Sura-3 [Al-Imran, Medina 89 ]
The Quranic Text & Ali’s version:
إِنَّ
الدِّينَ
عِندَ
اللّهِ
الإِسْلاَمُ
...
3:19. The Religion before Allah is Islam (submission to His will):
...وَمَا اخْتَلَفَ الَّذِينَ أُوْتُواْ الْكِتَابَ إِلاَّ مِن بَعْدِ مَا جَاءهُمُ الْعِلْمُ بَغْيًا بَيْنَهُمْ...
nor did the People of the Book dissent therefrom except through envy of each other, after knowledge had come to them.
C359. Baghyan:
- through envy,
- through selfish contumacy or obstinacy,
- through sheer contrary-mindedness, or desire to resist or rebel.
...وَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِآيَاتِ اللّهِ فَإِنَّ اللّهِ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ ﴿١٩﴾
But if any deny the Signs of Allah, Allah is swift in calling to account.
Transliteration Innad dina 'indalla_hil isla_m(u), wa makhtalafal lazina u_tul kita_ba illa_ mim ba'di ma_ ja_'ahumul 'ilmu bagyam bainahum, wa may yakfur bi a_ya_tilla_hi fa innalla_ha sari'ul hisa_b(i).
Other Version:
Pickthall Lo! religion with Allah (is) The Surrender (to His will and guidance). Those who (formerly) received the Scripture differed only after knowledge came unto them, through transgression among themselves. Whoso disbelieveth the revelations of Allah (will find that) Lo! Allah is swift at reckoning.
[ Ali’s note - 359 Bagyan: through envy, through selfish contumacy or obstinacy, through sheer contrary-mindedness, or desire to resist or rebel. Cf. ii. 90, and ii. 213. (3.19) ]
Asad’s Version:
3: 19
Asad Behold, the only (true) religion in the sight of God is self-surrender unto Him; and those who were vouchsafed revelation aforetime took, out of mutual jealousy, to divergent views only after knowledge had come unto them. But as for him who denies the truth of God’s message – behold, God is swift in reckoning!
.
Pickthall Lo! religion with Allah (is) The Surrender (to His will and guidance). Those who (formerly) received the Scripture differed only after knowledge came unto them, through transgression among themselves. Whoso disbelieveth the revelations of Allah (will find that) Lo! Allah is swift at reckoning.
[Asad’s note 13: ……….man’s self-surrender to Him [Islam in its original connoration] is the essence of all true religion. Their subsequent divergencies were an outcome of sectarian pride and mutual exclusiveness. ]
[ Ruby’s note: This is indicating that in the past due to sectarian pride, wrong and unconditional alliance with a group or sect to make it invincible or infallible, people have deliberately changed and justified those changes through the time.
These people here have failed to have the highest alliance with God and His Law [ true Submission] . This is one of the reason religion have changed down through the time. The followers of the Quran are not exceptions: they have also created many divergent views and sects about the religion and remained intolerant and arrogant about their assertions. These ideas indicate that these people who deliberately changed the original expressions found justification to change not because they were truly searching the truth and complying with the truth unconditionally, but the inherent intentions of these justifications themselves were wrong: vested interest in keeping the group in power, jealousy of other groups in case the others come to the authority and power, and sheer arrogance and intolerance in pursuing these status quo. The history of Muslims is littered with these kinds of failures. Perhaps that is why the Muslims have not been successful to provide leadership in the world, and they have been shown through the manifestation of time that they would be dominated and controlled by others who are following God’s Laws better. This is the gist of my message right now to the Muslims. ]