An early Meccan Surah.
THE EMISSARIES Revealed at Mecca In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. By the emissary winds, (sent) one after another 2. By the raging hurricanes, 3. By those which cause earth’s vegetation to revive; 4. By those who winnow with a winnowing, 5. By those who bring down the Reminder, 6. To excuse or to warn, 7. Surely that which ye are promised will befall.
8. So when the stars are put out, 9. And when the sky is riven asunder, 10. And when the mountains are blown away, 11. And when the messengers are brought unto their time appointed— 12. For what day is the time appointed?
13. For the Day of Decision.
14. And what will convey unto thee what the Day of Decision is!— 15. Woe unto the repudiators on that day!
16. Destroyed We not the former folk, 17. Then caused the latter folk to follow after?
sOrah lxxvii the emissaries 627 18. Thus deal We ever with the guilty, 19. Woe unto the repudiators on that day!
20. Did We not create you from a base fluid 21. Which We laid up in a safe abode 22. For a known term?
23. Thus We arranged. How excellent is Our arranging!
24. Woe unto the repudiators on that day!
25. Have We nor made the earth a receptacle 26. Both for the living and the dead, 27. And placed therein high mountains and given you to drink sweet water therein?
28. Woe unto the repudiators on that day!
29. (It will be said unto them:) Depart unto that (doom) which ye used to deny: 30. Depart unto the shadow falling threefold, 31. (Which yet is) no relief nor shelter from the flame.
32. Lo! it throweth up sparks like the castles, 33. (Or) as it might be camels of bright yellow hue.
34. Woe unto the repudiators on that day!
35. This is a day wherein they speak not, 36. Nor are they suffered to put forth excuses.
37. Woe unto the repudiators on that day!
38. This is the Day of Decision, We have brought you and the men of old together.
39. If now ye have any wit, outwit Me, 40. Woe unto the repudiators on that day!
41. Lo! those who kept their duty are amid shade and fountains, 42. And fruits such as they desire.
43. (Unto them it is said;) Eat, drink and welcome, O ye blessed, in return for what ye did.
44. Thus do We reward the good.
45. Woe unto the repudiators on that day!
628 THE GLORIOUS KORAN surah lxxvii 46. Eat and take your ease (on earth) a little. Lo! ye are guilty. 47. Woe unto the repudiators on that day!
48. When it is said unto them: Bow down, they bow not down!
49. Woe unto the repudiators on that day!
50. In what statement, after this, will they believe?
SORAH lxxviii An-Naha takes its name from a word in the second verse.
An early Meccan Surah.
THE TIDINGS Revealed at Mecca In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. Whereof do they question one another?
2. (It is) of the awful tidings, 3. Concerning which they are in disagreement.
4. Nay, but they will come to know!
5. Nay, again, but they will come to know!
6. Have We not made the earth an expanse, 7. And the high hills bulwarks?
8. And We have created you in pairs, 9. And have appointed your sleep for repose, 10. And have appointed the night as a cloak, 11. And have appointed the day for livelihood.
12. And We have built above you seven strong (heavens), 13. And have appointed a dazzling lamp, 14. And have sent down from the rainy clouds abundant water, 15. Thereby to produce grain and plant, 16. And gardens of thick foliage.
17. Lo! the Day of Decision is a fixed time, 18. A day when the trumpet is blown, and ye come in multitudes, 19. And the heaven is opened and becometh as gates, 630 THE GLORIOUS KORAN sOrah lxxviii 20. And the hills are set in motion and become as a mirage.
21. Lo! hell lurketh in ambush, 22. A home for the rebellious.
23. They will abide therein for ages.
24. Therein taste they neither coolness nor (any) drink 25. Save boiling water and a paralysing cold: 26. Reward proportioned (to their evil deeds).
27. For lo! they looked not for a reckoning; 28. They called Our revelations false with strong denial.
29. Everything have We recorded in a Book.
30. So taste (of that which ye have earned). No increase do We give you save of torment.
31. Lo! for the duteous is achievement— 32. Gardens enclosed and vineyards, 33. And maidens for companions, 34. And a full cup.
35. There hear they never vain discourse, nor lying— 36. Requital from thy Lord—a gift in payment— 37. Lord of the heavens and the earth, and (all) that is between them, the Beneficent; with Whom none can converse.
38. On the day when the angels and the Spirit stand arrayed, they speak not, saving him whom the Beneficent alloweth and who speaketh right. 39. That is the True Day. So whoso will should seek recourse unto his Lord.
40. Lo! We warn you of a doom at hand, a day whereon a man will look on that which his own hands have sent before, and the disbeliever will cry: “Would that I were dust!
sOrah lxxix An-Ndzj'at takes its name from a word in the first verse. An early Meccan Surah.
“THOSE WHO DRAG FORTH" Revealed at Mecca In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. By those who drag forth to destruction, 2. By the meteors rushing, 3. By the lone stars floating,' 4. By the angels hastening, 5. And those who govern the event, 6. On the day when the first trump resoundeth 7. And the second folioweth it, 8. On that day hearts beat painfully 9. While eyes are downcast 10. (Now) they are saying: Shall we really be restored to our first state n. Even after we are crumbled bones?
12. They say: Then that would be a vain proceeding.
13. Surely it will need but one shout, 14. And lo! they will be awakened.
15. Hath there come unto thee the history of Moses? I Some commentators take vv. 2 and 3 also as referring to angels and explain them thus: "By those who console (the spirits of the righteous) tenderly." "By those who come floating (down from heaven with their Lord's command)." The tendering given in the text above is the more obvious.
sOrah 632 THE GLORIOUS KORAN 16. How Kis Lord called him in the holy vale of Tuwa, 17. (Saying:) Go thou unto Pharaoh—Lo! he hath rebelled— 18. And say (unto him): Hast thou (will) to grow (in grace)?
19. Then I will guide thee to thy Lord and thou shalt fear (Him).
20. And he showed him the tremendous token.
21. But he denied and disobeyed, 22. Then turned he away in haste, 23. Then gathered he and summoned 24. And proclaimed: “I (Pharaoh) am your Lord the Highest.”
25. So Allah seized him (and made him) an example for the after (life) and for the former.
26. Lo! herein is indeed a lesson for him who feareth.
27. Are ye the harder to create, or is the heaven that He built?
28. He raised the height thereof and ordered it; 29. And He made dark the night thereof, and He brought forth the morn thereof, 30. And after that He spread the earth, 31. And produced therefrom the water thereof and the pasture thereof, 32. And He made fast the hills, 33. A provision for you and for your cattle, 34. But when the great disaster cometh, 35. The day when man will call to mind his (whole) endeavour, 36. And hell will stand forth visible to him who seeth, 37. Then, as for him who rebelled 38. And chose the life of the world, 39. Lo! hell will be his home.
Lxxix “THOSE WHO DRAG FORTH” 633 40. But as for him who feared to stand before his Lord and restrained his soul from lust, 41. Lo! the Garden will be his home.
42. They ask thee of the Hour: when will it come to port?
43. Why (ask they)? What hast thou to tell thereof?
44. Unto thy Lord belongeth (knowledge of) the term thereof.
45. Thou art but a warner unto him who feareth it.
46. On the day when they behold it, it will be as if they had but tarried for an evening or the morn thereof.
SORAH LXXX 'Abasa, “He Frowned,” takes its name from the first word. One day when the Prophet was in conversation with one of the great men of Qureysh (his own tribe), seeking to persuade him of the truth of Al- IsI 4 m, a blind man came and asked a question concerning the faith. The Prophet was annoyed at the interruption, frowned and turned away from the blind man. In this Sfirah he is told that a man’s importance is not to be judged from his appearance or worldly station.
An early Meccan Surah.
“HE FROWNED’’ Revealed at Mecca In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. He frowned and turned away 2. Because the blind man came unto him.
3. What could inform thee hut that he might grow (in grace) 4. Or take heed and so the reminder might avail him?
5. As for him who thinketh himself independent, 6. Unto him thou payest regard.
7. Yet it is not thy concern if he grow not (in grace).
8. But as for him who cometh unto thee with earnest purpose 9. And hath fear, 10. From him thou art distracted.
11. Nay, but verily it is an Admonishment, 12. So let whosoever will pay heed to it, 13. On honoured leaves 14. Exalted, purified.
sOrah LXXX "HE FROWNED” 635 15. (Set down) by scribes 16. Noble and righteous.
17. Man is (self-) destroyed: how ungrateful!
18. From what thing doth He create bim?
19. From a drop of seed. He createth Kim and propor- tioneth him, 20. Then maketh the way easy for him, 21. Then causeth him to die, and burietK him; 22. Then, when He will, He bringeth him again to life.
23. Nay, but (man) hath not done what He commanded him.
24. Let man consider his food: 25. How We pour water in showers 26. Then split the earth in clefts 27. And cause the grain to grow therein 28. And grapes and green fodder 30. And garden-closes of thick foliage 31. And fruits and grasses: 32. Provision for you and your cattle.
33. But when the Shout cometh 34. On the day when a man Heeth from his brother 35. And his mother and his father 36. And his wife and his children, 37. Every man that day will have concern enough to make him heedless (of others).
38. On that day faces will be bright as dawn, 39. Laughing, rejoicing at good news; 40. And other faces, on that day, with dust upon them, 41. Veiled in darkness, 42. Those are the disbelievers, the wicked.
sOrah lxxxi At~Takwir takes its name from a word in verse i. Verses 8 and 9 contain an allusion to the practice of the pagan Arabs of burying alive girl-children whom they deemed superfluous.
An early Meccan Surah.
THE OVERTHROWING Revealed at Mecca In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. When the sun is overthrown, 2. And when the stars fall, 3. And when the hills are moved, 4. And when the camels big with young are abandoned, 5. And when the wild beasts are herded together, 6. And when the seas rise, 7. And when souls are reunited, 8. And when the girl-child that was buried alive is asked 9. For what sin she was slain, 10. And when the pages are laid open, 11. And when the sky is torn away, 12. And when hell is lighted, 13. And when the garden is brought nigh, 14. (Then) every soul will know what it hath made ready.
15. Ob, but I call to witness the planets, 16. The stars which rise and set, 17. And the close of night,* 18. And the breath of morning^ * Lit. "And the night when it closeth.”
^ Lit. "And tlie morning when it breathes.”
SURAH Lxxxi THE OVERTHROWING 637 19. That this is in truth the word of an honoured messenger, 20. Mighty, established in the presence of the Lord of the Throne, 21. (One) to be obeyed, and trustworthy; 22. And your comrade is not mad.
23. Surely he beheld him on the clear horizon.^ 24. And he is not avid of the Unseen.
25. Nor is this the utterance of a devil worthy to be stoned.
26. Whither then go ye?
27. This is naught else than a reminder unto creation, 28. Unto whomsoever of you willeth to walk straight.
29. And ye will not, unless (it be) that Allah willeth, the Lord of Creation.
I Xhe reference is to the Prophet’s vision at Mt. Hira.
sOrah lxxxii Al-Infitar takes its name from a word in verse i. An early Meccan Surah.
THE CLEAVING Revealed at Mecca In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. When the heaven is cleft asunder, 2. When the planets are dispersed, 3. When the seas are poured forth, 4. And the sepulchres are overturned, 5. A soul will know what it hath sent before (it) and what left behind.
6. O man! What hath made thee careless concerning thy Lord, the Bountiful, 7. Who created thee, then fashioned, then proportioned thee?
8. Into whatsoever form He will. He casteth thee.
9. Nay, but they deny the Judgement.
10. Lo! there are above you guardians, 11. Generous and recording, 12. Who know (all) that ye do.
13. Lo! the righteous verily will be in delight.
14. And lo! the wicked verily will be in hell; 15. They will burn therein on the Day of Judgement, 1 6. And will not be absent thence.
SURAH Lxxxii THE CLEAVING 639 17. Ah, what will convey unto thee what the Day of Judgement is!
18. Again, what will convey unto thee what the Day of Judgement is!
19. A day on which no soul hath power at all for any (other) soul. The (absolute) command on that day is Allah’s.
SURAH LXXXIII At-Tatfif, “Defrauding,” takes its name from a word in verse i. An early Meccan Surah.
DEFRAUDING Revealed at Mecca In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. Woe unto the defrauders: 2. Those who when they take the measure from mankind demand it full, 3. But if they measure unto them or weigh for them, they cause them loss.
4. Do such (men) not consider that they will be raised again 5. Unto an awful Day, 6. The day when (all) mankind stand before the Lord of the Worlds?
7. Nay, but the record of the vile is in Sijjin— 8. Ah! what will convey unto thee what Sijjin is!— 9. A written record.
10. Woe unto the repudiators on that day! 11. Those who deny the Day of Judgement 12. Which none denieth save each criminal transgressor, 13. Who, when thou readest unto him Our revelations, saith: (Mere) fables of the men of old.
14. Nay, but that which they have earned is rust upon their hearts.
SURAH Lxxxiii DEFRAUDING 641 15. Nay, but surely on tbat day they will be covered from (the mercy of) their Lord.
16. Then lo! they verily will burn in hell, 17. And it will be said (unto them): This is that which ye used to deny.
18. Nay, but the record of the righteous is in ‘Iliyin— 19. Ah, what will convey unto thee what ‘Iliyin is!— 20. A written record, 21. Attested by those who are brought near (unto their Lord).
22. Lo! the righteous verily are in delight, 23. On couches, gazing, 24. Thou wilt know in their faces the radiance of delight.
25. They are given to drink of a pure wine, sealed, 26. Whose seal is musk—For this let (all) those strive who strive for bliss— 27. And mixed with water of Tasnim, 28. A spring whence those brought near to Allah drink, 29. Lo! the guilty used to laugh at those who believed, 30. And wink one to another when they passed them; 31. And when they returned to their own folk, they returned jesting; 32. And when they saw them they said: Lo! these have gone astray.
33. Yet they were not sent as guardians over them, 34. This day it is those who believe who have the laugh of disbelievers, 35. Oir high couches, gazing.
36. Are not the disbelievers paid for what they used to do?
sOrah lxxxiv Al-InshiqSq, “The Sundering,” takes its name from a word in verse I. An early Meccan Surah.
THE SUNDERING Revealed at Mecca In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. When the heaven is split asunder 2. And attentive to her Lord in fear, 3. And when the earth is spread out 4. And hath cast out all that was in her, and is empty 5. And attentive to her Lord in fear!
6. Thou, verily, O man, art working toward thy Lord a work which thou wilt meet (in His presence), 7. Then whoso is given his account in his right hand 8. He truly will receive an easy reckoning g. And will return unto his folk in joy, 10. But whoso is given his account behind his back, 11. He surely will invoke destruction 12. And be thrown to scorching fire.
13. He verily lived joyous with his folk, 14. He verily deemed that he would never return (unto Allah).
15. Nay, but lo! his Lord is ever looking on him! 16. Oh, I swear by the afterglow of sunset, 17. And by the night and all that it enshroudeth, 18. And by the moon when she is at the full, ig. That ye shall journey on from plane to plane.
s6rah lxxxiv the SUNDERING 643 20. What aileth them, then, that they believe not 21. And, when the Qur’an is recited unto them, worship not (Allah)?
22. Nay, but those who disbelieve will deny; 23. And Allah knoweth best what they are hiding.
24. So give them tidings of a painful doom, 25. Save those who believe and do good works, for theirs is a reward unfailing.
sOrah lxxxv Al-Buruj takes its name from a word in verse I, which I have translated “mansions of the stars.” The word has the meaning of towers or mansions and is applied to the signs of the Zodiac. Verses 4 to 7 are generally taken to refer to the massacre of the Christians of Najrin in Al-Yaman by a Jewish king Dhu Nawis, an event of great historical importance since it caused the intervention of the Negus and led to the Abyssinian supremacy in the Yaman which lasted until the War of the Elephant (Surah CV) in the Prophet's year of birth. Professor Horowitz thinks that the words “owners of the ditch, of the fuel-fed fire” refer not to any historical event but to the condition of all persecutors in the hereafter.^ An early Meccan Surah.
THE MANSIONS OF THE STARS Revealed at Mecca In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. By the heaven, holding mansions of the stars, 2. And by the Promised Day.
3. And by the witness and that whereunto he beareth testimony, 4. (Self-)destroyed were the owners of the ditch 5. Of the fuel-fed fire, 6. When they sat by it, 7. And were themselves the witnesses of what they did to the believers.'
' See "Islamic Culture” (Hyderabad, Deccan), April 1929. a Or it might be: "(Self~)destroyed were the owners of the trench of fuel-fed fire (I'.e hell) when they took their ease on earth and wcte themselves the witnesses,” etc.
Lxxxv THE MANSIONS OF THE STARS 645 8. They had naught against them save that they believed in Allah, the Mighty, the Owner of Praise, 9. Him unto Whom belongeth the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth; and Allah is of all things the Witness.
10. Lo! they who persecute believing men and believing women and repent not, theirs verily will be the doom of hell, and theirs the doom of burning.
11. Lol those who believe and do good works, theirs will be Gardens underneath which rivers flow. That is the Great Success.
12. Lo! the punishment of thy Lord is stern.
13. Lo! He it is Who produceth, then reproduceth, 14. And He is the Forgiving, the Loving, 15. Lord of the Throne of Glory, 16. Doer of what He will.
17. Hath there come unto thee the story of the hosts 18. Of Pharaoh and (the tribe of) Thamud?
19. Nay, but those who disbelieve live in denial 20. And Allah, all unseen, surroundeth them.
21. Nay, but it is a glorious Qur’an.
22. On a guarded tablet.
sOrah lxxxvi At~Tdriq takes its name from a word in verse I. There are other meanings to the word Tmq, but I have chosen that which must have occurred to every hearer of this Surah, especially as in verse 3 it is stated that a star is meant. The Morning Star has here a mystic sense, and is taken to refer to the Prophet himself. Some have thought that it refers to a comet which alarmed the East about the time of the Prophet’s call. Others believe that this and other introductory verses, hard to elucidate, hide scientific facts unimagined at the period of revelation, and are related to the verses following them. Ghamrawi Bey, my collaborator in the revision of this work, informed me that the late Dr. Sidqi among others considered that the reference here is to the fertilising germ penetrating the ovary, the subject being the same as vv. 5-7.
An early Meccan Surah.
THE MORNING STAR Revealed at Mecca Ill the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful, 1. By the heaven and the Morning Star’ 2. —Ah, what will cell thee what the Morning Star is!
3. —The piercing Star!
4. No human soul but hath a guardian over it.
5. So let man consider from what he is created. 6. He is created from a gushing fluid 7. That issued from between the loins and ribs.
8. Lo! He verily is Able to return him (unto life) 9. On the day when hidden thoughts shall be searched out.
I The Arabic word means originally "that which comes at night” or "one who knocks at the door,” SURAH Lxxxvi THE MORNING STAR 10. Then will he have no might nor any helper.
11. By the heaven which giveth the returning rain, 12. And the earth which splitteth (with the growth of trees and plants) 13. Lo! this (Qur’an) is a conclusive word, 14. It is no pleasantry.
15. Lo! they plot a plot (against thee, O Muhammad) 16. And I plot a plot (against them).
17. So give a respite to the disbelievers. Deal thou gently with them for a while.
sOrah lxxxvii Al-A‘ala takes its name from a word in verse i.
An early Meccan Surah.
THE MOST HIGH Revealed at Mecca In the name of AllaK, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. Praise the name of thy Lord the Most High, 2. Who createth, then disposeth; 3. Who measureth, thenguidcth; 4. Who bringeth forth the pasturage, 5. Then turneth it to rus.scc stubble.
6. We shall make thee read (O Muhammad) so that thou shalt not forget 7. Save that which Allah willeth. Lo! He knoweth the disclosed and that which still is hidden; 8. And We shall ease thy w’ay unto the state of ease.
9. Therefor remind (men), for of use is the reminder.
10. He will heed who feareth, 11. But the most hapless will flout it, 12. He who will be flung to the great fire 13. Wherein he will neither die nor live.
14. He is successful w'ho groweth, 15. And remembereth the name of his Lord, so prayeth.
16. But ye prefer the life of the world 17. Although the Hereafter is better and more lasting.
18. Lo! This is in the former scrolls, 19. The Books of Abraham and Moses.
SURAH LXXXVIII Al-Ghdshiyah takes its name from a word in verse i.
An early Meccan Surah.
THE OVERWHELMING Revealed at Mecca In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. Hath there come unto thee tidings of the Overwhelming?
2. On that day (many) faces will be downcast, 3. Toiling, weary, 4. Scorched by burning fire, 5. Drinking from a boiling spring, 6. No food for them save bitter thorn-fruit 7. Which doth not nourish nor release from hunger.
8. In that day other faces will be calm, 9. Glad for their effort past, 10. In a high garden n. Where they hear no idle speech, 12. Wherein is a gushing spring, 13. Wherein are couches raised 14. And goblets set at hand 15. And cushions ranged 16. And silken carpets spread.
17. Will they not regard the camels, how they are created?
18. And the heaven, how it is raised?
19. And the hills, how they are set up?
20. And the earth, how it is spread?
650 THE GLORIOUS KORAN st>RAH Lxxxvin 21. Remind them, for thou art but a remembrancer, 22. Thou art not at all a warder over them.
23. But whoso is averse and disbelieveth, 24. Allah will punish him with direst punishment.
25. Lo! unto Us is their return' 26. And Ours their reckoning.
SURAH LXXXIX Al-Fajr takes its name from verse i.
A very early Meccan Surah.
THE DAWN Revealed at Mecca In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. By the Dawn 2. And ten nights,' 3. And the Even and the Odd, 4. And the night when it departeth, 5. There surely is an oath for thinking man.
6. Dost thou not consider how thy Lord dealt with (the tribe of) A‘ad, 7. With many-columned' Iram, 8. The like of which was not created in the lands; 9. And with (the tribe of) Thamud, who clove the rocks in the valley; 10. And with Pharaoh, firm of might, 11. Who (all) were rebellious (to Allah) in these lands, 12. And multiplied iniquity therein?
13. Therefor thy Lord poured on them the disaster of His punishment.
1 Of the month of pilgrimage.
2 I had written "many-columned,” following the run of commentators, who take the word to mean columns, pillars, when I happened upon Ibn Khaldun’s diatribe against that tendering and all the legends to which it has given rise, in the preface to the Prolegomena. The word meant "tent-poles” to the Arabs of the Prophet’s day, as Ibn Khaldun points out. In view of recent discoveries in the Yaman, however, I prefer the usual rendering.
652 THE GLORIOUS KORAN sl)rah lxxxix 14. Lo! thy Lord is ever watchful.
15. As for man, whenever his Lord trieth him by honouring him, and is gracious unto him, he saith: My Lord honoureth me.
16. But whenever He trieth him by straitening his means of life, he saith; My Lord despiseth me.
17. Nay, but ye (for your part) honour not the orphan 18. And urge not on the feeding of the poor, 19. And ye devour heritages with devouring greed 20. And love wealth with abounding love.
21. Nay, but when the earth is ground to atoms, grinding, grinding, 22. And thy Lord shall come with angels, rank on rank, 23. And hell is brought near that day; on that day man will remember, but how will the remembrance (then avail him)?
24. He will say; Ah, would that I had sent before me (some provision) for my life!
25. None punisheth as He will punish on that day!
26. None bindeth as He then will bind.
27. But ah! thou soul at peace!
28. Return unto thy Lord, content in His good pleasure!
29. Enter thou among My bondmen!
30. Enter thou My Garden!
SURAH XC Al-Balad takes its name from a word in verse i.
A very early Meccan Surah.
THE CITY Revealed at Mecca In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. Nay, I swear by this city— 2. And thou art an indweller of this city’— 3. And the begetter and that which he begat, 4. We verily have created man in an atmosphere:^ 5. Thinketh he that none hath power over him?
6. And he saith: I have destroyed vast wealth: 7. Thinketh he that none beholdeth him?
8. Did We not assign unto him two eyes 9. And a tongue and two lips, 10. And guide him to the parting of the mountain ways?
11. But he hath not attempted the Ascent— 12. Ah, what will convey unto thee what the Ascent is!— 13. (It is) to free a slave, 14. And to feed in the day of hunger 15. An orphan near of kin, 16. Or some poor wretch in misery, 17. And to be of those who believe and exhort one another to perseverance and exhort one another to pity.
18. Their place will be on the right hand.
19. But those who disbelieve Our revelations, their place will be on the left hand.
20. Fire will be an awning over them.
I Or “when thou hast control over this city” (prophetically), a Or “in affliction.”
sOrah xci Ash-Shams takes its name from a word in verse i.
A very early Meccan Surah.
THE SUN Revealed at Mecca In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. By the sun and his brightness, 2. And the moon when she followeth him, 3. 'And the day when it revealeth him, 4. And the night when it enshroudeth him, 5. And the heaven and Him who built it, 6. And the earth and Him wbo spread it, 7. And a soul and Him who perfected it 8. And inspired it (with conscience of) what is wrong for it and (what is) right for it.
9. He is indeed successful who causeth it to grow, 10. And he is indeed a failure who stunteth it.
11. (The tribe of) Thamud denied (the truth) in their rebellious pride, 12. When the basest of them broke forth 13. And the messenger of Allah said: It is the she-camel of Allah, so let her drink!
14. But they denied him, and they hamstrung her, so Allah doomed them lor their sin and rased (their dwellings), 15. He dreadeth not the sec^uel (of events).
sOrah xcii Al-Leyl takes its name from a word in verse i.
A very early Meccan Surah.
THE NIGHT Revealed at Mecca In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. By the night enshrouding 2. And the day resplendent 3. And Him Who hath created male and female, 4. Lo! your effort is dispersed (toward divers ends).
5. As for him who giveth and is dutiful (toward Allah) 6. And believeth in goodness; 7. Surely We will ease his way unto the state of ease.
8. But as for him who hoardeth and deemeth himself independent, 9. And disbelieveth in goodness; 10. Surely We will ease his way unto adversity.
11. His riches will not save him when he perisheth.
12. Lo! Ours it is (to give) the guidance 13. And lo I unco Us belong the latter portion and the former.
14. Therefor have I warned you of the flaming Fire 15. Which only the most wretched must endure, 16. He who denieth and turneth away. 17. Far removed from it will be the righteous 18. Who giveth his wealth that he may grow (in goodness), 19. And none hath with him any favour for reward, 20. Except as seeking (to fulfil) the purpose of his Lord Most High.
21. He verily will be content.
SORAH XCIII Ad-Duhd, "The Morning Hours," takes its name from the first verse. There was an interval during which the Prophet received no revelation and the idolaters mocked him, saying: "Allah, of whom we used to hear so much, has forsaken poor Muhammad and now hates him." Then came this revelation. The Prophet had been a leading citizen of Mecca until he received his call. Now he was regarded as a madman. He was a man near fifty, and the prophecy in this Surah that "the latter portion would be better for him than the former" must have seemed absurd to those who heard it. Yet the latter portion of the Prophet’s life, the last ten years, is the most wonderful record of success in human history.
An early Meccan Surah.
THE MORNING HOURS Revealed at Mecca In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. By the morning hours 2. And by the night when it is stillest, 3. Thy Lord hath not forsaken thee nor doth He hate thee, 4. And verily the latter portion will be better for thee than the former, 5. And verily thy Lord will give unto thee so that thou wilt be content.
6. Did He not find thee an orphan and protect (thee)?
7. Did He not find thee wandering and direct (thee)?
8. Did He not find thee destitute and enrich (thee)?
9. Therefor the orphan oppress not, 10. Therefor the beggar drive not away, 11. Therefor of the bounty of thy Lord be thy discourse.
sOrah xciv Al-lnshirdh, "Solace,” takes its name from a word in verse I, and also from its subject, which is relief from anxiety. It was probably revealed upon the same occasion as Surah XCIII; and, at a time when the Prophet was derided and shunned after having been respected and courted, must have struck the disbelievers as ridiculous. It refers to the inward assurance which the Prophet had received by revelation, and speaks of future events as accomplished, as is usual in the Koran, the revelation coming from a plane where time is not. Verse 4, speaking of his fame as exalted, must have seemed particularly absurd at that time of humiliation and persecution. But to-day, from every mosque in the world, the Prophet’s name is cried, as that of the messenger of God, five times a day, and every Muslim prays for blessings on him when his name is mentioned.
An early Meccan Stirah.
SOLACE Revealed at Mecca In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. Have We not caused thy bosom to dilate, 2. And eased thee of the burden 3. Which weighed down thy back; 4. And exalted thy fame?
5. But lo! with hardship goeth ease, 6. Lo! with hardship goeth ease; 7. So when thou art relieved, still toil 8. And strive to please thy Lord.
u u sOrah xcv At-Ttn, “The Fig,” takes its name from a word in verse i. The sense is mystical, referring to man in relation to the revealed Law of God and His judgment.
A very early Meccan Surah.
THE FIG Revealed at Mecca In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. By the fig and the olive, 2. By Mount Sinai, 3. And by this land made safe; 4. Surely We created man of the best stature 5. Then We reduced him to the lowest of the low, 6. Save those who believe and do good works, and theirs is a reward unfailing.
7. So who henceforth will give the lie to thee about the judgement?
8. Is not Allah the most conclusive of all judges?
sOrah xcvi AU'Alaq takes its name from a word in verse 2. Verses 1-5 are the words which the Prophet received in the vision at HirS, therefore the first of the Koran to be revealed.
A very early Meccan Surah.
THE CLOT Revealed at Mecca In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful, 1. Read: In the name of thy Lord who createth, 2. Createth man from a clot.
3. Read: And thy Lord is the Most Bounteous, 4. Who teacheth by the pen, 5. Teacheth man that which he knew not.
6. Nay, but verily man is rebellious 7. That he thinketh himself independent!
8. Lo! unto thy Lord is the return.
9. Hast thou seen him who dissuadeth 10. A slave when he prayeth?
11. Hast thou seen if he (relieth) on the guidance (of -Allah) 12. Or enjoineth piety?
13. Hast thou seen if he denieth (Allah’s guidance) and is froward?
14. Is he then unaware that Allah seeth?
15. Nay, but if he cease not We will seize him by the forelock— THE GLORIOUS KORAN siIrah xcvi 16. The lying, sinful forelock— 17. Then let him call upon his henchmen!
18. We will call'the guards of hell.
19. Nay! Obey not thou him. But prostrate thyself, and draw near (unto Allah).
sOrah xcvii Al-Qadr takes its name from a word in verse i. It refers to the night (one of the last nights of Ramadan) on which the Prophet received his Call and the first verses of the Koran were revealed in the vision ofMt. Hiri. It is said to be the night on which God's decrees for the year are brought down to the earthly plane.
A very early Meccan Surah.
POWER Revealed at Mecca In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful, 1. Lo! We revealed it on the Night of Power.
2. Ah, what will convey unto thee what the Night of Power is!