6. Sura al-Anam
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
أَوَ
مَن
كَانَ
مَيْتًا
فَأَحْيَيْنَاهُ
وَجَعَلْنَا
لَهُ
نُورًا
يَمْشِي
بِهِ
فِي
النَّاسِ...
6: 122. Can he who was dead, to whom We gave life, and a Light whereby he can walk amongst men,
C945. Here is an allegory of the good man with his divine mission and the evil man with his mission of evil.
- The former, before he got his spiritual life, was like one dead. It was Allah's grace that gave him spiritual life, with a Light by which he could walk and guide his own footsteps as well as the footsteps of those who are willing to follow God's light.
- The opposite type is that which hates Allah's light, which lives in the depths of darkness, and which plots and burrows against all that is good. But the plots of evil recoil on itself, although it thinks that they will hurt the good.
Can these two types be for a moment compared with each other?
Perhaps the lead in every centre of population is taken by the men of evil. But the good men should not be discouraged. They should work in righteousness and fulfil their mission.
...كَمَن مَّثَلُهُ فِي الظُّلُمَاتِ لَيْسَ بِخَارِجٍ مِّنْهَا...
be like him who is in the depths of darkness, from which he can never come out?
...كَذَلِكَ زُيِّنَ لِلْكَافِرِينَ مَا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ ﴿١٢٢﴾
Thus to those without faith their own deeds seem pleasing.
إِنَّ
مَا
تُوعَدُونَ
لآتٍ
...
6: 134. All that hath been promised unto you will come to pass:
C956. Both the good news and the warning which Allah's messengers came to give will be fulfilled. Nothing can stop Allah's Universal Plan.
See n. 947 to 6:125.
... وَمَا أَنتُم بِمُعْجِزِينَ ﴿١٣٤﴾
nor can ye frustrate it (in the least bit).
قُلْ
يَا
قَوْمِ
اعْمَلُواْ
عَلَى
مَكَانَتِكُمْ
إِنِّي
عَامِلٌ...
6: 135. Say:
"O my people! do whatever ye can: I will do (my part):
C957. In so far as this is addressed to the Unbelievers it is a challenge:
"Do your utmost; nothing will deter me from my duty: we shall see who wins in the end."
Passing from the particular occasion, we can understand it in a more general sense, which is true for all time. Let the evil ones do their worst. Let those who believe do all they can, according to their opportunities and abilities.
The individual must do the straight duty that lies before him. In the end Allah will judge, and His Judgement is always true and just.
...فَسَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ مَن تَكُونُ لَهُ عَاقِبَةُ الدِّارِ...
soon will ye know who it is whose end will be (best) in the Hereafter:
...إِنَّهُ لاَ يُفْلِحُ الظَّالِمُونَ ﴿١٣٥﴾
certain it is that the wrongdoers will not prosper."
وَجَعَلُواْ
لِلّهِ
مِمِّا
ذَرَأَ
مِنَ
الْحَرْثِ
وَالأَنْعَامِ
نَصِيبًا...
6: 136. Out of what Allah hath produced in abundance in tilth and in cattle, they assigned Him a share:
...فَقَالُواْ هَـذَا لِلّهِ بِزَعْمِهِمْ وَهَـذَا لِشُرَكَآئِنَا...
they say, according to their fancies: "This is for Allah, and this for our 'partners'"!
C958. There is scathing sarcasm here, which some of the Commentators have missed.
The Pagans have generally a big Pantheon, though above it they have a vague idea of a Supreme God. But the material benefits go to the godlings, the fancied "partners" of Allah; for they have temples, priests, dedications, etc., while the true and supreme God has only lip-worship, or at best a share with numerous "partners". This was so in Arabia also.
The shares assigned to the "partners", went to the priests and hangers-on of the "partners", who were many and clamorous for their rights. The share assigned to Allah went to the poor, but more probably went to the priests who had the cult of the "partners", for the Supreme God had no separate priests of His own.
It is also said that when heaps were thus laid out, if any portion of Allah's heap fell into the heaps of the "partners", the priests greedily and promptly appropriated it, while in the contrary case, the "partners" priests were careful to reclaim any portion from what they called "Allah's heap".
The absurdity of the whole thing is ridiculed. Allah created everything: how can He have a share?
...فَمَا كَانَ لِشُرَكَآئِهِمْ فَلاَ يَصِلُ إِلَى اللّهِ...
But the share of their 'partners' reacheth not Allah,
...وَمَا كَانَ لِلّهِ فَهُوَ يَصِلُ إِلَى شُرَكَآئِهِمْ ...
whilst the share of Allah reacheth their 'partners'!
...سَاء مَا يَحْكُمُونَ ﴿١٣٦﴾
Evil (and unjust) is their assignment!
Asad’s Version:
6: 122 Is then he who was dead [in spirit] and whom We thereupon gave life, and for whom We set up al ight whereby he might see his way among men – [is then he] like one in darkness deep, out of which he cannot emerge?
[But] thus it is ; goodly seem all their own doings to those who deny the truth.
6: 134Verily, that [reckoning] which you are promised is bound to come, and you cannot elude it!
6: 135 Say: ‘O my [unbelieving ] people! Do yet all that may be within your power, [while] I, behold, shall labor [in God’s way]; and in time you will come to know to whom the future belongs. Verily, never will evildoers attain to a happy state!” Asad
6: 136 “.....Certain it is that the wrongdoers will not prosper.” Ali