Stem أَنۢبَأَ - Quranic Morphology

English - Hazrat Molavi Sher Ali ^ra

He said: ‘O Adam, tell them their names;’ and when he had told them their names, He said: ‘Did I not say to you, I know the secrets of the heavens and of the earth, and I know what you reveal and what you conceal?’

اردو ترجمہ مرزا طاہر احمد خلیفة المسیح الرابعؒ

اُس نے کہا اے آدم! تُو اِن کو اُن کے نام بتا۔ پس جب اُس نے اُنہیں اُن کے نام بتائے تو اُس نے کہا کیا میں نے تمہیں کہا نہیں تھا کہ یقیناً میں ہی آسمانوں اور زمین کے غیب کو جانتا ہوں اور میں وہ (بھی) جانتا ہوں جو تم ظاہر کرتے ہو اور وہ (بھی) جو تم چھپاتے ہو۔

French

Il dit : « Ô Adam, dis-leur les noms de ces objets. » Et lorsque Adam leur eut dit les noms des objets, Allāh dit aux anges : « Ne vous ai-Je pas dit que Je connais les secrets des cieux et de la terre et que Je sais tout ce que vous dévoilez et tout ce que vous dissimulez ? »

German

Er sprach: "O Adam, nenne ihnen ihre Namen"; und als er ihnen ihre Namen genannt hatte, sprach Er: "Habe Ich euch nicht gesagt: Ich weiß die Geheimnisse der Himmel und der Erde, und Ich weiß, was ihr offenbart und was ihr verhehlt?"

Chinese

于是他 (安拉) 说: “阿丹啊! 把他们的名称告诉这些天使。”当他 (阿丹) 告诉了他们的名称, 安拉又说: “难道我没有对你们说过吗? 我的确知道天地的隐秘, 我知道你们所显出的和你们所隐藏的。”[38]

Italian

Egli disse: «O Adamo, di' loro i loro nomi.» E quando egli ebbe detto loro i loro nomi, Egli disse: «Non vi ho forse detto: Io conosco i segreti dei cieli e della terra e so ciò che voi rivelate e ciò che tenete nascosto?»

Spanish

Dijo: “Oh Adán, diles sus nombres”; y cuando les hubo dicho los nombres, dijo: “¿No os he manifestado que conozco los secretos de los cielos y de la tierra, y sé lo que mostráis y lo que ocultáis?”

اردو تفسیرِ صغیر

(اس پر اللہ نے) فرمایا۔ اے آدم! ان فرشتوں کو ان کے نام بتا۔ پھر جب اس (یعنی آدم) نے ان کو ان کے نام بتائے[1] (تو) فرمایا‘ کیا میں نے تمہیں نہیں کہا تھا کہ میں یقیناً آسمانوں اور زمین کی چھپی باتیں جانتا ہوں اور میں (اسے بھی) جانتا ہوں جو تم ظاہر کرتے ہو اور (اسے بھی) جو تم چھپاتے ہو۔

English - Short Commentary Translation

He said, ‘O Adam, tell them their names;’ and when he had told them their names, He said, ‘Did I not say to you, I know the secrets of the heavens and of the earth, and I know what you reveal and what you hide?’[64]

English - Five Volume Translation

He said, ‘O Adam, tell them their names;’ and when he had told them their names, He said, ‘Did I not say to you, I know the secrets of the heavens and of the earth, and I know what you reveal and what you conceal?’[40]

Important Words:

تکتمون (you conceal) is derived from کتم meaning, he concealed. They say کتم الشیء i.e. he concealed or suppressed the thing. The Arabs use the expression; کتم الربوة (he suppressed his breath) of a horse who, after running some distance, begins to pant, but having small nostrils, his breath remains, as it were, suppressed or concealed within him (Lane under کتم and عور). So کتمان (the act of concealing or suppressing) need not be deliberate or the result of a desire or attempt to conceal. It may merely be the result of circumstances or only the outcome of nature without an attempt or desire to that effect.

Commentary:

When the angels confessed their inability to manifest in themselves all the attributes that Adam could manifest, the latter, in obedience to the Divine will, manifested the different capabilities ingrained in him and showed to the angels the extensiveness of his natural capacities. Thus man proved the necessity of a being who might secure from God the faculty of volition or the power of will by means of which he might voluntarily take to righteousness, (or, for that matter, to sinning) and might thereby reveal to the world the glory and the greatness of God.

The words, and I know what you reveal and what you conceal, mean that God knew which divine attributes the angels manifested in themselves and which they were incapable of manifesting.

The words, what you conceal, do not mean that the angels had a desire for, or that they made an attempt at concealment; for, as explained under Important Words, the word کتمان (concealing) is also used to denote a state of affairs without there being any attempt or desire on one’s part to conceal or suppress anything. The words, what you conceal, therefore, refer to such attributes of God as the angels are unable to reflect in their own being on account of their natural inaptitude. It is a gross error to take the words, what you reveal and what you conceal, as signifying that the angels were not telling the whole truth before God.

As already pointed out under 2:31, the conversation between God and angels and Adam, as mentioned in the verse, need not necessarily be taken in a literal sense. Sometimes the word قال (he said) is used to describe the practical upshot of events without there being any actual speech or dialogue, the purpose of such narration being only to show the existing condition of things in a vivid and graphic form and nothing more. A poet says: قالت له العینان سمعاً وطاعة i.e. "Both of his eyes said, 'We will listen and obey'," whereas the eyes have no speech. Thus, the conversation embodying the story of Adam may also be nothing more than a portrayal in words.

اردو ترجمہ مودودی

پھر اللہ نے آدمؑ سے کہا: "تم اِنہیں اِن چیزوں کے نام بتاؤ" جب اس نے ان کو اُن سب کے نام بتا دیے، تو اللہ نے فرمایا: "میں نے تم سے کہا نہ تھا کہ میں آسمانوں اور زمین کی وہ ساری حقیقتیں جانتا ہوں جو تم سے مخفی ہیں، جو کچھ تم ظاہر کرتے ہو، وہ بھی مجھے معلوم ہے اور جو کچھ تم چھپاتے ہو، اسے بھی میں جانتا ہوں"

English - Sahih

He said, "O Adam, inform them of their names." And when he had informed them of their names, He said, "Did I not tell you that I know the unseen [aspects] of the heavens and the earth? And I know what you reveal and what you have concealed."

اردو ترجمہ احمد علی

فرمایا اے آدم ان چیزو ں کے نام بتا دو پھر جب آدم نے انہیں ان کے نام بتا دیئے فرمایا کیا میں نے تمہیں نہیں کہا تھا کہ میں آسمانوں اور زمین کی چھپی ہوئی چیزیں جانتا ہوں اور جو تم ظاہر کرتے ہو اور جو چھپاتے ہو اسے بھی جانتا ہوں

English - Talal Itani

He said, "O Adam! Inform them of their names." And when he had informed them of their names, He said, "Did not I say to you, Indeed, I [I] know (the) unseen (of) the heavens and the earth, and I know what you reveal and what you [were] conceal."

Chinese Commentary ^*

38

当天使们承认没有能力在他们本身显示阿丹能显示的所有安拉的常德时, 后者顺从安拉的旨意, 显示了渗透在自己身上的自然界的各种能力, 并对天使们揭示了他们广泛的特性。因而阿丹证明了创造人类的必要性, 人类可从安拉那里获得判断力, 即意志力, 可藉此力量志愿选择从善或作恶的道路, 进而显示安拉的光辉和伟大。

اردہ تفصیرِ صغیر نوٹس ^*

1

یعنی جب آدم ؑ نے جو چیزیں اس کے سامنے پیش کی گئی تھیں ان کی صفات ِگنا دیں‘ تو خداتعالیٰ نے فرشتوں سے کہا کہ میں نے تمہیں پہلے نہیں کہا تھا کہ میں ان باتوں کو بھی جانتا ہوں جو تمہارے دل میں ہیں اور ان باتوں کو بھی جانتا ہوں جن کو تم ظاہر کرتے ہو۔ تم یہ سمجھتے تھے کہ آدمؑ مخلوقات پر کس طرح حکومت کر سکے گا۔ جبکہ اس کو مخلوق کی خاصیات کا علم نہیں۔ لیکن اب تمہیں پتہ لگ گیا ہے کہ میں نے اس کے اندر خاصیاتِ عالم کے جاننے کا مادہ رکھا ہے۔ چنانچہ اس نے چیزوں کی خاصیات بیان کر دی ہیں جن سے ثابت ہو گیا ہے کہ میرا علم صحیح تھا اور تمہارا غلط تھا۔

English - Arberry

He said, 'Adam, tell them their names.' And when he had told them their names He said, 'Did I not tell you I know the unseen things of the heavens and earth? And I know what things you reveal, and what you were hiding.'

English - Maududi

Then Allah said to Adam, "Tell them the names of these things." When Adam told them the names of all those things, Allah declared, "Did I not tell you that I know those truths about the Earth and the Heavens which are hidden from you? I know what you disclose and what you hide."

English - Ahmed Ali

Then He said to Adam: "Convey to them their names." And when he had told them, God said: "Did I not tell you that I know the unknown of the heavens and the earth, and I know what you disclose and know what you hide?"

English - Yusuf Ali

He said: "O Adam! Tell them their names." When he had told them, Allah said: "Did I not tell you that I know the secrets of heaven and earth, and I know what ye reveal and what ye conceal?"

English - Five Volume Commentary ^*

40

Important Words:

تکتمون (you conceal) is derived from کتم meaning, he concealed. They say کتم الشیء i.e. he concealed or suppressed the thing. The Arabs use the expression; کتم الربوة (he suppressed his breath) of a horse who, after running some distance, begins to pant, but having small nostrils, his breath remains, as it were, suppressed or concealed within him (Lane under کتم and عور). So کتمان (the act of concealing or suppressing) need not be deliberate or the result of a desire or attempt to conceal. It may merely be the result of circumstances or only the outcome of nature without an attempt or desire to that effect.

Commentary:

When the angels confessed their inability to manifest in themselves all the attributes that Adam could manifest, the latter, in obedience to the Divine will, manifested the different capabilities ingrained in him and showed to the angels the extensiveness of his natural capacities. Thus man proved the necessity of a being who might secure from God the faculty of volition or the power of will by means of which he might voluntarily take to righteousness, (or, for that matter, to sinning) and might thereby reveal to the world the glory and the greatness of God.

The words, and I know what you reveal and what you conceal, mean that God knew which divine attributes the angels manifested in themselves and which they were incapable of manifesting.

The words, what you conceal, do not mean that the angels had a desire for, or that they made an attempt at concealment; for, as explained under Important Words, the word کتمان (concealing) is also used to denote a state of affairs without there being any attempt or desire on one’s part to conceal or suppress anything. The words, what you conceal, therefore, refer to such attributes of God as the angels are unable to reflect in their own being on account of their natural inaptitude. It is a gross error to take the words, what you reveal and what you conceal, as signifying that the angels were not telling the whole truth before God.

As already pointed out under 2:31, the conversation between God and angels and Adam, as mentioned in the verse, need not necessarily be taken in a literal sense. Sometimes the word قال (he said) is used to describe the practical upshot of events without there being any actual speech or dialogue, the purpose of such narration being only to show the existing condition of things in a vivid and graphic form and nothing more. A poet says: قالت له العینان سمعاً وطاعة i.e. "Both of his eyes said, 'We will listen and obey'," whereas the eyes have no speech. Thus, the conversation embodying the story of Adam may also be nothing more than a portrayal in words.

English - Short Commentary Notes ^*

64

When the angels confessed their inability to manifest in themselves all the Divine attributes that Adam could manifest, the latter, in obedience to the Divine Will, manifested the different natural capabilities ingrained in him and revealed to the angels their extensive character. Thus Adam proved the necessity of the creation of a being who might secure from God the faculty of volition or the power of will by means of which he might voluntarily choose the way of goodness (or, of evil) and might thereby reveal the glory and greatness of God.

English - Pickthall

He said: O Adam! Inform them of their names, and when he had informed them of their names, He said: Did I not tell you that I know the secret of the heavens and the earth? And I know that which ye disclose and which ye hide.

English - Muhammad Ali ^ra

He said: O Adam, inform them of their names. So when he informed them of their names, He said: Did I not say to you that I know what is unseen in the heavens and the earth? And I know what you manifest and what you hide.

English - Sir Muhammad Zafrullah Khan ^ra

He turned to Adam and commanded him: Adam, do thou inform them of the names of these. When Adam had told them the names, Allah said to the angels: Did I not say to you: I know the secrets of the heavens and of the earth, and I know all that you disclose and all that you conceal?

أَنۢبَأَ

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