23. Sūrat al-Muʾminūn (3/3)

٢٣۔ سُورَةُ المُؤمنون ص ٣

The Believers (Meccan)

quran:23:101

So when the Horn is blown, no relationship will there be among them that Day, nor will they ask about one another.  

And when the Trumpet is blown, the Horn, at the first or second blast, there will be no more ties ˹of kinship˺ between them on that day, for them to boast of among themselves, nor will they question one another, about such ˹ties˺, in contrast to their state in the life of this world, because of the gravity of the situation that will distract them from such ˹questioning˺ at certain points during the ˹Day of˺ Resurrection. At other ˹points˺ they are awake and ˹as is stated˺ in one verse: Some of them will turn to others, questioning each other ˹Q. 37:50˺.
القرآن:٢٣:١٠١

فَإِذَا نُفِخَ فِي الصُّورِ فَلَا أَنْسَابَ بَيْنَهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَلَا يَتَسَاءَلُونَ  

{فإذا نُفخ في الصور} القرن النفخة الأولى أو الثانية {فلا أنساب بينهم يومئذ} يتفاخرون بها {ولا يتساءلون} عنها خلاف حالهم في الدنيا لما يشغلهم من عظم الأمر عن ذلك في بعض مواطن القيامة، وفي بعضها يفيقون وفي آية (فأقبل بعضهم على بعض يتساءلون).
quran:23:102

And those whose scales are heavy ˹with good deeds˺ - it is they who are the successful.  

Then those whose scales are heavy, with good deeds, they are the successful, the winners;
القرآن:٢٣:١٠٢

فَمَنْ ثَقُلَتْ مَوَازِينُهُ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ  

{فمن ثقلت موازينه} بالحسنات {فأولئك هم المفلحون} الفائزون.
quran:23:103

But those whose scales are light - those are the ones who have lost their souls, ˹being˺ in Hell, abiding eternally.  

and those whose scales are light, because of evil deeds, they are the ones who have lost their souls, and so they will be, abiding in Hell.
القرآن:٢٣:١٠٣

وَمَنْ خَفَّتْ مَوَازِينُهُ فَأُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ خَسِرُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ فِي جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدُونَ  

{ومن خفت موازينه} بالسيئات {فأولئك الذين خسروا أنفسهم} فهم {في جهنم خالدون}.
quran:23:104

The Fire will sear their faces, and they therein will have taut smiles.  

The Fire will scorch their faces, it will burn them, while they glower therein, their upper and lower lips having receded from their teeth, and it will be said to them:
القرآن:٢٣:١٠٤

تَلْفَحُ وُجُوهَهُمُ النَّارُ وَهُمْ فِيهَا كَالِحُونَ  

{تلفح وجوههم النار} تحرقها {وهم فيها كالحون} شمرت شفاههم العليا والسفلى عن أسنانهم، ويقال لهم.
quran:23:105

˹It will be said˺. "Were not My verses recited to you and you used to deny them?"  

‘Were not My signs, in the Qur’ān, recited to you, were you ˹not˺ threatened therewith, and you used to deny them?’
القرآن:٢٣:١٠٥

أَلَمْ تَكُنْ آيَاتِي تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْكُمْ فَكُنْتُمْ بِهَا تُكَذِّبُونَ  

{ألم تكن آياتي} من القرآن {تتلي عليكم} تُخوَّفُون بها {فكنتم بها تكذبون}.
quran:23:106

They will say, "Our Lord, our wretchedness overcame us, and we were a people astray.  

They will say, ‘Our Lord, our wretchedness (shiqwatunā: a variant reading has shaqāwatunā, both of which are verbal nouns with the same meaning) overcame us, and we were an erring folk, ˹astray˺ from guidance.
القرآن:٢٣:١٠٦

قَالُوا رَبَّنَا غَلَبَتْ عَلَيْنَا شِقْوَتُنَا وَكُنَّا قَوْمًا ضَالِّينَ  

{قالوا ربنا غلبت علينا شقوتنا} وفي قراءة شقاوتنا بفتح أوله وألف وهما مصدران بمعنى {وكنا قوماً ضالين} عن الهداية.
quran:23:107

Our Lord, remove us from it, and if we were to return ˹to evil˺, we would indeed be wrongdoers."  

Our Lord, bring us out of it! Then, if we revert, to disobedience, we will indeed be evildoers’.
القرآن:٢٣:١٠٧

رَبَّنَا أَخْرِجْنَا مِنْهَا فَإِنْ عُدْنَا فَإِنَّا ظَالِمُونَ  

{ربنا أخرجنا منها فإن عدنا} إلى المخالفة {فإنا ظالمون}.
quran:23:108

He will say, "Remain despised therein and do not speak to Me.  

He will say, to them by the tongue of a Keeper ˹of Hell˺, whose proportion is twice the size of this world: ‘Begone in it, away with you in the Fire, despicable ˹as you are˺, and do not speak to Me, about relieving you from the chastisement — so that ˹all˺ their hope is extinguished.
القرآن:٢٣:١٠٨

قَالَ اخْسَئُوا فِيهَا وَلَا تُكَلِّمُونِ  

{قال} لهم بلسان مالك بعد قدر الدنيا مرتين {أخسؤا فيها} ابعدوا في النار أذلاء {ولا تكلمون} في رفع العذاب عنكم لينقطع رجاؤهم.
quran:23:109

Indeed, there was a party of My servants who said, 'Our Lord, we have believed, so forgive us and have mercy upon us, and You are the best of the merciful.'  

Indeed there was a party of My servants — namely, the Emigrants — who would say, “Our Lord, we believe; therefore forgive us, and have mercy on us, for You are the best of the merciful”.
القرآن:٢٣:١٠٩

إِنَّهُ كَانَ فَرِيقٌ مِنْ عِبَادِي يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا آمَنَّا فَاغْفِرْ لَنَا وَارْحَمْنَا وَأَنْتَ خَيْرُ الرَّاحِمِينَ  

{إنه كان فريق من عبادي} هم المهاجرون {يقولون ربنا آمنا فاغفر لنا وارحما وأنت خير الراحمين}.
quran:23:110

But you took them in mockery to the point that they made you forget My remembrance, and you used to laugh at them.  

But then you took them as an object of ridicule (read sukhriyyan or sikhriyyan, a verbal noun meaning ‘mockery’). Among those ˹ridiculed˺ were Bilāl ˹al-Habashī˺, Suhayb ˹al-Rūmī˺, ‘Ammār ˹b. Yāsir˺ and Salmān ˹al-Fārisī˺; until they made you forget My remembrance, which you disregarded, as you were engaged in deriding them. Thus these ˹men˺ were the cause of the forgetting, which is why this ˹act˺ has been attributed to them, and you used to laugh at them.
القرآن:٢٣:١١٠

فَاتَّخَذْتُمُوهُمْ سِخْرِيًّا حَتَّىٰ أَنْسَوْكُمْ ذِكْرِي وَكُنْتُمْ مِنْهُمْ تَضْحَكُونَ  

{فاتخذتموهم سُخرياً} بضم السين وكسرها مصدر بمعنى الهزء، منهم: بلال وصهيب وعمار وسلمان {حتى أنسوكم ذكري} فتركتموه لاشتغالكم بالاستهزاء بهم فهم سبب الإنساء فنسب إليهم {وكنتم منهم تضحكون}.
quran:23:111

Indeed, I have rewarded them this Day for their patient endurance - that they are the attainers ˹of success˺."  

Indeed I have rewarded them this day, abiding bliss, for the endurance they showed, while you mocked them and caused them hurt. They are indeed the winners’, of what they sought (read innahum as ˹indicating˺ a new sentence, or annahum as ˹indicating˺ a second direct object of the ˹verb˺ jazaytuhum, ‘I have rewarded them’).
القرآن:٢٣:١١١

إِنِّي جَزَيْتُهُمُ الْيَوْمَ بِمَا صَبَرُوا أَنَّهُمْ هُمُ الْفَائِزُونَ  

{إني جزيتهم اليوم} النعيم المقيم {بما صبروا} على استهزائكم بهم وأذاكم إياهم {إنهم} بكسر الهمزة {هم الفائزون} بمطلوبهم استئناف وبفتحها مفعول ثان لجزيتهم.
quran:23:112

˹Allah˺ will say, "How long did you remain on earth in number of years?"  

He, exalted be He, will say, to them by the tongue of a Keeper ˹of Hell˺ (a variant reading ˹for qāla, ‘He will say’˺ has qul, ‘say’): ‘How long did you tarry in the earth, in this world and in your graves, in years?’ (‘adada sinīna is a specification).
القرآن:٢٣:١١٢

قَالَ كَمْ لَبِثْتُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ عَدَدَ سِنِينَ  

{قال} تعالى لهم بلسان مالك وفي قراءة قل {كم لبثتم في الأرض} في الدنيا وفي قبوركم {عدد سنين} تمييز.
quran:23:113

They will say, "We remained a day or part of a day; ask those who enumerate."  

They will say, ‘We tarried a day, or part of a day — they are uncertain thereof, deeming it shorter ˹than what it was˺ because of the gravity of the chastisement they are suffering. Yet ask those who keep count!’, namely, ˹ask˺ the angels who number the deeds of ˹all˺ creatures.
القرآن:٢٣:١١٣

قَالُوا لَبِثْنَا يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ فَاسْأَلِ الْعَادِّينَ  

{قالوا لبثنا يوماً أو بعض يوم} شكّوا في ذلك واستقصروه لعظم ما هم فيه من العذاب {فاسأل العادين} أي الملائكة المحصين أعمال الخلق.
quran:23:114

He will say, "You stayed not but a little - if only you had known.  

He, exalted, will say, to them, also by the tongue of Keeper ˹of Hell˺ (a variant reading ˹for qāla, ‘He will say’˺ has qul, ‘say’): ‘You tarried but a little, if only you knew, the length of time you tarried, ˹you would have realised that it is˺ trivial relative to how long you will tarry in the Fire.
القرآن:٢٣:١١٤

قَالَ إِنْ لَبِثْتُمْ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا ۖ لَوْ أَنَّكُمْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ  

{قال} تعالى بلسان مالك وفي قراءة قل {إن} أي ما {لبثتم إلا قليلاً لو أنكم كنتم تعلمون} مقدرا لبثكم من الطول كان قليلا بالنسبة إلى لبثكم في النار.
quran:23:115

Then did you think that We created you uselessly and that to Us you would not be returned?"  

Did you suppose that We created you aimlessly, and not for an underlying reason, and that you would not be returned to Us?’ (read active tarji‘ūna, ‘you ˹would not˺ return’, or passive turja‘ūna, ‘you ˹would not˺ be returned’) Nay! But ˹it was˺ so that We might enthral you with commands and prohibitions, where after you would be returned to Us for Us to requite ˹you˺ accordingly: And I did not create the jinn and mankind except that they may worship Me ˹Q. 51:56˺.
القرآن:٢٣:١١٥

أَفَحَسِبْتُمْ أَنَّمَا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ عَبَثًا وَأَنَّكُمْ إِلَيْنَا لَا تُرْجَعُونَ  

{أفحسبتم أنما خلقناكم عبثا} لا لحكمة {وأنكم إلينا لا ترجعون} بالبناء للفاعل وللمفعول؟ لا بل لنتعبدكم بالأمر والنهي ترجعوا إلينا ونجازي على ذلك (وما خلقت الجن والإنس إلا ليعبدون).
quran:23:116

So exalted is Allah, the Sovereign, the Truth; there is no deity except Him, Lord of the Noble Throne.  

So exalted be God, above aimless action and other such things that do not befit Him, the King, the Truth! There is no god except Him, the Lord of the Noble Throne (‘arsh), the throne (kursī), which is a seat ˹similar to a king’s˺ that is exquisite.
القرآن:٢٣:١١٦

فَتَعَالَى اللَّهُ الْمَلِكُ الْحَقُّ ۖ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْكَرِيمِ  

{فتعالى الله} عن العبث وغيره مما لا يليق به {الملك الحق لا إله إلا هو رب العرش الكريم} الكرسي: هو السرير الحسن.
quran:23:117

And whoever invokes besides Allah another deity for which he has no proof - then his account is only with his Lord. Indeed, the disbelievers will not succeed.  

And he who calls on another god along with God has no proof thereof (lā burhāna lahu bihi, an ˹extra˺ explicative adjectival qualification that has no ˹other syntactical˺ signification), his reckoning, his requital, will indeed be with his Lord. Truly the disbelievers will not be successful, they will not be felicitous.
القرآن:٢٣:١١٧

وَمَنْ يَدْعُ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَٰهًا آخَرَ لَا بُرْهَانَ لَهُ بِهِ فَإِنَّمَا حِسَابُهُ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِ ۚ إِنَّهُ لَا يُفْلِحُ الْكَافِرُونَ  

{ومن يدع مع الله إلها آخر لا برهان له به} صفة كاشفة لا مفهوم لها {فإنما حسابه} جزاؤه {عند ربه إنه لا يفلح الكافرون} لا يسعدون.
quran:23:118

And, ˹O Muhammad˺, say, "My Lord, forgive and have mercy, and You are the best of the merciful."  

And say: ‘My Lord, forgive and have mercy, on believers — ˹this˺ ‘mercy’ adds to the ‘forgiveness’ ˹in terms of God’s grace˺ — and You are the best of the merciful’, the most excellent of those who have mercy. Medinese, consisting of 62 or 64 verses.
القرآن:٢٣:١١٨

وَقُلْ رَبِّ اغْفِرْ وَارْحَمْ وَأَنْتَ خَيْرُ الرَّاحِمِينَ  

{وقل رب اغفر وارحم} المؤمنين في الرحمة زيادة عن المغفرة {وأنت خير الراحمين} أفضل راحم.