سُوْرَةُ النُّوْرِ
Surah An-Noor (24) — Ayah 1
سُورَةٌ أَنزَلْنَـٰهَا وَفَرَضْنَـٰهَا وَأَنزَلْنَا فِيهَآ ءَايَـٰتٍۭ بَيِّنَـٰتٍ لَّعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ ﴿1﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
(This is) a Sûrah (chapter of the Qur’ân) which We have sent down and which We have enjoined, (ordained its laws); and in it We have revealed manifest Ayât (proofs, evidence, verses, lessons, signs, revelations - lawful and unlawful things, and set boundaries of Islâmic Religion), that you may remember.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
سُورَةٌ
sūratun
A Surah
أَنزَلْنَـٰهَا
anzalnāhā
We (have) sent it down
وَفَرَضْنَـٰهَا
wafaraḍnāhā
and We (have) made it obligatory
وَأَنزَلْنَا
wa-anzalnā
and We (have) revealed
فِيهَآ
fīhā
therein
ءَايَـٰتٍۭ
āyātin
Verses
بَيِّنَـٰتٍۢ
bayyinātin
clear
لَّعَلَّكُمْ
laʿallakum
so that you may
تَذَكَّرُونَ
tadhakkarūna
take heed
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(Ayah 1) ➊ The tanween on { سُوْرَةٌ اَنْزَلْنٰهَا:’’ سُوْرَةٌ‘‘} is for veneration, and it is the predicate of a suppressed subject, {’’هٰذِهِ‘‘}, therefore it is translated as “(This) is a great surah.”
➋ {’’ اَنْزَلْنٰهَا ‘‘} (We revealed it) — here Allah Almighty, to express His greatness, mentioned Himself with the plural pronoun (We), and in fact, in all three, {’’ اَنْزَلْنٰهَا ‘‘ ’’ فَرَضْنٰهَا ‘‘} and {’’ اَنْزَلْنَا فِيْهَاۤ ‘‘}, the emphasis is on the plural pronoun “We,” meaning that the one who revealed it is none other than “We.” Therefore, do not take it lightly by considering it the words of a powerless preacher, but know well that the One who revealed it is He in whose grasp is the entire universe, who holds the forelock of every living being, and even after death you cannot escape His grip.
➌ { ’’ اَنْزَلْنَا ‘‘} (revealing) indicates that the One who sent it down is above, and He sent it down from the high place of the Throne, as He Himself said: «اَلرَّحْمٰنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوٰى » [ طٰہٰ : ۵ ] “The Most Merciful rose above the Throne.” It is regrettable for those commentators who are not willing to accept that Allah Almighty is above, so they insist on interpreting or even distorting “We sent down.” They say that Allah Almighty is not in any direction, nor in any place, He is neither above nor below, neither right nor left, neither in front nor behind. Then where is He? They say He is nowhere. But what will they do with that natural instinct which compels every human to raise his hands and gaze towards the sky when supplicating to Allah Almighty? Among these people, there have been and still are some bold elders who say that the very question “Where is Allah Almighty?” is wrong, and whoever asks where Allah Almighty is, is a disbeliever. These people do not even fear who all are affected by their verdict. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) himself, when testing the faith of a slave girl, asked two questions: first, “Where is Allah?” She replied, “In the sky.” The second question was, “Who am I?” She replied, “You are the Messenger of Allah.” So he (peace be upon him) said, “She is a believer.” [ مسلم، المساجد، باب تحریم الکلام في الصلاۃ… : ۵۳۷ ]
➍ { وَ فَرَضْنٰهَا :} That is, the commands given in this surah are not mere recommendations that you may follow if you wish, or do as you please otherwise, but these are definitive commands which We have made obligatory upon you and those who come after you. Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The purpose of {’’ اَنْزَلْنٰهَا وَ فَرَضْنٰهَا ‘‘} is to state the greatness and importance of this surah, not that other surahs do not have this status.
➎ { وَ اَنْزَلْنَا فِيْهَاۤ اٰيٰتٍۭ بَيِّنٰتٍ:} That is, the commands and matters We have stated in this surah contain no complexity or ambiguity; they are clear and explicit instructions, regarding which you cannot excuse yourselves by saying that such-and-such matter was not understood, so how could we act upon it? With this emphatic introduction, the importance of the commands mentioned in this surah is made clear. After this, the commands begin.
➋ {’’ اَنْزَلْنٰهَا ‘‘} (We revealed it) — here Allah Almighty, to express His greatness, mentioned Himself with the plural pronoun (We), and in fact, in all three, {’’ اَنْزَلْنٰهَا ‘‘ ’’ فَرَضْنٰهَا ‘‘} and {’’ اَنْزَلْنَا فِيْهَاۤ ‘‘}, the emphasis is on the plural pronoun “We,” meaning that the one who revealed it is none other than “We.” Therefore, do not take it lightly by considering it the words of a powerless preacher, but know well that the One who revealed it is He in whose grasp is the entire universe, who holds the forelock of every living being, and even after death you cannot escape His grip.
➌ { ’’ اَنْزَلْنَا ‘‘} (revealing) indicates that the One who sent it down is above, and He sent it down from the high place of the Throne, as He Himself said: «اَلرَّحْمٰنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوٰى » [ طٰہٰ : ۵ ] “The Most Merciful rose above the Throne.” It is regrettable for those commentators who are not willing to accept that Allah Almighty is above, so they insist on interpreting or even distorting “We sent down.” They say that Allah Almighty is not in any direction, nor in any place, He is neither above nor below, neither right nor left, neither in front nor behind. Then where is He? They say He is nowhere. But what will they do with that natural instinct which compels every human to raise his hands and gaze towards the sky when supplicating to Allah Almighty? Among these people, there have been and still are some bold elders who say that the very question “Where is Allah Almighty?” is wrong, and whoever asks where Allah Almighty is, is a disbeliever. These people do not even fear who all are affected by their verdict. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) himself, when testing the faith of a slave girl, asked two questions: first, “Where is Allah?” She replied, “In the sky.” The second question was, “Who am I?” She replied, “You are the Messenger of Allah.” So he (peace be upon him) said, “She is a believer.” [ مسلم، المساجد، باب تحریم الکلام في الصلاۃ… : ۵۳۷ ]
➍ { وَ فَرَضْنٰهَا :} That is, the commands given in this surah are not mere recommendations that you may follow if you wish, or do as you please otherwise, but these are definitive commands which We have made obligatory upon you and those who come after you. Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The purpose of {’’ اَنْزَلْنٰهَا وَ فَرَضْنٰهَا ‘‘} is to state the greatness and importance of this surah, not that other surahs do not have this status.
➎ { وَ اَنْزَلْنَا فِيْهَاۤ اٰيٰتٍۭ بَيِّنٰتٍ:} That is, the commands and matters We have stated in this surah contain no complexity or ambiguity; they are clear and explicit instructions, regarding which you cannot excuse yourselves by saying that such-and-such matter was not understood, so how could we act upon it? With this emphatic introduction, the importance of the commands mentioned in this surah is made clear. After this, the commands begin.
