22. Sura al-Hajj
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
وَمَا
أَرْسَلْنَا
مِن قَبْلِكَ
مِن رَّسُولٍ
وَلَا نَبِيٍّ...
22: 52. Never did We send a Messenger or a Prophet before thee,
...إِلَّا إِذَا تَمَنَّى أَلْقَى الشَّيْطَانُ فِي أُمْنِيَّتِهِ...
but, when he framed a desire, Satan threw some (vanity) into his desire:
C2831. Prophets and messengers (the distinction is explained in n. 2503 to 19:51) are but human. Their actions are righteous and their motives pure. But in judging things from a human point of view, the suggestion may come to their mind (from Satan) that it would be good to have power or wealth or influence for furthering Allah's cause, or that it may be good to conciliate some faction which may be irreconcilable.
In fact, in Allah's Plan, it may be the opposite. Allah, in His mercy and inspiration, will cancel any false or vain suggestions of this kind, and confirm and strengthen His own Commands and make known His Will in His Signs or revelations.
...فَيَنسَخُ اللَّهُ مَا يُلْقِي الشَّيْطَانُ...
but Allah will cancel anything (vain) that Satan throws in,
...ثُمَّ يُحْكِمُ اللَّهُ آيَاتِهِ...
and Allah will confirm (and establish) His Signs:
...وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ ﴿٥٢﴾
for Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom:
C2832. This clause and the similar clause at the end of the next verse are parenthetical.
Other versions:
22:52 [al-Hajj, Medina 103]
Wama arsalna min qablika min rasoolin wala nabiyyin illa itha tamanna alqa alshshaytanu fee omniyyatihi fayansakhu Allahu ma yulqee alshshaytanu thumma yuhkimu Allahu ayatihi waAllahu AAaleemun hakeemun |
Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning |
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Yet whenever We sent forth any apostle or prophet before thee, and he was hoping [that his warnings would be heeded], Satan would cast an aspersion on his innermost aims: but God renders null and void whatever aspersion Satan may cast; and God makes His messages clear in and by themselves for God is all-knowing, wise. |
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Never sent We a messenger or a prophet before thee but when He recited (the message) Satan proposed (opposition) in respect of that which he recited thereof. But Allah abolisheth that which Satan proposeth. Then Allah establisheth His revelations. Allah is Knower, Wise; |
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And We did not send before you any messenger or prophet, but when he desired, the Shaitan made a suggestion respecting his desire; but Allah annuls that which the Shaitan casts, then does Allah establish His communications, and Allah is Knowing, Wise, |
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Never did We send a messenger or a prophet before thee, but, when he framed a desire, Satan threw some (vanity) into his desire: but Allah will cancel anything (vain) that Satan throws in, and Allah will confirm (and establish) His Signs: for Allah is full of Knowledge and Wisdom: |
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Whenever We sent any messenger or prophet before you, and he recited anything [of Our revelation], Satan tampered with it. But God abrogates Satans interjections and then He firmly reaffirms His revelations. God is all knowing and all wise. |
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Nor did We send before you O Muhammad a Messenger or a Prophet but was opposed by those with characteristics befitting AL-Shaytan. They were determined to suppress their volition and intervene between them and their divine cause and to influence the peoples' minds with their satanic wickedness. But there and then does Allah annul the satanic desire and render it void and He confirms His spirit of truth guiding into all truth and strengthening His cause. Allah is 'Alimun and Hakimun. (the Source of wisdom and wise mysterious dispensations). |
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And We did not send before you any messenger or prophet, without having the devil interfere with his wishes. God then overrides what the devil has cast, and God firms His revelations. And God is Knower, Wise. |
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Testing People through Fallible Human Messengers
22:52 We did not send before you any messenger or prophet, without having the devil interfere with his wishes. God then overrides what the devil has cast, and God secures His signs. God is Knower, Wise.*
[[Yuksel’s note - 022:052-55 The weakness and deficiencies demonstrated by messengers and prophets provide excuses for those who try to criticize them and reject their message. On the other hand, those deficiencies and weaknesses reject the common Sunni and Shiite belief that the messengers are "innocent" or "sinless" people. Those who acknowledge and appreciate God's message are capable of distinguishing revelation from personal errors.]]
[[ Asad’s notes - 65 Lit., "We never sent any apostle or prophet before thee without that, when he was hoping (tamanna)...", etc. According to most of the commentators, the designation "apostle" (rasul) is applied to bearers of divine revelations which comprise a new doctrinal system or dispensation; a prophet" (nabi), on the other hand, is said to be one whom God has entrusted with the enunciation of ethical principles on the basis of an already-existing dispensation, or of principles common to all divine dispensations. Hence, every apostle is a prophet as well, but not every prophet is an apostle.
66 I.e., insinuating that the innermost aim (umniyyah, lit., "longing" or "hope") of the message- bearer in question was not the spiritual improvement of his community but, rather, the attainment of personal power and influence: cf 6:1 12 - "against every prophet We have set up as enemies the evil forces (shayatin) from among humans as well as from among invisible beings (al-jinn)"- a statement which is explained in surah 6, note 98.
67 Lit, "and God makes His messages clear in and by themselves". This is the meaning of the phrase yuhkimu ayatahu (cf. the expression hkimat ayatuhu in 11:1): i.e., God causes His messages to speak for hemselves, so that any insinuation as to the prophet's "hidden motives" is
automatically disproved. The conjunction thumma at the beginning of this clause does not connote a sequence in time but a coordination of activities, and is best rendered by the simple conjunction "and". ]]
