7. Sura al-Araf

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

خُذِ الْعَفْوَ وَأْمُرْ بِالْعُرْفِ وَأَعْرِضْ عَنِ الْجَاهِلِينَ ﴿١٩٩﴾

7: 199. Hold to forgiveness;

command what is right;

but turn away from the ignorant.

C1170. Allah comforts the Prophet and directs his mind to three precepts:

1. to forgive injuries, insults, and persecution;

2. to continue to declare the faith that was in him, and not only to declare it, but to act up to it in all his dealings with friends and foes;

3. to pay no attention to ignorant fools, who raised doubts or difficulties, hurled taunts or reproaches, or devised plots to defeat the truth:

they were to be ignored and passed by, not to be engaged in fights and fruitless controversies, or conciliated by compromises.

Other versions:

7: 199 [al-Araf, Mecca 39]

Asad Make due allowance for man’s nature [note 162], and enjoin the doing of what is right; and leave alone all those who choose to remain ignorant [note 163]

Yusuf Ali Hold to forgiveness; command what is right; but turn away from the ignorant.

Pickthall Keep to forgiveness (O Muhammad), and enjoin kindness, and turn away from the ignorant.

Transliteration Khuzil 'afwa wa'mur bil 'urfi wa a'rid 'anil ja_hilin(a).

[[ Asad’s note 162 – Lit., “accept what is easily forthcoming [from man’s nature]”. According to Zamakhshari “khudh al-afw” means: “Accept what come easily to you [or what is willingly accorded to you] of the doings and the nature of men, and make things easy [for them], without causing them undue hardship (kulfah); and do not demand of them efforts that may be too difficult for them.” This interpretation – which has been adopted by many other classical commentators as well – is based on the identical explanation of the phrase “khudh al-afw” by “And Allah ibn az-Zubayr an his brother “Urwah (Bukhari), as well as by ……………….Thus, in accordance the Quran ic statements that “man has been created weak” (4:28) and that “God does not burden any human being with more than he is well able to bear” (2:286, 6:152, 7:42, 23:62), the believers is admonished to make due allowance for human nature and not to be too harsh with those who err. This admonition is the more remarkable as it follows immediately upon a discourse on the most unforgivable of all sins – the ascribing of divine powers of qualities to anyone or anything but God.]]

[[ Ali’s note - 1170 Allah comforts the Prophet and directs his mind to three precepts: (1) to forgive injuries, insults, and persecution; (2) to continue to declare the faith that was in him, and not only to declare it, but to act up to it in all his dealings with friends and foes; (3) to pay no attention to ignorant fools, who raised doubts or difficulties, hurled taunts or reproaches, or devised plots to defeat the truth: they were to be ignored and passed by, not to be engaged in fights and fruitless controversies, or conciliated by compromises. (7.199)]]