(Revealed before Hijrah)

Date of Revelation and Context
This Surah was revealed at Mecca in the early years of the Call. Noldeke places it after Chapter 51, while according to Muir it was revealed somewhat later. In the preceding Surah attention was drawn to the great spiritual revolution, which was brought about by the Qur'an. It was in the fitness of things and quite in accordance with the laws of nature (the Surah stated) that because men had become corrupt and had forgotten God, a new Revelation should have come. The Surah had ended on the note that like the former Prophets the Holy Prophet will meet with severe opposition, but the cause of Truth will triumph and disbelievers will be punished. The present Surah refers to the biblical prophecies about the Holy Prophet and warns disbelievers that if they persisted in their opposition Divine punishment will overtake them.

Subject-Matter
The Surah opens with a direct and emphatic reference to the prophecies about the Qur'an and the Holy Prophet in the Bible and states that the Bible, the Qur'an and the Ka'bah all bear witness to the truth of Islam and the Holy Prophet, and warns disbelievers that opposition to Truth is never productive of good results. But those righteous servants of God, who accept the Divine Teaching and mould their lives in accordance with it, would receive Divine favours.

Next, the Surah declares that the Holy Prophet is neither a soothsayer nor a madman nor a poet but a true Messenger of God, because the great moral and spiritual revolution brought about by him could not be the work of a madman or a poet; nor could the great Divine Book-the Qur'an-that has been revealed to him, be the work of a forger of lies. It has been revealed by the Great Creator of the heavens and the earth. The Holy Prophet seeks no reward nor will disbelievers' plans against him succeed, because he is under God's protection. But Divine punishment, which is fast approaching, will overtake the disbelievers.

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيم
[52:1] In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.

وَالطُّورِ
[52:2] By the Mount[2843];

وَكِتَابٍ مَسْطُورٍ
[52:3] And by the Book inscribed[2844]

فِي رَقٍّ مَنْشُورٍ
[52:4] On parchment unfolded;

وَالْبَيْتِ الْمَعْمُورِ
[52:5] And by the frequented House[2845];

وَالسَّقْفِ الْمَرْفُوعِ
[52:6] And by the elevated Roof[2846];

وَالْبَحْرِ الْمَسْجُورِ
[52:7] And by the swollen sea[2847];

إِنَّ عَذَابَ رَبِّكَ لَوَاقِعٌ
[52:8] The punishment of thy Lord shall certainly come to pass;

مَا لَهُ مِنْ دَافِعٍ
[52:9] There is none that can avert it.

يَوْمَ تَمُورُ السَّمَاءُ مَوْرًا
[52:10] On the day[2848] when the heaven will heave with awful heaving,

وَتَسِيرُ الْجِبَالُ سَيْرًا
[52:11] And the mountains will move, with terrible moving[2849],

فَوَيْلٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِلْمُكَذِّبِينَ
[52:12] Then woe that day to those who reject the truth,

الَّذِينَ هُمْ فِي خَوْضٍ يَلْعَبُونَ
[52:13] Who sportingly indulge in idle talk.

يَوْمَ يُدَعُّونَ إِلَى نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ دَعًّا
[52:14] The day when they shall be thrust into the fire of Hell[2850] with a violent thrust.

هَذِهِ النَّارُ الَّتِي كُنتُمْ بِهَا تُكَذِّبُونَ
[52:15] ‘This is the Fire which you treated as a lie.

أَفَسِحْرٌ هَذَا أَمْ أَنْتُمْ لاَ تُبْصِرُونَ
[52:16] ‘Is this then magic, or do you not see?

اصْلَوْهَا فَاصْبِرُوا أَوْ لاَ تَصْبِرُوا سَوَاءٌ عَلَيْكُمْ إِنَّمَا تُجْزَوْنَ مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
[52:17] ‘Burn ye therein; and whether you show patience or you show it not, it will be the same for you. You are requited only for what you used to do.’

إِنَّ الْمُتَّقِينَ فِي جَنَّاتٍ وَنَعِيمٍ
[52:18] Verily, the righteous are in Gardens and in bliss,

فَاكِهِينَ بِمَا آتَاهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ وَوَقَاهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ عَذَابَ الْجَحِيمِ
[52:19] Enjoying what their Lord has bestowed on them; and their Lord has saved them from the torment of the Fire.

كُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا هَنِيئًا بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
[52:20] ‘Eat and drink in happiness because of what you used to do,

مُتَّكِئِينَ عَلَى سُرُرٍ مَصْفُوفَةٍ وَزَوَّجْنَاهُمْ بِحُورٍ عِينٍ
[52:21] ‘Reclining on couches arranged in rows.’ And We shall consort them[2851] with fair maidens having wide, beautiful eyes[2851A].

وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَاتَّبَعَتْهُمْ ذُرِّيَّتُهُمْ بِإِيمَانٍ أَلْحَقْنَا بِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ وَمَا أَلَتْنَاهُمْ مِنْ عَمَلِهِمْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ كُلُّ امْرِئٍ بِمَا كَسَبَ رَهِينٌ

[52:22] And those who believe and whose children follow them in faith — with them shall We join their children[2852]. And We will not diminish anything from the reward of their works. Every man stands pledged[2853] for what he has earned.

وَأَمْدَدْنَاهُمْ بِفَاكِهَةٍ وَلَحْمٍ مِمَّا يَشْتَهُونَ
[52:23] And We shall bestow upon them an abundance of fruit and meat such as they will wish for.

يَتَنَازَعُونَ فِيهَا كَأْسًا لاَ لَغْوٌ فِيهَا وَلاَ تَأْثِيمٌ
[52:24] There they will pass[2854] from one to another a cup wherein is neither levity nor sin.

وَيَطُوفُ عَلَيْهِمْ غِلْمَانٌ لَهُمْ كَأَنَّهُمْ لُؤْلُؤٌ مَكْنُونٌ
[52:25] And there will wait upon them youths[2855] of their own, as though they were pearls well-preserved.

وَأَقْبَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ يَتَسَاءَلُونَ
[52:26] And they will turn to one another, asking mutual questions.

قَالُوا إِنَّا كُنَّا قَبْلُ فِي أَهْلِنَا مُشْفِقِينَ
[52:27] They will say, ‘Before this, when we were among our family, we were very much afraid of God’s displeasure[2856];

فَمَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيْنَا وَوَقَانَا عَذَابَ السَّمُومِ
[52:28] ‘But Allah has been gracious unto us and has saved us from the torment of the burning blast.

إِنَّا كُنَّا مِنْ قَبْلُ نَدْعُوهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْبَرُّ الرَّحِيمُ
[52:29] ‘We used to pray to Him before. Surely, He is the Beneficent, the Merciful.’

فَذَكِّرْ فَمَا أَنْتَ بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ بِكَاهِنٍ وَلاَ مَجْنُونٍ
[52:30] Admonish then. By the grace of thy Lord, thou art neither a soothsayer, nor a madman.

أَمْ يَقُولُونَ شَاعِرٌ نَتَرَبَّصُ بِهِ رَيْبَ الْمَنُونِ
[52:31] Do they say, ‘He is a poet; we are waiting for some calamity[2857] which time will bring upon him?’

قُلْ تَرَبَّصُوا فَإِنِّي مَعَكُمْ مِنْ الْمُتَرَبِّصِينَ
[52:32] Say, ‘Await ye[2858] then! I too am with you among those who are waiting.’

أَمْ تَأْمُرُهُمْ أَحْلاَمُهُمْ بِهَذَا أَمْ هُمْ قَوْمٌ طَاغُونَ
[52:33] Do their intellect and reason enjoin this upon them or are they a rebellious people[2859]?

أَمْ يَقُولُونَ تَقَوَّلَهُ بَل لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ
[52:34] Do they say, ‘He has fabricated[2860] it?’ Nay, but they would not believe.

فَلْيَأْتُوا بِحَدِيثٍ مِثْلِهِ إِنْ كَانُوا صَادِقِينَ
[52:35] Let them, then, bring forth an announcement like this[2861], if they speak the truth!

أَمْ خُلِقُوا مِنْ غَيْرِ شَيْءٍ أَمْ هُمُ الْخَالِقُونَ
[52:36] Have they been created for nothing, or are they themselves the creators?

أَمْ خَلَقُوا السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ بَل لاَ يُوقِنُونَ
[52:37] Did they create the heavens and the earth? Nay, but they have no faith.

أَمْ عِنْدَهُمْ خَزَائِنُ رَبِّكَ أَمْ هُمُ الْمُسَيْطِرُونَ
[52:38] Do they own the treasures of thy Lord, or are they the guardians thereof ?

أَمْ لَهُمْ سُلَّمٌ يَسْتَمِعُونَ فِيهِ فَلْيَأْتِ مُسْتَمِعُهُمْ بِسُلْطَانٍ مُبِينٍ
[52:39] Have they a ladder unto heaven[2862] by means of which they can overhear? Then let their listener bring a manifest authority.

أَمْ لَهُ الْبَنَاتُ وَلَكُمْ الْبَنُونَ
[52:40] Has He daughters[2863] and you have sons?

أَمْ تَسْأَلُهُمْ أَجْرًا فَهُمْ مِنْ مَغْرَمٍ مُثْقَلُونَ
[52:41] Dost thou ask a reward[2864] from them, so that they are weighed down with a load of debt?

أَمْ عِنْدَهُمْ الْغَيْبُ فَهُمْ يَكْتُبُونَ
[52:42] Do they possess knowledge of the unseen, so that they write it down?

أَمْ يُرِيدُونَ كَيْدًا فَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا هُمْ الْمَكِيدُونَ
[52:43] Do they intend a plot? But it is those who disbelieve that will be caught in the plot.

أَمْ لَهُمْ إِلَهٌ غَيْرُ اللَّهِ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ
[52:44] Have they a God other than Allah? Exalted is Allah above all that which they associate with Him!

وَإِنْ يَرَوْا كِسْفًا مِنْ السَّمَاءِ سَاقِطًا يَقُولُوا سَحَابٌ مَرْكُومٌ
[52:45] And if they should see a piece of the cloud falling down, they would say, ‘Clouds piled up.[2865]’

فَذَرْهُمْ حَتَّى يُلاَقُوا يَوْمَهُمُ الَّذِي فِيهِ يُصْعَقُونَ
[52:46] So leave them until they meet that day of theirs, on which they will be overtaken by a thunderbolt,

يَوْمَ لاَ يُغْنِي عَنْهُمْ كَيْدُهُمْ شَيْئًا وَلاَ هُمْ يُنصَرُونَ
[52:47] The day when their plotting will not avail them aught, nor shall they be helped.

وَإِنَّ لِلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا عَذَابًا دُونَ ذَلِكَ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ
[52:48] And verily, for those who do wrong there is a punishment besides that[2866]. But most of them know not.

وَاصْبِرْ لِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ فَإِنَّكَ بِأَعْيُنِنَا وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ حِينَ تَقُومُ
[52:49] So wait patiently for the judgment of thy Lord; for assuredly thou art before Our eyes[2867]; and glorify thy Lord with His praise when thou risest up from sleep;

وَمِنْ اللَّيْلِ فَسَبِّحْهُ وَإِدْبَارَ النُّجُومِ
[52:50] And for part of the night also do thou glorify Him and at the setting of the stars.

2843. For the philosophy, importance and significance of oaths see 2465.

2844. The Qur’an or the Book of Moses, preferably the former.

2845. The Temple at Jerusalem, or any sacred house of worship. Preferably the word may refer to the Ka'bah, which is described in the Qur'an as "a Resort" (2:126); "the Sacred House" (5:3); "the Sacred Mosque" (17:2); "the Ancient House" (22:30); and "the Town of Security" (95:4); etc.

2846. The tabernacle which Moses set up in the wilderness, in the form of a canopy under which the Israelites worshipped, or the Ka'bah; or the sky, the last reference being more appropriate and relevant. It is characteristic of the Qur’an that when it has to make a firm declaration and impart emphasis and certainty to that declaration it swears by, or cites as witnesses, certain beings or objects or natural laws or phenomena. In the first few verses the Surah swears by certain things intimately connected with Moses-the counterpart of the Holy Prophet. It was on Tur that the revelation was vouchsafed to Moses which embodied his Law and the prophecies which spoke about the appearance of a great Divine Prophet from among the brethren of the Israelites (Deut. 18:18 & 33:2). Evidently, the Holy Prophet was the Divine Messenger spoken of in the prophecy. His advent is likened in the Qur'an to the advent of Moses (73:16). The Surah then cites, as evidence, the "Inscribed Book" (the Bible or the Qur’an, preferably the latter), which stands as a standing and incontrovertible testimony to the truth of the claims of the Holy Prophet. "The Frequented Housen-the Ka'bah-more than anything else, shows that the religion of which it forms the citadel and the centre is God's Final Dispensation. Here, long centuries ago, a holy man of God; the Patriarch Abraham, assisted by his son, Ishmael, while raising its foundations, had prayed to God that the place might become a haven of safety and security and might constitute the centre from where God's Unity and Oneness might be proclaimed and preached. The reference in the words "the Elevated Roof," being to heaven, the verse (v. 6) signifies that the disbelievers are so unwise as not to see this simple fact that whereas the Holy Prophet continuously receives Divine help and his cause continues to progress and prosper failure dogs their footsteps and all their designs and plans against him prove abortive.

2847. The words, "the Swollen Sea," may refer to the Red Sea where Pharaoh and his mighty hosts were drowned while pursuing the Israelites, or to the battlefield of Badr where all the great leaders of the Quraish were killed, as it was known as Al-Bahr, i.e., the sea (Nihayah).

2848. On that day all the heavenly forces will operate in favour of the Holy Prophet. So did it happen on the Day of Badr.

2849. On the day of retribution the leaders of disbelievers will meet with a terrible end. They will be blown away like chaff before the wind. Or, the verse may signify that the great Empires of the time will be broken and shattered. This and the preceding verse make a subtle allusion to the new order of things before which the old, decrepit and decayed systems will be swept away. These verses may equally apply to the Day of Judgment.

2850. The verse depicts the disbelievers' condition after their guilt will have been fully established and the time for repentance will have passed.

2851. Zawwaja Shai'an bi Shai'in means; he paired or coupled a thing with a thing; he united it as its fellow or like. Hur is the plural of Ahwar (masc.) and Haura' (fem.) and means; a person whose eyes are characterized by the quality termed Hawar, i.e., intense whiteness of the white of the eye and intense blackness of the black thereof, with intense whiteness or fairness of the rest of the person. Ahwar also means, pure or clear intellect.

2851A.  'In is the plural of both A'yan and 'Aina' which respectively mean, man and woman having black wide large eyes, the latter word also meaning, a good or beautiful saying or word (Lane, Mufradat & Taj). Thus the two words Hur and 'In signify beauty and purity of person and character.

Life after death is only an image and manifestation of the present life, and the rewards and punishments of the next world would be only so many embodiments and images of the actions done in this life. Heaven and Hell are no new material worlds which come from outside. It is true that they shall be visible and palpable, call them material if you please, but they are only embodiments of the spiritual facts of this life. The entanglements of this world shall be seen as fetters on the feet in the next. The heart-burning of this world shall likewise be clearly seen as flames of burning fire, and the love, which a believer feels for his Lord and Creator, will appear embodied as wine in the life to come, etc. Thus there will be gardens, streams; milk; honey, flesh of birds, wine, fruits; thrones, companions and many other things in Paradise; but they will not be the things of this world, but will be the embodiments of spiritual facts of the life of this world. The words Zawwajna, Hur and 'In, as explained above, show that in Paradise the righteous servants of God will be made to live with pure and clean companions whose faces will be shining with radiant spiritual beauty; or, they will have as companions fair maidens, i.e., their own wives.

To understand and realize the nature of the rewards and punishments of the Life after death it should be borne in mind that that life is the continuation of the life which one leads in this world. As soon as the human soul leaves this tabernacle of clay, it is given a new body, because the soul can make no progress or enjoy no bliss or feel no pain without a body. The new body is as fine and delicate as the soul was in this world. As the form and nature of the new body will be incomprehensibly different from that of our present physical body, the nature of the rewards and punishments of the next world also are beyond our comprehension. This is why the Qur'an says, And no soul knows what joy of the eyes is hidden for them, as a reward for their good works (32:18). And the Holy Prophet is reported to have said, 'No eye has seen the blessings of Paradise, nor has any ear heard of them, nor can human mind conceive of them' (Bukhari). The fact that there will be no sin, levity or vain talk in Paradise, no pleasure of the flesh as we understand them, but all pervading peace and pleasure of God (56:26, 27); sheds a flood of light on Paradise as conceived and promised to the righteous by the Qur'an. See also 2326.

2852. Whereas in the former verse it was stated that the righteous will be made to live with their pure, beautiful wives, this verse explains that their children will also be united with them, thus making their joy complete.

2853. The mere fact of being related to a righteous man would do the believer no good. It is his own good works that will earn him his place in Paradise.

2854. Tanaza'u al-Ka'sa means; they took the cup from one another's hand (Aqrab).

2855. Ghilman (youths) is plural of Ghulam which means, a youth; servant; son; etc. (Lane). The word has also been used in the Qur'an synonymously with Walad in the sense of son (3:41; 15:54; 19:8; 37:102; 51:29). Elsewhere in the Qur'an (76:20), the word Wildan (sons) has been substituted for Ghilman which shows that the youths who will move about in the company of the righteous in Paradise will be their own sons. The verse may also refer to the Divine promise of great wealth and power which was to fall into the possession of the Muslims and to the hosts of servants who were to wait upon them.

2856. Besides the meanings given in the text the verse may also signify, 'Being surrounded by enemies, their threats would sometimes frighten and terrify us. But now we enjoy perfect peace and security.'

2857. Raib means; disquietude of mind; doubt combined with evil opinion; calamity (Lane); Manun means, death; destiny or fate; time (Aqrab).

2858. The verse purports to say that the disbelievers call the Holy Prophet a poet, who indulges in building castles in the air about his great future, a soothsayer who plays upon the credulity of simple-minded folk, a raving maniac, and as such naturally they expect that sooner or later he will come to a sad end. But they will have to wait till doomsday for the realization of their futile expectations. Time alone will decide the issue between them and the Holy Prophet.

2859. Is it their reason that has misled them, or have they thrown all restraint and moderation to the winds, and in rejecting the Divine Message have transgressed all legitimate bounds?

2860. Taqawwala means, he lied; he attributed to a person a thing which he did not say (Aqrab).

2861. The verse refutes the disbelievers' allegation of forgery against the Holy Prophet. If the Holy Prophet, it seems to hold out a challenge to them, receives no revelations from God and the Qur'an is his own fabrication, then let them produce a book like it, couched in such beautiful style and inapproachably exquisite diction as the Qur'an; and should, like the Qur'an; deal thoroughly and effectively with all the complex and difficult moral and spiritual human problems and satisfy the multitudinous and multifarious needs of man, and exert such powerful influence on the lives of its followers, and above all, should be the repository of all eternal truths and imperishable teachings. The disbelievers are further challenged to produce a book like the Qur'an with their combined and concerted effort, calling in "all the men and jinn" to help and assist them in its composition. The Qur'an emphatically declares that they will not be able to produce such a book because the Qur'an is God's own revealed word. See also 2:24; 14:25 and 17:89.

2862. If disbelievers have access to the secrets of the heavens, then let them produce proofs for the allegation that the Holy Prophet is not the appointed Messenger of God.

2863. It is repugnant, says the verse, to God's Unity that He should have even a son, and yet the disbelievers have the hardihood to assign to Him daughters whose birth is considered as a mark of humiliation and disgrace for them.

2864. The verse seems to appeal to the good sense of disbelievers and purports to say to them that when, out of a sincere solicitude for their moral and spiritual well-being the Holy Prophet calls them to the ways of righteousness and asks for no reward for his labours, then why do they not accept him?

2865. Such is the state of utter heedlessness and false sense of security of disbelievers that they do not benefit by the timely Divine warning, so much so that even if they see a piece of the sky actually falling down upon them, they would deceive themselves by considering it as a piece of God's mercy in the form of 'piled up clouds.'

2866. Dun means; before and behind in respect of place or time; nearby; present with; other; besides (Lane).

2867. Under Our protection (5:68).