Al-Anbiyaa

ٱقْتَرَبَ لِلنَّاسِ حِسَابُهُمْ وَهُمْ فِى غَفْلَةٍ مُّعْرِضُونَ 1

{ اقترب } قرب { للناس } أهل مكة منكري البعث { حسابهم } يوم القيامة { وهم فى غفلة } عنه { معرضون } عن التأهب له بالإيمان.

Nigh has drawn for mankind, the people of Mecca, the deniers of the Resurrection, their reckoning, [on] the Day of Resurrection, yet they are heedless, of it, disregardful, of the preparation [required] for it by way of [embracing] faith.

مَا يَأْتِيهِم مِّن ذِكْرٍ مِّن رَّبِّهِم مُّحْدَثٍ إِلَّا ٱسْتَمَعُوهُ وَهُمْ يَلْعَبُونَ 2

{ ما يأتيهم من ذكر من ربهم محدث } شيئا فشيئا أي لفظ قرآن { إلا استمعوه وهم يلعبون } يستهزؤون.

There does not come to them any new reminder from their Lord, [revealed] gradually, in other words, [new] words of the Qur’ān, but they listen to it as they play, [as they] engage in mockery,

لَاهِيَةً قُلُوبُهُمْ ۗ وَأَسَرُّوا۟ ٱلنَّجْوَى ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا۟ هَلْ هَـٰذَآ إِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُكُمْ ۖ أَفَتَأْتُونَ ٱلسِّحْرَ وَأَنتُمْ تُبْصِرُونَ 3

{ لاهية } غافلة { قلوبهم } عن معناه { وأسروا النجوى } أي الكلام { الذين ظلموا } بدل من واو { هل هذا } أي محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم { إلا بشر مثلكم } فما يأتي به سحر. { أفتأتون السحر } تتبعونه { وأنتم تبصرون } تعلمون أنه سحر؟

with their hearts preoccupied, heedless of its meanings. And they are secret in [their] conference, [their] speech, [they] the evildoers (alladhīna zalamū, a substitution for the [third person plural indicator] wāw of wa-asarrū’l-najwā, ‘and they are secret in conference’) ‘Is this, namely, Muhammad (s), other than a [mortal] human being like yourselves?, and so what he produces is [mere] sorcery. Will you then take [to] sorcery, [will] you [succumb and] follow it, even though you are able to see?’, [even though] you know that it is sorcery?

قَالَ رَبِّى يَعْلَمُ ٱلْقَوْلَ فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ 4

{ قال } لهم { ربى يعلم القول } كائنا { فى السمآء والأرض وهو السميع } لما أسروه { العليم } به.

He said, to them, ‘My Lord knows the words, that are [spoken], in the heavens and the earth, and He is the Hearer, of what they keep secret, the Knower’, of it.

بَلْ قَالُوٓا۟ أَضْغَـٰثُ أَحْلَـٰمٍۭ بَلِ ٱفْتَرَىٰهُ بَلْ هُوَ شَاعِرٌ فَلْيَأْتِنَا بِـَٔايَةٍ كَمَآ أُرْسِلَ ٱلْأَوَّلُونَ 5

{ بل } للانتقال من غرض إلى آخر في المواضع الثلاثة { قالوا } فيما أتى به من القرآن هو { أضغث أحلام } أخلاط رآها في النوم { بل افتراه } اختلقه { بل هو شاعر } فما أتى به شعر { فليأتنا بئاية كمآ أرسل الأولون } كالناقة والعصا واليد.

Nay (bal, in the three instances [below] effects a transition from one subject to another) but they say, regarding those parts of the Qur’ān he [the Prophet] has brought [to them] are: ‘A muddle of nightmares, a confusion [of things] he has seen in [his] sleep. Nay, he has fabricated it, he has invented it; nay, he is a poet, and what he has brought is [merely] poetry! So let him bring us a sign, such as was sent to the ancients’, like the she-camel [Sālih], the staff and the [glowing] hand [of Moses]. God, exalted be He, says:

مَآ ءَامَنَتْ قَبْلَهُم مِّن قَرْيَةٍ أَهْلَكْنَـٰهَآ ۖ أَفَهُمْ يُؤْمِنُونَ 6

قال تعالى: { مآ ءامنت قبلهم من قرية } أي أهلها { أهلكنها } بتكذيبها ما أتاها من الآيات { أفهم يؤمنون }؟ لا.

No town before them ever believed — meaning [none of] its inhabitants — of those that We destroyed, for the denial of the signs brought to them. Would they then believe? No.

وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ إِلَّا رِجَالًا نُّوحِىٓ إِلَيْهِمْ ۖ فَسْـَٔلُوٓا۟ أَهْلَ ٱلذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ 7

{ ومآ أرسلنا قبلك إلا رجالايوحي } وفي قراءة (نوحى) بالنون وكسر الحاء { إليهم } لا ملائكة { فاسألوا أهل الذكر } العلماء بالتوراة والإنجيل { إن كنتم لا تعلمون } ذلك فإنهم يعلمونه، وأنتم إلى تصديقهم أقرب من تصديق المؤمنين بمحمد صلى الله عليه وسلم.

And We sent none before you other than men to whom We revealed (read nūhī or yūhā, ‘[to whom] it is revealed’) and [We sent] not any angels. Ask the People of the Remembrance, those with knowledge of the Torah and the Gospel, if you do not know, this; for they will know it. Since you are more likely to believe them than the believers are to believing Muhammad (s).

وَمَا جَعَلْنَـٰهُمْ جَسَدًا لَّا يَأْكُلُونَ ٱلطَّعَامَ وَمَا كَانُوا۟ خَـٰلِدِينَ 8

{ وما جعلنهم } أي الرسل { جسدا } بمعنى أجسادا { لا يأكلون الطعام } بل يأكلونه { وما كانوا خلدين } في الدنيا.

And We did not make them, namely, the messengers, bodies that did not eat food, nay, they eat it; and they were not immortal, in this world.

ثُمَّ صَدَقْنَـٰهُمُ ٱلْوَعْدَ فَأَنجَيْنَـٰهُمْ وَمَن نَّشَآءُ وَأَهْلَكْنَا ٱلْمُسْرِفِينَ 9

{ ثم صدقنهم الوعد } بإنجائهم { فأنجينهم ومن نشآء } أي المصدقين لهم { وأهلكنا المسرفين } المكذبين لهم.

Then We fulfilled to them the promise, to deliver them. So We delivered them and whomever We would, [of] those who believed in them, and We destroyed the prodigal, those who denied them.

لَقَدْ أَنزَلْنَآ إِلَيْكُمْ كِتَـٰبًا فِيهِ ذِكْرُكُمْ ۖ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ 10

{ لقد أنزلنآ إليكم } يا معشر قريش { كتبا فيه ذكركم } لأنه بلغتكم { أفلا تعقلون } فتؤمنون به.

Now We have sent down [as revelation] to you, O clan of Quraysh, a Book in which there is the remembrance that is yours, for it is in your language. Will you not understand?, and so believe in it?

وَكَمْ قَصَمْنَا مِن قَرْيَةٍ كَانَتْ ظَالِمَةً وَأَنشَأْنَا بَعْدَهَا قَوْمًا ءَاخَرِينَ 11

{ وكم قصمنا } أهلكنا { من قرية } أي أهلها { كانت ظلمة } كافرة { وأنشأنا بعدها قوما ءاخرين }.

And how many did We destroy of towns — meaning its inhabitants — that had been wrongdoing, disbelieving, and brought forth another people after it!

فَلَمَّآ أَحَسُّوا۟ بَأْسَنَآ إِذَا هُم مِّنْهَا يَرْكُضُونَ 12

{ فلما أحسوا بأسنآ } أي شعر أهل القرية بالإهلاك { إذا هم منها يركضون } يهربون مسرعين.

And when they felt Our might, [when] the inhabitants of the town sensed destruction [to be near], behold, they ran away from it, they flee hastily [therefrom].