22. [al-Hajj, Medina 103]

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ مِن رَّسُولٍ وَلَا نَبِيٍّ...

22: 52. Never did We send a Messenger or a Prophet before thee,

...إِلَّا إِذَا تَمَنَّى أَلْقَى الشَّيْطَانُ فِي أُمْنِيَّتِهِ...

but, when he framed a desire, Satan threw some (vanity) into his desire:

C2831. Prophets and messengers (the distinction is explained in n. 2503 to 19:51) are but human. Their actions are righteous and their motives pure. But in judging things from a human point of view, the suggestion may come to their mind (from Satan) that it would be good to have power or wealth or influence for furthering Allah's cause, or that it may be good to conciliate some faction which may be irreconcilable.

In fact, in Allah's Plan, it may be the opposite. Allah, in His mercy and inspiration, will cancel any false or vain suggestions of this kind, and confirm and strengthen His own Commands and make known His Will in His Signs or revelations.

...فَيَنسَخُ اللَّهُ مَا يُلْقِي الشَّيْطَانُ...

but Allah will cancel anything (vain) that Satan throws in,

...ثُمَّ يُحْكِمُ اللَّهُ آيَاتِهِ...

and Allah will confirm (and establish) His Signs:

...وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ ﴿٥٢﴾

for Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom:

C2832. This clause and the similar clause at the end of the next verse are parenthetical.

Other Versions:

22:52

Yuksel’s Version:

Testing People through Fallible Human Messengers

22:52 We did not send before you any messenger or prophet, without having the devil interfere with his wishes. God then overrides what the devil has cast, and God secures His signs. God is Knower, Wise.*

[[Yuksel’s note - 022:052-55 The weakness and deficiencies demonstrated by messengers and prophets provide excuses for those who try to criticize them and reject their message. On the other hand, those deficiencies and weaknesses reject the common Sunni and Shiite belief that the messengers are "innocent" or "sinless" people. Those who acknowledge and appreciate God's message are capable of distinguishing revelation from personal errors.]]

[[ Asad’s notes - 65 Lit., "We never sent any apostle or prophet before thee without that, when he was hoping (tamanna)...", etc. According to most of the commentators, the designation "apostle" (rasul) is applied to bearers of divine revelations which comprise a new doctrinal system or dispensation; a prophet" (nabi), on the other hand, is said to be one whom God has entrusted with the enunciation of ethical principles on the basis of an already-existing dispensation, or of principles common to all divine dispensations. Hence, every apostle is a prophet as well, but not every prophet is an apostle.

66 I.e., insinuating that the innermost aim (umniyyah, lit., "longing" or "hope") of the message- bearer in question was not the spiritual improvement of his community but, rather, the attainment of personal power and influence: cf 6:1 12 - "against every prophet We have set up as enemies the evil forces (shayatin) from among humans as well as from among invisible beings (al-jinn)"- a statement which is explained in surah 6, note 98.

67 Lit, "and God makes His messages clear in and by themselves". This is the meaning of the phrase yuhkimu ayatahu (cf. the expression hkimat ayatuhu in 11:1): i.e., God causes His messages to speak for hemselves, so that any insinuation as to the prophet's "hidden motives" is

automatically disproved. The conjunction thumma at the beginning of this clause does not connote a sequence in time but a coordination of activities, and is best rendered by the simple conjunction "and". ]]

Asad’s Version:

22:53

[And He allows doubts to arise] so that He might cause whatever aspersion Satan may cast [against His prophets] to become a trial for all in whose hearts is disease 68 and all whose hearts are hardened: for, verily, all who are {thus] sinning [against themselves] 6 ' are most deeply in the wrong.

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

لِيَجْعَلَ مَا يُلْقِي الشَّيْطَانُ فِتْنَةً لِّلَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌ ...

22: 53. That He may make the suggestions thrown in by Satan, but a trial for those in whose hearts is a disease ,

C2833. If any suggestion comes to the human mind that is not in accordance with Allah's Will and Plan, it has two opposite effects:

- to evil minds it is a trial and temptation from the Satan,

- but to the mind well-instructed in Faith, it stands self-condemned at once, and becomes a means of strengthening the Faith and stimulating redoubled efforts to conform to the Will of Allah.

... وَالْقَاسِيَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ...

and who are hardened of heart:

C2834. Cf. 2:10.

I understand the "disease in the heart" to be an earlier state of curse, which leads in an intensified form to a complete "hardening of the heart".

...وَإِنَّ الظَّالِمِينَ لَفِي شِقَاقٍ بَعِيدٍ ﴿٥٣﴾

verily the wrongdoers are in a schism far (from the Truth):

Asad’s Version:

22:54

And [God renders Satan's aspersions null and void] so that they who are endowed with [innate] knowledge might know that this [divine writ] is the truth from thy Sustainer, and that they might believe in it, and that their hearts might humbly submit unto Him.

For, behold, God does guide onto a straight way those who have attained to faith -

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

وَلِيَعْلَمَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكَ...

22: 54. And that those on whom knowledge has been bestowed may learn that the (Qur'án) is the Truth from thy Lord,

C2835. The last clause in the last verse was parenthetical. Treat this clause as parallel with the first clause in verse 53, "that he may make", etc. Both will then connect with "Allah will confirm (and establish) His Signs" in verse 52. See n. 2833 above.

...فَيُؤْمِنُوا بِهِ فَتُخْبِتَ لَهُ قُلُوبُهُمْ...

and that they may believe therein, and their hearts may be made humbly (open) to it:

...وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَهَادِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ ﴿٥٤﴾

for verily Allah is the Guide of those who believe, to the Straight Way.