3. Sura al-Imran
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
إِذْ
قَالَ اللّهُ
يَا عِيسَى
إِنِّي مُتَوَفِّيكَ
وَرَافِعُكَ
إِلَيَّ ...
3: 55. Behold! Allah said:
"O Jesus! I will take thee and raise thee to Myself
C394. Read this with 4:157, where it is said that "whereas they slew him not nor they crucified him but it was made dubious unto them.
The guilt of the Jews remained, but Jesus was eventually taken up to Allah.
... وَمُطَهِّرُكَ مِنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ...
and clear thee (of the falsehoods) of those who blaspheme;
C395. Jesus was charged by the Jews with blasphemy as claiming to be Allah or the son of Allah.
The Christians (except a few early sects which were annihilated by persecution, and the modern sect of Unitarians), adopted the substance of the claim, and made it the cornerstone of their faith.
Allah clears Jesus of such a charge or claim.
...وَجَاعِلُ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوكَ فَوْقَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ ...
I will make those who follow thee superior to those who reject Faith, to the Day of Resurrection;
C396. Those who follow thee refers to both Muslims (insofar as they truly follow the basic teachings of Jesus) and Christians (who claim to follow him). [Eds].
...ثُمَّ إِلَيَّ مَرْجِعُكُمْ فَأَحْكُمُ بَيْنَكُمْ فِيمَا كُنتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ ﴿٥٥﴾
then shall ye all return unto Me, and I will judge between you of the matters wherein ye dispute.
C397. All the controversies about dogma and faith will disappear when we appear before Allah.
He will judge not by what we profess but by what we are.
Others version:
3: 55
Asad Lo! God said: “O Jesus! Verily, I shall cause thee to die, and shall exalt thee unto Me, and cleanse thee of [the presence of] those who follow thee [far] above those who are bent on denying the truth, and I shall place those who follow thee [far] above those who are bent ob denying the truth, unto the Day of Resurrection. In the end, unto Me you all must return, and I shall judge between you with regard to all on which you were wont to differ.
Yusuf Ali Behold! Allah said: "O Jesus! I will take thee and raise thee to Myself and clear thee (of the falsehoods) of those who blaspheme; I will make those who follow thee superior to those who reject Faith to the Day of Resurrection; then shall ye all return unto Me and I will judge between you of the matters wherein ye dispute.
Pickthall (And remember) when Allah said: O Jesus! Lo! I am gathering thee and causing thee to ascend unto Me, and am cleansing thee of those who disbelieve and am setting those who follow thee above those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection. Then unto Me ye will (all) return, and I shall judge between you as to that wherein ye used to differ.
Transliteration Iz qa_lalla_hu ya_ 'isa_ inni mutawaffika wa ra_fi'uka ilayya wa mutahhiruka minal lazina kafaru_ wa ja_'ilul lazinattaba'u_ka fauqal lazina kafaru_ ila_ yaumil qiya_mah(ti), summa ilayya marji'ukum fa ahkumu bainakum fima_ kuntum fihi takhtalifu_n(a).
16.Sura al-Nahl
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
وَلاَ تَكُونُواْ
كَالَّتِي
نَقَضَتْ غَزْلَهَا
مِن بَعْدِ
قُوَّةٍ أَنكَاثًا...
16: 92. And be not like a woman who breaks into untwisted strands they yarn which she has spun, after it has become strong.
C2129. The Covenant which binds us in the spiritual world makes us strong, like strands of fluffy cotton spun into a strong thread. It also gives us a sense of security against much evil in this world.
It costs a woman much labour and skill to spin good strong yarn. She would be foolish indeed, after she has spun such yarn, to untwist its constituent strands and break them into flimsy pieces.
... تَتَّخِذُونَ أَيْمَانَكُمْ دَخَلاً بَيْنَكُمْ...
Nor take your oaths to practice deception between yourselves,
C2130. Nor: I construe tattakhithuna with takunu in the previous clause.
... أَن تَكُونَ أُمَّةٌ هِيَ أَرْبَى مِنْ أُمَّةٍ...
lest one party should be more numerous than another:
C2131. Do not make your religion merely a game of making your own party numerically strong by alliances cemented by oaths, which you readily break when a more numerous party offers you its alliance.
The Quraish were addicted to this vice, and in international politics at the present day, this seems to be almost a standard of national self-respect and international skill.
Islam teaches nobler ethics for individuals and nations. A Covenant should be looked upon as a solemn thing, not to be entered into except with the sincerest intention of carrying it out; and it is binding even if large numbers are ranged against it.
... إِنَّمَا يَبْلُوكُمُ اللّهُ بِهِ...
for Allah will test you by this;
... وَلَيُبَيِّنَنَّ لَكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ مَا كُنتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ ﴿٩٢﴾
and on the Day of Judgment He will certainly make clear to you (the truth of) that wherein ye disagree.
C2132. Disagreements need not necessarily cause conflict where the parties are sincere and honest and do not wish to take advantage of one another.
In such cases they do not go by numbers, groupings, and alliances, but by just conduct as in the sight of Allah. Honest differences will be removed when all things are made clear in the Hereafter.
Others version:
16: 92
Asad Hence, be not like her who breaks and completely untwists the yarn which she has spun and made strong [herself] has spun and made strong – [be not like this by] using your oaths as a means of deceiving one another, simply because some of you may be more powerful than others.
By all this, God but puts you to a test – and [He does it] so that on Resurrection Day He might make clear unto you all that on which you were wont to differ.
Yusuf Ali And be not like a woman who breaks into untwisted strands the yarn which she has spun after it has become strong. Nor take your oaths to practice deception between yourselves lest one party should be more numerous than another: for Allah will test you by this; and on the Day of Judgment He will certainly make clear to you (the truth of) that wherein ye disagree.
Pickthall And be not like unto her who unravelleth the thread, after she hath made it strong, to thin filaments, making your oaths a deceit between you because of a nation being more numerous than (another) nation. Allah only trieth you thereby, and He verily will explain to you on the Day of Resurrection that wherein ye differed.
Transliteration Wa la_ taku_nu_ kal lati naqadat 'azlaha_ mim ba'di quwwatin anka_sa_(n), tattakhizu_na aima_nakum dakhalam bainakum an taku_na ummatun hiya arba_ min ummah(tin), innama_ yablu_kumulla_hu bih(i), wa layubayyinanna lakum yaumal qiya_mati ma_ kuntum fihi takhtalifu_n(a).
17. Surah Al Isra
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
وَكُلَّ
إِنسَانٍ
أَلْزَمْنَاهُ
طَآئِرَهُ فِي
عُنُقِهِ...
17: 13. Every man's fate We have fastened on his own neck:
C2187. Fate: Tair, literally a bird, hence an omen, an evil omen, fate.
Cf. 36:19.
The Arabs, like the ancient Romans, sought to read the mysteries of human fate from the flight of birds. And many of us in our own day seek to read our future fortunes by similar superstitions.
We read in the previous verse that there are Signs of Allah, but they are not meant to subserve the vulgar purpose of disclosing our future destiny in a worldly sense. They are meant for quite other purposes, as we have explained.
Our real fate does not depend upon birds or omens or stars. It depends on our deeds; good or evil, and they hang round our necks. (R).
...وَنُخْرِجُ لَهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ كِتَابًا يَلْقَاهُ مَنشُورًا ﴿١٣﴾
on the Day of Judgment We shall bring out for him a scroll, which he will see spread open.
C2188. These deeds, good or evil, will be embodied in a scroll which will be quite open to us in the light of the Day of Judgment, however much we may affect to be ignorant of it now or waste our energies in prying into mysteries that do not concern us.
Others version:
17: 13
Yusuf Ali Every man's fate We have fastened on his own neck: on the Day of Judgment We shall bring out for him a scroll which he will see spread open.
Pickthall And every man's augury have We fastened to his own neck, and We shall bring forth for him on the Day of Resurrection a book which he will find wide open.
Transliteration Wa kulla insa_nin alzamna_hu ta_'irahu_ fi 'unuqih(i), wa nukhriju lahu_ yaumal qiya_mati kita_bay yalqa_hu mansyu_ra_(n).