يُسَبِّحُ لِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
ALL THAT IS in the heavens and all that is on earth extols God's limitless glory: His is all dominion, and to Him all praise is due; and He has the power to will anything. (1)
هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ فَمِنْكُمْ كَافِرٌ وَمِنْكُمْ مُؤْمِنٌ وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ
He it is who has created you: and among you are such as deny this truth, and among you are such as believe [in it]. And God sees all that you do. (2)
خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ بِالْحَقِّ وَصَوَّرَكُمْ فَأَحْسَنَ صُوَرَكُمْ وَإِلَيْهِ الْمَصِيرُ
He has created the heavens and the earth in accordance with [an inner] truth, and has formed you – and formed you so well; and with Him is your journey's end. (3)
يَعْلَمُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا تُسِرُّونَ وَمَا تُعْلِنُونَ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ
He knows all that is in the heavens and on earth; and He knows all that you keep secret as well as all that you bring into the open: for God has full knowledge of what is in the hearts [of men]. (4)
أَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمْ نَبَأُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ قَبْلُ فَذَاقُوا وَبَالَ أَمْرِهِمْ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
HAVE THE STORIES of those who, in earlier times, refused to acknowledge the truth never yet come within your ken? [They denied it –] and so they had to taste the evil outcome of their own doings, with [more] grievous suffering awaiting them [in the life to come]: (5)
ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُ كَانَتْ تَأْتِيهِمْ رُسُلُهُمْ بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ فَقَالُوا أَبَشَرٌ يَهْدُونَنَا فَكَفَرُوا وَتَوَلَّوْا وَاسْتَغْنَى اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ غَنِيٌّ حَمِيدٌ
this, because time and again there came unto them their apostles with all evidence of the truth, but they [always] replied, "Shall mere mortal men be our guides?" And so they denied the truth and turned away. But God was not in need [of them]: for God is self-sufficient, ever to be praised. (6)
زَعَمَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَنْ لَنْ يُبْعَثُوا قُلْ بَلَىٰ وَرَبِّي لَتُبْعَثُنَّ ثُمَّ لَتُنَبَّؤُنَّ بِمَا عَمِلْتُمْ وَذَٰلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ
They who are bent on denying the truth claim that they will never be raised from the dead! Say: "Yea, by my Sustainer! Most surely will you be raised from the dead, and then, most surely, will you be made to understand what you did [in life]! For easy is this for God!" (7)
فَآمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَالنُّورِ الَّذِي أَنْزَلْنَا وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ
Believe, then, [O men,] in God and His Apostle, and in the light [of revelation] which We have bestowed [on you] from on high! And God is fully aware of all that you do. (8)
يَوْمَ يَجْمَعُكُمْ لِيَوْمِ الْجَمْعِ ذَٰلِكَ يَوْمُ التَّغَابُنِ وَمَنْ يُؤْمِنْ بِاللَّهِ وَيَعْمَلْ صَالِحًا يُكَفِّرْ عَنْهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِ وَيُدْخِلْهُ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا ذَٰلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ
[Think of] the time when He shall gather you all together unto the Day of the [Last] Gathering – that Day of Loss and Gain! For as for him who shall have believed in God and done what is just and right, He will [on that Day] efface his bad deeds, and will admit him into gardens through which running waters flow, therein to abide beyond the count of time: that will be a triumph supreme! (9)
وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَكَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا أُولَٰئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ
But as for those who are bent on denying the truth and on giving the lie to Our messages – they are destined for the fire, therein to abide: and how vile a journey's end! (10)
- this, because time and again there came unto them their apostles5 with all evidence of the truth, but they [always] replied, "Shall mere mortal men be our guides?"6 And so they, denied the truth and turned away. But God was not in need [of them]: for God is self-sufficient, ever to be praised.
- 5 I.e., apostles from their own midst, entrusted with divine messages specifically meant for them. The expression "time and again" is conditioned by the phrase kanat ta'atihim which implies repetition and duration.
- 6 Lit., "guide us". This negative response is characteristic of people who, in result of their own estrangement from all moral standards, are instinctively, and deeply, distrustful of all things human and cannot, therefore, accept the idea that a divine message could manifest itself through mere human beings that have nothing "supernatural" about them.
- That was because there came to them messengers with Clear Signs, but they said: "Shall (mere) human beings5485 direct us?" So they rejected (the Message) and turned away. But Allah can do without (them): and Allah is5486 free of all needs, worthy of all praise.
- 5485 This is referred to in a more expanded form in 14:9-11.
- 5486 Their obedience is not necessary to Allah, nor will their rejection of Truth affect the validity of Truth or injure the progress of Truth. Allah is free of all needs or dependence on any circumstance whatever. He sends His Message for the good of mankind, and it is man who suffers by ignoring, rejecting, or opposing it.
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That was because there came to them messengers with Clear Signs, but they said: "Shall (mere) human beings direct us?" So they rejected (the Message) and turned away. But Allah can do without (them): and Allah is free of all needs, worthy of all praise.
— Abdullah Yusuf Ali -
That was because their messengers (from Allah) kept coming unto them with clear proofs (of Allah's Sovereignty), but they said: Shall mere mortals guide us? So they disbelieved and turned away, and Allah was independent (of them). Allah is Absolute, Owner of Praise.
— Marmaduke Pickthall -
That is because there came to them their messengers with clear arguments, but they said: Shall mortals guide us? So they disbelieved and turned back, and Allah does not stand in need (of anything), and Allah is Self-sufficient, Praised.
— M. Habib Shakir -
That was because there came to them their Messengers with clear proofs (signs), but they said: "Shall mere men guide us?" So they disbelieved and turned away (from the truth), and Allah was not in need (of them). And Allah is Rich (Free of all wants), Worthy of all praise.
— Taqiuddin Hilali and M. Mohsin Khan -
That was because their apostles were wont to come Unto them with evidences, but they said: shall a mere human bein guide us? Wherefore they disbelieved and turned away; and Allah needed them not. And Allah is Self Sufficient, Praiseworthy.
— Abdul-Majid Daryabadi -
That is because, when their Messengers came to them with clear proofs they said: 'Shall humans be our guides? ' They disbelieved and turned away, but Allah was not in need (of them). Allah is the Rich and the Praised.
— Hasan Qaribullah and Ahmed Darwish -
That is because their Messengers came to them with Clear Signs but they said, `shall mortals guide us?' So they disbelieved, and turned away, but God did not care; and God is All-sufficient, Praiseworthy.
— Ayub Khan -
That was because their Messengers came to them with manifest Signs, but they said, 'Shall mere mortals guide us?' So they disbelieved and turned away, but God had no need of them; And God is Self-Sufficient, Worthy of all praise.
— Sher Ali -
this, because time and again there came unto them their apostles with all evidence of the truth, but they [always] replied, "Shall mere mortal men be our guides?" And so they denied the truth and turned away.
But God was not in need [of them]: for God is self-sufficient, ever to be praised.
— Muhammad Asad -
That is because their Messengers came to them with the clear signs, and then they said, What, shall mortals be our guides? Therefore they disbelieved, and turned away; and God was in no need of them. And God is All-sufficient, All-laudable.
— Arthur Arberry -
This was because their Messengers would come to them with Clear Signs,{{11}} but they would say: "Shall mortals (like ourselves) guide us to the Right Way?"{{12}} They rejected the Truth and turned away. Thereupon Allah became unconcerned with them, for Allah is Self-Sufficient, Innately Praiseworthy.{{13}}
— Abu'l Ala Maududi