6: 60 And he it is who causes you to be [like] dead at night, and knows what you work in daytime; and He brings you back to life each day in order that a term set [by Him] be fulfilled. In the end, unto Him you must return: and then He will make you understand all that you were doing [in life].
6: 60 [al-Anam, Cattle, Mecca 55]
Asad And He it is who causes you to be [like] dead [note 50] at night, and knows what you work in daytime; and He brings you back to life each day [note 51] in order that a term set [by Him] be fulfilled. In the end, unto Him you must return; and then He will make you understand all that you were doing [in life].
Yusuf Ali It is He Who doth take your souls by night and hath knowledge of all that ye have done by day. By day doth He raise you up again; that a term appointed be fulfilled; in the end unto Him will be your return then will He show you the truth of all that ye did.
Pickthall He it is Who gathereth you at night and knoweth that which ye commit by day. Then He raiseth you again to life therein, that the term appointed (for you) may be accomplished. And afterward unto Him is your return. Then He will proclaim unto you what ye used to do.
Transliteration Wa huwal lazi yatawaffa_kum bil laili wa ya'lamu ma_ jarahtum bin naha_ri summa yab'asukum fihi liyuqda_ ajalum musamma_(n), summa ilaihi marji'ukum summa yunabbi'ukum bima_ kuntum ta'malu_n(a).
[[ Asad’s note 50 – For a full explanation of the verb ‘tawaffa’ – lit., “he took [something] in full” – see note 44 on 39:42, which is the earliest instance of its use in the Quran.
note 51 – Lit., “therein” – referring to the daytime. The polarity of sleep and wakefulness contains an allusion to life and death (cf. 78:9 – 11). ]]
[[ Ali’s note - 881 As the rest of His Creation is subject to His Law and Plan, so is man's life in every particular and at every moment, awake or asleep. The mystery of Sleep-" the twin brother of death" - is called the taking of our soul by Him, with the record of all we have done in our waking moments, and this record sometimes appears to us in confused glimpses in dreams. By day we awaken again to our activities, and so it goes on until we fulfill the term of our life appointed for this earth. Then comes the other Sleep (death), with the longer record of our Day (Life); and then, in the end comes the Resurrection and Judgment, at which we see everything clearly and not as in dreams, for that is the final Reality. (6.60)]]
6: 98 [al-Anam, Cattle, Mecca 55]
Asad And He it is who has brought you [all] into being out of one living entity [note 82], and [has appointed for each of you] a time-limit [on earth] and a resting place [after death] [note 83]: clearly, indeed, have We spelled out these messages unto people who can grasp the truth!
Yusuf Ali It is He who hath produced you from a single person: here is a place of sojourn and a place of departure: We detail Our signs for people who understand.
Pickthall And He it is Who hath produced you from a single being, and (hath given you) a habitation and a repository. We have detailed Our revelations for a people who have understanding.
Transliteration Wa huwal lazi ansya'akum min nafsiw wa_hidatin fa mustaqarruw wa mustauda', qad fassalnal a_ya_ti liqaumiy yafqahu_n(a).
[[ Ali’s notes - 923 Produced: ansha-a= made you grow, increase, develop, reach maturity: another of the processes of creation. This supplements n. 120 to ii. 916 and n. 916 to vi. 94. It is one of the wonders of God's Creation, that from one person we have grown to be so many, and each individual has so many faculties and capacities, and yet we are all one. In the next verse we have the allegory of grapes and other fruits: all grapes may be similar to look at, yet each variety has a distinctive flavour and other distinctive qualities, and each individual grape may have its own special qualities. So for man. (6.98)
In the sojourn of this life we must respond to God's hand in fashioning us, by making full use of all our faculties, and we must get ready for our departure into the Life that will be eternal. (6.98)]]
[[ Asad’s note 82 – see surah 4, note 1.
note 83 – The commentators differ widely as to the meaning of the terms “mustaqarr” and “mustawda” in this context. However, taking into account the primary meaning of mustaqarr as “the limit of a course” – i.e., the point at which a thing reaches its fulfillment or end – and of “mustawda” as “a place of consignment” or “repository”, we arrive at the rendering adopted by me above. This rendering finds, moreover, strong support in 11:6, where God is spoken of as providing sustenance for every living being and knowing “its time-limit [on earth] and its resting –place [after death]” (mustaqarraha wa-mustawda aha), as in verse 67 of the present surah, where mustaqarr is used in the sense of “a term set for the fulfillment [of God’s tiding]”. ]]
6: 128 And on the day when He shall gather them [all] together, [He will say] “o you who have lived in close communion with [evil] invisible beings! A great many human beings have you ensnared!” And those of the humans who were close to them will say: “O our Sustainer ! We did enjoy one another’s fellowship [in life] ; but we have reached the end of our term – the term which You have laid down for us – [we see the error of our ways]!”
He will say : “ The fire shall be your abode, therein to abide – unless God wills it otherwise.” Verily, your Sustainer is wise, all knowing. Asad
6: 128 One day will He gather them all together, “O you assembly of Jinns! Much did you take of men.” Their friends amongst men will say : “Our Lord! We made profit from each other:...........Ali
7: 34
Yusuf Ali To every people is a term appointed: when their term is reached not an hour can they cause delay nor (an hour) can they advance (it in anticipation).
Pickthall And every nation hath its term, and when its term cometh, they cannot put it off an hour nor yet advance (it).
Transliteration Wa likulli ummatin ajal(un), fa iza_ ja_'a ajaluhum la_ yasta'khiru_na sa_'ataw wa la_ yastaqdimu_n(a).
10: 49
Yusuf Ali Say: "I have no power over any harm or profit to myself except as Allah willeth. To every People is a term appointed: when their term is reached not an hour can they cause delay nor (an hour) can they advance (it in anticipation).
Pickthall Say: I have no power to hurt or benefit myself, save that which Allah willeth. For every nation there is an appointed time. When their time cometh, then they cannot put it off an hour, nor hasten (it).
Transliteration Qul la_ amliku li nafsi darraw wa la_ naf'an illa_ ma_ sya_'alla_h(u), li kulli ummatin ajal(un), iza_ ja_'aajaluhum fala_ yasta'khiru_na sa_'ataw wa la_ yastaqdimu_n(a).
15: 5
Asad No community can ever forestall its term – and neither can they delay.
Yusuf Ali Neither can a people anticipate its Term nor delay it.
Pickthall No nation can outstrip its term nor can they lag behind.
Transliteration Ma_ tasbiqu min ummatin ajalaha_ wa ma_ yasta'khiru_n(a).
[ Asad ntoe 5: I.e., every community - and, in the wisest sense of this term, every civilization – has a God-willed, organic span of life resembling in this respect all other living organisms, destined to grow, to reach maturity and ultimately to decay. ……..[see 7;34 and ..note 25]
[Ruby’ note re: the above note: I feel this is too simplistic explanation of this above passage. This term may not be a static term previously fixed or predetermined, but a predetermined divine law of a term which is dynamic and results with the interactions and choices of that people. Our concept of predetermine destinies are erroneous and incomplete with the divine set of laws because of our limited knowledge. ]
16: 61
Asad Now if God were to take men to task for all the evil that they do, He would not leave a single living creature upon its face. However, He grants them respite until a term set: but when the end of their term approaches, they can neither delay it by a single moment, nor can they hasten it.
Yusuf Ali It Allah were to punish men for their wrongdoing He would not leave on the (earth) a single living creature: but He gives them respite for a stated term: when their term expires they would not be able to delay (the punishment) for a single hour just as they would not be able to anticipate it (for a single hour).
Pickthall If Allah were to take mankind to task for their wrong doing, he would not leave hereon a living creature, but He reprieveth them to an appointed term, and when their term cometh they cannot put (it) off an hour nor (yet) advance (it).
Transliteration Wa lau yu'a_khizulla_hun na_sa bi zulmihim ma_ taraka 'alaiha_ min da_bbatiw wa la_kiy yu'akhkhiruhum ila_ ajalim musamma_(n), fa iza_ ja_'a ajaluhum la_ yasta'khiru_na sa_'ataw wa la_ yastaqdimu_n(a).
19:84
Asad Hence, be not in haste [to call down God's punishment] upon them: for We but number the number of their days. 73
Asad (19:85) On the Day when We shall gather the God-conscious unto [Us,] the Most Gracious, as honored guests,
Asad (19:86) and drive those who were lost in sin unto
hell as a thirsty herd is driven to a well –
Asad (19:87) [on that Day] none will have [the benefit of]
intercession unless he has [in his lifetime] entered into a bond with the Most Gracious. 74
[[ Asad’s notes
73 Lit., "We number for them but a number". Cf. also the first sentence of verse 75 above.
74 Lit., "except him who has...", etc. According to the classical commentators - including some of
the most outstanding Companions of the Prophet - the "bond with God" denotes, in this context, the realization of His oneness and niqueness; for the wider implications of this term, see surah 2, note 19. Consequently, as pointed out by Razi, even great sinners may hope for God's forgiveness - symbolically expressed by the right of intercession" which will be granted to the prophets on Judgment Day (see note 7 on 10:3)- provided that, during their life on earth, they were aware of
God's existence and oneness. ]]
The Thirty-Fifth Surah
Al-Fatir (The Originator)
Mecca Period 43
(35:11) [Asad] And [remember:] God creates [every one of] you out of dust, 8 then out of a drop of sperm; and then He fashions you into either of the two sexes.' And no female conceives or gives birth unless it be with His knowledge; and none that is long-
lived has his days lengthened - and neither is aught lessened of his days - unless it be thus laid down in [God's] decree: for, behold, all this is easy for God.
[[ Asad’s note - 8 See second half of note 47 on 3:59, and note 4 on 23:12.]]
وَاللَّهُ
خَلَقَكُم مِّن
تُرَابٍ ...
35:11 [Ali]. And Allah did create you from dust;
C3884. Cf. 18:37 and n. 2379; 22:5 and n. 2773; and 30:20, and n. 3524.
Here the argument is that
- man's physical origin is lowly:
- his physical body is but dust;
- his life-sperm issues from a part of his body which he hides and considers as a place of shame; and
- the mystery of sex shows that no one individual among mankind is sufficient in himself.
Glory and power and knowledge are not in him, but in Allah, from Whom alone he derives any glory, or power, or knowledge that he possesses.
... ثُمَّ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ ثُمَّ جَعَلَكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا...
then from a sperm-drop;
then He made you in pairs.
C3885. "Then" in this and the following clause refers, not to stages of time, but to stages in the argument.
It is almost equivalent to "further", "also", and "in addition".
... وَمَا تَحْمِلُ مِنْ أُنثَى وَلَا تَضَعُ إِلَّا بِعِلْمِهِ...
And no female conceives, or lays down (her load), but with His knowledge.
... وَمَا يُعَمَّرُ مِن مُّعَمَّرٍ وَلَا يُنقَصُ مِنْ عُمُرِهِ إِلَّا فِي كِتَابٍ...
Nor is a man long-lived granted length of days, nor is a part cut off from his life, but is in a Decree (ordained).
C3886. Things that appear most secret and mysterious to man are all known and ordained by Allah. They are all subject to Allah's Laws and Decrees.
The mystery of human birth (see n. 3625 to 31:34), the mystery of sex, the mystery of Life and Death and many other things, seem to man inexplicable. But they are all ordained by Allah, and their reasons are fully known to Him.
... إِنَّ ذَلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ ﴿١١﴾
All this is easy for Allah.
C3887. Man's knowledge may be acquired laboriously and may be a burden to him. Allah's knowledge is different; it is not task or burden to Him. Cf. 33:19 and 30.