الر تِلْكَ آيَاتُ الْكِتَابِ الْحَكِيمِ
Alif. Lām. Rā. THESE ARE MESSAGES of the divine writ, full of wisdom. (1)
أَكَانَ لِلنَّاسِ عَجَبًا أَنْ أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَىٰ رَجُلٍ مِنْهُمْ أَنْ أَنْذِرِ النَّاسَ وَبَشِّرِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَنَّ لَهُمْ قَدَمَ صِدْقٍ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ قَالَ الْكَافِرُونَ إِنَّ هَٰذَا لَسَاحِرٌ مُبِينٌ
Do people deem it strange that We should have inspired a man from their own midst [with this Our message]: "Warn all mankind, and give unto those who have attained to faith the glad tiding that in their Sustainer's sight they surpass all others in that they are completely sincere"? [Only] they who deny the truth say, "Behold, he is clearly but a spellbinder!" (2)
إِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ اللَّهُ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ يُدَبِّرُ الْأَمْرَ مَا مِنْ شَفِيعٍ إِلَّا مِنْ بَعْدِ إِذْنِهِ ذَٰلِكُمُ اللَّهُ رَبُّكُمْ فَاعْبُدُوهُ أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ
VERILY, your Sustainer is God, who has created the heavens and the earth in six aeons, and is established on the throne of His almightiness, governing all that exists. There is none that could intercede with Him unless He grants leave therefor. Thus is God, your Sustainer: worship, therefore, Him [alone]: will you not, then, keep this in mind? (3)
إِلَيْهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ جَمِيعًا وَعْدَ اللَّهِ حَقًّا إِنَّهُ يَبْدَأُ الْخَلْقَ ثُمَّ يُعِيدُهُ لِيَجْزِيَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ بِالْقِسْطِ وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَهُمْ شَرَابٌ مِنْ حَمِيمٍ وَعَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْفُرُونَ
Unto Him you all must return: this is, in truth, God's promise – for, behold, He creates [man] in the first instance, and then brings him forth anew to the end that He may reward with equity all who attain to faith and do righteous deeds; whereas for those who are bent on denying the truth there is in store a draught of burning despair and grievous suffering because of their persistent refusal to acknowledge the truth. (4)
هُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ الشَّمْسَ ضِيَاءً وَالْقَمَرَ نُورًا وَقَدَّرَهُ مَنَازِلَ لِتَعْلَمُوا عَدَدَ السِّنِينَ وَالْحِسَابَ مَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ ذَٰلِكَ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ يُفَصِّلُ الْآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ
He it is who has made the sun a [source of] radiant light and the moon a light [reflected], and has determined for it phases so that you might know how to compute the years and to measure [time]. None of this has God created without [an inner] truth. Clearly does He spell out these messages unto people of [innate] knowledge: (5)
إِنَّ فِي اخْتِلَافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ وَمَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ لَآيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَتَّقُونَ
for, verily, in the alternating of night and day, and in all that God has created in the heavens and on earth there are messages indeed for people who are conscious of Him! (6)
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ لَا يَرْجُونَ لِقَاءَنَا وَرَضُوا بِالْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَاطْمَأَنُّوا بِهَا وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَنْ آيَاتِنَا غَافِلُونَ
Verily, as for those who do not believe that they are destined to meet Us, but content themselves with the life of this world and do not look beyond it, and are heedless of Our messages (7)
أُولَٰئِكَ مَأْوَاهُمُ النَّارُ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ
their goal is the fire in return for all [the evil] that they were wont to do. (8)
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ يَهْدِيهِمْ رَبُّهُمْ بِإِيمَانِهِمْ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهِمُ الْأَنْهَارُ فِي جَنَّاتِ النَّعِيمِ
[But,] verily, as for those who have attained to faith and do righteous deeds – their Sustainer guides them aright by means of their faith. [In the life to come,] running waters will flow at their feet in gardens of bliss; (9)
دَعْوَاهُمْ فِيهَا سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ وَتَحِيَّتُهُمْ فِيهَا سَلَامٌ وَآخِرُ دَعْوَاهُمْ أَنِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
[and] in that [state of happiness] they will call out, "Limitless art Thou in Thy glory, O God!" – and will be answered with the greeting, "Peace!" And their call will close with [the words] "All praise is due to God, the Sustainer of all the worlds!" (10)
- AlifLamRa.1 THESE ARE MESSAGES of the divine writ, full of wisdom.2
- 1 See Appendix II.
- 2 The term hakim - which, when qualifying an animated being, may be translated as "wise" has here the connotation of a means of imparting wisdom. Some of the classical commentators (e.g., Tabari) are of the opinion that the "divine writ" (kitab) mentioned here is the Qur'an as a whole, while others (e.g., Zamakhshari) see in it a reference to this particular surah. In view of the sequence, it seems to me that the former interpretation is preferable.
- A.L.R.1381 These are the Ayat1382 of the Book of Wisdom.
- 1381 For the Abbreviated Letters generally as mystic Symbols, see Appendix I. For this particular combination see the Introduction to this Surah.
- 1382 Ayat = Signs, or Verses of the Qur'an. Here both meanings are to be understood- Each verse is a nugget of wisdom. And in the verses immediately following, e.g., 10:3-6, examples are given of the wonders of Allah's material Creation. If the starry heavens impress us with their sublimity as signs of Allah's wisdom and power, how much more wonderful is it that He should speak to lowly man through His Messengers, in man's language, so that he can understand?
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A.L.R. These are the ayats of the Book of Wisdom.
— Abdullah Yusuf Ali -
Alif. Lam. Ra. These are verses of the Wise Scripture.
— Marmaduke Pickthall -
Alif Lam Ra. These are the verses of the wise Book.
— M. Habib Shakir -
Alif-Lam-Ra. [These letters are one of the miracles of the Qur'an, and none but Allah (Alone) knows their meanings]. These are the Verses of the Book (the Qur'an) Al-Hakim [showing lawful and unlawful things, explaining Allah's (Divine) Laws for mankind, leading them to eternal happiness by ordering them to follow the true Islamic Monotheism, - worshipping none but Allah Alone - that will guide them to Paradise and save them from Hell].
— Taqiuddin Hilali and M. Mohsin Khan -
Alif-Lam-Ra. These are the verses of the Wise Book.
— Abdul-Majid Daryabadi -
AlifLaamRa. Those are the verses of the Wise Book.
— Hasan Qaribullah and Ahmed Darwish -
Alif Lam Ra (A.L.R.); these are the signs of the Wise Book.
— Ayub Khan -
Alif Lam Ra. These are the verses of the Book, full of wisdom.
— Sher Ali -
Alif. Lām. Rā.
THESE ARE MESSAGES of the divine writ, full of wisdom.
— Muhammad Asad -
Alif Lam Ra. Those are the signs of the Wise Book.
— Arthur Arberry -
Alif. Lam. Ra. These are the verses of the Book overflowing with wisdom.{{1}}
— Abu'l Ala Maududi