16 Surah al-Nahl
The Quranic Text& Ali’s Version:
وَلاَ تَقُولُواْ
لِمَا تَصِفُ
أَلْسِنَتُكُمُ
الْكَذِبَ ...
16: 116. But say not, for any false thing that your tongues may put forth,
C2153. Men are apt to create taboos for themselves, out of superstition, and often for selfish ends, and enforce them in the name of religion. Nothing can be more reprehensible.
... هَـذَا حَلاَلٌ وَهَـذَا حَرَامٌ...
"This is lawful, and this is forbidden,"
... لِّتَفْتَرُواْ عَلَى اللّهِ الْكَذِبَ...
so as to ascribe false things to Allah.
... إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَفْتَرُونَ عَلَى اللّهِ الْكَذِبَ لاَ يُفْلِحُونَ ﴿١١٦﴾
For those who ascribe false things to Allah, will never prosper.
مَتَاعٌ
قَلِيلٌ وَلَهُمْ
عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ ﴿١١٧﴾
16: 117. (In such falsehood) is but a paltry profit; but they will have a most grievous Penalty.
16: 116
Pickthall And speak not, concerning that which your own tongues qualify (as clean or unclean), the falsehood: "This is lawful, and this is forbidden," so that ye invent a lie against Allah. Lo! those who invent a lie against Allah will not succeed.
Yuksel You shall not invent lies about God by attributing lies with your tongues, saying: "This is lawful and that is forbidden." Those who invent lies about God will not succeed.
Transliteration Wa la_ taqu_lu_ lima_ tasifu alsinatukumul kaziba ha_za_ hal_luw wa ha_za_ hara_mul litaftaru_ 'alalla_hil kazib(a), innal lazina yaftaru_na 'alalla_hil kaziba la_ yuflihu_n(a).
16: 117
Pickthall A brief enjoyment (will be theirs); and theirs a painful doom.
Yuksel A small enjoyment, and they will have a painful retribution.
.
Transliteration Mata_'un qaliluw wa lahum 'aza_bun alim(un).
30 . Surah Ar Rum
The Quranic Text& Ali’s Version:
مِنَ
الَّذِينَ
فَرَّقُوا
دِينَهُمْ
وَكَانُوا
شِيَعًا...
30 :32. Those who split up their Religion, and become (mere) Sects, --
...كُلُّ حِزْبٍ بِمَا لَدَيْهِمْ فَرِحُونَ ﴿٣٢﴾
each party rejoicing in that which is with itself!
C3544. A good description of self-satisfied sectarianism as against real Religion.
See n. 3542 above.
وَإِذَا
مَسَّ النَّاسَ
ضُرٌّ دَعَوْا
رَبَّهُم مُّنِيبِينَ
إِلَيْهِ...
30 :33. When trouble touches men, they cry to their Lord, turning back to Him in repentance:
C3545. Cf. 10:12.
It is trouble, distress, or adversity that makes men realize their helplessness and turns their attention back to the true Source of all goodness and happiness.
But when they are shown special Mercy -often more than they deserve- they forget themselves and attribute it to their own cleverness, or to the stars, or to some false ideas to which they pay court and worship, either to the exclusion of Allah or in addition to the lip-worship which they pay to Allah.
Their action in any case amounts to gross ingratitude; but in the circumstances it looks as if they had gone out of their way to show ingratitude.
...ثُمَّ إِذَا أَذَاقَهُم مِّنْهُ رَحْمَةً إِذَا فَرِيقٌ مِّنْهُم بِرَبِّهِمْ يُشْرِكُونَ ﴿٣٣﴾
but when He gives them a taste of Mercy as from Himself, behold, some of them pay part-worship to other gods besides their Lord. --
لِيَكْفُرُوا
بِمَا آتَيْنَاهُمْ...
30 :34. (As if) to show their ingratitude for the (favors) We have bestowed on them!
...فَتَمَتَّعُوا فَسَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٣٤﴾
Then enjoy (your brief day); but soon will ye know (your folly).
C3546. Cf. 16:54.
They are welcome to their fancies and false worship, and to the enjoyment of the pleasures of this Life, but they will soon be disillusioned. Then they will realize the true values of the things they neglected and the things they cultivated.
[[Ruby’s note – Splitting religion into sects is mentioned here with men’s tendency of shirk or associating false things to God for a reason I think. People splits or deviates from truth because by blind following of others and/or allegiance to a group etc. These can fall into the category of shirk and the allegiance to God is superseded by other consideration other than God’s moral laws and truths.]]
Asad’s Version:
(30:32) [or] among those who have broken the unity of their faith and have become sects, each group delighting in but what they themselves hold [by way of tenets]. 29
NOW [thus it is:] when affliction befalls men, they cry out unto their Sustainer, turning unto Him [for help]; but as soon as He lets them taste of His grace, lo! some of them [begin to ascribe to other powers a share in their Sustainer's divinity, 30
(30:34) [as if] to prove their ingratitude for all that We have granted them!
Enjoy, then, your [brief] life: but in time you will come to know [the truth] !
[[Asad’s notes - 29 See 6:159, 21 :92-93 and 23:52-53, as well as the corresponding notes.
30 See note 61 on 16:54. ]]