Surah Al Naba With English Translation

[Dionne]

Allpraise is due to Allah, we praise Him, and seek His help and forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah, Most High, from the evils of our own selves and from our wicked deeds. Whoever Allah guides, there is none who can misguide him, whoever Allah allows to be misguided cannot be guided. I testify that there is no true God worthy of being worshipped except Allah, alone, without partner or associate. I further testify that Muhammad is His true slave and Messenger (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam)[1].

It proceeds then: That the most truthful speech is that of Allah's Book (the Qur'an) and that the best of guidance is that of Muhammad (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam). The worst of evils are innovation (foreign to the true teachings of Islam). Every innovated matter (in religion) is a Bid'ah; every Bid'ah is a Dalalah (misguidance), and every Dalalah is in the Fire of Hell. The Qur'an is the Word of Allah. The Tafsir (Exegesis) of the meaning of the Noble Ayat (verses) of the Qur'an is critical to the understanding of Islam as a whole. The Qur'an is explained by the Qur'an itself[3] and by the Sunnah[4] of the Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam). The Salaf[5] not only transmitted the explanation of the Qur'an, but laid down the foundations for Ijtihad[6] and thus their way is the best and most reliable way of Tafsir. Philosophical and scholastic opinions dealing with the Word of Allah produce confusion, alterations in the meaning of the texts and thus lead astray. The Muslim is called to follow the path of those who gained Allah's Pleasure. They are the Salaf, may Allah make us follow their path in all matters of Islam.

Considering the above, I have decided to bring closer the Tafsir of the Salaf in separate publications starting with the Tafsir of Part Thirty of the Noble Qur'an. This is the first issue and it deals with the Tafsir of Surah An-Naba'.[7] I hope that this approach will be simple enough so that it will, Insha'Allah, benefit a broad sector of the Muslim Ummah (Nation). I ask Allah to accept this effort and make it beneficial for all those who read it and (or) distribute it.

The disbelievers question the occurrence of the Day of Reckoning. Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala)[8] describes this Day as the one that brings Great News. Ibn Kathir (the eminent scholar of Tafsir) said that most likely this News refers to the Resurrection after death, based upon the fact that Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) says about it in the next ayah (verse) ...

An emphasised and a confirmed warning for those who deny this Day that they will certainly come to know that the Day of Resurrection is true. Allah shows His abilities to produce the Signs of this Day and He tells about its magnitude in the following verses so that the people contemplate and realise that Allah, Who is able to bring about these Signs, is All-Able to bring life to the Dead as well as Resurrection. Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) tells mankind about many aspects of His Ability and Power to create what He wishes. For those who under-estimate Allah and His Greatness, there is a reminder, and for those who believe, there is an affirmation ...

Males and females, tall and short, good and bad etc. Males and females lawfully enjoy each other (through marriage) and have children. This enjoyment is physical as well as emotional. it provides mercy and morally abiding friendship. Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) says in another Ayah in the Qur'an:

Allah produced shining light in it (from the Sun) so that people can manage their affairs and function to produce their livelihood which He (subhanahu wa ta'ala) has already ordained for each individual in appropiate measures. In another Ayah, Allah says:

All of the above Favours of Allah are so vivid. How could the disbelievers make use of all of these bounties and yet deny the Resurrection? Then comes the realities: O man, don't forget that there is an appointed term for everything.

Imam Bukhari relates that Abu Hurayrah (radhiallahu 'anhu) said that the Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said: "Between the two sounds of the trumpet there will be Forty." Somebody asked Abu Hurayrah, "Forty days?" But he refused to reply. Then he asked, "Forty Months?" He refused to reply. Abu Hurayrah added, "Then (after this period) Allah will send water from the sky and then the dead bodies will grow like vegetation grows, there is nothing of the human body that does not decay except one bone; that is the little bone at the end of the coccyx of which the human body will be recreated on the Day of Resurrection."[10]

Ahqaba (pl. Huqq'b) (i.e. for ages): One after the other forever as related by Qutadah, Al-Hasan al-Basri and other prominent scholars of the Salaf. Most of them mentioned that each Huqq'b is eighty (80) years.

Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) had known all the deeds of His slaves and had written them all in a Book long before mankind was created. He decreed reward and punishment. There is no sin more grave than Shirk (setting up rivals with Allah in worship). Those who commit Shirk have an ill opinion about Allah. Justly, they shall receive an eternal punishment and that is Hell.

It will be said to the people of Hell: taste what you are suffering. We shall not grant you an increase except similar torment and so it shall progressively multiply. It is related that 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "Allah did not bring down on the people of fire an Ayah more severe than this Ayah." He said they will be forever in a state of progressive increase in torment, and Allah is All-Just.

Ikrimah (a great scholar of Tafsir) said that the wine of Paradise is clear. The resemblance to the wine is only in name. It does not cause any loss of conscious nor stomach pain and its taste and smell are good, unlike the wine of this life. In another ayah in the Qur'an, Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) says:

The wine of this world is prohibited because of its known evil effects on the individuals as well as the society. The Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said: "He who drinks wine in this world would be deprived of it in the Hereafter, unless he repents."[11]

Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) tells us about His Greatness and Majesty and that He is the Rabb of the Heavens and the Earth and all that is between them. That He is the Most Beneficient whose Mercy encompasses everything. No one has the right or power to argue with Alah about anything. He is above all creation. He may permit those who plead in truth and righteousness but only after His permission is granted as He (subhanahu wa ta'ala) says:

Ibn Kathir, may Allah's Mercy be upon him, mentioned sevens sayings about the meaning of the Ruh (Spirit): i) Jibril, ii) Special servants of Allah other than the angels, iii) The souls of the children of Adam standing forth in ranks, iv) Special creation of Allah having the form of the children of Adam yet they are not angels nor humans but they eat and drink, v) A special great angel, vi) The Children of Adam and vii) the Qur'an.

Ibn Kathir supports the opinion that the Spirit may be the children of Adam. Shaykh Muhammad al-Amin ash-Shanqiti (may Allah's Mercy be upon him) in his famous book of Tafsir, known as Adwa' ul-Bayan[12] said that the evidence from the Qur'an indicates that "the Spirit is the Special Angel Jibril." He cites as reference, the ayah about the descension of the angels in the Night of Al-Qadr in the month of Ramadhan. Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) says:

The Ruh is Ma'toufah i.e. grammatically in conjuction with "the angels" in the above ayah, thus indicating that the Ruh is the Special Angel Jibril, and Allah knows best. Many other Mufassirrun (people of Tafsir) support the conclusion that the Ruh in the above ayah is Jibril. Others limit the Ruh to a Great Special Angel[13]. Ibn Jarir at-Tabari, in his Tafsir known as Tafsir At-Tabari[14] said that, " ... the meanings mentioned (see above), yet Allah knows best which one it is. There is no information that specifies that any particular one of these things (mentioned above) is the one which is meant in the ayah (#38, above), and that there is no supportive evidence (i.e. for any particular meaning). Ignorance about this matter is not, therefore, harmful." Allah knows best.

On the Day of Resurrection, only those whom Allah permits to speak or intercede will do so. They will speak the truth which is the witnessing of the Tawhid of Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala): There is no true God who deserves to be worshipped except Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala).

On that Day, the disbeliever wishes that he was mere dust in this worldly life and that he was not even created. This is when he sees the torment that Allah had prepared for him and when he examines his deeds written and recorded by the angels. It is explained also that he wishes to be a mere dust when Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) judges between the animal creation. There when Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) will make judgement for the hornless sheep against the horned sheep. After which He (subhanahu wa ta'ala) will order the animals to be dust and it changes to dust. When this happens, the disbeliever wishes he was dust (i.e. he was an animal)!

The meaning of this latter explanation was related in a Hadith by the Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam): "The claimants would get their claims on the Day of Resurrection so much so that the hornless sheep would get its claim from the horned sheep."[15]

This Surah, the Great News, affirms the Day of Reckoning and provides a beautiful as well as a terrifying illustration for what happens on that Day. These are facts and ayah from Allah for those who contemplate. May Allah guide us to re-examine our stand in this life in relation to His decrees and aim to comply with command. Amin.

Advice: Read the surah with family members, a friend, give a copy of it to someone around you and if you remember the person who compiled the Tafsir of this Surah ... don't forget to ask Allah to forgive him.

The subject of the Quran is a man, and all its teaching is to give guidance to human beings on the right path. It is impossible to get real guidance without understanding the message of Allah existing in its rich text. The Quran is the richest and authentic book regarding its style, and it is abundant with rhetorical devices and other forms of language and literature. No book can even compete with the Quran with its choice of words and rhetorical devices. This present study attempts to throw light on some of the rhetorical devices employed in Surah An Naba, the 78th Surah of the Quran of the English translated version by Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall. This study aims to determine the rhetorical devices used in its English translation, so understand the real and true lessons lying between the texts. For this purpose, the major rhetorical devices as persuasive words. Amplification, hyperbole, simile, metaphor, parallelism, etc. were found. This study is qualitative. A content analysis technique is used to complete the objective of the study. The analysed data and findings are presented in the descriptive form. This study further recommends the researchers to research the other Surah of the Quran as well.

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