Surah Dhariyat >> Currently viewing Surah Dhariyat Ayat 24 (51:24)

Surah Dhariyat Ayat 24 in Arabic Text

هَلۡ أَتَىٰكَ حَدِيثُ ضَيۡفِ إِبۡرَٰهِيمَ ٱلۡمُكۡرَمِينَ
Hal ataaka hadeesu daifi Ibraaheemal mukrameen

English Translation

Here you can read various translations of verse 24

Sahih International
Has there reached you the story of the honored guests of Abraham? –

Yusuf Ali
Has the story reached thee, of the honoured guests of Abraham?

Abul Ala Maududi
(O Prophet), did the story of Abraham’s honoured guests reach you?

Muhsin Khan
Has the story reached you, of the honoured guests [three angels; Jibrael (Gabriel) along with another two] of Ibrahim (Abraham)?

Pickthall
Hath the story of Abraham’s honoured guests reached thee (O Muhammad)?

Dr. Ghali
Has the discourse about Ibrahîm’s (Abraham) honored guests come up (to your knowledge)?

Abdel Haleem
[Muhammad], have you heard the story of the honoured guests of Abraham?

Muhammad Junagarhi
کیا تجھے ابراہیم (علیہ السلام) کے معزز مہمانوں کی خبر بھی پہنچی ہے؟

Quran 51 Verse 24 Explanation

For those looking for commentary to help with the understanding of Surah Dhariyat ayat 24, we’ve provided two Tafseer works below. The first is the tafseer of Abul Ala Maududi, the second is of Ibn Kathir.

Ala-Maududi

(51:24) (O Prophet), did[21] the story of Abraham’s honoured guests reach you?[22]


21. Now, from here to the end of verse 46, brief allusions have been made, one after the other, about Allah’s Prophets and some of the nations of the past, which are meant to impress two things:

First, that in human history God’s law of retribution has been working constantly, in which precedents are found of the rewards for the righteous and of punishments for the wicked people continuously. This is a clear evidence of the fact that even in the life of this world the Creator’s relationship with man is not merely based on the physical law but the moral law also is working side by aide with it. And when the temper of the kingdom of the universe is such that the creation which has been given an opportunity to act morally while living in a physical body, should not only be dealt with on the basis of physical laws, like animals and plants, but the moral law also should be applied to its moral acts. This by itself points to the truth that a time must come in this kingdom when on the completion of man’s role in the physical world, full results of his moral acts should also appear strictly in accordance with the moral law because in the physical world they do not appear fully.

The second thing that has been impressed by these historical allusions is that the nations which did not believe in the Prophets of Allah and based the conduct and attitude in life on the denial of the Oneness of Allah, the Prophethood and the Hereafter, were ultimately doomed to destruction. This continuous experience of history testifies that God’s law of morality that was conveyed through the Prophets, and on the basis of which man will be subjected to accountability in the Hereafter, is entirely based on the truth. For whichever nation determined its conduct and attitude in the world independent of this law, considering itself irresponsible and unaccountable, has gone straight to its doom.

22. This story has been narrated at three places in the Quran, in (Surah Hud, Ayat 69-73); (Surah Al-Hijr, Ayat 51-56) and (Surah Al-Ankabut, Ayat 31).

Ibn-Kathir

24. Has the story reached you, of the honored guests of Ibrahim 25. When they came in to him and said: “Salaman!” He answered: “Salamun” and said: “You are a people unknown to me.” 26. Then he turned to his household, and brought out a roasted calf. 27. And placed it before them (saying): “Will you not eat” 28. Then he conceived fear of them (when they ate not). They said: “Fear not.” And they gave him glad tidings of a son having knowledge. 29. Then his wife came forward with a loud voice; she smote her face, and said: “A barren old woman!” 30. They said: “Even so says your Lord. Verily, He is the All-Wise, the All-Knower.”


The Guests of the Prophet Ibrahim

We mentioned this story before in Surah Hud and Al-Hijr. Allah said,

﴿هَلْ أَتَاكَ حَدِيثُ ضَيْفِ إِبْرَهِيمَ الْمُكْرَمِينَ ﴾

(Has the story reached you, of the honored guests of Ibrahim), whom Ibrahim honored and who,

﴿قَالُواْ سَلَـماً قَالَ سَلَـمٌ﴾

(they said: “Salaman!” He answered: “Salamun.”)

﴿وَإِذَا حُيِّيتُم بِتَحِيَّةٍ فَحَيُّواْ بِأَحْسَنَ مِنْهَآ أَوْ رُدُّوهَآ﴾

(When you are greeted with a greeting, greet in return with what is better than it, or return it equally.)(4:86) So the Friend of Allah chose a better reply in return for their greeting, implementing Allah’s command: Reciprocating the greeting with the term Salamun is stronger than the greeting using the term Salaman. The three angels; Jibril, Mika’il and Israfil came to Ibrahim in the image of handsome young wonderfully graceful men. This is why Ibrahim said,

﴿قَوْمٌ مُّنكَرُونَ﴾

(You are a people unknown to me.) Allah the Exalted said,

﴿فَرَاغَ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ﴾

(Then he turned to his household,) Ibrahim discretely went inside in haste,

﴿فَجَآءَ بِعِجْلٍ سَمِينٍ﴾

(and brought out a roasted calf.) from the best of his menu, And in another Ayah

﴿فَمَا لَبِثَ أَن جَآءَ بِعِجْلٍ حَنِيذٍ﴾

(And he hastened to entertain them with a roasted calf.) (11:69) means roasted on hot coals

﴿فَقَرَّبَهُ إِلَيْهِمْ﴾

(And placed it before them), brought it close to them,

﴿قَالَ أَلاَ تَأْكُلُونَ﴾

(Saying, “Will you not eat”) Ibrahim said this polite and kind statement to his guests, and surely, this Ayah indicates proper manners for honoring guests. For he brought the food to his guests quickly, while they were unaware that it was being prepared for them. He did not first mention this favor to them by saying, “We will make food for you.” Rather, he discretely had it prepared and placed before them. He prepared the best kind of food he had, a young, fat roasted calf. He did not place the food far from them and invite them to come close to it to eat. Rather, he placed it close to them and refrained from ordering them to eat. Instead he invited them using a kind and subtle invitation,

﴿أَلا تَأْكُلُونَ﴾

(Will you not eat) This statement is similar to one of us saying to a guest, “Would you be kind and generous to do such and such” Allah the Exalted said,

﴿فَأَوْجَسَ مِنْهُمْ خِيفَةً﴾

(Then he conceived fear of them.) this Ayah is explained by Allah’s statement,

﴿فَلَمَّا رَأَى أَيْدِيَهُمْ لاَ تَصِلُ إِلَيْهِ نَكِرَهُمْ وَأَوْجَسَ مِنْهُمْ خِيفَةً قَالُواْ لاَ تَخَفْ إِنَّا أُرْسِلْنَا إِلَى قَوْمِ لُوطٍ وَامْرَأَتُهُ قَآئِمَةٌ فَضَحِكَتْ﴾

(But when he saw their hands went not towards it, he mistrusted them, and felt a sense of fear of them. They said: “Fear not, we have been sent against the people of Lut.” And his wife was standing (there), and she laughed.)(11:70-71), meaning, she was glad that the people of Lut would be destroyed on account of their rebellion and transgression against Allah, the Exalted. This is when the angels delivered the good news to her of a son, Ishaq, and Ya`qub after Ishaq,

﴿قَالَتْ يوَيْلَتَا ءَأَلِدُ وَأَنَاْ عَجُوزٌ وَهَـذَا بَعْلِى شَيْخًا إِنَّ هَـذَا لَشَىْءٌ عَجِيبٌ – قَالُواْ أَتَعْجَبِينَ مِنْ أَمْرِ اللَّهِ رَحْمَتُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَـتُهُ عَلَيْكُمْ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ إِنَّهُ حَمِيدٌ مَّجِيدٌ ﴾

(She said: “Woe unto me! Shall I bear a child while I am an old woman, and here is my husband an old man Verily, this is a strange thing!” They said, “Do you wonder at the decree of Allah The mercy of Allah and His blessings be on you, O family of the house. Surely, He (Allah) is All-Praiseworthy, All-Glorious.”)(11:72-73) Allah said here;

﴿وَبَشَّرُوهُ بِغُلَـمٍ عَلَيمٍ﴾

(And they gave him glad tidings of a son having knowledge.) This news was as good to Ibrahim as it was to his wife, for this son would be theirs, and therefore, they both were getting some good news. Allah the Exalted said,

﴿فَأَقْبَلَتِ امْرَأَتُهُ فِى صَرَّةٍ﴾

(Then his wife came forward with a loud voice), She screamed loudly, according to Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, `Ikrimah, Abu Salih, Ad-Dahhak, Zayd bin Aslam, Ath-Thawri and As-Suddi. She said when she shouted,

﴿يوَيْلَتَا﴾

(Ah! Woe to me!)(25:28), then,

﴿فَصَكَّتْ وَجْهَهَا﴾

(she smote her face,) meaning, she struck herself upon her forehead, according to Mujahid and Ibn Sabit. Ibn `Abbas said that she smacked her face just as women do when confronted with an amazing thing,

﴿وَقَالَتْ عَجُوزٌ عَقِيمٌ﴾

(and said: “A barren old woman!”) meaning, “How can I give birth while I am an old woman And even when I was young I was barren and could not have children,”

﴿قَالُواْ كَذَلِكِ قَالَ رَبُّكِ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْحَكِيمُ الْعَلِيمُ ﴾

(They said: “Even so says your Lord. Verily, He is the All-Wise, the All-Knower”), `He is the All-Knower of the honor that you are worthy of and He is the most Wise in His statements and decisions.’

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