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43. As for these similitudes, We coin them for mankind, but
none will grasp their meaning save the wise.
44. Allah created the heavens and the earth with truth. Lo!
therein is indeed a sign for believers.
45. Recite that which has been revealed to you of the Book,
and establish prayer. Lo! prayer preserves from lewdness
and iniquity, but verily remembrance of Allah is greater.
And Allah knows what you do.
? . 46 And argue not with the People of the Scripture [Jews
and Christians] unless it be in [a way] that is better, save
with such of them as do injustice; and say: We believe in
that which has been revealed to us and revealed to you;
our God and your God is One, and we are Muslims [in
submission] to Him.
47. In like manner We have revealed to you the Qur’ân, and
those to whom We [previously] gave the Book will believe
therein; and of these [also][1] there are some who believe
therein. And none deny Our verses save the disbelievers
48. And you [O Muhammad] did not recite any book before
it [this Qur’ân], nor did you inscribe it with your right
hand, for then might those have doubted, who follow
falsehood.
49. But it is [the Qur’ân] clear verses in the hearts of those
who have been given knowledge, and none deny Our
verses save wrong-doers.
50. And they say: Why are not signs sent down upon him
from his Lord? Say: Signs are with Allah only, and I am
but a plain warner.
51. Is it not enough for them that We have sent down to you
the Book which is recited to them? Lo! herein verily is
mercy, and a reminder for folk who believe.
[1] i.e. the people of Mecca.
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52. Say [to them, O Muhammad]: Allah suffices for witness
between me and you. He knows whatsoever is in the
heavens and the earth. And those who believe in falsehood
and disbelieve in Allah, they it is who are the losers.
53. They urge you to hasten the doom [of Allah]. And if a
term had not been appointed, the doom would assuredly
have come to them [before now]. And verily it will come
upon them suddenly when they perceive not.
54. They urge you to hasten the doom, and lo! Hell verily will
encompass the disbelievers.
55. On the day when the doom will overwhelm them from
above them and from underneath their feet, and He will
say: Taste what you used to do!
56. O my bondmen who believe! Lo! My earth is spacious.
Therefor worship Me only.
57. Every soul will taste of death. Then to Us you will be
returned.
58. Those who have believed and done righteous deeds, them
verily We shall house in lofty dwellings of the Paradise
underneath which rivers flow. There they will dwell
eternally. How excellent is the reward of the toilers,
59. Who have been patient, and put their trust in their Lord!
60. And how many a creature there is that bears not its own
provision! Allah provides for it and for you. He is the
Hearer, the Knower.
61. And if you were to ask them: Who created the heavens
and the earth, and constrained the sun and the moon [to
their appointed work]? they would say: Allah. How then
are they turned away?
62. Allah makes the provision wide for whom He wills of His
bondmen, and straitens it for whom [He wills]. Lo! Allah
is Aware of all things.
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63. And if you were to ask them: Who causes water to come
down from the sky, and therewith revives the earth after
its death? they verily would say: Allah. Say: Praise be to
Allah! But most of them do not reason.
64. This life of the world is but a pastime and a game. Lo! the
home of the Hereafter that is Life, if they but knew.
65. And when they mount upon the ship they supplicate
Allah, making their faith pure for Him only, but when He
brings them safe to land, behold! they associate others
[with Him],
66. That they may disbelieve in that which We have given
them, and that they may take their ease. But they will
come to know.
67. Have they not seen that We have appointed [Mecca] a
sanctuary immune [from violence],[1] while people are
being taken away all around them? Do they then believe
in falsehood and disbelieve in the bounty of Allah?
68. Who does greater wrong than he who invents a lie
concerning Allah, or denies the truth when it comes to
him? Is not there a home in Hell for disbelievers?
69. As for those who strive in Us, We surely guide them to
Our paths, and lo! Allah is with the good-doers.
30- THE ROMANS [AR-RUM]
Revealed at Mecca, [60 verses]
Ar-rûm, “The Romans” takes its name from a word in the
first verse.
The armies of the Eastern Roman Empire had been
defeated by the Persians in all the territories near Arabia. In
[1] The territory of Mecca.
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the year A. D. 613 Jerusalem and Damascus fell, and in the
following year Egypt. A Persian army invaded Anatolia and
was threatening Constantinople itself in the year A.D. 615
or 616 (the sixth or seventh year before the Hijrah) when,
according to the best authorities, this Sûrah was revealed at
Mecca. The pagan Arabs triumphed in the news of Persian
victories over the Prophet and his little band of followers,
because the Christian Romans were believers in the One God,
whereas the Persians were not. They argued that the power of
Allah could not be supreme and absolute, as the Prophet kept
proclaiming it to be, since the forces of a pagan empire had
been able to defeat His worshippers.
The Prophet’s answer was provided for him in this
grand assertion of Theocracy, which shows the folly of all
those who think of Allah as a partisan. It opens with two
prophecies: that the Romans would be victorious over the
Persians, and that the little persecuted company of Muslims
in Arabia would have reason to rejoice, “within ten years” [1]
In fact, in A.D. 624 the Roman armies entered purely Persian
territory, and in the same year a little army of Muslims, led by
the Prophet, overthrew the flower of Arab chivalry upon the
field of Badr.
But the prophecies are only the prelude to a proclamation
of God’s universal kingdom, which is shown to be an actual
Sovereignty. The laws of nature are expounded as the laws
of Allah in the physical sphere, and in the moral and political
spheres mankind is informed that there are similar laws of
life and death, of good and evil, action and inaction, and their
consequences laws which no one can escape by wisdom or by
cunning. His mercy, like His law, surrounds all things, and the
[1] The word in the Arabic (bida’) implies a space of not less than three,
and not more than nine, years.
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standard of His judgment is the same for all. He is not remote
or indifferent, partial or capricious. Those who do good earn
His favour, and those who do ill earn His wrath, no matter what
may be their creed or race; and no one, by the lip profession of
a creed, is able to escape His law of consequences. It belongs
to the middle group of Meccan Sûrahs.
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. Alif. Lâm. Mîm.[1]
2. The Romans have been defeated
3. In the nearer land, and they, after their defeat will be
victorious.
4. Within three to nine years– Allah’s is the command in the
former case and in the latter and in that day believers will
rejoice.
5. In Allah’s help to victory. He helps to victory whom He
wills. He is the Mighty, the Merciful.
6. It is a promise of Allah. Allah fails not His promise, but
most of mankind know not.
7. They know only some appearance of the life of the world,
and are heedless of the Hereafter.
8. Have they not contemplated upon themselves? Allah
created not the heavens and the earth, and that which is
between them, save with truth and for a destined end. But
truly many of the people are disbelievers in the meeting
with their Lord.
9. Have they not travelled in the land and seen the nature of
the consequence for those who were before them?[2] They
[1] See Sûr. [2] v.1, footnote.
[2] To those who journeyed out from Mecca, northward into Mesopotamia
and Syria, or southward to the Yemen and Hadramaut, appeared the
ruins of old civilisations which, tradition said, had been destroyed
on account of their corruption and disobedience to the will of God.
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were stronger than these in power, and they dug the earth
and built upon it more than these have built. Messengers
of their own came to them with clear proofs [of Allah’s
Sovereignty]. Surely Allah wronged them not, but they did
wrong themselves.
10. Then evil was the consequence to those who dealt in evil,
because they denied the signs of Allah and made a mock
of them.
11. Allah begins creation, then He repeats it, then to Him you
will be returned.
12. And in the day when the Hour comes the criminals will
despair.
13. There will not be intercessors for them of those whom
they made equal with Allah. And they will disbelieve their
partners [whom they ascribed to Him].
14. In the day when the Hour comes, that day they will be
separated.
15. As for those who believed and did righteous deeds, they
will be made delighted in a Garden [of Paradise].
16. But as for those who disbelieved and denied Our verses,
and denied the meeting of the Hereafter, such will be
brought to doom.
17. So glory be to Allah when you enter the night and when
you enter the morning-–
18. To Him be praise in the heavens and the earth! and at the
sun’s decline and in the noon.
19. He brings forth the living from the dead, and He brings
forth the dead from the living, and He revives the earth
after her death. And thus will you be brought forth.
20. And of His signs is this: He created you of dust, and
behold you human beings, ranging widely [throughout
the earth]!
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21. And of His signs is this: He created for you mates from
yourselves that you might find rest in them, and He
ordained between you love and mercy. Lo, herein indeed
are signs for folk who reflect.
22. And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the
earth, and the difference of your languages and colours.
Lo! herein indeed are signs for men of knowledge.
23. And of His signs is your slumber by night and by day, and
your seeking of His bounty. Lo! herein indeed are signs
for folk who listen.
24. And of His signs is this: He shows you the lightning for a
fear and for a hope, and sends down water from the sky,
and thereby brings the earth to life after her death. Lo!
herein indeed are signs for folk who understand.
25. And of His signs is this: The heavens and the earth stand
fast by His command, and afterward, when He calls you a
single call from the earth, immediately you will come forth.
26. To Him belongs whosoever is in the heavens and in the
earth. All are obedient to Him.
27. He it is Who begins creation, then repeats it and it is easier
for Him. His is the Sublime Similitude in the heavens and
in the earth. He is the Mighty, the Wise.
28. He coins for you a similitude of yourselves. Have you,
from among those whom your right hands possess, [i.e.
the slaves] partners in the wealth We have bestowed
upon you, equal with you in respect thereof, so that you
fear them as you fear each other [that you ascribe to Us
partners out of that which We created]? Thus We detail
the verses for people who have sense.
29. Nay, but those who do wrong follow their own lusts
without knowledge. Who is able to guide him whom
Allah has sent astray? For such there are no helpers.
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30. So set your face [O Muhammad] steadily and truly to
religion as a man by nature upright– the nature [framed]
of Allah, in which He has created [all] people. There is
no altering [the laws of] Allah’s creation. That is the right
religion, but most of the people know not–
31. Turning in repentance to Him [only]; and fear Him, and
establish prayer, and be not of those who associate others
[with Him];
32. Of those who split up their religion and became sects,
each sect exulting in its tenets.
33. And when harm touches people they cry to their Lord,
turning to Him in repentance; then, when they have tasted
of His mercy, behold! some of them associate others with
their Lord.
34. So as to disbelieve in that which We have given them. [To
such it is said]: Enjoy yourselves awhile, but you will come
to know.
35. Or have We send down to them an authority, which speaks
of that which they associate with Him?
36. And when We cause people to taste of mercy they
rejoice therein; but if an evil thing befalls them as the
consequence of their own deeds, lo! they are in despair!
37. See they not that Allah enlarges the provision for whom
He wills, and straitens [it for whom He wills]. Lo! herein
indeed are signs for folk who believe.
38. So give to the kinsman his due, and to the needy, and
to the wayfarer. That is best for those who seek Allah’s
countenance. And such are they who are successful.
39. That which you give in usury in order that it may increase
on [other] people’s property has no increase with Allah;
but that which you give in charity, seeking Allah’s
Countenance [will increase], those are the multipliers.
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40. Allah is He Who created you and then sustained you, then
causes you to die, then gives life to you again. Is there any
of your [so-called] partners [of Allah] that does anything
of that? Praised and Exalted be He above what they
associate [with Him]!
41. Corruption does appear on land and sea because of [the
evil] which men’s hands have done, that He may make
them taste a part of that which they have done, in order
that they may return.
42. Say [O Muhammad, to the disbelievers]: Travel in the
land, and see the nature of the consequence for those
who were before you! Most of them were associators.
43. So set your face [i.e., purpose] resolutely for the right
religion, before the inevitable day comes from Allah. On
that day they will be divided-–
44. Whoso disbelieves must [then] bear the consequences of
his disbelief, while those who do righteousness they are
for themselves preparing.
45. That He may reward out of His bounty those who believe
and do good deeds. Lo! He likes not the disbelievers [in
His guidance].
46. And of His signs is this: He sends the winds as glad tidings
to make you taste His mercy, and that the ships may sail at
His command, and that you may seek His favour, and that
perhaps you may be thankful.
47. Verily We sent before you [Muhammad] messengers to
their own folk. They brought them clear signs [of Allah’s
Sovereignty]. Then We took retribution from those who
commit crimes [in regard to them]. To help believers is
ever incumbent upon Us.
48. Allah is He Who sends the winds so that they raise clouds,
and spreads them along the sky as pleases Him, and causes
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them to break and you see the rain down-pouring from
within them. And when He makes it to fall on whom He
wills of His bondmen, lo! they rejoice;
49. Though before that, even before it was sent down upon
them, they were in despair.
50. Look, therefore, at the effects of Allah’s mercy [in
creation]: how He quickens the earth after her death.
Lo! He verily is the Quickener of the Dead, and He is
Able to do all things.
51. And if We sent a [bad] wind and they saw [their crops] turned
yellow; they verily would still continue in their disbelief.
52. For verily you [Muhammad] cannot make the dead to hear,
nor can you make the deaf to hear the call when they turn
their backs to retreat.
53. Nor can you guide the blind out of their error. You can
make none to hear save those who believe in Our verses
so they are Muslims [in submission to Him].
54. Allah is He who created you out of weakness, then
appointed after weakness strength, then, after strength,
appointed weakness and grey hair. He creates what He
wills, and He is the Knower, the Mighty.
55. And on the day when the Hour rises the criminals will
vow that they did remain but an hour– thus they were
deluded.
56. But those to whom knowledge and faith are given will say:
The truth is, you have tarried, by Allah’s decree, until the
Day of Resurrection. This is the Day of Resurrection,
but you used not to know.
57. In that day their excuses will not profit those who did
injustice, nor will they be allowed to make amends.
58. Verily We have coined for mankind in this Qur’ân all kinds
of similitudes; and indeed if you came to them with a
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miracle, those who disbelieve would verily exclaim: You
are but tricksters!
59. Thus does Allah seal the hearts of those who know not.
60. So have patience [O Muhammad]! Allah’s promise is the
very truth, and let not those who have no certainty make
you impatient.
31- LUQMAN [LUQMAN]
Revealed at Mecca, [34 verses]
Luqmân takes its name from v. 12 ff., which contain
mention of the wisdom of Luqmân, a sage whose memory the
Arabs reverenced, but who is unknown to Jewish Scripture.
He is said to have been a negro slave and the fables associated
with his name are so like those of Aesop that the usual
identification seems justified. The Sûrah conveys assurance
of success to the Muslims at a time of persecution. It belongs
to the middle or last group of Meccan Sûrahs; except vv. 27
and 28 which were revealed at Al-Madînah.
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. Alif. Lâm. Mîm.[1]
2. These are verses of the Wise Book [the Qur’ân],
3. A guidance and a mercy for the good-doers,
4. Those who establish prayer and pay the poor-due and have
sure faith in the Hereafter.
5. Such have guidance from their Lord. Such are the successful.
6. And of mankind is he who pays for mere pastime of
discourse, that he may mislead from Allah’s way without
[1] See Sûr. [2] v.1, footnote.
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knowledge, and makes it the butt of mockery. For such
there is a shameful doom.
7. And when Our verses are recited to him he turns away in
pride as if he heard them not, as if there were a deafness in
his ears. So give him tidings of a painful doom.
8. Lo! those who believe and do good deeds, for them are
Gardens of Delight,
9. Wherein they will abide eternally. It is a promise of Allah in
truth. He is the Mighty, the Wise.
10. He has created the heavens without supports that you
can see, and has cast into the earth firm mountains,
so that it quake not with you; and He has dispersed
therein all kinds of beasts. And We send down water
from the sky and We cause [plants] of every goodly
kind to grow therein.
11. This is the Creation of Allah. Now show me that which
those [you worship] besides Him have created. Nay, but
the wrong-doers are in a manifest error!
12. And verily We gave Luqmân wisdom, saying: Give thanks
to Allah; and whosoever gives thanks, he gives thanks for
[the good of] his soul. And whosoever denies– Lo! Allah
is Absolute, the Praiseworthy.
13. And [remember] when Luqmân said to his son, when he
was exhorting him: O my son! Do not associate [anything]
with Allah. Lo! association [with Him] is a tremendous
injustice–
14. And We have enjoined upon man concerning his parents-
His mother bears him in weakness upon weakness, and
his weaning is in two years- Give thanks to Me and to
your parents. To Me is the [final] destination.
15. But if they strive with you to make you associate with Me
that of which you have no knowledge, then obey them not.
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Accompany with them in the world kindly, and follow the
path of him who repents to Me. Then to Me will be your
return, and I shall tell you what you used to do-–
16. O my son! Lo! though it be but the weight of a grain
of mustard-seed, and though it be in a rock, or in the
heavens, or in the earth, Allah will bring it forth. Allah is
Subtle, Aware.
17. O my son! Establish prayer and enjoin kindness and forbid
iniquity, and bear with patience whatever may befall you.
Lo! that is of the steadfast heart of matters.
18. Turn not your cheek in scorn toward people, nor walk with
exultance in the land. Lo! Allah loves not each arrogant
boaster.
19. Be modest in your pace and subdue your voice. Lo! in
harshest of all voices is the voice of donkeys.
20. See you not how Allah has made serviceable to you
whatsoever is in the skies and whatsoever is in the earth and
has loaded you with His favours both without and within?
Yet of mankind is he who disputes concerning Allah, without
knowledge or guidance or an enlightening book.
21. And if it be said to them: Follow that which Allah has
revealed, they say: Nay, but we follow that wherein we
found our fathers. What! Even though the Satan were
inviting them to the doom of flame?
22. Whosoever submits his face [himself] to Allah while doing
good, he verily has grasped the trustworthy hand-hold.
To Allah belongs the sequel of all matters.
23. And whosoever disbelieves, let not his disbelief grieve
you [O Muhammad]. To Us is their return, and We shall
tell them what they did. Lo! Allah is Aware of what is in
the breasts [of men].
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24. We give them comfort for a little, and then We drive them
to a heavy doom.
25. If you should ask them: Who created the heavens and the
earth? they would answer: Allah. Say: Praise be to Allah!
But most of them know not.
26. To Allah belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and the
earth. Allah, He is the Absolute, the Praiseworthy.
27. And if all the trees in the earth were pens, and the sea,
with seven more seas to help it, [were ink], the words of
Allah could not be exhausted. Allah is Mighty, Wise.
28. Your creation and your raising [from the dead] are only as
[the creation and the raising of] a single soul. Lo! Allah is
Hearer, Knower.
29. Have you not seen how Allah causes the night to pass
into the day and causes the day to pass into the night, and
has subdued the sun and the moon [to do their work],
each running to an appointed term; and that Allah is
Acquainted of what you do?
30. That [is so] because Allah, He is the Truth, and that which
they invoke besides Him is the falsehood, and because
Allah, He is the Most High, the Grand.
31. Have you not seen how the ships glide on the sea by
Allah’s grace, that He may show you of His Signs? Lo!
therein indeed are signs for every patient, grateful [heart].
32. And if waves enshroud them like awnings, they cry to
Allah, making their faith pure for Him only. But when
He brings them safe to land, some of them compromise.
None denies Our signs save every traitor ingrate.
33. O mankind! Fear your Lord and fear a Day when no father
will be able to avail his son in anything, nor will a son avail
his father. Lo! Allah’s promise is the truth. Let not the
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life of the world beguile you, nor let the deceiver [Satan]
beguile you, in regard to Allah.
34. Lo! Allah! With Him is knowledge of the Hour. He sends
down the rain, and knows that which is in the wombs. No
soul knows what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul knows
in what land it will die. Lo! Allah is Knower, Aware.
32- THE PROSTRATION [AS-SAJDAH]
Revealed at Mecca, [30 verses]
As-Sajdah, “The Prostration” takes its name from a word in v. 15.
It belongs to the middle group of Meccan Sûrahs.
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. Alif. Lâm. Mîm.[1]
2. The revelation of the Book whereof there is no doubt is
from the Lord of the Worlds.
3. Or say they: He has invented it? Nay, but it is the Truth
from your Lord, that you may warn a folk to whom no
warner came before you, that perhaps they will be guided.
4. Allah it is Who created the heavens and the earth, and that
which is between them, in six Days. Then He established
Himself above the Throne. You have not, besides Him,
any protector or intercessor. Will you not then remember?
5. He directs the ordinance from the heaven to the earth;
then it ascends to Him in a Day, whereof the measure is a
thousand years of that you reckon.
6. Such is the Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, the
Mighty, the Merciful,
[1] See Sûr. [2] v.1, footnote.
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7. Who perfected all things which He created, and He began
the creation of man from clay;
8. Then He made his offspring from a draught of despised fluid;
9. Then He fashioned him and breathed into him from His
[created] soul; and appointed for you hearing and sight and
hearts. Small thanks you give!
10. And they say: When we are [dead and become] lost in the
earth, shall we indeed be recreated anew? Nay but they
are disbelievers in the meeting with their Lord.
11. Say: The angel of death, who has charge concerning you,
will take your souls, and afterward to your Lord you will
be returned.
12. Could you but see when the criminals hang their heads
before their Lord, [and say]: Our Lord! We have now seen
and heard, so send us back; we will do righteous deeds,
now we are sure.
13. And if We had so willed, We could have given every soul
its guidance, but the word from Me concerning wrongdoers
took effect: that I will fill Hell with the jinn and
mankind together.
14. So taste [the evil of your deeds]. Forasmuch as you forgot
the meeting of this your day, lo! We forget you. Taste the
doom of immortality because of what you used to do.
15. Only those believe in Our verses who, when they are
reminded of them, fall down prostrate and exalt the
praise of their Lord, and they are not arrogant,
16. Who forsake their beds to supplicate their Lord in fear
and hope, and spend of what we have provided them.
17. No soul knows what is kept hid for them of joy, as a
reward for what they used to do.
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18. Is he who is a believer like to him who is defiantly
disobedient? They are not alike.
19. But as for those who believed and did righteous deeds, for
them are the Gardens of Retreat– an accommodation [in
reward] for what they used to do.
20. And as for those who defiantly disobeyed, their retreat is
the Fire. Whenever they desire to issue forth from thence,
they are brought back there. To them it is said: Taste the
doom of the Fire which you used to deny.
21. And verily We make them taste the lower punishment[1]
before the greater, that perhaps they may return.
22. And who does greater wrong than he who is reminded
of the verses of his Lord, then turns from them. Lo! We
shall requite the criminals.
23. We verily gave Moses the Scripture; so be not you in doubt
of his meeting; and We made the Torah a guidance for
the Children of Israel.
24. And when they became patient and believed firmly in
Our signs, We appointed from among them leaders who
guided by Our command.
25. Lo! your Lord will judge between them on the Day of
Resurrection concerning that wherein they used to differ.
26. Is it not a guidance for them [to observe] how many
generations He destroyed before them, amid whose
dwelling places they do walk? Lo, therein verily are signs!
Will they not then hear?
27. Have they not seen how We drive the water to the barren
land and therewith bring forth crops whereof their cattle
eat, and they themselves? Will they not then see?
[1] i.e. punishment in this world.
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28. And they say: When comes this conquest [of yours] if you
are truthful?
29. Say [to them]: On the day of the conquest the faith of
those who disbelieve [and who then will believe] will not
avail them, neither will they be reprieved.
30. So turn away from them [O Muhammad], and await [the
event]. Lo! they also are awaiting [it].
33- THE CLANS [AL-AHZAB]
Revealed at Al-Madînah, [73 verses]
Al-Ahzâb “The Clans,” takes its name from the army of
the allied clans which came against Yathrib (Al-Madînah) in the
fifth year of the Hijrah (vv. 9-25). Certain of the Banî Nadîr, a
Jewish tribe whom the Prophet had expelled from Yathrib on
the ground of treason (see Sûrah 51), went first to the leaders
of Qureysh in Mecca and then to the chiefs of the great desert
tribe of Ghatafan, urging them to extirpate the Muslims and
promising them help from the Jewish population of Yathrib.
As a result of their efforts, Qureysh with all their clans, and
Ghatafan with all their clans marched to destroy Yathrib.
When the Prophet had news of their design, he ordered
a trench to be dug before the city and himself led the work
of digging it. The trench was finished when the clans arrived,
10,000 strong. The Prophet went out against them with his
army of 3000, the trench being between the two armies. For
nearly a month the Muslims were exposed to showers of
arrows, in constant expectation of attack by much superior
forces; and, to make matters worse, news came that the Jewish
tribe of Banî Qureyzah in their rear had broken their alliance
with the Muslims and made common cause with Qureysh.
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The women and children had been put in strongholds
towers like the peel-towers of Northern England, of which
every family of note had one for refuge in the time of raids.
These were practically unguarded, and some of the Muslims
asked permission of the Prophet to leave the battle front
and go to guard them, though they were not then in danger
because the Banî Qureyzah were not likely to show their
treachery until the victory of the clans was certain.
The case of the Muslims seemed, humanly speaking,
hopeless. But a secret sympathiser in the enemy camp managed
to sow distrust between the Banî Qureyzah and the chiefs
of the clans, making both feel uneasy. The obstacle of the
trench was unexpected and seemed formidable; and when a
fierce, bitter wind from the sea blew for three days and nights
so furiously that they could not keep a shelter up, or light a
fire, or boil a pot, Abû Sufiân, the leader of Qureysh, raised
the siege in disgust. And when Ghatafan one morning found
Qureysh had gone, they too departed for their homes.
On the very day when the Muslims returned from the
trench, began the siege of the traitorous Banî Qureyzah in
their towers of refuge. It lasted for twenty-five days. When
they at length surrendered some of the tribe of Aûs, whose
adherents they were, asked the Prophet to show them the
same grace that he had shown to the tribe of Khazraj, in
the case of Banî Nadir, in allowing them to intercede for
their dependents.
The Prophet said: “Would you like that one of you should
decide concerning them?” They said: “Yes” and he appointed
Sa’d ibn Mu’adh, a great chief of Aûs, who had been wounded
and was being cared for in the Mosque. Sa’d was sent for and
he ordered their men to be put to death, their women and
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children to be made captive, and their property to be divided
among the Muslims at the Prophet’s will.
I have taken this account from the narrative of Ibn
Khaldûn, which is concise, rather than from that in Ibn
Hishâm, which is exceedingly diffuse, the two accounts being
in absolute agreement. Vv. 26 and 27 refer to the punishment
of Banî Qureyzah.
In v. 37 the reference is to the unhappy marriage of Zeyd,
the Prophet’s freedman and adopted son, with Zeynab, the
Prophet’s cousin, a proud lady of Qureysh. The Prophet had
arranged the marriage with the idea of breaking down the old
barrier of pride of caste, and had shown but little consideration
for Zeynab’s feelings. Tradition says that both she and her
brother were averse to the match, and that she had always wished
to marry the Prophet. For Zeyd, the marriage was nothing but
a cause of embarrassment and humiliation. When the Prophet’s
attention was first called to their unhappiness, he urged Zeyd to
keep his wife and not divorce her, being apprehensive of the talk
that would arise if it became known that a marriage arranged
by him had proved unhappy. At last, Zeyd did actually divorce
Zeynab, and the Prophet was commanded to marry her in order,
by his example, to disown the superstitious custom of the pagan
Arabs, in such matters, of treating their adopted sons as their real
sons, which was against the laws of God (i.e. the laws of nature);
whereas in arranging a marriage, the woman’s inclinations ought
to be considered. Unhappy marriage was no part of Allah’s
ordinance, and was not to be held sacred in Islâm.
The Sûrah contains further references to the wives of the
Prophet in connection with which it may be mentioned that
from the age of twenty-five till the age of fifty he had only
one wife, Khadijah, fifteen years his senior, to whom he was
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devotedly attached and whose memory he cherished till his
dying day. With the exception of ‘Ayeshah, the daughter of
his closest friend, Abû Bakr, whom he married at her father’s
request when she was still a child, all his later marriages were
with widows whose state was pitiable for one reason or
another. Some of them were widows of men killed in war.
One was a captive, when he made the marriage the excuse
for emancipating all the conquered tribe and restoring their
property. Two were daughters of his enemies, and his alliance
with them was a cause of peace. It is noteworthy that the
period of these marriages, was also the period of his greatest
activity, when he had little rest from campaigning, and was
always busy with the problems of a growing empire. The
period of revelation is between the end of the fifth and the
end of the seventh years of the Hijrah.
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. O Prophet! Fear Allah and obey not the disbelievers and
the hypocrites. Lo! Allah is ever Knowing, Wise.
2. And follow that which is revealed to you from your Lord.
Lo! Allah is Acquainted of what you do.
3. And put your trust in Allah, for Allah is sufficient as
Trustee.
4. Allah has not assigned to any man two hearts within his
body, nor has He made your wives whom you declare [to
be your mothers] your mothers,[1] nor has He made those
whom you claim [to be your sons] your sons. This is but
a saying of your mouths. But Allah says the truth and He
guides to the [right] way.
[1] The reference is to a custom of the pagan Arabs by which a man could
put away his wife by merely saying: “Your back is as my mother’s back
for me.”
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5. Call them by [the names of] their fathers. That will be
more just in the sight of Allah. And if you know not
their fathers, then [they are] your brothers in the religion,
and those entrusted to you. And there is no blame upon
you for that in which you have erred but [only for] what
your hearts intended, [that will be a sin for you]. Allah is
Forgiving, Merciful.
6. The Prophet is closer to the believers than their selves,
and his wives are [as] their mothers. And those of [blood]
kinship are more entitled [to inheritance] closer one to
another in the ordinance of Allah than [other] believers
and the emigrants [who fled from Mecca] except that
you should do kindness [through bequest] to your close
associates.[1] This is written in the Book.
7. And when We took a covenant from the prophets, and
from you [O Muhammad] and from Noah and Abraham
and Moses and Jesus son of Mary. We took from them a
solemn covenant;
8. That He may ask the truthful about their truth. And He has
prepared a painful doom for the disbelievers.
9. O you who believe! Remember Allah’s favour to you when
there came against you hosts, and We sent against them a
great wind and hosts you could not see. And Allah is ever
Seer of what you do.
10. When they came upon you from above you and from
below you, and when eyes grew wild and hearts reached
to the throats, and you were imagining vain thoughts
concerning Allah.
[1] The Prophet had ordained brotherhood between individuals of the
Ansar (Muslims of Al-Madinah) and the Muhajirin (fugitives from
Mecca) a brotherhood which was closer than kinship by blood.
This verse abolished such brotherhood, in so far as inheritance was
concerned.
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11. There the believers were sorely tried, and shaken with a
mighty shock.
12. And when the hypocrites, and those in whose hearts is a
disease, were saying: Allah and His messenger promised
us nothing but delusion.
13. And when a party of them said: O folk of Yathrib! There
is no stand [possible] for you, therefor turn back. And a
party of them [even] sought permission of the Prophet,
saying: Our homes lie open [to the enemy]. And they lay
not open. They but wished to flee.
14. If the enemy had entered from all sides and they had
been exhorted to fitnah [to abandon faith], they would
have committed it, and would have hesitated thereupon
but little.
15. And verily they had already sworn to Allah that they would
not turn their backs [to the foe]. An oath to Allah must be
answered for.
16. Say: Flight will not avail you if you flee from death or
killing, and then you dwell in comfort but a little while.
17. Say: Who is he who can protect you from Allah if He intends
harm for you, or intends mercy for you. They will not find
that they have any protector or helper other than Allah.
18. Allah already knows those of you who hinder, and those
who say to their brothers: “Come here towards us!” and
they come not to the battle save a little,
19. Being sparing of their help to you [believers]. But when
the fear comes, then you [Muhammad] see them regarding
you with rolling eyes like one who faints to death. Then,
when the fear departs, they scald you with sharp tongues
in their greed for wealth [from the spoil]. Such have not
believed. Therefor Allah makes their deeds fruitless. And
that is easy for Allah.
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20. They hold that the clans have not retired [for good]; and
if the clans should advance [again], they would wish they
were in the desert with the wandering Arabs, asking [from
afar] for the news of you; and if they were among you,
they would not fight, save a little.
21. Verily in the messenger of Allah you have a good example
for him whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day, and
remembers Allah much.
22. And when the believers saw the clans, they said: This is
that which Allah and His messenger promised us. Allah
and His messenger are true. And it increased them only
in faith and acceptance.
23. Of the believers are men who are true to that which they
covenanted with Allah. Some of them have paid their vow
by death [in battle], and some of them still are waiting;
and they have not altered in the least;
24. That Allah may reward the true men for their truth,
and punish the hypocrites if He wills, or accept their
repentance [if He wills]. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
25. And Allah repulsed the disbelievers in their wrath; they
gained no good. Allah averted their attack from the
believers. Allah is Strong, Mighty.
26. And He brought those of the People of the Scripture
who supported them down from their strongholds, and
cast panic into their hearts. Some you killed, and you
made captive some.
27. And He caused you to inherit their land and their houses
and their wealth, and land you have not trodden. Allah is
ever Able to do all things.
28. O Prophet! Say to your wives: If you desire the world’s
life and its adornment, come! I will content you and will
release you with a fair release.