Surah 22. Al-Hajj

On that Day, all dominion shall [visibly] belong to God. He shall judge [all men and make a distinction] between them: thus, all who had attained to faith and did righteous deeds shall find themselves in gardens of bliss,

  - Mohammad Asad

On that Day the Kingdom will be that of Allah's; He will judge between them; so those who have embraced the true faith and done good deeds shall enter the gardens of delight;

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

The Sovereignty on that day will be Allah's. He will judge between them. Then those who believed and did good works will be in Gardens of Delight,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

whereas for those who were bent on denying the truth and gave the lie to Our messages, there shall be shameful suffering in store.

  - Mohammad Asad

but the unbelievers who have denied Our revelations shall receive a disgraceful punishment.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

While those who disbelieved and denied Our revelations, for them will be a shameful doom.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

AND AS FOR those who forsake the domain of evil⁷¹ [and strive] in God's cause, and then are slain or die - God will most certainly provide for them a goodly sustenance [in the life to come]: for, verily, God - He alone - is the best of providers;

  - Mohammad Asad

For this rendering of the phrase alladhina hajaru, see note [203] on 2:218 . The subsequent mention of "those who strive in God's cause, and then are slain or die" connects with the reference, in verses {39-40}, to God's permission to the believers to fight in defence of their faith and liberty. The extreme merit of the self-sacrifice involved is stressed in several Qur'anic passages, and particularly in {4:95-96}; hence, it has also a bearing on the Day of Judgement spoken of in the preceding passage.

As for those who migrated for the sake of Allah and afterwards were killed or died, Allah will make a generous provision for them; certainly Allah is the One Who is the best Provider.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Those who fled their homes for the cause of Allah and then were slain or died, Allah verily will provide for them a good provision. Lo! Allah, He verily is Best of all who make provision.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

[and] He will most certainly cause them to enter upon a state [of being] that shall please them well :⁷² for, verily, God is all-knowing, most forbearing.

  - Mohammad Asad

Or: "cause them to enter [upon their life after death] in a manner that will please them well" (cf. note [40] on the last clause of 4:31 ) - thus implying that by sacrificing their lives in God’s cause they will have obtained His forgiveness of whatever sins they may have previously committed.

He will admit them to a place with which they shall be well pleased; for Allah is All-Knowing, Most Lenient.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Assuredly He will cause them to enter by an entry that they will love. Lo! Allah verily is Knower, Indulgent.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Thus shall it be. And as for him who responds to aggression only to the extent of the attack levelled against him,⁷³ and is thereupon [again] treacherously attacked - God will most certainly succour him: for, behold, God is indeed an absolver of sins, much-forgiving.⁷⁴

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "who has retaliated with the like of what he had been afflicted with" - i.e., has acted only in self-defence and done to his enemy no more than the enemy had done to him. (A similar phrase, relating to retaliation in argument, is found in 16:126 and explained in the corresponding note [150].)

While the opening sentence of this verse stresses the principle of self-defence as the only justification of war (cf. 2:190 and {192-193}) - with the proviso that retaliation must not exceed the injury initially suffered - the concluding part of the verse implies that in case of repeated, unprovoked aggression the believers are allowed to wage an all-out war with a view to destroying completely the enemy's military power. Since such an all-out war might seem to conflict with the principle of limited retaliation alluded to above, the Qur'an states that God absolves the believers of what otherwise might have been a sin, since it is they "against whom war is being wrongfully waged" (verse {39}) by repeated acts of aggression.

Thus shall it be! He that retaliates equal to the infliction he received and then is wronged again, will most certainly be helped by Allah; surely Allah is the One Who is All-Forbearing, Most Forgiving.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

That (is so). And whoso hath retaliated with the like of that which he was made to suffer and then hath (again) been wronged, Allah will succour him. Lo! Allah verily is Mild, Forgiving.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Thus it is, because God [is almighty⁷⁵ - the One who] makes the night grow longer by shortening the day, and makes the day grow longer by shortening the night; and because God is all-hearing, all-seeing.⁷⁶

  - Mohammad Asad

Sc., "and therefore has the power to succour the believers who have been wronged".

I.e., it is He who knows what is in the hearts of men, and nevertheless, in His unfathomable wisdom, allows the darkness of oppression to grow at the expense of the light of freedom, and then causes the light to overcome the darkness: an eternal, cyclical recurrence which dominates the life of mankind. (As Ibn Kathir points out, the above passage contains a direct allusion to {3:26-27}-"Say: O God, Lord of all dominion! Thou grantest dominion unto whom Thou willest, and takest away dominion from whom Thou willest.... Thou hast the power to will anything: Thou makest the night grow longer by shortening the day, and Thou makest the day grow longer by shortening the night...."

That is because it is Allah Who causes the night to pass into the day, and the day into the night, Allah is indeed All-Hearing, Most Observing.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

That is because Allah maketh the night to pass into the day and maketh the day to pass into the night, and because Allah is Hearer, Seer.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Thus it is, because God alone is the Ultimate Truth,⁷⁷ so that all that men invoke beside Him is sheer falsehood, and because God alone is exalted, great!

  - Mohammad Asad

See surah {20}, note [99].

That is because Allah is the One Who is Real; and all those deities besides Him, whom they invoke, are false; indeed it is Allah Who is the Supreme, the Great.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

That is because Allah, He is the True, and that whereon they call instead of Him, it is the False, and because Allah, He is the High, the Great.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Art thou not aware that it is God who sends down water from the skies, whereupon the earth becomes green? Verily, God is unfathomable [in His wisdom] all-aware.⁷⁸

  - Mohammad Asad

For an explanation of the term latif ("unfathomable"), see surah {6}, note [89].

Do you not see that Allah sends down water from the sky so the land becomes green? Surely Allah is the Benignant, Aware.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Seest thou not how Allah sendeth down water from the sky and then the earth becometh green upon the morrow? Lo! Allah is Subtile, Aware.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Unto Him belongs all that is in the heavens and al that is on earth; and, verily, God - He alone - is self sufficient, the One to whom all praise is due.

  - Mohammad Asad

To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth; surely Allah is the One Who is the Self-sufficient, the Praiseworthy.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Unto Him belongeth all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. Lo! Allah, He verily is the Absolute, the Owner of Praise.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Art thou not aware that it is God who has made subservient to you all that is on earth,⁷⁹ and the ships that sail through the sea at His behest - and [that it is He who] holds the celestial bodies⁸⁰ [in their orbits], so that they may not fall upon the earth otherwise than by His leave?⁸¹ Verily, God is most compassionate towards men, a dispenser of grace -

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., "has enabled you to benefit from all. . .", etc. (cf. surah {14}, note [46]).

Lit., "the sky" - used here as a metonym for the stars and planets, which are held on their courses by the God-willed laws of cosmic movement (Maraghi XVII, 137).

I.e., at the Last Hour, which - as the Qur'an so often states - will manifest itself in universal cosmic catastrophe.

Do you not see that Allah has subdued to you all that is in the earth and the ships that sail through the sea by His command? He is withholding the sky in a way that it cannot fall down on the earth without His permission; surely Allah is very kind and merciful to mankind.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Hast thou not seem how Allah hath made all that is in the earth subservient unto you? And the sap runneth upon the sea by His command, and He holdeth back the heaven from falling on the earth unless by His leave. Lo! Allah is, for mankind, Full of Pity, Merciful.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

seeing that it is He who gave you life, and then will cause you to die, and then will bring you back to life: [but,] verily, bereft of all eratitude is man!

  - Mohammad Asad

He is the One Who has given you life, will cause you to die and then will bring you back to life again - yet man is indeed very ungrateful.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And He it is Who gave you life, then He will cause you to die, and then will give you life (again). Lo! man is verily an ingrate.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

UNTO every community have We appointed [different] ways of worship,⁸² which they ought to observe. Hence, [O believer,] do not let those [who follow ways other than shine] draw thee into disputes on this score,⁸³ but summon [them all] unto thy Sustainer: for, behold, thou art indeed on the right way.

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "a way of worship" (mansak, which sometimes denotes also "an act of worship"). For a fuller explanation of this passage, see the second paragraph of 5:48 -"Unto every one of you have We appointed a [different] law and way of life" - and the corresponding notes [66-68].

I.e., do not allow thyself to be drawn into disputes" (Zamakhshari and Baghawi).

To every nation We have prescribed the rites of worship which they observe, therefore, let them not dispute with you concerning this matter - keep calling them to the Way of your Rabb; for most surely you are rightly guided.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Unto each nation have We given sacred rites which they are to perform; so let them not dispute with thee of the matter, but summon thou unto thy Lord. Lo! thou indeed followest right guidance.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And if they [try to] argue with thee, say [only]: "God knows best what you are doing."⁸⁴

  - Mohammad Asad

Cf. 10:41 -"To me [shall be accounted] my doings, and to you, your doings: you are not accountable for what I am doing, and I am not accountable for whatever you do".

If they argue with you, say: "Allah knows best all that you do."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And if thy wrangle with thee, say: Allah is best aware of what ye do.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

[For, indeed,] God will judge between you [all] on Resurrection Day with regard to all on which you werebwont to differ.⁸⁵

  - Mohammad Asad

See surah {2}, note [94].

Allah will judge between you on the Day of Resurrection concerning the matters in which you differ.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Allah will judge between you on the Day of Resurrection concerning that wherein ye used to differ.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Dost thou not know that God knows all that occurs in heaven as well as on earth? All this, behold, is in [God's] record: verily, [to know] all this is easy for God.

  - Mohammad Asad

Do you not know that Allah is aware of all that is in heaven and the earth? Certainly all of this is recorded in a Book and it is very easy for Allah to do so.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Hast thou not known that Allah knoweth all that is in the heaven and the earth? Lo! it is in a record. Lo! that is easy for Allah.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall