6. [al-Anam, Mecca 55]

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

الْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ وَجَعَلَ الظُّلُمَاتِ وَالنُّورَ...

6: 1. Praise be to Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth, and made the darkness and the light.

...ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ بِرَبِّهِم يَعْدِلُونَ ﴿١﴾

Yet those who reject Faith hold (others) as equal with their Guardian-Lord.

هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن طِينٍ ...

6: 2. He it is who created you from clay,

... ثُمَّ قَضَى أَجَلاً...

and then decreed a stated term (for you).

...وَأَجَلٌ مُّسمًّى عِندَهُ ثُمَّ أَنتُمْ تَمْتَرُونَ ﴿٢﴾

And there is in His presence another determined term;

yet ye doubt within yourselves!

Pickthall’s Version:

6: 1

Pickthall Praise be to Allah, Who hath created the heavens and the earth, and hath appointed darkness and light. Yet those who disbelieve ascribe rivals unto their Lord.

Transliteration Al hamdu lilla_hil lazi khalaqas sama_wa_ti wal arda wa ja'alaz zuluma_ti wan nu_r(a), summal lazina kafaru_ bi rabbihim ya'dilu_n(a).

6: 2

Pickthall He it is Who hath created you from clay, and hath decreed a term for you. A term is fixed with Him. Yet still ye doubt!

Transliteration Huwal lazi khalaqakum min tinin summa qada_ ajala_(n), wa ajalum musamman 'indahu_ summa antum tamtaru_n(a).

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[[ Ali’s notes:- C834. Adaia has various meanings:

1. to hold something as equal to something else, as here; to balance nicely;

2. to deal justly, as between one party and another, 42:15;

3. to give compensation or reparation, or something as equivalent to something else, 6:70;

4. to turn the balance the right way, to give a right disposition, to give a just bias or proportion, 82:7;

5. to turn the balance the wrong way, to swerve, to show bias. 4:135.

C835. The argument is threefold:

1. Allah created everything you see and know: how can you then set up any of His own creatures as equal to Him?

2. He is your own Guardian-Lord; He cherishes and loves you: how can you be so ungrateful as to run after something else?

3. Darkness and Light are to help you to distinguish between the true from the false: how then can you confound the true God with your false ideas and superstitions?

There may also be a repudiation of the Duality of old Persian theology; Light and Darkness are not conflicting Powers; they are both creatures of Allah.

C836. After the general argument, the argument comes to man personally.

Can such a miserable creature, created from clay, put himself in opposition to his Creator?

And can man forget or doubt that his is here only for a short term of probation?

And then, after a period, comes the Day of Account before Allah.

C837. This life is a period of probation. The other term leads up to Judgement.

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