Surah 56. Al-Waqia

from changing the nature of your existence²² and bringing you into being [anew] in a manner [as yet] unknown to you.

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "changing your likenesses (amthal)". However, the term mathal signifies also, tropically, the state, condition and the qualities (sifat) of a thing or person - in brief, "the nature of his [or its] existence".

in replacing you by others like yourselves or transforming you into beings that you do not know.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

from transforming and recreating you in forms unknown to you.

  - Mustafa Khattab

That We may transfigure you and make you what ye know not.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

From changing your Forms and creating you (again) in (Forms) that ye know not.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And [since] you are indeed aware of the [miracle of your] coming into being in the first instance - why, then, do you not bethink yourselves [of Us]?

  - Mohammad Asad

You already know well your first creation, why then do you not take heed?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

You already know how you were first created. Will you not then be mindful?

  - Mustafa Khattab

And verily ye know the first creation. Why, then, do ye not reflect?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And ye certainly know already the first form of creation: why then do ye not celebrate His praises?

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Have you ever considered the seed which you cast upon the soil?

  - Mohammad Asad

Have you ever considered the seed that you sow in the ground?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Have you considered what you sow?

  - Mustafa Khattab

Have ye seen that which ye cultivate?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

See ye the seed that ye sow in the ground? ⁵²⁵¹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Having appealed to our own nature within us, He appeals now to the external nature around us, which should be evidence to us (1) of His loving care for us, and (2) of its being due to causes other than those which we produce and control. Three examples are given : (1) the seed which we sow in the soil; it is Allah's processes in nature, which make it grow; (2) the water which we drink; it is Allah's processes in nature, that send it down from the clouds as rain, and distribute it through springs and rivers: (3) the fire which we strike; it is again a proof of Allah's Plan and Wisdom in nature.

Is it you who cause it to grow - or are We the cause of its growth?

  - Mohammad Asad

Is it you who cause it to grow or are We the grower?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Is it you who cause it to grow, or is it We Who do so?

  - Mustafa Khattab

Is it ye who foster it, or are We the Fosterer?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Is it ye that cause it to grow or are We the Cause?

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

[For,] were it Our will, We could indeed turn it into chaff, and you would be left to wonder [and to lament],

  - Mohammad Asad

If it be Our Will, We could crumble your harvest into chaff, and you would then be left in lamenting:

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

If We willed, We could simply reduce this 'harvest' to chaff, leaving you to lament,

  - Mustafa Khattab

If We willed, We verily could make it chaff, then would ye cease not to exclaim:

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Were it Our Will we could crumble it to dry powder and ye would be left in wonderment

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

"Verily, we are ruined!

  - Mohammad Asad

"We are indeed left laden with debts,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

'We have truly suffered a 'great' loss.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Lo! we are laden with debt!

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

(Saying) "We are indeed left with debts (for nothing): ⁵²⁵²

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The cultivator contracts debts for seed and gives labour for ploughing, sowing, watering, and weeding, in the hope of reaping a harvest. Should he not give thanks to Allah when his harvest is in?

Nay, but we have been deprived [of our livelihood]!"

  - Mohammad Asad

indeed we have been deprived from the fruits of our labor!"

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

In fact, we have been deprived 'of our livelihood'.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

Nay, but we are deprived!

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

"Indeed are we shut out (of the fruits of our labor)."

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Have you ever considered the water which you drink?

  - Mohammad Asad

Have you ever considered the water which you drink?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Have you considered the water you drink?

  - Mustafa Khattab

Have ye observed the water which ye drink?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

See ye the water which ye drink?

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Is it you who cause it to come down from the clouds - or are We the cause of its coming down?

  - Mohammad Asad

Is it you who send it down from the clouds or are We the sender?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Is it you who bring it down from the clouds, or is it We Who do so?

  - Mustafa Khattab

Is it ye who shed it from the rain cloud, or are We the shedder?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Do ye bring it Down (in rain) from the Cloud or do We?

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

[It comes down sweet - but] were it Our will, We could make it burningly salty and bitter: why, then, do you not give thanks [unto Us]?

  - Mohammad Asad

If it be Our Will, We could turn it salty. Why then do you not give thanks?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

If We willed, We could make it salty. Will you not then give thanks?

  - Mustafa Khattab

If We willed We verily could make it bitter. Why, then, give ye not thanks?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Were it Our Will We could make it salt (and unpalatable): then why do ye not give thanks? ⁵²⁵³

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The wonder of the two streams of water, one sweet and the other salt, constantly mingling, and yet always separate, is referred to more than once. The never-ending circuit is established by streams and rivers mingling with the ocean, the ocean sending forth mists and steam through a process of evaporation which forms clouds, and the clouds by condensation pouring forth rain to feed the streams and rivers again: see notes 3111-2 to xxv. 53, and n. 5185 to lv. 19, and the further references given there.

Have you ever considered the fire which you kindle?

  - Mohammad Asad

Have you ever considered the fire that you kindle?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Have you considered the fire you kindle?¹

  - Mustafa Khattab

 This verse refers to two types of Arabian trees, markh and ’afâr, which produce fire when their green branches are rubbed together.

Have ye observed the fire which ye strike out;

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

See ye the Fire which ye kindle?

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Is it you who have brought into being the tree that serves as its fuel²³ - or are We the cause of its coming into being?

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "its tree": a metonym pointing to the plant-origin, direct or indirect, of almost all the known fuels, including mineral fuels like coal, which is but petrified wood, or petroleum, which is a liquefied residue of plant-nourished organisms buried in the earth for millions of years.

Is it you who grow the tree which feeds the fire or are We the grower?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Is it you who produce its trees, or is it We Who do so?

  - Mustafa Khattab

Was it ye who made the tree thereof to grow, or were We the grower?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Is it ye who grow the tree which feeds the fire or do We grow it? ⁵²⁵⁴

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The relation of Fire to Trees is intimate. In nearly all the fire that we burn, the fuel is derived from the wood of trees. Even mineral coal is nothing but the wood of prehistoric forests petrified under the earth through geological ages. Fire produced out of green trees is referred to in xxxvi. 80; and n. 4026 there gives instances.

It is We who have made it a means to remind [you of Us],²⁴ and a comfort for all who are lost and hungry in the wilderness [of their lives].²⁵

  - Mohammad Asad

Inasmuch as "fire" (in the widest sense of this word) is the source of all light known to man, it is apt to remind him that "God is the light of the heavens and the earth" (see 24:35 and the corresponding notes).

The participial noun muqw is derived from the verb qawiya, "it became deserted" or "desolate". From the same root is derived the noun qawa' (or qiwa'), which signifies "desert", "wilderness" or "wasteland" as well as "hunger" or "starvation". Hence, muqw denotes "one who is hungry" as well as "one who is lost [or "who wanders"] in a deserted place". In the above verse this expression is evidently used tropically, for it is difficult to imagine that, as some commentators assume, it relates merely to "wayfarers in the desert". My composite rendering of al-muqwin as "all who are lost and hungry in the wilderness", on the other hand, is literal and tropical at the same time, inasmuch as it describes people who are lonely, unfortunate and confused, and who hunger after human warmth and spiritual light.

We have made it a reminder for man as to what would be the life without it, and a provision of life for the travellers of desert.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

We have made it 'as' a reminder 'of the Hellfire' and a provision for the travellers.

  - Mustafa Khattab

We, even We, appointed it a memorial and a comfort for the dwellers in the wilderness.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

We have made it a memorial (of our handiwork) and an article of comfort and convenience for the denizens of deserts. ^{5255 5256}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

That is, the ordinary fire in this world is a reminder of the Great Fire of the next world to all those who heed and reflect.

A fire in a desert is a sign of human habitation; by following it you may get human society and human comfort. A fire, or light, or beacon in many places directs a traveller or the way. Lighthouses at sea and becons in modem aerodromes serve the same purpose for mariners and airmen. Another parable about fire will be found in ii. 17-18, and n. 38.

Extol, then, the limitless glory of thy Sustainer's mighty name!

  - Mohammad Asad

So glorify the name of your Rabb, Who is the Greatest.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

So glorify the Name of your Lord, the Greatest.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Therefor (O Muhammad), praise the name of thy Lord, the Tremendous.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Then celebrate with praises the name of the Lord the Supreme: ⁵²⁵⁷

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Seeing all these Signs in nature man must turn to Allah and do His Will.

NAY, I call to witness the coming-down in parts [of this Qur'an]²⁶

  - Mohammad Asad

Or: "the setting [or "orbiting"] of the stars". The term mawqi' (of which mawaqi' is the plural) denotes the "time [or "place" or "manner"] at which something comes down". Although many of the commentators think that the phrase mawaqi' an-nujum relates to the break-up of the stars at the Last Hour, Ibn 'Abbas, 'Ikrimah and As-Suddi were definitely of the opinion, strongly supported by the subsequent verses, that this phrase refers to the step-by-step revelation - or "coming-down in parts (nujum)" - of the Qur'an (cf. Tabari and Ibn Kathir; see also note [1] on 53:1 ). By "calling to witness" the gradual manner of its revelation, the Qur'an points implicitly to the astounding fact that it has remained free of all inconsistencies and inner contradictions (cf. 4:82 and the corresponding note [97]) despite all the dramatic changes in the Prophet's life during the twenty-three years of the "unfolding" of the divine writ: and this explains, too, the subsequent parenthetic clause (verse {76}).

I swear by the setting of the stars,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

So I do swear by the positions of the stars-

  - Mustafa Khattab

Nay, I swear by the places of the stars

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Furthermore I call to witness the setting of the Stars ⁵²⁵⁸

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. liii. 1.