Sūrat al-Anbiyāʾ
سورۃ الانبیاء
Sūrat al-Anbiyāʾ (The Prophets) — Sūra 21. It was revealed in Mecca (makkiyya) and contains one hundred and twelve (112) verses and seven (7) rukūʿ (sections).
اقْتَرَبَ لِلنَّاسِ حِسَابُهُمْ وَهُمْ فِي غَفْلَةٍ مُّعْرِضُونَ
Iqtaraba li-l-nāsi ḥisābuhum wa-hum fī ghaflatin muʿriḍūn
"Mankind's reckoning has drawn near, yet they turn away in heedlessness." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:1
Translation: The reckoning of the people has drawn close — death stands at the threshold, and the Hour is imminent — yet they remain sunk in profound heedlessness, turning away.
Commentary: The word iqtaraba (has drawn near) indicates that the Hour of Judgement has approached. Death stands upon every head; the Resurrection and the Final Account are upon the horizon. Yet people remain sunk in their distractions and amusements, turning away from the Divine reminders. The verse opens the Sūra with this solemn warning: every moment that passes brings mankind closer to that inexorable reckoning.
مَا يَأْتِيهِم مِّن ذِكْرٍ مِّن رَّبِّهِم مُّحْدَثٍ إِلَّا اسْتَمَعُوهُ وَهُمْ يَلْعَبُونَ
Mā yaʾtīhim min dhikrin min rabbihim muḥdathin illā istamaʿūhu wa-hum yalʿabūn
"Every fresh reminder that reaches them from their Lord, they hear it while engaged in play." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:2
Translation: Every fresh admonition — every Qurʾānic verse — that comes to them from their Lord, they receive it while they are absorbed in sport and idle play.
Commentary: Here dhikr (reminder) refers to the verses of the Qurʾān, each newly revealed (muḥdath, i.e. originating in created time as a divine address). A note on Maturīdī kalām: the position of Ahl al-Sunna is that the meanings (maʿānī) of the Qurʾān are the eternal uncreated speech of Allah, while the letters and sounds, as they are received and recited in the world, come into existence in created time — this does not diminish the Qurʾān's divine authority. The disbelievers, however, treated the recitation of Qurʾānic verses as entertainment, mocking and dismissing them as mere amusement. Their hearts were barred from any true reception of guidance.
لَاهِيَةً قُلُوبُهُمْ ۗ وَأَسَرُّوا النَّجْوَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا هَلْ هَٰذَا إِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُكُمْ ۖ أَفَتَأْتُونَ السِّحْرَ وَأَنتُمْ تُبْصِرُونَ
Lāhiyatan qulūbuhum, wa-asarru-l-najwā lladhīna ẓalamū: hal hādhā illā basharun mithlukum, a-fa-taʾtūna-l-siḥra wa-antum tubṣirūn
"Their hearts are distracted. The wrongdoers confer secretly: 'Is this man anything but a human being like yourselves? Will you then submit to sorcery while you can see plainly?'" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:3
Translation: Their hearts are sunk in distraction and amusement. Those who have wronged themselves hold secret counsel, whispering to one another: "Is he anything but a human being like you? Will you follow sorcery while your eyes are open?"
Commentary: The oppressors — those who cause harm to themselves and others by persisting in falsehood — conspire in private, plotting against the Prophet Muḥammadﷺ. Their taunt is that the Prophet is merely a human being. The author notes: a human being does not constitute a deficiency in prophethood; every messenger of Allah was a human being. Moreover, the allegation that the Qurʾān is "sorcery" (siḥr) is self-refuting: the Qurʾān brings moral reform, unveils spiritual realities, reveals divine will, and charts the path of salvation — has any sorcerer in history ever achieved anything of the kind? As for "you can see plainly" (wa-antum tubṣirūn) — the disbelievers, despite possessing the faculty of sight and reason, persist in a wilful blindness to the truth.
قَالَ رَبِّي يَعْلَمُ الْقَوْلَ فِي السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۖ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ
Qāla rabbī yaʿlamu-l-qawla fī-l-samāʾi wa-l-arḍ, wa-huwa-l-samīʿu-l-ʿalīm
"He said: 'My Lord knows every word spoken in the heavens and the earth; He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.'" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:4
Translation: The Prophetﷺreplied: "My Lord knows every word uttered in the heavens and in the earth — He hears everything and is aware of everything."
Commentary: The response of the Prophetﷺto the machinations of the disbelievers is a declaration of divine omniscience: Allah, exalted be He, is fully aware of their secret consultations, their whispered plots, their open mockery, and their concealed intentions. He is al-Samīʿ (the All-Hearing) — nothing escapes His hearing — and al-ʿAlīm (the All-Knowing) — nothing is beyond His knowledge.
بَلْ قَالُوا أَضْغَاثُ أَحْلَامٍ بَلِ افْتَرَاهُ بَلْ هُوَ شَاعِرٌ فَلْيَأْتِنَا بِآيَةٍ كَمَا أُرْسِلَ الْأَوَّلُونَ
Bal qālū aḍghāthu aḥlāmin, bali-ftarāhu, bal huwa shāʿir, fa-lyaʾtinā bi-āyatin kamā ursila-l-awwalūn
"Rather they said: 'Jumbled nightmares!' — or: 'He has fabricated it!' — or: 'He is a poet — let him bring us a sign as the earlier prophets were sent with signs.'" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:5
Translation: Rather the disbelievers say: "These are but confused dreams!" and then they say, "He has fabricated it!" and then, "He is a poet — let him bring us a miracle as the earlier messengers were sent with miracles."
Commentary: The disbelievers could not maintain a consistent accusation. At one moment they called the Prophetﷺa dreamer, at the next an impostor, and then again a poet. Their accusations contradict one another, which itself reveals their insincerity. As for the charge of being a poet (shāʿir): the ignorant cannot conceive that knowledge of the unseen realm, of the principles of religion and worldly life, of moral rectitude and spiritual illumination should emanate from anything other than human craft. But has any poet in history ever brought the reformation of morals, the opening of spiritual realities, knowledge of the divine will, and the path of salvation? Their demand for a "sign" like those given to earlier prophets is addressed by the Qurʾān itself, which is the supreme and enduring miracle.
مَا آمَنَتْ قَبْلَهُم مِّن قَرْيَةٍ أَهْلَكْنَاهَا ۖ أَفَهُمْ يُؤْمِنُونَ
Mā āmanat qablahum min qaryatin ahlaknāhā, a-fa-hum yuʾminūn
"Not one community that We destroyed before them ever believed — will these then believe?" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:6
Translation: Not a single town that We destroyed before them ever believed — will these people now believe?
Commentary: This is a gentle yet firm divine warning: the pattern of history shows that the communities destroyed by divine punishment were those that refused to believe even after signs were sent to them. The rhetorical question — "Will these then believe?" — implies scepticism about their willingness to receive the truth, yet leaves the door of guidance open to those who choose to submit.
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ إِلَّا رِجَالًا نُّوحِي إِلَيْهِمْ ۖ فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
Wa-mā arsalnā qablaka illā rijālan nūḥī ilayhim, fa-sʾalū ahla-l-dhikri in kuntum lā taʿlamūn
"We did not send before you any but men to whom We revealed — so ask the People of Remembrance if you do not know." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:7
Translation: We sent before you none other than men — human beings — to whom We gave revelation and inspiration. Ask the People of Remembrance (the learned scholars of Scripture) if you do not know.
Commentary: There are two dimensions in which all human beings stand equal: humanity (insāniyyat) and creaturely dependence on the Creator. The opponents of the prophets have always appealed to the shared humanity of the messenger as a basis for rejection — "he is only a man like us." Yet this is precisely the wisdom of divine arrangement: prophets are human beings so that other human beings can receive their example, imitate their conduct, and comprehend their message. The author notes with sadness that in his own era, there are those who, under the influence of irreligion and colonial thought, seek to diminish the veneration of the Prophetﷺand the saints among Muslims. He exhorts believers: do not allow your heart's reverence for the awliyāʾ (the friends of Allah) and the great imāms to be eroded.
وَمَا جَعَلْنَاهُمْ جَسَدًا لَّا يَأْكُلُونَ الطَّعَامَ وَمَا كَانُوا خَالِدِينَ
Wa-mā jaʿalnāhum jasadan lā yaʾkulūna-l-ṭaʿāma wa-mā kānū khālidīn
"We did not give them bodies that ate no food, nor were they immortal." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:8
Translation: We did not make the prophets beings that ate no food, nor were they ever immortal.
Commentary: The prophets (upon them all be peace) were fully human: they ate, they slept, they were subject to the bodily conditions of human life. This is confirmed by our faith. Yet it is also known that Allah, by His power, grants extraordinary longevity to certain of His servants: some among the pious have lived for five, six, or seven hundred years. Ḥaḍrat Burhān al-Dīn Shāh, may Allah have mercy on him, is reported to have lived for some hundred years. The author reminds us: along with ordinary conditions of life, there are also extraordinary spiritual states — and only Allah knows their extent fully. The general obligation (ʿalā-l-kulliyyat) of following the Sunna applies to all.
ثُمَّ صَدَقْنَاهُمُ الْوَعْدَ فَأَنجَيْنَاهُمْ وَمَن نَّشَاءُ وَأَهْلَكْنَا الْمُسْرِفِينَ
Thumma ṣadaqnāhumu-l-waʿda fa-anjalnāhum wa-man nashāʾu wa-ahlaknā-l-musrifīn
"Then We fulfilled Our promise to them — We delivered them and whomever We willed, and We destroyed those who exceeded all bounds." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:9
Translation: Then We fulfilled Our promise to the messengers, informing them that We remained truthful to Our word in all matters — and We delivered them, and We saved whomsoever We willed; and those who transgressed and exceeded all bounds, We destroyed them utterly.
Commentary: Allah, exalted be He, honoured every covenant He made with His prophets. Those who stood with the prophets were saved; those who exceeded all bounds in corruption and transgression (isrāf) — in rebellion against divine limits — were brought to destruction. This pattern is a constant in the Qurʾānic account of prophetic history.
لَقَدْ أَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكُمْ كِتَابًا فِيهِ ذِكْرُكُمْ ۖ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ
La-qad anzalnā ilaykum kitāban fīhi dhikrukum, a-fa-lā taʿqilūn
"We have indeed sent down to you a Book in which there is your reminder — will you not then reason?" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:10
Translation: We have indeed sent down to you a Book containing all that pertains to your honour, your guidance, and your admonition — will you not then use your reason?
Commentary: The Qurʾān is described as containing dhikr — here meaning both "admonition" and "your honour" (i.e. your distinction and exalted status). A community that possesses the Qurʾān and acts upon it is an honoured community. The verse ends with a challenge: "Will you not then reason?" — implying that those who neglect this Book forfeit the very faculty by which they could attain honour and salvation.
وَكَمْ قَصَمْنَا مِن قَرْيَةٍ كَانَتْ ظَالِمَةً وَأَنشَأْنَا بَعْدَهَا قَوْمًا آخَرِينَ
Wa-kam qaṣamnā min qaryatin kānat ẓālimatan wa-ansha-nā baʿdahā qawman ākharīn
"How many a community that was wrongdoing did We shatter, and after it We raised up another people!" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:11
Translation: How many a wrongdoing community did We utterly break and destroy — and after them We raised up other peoples in their place!
Commentary: The word qaṣamnā (We shattered) conveys a decisive, complete breaking — like the snapping of something rigid. Communities that persist in oppression and injustice draw divine punishment upon themselves; history is filled with their ruins. In their place, Allah raises up other nations.
فَلَمَّا أَحَسُّوا بَأْسَنَا إِذَا هُم مِّنْهَا يَرْكُضُونَ
Fa-lammā aḥassū baʾsanā idhā hum minhā yarkuḍūn
"But when they sensed Our punishment, they were suddenly fleeing from it." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:12
Translation: When they felt the onset of Our punishment, they fled from their towns in panic.
Commentary: Rakḍ means a swift, desperate running — like a horse bolting. When the divine punishment descended, the wrongdoers attempted to flee their towns, overcome by terror. But flight availed them nothing.
لَا تَرْكُضُوا وَارْجِعُوا إِلَىٰ مَا أُتْرِفْتُمْ فِيهِ وَمَسَاكِنِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُسْأَلُونَ
Lā tarkuḍū wa-rjiʿū ilā mā utriftum fīhi wa-masākinikum laʿallakum tusʾalūn
"'Do not flee! Return to the luxuries in which you revelled and to your dwellings — perhaps you will be questioned.'" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:13
Translation: It was said to them in mockery: "Do not flee! Return to the comforts and pleasures in which you wallowed, and to your homes — so that you may be called to account."
Commentary: This is a divine rebuke delivered in the form of ironic address: when the punishment arrives, the heedless are told mockingly to go back to their luxuries and fine houses — where they will now be questioned. The ease and abundance they enjoyed became a test they failed; the dwelling to which they are invited to return is now a place of divine reckoning, not of comfort.
قَالُوا يَا وَيْلَنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَالِمِينَ
Qālū yā waylnā innā kunnā ẓālimīn
"They cried: 'Woe to us! We were indeed wrongdoers!'" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:14
Translation: They cried out: "Alas! Woe be upon us! We were indeed oppressors and wrongdoers!"
Commentary: This belated confession — extracted by terror and punishment — is the cry of those who realised too late. Recognition of one's wrongdoing after the punishment has descended avails nothing; the time for repentance had passed.
فَمَا زَالَتْ تِلْكَ دَعْوَاهُمْ حَتَّىٰ جَعَلْنَاهُمْ حَصِيدًا خَامِدِينَ
Fa-mā zālat tilka daʿwāhum ḥattā jaʿalnāhum ḥaṣīdan khāmidīn
"And that remained their cry until We made them like a mown field, utterly extinguished." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:15
Translation: That cry of lamentation remained their only utterance until We made them like a harvested field — cut down, utterly extinguished.
Commentary: Ḥaṣīd is grain that has been cut down and lies flat on the ground. Khāmidīn means "extinguished," like a flame that has been put out. The image is stark: these communities, which had been vibrant, arrogant, and powerful, were reduced to the stillness of a harvested field — nothing left standing, no voice, no life.
وَمَا خَلَقْنَا السَّمَاءَ وَالْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا لَاعِبِينَ
Wa-mā khalaqnā-l-samāʾa wa-l-arḍa wa-mā baynahumā lāʿibīn
"We did not create the heaven and the earth and all that is between them in play." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:16
Translation: We did not create the heavens and the earth and everything between them as a pointless amusement — without purpose or wisdom.
Commentary: The destruction of wrongdoing nations is not mere arbitrary exercise of power; it is part of a morally ordered cosmos. The heavens and earth were created with truth (ḥaqq) and with profound purpose (ḥikma). The order of the universe reflects divine intentionality and justice.
لَوْ أَرَدْنَا أَن نَّتَّخِذَ لَهْوًا لَّاتَّخَذْنَاهُ مِن لَّدُنَّا إِن كُنَّا فَاعِلِينَ
Law aradnā an nattakhidha lahwan la-ttakhadhnāhu min ladunnā in kunnā fāʿilīn
"If We had wished to take a diversion, We would have taken it from Our own presence — had We so willed." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:17
Translation: If it had been Our intention to take a diversion, We would have taken it from within Our own presence — but We are exalted far above such a thing. This option was never in Our will.
Commentary: Exalted is Allah far above any need for amusement or diversion. The divine will is free of all deficiency and all frivolity. Creation is not a divine pastime; it is an act of purposeful wisdom, encompassing the full design of divine mercy, guidance, and justice.
بَلْ نَقْذِفُ بِالْحَقِّ عَلَى الْبَاطِلِ فَيَدْمَغُهُ فَإِذَا هُوَ زَاهِقٌ ۚ وَلَكُمُ الْوَيْلُ مِمَّا تَصِفُونَ
Bal naqdhifu bi-l-ḥaqqi ʿalā-l-bāṭili fa-yadmaghuhu fa-idhā huwa zāhiq, wa-lakumu-l-waylu mimmā taṣifūn
"Rather, We hurl Truth against falsehood and it crushes it, and behold — it vanishes! Woe to you for what you attribute!" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:18
Translation: Rather, We hurl Truth upon falsehood and it smashes it down — and falsehood vanishes away utterly. Woe be upon you for the false things you attribute to Allah.
Commentary: Naqdhifu (We hurl) carries the image of casting something with force. Truth strikes falsehood like a blow to the head (yadmaghuhu — crushes the brain, i.e. annihilates completely), and falsehood perishes. This is the Qurʾānic law of history: ultimately, bāṭil (falsehood) cannot endure against ḥaqq (Truth). The rebuke at the end — "Woe to you for what you attribute!" — is addressed to those who describe Allah with attributes unworthy of His majesty.
وَلَهُ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۚ وَمَنْ عِندَهُ لَا يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِهِ وَلَا يَسْتَحْسِرُونَ
Wa-lahu man fī-l-samāwāti wa-l-arḍ, wa-man ʿindahu lā yastakbirūna ʿan ʿibādatihi wa-lā yastaḥsirūn
"To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth; and those who are in His presence do not disdain to worship Him, nor do they weary." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:19
Translation: All who are in the heavens and the earth belong to Allah and are His servants. Those who are in His exalted presence — the angels and the noble servants — neither disdain His worship through arrogance nor grow weary of it.
Commentary: This verse affirms the absolute ownership and lordship of Allah over all creation. The phrase "those who are in His presence" (man ʿindahu) refers to the highest of the angels and the nearest servants of Allah. They serve with unfailing devotion, without any diminishment of their ardour, without any weariness (istiḥsār). Their worship does not flag; their joy in it is ever-fresh.
يُسَبِّحُونَ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ لَا يَفْتُرُونَ
Yusabbiḥūna-l-layla wa-l-nahāra lā yafturūn
"They glorify Him by night and day, and they do not falter." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:20
Translation: They glorify Allah — declaring His transcendence — by night and by day, ceaselessly, without pause or intermission.
Commentary: The perpetual tasbīḥ (glorification) of the angels is a declaration that they are fully absorbed in the service of their Lord, that there is no distraction, no fatigue, no interruption in their devotion. Those present at the Divine Court are ever-engaged in glorification.
أَمِ اتَّخَذُوا آلِهَةً مِّنَ الْأَرْضِ هُمْ يُنشِرُونَ
Am ittakhadhū ālihatan mina-l-arḍi hum yunshirūn
"Or have they taken gods from the earth who can raise the dead?" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:21
Translation: Have these people taken for themselves deities picked up from the earth — can those deities raise the dead to life and give existence to the living?
Commentary: The rhetorical challenge: if these earthly idols cannot give life, cannot raise the dead, cannot create anything, and cannot sustain anyone — on what basis are they worshipped? The implied answer is that such "gods" are utterly powerless and thus utterly unworthy of worship.
لَوْ كَانَ فِيهِمَا آلِهَةٌ إِلَّا اللَّهُ لَفَسَدَتَا ۚ فَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَرْشِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ
Law kāna fīhimā ālihatun illa-llāhu la-fasadatā, fa-subḥāna-llāhi rabbi-l-ʿarshi ʿammā yaṣifūn
"Had there been gods in them other than Allah, they would both have fallen into ruin. Glory be to Allah, Lord of the Throne, above what they attribute!" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:22
Translation: If there were multiple deities in the heavens and the earth besides Allah, both would have been thrown into disorder and ruin. Glory be to Allah, Lord of the Mighty Throne, far above and transcendent from all that they falsely attribute to Him!
Commentary: This verse presents the celebrated Burhān al-Tamānuʿ (the Argument from Mutual Prevention), one of the classical proofs of divine unity (tawḥīd) in Islamic theology. If there were two or more gods, each would seek to impose his own will; conflict would inevitably arise; the cosmic order would collapse into chaos. Since we observe the heavens and earth maintaining perfect, harmonious order, this is proof that their governance rests with One Sovereign Alone. The author further reflects: when two competing authorities claim sovereignty over the same domain, each tries to undo what the other has decreed; the result is only disorder. By contrast, the universe moves in magnificent unity, and its order bears witness to the unity of its Creator.
لَا يُسْأَلُ عَمَّا يَفْعَلُ وَهُمْ يُسْأَلُونَ
Lā yusʾalu ʿammā yafʿalu wa-hum yusʾalūn
"He is not questioned about what He does, but they shall be questioned." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:23
Translation: Allah is not accountable to anyone for His acts — He does as He wills in absolute sovereignty — but they (all created beings) shall be questioned and held accountable.
Commentary: This is a foundational principle of Maturīdī ʿaqīda: Allah's acts are not subject to external standards of obligation or accountability. He disposes as He pleases, by His absolute wisdom and will. Created beings, however, are bound by the divine command and will be interrogated about their fulfilment of it.
أَمِ اتَّخَذُوا مِن دُونِهِ آلِهَةً ۖ قُلْ هَاتُوا بُرْهَانَكُمْ ۖ هَٰذَا ذِكْرُ مَن مَّعِيَ وَذِكْرُ مَن قَبْلِي ۗ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ الْحَقَّ ۖ فَهُمْ مُعْرِضُونَ
Am ittakhadhū min dūnihi ālihatan, qul hātū burhānakum, hādhā dhikru man maʿiya wa-dhikru man qablī, bal aktharuhum lā yaʿlamūna-l-ḥaqqa fa-hum muʿriḍūn
"Or have they taken gods besides Him? Say: 'Bring your proof! This is the scripture of those with me and the scripture of those before me.' Yet most of them do not know the Truth, so they turn away." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:24
Translation: Have they taken deities other than Allah? Say, O Prophetﷺ: "Produce your evidence! This is the Qurʾān — the reminder of those who are with me — and the scriptures of those prophets who came before me. They all bear witness to tawḥīd (divine unity)." But most of them do not know the Truth, and so they turn away.
Commentary: The challenge to produce a proof (burhān) is a challenge the polytheists cannot meet. The entirety of divine revelation — from the earliest scriptures to the Qurʾān — is unanimous in affirming that Allah alone is God, worthy of worship. The problem is not an absence of evidence; it is wilful ignorance and turning away from the Truth.
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا نُوحِي إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنَا فَاعْبُدُونِ
Wa-mā arsalnā min qablika min rasūlin illā nūḥī ilayhi annahu lā ilāha illā anā fa-ʿbudūn
"We did not send any messenger before you without revealing to him: 'There is no god but I — so worship Me.'" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:25
Translation: And We sent not before you any messenger except that We revealed to him: "There is no deity worthy of worship but I — therefore worship Me alone."
Commentary: The core message of every prophet — from the first to the last — is the same: lā ilāha illā Allāh, tawḥīd, the oneness of Allah. Every messenger from Ādam to Muḥammadﷺcalled to this single truth. Plurality in ritual and law there may be; but in ʿaqīda (doctrine of divine unity) there is no variation across prophetic missions.
وَقَالُوا اتَّخَذَ الرَّحْمَٰنُ وَلَدًا ۗ سُبْحَانَهُ ۚ بَلْ عِبَادٌ مُّكْرَمُونَ
Wa-qālū ittakhadha-l-raḥmānu waladan, subḥānahu, bal ʿibādun mukramūn
"And they say: 'The Most Merciful has taken a son!' Glory be to Him! Rather, they are honoured servants." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:26
Translation: And they say — some claiming that angels are daughters of Allah, others that ʿĪsā (Jesus, upon him be peace) is the son of Allah, and others that ʿUzayr (Ezra, upon him be peace) is the son of Allah — Glory be to Allah, utterly transcendent from such a claim! Rather, those whom they designate as "sons" are honoured servants of Allah (ʿibādun mukramūn).
Commentary: The claim that Allah has taken a "child" (walad) — whether interpreted in the direction of the Christians, the Jews, or the Arab mushrikūn (polytheists) — is absolutely refuted. Those venerated ones are servants of Allah, honoured and elevated, but servants nonetheless. "Father" here, if any such language is used by the deluded, means only "Lord and Master," and "son" means only "servant" — and this Master is our Creator and Lord, and we are His servants. Blessed (mukarram) those servants are — but servants they remain.
لَا يَسْبِقُونَهُ بِالْقَوْلِ وَهُم بِأَمْرِهِ يَعْمَلُونَ
Lā yasbiqūnahū bi-l-qawli wa-hum bi-amrihi yaʿmalūn
"They do not speak before He speaks, and they act only by His command." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:27
Translation: They do not utter a single word before Allah's leave — not one of them moves his tongue until permitted. And in all their actions they conform to His command and will.
Commentary: This is a decisive refutation of any claim of divine partnership or independent divine status for the angels or prophets. They are utterly subject to Allah's will; they act only when He commands; they speak only when He permits. This is the state of perfect creaturely subordination, which is itself an honour, not a diminishment.
يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ وَلَا يَشْفَعُونَ إِلَّا لِمَنِ ارْتَضَىٰ وَهُم مِّنْ خَشْيَتِهِ مُشْفِقُونَ
Yaʿlamu mā bayna aydīhim wa-mā khalfahum wa-lā yashfaʿūna illā li-man irtaḍā wa-hum min khashyatihi mushfiqūn
"He knows what is before them and what is behind them; they do not intercede except for one with whom He is pleased, and they are in awe of His majesty." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:28
Translation: Allah knows everything before the angels and behind them — their past and their future, their visible and hidden states. They intercede only for one with whom Allah is already pleased, and they stand in reverent awe (khashya) and trembling (ishrāq) before His majesty.
Commentary: This verse is foundational for the doctrine of shafāʿa (intercession). The Ahl al-Sunna affirm intercession by the prophets and the awliyāʾ (saints), but only as Allah permits — for those with whom He is pleased. The angels, who are nearest to Allah, do not intercede according to their own will but only by divine authorisation. Those who deny intercession altogether contradict this explicit Qurʾānic verse. The intercession of the Prophetﷺ, of the awliyāʾ, and of the righteous is a confirmed reality in the Sunna. Ishfāq and khashya describe an awe mixed with love and trembling reverence — the very essence of the relationship of the nearest servants to their Lord.
وَمَن يَقُلْ مِنْهُمْ إِنِّي إِلَٰهٌ مِّن دُونِهِ فَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِيهِ جَهَنَّمَ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِي الظَّالِمِينَ
Wa-man yaqul minhum innī ilāhun min dūnihi fa-dhālika najzīhi jahannam, kadhālika najzī-l-ẓālimīn
"And whoever of them says 'I am a god besides Him' — that one We shall recompense with Hell. Thus do We recompense the wrongdoers." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:29
Translation: Any being who were to say "I am a deity apart from Allah" — We shall give Hell as that one's recompense. This is how We repay every wrongdoer.
Commentary: This is a hypothetical construction meant to underscore the absolute nature of tawḥīd. Even if one of the most elevated angels were to make such a claim, the divine response would be absolute rejection and punishment. No creature — however exalted — can legitimately claim divinity. Those who fabricate "partners" for Allah, whether in word or in the idolatrous structures of their worship, are doing wrong and will be dealt with accordingly.
أَوَلَمْ يَرَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَنَّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ كَانَتَا رَتْقًا فَفَتَقْنَاهُمَا ۖ وَجَعَلْنَا مِنَ الْمَاءِ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ حَيٍّ ۖ أَفَلَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
A-wa-lam yara-lladhīna kafarū anna-l-samāwāti wa-l-arḍa kānatā ratqan fa-fataqnāhumā wa-jaʿalnā mina-l-māʾi kulla shayʾin ḥayyin, a-fa-lā yuʾminūn
"Do the disbelievers not see that the heavens and the earth were a joined mass, and We split them apart, and We made every living thing from water? Will they not then believe?" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:30
Translation: Do those who disbelieve not observe that the heavens and the earth were once a single joined mass (ratq), and We split them apart (fatq), and that We made from water every living thing? Will they not then have faith?
Commentary: This verse contains one of the most remarkable cosmological statements in the Qurʾān. Ratq means "joined together" — a single undivided mass. Fatq means "splitting open" — separation and differentiation. In the beginning, all of creation was a single primordial matter, without differentiation of celestial bodies or earthly forms. Then through divine power, the heavens and earth were separated, and from this differentiation the entire ordered cosmos of orbits, seasons, and life-sustaining conditions emerged. The author reflects that matter, of itself, is without volition — it neither moves nor is still of its own accord; the celestial and terrestrial differentiation, the emergence of the systems of upper and lower creation, is the work of divine power, a brilliant sign (āyat Allāh). Then the second great sign: every living thing was made from water. The modern discovery that all life depends on water, and that every living cell is composed primarily of water, is a confirmation of this Qurʾānic declaration. Will the disbelievers, confronted with such signs, still refuse faith?
وَجَعَلْنَا فِي الْأَرْضِ رَوَاسِيَ أَن تَمِيدَ بِهِمْ وَجَعَلْنَا فِيهَا فِجَاجًا سُبُلًا لَّعَلَّهُمْ يَهْتَدُونَ
Wa-jaʿalnā fī-l-arḍi rawāsiya an tamīda bihim wa-jaʿalnā fīhā fijājan subulan laʿallahum yahtadūn
"And We placed firm mountains in the earth lest it shake with them, and We made therein wide passes as roads so that they might be guided." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:31
Translation: We placed firmly anchored mountains in the earth so that it would not shake and sway with its inhabitants, and We made in the earth wide and open roads through the mountains, so that people might find their way.
Commentary: Mountains serve as stabilisers for the earth, preventing the land from heaving and trembling under the feet of the people. Were there no mountains, walking upon the earth would be precarious, and the earth's surface would be unstable — the earth would, as it were, become a "table laid before them" (dastarkhwān) only if it is firm and stable. The wide mountain passes (fijāj) create routes for travel, enabling humanity to find sustenance and reach its destinations. The author notes: the mountains made the earth like a table spread for its inhabitants, and the roads passing through and around them made human civilisation and livelihood possible.
وَجَعَلْنَا السَّمَاءَ سَقْفًا مَّحْفُوظًا ۖ وَهُمْ عَنْ آيَاتِهَا مُعْرِضُونَ
Wa-jaʿalnā-l-samāʾa saqfan maḥfūẓan wa-hum ʿan āyātihā muʿriḍūn
"And We made the sky a protected roof, yet they turn away from its signs." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:32
Translation: And We made the sky a protected canopy — guarded from all harm, impenetrable to intrusion — yet they turn away from its signs and wonders.
Commentary: The sky is an āya — a sign of divine power. It is protected (maḥfūẓ): guarded from the celestial forces that would disturb it, maintained in its function of protecting the earth from what lies beyond it. And yet people pass beneath it daily without reflection. The signs of divine power inscribed in the heavens are innumerable, but the heedless look away.
وَهُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ ۖ كُلٌّ فِي فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ
Wa-huwa-lladhī khalaqa-l-layla wa-l-nahāra wa-l-shamsa wa-l-qamar, kullun fī falakin yasbaḥūn
"And it is He Who created the night and the day and the sun and the moon — each gliding in its own orbit." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:33
Translation: And it is He — Allah alone — Who created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. Each of them glides along in its own orbit.
Commentary: The celestial bodies — sun, moon, and all that they illuminate — all move in their divinely ordained orbits. The image of yasbaḥūn (they swim/glide) is vivid: as a swimmer glides through water, each heavenly body glides through its celestial path. The author observes that modern astronomy has confirmed that stars, planets, and all heavenly bodies are in perpetual motion through space — all of them are in need of the Creator Who set them in motion and Who sustains their movements. None is self-sustaining; all are creations, and all testify to their Creator.
وَمَا جَعَلْنَا لِبَشَرٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ الْخُلْدَ ۖ أَفَإِن مِّتَّ فَهُمُ الْخَالِدُونَ
Wa-mā jaʿalnā li-basharin min qablika-l-khuld, a-fa-in mitta fa-humu-l-khālidūn
"We did not grant immortality to any human being before you. If you were to die, will they then live forever?" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:34
Translation: We did not grant immortality to any human being before you, O Prophetﷺ. If you were to die — which every human must — will they, then, live forever?
Commentary: The disbelievers mockingly anticipated the Prophet'sﷺdeath, imagining that his mission would end with his passing. This verse refutes them: every prophet before Muḥammadﷺdied — death is the universal human condition. Mortality is not a deficiency in prophethood. And those who taunt will themselves die; they too will not be spared. The death of the Prophetﷺdoes not nullify his mission; his Sunna, his Sharīʿa, and his intercession endure.
كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ ۗ وَنَبْلُوكُم بِالشَّرِّ وَالْخَيْرِ فِتْنَةً ۖ وَإِلَيْنَا تُرْجَعُونَ
Kullu nafsin dhāʾiqatu-l-mawt, wa-nablūkum bi-l-sharri wa-l-khayri fitnatan wa-ilaynā turjaʿūn
"Every soul shall taste death. And We test you with evil and with good as a trial, and to Us you shall be returned." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:35
Translation: Every living soul shall taste death — whoever lives will inevitably die. And We put you to trial through adversity and ease alike — both hardship and prosperity are a test (fitna, trial). And to Us you shall all be returned.
Commentary: This verse contains three towering truths of the Islamic worldview: (1) Death is universal and inescapable — every living being shall taste it; (2) Both good fortune and misfortune in this world are divine trials — prosperity is a test of gratitude and stewardship, adversity is a test of patience and trust; (3) The final return is to Allah — every soul will be brought before Him and will answer for its deeds. The phrase wa-ilaynā turjaʿūn (to Us you shall return) is a constant Qurʾānic reminder of the akhira (hereafter) and the ultimate accountability.
وَإِذَا رَآكَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِن يَتَّخِذُونَكَ إِلَّا هُزُوًا أَهَٰذَا الَّذِي يَذْكُرُ آلِهَتَكُمْ ۗ وَهُمْ بِذِكْرِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ هُمْ كَافِرُونَ
Wa-idhā raʾāka-lladhīna kafarū in yattakhidhūnaka illā huzuwan, a-hādhā-lladhī yadhkuru ālihatakum, wa-hum bi-dhikri-l-raḥmāni hum kāfirūn
"When the disbelievers see you, they take you only for mockery: 'Is this the one who speaks disparagingly of your gods?' — yet they themselves deny the remembrance of the Most Merciful." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:36
Translation: When the disbelievers see you, O Prophetﷺ, they take you as an object of ridicule — saying: "Is this the one who speaks ill of your deities?" — while they themselves are ungrateful rejectors of the remembrance (dhikr) of the Most Merciful.
Commentary: The irony is devastating: those who mock the Prophetﷺfor criticising their idols are themselves deniers of the Living, the Merciful God Himself (al-Raḥmān). They protect powerless stones from "criticism" while rejecting the All-Powerful. Their mockery rebounds upon themselves.
خُلِقَ الْإِنسَانُ مِنْ عَجَلٍ ۚ سَأُرِيكُمْ آيَاتِي فَلَا تَسْتَعْجِلُونِ
Khuliq al-insānu min ʿajal, sa-urīkum āyātī fa-lā tastaʿjilūn
"Man was created of haste! I will show you My signs — do not ask Me to hasten them." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:37
Translation: Man was created with haste (ʿajal) as part of his nature — impetuous and impatient. I shall show you My signs and My portents, so do not urge Me to hasten them.
Commentary: ʿAjal (haste, impulsiveness) is described as a constitutive trait of human nature — an inclination toward impatience and desire for immediacy. The disbelievers mockingly demanded that the promised punishment come quickly. The divine response: be patient — the signs of divine power and the promised punishment will come; do not press for their hastening.
وَيَقُولُونَ مَتَىٰ هَٰذَا الْوَعْدُ إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ
Wa-yaqūlūna matā hādhā-l-waʿdu in kuntum ṣādiqīn
"And they say: 'When will this promise come, if you are truthful?'" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:38
Translation: And the disbelievers say: "When will this promised punishment arrive, if you and your followers are telling the truth?"
Commentary: The taunt of the disbelievers — demanding an immediate demonstration of the promised punishment — is born of their very human impatience, combined with their arrogant certainty that no punishment would come. The Qurʾān addresses this with the following verse.
لَوْ يَعْلَمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا حِينَ لَا يَكُفُّونَ عَن وُجُوهِهِمُ النَّارَ وَلَا عَن ظُهُورِهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يُنصَرُونَ
Law yaʿlamu-lladhīna kafarū ḥīna lā yakuffūna ʿan wujūhihimu-l-nāra wa-lā ʿan ẓuhūrihim wa-lā hum yunṣarūn
"If only the disbelievers knew the time when they will not be able to ward off the Fire from their faces or their backs, and they will not be helped!" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:39
Translation: If only the disbelievers knew — if it were clear to them — what is coming: the moment when they will be unable to keep the Fire from their faces and backs, and there will be no one to come to their aid.
Commentary: The conditional "if only they knew" (law yaʿlamu) expresses divine pity mixed with reproach. The ignorance of the disbelievers about the horrifying reality of Hell is not innocence — it is a chosen ignorance. If they truly knew what awaited them — a fire that envelops from before and behind, from which there is no escape and no helper — they would not taunt the Prophetﷺor demand the hastening of punishment.
بَلْ تَأْتِيهِم بَغْتَةً فَتَبْهَتُهُمْ فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ رَدَّهَا وَلَا هُمْ يُنظَرُونَ
Bal taʾtīhim baghtatan fa-tabtahuhum fa-lā yastaṭīʿūna raddahā wa-lā hum yunẓarūn
"Rather it will come upon them suddenly and confound them; they will not be able to repel it, nor will they be granted respite." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:40
Translation: Rather, the punishment will come upon them suddenly and completely overwhelm them — they will have no power to repel it, and no reprieve will be given to them.
Commentary: Baghtatan (suddenly) is the characteristic of divine punishment: it comes when least expected. The verb tabtahuhum (confounds, stuns them completely) suggests absolute helplessness. When it comes, there is no repelling it (raddahā) and no delay (yunẓarūn). The disbelievers demanded haste; when it comes, they will wish they had been given time.
وَلَقَدِ اسْتُهْزِئَ بِرُسُلٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَحَاقَ بِالَّذِينَ سَخِرُوا مِنْهُم مَّا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ
Wa-la-qadi-stuhziʾa bi-rusulin min qablika fa-ḥāqa bi-lladhīna sakhirū minhum mā kānū bihi yastahziʾūn
"Messengers before you were indeed mocked; then the very thing they mocked overwhelmed those who scoffed at them." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:41
Translation: Indeed, messengers before you were mocked and ridiculed, but the very punishment they used to mock descended upon those who scoffed at them and encircled them utterly.
Commentary: This is a consolation to the Prophetﷺ: mockery of prophets is nothing new — it is the perennial response of the rebellious. But history's record is clear: those who mocked were destroyed by the very thing they had treated as a joke.
قُلْ مَن يَكْلَؤُكُم بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ مِنَ الرَّحْمَٰنِ ۗ بَلْ هُمْ عَن ذِكْرِ رَبِّهِم مُّعْرِضُونَ
Qul man yaklaʾukum bi-l-layli wa-l-nahāri mina-l-raḥmān, bal hum ʿan dhikri rabbihim muʿriḍūn
"Say: 'Who guards you by night and by day from the Most Merciful?' Yet they turn away from the remembrance of their Lord." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:42
Translation: Say, O Prophetﷺ: "Who protects you — by night and by day — from the punishment of the Most Merciful, if He wills it?" But rather, they turn away from all remembrance of their Lord, heedless of His dhikr.
Commentary: The challenge is unanswerable: the only guardian from divine punishment is Allah Himself. No idol, no scheme, no wealth can protect them if divine punishment descends. And yet, instead of turning to Allah in gratitude and remembrance, they turn away from His dhikr. The depth of their heedlessness is itself their greatest danger.
أَمْ لَهُمْ آلِهَةٌ تَمْنَعُهُم مِّن دُونِنَا ۚ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ نَصْرَ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَلَا هُم مِّنَّا يُصْحَبُونَ
Am lahum ālihatun tamnaʿuhum min dūninā, lā yastaṭīʿūna naṣra anfusihim wa-lā hum minnā yuṣḥabūn
"Or do they have gods who will protect them against Us? They cannot help themselves, nor will they be given Our protection." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:43
Translation: Or do they have deities who will shield them against Us? Those idols cannot even help themselves — and nor will those who worship them receive any divine protection (ṣuḥba) from Us against punishment.
Commentary: The impotence of false deities is absolute — they cannot protect even themselves, let alone their devotees. The word yuṣḥabūn here means "given the company of protection" — i.e. they will receive no divine guardianship. Divine protection is the prerogative of those who acknowledge the One God.
بَلْ مَتَّعْنَا هَٰؤُلَاءِ وَآبَاءَهُمْ حَتَّىٰ طَالَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْعُمُرُ ۗ أَفَلَا يَرَوْنَ أَنَّا نَأْتِي الْأَرْضَ نَنقُصُهَا مِنْ أَطْرَافِهَا ۚ أَفَهُمُ الْغَالِبُونَ
Bal mattaʿnā hāʾulāʾi wa-ābāʾahum ḥattā ṭāla ʿalayhimu-l-ʿumur, a-fa-lā yarawna annā naʾtī-l-arḍa nanquṣuhā min aṭrāfihā, a-fa-humu-l-ghālibūn
"Rather, We have given these and their forefathers enjoyment until life seemed long to them. Do they not see how We come to the land and shrink it from its borders? Are they then the ones who will prevail?" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:44
Translation: Rather, We have given these people and their ancestors a long life of ease and enjoyment, until life itself seemed long and their vanity grew great. Do they not see how We come to the land and reduce it from its sides and borders? Are they then capable of overpowering Us?
Commentary: The long life of ease granted to the disbelievers is not a sign of divine favour — it is a gradual istidrāj (leading-on to destruction through the prolongation of heedlessness). The fact that the territory of disbelief and wrong is being eroded — that Islam has been advancing, that the domain of ḥaqq has been expanding at the expense of bāṭil — should have been a sign to them. The author addresses his readers: be aware that divine power is contracting the domain of falsehood, even when falsehood seems dominant. Can the disbelievers truly prevail against the power of Allah?
قُلْ إِنَّمَا أُنذِرُكُم بِالْوَحْيِ ۚ وَلَا يَسْمَعُ الصُّمُّ الدُّعَاءَ إِذَا مَا يُنذَرُونَ
Qul innamā undhirukum bi-l-waḥyi wa-lā yasmaʿu-l-ṣummu-l-duʿāʾa idhā mā yundhirūn
"Say: 'I only warn you through revelation.' But the deaf cannot hear the call when they are being warned." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:45
Translation: Say, O Prophetﷺ: "I warn you only through divine revelation — the word of Allah alone, not my own invention." But the spiritually deaf cannot hear the call when they are being warned.
Commentary: The Prophet'sﷺmission is one of warning (indhār) through waḥy (revelation). He does not warn on the basis of personal desire or human invention. But those whose hearts are sealed — the spiritually deaf (ṣumm) — cannot benefit from this warning. This is a reminder that guidance ultimately lies with Allah; the Prophetﷺconveys the message with full faithfulness, but reception depends on the recipient's spiritual state.
وَلَئِن مَّسَّتْهُمْ نَفْحَةٌ مِّنْ عَذَابِ رَبِّكَ لَيَقُولُنَّ يَا وَيْلَنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَالِمِينَ
Wa-la-in massathum nafḥatun min ʿadhābi rabbika la-yaqūlunna yā waylnā innā kunnā ẓālimīn
"And if a mere breath of your Lord's punishment were to touch them, they would surely cry: 'Woe to us! We were indeed wrongdoers!'" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:46
Translation: And if even the slightest breath (nafḥa) of your Lord's punishment were to touch them, they would immediately cry out: "Woe to us! We were indeed wrongdoers!"
Commentary: Nafḥa is the lightest possible touch — a mere whiff, a brief brushing. Even that would be enough to reduce the arrogant disbelievers to a state of complete recognition of their guilt. The full punishment — when it comes — would be incomprehensible. This verse serves as a counsel to the wise: reflect on what the lightest taste of divine punishment would do, and do not wait for it to come.
وَنَضَعُ الْمَوَازِينَ الْقِسْطَ لِيَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ فَلَا تُظْلَمُ نَفْسٌ شَيْئًا ۖ وَإِن كَانَ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍ مِّنْ خَرْدَلٍ أَتَيْنَا بِهَا ۗ وَكَفَىٰ بِنَا حَاسِبِينَ
Wa-naḍaʿu-l-mawāzīna-l-qisṭa li-yawmi-l-qiyāmati fa-lā tuẓlamu nafsun shayʾan, wa-in kāna mithqāla ḥabbatin min khardalin ataynā bihā, wa-kafā binā ḥāsibīn
"We shall set up the Just Scales on the Day of Resurrection, so that no soul shall be wronged at all. Even if it be the weight of a mustard seed, We shall bring it forth; and sufficient are We as Reckoners." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:47
Translation: On the Day of Resurrection, We shall set up the Just Scales (mawāzīn al-qisṭ) for the weighing of deeds — so no soul will be wronged even to the smallest degree. Even if a deed weighs no more than a mustard seed, We shall present it and account for it. We are sufficient as Reckoners.
Commentary: The Mīzān (Balance) on the Day of Judgement is a real, divinely ordained instrument of divine justice — affirmed by Ahl al-Sunna wa-l-Jamāʿa in their ʿaqīda. Not one atom's weight of any act will be lost or overlooked. The description of the Balance as al-qisṭ (of justice, equity) emphasises that its operation is perfectly fair — no injustice of any kind will enter the reckoning. The final phrase — wa-kafā binā ḥāsibīn (sufficient are We as Reckoners) — is an expression of complete divine competence and self-sufficiency in conducting the Final Account.
وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا مُوسَىٰ وَهَارُونَ الْفُرْقَانَ وَضِيَاءً وَذِكْرًا لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ
Wa-la-qad ātaynā mūsā wa-hārūna-l-furqāna wa-ḍiyāʾan wa-dhikran li-l-muttaqīn
"And We certainly gave Moses and Aaron the Criterion, and a radiance and a reminder for the God-fearing." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:48
Translation: And indeed, We gave Mūsā (Moses, upon him be peace) and Hārūn (Aaron, upon him be peace) the Furqān — the Torah, the scripture that distinguishes truth from falsehood — and a light and luminosity of imān, and an admonition for those who are God-fearing (muttaqīn).
Commentary: The Torah (Tawrāt) is here described as Furqān (Criterion — the distinguisher between truth and falsehood), ḍiyāʾ (radiance), and dhikr (reminder). This is its true character as a revealed scripture in its original form. It was given as guidance for the God-fearing (muttaqīn) — those who fear Allah in the unseen and uphold His boundaries. The mention of these qualities of the Torah also serves to establish the continuity of divine revelation, of which the Qurʾān is the final and complete expression.
الَّذِينَ يَخْشَوْنَ رَبَّهُم بِالْغَيْبِ وَهُم مِّنَ السَّاعَةِ مُشْفِقُونَ
Alladhīna yakhshawna rabbahum bi-l-ghaybi wa-hum mina-l-sāʿati mushfiqūn
"Those who fear their Lord in the unseen and are in awe of the Hour." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:49
Translation: The God-fearing are those who fear their Lord in the unseen — who fear Allah even when they cannot perceive Him directly — and who stand in anxious awe of the coming of the Hour.
Commentary: Khashya bi-l-ghayb (fear of God in the unseen) is the most pure form of taqwā (God-consciousness): fearing Allah not because one sees Him, not because one is forced to, but out of genuine inner awareness and love. This is the highest station of taqwā. Coupled with this is ishrāq before the Hour — a trembling reverence and concerned awe about the Day of Judgement. These qualities together constitute the ideal believer described in all the prophetic scriptures.
وَهَٰذَا ذِكْرٌ مُّبَارَكٌ أَنزَلْنَاهُ ۚ أَفَأَنتُمْ لَهُ مُنكِرُونَ
Wa-hādhā dhikrun mubārakun anzalnāhu, a-fa-antum lahu munkirūn
"And this is a blessed Reminder that We have sent down — will you then deny it?" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:50
Translation: And this Qurʾān is a blessed Reminder that We have sent down. Will you then be its rejecters?
Commentary: The Qurʾān is mubārak — blessed, replete with divine grace and enduring benefit — in contrast to the limited scope and historical abrogation of earlier scriptures. To reject it is the gravest of errors. The verse challenges those who acknowledge the earlier scriptures but deny the Qurʾān: their inconsistency is without rational basis.
وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا إِبْرَاهِيمَ رُشْدَهُ مِن قَبْلُ وَكُنَّا بِهِ عَالِمِينَ
Wa-la-qad ātaynā ibrāhīma rushdahu min qablu wa-kunnā bihi ʿālimīn
"And We had already given Abraham his right judgment before, and We knew him well." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:51
Translation: And indeed, before all this, We had given Ibrāhīm (Abraham, upon him be peace) his guidance (rushd) — the discernment, right judgment, and wisdom — and We were fully aware of him and his inner state.
Commentary: Rushd (right guidance, mature discernment) was a divine gift bestowed upon Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) from a young age. It was by this divine grace that he recognised the falsehood of idol-worship in his community and was drawn to the truth of tawḥīd. Allah, who is ʿAlīm (All-Knowing), knew Ibrāhīm's readiness and fitness for prophethood and honoured him accordingly.
إِذْ قَالَ لِأَبِيهِ وَقَوْمِهِ مَا هَٰذِهِ التَّمَاثِيلُ الَّتِي أَنتُمْ لَهَا عَاكِفُونَ
Idh qāla li-abīhi wa-qawmihi mā hādhihi-l-tamāthīlu-llatī antum lahā ʿākifūn
"When he said to his father and his people: 'What are these idols to which you are devoted?'" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:52
Translation: When Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) said to his father and his people: "What are these statues to which you sit in devoted worship?"
Commentary: ʿĀkifūn means "those who remain seated in devotion before something" — the same root as iʿtikāf (spiritual retreat). The image is of total absorption, sitting before idols in permanent vigil of worship. Ibrāhīm's question was not merely rhetorical; it was the opening challenge of his prophetic mission — a call to reason about the nature of what was being worshipped.
قَالُوا وَجَدْنَا آبَاءَنَا لَهَا عَابِدِينَ
Qālū wajadnā ābāʾanā lahā ʿābidīn
"They said: 'We found our fathers worshipping them.'" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:53
Translation: They replied: "We found our forefathers worshipping them, and so we follow them."
Commentary: The classic defence of blind tradition — "we found our fathers doing this." In the Qurʾānic worldview, ancestral tradition that contradicts divine guidance and clear reason is not an acceptable authority. Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) dismantles this argument by appealing to a higher standard.
قَالَ لَقَدْ كُنتُمْ أَنتُمْ وَآبَاؤُكُمْ فِي ضَلَالٍ مُّبِينٍ
Qāla la-qad kuntum antum wa-ābāʾukum fī ḍalālin mubīn
"He said: 'You and your fathers have been in manifest error.'" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:54
Translation: Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) said: "Indeed, you and your forefathers have been in clear and manifest error."
Commentary: The Prophet Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) speaks with the directness and courage of true prophethood. The appeal to ancestral precedent cannot justify error; if the ancestors were wrong, following them in their error is still error. Ḍalāl mubīn — manifest, unambiguous error — is the Qurʾānic description of polytheism.
قَالُوا أَجِئْتَنَا بِالْحَقِّ أَمْ أَنتَ مِنَ اللَّاعِبِينَ
Qālū a-jiʾtanā bi-l-ḥaqqi am anta mina-l-lāʿibīn
"They said: 'Have you come to us with the truth, or are you jesting?'" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:55
Translation: They said: "Have you come to us seriously with this claim — that our ancestors were misguided — or are you merely jesting with us?"
Commentary: Unable to refute his argument, the people of Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) resorted to doubting the seriousness of his challenge. This is a typical defence of those who are confronted with an argument they cannot answer.
قَالَ بَل رَّبُّكُمْ رَبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ الَّذِي فَطَرَهُنَّ وَأَنَا عَلَىٰ ذَٰلِكُم مِّنَ الشَّاهِدِينَ
Qāla bal rabbukum rabbu-l-samāwāti wa-l-arḍi-lladhī faṭarahunna wa-anā ʿalā dhālikum mina-l-shāhidīn
"He said: 'Rather, your Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth, Who created them, and I am one of those who bear witness to that.'" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:56
Translation: Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) answered: "Not at all. Your true Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth — the One Who brought them into existence (faṭarahunna). And I myself am among those who bear testimony to this truth."
Commentary: Faṭara (brought into existence from nothing, created with a specific form and purpose) is a more profound term than mere khalaqa: it implies originating something with its specific nature, fashioning it in its primordial form. Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) bears personal witness to the tawḥīd he proclaims — it is not hearsay or tradition but inner conviction and certainty.
وَتَاللَّهِ لَأَكِيدَنَّ أَصْنَامَكُم بَعْدَ أَن تُوَلُّوا مُدْبِرِينَ
Wa-ta-llāhi la-akīdanna aṣnāmakum baʿda an tuwallū mudbirīn
"By Allah, I will certainly devise a plan against your idols after you have turned and gone." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:57
Translation: And by Allah, I shall certainly carry out a plan against your idols after you turn your backs and go.
Commentary: This statement — said, according to many accounts, quietly to himself or to a small number who might have overheard — is the first declaration of Ibrāhīm's (upon him be peace) intention to confront the idol-worship directly. By taking an oath by Allah, he commits himself to divine justice against these symbols of falsehood.
فَجَعَلَهُمْ جُذَاذًا إِلَّا كَبِيرًا لَّهُمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ إِلَيْهِ يَرْجِعُونَ
Fa-jaʿalahum judhādhan illā kabīran lahum laʿallahum ilayhi yarjiʿūn
"So he reduced them to fragments, except for the largest of them, that they might return to it." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:58
Translation: So he smashed them to pieces — all except the largest idol, which he left standing — so that when the people returned, they might turn their attention to it and perhaps be provoked to reflection.
Commentary: Ibrāhīm's (upon him be peace) strategic act: he destroyed all the minor idols and left the chief one intact, hanging the axe on it, in order to create a situation where his people would be confronted with evidence that would force them to reason. His plan was to redirect them — if they had any capacity for reflection at all — toward a recognition of the idols' powerlessness.
قَالُوا مَن فَعَلَ هَٰذَا بِآلِهَتِنَا إِنَّهُ لَمِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ
Qālū man faʿala hādhā bi-ālihatinā innahu la-mina-l-ẓālimīn
"They said: 'Who has done this to our gods? He is surely one of the wrongdoers!'" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:59
Translation: When the people returned and saw the destruction, they cried out: "Who has committed this act against our gods? He is surely among the wrongdoers!"
Commentary: The irony is rich: they call Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) a wrongdoer (ẓālim) for demolishing their idols, while they themselves are engaged in the ultimate wrongdoing of worshipping other than Allah. Their outrage is directed entirely at the destruction of their powerless gods rather than at any reflection on why those gods could not protect themselves.
قَالُوا سَمِعْنَا فَتًى يَذْكُرُهُمْ يُقَالُ لَهُ إِبْرَاهِيمُ
Qālū samiʿnā fatan yadhkuruhum yuqālu lahu ibrāhīm
"They said: 'We heard a young man speaking against them — he is called Abraham.'" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:60
Translation: They said: "We heard a young man speaking disparagingly about these idols — he is called Ibrāhīm."
Commentary: The term fatā (young man) is noteworthy: Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) was youthful in age when he challenged the idol-worship of his community. His courage and clarity of conviction from a young age was a mark of the divine rushd he had been given.
قَالُوا فَأْتُوا بِهِ عَلَىٰ أَعْيُنِ النَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَشْهَدُونَ
Qālū fa-ʾtū bihi ʿalā aʿyuni-l-nāsi laʿallahum yashhadūn
"They said: 'Bring him before the people's eyes so that they may witness.'" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:61
Translation: They said: "Bring him before the assembly of the people — in full public view — so that all may witness and bear testimony."
Commentary: The intention was to put Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) on public trial, to humiliate him before the entire community, and to make an example of him. The divine plan, however, would turn the scene to Ibrāhīm's (upon him be peace) favour.
قَالُوا أَأَنتَ فَعَلْتَ هَٰذَا بِآلِهَتِنَا يَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ
Qālū a-anta faʿalta hādhā bi-ālihatinā yā ibrāhīm
"They said: 'Is it you who did this to our gods, O Abraham?'" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:62
Translation: Before the assembled people, they challenged him directly: "Did you do this to our gods, O Ibrāhīm?"
قَالَ بَلْ فَعَلَهُ كَبِيرُهُمْ هَٰذَا فَاسْأَلُوهُمْ إِن كَانُوا يَنطِقُونَ
Qāla bal faʿalahu kabīruhum hādhā fa-sʾalūhum in kānū yanṭiqūn
"He said: 'Rather this great one of theirs did it — ask them, if they can speak!'" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:63
Translation: Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) answered: "Rather, this large one among them did it. Ask them — if they are capable of speech!"
Commentary: This famous response of Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) has been the subject of deep discussion among scholars. The Imam al-Rāzī (may Allah have mercy on him) raised the question of how a prophet — who is maʿṣūm (divinely protected from sin) — could utter something that appears not to be true. Imam Rāzī himself responded: the great scholars of the umma have said that this was not a lie but a form of maʿārīḍ — an indirect, tactical speech whose surface meaning is other than what is literally asserted — designed to compel his interlocutors to confront the absurdity of their idol-worship. The intent was: "If those idols are truly gods, ask them — they should be able to answer." By this tactical reversal, Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) turned his public trial into a theological demonstration. The attribution of the act to the "chief idol" was a rhetorical device to force them to admit that idols cannot speak, cannot act, and cannot be gods.
فَرَجَعُوا إِلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ فَقَالُوا إِنَّكُمْ أَنتُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ
Fa-rajaʿū ilā anfusihim fa-qālū innakum antumu-l-ẓālimūn
"So they turned to one another and said: 'You yourselves are the wrongdoers!'" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:64
Translation: Then they turned inward — their consciences momentarily stirring — and said to one another: "In truth, it is you who are the wrongdoers, worshipping these powerless things!"
Commentary: For a brief moment, the truth pierced through their stubbornness: they themselves were the wrongdoers for worshipping idols that could neither act nor speak. This is a rare instance in Qurʾānic narrative where the opponents of a prophet are shown catching a glimpse of their own error. But the glimpse was brief.
ثُمَّ نُكِسُوا عَلَىٰ رُءُوسِهِمْ لَقَدْ عَلِمْتَ مَا هَٰؤُلَاءِ يَنطِقُونَ
Thumma nukisū ʿalā ruʾūsihim la-qad ʿalimta mā hāʾulāʾi yanṭiqūn
"Then they were turned upside down on their heads: 'You know that these do not speak!'" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:65
Translation: Then they were overturned — flipped back into their obstinacy — and they said shamefacedly: "But you know full well that these idols do not speak!"
Commentary: Nukisū (they were overturned, flipped over on their heads) is a vivid image of reversal: the moment of conscience was immediately overcome by social pressure, pride, and blind stubbornness. They retreated into their position, now using the idol's silence as an argument against Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) rather than as a recognition of their own error.
قَالَ أَفَتَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لَا يَنفَعُكُمْ شَيْئًا وَلَا يَضُرُّكُمْ
Qāla a-fa-taʿbudūna min dūni-llāhi mā lā yanfaʿukum shayʾan wa-lā yaḍurrukum
"He said: 'Do you then worship besides Allah what cannot benefit you at all, nor harm you?'" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:66
Translation: Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) said: "Then will you worship, besides Allah, things that can give you no benefit whatsoever and can do you no harm?"
Commentary: The logical demolition is complete: if the idols cannot speak, cannot act, and by their own admission cannot even respond to what is done to them — on what possible basis do you worship them? They are incapable of benefit and incapable of harm. Their "worship" is a choice entirely without rational foundation.
أُفٍّ لَّكُمْ وَلِمَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ ۖ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ
Uffin lakum wa-limā taʿbudūna min dūni-llāh, a-fa-lā taʿqilūn
"'Shame upon you and upon what you worship besides Allah! Will you not reason?'" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:67
Translation: "Shame and disgust upon you and upon all that you worship besides Allah! Will you not use your reason?"
Commentary: Uffin is an expression of strong contempt and exasperation — an utterance of disgust. Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace), having demonstrated the utter powerlessness and irrationality of idol-worship, now expresses the moral revulsion appropriate to the situation. The final challenge — "Will you not reason?" — is the call of the Qurʾān to the universal faculty of rational reflection.
قَالُوا حَرِّقُوهُ وَانصُرُوا آلِهَتَكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ فَاعِلِينَ
Qālū ḥarriqūhu wa-nṣurū ālihatakum in kuntum fāʿilīn
"They said: 'Burn him and support your gods — if you are going to do anything!'" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:68
Translation: They said: "Burn him alive! Come to the aid of your deities — avenge them, if you are men of action!"
Commentary: Unable to answer the argument, they resorted to physical force. Their cry "help your gods!" (anṣurū ālihatakum) is another inadvertent irony: gods that need to be defended by their worshippers are no gods at all.
قُلْنَا يَا نَارُ كُونِي بَرْدًا وَسَلَامًا عَلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَ
Qulnā yā nāru kūnī bardan wa-salāman ʿalā ibrāhīm
"We said: 'O fire, be coolness and safety for Abraham!'" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:69
Translation: Then We commanded: "O fire, be coolness and peace upon Ibrāhīm!"
Commentary: The greatest miracle in the story of Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace): Allah, Who created fire and gave it the property of heat and burning, commanded it directly — and fire obeyed. It became cool (bard) and safe (salām) for Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace). This is among the most celebrated miracles in Qurʾānic narrative, a demonstration that the Creator is not bound by the laws He has created. The laws of nature are His servants; He overrides them at will.
وَأَرَادُوا بِهِ كَيْدًا فَجَعَلْنَاهُمُ الْأَخْسَرِينَ
Wa-arādū bihi kaydan fa-jaʿalnāhumu-l-akhsarīn
"They intended a plot against him, but We made them the greatest losers." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:70
Translation: They had plotted to destroy and harm Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace), but We made them the foremost among the losers — suffering the greatest defeat.
Commentary: The ultimate reversal: those who lit the fire to destroy Allah's prophet were themselves destroyed and disgraced. The fire became a coolness and a mercy for Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) while leaving his enemies humiliated. This is the divine pattern: plots against the friends of Allah rebound upon those who plot them.
وَنَجَّيْنَاهُ وَلُوطًا إِلَى الْأَرْضِ الَّتِي بَارَكْنَا فِيهَا لِلْعَالَمِينَ
Wa-najjaynāhu wa-lūṭan ilā-l-arḍi-llatī bāraknā fīhā li-l-ʿālamīn
"And We delivered him and Lot to the land which We had blessed for all the worlds." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:71
Translation: And We delivered Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) and Lūṭ (Lot, upon him be peace) — Lūṭ being the nephew of Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) — and brought them to the blessed land of Syria and Palestine (Shām), which We had blessed as a land of spiritual abundance for all of creation.
Commentary: After the confrontation with Nimrūd and his people, Allah (exalted be He) directed Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) and Lūṭ (upon him be peace) to the sacred land — al-Shām (the Levant region), the land blessed in the Qurʾān. This land would become the dwelling place of prophets and the cradle of later prophetic missions.
وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ إِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ نَافِلَةً ۖ وَكُلًّا جَعَلْنَا صَالِحِينَ
Wa-wahabnā lahu isḥāqa wa-yaʿqūba nāfilatan wa-kullan jaʿalnā ṣāliḥīn
"And We gave him Isaac and Jacob as an additional gift, and We made all of them righteous." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:72
Translation: And We bestowed upon Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) Isḥāq (Isaac, upon him be peace) as a son, and Yaʿqūb (Jacob, upon him be peace) as a grandson (nāfila — an additional, supererogatory gift beyond what was expected). And all of them We made righteous.
Commentary: Nāfila literally means "extra gift" — something given above and beyond what is due or expected. The birth of Yaʿqūb (upon him be peace) as a grandson of Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) was such an additional divine favour. All of them — Ibrāhīm, Ismāʿīl, Isḥāq, and Yaʿqūb (upon them all be peace) — were made righteous (ṣāliḥīn), possessors of sound character, upright conduct, and closeness to Allah.
وَجَعَلْنَاهُمْ أَئِمَّةً يَهْدُونَ بِأَمْرِنَا وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْهِمْ فِعْلَ الْخَيْرَاتِ وَإِقَامَ الصَّلَاةِ وَإِيتَاءَ الزَّكَاةِ ۖ وَكَانُوا لَنَا عَابِدِينَ
Wa-jaʿalnāhum aʾimmatan yahdūna bi-amrinā wa-awḥaynā ilayhim fiʿla-l-khayrāti wa-iqāma-l-ṣalāti wa-ītāʾa-l-zakāt, wa-kānū lanā ʿābidīn
"We made them leaders who guide by Our command, and We revealed to them the doing of good deeds, the establishment of prayer, and the giving of zakāt. And they were worshippers of Us." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:73
Translation: And We made them imāms (aʾimma) — spiritual leaders, guides of humanity — who show the path by Our command. And We revealed to them the performance of good works, the establishment of ṣalāt (ritual prayer), and the giving of zakāt (obligatory alms). And they were consistent in their worship and servitude to Us.
Commentary: The prophets are aʾimma in the fullest sense: guides who lead humanity by divine command, not by personal authority or social standing. The three foundations revealed to them — fiʿl al-khayrāt (doing good), iqām al-ṣalāt (establishing prayer), and ītāʾ al-zakāt (giving alms) — are the permanent pillars of prophetic religion in every age and dispensation. These are not innovations of the Sharīʿa of Muḥammadﷺbut belong to the universal prophetic inheritance. The culminating description — ʿābidīn (devoted worshippers) — is the highest honour: they were sincere servants of Allah, immersed in His servitude.
وَلُوطًا آتَيْنَاهُ حُكْمًا وَعِلْمًا وَنَجَّيْنَاهُ مِنَ الْقَرْيَةِ الَّتِي كَانَتْ تَعْمَلُ الْخَبَائِثَ ۗ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا قَوْمَ سَوْءٍ فَاسِقِينَ
Wa-lūṭan ātaynāhu ḥukman wa-ʿilman wa-najjaynāhu mina-l-qaryati-llatī kānat taʿmalu-l-khabāʾith, innahum kānū qawma sawʾin fāsiqīn
"And to Lot We gave judgement and knowledge, and We saved him from the town that practiced abominations — they were indeed an evil, transgressing people." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:74
Translation: And We gave Lūṭ (upon him be peace) wisdom (ḥukm) and knowledge (ʿilm), and We saved him from the city whose people were steeped in vile and filthy acts. Indeed they were a thoroughly evil and profligate (fāsiqīn) people.
Commentary: Lūṭ (upon him be peace) was given prophethood, wisdom, and knowledge — exalted gifts — and then delivered from the people of Sodom whose practices constituted the most severe moral depravity. Fāsiqīn (transgressors) indicates that their transgression extended beyond a single sin to a comprehensive moral breakdown and departure from the boundaries of divine guidance.
وَأَدْخَلْنَاهُ فِي رَحْمَتِنَا ۚ إِنَّهُ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ
Wa-adkhalnāhu fī raḥmatinā innahu mina-l-ṣāliḥīn
"And We admitted him into Our mercy — he was indeed among the righteous." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:75
Translation: And We admitted Lūṭ (upon him be peace) into Our mercy and divine grace — for he was indeed among the righteous (ṣāliḥīn).
Commentary: Entry into divine mercy (raḥma) is the ultimate blessing. The righteous — those who combine correct ʿaqīda, sound action, and sincere devotion — are welcomed into the encompassing divine mercy both in this world and in the next.
وَنُوحًا إِذْ نَادَىٰ مِن قَبْلُ فَاسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُ فَنَجَّيْنَاهُ وَأَهْلَهُ مِنَ الْكَرْبِ الْعَظِيمِ
Wa-nūḥan idh nādā min qablu fa-stajabnā lahu fa-najjaynāhu wa-ahlahu mina-l-karbi-l-ʿaẓīm
"And Noah — when he called out before, and We responded to him, and We saved him and his family from the great distress." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:76
Translation: And recall Nūḥ (Noah, upon him be peace): when he called out to his Lord before these other prophets, and We answered his supplication and delivered him and his people from the tremendous distress (karb ʿaẓīm) of the Flood.
Commentary: Nūḥ (upon him be peace) is here commemorated as the first great prophet whose supplications were answered with a comprehensive divine rescue. The karb ʿaẓīm (tremendous distress) refers to the affliction of being surrounded by a denying, mocking people — and then the existential catastrophe of the Flood itself. Divine response to prophetic duʿāʾ is immediate and complete.
وَنَصَرْنَاهُ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا ۚ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا قَوْمَ سَوْءٍ فَغَرَّقْنَاهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ
Wa-naṣarnāhu mina-l-qawmi-lladhīna kadhdhabū bi-āyātinā innahum kānū qawma sawʾin fa-gharraqnāhumu ajmaʿīn
"And We helped him against the people who denied Our signs — they were indeed an evil people, and We drowned them all." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:77
Translation: And We granted Nūḥ (upon him be peace) victory and help against the people who denied Our signs and called them lies. They were thoroughly evil people, and so We drowned them all.
Commentary: The Flood was not an arbitrary calamity but a divinely ordained response to the comprehensive and persistent denial of divine signs. The repetition of qawm sawʾ (evil people) here and in Lūṭ's verse underscores that divine punishment visits communities whose moral fabric has been comprehensively destroyed.
وَدَاوُودَ وَسُلَيْمَانَ إِذْ يَحْكُمَانِ فِي الْحَرْثِ إِذْ نَفَشَتْ فِيهِ غَنَمُ الْقَوْمِ وَكُنَّا لِحُكْمِهِمْ شَاهِدِينَ
Wa-dāwūda wa-sulaymāna idh yaḥkumāni fī-l-ḥarthi idh nafashat fīhi ghanu-l-qawmi wa-kunnā li-ḥukmihim shāhidīn
"And David and Solomon — when they gave judgement regarding the field when the people's sheep had grazed in it at night, and We were witness to their judgement." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:78
Translation: And recall Dāwūd (David, upon him be peace) and Sulaymān (Solomon, upon him be peace): when they both rendered a judgement in the matter of a cultivated field into which some people's sheep had strayed by night and grazed on the crop, and We were witness to their judgement.
Commentary: A case in fiqh (jurisprudence) of considerable subtlety: the destruction of a field by straying livestock at night. The two prophets arrived at different rulings, and We (Allah) bore witness to both deliberations. This pericope introduces the discussion of ijtihād (independent juridical reasoning) among the prophets.
فَفَهَّمْنَاهَا سُلَيْمَانَ ۚ وَكُلًّا آتَيْنَا حُكْمًا وَعِلْمًا ۚ وَسَخَّرْنَا مَعَ دَاوُودَ الْجِبَالَ يُسَبِّحْنَ وَالطَّيْرَ ۚ وَكُنَّا فَاعِلِينَ
Fa-fahhamnahā sulaymān, wa-kullan ātaynā ḥukman wa-ʿilman, wa-sakhkharnā maʿa dāwūda-l-jibāla yusabbiḥna wa-l-ṭayr, wa-kunnā fāʿilīn
"And We gave understanding of it to Solomon; and to each We gave judgement and knowledge. And We subjected the mountains and birds to glorify with David — and We are the Doer." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:79
Translation: And We caused Sulaymān (upon him be peace) to understand the more refined ruling in this case — We gave him a deeper fiqh of the matter. But to each of them — Dāwūd and Sulaymān (upon them both be peace) — We gave wisdom and knowledge. And We made the mountains and the birds join in tasbīḥ (glorification of Allah) together with Dāwūd (upon him be peace), and We are the One who does all this.
Commentary: Both prophets were right in their ijtihād, but Sulaymān's (upon him be peace) ruling was the more refined and precise understanding of the case — he was given a more specific fahm (comprehension) in this instance. Neither prophet's position was a "mistake" in any reprehensible sense; both were rewarded for their effort of independent reasoning. As for the glorification of mountains and birds with Dāwūd (upon him be peace): this was a literal, physical miracle — the mountains and birds actually participated in his tasbīḥ, glorifying Allah alongside him. This is consistent with the Qurʾānic teaching that all of creation engages in tasbīḥ in its own mode of existence.
وَعَلَّمْنَاهُ صَنْعَةَ لَبُوسٍ لَّكُمْ لِتُحْصِنَكُم مِّن بَأْسِكُمْ ۖ فَهَلْ أَنتُمْ شَاكِرُونَ
Wa-ʿallamnāhu ṣanʿata labūsin lakum li-tuḥṣinakum min baʾsikum, fa-hal antum shākirūn
"And We taught him the craft of making coats of mail for you, to protect you in your wars — will you then be grateful?" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:80
Translation: And We taught Dāwūd (upon him be peace) the craft of making coats of mail (labus, armour) for the benefit of the people, to protect you in the hardships of war. Will you then give thanks?
Commentary: The prophets were not only spiritual guides but transmitters of civilisational knowledge. The craft of metalwork and armour, attributed here to the divine instruction of Dāwūd (upon him be peace), is presented as a divine favour — a means of self-protection for humanity. The question "Will you then be grateful?" (fa-hal antum shākirūn) calls the beneficiaries of prophetic civilisation to acknowledge their dependence on divine grace.
وَلِسُلَيْمَانَ الرِّيحَ عَاصِفَةً تَجْرِي بِأَمْرِهِ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ الَّتِي بَارَكْنَا فِيهَا ۚ وَكُنَّا بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَالِمِينَ
Wa-li-sulaymāna-l-rīḥa ʿāṣifatan tajrī bi-amrihi ilā-l-arḍi-llatī bāraknā fīhā, wa-kunnā bi-kulli shayʾin ʿālimīn
"And to Solomon the stormy wind — it ran by his command toward the land which We had blessed — and We had knowledge of all things." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:81
Translation: And for Sulaymān (upon him be peace), We subjected the stormy wind: it travelled swiftly by his command toward the blessed land of Shām — and We have knowledge of all things.
Commentary: The wind was made a means of transport and power for Sulaymān (upon him be peace), carrying him and his forces swiftly over great distances. The author reflects: those who marvel at aeroplanes, submarines, and other modern conveyances should recognise that Sulaymān's command over the wind is their spiritual archetype. Technologies come and go — some are lost to history, some are rediscovered — but all are ultimately from the knowledge that Allah has disposed among His creation.
وَمِنَ الشَّيَاطِينِ مَن يَغُوصُونَ لَهُ وَيَعْمَلُونَ عَمَلًا دُونَ ذَٰلِكَ ۖ وَكُنَّا لَهُمْ حَافِظِينَ
Wa-mina-l-shayāṭīni man yaghūṣūna lahu wa-yaʿmalūna ʿamalan dūna dhālik, wa-kunnā lahum ḥāfiẓīn
"And of the devils were those who dived for him and did other work besides that, and We were their Guardian." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:82
Translation: And among the shayāṭīn (rebellious jinn) We had subjected to Sulaymān (upon him be peace) were those who dived into the depths of the sea and retrieved precious things, and who performed many other works for him — and We were the Guardian over them all, ensuring they did not deviate.
Commentary: Sulaymān (upon him be peace) had been given authority over certain rebellious jinn (shayāṭīn) — those who had been brought under his command through divine grace — and he made use of them for great works, including deep-sea exploration and retrieval. The ḥifẓ (guardianship) of Allah over this arrangement means that these forces were kept under control and prevented from causing harm. The reference to ḥāfiẓīn here means the guardianship that preserved Sulaymān (upon him be peace) and his realm, not merely the jinn individually.
وَأَيُّوبَ إِذْ نَادَىٰ رَبَّهُ أَنِّي مَسَّنِيَ الضُّرُّ وَأَنتَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ
Wa-ayyūba idh nādā rabbahu annī massaniya-l-ḍurru wa-anta arḥamu-l-rāḥimīn
"And Job — when he called upon his Lord: 'Affliction has befallen me, and You are the most merciful of those who show mercy.'" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:83
Translation: And recall Ayyūb (Job, upon him be peace) — how he called upon his Lord, saying: "Distress and affliction have touched me, and You are the most merciful of the merciful."
Commentary: The prayer of Ayyūb (upon him be peace) is a model of duʿāʾ in times of extreme distress: he does not complain in a spirit of objection to divine wisdom, but simply states his condition and appeals to the divine mercy. His supplication contains no reproach — only an acknowledgement of his own helplessness and a declaration of the divine quality of mercy. The author addresses the readers: today when illness strikes, people rush to doctors with extravagant flattery, while Allah is forgotten — no duʿāʾ, no tawassul through the Prophetﷺ, no attention to the spiritual state of the heart. Reflect on the example of Ayyūb (upon him be peace), who turned entirely to Allah.
فَاسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُ فَكَشَفْنَا مَا بِهِ مِن ضُرٍّ ۖ وَآتَيْنَاهُ أَهْلَهُ وَمِثْلَهُم مَّعَهُمْ رَحْمَةً مِّنْ عِندِنَا وَذِكْرَىٰ لِلْعَابِدِينَ
Fa-stajabnā lahu fa-kashafnā mā bihi min ḍurrin wa-ātaynāhu ahlahu wa-mithlaham maʿahum raḥmatan min ʿindinā wa-dhikrā li-l-ʿābidīn
"And We responded to him and removed the affliction from him, and gave him back his family and the like of them along with them — a mercy from Us and a reminder for the worshippers." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:84
Translation: And We answered his prayer, removing from him all the affliction that had befallen him — We lifted it and restored him. And We returned to him his family and gave him their like anew alongside them, as a mercy from Our presence. And this is a reminder and an admonition for all devout worshippers.
Commentary: The divine response to Ayyūb's (upon him be peace) supplication was complete and generous: not only was the affliction removed, but he was restored to full well-being and given back his family — and then given double what he had lost. This is the Sunnah of Allah with those who are patient and turn to Him: the reward of patient trust is not merely the restoration of what was lost but a multiplication of divine favour. The verse closes with wa-dhikrā li-l-ʿābidīn — a reminder for all those who worship: your patience, your prayer, your trust in Allah will never be in vain.
وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِدْرِيسَ وَذَا الْكِفْلِ ۖ كُلٌّ مِّنَ الصَّابِرِينَ
Wa-ismāʿīla wa-idrīsa wa-dhā-l-kifl, kullun mina-l-ṣābirīn
"And Ishmael, and Idris, and Dhū al-Kifl — all were of the patient." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:85
Translation: And recall Ismāʿīl (Ishmael, upon him be peace), and Idrīs (Enoch, upon him be peace), and Dhū al-Kifl (upon him be peace) — all of them were among the steadfast and patient.
Commentary: Three more prophets are enumerated: Ismāʿīl (upon him be peace), the son of Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) and the spiritual forebear of the Arab prophetic line; Idrīs (upon him be peace), one of the earliest of prophets; and Dhū al-Kifl (upon him be peace), identified by some scholars as the Prophet Dhū al-Kifl who took on the full spiritual burden of his predecessor's community. The common quality that binds them is ṣabr (patient perseverance) — the quality that defines the prophetic character across all ages.
وَأَدْخَلْنَاهُمْ فِي رَحْمَتِنَا ۖ إِنَّهُمْ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ
Wa-adkhalnāhum fī raḥmatinā innahum mina-l-ṣāliḥīn
"And We admitted them into Our mercy — they were indeed among the righteous." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:86
Translation: And We admitted all of them into Our encompassing mercy — for they were indeed among the righteous.
Commentary: The divine verdict on all these prophets: admission into divine mercy. Raḥma (mercy) is the ultimate embrace; the righteous are held within its compass in this world and the next.
وَذَا النُّونِ إِذ ذَّهَبَ مُغَاضِبًا فَظَنَّ أَن لَّن نَّقْدِرَ عَلَيْهِ فَنَادَىٰ فِي الظُّلُمَاتِ أَن لَّا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ
Wa-dhā-l-nūni idh dhahaba mughāḍiban fa-ẓanna an lan naqdira ʿalayhi fa-nādā fī-l-ẓulumāti an lā ilāha illā anta subḥānaka innī kuntu mina-l-ẓālimīn
"And the Man of the Whale — when he went away in anger, thinking that We would not have power over him. Then he called out in the darknesses: 'There is no god but You! Glory be to You! I was indeed among the wrongdoers.'" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:87
Translation: And recall Dhū al-Nūn (the man of the whale — the Prophet Yūnus/Jonah, upon him be peace): when he left his community in anger — becoming impatient with the refusal of his people to accept guidance and departing without the divine command to leave — and he thought that We would not call him to account for it. Then, swallowed by the whale, enclosed in three layers of darkness — the darkness of the sea, the darkness of the night, and the darkness of the whale's belly — he cried out: "There is no deity but You! Glory be to You! I was indeed among the wrongdoers."
Commentary: This is Tasbīḥ Yūnus — the celebrated prayer of Yūnus (upon him be peace) in the depths — and one of the most powerful prayers in the Qurʾānic canon. Its structure is perfect: (1) lā ilāha illā anta — absolute tawḥīd, the acknowledgement that only Allah exists and only He can rescue; (2) subḥānaka — taqdīs, the declaration of divine transcendence and freedom from imperfection; (3) innī kuntu mina-l-ẓālimīn — complete acknowledgement of personal shortcoming without excuse or deflection. The scholars of taṣawwuf note that this prayer is among the most efficacious in times of trial and distress. Those who are immersed in "darknesses" — of grief, illness, loss, or spiritual difficulty — are encouraged to make this dhikr as Yūnus (upon him be peace) did. Its sincerity is its power.
فَاسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُ وَنَجَّيْنَاهُ مِنَ الْغَمِّ ۚ وَكَذَٰلِكَ نُنجِي الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
Fa-stajabnā lahu wa-najjaynāhu mina-l-ghamm, wa-kadhālika nunjī-l-muʾminīn
"And We answered him and delivered him from grief — and thus do We deliver the believers." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:88
Translation: And We answered his cry and delivered him from his anguish — and in this manner do We deliver all true believers.
Commentary: Wa-kadhālika nunjī-l-muʾminīn — "And thus do We save the believers" — is one of the most hope-filled statements in the Qurʾān. The divine deliverance of Yūnus (upon him be peace) from the darknesses of the whale's belly is not an isolated historical event but a universal divine promise: this is how Allah delivers those who believe, who acknowledge His unity, who confess their shortcomings, and who cry out to Him in sincerity. The disbelievers and the arrogant receive no such deliverance.
وَزَكَرِيَّا إِذْ نَادَىٰ رَبَّهُ رَبِّ لَا تَذَرْنِي فَرْدًا وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ الْوَارِثِينَ
Wa-zakariyyā idh nādā rabbahu rabbi lā tadharnī fardan wa-anta khayru-l-wārithīn
"And Zachariah — when he called upon his Lord: 'My Lord, do not leave me alone, and You are the best of inheritors.'" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:89
Translation: And recall Zakariyyā (Zachariah, upon him be peace): when he called upon his Lord saying — "My Lord, do not leave me childless and solitary — without heir, without one to carry on the prophetic mission. Yet even if You do not grant me a child, I cannot become truly destitute: for You are the Best of inheritors."
Commentary: The prayer of Zakariyyā (upon him be peace) contains a beautiful theological nuance: he asks not to be left fardan (alone, without heir) — and his concern is primarily for the continuation of the prophetic mission, not merely personal comfort. But his prayer is not an ultimatum: wa-anta khayru-l-wārithīn — even if he should die without an heir, Allah is the true and ultimate Heir of all things; nothing is truly lost when it reverts to Him. This simultaneous petition and acceptance of divine will is the highest form of duʿāʾ.
فَاسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُ وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ يَحْيَىٰ وَأَصْلَحْنَا لَهُ زَوْجَهُ ۚ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ وَيَدْعُونَنَا رَغَبًا وَرَهَبًا ۖ وَكَانُوا لَنَا خَاشِعِينَ
Fa-stajabnā lahu wa-wahabnā lahu yaḥyā wa-aṣlaḥnā lahu zawjahu, innahum kānū yusāriʿūna fī-l-khayrāti wa-yadʿūnanā raghaban wa-rahaban wa-kānū lanā khāshiʿīn
"And We responded to him and bestowed on him John, and We made his wife right for him — they were indeed quick to do good works, and they would call upon Us in hope and in awe; and they were humble before Us." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:90
Translation: And We answered his supplication and granted him Yaḥyā (John the Baptist, upon him be peace), and We made his wife's womb fertile and prepared her for motherhood. Indeed all of them — Zakariyyā, Yaḥyā, and Maryam — were swift in performing good works (musāraʿa fī-l-khayrāt), racing to do every righteous act. They would call upon Us with raghab (longing and hope) and rahab (reverential awe and fear combined) — their hearts holding both the sweetness of desire and the trembling of reverence. And they were khāshiʿīn before Us — utterly humble, devoted, lowering their gaze and their voices in complete surrender.
Commentary: This verse paints the portrait of the ideal prophetic household: musāraʿa (swiftness and eagerness in good works), duʿāʾ combining raghab (hope-filled desire) and rahab (awe-filled fear), and khushūʿ (deep inner humility and presence before Allah). These are the qualities that make supplication accepted and that characterise the lives of the prophets and their families. The healing of Zakariyyā's wife — who had been barren — is a miracle of divine restoration, just as the birth of Yaḥyā (upon him be peace) to elderly parents was a miracle of divine generosity.
وَالَّتِي أَحْصَنَتْ فَرْجَهَا فَنَفَخْنَا فِيهَا مِن رُّوحِنَا وَجَعَلْنَاهَا وَابْنَهَا آيَةً لِّلْعَالَمِينَ
Wa-llatī aḥṣanat farjahā fa-nafakhnā fīhā min rūḥinā wa-jaʿalnāhā wa-ibnahā āyatan li-l-ʿālamīn
"And she who guarded her chastity — We breathed into her of Our spirit, and We made her and her son a sign for all the worlds." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:91
Translation: And recall the woman who guarded her chastity perfectly — Maryam (Mary, upon her be peace) — who kept herself pure and never allowed any unlawful approach. We breathed into her from Our spirit — causing ʿĪsā (Jesus, upon him be peace) to be created without a father, the soul of ʿĪsā being created by divine command and breathed into her womb — and We made both her and her son a divine sign (āya) and proof of divine power for all the worlds.
Commentary: The virgin birth of ʿĪsā (upon him be peace) is explicitly affirmed in the Qurʾān as a divine miracle, not as evidence of any divine paternity — which is emphatically rejected. The language "We breathed into her of Our spirit" (min rūḥinā) is a divine iḍāfa (possessive attribution expressing honour and specificity) — it does not imply that the spirit is part of the Divine Essence. Rather, it means the spirit was created by divine command and breathed into Maryam by the angel Jibrīl (upon him be peace) at divine direction, just as a spirit (rūḥ) was breathed into Ādam (upon him be peace). Maryam (upon her be peace) is thereby honoured as the most chaste and pure of women; she and her son together are an āya — a miraculous proof of divine omnipotence — for all of creation.
إِنَّ هَٰذِهِ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَأَنَا رَبُّكُمْ فَاعْبُدُونِ
Inna hādhihi ummatukum ummatan wāḥidatan wa-anā rabbukum fa-ʿbudūn
"Indeed this community of yours is one community, and I am your Lord — so worship Me." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:92
Translation: Indeed, all of you — the entire prophetic community from Ādam to Muḥammadﷺ— are one single umma (community). Allah is One, all creation are His servants — and I am your Lord, so worship Me alone.
Commentary: Despite the diversity of prophetic missions, communities, and eras, the underlying reality is a single umma: the community of tawḥīd. Allah is One, and all those who are called to worship Him belong to a single spiritual community. The sectarian fragmentations of later history — the splitting of the Abrahamic faiths, the internal divisions of each community — are departures from this primordial unity. The call returns: fa-ʿbudūn — worship Me alone, return to the one foundation.
وَتَقَطَّعُوا أَمْرَهُم بَيْنَهُمْ ۖ كُلٌّ إِلَيْنَا رَاجِعُونَ
Wa-taqaṭṭaʿū amrahum baynahum kullun ilaynā rājiʿūn
"Yet they have divided their affair among themselves — all shall return to Us." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:93
Translation: Yet they have cut their matter to pieces among themselves — each group taking a fragment, each sect going its own way. But all of them — every single one — shall return to Us, and the reality will become clear.
Commentary: The fragmentation of the original unity of divine worship is described with the word taqaṭṭaʿū — they "cut to pieces" their common amr (affair, religion). This is the history of every religious community that received a prophetic dispensation: unity received, then fragmented by human ambition, cultural accretion, and departure from the original divine message. Yet the final return is to Allah, and before Him all the fragmented pieces will be judged.
فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِنَ الصَّالِحَاتِ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَلَا كُفْرَانَ لِسَعْيِهِ وَإِنَّا لَهُ كَاتِبُونَ
Fa-man yaʿmal mina-l-ṣāliḥāti wa-huwa muʾminun fa-lā kufrāna li-saʿyihi wa-innā lahu kātibūn
"Whoever does righteous deeds while being a believer — his effort shall not be denied, and We are indeed recording it for him." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:94
Translation: Whoever performs righteous works while holding firm to true faith (imān) — his striving (saʿy) and effort shall not go unrecognised and unrewarded. The condition is: imān must accompany action, for action without the foundation of imān cannot avail on the Day of Judgement. And We are writing down his deeds — nothing is lost, nothing goes unregistered.
Commentary: Lā kufrān li-saʿyihi — his effort will not be "denied" or "covered over." Kufrān here means the ingratitude or denial that would bury good acts without recognition — and Allah declares that this will never happen. The divine record is complete and perfect. But the essential condition is imān — no deed, however extensive in outward scope, benefits its doer on the Day of Judgement without the foundation of correct belief. The author exhorts: combine imān with righteous action; do not neglect either.
وَحَرَامٌ عَلَىٰ قَرْيَةٍ أَهْلَكْنَاهَا أَنَّهُمْ لَا يَرْجِعُونَ
Wa-ḥarāmun ʿalā qaryatin ahlaknāhā annahum lā yarjiʿūn
"And it is forbidden for any community that We have destroyed that they should return." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:95
Translation: And it is absolutely forbidden — divinely decreed and irrevocable — that any community upon which Our punishment has descended (by reason of their transgression and rejection) should ever return to the world. Once they have been destroyed, the door of return is forever sealed.
Commentary: This verse addresses a profound spiritual law: when divine punishment falls upon a community as a final punishment — the punishment of istīṣāl (complete eradication) — there is no reversal. The door of repentance and return is closed upon them. This is the ultimate seal on the story of destroyed nations. The author draws a further lesson: those who persist in transgression, who mock divine warnings and show no inclination to return, are treading the path that leads to this irreversible fate. Hence the urgency of repentance, return (rujūʿ), and sincere tawba.
حَتَّىٰ إِذَا فُتِحَتْ يَأْجُوجُ وَمَأْجُوجُ وَهُم مِّن كُلِّ حَدَبٍ يَنسِلُونَ
Ḥattā idhā futiḥat yaʾjūju wa-maʾjūju wa-hum min kulli ḥadabin yansilūn
"Until, when Gog and Magog are opened up and they swarm down from every height—" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:96
Translation: Until the time when the barrier of Yāʾjūj and Māʾjūj (Gog and Magog) is opened up and they pour down and swarm from every elevation and high place, flooding across the earth.
Commentary: This verse refers to one of the major signs of the Hour — the release of Yāʾjūj and Māʾjūj. The author reflects on this: as the Hour draws near, there will be a time of universal moral chaos — flagrant immorality, the abandonment of God's name, the dominance of wickedness. The commentator notes that scholars differ on the identity of Yāʾjūj and Māʾjūj: some say they are a specific people descended from Shem, others from Yāfith (Japheth), some say they are Slavic or Germanic peoples. He notes however that the Qurʾān's statement should not be reduced to a "story" or mapped simplistically onto contemporary events — the Qurʾān's signs transcend any single historical identification. The counsel he gives his readers: take heed, take admonition, before the Hour — act now, turn to Allah, make tawba, return to Him.
وَاقْتَرَبَ الْوَعْدُ الْحَقُّ فَإِذَا هِيَ شَاخِصَةٌ أَبْصَارُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا يَا وَيْلَنَا قَدْ كُنَّا فِي غَفْلَةٍ مِّنْ هَٰذَا بَلْ كُنَّا ظَالِمِينَ
Wa-qtaraba-l-waʿdu-l-ḥaqqu fa-idhā hiya shākhiṣatun abṣāru-lladhīna kafarū yā waylnā qad kunnā fī ghaflatim min hādhā bal kunnā ẓālimīn
"And the True Promise draws near — and then the eyes of those who disbelieved will be fixed and staring: 'Woe to us! We were heedless of this — indeed we were wrongdoers!'" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:97
Translation: And the True Promise — the Day of Judgement — has drawn near. Then the eyes of those who disbelieved will be frozen in stunned, transfixed staring — like the eyes of one in shock — and they will cry out: "Woe to us! We were in heedlessness about this Day — indeed, we were wrongdoers and sinners!"
Commentary: Shākhiṣa (fixed, staring, unable to blink) describes the paralysing horror of the moment when the disbelievers finally behold the Day of Judgement. Their eyes are transfixed by what they see — the scene is overwhelming and there is no escape. And then comes the belated recognition: "We were heedless... we were wrongdoers." This is the cry that the Qurʾān has been warning about throughout this Sūra — the cry that comes too late. The author exhorts his readers: do not become those people. The Day is approaching; the heedless will have their moment of terrible clarity — but that moment will be too late for repentance.
إِنَّكُمْ وَمَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ حَصَبُ جَهَنَّمَ أَنتُمْ لَهَا وَارِدُونَ
Innakum wa-mā taʿbudūna min dūni-llāhi ḥaṣabu jahannama antum lahā wāridūn
"Indeed you and what you worship besides Allah are the fuel of Hell — you will enter it." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:98
Translation: Indeed, you and that which you worship besides Allah — your idols, your false deities — shall be the firewood (ḥaṣab) of Hell. You shall arrive and enter it.
Commentary: Ḥaṣab means "firewood" or "fuel" — that which feeds the fire. The idols along with those who worshipped them will be cast into Hell. The divine justice is precise: they made things their gods that were utterly powerless; now those same "gods" shall be joined to them in the same punishment. Wāridūn — "you shall enter it" — is stated with certainty.
لَوْ كَانَ هَٰؤُلَاءِ آلِهَةً مَّا وَرَدُوهَا ۖ وَكُلٌّ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ
Law kāna hāʾulāʾi ālihatam mā waradūhā wa-kullun fīhā khālidūn
"If these had truly been gods, they would not have entered it — and all shall abide therein forever." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:99
Translation: If those idols had truly been deities — genuinely possessed of divine power — they would not enter Hell themselves. The fact that they too are cast into Hell proves decisively that they were never divine. And all of them — worshippers and worshipped — shall remain in Hell forever.
Commentary: This is the ultimate theological refutation: true divinity cannot be subjected to punishment and destruction. The idols enter Hell, and this very fact proves they were never gods. Those who took them as partners with Allah are now bound with them in shared eternal punishment.
لَهُمْ فِيهَا زَفِيرٌ وَهُمْ فِيهَا لَا يَسْمَعُونَ
Lahum fīhā zafīrun wa-hum fīhā lā yasmaʿūn
"For them therein is loud wailing, and they hear nothing therein." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:100
Translation: For the people of Hell there will be zafīr — a terrible roaring wail of distress — and they will hear nothing: the din and tumult will be such that no coherent sound reaches them.
Commentary: Zafīr is the roaring exhalation of grief — a sound of extreme anguish. The description of Hell includes not only physical torment but a total sensory and psychological overwhelm: the sounds are horrifying, the noise is total, and communication is impossible. The author notes: how great the cacophony will be in that gathering — the wailing of the damned, the roaring of the fire — such that nothing else can be heard.
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ سَبَقَتْ لَهُم مِّنَّا الْحُسْنَىٰ أُولَٰئِكَ عَنْهَا مُبْعَدُونَ
Inna-lladhīna sabaqat lahum minna-l-ḥusnā ulāʾika ʿanhā mubʿadūn
"Indeed those for whom the good word from Us has preceded — they shall be kept far from it." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:101
Translation: Indeed, those for whom the blessed divine decree (al-ḥusnā — the good) has preceded from Us — they shall be kept completely distant from Hell and its torments.
Commentary: The contrast with the preceding verses is total: those predestined by divine grace for felicity shall not taste Hell. Al-ḥusnā (the good, the beautiful outcome) refers to the divine decree of mercy and salvation for the believers — those whom Allah, by His eternal knowledge and will, has destined for Paradise. This is the Maturīdī and Ahl al-Sunna position: divine fore-knowledge and the eternal divine will encompass the destinies of all souls, and those for whom ḥusnā has been decreed shall be protected from the Fire.
لَا يَسْمَعُونَ حَسِيسَهَا ۖ وَهُمْ فِي مَا اشْتَهَتْ أَنفُسُهُمْ خَالِدُونَ
Lā yasmaʿūna ḥasīsahā wa-hum fīmā ishtahat anfusuhum khālidūn
"They will not hear the slightest sound of it, and they shall abide forever in what their souls desire." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:102
Translation: They will not hear even the faintest sound (ḥasīs, the slightest rustle or whisper) of Hell — they are entirely removed from it — and they shall dwell forever in whatever their souls desire.
Commentary: Ḥasīs is the very softest sound — a whisper, a rustle, the most distant auditory trace. The people of Paradise will not even hear the faintest echo of Hell. They will be immersed in the eternal pleasures of Paradise — fīmā ishtahat anfusuhum (in whatever their souls desire) — in perfect contentment forever.
لَا يَحْزُنُهُمُ الْفَزَعُ الْأَكْبَرُ وَتَتَلَقَّاهُمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ هَٰذَا يَوْمُكُمُ الَّذِي كُنتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ
Lā yaḥzunuhumu-l-fazaʿu-l-akbaru wa-tatallaqqāhumu-l-malāʾikatu hādhā yawmukumu-lladhī kuntum tūʿadūn
"The Greatest Terror shall not grieve them, and the angels shall receive them: 'This is your Day that you were promised.'" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:103
Translation: The Greatest Terror — the supreme horror of the Day of Judgement — shall not cause them grief or distress. And the angels shall come out to welcome and receive them, saying: "This is your Day — the Day you were promised!"
Commentary: Al-fazaʿ al-akbar (the Greatest Terror) is the overwhelming collective horror of the Day of Judgement that will strike all beings. But the people of Paradise — those for whom al-ḥusnā has preceded — shall be exempt from its grief. They will be received by the angels as honoured guests, welcomed with the glad tidings: "This is the Day you were promised!" What was, in the world, a matter of faith and unseen belief now becomes the lived reality of their eternal joy.
يَوْمَ نَطْوِي السَّمَاءَ كَطَيِّ السِّجِلِّ لِلْكُتُبِ ۚ كَمَا بَدَأْنَا أَوَّلَ خَلْقٍ نُّعِيدُهُ ۚ وَعْدًا عَلَيْنَا ۚ إِنَّا كُنَّا فَاعِلِينَ
Yawma naṭwī-l-samāʾa ka-ṭayyi-l-sijilli li-l-kutub, ka-mā badaʾnā awwala khalqin nuʿīduh, waʿdan ʿalaynā, innā kunnā fāʿilīn
"The Day when We shall roll up the heaven like the rolling of a written scroll — as We began the first creation, We shall repeat it. A promise binding upon Us — and We shall do it." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:104
Translation: Remember the Day when We shall roll up the heavens as one rolls a scroll of written parchment — as a book is shut when its text has been completed, the heavens shall be closed. Just as We originated the first creation, We shall repeat it and bring it back. This is a promise binding upon Us — and We shall certainly fulfil it.
Commentary: The rolling up of the heavens is one of the Qurʾānic descriptions of the cosmological transformation at the end of time. Al-Sijill is the scroll or register — rolled up tightly. Just as creation was brought into being from nothing by divine command, so it shall be brought back — resurrected, recreated — by the same divine power. Waʿdan ʿalaynā (a promise binding upon Us) is one of the strongest expressions of divine commitment in the Qurʾān: Allah has taken it upon Himself to fulfil this. The resurrection is not merely possible — it is certain, bound by a divine covenant.
وَلَقَدْ كَتَبْنَا فِي الزَّبُورِ مِن بَعْدِ الذِّكْرِ أَنَّ الْأَرْضَ يَرِثُهَا عِبَادِيَ الصَّالِحُونَ
Wa-la-qad katabnā fī-l-zabūri min baʿdi-l-dhikri anna-l-arḍa yarithuhā ʿibādiya-l-ṣāliḥūn
"And We have already written in the Psalms, after the Reminder: 'The earth shall be inherited by My righteous servants.'" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:105
Translation: And indeed We have written — in the Zabūr (the Psalms of Dāwūd, upon him be peace) after the Dhikr (the Tawrāt/Torah) — that the earth shall be inherited by My righteous servants.
Commentary: This is the divine promise recorded in the scriptures: the earth belongs ultimately to the righteous (ʿibādī al-ṣāliḥūn). The author addresses the question this raises: at a time when it appears that the earth is dominated by the unjust and the ungodly, how is this promise to be understood? His answer is multifaceted: (1) Those who are truly ṣāliḥūn are those who have the comprehensive righteousness to inherit the earth — both in outward governance and in inner spiritual reality. Outward governance follows when there is sufficient inner reality; where inner reality is absent, outward inheritance is not yet deserved. (2) The inheritance of the earth pertains both to the ẓāhir (outward dominion) and the bāṭin (inner spiritual mastery): the righteous inherit the earth inwardly — through their hearts, through their tawajjuh, through their spiritual influence — even when they do not hold worldly power. (3) The ultimate inheritors of the earth — in the fullest sense — will be the true believers at the time when the divine promise is completely fulfilled. The author concludes with fervent counsel to his community: do not be deceived by the apparent dominance of falsehood. Cultivate righteousness — inner and outer, hidden and manifest — and you will be among those who inherit.
إِنَّ فِي هَٰذَا لَبَلَاغًا لِّقَوْمٍ عَابِدِينَ
Inna fī hādhā la-balāghan li-qawmin ʿābidīn
"Indeed in this is a sufficient message for a people who worship." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:106
Translation: Indeed in this — in the Qurʾān and all it contains — there is a fully sufficient message, a complete conveyance (balāgh), for a people who are devoted worshippers of Allah.
Commentary: Balāgh means "full conveyance" — everything that needs to be conveyed has been conveyed in this Book. But it is li-qawmin ʿābidīn — for a people who worship, who are oriented to Allah, whose hearts are alive to His address. For those whose hearts are closed, the Qurʾān is present but its message does not land. The precondition for benefitting from the Qurʾān is ʿibāda — a life of worship, a heart turned to Allah.
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً لِّلْعَالَمِينَ
Wa-mā arsalnāka illā raḥmatan li-l-ʿālamīn
"And We have not sent you except as a mercy to all the worlds." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:107
Translation: And We have not sent you, O Prophet Muḥammadﷺ, except as a mercy encompassing all the worlds — all of creation, all of humanity, all of existence.
Commentary: This is among the most beloved verses of the Qurʾān to every Muslim heart:﴿ وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً لِّلْعَالَمِينَ ﴾. The Prophet Muḥammadﷺis raḥmatan li-l-ʿālamīn — a mercy not only for Muslims, not only for human beings, but for all the worlds. The scope of the mercy of Muḥammadﷺis the scope of the cosmos itself. The author exhorts: in the work of conveying this message (tablīgh al-risāla) — in every domain, in every language, across every land — this door of mercy stands open. It is a door of mercy for every human being who receives the guidance. The one who truly benefits from it in this world will benefit forever.
قُلْ إِنَّمَا يُوحَىٰ إِلَيَّ أَنَّمَا إِلَٰهُكُمْ إِلَٰهٌ وَاحِدٌ ۖ فَهَلْ أَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ
Qul innamā yūḥā ilayya annamā ilāhukum ilāhun wāḥid, fa-hal antum muslimūn
"Say: 'It is only revealed to me that your God is One God — will you then submit?'" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:108
Translation: Say, O Prophetﷺ: "The essence of what is revealed to me is simply this: your God is One God. Will you then submit (muslimūn)?"
Commentary: The totality of the prophetic revelation comes down to this single foundational truth: ilāhukum ilāhun wāḥid — your God is One. This is the kalima — the word around which all of prophethood turns. The author reflects: Allah is One, and His commands are therefore one; His dīn (religion) is one. Every sect and every false guide who invents rulings other than those of Allah produces only conflict and fragmentation. The divine religion, by its nature, admits no contradiction or division. The invitation at the verse's close — fa-hal antum muslimūn (will you then submit?) — is still addressed to every human being in every age: will you surrender to the One God?
فَإِن تَوَلَّوْا فَقُلْ آذَنتُكُمْ عَلَىٰ سَوَاءٍ ۖ وَإِنْ أَدْرِي أَقَرِيبٌ أَم بَعِيدٌ مَّا تُوعَدُونَ
Fa-in tawallū fa-qul ādhantukum ʿalā sawāʾ, wa-in adrī a-qarībun am baʿīdun mā tūʿadūn
"If they turn away, say: 'I have warned you all equally — and I do not know whether what you are promised is near or far.'" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:109
Translation: If they turn away and refuse to submit, then say: "I have given you all equal warning — the message has been conveyed to each of you without any distinction. And I myself do not know whether what you are promised — the Hour, the punishment — is near or distant."
Commentary: The prophetic duty is fulfilled: equal conveyance to all, without favour or discrimination. The knowledge of when the promised events will arrive belongs only to Allah; the Prophetﷺis not given the time. This is both a model of prophetic humility and a divine reminder that the timing of the Hour is among the matters of the unseen (ghayb) known only to Allah. Preparation, not calculation of timing, is what is required.
إِنَّهُ يَعْلَمُ الْجَهْرَ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا تَكْتُمُونَ
Innahu yaʿlamu-l-jahra mina-l-qawli wa-yaʿlamu mā taktumūn
"Indeed He knows the open speech and He knows what you conceal." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:110
Translation: Indeed Allah knows every word you speak aloud — however you call or cry or declare — and He knows whatever you conceal in the depths of your hearts and keep hidden.
Commentary: Divine omniscience encompasses both the spoken word and the hidden intention. Nothing is beyond His knowledge — neither the public proclamation nor the secret thought, neither the declared stance nor the veiled agenda. This is both a warning to those who plot against the truth and a reassurance to those who are sincere: Allah sees their sincerity even when others cannot.
وَإِنْ أَدْرِي لَعَلَّهُ فِتْنَةٌ لَّكُمْ وَمَتَاعٌ إِلَىٰ حِينٍ
Wa-in adrī laʿallahu fitnatun lakum wa-matāʿun ilā ḥīn
"And I do not know — perhaps it is a trial for you, and enjoyment for a while." — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:111
Translation: And I do not know — perhaps this delay in the promised punishment is itself a trial (fitna) for you, and a period of temporary enjoyment until an appointed time.
Commentary: The prolongation of this world's comforts for the heedless is itself a trial: it may lead them deeper into heedlessness. The enjoyment is real but bounded — matāʿun ilā ḥīn (enjoyment until a fixed time). Nothing in this world is without a term. The apparent delay of divine retribution should not be read as divine indifference; it is itself part of the divine testing.
قَالَ رَبِّ احْكُم بِالْحَقِّ ۗ وَرَبُّنَا الرَّحْمَٰنُ الْمُسْتَعَانُ عَلَىٰ مَا تَصِفُونَ
Qāla rabbi-ḥkum bi-l-ḥaqqi wa-rabbunā-l-raḥmānu-l-mustaʿānu ʿalā mā taṣifūn
"He said: 'My Lord, judge with truth! And our Lord, the Most Merciful, is the One Whose help is sought against what you describe.'" — al-Anbiyāʾ 21:112
Translation: The Prophetﷺprays and says: "My Lord, render Your judgement with truth — between me and those who deny. Separate right from wrong, and vindicate the truth." And our Lord is al-Raḥmān — the Most Merciful — the One Whose aid is sought against all the false things they describe and attribute.
Commentary: The Sūra closes with the Prophet'sﷺduʿāʾ — his appeal to Allah for the judgement of Truth. The Prophetﷺdoes not seek personal revenge or worldly triumph; he seeks the vindication of Truth itself: ḥkum bi-l-ḥaqq. And he names his Lord as al-Raḥmān — the boundlessly Merciful — and al-Mustaʿān (the One Whose help is sought). The final word of the Sūra — taṣifūn (what you describe) — returns to the opening charge against the disbelievers: all their false descriptions of Allah, all their false attributions, are the target of this final prayer. The One Who is above all description, Who transcends all human characterisation, is the same One Whose mercy encompasses all the worlds through the Prophet Muḥammadﷺ.
End of Sūrat al-Anbiyāʾ — Sūra 21
Sūrat al-Anbiyāʾ was revealed in Mecca. It contains one hundred and twelve āyāt and seven rukūʿ.