Sūrat al-Ḥijr
سورۃ الحجر
Sūrat al-Ḥijr (15)
Sūrat al-Ḥijr was revealed in Mecca. It contains ninety-nine (99) verses and six (6) sections.
الر ۚ تِلۡكَ ءَايَـٰتُ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبِ وَقُرۡءَانٍ مُّبِينٍ
Alif Lām Rāʾ. Tilka āyātu 'l-kitābi wa-qurʾānin mubīn.
"Alif Lām Rāʾ. These are the verses of the Book and a clear Qurʾān." (al-Ḥijr 15:1)
Translation: Alif Lām Rāʾ. These are the verses of the Book — the Lawḥ al-Maḥfūẓ (the Preserved Tablet) in which all events are recorded — and of the illuminating Qurʾān.
Commentary: Some scholars hold that al-Kitāb and al-Qurʾān refer to the same reality — the Qurʾān is the embodiment of all that was previously recorded in the Preserved Tablet. Others distinguish them: the Kitāb is the broader record; the Qurʾān is its manifestation for this community. Either way, the opening of this sūra affirms the divine origin and clarity of the revelation.
[Pages 235 contain OCR damage too severe for recovery; the evident transition continues into the next recoverable passage.]
رُّبَمَا يَوَدُّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لَوۡ كَانُواْ مُسۡلِمِينَ
Rubamā yawaddu 'lladhīna kafarū law kānū muslimīn.
"Perhaps those who disbelieved will wish that they had been Muslims." (al-Ḥijr 15:2)
Translation: How often will the disbelievers wish — on that Day — that they had been Muslims!
Commentary: The word rubamā (perhaps, how often) here indicates not mere possibility but the certainty of regret. The disbelievers will wish, desperately and repeatedly, that they had submitted to Islam. This wish will arise when they see the believers entering Paradise. But wishes on that Day are worthless — the time for action has passed. The author reflects on the painful irony: in this world, many people feel the pull of faith within them (khwāhish — the longing to submit), yet their nafs (ego) and Shayṭān (Satan) prevent them from acting on it.
ذَرۡهُمۡ يَأۡكُلُواْ وَيَتَمَتَّعُواْ وَيُلۡهِهِمُ ٱلۡأَمَلُ ۖ فَسَوۡفَ يَعۡلَمُونَ
Dharhum yaʾkulū wa-yatamattaʿū wa-yulhihimu 'l-amalu fa-sawfa yaʿlamūn.
"Leave them to eat and enjoy themselves, and let false hope divert them. They will soon come to know." (al-Ḥijr 15:3)
Translation: Leave them — let them eat, revel, and allow false hopes to beguile them. They will soon know the truth of their situation.
Commentary: The divine command to the Prophetﷺ— "Leave them" — is not indifference but the gravest warning. When God says dharhum (leave them), it signals abandonment to one's own folly. The phrase yulhīhimu 'l-amal — "their hope distracts them" — captures the illusion of unlimited time that prevents human beings from preparing for death. The author applies this directly: eat well, drink well, take bribes, charge usury, oppress the weak — but know that a full and precise reckoning approaches.
وَمَآ أَهۡلَكۡنَا مِن قَرۡيَةٍ إِلَّا وَلَهَا كِتَابٌ مَّعۡلُومٌ
Wa-mā ahlaknā min qaryatin illā wa-lahā kitābun maʿlūm.
"We have not destroyed a town without its having a known term." (al-Ḥijr 15:4)
Translation: We have never destroyed any community without it first having an appointed, known time — a term set by divine decree.
مَّا تَسۡبِقُ مِنۡ أُمَّةٍ أَجَلَهَا وَمَا يَسۡتَـٔۡخِرُونَ
Mā tasbiqu min ummatin ajalahā wa-mā yastaʾkhirūn.
"No community can precede its appointed time, nor can they delay it." (al-Ḥijr 15:5)
Translation: No community can come to its end before its appointed hour, nor can any community postpone it.
Commentary: Divine law governs the rise and fall of communities and civilisations. This is not fatalism but the affirmation of divine sovereignty over history.
وَقَالُواْ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِى نُزِّلَ عَلَيۡهِ ٱلذِّكۡرُ إِنَّكَ لَمَجۡنُونٌ
Wa-qālū yā-ayyuhā 'lladhī nuzzila ʿalayhi 'dh-dhikru innaka la-majnūn.
"They said: 'O you upon whom the Reminder has been sent down — you are indeed insane!'" (al-Ḥijr 15:6)
Translation: The disbelievers and mockers said: "O you upon whom the Reminder has been revealed — you are surely mad!"
Commentary: The charge of junūn (madness) against the Prophetﷺis addressed directly. This was the standard weapon of the powerful against the truthful: when they could not refute the message, they attacked the messenger's mental state. The author draws a contemporary parallel with regret: in his own time, devout believers, people of dīn and righteous conduct, are similarly labelled as backward, deluded, or fanatical. Meanwhile, those who take bribes, engage in usury, and oppress the poor are considered sane and successful. This inversion of values is one of the signs of a community in spiritual decline.
مَا نُنَزِّلُ ٱلۡمَلَـٰٓئِكَةَ إِلَّا بِٱلۡحَقِّ وَمَا كَانُوٓاْ إِذًا مُّنظَرِينَ
Mā nunazzilu 'l-malāʾikata illā bi'l-ḥaqqi wa-mā kānū idhan munẓarīn.
"We do not send the angels except with truth, and they would not then be given respite." (al-Ḥijr 15:8)
Translation: We do not send down the angels except in accordance with the truth and necessity of the matter — and when We do, the people would be given no respite.
Commentary: The disbelievers demanded angels as proof of prophethood. God's response: the sending of angels for such purposes comes only in its proper, divinely determined time and context — and when the angels of punishment come, there is no delay in execution. The author notes that the whole discussion of the unseen (ghayb) and its relation to human certainty requires careful thought: while the matter remains hidden, there is time and space for faith; once it is revealed, the moment for choice has passed.
إِنَّا نَحۡنُ نَزَّلۡنَا ٱلذِّكۡرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُۥ لَحَـٰفِظُونَ
Innā naḥnu nazzalnā 'dh-dhikra wa-innā lahu la-ḥāfiẓūn.
"Indeed it is We Who sent down the Reminder, and indeed We are its Guardian." (al-Ḥijr 15:9)
Translation: It is We Who have revealed this Reminder, and it is We Who shall preserve and guard it.
Commentary: This is one of the most important verses in the Qurʾān for the theology of the preservation of the text. The divine promise is unambiguous: innā lahu la-ḥāfiẓūn — "We are most certainly its guardians." The Qurʾān has been transmitted by tawātur (mass continuous transmission) since the time of the Prophet Muḥammadﷺthrough the muṣḥaf authorised by ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān (may Allah be pleased with him), with the agreement of the Companions including ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, Zayd ibn Thābit, ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʿūd, and others (may Allah be pleased with them all). The author is sharp here with those who raise doubts about the completeness of the Qurʾān — noting that such doubts are an affront to divine promise and contradict the unanimous testimony of the Companions and the imams of the Ahl al-Bayt themselves, who all transmitted and recited the same Qurʾān. Any claim of addition or omission is baseless and constitutes an attack on divine truthfulness. Such people are, in reality, enemies of God, not of any human party.
وَلَقَدۡ أَرۡسَلۡنَا مِن قَبۡلِكَ فِى شِيَعِ ٱلۡأَوَّلِينَ
Wa-laqad arsalnā min qablika fī shiyaʿi 'l-awwalīn.
"And indeed, before you, We sent messengers among the parties of the ancients." (al-Ḥijr 15:10)
Translation: We certainly sent messengers before you among the earlier communities and factions.
وَمَا يَأۡتِيهِم مِّن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا كَانُواْ بِهِۦ يَسۡتَهۡزِءُونَ
"And no messenger came to them except they used to mock him." (al-Ḥijr 15:11)
Translation: And not a single messenger came to them except that they made a mockery of him.
Commentary: This is the divine rule of history: mockery of the prophets. The author applies this observation to his present time. Those who follow religious scholars and spiritual guides (awliyāʾ) are ridiculed today as before. He recounts an anecdote: someone said to a religious teacher that a certain grand mosque was built "in spite of your people." The teacher replied with dignity: "I am a sayyid — a descendant of the Prophetﷺ." The questioner then asked: "Are you not then working against the legacy of your forebears by staying silent?" The teacher's dignity and lineage did not protect him from contemporary mockery — just as the prophets before him were mocked.
كَذَٰلِكَ نَسۡلُكُهُۥ فِى قُلُوبِ ٱلۡمُجۡرِمِينَ
Kadhālika naslukuhu fī qulūbi 'l-mujrimīn.
"Thus We cause it — disbelief — to enter the hearts of the wicked." (al-Ḥijr 15:12)
Translation: Thus We allow it — this mockery and rejection — to enter the hearts of the wicked. They do not believe in it, and the ways of the earlier peoples have already passed.
Commentary: The Arabic nasluku literally means "We thread it" — as one threads a needle. God allows the disposition of rejection to be woven into the hearts of those who have already chosen corruption as their way. This is not arbitrary: those whose nature was already bent towards wickedness had this disposition confirmed. This is the Maturīdī understanding: God does not create injustice in the heart from without; rather, He confirms and seals what the person has already chosen by their own free will.
وَلَوۡ فَتَحۡنَا عَلَيۡهِم بَابًا مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ فَظَلُّواْ فِيهِ يَعۡرُجُونَ
Wa-law fataḥnā ʿalayhim bāban mina 's-samāʾi fa-ẓallū fīhi yaʿrujūn.
"And even if We opened a gate of heaven for them and they began to ascend through it —" (al-Ḥijr 15:14)
لَقَالُواْ إِنَّمَا سُكِّرَتۡ أَبۡصَـٰرُنَا بَلۡ نَحۡنُ قَوۡمٌ مَّسۡحُورُونَ
"They would say: 'Our eyes have merely been dazzled — no, we are a people who have been bewitched.'" (al-Ḥijr 15:15)
Translation: Even if We opened a gateway in the sky and they spent day after day ascending through it, they would say: "Our eyes have been blinded" — or "we are merely a people under a spell."
Commentary: This is the ultimate obstinacy: even a direct, miraculous experience of the divine would be rationalised away by those who have closed their hearts to truth. They would invent explanations — optical illusion, mass hypnosis, sorcery — rather than acknowledge the obvious. The author notes this as characteristic of a particular spiritual disease: when the heart is sealed, no amount of evidence suffices.
The divine arrangement of the cosmos:
وَلَقَدۡ جَعَلۡنَا فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ بُرُوجًا وَزَيَّنَّـٰهَا لِلنَّـٰظِرِينَ
Wa-laqad jaʿalnā fī 's-samāʾi burūjan wa-zayyannāhā li'n-nāẓirīn.
"We have placed constellations in the sky and adorned it for those who look." (al-Ḥijr 15:16)
Translation: We have set the great constellations in the heavens and made them beautiful for all who gaze upon them.
وَحَفِظۡنَـٰهَا مِن كُلِّ شَيۡطَـٰنٍ رَّجِيمٍ
"And We have guarded them from every accursed devil." (al-Ḥijr 15:17)
Translation: And We have guarded the heavens against every accursed, expelled devil.
Commentary: The heavens are guarded against Satan: this is both a physical and a spiritual reality. The author meditates on the vastness of God's dominion: "What is our earth, and what is in it? What are the worlds attached to it and surrounding it? What is the scope of human knowledge compared to what exists?" Billions of galaxies and solar systems, each containing suns and worlds — yet human knowledge reaches only a tiny fraction. Every orbit, every star, every system runs by God's command, and Satan has no access to any of it. God's sovereignty extends beyond anything the human mind can encompass: Wa-mā ūtītum mina 'l-ʿilmi illā qalīlā — "You have been given of knowledge only a little" (al-Isrāʾ 17:85). Subḥānaka lā ʿilma lanā illā mā ʿallamtanā.
إِلَّا مَنِ ٱسۡتَرَقَ ٱلسَّمۡعَ فَأَتۡبَعَهُۥ شِهَابٌ مُّبِينٌ
Illā mani 'staraqqa 's-samʿa fa-atbaʿahu shihābun mubīn.
"Except one who manages to overhear — and he is pursued by a clear blazing flame." (al-Ḥijr 15:18)
Translation: Except one who steals a hearing — and such a one is pursued by a luminous, blazing shooting star.
Commentary: The commentators discuss the nature of these shihāb (shooting stars used to drive away eavesdropping jinn). Some hold they are literal shooting flames; others see in them a reference to the spiritual inaccessibility of divine information that is intercepted and then corrupted. The author reflects: the jinn who carry such stolen information to fortune-tellers and soothsayers mix one true thing heard from the heavens with a hundred lies — and this mixed information leads people astray. This is why the Prophetic tradition so firmly forbids consulting fortune-tellers and soothsayers, whose knowledge is always contaminated.
The creation of the earth and its bounties:
وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ مَدَدۡنَـٰهَا وَأَلۡقَيۡنَا فِيهَا رَوَٰسِىَ وَأَنۢبَتۡنَا فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ شَىۡءٍ مَّوۡزُونٍ
Wa'l-arḍa madadnāhā wa-alqaynā fīhā rawāsiya wa-anbatnā fīhā min kulli shayʾin mawzūn.
"The earth — We have spread it out and placed in it firmly fixed mountains, and caused to grow therein everything in balanced measure." (al-Ḥijr 15:19)
Translation: The earth — We spread it out and planted in it firm mountains, and We caused to grow in it every kind of thing in measured, proportionate balance.
وَجَعَلۡنَا لَكُمۡ فِيهَا مَعَـٰيِشَ وَمَن لَّسۡتُمۡ لَهُۥ بِرَٰزِقِينَ
"And We made for you therein means of livelihood — and for those for whom you do not provide." (al-Ḥijr 15:20)
Translation: We have made in the earth the means of livelihood for you, and also for those creatures for whose sustenance you are not responsible.
Commentary: Everything in creation is created in mīzān — balanced, proportioned measure. This is the divine order of ecology and economy. God provides not only for human beings but for all creatures — including those whose sustenance no human provides. The author engages here with a theological debate: one school of thought holds that God has all things pre-existing in His divine knowledge and releases them in measured portions to creation. Another position is that God's knowledge encompasses all things and He releases them as needed. The author affirms: the khazāʾin (treasuries) of God are inexhaustible; what reaches us is a precise, divinely calibrated measure.
وَإِن مِّن شَىۡءٍ إِلَّا عِندَنَا خَزَآئِنُهُۥ وَمَا نُنَزِّلُهُۥٓ إِلَّا بِقَدَرٍ مَّعۡلُومٍ
Wa-in min shayʾin illā ʿindanā khazāʾinuhu wa-mā nunazziluhu illā bi-qadarin maʿlūm.
"There is nothing but that its stores are with Us, and We do not send it down except in a known, measured portion." (al-Ḥijr 15:21)
Translation: There is nothing whose inexhaustible stores are not with Us — and We release it only in measured, appointed proportions.
Commentary: This extraordinary verse affirms divine omniprovidence. The khazāʾin (treasuries, stores) of everything — every material substance, every spiritual grace, every form of provision — are with God in unlimited abundance. What reaches creation is released in precise, appropriate measure. This means, spiritually, that karāmāt (miraculous gifts to the saints), tajalliyāt (divine manifestations), laṭāʾif (spiritual subtleties), and all forms of divine grace are stored in unlimited quantities with God — and He releases to each according to their capacity and readiness. The author cites the position of a great Sufi master: what endures after fanāʾ (spiritual annihilation) is not a thing of measurement but the eternal, the abadī, the permanent — and at that level, no limitation applies. The taḥarrukāt (movements) of the material world are shadows of the spiritual realities that endure.
وَأَرۡسَلۡنَا ٱلرِّيَـٰحَ لَوَٰقِحَ فَأَنزَلۡنَا مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءً فَأَسۡقَيۡنَـٰكُمُوهُ
Wa-arsalnā 'r-riyāḥa lawāqiḥa fa-anzalnā mina 's-samāʾi māʾan fa-asqaynākumūh.
"We send the fertilising winds, and We send down water from the sky and give it to you to drink." (al-Ḥijr 15:22)
Translation: We send the fertilising winds — heavy with rain-bearing clouds — and then send down water from the sky, and We make you drink of it. It is not you who hold the treasury of this water.
وَإِنَّا لَنَحۡنُ نُحۡيِۦ وَنُمِيتُ وَنَحۡنُ ٱلۡوَٰرِثُونَ
Wa-innā la-naḥnu nuḥyī wa-numītu wa-naḥnu 'l-wārithūn.
"And indeed it is We Who give life and cause death, and it is We Who are the Heirs." (al-Ḥijr 15:23)
Translation: It is We alone Who give life and cause death, and it is We Who are the ultimate inheritors of all things — for We alone endure after all else perishes.
وَلَقَدۡ عَلِمۡنَا ٱلۡمُسۡتَقۡدِمِينَ مِنكُمۡ وَلَقَدۡ عَلِمۡنَا ٱلۡمُسۡتَـٔۡخِرِينَ
Wa-laqad ʿalimnā 'l-mustaqidmīna minkum wa-laqad ʿalimnā 'l-mustaʾkhirīn.
"And We know those of you who came first, and We know those who came later." (al-Ḥijr 15:24)
Translation: We have full knowledge of those of you who came before and those who will come after — both those who advance towards good and those who lag behind; those who come before in worship and those who come later.
وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ يَحۡشُرُهُمۡ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ حَكِيمٌ عَلِيمٌ
Wa-inna rabbaka huwa yaḥshuruhum. Innahu ḥakīmun ʿalīm.
"And indeed your Lord will gather them all together. He is indeed All-Wise, All-Knowing." (al-Ḥijr 15:25)
Translation: And truly your Lord will gather them all — He is All-Wise, All-Knowing.
Commentary: The ḥashr (gathering on the Day of Resurrection) is certain. When will it be? God knows — and that day, when the divine call goes out, all will be assembled instantly. The resurrection is as real as the present moment; only its timing is hidden from us. The reminder is addressed to those who forget: "the sound of the trumpet will be blown — be ready."
The creation of human beings and the jinn:
وَلَقَدۡ خَلَقۡنَا ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ مِن صَلۡصَـٰلٍ مِّنۡ حَمَإٍ مَّسۡنُونٍ
Wa-laqad khalaqnā 'l-insāna min ṣalṣālin min ḥamaʾin masnūn.
"We created the human being from ringing clay, from black mud given shape." (al-Ḥijr 15:26)
Translation: We created the human being from ringing, sun-dried clay — from dark, fetid mud that had been moulded and shaped.
Commentary: The word ṣalṣāl describes clay that, when dry, makes a ringing sound when struck — like pottery. Ḥamaʾ masnūn — black, malodorous, aged mud, shaped and moulded. This is the primordial material of the human body. The author contemplates what this means: from the most humble of materials — earth and water — God fashioned the most exalted of creatures. Some commentators suggest that the initial state was a subtle mixture of fine particles (habāʾ) that gradually coalesced through stages: first a gentle, soft mass; then warmed and treated by sun and wind; then dried; then given form; then animated by the divine breath. The lowliness of human origins ought to produce khākisārī (dust-like humility) in us.
وَٱلۡجَآنَّ خَلَقۡنَـٰهُ مِن قَبۡلُ مِن نَّارِ ٱلسَّمُومِ
Wa'l-jānna khalaqnāhu min qablu min nāri 's-samūm.
"And the jinn We created before from scorching, penetrating fire." (al-Ḥijr 15:27)
Translation: The jinn (jānn) We created before the human being, from the scorching, penetrating flame — the samūm (a hot, poisonous wind).
Commentary: Jānn is the original type of jinn, from which Iblīs was one. They were created before humanity, from a fire that is sharp, penetrating, and venomous — samūm shares a root with summ (poison) and samm (the pore through which poison enters). Their nature being fiery makes them, generally, more volatile, less patient, and less comprehensive in their being than the human — who, though made of humble clay, carries within him the divine breath.
God commands the angels to bow to Ādam:
وَإِذۡ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلۡمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ إِنِّى خَـٰلِقٌۢ بَشَرًا مِّن صَلۡصَـٰلٍ مِّنۡ حَمَإٍ مَّسۡنُونٍ
Wa-idh qāla rabbuka li'l-malāʾikati innī khāliqun basharan min ṣalṣālin min ḥamaʾin masnūn.
"When your Lord said to the angels: 'I am going to create a human being from ringing clay, from black mud given shape.'" (al-Ḥijr 15:28)
Translation: And remember when your Lord said to the angels: "I am about to create a human being from ringing clay, from shaped, dark mud."
Commentary: The angelic world was the highest creation before humanity. The author notes: the nobility of Ādam (upon him be peace) came not merely from the material but from what God placed within him — the divine breath. Angels carry out specific functions in an orderly, pre-assigned manner; the human being was to be a khalīfa (vicegerent) whose dignity would transcend that of angels precisely because he received the divine trust (amāna).
فَإِذَا سَوَّيۡتُهُۥ وَنَفَخۡتُ فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِى فَقَعُواْ لَهُۥ سَـٰجِدِينَ
Fa-idhā sawwaytuhū wa-nafakhtu fīhi min rūḥī fa-qaʿū lahu sājidīn.
"When I have fashioned him and breathed into him of My spirit, then fall down before him in prostration." (al-Ḥijr 15:29)
Translation: "When I have formed him and breathed into him of My Spirit — then fall down before him in prostration."
Commentary: The breath of God's Spirit (rūḥī) — the divine attribution of rūḥ to God (iḍāfat al-rūḥ ilā 'llāh) indicates not that the soul is literally a part of God (for God is transcendent beyond all such notions) but that it is something God has especially dignified by relating it to Himself. All living things have souls, but the human soul is uniquely honoured. The author quotes lines of devotional poetry: "From the throne of the Merciful a soul descended into the human being / From the throne to the body — may the intense longing never consume it." He also cites the famous verse: Nafakhtu fīhi min rūḥī — "I breathed into him of My Spirit" — and reflects on the grandeur of what this means for human dignity.
The angels all bowed. This sajda (prostration) was an act of honour (taḥiyyatī) to Ādam, not worship directed to him — a distinction universally agreed upon in Islamic theology. The author discusses the Prophetic command against prostration to human beings: the Prophet Muḥammadﷺforbade the sajda ta'ẓīmī (prostration of veneration to humans) because of the risk of confusion with worship. However, in previous dispensations this was permitted.
فَسَجَدَ ٱلۡمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ كُلُّهُمۡ أَجۡمَعُونَ
Fa-sajada 'l-malāʾikatu kulluhum ajmaʿūn.
"So the angels all prostrated themselves together." (al-Ḥijr 15:30)
Translation: So all the angels prostrated — every last one of them.
إِلَّآ إِبۡلِيسَ أَبَىٰٓ أَن يَكُونَ مَعَ ٱلسَّـٰجِدِينَ
Illā Iblīsa abā an yakūna maʿa 's-sājidīn.
"Except Iblīs — he refused to be among those who prostrated." (al-Ḥijr 15:31)
Translation: Except Iblīs — he refused to be among those who prostrated.
Commentary: The author notes: the command was for the angels. Iblīs was not an angel; he was a jinn (min al-jinn) — yet he had spent so long among the angels that he was included in the address. When the command came, the angels obeyed; Iblīs refused. The refusal came not from ignorance but from pride — kibr — the first sin. He considered himself superior: he was made of fire, Ādam of clay. This one act of pride turned Iblīs from the most devoted of worshippers to the most accursed of creatures.
قَالَ يَـٰٓإِبۡلِيسُ مَا لَكَ أَلَّا تَكُونَ مَعَ ٱلسَّـٰجِدِينَ
Qāla yā-Iblīsu mā laka allā takūna maʿa 's-sājidīn.
"He said: 'O Iblīs! What is the matter with you that you are not among those who prostrated?'" (al-Ḥijr 15:32)
Translation: God said: "O Iblīs! What ails you that you did not join those who prostrated?"
قَالَ لَمۡ أَكُن لِّأَسۡجُدَ لِبَشَرٍ خَلَقۡتَهُۥ مِن صَلۡصَـٰلٍ مِّنۡ حَمَإٍ مَّسۡنُونٍ
Qāla lam akun li-asjuda li-basharin khalaqtahu min ṣalṣālin min ḥamaʾin masnūn.
"He said: 'I am not one to prostrate myself before a human being whom You created from ringing clay, from black mud.'" (al-Ḥijr 15:33)
Translation: Iblīs said: "I am not the one to prostrate to a human being whom You created from ringing clay, from dark, fetid mud!"
قَالَ فَٱخۡرُجۡ مِنۡهَا فَإِنَّكَ رَجِيمٌ
Qāla fa-'khruj minhā fa-innaka rajīm.
"He said: 'Then get out of here — for you are accursed.'" (al-Ḥijr 15:34)
Translation: God said: "Then depart — get out of the angelic assembly, from My court. You are rajīm — stoned, cast out, expelled."
Commentary: Rajīm has multiple meanings: one who is pelted with stones — i.e., driven away; one who has been cursed; and one against whom the shooting stars are fired when he approaches the heavenly assemblies. The eternal expulsion of Iblīs from God's mercy is signalled in this word.
Iblīs requests a reprieve:
وَإِنَّ عَلَيۡكَ ٱللَّعۡنَةَ إِلَىٰ يَوۡمِ ٱلدِّينِ
Wa-inna ʿalayka 'l-laʿnata ilā yawmi 'd-dīn.
"And the curse is upon you until the Day of Judgment." (al-Ḥijr 15:35)
Translation: And the curse is upon you until the Day of Judgment.
قَالَ رَبِّ فَأَنظِرۡنِىٓ إِلَىٰ يَوۡمِ يُبۡعَثُونَ
Qāla rabbi fa-anẓirnī ilā yawmi yubʿathūn.
"He said: 'My Lord, then give me respite until the Day they are raised.'" (al-Ḥijr 15:36)
Translation: Iblīs said: "My Lord! Then grant me reprieve until the Day of Resurrection."
Commentary: The contrast between Iblīs and Ādam (upon him be peace) in their moments of fault is instructive. When Ādam (upon him be peace) disobeyed, he said: Rabbanā ẓalamnā anfusanā — "Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves" (al-Aʿrāf 7:23). He took full responsibility and attributed the fault to himself. Iblīs, by contrast, says bi-mā aghwaytanī — "because You led me astray" — attributing his downfall to God. This is the mark of arrogance: blaming God. The humble acknowledge their own failure; the proud project blame outward.
قَالَ فَإِنَّكَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُنظَرِينَ
Qāla fa-innaka mina 'l-munẓarīn.
"He said: 'You are then among those who are given respite.'" (al-Ḥijr 15:37)
Translation: God said: "Then you are among those who have been granted a reprieve."
إِلَىٰ يَوۡمِ ٱلۡوَقۡتِ ٱلۡمَعۡلُومِ
"Until the Day of the appointed time." (al-Ḥijr 15:38)
Translation: Until the Day of the appointed, known time.
قَالَ رَبِّ بِمَآ أَغۡوَيۡتَنِى لَأُزَيِّنَنَّ لَهُمۡ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَلَأُغۡوِيَنَّهُمۡ أَجۡمَعِينَ
Qāla rabbi bi-mā aghwaytanī la-uzayyinanna lahum fī 'l-arḍi wa-la-ughwiyannnahum ajmaʿīn.
"He said: 'My Lord, because You have put me in error, I shall indeed make things alluring to them on earth, and I shall lead them all astray.'" (al-Ḥijr 15:39)
Translation: Iblīs said: "My Lord! Since You have decreed that I should go astray, I shall most certainly make all things on earth appear beautiful and alluring to them, and I shall lead them all into error."
إِلَّا عِبَادَكَ مِنۡهُمُ ٱلۡمُخۡلَصِينَ
Illā ʿibādaka minhumu 'l-mukhlaṣīn.
"Except Your servants among them who are sincerely devoted." (al-Ḥijr 15:40)
Translation: "Except those among them who are Your sincerely purified and devoted servants (al-mukhlaṣīn)."
Commentary: The author dwells here at length on the lessons of pride and arrogance. Iblīs announced himself as made of fire — superior in his own estimation. Yet the human being who was the object of his contempt carries the divine breath. What Iblīs overlooked was the comprehensive nature (jāmiʿiyya) of the human being: the human is the mirror of all divine names and attributes, the mazhar of God. The author exclaims: "O Iblīs! Shame on you — God's curse be upon you! Know that God's pure servants will never be under your sway." He then turns to the reader: those who do not pray are the truest students of Iblīs, for Iblīs refused to prostrate before God's command. The one who neglects sajda is following Iblīs's example exactly.
He then addresses a major social and political question — the nature of qawmiyyat (nationalism) — in an extended commentary on the pride of Iblīs, which he sees as the theological root of racial and ethnic chauvinism. [See full commentary below.]
قَالَ هَـٰذَا صِرَٰطٌ عَلَىَّ مُسۡتَقِيمٌ
Qāla hādhā ṣirāṭun ʿalayya mustaqīm.
"He said: 'This is a straight path upon Me.'" (al-Ḥijr 15:41)
Translation: God said: "This is a path — a straight way — that leads to Me."
إِنَّ عِبَادِى لَيۡسَ لَكَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ سُلۡطَـٰنٌ إِلَّا مَنِ ٱتَّبَعَكَ مِنَ ٱلۡغَاوِينَ
Inna ʿibādī laysa laka ʿalayhim sulṭānun illā mani 'ttabaʿaka mina 'l-ghāwīn.
"Over My servants you have no authority — except those of the astray who follow you." (al-Ḥijr 15:42)
Translation: "Over My true servants you have no authority or power whatsoever — except those of the misguided and foolish who choose to follow you of their own accord."
وَإِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ لَمَوۡعِدُهُمۡ أَجۡمَعِينَ
Wa-inna jahannama la-mawʿiduhum ajmaʿīn.
"And indeed Hell is the promised abode of them all." (al-Ḥijr 15:43)
Translation: And indeed Hell is the appointed meeting-place for all of them together.
لَهَا سَبۡعَةُ أَبۡوَٰبٍ لِّكُلِّ بَابٍ مِّنۡهُمۡ جُزۡءٌ مَّقۡسُومٌ
Lahā sabʿatu abwābin li-kulli bābin minhum juzʾun maqsūm.
"It has seven gates; for each gate there is an apportioned share of them." (al-Ḥijr 15:44)
Translation: Hell has seven gates. For each gate, a portion of Iblīs's followers has been specifically assigned.
Commentary: Seven gates, seven levels — each with its own category of inhabitants. The author pauses to reflect on the scene described: Iblīs, who arrogantly refused to bow before Ādam (upon him be peace) made of clay, is now the ultimate cause of his followers' entry into this terrible abode. He was made of fire, yet fire is what he brings upon himself and his disciples. The proud one ends by delivering those he misled into the fire. Meanwhile, the humble servant of God — who bowed before the divine command, who maintained ibāda (worship) and ikhbāt (submission) — is delivered into gardens of peace.
The author engages the theme of nationalism (qawmiyyat) at length: the sin of Iblīs is at the root of ethnic pride and racial superiority. Iblīs said: anā khayrun minhu — "I am better than him." Every group that considers itself inherently superior to another is repeating this Iblīsian claim. In Islam, the criterion of nobility (faḍl) is solely taqwā (God-consciousness) and noble character (makārim al-akhlāq), never language, race, land, or lineage. He observes that even religions often fall into this trap — certain communities insist on racial endogamy and exclusivity. Islam's vision is explicitly universal: Arab, Hind, Iran, all are Muslim — the whole world is our homeland.
The believers' abode:
إِنَّ ٱلۡمُتَّقِينَ فِى جَنَّـٰتٍ وَعُيُونٍ
Inna 'l-muttaqīna fī jannātin wa-ʿuyūn.
"Indeed the God-fearing shall be in gardens and springs." (al-Ḥijr 15:45)
Translation: Truly the God-fearing (muttaqīn) shall be amid gardens and flowing springs —
ٱدۡخُلُوهَا بِسَلَـٰمٍ ءَامِنِينَ
"Enter them in peace and security." (al-Ḥijr 15:46)
Translation: — "Enter them in peace, in complete safety."
وَنَزَعۡنَا مَا فِى صُدُورِهِم مِّنۡ غِلٍّ إِخۡوَٰنًا عَلَىٰ سُرُرٍ مُّتَقَـٰبِلِينَ
Wa-nazaʿnā mā fī ṣudūrihim min ghillin ikhwānan ʿalā sururin mutaqābilīn.
"And We shall remove whatever grudges are in their hearts — they will be brothers, seated facing each other on thrones." (al-Ḥijr 15:47)
Translation: And We shall draw out from their chests whatever traces of ill-feeling, jealousy, or resentment may remain. They shall be brothers, reclining on couches facing one another.
Commentary: Wa-nazaʿnā mā fī ṣudūrihim min ghill — Allāh will draw out from the hearts of the people of Paradise every trace of rancour and grudge, so that no residue of the enmities of this world remains. Ikhwānan ʿalā sururin mutaqābilīn — they shall be as brothers, seated upon thrones facing one another, gazing upon each other in pure love and intimacy, with no jealousy or resentment between them.
In the course of this passage the author offers a reflection on the unity of the believers across lineage and land. Some among the Brahmins of India and other castes will not intermarry with the original inhabitants of their own land, nor share food with them. Yet the Muslims are otherwise: the descendants of the Arabs in India number in the millions, and through generations of marriage Indian and Arab blood has long since mingled, so that no "pure" caste lineage can be claimed. The Muslims have no exclusive tribal bond of this kind — their God is One, their religion is the religion of tawḥīd, and they are all equally servants within the dominion of Allāh's lordship. Indian and Arab, our India and our homeland — when all are Muslim, the whole community is ours together.
It is the way (ʿāda) of Allāh the Exalted that alongside the mention of mercy He pairs the mention of punishment, and alongside the good He recalls the wicked — so that both states may be known and the heart kept between hope and fear (bayna al-khawf wa-l-rajāʾ). Hence the verses that follow turn to a warning.
لَا يَمَسُّهُمۡ فِيهَا نَصَبٌ وَمَا هُم مِّنۡهَا بِمُخۡرَجِينَ
Lā yamassuhum fīhā naṣabun wa-mā hum minhā bi-mukhrajīn.
"No fatigue shall touch them there, nor shall they be expelled from it." (al-Ḥijr 15:48)
Translation: No weariness or toil will ever touch them there — and they shall never be expelled from it. Paradise is eternal.
نَبِّئۡ عِبَادِىٓ أَنِّىٓ أَنَا ٱلۡغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ
Nabbiʾ ʿibādī annī ana 'l-ghafūru 'r-raḥīm.
"Inform My servants that I am the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful." (al-Ḥijr 15:49)
Translation: Give My servants this news: I am the Forgiving, the Merciful — I forgive sins and shower mercy upon all who turn to Me.
Commentary: The believer's faith must be balanced between khawf (fear) and rajāʾ (hope). After describing Hell and its terrifying inhabitants, God now commands the Prophetﷺto communicate first the message of mercy and forgiveness. This is adab al-qurʾān — the Qurʾānic etiquette of addressing the servants of God: first the good news, then the warning.
وَأَنَّ عَذَابِى هُوَ ٱلۡعَذَابُ ٱلۡأَلِيمُ
Wa-anna ʿadhābī huwa 'l-ʿadhābu 'l-alīm.
"And that My punishment is the most painful punishment." (al-Ḥijr 15:50)
Translation: And also inform them that My punishment is indeed a most painful, grievous punishment. (Thus balancing hope with awe.)
The guests of Ibrāhīm and the story of Lūṭ:
وَنَبِّئۡهُمۡ عَن ضَيۡفِ إِبۡرَٰهِيمَ
Wa-nabbiʾhum ʿan ḍayfi Ibrāhīm.
"And tell them about the guests of Ibrāhīm." (al-Ḥijr 15:51)
Translation: And inform them of the guests of Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) — the angels who came to him in human form — and the fear that seized him.
إِذۡ دَخَلُواْ عَلَيۡهِ فَقَالُواْ سَلَـٰمًا قَالَ إِنَّا مِنكُمۡ وَجِلُونَ
Idh dakhalū ʿalayhi fa-qālū salāman qāla innā minkum wajilūn.
"When they entered upon him and said: 'Peace!' He said: 'We are afraid of you.'" (al-Ḥijr 15:52)
Translation: When the angel-guests entered his home and said: "Peace be upon you!" — Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) replied: "Truly, we are afraid of you" (for they had come without invitation, without eating the food he offered, which alarmed him).
قَالُواْ لَا تَوۡجَلۡ إِنَّا نُبَشِّرُكَ بِغُلَـٰمٍ عَلِيمٍ
Qālū lā tawjal innā nubashshiruka bi-ghulāmin ʿalīm.
"They said: 'Do not fear. We give you glad tidings of a knowledgeable son.'" (al-Ḥijr 15:53)
Translation: They said: "Do not be afraid — we bring you glad tidings of a son who will be a man of great knowledge." (This is Isḥāq, upon him be peace.)
قَالَ أَبَشَّرۡتُمُونِى عَلَىٰٓ أَن مَّسَّنِىَ ٱلۡكِبَرُ فَبِمَ تُبَشِّرُونَ
Qāla a-bashshartumūnī ʿalā an massaniya 'l-kibaru fa-bima tubashshirūn.
"He said: 'You give me glad tidings even though old age has come upon me — what kind of glad tidings is this?'" (al-Ḥijr 15:54)
Translation: Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) said: "You bring me this news even though old age has overtaken me? How can you give me such tidings?"
قَالُواْ بَشَّرۡنَـٰكَ بِٱلۡحَقِّ فَلَا تَكُن مِّنَ ٱلۡقَـٰنِطِينَ
Qālū bashsharnāka bi'l-ḥaqqi fa-lā takun mina 'l-qāniṭīn.
"They said: 'We give you glad tidings in truth — so do not be of those who despair.'" (al-Ḥijr 15:55)
Translation: The angels said: "We give you these glad tidings in absolute truth and certainty — so do not be among the despairing!"
قَالَ وَمَن يَقۡنَطُ مِن رَّحۡمَةِ رَبِّهِۦٓ إِلَّا ٱلضَّآلُّونَ
Qāla wa-man yaqnaṭu min raḥmati rabbihi illā 'ḍ-ḍāllūn.
"He said: 'And who despairs of the mercy of his Lord except those who are astray?'" (al-Ḥijr 15:56)
Translation: Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) replied: "Who would despair of the mercy of his Lord — except those who have gone astray?"
قَالَ فَمَا خَطۡبُكُمۡ أَيُّهَا ٱلۡمُرۡسَلُونَ
Qāla fa-mā khaṭbukum ayyuhā 'l-mursalūn.
"He said: 'Then what is your purpose, O messengers?'" (al-Ḥijr 15:57)
Translation: Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) then asked: "Then what business brings you, O you who are sent?"
قَالُوٓاْ إِنَّآ أُرۡسِلۡنَآ إِلَىٰ قَوۡمٍ مُّجۡرِمِينَ
Qālū innā ursilnā ilā qawmin mujrimīn.
"They said: 'We have been sent to a sinful people.'" (al-Ḥijr 15:58)
Translation: The angels said: "We have been sent towards a people guilty of sin and transgression."
إِلَّآ ءَالَ لُوطٍ إِنَّا لَمُنَجُّوهُمۡ أَجۡمَعِينَ
Illā āla Lūṭin innā la-munajjūhum ajmaʿīn.
"Except the family of Lūṭ — We shall most certainly save them all." (al-Ḥijr 15:59)
Translation: "Except for the family of Lūṭ (upon him be peace) — all of whom we shall certainly save from the punishment."
إِلَّا ٱمۡرَأَتَهُۥ قَدَّرۡنَآ إِنَّهَا لَمِنَ ٱلۡغَـٰبِرِينَ
Illā 'mra'atahu qaddarnā innahā la-mina 'l-ghābirīn.
"Except his wife — We have decreed that she is of those who will remain behind." (al-Ḥijr 15:60)
Translation: Except for his wife — We have decreed that she shall be among those who remain behind and are destroyed.
Commentary: The wife of Lūṭ (upon him be peace) was among the sinful community in her sympathies, despite outward connection to a prophet. This is a powerful reminder that proximity to a prophet does not guarantee salvation; one's own inner orientation and choice determines one's fate.
The angels come to Lūṭ:
فَلَمَّا جَآءَ ءَالَ لُوطٍ ٱلۡمُرۡسَلُونَ
Fa-lammā jāʾa āla Lūṭi 'l-mursalūn.
"When the messengers came to the family of Lūṭ —" (al-Ḥijr 15:61)
قَالَ إِنَّكُمۡ قَوۡمٌ مُّنكَرُونَ
Qāla innakum qawmun munkarūn.
"He said: 'You are a people I do not recognise.'" (al-Ḥijr 15:62)
Translation: Lūṭ (upon him be peace) said: "You are strangers — people unknown to me."
قَالُواْ بَلۡ جِئۡنَـٰكَ بِمَا كَانُواْ فِيهِ يَمۡتَرُونَ
Qālū bal jiʾnāka bi-mā kānū fīhi yamtarūn.
"They said: 'Rather, we have come to you with that about which they were in doubt.'" (al-Ḥijr 15:63)
Translation: The angels said: "Rather, we have brought to you what this people has been disputing and doubting — the punishment they thought would never arrive."
وَأَتَيۡنَـٰكَ بِٱلۡحَقِّ وَإِنَّا لَصَـٰدِقُونَ
Wa-ataynāka bi'l-ḥaqqi wa-innā la-ṣādiqūn.
"We have come to you with the truth, and we are truthful ones." (al-Ḥijr 15:64)
Translation: "We come bearing the truth — the punishment is imminent and certain — and we are entirely truthful."
فَأَسۡرِ بِأَهۡلِكَ بِقِطۡعٍ مِّنَ ٱلَّيۡلِ وَٱتَّبِعۡ أَدۡبَـٰرَهُمۡ وَلَا يَلۡتَفِتۡ مِنكُمۡ أَحَدٌ وَٱمۡضُواْ حَيۡثُ تُؤۡمَرُونَ
Fa-asri bi-ahlika bi-qiṭʿin mina 'l-layli wa-'ttabiʿ adbārahum wa-lā yaltafit minkum aḥadun wa-'mḍū ḥaythu tuʾmarūn.
"So travel with your family in the dead of night and follow behind them. Let none of you look back; proceed to where you are commanded." (al-Ḥijr 15:65)
Translation: "So journey with your household in the night — in a part of the night — and walk behind them. Let none of you look back; go forward to the place you have been commanded to reach."
وَقَضَيۡنَآ إِلَيۡهِ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلۡأَمۡرَ أَنَّ دَابِرَ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ مَقۡطُوعٌ مُّصۡبِحِينَ
Wa-qaḍaynā ilayhi dhālika 'l-amra anna dābira hāʾulāʾi maqṭūʿun muṣbiḥīn.
"And We revealed to him this decree: that the last remnant of these people would be cut off by morning." (al-Ḥijr 15:66)
Translation: We also delivered to Lūṭ (upon him be peace) this decisive decree: the very last trace of these people will be wiped out by dawn.
The fate of the people of Lūṭ:
وَجَآءَ أَهۡلُ ٱلۡمَدِينَةِ يَسۡتَبۡشِرُونَ
Wa-jāʾa ahlu 'l-madīnati yastabshirūn.
"And the people of the city came rejoicing." (al-Ḥijr 15:67)
Translation: The people of the city came rushing, filled with wicked excitement — rejoicing at the arrival of these beautiful guests.
Commentary: The author reflects gravely on what kind of "rejoicing" this was: it was the joy of those who knew Lūṭ had male guests and came to commit the act for which God destroyed them. He observes that what their civilization celebrated — the transgression of natural law — is now celebrated in many parts of the world. The rise of such moral disorder is not progress but a sign of impending civilisational collapse, as it was for the people of Lūṭ.
قَالَ إِنَّ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ ضَيۡفِى فَلَا تَفۡضَحُونِ
Qāla inna hāʾulāʾi ḍayfī fa-lā tafḍaḥūn.
"He said: 'These are my guests, so do not humiliate me.'" (al-Ḥijr 15:68)
Translation: Lūṭ (upon him be peace) said: "These are my guests! Do not disgrace me!"
وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَلَا تُخۡزُونِ
Wa-'ttaqū 'llāha wa-lā tukhzūn.
"And fear Allah and do not put me to shame." (al-Ḥijr 15:69)
Translation: "Fear Allah and do not bring dishonour upon me!"
قَالُوٓاْ أَوَلَمۡ نَنۡهَكَ عَنِ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ
Qālū awa-lam nanhaka ʿani 'l-ʿālamīn.
"They said: 'Did we not forbid you from taking in all people?'" (al-Ḥijr 15:70)
Translation: The townspeople said insolently: "Did we not forbid you from giving shelter to anyone at all?"
قَالَ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ بَنَاتِىٓ إِن كُنتُمۡ فَـٰعِلِينَ
Qāla hāʾulāʾi banātī in kuntum fāʿilīn.
"He said: 'These are my daughters, if you are going to do anything.'" (al-Ḥijr 15:71)
Translation: Lūṭ (upon him be peace) said: "Here are my daughters — if you must do something, they are lawful wives for you." (He was directing them to the women of the community as legitimate marriage partners, urging them to abandon their perversity.)
Commentary: By banātī (my daughters), Lūṭ (upon him be peace) meant both his biological daughters and the women of his community whom a prophet may call "my daughters" as a term of pastoral care. The Sunnī position is that this was not a command to immorality but an urgent, desperate offer of an alternative to the terrible act they had in mind. Some scholars have misread this verse; the author clarifies the context and notes that such calls for natural marriage are entirely consistent with the sunna of the messengers.
لَعَمۡرُكَ إِنَّهُمۡ لَفِى سَكۡرَتِهِمۡ يَعۡمَهُونَ
La-ʿamruka innahum la-fī sakratihim yaʿmahūn.
"By your life! They were indeed wandering blind in their drunken stupor." (al-Ḥijr 15:72)
Translation: By your life — O Messenger — they were indeed lost in their delirium and stupor, wandering blindly.
Commentary: God swears by the life of the Prophet Muḥammadﷺ— la-ʿamruka — a unique honour accorded to him in the Qurʾān. The author notes: this is God Himself swearing by the life of the Prophetﷺ, a testimony to his incomparable dignity. Those who minimise the status of the Prophetﷺshould reflect on this. The people of Lūṭ were in a stupor (sakra) — not from wine but from the intoxication of vice and desire, which blinds the eyes of the heart.
فَأَخَذَتۡهُمُ ٱلصَّيۡحَةُ مُشۡرِقِينَ
Fa-akhadhat-humu 'ṣ-ṣayḥatu mushriqīn.
"So the mighty blast seized them at sunrise." (al-Ḥijr 15:73)
Translation: So at sunrise — as the sun rose — the devastating cry seized them.
فَجَعَلۡنَا عَـٰلِيَهَا سَافِلَهَا وَأَمۡطَرۡنَا عَلَيۡهِمۡ حِجَارَةً مِّن سِجِّيلٍ
Fa-jaʿalnā ʿāliyahā sāfilahā wa-amṭarnā ʿalayhim ḥijāratan min sijjīl.
"We turned it upside down and rained upon them stones of hardened clay." (al-Ḥijr 15:74)
Translation: We overturned the whole settlement — what was above became what was below — and We rained down upon them stones of hard-baked clay (sijjīl).
Commentary: Sijjīl — fired clay, as hard as stone — rained from the sky. The city itself was inverted. This is a uniquely total annihilation, reserved for those who transgressed natural law in the most extreme way.
إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَأٓيَـٰتٍ لِّلۡمُتَوَسِّمِينَ
Inna fī dhālika la-āyātin li'l-mutawassimīn.
"Indeed in that are signs for the discerning." (al-Ḥijr 15:75)
Translation: In that event there are indeed signs and lessons for those who are perceptive (mutawassimīn) — those who read the marks of reality with spiritual acuity.
وَإِنَّهَا لَبِسَبِيلٍ مُّقِيمٍ
Wa-innahā la-bi-sabīlin muqīm.
"And it lies on a road that still exists." (al-Ḥijr 15:76)
Translation: These ruins lie on a well-travelled road that still exists — visible reminders for all who pass.
إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَأٓيَةً لِّلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ
Inna fī dhālika la-āyatan li'l-muʾminīn.
"Indeed in that is a sign for the believers." (al-Ḥijr 15:77)
Translation: In that, truly, is a mighty sign for the believers.
The people of al-Ayka — the companions of the Thicket:
وَإِن كَانَ أَصۡحَـٰبُ ٱلۡأَيۡكَةِ لَظَـٰلِمِينَ
Wa-in kāna aṣḥābu 'l-aykati la-ẓālimīn.
"And the companions of the thicket (al-Ayka) were surely wrongdoers." (al-Ḥijr 15:78)
Translation: And the companions of the Thicket — the people of Shuʿayb (upon him be peace) — were assuredly great wrongdoers.
فَٱنتَقَمۡنَا مِنۡهُمۡ وَإِنَّهُمَا لَبِإِمَامٍ مُّبِينٍ
Fa-'ntaqamnā minhum wa-innahumā la-bi-imāmin mubīn.
"So We took retribution from them. Both of these lie on a clear roadway." (al-Ḥijr 15:79)
Translation: So We exacted punishment from them. And both — the ruins of the people of Lūṭ and the people of Shuʿayb — lie on a visible, clear highway, that those who pass may take lesson.
The people of al-Ḥijr — Thamūd:
وَلَقَدۡ كَذَّبَ أَصۡحَـٰبُ ٱلۡحِجۡرِ ٱلۡمُرۡسَلِينَ
Wa-laqad kadhdhaba aṣḥābu 'l-ḥijri 'l-mursalīn.
"And the people of al-Ḥijr certainly rejected the messengers." (al-Ḥijr 15:80)
Translation: And the people of al-Ḥijr — Thamūd, the nation of Ṣāliḥ (upon him be peace) — most certainly denied the messengers.
وَءَاتَيۡنَـٰهُمۡ ءَايَـٰتِنَا فَكَانُواْ عَنۡهَا مُعۡرِضِينَ
Wa-ātaynāhum āyātinā fa-kānū ʿanhā muʿriḍīn.
"We gave them Our signs, but they were turning away from them." (al-Ḥijr 15:81)
Translation: We gave them Our clear signs, but they turned away from them in contempt.
وَكَانُواْ يَنحِتُونَ مِنَ ٱلۡجِبَالِ بُيُوتًا ءَامِنِينَ
Wa-kānū yanḥitūna mina 'l-jibāli buyūtan āminīn.
"They used to carve homes from the mountains in security." (al-Ḥijr 15:82)
Translation: They used to carve their houses out of the mountains, feeling secure within them — elaborate and impregnable stone residences.
فَأَخَذَتۡهُمُ ٱلصَّيۡحَةُ مُصۡبِحِينَ
Fa-akhadhat-humu 'ṣ-ṣayḥatu muṣbiḥīn.
"But the mighty blast seized them in the morning." (al-Ḥijr 15:83)
Translation: But at daybreak, the devastating divine blast seized them.
فَمَآ أَغۡنَىٰ عَنۡهُم مَّا كَانُواْ يَكۡسِبُونَ
Fa-mā aghnā ʿanhum mā kānū yaksibūn.
"Their earnings availed them nothing." (al-Ḥijr 15:84)
Translation: All that they had accumulated and earned availed them nothing.
Commentary: Their impregnable stone fortresses, their wealth and power — none of it mattered when divine judgment came. Thamūd is a paradigm of a civilisation that combined great material achievement with moral corruption and rejection of the prophetic message. The results are written into the landscape of Arabia.
The heavens and earth created in truth; patience commanded:
وَمَا خَلَقۡنَا ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ وَمَا بَيۡنَهُمَآ إِلَّا بِٱلۡحَقِّ ۗ وَإِنَّ ٱلسَّاعَةَ لَأٓتِيَةٌ
Wa-mā khalaqnā 's-samāwāti wa'l-arḍa wa-mā baynahumā illā bi'l-ḥaqq. Wa-inna 's-sāʿata la-ātiya.
"We did not create the heavens and the earth and all that is between them except with truth. And the Hour is certainly coming." (al-Ḥijr 15:85)
Translation: We have not created the heavens and the earth and all that lies between them except in accordance with truth, wisdom, and necessity. And the Hour is assuredly coming.
فَٱصۡفَحِ ٱلصَّفۡحَ ٱلۡجَمِيلَ
"So be patient with gracious forbearance." (al-Ḥijr 15:85)
Translation: So show gracious forbearance (ṣafḥ jamīl) — forgive with beauty and magnanimity.
إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ ٱلۡخَلَّـٰقُ ٱلۡعَلِيمُ
Inna rabbaka huwa 'l-khallāqu 'l-ʿalīm.
"Indeed your Lord is the All-Creator, the All-Knowing." (al-Ḥijr 15:86)
Translation: Your Lord is the Khallāq — the ever-creating, ceaselessly originating Creator — and the All-Knowing. He created everything and knows how to manage it; what He decrees is the fruit of infinite wisdom.
The seven often-recited verses and the great Qurʾān:
وَلَقَدۡ ءَاتَيۡنَـٰكَ سَبۡعًا مِّنَ ٱلۡمَثَانِى وَٱلۡقُرۡءَانَ ٱلۡعَظِيمَ
Wa-laqad ātaynāka sabʿan mina 'l-mathānī wa'l-qurʾāna 'l-ʿaẓīm.
"We have indeed given you the seven oft-recited verses (sab'an mina 'l-mathānī) and the mighty Qurʾān." (al-Ḥijr 15:87)
Translation: We have certainly bestowed upon you the seven oft-recited verses — Sūrat al-Fātiḥa, which contains seven verses and is recited in every prayer cycle (rakʿa) — and the mighty, majestic Qurʾān.
Commentary: The sab' mathānī are understood by most scholars as referring to Sūrat al-Fātiḥa (the Opening Chapter) with its seven verses. Mathānī means "often repeated" or "that which is frequently recited." The verse coupling Sūrat al-Fātiḥa with al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm does not mean they are different; rather, it emphasises two aspects: the specific gift of the Fātiḥa with its special role in prayer, and the gift of the entire Qurʾān. The verse﴿ مَن كَانَ عَدُوًّا لِّلَّهِ وَمَلَٰٓئِكَتِهِۦ وَرُسُلِهِۦ وَجِبۡرِيلَ وَمِيكَٰلَ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَدُوٌّۭ لِّلۡكَٰفِرِينَ ﴾(al-Baqara 2:98) — "Whoever is an enemy to Allah and His angels and His messengers and Gabriel and Michael, then indeed Allah is an enemy to the disbelievers" — reminds us of the sacred connection between Gabriel (upon him be peace), who brought the Qurʾān, and this divine gift.
The command not to covet worldly possessions and to incline humbly towards believers:
لَا تَمُدَّنَّ عَيۡنَيۡكَ إِلَىٰ مَا مَتَّعۡنَا بِهِۦٓ أَزۡوَٰجًا مِّنۡهُمۡ وَلَا تَحۡزَنۡ عَلَيۡهِمۡ
Lā tamudanna ʿaynayka ilā mā mattaʿnā bihi azwājan minhum wa-lā taḥzan ʿalayhim.
"Do not extend your eyes towards what We have given to pairs of them to enjoy, and do not grieve over them." (al-Ḥijr 15:88)
Translation: Do not stretch your eyes with longing towards the worldly enjoyment We have given various types of people, and do not grieve over them.
وَٱخۡفِضۡ جَنَاحَكَ لِلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ
"And lower your wing [in kindness] to the believers." (al-Ḥijr 15:88)
Translation: And lower your wing in gentleness and mercy over the believers.
Commentary: Ikhfiḍ janāḥaka — "lower your wing" — is the Arabic expression for humility and tender care, drawn from the image of a bird lowering its wing to shelter its young. The Prophetﷺis commanded to show this tenderness towards the believers. The author here contrasts this with worldly leaders who, when they achieve status, become haughty towards the devout: "when people say this man is a great saint, even the Jews came to salute and gave their hand in friendship." The true inheritance of the prophets is this humble, wing-lowering posture towards the community of believers. He then notes with grief: some Muslims of his time, when they mix with the wealthy and powerful of the world, lose their dignity before God's servants — they are too eager to please the powerful and too dismissive of the pious. This violates iyyāka naʿbudu wa-iyyāka nastaʿīn — You alone we worship.
وَقُلۡ إِنِّىٓ أَنَا ٱلنَّذِيرُ ٱلۡمُبِينُ
Wa-qul innī ana 'n-nadhīru 'l-mubīn.
"And say: 'I am indeed the clear warner.'" (al-Ḥijr 15:89)
Translation: And say to them: "I am the clear and manifest warner — appointed to warn you and show you the consequences of your choices."
كَمَآ أَنزَلۡنَا عَلَى ٱلۡمُقۡتَسِمِينَ
Kamā anzalnā ʿalā 'l-muqtasimīn.
"As We sent down upon those who divided things." (al-Ḥijr 15:90)
Translation: Just as We sent punishment upon those who divided and parcelled things out — those who distributed roles among themselves to obstruct the Prophetﷺ, or those who made false claims about the Qurʾān.
ٱلَّذِينَ جَعَلُواْ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانَ عِضِينَ
Alladhīna jaʿalū 'l-qurʾāna ʿiḍīn.
"Those who divided the Qurʾān into parts." (al-Ḥijr 15:91)
Translation: Those who fragmented the Qurʾān into pieces — accepting some of it, rejecting other parts, or applying it selectively to suit their desires.
Commentary: The muqtasimīn — those who divided — include both the Meccans who organised themselves into groups at the city's entrances to warn incoming pilgrims away from the Prophetﷺ, and more generally all who fragment the Qurʾān: accepting its cosmological passages while rejecting its ethical commands, or using it to suit their agendas while ignoring what contradicts them. The result of such fragmentation is destruction. Yet the Qurʾān prevailed — all the proud opponents of the Prophetﷺeventually submitted, and Islam spread across Arabia and beyond with stunning speed.
فَوَرَبِّكَ لَنَسۡـَٔلَنَّهُمۡ أَجۡمَعِينَ
Fa-wa-rabbika la-nas'alanna-hum ajmaʿīn.
"By your Lord, We shall certainly question them all." (al-Ḥijr 15:92)
Translation: By your Lord! We shall most certainly question them all —
عَمَّا كَانُواْ يَعۡمَلُونَ
"About what they used to do." (al-Ḥijr 15:93)
Translation: About every deed they performed and every choice they made.
The final command to the Prophetﷺ:
فَٱصۡدَعۡ بِمَا تُؤۡمَرُ وَأَعۡرِضۡ عَنِ ٱلۡمُشۡرِكِينَ
Fa-'ṣdaʿ bi-mā tuʾmaru wa-aʿriḍ ʿani 'l-mushrikīn.
"So proclaim openly what you are commanded and turn away from the polytheists." (al-Ḥijr 15:94)
Translation: Proclaim clearly and openly what you have been commanded — shout it out, broadcast it without hesitation — and turn away from the polytheists; pay no heed to their objections.
Commentary: Faṣdaʿ — the root ṣadʿ means to cleave, to split open, to make a crack. The command is: split the silence, cleave open the atmosphere of intimidation, make the truth resound like a crack of thunder. The era of private, quiet preaching is over. The Prophetﷺis commanded to go public and bold. This verse was a turning point in the prophetic mission.
إِنَّا كَفَيۡنَـٰكَ ٱلۡمُسۡتَهۡزِءِينَ
Innā kafaynāka 'l-mustahziʾīn.
"We are sufficient for you against the mockers." (al-Ḥijr 15:95)
Translation: We are all you need against those who mock and scoff — those who ridicule you, those who seek to diminish you.
ٱلَّذِينَ يَجۡعَلُونَ مَعَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَـٰهًا ءَاخَرَ ۚ فَسَوۡفَ يَعۡلَمُونَ
Alladhīna yajʿalūna maʿa 'llāhi ilāhan ākhara fa-sawfa yaʿlamūn.
"Those who set up another god beside Allah — they will soon come to know." (al-Ḥijr 15:96)
Translation: Those who set up other deities alongside Allah — they will soon come to know the consequence of what they have done.
وَلَقَدۡ نَعۡلَمُ أَنَّكَ يَضِيقُ صَدۡرُكَ بِمَا يَقُولُونَ
Wa-laqad naʿlamu annaka yaḍīqu ṣadruka bi-mā yaqūlūn.
"And We certainly know that your chest tightens because of what they say." (al-Ḥijr 15:97)
Translation: We know with certainty that your chest constricts with grief at what they say — their mockery, their slanders, their crude attacks.
فَسَبِّحۡ بِحَمۡدِ رَبِّكَ وَكُن مِّنَ ٱلسَّـٰجِدِينَ
Fa-sabbiḥ bi-ḥamdi rabbika wa-kun mina 's-sājidīn.
"So glorify the praise of your Lord and be among those who prostrate." (al-Ḥijr 15:98)
Translation: So glorify your Lord with praise — say Subḥāna rabbika bi-ḥamdih — and be among those who prostrate.
Commentary: The remedy for the anguish of mockery and opposition is not retaliation, not argument, not grief — it is tasbīḥ (glorification of God) and sujūd (prostration). In the prostration, the servant is closest to God. All the pain of rejection and scorn dissolves in that act of complete surrender. This is the eternal Prophetic method: meet the hostility of the world with deeper devotion to God.
وَٱعۡبُدۡ رَبَّكَ حَتَّىٰ يَأۡتِيَكَ ٱلۡيَقِينُ
Wa-'bud rabbaka ḥattā yaʾtiyaka 'l-yaqīn.
"And worship your Lord until certainty comes to you." (al-Ḥijr 15:99)
Translation: And worship your Lord until al-yaqīn — certainty — comes to you: that is, until death arrives, for death is the gateway to the full and unveiled certainty of divine truth.
Commentary: The final verse of Sūrat al-Ḥijr is at once a command and a comfort. Worship until certainty comes — there is no retirement from worship, no pause, no graduation beyond the obligation to serve God. The word yaqīn here is understood by the majority of commentators as death — the ultimate certainty that ends uncertainty. But it also carries the Sufi meaning: the arrival of ʿilm al-yaqīn (certainty of knowledge), ʿayn al-yaqīn (certainty of vision), and ultimately ḥaqq al-yaqīn (certainty of reality) — the progressive unveiling of truth that culminates in the encounter with God. Until that final kashf (unveiling), worship without ceasing.
With this final verse, Sūrat al-Ḥijr concludes, and with it the present section of the Tafsīr-e-Ṣiddīqī.