39. Az-Zumar (The Throngs)
Mecca Period 59 [75 verses]
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
قُلْ
يَا
عِبَادِ
الَّذِينَ
آمَنُوا
اتَّقُوا
رَبَّكُمْ...
39:10. Say:
"O ye my servants who believe!
Fear your Lord:
C4260. The "fear of Allah" (Taqwa) is explained in n. 26 to 2:2.
See also n. 2912 to 23:60.
The fear of Allah is akin to love, for it means that we are afraid to displease Him.
... لِلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا فِي هَذِهِ الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةٌ...
good is (the reward) for those who do good in this world.
... وَأَرْضُ اللَّهِ وَاسِعَةٌ...
Spacious is Allah's earth!
C4261. Cf. 29:56 and n. 3489.
We must always do right. We cannot plead that the circumstances in which we find ourselves force our hands. If our home conditions do not allow us to act according to the Faith that is in us, we must be prepared to suffer ostracism or even exile.
... إِنَّمَا يُوَفَّى الصَّابِرُونَ أَجْرَهُم بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ ﴿١٠﴾
Those who patiently persevere will truly receive a reward without measure!"
قُلْ
إِنِّي
أُمِرْتُ
أَنْ
أَعْبُدَ
اللَّهَ
مُخْلِصًا
لَّهُ
الدِّينَ
﴿١١﴾
39:11. Say:
"Verily, I am commanded to serve Allah with sincere devotion;
وَأُمِرْتُ
لِأَنْ
أَكُونَ
أَوَّلَ
الْمُسْلِمِينَ
﴿١٢﴾
39: 12. "And I am commanded to be the first of those who bow to Allah in Islam."
C4262. Cf. 6:14.
"The first" need not necessarily be chronological: it may also refer to the first rank in zeal, and in readiness to suffer for the Cause.
قُلْ
إِنِّي
أَخَافُ
إِنْ
عَصَيْتُ
رَبِّي
عَذَابَ
يَوْمٍ
عَظِيمٍ
﴿١٣﴾
39: 13. Say:
"I would, if I disobeyed my Lord, indeed have fear of the Penalty of a Mighty Day."
C4263. Cf. 6:15.
The worst penalty in a spiritual sense is the Displeasure of Allah, just as the highest achievement, the fulfilment of all desire, is the attainment of Allah's Good Pleasure: 6:16.
قُلِ
اللَّهَ
أَعْبُدُ
مُخْلِصًا
لَّهُ
دِينِي
﴿١٤﴾
39: 14. Say:
"It is Allah I serve, with my sincere (and exclusive) devotion:
اللَّهُ
نَزَّلَ
أَحْسَنَ
الْحَدِيثِ
كِتَابًا
مُّتَشَابِهًا
...
39: 23. Allah has revealed (from time to time) the most beautiful Message in the form of a Book,
consistent with itself,
C4276. Is Mutashabih here to be understood in the same sense as in 3:7? See n. 347.
The better opinion is that there is a slightly different shade of meaning here, as suggested by the context.
In the earlier passage, it was opposed to Muhkam: here it is contrasted or compared to Mathani.
The root meaning is: 'having something similar; working by analogy or allegory, or parable; having its parts consistent with each other'. The last meaning I adopt here.
The Quran was revealed in parts at different times. And yet its parts all conform to each other. There is no contradiction or inconsistency anywhere. (R).
... مَّثَانِيَ...
(yet) repeating (its teaching in various aspects):
C4277. Mathani:- Cf. 15:87, where we have translated "oft-repeated": "the seven oft- repeated (verses)". See n. 2008 to that passage.
Here the meaning is similar, but the context gives a different colour to it, as is seen in the translation.
... تَقْشَعِرُّ مِنْهُ جُلُودُ الَّذِينَ يَخْشَوْنَ رَبَّهُمْ...
the skins of those who fear their Lord tremble thereat;
C4278. The skin is the outer integument of the body. It receives the first shock from the impact of anything unusual, and it trembles and its hair stands on end under excitement.
So in spiritual matters the first stimulation from Allah's Message is external. Those who receive Faith do it as it were with tremor and not with apathy. But the next stage is that it penetrates their outer nature and goes right into their hearts. Their whole nature is "softened" to receive the beneficent Message, and it transforms them through and through.
... ثُمَّ تَلِينُ جُلُودُهُمْ وَقُلُوبُهُمْ إِلَى ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ...
then their skins and their hearts do soften to the celebration of Allah's praises.
... ذَلِكَ هُدَى اللَّهِ ...
Such is the guidance of Allah:
... يَهْدِي بِهِ مَنْ يَشَاء ...
He guides therewith whom He pleases,
... وَمَن يُضْلِلْ اللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ هَادٍ ﴿٢٣﴾
but such as Allah leaves to stray, can have none to guide.
C4279. "Whom He pleases" and "leaves to stray" are explained fully in n. 2133 to 16:93.
See also 14:4 and n. 1875.
Asad’s Version:
39:10 Say: "[Thus speaks God: 16 ] "O you servants of Mine who have attained to faith! Be conscious of your Sustainer! Ultimate good awaits those who persevere in doing good in this world. And [remember:] wide is God's earth, 17 [and,] verily, they who are patient in adversity will be given their reward in full, beyond all reckoning!'"
39:11 Say [O Muhammad]: "Behold, I am bidden to worship God, sincere in my faith in Him alone;
(39:12) and I am bidden to be foremost among those who surrender themselves unto God."
(39:13) Say: "Behold, I would dread, were I to rebel against my Sustainer, the suffering [which would befall me] on that awesome Day [of Judgment]."
39:14 Say: "God alone do I worship, sincere in my faith in Him alone
Quran: The Best Word/Narration
39:23 God has sent down the best hadith, a book that is consistent, relating/contrasting/repeating. The skins of those who reverence their Lord shiver from it, then their skins and their hearts soften up to the remembrance of God. Such is God's guidance; He guides with it whoever He wills. For whomever God misguides, then none can guide him.*
[[Yuksel’s note - 039:023 Mutashabih means "similar" or "multiple-meaning" (3:7). However, when it is used for the entire book, which also contains single-meaning words, mutashabih should be understood as ‘similar’ or ‘consistent.’ Some statements of the Quran have multiple meanings (mutashabih) and all the statements of the Quran are consistent (mutashabih). Like its references, the word mutashabih itself has multiple meanings. ]]