Not Equal before God

9. Surah At Tawbah

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

أَجَعَلْتُمْ سِقَايَةَ الْحَاجِّ وَعِمَارَةَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ كَمَنْ...   

9: 19.  Do ye make the giving of drink to pilgrims, or the maintenance of the Sacred Mosque, equal to (the pious service of)

C1269. Giving drinks of cold water to thirsty pilgrims, and doing material services to a mosque are meritorious acts, but they are only external. If they do not touch the soul, their value is slight. Far greater, in the sight of Allah, are Faith, Endeavour, and self-surrender to Allah.

Men who practice these will obtain honour in the sight of Allah. Allah's light and guidance comes to them, and not to those self-sufficient beings who think that a little show of what the world considers piety is enough.

...آمَنَ بِاللّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ وَجَاهَدَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ ...

those who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and strive with might and main in the Cause of Allah?

...لاَ يَسْتَوُونَ عِندَ اللّهِ...

They are not comparable in the sight of Allah:

...وَاللّهُ لاَ يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ ﴿١٩﴾  

and Allah guides not those who do wrong.

الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ وَهَاجَرُواْ وَجَاهَدُواْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ أَعْظَمُ دَرَجَةً عِندَ اللّهِ...   

9: 20.  Those who believe, and suffer exile and strive with might and main, in Allah's cause, with their goods and their persons, have the highest rank in the sight of Allah:

C1270. Here is it good description of Jihad. It may require fighting in Allah's cause, its a form of self-sacrifice. But its essence consists in;

-        a true and sincere Faith, which so fixes its gaze on Allah, that all selfish or worldly motives seem paltry and fade away, and

-        an earnest and ceaseless activity, involving the sacrifice (if need be) of life, person, or property, in the service of Allah.

Mere brutal fighting is opposed to the whole spirit of Jihad, while the sincere scholar's pen or preacher's voice or wealthy man's contributions may be the most valuable forms of Jihad.

...وَأُوْلَئِكَ هُمُ الْفَائِزُونَ ﴿٢٠﴾  

They are the people who will achieve (salvation).

Asad’s Version:

9: 19 Do you, perchance, regard the [mere] giving of water to pilgrims and the tending of the inviolable House of Worship as being equal to [the work of] one who believes in God and the Last Day and strives hard in God’s cause? These are not equal in the sight of God.

9: 20 Those who believe, and who have forsaken the domain of evil and have striven hard in God’s cause with their possessions and their lives have the highest rank in the sight of God ; and it is they, they who shall triumph [in the end]!