Translation of the meanings of surah Yunus (1)

(1) (1) Alif, Lām, Rā.[510] These are the verses of the wise[511] Book.

[510]- See footnote to 2:1. [511]- The adjective "wise" expresses the qualities of will, purpose, discrimination and precision.

(2) (2) Have the people been amazed that We revealed [revelation] to a man from among them, [saying], "Warn mankind and give good tidings to those who believe that they will have a [firm] precedence of honor[512] with their Lord"? [But] the disbelievers say, "Indeed, this is an obvious magician."

[512]- i.e., a sure position due to their righteous deeds.

(3) (3) Indeed, your Lord is Allāh, who created the heavens and the earth in six days and then established Himself above the Throne,[513] arranging the matter [of His creation]. There is no intercessor except after His permission. That is Allāh, your Lord, so worship Him. Then will you not remember?

[513]- See footnotes to 2:19 and 7:54.

(4) (4) To Him is your return all together. [It is] the promise of Allāh [which is] truth. Indeed, He begins the [process of] creation and then repeats it that He may reward those who have believed and done righteous deeds, in justice. But those who disbelieved will have a drink of scalding water and a painful punishment for what they used to deny.

(5) (5) It is He who made the sun a shining light and the moon a derived light and determined for it phases - that you may know the number of years and account [of time]. Allāh has not created this except in truth. He details the signs for a people who know.

(6) (6) Indeed, in the alternation of the night and the day and [in] what Allāh has created in the heavens and the earth are signs for a people who fear Allāh.

(7) (7) Indeed, those who do not expect the meeting with Us and are satisfied with the life of this world and feel secure therein and those who are heedless of Our signs -

(8) (8) For those their refuge will be the Fire because of what they used to earn.

(9) (9) Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds - their Lord will guide them because of their faith. Beneath them rivers will flow in the Gardens of Pleasure.

(10) (10) Their call therein will be, "Exalted are You, O Allāh," and their greeting therein will be, "Peace." And the last of their call will be, "Praise to Allāh, Lord of the worlds!"

(11) (11) And if Allāh was to hasten for the people the evil [they invoke][514] as He hastens for them the good, their term would have been ended for them.[515] But We leave the ones who do not expect the meeting with Us, in their transgression, wandering blindly.

[514]- In anger or in heedlessness. [515]- i.e., Allāh would have destroyed them on account of that.

(12) (12) And when affliction touches man, he calls upon Us, whether lying on his side or sitting or standing; but when We remove from him his affliction, he continues [in disobedience] as if he had never called upon Us to [remove] an affliction that touched him. Thus is made pleasing to the transgressors that which they have been doing.

(13) (13) And We had already destroyed generations before you when they wronged, and their messengers had come to them with clear proofs, but they were not to believe. Thus do We recompense the criminal people.

(14) (14) Then We made you successors in the land after them so that We may observe how you will do.

(15) (15) And when Our verses are recited to them as clear evidences, those who do not expect the meeting with Us say, "Bring us a Qur’ān other than this or change it." Say, [O Muḥammad], "It is not for me to change it on my own accord. I only follow what is revealed to me. Indeed I fear, if I should disobey my Lord, the punishment of a tremendous Day."

(16) (16) Say, "If Allāh had willed, I would not have recited it to you, nor would He have made it known to you, for I had remained among you a lifetime before it.[516] Then will you not reason?"

[516]- The Prophet (ﷺ) lived among his people forty years before receiving any revelation.

(17) (17) So who is more unjust than he who invents a lie about Allāh or denies His signs? Indeed, the criminals will not succeed.

(18) (18) And they worship other than Allāh that which neither harms them nor benefits them, and they say, "These are our intercessors with Allāh." Say, "Do you inform Allāh of something He does not know in the heavens or on the earth?" Exalted is He and high above what they associate with Him.

(19) (19) And mankind was not but one community [united in religion], but [then] they differed. And if not for a word[517] that preceded from your Lord, it would have been judged between them [immediately] concerning that over which they differ.

[517]- Allāh's decree to allow time on earth for His creation or not to punish anyone before evidence has come to him.

(20) (20) And they say, "Why is a sign not sent down to him from his Lord?" So say, "The unseen is only for Allāh [to administer], so wait; indeed, I am with you among those who wait."

(21) (21) And when We give the people a taste of mercy after adversity has touched them, at once they conspire against Our verses. Say, "Allāh is swifter in strategy." Indeed, Our messengers [i.e., angels] record that which you conspire.

(22) (22) It is He who enables you to travel on land and sea until, when you are in ships and they sail with them[518] by a good wind and they rejoice therein, there comes a storm wind and the waves come upon them from every place and they expect to be engulfed, they supplicate Allāh, sincere to Him in religion, "If You should save us from this, we will surely be among the thankful."

[518]- The change in pronoun from the second to third person shows that the following description applies specifically to the disbelievers.

(23) (23) But when He saves them, at once they commit injustice[519] upon the earth without right. O mankind, your injustice is only against yourselves, [being merely] the enjoyment of worldly life. Then to Us is your return, and We will inform you of what you used to do.

[519]- By oppression and disobedience or by invoking others besides Allāh.

(24) (24) The example of [this] worldly life is but like rain which We have sent down from the sky that the plants of the earth absorb - [those] from which men and livestock eat - until, when the earth has taken on its adornment and is beautified and its people suppose that they have capability over it, there comes to it Our command by night or by day, and We make it as a harvest,[520] as if it had not flourished yesterday. Thus do We explain in detail the signs for a people who give thought.

[520]- Its vegetation having been cut down or uprooted, i.e., utterly destroyed.

(25) (25) And Allāh invites to the Home of Peace [i.e., Paradise] and guides whom He wills to a straight path.

(26) (26) For them who have done good is the best [reward] - and extra.[521] No darkness will cover their faces, nor humiliation. Those are companions of Paradise; they will abide therein eternally.

[521]- In addition to the pleasures of Paradise, they will be able to see Allāh (Subḥānahu wa ta‘ālā), as reported in an authentic ḥadīth narrated by Muslim.

(27) (27) But they who have earned [blame for] evil doings - the recompense of an evil deed is its equivalent, and humiliation will cover them. They will have from Allāh no protector. It will be as if their faces are covered with pieces of the night - so dark [are they]. Those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide therein eternally.

(28) (28) And [mention, O Muḥammad], the Day We will gather them all together - then We will say to those who associated others with Allāh, "[Remain in] your place, you and your 'partners.'"[522] Then We will separate them,[523] and their "partners" will say, "You did not used to worship us,[524]

[522]- Those they had associated with Allāh. [523]- From the believers. [524]- The inanimate objects, such as idols, will not have been aware of their worship of them. But those beings who consented to be worshipped will lie and deny it on the Day of Judgement.

(29) (29) And sufficient is Allāh as a witness between us and you that we were of your worship unaware."

(30) (30) There, [on that Day], every soul will be put to trial for what it did previously, and they will be returned to Allāh, their master, the Truth, and lost from them is whatever they used to invent.

(31) (31) Say, "Who provides for you from the heaven and the earth? Or who controls hearing and sight and who brings the living out of the dead and brings the dead out of the living and who arranges [every] matter?" They will say, "Allāh," so say, "Then will you not fear Him?"

(32) (32) For that is Allāh, your Lord, the Truth. And what can be beyond truth except error? So how are you averted?

(33) (33) Thus the word [i.e., decree] of your Lord has come into effect upon those who defiantly disobeyed - that they will not believe.

(34) (34) Say, "Are there of your 'partners' any who begins creation and then repeats it?" Say, "Allāh begins creation and then repeats it, so how are you deluded?"

(35) (35) Say, "Are there of your 'partners' any who guides to the truth?" Say, "Allāh guides to the truth. So is He who guides to the truth more worthy to be followed or he who guides not unless he is guided? Then what is [wrong] with you - how do you judge?"

(36) (36) And most of them follow not except assumption. Indeed, assumption avails not against the truth at all. Indeed, Allāh is Knowing of what they do.

(37) (37) And it was not [possible] for this Qur’ān to be produced by other than Allāh, but [it is] a confirmation of what was before it and a detailed explanation of the [former] Scripture, about which there is no doubt,[525] from the Lord of the worlds.

[525]- This phrase refers back to the Qur’ān.

(38) (38) Or do they say [about the Prophet (ﷺ)], "He invented it?" Say, "Then bring forth a sūrah like it and call upon [for assistance] whomever you can besides Allāh, if you should be truthful."

(39) (39) Rather, they have denied that which they encompass not in knowledge and whose interpretation has not yet come to them. Thus did those before them deny. Then observe how was the end of the wrongdoers.

(40) (40) And of them are those who believe in it, and of them are those who do not believe in it. And your Lord is most knowing of the corrupters.

(41) (41) And if they deny you, [O Muḥammad], then say, "For me are my deeds, and for you are your deeds. You are disassociated from what I do, and I am disassociated from what you do."

(42) (42) And among them are those who listen to you. But can you cause the deaf to hear [i.e., benefit from this hearing], although they will not use reason?

(43) (43) And among them are those who look at you. But can you guide the blind although they will not [attempt to] see?

(44) (44) Indeed, Allāh does not wrong the people at all, but it is the people who are wronging themselves.

(45) (45) And on the Day when He will gather them, [it will be] as if they had not remained [in the world] but an hour of the day, [and] they will know each other. Those will have lost who denied the meeting with Allāh and were not guided.

(46) (46) And whether We show you some of what We promise them, [O Muḥammad], or We take you in death, to Us is their return; then, [either way], Allāh is a witness concerning what they are doing.

(47) (47) And for every nation is a messenger. So when their messenger comes,[526] it will be judged between them in justice, and they will not be wronged.

[526]- To witness on the Day of Judgement. Another meaning is "Once a messenger has come [to them in this world]..."

(48) (48) And they say, "When is [the fulfillment of] this promise, if you should be truthful?"

(49) (49) Say, "I possess not for myself any harm or benefit except what Allāh should will. For every nation is a [specified] term. When their time has come, then they will not remain behind an hour, nor will they precede [it]."

(50) (50) Say, "Have you considered: if His punishment should come to you by night or by day - for which [aspect] of it would the criminals be impatient?"[527]

[527]- "Impatience" refers to the disbelievers' ridicule of the Prophet (ﷺ) by telling him to produce Allāh's punishment as proof of his truthfulness.

(51) (51) Then is it that when it has [actually] occurred you will believe in it? Now?[528] And you were [once] for it impatient.[529]

[528]- i.e., when it is too late to benefit from belief. [529]- Challenging those who warned of it to bring it on immediately.

(52) (52) Then it will be said to those who had wronged, "Taste the punishment of eternity; are you being recompensed except for what you used to earn?"