Surah 45. Al-Jathiya

Ha. Mim.¹

  - Mohammad Asad

See Appendix II.

Ha M'im.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Ha.Mim.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

THE BESTOWAL from on high of this divine writ issues from God, the Almighty, the Wise.

  - Mohammad Asad

This Book is revealed from Allah, the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

The revelation of the Scripture is from Allah, the Mighty, the Wise.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Behold, in the heavens as well as on earth there are indeed messages for all who [are willing to] believe.²

  - Mohammad Asad

Cf. 2:164 , where the term ayat has been rendered by me in the same way, inasmuch as those visible signs of a consciously creative Power convey a spiritual message to man.

Surely in the heavens and the earth there are signs for the true believers.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Lo! in the heavens and the earth are portents for believers.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And in your own nature, and in [that of] all the animals which He scatters [over the earth] there are messages for people who are endowed with inner certainty.³

  - Mohammad Asad

Cf. 7:185 and the corresponding note [151]. - The intricate structure of human and animal bodies, and the life-preserving instincts with which all living creatures have been endowed, make it virtually impossible to assume that all this has developed "by accident"; and if we assume, as we must, that a creative purpose underlies this development, we must conclude, too, that it has been willed by a conscious Power which creates all natural phenomena "in accordance with an inner truth" (see note [11] on 10:5 ).

and in your own creation and that of animals which are scattered through the earth, there are signs for those who are firm in faith,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And in your creation, and all the beasts that He scattered in the earth, are portents for a folk whose faith is sure.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And in the succession of night and day, and in the means of subsistence⁴ which God sends down from the skies, giving life thereby to the earth after it had been lifeless, and in the change of the winds: [in all this] there are messages for people who use their reason.

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., rain, with the symbolic connotation of physical and spiritual grace often attached to it in the Qur'an.

and in the alternation of night and day, in the sustenance that Allah sends down from heaven with which He revives the earth after its death and in the changing of the winds, there are signs for those who use their common sense.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And the difference of night and day and the provision that Allah sendeth down from the sky and thereby quickeneth the earth after her death, and the ordering of the winds, are portents for a people who have sense.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

These messages of God do We convey unto thee, setting forth the truth. In what other tiding, if not in God's messages,⁵ will they, then, believe?

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "in what tiding after God and His messages".

These are the revelations of Allah, which We are reciting to you in all truth. Then, in what report will they believe if not Allah and His revelations?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

These are the portents of Allah which We recite unto thee (Muhammad) with truth. Then in what fact, after Allah and His portents, will they believe?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Woe unto every sinful self-deceiver⁶

  - Mohammad Asad

Woe to each lying sinner

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Woe unto each sinful liar,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

who hears God's messages when they are conveyed to him, and yet, as though he had not heard them, persists in his haughty disdain! Hence, announce unto him grievous suffering -

  - Mohammad Asad

before whom the revelations of Allah are recited: he hears them, yet he arrogantly persists as though he never heard them; announce to him a painful punishment.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Who heareth the revelations of Allah receive unto him, and then continueth in pride as though he heard them not. Give him tidings of a painful doom.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

for when he does become aware of any of Our messages, he makes them a target of his mockery! For all such there is shameful suffering in store.

  - Mohammad Asad

And when something of Our revelations come to his knowledge, he takes them as a joke; for all such people there will be a humiliating punishment.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And when he knoweth aught of Our revelations he maketh it a jest. For such there is a shameful doom.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Hell is ahead of them; and all that they may have gained [in this world] shall be of no avail whatever to them, and neither shall any of those things which, instead of God, they have come to regard as their protectors:⁷

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., anything to which they may attribute a quasi-divine influence on their lives, whether it be false deities or false values, e.g., wealth, power, social status, etc.

Beyond them there lies hell, and nothing of what they have earned in this world will be of any benefit to them, nor those whom they have taken as their protectors besides Allah, and they shall have grievous punishment.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Beyond them there is hell, and that which they have earned will naught avail them, nor those whom they have chosen for protecting friends beside Allah. Theirs will be an awful doom.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

[To pay heed to God's signs and messages:] this is [the meaning of] guidance; on the other hand,⁸ for those who are bent on denying the truth of their Sustainer's messages there is grievous suffering in store as an outcome of [their] vileness.⁹

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "and or "but".

For an explanation of this rendering of the phrase min rijzin, see note [4] on 34:5 .

This Qur'an is the true Guidance. As for those who deny the revelations of their Rabb, there will be a terribly painful punishment.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

This is guidance. And those who disbelieve the revelations of their Lord, for them there is a painful doom of wrath.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

IT IS GOD who has made the sea subservient [to His laws, so that it be of use] to you¹⁰ so that ships might sail through it at His behest, and that you might seek to obtain [what you need] of His bounty, and that you might have cause to be grateful.

  - Mohammad Asad

For the reason of the above interpolation, see surah {14}, note [46].

It is Allah Who has subjected the sea to you, so that ships may sail upon it by His command, and that you may seek His bounty and be grateful to Him.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Allah it is Who hath made the sea of service unto you that the ships may run thereon by His command, and that ye may seek of His bounty, and that haply ye may be thankful;

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And He has made subservient to you, [as a gift] from Himself, all that is in the heavens and on earth:¹¹ in this, behold, there are messages indeed for people who think!

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., by endowing man, alone among all living beings, with a creative mind and, thus, with the ability to make conscious use of the nature that surrounds him and is within him.

He also subjected to you whatever is between the heavens and the earth; all from Himself. Surely there are signs in this for those who think.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And hath made of service unto you whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth; it is all from Him. Lo! herein verily are portents for people who reflect.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Tell all who have attained to faith that they should forgive those who do not believe in the coming of the Days of God,¹² [since it is] for Him [alone] to requite people for whatever they may have earned.

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "who do not hope for [i.e., expect] the Days of God", implying that they do not believe in them. As regards the meaning of "the Days of God", see surah {14}.

O Prophet, tell the believers to bear with those who do not fear the coming of the bad days from Allah, so that He may Himself recompense those people according to what they have earned.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Tell those who believe to forgive those who hope not for the days of Allah; in order that He may requite folk what they used to earn.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Whoever does what is just and right, does so for his own good; and whoever does evil, does so to his own hurt; and in the end unto your Sustainer you all will be brought back.

  - Mohammad Asad

He that does a righteous deed, does it for his own good; and he that commits evil, does so at his own peril. In the end, you all will be brought back to your Rabb.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Whoso doeth right, it is for his soul, and whoso doeth wrong, it is against it. And afterward unto your Lord ye will be brought back.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

AND, INDEED, [already] unto the children of Israel did We vouchsafe revelation, and wisdom, and prophethood;¹³ and We provided for them sustenance out of the good things of life, and favoured them above all other people [of their time].¹⁴

  - Mohammad Asad

Sc., "in the same way and for the same purpose as We now bestow this revelation of the Qur'an" - thus stressing the fact of continuity in all divine revelation.

I.e., inasmuch as at that time they were the only truly monotheistic community (cf. 2:47 ).

We gave the Book to the Children of Israel and bestowed on them rulership and Prophethood. We provided them with good thing of life, exalted them above the nations,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And verily We gave the Children of Israel the Scripture and the Command and the Prophethood, and provided them with good things and favored them above (all) peoples;

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And We gave them clear indications of the purpose [of faith];¹⁵ and it was only after all this knowledge had been vouchsafed to them that they began, out of mutual jealousy, to hold divergent views:¹⁶ [but,] verily, thy Sustainer will judge between them on Resurrection Day regarding all whereon they were wont to differ.

  - Mohammad Asad

This, I believe, is the meaning of the phrase min al-amr in the above context, although most of the classical commentators are of the opinion that amr signifies here "religion" (din), and interpret the whole phrase, accordingly, as "of what pertains to religion". Since, however, the common denominator in all the possible meanings of the term amr - e.g., "command", "injunction", "ordinance", "matter [of concern]", "event", "action", etc. - is the element of purpose, whether implied or explicit, we may safely assume that this is the meaning of the term in the above elliptic phrase, which obviously alludes to the purpose underlying all divine revelation and, consequently, man's faith in it. Now from the totality of the Qur'anic teachings it becomes apparent that the innermost purpose of all true faith is, firstly, a realization of the existence of God and of every human being's responsibility to Him; secondly, man's attaining to a consciousness of his own dignity as a positive element - a logically necessary element - in God's plan of creation and, thus, achieving freedom from all manner of superstitions and irrational fears; and, lastly, making man aware that whatever good or evil he does is but done for the benefit, or to the detriment, of his own self (as expressed in verse {15} above).

See 23:53 and the corresponding note [30].

and gave them clear instructions relating to the matters of religion through revealing to them the Torah. Then they differed among themselves, not because of ignorance but, after the knowledge had come to them, out of envy among themselves. Surely your Rabb will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection concerning the matters in which they have set up differences.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And gave them plain commandments. And they differed not until after the knowledge came unto them, through rivalry among themselves. Lo! thy Lord will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection concerning that wherein they used to differ.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And, finally,¹⁷ [O Muhammad,] We have set thee on a way by which the purpose [of faith] may be fulfilled:¹⁸ so follow thou this [way], and follow not the likes and dislikes of those who do not know [the truth].¹⁹

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "thereafter" or "in the end" (thumma) - i.e., after the failure of the earlier communities to realize the ideal purpose of faith in their actual mode of life.

Lit., "on a way of the purpose [of faith]": see note [15] above. It is to be borne in mind that the literal meaning of the term shariah is "the way to a watering-place", and since water is indispensable for all organic life, this term has in time come to denote a "system of laws", both moral and practical, which shows man the way towards spiritual fulfilment and social welfare: hence, "religious law" in the widest sense of the term. (See in this connection note [66] on the second part of 5:48 .

I.e., who are not - or not primarily - motivated by God-consciousness and, hence, are swayed only by what they themselves regard as "right" in accordance with worldly, changing circumstances.

O Prophet, We have put you on the Right Way (Shari'ah) concerning the religion, so follow it, and do not yield to the desires of ignorant people;

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And now have We set thee (O Muhammad) on a clear road of (Our) commandment; so follow it, and follow not the whims of those who know not.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Behold, they could never be of any avail to thee if thou wert to defy the will of God²⁰ for, verily, such evildoers are but friends and protectors of one another, whereas God is the Protector of all who are conscious of Him.

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "against [i.e., "in defiance of"] God".

for they can in no way protect you against Allah. In fact, the wrongdoers are protectors of one another, while the protector of the righteous is Allah Himself.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Lo! they can avail thee naught against Allah. And lo! as for the wrong doers, some of them are friends of others; and Allah is the Friend of those who ward off (evil).

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

This [revelation, then,]²¹ is a means of insight for mankind, and a guidance and grace unto people who are endowed with inner certainty.

  - Mohammad Asad

l.e.. the Our'an, which unfolds to man the purpose of all faith.

These (the Qur'an and Shari'ah) are the eye openers for mankind; a guidance and a blessing to the true believers.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

This is clear indication for mankind, and a guidance and a mercy for a folk whose faith is sure.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall