SURAH AZ-ZUMUR

The Groups

(Maccie, Surah # 39, Verses 75)

TAKE RELIGION SINCERELY

39:1 The revelation of this Book (the Quran) is from Allah, the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.

39:2 Indeed, We have sent down to you the Book, [O Muhammad], in truth. So worship Allah , [being] sincere to Him in religion.

WORSHIPING AULIYA ALLAH IS SHIRK

39:3 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 If Allah had intended to take a son, He could have chosen from what He creates whatever He willed. Exalted is He; He is Allah , the One, the Prevailing.

CREATION

39:5 He has created the heavens and the earth with truth. He makes the night to go in the day and makes the day to go in the night. And He has subjected the sun and the moon. Each running for an appointed term. Verily, He is the All-Mighty, the Oft-Forgiving.

THREE LAYERS OF DARKNESS 

39:6 He created you all, from a single soul, then from it He made its mate. And He produced four pairs of cattle (a pair of sheep, a pair of goats, a pair of camels, and a pair of oxen)  He created you in the wombs of your mothers ˹in stages˺, one development after another, in three layers of darkness (the belly, the womb, and the amniotic sac). 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?

ALLAH IS NOT IN NEED OF YOU

39:7 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 accept it from you. No one will be responsible for the sins of others. To your Lord you will all return and He will tell you about what you have done. He knows best what the hearts contain.

HARDSHIPS AND ALLAH’S FAVORS

39:8 When the human being is afflicted with hardship, he starts to pray to his Lord and turns to Him in repentance. When Allah grants him a favor, he forgets the hardship about which he had prayed to Allah and starts to consider equal to Allah things that lead him astray from His path. (Muhammad), tell him, "You can only enjoy in your disbelief for a short time. You will certainly be a dweller of hell fire".

BOTH ARE NOT EQUAL

39:9 Can this one be considered equal to one who worships God during the night, prostrating and standing, who has fear of the Day of Judgment, and who has hope in the mercy of his Lord? Say, "Are those who know equal to those who do not know? Only the people of reason take heed".

REWARDS WITHOUT LIMIT

39:10 Say (O Muhammad SAW): "O My slaves who believe , be afraid of your Lord (Allah) and keep your duty to Him. Good is (the reward) for those who do good in this world, and Allah's earth is spacious. Only those who are patient shall receive their rewards in full, without limit”

MUHAMMAD IS THE FIRST ONE WHO SUBMITTED TO ALLAH ALONE

39:11 Say, [O Muhammad], "Indeed, I have been commanded to worship Allah , [being] sincere to Him in religion.

39:12 And I am commanded to be the first of those who submit ˹to His Will˺.”

39:13 Say, "I am afraid that for disobeying my Lord I shall suffer the torment of the great day".

39:14 Say, “It is ˹only˺ Allah that I worship, being sincere in my devotion to Him.

WHO WORSHIP BESIDE HIM FEAR ALLAH!

39:15 So worship what you like besides Him. Say (O Muhammad SAW): "The losers are those who will lose themselves and their families on the Day of Resurrection. Verily, that will be a great loss!"

39:16 They shall have coverings of Fire, above them and covering (of Fire) beneath them; with this Allah does frighten His slaves: "O My slaves, therefore fear Me!" 

39:17 Those who avoid At-Taghut (false deities) by not worshiping them and turn to Allah in repentance, for them are glad tidings; so announce the good news to My slaves,

ALLAH GUIDE ONLY THESE PEOPLE

39:18 Those who listen to the Word and follow the best thereof (i.e. worship Allah Alone, repent to Him) those are (the ones) whom Allah has guided and those are men of understanding.

39:19 Is, then one against whom the Word of punishment justified (equal to the one who avoids evil). Will you (O Muhammad SAW) rescue him who is in the Fire?

39:20 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.

39:21 Do you not see that Allah sends down rain from the sky and makes it flow as springs [and rivers] in the earth; then He produces thereby crops of varying colors; then they dry and you see them turned yellow; then He makes them [scattered] debris. Indeed, in that is a reminder for those of understanding.

WHEN ALLAH OPEN THEIR CHEST FOR ISLAM

39:22 One whose chest (heart and mind) Allah opens for Islam (submission to His will) so he is enlightened by their Lord?Woe to those whose hearts have become like stone against the remembrance of Allah. They are clearly in error.

39:23 ˹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.

39:24 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:"Taste what you used to earn!"

39:25 Those who lived before them had also rejected Our revelations. Thus, the torment struck them and they did not even realize where it came from.

39:26 So Allah made them taste humiliation in this worldly life, but far worse is the punishment of the Hereafter, if only they knew.

QURAN

39:27 We have given all kinds of examples for the human being in this Quran so that perhaps he may take heed.

39:28 This Quran is a flawless reading text in the Arabic language. Perhaps they will have fear of Allah.

39:29 Allah puts forth a similitude: a (slave) man belonging to many partners (like those who worship others along with Allah) disputing with one another, and a (slave) man belonging entirely to one master, (like those who worship Allah Alone). Are those two equal in comparison? All the praises and thanks be to Allah! But most of them know not.

39:30 Verily, you (O Muhammad SAW) will die and verily, they (too) will die.

39:31 Then, on the Day of Resurrection, you will be disputing before your Lord.

39:32 Who is more unjust then one who invents falsehood against God and rejects the truth after it has come to them. Is not hell a dwelling for the disbelievers?

39:33 And the one (Muhammad) who has brought the truth and [they who] believed in it - those are the righteous.

39:34 They will receive whatever they want from their Lord. Thus is the reward of the righteous ones.

39:35 That Allah may remove from them the worst of what they did (bad deeds) and reward them their due for the best of what they used to do.

39:36 Is not Allah Sufficient for His slave? Yet they try to frighten you with those (whom they worship) besides Him! And whom Allah sends astray, for him there will be no guide.

39:37 And whoever Allah guides, none can lead astray. Is Allah not Almighty, capable of punishment?

39:38 If you ask them ˹O Prophet˺ who created the heavens and the earth, they will certainly say, “Allah!” Ask ˹them˺, “Consider then whatever ˹idols˺ you invoke besides Allah: if it was Allah’s Will to harm me, could they undo that harm? Or if He willed ˹some˺ mercy for me, could they withhold His mercy?” Say, “Allah is sufficient for me. In Him ˹alone˺ the faithful put their trust.”

39:39 Say: (O Muhammad) "O My people! Work according to your way, I am working (according to my way). Then you will come to know,

39:40 Who will be visited by a humiliating torment ˹in this life˺ and overwhelmed by an everlasting punishment ˹in the next˺.”

39:41 Surely We have revealed to you the Book ˹O Prophet˺ with the truth for humanity. So whoever chooses to be guided, it is for their own good. And whoever chooses to stray, it is only to their own loss. You are not a keeper over them.

SOULS COME OUT WHEN YOU DIE OR IN YOUR SLEEP

39:42˹It is˺ Allah ˹Who˺ calls back the souls ˹of people˺ upon their death as well as ˹the souls˺ of the living during their sleep. Then He keeps those for whom He has ordained death, and releases the others until ˹their˺ appointed time. Surely in this are signs for people who reflect.

39:43 Have they chosen intercessors besides God? Say, "Would you choose them as your intercessors even though they do not possess anything and have no understanding?"

39:44 Say, “All intercession belongs to Allah ˹alone˺. To Him belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. Then to Him you will ˹all˺ be returned.”

39:45 Yet when Allah alone is mentioned, the hearts of those who disbelieve in the Hereafter are filled with disgust. But as soon as those ˹gods˺ other than Him are mentioned, they are filled with joy.

39:46 Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “O Allah—Originator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the seen and unseen! You will judge between Your servants regarding their differences.

39:47 Even if the wrongdoers were to possess everything in the world twice over, they would certainly offer it to ransom themselves from the horrible punishment on Judgment Day, for they will see from Allah what they had never expected.

39:48 Their bad deeds will become public and they will be surrounded by the torment which they had mocked during their worldly life.

39:49 When the human being is afflicted with hardship, he cries out to us for help. When We grant him a favor, he says, "I knew that I deserved it." In fact, it is only a test for him, but most people do not know this.

39:50 People who lived before them had also said, "Our wealth has been earned by our own merits." What they had earned was of no benefit to them

39:51 So the evil ˹consequences˺ of their deeds overtook them. And the wrongdoers among these ˹pagans˺ will be overtaken by the evil ˹consequences˺ of their deeds. And they will have no escape.

39:52 Do they not know that Allah gives abundant or limited provisions to whoever He wills? Surely in this are signs for people who believe.

DO NOT LOSE HOPE IN ALLAH’S MERCY

39:53 Say, ˹O Prophet, that Allah says,˺ “O My servants who have exceeded the limits against their souls! Do not lose hope in Allah’s mercy, for Allah certainly forgives all sins. He is indeed the All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

39:54 Turn to your Lord ˹in repentance˺, and ˹fully˺ submit to Him before the punishment reaches you, ˹for˺ then you will not be helped.

39:55 Follow ˹the Quran,˺ the best of what has been revealed to you from your Lord, before the punishment takes you by surprise while you are unaware,

39:56 So that no ˹sinful˺ soul will say ˹on Judgment Day˺, ‘Woe to me for neglecting ˹my duties towards˺ Allah, Woe to me for mocking God's guidance!"

ONE MORE CHANCE?

39:57 Or ˹a soul will˺ say, ‘If only Allah had guided me, I would have certainly been one of the righteous.’

39:58 Or say, upon seeing the torment, ``If only I had a second chance, I would certainly become a pious person".

39:59 Not at all! My revelations had already come to you, but you rejected them, acted arrogantly, and were one of the disbelievers.”

39:60 On the Day of Judgment you will see those who lied about Allah with their faces blackened. Is Hell not a ˹fitting˺ home for the arrogant?

39:61 Allah will save the pious ones because of their virtuous deeds. No hardship will touch them nor will they be grieved.

39:62 Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the Maintainer of everything.

39:63 To Him belong the keys of the heavens and the earth. And those who disbelieve in the Ayat of Allah, such are they who will be the losers.

39:64 Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “Are you urging me to worship ˹anyone˺ other than Allah, O  ignorant ones?”

39:65 And indeed it has been revealed to you (O Muhammad), as it was to those before you: "If you join others in worship with Allah, (then) surely (all) your deeds will be in vain, and you will certainly be among the losers."

39:66 Nay! But worship Allah (Alone and none else), and be among the grateful.

DAY OF JUDGMENT

39:67 No just estimate have they made of Allah, such as is due to Him:when on the Day of Judgment the ˹whole˺ earth will be in His Grip, and the heavens will be rolled up in His Right Hand. Glorified and Exalted is He above what they associate ˹with Him˺!

39:68 And the Horn will be blown, and whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth will fall dead except whom Allah wills. Then it will be blown again, and at once they will be standing, looking on(waiting)

39:69 And the earth will shine with the light of its Lord, and the record [of deeds] will be placed, and the prophets and the witnesses will be brought, and it will be judged between them in truth, and they will not be wronged.

39:70 And each person will be paid in full of what he did; and He is Best Aware of what they do.

GATES OF HELL WILL BE OPEN

39:71 Those who disbelieved will be driven to Hell in ˹successive˺ groups. When they arrive there, its gates will be opened and its keepers will ask them: “Did messengers not come to you from among yourselves, reciting to you the revelations of your Lord and warning you of the coming of this Day of yours?” The disbelievers will cry, “Yes ˹indeed˺! But the decree of torment has come to pass against the disbelievers.”

39:72 It will be said to them, “Enter the gates of Hell, to stay there forever.” What an evil home for the arrogant!

GATES OF PARADISE WILL BE OPEN

39:73 And those who were mindful of their Lord will be led to Paradise in ˹successive˺ groups. When they arrive at its ˹already˺ open gates, its keepers will say, “Peace be upon you! You have done well, so come in, to stay forever.”

39:74 And they will say: "All the praises and thanks be to Allah Who has fulfilled His Promise to us and has made us inherit (this) land. We can dwell in Paradise where we will; how excellent a reward for the (pious good) workers!"

JUDGMENT OF JUSTICE WILL BE DECREED

39:75(Muhammad), on that day you will see the angels circling around the Throne, glorifying and praising their Lord. Judgment with justice will be decreed between the people of Paradise and hell and it will be said, "It is only God, Lord of the Universe who deserves all praise."

Online Sources: Citations

https://quran.com/1

https://corpus.quran.com/translation.jsp?chapter=1&verse=1

https://noblequran.com/