قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ
TRULY, to a happy state shall attain the believers: (1)
الَّذِينَ هُمْ فِي صَلَاتِهِمْ خَاشِعُونَ
those who humble themselves in their prayer, (2)
وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَنِ اللَّغْوِ مُعْرِضُونَ
and who turn away from all that is frivolous, (3)
وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِلزَّكَاةِ فَاعِلُونَ
and who are intent on inner purity; (4)
وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِفُرُوجِهِمْ حَافِظُونَ
and who are mindful of their chastity, (5)
إِلَّا عَلَىٰ أَزْوَاجِهِمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ غَيْرُ مَلُومِينَ
[not giving way to their desires] with any but their spouses – that is, those whom they rightfully possess [through wedlock]: for then, behold, they are free of all blame, (6)
فَمَنِ ابْتَغَىٰ وَرَاءَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْعَادُونَ
whereas such as seek to go beyond that [limit] are truly transgressors; (7)
وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِأَمَانَاتِهِمْ وَعَهْدِهِمْ رَاعُونَ
and who are faithful to their trusts and to their pledges, (8)
وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَوَاتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ
and who guard their prayers [from all worldly intent]. (9)
أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْوَارِثُونَ
It is they, they who shall be the inheritors (10)
الَّذِينَ يَرِثُونَ الْفِرْدَوْسَ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ
that will inherit the paradise; [and] therein shall they abide. (11)
وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ مِنْ سُلَالَةٍ مِنْ طِينٍ
NOW, INDEED, We create man out of the essence of clay, (12)
ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَاهُ نُطْفَةً فِي قَرَارٍ مَكِينٍ
and then We cause him to remain as a drop of sperm in [the womb's] firm keeping, (13)
ثُمَّ خَلَقْنَا النُّطْفَةَ عَلَقَةً فَخَلَقْنَا الْعَلَقَةَ مُضْغَةً فَخَلَقْنَا الْمُضْغَةَ عِظَامًا فَكَسَوْنَا الْعِظَامَ لَحْمًا ثُمَّ أَنْشَأْنَاهُ خَلْقًا آخَرَ فَتَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَالِقِينَ
and then We create out of the drop of sperm a germ-cell, and then We create out of the germ-cell an embryonic lump, and then We create within the embryonic lump bones, and then We clothe the bones with flesh – and then We bring [all] this into being as a new creation: hallowed, therefore, is God, the best of artisans! (14)
ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ لَمَيِّتُونَ
And then, behold! after all this, you are destined to die; (15)
ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ تُبْعَثُونَ
and then, behold! you shall be raised from the dead on Resurrection Day. (16)
وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا فَوْقَكُمْ سَبْعَ طَرَائِقَ وَمَا كُنَّا عَنِ الْخَلْقِ غَافِلِينَ
And, indeed, We have created above you seven [celestial] orbits; and never are We unmindful of [any aspect of Our] creation. (17)
وَأَنْزَلْنَا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً بِقَدَرٍ فَأَسْكَنَّاهُ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَإِنَّا عَلَىٰ ذَهَابٍ بِهِ لَقَادِرُونَ
And We send down water from the skies in accordance with a measure [set by Us], and then We cause it to lodge in the earth: but, behold, We are most certainly able to withdraw this [blessing]! (18)
فَأَنْشَأْنَا لَكُمْ بِهِ جَنَّاتٍ مِنْ نَخِيلٍ وَأَعْنَابٍ لَكُمْ فِيهَا فَوَاكِهُ كَثِيرَةٌ وَمِنْهَا تَأْكُلُونَ
And by means of this [water] We bring forth for you gardens of date-palms and vines, wherein you have fruit abundant and whereof you eat, (19)
وَشَجَرَةً تَخْرُجُ مِنْ طُورِ سَيْنَاءَ تَنْبُتُ بِالدُّهْنِ وَصِبْغٍ لِلْآكِلِينَ
as well as a tree that issues from [the lands adjoining] Mount Sinai, yielding oil and relish for all to eat. (20)
وَإِنَّ لَكُمْ فِي الْأَنْعَامِ لَعِبْرَةً نُسْقِيكُمْ مِمَّا فِي بُطُونِهَا وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَنَافِعُ كَثِيرَةٌ وَمِنْهَا تَأْكُلُونَ
And, behold, in the cattle [too] there is indeed a lesson for you: We give you to drink of that [milk] which is within their bellies; and you derive many [other] uses from them: for you eat of their flesh, (21)
وَعَلَيْهَا وَعَلَى الْفُلْكِ تُحْمَلُونَ
and by them – as by the ships [over the sea] – you are borne [overland]. (22)
- NOW, INDEED, We create man out of the essence of clay,4
- 4 The frequent Qur'anic references to man's being "created out of clay" or "out of dust" or (as in this instance) "out of the essence (sulalah) of clay" point to the fact that his body is composed of various organic and inorganic substances existing on or in the earth, as well as to the continuous transmutation of those substances, through the intake of earth-grown food, into reproductive cells (Razi) - thus stressing man's humble origin, and hence the debt of gratitude which he owes to God for having endowed him with a conscious soul. The past tense in verses 12-14 (lit., "We have created", "We have caused him to remain", etc.) emphasizes the fact that all this has been ordained by God and has been happening again and again ever since man was brought into being by Him; in the above context, this recurrence is brought out best by the use of the present tense.
- Man We did create from a quintessence (of clay);2872
- 2872 In this beautiful passage, Allah's creative work, as far as man is concerned, is recapitulated, in order to show man's real position in this life, and the certainty of the future: to which he was referred for his reward in verses 10-11 above. For the various stages of creation, seen. 120 to 2:117. Here we are not concerned with the earliest stage, the creation of primeval matter out of nothing. It is also a process of creation when inorganic matter becomes living matter. Thus inorganic constituents of the earth are absorbed into living matter by way of food and living matter reproduces itself by means of sperm. This is deposited in the ovum and fertilises it and rests for a time in security in the mother's womb. The first change in the fertilised ovum is the conversion into a sort of clot of thickly congealed blood; the zygote cells grow by segmentation; then the mass gradually assumes shape in its growth as a foetus. From the lump develop bones and flesh and organs and a nervous system. So far man's growth is like that of an animal, but a further process takes place which makes the infant animal into the infant man. This is the breathing of Allah's spirit into him (15:29): that process need not be precisely at a given point of time. It may be a continuous process parallel to that of physical growth. The child is born: it grows; it decays and dies; but after death another chapter opens for the individual, and it is to remind us of this most momentous chapter that the previous stages are recapitulated.
-
Man We did create from a quintessence (of clay);
— Abdullah Yusuf Ali -
Verily We created man from a product of wet earth;
— Marmaduke Pickthall -
And certainly We created man of an extract of clay,
— M. Habib Shakir -
And indeed We created man (Adam) out of an extract of clay (water and earth).
— Taqiuddin Hilali and M. Mohsin Khan -
And assuredly We created man of an extract of clay.
— Abdul-Majid Daryabadi -
We created the human from an essence of clay:
— Hasan Qaribullah and Ahmed Darwish -
And We created man of an extract of clay;
— Ayub Khan -
Verily, We created man from an extract of clay;
— Sher Ali -
NOW, INDEED, We create man out of the essence of clay,
— Muhammad Asad -
We created man of an extraction of clay,
— Arthur Arberry -
We created man from an essence of clay:
— Abu'l Ala Maududi