41. Sura Fussilat
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
وَمَنْ
أَحْسَنُ
قَوْلًا
مِّمَّن
دَعَا
إِلَى
اللَّهِ
وَعَمِلَ
صَالِحًا
...
41: 33. Who is better in speech than one who calls (men) to Allah, works righteousness,
... وَقَالَ إِنَّنِي مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ ﴿٣٣﴾
and says, "I am of those who bow in Islam"?
وَلَا
تَسْتَوِي
الْحَسَنَةُ
وَلَا
السَّيِّئَةُ
ادْفَعْ
بِالَّتِي
هِيَ
أَحْسَنُ...
41: 34. Nor can Goodness and Evil be equal. Repel (Evil) with what is better:
C4504.
- The man who was in the bondage of sin, you not only liberate from sin, but make him your greatest friend and helper in the cause of Allah!
Such is the alchemy of the Word of Allah!
...فَإِذَا الَّذِي بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُ عَدَاوَةٌ كَأَنَّهُ وَلِيٌّ حَمِيمٌ ﴿٣٤﴾
then will he between whom and thee was hatred become as it were thy friend and intimate!
C4505. Hamim: See n. 4500 above, and Introduction to Surah 40.
وَمَا
يُلَقَّاهَا
إِلَّا
الَّذِينَ
صَبَرُوا
وَمَا
يُلَقَّاهَا
إِلَّا
ذُو
حَظٍّ
عَظِيمٍ
﴿٣٥﴾
41: 35. And no one will be granted such goodness except those who exercise patience and self-restraint, none but persons of the greatest good fortune.
C4506. The moral standard referred to in the last verse can only be reached by the exercise of the highest patience and self-restraint.
All sorts of human weaknesses and counsels of pseudo-wisdom and "self-respect" will keep breaking in, but resist them as suggestions of Evil (see next verse).
If you reach anywhere near that high standard, you will be indeed most fortunate in a spiritual sense, for Allah's Revelation will have made you great and free.
وَإِمَّا
يَنزَغَنَّكَ
مِنَ
الشَّيْطَانِ
نَزْغٌ
فَاسْتَعِذْ
بِاللَّهِ
...
41: 36. And if (at any time) an incitement to discord is made to thee by the Evil One, seek refuge in Allah.
C4507. Nazagha has in it the idea of discord, slander, disharmony, as well as incitements to such disturbances in the soul.
They can only proceed from evil, and should be resisted with the help of Allah.
See also last note.
... إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ ﴿٣٦﴾
He is the One Who hears and knows all things.
Asad’s Version:
41:33 And who could be better of speech than he who calls [his fellow-men] unto God, and does what is just and right, and says, "Verily, I am of those who have surrendered themselves to God"?
(41:34) But [since] good and evil cannot be equal, repel thou [evil) with something that is better" - and lo! he between whom and thyself was enmity [may then become] as though he had [always] been close [unto thee], a true friend!
41:35 Yet [to achieve] this is not given to any but those who are wont to be patient in adversity: it is not given to any but those endowed with the greatest good fortune!
(41:36) Hence, if it should happen that a prompting from Satan stirs thee up [to blind anger], seek refuge with God: behold, He alone is all-hearing, all-knowing! 32