Surah 43. Az-Zukhruf

And they say, too, "Why was not this Qur'an bestowed from on high on some great man of the two cities?"²⁸

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., Mecca and Ta'if - implying that if it were really a divine revelation it would have been bestowed on a person of "great standing", and not on Muhammad, who had neither wealth nor a position of eminence in his native city.

They also say: "Why is this Qur'an not revealed to a man of great importance in the two towns (Makkah and Ta'if)"?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And they say: If only this Qur'an had been revealed to some great man of the two towns?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

But is it they who distribute thy Sustainer's grace? [Nay, as] it is We who distribute their means of livelihood among them in the life of this world, and raise some of them by degrees above others, to the end that they might avail themselves of one another's help - [so, too, it is We who bestow gifts of the spirit upon whomever We will]: and this thy Sustainer's grace is better than all [the worldly wealth] that they may amass.

  - Mohammad Asad

Is it they who distribute the blessings of your Rabb? It is We Who distribute the means of their livelihood in the life of this world, raising some in rank above others, so that one may take others into his service. But the blessing of your Rabb is far greater in value than the wealth of this world which they amass.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Is it they who apportion their Lord's mercy? We have apportioned among them their livelihood in the life of the world, and raised some of them above others in rank that some of them may take labor from others; and the mercy of thy Lord is better than (the wealth) that they amass.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And were it not that [with the prospect of boundless riches before them] all people would become one [evil] community,²⁹ We might indeed have provided for those who [now] deny the Most Gracious roofs of silver for their houses, and [silver] stairways whereon to ascend,

  - Mohammad Asad

Since "man has been created weak" ( 4:28 ), it is almost a "law of nature" that whenever he is exposed to the prospect of great wealth he is liable to lose sight of all spiritual and moral considerations, and to become utterly selfish, greedy and ruthless.

And were it not that all mankind might become one nation of unbelievers, We would have given those who disbelieve in the Compassionate (Allah), such houses whose roofs, stairways by which they go to upper chambers all made with silver,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And were it not that mankind would have become one community, We might well have appointed, for those who disbelieve in the Beneficent, roofs of silver for their houses and stairs (of silver) whereby to mount,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

and [silver] doors for their houses, and [silver] couches whereon to recline,

  - Mohammad Asad

and also the doors of their houses and couches on which they recline,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And for their houses doors (of silver) and couches of silver whereon to recline,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

and gold [beyond count]....³⁰ Yet all this would have been nothing but a [brief] enjoyment of life in this world - whereas [happiness in] the life to come awaits the God-conscious with thy Sustainer.

  - Mohammad Asad

The primary meaning of the noun zukhruf is "gold"; its application to "ornaments" or (as in 10:24 ) to "artful adornment" is only secondary (Taj al-'Arus).

along with ornaments of gold - for all these are nothing but merely comforts of this worldly life. It is the life of the hereafter which your Rabb has reserved for the righteous.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And ornaments of gold. Yet all that would have been but a provision of the life of the world. And the Hereafter with your Lord would have been for those who keep from evil.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

But as for anyone who chooses to remain blind to the remembrance of the Most Gracious, to him We assign an [enduring] evil impulse, to become his other self:³¹

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "to him We assign a satan, and he becomes his other self (qarin)": see note [24] on 41:25 . For the psychological connotation of the term shaytan as "evil impulse", see first half of note [16] on 15:17 as well as note [31] on 14:22 .

He who turns away from the remembrance (Reminder) of the Compassionate (Allah), We assign a shaitan for him, who becomes his intimate companion.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And he whose sight is dim to the remembrance of the Beneficent, We assign unto him a devil who becometh his comrade;

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

whereupon, behold, these [evil impulses] bar all such from the path [of truth], making them think that they are guided aright!

  - Mohammad Asad

- and turns such people away from the Right Path, while they think that they are guided aright.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And lo! they surely turn them from the way of Allah, and yet they deem that they are rightly guided;

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

But in the end,³² when he [who has thus sinned] appears before us [on Judgment Day], he will say [to his other self], "Would that between me and thee there had been the distance of east and west!"³³ - for, evil indeed [has proved] that other self!

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit.. "until".

Thus do most of the commentators interpret the above phrase which, literally, reads "the two casts" (al-mashriqayn). This interpretation is based on the idiomatic usage, not infrequent in classical Arabic, of referring to two opposites - or two conceptually connected entities - by giving them the designation of one of them in the dual form: e.g., "the two moons", denoting "sun and moon"; "the two Basrahs", i.e., Kufah and Basrah; and so forth.

- Ultimately, when that person will come to Us on the Day of Judgement, he will say to his shaitan companion: "I wish that I was far apart from you as the east is from the west: you turned out to be an evil companion."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Till, when he cometh unto Us, he saith (unto his comrade): Ah, would that between me and thee there were the distance of the two horizons--an evil comrade!

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

On that Day it will not profit you in the least [to know] that, since you have sinned [together], you are now to share your suffering [as well].³⁴

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., "you will not be consoled, as would have been the case in earthly suffering, by the knowledge that you are not to suffer alone" (Zamakhshari, Razi, Baydawi). Since this address is formulated in the plural and not in the dual, it evidently relates to all sinners who, in their lifetime, were impelled by their own evil impulses - their "other selves", as it were - to "remain blind to the remembrance of God". In its wider meaning, the above verse implies that all evil deeds, whenever and wherever committed, are but links of one chain, one evil ineluctably leading to another: cf. 14:49 - "on that Day thou wilt see those who were lost in sin linked together (muqarranin) in fetters" - a phrase which has been explained in my corresponding note [64]. It is noteworthy that the participle mugarran is derived from the same verbal root (qarana) as the term qarin (rendered by me in verses {36} and {38} of this surah and in 41:25 as "other self"): and this, I believe, is a further indication, alluded to in the present verse, to the "togetherness" of all evil deeds.

Then it will be said to them: "Well, you have already done wrong, realizing this fact today will avail you nothing, as you both are partners in the same punishment.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And it profiteth you not this day, because ye did wrong, that ye will be sharers in the doom.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

CANST THOU, perchance, [O Muhammad,] make the deaf hear, or show the right way to the blind or to such as are obviously lost in error?³⁵

  - Mohammad Asad

This rhetorical question implies a negative answer: cf. 35:22 - "thou canst not make hear such as are [deaf of heart like the dead] in the graves".

O Prophet, can you make the deaf hear, or give direction to the blind or those who choose to remain in manifest error?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Canst thou (Muhammad) make the deaf to hear, or canst thou guide the blind or him who is in error manifest?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

But whether We do [or do not] take thee away [ere thy message prevails] - verily, We shall inflict Our retribution on them;

  - Mohammad Asad

We shall surely inflict retribution on them, whether We take you away from this world,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And if We take thee away, We surely shall take vengeance on them;

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

and whether We show thee [or do not show thee in this world] the fulfilment of what We have promised them - verily, We have full power over them!

  - Mohammad Asad

or let you see their end, which We have promised them: surely We have full power over them.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Or (if) We show thee that wherewith We threaten them; for lo! We have complete command of them.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

So hold fast to all that has been revealed to thee: for, behold, thou art on a straight way;

  - Mohammad Asad

Therefore, hold fast to this Qur'an which is reveled to you, surely you are on the Right Way.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

So hold thou fast to that which is inspired in thee. Lo! thou art on a right path.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

and, verily, this [revelation] shall indeed become [a source of] eminence for thee and thy people:³⁶ but in time you all will be called to account [for what you have done with it].³⁷

  - Mohammad Asad

For the above rendering of dhikr as "[a source of] eminence", see first half of note [13] on 21:10 .

The meaning is that on the Day of Judgment all prophets will be asked, metaphorically, as to what response they received from their people (cf. 5:109 ), and those who professed to follow them will be called to account for the spiritual and social use they made - or did not make - of the revelation conveyed to them: and thus, the "eminence" promised to the followers of Muhammad will depend on their actual behaviour and not on their mere profession of faith.

In fact this Qur'an is a reminder for you and your people; and you shall soon be questioned about it.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And lo! it is in truth a Reminder for thee and for thy folk; and ye will be questioned.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Yet [above all else,] ask any of Our apostles whom We sent forth before thy time³⁸ whether We have ever allowed that deities other than the Most Gracious be worshipped!

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e.. "look into the earlier revelations and ask thyself".

Ask those of Our Rasools whom We sent before you if We ever appointed other gods to be worshipped besides the Compassionate Allah?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And ask those of Our messengers whom We sent before thee: Did We ever appoint gods to be worshipped beside the Beneficent?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall