55. Ar-Rah Man (The Most Gracious)

Period Uncertain

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:



يَا مَعْشَرَ الْجِنِّ وَالْإِنسِ ...

55: 33.  O ye assembly of Jinns and men!

C5194. Cf. 6:130, where the Jinns and men are addressed collectively. That whole passage, 6:130-134, should be read as a commentary on this verse.

'If you think that because you do things in secret, or because some of your sins do not seem to meet their inevitable punishment or some of your good deeds seem to go unnoticed, do not be deceived. Judgment will soon come. You cannot possibly escape out of the zones in which your lives have been cast, without authority from Allah. Be grateful to Allah for the chances He has given you'.

"All that hath been promised unto you will come to pass: nor can ye frustrate it in the least bit" (6:134).

... إِنِ اسْتَطَعْتُمْ أَن تَنفُذُوا مِنْ أَقْطَارِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ فَانفُذُوا ...

Transliteration Ya_ masaral jin ni wal insi inis tatatum an tanfuzu_min aqta_ris sama_wa_ti wal ardi fanfuzu_ la_ tanfuzu_na il la_ bisulta_n



if it be ye can pass beyond the zones of the heavens and the earth, pass ye!

... لَا تَنفُذُونَ إِلَّا بِسُلْطَانٍ ﴿٣٣﴾

not without authority shall ye be able to pass!

فَبِأَيِّ آلَاء رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ﴿٣٤﴾

55: 34.  Then which of the favors of your Lord will ye deny?

C5195. Note how gradually we have been led up in the Argument.

'The Signs of Allah are all about you,

all these things should teach you the Truth and warn you about the Future, which is more particularly referred to in the remainder of the Surah.


يُرْسَلُ عَلَيْكُمَا شُوَاظٌ مِّن نَّارٍ ...

55: 35.  On you will be sent (O ye evil ones twain!) a flame of fire (to burn)

C5196. The Dual is with reference to the two worlds explained above in n. 5193.

... وَنُحَاسٌ فَلَا تَنتَصِرَانِ ﴿٣٥﴾

and a smoke (to choke): No defence will ye have:

C5197. We now come to the terrors of the Judgment on the evil ones.

فَبِأَيِّ آلَاء رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ﴿٣٦﴾

55: 36.  Then which of the favors of your Lord will ye deny?

C5198. Here and in some of the verses that follow, (verses 40, 42, and 45 below), the refrain applies with an ironical meaning. It is as if it was said: 'You used to laugh at Revelation, and at the warnings which were given for your own benefit in order to draw you to repentance and Allah's Mercy; what do you find now? Is not all that was said to you true?' To reject Allah's Law is in itself to deny Allah's Mercies.

 

فَإِذَا انشَقَّتِ السَّمَاء فَكَانَتْ وَرْدَةً كَالدِّهَانِ ﴿٣٧﴾

55: 37.  When the sky is rent asunder, and it becomes red like ointment:

C5199. Melting away like grease or ointment. The red colour will be due to the flames and the heat. The whole of the world as we know it now will dissolve.

فَبِأَيِّ آلَاء رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ﴿٣٨﴾

55: 38.  Then which of the favors of your Lord will ye deny?


Asad’s Version:

(55:33) O you who live in close communion with [evil] invisible beings and humans! 15 If you [think that you] can pass beyond the regions of the heavens and the earth," pass beyond them! [But] you cannot pass beyond them, save by a sanction [from God]! 17

(55:34) Which, then, of your Sustainer's powers can you disavow?

55:35 A flash of fire will be let loose upon you, and smoke, and you will be left without succour!

(55:36) Which, then, of your Sustainer's powers can you disavow?

(55:37) And when the sky is rent asunder and becomes red like [burning] oil. 18 –

(55:38) which, then, of your Sustainer's powers can you disavow? [[ Is this a description of rocket launching and penetration of the sku?]


55: 33 ……If you (think that you) can pass beyond the regions of the heavens and the earth,……

`

Pickthall O company of jinn and men, if ye have power to penetrate (all) regions of the heavens and the earth; then penetrate (them)! Ye will never penetrate them save with (Our) sanction.


[[Asad’s note - 15 For an explanation of this rendering of ma'shar al-jinn wa-'l-ins, see note 112 on the first paragraph of6:128.


16 I.e., in order to escape God's judgment and chastisement.


17 I.e., "unless He wills to reprieve you": cf the last paragraph of 6:128 and the corresponding note 114. ]]




Yuksel’s Version:


55:33 O tribes of Jinn and humans, if you can penetrate the diameters of the heavens and the earth, then go ahead and penetrate. You will not penetrate without authority.

55:34 So which of your Lord's favors will you deny?





[[Asad’s notes - 15 For an explanation of this rendering of ma'shar al-jinn wa-'l-ins, see note 112 on the first paragraph of6:128.


16 I.e., in order to escape God's judgment and chastisement.


17 I.e., "unless He wills to reprieve you": cf the last paragraph of 6:128 and the corresponding note 114. ]]


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6. Al-An'am (Cattle)

Mecca Period

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:


يَا مَعْشَرَ الْجِنِّ وَالإِنسِ أَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمْ رُسُلٌ مِّنكُمْ ...

6: 130. O ye assembly of Jinns and men! came there not unto you messenger from amongst you,

C953. "Messenger from amongst you."

This is addressed to the whole gathering of men and Jinns. (R).

...يَقُصُّونَ عَلَيْكُمْ آيَاتِي وَيُنذِرُونَكُمْ لِقَاء يَوْمِكُمْ هَـذَا...

setting forth unto you of the meeting of this day of yours?"

...قَالُواْ شَهِدْنَا عَلَى أَنفُسِنَا...

They will say: "We bear witness against ourselves."

...وَغَرَّتْهُمُ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا وَشَهِدُواْ عَلَى أَنفُسِهِمْ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُواْ كَافِرِينَ ﴿١٣٠﴾

It was the life of this world that deceived them.

So against themselves will they bear witness that they rejected Faith.

ذَلِكَ أَن لَّمْ يَكُن رَّبُّكَ مُهْلِكَ الْقُرَى بِظُلْمٍ وَأَهْلُهَا غَافِلُونَ ﴿١٣١﴾

6: 131. (The messengers were sent) thus, for thy Lord would not destroy for their wrongdoing men's habitations whilst their occupants were unwarned.

وَلِكُلٍّ دَرَجَاتٌ مِّمَّا عَمِلُواْ ...

6: 132. To all are degrees (or ranks) according to their deeds:

C954. On good and evil there are infinite degrees, in our deeds and motives: so will there be degrees in our spiritual position.

For everything is known to Allah, better than it is to ourselves.

... وَمَا رَبُّكَ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا يَعْمَلُونَ ﴿١٣٢﴾

for thy Lord is not unmindful of anything that they do.

وَرَبُّكَ الْغَنِيُّ ذُو الرَّحْمَةِ...

6: 133. Thy Lord is Self-sufficient, full of Mercy:

C955. Allah is not dependent on our prayer or service. It is out of His Mercy that He desires our own good.

Any race or people to whom He gives chances should understand that its failure does not affect Allah. He could create others in their place, as He did in times past, and is doing in our own day, if only we had the wit to see it.

...إِن يَشَأْ يُذْهِبْكُمْ وَيَسْتَخْلِفْ مِن بَعْدِكُم مَّا يَشَاء...

if it were His Will, He could destroy you, and in your place appoint whom He will as your successors,

...كَمَآ أَنشَأَكُم مِّن ذُرِّيَّةِ قَوْمٍ آخَرِينَ ﴿١٣٣﴾

even as he raised you up from the posterity of other people.

إِنَّ مَا تُوعَدُونَ لآتٍ ...

6: 134. All that hath been promised unto you will come to pass:

C956. Both the good news and the warning which Allah's messengers came to give will be fulfilled. Nothing can stop Allah's Universal Plan.

See n. 947 to 6:125.

... وَمَا أَنتُم بِمُعْجِزِينَ ﴿١٣٤﴾

nor can ye frustrate it (in the least bit).]]

Asad’s Version:


(6:130) [And thus will God continue:] "O you who have lived in close communion

with [evil] invisible beings and [like-minded] humans! Have there not come unto you apostles from among yourselves, who conveyed unto you My messages and warned you of the coming of this your Day [of Judgment]?" They will answer: "We do bear witness against ourselves!" - for the life of this world had beguiled them: and so they will bear witness against themselves that they had been denying the truth.


6:131 And so it is that thy Sustainer would never destroy a community 116 for its wrongdoing so long as its people are still unaware [of the meaning of right and wrong]: (6:132) for all shall be judged according to their [conscious] deeds 117 - and thy Sustainer is not unaware of what they do.

(6:133) And thy Sustainer alone is self-sufficient, limitless in His grace. If He so wills, He may put an end to you and thereafter cause whom He wills to succeed you - even as He has brought you into being out of other people's seed.


6:134 Verily, that [reckoning] which you are promised is bound to come, and you cannot elude it! ]]

Pickthall’s Version:

[[6:130

Pickthall O ye assembly of the jinn and humankind! Came there not unto you messengers of your own who recounted unto you My tokens and warned you of the meeting of this your Day? They will say: We testify against ourselves. And the life of the world beguiled them. And they testify against themselves that they were disbelievers.

Transliteration Ya_ ma'syaral jinni wal insi alam ya'tikum rusulum minkum yaqussu_na 'alaikum a_ya_ti wa yunziru_nakum liqa_'a yaumikum ha_za_, qa_lu_ syahidna_ 'ala_ anfusina_ wa garrathumul haya_tud dunya_ wa syahidu_ 'ala_ anfusihim annahum ka_nu_ ka_firin(a).


[[ Ruby’s Note – Who are Jinns? Here it is mentioned that the prophets are sent among both of these groups of Jinns and men? Are they humans ?]]

6: 131

Pickthall This is because thy Lord destroy not the townships arbitrarily while their people are unconscious (of the wrong they do).

Transliteration Za_lika allam yakur rabbaka muhlikal qura_ bi zulmin wa ahluha_ ga_filu_n(a).

6: 132

Pickthall For all there will be ranks from what they did. Thy Lord is not unaware of what they do.

Transliteration Wa likullin daraja_tum mimma_'amilu_, wa ma_ rabbuka bi ga_filin 'amma_ ya'malu_n(a).




[[ Ali’s Notes - 953 "Apostles from amongst you." This is addressed to the whole gathering of men and Jinns. Are the Jinns but disembodied spirits of evil men? (6.130)

954 On good and evil there are infinite degrees, in our deeds and motives: so will there be degrees in our spiritual position. For everything is known to God, better than it is to ourselves. (6.132) ]]