46. Surah Al-Ahqaf (The Sand-Dunes)
Mecca Period 66
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
وَاذْكُرْ
أَخَا عَادٍ
...
46: 21. Mention (Hud) one of 'Ad's (own) brethren:
The point is that the Warner who was raised among the 'Ad people-as among other peoples-was not a stranger, but one of their own brethren, even as the holy Prophet began his preaching with a call to his own brethren the Quraysh.
... إِذْ أَنذَرَ قَوْمَهُ بِالْأَحْقَافِ...
behold, he warned his people about the winding Sand-tracts:
C4799. Winding Sand-tracts: Ahqaf: see Introduction to this Surah.
The very things, which, under irrigation and with Allah's Grace, gave them prosperity and power, were to be their undoing when they broke Allah's Law and defied His Grace.
See verses 24-26 below.
...وَقَدْ خَلَتْ النُّذُرُ مِن بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا اللَّهَ...
but there have been Warners before him and after him:
"Worship ye none other than Allah:
...إِنِّي أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ ﴿٢١﴾
truly I fear for you the Penalty of a Mighty Day."
قَالُوا
أَجِئْتَنَا
لِتَأْفِكَنَا
عَنْ آلِهَتِنَا...
46: 22. They said:
"Hast thou come in order to turn us aside from Our gods?
C4800. They were too much wedded to their evil ways-to the false gods that they worshipped-to appreciate the sincere advice of the prophet of Allah. They defied him and defied Allah Who had sent him. Mockingly they challenged him to bring on the threatened punishment! For they did not believe a word of what he said.
...فَأْتِنَا بِمَا تَعِدُنَا إِن كُنتَ مِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ ﴿٢٢﴾
Then bring upon us the (calamity) with which thou dost threaten us, if thou art telling the truth!"
قَالَ
إِنَّمَا الْعِلْمُ
عِندَ اللَّهِ...
46: 23. He said:
"The Knowledge (of when it will come) is only with Allah:
C4801. The coming of the Punishment for evil was (and is always) certain. At what particular time it would come he could not tell. It is not for the prophet, but for Allah, to bring on the Penalty. But he saw that it was useless to appeal to them on account of the ignorance in which they were content to dwell.
...وَأُبَلِّغُكُم مَّا أُرْسِلْتُ بِهِ وَلَكِنِّي أَرَاكُمْ قَوْمًا تَجْهَلُونَ ﴿٢٣﴾
I proclaim to you the mission on which I have been sent: but I see that ye are a people in ignorance!"...
فَلَمَّا
رَأَوْهُ عَارِضًا
مُّسْتَقْبِلَ
أَوْدِيَتِهِمْ
...
46: 24. Then, when they saw the (Penalty in the shape of) a cloud traversing the sky, coming to meet their valleys,
C4802. The Punishment came suddenly, and when they least expected it. They wanted rain, and they saw a cloud and rejoiced. Behold, it was coming towards their own tracts, winding through the hills. Their irrigation channels would be full, their fields would be green, and their season would be fruitful.
But no!
What is this?
It is a tremendous hurricane, carrying destruction on its wings! A violent blast, with dust and sand! Its fury destroys everything in its wake! Lives lost! Fields covered with sand-hills!
The morning dawns on a scene of desolation! Where were the men who boasted and defied their Lord! There are only the ruins of their houses to witness to the past!
... قَالُوا هَذَا عَارِضٌ مُّمْطِرُنَا...
they said,
"This cloud will give us rain!"
...بَلْ هُوَ مَا اسْتَعْجَلْتُم بِهِ رِيحٌ فِيهَا عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ ﴿٢٤﴾
"Nay,
it is the (calamity) ye were asking to be hastened! --
a wind wherein is a Grievous Penalty!
تُدَمِّرُ
كُلَّ شَيْءٍ
بِأَمْرِ رَبِّهَا
...
46: 25. "Everything will it destroy by the command of its Lord!"
... فَأَصْبَحُوا لَا يُرَى إِلَّا مَسَاكِنُهُمْ...
Then by the morning they -- nothing was to be seen but (the ruins of) their houses!
C4803. Here is the figure of speech known in rhetoric as aposiopesis, to heighten the effect of the suddenness and completeness of the calamity.
In the Arabic text, the verb asbahu, in the third person plural, leads us to expect that we shall be told what they were doing in the morning. But no! They had been wiped out, and any small remnant had fled (see n. 1040 to 7:65). Nothing was to be seen but the ruins of their houses.
...كَذَلِكَ نَجْزِي الْقَوْمَ الْمُجْرِمِينَ ﴿٢٥﴾
Thus do We recompense those given to sin!
وَلَقَدْ
مَكَّنَّاهُمْ
فِيمَا إِن
مَّكَّنَّاكُمْ
فِيهِ وَجَعَلْنَا
لَهُمْ سَمْعًا
وَأَبْصَارًا
وَأَفْئِدَةً...
46: 26. And We had firmly established them in a (prosperity and) power which We have not given to you (ye Quraish!) and We had endowed them with (faculties of) hearing, seeing, heart and intellect:
C4804. The 'Ad and their successors the Thamud were more richly endowed with the faculties of the arts, sciences, and culture than ever were the Quraish before Islam.
"Hearing and seeing" refer to the experimental faculties;
the word "heart" in Arabic includes intellect, or the rational faculties, as well as the instruments of feeling and emotion, the aesthetic faculties.
The Second 'Ad, or Thamud, have left interesting traces of their architecture in the country round the Hijr: see n. 1043 to 7:73, and notes 2002-3 to 15:80-82.
...فَمَا أَغْنَى عَنْهُمْ سَمْعُهُمْ وَلَا أَبْصَارُهُمْ وَلَا أَفْئِدَتُهُم مِّن شَيْءٍ...
but of no profit to them were their (faculties of) hearing, sight, and heart and intellect,
...إِذْ كَانُوا يَجْحَدُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ ...
when they went on rejecting the Signs of Allah;
C4805. The highest talents and faculties of this world are useless in the next world if we reject the laws of Allah and thus become outlaws there.
... وَحَاقَ بِهِم مَّا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِؤُون ﴿٢٦﴾
and they were (completely) encircled by that which they used to mock at!
C4806. See n. 4770 to 45:33.
They used to mock at Allah's Signs, but those were the very things which hemmed them in, and showed that they had more power and effectiveness than anything else.
Asad’s Version:
46:21 AND REMEMBER that brother of [the tribe of] Ad, 25 how - seeing that [other] warnings had already come and gone within his own knowledge as well as in times beyond his ken 26 - he warned his people [who lived] among those sand-dunes: "Worship none but God! Verily, I fear lest suffering befall you on an awesome day!"
[[Asad’s notes -
25 I.e., the Prophet Hud (see surah 7, note 48). The mention of Hud and the tribe of 'Ad connects with the last sentence of the preceding verse, inasmuch as this tribe "transgressed all bounds of equity all over their lands" (89:11).
26 Lit., "from between his hands and from behind him". This idiomatic phrase (explained in note 247 on 2:255) is evidently an allusion to the many warning messages, in Hud's own time as well as in the almost forgotten past, which ought to have made - but did not make - the tribe of 'Ad conscious of how far astray they had gone. We have here a subtle, parenthetic reminder that, apart from the revelations which He bestows upon His prophets, God offers His guidance to man through the many signs and warnings apparent in all nature as well as in the changing conditions of human society. ]]
Asad’s version
46:22 They answered: "Hast thou come to seduce us away from our gods? Bring, then, upon us that [doom] with which thou threatenest us, if thou art a man of truth!"
46:23 Said he: "Knowledge [of when it is to befall you] rests with God alone: I but convey unto you the message with which I have been entrusted; but I see that you are people ignorant [of right and wrong]!"
(46:24) And so, when they beheld it 27 in the shape of a dense cloud approaching
their valleys, they exclaimed, "This is but a heavy cloud which will bring us [welcome] rain! " [But Hud said:] "Nay, but it is the very thing which you [so contemptuously] sought to hasten - a wind bearing grievous suffering,
(46:25) bound to destroy everything at its Sustainer's behest!"
And then they were so utterly wiped out, that nothing could be seen save their [empty] dwellings: thus do We requite people lost in sin.
46:26 And yet, We had established them securely in a manner in which We have never established you, [people of later times;] 29 and We had endowed them with hearing, and sight, and [knowledgeable] hearts: 30 but neither their hearing, nor their sight, nor their hearts were of the least avail to them, seeing that they went on rejecting God's messages; and [in the end] they were overwhelmed 31 by the very thing which they had been wont to deride.
[[Asad’s notes -
27 I.e., when they beheld, without recognizing it as such, the approach of their doom.
28 Lit., "then they became so that ...", etc. See 69:6-8, describing the sandstorm which destroyed the tribe of Ad without leaving any trace of them.
29 This relates in the first instance to the pagan contemporaries of the Prophet, but applies to later generations as well. - The tribe of Ad were the unchallenged lords in the vast region in which they lived (cf 89:8 - "the like of whom has never been reared in all the land"). Moreover, the social conditions of their time were so simple and so free of the many uncertainties and dangers which beset people of higher civilizations that they could be regarded as more "securely established" on earth than people of later, more complex times.
30 I.e., intellect and feeling, both of which are comprised in the noun fu'ad.
31 Lit., "enfolded". ]]
51. Surah Adh-Dhariyat (The Dust-Scattering Winds)
Mecca Period 67
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
51: 41. And in the 'Ad (people) (was another Sign):
C5018. Cf. 46:21-26.
The point here is that the 'Ad were a gifted people: Allah had given them talents and material wealth: but when they defied Allah, they and all their belongings were destroyed in a night, by a hurricane which they thought was bringing them the rain to which they were looking forward. How marvelously Allah's Providence works, to help the good and destroy the wicked!
... إِذْ أَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمُ الرِّيحَ الْعَقِيم َ ﴿٤١﴾
Behold, We sent against them the devastating Wind:
مَا
تَذَرُ مِن
شَيْءٍ أَتَتْ
عَلَيْهِ إِلَّا
جَعَلَتْهُ
كَالرَّمِيمِ
﴿٤٢﴾
51: 42. It left nothing whatever that it came up against, but reduced it to ruin and rottenness.
وَفِي
ثَمُودَ إِذْ
قِيلَ لَهُمْ
تَمَتَّعُوا
حَتَّى حِينٍ
﴿٤٣﴾
51: 43. And in the Thamud (was another Sign):
C5019. See the story of the Thamud and their prophet Salih in 7:73-79. Here the point is the suddenness of their punishment and its unexpected nature.
Behold, they were told, "Enjoy (your brief day) for a little while!"
C5020. Salih their prophet gave them three days' clear warning for repentance (11:65). But they heeded him not. On the contrary they flouted him and continued in their evil courses.
فَعَتَوْا
عَنْ أَمْرِ
رَبِّهِمْ ...
51: 44. But they insolently defied the command of their Lord:
C5021. They had already defied the order to preserve the She-camel, which was a sign from Allah. See 11:64-65 and n. 1560.
They continued to flout the warnings of the prophet until the earthquake came on them with a stunning noise and buried them where they were: 7:78; and 11:67.
... فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ الصَّاعِقَةُ وَهُمْ يَنظُرُونَ ﴿٤٤﴾
so the stunning noise (of an earthquake) seized them, even while they were looking on.
C5022. Saiqat. a stunning sound like that of thunder and lightning (2:55);
such a sound often accompanies an earthquake (see 41:17, n. 4485, and 7:78 and n. 1047).
فَمَا
اسْتَطَاعُوا
مِن قِيَامٍ
وَمَا كَانُوا
مُنتَصِرِينَ
﴿٤٥﴾
51: 45. Then they could not even stand (on their feet), nor could they help themselves.
C5023. They were swept off in the earthquake.
وَقَوْمَ
نُوحٍ مِّن
قَبْلُ إِنَّهُمْ
كَانُوا قَوْمًا
فَاسِقِينَ
﴿٤٦﴾
51: 46. So were the people of Noah before them: for they wickedly transgressed.
C5024. The generation of Noah was swept away in the Flood for their sins: 7:59-64.
The point is that such a Flood seemed so unlikely to them that they thought Noah was "wandering in his mind" when he delivered Allah's Message: 7:60
Asad’s Version:
52:41 And [you have the same message] in [what happened to the tribe oi] 'Ad, when We let loose against them that life -destroying wind
(5 1 :42) which spared nothing of what it came upon, but caused [all of] it to become like bones dead and decayed. 28
51:43 And in [the story of the tribe of] Thamud, too, when they were told, "You shall enjoy your life for [but] a little while," 2 '
(51:44) after they had turned with disdain from their Sustainer's commandment - whereupon the thunderbolt of punishment overtook them while they were [helplessly] looking on: (51:45) for they were unable even to rise, and could not defend themselves.
51:46 And [thus, too, We destroyed] Noah's people aforetime: for they were iniquitous folk.
[[Asad’s notes - 28 See 69:6-8. For the story of the tribe of Ad as such, see second half of note 48 on 7:65.
29 Cf. 11:65. An outline of the story of the Thamud is given in 7:73-79. ]]
.
54. Surah Al-Qamar (The Moon)
Mecca Period 37
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
فَكَيْفَ
كَانَ عَذَابِي
وَنُذُرِ
﴿١٦﴾
54: 16. But how (terrible) was My Penalty and My Warning?
C5142. While the Mercy of Allah is always prominently mentioned, we must not forget or minimize the existence of Evil, and the terrible Penalty it incurs if the Grace of Allah and His Warning are deliberately rejected.
وَلَقَدْ
يَسَّرْنَا
الْقُرْآنَ
لِلذِّكْرِ
...
54: 17. And We have indeed made the Qur'án easy to understand and remember:
C5143. While the Quran sums up the highest philosophy of the inner life, its simple directions for conduct are plain and easy to understand and act upon.
Is this not in itself a part of the Grace of Allah?
And what excuse is there for any one to fail in receiving admonition?
...فَهَلْ مِن مُّدَّكِرٍ ﴿١٧﴾
then is there any that will receive admonition?
كَذَّبَتْ
عَادٌ فَكَيْفَ
كَانَ عَذَابِي
وَنُذُرِ
﴿١٨﴾
54: 18. The 'Ad (people) (too) rejected (Truth):
then how terrible was my Penalty and my Warning!
إِنَّا
أَرْسَلْنَا
عَلَيْهِمْ
رِيحًا صَرْصَرًا
فِي يَوْمِ
نَحْسٍ مُّسْتَمِرٍّ
﴿١٩﴾
54: 19. For We sent against them a furious wind, on a Day of violent Disaster,
C5144. Cf. 41:16.
How graphic is the description of the tornado that uprooted them! It must indeed be a dreadful tornado that plucks up the palm-trees by their deep tap- roots.
The "Day" is an indefinite period of time.
The wind that destroyed the 'Ad people lasted seven nights and eight days: 69:7.
تَنزِعُ
النَّاسَ كَأَنَّهُمْ
أَعْجَازُ
نَخْلٍ مُّنقَعِرٍ
﴿٢٠﴾
54: 20. Plucking out men as if they were roots of palm-trees torn up (from the ground).
فَكَيْفَ
كَانَ عَذَابِي
وَنُذُرِ
﴿٢١﴾
54: 21. Yea, how (terrible) was my Penalty and my Warning!
C5145. Repeated from verse 18 to heighten the description of the sin, the penalty, and the criminal negligence of the sinners in refusing the warnings on account of their self-complacent confidence in their own strength and stability! It is repeated again as a secondary refrain in 54:30 and (with slight modification) in 54:32 and 39.
وَلَقَدْ
يَسَّرْنَا
الْقُرْآنَ
لِلذِّكْرِ
فَهَلْ مِن
مُّدَّكِرٍ
﴿٢٢﴾
54: 22. But We have indeed made the Qur'án easy to understand and remember:
then is there any that will receive admonition?
Asad’s Version:
54:16 And how severe is the suffering which I inflict when My warnings are disregarded! 10
(54:17) Hence, indeed, We made this Qur'an easy to bear in mind:11 who, then, is willing to take it to heart?
54:18 TO THE TRUTH gave the lie [the tribe of] 'Ad: and how severe was the suffering which I inflicted when My warnings were disregarded!
(54:19) Behold, We let loose upon them a raging stormwind on a day of bitter misfortune:
(54:20) it swept the people away as though they were palm-trunks uprooted: 12
(54:21) for, how severe is the suffering which I inflict when My warnings are disregarded!
54:22 Hence, indeed,; We made this Qur'an easy to bear in mind: who, then, is willing to take it to heart?
[[Asad’s notes - 10 Lit., "how was My [causing] suffering (-adhabr) and My warnings" - i.e., after the warnings. Although this sentence is phrased in the past tense, its purport is evidently timeless.
1 1 The noun dhikr primarily denotes "remembrance", or - as defined by Raghib - the "presence [of something] in the mind". Conceptually, and as used in the above context as well as in verses 22, 32 and 40, this term comprises the twin notions of understanding and remembering, i.e., bearing something in mind.
12 As mentioned in 69:6-8, this wind - obviously an exceptionally violent sandstorm - raged without break for seven nights and eight days. For particulars of the tribe of 'Ad, see second half of note 48 on 7:65. ]]