Tafsir al-Jalalayn

Hā mīm

‘ayn sīn qāf God knows best what He means by these letters.

Thus — in other words in the same manner of revelation — does He reveal to you and did He reveal to those who were before you God Allāhu is the agent of the action of revelation the Mighty in His kingdom the Wise in His actions.

To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth as possession creation and servants and He is the Exalted above His creatures the Tremendous the Great.

The heavens are well-nigh read yakādu or takādu rent asunder yanfatirna a variant reading has yatafattarna from above one another in other words well-nigh is each one torn away from above the one below it because of the magnitude of God exalted be He and the angels glorify with praise of their Lord in other words they are continuously engaged in praise of Him and ask forgiveness for those believers on earth. Verily God is the Forgiving to His friends the Merciful to them.

And those who have taken besides Him namely idols as guardians God is watchful over them He keeps count of their deeds that He may requite them; and you are not a guardian over them in order to secure what is demanded of them your duty is only to deliver the Message.

And thus — in the same manner of revelation — have We revealed to you an Arabic Qur’ān that you may warn that you may threaten the mother-town and those around it namely the inhabitants of Mecca and all other people and that you may warn all people of the Day of Gathering the Day of Resurrection whereat all creatures will be gathered of which there is no doubt. A part of them will be in Paradise and a part will be in the Blaze the Fire.

And had God willed He would have made them one community in other words following one religion and that is Islam; but He admits whomever He will into His mercy and the evildoers the disbelievers have neither guardian nor helper to ward off the chastisement from them.

Or have they taken idols as guardians besides Him? am ‘or’ is disjunctive functioning with the sense of bal ‘nay but’ the one used to denote a shift in the subject matter; the hamza is for denial in other words ‘those who are taken’ as guardians are not in fact guardians of anything. But God He alone is the Guardian in other words then One who helps believers the fā’ of fa’Llāhu is merely for coordination and He revives the dead and He has power over all things.

And whatever you may differ with disbelievers in of religion or otherwise the verdict therein belongs it will return to God on the Day of Resurrection; He will judge between you. Say to them That then is God my Lord; in Him I have put my trust and to Him I turn penitently.

The Originator of the heavens and the earth the One Who created them without precedent. He has made for you from your own selves pairs when He created Eve from Adam’s rib and also pairs males and females of the cattle He multiplies you read yadhra’ukum by such means by the mentioned ‘making’ that is to say He multiplies you through this means by way of propagation the suffixed pronoun -kum in yadhra’ukum ‘He multiplies you’ refers to both human beings and cattle but predominantly to humans. There is nothing like Him ka-mithlihi the kāf is extra as there is no likeness of Him exalted be He. He is the Hearer of what is said the Seer of what is done.

To Him belong the keys of the heavens and the earth the keys to their storehouses of rain and vegetation and other things. He extends provision He makes it abundant for whomever He will as a test of their gratitude and He restricts it He straitens it for whomever He will as a trial. Truly He has knowledge of all things.

He has prescribed for you as a religion that which He enjoined upon Noah — for he was the first of the prophets sent with a Divine Law — and that which We have revealed to you and that which We enjoined upon Abraham and Moses and Jesus declaring ‘Establish religion and do not be divided in it’ this is what has been prescribed and enjoined upon those mentioned above and what has been revealed to Muhammad (s) and it is the affirmation of God’s Oneness. Dreadful is for the idolaters that to which you summon them in the way of affirming the Oneness of God. God chooses for it for the task of affirming His Oneness whomever He will and He guides to it whomever turns penitently whomever applies himself to obedience of Him.

And they did not become divided that is the adherents of the monotheistic religions did not become divided in religion — so that some affirmed the Oneness of God while others rejected it — except after the knowledge of His Oneness had come to them out of jealous rivalry on the part of the disbelievers among themselves. And were it not for a Word that preceded from your Lord to defer requital of them until an appointed term until the Day of Resurrection it would have already been judged between them to chastise the disbelievers in this world. And indeed those who were made heirs to the Scripture after them namely the Jews and the Christians are truly in grave doubt concerning him Muhammad (s).

So to that then to that affirmation of God’s Oneness summon O Muhammad (s) people and be upright in summoning them to this just as you have been commanded and do not follow them in their desires to abandon it. And say ‘I believe in whatever Book God has revealed. And I have been commanded to be just between you in passing judgement. God is our Lord and your Lord. Our deeds concern us and your deeds concern you and so each one of us will be requited according to his own deeds. There is no argument no dispute between us and you — this was revealed before the command to struggle against them. God will bring us together at the time of the Return to decide definitively between us and to Him is the final destination’ the ultimate return.

And those who argue with the Prophet concerning the religion of God after His call has been answered through faith on account of His miracle having been manifested — and they are the Jews — their argument stands refuted is invalid with their Lord and His wrath shall be upon them and there will be a severe chastisement for them.

God it is Who has revealed the Book the Qur’ān with the truth bi’l-haqqi is semantically connected to anzala ‘revealed’ as well as the Balance Justice. And what do you know — perhaps the Hour that is its arrival is near! la‘alla ‘perhaps’ comments on the verb describing the action with what follows it functioning as two direct objects.

Those who do not believe in it seek to hasten it they say ‘When will it come?’ as a presumption on their part that it will never come; but those who believe are apprehensive of it and know that it is the truth. Nay but verily those who are in doubt those who argue concerning the Hour are indeed in extreme error!

God is Gracious to His servants both the pious and the profligate for He does not destroy them through hunger despite their acts of disobedience. He provides for whomever He will from among each of the two classes of individuals whatever He will. And He is the Strong in effecting what He wants the Mighty Whose way always prevails.

And whoever desires in return for his actions the harvest of the Hereafter in other words its gains and that is reward We will enhance for him his harvest by multiplying in it the good deed up tenfold or more; and whoever desires the harvest of this world We will give him of it without multiplying any of it giving him only what is his preordained share; but in the Hereafter he will have no share.

Or have they the Meccan disbelievers associates — these being their devils — who have prescribed for them for the disbelievers a religion a corrupt religion which God has not given permission for? such as idolatry and denial of resurrection? And were it not for a prior decisive word in other words a prior decree to the effect that requital will take place on the Day of Resurrection it would have been judged between them and the believers by chastising the former in this world. Truly the wrongdoers the disbelievers will have a painful chastisement.

You will see the wrongdoers on the Day of Resurrection apprehensive because of what they had earned in this world in the way of evil deeds lest they be requited for these; and it that is the requital for these deeds will surely befall them on the Day of Resurrection inevitably; but those who believe and perform righteous deeds will be in the lushest Gardens in other words in the best of these Gardens in comparison with the other ones. They will have whatever they wish near their Lord; that is the great favour.

That is the good tidings read yubshiru or yubashshiru from bishāra ‘good news’ which God gives to His servants who believe and perform righteous deeds. Say ‘I do not ask of you any reward for it for delivering the Message except the affection for my kinsfolk illā ‘except’ this represents a discontinuous exception in other words ‘but I do ask of you that you show affection for my kinship with you which at the same time is your kinship’; for he the Prophet had kinship ties with all the subdivisions of the tribe of Quraysh. And whoever acquires a good deed an act of obedience We shall enhance for him its goodness by multiplying the reward for it. Surely God is Forgiving of sins Appreciative even of little good and so He multiplies it manifold.

Or am here is like bal do they say ‘He has invented a lie against God?’ in ascribing the Qur’ān to God exalted be He. For if God will He can seal He can fortify your heart with patience to endure the hurt they cause you by such sayings and otherwise — and God did this. And God will efface the falsehood which they speak and vindicate confirm the truth with His words the ones revealed to His Prophet. Truly He is Knower of what is in the breasts of what is in the hearts of people.

And He it is Who accepts repentance from His servants and pardons evil deeds those from which repentance has been made and knows what they do yaf‘alūna may also be read taf‘alūna ‘you do’.

And He answers those who believe and perform righteous deeds He grants them what they ask for and He enhances them of His bounty. And as for the disbelievers for them there will be a severe chastisement.

For were God to extend His provision to His servants to all of them they would all of them surely become covetous in other words they would become tyrants in the earth; but He sends down read yunzilu or yunazzilu of provisions in the measure that He will thus extending it for some of His servants to the exclusion of others — and from such extending of provision to some emerges tyranny. Surely He is Aware Seer of His servants.

And He it is Who sends down the saving rain after they have despaired after they have given up hope of its being sent down and unfolds His mercy He extends His rain and He is the true Patron the Benevolent towards believers the Praised by them.

And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the creation of whatever He has scattered whatever He has divided and spread in them in the way of creatures dābba this denotes all those creatures which tread yadubbu upon the earth whether human beings or otherwise. And He is able to bring them together for the Gathering whenever He will rational beings as opposed to others predominate in the suffixed pronoun -him of jam‘ihim ‘to bring them together’.

And whatever affliction whatever misfortune or hardship may befall you — this is an address to the believers — is on account of what your own hands have earned that is to say for the sins that you have committed — the use of ‘hands’ to express this is because most actions are effected by them. And He pardons much of these sins and does not requite them for God’s kindness is greater than that He should for example double the requital in the Hereafter; as for those who do not commit grave sins then what befalls them in this world of hardship raises their degree in the reward of the Hereafter.

And you O idolaters cannot escape from God by fleeing on earth and thus elude Him and besides God that is to say other than Him you have neither protector nor helper to ward off His chastisement from you.

And of His signs are the ships that run on the sea appearing like landmarks like mountains in terms of their magnitude.

If He will He stills the wind whereat they remain they become motionless fixed not moving on its surface. Surely in that there are signs for every steadfast grateful servant — this is the believer who is steadfast during hardship and grateful in times of comfort.

Or He wrecks them yūbiqhunna a supplement to yuskin ‘He stills’ that is to say or He sinks them including their passengers by sending violent winds upon them because of what they that is the passengers of these ships have earned of sins. And He pardons much of such sin and does not cause those who have sinned to drown.

And that those who dispute concerning Our signs may know read indicative wa-ya‘lamu ‘and they know’ beginning a new sentence; or subjunctive wa-ya‘lama ‘and that they may know’ as a supplement to an implicit reason in other words ‘He drowns them in order to exact vengeance against them and so that they may know that …’ they have no refuge no escape from the chastisement the negation represents two direct objects of the verb ya‘lamu or ya‘lama ‘they know’; the negation is also a comment on the implied action of ‘escaping’.

So whatever you — this is an address is to believers and others — have been given of the luxuries of this world is but the enjoyment of the life of this world enjoyed for the duration of it but then perishes. But what is with God of reward is better and more lasting for those who believe and put their trust in their Lord li’lladhīna āmanū wa-‘alā rabbihim yatawakkalūna is supplemented by the following clause

and those who avoid grave sins and indecencies those acts that require the implementing of the prescribed legal punishments hudūd the supplement above is an example of supplementing the part to the whole and who when they are angry forgive they let it pass;

and those who answer their Lord those who respond to what He has summoned them in the way of affirming His Oneness and worship of Him and observe prayer maintaining it regularly and whose courses of action those courses of action that seem good to them are a matter of counsel between them in which they consult one another and do not act hastily and who of what We have bestowed on them expend in obedience to God — such mentioned individuals constitute one category;

and those who when they suffer aggression injustice defend themselves — these are another category — that is to say they retaliate against those who wrong them in the same manner in which the latter wronged them as God exalted be He says

For the requital of an evil deed is an evil deed like it the latter is also referred to as ‘an evil deed’ because in outward form it resembles the former; this is evident in what concerns retaliation for wounds. Some scholars say that even if another were to say ‘May God disgrace you!’ then one should respond equally with ‘May God disgrace you!’. But whoever pardons his wrongdoer and reconciles the amity between himself and the one pardoned his reward will be with God that is to say God will give him his reward without doubt. Truly He does not like wrongdoers that is those who initiate acts of wrongdoing and so merit His punishment.

And whoever defends himself after he has been wronged that is to say after the wrongdoer has wronged him — for such there will be no course of action against them no blame on them.

A course of action is only open against those who wrong people and seek to commit who commit in the earth what is not right what are acts of disobedience. For such there will be a painful chastisement.

But verily he who is patient and defend himself by retaliating and forgives excuses the wrong done to him — surely that patience and excusing is true constancy in such affairs that is to say it is one of those courses of action for which one must have firm resolve meaning those which are required of the believer by God’s Law.

And whomever God leads astray has no protector after Him that is to say none to take charge of guiding him after God has led him astray. And you will see the wrongdoers when they sight the chastisement saying ‘Is there any way any route by which to return?’ to this world.

And you will see them being exposed to it namely the Fire submissive fearful and humbled by abasement looking at it with a furtive glance a slight look stealthily min of min tarfin khafiyyin ‘with a furtive glance’ is to indicate inceptiveness or it functions with the sense of a bā’ ‘with’ sc. bi-tarfin khafiyyin. And those who believe will say ‘Verily the true losers are those who have lost themselves and their families on the Day of Resurrection for being condemned to abide forever in the Fire and for not being able to attain the blissful company of the houris prepared for them in Paradise had they been believers the relative clause alladhīna khasirū... ‘those who have lost …’ constitutes the predicate of the particle inna ‘verily’. Truly the wrongdoers the disbelievers will be in lasting everlasting chastisement — these words constitute God’s speech exalted be He.

And they have no guardians to help them besides God that is to say other than Him to ward off His chastisement from them and whomever God leads astray has no course of action’ no route to the truth in this world or to Paradise in the Hereafter.

Answer your Lord respond to Him by affirming His Oneness and worshipping Him before there comes a day namely the Day of Resurrection for which there is no revoking from God in other words one which when He brings about He will not revoke. On that day you will have no refuge in which to seek refuge in and for you there will be no way of denying your sins.

But if they are disregardful of answering God We have not sent you as a keeper over them to keep track of their deeds by securing what is demanded of them. Your duty is only to deliver the Message — this was revealed before the command to struggle against them. And indeed when We let man taste from Us some mercy some grace such as wealth and good health he exults in it; but if some ill some calamity befalls them the pronoun here refers to ‘man’ on the basis of the plural import of the generic noun because of what their own hands have sent ahead because of what they have offered of deeds — the expression refers to ‘the hands’ because most actions are effected by them then lo! man is ungrateful for the grace.

To God belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. He creates whatever He will; He gives to whomever He will in the way of children females and He gives to whomever He will males.

Or He combines them that is to say or He makes them males and females; and He makes whomever He will infertile such that she is unable to conceive or he cannot have a child. Surely He is Knower of what He creates Powerful in bringing about whatever He will.

And it is not possible for any human that God should speak to him except that He should reveal to him by revelation in sleep or by inspiration or except from behind a veil where He makes the person able to hear His speech but without seeing Him — as was the case with Moses peace be upon him; or except that He should send a messenger an angel such as Gabriel and he the messenger then reveals to the person to whom he has been sent that is to say and then he speaks to him with His permission that is God’s whatever He God will. Truly He is Exalted above the attributes of created beings Wise in His actions.

And thus in the same way that We have revealed to messengers other than you have We revealed to you O Muhammad (s) a Spirit namely the Qur’ān by which hearts are revived from Our command that command which We reveal to you. You did not know before revelation came to you what the Book was what the Qur’ān was nor faith that is its ordinances and ritual ceremonies the negation comments in place of the verb on the action and what has come after it constitutes two direct objects; but We have made it namely the Spirit — or the Qur’ān — a light by which We guide whomever We will of Our servants. And verily you guide you are summoning people by means of what is revealed to you to a straight path a straight way the religion of Islam

the path of God to Whom belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth as possessions creatures and servants. Surely with God all matters end their journey all matters return.