023- AL-MUʾMINUN

THE BELIEVERS 

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE COMPASSIONATE, THE MERCIFUL

# Truly the believers have prospered, # who are humble in their prayers, # and who turn away from idle talk, # and who give the alms, # and who guard their private parts, # save from their spouses or those whom their right hands possess, for then they are not blameworthy— # and as for those who seek beyond that, it is they who are transgressors— # and who keep their trusts and their covenant, # and who are mindful of their prayers. # It is they who are the heirs, # who shall inherit Paradise, abiding therein. # And indeed We created man from a draught of clay. # Then We made him a drop in a secure dwelling place. # Then of the drop We created a blood clot, then of the blood clot We created a lump of flesh, then of the lump of flesh We created bones and We clothed the bones with flesh; then We brought him into being as another creation. Blessed is God, the best of creators! # Then indeed you shall die thereafter. # Then surely you shall be raised up on the Day of Resurrection. # And indeed We created above you seven paths, and We were not heedless of creation. # And We sent down water from Heaven in due measure, and settled it in the earth, and We are able to make it disappear. # And thereby We brought into being for you gardens of date palms and grapevines, wherein you have many fruits and whereof you eat, # and a tree issuing forth from Mount Sinai that produces oil and a seasoning for eating. # And truly in cattle there is a lesson for you: We give you to drink from that which is in their bellies, and in them you have many uses, and some of them you eat. # And upon them, and upon ships, are you carried. # And We indeed sent Noah to his people, and he said, “O my people! Worship God! You have no god other than Him. Will you not be reverent?” # But the notables who disbelieved among his people said, “This is only a human being like yourselves, desiring to set himself above you. And had God willed, He would have sent down angels. We heard not of this from our fathers of old. # He is but a man possessed. So wait concerning him, for a time.” # He said, “My Lord! Help me, for they deny me.” # So We revealed unto Him, “Build the Ark before Our eyes and by Our Revelation. Then when Our Command comes and the oven gushes forth, place therein two of every kind, and thy family except those against whom the word has already gone forth. And address Me not concerning those who did wrong; surely they shall be drowned. # And when thou mountest the Ark, thou and those with thee, say, ‘Praise be to God, who has saved us from the wrongdoing people.’ # And say, ‘My Lord! Harbor me in a blessed harbor, for Thou art the best of harborers.’ # Truly in that are signs, and truly We put [mankind] to the test.” # Then after them We brought into being another generation. # And We sent among them a messenger from among themselves, [saying], “Worship God! You have no god other than Him. Will you not be reverent?” # And the notables of his people who disbelieved and denied the meeting of the Hereafter, and unto whom We had given luxury in the life of this world, said, “This is but a human being like you, eating of what you eat, and drinking from what you drink. # So if you obey a human being like yourselves, then surely you will be losers. # Does he promise you that when you are dead and are dust and bones, you shall indeed be brought forth? # Far-fetched, far-fetched is that which you are promised. # There is naught but our life in this world: we die and we live, and we will not be resurrected. # He is but a man fabricating lies against God, and we do not believe him.” # He said, “My Lord! Help me, for they deny me.” # He said, “In a little while they shall become remorseful.” # So the Cry seized them rightly, and We made them into dross; so away with the wrongdoing people! # Then after them We brought into being other generations. # No community can hasten its term, nor delay it. # Then We sent Our messengers in succession. Whenever there came unto a community its messenger, they would deny him. So We caused them to follow one another, and made them the objects of stories. So away with a people who believe not! # Then We sent Moses and his brother Aaron with Our signs and a manifest authority # to Pharaoh and his notables. But they waxed arrogant and were a haughty people. # They said, “Shall we believe in two human beings like us, while their people are slaves we possess?” # But they denied them, and so were among the destroyed. # And indeed We gave unto Moses the Book, that haply they may be guided. # And We made the son of Mary and his mother a sign, and We gave them refuge in a high place of stillness and a flowing spring. # O messengers! Eat of the good things and work righteousness. Truly I know what you do. # And truly this community of yours is one community, and I am your Lord, so reverence Me. # But they made their affair to be founded upon different scriptures, each party exulting in what it had. # So leave them in their heedlessness for a time. # Do they reckon that, [on account of] the wealth and the children that We have provided them, # We hasten unto good for them? Nay, but they are unaware! # Truly those who are in awe for fear of their Lord, # and those who believe in the signs of their Lord, # and those who ascribe not partners unto their Lord, ` and those who give what they give while their hearts quake with fear that they shall return to their Lord— # it is they who hasten toward good deeds, and are foremost in them. # And We task no soul beyond its capacity, and with Us is a Book that speaks in truth. And they shall not be wronged. # Nay, indeed their hearts are engrossed away from this, and they have other deeds besides which they undertake, # till, when We seize those of them who lived in luxury with the punishment, behold, they shall implore! # Implore not today! Truly you will not be helped by Us! f My signs were recited unto you, but you used to turn on your heels, # waxing arrogant on account thereof, talking foolishly by night. # Have they not contemplated the Word, or has there come unto them that which came not unto their forefathers? # Or do they not know their Messenger, and so deny him? # Or do they say, “He is possessed?” Rather, he has brought them the truth, but most of them are averse to the truth. # Were the truth to follow their caprices, the heavens and the earth and those therein would have been corrupted. Nay, We gave them their reminder, but they turned away from their reminder. # Dost thou ask any recompense of them? For thy Lord’s recompense is better, and He is the best of providers. # Surely thou callest them unto a straight path. # And truly those who believe not in the Hereafter are deviating from the path. # And were We to show them mercy and remove whatever evil was upon them, they would surely persist, wandering confused in their rebellion. # And We already seized them with the punishment, but they did not yield to their Lord, nor are they humble, # till, when We open upon them a gate of severe punishment, behold, they despair therein. # He it is Who brought into being for you hearing, sight, and hearts. Little do you give thanks! # He it is Who created you on the earth, and unto Him shall you be gathered. # And He it is Who gives life and causes death, and unto Him belongs the variation of the night and the day. Will you not, then, understand? # Nay, but they say the like of that which was said by those of old. # They say, “What, when we have died and are dust and bones, are we to be resurrected? # We and our fathers were certainly warned of this before. These are naught but fables of those of old.” # Say, “Whose is the earth and whosoever is upon it, if you know?” # They will say, “God’s.” Say, “Will you not, then, take heed?” # Say, “Who is the Lord of the seven heavens and the Lord of the great Throne?” # They will say, “God’s.” Say, “Will you not then be reverent?” # Say, “Who is it in Whose Hand lies the dominion of everything, who protects but is not protected against, if you know?” # They will say, “God’s.” Say, “How then are you bewitched?” # Nay, We brought them the truth, and indeed they are liars. # God has not taken any child, and neither are there any gods with Him, for then each god would take away what he created, and some of them would overcome others. Glory be to God above that which they ascribe! # Knower of the Unseen and the seen! Exalted is He above the partners they ascribe! # Say, “My Lord! If Thou showest me what they are promised, # my Lord, then place me not among the wrongdoing people!” # And surely We are able to show you what We promise them. # Repel evil by that which is better. We know best what they ascribe. # And say, “My Lord! I seek refuge in Thee from the incitements of the satans. # And I seek refuge in Thee, my Lord, lest they should be present with me.” # Till, when death comes to one of them, he says, “My Lord! Return me, # that haply I may work righteousness with regard to that which I left.” Nay, indeed these are words that he speaks. And behind them is a barrier till the Day they are resurrected. # And when the trumpet is blown, there shall be no kinship between them that Day, nor will they question one another. # As for those whose scales are heavy, it is they who shall prosper. # And as for those whose scales are light, it is they who shall lose their souls, abiding in Hell. # The Fire will smite their faces, and they shall grimace therein. # “Were not My signs recited unto you, and you used to deny them?” # They will say, “Our Lord! Our wretchedness overwhelmed us, and we were a people astray. # Our Lord! Remove us from it! Then if we revert, we shall be wrongdoers.” # He will say, “Be gone therein, and speak not to Me.” # Verily there was a group of My servants who would say, “Our Lord! We believe; so forgive us and have mercy upon us, and Thou art the best of those who are merciful.” # But you took them in mockery, till it made you forget My remembrance, and you used to laugh at them. # Truly today I have rewarded them for having been patient. Truly they are the triumphant. # He will say, “How many years did you tarry on earth?” # They will say, “We tarried a day or part of a day. But ask those who keep count.” # He will say, “You tarried but a little, if you but knew.” # “Did you suppose, then, that We created you frivolously, and that you would not be returned unto Us?” # So, exalted is God, the True Sovereign; there is no god but He, Lord of the noble Throne. # Whosoever calls upon another god along with God, for which he has no proof, his reckoning is with God. Truly the disbelievers will not prosper. # Say, “My Lord! Forgive and show mercy, for Thou art the best of those who are merciful.”

Commentary

# Truly the believers have prospered,

1 Commentators record a tradition that says that God created Adam with His Hand, wrote the Torah with His Hand, and planted (the Garden of) Eden with His Hand, and then said, “Truly the believers have prospered” (Ṭ) or that God said this when He created the Garden (Ṭ). “To prosper” has the literal sense of being successful or thriving and is also related to the notion of “cultivation” in an agricultural context; it is used in the Quran (e.g., 3:104; 6:21; 10:17; 30:38) to distinguish between those who thrive and flourish and those who do not do so in this life and especially in the Hereafter; see 2:5c.

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# who are humble in their prayers,

2. In relation to one’s inward state, this verse is said to refer to an attitude of self-effacement and obedience (R). Al-Rāzī quotes two ḥādīths: “How many a worshipper stands to pray whose share is only toil and weariness,” and, “The servant has of his prayer only that which he understands.” With respect to one’s outward actions, it is said by some that before this verse was revealed the believers would look up toward the sky or elsewhere when standing in prayer, and that afterwards (as is common for worshippers to this day) the believers would keep their eyes on the place where they would touch the ground in prostration (R, Ṭ), though in some places worshippers look forward and slightly downwards. That they are humble is also interpreted to refer to the stillness with which one should perform the prayer, or else it refers to an attitude of fear during the prayer (Ṭ). Humble renders khāshiʿ, from a root that evokes the sense of eyes being lowered or cast down and also has the sense of physical lowliness and withering, as in 54:7; 68:43; 70:44; and 79:9. In the Islamic spiritual tradition, the attainment and maintenance of a state of humility in prayer is an essential part of spiritual discipline; it is intimately connected with the practice of the virtues outside of prayer, as described in the subsequent verses, together with the contemplation of God’s Qualities and one’s own infirmities (Aj).

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# and who turn away from idle talk,

3. Idle talk is also described as a practice to be avoided in 25:72 and 28:55, and its absence reflects a dimension of the felicity of the Hereafter as described in 19:62; 52:23–25; and 78:35. It is described as talk that is forbidden, undesirable, or permissible but unnecessary, though some limit its definition strictly to talk that is forbidden (R).

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# and who give the alms,

4 Alms (zakāh) can refer to charity in general, but in the Islamic context the term came to denote the required yearly alms paid from accumulated liquid wealth; see 5:12c; 6:141; 9:60, 75–76, 103; 73:20; 98:5.

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# and who guard their private parts,

5 Guarding one’s private parts (furūj; cf. 24:31; 33:35; 70:29) refers to abstaining from illicit sexual relations; see commentary on 24:30–31.

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# save from their spouses or those whom their right hands possess, for then they are not blameworthy—

# and as for those who seek beyond that, it is they who are transgressors—

6–7 On the concept of what right hands possess and related issues, see 4:24c.

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# and who keep their trusts and their covenant,

8. See the nearly identical verse in 70:32. On trusts (amānah), see also 2:283; 4:58; 8:27. The concept of covenant (ʿahd, e.g., 2:40; 6:152; 36:60) and related terms such as pact/covenant (mīthāq, e.g., 2:63; 5:70; 57:8) and promise/tryst (mīʿād) are significant aspects of the Quran’s language relating to the relationship between human beings and God; see 70:32–33c.

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# and who are mindful of their prayers.

9. Being mindful (yuḥāfiẓūn) of one’s prayers is also mentioned in 2:238; 6:92; and 70:34. In addition to being linked to the attitude of humility mentioned in v. 2, it is also interpreted to mean that one should pray in a timely manner, that is, pray each of the five canonical prayers in the prescribed period of time during the day (R, Ṭ); see 70:34c. It can also mean to concentrate on and be present in the prayer.

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# It is they who are the heirs,

# who shall inherit Paradise, abiding therein.

10–11 The inheritance of Paradise by the believers is also mentioned in 7:43 and 26:85; the inheritance of the earth is mentioned in 21:105 and 39:74. Here Paradise renders firdaws, a word with similar etymology as the word “paradise” in English, both derived from the Old Persian word for “garden.” A ḥadīth states, “When you ask God for something, ask Him for firdaws, for it is the middlemost part of the Garden, and the highest part of the Garden, whence flow the rivers of the Garden.”

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# And indeed We created man from a draught of clay.

12. For some, man (insān) here refers to the creation of Adam, while for others it refers to human beings in general (Ṭ); some add that clay is a reference to Adam himself (R). Elsewhere human beings are described as created from dried clay, made of molded mud (15:26, 28), a base fluid (32:8; 77:20), or dried clay, like earthen vessels (55:14), in addition to many references simply to clay (e.g., 6:2; 7:12; 17:61; 32:7; 38:71).

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# Then We made him a drop in a secure dwelling place.

13. The drop refers to seminal fluid (see also 16:4; 18:37; 22:5; 35:11; 36:77; 40:67; 53:46; 75:37; 76:2; 80:19), and the secure dwelling place is the womb (R, Ṭ).

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# Then of the drop We created a blood clot, then of the blood clot We created a lump of flesh, then of the lump of flesh We created bones and We clothed the bones with flesh; then We brought him into being as another creation. Blessed is God, the best of creators!

14. On the blood clot and lump of flesh, see 22:5–6c, which also discusses the stages of the physical growth of human beings. Brought him into being as another creation is interpreted variously as the inbreathing of the spirit into what was previously only a form (Ṭ), the act of being born (Ṭ), or one’s development into mature adulthood and the full realization of one’s faculties (Q, R).

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# Then indeed you shall die thereafter.

# Then surely you shall be raised up on the Day of Resurrection.

15–16 Cf. 7:25: He said, “Therein you shall live, and therein you shall die, and thence shall you be brought forth.”

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# And indeed We created above you seven paths, and We were not heedless of creation.

17. The seven paths are interpreted by many commentators to mean the seven heavens (R, Ṭ). Paths renders ṭuruq (sing. ṭarīqah), and some commentators note that the verb ṭāraqa (from the same root, ṭ-r-q) means to place one thing over another, which would coincide with the traditional cosmology of the seven heavens being above one another as described in 71:15: Have you not considered how God created the seven heavens one upon another. For the seven heavens, see also 14:12; 65:12; 67:3–4c. Others say paths refers to the paths of the planets, meaning the five visible planets plus the sun and the moon (R), or to the celestial spheres in which, according to some traditional cosmologies, the planets move (aflāk; M). As a spiritual allegory, this verse is interpreted to refer to the veils or coverings upon the heart, which are constituted by human ignorance and vice and which must be overcome through spiritual discipline and the growth of virtue, so that the rains of spiritual blessings (v. 18) can reach the heart (Aj). That God is not heedless is a theme found also in 2:74, 85, 140, 149; 3:99; 6:132; 11:123; 27:93.

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# And We sent down water from Heaven in due measure, and settled it in the earth, and We are able to make it disappear.

18. For in due measure, see also 43:11. The concept of measure (qadar) also appears in 13:17; 15:21; 42:27; and 54:49: Truly We have created everything according to a measure; see also 54:49c. Verses such as these are often interpreted as a spiritual allegory in which the earth symbolizes the receptive heart and the water symbolizes the blessings of knowledge and spiritual insight. On the spiritual interpretation of these natural phenomena, see 7:58c; 5:66c.

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# And thereby We brought into being for you gardens of date palms and grapevines, wherein you have many fruits and whereof you eat,

19. Date palms and grapevines, symbols of bounty and blessing, are also mentioned in 2:266; 13:4; 36:34; see also 36:34c.

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# and a tree issuing forth from Mount Sinai that produces oil and a seasoning for eating.

20. The tree in this verse is understood to be the olive (Q). A seasoning (ṣibgh) is generally understood to be a liquid condiment such as olive oil or vinegar; it is related by root to the word for “dye” and “baptism.” Some commentators believe that the word rendered Sinai, saynāʾ, simply means “blessed” or “beautiful” and is not the proper name of the mountain associated with Moses and the Israelites (Ṭ), though al-Ṭabarī argues that there is no such adjective in Arabic. On Mount Sinai, see also 2:63–64c; 4:154c; the introduction to Sūrah 52; 95:2c.

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# And truly in cattle there is a lesson for you: We give you to drink from that which is in their bellies, and in them you have many uses, and some of them you eat.

# And upon them, and upon ships, are you carried.

21–22 On the meaning of cattle (anʿām), see 5:1c; 6:143–44c. The benefits of cattle are also mentioned in 16:5–8; 36:71–73; 40:79–80; 43:12–13. The imagery of seafaring as a blessing bestowed by God is also mentioned in 14:32; 17:66; 22:65; 30:46; 31:31; 43:12. Seafaring as a symbol for the spiritual state of human beings is also discussed in 2:164c; 10:22c; 22:65c; 30:46c; 35:12c.

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# And We indeed sent Noah to his people, and he said, “O my people! Worship God! You have no god other than Him. Will you not be reverent?”

23. The refrain Worship God! You have no god other than Him also appears in v. 32. It is also spoken in Sūrah 7 in succession by Noah (v. 59), Hūd (v. 65), Ṣāliḥ (v. 73), and Shuʿayb (v. 85), and similarly in Sūrah 11 by the last three prophets in vv. 50, 61, and 84, respectively (in which sūrah the story of Noah also precedes these three). This sequential arrangement in the stories of these prophets is evoked by v. 44: We sent Our messengers in succession.

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# But the notables who disbelieved among his people said, “This is only a human being like yourselves, desiring to set himself above you. And had God willed, He would have sent down angels. We heard not of this from our fathers of old.

24. Cf. 11:27. Objections based upon the fact that prophets were mere human beings rather than angels is also described in 14:10; 21:3; 26:154, 186; 36:15. Notables renders malaʾ, which can also mean assembly (as in 2:246; 38:69) or

“leaders/leadership.” The Quran also discusses the notables of Pharaoh (23:46), the queen of Sheba (27:29), the Quraysh (38:6), the people of Hūd (7:65), the people of Shuʿayb (7:88), and the king in the story of Joseph (12:43). Elsewhere the disbelievers explicitly wonder why an angel has not been sent with the prophet (6:8; 6:158; 11:12; 15:7; 17:92; 25:7, 21; 41:14; 43:53); see 6:8–9c.

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# He is but a man possessed. So wait concerning him, for a time.”

25. The idea of being possessed (bihi jinnah) or mad is also mentioned in

23:70 and 34:8. The term used here is related to the more common term majnūn (also rendered “possessed”), which evokes the word “jinn” and the notion of being possessed by them. Both Arabic terms can also mean “insane” without reference to supernatural influences.

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# He said, “My Lord! Help me, for they deny me.”

26. Cf. v. 39.

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# So We revealed unto Him, “Build the Ark before Our eyes and by Our Revelation. Then when Our Command comes and the oven gushes forth, place therein two of every kind, and thy family except those against whom the word has already gone forth. And address Me not concerning those who did wrong; surely they shall be drowned.

# And when thou mountest the Ark, thou and those with thee, say, ‘Praise be to God, who has saved us from the wrongdoing people.’

27–28 On Noah’s Ark, see 7:64c; 11:37c; the Ark is also mentioned in 10:73; 26:119; 36:41. The oven gushes forth (fār al-tanūr; cf. 11:40) is interpreted to mean either the break of dawn or that the face of the earth would gush forth; according to some, tanūr refers to the highest and best place on earth (Ṭ), while others say it refers to a literal oven, and when water comes out of it, that will be a sign that the flood is coming (R, Ṭ). And address Me not concerning those who did wrong (cf. 11:37) is similar to 11:46, where God responds to Noah’s lament about his son’s being drowned with the rest of his people. It is also related in theme to 9:113, which prohibits the Prophet and the believers from praying for forgiveness for those idolaters whose destiny as inhabitants of the Hellfire has become clear; all of these verses place a limit on the extent of one’s concern for those who have made their own decision to oppose God’s Will; see 9:113–14c.

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# And say, ‘My Lord! Harbor me in a blessed harbor, for Thou art the best of harborers.’

29. Harbor in this verse renders a word derived from the root n-z-l and refers to God allowing the Ark to settle in a blessed place. The phrase could also be rendered, “Cause me to disembark in a blessed place,” in the sense of disembarking from the Ark (Q).

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# Truly in that are signs, and truly We put [mankind] to the test.”

30. The fact that God put [mankind] to the test—that is, tried previous peoples (Q)—is meant to show the Prophet that other prophets also experienced what he did (Ṭ). Putting human beings to the test is inherent in God’s Nature, since He created death and life that He may try you as to which of you is most virtuous in deed (67:2); see commentary on 29:2–3.

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# Then after them We brought into being another generation.

31. The notion of a generation (qarn) succeeding other generations appears repeatedly in the Quran (6:6; 10:13; 11:116; 19:74, 98; 20:128; 25:38; 28:43, 45, 78; 32:26; 36:31; 38:3; 46:17; 50:36), and 17:17 mentions Noah specifically, How many a generation have We destroyed after Noah! The generations of the past are often mentioned as proof of the world’s ephemerality and as reminders of God’s Ability to destroy those who do not heed His message. Some commentators attempt to speculate which people are being discussed in this verse—some say the ʿĀd, others the Thamūd—but as al-Qurṭubī notes, there is no explicit identification given in this verse.

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# And We sent among them a messenger from among themselves, [saying], “Worship God! You have no god other than Him. Will you not be reverent?”

32. See commentary on 23:23, which is similar in wording.

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# And the notables of his people who disbelieved and denied the meeting of the Hereafter, and unto whom We had given luxury in the life of this world, said, “This is but a human being like you, eating of what you eat, and drinking from what you drink.

# So if you obey a human being like yourselves, then surely you will be losers.

33–34 See v. 24, where the notables’ fear is that Noah desires to rule over them. Whom We had given luxury in the life of this world refers to those who were granted ease and privilege (see also 11:116; 17:16; 21:13). See also 25:7, where the disbelievers reportedly say of the Prophet Muhammad, What ails this Messenger, who eats food and walks in the markets? Why is there not an angel sent down unto him to be a warner with him?

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# Does he promise you that when you are dead and are dust and bones, you shall indeed be brought forth?

35. The notion of the revival of human beings who have become mere dust and bones, usually invoked in the form of an objection posed by those who balk at the possibility of bodily resurrection, is also mentioned in 17:49, 98; 23:82; 37:16, 53; 56:47; the revival of dead bones is also mentioned in a different context in 36:78 and 79:11. Brought forth is literally “caused to leave [it]”, meaning caused to leave the earth in which they lie when they are given life on the Last Day.

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# Far-fetched, far-fetched is that which you are promised.

36. Far-fetched, far-fetched renders hayhāt hayhāt, literally signifying “far away, far away,” evoking the sense of something unlikely, ridiculous, or impossible (Q, Ṭ).

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# There is naught but our life in this world: we die and we live, and we will not be resurrected.

37. This verse is similar to 6:29, but it adds we die and we live, meaning that there is only the life and death of this world (R) and that some die and others take their place (Ṭ).

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# He is but a man fabricating lies against God, and we do not believe him.”

38. Even the idolatrous Arabs who worshipped idols and acknowledged the existence of God still denied the Hereafter and the Resurrection, which is to say that they limited the scope of reality to this life even though they did, in a way, affirm the existence of a higher power. Here the people espouse the same belief; they accuse the messenger of telling falsehoods about God and deny any importance to God for human beings beyond this world.

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# He said, “My Lord! Help me, for they deny me.”

39. Cf. v. 26.

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# He said, “In a little while they shall become remorseful.”

40. Remorseful can also mean “regretful”; see also 5:31–32; 26:157; 49:6.

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# So the Cry seized them rightly, and We made them into dross; soaway with the wrongdoing people!

41. The Cry (ṣayḥah) is understood to be the literal shout of Gabriel that causes death itself, a great quaking, or the death and punishment themselves (R); see also 11:67, 94; 15:73, 83; 29:40. Rightly indicates it was a just punishment (R). On dross, which is usually understood to mean leaves or grass that are borne on a torrent of water, also see 87:5.

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# Then after them We brought into being other generations.

42. See 23:31c.

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# No community can hasten its term, nor delay it.

43. Term (ajal) most often refers to the end of something and is normally understood to refer to the event of someone’s death, but al-Rāzī also speculates that it could refer to the period when these peoples are to live on earth. The idea of people not being able to hasten or delay God’s Will appears also in 7:34; 16:61; 34:30.

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# Then We sent Our messengers in succession. Whenever there came unto a community its messenger, they would deny him. So We caused them to follow one another, and made them the objects of stories. So away with a people who believe not!

44. God caused those communities to follow one another (R) and made them the objects of stories (aḥādīth, sing. ḥadīth or uḥdūthah), meaning that God either caused them to be spoken about (ḥadīth) or caused them to be something spoken about with amazement or wonder (uḥdūthah; Q, R), but not in a positive sense (Q).

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# Then We sent Moses and his brother Aaron with Our signs and amanifest authority

# to Pharaoh and his notables. But they waxed arrogant and were ahaughty people.

45–46 By signs some understand Moses’ various miracles, such as his white hand (20:22), his staff turning into a serpent (20:69), and the plagues wrought on Pharaoh’s people (R). The manifest authority refers to the clarity and persuasive power of the signs with which Moses and Aaron came (R). The idea of Moses bringing a manifest authority also appears in 4:153; 11:96; 40:23.

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# They said, “Shall we believe in two human beings like us, whiletheir people are slaves we possess?”

47 Slaves describes the material relationship between the two peoples—the Egyptians literally owned the Israelites—but it also evokes the worshipful attitude expected from the underlings when Pharaoh says, I am your lord most high (79:24; R). The disdain expressed by Pharaoh and his people echoes that in the words spoken by the notables of Noah’s community in v. 34.

***

# But they denied them, and so were among the destroyed.

# And indeed We gave unto Moses the Book, that haply they may beguided.

48–49 Moses was given the Torah after the destruction of the Egyptians; as evidence for this al-Rāzī employs 28:43: And indeed We gave unto Moses the Book—after We had destroyed the former generations. The they in that haply they may be guided refers to the Children of Israel.

***

# And We made the son of Mary and his mother a sign, and We gavethem refuge in a high place of stillness and a flowing spring.

50. For the account of Jesus and Mary, see 3:35–55 and Sūrah 19. They were made a sign through the miraculous birth of Jesus (R). The high place of stillness and a flowing spring is understood by some commentators to refer to the twelve-year period of time when Jesus, Mary, and Joseph lived in exile away from their home (R). High place (rabwah) is rendered hill in 2:265; see 2:264–65c.

***

# O messengers! Eat of the good things and work righteousness. Truly I know what you do.

51. That this verse is addressed to the messengers as a group is interpreted to mean that each messenger was given this message (R), or it is addressed to the Prophet himself, but it is done so in the plural form in order to signal that this is a message common to all the messengers (R). Good things renders ṭayyibāt, a word that appears especially in connection with the Blessings God bestows upon human beings (e.g., 2:57, 172; 5:4; 20:81).

***

# And truly this community of yours is one community, and I amyour Lord, so reverence Me.

52. This verse is very similar to 21:92, differing only in the command so reverence Me rather than so worship Me. The phrase one community (ummah) is understood to mean a religious community whose unity is based on a common belief in the One God, but does not preclude differences in “laws” (sharāʾiʿ), which refers to obligations specific to the different religious communities, such as fasting and canonical prayers (R); in this interpretation this community of yours refers to all revealed religions. Different descriptions and categories of the community of believers are also given in 2:143; 3:110; and 22:78. On related questions, also see the essay “The Quranic View of Sacred History and Other Religions.”

***

# But they made their affair to be founded upon different scriptures,each party exulting in what it had.

53. On the question of differing over the interpretations of scriptures, see 3:19c; 6:65c; and 98:4c, which discuss how each religious community split into factions after it had been given unitive knowledge in the form of Divine Revelation; on this question, see also 3:105; 30:32; 42:14. Here scriptures renders zubur (different from zabūr but related by root; see 35:25c), and according to this reading these communities split, and each followed its own scriptures or religious books, so that it led to a proliferation of scriptures, evoking for al-Rāzī the image of pieces of iron, which is also related to the root z-b-r. However, zubur is interpreted by others to simply mean “pieces,” in which case it refers to the splitting off of a religion into various sects.

***

# So leave them in their heedlessness for a time.

54. Heedlessness renders ghamrah, which in its most literal sense refers to water deeper than the height of a person and which is understood to indicate ignorance and confusion (R). The phrasing of this verse is similar to 6:91: Say, “Allāh,” then leave them to play at their vain discourse; and 6:110: We shall leave them to wander confused in their rebellion.

***

# Do they reckon that, [on account of] the wealth and the childrenthat We have provided them,

# We hasten unto good for them? Nay, but they are unaware!

55–56 These verses deny that God would hasten good for those who disbelieve by giving them wealth and children; the same phrasing is used in v. 61 to describe those who hasten toward good works themselves. Hasten unto good for them alludes to the goods of this world possessed by the disbelievers but not by the believers (R); this verse is meant to convey that they who are unaware —the idolaters or disbelievers—should not take such possessions as a sign of Divine Favor. Some commentators note that this means that all worldly wealth and possessions are given to human beings as a trial, and that in the case of disbelievers such wealth and children only serve to entrench them in their folly and worldliness; that is, far from blessing them, God is “leading them,” through these possessions, toward their own ruin (Q).

***

# Truly those who are in awe for fear of their Lord,

57 In awe renders mushfiq, which al-Rāzī describes as fear combined with weakness and tenderness, and he notes an interpretation that sees this awe or anxiety as the pinnacle of the true fear of God, as it is a result of vigilance and persistence in obedience to Him (R).

***

# and those who believe in the signs of their Lord,

58 Here signs refers to created things, all of which point to God (R) through their symbolic meaning and in fact their very existence; for a description of the different kinds of signs in the Quran, see 2:106c.

***

# and those who ascribe not partners unto their Lord,

59 “Ascribing partners unto God” is understood to encompass not only outright idolatry, but also the hidden ascription of partners to God, meaning a preoccupation with things other than God that prevents one from being devoted to God with complete sincerity (R). On the notion of hidden idolatry, see also 3:31c.

***

# and those who give what they give while their hearts quake with fear that they shall return to their Lord—

# it is they who hasten toward good deeds, and are foremost in them.

60–61 Give what they give can refer to both religious and spiritual obligations, such as the giving of alms, and any transaction between people, such as the payment of debts (R). According to a ḥadīth, ʿĀʾishah asked the Prophet, “Does give what they give while their hearts quake with fear refer to those who commit fornication, drink wine, and steal while fearing God on account of it?” The Prophet responded, “No, O Daughter of [Abū Bakr] al-Ṣiddīq. Rather, it is the man who prays, fasts, and gives charity and fears God on account of it.” Being foremost (sābiq) appears in 9:100 and 56:10 and refers to those of the highest level of virtue and the most illustrious spiritual station in the Hereafter; see 56:10c.

***

# And We task no soul beyond its capacity, and with Us is a Bookthat speaks in truth. And they shall not be wronged.

62. That no soul is tasked beyond its capacity, an idea important in both spirituality and the practice of Islamic Law, is also mentioned in 2:233, 286; 6:152; 7:42; see commentary on 2:284–86. This verse is similar to 45:29, which also mentions the Book that speaks in truth (bi’l-ḥaqq), and similar in message to the record of deeds from which human beings will read in the Hereafter, mentioned in 18:49: What a book this is! It leaves out nothing, small or great, save that it has taken account thereof.

***

# Nay, indeed their hearts are engrossed away from this, and theyhave other deeds besides which they undertake,

63. Their hearts is understood to refer to the hearts of disbelievers (R). Some read other deeds besides which they undertake in the future tense, so that it would be rendered, “other deeds besides which they will undertake” (R), referring to their intention to continue in their bad behavior.

***

# till, when We seize those of them who lived in luxury with thepunishment, behold, they shall implore!

# Implore not today! Truly you will not be helped by Us!

64–65 On those who lived in luxury (mutraf), see 34:34c. This verse is usually interpreted as referring to the punishment of the Hereafter, though some commentators connect it with the defeat suffered by the idolaters at the Battle of Badr (R).

***

# My signs were recited unto you, but you used to turn on your heels, 

# waxing arrogant on account thereof, talking foolishly by night.

66–67 The idolaters opposed the Quran in three ways: by distancing themselves from it, acting arrogantly, and talking foolishly by night, a phrase that refers to their gathering in the environs of the Kaʿbah at night to call the Quran the product of magic or poetry and to insult the Prophet (R). In connection with talking foolishly by night, al-Qurṭubī mentions that the Prophet did not like to sleep before the night prayer (ʿishāʾ) or engage in conversation afterwards, saying that the prayer covers over the sins of the day and engaging in foolish talk at night seals the day with idleness and falsehood.

***

# Have they not contemplated the Word, or has there come unto them that which came not unto their forefathers?

68. The Word is the Quran (Q); see also 4:82: Do they not contemplate the Quran? Some interpret the second question in this verse to mean, “Do they have some promise against punishment that their fathers did not have, and indeed no one has?” (Q). Others say this question points out that they have received a revelation that their fathers did not receive and they should thus be all the more grateful for it (IK, Ṭ), as alluded to in one interpretation of 36:6: That thou mayest warn a people whose fathers were not warned; so they were heedless.

***

# Or do they not know their Messenger, and so deny him?

69. An important aspect of the biography (sīrah) of the Prophet is to point out that, far from being a marginal or unknown figure in his community, he came from a noble (though not wealthy) lineage and was famous for his honesty and trustworthiness, having earned the epithet al-Amīn, or “the Trustworthy.” Commentators explain that this verse reminds Muhammad’s people that the man they deny is no stranger to them (IK, Q, R, Ṭ).

***

# Or do they say, “He is possessed?” Rather, he has brought them thetruth, but most of them are averse to the truth.

70 On possessed (cf. 34:8), see 23:25c. The disbelievers are said to be averse to the truth out of jealousy and hidebound devotion to their customs (Q).

***

# Were the truth to follow their caprices, the heavens and the earthand those therein would have been corrupted. Nay, We gave them their reminder, but they turned away from their reminder.

71 Were the truth to follow their caprices is understood to mean, “If the truth were in accord with their desires” (Q) or “If the upholder of truth were to obey their desires” (Q). It may also be interpreted metaphysically to mean that if reality were to be as they desired, the order of the heavens and earth would be corrupted because the desires of human beings are chaotic and most often at odds with one another, as described in 21:22, where it is said of the heavens and the earth: Were there gods other than God in them, they would surely have been corrupted. The reminder refers to the Quran and the truths it contains (R).

***

# Dost thou ask any recompense of them? For thy Lord’s recompense is better, and He is the best of providers.

72 The theme of messengers asking no recompense appears often in the Quran (e.g., 11:29, 51; 26:109, 127, 145, 164, 180; 34:47; 36:21; 38:86).

***

# Surely thou callest them unto a straight path.

# And truly those who believe not in the Hereafter are deviating from the path.

73–74 On the straight path, see 1:6c.

***

# And were We to show them mercy and remove whatever evil wasupon them, they would surely persist, wandering confused in their rebellion.

75. Whatever evil was upon them can refer to hunger and other worldly afflictions or to trials such as warfare (R). This is similar to 43:50: And when We removed the punishment from them, behold, they reneged. The phrase wandering confused, describing those who are trapped in a state of spiritual blindness, also appears in 2:15; 6:110; 7:186; 10:11; 15:72; 27:4.

***

# And We already seized them with the punishment, but they did notyield to their Lord, nor are they humble,

76. The punishment in this verse is understood to refer to afflictions of hunger and drought, to which the disbelievers responded with haughtiness and obstinacy rather than humility, patience, and obedience (Ṭ). Some understand the

punishment mentioned in this verse to refer to the story of a certain Thumāmah ibn Uthāl, the chief of Banū Ḥanīfah, who embraced Islam and then—because, according to some, he was mistreated by Quraysh on his visit to Makkah—placed a boycott on the Quraysh that caused them considerable suffering. The Quraysh asked the Prophet to have the embargo lifted on the grounds that it violated the Treaty of Ḥudaybiyyah (see the introduction to Sūrah 48), which he did. Other verses relating to the idea that one must humble oneself in affliction include 6:42–43; 7:94, 130.

***

# till, when We open upon them a gate of severe punishment, behold, they despair therein.

77. Commentators say this verse refers to the gates of Hell (R), or the eventual conquest of Makkah by the Prophet (Q), or the triumph of the Muslims at the Battle of Badr (Q, R, Ṭ).

***

# He it is Who brought into being for you hearing, sight, and hearts. Little do you give thanks!

78. Hearing, sight, and hearts are all in their inward reality organs of knowledge and spiritual consciousness mentioned together in several Quranic verses (6:46; 32:9; 46:27; 67:23); they are subject to being sealed, covered over, and rendered blind (including hearts); see 2:7c; 6:46c; 32:9c.

***

# He it is Who created you on the earth, and unto Him shall you begathered.

79. Commentators point out that the verb translated by created (dharaʾa) also has the sense of “to spread out” or “to scatter” (Q, R), thus contrasting with humanity being gathered on the Day of Resurrection even from the far-flung corners of the earth (IK).

***

# And He it is Who gives life and causes death, and unto Him belongs the variation of the night and the day. Will you not, then, understand?

# Nay, but they say the like of that which was said by those of old.

80–81 On giving life and causing death, see 2:28c and 53:44, and on the variation of the night and day, also see 2:164 and 3:190.

***

# They say, “What, when we have died and are dust and bones, are we to be resurrected?

# We and our fathers were certainly warned of this before. These are naught but fables of those of old.”

82–83 The denial of the resurrection of dust and bones, namely, bodily remains, is mentioned frequently in the Quran (e.g., 17:49, 98; 36:78; 37:16–17, 53; 50:3; 56:47; 79:11). The disbelievers’ attempts to dismiss the claims set forth in the Quran as nothing more than fables of those of old is also mentioned in 6:25; 8:31; 25:5; 27:68; 46:17; 68:15.

***

# Say, “Whose is the earth and whosoever is upon it, if you know?”

# They will say, “God’s.” Say, “Will you not, then, take heed?”

# Say, “Who is the Lord of the seven heavens and the Lord of the great Throne?”

# They will say, “God’s.” Say, “Will you not then be reverent?”

# Say, “Who is it in Whose Hand lies the dominion of everything, who protects but is not protected against, if you know?”

# They will say, “God’s.” Say, “How then are you bewitched?”

84–89 The series of questions and answers in this passage point to the paradox that many of the disbelievers accept that the heavens and the earth all belong to God, yet do not believe that God could create them anew or that God could create and sustain the heavens and the earth without “helpers” (R). In some manuscripts the word God (Allāh) in vv. 87 and 89 is read so that there is no preposition (Q, R, Ṭ), in which case, the answer to the questions posed in v. 86 and v. 88 would both be rendered, “They will say, ‘God.’” According to this reading, the questions are answered directly, since they begin with the interrogative “who.” But according to the reading reflected in this translation, the answer God’s means, “These belong to God,” and refers in v. 86 to the seven heavens and the great Throne and in v. 88 to the dominion of everything and the description who protects but is not protected against. For al-Rāzī, the meaning in either case is the same.

Dominion renders malakūt, a word that commentators understand as an intensive form of mulk, or “sovereignty” (Q, R; see 67:1c), interpreted here to mean the “treasuries” (khazāʾin) of things (Ṭ); for the relation between the two, see 36:83c. Protects but is not protected against means that none can hinder God and none should expect to find security against God, in either this world or the Hereafter (Q). Bewitched refers to being misled or fooled by Satan (Q, R).

***

# Nay, We brought them the truth, and indeed they are liars.

90. The truth is understood to mean the religion God sent through His Prophet (Ṭ).

***

# God has not taken any child, and neither are there any gods with Him, for then each god would take away what he created, and some of them would overcome others. Glory be to God above that which they ascribe!

91. The assertion that God does not have offspring (see also, e.g., 10:68; 18:4; 19:88; 21:26; 112:3) is thought here to pertain to the idolaters’ assertion that the angels were the daughters of God (see 16:57; 37:149–53; 43:16; 52:39; 53:19–23). The present verse highlights the relativity introduced when one speaks of multiple gods and points out that a god that can be overcome could not be logically called a god (Q). This verse resembles the structure of the argument offered in 21:22: Were there gods other than God in them (the heavens and the earth), they would surely have been corrupted.

***

# Knower of the Unseen and the seen! Exalted is He above the partners they ascribe!

92. God is also referred to as Knower of the Unseen and the seen, meaning of what is perceivable by the physical senses and what is not, in 6:73; 9:94, 105; 13:9; 23:92; 32:6; 34:3; 39:46; 59:22; 62:8; 64:18; see 9:94c: 59:22c.

***

# Say, “My Lord! If Thou showest me what they are promised, 

# my Lord, then place me not among the wrongdoing people!” 

# And surely We are able to show you what We promise them.

93–95 What they are promised refers to the punishment promised the wrongdoers, and thus the supplication place me not is a plea to not be among them if the punishment comes to them (Q, R, Ṭ). We are able to show you refers to the punishment that God can deliver at any moment (Ṭ), which some consider to be the sufferings the idolaters experienced on account of their rejection of the truth (Q), either in this world or the Hereafter (R).

***

#  Repel evil by that which is better. We know best what they ascribe.

96. This universal commandment (Q) means that in the face of the idolaters’ lies and taunts one should reply with words of peace and greeting (Ṭ), reminding them of the Blessings of God and using beautiful discourse based on evidence and persuasion (R). See also 41:34: Repel [evil] with that which is better; and 29:46: And dispute not with the People of the Book, save in the most virtuous manner; see commentary on 41:34.

***

# And say, “My Lord! I seek refuge in Thee from the incitements of the satans.

97. The incitements of the satans can refer to their whispering to the soul or to their goading an enemy to cause one harm (R); see 114:4c. Such incitements distract from the remembrance of God (Q). Some commentators even describe these incitements in terms of “choking” or “throttling” by Satan (Ṭ).

***

# And I seek refuge in Thee, my Lord, lest they should be present with me.”

98. The idea of a satan being present to a human being does not imply some extraordinary state of possession, but rather the typical state of affairs in which human beings find themselves. In traditional Islamic psychology, human beings are subject to both satanic and angelic influences while retaining the power of will to resist or conform to either. On the influence of Satan, also see 4:38, 119; 14:22c; 43:36–37c.

***

# Till, when death comes to one of them, he says, “My Lord! Return me,

# that haply I may work righteousness with regard to that which I left.” Nay, indeed these are words that he speaks. And behind them is a barrier till the Day they are resurrected.

99–100 Till is understood to follow the end of v. 83, which recounts the dismissive words of the disbelievers; that is, they will persist in such rejection until death comes (Q). This verse has subject matter similar to that of 63:10: And spend of that which We have provided you before death comes upon one of you and he says, “My Lord, wouldst that Thou grant me reprieve until a term nigh, that I may give charity and be among the righteous!” The desire of those who have died to return to the world is also mentioned vividly in 32:12: Our Lord! We have seen and we have heard; so send us back that we may work righteousness; see also 2:167; 26:102; 35:37; 39:58.

Some commentators understand the plea for return in this verse to be uttered while one is still alive; after an exclamation to God (My Lord!), return me is addressed to the angels who come to take the soul at the moment of death (R, Ṭ). Others understand this request to be spoken after death, after beholding the Fire (R). Behind them is a barrier refers to the truth that they will not return to the life of this world (Ṭ). Barrier renders barzakh, a word that connotes either a barrier or an isthmus between two things; see commentary on 3:169–71 and also the essay “Death, Dying, and the Afterlife in the Quran.” Some commentators understand These are words that he speaks to mean, “These are words that he could not but speak” (Ṭ).

***

# And when the trumpet is blown, there shall be no kinship between them that Day, nor will they question one another.

101 The trumpet that signals the end of the world and the impending Judgment is also mentioned in 18:99; 20:102; 27:87; 36:51; 39:68; 50:20; 69:13; 74:8; 78:18; see also 6:73c; 39:68c. The breaking of worldly bonds is also mentioned in such verses as 22:2: On the day you see it, every nursing woman will forget what she nurses; and 80:34: That Day when a man will flee from his brother.

Regarding nor will they question one another (cf. 28:66), al-Rāzī raises the point that some verses say people will not question one another, while other verses say they will (e.g., 7:44–50; 37:27–32, 50; 52:25). He responds to this apparent incongruity by saying that the Day of Judgment is itself a long period of time (fifty thousand years according to him) composed of multifarious states, some of which are so overwhelming and terrifying that people are prevented from caring about anyone else and others allow people to pay attention to something beyond their own situation.

***

# As for those whose scales are heavy, it is they who shall prosper.

# And as for those whose scales are light, it is they who shall lose their souls, abiding in Hell.

102–3 For a discussion of the scales of deeds, see 101:6–9c. Lose their souls could also be rendered “lose themselves.”

***

# The Fire will smite their faces, and they shall grimace therein.

104 Smite renders a verb that also means “to burn or scorch.” Other verses that contain a description of the Fire or punishment being meted out to human beings and manifested on human faces include 8:50; 10:27; 14:50; 17:97; 18:29; 25:34; 27:90; 33:66; 54:48; 67:27. According to some commentators, the grimace results from the disfigurement of the lips by the flames (Q, Ṭ).

***

# “Were not My signs recited unto you, and you used to deny them?”

# They will say, “Our Lord! Our wretchedness overwhelmed us, and we were a people astray.

105–6 The verb phrase rendered overwhelmed has the sense of taking possession or ownership of or dominion over something (R, Z). The disbelievers’ statement is understood to mean that they are describing God’s role in making them wretched, meaning that God destined in the Mother of the Book that they should be so (43:4; Ṭ). In this sense, it is not understood as a plea, but as a statement of fact (Q).

***

# Our Lord! Remove us from it! Then if we revert, we shall be wrongdoers.”

107. The disbelievers will ask to be removed from the Fire (Ṭ). They will ask to return to the world to have a chance to perform good works, attesting that if they fail the second time, they will indeed be doers of wrong (R); on the desire to return to the world, see 23:99–100c.

***

# He will say, “Be gone therein, and speak not to Me.”

108. On the deeper significance of God’s not speaking to human beings, understood as both a sign of disapproval and a punishment itself, see 2:174c.

***

# Verily there was a group of My servants who would say, “Our Lord! We believe; so forgive us and have mercy upon us, and Thou art the best of those who are merciful.”

109. God as the best or most Merciful of those who are merciful also appears in 7:151; 12:64, 92; 21:83; 23:118.

***

# But you took them in mockery, till it made you forget My remembrance, and you used to laugh at them.

110. On the concept of forgetting to remember God, see 9:67c; 45:34c. On the central practice of remembering (dhikr) God, see 4:103c; 13:28c; 33:41c; 29:45c; and the essay “The Quran and Sufism.” The mockery carried out by the disbelievers is a common trait ascribed to them (see, e.g., 2:14–15; 4:140; 5:57–58; 6:5; 31:6; 45:9, 35).

***

# Truly today I have rewarded them for having been patient. Truly they are the triumphant.

111. On the concept of triumph (fawz) and the triumphant (fāʾiz), often connected with the attainment of felicity in the Hereafter as well as victory over the world in a spiritual sense, see 5:119c.

***

# He will say, “How many years did you tarry on earth?”

# They will say, “We tarried a day or part of a day. But ask those who keep count.”

# He will say, “You tarried but a little, if you but knew.”

112–14 On the experience of the Hereafter causing people to think of their entire life of this world as nothing more than a day or an hour, see 79:46c; see also 10:45; 17:52; 18:19; 30:55; 46:35; 79:46.

***

# “Did you suppose, then, that We created you frivolously, and that you would not be returned unto Us?”

115. The Quran often asserts that God created the world in truth (e.g., 29:44; 30:8; 39:5; 44:39), not in play (e.g., 21:16; 44:38) or in vain (3:191). The question about returning to God (cf. 28:39) is posed in the context of the frequent assertion in the Quran that human beings will indeed return to God (e.g., 2:245; 6:36; 28:70) and that in fact all things return to God (e.g., 2:210; 3:83; 8:44; 11:123).

***

# So, exalted is God, the True Sovereign; there is no god but He, Lord of the noble Throne.

116. True Sovereign can also be translated, “the Sovereign, the Truth.” Sovereign renders malik, which is typically translated “king,” but which directly links to “sovereignty” (mulk) and “dominion” (malakūt); see 36:83c and Sūrah 67. On the noble Throne, see 2:255c.

***

# Whosoever calls upon another god along with God, for which he has no proof, his reckoning is with God. Truly the disbelievers will not prosper.

117. A proof (burhān) is a “demonstration” or “evidence” (Ṭ) that is clear and whose foundations are firm; the term is used similarly in 2:111; 21:24; 27:64; 28:75. Reckoning (ḥisāb) refers to the Judgment by God. The fact that it is a Divine responsibility to bring human beings to account and not a human one is also mentioned in 88:26: Then truly with Us lies their reckoning. Noah says in 26:113: Their reckoning is only by my Lord.

***

# Say, “My Lord! Forgive and show mercy, for Thou art the best of those who are merciful.”

118. This verse echoes the prayer of the believers in v. 109.

Source: The Study Quran, by Sayyed Hossein Nasr and 4 Others

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