14. Surah Ibrahim

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

الَّذِينَ يَسْتَحِبُّونَ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا عَلَى الآخِرَةِ...   

14: 3.     Those who love the life of this world more than the Hereafter,

C1873. The Unbelievers are here characterized in three ways:

1.     they love this ephemeral life and its vanities more than the true Life which goes into the Hereafter;

2.     they not only harm themselves but mislead others,

3.     their own crooked minds search for something crooked in Allah's straight Path (Cf. 7:45).

But in doing so, they go farther and farther from the Truth.

...وَيَصُدُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ اللّهِ وَيَبْغُونَهَا عِوَجًا... 

who hinder (men) from the Path of Allah and seek therein something crooked:

...أُوْلَـئِكَ فِي ضَلاَلٍ بَعِيدٍ ﴿٣﴾

they are astray by a long distance.

Others version:

14: 3

Asad awaits those who choose the life of this world as the sole object of their love, preferring it to the life to come, and who turn others away from the path of God and try to make it appear crooked. Such as these have indeed gone far astray.

Pickthall Those who love the life of the world more than the Hereafter, and debar (men) from the way of Allah and would have it crooked: such are far astray.

Transliteration Allazina yastajibu_nal haya_tad dunya_ 'alala a_khirati wa yasuddu_na 'an sabililla_hi wa yabgu_naha_ 'iwaja_(n), ula_'ika fi dala_lim ba'id(in).

17. Surah Al Isra

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

مَّن كَانَ يُرِيدُ الْعَاجِلَةَ عَجَّلْنَا لَهُ فِيهَا مَا نَشَاء لِمَن نُّرِيدُ...   

14: 18.  If any do wish for the transitory things (of this life), We readily grant them -- such things as We will, to such persons as We will:

C2196. An explanation is now given of how it is that prosperity sometimes seems to attend the wicked.

The explanation is threefold:

1.      the transitory things of this life are worth little in the eternal scheme of things;

2.     even they are provided, not just because their recipients wish for them, but according to a definite Plan of Allah; and

3.     in the end there is for the wicked the eternal Misery and deprivation of grace,-the Hell which is worse than destruction in the terms of this world.

...ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَا لَهُ جَهَنَّمَ يَصْلاهَا مَذْمُومًا مَّدْحُورًا ﴿١٨﴾

in the end have We provided Hell for them:

they will burn therein, disgraced and rejected.

C2197. All the pride and insolence will then be brought low. The disgrace and the exclusion from the "sight of the Face of Allah" will by themselves be punishments of which the magnitude cannot be measured in the terms of our present material life.

Pickthall’s Version:

17: 18

Pickthall Whoso desireth that (life) which hasteneth away, We hasten for him therein that We will for whom We please. And afterward We have appointed for him hell; he will endure the heat thereof, condemned, rejected.

Transliteration Man ka_na yuridul 'a_jilata'ajjalna_ lahu_ fiha_ ma_ nasya_'u liman nuridu summa ja'alna_ lahu_ jahannam(a), yasla_ha_ mazmu_mam madhu_ra_(n).