Meaning of Quran

Al-Mu’minun | The Believers

With the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Very-Merciful.

[23:1] Success is really attained by the believers

[23:2] who concentrate their attention in humbleness when offering Salah (prayers)

[23:3] and who keep themselves away from vain things,

[23:4] and who are performers of Zakah,

[23:5] and who guard their private parts.

[23:6] except from their wives or from those (bondwomen who are) owned by their hands, as they are not to be blamed.

[23:7] However, those who seek (sexual pleasure) beyond that are the transgressors.

[23:8] and (success is attained) by those who honestly look after their trusts and covenant,

[23:9] and who consistently observe their prayers.

[23:10] Those are the inheritors.

[23:11] who will inherit Firdaus (the Paradise). They will be there forever.

[23:12] We have created man from an extract of clay.

[23:13] Then We made him a sperm-drop in a firm resting place.

[23:14] Then We turned the sperm-drop into a clot, then We turned the clot into a fetus-lump, then We turned the fetus-lump into bones, then We clothed the bones with flesh; thereafter We developed it into another creature. So, glorious is Allah, the Best of the creators.

[23:15] Then, after all this, you are to die.

[23:16] Then you are to be raised again on the Day of Judgment.

[23:17] And We created above you seven paths (heavens), and We were never neglectful of the creation.

[23:18] And We sent down water from the sky in due measure, then We lodged it in the earth, and of course, We are able to take it away.

[23:19] Then We produced with its gardens of date-palms and vines for your benefit. For you, there are many fruits in them, and of them, you eat.

[23:20] and (We produced) a tree (of olive) that comes forth from the (mount) Tur of Sinai, which grows with oil and with a dressing for those who eat.

[23:21] And indeed there is a sure lesson in the cattle for you. We give you a drink from that which lies in their bellies, and for you, there are many benefits in them, and of them, you eat,

[23:22] and on them and on the boats you are transported.

[23:23] Surely, We sent Nuh to his nation. So he said, My people, worship Allah. You have no god whatsoever other than Him. So, do you not fear Allah?

[23:24] So, said the disbelieving chiefs from among his nation, This (man) is nothing but a human being like you. He wishes to impose his superiority over you. Had Allah willed, He would have sent down angels (instead of him). We have not heard of such a thing among our forefathers.

[23:25] He is none but a man suffering from madness; so wait for (what happens to) him until some time.

[23:26] He said, ‘My Lord, help me, for they have rejected me’.

[23:27] So, We sent Our revelation to him, saying, Make the ship under Our eyes and Our revelation. So, when Our command will come, and the oven will gush forth, take on its board a pair of two from each (species) along with your family, except those of them against whom the word has already come to pass. And do not speak to Me (in favor) of those who have done wrong. They are sure to be drowned.

[23:28] So, when you and those with you are well seated in the ship, say, Praise is for Allah who saved us from the wrongdoing people.

[23:29] And say, ‘My Lord, make me land a blessed landing, and You are the best of those who bring (someone) to land’.

[23:30] Surely, there are signs in it, and We do always test (people).

[23:31] Then after them We created another generation,

[23:32] and sent among them a messenger from themselves (to convey the message): Worship Allah; you have no god whatsoever other than Him. So do you not fear Allah?

[23:33] Then said the chiefs of his nation who were disbelievers and who denied facing the Hereafter and whom We made affluent in the worldly life, This (man) is nothing but a human being. He eats from what you eat from, and drinks from what you drink.

[23:34] If you obey a human like yourselves, then you will be absolute losers.

[23:35] Does he promise you that, when you die and are turned into dust and bones, you are to be brought forth?

[23:36] Far too improbable is what you are being promised.

[23:37] There is nothing but our worldly life. We die and we live, and we are not to be raised again.

[23:38] He is nothing but a man who has forged a lie against Allah, and we are not going to believe in him.

[23:39] He said, ‘My Lord, help me, for they have rejected me’.

[23:40] He (Allah) said, ‘In a little while they will have to be remorseful.

[23:41] So the Cry seized them according to the true (promise), and We turned them into scum. So, away with the wrongdoing people.

[23:42] Then, after them, We created another generation.

[23:43] No community can go ahead of its appointed time, nor can they become late.

[23:44] Thereafter, We sent Our messengers successively. Whenever its messenger came to a community, they rejected him. Then We made some of them follow others (in destruction) and turned them into tales (of history). So, away with people who do not believe.

[23:45] Thereafter, We sent Musa and his brother Harun with Our signs and clear proof.

[23:46] towards Firaun (Pharaoh) and his advisors. But they showed arrogance and they were haughty people.

[23:47] So they said, shall we believe in two humans who are like ourselves and whose people are serving us as slaves?.

[23:48] Thus they rejected both of them and were among the destroyed.

[23:49] And, of course, We gave Musa the Book, so that they may take the right path.

[23:50] And We made the son of Maryam (Mary) and his mother a sign, and gave them shelter on a height, having a place of rest and running springs.

[23:51] O messengers, eat from the good things and act righteously. Whatever you do, I am fully aware.

[23:52] Surely, this is your creed, a single creed, and I am your Lord. So fear Me.

[23:53] But they split up ways from one another (dividing themselves) into factions, each faction happy with what lies before it.

[23:54] So leave them in their negligence for some time.

[23:55] Do they think that by consistently providing them with wealth and children,

[23:56] We are accelerating the (real) good things to them? The fact, however, is that they do not understand (the reality).

[23:57] (Contrarily) those who are anxious out of awe of their Lord,

[23:58] and those who believe in the verses of their Lord.

[23:59] and those who do not associate any partner to their Lord,

[23:60] And those who give whatever they give, with their hearts full of fear that to their Lord they are to return.

[23:61] those people are accelerating towards the (real) good things, and they are the foremost to attain them.

[23:62] We do not place a burden on anyone except according to his ability. With Us, there is a book that speaks with truth, and they shall not be wronged.

[23:63] But their hearts are in ignorance about this, and they have deeds, other than that, which they are continuously doing.

[23:64] Until when We will seize their affluent ones with punishment, they will suddenly start crying.

[23:65] (Then it will be said to them,). Do not cry today. You will not be helped by Us.

[23:66] My verses used to be recited to you, but you used to turn back on your heels

[23:67] in arrogance, making it a subject of tales at night, talking nonsense (about it).

[23:68] Then, is it that they did not ponder over the Word (of Allah), or there has come to them something that did not come to their forefathers?

[23:69] Or did they not recognize their messenger and therefore they denied him?

[23:70] Or do they say, He is suffering from madness?. No, but he has come to them with truth, but it is the truth that most of them dislike.

[23:71] Had the truth followed their desires, the heavens and the earth and all those therein would have fallen in total disorder. However, We have brought to them their advice, but it is their advice that they are averse to.

[23:72] Or is it that you (O Prophet) demand remuneration from them? But the remuneration from your Lord is best, and He is the best of all givers.

[23:73] Surely you are inviting them to a straight path,

[23:74] and those who do not believe in the Hereafter are surely the deviators from the Path.

[23:75] And if We have mercy on them and remove whatever distress they have, they would still persist obstinately in their rebellion, wandering blindly (in disbelief)

[23:76] We have already seized them with punishment, but they did not turn humble to their Lord, nor do they supplicate in humility,

[23:77] until when We will open against them the door of a severe punishment, they will be taken aback in despair.

[23:78] He is the One who created for you ears and eyes and hearts. Little you are grateful.

[23:79] And He is the One who created you on the earth, and it is He unto whom you will be gathered together.

[23:80] And He is the One who gives life and brings death, and it is He who controls the alternation of night and day. So, do you not understand?

[23:81] But they say as the earlier people had said.

[23:82] They said, “Is it that, when we will die and become dust and bones – is it that we will be raised again?”

[23:83] This is what has been promised to us and to our fathers before. It is nothing but the tales of the ancients.

[23:84] Say, ‘Whose is the earth and all those therein if you have knowledge?’

[23:85] They will say, “to Allah”. Say, “Would you still pay no heed?”

[23:86] Say, ‘Who is the Lord of the seven heavens and the Lord of the Great Throne?’

[23:87] They will say, ‘(All this belongs) to Allah’.  Say, ‘Would you still not fear Allah?’

[23:88] Say, ‘Who is the One in whose hand lies the kingdom of everything and who gives protection, and no protection can be given against him, if you have knowledge?’

[23:89] They will say, (All this belongs) to Allah. Say, Then by which magic are you drawn crazy?

[23:90] The fact is that We have brought to them The Truth, and they are absolute liars.

[23:91] Allah has not taken a son to Himself, nor was there any god with Him. Had there been so, every god would have taken away what he created, and each one of them would have been aggressive against the other. Pure is Allah from what they describe.

[23:92] He is the Knower of the hidden and the manifest. So, He is far higher than their ascribing of partners to Him.

[23:93] (O Prophet) say (in prayer), ‘O my Lord if You are to show me (in my life) that (punishment) which they (the infidels) are threatened with,

[23:94] then, my Lord, do not place me among the wrongdoing people’.

[23:95] And of course, We do have the power to show you that with which We have threatened them.

[23:96] Repel evil with that which is best. We are well aware of what they describe.

[23:97] And say, My Lord, I seek refuge in You from the strokes of the satans (devils),

[23:98] and I seek refuge in You, my Lord, even from their coming near me.

[23:99] (The infidels go on doing their misdeeds) until when death comes to one of them, he will say, ‘My Lord, send me back,

[23:100] so that I may act righteously in that (world) which I have left behind’. Never! It is simply a word he utters, and in front of such people, there is a barrier till the day when they will be resurrected.

[23:101] Thereafter, when the Sur (the trumpet) is blown, no ties of kinship will remain between them anymore, nor will they inquire about one another.

[23:102] So, the one whose scales (of good deeds) turn out to be heavy, then such people are the successful ones,

[23:103] and the ones whose scales turn out to be light, then such people are the ones who harmed their own selves; in Jahannam (Hell) they are to remain forever.

[23:104] Fire will scorch their faces, and they will be disfigured therein.

[23:105] (It will be said to such people), ‘Were My verses not used to be recited to you and you used to reject them?’

[23:106] They will say, ‘Our Lord, our wretchedness prevailed over us, and we were a people wandering astray’.

[23:107] Our Lord, get us out from here; if we do this again, then, of course, we will be transgressors.

[23:108] He (Allah) will say, Stay in it, humiliated, and do not speak to Me.

[23:109] There was indeed a group of My servants who used to say, ‘Our Lord, we adhere to the (true) faith, so forgive us and have mercy upon us, and you are the best of all the merciful.’

[23:110] But you made fun of them, so much so that they caused you to forget My remembrance, and you used to laugh at them.

[23:111] Today I have so recompensed them for their observing patience that they are triumphant.

[23:112] He (Allah) will say (to unbelievers), ‘How long did you stay on the earth by number of years?’

[23:113] They will say, ‘We stayed for a day or for a part of a day’. So, ask those (angels) who have (exact) calculations.

[23:114] He will say, ‘You did not stay but for a little. Would that you had understood (this at that time)!

[23:115] So did you think that We created you for nothing and that you will not be brought back to Us?’

[23:116] So, High above all is Allah, the King, the True. There is no god but He, the Lord of the Noble Throne.

[23:117] And whoever invokes another god with Allah, while he has no proof for it, his reckoning is only with his Lord. Surely, the infidels will not achieve success.

[23:118] And say (O prophet). ‘My Lord, grant pardon and have mercy, for you are the best of all the merciful’.

Tafsir

Overview of Surah Al-Mu’minun

  1. Title and Position: Surah Al-Mu’minun is the 23rd chapter of the Quran. The title translates to “The Believers,” derived from its opening verses which describe the qualities of successful believers.
  2. Verses and Structure: This surah contains 118 verses. It is known for its emphasis on the fundamental aspects of faith, the creation of human life, and the stories of various prophets.
  3. Themes and Messages: Major themes include the characteristics of true believers, the creation and stages of human life, narratives of prophets, the resurrection, and the afterlife.
  4. Significance in Islamic Thought: Surah Al-Mu’minun is significant for its comprehensive portrayal of the traits of believers and its affirmation of core Islamic beliefs and principles.

Detailed Explanation

  1. Qualities of Believers: The surah begins by detailing the qualities of true believers, such as their humility in prayer, avoidance of vain talk, and adherence to zakat (almsgiving).
  2. Creation of Human Life: It provides a detailed account of human creation, from the initial stages of conception to the development of life, emphasizing God’s power and wisdom.
  3. Prophetic Narratives: The surah recounts the stories of several prophets, including Noah, Moses, Aaron, and Jesus, highlighting their missions, struggles, and the responses of their communities.
  4. Resurrection and Afterlife: Surah Al-Mu’minun stresses the reality of resurrection and the afterlife, underscoring the importance of preparing for the Day of Judgment through righteous deeds.
  5. Moral and Spiritual Lessons: It offers lessons on moral conduct, the importance of steadfastness in faith, and the transient nature of worldly life.

FAQs

  1. Why is Surah Al-Mu’minun named after the believers?
    • The surah is named “Al-Mu’minun” (The Believers) due to its opening verses that describe the defining characteristics of true believers and their path to success.
  2. How does Surah Al-Mu’minun describe the creation of human life?
    • It details the stages of human creation, from the formation of a fertilized egg to the development of a fully formed human, as a sign of God’s creative power.
  3. What lessons can be learned from the prophetic stories in Surah Al-Mu’minun?
    • These stories teach the importance of faith, perseverance in the face of adversity, the consequences of denying divine guidance, and the virtues of patience and trust in God.
  4. How does Surah Al-Mu’minun contribute to understanding the afterlife in Islam?
    • The surah emphasizes the certainty of the afterlife, encouraging believers to remain conscious of the Day of Judgment and to strive for righteousness in preparation for it.

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