English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

Allah mentions in this noble surah the beginning, middle, and end of the human condition. A long period passed before the human being existed, when he was nonexistent and not even mentioned.

Before his existence, the human being was nonexistent and not mentioned.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

When Allah willed to create the human being, He created his father Adam from clay, then made his descendants from a mixed, lowly drop, testing whether they would remember their first state or forget it and become self-deceived. Allah formed him and gave him inward and outward faculties—hearing, sight, and the other sound limbs—so he could attain his aims.

Allah tests whether the human remembers his first state or forgets it.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

Allah sent messengers, revealed books, and guided the human being to the path leading to Him, encouraging it and explaining its reward. He also warned of the path to destruction and its outcome. Thus people became either grateful—fulfilling Allah’s rights—or ungrateful, rejecting His religious and worldly blessings and taking the path to ruin.

Allah showed the path leading to Him and the path leading to destruction.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

Allah has prepared for those who disbelieve in Him, deny His messengers, and boldly commit sins chains in Hell, shackles fastening their hands to their necks, and a blazing fire that burns their bodies. This punishment remains for them forever.

Chains, shackles, and a blazing fire are prepared for the disbelievers.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

The righteous are those whose hearts are filled with love of Allah, knowledge of Him, and beautiful character, and whose limbs perform righteous deeds. They will drink a delicious wine mixed with camphor, cooled and made gentle by it, free from every defect found in worldly things.

Their hearts are righteous through love of Allah, knowledge of Him, and beautiful character, and their limbs through righteous deeds.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

That delicious cup comes from an ever-flowing spring that never runs out. Allah’s servants direct it wherever and however they wish—to gardens, meadows, palaces, homes, or any beautiful place.

They direct the ever-flowing spring wherever and however they wish.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

They fulfil the vows and covenants they have bound themselves to for Allah. If they fulfil voluntary vows, then they are even more certain to fulfil obligatory duties. They fear a Day whose evil is widespread, so they abandon every cause that could expose them to it.

They fulfil what they bind themselves to for Allah.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

They feed others while they themselves love wealth and food, preferring Allah’s love over their own desires. They seek out those most deserving and needy: the poor, the orphan, and the captive.

Though they love wealth and food, they prefer Allah’s love over their own desires.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

Their spending and feeding seek only Allah’s Face. Their state says: We want from you neither financial reward nor spoken praise.

They seek Allah’s Face, not payment or praise.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

They fear from their Lord a Day that is fiercely grim, evil, constricted, and distressing.

A Day of severe grimness, constriction, and distress.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

Allah protects them from the evil of that Day, so the greatest terror does not grieve them and the angels welcome them. He honours them with radiance in their faces and joy in their hearts, combining outward and inward bliss.

Radiance is in their faces and joy in their hearts.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

Because they remained patient in obeying Allah, avoiding disobedience, and accepting painful decrees without resentment, Allah rewards them with a Garden containing every delight and free of every disturbance, and with silk garments.

They were patient in obedience, avoiding sin, and accepting painful decrees.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

They recline securely and comfortably on adorned couches. In Paradise they experience neither harmful heat from the sun nor severe cold; all their time is in pleasant shade that causes no pain from heat or cold.

They suffer neither harmful heat nor severe cold.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

Its fruits are brought so near that whoever desires them can reach them while standing, sitting, or reclining.

The fruits are brought within reach whether they stand, sit, or recline.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

Servants and youths circulate among the people of Paradise with vessels of silver and cups like crystal.

The servants of Paradise circulate with silver vessels and crystal cups.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

They are crystal vessels made of silver—solid silver with the clarity of glass. The vessels are measured exactly to the drinkers’ needs, neither more nor less; or the people of Paradise determine the measure they desire and receive it accordingly.

The vessels are measured exactly to the drinkers’ needs and delight.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

In Paradise they are given a cup filled with wine and pure nectar, mixed with ginger to make its taste and fragrance pleasant.

Ginger makes the drink’s taste and fragrance pleasant.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

It comes from a spring in Paradise called Salsabil, named for its smoothness, deliciousness, and beauty.

It is named for its smoothness, deliciousness, and beauty.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

Everlasting youths, created in Paradise to remain unchanged and never grow old, circulate among its people serving their food and drink. Because of their beauty and their scattering in service, they look like scattered pearls.

Their beauty and movement in service make them look like scattered pearls.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

Wherever one looks in Paradise, one sees vast bliss and a great kingdom: adorned palaces and rooms, flourishing gardens, near fruits, flowing rivers, beautiful meadows, delightful birds, excellent spouses, everlasting youths and servants, perfect comfort, and—greater than all—the vision of the Most Merciful Lord, hearing His speech, closeness to Him, His pleasure, eternal life, and ever-increasing bliss.

Paradise contains immeasurable bliss and a vast kingdom, crowned by nearness to the Lord and His pleasure.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

They are covered in green garments of fine silk and brocade, the finest kinds of silk, and adorned with silver bracelets. Their Lord gives them a pure drink with no impurity, cleansing their bodies of every harm.

A drink without any impurity, cleansing every harm within them.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

This abundant reward and beautiful gift is the recompense for their deeds. Allah appreciates even a little of their striving and grants them permanent bliss beyond counting.

Allah appreciates even a little striving and rewards it with endless bliss.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

Allah Himself sent down the Qur’an to the Prophet. It contains promise and warning, explains everything people need, and commands complete observance of its commands and laws, striving to carry them out, and patience upon them.

The Qur’an contains promise, warning, and all that people need.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

Be patient with your Lord’s decree: do not resent His universal decree, and continue upon His religious ruling without being hindered. Do not obey the stubborn people who seek to turn you away—whether a sinner or an ungrateful disbeliever—for their obedience can only be in sin.

Remain patient with Allah’s decree and steadfast upon His religious ruling.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

Remember your Lord’s name at the beginning and end of the day. This includes the prescribed prayers, their voluntary prayers, remembrance, glorification, declaring His oneness, and magnification at those times.

Remember Allah at the beginning and end of the day.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

During the night, increase your prostration to Him, which is done through abundant prayer, and glorify Him for a long part of the night.

Increase prayer and glorification through a long part of the night.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

These deniers, despite the signs, encouragement, and warnings, still prefer the immediate world and are content with it. They neglect deeds for the heavy Day before them—the Day of Resurrection—and behave as though they were created only for worldly life.

They prefer the immediate world and neglect deeds for the heavy Day ahead.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

Allah argues for resurrection by the evidence of the first creation: He brought them from nothing and perfected their bodies with nerves, veins, sinews, and inward and outward powers. The One who created them can restore them after death for recompense; He did not create them to be left without commands, prohibitions, reward, or punishment. He will recreate them for resurrection.

The One who created them from nothing is able to restore them after death.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

This is a reminder from which the believer benefits through its warnings and encouragement. Whoever wills may take a path leading to the Lord. Allah makes truth and guidance clear, then gives people the choice to follow or turn away after the proof has been established.

The believer benefits from its warning and encouragement.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

Yet you do not will unless Allah wills, for His will is always effective. Allah is All-Knowing and All-Wise; His wisdom governs the guidance of the guided and the straying of the one who goes astray.

Human will does not occur outside Allah’s effective will.

English Tafsir (Al-Sa‘di):

Allah admits whomever He wills into His mercy, giving that person special care, success in the causes of happiness, and guidance to its paths. For the wrongdoers who chose misery over guidance, He has prepared a painful punishment because of their wrongdoing and transgression.

Allah guides whom He wills to the causes and paths of happiness.

Summary of the Meanings:

Allah describes the human being before existence, creation from a mixed drop, the faculties of hearing and sight, and the two paths made clear through messengers and revealed books.

The disbelievers face chains, shackles, and blazing fire. The righteous fulfil their commitments, fear the Last Day, feed the needy for Allah alone, and receive protection, radiance, joy, Paradise, and silk for their patience.

Al-Sa‘di describes comfortable couches, pleasant shade, near fruits, silver crystal vessels, delightful drinks, everlasting servants, immense kingdom, fine garments, silver bracelets, a purifying drink, and Allah’s appreciation of their striving.

The Qur’an contains promise, warning, and what people need. The Prophet is commanded to remain patient, reject sinful pressure, remember Allah morning and evening, and increase prayer and glorification at night.

The deniers prefer the immediate world and neglect the Day ahead. Allah’s first creation proves His power to resurrect; the Qur’an is a reminder, every human will remains under Allah’s will, and He admits whom He wills into His mercy while preparing painful punishment for the wrongdoers.