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Surah 20. Ta-Ha

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20:101
خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهِ ۖ وَسَآءَ لَهُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ حِمْلًا Kh a lideena feehi was a a lahum yawma alqiy a mati h iml a n
they will abide in this [state], and grievous for them will be the weight [of that burden] on the Day of Resurrection -
  - Mohammad Asad
For ever shall they bear it, and it will be indeed a very evil burden to bear on the Day of Resurrection.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
suffering its consequences forever. What an evil burden they will carry on Judgment Day!
  - Mustafa Khattab
Abiding under it an evil burden for them on the Day of Resurrection,
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
They will abide in this (state): and grievous will the burden be to them on that Day 2626
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. vi. 31. If people are so immersed in the evanescent falsehoods of this life as to turn away from the True and the Eternal, they will have a rude awakening when the Judgment comes. These very things that they thought so enjoyable here-taking advantage of others, material self-indulgence, nursing grievances instead of doing good, etc., etc.,-will be a grievous burden to them that day, which they will not be able to escape or lighten.

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20:102
يَوْمَ يُنفَخُ فِى ٱلصُّورِ ۚ وَنَحْشُرُ ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ يَوْمَئِذٍ زُرْقًا Yawma yunfakhu fee a l ss oori wana h shuru almujrimeena yawmai th in zurq a n
on the Day when the trumpet is blown: for on that Day We will assemble all such as had been lost in sin, their eyes dimmed86 [by terror],
  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "blue [of eye]" - i.e., as if their eyes were covered with a bluish, opaque film.

The Day, when the Trumpet will be blown and We shall assemble all the sinners, their eyes will turn blue with terror.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
'Beware of' the Day the Trumpet will be blown,1 and We will gather the wicked on that Day blue-faced 'from horror and thirst'.2
  - Mustafa Khattab

 See footnote for 18:99.

 This can also mean “blind.”

The day when the Trumpet is blown. On that day we assemble the guilty white eyed (with terror),
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
The Day when the Trumpet will be sounded: that Day We shall gather the sinful blear-eyed (with terror) 2627
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Zurq=having eyes different from the normal colour, which in the East is black and white; having blue eyes, or eyes afflicted with dimness or blindness, or squint; hence mataphorically, blear-eyed (with terror).

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20:103
يَتَخَـٰفَتُونَ بَيْنَهُمْ إِن لَّبِثْتُمْ إِلَّا عَشْرًا Yatakh a fatoona baynahum in labithtum ill a AAashr a n
whispering unto one another, "You have spent but ten [days on earth]...."87
  - Mohammad Asad

As in several other places in the Qur’an (e.g., in 2:259, 17:52, 18:19, 23:112-113, 30:55, 79:46, etc.), this and the next verse touch upon the illusory character of man’s consciousness of "time" and, thus, upon the relativity of the concept of "time" as such. The number "ten" is often used in Arabic to denote "a few" (Razi).

They shall murmur among themselves: "You hardly lived ten days on earth".
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
They will whisper among themselves, 'You stayed no more than ten days 'on the earth'.'
  - Mustafa Khattab
Murmuring among themselves: Ye have tarried but ten (days).
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
In whispers will they consult each other: "Ye tarried not longer than ten (Days)"; 2628
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Faced with eternity they will realise that their life on this earth, or the interval between their sin and their punishment, had a duration which practically amounted to nothing. They express this by the phrase "ten days", but their wiser heads think that even this is an over-estimate. It was but a brief day!

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20:104
نَّحْنُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يَقُولُونَ إِذْ يَقُولُ أَمْثَلُهُمْ طَرِيقَةً إِن لَّبِثْتُمْ إِلَّا يَوْمًا Na h nu aAAlamu bim a yaqooloona i th yaqoolu amthaluhum t areeqatan in labithtum ill a yawm a n
[But] We know best88 what they will be saying when the most perceptive of them shall say, "You have spent [there] but one day!"
  - Mohammad Asad

Signifying, in this context, "We alone understand fully".

We know fully well what they will say; the most careful estimator among them will say: "No, you stayed no longer than a day."
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
We know best what they will say- the most reasonable of them will say, 'You stayed no more than a day.'
  - Mustafa Khattab
We are best aware of what they utter when their best in conduct say: Ye have tarried but a day.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
We know best what they will say when their leader most eminent in Conduct will say: "Ye tarried not longer than a day!" 2629
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. xx. 63 and n. 2587. Note that it is the shrewdest and most versed in Life who will say this, because they will be the first to see the true situation.

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20:105
وَيَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلْجِبَالِ فَقُلْ يَنسِفُهَا رَبِّى نَسْفًا Wayasaloonaka AAani aljib a li faqul yansifuh a rabbee nasf a n
AND THEY WILL ask thee about [what will happen to] the mountains [when this world comes to an end]. Say, then: "My Sustainer will scatter them far and wide,
  - Mohammad Asad
They ask you as to what will happen to the mountains. Tell them: "My Rabb will crush and scatter them like a fine dust.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
And 'if' they ask you 'O Prophet' about the mountains, 'then' say, 'My Lord will wipe them out completely,
  - Mustafa Khattab
They will ask thee of the mountains (on that day). Say: My Lord will break them into scattered dust.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
They ask thee concerning the mountains: say "My Lord will uproot them and scatter them as dust;" 2630 2631
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

In the last verse, it was the deceptiveness and relativity of Time that was dealt with. Here we come to the question of space, solidity, bulk. The question was actually put to the holy Prophet: what will become of the solid Mountains, or in the English phrase, "the eternal hills"? They are no more substantial than anything else in this temporal world. When the "new world", (xiii. 5) of which Unbelievers doubted, is actually in being, the mountains will cease to exist. We can imagine the scene of judgment as a level plain, in which there are no ups and downs and no places of concealment. All is straight and level, without corners, mysteries, or lurking doubts.

The one word nasafa carries the ideas of (1) tearing up by the roots, (2) scattering like chaff or dust, and (3) winnowing. Its twofold repetition here intensifies its meaning.

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20:106
فَيَذَرُهَا قَاعًا صَفْصَفًا Faya th aruh a q a AAan s af s af a n
and leave the earth89 level and bare,
  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "leave it" - the pronoun relating, by implication, to the earth (Zamakhshari and Razi).

He will turn the earth into a plain leveled ground,
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
leaving the earth level and bare,
  - Mustafa Khattab
And leave it as an empty plain,
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
"He will leave them as plains smooth and level;"
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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20:107
لَّا تَرَىٰ فِيهَا عِوَجًا وَلَآ أَمْتًا L a tar a feeh a AAiwajan wal a amt a n
[so that] thou wilt see no curve thereon, and no ruggedness."90
  - Mohammad Asad

In the eschatology of the Qur'an, the "end of the world" does not signify an annihilation-i.e., reduction to nothingness - of the physical universe but, rather, its fundamental, cataclysmic transformation into something that men cannot now visualize. This is brought out in many allegorical allusions to the Last Day, e.g., in 14:48 , which speaks of "the Day when the earth shall be changed into another earth, as shall be the heavens".

wherein you will not see neither any curve nor crease."
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
with neither depressions nor elevations to be seen.'
  - Mustafa Khattab
Wherein thou seest neither curve nor ruggedness.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
Nothing crooked or curved wilt thou see in their place."
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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20:108
يَوْمَئِذٍ يَتَّبِعُونَ ٱلدَّاعِىَ لَا عِوَجَ لَهُۥ ۖ وَخَشَعَتِ ٱلْأَصْوَاتُ لِلرَّحْمَـٰنِ فَلَا تَسْمَعُ إِلَّا هَمْسًا Yawmai th in yattabiAAoona a l dd a AAiya l a AAiwaja lahu wakhashaAAati ala s w a tu li l rra h m a ni fal a tasmaAAu ill a hams a n
On that Day, all will follow the summoning Voice from which there will be no escape;91 and all sounds will be hushed before the Most Gracious, and thou wilt hear nothing but a faint sough in the air.
  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "the caller in whom there will be no deviation (la 'iwaja lahu)" - i.e., the summons to the Last Judgment.

- On that Day the people will follow the call of the Caller, no one will dare show any crookedness; their voices hushed before the Beneficent (Allah), and you shall here nothing but the sound of the marching feet.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
On that Day all will follow the caller 'for assembly', 'and' none will dare to deviate. All voices will be hushed before the Most Compassionate. Only whispers1 will be heard.
  - Mustafa Khattab

 This can also mean “footsteps.”

On that day they follow the summoner who deceiveth not, and voices are hushed for the Beneficent, and thou hearest but a faint murmur.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
On that Day will they follow the Caller (straight): no crookedness (can they show) him: all sounds shall humble themselves in the presence of (Allah) Most Gracious: nothing shalt thou hear but the tramp of their feet (as they march). 2632 2633
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The Caller: the angel whose voice will call and direct all souls.

A beautiful personification of hushed Sound. First there is the loud blast of the Trumpet. Then there is the stillness and hush of awe and reverence: only the tramp of the ranks marching along will be heard.

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20:109
يَوْمَئِذٍ لَّا تَنفَعُ ٱلشَّفَـٰعَةُ إِلَّا مَنْ أَذِنَ لَهُ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ وَرَضِىَ لَهُۥ قَوْلًا Yawmai th in l a tanfaAAu a l shshaf a AAatu ill a man a th ina lahu a l rra h m a nu wara d iya lahu qawl a n
On that Day, intercession shall be of no avail [to any] save him in whose case the Most Gracious will have granted leave therefor, and whose word [of faith] He will have accepted:92
  - Mohammad Asad

Regarding the Qur'anic concept of "intercession" on the Day of Judgment, see note [7] on 10:3 . The "word [of faith]" referred to towards the end of the above verse is - according to Ibn 'Abbas (as quoted by Baghawi) - a metonym for the belief that "there is no deity save God", i.e., the realization of His oneness and uniqueness. See also 19:87 and the corresponding note [74].

On that Day, no intercession will avail except the one to whom the Beneficent (Allah) shall grant permission and would like to give him a hearing.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
On that Day no intercession will be of any benefit, except by those granted permission by the Most Compassionate and whose words are agreeable to Him.
  - Mustafa Khattab
On that Day no intercession availeth save (that of) him unto whom the Beneficent hath given leave and whose He accepteth:
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
On that Day shall no intercession avail except for those for whom permission has been granted by (Allah) Most Gracious and whose word is acceptable to Him. 2634
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. ii. 255 in the Verse of the Throne. Here man is in the accusative case governed by tanfa'u, and it is better to construe as I have done. That is, intercession will benefit no one except those for whom Allah has granted permission, and whose word (of repentance) is true and sincere, and therefore acceptable to Allah. Others construe: no intercession will avail, except by those to whom Allah has granted permission, and whose word (of intercession) is acceptable to Allah. In that case the two distinct clauses have no distinct meanings.

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20:110
يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِهِۦ عِلْمًا YaAAlamu m a bayna aydeehim wam a khalfahum wal a yu h ee t oona bihi AAilm a n
[for] He knows all that lies open before men and all that is hidden from them,93 whereas they cannot encompass Him with their knowledge.
  - Mohammad Asad

For an explanation of this phrase - which occurs in exactly the same wording in 2:255 , {21: 28} and 22:76 as well - see surah {2}, note [247].

He knows what is before them and what is behind them while they do not encompass any knowledge about Him.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
He 'fully' knows what is ahead of them and what is behind them,1 but they cannot encompass Him in 'their' knowledge.2
  - Mustafa Khattab

 Allah fully knows what fate awaits them and what they did in the world.

 Or “… they cannot encompass His knowledge.”

He knoweth (all) that is before them and (all) that is behind them, while they cannot compass it in knowledge.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
He knows what (appears to His creatures as) before or after or behind them: but they shall not compass it with their knowledge. 2635
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf.ii. 255 and n. 297. The slight difference in phraseology (which I have tried to preserve in the Translation) will be understood as a beauty when we reflect that here our attention is directed to the Day of Judgment, and in ii. 255 the wording is general, and applies to our present state also.

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20:111
وَعَنَتِ ٱلْوُجُوهُ لِلْحَىِّ ٱلْقَيُّومِ ۖ وَقَدْ خَابَ مَنْ حَمَلَ ظُلْمًا WaAAanati alwujoohu lil h ayyi alqayyoomi waqad kh a ba man h amala th ulm a n
And [on that Day] all faces will be humbled before the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsistent Fount of All Being; and undone shall be he who bears [a burden of] evildoing94 -
  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., evildoing which has not been atoned for by repentance before death (Razi). In this particular context, it may be an allusion to the rejection of God's guidance - His "reminder" - spoken of in verses {99-101}.

Their faces shall be humbled before the Ever-Living, the Ever-existent (Allah). The one who is carrying the burden of iniquity will be doomed:
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
And all faces will be humbled before the Ever-Living, All-Sustaining. And those burdened with wrongdoing will be in loss.
  - Mustafa Khattab
And faces humble themselves before the Living, the Eternal. And he who beareth (a burden of) wrongdoing is indeed a failure (on that Day).
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
(All) faces shall be humbled before (Him) the Living the Self-Subsisting Eternal: hopeless indeed will be the man that carries iniquity (on his back). 2636
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The metaphor of the burden of sin which the unjust carry on their backs is referred to in xx. 100-101 (see n. 2626), in vi. 31, and in other passages. Note that all faces, those of the just as well as of the unjust, will be humble before Allah: the best of us can claim no merit equal to Allah's Grace. But the just will have Hope: while the unjust, now that the curtain of Reality has risen, will be in absolute Despair!

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20:112
وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِنَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَلَا يَخَافُ ظُلْمًا وَلَا هَضْمًا Waman yaAAmal mina a l ssa li ha ti wahuwa muminun fal a yakh a fu th ulman wal a ha d m a n
whereas anyone who will have done [whatever he could] of righteous deeds, and was a believer withal, need have no fear of being wronged or deprived [of aught of his me it].95
  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "no fear of [any] wrong" - i.e., punishment for any sin which he may have contemplated but not committed-"and neither of a diminution", i.e., of his merit: cf. the twice-repeated statement in {16:96-97} that the righteous shall be recompensed in the hereafter "in accordance with the best that they ever did".

but the one who is a believer and does good deeds shall fear no tyranny or injustice.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
But whoever does good and is a believer will have no fear of being wronged or denied 'their reward'.
  - Mustafa Khattab
And he who hath done some good works, being a believer, he feareth not injustice nor begrudging (of his wage).
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
But he who works deeds of righteousness and has faith will have no fear of harm nor of any curtailment (of what is his due). 2637
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

See the last note. Unlike the unjust, the righteous, who have come with Faith, will now find their Faith justified: not only will they be free from any fear of harm, but they will be rewarded to the full, or, as has been said in other passages, where His bounty rather than His justice is emphasised, they will get more than their due reward (iii. 27; xxxix. 10).

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20:113
وَكَذَٰلِكَ أَنزَلْنَـٰهُ قُرْءَانًا عَرَبِيًّا وَصَرَّفْنَا فِيهِ مِنَ ٱلْوَعِيدِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ أَوْ يُحْدِثُ لَهُمْ ذِكْرًا Waka tha lika anzaln a hu qur a nan AAarabiyyan wa s arrafn a feehi mina alwaAAeedi laAAallahum yattaqoona aw yu h dithu lahum th ikr a n
AND THUS96 have We bestowed from on high this [divine writ] as a discourse in the Arabic tongue,97 and have given therein many facets to all manner of warnings, so that men might remain conscious of Us, or that it give rise to new awareness in them.98
  - Mohammad Asad

As in verse {99} above - with which this passage connects - the adverb kadhalika ("thus") refers to the method and purpose of the Qur'an.

Lit., "as an Arabic discourse (qur’an)". See, in particular, 12:2 , 13:37 , 14:4 and 19:97 , as well as the corresponding notes.

Lit., "so that they might be [or "remain"] God-conscious, or that it create for them a remembrance", i.e., of God. The verb ahdatha signifies "he brought [something] into existence", i.e., newly or for the first time, while the noun dhikr denotes "remembrance" as well as the "presence [of something] in the mind" (Raghib), i.e., awareness.

Thus have we sent down this Qur'an in Arabic and clearly proclaimed in it some of the warnings so that they may take heed or that it may serve as a reminder to them.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
And so We have sent it down as an Arabic Quran and varied the warnings in it, so perhaps they will shun evil or it may cause them to be mindful.
  - Mustafa Khattab
Thus We have revealed it as a Lecture in Arabic, and have displayed therein certain threats, that peradventure they may keep from evil or that it may cause them to take heed.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
Thus have we sent this down an Arabic Qur'an and explained therein in detail some of the warnings in order that they may fear Allah or that it may cause their remembrance (of Him). 2638
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The Qur-an is in clear Arabic, so that even an unlearned people like the Arabs might understand and profit by its warnings, and the rest of the world may learn through them, as they did in the first few centuries of Islam and may do again when we Muslims show ourselves worthy to explain and exemplify its meaning. The evil are warned that they may repent; the good are confirmed in their Faith and strengthened by their remembrance of Him.

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20:114
فَتَعَـٰلَى ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمَلِكُ ٱلْحَقُّ ۗ وَلَا تَعْجَلْ بِٱلْقُرْءَانِ مِن قَبْلِ أَن يُقْضَىٰٓ إِلَيْكَ وَحْيُهُۥ ۖ وَقُل رَّبِّ زِدْنِى عِلْمًا FataAA a l a All a hu almaliku al h aqqu wal a taAAjal bi a lqur a ni min qabli an yuq da ilayka wa h yuhu waqul rabbi zidnee AAilm a n
[Know,] then, [that] God is sublimely exalted, the Ultimate Sovereign, the Ultimate Truth:99 and [knowing this,] do not approach the Qur'an in haste,100 ere it has been revealed unto thee in full, but [always] say: "O my Sustainer, cause me to grow in knowledge!101
  - Mohammad Asad

Whenever the noun al-haqq is used as a designation of God, it signifies "the Truth" in the absolute, intrinsic sense, eternally and immutably existing beyond the ephemeral, changing phenomena of His creation: hence, "the Ultimate Truth". God’s attribute of al-malik, on the other hand, denotes His absolute sway over all that exists and can, therefore, be suitably rendered as "the Ultimate Sovereign".

Lit., "be not hasty with the Qur'an" (see next note).

Although it is very probable that - as most of the classical commentators point out - this exhortation was in the first instance addressed to the Prophet Muhammad, there is no doubt that it applies to every person, at all times, who reads the Qur’an. The idea underlying the above verse may be summed up thus: Since the Qur’an is the Word of God, all its component parts - phrases, sentences, verses and surahs - form one integral, coordinated whole (cf. the last sentence of 25:32 and the corresponding note [27]). Hence, if one is really intent on understanding the Qur’anic message, one must beware of a "hasty approach" - that is to say, of drawing hasty conclusions from isolated verses or sentences taken out of their context - but should, rather, allow the whole of the Qur'an to be revealed to one’s mind before attempting to interpret singe aspects of its message. (See also {75:16-19} and the corresponding notes.)

High and exalted be Allah, the True King! Do not hasten to recite the Qur'an before its revelation is completely conveyed to you, and then say: "O Rabb! Increase my knowledge."
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Exalted is Allah, the True King! Do not rush to recite 'a revelation of' the Quran 'O Prophet' before it is 'properly' conveyed to you,1 and pray, 'My Lord! Increase me in knowledge.'
  - Mustafa Khattab

 The Prophet (ﷺ) was eager to recite the Quran while it was being revealed to him through the angel Gabriel. So he (ﷺ) was told to take his time to learn it by heart once the verses are properly delivered to him.

Then exalted be Allah, the True King! And hasten not (O Muhammad) with the Quran ere its revelation hath been perfected unto thee, and say: My Lord! Increase me in knowledge.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
High above all is Allah the King the Truth! Be not in haste with the Qur'an before its revelation to thee is completed but say "O my Lord! advance me in knowledge." 2639
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Allah is above every human event or desire. His purpose is universal. But He is the Truth, the absolute Truth; and His kingdom is the true kingdom, that can carry out its will. That Truth unfolds itself gradually, as it did in the gradual revelation of the Qur-an to the holy Prophet. But even after it was completed in a volume, its true meaning and purpose only gradually unfold themselves to any given individual or nation. No one should be impatient about it. On the contrary, we should always pray for increase in our own knowledge, which can never at any given moment be complete.

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20:115
وَلَقَدْ عَهِدْنَآ إِلَىٰٓ ءَادَمَ مِن قَبْلُ فَنَسِىَ وَلَمْ نَجِدْ لَهُۥ عَزْمًا Walaqad AAahidn a il a a dama min qablu fanasiya walam najid lahu AAazm a n
AND, INDEED, long ago did We impose Our commandment on Adam;102 but he forgot it, and We found no firmness of purpose in him.
  - Mohammad Asad

The relevant divine commandment - or, rather, warning - is spelled out in verse {117}. The present passage connects with the statement in verse {99}, "Thus do We relate unto thee some of the stories of what happened in the past", and is meant to show that negligence of spiritual truths is one of the recurrent characteristics of the human race (Razi), which is symbolized here - as in many other places in the Qur'an - by Adam.

We had taken a covenant from Adam before, but he forgot. We did not find in him firm determination.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
And indeed, We once made a covenant with Adam, but he forgot, and 'so' We did not find determination in him.
  - Mustafa Khattab
And verily We made a covenant of old with Adam, but he forgot, and We found no constancy in him.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
We had already beforehand taken the covenant of Adam but he forgot: and We found on his part no firm resolve. 2640
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The spiritual fall of two individual souls, Pharaoh and the Samiri, having been referred to, the one through overweening arrogance, and the other through a spirit of mischief and false harking back to the past, our attention is now called to the prototype of Evil (satan) who tempted Adam, the original Man, and to the fact that though man was clearly warned that satan is his enemy and will only effect his ruin, he showed so little firmness that he succumbed to it at once at the first opportunity.

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