28. Al-Qasas, (The Story)
Mecca Period 49
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
وَيَوْمَ
يُنَادِيهِمْ
فَيَقُولُ...
28: 74. The Day that He will call on them, He will say:
The reminiscence of the words closes and rounds off the argument of this Section.
...أَيْنَ شُرَكَائِيَ الَّذِينَ كُنتُمْ تَزْعُمُونَ ﴿٧٤﴾
"Where are My 'partners' whom ye imagined (to be such)?"
وَنَزَعْنَا
مِن كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ
شَهِيدًا...
28: 75. And from each people shall We draw a witness,
C3402. Cf. 4:41.
The Prophet from each People or Nation will bear testimony that he preached the true gospel of Unity, and the People who rejected him will be asked to show the Proof or authority on which they rejected him: Cf. 2:111.
...فَقُلْنَا هَاتُوا بُرْهَانَكُمْ...
and We shall say: "Produce your Proof":
...فَعَلِمُوا أَنَّ الْحَقَّ لِلَّهِ وَضَلَّ عَنْهُم مَّا كَانُوا يَفْتَرُونَ ﴿٧٥﴾
then shall they know that the Truth is in Allah (alone), and the (lies) which they invented will leave them in the lurch.
C3403. In that new world, Allah will be the only Truth or Reality, and all the fancies or lies, which had been invented in this world of reflected or relative truths mixed with illusions, will have vanished, and left those who relied on them in the lurch. Cf. 6:24.
إِنَّ
قَارُونَ كَانَ
مِن قَوْمِ
مُوسَى ...
28: 76. Qarun was doubtless, of the people of Moses;
C3404. Qarun is identified with the Korah of the English Bible. His story is told in Num. 16:1-35.
He and his followers, numbering 250 men, rose in rebellion against Moses and Aaron, on the ground that their position and fame in the congregation entitled them to quality in spiritual matters with the Priests,-that they were as holy as any, and they claimed to bum incense at the sacred Altar reserved for the Priests.
They had an exemplary punishment: "the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods: they, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation."
... فَبَغَى عَلَيْهِمْ...
but he acted insolently towards them:
...وَآتَيْنَاهُ مِنَ الْكُنُوزِ مَا ...
such were the treasures We had bestowed on him,
C3405. Qarun's boundless wealth is described in the Midrashim, or the Jewish compilations based on the oral teachings of the Synagogues, which however exaggerate the weight of the keys to be the equivalent of the load of 300 mules!
... إِنَّ مَفَاتِحَهُ لَتَنُوءُ بِالْعُصْبَةِ أُولِي الْقُوَّةِ...
that their very keys would have been a burden to a body of strong men:
C3406. Usbat: a body of men, here used indefinitely. It usually implies a body of 10 to 40 men.
The old-fashioned keys were big and heavy, and if there were hundreds of treasure-chests, the keys must have been a great weight. As they were travelling in the desert, the treasures were presumably left behind in Egypt, and only the keys were carried. The disloyal Qarun had left his heart in Egypt, with his treasures.
...إِذْ قَالَ لَهُ قَوْمُهُ لَا تَفْرَحْ...
Behold, his people said to him:
"Exult not,
...إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْفَرِحِينَ ﴿٧٦﴾
for Allah loveth not those who exult (in riches).
Asad’s Version:
28:74
AND ON THAT DAY 78 He will call unto those [that shall have been arraigned before His
judgment seat], and will ask: "Where, now, are those [beings or powers] whom you imagined to have a share in My divinity?" 79
(28:75) And [they will remain silent: for by then] We will have called forth witnesses from within every community, 80 and will have said [unto the sinners]: "Produce an evidence for what you have been claiming!" 81 And so they will come to understand that all truth is God's [alone] ; 82 and all their false imagery will have forsaken them. 83
28:76 [NOW,] BEHOLD, Qarun was one of the people of Moses; 84 but he arrogantly exalted himself above them - simply because We had granted him such riches that his treasure-chests alone would surely have been too heavy a burden for a troop often men or even more. 85 When [they perceived his arrogance,] his people said unto him: "Exult not [in thy wealth], for, verily, God does not love those who exult [in things vain] !
WanazaAAna min kulli ommatin shaheedan faqulna hatoo burhanakum faAAalimoo anna alhaqqa lillahi wadalla AAanhum ma kanoo yaftaroona |
Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning |
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And [they will remain silent: for by then] We will have called forth witnesses from within every community, and will have said [unto the sinners]: “Produce an evidence for what you have been claiming!” And so they will come to understand that all truth is God’s [alone]; and all their false imagery will have forsaken them. |
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And We shall take out from every nation a witness and We shall say: Bring your proof. Then they will know that Allah hath the Truth, and all that they invented will have failed them. |
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And We will draw forth from among every nation a witness and say: Bring your proof; then shall they know that the truth is Allah's, and that which they forged shall depart from them. |
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And from each people shall We draw a witness, and We shall say: "Produce your Proof": then shall they know that the Truth is in Allah (alone), and the (lies) which they invented will leave them in lurch. |
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And We will tear out a witness from every community and We will say: Prepare your proof. Then, they will know that The Truth is with God and will go astray from them what they had been devising. |
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And We shall bring forth from every people a witness and We shall say to them: Bring your proof. Then they will know that truth belongs to God alone, and that which they used to invent will fall away from them. |
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We shall drag a witness out of every nation and We shall say: ´Bring on your proof!" They will realize that Truth belongs to God while whatever they were inventing has left them in the lurch. |
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And We will call to witness one from each nation (the Messenger) to give evidence in relation to the worldly matters and We will question the infidels- as to their proof of the validity of their gods whom they had incorporated with Allah! But they shall fail to advance any proof and they shall realize that Allah alone is and has always been the Truth personified. Here and now they are renounced and forsaken by those whom they presumed to share with Him His divine nature and supremacy; they have failed their expectations. |
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Yuksel |
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And We will extract from every nation a witness, then We will Say: "Bring forth your proof." They will then realise that all truth belongs with God, and what they had invented will abandon them |
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[[Asad’s notes - 78 I.e., the Day of Resurrection thus reverting to the theme enunciated in verses 62-66 above.
79 This repetition of God's "question", already mentioned inverse 62 above, is meant to stress the utter inability of the sinners concerned to justify their erstwhile attitude rationally; hence my interpolation at the beginning of the next verse.
80 I.e., the prophets who had appeared at various stages of man's history, and who will now bear witness that they had duly conveyed God's message to the people for whom it was meant.
81 Lit., "Produce your evidence" - i.e., for the possibility of anyone or anything having a share in God's divinity.
82 I.e., that He is the Ultimate Reality, and that whatever is or could be is an outcome of His will alone.
