Sura 68, al-Qalam (The Pen), Mecca 2

The Quranic Text and Ali’s Translation:

إِنَّ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ جَنَّاتِ النَّعِيمِ ﴿٣٤﴾

34.  Verily, for the righteous are Gardens of Delight, in the Presence of their Lord.

أَفَنَجْعَلُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ كَالْمُجْرِمِينَ ﴿٣٥﴾

35.  Shall We then treat the People of Faith like the People of Sin?

Asad’s translation:

68:34 For, behold, it is the God-conscious [alone] whom gardens of bliss await with their Sustainer:

(68:35) or should We, perchance, treat those who surrender themselves unto Us 17 as [We would treat] those who remain lost in sin?

Asad’s comments:

17 This is the earliest occurrence of the term muslimun (sing, muslim) in the history of Qur'anic revelation. Throughout this work, I have translated the terms muslim and islam in accordance with their original connotations, namely, "one who surrenders [or "has surrendered"] himself to God", and "man's self-surrender to God"; the same holds good of all forms of the verb aslama occurring in the 'Qur'an.

It should be borne in mind that the "institutionalized" use of these terms - that is, their exclusive application to the followers of the Prophet Muhammad - represents a definitely post-Qur'anic development and, hence, must be avoided in a translation of the Qur'an.

Ali’s comments:

C5618. The spiritual arrogance which rejects faith in Allah is perhaps the worst Sin, because it makes itself impervious to the Mercy of Allah, as a bed of clay is impervious to the absorption of water. It sets up its own standards and its own will, but how can it measure or bind the Will of Allah?

It sets up its own fetishes,-idols, priests, gods, or godlings. The fetishes may be even God-given gifts or faculties.

Intellect or Science, if pushed up to the position of idols. If they are made rivals to Allah, question them:

Will they solve Allah's mysteries, or even the mysteries of Life and Soul?

C5617. The Garden is a joy, but the joy of this Garden is the sense of nearness to Allah. (R).