Surah 7. Al-A'raf

Hell will be their resting-place and their covering as well:³³ for thus do We requite the evildoers.

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "for them there will be a resting-place of [the fires of] hell and, from above them, coverings [thereof]".

Hell shall be their bed and flames shall be their covering. That is how We shall reward the wrongdoers.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Hell will be their bed; flames will be their cover. This is how We reward the wrongdoers.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Theirs will be a bed of Hell, and over them coverings (of Hell). Thus do We requite wrong doers.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

For them there is hell as a couch (below) and folds and folds of covering above: such is Our requital of those who do wrong.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

But those who attain to faith and do righteous deeds - [and] We do not burden any human being with more than he is well able to bear - they are destined for paradise, therein to abide,

  - Mohammad Asad

As for those who believe and do good deeds - We never burden a soul with more than it can bear - they are worthy of Paradise, wherein they will live forever.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

As for those who believe and do good- We never require of any soul more than what it can afford- it is they who will be the residents of Paradise. They will be there forever.

  - Mustafa Khattab

But (as for) those who believe and do good works We tax not any soul beyond its scope. Such are rightful owners of the Garden. They abide therein.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

But those who believe and work righteousness no burden do We place on any soul but that which it can bear they will be companions of the garden therein to dwell (for ever).

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

after We shall have removed whatever unworthy thoughts or feelings may have been [lingering] in their bosoms. Running waters will flow at their feet;³⁴ and they will say: "All praise is due to God, who has guided us unto this; for we would certainly not have found the right path unless God had guided us! Indeed, our Sustainer's apostles have told us the truth!" And [a voice] will call out unto them: "This is the paradise which you have inherited by virtue of your past deeds!"

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "beneath them": i.e., all blessings will be at their command.

We shall remove whatever ill-feeling they may have in their hearts against one another. Rivers will be flowing beneath them; and they will say: "Praise be to Allah Who guided us this way, we would have never found the Right Way if Allah had not guided us. The Rasools of our Rabb have surely preached us the truth." At that time they will hear the announcement: "This is paradise, which you have inherited because of your good deeds."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

We will remove whatever bitterness they had in their hearts.¹ Rivers will flow under their feet. And they will say, 'Praise be to Allah for guiding us to this. We would have never been guided if Allah had not guided us. The messengers of our Lord had certainly come with the truth.' It will be announced to them, 'This is Paradise awarded to you for what you used to do.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

 i.e., the bitterness they had in their hearts towards other believers who wronged them in the worldly life.

And We remove whatever rancor may be in their hearts. Rivers flow beneath them. And they say: The praise to Allah, Who hath guided us to this. We could not truly have been led aright if Allah had not guided us. Verily the messengers of our Lord did bring the Truth. And it is cried unto them: This is the Garden. Ye inherit it for what ye used to do.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And We shall remove from their hearts any lurking sense of injury; beneath them will be rivers flowing; and they shall say: "Praise be to Allah Who hath guided us to this (felicity): never could we have found guidance had it not been for the guidance of Allah: indeed it was the truth that the apostles of our Lord brought unto us." And they Shall hear the cry: "Behold! the garden before you! Ye have been made its inheritors for your deeds (of righteousness)." ^{1021 1022}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

A man who may have suffered or been disappointed may have a lurking sense of injury in the back of his mind, which may spoil his enjoyment on account of past memory intruding in the midst of felicity. In such cases memory itself is pain. Even sorrow is intensified by memory: as Tennyson says, "A sorrow's crown of sorrows is remembering happier things." But that is in this our imperfect life. In the perfect felicity of the righteous, all such feelings will be blotted out. No "heartaches" then and no memories of them! The clouds of the past will have dissolved in glorious light, and no past happiness will be comparable with the perfect happiness which will have then been attained. Nor will any sense of envy or shortcoming be possible in that perfect bliss.

Jesus said: "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth": Matt. v. 5. Here we are told: blessed are the righteous, for they shall inherit the kingdom of heaven. The stress here is on actual practical deeds of righteousness: whether they find their rewards on earth or not is immaterial: their attention is directed to an infinitely greater reward, the kingdom of heaven. In the Sermon on the Mount this is promised to the "poor in spirit": Matt. v, 3.

And the inmates of paradise will call out to the inmates of the fire: "Now we have found that what our Sustainer promised us has come true; have you, too, found that what your Sustainer promised you has come true?" [The others] will answer, "Yes!" - whereupon from their midst a voice³⁵ will loudly proclaim: "God's rejection is the due of the evildoers

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "an announcer" (mu'adhdhin).

The residents of paradise will call out to the inmates of the hellfire: "We have indeed found out the promises of our Rabb to be true. Have you, too, found the promise of your Rabb to be true?" "Yes," they will answer, and a herald will proclaim among them, "the curse of Allah be upon those wrongdoers

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

The residents of Paradise will call out to the residents of the Fire, 'We have certainly found our Lord's promise to be true. Have you too found your Lord's promise to be true?' They will reply, 'Yes, we have!' Then a caller will announce to both, 'May Allah's condemnation be upon the wrongdoers,

  - Mustafa Khattab

And the dwellers of the Garden cry unto the dwellers of the Fire: We have found that which our Lord promised us (to be) the Truth. Have ye (too) found that which your Lord promised the Truth? They say: Yea, verily. And a crier in between them crieth: The curse of Allah is on evil doers.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

The companions of the garden will call out to the companions of the fire: "We have indeed found the promises of our Lord to us true: have you also found your Lord's promises true?" They shall say "yes"; but a crier shall proclaim between them: "the curse of Allah is on the wrong- doers; ¹⁰²³

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The Companions of the Fire can only answer a single word, "Yes," such is their state of misery. Even so, their voice is drowned in the voice of the Crier, who explains their state: they are in a state of curse, that is, deprivation of the grace and mercy of Allah. Such deprivation is the highest misery that souls can suffer.

who turn others away from God's path and try to make it appear crooked, and who refuse to acknowledge the truth of the life to come!"

  - Mohammad Asad

who hindered other people from the Way of Allah and sought to make it crooked, and who did not believe in the hereafter."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

those who hindered 'others' from Allah's Way, strived to make it 'appear' crooked, and disbelieved in the Hereafter.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

Who debar (men) from the path of Allah and would have it crooked, and who are disbelievers in the Last Day.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

"Those who would hinder (men) from the path of Allah and would seek in it something crooked: they were those who Denied the Hereafter." ¹⁰²⁴

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The unrighteous reflect their own crooked minds when the path of Allah is before them. Instead of going straight, they try to find something in it that suits their own crooked ideas. Frankly they have no faith in the final Goal, the Hereafter.

And between the two there will be a barrier.³⁶ And there will be persons who [in life] were endowed with the faculty of discernment [between right and wrong], recognizing each by its mark.³⁷ And they will call out unto the inmates of paradise, "Peace be upon you!" - not having entered it themselves, but longing [for it].

  - Mohammad Asad

The word hijab denotes anything that intervenes as an obstacle between things or conceals one thing from another; it is used in both an abstract and a concrete sense.

The term al-a'raf (which gave to this surah its title) occurs in the Qur'an only twice - namely, in the above verse and in verse {48}. It is the plural of 'urf, which primarily denotes "acknowledgement" or "discernment", and is also used to denote the highest, or most elevated, part of anything (because it is most easily discerned): for instance, the 'urf of a cock is the coxcomb, that of a horse its mane, and so forth. On the basis of this idiomatic usage, many commentators assume that the a'raf referred to here are "elevated places", like the heights of a wall or its ramparts, and identify it with the "barrier" (hijab) mentioned at the end of the preceding sentence. A far more likely interpretation, however, is forthcoming from the primary significance of the word 'urf and its plural a'raf: namely, "discernment" and "the faculty of discernment", respectively. This interpretation has been adopted by some of the great, early commentators of the Qur'an, like Al-Hasan al-Basri and Az-Zajjaj, whose views Razi quotes with evident approval. They state emphatically that the expression 'ala 'l-a'raf is synonymous with 'ala ma'rifah, that is, "possessing knowledge" or "endowed with the faculty of discernment" (i.e., between right and wrong), and that the persons thus described are those who in their lifetime were able to discern between right and wrong ("recognizing each by its mark"), but did not definitely incline to either: in brief, the indifferent ones. Their lukewarm attitude has prevented them from doing either much good or much wrong - with the result that, as the next sentence shows, they deserve neither paradise nor hell. (Several Traditions to this effect are quoted by Tabari as well as by Ibn Kathir in their commentaries on this verse.) - The noun rijal (lit., "men") at the beginning of the next sentence as well as in verse {48} obviously denotes "persons" of both sexes.

Between the two, there shall be a veil, and on the A'raf (heights) there will be people who will recognize them by their features. They will call out to the residents of Paradise: "Peace be upon you!" They will not have yet entered it, though they will have the hope."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

There will be a barrier between Paradise and Hell. And on the heights 'of that barrier' will be people¹ who will recognize 'the residents of' both by their appearance.² They will call out to the residents of Paradise, 'Peace be upon you!' They will have not yet entered Paradise, but eagerly hope to.

  - Mustafa Khattab

 Although the word “rijâl” generally means “men,” some Quran commentators believe that the word “rijâl” here can also mean “people,” but they are called men since men make up the majority in the group. In some Arabic dialects, “rijâl” is the plural of “rajul” (man) and “rajulah” (woman).

 The faces of the residents of Paradise will be bright, whereas those of the residents of Hell will be gloomy.

Between them is a veil. And on the Heights are men who know them all by their marks. And they call unto the dwellers of the Garden: Peace be unto you! They enter it not although they hope (to enter).

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Between them shall be a veil and on the heights will be men who would know everyone by his marks: they will call out to the companions of the garden "peace on you" they will not have entered but they will have an assurance (thereof.) ¹⁰²⁵

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

This is a difficult passage, and Commentators have interpreted it in different ways. Three distinct schools of thought may be discerned in the interpretation. (1) One school thinks that the men on the Heights are angels, or such men of exalted spiritual dignity (e.g., the great prophets), as will be able to know the souls at sight as regards their real worth: the Heights will be their exalted stations, from which they will welcome the righteous with a salutation of peace, even before the righteous have entered heaven; the salutation of peace being itself an assurance of salvation to those whom they salute. (2) Another school of thought thinks that the men on the Heights are such souls as are not decidedly on the side of merit or decidedly on the side of sin, but evenly balanced on a partition between heaven and hell. Their case is yet to be decided, but their salutation to the righteous is a wistful salutation, because they hope for Allah's Mercy.

And whenever their eyes are turned towards the inmates of the fire, they will cry "O our Sustainer! Place us not among the people who have been guilty of evildoing!"

  - Mohammad Asad

When their eyes shall turn towards the inmates of the hellfire they will say: "Our Rabb! Do not cast us among these wrongdoers."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

When their eyes will turn towards the residents of Hell, they will pray, 'Our Lord! Do not join us with the wrongdoing people.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

And when their eyes are turned toward the dwellers of the Fire, they say: Our Lord! Place us not with the wrongdoing folk.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

When their eyes shall be turned towards the companions of the fire they will say: "Our Lord! send us not to the company of the wrong- doers." ¹⁰²⁶

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Their eyes: according to interpretation (2) of the last note, "their" would refer to the people whose fate has not yet been decided, and the speech would be theirs; according to interpretations (1) and (3) in that note, "their" would refer to the Companions of the Garden, who would realise the terrible nature of hell, and express their horror of it. I prefer the latter. Then the mention of the "men on the Heights" and their speech in verse 48 comes in naturally as a different kind of speech from a different kind of men.

And they who [in life] had possessed this faculty of discernment will call out to those whom they recognize by their marks [as sinners], saying: "What has your amassing [of wealth] availed you, and all the false pride of your past?

  - Mohammad Asad

The people of the A'raf (heights) will call to certain men (famous personalities from among the inmates of Hell) whom they will recognize by their features and say: "Have you found out that neither your riches nor your arrogant pride have availed you?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Those on the heights will call out to some 'tyrants in the Fire', who they will recognize by their appearance, saying, 'Your large numbers and arrogance are of no use 'today'!

  - Mustafa Khattab

And the dwellers on the Heights call unto men whom they know by their marks, (saying): What did your multitude and that in which ye took your pride avail you?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

The men on the heights will call to certain men whom they will know from their marks saying: "Of what profit to you were you hoards and your arrogant ways? ¹⁰²⁷

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

This speech is in three parts: (1) the last lines of this verse are addressed to the Companions of the Fire, reminding them (as a bench of judges might speak to a prisoner) of the futility of their wealth and riches and arrogance in their earthly life: (2) the second part, in the first half of verse 49, recalls to their minds how false was their contempt of the good but lowly men who are now to be the inheritors of heaven: and (3) the latter part of verse 49, "enter ye the Garden" is addressed to the Blessed, to give them a welcome to their state of felicity.

Are those [blessed ones] the self-same people of whom you once solemnly declared, 'Never will God bestow His grace upon them'?³⁸ [For now they have been told,] 'Enter paradise; no fear need you have, and neither shall you grieve!'"

  - Mohammad Asad

Implying either that the believers did not deserve God's grace or, alternatively, that God does not exist. The expression "you solemnly declared" (lit., "you said under oath") is a metaphor for the unbelievers' utter conviction in this respect.

Are the residents of paradise not the same people about whom you swore that Allah will never bestow His mercy on them?" Today the same people are being welcomed with the words, "Enter paradise, you have nothing to fear or to regret."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Are these 'humble believers' the ones you swore would never be shown Allah's mercy?' 'Finally, those on the heights will be told:' 'Enter Paradise! There will be no fear for you, nor will you grieve.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

Are these they of whom ye swore that Allah would not show them mercy? (Unto them it hath been said): Enter the Garden. No fear shall come upon you nor is it ye who will grieve.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

"Behold! are these not the men whom you swore that Allah with his mercy would never bless? Enter ye the garden: no fear shall be on you nor shall ye grieve."

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And the inmates of the fire will call out unto the inmates of paradise: "Pour some water upon us, or some of the sustenance [of paradise] which God has provided for you!" [The inmates of paradise] will reply: "Verily, God has denied both to those who have denied the truth -

  - Mohammad Asad

Then the inmates of the fire will cry out to the residents of paradise: "Give us some water or some of the food which Allah has provided you." They will reply: "Allah has prohibited both of these things to the unbelievers,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

The residents of the Fire will then cry out to the residents of Paradise, 'Aid us with some water or any provision Allah has granted you.' They will reply, 'Allah has forbidden both to the disbelievers,

  - Mustafa Khattab

And the dwellers of the Fire cry out unto the dwellers of the Garden; Pour on us some water or some of that where with Allah hath provided you. They say: Lo! Allah hath forbidden both to disbelievers (in His guidance),

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

The companions of the fire will call to the companions of the garden; "pour down to us water or anything that Allah doth provide for your sustenance." They will say: "Both these things hath Allah forbidden to those who rejected Him. ¹⁰²⁸

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The Companions of the Fire will thirst for water and not get it, and for sustenance which will not be theirs, while the Companions of the Garden will have the crystal waters of the springs and rivers and they will enjoy the bliss of Allah's Countenance, which will be their supreme nourishment and the fruit of their life of probation and seeking. These things will not be transferable. Cf. also xxxvii. 41-47, 62-67.

those who, beguiled by the life of this world, have made play and passing delights their religion!"³⁹ [And God will say:] "And so We shall be oblivious of them today as they were oblivious of the coming of this their Day [of Judgment], and as Our messages they did deny:

  - Mohammad Asad

See 6:70 and the corresponding note [60].

who took their religion to be mere amusement and play and were deceived by their earthly life." Allah will say: "Today We will forget them as they forgot the meeting of this Day; and mocked at Our revelations."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

those who took this¹ faith 'of Islam' as mere amusement and play and were deluded by 'their' worldly life.' 'Allah will say,' 'Today We will ignore them just as they ignored the coming of this Day of theirs and for rejecting Our revelations.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

 lit., their faith (which they are supposed to follow).

Who took their religion for a sport and pastime, and whom the life of the world beguiled. So this day We have forgotten them even as they forgot the meeting of this Day and as they used to deny Our tokens.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

"Such as took their religion to be mere amusement and play and were deceived by the life of the world." That day shall We forget them as they forgot the meeting of this day of theirs and as they were wont to reject Our signs. ¹⁰²⁹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

"Forgetfulness" may be involuntary, from a defect of memory, or figuratively, a deliberate turning away from, or ignoring of, something we do not want, as when we say in an argument, "you conveniently forget that so- and-so is so-and-so." Here the latter kind is meant. If men deliberately ignored the Hereafter in spite of warnings, can they expect to be received by Allah, Whom they themselves rejected?

for, indeed, We did convey unto them a divine writ which We clearly, and wisely,⁴⁰ spelled out - a guidance and a grace unto people who will believe."

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "with knowledge".

For We have certainly brought them a Book which provides clear details based on knowledge and which is a guidance and blessing for the true believers.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

We have certainly brought them a Book which We explained with knowledge- a guide and mercy for those who believe.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Verily We have brought them a Scripture which We expound with knowledge, a guidance and a mercy for a people who believe.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

For We had certainly sent unto them a Book based on knowledge which We explained in detail a guide and a mercy to all who believe.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Are [the unbelievers] but waiting for the final meaning of that [Day of Judgment] to unfold?⁴¹ [But] on the Day when its final meaning is unfolded, those who aforetime had been oblivious thereof will say: "Our Sustainer's apostles have indeed told us the truth! Have we, then, any intercessors who could intercede in our behalf? Or could we be brought back [to life] so that we might act otherwise than we were wont to act?"⁴² Indeed, they will have squandered their own selves, and all their false imagery will have forsaken them.

  - Mohammad Asad

In this context, the term ta'wil (which literally means "an endeavour to arrive at the final meaning [of a saying or occurrence]" - cf. 3:7 ) signifies the fulfilment of the warnings contained in the Qur'an: and in this sense it connotes the "unfolding of its final meaning".

Cf. {6:27-28}.

Now are these people waiting for anything other than the Day of Fulfillment (Day of Judgement)? When the Day of Fulfillment will come, those who have disregarded it, will say: "Indeed the Rasools of our Rabb had come with the truth. Are there any intercessors now, who could intercede on our behalf? Or could we be sent back so that we would not do as we have done before." In fact they would have lost their souls and the things they had invented will leave them in the lurch.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Do they only await the fulfilment 'of its warning'? The Day it will be fulfilled, those who ignored it before will say, 'The messengers of our Lord certainly came with the truth. Are there any intercessors who can plead on our behalf? Or can we be sent back so we may do 'good,' unlike what we used to do?' They will have certainly ruined themselves, and whatever 'gods' they fabricated will fail them.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Await they aught save the fulfillment thereof? On the day when the fulfillment thereof cometh, those who were before forgetful thereof will say: The messengers of our Lord did bring the Truth! Have we any intercessors, that they may intercede for us? Or can we be returned (to life on earth), that we may act otherwise than we used to act? They have lost their souls, and that which they devised hath failed them.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Do they just wait for the final fulfillment of the event? On the day the event is finally fulfilled those who disregarded it before will say: "the apostles of our Lord did indeed bring true (tidings). Have we no intercessors now to intercede on our behalf? Or could we be sent back? Then should we behave differently from our behavior in the past." In fact they will have lost their souls and the things they invented will leave them in the lurch. ¹⁰³⁰

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

If those without Faith want to wait and see what happens in the Hereafter, they will indeed learn the truth, but it will be too late for them to profit by it then. All the false ideals and false gods which they put their trust upon will leave them in the lurch. If they thought that the goodness or greatness of others would help them, they will be undeceived on the day when their personal responsibility will be enforced. There will be no salvation except on their own record. How they will then wish that they had another chance! But their chance will be gone.

VERILY, your Sustainer is God, who has created the heavens and the earth in six aeons, and is established on the throne of His almightiness.⁴³ He covers the day with the night in swift pursuit, with the sun and the moon and the stars subservient to His command: oh, verily, His is all creation and all command. Hallowed is God, the Sustainer of all the worlds!

  - Mohammad Asad

The conjunctive particle thumma which precedes this clause does not always denote order in time ("then" or "thereupon"). In cases where it is used to link parallel statements it has often the function of the simple conjunction wa ("and") - as, for instance, in 2:29 ("and has applied His design...", etc.) As regards the term 'arsh (lit., "throne" or "seat of power"), all Muslim commentators, classical and modern, are unanimously of the opinion that its metaphorical use in the Qur'an is meant to express God's absolute sway over all His creation. It is noteworthy that in all the seven instances where God is spoken of in the Qur'an as "established on the throne of His almightiness" 7:54 , 10:3 , 13:2 , 20:5 , 25:59 , 32:4 and 57:4 , this expression is connected with a declaration of His having created the universe. - The word yawm, commonly translated as "day" - but rendered above as "aeon" - is used in Arabic to denote any period, whether extremely long ("aeon") or extremely short ("moment"): its application to an earthly "day" of twenty-four hours is only one of its many connotations. (Cf. in this respect note [26] above, where the meaning of sa'ah - lit., "hour" - is explained.)

Surely your Rabb is Allah Who created the heavens and the earth in six Yome (time periods) and is firmly established on the throne of authority. He makes the night cover the day and the day follow the night automatically. He created the sun, the moon and the stars; and made them subservient to His will. Take note: His is the creation, and His is the command. Blessed is Allah, the Rabb of the worlds!

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Indeed your Lord is Allah Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days,¹ then established Himself on the Throne. He makes the day and night overlap in rapid succession. He created the sun, the moon, and the stars- all subjected by His command. The creation and the command belong to Him 'alone'. Blessed is Allah- Lord of all worlds!

  - Mustafa Khattab

 The word day is not always used in the Quran to mean a 24-hour period. According to 22:47, a heavenly Day is 1000 years of our time. The Day of Judgment will be 50 000 years of our time (see 70:4). Hence, the six Days of creation refer to six eons of time, known only by Allah.

Lo! your Lord is Allah Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days, then mounted He the Throne. He covereth the night with the day, which is in haste to follow it, and hath made the sun and the moon and the stars subservient by His command. His verily is all creation and commandment Blessed be Allah, the Lord of the Worlds!

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Your guardian-Lord is Allah Who created the heavens and the earth in six days and is firmly established on the throne (of authority): He draweth the night as a veil O'er the day each seeking the other in rapid succession: He created the sun the moon and the stars (all) governed by laws under His command. Is it not His to create and to govern? Blessed be Allah the cherisher and sustainer of the worlds! ^{1031 1032}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

A sublime verse, comparable to the Throne Verse ii. 255. As for the Creation in six days, in xxii. 47, we are told that a Day in the sight of Allah is like a thousand years of our reckoning, and in lxx. 4, the comparison is with 50,000 of our years. In the history of our material earth, we may reckon six great epochs of evolution.

Here, we are told of the creation of the heavens and the earth in six days. But lest we should be obsessed with the Jewish idea that Allah rested on the seventh day, we are told that the Creation was but a prelude to Allah's work: for His authority is exercised constantly by the laws which He establishes and enforces in all parts of His Creation. The beautiful imagery of night and day seeking out each other in rapid succession is still further enforced in the Arabic by the double accusative of the verb yugshi, showing the mutual interactions of the day and the night, each covering the other in turn. The heavenly bodies show an order which is evidence of His constant care and government. Not only that, but it is only He Who creates, maintains, and governs, and no one else.

Call unto your Sustainer humbly, and in the secrecy of your hearts. Verily, He loves not those who transgress the bounds of what is right:

  - Mohammad Asad

Call on your Rabb with humility and in private; for He does not love the transgressors.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Call upon your Lord humbly and secretly. Surely He does not like the transgressors.

  - Mustafa Khattab

O mankind!) Call upon your Lord humbly and in secret. Lo! He loveth not aggressors.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Call on your Lord with humility and in private: for Allah loveth not those who trespass beyond bounds. ¹⁰³³

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

In prayer, we must avoid any arrogance or show or loudness, or vanity of requests or words. If excess is condemned in all things, it is specially worthy of condemnation when we go humbly before Our Lord,-we poor creatures before the Omnipotent Who knoweth all.

hence, do not spread corruption on earth after it has been so well ordered. And call unto Him with fear and longing: verily, God's grace is ever near unto the doers of good!

  - Mohammad Asad

Do not create mischief in the land after it has been set in order. Pray to Him with fear and hope. Surely the mercy of Allah is always close to those who do good to others.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Do not spread corruption in the land after it has been set in order. And call upon Him with hope and fear. Indeed, Allah's mercy is always close to the good-doers.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Work not confusion in the earth after the fair ordering (thereof), and call on Him in fear and hope. Lo! the mercy of Allah is nigh unto the good.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Do no mischief on the earth after it hath been set in order but call on Him with fear and longing (in your hearts): for the mercy of Allah is (always) near to those who do good. ^{1034 1035}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The man who prays with humility and earnestness finds the ground prepared by Allah for his spiritual advancement. It is all set in order, and cleared of weeds. He does not, like the wicked, upset that order, to introduce evil or mischief into it.

Fear and longing: the fear of Allah is really a fear lest we should diverge from His Will, or do anything which would not be pleasing to Him: unlike ordinary fear, it therefore brings us nearer to Allah, and in fact nourishes our longing and desire for Him.

And He it is who sends forth the winds as a glad tiding of His coming grace - so that, when they have brought heavy clouds, We may drive them towards dead land and cause thereby water to descend; and by this means do We cause all manner of fruit to come forth. Even thus shall We cause the dead to come forth: [and this] you ought to keep in mind.⁴⁴

  - Mohammad Asad

This is the key-sentence of the parable set forth in verses {57-58}: by the exercise of the same life-giving power by which God causes plants to grow, He will resurrect the dead at the end of time. The next sentence continues the parable by likening those whose hearts are open to the voice of truth to fertile earth, and those who are bent on denying it, to barren earth.

He is the One Who sends the winds bearing good news of His blessings, so when they lift up heavy clouds, We drive them along to a dead countryside and make the rain fall upon it and bring forth all kinds of fruits from the same dead land. Likewise We will raise the dead to life; this example is given so that you may learn a lesson from this observation.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

He is the One Who sends the winds ushering in His mercy. When they bear heavy clouds, We drive them to a lifeless land and then cause rain to fall, producing every type of fruit. Similarly, We will bring the dead to life, so perhaps you will be mindful.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And He it is Who sendeth the winds as tidings heralding His mercy, till, when they bear a cloud heavy (with rain), We lead it to a dead land, and then cause water to descend thereon, and thereby bring forth fruits of every kind. Thus bring We forth the dead. Haply ye may remember.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

It is He who sendeth the winds like heralds of glad tidings going before His mercy: when they have carried the heavy-laden clouds We drive them to a land that is dead make rain to descend thereon and produce every kind of harvest therewith: thus shall We raise up the dead: perchance ye may remember. ¹⁰³⁶

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The Parable is complete in its triple significance. (1) In the physical world the winds go like heralds of glad tidings; they are the advance guard, behind which is coming the great army of winds driving heavily laden clouds before it; the wise Providence of Allah is their General, who directs them towards a parched land, on which the clouds deliver their gladdening showers of mercy, which convert the dead land into a living, fertile, and beautiful land bearing a rich harvest. (2) In the spiritual world, the winds are the great motive forces in the mind of man, or in the world around him, that bring the clouds or instruments of Allah's Mercy, which descend and fertilise souls hitherto spiritually dead. (3) If we can see or experience such things in our life here below, can we doubt the resurrection?

As for the good land, its vegetation comes forth [in abundance] by its Sustainer's leave, whereas from the bad it comes forth but poorly. Thus do We give many facets to Our messages for [the benefit of] people who are grateful!

  - Mohammad Asad

The good soil yields rich produce by the permission of Allah and barren soil yields nothing but poor produce. Thus do We explain Our revelations over and over again for those who pay thanks.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

The fertile land produces abundantly by the Will of its Lord, whereas the infertile land hardly produces anything. This is how We vary 'Our' lessons to those who are thankful.

  - Mustafa Khattab

As for the good land, its vegetation cometh forth by permission of its Lord; while as for that which is bad, only evil cometh forth (from it) . Thus do We recount the tokens for people who give thanks.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

From the land that is clean and good by the will of its cherisher springs up produce (rich) after its kind: but from the land that is bad spring up nothing but that which is niggardly: thus do We explain the signs by various (symbols) to those who are grateful. ^{1037 1038}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The triple parable explained in the last note is here continued. (1) In the physical world, the fertilising showers of rain yield a rich harvest on good soil, but bad soil yields little or nothing. (2) In the spiritual world, also, Allah's Mercies evoke no response in some souls which have chosen evil. (3) In the final reckoning, though all will be raised, not all will achieve the fulfilment of their lives.

Those who are grateful are those who joyfully receive Allah's Message, and respond to it by deeds of righteousness.

INDEED, We sent forth Noah unto his people,⁴⁵ and he said: "O my people! Worship God alone: you have no deity other than Him. Verily, I fear lest suffering befall you on an awesome Day!"⁴⁶

  - Mohammad Asad

In continuation of the stress, in the preceding passages, on God's omnipotence and transcendental oneness, verses {59-93} refer to several of the earlier prophets, who preached the same truth, and whose names were familiar to the Arabs before the revelation of the Qur'an. Their stories - beginning with that of Noah, who is considered the first apostle ever sent to mankind - are reduced here to the warnings with which they unsuccessfully tried to persuade their people to worship God alone and to live righteously.

This refers either to the Day of Judgment or to the approaching deluge.

Indeed We selected Nuh for the guidance of his people, and he said: "O my people! Worship Allah, you have no god but Him. If you do not listen to what I say, I fear for you the punishment of a Mighty Day."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Indeed, We sent Noah to his people. He said, 'O my people! Worship Allah- you have no other god except Him. I truly fear for you the torment of a tremendous Day.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

We sent Noah (of old) unto his people, and he said: O my people! Serve Allah. Ye have no other God save Him. Lo! I fear for you the retribution of an Awful Day.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

We sent Noah to his people. He said: "O my people! worship Allah! ye have no other god but Him. I fear for you the punishment of a dreadful day! ¹⁰³⁹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The story of Noah in greater detail will be found in xi. 25-49. Here the scheme is to tell briefly the stories of some of the Prophets between Noah and Moses, and lead up thus to a lesson for the contemporaries of the Prophet Muhammad himself. When Noah attacked the wickedness of his generation, he was laughed at for a madman, for he mentioned the Great Day to come in the Hereafter. Allah's retribution came soon afterwards-the great Flood, in which his unbelieving people were drowned, but he and those who believed in him and came into the Ark were saved.

The great ones among his people replied: "Verily, we see that thou art obviously lost in error!"

  - Mohammad Asad

The chiefs of his nation said: "Surely we see that you are in evident error."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

But the chiefs of his people said, 'We surely see that you are clearly misguided.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

The chieftains of his people said: Lo! we see thee surely in plain error.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

The leaders of his people said: "Ah! we see thee evidently wandering (in mind)."

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali