حم
Hā. Mīm. (1)
عسق
'Ayn. Sīn. Qāf. (2)
كَذَٰلِكَ يُوحِي إِلَيْكَ وَإِلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ اللَّهُ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ
THUS has God, the Almighty, the Wise, revealed [the truth] unto thee, [O Muhammad,] and unto those who preceded thee: (3)
لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ
His is all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth; and most exalted, tremendous is He. (4)
تَكَادُ السَّمَاوَاتُ يَتَفَطَّرْنَ مِنْ فَوْقِهِنَّ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ يُسَبِّحُونَ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ وَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَ لِمَنْ فِي الْأَرْضِ أَلَا إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
The uppermost heavens are well-nigh rent asunder [for awe of Him]; and the angels extol their Sustainer's limitless glory and praise, and ask forgiveness for all who are on earth. Oh, verily, God alone is truly-forgiving, a dispenser of grace! (5)
وَالَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا مِنْ دُونِهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ اللَّهُ حَفِيظٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَمَا أَنْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ بِوَكِيلٍ
NOW AS FOR those who take aught beside Him for their protectors – God watches them, and thou art not responsible for their conduct. (6)
وَكَذَٰلِكَ أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ قُرْآنًا عَرَبِيًّا لِتُنْذِرَ أُمَّ الْقُرَىٰ وَمَنْ حَوْلَهَا وَتُنْذِرَ يَوْمَ الْجَمْعِ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ فَرِيقٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَفَرِيقٌ فِي السَّعِيرِ
[Thou art but entrusted with Our message:] and so We have revealed unto thee a discourse in the Arabic tongue in order that thou mayest warn the foremost of all cities and all who dwell around it – to wit, warn [them] of the Day of the Gathering, [the coming of] which is beyond all doubt: [the Day when] some shall find themselves in paradise, and some in the blazing flame. (7)
وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَجَعَلَهُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَلَٰكِنْ يُدْخِلُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ فِي رَحْمَتِهِ وَالظَّالِمُونَ مَا لَهُمْ مِنْ وَلِيٍّ وَلَا نَصِيرٍ
Now had God so willed, He could surely have made them all one single community: none the less, He admits unto His grace him that wills [to be admitted] – whereas the evildoers shall have none to protect them and none to succour them [on Judgment Day]. (8)
أَمِ اتَّخَذُوا مِنْ دُونِهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ فَاللَّهُ هُوَ الْوَلِيُّ وَهُوَ يُحْيِي الْمَوْتَىٰ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
Did they, perchance, [think that they could] choose protectors other than Him? But God alone is the Protector [of all that exists], since it is He alone who brings the dead to life, and He alone who has the power to will anything. (9)
- Now had God so willed, He could surely have made them all one single community:6 none the less, He admits unto His grace him that wills [to be admitted]7 whereas the evildoers shall have none to protect them and none to succour them [on Judgment Day].
- 6 The implication being, "but He has not willed it": see second paragraph of 5:48 and the corresponding notes 66 and 67; 16:93 and note 116; also note 29 on 10:19.
- 7 Or: "He admits whomever He wills unto His grace" - similar to the double meaning inherent in the oft-recurring phrase, Allahu yahdi man yasha'u wa-yudillu man yasha'u, which can be understood either as "God guides whomever He wills and lets go astray whomever He wills", or, alternatively, as "God guides him that wills [to be guided] and let go astray him that wills [to go astray]". See, in particular, Zamakhshari's elaborate comment on this problem quoted in note 4 on the second half of 14:4.
- If Allah had so willed,4536 He could have made them a single people; but He admits whom He will to His Mercy; and the Wrong-doers will have no protector nor helper.
- 4536 Cf. 5:48, and n. 761. It is one of the Signs of Allah that He has made us different, that we may be tried in the exercise of our will, and that we may reach, through righteousness and Faith, our highest development, and enjoy His gifts of Mercy and Grace. But we must not become contentious, and fall into evil: we must understand our own limitations. Otherwise we shall lose His grace and protection.
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If Allah had so willed, He could have made them a single people; but He admits whom He will to His Mercy; and the Wrong-doers will have no protector nor helper.
— Abdullah Yusuf Ali -
Had Allah willed, He could have made them one community, but Allah bringeth whom He will into His mercy. And the wrong-doers have no friend nor helper.
— Marmaduke Pickthall -
And if Allah had pleased He would surely have made them a single community, but He makes whom He pleases enter into His mercy, and the unjust it is that shall have no guardian or helper.
— M. Habib Shakir -
And if Allah had willed, He could have made them one nation, but He admits whom He wills to His Mercy. And the Zalimun (polytheists and wrong-doers, etc.) will have neither a Wali (protector) nor a helper.
— Taqiuddin Hilali and M. Mohsin Khan -
And had Allah willed, He would have made them one community; but He causeth whomsoever He will to enter into His mercy. And the wrong doers! for them there shall be no patron or helper.
— Abdul-Majid Daryabadi -
Had it been the Will of Allah, He would have made them all one nation. But He admits into His Mercy whom He will the harmdoers shall have neither a guardian nor helper.
— Hasan Qaribullah and Ahmed Darwish -
And if God had willed, He would have made them one community, but He admits to His mercy whom He will; and the wrongdoers, they have no protector, nor a helper.
— Ayub Khan -
And if God had so willed, He could have made them one people; but He admits into His mercy whomsoever He pleases. The wrongdoers will have no protector and no helper.
— Sher Ali -
Now had God so willed, He could surely have made them all one single community: none the less, He admits unto His grace him that wills [to be admitted] – whereas the evildoers shall have none to protect them and none to succour them [on Judgment Day].
— Muhammad Asad -
If God had willed, He would have made them one nation; but He admits whomsoever He will into His mercy, and the evildoers shall have neither protector nor helper.
— Arthur Arberry -
If Allah had so willed, He could have made them all a single community. But He admits whomsoever He pleases into His Mercy. As to those given to wrong-doing, they shall have none as protector or helper.{{11}}
— Abu'l Ala Maududi