23al-Mu’minūnThe Committed Muslimsسُورَةُ المؤمنون

Truly, successful are the committed muslims —

Those who, in their ṣalāh, are emotionally attached [to Us];

And who evade superfluous speech;

And who enrich themselves [by providing for others];

And who restrain their private parts [sexual urges],

Except toward their spouses or those [women] who they have in their [honorable family protective] custody:1 in this case they are not guilty,

Though, whoever exceeds these [boundaries and outlines], it is they who become transgressors [those who crossed the red lines];

And who attend to their trusts and to their pledges;

And who maintain [the steadiness of] their ṣalāh —

It is they who shall be the heirs,

Who will inherit Paradise, wherein they shall live forever.

And, verily, We created a [social] human being from an extraction [taken out] from clay,

Then We render it a sperm [reproductive] cell within a sturdy lodgment [foundation — that is, the womb],

Thereafter We created the sperm [germ] cell into an embryo, then We created the embryo into a fetus, then We created the fetus with [its] bones, then We clad the bones with flesh; thereafter We initiate him into another creational life dimension [which is childbirth]: hence hallowed is Allah, the best of originators.

Then, after that, you are indeed dying [for the countdown to death begins at birth];

Then, you indeed, on the Day of Resurrection are going to be brought back to life.

And, for a fact, We have created above you seven [astronomic] orbits: and We are never oblivious to Our creation.

And We brought down from the sky rainwater in due measure, and then We had it [the water] settle into the earth — but, indeed, We are most certainly capable of doing away with this godsend.

And in that way, We cultivated gardens for you — orchards of palm trees and vineyards — out of which you obtain many [assortments of] fruits and from which you eat [for nourishment],

As well as a tree that stems from [the vicinity of] Mount Sinai, with fatty substance [oil] and [edible] savory spread for all to eat.

Verily, you have a lesson [to learn] from [appreciating the value of] cattle: We give you to drink from what comes out of their bellies; and from them you extract many benefits; and from them you eat;

And by [means of] them [domesticated animals] and by [means of] seafaring vessels you embark [to your otherwise hard-to-get-to destinations].

And, in truth, We sent forth Nūḥ to his people, whereupon he said, “O my people! Conform to Allah [for] you have no other deity/ authority except Him; will you not safeguard [against His just punishment]?

To that, the elite who rejected [Allah as deity/authority] from among his people said [in a public statement], “This [person] is no one except a mortal just like you, who wants to make himself [a boss] above you. For, had Allah willed [to convey a message to us], He would have sent angels; [moreover] we have not heard [any of what Nūḥ is saying] from our earliest ancestors.

“He [Nūḥ] is nothing but a man who is possessed by an evil [unseen] spirit, so wait and see [what is going to happen with him].”

Said [Nūḥ], “My Sustainer! Help me [deal] with the consequences of their attributing lies to me.”

Thereupon We induced him [through revelation] to build the ark under Our supervision and inspiration so that when Our decree is finally scheduled [and expected] and water begins to surge from geysers, drive onto it [the ark] one pair of every species as well as your [biological and ideological] family — except for anyone of them who [because of their defiance] is included in Our [all-encompassing] judgement. And do not solicit Me concerning those who are justice deserters, as they will, actually, drown.

So when you and those who are with you are on course [over high waters] in the ark, at that juncture say, “Unqualified praise is due to Allah who rescued us from people of injustice.”

And say, “O my Sustainer! Allow me to land at [on] a providential landing [touchdown] and You are the best to do so.”

In this [story] there are illustrations of Allah’s power and authority [for those who observe, perceive], even though [such lessons are only scrutinized] when We put [some] people to [experience such] ordeal.

And after them [the people of Nūḥ], We brought about another [subsequent] generation,

Upon whom We sent a messenger [chosen by Us] from amongst themselves [who proclaimed to them], “Conform to Allah [for] you have no other deity/authority except Him; will you not [heed my words by] safeguarding [against His ‘power for justice’]?”

Replied the elite of his people who rejected [Our authority and power] and who refuted the final encounter [on the Day of Judgement] and whom We offered an abundance of worldly material comfort, “What is this [person] other than a mortal being just like you — he eats of what you eat and he drinks of what you drink.

“And if you were to obey a mortal being comparable to yourselves, you will be losers indeed.

“Is he assuring you that when you die and disintegrate into soil and bones, you will truly come out of that [into life again]?

“Unlikely and farfetched is what you are being assured of!

“It is only our earthly life [and no other life to follow]; we die [after living] and we will not be resuscitated.

“He [Allah’s messenger] is only a man who is attributing lies to Allah and we do not have faith [in him].”

He [their prophet] said, “O my Sustainer! Help me [to deal] with the consequences of their lies [that are attributed to me].”

Replied [Allah], “In a short time they will truly and certainly be regretting [their denunciation of Me].”

And then the blast [and bang] of truth and justice swept them away, and We rendered them like pathetic debris: and so, ever-be-gone to people who are injustice doers.

And after them [the people of Nūḥ and Hūd] We commenced other generations:

[For] no ummah can either expedite its termination day or delay it.

Then We sent out our messengers [to their societies] one after the other; every time a messenger would approach [the people of] his society [with Our dispatch] they would accuse him of fabrications: and so We arranged for their orderly [cessation] and We caused them to end up as [overlooked] accounts [and anecdotes]. Therefore, ever-be-gone to people who do not commit [to Our power and authority].

Then We sent forth Mūsā and his brother Hārūn, [equipped] with Our power demonstrations and a manifest authorization [from Us],

To Pharaoh and his elite; but they displayed their arrogance and projected themselves as high-ranking people.

Thus, they said, “Are we to have faith in two mortal beings who are like us [in their mortality], while their own people [the Race of Israel] acquiesce to us [our hegemony]?”

They [Pharaoh and his elite] contradicted [and rebutted] both of them [Mūsā and Hārūn] and so they were [condemned] to be among the doomed:

For, indeed, We had bestowed upon Mūsā the scripture in the hope that they will be guided.

And [as we had exalted Mūsā, so too] We turned the son of Maryam and his mother into an illustration of Our power and authority, and We gave the two of them a haven at a lofty place of calm and subsistence water.

O Messengers [throughout the course of time]! Eat of the wholesome food [provided for you] and do of the good deeds [available to you] — for I am very much aware of what you do.

And, verily, this is your ummah [when it is] one ummah and I am your Sustainer [of all of you], so be on guard [and aligned with My power and authority].

But they [who irrationally inherited your divine messages] have fragmented their [divine] affair [their unity] into slivers and splinters, each party rejoicing in what it has [of pieces of divine guidance].

Leave them, then, let them be swamped [by their witlessness] — until a time [in the future].

Do they think that by whatever We have provided them with, be it money or manpower,

[Do they think] We are accelerating their prosperity? [Pity them, for] they cannot sense [what is really happening].

Truly, those who cautiously stand in awe of their Sustainer,

Who are staunch devotees when it comes to their Sustainer’s power demonstrations,

Who do not associate [anyone or anything of power] with their Sustainer,

Who give [to others] what they are given [by Allah], while their hearts are apprehensive [not knowing whether they are doing enough to be affirmed by Allah] at the thought that they are surely returning to their Sustainer —

Those are the ones who are in a rush to do what is abounding and thriving and they outpace all others [toward that end].

And [even so] We ask no living being to do what exceeds its capacity [capability], for We have a record that shall disclose the truth and facts [about what people are capable of doing]; and [in the end] they will not be wronged.

Rather, their [those who ripped apart their unity] hearts are swamped and cannot acknowledge this [divine record]; and they have [and are guilty of] more nefarious acts that they are responsible for.

[This is their condition] until We take out their super-rich with affliction, whereupon they scream and cry.

[But they will be told], “Do not scream and cry today — for, indeed, you will not have any support to counter Us.

“Time and again, My illustrations of power and authority were correlated for you [to see and think about], but you would always make an about-face and go backward,

“[And] you were haughty about it [Qur’anic āyāt], talking yourselves away from it [the Qur’an] deep into the night.”

Could they not reflect on what is being said to them [via this Qur’an]? Or do they think that what has come to them [this Qur’an, its core divine message] was not conveyed to their early ancestors?

Or do they plead that they are not familiar with their messenger [Muhammad], so as to assert [as an excuse] that they do not know him [Muhammad]?!

Or do they say that he [Muhammad] is obsessed by an [evil] ghost? Rather he [Muhammad] came to them with truth and justice but most of them are averse to truth and justice.

And if truth and justice were subject to their desires [and yearnings], the heavens and the earth would surely have disintegrated [long ago] as would have everyone and everything therein. More exactly, We presented them with a consciousness of their own selves but they are evading their own consciousness.

Or do you [O Muhammad] ask them for any remuneration? [Know that] the remuneration of your Sustainer is better, and He is the best Provider.

And you [O Muhammad] are indeed calling them to a straightforward path [in worldly life and toward the life to come];

But, verily, those who are not convinced as a matter of faith pertaining to the life to come [after death] are missing this straightforward path.

And if We were to have mercy on them and relieve them of their worldly affliction they still would have resumed their excessive materialistic indulgences of life.

And [even though] We subjected them to trials and tribulations, they still would not be humble and earnest with their Sustainer,

[And will continue like that] until We shall open a door of severe infliction [through more worldly trials and tribulations or on the Day of Accountability]: then — only then — will they be hopelessly desperate.

And it is He who has brought about [the faculty of] hearing and [the faculties of] perception and deep sensibilities — [yet, despite these wonders] you offer diminutive appreciation.

And it is He who makes you proliferate on earth and [eventually] unto Him you shall be corralled.

And it is He who bestows life and dispenses death, and attributed to Him is the variance of day and night — will you not, then, apply your mind?

But, still, they [the mushriks] repeat what the earlier generations said,

Saying, “[You mean to tell us that] if and when we die and become dirt and bones, we are actually going to be raised from the dead?

“We and our ancestral fathers have been assured of the same thing from earlier times; this amounts to nothing but antiquated mythology.”

Reply [O Muhammad], “To whom does the earth and everything on it belong, if only you knew [and were familiar with Him]?

They will respond, “[It belongs] to Allah,” Answer [them], “Can this not be a reminder [of Allah] for you?”

Ask [the mushriks], “Who is the Sustainer of the seven heavens and the Sustainer of [His] superb seat of power?”

They [the mushriks] will answer back, “[He is] Allah!” Counter [them, O Muhammad by saying], “Will you not, then, be on guard [against His power of legitimacy and His authority for justice]?”

Ask [them], “In whose hands is the universal possession of everything; and who is it that comes to the rescue [of others] and none [are able to come to] His rescue [as He is not in need of it]? [Answer me] if you have [accurate] knowledge [to abide by the truth of this matter]!”

They will retort, “[It is] Allah.” Answer [them, O Muhammad by saying], “Then, how can you be so muddled?”

In the final analysis, We did advance truth and justice to them, yet [nonetheless] they, verily, remain fabricators.

Never has Allah espoused an offspring and nor has there been another deity/authority alongside Him: [for if there was], most certainly, each deity/authority would have claimed its portion of creation and each one would have aspired to be above the other. Matchlessly exalted is Allah above their descriptions [of Him] —

He is informed of what is beyond human perception and what is within human perception, and thus, most high-ranking is He above what they ascribe to Him.

Say [O Muhammad], “If you, my Sustainer, were to allow me to witness [the unfolding of] what You have guaranteed [to happen as a punishment for] them —

“My Sustainer! Make certain, at that time, that I am not within the crowd of justice violators.”

For sure, We are most capable of showing you [the unfolding of] what We vowed [would be their punishment].

[But regardless of what they say or do] repel [O Muhammad, the consequence of their] unscrupulousness with an exceedingly proper behavior: We know very well their evocations [about Us].

And say [O Muhammad], “O my Sustainer! I seek out your place of safety from the insinuations [intimations] of evil spirits [demons].

“And I seek out your place of safety, O my Sustainer, lest they come up [menacingly] to me.”

[With all of what happened in life] when death is in the offing [looming] a person belonging to them [the mushriks] says, “O my Sustainer! Could You have me return [to my disappearing world]?

“I expect to do what is right and upright within the world I am leaving behind.” [We respond], “No. Negative.” This is [just] verbiage — uttered [at a time when it is too late]: for between them [in their moments of death and their past] is a blockade that will remain until the Day when they will be raised from the dead.

And so when the trumpet [of resurrection] is blown, on that Day blood relationships among them will be of no significance and they [because they are so preoccupied with their own selves] will not pose any questions [of concern] among themselves.

Withal, those whose weights [of good deeds] are substantial in their balance [of deeds], it is they, they who will be flourishing,

Whereas those whose weights [of good deeds] are flimsy, it is they who have failed themselves and in jahannum they shall dwell forever:

The fire will scorch their faces that will grimace with contortion.

[And Allah will say], “Were not the illustrations of My power rehearsed for you [in your worldly life] and then you contested them?”

They will plead, “O our Sustainer! The misfortune [we incurred due to our criminality] overwhelmed us and so we became a wayward society,

“O our Sustainer! [Please] take us out of it [jahannum]; and were we to return [to life and do what we did before] then, truly, we would be doing injustice to ourselves.”

[But Allah] will say, “Quiet down [and hush up]; and do not speak to Me.

“Verily, there was a contingent of My subjects who would say, ‘O our Sustainer! We have committed ourselves [and our lives to You] so forgive us and have mercy on us, for You are the worthiest to grant mercy.’

“And you [the mushriks] made fun of them to the extent that [your excessive mockery of them] distracted you from being conscious of Me; and [furthermore] you turned them [the committed muslims] into [your public] laughing stock.

“[But], verily, today have I compensated them [lavishly] for their patience [in that world of the past]: certainly, it is they — and only they — who are the winners.”

Ask [the mushriks, O Muhammad], “How many years were you residing on earth?”

They will answer, “We resided [there] for a day or a fraction of a day; but ask those who qualify at keeping time.”

Says [Allah], “You stayed there for a short time — if only you knew [how to compare a finite world with an infinite post-world]!

“Do you think that We created you senselessly; [and did you think] that you were not to return to Us?”

[Therefore, realize that] most high and exalted is Allah — the true and just Sovereign: no deity/authority is there except He, the Sustainer of the munificent seat of power.

And whoever calls upon any deity/authority in addition to Allah without having any proof of such allegation, indeed his reckoning is with his Sustainer: assuredly, such deniers will never be successful [in the long run].

[Hence] say [as a committed muslim], “O my Sustainer! Forgive [me] and grant grace — for You are the best Provider of grace.