9. [at-Tawbah, Medina 113, 9H after Tabuk]
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
وَمِنَ الأَعْرَابِ
مَن يَتَّخِذُ
مَا يُنفِقُ
مَغْرَمًا
وَيَتَرَبَّصُ
بِكُمُ الدَّوَائِرَ...
9: 98. Some of the desert Arabs Look upon their payments as a fine, and watch for disasters for you:
C1346. The payments refer to the regular Charity established by Islam-the obligatory alms. If you look upon them as a fine or a burden, their virtue is lost.
If you rejoice that you have there an opportunity of helping the Community to maintain its standards of public assistance and to suppress the unseemly beggary and loathsome importunity whose relief is only governed by motives of getting rid of awkward obstacles on the way, then your outlook is entirely different. You wish for organized and effective efforts to solve the problems of human poverty and misery.
In doing so, you get nearer to Allah, and you earn the good wishes and prayers of godly men, led by our Holy Leader Mustafa.
... عَلَيْهِمْ دَآئِرَةُ السَّوْءِ وَاللّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ ﴿٩٨﴾
on them be the disaster of evil:
for Allah is He that heareth and knoweth (all things).
وَمِنَ
الأَعْرَابِ
مَن يُؤْمِنُ
بِاللّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ
الآخِرِ...
9: 99. But some of the desert Arabs believe in Allah and the Last Day,
... وَيَتَّخِذُ مَا يُنفِقُ قُرُبَاتٍ عِندَ اللّهِ وَصَلَوَاتِ الرَّسُولِ...
and look on their payments as pious gifts bringing them nearer to Allah and obtaining the prayers of the Messenger.
... أَلا إِنَّهَا قُرْبَةٌ لَّهُمْ ...
Aye, indeed they bring them nearer (to Him):
... سَيُدْخِلُهُمُ اللّهُ فِي رَحْمَتِهِ ...
soon will Allah admit them to His Mercy:
C1347. The Mercy of Allah is always present, as the sun is always shining. But when we have prepared ourselves to receive it, we come to the full enjoyment of it, as a man who was in a shade comes out by his effort into the open, and basks in sunshine.
... إِنَّ اللّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿٩٩﴾
for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
9: 98
Pickthall And of the wandering Arabs there is he who taketh that which he expendeth (for the cause of Allah ), as a loss, and awaiteth (evil) turns of fortune for you (that he may be rid of it). The evil turn of fortune will be theirs. Allah is Nearer, Knower.
Transliteration Wa minal a'ra_bi may yattakhizu ma_ yunfiqu magramaw wa yatarabbasu bikumud dawa_'ir(a), 'alaihim da_'iratus sau'(i), walla_hu sami'un 'alim(un).
9: 99
Asad However, among the Bedouin there are [also] such as believe in God and the Last Day, and regard all that they spend [in God’s cause] as a means of drawing then nearer to God and of [their being remembered in ] the Apostle’s prayers. Oh, verily, it shall [indeed be a means of [God’s] nearness to them………………..
Pickthall And of the wandering Arabs there is he who believeth in Allah and the Last day, and taketh that which he expandeth and also the prayers of the messenger as acceptable offerings in the sight of Allah. Lo! verily it is an acceptable offering for them. Allah will bring them into His mercy. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
Transliteration Wa minal a'ra_bi may yu'minu billa_hi wal yaumil a_khiri wa yattakhizu ma_ yunfiqu quruba_tin 'indalla_hi wa salawa_tir rasu_l(i), ala_ innaha_ qurbatul lahum, sayudkhiluhumulla_hu fi rahmatih(i), innalla_ha gafu_rur rahim(un).
28. Al-Qasas, (The Story)
Mecca Period 49
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
الَّذِينَ
آتَيْنَاهُمُ
الْكِتَابَ
مِن قَبْلِهِ
هُم بِهِ يُؤْمِنُونَ
﴿٥٢﴾
28: 52. Those to whom We sent the Book before this -- they do believe in this (Revelation);
وَإِذَا
يُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ
قَالُوا آمَنَّا
بِهِ...
28: 53. And when it is recited to them, they say:
"We believe therein,
...إِنَّهُ الْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّنَا... ...
for it is the Truth from our Lord:
...إِنَّا كُنَّا مِن قَبْلِهِ مُسْلِمِينَ ﴿٥٣﴾
indeed we have been Muslims (bowing to Allah's Will) from before this."
C3385. There were Christians and Jews who recognised that Islam was a logical and natural development of Allah's revelations as given in earlier ages, and they not only welcomed and accepted Islam, but claimed, and rightly, that they had always been Muslims.
In that sense Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus had all been Muslims. (R).
أُوْلَئِكَ
يُؤْتَوْنَ
أَجْرَهُم
مَّرَّتَيْنِ...
28: 54. Twice will they be given their reward,
C3386. Their credit is twofold,
- in that before they knew Islam, they followed the earlier Law in truth and sincerity, and
- when they were offered Islam, they readily recognised and accepted it, suffered in patient perseverance for its sake, and brought forth the fruits of righteousness.
...بِمَا صَبَرُوا وَيَدْرَؤُونَ بِالْحَسَنَةِ السَّيِّئَةَ... ...
for that they have persevered,
that they avert Evil with Good,
...وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ ﴿٥٤﴾
and that they spend (in charity) out of what We have given them.
وَإِذَا
سَمِعُوا اللَّغْوَ
أَعْرَضُوا
عَنْهُ...
28: 55. And when they hear vain talk, they turn away therefrom
...وَقَالُوا لَنَا أَعْمَالُنَا وَلَكُمْ أَعْمَالُكُمْ ...
and say:
"To us our deeds, and to you yours;
C3387. The righteous do not encourage idle talk or foolish arguments about things sacred. If they find themselves in some company in which such things are fashionable, they leave politely. Their only rejoinder is:
"We are responsible for our deeds, and you for yours; we have no ill-will against you; we wish you well, and that is why we wish you to know of the knowledge we have received; after that knowledge you cannot expect us to go back to the Ignorance which we have left."
... سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكُمْ...
peace be to you:
...لَا نَبْتَغِي الْجَاهِلِينَ ﴿٥٥﴾
we seek not the ignorant."
Asad’s Version:
28:52) As for those unto whom We have vouchsafed revelation aforetime - they [are bound to] believe in this one [as well]; 52
(28:53) and whenever it is [clearly] conveyed unto them, they [are bound to] profess, "We have come to believe in it, for, behold, it is the truth from our Sustainer - and, verily, even before this have we surrendered ourselves unto Him!"
28:54 These it is that shall receive a twofold reward for having been patient in adversity, and having repelled evil with good, 55 and having spent on others out of what We provided for them as sustenance,
(28:55) and, whenever they heard frivolous talk, 54 having turned away from it and said: "Unto us shall be accounted our deeds, and unto you, your deeds Peace be upon you - [but] we do not seek out such as are ignorant [of the meaning of right and wrong]."
[[Asad’s notes:
49 I.e., the Torah and the Qur'an. The Gospel is not mentioned in this context because, as Jesus himself had stressed, his message was based on the Law of Moses, and was not meant to displace the latter.
50 Lit., "if they do not respond to thee", implying that they are unable to accept the above challenge.
51 Lit., "We have caused this word to reach them gradually" : this meaning is implied in the verbal form wassalna; which - like the grammatically identical form nazzalna - points to the gradual, step-by-step revelation of the Qur'an during the twenty-three years of Muhammad's prophetic ministry. 52 This is both a statement of historical fact - alluding to conversions of Jews and Christians in Muhammad's lifetime - and a prophecy. It must, however, be understood that, in the above context, God's "vouchsafing" revelation implies a conscious, sincere acceptance of its teachings by those to whom it has been conveyed: for it is this sincerity that has enabled them - or will enable them to realize that the Qur'an preaches the same ethical truths as those forthcoming from earlier revelations. (Cf. 26:196-197 and the corresponding notes 83-85.)
53 See note 44 on the identical phrase in 13:22. In the present context, the reference to "patience in adversity" and "repelling evil with good" evidently relates to the loss of erstwhile communal links, social ostracism, and all manner of physical or moral persecution which is so often the lot of persons who accept religious tenets different from those of their own community.
54 This obviously refers to attempts, based on prejudice, at deriding the spiritual re-orientation of the person concerned.
55 Or: "God guides whomever He wills" - either of these two renderings being syntactically correct. According to several extremely well-authenticated Traditions, the above verse relates to the Prophet's inability to induce his dying uncle Abu Talib, whom he loved dearly and who had loved and protected him throughout his life, to renounce the pagan beliefs of his ancestors and to profess faith in God's oneness. Influenced by Abu Jahl and other Meccan chieftains, Abu Talib died professing, in
his own words, "the creed of Abd al-Muttalib" (Bukhari) or, according to another version (quoted by Tabari), "the creed of my ancestors (al-ashyakh)" . However, the Qur'anic statement "thou canst not guide aright everyone whom thou lovest" has undoubtedly a timeless import as well: it stresses the inadequacy of all human endeavours to "convert" any other person, however loving and loved, to one's own beliefs, or to prevent him from falling into what one regards as error, unless that
person wills to be so guided. ]]