71. Nun (Noah)
Mecca Period
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
مَّا
لَكُمْ لَا
تَرْجُونَ
لِلَّهِ وَقَارًا ﴿١٣﴾
71: 13. "'What is the matter with you, that ye place not your hope for kindness and long-suffering in Allah --
C5713a. An alternate translation would be "... that ye fear Allah's Message"
i.e., why don't you fear Allah's Majesty, His greatness and consequent punishment for your sinfulness, and hope for His mercy, kindness and reward for your faith and good deeds. The words of the verse contain the twin strands -fear and hope- simultaneously.
وَقَدْ
خَلَقَكُمْ
أَطْوَارًا ﴿١٤﴾
71: 14. "'Seeing that it is He that has created you in diverse stages?
C5714. Cf. 22:5, and notes 2773-2777;
also 23:12-17, and notes 2872-2875.
The meaning here may be even wider. Man in his various states exhibits various wonderful qualities or capacities, mental and spiritual that may be compared with the wonderful workings of nature on the earth and in the heavens. Will he not then be grateful for these Mercies and turn to Allah, Who created all these marvels?
أَلَمْ
تَرَوْا كَيْفَ
خَلَقَ اللَّهُ
سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ
طِبَاقًا ﴿١٥﴾
71: 15. "'See ye not how Allah has created the seven heavens one above another,
C5715. See n. 5559 to 67:3.
وَجَعَلَ
الْقَمَرَ
فِيهِنَّ نُورًا
وَجَعَلَ الشَّمْسَ
سِرَاجًا ﴿١٦﴾
71: 16. "'And made the moon a light in their midst,
and made the sun as a (Glorious) Lamp?
C5716. Cf. 25:61, where the sun is referred to as the glorious Lamp of the heavens:
"Blessed is He Who made the Constellations in the skies, and placed therein a lamp, and a moon giving light."
وَاللَّهُ
أَنبَتَكُم
مِّنَ الْأَرْضِ
نَبَاتًا ﴿١٧﴾
71: 17. "'And Allah has produced you from the earth, growing (gradually),
C5717. Cf. 3:37, where the growth of the child Mary the Mother of Jesus is described by the same wordnabat, ordinarily denoting the growth of plants and trees.
The simile is that of a seed sown, that germinates, grows, and dies, and goes back to the earth.
In man, there is the further process of the Resurrection.
Cf. also 20:55.
Asad’s Version:
71:13 '"What is amiss with you that you cannot look forward to God's majesty, 6
(14) seeing that He has created [every one of] you in successive stages? 7
(15) '"Do you not see how God has created seven heavens in full harmony with one another, 8
(16) and has set up within them the moon as a light [reflected] and set up the sun as a [radiant] lamp?'
71:17 "And God has caused you to grow out of the earth in [gradual] growth; 10 and thereafter He will return you to it [in death]:
[[ Asad’s notes:-
6 I.e., "that you refuse to believe in God" (Zamakhshari). Some authorities (e.g., Jawhari) give to the above phrase the meaning, "that you will not fear God's majesty", which, too, implies lack of belief in Him.
7 I.e., by a process of gradual evolution, in the mother's womb, from a drop of sperm and a fertilized germ-cell (the female ovum), up to the point where the embryo becomes a new, self-contained human entity (cf 22:5): all of which points to the existence of a plan and a purpose and, hence, to the existence of a conscious Creator.
8 Cf. 67:3 and the corresponding note 2.
9 See 10:5, where the sun is described as "a [source of] radiant light" (diya 1 ) and the moon as "light [reflected]" (nur); both these interpolations are explained in note 10 on 10:5.
10 This phrase has a twofold meaning. In the first instance, it alludes to the evolution of the individual human body out of the same substances - both organic and inorganic - as are found in and on the earth as well: and in this sense it enlarges upon the creation of the human individual "in successive stages" referred to in verse 14 above. Secondly, it alludes to the evolution of the human species, which, starting from the most primitive organisms living on earth, has gradually ascended to ever higher stages of development until it has finally reached that complexity of body, mind and soul evident in the human being. ]]