10. Surah Yunus

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

وَلَوْ أَنَّ لِكُلِّ نَفْسٍ ظَلَمَتْ مَا فِي الأَرْضِ لاَفْتَدَتْ بِهِ...   

10: 54.  Every soul that hath sinned, if it possessed all that is on earth, would fain give it in ransom:

C1444. Cf. 3:91.

...وَأَسَرُّواْ النَّدَامَةَ لَمَّا رَأَوُاْ الْعَذَابَ...

they would declare (their) repentance when they see the Penalty:

C1445. Declare their repentance: the verb in the original is asarru, which may mean either "declare" or "reveal" or else "conceal" or "hide".

The classical Commentators are divided as to the meaning to be adopted here.

-        If the first, which I prefer, the sense would be:

"When the Penalty stares the sinners in the face, they would give anything to escape it, and they would even openly declare their repentance, which would be a source of shame and ignominy to them."

-        If the latter meaning be taken, the sense would be:

"They would give anything to escape the Penalty; but the hardest thing of all for them is frankly to confess and repent, and so they conceal their sense of shame and ignominy."

...وَقُضِيَ بَيْنَهُم بِالْقِسْطِ وَهُمْ لاَ يُظْلَمُونَ ﴿٥٤﴾  

but the judgment between them will be with justice,

and no wrong will be done unto them.

أَلا إِنَّ لِلّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ...   

10: 55.  Is it not (the case) that to Allah belongeth whatever is in the heavens and on earth?

...أَلاَ إِنَّ وَعْدَ اللّهِ حَقٌّ وَلَـكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٥٥﴾

Is it not (the case) that Allah's promise is assuredly true?

Yet most of them understand not.

Other versions:

10: 54

Yusuf Ali Every soul that hath sinned if it possessed all that is on earth would fain give it in ransom: they would declare (their) repentance when they see the Penalty: but the judgment between them will be with justice and no wrong will be done unto them.

Pickthall And if each soul that doeth wrong had all that is in the earth it would seek to ransom itself therewith; and they will feel remorse within them, when they see the doom. But it hath been judged between them fairly and they are not wronged.

Transliteration Wa lau anna li kulli nafsin zalamat ma_ fil ardi laftadat bih(i), wa asarrun nada_mata lamma_ ra'awul 'aza_b(a), wa qudiya bainahum bil qisti wa hum la_ yuzlamu_n(a).

10: 55

Yusuf Ali Is it not (the case) that to Allah belongeth whatever is in the heavens and on earth? Is it not (the case ) that Allah's promise is assuredly true? Yet most of them understand not.

Pickthall Lo! verily all that is in the heavens and the earth is Allah's. Lo! verily Allah's promise is true. But most of them know not.

Transliteration Ala_ inna lilla_hi ma_ fis sama_wa_ti wal ard(i), ala_ inna wa'dalla_hi haqquw wa la_kinna aksarahum la_ ya'lamu_n(a).