The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
ذَلِكَ
بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ
أَيْدِيكُمْ ...
8: 51. "Because of (the deeds) which your (own) hands sent forth:
C1220. The punishment is shown to be due to their own deeds of wrong, because Allah is never unjust to the least of His servants.
... وَأَنَّ اللّهَ لَيْسَ بِظَلاَّمٍ لِّلْعَبِيدِ ﴿٥١﴾
for Allah is never unjust to His servants:
ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّ
اللّهَ لَمْ
يَكُ مُغَيِّرًا
نِّعْمَةً
أَنْعَمَهَا
عَلَى قَوْمٍ
حَتَّى يُغَيِّرُواْ
مَا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ...
8: 53. "Because Allah will never change the grace which He hath bestowed on a people until they change what is in their (own) souls:
C1221. Allah bestows His grace freely, but He never withdraws it arbitrarily. Before He changes their state and circumstances, an actual state of rebellion and contumacy has arisen in their own souls, which brings about its inevitable punishment.
...وَأَنَّ اللّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ ﴿٥٣﴾
and verily Allah is He Who heareth and knoweth (all things)."
كَدَأْبِ
آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ
وَالَّذِينَ
مِن قَبْلِهِمْ كَذَّبُواْ
بآيَاتِ رَبِّهِمْ ...
8: 54. "(Deeds) after the manner of the people of Pharaoh and those before them":
they treated as false the signs of their Lord;
C1222. These words from the address of the angels are quoted again, in order to add the comment that follows.
Note that in verse 51, the words were that they rejected the Signs of Allah and were punished:
here the words are that they treated the Signs as false and were destroyed: -a higher degree of guilt deserved a severer punishment.
... فَأَهْلَكْنَاهُم بِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَأَغْرَقْنَا آلَ فِرْعَونَ...
so We destroyed them for their crimes, and We drowned the people of Pharaoh:
...وَكُلٌّ كَانُواْ ظَالِمِينَ ﴿٥٤﴾
for they were all oppressors and wrongdoers.
Asad’s Version:
8: 51 “after the manner of the people of Pharaoh and of those before them: they rejected the Signs of God, and God punished them for their crimes: for God is Strong, and Strict in punishment:
8: 53 Because God will never change the Grace which He has bestowed on a people until they change what is in their [own] souls: and verily God is He who hears and knows [all things].”
8: 54 “[Deeds] after the manner of the People of Pharaoh and those before them”: they treated as false the Signs of their Lord: so We destroyed them for their crimes, and We drowned the People of Pharaoh: for they were all oppressors and wrong-doers.