16. [an-Nahl, Mecca 70]

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

وَلَوْ شَاء اللّهُ لَجَعَلَكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً...   

16: 93.  If Allah so willed, He could make you all one people:

... وَلكِن يُضِلُّ مَن يَشَاء وَيَهْدِي مَن يَشَاء... 

but He leaves straying whom He pleases, and He guides whom He pleases:

C2133. Cf. 14:4 and n. 1875.

Allah's Will and Plan, in allowing limited free-will to man, is, not to force man's will, but to give all guidance, and leave alone those who reject that guidance, in case they should repent and come back into Grace.

But in all cases, in so far as we are given the choice, we shall be called to account for all our actions. "Leaving to stray" does not mean that we can do what we please. Our personal responsibility remains.

... وَلَتُسْأَلُنَّ عَمَّا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ ﴿٩٣﴾

but ye shall certainly be called to account for all your actions.

Pickthall’s Version:

16: 93

Pickthall Had Allah willed He could have made you (all) one nation, but He sendeth whom He will astray and guideth whom He will, and ye will indeed be asked of what ye used to do.

Transliteration Wa lau sya_'alla_hu laja'alakum ummataw wa_hidataw wa la_kiy yudillu may yasya_'u wa yahdi may yasya_'(u), wa latus'alunna 'amma_ kuntum ta'malu_n(a).

===================================

24. [an-Nur, Medina 102]

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

...وَلَقَدْ أَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكُمْ آيَاتٍ مُّبَيِّنَاتٍ...

24: 34. We have already sent down to you verses making things clear,

...وَمَثَلًا مِّنَ الَّذِينَ خَلَوْا مِن قَبْلِكُمْ وَمَوْعِظَةً لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ ﴿٣٤﴾

an illustration from (the story of) people who passed away before you, and an admonition for those who fear (Allah).

C2995. This prepares the way for the magnificent Verse of Light that follows, and its sublime meaning. (R).

اللَّهُ نُورُ ...

Allahu Nuru

24: 35. Allah is the Light ...

C2996. Embedded within certain directions concerning a refined domestic and social life, comes this glorious parable of light, which contains layer upon layer of transcendent truth about spiritual mysteries.

No notes can do adequate justice to its full meaning. Volumes have been written on this subject. In these notes I propose to explain the simplest meaning of this passage. (R).

... السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ...

Allahu nooru alssamawati waal-ardi

... of the heavens and the earth.

C2997. The physical light is but a reflection of the true Light in the world of Reality, and that true Light is Allah.

We can only think of Allah in terms of our phenomenal experience, and in the phenomenal world, light is the purest thing we know, but physical light has drawbacks incidental to its physical nature: e.g.

- it is dependent upon some source external to itself;

- it is a passing phenomenon; if we take it to be a form of motion or energy it is unstable, like all physical phenomena;

- it is dependent on space and time;

its speed is 186,000 miles per second, and there are stars whose light takes thousands of years before it reaches the earth.

The perfect Light of Allah is free from any such defects. (R).

...مَثَلُ نُورِهِ كَمِشْكَاةٍ فِيهَا مِصْبَاحٌ...

mathalu noorihi kamishkatin feeha misbahun

The parable of His Light is as if there were a Niche and within it a lamp:

...الْمِصْبَاحُ فِي زُجَاجَةٍ...

almisbahu fee zujajatin

the Lamp enclosed in Glass:

C2998. The first three points in the Parable centre round the symbols of the Niche, the Lamp, and the Glass.

1. The Niche (Mishkat) is the little shallow recess in the wall of an Eastern house, fairly high from the ground, in which a light (before the days of electricity) was usually placed. Its height enabled it to diffuse the light in the room and minimised the shadows.

The background of the wall and the sides of the niche helped to throw the light well into the room, and if the wan was white-washed, it also acted as a reflector: the opening in front made the way for the light.

So with the spiritual Light; it is placed high, above worldly things; it has a niche or habitation of its own, in Revelation and other Signs of Allah; its access to men is by a special Way, open to all, yet closed to those who refuse its rays.

2. The Lamp is the core of the spiritual Truth, which is the real illumination; the Niche is nothing without it; the Niche is actually made for it.

3. The Glass is the transparent medium through which the Light passes. On the one hand, it protects the light from moths and other forms of low life and from gusts of wind, and on the other, it transmits the fight through a medium which is made up of and akin to the grosser substances of the earth (such as sand, soda, potash, etc.), so arranged as to admit the subtle to the gross by its transparency.

So the spiritual Truth has to be filtered through human language or human intelligence to make it intelligible to mankind.

...الزُّجَاجَةُ كَأَنَّهَا كَوْكَبٌ دُرِّيٌّ...

alzzujajatu kaannaha kawkabun durriyyun

the glass as it were a brilliant star:

C2999. The glass by itself does not shine. But when the light comes into it, it shines like a brilliant star.

So men of God, who preach Allah's Truth, are themselves illuminated by Allah's light and become the illuminating media through which that Light spreads and permeates human life.

...يُوقَدُ مِن شَجَرَةٍ مُّبَارَكَةٍ زَيْتُونِةٍ...

yooqadu min shajaratin mubarakatin zaytoonatin

lit from a blessed Tree, an Olive,

C3000. The olive tree is not a very impressive tree in its outward appearance. Its leaves have a dull greenish-brown colour, and in size it is inconspicuous. But its oil is used in sacred ceremonies and forms a wholesome ingredient of food. The fruit has a specially fine flavour.

Cf. n. 2880 to 23:20.

For the illuminating quality of its oil, see n. 3002 below.

...لَّا شَرْقِيَّةٍ وَلَا غَرْبِيَّةٍ...

la sharqiyyatin wala gharbiyyatin

neither of the East nor of the West,

C3001. This mystic Olive is not localised. It is neither of the East nor of the West. It is universal, for such is Allah's Light.

As applied to the olive, there is also a more literal meaning, which can be allegorised in a different way.

An olive tree with an eastern aspect gets only the rays of the morning sun; one with a western aspect, only the rays of the western sun. In the northern hemisphere the south aspect will give the sun's rays a great part of the day, while a north aspect will shut them out altogether, and vice versa in the southern hemisphere.

But a tree in the open plain or on a hill will get perpetual sunshine by day; it will be more mature, and the fruit and oil will be of superior quality. So Allah's light is not localised or immature: it is perfect and universal.

...يَكَادُ زَيْتُهَا يُضِيءُ وَلَوْ لَمْ تَمْسَسْهُ نَارٌ ...

yakadu zaytuha yudee-o walaw lam tamsas-hu narun

whose Oil is well-nigh luminous, though fire scarce touched it:

C3002. Pure olive oil is beautiful in colour, consistency, and illuminating power.

The world has tried all kinds of illuminants, and for economic reasons or convenience, one replaces another. But for coolness, comfort to the eyes, and steadiness, vegetable oils are superior to electricity, mineral oils, and animal oils.

And among vegetable oils, olive oil takes a high place and deserves its sacred associations. Its purity is almost like light itself: you may suppose it to be almost light before it is lit.

So with spiritual Truth: it illuminates the mind and understanding imperceptibly, almost before the human mind and heart have been consciously touched by it.

...نُّورٌ عَلَى نُورٍ...

noorun AAala noorin

Light upon Light!

...يَهْدِي اللَّهُ لِنُورِهِ مَن يَشَاء...

yahdee Allahu linoorihi man yashao

Allah doth guide whom He will to His Light.

...وَيَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ الْأَمْثَالَ لِلنَّاسِ...

wayadribu Allahu al-amthala lilnnasi

Allah doth set forth Parables for men:

...وَاللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ ﴿٣٥﴾

waAllahu bikulli shay-in AAaleemun

and Allah doth know all things.

C3003. Glorious, illimitable Light, which cannot be described or measured. And there are grades and grades of it, passing transcendently into regions of spiritual height, which man's imagination can scarcely conceive of. The topmost pinnacle is the true prototypal Light, the real Light, of which all others were reflections, the Light of Allah. Hence the saying of the Holy Prophet about Allah's "Seventy thousand veils of Light".

لَقَدْ أَنزَلْنَا آيَاتٍ مُّبَيِّنَاتٍ...

24: 46. We have indeed sent down Signs that make things manifest:

...وَاللَّهُ يَهْدِي مَن يَشَاء إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ ﴿٤٦﴾

and Allah guides whom He wills to a way that is straight.

وَيَقُولُونَ ...

24: 47. They say,

C3024. The Hypocrites, far from profiting from Allah's Light and Revelation, or declaring their open hostility, play fast and loose according to their selfish worldly aims.

... آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَبِالرَّسُولِ وَأَطَعْنَا...

"We believe in Allah and in the Messenger, and we obey":

...ثُمَّ يَتَوَلَّى فَرِيقٌ مِّنْهُم مِّن بَعْدِ ذَلِكَ...

but even after that, some of them turn away:

...وَمَا أُوْلَئِكَ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿٤٧﴾

they are not (really) Believers.

وَإِذَا دُعُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ لِيَحْكُمَ بَيْنَهُمْ إِذَا فَرِيقٌ مِّنْهُم مُّعْرِضُونَ ﴿٤٨﴾

24: 48. When they are summoned to Allah and His Messenger, in order that He may judge between them,

behold some of them decline (to come).

وَإِن يَكُن لَّهُمُ الْحَقُّ يَأْتُوا إِلَيْهِ مُذْعِنِينَ ﴿٤٩﴾

24: 49. But if the right is on their side, they come to him with all submission.

C3025. The Hypocrites only wanted to go to the judge who they thought was likely to give judgment in their favour.

If their case was incontestable, and justice was on their side, they readily came to the Prophet, knowing that he was just and would judge in their favour, even against his own adherents. But if they had done wrong, an impartial judge was not to their taste. They would rather go to some one who would tip the balance in their favour!

This form of selfishness and iniquity was not confined to the Hypocrites of Madinah. It is common in all ages, and should be suppressed.

Other Versions:

24:35

Asad’s Version:

24:34

AND, INDEED, from on high have We bestowed upon you messages clearly showing the truth, and [many] a lesson from [the stories of] those who have passed away before you, and [many] an admonition to the God-conscious.

24:35

God is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His light is, as it were, 50 that of a niche containing a lamp; the lamp is [enclosed] in glass, the glass [shining] like a radiant star: 51 [a lamp] lit from a blessed tree - an olive-tree that is neither of the east nor of the west 52 - the oil whereof [is so bright that it] would well-nigh give light [of itself] even though fire had not touched it: light upon light! 53

God guides unto His light him that wills [to be guided]; 54 and [to this end] God propounds parables unto men, since God [alone] has full knowledge of all things. 55

[[ Asad’s note - 54 Although most of the commentators read the above phrase in the sense of "God guides unto His light whomever He wills", Zamakhshari gives it the sense adopted in my rendering (both being syntactically permissible). ]]

Ruby’s note – I agree with Asad and Zamakhshari. Otherwise the meaning of human accountability to God lays down in the Quran would be diluted.]

24:46

INDEED. from on high have We bestowed messages clearly showing the truth; but God guides onto a straight way [only] him that wills [to be guided]."

(24:47) For, [many are] they [who] say, "We believe in God and in the Apostle, and we pay heed!" - but then, some of them turn away after this [assertion]: and these are by no means [true] believers.

-(24:48) And [so it

is that] whenever they are summoned unto God and His Apostle in order that [the divine writ]

might judge between them, 65 lo! some of them turn away;

(24:49) but if the truth happens to be

to their liking, they are quite willing to accept it! "

28. Al-Qasas, (The Story)

Mecca Period 49

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِي مَن يَشَاء...

28: 56. It is true thou wilt not be able to guide everyone whom thou lovest: but Allah guides those whom He will

C3388. The immediate occasion for this was the death of Abu Talib, an uncle whom the holy Prophet loved dearly and who had befriended and protected him.

The Prophet was naturally anxious that he should die in the profession of the true Faith, but the pagan Quraish leaders persuaded him to remain true to the faith of his fathers. This was an occasion of disappointment and grief to the Prophet.

We are told that in such circumstances we should not grieve. All whom we love do not necessarily share our views or beliefs. We must not judge.

Allah will guide whom He pleases and as He pleases. He alone knows the true inwardness of things.

...وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُهْتَدِينَ ﴿٥٦﴾

and He knows best those who receive guidance.

وَقَالُوا إِن نَّتَّبِعِ الْهُدَى مَعَكَ نُتَخَطَّفْ مِنْ أَرْضِنَا...

28: 57. They say: "If we were to follow the guidance with thee, we should be snatched away from our land."

C3389. Some Quraish said: "We see the truth of Islam, but if we abandon our people, we shall lose our hold on the land, and other people will dispossess us."

The answer is twofold, one literal and the other of deeper import.

1. 'Your land?

Why, the sanctuary of Makkah is sacred and secure because Allah has made it so. If you obey Allah's Word, you will be strengthened, not weakened.'

2. 'Makkah is the symbol of the Fortress of Spiritual Well-being. The Fruit of every Deed comes or should come as a tribute to Spiritual Well-being.

What are you afraid of?

It is Allah's Fortress. The more you seek Allah, the stronger you are in the Fortress.'

...أَوَلَمْ نُمَكِّن لَّهُمْ حَرَمًا آمِنًا...

Have We not established for them a secure Sanctuary,

...يُجْبَى إِلَيْهِ ثَمَرَاتُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ رِزْقًا مِن لَّدُنَّا ...

to which are brought as tribute fruits of all kinds? --

a provision from Ourselves?

...وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٥٧﴾

But most of them understand not.

وَكَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا مِن قَرْيَةٍ بَطِرَتْ مَعِيشَتَهَا...

28: 58. And how many populations We destroyed, which exulted in their life (of ease and plenty)!

...فَتِلْكَ مَسَاكِنُهُمْ لَمْ تُسْكَن مِّن بَعْدِهِمْ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا...

Now those habitations of theirs, after them, are deserted -- all but a (miserable) few!

...وَكُنَّا نَحْنُ الْوَارِثِينَ ﴿٥٨﴾

and We are their heirs!

C3390. A life of ease and plenty is nothing to boast of. Yet peoples or cities or civilisations grow insolently proud of such things.

There were many such in the past, which are now mere names! Their very sites are deserted in most cases, or buried in the debris of ages.

India is full of such sites nearly everywhere. The sites of Harappa and Mohenjo Daro are the most ancient hitherto unearthed in India, and they are themselves in layers covering centuries of time! And how many more there may be, of which we do not know even names! Fatehpur-Sikri was a magnificent ruin within a single generation. And there are thousands of Qasbas once flourishing and now reduced to small villages or altogether deserted.

But God is merciful and just. He does not destroy or degrade a people until they have had full opportunities of turning in repentance to Him and they have deliberately rejected His Law and continued in the practice of iniquity.

وَمَا كَانَ رَبُّكَ مُهْلِكَ الْقُرَى حَتَّى يَبْعَثَ فِي أُمِّهَا رَسُولًا يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِنَا...

28: 59. Nor was thy Lord the one to destroy a population until He had sent to its Center a Messenger, rehearsing to them Our Signs:

...وَمَا كُنَّا مُهْلِكِي الْقُرَى إِلَّا وَأَهْلُهَا ظَالِمُونَ ﴿٥٩﴾

nor are We going to destroy a population except when its members practice iniquity.

وَمَا أُوتِيتُم مِّن شَيْءٍ فَمَتَاعُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَزِينَتُهَا...

28: 60. The (material) things which ye are given are but the conveniences of this life and the glitter thereof;

C3391. The good things of this life have their uses and serve their convenience. But they are fleeting and their value is infinitely lower than that of Truth and Justice and Spiritual Well-being, the gifts which come as it were from Allah. No wise soul will be absorbed in the one and neglect the other, or will hesitate for a moment if it comes to be a choice between them.

...وَمَا عِندَ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَى...

but that which is with Allah is better and more enduring:

...أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ ﴿٦٠﴾

will ye not then be wise?

أَفَمَن وَعَدْنَاهُ وَعْدًا حَسَنًا...

28: 61. Are (these two) alike? --

one to whom We have made a goodly promise, and who is going to reach its (fulfillment),

C3392. The two classes of people are:

1. those who have faith in the goodly promise of Allah to the righteous, and who are doing everything in life to reach the fulfilment of that promise,

i.e., those who believe and work righteousness,

and

2. those who are ungrateful for such good things in this life as Allah has bestowed on them, by worshipping wealth or power or other symbols or idols of their fancy,

i.e., those who reject Faith and lead evil lives, for which they will have to answer in the Hereafter.

The two classes are poles asunder, and their future is described below.

...فَهُوَ لَاقِيهِ كَمَن مَّتَّعْنَاهُ مَتَاعَ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا...

and one to whom we have given the good things of this life,

...ثُمَّ هُوَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ مِنَ الْمُحْضَرِينَ ﴿٦١﴾

but who, on the Day of Judgment, is to be among those brought up (for punishment)?

وَيَوْمَ يُنَادِيهِمْ فَيَقُولُ...

28: 62. That Day Allah will call to them, and say:

...أَيْنَ شُرَكَائِيَ الَّذِينَ كُنتُمْ تَزْعُمُونَ ﴿٦٢﴾

"Where are my 'partners'? -- whom ye imagined (to be such)?"

قَالَ الَّذِينَ حَقَّ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقَوْلُ...

28: 63. Those against whom the charge will be proved, will say:

C3393. This and the next verse are concerned with the examination of those who neglected truth and righteousness and went after the worship of false gods. These were the "partners" they associated with Allah.

In so far as they were embodied in false or wicked leaders, the leaders will disown responsibility for them. 'We ourselves went wrong, and they followed our example, because it suited them: they worshipped, not us, but their own lusts.'

...رَبَّنَا هَؤُلَاء الَّذِينَ أَغْوَيْنَا أَغْوَيْنَاهُمْ كَمَا غَوَيْنَا ...

"Our Lord! these are the ones whom we led astray:

we led them astray, as we were astray ourselves:

...تَبَرَّأْنَا إِلَيْكَ...

we free ourselves (from them) in Thy presence!

...مَا كَانُوا إِيَّانَا يَعْبُدُونَ ﴿٦٣﴾

It was not us they worshipped."

C3394. Cf. 10:28.

False worship often names others, but really it is the worship of Self. The others whom they name will have nothing to do with them when the awful Penalty stands in the sight of both. Then each wrong-doer will have to look to his own case.

The wicked will then realise the gravity of the situation and wish that they had accepted the true guidance of Allah's Messengers.

وَقِيلَ ادْعُوا شُرَكَاءكُمْ فَدَعَوْهُمْ فَلَمْ يَسْتَجِيبُوا لَهُمْ وَرَأَوُا الْعَذَابَ...

28: 64. It will be said (to them): "Call upon your 'partners' (for help)":

they will call upon them, but they will not listen to them; and they will see the Penalty (before them);

...لَوْ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يَهْتَدُونَ ﴿٦٤﴾

(how they will wish) 'If only they had been open to guidance!'

Asad’s Version:

28:56 VERILY, thou canst not guide aright everyone whom thou lovest: but it is God who guides him that wills [to be guided]; 55 and He is fully aware of all who would let themselves be guided. 56

(28:57) Now some say, "If we were to follow the guidance to which thou invitest us,

we would be torn away from our very soil!" 57 Why - have We not established for them a sanctuary secure, to which, as a provision from Us, shall be gathered the fruits of all [good] things? 58 But most of them are unaware [of this truth].

[[ Ruby’s note – Asad’s interpretation of ‘he’ here meaning a human is consistent with many verses in the Quran that indicate that God guides not against one’s own will: the sentence immediately following conforms to this idea. ]]

[[Asad’s notes - 55 Or: "God guides whomever He wills" - either of these two renderings being syntactically correct. According to several extremely well-authenticated Traditions, the above verse relates to the Prophet's inability to induce his dying uncle Abu Talib, whom he loved dearly and who had loved and protected him throughout his life, to renounce the pagan beliefs of his ancestors and to profess faith in God's oneness. Influenced by Abu Jahl and other Meccan chieftains, Abu Talib died professing, in

his own words, "the creed of Abd al-Muttalib" (Bukhari) or, according to another version (quoted by Tabari), "the creed of my ancestors (al-ashyakh)" . However, the Qur'anic statement "thou canst not guide aright everyone whom thou lovest" has undoubtedly a timeless import as well: it stresses the inadequacy of all human endeavours to "convert" any other person, however loving and loved, to one's own beliefs, or to prevent him from falling into what one regards as error, unless that

person wills to be so guided.

56 The above rendering of the expression al-muhtadin conforms to the interpretations offered in this context by many classical commentators - e.g., "those who accept guidance" (Zamakhshari), "everyone who in time would find the right way" (Razi), "those who are prepared (musta'iddin) for it" (Baydawi), "all who deserve guidance" (Ibn Kathir), and so forth. Thus, God's guidance is but the final act of His grace with which He rewards all who desire to be guided. For a further consideration of this

problem, the reader is referred to Zamakhshari's illuminating remarks quoted in note 4 on 14:4.

57 Lit., "If we were to follow the guidance together with thee, we would be snatched away from our land" (or "our soil"). This passage has obviously a twofold connotation. On the historical plane, it echoes an objection voiced by many pagan Meccans to Muhammad's preaching: "If we were to accept thy call, most of the other tribes would regard this as a betrayal of our common ancestral beliefs, and would drive us away from our land." In a more general, timeless sense it reflects the hesitation of so many people of whatever period, environment or religious persuasion who, while realizing the

truth of a new spiritual call, are yet fearful of acknowledging it as true lest this acknowledgment cause a total breach between them and their community and thus, as it were, cut the ground from under their feet. 58 Like the preceding expression of fear, this Qur'anic answer, too, can be understood in two senses. In the limited, historical sense it is an allusion to Abraham's prayer that the land around the Kabah be made secure for all times and its natural barrenness be compensated by fruitful help from

outside (cf 14:35-41; also 2:126), and to God's acceptance of this prayer: thus, the Prophet's Meccan contemporaries are reminded that they need not fear to be dispossessed of this holy land so long as they remain righteous and trust in God. In its purely spiritual connotation, on the other hand, the "sanctuary secure" is God's promise - referred to in verse 61 below - that all who have faith in Him and are conscious of their responsibility to Him shall be graced with a sense of inner peace in this world and with enduring bliss in the life to come; and since they are thus to be rewarded with the "fruits" of all their good deeds, "no fear need they have, and neither shall

they grieve" (cf. 2:62, 3:170, 5:69, 6:48, 7:35, 10:62, 46:13). See also note 59 on 29:67. ]]

28:58

And how many a community that [once] exulted in its wanton wealth and ease of life have We

destroyed, so that those dwelling-places of theirs - all but a few have never been dwelt-in after

them: for it is indeed We alone who shall remain when all else will have passed away! 5 '

(28:59) Yet, withal, thy Sustainer would never destroy a community without having [first]

raised in its midst an apostle who would convey unto them Our messages; 60 and never would

We destroy a community unless its people are wont to do wrong [to one another]."

-764-

28:60

And [remember:] whatever you are given [now] is but for the [passing] enjoyment of life in

this world, and for its embellishment - whereas that which is with God is [so much] better and

more enduring. Will you not, then, use your reason?

(28:61) Is, then, he to whom We have

given that goodly promise which he shall see fulfilled [on his resurrection] 62 comparable to one

on whom We have bestowed [all] the enjoyments of this worldly life but who, on Resurrection

Day, will find himself among those that shall be arraigned [before Us]? 63

28:62

For, on that Day He will call unto them, and will ask: "Where, now, are those [beings or

powers] whom you imagined to have a share in My divinity?" 64

(28:63) [whereupon] they

against whom the word [of truth] shall thus stand revealed 65 will exclaim: "O our Sustainer!

Those whom we caused to err so grievously, we but caused to err as we ourselves had been

erring. We [now] disavow them before Thee: it was not us that they worshipped! " S7

28:64

And [they] will be told: "Call [now] unto those [beings or powers] to whom you were wont to

ascribe a share in God's divinity!" 68 - and they will call unto them [for help], but those [false

objects of worship] will not respond to them: whereupon they will see the suffering [that

awaits them the suffering which could have been avoided] if only they had allowed

themselves to be guided! 6 '

47. Muhammad [38 verses]

Medina 95

Asad’s Version:

(47:17) just as for those who are [willing to be] guided, He increases their [ability to follow His] guidance and causes them to grow in God-consciousness. 21

[[Asad’s note - 21 Lit., "and gives them their God-consciousness (taqwahum)".]]

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

وَالَّذِينَ اهْتَدَوْا زَادَهُمْ هُدًى وَآتَاهُمْ تَقْواهُمْ ﴿١٧﴾

47: 17. But to those who receive Guidance, He increases (the light of) Guidance, and bestows on them their Piety and Restraint (from evil).

C4838. Spiritual advancement is progressive: each step makes the next ones easier and more complete.