Sura-4 [Al Nissa Medina 92]
The Quranic Text & Ali’s version:
أَلَمْ
تَرَ
إِلَى
الَّذِينَ
يُزَكُّونَ
أَنفُسَهُمْ...
4:49. Hast thou not turned thy vision to those who claim sanctity for themselves?
C570. The sanctimonious or self-sanctified people are the farthest from sanctity or purity, which can only proceed from Allah. They cannot play with Allah's Truth and yet go on claiming to be guided and purified or justified by Allah.
Their falsehood in itself condemns them: no further proof is needed of their selfishness and evil.
... بَلِ اللّهُ يُزَكِّي مَن يَشَاء ...
Nay, but Allah doth sanctify whom He pleaseth
... وَلاَ يُظْلَمُونَ فَتِيلاً ﴿٤٩﴾
but never will they fail to receive justice in the least little thing.
C571. Literally, the small skin in the groove of a date stone, a thing of no value; fatila.
انظُرْ
كَيفَ
يَفْتَرُونَ
عَلَى
اللّهِ
الكَذِبَ
...
4:50. Behold! how they invent a lie against Allah!
... وَكَفَى بِهِ إِثْمًا مُّبِينًا ﴿٥٠﴾
but that by itself is a manifest sin!
Transliteration Unzur kaifa yaftaru_na'alalla_hil kazib(a), wa kafa_ bihi ismam mubina_(n).
أَلَمْ
تَرَ
إِلَى
الَّذِينَ
أُوتُواْ
نَصِيبًا
مِّنَ
الْكِتَابِ
...
4:51. Hast thou not turned thy vision to those who were given a portion of the Book?
The phrase also occurs in 4:44.
... يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْجِبْتِ وَالطَّاغُوتِ...
They believe in sorcery and evil,
C573. The word I have translated Sorcery is jibt, which may mean divination, sorcery, magic, or any false object of belief or worship, such as an idol.
The word I have translated Evil (here and in 2:256) is Taghut, which means the evil one, the one who exceeds all bounds, Satan: or it may refer to some idol worshipped by the Pagan Arabs, with whom the Jews of Madinah were intriguing against the Holy Prophet.
The Jews had taken much to sorcery, magic, divination, and such superstitions.
... وَيَقُولُونَ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ هَؤُلاء أَهْدَى مِنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ سَبِيلاً ﴿٥١﴾
and say to the unbelievers that they are better guided in the (right) way than the believers!
Transliteration Alam tara ilal lazina u_tu_ nasibam minal kita_bi yu'minu_na bil jibti wat ta_gu_ti wa yaqu_lu_na lillazinakafaru_ ha_'ula_'i ahda_ minal lazina a_manu_ sabila_(n).
أُوْلَـئِكَ
الَّذِينَ
لَعَنَهُمُ
اللّهُ...
4:52. They are (men) whom Allah hath cursed:
... وَمَن يَلْعَنِ اللّهُ فَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُ نَصِيرًا ﴿٥٢﴾
and those whom Allah hath cursed, thou wilt find, have no one to help.
C574. The Jews were then seeking the aid of the Makkan Pagans against Muhammad, but far from getting any help from them, they and the Pagans were both overthrown.
That was the immediate occasion, but the words have a perfectly general -a universal- meaning.
Transliteration Ula_'ikal lazina la'anahumulla_h(u), wa may yal'anilla_hu falan tajida lahu_ nasira_(n).
Other versions:
4: 50
Asad Behold how they attribute their own lying inventions to God – than which thee is no sin more obvious [note 68].
Pickthall See, how they invent lies about Allah! That of itself is flagrant sin.
4: 51
Asad Are you not aware of those who, having been granted their share of the divine writ, [now] believe in baseless mysteries and in the powers of evil [note 69], and maintain that those who are bent on denying the truth are more surely guided than those who have attained to faith?
Pickthall Hast thou not seen those unto whom a portion of the Scripture hath been given, how they believe in idols and false deities, and bow they say of those (idolaters) who disbelieve: "These are more rightly guided than those who believe?"
4: 52
Asad It is they whom God has rejected : and he whom God rejects shall find none to succor him.
Pickthall Those are they whom Allah hath cursed, and he whom Allah hath cursed, thou (O Muhammad) wilt find for him no helper.
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[[ Asad’s note 68: …….This passage refers to various theological statements of an arbitrary nature, such as the Jewish assertion that they are “the chosen people” and, thus, immune from God’s condemnation; the Christian doctrine of “vicarious atonement”; the definition of God as a ”trinity” with Jesus as its “second person”; and so forth.]]
[[ Asad’s notes – 69: The word “al-jibt” – rendered by me as “baseless mysteries” – is probably, as the ……………]]
[[ Ali’s notes - 572 Cf. iii. 23 and n. 366. The phrase also occurs in iv. 44. (4.51)
573 The word I have translated Sorcery is jibt, which may mean divination, sorcery, magic, or any false object of belief or worship, such as an idol. The word I have translated Evil (here and in ii. 256) is Taguit, which means the evil one, the one who exceeds all bounds, Satan: or it may refer to some idol worshipped by the Pagan Arabs, with whom the Jews of Madinah were intriguing against the Holy Prophet. The Jews had taken much to sorcery, magic, divination, and such superstitions. (4.51)
574 The Jews were then seeking the aid of the Makkan Pagans against Muhammad, but far from getting any help from them, they and the Pagans were both overthrown. That was the immediate occasion, but the words have a perfectly general-a universal-meaning. (4.52)]]