61. As-Saff (The Ranks)

Medina Period

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

وَإِذْ قَالَ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ يَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ إِنِّي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِلَيْكُم ...

61: 6. And remember, Jesus, the son of Mary, said: "O Children of Israel! I am the messenger of Allah (sent) to you

C5436. The mission of Jesus was to his own people, the Jews.

Cf. Matt. 10:5-6.

See also Matt. 15:24: "I am not sent but to the lost sheep of Israel;"

also Matt. 15:26: "It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs."

... مُّصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيَّ مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ ...

confirming the Law (which came) before me,

C5437. Cf. Matt. 5:17.

... وَمُبَشِّرًا بِرَسُولٍ يَأْتِي مِن بَعْدِي اسْمُهُ أَحْمَدُ ...

and giving glad Tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad."

C5438. "Ahmad", or "Muhammad", the Praised One, is almost a translation of the Greek word Periclytos.

In the present Gospel of John. 14:16, 15:26, and 16:7, the word "Comforter" in the English version is for the Greek word "Paracletos", which means "Advocate", "one called to the help of another, a kind friend", rather than "Comforter".

Our doctors contend that Paracleots is a corrupt reading for Periclytos, and that in their original saying of Jesus there was a prophecy of our holy Prophet Ahmad by name. Even if we read Paraclete, it would apply to the holy Prophet, who is "a Mercy for all creatures" (21:107) and "most kind and merciful to the Believers" (9:128).

See also n. 416 to 3:81.

... فَلَمَّا جَاءهُم بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ ...

But when he came to them with Clear Signs,

C5439. Our holy Prophet was foretold in many ways; and when he came, he showed forth many Clear Signs, for his whole life from beginning to end was one vast miracle. He fought and won against odds. Without learning from men he taught the highest wisdom. He melted hearts that were hard, and he strengthened hearts that were tender and required support. In all his sayings and doings men of discernment could see the working of Allah's hand; yet the ignorant Unbelievers called it all Sorcery!-called that unreal which became the most solid fact of human history!

... قَالُوا هَذَا سِحْرٌ مُّبِينٌ ﴿٦﴾

they said, "This is evident sorcery!"

وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَى عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ وَهُوَ يُدْعَى إِلَى الْإِسْلَامِ ...

61: 7. Who doth greater wrong than one who invents falsehood against Allah, even as he is being invited to Islam?

C5440. It is wrong in any case to uphold falsehoods and debasing superstitions, but it is doubly wrong when these are put forward in rivalry or opposition to the light of eternal Unity and Harmony which is Islam. Allah sends His guidance freely, but withdraws His Grace from those who willfully do wrong.

... وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ ﴿٧﴾

And Allah guides not those who do wrong.

Asad’s Version:

61:6 And [this happened, too,] when Jesus, the son of Mary, said: "O children of Israel! Behold, I am an apostle of God unto you, [sent] to confirm the truth of whatever there still remains 5 of the Torah, and to give [you] the glad tiding of an apostle who shall come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad." 6 But when he [whose coming Jesus had foretold] came unto them 7 with all evidence of the truth, they said: "This [alleged message of his] is [nothing but] spellbinding eloquence!" 8

61:7 And who could be more wicked than one who invents [such] a lie about [a message from] God, seeing that he is [but] being called to self-surrender unto Him? But God does not bestow His guidance upon evil-doing folk.

Yuksel’s Version:

The Messenger after Jesus

61:6 When Jesus, son of Mary, said, "O children of Israel, I am God's messenger to you, authenticating what is present with me of the Torah and bringing good news of a messenger to come after me whose name will be ‘most acclaimed.'" But when he showed them the clear proofs, they said, ‘This is clearly magic.'*

61:7 Who is more evil than one who fabricates lies about God, while he is being invited to peacefully surrender? God does not guide the evil people.

[[ Asad’s notes - 5 Lit., "whatever there is between my hands" - a phrase explained in surah 3, note 3.

6 This prediction is supported by several references in the Gospel of St. John to the Parakletos (usually rendered as "Comforter") who was to come after Jesus. This designation is almost certainly a corruption of Periklytos ("the Much-Praised"), an exact Greek translation of the Aramaic term or name Mawhamana.

(It is to be borne in mind that Aramaic was the language used in Palestine at the time of, and for some centuries after, Jesus, and was thus undoubtedly the language in which the original - now lost - texts of the Gospels were composed.)

In view of the phonetic closeness of Periklytos and Parakletos it is easy to understand how the translator - or, more probably, a later scribe - confused these two expressions. It is significant that both the Aramaic Mawhamana and the Greek Periklytos have the same meaning as the two names of the Last Prophet, Muhammad and Ahmad, both of which are derived from the verb hamida

("he praised") and the noun hamd ("praise"). An even more unequivocal prediction of the advent of the Prophet Muhammad - mentioned by name, in its Arabic form - is said to be forthcoming from the so-called Gospel of St. Barnabas, which, though now regarded as apocryphal, was accepted as authentic and was read in the churches until the year 496 of the Christian era, when it was banned as "heretical" by a decree of Pope Gelasius. However, since the original text of that Gospel is not available (having come down to us only in an Italian translation dating from the late sixteenth century), its authenticity cannot be established with certainty.

7 I.e., to the later followers of the Bible.

8 Alluding to the Qur'an (see 74:24-25 and the corresponding note 12).