002:220

Holy Qor-aan                                                                                                                          002:220

يَسۡـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلۡخَمۡرِ وَٱلۡمَيۡسِرِ‌ۖ قُلۡ فِيهِمَآ إِثۡمٌ۬ ڪَبِيرٌ۬ وَمَنَـٰفِعُ لِلنَّاسِ وَإِثۡمُهُمَآ أَڪۡبَرُ مِن نَّفۡعِهِمَا‌ۗ وَيَسۡـَٔلُونَكَ مَاذَا يُنفِقُونَ قُلِ ٱلۡعَفۡوَ‌ۗ كَذَٲلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمُ ٱلۡأَيَـٰتِ لَعَلَّڪُمۡ تَتَفَكَّرُونَ

Yus-aloo-na-ka-aa-nil-khum-ray-wul-mai-say-ray                                                                   Qool-fee-hay-maa-ith-moon-ka-bee-roon                                                                                    Wa-ma-naa-fay-o-lin-naa-say                                                                                                        Wa-ith-mo-ho-maa-uk-ba-ro-min-nuf-aiy-hay-maa                                                                   Wa-yus-aloo-na-ka-maa-zaa-yoon-fay-qoo-na-qo-lil-uf-wa                                                   Ka-zaa-lay-ka-yo-buy-yo-nol-laa-ho-la-ko-mool-aa-yaa-tay                                                 La-ul-la-koom-ta-ta-fuk-ka-roo-n.

They ask you about the drinking and gambling.                                                         You say, “In them both is a very big sin                                                                            And some benefits for some of the people.                                                                    But the sin of them both is far greater than their benefit.”                                       And they ask you what they spend.  You say, “The excess.”                                    Like this Allah makes clear to you the signs                                                                  So that you may reflect. *

• يَسۡـَٔلُونَ  — Yus-aloo-na — They ask (= Enquire; inquire; interrogate; question; seek info)
• كَ — Ka — You (= pro., s., m., 2^nd person.  You single male.   The addressee of this divine message is initially the Holy Prophet s.a.w and secondarily every Moslem, in fact every human being. See the Note under 002:005)
• عَنِ — Un…(il) — About (= Concerning; regarding; relative to)
• ٱلۡخَمۡرِ — Khum-ray — Drinking (= n., Consuming any alcoholic beverage, anatoxin, liquor or wine A/t/a strong drinks)
• وَ — W…(ul) — And (= Additionally; also; but; though; while; whereupon; yet)
• ٱلۡمَيۡسِرِ‌ — Mai-say-ray — Gambling  (= n., Playing any game with money or its equivalent for a chance to win big although the organizer called The House is rigged to always win. A/t/a, ‘game of hazard’)
• قُلۡ — Qool — You  say (= Announce; broadcast; convey; declare; explain; inform; expound; reply; specify; state; tell.   See our Commentary ‘You say’ … means)
• فِىۡ — Fee — In (= Concerning; during; for; regarding; in reference; relative to)
• هِمَآ        He-maa — Them both     (= Refers to ‘those two’ in third person and male gender)
• إِثۡمٌ۬ — Ith-moon — Sin (= Disadvantage; error; harm; mistake; wrong)
• ڪَبِير — Kabee-roon —  Very big (= Grave, great, grievous, heinous, massive, serious or severe evil, concern, matter, offence, sin, thing, transgression or wrong)
• وَ — Wa — And (= Additionally; also; but; though; while.  See وَ above)
• مَنَـٰفِعُ — Ma-naa-fay-o — Benefits (= Advantages; good results; profitable results; usefulness; positive utility)
• لِ — Li…(n) — For (= For the benefit, object, purpose or reason)
• لنَّاسِ — Naa-say — The people (= Folks; mankind; nation)
• وَ — Wa — And (= Additionally; also; but; though; while.  See وَ above)
• إِثۡمُ — Ith-mo — Sin (= Disadvantage; error; harm; mistake; wrong)
• هُمَا — Ho-maa — Them both (= Refers to ‘those two’ in third person and male gender)
• أَڪۡبَرُ — Uk-ba-ro — Far Greater (= Bigger, graver, stronger, or more heinous, massive,  serious or severe concern, matter, offence, thing, transgression or wrong; worse)
• مِنۡۢ — Min — From (= From the class, category or count of; out of)
• نَّفۡعِ — Nuf-aiy — Benefit (= Advantages; good result; usefulness. A/t/a profit)
• هِمَآ — Hay-maa — Them both (= Refers to ‘those two’ in third person and male gender)
• وَ — Wa — And (= Additionally; also; but; though; while.  See وَ above)
• يَسۡـَٔلُونَ — Yus-aloo-na — The ask (= Enquire; inquire; interrogate; question; seek info)
• كَ — Ka — You (= pro., s., m., 2^nd person.  You single male.   The addressee of this divine message is initially the Holy Prophet s.a.w and secondarily every Moslem, in fact every human being. See the Note under 002:005)
• مَاۤ — Maa — What (= All that; whatever; whatsoever)
• ذَا — Zaa — What exactly   (= Particularly; precisely; specifically)
• يُنفِقُونَ — Yoon-fay-qoon — They spend (= Contribute; donate; give in charity. Expend, lay, put out or use for noble purposes.  Help those in need.  Invest in good causes.  Practice giving alms.   They spend their belongings, substance and wealth in the causes of Allah)
• قُلِ — Qo-l…(il) — You  say (= Announce; broadcast; convey; declare; explain; inform; expound; reply; specify; state; tell.   See our Commentary ‘You say’ … means)
• ٱلۡعَفۡوَ‌ — Auf-wa — The excess (= Beyond your own needs; extra; leftover; over and  above your needs that must be filled first; surplus; superfluous what you can spare)
• كَ — Ka — Like  *  (= Example; identical to; resembling; similar to; similar;  similitude. The concept from here till the end of this verse is restated later on in the verse 002:267 also)
• َذٰلِكَ — Zaa-lay-ka — This is how (= Refers to the aforesaid statements)
• يُبَيِّنُ — Yo-buy-yo-no(ol) — Makes clear (= Clarifies; elaborates; espouses; explains; expounds; makes crystal clear, plain and obvious)
• اللّٰهُ — Laa-ho — Allah (= The Almighty God; The only One worthy of worship)
• لَ — La — For (= For the benefit, object, purpose or reason)
• كُمُ — Ko-mo…(l) — You (= pro., pl., m., 2^nd person.,  You. The Holy Qor-aan states that way when addressing both men and women jointly)
• الۡاٰيٰتِ — Aa-yaa-tay — Signs (= n., pl of … An argument, corroboration, indication, insinuation, pointer, portent, sign, suggestion, symbol or token. See Note 002:074)
• لَعَلَّ — La-ul-la — So that (= Haply; hopefully; in order that; wishing the result to be)
• کُمۡ —  Koom — You (= pro., pl., m., 2^nd person.,  You. The Holy Qor-aan states that way when addressing both men and women jointly)
• تَتَفَكَّرُوۡنَ — Ta-ta-fuk-ka-roo-n — May reflect  (= Give some thought; consider; ponder; think about)

* 002:220.   This verse clearly lays out three Commandments.   And it has given reasons for doing so for the thinking minds equipped to probe deeper and fathom out other niceties.

1.  It discourages drinking and gambling.   It has furnished the reason that their ill effects are far more than their benefits.

2. It encourages donating the Excess.    It has thus practically prohibited donating by borrowing personally or brow-beating others to fund even the good deeds such as the charity.

3. It states ‘Like this Allah makes clear to you the revelations so that you may reflect.’   It initiates the process to ponder, understand, internalize and practice the mandates.    It is stated in the last ten (10) words of this verse and reiterated several other times.    It has used many different words in verses 002:222, 002:243, 024:059 and 024:060.    It employed exactly the same words in 002:267 with the pronoun koom (you) twice.    An English translation should normally have used ‘you’ only once in one sentence.    Commentary Pronouns and Verbs explains the frequent use of this in the Arabic.   Our simple straightforward translation necessitates using the ‘you’ twice this way.    Otherwise a good example of paraphrasing is the following translation of 002:267.     “Would any of you, being a man well-advanced in age with helpless children to support, wish to have his garden — a garden planted with palm-trees, vines and all manner of fruits, and watered by running streams — blasted and consumed by a fiery whirlwind”? [N. J. Dawood]