Surah 39. Az-Zumar

Nay, but thou shalt worship God [alone], and be among those who are grateful [to Him]!

  - Mohammad Asad

Therefore, worship Allah and be among His thankful servants.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Nay, but Allah must thou serve, and be among the thankful!

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And no true understanding of God have they [who worship aught beside Him], inasmuch as the whole of the earth will be as a [mere] handful to Him on Resurrection Day, and the heavens will be rolled up in His right hand:⁶⁶ limitless is He in His glory, and sublimely exalted above anything to which they may ascribe a share in His divinity!

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., the whole universe is as nothing before Him: for this specific allegory of God's almightiness, see 21:104 . There are many instances, in the Qur'an as well as in authentic ahadith, of the clearly metaphorical use of the term "hand" in allusions to God's absolute power and dominion. The particular reference, in the above, to the Day of Resurrection is due to the fact that it will be only on his own resurrection that a human being shall fully grasp the concept of God's almightiness, referred to in the subsequent words, "limitless is He in His glory'' (subhanahu)".

They have not recognized the worth of Allah as his worth should be recognized. On the Day of Resurrection the whole earth shall be in His grasp and all the heavens shall be rolled up in His right hand. Glory be to Him! Exalted be He above what they associate with Him.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And they esteem not Allah as He hath the right to be esteemed, when the whole earth is His handful on the Day of Resurrection, and the heavens are rolled in His right hand. Glorified is He and High Exalted from all that they ascribe as partner (unto Him).

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And [on that Day,] the trumpet [of judgment] will be sounded, and all [creatures] that are in the heavens and all that are on earth will fall down senseless. unless they be such as God wills [to exempt].⁶⁷ And then it will sound again - and lo! standing [before the Seat of Judgment], they will begin to see [the truth]! ⁶⁸

  - Mohammad Asad

As is evident from 27:89 , the above is an allusion to the unbroken spiritual life in this world - and, therefore, happiness in the hereafter - of those who have attained to faith and have done righteous deeds. Cf. 21:103 - "the supreme awesomeness [of the Day of Resurrection] will cause them no grief".

Cf. 37:19 .

The Trumpet shall be blown, and all that is in the heavens and the earth shall swoon except those whom Allah will please to exempt. Then the Trumpet will be blown for the second time and behold! They shall all stand up, looking around.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And the trumpet is blown, and all who are in the heavens and the earth swoon away, save him whom Allah willeth. Then it is blown a second time, and behold them standing waiting!

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And the earth will shine bright with her Sustainer's light.⁶⁹ And the record [of everyone's deeds] will be laid bare,⁷⁰ and all the prophets will be brought forward, and all [other] witnesses;⁷¹ and judgment will be passed on them all in justice. And they will not be wronged,

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., with a clear revelation of His will. See also 14:48 , where it is stated that on Resurrection Day "the earth shall be changed into another earth, as shall be the heavens". A further allusion to this transformation (and not annihilation) of the universe is found in {20:105-107}.

Cf. {17:13-14} (and the corresponding note [18]); also 18:49 .

See 4:41 and the corresponding note [52]. Accordingly, the above phrase may well have the meaning of "all the prophets as witnesses", i.e., for or against those to whom they conveyed God's message. In all probability, however, the term shuhada, a' (or ashhad in 40:51 ) signifies here - as its singular shahid obviously does in 50:21 - man's newly-awakened consciousness, which will compel him to bear witness against himself on Judgment Day (cf. 6:130 , 17:14 , 24:24 , 36:65 , 41:20 ff.).

The earth will be shining with the light of her Rabb, the Book of record will be laid open, the Prophets and other witnesses will be brought in, and justice shall be done between people with all fairness: none shall be wronged.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And the earth shineth with the light of her Lord, and the Book is set up, and the Prophets and the witnesses are brought, and it is judged between them with truth, and they are not wronged.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

for every human being will be repaid in full for whatever [good or evil] he has done:⁷² and He is fully aware of all that they do.

  - Mohammad Asad

Cf. {99:7-8}, "he who shall have done an atom's weight of good, shall behold it; and he who shall have done an atom's weiaht of evil, shall behold it".

Every soul will be paid in full according to its deeds, for He knows fully well as to what they did.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And each soul is paid in full for what it did. And He is best aware of what they do.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And those who were bent on denying the truth will be urged on in throngs towards hell till, when they reach it, its gates will be opened, and its keepers will ask them, "Have there not come to you apostles from among yourselves, who conveyed to you your Sustainer's messages and warned you of the coming of this your Day [of Judgment]?" They will answer: "Yea, indeed!" But the sentence of suffering will [already] have fallen due upon the deniers of the truth;⁷³

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., as an ineluctable consequence of their unrepented sinning.

After the Judgement, the Unbelievers will be driven to hell in groups. When they reach there, its gates will be opened and its keepers will say: "Did there not come to you Rasools from among yourselves, who recited to you the revelations of your Rabb and forewarned you about the meeting of this Day?" "Yes," they will answer. But at that time the sentence of punishment would have been already announced against the unbelievers."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And those who disbelieve are driven unto hell in troops till, when they reach it and the gates thereof are opened, and the warders thereof say unto them: Came there not unto you messenger's of your own, reciting unto you the revelations of your Lord and warning you of the meeting of this your Day? they say Yea, verily. But the word of doom for disbelievers is fulfilled.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

[and] they will be told, "Enter the gates of hell, therein to abide!" And how vile an abode for those who were given to false pride !⁷⁴

  - Mohammad Asad

Sc., "and therefore refused to submit to the guidance offered them by God's apostles": cf. {96:6-7} - "man becomes grossly overweening whenever he believes himself to be self-sufficient". See also 16:22 and the corresponding note [IS].

They will be told: "Enter the gates of hell to live therein forever." Evil shall be the abode of the arrogant."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

It is said (unto them): Enter ye the gates of hell to dwell therein. Thus hapless is the journey's end of the scorners.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

But those who were conscious of their Sustainer will be urged on in throngs towards paradise till, when they reach it, they shall find its gates wideopen;⁷⁵ and its keepers will say unto them, "Peace be upon you! Well have you done: enter, then, this [paradise], herein to abide!"

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "and its gates have [or "will have"] been opened", i.e., before their arrival, as indicated by the particle wa (lit., "and"), which in this case denotes precedence in time (Zamakhshari). Cf. in this connection {38}: SO - "gardens of perpetual bliss, with gates wide-open to them".

As for those who fear their Rabb, they shall be led towards paradise in groups. When they reach there, its gates will be opened, and its keepers will say: "Peace be upon you! You have done well, now enter to live therein forever."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And those who keep their duty to their Lord are driven unto the Garden in troops till, when they reach it, and the gates thereof are opened, and the warders thereof say unto them: Peace be unto you! Ye are good, so enter ye (the Garden of delight), to dwell therein;

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And they will exclaim: "All praise is due to God, who has made His promise to us come true, and has bestowed upon us this expanse [of bliss] as our portion,⁷⁶ so that we may dwell in paradise as we please!" And how excellent a reward will it be for those who laboured [in God's way]!

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "has made us heirs to this land", i.e., of paradise. According to all the classical commentators, the concept of "heritage" is used here metaphorically, to denote the rightful due, or portion, of the blessed. The term ard (lit., "earth" or "land") has also - especially in poetry - the connotation of "anything that is spread" (cf. Lane I, 48): hence my rendering of it, in the above context, as "expanse".

They will say: "Praise be to Allah Who has truly fulfilled His promise and gave us this land to inherit, now we can live in paradise wherever we like." How excellent will be the reward for the righteous?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

They say: Praise be to Allah, Who hath fulfilled His promise unto us and hath made us inherit the land, sojourning in the Garden where we will! So bounteous is the wage of workers.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And thou wilt see the angels surrounding the throne of [God's] almightiness,⁷⁷ extolling their Sustainer's glory and praise. And judgment will have been passed in justice on all [who had lived and died], and the word will be spoken:⁷⁸ "All praise is due to God, the Sustainer of All the worlds!"

  - Mohammad Asad

Whenever the term al-'arsh ("the throne [of God]") occurs in the Qur'an, it is used as a metaphor for His absolute dominion over all that exists: hence my rendering, "the throne of [God's] almightiness". (See also 7:54 and the corresponding note [43].) The mention of the "angels surrounding" it has, obviously, a metaphorical meaning: see note [4] on 40:7 .

Lit., "it will he said".

You will see the angels surrounding the Divine Throne, glorifying their Rabb with His praises. The judgement between the people will be made with perfect justice, and it will be proclaimed: "Praise be to Allah the Rabb of the worlds!"

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And thou (O Muhammad) seest the angels thronging round the Throne, hymning the praises of their Lord. And they are judged aright. And it is said: Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds!

  - Marmaduke Pickthall