4. Sura an-Nisa
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
لَّيْسَ
بِأَمَانِيِّكُمْ
وَلا أَمَانِيِّ
أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ...
4: 123. Not your desires, nor those of the People of the Book (can prevail):
C632. Personal responsibility is again and again insisted on as the key-note of Islam. In this are implied faith and right conduct.
Faith is not an external thing: it begins with an act of will, but if true and sincere, it affects the whole being, and leads to right conduct.
In this it is distinguished from the kind of faith which promises salvation because some one else in whom you are asked to believe has borne away the sins of men, or the kind of faith which says that because you are born of a certain race ("Children of Abraham") or a certain caste, you are privileged, and your conduct will be judged by a different standard from that of other men.
Whatever you are, if you do evil, you must suffer the consequences, unless Allah's Mercy comes to your help.
... مَن يَعْمَلْ سُوءًا يُجْزَ بِهِ...
whoever works evil, will be requited accordingly.
... وَلاَ يَجِدْ لَهُ مِن دُونِ اللّهِ وَلِيًّا وَلاَ نَصِيرًا ﴿١٢٣﴾
Nor will he find, besides Allah, any protector or helper.
Other versions:
4: 123
Asad It may not accord with your wishful thinking – nor with the wishful thinking of the followers of earlier revelation [note 143] – [that] he who does evil shall be required for it, and shall find none to protect him from God, and none to bring him succor,
Yusuf Ali Not your desires nor those of the people of the Book (can prevail): whoever works evil will be requited accordingly. Nor will he find besides Allah any protector or helper.
Pickthall It will not be in accordance with your desires, nor the desires of the People of the Scripture. He who doeth wrong will have the recompense thereof, and will not find against Allah any protecting friend or helper.
Transliteration Laiasaa bi ama_niyyikum wa la_ ama_niyyi ahlil kita_b(i), may ya'mal su_'ay yujza bih(i), wa la_ yajid lahu_ min du_nilla_hi waliyyaw wa la_ nasira_(n).
[[ Asad’s note 143 – An allusion to both the Jewish idea that they are “God’s chosen people” and, therefore, assure of His grace in the thereafter, and to the Christian dogma of “vicarious atonement”, which promises salvation to all who believe in Jesus as “God’s son”.]]
Ali’s note - 632 Personal responsibility is again and again insisted on as the key-note of Islam. In this are implied faith and right conduct. Faith is not an external thing: it begins with an act of will, but if true and sincere, it affects the whole being, and leads to right conduct. In this it is distinguished from the kind of faith which promises salvation because some one else in whom you are asked to believe has borne away the sins of men, or the kind of faith which says that because you are born of a certain race ("Children of Abraham") or a certain caste, you are privileged, and your conduct will be judged by a different standard from that of other men. Whatever you are, if you do evil, you must suffer the consequences, unless Allah's Mercy comes to your help. (4.123) ]]
17. Surah Al Isra
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
قُلِ
ادْعُواْ الَّذِينَ
زَعَمْتُم مِّن
دُونِهِ...
17: 56. Say:
"Call on those -- besides Him -- whom ye fancy:
...فَلاَ يَمْلِكُونَ كَشْفَ الضُّرِّ عَنكُمْ وَلاَ تَحْوِيلاً ﴿٥٦﴾
they have neither the power to remove your troubles from you nor to change them."
C2242. Men's suspicions of each or of the prophets have been condemned in the previous verses.
We now have the strongest condemnation of all, that of imagining any other being as being equal or in the same category with One true God. Allah has all power: they have no power. They cannot remove men's troubles. They cannot even mitigate or change them so as to afford the least relief. Why indulge in false worship?
أُولَـئِكَ
الَّذِينَ
يَدْعُونَ
يَبْتَغُونَ
إِلَى رَبِّهِمُ
الْوَسِيلَةَ...
17: 57. Those whom they call upon do desire (for themselves) means of access to their Lord --
...أَيُّهُمْ أَقْرَبُ وَيَرْجُونَ رَحْمَتَهُ وَيَخَافُونَ عَذَابَهُ...
even those who are nearest: they hope for His Mercy and fear His Wrath:
C2243. Where men or heroes, or prophets or angels are worshipped, the worship is futile; because;
- even if they are good and holy, and ever so near to Allah, yet the nearest of them have need to seek means of access to Allah, and they do seek such means, viz,: the hope of Allah's Grace;
- though by their very nature it is impossible for us to suppose that they will incur the Wrath of Allah, yet they are but creatures and are subject to the law of personal responsibility.
...إِنَّ عَذَابَ رَبِّكَ كَانَ مَحْذُورًا ﴿٥٧﴾
for the Wrath of thy Lord is something to take heed of.
Other versions:
17: 56 [al-Israa, Mecca 50 ]
Asad Say: “Call upon those whom you imagine beside Him – and they have it not in their power to remove any affliction from, or to shift it [elsewhere]
Yusuf Ali Say: "Call on those besides Him whom ye fancy: they have neither the power to remove your troubles from you nor to change them."
Pickthall Say: Cry unto those (saints and angels) whom ye assume (to be gods) beside Him, yet they have no power to rid you of misfortune nor to change.
Transliteration Qul-id'ul lazina za'amtum min du_nihi fala_ yamliku_na kasyfad durri 'ankum wa la_ tahwila_(n). 57.Ula_'ikal lazina yad'u_na yabtagu_na ilu_ rabbihimul wasilata ayyuhum aqrabu wa yarj_na rahmatahu_ wa yakha_fu_na 'aza_bah(u_), inna 'aza_ba rabbika ka_na mahzu_ra_(n).
[ Asad note 67: I.e., to transfer it onto themselves: obviously an allusion to the Christian doctrine of “vicarious atonement”. ]
17: 57
Yusuf Ali Those whom they call upon do desire (for themselves) means of access to their Lord even those who are nearest: they hope for His Mercy and fear His Wrath: for the Wrath of thy Lord is something to take heed of.
Pickthall Those unto whom they cry seek the way of approach to their Lord, which of them shall be the nearest; they hope for His mercy and they fear His doom. Lo! the doom of thy Lord is to be shunned.
Transliteration Wa im min qaryatin illa_ nahnu muhliku_ha_ qabla yaumil qiya_mati au mu'azzibu_ha_ 'aza_ban syadida_(n), ka_na za_lika fil kita_bi mastu_ra_(n).