بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
In the name of Allah, the All-Beneficent, the All-Merciful
الٓر ۚ تِلْكَ ءَايَٰتُ ٱلْكِتَٰبِ ٱلْحَكِيمِ
Alif, Lam, Ra. These are the signs of the Wise Book.
أَكَانَ لِلنَّاسِ عَجَبًا أَنْ أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَىٰ رَجُلٍۢ مِّنْهُمْ أَنْ أَنذِرِ ٱلنَّاسَ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ أَنَّ لَهُمْ قَدَمَ صِدْقٍ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ ۗ قَالَ ٱلْكَٰفِرُونَ إِنَّ هَٰذَا لَسَٰحِرٌۭ مُّبِينٌ
Does it seem odd to these people that We have revealed to a man from among themselves, [declaring], ‘Warn mankind, and give good news to the faithful that they are in good standing with their Lord’? The faithless say, ‘This is indeed a plain magician.’
إِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ فِى سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍۢ ثُمَّ ٱسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى ٱلْعَرْشِ ۖ يُدَبِّرُ ٱلْأَمْرَ ۖ مَا مِن شَفِيعٍ إِلَّا مِنۢ بَعْدِ إِذْنِهِۦ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمُ ٱللَّهُ رَبُّكُمْ فَٱعْبُدُوهُ ۚ أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ
Indeed your Lord is Allah, who created the heavens and the earth in six days, and then settled on the Throne, directing the command. There is no intercessor, except by His leave. That is Allah, your Lord! So worship Him. Will you not then take admonition?
إِلَيْهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ جَمِيعًۭا ۖ وَعْدَ ٱللَّهِ حَقًّا ۚ إِنَّهُۥ يَبْدَؤُا۟ ٱلْخَلْقَ ثُمَّ يُعِيدُهُۥ لِيَجْزِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ بِٱلْقِسْطِ ۚ وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لَهُمْ شَرَابٌۭ مِّنْ حَمِيمٍۢ وَعَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌۢ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَكْفُرُونَ
To Him will be the return of you all; [that is] Allah’s true promise. Indeed, He originates the creation, then He will bring it back that He may reward with justice those who have faith and do righteous deeds. As for the faithless, they shall have boiling water for drink, and a painful punishment because of what they used to defy.
هُوَ ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ ٱلشَّمْسَ ضِيَآءًۭ وَٱلْقَمَرَ نُورًۭا وَقَدَّرَهُۥ مَنَازِلَ لِتَعْلَمُوا۟ عَدَدَ ٱلسِّنِينَ وَٱلْحِسَابَ ۚ مَا خَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ ذَٰلِكَ إِلَّا بِٱلْحَقِّ ۚ يُفَصِّلُ ٱلْءَايَٰتِ لِقَوْمٍۢ يَعْلَمُونَ
It is He who made the sun a radiance and the moon a light, and ordained its phases that you might know the number of years and the calculation [of time]. Allah did not create all that except with justice. He elaborates the signs for a people who have knowledge.
إِنَّ فِى ٱخْتِلَٰفِ ٱلَّيْلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ وَمَا خَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ لَءَايَٰتٍۢ لِّقَوْمٍۢ يَتَّقُونَ
Indeed in the alternation of night and day, and whatever Allah has created in the heavens and the earth, there are surely signs for a people who are Godwary.
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَرْجُونَ لِقَآءَنَا وَرَضُوا۟ بِٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱطْمَأَنُّوا۟ بِهَا وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ عَنْ ءَايَٰتِنَا غَٰفِلُونَ
Indeed those who do not expect to encounter Us and who are pleased with the life of this world and satisfied with it, and those who are oblivious of Our signs
أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ مَأْوَىٰهُمُ ٱلنَّارُ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَكْسِبُونَ
—it is they whose refuge shall be the Fire because of what they used to earn.
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ يَهْدِيهِمْ رَبُّهُم بِإِيمَٰنِهِمْ ۖ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهِمُ ٱلْأَنْهَٰرُ فِى جَنَّٰتِ ٱلنَّعِيمِ
Indeed those who have faith and do righteous deeds, their Lord guides them by the means of their faith. Streams will run for them in gardens of bliss.
دَعْوَىٰهُمْ فِيهَا سُبْحَٰنَكَ ٱللَّهُمَّ وَتَحِيَّتُهُمْ فِيهَا سَلَٰمٌۭ ۚ وَءَاخِرُ دَعْوَىٰهُمْ أَنِ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ
Their call therein will be, ‘O Allah! Immaculate are You!’ and their greeting therein will be, ‘Peace!’ and their concluding call, ‘All praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds.’
۞ وَلَوْ يُعَجِّلُ ٱللَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ ٱلشَّرَّ ٱسْتِعْجَالَهُم بِٱلْخَيْرِ لَقُضِىَ إِلَيْهِمْ أَجَلُهُمْ ۖ فَنَذَرُ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَرْجُونَ لِقَآءَنَا فِى طُغْيَٰنِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ
Were Allah to hasten ill for mankind with their haste for good, their term would have been over. But We leave those who do not expect to encounter Us bewildered in their rebellion.
وَإِذَا مَسَّ ٱلْإِنسَٰنَ ٱلضُّرُّ دَعَانَا لِجَنۢبِهِۦٓ أَوْ قَاعِدًا أَوْ قَآئِمًۭا فَلَمَّا كَشَفْنَا عَنْهُ ضُرَّهُۥ مَرَّ كَأَن لَّمْ يَدْعُنَآ إِلَىٰ ضُرٍّۢ مَّسَّهُۥ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ زُيِّنَ لِلْمُسْرِفِينَ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
When distress befalls man, he supplicates Us, [lying] on his side, sitting, or standing; but when We remove his distress, he passes on as if he had never supplicated Us concerning the distress that had befallen him. What they have been doing is thus presented as decorous to the transgressors.
وَلَقَدْ أَهْلَكْنَا ٱلْقُرُونَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَمَّا ظَلَمُوا۟ ۙ وَجَآءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُم بِٱلْبَيِّنَٰتِ وَمَا كَانُوا۟ لِيُؤْمِنُوا۟ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ
Certainly We destroyed generations before you when they perpetrated wrongs: their apostles brought them manifest proofs, but they would not have faith. Thus do We requite the guilty lot.
ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَٰكُمْ خَلَٰٓئِفَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مِنۢ بَعْدِهِمْ لِنَنظُرَ كَيْفَ تَعْمَلُونَ
Then We made you successors on the earth after them that We may observe how you will act.
وَإِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَاتُنَا بَيِّنَٰتٍۢ ۙ قَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَرْجُونَ لِقَآءَنَا ٱئْتِ بِقُرْءَانٍ غَيْرِ هَٰذَآ أَوْ بَدِّلْهُ ۚ قُلْ مَا يَكُونُ لِىٓ أَنْ أُبَدِّلَهُۥ مِن تِلْقَآئِ نَفْسِىٓ ۖ إِنْ أَتَّبِعُ إِلَّا مَا يُوحَىٰٓ إِلَىَّ ۖ إِنِّىٓ أَخَافُ إِنْ عَصَيْتُ رَبِّى عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍۢ
When Our manifest signs are recited to them, those who do not expect to encounter Us say, ‘Bring a Quran other than this, or alter it.’ Say, ‘I may not alter it of my own accord. I follow only what is revealed to me. Indeed should I disobey my Lord, I fear the punishment of a tremendous day.’
قُل لَّوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ مَا تَلَوْتُهُۥ عَلَيْكُمْ وَلَآ أَدْرَىٰكُم بِهِۦ ۖ فَقَدْ لَبِثْتُ فِيكُمْ عُمُرًۭا مِّن قَبْلِهِۦٓ ۚ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ
Say, ‘Had Allah [so] wished, I would not have recited it to you, nor would He have made it known to you, for I have dwelled among you for a lifetime before it. Do you not exercise your reason?’
فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ ٱفْتَرَىٰ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ كَذِبًا أَوْ كَذَّبَ بِـَٔايَٰتِهِۦٓ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُفْلِحُ ٱلْمُجْرِمُونَ
So who is a greater wrongdoer than him who fabricates a lie against Allah, or denies His signs? Indeed the guilty will not be felicitous.
وَيَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلَا يَنفَعُهُمْ وَيَقُولُونَ هَٰٓؤُلَآءِ شُفَعَٰٓؤُنَا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ قُلْ أَتُنَبِّـُٔونَ ٱللَّهَ بِمَا لَا يَعْلَمُ فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَلَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ
They worship besides Allah that which neither causes them any harm, nor brings them any benefit, and they say, ‘These are our intercessors with Allah.’ Say, ‘Will you inform Allah about something He does not know in the heavens or on the earth?’ Immaculate is He and exalted above [having] any partners that they ascribe [to Him]!
وَمَا كَانَ ٱلنَّاسُ إِلَّآ أُمَّةًۭ وَٰحِدَةًۭ فَٱخْتَلَفُوا۟ ۚ وَلَوْلَا كَلِمَةٌۭ سَبَقَتْ مِن رَّبِّكَ لَقُضِىَ بَيْنَهُمْ فِيمَا فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ
Mankind were but a single [religious] community; then they differed. And were it not for a prior decree of your Lord, decision would have been made between them concerning that about which they differ.
وَيَقُولُونَ لَوْلَآ أُنزِلَ عَلَيْهِ ءَايَةٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّهِۦ ۖ فَقُلْ إِنَّمَا ٱلْغَيْبُ لِلَّهِ فَٱنتَظِرُوٓا۟ إِنِّى مَعَكُم مِّنَ ٱلْمُنتَظِرِينَ
They say, ‘Why has not some sign been sent down to him from his Lord?’ Say, ‘[The knowledge of] the Unseen belongs only to Allah. So wait. I too am waiting along with you.’
English translation: Ali Quli Qarai
Sources triangulated: Ṭabarsī, Majmaʿ al-Bayān [tabarsi_majma_al_bayan]; Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān [tusi_al_tibyan]; Baḥrānī, al-Burhān [bahrani_al_burhan]; al-Qummī, Tafsīr al-Qummī [qummi]; Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān [tabatabai_al_mizan]; An Enlightening Commentary [enlightening_commentary]. All six are present (non-silent) for this passage. The four Arabic renderings are my own translations of the fetched Arabic; al-Mīzān here is translated from the Arabic original, not the published English.
The sūra opens with the disjoined letters Alif Lām Rā and the claim that these are "the signs of the Wise Book," then rebuts the Meccans' astonishment that revelation should come "to a man from among them" and their verdict that it is "sorcery." It consoles the believers with a "sure footing (qadam ṣidq) with their Lord," then mounts the central argument for tawḥīd: God created the heavens and earth in six days and "mounted the Throne," directing the affair with no intercessor save by His leave; sun, moon, the measured lunar mansions, and the alternation of night and day are His signs. From the Origin it turns to the Return: those who "do not hope for the meeting with Us," content with this world, earn the Fire, while believers are "guided by their faith" to Gardens whose speech is tasbīḥ, salām and ḥamd (vv.9–10). The remainder treats God's forbearance in not hastening evil (v.11), man's fickleness under affliction (v.12), the destruction of earlier generations (vv.13–14), the demand to "bring another Qurʾān or change it" answered by the Prophet's lifetime among them (vv.15–17), the folly of idols as "intercessors" (v.18), the primordial unity and later division of mankind (v.19), and the demand for a compelling "sign" (v.20).
On qadam ṣidq (v.2) the sources converge on a spectrum. The philologist-theologians read it as merited standing: Ṭabarsī and Ṭūsī list "a goodly reward and lofty station" (Ibn ʿAbbās), "a truthful precedence" (Qatāda), and — the reading both flag as reported from al-Ṣādiq — "the intercession of Muḥammad on the Day of Resurrection" (Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī). Ṭabāṭabāʾī rationalises the metaphor: qadam stands for "rank," since faith of truth entails a rank of truth, and he too settles on the intercession-reading, marshalling al-Kāfī, al-ʿAyyāshī and (via al-Durr al-Manthūr) a report from ʿAlī. Baḥrānī and al-Qummī push furthest into taʾwīl, glossing "those who believe" and their "footing" as the walāya of ʿAlī and the Imāms, and (Baḥrānī, tradition 4831) explaining Alif Lām Rā as a fragment of the Greatest Name — a register the Sunnī-facing Enlightening Commentary does not adopt, treating the letters simply as pointers to divine Names (as at al-Baqara).
On the tawḥīd argument (vv.3–6) Ṭūsī and Ṭabarsī rehearse the same two rationales for a six-day creation — a lesson for the angels, and the pedagogy of gradualness — and Ṭūsī rebuts al-Balkhī's claim that instantaneous creation was impossible, insisting substances are not bound to any one time. Ṭabāṭabāʾī reframes "then He mounted the Throne" as God's assumption of the office of universal direction, from which follows his signature doctrine that every secondary cause is "a cause by His causing and an intercessor after His leave." Baḥrānī supplies the narrative substrate the others argue over: a Ṣādiq-tradition dating the days of creation (good on Sunday, the earths, then the heavens), Abū Dharr's cosmological ḥadīth of the sun prostrating beneath the Throne, and the Bāqir-report that the sun is hotter because clad in a garment of fire while the moon is clad in water — plus the striking figure (4844) of Muḥammad as the "radiance" (sun) and the waṣī as the "light" (moon).
On the Garden's speech (vv.9–10) the convergence is notable. Ṭabarsī and Ṭūsī both cite Ibn Jurayj's image of the roasted bird that comes at "Glory to You, O God" and flies off alive at "Praise be to God," and gloss "beneath them the rivers flow" as before them (comparing Maryam 24). Baḥrānī grounds the same verse in a long Bāqir-tradition of the God-fearing "delegation" and the Prophet's exchange with a Jew on the four formulae, where salām denotes the Garden's servants hastening unbidden. Ṭabāṭabāʾī lifts the verse to its mystical apex: the friends' hearts, purified of all but God, glorify Him in every thing they see as His blessing, so their tasbīḥ–salām–ḥamd is the very order of the sincere (mukhlaṣīn), and "bliss (naʿīm)" is, in its true Qurʾānic sense, the divine walāya.
On man and forbearance (vv.11–20) all four Imāmī sources read "were God to hasten evil…" as His mercy in withholding the punishment men rashly invoke; Ṭabāṭabāʾī adds his psychology of the "hasty" soul that would impose its caprice on the order of causes. On "bring another Qurʾān or change it" (v.15), Ṭūsī and Ṭabāṭabāʾī insist the demand was disingenuous — Ṭabāṭabāʾī rejecting the "test to trap him" reading as self-refuting — while Baḥrānī and al-Qummī again read "or change it" as the polytheists' wish to change ʿAlī's designation, and Baḥrānī (4860) notes the Prophet ceased repeating "I fear… the punishment of a mighty day" once al-Fatḥ assured him of forgiveness. On "mankind was one community then differed" (v.19), the sources split exactly as al-Mīzān catalogues: al-Ḥasan's "one community upon polytheism," al-Jubbāʾī's "upon Islam in Adam's era," and Ṭabāṭabāʾī's own preferred reading — one community upon tawḥīd, then divided — anchored to the "word that preceded" of al-Baqara 36. The Enlightening Commentary tracks these same movements in accessible published English, giving the passage its plain doctrinal frame of unity, ingratitude, and divine gifts.