Tazkirul Quran · Tafsir · in English
الطور
At-Tur
The Mount · Meccan · 49 ayahs
Mount Tur is that mountain in the desert of Sinai where Moses was awarded prophethood. The Scripture penned on unrolled parchment or the written Book (kitabun mastur) here means the Torah. The frequented house (al-bayt al-ma‘mur) means the Kabah. The lofty vaults of the sky or high roof (as-saqf al-marfu‘) means the sky. The swelling sea (al-bahr al-masjur) means a sea with waves. All these things bear testimony that the Day of seizure by God is certain to come. Almighty God has repeatedly given these very tidings through the prophets. This has also been mentioned in ancient holy scriptures. Heaven and earth announce this in their silent language. The waves of the sea relate this story to every listener.
52:2–16Page 523
وَكِتَٰبٖ مَّسۡطُورٖ ٢
And [by] a Book inscribed1
فِي رَقّٖ مَّنشُورٖ ٣
In parchment spread open
وَٱلۡبَيۡتِ ٱلۡمَعۡمُورِ ٤
And [by] the frequented House1
وَٱلسَّقۡفِ ٱلۡمَرۡفُوعِ ٥
And [by] the ceiling [i.e., heaven] raised high
وَٱلۡبَحۡرِ ٱلۡمَسۡجُورِ ٦
And [by] the sea set on fire,1
إِنَّ عَذَابَ رَبِّكَ لَوَٰقِعٞ ٧
Indeed, the punishment of your Lord will occur.
مَّا لَهُۥ مِن دَافِعٖ ٨
Of it there is no preventer.
يَوۡمَ تَمُورُ ٱلسَّمَآءُ مَوۡرٗا ٩
On the Day the heaven will sway with circular motion
وَتَسِيرُ ٱلۡجِبَالُ سَيۡرٗا ١٠
And the mountains will pass on, departing1 -
فَوَيۡلٞ يَوۡمَئِذٖ لِّلۡمُكَذِّبِينَ ١١
Then woe, that Day, to the deniers,
ٱلَّذِينَ هُمۡ فِي خَوۡضٖ يَلۡعَبُونَ ١٢
Who are in [empty] discourse amusing themselves.
يَوۡمَ يُدَعُّونَ إِلَىٰ نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ دَعًّا ١٣
The Day they are thrust toward the fire of Hell with a [violent] thrust, [its angels will say],
هَٰذِهِ ٱلنَّارُ ٱلَّتِي كُنتُم بِهَا تُكَذِّبُونَ ١٤
"This is the Fire which you used to deny.
أَفَسِحۡرٌ هَٰذَآ أَمۡ أَنتُمۡ لَا تُبۡصِرُونَ ١٥
Then is this magic, or do you not see?
ٱصۡلَوۡهَا فَٱصۡبِرُوٓاْ أَوۡ لَا تَصۡبِرُواْ سَوَآءٌ عَلَيۡكُمۡۖ إِنَّمَا تُجۡزَوۡنَ مَا كُنتُمۡ تَعۡمَلُونَ ١٦
[Enter to] burn therein; then be patient or impatient - it is all the same for you. You are only being recompensed [for] what you used to do."
Man will have to face the result of his actions. He is being forewarned of the consequences. The negligence and arrogance of those who do not come to their senses now with the forewarning, will ultimately suffer grievous punishment. When they try to run away from this, they will find no refuge anywhere.
52:17Page 524
إِنَّ ٱلۡمُتَّقِينَ فِي جَنَّٰتٖ وَنَعِيمٖ ١٧
Indeed, the righteous will be in gardens and pleasure,
The worst crime on the part of man is denial of Truth. And this is a crime which gives birth to other crimes. Similarly, the greatest virtue of man is his acceptance of Truth. All other virtues come into existence as a result of this. By accepting the truth, man’s sense of his own greatness or prestige is impaired. So such acceptance is the most difficult task for a man. Only those who have become truely serious out of extreme fear of God can undertake it. Those who prove to have this very great virtue deserve to have the doors to the eternal blessings of Paradise thrown open to them.
52:18–28Page 524
فَٰكِهِينَ بِمَآ ءَاتَىٰهُمۡ رَبُّهُمۡ وَوَقَىٰهُمۡ رَبُّهُمۡ عَذَابَ ٱلۡجَحِيمِ ١٨
Enjoying what their Lord has given them, and their Lord protected them from the punishment of Hellfire.
كُلُواْ وَٱشۡرَبُواْ هَنِيٓـَٔۢا بِمَا كُنتُمۡ تَعۡمَلُونَ ١٩
[They will be told], "Eat and drink in satisfaction for what you used to do."
مُتَّكِـِٔينَ عَلَىٰ سُرُرٖ مَّصۡفُوفَةٖۖ وَزَوَّجۡنَٰهُم بِحُورٍ عِينٖ ٢٠
They will be reclining on thrones lined up, and We will marry them to fair women with large, [beautiful] eyes.
وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَٱتَّبَعَتۡهُمۡ ذُرِّيَّتُهُم بِإِيمَٰنٍ أَلۡحَقۡنَا بِهِمۡ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمۡ وَمَآ أَلَتۡنَٰهُم مِّنۡ عَمَلِهِم مِّن شَيۡءٖۚ كُلُّ ٱمۡرِيِٕۭ بِمَا كَسَبَ رَهِينٞ ٢١
And those who believed and whose descendants followed them in faith - We will join with them their descendants, and We will not deprive them of anything of their deeds.1 Every person, for what he earned, is retained.2
وَأَمۡدَدۡنَٰهُم بِفَٰكِهَةٖ وَلَحۡمٖ مِّمَّا يَشۡتَهُونَ ٢٢
And We will provide them with fruit and meat from whatever they desire.
يَتَنَٰزَعُونَ فِيهَا كَأۡسٗا لَّا لَغۡوٞ فِيهَا وَلَا تَأۡثِيمٞ ٢٣
They will exchange with one another a cup [of wine] wherein [results] no ill speech or commission of sin.
۞ وَيَطُوفُ عَلَيۡهِمۡ غِلۡمَانٞ لَّهُمۡ كَأَنَّهُمۡ لُؤۡلُؤٞ مَّكۡنُونٞ ٢٤
There will circulate among them [servant] boys [especially] for them, as if they were pearls well-protected.
وَأَقۡبَلَ بَعۡضُهُمۡ عَلَىٰ بَعۡضٖ يَتَسَآءَلُونَ ٢٥
And they will approach one another, inquiring of each other.
قَالُوٓاْ إِنَّا كُنَّا قَبۡلُ فِيٓ أَهۡلِنَا مُشۡفِقِينَ ٢٦
They will say, "Indeed, we were previously among our people fearful [of displeasing Allāh].
فَمَنَّ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيۡنَا وَوَقَىٰنَا عَذَابَ ٱلسَّمُومِ ٢٧
So Allāh conferred favor upon us and protected us from the punishment of the Scorching Fire.
إِنَّا كُنَّا مِن قَبۡلُ نَدۡعُوهُۖ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلۡبَرُّ ٱلرَّحِيمُ ٢٨
Indeed, we used to supplicate1 Him before. Indeed, it is He who is the Beneficent, the Merciful."
In the Hereafter, it will not happen that one man’s sins are attributed to another, and nobody will be able to enter Paradise except on the basis of his faith and his own righteous deeds. But, the occupants of Paradise will be given one special privilege: if parents are in a high stratum of Paradise and their children in some other stratum, the children will be united with their parents so that their happiness should increase. Only one who, in spite of being among his wife and children, has always been moved by the fear of God and who linked his hopes and fears with the one and only God, will be entitled to enter the sublime world of Paradise.
52:29–34Page 524
فَذَكِّرۡ فَمَآ أَنتَ بِنِعۡمَتِ رَبِّكَ بِكَاهِنٖ وَلَا مَجۡنُونٍ ٢٩
So remind, [O Muḥammad], for you are not, by the favor of your Lord, a soothsayer or a madman.
أَمۡ يَقُولُونَ شَاعِرٞ نَّتَرَبَّصُ بِهِۦ رَيۡبَ ٱلۡمَنُونِ ٣٠
Or do they say [of you], "A poet for whom we await a misfortune of time"?1
قُلۡ تَرَبَّصُواْ فَإِنِّي مَعَكُم مِّنَ ٱلۡمُتَرَبِّصِينَ ٣١
Say, "Wait, for indeed I am, with you, among the waiters."
أَمۡ تَأۡمُرُهُمۡ أَحۡلَٰمُهُم بِهَٰذَآۚ أَمۡ هُمۡ قَوۡمٞ طَاغُونَ ٣٢
Or do their minds1 command them to [say] this, or are they a transgressing people?
أَمۡ يَقُولُونَ تَقَوَّلَهُۥۚ بَل لَّا يُؤۡمِنُونَ ٣٣
Or do they say, "He has made it up"? Rather, they do not believe.
فَلۡيَأۡتُواْ بِحَدِيثٖ مِّثۡلِهِۦٓ إِن كَانُواْ صَٰدِقِينَ ٣٤
Then let them produce a statement like it, if they should be truthful.
When a man has no argument against the call of Truth, and yet he does not want to accept it, he starts denigrating the personality of the preacher of Truth. He makes the character of the preacher rather than his statements the target of his attacks. It was becuse of this recalcitrant attitude that the addressees of the Prophet started calling him a ‘poet’ and a ‘mad person’. They could not counter his call for Truth by reasoning. So, they started casting aspersions upon him. But the prophet conveys what he receives from God. And the discourse of one who repeats what he receives from God’s message is so distinctly different from that of others that it is not possible for anybody to equal it. This is the greatest proof of the fact that his discourse is Divine in origin.
Text: through the Quran Foundation. The ayahs: Quran Foundation. Sources and licences