1. Ha Mim. Allah knows best what is meant by this.

2. By the Book (the Qur’an) w h i ch makes things clear – makes clear what is lawful and unlawful.

3. … We sent it down on a blessed night – a reference to the Night of Power or the Night of the Middle of Sha‘ban, during which the Mother of the Book descended from the seventh heaven to the lowest heaven. We are constantly giving warning by it.

4. During it – the night referred to above – e very wise decree is specified – it specifies everything that is determined with respect to provision, length of life and other similar things for the coming year.

5. …by a specifying command from Our presence. We are constantly sending out Messengers, meaning Muhammad and those before him.

6. …as a mercy from your Lord. He is the All-Hearing of their words, the All-Knowing of their actions:

7. …the Lord of the heavens and the earth and everything in between them, if you, people of Makka, are people with certainty that Allah is the Lord of the heavens and the earth and that Muhammad is His Messenger.

8. There is no god but Him – He gives life and causes to die – your Lord and the Lord of your forefathers, the previous peoples.

9. Yet they play around in doubt about the Resurrection, mocking you, Muhammad. He said, “O Allah, help me against them with seven like the seven of Yusuf.”

10. Allah says: So be on the watch for a day when heaven brings forth a distinctive smoke – when there is a drought in the land and they are so hungry that they see something like smoke between the heaven and the earth,

11. …which enshrouds mankind. They said: ‘This is a painful punishment!

12. Our Lord, remove the punishment from us. We are really believers in Your Prophet.’

13. Allah says: How can they expect a Reminder when a clear Messenger has already come to them? Belief will not help them after the punishment descends when a Messenger who made things clear has come to them.

14. But then they turned away from him and said, ‘He is an instructed madman!’ T h ey said that another human being had taught him the Qur’an.

15. We remove the punishment (hunger) a little – for a short period – and you revert to unbelief.

16. Remember that on the day We launch the Great Assault – a reference to the coming Battle of Badr – We will certainly take Our revenge in the form of force and punishment.

17. Before them We put Pharaoh’s people to the test when a noble Messenger – Musa, peace be upon him – came to them, saying,

18. ‘Hand over to me the slaves of Allah. It is also said that this means: Give me the faith to which I summon you – in other words, show your faith in me. I am a trustworthy Messenger to you.’

19. And: ‘Do not exalt yourselves above Allah. Do not show arrogance by not obeying Allah. I come to you with clear authority – clear evidence of my Message. Then they threatened to stone him.

20. He said: I have sought refuge with my Lord and your Lord against your stoning me.

21. If you do not believe in me, then at least leave me alone and stop harming me.’ But they did not leave him alone.

22. He called out to his Lord, ‘These are evildoing people ( idolaters).’

23. Allah said: ‘Then set out with My slaves (the tribe of Israel) by night. You will certainly be pursued by Pharaoh and his people.

24. Leave the sea divided as it is – still and open, when you and your companions passed through it, so that the Copts will enter it. They are an army who will be drowned.’ Be assured of that. They were indeed drowned.

25. How many gardens and fountains they left behind,

26. …and ripe crops and noble residences.

27. What comfort and ease they had delighted in! They enjoyed many blessings.

28. So it was. Yet We bequeathed these things – their forms of wealth – to another people, the tribe of Israel.

29. Neither heaven nor earth shed any tears for them – This is not the case with the believers. When they die, they are wept for by the place where they prayed on earth and by the place where their actions rose in heaven – and they were granted no reprieve – a delay to enable them to repent.

30. We rescued the tribe of Israel from the humiliating punishment – which took the form of killing their sons and letting their women live.

31. … from punishment by Pharaoh. He was haughty, one of the profligate.

32. We chose them (the tribe of Israel) knowingly – with full knowledge of their circumstances – above all other people of their time;

33. …and We gave them Signs containing a clear trial – clear blessings in the parting of the sea, the manna and quail and other things.

34. These people (the unbelievers of Makka) say:

35. ‘There is nothing more than our first death. There is no life after death except for being alive after being sperm. We will not be raised up a second time after dying.

36. Bring us our fathers – alive – if you are telling the truth – about being resurrected after death.’

37. Allah says: Are they better or the people of Tubba‘ – who was either a Prophet or a righteous man – and those nations before them whom We destroyed – on account of their unbelief? They are not stronger than their predecessors who were destroyed. They were certainly evildoers.

38. We did not create the heavens and the earth and everything between them as a game.

39. We did not create them and what is between them except with truth – and We were true in accomplishing that, so that it provides evidence of Our power and oneness and other things; but most of them – including the unbelievers of Makka – do not know it.

40. The Day of Decision – another name for the Day of Rising on which Allah will render judgement between His slaves – will be their appointment all together, for everlasting punishment –

41. …the Day when friends will be of no use at all to one another – and no kinship or friendship will be of any use against the punishment – and they will not be helped against it,

42. … except for those Allah has mercy on – meaning believers who may intercede for one another by Allah’s permission. He is the Almighty – and so able to take His revenge on the unbelievers, the Most Merciful to the believers.

43. The Tree of az-Zaqqum – the foulest tree which Allah make s grow in Hellfire –

44. … is the food of the wicked – among whom are Abü Jahl and his companions, who are full of immense wrong actions –

45. …seething (read as yaghli and taghli) in the belly like molten brass – looking like the dregs of black oil –

46. …as boiling water bubbles and seethes.

47. The Zabaniya will be told: ‘Seize (read as fa‘tiluhu and fa‘tuluhu) him and drag him bodily – roughly and harshly – into the middle of the Blazing Fire.

48. Then pour the punishment of boiling water on his head.’

49. He will be told: ‘Taste that punishment! You are the mighty one, the noble one! You claimed that you were mighty and noble, and you said, “There is no one between the two mountains more mighty and noble than I am.”

50. He will be told: This punishment which you see is the very thing you used to doubt.’

51. The people who are godfearing will be in a secure place – where they are safe from fear –

52. …amid gardens and fountains,

53. … wearing fine silk and rich brocade, face to face with one another. They will not look at one another’s backs, because their couches are arranged in a circle.

54. So it will be. That is how the matter will be. We will marry them to dark-eyed maidens – beautiful women with large, lustrous eyes.

55. They will call there (in the Garden) – asking their servants for fruit of every kind – from it – in complete security. They are safe from their provision ever being cut off and from any harm coming to them and from anything alarming.

56. They will not taste any death there – other than the first one. They will not die again after their death in this world. Some say that “ except”, illaa, here means ba‘ d, “after”. He will safeguard them from the punishment of the Blazing Fire:

57. a fore-ordained f a vour from your Lord. That is the Great Victory.

58. We have made it (the Qur’an) easy in your own tongue – in your own language, so that the Arabs will understand it from you – so that perhaps they may pay heed and believe in you. Those Arabs did not, however, believe.

59. So watch and wait for their destruction. They too are waiting for your destruction. This was before the revelation of the command to fight them.