English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)
by Maulana Muhammad Ali
Chapter 3: Āl Imran — The Family of Amran (Revealed at Madinah: 20 sections, 200 verses)
Section 2 (Verses 3:10–3:20): Unity of God as Basis of all Religions
Translation:
اِنَّ الَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡا لَنۡ تُغۡنِیَ عَنۡہُمۡ اَمۡوَالُہُمۡ وَ لَاۤ اَوۡلَادُہُمۡ مِّنَ اللّٰہِ شَیۡئًا ؕ وَ اُولٰٓئِکَ ہُمۡ وَقُوۡدُ النَّارِ ﴿ۙ۱۰﴾
3:10 Those who disbelieve, neither their wealth nor their children will avail them at all against Allah. And they will be fuel for fire —
کَدَاۡبِ اٰلِ فِرۡعَوۡنَ ۙ وَ الَّذِیۡنَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِہِمۡ ؕ کَذَّبُوۡا بِاٰیٰتِنَا ۚ فَاَخَذَہُمُ اللّٰہُ بِذُنُوۡبِہِمۡ ؕ وَ اللّٰہُ شَدِیۡدُ الۡعِقَابِ ﴿۱۱﴾
3:11 as was the case of the people of Pharaoh, and those before them! They rejected Our messages, so Allah destroyed them on account of their sins. And Allah is Severe in retribution.
قُلۡ لِّلَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡا سَتُغۡلَبُوۡنَ وَ تُحۡشَرُوۡنَ اِلٰی جَہَنَّمَ ؕ وَ بِئۡسَ الۡمِہَادُ ﴿۱۲﴾
3:12 Say to those who disbelieve: You will be defeated, and driven together to hell; and evil is the resting-place.1
قَدۡ کَانَ لَکُمۡ اٰیَۃٌ فِیۡ فِئَتَیۡنِ الۡتَقَتَا ؕ فِئَۃٌ تُقَاتِلُ فِیۡ سَبِیۡلِ اللّٰہِ وَ اُخۡرٰی کَافِرَۃٌ یَّرَوۡنَہُمۡ مِّثۡلَیۡہِمۡ رَاۡیَ الۡعَیۡنِ ؕ وَ اللّٰہُ یُؤَیِّدُ بِنَصۡرِہٖ مَنۡ یَّشَآءُ ؕ اِنَّ فِیۡ ذٰلِکَ لَعِبۡرَۃً لِّاُولِی الۡاَبۡصَارِ ﴿۱۳﴾
3:13 Indeed there was a sign for you in the two armies (which) met together in encounter — one party fighting in the way of Allah and the other disbelieving, whom they saw twice as many as themselves with the sight of the eye.2 And Allah strengthens with His aid whom He pleases. There is surely a lesson in this for those who have eyes.
زُیِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ حُبُّ الشَّہَوٰتِ مِنَ النِّسَآءِ وَ الۡبَنِیۡنَ وَ الۡقَنَاطِیۡرِ الۡمُقَنۡطَرَۃِ مِنَ الذَّہَبِ وَ الۡفِضَّۃِ وَ الۡخَیۡلِ الۡمُسَوَّمَۃِ وَ الۡاَنۡعَامِ وَ الۡحَرۡثِ ؕ ذٰلِکَ مَتَاعُ الۡحَیٰوۃِ الدُّنۡیَا ۚ وَ اللّٰہُ عِنۡدَہٗ حُسۡنُ الۡمَاٰبِ ﴿۱۴﴾
3:14 The love of desires is made attractive to people — of women and sons and hoarded treasures of gold and silver and well-bred horses and cattle and crop produce. This is the provision of the life of this world. And Allah — with Him is the good goal (of life).
قُلۡ اَؤُنَبِّئُکُمۡ بِخَیۡرٍ مِّنۡ ذٰلِکُمۡ ؕ لِلَّذِیۡنَ اتَّقَوۡا عِنۡدَ رَبِّہِمۡ جَنّٰتٌ تَجۡرِیۡ مِنۡ تَحۡتِہَا الۡاَنۡہٰرُ خٰلِدِیۡنَ فِیۡہَا وَ اَزۡوَاجٌ مُّطَہَّرَۃٌ وَّ رِضۡوَانٌ مِّنَ اللّٰہِ ؕ وَ اللّٰہُ بَصِیۡرٌۢ بِالۡعِبَادِ ﴿ۚ۱۵﴾
3:15 Say: Shall I tell you of what is better than these? For those who guard against evil are Gardens with their Lord, in which rivers flow, to abide in them, and pure companions and Allah’s goodly pleasure.3 And Allah is Seer of the servants.
اَلَّذِیۡنَ یَقُوۡلُوۡنَ رَبَّنَاۤ اِنَّنَاۤ اٰمَنَّا فَاغۡفِرۡ لَنَا ذُنُوۡبَنَا وَ قِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ ﴿ۚ۱۶﴾
3:16 Those who say: Our Lord, we believe, so forgive our sins and save us from the punishment of the fire.
اَلصّٰبِرِیۡنَ وَ الصّٰدِقِیۡنَ وَ الۡقٰنِتِیۡنَ وَ الۡمُنۡفِقِیۡنَ وَ الۡمُسۡتَغۡفِرِیۡنَ بِالۡاَسۡحَارِ ﴿۱۷﴾
3:17 The patient and the truthful and the obedient and those who spend (on good works) and those who ask Divine protection in the morning times.4
شَہِدَ اللّٰہُ اَنَّہٗ لَاۤ اِلٰہَ اِلَّا ہُوَ ۙ وَ الۡمَلٰٓئِکَۃُ وَ اُولُوا الۡعِلۡمِ قَآئِمًۢا بِالۡقِسۡطِ ؕ لَاۤ اِلٰہَ اِلَّا ہُوَ الۡعَزِیۡزُ الۡحَکِیۡمُ ﴿ؕ۱۸﴾
3:18 Allah bears witness that there is no god but He, and (so do) the angels and those possessed of knowledge, maintaining justice.5 There is no god but He, the Mighty, the Wise.
اِنَّ الدِّیۡنَ عِنۡدَ اللّٰہِ الۡاِسۡلَامُ ۟ وَ مَا اخۡتَلَفَ الَّذِیۡنَ اُوۡتُوا الۡکِتٰبَ اِلَّا مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِ مَا جَآءَہُمُ الۡعِلۡمُ بَغۡیًۢا بَیۡنَہُمۡ ؕ وَ مَنۡ یَّکۡفُرۡ بِاٰیٰتِ اللّٰہِ فَاِنَّ اللّٰہَ سَرِیۡعُ الۡحِسَابِ ﴿۱۹﴾
3:19 Surely the (true) religion with Allah is Islam.6 And those who were given the Book differed only after knowledge had come to them, out of envy among themselves. And whoever disbelieves in the messages of Allah — Allah indeed is Quick at reckoning.
فَاِنۡ حَآجُّوۡکَ فَقُلۡ اَسۡلَمۡتُ وَجۡہِیَ لِلّٰہِ وَ مَنِ اتَّبَعَنِ ؕ وَ قُلۡ لِّلَّذِیۡنَ اُوۡتُوا الۡکِتٰبَ وَ الۡاُمِّیّٖنَ ءَاَسۡلَمۡتُمۡ ؕ فَاِنۡ اَسۡلَمُوۡا فَقَدِ اہۡتَدَوۡا ۚ وَ اِنۡ تَوَلَّوۡا فَاِنَّمَا عَلَیۡکَ الۡبَلٰغُ ؕ وَ اللّٰہُ بَصِیۡرٌۢ بِالۡعِبَادِ ﴿٪۲۰﴾
3:20 But if they dispute with you say: I submit myself entirely to Allah and (so does) he who follows me. And say to those who have been given the Book and the Unlearned (people):7 Do you submit yourselves? If they submit, then indeed they follow the right way; and if they turn back, your duty is only to deliver the message. And Allah is Seer of the servants.
Commentary:
- This is one of the passages in which the punishment of this life, which is defeat, is spoken of in the same breath with the punishment of the Hereafter, which is hell. ↩
- The reference here is to the battle of Badr. The actual strength of the two parties was: Quraish about 1000, Muslims 313. The Muslims saw the disbelievers to be twice as many as themselves, and therefore they appeared fewer in their eyes as compared with their actual numbers. The battle of Badr is here stated to be a sign of the truth of the Holy Prophet, not only because of the prophecies of victory contained in the Quran, but also because of the clear prophecy in the Bible in the book of Isaiah, 21:13–17. It speaks of future events in the land of Arabia, which clearly came to pass in the emigration of the Muslims to Madinah and the defeat, one year later, of the army of the Quraish. ↩
- For the companions in paradise see 2:25 footnote 3. Among the blessings of paradise is Allah’s goodly pleasure, which is elsewhere said to be the greatest of all the blessings of paradise (9:72). The addition of this word here shows that the blessings of paradise are spiritual. ↩
- Seeking of Divine protection (istighfār) is really a prayer to attain to sinlessness. The righteous servants of God are here spoken of as possessing the great qualifications of steadfastness, truthfulness, obedience to God, spending in Allah’s way, and finally as resorting to istighfār or Divine protection, which shows that it is one of the highest stages to which the spiritual pilgrim aspires. ↩
- Allah bears witness to His Unity through nature, which is His handiwork, and also by His word made known through revelation. The angels bear witness by their working within man, whose nature bears testimony to Divine Unity. Those who have a true knowledge of the holy scriptures of any religion also bear testimony to the great truth of the Unity of Allah. The Unity of Allah is, in fact, the common principle which is recognized by all religions. The words maintaining justice most likely qualify those possessed of knowledge, the meaning being that every possessor of knowledge, to whatever religion he may belong, bears witness to the grand truth of Divine Unity if he maintains justice in bearing witness. ↩
- The meaning is that the principle of submission to God, thereby entering into peace, has always been the true religion. According to the Holy Quran, Islām was the religion of all the prophets. The Israelite prophets who followed Moses are spoken of as the prophets who submitted themselves (to Allah) (5:44). It is also the natural religion of man, as in 30:30 it is described as being “the nature made by Allah in which He has created mankind”. ↩
- By the Unlearned people are meant the Arabs. ↩