25.Surah Al Furqan

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

لَا تَدْعُوا الْيَوْمَ ثُبُورًا وَاحِدًا وَادْعُوا ثُبُورًا كَثِيرًا ﴿١٤﴾

25: 14. "This day plead not for a single destruction: plead for destruction oft-repeated!"

قُلْ أَذَلِكَ خَيْرٌ أَمْ جَنَّةُ الْخُلْدِ الَّتِي وُعِدَ الْمُتَّقُونَ...

25: 15. Say:

"Is that best, or the eternal Garden, promised to the righteous?

C3069. Shifting the scene back to this life, they may fairly be asked:

"Here is the result of the two courses of conduct: which do you prefer?"

... كَانَتْ لَهُمْ جَزَاء وَمَصِيرًا ﴿١٥﴾

For them, that is a reward as well as a goal (of attainment).

C3070. To the righteous, the final Bliss will in one sense be a reward. But the word "reward" does not truly represent facts, for two reasons:

- the Bliss will be greater than they deserved; and

- righteousness is its own reward.

The best way of expressing the result would be to say that;

• their highest Wish will now have been attained;

• the goal will have been reached;

• they will be in Allah's Presence.

That is salvation in the highest.

لَهُمْ فِيهَا مَا يَشَاؤُونَ خَالِدِينَ...

25: 16. "For them there will be therein all that they wish for:

they will dwell (there) for aye:

... كَانَ عَلَى رَبِّكَ وَعْدًا مَسْؤُولًا ﴿١٦﴾

a promise to be prayed for from thy Lord."

C3071. That is the sort of thing

- to be prayed for from Allah which he has made binding upon Himself and not ephemeral things, even though they may be good.

And that is the sort of thing that Allah has promised and undertaken to give.

Asad’s Version:

25:14 [al-Furqan, Mecca 42]

[But they will be told:] "Pray not today for one single extinction, but pray for many

extinctions!" 11

(25:15) Say: "Which is better - that, or the paradise of life abiding which has been promised to the God-conscious as their reward and their journey's end –

(25:16) a promise given by thy Sustainer, (always] to be prayed for?"