quraninplainenglish

Bismillāh ir Raḥmān ir Raḥīm

This week we have posted new English versions of six sūrahs, the first two from the 29th juz

and the latter four from the 30th and last juz of the Qur’ān.

The 68th sūrah is Sūrat al Qalam ~ the Pen. It discusses the arrogance of presuming anything about the future,

and the necessity to acknowledge its conditionality upon the will of God. It exposes the fallacies of

hypocrites and the faithless, while reminding us that the Qur’ān is but a warning.

The 73rd sūrah, Sūrat al Muzammil ~ the One Wrapped in Robes, acknowledges the difficulties of tahajjud,

nighttime prayer vigil, and sets guidelines for its duration, and the appropriateness of “subdued”

or “softened” speech, and the psalmody of recitation. It reiterates the necessity for giving zakāh

and the rewards to be gained by doing so.

Among the many beautiful shorter sūrāt of the 30th juz of the Qur’ān is the 97th sūrah,

Sūrat al Qadr ~ Power. This sūrah refers to the night when the first revelation from God

was sent to the prophet Muḥammad, ṣallā llāhu ‘alayhi wa ’ālihī wa sallam, which is said

to have occurred sometime during the last ten days of the month of Ramaḍān.

Since that time it has been referred to as Laylat al Qadr, the night of power.

Indeed, the verses of Sūrat al Qadr are as sublime as the night itself, anticipated by most

to occur on one of the odd numbered of the last ten nights of the blessed month.

“And what can make you know what the night of power is?

The night of power is better than a thousand months.” [Q 97:2-3]

The 109th sūrah, Sūrat al Kāfirūn ~ the Faithless, must be learned by anyone going on ḥajj or ‘umrah,

as it must be recited in the preliminary process of purification known as iḥrām, which is a requisite

for either form of pilgrimmage. Sūrah, al Kāfirū embodies an elegant and clear statement of

religious tolerance.

Also from the 30th juz are the last two sūratayn of the Qur’an: 113, Sūrat al Fālaq ~ the Dawn,

and 114, Sūrat an Nas ~ Humanity. Both seek refuge in God’s protection from malefactors,

from the harm of evil intended toward us by other beings, and to save us from the

consequences of our own harmful impulses, by guiding us not to act out on them.

In the verses of the Dawn, protection is invoked from the darkness of those who envy and

from practitioners of occult arts. It is useful to recall that envy, which can be brutally

destructive, may come from without or arise from within. Either has the potential

to be very harmful. In the recitation of Humanity, refuge is sought from

the whispering whisperer who goads both human beings and jinn to evil, and then

withdraws to observe the results, if any are foolish enough to take the bait.

More people recognize some aspect of evil when it exists outside themselves than when

it appears within. Archetypally, some call the withdrawing whisperer Iblīs, or the Shayṭān

(Satan), but it can simply be a person, and often oneself. Whether the suggestive whisper

comes from without or within, unless performed under coercion, the responsible party for

each one of our acts is our own soul, oneself, both English words being represented by

the Arabic word “al nafs” (read as an nafs), the soul, the self.

In the context of the impulse to wrong action, this can be more specifically understood

to refer to the nafs al ammāra bisū’, which is that aspect of the self which tempts us, attempts

to command us, to do wrong, and then so often disowns any agency for the deed. This term

and concept is mentioned in the Qur’ān in verse 53 of Sūrah Yūsuf, “the most beautiful story

ever told”, among the first sūrahs posted here on 1 Ramaḍān 1442.

Insha’Allāh there will be one more posting of new versions this month, sometime during the

fortnight between this eve before the several potential nights of power, and the celebration of

the ‘Eid al Fitr on May 12 -13.

We are happy to note that the formatting and textual content of the website have been improved

and expanded upon. There is now a drop-down menu for a weekly blog which offers brief

exegetical comments like these about some essential aspects of the sūrah(s) posted each week.

Thank you for reading the Qur’ān here, or in any form, and thank you for your help in any way

in this endeavor to increase the reading and appreciation of the most noble of books.

Please link the site on your social media and consider helping to support this work with a

gift of zakāh.

We also ask that you please keep our project in your prayers, as we keep you in ours.

Jazakum Allāhu khairan.

Ramaḍān Kareem.

~ Rasheed al Ḥajj Abū Muṭahhar, 18 Ramaḍān 1442