Sura-4 [Al Nissa Medina 92]
The Quranic Text & Ali’s version:
يَا
أَيُّهَا
الَّذِينَ
آمَنُواْ
خُذُواْ
حِذْرَكُمْ
فَانفِرُواْ
ثُبَاتٍ
أَوِ
انفِرُواْ
جَمِيعًا
﴿٧١﴾
4:71. O ye who believe! take your precautions, and either go forth in parties or go forth all together.
C588. No fight should be undertaken without due preparations and precautions. When these are taken, we must go boldly forward.
"Go forth" is therefore repeated for emphasis. But we must go forth in a collective spirit, and not in a selfish spirit-either in small parties or all together, as our Leader determines.
We must not tarry like the doubter in the next two verses.
وَإِنَّ
مِنكُمْ
لَمَن
لَّيُبَطِّئَنَّ
...
4:72. There are certainly among you men who would tarry behind:
C589. The doubter detaches himself in thought and action from the community. If the general body has a reverse, he blesses Allah that he was not among them, instead of being ashamed of himself for desertion.
If the general body wins a success, he does not rejoice for the common cause, but only regrets for himself that he was not there to share in the glory and the gains!
... فَإِنْ أَصَابَتْكُم مُّصِيبَةٌ قَالَ...
if a misfortune befalls you. They say:
... قَدْ أَنْعَمَ اللّهُ عَلَيَّ إِذْ لَمْ أَكُن مَّعَهُمْ شَهِيدًا ﴿٧٢﴾
"Allah did favor us in that we were not present among them."
وَلَئِنْ
أَصَابَكُمْ
فَضْلٌ
مِّنَ
الله
لَيَقُولَنَّ
كَأَن
لَّمْ
تَكُن
بَيْنَكُمْ
وَبَيْنَهُ
مَوَدَّةٌ...
4:73. But if good fortune comes to you from Allah, they would be sure to say, as if there had never been ties of affection between you and them,
... يَا لَيتَنِي كُنتُ مَعَهُمْ فَأَفُوزَ فَوْزًا عَظِيمًا ﴿٧٣﴾
"Oh! I wish I had been with them; a fine thing should I then have made of it!"
C590. Just a selfish man's thought. Such men are far from being a source of strength to their community.
They are no use in a fight, and the next verse by implication discards them.
Asad’s Version:
4: 71
Asad O you who have attained to faith! Be fully prepared against danger, whether you go to war in small groups or all together [note 87].
Yusuf Ali O ye who believe! take your precautions and either go forth in parties or go forth all together.
Pickthall O ye who believe! Take your precautions, then advance the proven ones, or advance all together.
Transliteration Ya_ ayyuhal lazina a_manu_ khuzu_ hizrakum fanfiru_ suba_tin awinfiru_ jami'a_(n).
[[ Asad’s note 87 - ………The problem of war as such arises from the principles of ideological statehood postulated in verse 59 of this surah. Since the Muslims are expected to organize their communal life within the framework of a state based on the ideological premises laid down in the Quran, they must be prepared for hostility on the part of groups or nations opposed to the world-view and the social system of Islam and, conceivably, bent on its destruction: consequently, the concept of a defensive war in God’s cause (jihad) plays a very prominent role in the socio-political of Islam and is frequently alluded to throughout the Quran.]]
[[ Ruby’s note – I disagree with Asad’s stand of having an Islamic state. This and similar verses were revealed in a context of hostility and unmitigated aggression, often geared towards complete annihilation of the Muslim community and whoever were supporting it such as the tribes of Median who were giving support and cohabitation with Muslims, by primarily by the Meccans and some other tribes/groups non-Muslims within Median and outside of Medina. [see the rest in “Islamic state” and its premises]
4: 72
Asad And, behold, there are indeed among you such as would lag behind, if calamity befalls you, say, " God has bestowed His favor upon me in that I was not present with them!"
Yusuf Ali There are certainly among you men who would tarry behind: if a misfortune befalls you, They say: "Allah did favor us in that we were not present among them."
Pickthall Lo! among you there is he who Loitereth; and if disaster overtook you, he would say: Allah hath been gracious unto me since I was not present with them!
Transliteration Wa inna minkum lamal layubatti'ann(a), fa in asa_batkum musibatun qa_la qad an'amalla_hu 'alayya iz lam akum ma'ahum syahida_(n).
4: 73
Asad But if good fortune comes to you from God, such a person is sure to say ….."Oh, would that I had been with them, and thus had a [share in their] mighty triumph."
Yusuf Ali But if good fortune comes to you from Allah they would be sure to say as if there had never been ties of affection between you and them "Oh! I wish I had been with them; a fine thing should I then have made of it!"
Pickthall And if a bounty from Allah befell you, he would surely cry, as if there had been no love between you and him: Oh, would that I had been with them, then should I have achieved a great success!
Transliteration Wala'in asa_bakum fadlum minalla_hi layaqu_lanna ka allam takum bainakum wa bainahu_ mawaddatuy ya_ laitani kuntu ma'ahum fa afu_za fauzan 'azima_(n).