6. [al-Anam, Cattle Mecca 55]
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
قُل
لِّمَن مَّا
فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ
وَالأَرْضِ...
6: 12. Say: "To whom belongeth all that is in the heavens and on earth?"
قُل لِلّهِ...
Say:
"To Allah.
كَتَبَ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ الرَّحْمَةَ ...
He hath inscribed for Himself (the rule of) Mercy
C844. History, travel, human experience, all prove the Mercy of Allah and the law that without it those who reject Truth tend to lose their own souls and destroy themselves.
... لَيَجْمَعَنَّكُمْ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ لاَ رَيْبَ فِيهِ...
that He will gather you together for the Day of Judgment, there is no doubt whatever.
...الَّذِينَ خَسِرُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ فَهُمْ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ ﴿١٢﴾
It is they who have lost their own souls, that will not believe.
6: 12
Asad Say: “Unto whom belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth?” Say: “Unto God, who has willed upon Himself the law of grace and mercy. [note 10]”
Pickthall Say: Unto whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth? Say: Unto Allah. He hath prescribed for Himself mercy, that He may bring you all together to a Day whereof there is no doubt. Those who ruin their own souls will not believe.
Transliteration Qul limam ma_ fis sama_wa_ti wal ard(i), qul lilla_h(i), kataba 'ala_ nafsihir rahmah(ta), layajma'annakum ila_ yaumil qiya_mati la_ raiba fih(i), allazina khasiru_ anfusahum fahum la_ yu'minu_n(a).
[[ Asad’s note 10 – The expression “God has willed upon Himself as a law” (kataba ‘ala nafsihi) occurs in the Quran only twice – here and in verse 54 of this surah – and in both instances with reference to His grace and mercy (rahmah); none of the other divine attributes has been similarly described. This exceptional quality of God’s grace and mercy is further stressed in 7:156 – “My grace overspreads everything” – and finds an echo in the authentic Tradition in which, according to the Prophet, God says of Himself, “Verily, My grace and mercy outstrips My wrath” (Bukhari and Muslim). ]]
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31. Luqman
Mecca Period [57]
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
وَمِنَ
النَّاسِ مَن
يَشْتَرِي
لَهْوَ الْحَدِيثِ...
31: 6. But there are, among men, those who purchase idle tales,
C3584. Life is taken seriously by men who realize the issues that hang upon it. But there are men of a frivolous turn of mind who prefer idle tales to true Realities and they are justly rebuked here.
In the time of the holy Prophet there was a pagan Nadr ibn al Harith who preferred Persian romances to the Message of Allah, and turned away ignorant men from the preaching of Allah's Word.
...لِيُضِلَّ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ 33#1593;ِلْمٍ وَيَتَّخِذَهَا هُزُوًا...
without knowledge (or meaning), to mislead (men) from the Path of Allah and throw ridicule (on the Path):
...أُولَئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مُّهِينٌ ﴿٦﴾
for such there will be a humiliating Penalty.
وَإِذَا
تُتْلَى عَلَيْهِ
آيَاتُنَا
وَلَّى مُسْتَكْبِرًا...
31: 7. When Our Signs are rehearsed to such a one, he turns away in arrogance,
C3585. Such men behave as if they had heard nothing of serious import, or laugh at serious teaching. The loss will be their own. They will miss the higher things of life and be left out of Allah's blessings.
Ignorance and arrogance are in most cases the causes of their fall.
...كَأَن لَّمْ يَسْمَعْهَا...
as if he heard them not,
...كَأَنَّ فِي أُذُنَيْهِ وَقْرًا...
as if there were deafness in both his ears:
...فَبَشِّرْهُ بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ ﴿٧﴾
announce to him a grievous Penalty.
إِنَّ
الَّذِينَ
آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا
الصَّالِحَاتِ
لَهُمْ جَنَّاتُ
النَّعِيم ﴿٨﴾
ِ
31: 8. For those who believe and work righteous deeds, there will be Gardens of Bliss. --
خَالِدِينَ
فِيهَا...
31: 9. To dwell therein.
...وَعْدَ اللَّهِ حَقًّا...
The promise of Allah is true:
...وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ ﴿٩﴾
and He is Exalted in power, Wise.
C3586. He is Exalted in power, and can carry out His Will, and nothing can stop the carrying out of His promise.
He is also infinitely Wise: His promise is therefore full of meaning: it is not merely without purpose: it has a place in the Universal Plan.
Asad’s Version:
(31:6) But among men there is many a one that prefers a mere play with words [to divine guidance], 4 so as to lead [those) without knowledge astray from the path of God, and to turn it to ridicule: for such there is shameful suffering in store.
31:7 For, whenever Our messages are conveyed to such a one, he turns away in his arrogance 5 as though he had not heard them - as though there were deafness in his ears: give him, then, the tiding of grievous suffering [in the life to come] .
31:8
[As against this,] verily, those who attain to faith and do righteous deeds shall have gardens of bliss, (31:9) to abide therein in accordance with God's true promise: for He alone is almighty, truly wise. 6
[[Asad’s notes - 6 Commenting on the above three verses, Razi points out, firstly, that the deliberate contrast between the plural in the promise of "gardens (jannat) of bliss" and the singular in that of "suffering" ('adhab) is meant to show that God's grace surpasses His wrath (cf. note 10 on 6:12); and, secondly, that the use of the expression "to abide therein" in connection with the mention of paradise only, and not with that of otherworldly suffering (or hell), is an indication that whereas the enjoyment of the former will be unlimited in duration, suffering in what is described as "hell" will be
limited. ]]