Surah 43. Az-Zukhruf

Say [O Prophet]: "If the Most Gracious [truly] had a son, I would be the first to worship him!"

  - Mohammad Asad

O Prophet tell the Christians: "If the Compassionate (Allah) had a son, I would be the first to worship him."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Say, 'O Prophet,' 'If the Most Compassionate 'really' had offspring, I would be the first worshipper.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

Say (O Muhammad): The Beneficent One hath no son. I am first among the worshippers.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Say: "If (Allah) Most Gracious had a son I would be the first to worship." ⁴⁶⁷⁹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The prophet of Allah does not object to true worship in any form. But it must be true: it must not superstitiously attribute derogatory things to Allah, or foster false ideas.

Utterly remote, in His glory, is the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth - the Sustainer, in almightiness enthroned⁵⁸ - from all that they may attribute to Him by way of definition!⁵⁹

  - Mohammad Asad

Cf. the last clause of surah {9} and the corresponding note [171].

See note [XX] on the last sentence of 6:100 .

Glory be to the Rabb of the heavens and the earth, the Lord of the Throne, He is above what they ascribe to Him.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Glorified is the Lord of the heavens and the earth, the Lord of the Throne, far above what they claim.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Glorified be the Lord of the heavens and the earth, the Lord of the Throne, from that which they ascribe (unto Him)!

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Glory to the Lord of the heavens and the earth the Lord of the Throne (of Authority)! (He is free) from the things they attribute (to Him)! ⁴⁶⁸⁰

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. vii. 54 and n. 1032. All Power, Authority, Knowledge, and Truth are with Allah. He neither begets nor is begotten. Glory to Him!

But leave them to indulge in idle talk and play [with words]⁶⁰ until they face that [Judgment] Day of theirs which they have been promised:

  - Mohammad Asad

Evidently an allusion to the verbal subtleties of the Nicene Creed, and particularly the statement, "Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten, not made [i.e., not created], by the Father as His only Son, of the same substance as the Father, God of God ...", etc.

So let them blunder and play until they face their Day, which has been promised to them.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

So let them indulge 'in falsehood' and amuse 'themselves' until they face their Day, which they have been warned of.

  - Mustafa Khattab

So let them flounder (in their talk) and play until they meet the Day which they are promised.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

So leave them to babble and play (with vanities) until they meet that Day of theirs which they have been promised. ⁴⁶⁸¹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

That Day of theirs: they had their Day on earth; they will have a different sort of Day in the Hereafter, according to the promise of Allah about the Resurrection and Judgment, or perhaps about Retribution in this very life! So leave them to play about with their fancies and vanities. Truth must eventually prevail!

for [then they will come to know that] it is He [alone] who is God in heaven and God on earth, and [that] He alone is truly wise, all-knowing.

  - Mohammad Asad

It is He (Allah) Who is God in the heavens and God on earth; He is the All-Wise, the All-Knowledgeable.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

It is He Who is 'the only' God in the heavens and 'the only' God on the earth. For He is the All-Wise, All-Knowing.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And He it is Who in the heaven is God, and in the earth God. He is the Wise, the knower.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

It is He Who is Allah in heaven and Allah on earth; and He is full of Wisdom and Knowledge.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And hallowed be He unto whom the dominion over the heavens and the earth and all that is between them belongs, and with whom the knowledge of the Last Hour rests, and unto whom you all shall be brought back!

  - Mohammad Asad

Blessed is He to Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and all that lies between them! He Alone has the knowledge of the Hour of Doom, and to Him you shall all be brought back.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And Blessed is the One to Whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and everything in between! With Him 'alone' is the knowledge of the Hour. And to Him you will 'all' be returned.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And blessed be He unto Whom belongeth the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them, and with Whom is knowledge of the Hour, and unto Whom ye will be returned.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And blessed is He to Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and all between them: with Him is the knowledge of the Hour (of Judgment): And to Him shall ye be brought back. ⁴⁶⁸²

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

We glorify Allah, and we call His name blessed, because He has not only supreme power and authority, but because we shall return to Him and see "the Light of His Countenance" (xxx. 38).

And those [beings] whom some invoke beside God⁶¹ have it not in their power to intercede [on Judgment Day] for any but such as have [in their lifetime] borne witness to the truth, and have been aware [that God is one and unique].⁶²

  - Mohammad Asad

A reference to falsely deified saints or prophets and, particularly (in view of the context), to Jesus.

For an explanation of the Qur'anic concept of "intercession", see 10:3 - "There is none that could intercede with Him unless He grants leave therefore" - and the corresponding note [7]. - My interpolation, at the end of the above verse, of the words "that God is one and unique" is based on Razi's interpretation of this passage, implying that a mere oral "bearing witness to the truth" is useless if it is not the outcome of an inner awareness of God's oneness and uniqueness.

And those to whom they invoke besides Him, have no power to intercede for them except those who testify to the truth by virtue of knowledge.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

'But' those 'objects of worship' they invoke besides Him have no power to intercede, except those who testify to the truth knowingly.¹

  - Mustafa Khattab

 i.e., Jesus, Ezra, and the angels.

And those unto whom they cry instead of Him possess no power of intercession, saving him who beareth witness unto the Truth knowingly.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And those whom they invoke besides Allah have no power of intercession; only he who bears witness to the Truth and they know (him). ⁴⁶⁸³

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

While idols and false gods have no power of intercession, persons like Jesus, who is falsely worshipped by his misguided followers, but who himself preached the Gospel of Unity with full understanding will have the power of intercession.

Now if thou ask those [who worship any being other than God] as to who it is that has created them, they are sure to answer, "God." How perverted, then, are their minds!

  - Mohammad Asad

If you ask them Who created them, they will certainly say: "Allah." How then are they deluded away from the truth?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

If you ask them 'O Prophet' who created them, they will certainly say, 'Allah!' How can they then be deluded 'from the truth'?

  - Mustafa Khattab

And if thou ask them who created them, they will surely say: Allah. How then are they turned away?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

If thou ask them Who Created them they will certainly say Allah: how then are they deluded away (from the Truth)? ⁴⁶⁸⁴

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. xxxi. 25, and n. 3613-1 and xxxix. 38, and n. 4299.

[But God has full knowledge of the true believer⁶³] and of his [despairing] cry: "O my Sustainer! Verily, these are people who will not believe!"

  - Mohammad Asad

Razi (on whose commentary the above interpolation is based), regards this as a reference to the Prophet Muhammad. It seems, however, that the meaning is wider, embracing every believer, of whatever denomination, who is distressed at the blindness of people who attribute divinity or divine qualities to any being other than God Himself.

Allah has heard the Prophet's cry: "O Rabb! Surely these are a people who would not believe."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

'Allah is Aware of' the Prophet's cry: 'O my Lord! Indeed, these are a people who persist in disbelief.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

And he saith: O my Lord! Lo! those are a folk who believe not.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

(Allah has knowledge) of the (Prophet's) cry "O my Lord! truly these are a people who will not believe!" ^{4685 4686}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Commentators are divided in opinion as to the construction. The best opinion is that which I have adopted, referring back qilihi as a genitive governed by 'ilm in verse 85.

The Prophet was much troubled in mind by the Unfaith of the Quraish: xviii. 6. He is here told to leave them alone for a time, for the Truth must soon prevail.

Yet bear thou with them, and say, "Peace [be upon you]!" - for in time they will come to know [the truth].

  - Mohammad Asad

Therefore, O Prophet! Bear with them and wish them peace. They shall soon come to know the truth.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

So bear with them and respond with peace. They will soon come to know.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Then bear with them (O Muhammad) and say: Peace. But they will come to know.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

But turn away from them and say "Peace!" but soon shall they know! ⁴⁶⁸⁷

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. xxv. 63, and n. 3123.