Adh-Dhariyat 51:25
The Winnowing Winds · Juz 26 · Page 521
إِذۡ دَخَلُواْ عَلَيۡهِ فَقَالُواْ سَلَٰمٗاۖ قَالَ سَلَٰمٞ قَوۡمٞ مُّنكَرُونَ ٢٥
When they entered upon him and said, "[We greet you with] peace." He answered, "[And upon you] peace; [you are] a people unknown."
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Ma'arif al-Qur'an
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Commentary on 51:25
Comforting the Messenger of Allah
فَقَالُوا سَلَامًا قَالَ سَلَامٌ ("We greet you with salam." He said, "Salam on you." 51:25). The angels greeted him with salaman in the accusative case, whereas Holy Prophet Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) responded to the greeting in the -nominative case thus: salamun. The nominative case in Arabic is a nominal sentence which carries the sense of greater strength, continuity and persistence. The Qur'anic injunction is that 'when you are greeted with a salutation, greet one better than it...', so Holy Prophet Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) the Friend of Allah chose a better reply, implementing Allah's command: reciprocating the greeting with the term salaman is stronger than the greeting using the term salaman.
قَوْمٌ مُّنكَرُونَ ("[ They are ] unknown people."... 51:25). The word munkar, the letter [م m ] carrying dammah and the letter [ ک k ] carrying fath means "unknown". As sin or sinful work is unknown in Islam, it is also referred to as munkar. The angels came to Holy Prophet Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) in the image of handsome young wonderfully graceful men; therefore he could not recognize them. He thought to himself that these are strangers and said to himself 'They are unknown to me'. Or it is possible that he might have mentioned this to the guests in the form of a question and the purpose might have been to find out who they were.
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51:7
وَٱلسَّمَآءِ ذَاتِ ٱلۡحُبُكِ ٧
By the heaven containing pathways,1
1 translator’s note
- Explained as tracks, layers or orbits. ↩
51:8
إِنَّكُمۡ لَفِي قَوۡلٖ مُّخۡتَلِفٖ ٨
Indeed, you are in differing speech.1
1 translator’s note
- About Prophet Muḥammad (ﷺ) and the Qur’ān. ↩
51:9
يُؤۡفَكُ عَنۡهُ مَنۡ أُفِكَ ٩
Deluded away from it [i.e., the Qur’ān] is he who is deluded.
51:10
قُتِلَ ٱلۡخَرَّٰصُونَ ١٠
Destroyed are the misinformers1
1 translator’s note
- Or "May they be destroyed" or "cursed." ↩
51:11
ٱلَّذِينَ هُمۡ فِي غَمۡرَةٖ سَاهُونَ ١١
Who are within a flood [of confusion] and heedless.
51:12
يَسۡـَٔلُونَ أَيَّانَ يَوۡمُ ٱلدِّينِ ١٢
They ask, "When is the Day of Recompense?"
51:13
يَوۡمَ هُمۡ عَلَى ٱلنَّارِ يُفۡتَنُونَ ١٣
[It is] the Day they will be tormented over the Fire
51:14
ذُوقُواْ فِتۡنَتَكُمۡ هَٰذَا ٱلَّذِي كُنتُم بِهِۦ تَسۡتَعۡجِلُونَ ١٤
[And will be told], "Taste your torment. This is that for which you were impatient."
51:15
إِنَّ ٱلۡمُتَّقِينَ فِي جَنَّٰتٖ وَعُيُونٍ ١٥
Indeed, the righteous will be among gardens and springs,
51:16
ءَاخِذِينَ مَآ ءَاتَىٰهُمۡ رَبُّهُمۡۚ إِنَّهُمۡ كَانُواْ قَبۡلَ ذَٰلِكَ مُحۡسِنِينَ ١٦
Accepting what their Lord has given them. Indeed, they were before that doers of good.
51:17
كَانُواْ قَلِيلٗا مِّنَ ٱلَّيۡلِ مَا يَهۡجَعُونَ ١٧
They used to sleep but little of the night,1
1 translator’s note
- i.e., spending a portion of the night in prayer and supplication. ↩
51:18
وَبِٱلۡأَسۡحَارِ هُمۡ يَسۡتَغۡفِرُونَ ١٨
And in the hours before dawn they would ask forgiveness,
51:19
وَفِيٓ أَمۡوَٰلِهِمۡ حَقّٞ لِّلسَّآئِلِ وَٱلۡمَحۡرُومِ ١٩
And from their properties was [given] the right of the [needy] petitioner and the deprived.
51:20
وَفِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ ءَايَٰتٞ لِّلۡمُوقِنِينَ ٢٠
And on the earth are signs for the certain [in faith]
51:21
وَفِيٓ أَنفُسِكُمۡۚ أَفَلَا تُبۡصِرُونَ ٢١
And in yourselves. Then will you not see?
51:22
وَفِي ٱلسَّمَآءِ رِزۡقُكُمۡ وَمَا تُوعَدُونَ ٢٢
And in the heaven is your provision and whatever you are promised.
51:23
فَوَرَبِّ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ إِنَّهُۥ لَحَقّٞ مِّثۡلَ مَآ أَنَّكُمۡ تَنطِقُونَ ٢٣
Then by the Lord of the heaven and earth, indeed, it is truth - just as [sure as] it is that you are speaking.
51:24
هَلۡ أَتَىٰكَ حَدِيثُ ضَيۡفِ إِبۡرَٰهِيمَ ٱلۡمُكۡرَمِينَ ٢٤
Has there reached you the story of the honored guests of Abraham?1 -
1 translator’s note
- Who were angels given honored positions by Allāh. ↩
51:25
إِذۡ دَخَلُواْ عَلَيۡهِ فَقَالُواْ سَلَٰمٗاۖ قَالَ سَلَٰمٞ قَوۡمٞ مُّنكَرُونَ ٢٥
When they entered upon him and said, "[We greet you with] peace." He answered, "[And upon you] peace; [you are] a people unknown."
51:26
فَرَاغَ إِلَىٰٓ أَهۡلِهِۦ فَجَآءَ بِعِجۡلٖ سَمِينٖ ٢٦
Then he went to his family and came with a fat [roasted] calf.
51:27
فَقَرَّبَهُۥٓ إِلَيۡهِمۡ قَالَ أَلَا تَأۡكُلُونَ ٢٧
And placed it near them; he said, "Will you not eat?"
51:28
فَأَوۡجَسَ مِنۡهُمۡ خِيفَةٗۖ قَالُواْ لَا تَخَفۡۖ وَبَشَّرُوهُ بِغُلَٰمٍ عَلِيمٖ ٢٨
And he felt from them apprehension.1 They said, "Fear not," and gave him good tidings of a learned boy.
1 translator’s note
- See footnote to 11:70. ↩
51:29
فَأَقۡبَلَتِ ٱمۡرَأَتُهُۥ فِي صَرَّةٖ فَصَكَّتۡ وَجۡهَهَا وَقَالَتۡ عَجُوزٌ عَقِيمٞ ٢٩
And his wife approached with a cry [of alarm] and struck her face and said, "[I am] a barren old woman!"
51:30
قَالُواْ كَذَٰلِكِ قَالَ رَبُّكِۖ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلۡحَكِيمُ ٱلۡعَلِيمُ ٣٠
They said, "Thus has said your Lord; indeed, He is the Wise, the Knowing."