20 Sura Taha

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:



 

وَقَالُوا لَوْلَا يَأْتِينَا بِآيَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّهِ...    

20: 133. They say: "Why does he not bring us a Sign from His Lord?"

...أَوَلَمْ تَأْتِهِم بَيِّنَةُ مَا فِي الصُّحُفِ الْأُولَى ﴿١٣٣﴾

Has not a clear Sign come to them of all that was in the former Books of revelation?

Waqaloo lawla ya/teena bi-ayatin min rabbihi awa lam ta/tihim bayyinatu ma fee alssuhufi al-oola


Other translations:


20: 133


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Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning

Muhammad Asad

 

NOW THEY [who are blind to the truth] are wont to say, "If [Muhammad] would but produce for us a miracle from his Sustainer! [But] has there not come unto them a clear evidence [of the truth of this divine writ] in what is [to be found] in the earlier scriptures?


M. M. Pickthall

 

And they say: If only he would bring us a miracle from his Lord! Hath there not come unto them the proof of what is in the former scriptures?


Shakir

 

And they say: Why does he not bring to us a sign from his Lord? Has not there come to them a clear evidence of what is in the previous books?






Wahiduddin Khan

 

They say, ‘Why does he not bring us a sign from his Lord?’ Have they not been given sufficient proof in previous scriptures?






[Progressive Muslims]

 

And they said: "If only he would bring us a sign from his Lord!" Did not proof come to them from what is in the previous Scriptures







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[[Asad’s notes - 119 I.e., in proof of his prophetic mission: cf 6:109 and, many other instances in which the deniers of the truth are spoken of as making their belief in the Qur'anic message dependent on tangible "miracles".


120 I.e., "Does not the Qur'an express the same fundamental truths as were expressed in the revelations granted to the earlier prophets?" Beyond this, the above rhetorical question contains an allusion to the predictions of the advent of Muhammad to be found in the earlier scriptures, e.g.. in Deuteronomy xviii, 15 and 18 (discussed in my note 33 on 2:42) or in John xiv, 16, xv, 26 and xvi, 7, where Jesus speaks of the "Comforter" who is to come after him. (Regarding this latter prediction, see my note on 61 :6.) ]]



Ali’s comments–


2658 The question or plea of the Unbelievers is disingenuous. Many Signs have come with this Revelation. But the one that should have appealed to those who believed in former revelations and should have convinced them was what was in their own books. (20.133) ]]