Sura-15 [Al Hijr mecca 54]

The Quranic Text & Ali’s version:

رُّبَمَا يَوَدُّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لَوْ كَانُواْ مُسْلِمِينَ ﴿٢﴾

15:2.     Again and again will those who disbelieve wish that they had bowed (to Allah's Will) in Islam.

C1935. The time must inevitably come when those who allow themselves to be deceived by falsehood or deliberately break Allah's Law will find themselves in a terrible plight. They will then wish, ardently and again and again, that they had sought Allah's Will and walked in the light of Truth.

That time may be early or late,-in this life, or at death, or at the Day of Judgment, but it must come. Man's own highest interest requires that he should awake to the Reality before it is too late for repentance.

ذَرْهُمْ يَأْكُلُواْ وَيَتَمَتَّعُواْ ...   

15:3.     Leave them alone, to enjoy (the good things of this life) and to please themselves:

C1936. Literally, "to eat", Cf. 5:66 and n. 776.

... وَيُلْهِهِمُ الأَمَلُ...

let (false) Hope amuse them:

...فَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٣﴾

soon will knowledge (undeceive them).

C1937. The foolish and the wicked set great store by the pleasures of this world. In their pride they think they have all knowledge. In the fullness of knowledge they will see how wrong they were.

Meanwhile those who have received the Light should not for a single moment wonder at the apparent prosperity of the ungodly in this world. They should leave them alone, confident in the goodness and justice of Allah.

وَمَا أَهْلَكْنَا مِن قَرْيَةٍ إِلاَّ وَلَهَا كِتَابٌ مَّعْلُومٌ ﴿٤﴾

15:4.     Never did We destroy a population that had not a term decreed and assigned beforehand.

C1938. Kitabun ma'lum: literally, "a writing known".

There are many shades of meaning implied,

-        For every people, as for every individual, there is a definite Term assigned: their faculty of choice gives them the opportunity of moulding their will according to Allah's Will, and thus identifying themselves with Allah's Universal Law. During that Term they will be given plenty of rope; after that Term is past, there will be no opportunity for repentance.

-         Neither the righteous nor the ungodly can hasten or delay the doom: Allah's Will must prevail, and He is All-Wise.

-        The destruction of a people is not an arbitrary punishment from Allah: the people bring it on themselves by their own choice; for the fixed Law or Decree of Allah is always made known to them beforehand, and in many ways.

مَّا تَسْبِقُ مِنْ أُمَّةٍ أَجَلَهَا وَمَا يَسْتَأْخِرُونَ ﴿٥﴾   

15:5.     Neither can a people anticipate its Term, nor delay it.

C1939. Cf. 7:34. Also see the last note.

Other versions:

15: 2

Yusuf Ali Again and again will those who disbelieve wish that they had bowed (to Allah's Will) in Islam.

Pickthall It may be that those who disbelieve wish ardently that they were Muslims.

Transliteration Rubama_ yawaddul lazina kafaru_ lau ka_nu_ muslimin(a).

15: 3

Yusuf Ali Leave them alone to enjoy (the good things of this life) and to please themselves: let (false) Hope amuse them: soon will knowledge (undeceive them).

Pickthall Let them eat and enjoy life, and let (false) hope beguile them. They will come to know!

Yuksel Those who have rejected will often wish they were of those who peacefully surrendered!

Leave them to eat and enjoy, and let them be preoccupied with hope. They will come to know.

Transliteration Zarhum ya'kulu_ wa yatamatta'u_ wa yulhihimul amalu fa saufa ya'lamu_n(a).

15: 4

Yusuf Ali Never did We destroy a population that had not a term decreed and assigned beforehand.

Pickthall And We destroyed no township but there was a known decree for it.

Yuksel We have not destroyed any town except that it had an appointed time.

Transliteration Wa ma_ ahlakna_ min qaryatin illa_ wa laha_ kita_bum ma'lu_m(un).

15: 5

Yusuf Ali Neither can a people anticipate its Term nor delay it.

Pickthall No nation can outstrip its term nor can they lag behind.

Yuksel No nation can quicken its fate, nor can they delay.

Transliteration Ma_ tasbiqu min ummatin ajalaha_ wa ma_ yasta'khiru_n(a).

مَا تَسْبِقُ مِنْ أُمَّةٍ أَجَلَهَا وَمَا يَسْتَأْخِرُونَ ﴿٤٣﴾

No people can hasten their term, nor can they delay (it).

[[Asad’s note to 23:43-22 See note 5 on the identical phrase in 15:5. ]]