Surah 76. Al-Insan

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Verses [Section]: 1-22[1], 23-31 [2]

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Quran Text of Verse 23-31اِنَّاIndeed Weنَحْنُ[We]نَزَّلْنَا[We] revealedعَلَیْكَto youالْقُرْاٰنَthe Quranتَنْزِیْلًاۚprogressively فَاصْبِرْSo be patientلِحُكْمِfor (the) Commandرَبِّكَ(of) your Lordوَ لَاand (do) notتُطِعْobeyمِنْهُمْfrom themاٰثِمًاany sinnerاَوْorكَفُوْرًاۚdisbeliever وَ اذْكُرِAnd rememberاسْمَ(the) nameرَبِّكَ(of) your Lordبُكْرَةًmorningوَّ اَصِیْلًاۖۚand evening 76. Al-Insan Page 580وَ مِنَAnd ofالَّیْلِthe nightفَاسْجُدْprostrateلَهٗto Himوَ سَبِّحْهُand glorify Himلَیْلًاa nightطَوِیْلًا long اِنَّIndeedهٰۤؤُلَآءِtheseیُحِبُّوْنَloveالْعَاجِلَةَthe immediateوَ یَذَرُوْنَand leaveوَرَآءَهُمْbehind themیَوْمًاa Dayثَقِیْلًا grave نَحْنُWeخَلَقْنٰهُمْcreated themوَ شَدَدْنَاۤand We strengthenedاَسْرَهُمْ ۚtheir formsوَ اِذَاand whenشِئْنَاWe willبَدَّلْنَاۤWe can changeاَمْثَالَهُمْtheir likeness[es]تَبْدِیْلًا (with) a change اِنَّIndeedهٰذِهٖthisتَذْكِرَةٌ ۚ(is) a reminderفَمَنْso whoeverشَآءَwillsاتَّخَذَlet him takeاِلٰیtoرَبِّهٖhis Lordسَبِیْلًا a way وَ مَاAnd notتَشَآءُوْنَyou willاِلَّاۤexceptاَنْthatیَّشَآءَwillsاللّٰهُ ؕAllahاِنَّIndeedاللّٰهَAllahكَانَisعَلِیْمًاAll-KnowerحَكِیْمًاۗۖAll-Wise یُّدْخِلُHe admitsمَنْwhomیَّشَآءُHe willsفِیْtoرَحْمَتِهٖ ؕHis mercyوَ الظّٰلِمِیْنَbut (for) the wrongdoersاَعَدَّHe has preparedلَهُمْfor themعَذَابًاa punishmentاَلِیْمًا۠painful

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Translation of Verse 23-31

(76:23) (O Prophet), indeed We have revealed the Qur'an to you in portions.²⁷

(76:24) So persevere with the command of your Lord²⁸ and do not pay any heed to the wicked and the unbelieving,²⁹

(76:25) and remember the name of your Lord, morning and evening;

(76:26) and prostrate yourself before Him at night, and extol His Glory during the long watches of the night.³⁰

(76:27) Verily they love (the good of this world) that is hastily obtainable and are oblivious of the burdensome Day ahead of them.³¹

(76:28) We created them and strengthened their joints; and whenever We wish, We can change their faces entirely.³²

(76:29) Verily this is an Exhortation; so let him who so will take a way to his Lord.

(76:30) But your willing shall be of no avail until Allah Himself so wills.³³ Surely Allah is All-Knowing, Most Wise.

(76:31) He admits to His Mercy whomsoever He pleases. As for the wrong-doers, He has prepared for them a grievous chastisement.³⁴

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Commentary

27. Apparently, this is addressed to the Prophet (peace be upon him). However, the purpose of this statement is to refute the disbelievers’ contention that the Qur’an represents the Prophet’s own thoughts. They used to argue that had it been from God, it would have come down in one piece rather than in fragments. At some places in the Qur’an, this objection of the disbelievers has been cited and refuted (See Towards Understanding the Qur’an, vol. IV, Surah al-Nahl 16: nn. 102 and 104-106, pp. 364-366 and vol. V, Surah Bani Isra’il 17: n. 119, p. 80). In the above verse, however, without citing the disbelievers’ charge, God emphatically declares that it is He Who has revealed it and that the Prophet (peace be upon him) is not its author. God sends it down in stages. It is out of His wisdom that He revealed it in portions, not as a whole, complete Book immediately.

28. The Prophet (peace be upon him) is advised to remain steadfast in discharging his mission, to endure patiently the hardships and difficulties that he might encounter in that regard, and not to allow anything to cause him to waver in his resolve.

29. The Prophet (peace be upon him) should not forsake his preaching of the truth under pressure from the disbelievers. Nor should he alter any of the moral teachings or articles of faith however small it may be, in deference to the wishes of the wicked and deniers of truth. He should publicly pronounce what is lawful and what is not. He should not show any laxity in divine commands, no matter how much the evildoers may try to persuade him. What is false should be proclaimed as false, and what is true as true by him even if the disbelievers exert any kind of pressure for silencing his voice or for trying to strike a deal with him.

30. Whenever there is an injunction to remember God alongside the mention of a specific time, such injunctions refer to the prescribed prayer. Moreover, this is stated immediately after the directive to Muslims to practice perseverance and steadfastness in their encounter against the disbelievers. Needless to say, believers derive the requisite energy from prayers in taking on the disbelievers in the cause of faith.

In the present verse two words are used: (i) bukrah, which denotes “morning” and (ii) “asil”, which denotes the period of time beginning with the sun’s decline until the sunset. This covers the time for Zuhr and ‘Asr prayers. This is followed in the next verse by the injunction to “prostrate yourselves before Him at night”. Since the “night” starts from sunset, the injunction to prostrate “at night” covers the Maghrib and ‘Isha’ Prayers. Next comes the injunction in the same verse to “extol His glory during the long watches of the night.” This clearly refers to Tahajjud prayers (For details see Towards Understanding the Qur’an, vol. V, Surah Bani Isra’il 17: nn. 92-97, pp. 63-66 and Surah al-Muzzammil 73: n. 2.) One thus learns that even in the very early days of Islam these were the appointed hours of prayer. However, the five daily Prayers, with their respective number of raka‘ah were prescribed on the occasion of the Prophet’s Night Journey.

31. The reason the disbelieving Quraysh persisted in disbelief, immorality, and the show of extreme hostility to the Prophet's call was on account of their worldliness and their disregard of the Hereafter. Their path was markedly different from the one pursued by the believers, and hence there cannot be any scope of compromise between the two.

32. That “God may change their faces entirely” may be explained in a variety of ways. God may destroy them and replace them with members of the same species, whose conduct will be different. He may change their faces altogether, or afflict them with any serious disease or disability. Alternatively, God may, re-create them after their death in a different form, as He pleases.

33. For details see Surah al-Muddaththir 74: n. 41 (See also Appendix 1). This point is explained in the Introduction to the Surah (See also Appendix 2).

34. This point is explained in the Introduction to this Surah (See also Appendix 2).