Sura hii inaanza kwa herufi mbili tofauti, Ha na Mim, ambazo kisha zinafuatiwa na kiapo kwa Kitabu kinachobainisha mambo.

The surah begins with the two separate letters Ha and Mim which are then followed by an oath by the book that makes things clear.

Herufi na kitabu vyote viwili ni cha aina moja: katika umbo lake la kusemwa, kitabu ni cha aina ile ile kama herufi. Kama herufi zote za lugha za kibinadamu, herufi mbili, au sauti, ni miongoni mwa ishara za Mungu: ni Yeye aliyewaumba watu na kuwapa sauti za lugha zao. Herufi kama hizo zinapotajwa, zina maana zaidi ya moja kwa kurejelea Qur'ani.

Both the letters and the book are of the same nature: in its spoken form, the book is of the same type as the letters. Just like all letters in human language, the two letters, or sounds, are of God’s signs: it is He who created people and gave them the sounds of their languages. When such letters are mentioned, they carry more than a single meaning with reference to the Qur’an.

Mwenyezi Mungu anaapa kwa herufi mbili na kitabu kilicho wazi, ili kuthibitisha lengo la kufanya Qur'ani hii katika umbo ambalo lilifanywa ilipoteremshwa kwa Waarabu: {Hakika Sisi tumeifanya Qur'ani kuwa ni kisomo cha Kiarabu ili mpate kufahamu} (Aya ya 3). Lengo, basi, ni kwamba wayafahamu kama yalivyoundwa katika lugha yao wenyewe.

God states this oath by the two letters and the clear book so as to confirm the purpose of making this Qur’an in the form it was made when revealed to the Arabs: have made the Qur'an a discourse in Arabic so that you may understand” (Verse 3) The purpose, then, is that they should understand it as it is composed in their own tongue.

Qur'ani ni ufunuo wa Mungu ambao Yeye ameufanya, kwa umbo lake la kusemwa, kuwa Kiarabu, kwa kuwa Yeye alichagua Waarabu kuwa wabebaji wa ujumbe Wake.

The Qur’an is God’s revelation which He has made, in its spoken form, Arabic as He chose the Arabs to be the bearers of His message.

Tumeeleza lengo hili kwa sehemu katika kufafanua sura iliyotangulia.

We explained this purpose partly in commenting on the previous surah.

Zaidi ya hayo, Mungu alifanya uchaguzi wake kwa msingi wa ujuzi wake kwamba Waarabu walikuwa wanafaa kuwa wabebaji wa ujumbe, na kwamba lugha yao ingeweza kuueleza vyema zaidi. Mungu anajua ni nani wa kumkabidhi ujumbe wake.

Moreover, God made His choice on the basis of His knowledge that the Arabs were suitable message-bearers and that their language could best express it. God knows whom to entrust with His message.

Ajabu ni kwamba, ingawa Waarabu walitambua kwamba Mwenyezi Mungu ndiye Muumbaji wa mbingu na ardhi, hawakufuata jambo hili hadi mwisho wake wa kimantiki, yaani kutangaza umoja Wake na kuelekeza ibada yote kwake. Kinyume chake, waliumshirikisha Naye, wakinasibisha kwa hawa baadhi ya wanyama wa mifugo ambao Yeye ameviumba. Pia walidai kwamba malaika ni binti za Mwenyezi Mungu, ambao waliwaabudu kwa namna ya sanamu. Qur'ani inasimulia kukiri kwao uumbaji wa Mwenyezi Mungu, inawawekea mbele mantiki ya maumbile ya binadamu ambayo wanayakataa, na inaeleza mwenendo wanaopaswa kuufuata kutokana na neema Zake, hasa merikebu na mifugo. Kisha inaeleza wanayodai kuhusu malaika:

Amazingly, although the Arabs recognized that God was the Creator of the heavens and the earth, they did not follow this through to its logical conclusion, declaring His oneness and address all worship to Him. On the contrary, they attributed partners to Him, assigning to these some of the cattle He has created. They also alleged that the angels were God’s daughters whom they worshipped in the form of idols. The Qur’an reports their acknowledgement of God’s creation, puts before them the logic of human nature which they discard, and outlines the behaviour they should adopt in response to His blessings, particularly ships and cattle. It then describes what they claim about the angels:

Lakini ukiwauliza, "Nani aliumba mbingu na ardhi?" watajibu kwa hakika, "Ameziumba Mwenye Nguvu, Mjuzi wa yote." Ndiye aliyeitandaza ardhi kwa ajili yenu, na akakuwekea njia juu yake ili mpate kuongoka. Na ndiye anayeteremsha maji kutoka mbinguni kwa kipimo. Kwa maji hayo Tunaihuisha ardhi iliyokufa; na hivyo ndivyo mtakavyofufuliwa. Na ndiye aliyeumba viumbe vyote kwa jozi, na akakupeni merikebu na wanyama mnaopanda, ili mkishakaa juu ya migongo yao mkumbuke neema za Mola wenu, na mseme: "Utakatifu ni wa Yule aliyetutiishia haya, nasi hatukuwa na uwezo wa kuyamudu. Na hakika kwa Mola wetu tutarejea." (Aya 9-14)

Yet if you ask them, "Who created the heavens and the earth?’ they are sure to answer, ‘The Almighty, the All-Knowing created them. ’ It is He who has smoothed out the earth for you and has traced on it paths for you so that you can find your way. And He it is who sends down water from the sky in due measure. With it We raise dead land to life; and thus you will be raised from the dead. And He it is who created all living things in pairs, and provided for you the ships and animals on which you ride, so that when you are seated on their backs you remember your Lord's blessings and say: ‘Limitless in His glory is He who has made all this subservient to our use. We could not have done it by ourselves. To our Lord we shall most certainly return. (Verses 9-14)

Waarabu walikuwa na imani, ambayo tunaweza kuifikiria kuwa ina mabaki ya imani safi ya asili ya Ibrahimu, ambayo yalikuwa yamepoteza rangi zake angavu za asili, yakichanganyika na hadithi za kale. Kilichobaki kilikuwa kitu ambacho asili ya binadamu haikuweza kukikataa, yaani kwamba ulimwengu una Muumba ambaye ni Mungu: ulimwengu usingeweza kuwepo bila Muumba, na Muumba angeweza kuwa Mungu tu. Hata hivyo, Waarabu hawakufikisha ukweli huu wa kiasili hadi hitimisho lake la kimantiki; walisimama tu kwenye ukweli mtupu: "Na ukiwauliza, 'Ni nani aliyeumba mbingu na ardhi?' bila shaka watasema, 'Aliyeumba ni Mwenye Nguvu, Mjuzi wa yote.'" (Aya ya 9)

Sura kisha inaangalia zaidi mchakato wa uhai na kuibuka kwa viumbe hai: "Na Yeye ndiye anayeteremsha maji kutoka mbinguni kwa kipimo. Kwa maji hayo Tunahuisha ardhi iliyokufa; na hivyo ndivyo mtafufuliwa kutoka kwa wafu" (Aya ya 11). Maji hushuka kutoka mbinguni, kama kila mtu anavyoona na kujua, lakini watu wengi hawaguswi na jambo hili la ajabu kwa sababu ya kulizoea mno.

The surah then looks a step further at the process of life and the emergence of living creatures: “And He it is who sends down water from the sky in due measure. With it We raise dead land to life; and thus you will be raised from the dead” (Verse 11) Water comes down from the skies, as every person sees and knows, but most people are not moved by this remarkable phenomenon because of over familiarity.

Muhammad, mjumbe wa Mungu ﷺ, hata hivyo, alikuwa na mtazamo tofauti. Aliyatazama matone ya mvua kwa upendo na furaha ya kuyakaribisha, akijua kwamba yametoka kwa Mungu; kwa maneno mengine, moyo wake ulitambua kazi ya mikono ya Mungu katika matone haya. Kila moyo unaofahamu uhusiano wake na Mungu na sheria za maumbile ambazo Yeye ameziweka zifanye kazi unapaswa kuchukua mtazamo huu. Kila tone la mvua ni matokeo ya sheria hizi za maumbile zinazofanya kazi chini ya macho na udhibiti wa Mungu. Kwamba mvua inatokana na mvuke unaopanda kutoka ardhini na kupoa angani hakupunguzi kwa vyovyote maana ya mambo haya. Ni nani aliyeiumba ardhi, akaweka maji juu yake, akaifanya iwe chini ya joto, akafanya maji yayeyuke kiasili na mvuke upande na kujikusanya? Ni nani aliyeupa ulimwengu sifa nyingine zinazoupa mvuke unaojikusanya chaji ya umeme, ili mawingu yanapokusanyika, chaji zao za umeme zisababishe mvua kunyesha? Zaidi ya hayo, umeme ni nini?

Muhammad, God’s messenger, (peace be upon him), however, held a different attitude. He looked at the drops of rain with love and welcoming delight, knowing that they came from God; in other words, his heart recognized God’s handiwork in these drops. Every heart that is aware of its bond with God and the laws of nature He has set in operation should adopt this attitude. Every raindrop is the result of these laws of nature which operate under God’s eye and control. That rain originates from the vapour that rises from the earth and cools down in the atmosphere in no way diminishes the implication of these facts. Who has brought the earth into being, placed water on it, subjected it to heat, made water naturally evaporate and vapour rise and condense? Who has given the universe its other characteristics which give the condensing vapour an electrical charge so that when clouds gather, their electric charges cause rain to fall? Besides, what is electricity?

Je, ni sifa gani nyingine zinazozalisha athari ya pamoja ya mvua kunyesha chini? Lakini tunapojifunza zaidi kuhusu maumbile, ujuzi wetu huweka uzito mzito juu ya ufahamu wetu. Hatuthamini tena ujumbe unaotolewa na matukio ya ulimwengu; hatuyaruhusu tena ujumbe huu kuboresha hisia na miitikio yetu.

Sura hiyo kisha inataja hadithi ya kipuuzi inayowafanya malaika kuwa miungu, ikidai kwamba ni binti za Mungu, ilhali wao ni aina nyingine tu ya viumbe.

The surah then refers to the absurd legend that makes deities of angels, alleging that they are Gods daughters when they are no more than a different type of creature:

Lakini wanamhusishia Yeye baadhi ya waja Wake kuwa ni watoto Wake. Hakika mwanadamu ni mwenye kukufuru waziwazi. Je, Yeye katika viumbe Vyake alichagua kwa ajili Yake binti, na kukupeni nyinyi wana? Mmoja wao anapobshwa habari njema ya kuzaliwa kwa yule ambaye anamnasibisha kwa Mwingi wa Rehema, uso wake hugeuka mweusi na hujaa huzuni. [Je, wangemnasibishia Mungu] aliyelelewa katika mapambo na asiyeweza kutoa hoja iliyo wazi? Wanadai kwamba Malaika, ambao wenyewe ni waja wa Mwingi wa Rehema, ni wa kike! Je, walishuhudia uumbaji wao? Ushahidi wao utaandikwa, nao wataulizwa kuuhusu. Wanasema: 'Lau ingalikuwa ni matakwa ya Mwingi wa Rehema, hatungaliwaabudu.' Hawana elimu ya hilo; wao wanadanganya tu.

Yet they assign to Him some of His own servants as offspring. Surely man is clearly bereft ofallgratitude. Would He, out of all His creation, choose for Himself daughters and favour you with sons? If any of them i. given the good news of the birth of what he so readily attributes to the Lord of Grace, his face darkens and he is filled with gloom. [Would they ascribe to God] someone who is brought up among trinkets and cannot put together a clear argument? They claim that the angels, who are themselves but servants of the Lord of Grace, are females! Did they witness their creation? Their testimony will be put on record and they will be questioned about it. They say: 'Had it been the will of the Lord of Grace, we should never have worshipped them.9 Of that they have no knowledge:

Wanasema uongo waziwazi. Au tumewapa kitabu kabla ya hiki ambacho wao bado wanakishikilia? Hapana kabisa! Wanasema: "Tulikuta baba zetu wakifuata mila hii, nasi tunapata uongozi kwa kufuata nyayo zao." Na ndivyo ilivyo: kila mara kabla yako, Tulipomtuma mjumbe kwa jamii yoyote, matajiri wao walisema: "Tulikuta baba zetu wakifuata mila hii, nasi tunafuata tu nyayo zao." Akasema: "Hata kama nakuleteeni mwongozo bora kuliko huo mliowaona baba zenu wakiufuata?" Wakajibu: "Sisi tunakataa ujumbe mliotumwa nao." Basi Tukawaletea adhabu yetu. Tafakarini jinsi walivyokuwa mwisho wa wale waliokataa haki. (Aya 15-25)

they are blatantly lying. Or have We given them a book before this one to which they are still holding fast? No indeed! They say, 'We found our forefathers following this tradition and we find our guidance by following in their footsteps.9 And thus it is: whenever, before your time, We sent a messenger to any community, the wealthy among them said: 'We found our forefathers following this tradition and we are only following in their footsteps.9 He said: 'Even though I bring you a guidance better than what you saw your forefathers following?9 They replied: 'We reject the message you have been sent with.9 Therefore, We inflicted Our retribution on them. Reflect on how those who rejected the truth met their end. (Verses 15-25)