5. Surah Al-Ma'idah
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
يَا
أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ
آمَنُواْ ...
5: 105. O ye who believe!
... عَلَيْكُمْ أَنفُسَكُمْ لاَ يَضُرُّكُم مَّن ضَلَّ إِذَا اهْتَدَيْتُمْ ...
guard your own souls:
if ye follow (right) guidance, no hurt can come to you from those who stray.
... إِلَى اللّهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ جَمِيعًا فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ ﴿١٠٥﴾
The goal of you all is to Allah:
it is He that will show you the truth of all that ye do.
C811. The unity of the one Judge will do perfect justice to each one's conduct, however different in form it may have appeared in this world.
Others version:
5: 105 [al-Maidah. Medina 112 ]
Asad O you who have attained to faith! It is [but] for your own selves that you are responsible: those who go astray can do you no harm if you [yourselves] are on the right path. Unto God you all must return: and they He will make you [truly] understand all that you were doing [in life].
Yusuf Ali O ye who believe! guard your own souls: if ye follow (right) guidance no hurt can come to you from those who stray. The goal of you all is to Allah: it is He that will show you the truth of all that ye do.
Pickthall O ye who believe! Ye have charge of your own souls. He who erreth cannot injure you if ye are rightly guided. Unto Allah ye will all return; and then He will inform you of what ye used to do.
Transliteration Ya_ ayyuhal lazina a_manu_'alaikum anfusakum, la_ yadurrukum man dalla izahtadaitum, ilalla_hi marji'ukum jami'an fa yunabbi'ukum bima_ kuntum ta'malu_n(a).
6. Sura al-Anam
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
وَهُوَ
الَّذِي يَتَوَفَّاكُم
بِاللَّيْلِ
وَيَعْلَمُ
مَا جَرَحْتُم
بِالنَّهَارِ...
6: 60. It is He Who doth take your souls by night, and hath knowledge of all that ye have done by day.
...ثُمَّ يَبْعَثُكُمْ فِيهِ لِيُقْضَى أَجَلٌ مُّسَمًّى...
By day doth He raise you up again; that a term appointed be fulfilled;
...ثُمَّ إِلَيْهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ ثُمَّ يُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ ﴿٦٠﴾
in the end unto Him will be your return, then will He show you the truth of all that ye did.
C881. As the rest of His Creation is subject to His Law and Plan, so is man's life in every particular and at every moment, awake or asleep.
The mystery of Sleep -"the twin brother of death"- is called the taking of our soul by Him, with the record of all we have done in our waking moments, and this record sometimes appears to us in confused glimpses in dreams. By day we awaken again to our activities, and so it goes on until we fulfil the term of our life appointed for this earth.
Then comes the other Sleep (death), with the longer record of our Day (Life); and then, in the end comes the Resurrection and Judgment, at which we see everything clearly and not as in dreams, for that is the final Reality.
Others version:
6: 60
Asad And He it is who causes you to be [like] dead [note 50] at night, and knows what you work in daytime; and He brings you back to life each day [note 51] in order that a term set [by Him] be fulfilled. In the end, unto Him you must return; and then He will make you understand all that you were doing [in life].
Yusuf Ali It is He Who doth take your souls by night and hath knowledge of all that ye have done by day. By day doth He raise you up again; that a term appointed be fulfilled; in the end unto Him will be your return then will He show you the truth of all that ye did.
Pickthall He it is Who gathereth you at night and knoweth that which ye commit by day. Then He raiseth you again to life therein, that the term appointed (for you) may be accomplished. And afterward unto Him is your return. Then He will proclaim unto you what ye used to do.
Transliteration Wa huwal lazi yatawaffa_kum bil laili wa ya'lamu ma_ jarahtum bin naha_ri summa yab'asukum fihi liyuqda_ ajalum musamma_(n), summa ilaihi marji'ukum summa yunabbi'ukum bima_ kuntum ta'malu_n(a).
[[ Asad’s note 50 – For a full explanation of the verb ‘tawaffa’ – lit., “he took [something] in full” – see note 44 on 39:42, which is the earliest instance of its use in the Quran.
note 51 – Lit., “therein” – referring to the daytime. The polarity of sleep and wakefulness contains an allusion to life and death (cf. 78:9 – 11). ]]
[[ Ali’s note - 881 As the rest of His Creation is subject to His Law and Plan, so is man's life in every particular and at every moment, awake or asleep. The mystery of Sleep-" the twin brother of death" - is called the taking of our soul by Him, with the record of all we have done in our waking moments, and this record sometimes appears to us in confused glimpses in dreams. By day we awaken again to our activities, and so it goes on until we fulfill the term of our life appointed for this earth. Then comes the other Sleep (death), with the longer record of our Day (Life); and then, in the end comes the Resurrection and Judgment, at which we see everything clearly and not as in dreams, for that is the final Reality. (6.60)]]
16.Sura al-Nahl
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
وَأَقْسَمُواْ
بِاللّهِ جَهْدَ
أَيْمَانِهِمْ ...
16: 38. They swear their strongest oaths by Allah,
C2063. The strongest oath of the Pagan Arabs would be by the Supreme Allah; less strong oaths would be by their subordinate deities, or their ancestors, or other things they valued or held sacred.
... لاَ يَبْعَثُ اللّهُ مَن يَمُوتُ...
that Allah will not raise up those who die:
C2064. The usual Pagan creed is:
'If there is a God, it does not follow that He will raise us up; why should He?'
The answer is twofold:
- Allah has promised it, and Allah's promise is true;
- He must finally manifest the Truth to them, convict them of their falsehood, and enforce their personal responsibility (16:39).
... بَلَى وَعْدًا عَلَيْهِ حَقًّا وَلـكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٣٨﴾
Nay, but it is a promise (binding) on Him in truth:
but most among mankind realize it not.
لِيُبَيِّنَ
لَهُمُ الَّذِي
يَخْتَلِفُونَ
فِيهِ...
16: 39. (They must be raised up), in order that He may manifest to them the truth of that wherein they differ,
... وَلِيَعْلَمَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُواْ كَاذِبِينَ ﴿٣٩﴾
and that the rejecters of Truth may realize that they had indeed (surrendered to) Falsehood.
C2065. See the last note.
Others version:
16: 38
Asad ……Yea indeed! By a promise which He has willed upon Himself; but most people know it not.
Yusuf Ali They swear their strongest oaths by Allah that Allah will not raise up those who die: Nay but it is a promise (binding) on Him in truth: but most among mankind realize it not.
Pickthall And they swear by Allah their most binding oaths (that) Allah will not raise up him who dieth. Nay, but 1234
Yuksel They swore by God, in their strongest oaths, that God will not resurrect whoever dies. No, it is a promise of truth upon Him, but most people do not know.
Transliteration Wa aqsamu_ billa_hi jahda aima_nihim, la_ yab'asulla_hu may yamu_t(u), bala_ wa'dan 'alaihi haqqaw wa la_kinna aksaran na_si la_ ya'lamu_n(a),
16: 39
Asad [He will resurrect them] to the end that HE might make clear unto them all whereon they hold divergent views, and that they who are bent on denying the truth might come to know that they were liars.
Yusuf Ali (They must be raised up) in order that He may manifest to them the truth of that wherein they differ and that the rejecters of Truth may realize that they had indeed (surrendered to) Falsehood.
Pickthall That he may explain unto them that wherein they differ, and that those who disbelieved may know that they were liars.
Yuksel So that He will make clear for them that in which they have disputed, and so that those who have rejected will know that they were liars.
Transliteration Liyubayyina lahumul lazi yakhtalifu_na fihi wa liya'lamal lazina kafaru_ annahum ka_nu_ ka_zibin(a).