WHO DOES NOT GET GUIDENCE
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
أَلَمْ
تَرَ
إِلَى الَّذِي
حَآجَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ
فِي رِبِّهِ
أَنْ آتَاهُ
اللّهُ الْمُلْكَ
...
2: 258. Hast thou not turned thy vision to one who disputed with Abraham about his Lord, because Allah had granted him power?
C302. The three verses 258-360 have been the subject of much controversy as to the exact meaning to be attached to the incidents and the precise persons alluded to, whose names are not mentioned.
Mawlvi Muhammad Ali's learned notes give some indication of the points at issue. In such matters, where the Quran has given no names and the Holy Prophet has himself given no indication, it seems to me useless to speculate, and still worse to put forward positive opinions.
In questions of learning, speculations are often interesting. But it seems to me that the meaning of the Quran is so wide and universal that we are in danger of missing the real and eternal meaning if we go on disputing about minor points.
All three incidents are such as may happen again and again in any prophet's lifetime, and be seen in impersonal vision at any time. Here they are connected with Mustafa's vision as shown by the opening words of verse 258. (R).
... إِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّيَ الَّذِي يُحْيِـي وَيُمِيتُ...
Abraham said: "My Lord is He Who Giveth life and death."
... قَالَ أَنَا أُحْيِـي وَأُمِيتُ...
He said: "I give life and death."
... قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ فَإِنَّ اللّهَ يَأْتِي بِالشَّمْسِ مِنَ الْمَشْرِقِ فَأْتِ بِهَا مِنَ الْمَغْرِبِ...
Said Abraham: "But it is Allah that causeth the sun to rise from the East, do thou then cause him to rise from the West."
... فَبُهِتَ الَّذِي كَفَرَ...
Thus was he confounded who (in arrogance) rejected faith.
... وَاللّهُ لاَ يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ ﴿٢٥٨﴾
Nor doth Allah give guidance to a people unjust.
C303. The first point illustrated is the pride of power, and the impotence of human power as against Allah's power.
The person who disputed with Abraham may have been Nimrod or some ruler in Babylonia, or indeed elsewhere. I name Babylonia as it was the original home of Abraham (Ur of the Chaldees), and Babylon prided herself on her arts and sciences in the ancient world.
Science can do many wonderful things; it could then; it can now. But the mystery of Life baffled science then, as it continues to baffle science now, after many centuries of progress.
Abraham had faith and referred back everything to the true Cause of Causes.
A skeptical ruler might jestingly say:
"I have the power of life and death".
A man of science might say:
"We have investigated the laws of life and death."
Different kinds of powers lie in the hands of kings and men of knowledge. The claim in both cases is true in a very limited sense. But Abraham confounded the claimer by going back to fundamentals.
"If you had the ultimate power, why could you not make the sun rise from the West?"
Asad’s Version:
2: 258 Thereupon he who was bent on denying the truth remained dumbfounded: for God does not guide people who (deliberately) do wrong.
4. Sura an-Nisa
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
إِنَّ
الَّذِينَ
كَفَرُواْ
وَصَدُّواْ
عَن
سَبِيلِ
اللّهِ
قَدْ
ضَلُّواْ
ضَلاَلاً
بَعِيدًا
﴿١٦٧﴾
4: 167. Those who reject faith and keep off (men) from the way of Allah, have verily strayed far, far away from the path.
إِنَّ
الَّذِينَ
كَفَرُواْ
وَظَلَمُواْ
لَمْ
يَكُنِ
اللّهُ
لِيَغْفِرَ
لَهُمْ
وَلاَ
لِيَهْدِيَهُمْ
طَرِيقاً
﴿١٦٨﴾
4: 168. Those who reject faith and do wrong, Allah will not forgive them nor guide them to any way.
Asad’s Version:
4: 167 Behold, those who are bent on denying the truth and on turning others away from the path of God have indeed gone far astray. – God will indeed not forgive them, not will He guide them
4: 168, 168 Behold, those who are bent on denying the truth and on evildoing – God will indeed not forgive them, not will He guide them onto any road but the road that leads to hell, therein to abide beyond the count of time: and this is indeed easy for God.