Surah 52. At-Tur

1.

By Mount Ṭûr!¹

 Where Moses (ﷺ) communicated with Allah.

2.

And by the Book written

3.

on open pages 'for all to read'!¹

 i.e., the Quran.

4.

And by the 'Sacred' House frequently visited!¹

 This is either the Sacred House in Mecca, which is frequented by pilgrims, or a sanctuary in Heaven, which is frequented by angels.

5.

And by the canopy raised 'high'!

6.

And by the seas set on fire!¹

 The seas and oceans will be on fire on Judgment Day.

7.

Indeed, the punishment of your Lord will come to pass-

8.

none will avert it-

9.

on the Day the heavens will be shaken violently,

10.

and the mountains will be blown away entirely.

11.

Then woe on that Day to the deniers-

12.

those who amuse themselves with falsehood!

13.

'It is' the Day they will be fiercely shoved into the Fire of Hell.

14.

'They will be told,' 'This is the Fire which you used to deny.

15.

Is this magic, or do you not see?

16.

Burn in it! It is the same whether you endure 'it' patiently or not.¹ You are only rewarded for what you used to do.'

 One gets the reward for being patient in difficult times in this world. As for the Hereafter, those who suffer patiently in Hell will not be rewarded for their patience.

17.

Indeed, the righteous will be in Gardens and bliss,

18.

enjoying whatever their Lord will have granted them. And their Lord will have protected them from the torment of the Hellfire.

19.

'They will be told,' 'Eat and drink happily for what you used to do.'

20.

They will be reclining on thrones, 'neatly' lined up 'facing each other'. And We will pair them to maidens with gorgeous eyes.

21.

As for those who believe and whose descendants follow them in faith, We will elevate their descendants to their rank, never discounting anything 'of the reward' of their deeds. Every person will reap only what they sowed.¹

 Meaning, no one will carry the burden of another’s sins.

22.

And We will 'continually' provide them with whatever fruit or meat they desire.

23.

They will pass around to each other a drink 'of pure wine,' which leads to no idle talk or sinfulness.

24.

And they will be waited on by their youthful servants like spotless pearls.

25.

They will turn to one another inquisitively.¹

 It is assumed that they will ask each other about their lives in the world and what led them to Paradise.

26.

They will say, 'Before 'this reward' we used to be in awe 'of Allah' in the midst of our people.

27.

So Allah has graced us and protected us from the torment of 'Hell's' scorching heat.

28.

Indeed, we used to call upon Him 'alone' before. He is truly the Most Kind, Most Merciful.'

29.

So 'continue to' remind 'all, O Prophet'. For you, by the grace of your Lord, are not a fortune-teller or a madman.

30.

Or do they say, ''He is' a poet, for whom we 'eagerly' await an ill-fate!'?

31.

Say, 'Keep waiting! I too am waiting with you.'

32.

Or do their 'intelligent' minds prompt them to this 'paradox'?¹ Or are they 'just' a transgressing people?

 The pagan leaders claimed to be Mecca’s most intelligent minds. So this verse questions their intelligence, arguing that the Prophet (ﷺ) cannot be a madman and a poet at the same time.

33.

Or do they say, 'He made this 'Quran' up!'? In fact, they have no faith.

34.

Let them then produce something like it, if what they say is true!¹

 Arab pagans were challenged in the Quran to produce its equivalent (52:34), or ten sûrahs (11:13), or at least one sûrah (2:23), but the challenge has never been met.

35.

Or were they created by nothing, or are they 'their own' creators?

36.

Or did they create the heavens and the earth? In fact, they have no firm belief 'in Allah'.

37.

Or do they possess the treasuries of your Lord, or are they in control 'of everything'?

38.

Or do they have a stairway, by which they eavesdrop 'on the heavens'? Then let those who do so bring a compelling proof.

39.

Or does He have daughters 'as you claim', while you 'prefer to' have sons?¹

 See footnote for 37:149.

40.

Or are you 'O Prophet' asking them for a reward 'for the message' so that they are overburdened by debt?

41.

Or do they have access to 'the Record in' the unseen, so they copy it 'for all to see'?

42.

Or do they intend to scheme 'against the Prophet'? Then it is the disbelievers who will fall victim to 'their' schemes.

43.

Or do they have a god other than Allah? Glorified is Allah far above what they associate 'with Him'!

44.

If they were to see a 'deadly' piece of the sky fall down 'upon them', still they would say, ''This is just' a pile of clouds.'

45.

So leave them until they face their Day in which they will be struck dead-

46.

the Day their scheming will be of no benefit to them whatsoever, nor will they be helped.

47.

Also, the wrongdoers will certainly have another torment before that 'Day', but most of them do not know.¹

 i.e., famine, droughts, or the defeat at the Battle of Badr (see 32:21). The Battle of Badr took place in the 15 th  year of the Prophet’s mission. The previous passage poses fifteen questions to the Meccan pagans before warning them in this passage.

48.

So be patient with your Lord's decree, for you are truly under Our 'watchful' Eyes. And glorify the praises of your Lord when you rise.

49.

And glorify Him during part of the night and at the fading of the stars.