Surah 22. Al-Hajj

O MEN! Be conscious of your Sustainer: for, verily, the violent convulsion of the Last Hour will be an awesome thing!

  - Mohammad Asad

O mankind! Have fear of your Rabb; the catastrophic quaking of the Hour of Doom will be terrible indeed.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

O humanity! Fear your Lord, for the 'violent' quaking at the Hour is surely a dreadful thing.

  - Mustafa Khattab

O mankind! Fear your Lord. Lo! the earthquake of the Hour (of Doom) is a tremendous thing.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

O mankind! fear your Lord! For the convulsion of the Hour (of Judgment) will be a thing terrible! ²⁷⁷⁰

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The serious issues involved are indicated by showing how terrible the consequences will be for those who disobey Allah's Will. The terror will only be for those who rebel and disobey: the righteous will not suffer from it, but on the contrary will be greeted by angels with joy (xxi. 103).

On the Day when you behold it, every woman that feeds a child at her breast will utterly forget her nursling, and every woman heavy with child will bring forth her burden [before her time]; and it will seem to thee that all mankind is drunk,¹ although they will not be drunk - but vehement will be [their dread of] God's chastisement.²

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "thou shalt see [or "behold"] mankind drunk", i.e., behaving as if they were drunk. The illusory, purely subjective character of this "seeing" - implied in the use of the singular form tara ("thou shalt see") after the plural "you" employed in the first clause of this verse - justifies the rendering "it will seem to thee that...", etc.

My interpolation of the words "their dread of" is based on the statement in 21:103 that, as far as the righteous are concerned, "the supreme awesomeness [of the Day of Resurrection] will cause them no grief" despite the dread with which it will overwhelm every human being.

On that Day you shall see that every nursing mother will forget her nursing-babe and every pregnant female will miscarry, and you will see people as if they are intoxicated, though they will not be drunk: such will be the horror of Allah's chastisement.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

The Day you see it, every nursing mother will abandon what she is nursing, and every pregnant woman will deliver her burden 'prematurely'. And you will see people 'as if they were' drunk, though they will not be drunk; but the torment of Allah is 'terribly' severe.

  - Mustafa Khattab

On the day when ye behold it, every nursing mother will forget her nursling and every pregnant one will be delivered of her burden, and thou (Muhammad) wilt see mankind as drunken, yet they will not be drunken, but the Doom of Allah will be strong (upon them).

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

The Day ye shall see it every mother giving suck shall forget her suckling-babe and every pregnant female shall drop her load (unformed): thou shalt see mankind as in a drunken riot yet not drunk: but dreadful will be the Wrath of Allah. ²⁷⁷¹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Three metaphors are used for the extreme terror which the Awful Day will inspire, (1) No mother abandons the baby at her breast in the greatest danger; yet that will happen in this Dreadful Hour. (2) An expectant mother carries the young life within her with great pride and hope: yet the terror will overpower the hope at this "Hour", and nature's working will be reversed, (3) Men ordinarily retain their self-possession except under intoxication: here, without intoxication, they will be driven to frenzy with terror.

And yet, among men there is many a one who argues about God without having any knowledge [of Him], and follows every rebellious satanic force³

  - Mohammad Asad

See first half of note [16] on 15:17 .

Yet there are some among people, who in their ignorance, argue about Allah and follow every rebellious devil,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

'Still' there are some who dispute about Allah without knowledge, and follow every rebellious devil.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Among mankind is he who disputeth concerning Allah without knowledge, and followeth each froward devil;

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And yet among men there are such as dispute about Allah without knowledge and follow every evil one obstinate in rebellion!

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

about which it has been decreed that whoever entrusts himself to it, him will it lead astray and guide towards the suffering of the blazing flame!

  - Mohammad Asad

though they are doomed to seduce whoever takes them as their friends and lead him to the punishment of burning fire.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

It has been decreed for such devils that whoever takes them as a guide will be misguided and led by them into the torment of the Blaze.

  - Mustafa Khattab

For him it is decreed that whoso taketh him for friend, be verily will mislead him and will guide him to the punishment of the Flame.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

About the (Evil One) it is decreed that whoever turns to him for friendship him will he lead astray and he will guide him to the Penalty of the Fire. ²⁷⁷²

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Even after the warnings there are men who are such fools as to turn away from Allah who created them and cherishes them with His love and care; they become outlaws in His Kingdom, making friends with satan, which is a rebel in Allah's Kingdom.

O MEN! If you are in doubt as to the [truth of] resurrection, [remember that,] verily, We have created [every one of] you out of dust, then out of a drop of sperm, then out of a germ-cell, then out of an embryonic lump complete [in itself] and yet incomplete,⁴ so that We might make [your origin] clear unto you. And whatever We will [to be born] We cause to rest in the [mothers'] wombs for a term set [by Us], and then We bring you forth as infants and [allow you to live] so that [some of] you might attain to maturity: for among you are such as are caused to die [in childhood], just as many a one of you is reduced in old age to a most abject state, ceasing to know anything of what he once knew so well.⁵ And [if, O man, thou art still in doubt as to resurrection, consider this:] thou canst see the earth dry and lifeless - and [suddenly,] when We send down waters upon it, it stirs and swells and puts forth every kind of lovely plant!

  - Mohammad Asad

This rendering conforms with the interpretation of the phrase mukhallaqah wa-ghayr mukhallaqah by Ibn 'Abbas and Qatadah (the latter quoted by Tabari and the former by Baghawi), alluding to the various stages of embryonic development. In addition, Tabari explains the expression ghayr mukhallaqa as denoting the stage at which the embryonic lump (mudghah) has as yet no individual life - or, in his words, "when no soul has as yet been breathed into it" (la yunfakh fiha ar-ruh). - As regards the expression "created out of dust", it is meant to indicate man's lowly biological origin and his affinity with other "earthy" substances; see in this connection the second half of note [47] on 3:59 , and note [4] on 23:12 .

See note [79] on 16:70 .

O mankind! If you doubt that there is life after death remember that We first created you from dust, then from a sperm, then from a leech- like mass, then from a morsel of flesh, partly formed and partly unformed, so that We may manifest to you Our power. We cause to remain in the womb whom We wish for an appointed term, and then We bring you forth as infants; then We nourish you so that you may reach your age of full strength. There are some of you who die young and some who live on to their abject old age when all that they once knew they know no more. You sometimes see the land dry and barren; but no sooner do We pour down rain upon it then it begins to stir and swell, putting forth every kind of beautiful growth in pairs.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

O humanity! If you are in doubt about the Resurrection, then 'know that' We did create you¹ from dust, then from a sperm-drop,² then 'developed you into' a clinging clot 'of blood',³ then a lump of flesh⁴- fully formed or unformed⁵- in order to demonstrate 'Our power' to you. 'Then' We settle whatever 'embryo' We will in the womb for an appointed term, then bring you forth as infants, so that you may reach your prime. Some of you 'may' die 'young', while others are left to reach the most feeble stage of life so that they may know nothing after having known much. And you see the earth lifeless, but as soon as We send down rain upon it, it begins to stir 'to life' and swell, producing every type of pleasant plant.

  - Mustafa Khattab

 Your father, Adam.

 Nuṭfah refers to the union of male and female gametes (sperm and egg) which results in the zygote after fertilization.

 ’Alaqah, meaning the embryo resembles a leech.

 Muḍghah, meaning it resembles a chewed morsel.

 Fully formed or defected, evolving into a healthy embryo or ending in miscarriage.

O mankind! if ye are in doubt concerning the Resurrection, then lo! We have created you from dust, then from a drop of seed, then from a clot, then from a little lump of flesh shapely and shapeless, that We may make (it) clean for you. And We cause what We will to remain in the wombs for an appointed time, and afterward We bring you forth as infants, then (give you growth) that ye attain your full strength. And among you there is he who dieth (young), and among you there is he who is brought back to the most abject time of life, so that, after knowledge, he knoweth naught. And thou (Muhammad) seest the earth barren, but when We send down water thereon, it doth thrill and swell and put forth every lovely kind (of growth).

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

O mankind! if ye have a doubt about the Resurrection (consider) that We created you out of dust then out of sperm then out of a leech-like clot then out a morsel of flesh partly formed and partly unformed in order that We may manifest (Our Power) to you; and We cause whom We will to rest in the wombs for an appointed term then do We bring you out as babes then (foster you) that ye may reach your age of full strength; and some of you are called to die and some are sent back to the feeblest old age so that they know nothing after having known (much). And (further) thou seest the earth barren and lifeless but when We pour down rain on it it is stirred (to life) it swells and it puts forth every kind of beautiful growth (in pairs). ^{2773 2774 2775 2776 2777}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

If they really have doubts in their minds about the life after death, they have only to tum their attention either to their own nature, or to the nature around. How wonderful is their own physical growth, from lifeless matter, to seed, fertilised ovum, foetus, child youth, age, and death! How can they doubt that the Author of all these wonderful stages in their life here can also give them another kind of life after the end of this life? Or, if they look at external nature, they see the earth dead and barren and Allah's fertilising showers bring it in to life, growth and beauty in various forms. The Creator of this great pageant of Beauty can surely create yet another and a newer world.

The stages of man's physical growth from nothing till he completes the cycle of this life are described in words whose accuracy, beauty, and comprehensiveness can only be fully understood by biologists. Parallel to the physical growth, may be understood man's inner growth, also by stages and by Allah's creative artistry.

That is, a male or a female child, a fair or an ugly child, a good or a rebellious child, etc., involving countless mysteries of genetics and heredity.

Cf. xvi 70. In that passage the mystery of our life was used to illustrate Allah's abundant mercies and favours to us. Here it is used to illustrate Allah's power in giving us a future Life of even greater promise.

A beautiful nature passage so pregnant in meaning that the earnest student wonders what magic and truth have been conveyed in so few words. M.P.'s Egyptian colleague Prof. Ghamrawi (see M.P.'s note on this passage) was but expressing the feelings of every careful student of the Qur-an. The "subtlety and wealth of meaning" are indeed marvellous.