16.Sura al-Nahl
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
وَلَقَدْ
نَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُمْ
يَقُولُونَ
إِنَّمَا يُعَلِّمُهُ
بَشَرٌ...
16: 103. We know indeed that they say, "It is a man that teaches him."
... لِّسَانُ الَّذِي يُلْحِدُونَ إِلَيْهِ أَعْجَمِيٌّ وَهَـذَا لِسَانٌ عَرَبِيٌّ مُّبِينٌ ﴿١٠٣﴾
The tongue of him they wickedly point to is notable foreign, while this is Arabic, pure and clear.
C2143. The wicked attribute to Prophets of Allah just such motives and springs of action as they themselves would be guilty of in such circumstances. The Pagans and those who were hostile to the revelation of Allah in Islam could not and cannot understand how such wonderful words could flow from the tongue of the Holy Prophet. They must need to postulate some human teacher.
Unfortunately for their postulate, any possible human teacher they could think of would be poor in Arabic speech if he had all the knowledge that the Quran reveals of previous revelations.
Apart from that, even the most eloquent Arab could not, and cannot, produce anything of the eloquence, width, and depth of Quranic teaching, as is evident from every verse of the Book. (R).
Other versions:
16: 103
Asad And, indeed, full well do We know that they say, “it is but a human being that imparts [all] this to him! The tongue of him to whom they so maliciously point is wholly outlandish, whereas this is Arabic speech, clear and clearly showing the truth.
Pickthall And We know well that they say: Only a man teacheth him. The speech of him at whom they falsely hint is outlandish, and this is clear Arabic speech.
Transliteration Wa laqad na'lamu annahum yaqu_lu_na innama_ yu'allimuhu_ basyar(un), lisa_nul lazi yulhidu_na ilaihi a'jamiyyuw wa ha_za_ lisa_nun 'arabiyyum mubin(un).
[see Asad note 131:…….see surah 12, note 2.]
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21. Surah Al Anbiya
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
اقْتَرَبَ
لِلنَّاسِ
حِسَابُهُمْ
...
21: 1. Closer and closer to mankind comes their Reckoning:
C2662. Every minute sees them nearer to their doom, and yet they are sadly heedless, and even actively turn away from the Message that would save them.
... وَهُمْ فِي غَفْلَةٍ مَّعْرِضُونَ ﴿١﴾
yet they heed not and they turn away.
مَا
يَأْتِيهِم
مِّن
ذِكْرٍ مَّن
رَّبِّهِم
مُّحْدَثٍ
إِلَّا اسْتَمَعُوهُ
وَهُمْ يَلْعَبُونَ
﴿٢﴾
21: 2. Never comes (aught) to them of a renewed Message from their Lord, but they listen to it as in jest --
C2663. In each age, when the Message of Allah is renewed, the very people who should have known better and welcomed the renewal and the sweeping away of human cobwebs, either receive it with amused self-superiority, which later turns to active hostility, or with careless indifference.
لَاهِيَةً
قُلُوبُهُمْ...
21: 3. Their hearts toying as with trifles.
...وَأَسَرُّواْ النَّجْوَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ ...
The wrongdoers conceal their private counsels, (saying),
C2664. Allah's Message is free and open, in the full light of day. His enemies plot against it in secrecy, lest their own false motives be exposed. Their jealousy prevents them from accepting a "man like themselves" as a teacher or warner or guide.
... هَلْ هَذَا إِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُكُمْ...
"Is this (one) more than a man like yourselves?
...أَفَتَأْتُونَ السِّحْرَ وَأَنتُمْ تُبْصِرُونَ ﴿٣﴾
Will ye go to witchcraft with your eyes open?"
C2665. Literally, "in a state in which you (actually) see (that it is witchcraft)".
When Allah's Messenger is proved to be above them in moral worth, in true insight, in earnestness and power of eloquence, they accuse him of witchcraft, a word which may mean nothing, or perhaps some mysterious deceitful arts.
21:1
CLOSER DRAWS unto men their reckoning: and yet they remain stubbornly heedless [of its approach]. 1
(21:2) Whenever there comes unto them any new reminder from their Sustainer, they but listen to it with playful amusement, 2
(21:3) their hearts set on passing delights; yet they who are [thus] bent on wrongdoing conceal their innermost thoughts 3 [when they say to one another], "Is this [Muhammad] anything but a mortal like yourselves? Will you, then,
yield to [his] spellbinding eloquence with your eyes open?" 4
[[ Asad’s notes - 1 Lit., "and yet in [their] heedlessness they are obstinate (mu'ridun)".
2 Lit., "while they are playing".
3 See next note.
4 As regards my occasional rendering of sihr (lit., "sorcery" or "magic") as "spellbinding eloquence", see 74:24, where this term occurs for the first time in the chronology of Qur'anic revelation. By rejecting the message of the Qur'an on the specious plea that Muhammad is but a human being endowed with "spellbinding eloquence", the opponents of the Qur'anic doctrine in reality "conceal their innermost thoughts": for, their rejection is due not so much to any pertinent criticism of this doctrine as, rather, to their instinctive, deep- set unwillingness to submit to the moral and spiritual discipline which an acceptance of the Prophet's call would entail. ]]