Surah 54. Al-Qamar

Behold, We let loose upon them one single blast [of Our punishment],¹⁸ and they became like the dried-up, crumbling twigs of a sheepfold.

  - Mohammad Asad

See note [98] on 11:67 .

We let loose on them one mighty blast and they became like the trampled twigs used by a fence builder.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Indeed, We sent against them 'only' one 'mighty' blast, leaving them like the twigs of fence-builders.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Lo! We sent upon them one Shout, and they became as the dry twigs (rejected by) the builder of a cattle fold.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

For We sent against them a single Mighty Blast and they became like the dry stubble used by one who pens cattle. ^{5151 5152}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

See n. 1047 to vii. 78, and Cf. the same phrase "single Blast" used for the signal for the Resurrection in xxxvi. 53. In the case of the Thamud, the destruction seems to have been by a severe earthquake accompanied with a terrible rumbling noise.

They became like dry sticks such as are used by herdsmen in making pens or enclosures for their cattle.

Hence, indeed, We made this Qur'an easy to hear in mind: who, then, is willing to take it to heart?

  - Mohammad Asad

We have indeed made the Qur'an very easy to understand the admonition, so is there any who would take admonition?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And We have certainly made the Quran easy to remember. So is there anyone who will be mindful?

  - Mustafa Khattab

And in truth We have made the Qur'an easy to remember; but is there any that remembereth?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And We have indeed made the Qur'an easy to understand and remember: then is there any that will receive admonition?

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

LOT'S PEOPLE [too] gave the lie to all [Our] warnings:

  - Mohammad Asad

Another example is the people of Lut (Lot) who disbelieved Our warning.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

The people of Lot 'also' rejected the warnings.

  - Mustafa Khattab

The folk of Lot rejected warnings.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

The People of Lut rejected (his) Warning. ⁵¹⁵³

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The story of Lot (Lut) and the Cities of the Plain has been frequently referred to. See xi. 74-83.

[and so,] behold, We let loose upon them a deadly tempest;¹⁹ and only Lot's kinsfolk did We save at the break of dawn,

  - Mohammad Asad

Sc., "of chastisement": see 11:82 and the corresponding note [114]. - The story of Lot and the people among whom he dwelt is mentioned in several places, most extensively in {11:69-83}.

We let loose on them a stone-charged tornado which spared none except Lut's household, whom We saved by early dawn

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

We unleashed upon them a storm of stones. As for 'the believers of' Lot's family, We delivered them before dawn

  - Mustafa Khattab

Lo! We sent a storm of stones upon them (all) save the family of Lot, whom We rescued in the last watch of the night,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

We sent against them a violent tornado with showers of stones (which destroyed them) except Lut's household: them We delivered by early Dawn ⁵¹⁵⁴

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Hasib: a violent tornado bringing a shower of stones. The word occurs here; in xvii. 68 (without reference to any particular place); in xxix. 40 (where it seems to refer to Lot's Cities, see n. 3462); and in lxvii. 17 (where again there is no reference to a particular place). In Lot's Cities the shower was of brimstone: see xi. 82.

as a blessing from Us: thus do We reward all who are grateful.

  - Mohammad Asad

through Our grace. Thus do We reward those who give thanks.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

as a blessing from Us. This is how We reward whoever gives thanks.

  - Mustafa Khattab

As grace from Us. Thus We reward him who giveth thanks.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

As a Grace from Us: Thus do We reward those who give thanks. ⁵¹⁵⁵

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

"Giving thanks" to Allah in Quranic phrase is to obey Allah's Law, to do His Will, to practise righteousness, to use all gifts in His service.

For he had truly warned them of Our punishing might; but they stubbornly cast doubt on these warnings,

  - Mohammad Asad

Lut did warn them of Our scourge but they doubted his warnings.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

He had already warned them of Our 'crushing' blow but they disputed the warnings.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And he indeed had warned them of Our blow, but they did doubt the warnings.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And (Lut) did warn them of Our Punishment but they disputed about the Warning. ⁵¹⁵⁶

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. xi. 78-79.

and even demanded that he give up his guests [to them]:²⁰ whereupon We deprived them of their sight [and thus told them, as it were]:²¹ "Taste, then, the suffering which I inflict when My warnings are disregarded!"

  - Mohammad Asad

See {11:77-79} and the corresponding notes.

According to Ibn 'Abbes (as quoted by Razi), the expression tams al-'ayn ("deprivation of sight") denotes here a "veiling [of something] from one's consciousness" (hajb 'an al-idrak). Hence, the phrase tamasna a'yunahum may be understood to mean that God deprived them, in consequence of their evil propensities, of all moral insight (cf. 36:66 and the corresponding notes), and thus made them liable - as the sequence shows - to undergo bitter suffering in this world and in the next.

They even sought to snatch away his guests from him but We blinded their eyes, and said: "Now taste My punishment and the result of disbelieving My warning."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And they even demanded his angel-guests from him,¹ so We blinded their eyes. 'And they were told,' 'Taste then My punishment and warnings!'

  - Mustafa Khattab

 Who came in the form of handsome men.

They even asked of him his guests for an ill purpose. Then We blinded their eyes (and said): Taste now My punishment after My warnings!

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And they even sought to snatch away his guests from him but We blinded their eyes. (They heard:) "now taste ye My Wrath and My Warning." ⁵¹⁵⁷

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Lot had been preaching to them some time against their iniquities. The crisis of their fate came when the two angels came to Lot in the guise of handsome young men. The men of the whole City came in an uproar, assaulted his house, and tried to snatch away the two handsome men. Lot tried to prevent them, but was powerless. Darkness fell on their eyes, as the first stage in their punishment, and before next morning the wicked cities were buried under a shower of brimstone. Lot and his believing household were saved.

And, indeed, abiding suffering did befall them early on the morrow:

  - Mohammad Asad

At daybreak they were overtaken by a lasting punishment

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And indeed, by the early morning they were overwhelmed by an unrelenting torment.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And in truth the punishment decreed befell them early in the morning.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Early on the morrow an abiding Punishment seized them:

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

"Taste, then, the suffering which I inflict when My warnings are disregarded!"

  - Mohammad Asad

as if to say: "Now taste My punishment and the result of disbelieving My warning."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

'Again they were told,' 'Taste now My punishment and warnings!'

  - Mustafa Khattab

Now taste My punishment after My warnings!

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

"So taste ye My Wrath and My Warning."

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Hence, indeed, We made this Qur'an easy to bear in mind: who, then, is willing to take it to heart?

  - Mohammad Asad

We have indeed made the Qur'an very easy to understand the admonition, so is there any who would take admonition?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And We have certainly made the Quran easy to remember. So is there anyone who will be mindful?

  - Mustafa Khattab

And in truth We have made the Qur'an easy to remember; but is there any that remembereth?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And We have indeed made the Qur'an easy to understand and remember: then is there any that will receive admonition?

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Now surely, unto Pharaoh's folk [too] came such warnings;

  - Mohammad Asad

My warnings also came to the people of Fir'on (Pharaoh).

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And indeed, the warnings 'also' came to the people of Pharaoh.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And warnings came in truth unto the house of Pharaoh

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

To the people of Pharaoh too aforetime came Warners (from Allah). ⁵¹⁵⁸

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The Egyptian people of old are the last people mentioned in this Sura as an example of iniquity meeting with punishment. And the moral is driven home to the Pagan Quraish, to warn them of their fate if they persisted in their evil lives. The Egyptians had many Signs given them. They were a gifted people and had made much progress in the sciences and the arts. They could have learnt from history that when the highest virtues disappear, the nation must fall. Moses was brought up among them and commissioned to give Allah's Message to them. But they were arrogant; they were unjust to Allah's creatures; they followed debasing forms of worship; they mocked at Truth; and were at last punished with destruction in the Red Sea for their arrogant leaders and army. See x. 75-90 for a narrative.

they, too, gave the lie to all Our messages: and thereupon We took them to task as only the Almighty, who determines all things, can take to task.²²

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "We gripped them with the grip of an almighty . . .", etc. The special - and concluding - mention of "Pharaoh's folk" is due to the fact that the Egyptians were the most highly developed and powerful nation in the antiquity to which this and the preceding passages refer.

They disbelieved all Our signs. Consequently, We seized them the way a mighty powerful competent would seize.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

'But' they rejected all of Our signs, so We seized them with the 'crushing' grip of the Almighty, Most Powerful.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Who denied Our revelations, every one. Therefore We grasped them with the grasp of the Mighty, the Powerful.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

The (people) rejected all Our Signs; but We seized them with such Penalty (as comes) from One Exalted in Power able to carry out His Will.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

ARE, THEN, those of you who [now] deny the truth²³ better than those others - or have you, perchance, [been promised] immunity in the [ancient] books of [divine] wisdom?²⁴

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "your deniers of the truth".

See surah {21}, note [101].

O Qureysh, are your unbelievers better than they were, or have you been granted an immunity in the Sacred Books?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Now, are you 'Meccan' disbelievers superior to those 'destroyed peoples'? Or have you 'been granted' immunity 'from punishment' in divine Books?

  - Mustafa Khattab

Are your disbelievers better than those, or have ye some immunity in the Scriptures?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Are your Unbelievers (O Quraish) better than they? or have ye an immunity in the Sacred Books? ⁵¹⁵⁹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

If the Egyptians with all their power and science were unable to resist the punishment of their sins, the Pagan Quraish are asked: how will you fare when you come to a trial of strength against Allah's Truth? You are not specially favoured so as to be immune from Allah's Law. And if you rely on your numbers, they will be a broken reed when the trial comes, as indeed happened at the Battle of Badr.

Or do they say, "We are a group united, [and therefore] bound to prevail"?²⁵

  - Mohammad Asad

The reasoning which underlies this thought may be summed up thus: "We who reject these so-called divine revelations represent a very large body of opinion; and because our views are held by so many, they are obviously right and, therefore, bound to triumph in the end." In other words, the people characterized as "deniers of the truth" draw their assurance from the mere fact of their being representative of the "majority opinion" - a self-delusion based on a purely materialistic outlook on life.

Or, do they say: "Acting together, we can defend ourselves?"

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Or do they say, 'We are all 'a' united 'front', bound to prevail.'?

  - Mustafa Khattab

Or say they: We are a host victorious?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Or do they say: "We acting together can defend ourselves"?

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

[Yet] the hosts [of those who deny the truth] shall be routed, and they shall turn their backs [in night]!²⁶

  - Mohammad Asad

The fact that the Prophet recited this verse just before the battle of Badr (see Note [10] on 8:10 ) has caused most of the commentators to assume that it had been revealed as a specific prophecy of the future victory of the Muslims over the pagan Quraysh. While this is possible, I believe, nevertheless, that the above passage has the much wider, timeless meaning explained in the preceding note. This view finds strong support in the subsequent verses, which speak of the evil otherworldly consequences of deliberate sinning, quite apart from the social and moral defeat, in this world, of the sinful community as a whole.

Soon will their multitude be routed and put to flight.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

'Soon' their united front will be defeated and 'forced to' flee.¹

  - Mustafa Khattab

 This was later fulfilled in the Battle of Badr.

The hosts will all be routed and will turn and flee.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Soon will their multitude be put to flight and they will show their backs.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali