6. Sura al-Anam
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
إِنَّمَا
يَسْتَجِيبُ
الَّذِينَ
يَسْمَعُونَ
...
6: 36. Those who listen (in truth), be sure, will accept:
C857. There is a double meaning here.
- If people listen to truth sincerely and earnestly, they must believe; even if the spiritual faculty is dead, Allah will by His grace revive it and they will come to Him, if they really try earnestly to understand.
- The sincere will believe; but those whose hearts are dead will not listen, yet they cannot escape being brought to the Judgement Seat before Him.
... وَالْمَوْتَى يَبْعَثُهُمُ اللّهُ ثُمَّ إِلَيْهِ يُرْجَعُونَ ﴿٣٦﴾
as to the dead, Allah will raise them up: then will they be turned unto Him.
وَقَالُواْ
لَوْلاَ
نُزِّلَ
عَلَيْهِ
آيَةٌ
مِّن
رَّبِّهِ...
6: 37. They say: "Why is not a Sign sent down to him from his Lord?"
...قُلْ إِنَّ اللّهَ قَادِرٌ عَلَى أَن يُنَزِّلٍ آيَةً وَلَـكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٣٧﴾
Say: "Allah hath certainly power to send down a Sign: but most of them understand not."
C858. Signs are all around them, but they do not understand. If they want a particular Sign to suit their gross ignorance, they will not be humored, for they can always pick holes in anything that descends to their level.
وَأَقْسَمُواْ
بِاللّهِ
جَهْدَ
أَيْمَانِهِمْ
لَئِن
جَاءتْهُمْ
آيَةٌ
لَّيُؤْمِنُنَّ
بِهَا...
6: 109. They swear their strongest oaths by Allah that if a (special) sign came to them, by it they would believe.
...قُلْ إِنَّمَا الآيَاتُ عِندَ اللّهِ وَمَا يُشْعِرُكُمْ أَنَّهَا إِذَا جَاءتْ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ ﴿١٠٩﴾
Say:
"Certainly (all) signs are in the power of Allah:
but what will make you (Muslims) realize that even if a (special) sign comes, they will not believe."
C937. If the Unbelievers are merely obstinate, nothing will convince them. There is no story more full of miracles than the story of Jesus. Yet in that same story we are told that Jesus said:
"A wicked adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the Prophet Jonas":
There are Signs given by Allah every day -understood by those who believe. A mere insistence upon some particular or special Sign meant mere contumacy and misunderstanding of the spiritual world.
وَنُقَلِّبُ
أَفْئِدَتَهُمْ
وَأَبْصَارَهُمْ
كَمَا
لَمْ
يُؤْمِنُواْ
بِهِ
أَوَّلَ
مَرَّةٍ...
6: 110. We (too) shall turn to (confusion) their hearts and their eyes, even as they refused to believe in the first instance:
C938. Where there is sheer obstinacy and ridicule of faith, the result will be that such a sinner's heart will be hardened and his eyes will be sealed, so that he cannot even see the things visible to ordinary mortals.
The sinner gathers impetus in his descent towards wrong.
...وَنَذَرُهُمْ فِي طُغْيَانِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ ﴿١١٠﴾
We shall leave them in their trespasses, to wander in distraction.
C939. Cf. 2:15.
Allah's grace is always ready to help human weakness or ignorance and to accept repentance and give forgiveness.
But where the sinner is in actual rebellion, he will be given none, and it will be his own fault if he wanders about distractedly, without any certain hope or refuge.
6: 36
Asad Only they who listen [with their hearts] can respond to a call; and as for the dead [of hearts], God [alone] can raise them from the dead, whereupon unto Him they shall return. [note 27]
Pickthall Only those can accept who hear. As for the dead, Allah will raise them up; then unto Him they will be returned.
Transliteration Innama_ yastajibul lazina yasma'a_n(a), wal mauta_ yab'asuhumulla_hu summa ilaihi yurja'u_n(a).
6: 37
Pickthall They say: Why hath no portent been sent down upon him from his Lord? Say: Lo! Allah is Able to send down a portent. But most of them know not.
Transliteration Wa qa_la_ lau la_ nuzzila'alaihia a_yatum mir rabbih(i), qul innalla_ha qa_dirun 'ala_ ay yunazzilaa_yataw wa la_kinna aksarahum la_ ya'lamu_n(a).
6: 109
Asad Now they swear by God with their most solemn oaths that if a miracle were shown to them, they would indeed believe in this [divine writ]. Say: :Miracles are in the power of God alone.” [note 94] And for all you know, even if on should be shown to them, they would not believe
Pickthall And they swear a solemn oath by Allah that if there come unto them a portent they will believe therein. Say: Portents are with Allah and (so is) that which telleth you that if such came unto them they would not believe.
Transliteration Wa aqsamu_ billa_hi jahda aima_nihim la'in ja_'athum a_yatul layu'minunna biha_, qul innamal a_ya_tu 'indalla_hi wa ma_ yusy'irukum annaha_ iza_ ja_'at la_ yu'minu_n(a).
6: 110
Asad so long as We keep their hearts and their eyes turned [away from the truth] (note 95), even as they did not believe in it in the first instance: and [so] We shall leave them in their overweening arrogance, blindly stumbling to and fro.
Pickthall We confound their hearts and their eyes. As they believed not therein at the first, We let them wander blindly on in their contumacy.
Transliteration Wa nuqallibu af'idatahum wa absa_rahum kama_ lam yu'minu_ bihi awwala marratiw wa nazaruhum fi tugya_nihim ya'mahu_n(a).
[[Asad’s note 95 –I.e., so long as they remain blind to the truth in consequence of their unwillingness to acknowledge it – and this in accordance with the law of cause and effect which God has imposed on His creation (see surah 2, note 7)]]
[[ Ali’s notes - 938 Where there is sheer obstinacy and ridicule of faith, the result will be that such a sinner's heart will be hardened and his eyes will be sealed, so that he cannot even see the things visible to ordinary mortals. The sinner gathers impetus in his descent towards wrong. (6.110)
939 Cf. ii. 15. God's grace is always ready to help human weakness or ignorance and to accept repentance and give forgiveness. But where the sinner is in actual rebellion, he will be given none, and it will be his own fault if he wanders about distractedly, without any certain hope or refuge. (6.110)]]