64 At-Taghabun (Mutual Loss And Gain)

Period Uncertain [108]

The Quranic text and Ali’s version

خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ بِالْحَقِّ وَصَوَّرَكُمْ فَأَحْسَنَ صُوَرَكُمْ ...

64:3.     He has created the heavens and the earth in just proportions,

and has given you shape, and made your shapes beautiful:

... وَإِلَيْهِ الْمَصِيرُ ﴿٣﴾

and to Him is the final Goal.

Asad’s version

(64:2) He it is who has created you: and among you are such as deny this truth, and among you are such as believe [in it]. 1 And God sees all that you do.

64:3 He has created the heavens and the earth in accordance with [an inner] truth, 2 and has formed you - and formed you so well; 3 and with Him is your journey's end.

(64:4) He knows all that is in the heavens and on earth; and He knows all that you keep secret as well as all that you bring into the open: for God has full knowledge of what is in the hearts [of men].

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[Ali’s notes:

C5481. Cf. 40:64, and n. 4440: also 7:11 and n. 996.

In addition to the beauty and grandeur of all God's Creation, He has endowed man with special aptitudes, faculties and capacities, and special excellencies which raise him at his best to the position of vicegerent on earth. "Beautiful" also includes the idea of "adapted to the ends for which they were created".

C5482. "The final Goal": not only of mankind, but of all things created, whether material or in the realm of ideas and events. All things return to Allah: as they derive their origin from Him, so is the return or destination of all of them to Allah.]

[[Asad’s notes - 2 See surah 1 0, note 1 1 .

3 I.e., in accordance with the exigencies of human life. See also note 9 on 7:11.

Note 11 to sura 10 - 1 1 Lit., "God has not created this otherwise than in accordance with truth" - i.e., to fulfil a definite purpose in consonance with His planning wisdom (Zamakhshari, Baghawi, Razi): implying that everything in the universe - whether existent or potential, concrete or abstract - is meaningful, and nothing is "accidental". Cf. 3:191 - "O our Sustainer! Thou has not created [aught of] this without meaning and purpose (batilan)"; and 38:27 - "We have not created heaven and earth and all that is between them without meaning and purpose, as is the surmise (zann) of those who are bent on denying the truth". ]]