39. Sūrat al-Zumar (1/2)

٣٩۔ سُورَةُ الزُّمَر ص ١

The Groups (Meccan)

quran:39:1In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

The revelation of the Qur'an is from Allah, the Exalted in Might, the Wise.  

The revelation of the Book, the Qur’ān (tanzīlu’l-kitābi, the subject) is from God (mina’Llāhi, its predicate) the Mighty, in His kingdom, the Wise, in His handiwork.
القرآن:٣٩:١بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

تَنْزِيلُ الْكِتَابِ مِنَ اللَّهِ الْعَزِيزِ الْحَكِيمِ  

{تنزيل الكتاب} القرآن مبتدأ {من الله} خبره {العزيز} في ملكه {الحكيم} في صنعه.
quran:39:2

Indeed, We have sent down to you the Book, ˹O Muhammad˺, in truth. So worship Allah, ˹being˺ sincere to Him in religion.  

Indeed We have revealed to you, O Muhammad (s), the Book with the truth (bi’l-haqqi is semantically connected to anzalnā, ‘We have revealed’); so worship God, devoting your religion purely to Him, ˹pure˺ of any idolatry, in other words, affirming His Oneness.
القرآن:٣٩:٢

إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ فَاعْبُدِ اللَّهَ مُخْلِصًا لَهُ الدِّينَ  

{إنا أنزلنا إليك} يا محمد {الكتاب بالحق} متعلق بأنزل {فاعبد الله مخلصا له الدين} من الشرك: أي موحدا له.
quran:39:3

Unquestionably, for Allah is the pure religion. And those who take protectors besides Him ˹say˺, "We only worship them that they may bring us nearer to Allah in position." Indeed, Allah will judge between them concerning that over which they differ. Indeed, Allah does not guide he who is a liar and ˹confirmed˺ disbeliever.  

Surely to God belongs pure religion, none other than Him being deserving of it. And those who take besides Him, the idols ˹as˺, patrons: and they are the disbelievers of Mecca — they say: ‘We only worship them so that they may bring us near to God’ (zulfā, a verbal noun, with the sense of taqrīban, ‘for the sake of nearness’). God will indeed judge between them, and the Muslims, concerning that about which they differ, of religion, and so admit the believers into Paradise, and the disbelievers into the Fire. Truly God does not guide one who is a liar, attributing a child to Him, a disbeliever, worshipping other than God.
القرآن:٣٩:٣

أَلَا لِلَّهِ الدِّينُ الْخَالِصُ ۚ وَالَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا مِنْ دُونِهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ مَا نَعْبُدُهُمْ إِلَّا لِيُقَرِّبُونَا إِلَى اللَّهِ زُلْفَىٰ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَحْكُمُ بَيْنَهُمْ فِي مَا هُمْ فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي مَنْ هُوَ كَاذِبٌ كَفَّارٌ  

{ألا الله الدين الخالص} لا يستحقه غيره {والذين اتخذوا من دونه} الأصنام {أولياء} وهم كفار مكة قالوا {ما نعبدهم إلا ليقربونا إلى الله زلفى} قربى مصدر بمعنى تقريبا {إن الله يحكم بينهم} وبين المسلمين {في ما هم فيه يختلفون} من أمر الدين فيدخل المؤمنين الجنة، والكافرين النار {إن الله لا يهدي من هو كاذب} في نسبة الولد إليه {كفار} بعبادته غيره الله.
quran:39:4

If Allah had intended to take a son, He could have chosen from what He creates whatever He willed. Exalted is He; He is Allah, the One, the Prevailing.  

Had God wanted to take a son — as they allege ˹that He has˺, ‘The Compassionate One has taken ˹to Himself˺ a son’ ˹Q. 19:88˺, He could have chosen from what He has created whatever He willed, and taken it as a child, instead of the angels whom they claim to be God’s daughters, or ˹their claim˺ that ‘Ezra is the son of God’, or that ‘Jesus is the son of God’ ˹cf. Q. 9:30˺. Glory be to Him, in exaltation of Him as being above that He should take a child. He is God, the One, the All-Compelling, over all His creatures.
القرآن:٣٩:٤

لَوْ أَرَادَ اللَّهُ أَنْ يَتَّخِذَ وَلَدًا لَاصْطَفَىٰ مِمَّا يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَاءُ ۚ سُبْحَانَهُ ۖ هُوَ اللَّهُ الْوَاحِدُ الْقَهَّارُ  

{لو أراد الله أن يتخذ ولدا} كما قالوا: (اتخذ الرحمن ولدا) {لاصطفى مما يخلق ما يشاء} واتخذه ولدا غير من قالوا الملائكة بنات الله وعزير ابن الله والمسيح ابن الله {سبحانه} تنزيها له عن اتخاذ الولد {هو الله الواحد القهار} لخلقه.
quran:39:5

He created the heavens and earth in truth. He wraps the night over the day and wraps the day over the night and has subjected the sun and the moon, each running ˹its course˺ for a specified term. Unquestionably, He is the Exalted in Might, the Perpetual Forgiver.  

He created the heavens and the earth with the truth (bi’l-haqqi is semantically connected to khalaqa, ‘He created’). He turns the night into day, so that it grows, and turns the day into night, so that it grows, and He has disposed the sun and the moon, each running, in its course, for an appointed term, until the Day of Resurrection. Verily it is He Who is the Mighty, Whose way ˹always˺ prevails, Requiter of His enemies, the ˹ever˺ Forgiving, of His friends.
القرآن:٣٩:٥

خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ بِالْحَقِّ ۖ يُكَوِّرُ اللَّيْلَ عَلَى النَّهَارِ وَيُكَوِّرُ النَّهَارَ عَلَى اللَّيْلِ ۖ وَسَخَّرَ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ ۖ كُلٌّ يَجْرِي لِأَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى ۗ أَلَا هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْغَفَّارُ  

{خلق السماوات والأرض بالحق} متعلق بخلق {يكوّر} يدخل {الليل على النهار} فيزيد {ويكور النهار} يدخله {على الليل} فيزيد {وسخَّر الشمس والقمر كل يجري} في فلكه {لأجل مسمى} ليوم القيامة {ألا هو العزيز} الغالب على أمره المنتقم من أعدائه {الغفار} لأوليائه.
quran:39:6

He created you from one soul. Then He made from it its mate, and He produced for you from the grazing livestock eight mates. He creates you in the wombs of your mothers, creation after creation, within three darknesses. That is Allah, your Lord; to Him belongs dominion. There is no deity except Him, so how are you averted?  

He created you from a single soul, namely, Adam, then made from it its mate, Eve; and He sent down for you of the cattle, ˹of˺ camels, cows, small cattle, sheep and goats, eight kinds, of each kind a male and a female — as He makes clear in sūrat al-An‘ām ˹Q. 6:143f.˺. He creates you in your mothers’ wombs, creation after creation, that is to say, as a sperm-drop, then a blood clot, then a foetus, in a threefold darkness, that is, the darkness of the belly, that of the womb and that of the placenta. That is God, your Lord. To Him belongs ˹all˺ sovereignty. There is no god except Him. Why then are you being turned away?, from worshipping Him to worshipping ˹things˺ other than Him?
القرآن:٣٩:٦

خَلَقَكُمْ مِنْ نَفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَأَنْزَلَ لَكُمْ مِنَ الْأَنْعَامِ ثَمَانِيَةَ أَزْوَاجٍ ۚ يَخْلُقُكُمْ فِي بُطُونِ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ خَلْقًا مِنْ بَعْدِ خَلْقٍ فِي ظُلُمَاتٍ ثَلَاثٍ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمُ اللَّهُ رَبُّكُمْ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ ۖ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ فَأَنَّىٰ تُصْرَفُونَ  

{خلقكم من نفس واحدة} أي آدم {ثم جعل منها زوجها} حواء {وأنزل لكم من الأنعام} الإبل والبقر والغنم الضأن والمعز {ثمانية أزواج} من كلٍ زوجان ذكر وأنثى كما بيّن في سورة الأنعام {يخلقكم في بطون أمهاتكم خلقا من بعد خلق} أي نطفا ثم علقا ثم مضغا {في ظلمات ثلاث} هي ظلمة البطن وظلمة الرحم وظلمة المشيمة {ذلكم الله ربكم له الملك لا إله هو فأنَّى تصرفون} عن عبادته إلى عبادة غيره.
quran:39:7

If you disbelieve - indeed, Allah is Free from need of you. And He does not approve for His servants disbelief. And if you are grateful, He approves it for you; and no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord is your return, and He will inform you about what you used to do. Indeed, He is Knowing of that within the breasts.  

If you are ungrateful, indeed God is Independent of you, though He does not approve of ingratitude for His servants, even if He should will it ˹to manifest itself˺ in some of them. And if you give thanks, to God and thus become believers, He will approve of it (read yardah, or yardahu, either lengthening the vowel or not), that is, ˹of such˺ thankfulness, for you. And no burdened soul shall bear the burden of another ˹soul˺, in other words, it will not bear ˹the responsibility for˺ it. Then to your Lord will be your return, whereat He will inform you of what you used to do. Indeed He is Knower of what is in the breasts, of what is in the hearts ˹of men˺.
القرآن:٣٩:٧

إِنْ تَكْفُرُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ عَنْكُمْ ۖ وَلَا يَرْضَىٰ لِعِبَادِهِ الْكُفْرَ ۖ وَإِنْ تَشْكُرُوا يَرْضَهُ لَكُمْ ۗ وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ ۗ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُمْ مَرْجِعُكُمْ فَيُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ ۚ إِنَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ  

{إن تكفروا فإن الله غنيٌ عنكم ولا يرضى لعباده الكفر} وإن أراده من بعضهم {وإن تشكروا} الله فتؤمنوا {يرضه} بسكون الهاء وضمها مع إشباع ودونه: أي الشكر {لكم ولا تزر} نفس {وازرة وزر} نفس {أخرى} أي لا تحمله {ثم إلى ربكم مرجعكم فينبئكم بما كنتم تعملون إنه عليم بذات الصدور} بما في القلوب.
quran:39:8

And when adversity touches man, he calls upon his Lord, turning to Him ˹alone˺; then when He bestows on him a favor from Himself, he forgets Him whom he called upon before, and he attributes to Allah equals to mislead ˹people˺ from His way. Say, "Enjoy your disbelief for a little; indeed, you are of the companions of the Fire."  

And when distress befalls a person, that is, the disbeliever, he supplicates his Lord, he implores, turning, returning, to Him penitently. Then, when He bestows on him a grace from Himself, he forgets, he neglects, Him Whom he had supplicated, implored, before, namely, God (in other words mā functions as min, ‘whom’) and sets up equals, associates, with God, that he may lead ˹others˺ astray (read li-yadilla or li-yudilla) from His way — ˹from˺ the religion of Islam. Say: ‘Revel in your ingratitude for a while — for the remainder of your term ˹of life˺. You shall indeed be among the inhabitants of the Fire’.
القرآن:٣٩:٨

وَإِذَا مَسَّ الْإِنْسَانَ ضُرٌّ دَعَا رَبَّهُ مُنِيبًا إِلَيْهِ ثُمَّ إِذَا خَوَّلَهُ نِعْمَةً مِنْهُ نَسِيَ مَا كَانَ يَدْعُو إِلَيْهِ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَجَعَلَ لِلَّهِ أَنْدَادًا لِيُضِلَّ عَنْ سَبِيلِهِ ۚ قُلْ تَمَتَّعْ بِكُفْرِكَ قَلِيلًا ۖ إِنَّكَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّارِ  

{وإذا مسَّ الإنسان} أي الكافر {ضرٌ دعا ربه} تضرَّع {منيبا} راجعا {إليه ثم إذا خوّله نعمة} أعطاه إنعاما {منه نسيَ} ترك {ما كان يدعو} يتضرّع {إليه من قبل} وهو الله، فما في موضع من {وجعل الله أندادا} شركاء {ليضل} بفتح الياء وضمها {عن سبيله} دين الإسلام {قل تمتع بكفرك قليلا} بقية أجلك {إنك من أصحاب النار}.
quran:39:9

Is one who is devoutly obedient during periods of the night, prostrating and standing ˹in prayer˺, fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord, ˹like one who does not˺? Say, "Are those who know equal to those who do not know?" Only they will remember ˹who are˺ people of understanding.  

Or is he who (read, softened, a-man) devotes himself ˹in worship˺, observing duties of obedience, in the watches of the night, ˹during˺ its hours, prostrating and standing, in prayer, apprehensive of the ˹eventuality of the˺ Hereafter, in other words, fearing its chastisement, and hoping for the mercy, the Paradise, of his Lord … ?, like one who is disobedient through disbelief or otherwise? (a variant reading has am-man, pronouncing the hamza, so that am has the sense of bal, ‘rather’). Say: ‘Are those who know equal with those who do not know?’, in other words, they are not equal, just as the person of knowledge is not equal to the ignorant one. Only people of pith, possessors of intellect, remember, ˹only they˺ are admonished.
القرآن:٣٩:٩

أَمَّنْ هُوَ قَانِتٌ آنَاءَ اللَّيْلِ سَاجِدًا وَقَائِمًا يَحْذَرُ الْآخِرَةَ وَيَرْجُو رَحْمَةَ رَبِّهِ ۗ قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الَّذِينَ يَعْلَمُونَ وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ۗ إِنَّمَا يَتَذَكَّرُ أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ  

{أمَّن} بتخفيف الميم {هو قانت} قائم بوظائف الطاعات {آناء الليل} ساعاته {ساجدا وقائما} في الصلاة {يحذر الآخرة} أي يخاف عذابها {ويرجو رحمة} جنة {ربه} كمن هو عاص بالكفر أو غيره، وفي قراءة أم من فأم بمعنى بل والهمزة {قل هل يستوي الذين يعلمون والذين لا يعلمون} أي لا يستويان كما لا يستوي العالم والجاهل {إنما يتذكر} يتعظ {أولوا الألباب} أصحاب العقول.
quran:39:10

Say, "O My servants who have believed, fear your Lord. For those who do good in this world is good, and the earth of Allah is spacious. Indeed, the patient will be given their reward without account."  

Say: ‘O servants of Mine who believe! Fear your Lord, that is to say, ˹fear˺ His chastisement, by being obedient to Him. For those who are virtuous in this world, through obedience, there will be good, and that is Paradise, and God’s earth is vast, so emigrate throughout it, away from the ˹company of˺ disbelievers and the sight of indecencies. Truly the steadfast, in ˹their˺ obedience ˹of God˺ and in ˹enduring˺ whatever ˹hardship˺ they may be tested with, will be paid their reward in full without any reckoning’, without any measure or any scales ˹to work it out˺.
القرآن:٣٩:١٠

قُلْ يَا عِبَادِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمْ ۚ لِلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا فِي هَٰذِهِ الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةٌ ۗ وَأَرْضُ اللَّهِ وَاسِعَةٌ ۗ إِنَّمَا يُوَفَّى الصَّابِرُونَ أَجْرَهُمْ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ  

{قل يا عباد الذين آمنوا اتقوا ربكم} أي عذابه بأن تطيعوه {للذين أحسنوا في هذه الدنيا} بالطاعة {حسنة} هي الجنة {وأرض الله واسعة} فهاجروا إليها من بين الكفار ومشاهدة المنكرات {إنما يوفى الصابرون} على الطاعة وما يبتلون به {أجرهم بغير حساب} بغير مكيال ولا ميزان.
quran:39:11

Say, ˹O Muhammad˺, "Indeed, I have been commanded to worship Allah, ˹being˺ sincere to Him in religion.  

Say: ‘Indeed I have been commanded to worship God devoting ˹my˺ religion purely to Him, ˹pure˺ of any idolatry,
القرآن:٣٩:١١

قُلْ إِنِّي أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ مُخْلِصًا لَهُ الدِّينَ  

{قل إني أمرت أن أعبد الله مخلصا له الدين} من الشرك.
quran:39:12

And I have been commanded to be the first ˹among you˺ of the Muslims."  

and I have been commanded to be the first of those who submit’, from this community.
القرآن:٣٩:١٢

وَأُمِرْتُ لِأَنْ أَكُونَ أَوَّلَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ  

{وأمرت لأن} أي بأن {أكون أول المسلمين} من هذه الأمة.
quran:39:13

Say, "Indeed I fear, if I should disobey my Lord, the punishment of a tremendous Day."  

Say: ‘Indeed, should I disobey my Lord, I fear the chastisement of a tremendous day’.
القرآن:٣٩:١٣

قُلْ إِنِّي أَخَافُ إِنْ عَصَيْتُ رَبِّي عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ  

{قل إني أخاف إن عصيت ربي عذاب يوم عظيم}.
quran:39:14

Say, "Allah ˹alone˺ do I worship, sincere to Him in my religion,  

Say: ‘God ˹alone˺ I worship, devoting ˹my˺ religion purely to Him, ˹pure˺ of any idolatry.
القرآن:٣٩:١٤

قُلِ اللَّهَ أَعْبُدُ مُخْلِصًا لَهُ دِينِي  

{قل الله أعبد مخلصا له ديني} من الشرك.
quran:39:15

So worship what you will besides Him." Say, "Indeed, the losers are the ones who will lose themselves and their families on the Day of Resurrection. Unquestionably, that is the manifest loss."  

So worship whatever you wish besides Him’, other than Him — herein is a threat for them as well as a declaration ˹of the fact˺ that they do not worship God, exalted be He. Say: ‘Indeed the losers are those who ˹will˺ have lost their souls and their families on the Day of Resurrection, by condemning their souls to abide ˹forever˺ in the Fire, and their failure to attaining ˹the bliss promised among˺ the black-eyed virgins who would have been prepared for them in Paradise had they been believers. Truly that is the manifest loss!’
القرآن:٣٩:١٥

فَاعْبُدُوا مَا شِئْتُمْ مِنْ دُونِهِ ۗ قُلْ إِنَّ الْخَاسِرِينَ الَّذِينَ خَسِرُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ وَأَهْلِيهِمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ۗ أَلَا ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ الْخُسْرَانُ الْمُبِينُ  

{فاعبدوا ما شئتم من دونه} غيره، فيه تهديد لهم وإيذان بأنهم لا يعبدون الله تعالى {قل إن الخاسرين الذين خسروا أنفسهم وأهليهم يوم القيامة} بتخليد الأنفس في النار وبعدم وصولهم إلى الحور المعدَّة لهم في الجنة لو آمنوا {ألا ذلك هو الخسران المبين} البيَّن.
quran:39:16

They will have canopies of fire above them and below them, canopies. By that Allah threatens His servants. O My servants, then fear Me.  

Above them they will have canopies, layers, of fire, and beneath them ˹they will have ˹similar˺ canopies, of fire. That is what God frightens His servants with, that is, the believing ones, that they may have fear of Him — this ˹sense of the verse˺ is suggested by ˹what follows˺), “So, O servants of Mine, fear Me!”’
القرآن:٣٩:١٦

لَهُمْ مِنْ فَوْقِهِمْ ظُلَلٌ مِنَ النَّارِ وَمِنْ تَحْتِهِمْ ظُلَلٌ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ يُخَوِّفُ اللَّهُ بِهِ عِبَادَهُ ۚ يَا عِبَادِ فَاتَّقُونِ  

{لهم من فوقهم ظلل} طباق {من النار ومن تحتهم ظلل} من النار {ذلك يخوِّف الله به عباده} أي المؤمنين ليتقوه يدل عليه {يا عباد فاتقون}.
quran:39:17

But those who have avoided Taghut, lest they worship it, and turned back to Allah - for them are good tidings. So give good tidings to My servants  

As for those who steer clear of the worship of false deities, graven images, and turn penitently, apply themselves, to God, there are good tidings for them, of Paradise. So give ˹such˺ good tidings to My servants,
القرآن:٣٩:١٧

وَالَّذِينَ اجْتَنَبُوا الطَّاغُوتَ أَنْ يَعْبُدُوهَا وَأَنَابُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ لَهُمُ الْبُشْرَىٰ ۚ فَبَشِّرْ عِبَادِ  

{والذين اجتنبوا الطاغوت} الأوثان {أن يعبدوها وأنابوا} أقبلوا {إلى الله لهم البشرى} بالجنة {فبشر عباد}.
quran:39:18

Who listen to speech and follow the best of it. Those are the ones Allah has guided, and those are people of understanding.  

who listen to the words ˹of God˺ and follow the best ˹sense˺ of it, which is that which contains ˹the means to˺ righteousness for them. Those, they are the ones whom God has guided; and those, they are the people of pith, the possessors of intellect.
القرآن:٣٩:١٨

الَّذِينَ يَسْتَمِعُونَ الْقَوْلَ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ أَحْسَنَهُ ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ هَدَاهُمُ اللَّهُ ۖ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمْ أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ  

{الذين يستمعون القول فيتبعون أحسنه} وهو ما فيه صلاحهم {أولئك الذين هداهم الله وأولئك هم أولوا الألباب} أصحاب العقول.
quran:39:19

Then, is one who has deserved the decree of punishment ˹to be guided˺? Then, can you save one who is in the Fire?  

Can he against whom the word of chastisement has been fulfilled …?, namely ˹the words˺, I will surely fill Hell ˹with jinn and mankind together˺ ˹Q. 11:119˺; Will you deliver, bring out, one who is in the Fire? (this is the response to the conditional clause, in which the overt qualification ˹man fī’l-nār, ‘one who is in the Fire’˺ replaces the pronominalisation ˹a-fa-man, ‘he … whom’˺; the hamza ˹in a-fa-anta, ‘will you’˺ is for rejection, in other words ˹the sense is that˺ you will not be able to guide him and therefore deliver him from the Fire).
القرآن:٣٩:١٩

أَفَمَنْ حَقَّ عَلَيْهِ كَلِمَةُ الْعَذَابِ أَفَأَنْتَ تُنْقِذُ مَنْ فِي النَّارِ  

{أفمن حق عليه كلمة العذاب} أي: (لأملأن جهنم) {أفأنت تنقذ} تخرج {من في النار} جواب الشرط وأقيم فيه الظاهر مقام المضمر والهمزة للإنكار، والمعنى لا تقدر على هدايته فتنقذه من النار.
quran:39:20

But those who have feared their Lord - for them are chambers, above them chambers built high, beneath which rivers flow. ˹This is˺ the promise of Allah. Allah does not fail in ˹His˺ promise.  

But as for those who fear their Lord, and therefore obey Him — for them there will be lofty abodes with ˹other˺ lofty abodes built above them, with rivers flowing beneath them, that is, beneath ˹both˺ the upper and the lower abodes — a promise of God (wa‘da’Llāhi, in the accusative because of an implied verb governing it). God does not fail the tryst, ˹He does not break˺ His promise.
القرآن:٣٩:٢٠

لَٰكِنِ الَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا رَبَّهُمْ لَهُمْ غُرَفٌ مِنْ فَوْقِهَا غُرَفٌ مَبْنِيَّةٌ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ ۖ وَعْدَ اللَّهِ ۖ لَا يُخْلِفُ اللَّهُ الْمِيعَادَ  

{لكن الذين اتقوْا ربهم} بأن أطاعوه {لهم غرف من فوقها غرف مبنية تجري من تحتها الأنهار} أي من تحت الغرف الفوقانية والتحتانية {وعد الله} منصوب بفعله المقَّدر {لا يخلف الله الميعاد} وعده.
quran:39:21

Do you not see that Allah sends down rain from the sky and makes it flow as springs ˹and rivers˺ in the earth; then He produces thereby crops of varying colors; then they dry and you see them turned yellow; then He makes them ˹scattered˺ debris. Indeed in that is a reminder for those of understanding.  

Have you not seen, realised, that God sends down water from the heaven, then conducts it as springs, making it enter points of springs, in the ground? Then with it He brings forth crops of diverse hues. Then they wither, they become dried-out, and you see them, for example, after having been green, turning yellow. Then He turns them into chaff. Truly in that there is a reminder for people of pith, possessors of intellect, by which they may be reminded, for it is an indication of God’s Oneness and His power.
القرآن:٣٩:٢١

أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ أَنْزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَسَلَكَهُ يَنَابِيعَ فِي الْأَرْضِ ثُمَّ يُخْرِجُ بِهِ زَرْعًا مُخْتَلِفًا أَلْوَانُهُ ثُمَّ يَهِيجُ فَتَرَاهُ مُصْفَرًّا ثُمَّ يَجْعَلُهُ حُطَامًا ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَذِكْرَىٰ لِأُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ  

{ألم تر} تعلم {أن الله أنزل من السماء ماءً فسلكه ينابيع} أدخله أمكنة نبع {في الأرض ثم يخرج به زرعا مختلفا ألوانه ثم يهيج} ييبس {فتراه} بعد الخضرة مثلا {مصفرا ثم يجعله حطاما} فتاتا {إن في ذلك لذكرى} تذكيرا {لأولي الألباب} يتذكرون به لدلالته على وحدانية الله تعالى وقدرته.
quran:39:22

So is one whose breast Allah has expanded to ˹accept˺ Islam and he is upon a light from his Lord ˹like one whose heart rejects it˺? Then woe to those whose hearts are hardened against the remembrance of Allah. Those are in manifest error.  

Is he whose breast God has opened to Islam, and becomes guided, so that he follows a light from his Lord …?, like he whose heart He has sealed ˹with disbelief˺? — this ˹understanding of the ellipsis˺ is indicated by ˹what follows˺. So woe — an expression indicating ‘chastisement’ — to those whose hearts have been hardened against the remembrance of God, that is, ˹hardened˺ against the acceptance of the Qur’ān. Such are in manifest error.
القرآن:٣٩:٢٢

أَفَمَنْ شَرَحَ اللَّهُ صَدْرَهُ لِلْإِسْلَامِ فَهُوَ عَلَىٰ نُورٍ مِنْ رَبِّهِ ۚ فَوَيْلٌ لِلْقَاسِيَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ مِنْ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ فِي ضَلَالٍ مُبِينٍ  

{أفمن شرح الله صدره للإسلام} فاهتدى {فهو على نور من ربه} كمن طبع على قلبه، دلَّ على هذا {فويلٌ} كلمة عذاب {للقاسية قلوبهم من ذكر الله} أي عن قبول القرآن {أولئك في ضلال مبين} بيّن.
quran:39:23

Allah has sent down the best statement: a consistent Book wherein is reiteration. The skins shiver therefrom of those who fear their Lord; then their skins and their hearts relax at the remembrance of Allah. That is the guidance of Allah by which He guides whom He wills. And one whom Allah leaves astray - for him there is no guide.  

God has revealed the best of discourses, a Book (kitāban, substitutes for ahsana, ‘the best’) namely, a Qur’ān, consimilar, in other words, some of its parts are similar to others in terms of ˹their˺ arrangement and otherwise, in coupled phrases — ˹a Book˺ in which the Promise ˹of reward˺ is coupled with the Threat ˹of punishment˺, together with other such ˹couplings˺ — whereat quiver, at the mention of whose Threat shiver, the skins of those who fear their Lord; then their skins and their hearts soften to, they are reassured by, the remembrance of God, that is, at the mention of His Promise. That, Book, is God’s guidance, by which He guides whomever He will, of His servants; and whomever God leads astray, for him there is no guide.
القرآن:٣٩:٢٣

اللَّهُ نَزَّلَ أَحْسَنَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابًا مُتَشَابِهًا مَثَانِيَ تَقْشَعِرُّ مِنْهُ جُلُودُ الَّذِينَ يَخْشَوْنَ رَبَّهُمْ ثُمَّ تَلِينُ جُلُودُهُمْ وَقُلُوبُهُمْ إِلَىٰ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُدَى اللَّهِ يَهْدِي بِهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ ۚ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ هَادٍ  

{الله نزَّل أحسن الحديث كتابا} بدل من أحسن، أي قرآنا {متشابها} أي يشبه بعضه بعضا في النظم وغيره {مثانَي} ثني فيه الوعد والوعيد وغيرهما {تقشعر منه} ترتعد عند ذكره وعيده {جلود الذين يخشوْن} {يخافون ربهم ثم تلين} تطمئن {جلودهم وقلوبهم إلى ذكر الله} أي عند ذكر وعده {ذلك} أي الكتاب {هدى الله يهدي به من يشاء ومن يضلل الله فما له من هاد}.
quran:39:24

Then is he who will shield with his face the worst of the punishment on the Day of Resurrection ˹like one secure from it˺? And it will be said to the wrongdoers, "Taste what you used to earn."  

Is he who will be fending off, ˹is he˺ who will encounter, with his face the awful chastisement on the Day of Resurrection …?, that is, the most severe ˹chastisement˺, when he is flung into the Fire with his hands bound to his neck in fetters, ˹is he˺ like one who will be secure from it by entering Paradise? And it will be said to the wrongdoers, namely, the disbelievers of Mecca: ‘Taste ˹now˺ what you used to earn’, that is, ˹taste˺ the requital for it.
القرآن:٣٩:٢٤

أَفَمَنْ يَتَّقِي بِوَجْهِهِ سُوءَ الْعَذَابِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ۚ وَقِيلَ لِلظَّالِمِينَ ذُوقُوا مَا كُنْتُمْ تَكْسِبُونَ  

{أفمن يتقي} يلقى {بوجهه سوء العذاب يوم القيامة} أي أشده بأن يلقى في النار مغلولة يداه إلى عنقه كمن أمن منه بدخول الجنة {وقيل للظالمين} أي كفار مكة {ذوقوا ما كنتم تكسبون} أي جزاءَه.
quran:39:25

Those before them denied, and punishment came upon them from where they did not perceive.  

Those who were before them denied, their messengers with regard to the coming of the chastisement; and so the chastisement came on them whence they were not aware, in a way that would never have occurred to them.
القرآن:٣٩:٢٥

كَذَّبَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ فَأَتَاهُمُ الْعَذَابُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ  

{كذَّب الذين من قبلهم} رسلهم في إتيان العذاب {فأتاهم العذاب من حيث لا يشعرون} من جهة لا تخطر ببالهم.
quran:39:26

So Allah made them taste disgrace in worldly life. But the punishment of the Hereafter is greater, if they only knew.  

So God made them taste disgrace, abasement and humiliation, in the way of being transformed ˹into swine˺ and being killed and otherwise, in the life of this world. And the chastisement of the Hereafter will surely be greater, had they, that is, the deniers, known, ˹the nature of˺ the chastisement thereof, they would not have denied.
القرآن:٣٩:٢٦

فَأَذَاقَهُمُ اللَّهُ الْخِزْيَ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا ۖ وَلَعَذَابُ الْآخِرَةِ أَكْبَرُ ۚ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ  

{فأذاقهم الله الخزي} الذل والهوان من المسخ والقتل وغيره {في الحياة الدنيا ولعذاب الآخرة أكبر لو كانوا} أي المكذبون {يعلمون} عذابها ما كذبوا.
quran:39:27

And We have certainly presented for the people in this Qur'an from every ˹kind of˺ example - that they might remember.  

And verily We have struck, coined, for mankind in this Qur’ān every ˹kind of˺ similitude, that perhaps they may remember, ˹that perhaps˺ they may be admonished —
القرآن:٣٩:٢٧

وَلَقَدْ ضَرَبْنَا لِلنَّاسِ فِي هَٰذَا الْقُرْآنِ مِنْ كُلِّ مَثَلٍ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ  

{ولقد ضربنا} جعلنا {للناس في هذا القرآن من كل مثل لعلهم يتذكرون} يتعظون.
quran:39:28

˹It is˺ an Arabic Qur'an, without any deviance that they might become righteous.  

an Arabic Qur’ān (qur’ānan ‘arabiyyan, a circumstantial qualifier for emphasis) without any deviation, that is, ˹without˺ any contradiction or variance, that perhaps they may guard themselves, against disbelief.
القرآن:٣٩:٢٨

قُرْآنًا عَرَبِيًّا غَيْرَ ذِي عِوَجٍ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ  

{قرآنا عربيا} حال مؤكدة {غير ذي عوج} أي لبس واختلاف {لعلهم يتقون} الكفر.
quran:39:29

Allah presents an example: a slave owned by quarreling partners and another belonging exclusively to one man - are they equal in comparison? Praise be to Allah! But most of them do not know.  

God strikes, for the idolater and the believer in God’s Oneness, a similitude: a man (rajulan, substitutes for mathalan, ‘a similitude’) shared by several ˹masters˺, quarrelling, disputing, ill-mannered, and a man belonging exclusively to one man. Are the two equal in comparison? (mathalan, for specification), in other words, the slave of many ˹masters˺ is not the same as the slave of a single person. For in the case of the former, if all of his masters were to demand his service simultaneously, he would be confused as to whom of them he should serve — which is the similitude of the idolater; the latter ˹the slave of one˺ is the similitude of the one who believes in the One God. Praise be to God!, alone. Nay, but most of them, that is, the people of Mecca, do not know, the chastisement in which they will end up and so they associate others with God.
القرآن:٣٩:٢٩

ضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا رَجُلًا فِيهِ شُرَكَاءُ مُتَشَاكِسُونَ وَرَجُلًا سَلَمًا لِرَجُلٍ هَلْ يَسْتَوِيَانِ مَثَلًا ۚ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ۚ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ  

{ضرب الله} للمشرك والموحِّد {مثلا رجلا} بدل من مثلا {فيه شركاء متشاكسون} متنازعون سيئة أخلاقهم {ورجلا سالما} خالصا {لرجل هل يستويان مثلا} تميز أي لا يستوي العبد بجماعه والعبد لواحد، فإن الأول إذا طلب منه كل من مالكيه خدمته في وقت واحد تحيَّر فيمن يخدمه منهم وهذا مثل للمشرك، والثاني مثل للموحّد {الحمد لله} وحده {بل أكثرهم} أي أهل مكة {لا يعلمون} ما يصيرون إليه من العذاب فيشركون.
quran:39:30

Indeed, you are to die, and indeed, they are to die.  

You — an address to the Prophet (s) — will indeed die, and they ˹too˺ will indeed die, and so there is no satisfaction to be gained from ˹another’s˺ death: this was revealed because they kept waiting for the Prophet (s) to die.
القرآن:٣٩:٣٠

إِنَّكَ مَيِّتٌ وَإِنَّهُمْ مَيِّتُونَ  

{إنك} خطاب للنبي ﷺ {ميت وإنهم ميتون} ستموت ويموتون فلا شماتة بالموت، نزلت لما استبطؤوا موته ﷺ .
quran:39:31

Then indeed you, on the Day of Resurrection, before your Lord, will dispute.  

Then you will indeed, O mankind, concerning the injustices you committed towards one another, be contending before your Lord on the Day of Resurrection.
القرآن:٣٩:٣١

ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عِنْدَ رَبِّكُمْ تَخْتَصِمُونَ  

{ثم إنكم} أيها الناس فيما بينكم من المظالم {يوم القيامة عند ربكم تختصمون}.
quran:39:32

So who is more unjust than one who lies about Allah and denies the truth when it has come to him? Is there not in Hell a residence for the disbelievers?  

So who is — in other words, none is — a greater wrongdoer than he who imputes falsehood to God, by ascribing partners and child to Him, and ˹who˺ denies the truth, namely, the Qur’ān, when it reaches him? Is there not a ˹fitting˺ abode in Hell for the disbelievers? Indeed, there is.
القرآن:٣٩:٣٢

فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنْ كَذَبَ عَلَى اللَّهِ وَكَذَّبَ بِالصِّدْقِ إِذْ جَاءَهُ ۚ أَلَيْسَ فِي جَهَنَّمَ مَثْوًى لِلْكَافِرِينَ  

{فمن} أي لا أحد {أظلم ممن كذب على الله} بنسبة الشريك والولد إليه {وكذَّب بالصدق} بالقرآن {إذ جاءه أليس في جهنم مثوىً} مأوى {للكافرين} بلى.
quran:39:33

And the one who has brought the truth and ˹they who˺ believed in it - those are the righteous.  

And he who brings the truth — and that is the Prophet (s) — and ˹those˺ who confirm it, namely, the believers (here alladhī, ‘he who’, has the significance of alladhīna, ‘those who’), those, they are the ones who guard themselves, against idolatry.
القرآن:٣٩:٣٣

وَالَّذِي جَاءَ بِالصِّدْقِ وَصَدَّقَ بِهِ ۙ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُتَّقُونَ  

{والذى جاء بالصدق} هو النبي ﷺ {وصدق به} هم المؤمنون فالذي بمعنى الذين {أولئك هم المتقون} الشرك.
quran:39:34

They will have whatever they desire with their Lord. That is the reward of the doers of good -  

They shall have whatever they wish with their Lord. That is the reward of those who are virtuous, to their own souls through their ˹acceptance of˺ faith;
القرآن:٣٩:٣٤

لَهُمْ مَا يَشَاءُونَ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ جَزَاءُ الْمُحْسِنِينَ  

{لهم ما يشاءون عند ربهم ذلك جزاء المحسنين} لأنفسهم بإيمانهم.
quran:39:35

That Allah may remove from them the worst of what they did and reward them their due for the best of what they used to do.  

so that God may absolve them of the worst of what they did, and pay them their reward by the best of what they used to do (aswa’a and ahsana mean ˹simply˺ al-sayyi’, ‘bad’, and al-hasan, ‘good’).
القرآن:٣٩:٣٥

لِيُكَفِّرَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ أَسْوَأَ الَّذِي عَمِلُوا وَيَجْزِيَهُمْ أَجْرَهُمْ بِأَحْسَنِ الَّذِي كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ  

{ليكفّر الله عنهم أسوأ الذي عملوا ويجزيهم أجرهم بأحسن الذي كانوا يعملون} أسوأ وأحسن بمعنى السيء والحسن.
quran:39:36

Is not Allah sufficient for His Servant ˹Prophet Muhammad˺? And ˹yet˺, they threaten you with those ˹they worship˺ other than Him. And whoever Allah leaves astray - for him there is no guide.  

Does God not suffice ˹as defender of˺ His servant?, the Prophet? Indeed, He does. Yet they would frighten you — the address is for him (s) — of those besides Him, namely, the idols, ˹by telling him˺ that these ˹idols˺ might kill him or render him insane. And whomever God leads astray, for him there is no guide.
القرآن:٣٩:٣٦

أَلَيْسَ اللَّهُ بِكَافٍ عَبْدَهُ ۖ وَيُخَوِّفُونَكَ بِالَّذِينَ مِنْ دُونِهِ ۚ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ هَادٍ  

{أليس الله بكاف عبده} أي النبي، بلى {ويخوّفونك} الخطاب له {بالذين من دونه} أي الأصنام، أن تقتله أو تخبله {ومن يضلل الله فما له من هاد}.
quran:39:37

And whoever Allah guides - for him there is no misleader. Is not Allah Exalted in Might and Owner of Retribution?  

But whomever God guides, there is no one ˹able˺ to lead him astray. Is not God Mighty, One Whose way ˹always˺ prevails, a Lord of Retribution?, against His enemies? Indeed, He is.
القرآن:٣٩:٣٧

وَمَنْ يَهْدِ اللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ مُضِلٍّ ۗ أَلَيْسَ اللَّهُ بِعَزِيزٍ ذِي انْتِقَامٍ  

{ومن يهد الله فما له من مضلِّ أليس الله بعزيز} غالب على أمره {ذي انتقام} من أعدائه؟ بلى.
quran:39:38

And if you asked them, "Who created the heavens and the earth?" they would surely say, "Allah." Say, "Then have you considered what you invoke besides Allah? If Allah intended me harm, are they removers of His harm; or if He intended me mercy, are they withholders of His mercy?" Say, "Sufficient for me is Allah; upon Him ˹alone˺ rely the ˹wise˺ reliers."  

And if (wa-la-in: the lām is for oaths) you ask them, ‘Who created the heavens and the earth?’ they will surely say, ‘God.’ Say: ‘Have you considered then those on whom you call, ˹those whom˺ you worship, besides God, namely, the idols, if God should desire some harm to befall me, would they ˹be able to˺ remove the harm imposed by Him? No! Or if He should desire some mercy for me, would they ˹be able to˺ withhold His mercy?’ No! (a variant reading for the two clauses ˹kāshifātun durrahu and mumsikātun rahmatahu˺ has the genitive construction ˹kāshifātu durrihi and mumsikātu rahmatihi). Say: ‘God is sufficient for me. In Him do ˹all˺ the trusting put their trust’.
القرآن:٣٩:٣٨

وَلَئِنْ سَأَلْتَهُمْ مَنْ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ لَيَقُولُنَّ اللَّهُ ۚ قُلْ أَفَرَأَيْتُمْ مَا تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ إِنْ أَرَادَنِيَ اللَّهُ بِضُرٍّ هَلْ هُنَّ كَاشِفَاتُ ضُرِّهِ أَوْ أَرَادَنِي بِرَحْمَةٍ هَلْ هُنَّ مُمْسِكَاتُ رَحْمَتِهِ ۚ قُلْ حَسْبِيَ اللَّهُ ۖ عَلَيْهِ يَتَوَكَّلُ الْمُتَوَكِّلُونَ  

{ولئن} لام قسم {سألتهم من خلق السماوات والأرض ليقولنَّ الله قل أفرأيتم ما تدعون} تعبدون {من دون الله} أي الأصنام {إن أرادني الله بضرِّ هل هن كاشفات ضرَّه} لا {أو أرادني برحمة هل هن ممسكاتٌ رحمتَه} لا، وفي قراءة بالإضافة فيهما {قل حسبيَ الله عليه يتوكل المتوكلون} يثق الواثقون.
quran:39:39

Say, "O my people, work according to your position, ˹for˺ indeed, I am working; and you are going to know  

Say: ‘O my people! Act according to your situation, ˹according to˺ your circumstances, I ˹too˺ am acting, according to my circumstances. For you will ˹come to˺ know
القرآن:٣٩:٣٩

قُلْ يَا قَوْمِ اعْمَلُوا عَلَىٰ مَكَانَتِكُمْ إِنِّي عَامِلٌ ۖ فَسَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ  

{قل يا قوم اعملوا على مكانتكم} حالتكم {إني عامل} على حالتي {فسوف تعلمون}.
quran:39:40

To whom will come a torment disgracing him and on whom will descend an enduring punishment."  

to whom (man, introduces the relative clause that is the direct object of ˹the action of˺ ‘knowing’) will come a chastisement that will disgrace him and on whom there will descend a lasting chastisement’, an everlasting one, namely, the chastisement of the Fire. Indeed God ˹then˺ disgraced them at Badr.
القرآن:٣٩:٤٠

مَنْ يَأْتِيهِ عَذَابٌ يُخْزِيهِ وَيَحِلُّ عَلَيْهِ عَذَابٌ مُقِيمٌ  

{من} موصولة مفعول العلم {يأتيه عذاب يخزيه ويحل} ينزل {عليه عذاب مقيم} دائم هو عذاب النار، وقد أخزاهم الله ببدر.
quran:39:41

Indeed, We sent down to you the Book for the people in truth. So whoever is guided - it is for ˹the benefit of˺ his soul; and whoever goes astray only goes astray to its detriment. And you are not a manager over them.  

Truly We have revealed the Book to you for ˹the sake of˺ mankind with the truth (bi’l-haqqi is semantically connected to anzalnā, ‘We have revealed’). So whoever is guided, then it, his being guided, is for ˹the sake of˺ his own soul, and whoever goes astray, goes astray only to the detriment thereof. And you are not ˹meant to be˺ a guardian over them, and so compel them to ˹embrace˺ guidance.
القرآن:٣٩:٤١

إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَا عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ لِلنَّاسِ بِالْحَقِّ ۖ فَمَنِ اهْتَدَىٰ فَلِنَفْسِهِ ۖ وَمَنْ ضَلَّ فَإِنَّمَا يَضِلُّ عَلَيْهَا ۖ وَمَا أَنْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ بِوَكِيلٍ  

{إنا أنزلنا عليك الكتاب للناس بالحق} متعلق بأنزل {فمن اهتدى فلنفسه} اهتداؤه {ومن ضل فإنما يضل عليها وما أنت عليهم بوكيل} فتجبرهم على الهدى.
quran:39:42

Allah takes the souls at the time of their death, and those that do not die ˹He takes˺ during their sleep. Then He keeps those for which He has decreed death and releases the others for a specified term. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought.  

God takes the souls at the time of their death, and, He takes, those that have not died in their sleep, in other words, He takes them during sleep. Then He retains those for whom He has ordained death and releases the others until an appointed term, that is, until the time of their death. The one that is released is the soul ˹that possesses the faculty˺ of discernment, without which the soul ˹containing the force˺ of life is able to remain ˹temporarily˺ — but this cannot be the other way round. Truly in that, mentioned, there are signs, indications, for a people who reflect, and then realise that the One with the power to do this also has the power to resurrect — Quraysh, however, never reflected on this ˹fact˺.
القرآن:٣٩:٤٢

اللَّهُ يَتَوَفَّى الْأَنْفُسَ حِينَ مَوْتِهَا وَالَّتِي لَمْ تَمُتْ فِي مَنَامِهَا ۖ فَيُمْسِكُ الَّتِي قَضَىٰ عَلَيْهَا الْمَوْتَ وَيُرْسِلُ الْأُخْرَىٰ إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ  

{الله يتوفى الأنفس حين موتها و} يتوفى {التي لم تمت في منامها} أي يتوفاها وقت النوم {فيمسك التي قضى عليها الموت ويرسل الأخرى إلى أجل مسمى} أي وقت موتها والمرسلة نفس التمييز تبقى بدونها نفس الحياة بخلاف العكس {إن في ذلك} المذكور {لآيات} دلالات. {لقوم يتفكرون} فيعلمون أن القادر على ذلك، قادر على البعث، وقريش لم يتفكروا في ذلك.
quran:39:43

Or have they taken other than Allah as intercessors? Say, "Even though they do not possess ˹power over˺ anything, nor do they reason?"  

Or have they — nay, but ˹they have˺ — taken besides God, idols, as gods ˹to act as˺, intercessors?, with God, as they ˹are wont to˺ allege. Say, to them: ‘What!, will they intercede, even though they have no power whatever, of intercession or otherwise, and are unable to comprehend?’, that you worship them or ˹to comprehend˺ anything else ˹for that matter˺? Nay.
القرآن:٣٩:٤٣

أَمِ اتَّخَذُوا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ شُفَعَاءَ ۚ قُلْ أَوَلَوْ كَانُوا لَا يَمْلِكُونَ شَيْئًا وَلَا يَعْقِلُونَ  

{أم} بل {اتخذوا من دون الله} أي الأصنام آلهة {شفعاء} عن الله بزعمهم {قل} لهم {أ} يشفعون {ولو كانوا لا يملكون شيئا} من الشفاعة وغيرها {ولا يعقلون} أنكم تعبدونهم ولا غير ذلك؟ لا.
quran:39:44

Say, "To Allah belongs ˹the right to allow˺ intercession entirely. To Him belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. Then to Him you will be returned."  

Say: ‘All intercession belongs ˹solely˺ to God, that is to say, He has exclusive control over it, and so none can intercede except with His permission. To Him belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth; then to Him you will be brought back’.
القرآن:٣٩:٤٤

قُلْ لِلَّهِ الشَّفَاعَةُ جَمِيعًا ۖ لَهُ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۖ ثُمَّ إِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ  

{قل لله الشفاعة جميعا} أي هو مختص بها فلا يشفع أحد إلا بإذنه {له ملك السماوات والأرض ثم إليه ترجعون}.
quran:39:45

And when Allah is mentioned alone, the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter shrink with aversion, but when those ˹worshipped˺ other than Him are mentioned, immediately they rejoice.  

And when God is mentioned alone, that is, without ˹the mention of˺ their gods, thereat shrink, they are repelled and they become constricted, the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter; but when those ˹others˺ besides Him, namely, the idols, are mentioned, behold, they rejoice!
القرآن:٣٩:٤٥

وَإِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ اشْمَأَزَّتْ قُلُوبُ الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْآخِرَةِ ۖ وَإِذَا ذُكِرَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ دُونِهِ إِذَا هُمْ يَسْتَبْشِرُونَ  

{وإذا ذكر الله وحده} أي دون آلهتهم {اشمأزَّت} نفرت وانقبضت {قلوب الذين لا يؤمنون بالآخرة وإذا ذكر الذين من دونه} أي الأصنام {إذا هم يستبشرون}.
quran:39:46

Say, "O Allah, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, You will judge between your servants concerning that over which they used to differ."  

Say: ‘O God! (Allāhumma means yā Allāh) Originator of the heavens and the earth!, the Creator of them without precedent, Knower of the Unseen and the visible, ˹Knower of˺ what is hidden and what is witnessed, You will judge between Your servants concerning that wherein they used to differ’, in the matter of religion: guide me to the truth over which they are at variance.
القرآن:٣٩:٤٦

قُلِ اللَّهُمَّ فَاطِرَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ عَالِمَ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ أَنْتَ تَحْكُمُ بَيْنَ عِبَادِكَ فِي مَا كَانُوا فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ  

{قل اللهم} بمعنى يا الله {فاطر السماوات والأرض} مبدعهما {عالم الغيب والشهادة} ما غاب وما شوهد {أنت تحكم بين عبادك فيما كانوا فيه يختلفون} من أمر الدين اهدني لما اختلفوا فيه من الحق.
quran:39:47

And if those who did wrong had all that is in the earth entirely and the like of it with it, they would ˹attempt to˺ ransom themselves thereby from the worst of the punishment on the Day of Resurrection. And there will appear to them from Allah that which they had not taken into account.  

And ˹even˺ if the evildoers possessed all that is in the earth, and as much of it besides, they would surely offer it to ransom themselves from the terrible chastisement on the Day of Resurrection. And there will appear, ˹there will become˺ manifest, to them from God that which they had never reckoned, ˹what they never˺ supposed ˹they would see˺.
القرآن:٣٩:٤٧

وَلَوْ أَنَّ لِلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا مَا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا وَمِثْلَهُ مَعَهُ لَافْتَدَوْا بِهِ مِنْ سُوءِ الْعَذَابِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ۚ وَبَدَا لَهُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ مَا لَمْ يَكُونُوا يَحْتَسِبُونَ  

{ولو أن للذين ظلموا ما في الأرض جميعا ومثله معه لافتدوا به من سوء العذاب يوم القيامة وبدا} ظهر {لهم من الله ما لم يكونوا يحتسبون} يظنون.
quran:39:48

And there will appear to them the evils they had earned, and they will be enveloped by what they used to ridicule.  

And there will appear to them the evils of what they had earned, and they will be besieged by, there will descend ˹on them˺, that which they used to deride, in other words, the chastisement.
القرآن:٣٩:٤٨

وَبَدَا لَهُمْ سَيِّئَاتُ مَا كَسَبُوا وَحَاقَ بِهِمْ مَا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ  

{وبدا لهم سيئات ما كسبوا وحاق} نزل {بهم ما كانوا به يستهزءُون} أي العذاب.
quran:39:49

And when adversity touches man, he calls upon Us; then when We bestow on him a favor from Us, he says, "I have only been given it because of ˹my˺ knowledge." Rather, it is a trial, but most of them do not know.  

So when some distress befalls man (al-insān, here a generic), he supplicates Us. Then, when We bestow on him a grace from Us, he says, ‘I was given it merely by force of knowledge’, from God that I was deserving of it. Nay, but it, this saying, is a trial, a test by which servants are tested. But most of them do not know, that such bestowal ˹of grace˺ is a way of drawing ˹them˺ on and a test ˹of their faith˺.
القرآن:٣٩:٤٩

فَإِذَا مَسَّ الْإِنْسَانَ ضُرٌّ دَعَانَا ثُمَّ إِذَا خَوَّلْنَاهُ نِعْمَةً مِنَّا قَالَ إِنَّمَا أُوتِيتُهُ عَلَىٰ عِلْمٍ ۚ بَلْ هِيَ فِتْنَةٌ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ  

{فإذا مسَّ الإنسان} الجنس {ضر دعانا ثم إذا خوّلناه} أعطيناه {نعمة} إنعاما {منا قال إنما أوتيته على علم} من الله بأني له أهل {بل هي} أي القولة {فتنة} بلية يبتلى بها العبد {ولكن أكثرهم لا يعلمون} أي التخويل استدراج وامتحان.
quran:39:50

Those before them had already said it, but they were not availed by what they used to earn.  

Already the same was said by those who were before them, of communities, such as Korah and those of his people who were content with such ˹a saying˺. But what they used to earn did not avail them.
القرآن:٣٩:٥٠

قَدْ قَالَهَا الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ فَمَا أَغْنَىٰ عَنْهُمْ مَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ  

{قد قالها الذين من قبلهم} من الأمم كقارون وقومه الراضين بها {فما أغنى عنهم ما كانوا يكسبون}.