Surah 21. Al-Anbiya

And unto Solomon [We made subservient] the stormy wind, so that it sped at his behest towar'ds the land which We had blessed:⁷⁵ for it is We who have knowledge of everything.

  - Mohammad Asad

This is apparently an allusion to the fleets of sailing ships which brought untold riches to Palestine ("the land which We had blessed") and made Solomon’s wealth proverbial.

We made the raging winds subservient to Sulaiman, pursuing its course by his command to the land which We had blessed; and We have knowledge of everything.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And to Solomon We subjected the raging winds, blowing by his command to the land We had showered with blessings. It is We Who know everything.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And unto Solomon (We subdued) the wind in its raging. It set by His command toward the land which We had blessed. And of everything We are aware.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

(It was Our power that made) the violent (unruly) wind flow (tamely) for Solomon to his order to the land which We had blessed: for We do know all things. ^{2736 2737}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. xxxiv. 12, and xxxviii. 36-38, This has been interpreted to mean that Solomon had miraculous power over the winds, and he could make them obey his order. In any case the power behind was, and is, from Allah, Who has granted man intelligence and the faculties by which he can tame the more unruly forces of nature.

Evidently Palestine, in which was Solomon's capital, though his influence extended for north in Syria.

And among the rebel-lious forces [which We made subservient to him]⁷⁶ there were some that dived for him [into the sea] and performed other works besides: but it was We who kept watch over them.⁷⁷

  - Mohammad Asad

My rendering, in this particular context, of shayatin (lit., "satans") as "rebellious forces" is based on the tropical use of the term shaytan in the sense of anything "rebellious", "inordinately proud" or "insolent" (cf. Lane IV, 1552)-in this case, possibly a reference to subdued and enslaved enemies or, more probably, to "rebellious" forces of nature which Solomon was able to tame and utilize; however, see also next note.

In this as well as in several other passages relating to Solomon, the Qur'an alludes to the many poetic legends which were associated with his name since early antiquity and had become part and parcel of Judaeo-Christian and Arabian lore long before the advent of Islam. Although it is undoubtedly possible to interpret such passages in a "rationalistic" manner, I do not think that this is really necessary. Because they were so deeply ingrained in the imagination of the people to whom the Qur'an addressed itself in the first instance, these legendary accounts of Solomon's wisdom and magic powers had acquired a cultural reality of their own and were, therefore, eminently suited to serve as a medium for the parabolic exposition of certain ethical truths with which this book is concerned: and so, without denying or confirming their mythical character, the Qur'an uses them as a foil for the idea that God is the ultimate source of all human power and glory, and that all achievements of human ingenuity, even though they may sometimes border on the miraculous, are but an expression of His transcendental creativity.

And We had subjected to him many of the shaitans who dived for him into the sea and performed other duties besides this; and We were the One Who had control over them for him.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And 'We subjected' some jinn¹ that dived for him,² and performed other duties. It is We Who kept them in check.

  - Mustafa Khattab

 lit., devils.

 The jinn dived to bring him pearls.

And of the evil ones (subdued We unto him) some who dived (for pearls) for him and did other work, and We were warders unto them.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And of the evil ones were some who dived for him and did other work besides; and it was We Who guarded them. ²⁷³⁸

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

It was Allah's power ultimately, Who granted him wisdom. Solomon tamed the jinns with Wisdom.

AND [remember] Job, when he cried out to his Sus-tainer, "Affliction has befallen me: but Thou art the most merciful of the merciful!"⁷⁸ -

  - Mohammad Asad

The story of Job (Ayyub in Arabic), describing his erstwhile happiness and prosperity, his subsequent trials and tribulations, the loss of all his children and his property, his own loathsome illness and utter despair and, finally, God's reward of his patience in adversity, is given in full in the Old Testament (The Book of Job). This Biblical, highly philosophical epic is most probably a Hebrew translation or paraphrase - still evident in the language employed-of an ancient Naba-taean (i.e., North-Arabian) poem, for "Job, the author of the finest piece of poetry that the ancient Semitic world produced, was an Arab, not a Jew, as the form of his name (Iyyob) and the scene of his book, North Arabia, indicate" (Philip K. Hitti, History of the Arabs, London 1937, pp. 42-43). Since God "spoke" to him, Job ranks in the Qur'an among the prophets, personifying the supreme virtue of patience in adversity (sabr).

Similarly We blessed Ayub, when he prayed to his Rabb saying, "I am badly afflicted with disease: but of all those who show mercy You are the most Merciful."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And 'remember' when Job cried out to his Lord, 'I have been touched with adversity,¹ and You are the Most Merciful of the merciful.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

 This refers to his loss of health, wealth, and children.

And Job, when he cried unto his Lord, (saying): Lo! adversity afflicteth me, and Thou art Most Merciful of all who show mercy.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And (remember) Job when he cried to his Lord "Truly distress has seized me but Thou art the Most Merciful of those that are merciful." ²⁷³⁹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Job (Ayub) was a prosperous man, with faith in Allah, living somewhere in the north-east comer of Arabia. He suffers from a number of calamities: his cattle are destroyed, his servants slain by the sword, and his family crushed under his roof. But he holds fast to his faith in Allah. As a further calamity he is covered with loathsome sores from head to foot. He loses his peace of mind, and he curses the day he was born. His false friends come and attribute his afflictions to sin. These "Job's comforters" are no comforters at all, and he further loses his balance of mind, but Allah recalls to him all His mercies, and he resumes his humility and gives up self-justification. He is restored to prosperity, with twice as much as he had before; his brethren and friends come back to him; he had a new family of seven sons and three fair daughters. He lived to a good old age, and saw four generations of descendants. All this is recorded in the Book of Job in the Old Testament. Of all the Hebrew writings, the Hebrew of this Book comes nearest to Arabic. The account given in the Biblical sources and the image that it projects of Prophet Job is decidedly different from that found in the Qur-an and the Hadith, which present him as a prophet and brilliant example of dignified patience becoming of a great Prophet of Allah ever trustful in Him and His promises. Nothing could be farther from truth than saying that he lost his peace of mind or resorted to curses during the period of his trial.

whereupon We responded unto him and removed all the affliction from which he suffered; and We gave him new offspring,⁷⁹ doubling their number as an act of grace from Us. and as a reminder unto all who worship Us.

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "his family" - i.e., new children in place of those who had died.

We accepted his prayer and relieved his affliction, and restored not only his family but also as many more with them as a favor from Us so that it may serve as a reminder to Our worshippers.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

So We answered his prayer and removed his adversity, and gave him back his family, twice as many, as a mercy from Us and a lesson for the 'devoted' worshippers.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Then We heard his prayer and removed that adversity from which he suffered, and We gave him his household (that he had lost) and the like thereof along with them, a mercy from Our store, and a remembrance for the worshippers;

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

So We listened to him: We removed the distress that was on him and We restored his people to him and doubled their number as a Grace from Ourselves and a thing for commemoration for all who serve Us. ²⁷⁴⁰

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Job is the pattern of humility, patience, and faith in Allah. It was with these weapons that he fought and conquered evil.

AND [remember] Ishmael and Idris,⁸⁰ and every one who [like them] has pledged himself [unto God]:⁸¹ they all were among those who are patient in adversity,

  - Mohammad Asad

See surah {19}, note [41].

Lit., "and him of the pledge". The expression dhu 'l-kifl is derived from the verb kafala - and especially the form takaffala - which signifies "he became responsible [for something or someone]" or pledged himself [to do something]". Although the classical commentators consider dhu 'l kifl to be the peithet or the proper name of a particular prophet - whom they variously, more or less at randm, identify with Elijah or Joshua or Zachariah or Ezekiel - I fail to see any reason whatever for such attempts at "identification", the more so since we have not a single authentic hadith which would mention, or even distantly allude to, a prophet by this name. I am, therefore, of the opinion that we have here (as in the identical expression in 38:48 ) a generic term applying to every one of the prophets, inasmuch as each of them pledged himself unreservedly to God and accepted the responsibility for delivering His message to man.

Likewise, We blessed Isma`il (Ishmael), Idris and Zul-kifl, for all of them practised patience.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And 'remember' Ishmael, Enoch, and Ⱬul-Kifl.¹ They were all steadfast.

  - Mustafa Khattab

 Scholars are in disagreement as to whether Ⱬul-Kifl was a prophet or just a righteous man. Those who maintain that he was a prophet identify him with various Biblical prophets such as Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Obadiah.

And (mention) Ishmael, and Idris, and Dhul-Kifl. All were of the steadfast.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And (remember) Ismail Idris and Zul-kifl all (men) of constancy and patience; ^{2741 2742 2743}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Isma'il is mentioned specially, apart from the line which descended through Isaac (xxi. 72), as he was the founder of a separate and greater Ummat. His sufferings began in infancy (see n. 160 to ii. 158); but his steady constancy and submission to the will of Allah were specially shown when he earned the title of "Sacrifice to Allah" (see n. 2506 to xix. 54). That was the particular quality of his constancy and patience.

For Idris see n. 2508 to xix. 56. He was in a high station in life, but that did not spoil him. He was sincere and true, and that was the particular quality of his constancy and patience.

Zul-kifl would literally mean "possessor of, or giving, a double requital or portion"; or else, "one who used a cloak of double thickness," that being one of the meanings of Kifl. The Commentators differ in opinion as to who is meant, why the title is applied to him, and the point of his being grouped with Isma'il and Idris for constancy and patience. I think the best suggestion is that afforded by Karsten Niebuhr in his Reisebeschreibung nach Arabian, Copenhagen, 1778, ii. 264-266, as quoted in the Encyclopaedia of Islam under "Dhul-Kifl". He visited Meshad 'All in 'Iraq, and also the little town called Kefil, midway between Najaf and Hilla (Babylon). Kefil, he says, is the Arabic form of Ezekiel. The shrine of Ezekiel was there, and the Jews came to it on pilgrimage. If we accept "Zul-kifl" to be not an epithet, but an Arabicised form of "Ezekiel", it fits the context. Ezekiel was a prophet in Israel who was carried away to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar after his second attack on Jerusalem (about B.C. 599). His Book is included in the English Bible (Old Testament). He was chained and bound, and put into prison, and for a time he was dumb (Ezekiel, iii. 25-26). He bore all with patience and constancy, and continued to reprove boldly the evils in Israel. In a burning passage he denounces false leaders in words which are eternally true: "Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken ...... etc. (Ezekiel, xxxiv. 2-4). Zul-kifl is again mentioned in xxxviii. 48 along with Isma'il and Elisha.

and so We admitted them unto Our grace: behold, they were among the righteous!

  - Mohammad Asad

We admitted them to Our Mercy, for they were of the righteous people.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

We admitted them into Our mercy, for they were truly of the righteous.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And We brought them in unto Our mercy. Lo! they are among the righteous.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

We admitted them to Our Mercy: for they were of the Righteous ones.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

AND [remember] him of the great fish⁸² - when he went off in wrath, thinking that We had no power over him!⁸³ But then he cried out in the deep darkness [of his distress]: "There is no deity save Thee! Limitless art Thou in Thy glory! Verily, I have done wrong!⁸⁴

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., the Prophet Jonah, who is said to have been swallowed by a "great fish", as mentioned in {37: 139} ff. and more fully narrated in the Old Testament (The Book of Jonah).

According to the Biblical account (which more or less agrees with the Qur'anic references to his story), Jonah was a prophet sent to the people of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. At first his preaching was disregarded by his people, and he left them in anger, thus abandoning the mission entrusted to him by God; in the words of the Qur'an ({37: 140}), "he fled like a runaway slave". The allegory of his temporary punishment and his subsequent rescue and redemption is referred to elsewhere in the Qur'an (i.e., in {37:139-148}) and explained in the corresponding notes. It is to that punishment, repentance and salvation that the present and the next verse allude. (The redemption of Jonah's people is mentioned in 10:98 and {37:147-148}.)

Lit., "I was among the wrongdoers".

We blessed Zun-nun (Yunus / Jonah), when he departed in anger, thinking We would not take him to task for this, but later he prayed to Us from the depths of darkness, "There is no god but You, glory be to You! Indeed I was the one who committed wrong."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And 'remember' when the Man of the Whale stormed off 'from his city' in a rage, thinking We would not restrain him.¹ Then in the 'veils of' darkness² he cried out, 'There is no god 'worthy of worship' except You. Glory be to You! I have certainly done wrong.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

 Or “thinking We will let him get away with it.” Jonah (ﷺ) had been met with denial for many years. When he sensed the coming of Allah’s torment, he abandoned his city without Allah’s permission. Eventually, his people repented before the coming of the torment, and Allah accepted their repentance (see 10:98), whereas Jonah ended up in the belly of the whale (see 37:140-148).

 The darkness of the night, the sea, and the belly of the whale.

And (mention) Dhun Nun, when he went off in anger and deemed that We had no power over him, but he cried out in the darkness, saying: There is no God save Thee. Be Thou glorified! I have been a wrong-doer.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And remember Zun-nun when he departed in wrath: he imagined that We had no power over him! But he cried through the depths of darkness "There is no god but Thou: Glory to Thee: I was indeed wrong!" ²⁷⁴⁴

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Zun-nun. "the man of the Fish or the Whale", is the title of Jonah (Yunus), because he was swallowed by a large Fish or Whale. He was the prophet raised to warn the Assyrian capital Nineveh. For Nineveh see n. 1478 to x. 98. His story is told in xxxvii. 139-149. When his first warning was unheeded by the people, he denounced Allah's wrath on them. But they repented and Allah forgave them for the time being. Jonah, meanwhile, departed in wrath, discouraged at the apparent failure of his mission. He should have remained in the most discouraging circumstances, and relied on the power of Allah; for Allah had power both over Nineveh and over the Messenger He had sent to Nineveh. He went away to the sea and took a ship, but apparently the sailors threw him out as a man of bad omen in a storm. He was swallowed by a big Fish (or Whale), but in the depth of the darkness, he cried to Allah and confessed his weakness. The "darkness" may be interpreted both physically and spiritually; physically, as the darkness of the night and the storm and the Fish's body; spiritually as the darkness in his soul, his extreme distress in the situation which he had brought on himself. Allah Most Gracious forgave him. He was cast out ashore; he was given the shelter of a plant in his state of mental and physical lassitude. He was refreshed and strengthened, and the work of his mission prospered. Thus he overcame all his disappointment by repentance and Faith, and Allah accepted him.

And so We responded unto him and delivered him from [his] distress: for thus do We deliver all who have faith.

  - Mohammad Asad

We accepted his prayer and delivered him from distress; thus do We deliver the believers.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

So We answered his prayer and rescued him from anguish. And so do We save the 'true' believers.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Then We heard his prayer and saved him from the anguish. Thus We save believers.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

So We listened to him: and delivered him from distress: and thus do We deliver those who have faith.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

AND [thus did We deliver] Zachariah when he cried out unto his Sustainer: "O my Sustainer! Leave me not childless! But [even if Thou grant me no bodily heir, I know that] Thou wilt remain when all else has ceased to be!"⁸⁵

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "Thou art the best of inheritors" - a phrase explained in note [22] on 15:23 . The words interpolated by me between brackets correspond to Zamakhshari's and Razi's interpretation of this phrase. For more detailed references to Zachariah, father of John the Baptist, see 3:37 ff. and 19:2 ff.

We also blessed Zakariya, when he prayed to his Rabb, "O my Rabb! Do not let me remain childless even though You are the best of inheritors.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And 'remember' when Zachariah cried out to his Lord, 'My Lord! Do not leave me childless, though You are the Best of Successors.'¹

  - Mustafa Khattab

 Meaning, “You will be there for eternity after all pass away.”

And Zachariah, when he cried unto his Lord: My Lord! Leave me not childless, though Thou art the best of inheritors.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And (remember) Zakariya when he cried to his Lord: "O my Lord! leave me not without offspring though Thou art the best of inheritors. ^{2745 2746}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

See xix. 2-15, and iii. 38-41. Zakariya was a priest; both he and his wife were devout and punctilious in their duties. They were old, and they had no son. He was troubled in mind, not so much by the vulgar desire to have a son to carry on his line, but because he felt that his people were not unselfishly devout, and there would be no sincere work for Allah unless he could train up someone himself. He was given a son Yahya (John the Baptist), who added to the devout reputation of the family, for he is called "noble, chaste, and a prophet," (iii. 39). All three, father, mother, and son, were made worthy of each other, and they repelled evil by their devout emulation in virtue.

'It is not that I crave a personal heir to myself: all things go back to Thee, and Thou art the best of inheritors: but I see no one around me sincere enough to carry on my work for Thee; wilt Thou give me one whom I can train?'

And so We responded unto him, and bestowed upon him the gift of John, having made his wife fit to bear him a child:⁸⁶ [and,] verily, these [three] would vie with one another in doing good works, and would call unto Us in yearning and awe; and they were always humble before Us.

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "for We had made his wife fit for him", i.e., after her previous barrenness.

We accepted his prayer and gave him Yahya (John), curing his wife for him to bear a child. They were ever quick in emulating good deeds and called on Us with hope, fear, and submission.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

So We answered his prayer, granted him John, and made his wife fertile. Indeed, they used to race in doing good, and call upon Us with hope and fear, totally humbling themselves before Us.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Then We heard his prayer, and bestowed upon him John, and adjusted his wife (to bear a child) for him. Lo! they used to vie one with the other in good deeds, and they cried unto Us in longing and in fear, and were submissive unto Us.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

So We listened to him: and We granted him Yahya: We cured his wife's (barrenness) for him. These three were ever quick in emulation in good works: they used to call on Us with love and reverence and humble themselves before Us. ²⁷⁴⁷

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Aslaha = to improve, to mend, to reform, to make better. Here, with reference to Zakariya's wife, the signification is twofold: (1) that her barrenness would be removed, so that she could become a mother; and (2) her spiritual dignity should be raised in becoming the mother of John the Baptist; and by implication his also, in becoming the father of John.

AND [remember] her who guarded her chastity, whereupon We breathed into her of Our spirit⁸⁷ and caused her, together with her son, to become a symbol [of Our grace] unto all people.⁸⁸

  - Mohammad Asad

This allegorical expression, used here with reference to Mary's conception of Jesus, has been widely - and erroneously - interpreted as relating specifically to his birth. As a matter of fact, the Qur'an uses the same expression in three other places with reference to the creation of man in general - namely in {15 :29} and 38:72 , "when I have formed him... and breathed into him of My spirit"; and in 32:9 , "and thereupon He forms [lit., "formed"] him fully and breathes [lit., "breathed"] into him of His spirit". In particular, the passage of which the last-quoted phrase is a part (i.e., {32:7-9}) makes it abundantly and explicitly clear that God "breathes of His spirit" into every human being. Commenting on the verse under consideration, Zamakhshari states that "the breathing of the spirit [of God] into a body signifies the endowing it with life": an explanation with which Razi concurs. (In this connection, see also note [181] on 4:171 .) As for the description of Mary as allati ahsanat farjaha, idiomatically denoting "one who guarded her chastity" (lit., "her private parts"), it is to be borne in mind that the term ihsan - lit., "[one's] being fortified [against any danger or evil]" - has the tropical meaning of "abstinence from what is unlawful or reprehensible" (Tarj al-'Arus), and especially from illicit sexual intercourse, and is applied to a man as well as a woman: thus, for instance, the terms muhsan and muhsanah are used elsewhere in the Qur'an to describe, respectively, a man or a woman who is "fortified [by marriage] against unchastity". Hence, the expression allati ahsanat farjaha, occurring in the above verse as well as in {66: 12} with reference to Mary, is but meant to stress her outstanding chastity and complete abstinence, in thought as well as in deed, from anything unlawful or morally reprehensible: in other words, a rejection of the calumny (referred to in 4:156 and obliquely alluded to in {19:27-28}) that the birth of Jesus was the result of an "illicit union".

For my rendering of the term ayah as "symbol", see surah {17}, note [2], and surah {19}, note [16].

And We blessed the woman (Maryam), who guarded her chastity, We breathed into her of Our Spirit and We made her and her son a sign for the whole world.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And 'remember' the one who guarded her chastity, so We breathed into her through Our angel, 'Gabriel,'¹ making her and her son a sign for all peoples.

  - Mustafa Khattab

 Gabriel breathed into the sleeves of Mary’s garment so she conceived Jesus.

And she who was chaste, therefor We breathed into her (something) of Our spirit and made her and her son a token for (all) peoples.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And (remember) her who guarded her chastity: We breathed into her of Our Spirit and We made her and her son a Sign for all peoples. ²⁷⁴⁸

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Mary the mother of Jesus. Chastity was her special virtue: with a son of virgin birth, she and Jesus became a miracle to all nations. That was the virtue with which they (both Mary and Jesus) resisted evil.

VERILY, [O you who believe in Me,] this communIty of yours is one single community, since I am the Sustainer of you all: worship, then, Me [alone]!⁸⁹

  - Mohammad Asad

After calling to mind, in verses {48-91}, some of the earlier prophets, all of whom stressed the oneness and uniqueness of God, the discourse returns to that principle of oneness as it ought to be reflected in the unity of all who believe in Him. (See {23: 51} ff.)

Verily this brotherhood of yours is a single brotherhood and I am your only Rabb, therefore worship Me Alone.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

'O prophets!' Indeed, this religion of yours is 'only' one, and I am your Lord, so worship Me 'alone'.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Lo! this, your religion, is one religion, and I am your Lord, so worship Me.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Verily this Brotherhood of yours is a single Brotherhood and I am your Lord and Cherisher: therefore serve Me (and no other). ²⁷⁴⁹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Ummat: this is best translated by Brotherhood here. "Community", "race", and "nation," and "people" are words which import other ideas and do not quite correspond to "Ummat". "Religion" and "Way of Life" are derived meanings, which could be used in other passages, but are less appropriate here. Our attention has been drawn to people of very different temperaments and virtues, widely different in time, race, language, surroundings, history, and work to be performed, but forming the closest brotherhood as being men and women united in the highest service of Allah. They prefigure the final and perfected Brotherhood of Islam.

But men have torn their unity wide asunder,⁹⁰ [forgetting that] unto Us they all are bound to return.

  - Mohammad Asad

This is the meaning of the idiomatic phrase, taqatta'u amrahum baynahum. As Zamakhshari points out, the sudden turn of the discourse from the second person plural to the third person is indicative of God's severe disapproval-His "turning away", as it were, from those who are or were guilty of breaking the believers' unity. (See also 23:53 and the corresponding note [30].)

But the people have divided their religion into sects between them- to Us they shall all return.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Yet the people have divided it into sects. But to Us they will all return.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And they have broken their religion (into fragments) among them, (yet) all are returning unto Us.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

But (later generations) cut off their affair (of unity) one from another: (yet) will they all return to Us. ²⁷⁵⁰

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Allah's Message was and ever is one; and His Messengers treated it as one. It is people of narrower views who come later and trade on the earlier names, that break up the Message and the Brotherhood into jarring camps and sects.

And yet, whoever does [the least] of righteous deeds and is a believer withal, his endeavour shall not be disowned: for, behold, We shall record it in his favour.⁹¹

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., even a breach of religious unity may not be unforgivable so long as it does not involve a worship of false deities or false moral values (cf. verses {98-99} below): this is the meaning of the stress, in this context, on man's being "a believer withal" -an echo of the principle clearly spelt out in 2:62 and several other Qur'anic passages.

Whoever shall do good deeds, provided he is a believer, his endeavor will not be rejected: We are recording it all for him.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

So whoever does good and is a believer will never be denied 'the reward for' their striving, for We are recording it all.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Then whoso doeth good works and is a believer, there will be no rejection of his effort. Lo! We record (it) for him.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Whoever works any act of righteousness and has Faith his endeavor will not be rejected: We shall record it in his favor. ²⁷⁵¹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Allah gives credit for every act of righteousness, however small: when combined with sincere Faith in Allah, it becomes the stepping stone to higher and higher things. It is never lost.

Hence, it has been unfailingly true of⁹² any community whom We have ever destroyed that they [were people who] would never turn back [from their sinful ways]⁹³

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "an inviolable law (haram) upon ...", expressing the impossibility of conceiving anything to the contrary (Zamakhshari).

I.e., whenever God consigns a community to destruction, He does it not because of its people's occasional lapses but only because of their irremediable, conscious unwillingness to forsake their sinful ways.

It is not possible that a nation which We have destroyed may rise again.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

It is impossible for a society which We have destroyed to ever rise again,

  - Mustafa Khattab

And there is a ban upon any community which We have destroyed: that they shall not return,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

But there is a ban on any population which We have destroyed: that they shall not return. ²⁷⁵²

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

But when wickedness comes to such a pass that the Wrath of Allah descends, as it did on Sodom, the case becomes hopeless. The righteous were warned and delivered before the Wrath descended. But those destroyed will not get another chance, as they flouted all previous chances. They will only be raised at the approach of the Day of Judgment.

until such a time as Gog and Magog are let loose [upon the world] and swarm down from every corner [of the earth],⁹⁴

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., until the Day of Resurrection, heralded by the allegorical break-through of "Gog and Magog" (see surah {18}, note [100], especially the last sentence): for it is on that Day that even the most hardened sinner will at last realize his guilt and be filled with belated remorse.-The term hadab literally denotes "raised ground" or "elevation", but the expression min kulli hadabin is used here idiomatically, signifying "from all directions" or "from every corner [of the earth]": an allusion to the irresistible nature of the social and cultural catastrophes which will overwhelm mankind before the coming of the Last Hour.

Until, when Gog and Magog will be let loose and they will swiftly swarm from every height,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

until 'after' Gog and Magog have broken loose 'from the barrier',¹ swarming down from every hill,

  - Mustafa Khattab

 See 18:93-99.

Until, when Gog and Magog are let loose, and they hasten out of every mound.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Until the Gog and Magog (people) are let through (their barrier) and they swiftly swarm from every hill. ²⁷⁵³

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

For Gog and Magog see n. 2439 to xviii. 92. The name stands for wild and lawless tribes who will break their barriers and swarm through the earth. This will be one of the prognostications of the approaching Judgment.

the while the true promise [of resurrection] draws close [to its fulfilment].But then, lo! the eyes of those who [in their lifetime] were bent on denying the truth will stare in horror, [and they will exclaim:] "Oh, woe unto us! We were indeed heedless of this [promise of resurrection] - nay, we were [bent on] doing evil!"⁹⁵

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., deliberately and without any excuse, since all the prophets had warned man of the Day of Resurrection and Judgment: cf. {14:44-45}. The words "bent on" interpolated by me within brackets indicate intent, similar to the preceding expression alladhina kafaru, "those who were bent on denying the truth" (see also note [6] on 2:6 ).

and the time of fulfillment for the True Promise will draw near, then behold! The eyes of the unbelievers will fixedly stare in horror: "O woe to us! We were indeed heedless of this warning; nay we were wrongdoers."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

ushering in the True Promise.¹ Then- behold!- the disbelievers will stare 'in horror, crying,' 'Oh, woe to us! We have truly been heedless of this. In fact, we have been wrongdoers.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

 i.e., the Final Hour.

And the True Promise draweth nigh; then behold them, staring wide (in terror), the eyes of those who disbelieve! (They say): Alas for us! We (lived) in forgetfulness of this. Ah, but we were wrong doers!

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Then will the True Promise draw nigh (of fulfillment): then behold! the eyes of the Unbelievers will fixedly stare in horror: "Ah! woe to us! we were indeed heedless of this; nay we truly did wrong!" ²⁷⁵⁴

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. xiv. 42.

[Then they will be told:] "Verily, you and all that you [were wont to] worship instead of God are but the fuel of hell: that is what you are destined for.⁹⁶

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "you are bound to reach it". The expression "all that you have worshipped instead of God" comprises not merely all false religious imagery but also all false ethical values endowed with quasi-divine sanctity, all of which are but "the fuel of hell".

Surely you (O mushrikin) and your deities that you worship besides Allah shall be the fuel of hell; therein you shall all enter.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Certainly you 'disbelievers' and whatever you worship instead of Allah will be the fuel of Hell.¹ You are 'all' bound to enter it.

  - Mustafa Khattab

 See footnote for 43:57-58.

Lo! ye (idolaters) and that which ye worship beside Allah are fuel of hell. Thereunto ye will come.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Verily ye (Unbelievers) and the (false) gods that ye worship besides Allah are (but) fuel for Hell! To it will ye (surely) come!

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

If those [false objects of your worship] had truly been divine, they would not have been destined for it: but [as it is, you] all shall abide therein!"

  - Mohammad Asad

If those deities would have been true gods, they would not have gotten there; but there they shall abide forever.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Had those idols been 'true' gods, they would not have entered it. And they will be there forever.

  - Mustafa Khattab

If these had been Gods they would not have come thither, but all wilt abide therein.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

If these had been gods they would not have got there! But each one will abide therein. ²⁷⁵⁵

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The ultimate proof of Truth and Falsehood will be that Truth will endure and come to its own, while Falsehood will be destroyed. And so the men who worshipped Truth will come to their own, while those who worshipped Falsehood will be in a Fire of Punishment they could scarcely have imagined before. In that state there will be nothing but regrets and sighs and groans, and these evil sounds will drown everything else.

Moaning will be their lot therein, and nothing [else] will they hear therein.⁹⁷

  - Mohammad Asad

Thus, spiritual "deafness" in the life to come will be the inexorable consequence of one's having remained deaf, in this world, to the voice of truth, just as "blindness" and oblivion will be part of the suffering of all who have been spiritually blind to the truth (cf. {20:124-126}).

In there, sobbing will be their lot, and they will not be able to hear anything else.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

In it they will groan, and will not be able to hear.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Therein wailing is their portion, and therein they hear not.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

There sobbing will be their lot nor will they there hear (aught else).

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali