Al-Hajj

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ ٱتَّقُوا۟ رَبَّكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ زَلْزَلَةَ ٱلسَّاعَةِ شَىْءٌ عَظِيمٌ 1

{ ي أيها الناس } يا أهل مكة وغيرهم { اتقوا ربكم } أي عقابه بأن تطيعوه { إن زلزلة الساعة } أي الحركة الشديدة للأرض التي يكون بعدها طلوع الشمس من مغربها الذي هو قرب الساعة { شىء عظيم } في إزعاج الناس الذي هو نوع من العقاب.

O mankind, that is, the inhabitants of Mecca and others: fear your Lord, that is, of His punishment, by being obedient to Him. Surely the earthquake of the Hour [of Doom], that is, the violent quaking of the earth after which the sun will rise from the west, [something] which will be near [the time of] the Hour, is a tremendous thing, in the way it will distress people — this itself being a sort of punishment.

يَوْمَ تَرَوْنَهَا تَذْهَلُ كُلُّ مُرْضِعَةٍ عَمَّآ أَرْضَعَتْ وَتَضَعُ كُلُّ ذَاتِ حَمْلٍ حَمْلَهَا وَتَرَى ٱلنَّاسَ سُكَـٰرَىٰ وَمَا هُم بِسُكَـٰرَىٰ وَلَـٰكِنَّ عَذَابَ ٱللَّهِ شَدِيدٌ 2

{ يوم ترونها تذهل } بسببها { كل مرضعة } بالفعل { عما أرضعت } أي تنساه { وتضع كل ذات حمل } أي حبلى { حملها وترى الناس سكرى } من شدة الخوف { وما هم بسكرى } من الشراب { ولكن عذاب الله شديد } فهم يخافونه.

On the day when you behold it, every, actually, nursing female, on account of this [tremendous day], will neglect her suckling, that is, she will forget it; and every pregnant female will deliver her burden, and you will see mankind [as though] drunk, because of the severity of [their] fear, yet they will not be drunk, because of any drink; but God’s chastisement is severe, and so they will be terrified of it.

وَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن يُجَـٰدِلُ فِى ٱللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَيَتَّبِعُ كُلَّ شَيْطَـٰنٍ مَّرِيدٍ 3

ونزل في النضر بن الحارث وجماعة { ومن الناس من يجدل فى الله بغير علم } قالوا:الملائكة بنات الله، والقرآن أساطير الأولين، وأنكروا البعث وإحياء من صار ترابا { ويتبع } في جداله { كل شيطن مريد } أي متمرد.

The following was revealed regarding al-Nadr b. al-Hārith and his companions: And among mankind are those who dispute about God without any knowledge — they would say, ‘The angels are God’s daughters, and the Qur’ān [a collection of] the fables of the ancients’. In addition, they would deny resurrection and the bringing back to life of those who had become dust — and [those who] follow, in their manner of disputing, every rebellious devil,

كُتِبَ عَلَيْهِ أَنَّهُۥ مَن تَوَلَّاهُ فَأَنَّهُۥ يُضِلُّهُۥ وَيَهْدِيهِ إِلَىٰ عَذَابِ ٱلسَّعِيرِ 4

{ كتب عليه } قضي على الشيطان { أنه من تولاه } أي اتبعه { فأنه يضله ويهديه } يدعوه { إلى عذاب السعير } أي النار.

about whom it has been decreed, in other words, it has been decreed with regards to a devil, that whoever takes him for a friend, that is, [whoever] follows him, he will make him go astray and will lead him, summon him, to the chastisement of the Blaze, namely, to the Fire.

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ إِن كُنتُمْ فِى رَيْبٍ مِّنَ ٱلْبَعْثِ فَإِنَّا خَلَقْنَـٰكُم مِّن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ ثُمَّ مِنْ عَلَقَةٍ ثُمَّ مِن مُّضْغَةٍ مُّخَلَّقَةٍ وَغَيْرِ مُخَلَّقَةٍ لِّنُبَيِّنَ لَكُمْ ۚ وَنُقِرُّ فِى ٱلْأَرْحَامِ مَا نَشَآءُ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى ثُمَّ نُخْرِجُكُمْ طِفْلًا ثُمَّ لِتَبْلُغُوٓا۟ أَشُدَّكُمْ ۖ وَمِنكُم مَّن يُتَوَفَّىٰ وَمِنكُم مَّن يُرَدُّ إِلَىٰٓ أَرْذَلِ ٱلْعُمُرِ لِكَيْلَا يَعْلَمَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ عِلْمٍ شَيْـًٔا ۚ وَتَرَى ٱلْأَرْضَ هَامِدَةً فَإِذَآ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْهَا ٱلْمَآءَ ٱهْتَزَّتْ وَرَبَتْ وَأَنۢبَتَتْ مِن كُلِّ زَوْجٍۭ بَهِيجٍ 5

{ يأيها الناس } أي أهل مكة { إن كنتم فى ريب } شك { من البعث فإنا خلقنكم } أي أصلكم آدم { من تراب ثم } خلقنا ذريته { من نطفة } مني { ثم من علقة } وهي الدم الجامد { ثم من مضغة } وهي لحمة قدر ما يمضغ { مخلقة } مصورة تامة الخلق { وغير مخلقة } أي غير تامة الخلق { لنبين لكم } كمال قدرتنا لتستدلوا بها في ابتداء الخلق على إعادته { ونقر } مستأنف { فى الأرحام ما نشاء إلى أجل مسمى } وقت خروجه { ثم نخرجكم } من بطون أمهاتكم { طفلا } بمعنى أطفالا { ثم } نعمركم { لتبلغوا أشدكم } أي الكمال والقوة وهو ما بين الثلاثين إلى الأربعين سنة { ومنكم من يتوفى } يموت قبل بلوغ الأشد { ومنكم من يرد إلى أرذل العمر } أخسه من الهرم والخرف { لكيلا يعلم من بعد علم شيئا } قال عكرمة: من قرأ القرآن لم يصر بهذه الحالة { وترى الأرض هامدة } يابسة { فإذا أنزلنا عليها الماء اهتزت } تحركت { وربت } ارتفعت وزادت { وأنبتت من } زائدة { كل زوج } صنف { بهيج } حسن.

O mankind, in other words, [O] people of Mecca, if you are in doubt about the Resurrection, then lo! [consider that] We have created you, that is, [We have created] your origin — Adam — from dust then, We created his progeny, from a drop, a sperm-drop, then from a clot, congealed blood, then from a [little] lump of flesh (mudgha), a piece of flesh, the size of what one would [be able to] chew (mā yumdagh), partly formed, shaped, complete in form, and partly unformed, that is, uncomplete in form, that We may make clear to you, the perfect nature of Our power, that you might [then] infer from this initial act of creation, the [reality of its future] restoration. And We establish (nuqirru, marks a new [grammatically independent] sentence) in the wombs whatever We will for a specified time, that is, until the time for it to come out, then We bring you forth, from the bellies of your mothers, as infants, and then, We extend your life, that you may come of age (ashuddakum), that is to say, [your] prime and strength, which is [that age] between thirty and forty years. And there are some of you who are taken away, by death, before coming of age, and there are some of you who are relegated to the most abject time of life, its most despicable [state] of decrepitude and senility, so that after [having had] some knowledge, he no longer knows anything — ‘Ikrima said, ‘Whoever recites the Qur’ān, such a state will not befall him’. And you see the earth torpid, barren, yet when We send down water upon it, it stirs, it moves, and swells, it rises and grows, and grows [plants of] (anbatat min, min is extra) every delightful, fair, kind, species.

ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلْحَقُّ وَأَنَّهُۥ يُحْىِ ٱلْمَوْتَىٰ وَأَنَّهُۥ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ 6

{ ذلك } المذكور من بدء خلق الإنسان إلى آخر إحياء الأرض { بأن } بسبب أن { الله هو الحق } الثابت الدائم { وأنه يحى الموتى وأنه علىكل شىء قدير }.

That, which is mentioned, from the commencement of man’s creation to the end of [the description of] the earth being revived, is because God, He is the Truth, the Constant, the Permanent, and because He revives the dead and has power over all things;

وَأَنَّ ٱلسَّاعَةَ ءَاتِيَةٌ لَّا رَيْبَ فِيهَا وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَبْعَثُ مَن فِى ٱلْقُبُورِ 7

{ وأن الساعة ءاتية لا ريب } شك { فيها وأن الله يبعث من فى القبور }.

and because the Hour will come, whereof there is no doubt, uncertainty; and because God will resurrect those who are in the graves.

وَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن يُجَـٰدِلُ فِى ٱللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَلَا هُدًى وَلَا كِتَـٰبٍ مُّنِيرٍ 8

ونزل في أبي جهل { ومن الناس من يجدل فى الله بغير علم ولا هدى } معه { ولا كتب منير } له نور معه.

The following was revealed regarding Abū Jahl: And among mankind there are some who dispute about God without [any] knowledge or guidance, [being] with him, or an enlightening Scripture, one containing light, [being] with him,

ثَانِىَ عِطْفِهِۦ لِيُضِلَّ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ لَهُۥ فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا خِزْىٌ ۖ وَنُذِيقُهُۥ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ عَذَابَ ٱلْحَرِيقِ 9

{ ثانى عطفه } حال أي لاوي عنقه تكبرا عن الإيمان( والعطف) الجانب عن يمين أو شمال { ليضل } بفتح الياء وضمها { عن سبيل الله } أي دينه { له فى الدنيا خزى } عذاب فقتل يوم بدر { ونذيقه يوم القيمة عذاب الحريق } أي الإحراق بالنار، ويقال له.

turning aside (thāniya ‘itfihi, a circumstantial qualifier, meaning ‘turning his neck aside in disdain of belief; al-ītf means ‘a side’, and can be either the left or the right) to go astray (read li-yadilla; or li-yudilla, ‘to lead [others] astray’) from the way of God, that is, [from] His religion. For him there will be ignominy, chastisement, in this world — thus he [Abū Jahl] was slain on the day of Badr — and on the Day of Resurrection We shall make him taste the chastisement of the burning, that is, [the chastisement of] being burnt in the Fire, and it shall be said to him:

ذَٰلِكَ بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ يَدَاكَ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَيْسَ بِظَلَّـٰمٍ لِّلْعَبِيدِ 10

{ ذلك بما قدمت يداك } أي قدمته عبر عنه بهما دون غيرهما لأن أكثر الأفعال تزاول بهما { وأن الله ليس بظلم } أي بذي ظلم { للعبيد } فيعذبهم بغير ذنب.

‘That is [the chastisement] for what your hands have sent ahead, in other words, what you have offered [in the way of deeds] — He refers to him with reference to the two [hands] as opposed to other [parts], because most actions are effected through them — and because God is not unjust to His servants’, chastising them without [their having committed] any sin.

وَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن يَعْبُدُ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ حَرْفٍ ۖ فَإِنْ أَصَابَهُۥ خَيْرٌ ٱطْمَأَنَّ بِهِۦ ۖ وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ فِتْنَةٌ ٱنقَلَبَ عَلَىٰ وَجْهِهِۦ خَسِرَ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱلْـَٔاخِرَةَ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلْخُسْرَانُ ٱلْمُبِينُ 11

{ ومن الناس من يعبد الله على حرف } أي شك في عبادته، شبه بالحال على حرف جبل في عدم ثباته { فإن أصابه خير } صحة وسلامة في نفسه وماله { اطمأن به وإن أصابته فتنة } محنة وسقم في نفسه وماله { انقلب على وجهه } أي رجع إلى الكفر { خسر الدنيا } بفوات ما أمله منها { والأخرة } بالكفر { ذلك هو الخسرن المبين } البين.

And among mankind there are those who worship God on a knife-edge: that is, with uncertainty in his worship — such [a person] has been likened the [knife-] edge of a mountain in his precariousness — if good [fortune] befalls him, [so that he enjoys] health and security with respect to his own self and his property, he is reassured by it; but if an ordeal befalls him, a trial or ill-health with regard to himself or his property, he makes a turnabout, that is, he reverts to disbelief, losing both this world, when what he had hoped for in it has eluded him, and the Hereafter, by [his] disbelief. That is the manifest loss.

يَدْعُوا۟ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا يَضُرُّهُۥ وَمَا لَا يَنفَعُهُۥ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلضَّلَـٰلُ ٱلْبَعِيدُ 12

{ يدعو } يعبد { من دون الله } من الصنم { ما لا يضره } إن لم يعبده { وما لا ينفعه } إن عبده { ذلك } الدعاء { هو الضلال البعيد } عن الحق.

He calls on, he worships, besides God, in the way of idols, that which could not hurt him, should he refrain from worshipping it, and that which could not profit him, if were to worship it. Such, a call, is extreme error, from the truth.