وَمَا تَكُونُ فِى شَأْنٍۢ وَمَا تَتْلُوا۟ مِنْهُ مِن قُرْءَانٍۢ وَلَا تَعْمَلُونَ مِنْ عَمَلٍ إِلَّا كُنَّا عَلَيْكُمْ شُهُودًا إِذْ تُفِيضُونَ فِيهِ ۚ وَمَا يَعْزُبُ عَن رَّبِّكَ مِن مِّثْقَالِ ذَرَّةٍۢ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَلَآ أَصْغَرَ مِن ذَٰلِكَ وَلَآ أَكْبَرَ إِلَّا فِى كِتَٰبٍۢ مُّبِينٍ
You do not engage in any work, neither do you recite any part of the Quran, nor do you perform any deed without Our being witness over you when you are engaged therein. Not an atom’s weight escapes your Lord in the earth or in the sky, nor [is there] anything smaller than that nor bigger, but it is in a manifest Book.
أَلَآ إِنَّ أَوْلِيَآءَ ٱللَّهِ لَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ
Look! The friends of Allah will indeed have no fear nor will they grieve
ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَكَانُوا۟ يَتَّقُونَ
—those who have faith and are Godwary.
لَهُمُ ٱلْبُشْرَىٰ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَفِى ٱلْءَاخِرَةِ ۚ لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِكَلِمَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ
For them is good news in the life of this world and in the Hereafter. (There is no altering the words of Allah.) That is the great success.
وَلَا يَحْزُنكَ قَوْلُهُمْ ۘ إِنَّ ٱلْعِزَّةَ لِلَّهِ جَمِيعًا ۚ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ
Do not grieve at their remarks; indeed all might belongs to Allah; He is the All-hearing, the All-knowing.
أَلَآ إِنَّ لِلَّهِ مَن فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَمَن فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ وَمَا يَتَّبِعُ ٱلَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ شُرَكَآءَ ۚ إِن يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا ٱلظَّنَّ وَإِنْ هُمْ إِلَّا يَخْرُصُونَ
Look! To Allah indeed belongs whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth. What do they pursue who invoke partners besides Allah? They merely follow conjectures and they just make surmises.
هُوَ ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلَّيْلَ لِتَسْكُنُوا۟ فِيهِ وَٱلنَّهَارَ مُبْصِرًا ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَءَايَٰتٍۢ لِّقَوْمٍۢ يَسْمَعُونَ
It is He who made the night for you, that you may rest in it, and the day to provide visibility. There are indeed signs in that for people who listen.
قَالُوا۟ ٱتَّخَذَ ٱللَّهُ وَلَدًۭا ۗ سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ ۖ هُوَ ٱلْغَنِىُّ ۖ لَهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ إِنْ عِندَكُم مِّن سُلْطَٰنٍۭ بِهَٰذَآ ۚ أَتَقُولُونَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
They say, ‘Allah has taken a son!’ Immaculate is He! He is the All-sufficient. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth. You have no authority for this [statement]. Do you attribute to Allah what you do not know?
قُلْ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَفْتَرُونَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ٱلْكَذِبَ لَا يُفْلِحُونَ
Say, ‘Indeed those who fabricate lies against Allah will not be felicitous.’
مَتَٰعٌۭ فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا ثُمَّ إِلَيْنَا مَرْجِعُهُمْ ثُمَّ نُذِيقُهُمُ ٱلْعَذَابَ ٱلشَّدِيدَ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَكْفُرُونَ
An enjoyment in this world; then to Us shall be their return, then We shall make them taste the severe punishment because of what they used to defy.
۞ وَٱتْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ نَبَأَ نُوحٍ إِذْ قَالَ لِقَوْمِهِۦ يَٰقَوْمِ إِن كَانَ كَبُرَ عَلَيْكُم مَّقَامِى وَتَذْكِيرِى بِـَٔايَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ فَعَلَى ٱللَّهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ فَأَجْمِعُوٓا۟ أَمْرَكُمْ وَشُرَكَآءَكُمْ ثُمَّ لَا يَكُنْ أَمْرُكُمْ عَلَيْكُمْ غُمَّةًۭ ثُمَّ ٱقْضُوٓا۟ إِلَىَّ وَلَا تُنظِرُونِ
Relate to them the account of Noah when he said to his people, ‘O my people! If my stay [among you] be hard on you and [also] my reminding you of Allah’s signs, [for my part] I have put my trust in Allah. So conspire together, along with your partners, leaving nothing vague in your plan, then carry it out against me without giving me any respite.
فَإِن تَوَلَّيْتُمْ فَمَا سَأَلْتُكُم مِّنْ أَجْرٍ ۖ إِنْ أَجْرِىَ إِلَّا عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَأُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ
If you turn your back [on me], I do not ask any reward from you; my reward lies only with Allah and I have been commanded to be of those who submit [to Allah].’
فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَنَجَّيْنَٰهُ وَمَن مَّعَهُۥ فِى ٱلْفُلْكِ وَجَعَلْنَٰهُمْ خَلَٰٓئِفَ وَأَغْرَقْنَا ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا ۖ فَٱنظُرْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَٰقِبَةُ ٱلْمُنذَرِينَ
But they impugned him. So We delivered him and those who were with him in the ark and We made them the successors, and We drowned those who denied Our signs. So observe how was the fate of those who were warned!
ثُمَّ بَعَثْنَا مِنۢ بَعْدِهِۦ رُسُلًا إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِمْ فَجَآءُوهُم بِٱلْبَيِّنَٰتِ فَمَا كَانُوا۟ لِيُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِمَا كَذَّبُوا۟ بِهِۦ مِن قَبْلُ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نَطْبَعُ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِ ٱلْمُعْتَدِينَ
Then after him We sent [other] apostles to their people. They brought them manifest proofs, but they would not believe something they had denied before. Thus do We seal the hearts of the transgressors.
ثُمَّ بَعَثْنَا مِنۢ بَعْدِهِم مُّوسَىٰ وَهَٰرُونَ إِلَىٰ فِرْعَوْنَ وَمَلَإِي۟هِۦ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا فَٱسْتَكْبَرُوا۟ وَكَانُوا۟ قَوْمًۭا مُّجْرِمِينَ
Then, after them, We sent Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh and his elite with Our signs, but they acted arrogantly and they were a guilty lot.
فَلَمَّا جَآءَهُمُ ٱلْحَقُّ مِنْ عِندِنَا قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّ هَٰذَا لَسِحْرٌۭ مُّبِينٌۭ
When the truth from Us came to them, they said, ‘This is indeed plain magic!’
قَالَ مُوسَىٰٓ أَتَقُولُونَ لِلْحَقِّ لَمَّا جَآءَكُمْ ۖ أَسِحْرٌ هَٰذَا وَلَا يُفْلِحُ ٱلسَّٰحِرُونَ
Moses said, ‘Do you say of the truth when it comes to you [that it is magic]? Is this magic? Magicians do not find salvation.’
قَالُوٓا۟ أَجِئْتَنَا لِتَلْفِتَنَا عَمَّا وَجَدْنَا عَلَيْهِ ءَابَآءَنَا وَتَكُونَ لَكُمَا ٱلْكِبْرِيَآءُ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا نَحْنُ لَكُمَا بِمُؤْمِنِينَ
They said, ‘Have you come to us to turn us away from what we found our fathers following, so that supremacy may be yours in the land? We will not believe in the two of you.’
وَقَالَ فِرْعَوْنُ ٱئْتُونِى بِكُلِّ سَٰحِرٍ عَلِيمٍۢ
Pharaoh said, ‘Bring me every expert magician.’
فَلَمَّا جَآءَ ٱلسَّحَرَةُ قَالَ لَهُم مُّوسَىٰٓ أَلْقُوا۟ مَآ أَنتُم مُّلْقُونَ
So when the magicians came, Moses said to them, ‘Throw down what you have to throw.’
فَلَمَّآ أَلْقَوْا۟ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ مَا جِئْتُم بِهِ ٱلسِّحْرُ ۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَيُبْطِلُهُۥٓ ۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُصْلِحُ عَمَلَ ٱلْمُفْسِدِينَ
So when they threw down [their sticks and ropes], Moses said, ‘What you have produced is magic. Indeed Allah will bring it to naught presently. Indeed Allah does not foster the efforts of those who cause corruption.
وَيُحِقُّ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْحَقَّ بِكَلِمَٰتِهِۦ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ ٱلْمُجْرِمُونَ
Allah will confirm the truth with His words, though the guilty should be averse.’
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 for this passage; al-Qummī and al-Burhān are silent only on v.62/v.72 respectively. The four Arabic renderings are my own translations of the fetched Arabic.
The passage opens on God's total witness over every deed and the atom that "does not escape your Lord" (v.61). It then names "the friends of God (awliyāʾ Allāh)" — believing and God-fearing, without fear or grief, having "the glad tidings in this world and the Hereafter" and "the mighty triumph" (vv.62–64); consoles the Prophet that "all might is God's" (v.65); and argues His sole lordship from His ownership of all and His making of night for rest and day for sight (vv.66–67). It refutes the ascription of a child to the Self-Sufficient (vv.68–70). The remainder narrates the confrontations of the messengers: Noah's challenge to his people and his deliverance (vv.71–73); the messengers after him whose peoples "would not believe what they had belied before" (v.74); and Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh — "manifest sorcery," the summoning of the sorcerers, and "God verifies the truth by His words" (vv.75–82).
On the atom that does not escape God (v.61) all sources record the striking tradition — Ṭabarsī and al-Qummī and al-Burhān attributing it to al-Ṣādiq — that "when the Messenger of God recited this verse he wept greatly," and Ṭabāṭabāʾī analyses the grammatical iltifāt by which the address moves from the Prophet alone to "you [all]," joining him with the community and the polytheists under one all-seeing witness.
On the friends of God (vv.62–64) the discursive commentaries and the narration-tradition part company most sharply here. Ṭabarsī and Ṭūsī list the standard identifications and debate whether the awliyāʾ fear at all on the Day (Ṭūsī records al-Jubbāʾī's "no fear whatsoever" against al-Balkhī's "they may fear the terrors"), and both, with al-Mīzān, cite Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn's definition (those who fulfil the obligations, take the Sunna, abstain, and earn lawfully without amassing). Ṭabāṭabāʾī builds his fullest station-theology here: "believed and were God-fearing" marks a taqwā prior to this higher faith, and the awliyāʾ, seeing all sovereignty as God's alone, "fear nothing and grieve for nothing… save what God wills" — expressly rejecting the exegetes who restrict the verse to the Hereafter or reduce the negated fear to "the fear of the disbelievers." On the "glad tidings" (v.64), the plain reading (Ṭabarsī, Ṭūsī, and their Bāqir-report) is "the good vision (al-ruʾyā al-ṣāliḥa)" in this world and the Garden hereafter — a reading al-Mīzān also carries with the Sunnī "vision is a part of prophethood" traditions. But al-Qummī and al-Burhān press the emphatic Imāmī taʾwīl: the tidings at death is that "the believer sees the Messenger and ʿAlī," who reassure him — al-Burhān giving ʿUqba's long ḥadīth in full — and "no changing of the words of God" is read as "no changing of the imamate" (with al-Zukhruf 28 as proof). Al-Burhān and al-Mīzān also both cite ʿAlī's definition of the awliyāʾ as "we and our followers."
On God's lordship and the child-ascription (vv.66–70) the sources agree closely: God singled out "whoever (man)" is in the heavens and earth — the rational — to magnify His ownership (Ṭabarsī, Ṭūsī, Ṭabāṭabāʾī); the night/day pairing is one of His directings that completes His lordship (al-Mīzān); and the ascription of a child is refuted because "man takes a child to strengthen himself against weakness or enrich himself against poverty," and God is "the Self-Sufficient" who owns all (all three). Ṭūsī adds the fine distinction that adoption too is impossible once real begetting is, while "the Messiah is the spirit of God" is admissible as an honorific; Ṭabāṭabāʾī notes the wrathful iltifāt by which God addresses the blasphemers incognito, then turns back to His Prophet with the warning.
On Noah's challenge (vv.71–73) Ṭabarsī and Ṭūsī supply the elided clause ("you have resolved to kill me") and read "then upon God I trust" as Noah's demonstrative reliance in this particular, "resolve upon your affair and your partners" as a threat in the form of a command, and note the reading dispute (fa-ajmiʿū/fa-aǧmaʿū). Al-Qummī and al-Burhān gloss the terms concisely ("carry out against me" = "invoke evil upon me"; "an obscurity" = "do not grieve"). Ṭabāṭabāʾī frames the whole as a taḥaddī — Noah, alone, disabling his people and declaring his Lord able to repel them.
On "would not believe what they had belied before" (v.74) the discursive sources read it as the peoples' entrenched obstinacy (Ṭabarsī: "like their predecessors in unbelief"; Ṭūsī: two senses). Here the Imāmī narration diverges most dramatically: al-Qummī and al-Burhān carry the cluster of Bāqir/Ṣādiq traditions of the pre-existential "shadows (al-aẓilla)" or the covenant "in the loins and wombs" — those who denied the walāya "there" are those who "belied before." Ṭabāṭabāʾī, uniquely, engages this at length in his own baḥth riwāʾī, taking the "shadows" as a real other-than-material human world (linking it to the dharr verse, al-Aʿrāf 172), while cautioning that the "loins and wombs" report cannot be read literally.
On Moses and Pharaoh (vv.75–82) all sources gloss the confrontation similarly — "the truth" named against their "sorcery," Pharaoh's summoning of "every learned sorcerer," and Moses's "what you have brought is the sorcery." Ṭabarsī and Ṭūsī parse the reading dispute (ā-l-siḥr/al-siḥr) and read Pharaoh's charge "that greatness in the land may be yours two" as the fear of Moses seeking rule. Ṭabāṭabāʾī gives the passage its overarching frame — its "sections fit the gist of the Prophet's own mission" — and turns "God does not set right the work of the corrupters… and verifies the truth by His words" into a cosmic law: the false may have "a turn" but cannot endure, for the sound work blends with the cosmic order and the corrupt is opposed and effaced (comparing al-Raʿd 17). Ṭabarsī and Ṭūsī close on the same principle, distinguishing God's aid "by argument" (constant) from His aid "by overpowering victory" (varying with benefit).