بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
Al-Hijr 15:8
The Rocky Tract · Juz 14 · Page 262
مَا نُنَزِّلُ ٱلۡمَلَٰٓئِكَةَ إِلَّا بِٱلۡحَقِّ وَمَا كَانُوٓاْ إِذٗا مُّنظَرِينَ ٨
We do not send down the angels except with truth;1 and they [i.e., the disbelievers] would not then be reprieved.
1 translator’s note
- i.e., with a message or, as the conclusion of the verse suggests, to carry out a promised punishment. ↩
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Ma'arif al-Qur'an
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Commentary on 15:8
Explanatory Notes
1. The word: الْحَقِّ (what is true) in: إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ (ilia bi al-l aqq: translated as 'except with what is true' ) means the decision to send down punishment. Some commentators take them to be denoting the Qur’ an, or prophethood. In Bayan al-Qur'an, preference has been given to the first meaning which has been reported from al-Hasan al-Basri (رح) . Maulana Ashraf ` Ali Thanavi (رح) has explained these verses as given below.
And these disbelievers (of Makkah) said to the Holy Prophet ﷺ : "0 you to whom the Qur’ an has been revealed, (as you claim, then,) you are certainly (God forbid) insane (and your claim to prophethood is false, otherwise) why would you not bring the angels to us (who will testify your truthfulness before us - as in Surah Al-Furqan: لَوْلَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مَلَكٌ فَيَكُونَ مَعَهُ نَذِيرًا : 'Why is not an angel sent down unto him, to be a warner with him? [ 25:7] which is answered by Allah Ta’ ala:) We send down the angels (in the manner asked by them) only to enforce a decision (and had that been the case) then they would have been given no respite either (in fact, when they would have not believed even after their having come - as their ways guarantee - they would have been destroyed instantly, the reason for which has already appeared in the later verses of the first section of Surah Al-An’ am: 6:8, 9).
Page 262
سورة الحجر
Al-Hijr
The Rocky Tract · Meccan · 99 ayahs
بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
15:1
الٓرۚ تِلۡكَ ءَايَٰتُ ٱلۡكِتَٰبِ وَقُرۡءَانٖ مُّبِينٖ ١
Alif, Lām, Rā.1 These are the verses of the Book and a clear Qur’ān [i.e., recitation].
1 translator’s note
- See footnote to 2:1. ↩
15:2
رُّبَمَا يَوَدُّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لَوۡ كَانُواْ مُسۡلِمِينَ ٢
Perhaps those who disbelieve will wish1 that they had been Muslims.
1 translator’s note
- On the Day of Judgement or at the time of death. ↩
15:3
ذَرۡهُمۡ يَأۡكُلُواْ وَيَتَمَتَّعُواْ وَيُلۡهِهِمُ ٱلۡأَمَلُۖ فَسَوۡفَ يَعۡلَمُونَ ٣
Let them eat and enjoy themselves and be diverted by [false] hope, for they are going to know.
15:4
وَمَآ أَهۡلَكۡنَا مِن قَرۡيَةٍ إِلَّا وَلَهَا كِتَابٞ مَّعۡلُومٞ ٤
And We did not destroy any city but that for it was a known decree.
15:5
مَّا تَسۡبِقُ مِنۡ أُمَّةٍ أَجَلَهَا وَمَا يَسۡتَـٔۡخِرُونَ ٥
No nation will precede its term, nor will they remain thereafter.
15:6
وَقَالُواْ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِي نُزِّلَ عَلَيۡهِ ٱلذِّكۡرُ إِنَّكَ لَمَجۡنُونٞ ٦
And they say, "O you upon whom the message has been sent down, indeed you are mad.1
1 translator’s note
- Literally, "possessed by jinn." ↩
15:7
لَّوۡمَا تَأۡتِينَا بِٱلۡمَلَٰٓئِكَةِ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ ٱلصَّٰدِقِينَ ٧
Why do you not bring us the angels, if you should be among the truthful?"
15:8
مَا نُنَزِّلُ ٱلۡمَلَٰٓئِكَةَ إِلَّا بِٱلۡحَقِّ وَمَا كَانُوٓاْ إِذٗا مُّنظَرِينَ ٨
We do not send down the angels except with truth;1 and they [i.e., the disbelievers] would not then be reprieved.
1 translator’s note
- i.e., with a message or, as the conclusion of the verse suggests, to carry out a promised punishment. ↩
15:9
إِنَّا نَحۡنُ نَزَّلۡنَا ٱلذِّكۡرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُۥ لَحَٰفِظُونَ ٩
Indeed, it is We who sent down the message [i.e., the Qur’ān], and indeed, We will be its guardian.
15:10
وَلَقَدۡ أَرۡسَلۡنَا مِن قَبۡلِكَ فِي شِيَعِ ٱلۡأَوَّلِينَ ١٠
And We had certainly sent [messengers] before you, [O Muḥammad], among the sects of the former peoples.
15:11
وَمَا يَأۡتِيهِم مِّن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا كَانُواْ بِهِۦ يَسۡتَهۡزِءُونَ ١١
And no messenger would come to them except that they ridiculed him.
15:12
كَذَٰلِكَ نَسۡلُكُهُۥ فِي قُلُوبِ ٱلۡمُجۡرِمِينَ ١٢
Thus do We insert it [i.e., denial] into the hearts of the criminals.
15:13
لَا يُؤۡمِنُونَ بِهِۦ وَقَدۡ خَلَتۡ سُنَّةُ ٱلۡأَوَّلِينَ ١٣
They will not believe in it, while there has already occurred the precedent of the former peoples.
15:14
وَلَوۡ فَتَحۡنَا عَلَيۡهِم بَابٗا مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ فَظَلُّواْ فِيهِ يَعۡرُجُونَ ١٤
And [even] if We opened to them a gate from the heaven and they continued therein to ascend,
15:15
لَقَالُوٓاْ إِنَّمَا سُكِّرَتۡ أَبۡصَٰرُنَا بَلۡ نَحۡنُ قَوۡمٞ مَّسۡحُورُونَ ١٥
They would say, "Our eyes have only been dazzled. Rather, we are a people affected by magic."