26. ash-Shuara, Mecca 47

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

وَمَا أَهْلَكْنَا مِن قَرْيَةٍ إِلَّا لَهَا مُنذِرُونَ ﴿٢٠٨﴾

26:208. Never did We destroy a population, but had its warners --

ذِكْرَى وَمَا كُنَّا ظَالِمِينَ ﴿٢٠٩﴾

26:209. By way of reminder; and We never are unjust.

C3231. Allah will grant much respite to sinners, for He is Most Gracious and Merciful.

But all this respite will profit them nothing if they are merely immersed in the vanities of this world. Again and again, in spite of their rebellion and their rejection, does Allah send warnings and warners before the final Punishment of Justice. For Allah knows human weakness, and He win never be unjust in the least.

وَمَا تَنَزَّلَتْ بِهِ الشَّيَاطِينُ ﴿٢١٠﴾

26:210. No evil ones have brought down this (Revelation):

وَمَا تَنَزَّلَتْ بِهِ الشَّيَاطِينُ ﴿٢١٠﴾

26: 210. No evil ones have brought down this (Revelation):

C3232. When anything extraordinary happens, there are always people desirous of putting the worst construction on it, and saying that it is the work of Satan. So when the Quran came with its Message in wondrous Arabic, its enemies could only account for its power by attributing it to evil spirits!

Such a beneficent message can never suit the purposes of Satan, nor would it be in their power to produce it. In fact Good and Evil are poles asunder, and Evil cannot even hear words of Good, of tender Pity for sinners and Forgiveness for the penitent!

وَمَا يَنبَغِي لَهُمْ وَمَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ ﴿٢١١﴾

26: 211. It would neither suit them, nor would they be able (to produce it).

إِنَّهُمْ عَنِ السَّمْعِ لَمَعْزُولُونَ ﴿٢١٢﴾

26: 212. Indeed they have been removed far from even (a chance of) hearing it.

فَلَا تَدْعُ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَهًا آخَرَ فَتَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُعَذَّبِينَ ﴿٢١٣﴾

26; 213. So call not on any other god with Allah, or thou wilt be among those under the Penalty.

Asad’s Version:

(26:208) And withal, never have We destroyed any community unless it had been warned

(26:209) and reminded:'" for, never do We wrong

[anyone].

26:210

And [this divine writ is such a reminder:] no evil spirits have brought it down:' 1

(26:211) for, neither does it suit their ends, nor is it in their power (to impart it to man]: (26:212) verily, [even] from hearing it are they utterly debarred!

(26:213) Hence, [O man,] do not invoke any other deity side by side with God, lest thou find thyself among those who are made to suffer

(on Judgment Day].' 2

[[Asad’s notes - 91 During the early years of his prophetic mission, some of Muhammad's Meccan opponents tried to explain the rhetorical beauty and persuasiveness of the Qur'an by insinuating that he was a soothsayer (kahin) in communion with all manner of dark forces and evil spirits (shayatin).

92 The conjunctive particle fa at the beginning of this sentence (rendered here as "hence") evidently connects with verse 208 above. As shown in note 94 below, the whole of the present passage is addressed to man in general. ]]