16.Sura al-Nahl
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا
مِن قَبْلِكَ
إِلاَّ رِجَالاً
نُّوحِي إِلَيْهِمْ...
16: 43. And before thee also the Messengers We sent were but men, to whom We granted inspiration:
C2068. Allah's prophets were always men, not angels; and their distinction was the inspiration they received.
... فَاسْأَلُواْ أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٤٣﴾
if ye realize this not, ask of those who possess the Message.
C2069. If the Pagan Arabs, who were ignorant of religious and other history, wondered how a man from among themselves could receive inspiration and bring a Message from Allah, let them ask the Jews, who had also received Allah's Message earlier through Moses, whether Moses was a man, or an angel, or a god. They would learn that Moses was a man like themselves, but inspired by Allah.
"Those who possess the Message" may also mean any men of Wisdom, who were qualified to have an opinion in such matters.
بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ
وَالزُّبُرِ...
16: 44. (We sent them) with Clear Signs and Scriptures;
C2070. As the People of the Book had received "Clear Signs" and inspired Books before, so also Allah's Message came to the Prophet Muhammad through the Quran, which superseded the earlier revelations, already corrupted in the hands of their followers. (R).
... وَأَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ...
and We have sent down unto thee (also) the Message; that thou mayest explain clearly to men what is sent for them,
... وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ ﴿٤٤﴾
and that they may give thought.
Other versions:
16: 43 [an-Nahl, Mecca 70]
Asad And before your time, [O Muhammad] We never sent [as Our apostles] any but [mortal] men, whom We inspired: and if you have not [yet] realized this, ask the followers of [earlier] revelation,
Yusuf Ali And before thee also the apostles We sent were but men to whom We granted inspiration: if ye realize this not ask of those who possess the Message.
Pickthall And We sent not (as Our messengers) before thee other than men whom We inspired--Ask the followers of the Remembrance if ye know not!—
Yuksel We did not send any except men/walkers before you whom We inspired, so ask the people who received the Reminder if you do not know.
Transliteration Wa ma_ arsalna_ min qablika illa_ riju_lan nu_hi ilaihim fas'alu_ ahlaz zikri in kuntum la_ ta'lamu_n(a),
16: 44
Asad with all evidence of the truth and with books of divine wisdom. And upon you have We bestowed from on high this reminder, so that you may make clear unto mankind all that has ever been thus bestowed upon them, and that they might take thought.
Yusuf Ali (We sent them) with Clear Signs and Books of dark prophecies; and We have sent down unto thee (also) the Message; that thou mayest explain clearly to men what is sent for them and that they may give thought.
Pickthall With clear proofs and writings; and We have revealed unto thee the Remembrance that thou mayst explain to mankind that which hath been revealed for them, and that haply they may reflect.
Yuksel With proof and the scriptures. We sent down to you the Reminder to proclaim to the people what was sent to them, and perhaps they would think.*
Transliteration Bil bayyina_ti waz zubur(i), wa anzalna_ ilaikaz zikra litubayyina lin na_si ma_ nuzzila ilaihim wa la'allahum yatafakkaru_n(a).
[see Asad and Ali’s notes]
[[ Ali’s notes -2068 Allah's prophets were always men, not angels; and their distinction was the inspiration they received. (16.43)
2069 If the Pagan Arabs, who were ignorant of religious and other history, wondered how a man from among themselves could receive inspiration and bring a Message from Allah, let them ask the Jews, who had also received Allah's Message earlier through Moses, whether Moses was a man, or an angel, or a god. They would learn that Moses was a man like themselves, but inspired by Allah. "Those who possess the Message" may also mean any men of Wisdom, who were qualified to have an opinion in such matters. (16.43)
2070 As the People of the Book had received "Clear Signs" and inspired Books before, so also Allah's Message came to the Prophet Muhammad through the Qur-an, which superseded the earlier revelations, already corrupted in the hands of their followers. (16.44) ]]
[[ Yuksel note-
016:044 The Arabic word BaYaNa means (1) explain an ambiguous message; or (2) declare a hidden message. This multiple-meaning verse is one of the most abused verses by the followers of hadith hearsay. They choose the first meaning. Their rendering, however, contradicts many verses of the Quran: the Quran is explained not by Muhammad, but by its author, God Himself (75:19).
Thus it is described as a "clarified/explained book" (5:15; 12:1; 26:195; 44:6), and we are reminded over and over that it is "easy to understand" (54:17,22,32,40). Thus, the second alternative is the intended meaning, since the Quran was received by Muhammad in a private session called revelation, and his job was to deliver and declare the message he received. God orders Muhammad to proclaim the revelation which is revealed to him personally. Indeed, this is the whole mission of the messengers (16:35). Thus, the word "litubayyena" of 16:44 is similar to the one in 3:187. Verse 3:187 tells us that the people who received the revelation should "proclaim the scripture to the people, and never conceal it." See 2:159,160; 3:187 and 16:64. For a comparative discussion on verse 16:44, see the Sample Comparisons section in the Introduction.
The Quran is simple to understand (54:11). Whoever opens his/her mind and heart as a monotheist and takes the time to study it, will understand it. This understanding will be enough for salvation. Beyond this, to understand the multiple-meaning verses you do not need to be a messenger of God. If you have a good mind and have studied the Quran as a believer, that is, if you have a deep knowledge, then you will be able to understand the true meanings of multiple-meaning verses. The verse 3:7, which is about the multiple-meaning verses, points this fact in a multiple-meaning way (this is an interesting subject which warrants another article): ". . . No one knows their true meaning except God and those who possess knowledge. . ." ]]