Tafsir al-Jalalayn

Alif lām mīm God knows best what He means by these letters.

Those namely these signs are the signs of the wise Book the Qur’ān the one containing wisdom the genitive annexation āyātu’l-kitābi’l-hakīm has the partitive meaning of min ‘from’;

it is a guidance and a mercy read nominative rahmatun; the popular accusative reading rahmatan would make it a circumstantial qualifier referring to āyāt ‘signs’ the operator of which being the implicit demonstrative import of tilka ‘those’ for the virtuous

who maintain the prayer alladhīna yuqīmūna’l-salāta an explication of al-muhsinīna ‘the virtuous’ and pay the alms and who are certain of the Hereafter the repetition of hum ‘they’ here translated ‘who’ is for emphasis.

Such follow guidance from their Lord and it is they who are the successful the winners.

And among people there is he who purchases idle talk in other words that part of it which diverts people from its true significance that he may lead people astray read li-yadilla; or li-yudilla from the way of God the religion of Islam without knowledge and take it read subjunctive wa-yattakhidhahā as a supplement to yudilla ‘that he may lead astray’; or indicative wa-yattakhidhuhā as a supplement to yashtarī ‘who buys’ in mockery as something to be mocked. For such there will be a humiliating chastisement one of abasement.

And when Our signs in other words in the Qur’ān are recited to such a one he turns away disdainfully as though he never heard them as though there were a deafness in his ears both comparisons constitute two circumstantial qualifiers referring to the subject of the verb wallā ‘turns away’; or it is that the second comparison is an explication of the first. So give him tidings of inform him of a painful chastisement. The use of the expression ‘good tidings’ meant derisively against such a person — this was al-Nadr b. al-Hārith. He used to visit al-Hīra for commerce and purchase books containing the stories of the non-Arab peoples and then recount these to the people of Mecca. He would say ‘Muhammad recounts to you the stories of ‘Ād and Thamūd whereas I relate to you the stories of the Persians and the Byzantines!’ They would thus go to enjoy his stories and neglect to listen to the Qur’ān.

Surely those who believe and perform righteous deeds for them there shall be Gardens of Bliss

abiding therein khālidīna fīhā is a circumstantial qualification of a future status in other words their abiding therein will have been ordained once they enter it — a promise of God in truth that is to say God promised them this and realised it in truth; and He is the Mighty Whom nothing can overwhelm and so prevent Him from fulfilling His promise and His threat of chastisement the Wise the One Who assigns all things to their rightful places.

He created the heavens without any pillars that you can see ‘amad is the plural of ‘imād which is an ustuwāna ‘a column’ — this is the truth since there are no actual pillars — and cast high mountains into the earth lest it shake with you and He dispersed therein all kinds beasts. And We sent down there is a shift from the third to the second person water from the heaven and We caused to grow in it of every splendid kind every fair specimen.

This is God’s creation in other words what is created by Him. Now show me inform me O people of Mecca what those you worship besides Him those other than Him have created namely your gods so that you have associated them with Him exalted be He mā is an interrogative of denial and a subject; dhā has the significance of alladhī and what follows it of the relative clause is the predicate of the subject mā; arūnī glosses ‘the action’ and what follows it stands in place of two direct objects. Nay bal is for transition but the evildoers are in manifest error error that is evident because of their ascribing partners to God and you are like them.

And verily We gave Luqmān wisdom comprising knowledge religiousness and right-mindedness in speech; his many wisdoms are well-known. He used to give legal opinions in matters of religion before David was summoned to prophethood but lived on into the latter’s summoning. He then took to acquiring knowledge from him David and refrained from giving any more legal opinions explaining this thus ‘Should I not be content if someone like the prophet David has spared me the trouble?’ He was once asked ‘What is the worst kind of person?’ He said ‘The one who does not care that people should see him doing evil’. In other words We gave him wisdom and We said to him ‘Give thanks to God for the wisdom that He has given you. Whoever gives thanks only for his own sake because the reward for his gratitude shall be his and whoever is ungrateful for a grace then surely God is Independent without need of His creation Praised’ in what He does.

And mention when Luqmān said to his son when he was admonishing him ‘O my son yā bunayya is an affectionate diminutive of yā ibnī do not ascribe partners to God idolatry is truly a tremendous wrong’ so return to him in repentance and submit to Him.

And We have enjoined man concerning his parents We commanded him to be dutiful towards them — his mother bears him and weakens in weakness after weakness that is to say she is weakened by the pregnancy the pains of labour and the delivery; and his weaning is in two years and We said to him to man ‘Give thanks to Me and to your parents. To Me is the journey’s end the return.

But if they urge you to ascribe to Me as partner that whereof you have no knowledge that accords with any reality then do not obey them. And keep them company in this world honourably in other words with decency dutifulness and kindness — and follow the way of him who returns to Me in penitence with acts of obedience. Then to Me will be your return and I will inform you of what you used to do and requite you for it the entire sentence containing the ‘enjoinder’ verse 14 and what comes after it constitutes a parenthetical statement.

‘O my son! Even if it namely the evil trait should be the weight of a grain of mustard-seed and even if it be in a rock or in the heavens or in the earth in other words in the most concealed place therein God will bring it forth and He will call that person to account for it. Truly God is Subtle in bringing it forth Aware of its location.

O my son! Establish prayer and enjoin decency and forbid indecency. And be patient through whatever may befall you as a result of such enjoining and forbidding. Truly that which is mentioned is true constancy in other words that is one of those necessary things regarding which one must have firm resolve.

And do not turn your cheek disdainfully from people tusa‘‘ir a variant reading has tusā‘ir do not turn your face away in disdain and do not walk upon the earth exultantly in other words with haughtiness. Truly God does not like any swaggering braggart strutting in his step boasting in front of people.

And be modest in your bearing being moderate in it neither dragging slowly nor rushing but peaceful and dignified and lower your voice; indeed the most hideous of voices is the donkey’s voice’ beginning its hideous bray with an exhalation and ending with an inhalation.

Do you not see do you not realise O you who are being addressed that God has disposed for you whatever is in the heavens such as the sun the moon and the stars that you may benefit from them and whatever is in the earth of fruits rivers and animals and He has showered He has made abundant and made complete His favours upon you both outwardly namely by giving you your wholesome form even limbs and otherwise and inwardly? that is by giving you knowledge and so on. Yet among people that is people such as the Meccan disbelievers there are those who dispute concerning God without any knowledge or guidance from a messenger or an illuminating scripture revealed by God rather they dispute by blindly imitating others.

And if it is said to them ‘Follow what God has revealed’ they say ‘We will rather follow what we found our fathers following’. He exalted be He says What! Would they follow such things even though Satan were calling them to the chastisement of the Blaze? that is to what will bring it about necessarily? No!

And whoever surrenders his purpose to God that is whoever takes to obeying Him and is virtuous a believer in His Oneness has certainly grasped the firmest handle the stronger end which is not in danger of being severed and to God belongs the sequel of all matters their ultimate return.

And whoever disbelieves then do not let his disbelief grieve you O Muhammad (s) do not be concerned with his disbelief. To Us shall be their return and We shall inform them of what they did. Truly God knows best what is in the breasts just as He knows other things and so He will requite them accordingly.

We will give them comfort in this world for a little while for the duration of the days of their lives then We will drive them in the Hereafter to a harsh chastisement namely the chastisement of the Fire from which they will find no escape.

And if wa-la-in the lām is for oaths you were to ask them ‘Who created the heavens and the earth?’ they will surely say ‘God’ la-yaqūlunna ‘they will surely say’ the indicative nūn has been omitted because of the like sc. the nūn coming after it and likewise the wāw of the plural person because of two unvocalised consonants coming together. Say ‘Praise be to God’ for the manifestation of the definitive argument against them by the affirmation of the Oneness of God. Nay but most of them do not realise that this affirmation is an obligation upon them.

To God belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth as possessions creatures and servants and so none other than Him deserves to be worshipped in them. Indeed God He is the Independent without need of His creatures the Praised in His actions.

And if all the trees on earth were pens and the sea wa’l-bahru is a supplement to mā the subject of anna replenished with seven more seas were ink the Words of God would not be spent those words expressing all the things He knows written in those pens with that amount of ink or with even more ink than that would not be spent for His knowledge exalted be He is infinite. Truly God is Mighty nothing being beyond Him Wise from Whose knowledge and wisdom nothing escapes.

Your creation and your resurrection are only as that of a single soul in terms of creation and resurrection because it is the result of the words kun fa-yakūn ‘“Be!” and it is!’ Truly God is Hearer hearing everything that may be heard Seer seeing everything that may be seen nothing able to distract Him from anything else.

Have you not seen have you not realised O you being addressed that God makes the night pass into the day and makes the day pass into the night such that the increase of the one is relative to the decrease of the other and He has disposed the sun and the moon each of the two running in its course to an appointed term namely to the Day of Resurrection and that God is Aware of what you do?

That which is mentioned is so because God He is the Truth the established truth and whatever they call on read yad‘ūna; or tad‘ūna ‘you call on’ whatever they worship besides Him is evanescent falsehood and because God is the High Exalted above His creation by virtue of His subjugation of them the Great the Mighty.

Have you not seen that the ships run upon the sea by the grace of God that He may show you O you who are being addressed in this statement some of His signs? Surely in that there are signs lessons for every servant who is steadfast in abstaining from acts of disobedience to God grateful for His grace.

And if waves cover them that is if these rise above the disbelievers like awnings like mountains that act as awnings over those below them they call on God sincere before Him in their faith that is in their supplication that He may deliver them in other words they do not call on any other god with Him; but when He delivers them to land some of them compromise middling between belief and disbelief while others persist in their disbelief. And none denies Our signs an example of which is Our delivering them from such treacherous waves except every perfidious ingrate ungrateful for God’s graces exalted be He.

O people namely such as the people of Mecca fear your Lord and fear a day when no parent shall avail a child thereon in any way; and no child thereon shall avail its parent in any way. Surely God’s promise of resurrection is true. So do not let the life of this world deceive you and divert you from Islam and do not let the Deceiver Satan deceive you concerning God because of His forbearance and granting people respite.

Lo! God with Him lies knowledge of the Hour when it will come to pass; and He sends down read yunzilu or yunazzilu the rain at times which only He knows; and He knows what is in the wombs whether it is a male or a female; and not one of the three things is known by anyone other than God exalted be He. And no soul knows what it will earn tomorrow of good or evil but God exalted be He knows this; and no soul knows in what land it will die but God exalted be He knows this. Truly God is Knower of all things Aware of the inward and outward aspects thereof. Al-Bukhārī reported by way of an isnād from ‘Abd Allāh Ibn ‘Umar the following hadīth ‘The Keys of the Unseen are five Lo! God with Him lies knowledge of the Hour … to the end of the sūra’ above.