سُورَةُ الحِجۡرِ
Reading Al-Mukhtasar in Interpreting the Noble Qur'an by Tafsir Center for Quranic Studies
Ayahs 1–10 of 99
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
الٓر ۚ تِلْكَ ءَايَٰتُ ٱلْكِتَٰبِ وَقُرْءَانٍۢ مُّبِينٍۢ
Alif, Lam, Ra. These are the verses of the Book and a clear Qur'an.
This sūrah begins with the disconnected letters, the explanation for which has already preceeded in Sūrah Baqarah. These verses are very significant, which indicates that they are revealed from Allah. They are verses of a Qur’ān that clarifies monotheism and sacred laws.
رُّبَمَا يَوَدُّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لَوْ كَانُوا۟ مُسْلِمِينَ
Perhaps those who disbelieve will wish that they had been Muslims.
On the Day of Judgement, when things become clear to them, the disbelievers will wish they were Muslim. The falsity of their ways in the world will be made clear to them.
ذَرْهُمْ يَأْكُلُوا۟ وَيَتَمَتَّعُوا۟ وَيُلْهِهِمُ ٱلْأَمَلُ ۖ فَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ
Let them eat and enjoy themselves and be diverted by [false] hope, for they are going to know.
O Messenger, leave these beliers to eat as the beasts eat, and to avail themselves of the finite pleasures of the world and let their hopes distract them from faith and righteous actions. They will come to know the loss they are in when they face Allah on the Day of Judgement.
وَمَآ أَهْلَكْنَا مِن قَرْيَةٍ إِلَّا وَلَهَا كِتَابٌۭ مَّعْلُومٌۭ
And We did not destroy any city but that for it was a known decree.
For each oppressive town that became destroyed, Allah already knew of its fixed time. The destruction will neither come before or after its time.
مَّا تَسْبِقُ مِنْ أُمَّةٍ أَجَلَهَا وَمَا يَسْتَـْٔخِرُونَ
No nation will precede its term, nor will they remain thereafter.
A nation will not be destroyed before its appointed time, and its destruction will not be delayed when its time arrives. The wrongdoers should not have hope in Allah delaying their fate.
وَقَالُوا۟ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِى نُزِّلَ عَلَيْهِ ٱلذِّكْرُ إِنَّكَ لَمَجْنُونٌۭ
And they say, "O you upon whom the message has been sent down, indeed you are mad.
The disbelievers from Makkah said to the Messenger (peace be upon him): O you to whom the remembrance was revealed (as the Messenger himself used to claim), your claims make you out to be one who is possessed, and you behave as possessed people do.
لَّوْ مَا تَأْتِينَا بِٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةِ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ ٱلصَّٰدِقِينَ
Why do you not bring us the angels, if you should be among the truthful?"
Why do you not call forth the angels to testify on your behalf, or why do you not ask for us to be destroyed because of our disbelief?
مَا نُنَزِّلُ ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةَ إِلَّا بِٱلْحَقِّ وَمَا كَانُوٓا۟ إِذًۭا مُّنظَرِينَ
We do not send down the angels except with truth; and the disbelievers would not then be reprieved.
In response to their idea of having the angels brought forth, Allah said: I will not send the angels except when it becomes wise to do so, that is, when your time comes to be penalised. And if the angels were sent and they did not believe, then their punishment would become imminent.
إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا ٱلذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُۥ لَحَٰفِظُونَ
Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur'an and indeed, We will be its guardian.
I alone revealed this Qur’ān to the heart of Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a reminder for people. I will guard the Qur’ān from anything being added to it or subtracted from it, or anything in it being exchanged or altered.
وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ فِى شِيَعِ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ
And We had certainly sent [messengers] before you, [O Muhammad], among the sects of the former peoples.
O Messenger, I sent before you messengers to prior groups of disbelievers and they belied them. So you are not an exceptional messenger from the perspective of being made out as a liar by your people.
Commentary: Al-Mukhtasar in Interpreting the Noble Qur'an by Tafsir Center for Quranic Studies. Qur'an text and translation via AlQuran Cloud.
