35.Surah Fatir
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
هُوَ
الَّذِي
جَعَلَكُمْ
خَلَائِفَ فِي
الْأَرْضِ...
35:39. He it is that has made you inheritors in the earth:
C3930. inheritors: khalaif. In two senses:
1. as Vicegerents on earth, and
2. as successors to previous people who forfeited their rights by wrong-doing.
The honour and dignity of 1 and the examples of the past in 2 should have kept them straight and made them truly grateful.
... فَمَن كَفَرَ فَعَلَيْهِ كُفْرُهُ...
if, then, any do reject (Allah), their rejection (works) against themselves:
C3931. Their rejection and ingratitude only causes injury to themselves. They lose all honour and incur odium in the sight of Allah, and they complete their own undoing.
... وَلَا يَزِيدُ الْكَافِرِينَ كُفْرُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ إِلَّا مَقْتًا...
their rejection but adds to the odium for the Unbelievers in the sight of their Lord:
... وَلَا يَزِيدُ الْكَافِرِينَ كُفْرُهُمْ إِلَّا خَسَارًا ﴿٣٩﴾
their rejection but adds to (their own) undoing.
قُلْ
أَرَأَيْتُمْ
شُرَكَاءكُمُ
الَّذِينَ
تَدْعُونَ مِن
دُونِ اللَّهِ...
35: 40. Say:
"Have ye seen (these) 'partners' of yours whom ye call upon besides Allah?"
C3932. The people who enthrone in their hearts for worship anything besides Allah may well be asked a few questions. Some of such questions are indicated in the text with terse precision:
1. Have you seen these gods of yours?
Do they exist?
"Seeing" of course does not necessarily mean physical sight. We do not see the air, but no one doubts that it exists. And the air is a physical substance. There are forces that we know exist, but we do not see them. To us, who have Faith, Allah is a truer Reality than anything else that we know, including ourselves.
Can the false worshippers say that of any of their false gods?
2. Have your gods created or originated anything on earth?
You may worship power or wealth, but that is a scramble for things as between selfish men. Power or wealth does not create new men or new worlds.
3. Have they a share in the ordering of the heavens?
Obviously your false gods fail there.
4. Or have these false gods a book or revelation from the Supreme God, with clear evidence, to give them authority to teach men?
The Prophets or Messengers of Allah have such authority, and they bring evidence of the One True God.
The fact is that falsehood is falsehood, however much one form of it may support another by delusions.
... أَرُونِي مَاذَا خَلَقُوا مِنَ الْأَرْضِ...
Show me what it is they have created in the (wide) earth.
... أَمْ لَهُمْ شِرْكٌ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ...
Or have they a share in the heavens?
... أَمْ آتَيْنَاهُمْ كِتَابًا فَهُمْ عَلَى بَيِّنَةٍ مِّنْهُ...
Or have We given them a Book from which they (can derive) clear (evidence)? --
... بَلْ إِن يَعِدُ الظَّالِمُونَ بَعْضُهُم بَعْضًا إِلَّا غُرُورًا ﴿٤٠﴾
Nay, the wrongdoers promise each other nothing but delusions.
Asad’s Version:
(35:39) He it is who has made you inherit the earth. 24 Hence, he who is bent on denying the truth [of God's oneness and uniqueness ought to know that] this denial of his will fall back upon him: for their [persistent] denial of this truth does but add to the deniers' loathsomeness in their Sustainer's sight and, thus, their denial of
this truth does but add to the deniers' loss.
35:40 Say: "Have you ever [really] considered those beings and forces to whom you ascribe a share in God's divinity, 25 [and] whom you invoke beside God? Show me what it is that they have created on earth or do [you claim that] they have a share in [governing] the heavens?" Have We ever vouchsafed them 26 a divine writ on which they could rely as evidence [in support of their views]? 27 Nay, [the hope which] the evildoers hold out to one another [is] nothing but a delusion. 28