8. Surah Al Anfal
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
كَدَأْبِ
آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ
وَالَّذِينَ
مِن قَبْلِهِمْ...
8: 52. "(Deeds) after the manner of the people of Pharaoh and of those before them:
...كَفَرُواْ بِآيَاتِ اللّهِ فَأَخَذَهُمُ اللّهُ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ...
they rejected the signs of Allah, and Allah punished them for their crimes:
...إِنَّ اللّهَ قَوِيٌّ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ ﴿٥٢﴾
for Allah is strong, and strict in punishment:
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.
إِنَّ
شَرَّ الدَّوَابِّ
عِندَ اللّهِ
الَّذِينَ
كَفَرُواْ
فَهُمْ لاَ
يُؤْمِنُونَ ﴿٥٥﴾
8: 55. For the worst of beasts in the sight of Allah are those who reject Him:
They will not believe.
C1223. In 8:22 we were warned against "the worst of beasts in the sight of Allah", who do not make use of their faculties of hearing, speaking and understanding, in the service of Allah, and in fact misuse their faculties to blaspheme Allah.
The same brute creatures are shone here in another light: they are faithless both to Allah and man.
الَّذِينَ عَاهَدتَّ
مِنْهُمْ ثُمَّ
يَنقُضُونَ
عَهْدَهُمْ
فِي كُلِّ
مَرَّةٍ...
8: 56. They are those with whom thou didst make a Covenant, but they break their covenant every time
C1224. The immediate occasion was the repeated treachery of the BanuQuraiza after their treaties with the Muslims. But the general lesson remains, as noted in the two following verses.
Treachery in war is doubly wrong, for it endangers so many lives. Such treachery should be punished in such a way that it gets no chance again. Not only the actual perpetrators but those who follow their standard should be rendered powerless.
And the broken treaty should be denounced so that the innocent party can at least fight on equal terms.
From actual physical warfare we can carry the same lesson to spiritual warfare. A truce or understanding is possible with those who respect definite principles, not with those who have no principles and are merely out for oppression and wickedness.
...وَهُمْ لاَ يَتَّقُونَ ﴿٥٦﴾
and they have not the fear (of Allah).
Other versions:
Sinning People of Pharaoh
8: 52 [al-Anfal, Medina 88, after Badr, 2H]
Yusuf Ali "(Deeds) after the manner of the people of Pharaoh and of those before them: they rejected the signs of Allah and Allah punished them for their crimes: for Allah is strong and strict in punishment:
Pickthall (Their way is) as the way of Pharaoh's folk and those before them; they disbelieved the revelations of Allah, and Allah took them in their sins. Lo! Allah is Strong, severe in punishment.
Transliteration Kada'bi a_li fir'auna wallazina min qablikum, kafaru_ bi a_ya_tilla_hi fa akhazahumulla_hu bi zunu_bihim, innalla_ha qawiyyun syadidul 'iqa_b(i).
8: 53
Yusuf Ali "Because Allah will never change the grace which He hath bestowed on a people until they change what is in their (own) souls: and verily Allah is He Who heareth and knoweth (all things)."
Pickthall That is because Allah never changeth the grace He hath bestowed on any people until they first change that which is in their hearts, and (that is) because Allah is Hearer, Knower.
Transliteration Za_lika bi annalla_ha lam yaku mugayyiran ni'matan an'amaha_ 'ala_ qaumin hatta_ yugayyiru_ ma_ bi anfusihim, wa annalla_ha sami'un 'alim(un).
8: 54 [al-Anfal, Medina 88, after Badr, 2H]
Yusuf Ali "(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.
Pickthall (Their way is) as the way of Pharoah's folk and those before them; they denied the revelations of their Lord, so We destroyed them in their sins. And We drowned the folk of Pharaoh. All were evil doers.
Transliteration Kada'bi a_li fir'auna wallazina min qablihim, kazzabu_ bi a_ya_ti rabbihim fa ahlakna_hum bi zunu_bihim wa agraqna_ a_la fir'aun(a), wa kullun ka_nu_ za_limin(a).
8: 55
Yusuf Ali For the worst of beasts in the sight of Allah are those who reject Him: They will not believe.
Pickthall Lo! the worst of beasts in Allah's sight are the ungrateful who will not believe;
Transliteration Inna syarrad dawa_bbi 'indalla_hil lazina kafaru_ fahum la_ yu'minu_n(a).
8: 56
Yusuf Ali They are those with whom thou didst make a covenant but they break their covenant every time and they have not the fear (of Allah).
Pickthall Those of them with whom thou madest a treaty, and, then at every opportunity they break their treaty, and they keep not duty (to Allah).
Transliteration Allazina 'a_hatta minhum summa yanqudu_na 'ahdahum fi kulli marratiw wa hum la_ yattaqu_n(a).
10. Surah Yunus
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
ثُمَّ بَعَثْنَا
مِن بَعْدِهِم
مُّوسَى وَهَارُونَ
إِلَى فِرْعَوْنَ
وَمَلَئِهِ
بِآيَاتِنَا...
10: 75. Then after them sent We Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh and his chiefs with Our Signs.
C1461. The story of Moses, Aaron, and Pharaoh is fully told in 7:103-137, and there are references to it in many places in the Quran.
The incidental reference here is to illustrate a special point, viz., that
- the wicked are arrogant and bound up in their sin, and prefer deception to Truth:
- they do not hesitate to charge the men of Allah, who work unselfishly for them, with mean motives, such as would actuate them in similar circumstances!
...فَاسْتَكْبَرُواْ وَكَانُواْ قَوْمًا مُّجْرِمِينَ ﴿٧٥﴾
But they were arrogant: they were a people in sin.
فَلَمَّا
جَاءهُمُ الْحَقُّ
مِنْ عِندِنَا
قَالُواْ إِنَّ
هَـذَا لَسِحْرٌ
مُّبِينٌ ﴿٧٦﴾
10: 76. When the Truth did come to them from Us, they said:
"This is indeed evident sorcery!"
10: 88. Moses prayed:
رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ آتَيْتَ فِرْعَوْنَ وَمَلأهُ زِينَةً وَأَمْوَالاً فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا...
"Our Lord! Thou hast indeed bestowed on Pharaoh and his Chiefs splendor and wealth in the life of the Present,
C1469. Moses' prayer, in which Aaron joined, for he was always with him, may be paraphrased thus:
"O Allah!
we understand that the glitter and the wealth of the Egyptians are not to be envied. They are but the ephemeral goods of this life. They are a disadvantage, in that in their pride of possessions the Egyptians mislead themselves and others. Let their pride be their undoing! Turn their wealth into bitterness and their hearts into hardness, for they reject Thee, and they will not believe until they actually see the Punishment of their sins!"
...رَبَّنَا لِيُضِلُّواْ عَن سَبِيلِكَ...
and so, our Lord, they mislead (men) from Thy Path.
...رَبَّنَا اطْمِسْ عَلَى أَمْوَالِهِمْ وَاشْدُدْ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ فَلاَ يُؤْمِنُواْ...
Deface, our Lord, the features of their wealth, and send hardness to their hearts, so they will not believe
C1470. A terrible curse! Let their wealth and splendour become so defaced in their features, that instead of being objects of desire, they become objects of loathing!
The heart is the seat of affections and joy: let it be so hardened by their unbelief that it becomes the seat of hatred and grief! It is when they see the Penalty that they will believe!
...حَتَّى يَرَوُاْ الْعَذَابَ الأَلِيمَ ﴿٨٨﴾
until they see the grievous Penalty."
Other versions:
10: 75 [Yunus, Mecca 51]
Yusuf Ali Then after them sent We Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh and his chiefs with Our Signs. But they were arrogant: they were a people in sin.
Pickthall Then, after them, We sent Moses and Aaron unto Pharaoh and his chiefs with Our revelations, but they were arrogant and were a guilty folk.
Transliteration Summa ba'asna_ mim ba'dihim mu_sa_ wa ha_ru_na ila_ fir'auna wa mala'ihi bi a_ya_tina_ fa-stakbaru_ wa ka_nu_ qaumam mujrimin(a).
10: 76
Yusuf Ali When the Truth did come to them from Us they said: "This is indeed evident sorcery!"
Pickthall And when the Truth from Our presence came unto them, they said: This is mere magic.
Transliteration Falamma_ ja_'ahumul haqqu min 'indina_ qa_lu_ inna ha_za_ lasihrum
10: 88
Yusuf Ali Moses prayed: "Our Lord! Thou hast indeed bestowed on Pharaoh and his Chiefs splendor and wealth in the life of the Present and so our Lord they mislead (men) from Thy Path. Deface our Lord the features of their wealth and send hardness to their hearts so they will not believe until they see the grievous Penalty."
Pickthall And Moses said: Our Lord! Lo! Thou hast given Pharaoh and his chiefs splendor and riches in the life of the world, Our Lord! that they may lead men astray from Thy way. Our Lord! Destroy their riches and harden their hearts so that they believe not till they see the painful doom.
Transliteration Wa qa_la mu_sa_ rabbana_ innaka a_taita fir'auna wa mala'ahu_ zinataw wa amwa_lan fil haya_tid dunya_, rabbana_ liyudillu_ 'an sabilik(a), rabbana-tmis 'ala_ amwa_lihim wa-sydud 'ala_ qulu_bihim fala_ yu'minu_ hatta_ yarawul 'aza_bal alim(a).
[[010:088 Those who are subjected to injustice are excused if they ask for divine punishment or use bad words. See 4:148.]]