22. [al-Hajj, Medina 103]

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ عَلَى حَرْفٍ...  

22: 11.  There are among men some who serve Allah, as it were, on the verge:

C2782. They are men whose minds are not firm: they will have faith, if all goes well with them, but as soon as they are tried, they are found wanting.

They are a different kind from hypocrites. It is not fraud or double dealing that is their sin: it is a weak mind, petty standards of judging right by success, a selfishness that gives nothing but asks for all, a narrow-mindedness that does not go beyond petty mundane calculations- a "nicely calculated less or more" of the good things of this world.

They fail in both worlds, and their failure in this world is patent for every on-looker.

...فَإِنْ أَصَابَهُ خَيْرٌ اطْمَأَنَّ بِهِ...

if good befalls them, they are, therewith, well content;

...وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ فِتْنَةٌ انقَلَبَ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ...

but if a trial comes to them, they turn on their faces:

...خَسِرَ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةَ ذَلِكَ هُوَ الْخُسْرَانُ الْمُبِينُ ﴿١١﴾

they lose both this world and the Hereafter:

that is loss for all to see!

يَدْعُو مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لَا يَضُرُّهُ وَمَا لَا يَنفَعُهُ...  

22: 12.  They call on such deities, besides Allah, as can neither hurt nor profit them:

C2783. To such minds religion does not mean high endeavour, self-sacrifice for noble ends, the recognition of Allah's infinite world, but just a small concession to formalism, perhaps a present to an idol (literal or figurative), perhaps attendance at worship if it can be done without trouble!

It is false gods they worship, and the more they worship, the more they stray.

...ذَلِكَ هُوَ الضَّلَالُ الْبَعِيدُ ﴿١٢﴾

that is straying far indeed (from the Way)!

Asad’s Version:

22:11

And there is, too, among men many a one who worships God on the border-line [of faith]: 8 thus, if good befalls him, he is satisfied with Him; but if a trial assails him, he turns away utterly,' losing [thereby both] this world and the life to come: [and] this, indeed, is a loss

beyond compare. 10

Arabic Source and Roman Transliteration Arabic   وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ حَرْفٍ ۖ فَإِنْ أَصَابَهُ خَيْرٌ اطْمَأَنَّ بِهِ ۖ وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ فِتْنَةٌ انقَلَبَ عَلَىٰ وَجْهِهِ خَسِرَ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةَ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ الْخُسْرَانُ الْمُبِينُ &#x21E8 Transliteration   Wamina alnnasi man yaAAbudu Allaha AAala harfin fa-in asabahu khayrun itmaanna bihi wa-in asabat-hu fitnatun inqalaba AAala wajhihi khasira alddunya waal-akhirata thalika huwa alkhusranu almubeenu &#x21E8

Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning Muhammad Asad   And there is, too, among men many a one who worships God on the border-line [of faith]: thus, if good befalls him, he is satisfied with Him; but if a trial assails him, he turns away utterly, losing [thereby both] this world and the life to come: [and] this, indeed, is a loss beyond compare! &#x21E8 M. M. Pickthall   And among mankind is he who worshippeth Allah upon a narrow marge so that if good befalleth him he is content therewith, but if a trial befalleth him, he falleth away utterly. He loseth both the world and the Hereafter. That is the sheer loss. &#x21E8 Shakir   And among men is he who serves Allah (standing) on the verge, so that if good befalls him he is satisfied therewith, but if a trial afflict him he turns back headlong; he loses this world as well as the hereafter; that is a manifest loss. &#x21E8 Yusuf Ali   There are among men some who serve Allah, as it were, on the verge: if good befalls them, they are, therewith, well content; but if a trial comes to them, they turn on their faces: they lose both this world and the Hereafter: that is loss for all to see! &#x21E8 Wahiduddin Khan   There are some who worship God half-heartedly, then, if some good befalls them, they are content with it, but if an ordeal befalls them, they revert to their former ways. They lose in this world as well in the Hereafter. That is a clear loss. &#x21E8 [Al-Muntakhab]   And among people are some who serve Allah conditionally, standing on the brink or border, as it were, between faith without and infidelity within. If all goes well with any of them and he makes worldly gains he is gratified and he advances without and to his heart's content. And should he be tested for true belief and inclination and he is consequently befallen with a misfortune or wedded to a calamity he retracts and retreats within, he tumbles down on his face and turns renegade wherefore he loses both worlds, here and Hereafter, And this is indeed the utmost loss. &#x21E8 [Progressive Muslims]   And from the people there is he who serves God nervously. So if good comes to him, he is content with it; and if an ordeal comes to him, he makes an about-face. He has lost this world and the Hereafter. Such is the clear loss. &#

22:12

[By behaving thus,] he invokes, instead of God, something that can neither harm nor benefit him:" [and] this is indeed the utmost one can go astray. 12 (22:13) [And sometimes] he invokes [another human being - ] one that is far more likely to cause harm than benefit: vile, indeed, is such a patron, and vile the follower! 13

Arabic Source and Roman Transliteration Arabic   يَدْعُو مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لَا يَضُرُّهُ وَمَا لَا يَنفَعُهُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ الضَّلَالُ الْبَعِيدُ &#x21E8 Transliteration   YadAAoo min dooni Allahi ma la yadurruhu wama la yanfaAAuhu thalika huwa alddalalu albaAAeedu &#x21E8

Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning Muhammad Asad   [By behaving thus,] he invokes, instead of God, something that can neither harm nor benefit him: [and] this is indeed the utmost one can go astray. &#x21E8 M. M. Pickthall   He calleth, beside Allah, unto that which hurteth him not nor benefiteth him. That is the far error. &#x21E8 Shakir   He calls besides Allah upon that which does not harm him and that which does not profit him, that is the great straying. &#x21E8 Yusuf Ali   They call on such deities, besides Allah, as can neither hurt nor profit them: that is straying far indeed (from the Way)! &#x21E8 Wahiduddin Khan   He calls on, instead of God, something that can neither harm him, nor benefit him. That is indeed straying far away &#x21E8 [Al-Muntakhab]   He erroneously invokes besides Allah objects unable to harm him nor profit him and this is perversion in the extreme. &#x21E8 [Progressive Muslims]   He calls upon besides God what will not harm him and what will not benefit him. Such is the far straying.

[[Asad’s notes - 8 I.e., wavering between belief and disbelief, and not really committed to either.

9 Lit., "he turns about on his face" the "face" (wajh) of man signifying metonymically his whole being.

10 Lit., "the [most] obvious loss".

1 1 By failing to commit himself unreservedly to the faith which he professes, man is often inclined to attribute to all manner of extraneous forces, be they real or imaginary, a decisive "influence" on his own destiny, and thus invests them, as it were, with divine qualities.

12 Lit., "this, this (dhalika huwa) is the straying far-away". For an explanation of my paraphrase,

see note 25 on the last sentence of 14:18.

1 3 The interpolation of "another human being" in the opening clause of this verse is necessitated by the relative pronoun man ("one that" or "who"), which almost always relates to an animate person - in this case, a human being who, by allowing himself to be idolized by those who "worship God on the border-line of faith", causes infinite spiritual harm to himself and to his followers.]]