57 Al-Hadid (Iron)

Medina Period [94]

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

الَّذِينَ يَبْخَلُونَ وَيَأْمُرُونَ النَّاسَ بِالْبُخْلِ ...

57:24.   Such persons as are covetous and commend covetousness to men.

C5311. Neither the Covetous nor the Boasters have any place in the Good Pleasure of Allah. The Covetous are particularly insidious, as their avarice and niggardliness not only keep back the gifts of Allah from men, but their pernicious example dries up the streams of Charity in others.

... وَمَن يَتَوَلَّ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْغَنِيُّ الْحَمِيدُ ﴿٢٤﴾

And if any turn back (from Allah's Way), verily Allah is free of all needs, worthy of all praise.

C5312. It is Charity in Allah's Way that is especially in view here. If people are selfish and withhold their hand, they only injure themselves, They do not hurt Allah's Cause, for He is independent of all needs, and He will find other means of assisting His more meagerly-endowed servants; He is worthy of all praise in His care for His creatures.

Asad’s Version:


(57:24) those who are niggardly [with God's bounty] and bid others to be niggardly! 39

And he who turns his back [on this truth 40 ought to know that], verily, God alone is self- sufficient, the One to whom all praise is due!


[[Asad’s notes - 39 Cf. last sentence of 4:36 and the whole of verse 37.

40 I.e., does not want to admit that whatever has happened must have been willed by God. ]]


68 Al-Qalam (The Pen)

Mecca Period 2



The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:



فَلَا تُطِعِ الْمُكَذِّبِينَ ﴿٨﴾

68: 8.     So hearken not to those who deny (the Truth).

C5598. The enemies of Allah's truth are sometimes self-deceived. But quite often they have a glimmering of the truth in spite of their desire to shut their eyes. Then they compromise, and they would like the preachers of inconvenient truths to compromise with them. On those terms there would be mutual laudation. This easy path of making the best of both worlds is a real danger or temptation to the best of us, and we must be on our guard against it if we would really enter into the company of the Righteous who submit their wills to the Will of Allah. Abu Jahl freely offered impossible compromises to the holy Prophet.

 

وَدُّوا لَوْ تُدْهِنُ فَيُدْهِنُونَ ﴿٩﴾

68: 9.     Their desire is that thou shouldst be pliant; so would thy be pliant.

وَلَا تُطِعْ كُلَّ حَلَّافٍ مَّهِينٍ ﴿١٠﴾

68: 10.  Heed not the type of despicable man -- ready with oaths.

C5599. The type of each of these hatful qualities is not uncommon, though the combination of all in one man makes him peculiarly despicable, as was Walid ibn Mugaira, who was a ringleader in calumniating our Prophet and who came to an evil end not long after the battle of Badr, in which he received injuries.

C5600. It is only liars who swear on all occasions, small or great, because their word is not believed in. The true man's word, according to the proverb, is as good as his bond.

هَمَّازٍ مَّشَّاء بِنَمِيمٍ ﴿١١﴾

68: 11.  A slanderer, going about with calumnies.

مَنَّاعٍ لِّلْخَيْرِ مُعْتَدٍ أَثِيمٍ ﴿١٢﴾

68: 12.   (Habitually) hindering (all) good, transgressing beyond bounds, deep in sin.

عُتُلٍّ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ زَنِيمٍ ﴿١٣﴾

68: 13.  Violent (and cruel) -- with all that, base-born --

C5601. Besides the self-deceiver and the easy-going man, there is a third type, even more degraded. He has no idea of truth or sincerity. He is ready to swear friendship with every one and fidelity to every cause. But at the same moment he will slander and backbite, and cause mischief even between good but credulous persons. Evil seems to be his goal, and good his evil. He will not only pursue evil courses himself but prevent other people from doing right. When checked, he resorts to violence. In any case, he will intrude where he has no right, claiming relationship or power or consideration in circles which would gladly disown him. He is vain of his wealth or because he has a large following at his beck and call. Religion is to him merely old-fashioned superstition.

أَن كَانَ ذَا مَالٍ وَبَنِينَ ﴿١٤﴾

68: 14.  Because he possesses wealth and (numerous) sons.

C5602. "Because may connect with heed not" in verse 10, or with "violent and cruel" in verse 13.

In the former case, we construe: 'Pay no attention to despicable men of the character described, simply because they happen to have wealth or influence, or much backing in man-power.

In the latter case, we construe: the fellow is violent and cruel, he is puffed up with his wealth or riches or backing in man-power'.

In the eyes of Allah such a man is in any case branded and marked out as a sinner.

إِذَا تُتْلَى عَلَيْهِ آيَاتُنَا ...

68: 15.  When to him are rehearsed Our Signs,

C5603. Allah's Signs, by which He calls us, are everywhere-in nature and in our very heart and soul. In Revelation, every verse is a Sign, for it stands symbolically for far more than it says. "Sign" (Ayat) thus becomes a technical term for a verse of the Quran.

... قَالَ أَسَاطِيرُ الْأَوَّلِينَ ﴿١٥﴾

"Tales of the Ancients," he cries.

C5604. Cf. 6:25.

سَنَسِمُهُ عَلَى الْخُرْطُومِ ﴿١٦﴾

68: 16.  Soon shall We brand (the beast) on the snout!

C5605. literally, proboscis, the most sensitive limb of the elephant. The sinner makes himself a beast and can only be controlled by his snout.

 

إِنَّا بَلَوْنَاهُمْ كَمَا بَلَوْنَا أَصْحَابَ الْجَنَّةِ ...

68: 17.  Verily We have tried them as We tried the people of the Garden

C5606. "Why do the wicked flourish?" is a question asked in all ages. The answer is not simple. It must refer to

All these points are illustrated in the remarkable Parable of the People of the Garden, which also illustrates the greed, selfishness, and heedlessness of man, as well as his tendency to throw the blame on others if he can but think of a scapegoat.

All these foibles are shown, but the Mercy of Allah is boundless, and even after the worst sins and punishments, there may be hope of an even better orchard than the one lost, if only the repentance is true, and there is complete surrender to Allah's Will. But if, in spite of ail this, there is no surrender of the will, then, indeed, the punishment in the Hereafter is something incomparably greater than the little calamities in the Parable.

... إِذْ أَقْسَمُوا لَيَصْرِمُنَّهَا مُصْبِحِينَ ﴿١٧﴾

when they resolved to gather the fruits of the (garden) in the morning.

وَلَا يَسْتَثْنُونَ ﴿١٨﴾

68: 18.  But made no reservation, ("If it be Allah's Will").

C5607. We must always remember, in all our plans, that they depend for their success on how far they accord with Allah's Will and Plan. His universal Will is supreme over all affairs.

These foolish men had a secret plan to defraud the poor of their just rights, but they were put into a position where they could not do so. In trying to frustrate others, they were themselves frustrated.

فَطَافَ عَلَيْهَا طَائِفٌ مِّن رَّبِّكَ ...

68: 19.  So there came, on the (garden) a visitation from thy from thy Lord,

C5608. It was a terrible storm that blew down and destroyed the fruits and the trees. The whole place was changed out of all recognition.

... وَهُمْ نَائِمُونَ ﴿١٩﴾

(which swept away) all around, while they were asleep.

فَأَصْبَحَتْ كَالصَّرِيمِ ﴿٢٠﴾

68: 20.  So the (garden) became, by the morning, like a dark and desolate spot, (whose fruit had been gathered).

 

Asad’s version

(68:8) Hence, defer not to [the likes and dislikes of] those who give the lie to the truth:

(68:9) they would like thee to be soft [with them], so that they might be soft [with thee]. 5


68:10 Furthermore, 6 defer not to the contemptible swearer of oaths,

(68: 1 1) [or to] the slanderer that goes about with defaming tales,

(68:12) [or] the withholder of good, [or] the sinful aggressor,

(68:13) [or] one who is cruel, by greed possessed, 7 and, in addition to all this, utterly useless [to his fellow -men]. 8


68:14 Is it because he is possessed of worldly goods and children

(68:15) that, whenever Our messages are conveyed to him, such a one says, "Fables of ancient times"?' (68: 16) [For this] We shall brand him with indelible disgrace! 10 (68:17) [As for such sinners,] behold, We [but] try them 11 as We tried the owners of a certain garden who vowed that they would surely harvest its fruit on the morrow,

(68: 18) and made no allowance [for the will of God]: 12

(68: 19) whereupon a visitation for thy Sustainer came upon that [garden] while they were asleep,

(68:20) so that by the morrow it became barren and bleak.



Yuksel’s version


68:8 So do not obey those who deny.

68:9 They wish that you compromise, so they too can compromise.

Bad Character

68:10 Do not obey every lowly swearer.

68:11 A slanderer, a backbiter.

68:12 Forbidder of charity, a transgressor, a sinner.

68:13 Ignoble, and additionally, mischievous.

68:14 Because he possessed money and children.

68:15 When Our signs are recited to him, he says: "Tales from the past!"

68:16 We will mark him on the path.

68:17 We have tested them like We tested those who owned the farms, when they swore that they will harvest it in the morning.

68:18 They were without doubt.

68:19 So a passing sent from your Lord came to it while they all were asleep.

68:20 Thus, it became barren.




[[Asad’s note - 5 I.e., "they would like thee to be conciliatory in the matter of ethical principles and moral valuations, whereupon they would reciprocate and desist from actively opposing thee"


6 Lit., "And". The subsequently enumerated types of moral deficiency are, of course, mentioned only as examples of the type of man to whose likes or dislikes no consideration whatever should be shown.


7 The term utul - derived from the verb 'atala, "he dragged [someone or something] in a rough and cruel manner" - is used to describe a person combining within himself the attributes of cruelty and greed; hence the composite rendering adopted by me.


8 The commentators give the most divergent interpretations to the term zanim, which is evidently derived from the noun zanamah, denoting either of the two wattles, or fleshy skin protuberances, hanging below the ears of a goat. Since these wattles do not seem to have any physiological function, the term zanim has come to signify "someone [or "something"] not needed" (Taj al-'Arus): in other words, redundant or useless. It is, therefore, logical to assume that in the above context this term describes a person

who is entirely useless in the social sense.


9 The term banun (lit., "children" or "sons") is often used in the Qur'an metonymically, denoting "popular support" or "many adherents" ; in conjunction with the term mal ("worldly goods") it is meant to illustrate a certain mentality which attributes a pseudo-religious significance to wealth and influence, and regards these visible signs of worldly success as a post- factum evidence of the "righteousness" of the person concerned and, hence, of his not being in need of further guidance.


10 Lit., "We shall brand him on the snout" (khurtum). All commentators point out that this, idiomatic phrase has a strictly metaphorical meaning, namely, "We shall stigmatize him with indelible disgrace" (cf Lane II, 724, quoting both Raghib and Taj al-'Arus).


11 I.e., by bestowing on them affluence out of all proportion to their moral deserts.


12 I.e., they resolved upon their objective without the reservation, "if God so wills"; which points to the first lesson to be derived from this parable, as well as to its connection with the rhetorical question inverses 14-15 above.]]