Sūrat al-Shuʿarāʾ

سورۃ الشعراء

Sūrat al-Shuʿarāʾ (The Poets) — Sūra 26, Makkan, 227 verses, 11 sections (rukūʿ).

This sūra was revealed in Makkah in its entirety. It contains two of the disconnected letters (ḥurūf al-muqaṭṭaʿāt). The letters Ṭā Sīn Mīm — some scholars hold that these are to be recited as individual letters; others maintain they have been subsumed into the names of those letters. These are among the muqaṭṭaʿāt, the mysterious abbreviated letters of the Qurʾān, whose full meaning is known only to Allāh.

طسم

Ṭā Sīn Mīm

Translation: Ṭā Sīn Mīm.

Commentary: These are among the muqaṭṭaʿāt (disconnected letters) with which several sūras of the Qurʾān open. Their precise meaning belongs to the knowledge of Allāh Most High. They serve as a reminder that this Qurʾān, though composed of the very letters that the Arabs use daily, is beyond their power to imitate.

تِلْكَ آيَاتُ الْكِتَابِ الْمُبِينِ

Tilka āyātu l-kitābi l-mubīn

These are the verses of the clear Book.

Translation: These are the verses of the manifest Book. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:2)

Commentary: The Qurʾān is called al-kitāb al-mubīn — the Book that makes things plain and is itself plain. It clarifies the truth from falsehood, guidance from misguidance.

لَعَلَّكَ بَاخِعٌ نَّفْسَكَ أَلَّا يَكُونُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ

Laʿallaka bākhiʿun nafsaka allā yakūnū muʾminīn

Perhaps you, [O Muḥammad], would kill yourself with grief that they will not be believers.

Translation: Perhaps you are going to destroy yourself with grief because they will not become believers. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:3)

Commentary: The Prophet Muḥammadﷺwas so deeply grieved by the stubborn disbelief of his people that Allāh consoles him here. The word bākhiʿ means to destroy oneself with excessive sorrow. This verse expresses the immense compassion of the Prophetﷺfor his community — he longed for their guidance to such a degree that his grief over their rejection was like a mortal wound. The believer is counselled not to despair over the guidance of others, for Allāh alone guides whom He wills.

إِن نَّشَأْ نُنَزِّلْ عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ آيَةً فَظَلَّتْ أَعْنَاقُهُمْ لَهَا خَاضِعِينَ

In nashāʾ nunazzil ʿalayhim mina l-samāʾi āyatan fa-ẓallat aʿnāquhum lahā khāḍiʿīn

If We willed, We could send down upon them from the sky a sign, before which their necks would remain humbled.

Translation: If We wished, We could send down upon them from the sky a sign before which their necks would bow in submission. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:4)

Commentary: Allāh Most High declares that were He to will it, He could compel every human being to submit through an overwhelming sign. But He has established the way of the world (sunnat Allāh) as a test: faith must come through willing acceptance, not coercion.

وَمَا يَأْتِيهِم مِّن ذِكْرٍ مِّنَ الرَّحْمَٰنِ مُحْدَثٍ إِلَّا كَانُوا عَنْهُ مُعْرِضِينَ

Wa-mā yaʾtīhim min dhikrin mina l-raḥmāni muḥdathin illā kānū ʿanhu muʿriḍīn

And no fresh reminder comes to them from the Most Merciful but that they turn away from it.

Translation: Whenever a new reminder from the Most Merciful comes to them, they turn away from it. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:5)

Commentary: The disbelievers of Makkah had made ingratitude a habit. Every renewed revelation, every fresh reminder of Allāh's mercy, only met with their heedless turning away. This is the nature of a heart that has hardened: even the most luminous signs fail to penetrate it.

فَقَدْ كَذَّبُوا فَسَيَأْتِيهِمْ أَنبَاءُ مَا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ

Fa-qad kadhdhabū fa-sayaʾtīhim anbāʾu mā kānū bihi yastahziʾūn

They have already denied, so there will come to them the news of that which they used to ridicule.

Translation: They have denied, and there shall come to them the tidings of what they used to mock. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:6)

Commentary: Those who mocked the Messengerﷺand denied the Qurʾān will soon learn the consequences of their ridicule. The "tidings" (anbāʾ) refers to the punishment that will overtake them, both in this world and in the Hereafter.

أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا إِلَى الْأَرْضِ كَمْ أَنبَتْنَا فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ زَوْجٍ كَرِيمٍ

A-wa-lam yaraw ilā l-arḍi kam anbatnā fīhā min kulli zawjin karīm

Have they not looked at the earth — how much We have produced therein of every noble kind?

Translation: Have they not looked at the earth — how many noble pairs of plants We have caused to grow therein? (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:7)

Commentary: Allāh Most High draws attention to the earth's bounty as a sign of His power and lordship. Every species of growing thing — trees, grains, flowers — comes in pairs, male and female. This variety and beauty is itself an argument against those who deny the Creator.

إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَةً ۖ وَمَا كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

Inna fī dhālika la-āyatan wa-mā kāna aktharuhum muʾminīn

Indeed in that is a sign, but most of them were not to be believers.

Translation: Indeed in this there is a clear sign, yet most of them were not believers. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:8)

Commentary: The signs of Allāh's creative power are manifest for all to see, yet the majority persisted in unbelief. This is not because the proofs are insufficient, but because willful blindness prevents recognition.

وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ

Wa-inna rabbaka la-huwa l-ʿazīzu l-raḥīm

And indeed, your Lord — He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful.

Translation: And indeed your Lord — He is the Almighty, the Most Merciful. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:9)

Commentary: Al-ʿAzīz (the Almighty) — He is never overcome; al-Raḥīm (the Most Merciful) — despite the transgressions of human beings, His mercy encompasses all. These two attributes appear repeatedly as a refrain throughout this sūra, following each prophetic narrative, reminding us that divine power and divine mercy are never in conflict.

The Story of Mūsā (upon him be peace) and Pharaoh

وَإِذْ نَادَىٰ رَبُّكَ مُوسَىٰ أَنِ ائْتِ الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ

Wa-idh nādā rabbuka mūsā ani-ʾti l-qawma l-ẓālimīn

And [mention] when your Lord called Mūsā: "Go to the wrongdoing people —"

Translation: And recall when your Lord called Mūsā: "Go to the wrongdoing people." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:10)

Commentary: Allāh Most High addressed Mūsā (upon him be peace) with a direct divine call and commanded him to go to the people of Pharaoh. The name al-qawm al-ẓālimūn — the wrongdoing people — indicates that their oppression of the Children of Israel had reached such a degree that it demanded prophetic intervention.

قَوْمَ فِرْعَوْنَ ۖ أَلَا يَتَّقُونَ

Qawma firʿawna a-lā yattaqūn

The people of Pharaoh — will they not fear [Allāh]?

Translation: The people of Pharaoh — will they not fear [Allāh]? (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:11)

Commentary: The question is rhetorical — a divine rebuke at the shamelessness of a people who, despite witnessing so many signs, had no fear of Allāh.

قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي أَخَافُ أَن يُكَذِّبُونِ

Qāla rabbi innī akhāfu an yukadhdhibūn

He said, "My Lord, indeed I fear that they will deny me."

Translation: He said: "My Lord! I fear that they will deny me." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:12)

Commentary: Mūsā (upon him be peace) expressed to Allāh his human apprehension — not from cowardice, but from a recognition of the enormity of the task. This is the conduct of the prophets: they confide their fears to Allāh alone.

وَيَضِيقُ صَدْرِي وَلَا يَنطَلِقُ لِسَانِي فَأَرْسِلْ إِلَىٰ هَارُونَ

Wa-yaḍīqu ṣadrī wa-lā yanṭaliqu lisānī fa-arsil ilā hārūn

"And my breast tightens, and my tongue is not fluent, so send for Hārūn."

Translation: "And my heart constricts, and my tongue is not free in speech, so send for Hārūn [to accompany me]." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:13)

Commentary: Mūsā (upon him be peace) acknowledged his limitation of speech — a slight impediment in his tongue — and requested that his brother Hārūn (upon him be peace) be appointed alongside him as a prophet and helper, so that together they could convey the divine message more effectively.

وَلَهُمْ عَلَيَّ ذَنبٌ فَأَخَافُ أَن يَقْتُلُونِ

Wa-lahum ʿalayya dhanbun fa-akhāfu an yaqtulūn

"And they have upon me a [claim of] sin, so I fear they will kill me."

Translation: "And they hold a grievance against me, so I fear they will kill me." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:14)

Commentary: Mūsā (upon him be peace) feared that Pharaoh would use the old incident — the accidental killing of an Egyptian — as a pretext to execute him before he could deliver the divine message. This was a legitimate concern, not an expression of cowardice, for a prophet must consider the practical means of fulfilling his mission.

قَالَ كَلَّا ۖ فَاذْهَبَا بِآيَاتِنَا ۖ إِنَّا مَعَكُم مُّسْتَمِعُونَ

Qāla kallā fa-dh-habā bi-āyātinā innā maʿakum mustāmiʿūn

He said, "No. Go, both of you, with Our signs; indeed, We are with you, listening."

Translation: He said: "No, by no means. Go, both of you, with Our signs — We shall be with you, hearing all." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:15)

Commentary: Allāh Most High dismissed Mūsā's fears with a single word of divine reassurance: kallā — "no, not at all." He then commanded both Mūsā and Hārūn (upon them both be peace) to go to Pharaoh armed with the divine signs, assuring them of His constant presence and awareness. This divine accompaniment (maʿīyya) is among the greatest honours bestowed upon the prophets.

فَأْتِيَا فِرْعَوْنَ فَقُولَا إِنَّا رَسُولُ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

Fa-ʾtiyā firʿawna fa-qūlā innā rasūlu rabbi l-ʿālamīn

"Go to Pharaoh and say, 'We are the messenger of the Lord of the worlds.'"

Translation: "Go to Pharaoh and say: We are the messengers of the Lord of all the worlds." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:16)

Commentary: The title Rabb al-ʿālamīn — the Lord of all the worlds — was specifically chosen to confront Pharaoh's claim to divinity. Pharaoh had declared anā rabbukum al-aʿlā ("I am your highest lord"), and the very title used here demolishes that pretension.

أَنْ أَرْسِلْ مَعَنَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ

An arsil maʿanā banī isrāʾīl

"[Saying], 'Send with us the Children of Israel.'"

Translation: "[Tell him:] Send the Children of Israel with us." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:17)

Commentary: The primary demand of Mūsā (upon him be peace) was the liberation of the Children of Israel from the bondage of Pharaoh. This was the core of his prophetic mission — to free an enslaved people and lead them toward the worship of the one true God.

قَالَ أَلَمْ نُرَبِّكَ فِينَا وَلِيدًا وَلَبِثْتَ فِينَا مِنْ عُمُرِكَ سِنِينَ

Qāla a-lam nurabbika fīnā walīdan wa-labithta fīnā min ʿumurika sinīn

[Pharaoh] said, "Did we not raise you among us as a child, and you remained among us for years of your life?"

Translation: [Pharaoh] said: "Did we not raise you among us as an infant, and did you not live among us for years of your life?" (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:18)

Commentary: Pharaoh attempted to silence Mūsā (upon him be peace) by invoking the debt of upbringing — reminding him that he had been raised in his palace as a child. This was a political tactic to diminish the moral authority of the prophet and to suggest ingratitude.

وَفَعَلْتَ فَعْلَتَكَ الَّتِي فَعَلْتَ وَأَنتَ مِنَ الْكَافِرِينَ

Wa-faʿalta faʿlataka l-latī faʿalta wa-anta mina l-kāfirīn

"And you did your deed which you did, and you were of the ungrateful."

Translation: "And you did that deed which you did, and you are of the ungrateful." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:19)

Commentary: Pharaoh referred to the killing of the Egyptian as an act of ingratitude (kufr al-niʿma). He sought to combine moral reproach with a criminal charge.

قَالَ فَعَلْتُهَا إِذًا وَأَنَا مِنَ الضَّالِّينَ

Qāla faʿaltu-hā idhan wa-anā mina l-ḍāllīn

He said, "I did it then, while I was of those astray."

Translation: [Mūsā] said: "I did it then, while I was among those who erred." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:20)

Commentary: Mūsā (upon him be peace) acknowledged the act with perfect honesty and described himself at that time as being among al-ḍāllīn — those in a state of unawareness or unintended error. This does not mean he was a disbeliever or a sinner; rather, the prophets are held to the highest standards, and the description reflects his deep humility and self-accounting. Note well: the intention to kill was never present; a single unintentional blow in defence of an oppressed person resulted in an unintended death. There was no premeditated intent to harm (qaṣd). The impeccability (ʿiṣma) of the prophets is preserved. From this incident until his prophethood, Mūsā (upon him be peace) lived in a state of sincere piety.

وَتِلْكَ نِعْمَةٌ تَمُنُّهَا عَلَيَّ أَنْ عَبَّدتَّ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ

Wa-tilka niʿmatun tamunn-uhā ʿalayya an ʿabbadta banī isrāʾīl

"And is this a favor of which you remind me — that you have enslaved the Children of Israel?"

Translation: "And is that the favour you mention — that you enslaved the Children of Israel?" (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:22)

Commentary: Mūsā (upon him be peace) turned the argument with consummate eloquence: the "favour" of his upbringing was rendered meaningless by the enormous crime of enslaving an entire people. How can one speak of upbringing a single child as a benefaction while simultaneously subjugating an entire nation?

قَالَ فِرْعَوْنُ وَمَا رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ

Qāla firʿawnu wa-mā rabbu l-ʿālamīn

Pharaoh said, "And what is the Lord of the worlds?"

Translation: Pharaoh said: "And what is the Lord of all the worlds?" (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:23)

Commentary: Having been silenced on the personal level, Pharaoh shifted to theological defiance, demanding a description of the Lord whose messenger Mūsā claimed to be. His question — wa-mā (what is?) rather than man (who is?) — reflects the crudeness of materialist thinking: he could not conceive of a deity that was not physical.

قَالَ رَبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا ۖ إِن كُنتُم مُّوقِنِينَ

Qāla rabbu l-samāwāti wa-l-arḍi wa-mā baynahumā in kuntum mūqinīn

[Mūsā] said, "Lord of the heavens and earth and that between them, if you would be certain."

Translation: [Mūsā] said: "The Lord of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them — if only you would be certain." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:24)

Commentary: Mūsā (upon him be peace) answered with a description of divine lordship that encompasses all of existence. The conditional clause — "if you would be certain" — is a gentle invitation to sincere reflection, suggesting that certainty is available to those who seek it with open hearts.

Pharaoh then turned mockingly to those around him: "Do you not hear?" And Mūsā (upon him be peace) continued:

قَالَ رَبُّكُمْ وَرَبُّ آبَائِكُمُ الْأَوَّلِينَ

Qāla rabbukum wa-rabbu ābāʾikumu l-awwalīn

[Mūsā] said, "Your Lord and the Lord of your first forefathers."

Translation: [Mūsā] said: "He is your Lord and the Lord of your ancient forefathers." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:26)

Commentary: Mūsā (upon him be peace) now appealed to the continuity of creation — every generation, including all of Pharaoh's own ancestors, was subject to the Lord of the worlds.

قَالَ إِنَّ رَسُولَكُمُ الَّذِي أُرْسِلَ إِلَيْكُمْ لَمَجْنُونٌ

Qāla inna rasūlakumu l-ladhī ursila ilaykum la-majnūn

[Pharaoh] said, "Indeed, your 'messenger' who has been sent to you is mad."

Translation: [Pharaoh] said: "Truly your messenger who has been sent to you is insane." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:27)

Commentary: Unable to answer the argument, Pharaoh resorted to the oldest device of those who reject prophets: labelling them mad. This same accusation was levelled against every prophet, and especially against the Prophet Muḥammadﷺ. It is the mark of a desperate opponent.

قَالَ رَبُّ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا ۖ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ

Qāla rabbu l-mashriqi wa-l-maghribi wa-mā baynahumā in kuntum taʿqilūn

[Mūsā] said, "Lord of the East and the West and that between them, if you would use reason."

Translation: [Mūsā] said: "The Lord of the East and the West and all between them — if you would but reason." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:28)

Commentary: Mūsā (upon him be peace) met the charge of madness with yet another manifestation of divine mastery — the movement of the sun, the alternation of day and night, the breadth of the visible world. Reason itself testifies to this Lord; those who deny Him are not sane but blinded.

قَالَ لَئِنِ اتَّخَذْتَ إِلَٰهًا غَيْرِي لَأَجْعَلَنَّكَ مِنَ الْمَسْجُونِينَ

Qāla la-ini ttakhadhta ilāhan ghayri la-ajʿalannaka mina l-masjūnīn

[Pharaoh] said, "If you take a god other than me, I will surely put you among those imprisoned."

Translation: [Pharaoh] said: "If you take any god other than me, I will certainly imprison you." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:29)

Commentary: Defeated in argument, Pharaoh turned to naked coercion — the classic response of tyrants throughout history. When reason fails them, they resort to the dungeon. Al-masjūnīn — those kept in prison (masjūn: one who is imprisoned).

قَالَ أَوَلَوْ جِئْتُكَ بِشَيْءٍ مُّبِينٍ

Qāla a-wa-law jiʾtuka bi-shayʾin mubīn

[Mūsā] said, "Even if I brought you something convincing?"

Translation: [Mūsā] said: "Even if I bring you something clear and manifest?" (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:30)

Commentary: Mūsā (upon him be peace) was undaunted by the threat of imprisonment, for his mission came from One infinitely greater than Pharaoh. He offered to present an irrefutable proof.

قَالَ فَأْتِ بِهِ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ

Qāla fa-ʾti bihi in kunta mina l-ṣādiqīn

[Pharaoh] said, "Then bring it, if you should be of the truthful."

Translation: [Pharaoh] said: "Bring it, then, if you are telling the truth." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:31)

Commentary: Pharaoh's challenge opened the door for the manifestation of two of the greatest miracles in prophetic history.

فَأَلْقَىٰ عَصَاهُ فَإِذَا هِيَ ثُعْبَانٌ مُّبِينٌ

Fa-alqā ʿaṣāhu fa-idhā hiya thuʿbānun mubīn

So [Mūsā] threw his staff, and immediately it was a manifest serpent.

Translation: So he threw his staff, and at once it became a manifest serpent. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:32)

Commentary: Without hesitation, Mūsā (upon him be peace) cast his staff and it transformed instantly into a great snake — thuʿbān mubīn, a large, clearly visible serpent, manifest for all present to see.

وَنَزَعَ يَدَهُ فَإِذَا هِيَ بَيْضَاءُ لِلنَّاظِرِينَ

Wa-nazaʿa yadahu fa-idhā hiya bayḍāʾu li-l-nāẓirīn

And he drew out his hand; thereupon it was white [with radiance] to the observers.

Translation: And he drew his hand [from his garment], and behold, it was white with brilliant radiance for all who beheld. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:33)

Commentary: The second miracle: Mūsā (upon him be peace) withdrew his hand from his garment and it shone with a luminous, dazzling white light — not the whiteness of disease (barāṣ), but a miraculous radiance, a divine light visible to all observers. These two miracles — the staff and the luminous hand — together constituted a comprehensive sign: mastery over the animal world and mastery over light itself.

قَالَ لِلْمَلَإِ حَوْلَهُ إِنَّ هَٰذَا لَسَاحِرٌ عَلِيمٌ

Qāla li-l-malaʾi ḥawlahu inna hādhā la-sāḥirun ʿalīm

[Pharaoh] said to the eminent ones around him, "Indeed, this is a learned sorcerer."

Translation: [Pharaoh] said to the nobles around him: "This is indeed a most skilled sorcerer." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:34)

Commentary: Pharaoh could not deny what his eyes had seen, so he reframed it as sorcery. This was a calculated political move — if he could convince the court that Mūsā was merely a magician, he could neutralize his influence by calling in counter-magicians.

قَالُوا أَرْجِهْ وَأَخَاهُ وَابْعَثْ فِي الْمَدَائِنِ حَاشِرِينَ

Qālū arjih wa-akhāhu wa-bʿath fī l-madāʾini ḥāshirīn

They said, "Postpone [the matter of] him and his brother and send among the cities gatherers."

Translation: They said: "Keep him and his brother waiting, and dispatch gatherers throughout the cities." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:36)

Commentary: Pharaoh's advisers counselled delay — strategic postponement while mobilizing resources. They proposed sending agents throughout Egypt's cities to assemble the most skilled sorcerers.

يَأْتُوكَ بِكُلِّ سَحَّارٍ عَلِيمٍ

Yaʾtūka bi-kulli saḥḥārin ʿalīm

"To bring you every learned, skilled sorcerer."

Translation: "To bring to you every highly skilled and accomplished sorcerer." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:37)

Commentary: The word saḥḥār (intensified form) denotes a sorcerer of exceptional mastery. Egypt was at that time famed for its arts of magic, and Pharaoh drew upon the full resources of the state to oppose a single prophet of Allāh.

فَجُمِعَ السَّحَرَةُ لِمِيقَاتِ يَوْمٍ مَّعْلُومٍ

Fa-jumiʿa l-saḥaratu li-mīqāti yawmin maʿlūm

So the sorcerers were assembled for the appointment of a well-known day.

Translation: Then the sorcerers were gathered for the appointed time on a designated day. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:38)

Commentary: The confrontation was set for a public holiday — perhaps the day of a festival — so that the maximum number of people could witness it, and so that Pharaoh's presumed victory would be as spectacular as possible.

وَقِيلَ لِلنَّاسِ هَلْ أَنتُم مُّجْتَمِعُونَ

Wa-qīla li-l-nāsi hal antum mujtamiʿūn

And it was said to the people, "Will you congregate?"

Translation: And it was proclaimed to the people: "Will you all assemble?" (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:39)

Commentary: A public announcement was made, calling all citizens to witness the contest.

لَعَلَّنَا نَتَّبِعُ السَّحَرَةَ إِن كَانُوا هُمُ الْغَالِبِينَ

Laʿallanā nattabiʿu l-saḥarata in kānū humu l-ghālibīn

"So that we might follow the sorcerers if they are the predominant."

Translation: "So that we may follow the sorcerers, if they should prove victorious." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:40)

Commentary: The crowd was invited on the implicit understanding that the expected outcome was the defeat of Mūsā (upon him be peace). The sorcerers were the establishment's champions, and their victory was assumed.

فَلَمَّا جَاءَ السَّحَرَةُ قَالُوا لِفِرْعَوْنَ أَئِنَّ لَنَا لَأَجْرًا إِن كُنَّا نَحْنُ الْغَالِبِينَ

Fa-lammā jāʾa l-saḥaratu qālū li-firʿawna a-inna lanā la-ajran in kunnā naḥnu l-ghālibīn

And when the sorcerers arrived, they said to Pharaoh, "Is there indeed a reward for us if we are the predominant?"

Translation: When the sorcerers arrived, they said to Pharaoh: "Will there be a reward for us if we prevail?" (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:41)

Commentary: The sorcerers came as mercenaries, their loyalty tied to material reward. This detail reveals the hollowness of Pharaoh's support — bought and paid for, not principled.

قَالَ نَعَمْ وَإِنَّكُمْ إِذًا لَّمِنَ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ

Qāla naʿam wa-innakum idhan la-mina l-muqarrabīn

He said, "Yes, and indeed you will then be of those made near [to me]."

Translation: He said: "Yes, and you will then be of those brought close [to the court]." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:42)

Commentary: Pharaoh promised not only payment but proximity to power — elevation to the rank of courtiers. Such was the currency of tyranny: access to the inner circle in exchange for service.

قَالَ لَهُم مُّوسَىٰ أَلْقُوا مَا أَنتُم مُّلْقُونَ

Qāla lahum mūsā alqū mā antum mulqūn

[Mūsā] said to them, "Throw whatever you are going to throw."

Translation: Mūsā (upon him be peace) said to them: "Cast whatever you are going to cast." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:43)

Commentary: With serene confidence, Mūsā (upon him be peace) invited the sorcerers to go first. This composure came from his certainty in divine support.

فَأَلْقَوْا حِبَالَهُمْ وَعِصِيَّهُمْ وَقَالُوا بِعِزَّةِ فِرْعَوْنَ إِنَّا لَنَحْنُ الْغَالِبُونَ

Fa-alqaw ḥibālahum wa-ʿiṣiyyahum wa-qālū bi-ʿizzati firʿawna innā la-naḥnu l-ghālibūn

So they threw their ropes and their staffs and said, "By the might of Pharaoh, indeed we will be the victors."

Translation: Then they threw their ropes and their staffs and said: "By the might of Pharaoh, we shall surely be victorious." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:44)

Commentary: Their invocation was of Pharaoh's glory rather than Allāh's — a telling indicator of the spiritual emptiness of their cause. The ropes and staffs, treated with compounds of mercury and similar materials, writhed like serpents in the heat of the sun.

فَأَلْقَىٰ مُوسَىٰ عَصَاهُ فَإِذَا هِيَ تَلْقَفُ مَا يَأْفِكُونَ

Fa-alqā mūsā ʿaṣāhu fa-idhā hiya talqafu mā yaʾfikūn

Then Mūsā threw his staff, and at once it devoured what they falsely presented.

Translation: Then Mūsā (upon him be peace) threw his staff, and at once it swallowed up all their fabrications. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:45)

Commentary: The snake of Mūsā (upon him be peace) consumed everything the sorcerers had produced. The word yaʾfikūn (what they fabricated/falsified) indicates that their performance was a deliberate deception — they knew it was illusion. The miracle of Mūsā (upon him be peace) was real; theirs was counterfeit.

The sorcerers were deeply moved by what they witnessed. They recognized immediately that this was no human art:

فَأُلْقِيَ السَّحَرَةُ سَاجِدِينَ

Fa-ulqiya l-saḥaratu sājidīn

And the sorcerers fell down in prostration [to Allāh].

Translation: Then the sorcerers fell down in prostration. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:46)

Commentary: Their instantaneous prostration was itself miraculous. Those who came as opponents became, in an instant, witnesses. Professional practitioners of occult arts, they knew better than anyone that what Mūsā's staff had done was beyond the power of any human magic. Their expertise became the very instrument of their recognition.

قَالُوا آمَنَّا بِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

Qālū āmannā bi-rabbi l-ʿālamīn

They said, "We have believed in the Lord of the worlds."

Translation: They said: "We believe in the Lord of all the worlds." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:47)

Commentary: Their declaration of faith was immediate, public, and courageous. They had everything to lose — the promised rewards of Pharaoh, their high status — and they surrendered all of it for truth.

رَبِّ مُوسَىٰ وَهَارُونَ

Rabbi mūsā wa-hārūn

"The Lord of Mūsā and Hārūn."

Translation: "The Lord of Mūsā and Hārūn." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:48)

Commentary: They specified the Lord of Mūsā and Hārūn (upon them both be peace) to make clear that they were not accepting any of the gods of Egypt, but the God of the prophets.

قَالَ آمَنتُمْ لَهُ قَبْلَ أَن آذَنَ لَكُمْ ۖ إِنَّهُ لَكَبِيرُكُمُ الَّذِي عَلَّمَكُمُ السِّحْرَ فَلَسَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ

Qāla āmantum lahu qabla an ādhana lakum innahu la-kabīrukumu l-ladhī ʿallamakumu l-siḥra fa-la-sawfa taʿlamūn

[Pharaoh] said: "You believed him before I gave you permission? Indeed, he is the greatest of you — he who taught you magic. So you will surely know."

Translation: [Pharaoh] said: "You believed in him before I gave you permission? He is surely your master who taught you sorcery. You will soon come to know [the consequences]." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:49)

Commentary: Pharaoh's response reveals his utter desperation. He fabricated the absurd claim that Mūsā (upon him be peace) was himself the chief sorcerer who had taught the others — this conspiracy theory had no basis but served to deflect the devastating public spectacle of his sorcerers' mass conversion.

لَأُقَطِّعَنَّ أَيْدِيَكُمْ وَأَرْجُلَكُم مِّنْ خِلَافٍ وَلَأُصَلِّبَنَّكُمْ

La-uqaṭṭiʿanna aydiyakum wa-arjulakum min khilāfin wa-la-uṣallibannakum

"I will surely cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides, and I will surely crucify you."

Translation: "I will cut off your hands and feet on alternate sides, and I will crucify you all." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:49)

Commentary: Pharaoh threatened a gruesome punishment: amputation of the right hand with the left foot, or the left hand with the right foot (min khilāf, i.e., from alternate sides), and crucifixion. The sorcerers' courageous response to this threat is among the most inspiring passages in the Qurʾān.

قَالُوا لَا ضَيْرَ ۖ إِنَّا إِلَىٰ رَبِّنَا مُنقَلِبُونَ

Qālū lā ḍayra innā ilā rabbinā munqalibūn

They said, "No harm. Indeed, to our Lord we will return."

Translation: They said: "No matter! We are returning to our Lord." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:50)

Commentary: Lā ḍayr — "no harm," "it does not harm us" — is the reply of souls who have tasted the sweetness of faith and for whom no earthly threat can outweigh the joy of divine nearness. Their courage is a model for all believers in all ages.

إِنَّا نَطْمَعُ أَن يَغْفِرَ لَنَا رَبُّنَا خَطَايَانَا أَن كُنَّا أَوَّلَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

Innā naṭmaʿu an yaghfira lanā rabbunā khaṭāyānā an kunnā awwala l-muʾminīn

"Indeed, we aspire that our Lord will forgive us our sins because we were the first of the believers."

Translation: "We hope that our Lord will forgive us our sins, for we are the first to believe." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:51)

Commentary: Their hope (ṭamaʿ) was grounded in the honour of having been the first to publicly declare faith in Mūsā and Hārūn (upon them both be peace). The awwалiyyа — the precedence in faith — is itself a cause of divine mercy.

وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَىٰ مُوسَىٰ أَنْ أَسْرِ بِعِبَادِي إِنَّكُم مُّتَّبَعُونَ

Wa-awḥaynā ilā mūsā an asri bi-ʿibādī innakum muttabaʿūn

And We revealed to Mūsā: "Travel by night with My servants; indeed, you will be followed."

Translation: And We revealed to Mūsā: "Set out by night with My servants — you will indeed be pursued." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:52)

Commentary: After the confrontation, Allāh Most High commanded Mūsā (upon him be peace) to lead the Children of Israel out of Egypt under the cover of night. They were heading toward the Promised Land of Canaan. Muttabaʿūn — "you will be followed" — was a forewarning that Pharaoh's army would give chase.

فَأَرْسَلَ فِرْعَوْنُ فِي الْمَدَائِنِ حَاشِرِينَ

Fa-arsala firʿawnu fī l-madāʾini ḥāshirīn

Then Pharaoh sent throughout the cities gatherers.

Translation: Then Pharaoh dispatched throughout the cities his mobilizers. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:53)

Commentary: Upon discovering that the Children of Israel had departed, Pharaoh mobilized a massive army from across Egypt's cities.

إِنَّ هَٰؤُلَاءِ لَشِرْذِمَةٌ قَلِيلُونَ

Inna hāʾulāʾi la-shirdhibatun qalīlūn

"Indeed, those [Israelites] are but a small band."

Translation: "[Saying:] These are but a small and contemptible band." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:54)

Commentary: Pharaoh minimized and belittled his quarry, portraying the Children of Israel as an insignificant rabble — a rhetorical stratagem to justify sending a massive army against them and to dismiss any fear of their divine backing.

وَإِنَّهُمْ لَنَا لَغَائِظُونَ

Wa-innahum lanā la-ghāʾiẓūn

"And indeed, they are enraging us."

Translation: "And they have infuriated us." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:55)

Commentary: Pharaoh's anger at the escape of his enslaved workforce betrays the economic and psychological dependency of the tyrant on the oppressed.

وَإِنَّا لَجَمِيعٌ حَاذِرُونَ

Wa-innā la-jamīʿun ḥādhirūn

"And indeed we are a cautious multitude."

Translation: "And we are a fully armed and vigilant force." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:56)

Commentary: Pharaoh presented his army as prepared and formidable — yet all this human preparation was about to be nullified by a single divine act.

The Israelites reached the Red Sea. Pharaoh's army appeared behind them. The people of Mūsā were overcome with terror:

فَلَمَّا تَرَاءَى الْجَمْعَانِ قَالَ أَصْحَابُ مُوسَىٰ إِنَّا لَمُدْرَكُونَ

Fa-lammā tarāʾā l-jamʿāni qāla aṣḥābu mūsā innā la-mudrakūn

And when the two groups saw each other, the companions of Mūsā said, "Indeed, we are to be overtaken!"

Translation: When the two hosts came within sight of one another, the companions of Mūsā said: "We are surely going to be caught!" (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:61)

Commentary: The Children of Israel were caught between the sea ahead and Pharaoh's army behind. Their panic was natural — they could see no human escape.

قَالَ كَلَّا ۖ إِنَّ مَعِيَ رَبِّي سَيَهْدِينِ

Qāla kallā inna maʿiya rabbī sa-yahdīn

[Mūsā] said, "No! Indeed, with me is my Lord; He will guide me."

Translation: [Mūsā] said: "By no means! My Lord is with me — He shall guide me." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:62)

Commentary: In one of the most magnificent moments of prophetic certainty in the entire Qurʾān, Mūsā (upon him be peace) responded to the terrified cry of his people with absolute tranquility: kallā — "no, never." His tawakkul (complete reliance on Allāh) was perfect. Where others saw only the sea and the army, he saw only his Lord's guidance.

فَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَىٰ مُوسَىٰ أَنِ اضْرِب بِّعَصَاكَ الْبَحْرَ ۖ فَانفَلَقَ فَكَانَ كُلُّ فِرْقٍ كَالطَّوْدِ الْعَظِيمِ

Fa-awḥaynā ilā mūsā ani ḍrib bi-ʿaṣāka l-baḥra fa-nfalaq fa-kāna kullu firqin ka-l-ṭawdi l-ʿaẓīm

So We revealed to Mūsā: "Strike the sea with your staff," and it parted, and each portion was like a great towering mountain.

Translation: Then We revealed to Mūsā: "Strike the sea with your staff" — and it split asunder, and each portion stood like a mighty mountain. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:63)

Commentary: The parting of the Red Sea (baḥr) is among the greatest miracles recorded in the Qurʾān. Each firq (portion of water) rose up like al-ṭawd al-ʿaẓīm — a great, towering mountain. The sea became a passage of dry land with walls of water on either side, and through this Allāh delivered an entire people from slavery.

وَأَزْلَفْنَا ثَمَّ الْآخَرِينَ

Wa-azlafnā thamma l-ākharīn

And We brought the others near there.

Translation: And We drew the others (Pharaoh's host) to that place. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:64)

Commentary: Allāh caused Pharaoh and his army to enter the very passage that had been opened for Mūsā and his people — drawing them forward to their own destruction.

وَأَنجَيْنَا مُوسَىٰ وَمَن مَّعَهُ أَجْمَعِينَ

Wa-anjayā mūsā wa-man maʿahu ajmaʿīn

And We saved Mūsā and all those with him.

Translation: And We saved Mūsā and all those who were with him. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:65)

Commentary: The liberation was complete and total — every single member of the Children of Israel who had crossed with Mūsā (upon him be peace) was saved.

ثُمَّ أَغْرَقْنَا الْآخَرِينَ

Thumma aghraqnā l-ākharīn

Then We drowned the others.

Translation: Then We drowned the others. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:66)

Commentary: When Pharaoh's army entered the passage, the waters closed over them. Every soldier, every officer, Pharaoh himself — all were drowned. The divine justice is absolute.

إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَةً ۖ وَمَا كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

Inna fī dhālika la-āyatan wa-mā kāna aktharuhum muʾminīn

Indeed in that is a sign, but most of them were not believers.

Translation: Indeed in this there is a mighty sign, yet most of them were not believers. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:67)

Commentary: After recounting one of history's most dramatic divine interventions — the parting of a sea, the destruction of an army — the commentary observes that even such signs do not compel belief in those whose hearts are sealed.

وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ

Wa-inna rabbaka la-huwa l-ʿazīzu l-raḥīm

And indeed, your Lord — He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful.

Translation: And indeed your Lord — He is the Almighty, the Most Merciful. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:68)

Commentary: The refrain returns: al-ʿAzīz — the Almighty who can drown an army and open a sea; al-Raḥīm — the Most Merciful who saves the oppressed and fulfills His promise to the faithful. Each prophetic narrative in this sūra closes with this refrain, as if to say: the same Lord who acted then acts now and always will.

Reflections on the Narrative of Mūsā (upon him be peace)

The story of Mūsā (upon him be peace) is among the most frequently narrated in the Holy Qurʾān. Its eloquence lies in the Qurʾān's extraordinary capacity to render the same essential narrative from different angles, each time illuminating new aspects and drawing different lessons — so that the reader who has heard it many times is never wearied but always renewed in insight. This is not a property of any human composition; it is a mark of divine speech.

The background of the story: soothsayers had informed Pharaoh that a male child would be born among the Children of Israel who would one day destroy Pharaoh's power and liberate the oppressed people. Pharaoh accordingly ordered the killing of all newborn Israelite sons. Allāh Most High mentions this policy: yudhabbihūna abnāʾahum wa-yastaḥyūna nisāʾahum — "they slaughtered their sons and kept their women alive." Yet whatever Allāh wills comes to pass, and no human scheme can alter the divine decree.

Mūsā (upon him be peace) was born at this very time. His mother received divine inspiration (awḥā) — here the word awḥā refers to an inspired prompting (ilhām) placed in her heart, not the full prophethood (waḥy) granted to the prophets. She was instructed to place the infant in a chest and cast it into the Nile. The word awḥā is also used for divine inspiration to the bee: wa-awḥā rabbuka ilā l-naḥl — "and your Lord revealed to the bee" — meaning He placed an instinct in it. So too with the mother of Mūsā: Allāh placed in her heart a certainty and a direction.

The chest floated down the Nile and entered the household of Pharaoh himself — one of the marvels of divine wisdom, that the very man decreed to be destroyed by Mūsā (upon him be peace) should provide his upbringing. Pharaoh's wife saw the infant and was moved to compassion. Mūsā (upon him be peace) grew up in Pharaoh's palace. The Israelites who lived in subjugation around him occasionally quarreled with Pharaoh's men; one Israelite called upon Mūsā (upon him be peace) for help, and in the resulting confrontation Mūsā struck an Egyptian and killed him unintentionally. Fearing that Pharaoh would use this as a pretext to execute him, he fled — travelling until he reached the land of Madyan, where the Prophet Shuʿayb (upon him be peace) resided.

At the well of Madyan, Mūsā (upon him be peace) found two young women waiting to water their flocks. The shepherds would not allow them to draw water until the men had finished. Mūsā (upon him be peace) watered their flock for them. When one of Shuʿayb's daughters came to summon him, Mūsā (upon him be peace) — ever mindful of modesty — told her to walk behind him and indicate the way. When she described him to her father as qawī amīn — strong and trustworthy — Shuʿayb (upon him be peace) recognized the qualities of a worthy son-in-law.

Mūsā (upon him be peace) agreed to serve Shuʿayb (upon him be peace) for eight years, with the option of completing ten. During those years he tended the flocks with devotion, drew water, and served the household with complete loyalty. At the end of this period, Mūsā (upon him be peace) married Ṣaffūrāʾ, the daughter of Shuʿayb (upon him be peace), in a blessed and honourable union.

Mūsā (upon him be peace) grew up in Pharaoh's household. Those who had once been slaves in Egypt now found themselves — through divine arrangement — being nurtured in the very palace of their oppressor, growing strong in the very household of the tyrant. After fulfilling his service with Shuʿayb (upon him be peace), Mūsā (upon him be peace) set out with his family. On the slopes of Mount Sinai, he perceived a fire and went toward it, and there received the first divine address — the beginning of his prophethood. Allāh addressed him and appointed him as prophet, sending him back to the most powerful ruler of his age.

The Story of Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace)

وَاتْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ نَبَأَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ

Wa-utlu ʿalayhim nabaʾa ibrāhīm

And recite to them the news of Ibrāhīm.

Translation: And recite to them the account of Ibrāhīm. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:69)

Commentary: Having completed the narrative of Mūsā (upon him be peace), the sūra now turns to the story of Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace). The sequence of prophetic narratives in this sūra serves the single purpose of consoling the Prophet Muḥammadﷺand confirming the universal pattern of prophethood: truth is always met with resistance, but Allāh always prevails.

إِذْ قَالَ لِأَبِيهِ وَقَوْمِهِ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ

Idh qāla li-abīhi wa-qawmihi mā taʿbudūn

When he said to his father and his people, "What do you worship?"

Translation: When he said to his father and his people: "What is it that you worship?" (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:70)

Commentary: Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) began his mission with the most fundamental question: an inquiry into the nature of their worship. He did not open with condemnation but with a question — the most effective mode of dialogue.

قَالُوا نَعْبُدُ أَصْنَامًا فَنَظَلُّ لَهَا عَاكِفِينَ

Qālū naʿbudu aṣnāman fa-naẓallu lahā ʿākifīn

They said, "We worship idols and remain to them devoted."

Translation: They said: "We worship idols and remain constantly devoted to them." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:71)

Commentary: Their answer was straightforward and self-condemning. They admitted idol worship without shame — custom and ancestral tradition had numbed any capacity for critical reflection.

قَالَ هَلْ يَسْمَعُونَكُمْ إِذْ تَدْعُونَ

Qāla hal yasmaʿūnakum idh tadʿūn

He said, "Do they hear you when you call?"

Translation: He said: "Do they actually hear you when you call upon them?" (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:72)

Commentary: A devastating logical challenge: if the idols cannot hear, what possible value can there be in calling upon them?

أَوْ يَنفَعُونَكُمْ أَوْ يَضُرُّونَ

Aw yanfaʿūnakum aw yaḍurrūn

"Or do they benefit you, or do they harm [you]?"

Translation: "Do they benefit you, or can they even harm you?" (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:73)

Commentary: The criteria for divinity are clear: a god must be able to hear, to benefit, and to harm. These idols fulfilled none of these criteria.

قَالُوا بَلْ وَجَدْنَا آبَاءَنَا كَذَٰلِكَ يَفْعَلُونَ

Qālū bal wajadnā ābāʾanā kadhālika yafʿalūn

They said, "But we found our fathers doing thus."

Translation: They said: "We found our forefathers doing the same." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:74)

Commentary: Having no rational defence, they fell back upon the argument of tradition (taqlīd in the pejorative sense). This is the refuge of those who have never examined their inherited beliefs. Following the ancestors is praiseworthy when those ancestors were guided; it is a stumbling block when they were themselves misguided.

قَالَ أَفَرَأَيْتُم مَّا كُنتُمْ تَعْبُدُونَ

Qāla a-fa-raʾaytum mā kuntum taʿbudūn

He said, "Have you considered what you have been worshipping —"

Translation: [Ibrāhīm] said: "Have you then properly considered what it is you have been worshipping —" (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:75)

أَنتُمْ وَآبَاؤُكُمُ الْأَقْدَمُونَ

Antum wa-ābāʾukumu l-aqdamūn

"— you and your ancient forefathers?"

Translation: "— you and your most ancient forefathers?" (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:76)

Commentary: Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) challenged both the present generation and their entire ancestral tradition. The "ancientness" of a custom does not make it right.

فَإِنَّهُمْ عَدُوٌّ لِّي إِلَّا رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ

Fa-innahum ʿaduwwun lī illā rabba l-ʿālamīn

"For indeed, they are enemies to me, except the Lord of the worlds."

Translation: "For they are all enemies to me — all except the Lord of the worlds." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:77)

Commentary: Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) declared his absolute barāʾa (disavowal) from all false deities. They are his enemies because they mislead and corrupt. He accepted as his Lord only Rabb al-ʿālamīn.

الَّذِي خَلَقَنِي فَهُوَ يَهْدِينِ

Al-ladhī khalaqanī fa-huwa yahdīn

"Who created me, and He [it is who] guides me."

Translation: "He who created me and it is He who guides me." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:78)

Commentary: Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) articulated the logical sequence of monotheism: the One who created me is necessarily the One who guides me. Creation and guidance flow from the same source.

وَالَّذِي هُوَ يُطْعِمُنِي وَيَسْقِينِ

Wa-l-ladhī huwa yuṭʿimanī wa-yasqīn

"And it is He who feeds me and gives me drink."

Translation: "And He who feeds me and gives me to drink." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:79)

Commentary: Sustenance — food and drink — is mentioned as a direct divine gift, reminding us that every morsel we eat and every drop we drink is ultimately from Allāh.

وَإِذَا مَرِضْتُ فَهُوَ يَشْفِينِ

Wa-idhā mariḍtu fa-huwa yashfīn

"And when I am ill, it is He who cures me."

Translation: "And when I fall ill, He cures me." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:80)

Commentary: A beautiful expression of prophetic adab (spiritual courtesy): Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) attributed illness to himself ("when I fall ill") while attributing the cure to Allāh alone ("He cures me"). This is the Qurʾānic ethics of language: all goodness is from Allāh; adversity is described in first person out of courtesy before the divine majesty.

وَالَّذِي يُمِيتُنِي ثُمَّ يُحْيِينِ

Wa-l-ladhī yumītunī thumma yuḥyīn

"And who will cause me to die and then bring me to life."

Translation: "And He who will cause me to die and then bring me back to life." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:81)

Commentary: Death and resurrection are in Allāh's hand alone.

وَالَّذِي أَطْمَعُ أَن يَغْفِرَ لِي خَطِيئَتِي يَوْمَ الدِّينِ

Wa-l-ladhī aṭmaʿu an yaghfira lī khaṭīʾatī yawma l-dīn

"And who I aspire will forgive me my sin on the Day of Recompense."

Translation: "And He in whom I place my hope to forgive my sin on the Day of Judgment." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:82)

Commentary: Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) placed all his hope for forgiveness in Allāh alone. The word aṭmaʿu (I aspire/hope) reflects the Prophet's humility before Allāh — even the Khalīl (intimate friend of God) submitted himself to divine mercy.

رَبِّ هَبْ لِي حُكْمًا وَأَلْحِقْنِي بِالصَّالِحِينَ

Rabbi hab lī ḥukman wa-alḥiqnī bi-l-ṣāliḥīn

"My Lord, grant me authority and join me with the righteous."

Translation: "My Lord, grant me wisdom and join me with the righteous." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:83)

Commentary: Ḥukm here means divine wisdom, discernment, and the authority of prophethood. Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) asked to be counted among al-ṣāliḥīn — the righteous. Even at his station, he sought nearness to the good.

وَاجْعَل لِّي لِسَانَ صِدْقٍ فِي الْآخِرِينَ

Wa-jʿal lī lisāna ṣidqin fī l-ākhirīn

"And grant me a reputation of honor among later generations."

Translation: "And grant me an honourable mention (lisān al-ṣidq) among those who come after." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:84)

Commentary: This supplication was answered: Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) is honoured and loved by billions across the three Abrahamic faiths. His name is invoked in the prayers of Muslims in every ṣalāt (al-ṣalawāt al-ibrāhīmiyya).

وَاجْعَلْنِي مِن وَرَثَةِ جَنَّةِ النَّعِيمِ

Wa-jʿalnī min warathati jannati l-naʿīm

"And place me among the inheritors of the Garden of Pleasure."

Translation: "And make me one of the inheritors of the Garden of Bliss." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:85)

Commentary: The word waratha (inheritance) in the context of Paradise suggests that the Garden is a right granted by Allāh's grace to His servants, not merely a reward earned by deeds — a profound theological point in line with the Ahl al-Sunna understanding that ultimate salvation is by Allāh's mercy.

وَاغْفِرْ لِأَبِي إِنَّهُ كَانَ مِنَ الضَّالِّينَ

Wa-ghfir li-abī innahu kāna mina l-ḍāllīn

"And forgive my father. Indeed, he was of those astray."

Translation: "And forgive my father [or uncle] — indeed he was among those who went astray." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:86)

Commentary: Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) prayed for his father Āzar who had lived in disbelief. He continued to pray for him until it became clear that Āzar had died upon idolatry, at which point Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) disassociated himself from that prayer, as Allāh informs us elsewhere in the Qurʾān. The scholars of Ahl al-Sunna hold that it is not permissible to pray for forgiveness for those who die as disbelievers.

وَلَا تُخْزِنِي يَوْمَ يُبْعَثُونَ

Wa-lā tukhzinī yawma yubʿathūn

"And do not disgrace me on the Day they are resurrected —"

Translation: "And do not disgrace me on the Day of Resurrection." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:87)

Commentary: Al-khizī — disgrace and humiliation. Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) sought refuge from any public humiliation on the Day when all accounts are settled.

يَوْمَ لَا يَنفَعُ مَالٌ وَلَا بَنُونَ

Yawma lā yanfaʿu māl wa-lā banūn

"The Day when neither wealth nor children will avail."

Translation: "The Day when neither wealth nor children will avail." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:88)

Commentary: One of the most sobering verses of the Qurʾān: on the Day of Judgment, the two things that human beings most value in this world — wealth and children — will be of no benefit whatsoever, unless they were used in Allāh's service.

إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى اللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ

Illā man atā llāha bi-qalbin salīm

"Except he who comes to Allāh with a sound heart."

Translation: "Except the one who comes to Allāh with a sound and wholesome heart." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:89)

Commentary: Al-qalb al-salīm — the sound, wholesome, pure heart — is the only currency of value on the Day of Judgment. The scholars define it as a heart free from shirk (association of partners with Allāh), from spiritual diseases such as pride, envy, and rancour, and one that is filled with sincere love and submission to Allāh. This is the goal of taṣawwuf (Islamic spirituality): the purification of the heart (tazkiyat al-nafs) until it becomes salīm.

وَأُزْلِفَتِ الْجَنَّةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ

Wa-uzlifati l-jannatu li-l-muttaqīn

And Paradise will be brought near [that Day] for the righteous.

Translation: And Paradise will be drawn near for the God-fearing. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:90)

Commentary: A beautiful divine generosity: it will not be that the believers walk toward Paradise, but that Paradise itself comes near to them — a mark of divine honour for the muttaqīn (the God-fearing and pious).

وَبُرِّزَتِ الْجَحِيمُ لِلْغَاوِينَ

Wa-burrizati l-jaḥīmu li-l-ghāwīn

And Hellfire will be brought forth for the deviators.

Translation: And the Hellfire will be made manifest for the misguided. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:91)

Commentary: While Paradise comes close to the believers as an honour, the Hellfire is brought forth and exposed for the misguided — a source of terror and shame.

وَقِيلَ لَهُمْ أَيْنَ مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْبُدُونَ

Wa-qīla lahum ayna mā kuntum taʿbudūn

And it will be said to them, "Where are those you used to worship?"

Translation: And it will be said to them: "Where now are those you used to worship?" (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:92)

Commentary: On the Day of Judgment, the idols and false gods that the disbelievers worshipped will have entirely disappeared. The question will be asked as a rebuke: all those devotions, all that worship — where has it led?

مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ هَلْ يَنصُرُونَكُمْ أَوْ يَنتَصِرُونَ

Min dūni llāhi hal yanṣurūnakum aw yantaṣirūn

"[The gods] other than Allāh? Can they help you or help themselves?"

Translation: "Those you worshipped besides Allāh — can they help you or even help themselves?" (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:93)

Commentary: A devastating final proof of the helplessness of false gods: they could not even save themselves, let alone their worshippers.

فَكُبْكِبُوا فِيهَا هُمْ وَالْغَاوُونَ

Fa-kubkibū fīhā hum wa-l-ghāwūn

Then they will be overturned into it, they and the deviators.

Translation: Then they will be hurled headlong into it — they and those who went astray. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:94)

Commentary: The false gods and their worshippers will be thrown together into the Fire — a tragic communion of the deceived and the deceiving.

وَجُنُودُ إِبْلِيسَ أَجْمَعُونَ

Wa-junūdu iblīsa ajmaʿūn

And the soldiers of Iblīs, all together.

Translation: And all the hosts of Iblīs, together. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:95)

Commentary: The companions and followers of Iblīs — the first who refused to bow to Allāh's command — will share in this collective fall.

قَالُوا وَهُمْ فِيهَا يَخْتَصِمُونَ

Qālū wa-hum fīhā yakhtaṣimūn

They will say while they dispute therein.

Translation: They will say, while quarrelling with each other therein. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:96)

Commentary: Even in the Fire, the misguided will quarrel and blame one another — a sign that fellowship based on falsehood leads only to mutual recrimination.

تَاللَّهِ إِن كُنَّا لَفِي ضَلَالٍ مُّبِينٍ

Tallāhi in kunnā la-fī ḍalālin mubīn

"By Allāh, we were indeed in manifest error."

Translation: "[They will say:] By Allāh, we were in manifest error." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:97)

Commentary: The ultimate admission — too late for benefit. They will confess the truth only when confession no longer helps.

إِذْ نُسَوِّيكُم بِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

Idh nusawwīkum bi-rabbi l-ʿālamīn

"When we equated you with the Lord of the worlds."

Translation: "When we equated you with the Lord of all the worlds." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:98)

Commentary: This is the admission of shirk — equating created things with the Creator, the fundamental error of all false religion.

وَمَا أَضَلَّنَا إِلَّا الْمُجْرِمُونَ

Wa-mā aḍallanā illā l-mujrimūn

"And no one led us astray except the criminals."

Translation: "It was only the criminals who led us astray." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:99)

Commentary: The followers will blame the leaders — but neither will be saved, for every individual is ultimately responsible for their own choices.

فَمَا لَنَا مِن شَافِعِينَ

Fa-mā lanā min shāfiʿīn

"And we have no intercessors."

Translation: "So we have no intercessors." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:100)

Commentary: They will cry out for intercessors — a recognition, too late, of the very function of prophets, saints, and righteous people that they had rejected in this world. The blessing of intercession (shafāʿa) is available only to the people of faith.

وَلَا صَدِيقٍ حَمِيمٍ

Wa-lā ṣadīqin ḥamīm

"And no devoted friend."

Translation: "Nor any sincere and devoted friend." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:101)

Commentary: Ḥamīm — a close, loving friend. All the social ties of this world dissolve on that Day.

فَلَوْ أَنَّ لَنَا كَرَّةً فَنَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

Fa-law anna lanā karratan fa-nakūna mina l-muʾminīn

"If only we had a return [to the world] so we could be of the believers!"

Translation: "If only we could return [to the world], then we would be of the believers!" (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:102)

Commentary: The belated wish for a return to the world — the eternal regret of those who squandered their one opportunity. But there is no return. The time for choosing is this life alone.

إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَةً ۖ وَمَا كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

Inna fī dhālika la-āyatan wa-mā kāna aktharuhum muʾminīn

Indeed in that is a sign, but most of them were not believers.

Translation: Indeed in this is a mighty sign, yet most of them were not believers. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:103)

Commentary: The refrain returns again after the story of Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace). The signs are clear; the fault lies in human willfulness.

وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ

Wa-inna rabbaka la-huwa l-ʿazīzu l-raḥīm

And indeed, your Lord — He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful.

Translation: And indeed your Lord is the Almighty, the Most Merciful. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:104)

The Story of Nūḥ (upon him be peace)

كَذَّبَتْ قَوْمُ نُوحٍ الْمُرْسَلِينَ

Kadhdhabat qawmu nūḥin l-mursalīn

The people of Nūḥ denied the messengers.

Translation: The people of Nūḥ denied the messengers. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:105)

Commentary: The people of Nūḥ (upon him be peace) are described as denying the messengers (plural) — because to deny one prophet is to deny all prophets, since all came with the same essential message of divine unity (tawḥīd).

إِذْ قَالَ لَهُمْ أَخُوهُمْ نُوحٌ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ

Idh qāla lahum akhūhum nūḥun a-lā tattaqūn

When their brother Nūḥ said to them, "Will you not fear [Allāh]?"

Translation: When their brother Nūḥ said to them: "Will you not fear Allāh?" (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:106)

Commentary: Nūḥ (upon him be peace) is called their brother — a term emphasizing human kinship and the intimacy of the prophetic relationship with the community. He was not a stranger imposed on them but one of their own, calling them to what was best for them.

إِنِّي لَكُمْ رَسُولٌ أَمِينٌ

Innī lakum rasūlun amīn

"Indeed, I am to you a trustworthy messenger."

Translation: "I am a trustworthy messenger to you." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:107)

Commentary: The formula rasūlun amīn — a trustworthy messenger — is the common declaration of each prophet in this sūra. Amān (trustworthiness) is among the first of the required qualities of prophethood. This formula is repeated six times in this sūra — for Nūḥ, Hūd, Ṣāliḥ, Lūṭ, Shuʿayb, and the Prophet Muḥammadﷺ— emphasising its universal prophetic character.

فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ

Fa-ttaqū llāha wa-aṭīʿūn

"So fear Allāh and obey me."

Translation: "Therefore fear Allāh and obey me." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:108)

Commentary: Every prophet's message reduces to two essentials: taqwā (God-consciousness, piety) and obedience to the messenger. These two are inseparable: true piety requires following the prophet.

وَمَا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَجْرٍ ۖ إِنْ أَجْرِيَ إِلَّا عَلَىٰ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

Wa-mā asʾalukum ʿalayhi min ajrin in ajriya illā ʿalā rabbi l-ʿālamīn

"And I do not ask you for it any payment. My payment is only from the Lord of the worlds."

Translation: "I ask of you no recompense for this. My reward rests with the Lord of all the worlds alone." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:109)

Commentary: This declaration of financial disinterest — repeated identically for each prophet in this sūra — is a proof of prophetic sincerity. A person who stands to gain materially from a message is suspect; a prophet who explicitly renounces any worldly compensation and declares his sole reliance on Allāh's reward demonstrates the purest of motives.

Note: Dear reader, leaders and guides of a people who work with genuine sincerity, keeping themselves free of selfish interests, find their influence enduring and powerful. As soon as worldly desires arise, and gifts and rewards become the motive, sincerity departs and influence wanes. Always keep before you the prophetic model: fa-mā asʾalukum ʿalayhi min ajr — "I ask no recompense of you for this." Guard against the worldly entanglements of status, personal interest, and the pursuit of ease and honour; these things are unbecoming of those who walk in the path of the prophets (may Allāh have mercy on the author, Ḥasrat).

فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ

Fa-ttaqū llāha wa-aṭīʿūn

"So fear Allāh and obey me."

Translation: "Therefore fear Allāh and obey me." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:110)

Commentary: The exhortation is repeated for emphasis — this is the summons of every prophet in every age.

قَالُوا أَنُؤْمِنُ لَكَ وَاتَّبَعَكَ الْأَرْذَلُونَ

Qālū a-nuʾminu laka wa-ttabaʿaka l-ardhalu​wn

They said, "Should we believe you while the lowest [class of] people have followed you?"

Translation: They said: "Shall we believe you, when it is only the lowly and wretched who have followed you?" (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:111)

Commentary: Class contempt — the elites of Nūḥ's people scorned the early believers as the poor and socially insignificant. This was the same complaint levelled against the Prophet Muḥammadﷺ. The noble truth always begins among those humble enough to receive it; the arrogant elite close their hearts.

This is a principle to be remembered: the proud and the wealthy are the last to embrace truth because their worldly position has become their god. They are governed by the maqṣūd of prestige and material interest, not by genuine spiritual seeking. True seeking of Allāh requires emptying the heart of everything that competes with Him.

قَالَ وَمَا عِلْمِي بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ

Qāla wa-mā ʿilmī bi-mā kānū yaʿmalūn

He said, "And what knowledge have I of what they used to do?"

Translation: [Nūḥ] said: "And what do I know of what they used to do?" (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:112)

Commentary: Nūḥ (upon him be peace) responded with the principle of prophetic neutrality: he was not responsible for investigating the past deeds of those who came to him in faith. His mission was to accept those who believed and leave their inner accounting to Allāh.

إِنْ حِسَابُهُمْ إِلَّا عَلَىٰ رَبِّي ۖ لَوْ تَشْعُرُونَ

In ḥisābuhum illā ʿalā rabbī law tashʿurūn

"Their account is only upon my Lord, if you could perceive."

Translation: "Their reckoning rests with my Lord alone — if only you could perceive." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:113)

Commentary: Divine judgment belongs to Allāh. The prophet's task is to call; the accounting is Allāh's.

وَمَا أَنَا بِطَارِدِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

Wa-mā anā bi-ṭāridi l-muʾminīn

"And I am not one to drive away the believers."

Translation: "I am not going to drive away the believers." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:114)

Commentary: The elites demanded that the Prophet expel the poor believers from his company. Nūḥ (upon him be peace) refused. Every prophet stood with the weak and the poor against the powerful and the arrogant. This is the prophetic social ethic.

إِنْ أَنَا إِلَّا نَذِيرٌ مُّبِينٌ

In anā illā nadhīrun mubīn

"I am only a clear warner."

Translation: "I am only a clear and manifest warner." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:115)

Commentary: Nūḥ (upon him be peace) defined his role with precision: a nadhīr mubīn — a plain, manifest warner. Not a judge, not a coercive power, but a caller and warner.

قَالُوا لَئِن لَّمْ تَنتَهِ يَا نُوحُ لَتَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْمَرْجُومِينَ

Qālū la-in lam tantahi yā nūḥu la-takūnanna mina l-marjūmīn

They said, "If you do not desist, O Nūḥ, you will surely be of those who are stoned."

Translation: They said: "O Nūḥ! If you do not stop, you will surely be stoned." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:116)

Commentary: When argument failed, the opponents of Nūḥ (upon him be peace) resorted to the threat of death by stoning. This is the consistent pattern: prophecy is met with mockery, then rejection, then coercion, then violence.

قَالَ رَبِّ إِنَّ قَوْمِي كَذَّبُونِ

Qāla rabbi inna qawmī kadhdhabūn

He said, "My Lord, indeed my people have denied me."

Translation: He said: "My Lord, my people have denied me." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:117)

Commentary: Nūḥ (upon him be peace) turned to Allāh in supplication, presenting his grief at the denial of his people. This is the prophetic prayer: not a prayer for personal revenge, but a laying of the matter before Allāh.

فَافْتَحْ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَهُمْ فَتْحًا وَنَجِّنِي وَمَن مَّعِيَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

Fa-ftaḥ baynī wa-baynahum fatḥan wa-najjinī wa-man maʿiya mina l-muʾminīn

"So judge between me and them with decisive judgment and save me and those with me of the believers."

Translation: "So open a decisive judgment between me and them, and save me and the believers who are with me." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:118)

Commentary: Fatḥ here means a decisive divine judgment — a term of legal finality. Nūḥ (upon him be peace) asked Allāh to act as the ultimate judge between him and his people.

فَأَنجَيْنَاهُ وَمَن مَّعَهُ فِي الْفُلْكِ الْمَشْحُونِ

Fa-anjayāhu wa-man maʿahu fī l-fulki l-mashḥūn

So We saved him and those with him in the laden ship.

Translation: So We saved him and those with him in the fully laden ark. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:119)

Commentary: Al-fulk al-mashḥūn — the fully laden ship, the ark of Nūḥ (upon him be peace). Every believer found safety within it. Mashḥūn: filled to capacity, loaded — the ark carried all the believers and pairs of animals necessary to replenish the earth.

ثُمَّ أَغْرَقْنَا بَعْدُ الْبَاقِينَ

Thumma aghraqnā baʿdu l-bāqīn

Then We drowned the remaining ones afterward.

Translation: Then We drowned all the rest. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:120)

Commentary: Every last disbeliever — including, as other Qurʾānic verses tell us, Nūḥ's own son who refused to board the ark — was drowned in the Flood.

إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَةً ۖ وَمَا كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

Inna fī dhālika la-āyatan wa-mā kāna aktharuhum muʾminīn

Indeed in that is a sign, but most of them were not believers.

Translation: Indeed in this is a mighty sign, yet most of them were not believers. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:121)

Commentary: The refrain after the story of Nūḥ (upon him be peace): the sign of divine power and divine justice is manifest, yet most remained in disbelief.

وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ

Wa-inna rabbaka la-huwa l-ʿazīzu l-raḥīm

And indeed, your Lord — He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful.

Translation: And indeed your Lord is the Almighty, the Most Merciful. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:122)

The Story of Hūd (upon him be peace)

كَذَّبَتْ عَادٌ الْمُرْسَلِينَ

Kadhdhabat ʿādun l-mursalīn

ʿĀd denied the messengers.

Translation: The people of ʿĀd denied the messengers. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:123)

Commentary: ʿĀd was an ancient Arab people who inhabited the region of al-Aḥqāf in the south of the Arabian Peninsula. They were renowned for their physical power and architectural accomplishments, described in the Qurʾān as building lofty pillars. Their prophet was Hūd (upon him be peace).

إِذْ قَالَ لَهُمْ أَخُوهُمْ هُودٌ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ

Idh qāla lahum akhūhum hūdun a-lā tattaqūn

When their brother Hūd said to them, "Will you not fear [Allāh]?"

Translation: When their brother Hūd said to them: "Will you not be mindful of Allāh?" (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:124)

Commentary: Hūd (upon him be peace) — described as their brother, one of their own people — called them to taqwā, God-consciousness.

[The formula of declaration: "I am a trustworthy messenger to you; therefore fear Allāh and obey me; I ask of you no recompense — my reward rests with the Lord of all worlds alone" — is repeated identically for Hūd (upon him be peace), as it is for each prophet in this sūra.]

(al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:125–127)

أَتَبْنُونَ بِكُلِّ رِيعٍ آيَةً تَعْبَثُونَ

A-tabnūna bi-kulli rīʿin āyatan taʿbathūn

"Do you construct on every elevation a sign, amusing yourselves?"

Translation: "Do you build a monument upon every high place as a vain amusement?" (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:128)

Commentary: Hūd (upon him be peace) reproached his people for their obsession with monumental construction — erecting landmarks on every height, not for utility, but out of pride and ostentation. Architectural vanity is here condemned as a sign of spiritual heedlessness.

وَتَتَّخِذُونَ مَصَانِعَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَخْلُدُونَ

Wa-tattakhidhūna maṣāniʿa laʿallakum takhludūn

"And you take for yourselves palaces as if you will be immortal."

Translation: "And you build elaborate structures as though you expect to live forever." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:129)

Commentary: The delusion of immortality through architecture — one of the most ancient human follies. Great buildings are meant to outlast their builders, to give the illusion of eternal presence. The prophet called them back to the reality of mortality.

وَإِذَا بَطَشْتُم بَطَشْتُمْ جَبَّارِينَ

Wa-idhā baṭashtum baṭashtum jabbārīn

"And when you strike, you strike as tyrants."

Translation: "And when you seize, you seize as despots." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:130)

Commentary: The people of ʿĀd combined architectural grandiosity with brutal oppression. Their power was used not to serve but to dominate.

فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ

Fa-ttaqū llāha wa-aṭīʿūn

"So fear Allāh and obey me."

Translation: "So fear Allāh and obey me." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:131)

وَاتَّقُوا الَّذِي أَمَدَّكُم بِمَا تَعْلَمُونَ

Wa-ttaqū l-ladhī amadda-kum bi-mā taʿlamūn

"And fear He who provided you with all that you know."

Translation: "And fear the One who provided you with everything you know [and enjoy]." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:132)

Commentary: Hūd (upon him be peace) reminded his people that all their power, their resources, their very capacity for construction, came from Allāh. Gratitude to the Giver requires acknowledging the source.

أَمَدَّكُم بِأَنْعَامٍ وَبَنِينَ

Amadda-kum bi-anʿāmin wa-banīn

"He provided you with livestock and children."

Translation: "He provided you with cattle and children." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:133)

وَجَنَّاتٍ وَعُيُونٍ

Wa-jannātin wa-ʿuyūn

"And gardens and springs."

Translation: "And gardens and flowing springs." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:134)

Commentary: The gifts enumerated — livestock, children, gardens, springs — are the foundations of prosperous civilisation. All were divine gifts, received ungratefully.

إِنِّي أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ

Innī akhāfu ʿalaykum ʿadhāba yawmin ʿaẓīm

"Indeed, I fear for you the punishment of a tremendous Day."

Translation: "I truly fear for you the punishment of an immense Day." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:135)

Commentary: The prophet warned his people of divine punishment with genuine personal fear and care — not triumphantly but compassionately.

قَالُوا سَوَاءٌ عَلَيْنَا أَوَعَظْتَ أَمْ لَمْ تَكُن مِّنَ الْوَاعِظِينَ

Qālū sawāʾun ʿalaynā a-waʿaẓta am lam takun mina l-wāʿiẓīn

They said, "It is all the same to us whether you advise or are not of the advisors."

Translation: They said: "It is all the same to us whether you preach or are not among the preachers." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:136)

Commentary: Total indifference — one of the saddest responses a prophet can receive. The people of ʿĀd had completely closed their hearts.

إِنْ هَٰذَا إِلَّا خُلُقُ الْأَوَّلِينَ

In hādhā illā khuluqu l-awwalīn

"This is not but the custom of the former peoples."

Translation: "This is nothing but the way of the ancients." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:137)

Commentary: They dismissed the prophetic message as mere repetition of ancient customs — ironically using the argument of tradition, the very thing that had imprisoned them, to reject the call to something higher.

وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمُعَذَّبِينَ

Wa-mā naḥnu bi-muʿadhdhabīn

"And we will not be punished."

Translation: "And we shall not be punished." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:138)

Commentary: Their final word was a denial of all divine accountability — the ultimate expression of arrogance.

فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَأَهْلَكْنَاهُمْ ۗ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَةً ۖ وَمَا كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

Fa-kadhdhabūhu fa-ahlaknāhum inna fī dhālika la-āyatan wa-mā kāna aktharuhum muʾminīn

So they denied him, and We destroyed them. Indeed in that is a sign, but most of them were not believers.

Translation: They denied him, and so We destroyed them. Indeed in this is a mighty sign, yet most of them were not believers. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:139)

Commentary: The wind of destruction — al-rīḥ al-ʿaqīm (the barren, devastating wind) that blew without mercy for seven nights and eight days — razed the people of ʿĀd. Hūd (upon him be peace) and the believers were saved. The sign remains in history.

وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ

Wa-inna rabbaka la-huwa l-ʿazīzu l-raḥīm

And indeed, your Lord — He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful.

Translation: And indeed your Lord is the Almighty, the Most Merciful. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:140)

The Story of Ṣāliḥ (upon him be peace)

كَذَّبَتْ ثَمُودُ الْمُرْسَلِينَ

Kadhdhabat thamūdu l-mursalīn

Thamūd denied the messengers.

Translation: The people of Thamūd denied the messengers. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:141)

Commentary: Thamūd was an ancient Arab people who inhabited the region of al-Ḥijr (northwest of the Arabian Peninsula). They were famous for carving homes into the rock faces of mountains. Their prophet was Ṣāliḥ (upon him be peace).

إِذْ قَالَ لَهُمْ أَخُوهُمْ صَالِحٌ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ

Idh qāla lahum akhūhum ṣāliḥun a-lā tattaqūn

When their brother Ṣāliḥ said to them, "Will you not fear [Allāh]?"

Translation: When their brother Ṣāliḥ said to them: "Will you not fear Allāh?" (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:142)

Commentary: The same prophetic opening — alā tattaqūn: will you not exercise taqwā?

[The declaration of trustworthiness, the call to taqwā and obedience, and the renunciation of worldly recompense are repeated identically for Ṣāliḥ (upon him be peace). (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:143–145)]

The people of Thamūd raised the mockery typical of those who reject the prophets: "You are merely bewitched (musaḥḥar) — you are a human being just like us. If you are truthful, bring us a sign."

Ṣāliḥ (upon him be peace) responded:

قَالَ هَٰذِهِ نَاقَةٌ لَّهَا شِرْبٌ وَلَكُمْ شِرْبُ يَوْمٍ مَّعْلُومٍ

Qāla hādhihi nāqatun lahā sharbun wa-lakum shirbu yawmin maʿlūm

He said, "This is a she-camel. For her is a [right to] drink, and for you is a [right to] drink, [each] on a known day."

Translation: [Ṣāliḥ] said: "This is a she-camel. She has her right to drink, and you have your right to drink — each on a designated day." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:155)

Commentary: The she-camel (nāqa) of Ṣāliḥ (upon him be peace) was a miraculous sign (āya) from Allāh — she emerged from the rock at divine command. She was assigned her own day to drink from the water source, and the people were assigned theirs. This arrangement was a test: would they respect the divine sign, or would they violate the boundaries set by Allāh?

وَلَا تَمَسُّوهَا بِسُوءٍ فَيَأْخُذَكُمْ عَذَابُ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ

Wa-lā tamassūhā bi-sūʾin fa-yaʾkhudhakum ʿadhābu yawmin ʿaẓīm

"And do not touch her with harm, lest a painful punishment of a tremendous day should seize you."

Translation: "Do not harm her in any way, or the punishment of a terrible Day will seize you." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:156)

Commentary: The divine warning was explicit and unambiguous. The test required nothing more than restraint — simply leaving the camel alone.

فَعَقَرُوهَا فَأَصْبَحُوا نَادِمِينَ

Fa-ʿaqarūhā fa-aṣbaḥū nādimīn

But they hamstrung her and became regretful.

Translation: But they hamstrung her, and then found themselves filled with remorse. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:157)

Commentary: The word ʿaqarūhā — they hamstrung and killed her — describes the act of defiance. Their regret came only after the punishment had been decreed, not before. Remorse without prior change of course offers no salvation.

فَأَخَذَهُمُ الْعَذَابُ ۗ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَةً ۖ وَمَا كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

Fa-akhadhahumu l-ʿadhābu inna fī dhālika la-āyatan wa-mā kāna aktharuhum muʾminīn

So the punishment seized them. Indeed in that is a sign, but most of them were not believers.

Translation: Then the punishment seized them. Indeed in this is a mighty sign, yet most of them were not believers. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:158)

Commentary: The divine punishment — a thunderous blast (ṣayḥa) — obliterated the entire people of Thamūd. Only Ṣāliḥ (upon him be peace) and those who believed with him were saved.

وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ

Wa-inna rabbaka la-huwa l-ʿazīzu l-raḥīm

Translation: And indeed your Lord is the Almighty, the Most Merciful. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:159)

The Story of Lūṭ (upon him be peace)

كَذَّبَتْ قَوْمُ لُوطٍ الْمُرْسَلِينَ

Kadhdhabat qawmu lūṭin l-mursalīn

The people of Lūṭ denied the messengers.

Translation: The people of Lūṭ denied the messengers. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:160)

Commentary: Lūṭ (upon him be peace) was the nephew of Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace). He was sent to the cities of the plain — Sodom and its surrounding settlements — whose people had fallen into an unnatural and unprecedented depravity.

إِذْ قَالَ لَهُمْ أَخُوهُمْ لُوطٌ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ

Idh qāla lahum akhūhum lūṭun a-lā tattaqūn

When their brother Lūṭ said to them, "Will you not fear [Allāh]?"

Translation: When their brother Lūṭ said to them: "Will you not fear Allāh?" (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:161)

[The formula: "I am a trustworthy messenger to you; therefore fear Allāh and obey me; I ask of you no recompense" is repeated for Lūṭ (upon him be peace). (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:162–164)]

أَتَأْتُونَ الذُّكْرَانَ مِنَ الْعَالَمِينَ

A-taʾtūna l-dhukrāna mina l-ʿālamīn

"Do you come to males among the worlds [i.e., all of creation]?"

Translation: "Do you approach males from among all of creation?" (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:165)

Commentary: Lūṭ (upon him be peace) confronted his people directly with the specific sin that had made them uniquely infamous among all nations. This act — sexual relations between males — is described in the Qurʾān as fāḥisha (grave indecency) and a violation of the fiṭra (the natural constitution that Allāh has placed in humanity).

وَتَذَرُونَ مَا خَلَقَ لَكُمْ رَبُّكُم مِّنْ أَزْوَاجِكُم ۚ بَلْ أَنتُمْ قَوْمٌ عَادُونَ

Wa-tadharūna mā khalaqa lakum rabbukum min azwājikum bal antum qawmun ʿādūn

"And you leave what your Lord has created for you as mates? Rather, you are a transgressing people."

Translation: "And you abandon what your Lord created for you as your spouses? You are a people who transgress all bounds." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:166)

Commentary: The condemnation is twofold: the sin itself, and the abandonment of the natural and divinely ordained relationship between man and woman. Qawmun ʿādūn — a people who commit transgression (ʿudwān): those who cross the divinely established limits of human nature.

قَالُوا لَئِن لَّمْ تَنتَهِ يَا لُوطُ لَتَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْمُخْرَجِينَ

Qālū la-in lam tantahi yā lūṭu la-takūnanna mina l-mukhrājīn

They said, "If you do not desist, O Lūṭ, you will surely be of those expelled."

Translation: They said: "If you do not stop, O Lūṭ, you will certainly be expelled." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:167)

Commentary: The people threatened to expel Lūṭ (upon him be peace) from the city — using the threat of social exclusion and exile against the one who was calling them to decency.

قَالَ إِنِّي لِعَمَلِكُمْ مِّنَ الْقَالِينَ

Qāla innī li-ʿamalikum mina l-qālīn

He said, "Indeed, I am of those who detest your deed."

Translation: He said: "I am indeed one who utterly detests your practice." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:168)

Commentary: Lūṭ's response was clear and unambiguous: min al-qālīn — among those who abhor, detest, and utterly reject what they were doing. There was no diplomatic equivocation.

رَبِّ نَجِّنِي وَأَهْلِي مِمَّا يَعْمَلُونَ

Rabbi najjinī wa-ahlī mimmā yaʿmalūn

"My Lord, save me and my family from what they do."

Translation: "My Lord, save me and my family from what they are doing." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:169)

Commentary: Lūṭ (upon him be peace) turned to Allāh in supplication. He asked not for their destruction but for his own salvation and that of his family — the prayer of a merciful prophet.

فَنَجَّيْنَاهُ وَأَهْلَهُ أَجْمَعِينَ

Fa-najjayāhu wa-ahlahu ajmaʿīn

So We saved him and his family, all together.

Translation: So We saved him and his entire family. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:170)

Commentary: All those who had maintained faith were saved.

إِلَّا عَجُوزًا فِي الْغَابِرِينَ

Illā ʿajūzan fī l-ghābirīn

Except an old woman among those who remained behind.

Translation: Except an old woman who was among those who stayed behind. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:171)

Commentary: Lūṭ's wife — who had betrayed her husband and sympathised with the wicked people — was left behind and perished with them. Her case is a warning that a believing home does not guarantee the salvation of those within it who have rejected faith in their hearts.

ثُمَّ دَمَّرْنَا الْآخَرِينَ

Thumma dammarnā l-ākharīn

Then We destroyed the others.

Translation: Then We utterly destroyed the rest. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:172)

Commentary: The destruction of the cities of Lūṭ's people — overturned and rained upon with brimstone — is one of the most emphatic divine punishments recorded in the Qurʾān, a permanent warning for all who would follow that path.

وَأَمْطَرْنَا عَلَيْهِم مَّطَرًا ۖ فَسَاءَ مَطَرُ الْمُنذَرِينَ

Wa-amṭarnā ʿalayhim maṭaran fa-sāʾa maṭaru l-mundharīn

And We rained upon them a rain, and evil was the rain of those who were warned.

Translation: And We rained upon them a [devastating] rain — how terrible was the rain that fell upon those who had been warned! (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:173)

Commentary: The "rain" was a rain of destruction — understood by the commentators as a downpour of stones and burning sulphur that obliterated the cities utterly.

إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَةً ۖ وَمَا كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

Inna fī dhālika la-āyatan wa-mā kāna aktharuhum muʾminīn

Translation: Indeed in this is a mighty sign, yet most of them were not believers. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:174)

وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ

Wa-inna rabbaka la-huwa l-ʿazīzu l-raḥīm

Translation: And indeed your Lord is the Almighty, the Most Merciful. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:175)

The Story of Shuʿayb (upon him be peace) and the Companions of the Forest (Aṣḥāb al-Ayka)

كَذَّبَ أَصْحَابُ الْأَيْكَةِ الْمُرْسَلِينَ

Kadhdhaba aṣḥābu l-aykati l-mursalīn

The companions of the thicket denied the messengers.

Translation: The people of the Forest (Aykah) denied the messengers. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:176)

Commentary: Aṣḥāb al-Ayka — the Companions of the Forest — were a people who dwelt among dense woodland, near the region of Madyan. Shuʿayb (upon him be peace) was sent to them, as he was also sent to the people of Madyan. Some scholars consider them the same people; others consider them a neighbouring group.

إِذْ قَالَ لَهُمْ شُعَيْبٌ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ

Idh qāla lahum shuʿaybun a-lā tattaqūn

When Shuʿayb said to them, "Will you not fear [Allāh]?"

Translation: When Shuʿayb said to them: "Will you not fear Allāh?" (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:177)

[The formula of prophetic declaration, repeated for Shuʿayb (upon him be peace). (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:178–180)]

أَوْفُوا الْكَيْلَ وَلَا تَكُونُوا مِنَ الْمُخْسِرِينَ

Awfū l-kayla wa-lā takūnū mina l-mukhsirīn

"Give full measure and do not be of those who cause loss."

Translation: "Give full measure and do not be of those who cause loss to others." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:181)

Commentary: Shuʿayb (upon him be peace) addressed the specific sin of his people: dishonest trade practices — short-changing in weight and measure. This is the sin that undermines the entire fabric of social trust. The command awfū l-kayl — give full measure — is an economic and moral imperative.

وَزِنُوا بِالْقِسْطَاسِ الْمُسْتَقِيمِ

Wa-zinū bi-l-qisṭāsi l-mustaqīm

"And weigh with an even balance."

Translation: "And weigh with a straight and accurate balance." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:182)

Commentary: Al-qisṭās al-mustaqīm — the straight, accurate scale — is a symbol of justice in all transactions. Honesty in commerce is an act of worship; dishonesty is a form of corruption on earth.

وَلَا تَبْخَسُوا النَّاسَ أَشْيَاءَهُمْ وَلَا تَعْثَوْا فِي الْأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ

Wa-lā tabkhasū l-nāsa ashyāʾahum wa-lā taʿthaw fī l-arḍi mufsidīn

"And do not deprive people of their due and do not commit abuse in the earth, spreading corruption."

Translation: "And do not defraud people of their rightful dues, and do not go about the earth spreading corruption." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:183)

Commentary: The prohibition on bukhs (defrauding people of their rights) extends beyond mere weights and measures to any form of economic injustice. Fasād fī l-arḍ — corruption on earth — is presented as the systemic consequence of individual dishonesty.

وَاتَّقُوا الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ وَالْجِبِلَّةَ الْأَوَّلِينَ

Wa-ttaqū l-ladhī khalaqakum wa-l-jibillata l-awwalīn

"And fear He who created you and the former creation."

Translation: "And fear the One who created you and all the earlier generations." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:184)

Commentary: Al-jibilla — the primordial mass of creation, the original generations of humanity. All of them were brought into existence by Allāh; all are accountable to Him.

The people of Shuʿayb rejected him, saying: "You are only a bewitched man, a human being like us. Call down on us what you threaten, if you are truthful."

Shuʿayb (upon him be peace) responded with trust in Allāh and warned them of the divine punishment. When they persisted in denial:

فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَأَخَذَهُمْ عَذَابُ يَوْمِ الظُّلَّةِ ۚ إِنَّهُ كَانَ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ

Fa-kadhdhabūhu fa-akhadhahum ʿadhābu yawmi l-ẓullati innahu kāna ʿadhāba yawmin ʿaẓīm

So they denied him, and the punishment of the day of the shadow seized them. Indeed, it was the punishment of a terrible day.

Translation: They denied him, and the punishment of the Day of the Shadow (ʿadhāb yawm al-ẓulla) seized them — it was indeed the punishment of a terrible day. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:189)

Commentary: Yawm al-ẓulla — the Day of the Shadow — refers to a specific divine punishment: after an intense period of suffocating heat, a massive cloud appeared over them offering apparent shade, and when they rushed beneath it, it rained upon them a devastating fire. This was Allāh's punishment for those who had been warned and persisted in denial and fraud. The Qurʾān describes this as the punishment of a yawm ʿaẓīm — a momentous, terrible day.

إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَةً ۖ وَمَا كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

Inna fī dhālika la-āyatan wa-mā kāna aktharuhum muʾminīn

Translation: Indeed in this is a mighty sign, yet most of them were not believers. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:190)

وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ

Wa-inna rabbaka la-huwa l-ʿazīzu l-raḥīm

Translation: And indeed your Lord is the Almighty, the Most Merciful. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:191)

The Divine Origin of the Qurʾān

وَإِنَّهُ لَتَنزِيلُ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

Wa-innahu la-tanzīlu rabbi l-ʿālamīn

And indeed, it [the Qurʾān] is the revelation of the Lord of the worlds.

Translation: And indeed this [Qurʾān] is a revelation from the Lord of all the worlds. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:192)

Commentary: After narrating six prophetic narratives as evidence of Allāh's consistent pattern of revelation, warning, and judgment, the sūra now explicitly asserts the divine origin of the Qurʾān itself.

نَزَلَ بِهِ الرُّوحُ الْأَمِينُ

Nazala bihi l-rūḥu l-amīn

The Trustworthy Spirit has brought it down.

Translation: The Trustworthy Spirit has descended with it. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:193)

Commentary: Al-Rūḥ al-amīn — the Trustworthy Spirit — is Jibrīl (upon him be peace), the Archangel of Revelation, described as amīn (trustworthy) because he faithfully conveyed the divine message without addition, omission, or distortion.

عَلَىٰ قَلْبِكَ لِتَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُنذِرِينَ

ʿAlā qalbika li-takūna mina l-mundharīn

Upon your heart, that you may be of the warners.

Translation: Upon your heart, so that you may be among the warners. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:194)

Commentary: The Qurʾān descended upon the heart of the Prophet Muḥammadﷺ— not merely on his ears or tongue. This is the nature of prophethood: the divine word becomes part of the prophet's very being. Li-takūna mina l-mundharīn — so that he might be a warner, fulfilling the prophetic function of all who came before him.

بِلِسَانٍ عَرَبِيٍّ مُّبِينٍ

Bi-lisānin ʿarabiyyin mubīn

In a clear Arabic language.

Translation: In a clear, expressive Arabic tongue. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:195)

Commentary: The Qurʾān was revealed in classical Arabic — the most eloquent language spoken by those to whom it was first addressed. Mubīn means clear, expressive, unambiguous. The Arabic tongue of the Qurʾān is not merely a vehicle for meaning but is itself a dimension of the miracle (iʿjāz).

وَإِنَّهُ لَفِي زُبُرِ الْأَوَّلِينَ

Wa-innahu la-fī zuburi l-awwalīn

And indeed, it is [mentioned] in the scriptures of former peoples.

Translation: And indeed it is mentioned in the scriptures of the earlier peoples. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:196)

Commentary: The Qurʾān was foretold in the earlier divine scriptures. The author notes two specific testimonies from the Bible:

The Book of Deuteronomy (18:18–19) records: "I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account."

The Book of Isiah (chapter 42): "I will establish justice throughout the earth, and the distant lands will wait for my law. I will call you by name and will not abandon you; I have given you as a covenant to the people."

The Gospel of John (chapter 14:26): "But the Comforter (Fāraqlīṭā/Aḥmad) — whom the Father will send in my name — he will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you." [The Arabic author identifies Fāraqlīṭā as the Syriac equivalent of Aḥmad.]

These testimonies, understood in the tradition of Islamic hermeneutics, point to the Prophet Muḥammadﷺas the promised final messenger.

أَوَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُمْ آيَةً أَن يَعْلَمَهُ عُلَمَاءُ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ

A-wa-lam yakun lahum āyatan an yaʿlamahu ʿulamāʾu banī isrāʾīl

Is it not a sign to them that the scholars of the Children of Israel knew it?

Translation: Is it not sufficient as a sign for them that the scholars of the Children of Israel knew of it [the Qurʾān and the prophethood of Muḥammad]? (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:197)

Commentary: Learned Jewish scholars such as ʿAbdullāh ibn Salām (may Allāh be pleased with him) and others recognised the truth of the Prophet Muḥammad'sﷺmission from their own scriptures. Their testimony is itself a sign for those who reflect.

وَلَوْ نَزَّلْنَاهُ عَلَىٰ بَعْضِ الْأَعْجَمِينَ

Wa-law nazzalnāhu ʿalā baʿḍi l-aʿjamīn

And even if We had revealed it to one of the non-Arabs —

Translation: And had We revealed it to one of the non-Arabs — (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:198)

فَقَرَأَهُ عَلَيْهِمْ مَّا كَانُوا بِهِ مُؤْمِنِينَ

Fa-qaraʾahu ʿalayhim mā kānū bihi muʾminīn

And he had recited it to them, they would not have believed in it.

Translation: And he had recited it to them, they still would not have believed in it. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:199)

Commentary: The disbelief of the Makkan Arabs had nothing to do with the language or the messenger. Even if the Qurʾān had come through a non-Arab speaker, they would have found an excuse to reject it. Their rejection was wilful, not reasonable.

كَذَٰلِكَ سَلَكْنَاهُ فِي قُلُوبِ الْمُجْرِمِينَ

Kadhālika salakāhu fī qulūbi l-mujrimīn

Thus have We inserted it [i.e., disbelief] into the hearts of the criminals.

Translation: Thus have We caused [the disposition of denial] to enter the hearts of the guilty. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:200)

Commentary: Allāh Most High, as a consequence of their wilful rejection of truth over time, allowed disbelief to become embedded in their hearts. This is a Qurʾānic principle: persistent choice of error leads to the sealing of the heart. This is not arbitrary divine injustice, but the consequence of the free choices made by the servants themselves.

لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِ حَتَّىٰ يَرَوُا الْعَذَابَ الْأَلِيمَ

Lā yuʾminūna bihi ḥattā yaraw l-ʿadhāba l-alīm

They will not believe in it until they see the painful punishment.

Translation: They will not believe in it until they witness the painful punishment. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:201)

Commentary: Their faith will come only when it is too late — when the punishment arrives, faith at that moment is of no avail.

فَيَأْتِيَهُم بَغْتَةً وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ

Fa-yaʾtiyahum baghtatan wa-hum lā yashʿurūn

And it will come upon them suddenly while they do not perceive.

Translation: It will come upon them suddenly while they are completely unaware. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:202)

Commentary: The divine punishment strikes without warning — not because Allāh is unjust, but because the disbelievers had been warned repeatedly and chosen not to heed.

فَيَقُولُوا هَلْ نَحْنُ مُنظَرُونَ

Fa-yaqūlū hal naḥnu munẓarūn

And they will say, "Are we to be reprieved?"

Translation: Then they will say: "Will we be granted any respite?" (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:203)

Commentary: When the punishment arrives, they will beg for more time — but the time for repentance will have passed.

أَفَبِعَذَابِنَا يَسْتَعْجِلُونَ

A-fa-bi-ʿadhābinā yastaʿjilūn

So is it Our punishment that they are impatient for?

Translation: Do they then seek to hasten Our punishment? (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:204)

Commentary: The disbelievers had mockingly challenged the Prophetﷺto bring on the punishment they were promised. Allāh responds: do they truly want to rush toward what they cannot escape?

أَفَرَأَيْتَ إِن مَّتَّعْنَاهُمْ سِنِينَ

A-fa-raʾayta in mattaʿāhum sinīn

Then have you considered if We gave them enjoyment for years?

Translation: Have you considered — if We allow them years of enjoyment — (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:205)

ثُمَّ جَاءَهُم مَّا كَانُوا يُوعَدُونَ

Thumma jāʾahum mā kānū yūʿadūn

And then there came to them that which they were promised?

Translation: Then what they were promised finally comes to them — (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:206)

مَا أَغْنَىٰ عَنْهُم مَّا كَانُوا يُمَتَّعُونَ

Mā aghnā ʿanhum mā kānū yumattiʿūn

It will not avail them — what they used to enjoy.

Translation: Then all their years of enjoyment will be of no avail to them whatsoever. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:207)

Commentary: A few extra years of worldly pleasure will not spare them from the consequences of their denial. The span of a lifetime, however long, is nothing against the eternity that follows.

وَمَا أَهْلَكْنَا مِن قَرْيَةٍ إِلَّا لَهَا مُنذِرُونَ

Wa-mā ahlaknā min qaryatin illā lahā mundharūn

And We did not destroy any city but that it had warners.

Translation: We have never destroyed a community without first sending it warners. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:208)

Commentary: Divine justice is absolute: no community is destroyed without first receiving prophetic warning. This is a consistent divine principle (sunnat Allāh fī khalqihi).

ذِكْرَىٰ وَمَا كُنَّا ظَالِمِينَ

Dhikrā wa-mā kunnā ẓālimīn

As a reminder, and never have We been unjust.

Translation: As a reminder — for We are never unjust. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:209)

Commentary: The warning is given as a dhikrā — a reminder and a mercy. And Allāh declares, categorically: wa-mā kunnā ẓālimīn — "We have never been unjust." Divine punishment is never arbitrary; it comes only after the establishment of evidence and the offer of guidance.

The Qurʾān is Not from Satanic Sources

وَمَا تَنَزَّلَتْ بِهِ الشَّيَاطِينُ

Wa-mā tanazzalat bihi l-shayāṭīn

And the devils have not brought it down.

Translation: And the satans did not bring this [Qurʾān] down. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:210)

Commentary: The Makkan opponents claimed that the Qurʾān was the product of demonic inspiration or sorcery. Allāh categorically refutes this: the satans (shayāṭīn) are incapable of conveying such a message.

وَمَا يَنبَغِي لَهُمْ وَمَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ

Wa-mā yanbaghī lahum wa-mā yastaṭīʿūn

And it is not befitting for them, nor could they.

Translation: It is neither fitting for them nor are they capable of it. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:211)

Commentary: Two aspects of impossibility: (1) It is not fitting (morally appropriate) for the satans to convey divine guidance, since their very nature is to corrupt and mislead; (2) They are not capable — they lack the power to produce what the Qurʾān contains or to ascend to receive divine revelation.

إِنَّهُمْ عَنِ السَّمْعِ لَمَعْزُولُونَ

Innahum ʿani l-samʿi la-maʿzūlūn

Indeed they are, from hearing [it], removed.

Translation: Indeed they are barred from [heavenly] hearing. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:212)

Commentary: The satans are shut out (maʿzūlūn — isolated, barred) from the heavenly councils where divine decrees are made. The shooting stars (shuhub) that drive away the satans who attempt to eavesdrop are themselves a sign of this. What they overhear are mere fragments, which they then distort — as the Qurʾān tells us elsewhere.

فَلَا تَدْعُ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَٰهًا آخَرَ فَتَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُعَذَّبِينَ

Fa-lā tadʿu maʿa llāhi ilāhan ākhara fa-takūna mina l-muʿadhdhabīn

So do not invoke with Allāh another deity, lest you be among the punished.

Translation: So do not invoke alongside Allāh any other god, lest you be among those who are punished. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:213)

Commentary: After demonstrating the divine origin of the Qurʾān and refuting its satanic attribution, the command is issued directly to the Prophetﷺ— in the mode of the prophetic address — to never associate any partner with Allāh. This serves as an instruction for the entire community.

وَأَنذِرْ عَشِيرَتَكَ الْأَقْرَبِينَ

Wa-andhir ʿashīrataka l-aqrabīn

And warn your closest kindred.

Translation: And warn your closest family and kin. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:214)

Commentary: This verse commanded the Prophet Muḥammadﷺto begin his public warning with his own extended family — the Banū Hāshim and the Quraysh. According to the sound ḥadīth tradition, when this verse was revealed the Prophetﷺclimbed the mount of Ṣafā and called out to all the clans of Quraysh: "O Banū Hāshim, O Banū ʿAbd Muṭṭalib, O Banū Fihr..." and said: "If I were to tell you that an army is behind this hill about to attack you, would you believe me?" They said, "Yes." He said: "Then I warn you of a severe punishment before you." (al-Bukhārī)

وَاخْفِضْ جَنَاحَكَ لِمَنِ اتَّبَعَكَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

Wa-khfiḍ janāḥaka li-mani ttabaʿaka mina l-muʾminīn

And lower your wing to those who follow you of the believers.

Translation: And lower your wing [in humility and tenderness] toward those among the believers who follow you. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:215)

Commentary: Khafḍ al-janāḥ — lowering the wing — is a Qurʾānic metaphor for gentleness, tenderness, approachability, and protective care. Just as a bird shelters its young under its wing, the Prophetﷺwas to be a source of warmth and comfort to the community of believers.

فَإِنْ عَصَوْكَ فَقُلْ إِنِّي بَرِيءٌ مِّمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ

Fa-in ʿaṣawka fa-qul innī barīʾun mimmā taʿmalūn

And if they disobey you, then say, "Indeed, I am disassociated from what you are doing."

Translation: And if they disobey you, say: "I am free of responsibility for what you do." (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:216)

Commentary: The Prophetﷺis instructed to declare his barāʾa (disavowal) from the deeds of those who disobey — not to pursue them with punishment, but to establish the clear boundary of prophetic accountability. The prophet is not responsible for the choices of those who hear and reject.

وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى الْعَزِيزِ الرَّحِيمِ

Wa-tawakkal ʿalā l-ʿazīzi l-raḥīm

And rely upon the Exalted in Might, the Merciful.

Translation: And place your full trust in the Almighty, the Most Merciful. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:217)

Commentary: Tawakkul (complete reliance upon Allāh) is the concluding command — after warning, after tenderness toward the believers, after disavowal of those who disobey, the ultimate resource of the Prophetﷺis his trust in Allāh. Al-ʿAzīz — who is never defeated; al-Raḥīm — who is ever Merciful.

الَّذِي يَرَاكَ حِينَ تَقُومُ

Al-ladhī yarāka ḥīna taqūm

Who sees you when you stand.

Translation: He who sees you when you rise [to pray]. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:218)

Commentary: Allāh sees the Prophetﷺat every moment — particularly when he rises alone in the night for prayer. Divine witnessing (mushāhada) of the believer's worship is itself a source of strength and consolation.

وَتَقَلُّبَكَ فِي السَّاجِدِينَ

Wa-taqallubaka fī l-sājidīn

And your movement among those who prostrate.

Translation: And your movements among those who prostrate. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:219)

Commentary: The Prophetﷺis seen by Allāh both in his private prayers and in his movements among the community of worshippers. Some commentators also understand taqallubaka fī l-sājidīn as referring to the Prophet's blessed lineage — his light (nūr muḥammadī) passing through the loins of those who were in a state of prostration (i.e., the prophets and pure ancestors who preceded him).

إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ

Innahu huwa l-samīʿu l-ʿalīm

Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Knowing.

Translation: Indeed He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:220)

Commentary: Al-Samīʿ — He hears the Prophet's every prayer and supplication; al-ʿAlīm — He knows every secret of his heart. The Prophetﷺis never alone; Allāh is always present.

Distinguishing the Qurʾān from Poetry and the Prophets from Poets

هَلْ أُنَبِّئُكُمْ عَلَىٰ مَن تَنَزَّلُ الشَّيَاطِينُ

Hal unabbiʾukum ʿalā man tanazzalu l-shayāṭīn

Shall I inform you upon whom the devils descend?

Translation: Shall I tell you upon whom the satans descend? (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:221)

Commentary: After establishing that the Qurʾān is not from satanic sources, Allāh now describes who does receive satanic inspiration.

تَنَزَّلُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ أَفَّاكٍ أَثِيمٍ

Tanazzalu ʿalā kulli affākin athīm

They descend upon every sinful liar.

Translation: They descend upon every habitual liar and sinner. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:222)

Commentary: Affāk — a consummate liar, one addicted to falsehood; athīm — one steeped in sin and wrongdoing. These are the true recipients of satanic whispering: the fortune-tellers, diviners, and false prophets who fabricate divine revelation.

يُلْقُونَ السَّمْعَ وَأَكْثَرُهُمْ كَاذِبُونَ

Yulqūna l-samʿa wa-aktharuhum kādhibūn

They pass on what is heard, and most of them are liars.

Translation: They (the satans) relay what they overhear [from the heavens], and most of them are liars. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:223)

Commentary: The satans steal fragments of heavenly speech and pass them on to the soothsayers and false diviners, who mix these fragments with many lies. This is how fortune-tellers occasionally say things that prove true — a single truthful fragment amid a mass of fabrication.

On Poets

وَالشُّعَرَاءُ يَتَّبِعُهُمُ الْغَاوُونَ

Wa-l-shuʿarāʾu yattabiʿuhumu l-ghāwūn

And the poets — they are followed by the deviators.

Translation: And the poets — only those who have gone astray follow them. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:224)

Commentary: The Makkan pagans had accused the Prophet Muḥammadﷺof being a poet — suggesting that the Qurʾān was his own poetic composition. Allāh refutes this by describing the true nature of poets: their followers are al-ghāwūn, the misguided. Poets compose for the passions, for vanity, for praise and blame — entirely different from the prophetic function.

أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّهُمْ فِي كُلِّ وَادٍ يَهِيمُونَ

A-lam tara annahum fī kulli wādin yahīmūn

Have you not seen that they wander in every valley?

Translation: Do you not see that they wander through every valley [of fantasy and passion]? (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:225)

Commentary: Fī kulli wādin yahīmūn — they roam through every valley. The poets follow wherever the muse leads them, now praising what deserves condemnation, now condemning what deserves praise, wandering from exaggerated eulogy to vicious lampoon without consistency or principle.

وَأَنَّهُمْ يَقُولُونَ مَا لَا يَفْعَلُونَ

Wa-annahum yaqūlūna mā lā yafʿalūn

And that they say what they do not do.

Translation: And that they say what they do not practice. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:226)

Commentary: The inconsistency between word and deed is the mark of the unprincipled poet: boasting of courage he does not possess, claiming generosity he does not practice, claiming devotion he does not feel. The Prophet Muḥammadﷺ, by contrast, was the living embodiment of everything the Qurʾān enjoined.

However, the Qurʾān immediately provides an important exception:

إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَذَكَرُوا اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا وَانتَصَرُوا مِن بَعْدِ مَا ظُلِمُوا

Illā l-ladhīna āmanū wa-ʿamilū l-ṣāliḥāti wa-dhakarū llāha kathīran wa-ntaṣarū min baʿdi mā ẓulimū

Except those who believe and do righteous deeds and remember Allāh much and defend themselves after being wronged.

Translation: Except those who believed, did righteous deeds, remembered Allāh abundantly, and vindicated themselves only after being wronged. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:227)

Commentary: The exception covers the poets of faith — those who use the gift of eloquence and verse in the service of Allāh, truth, and righteous living. The Companions of the Prophetﷺincluded great poets such as Ḥassān ibn Thābit (may Allāh be pleased with him), Kaʿb ibn Mālik (may Allāh be pleased with him), and ʿAbdullāh ibn Rawāḥa (may Allāh be pleased with him), who used their poetry to defend Islām and praise the Prophetﷺ. Such poetry is not condemned but honoured. The criteria are: faith (īmān), righteous deeds (ʿamal ṣāliḥ), abundant remembrance of Allāh (dhikr kathīr), and the use of verse only in legitimate defence after being wronged.

Wa-intiṣāru min baʿdi mā ẓulimū — "they vindicate themselves after having been wronged" — permits poetic response to slander and attack. This is the principle: poetry for the truth, against oppression, in praise of Allāh and His Prophetﷺ, accompanied by righteous living and the remembrance of Allāh — this is the poetry of the believers, and it is praiseworthy.

وَسَيَعْلَمُ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا أَيَّ مُنقَلَبٍ يَنقَلِبُونَ

Wa-sa-yaʿlamu l-ladhīna ẓalamū ayya munqalabin yanqalibūn

And those who have wronged are going to know to what [kind of] return they will be returned.

Translation: And those who have done wrong will soon come to know what kind of reversal awaits them. (al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:227)

Commentary: The sūra closes with a solemn warning to those who have committed injustice — whether by denying the Prophetﷺ, persecuting the believers, or spreading corruption. Munqalab — a reversal, a turning, an ultimate destination. The ẓālimūn (wrongdoers) will discover, on the Day of Judgment, the full consequences of what they chose in this world.

Thus ends Sūrat al-Shuʿarāʾ — the Sūra of the Poets — covering the pages 256 through 304 of Tafsīr-e-Ṣiddīqī, Volume 4, with the narratives of the prophets Mūsā, Ibrāhīm, Nūḥ, Hūd, Ṣāliḥ, Lūṭ, and Shuʿayb (upon them all be peace), followed by the concluding passages on the divine origin of the Qurʾān, the refutation of its satanic attribution, and the distinction between the Prophetﷺand the poets.

Translated from the Urdu of ʿAllāma Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Qādīr Ṣiddīqī (Ḥasrat), may Allāh have mercy on him, following the Sunnī Ḥanafī Maturīdī tradition.

Sūrat al-Naml