6. Sura al-Anam
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
وَكَذَلِكَ
جَعَلْنَا
لِكُلِّ
نِبِيٍّ
عَدُوًّا
شَيَاطِينَ
الإِنسِ
وَالْجِنِّ
...
6: 112. Likewise did We make for every Messenger an enemy, evil ones among men and Jinns,
C941. What happened in the history of the Holy Prophet happens in the history of all righteous men who have a Message from Allah. The spirit of evil is ever active and uses men to practice deception by means of highly embellished words and plausible excuses and objections.
Allah permits these things in His Plans. It is not for us to complain. Our faith is tested, and we must stand the test steadfastly.
...يُوحِي بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَى بَعْضٍ زُخْرُفَ الْقَوْلِ غُرُورًا...
inspiring each other with flowery discourses by way of deception.
...وَلَوْ شَاء رَبُّكَ مَا فَعَلُوهُ فَذَرْهُمْ وَمَا يَفْتَرُونَ ﴿١١٢﴾
If thy Lord had so planned, they would not have done it:
so leave them and their inventions alone.
Asad’s Version:
6:112
AND THUS it is that against every prophet We have set up as enemies the evil forces from among humans as well as from among invisible beings that whisper unto one another
glittering half-truths meant to delude the mind 98 But they could not do this unless thy Sustainer had so willed: stand, therefore, aloof from them and from all their false imagery!
[[Asad’s note -
98 Lit., "embellished speech" or "varnished falsehood" (Lane III, 1223 - oy way of delusion" - i.e., half-truths which entice man by their deceptive attractiveness and cause him to overlook all real spiritual values (see also 25 : 30-31). - Regarding my rendering of jinn as "invisible beings", see note 86 above and Appendix III. The term shayatin (lit., "satans"), on the other hand, is often used in the Qur'an in the sense of evil forces inherent in man as well as in the spiritual world (cf 2:14, and the corresponding note). According to several well-authenticated Traditions, quoted by Tabari, the Prophet was asked, "Are there satans from among men?" - and he replied, "Yes, and they are more evil than the satans from among the invisible beings (al-jinn)." Thus, the meaning of the above verse is that every prophet has had to contend against the spiritual - and often physical-enmity of the evil ones who, for whatever reason, refuse to listen to the voice of truth and try to lead others astray. ]]
وَكَذَلِكَ
جَعَلْنَا
لِكُلِّ
نِبِيٍّ
عَدُوًّا
شَيَاطِينَ
الإِنسِ
وَالْجِنِّ
...
6:112. Likewise did We make for every Messenger an enemy, evil ones among men and Jinns,
C941. What happened in the history of the Holy Prophet happens in the history of all righteous men who have a Message from Allah. The spirit of evil is ever active and uses men to practice deception by means of highly embellished words and plausible excuses and objections.
Allah permits these things in His Plans. It is not for us to complain. Our faith is tested, and we must stand the test steadfastly.
...يُوحِي بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَى بَعْضٍ زُخْرُفَ الْقَوْلِ غُرُورًا...
inspiring each other with flowery discourses by way of deception.
...وَلَوْ شَاء رَبُّكَ مَا فَعَلُوهُ فَذَرْهُمْ وَمَا يَفْتَرُونَ ﴿١١٢﴾
If thy Lord had so planned, they would not have done it:
so leave them and their inventions alone.