44. Surah Ad-Dukhan (the Smoke)
59 verses, Mecca 64
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
وَلَقَدْ
فَتَنَّا قَبْلَهُمْ
قَوْمَ فِرْعَوْنَ
...
44: 17. We did, before them, try the people of Pharaoh:
C4700. This reference is to the pride of Pharaoh and his Egyptians, and their fall, rather than to the story of Moses himself; just as in 44:30-33 the reference is to the blessings bestowed on Israel, contrasted with their pride, unbelief, and fall;
and in 44:37, to the ancient Himyar kingdom in Yemen, which similarly fell for its sins.
... وَجَاءهُمْ رَسُولٌ كَرِيمٌ ﴿١٧﴾
there came to them and messenger most honorable,
C4701. Most honourable: this epithet is specially applied to Moses here, as expressing the truth, in contrast to the Pharaoh's false characterization of him as "a contemptible wretch". (43:52).
أَنْ
أَدُّوا
إِلَيَّ عِبَادَ
اللَّهِ ...
44: 18. Saying:
"Restore to me the servants of Allah:
C4702. The argument of Moses and his "authority manifest" will be found at 7:104-108, 120-126, 130-137.
Notice how fully he assumes the authority of his office here. He claims all "servants of Allah", i.e., true worshippers, as under his protection, for his mission was both to the Egyptians and the Israelites; he asks that they should be restored to him; and he boldly denounces the Pharaoh's arrogance "as against Allah".
... إِنِّي لَكُمْ رَسُولٌ أَمِينٌ ﴿١٨﴾
I am to you an messenger worthy of all trust;
C4703. "Worthy of all trust": Amin, a title applied to prophets in Surah 26: e.g., see 26:107.
As the holy Prophet had historically earned that title among his own people, the reminiscences of the story of Moses apply to him in his relations with the arrogant Quraysh.
وَأَنْ
لَّا
تَعْلُوا عَلَى
اللَّهِ إِنِّي
آتِيكُم بِسُلْطَانٍ
مُّبِينٍ
﴿١٩﴾
44: 19. "And be not arrogant as against Allah:
for I come to you with authority manifest.
وَإِنِّي
عُذْتُ بِرَبِّي
وَرَبِّكُمْ
أَن تَرْجُمُونِ
﴿٢٠﴾
44: 20. "For me, I have sought Safety with my Lord and your Lord, against your injuring me.
C4704. It is no use their plotting his death or his vilification; for his safety is in Allah. As he truly says, "Allah is not only my Lord, but your Lord also; your responsibility arises apart from my preaching, but I preach in order to remind you of it."
C4705. "Injuring me": literally "stoning me". "Stoning" may be here symbolical of any injury or vilification.
وَإِنْ
لَّمْ
تُؤْمِنُوا
لِي فَاعْتَزِلُونِ
﴿٢١﴾
44: 21. "If ye believe me not, at least keep yourselves away from me."
C4706. If you do not believe me, at least go your ways: do not add to your sins by trying to suppress me and the Message of Truth which I bring: keep out of my way.
فَدَعَا
رَبَّهُ أَنَّ
هَؤُلَاء قَوْمٌ
مُّجْرِمُونَ
﴿٢٢﴾
44: 22. (But they were aggressive):
then he cried to his Lord:
"These are indeed a people given to sin."
C4707. They would not even leave him alone to do his duty. So he cried to Allah, not indeed to destroy them, for a Prophet does not judge, but only Allah judges; he justified himself in prayer, that he had done his best, but they were obdurate in sin, and they were trying to oppress and injure the believers.
Then came the order to march. They were to march under the cover of night, because the enemy was sure to pursue. They were to march with all believers, presumably believing Egyptians (such as were not martyred) as well as Israelites, for some Egyptians had believed: 7:121.
فَأَسْرِ
بِعِبَادِي
لَيْلًا إِنَّكُم
مُّتَّبَعُونَ
﴿٢٣﴾
44: 23. (The reply came):
"March forth with My servants by night: for ye are sure to be pursued.
وَاتْرُكْ
الْبَحْرَ
رَهْوًا ...
44: 24. "And leave the sea as a furrow (divided).
C4708. For the passage of Moses and his following, the sea had divided: they were to pass through the gap or furrow and leave it alone, to lure on the Egyptian host, on which the sea afterwards closed in, totally destroying them.
... إِنَّهُمْ جُندٌ مُّغْرَقُونَ ﴿٢٤﴾
For they are a host (destined) to be drowned."
كَمْ
تَرَكُوا
مِن جَنَّاتٍ
وَعُيُونٍ ﴿٢٥﴾
44: 25. How many were the gardens and springs they left behind.
C4709. There follows a word-picture of all the fine and enjoyable things which the ruling caste had monopolized. Now these proud monopolists were drowned in the sea, and the inheritance went to other hands.
وَزُرُوعٍ
وَمَقَامٍ
كَرِيمٍ ﴿٢٦﴾
44: 26. And corn-fields and noble buildings.
وَنَعْمَةٍ
كَانُوا فِيهَا
فَاكِهِينَ
﴿٢٧﴾
44: 27. And wealth (and conveniences of life), wherein they had taken such delight!
كَذَلِكَ
...
44: 28. Thus (was their end)!
... وَأَوْرَثْنَاهَا قَوْمًا آخَرِينَ ﴿٢٨﴾
And We made other people inherit (those things)!
فَمَا
بَكَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ
السَّمَاء
وَالْأَرْضُ
...
44: 29. And neither heaven nor earth shed a tear over them:
C4710. They died, "unwept, unhonoured, and unsung". They were too inordinate to be given another chance. Pharaoh had claimed to be their supreme god; and they had followed him!
... وَمَا كَانُوا مُنظَرِينَ ﴿٢٩﴾
nor were they given a respite (again).
وَلَقَدْ
نَجَّيْنَا
بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ
مِنَ الْعَذَابِ
الْمُهِينِ
﴿٣٠﴾
44: 30. We did deliver aforetime the Children of Israel from humiliating Punishment,
C4711. The Israelites were held in bondage prior to the Exodus. Their hard taskmaster placed every indignity on them, and by Pharaoh's decree their male children were to be killed, and their females were to be kept alive for the Egyptians.
مِن
فِرْعَوْنَ...
44: 31. Inflicted by Pharaoh,
... إِنَّهُ كَانَ عَالِيًا مِّنَ الْمُسْرِفِينَ ﴿٣١﴾
for he was arrogant (even) among inordinate transgressors.
وَلَقَدِ
اخْتَرْنَاهُمْ
عَلَى عِلْمٍ
عَلَى الْعَالَمِينَ
﴿٣٢﴾
44: 32. And We chose them aforetime above the nations, knowingly,
C4712. From degrading servitude, Israel was delivered, and taken, in spite of many rebellions and backslidings on the way, to "a land flowing with milk and honey", where later they established the glorious kingdom of David and Solomon. This was not merely fortuitous.
In Allah's decree it was to be a link in furthering His Plan. But their being chosen did not mean that they could do what they liked. In that sense there is no "chosen race- before Allah. But Allah gives every race and every individual a chance, and when the race or individual fails to live up to it, he or it must fall and give place to others.
وَآتَيْنَاهُم
مِّنَ الْآيَاتِ
مَا فِيهِ بَلَاء
مُّبِينٌ ﴿٣٣﴾
44: 33. And granted them Signs in which there was a manifest trial.
C4713. Among the "Signs" given to Israel were their own Revelation under Moses, their prosperous land of Canaan, their flourishing Kingdom under David and Solomon, their prophets and teachers of Truth, and the advent of Jesus to reclaim the lost ones among them. All these were trials. When they failed in the trials, they were left to wander desolate and suffer.
إِنَّ
هَؤُلَاء
لَيَقُولُونَ
﴿٣٤﴾
44: 34. As to these (Quraish), they say forsooth:
C4714. The cases of the Egyptians and the Israelites having been cited as great nations which fell through inordinate vanity and wrong-doing, the case is now pressed home against the Quraish leaders in their arrogance to the holy Prophet himself.
They deny Revelation; they deny a future life, as the Sadducees did among the Jews before them; they persecute the prophet of Allah, and those who believe in him: and they mockingly demand that their ancestors should be brought back to life, if it is true that there is a future life.
They are reminded that better men than they lived in their own country of Arabia, men who had knowledge of Allah's revelation under the earliest Dispensation. See next note. They perished because of their unbelief and wrong-doing. What chance have they unless they turn and repent?
إِنْ
هِيَ
إِلَّا مَوْتَتُنَا
الْأُولَى وَمَا
نَحْنُ بِمُنشَرِينَ
﴿٣٥﴾
44: 35. "There is nothing beyond our first death, and we shall not be raised again.
فَأْتُوا
بِآبَائِنَا
إِن كُنتُمْ
صَادِقِينَ
﴿٣٦﴾
44: 36. "Then bring (back) our forefathers if what ye say is true!"
Asad’s Version:
44:17 AND, INDEED, [long] before their time did We try Pharaoh's people [in the same way]: for there came unto them a noble apostle, [who said:]
(44:18) "Give in unto me, O God's bondmen! 10 Verily, I am an apostle [sent] unto you, worthy of trust!
(44:19) "And exalt not yourselves against God: for, verily, I come unto you with a manifest authority [from Him];
(44:20) and, behold, it is with my Sustainer - and your Sustainer - that I seek refuge against all your endeavours to revile me."
(44:21) And if you do not believe me, [at least] stand away from me!"
44:22 But then, [when they beset him with their enmity,] he called out to his Sustainer, "These are [indeed] people lost in sin!"
(44:23) And [God said]: "Go thou forth with My servants by night, for you will surely be pursued;
(44:24) and leave the sea becalmed 12 [between thee and Pharaoh's men]: for, verily, they are a host destined to be drowned!"
44:25 [And so they perished: and] how many gardens did they leave behind, and water-runnels,
(44:26) and fields of grain, and noble dwellings,
(44:27) and [all that] life of ease in which they used to delight!
(44:28) Thus it was. And [then] We made another people heirs [to what they had left],
(44:29) and neither sky nor earth shed tears over them, nor were they allowed a
respite. 13
44:30 And, indeed, We delivered the children of Israel from the shameful suffering
(44:31) [inflicted on them] by Pharaoh, seeing that he was truly outstanding among those who waste their own selves; 14
(44:32) and, indeed, We chose them knowingly above all other people, 15
(44:33) and gave them such signs [of Our grace] as would clearly presage a test."
44:34 [Now,] behold, these [people] say indeed: 17
(44:35) "That [which is ahead of us) is but our first [and only] death, 18 and we shall not be raised to life again.
(44:36) So then, bring forth our forefathers [as witnesses], if what you claim is true!" 1 '
[[Asad’s notes -
8 A reference to the allegation of the Prophet's opponents that someone else had "imparted" to him the ideas expressed in the Qur'an (see 16:103 and the corresponding notes 129 and 130), or at least had "helped" him to compose it (cf 25:4 and notes 5 and 6).
9 Lit., "remove". This is apparently said on the time-level of the present - i.e., before the coming of the Last Hour - so as to give the sinners an opportunity to repent.
10 Most of the classical commentators (e.g., Tabari, Zaniakhshari, Razi, Baydawi) point out that this phrase can be understood in either of two senses, namely: "Give in unto me, O God's bondmen ('ibad)", implying a call to the Egyptians (since all human beings are "God's bondmen") to accept the divine message which Moses was about to convey to them; or, alternatively, "Give up to me God's servants", i.e., the children of Israel, who were kept in bondage in Egypt, inasmuch as the vocalization 'ibada is applicable to the vocative as well as the accusative case, either of these two interpretations is legitimate.
1 1 Lit., "lest you throw stones at me". It is to be noted that the verb rajama is used in the physical sense of "throwing stones" as well as, metaphorically, in the sense of "throwing aspersions or reviling" . ]]
12 Or: "cleft" - the expression rahwan having both these connotations (Jawhari, with especial reference to the above phrase). See also notes 33 and 35 on 26:63-66.
13 Sc, "to repent their sins".
14 For this rendering of the term musrif, see surah 10, note 21 .
15 I.e., according to all commentators, above all people of their time, because at that time the children of Israel were the only people who worshipped the One God: which is the reason of the frequent Qur'anic references to the story of their delivery from bondage. The stress on God's having "chosen them knowingly" alludes to His acknowledge that in later times they would deteriorate morally and thus forfeit His grace (Zamakhshari and Razi).
16 Lit., "as would have in them a manifest test": an allusion to the long line of prophets raised in their midst, as well as to the freedom and prosperity which they were to enjoy in the Promised Land. All this presaged a test of their sincerity with regard to the spiritual principles which in the beginning raised them "above all other people" and, thus, of their willingness to act as God's message- bearers to all the world. The formulation of the above sentence implies elliptically that they did not pass that test inasmuch as they soon forgot the spiritual mission for which they had been elected, and began to regard themselves as God's "chosen people" simply on account of their descent from Abraham: a notion which the Qur'an condemns in many places. Apart from this, the majority of the children of Israel very soon lost their erstwhile conviction that the life in this world is but the first and not the final stage of human life, and - as their Biblical history shows - abandoned themselves entirely to the pursuit of material prosperity and power. (See next note.)
17 Although, on the face of it, by "these people" the Israelites are meant, the reference is obviously a general one, applying to all who hold the views expressed in the sequence, and in particular to the pagan contemporaries of the Prophet Muhammad. Nevertheless, there is a subtle connection between this passage and the preceding allusion to the "test" with which the children of Israel were to be faced: for it is a historical fact that up to the time of the destruction of the Second Temple and their
dispersion by the Roman emperor Titus, the priestly aristocracy among the Jews, known as the Sadducees, openly denied the concepts of resurrection, divine judgment and life in the hereafter, and advocated a thoroughly materialistic outlook on life.
18 I.e., "it is a final death, with nothing beyond it".
19 I.e., "bring our forefathers back to life and let them bear witness that there is a hereafter". This ironic demand accords with the saying of the unbelievers mentioned in 43 :22 and 23, "We found our 5- forefathers agreed on what to believe - and, verily, it is in their footsteps that we find our guidance!" Thus, in the last resort, the fact that their ancestors did not believe in a hereafter is to them as conclusive an argument against it as the fact that nobody has as yet come back to life to confirm the truth of resurrection. ]]