4. Surah an-Nisa
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
أَلَمْ
تَرَ
إِلَى
الَّذِينَ
يُزَكُّونَ
أَنفُسَهُمْ...
4: 49. Hast thou not turned thy vision to those who claim sanctity for themselves?
C570. The sanctimonious or self-sanctified people are the farthest from sanctity or purity, which can only proceed from Allah. They cannot play with Allah's Truth and yet go on claiming to be guided and purified or justified by Allah.
Their falsehood in itself condemns them: no further proof is needed of their selfishness and evil.
... بَلِ اللّهُ يُزَكِّي مَن يَشَاء ...
Nay, but Allah doth sanctify whom He pleaseth
... وَلاَ يُظْلَمُونَ فَتِيلاً ﴿٤٩﴾
but never will they fail to receive justice in the least little thing.
C571. Literally, the small skin in the groove of a date stone, a thing of no value; fatila.
انظُرْ
كَيفَ
يَفْتَرُونَ
عَلَى
اللّهِ
الكَذِبَ
...
4: 50. Behold! how they invent a lie against Allah!
... وَكَفَى بِهِ إِثْمًا مُّبِينًا ﴿٥٠﴾
but that by itself is a manifest sin!
4: 49
Asad Are you not aware of those who consider themselves pure? [note 66] Nay, but it is God who causes whomever He wills to grow in purity; and none shall be wronged by as much as a hair’s breadth. [note 67]
Pickthall Hast thou not seen those who praise themselves for purity? Nay, Allah purifieth whom He will, and they will not be wronged even the hair upon a date stone.
Transliteration Alam tara ilal lazina yuzakku_na anfusahum, balilla_hu yuzakki may yasya_'u wa la_ yuzlamu_na fatila_(n).
4: 50
Asad Behold how they attribute their own lying inventions to God – than which there is no sin more obvious. [note 68]
Pickthall See, how they invent lies about Allah! That of itself is flagrant sin.
Transliteration Unzur kaifa yaftaru_na'alalla_hil kazib(a), wa kafa_ bihi ismam mubina_(n).
[[ Ali’s notes - 570 The sanctimonious or self-sanctified people are the farthest from sanctity or purity, which can only proceed from Allah. They cannot play with Allah's Truth and yet go on claiming to be guided and purified or justified by Allah. Their falsehood in itself condemns them: no further proof is needed of their selfishness and evil. (4.49)
571 Literally, the small skin in the groove of a date stone, a thing of no value; fatil. (4.49) ]]
[[ Asad’s notes - 66 – I.e., the Hews, who consider themselves to be “God’s chosen people” and , therefore, a priori destined for God’s grace, and the Christians, who believe in Jesus’ “vicarious atonement” for the sins of mankind. There is also an obvious connection between this observation and the reference to “shirk” in the preceding verse, inasmuch as the Jews and the Christians, while not actually believing in the existence
of any deity apart from God, ascribe divine or semi-divine qualities, in varying degrees, to certain human beings: the Christians by their elevation of Jesus to the status of a manifestation of God in human form and their open worship of a hierarchy of saints, and the Jews by their attribution of law-giving powers to the great Talmudic scholars whose legal verdicts are supposed to override, if need be, any ordinance of the scriptures (cf. in this respect 9:31). It goes without saying that this condemnation applies also to those Muslims who have fallen into the sin of worshipping saints and according them something of the reverence which is due to God alone. Consequently, the expression “those who consider themselves pure” comprises, in this context, all who think of themselves as believing in the One God (simply because they do not consciously worship a plurality of deities) but are, nevertheless, guilty of the sin of “shirk” in the deeper sense of this term.]]