Indeed, sincere devotion is due ˹only˺ to Allah. As for those who take other lords besides Him, ˹saying,˺ “We worship them only so they may bring us closer to Allah,” surely Allah will judge between all regarding what they differed about. Allah certainly does not guide whoever persists in lying and disbelief.
39:4
law arāda l-lahu an yattakhidha waladan la-iṣ'ṭafā mimmā yakhluqu mā yashāu sub'ḥānahu huwa l-lahu l-wāḥidu l-qahāru
Had it been Allah’s Will to have offspring, He could have chosen whatever He willed of His creation. Glory be to Him! He is Allah—the One, the Supreme.
He created the heavens and the earth for a purpose. He wraps the night around the day, and wraps the day around the night. And He has subjected the sun and the moon, each orbiting for an appointed term. He is truly the Almighty, Most Forgiving.
39:6
khalaqakum min nafsin wāḥidatin thumma jaʿala min'hā zawjahā wa-anzala lakum mina l-anʿāmi thamāniyata azwājin yakhluqukum fī buṭūni ummahātikum khalqan min baʿdi khalqin fī ẓulumātin thalāthin dhālikumu l-lahu rabbukum lahu l-mul'ku lā ilāha illā huwa fa-annā tuṣ'rafūna
He created you ˹all˺ from a single soul, then from it He made its mate. And He produced for you four pairs of cattle. He creates you in the wombs of your mothers ˹in stages˺, one development after another, in three layers of darkness. That is Allah—your Lord! All authority belongs to Him. There is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except Him. How can you then be turned away?
If you disbelieve, then ˹know that˺ Allah is truly not in need of you, nor does He approve of disbelief from His servants. But if you become grateful ˹through faith˺, He will appreciate that from you. No soul burdened with sin will bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord is your return, and He will inform you of what you used to do. He certainly knows best what is ˹hidden˺ in the heart.
When one is touched with hardship, they cry out to their Lord, turning to Him ˹alone˺. But as soon as He showers them with blessings from Him, they ˹totally˺ forget the One they had cried to earlier, and set up equals to Allah to mislead ˹others˺ from His Way. Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “Enjoy your disbelief for a little while! You will certainly be one of the inmates of the Fire.”
˹Are they better˺ or those who worship ˹their Lord˺ devoutly in the hours of the night, prostrating and standing, fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of their Lord? Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “Are those who know equal to those who do not know?” None will be mindful ˹of this˺ except people of reason.
Say ˹O Prophet, that Allah says˺, “O My servants who believe! Be mindful of your Lord. Those who do good in this world will have a good reward. And Allah’s earth is spacious. Only those who endure patiently will be given their reward without limit.”
39:11
qul innī umir'tu an aʿbuda l-laha mukh'liṣan lahu l-dīna
Say, “I am commanded to worship Allah, being sincerely devoted to Him ˹alone˺.
39:12
wa-umir'tu li-an akūna awwala l-mus'limīna
And I am commanded to be the first of those who submit ˹to His Will˺.”
39:13
qul innī akhāfu in ʿaṣaytu rabbī ʿadhāba yawmin ʿaẓīmin
Say, “I truly fear—if I were to disobey my Lord—the torment of a tremendous Day.”
39:14
quli l-laha aʿbudu mukh'liṣan lahu dīnī
Say, “It is ˹only˺ Allah that I worship, being sincere in my devotion to Him.
39:15
fa-uʿ'budū mā shi'tum min dūnihi qul inna l-khāsirīna alladhīna khasirū anfusahum wa-ahlīhim yawma l-qiyāmati alā dhālika huwa l-khus'rānu l-mubīnu
Worship then whatever ˹gods˺ you want instead of Him.” Say, “The ˹true˺ losers are those who will lose themselves and their families on Judgment Day. That is indeed the clearest loss.”
39:16
lahum min fawqihim ẓulalun mina l-nāri wamin taḥtihim ẓulalun dhālika yukhawwifu l-lahu bihi ʿibādahu yāʿibādi fa-ittaqūni
They will have layers of fire above and below them. That is what Allah warns His servants with. So fear Me, O My servants!
those who listen to what is said and follow the best of it. These are the ones ˹rightly˺ guided by Allah, and these are ˹truly˺ the people of reason.
39:19
afaman ḥaqqa ʿalayhi kalimatu l-ʿadhābi afa-anta tunqidhu man fī l-nāri
What about those against whom the decree of torment has been justified? Is it you ˹O Prophet˺ who will then save those bound for the Fire?
39:20
lākini alladhīna ittaqaw rabbahum lahum ghurafun min fawqihā ghurafun mabniyyatun tajrī min taḥtihā l-anhāru waʿda l-lahi lā yukh'lifu l-lahu l-mīʿāda
But those mindful of their Lord will have ˹elevated˺ mansions, built one above the other, under which rivers flow. ˹That is˺ the promise of Allah. ˹And˺ Allah never fails in ˹His˺ promise.
Do you not see that Allah sends down rain from the sky—channelling it through streams in the earth—then produces with it crops of various colours, then they dry up and you see them wither, and then He reduces them to chaff? Surely in this is a reminder for people of reason.
39:22
afaman sharaḥa l-lahu ṣadrahu lil'is'lāmi fahuwa ʿalā nūrin min rabbihi fawaylun lil'qāsiyati qulūbuhum min dhik'ri l-lahi ulāika fī ḍalālin mubīnin
Can ˹the misguided be like˺ those whose hearts Allah has opened to Islam, so they are enlightened by their Lord? So woe to those whose hearts are hardened at the remembrance of Allah! It is they who are clearly astray.
˹It is˺ Allah ˹Who˺ has sent down the best message—a Book of perfect consistency and repeated lessons—which causes the skin ˹and hearts˺ of those who fear their Lord to tremble, then their skin and hearts soften at the mention of ˹the mercy of˺ Allah. That is the guidance of Allah, through which He guides whoever He wills. But whoever Allah leaves to stray will be left with no guide.
Are those who will only have their ˹bare˺ faces to shield themselves from the awful torment on Judgment Day ˹better than those in Paradise˺? It will ˹then˺ be said to the wrongdoers: “Reap what you sowed!”
39:25
kadhaba alladhīna min qablihim fa-atāhumu l-ʿadhābu min ḥaythu lā yashʿurūna
Those before them ˹also˺ rejected ˹the truth˺, then the torment came upon them from where they least expected.
˹It is˺ a Quran ˹revealed˺ in Arabic without any crookedness, so perhaps they will be conscious ˹of Allah˺.
39:29
ḍaraba l-lahu mathalan rajulan fīhi shurakāu mutashākisūna warajulan salaman lirajulin hal yastawiyāni mathalan l-ḥamdu lillahi bal aktharuhum lā yaʿlamūna
Allah sets forth the parable of a slave owned by several quarrelsome masters, and a slave owned by only one master. Are they equal in condition? Praise be to Allah! In fact, most of them do not know.
39:30
innaka mayyitun wa-innahum mayyitūna
You ˹O Prophet˺ will certainly die, and they will die too.