10

Jonah

Yūnus

Yūnus is the first in a series of six sūrahs whose opening verses include the letters alif, lām, and rāʾ, and which speak of the Book. With the possible exception of vv. 40, 94–96, which are said to have been revealed in Madinah (JJ), this sūrah in all likelihood belongs to the early Makkan period, as the context of some of the verses seems to suggest a date near to the beginning of the Prophet’s mission (see 10:2c in particular). Some say it is to be dated sometime after the Prophet’s Night Journey and Ascension (al-isrāʾ wa’l-miʿrāj); see 17:1c; introduction to Sūrah 53 (JJ).

One of this sūrah’s main arguments, in response to the Makkan idolaters’ accusations, is that the Quran is of Divine Origin and the Prophet had no hand in composing it. Several verses decry the disbelievers’ labeling the Prophet a manifest sorcerer (v. 2) and saying that he has fabricated it (v. 38). The sūrah also argues that the real fabricators are those who reject God, and for them there awaits a terrible reckoning in the next life (vv. 60, 69). Their lie against God is related to the fact that they deny their own true nature, which is to believe in and serve God. The sūrah describes how even disbelievers manifest this true belief in God when affliction befalls them and they are left with no one to turn to except God; however, when they are safe, they forget God, return to their old ways, and are again left to their own machinations (vv. 22–23).

Another key theme of this sūrah is its response to the challenges made by the Makkan idolaters that the Prophet should hasten to bring upon them the Punishment of God if he is truthful in his claims (v. 11), or that he should bring a different Quran that does not condemn their gods and is thus more congenial to their ways of worship (vv. 15–17).

A good deal of emphasis is placed in this sūrah on the teaching that the ultimate return of all creatures is to God, just as their creation originated with Him (v. 56). Although the meeting with God after death is considered to be inevitable, those who are given only to the life of this world and who serve their various false gods will be punished for their disbelief (vv. 7, 52). Likewise, glad tidings (v. 2) are promised to the believers (see also vv. 4, 62–64, 103), who are encouraged to be patient with the hardships through which the disbelievers put them (v. 109). It is the believers who will be engulfed in peace (v. 10), which is confirmed in God’s calling people to the Abode of Peace (v. 25).

Another key theme is the futility of conjecture (vv. 36, 60, 66). Thus, the sūrah condemns such things as the Makkans’ belief in false gods as well as their anticipated intercession in the affairs of this world, when, in reality, intercession is only by God’s Leave and false gods have no role in the spiritual economy of things (vv. 3, 18). This is why in the Hereafter the false gods will reject those who used to serve them (vv. 28–29), especially because these false gods have no ability to create or guide others (vv. 34–35). Rather, God is the only One Who can provide for His creatures (v. 31).

The sūrah also addresses the question of why guidance, which is considered to have a universal resonance, is received so differently. The answer is that disbelievers are opposed to the truth from the beginning and thus are not willing to listen (vv. 96–97, 101). Yet, like those who turn to God when affliction visits them but who revert to their old ways once they are safe, there are people, like Pharaoh in v. 90, who will eventually acknowledge the truth, but too late. Ultimately, guidance is dependent upon God, and none can guide those who are misguided (vv. 42–43, 99, 100).

The sūrah ends by recounting the stories of Noah (vv. 71–73) and Moses (vv. 75–93). Unlike the communities of Noah, Moses, and other previous prophets, the people of the prophet Jonah (from mention of whom in v. 98 the sūrah receives its name) heeded the warning of their prophet and thereby averted punishment. This serves to illustrate to the Makkans and, by extension, people in general that it is not too late to accept the truth, and that if they do so, they will benefit themselves and avert punishment.

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

¡ Alif. Lām. Rā. These are the signs of the Wise Book. * Is it a marvel for mankind that We have sent revelation unto a man from among themselves, [saying], “Warn mankind and give glad tidings to those who believe that they shall have a station of sincerity with their Lord”? The disbelievers say, “Surely this is a manifest sorcerer.” + Truly your Lord is God, Who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then mounted the Throne, directing the affair. There is no intercessor, save by His Leave. That is God, your Lord; so worship Him! Will you not remember? J Unto Him is your return all together; God’s Promise is true. Verily He originates creation, then He brings it back, that He may recompense with justice those who believe and perform righteous deeds. As for the disbelievers, theirs shall be a drink of boiling liquid and a painful punishment for having disbelieved. Z He it is Who made the sun a radiance, and the moon a light, and determined for it stations, that you might know the number of years and the reckoning [of time]. God did not create these, save in truth. He expounds the signs for a people who know. j Surely in the variation of the night and the day and whatsoever God has created in the heavens and on the earth are signs for a people who are reverent. z Truly those who anticipate not the meeting with Us, and who are content with the life of this world and feel secure therein, and who are heedless of Our signs, { it is they whose refuge shall be the Fire for that which they used to earn. | Truly those who believe and perform righteous deeds, their Lord guides them by their faith. They shall have rivers running below them in Gardens of bliss. Ċ Their supplication therein shall be, “Glory be to Thee, O God!” And therein their greeting shall be, “Peace.” And the conclusion of their supplication shall be, “Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds!” Ě Were God to hasten evil for mankind, even as they would hasten the good, their appointed term would have been concluded. But We leave those who anticipate not the meeting with Us to wander confused in their rebellion. Ī And when harm afflicts man, he calls upon Us, [lying] on his side, or sitting, or standing. Then, when We remove his affliction from him, he carries on as if he had not called upon Us concerning the harm that had befallen him. Thus is that which they used to do made to seem fair unto the prodigal. ĺ We have indeed destroyed generations before you when they did wrong, and their messengers brought them clear proofs, but they would not believe. Thus do We recompense the guilty people. Ŋ Then We made you vicegerents upon the earth after them, that We might observe how you behave. Ś And when Our signs are recited unto them as clear proofs, those who anticipate not the meeting with Us say, “Bring a Quran other than this, or alter it.” Say, “It is not for me to alter it of my own accord. I follow only that which is revealed unto me. Truly I fear, should I disobey my Lord, the punishment of a tremendous day.” Ū Say, “Had God willed, I would not have recited it unto you; nor would He have made it known to you. Indeed, I tarried among you for a lifetime before it. Do you not understand?” ź And who does greater wrong than one who fabricates a lie against God or denies His signs? Surely the guilty will not prosper. Ɗ They worship apart from God that which neither harms them nor benefits them. And they say, “These are our intercessors with God.” Say, “Would you inform God about something in the heavens or on the earth that He does not know? Glory be to Him and exalted is He above the partners they ascribe!” ƚ Mankind was but one community, then they differed. And if not for a Word that had preceded from thy Lord, judgment would have been made between them concerning that wherein they differed. Ȋ And they say, “Why has no sign been sent down unto him from his Lord?” Say, “Truly the Unseen belongs to God alone. So wait! Truly I am among those waiting along with you.” ! When We make men taste mercy after hardship has befallen them, behold, they have a plot regarding Our signs. Say, “God is swifter in plotting.” Surely Our messengers record whatsoever you plot. " He it is Who carries you over land and sea, even when you are sailing in ships, till, when they sail with them upon a favorable wind, and rejoice therein, there comes upon them a violent gale, and the waves come at them from every side, and they think they shall be encompassed by them. They call upon God, devoting religion entirely to Him: “If Thou savest us from this, we shall surely be among the thankful!” # Then when He saves them, behold, they behave tyrannically upon the earth without right. O mankind! Your tyranny is only against yourselves—the enjoyment of the life of this world. Then unto Us shall be your return, whereupon We shall inform you of that which you used to do. $ The parable of the life of this world is that of water which We send down from the sky: the earth’s vegetation, from which men and cattle eat, mingles with it till, when the earth takes on its luster and is adorned, and its inhabitants think they have gained mastery over it, Our Command comes upon it by night or by day, whereupon We make it a mown field, as if it had not flourished the day before! Thus do We expound the signs for a people who reflect. % And God calls unto the Abode of Peace, and guides whomsoever He will unto a straight path. & Unto those who are virtuous shall be that which is most beautiful and more besides. Neither darkness nor abasement shall come over their faces. It is they who are the inhabitants of the Garden; they shall abide therein. ' And as for those who commit evil deeds, the recompense of an evil is one like it, and abasement shall overcome them. There will be none to protect them from God. [It will be] as if their faces are covered with dark patches of night. It is they who are the inhabitants of the Fire; they shall abide therein. ( On the Day when We shall gather them all together, then We shall say to those who ascribed partners unto God, “Stop there! You and your partners!” Then We shall separate them, and their partners will say, “It was not us whom you worshipped. ) God suffices as a Witness between you and us. We were heedless of your worship.” Ð There and then every soul shall experience that which it did in the past, and they shall be brought back unto God, their true Master, and that which they used to fabricate will forsake them. Ñ Say, “Who provides for you from Heaven and earth? Who has power over hearing and sight? And who brings forth the living from the dead, and brings forth the dead from the living, and who directs the affair?” They will say, “God.” So say, “Will you not, then, be reverent?” Ò That is God, your true Lord. What is there beyond truth but error? How, then, are you turned away? Ó Thus the Word of thy Lord came due for those who are iniquitous: truly they believe not. Ô Say, “Is there, among your partners, one who originates creation and then brings it back?” Say, “God originates creation, then brings it back. How, then, are you perverted?” Õ Say, “Is there any among your partners who guides unto Truth?” Say, “God guides unto Truth. Is one who guides unto Truth worthier to be followed, or one who cannot guide unless he be guided? What ails you? How do you judge?” Ö And most of them follow naught but conjecture. Truly conjecture does not avail against the truth in the least. Truly God knows what they do. × This Quran could not have been fabricated [by anyone] apart from God; rather, it is a confirmation of that which came before it, and an elaboration of the Book in which there is no doubt, from the Lord of the worlds. Ø Or do they say, “He has fabricated it”? Say, “Then bring a sūrah like it, and call upon whomsoever you can apart from God, if you are truthful.” Ù Nay, but they deny that whose knowledge they cannot comprehend and whose interpretation has not yet come to them. Even so did those who were before them deny. So behold how the wrongdoers fared in the end. @ Among them are those who believe in it, and among them are those who do not believe in it, and thy Lord knows best the workers of corruption. A And if they deny thee, say, “Unto me, my deeds, and unto you, your deeds. You are quit of that which I do, and I am quit of that which you do.” B And among them are those who listen to thee. But dost thou make the deaf to hear, though they understand not? C And among them are those who look at thee. But couldst thou guide the blind, though they see not? D Truly God does not wrong human beings in the least, but rather human beings wrong themselves. E On the Day when He shall gather them, it will be as if they tarried but an hour of the day, acquainting themselves with one another. Lost indeed are those who denied the meeting with God, and they were not rightly guided. F Whether We show thee a part of that which We promise them, or We take thee, their return shall be unto Us. Then God is Witness over that which they do. G For every community there is a messenger, and when their messenger comes, judgment shall be rendered between them with justice, and they will not be wronged. H And they say, “When will this promise come to pass, if you are truthful?” I Say, “I have no power over what harm or benefit may come to me, save as God wills. For every community there is a term. When their term comes, they shall not delay it by a single hour, nor shall they advance it.” P Say, “Have you considered: if His Punishment should come upon you by night or by day, what part thereof would the guilty seek to hasten?” Q And then, when it comes to pass, will you believe in it? Now? While you once sought to hasten it? R Then it shall be said unto the wrongdoers, “Taste the punishment everlasting. Are you recompensed for aught save that which you used to earn?” S And they inquire of thee, “Is it true?” Say, “Yea, by my Lord it is true, and you cannot thwart [it].” T Were it so that each soul that had done wrong possessed all that is on the earth, he would surely seek to ransom himself thereby, and they will hide their remorse when they see the punishment. And judgment shall be rendered between them with justice, and they will not be wronged. U Truly unto God belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and on the earth. Verily God’s Promise is true, but most of them know not. V He gives life and causes death, and unto Him shall you be returned. W O mankind! There has come unto you an exhortation from your Lord, and a cure for that which lies within breasts, and a guidance and a mercy for the believers. X Say, “In the Bounty of God and His Mercy—in that let them rejoice! It is better than that which they amass.” Y Say, “Have you seen that which God sent down unto you for provision? Then you made some of it forbidden and some lawful.” Say, “Has God granted you leave, or do you fabricate against God?” ` What will those who fabricate lies against God conjecture on the Day of Resurrection? Truly God is Possessed of Bounty for mankind, but most of them do not give thanks. a Thou art not upon any task, nor dost thou recite any part of the Quran, nor do you perform any deed, save that We are a Witness over you when you engage therein. Not a mote’s weight evades thy Lord on earth or in Heaven, nor smaller than that nor larger, but that it is in a clear Book. b Behold! Truly the friends of God, no fear shall come upon them, nor shall they grieve— c those who believe and are reverent. d For them are glad tidings in the life of this world and in the Hereafter. There is no altering the Words of God. That is the great triumph. e And let not their speech grieve thee. Truly might belongs altogether to God; He is the Hearing, the Knowing. f Behold! Truly unto God belongs whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is on the earth. And what is it that they follow, those who call upon partners apart from God? They follow naught but conjecture, and they do but surmise. g He it is Who made the night for you, that you might rest therein, and the day by which to see. Truly in that are signs for a people who hear. h They say, “God has taken a child.” Glory be to Him! He is the Self-Sufficient. Unto Him belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth. You have no authority for this. Do you say about God that which you know not? i Say, “Surely those who fabricate a lie against God will not prosper.” p An enjoyment in this world, then unto Us shall be their return, and We shall make them taste severe punishment for their having disbelieved. q And recite unto them the story of Noah, when he said to his people, “O my people! If my presence is grievous to you, and [so too] my reminding of the signs of God, then in God do I trust. So decide on your plan, you and your partners; then let there be no doubt concerning your plan, but carry it out against me, and grant no respite! r And if you turn your backs, I have not asked of you any reward. My reward lies only with God, and I am commanded to be among those who submit.” s Yet, they denied him. So We saved him and those with him in the Ark. And We made them vicegerents, and We drowned those who denied Our signs. So observe how those who were warned fared in the end. t Then, after him, We sent messengers unto their people, and they brought them clear proofs. But it was not for them to believe in that which they had denied beforehand. Thus do We set a seal upon the hearts of the transgressors. u Then, after them, We sent Moses and Aaron with Our signs to Pharaoh and his notables. But they waxed arrogant, and they were a guilty people. v So when the Truth came unto them from Us, they said, “Surely this is manifest sorcery!” w Moses said, “Do you say [this] about the truth when it comes unto you? Is this sorcery? The sorcerers will not prosper.” x They said, “Have you come unto us to turn us away from that which we found our fathers following, so that grandeur in the land might belong to you two? We will not believe in the two of you!” y Pharaoh said, “Bring me every knowing sorcerer.” À And when the sorcerers came, Moses said to them, “Cast what you would cast.” Á And when they cast, Moses said, “That which you have produced is sorcery; God will soon bring it to naught. Surely God does not allow the deeds of those who work corruption to flourish. Â God verifies the truth through His Words, though the guilty be averse.” Ã But none believed in Moses, save some progeny from among his people, for fear of Pharaoh and his notables, that he would oppress them; for truly Pharaoh was exalted in the land, and he was indeed among the prodigal. Ä And Moses said, “O my people! If you believe in God, then trust in Him, if you are submitters.” Å And they said, “In God do we trust. Our Lord! Make us not a temptation for the wrongdoing people. Æ And save us through Thy Mercy from disbelieving people.” Ç And We revealed unto Moses and his brother, “Appoint for thy people houses in Egypt, and make your houses places of worship and perform the prayer, and give glad tidings unto the believers.” È Moses said, “Our Lord! Truly Thou hast given Pharaoh and his notables ornament and wealth in the life of this world, our Lord, so that they may lead astray from Thy way. Our Lord! Blot out their wealth and harden their hearts, so that they will not believe till they see the painful punishment.” É He said, “Your supplication has been answered. So stand firm, and follow not the way of those who know not.” Ґ We carried the Children of Israel across the sea, and Pharaoh and his hosts pursued them out of envy and enmity till, when drowning overtook them, he said, “I believe that there is no god but the One in whom the Children of Israel believe, and I am among those who submit.” ґ Now, though previously you disobeyed and were among the workers of corruption? Ғ Today We shall save you in your body that you might be a sign unto those who come after you. Yet many among mankind are heedless of Our signs. ғ Certainly We settled the Children of Israel in a sure settlement, and We provided them with good things. They differed not till knowledge came unto them. Thy Lord will surely judge between them on the Day of Resurrection concerning that wherein they differed. Ҕ So if thou art in doubt concerning that which We have sent down unto thee, ask those who recite the Book before thee. The truth has certainly come unto thee from thy Lord. So be thou not among the doubters. ҕ And be not thou among those who deny the signs of God, lest thou shouldst be among the losers. Җ Truly those for whom the Word of thy Lord has come due will not believe, җ though every sign should come unto them, till they see the painful punishment. Ҙ Why has not a single town believed and benefitted from its belief, other than the people of Jonah? When they believed, We removed from them the punishment of disgrace in the life of this world, and We granted them enjoyment for a while. ҙ And had thy Lord willed, all those who are on the earth would have believed all together. Wouldst thou compel men till they become believers? Ā It is not for a soul to believe, save by God’s Leave. And He lays defilement upon those who understand not. ā Say, “Observe that which is in the heavens and on the earth.” But neither signs nor warnings avail a people who believe not. Ă Do they wait for aught save the like of the days of those who passed away before them? Say, “So wait! Truly I am waiting along with you.” ă Then We save Our messengers and those who believe. Thus is it incumbent upon Us to save the believers. Ą Say, “O mankind! If you are in doubt concerning my religion, then [know that] I worship not those whom you worship apart from God; rather, I worship God, Who shall take you [unto Himself]. And I am commanded to be among the believers, ą and ‘Set thy face toward the religion as a ḥanīf, and be thou not among the idolaters. Ć And call not, apart from God, upon that which neither benefits thee, nor harms thee. For if thou dost so, thou shalt surely be among the wrongdoers.’” ć And if God should touch thee with affliction, none can remove it save He; and if He desires some good for thee, none can hold back His Bounty. He causes it to fall upon whomsoever He will among His servants. And He is the Forgiving, the Merciful. Ĉ Say, “O mankind! The Truth has come unto you from your Lord. Whosoever is rightly guided is only rightly guided for the sake of his own soul, and whosoever is astray is only astray to its detriment. And I am not a guardian over you.” ĉ And follow that which has been revealed unto thee, and be patient till God renders judgment, and He is the best of judges.

Commentary

¡ Alif. Lām. Rā. These are the signs of the Wise Book.

1  For the detached letters, see 2:1c. Although some have taken the Book to be an allusion to this particular sūrah (Bḍ, Z), it is generally understood to refer to the Quran itself (Bḍ, JJ, Kl, Q, R; see 2:2c; 2:89c; 2:129c). Wise (ḥakīm) refers to the wisdom to be found in the Book (Kā, R), and can also denote its being clear (mubīn; see also 12:1) and unambiguous in meaning (muḥkam; IK, Kā; muḥkam is based on the same root as ḥakīm; see also 3:7c; 11:1c).

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* Is it a marvel for mankind that We have sent revelation unto a man from among themselves, [saying], “Warn mankind and give glad tidings to those who believe that they shall have a station of sincerity with their Lord”? The disbelievers say, “Surely this is a manifest sorcerer.”

2  It is reported that the revelation of this verse was occasioned by the Quraysh’s derisive astonishment when the Prophet came to them as God’s Messenger. They said, “Could God not find anyone to send but the orphan [belonging to the household] of [his uncle] Abū Ṭālib?” (My, Q). As a warner, the Prophet’s function was to remind them of the Resurrection and God’s Judgment of their acts (N), as well as to instill fear in them of the impending punishment for evil acts (JJ); as a bearer of glad tidings he was instructed to inform the believers of God’s Mercy (for this dual function, see 4:165c; 17:105c). Station of sincerity (qadam ṣidq) can refer to a kind of priority and high standing with God (Bḍ), Reward from Him (R), or the Prophet’s intercession (see 2:48c) on the Last Day (IK, My, R). In response to the Prophet, the disbelievers among the Quraysh labeled him a sorcerer (see also 38:4; 40:24; 51:39, 52). Some commentaries read “sorcery” (siḥr; cf. v. 76) instead of sorcerer (sāḥir), in which case this in the last sentence of the verse would refer to the Quran, not to the Prophet (N, R, Z).

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+ Truly your Lord is God, Who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then mounted the Throne, directing the affair. There is no intercessor, save by His Leave. That is God, your Lord; so worship Him! Will you not remember?

3  For the meaning of creation in six days followed by a reference to God’s mounting the Throne, see 7:54c (see also 11:7; 25:59; 32:4; 57:4). When mounted upon the Throne, God is described as directing the affair (see also 10:31; 13:2; 32:5), which refers to His control over all affairs (Ṭ) as well as His Decree (M). The reference to intercession in this verse is identical in meaning to the one in 2:255 (see also 2:48c). That is God, your Lord, calls attention to God’s Divinity (ulūhiyyah) and Lordship (rubūbiyyah), which demand that His Unity be declared (JJ) and that worship be dedicated to Him alone (IK). Whenever That is God, your Lord appears in the Quran (see 6:102; 10:32; 35:13; 39:6; 40:62; 40:64; cf. 42:10), it precedes or is preceded by a reference to some palpable interaction of God with His creation. Will you not remember? is understood by some commentators to refer to the act of reflection (see 6:50), the least degree of which will turn one’s attention to God’s Divinity and Lordship (Bḍ, Kā).

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J Unto Him is your return all together; God’s Promise is true. Verily He originates creation, then He brings it back, that He may recompense with justice those who believe and perform righteous deeds. As for the disbelievers, theirs shall be a drink of boiling liquid and a painful punishment for having disbelieved.

4  Some say that since the preceding verse began with a mention of the Origin of creation, this verse begins by speaking of the return to God (R; see also 6:60), which here denotes the Resurrection (Aj, Bḍ). This is also reflected in originates creation and brings it back (see also 10:34; 27:64; 30:11, 27). The references here to God’s originating creation and bringing it back form the basis of the complementary Islamic cosmogonic and eschatological terms known as the Origin (mabdaʾ) and the Return (maʿād; for the latter, see 28:85). In the Quran, the Resurrection marks the Return to God and hence to one’s Origin (see 7:172c). Because returning to God entails receiving recompense for actions committed on earth (N, Q), while believers who acted righteously are promised a recompense with justice from God (cf. 30:45; 34:4), and the recompense of the disbelievers will be a drink of boiling liquid (see also, e.g., 6:70; 37:67; 56:42) as well as a painful punishment, and this because judgment shall be rendered between them with justice, and they will not be wronged (vv. 47, 54).

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Z He it is Who made the sun a radiance, and the moon a light, and determined for it stations, that you might know the number of years and the reckoning [of time]. God did not create these, save in truth. He expounds the signs for a people who know.

5  The sun, whose splendor is described here as a radiance, and the moon, which is called a light (see also 25:61) since it receives its luminosity from the sun (Bḍ), are said to have been created in truth (see also, e.g., 16:3; 29:44), which means that they possess reality and purpose and have not been created in vain (3:191; 38:27; see also 21:16; 44:38; JJ, R, Z). For the general function of the sun and the moon in regulating one’s daily activities, see 2:189c; 36:40c. For the moon’s stations, see 36:39c.

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j Surely in the variation of the night and the day and whatsoever God has created in the heavens and on the earth are signs for a people who are reverent.

6  The people who are characterized here as reverent are those who are mindful of God and fearful of their final outcome in the Hereafter (Aj, JJ); on the concept of reverence, or taqwā, see 2:2c. This attitude leads them to reflect deeply upon the nature of things (R). The ebb and flow of the night and the day (see also 2:164; 3:190; 23:80; 45:5) indicate to them the impermanent and transient nature of this life, as do the innumerable beings that God has created in the heavens and on the earth, each of which is characterized by finitude (Aj, Bḍ, R). Thus, the signs contained in the fleeting phenomena that make up the “world” also remind the reverent of their eternal, unique, and everlasting Source (Aj, R, Ṭb). A famous couplet by the poet Abu’l-ʿAtāhiyah (d. 213/828) says, “In each thing there is a sign, being proof that He is One.”

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z Truly those who anticipate not the meeting with Us, and who are content with the life of this world and feel secure therein, and who are heedless of Our signs,

{ it is they whose refuge shall be the Fire for that which they used to earn.

7–8  The meeting with God is a reference to the general Islamic belief in the encounter with Him on the Day of Resurrection (Ṭ, Ṭs). To anticipate the meeting with God refers to the desire to receive His Recompense and Mercy in the Hereafter (R), and to the supreme hope of attaining the beatific vision of God in Paradise (Q; see 75:22–23c). People who reject the idea of a Hereafter are therefore characterized as those who anticipate not the meeting with Us (Ṭ, Ṭs); see also 2:46; 10:11, 15; 18:110; 25:21. Rather, they are content with the life of this world and feel secure therein (cf. 11:15, 13:28), directing all of their aspirations toward this world and its transient trappings (Ṭ, Z) and acting as though they will remain in it forever (Kl, Ṭ, Z). They, therefore, become heedless of God’s signs and their posthumous meeting with Him on account of that which they used to earn in the world by their fervent dedication to it (Bḍ). In this regard, the Prophet is reported to have said, “He who loves to meet God, God loves to meet him; he who disdains to meet God, God disdains to meet him.”

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| Truly those who believe and perform righteous deeds, their Lord guides them by their faith. They shall have rivers running below them in Gardens of bliss.

9  Guides them by their faith (cf. 3:86; 48:4) means that God will increase them in guidance (Q), that He will grant them a light with which they will be guided on the Day of Resurrection (JJ; see also 66:8), or that He will guide them to Paradise as a reward for their faith and righteous deeds (R, Z). The rivers running below will flow before the inhabitants of Paradise in Gardens of bliss (see also, e.g., 22:56; 37:43), while they are seated upon raised couches (88:13; R; see also 2:25c; 4:57c).

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Ċ Their supplication therein shall be, “Glory be to Thee, O God!” And therein their greeting shall be, “Peace.” And the conclusion of their supplication shall be, “Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds!”

10  Many commentators note that supplication in this context is understood to mean a form of magnification and praise (R, Sh, Ṭs, Z). Peace, which is the common greeting among Muslims in this world, is also the greeting among the people of Paradise and is what they will hear from God and the angels (Aj, Z; see, e.g., 14:23; 33:44; 36:58; 39:73). For Paradise as the Abode of Peace, see 10:25c (see also 19:62; 56:26).

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Ě Were God to hasten evil for mankind, even as they would hasten the good, their appointed term would have been concluded. But We leave those who anticipate not the meeting with Us to wander confused in their rebellion.

11  It is said that this verse was revealed when the Makkans challenged God, saying, Rain down stones upon us from the sky (8:32; Q, Z). The verse makes clear the point that, were the evil that they were calling upon to come to them as quickly as God grants them the good things they seek, their appointed term would have been concluded; that is, they would have been destroyed (JJ, Z). Yet, God gives them respite out of His Divine Wisdom (Ṭb; see 68:45c; 71:4c; 86:17). For those who do not anticipate the meeting with God, see 10:7–8c (see also v. 15; 25:21). They are left to wander confused (see 2:15c), which is to say that they are left in a state of bewilderment (JJ, Q) in their rebellion (see also 2:15c; 6:110; 7:186; 10:11; 23:75), namely, in their condition of error and associating partners with God (N).

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Ī And when harm afflicts man, he calls upon Us, [lying] on his side, or sitting, or standing. Then, when We remove his affliction from him, he carries on as if he had not called upon Us concerning the harm that had befallen him. Thus is that which they used to do made to seem fair unto the prodigal.

12  When harm afflicts (see also 17:67; 39:8) refers to the fact that when difficulties occur (Ṭ), such as sickness and poverty (JJ), people ask for God’s Help to take away the afflictions (Bḍ). Then, when God removes the affliction, they forget their troubled state and God’s Help in taking away the afflictions and go back to their old ways of being heedless of God and pursuing their own caprices (Ṭ, Ṭb). The prodigal, therefore, are those who have the ability to turn to God (which becomes apparent at the time of their affliction), but who choose to expend their energies in seeking worldly objects instead. Al-Rāzī explains it as follows: “A ‘prodigal’ person is one who expends much wealth for a lowly purpose. It is well known that the pleasures and delights of this world are very lowly in comparison to the felicities of the Abode of the next life. God has given man the senses, an intellect, understanding, and strength in order to acquire these majestic felicities. But whoever exhausts these noble tools in order to gain those [aforementioned] lowly, bodily delights has expended many majestic things in order to gain lowly and vile things. Such a person is surely one of the prodigal.” For the wider Quranic theme of people’s actions being made to seem fair to them, see 3:14c; 6:42–44c.

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ĺ We have indeed destroyed generations before you when they did wrong, and their messengers brought them clear proofs, but they would not believe. Thus do We recompense the guilty people.

13  Here generations means previous religious communities (JJ), such as the people of Noah and those of Hūd (IḤ). These communities were destroyed when they did wrong (see also 18:59), that is, when they ascribed partners to God (Bg, Kl) or denied the Truth (Bḍ). For the clear proofs brought by messengers to past nations, see 2:87c; 2:92c; and the introduction to Sūrah 98. Wording identical to thus do We recompense guilty people also appears in 46:25. Here guilty people refers to the disbelievers (see also 77:16–19c).

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Ŋ Then We made you vicegerents upon the earth after them, that We might observe how you behave.

14  For the different Quranic senses of vicegerent, see 2:30c. That We might observe how you behave does not indicate any deficiency in knowledge on God’s part that would result in His placing vicegerents upon the earth in order to see or come to know how His servants behave. Rather, that We might observe is understood to mean “in order for it to be made manifest in existence” (Kl); and how in the expression how you behave means, according to Arabic rhetoric, “how it is” (Āl; see also 3:140; 5:94; 57:25; 67:1). Thus, that We might observe how you behave means something like “in order for it to be manifest in existence how it is that you will behave” (see also 2:143c).

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Ś And when Our signs are recited unto them as clear proofs, those who anticipate not the meeting with Us say, “Bring a Quran other than this, or alter it.” Say, “It is not for me to alter it of my own accord. I follow only that which is revealed unto me. Truly I fear, should I disobey my Lord, the punishment of a tremendous day.”

15  God’s signs often refer to the Quran’s verses, or āyāt, a term that also means more generally “signs” or “portents” in Arabic (see 3:7c; 41:53c; 45:3–9c). By them and those who anticipate not the meeting with Us (see also 10:7–8c) is meant the Makkan idolaters (Q) and, by implication, all others who turn against God. The Quran’s condemnation of the Makkans’ false deities was one of the main reasons they demanded that the Prophet bring a different scripture or at least alter the present one (My, Ṭū, W, Z). The Prophet is instructed to respond by saying, It is not for me to alter it of my own accord. Al-Rāzī points out that, on the surface, this reply only speaks to the request to alter the Quran. But the answer actually addresses both requests, since by denying the possibility of changing the Quran in its present form, it is, a fortiori, even more impossible to bring an entirely new scripture (R). The fact that the Prophet insisted that he could not change the Quran served as an argument to the Makkan idolaters that he had no role in its authorship (R), which is why he was instructed by God to say, I follow only that which is revealed unto me (see also 6:50; 53:3–4).

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Ū Say, “Had God willed, I would not have recited it unto you; nor would He have made it known to you. Indeed, I tarried among you for a lifetime before it. Do you not understand?”

16  Continuing the previous verse, this verse reiterates that the Prophet is simply the conduit for the revelation of the Quran. I tarried among you for a lifetime before it refers to the fact that the Prophet was born and raised in Makkah, and by the time the Quran was revealed to him at the age of forty he was a well-known member of Makkan society (see 9:128), having earned a reputation among his people as an honest and truthful man (K, Z). Indeed, even before the coming of Islam, the Makkans used to refer to him as “the Trustworthy” (al-Amīn). As the Prophet’s cousin Jaʿfar ibn Abī Ṭālib said to the Negus (for whom, see 2:115c; 5:82–83c), “God sent a messenger to us whose truthfulness, lineage, and trustworthiness we [all] know” (IK). Hence the Prophet is instructed to ask the Makkan idolaters, Do you not understand?; that is, “Given the fact that you know that I am not a liar, why do you not ponder and reflect in order to realize that the Quran that has been revealed to me is from none other than God?” (Bḍ, JJ, My).

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ź And who does greater wrong than one who fabricates a lie against God or denies His signs? Surely the guilty will not prosper.

17  This verse accentuates the point that, were the Prophet to have fabricated a lie against God or denied His signs, none would have done a greater wrong against him than he would have done against himself (R; see also 6:93; 11:19; 61:7). Some commentators argue that since the Prophet is truthful and is simply communicating what is revealed to him from God, those who deny him are in fact the ones who have wronged themselves, which is why they are described as the guilty (R; see also v. 13; 6:21, 135; 12:23).

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Ɗ They worship apart from God that which neither harms them nor benefits them. And they say, “These are our intercessors with God.” Say, “Would you inform God about something in the heavens or on the earth that He does not know? Glory be to Him and exalted is He above the partners they ascribe!”

18  Some Makkans believed that the idols belonging to the pre-Islamic pantheon, such as al-Lāt, al-ʿUzzah, and Manāt (see 4:117–19c; 22:52c; 53:19–20c), would intercede with God to rectify the affairs related to their livelihood in this world (Q; cf. 2:48c). But since these idols are lifeless objects crafted by human hands (see 37:95), they are rejected here as possessing neither harm nor benefit for those who worship them (Aj, Q; see also 5:76; 6:71; 21:66–67; 22:12; 25:55). Rather, the Quran insists that unto God belongs intercession altogether (39:44), which does not exclude the possibility that He will grant the power of intercession to others, such as the Prophet and some saints (see 2:48c; 2:255c). The claim that the idols would intercede with God is met with a rhetorical question, Would you inform God about something in the heavens or on the earth that He does not know? (see also 2:255; 58:7). For the expression Glory be to Him and exalted is He above the partners they ascribe unto Him, which is a statement of God’s utter transcendence and incomparability (IK), see also 16:1; 30:40; 39:67.

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ƚ Mankind was but one community, then they differed. And if not for a Word that had preceded from thy Lord, judgment would have been made between them concerning that wherein they differed.

19  Although many commentators provide several interpretations of the Quranic reference to humanity as having been one community, what they differed over can generally be said to pertain to particular understandings of revelation (see 2:213c). Some commentators understand a Word that had preceded from thy Lord as alluding to God’s putting off His Judgment between those who differ with each other until the Day of Resurrection (Aj, Bḍ, JJ).

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Ȋ And they say, “Why has no sign been sent down unto him from his Lord?” Say, “Truly the Unseen belongs to God alone. So wait! Truly I am among those waiting along with you.”

20  Despite the fact that God’s signs were being given to the Prophet by virtue of the continuous revelation of the Quran, the Makkan idolaters insisted that yet another sign be sent down unto him, namely, one that conformed to their requests made in v. 15 (Z); for similar requests, see 6:37, 109; 13:7, 27. The Prophet is once again told to reiterate his passive relationship to the revelation, noting that whatever he receives issues from the Unseen, which belongs to God alone (Z; see also 11:123). The injunction at the end of the verse to wait serves a rhetorical function, meaning, “Wait, then, for the sign that you are seeking; I too am among those waiting along with you for God’s Judgment between us in order for the one following the truth to triumph over the one following falsehood” (IJ, Ṭ).

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! When We make men taste mercy after hardship has befallen them, behold, they have a plot regarding Our signs. Say, “God is swifter in plotting.” Surely Our messengers record whatsoever you plot.

21  Although this verse can be seen as applying to the human condition in general (see also 11:10; 30:36; 41:50; 42:48), many commentators say that it refers specifically to a severe seven-year drought that had afflicted the Makkans (Ṭ, Z). The Makkans approached the Prophet and asked him to pray to God to send them rain (Aj, Q). God sent abundant rain (JJ, Ṭ, Z), here described as mercy, but the Makkans then reverted to their old ways and “plotted” against God’s signs; that is, they continued to reject and mock them (IK, Z). But God is swifter in plotting, since He is the best of plotters (3:54; 8:30). God’s plotting is understood here to mean His Punishment (Bḍ), and more generally it refers to His control over the final outcome of things, as opposed to human “plotting,” which by comparison is futile (see also 7:99; 13:42c; 14:46c; 27:50; 86:15–16). The messengers who record whatsoever they plot are identified by most commentators as the angels responsible for recording the deeds of human beings (JJ, Q, Ṭ, Z; see 80:15c; 82:10c).

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" He it is Who carries you over land and sea, even when you are sailing in ships, till, when they sail with them upon a favorable wind, and rejoice therein, there comes upon them a violent gale, and the waves come at them from every side, and they think they shall be encompassed by them. They call upon God, devoting religion entirely to Him: “If Thou savest us from this, we shall surely be among the thankful!”

22  Al-Rāzī observes that this verse serves as a clarification of v. 21, since that verse does not provide a specific example of how it is that people resort to a plot regarding God’s signs after receiving His Mercy in the wake of some hardship that had befallen them. Thus, if v. 21 is understood to be of general import, the hardship that people experience is here described as a violent gale, with waves coming at them from every side to the point that they think they shall be encompassed by them. They call upon God, promising that if He saves them, they shall surely be among the thankful (see also 29:65; 31:32). Devoting religion entirely to Him (see also 29:65; 31:32) refers to their promise to God that they will not associate partners with Him (Z). Yet when they are delivered to safety, they forget the blessing of being saved and revert to their false beliefs and blameworthy character traits (R).

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# Then when He saves them, behold, they behave tyrannically upon the earth without right. O mankind! Your tyranny is only against yourselves—the enjoyment of the life of this world. Then unto Us shall be your return, whereupon We shall inform you of that which you used to do.

23  That such people behave tyrannically upon the earth without right means that they transgress God’s Command, while also acting corruptly (Bg, Z). O mankind! Your tyranny is only against yourselves—the enjoyment of the life of this world (see also 30:41) is one possible reading of this part of v. 23. Read with slightly different voweling, the enjoyment of the life of this world (see also 3:14; 9:38; 28:60; 42:36; 43:35; cf. 13:26) can be understood as the predicate of the sentence. The sentence would then be rendered: “Your tyranny against yourselves is only the enjoyment of the life of this world” (R, Ṭ, Z). For the meaning of God’s informing His servants in the next life of that which they used to do, see 62:8c; see also 5:105c for additional references to this central Quranic eschatological teaching.

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$ The parable of the life of this world is that of water which We send down from the sky: the earth’s vegetation, from which men and cattle eat, mingles with it till, when the earth takes on its luster and is adorned, and its inhabitants think they have gained mastery over it, Our Command comes upon it by night or by day, whereupon We make it a mown field, as if it had not flourished the day before! Thus do We expound the signs for a people who reflect.

24  After the mention of the life of this world in v. 23, v. 24 lays down a parable that draws attention to its evanescent nature (IJ, Kl; cf. 29:64); for a related parable, see 18:45. Al-Rāzī notes that this verse is aimed at those who are deluded by this world (see also 3:185) and have no concern for the Hereafter. When rain descends from the sky, the earth is rejuvenated and from it many different types of vegetation spring forth, which is referred to here as the process of the earth taking on its luster and becoming adorned. With its beautiful herbage and color, the earth’s garden brings delight to its inhabitants because of the multifarious ways in which they can benefit from it (R). Yet, in this state of being enamored by the garden, just when they think they have gained mastery over it, God’s Command, here understood to be a violent wind, torrent, or some kind of mighty blast (Kl, N, R, Z), comes upon it by night or by day—that is, at any moment (Th)—thereby obliterating its trees and vegetation (R), leaving the garden as a mown field. This verse prompts al-Rāzī to observe, “Such is the one who invests his heart in the pleasures of this world and its delights: when these things part from him, his sorrow becomes immense, and he grieves for them.”

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% And God calls unto the Abode of Peace, and guides whomsoever He will unto a straight path.

25  The opposite of the impermanent and illusory nature of the life of this world mentioned in vv. 23–24 is the Abode of Peace, to be found in the next life, which is the Abode of Permanence (40:39). Because “Peace” is one of God’s Names (see 59:23c; 6:127c), the Abode of Peace is where God “is,” namely, Paradise (Aj, IḤ), which is why those in Paradise are described as being constantly engulfed in peace (see 19:62; 56:26). Many commentators draw attention to the connection between the words “peace” (salām) and “safety” (salāmah), noting that the inhabitants in Paradise are in a state of peace because they are safe from perishing (IḤ, K, Qu, Th, Z).

God’s Act of “calling” is understood to be the process by which human beings come into being and are thereby within the scope of attaining felicity in the Hereafter (Ṭb), since the Abode of the Hereafter is life indeed (29:64). As al-Zamakhsharī says, “He calls all people to the Abode of Peace, but only those who are guided enter it.” Although God wishes for everyone to receive guidance, as He is not pleased with disbelief for His servants (39:7), His guiding whomsoever He will (cf. 2:142, 213; 24:46) is understood to mean that He grants guidance to those of His servants who He knows will benefit by it. In this sense God’s “Will” is predicated upon His Wisdom (Āl, Z; see also 2:142, 213).

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& Unto those who are virtuous shall be that which is most beautiful and more besides. Neither darkness nor abasement shall come over their faces. It is they who are the inhabitants of the Garden; they shall abide therein.

' And as for those who commit evil deeds, the recompense of an evil is one like it, and abasement shall overcome them. There will be none to protect them from God. [It will be] as if their faces are covered with dark patches of night. It is they who are the inhabitants of the Fire; they shall abide therein.

26–27  Many commentators understand that which is most beautiful to be a reference to Paradise (see also, e.g., 4:95; 13:18) and more besides to the vision of God in the Hereafter, alluded to in 75:23 and embraced by most Muslims as a possibility for the righteous in the Hereafter (JJ, Q, Qm, Ṭ, Th; see 75:23c), and according to Sufis, also in this life for those who attain spiritual perfection. When the Prophet was asked about the words Unto those who are virtuous shall be that which is most beautiful and more besides, he said, “When the inhabitants of Paradise enter Paradise and the inhabitants of the Fire enter the Fire, a caller will call out, ‘O inhabitants of Paradise! You have a promise from God that He wishes to fulfill for you.’ They will reply, ‘And what can that be? Has God not [already] made heavy our scales [of good deeds], whitened our faces, caused us to enter into Paradise, and saved us from the Fire?’ Then, He will remove the veil, and they will look upon Him. By God, God will give them nothing more beloved to them, nor anything cooler to their eyes, than the vision of Him” (Q).

Neither darkness nor abasement shall come over the faces of the inhabitants of the Garden because their faces shall be radiant, gazing upon their Lord (75:22–23). In contrast to this group are the inhabitants of the Fire—that is, the disbelievers (R)—whom abasement shall overcome (see 70:44c) on account of their evil deeds, for which they are recompensed in just proportion in accordance with God’s Justice and Wisdom (R; see also 42:40; cf. 6:160). There will be none to protect them from God (see also 40:33) means that none will be able to save them from God’s Wrath and Punishment (Z). For the phenomenon of faces being covered with darkness in the Hereafter, see 3:106–7c; 39:60; 80:40–42c.

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( On the Day when We shall gather them all together, then We shall say to those who ascribed partners unto God, “Stop there! You and your partners!” Then We shall separate them, and their partners will say, “It was not us whom you worshipped.

) God suffices as a Witness between you and us. We were heedless of your worship.”

28–29  Them all together may include both the inhabitants of Paradise and the inhabitants of the Fire (Aj; see vv. 26–27); or, it may be limited to the inhabitants of the Fire, which would include the disbelievers (see v. 27) and their gods (My, Qu); see also 6:22. For the sin of ascribing partners unto God, see 4:48c. As al-Maybudī observes, a “partner” is anything [or being] that can be worshipped other than God. Thus, the partners who are associated with God can be physical idols, human beings (N, R), or even one’s own caprices, which are often taken as gods (see 25:43; 45:23). The famous Persian mystic ʿAyn al-Quḍāt (d. 525/1131) wrote concerning this matter, “O dear friend! If you want the beauty of the secret [of self-knowledge] displayed to you, then let go of habit-worship, for habit-worship is idol-worship” (Tamhīdāt [Tehran, 1994], 12).

Just as Satan will be unable to help those who listened to him and will absolve himself of any responsibility to those who heeded his call (see 14:22; 59:16), those partners whom people associate with God will also absolve themselves of any responsibility toward those who served them, saying, We were heedless of your worship (cf. 34:22; 35:13–14c; 46:5–6). Whereas idols and the like are unable to speak in this world (see, e.g., 21:63–65), on the Day of Judgment they will be given the ability to speak (Sh), in accordance with 41:20–21: When they come upon it, their ears, their eyes, and their skins will bear witness against them for that which they used to do. And they will say to their skins, “Why did you bear witness against us?” They will reply, “God, Who makes all things speak, made us speak.” He created you the first time, and unto Him shall you be returned.

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Ð There and then every soul shall experience that which it did in the past, and they shall be brought back unto God, their true Master, and that which they used to fabricate will forsake them.

30  This verse can be read as initially speaking of both the obedient and the disobedient, and then ending with a specific reference to those who used to ascribe partners unto God (Bq, Z). There and then refers to the very place in which each soul is gathered before God (K; see v. 28), where it shall experience that which it did in the past, that is, the deeds it performed (Bq). When those who have lost their souls are brought back unto God, they will find nothing but that they are distant from God and therefore rejected by Him (Qu). This is because they devoted their lives to “gods” other than God (Qu), who, in reality, is their true Master. At the same time, they will also be forsaken by that which they used to fabricate (see 10:28–29c).

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Ñ Say, “Who provides for you from Heaven and earth? Who has power over hearing and sight? And who brings forth the living from the dead, and brings forth the dead from the living, and who directs the affair?” They will say, “God.” So say, “Will you not, then, be reverent?”

31  From the Heaven and earth is understood to be a reference to rain and vegetation, respectively (Bg, Ṭs), while others note that such provision can be both bodily and spiritual (Q). Who has power over hearing and sight? means, “Who gives you hearing and sight?” (Bg, Ṭs), as in 46:26: And We endowed them with hearing, sight, and hearts (cf. 23:78; 32:9; 67:23). A response to the question, Who brings forth the living from the dead, and brings forth the dead from the living? can be seen in 30:19: He brings forth the living from the dead, and brings forth the dead from the living (cf. 6:95). In response to the questions posed in this verse, they, namely, the Makkans (R), will say, “God” (see also 29:61; 29:63; 31:25; 39:38; 43:87), because His Agency will immediately come to their minds when asked these questions (Aj, Kā), especially since a number of them had some form of belief in Allāh as the head of their pantheon of Arab gods (R; see 39:3; 10:18c). The question that the Prophet is told to ask, Will you not, then, be reverent? (see also, e.g., 7:65; 23:23, 32, 87; 26:11), addresses the Makkans’ seeing idols as partners with God and is meant to alert them to their current state of error and the impending punishment as a result of their beliefs (Z). For God’s directing the affair, see 10:3c.

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Ò That is God, your true Lord. What is there beyond truth but error? How, then, are you turned away?

32  That is God is an affirmation of the response provided in v. 31 (JJ, Z). Your true Lord (see also 6:95,102) is interpreted to mean that no one who has thought deeply about God can doubt His Lordship (Ṭ, Z).

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Ó Thus the Word of thy Lord came due for those who are iniquitous: truly they believe not.

33  The Word of thy Lord came due (see also 37:31; 41:25) relates to the actualization of the Divine Decree (Kl, Q), for which, see 54:49c. Because the iniquitous (see vv. 31–32) continued to ascribe partners unto God despite their knowledge of the true nature of God’s Sovereignty (see v. 31), the Word of thy Lord came due for them; that is, His Decree that they shall be among the wretched in Hell descended upon them (IK, Kl); see also v. 96; 40:6.

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Ô Say, “Is there, among your partners, one who originates creation and then brings it back?” Say, “God originates creation, then brings it back. How, then, are you perverted?”

34  For God’s originating creation and bringing it back, see v. 4. For the various partners that people ascribe unto God, see v. 28. In every verse in which How, then, are you perverted? appears (6:95; 35:3; 40:62), the question is prompted by a direct reference to God’s creative Power; see also 35:3c.

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Õ Say, “Is there any among your partners who guides unto Truth?” Say, “God guides unto Truth. Is one who guides unto Truth worthier to be followed, or one who cannot guide unless he be guided? What ails you? How do you judge?”

35  While v. 34 addresses the physical nature of people’s origin and journey back to God, this verse addresses its spiritual nature (Bq), explaining that the guidance of the human soul unto Truth—that is, to God (Z), revelation (IḤ), and the correct path (Th)—is exclusively within God’s purview. Whereas most commentators understand one who guides unto Truth as referring to God (Āl, JJ, Rb), the Shiite commentator al-Qummī sees it as an allusion to the guidance offered by the Prophet and the Imams. One who cannot guide unless he be guided refers to the futility of following those who cannot guide themselves, meaning that if they cannot even guide themselves, surely they cannot be expected to be able to guide others (Kl).

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Ö And most of them follow naught but conjecture. Truly conjecture does not avail against the truth in the least. Truly God knows what they do.

36  For the Quranic notion of conjecture, see 2:46c; 2:78c; 53:28c. God knows what they do (see also 2:283; 16:28; 35:8) is understood to be a threat against those who live their lives in conjecture, warning them that God is fully aware of their vile actions and their rejection of the Truth (Aj, Āl).

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× This Quran could not have been fabricated [by anyone] apart from God; rather, it is a confirmation of that which came before it, and an elaboration of the Book in which there is no doubt, from the Lord of the worlds.

37  This verse continues the argument made in vv. 15–16, namely, that the Quran has not been authored by the Prophet, but is from the Lord of the worlds (for this phrase, see 1:2c). The Quran is described here as confirming that which came before it (cf. 2:41, 89, 91, 97, 101; 3:3, 81; 5:48; 6:92; 35:31; 46:30), that is, the previous revealed scriptures (JJ), such as the Torah and the Gospel (Ṭ, Ṭb, Th). It is also characterized as elaborating the Book in which there is no doubt, a phrase that is usually understood to be a reference to the Quran itself (see 2:2 and commentary), but is here understood to refer to the laws and beliefs that God has ordained for Muslims to follow (Aj, JJ, Ni, Ṭ).

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Ø Or do they say, “He has fabricated it”? Say, “Then bring a sūrah like it, and call upon whomsoever you can apart from God, if you are truthful.”

38  What this verse is saying is, “If you claim that the Quran is imitable, then, apart from God, seek the help of whomsoever you can, and if you are truthful in your claim that it is fabricated by the Prophet (Bg, Z) and thus not from a Divine Source, then you will be able to produce a sūrah like it.” A sūrah like it is understood to mean a work that is similar to the entire Quran (Bg) or, more likely, as other commentators have asserted, one that is similar to another sūrah in eloquence, order, and beauty of meaning (Aj, R, Th, Z). For the Quran’s “challenge verses” (those calling upon others to produce something like the Quran), see 2:23c; 11:13; 17:88; 52:43c.

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Ù Nay, but they deny that whose knowledge they cannot comprehend and whose interpretation has not yet come to them. Even so did those who were before them deny. So behold how the wrongdoers fared in the end.

39  According to this verse, as soon as the disbelievers hear the Quran, they are quick to deny it without first understanding its message or deeply reflecting upon its meanings (N). As ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib is reported to have said, “People are enemies of that of which they are ignorant” (Su, Ṭs). So behold how the wrongdoers fared in the end (see also 28:40) is meant to draw the attention of those who deny the truth that, like those who were before them, namely, previous human communities (IK), they too are heading toward destruction for rejecting God’s Message (IK). Throughout the Quran, the injunction to observe how a group of people have fared in the end also applies, among others, to the guilty, the corrupt, the schemers, and those who denied the warnings sent to them; see 3:137; 7:84–86, 103; 10:73; 12:109; 16:36; 27:14, 51, 69; 29:20; 30:9, 42; 35:44; 37:73; 40:21, 82; 43:25; 47:10.

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@ Among them are those who believe in it, and among them are those who do not believe in it, and thy Lord knows best the workers of corruption.

40  Those who believe in it refers to those in Makkah who rejected the Prophet’s message, but who God knows will come to believe in it later; those who do not believe in it are those who will never believe in it (Aj, Bḍ, JJ, Q, Ṭ). In it can also refer to the Prophet (Q), in which case it would be rendered “in him.” For the status of the workers of corruption in God’s Eyes, see 5:33c; 30:41c.

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A And if they deny thee, say, “Unto me, my deeds, and unto you, your deeds. You are quit of that which I do, and I am quit of that which you do.”

41  Al-Ṭabarī glosses this verse as follows: “O Muhammad, if these idolaters disbelieve in you and reject from you that which you have brought to them, then say, ‘O people! Unto me are my religion and deeds and unto you are your religion and deeds. Your actions shall not harm me, nor shall mine harm you. All those who perform actions will only be recompensed for the acts that they have performed.’” See also 26:216; 6:19c.

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B And among them are those who listen to thee. But dost thou make the deaf to hear, though they understand not?

42  For the context of this verse, see 6:25c. See also 43:40.

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C And among them are those who look at thee. But couldst thou guide the blind, though they see not?

43  Although deniers of the Prophet look at him, they are spiritually “blind” to his message, for it is not the eyes that go blind, but it is hearts within breasts that go blind (22:46); see also 43:40.

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D Truly God does not wrong human beings in the least, but rather human beings wrong themselves.

44  For the manner in which God does not wrong human beings, see 4:40c. Since God is not unjust to human beings, He does not coerce them to perform wrong actions, and when they wrong themselves, they do so out of their free choice (R), and this is because the human being is an ignorant wrongdoer (33:72).

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E On the Day when He shall gather them, it will be as if they tarried but an hour of the day, acquainting themselves with one another. Lost indeed are those who denied the meeting with God, and they were not rightly guided.

45  On how the disbelievers will deem their life in the world or the interval between their physical death and their resurrection as but an hour of the day, see 79:46c. For the loss the disbelievers will experience as a result of denying their meeting with God, see 6:31c.

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F Whether We show thee a part of that which We promise them, or We take thee, their return shall be unto Us. Then God is Witness over that which they do.

46  God might show the Prophet the Makkan idolaters’ punishment while he is still alive, as was the case at the Battle of Badr (Aj); or He might not show it to him during his lifetime. In the latter case, their return shall be unto God in the next world will be where God will show the Prophet their punishment (see also 40:77; Aj). For God as Witness, see 6:19c.

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G For every community there is a messenger, and when their messenger comes, judgment shall be rendered between them with justice, and they will not be wronged.

47  For every community there is a messenger is one of the clearest Quranic verses that affirm the universality of revelation as a source of guidance for humanity, this truth being one of the major themes in the Quran. After the coming of God’s messenger, His Judgment is rendered between the people of the community to whom the messenger has been sent with justice, which is to say that people are not taken to task until a messenger from God has offered them the option to follow Divine Guidance (R, Ṭb). Therefore, 17:15 says, And never do We punish till We have sent a messenger (R). Since a messenger comes with a message from God in accordance with the particular needs and times of each respective community to whom the messenger is sent, the specific doctrines and laws of each religion are different; see the essay “The Quranic View of Sacred History and Other Religions” as well as 16:36; 3:19c; 3:85c; 5:48c; 65:12c.

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H And they say, “When will this promise come to pass, if you are truthful?”

48  This verse cites what the disbelievers mockingly asked of the Prophet concerning the coming of the Hour and the Day of Resurrection, about which he warned them. They did so mockingly, since they expected a prophet to be able to foretell the future, but the Prophet did not have knowledge of when these events would take place (see 7:187); see also 21:38; 27:71; 34:29; 36:48c; 67:25.

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I Say, “I have no power over what harm or benefit may come to me, save as God wills. For every community there is a term. When their term comes, they shall not delay it by a single hour, nor shall they advance it.”

49  The Prophet is told to say to the Makkan idolaters, upon their insistence that he should hasten God’s Punishment (see v. 48; 10:11c), that he has no power over what harm or benefit may come to him, which is to say that neither he nor anyone else possesses the power to bring about God’s Punishment (Q, Th, Z) or for that matter any benefit from Him (see also 7:188). For every community there is a term—that is, a specific life span known only to God—at the end of which that particular community will perish; alternately, it can be punished even before its earthly life comes to an end (Q); see also 7:34; 16:61; 71:4c.

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P Say, “Have you considered: if His Punishment should come upon you by night or by day, what part thereof would the guilty seek to hasten?”

Q And then, when it comes to pass, will you believe in it? Now? While you once sought to hasten it?

50–51  The disbelievers’ seeking to hasten God’s Punishment is mentioned in a number of places throughout the Quran (see 17:90–93; 22:47; 26:204; 29:53; 37:176; 42:18; 51:14). When the punishment that the Makkan idolaters were inquiring about befalls them, they will certainly not seek to hasten any of it, since all of His Wrath is terrible (N). Since their challenge in hastening God’s Punishment is itself evidence of their rejection of the truth (Z), if they “believe” when it comes to pass, it will be of no benefit to them (Q), as this would be like a deathbed repentance, much like that of Pharaoh, who, when his death was imminent, said, I am among those who submit (v. 90; see 4:17–18c; 10:90–92c).

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R Then it shall be said unto the wrongdoers, “Taste the punishment everlasting. Are you recompensed for aught save that which you used to earn?”

52  On the Day of Judgment (IK), these words will be spoken by God or by the angels who guard Hell (see 32:14c) to all of the wrongdoers, who are typified in vv. 49–51 by the Makkan idolaters. That which you used to earn (see also 27:90; cf. 83:36) refers to their disobedience of God and disbelief in Him (Bḍ).

The jurist and theologian Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (d. 751/1350), among others, argues that the root kh-l-d (from which derives the word khuld, translated here as everlasting) can refer to a long but ultimately finite measure of time (Shifāʾ al-ʿalīl [Jeddah, 1991], 2:228). Thus, he would likely understand the punishment mentioned here and in 32:14 as denoting a finite duration of chastisement. Such a reading would seem to be in keeping with the position that punishment in the Hereafter will not be “eternal” in an absolute sense; see 78:23c and the essay “Death, Dying, and the Afterlife in the Quran.”

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S And they inquire of thee, “Is it true?” Say, “Yea, by my Lord it is true, and you cannot thwart [it].”

53  The Makkan idolaters asked the Prophet if the promise of God’s Chastisement in the Hereafter is true (Ṭ). The Prophet is told to reply in the affirmative and to inform his interlocutors that they cannot thwart [it], which is to say that they will not be able to flee from or prevent God’s promised Punishment (Ṭ; see also 72:12c).

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T Were it so that each soul that had done wrong possessed all that is on the earth, he would surely seek to ransom himself thereby, and they will hide their remorse when they see the punishment. And judgment shall be rendered between them with justice, and they will not be wronged.

54  Had done wrong refers to disbelief in God and the ascription of partners unto Him (Q). On the idea of seeking to ransom oneself in the Hereafter, see 3:91; 5:36; 13:18; 39:47; 70:11. Although those about to enter the Fire will hide their remorse when they see the punishment (see also 34:33), when they are punished in it, they will exclaim, Our Lord! Our wretchedness overwhelmed us, and we were a people astray (23:106; Q). They will be judged with justice, because God wrongs not His servants (3:182; 8:51; 22:10; cf. 41:46; 50:29); see also 4:40c.

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U Truly unto God belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and on the earth. Verily God’s Promise is true, but most of them know not.

55  Vv. 53–54 suggest that God’s Promise mentioned here is in reference to His Punishment in the Hereafter (see also 46:17c). Because of their ignorance (Ṭs) and their heedlessness of God (Āl), most of them know not.

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V He gives life and causes death, and unto Him shall you be returned.

56  This verse says that life and death are entirely in God’s Hands (see also 2:258; 3:156; 7:158; 9:116) and that we will all meet God when we die (see 10:7–8c). The Sufi commentator Rūzbihān al-Baqlī sees in this verse a reference to the manner in which God interacts with two spiritual types, namely, those who are given to knowing Him in a direct and experiential manner (“gnostics”) and those who approach Him by detachment from the world and its delights (“ascetics”): “He enlivens the hearts of the gnostics through [their] knowing and witnessing Him, and slays the egos of the ascetics through the lights of [their] awe at and vigilance toward Him. The Return of the gnostics is to the witnessing of His Beauty and Majesty, whereas the Return of the ascetics is to His Bounty and Blessing.”

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W O mankind! There has come unto you an exhortation from your Lord, and a cure for that which lies within breasts, and a guidance and a mercy for the believers.

57  An exhortation refers to the Quran (Aj, Kl, Ṭb). It is said to be a cure for that which lies within breasts, that is, for every kind of spiritual sickness that plagues the heart, such as ignorance, doubt, hypocrisy, and hatred (Aj, K, Kl); see also 17:82; 41:44.

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X Say, “In the Bounty of God and His Mercy—in that let them rejoice! It is better than that which they amass.”

58  Believers are to rejoice over God’s Bounty, namely, the Quran, and His Mercy, namely, Islam (Mu, Q, Ṭ) or Muhammad, who was sent as a mercy unto the worlds (21:107; ST).

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Y Say, “Have you seen that which God sent down unto you for provision? Then you made some of it forbidden and some lawful.” Say, “Has God granted you leave, or do you fabricate against God?”

` What will those who fabricate lies against God conjecture on the Day of Resurrection? Truly God is Possessed of Bounty for mankind, but most of them do not give thanks.

59–60  For the context of these two verses, which have to do with the Makkan idolaters’ arbitrary ritualistic practices, see the commentary on 6:136–39. Sent down here is understood to convey the idea of being “created,” as in 39:6, which says that God sent down for you of cattle eight pairs (Q). Truly God is Possessed of Bounty for mankind (cf. 2:243; 12:38; 27:73; 40:61), that is, He gives them numerous blessings such as intelligence and sends them messengers who come with Divinely revealed books. But most of them do not give thanks, that is, most of them do not employ their intellects to ponder over God’s signs, follow the call of God’s messengers, or listen to and thereby benefit from His Divinely revealed books (Aj, Āl, IḤ, R).

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a Thou art not upon any task, nor dost thou recite any part of the Quran, nor do you perform any deed, save that We are a Witness over you when you engage therein. Not a mote’s weight evades thy Lord on earth or in Heaven, nor smaller than that nor larger, but that it is in a clear Book.

61  For God as the supreme Witness, see 3:18c. Any part of the Quran refers to reading any portion from the Quran (Kl). In his commentary on the next part of this verse, al-Rāzī says that a clear Book refers to “a book that God ‘has written’ and upon which He has established the forms of knowable things”; see also 5:15c; 99:7–8c.

Nor dost thou recite any part of the Quran reflects a reading of the syntax that, more literally, might be rendered, “Nor dost thou recite therefrom (minhu) any of the Quran,” understood to mean, “Nor dost thou recite any [of the Quran] from the Quran.” This rendering of minhu as “therefrom” could also allow one to interpret the verse to mean that the recitation of the Quran is one of the many tasks of the Prophet; that is, “Nor dost thou [as one of those tasks] recite any of the Quran” (R).

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b Behold! Truly the friends of God, no fear shall come upon them, nor shall they grieve—

c those who believe and are reverent.

d For them are glad tidings in the life of this world and in the Hereafter. There is no altering the Words of God. That is the great triumph.

62–64  Friends renders awliyāʾ (sing. walī; see 3:28c; 4:88–90c). Although God’s friends here can generally denote those among the Muslims who are reverent (Aj, IK), it can also refer to a special group of individuals (Aj) who would correspond to “saints” in the Christian context. About them, the Prophet is reported to have said, “When they are seen, God is remembered” (IK, ST). The friends of God in this specific sense are thus a unique group of individuals who, because they have conquered their egos, are in perpetual proximity to God and totally consumed by Him. It is to this state that the poet Rūmī (d. 672/1273) alludes when summarizing the spiritual trajectory of his life: “The sum of my life is three sentences, no more: / I was raw, I was cooked, I was burned.”

This special group of people, God’s friends, shall therefore have no fear, because they constantly behold God’s Beauty; and they do not grieve, because they are continually bathed in the splendor of His Majesty (Rb). The glad tidings they receive in the life of this world come by way of the sweet taste and ecstasy they experience as they contemplate their Lord (Aj). The glad tidings they are promised in the Hereafter will come in the form of their encounter with God and the attainment of His Contentment (riḍā) and of the supreme vision of Him (My). There is no altering the Words of God (see also 6:34c; 6:115; 18:27) means that none can change or act contrary to this Promise of God (IK), that is, His Promise in vv. 62, 64 concerning His friends.

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e And let not their speech grieve thee. Truly might belongs altogether to God; He is the Hearing, the Knowing.

65  For the type of speech in question, see 36:76c. Might belongs altogether to God means that all victory is with God (Aj; see also 4:139c). Since all things perish, save His Face (28:88; see also 55:26–27), nothing other than God can lay any claim to having true might or greatness (cf. 35:10). It is for this reason that the famous Egyptian Sufi Ibn ʿAṭāʾ Allāh al-Iskandarī (d. 709/1309) says, “If you seek greatness that does not perish, then seek not greatness that does perish” (Ḥikam, no. 86).

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f Behold! Truly unto God belongs whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is on the earth. And what is it that they follow, those who call upon partners apart from God? They follow naught but conjecture, and they do but surmise.

66  They follow naught but conjecture, and they do but surmise is also found in 6:116. For the manner in which false beliefs are naught but conjecture, see 6:116–17c. For additional references to discussions related to conjecture, see also 10:36c.

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g He it is Who made the night for you, that you might rest therein, and the day by which to see. Truly in that are signs for a people who hear.

67  The first half of this verse is identical to a part of 40:61, and the second half to a part of 30:23. The night . . . that you might rest therein (cf. 40:61) refers to the respite from weariness after the work of the day, whereas the day by which to see relates to the pursuit of one’s livelihood (IḤ). See also 36:37c. According to a Sufi understanding, the night . . . that you might rest therein refers to the mystics’ engaging in spiritual retreat (khalwah) and intimate discourse with God (munājāt), whereas the day by which to see refers to their seeing the wonders of God’s Power and Wisdom in the created order that surrounds them (Su). A people who hear (cf. 30:23) refers to those who “listen” by reflecting upon God’s signs (Aj, Bg, Ṭs); see also 10:59–60c.

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h They say, “God has taken a child.” Glory be to Him! He is the Self-Sufficient. Unto Him belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth. You have no authority for this. Do you say about God that which you know not?

i Say, “Surely those who fabricate a lie against God will not prosper.”

p An enjoyment in this world, then unto Us shall be their return, and We shall make them taste severe punishment for their having disbelieved.

68–70  For extended discussions of the Islamic theological rejection of God’s having a child and the manner in which this constitutes “disbelief,” see 2:116c; 4:171c; 5:117–18c. The notion of authority is also invoked elsewhere in the Quran when discussing the ascription of partners to God; see 3:151; 6:81; 7:33, 71; 12:40; 30:35; 53:23. Often in the Quran, the religious innovations of previous religious communities are connected with the enormity of fabricating lies against God; see 3:24; 5:104; 6:21, 93, 137–40, 144; 7:37, 152; 16:56, 116.

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q And recite unto them the story of Noah, when he said to his people, “O my people! If my presence is grievous to you, and [so too] my reminding of the signs of God, then in God do I trust. So decide on your plan, you and your partners; then let there be no doubt concerning your plan, but carry it out against me, and grant no respite!

71  For the story of Noah, in addition to vv. 71–73 here, see 7:59–64; 11:25–48; 23:23–30; 26:105–21; 37:75–82; 54:9–15; Sūrah 71. If my presence is grievous to you is taken to mean “If my being among you causes you distress” (JJ, Ṭ), while and [so too] my reminding of the signs of God is understood to mean “and also my warning and admonishment to you” (JJ, Ṭ). Then in God do I trust signifies that “I care not what you will try to do to me, because I have consigned my affair to God on account of my firm reliance upon Him” (IJ, Ṭū). So decide on your plan means, in other words, “Resolve what you will try to do to me” (JJ), while then let there be no doubt concerning your plan is interpreted to mean “then do not conceal what you will try to do to me or act in a manner that is dubious, unclear, or equivocal” (Bḍ, Bg, IJ, JJ, Kā, Ṭ, Z).

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r And if you turn your backs, I have not asked of you any reward. My reward lies only with God, and I am commanded to be among those who submit.”

72  One of the marks of prophecy is that prophets do not seek recompense from the people to whom they have been sent. See the commentary on 36:21: Follow those who ask not of you any reward and who are guided.

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s Yet, they denied him. So We saved him and those with him in the Ark. And We made them vicegerents, and We drowned those who denied Our signs. So observe how those who were warned fared in the end.

73  Parts of this verse echo 7:64: Yet, they denied him. So We saved him and those who were with him in the Ark, and We drowned those who denied Our signs; and 7:69: Remember when He made you vicegerents after the people of Noah, and increased you amply in stature. For the different Quranic senses of the term “vicegerent,” see 2:30c; 6:165c.

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t Then, after him, We sent messengers unto their people, and they brought them clear proofs. But it was not for them to believe in that which they had denied beforehand. Thus do We set a seal upon the hearts of the transgressors.

74  Here the messengers refers to the pre-Islamic Arabian prophets Hūd, Ṣāliḥ, and Shuʿayb as well as the Biblical figures Abraham and Lot, among others (Kl, Q). Denied beforehand refers to the fact that those people who rejected their respective messengers were already habituated to denying the truth, thereby closing themselves off to the possibility of accepting Divine Guidance when it was brought to them (Bḍ). For the sealing of hearts, see 2:7c.

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u Then, after them, We sent Moses and Aaron with Our signs to Pharaoh and his notables. But they waxed arrogant, and they were a guilty people.

75  For the story of Moses, see also, for example, 2:49–61; 7:103–55; 20:9–97; 26:10–66; 28:3–46; 79:15–25. The signs, also referred to as clear proofs (see 29:39), include Moses’ hand and staff (Mu). The notables in Pharaoh’s entourage were a group of dignitaries who had the highest social standing in Egyptian society (IṬ, Qm, Th). But they waxed arrogant (cf. 7:133; 23:46; 28:39; 29:39), meaning they were too proud to believe (Mu, My). Cf. 40:60: Truly those who are too arrogant to worship Me shall enter Hell debased.

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v So when the Truth came unto them from Us, they said, “Surely this is manifest sorcery!”

76  For references to similar accusations of sorcery made against Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, and other Divine messengers, see 5:110c.

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w Moses said, “Do you say [this] about the truth when it comes unto you? Is this sorcery? The sorcerers will not prosper.”

77  The sorcerers will not prosper on account of the futility of their craft, which is based on deception and falsehood (R); see also 20:69.

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x They said, “Have you come unto us to turn us away from that which we found our fathers following, so that grandeur in the land might belong to you two? We will not believe in the two of you!”

78  See also 5:104, which mentions the Makkan idolaters’ response when they were called to the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet: Sufficient for us is that which we have found our fathers practicing. This statement is then countered with a rhetorical question, What! Even if their fathers knew naught and were not rightly guided? See also 31:21.

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y Pharaoh said, “Bring me every knowing sorcerer.”

À And when the sorcerers came, Moses said to them, “Cast what you would cast.”

Á And when they cast, Moses said, “That which you have produced is sorcery; God will soon bring it to naught. Surely God does not allow the deeds of those who work corruption to flourish.

 God verifies the truth through His Words, though the guilty be averse.”

79–82  Every knowing sorcerer means the people most advanced in sorcery (Bq). Moses said to them, “Cast what you would cast,” not because he was affirming their sorcery, but rather to show the onlookers the falsehood of the sorcerers’ craft (R), which would soon be brought to naught. God verifies the truth through His Words means that the promises God made to Moses (for which, see 28:35) will soon come to pass and the truth will then become apparent (R).

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à But none believed in Moses, save some progeny from among his people, for fear of Pharaoh and his notables, that he would oppress them; for truly Pharaoh was exalted in the land, and he was indeed among the prodigal.

83  The his in save some progeny from among his people can refer to either Moses or, less likely, Pharaoh (Kl). If the former, then some progeny can refer to a few young Israelite males. If the latter, then it can refer to several people connected to Pharaoh’s court, not least of whom was his wife (for her belief in Moses, see 66:11c; Kl). Pharaoh was exalted in the land to the point that he even claimed to be a god, as he said, I am your lord most high (79:24). For the prodigal, see 10:12c.

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Ä And Moses said, “O my people! If you believe in God, then trust in Him, if you are submitters.”

84  Al-Maybudī glosses this verse as follows: “Moses said to his people, ‘If you want to submit to God, then have trust—bring the hand of submission out from the sleeve of contentment and withdraw from facing others. Know that, in reality, people possess nothing—in deception, there is no gain. Bestowal and withholding are only by virtue of the wisdom of the Wise One—the Apportioner is kind, not unaware.’”

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Å And they said, “In God do we trust. Our Lord! Make us not a temptation for the wrongdoing people.

Æ And save us through Thy Mercy from disbelieving people.”

85–86  For the manner in which believers can be a temptation for those who reject the truth, see 60:5c.

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Ç And We revealed unto Moses and his brother, “Appoint for thy people houses in Egypt, and make your houses places of worship and perform the prayer, and give glad tidings unto the believers.”

87  Since Pharaoh destroyed the Israelites’ places of worship, God revealed to Moses and Aaron that they should select dwellings that would function as temples (masājid) so that they could reestablish their devotional duties (Th). Another plausible interpretation of this verse, which does not necessarily preclude the first explanation, is that the Israelites, out of fear of persecution by Pharaoh, were granted permission by God to establish prayer spaces (muṣallā) or temples in their homes (JJ, Ṭ, Th).

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È Moses said, “Our Lord! Truly Thou hast given Pharaoh and his notables ornament and wealth in the life of this world, our Lord, so that they may lead astray from Thy way. Our Lord! Blot out their wealth and harden their hearts, so that they will not believe till they see the painful punishment.”

É He said, “Your supplication has been answered. So stand firm, and follow not the way of those who know not.”

88–89  Al-Rāzī observes that the Arabic for so that they may in Moses’ statement so that they may lead astray from Thy way can also be read “lest they should.” The latter reading would render Moses’ words an assessment of the general situation, namely, that God has given Pharaoh and his notables an abundance of wealth so that they do not lead others astray from God’s way. For the phenomenon of God’s hardening some people’s hearts, see 5:13c.

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Ґ We carried the Children of Israel across the sea, and Pharaoh and his hosts pursued them out of envy and enmity till, when drowning overtook them, he said, “I believe that there is no god but the One in whom the Children of Israel believe, and I am among those who submit.”

ґ Now, though previously you disobeyed and were among the workers of corruption?

Ғ Today We shall save you in your body that you might be a sign unto those who come after you. Yet many among mankind are heedless of Our signs.

90–92  See 2:50c. Pharaoh’s “repentance” is met with a rhetorical question, which is understood to mean, “You want to repent now that you have no other alternative? This shall never be accepted from you!” (Kl). See also 10:50–51c; 4:17–18c. We shall save you in your body means that Pharaoh’s dead body will not sink to the depths of the sea, as will be the case with the bodies of the hosts. Rather, it will be preserved upon a raised surface of earth so that it will be a sign unto those who come after (Aj, Kl).

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ғ Certainly We settled the Children of Israel in a sure settlement, and We provided them with good things. They differed not till knowledge came unto them. Thy Lord will surely judge between them on the Day of Resurrection concerning that wherein they differed.

93  A sure settlement refers to a comely dwelling in Palestine or Syria (Bḍ, Ṭs). By good things is meant the good and pure foods that were made lawful for them (IJ). They differed over matters of religion, but only after knowledge of the Torah came unto them (Bḍ); see also 3:19; 45:17.

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Ҕ So if thou art in doubt concerning that which We have sent down unto thee, ask those who recite the Book before thee. The truth has certainly come unto thee from thy Lord. So be thou not among the doubters.

ҕ And be not thou among those who deny the signs of God, lest thou shouldst be among the losers.

94–95  Although these verses are directly addressed to the Prophet, it is the disbelievers (Kl, Q) or possibly people in general (IṬ, Ṭs) who are the intended audience. Those who recite the Book before thee are the Jews and Christians, who recite the Torah and the Gospel, respectively (Kl); see also 2:146 and 6:20, where the People of the Book are said to recognize the truth of the Quran.

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Җ Truly those for whom the Word of thy Lord has come due will not believe,

җ though every sign should come unto them, till they see the painful punishment.

96–97  On the manner in which God’s Word comes due for people, see 10:33c. See also 10:74c; 2:7c. That they will not believe . . . till they see the painful punishment suggests that their belief arises out of a state of despair as they are faced with their impending doom (N), as was the case with Pharaoh in v. 91; or it can refer to their believing only at the time of their punishment in the Hereafter, a time when everyone will “believe” (see 102:6–7c).

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Ҙ Why has not a single town believed and benefitted from its belief, other than the people of Jonah? When they believed, We removed from them the punishment of disgrace in the life of this world, and We granted them enjoyment for a while.

98  The people of Jonah, after seeing some signs of the imminent punishment about which they had been warned by their prophet on account of their disbelief, accepted his message and were spared destruction (Bg, JJ, Kl). For the Quranic account of Jonah, see 37:139–48. See also 68:48–50c.

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ҙ And had thy Lord willed, all those who are on the earth would have believed all together. Wouldst thou compel men till they become believers?

99  Many Muslim theologians argue that if God wanted to compel all people to believe, then He would have done so. But He has willed instead that they come to believe in Him by their own free choice (N). Thus, human beings must either accept God or deny Him, which is why the Quran says, So let him who will, take a way unto his Lord (73:19; 76:29). See also the essay “The Quran and Schools of Islamic Theology and Philosophy.”

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Ā It is not for a soul to believe, save by God’s Leave. And He lays defilement upon those who understand not.

100  Despite the fact that people have been given the choice to believe or not believe in God, the blessing of belief itself is contingent on God’s allowing His servants to know Him. As the early Sufi figure Dhu’l-Nūn al-Miṣrī (d. 245/859 or 248/861) is reported to have said, “I came to know my Lord through my Lord. Had it not been for my Lord, I would not have known my Lord” (al-Risālat al-qushayriyya [Damascus, 2000], 475). The defilement that God lays upon those who understand not is either His Wrath or His Punishment (Bg, JJ, N).

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ā Say, “Observe that which is in the heavens and on the earth.” But neither signs nor warnings avail a people who believe not.

101  For the reason why neither signs nor warnings avail a people who believe not, see 10:74c.

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Ă Do they wait for aught save the like of the days of those who passed away before them? Say, “So wait! Truly I am waiting along with you.”

102  This verse asks if the Makkan idolaters wait for the kind of punishment that afflicted previous nations for rejecting their prophets (IK). For the challenge to wait, see 10:20c.

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ă Then We save Our messengers and those who believe. Thus is it incumbent upon Us to save the believers.

103  Then We save Our messengers is in the present tense, but refers back to the messengers belonging to the days of those who passed away before (v. 102) and thus means, “Then we saved Our messengers” (Bg, IK, JJ, Kl, Ṭ, Z). It is incumbent upon Us to save the believers means that God will deliver Muhammad and his followers from the persecution of the Makkans (Bg, JJ, Kl, Ṭ, Z), just as He delivered previous messengers and their followers from their persecutors (Ṭ).

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Ą Say, “O mankind! If you are in doubt concerning my religion, then [know that] I worship not those whom you worship apart from God; rather, I worship God, Who shall take you [unto Himself]. And I am commanded to be among the believers,

104  For an exposition of the points raised in this verse, see the commentary on 109:1–6. I worship God is qualified by Who shall take you [unto Himself] in order to demonstrate the stark contrast between the God the Prophet worships and the gods that the Makkan idolaters serve. The God of the Prophet is their true Master (6:62), the One Whom people will meet after they die and Who shall inform them of what they used to do (5:105), whereas the Makkans’ gods do not have any role to play beyond this worldly life.

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ą and ‘Set thy face toward the religion as a ḥanīf, and be thou not among the idolaters.

105  To set one’s face toward the religion as a ḥanīf refers to the complete sincerity that one should have in serving God and turning away from what is other than Him (R); see also 2:112; 3:20; 6:79c; 7:29; 31:22; 30:43. For the concept of ḥanīf, see 2:135c; 30:30c.

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Ć And call not, apart from God, upon that which neither benefits thee, nor harms thee. For if thou dost so, thou shalt surely be among the wrongdoers.’”

ć And if God should touch thee with affliction, none can remove it save He; and if He desires some good for thee, none can hold back His Bounty. He causes it to fall upon whomsoever He will among His servants. And He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

106–7  For the notion that nothing other than God can bring about benefit or harm, see 6:17c. That God causes it, namely, some good (Ṭs) or His Bounty (IḤ), to fall upon whomsoever He will is akin to 2:212, which says that God provides for whomsoever He will without reckoning; see 2:212c.

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Ĉ Say, “O mankind! The Truth has come unto you from your Lord. Whosoever is rightly guided is only rightly guided for the sake of his own soul, and whosoever is astray is only astray to its detriment. And I am not a guardian over you.”

108  According to this verse, now that the truth, understood here as the Quran (Bḍ, IḤ, Q) or the Prophet (Bḍ, Q), has come to people, they have no excuse for rejecting it (Bḍ). If they believe in the Truth and follow it, that will be to their benefit (Āl, Bḍ), but if they disbelieve in it, it will be to their detriment (Q). Although being rightly guided and going astray are based on one’s efforts from one perspective, the matter is ultimately in God’s Hands, as in 7:178: Whomsoever God guides, he is rightly guided; and 7:186: Whomsoever God leads astray, no guide has he; see also 17:97; 18:17; 32:24; 39:36–37; 74:31. Elsewhere the Quran states that guidance is entirely dependent upon God (2:120; 3:73; 6:71; 14:4; 16:93).

The Prophet is told to say, I am not a guardian over you (cf. 6:104; 11:86), since he is not a warder over his people (88:22), but is only a bearer of glad tidings and a warner (17:105); these two functions, to bring good tidings and to warn, characterize the mission of all prophets, for which, see 4:165c.

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ĉ And follow that which has been revealed unto thee, and be patient till God renders judgment, and He is the best of judges.

109  Be patient till God renders judgment is seen as a promise by God to Muhammad that He would help him overcome his enemies and that he would be victorious over them (Bg, Kl, Th); see also 52:48c. Some commentators maintain that this verse was later abrogated by 9:5 (Q, Ṭ, Th); see the essay “Conquest and Conversion, War and Peace in the Quran.”