Sura- 6 [Al Anam mecca 55]

The Quranic Text & Ali’s version:

وَلاَ تَأْكُلُواْ مِمَّا لَمْ يُذْكَرِ اسْمُ اللّهِ عَلَيْهِ وَإِنَّهُ لَفِسْقٌ ...

6:121. Eat not of (meats) on which Allah's name hath not been pronounced:

that would be impiety.

...وَإِنَّ الشَّيَاطِينَ لَيُوحُونَ إِلَى أَوْلِيَآئِهِمْ لِيُجَادِلُوكُمْ ...

But the evil ones ever inspire their friends to contend with you;

...وَإِنْ أَطَعْتُمُوهُمْ إِنَّكُمْ لَمُشْرِكُونَ ﴿١٢١﴾

if ye were to obey them, ye would indeed be pagans.

Asad’s Version:

6: 121

Asad Hence, ear not of that over which God’s name has not been pronounced: for this would be sinful conduct indeed. And, verily, the evil impulses [within men’s hearts] whisper unto those who have made them their own [note 106] that they should involve you in argument [as to what is and what is not a sin]; and if you pay heed unto them, lo! you will become [like] those who ascribe divinity to other beings or forces beside God [note 107].

Yusuf Ali Eat not of (meats) on which Allah's name hath not been pronounced: that would be impiety. But the evil ones ever inspire their friends to contend with you; if ye were to obey them ye would indeed be pagans.

Pickthall And eat not of that whereon Allah's name hath not been mentioned, for lo! it is abomination. Lo! the devils do inspire thee minions to dispute with you. But if ye obey them, ye will be in truth idolaters.

Transliteration Wa la_ ta'kulu_ mimma_ lam yuzkarismulla_hi 'alaihi wa innahu_ lafisq(un), wa innasy syaya_tina layu_hu_na ila_ auliya_'ihim liyuja_dilu_kum, wa in ata'tumu_hum innakum lamusyriku_n(a).

[[ Asad’s note 106 –Lit., “the satans whisper unto those who are near to them (ila awliya ihim). For my above rendering of “shayatin” as “evil impulses” , see note 10 on 2:14 and note 31 on 14:22.]]

[[ Asad’s note 107 – I.e., “your own evil impulses are trying to draw you into argument as to what does and what does not constitute a sin in order to make you lose sight of God’s clear ordinances in this respect; and if you follow their abribrary, deceptive reasoning, you will elevate them, as to were, to the position of moral law-givers, and thus ascribe to them a right that belongs to God alone.”]]

20:115

AND, INDEED, long ago did We impose Our commandment on Adam; 102 but he forgot it, and

We found no firmness of purpose in him.

20:116

For [thus it was:] when We told the angels, "Prostrate yourselves before Adam!" - they all

prostrated themselves, save Iblis, who refused [to do it]; 103 (20: 1 17) and thereupon We said: "O

Adam! Verily, this is a foe unto thee and thy wife: so let him not drive the two of you out of

[[Asad’s note -102 The relevant divine commandment - or, rather, warning - is spelled out in verse 117. The present passage connects with the statement in verse 99, "Thus do We relate unto thee some of the stories of what happened in the past", and is meant to show that negligence of spiritual truths is one of the recurrent characteristics of the human race (Razi), which is symbolized here - as in many other

places in the Qur'an - by Adam. ]]

[[Ali’s note - 2640 The spiritual fall of two individual souls, Pharaoh and the Samiri, having been referred to, the one through overweening arrogance, and the other through a spirit of mischief and false harking back to the past, our attention is now called to the prototype of Evil (satan) who tempted Adam, the original Man, and to the fact that though man was clearly warned that satan is his enemy and will only effect his ruin, he showed so little firmness that he succumbed to it at once at the first opportunity. (20.115) ]]