38. Surah Saad
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
وَانطَلَقَ
الْمَلَأُ
مِنْهُمْ أَنِ
امْشُوا وَاصْبِرُوا
عَلَى آلِهَتِكُمْ...
38: 6. And the leaders among them go away (impatiently), (saying),
"Walk ye away, and remain constant to your gods!
C4152. When the message of Islam was being preached in its infancy, and the Preacher and his followers were being persecuted by the Pagans, one of the devices adopted by the Pagan leaders was to get the Prophet's uncle Abu Talib to denounce or renounce his beloved nephew.
A conference was held with Abu Talib for this purpose. On its failure the leaders walked away, and began to discredit the great movement by falsely giving out that it was designed against their personal influence, and to throw power into the hands of the Prophet.
Hadhrat Umar's conversion occurred in the sixth year of the Mission (seventh year before the Hijrah). The circumstances connected with it (see Introduction to Surah 20) greatly alarmed the Quraish chiefs, who, greedy of autocracy themselves, confused the issue by accusing the righteous Preacher of plotting against their power.
... إِنَّ هَذَا لَشَيْءٌ يُرَادُ ﴿٦﴾
For this is truly a thing designed (against you)!
مَا
سَمِعْنَا
بِهَذَا فِي
الْمِلَّةِ
الْآخِرَةِ...
38: 7. "We never heard (the like) of this among the people of these latter days:
C4153. 'Whatever may have been the case in the past', they said, 'our own immediate ancestors worshipped these idols in Makkah and why should we give them up?'
Self- complacency was stronger with them than Truth; and so they call Truth "a made-up tale"!
Some Commentators interpret millat akhirat to refer to the last religion preached before Islam, viz. Christianity, which had itself departed from Monotheism to Trinity. (R).
... إِنْ هَذَا إِلَّا اخْتِلَاقٌ ﴿٧﴾
this is nothing but a made-up tale!
أَأُنزِلَ
عَلَيْهِ الذِّكْرُ
مِن بَيْنِنَا...
38: 8. "What! Has the Message been sent to him -- (of all persons) among us?"...
C4154. Here comes in envy. 'If a Message had to come, why should it come to him, the orphan son of 'Abdullah, and not to one of our own great men?'
... بَلْ هُمْ فِي شَكٍّ مِّن ذِكْرِي...
But they are in doubt concerning My (own) Message!
C4155. They have no clear idea of how Allah's Message comes!
It is not a worldly thing to be given to any one. It is a divine thing requiring spiritual preparation. If they close their eyes to it now, it will be brought home to them when they taste the consequences of their folly!
... بَلْ لَمَّا يَذُوقُوا عَذَابِ ﴿٨﴾
Nay, they have not yet tasted My Punishment!
أَمْ
عِندَهُمْ
خَزَائِنُ
رَحْمَةِ رَبِّكَ...
38: 9. Or have they the Treasures of the Mercy of thy Lord --
C4156. If they set themselves to judge Allah, have they anything to show comparable to Allah's Mercy and Power! He has both in infinite measure. Who are they to question the grant of His Mercy and Revelation to His own Chosen One?
... الْعَزِيزِ الْوَهَّابِ ﴿٩﴾
the Exalted in Power, the Grantor of Bounties without measure!
أَمْ
لَهُم مُّلْكُ
السَّمَاوَاتِ
وَالْأَرْضِ
وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا...
38: 10. Or have they the dominion of the heavens and the earth and all between?
... فَلْيَرْتَقُوا فِي الْأَسْبَابِ ﴿١٠﴾
If so, let them mount up with the ropes and means (to reach that end)!
C4157. Weak and puny creatures though they are, they dare to raise their heads against the Omnipotent, as if they had dominion over Creation and not He! If they had any power, let them mount up to heaven and use all the means they have to that end, and see how they can frustrate Allah's Purpose!
جُندٌ
مَّا هُنَالِكَ
مَهْزُومٌ مِّنَ
الْأَحْزَابِ
﴿١١﴾
38: 11. But there -- will be put to flight even a host of confederates.
C4158. Of course they cannot frustrate Allah's Purpose. In that world-they will be ignominiously routed, even if they form the strongest confederacy of the Powers of Evil that ever could combine.
Cf. the last clause of verse 13 below.
Asad’s Version:
38:6 And their leaders launch forth [thus]: "Go ahead, and hold steadfastly onto your deities: this, behold, is the only thing to do!'
(38:7) Never did we hear of [a claim like] this in any faith of latter days! 10 It is nothing but [a mortal man's] invention!
(38:8) What! Upon him alone from among all of us should a [divine] reminder have been bestowed from on high?" Nay, but it is My Own reminder that they distrust!" Nay, they have not yet tasted the suffering which I do impose! 12
(38:9) Or do they [think that they] own the treasures of thy Sustainer's grace [the grace] of the Almighty, the Giver of Gifts? 15 (38: 10) Or [that] the dominion over the
heavens and the earth and all that is between them is theirs? Why, then, let them try to ascend [to God-like power] by all [conceivable] means!"
38:11 [But] there it is: any and all human beings, however [strongly] leagued together, 15 are bound to suffer defeat [whenever they refuse to accept the truth].
[[ Asad’s note - 9 Lit., "a thing desired" or "to be desired", i.e., a sensible course of action.
10 I.e., "in any of the faiths prevalent in our days": an oblique reference to Christianity and its dogma of the Trinity, which contrasts with the Qur'anic concept of God's oneness and uniqueness, as well as to any other faith based on the belief in a multiplicity or multiform incarnation of divine powers (e.g., Hinduism with its triad of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva). ]]