Al-A'raaf

الٓمٓصٓ 1

{ المص } الله أعلم بمراده بذلك.

Alif Lām Mīm Sād: God knows best what He means by these [letters].

كِتَـٰبٌ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ فَلَا يَكُن فِى صَدْرِكَ حَرَجٌ مِّنْهُ لِتُنذِرَ بِهِۦ وَذِكْرَىٰ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ 2

هذا { كتب أنزل إليك } خطاب للنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم { فلا يكن فى صدرك حرج } ضيق { منه } أن تبلغه مخافة أن تكذب { لتنذر } متعلق ب(أنزل): أي للإنذار { به وذكرى } تذكرة { للمؤمنين } به.

This is, a Book that is revealed to you — addressing the Prophet (s) — so let there be no inhibition, [no] constraint, in your breast because of it, to convey it — for fear that you might be called a liar — that you may warn thereby (li-tundhira, ‘that you may warn’, is semantically connected to unzila, ‘is revealed’, that is to say, ‘[it is revealed] for [the purposes of] warning’) and as a reminder for those who believe, in it.

ٱتَّبِعُوا۟ مَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكُم مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا۟ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ أَوْلِيَآءَ ۗ قَلِيلًا مَّا تَذَكَّرُونَ 3

قل لهم { اتبعوا ما أنزل إليكم من ربكم } أي القرآن { ولا تتبعوا } تتخذوا { من دونه } أي الله: أي غيره { أوليآء } تطيعونهم في معصيته تعالى { قليلا ما تذكرون } بالتاء والياء، تتعظون، وفيه إدغام التاء في الأصل في الذال وفي قراءة بسكونها، و «ما» زائدة لتأكيد القلة.

Say to them: Follow what has been revealed to you from your Lord, namely, the Qur’ān, and do not follow, [do not] take, beside Him, namely, God, in other words, other than Him, any patrons, obeying them in disobedience of Him, exalted be He. Little do you remember (read tadhakkarūn or yadhakkarūn, ‘[little] are you or they admonished’; the original tā’ [of tatadhakkarūn] has been assimilated with the dhāl; a variant reading has tadhkurūn; the mā [of qalīlan mā, ‘little’] is extra, merely emphasising the ‘littleness’).

وَكَم مِّن قَرْيَةٍ أَهْلَكْنَـٰهَا فَجَآءَهَا بَأْسُنَا بَيَـٰتًا أَوْ هُمْ قَآئِلُونَ 4

{ وكم } خبرية مفعول { من قرية } أريد أهلها { أهلكنها } أردنا إهلاكها { فجآءها بأسنا } عذابنا { بياتا } ليلا { أو هم قائلون } نائمون بالظهيرة، و(القيلولة): استراحة نصف النهار وإن لم يكن معها نوم، أي مرة جاءها ليلا، ومرة نهارا.

How many (kam is predicative and is the direct object [of the main verb, ahlaknāhā, ‘We have destroyed’]) a city, meaning its inhabitants, have We destroyed, have We willed its destruction! So Our might, Our chastisement, came upon it at night or while they slept at noon (qā’ilūn: al-qaylūla is a rest taken halfway during the day, even if it does not involve sleep), in other words, sometimes it came upon it at night, and sometimes it came during the day.

فَمَا كَانَ دَعْوَىٰهُمْ إِذْ جَآءَهُم بَأْسُنَآ إِلَّآ أَن قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَـٰلِمِينَ 5

{ فما كان دعوهم } قولهم { إذ جآءهم بأسنآ إلا أن قالوا إنا كنا ظلمين }.

And their only plea, their [only] words, when Our might came upon them, was to say, ‘We were evildoers indeed’.

فَلَنَسْـَٔلَنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ أُرْسِلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَنَسْـَٔلَنَّ ٱلْمُرْسَلِينَ 6

{ فلنسئلن الذين أرسل إليهم } أي الأمم عن إجابتهم الرسل وعملهم فيما بلغهم { ولنسئلن المرسلين } عن الإبلاغ.

Then verily We shall question those to whom the Message was sent, that is, [We shall question those] communities, about their response to the messengers, and to what extent they implemented that which was conveyed to them; and We shall question the messengers, about the conveying [of that Message].

فَلَنَقُصَّنَّ عَلَيْهِم بِعِلْمٍ ۖ وَمَا كُنَّا غَآئِبِينَ 7

{ فلنقصن عليهم بعلم } لنخبرنهم عن علم بما فعلوه { وما كنا غآئبين } عن إبلاغ الرسل والأمم الخالية فيما عملوا.

And We shall narrate to them with knowledge, We shall inform them, with [previous] knowledge, of what they did; for verily We were not absent, when the messengers were conveying [the Message], nor [were We absent] during the time of bygone communities and what they did.

وَٱلْوَزْنُ يَوْمَئِذٍ ٱلْحَقُّ ۚ فَمَن ثَقُلَتْ مَوَٰزِينُهُۥ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ 8

{ والوزن } للأعمال أو لصحائفها بميزان له لسان وكفتان كما ورد في حديث كائن { يومئذ } أي يوم السؤال المذكور وهو يوم القيامة { الحق } العدل: صفة (الوزن) { فمن ثقلت موزينه } بالحسنات { فأولئك هم المفلحون } الفائزون.

The weighing, of deeds or of the scrolls of these [deeds] shall be — in a balance that has a tongue and two palms [as scales], as reported in a hadīth — on that day, that is, on the day of the questioning mentioned, namely, the Day of Resurrection, the true [weighing], the fair [weighing] (al-haqq, ‘the true’, is an adjectival qualification of al-wazn, ‘the weighing’). As for those whose scales are heavy, with good deeds, they are the successful, the triumphant.

وَمَنْ خَفَّتْ مَوَٰزِينُهُۥ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ خَسِرُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُم بِمَا كَانُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا يَظْلِمُونَ 9

{ ومن خفت موزينه } بالسيئات { فأولئك الذين خسروا أنفسهم } بتصييرها إلى النار { بما كانوا بئايتنا يظلمون } يجحدون.

And as for those whose scales are light, because of evil deeds, those are the ones who have lost their souls, by causing them to travel towards the Fire, because they mistreated, they [knowingly] denied, Our signs.

وَلَقَدْ مَكَّنَّـٰكُمْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَجَعَلْنَا لَكُمْ فِيهَا مَعَـٰيِشَ ۗ قَلِيلًا مَّا تَشْكُرُونَ 10

{ ولقد مكنكم } يا بني آدم { فى الأرض وجعلنا لكم فيها معيش } بالياء: أسبابا تعيشون بها، (جمع معيشة) { قليلا ما } لتأكيد القلة { تشكرون } على ذلك.

And We have given you power, O Children of Adam, in the earth, and have appointed for you therein livelihoods (ma‘āyish is the plural of ma‘īsha), that is, the means by which you [are able to] subsist; little (qalīlan mā: mā is to emphasise the ‘littleness’) thanks you show, for this.

وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَـٰكُمْ ثُمَّ صَوَّرْنَـٰكُمْ ثُمَّ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ ٱسْجُدُوا۟ لِـَٔادَمَ فَسَجَدُوٓا۟ إِلَّآ إِبْلِيسَ لَمْ يَكُن مِّنَ ٱلسَّـٰجِدِينَ 11

{ ولقد خلقنكم } أي أباكم آدم { ثم صورنكم } أي صورناه وأنتم في ظهره { ثم قلنا للملئكة اسجدوا لأدم } سجود تحية بالانحناء { فسجدوا إلا إبليس } أبا الجن كان بين الملائكة { لم يكن من السجدين }.

And We created you, that is, your father Adam, then shaped you, that is, We shaped him with you [deposited] in his back, then said to the angels: ‘Prostrate yourselves before Adam!’, a prostration that is a bow of salutation. So they fell prostrate, all save Iblīs, the father of the jinn, who was among the angels — he was not of those who make prostration.

قَالَ مَا مَنَعَكَ أَلَّا تَسْجُدَ إِذْ أَمَرْتُكَ ۖ قَالَ أَنَا۠ خَيْرٌ مِّنْهُ خَلَقْتَنِى مِن نَّارٍ وَخَلَقْتَهُۥ مِن طِينٍ 12

{ قال } تعالى { ما منعك أ } ن { لا } زائدة { تسجد إذ } حين { أمرتك قال أنا خير منه خلقتني من نار وخلقته من طين }.

He, exalted be He, said, ‘What prevented you from falling prostrate (allā is [made up of] an-lā, the lā being extra) when I commanded you?’ He [Iblīs] said, ‘I am better than him. You created me from fire, while him You created from clay’.