Interpretation of Surat: Al_ahkaf
1. Ha Mim.
2. The revelation of this Book is from ALLAH, the Mighty, the Wise.
3. And WE have not created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them, but with an eternal purpose and for an appointed term, but those who disbelieve turn away from that of which they have been warned.
4. Say to them, `Do you know what it is you call upon beside ALLAH ? Show me what they have created of the earth. Or, have they a share in the creation of the heavens ? Bring me a Book revealed before this or some vestige of knowledge in your support, if you indeed, speak the truth.'
5. And who is in greater error than those who, instead of ALLAH, pray unto such as will not answer them till the Day of Resurrection, and they are not even aware of their prayer ?
6. And when mankind are raised up after death, the false deities will be enemies of their worshippers and will deny their worship.
7. And when Our clear Signs are recited unto them, those who disbelieve say of the truth when it comes to them, `This is manifest sorcery.'
8. Do they say, `He has forged it ?' Say, `If I have forged it, you cannot avail me aught against ALLAH. HE knows best what idle talk you indulge in. Sufficient is HE for a Witness between me and you. And HE is the Most Forgiving, the Merciful.'
9. Say, `I am no innovation among Messengers, nor do I know what will be done with me or with you. I only follow what is revealed to me; and I am but a plain Warner.'
10. Say, `Tell me, if this Qur'an is from ALLAH and you disbelieve therein, and a witness from among the Children of Israel bears witness to the advent of one like him, and he believed, but you are too proud to believe, how should you fare ?' Verily ALLAH guides not the wrongdoing people.
11. And those who disbelieve say of those who believe, If the Qur'an were any good, they could not have been ahead of us in believing in it.' And since they have not been guided thereby, they will say, `It is an old lie.'
12. And before it there was the Book of Moses, a guide and a mercy; and this is a Book in the Arabic language, fulfilling previous prophecies that it may warn those who do wrong, and give glad tidings to those who do good.
13. Verily, those who say, `Our Lord is ALLAH,' and then are steadfast - no fear shall come upon them, nor shall they grieve.
14. These are the dwellers of the Garden; they shall abide therein - a recompense for what they did.
15. And WE have enjoined on man to be good to his parents. His mother bears him with pain, and brings him forth with pain, and the bearing of him and his weaning takes thirty months till, when he attains his full maturity and reaches the age of forty years, he says, `My Lord, grant me that I may be grateful for Thy favour which thou hast bestowed upon me and upon my parents, and I may do such righteous deeds as may please Thee. And establish righteousness among my progeny for me. I do turn to thee; and, truly, I am of those who are obedient to thee.'
16. These are they from whom WE accept the best of what they do and overlook their evil deeds. They shall be among the inmates of the Garden, in fulfillment of the true promise which was made to them.
17. But the one who says to his parents, `Fie on you both; do you threaten me that I shall be brought forth again, when generations have already passed away before me ?' And they both cry unto ALLAH for help and say to him. `Woe unto thee ! believe, for the promise of ALLAH is true.' But he says, `This is nothing but the fables of the ancients.'
18. These are they against whom the sentence of punishment was fulfilled along with the communities of the jinn and men that had gone before them. Indeed, they were the losers.
19. And for all are degrees of rank according to what they did, and this will be so that ALLAH may fully repay them for their deeds; and they shall not be wronged.
20. And on the day when those who disbelieve will be brought before the Fire, it will be said to them, `You exhausted your good things in the life of the world, and you fully enjoyed them. Now this day you shall be requited with ignominious punishment because you were arrogant in the earth without justification, and because you acted rebelliously.'
21. And remember the brother of Ad, when he warned his people among the sand-hills - and warners there have been before him and after him - saying, `Worship none but ALLAH. I fear for you the punishment of a great day.'
22. They said, `Hast thou come to us to turn us away from our gods ? Bring us then that with which thou dost threaten us, if, indeed, thou art of the truthful.'
23. He said, `The knowledge thereof is only with ALLAH. And I convey to you what I have been sent with, but I see that you are a very ignorant people.'
24. Then, when they saw the punishment coming towards their valleys in the form of a cloud, they said, `This is a cloud which will give us rain.' We said, `Nay, but it is that which you sought to hasten - a wind wherein is a grievous punishment;
25. `It will destroy everything by the command of its Lord.' By morning there was nothing to be seen, except their dwellings. Thus do WE requite the guilty people.
26. And WE had established them in that wherein WE have not established you; and WE gave them ears and eyes and hearts. But their ears and their eyes and their hearts availed them naught, since they denied the Signs of ALLAH; and that at which they used to mock encompassed them.
27. And, certainly, WE destroyed townships round about you and WE have explained Our Signs in various ways, that they might turn to Us.
28. Why, then, did not those help them whom they had taken for gods beside ALLAH that they might bring them near to Him ? Nay, they were lost to them. That was the consequence of their lie, and of what they fabricated.
29. And call to mind when WE turned towards thee a party of jinn who wished to hear the Qur'an and, when they were present at its recitation, they said to one another, `Be silent and listen,' and when it was finished, they went back to their people, warning them.
30. They said, `O our people, we have heard a Book, which have been sent down after Moses, fulfilling that which is before it; it guides to the truth and to the right path;
31. `O our people, respond to ALLAH's summoner and believe in HIM. HE will forgive you your sins, and protect you from a painful punishment,
32. `And whoso does not respond to ALLAH's summoner, he cannot escape HIM in the earth, nor can he have any protector beside HIM. Such are in Manifest error.'
33. Do they not realize that ALLAH, Who created the heavens and the earth and was not wearied by their creation, has the power to bring the dead to life ? Yea, verily, HE has the power over all things.
34. And on the day when those who disbelieve will be brought before the Fire, it will be said to them, `Is not this the truth ?' They will say, `Aye, by our Lord, it is the truth.' He will say, `Then taste the punishment, because you disbelieved.'
35. Have patience, then, as the Messengers, possessed of high resolve, had patience; and be in no haste concerning them.
On the day when they see that which they are threatened, it will appear to them as though they had not tarried in this world save for an hour of a day. This warning has been conveyed; and none but the disobedient people shall be destroyed.
