الم
Alif. Lām. Mīm. (1)
تِلْكَ آيَاتُ الْكِتَابِ الْحَكِيمِ
THESE ARE MESSAGES of the divine writ, full of wisdom, (2)
هُدًى وَرَحْمَةً لِلْمُحْسِنِينَ
providing guidance and grace unto the doers of good (3)
الَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَيُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ وَهُمْ بِالْآخِرَةِ هُمْ يُوقِنُونَ
who are constant in prayer and dispense charity: for it is they, they who in their innermost are certain of the life to come! (4)
أُولَٰئِكَ عَلَىٰ هُدًى مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ
It is they who follow the guidance [that comes to them] from their Sustainer; and it is they, they who shall attain to a happy state! (5)
وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَشْتَرِي لَهْوَ الْحَدِيثِ لِيُضِلَّ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَيَتَّخِذَهَا هُزُوًا أُولَٰئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مُهِينٌ
But among men there is many a one that prefers a mere play with words [to divine guidance], so as to lead [those] without knowledge astray from the path of God, and to turn it to ridicule: for such there is shameful suffering in store. (6)
وَإِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ آيَاتُنَا وَلَّىٰ مُسْتَكْبِرًا كَأَنْ لَمْ يَسْمَعْهَا كَأَنَّ فِي أُذُنَيْهِ وَقْرًا فَبَشِّرْهُ بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ
For whenever Our messages are conveyed to such a one, he turns away in his arrogance as though he had not heard them – as though there were deafness in his ears: give him, then, the tiding of grievous suffering [in the life to come]. (7)
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتُ النَّعِيمِ
[As against this,] verily, those who attain to faith and do righteous deeds shall have gardens of bliss, (8)
خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا وَعْدَ اللَّهِ حَقًّا وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ
to abide therein in accordance with God's true promise: for He alone is almighty, truly wise. (9)
خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ بِغَيْرِ عَمَدٍ تَرَوْنَهَا وَأَلْقَىٰ فِي الْأَرْضِ رَوَاسِيَ أَنْ تَمِيدَ بِكُمْ وَبَثَّ فِيهَا مِنْ كُلِّ دَابَّةٍ وَأَنْزَلْنَا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَنْبَتْنَا فِيهَا مِنْ كُلِّ زَوْجٍ كَرِيمٍ
He [it is who] has created the skies without any supports that you could see, and has placed firm mountains upon the earth, lest it sway with you, and has caused all manner of living creatures to multiply thereon. And We send down water from the skies, and thus We cause every noble kind [of life] to grow on earth. (10)
هَٰذَا خَلْقُ اللَّهِ فَأَرُونِي مَاذَا خَلَقَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ دُونِهِ بَلِ الظَّالِمُونَ فِي ضَلَالٍ مُبِينٍ
[All] this is God's creation: show Me, then, what others than He may have created! Nay, but the evildoers are obviously lost in error! (11)
- But among men there is many a one that prefers a mere play with words [to divine guidance],4 so as to lead [those] without knowledge astray from the path of God, and to turn it to ridicule: for such there is shameful suffering in store.
- 4 Lit., "among the people there is he who [or "such as"] takes playful [or "idle"] talk in exchange", i.e., for divine guidance: apparently an allusion to a pseudo-philosophical play with words and metaphysical speculations without any real meaning behind them (cf. note 38 on 23:67). Contrary to what some of the commentators assume, the above statement does not refer to any one person (allegedly a contemporary of the Prophet) but describes a type of mentality and has, therefore, a general import.
- But there are, among men, those who purchase idle tales,3584 without knowledge (or meaning), to mislead (men) from the Path of Allah and throw ridicule (on the Path): for such there will be a Humiliating Penalty.
- 3584 Life is taken seriously by men who realise the issues that hang upon it. But there are men of a frivolous turn of mind who prefer idle tales to true Realities and they are justly rebuked here. In the time of the Prophet there was a pagan Nadr ibn al Harith who preferred Persian romance to the Message of Allah, and turned away ignorant men from the preaching of Allah's Word.
-
But there are, among men, those who purchase idle tales, without knowledge (or meaning), to mislead (men) from the Path of Allah and throw ridicule (on the Path): for such there will be a Humiliating Penalty.
— Abdullah Yusuf Ali -
And of mankind is he who payeth for mere pastime of discourse, that he may mislead from Allah's way without knowledge, and maketh it the butt of mockery. For such there is a shameful doom.
— Marmaduke Pickthall -
And of men is he who takes instead frivolous discourse to lead astray from Allah's path without knowledge, and to take it for a mockery; these shall have an abasing chastisement.
— M. Habib Shakir -
And of mankind is he who purchases idle talks (i.e.music, singing, etc.) to mislead (men) from the Path of Allah without knowledge, and takes it (the Path of Allah, the Verses of the Qur'an) by way of mockery. For such there will be a humiliating torment (in the Hell-fire).
— Taqiuddin Hilali and M. Mohsin Khan -
And of mankind is one who purchaseth an idle discourse, that he may mislead from Allah's way without knowledge, and taketh it by way of mockery. These! for them shall be a torment ignominious.
— Abdul-Majid Daryabadi -
There are some people who would purchase distracting talk, to lead astray from the Path of Allah without knowledge, and take it in mockery; for those is a humiliating punishment.
— Hasan Qaribullah and Ahmed Darwish -
And among men is he who takes up a funny story to lead astray from God's way without any he knowledge, and takes it in mockery; for them there shall be a disgraceful punishment.
— Ayub Khan -
And of men is he who takes idle tales in exchange for guidance to lead men astray from the path of God, without knowledge, and to make fun of it. For such there will be humiliating punishment.
— Sher Ali -
But among men there is many a one that prefers a mere play with words [to divine guidance], so as to lead [those] without knowledge astray from the path of God, and to turn it to ridicule: for such there is shameful suffering in store.
— Muhammad Asad -
Some men there are who buy diverting talk to lead astray from the way of God without knowledge, and to take it in mockery; those -- there awaits them a humbling chastisement.
— Arthur Arberry -
There are some human beings{{5}} who purchase an enchanting diversion{{6}} in order to lead people away from the way of Allah without having any knowledge,{{7}} who hold the call to the Way of Allah to ridicule.{{8}} A humiliating chastisement awaits them.{{9}}
— Abu'l Ala Maududi