2. Surah Al Baqarah
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
يَا
بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ
...
2: 40. O children of Israel!
... اذْكُرُواْ نِعْمَتِيَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ...
call to mind the (special) favor which I bestowed upon you,
... وَأَوْفُواْ بِعَهْدِي أُوفِ بِعَهْدِكُمْ وَإِيَّايَ فَارْهَبُونِ ﴿٤٠﴾
and fulfil your Covenant with Me as I fulfil My Covenant with you and fear none but Me.
C58. The appeal is made to Israel subjectively in terms of their own tradition.
You claim to be a favoured nation; have you forgotten My favours?
You claim a special Covenant with Me: I have fulfilled My part of the Covenant by bringing you out of the land of bondage and giving you Canaan, the land "flowing with milk and honey" how have you fulfilled your part of the Covenant?
Do you fear for your national existence?
If you fear Me, nothing else will matter.
وَمِنْ
حَيْثُ خَرَجْتَ
فَوَلِّ وَجْهَكَ
شَطْرَ الْمَسْجِدِ
الْحَرَامِ
...
2: 150. So from whencesoever thou startest forth, turn thy face in the direction of the Sacred Mosque;
... وَحَيْثُ مَا كُنتُمْ فَوَلُّواْ وُجُوهَكُمْ شَطْرَهُ لِئَلاَّ يَكُونَ لِلنَّاسِ عَلَيْكُمْ حُجَّةٌ...
among wheresoever ye are turn your face thither, that there be no ground of dispute against you among the people,
... إِلاَّ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ مِنْهُمْ فَلاَ تَخْشَوْهُمْ وَاخْشَوْنِي...
except those of them that are bent on wickedness; so fear them not, but fear Me;
... وَلأُتِمَّ نِعْمَتِي عَلَيْكُمْ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ ﴿١٥٠﴾
and that I may complete My favors on you, and ye may (consent to) be guided.
Other versions:
2: 150
Asad Hence, from wherever you may come forth, turn your face [in prayer] towards the Inviolable House of Worship; and wherever you all may be, turn your faces towards it, so that people should have no argument against you unless they are bent upon wrongdoing. And hold not them in awe, but stand in awe of Me, and [obey Me,] so that I might bestow upon you the full measure of My blessings, and that you might follow the right path.
Yusuf Ali So from whencesoever thou startest forth turn thy face in the direction of the Sacred Mosque; among wheresoever ye are turn your face thither that there be no ground of dispute against you among the people except those of them that are bent on wickedness; so fear them not but fear Me; and that I may complete My favors on you and ye may (consent to) be guided.
Pickthall Whencesoever thou comest forth turn thy face toward the Inviolable Place of Worship; and wheresoever ye may be (O Muslims) turn your faces toward it (when ye pray) so that men may have no argument against you, save such of them as do injustice. Fear them not, but fear Me and so that I may complete My grace upon you, and that ye may be guided.
Transliteration Wa min haisu kharajta fawalli wajhaka syatral masjidil hara_m(i), wa haisu ma_ kuntum fawallu_ wuju_hakum syatrah(u_), li alla_ yaku_na linna_si 'alaikum hujjatun illal lazina zalamu_ minhum fala_ takhsyauhum wakhsyauni wa li utimma ni'mati 'alaikum wa la'allakum tahtadu_n(a
Stand in Awe of God
2: 40 [al-Baqarah, Medina 87 ]
Asad O Children of Israel! (note 31) Remember those blessings of Mine with which I graced you, and fulfill your promise unto Me, [whereupon] I shall fulfill My promise unto you; and of Me, stand in awe!
Yusuf Ali O children of Israel! call to mind the (special) favor which I bestowed upon you and fulfill your covenant with Me as I fulfill My covenant with you and fear none but Me.
Pickthall O Children of Israel! Remember My favor wherewith I favored you, and fulfil your (part of the) covenant, I shall fulfil My (part of the) covenant and fear Me.
Transliteration Ya_ bani isra_'ilaz kuru_ ni'matiyal lati an'amtu 'alaikum wa aufu_ bi 'ahdi u_fi bi 'ahdikum, wa iyya_ya farhabu_n(i).
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
إِنَّمَا
يَعْمُرُ مَسَاجِدَ
اللّهِ مَنْ
آمَنَ بِاللّهِ
وَالْيَوْمِ
الآخِرِ...
9: 18. The mosques of Allah shall be visited and maintained by such as
- believe in Allah and the Last Day,
...وَأَقَامَ الصَّلاَةَ وَآتَى الزَّكَاةَ وَلَمْ يَخْشَ إِلاَّ اللّهَ...
- establish regular prayers,
- and practice regular charity,
- and fear none (at all) except Allah.
C1267. See the previous note.
Sincere Believers are those who have faith in Allah and the future, and have a spirit of devotion and charity -a true and abiding spirit, not merely isolated acts now and again.
Moreover they must not bow to worldly greed or ambition, which produces fear of worldly power.
...فَعَسَى أُوْلَـئِكَ أَن يَكُونُواْ مِنَ الْمُهْتَدِينَ ﴿١٨﴾
It is they who are expected to be on true guidance.
C1268. Others may call themselves by what names they like. True guidance is shown by the tests here indicated.
Asad’s Version:
9: 18 Only he should visit or tend God’s house of worship who believes in God and the Last Day, and in constant in prayer, and spends in charity, and stands in awe of none but God: for [only such as] these may hope to be among the right guided!.
14. Surah Ibrahim
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
وَلَنُسْكِنَنَّـكُمُ
الأَرْضَ مِن
بَعْدِهِمْ...
14: 14. "And verily We shall cause you to abide in the land, and succeed them.
...ذَلِكَ لِمَنْ خَافَ مَقَامِي ...
This for such as fear the time when they shall stand before My tribunal --
C1888. "Fear" means here "have present before their minds something which should cause fear, so that they should shape their conduct in order to avoid the ill consequences of wickedness."
... وَخَافَ وَعِيدِ ﴿١٤﴾
such as fear the punishment denounced."
Other versions:
14: 14
Asad and most certainly shall We cause you to dwell on earth [long] after they have passed away: this is [My promise] unto all who stand in awe of My presence, and stand in awe of My warning!”
Yusuf Ali "And verily We shall cause you to abide in the land and succeed them. This for such as fear the time when they shall stand before My tribunal such as fear the punishment denounced."
Pickthall And verily We shall make you to dwell in the land after them. This is for him who feareth My Majesty and feareth My threats.
Transliteration Wa lanuskinannakumul arda mim ba'dihim, za_lika liman kha_fa maqa_mi wa kha_fa wa'id(i).
[ Asad note 18: Lit., “After them”: implying a divine promise that the truth preached by the apostles would outlive its detractors [cf. verse 9 above, “None knows them [now] save God”], and would triumph in the end.
Note 19: As Zamakhshari points out, the divine promise expressed in the above verse in equivalent to the statement in 7:128 that “the future (al-aqibah) belongs to the God-conscious”. ]