Sura-5 [Al Maida Medina 112]
The Quranic Text & Ali’s version:
قُلْ
يَا أَهْلَ
الْكِتَابِ
لاَ تَغْلُواْ
فِي دِينِكُمْ
غَيْرَ الْحَقِّ...
5:77. Say:
"O People of the Book! exceed not in your religion the bounds (of what is proper), trespassing beyond the truth,
C785. Excess, as opposed to moderation and reason, is the simplest test by which a hypocrite or a selfish man who "trades" on religion, is known from a sincere, pious, and truly religious man.
Excess means that truth is sometimes concealed or trampled upon, that the fashions of ancestors or contemporaries are copied or overdone, and Allah's name is dishonoured by blasphemies or the setting up of false gods or fetishes, or that good (or even bad) men are deified and worshipped. The true path is the even path, the path of rectitude.
... وَلاَ تَتَّبِعُواْ أَهْوَاء قَوْمٍ قَدْ ضَلُّواْ مِن قَبْلُ وَأَضَلُّواْ كَثِيرًا...
nor follow the vain desires of people who went wrong in times gone by, who misled many,
... وَضَلُّواْ عَن سَوَاء السَّبِيلِ ﴿٧٧﴾
and strayed (themselves) from the even way.
Section 11
لُعِنَ
الَّذِينَ
كَفَرُواْ مِن
بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ
عَلَى لِسَانِ
دَاوُودَ
...
5:78. Curses were pronounced on those among the Children of Israel who rejected faith, by the tongue of David.
C786. The Psalms of David have several passages of imprecations against the wicked.
Cf. Psalms 109:17-18; 78:21-22 ("Therefore the Lord heard this and was wroth; so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel; because they believed not in God, and trusted not in His salvation");
Psalms 69:22-28, and Psalms 5:10.
... وَعِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ ...
and of Jesus the son of Mary:
C787. Cf. Matt. 23:33, "Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of Hell?
also Matt. 12:34.
... ذَلِكَ بِمَا عَصَوا وَّكَانُواْ يَعْتَدُونَ ﴿٧٨﴾
because they disobeyed and persisted in excesses.
كَانُواْ
لاَ يَتَنَاهَوْنَ
عَن مُّنكَرٍ
فَعَلُوهُ...
5:79. Nor did they (usually) forbid one another the iniquities which they committed:
C788. There are bad men in every community, but if leaders connive at the misdeeds of the commonalty, -and even worse, if leaders themselves share in the misdeeds, as happened with the Pharisees and Scribes against whom Jesus spoke out, then that community is doomed.
... لَبِئْسَ مَا كَانُواْ يَفْعَلُونَ ﴿٧٩﴾
evil indeed were the deeds which they did.
تَرَى
كَثِيرًا
مِّنْهُمْ
يَتَوَلَّوْنَ
الَّذِينَ
كَفَرُواْ...
5:80. Thou seest many of them turning in friendship to the unbelievers.
... لَبِئْسَ مَا قَدَّمَتْ لَهُمْ أَنفُسُهُمْ أَن سَخِطَ اللّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ وَفِي الْعَذَابِ هُمْ خَالِدُونَ ﴿٨٠﴾
Evil indeed are (the works) which their souls have sent forward before them (with the result), that Allah's wrath is on them, and in torment will they abide.
وَلَوْ
كَانُوا
يُؤْمِنُونَ
بِالله والنَّبِيِّ
وَمَا أُنزِلَ
إِلَيْهِ مَا
اتَّخَذُوهُمْ
أَوْلِيَاء...
5:81. If only they had believed in Allah, in the Prophet, and in what hath been revealed to him, never would they have taken them for friends and protectors,
... وَلَـكِنَّ كَثِيرًا مِّنْهُمْ فَاسِقُونَ ﴿٨١﴾
but most of them are rebellious wrongdoers.
Asad’s Version:
5: 77 Asad Say: “O followers of the Gospel! Do not overstep the bounds [of truth] in your religious beliefs [note 91] and do not follow the errant views of people who have gone astray aforetime, and have led many (others) astray, and are still straying from the right path.” [note 92]
Pickthall Say: O People of the Scripture! Stress not in your religion other than the truth, and follow not the vain desires of folk who erred of old and led many astray, and erred from a plain road.
Transliteration Qul ya_ ahlal kita_bi la_ taglu_ fi dinikum gairal haqqi wa la_ tattabi'u_ ahwa_'a qaumin qad dallu_ min qablu wa adallu_ kasiraw wa dallu_ 'an sawa_'is sabil(i).
[[ Asad’s note 91 - ….whose love for Jesus has caused them to “overstep the bounds of truth” by elevating him to the rand of divinity; ……..92 - ……..an allusion to the many communities who, in the course of tiem, have come to attribute divinity to their spiritual leaders – a phenomenon frequently encountered in the history of religions.]]
5: 78
Asad ………this, because they reveled [against God] and persisted in transgressing the bounds of what is right.
Yusuf Ali Curses were pronounced on those among the Children of Israel who rejected faith by the tongue of David and of Jesus the son of Mary: because they disobeyed and persisted in excesses.
Pickthall Those of the children of Israel who went astray were cursed by the tongue of David, and of Jesus, son of Mary. That was because they rebelled and used to transgress.
Transliteration Lu'inal lazina kafaru_ mim bani isra_'ila 'ala_ lisa_ni da_wu_da wa 'isabni maryam(a), za_lika bima_ 'asaw wa ka_nu_ ya'tadu_n(a).
5: 79
Yusuf Ali Nor did they (usually) forbid one another the iniquities which they committed: evil indeed were the deeds which they did.
Pickthall They restrained not one another from the wickedness they did. Verily evil was that they used to do!
Transliteration Ka_nu_ la_ yatana_hauna 'an munkarin fa'alu_h(u), labi'sa ma_ ka_nu_ yaf'alu_n(a).
[[ Ali’s notes - 786 The Psalms of David have several passages of imprecations against the wicked. Cf- Psalms cix 17-18; lxxviii. 21-22 ("Therefore the Lord heard this and was wroth; so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel; because they believed not in God, and trusted not in His salvation"); Psalms lxix. 22-28, and Psalms v. 10. (5.78)
787 Cf. Matt- xxiii, 33 ("Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of Hell?); also Matt. xii. 34. (5.78)
788 There are bad men in every community, but if leaders connive at the misdeeds of the commonalty,-and even worse, if leaders themselves share in the misdeeds, as happened with the Pharisees and Scribes against whom Jesus spoke out, then that community is doomed. (5.79) ]]
5: 80
Yusuf Ali You see many of them turning in friendship to the unbelievers. Evil indeed are (the works) which their souls have sent forward before them (with the result) that Allah's wrath is on them and in torment will they abide.
Pickthall You see many of them making friends with those who disbelieve. Surely ill for them is that which they themselves send on before them : that Allah will be wroth with them and in the doom they will abide.
Transliteration Tara_ kasiram minhum yatawallaunal lazina kafaru_, labi'sa ma_ qaddamat lahum anfusuhum an sakhitalla_hu'alaihim wa fil 'aza_bi hum kha_lidu_n(a).
5: 81
Yusuf Ali If only they had believed in Allah in the Apostle and in what hath been revealed to him never would they have taken them for friends and protectors but most of them are rebellious wrong-doers.
Pickthall If they believed in Allah and the Prophet and that which is revealed unto him, they would not choose them for their friends. But many of them are of evil conduct.
Transliteration Wa lau ka_nu_ yu'minu_na billa_hi wan nabiyyi wa ma_ unzila ilaihi mattakhazu_hum auliya_'a wa la_kinna kasiram minhum fa_siqu_n(a).