Shiite Islam :Orthodoxy Or Heterodoxy?

Shiite Islam :Orthodoxy Or Heterodoxy?23%

Shiite Islam :Orthodoxy Or Heterodoxy? Author:
Translator: John Andrew Morrow
Publisher: Ansariyan Publications – Qum
Category: Debates and Replies

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Shiite Islam :Orthodoxy Or Heterodoxy?

Shiite Islam :Orthodoxy Or Heterodoxy?

Author:
Publisher: Ansariyan Publications – Qum
English

This book is corrected and edited by Al-Hassanain (p) Institue for Islamic Heritage and Thought

Acknowledgments and Observations

The present book is the first English edition of an article which was published in an academic journal in 1994 under the name “El Islām Ši'ita: ¿ortodoxia o heterodoxia?” [Shī'ite Islām: Orthodoxy or Heterodoxy?]. The article was well-received in academic circles and was soon widely circulated on various Islāmic sites on the Internet thanks to a digital edition published by the Biblioteca Islámica Ahlul Bayt in Sevilla, Spain.

Thereafter, in the year 2000, the article was published in three parts in Az-Zaqalain, a Spanish language academic journal published in Qum, Iran. In response to the interest received by the article, Dr. John A. Morrow decided to translate it, edit it, and turn it into a book. As often occurs in such cases, the challenge of turning an article into a book relates to its amplification. Dr. Morrow resolved this problem by including an exhaustive amount of notes and bibliographical information from Arabic and Persian sources which, due to their quantity and quality, should be seen as a notable contribution to the original work of the author.

For all intents and purposes, this book constitutes a slightly modified version of that article originally published in Epimelia: Revista de Estudios Sobre La Tradición. The journal in question is the official academic organ of the Center for Research into the Philosophy and History of Religion (CIFHIRE) [Centro de Investigaciones en Filosofía e Historia de Las Religiones] at the Department of Philosophy of the School of Graduate Studies at John F. Kennedy Argentine University.

The book, in its present form, contains nothing new with the exception of the valuable critical and biographical notes, the translator's preface, and the detailed index, provided by Dr. Morrow. It also contains a prologue by the author and an appendix in which we further expound upon our criticism of Orientalism, from the point of view of the philosophy of the history of religion, to the broader field of social studies. Besides these addendums, we have not modified the original text in any substantial fashion for obvious reasons.

For starters, it would be impossible to alter the sentences without changing their original intent. Furthermore, any such changes might arouse suspicion, leading some readers to believe that they were done for Editorial reasons. And finally, one of the main reasons for not making any changes, save those slight details brought to our attention by those who reviewed the original Spanish version or its English translation, is that the work was written with great haste in the space of two months.

It was produced with the specific purpose of responding to endless allegations of Orientalists who, unsatisfied with characterizing Shī'ism as a fundamentalist form of Islām, stubbornly insisted on labeling it as a heterodox sect. By doing so, these scholars were merely echoing old Orientalist prejudices and supporting Muslim reformists. This reformist sector was quickly embraced by Western Orientalists as proponents of “moderate” Islām” while the traditional sector was labeled as representatives of “extremist Islām,” dangerous “fundamentalists” who make militant and violent interpretations of faith based on the Qur'ān.

The purpose of the original study, which has now been converted into a book, was to address this conceptual error which is incessantly repeated, ad nauseam, in academic circles and which passes from textbook to textbook. However, when the time came to review the book for publication, we felt much less optimistic with regards to our goal of conveying to Western readers that Shī'ite Islām is not an extreme, heterodox, fundamentalist or fanatical sect.

Evidently, we never pretended to provide a definitive “solution” to such a complex problem. Any such effort would require broader and more detailed studies. We acknowledge that many of the issues related to the topic remained outside the scope of our study. Although we are most conscious of the gaps in our study, we would never even dream of trying to fill them in the space of this exposition. Such exclusion is the understandable result of the need to assume a determined perspective, forcing us to be selective in our choice of the material covered.

In order to avoid confusing or misleading our readers, we must point out that we never proposed to write an introduction to Shī'ite Islām. This book does not study certain aspects which are crucial in the understanding of the political and metaphysical thought of Twelver Shī'ism. It may touch upon them, it may gloss over them, but is certainly does not study them in depth. Although we have drawn from primary sources in Arabic and Persian, presenting various legal and theological views with respect to issues like consensus [ijmā'], as well as traditional exegesis, both ancient and contemporary, it was not the objective of this book to expound exhaustively upon the views of every school of thought.

Our immediate and most pressing goal was to demonstrate that Shī'ite Islām is a genuine, legal and spiritual expression of traditional Islām, both in orthodoxy and orthopraxy. In the same way that Sunnī Islām is based in doctrine and practice on the basic principles of the Qur'ān and prophetic tradition, so is Shī'ite Islām, which, in its traditional form, has the added advantage of having been preserved and reaffirmed by a continuous and direct line of successors, the Holy Imāms, the natural heirs of the wilāyah, the Cycle of Prophecy.

The goal of this book, then, is to demonstrate that, far from being a heretical schismatic sect or fundamentalist form of Islām, as one hears over and over again, and which is more or less groundless, Shī'ism is the living expression of original Muhammadan Islām, perfectly preserved by his successors, the Holy Imāms from the Prophetic Household [Ahlul Bayt].

It was for this reason, that we proposed, without any polemical or apologetic intent, to present the Shī'ite point of view, with the highest possible degree of objectivity, without any concession to influence by the prejudiced views of its detractors, be they Muslim or non-Muslim. We have presented Shī'ite Islām from a Shī'ite point of view. We made sure to put aside outside influences received during our academic formation for, as G. Bachelard has pointed out, these can turn into real epistemological obstacles which impede objectivity.

Readers should not be offended if, at given moments, they get the impression that they are reading a panegyric. This impression is to be expected as this work does not contain the redundant repetition of pejorative postulations presented in Orientalist works which claim to present Islām and the Arab world “objectively.” Despite the overt contempt its secular ideologists manifest towards Islām, the West remains cynically passive.

This attitude, however, can only be understood within its historical context. The Western animosity towards Islām forms part of a long history of cultural encounters through which the West attempted to impose its hegemony on the East. It should come as no surprise that the unrepressed hatred towards Islām and Arabs forms the very basis of much Western Orientalism.

In many cases, Orientalism has been more or less officially at the service of the intellectual self-satisfaction of secular illustrated despotism and the conservatism of Western imperialist authoritarianism. Be it politically, militarily or intellectually, Western imperialism rarely hides its overwhelming aversion towards those who resist being physically or economically annexed as colonies, and those who refuse to be assimilated culturally, linguistically, mentally and spiritually.

It should be known from the onset that we are not unaware of the various aspects which have fallen outside of the reach of our study. Despite shortcomings related to time and space, we have attempted to develop our arguments in the most satisfactory fashion, using all our abilities to help readers overcome their resistance to the topic, the result of heightened sensitivities caused by events of worldwide repercussions which, directly or indirectly, involve Shī'ite Islām.

Since this book was written so rapidly as a response to current events, it cannot be considered an introduction to Shī'ite Islām. Any such claim would do a grave injustice to Muslim scholars who have devoted their entire lives to the study of one of the many fields which this book has merely surveyed with a bird's eye view. We have merely shown some of the scenery of Shī'ism, not its depth and detail. However, in our own defense, the general overview we have provided may be justified by the fact that it is not the fruit of improvisation.

This book is the result of years of study on the origins of Shī'ite Islām. Even though the book was written during the first semester of the 1994 academic year, it should be mentioned that its final form was based on various preliminary versions and partial drafts from courses and lectures we delivered in the Seminarios de historia, pensamiento y cultura del mundo islámico [Lectures on the History, Thought, and Culture of the Islāmic World] between 1991 and 1992.

This series of lectures was organized by the Argentinean Institute for Islāmic Culture and the Cultural Bureau of the Iranian Embassy in Buenos Aires and took place in the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Buenos Aires. Any good which comes from this limited contribution to the topic of Shī'ite Islām is due, in great part, to the valuable critical interest displayed by colleagues, friends, and students, whose questions and observations contributed considerably to the preparation of the final version of the book.

The very idea of writing an article on the basis of those classes and lectures owes much to the guidance of Dr. Francisco García Bazán, Dean of the Department of Philosophy, and Director of the Center for Research into the History and Philosophy of Religion at John F. Kennedy Argentine University, as well as the Editor of the journal Epimeleia. Dr. García Bazán must be thanked, first and foremost, for encouraging me to write this article.

He deemed the article a necessary contribution to scholarship. He understood, much better than most Orientalists, that Shī'ism, although representing a minority tradition, represents a spiritual current of Gnostic illumination, law and theology, which is entirely Islāmic in orthodoxy and orthopraxy, to the same extent as mainstream and majority Sunnī Islām. To be sincere, we must recognize that it was our director, Dr. García Bazán, who revived our interest in writing that article which was always in an indefinite state and which we could never come around to completing.

Dr. García Bazán's constant encouragement gave us an almost journalistic rhythm of redaction and, in little time, he granted us the time and the confidence to transform those initial rough drafts into a completed work. We are greatly indebted to the generous spirit of Dr. F. García Bazán, who, besides always knowing how and when to help us, from start to finish, has been of great benefit due to his scholarly knowledge and experience, counseling and guiding us with mastery in many ways. We will always consider it a privilege and an honor to have worked besides this great master of philosophy and comparative religion. We also thank him for permitting us to republish our work.

We are equally grateful to Hujjat al-Islām wa al-Muslimīn Feisal Morhell of the World Center of Islāmic Sciences of the Hawzah 'Ilmiyyah from Qum in the Islāmic Republic of Iran, who also happens to be the Director of Cultural Affairs for the Fundación Cultural Oriente and Editor of the Spanish version of the academic journal Az-Zaqalain, for his interest in republishing the article which gave origin to this book.

Hujjat al-Islām wa al-Muslimīn Feisal Morhell is a young specialist in traditional Islāmic sciences who is not alien to this work since he proof-read our Arabic and Persian translations and, furthermore, provided us access to all of the primary Islāmic sources which appeared in the original article. The bibliography for the book, however, has been greatly amplified by Dr. John A. Morrow.

We would also like to thank Hujjat al-Islām wa al-Muslimīn Murtadā Beheshtī, General Director of the Islāmic Thought Foundation of Tehran, and the Editor-in-Chief of the Spanish version of the journal Az-Zaqalain; Hujjat al-Islām wa al-Muslimīn Sayyid Muhammad Rizvī, the resident 'ālim at the Ja'farī Islāmic Center in Toronto, Canada, and Dr. Liyakat 'Alī Takīm, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Denver, whom we thank especially for reviewing the doctrinal, juridical, and historical aspects dealt with in the present book, with truly limitless dedication, patience and generosity.

There is no doubt whatsoever that we would have faced many difficulties during the preparation of this work were it not for the constant advice and observations made by these great scholars and brilliant Muslim. Thanks to their help, however, we have overcome many obstacles and we will be certain to include their contributions in a future edition of the Spanish version of the book.

There are many people in Argentina, the United States, Canada, the U.K., Spain, and Iran, who collaborated with us during the preparing of this study, in its dissemination, and in its first English translation. In this sense, we are particularly grateful to Mrs. Sumeia Younes from the World Center of Islāmic Sciences of the Hawzah 'Ilmiyyah in Qum in the Islāmic Republic or Iran and Editorial Secretary for the journal Az-Zaqalain, for reading the manuscript of the first Spanish article, as well as the American linguist, Mrs. Barbara Castleton, from Ohio University, who had the kindness of proofreading the English translation and preparing a commendatory preface.

To Mrs. Rachīda Bejja for painstakingly correcting the Arabic transliteration and for Mr. Gustavo César Bize, Associate Professor of Arabic and Islāmic Thought in the Faculty of Social Sciences of the Universidad de Buenos Aires and at the Universidad Nacional de 3 de Febrero in Buenos Aires who was in charge of reviewing the English translation. We are also grateful to the following young Islāmologists, Mr. Ángel Horacio Molina and Mrs. María Eugenia Gantus, who read the final Spanish and English versions of the work.

They are both young research scholars at the Center for Oriental Studies, School of Letters, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, at the Universidad Nacional de Rosario, in Santa Fe, Argentina, an institution associated with the Mullā Sadrā Center for Islāmic Studies and Research (CEDIMS) [Centro de Estudios y Documentación Islámicos Mullā Sadrā] at the Universidad Católica Argentina de La Plata (Sede Bernal). We are particularly grateful to its General Coordinator, Dr. Horacio López Romano, for the generous institutional space he has provided to us, opening us the door to his installations and Dr. Sonia Yebara, Director of the Center for Oriental Studies of the School of Literature of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at the Universidad Nacional de Rosario for their unselfish institutional support.

Other friends and colleagues read fragments or complete version of my rough drafts, providing an impressive volume of critical observations and facts. It would be impossible to mention them all. Nevertheless, we would like to express our gratitude to the following persons, whose constant kindness and cooperation facilitated our task: Mr. Ángel Almazán de Gracia, the Spanish cultural journalist, writer, and historian, who specializes in Sorian culture and Numantine archeology, for enthusiastically reading this work and citing it in many of his articles and books, as well as his generous and selfless support.

To Mr. Mikail Álvarez Ruiz, Director of the Biblioteca Islámica Ahlul Bayt from Sevilla, Spain, to whom we owe the first digital version of the Spanish original, and which has been well-received and distributed over the Internet. He was the first to conceive of the idea of turning our article into a book and he is also one of the most energetic promoters of our work on the Internet.

It was on the basis of the digital edition that he prepared that Dr. John A. Morrow based his English version. The valuable collaboration of Mr. Héctor H. Manzolillo, one of the most prolific and recognized translators of Islāmic texts in Spanish, also stands out. He was kind enough to review the notes to the English translation, making corrections which were greatly appreciated by the translator and Editor.

Finally, we would like to express our endless gratitude to the Editor, Dr. John A. Morrow, Assistant Professor of Modern Languages at Northern State University in the United States, to whom we owe the first English edition of our work, as well as his scrupulous critical annotations.

The exchanges which resulted from his translation have allowed us to know a marvelous human being, wise yet humble, who honors us by his irreplaceable friendship. We would also like to thank our wife, Mónica Delia Pereiras, for supporting patiently and lovingly our domestic “absences” through all the time it took us to write and correct this book.

We would also like to thank our three daughters, Ruth Noemí, María Inés and María de los Ángeles, whose affectionate interruptions made the labor of this book both pleasant and possible; to our parents, Saturnino and Elvira; to our brothers, Daniel and Cristina; and to all our family and friends for standing by us, unconditionally, in a thousand and one ways. And, last but not least, we would like to thank Mr. Muhammad Taqī Ansariyan and Mawlanā Muhammad Rizvī for encouraging and supporting this academic endeavor.

Professor Luis Alberto VittorProfessor Luis Alberto Vittor

Center for Research into the Philosophy and History of Religion (CIFHIRE)

Department of Philosophy, School of Graduate Studies

John F. Kennedy Argentine University

Mullā Sadrā Center for Islāmic Studies and Research (CEDIMS)

Department of Social and Political Sciences in Africa and the Middle East

Catholic University of Argentina de la Plata (Sede Bernal)

Associated with the Center for Oriental Studies

Faculty of Arts and Sciences, National University of Rosario

Genesis of the Work

As a result of the popularity of Shī'ite Islām: Orthodoxy or Heterodoxy, many readers have inquired about its genesis. In light of such interest, we decided that it would be worthwhile to contextualize the historical moment in which the work was created as well as its ultimate objective. As a close friend and colleague of the author, it is our privilege to share our inner knowledge of the works origin.

Although some rough drafts had been presented in the course of classes and conferences, it was not until 1994 that Luis Alberto Vittor felt the need to complete Shī'ite Islām: Orthodoxy or Heterodoxy. The author's desire to finish the work was motivated by two violent events: the explosions of the Israeli Embassy and the Asociación Mutal Israeli-Argentina or AMIA which occurred in Buenos, Aires, Argentina on March 17th and July 18th, 1994, terrorist attacks which were both attributed arbitrarily to Shī'ite Muslims.

Due to the circumstances in which it was written, the work was redacted rapidly in response to an urgent need to confront journalists, specialists, and international observers who joined together to label Shī'ite Islām as a “sect” which was “heterodox” with respect to “orthodox” Sunnī Islām. The author was also responding to seditious attempts to separate the Sunnī and Shī'ite schools of thought, labeling Shī'ites a minority of hard-core religious fanatics with a history of violence.

The enemies of Islām rallied around the tragic events in Argentina denouncing Shī'ites as “fundamentalists” and “terrorists.” Their objective was clear: a callous attempt to isolate Shī'ite Muslims from the Islāmic Ummah as an unorthodox faction composed of radical extremists.

In an unparalleled fashion, many Argentinean and American Orientalists, made tabula rasa with everything written about Shī'ite Islām from Corbin to the present, and started to echo the most hostile attitudes towards Islām expressed by early Orientalists and which had long been rejected. It was evident from the onset that certain academics were benefiting from the terrorist attacks in Argentina to launch an ideological assault against Shī'ite Muslims.

In their zeal to prove that Shī'ite Muslims had been the instigators or perpetrators of the most serious criminal attacks ever suffered by Argentineans, Argentinean and American academics stressed the minority character of Shī'ite Muslims, characterizing them as a group of sectarian zealots who stood in clear contrast to the moderation and orthodoxy of the Sunnī majority. Academic specialists, journalists, international observers, so-called “experts” on the Middle East, along with ex-intelligence officers, and military envoys, stressed the minority status of Shī'ites in order to accentuate their sectarianism.

Like cockroaches crawling from the under the wood-work in the dark hours of night, these “experts” on Islām attempted to give the Shī'ah Ithnā 'Asharī traits which belonged to other Shī'ite schools like the Ismā'īliyyah or the Zaydiyyah. They associated Twelver Shī'ites with Zaydī revolutionaries, and the Ismā'īlī Hashashīn or Assassins, in order to establish that Shī'ites were historically a group of extremist rebels who never hesitated to use radically violent methods against their enemies. The enemies of Islām employed Iblīsī analogies to say that Shī'ite Muslims were all murderers. They argued that since the Hashashīn or Assassins were Ismā'īlis, and the Ismā'īlis were Shī'ites, then every Shī'ite was a potential assassin.

Evidently, both the premises and the conclusion were false. Nevertheless, this syllogism had the expected effect. The press and the airwaves were soon speaking about Shī'ite terrorism, Shī'ite fundamentalism, Shī'ite extremism, as if they were all synonyms. It was imperative for someone to come forward to demonstrate that these terms were the result of false logic or a false logical construct whose sole objective was to demean Shī'ite Muslims.

In an attempt to give credence to accusations against Shī'ite Muslims, there are those who continue to insist that the terrorist attacks which took place in 1992 and 1994 in the city of Buenos Aires were the work of Shī'ite Muslims. In effect, the majority of encyclopedias continue to attribute these crimes to Hizbullāh or the Islāmic Republic of Iran. Despite such stubbornness, nobody in Argentina believes in these accusations and Argentinean authorities are now exploring an Israeli trail. As a result, Washington is putting pressure on the Argentine government to put an end to its investigation which is starting to annoy the United States and Israel.

The Argentinean people, however, want the guilty parties brought to justice as the events were not without deadly consequence for Argentine society. On the 17th of March of 1992, a violent explosion destroyed the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aries and seriously damaged the adjacent Catholic Church and school. Twenty-nine people were killed and 242 were injured. The deaths were gruesome. Argentine television broadcasted streets littered with human remains and rubble, pieces of mutilated corpses, like the leg of a woman with a sock and shoe which was severed from her body.

In the early days of the investigation, efforts were directed towards the Islāmist trail. It was believed that the attack had been committed by a Palestinian suicide bomber who drove a mini-van full of explosives. It was suggested that he was a member of Islāmic Jihād who wanted to avenge the death of 'Abbās al-Mūsawī, the head of the Lebanese Hizbullāh, and his family. According to this version, the Buenos Aires operation had been prepared by a group of Pakistanis and coordinated by Mohsen Rabbanī, the Cultural Attaché from the Iranian Embassy. This later was even detained, one year later, while he was in Germany, only to be liberated later due to lack of evidence.

On July 18th, 1994, another explosion devastated the Buenos Aires building of the Asociación Mutual Israelita-Argentina (AMIA) resulting in 85 deaths and 300 injured. The investigation into this new terrorist bombing also attempted to uncover an Islāmist trail. The attack was attributed to a so-called Islāmic “kamikazi:” 29 year old Ibrāhīm Husein Berro who supposedly drove a vehicle full of explosives.

While it is true that Ibrāhīm Husein Berro existed, his brother demonstrated that he died in Lebanon several years before and not in the attack in Buenos Aires. Whoever drove the vehicle full of explosives, it could not have been Ibrāhīm Berro. Years later a warrant was released for the arrest of Imad Mughniyyah, a member of the Lebanese Hizbullāh. Later, the ex-Ambassador of Iran in Argentina, Hade Soleimanpur, was detained in the United Kingdom but had to be released due to lack of evidence.

All of these elements, which seem to be definitive conclusions, have been reflected for years in various encyclopedias, books, and journalistic articles, although nothing can confirm them. The most interesting thing is that with the passing of time some Argentinean investigative journalists have debunked the versions of events proposed by the Israelis and the Americans, developing their own hypothesis which is the exact opposite. According to investigations conducted in Argentina, the two attacks were committed by Israeli agents in order to counter the growing anti-Zionism of the Jewish community in Argentina. This discovery, however, took place after Vittor published his article in Epimelia.

At present, the supposed intellectual or material connection of Islāmists to the Buenos Aires attacks has largely lost credibility. The Islāmist trail is simply inconsistent with the facts and it for this reason that the American and Israeli government are pressuring the Argentineans to put an end to their investigation. While it is presently possible to speak about these events with hindsight and tranquility, the only individual who dared speak about such events, and defend Shī'ite Islām when it was being attacked by international public opinion, was Luis Alberto Vittor.

Like Prophet Yahyā, Luis Alberto Vittor was a voice in the wilderness, exposing himself to criticism, threats, and physical danger. Unlike some of the official Islāmic authorities who stood still, making themselves complicit through their silence, Vittor raised his voice and pen in defense of Shī'ite Islām at a time when doing so was associating oneself, explicitly or implicitly, to a Muslim minority of “extremists” and “terrorists.”

Putting his trust in Almighty Allāh and the solidarity of his fellow Muslims, all of whom were simple believers with no power or political influence, Vittor produced the present work which was viewed as a moral and intellectual duty. Surely, in this lies the greatest value of his work.Shī'ite Islām: Orthodoxy or Heterodoxy must be viewed as a work of service in defense of the followers of Ahlul Bayt. At the time it was written, there was not a single Orientalist, Arabist or Islāmologist, in Argentina or abroad, who was willing or capable of defending Shī'ite Islām.

While the Shī'ite community was being attacked from all sides, some Sunnī Muslims sought to separate themselves from the Shī'ites, echoing the arguments of the enemies of Islām who claimed that the followers of Ahlul Bayt were sectarian extremists (ghulāt).

As if that were not enough, Shī'ite convertswere accused of having links to so-called “Iranian-inspired Islāmic terrorism.” In order to divert attention from themselves, some sectors of the Sunnī community insisted on proving the Orientalists thesis correct, accusing the Shī'ite community of committing the terrorist bombings when the real perpetrators of the atrocities were not even Muslims.

As a result of these actions, many Shī'ites, both Iranians and Latinos, suffered from severe social discrimination. Many mu'minīn [believers] lost their jobs. Many mu'minīn [believers] were forced out of university, including a group of Iranian medical students. Being both Shī'ite and Iranian was seen as synonymous with terrorism and criminality. Fear ran so high during those days that, out of the entire community, only six or seven brothers, two of them converts, dared to attend the sole Shī'ite mosque in the city.

Rather than coming to the rescue of Shī'ite Muslims who were falsely accused of being violent sectarian terrorists, Orientalists like Bernard Lewis came forth to add fuel to the fire, arguing that there was a historic continuity and an ideological bond between medieval Muslims assassins, who were Ismā'īlīs, and contemporary Shī'ite fundamentalists or extremists, who were Ja'farīs. For those who dabble in academic dishonesty, they were one and the same: socially maladjusted minorities who resorted to violence and terrorism as their only means of expression.

When one reads Shī'ite Islām: Orthodoxy or Heterodoxy, it is important to remember the context in which it was created. At a moment in which the enemies of Islām were attempting to divide the Ummah, Luis Alberto Vittor pulled up his sleeves and pulled out his pen to demonstrate that Shī'ite Islām, despite being a minority, was as orthodoxy as the majority Sunnī Islām.

And not only that, the author demonstrated that Shī'ite Islām was the only group which remained faithful to the will of Allāh and the Prophet Muhammad: to hold fast to the Two Treasures, the Qur'ān and the Household of the Prophet.

Besides presenting the Shī'ite position, the author's goal was to reestablish the balance between Sunnism and Shī'ism which some sectors were attempting to destabilize, labeling one group as orthodox and another as sectarian, heterodox, extremist, and heretical. It is for this reason that the author devotes so much time to explaining why it is improper to label Muslims as “fundamentalists.”

Considering the context and extraordinary circumstances in which the book was written, completely changes one's critical appreciation of the work. Shī'ite Islām: Orthodoxy or Heterodoxy was a lone voice denouncing despots in the desert, a strident voice denouncing the indifference of academia and the vested interests of those who sought to define Shī'ite Islām as a radical, sectarian, heterodox form of Islām rather than a traditional expression of its orthodoxy and orthopraxis.

Although the author has accepted that his work to be annotated, he has always insisted that it remain intact as a reflection of the socio-historical context in which it was created. Attempting to modify certain concepts would undermine the very objective of the work, reducing it to a vain theoretical discussion. The author's goal, of course, was other: to demonstrate that the claims made by the detractors of Shī'ite Islām were false and illogical and that the fact that Shī'ite Islām has a minority status does not imply, from an Islāmic point of view, that it represents a sect in the sense in the Western Christian sense of the term.

The events of 1992 and 1994 which occurred in the city of Buenos Aires are not a thing of the past. Attempts to support the allegations made against the Shī'ite Muslims of Argentina continue to be made, accusing them of implication in the terrorist bombings. Despite the fact that thirteen years have passed since this work was originally published, it continues to be current. The enemies of Islām never sleep and nor do we.

15th of Sha'bān / August 28, 2007

Dr. John A. Morrow, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Modern Languages

Northern State University

Aberdeen, South Dakota

سورة الحجرات (Al-Hujurat)

Sura 49

Aya 1 to 18

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

[Shakir] In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

[Pickthal] In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

[Yusufali] In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تُقَدِّمُوا بَيْنَ يَدَيِ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ {1}

[Shakir 49:1] O you who believe! be not forward in the presence of Allah and His Messenger, and be careful of (your duty to) Allah; surely Allah is Hearing, Knowing.

[Pickthal 49:1] O ye who believe! Be not forward in the presence of Allah and His messenger, and keep your duty to Allah. Lo! Allah is Hearer, Knower.

[Yusufali 49:1] O Ye who believe! Put not yourselves forward before Allah and His Messenger; but fear Allah: for Allah is He Who hears and knows all things.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَرْفَعُوا أَصْوَاتَكُمْ فَوْقَ صَوْتِ النَّبِيِّ وَلَا تَجْهَرُوا لَهُ بِالْقَوْلِ كَجَهْرِ بَعْضِكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ أَنْ تَحْبَطَ أَعْمَالُكُمْ وَأَنْتُمْ لَا تَشْعُرُونَ {2}

[Shakir 49:2] O you who believe! do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet, and do not speak loud to him as you speak loud to one another, lest your deeds became null while you do not perceive.

[Pickthal 49:2] O ye who believe! Lift not up your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor shout when speaking to him as ye shout one to another, lest your works be rendered vain while ye perceive not.

[Yusufali 49:2] O ye who believe! Raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor speak aloud to him in talk, as ye may speak aloud to one another, lest your deeds become vain and ye perceive not.

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَغُضُّونَ أَصْوَاتَهُمْ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ امْتَحَنَ اللَّهُ قُلُوبَهُمْ لِلتَّقْوَىٰۚ لَهُمْ مَغْفِرَةٌ وَأَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ {3}

[Shakir 49:3] Surely those who lower their voices before Allah's Messenger are they whose hearts Allah has proved for guarding (against evil); they shall have forgiveness and a great reward.

[Pickthal 49:3] Lo! they who subdue their voices in the presence of the messenger of Allah, those are they whose hearts Allah hath proven unto righteousness. Theirs will be forgiveness and immense reward.

[Yusufali 49:3] Those that lower their voices in the presence of Allah's Messenger,- their hearts has Allah tested for piety: for them is Forgiveness and a great Reward.

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُنَادُونَكَ مِنْ وَرَاءِ الْحُجُرَاتِ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ {4}

[Shakir 49:4] (As for) those who call out to you from behind the private chambers, surely most of them do not understand.

[Pickthal 49:4] Lo! those who call thee from behind the private apartments, most of them have no sense.

[Yusufali 49:4] Those who shout out to thee from without the inner apartments - most of them lack understanding.

وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ صَبَرُوا حَتَّىٰ تَخْرُجَ إِلَيْهِمْ لَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُمْۚ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ {5}

[Shakir 49:5] And if they wait patiently until you come out to them, it would certainly be better for them, and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

[Pickthal 49:5] And if they had had patience till thou camest forth unto them, it had been better for them. And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

[Yusufali 49:5] If only they had patience until thou couldst come out to them, it would be best for them: but Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنْ جَاءَكُمْ فَاسِقٌ بِنَبَإٍ فَتَبَيَّنُوا أَنْ تُصِيبُوا قَوْمًا بِجَهَالَةٍ فَتُصْبِحُوا عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلْتُمْ نَادِمِينَ {6}

[Shakir 49:6] O you who believe! if an evil-doer comes to you with a report, look carefully into it, lest you harm a people in ignorance, then be sorry for what you have done.

[Pickthal 49:6] O ye who believe! If an evil-liver bring you tidings, verify it, lest ye smite some folk in ignorance and afterward repent of what ye did.

[Yusufali 49:6] O ye who believe! If a wicked person comes to you with any news, ascertain the truth, lest ye harm people unwittingly, and afterwards become full of repentance for what ye have done.

وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ فِيكُمْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِۚ لَوْ يُطِيعُكُمْ فِي كَثِيرٍ مِنَ الْأَمْرِ لَعَنِتُّمْ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ حَبَّبَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْإِيمَانَ وَزَيَّنَهُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ وَكَرَّهَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْكُفْرَ وَالْفُسُوقَ وَالْعِصْيَانَۚ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الرَّاشِدُونَ {7}

[Shakir 49:7] And know that among you is Allah's Messenger; should he obey you in many a matter, you would surely fall into distress, but Allah has endeared the faith to you and has made it seemly in your hearts, and He has made hateful to you unbelief and transgression and disobedience; these it is that are the followers of a right way.

[Pickthal 49:7] And know that the messenger of Allah is among you. If he were to obey you in much of the government, ye would surely be in trouble; but Allah hath endeared the faith to you and hath beautified it in your hearts, and hath made disbelief and lewdness and rebellion hateful unto you. Such are they who are the rightly guided.

[Yusufali 49:7] And know that among you is Allah's Messenger: were he, in many matters, to follow your (wishes), ye would certainly fall into misfortune: But Allah has endeared the Faith to you, and has made it beautiful in your hearts, and He has made hateful to you Unbelief, wickedness, and rebellion: such indeed are those who walk in righteousness;-

فَضْلًا مِنَ اللَّهِ وَنِعْمَةًۚ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ {8}

[Shakir 49:8] By grace from Allah and as a favor; and Allah is Knowing, Wise.

[Pickthal 49:8] (It is) a bounty and a grace from Allah; and Allah is Knower, Wise.

[Yusufali 49:8] A Grace and Favour from Allah; and Allah is full of Knowledge and Wisdom.

وَإِنْ طَائِفَتَانِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ اقْتَتَلُوا فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَهُمَا فَإِنْ بَغَتْ إِحْدَاهُمَا عَلَى الْأُخْرَىٰ فَقَاتِلُوا الَّتِي تَبْغِي حَتَّىٰ تَفِيءَ إِلَىٰ أَمْرِ اللَّهِۚ فَإِنْ فَاءَتْ فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَهُمَا بِالْعَدْلِ وَأَقْسِطُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُقْسِطِينَ {9}

[Shakir 49:9] And if two parties of the believers quarrel, make peace between them; but if one of them acts wrongfully towards the other, fight that which acts wrongfully until it returns to Allah's command; then if it returns, make peace between them with justice and act equitably; surely Allah loves those who act equitably.

[Pickthal 49:9] And if two parties of believers fall to fighting, then make peace between them. And if one party of them doeth wrong to the other, fight ye that which doeth wrong till it return unto the ordinance of Allah; then, if it return, make peace between them justly, and act equitably. Lo! Allah loveth the equitable.

[Yusufali 49:9] If two parties among the Believers fall into a quarrel, make ye peace between them: but if one of them transgresses beyond bounds against the other, then fight ye (all) against the one that transgresses until it complies with the command of Allah; but if it complies, then make peace between them with justice, and be fair: for Allah loves those who are fair (and just).

إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَ أَخَوَيْكُمْۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ {10}

[Shakir 49:10] The believers are but brethren, therefore make peace between your brethren and be careful of (your duty to) Allah that mercy may be had on you.

[Pickthal 49:10] The believers are naught else than brothers. Therefore make peace between your brethren and observe your duty to Allah that haply ye may obtain mercy.

[Yusufali 49:10] The Believers are but a single Brotherhood: So make peace and reconciliation between your two (contending) brothers; and fear Allah, that ye may receive Mercy.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا يَسْخَرْ قَوْمٌ مِنْ قَوْمٍ عَسَىٰ أَنْ يَكُونُوا خَيْرًا مِنْهُمْ وَلَا نِسَاءٌ مِنْ نِسَاءٍ عَسَىٰ أَنْ يَكُنَّ خَيْرًا مِنْهُنَّ وَلَا تَلْمِزُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ وَلَا تَنَابَزُوا بِالْأَلْقَابِ بِئْسَ الِاسْمُ الْفُسُوقُ بَعْدَ الْإِيمَانِۚ وَمَنْ لَمْ يَتُبْ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ {11}

[Shakir 49:11] O you who believe! let not (one) people laugh at (another) people perchance they may be better than they, nor let women (laugh) at (other) women, perchance they may be better than they; and do not find fault with your own people nor call one another by nicknames; evil is a bad name after faith, and whoever does not turn, these it is that are the unjust.

[Pickthal 49:11] O ye who believe! Let not a folk deride a folk who may be better than they (are), not let women (deride) women who may be better than they are; neither defame one another, nor insult one another by nicknames. Bad is the name of lewdness after faith. And whoso turneth not in repentance, such are evil-doers.

[Yusufali 49:11] O ye who believe! Let not some men among you laugh at others: It may be that the (latter) are better than the (former): Nor let some women laugh at others: It may be that the (latter are better than the (former): Nor defame nor be sarcastic to each other, nor call each other by (offensive) nicknames: Ill-seeming is a name connoting wickedness, (to be used of one) after he has believed: And those who do not desist are (indeed) doing wrong.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اجْتَنِبُوا كَثِيرًا مِنَ الظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الظَّنِّ إِثْمٌ وَلَا تَجَسَّسُوا وَلَا يَغْتَبْ بَعْضُكُمْ بَعْضًاۚ أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ لَحْمَ أَخِيهِ مَيْتًا فَكَرِهْتُمُوهُۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَوَّابٌ رَحِيمٌ {12}

[Shakir 49:12] O you who believe! avoid most of suspicion, for surely suspicion in some cases is a sin, and do not spy nor let some of you backbite others. Does one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? But you abhor it; and be careful of (your duty to) Allah, surely Allah is Oft-returning (to mercy), Merciful.

[Pickthal 49:12] O ye who believe! Shun much suspicion; for lo! some suspicion is a crime. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you love to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Ye abhor that (so abhor the other)! And keep your duty (to Allah). Lo! Allah is Relenting, Merciful.

[Yusufali 49:12] O ye who believe! Avoid suspicion as much (as possible): for suspicion in some cases is a sin: And spy not on each other behind their backs. Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Nay, ye would abhor it...But fear Allah: For Allah is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful.

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ مِنْ ذَكَرٍ وَأُنْثَىٰ وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُواۚ إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ {13}

[Shakir 49:13] O you men! surely We have created you of a male and a female, and made you tribes and families that you may know each other; surely the most honorable of you with Allah is the one among you most careful (of his duty); surely Allah is Knowing, Aware.

[Pickthal 49:13] O mankind! Lo! We have created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another. Lo! the noblest of you, in the sight of Allah, is the best in conduct. Lo! Allah is Knower, Aware.

[Yusufali 49:13] O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).

قَالَتِ الْأَعْرَابُ آمَنَّا قُلْ لَمْ تُؤْمِنُوا وَلَٰكِنْ قُولُوا أَسْلَمْنَا وَلَمَّا يَدْخُلِ الْإِيمَانُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ وَإِنْ تُطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ لَا يَلِتْكُمْ مِنْ أَعْمَالِكُمْ شَيْئًاۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ {14}

[Shakir 49:14] The dwellers of the desert say: We believe. Say: You do not believe but say, We submit; and faith has not yet entered into your hearts; and if you obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not diminish aught of your deeds; surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

[Pickthal 49:14] The wandering Arabs say: We believe. Say (unto them, O Muhammad): Ye believe not, but rather say "We submit," for the faith hath not yet entered into your hearts. Yet, if ye obey Allah and His messenger, He will not withhold from you aught of (the reward of) your deeds. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

[Yusufali 49:14] The desert Arabs say, "We believe." Say, "Ye have no faith; but ye (only)say, 'We have submitted our wills to Allah,' For not yet has Faith entered your hearts. But if ye obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not belittle aught of your deeds: for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."

إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَرْتَابُوا وَجَاهَدُوا بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنْفُسِهِمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِۚ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الصَّادِقُونَ {15}

[Shakir 49:15] The believers are only those who believe in Allah and His Messenger then they doubt not and struggle hard with their wealth and their lives in the way of Allah; they are the truthful ones.

[Pickthal 49:15] The (true) believers are those only who believe in Allah and His messenger and afterward doubt not, but strive with their wealth and their lives for the cause of Allah. Such are the sincere.

[Yusufali 49:15] Only those are Believers who have believed in Allah and His Messenger, and have never since doubted, but have striven with their belongings and their persons in the Cause of Allah: Such are the sincere ones.

قُلْ أَتُعَلِّمُونَ اللَّهَ بِدِينِكُمْ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِۚ وَاللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ {16}

[Shakir 49:16] Say: Do you apprise Allah of your religion, and Allah knows what is in the heavens and what is in the earth; and Allah is Cognizant of all things.

[Pickthal 49:16] Say (unto them, O Muhammad): Would ye teach Allah your religion, when Allah knoweth all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth, and Allah is Aware of all things?

[Yusufali 49:16] Say: "What! Will ye instruct Allah about your religion? But Allah knows all that is in the heavens and on earth: He has full knowledge of all things.

يَمُنُّونَ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ أَسْلَمُوا قُلْ لَا تَمُنُّوا عَلَيَّ إِسْلَامَكُمْ بَلِ اللَّهُ يَمُنُّ عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْ هَدَاكُمْ لِلْإِيمَانِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ {17}

[Shakir 49:17] They think that they lay you under an obligation by becoming Muslims. Say: Lay me not under obligation by your Islam: rather Allah lays you under an obligation by guiding you to the faith if you are truthful.

[Pickthal 49:17] They make it a favour unto thee (Muhammad) that they have surrendered (unto Him). Say: Deem not your Surrender a favour unto me; but Allah doth confer a favour on you, inasmuch as He hath led you to the Faith, if ye are earnest.

[Yusufali 49:17] They impress on thee as a favour that they have embraced Islam. Say, "Count not your Islam as a favour upon me: Nay, Allah has conferred a favour upon you that He has guided you to the faith, if ye be true and sincere.

إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ غَيْبَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِۚ وَاللَّهُ بَصِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ {18}

[Shakir 49:18] Surely Allah knows the unseen things of the heavens and the earth; and Allah sees what you do.

[Pickthal 49:18] Lo! Allah knoweth the Unseen of the heavens and the earth. And Allah is Seer of what ye do.

[Yusufali 49:18] "Verily Allah knows the secrets of the heavens and the earth: and Allah Sees well all that ye do."

سورة ق (Qaf)

Sura 50

Aya 1 to 45

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

[Shakir] In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

[Pickthal] In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

[Yusufali] In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

قۚ وَالْقُرْآنِ الْمَجِيدِ {1}

[Shakir 50:1] Qaf. I swear by the glorious Quran (that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah)

[Pickthal 50:1] Qaf. By the Glorious Qur'an,

[Yusufali 50:1] Qaf: By the Glorious Qur'an (Thou art Allah's Messenger).

بَلْ عَجِبُوا أَنْ جَاءَهُمْ مُنْذِرٌ مِنْهُمْ فَقَالَ الْكَافِرُونَ هَٰذَا شَيْءٌ عَجِيبٌ {2}

[Shakir 50:2] Nay! they wonder that there has come to them a warner from among themselves, so the unbelievers say: This is a wonderful thing:

[Pickthal 50:2] Nay, but they marvel that a warner of their own hath come unto them; and the disbelievers say: This is a strange thing:

[Yusufali 50:2] But they wonder that there has come to them a Warner from among themselves. So the Unbelievers say: "This is a wonderful thing!

أَإِذَا مِتْنَا وَكُنَّا تُرَابًا ذَٰلِكَ رَجْعٌ بَعِيدٌ {3}

[Shakir 50:3] What! when we are dead and have become dust? That is afar (from probable) return.

[Pickthal 50:3] When we are dead and have become dust (shall we be brought back again)? That would be a far return!

[Yusufali 50:3] "What! When we die and become dust, (shall we live again?) That is a (sort of) return far (from our understanding)."

قَدْ عَلِمْنَا مَا تَنْقُصُ الْأَرْضُ مِنْهُمْ وَعِنْدَنَا كِتَابٌ حَفِيظٌ {4}

[Shakir 50:4] We know indeed what the earth diminishes of them, and with Us is a writing that preserves.

[Pickthal 50:4] We know that which the earth taketh of them, and with Us is a recording Book.

[Yusufali 50:4] We already know how much of them the earth takes away: With Us is a record guarding (the full account).

بَلْ كَذَّبُوا بِالْحَقِّ لَمَّا جَاءَهُمْ فَهُمْ فِي أَمْرٍ مَرِيجٍ {5}

[Shakir 50:5] Nay, they rejected the truth when it came to them, so they are (now) in a state of confusion.

[Pickthal 50:5] Nay, but they have denied the truth when it came unto them, therefor they are now in troubled case.

[Yusufali 50:5] But they deny the Truth when it comes to them: so they are in a confused state.

أَفَلَمْ يَنْظُرُوا إِلَى السَّمَاءِ فَوْقَهُمْ كَيْفَ بَنَيْنَاهَا وَزَيَّنَّاهَا وَمَا لَهَا مِنْ فُرُوجٍ {6}

[Shakir 50:6] Do they not then look up to heaven above them how We have made it and adorned it and it has no gaps?

[Pickthal 50:6] Have they not then observed the sky above them, how We have constructed it and beautified it, and how there are no rifts therein?

[Yusufali 50:6] Do they not look at the sky above them?- How We have made it and adorned it, and there are no flaws in it?

وَالْأَرْضَ مَدَدْنَاهَا وَأَلْقَيْنَا فِيهَا رَوَاسِيَ وَأَنْبَتْنَا فِيهَا مِنْ كُلِّ زَوْجٍ بَهِيجٍ {7}

[Shakir 50:7] And the earth, We have made it plain and cast in it mountains and We have made to grow therein of all beautiful kinds,

[Pickthal 50:7] And the earth have We spread out, and have flung firm hills therein, and have caused of every lovely kind to grow thereon,

[Yusufali 50:7] And the earth- We have spread it out, and set thereon mountains standing firm, and produced therein every kind of beautiful growth (in pairs)-

تَبْصِرَةً وَذِكْرَىٰ لِكُلِّ عَبْدٍ مُنِيبٍ {8}

[Shakir 50:8] To give sight and as a reminder to every servant who turns frequently (to Allah).

[Pickthal 50:8] A vision and a reminder for every penitent slave.

[Yusufali 50:8] To be observed and commemorated by every devotee turning (to Allah).

وَنَزَّلْنَا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً مُبَارَكًا فَأَنْبَتْنَا بِهِ جَنَّاتٍ وَحَبَّ الْحَصِيدِ {9}

[Shakir 50:9] And We send down from the cloud water abounding in good, then We cause to grow thereby gardens and the grain that is reaped,

[Pickthal 50:9] And We send down from the sky blessed water whereby We give growth unto gardens and the grain of crops,

[Yusufali 50:9] And We send down from the sky rain charted with blessing, and We produce therewith gardens and Grain for harvests;

وَالنَّخْلَ بَاسِقَاتٍ لَهَا طَلْعٌ نَضِيدٌ {10}

[Shakir 50:10] And the tall palm-trees having spadices closely set one above another,

[Pickthal 50:10] And lofty date-palms with ranged clusters,

[Yusufali 50:10] And tall (and stately) palm-trees, with shoots of fruit-stalks, piled one over another;-

رِزْقًا لِلْعِبَادِ وَأَحْيَيْنَا بِهِ بَلْدَةً مَيْتًاۚ كَذَٰلِكَ الْخُرُوجُ {11}

[Shakir 50:11] A sustenance for the servants, and We give life thereby to a dead land; thus is the rising.

[Pickthal 50:11] Provision (made) for men; and therewith We quicken a dead land. Even so will be the resurrection of the dead.

[Yusufali 50:11] As sustenance for (Allah's) Servants;- and We give (new) life therewith to land that is dead: Thus will be the Resurrection.

كَذَّبَتْ قَبْلَهُمْ قَوْمُ نُوحٍ وَأَصْحَابُ الرَّسِّ وَثَمُودُ {12}

[Shakir 50:12] (Others) before them rejected (prophets): the people of Nuh and the dwellers of Ar-Rass and Samood,

[Pickthal 50:12] The folk of Noah denied (the truth) before them, and (so did) the dwellers at Ar-Rass and (the tribe of) Thamud,

[Yusufali 50:12] Before them was denied (the Hereafter) by the People of Noah, the Companions of the Rass, the Thamud,

وَعَادٌ وَفِرْعَوْنُ وَإِخْوَانُ لُوطٍ {13}

[Shakir 50:13] And Ad and Firon and Lut's brethren,

[Pickthal 50:13] And (the tribe of) A'ad, and Pharaoh, and the brethren of Lot,

[Yusufali 50:13] The 'Ad, Pharaoh, the brethren of Lut,

وَأَصْحَابُ الْأَيْكَةِ وَقَوْمُ تُبَّعٍۚ كُلٌّ كَذَّبَ الرُّسُلَ فَحَقَّ وَعِيدِ {14}

[Shakir 50:14] And the dwellers of the grove and the people of Tuba; all rejected the messengers, so My threat came to pass.

[Pickthal 50:14] And the dwellers in the wood, and the folk of Tubb'a: every one denied their messengers, therefor My threat took effect.

[Yusufali 50:14] The Companions of the Wood, and the People of Tubba'; each one (of them) rejected the messengers, and My warning was duly fulfilled (in them).

أَفَعَيِينَا بِالْخَلْقِ الْأَوَّلِۚ بَلْ هُمْ فِي لَبْسٍ مِنْ خَلْقٍ جَدِيدٍ {15}

[Shakir 50:15] Were We then fatigued with the first creation? Yet are they in doubt with regard to a new creation.

[Pickthal 50:15] Were We then worn out by the first creation? Yet they are in doubt about a new creation.

[Yusufali 50:15] Were We then weary with the first Creation, that they should be in confused doubt about a new Creation?

وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ وَنَعْلَمُ مَا تُوَسْوِسُ بِهِ نَفْسُهُ وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ حَبْلِ الْوَرِيدِ {16}

[Shakir 50:16] And certainly We created man, and We know what his mind suggests to him, and We are nearer to him than his life-vein.

[Pickthal 50:16] We verily created man and We know what his soul whispereth to him, and We are nearer to him than his jugular vein.

[Yusufali 50:16] It was We Who created man, and We know what dark suggestions his soul makes to him: for We are nearer to him than (his) jugular vein.

إِذْ يَتَلَقَّى الْمُتَلَقِّيَانِ عَنِ الْيَمِينِ وَعَنِ الشِّمَالِ قَعِيدٌ {17}

[Shakir 50:17] When the two receivers receive, sitting on the right and on the left.

[Pickthal 50:17] When the two Receivers receive (him), seated on the right hand and on the left,

[Yusufali 50:17] Behold, two (guardian angels) appointed to learn (his doings) learn (and noted them), one sitting on the right and one on the left.

مَا يَلْفِظُ مِنْ قَوْلٍ إِلَّا لَدَيْهِ رَقِيبٌ عَتِيدٌ {18}

[Shakir 50:18] He utters not a word but there is by him a watcher at hand.

[Pickthal 50:18] He uttereth no word but there is with him an observer ready.

[Yusufali 50:18] Not a word does he utter but there is a sentinel by him, ready (to note it).

وَجَاءَتْ سَكْرَةُ الْمَوْتِ بِالْحَقِّ ذَٰلِكَ مَا كُنْتَ مِنْهُ تَحِيدُ {19}

[Shakir 50:19] And the stupor of death will come in truth; that is what you were trying to escape.

[Pickthal 50:19] And the agony of death cometh in truth. (And it is said unto him): This is that which thou wast wont to shun.

[Yusufali 50:19] And the stupor of death will bring Truth (before his eyes): "This was the thing which thou wast trying to escape!"

وَنُفِخَ فِي الصُّورِۚ ذَٰلِكَ يَوْمُ الْوَعِيدِ {20}

[Shakir 50:20] And the trumpet shall be blown; that is the day of the threatening.

[Pickthal 50:20] And the trumpet is blown. This is the threatened Day.

[Yusufali 50:20] And the Trumpet shall be blown: that will be the Day whereof Warning (had been given).

وَجَاءَتْ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَعَهَا سَائِقٌ وَشَهِيدٌ {21}

[Shakir 50:21] And every soul shall come, with it a driver and a witness.

[Pickthal 50:21] And every soul cometh, along with it a driver and a witness.

[Yusufali 50:21] And there will come forth every soul: with each will be an (angel) to drive, and an (angel) to bear witness.

لَقَدْ كُنْتَ فِي غَفْلَةٍ مِنْ هَٰذَا فَكَشَفْنَا عَنْكَ غِطَاءَكَ فَبَصَرُكَ الْيَوْمَ حَدِيدٌ {22}

[Shakir 50:22] Certainly you were heedless of it, but now We have removed from you your veil, so your sight today is sharp.

[Pickthal 50:22] (And unto the evil-doer it is said): Thou wast in heedlessness of this. Now We have removed from thee thy covering, and piercing is thy sight this day.

[Yusufali 50:22] (It will be said:) "Thou wast heedless of this; now have We removed thy veil, and sharp is thy sight this Day!"

وَقَالَ قَرِينُهُ هَٰذَا مَا لَدَيَّ عَتِيدٌ {23}

[Shakir 50:23] And his companions shall say: This is what is ready with me.

[Pickthal 50:23] And (unto the evil-doer) his comrade saith: This is that which I have ready (as testimony).

[Yusufali 50:23] And his Companion will say: "Here is (his Record) ready with me!"

أَلْقِيَا فِي جَهَنَّمَ كُلَّ كَفَّارٍ عَنِيدٍ {24}

[Shakir 50:24] Do cast into hell every ungrateful, rebellious one,

[Pickthal 50:24] (And it is said): Do ye twain hurl to hell each rebel ingrate,

[Yusufali 50:24] (The sentence will be:) "Throw, throw into Hell every contumacious Rejecter (of Allah)!-

مَنَّاعٍ لِلْخَيْرِ مُعْتَدٍ مُرِيبٍ {25}

[Shakir 50:25] Forbidder of good, exceeder of limits, doubter,

[Pickthal 50:25] Hinderer of good, transgressor, doubter,

[Yusufali 50:25] "Who forbade what was good, transgressed all bounds, cast doubts and suspicions;

الَّذِي جَعَلَ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَٰهًا آخَرَ فَأَلْقِيَاهُ فِي الْعَذَابِ الشَّدِيدِ {26}

[Shakir 50:26] Who sets up another god with Allah, so do cast him into severe chastisement.

[Pickthal 50:26] Who setteth up another god along with Allah. Do ye twain hurl him to the dreadful doom.

[Yusufali 50:26] "Who set up another god beside Allah: Throw him into a severe penalty."

قَالَ قَرِينُهُ رَبَّنَا مَا أَطْغَيْتُهُ وَلَٰكِنْ كَانَ فِي ضَلَالٍ بَعِيدٍ {27}

[Shakir 50:27] His companion will say: Our Lord! I did not lead him into inordinacy but he himself was in a great error.

[Pickthal 50:27] His comrade saith: Our Lord! I did not cause him to rebel, but he was (himself) far gone in error.

[Yusufali 50:27] His Companion will say: "Our Lord! I did not make him transgress, but he was (himself) far astray."

قَالَ لَا تَخْتَصِمُوا لَدَيَّ وَقَدْ قَدَّمْتُ إِلَيْكُمْ بِالْوَعِيدِ {28}

[Shakir 50:28] He will say: Do not quarrel in My presence, and indeed I gave you the threatening beforehand:

[Pickthal 50:28] He saith: Contend not in My presence, when I had already proffered unto you the warning.

[Yusufali 50:28] He will say: "Dispute not with each other in My Presence: I had already in advance sent you Warning.

مَا يُبَدَّلُ الْقَوْلُ لَدَيَّ وَمَا أَنَا بِظَلَّامٍ لِلْعَبِيدِ {29}

[Shakir 50:29] My word shall not be changed, nor am I in the least unjust to the servants.

[Pickthal 50:29] The sentence that cometh from Me cannot be changed, and I am in no wise a tyrant unto the slaves.

[Yusufali 50:29] "The Word changes not before Me, and I do not the least injustice to My Servants."

يَوْمَ نَقُولُ لِجَهَنَّمَ هَلِ امْتَلَأْتِ وَتَقُولُ هَلْ مِنْ مَزِيدٍ {30}

[Shakir 50:30] On the day that We will say to hell: Are you filled up? And it will say: Are there any more?

[Pickthal 50:30] On the day when We say unto hell: Art thou filled? and it saith: Can there be more to come?

[Yusufali 50:30] One Day We will ask Hell, "Art thou filled to the full?" It will say, "Are there any more (to come)?"

وَأُزْلِفَتِ الْجَنَّةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ غَيْرَ بَعِيدٍ {31}

[Shakir 50:31] And the garden shall be brought near to those who guard (against evil), not far off:

[Pickthal 50:31] And the Garden is brought nigh for those who kept from evil, no longer distant.

[Yusufali 50:31] And the Garden will be brought nigh to the Righteous,- no more a thing distant.

هَٰذَا مَا تُوعَدُونَ لِكُلِّ أَوَّابٍ حَفِيظٍ {32}

[Shakir 50:32] This is what you were promised, (it is) for every one who turns frequently (to Allah), keeps (His limits);

[Pickthal 50:32] (And it is said): This is that which ye were promised. (It is) for every penitent and heedful one,

[Yusufali 50:32] (A voice will say:) "This is what was promised for you,- for every one who turned (to Allah) in sincere repentance, who kept (His Law),

مَنْ خَشِيَ الرَّحْمَٰنَ بِالْغَيْبِ وَجَاءَ بِقَلْبٍ مُنِيبٍ {33}

[Shakir 50:33] Who fears the Beneficent Allah in secret and comes with a penitent heart:

[Pickthal 50:33] Who feareth the Beneficent in secret and cometh with a contrite heart.

[Yusufali 50:33] "Who feared (Allah) Most Gracious Unseen, and brought a heart turned in devotion (to Him):

ادْخُلُوهَا بِسَلَامٍ ذَٰلِكَ يَوْمُ الْخُلُودِ {34}

[Shakir 50:34] Enter it in peace, that is the day of abiding.

[Pickthal 50:34] Enter it in peace. This is the day of immortality.

[Yusufali 50:34] "Enter ye therein in Peace and Security; this is a Day of Eternal Life!"

لَهُمْ مَا يَشَاءُونَ فِيهَا وَلَدَيْنَا مَزِيدٌ {35}

[Shakir 50:35] They have therein what they wish and with Us is more yet.

[Pickthal 50:35] There they have all that they desire, and there is more with Us.

[Yusufali 50:35] There will be for them therein all that they wish,- and more besides in Our Presence.

وَكَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا قَبْلَهُمْ مِنْ قَرْنٍ هُمْ أَشَدُّ مِنْهُمْ بَطْشًا فَنَقَّبُوا فِي الْبِلَادِ هَلْ مِنْ مَحِيصٍ {36}

[Shakir 50:36] And how many a generation did We destroy before them who were mightier in prowess than they, so they went about and about in the lands. Is there a place of refuge?

[Pickthal 50:36] And how many a generation We destroyed before them, who were mightier than these in prowess so that they overran the lands! Had they any place of refuge (when the judgment came)?

[Yusufali 50:36] But how many generations before them did We destroy (for their sins),- stronger in power than they? Then did they wander through the land: was there any place of escape (for them)?

إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَذِكْرَىٰ لِمَنْ كَانَ لَهُ قَلْبٌ أَوْ أَلْقَى السَّمْعَ وَهُوَ شَهِيدٌ {37}

[Shakir 50:37] Most surely there is a reminder in this for him who has a heart or he gives ear and is a witness.

[Pickthal 50:37] Lo! therein verily is a reminder for him who hath a heart, or giveth ear with full intelligence.

[Yusufali 50:37] Verily in this is a Message for any that has a heart and understanding or who gives ear and earnestly witnesses (the truth).

وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ وَمَا مَسَّنَا مِنْ لُغُوبٍ {38}

[Shakir 50:38] And certainly We created the heavens and the earth and what is between them in six periods and there touched Us not any fatigue.

[Pickthal 50:38] And verily We created the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them, in six Days, and naught of weariness touched Us.

[Yusufali 50:38] We created the heavens and the earth and all between them in Six Days, nor did any sense of weariness touch Us.

فَاصْبِرْ عَلَىٰ مَا يَقُولُونَ وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ قَبْلَ طُلُوعِ الشَّمْسِ وَقَبْلَ الْغُرُوبِ {39}

[Shakir 50:39] Therefore be patient of what they say, and sing the praise of your Lord before the rising of the sun and before the setting.

[Pickthal 50:39] Therefor (O Muhammad) bear with what they say, and hymn the praise of thy Lord before the rising and before the setting of the sun;

[Yusufali 50:39] Bear, then, with patience, all that they say, and celebrate the praises of thy Lord, before the rising of the sun and before (its) setting.

وَمِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَسَبِّحْهُ وَأَدْبَارَ السُّجُودِ {40}

[Shakir 50:40] And glorify Him in the night and after the prayers.

[Pickthal 50:40] And in the night-time hymn His praise, and after the (prescribed) prostrations.

[Yusufali 50:40] And during part of the night, (also,) celebrate His praises, and (so likewise) after the postures of adoration.

وَاسْتَمِعْ يَوْمَ يُنَادِ الْمُنَادِ مِنْ مَكَانٍ قَرِيبٍ {41}

[Shakir 50:41] And listen on the day when the crier shall cry from a near place

[Pickthal 50:41] And listen on the day when the crier crieth from a near place,

[Yusufali 50:41] And listen for the Day when the Caller will call out from a place quiet near,-

يَوْمَ يَسْمَعُونَ الصَّيْحَةَ بِالْحَقِّۚ ذَٰلِكَ يَوْمُ الْخُرُوجِ {42}

[Shakir 50:42] The day when they shall hear the cry in truth; that is the day of coming forth.

[Pickthal 50:42] The day when they will hear the (Awful) Cry in truth. That is the day of coming forth (from the graves).

[Yusufali 50:42] The Day when they will hear a (mighty) Blast in (very) truth: that will be the Day of Resurrection.

إِنَّا نَحْنُ نُحْيِي وَنُمِيتُ وَإِلَيْنَا الْمَصِيرُ {43}

[Shakir 50:43] Surely We give life and cause to die, and to Us is the eventual coming;

[Pickthal 50:43] Lo! We it is Who quicken and give death, and unto Us is the journeying.

[Yusufali 50:43] Verily it is We Who give Life and Death; and to Us is the Final Goal-

يَوْمَ تَشَقَّقُ الْأَرْضُ عَنْهُمْ سِرَاعًاۚ ذَٰلِكَ حَشْرٌ عَلَيْنَا يَسِيرٌ {44}

[Shakir 50:44] The day on which the earth shall cleave asunder under them, they will make haste; that is a gathering together easy to Us.

[Pickthal 50:44] On the day when the earth splitteth asunder from them, hastening forth (they come). That is a gathering easy for Us (to make).

[Yusufali 50:44] The Day when the Earth will be rent asunder, from (men) hurrying out: that will be a gathering together,- quite easy for Us.

نَحْنُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يَقُولُونَ وَمَا أَنْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ بِجَبَّارٍ فَذَكِّرْ بِالْقُرْآنِ مَنْ يَخَافُ وَعِيدِ {45}

[Shakir 50:45] We know best what they say, and you are not one to compel them; therefore remind him by means of the Quran who fears My threat.

[Pickthal 50:45] We are Best Aware of what they say, and thou (O Muhammad) art in no wise a compeller over them. But warn by the Qur'an him who feareth My threat.

[Yusufali 50:45] We know best what they say; and thou art not one to overawe them by force. So admonish with the Qur'an such as fear My Warning!

سورة الحجرات (Al-Hujurat)

Sura 49

Aya 1 to 18

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

[Shakir] In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

[Pickthal] In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

[Yusufali] In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تُقَدِّمُوا بَيْنَ يَدَيِ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ {1}

[Shakir 49:1] O you who believe! be not forward in the presence of Allah and His Messenger, and be careful of (your duty to) Allah; surely Allah is Hearing, Knowing.

[Pickthal 49:1] O ye who believe! Be not forward in the presence of Allah and His messenger, and keep your duty to Allah. Lo! Allah is Hearer, Knower.

[Yusufali 49:1] O Ye who believe! Put not yourselves forward before Allah and His Messenger; but fear Allah: for Allah is He Who hears and knows all things.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَرْفَعُوا أَصْوَاتَكُمْ فَوْقَ صَوْتِ النَّبِيِّ وَلَا تَجْهَرُوا لَهُ بِالْقَوْلِ كَجَهْرِ بَعْضِكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ أَنْ تَحْبَطَ أَعْمَالُكُمْ وَأَنْتُمْ لَا تَشْعُرُونَ {2}

[Shakir 49:2] O you who believe! do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet, and do not speak loud to him as you speak loud to one another, lest your deeds became null while you do not perceive.

[Pickthal 49:2] O ye who believe! Lift not up your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor shout when speaking to him as ye shout one to another, lest your works be rendered vain while ye perceive not.

[Yusufali 49:2] O ye who believe! Raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor speak aloud to him in talk, as ye may speak aloud to one another, lest your deeds become vain and ye perceive not.

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَغُضُّونَ أَصْوَاتَهُمْ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ امْتَحَنَ اللَّهُ قُلُوبَهُمْ لِلتَّقْوَىٰۚ لَهُمْ مَغْفِرَةٌ وَأَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ {3}

[Shakir 49:3] Surely those who lower their voices before Allah's Messenger are they whose hearts Allah has proved for guarding (against evil); they shall have forgiveness and a great reward.

[Pickthal 49:3] Lo! they who subdue their voices in the presence of the messenger of Allah, those are they whose hearts Allah hath proven unto righteousness. Theirs will be forgiveness and immense reward.

[Yusufali 49:3] Those that lower their voices in the presence of Allah's Messenger,- their hearts has Allah tested for piety: for them is Forgiveness and a great Reward.

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُنَادُونَكَ مِنْ وَرَاءِ الْحُجُرَاتِ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ {4}

[Shakir 49:4] (As for) those who call out to you from behind the private chambers, surely most of them do not understand.

[Pickthal 49:4] Lo! those who call thee from behind the private apartments, most of them have no sense.

[Yusufali 49:4] Those who shout out to thee from without the inner apartments - most of them lack understanding.

وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ صَبَرُوا حَتَّىٰ تَخْرُجَ إِلَيْهِمْ لَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُمْۚ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ {5}

[Shakir 49:5] And if they wait patiently until you come out to them, it would certainly be better for them, and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

[Pickthal 49:5] And if they had had patience till thou camest forth unto them, it had been better for them. And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

[Yusufali 49:5] If only they had patience until thou couldst come out to them, it would be best for them: but Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنْ جَاءَكُمْ فَاسِقٌ بِنَبَإٍ فَتَبَيَّنُوا أَنْ تُصِيبُوا قَوْمًا بِجَهَالَةٍ فَتُصْبِحُوا عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلْتُمْ نَادِمِينَ {6}

[Shakir 49:6] O you who believe! if an evil-doer comes to you with a report, look carefully into it, lest you harm a people in ignorance, then be sorry for what you have done.

[Pickthal 49:6] O ye who believe! If an evil-liver bring you tidings, verify it, lest ye smite some folk in ignorance and afterward repent of what ye did.

[Yusufali 49:6] O ye who believe! If a wicked person comes to you with any news, ascertain the truth, lest ye harm people unwittingly, and afterwards become full of repentance for what ye have done.

وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ فِيكُمْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِۚ لَوْ يُطِيعُكُمْ فِي كَثِيرٍ مِنَ الْأَمْرِ لَعَنِتُّمْ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ حَبَّبَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْإِيمَانَ وَزَيَّنَهُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ وَكَرَّهَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْكُفْرَ وَالْفُسُوقَ وَالْعِصْيَانَۚ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الرَّاشِدُونَ {7}

[Shakir 49:7] And know that among you is Allah's Messenger; should he obey you in many a matter, you would surely fall into distress, but Allah has endeared the faith to you and has made it seemly in your hearts, and He has made hateful to you unbelief and transgression and disobedience; these it is that are the followers of a right way.

[Pickthal 49:7] And know that the messenger of Allah is among you. If he were to obey you in much of the government, ye would surely be in trouble; but Allah hath endeared the faith to you and hath beautified it in your hearts, and hath made disbelief and lewdness and rebellion hateful unto you. Such are they who are the rightly guided.

[Yusufali 49:7] And know that among you is Allah's Messenger: were he, in many matters, to follow your (wishes), ye would certainly fall into misfortune: But Allah has endeared the Faith to you, and has made it beautiful in your hearts, and He has made hateful to you Unbelief, wickedness, and rebellion: such indeed are those who walk in righteousness;-

فَضْلًا مِنَ اللَّهِ وَنِعْمَةًۚ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ {8}

[Shakir 49:8] By grace from Allah and as a favor; and Allah is Knowing, Wise.

[Pickthal 49:8] (It is) a bounty and a grace from Allah; and Allah is Knower, Wise.

[Yusufali 49:8] A Grace and Favour from Allah; and Allah is full of Knowledge and Wisdom.

وَإِنْ طَائِفَتَانِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ اقْتَتَلُوا فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَهُمَا فَإِنْ بَغَتْ إِحْدَاهُمَا عَلَى الْأُخْرَىٰ فَقَاتِلُوا الَّتِي تَبْغِي حَتَّىٰ تَفِيءَ إِلَىٰ أَمْرِ اللَّهِۚ فَإِنْ فَاءَتْ فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَهُمَا بِالْعَدْلِ وَأَقْسِطُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُقْسِطِينَ {9}

[Shakir 49:9] And if two parties of the believers quarrel, make peace between them; but if one of them acts wrongfully towards the other, fight that which acts wrongfully until it returns to Allah's command; then if it returns, make peace between them with justice and act equitably; surely Allah loves those who act equitably.

[Pickthal 49:9] And if two parties of believers fall to fighting, then make peace between them. And if one party of them doeth wrong to the other, fight ye that which doeth wrong till it return unto the ordinance of Allah; then, if it return, make peace between them justly, and act equitably. Lo! Allah loveth the equitable.

[Yusufali 49:9] If two parties among the Believers fall into a quarrel, make ye peace between them: but if one of them transgresses beyond bounds against the other, then fight ye (all) against the one that transgresses until it complies with the command of Allah; but if it complies, then make peace between them with justice, and be fair: for Allah loves those who are fair (and just).

إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَ أَخَوَيْكُمْۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ {10}

[Shakir 49:10] The believers are but brethren, therefore make peace between your brethren and be careful of (your duty to) Allah that mercy may be had on you.

[Pickthal 49:10] The believers are naught else than brothers. Therefore make peace between your brethren and observe your duty to Allah that haply ye may obtain mercy.

[Yusufali 49:10] The Believers are but a single Brotherhood: So make peace and reconciliation between your two (contending) brothers; and fear Allah, that ye may receive Mercy.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا يَسْخَرْ قَوْمٌ مِنْ قَوْمٍ عَسَىٰ أَنْ يَكُونُوا خَيْرًا مِنْهُمْ وَلَا نِسَاءٌ مِنْ نِسَاءٍ عَسَىٰ أَنْ يَكُنَّ خَيْرًا مِنْهُنَّ وَلَا تَلْمِزُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ وَلَا تَنَابَزُوا بِالْأَلْقَابِ بِئْسَ الِاسْمُ الْفُسُوقُ بَعْدَ الْإِيمَانِۚ وَمَنْ لَمْ يَتُبْ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ {11}

[Shakir 49:11] O you who believe! let not (one) people laugh at (another) people perchance they may be better than they, nor let women (laugh) at (other) women, perchance they may be better than they; and do not find fault with your own people nor call one another by nicknames; evil is a bad name after faith, and whoever does not turn, these it is that are the unjust.

[Pickthal 49:11] O ye who believe! Let not a folk deride a folk who may be better than they (are), not let women (deride) women who may be better than they are; neither defame one another, nor insult one another by nicknames. Bad is the name of lewdness after faith. And whoso turneth not in repentance, such are evil-doers.

[Yusufali 49:11] O ye who believe! Let not some men among you laugh at others: It may be that the (latter) are better than the (former): Nor let some women laugh at others: It may be that the (latter are better than the (former): Nor defame nor be sarcastic to each other, nor call each other by (offensive) nicknames: Ill-seeming is a name connoting wickedness, (to be used of one) after he has believed: And those who do not desist are (indeed) doing wrong.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اجْتَنِبُوا كَثِيرًا مِنَ الظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الظَّنِّ إِثْمٌ وَلَا تَجَسَّسُوا وَلَا يَغْتَبْ بَعْضُكُمْ بَعْضًاۚ أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ لَحْمَ أَخِيهِ مَيْتًا فَكَرِهْتُمُوهُۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَوَّابٌ رَحِيمٌ {12}

[Shakir 49:12] O you who believe! avoid most of suspicion, for surely suspicion in some cases is a sin, and do not spy nor let some of you backbite others. Does one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? But you abhor it; and be careful of (your duty to) Allah, surely Allah is Oft-returning (to mercy), Merciful.

[Pickthal 49:12] O ye who believe! Shun much suspicion; for lo! some suspicion is a crime. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you love to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Ye abhor that (so abhor the other)! And keep your duty (to Allah). Lo! Allah is Relenting, Merciful.

[Yusufali 49:12] O ye who believe! Avoid suspicion as much (as possible): for suspicion in some cases is a sin: And spy not on each other behind their backs. Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Nay, ye would abhor it...But fear Allah: For Allah is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful.

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ مِنْ ذَكَرٍ وَأُنْثَىٰ وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُواۚ إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ {13}

[Shakir 49:13] O you men! surely We have created you of a male and a female, and made you tribes and families that you may know each other; surely the most honorable of you with Allah is the one among you most careful (of his duty); surely Allah is Knowing, Aware.

[Pickthal 49:13] O mankind! Lo! We have created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another. Lo! the noblest of you, in the sight of Allah, is the best in conduct. Lo! Allah is Knower, Aware.

[Yusufali 49:13] O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).

قَالَتِ الْأَعْرَابُ آمَنَّا قُلْ لَمْ تُؤْمِنُوا وَلَٰكِنْ قُولُوا أَسْلَمْنَا وَلَمَّا يَدْخُلِ الْإِيمَانُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ وَإِنْ تُطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ لَا يَلِتْكُمْ مِنْ أَعْمَالِكُمْ شَيْئًاۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ {14}

[Shakir 49:14] The dwellers of the desert say: We believe. Say: You do not believe but say, We submit; and faith has not yet entered into your hearts; and if you obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not diminish aught of your deeds; surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

[Pickthal 49:14] The wandering Arabs say: We believe. Say (unto them, O Muhammad): Ye believe not, but rather say "We submit," for the faith hath not yet entered into your hearts. Yet, if ye obey Allah and His messenger, He will not withhold from you aught of (the reward of) your deeds. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

[Yusufali 49:14] The desert Arabs say, "We believe." Say, "Ye have no faith; but ye (only)say, 'We have submitted our wills to Allah,' For not yet has Faith entered your hearts. But if ye obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not belittle aught of your deeds: for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."

إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَرْتَابُوا وَجَاهَدُوا بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنْفُسِهِمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِۚ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الصَّادِقُونَ {15}

[Shakir 49:15] The believers are only those who believe in Allah and His Messenger then they doubt not and struggle hard with their wealth and their lives in the way of Allah; they are the truthful ones.

[Pickthal 49:15] The (true) believers are those only who believe in Allah and His messenger and afterward doubt not, but strive with their wealth and their lives for the cause of Allah. Such are the sincere.

[Yusufali 49:15] Only those are Believers who have believed in Allah and His Messenger, and have never since doubted, but have striven with their belongings and their persons in the Cause of Allah: Such are the sincere ones.

قُلْ أَتُعَلِّمُونَ اللَّهَ بِدِينِكُمْ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِۚ وَاللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ {16}

[Shakir 49:16] Say: Do you apprise Allah of your religion, and Allah knows what is in the heavens and what is in the earth; and Allah is Cognizant of all things.

[Pickthal 49:16] Say (unto them, O Muhammad): Would ye teach Allah your religion, when Allah knoweth all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth, and Allah is Aware of all things?

[Yusufali 49:16] Say: "What! Will ye instruct Allah about your religion? But Allah knows all that is in the heavens and on earth: He has full knowledge of all things.

يَمُنُّونَ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ أَسْلَمُوا قُلْ لَا تَمُنُّوا عَلَيَّ إِسْلَامَكُمْ بَلِ اللَّهُ يَمُنُّ عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْ هَدَاكُمْ لِلْإِيمَانِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ {17}

[Shakir 49:17] They think that they lay you under an obligation by becoming Muslims. Say: Lay me not under obligation by your Islam: rather Allah lays you under an obligation by guiding you to the faith if you are truthful.

[Pickthal 49:17] They make it a favour unto thee (Muhammad) that they have surrendered (unto Him). Say: Deem not your Surrender a favour unto me; but Allah doth confer a favour on you, inasmuch as He hath led you to the Faith, if ye are earnest.

[Yusufali 49:17] They impress on thee as a favour that they have embraced Islam. Say, "Count not your Islam as a favour upon me: Nay, Allah has conferred a favour upon you that He has guided you to the faith, if ye be true and sincere.

إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ غَيْبَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِۚ وَاللَّهُ بَصِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ {18}

[Shakir 49:18] Surely Allah knows the unseen things of the heavens and the earth; and Allah sees what you do.

[Pickthal 49:18] Lo! Allah knoweth the Unseen of the heavens and the earth. And Allah is Seer of what ye do.

[Yusufali 49:18] "Verily Allah knows the secrets of the heavens and the earth: and Allah Sees well all that ye do."

سورة ق (Qaf)

Sura 50

Aya 1 to 45

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

[Shakir] In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

[Pickthal] In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

[Yusufali] In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

قۚ وَالْقُرْآنِ الْمَجِيدِ {1}

[Shakir 50:1] Qaf. I swear by the glorious Quran (that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah)

[Pickthal 50:1] Qaf. By the Glorious Qur'an,

[Yusufali 50:1] Qaf: By the Glorious Qur'an (Thou art Allah's Messenger).

بَلْ عَجِبُوا أَنْ جَاءَهُمْ مُنْذِرٌ مِنْهُمْ فَقَالَ الْكَافِرُونَ هَٰذَا شَيْءٌ عَجِيبٌ {2}

[Shakir 50:2] Nay! they wonder that there has come to them a warner from among themselves, so the unbelievers say: This is a wonderful thing:

[Pickthal 50:2] Nay, but they marvel that a warner of their own hath come unto them; and the disbelievers say: This is a strange thing:

[Yusufali 50:2] But they wonder that there has come to them a Warner from among themselves. So the Unbelievers say: "This is a wonderful thing!

أَإِذَا مِتْنَا وَكُنَّا تُرَابًا ذَٰلِكَ رَجْعٌ بَعِيدٌ {3}

[Shakir 50:3] What! when we are dead and have become dust? That is afar (from probable) return.

[Pickthal 50:3] When we are dead and have become dust (shall we be brought back again)? That would be a far return!

[Yusufali 50:3] "What! When we die and become dust, (shall we live again?) That is a (sort of) return far (from our understanding)."

قَدْ عَلِمْنَا مَا تَنْقُصُ الْأَرْضُ مِنْهُمْ وَعِنْدَنَا كِتَابٌ حَفِيظٌ {4}

[Shakir 50:4] We know indeed what the earth diminishes of them, and with Us is a writing that preserves.

[Pickthal 50:4] We know that which the earth taketh of them, and with Us is a recording Book.

[Yusufali 50:4] We already know how much of them the earth takes away: With Us is a record guarding (the full account).

بَلْ كَذَّبُوا بِالْحَقِّ لَمَّا جَاءَهُمْ فَهُمْ فِي أَمْرٍ مَرِيجٍ {5}

[Shakir 50:5] Nay, they rejected the truth when it came to them, so they are (now) in a state of confusion.

[Pickthal 50:5] Nay, but they have denied the truth when it came unto them, therefor they are now in troubled case.

[Yusufali 50:5] But they deny the Truth when it comes to them: so they are in a confused state.

أَفَلَمْ يَنْظُرُوا إِلَى السَّمَاءِ فَوْقَهُمْ كَيْفَ بَنَيْنَاهَا وَزَيَّنَّاهَا وَمَا لَهَا مِنْ فُرُوجٍ {6}

[Shakir 50:6] Do they not then look up to heaven above them how We have made it and adorned it and it has no gaps?

[Pickthal 50:6] Have they not then observed the sky above them, how We have constructed it and beautified it, and how there are no rifts therein?

[Yusufali 50:6] Do they not look at the sky above them?- How We have made it and adorned it, and there are no flaws in it?

وَالْأَرْضَ مَدَدْنَاهَا وَأَلْقَيْنَا فِيهَا رَوَاسِيَ وَأَنْبَتْنَا فِيهَا مِنْ كُلِّ زَوْجٍ بَهِيجٍ {7}

[Shakir 50:7] And the earth, We have made it plain and cast in it mountains and We have made to grow therein of all beautiful kinds,

[Pickthal 50:7] And the earth have We spread out, and have flung firm hills therein, and have caused of every lovely kind to grow thereon,

[Yusufali 50:7] And the earth- We have spread it out, and set thereon mountains standing firm, and produced therein every kind of beautiful growth (in pairs)-

تَبْصِرَةً وَذِكْرَىٰ لِكُلِّ عَبْدٍ مُنِيبٍ {8}

[Shakir 50:8] To give sight and as a reminder to every servant who turns frequently (to Allah).

[Pickthal 50:8] A vision and a reminder for every penitent slave.

[Yusufali 50:8] To be observed and commemorated by every devotee turning (to Allah).

وَنَزَّلْنَا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً مُبَارَكًا فَأَنْبَتْنَا بِهِ جَنَّاتٍ وَحَبَّ الْحَصِيدِ {9}

[Shakir 50:9] And We send down from the cloud water abounding in good, then We cause to grow thereby gardens and the grain that is reaped,

[Pickthal 50:9] And We send down from the sky blessed water whereby We give growth unto gardens and the grain of crops,

[Yusufali 50:9] And We send down from the sky rain charted with blessing, and We produce therewith gardens and Grain for harvests;

وَالنَّخْلَ بَاسِقَاتٍ لَهَا طَلْعٌ نَضِيدٌ {10}

[Shakir 50:10] And the tall palm-trees having spadices closely set one above another,

[Pickthal 50:10] And lofty date-palms with ranged clusters,

[Yusufali 50:10] And tall (and stately) palm-trees, with shoots of fruit-stalks, piled one over another;-

رِزْقًا لِلْعِبَادِ وَأَحْيَيْنَا بِهِ بَلْدَةً مَيْتًاۚ كَذَٰلِكَ الْخُرُوجُ {11}

[Shakir 50:11] A sustenance for the servants, and We give life thereby to a dead land; thus is the rising.

[Pickthal 50:11] Provision (made) for men; and therewith We quicken a dead land. Even so will be the resurrection of the dead.

[Yusufali 50:11] As sustenance for (Allah's) Servants;- and We give (new) life therewith to land that is dead: Thus will be the Resurrection.

كَذَّبَتْ قَبْلَهُمْ قَوْمُ نُوحٍ وَأَصْحَابُ الرَّسِّ وَثَمُودُ {12}

[Shakir 50:12] (Others) before them rejected (prophets): the people of Nuh and the dwellers of Ar-Rass and Samood,

[Pickthal 50:12] The folk of Noah denied (the truth) before them, and (so did) the dwellers at Ar-Rass and (the tribe of) Thamud,

[Yusufali 50:12] Before them was denied (the Hereafter) by the People of Noah, the Companions of the Rass, the Thamud,

وَعَادٌ وَفِرْعَوْنُ وَإِخْوَانُ لُوطٍ {13}

[Shakir 50:13] And Ad and Firon and Lut's brethren,

[Pickthal 50:13] And (the tribe of) A'ad, and Pharaoh, and the brethren of Lot,

[Yusufali 50:13] The 'Ad, Pharaoh, the brethren of Lut,

وَأَصْحَابُ الْأَيْكَةِ وَقَوْمُ تُبَّعٍۚ كُلٌّ كَذَّبَ الرُّسُلَ فَحَقَّ وَعِيدِ {14}

[Shakir 50:14] And the dwellers of the grove and the people of Tuba; all rejected the messengers, so My threat came to pass.

[Pickthal 50:14] And the dwellers in the wood, and the folk of Tubb'a: every one denied their messengers, therefor My threat took effect.

[Yusufali 50:14] The Companions of the Wood, and the People of Tubba'; each one (of them) rejected the messengers, and My warning was duly fulfilled (in them).

أَفَعَيِينَا بِالْخَلْقِ الْأَوَّلِۚ بَلْ هُمْ فِي لَبْسٍ مِنْ خَلْقٍ جَدِيدٍ {15}

[Shakir 50:15] Were We then fatigued with the first creation? Yet are they in doubt with regard to a new creation.

[Pickthal 50:15] Were We then worn out by the first creation? Yet they are in doubt about a new creation.

[Yusufali 50:15] Were We then weary with the first Creation, that they should be in confused doubt about a new Creation?

وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ وَنَعْلَمُ مَا تُوَسْوِسُ بِهِ نَفْسُهُ وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ حَبْلِ الْوَرِيدِ {16}

[Shakir 50:16] And certainly We created man, and We know what his mind suggests to him, and We are nearer to him than his life-vein.

[Pickthal 50:16] We verily created man and We know what his soul whispereth to him, and We are nearer to him than his jugular vein.

[Yusufali 50:16] It was We Who created man, and We know what dark suggestions his soul makes to him: for We are nearer to him than (his) jugular vein.

إِذْ يَتَلَقَّى الْمُتَلَقِّيَانِ عَنِ الْيَمِينِ وَعَنِ الشِّمَالِ قَعِيدٌ {17}

[Shakir 50:17] When the two receivers receive, sitting on the right and on the left.

[Pickthal 50:17] When the two Receivers receive (him), seated on the right hand and on the left,

[Yusufali 50:17] Behold, two (guardian angels) appointed to learn (his doings) learn (and noted them), one sitting on the right and one on the left.

مَا يَلْفِظُ مِنْ قَوْلٍ إِلَّا لَدَيْهِ رَقِيبٌ عَتِيدٌ {18}

[Shakir 50:18] He utters not a word but there is by him a watcher at hand.

[Pickthal 50:18] He uttereth no word but there is with him an observer ready.

[Yusufali 50:18] Not a word does he utter but there is a sentinel by him, ready (to note it).

وَجَاءَتْ سَكْرَةُ الْمَوْتِ بِالْحَقِّ ذَٰلِكَ مَا كُنْتَ مِنْهُ تَحِيدُ {19}

[Shakir 50:19] And the stupor of death will come in truth; that is what you were trying to escape.

[Pickthal 50:19] And the agony of death cometh in truth. (And it is said unto him): This is that which thou wast wont to shun.

[Yusufali 50:19] And the stupor of death will bring Truth (before his eyes): "This was the thing which thou wast trying to escape!"

وَنُفِخَ فِي الصُّورِۚ ذَٰلِكَ يَوْمُ الْوَعِيدِ {20}

[Shakir 50:20] And the trumpet shall be blown; that is the day of the threatening.

[Pickthal 50:20] And the trumpet is blown. This is the threatened Day.

[Yusufali 50:20] And the Trumpet shall be blown: that will be the Day whereof Warning (had been given).

وَجَاءَتْ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَعَهَا سَائِقٌ وَشَهِيدٌ {21}

[Shakir 50:21] And every soul shall come, with it a driver and a witness.

[Pickthal 50:21] And every soul cometh, along with it a driver and a witness.

[Yusufali 50:21] And there will come forth every soul: with each will be an (angel) to drive, and an (angel) to bear witness.

لَقَدْ كُنْتَ فِي غَفْلَةٍ مِنْ هَٰذَا فَكَشَفْنَا عَنْكَ غِطَاءَكَ فَبَصَرُكَ الْيَوْمَ حَدِيدٌ {22}

[Shakir 50:22] Certainly you were heedless of it, but now We have removed from you your veil, so your sight today is sharp.

[Pickthal 50:22] (And unto the evil-doer it is said): Thou wast in heedlessness of this. Now We have removed from thee thy covering, and piercing is thy sight this day.

[Yusufali 50:22] (It will be said:) "Thou wast heedless of this; now have We removed thy veil, and sharp is thy sight this Day!"

وَقَالَ قَرِينُهُ هَٰذَا مَا لَدَيَّ عَتِيدٌ {23}

[Shakir 50:23] And his companions shall say: This is what is ready with me.

[Pickthal 50:23] And (unto the evil-doer) his comrade saith: This is that which I have ready (as testimony).

[Yusufali 50:23] And his Companion will say: "Here is (his Record) ready with me!"

أَلْقِيَا فِي جَهَنَّمَ كُلَّ كَفَّارٍ عَنِيدٍ {24}

[Shakir 50:24] Do cast into hell every ungrateful, rebellious one,

[Pickthal 50:24] (And it is said): Do ye twain hurl to hell each rebel ingrate,

[Yusufali 50:24] (The sentence will be:) "Throw, throw into Hell every contumacious Rejecter (of Allah)!-

مَنَّاعٍ لِلْخَيْرِ مُعْتَدٍ مُرِيبٍ {25}

[Shakir 50:25] Forbidder of good, exceeder of limits, doubter,

[Pickthal 50:25] Hinderer of good, transgressor, doubter,

[Yusufali 50:25] "Who forbade what was good, transgressed all bounds, cast doubts and suspicions;

الَّذِي جَعَلَ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَٰهًا آخَرَ فَأَلْقِيَاهُ فِي الْعَذَابِ الشَّدِيدِ {26}

[Shakir 50:26] Who sets up another god with Allah, so do cast him into severe chastisement.

[Pickthal 50:26] Who setteth up another god along with Allah. Do ye twain hurl him to the dreadful doom.

[Yusufali 50:26] "Who set up another god beside Allah: Throw him into a severe penalty."

قَالَ قَرِينُهُ رَبَّنَا مَا أَطْغَيْتُهُ وَلَٰكِنْ كَانَ فِي ضَلَالٍ بَعِيدٍ {27}

[Shakir 50:27] His companion will say: Our Lord! I did not lead him into inordinacy but he himself was in a great error.

[Pickthal 50:27] His comrade saith: Our Lord! I did not cause him to rebel, but he was (himself) far gone in error.

[Yusufali 50:27] His Companion will say: "Our Lord! I did not make him transgress, but he was (himself) far astray."

قَالَ لَا تَخْتَصِمُوا لَدَيَّ وَقَدْ قَدَّمْتُ إِلَيْكُمْ بِالْوَعِيدِ {28}

[Shakir 50:28] He will say: Do not quarrel in My presence, and indeed I gave you the threatening beforehand:

[Pickthal 50:28] He saith: Contend not in My presence, when I had already proffered unto you the warning.

[Yusufali 50:28] He will say: "Dispute not with each other in My Presence: I had already in advance sent you Warning.

مَا يُبَدَّلُ الْقَوْلُ لَدَيَّ وَمَا أَنَا بِظَلَّامٍ لِلْعَبِيدِ {29}

[Shakir 50:29] My word shall not be changed, nor am I in the least unjust to the servants.

[Pickthal 50:29] The sentence that cometh from Me cannot be changed, and I am in no wise a tyrant unto the slaves.

[Yusufali 50:29] "The Word changes not before Me, and I do not the least injustice to My Servants."

يَوْمَ نَقُولُ لِجَهَنَّمَ هَلِ امْتَلَأْتِ وَتَقُولُ هَلْ مِنْ مَزِيدٍ {30}

[Shakir 50:30] On the day that We will say to hell: Are you filled up? And it will say: Are there any more?

[Pickthal 50:30] On the day when We say unto hell: Art thou filled? and it saith: Can there be more to come?

[Yusufali 50:30] One Day We will ask Hell, "Art thou filled to the full?" It will say, "Are there any more (to come)?"

وَأُزْلِفَتِ الْجَنَّةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ غَيْرَ بَعِيدٍ {31}

[Shakir 50:31] And the garden shall be brought near to those who guard (against evil), not far off:

[Pickthal 50:31] And the Garden is brought nigh for those who kept from evil, no longer distant.

[Yusufali 50:31] And the Garden will be brought nigh to the Righteous,- no more a thing distant.

هَٰذَا مَا تُوعَدُونَ لِكُلِّ أَوَّابٍ حَفِيظٍ {32}

[Shakir 50:32] This is what you were promised, (it is) for every one who turns frequently (to Allah), keeps (His limits);

[Pickthal 50:32] (And it is said): This is that which ye were promised. (It is) for every penitent and heedful one,

[Yusufali 50:32] (A voice will say:) "This is what was promised for you,- for every one who turned (to Allah) in sincere repentance, who kept (His Law),

مَنْ خَشِيَ الرَّحْمَٰنَ بِالْغَيْبِ وَجَاءَ بِقَلْبٍ مُنِيبٍ {33}

[Shakir 50:33] Who fears the Beneficent Allah in secret and comes with a penitent heart:

[Pickthal 50:33] Who feareth the Beneficent in secret and cometh with a contrite heart.

[Yusufali 50:33] "Who feared (Allah) Most Gracious Unseen, and brought a heart turned in devotion (to Him):

ادْخُلُوهَا بِسَلَامٍ ذَٰلِكَ يَوْمُ الْخُلُودِ {34}

[Shakir 50:34] Enter it in peace, that is the day of abiding.

[Pickthal 50:34] Enter it in peace. This is the day of immortality.

[Yusufali 50:34] "Enter ye therein in Peace and Security; this is a Day of Eternal Life!"

لَهُمْ مَا يَشَاءُونَ فِيهَا وَلَدَيْنَا مَزِيدٌ {35}

[Shakir 50:35] They have therein what they wish and with Us is more yet.

[Pickthal 50:35] There they have all that they desire, and there is more with Us.

[Yusufali 50:35] There will be for them therein all that they wish,- and more besides in Our Presence.

وَكَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا قَبْلَهُمْ مِنْ قَرْنٍ هُمْ أَشَدُّ مِنْهُمْ بَطْشًا فَنَقَّبُوا فِي الْبِلَادِ هَلْ مِنْ مَحِيصٍ {36}

[Shakir 50:36] And how many a generation did We destroy before them who were mightier in prowess than they, so they went about and about in the lands. Is there a place of refuge?

[Pickthal 50:36] And how many a generation We destroyed before them, who were mightier than these in prowess so that they overran the lands! Had they any place of refuge (when the judgment came)?

[Yusufali 50:36] But how many generations before them did We destroy (for their sins),- stronger in power than they? Then did they wander through the land: was there any place of escape (for them)?

إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَذِكْرَىٰ لِمَنْ كَانَ لَهُ قَلْبٌ أَوْ أَلْقَى السَّمْعَ وَهُوَ شَهِيدٌ {37}

[Shakir 50:37] Most surely there is a reminder in this for him who has a heart or he gives ear and is a witness.

[Pickthal 50:37] Lo! therein verily is a reminder for him who hath a heart, or giveth ear with full intelligence.

[Yusufali 50:37] Verily in this is a Message for any that has a heart and understanding or who gives ear and earnestly witnesses (the truth).

وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ وَمَا مَسَّنَا مِنْ لُغُوبٍ {38}

[Shakir 50:38] And certainly We created the heavens and the earth and what is between them in six periods and there touched Us not any fatigue.

[Pickthal 50:38] And verily We created the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them, in six Days, and naught of weariness touched Us.

[Yusufali 50:38] We created the heavens and the earth and all between them in Six Days, nor did any sense of weariness touch Us.

فَاصْبِرْ عَلَىٰ مَا يَقُولُونَ وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ قَبْلَ طُلُوعِ الشَّمْسِ وَقَبْلَ الْغُرُوبِ {39}

[Shakir 50:39] Therefore be patient of what they say, and sing the praise of your Lord before the rising of the sun and before the setting.

[Pickthal 50:39] Therefor (O Muhammad) bear with what they say, and hymn the praise of thy Lord before the rising and before the setting of the sun;

[Yusufali 50:39] Bear, then, with patience, all that they say, and celebrate the praises of thy Lord, before the rising of the sun and before (its) setting.

وَمِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَسَبِّحْهُ وَأَدْبَارَ السُّجُودِ {40}

[Shakir 50:40] And glorify Him in the night and after the prayers.

[Pickthal 50:40] And in the night-time hymn His praise, and after the (prescribed) prostrations.

[Yusufali 50:40] And during part of the night, (also,) celebrate His praises, and (so likewise) after the postures of adoration.

وَاسْتَمِعْ يَوْمَ يُنَادِ الْمُنَادِ مِنْ مَكَانٍ قَرِيبٍ {41}

[Shakir 50:41] And listen on the day when the crier shall cry from a near place

[Pickthal 50:41] And listen on the day when the crier crieth from a near place,

[Yusufali 50:41] And listen for the Day when the Caller will call out from a place quiet near,-

يَوْمَ يَسْمَعُونَ الصَّيْحَةَ بِالْحَقِّۚ ذَٰلِكَ يَوْمُ الْخُرُوجِ {42}

[Shakir 50:42] The day when they shall hear the cry in truth; that is the day of coming forth.

[Pickthal 50:42] The day when they will hear the (Awful) Cry in truth. That is the day of coming forth (from the graves).

[Yusufali 50:42] The Day when they will hear a (mighty) Blast in (very) truth: that will be the Day of Resurrection.

إِنَّا نَحْنُ نُحْيِي وَنُمِيتُ وَإِلَيْنَا الْمَصِيرُ {43}

[Shakir 50:43] Surely We give life and cause to die, and to Us is the eventual coming;

[Pickthal 50:43] Lo! We it is Who quicken and give death, and unto Us is the journeying.

[Yusufali 50:43] Verily it is We Who give Life and Death; and to Us is the Final Goal-

يَوْمَ تَشَقَّقُ الْأَرْضُ عَنْهُمْ سِرَاعًاۚ ذَٰلِكَ حَشْرٌ عَلَيْنَا يَسِيرٌ {44}

[Shakir 50:44] The day on which the earth shall cleave asunder under them, they will make haste; that is a gathering together easy to Us.

[Pickthal 50:44] On the day when the earth splitteth asunder from them, hastening forth (they come). That is a gathering easy for Us (to make).

[Yusufali 50:44] The Day when the Earth will be rent asunder, from (men) hurrying out: that will be a gathering together,- quite easy for Us.

نَحْنُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يَقُولُونَ وَمَا أَنْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ بِجَبَّارٍ فَذَكِّرْ بِالْقُرْآنِ مَنْ يَخَافُ وَعِيدِ {45}

[Shakir 50:45] We know best what they say, and you are not one to compel them; therefore remind him by means of the Quran who fears My threat.

[Pickthal 50:45] We are Best Aware of what they say, and thou (O Muhammad) art in no wise a compeller over them. But warn by the Qur'an him who feareth My threat.

[Yusufali 50:45] We know best what they say; and thou art not one to overawe them by force. So admonish with the Qur'an such as fear My Warning!


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