61. [As-Saff {the Ranks}, Medina 109]
Asad’s Version:
61:7
And who could be more wicked than one who invents [such] a lie about [a message from]
God, seeing that he is [but] being called to self-surrender unto Him? But God does not bestow His guidance upon evil-doing folk. (61:8) They aim to extinguish God's light with their utterances:' but God has willed to spread His light in all its fullness, however hateful this may be to all who deny the truth.
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
وَمَنْ
أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ
افْتَرَى عَلَى
اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ
وَهُوَ يُدْعَى
إِلَى الْإِسْلَامِ
...
61: 7. Who doth greater wrong than one who invents falsehood against Allah, even as he is being invited to Islam?
C5440. It is wrong in any case to uphold falsehoods and debasing superstitions, but it is doubly wrong when these are put forward in rivalry or opposition to the light of eternal Unity and Harmony which is Islam. Allah sends His guidance freely, but withdraws His Grace from those who willfully do wrong.
... وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ ﴿٧﴾
And Allah guides not those who do wrong.
Waman athlamu mimmani iftara AAala Allahi alkathiba wahuwa yudAAa ila al-islami waAllahu la yahdee alqawma alththalimeena |
Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning |
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And who could be more wicked than one who invents [such] a lie about [a message from] God, seeing that he is [but] being called to self-surrender unto Him? But God does not bestow His guidance upon evil-doing folk. |
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And who doeth greater wrong than he who inventeth a lie against Allah when he is summoned unto Al-Islam? And Allah guideth not wrongdoing folk. |
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And who is more unjust than he who forges a lie against Allah and he is invited to Islam, and Allah does not guide the unjust people. |
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Who doth greater wrong than one who invents falsehood against Allah, even as he is being invited to Islam? And Allah guides not those who do wrong. |
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And who does greater wrong than he who devised the lie against God while he is being called to submission to God? And God guides not the folk, ones who are unjust. |
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Who could be more wicked than one who invents lies about God when called to submit to Him? God does not guide the wrongdoers: |
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Who is more in the wrong than someone who invents a lie about God while he is being invited to [embrace] Islam? God does not guide such wrongdoing folk. |
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And who is more wicked than him who relates falsehood to Allah and incorporates with Him false gods and attributes to Him every falsity that could be devised at a time when he is graciously induced to believe in Allah the One, and Only. But Allah does not impress piety upon the hearts off the perverse who are wrongful of actions. |
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Who is more evil than one who fabricates lies about God, while he is being invited to surrender God does not guide the evil people. |
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[[Asad’s note- 5 Lit., "whatever there is between my hands" - a phrase explained in surah 3, note 3.
6 This prediction is supported by several references in the Gospel of St. John to the Parakletos (usually rendered as "Comforter") who was to come after Jesus. This designation is almost certainly a corruption of Periklytos ("the Much-Praised"), an exact Greek translation of the Aramaic term or name Mawhamana. (It is to be borne in mind that Aramaic was the language used in Palestine at the time of, and for some
centuries after, Jesus, and was thus undoubtedly the language in which the original - now lost - texts of the Gospels were composed.) In view of the phonetic closeness of Periklytos and Parakletos it is easy to understand how the translator - or, more probably, a later scribe - confused these two expressions. It is significant that both the Aramaic Mawhamana and the Greek Periklytos have the same meaning as the two names of the Last Prophet, Muhammad and Ahmad, both of which are derived from the verb hamida
("he praised") and the noun hamd ("praise"). An even more unequivocal prediction of the advent of the Prophet Muhammad - mentioned by name, in its Arabic form - is said to be forthcoming from the so-called Gospel of St. Barnabas, which, though now regarded as apocryphal, was accepted as authentic and was read in the churches until the year 496 of the Christian era, when it was banned as "heretical" by a decree of Pope Gelasius. However, since the original text of that Gospel is not available (having come down to us only in an Italian translation dating from the late sixteenth century), its authenticity cannot be established with certainty.
7 I.e., to the later followers of the Bible.
8 Alluding to the Qur'an (see 74:24-25 and the corresponding note12).]]
