعْتَدْنَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا
[25:38] And as to the people of Noah when they rejected the Messengers, We drowned them, and We made them a Sign for mankind. And We have prepared a painful punishment for the wrongdoers.
 وَعَادًا وَثَمُودَ وَأَصْحَابَ الرَّسِّ وَقُرُونًا بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ كَثِيرًا
[25:39] And We destroyed ‘Ad and Thamud, and the People of the Well[2078], and many a generation between them.
 وَكُلاًّ ضَرَبْنَا لَهُ الأَمْثَالَ وَكُلاًّ تَبَّرْنَا تَتْبِيرًا
[25:40] And to each one We set forth clear similitudes; and each one We completely destroyed.
وَلَقَدْ أَتَوْا عَلَى الْقَرْيَةِ الَّتِي أُمْطِرَتْ مَطَرَ السَّوْءِ أَفَلَمْ يَكُونُوا يَرَوْنَهَا بَلْ كَانُوا لاَ يَرْجُونَ نُشُورًا
[25:41] And these (Meccans) must have visited the town[2079] whereon was rained an evil rain. Have they not then seen it? Nay, they hope not to be raised after death.
 وَإِذَا رأَوْكَ إِنْ يَتَّخِذُونَكَ إِلاَّ هُزُوًا أَهَذَا الَّذِي بَعَثَ اللَّهُ رَسُولاً
[25:42] And when they see thee, they only make a jest of thee: ‘Is this he whom Allah has sent as a Messenger?
إِنْ كَادَ لَيُضِلُّنَا عَنْ آلِهَتِنَا لَوْلاَ أَنْ صَبَرْنَا عَلَيْهَا وَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ حِينَ يَرَوْنَ الْعَذَابَ مَنْ أَضَلُّ سَبِيلاً
[25:43] ‘He indeed had well-nigh led us astray from our gods, had we not steadily adhered to them.’ And they shall know, when they see the punishment, who is most astray from the right path.
 أَرَأَيْتَ مَنْ اتَّخَذَ إِلَهَهُ هَوَاهُ أَفَأَنْتَ تَكُونُ عَلَيْهِ وَكِيلاً
[25:44] Hast thou seen him who takes his own evil desire for his god? Couldst thou then be a guardian over him?
 أَمْ تَحْسَبُ أَنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ يَسْمَعُونَ أَوْ يَعْقِلُونَ إِنْ هُمْ إِلاَّ كَالأَنْعَامِ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ سَبِيلاً
[25:45] Dost thou think that most of them hear or understand? They are only like cattle[2080] — nay, they are worst astray from the path.
أَلَمْ تَرَى إِلَى رَبِّكَ كَيْفَ مَدَّ الظِّلَّ وَلَوْ شَاءَ لَجَعَلَهُ سَاكِنًا ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَا الشَّمْسَ عَلَيْهِ دَلِيلاً
[25:46] Hast thou not seen how thy Lord lengthens the shade[2081]? And if He had pleased, He could have made it stationary. Then We make the sun a guide thereof[2082].
 ثُمَّ قَبَضْنَاهُ إِلَيْنَا قَبْضًا يَسِيرًا
[25:47] Then We draw it in towards Ourself, an easy drawing in little by little[2082A].
 وَهُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ اللَّيْلَ لِبَاسًا وَالنَّوْمَ سُبَاتًا وَجَعَلَ النَّهَارَ نُشُورًا
[25:48] And He it is Who has made the night[2083] a covering for you, and Who has made sleep for rest, and has made the day for rising up.
 وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ الرِّيَاحَ بُشْرًا بَيْنَ يَدَيْ رَحْمَتِهِ وَأَنزَلْنَا مِنْ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً طَهُورًا
[25:49] And He it is Who sends the winds as glad tidings before His mercy, and We send down pure water from the sky,
 لِنُحْيِيَ بِهِ بَلْدَةً مَيْتًا وَنُسْقِيَهُ مِمَّا خَلَقْنَا أَنْعَامًا وَأَنَاسِيَّ كَثِيرًا
[25:50] That We may thereby give life to a dead land, and give it for drink to Our creation — cattle and men in great numbers.
 وَلَقَدْ صَرَّفْنَاهُ بَيْنَهُمْ لِيَذَّكَّرُوا فَأَبَى أَكْثَرُ النَّاسِ إِلاَّ كُفُورًا
[25:51] And We have explained it to them in diverse ways that they may take heed, but most men would reject everything but disbelief.
 وَلَوْ شِئْنَا لَبَعَثْنَا فِي كُلِّ قَرْيَةٍ نَذِيرًا
[25:52] If We had pleased, We could have surely raised a Warner in every city.
 فَلاَ تُطِعْ الْكَافِرِينَ وَجَاهِدْهُمْ بِهِ جِهَادًا كَبِيرًا
[25:53] So obey not the disbelievers and fight against them by means of it (the Qur’an) a great fight.[2084]
 وَهُوَ الَّذِي مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ هَذَا عَذْبٌ فُرَاتٌ وَهَذَا مِلْحٌ أُجَاجٌ وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَهُمَا بَرْزَخًا وَحِجْرًا مَحْجُورًا
[25:54] And He it is Who has caused the two seas to flow, this palatable and sweet, and that saltish and bitter; and between them He has placed a barrier and a great partition[2085].
 وَهُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ مِنْ الْمَاءِ بَشَرًا فَجَعَلَهُ نَسَبًا وَصِهْرًا وَكَانَ رَبُّكَ قَدِيرًا
[25:55] And He it is Who has created man from water, and has made for him kindred by descent and kindred by marriage; and thy Lord is All- Powerful.
 وَيَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لاَ يَنفَعُهُمْ وَلاَ يَضُرُّهُمْ وَكَانَ الْكَافِرُ عَلَى رَبِّهِ ظَهِيرًا
[25:56] And they worship beside Allah that which can do them no good nor harm them. And the disbeliever is a helper of Satan against his Lord.
 وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلاَّ مُبَشِّرًا وَنَذِيرًا
[25:57] And We have not sent thee but as a bearer of glad tidings and a Warner.
 قُلْ مَا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَجْرٍ إِلاَّ مَنْ شَاءَ أَنْ يَتَّخِذَ إِلَى رَبِّهِ سَبِيلاً
[25:58] Say, ‘I ask of you no recompense for it, save that whoso chooses may take a way unto his Lord.[2086]’
 وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى الْحَيِّ الَّذِي لاَ يَمُوتُ وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِهِ وَكَفَى بِهِ بِذُنُوبِ عِبَادِهِ خَبِيرًا
[25:59] And trust thou in the Living One, Who dies not, and glorify Him with His praise. And sufficient is He as the Knower of the sins of His servants,
الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسْتَوَى عَلَى الْعَرْشِ الرَّحْمَنُ فَاسْأَلْ بِهِ خَبِيرًا
[25:60] He Who created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them in six periods, then He settled Himself on the Throne. The Gracious God! Ask thou then concerning Him one who knows[2087].
 وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ اسْجُدُوا لِلرَّحْمَنِ قَالُوا وَمَا الرَّحْمَنُ أَنَسْجُدُ لِمَا تَأْمُرُنَا وَزَادَهُمْ نُفُورًا
[25:61] And when it is said to them, ‘Submit to the Gracious God,’ they say, ‘And who is the Gracious God? Shall we submit to whatever thou biddest us?’ And it increases their aversion.
 تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ فِي السَّمَاءِ بُرُوجًا وَجَعَلَ فِيهَا سِرَاجًا وَقَمَرًا مُنِيرًا
[25:62] Blessed is He Who has made mansions in the heaven and has placed therein a Lamp and a Moon giving light[2087A].
 وَهُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ خِلْفَةً لِمَنْ أَرَادَ أَنْ يَذَّكَّرَ أَوْ أَرَادَ شُكُورً
[25:63] And He it is Who has made the night and the day[2088], each following the other, for him who desires to remember, or desires to be grateful.
 وَعِبَادُ الرَّحْمَنِ الَّذِينَ يَمْشُونَ عَلَى الأَرْضِ هَوْنًا وَإِذَا خَاطَبَهُمْ الْجَاهِلُونَ قَالُوا سَلاَمًا
[25:64] And the servants of the Gracious God are those who walk on the earth in a dignified manner, and when the ignorant address them, they say, ‘Peace![2089]’
 وَالَّذِينَ يَبِيتُونَ لِرَبِّهِمْ سُجَّدًا وَقِيَامًا
[25:65] And who spend the night before their Lord, prostrate and standing,
 وَالَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا اصْرِفْ عَنَّا عَذَابَ جَهَنَّمَ إِنَّ عَذَابَهَا كَانَ غَرَامًا
[25:66] And who say, ‘Our Lord, avert from us the punishment of Hell; for the punishment thereof is a lasting torment.
 إِنَّهَا سَاءَتْ مُسْتَقَرًّا وَمُقَامًا
[25:67] ‘It is indeed evil as a place of rest and as an abode;’
 وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا أَنفَقُوا لَمْ يُسْرِفُوا وَلَمْ يَقْتُرُوا وَكَانَ بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ قَوَامًا
[25:68] And those who, when they spend, are neither extravagant nor niggardly but moderate between the two;
وَالَّذِينَ لاَ يَدْعُونَ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَهًا آخَرَ وَلاَ يَقْتُلُونَ النَّفْسَ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ إِلاَّ بِالْحَقِّ وَلاَ يَزْنُونَ وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ يَلْقَ أَثَامًا
[25:69] And those who call not on any other God along with Allah, nor kill a person that Allah has forbidden except for just cause, nor commit adultery[2090] (or fornication), and he who does that shall meet with the punishment of sin.
 يُضَاعَفْ لَهُ الْعَذَابُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَيَخْلُدْ فِيهِ مُهَانًا
[25:70] Doubled to him will be the punishment on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein disgraced,
إِلاَّ مَنْ تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلاً صَالِحًا فَأُوْلَئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ اللَّهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ حَسَنَاتٍ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا
[25:71] Except those who repent[2091], and believe and do good deeds; for as to these, Allah will change their evil deeds into good deeds; and Allah is Most Forgiving, Merciful;
 وَمَنْ تَابَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَإِنَّهُ يَتُوبُ إِلَى اللَّهِ مَتَابًا
[25:72] And those who repent and do good deeds, indeed turn to Allah with true repentance
 وَالَّذِينَ لاَ يَشْهَدُونَ الزُّورَ وَإِذَا مَرُّوا بِاللَّغْوِ مَرُّوا كِرَامًا
[25:73] And those who bear not false witness[2092], and when they pass by anything vain, they pass on with dignity;
 وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِّرُوا بِآيَاتِ رَبِّهِمْ لَمْ يَخِرُّوا عَلَيْهَا صُمًّا وَعُمْيَانًا
[25:74] And those who, when they are reminded of the Signs of their Lord, fall not deaf and blind thereat;[2092A]
 وَالَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا هَبْ لَنَا مِنْ أَزْوَاجِنَا وَذُرِّيَّاتِنَا قُرَّةَ أَعْيُنٍ وَاجْعَلْنَا لِلْمُتَّقِينَ إِمَامًا
[25:75] And those who say, ‘Our Lord, grant us of our wives and children the delight of our eyes, and make us a model for the righteous.
 أُوْلَئِكَ يُجْزَوْنَ الْغُرْفَةَ بِمَا صَبَرُوا وَيُلَقَّوْنَ فِيهَا تَحِيَّةً وَسَلاَمًا
[25:76] It is such as will be rewarded a high place in Paradise because they were steadfast, and they will be received therein with greeting and peace,
 خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا حَسُنَتْ مُسْتَقَرًّا وَمُقَامًا
[25:77] Abiding therein. Excellent it is as a place of rest and as an abode.
 قُلْ مَا يَعْبَأُ بِكُمْ رَبِّي لَوْلاَ دُعَاؤُكُمْ فَقَدْ كَذَّبْتُمْ فَسَوْفَ يَكُونُ لِزَامًا
[25:78] Say to the disbelievers: ‘But for your prayer to Him my Lord would not care for you[2093]. You have indeed rejected the truth, and the punishment of your rejection will now cleave to you.’
2062. The word Tabaraka means, highly exalted; far removed from every defect, impurity, imperfection, and everything derogatory; possessing abundant good (6:156 & 21:51). The Qur'an possesses all the qualities and attributes implicit in this word. It is not only completely free from every defect and that the last Divine Law for the whole of mankind should possess, and it possesses them in full measure.
2063. Furqan means something which differentiates between what is true and what is false; an argument, a proof or evidence, because an argument or a proof serves to discriminate between right and wrong. It also signifies morning or dawn, because dawn distinguishes the day from the night. The Qur'an is Furqan par excellence. Among the multifarious and multitudinous beauties and excellences that distinguish it from other revealed Books and which establish its superiority over them all, two stand out most marked, viz., (i) it makes no statement or claim in support of which it does not give sound and solid proofs and arguments, and (ii) it makes truth so distinguishable from falsehood as day is from night.
2064. The clause, 'and has determined its proper measure,' signifies that there is a limit to the powers and functions or development of everything which it cannot defy or go beyond. These limitations point to one law that operates in the whole universe and hence to one Designer, Creator and Controller -a Creator Whose powers are limitless but Who has imposed limits on all things.
2065. Everything has to pass through three stages of development: (a) The stage of lifelessness; (b) of potential life, when a thing is endowed with the attributes and powers of growth; and (c) of actual life. God; the Creator of all life, possesses complete and undisputed control over all these stages.
2066. This and the next verse refer to two charges of disbelievers against the Holy Prophet and answer them. The answer to the first charge that the Holy Prophet has forged a lie is that it was unjust on their part to prefer such a charge. The Holy Prophet had lived among them a lifetime before and they themselves had borne unanimous testimony to his integrity and truthfulness. How could they now charge him with forgery? The answer to the second charge is that whosoever the Holy Prophet's so-called helpers were, they must have held some beliefs and doctrines. but the Our'an refutes and demolishes all false beliefs and abrogates and improves upon others. How could any people be supposed to help him to produce a Book which had laid the axe at the root of those very beliefs and doctrines which they held so dear?
2066A. What is the matter with this Messenger?
2067. The disbelievers have a very poor concept of the real values of life. They have set up criteria of their own devising to test the truth of Divine Messengers, with the result that instead of finding the right path they continue to grope in the darkness of doubt and disbelief.
2068. The verse signifies that the disbelievers' idea of what a Divine Prophet should be like is far removed from reality and betrays their ignorance of the very object and purpose for which Prophets are raised. Prophets are raised, it purports to say, to lead men out of the darkness of doubt and disbelief into the light of certainty and spiritual bliss and not to amass, and roll and revel in, wealth. But although the self-devised criterion of disbelievers, namely, that the Holy Prophet must possess wealth, rank; gardens and palaces, has no weight or substance, yet in order to bring home to them the falsity of their position God will give him and his followers greater wealth and bigger and better gardens and palaces than those of the disbelievers' demand. And He really gave the Holy Prophet's followers the palaces and
gardens of the Iranian and Byzantine Emperors.
2069. Whereas believers are decreed to achieve eminence and glory, a dreadful punishment (al-Sa'ah) is in store for disbelievers. Their punishment is impending ; nay it is at their very doors ; but they do not see it and therefore refuse to believe it.
2070. This and the next verse mean that the punishment will be overwhelming and all embracing and in order to add to the bitterness of the disbelievers' pain and sense of humiliation and to make it complete and thorough, all their organs will be made to feel it- the organs of sight and hearing-and being in great distress they would wish that death should make a speedy end of them.
2071. The desires of believers in the next life will become identified with the will of God. So naturally all their desires will be satisfied.
2071A. See 252
2072. An Arab would use the words hijran Mahjuran when he is faced with a thing he does not like, meaning 'let it remain away from me so that I should not suffer from it' (Lane & Mufradat). In reply to their first insolent demand mentioned in the preceding verse, disbelievers are told that angels will certainly descend, but they will be angels of punishment and when they come, the disbelievers will hate the very sight of them and will pray that a strong barrier might be set up between them and the angels.
2073. And their second demand will be met by all their works being totally rendered null and void and by their being destroyed and scattered into thin air like particles of dust.
2074. The day of Badr was indeed a most distressful day for disbelievers. It was on that day that the foundations of Islam were firmly laid and the Quraish had realized to their bitter mortification and discomfiture that it had come to stay.
2075. Quite appropriately the verse may apply to those so-called Muslims who have discarded the Qur'an and have thrown it behind their backs. Perhaps never during the last 14 centuries the Qur'an was so much neglected and ignored by the Muslims as it is today. There is a saying of the Holy Prophet to the effect: 'A time will come upon my people when there will remain nothing of Islam but its name and of the Qur'an but its words' (Baihaqui, Shu'ab al-Iman). The present indeed is that time.
2076. The Qur'an was revealed piecemeal and at intervals. This was intended to serve some very useful purposes: (i) The interval between the revelation of different passages afforded the believers an opportunity to witness fulfillment of some of the prophecies contained in the passages already revealed and thus their faith became strengthened and fortified. Further, it was intended to answer the objections raised by disbelievers during the interval. (ii) When Muslims needed guidance on a particular occasion to meet a particular need, necessary and relevant verses were revealed. The revelation of the Qur'an was spread over a period of 23 years in order to enable the Companions of the Holy Prophet to remember, learn and assimilate it. If it had been revealed all at once and in the form of one complete
book, the disbelievers could have said that the Holy Prophet had got it prepared from somebody. Thus its gradual revelation at different times, on different occasions and under vastly different conditions and circumstances, answered this possible objection. The Qur'an was revealed in parts in order that it could be easily committed to memory. The piecemeal revelation of the Qur'an also fulfilled the following biblical prophecy: Whom shall he teach knowledge and whom shall he make to understand the message? Them that are weaned from the milk; and drawn from the breast? For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line; here a little and there a little for, with strange lips and another tongue will he speak to this people (Isa. 28:9, 10).
2077. It is one of the distinctive features of the Qur'an in which it stands unique among all revealed Books that whenever it makes a claim about the existence of God, the truth of Islam, or about its own Divine origin, or any other related religious subject, it gives the required arguments to prove and substantiate the claim and looks to no other agency for aid or assistance.
2077A. Will be dragged into Hell along with their leaders; the word Wujuh also means, "leaders."
2078. Some Commentators are of the view that Rass was a town in Yamamah where one of the tribes of Thamud resided. According to others, these people were so called because they threw their Prophet into a well. They were the remnants of Thamud.
2079. Sodom, the town of Lot, which was situated on the way from Arabia to Syria.
2080. It is his own desires, fancies and preconceived ideas, more than anything else, that man generally adores and it is these that stand in the way of his accepting the truth. Intellectually man may have advanced far enough so as not to bow before stones and stars, but he has not outgrown the worship of his false ideals; prejudices and preconceived ideas. It is these idols that lie enthroned in his heart whose worship is condemned here. When instead of making use of his God-given faculties of intellect and hearing, which should help man to recognize and realize truth, he chooses to grope in darkness, he comes down to the level of cattle, even lower than that, because cattle are not given the gift of discretion and discrimination while man is.
2081. The verse alludes in figurative language to the rise, progress and power of Islam and illustrates this fact by drawing attention to a phenomenon of nature. When the sun is behind an object, its shadow lengthens. Similarly, when God is at the back of a people, their power and influence increase. The verse implies that God is at the back of Islam and therefore its shadow would continue to expand and extend till it would reach the ends of the earth, and nations of the world will seek and find solace and comfort under it. "The sun,'' in the verse symbolizes Islam or the Holy Prophet.
2082. The position of the sun determines the size of the shade.
2082A. The verse refers to the decline of Islam after it had reached its zenith. While 'shade' in the preceding verse symbolized power and influence, its 'drawing in' in the present verse signifies decline and decay.
2083. 'Night' in the verse represents the period of spiritual darkness before the advent of a Divine Reformer; and 'day' symbolizes spiritual dawn when a Divine Reformer has already made his appearance.
2084. The great and real Jihad; according to this verse, is to preach the Message of the Qur'an. Thus to strive for the propagation of Islam and the dissemination and diffusion of its teachings is the Jihad which the Muslims are enjoined always to carry on with unabated zeal. It is this Jihad to which the Holy Prophet referred when; on returning from an expedition, he is reported to have said: "We have returned from the smaller Jihad to the greater Jihad (Radd al-Mukhtar). See also 1957 and 1958.
2085. Taking 'two waters' in the verse to represent the true religion and the false, the verse signifies that both Islam, the true religion, and other corrupted Faiths will continue to exist side by side, the former yielding sweet fruit and slaking the thirst of the spiritual wayfarers and the latter barren and bitter, incapable of producing any good result. The 'two waters' may also signify the water of the sea and that of the river. The former is saltish and bitter to taste while the latter is drinkable and sweet. When the sweet water of the river flows into the sea and becomes mixed with its saltish water, it also becomes bitter. As long as these two waters keep themselves separate, they have different tastes. Similarly, when the teaching of a true religion becomes mixed up with the teachings of false religions, it loses its sweetness and usefulness. But God has so ordained that in spite of its close proximity to false religions, Islam will never lose its sweet taste as God has taken upon Himself to protect and guard it (15: 10). There lies an unbridgeable barrier between the two which keeps them apart.
2086. According to this verse Islam clearly forbids the use of force for the propagation of its teaching.
2087. (1) God; (2) The Holy Prophet.
2087A. By alluding to the creation of the heavens, and the sun, the moon and the stars that embellish and beautify them, the verse draws attention to the spiritual heaven which has its own sun, moon and stars-the Holy Prophet, the Promised Messiah and the Companions of the Holy Prophet about whom he is reported to have said: 'My Companions are like so many stars, whomsoever of them you will follow; you will get right guidance' (Razin).
2088. Just as in the physical world day follows night, similarly in the spiritual realm when darkness enshrouds the world, God raises a Reformer to give light to it.
2089. With this verse begins a brief description of the great moral revolution which that Sun of the spiritual firmament-the Holy Prophet-brought about among his people. From being the sons of darkness they became the servants of the Gracious and Beneficent God. The various qualities of the righteous servants of the Gracious God, referred to in this and the following verses; are the opposites of the vices from which the people of the Holy Prophet particularly suffered.
2090. Idolatry, murder and adultery are the three basic sins and the fountainheads of individual depravity and social and sexual immorality. The Qur'an has reverted to these sins again and again.
2091. Taubah (repentance) signifies repenting sincerely, truly and honestly of past moral lapses with a firm resolve completely to shun all evil and to do good deeds, and making amends for all wrongs done to people. It consists in bringing about a complete change in one's life, turning one's back completely and thoroughly on one's past.
2092. Zur means a lie; false witness; association of false gods with Allah; a place where lies are told and people entertain themselves with vain or frivolous diversion; the assemblies of polytheists, etc. (Lane).
2092A. They listen to the Signs of God attentively and with their eyes open. Their belief is based on conviction and certainty and not on mere hearsay.
2093. Ma a'ba'ubihi means; I do not care for, mind, heed or regard, him or I do not hold him to be of any weight or worth; or I do not esteem him (Lane & Mufradat).
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