21. Surah Al Anbiya'

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

وَلَئِن مَّسَّتْهُمْ نَفْحَةٌ مِّنْ عَذَابِ رَبِّكَ لَيَقُولُنَّ...  

21: 46.  If but a breath of the Wrath of thy Lord do touch them, they will then say,

...يَا وَيْلَنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَالِمِينَ ﴿٤٦﴾

"Woe to us! we did wrong indeed!"

وَنَضَعُ الْمَوَازِينَ الْقِسْطَ لِيَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ فَلَا تُظْلَمُ نَفْسٌ شَيْئًا...  

21: 47.  We shall set up scales of justice for the Day of Judgment, so that not a soul will be dealt with unjustly in the least.

...وَإِن كَانَ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍ مِّنْ خَرْدَلٍ أَتَيْنَا بِهَا...

And if there be (no more than) the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it (to account):

C2707. Not the smallest action, word, thought, motive, or predilection but must come into the account of Allah.

Cf. Browning (in Rabbi Ben Ezra):

"But all, the world's coarse thumb And finger failed to plumb, So passed in making up the main account; All instincts immature. All purposes unsure. That weighed not as his work, yet swelled the man's account; Thoughts hardly to be packed Into a narrow act. Fancies that broke through language and escaped; All I could never be, All, men ignored in me, This, I was worth to God, Whose wheel the pitcher shaped."

...وَكَفَى بِنَا حَاسِبِينَ ﴿٤٧﴾

and enough are We to take account.

C2708. The literalism of Sale has here excelled itself: he translates, "and there will be sufficient accountants with us"!

What is meant is that when Allah takes account, His accounting will be perfect: there will be no flaw in it, as there may be in earthly accountants, who require other people's help in some matters of account which they do not understand for want of knowledge of that particular department they are dealing with.

Allah's knowledge is perfect, and therefore His justice will be perfect also; for He will not fail to take into account all the most intangible things that determine conduct and character. See last note.

There is no contradiction between this and 18:104-105, where it is said that men of vain works, i.e., shallow hypocritical deeds, will have no weight attached to their deeds, In fact the two correspond.

Asad’s Version:

21:46

And yet, if but a breath of thy Sustainer's chastisement touches them, they are sure to cry, "Oh, woe unto us! Verily, we were evildoers!"

(21:47} But We shall set up just balance-scales on Resurrection Day, and no human being shall be wronged in the least: for though there be [in him but] the weight of a mustard-seed [of good or evil], We shall bring it forth; and none can take count as We do!