35. Sura Fatir
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
يَا
أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ
إِنَّ وَعْدَ
اللَّهِ حَقٌّ...
35: 5. O men!
certainly the promise of Allah is true.
C3876. In verse 3 above the appeal was on the basis of the Past and the Present: now the appeal is on the basis of the Future.
- Allah's grace has promised us the Garden of Bliss;
- His justice has promised us the Fire of Suffering.
Both promises are certain to be fulfilled. On which side shall we range ourselves?
... فَلَا تَغُرَّنَّكُمُ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا...
Let not then this present life deceive you,
The deception of Evil takes two forms.
1. The seductive temptations of this world may deceive us into forgetting the Hereafter.
2. The Arch-Enemy himself may so blind our vision that we may say with him, "Evil! be thou my good!"
We may be misled by easy stages. Are we on our guard?
... وَلَا يَغُرَّنَّكُم بِاللَّهِ الْغَرُورُ ﴿٥﴾
nor let the Chief Deceiver deceive you about Allah.
إِنَّ
الشَّيْطَانَ
لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ
فَاتَّخِذُوهُ
عَدُوًّا...
35: 6. Verily Satan is an enemy to you: so treat him as an enemy.
C3878. Evil is our enemy and should be treated as such.
It is really foreign to our nature, however much it may disguise itself to deceive us as our friend, or a part of our own nature.
Personifying the Spirit of Evil, we may say that he wants us to share in his own damnation.
Shall we allow ourselves to fall into his snare?
... إِنَّمَا يَدْعُو حِزْبَهُ لِيَكُونُوا مِنْ أَصْحَابِ السَّعِيرِ ﴿٦﴾
He only invites his adherents, that they may become Companions of the Blazing Fire.
Asad’s Version:
35:5 O MEN! Verily, God's promise [of resurrection] is true indeed: let not, then, the life of this world delude you, and let not [your own] deceptive thoughts about God delude you! 5
(35:6) Behold, Satan is a foe unto you: so treat him as a foe. He but calls on his followers to the end that they might find themselves among such as are destined for the blazing flame –