حم
Hā. Mīm. (1)
وَالْكِتَابِ الْمُبِينِ
CONSIDER this divine writ, clear in itself and clearly showing the truth: (2)
إِنَّا جَعَلْنَاهُ قُرْآنًا عَرَبِيًّا لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ
behold, We have caused it to be a discourse in the Arabic tongue, so that you might encompass it with your reason. (3)
وَإِنَّهُ فِي أُمِّ الْكِتَابِ لَدَيْنَا لَعَلِيٌّ حَكِيمٌ
And, verily, [originating as it does] in the source, with Us, of all revelation, it is indeed sublime, full of wisdom. (4)
أَفَنَضْرِبُ عَنْكُمُ الذِّكْرَ صَفْحًا أَنْ كُنْتُمْ قَوْمًا مُسْرِفِينَ
[O YOU who deny the truth!] Should We, perchance, withdraw this reminder from you altogether, seeing that you are people bent on wasting your own selves? (5)
وَكَمْ أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ نَبِيٍّ فِي الْأَوَّلِينَ
And how many a prophet did We send to people of olden times! (6)
وَمَا يَأْتِيهِمْ مِنْ نَبِيٍّ إِلَّا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ
But never yet came a prophet to them without their deriding him – (7)
فَأَهْلَكْنَا أَشَدَّ مِنْهُمْ بَطْشًا وَمَضَىٰ مَثَلُ الْأَوَّلِينَ
and so, [in the end,] We destroyed them [even though they were] of greater might than these: and the [very] image of those people of old became a thing of the past. (8)
وَلَئِنْ سَأَلْتَهُمْ مَنْ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ لَيَقُولُنَّ خَلَقَهُنَّ الْعَزِيزُ الْعَلِيمُ
Yet thus it is [with most people]: if thou ask them, "Who is it that has created the heavens and the earth?" – they will surely answer, "The Almighty, the All-Knowing has created them." (9)
الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الْأَرْضَ مَهْدًا وَجَعَلَ لَكُمْ فِيهَا سُبُلًا لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ
He it is who has made the earth a cradle for you, and has provided for you ways [of livelihood] thereon, so that you might follow the right path. (10)
وَالَّذِي نَزَّلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً بِقَدَرٍ فَأَنْشَرْنَا بِهِ بَلْدَةً مَيْتًا كَذَٰلِكَ تُخْرَجُونَ
And He it is who sends down, again and again, waters from the sky in due measure: and [as] We raise therewith dead land to life, even thus will you be brought forth [from the dead]. (11)
وَالَّذِي خَلَقَ الْأَزْوَاجَ كُلَّهَا وَجَعَلَ لَكُمْ مِنَ الْفُلْكِ وَالْأَنْعَامِ مَا تَرْكَبُونَ
And He it is who has created all opposites. And He [it is who] has provided for you all those ships and animals whereon you ride, (12)
لِتَسْتَوُوا عَلَىٰ ظُهُورِهِ ثُمَّ تَذْكُرُوا نِعْمَةَ رَبِّكُمْ إِذَا اسْتَوَيْتُمْ عَلَيْهِ وَتَقُولُوا سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي سَخَّرَ لَنَا هَٰذَا وَمَا كُنَّا لَهُ مُقْرِنِينَ
in order that you might gain mastery over them, and that, whenever you have mastered them, you might remember your Sustainer's blessings and say: "Limitless in His glory is He who has made [all] this subservient to our use – since [but for Him,] we would not have been able to attain to it. (13)
وَإِنَّا إِلَىٰ رَبِّنَا لَمُنْقَلِبُونَ
Hence, verily, it is unto our Sustainer that we must always turn." (14)
وَجَعَلُوا لَهُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ جُزْءًا إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لَكَفُورٌ مُبِينٌ
AND YET, they attribute to Him offspring from among some of the beings created by Him! Verily, most obviously bereft of all gratitude is man! (15)
- in order that you might gain mastery over them,11 and that, whenever you have mastered them, you might remember your Sustainer's blessings and say: "Limitless in His glory is He who has made [all] this subservient to our use - since [but for Him,] we would not have been able to attain to it.
- 11 Lit., "over its backs" i.e., according to all classical commentators, the "backs" of the above-mentioned animals and ships alike, the singular form of the pronoun ("its") relating to the collective entity comprised in the concept of "all whereon you ride" (ma tarkabun): in other words, "all that you use or may use by way of transport". As regards my rendering of li-tasta'u as so that you might gain mastery", I should like to point out that the verb istawa (lit., "he established himself) has often the connotation adopted by me: see Jawhari, Raghib and Lisan al-'Arab, art. sawa; also Lane IV, 1478.
- In order that ye may sit firm and square on their backs, and when so seated, ye may celebrate the (kind) favour4618 of your Lord, and say, "Glory to Him Who has subjected these to our (use), for we could never have accomplished this (by ourselves),
- 4618 See last note. People of understanding attribute all good to its true and original source viz.: Allah.
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In order that ye may sit firm and square on their backs, and when so seated, ye may celebrate the (kind) favour of your Lord, and say, "Glory to Him Who has subjected these to our (use), for we could never have accomplished this (by ourselves),
— Abdullah Yusuf Ali -
That ye may mount upon their backs, and may remember your Lord's favour when ye mount thereon, and may say: Glorified be He Who hath subdued these unto us, and we were not capable (of subduing them);
— Marmaduke Pickthall -
That you may firmly sit on their backs, then remember the favor of your Lord when you are firmly seated thereon, and say: Glory be to Him Who made this subservient to us and we were not able to do it
— M. Habib Shakir -
In order that you may mount firmly on their backs, and then may remember the Favour of your Lord when you mount thereon, and say: "Glory to Him who has subjected this to us, and we could never have it (by our efforts)."
— Taqiuddin Hilali and M. Mohsin Khan -
That ye mount firmly on the backs thereof, and then may remember the favour of your Lord When ye mount thereon, and may say: hallowed be He Who hath subjected this Unto us, and we for it were not fit.
— Abdul-Majid Daryabadi -
so that you can sit upon their backs and then remember the Favors of your Lord and say: 'Exaltations to Him who has subjected these to us otherwise, we ourselves were not capable of it,
— Hasan Qaribullah and Ahmed Darwish -
that you may be seated on their backs, then, when you are seated on them, remember your Lord's blessing, and say, `Holy be He, who has subjected this to us, for we were not equal to it;
— Ayub Khan -
That you may sit firmly upon their backs, and, then, when you are firmly seated thereon, you may remember the favour of your Lord, and say, 'Holy is He Who has subjected these to us, and we were not capable of subduing them ourselves,
— Sher Ali -
in order that you might gain mastery over them, and that, whenever you have mastered them, you might remember your Sustainer's blessings and say: "Limitless in His glory is He who has made [all] this subservient to our use – since [but for Him,] we would not have been able to attain to it.
— Muhammad Asad -
that you may be seated on their backs and then remember your Lords blessing when you are seated on them, and say, Glory be to Him, who has subjected this to us, and we ourselves were not equal to it;
— Arthur Arberry -
so that when you are mounted upon them you may remember the bounty of your Lord, and say: "Glory be to Him Who has subjected this to Us whereas we did not have the strength to subdue it.{{13}}
— Abu'l Ala Maududi