21.
Surah Al Anbiya
The
Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
وَمَا
خَلَقْنَا
السَّمَاء
وَالْأَرْضَ
وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا
لَاعِبِينَ
﴿١٦﴾
21:
16. Not for (idle)
sport
did We create the heavens and the earth and all that is between!
C2676.
The Hindu doctrine of Lila, that all things were created for sport,
is here negatived.
But
more: with Allah we must not associate any ideas but those of Truth,
Righteousness, Mercy, Justice, and the other attributes implied in
His Beautiful Names. He does not jest nor play with His creatures.
لَوْ
أَرَدْنَا أَن
نَّتَّخِذَ
لَهْوًا لَّاتَّخَذْنَاهُ
مِن لَّدُنَّا
إِن كُنَّا
فَاعِلِينَ
﴿١٧﴾
21:
17. If it had been Our wish to take (just)
a pastime, We should surely have taken it from the things nearest to
Us, if We would do (such
a thing)!
C2677.
If such an idea as that of play or pastime had been possible with
regard to Allah, and if He had wished really to indulge in pastime,
He would have done it with creatures of Light nearest to Him, not
with the lowly material creation that we see around us.
Asad’s
Version:
21:16
AND
(know that] We have not created the heavens and the earth and all
that is between them
in
mere idle play:
18
(21:17)
[for,] had We willed to indulge in a pastime, We would indeed have
produced it from within Ourselves - if such had been Our will at
all!"
[[Asad’s
notes -
18
Lit playing or "playfully", i.e., without meaning and
purpose: see note 1 1 on 10:5.
19
Lit. "if We had [ever] willed to do so": meaning that, had
God ever willed to "indulge in a pastime (which being almighty
and self-sufficient, He has no need to do), He could have found it
within
His
Own Self, without any necessity to create a universe which would
embody His hypothetical and logically inconceivable - will to "please
Himself, and would thus represent a projection, as it were, of His
Own Being. In the elliptic manner of the Qur'an, the above passage
amounts to a statement of God's transcendence. ]]
Other
Versions:
21:17
|
Transliteration
|
|
Law
aradna
an nattakhitha
lahwan laittakhathnahu
min ladunna
in kunna
faAAileena
|
⇨
|
|
Generally
Accepted Translations of the Meaning
|
Muhammad
Asad
|
|
[for,]
had We willed to indulge in a pastime, We would indeed have
produced it from within Ourselves - if such had been Our will
at all!
|
⇨
|
M.
M. Pickthall
|
|
If
We had wished to find a pastime, We could have found it in Our
presence - if We ever did.
|
⇨
|
Shakir
|
|
Had
We wished to make a diversion, We would have made it from
before Ourselves: by no means would We do (it).
|
⇨
|
Yusuf
Ali
|
|
If
it had been Our wish to take (just) a pastime, We should surely
have taken it from the things nearest to Us, if We would do
(such a thing)!
|
⇨
|
Wahiduddin
Khan
|
|
Had
We wished to find a pastime, We would surely have found it in
that which is with Us, if such had been Our will.
|
⇨
|
[Al-Muntakhab]
|
|
Had
We purposed to have fun or diversion We would have had recourse
to what We have in Our heaven's realm if indeed We meant to do
so.
|
⇨
|
[Progressive
Muslims]
|
|
If
We wanted to be amused, We could have done so from what is
already with Us, if that is what We wished to do.
|
⇨
|
Abdel
Haleem
|
|
If
We had wished for a pastime, We could have found it within Us-
if We had wished for any such thing.
|
⇨
|
Abdul
Majid Daryabadi
|
|
Had
We intended that We should choose a sport, surely We would
choose it from before Us--if We were ever going to do that.
|
⇨
|
Ahmed
Ali
|
|
If
We wanted that We take a plaything/an amusement , We would have
taken it from at Us, if We were making/doing.
|
⇨
|
Aisha
Bewley
|
|
If
We had desired to have some amusement, We would have derived it
from Our Presence, but We did not do that.
|
⇨
|
Ali
Ünal
|
|
If
We had willed to find a pastime (without creating the heavens
and the earth with all that is in and between them), We would
indeed have found it in Our Presence, if We were going to do
so!
|
⇨
|
Ali
Quli Qara'i
|
|
Had
We desired to take up some diversion We would have surely taken
it up with Ourselves, were We to do [so].
|
⇨
|
Amatul
Rahman Omar
|
|
If
We had meant to make something vain and idle We would surely
have made it so on Our part. (But) We were by no means to do
(such a thing).
|
⇨
|
Hamid
S. Aziz
|
|
We
did not create the heaven and the earth and what is between the
two in play.
|
⇨
|
Muhammad
Mahmoud Ghali
|
|
If
We had taken to Us a diversion, We would indeed have taken it
to Us from very close to Us, in case We are performing (that).
|
⇨
|
Muhammad
Sarwar
|
|
Had
We wanted to play games, We could have certainly done so with
things at hand.
|
⇨
|
Muhammad
Taqi Usmani
|
|
Had
We intended to have a pastime, We would have had it from Our
own, if We were ever to do so.
|
⇨
|
Shabbir
Ahmed
|
|
If
We had wished to find a pastime, We could have found it in Our
Presence, if such had been Our Will at all!
|
⇨
|
Syed
Vickar Ahamed
|
|
If
it had been Our wish to make a game, we should surely have made
it from the things nearest to Us, if We would do (such a
thing)!
|
⇨
|
Umm
Muhammad (Sahih International)
|
|
Had
We intended to take a diversion, We could have taken it from
[what is] with Us - if [indeed] We were to do so.
|
⇨
|
Farook
Malik
|
|
[for,]
had We willed to indulge in a pastime, We would indeed have
produced it from within Ourselves - if such had been Our will
at all! [Lit., "if We had [ever] willed to do so":
meaning that, had God ever willed to "indulge in a
pastime" (which, being almighty and self-sufficient, He
has no need to do). He could have found it within His Own Self,
without any necessity to create a universe which would embody
His hypothetical - and logically inconceivable - will to
"please Himself", and would thus represent a
"projection", as it were, of His Own Being. In
the elliptic manner of the Quran, the above passage amounts to
a statement of God's transcendence.]
|
⇨
|
|
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