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Surah 26. Ash-Shuara

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26:186
وَمَآ أَنتَ إِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُنَا وَإِن نَّظُنُّكَ لَمِنَ ٱلْكَـٰذِبِينَ Wam a anta ill a basharun mithlun a wain na th unnuka lamina alk ath ibeen a
for thou art nothing but a mortal like ourselves! And. behold. we think that thou art a consummate liar!77
  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "that thou art indeed one of the liars".

You are no more than a human being like us and we think that you are lying.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Also, you are only a human being like us, and we think you are indeed a liar.
  - Mustafa Khattab
Thou art but a mortal like us, and lo! we deem thee of the liars.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
"Thou art no more than a mortal like us and indeed we think thou art a liar! 3217
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

They deny that he is a prophet or that they are doing wrong, or that any former generations behaved differently. They think they are the true exponents of human nature, and that such as he-idealists-are mere madmen.

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26:187
فَأَسْقِطْ عَلَيْنَا كِسَفًا مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ ٱلصَّـٰدِقِينَ Faasqi t AAalayn a kisafan mina a l ssam a i in kunta mina a l ssa diqeen a
Cause, then, fragments of the sky to fall down upon us, if thou art a man of truth!"
  - Mohammad Asad
Let a fragment fall out of the sky on us if you are telling the Truth".
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
So cause 'deadly' pieces of the sky to fall upon us, if what you say is true.'
  - Mustafa Khattab
Then make fragments of the heaven fall upon us, if thou art of the truthful.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
"Now cause a piece of the sky to fall on us if thou art truthful!" 3218
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

'If you really claim any real contact with Allah, let us see if you can bring down a piece of the sky to fall on us!'

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26:188
قَالَ رَبِّىٓ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ Q a la rabbee aAAlamu bim a taAAmaloon a
Answered [Shu'ayb]: "My Sustainer knows fully well what you are doing."
  - Mohammad Asad
Shu'aib said: "My Rabb has full knowledge of all your actions".
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Shu'aib responded, 'My Lord knows best whatever you do.'
  - Mustafa Khattab
He said: My Lord is best aware of what ye do.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
He said: "My Lord knows best what ye do." 3219
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The challenge to bring down a piece of the sky was merely empty bravado, on the part of those who had called him a liar. But Shuaib does not insult them. He merely says: "Allah is the best judge of your conduct: what more can I say?" And Allah did punish them.

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26:189
فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَأَخَذَهُمْ عَذَابُ يَوْمِ ٱلظُّلَّةِ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ Faka thth aboohu faakha th ahum AAa tha bu yawmi a l thth ullati innahu k a na AAa tha ba yawmin AAa th eem in
But they gave him the lie. And thereupon suffering overtook them on a day dark with shadows:78 and, verily, it was the suffering of an awesome day!
  - Mohammad Asad

This may refer either to the physical darkness which often accompanies volcanic eruptions and earthquakes (which, as shown in 7:91 , overtook the people of Madyan), or to the spiritual darkness and gloom which comes in the wake of belated regrets.

So they disbelieved him, and the torment of the day of darkness (dark clouds carrying Allah's scourge) seized them, and indeed it was the torment of an extremely dreadful day.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
So they rejected him, and 'so' were overtaken by the torment of the day of the 'deadly' cloud.1 That was really a torment of a tremendous day.
  - Mustafa Khattab

 They were targeted by scorching heat, so they did not know where to go. Finally, a soothing cloud appeared in the sky, so they rushed to it for shade, then the cloud rained torment upon them, as they had requested.

But they denied him, so there came on them the retribution of the day of gloom. Lo! it was the retribution of an awful day.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
But they rejected him. Then the punishment of a day of overshadowing gloom seized them and that was the Penalty of a Great Day. 3220 3221
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Perhaps a shower of ashes and cinders accompanying a volcanic eruption. If these people were the same as the Midianites, there was also an earthquake. See vii. 91 and n. 1063.

It must have been a terrible day of wholesale destruction-earthquake, volcanic eruption, lava, cinders and ashes and rumbling noises to frighten those whose death was not instantaneous.

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26:190
إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَـَٔايَةً ۖ وَمَا كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ Inna fee tha lika la a yatan wam a k a na aktharuhum mumineen a
In this [story], behold, there is a message [unto men], even though most of them will not believe [in it].
  - Mohammad Asad
Surely in this story there is a great lesson, but most of these people do not learn a lesson and become believers.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Surely in this is a sign. Yet most of them would not believe.
  - Mustafa Khattab
Lo! herein is indeed a portent; yet most of them are not believers.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
Verily in that is a Sign: but most of them do not believe.
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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26:191
وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ Wainna rabbaka lahuwa alAAazeezu a l rra h eem u
But, verily, thy Sustainer - He alone - is almighty, a dispenser of grace!79
  - Mohammad Asad

With this refrain ends the cycle of seven stories showing that spiritual truth in all its manifestations - whether it relates to an intellectual realization of God’s existence, to a refusal to regard power, wealth or fame as real values, or to the virtues of compassion and kindness towards all that lives on earth - has at all times been unacceptable to the overwhelming majority of mankind, and has always been submerged under the average man’s blindness and deafness of heart. The very repetition of phrases, sentences and situations in all of the above stories - or, rather, in the above versions of these oft-narrated stories - tends to bring home to us the fact that the human situation as such never really changes, and that, in consequence, those who preach the truth must always struggle against human greed, power-hunger and proneness to self-adulation.

The fact is that your Rabb is the Mighty as well as the Merciful.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
And your Lord is certainly the Almighty, Most Merciful.
  - Mustafa Khattab
And lo! thy Lord! He is indeed the Mighty, the Merciful.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
And verily thy Lord is He. The Exalted in Might Most Merciful. 3222
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

See above, n. 3193 to xxvi. 121.

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26:192
وَإِنَّهُۥ لَتَنزِيلُ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ Wainnahu latanzeelu rabbi alAA a lameen a
NOW, BEHOLD, this [divine writ] has indeed been bestowed from on high by the Sustainer of all the worlds:80
  - Mohammad Asad

Thus the discourse returns to the theme enunciated at the beginning of this surah, namely, the phenomenon of divine revelation as exemplified in the Qur’an, and men’s reactions to it.

Surely this Qur'an is a revelation from the Rabb of the Worlds.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
This is certainly a revelation from the Lord of all worlds,
  - Mustafa Khattab
And lo! it is a revelation of the Lord of the Worlds,
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
Verily this is a Revelation from the Lord of the Worlds: 3223
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The hostile reception of some of the previous Messengers having been mentioned, the special characteristics of the Qur-an are now referred to, to show (1) that it is true, and (2) that its rejection by the Makkan Pagans was of a piece with previous experience in the history of man: vested interests resist Truth, but it conquers.

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26:193
نَزَلَ بِهِ ٱلرُّوحُ ٱلْأَمِينُ Nazala bihi a l rroo h u alameen u
trustworthy divine inspiration has alighted with it from on high
  - Mohammad Asad
The trustworthy Spirit (Angel Gabriel) brought it down
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
which the trustworthy spirit 'Gabriel' brought down
  - Mustafa Khattab
Which the True Spirit hath brought down
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
With it came down the Spirit of Faith and Truth 3224
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Ruh-ul-amin, the epithet of Gabriel, who came with the inspired Messages to the holy Prophet, is difficult to render in a single epithet in translation. In n. 3187 to xxvi. 107 I have described some of the various shades of meaning attached to the adjective Amin as applied to a Prophet. A further signification as attached to the Spirit of Inspiration is that it is the very quintessence of Faith and Truth, unlike the lying spirits which delude men with falsehood. On the whole, I think "the Spirit of Faith and Truth" will represent the original best here.

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26:194
عَلَىٰ قَلْبِكَ لِتَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلْمُنذِرِينَ AAal a qalbika litakoona mina almun th ireen a
upon thy heart, [O Muhammad,]81 so that thou mayest be among those who preach
  - Mohammad Asad

According to almost all the classical commentators, the expression ar-ruh al-amin (lit., "the faithful [or "trustworthy"] spirit") is a designation of Gabriel, the Angel of Revelation, who, by virtue of his purely spiritual, functional nature, is incapable of sinning and cannot, therefore, be other than utterly faithful to the trust reposed in him by God (cf. 16:50 ). On the other hand, since the term ruh is often used in the Qur'an in the sense of "divine inspiration" (see surah {2}, note [71], and surah {16}, note [2]), it may have this latter meaning in the above context as well, especially in view of the statement that it had "alighted from on high upon the heart" of the Prophet.

upon your heart so that you may become one of those who are appointed by Allah to warn the people
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
into your heart 'O Prophet'- so that you may be one of the warners-
  - Mustafa Khattab
Upon thy heart, that thou mayest be (one) of the warners,
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
To thy heart and mind that thou mayest admonish 3225
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Qalb (Heart) signifies not only the seat of the affections, but also the seat of the memory and understanding. The process of inspiration is indicated by the impression of the divine Message on the inspired one's heart, memory, and understanding, from which it was promulgated in human speech to the world. In this case the human speech was the perspicuous Arabic tongue, which would be plainly intelligible to the audience who would immediately hear it and be through them transmitted to all the world.

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26:195
بِلِسَانٍ عَرَبِىٍّ مُّبِينٍ Bilis a nin AAarabiyyin mubeen in
in the clear Arabic tongue.82
  - Mohammad Asad

See 14:4 - "never have We sent forth any apostle otherwise than [with a message] in his own people’s tongue" - and the corresponding note [3]. That the message of the Qur'an is, nevertheless, universal has been stressed in many of its verses (e.g., in 7:158 or 25:1 ). The other prophets mentioned in the Qur'an who "preached in the Arabic tongue" were Ishmael, Hud, Salih and Shu'ayb, all of them Arabians. In addition, if we bear in mind that Hebrew and Aramaic are but ancient Arabic dialects, all the Hebrew prophets may be included among "those who preached in the Arabic tongue".

in a plain Arabic language.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
in a clear Arabic tongue.
  - Mustafa Khattab
In plain Arabic speech.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
In the perspicuous Arabic tongue.
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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26:196
وَإِنَّهُۥ لَفِى زُبُرِ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ Wainnahu lafee zuburi alawwaleen a
And, verily, [the essence of] this [revelation] is indeed found in the ancient books of divine wisdom [as well].83
  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "in the scriptures (zubur, sing. zabur) of the ancients" (see surah {21}, note [101]). This interpretation of the above verse - advanced among others by Zamakhshari and Baydawi (and, according to the former, attributed to Imam Abu Hanifah as well) - is in full consonance with the oft-repeated Qur'anic doctrine that the basic teachings revealed to Muhammad are in their purport (ma'ani) identical with those preached by the earlier prophets. Another, more popular interpretation is, "...this [Qur'an] has been mentioned [or "foretold"] in the earlier scriptures" (see in this connection note [33] on 2:42 and - with particular reference to a prediction made by Jesus - note [6] on 61:6 ).

This fact was foretold in the scriptures of the former people.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
And it has indeed been 'foretold' in the Scriptures of those before.
  - Mustafa Khattab
And lo, it is in the Scriptures of the men of old.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
Without doubt it is (announced) in the mystic Books of former peoples. 3226
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The word Zubur, used here, is plural of Zabur, which is mentioned in the Qur-an as the Book revealed to the prophet Da'ud. It has also been used in the Qur-an in generic sense of "Book" (LIV: 52). Here the word refers to the earlier Revelations.

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26:197
أَوَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُمْ ءَايَةً أَن يَعْلَمَهُۥ عُلَمَـٰٓؤُا۟ بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ Awalam yakun lahum a yatan an yaAAlamahu AAulam a o banee isr a eel a
Is it not evidence enough for them84 that [so many] learned men from among the children of Israel have recognized this [as true]?85
  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., for those who disbelieve in the prophethood of Muhammad.

Sc., "and in consequence have become Muslims": for instance, 'Abd Allah ibn Salam, Ka'b ibn Malik and other learned Jews of Medina in the lifetime of the Prophet, Ka'b al-Ahbar the Yemenite and a number of his compatriots during the reign of 'Umar, and countless others throughout the world who embraced Islam in the course of centuries. The reason why only learned Jews and not learned Christians as well are spoken of in this context lies in the fact that - contrary to the Torah, which still exists, albeit in a corrupted form - the original revelation granted to Jesus has been lost (see surah {3}, note [4]) and cannot, therefore, be cited in evidence of the basic identity of his teachings with those of the Qur'an.

Is it not sufficient proof for the people that the learned men of the children of Israel knew about it?
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Was it not sufficient proof for the deniers that it has been recognized by the knowledgeable among the Children of Israel?1
  - Mustafa Khattab

 i.e., ’Abdullâh ibn Salâm, a Jewish authority, who accepted Islam during the time of the Prophet (ﷺ).

Is it not a token for them that the doctors of the Children of Israel know it?
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
Is it not a Sign to them that the learned of the Children of Israel knew it (as true)? 3227
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Many of the Jewish Doctors recognised the holy Prophet's Message as a Message from Allah, e.g., 'Abdullah ibn Salam and Mukhairiq. The latter was a man of property, which he left for Islam. (There were also Christian monks and learned men who recognised the Prophet's mission.)

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26:198
وَلَوْ نَزَّلْنَـٰهُ عَلَىٰ بَعْضِ ٱلْأَعْجَمِينَ Walaw nazzaln a hu AAal a baAA d i alaAAjameen a
But [even] had We bestowed it from on high upon any of the non-Arabs,
  - Mohammad Asad
Even so that if We had revealed it to a non-Arab,
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Had We revealed it to a non-Arab,
  - Mustafa Khattab
And if We had revealed it unto one of any other nation than the Arabs,
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
Had We revealed it to any of the non-Arabs
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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26:199
فَقَرَأَهُۥ عَلَيْهِم مَّا كَانُوا۟ بِهِۦ مُؤْمِنِينَ Faqaraahu AAalayhim m a k a noo bihi mumineen a
and had he recited it unto them [in his own tongue], they would not have believed in it.86
  - Mohammad Asad

As the Qur'an points out in many places, most of the Meccan contemporaries of Muhammad refused in the beginning to believe in his prophethood on the ground that God could not have entrusted "a man from among themselves" with His message: and this in spite of the fact that the Qur'an was expressed "in the clear Arabic tongue", which they could fully understand: but (so the argument goes) if the Prophet had been a foreigner, and his message expressed in a non-Arabic tongue, they would have been even less prepared to accept it- for then they would have had the legitimate excuse that they were unable to understand it (cf. 41:44 ).

and he had recited it to them in fluent Arabic, they would still not have believed in it.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
who would then recite it to the deniers 'in fluent Arabic', still they would not have believed in it!
  - Mustafa Khattab
And he had read it unto them, they would not have believed in it.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
And had he recited it to them they would not have believed in it. 3228
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The turn of Arabia having come for receiving Allah's Revelation, as was foretold in previous Revelations, it was inevitable that it should be in the Arab tongue through the mouth of an Arab. Otherwise it would have been unintelligible, and the Arabs could not have received the Faith and become the vehicles for its promulgation as actually happened in history.

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26:200
كَذَٰلِكَ سَلَكْنَـٰهُ فِى قُلُوبِ ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ Ka tha lika salakn a hu fee quloobi almujrimeen a
Thus have We caused this [message] to pass [unheeded] through the hearts of those who are lost in sin:87
  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., not to take root in their hearts, but to "go into one ear and out of the other". As regards Clod's "causing" this to happen, see surah {2}, note [7], and surah {14}, note [4].

We have thus caused unbelief in the hearts of the guilty.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
This is how We allow denial 'to steep' into the hearts of the wicked.
  - Mustafa Khattab
Thus do We make it traverse the hearts of the guilty.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
Thus have We caused it to enter the hearts of the Sinners. 3229
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

"Thus" I think means through the medium of the Arabic language and the Arab people. The Qur-an penetrated through their language and their hearts. If the hard-hearted among them did not believe, they will see when the Penalty comes, how grievous a mistake they made. For the Penalty must come; even when they least expected it. They will be caught saying or thinking, "There is plenty of time; we can get another respite," when already it will have become too late for them to turn over a new leaf.

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