41. Fussilat (Clearly Spelled Out/Expounded)
Mecca Period 61 [54 ayats]
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
قُلْ
إِنَّمَا
أَنَا
بَشَرٌ
مِّثْلُكُمْ
يُوحَى
إِلَيَّ
أَنَّمَا
إِلَهُكُمْ
إِلَهٌ
وَاحِدٌ...
41:6. Say thou:
"I am but a man like you: it is revealed to me by inspiration, that your Allah is One Allah:
C4467. The reply is in effect: that the bringer of the Message is not an angel nor a god, and so there can and ought to be no barrier between him and his hearers; but he has been chosen to bring a Message of Truth and Hope to them; they should accept the Gospel of Unity, and by Repentance. obtain Allah's Grace and Forgiveness.
...فَاسْتَقِيمُوا إِلَيْهِ وَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ...
so stand true to Him, and ask for His forgiveness."
C4468. There is nothing but pity for those who reject Truth, run after false worship, have no sympathy or charity for their fellow-men, and even deny that there is any future Life.
...وَوَيْلٌ لِّلْمُشْرِكِينَ ﴿٦﴾
And woe to those who join gods with Allah --
الَّذِينَ
لَا
يُؤْتُونَ
الزَّكَاةَ
وَهُم
بِالْآخِرَةِ
هُمْ
كَافِرُونَ
﴿٧﴾
41: 7. Those who practice not Regular Charity, and who even deny the Hereafter
Asad’s Version:
41:6 Say thou, [O Prophet:] "I am but a mortal like you. 5 It has been revealed to me that your God is the One God: go, then, straight towards Him and seek His forgiveness!"
And woe unto those who ascribe divinity to aught beside Him,
(41:7) [and] those who do not spend in charity: for it is they, they who [thus] deny the truth of the life to come! 6
[[Asad’s notes - 5 Cf 6:50 and the corresponding note 38.
6 Belief in God's oneness and charitableness towards one's fellow-men are two cardinal demands of Islam. Conversely, a deliberate offence against either of these two demands amounts to a denial of man's responsibility before God and hence, by implication, of a continuation of life in the hereafter. (For my rendering of zakah, in this context, as "charity", see surah 2, note 34. It is to be borne in mind that the application of this term to the obligatory tax incumbent on Muslims dates from the Medina period, whereas the present surah is a Meccan revelation.)