10. Surah Yunus
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
وَيَقُولُونَ
لَوْلاَ أُنزِلَ
عَلَيْهِ آيَةٌ
مِّن رَّبِّهِ...
10: 20. They say: "Why is not a Sign sent down to him from his Lord?"
...فَقُلْ إِنَّمَا الْغَيْبُ لِلّهِ فَانْتَظِرُواْ إِنِّي مَعَكُم مِّنَ الْمُنتَظِرِينَ ﴿٢٠﴾
Say:
"The Unseen is only for Allah (to know). Then wait ye: I too will wait with you."
C1408. Their demand for a Sign is disingenuous. All nature and revelation furnishes them with incontestable Signs. What they want is the Book of the Unseen opened out to them like the physical leaves of a book. But they forget that a physical Book is on a wholly different plane from Allah's Mysteries, and that their physical natures cannot apprehend the mysteries.
They must wait. Truth will also wait. But the waiting in the two cases is in quite different senses. Cf. 6:158 and 9:52.
وَإِذَا
أَذَقْنَا
النَّاسَ رَحْمَةً
مِّن بَعْدِ
ضَرَّاء مَسَّتْهُمْ
إِذَا لَهُم
مَّكْرٌ فِي
آيَاتِنَا...
10: 21. When We make mankind taste of some mercy after adversity hath touched them,
Behold! they take to plotting against our Signs!
...قُلِ اللّهُ أَسْرَعُ مَكْرًا...
Say: "Swifter to plan is Allah!"
...إنَّ رُسُلَنَا يَكْتُبُونَ مَا تَمْكُرُونَ ﴿٢١﴾
Verily, Our Messengers record all the plots that ye make!
C1409. Man turns his thoughts in adversity to Allah. But as soon as the trouble is past, he not only forgets Him but actually strives against His cause.
But such people are poor ignorant creatures, not realising that the Universal Plan of Allah is swifter to stop their petty plans, and that though they fail, the record of them remains eternally against them. (R).
Other versions:
10: 21 [Yunus, Mecca 51]
Yusuf Ali When We make mankind taste of some mercy after adversity hath touched them Behold! they take to plotting against our Signs! Say: "Swifter to plan is Allah!" Verily Our messengers record all the plots that ye make!
Pickthall And when We cause mankind to taste of mercy after some adversity which had afflicted them, behold! they have some plot against Our revelations. Say: Allah is more swift in plotting. Lo! Our messengers write down that which ye plot.
Transliteration Wa iza_ azaqnan na_sa rahmatam mim ba'di darra_'a massathum iza_ lahum makrun fi a_ya_tina_, qulilla_hu asra'u makra_(n), inna rusulana_ yaktubu_na ma_ tamkuru_n(a).
[[Ali’s note - 1409 Man turns his thoughts in adversity to Allah. But as soon as the trouble is past, he not only forgets Him but actually strives against His cause. But such people are poor ignorant creatures, not realizing that the Universal Plan of Allah is swifter to stop their petty plans, and that though they fail, the record of them remains eternally against them. (10.21) ]]
10: 22
Yusuf Ali He it is Who enable you to traverse through land and sea; so that ye even board ships they sail with them with a favorable wind and they rejoice thereat; then comes a stormy wind and the waves come to them from all sides and they think they are being overwhelmed: they cry unto Allah sincerely offering (their) duty unto Him saying "If Thou dost deliver us from this we shall truly show our gratitude!"
Pickthall He it is Who make you to go on the land and the sea till, when ye are in the ships and they sail with them with a fair breeze and they are glad therein, a storm wind reach them and the wave cometh unto them from every side and they deem that they are overwhelmed therein; (then) they cry unto Allah, making their faith pure for Him only; If Thou deliver us from this, we truly will be of the thankful.
Transliteration Huwal lazi yusayyirukum fil barri wal bahr(i), hatta_ iza_ kuntum fil fulk(i), wa jaraina bihim bi rihin tayyibatiw wa farihu_ biha_ ja_'atha_ rihun 'a_sifuw wa ja_'ahumul mauju min kulli maka_niw wa zannu_ annahum uhita bihim, da'awulla_ha mukhlisina lahud din(a), la'in anjaitana_ min ha_zihi lanaku_nanna minasy sya_kirin(a).