Sura hii, ambayo inadumisha kafiya ileile katika aya zake zote na kudumisha mdundo uleule wa muziki katika urefu wake wote, inaanza kwa mguso kadhaa wa kisanaa ambao unaonekana kuchipuka kutoka katika ulimwengu unaouzunguka na matukio yake. Matukio haya yanaunda msingi unaozunguka ukweli mkuu ambao ndio mada ya sura, yaani, asili ya mwanadamu, uwezo wake wa asili, uchaguzi wa matendo yake, na uwajibikaji wake katika kuamua hatima yake mwenyewe.

This sūrah, which maintains the same rhyme in all its verses and keeps the same musical beat throughout, starts with several aesthetic touches which seem to spring out from the surrounding universe and its phenomena. These phenomena form the framework which encompasses the great truth which is the subject matter of the sūrah, namely, the nature of man, his inherent abilities, choice of action, and responsibility in determining his own fate.

Sura hii pia inazungumzia hadithi ya Thamūd na mtazamo wao hasi kwa maonyo waliyopokea kutoka kwa mjumbe wa Mungu, kuuawa kwa ngamia jike, na hatimaye maangamizi yao kamili. Hili linatoa mfano wa matarajio yasiyo mazuri yanayowasubiri wale wanaoharibu nafsi zao badala ya kuziweka safi, na wasiojizuia ndani ya mipaka ya uchamungu. "Hakika amefaulu aliyeitakasa, na amekhasirika aliyeiharibu." (Aya 9-10)

This sūrah also refers to the story of the Thamūd and their negative attitude to the warnings they received from God’s messenger, to their killing of the she-camel, and finally their complete annihilation. This provides an example of the unpromising prospects which await those who corrupt their souls instead of keeping them pure and who do not confine themselves within the limits of piety. “Successful is the one who keeps it pure, and ruined is the one who corrupts it.” (Verses 9-10)

Naapa kwa jua na mwangaza wake wa asubuhi, naapa kwa mwezi unapolifuata, naapa kwa mchana unaofunua utukufu wake, naapa kwa usiku unaoufunika. Naapa kwa mbingu na jinsi zilivyojengwa, naapa kwa ardhi na jinsi ilivyotandazwa, naapa kwa nafsi na jinsi ilivyopangwa na kutiwa msukumo wa elimu ya uovu na wema. Mwenye kuifanya itakasike amefaulu, na mwenye kuiharibu amekhasirika. (Aya 1-10)

By the sun and his morning brightness, by the moon as she follows him, by the day, which reveals his splendour, by the night, which veils him. By the heaven and its construction, by the earth and its spreading, by the soul and its moulding and inspiration with knowledge of wickedness and righteousness. Successful is the one who keeps it pure, and ruined is the one who corrupts it. (Verses 1-10)

Mungu anaapa kwa vitu hivi na matukio haya ya ulimwengu, kama vile anavyoapa kwa nafsi ya mwanadamu, jinsi ilivyoumbwa na ufahamu anaopewa. Kiapo hicho huyapa viumbe hivi umuhimu wa ziada na huvuta fikira za mwanadamu kwao. Mwanadamu anapaswa kutafakari matukio haya na kujaribu kuthamini thamani yake pamoja na lengo la kuumbwa kwake.

God swears by these objects and universal phenomena as He swears by the human soul, how it is fashioned and the inspiration it receives. The oath gives these creatures an added significance and draws man’s attention to them. Man ought to contemplate these phenomena and try to appreciate their value and the purpose of their creation.

Kweli kuna aina fulani ya lugha ya pekee ambayo moyo wa binadamu huwasiliana nayo na ulimwengu. Lugha hii ni sehemu ya maumbile ya binadamu. Ni lugha isiyotumia sauti wala matamshi. Ni mawasiliano kwa nyoyo na msukumo kwa roho ambazo huhuika kila mtu anapoutazama ulimwengu kwa kupata picha yenye kuvutia au yenye furaha. Kwa hiyo, Qur’ān mara nyingi inamhimiza mwanadamu kutafakari mazingira yake. Hufanya hivyo kwa njia mbalimbali, wakati mwingine moja kwa moja na wakati mwingine kwa vidokezo, mguso wa kupita na vichocheo. Katika hali hii, kwa mfano, baadhi ya matukio ya ulimwengu yamefanywa kuwa mada ya kiapo cha Mwenyezi Mungu, ili yatumike kama msingi wa yale yanayofuata katika sūrah. Maagizo haya ya wazi na vidokezo visivyo vya moja kwa moja vinapatikana mara nyingi sana katika sūrah za juzuu hii. Hakuna sūrah yoyote isiyomhimiza mwanadamu, kwa namna moja au nyingine, kuwasiliana na ulimwengu kwa lugha ya siri, ili aweze kuthamini ishara zake na kuelewa ujumbe wake.

There exists in fact, some kind of a special language through which the human heart communicates with the universe. This language is part of human nature. It is a language which does not use sounds and articulation. It is a communication to hearts and an inspiration to souls which come alive whenever man looks up to the universe for an inspiring or cheerful sight. Hence, the Qur’ān frequently urges man to reflect upon his surroundings. It does this in various ways, sometimes directly and sometimes with hints, incidental touches and stimuli. In this case, for example, some phenomena of the universe are made the subject of God’s oath, in order to serve as a framework for what follows in the sūrah. These explicit directives and indirect hints are very frequent in the sūrahs of the present volume. There is hardly any sūrah which does not encourage man, in one way or another, to communicate with the universe, in secret language, so that he may appreciate its signs and understand its address.

Sura inaendelea kueleza ukweli wa msingi kuhusu binadamu, na kuuhusisha ukweli huu na matukio mbalimbali ya ulimwengu, kwa kuwa binadamu ni mmoja wa maajabu ya ajabu zaidi katika uumbaji huu wenye mpangilio mzuri: "Naapa kwa nafsi na jinsi alivyoiumba kwa mpangilio, akaipa ufahamu wa uovu wake na uchamungu wake. Hakika amefaulu aliyeitakasa, na amekhasirika aliyeiharibu." (Aya 7-10)

The sūrah moves on to state the basic truth about man, and relates this truth to the various phenomena of the universe, for man is one of the most remarkable wonders in this harmonious creation: “By the soul and its moulding and inspiration with knowledge of wickedness and righteousness. Successful is the one who keeps it pure, and ruined is the one who corrupts it.” (Verses 7-10)

Msingi wa dhana ya Kiislamu ya saikolojia ya binadamu umeelezwa katika aya hizi nne, pamoja na aya ya 10 ya sura iliyotangulia, Al-Balad (Mji), "Na tumemwonyesha njia mbili," na aya ya 3 katika Sura ya 76, Al-Insān (Binadamu), inayosema: "Tumemwonyesha njia iliyo sawa, awe mwenye shukrani au mwenye kukufuru." Aya hizi zinakamilisha zile zinazoonyesha upinzani uliomo katika muundo wa binadamu katika Sura ya 38, Ṣād, inayosema: "Mola wako Mlezi alisema kwa Malaika: 'Hakika nitamuumba binadamu kwa udongo. Nitakapomkamilisha na kumpulizia roho yangu, basi mmsujudie.'" (38: 71-72) Aya hizi pia zinakamilisha na kuhusiana na zile zinazoeleza wajibu wa binadamu na uwajibikaji wake kwa matendo yake, kama ile ya Sura ya 74, Al-Muddaththir (Aliyejifunika), isemayo: "Kila nafsi imewekwa rehani kwa yale iliyoyachuma," na aya ya Sura ya 13, Al-Ra'd (Radi), inayoonyesha kwamba mwenendo wa Mungu kwa binadamu unahusiana moja kwa moja na mwenendo wa binadamu mwenyewe: "Hakika Mungu hakibadilishi kiumbe kilichomo katika hali yake mpaka wao wabadilishe yaliyomo nafsini mwao." (13: 11) Aya hizi na nyinginezo zinaeleza mtazamo wa Kiislamu juu ya binadamu kwa uwazi kamili.

The basis of the Islamic concept of human psychology is outlined in these four verses, along with verse 10 of the preceding sūrah, The City, “And [We have] shown him the two paths,” and verse 3 in Sūrah 76, Man, which says: “We have shown him the right path, be he grateful or ungrateful.” They supplement the verses which point out the duality in man’s make-up in Sūrah 38, Şād, which says: “Your Lord said to the angels, ‘I am creating man from clay. When I have fashioned him, and breathed of My spirit into him, kneel down and prostrate yourselves before him.’“ (38: 7172) These verses also supplement and relate to the verses which define man’s responsibility and accountability for his actions, such as the one in Sūrah 74, The Cloaked One, which reads: “Everyone is held in pledge for whatever he has wrought,” and the verse in Sūrah 13, Thunder, which states that God’s attitude to man is directly related to man’s own behaviour: “God does not change a people’s lot until they change what is in their hearts.” (13: 11) These and similar verses define the Islamic view of man with perfect clarity.

Sura kisha inatoa mfano wa maangamizi yanayowapata wale wanaojiharibu nafsi zao na kujiwekea kizuizi kati yao na uongozi wa Mwenyezi Mungu: "Kwa kiburi chao kupindukia, watu wa Thamūd waliukanusha ukweli, pale alipojitokeza mtu wao mkaidi kuliko wote. Mjumbe wa Mungu akawaambia: 'Huyu ni ngamia jike wa Mungu, basi mwacheni anywe maji yake.' Lakini wao wakamkataa, wakamchinja kikatili. Kwa dhambi yao hiyo, Bwana wao aliwateremshia adhabu yake, akauangusha mji wao chini kabisa. Yeye haogopi matokeo yake."

The sūrah then gives an example of the failure which befalls those who corrupt themselves, and erect a barrier between themselves and divine guidance: “In their overweening arrogance the people of Thamūd denied the truth, when their most hapless wretch broke forth. God’s Messenger said to them: ‘It is a she-camel belonging to God, so let her have her drink.’ But they rejected him, and cruelly slaughtered her. For this their sin their Lord let loose His scourge upon them, and razed their city to the ground. He does not fear what may follow.” (Verses 11-15)

Hadithi ya Thamūd na mtume wao, Şāliĥ, imetajwa mara kadhaa katika Qur’ān. Majadiliano kuihusu hutolewa kila inapotajwa. Msomaji anaweza kurejea maelezo zaidi katika tafsiri ya Sūrah 89, Al-Fajr, katika juzuu hii. Sūrah hii ya sasa, hata hivyo, inasema kwamba watu wa Thamūd walimkataa nabii wao na kumshutumu kwa uongo kwa sababu tu ya kiburi na jeuri yao. Uasi wao unawakilishwa hapa na mtu mwovu kuliko wote miongoni mwao aliyekimbilia kumchinja ngamia jike. Yeye ndiye mwovu zaidi kwa sababu ya uhalifu wake. Mtume wao alikuwa amewaonya kabla, akisema, “Huyu ni ngamia jike wa Mwenyezi Mungu, basi mwacheni anywe maji.” Hii ilikuwa sharti lake walipomwomba ishara. Ishara ilikuwa kwamba ngamia jike alikuwa na maji kwa ajili yake mwenyewe siku moja, na siku iliyofuata aliyaacha kwa mifugo mingine. Ngamia jike huyo lazima alikuwa na sifa nyingine ya pekee, lakini hatutaingia kwa undani kwa kuwa Mwenyezi Mungu hakutuambia kuhusu hilo. Watu wa Thamūd, hata hivyo, hawakuzingatia maonyo ya mtume wao bali walimwua ngamia jike. Mtenda kosa, mhalifu mkuu, ndiye mwovu zaidi, lakini wote walichukuliwa kuwajibika kwa sababu hawakumwajibisha. Badala yake, walishangilia alichofanya. Kanuni ya msingi ya Uislamu ni kwamba jamii hubeba wajibu wa pamoja katika maisha haya. Hili halipingani na kanuni ya wajibu wa mtu binafsi Akhera, wakati kila mtu atakapowajibika kwa matendo yake mwenyewe. Hata hivyo, ni dhambi kutoshauriana na kuhimizana kushikamana na lililo jema, na kutoadhibu uovu na uasi.

The story of the Thamūd and their messenger, Şāliĥ, is mentioned several times in the Qur’ān. A discussion of it is given every time it occurs. The reader may refer for further details to the commentary on Sūrah 89, The Dawn, in this volume. The present sūrah, however, states that the people of Thamūd rejected their prophet and accused him of lying simply because they were arrogant and insolent. Their transgression is represented here by the most hapless wretch among them rushing to slaughter the she-camel. He is the most wretched as a result of his crime. Their messenger had warned them in advance, saying, “It is a she-camel belonging to God, so let her have her drink.” This was his condition when they asked him for a sign. The sign was that the she-camel had the water for herself one day and left it for the rest of the cattle the next day. The she-camel must have had something else peculiar to her, but we shall not go into detail because God has not told us about it. The Thamūd, however, did not heed their messenger’s warnings but killed the she-camel. The person who perpetrated the crime, the arch sinner, is the most- wretched, but they were all held responsible because they did not take him to task. On the contrary, they applauded what he did. A basic principle of Islam is that society bears a collective responsibility in this life. This does not conflict with the principle of individual responsibility in the hereafter when everyone is answerable for his own deeds. It is a sin, however, not to counsel and urge one another to adhere to what is good and not to punish evil and transgression.