3. Sura al-Imran

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَشْتَرُونَ بِعَهْدِ اللّهِ وَأَيْمَانِهِمْ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلاً ...

3: 77. As for those who sell the faith they owe to Allah and their own plighted word for a small price,

C412. All our duties to our fellow creatures are referred to the service and faith we owe to Allah. But in the matter of truth an appeal is made to our self-respect as responsible beings: is it becoming that we should be false to our own word, to ourselves?

And then we are reminded that the utmost we can gain by falsifying Allah's word or being untrue to ourselves is but a miserable price. We get at best something very paltry as the price for selling our very souls.

... أُوْلَـئِكَ لاَ خَلاَقَ لَهُمْ فِي الآخِرَةِ...

they shall have no portion in the hereafter:

...وَلاَ يُكَلِّمُهُمُ اللّهُ وَلاَ يَنظُرُ إِلَيْهِمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَلاَ يُزَكِّيهِمْ ...

nor will Allah (deign to) speak to them or look at them on the Day of Judgment, nor will He cleanse them (of sin);

C413. Even on sinners -ordinary sinners- Allah will look with compassion and mercy: He will speak words of kindness and cleanse them of their sins.

But those who are in active rebellion against Allah and sin against their own light, -what mercy can they expect?

...وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ ﴿٧٧﴾

they shall have a grievous penalty.

Asad’s Version:

3: 77 Behold, those who barter away their bond with God and their own pledges for a trifling gain- they shall not partake in the blessings of the life to come; and God will neither speak unto them nor look upon them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He cleanse them of their sins; and grievous suffering awaits them.