4. Sura an-Nisa

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ ...

4: 29.  O ye who believe!

... لاَ تَأْكُلُواْ أَمْوَالَكُمْ بَيْنَكُمْ بِالْبَاطِلِ إِلاَّ أَن تَكُونَ تِجَارَةً عَن تَرَاضٍ مِّنكُمْ...  

eat not up your property among yourselves in vanities: but let there be amongst you traffic and trade by mutual goodwill:

C541. Let me paraphrase this verse, for there is profound meaning in it.

1.     All your property you hold in trust, whether it is in your name, or belongs to the community, or to people over whom you have control. To waste is wrong.

2.     In 2:188 the same phrase occurred, to caution us against greed.

Here it occurs, to encourage us to increase property by economic use (traffic and trade), recalling Christ's parable of the Talents (Matt. 25:14-30), where the servants who had increased their master's wealth were promoted and the servant who had hoarded was cast into darkness.

3.     We are warned that our waste may mean our own destruction ("nor kill or destroy yourselves").

But there is a more general meaning also:

we must be careful of our own and other people's lives. We must commit no violence.

This is the opposite of "trade and traffic by mutual good-will."

4.     Our violence to our own brethren is particularly preposterous, seeing that Allah has loved and showered His mercies on us and all His creatures.

... وَلاَ تَقْتُلُواْ أَنفُسَكُمْ إِنَّ اللّهَ كَانَ بِكُمْ رَحِيمًا ﴿٢٩﴾

nor kill (or destroy) yourselves:

for verily Allah hath been to you Most Merciful.

وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ عُدْوَانًا وَظُلْمًا فَسَوْفَ نُصْلِيهِ نَارًا...   

4: 30.   If any do that in rancor and injustice, soon shall We cast them into the fire:

... وَكَانَ ذَلِكَ عَلَى اللّهِ يَسِيرًا ﴿٣٠﴾

and easy it is for Allah.

إِن تَجْتَنِبُواْ كَبَآئِرَ مَا تُنْهَوْنَ عَنْهُ نُكَفِّرْ عَنكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ ...  

4: 31.  If ye (but) eschew the most heinous of the things which ye are forbidden to do, We shall expel out of you all the evil in you,

... وَنُدْخِلْكُم مُّدْخَلاً كَرِيمًا ﴿٣١﴾

and admit you to a Gate of great honor.

Other versions:

4: 29 [an-Nisa, Medina 92]

Asad O you who have attained to faith! Do not devour one another’s possessions wrongfully-not even by way of trade based on mutual agreement [note 38] –and do not destroy one another: for, behold, God is indeed a disperser of grace unto you!

Yusuf Ali O ye who believe! eat not up your property among yourselves in vanities: but let there be amongst you traffic and trade by mutual good-will: nor kill (or destroy) yourselves: for verily Allah hath been to you Most Merciful.

Pickthall O ye who believe! Squander not your wealth among yourselves in vanity, except it be a trade by mutual consent, and kill not one another. Lo! Allah is ever Merciful unto you.

Yuksel O you who acknowledge, do not consume your money between you unjustly, except through a trade, which is mutually agreed by you. Do not kill yourselves; God is Compassionate towards you.

Transliteration Ya_ ayyuhal lazina a_manu_ la_ ta'kulu_ amwa_lakum bainakum bil ba_tili illa_ an taku_na tija_ratan 'an tara_dim minkum, wa la_ taqtulu_ anfusakum, innalla_ha ka_na bikum rahima_(n).

4: 30

Yusuf Ali If any do that in rancor and injustice soon shall We cast them into the fire: and easy it is for Allah.

Pickthall Whoso doeth that through aggression and injustice, We shall cast him into Fire, and that is ever easy for Allah.

Yuksel Whoever does so out of animosity and transgression, We will cast him into a fire; and this for God is very easy.

Transliteration Wa may yaf'al za_lika'udwa_naw wa zulman fa saufa nuslihi na_ra_(n), wa ka_na za_lika 'alalla_hi yasira_(n).

4: 31

Asad If you avoid the great sins which you have been enjoined to shun, We shall efface your [minor] bad deeds, and shall cause you to enter an bode of glory.

Yusuf Ali If ye (but) eschew the most heinous of the things which ye are forbidden to do We shall expel out of you all the evil in you and admit you to a Gate of great honor.

Pickthall If ye avoid the great (things) which ye are forbidden, We will remit from you your evil deeds and make you enter at a noble gate.

Yuksel If you avoid the major sins that you are forbidden against, then We will cancel your existing sins and admit you to a generous entrance.

Transliteration In tajtanibu_ kaba_'ira ma_ tunhauna 'anhu nukaffir'ankum sayyi'a_tikum wa nudkhilkum mudkhalan karima_(n).