5. Surah Al-Ma'idah
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
إِذْ
قَالَ اللّهُ
يَا عِيسى ابْنَ
مَرْيَمَ اذْكُرْ
نِعْمَتِي
عَلَيْكَ وَعَلَى
وَالِدَتِكَ...
5: 110. Then will Allah say:
"O Jesus the son of Mary! recount My favor to thee and to thy mother.
C815. In a solemn scene before the Court of Judgment, Jesus is asked to recount all the mercies and favours shown to him, so that his followers should become ashamed of their ingratitude in corrupting that Message, when they could have done so much in profiting by its purity and spiritual truth.
This argument continues to the end of the Surah.
... إِذْ أَيَّدتُّكَ بِرُوحِ الْقُدُسِ ...
Behold! I strengthened thee with the holy spirit,
C816. Cf. 2:87, and 3:62, n. 401.
... تُكَلِّمُ النَّاسَ فِي الْمَهْدِ وَكَهْلاً...
so that thou didst speak to the people in childhood and in maturity.
... وَإِذْ عَلَّمْتُكَ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَالتَّوْرَاةَ وَالإِنجِيلَ...
Behold! I taught thee the Book and Wisdom, the Law and the Gospel.
C818. Cf. 3:48.
... وَإِذْ تَخْلُقُ مِنَ الطِّينِ كَهَيْئَةِ الطَّيْرِ بِإِذْنِي ...
And behold! thou makest out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, by My leave,
... فَتَنفُخُ فِيهَا فَتَكُونُ طَيْرًا بِإِذْنِي...
and thou breathest into it, and it becometh a bird by My leave,
C820. Note how the words "by My leave" are repeated with each miracle to emphasize the fact that they arose, not out of the power or will of Jesus, but by the leave and will and power of Allah, who is supreme over Jesus as He is over all other mortals.
... وَتُبْرِىءُ الأَكْمَهَ وَالأَبْرَصَ بِإِذْنِي ...
and thou healest those born blind, and the lepers by My leave.
... وَإِذْ تُخْرِجُ الْمَوتَى بِإِذْنِي ...
And behold! thou bringest forth the dead by My leave.
... وَإِذْ كَفَفْتُ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ عَنكَ ...
And behold! I did restrain the Children of Israel from (violence to) thee
C821. The Jews were seeking to take the life of Jesus long before their final attempt to crucify him: see Luke 4:28-29.
Their attempt to crucify him was also foiled, according to the teaching we have received: 4:157.
... إِذْ جِئْتَهُمْ بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ فَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ مِنْهُمْ ...
when thou didst show them the Clear Signs, and the unbelievers among them, said:
... إِنْ هَـذَا إِلاَّ سِحْرٌ مُّبِينٌ ﴿١١٠﴾
'This is nothing but evident magic'.
C822. According to Luke (11:15), when Christ performed the miracle of casting out devils, the Jews said he did it through the chief of the devils. i.e., they accused him of black magic.
No such miracle of casting out devils is mentioned in the Quran. But Moses, Jesus. and Muhammad were all accused of magic and sorcery, by those who could find no other explanation of Allah's power. (R).
Other versions:
5: 110 [al-Maidah, Medina 112]
Asad ……how I strengthened you with holy inspiration [note 132]………….so that you could speak unto men in your cradle, and as a grown man; and how I imparted unto you revelation and wisdom, including the Torah and the Gospel [note 133]; and how by My leave you did create our of clay, as it were, the shape of [your followers’] destiny, and then did breathed into it, so that it might become, by My leave, [their] destiny [note 134] and how you did heal the blind and the leper by My leave, and how you did raise the dead by My leave [note 135]; and how I prevented …………”
Yusuf Ali Then will Allah say: "O Jesus the son of Mary! recount my favor to thee and to thy mother. Behold! I strengthened thee with the holy spirit so that thou didst speak to the people in childhood and in maturity. Behold! I taught thee the Book and Wisdom the Law and the Gospel. And behold! you make out of clay as it were the figure of a bird by My leave and you breathed into it and it became a bird by My leave and you healed those born blind and the lepers by My leave. And behold! thou bringest forth the dead by My leave. And behold! I did restrain the Children of Israel from (violence to) thee when thou didst show them the Clear Signs and the unbelievers among them said: `This is nothing but evident magic'.
Pickthall When Allah saith: O Jesus, son of Mary! Remember My favor unto thee and unto thy mother; how I strengthened thee with the holy Spirit, so that thou spakest unto mankind in the cradle as in maturity; and how I taught thee the Scripture and Wisdom and the Torah and the Gospel; and how thou didst shape of clay as it were the likeness of a bird by My permission, and didst blow upon it and it was a bird by My permission, and thou didst heal him who was born blind and the leper by My permission; and how thou didst raise the dead, by My permission and how I restrained the Children of Israel from (harming) thee when thou camest unto them with clear proofs, and those of them who disbelieved exclaimed: This is naught else than mere magic;
Transliteration Iz qa_lalla_hu ya_ 'isabna maryamazkur ni'mati 'alaika wa 'ala_ wa_lidatik(a), iz ayyattuka bi ru_hil qudusi, tukallimun na_sa fil mahdi wa kahla_(n), wa iz 'allamtukal kita_ba wal hikmata wat taura_ta wal injil(a), wa iz takhluqu minat tini ka hai'atit tairi bi izni fa tanfukhu fiha_ fa taku_nu tairam bi izni wa tubri'ul akmaha wal abrasa bi izni, wa iz tukhrijul mauta bi izni, wa iz kafaftu bani isra_'ila 'anka iz ji'tahum bil bayyina_ti fa qa_lal lazina kafaru_ minhum in ha_za_ illa_ sihrum mubin(un).
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[[Asad’s notes
132 – see surah 2, note 71
133 Lit., "and the Torah and the Gospel". The conjunction "and" at the beginning of this clause is meant to stress the fact that both the Torah and the Gospel were included in the revelation (al-kitab) vouchsafed to Jesus. Although the Torah was an earlier revelation, it is described as "imparted to Jesus" because his own prophetic mission was based on the Law of Moses, which was only confirmed, and not abrogated, by the Gospel (cf. Matthew v, 17-19). As regards the expression "in thy cradle", see surah 3, note 33 (first sentence).
134 See 3 : 49, as well as the corresponding note 37.
135 See surah 3, note 38. ]]