Not Keeping agreement-word etc
5. Surah Al-Ma'idah
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
فَبِمَا
نَقْضِهِم
مِّيثَاقَهُمْ
لَعنَّاهُمْ
وَجَعَلْنَا
قُلُوبَهُمْ
قَاسِيَةً ...
5: 13. But because of their breach of their Covenant, We cursed them, and made their hearts grow hard:
C712. Cursed them: that means that because of the breach of their Covenant, Allah withdrew His overflowing Grace from them.
The withdrawal of Grace made their hearts grow hard in two ways:
1. they were no longer protected from the assaults of evil, and
2. they became impervious even to the message of forgiveness and mercy which is open to all Allah's creatures.
... يُحَرِّفُونَ الْكَلِمَ عَن مَّوَاضِعِهِ وَنَسُواْ حَظًّا مِّمَّا ذُكِّرُواْ بِهِ...
they change the words from their (right) places and forget a good part of the Message that was sent them,
... وَلاَ تَزَالُ تَطَّلِعُ عَلَىَ خَآئِنَةٍ مِّنْهُمْ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً مِّنْهُمُ ...
nor wilt thou cease to find them, barring a few, ever bent on (new) deceits:
C713. Israel, when it lost Allah's grace as above, began to sin against truth and religion in three ways:
1. they began to misuse Scripture itself, by either taking words out of their right meaning, or applying them to things for which they were never meant;
2. in doing so, they conveniently forgot a part of the Message and purpose of Allah: and
3. they invented new deceits to support the old ones.
... فَاعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَاصْفَحْ ...
but forgive them and overlook (their misdeeds):
C714. Cf. 2:109 and n. 110, where I have explained the different shades of meaning in the words for "forgiveness."
... إِنَّ اللّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ ﴿١٣﴾
for Allah loveth those who are kind.
Asad’s Version:
5: 13 Then, for having broken their solemn pledge, We rejected them and caused their hearts to harden – [so that now] they distort the meaning of the [revealed] words, taking them out of their context; they have forgotten much of what they had been told to bear in mind; and from all but a few of them you will always experience treachery. But pardon them, and forbear; verily, God loves the doers of good.
8. Surah Al Anfal
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
إِنَّ
شَرَّ الدَّوَابِّ
عِندَ اللّهِ
الَّذِينَ
كَفَرُواْ
فَهُمْ لاَ
يُؤْمِنُونَ ﴿٥٥﴾
8 :55. For the worst of beasts in the sight of Allah are those who reject Him:
They will not believe.
C1223. In 8:22 we were warned against "the worst of beasts in the sight of Allah", who do not make use of their faculties of hearing, speaking and understanding, in the service of Allah, and in fact misuse their faculties to blaspheme Allah.
The same brute creatures are shone here in another light: they are faithless both to Allah and man.
الَّذِينَ عَاهَدتَّ
مِنْهُمْ ثُمَّ
يَنقُضُونَ
عَهْدَهُمْ
فِي كُلِّ
مَرَّةٍ...
8: 56. They are those with whom thou didst make a Covenant, but they break their covenant every time
C1224. The immediate occasion was the repeated treachery of the BanuQuraiza after their treaties with the Muslims. But the general lesson remains, as noted in the two following verses.
Treachery in war is doubly wrong, for it endangers so many lives. Such treachery should be punished in such a way that it gets no chance again. Not only the actual perpetrators but those who follow their standard should be rendered powerless.
And the broken treaty should be denounced so that the innocent party can at least fight on equal terms.
From actual physical warfare we can carry the same lesson to spiritual warfare. A truce or understanding is possible with those who respect definite principles, not with those who have no principles and are merely out for oppression and wickedness.
...وَهُمْ لاَ يَتَّقُونَ ﴿٥٦﴾
and they have not the fear (of Allah).
8: 55
Asad Verily, the vilest creatures in the sight of God are those who are bent on denying the truth and therefore do not believe [note 58].
Pickthall Lo! the worst of beasts in Allah's sight are the ungrateful who will not believe;
Transliteration Inna syarrad dawa_bbi 'indalla_hil lazina kafaru_ fahum la_ yu'minu_n(a).
[[ Asad’s note 58 – Cf. verse 22 of this surah, where the same epithet is applied to human beings “who do not use their reason”. In the present instance, it should be noted, the particle ‘fa’ at the beginning of the phrase ‘fa-hum la yuminun’ has the meaning of “and therefore” (“and therefore they do not believe”): thus showing that lack of belief in spiritual verities is a consequence of one’s being “bent on denying the truth”.
Expressed in positive terms, this amounts to the statement that belief in any ethical proposition depends on one’s readiness to consider it on its merits and to admit the established – truths. As regards the expression ‘alladhina kafaru’, the use of the past tense is meant here, as so often in the Quran, to stress the element of intention, and is, therefore, consistently rendered by me –wherever the context warrants it – as “those who are bent on denying the truth’ (see also surah 2, note 6).]]
[[ Ali’s note - 1223 In viii. 22 we were warned against "the worst of beasts in the sight of Allah", who do not make use of their faculties of hearing, speaking and understanding, in the service of Allah, and in fact misuse their faculties to blaspheme Allah. The same brute creatures are shone here in another light: they are faithless both to Allah and man. (8.55) ]]
8: 56 Asad As for those with whom you have made a covenant, and who thereupon break their covenant on every occasion [note 59], not being conscious of God-
Pickthall Those of them with whom thou madest a treaty, and, then at every opportunity they break their treaty, and they keep not duty (to Allah).
Transliteration Allazina 'a_hatta minhum summa yanqudu_na 'ahdahum fi kulli marratiw wa hum la_ yattaqu_n(a).