سَبَّحَ لِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ
ALL THAT IS in the heavens and all that is on earth extols God's limitless glory: for He alone is almighty, truly wise! (1)
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لِمَ تَقُولُونَ مَا لَا تَفْعَلُونَ
O YOU who have attained to faith! Why do you say one thing and do another? (2)
كَبُرَ مَقْتًا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ أَنْ تَقُولُوا مَا لَا تَفْعَلُونَ
Most loathsome is it in the sight of God that you say what you do not do! (3)
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الَّذِينَ يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِهِ صَفًّا كَأَنَّهُمْ بُنْيَانٌ مَرْصُوصٌ
Verily, God loves [only] those who fight in His cause in [solid] ranks, as though they were a building firm and compact. (4)
وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوْمِهِ يَا قَوْمِ لِمَ تُؤْذُونَنِي وَقَدْ تَعْلَمُونَ أَنِّي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِلَيْكُمْ فَلَمَّا زَاغُوا أَزَاغَ اللَّهُ قُلُوبَهُمْ وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْفَاسِقِينَ
Now when Moses spoke to his people, [it was this same truth that he had in mind:] "O my people! Why do you cause me grief, the while you know that I am an apostle of God sent unto you?" And so, when they swerved from the right way, God let their hearts swerve from the truth: for God does not bestow His guidance upon iniquitous folk. (5)
وَإِذْ قَالَ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ يَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ إِنِّي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِلَيْكُمْ مُصَدِّقًا لِمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيَّ مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ وَمُبَشِّرًا بِرَسُولٍ يَأْتِي مِنْ بَعْدِي اسْمُهُ أَحْمَدُ فَلَمَّا جَاءَهُمْ بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ قَالُوا هَٰذَا سِحْرٌ مُبِينٌ
And [this happened, too,] when Jesus, the son of Mary, said: "O children of Israel! Behold, I am an apostle of God unto you, [sent] to confirm the truth of whatever there still remains of the Torah, and to give [you] the glad tiding of an apostle who shall come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad." But when he [whose coming Jesus had foretold] came unto them with all evidence of the truth, they said: "This [alleged message of his] is [nothing but] spellbinding eloquence!" (6)
وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَىٰ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ وَهُوَ يُدْعَىٰ إِلَى الْإِسْلَامِ وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ
And who could be more wicked than one who invents [such] a lie about [a message from] God, seeing that he is [but] being called to self-surrender unto Him? But God does not bestow His guidance upon evildoing folk. (7)
يُرِيدُونَ لِيُطْفِئُوا نُورَ اللَّهِ بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَاللَّهُ مُتِمُّ نُورِهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكَافِرُونَ
They aim to extinguish God's light with their utterances: but God has willed to spread His light in all its fullness, however hateful this may be to all who deny the truth. (8)
هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِالْهُدَىٰ وَدِينِ الْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْمُشْرِكُونَ
He it is who has sent forth His Apostle with [the task of] spreading guidance and the religion of truth, to the end that He make it prevail over all [false] religion, however hateful this may be to those who ascribe divinity to aught but God. (9)
- Now when Moses spoke to his people, [it was this same truth that he had in mind:] "O my people! Why do you cause me grief,3 the while you know that I am an apostle of God sent unto you?" And so, when they swerved from the right way, God let their hearts swerve from the truth:4 for God does not bestow His guidance upon iniquitous folk.
- 3 Sc., "by admitting that I speak in the name of God, and acting contrary to this you assertion": an allusion to the many instances of the contrariness and rebelliousness of the children of Israel evident from their own scriptures.
- 4 Thus, persistence in wrong actions is bound to react on man's beliefs as well. As regards God's "letting their hearts swerve from the truth", see surah 14, note 4. Cf. also the oft-recurring reference to God's "sealing" a sinner's heart explained in note 7 on 2:7.
- And remember, Moses said5434 to his people: "O my people! why do ye vex and insult me, though ye know that I am the messenger of Allah (sent) to you?" Then when they went wrong,5435 Allah let their hearts go wrong. For Allah guides not those who are rebellious transgressors.
- 5434 The people of Moses often rebelled against him, vexed his spirit, and insulted him. See 33:69. n. 3774, and (in the Old Testament) Num 12:1-15. They did it not through ignorance, but from a selfish, perverse, and rebellious spirit, for which they received punishment. The Ummah of Islam should remember and take note of it, and should avoid any deviation from the Law and Will of Allah.
- 5435 The sinner's own will deviates, i.e., goes off from the right way, and he does wrong. That means that he shuts off Allah's grace, Allah then, after the sinner's repeated rebellion, withdraws the protecting Grace from him, and the sinner's heart is tainted: there is "a disease in his heart", which is the centre of his being: his spiritual state is ruined. Allah's guidance is withdrawn from him.
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And remember, Moses said to his people: "O my people! why do ye vex and insult me, though ye know that I am the messenger of Allah (sent) to you?" Then when they went wrong, Allah let their hearts go wrong. For Allah guides not those who are rebellious transgressors.
— Abdullah Yusuf Ali -
And (remember) when Moses said unto his people: O my people! Why persecute ye me, when ye well know that I am Allah's messenger unto you? So when they went astray Allah sent their hearts astray. And Allah guideth not the evil-living folk.
— Marmaduke Pickthall -
And when Musa said to his people: O my people! why do you give me trouble? And you know indeed that I am Allah's messenger to you; but when they turned aside, Allah made their hearts turn aside, and Allah does not guide the transgressing people.
— M. Habib Shakir -
And (remember) when Musa (Moses) said to his people: "O my people! Why do you hurt me while you know certainly that I am the Messenger of Allah to you? So when they turned away (from the Path of Allah), Allah turned their hearts away (from the Right Path). And Allah guides not the people who are Fasiqun (rebellious, disobedient to Allah).
— Taqiuddin Hilali and M. Mohsin Khan -
And recall what time Musa said Unto his people: O my people! wherefore hurt ye me, When surely ye know that verily I am Allah's apostle Unto you! Then when they sweryed, Allah made their hearts swerve; and Allah guideth not a transgressing people.
— Abdul-Majid Daryabadi -
And when Moses, said to his nation: 'Why do you harm me, when you know that I am the Messenger of Allah sent to you? ' But when they swerved away Allah caused their hearts to swerve. Allah never guides impious people.
— Hasan Qaribullah and Ahmed Darwish -
And when Moses said to his people, `O my people, why do you hurt me, when you know that I am God's Messenger to you?' So when they swerved, God made their hearts to swerve; and God does not guide the transgressing people.
— Ayub Khan -
And call to mind when Moses said to his people, 'O my people, why do you malign me and you know that I am God's Messenger unto you?' So when they deviated from the right course, God caused their hearts to deviate; for God guides not the rebellious people.
— Sher Ali -
Now when Moses spoke to his people, [it was this same truth that he had in mind:] "O my people! Why do you cause me grief, the while you know that I am an apostle of God sent unto you?"
And so, when they swerved from the right way, God let their hearts swerve from the truth: for God does not bestow His guidance upon iniquitous folk.
— Muhammad Asad -
And when Moses said to his people, O my people, why do you hurt me, though you know I am the Messenger of God to you? When they swerved, God caused their hearts to swerve; and God. guides never the people of the ungodly.
— Arthur Arberry -
And call to mind when Moses said to his people: "O my people, why do you torment me when you know well that I am Allah's Messenger to you?"{{4}} So when they deviated, Allah made their hearts deviant. Allah does not direct the evil-doers to the Right Way.{{5}}
— Abu'l Ala Maududi