WHOM GOD REJECTS
4. Sura an-Nisa
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
أَلَمْ
تَرَ
إِلَى
الَّذِينَ
أُوتُواْ
نَصِيبًا
مِّنَ
الْكِتَابِ
...
4: 51. Hast thou not turned thy vision to those who were given a portion of the Book?
The phrase also occurs in 4:44.
... يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْجِبْتِ وَالطَّاغُوتِ...
They believe in sorcery and evil,
C573. The word I have translated Sorcery is jibt, which may mean divination, sorcery, magic, or any false object of belief or worship, such as an idol.
The word I have translated Evil (here and in 2:256) is Taghut, which means the evil one, the one who exceeds all bounds, Satan: or it may refer to some idol worshipped by the Pagan Arabs, with whom the Jews of Madinah were intriguing against the Holy Prophet.
The Jews had taken much to sorcery, magic, divination, and such superstitions.
... وَيَقُولُونَ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ هَؤُلاء أَهْدَى مِنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ سَبِيلاً ﴿٥١﴾
and say to the unbelievers that they are better guided in the (right) way than the believers!
أُوْلَـئِكَ
الَّذِينَ
لَعَنَهُمُ
اللّهُ...
4: 52. They are (men) whom Allah hath cursed:
... وَمَن يَلْعَنِ اللّهُ فَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُ نَصِيرًا ﴿٥٢﴾
and those whom Allah hath cursed, thou wilt find, have no one to help.
C574. The Jews were then seeking the aid of the Makkan Pagans against Muhammad, but far from getting any help from them, they and the Pagans were both overthrown.
That was the immediate occasion, but the words have a perfectly general -a universal- meaning.
وَمَن
يَقْتُلْ
مُؤْمِنًا
مُّتَعَمِّدًا
فَجَزَآؤُهُ
جَهَنَّمُ
خَالِدًا
فِيهَا...
4: 93. If a man kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell, to abide therein (for ever):
C612. What is mentioned here is the punishment in the Hereafter.
The legal consequences, enforceable by human society, are mentioned in 2:178, under the rules of Qisas.
That is, a life should be taken for a life destroyed, but this should be on a scale of equality: a single murder should not commit a whole tribe to a perpetual blood- feud, as in the days of ignorance. But if the heirs of the man slain accept reasonable compensation, this should be accepted, and the taking of a life for a life should be put a stop to. This course leads to the saving of life, and is commanded to men of understanding.
... وَغَضِبَ اللّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَلَعَنَهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُ عَذَابًا عَظِيمًا ﴿٩٣﴾
and the wrath and the curse of Allah are upon him,
and a dreadful penalty is prepared for him.
Asad’s Version:
4: 51 Are you not aware of those who, having been granted their share of the divine writ, [now] believe in baseless mysteries and in the powers of evil, and maintain that those who are bent on denying the truth are more surely guided than those who have attained to faith?
4: 52 It is they whom God has rejected: and he whom God rejects shall find none to succor him.
4: 93 But whoever deliberately slays another believer, his requital shall be hell, therein to abide; and God will condemn him, and will reject him, and will prepare for him awesome suffering.
WHOM GOD REJECTS
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.