Sūrah Az-Zumar

āyāt 1

This particular āyah begins by stating that the Qur'an, which is called 'the Book', is a revelation that originates directly from Allah. It emphasizes that Allah is the One who is overwhelmingly powerful and supremely wise.

āyāt 3–8

This passage emphasizes that true and pure devotion is for God alone. Those who worship others besides God claim these beings bring them closer to God, but God will judge their disagreements, for He does not guide liars and disbelievers. God is far above having a son; He created the heavens and earth with purpose, bringing night over day and day over night, and controlling the sun and moon, each moving for a set time. He created humanity from a single soul, then made its mate, and provided eight kinds of livestock; He forms you in your mothers' wombs, stage after stage, within layers of darkness. This is your Lord, the Owner of all dominion, and there is no deity except Him, so why do you turn away? If you disbelieve, God has no need of you and does not approve of disbelief for His servants, but if you are grateful, He approves of it; no one will carry another's burden, and you will all return to your Lord, who knows what is in hearts and will inform you of your deeds. When trouble befalls a person, he calls upon his Lord, turning only to Him, but once God grants him a blessing, he forgets the One he called upon and sets up equals to God to lead others astray from His path, so tell them to enjoy their disbelief for a short while, for they are destined for the Fire.

āyāt 10–15

This passage calls on believers to be mindful of their Lord, promising good in this life for those who do good, and emphasizing that Allāh's earth is vast. It assures us that those who are patient will receive their reward without measure. The Prophet ﷺ is commanded to worship Allāh with sincere devotion and to be the first to submit to Him, warning that he fears a mighty punishment on a terrible Day if he were to disobey his Lord. The Prophet ﷺ declares his exclusive worship of Allāh with sincere devotion, and then the passage challenges others to worship whatever they wish besides Him. It concludes by stating that those who will truly lose are the ones who will lose themselves and their families on the Day of Resurrection, describing this as a clear and obvious loss.

āyāt 16–20

This section of the sūrah begins by describing a terrible fate for those who disobey God: layers of fire above and below them. God uses this as a warning for His servants to fear Him. In contrast, those who have avoided false deities and turned back to God will receive good news; these are the ones who listen to guidance and follow the best of it, for they are guided by God and possess understanding. The text then asks if someone who has earned punishment can be guided, or if you can save someone already destined for the Fire. But for those who fear their Lord, there are lofty chambers with rivers flowing beneath them—a promise from God, and God never fails in His promise.

āyāt 21–26

Allāh shows that He sends down rain, causing springs and rivers to flow and then producing crops of various colors. These crops later dry up, turn yellow, and become scattered debris, and this is a clear reminder for people of understanding. He then asks if a person whose heart Allāh has opened to Islām and who lives by His guidance is like someone whose heart rejects it. A warning is given to those whose hearts are hardened against the remembrance of Allāh, saying they are clearly misguided. Allāh has sent down the best message, a consistent Book that repeats its teachings; it causes the skins of those who fear their Lord to shiver, and then their skins and hearts soften at the remembrance of Allāh. This is Allāh’s guidance, which He uses to guide whomever He wishes, and for anyone Allāh leaves astray, there is no guide. It asks if someone who will have to shield himself from the worst punishment on the Day of Resurrection with his own face is like one who is safe, and the wrongdoers will be told to taste what they earned. Nations before them denied the truth, and punishment came to them from an unexpected direction, so Allāh made them suffer disgrace in this world, but the punishment of the Hereafter is even greater, if only they knew.

āyāt 27–32

Allāh says that He has presented every kind of example in this Qur'ān so that people may reflect upon them. This Qur'ān is in clear Arabic, without any crookedness, so that people may become mindful of Allāh. Allāh gives an example of a slave owned by many quarreling partners and another slave belonging to only one master, asking if they are equal; then He declares His perfection and notes that most people do not know this. Allāh addresses the Prophet ﷺ, stating that he will die, and they will all die, and then on the Day of Resurrection, everyone will dispute before their Lord. It is then asked who is more unjust than one who invents lies about Allāh and rejects the truth when it reaches him, and whether Hell is not a dwelling for those who reject faith.

āyāt 33–38

The sūrah begins by describing the righteous ones as those who brought the truth, referring to the Prophet ﷺ, and those who believed in it. They will find whatever they wish for with their Lord, as this is the reward for those who do good, so that Allāh may remove their worst deeds and fully reward them for their best actions. Allāh asks if He is not sufficient for His servant, the Prophet ﷺ, even though people threaten him with their false deities; truly, there is no guide for anyone Allāh allows to go astray, and no one can mislead someone Allāh guides, for Allāh is Mighty and the Lord of Retribution. If you ask people who created the heavens and earth, they will admit it was Allāh, so then ask them if their idols can remove harm from you if Allāh wills it, or withhold mercy if He wills it. The Prophet ﷺ is then told to declare that Allāh is sufficient for him, and upon Him alone rely those who truly rely.

āyāt 39–41

The Prophet ﷺ is instructed to tell his people to work according to their own ways, because he is also working according to his way, and soon they will all come to know who will receive a humiliating torment and an enduring punishment. It is further stated that God sent down the Book to the Prophet ﷺ for all people with truth. So, whoever chooses guidance benefits their own soul, and whoever goes astray harms only their own soul, because the Prophet ﷺ is not in charge of managing their affairs.

āyāt 42–47

Allāh takes people's souls when they die, and He takes the souls of those who are not yet dead during their sleep. He then keeps the souls of those whose death He has decided, and sends back the others until their appointed time; surely, there are clear lessons in this for people who reflect. The sūrah then questions whether people have taken other beings besides Allāh as intercessors, and asks if they would do so even if these intercessors had no power over anything and could not understand. The Prophet ﷺ is told to say that all intercession belongs entirely to Allāh alone, and to Him belongs the control of the heavens and the earth, and everyone will return to Him. When Allāh alone is mentioned, the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter shrink in dislike, but when other things worshipped besides Him are mentioned, they immediately become happy. The Prophet ﷺ is instructed to pray, saying, "O Allāh, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of what is hidden and what is seen, You will judge between Your servants regarding the matters they disagreed about." It then states that if wrongdoers possessed everything on earth and even more, they would try to offer it all to save themselves from the severest punishment on the Day of Resurrection, and things they had not expected would become clear to them from Allāh.

āyāt 48–52

The evils people committed will become clear to them on the Day of Judgement, and they will be surrounded by the very things they used to mock. When a person faces hardship, they call upon God, but when God grants them a blessing, they claim it was due to their own knowledge. This is a test, yet most people don't understand that. People before them made similar claims, but their past actions did not benefit them in the end. The harmful consequences of their deeds afflicted them, and the wrongdoers among the present generation will likewise be afflicted by their own evil actions, and they will not be able to escape God's grasp. Don't people know that God expands and restricts provisions for whomever He wills? Surely, in this are clear signs for those who believe.

āyāt 54–59

These āyāt urge everyone to turn back to their Lord in repentance and submit to Him before a punishment overtakes them, after which they will find no help. They are told to follow the excellent guidance sent down from their Lord, lest the punishment comes suddenly without them realizing. This is to prevent a soul from later regretting its neglect of God's commands and its mockery, or wishing it had been guided to righteousness. It also prevents the soul from wishing for another chance to do good when it sees the punishment, for God will remind them that His verses had indeed come to them, but they denied them, showed arrogance, and were disbelievers.

āyāt 60–65

On the Day of Resurrection, those who falsely attributed things to Allāh will have their faces darkened, and Hell will be a dwelling for the arrogant. However, Allāh will save those who feared Him, and no harm or grief will touch them. Allāh is the Creator and Disposer of all things, possessing the keys to the heavens and the earth, and those who deny His signs are truly the losers. The Prophet ﷺ is told to ask if he should worship other than Allāh, especially since it was revealed to him and earlier prophets that associating partners with Allāh invalidates all deeds and leads to loss.

āyāt 66–71

This passage commands us to worship only Allāh and be among those who are grateful. It then describes the awesome power of Allāh, explaining that people have not truly appreciated His greatness, for on the Day of Resurrection, the entire earth will be in His grasp, and the heavens will be folded in His right hand; He is far above anything they associate with Him. When the Horn is blown, everyone in the heavens and on earth will fall dead, except those Allāh wills, then it will be blown a second time, and everyone will rise and look around. The earth will shine with the light of its Lord, the record of deeds will be set, prophets and witnesses will be brought forward, and everyone will be judged justly without any wrong done to them, with every soul being fully repaid for their actions, for Allāh knows all that they do. Then, those who disbelieved will be driven in throngs to Hell, and when they arrive, its gates will open, and its keepers will ask if messengers had come to them, reciting their Lord's verses and warning them of that Day, to which they will respond that messengers did indeed come, but the decree of punishment had already been justly decided for the disbelievers.

āyāt 72

It will be said to these people that they should enter the gates of Hell to remain there forever. And indeed, what a terrible place that will be for those who were arrogant.

āyāt 74–75

The people of Paradise will declare all praise to Allāh, who has fulfilled His promise to them and granted them the earth as their inheritance, so they may reside in Paradise wherever they please. They will acknowledge that the reward of those who worked righteously is excellent. You will also see the angels encircling the Throne, glorifying Allāh with praise of their Lord. All matters will be justly decided, and it will be proclaimed, "All praise belongs to Allāh, Lord of all the worlds."