9. Surah At Tawbah
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
وَمِنْهُمُ الَّذِينَ يُؤْذُونَ النَّبِيَّ وَيِقُولُونَ هُوَ أُذُنٌ...
9: 61. Among them are men who molest the Prophet and say,
"He is (all) ear."
C1321. The assonance of the Arabic words "Yu'dhuna" and "udhnun" is of course lost in the Translation. But the sense remains.
Detractors of the Prophet said. "O! he listens to everybody!"
"Yes," is the answer,
"he listens for their good: he is a mercy and a blessing to all men of Faith, but specially to you (who are addressed)."
The general statement is emphasised for the particular people addressed.
قُلْ أُذُنُ
خَيْرٍ لَّكُمْ
يُؤْمِنُ بِاللّهِ
وَيُؤْمِنُ
لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ...
Say,
"He listens to what is best for you; he believes in Allah, has faith in the believers,
...وَرَحْمَةٌ لِّلَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ مِنكُمْ...
and is a Mercy to those of you who believe":
...وَالَّذِينَ يُؤْذُونَ رَسُولَ اللّهِ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ ﴿٦١﴾
but those who molest the Prophet will have a grievous penalty.
يَحْلِفُونَ
بِاللّهِ لَكُمْ
لِيُرْضُوكُمْ...
9: 62. To you they swear by Allah. In order to please you:
...وَاللّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَحَقُّ أَن يُرْضُوهُ إِن كَانُواْ مُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿٦٢﴾
but it is more fitting that they should please Allah and His Messenger if they are believers.
أَلَمْ
يَعْلَمُواْ
أَنَّهُ مَن
يُحَادِدِ
اللّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ
فَأَنَّ لَهُ
نَارَ جَهَنَّمَ
خَالِدًا فِيهَا...
9: 63. Know they not that for those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, is the fire of Hell? --wherein they shall dwell.
...ذَلِكَ الْخِزْيُ الْعَظِيمُ ﴿٦٣﴾
That is the supreme disgrace.
Other versions:
9:61
Asad And among those [enemies of the truth] there are such as malign the Prophet by saying, “He is all ear.” [note 86] Say: [yes,] he is all ear, [listening] to what is good for you! [note 87] He believes in God, and trusts the believers, and is [manifestation of God’s]grace towards such of you as have [truly] attain to faith……….
Yusuf Ali Among them are men who molest the Prophet and say "he is (all) ear." Say "he listens to what is best for you; he believes in Allah has faith in the believers and is a Mercy to those of you who believe": but those who molest the apostle will have a grievous penalty.
Pickthall And of them are those who vex the Prophet and say: He is only a hearer. Say: A hearer of good for you, who believeth in Allah and is true to the believers, and a mercy for such of you as believe. Those who vex the messenger of Allah, for them there is a painful doom.
Transliteration Wa minhumul lazina yu'zu_nan nabiyya wa yaqu_lu_na huwa uzun(un), qul uzunu khairil lakum yu'minu billa_hi wa yu'minu lil mu'minina wa rahmatul lillazina a_manu_ minkum, wallazina yu'zu_na rasu_lalla_hi lahum 'aza_bun alim(un).
9: 62
Asad ………….the while it is God and His Apostle whose pleasure they should seek above all else, if indeed they are believers! [note 88]
Yusuf Ali To you they swear by Allah. In order to please you: but it is more fitting that they should please Allah and His apostle if they are believers.
Pickthall They swear by Allah to you (Muslims) to please you, but Allah, with His messenger, hath more right that they should please Him if they are believers.
Transliteration Yahlifu_na billa_hi lakum liyurdu_kum walla_hu wa rasu_luhu_ ahaqqu ay yurdu_hu in ka_nu_ mu'minin(a).
9: 63
Asad ……….that most awesome disgrace?
Yusuf Ali Know they not that for those who oppose Allah and His apostle is the fire of Hell? wherein they shall dwell. That is the supreme disgrace.
Pickthall Know they not that whoso opposeth Allah and His messenger, his portion verily is hell, to abide therein? That is the extreme abasement.
Transliteration Alam ya'lamu_ annahu_ may yuha_didilla_ha wa rasu_lahu_ fa anna lahu_ na_ra jahannama kha_lidan fiha_, za_likal khizyul 'azim(u).
[[ Asad’s note 86 – I.e., “he believes everything that he hears”……………………the Prophet’s readiness to listen to what they – in common with many other unbelievers –regarded as mere hallucinatory sounds, and to interpret them “mistakenly” as revelations. This would explain the statement that “they malign the Prophet” – namely, by attributing to him self-deception – and that this saying of theirs “amounts to a denial of the truth” (see verse 74 of this surah) – The verb “adha” signifies primarily “he molested” or “annoyed [another]”, it.e., in a manner not amounting to actual harm (darar). Since in the above context this verb is used in the sense of making a derogatory remark, yu dhun is best rendered as “they malign”.
note 87 – I.e., to divine revelation.
note 88 - ……….As has been pointed out by many of the commentators (and most succingtly by Rashid Rida in Manar X, 607f.), there is no question of any juxtaposition of God and His Apostle in this phrase. This is made clear by the use of the singular pronoun in ‘an yurduhu (“that they should seek His pleasure”), which is meant to bring out – in the inimitable elliptic form so characteristic of the Quran –the idea that God’s pleasure is the only worthwhile goal of all human endeavor, and that a believer’s duty to surrender to the Prophet’s guidance is but an outcome of the fact that he is the bearer of God’s message to man. Cf. in this connection, “Whoever pays heed unto the Apostle pays heed unto God thereby” (4:80), or, “Say [O Prophet]: ‘If you love God, follow me, [and] God will love you’ “ (3:31). ]]
[[Ali’s notes - 1321 The assonance of the Arabic words "Y-zuna" and "uzunun" is of course lost in the translation. But the sense remains. Detractors of the Prophet said. "O! he listens to everybody!" "Yes," is the answer, "he listens for their good: he is a mercy and a blessing to all men of Faith, but especially to you (who are addressed)." The general statement is emphasized for the particular people addressed. (9.61)]]