usually translated as “The Compeller” (but we render as “The Irresistible” on page 536). See also v. 32, where the same attribute is imputed to Jesus; in both cases, it has a negative connotation.
19:18The word “withdraw” is implied but not stated in the text.
19:27Arabic laqad jiʾti shaiʾ fariy: literally, “surely you’ve brought a terrible thing.”
19:29Arabic ilayhi: literally “to him.”
19:34Arabic qawl al-haqq: literally, “the true statement,” as translated. This echoes 4:171: “Jesus, son of Mary, was but a messenger of God—His Word, conveyed to Mary, through His spirit.”
19:37Those who disbelieve or hide the truth will have their account reckoned or “witnessed” on the day of judgment.
19:43Arabic ma lam yaʾtika: literally, “which has not come to you.”
19:50Arabic wa-jaʿalna lahum lisan sidq ʿaliy: literally, “and We made for them a tongue of truth, exalted.”
19:51The distinction between “prophet” (nabi) and “messenger” (rasul) is based on function. While prophets were divinely inspired and taught what had already been revealed, messengers brought forth a new scripture from God. Therefore, every messenger was a prophet but not every prophet was a messenger. Hence, Moses was a messenger since he received the Torah, as was David since he received the Psalms, and Jesus also since he conveyed the Gospels. In contrast, Abraham, Solomon, and Idris were prophets but not messengers. Ishmael is the exception: while not bringing a book, he is lauded as both prophet and messenger (v. 54).
19:56Idris is cited only here and in 21:85, where he is linked both to Ishmael and to Ezekiel.
19:84Arabic innama naʿuddu lahum ʿadd: literally, “We are only counting for them a (fixed) number.” See ajal in Glossary, page 529.
Sura 20
Ta Ha (Ta Ha)
20:1On these disconnected letters, see al- muqattaʿat in Glossary, page 531. Unlike other such letters, these two, ta and ha, may indicate an abbreviated address: “O man,” according to some early commentaries cited in Muhammad Asad, The Message of the Quran (Watsonville, Calif.: The Book Foundation, 2003), 525n1.
20:12This valley, mentioned only here and in 79:16, is assumed to be near Mount Sinai.
20:25Arabic sadri: literally, “my chest” or “my breast.”
20:27Arabic wa-hlul ʿuqda min lisani: literally, “and untie the knot in my tongue.”
20:40The narrative of Moses in this verse is elaborated elsewhere (28:12–28), where characters, events, and places are explained.
20:70Arabic ulqiya: literally, “were thrown down.”
20:85“Samiri” seems to refer to the Samaritans, but this group did not exist in Moses’ time, so it may be a reference to strangers who joined the Jews fleeing Egypt.
20:87Likely the spoils taken from the Egyptians; see Exodus 12:35–36.
20:99Arabic wa-qad atainaka min ladunna dhikr: literally, “and We gave you a remembrance from within us.” This passage is parallel to 18:65 (“and whom we had taught from Our Knowledge”), where the original Arabic waʿallamnahu min ladunna ʿilm literally translates as “and We taught him a knowledge from within Us.”
20:102Arabic zurq: literally, “blue,” but in this case with fear.
20:104The play on perception of time is randomized: all life seems like ten days to the sinners, a single day to the wise.
20:107Arabic la tara fiha ʿiwaj wa-la amt: literally, “you will see in it neither crookedness nor curve.”
20:110An echo of 2:255, Ayat al-Kursi, the Verse of the Throne.
20:111Again, the Beautiful Names are the same two as found in 2:255, Ayat al-Kursi: “God—there is no god but He, the Living, the Self-Subsisting.”
20:129Arabic wa-lawla kalima sabaqat: literally, “had it not been for a preceding word.”
Sura 21
The Prophets (Al-Anbiyaʾ)
21:4Arabic qala: literally, “He said,” yet both here and in v. 112, it seems preferable to translate as though it were a second-person-singular imperative: qul. The audience here, as elsewhere, is the Prophet Muhammad, though in a few instances of the more than three hundred in the Quran, qul can be used to address all believers (2:136, 3:84, 29:20, and 112:1).
21:19Arabic man ʿindahu: literally, “those with Him,” which could refer to the angels or to those nearest him among the devout (56:11).
21:26The reference here is to angels, whom the Meccans regarded as the daughters of God, elevated to a status comparable to that which Christians ascribe to Jesus.
21:28The theme of omniscience and omnipotence, extending even to intercessory capability, echoes several Quranic verses, especially 2:255, Ayat al-Kursi (the Verse of the Throne).
21:33Arabic yasbahun: literally, “they swim.”
21:47Arabic wa-kafa bina hasibin: literally, “We are sufficient as Reckoners,” but carrying the sense of proficiency.
21:64Another reading would be “They turned to reflect upon themselves.”
21:65Arabic nukisu ʿala ruʾusihim: literally, “they were turned upside down on their heads.” It is not clear whether they confirmed their disbelief or were convinced by Abraham’s argument.
21:68Arabic in kuntum faʿilin: literally, “if you are doers (of what you deem to be correct).” One group of idolaters seems to be inciting another group.
21:91Arabic fiha: literally, “in her,” meaning Mary. For ease of expression, the order of the original is reversed; in Arabic the clause reads literally, “As for the one who preserved her chastity, We breathed into her of Our spirit.”
21:95Arabic Arabic la yarjiʿun: literally, “they will not return.”
21:96Gog and Magog are distant figures linked elsewhere to Dhu al-Qarnain, or Alexander, in 18:94. These legendary, “twin” giants are perhaps from Mongolia, though some commentators trace them to Turkic or Chinese ancestry.
21:105This or similar phraseology is found four times in Psalm 37 (vv. 9, 11, 29, 34), as well as in Matthew 5:5.
21:112Arabic qala: literally, “He said,” but better “Say.” See note to 21:4.
Sura 22
The Pilgrimage (Al-Hajj)
22:1This word is famously used in John Donne’s “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” to refer to the colossal movements of the planetary spheres, movements that are far larger than mere earthquakes; it seems especially apt in this context. Some Islamic commentators see this global convulsion, before the sun rises from the West (not the East), as one of the major signs of the end of the world.
22:6The word al-haqq is usually translated as “the truth.” But what appears to be indicated is that God is the ultimate reality, the ultimate ground of the reality of all things.
22:13Arabic darruhu aqrabu min nafʿihi: literally, “one who is closer to harm than benefit.”
22:15There are several interpretations of this passage. Some commentators view “him” as the Prophet, referring to the fact that certain tribes allied with him were dubious as to whether he would receive God’s help. Others think the verse refers to Muslims who were beginning to grow impatient for God’s help.
22:17Magians is the Arabic term for Zoroastrians.
22:25The Arabic al-badi, translated here as “visitors,” usually refers to pastoral nomads (e.g., see 33:20).
22:29Here, as in v. 33, the “ancient house” refers to the Kaʿba.
22:30Arabic illa ma yutla ʿalaykum: literally, “except what has been recited to you.”
22:32The phrase “rituals of God” refers to not only the rites of the pilgrimage but also the places and actions linked to each of its successive stages.
22:39This verse is the earliest pronouncement of what became the principle of self-defense in Islamic law, not invoked until after Muhammad had left Mecca for Medina in 622 CE (1 AH), the hijra or exodus. Sura 2:190–94, which also permits fighting in self-defense, was revealed about a year later.
22:45Arabic qasr mashid: literally, “lofty palaces.”
22:47This bears comparison with Psalm 90:4: “A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night” (New International Version).
22:58To reinforce this notion, the next seven verses (59–65) have collocative Beautiful Names, each amplifying the message of how God is the Best Provider.
Sura 23
The Believers (Al-Muʾminun)
23:14Arabic khalq akhar: literally, “another creature.”
23:17Arabic sabʿa taraʾiq: literally, “seven paths,” but these paths refer to the orbits of the seven heavenly spheres or heavens (as elsewhere in the Quran: see 67:3 and 71:15).
23:20Mount Sinai is the title and topic of Sura 52, but its full name is given only here and in Sura 95 where it is also linked to “the blessed olive tree,” central to ayat an-nur, the Verse of Light (24:35).
23:21There is a similar tribute to livestock in 16:5: “He created cattle for you, giving you warmth and other uses; you consume them for food.”
23:53Arabic kull hizb bima ladayhim farihun: literally, “each faction rejoicing in what they themselves have.” This judgment applies to Muslims as well as to Jews and Christians, according to a well-known saying of the Prophet: “Jews have been divided into seventy-one sects, Christians into seventy-two, while my community will be divided into seventy-three.”
23:60This phrase echoes 8:2: “True believers are those whose hearts tremble in awe at the mention of God.”
23:93Arabic imma turiyanni: literally, “if you show me.”
23:109Arabic khair al-rahimin: literally, “the Best of those who show mercy”; also in v. 118.
Sura 24
Light (Al-Nur)
24:3Nikah is contractual marriage within Islam, but here is an unusual instance where it clearly refers to those bonded in marriage outside Islam, with the adulterers being linked to polytheists—hence, both are outside Islam.
24:9This is a private, nonjuridical procedure, designed to preserve marital harmony.
24:10This conditional phrase is repeated four times in two sequences in this sura, with the echo for v. 10 coming in v. 14 and for v. 20 in v. 21.
24:11This begins an extended Quranic revelation (vv. 11–20) that defends the Prophet’s young wife, ʿAʾisha, against lies that were brought against her by some of the early Muslims, here defined as “liars in the eyes of God.” The incident, known as “the affair of the lie,” occurred in 627 CE when ʿAʾisha was left behind as a Muslim expeditionary force broke camp early, departing without her. Because a companion later found her and returned her to the Prophet, some rumors spread, occasioning this revelation to confirm her innocence as also the malevolence of those who brought the false charges.
24:15Arabic idh talaqqawnahu bialsinatikum: literally, “when you received it with your tongues.”
24:28Arabic azka: literally, “purer.”
24:31Eunuchs or old men.
24:31A reference to the anklets that women often wore.
24:33Among pre-Islamic practices