003:074

The Holy Qor-aan                                                                                                               003:074

وَلَا تُؤۡمِنُوۡۤا اِلَّا لِمَنۡ تَبِعَ دِيۡنَكُمۡؕ  قُلۡ اِنَّ الۡهُدٰى هُدَى اللّٰهِۙ اَنۡ يُّؤۡتٰٓى اَحَدٌ مِّثۡلَ مَاۤ اُوۡتِيۡتُمۡ اَوۡ يُحَآجُّوۡكُمۡ عِنۡدَ رَبِّكُمۡ‌ؕ  قُلۡ اِنَّ الۡفَضۡلَ بِيَدِ اللّٰهِۚ  يُؤۡتِيۡهِ مَنۡ يَّشَآءُ ‌ؕ  وَاللّٰهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيۡمٌ ۚۙ‏

Wa-laa-toe-may-noo-il-laa                                                                                                                   Lay-mun-ta-bay-aa-de-na-koom                                                                                                     Qool-in-na-nul-ho-daa-ho-dul-laa-hay                                                                                             Un-yoe-taa-aa-ha-doon-mith-la-maa-oo-te-toom                                                                          Auo-yo-haaj-joo-koom-in-da-rub-bay-koom                                                                              Qool-in-nul-fudz-la-bay-ya-dil-laa-hay                                                                                           Yor-te-hay-mun-ya-shaa-o                                                                                                                Wul-laa-ho-waa-say-oon-alee-m.

And you do not believe except                                                                                            For whoso has followed your religion.                                                                                Say, “Certainly the Guidance is Allah’s Guidance                                                            That anyone is given like what you are given.                                                                  Or else they would argue with you before your God.”                                                    Say, “Surely the abundance is with Allah’s hand.                                                             He gives it to whomever He pleases.                                                                                   By God Allah is All-Embracing, All-Knowing.

• وَ — Wa — And (= Conj., links words, phrases or clauses; additionally; but; also; more over; though; when; while; yet; whereupon)
• لَا — Laa — Do not  (= Absolute denial; never; not at all; total negation)
• تُؤۡمِنُوۡۤا  —  Toe-may-noo —  You believe  *   (= v., Avow belief.  Copy the ways of. Enter the religion. Expect to receive from them the peace and security. Follow the life style.  Have faith.  Put in faith.  Trust)
• اِلَّا — Il-laa — Except (= Apart from; but; besides; excluding; save; unless)
• لِ — Lay — For (= For the attention, benefit, convenience, determination  object, purpose or reason of; to; towards. Also, belonging to, concerning, regarding or relative to)
• مَنۡ — Mun — Whoso (= Anyone; who; whoever; whom; whomever)
• تَبِعَ — Ta-bay-aa — Has followed  (= v., past., Acted on or carried out the given directions or instructions. Believed. Fell in rank. Followed, obeyed and supported the Commandments, Prohibitions, orders  and other mandates laid down. Yielded to)
• دِيۡنَ — Dee-na — Religion (= n., Belief system. Divine Rules. Faith. See Commentary Islam – 106 – Religion Established Nation … )
• كُمۡ — Koom — Your (= pro., pl., m., 2^nd person., You . The Holy Qor-aan states   that way when addressing both men and women jointly)
• قُلۡ — Qool — Say (= v., s, 2^nd person. Admonish; advance argument; assure; broadcast; call; command; convey; elaborate; explain; inform; insist; instruct; maintain, mandate; order; persist; preach; proclaim; profess; propagate; specify; state; teach; tell; train; tutor. See Note 002:121 below. 112-002 and Commentary “You say’ means”)
• اِنَّ  — In-na…(ul) — Certainly (= Absolutely; definitely; doubtlessly; earnestly; indeed; positively; really; seriously; surely; truly; verily)
• الۡهُدٰٓى — Ul-ho-daa — The guidance (= n., Best, perfect, real and true Guidance. Direction  towards the correct course, linier lines, proper path, right road or wise ways; knowledge of the appropriate)
• هُدَى — Ho-da…(ul) — Guidance (= n., Perfect Guidance. See الۡهُدٰٓى   above)
• اللّٰهِ — Laa-hay — Allah (= The One and the Only One Almighty God)
• اَنۡ — Un — That (= So that.  A translator added here “Do not believe that”)
• يُّؤۡتٰٓى — Yoe-taa — Is given (= v., passive., pres., Is awarded, donated, entrusted, gifted, granted or bestowed and blessed with.  Some translations added to the meanings by ‘Don’t believe,‘ ‘Fear ye,‘ and ‘you resent’ to create the impression as if God had threatened or warned the Holy Prophet s.a.w that someone else could get the likes of Holy Qor-aan)
• اَحَدٌ — Aa-ha-doon — Anyone (= n., One single person; someone)
• مِّثۡلَ — Mith-la  — Similar (= Duplicate; identical in nature; just like; like; resembling; similar; substitute; the same way. Of the same kind, looks quality, shape or type. Of comparable recital. A/t/a, “like of that (gift of Prophethood) which you have been given” – Allamah Nooruddin)
• مَا — Maa — What (= All that; whatever; whatsoever)
• اُوۡتِي — Oo-tee — Is given (= v., passive., pres., Awarded, donated, entrusted, gifted, granted, bestowed or blessed with)
• تُمۡ — Toom — You (= pro., pl., m., 2^nd person. You. The Holy Qor-aan states this way when addressing both men and women jointly
• اَوۡ — Auo — Otherwise (= Alternatively; in substitution; or)
• يُحَآجُّو — Yo-haaj-joo — They would argue against (= v., Contend, converse wastefully; discuss, dispute, engage in arguing; fight about; wrangle. A/t/a, “able to prevail upon“)
• كُمۡ — Koom — You (= pro., pl., m., 2^nd person., You. See  كُمۡ  above)
• عِنۡدَ — In-da — Before (= In front of; in the presence; in the esteem or eyes of)
• رَبِّ — Rub-bay — God (= The Almighty Allah who fills needs of all creatures; Cherisher; Creator; Guardian; Master; Lord Provident. The Only One Who provides all that sustains life. The Ultimate Provider of air, water, food and whatever we and all other creatures need to live and subsist)
• كُمۡ — Koom — Your (= pro., pl., m., 2^nd person. You.  See  كُمۡ  above)
• قُلۡ — Qool — Say (= v., s, 2^nd person. Admonish; announce. See  قُلۡ   above)
• اِنَّ — In-na…(ul) — Certainly (= Absolutely; definitely; doubtlessly; earnestly; indeed;       positively; really; seriously; surely; truly; verily)
• الۡفَضۡلَ — Fudz-la —  Abundance   **   (= n., Refers to the unique revelation of the Holy Qor-aan. Abundant blessing; affluence; bounty; kindness; plenteous goodness. See the Note below)
• بِ — Bay — With (= Literally the word  بِ  means ‘with’)
• يَدِ — Ya-day..(il) — Hand (= Authority; control; power. This word also means the representative capacity as used in 002:238)
• اللّٰهِ — Laa-hay — Allah (= The One and the Only One Almighty God)
• يُؤۡتِيۡ — Yoe-tee — He gives (= v., pres., active voice. Awards; bestows; blesses; donates; entrusts; gifts; grants)
• هِ  — Hay — It (= pro., s., m., 3^rd person. Refers to aforesaid Abundance)
• مَنۡ — Mun — Who (= Anyone; whoever; whom; whomever; whoso
• يَّشَآءُ — Ya-shaa-o — He chooses (= v., pres., Does or will decide, decree, desire, destine,  dictate; like, mandate, order, please; prefer; rule,  select, want, will or wish)
• وَ — Wa…(ul) — And (= The وَ  vaao is tantamount to taking oath; solemn declaration or calling as a witness. Normally a Conj., links words, phrases or clauses; additionally; also; and; but; more over; though; when; while; yet; whereupon)
• اللّٰهُ — Laa-ho — Allah (= The One and the Only One Almighty God)
• وَاسِعٌ — Waa-say-oon — All-Embracing (= superlative form indicates the biggest, the greatest and the highest highlighting that none more than Him is Generous and Enormous Whose Wide Watch extends everywhere. All-Pervading. Amply giving. Infinitely Bountiful. Munificent. Lord of vast bounty. Vastly Sufficient.  Omnipresent.  Who fills needs of all His creatures.  Persistently plentiful in Abundance.  Unimaginably Expansive)
• عَلِيۡمٌ‏ — Alee-m — All-Knowing   (= superlative form indicates the greatest, the highest, the most, and highlights that none more than Him knows or is knowing. Informed to the maximum. Has total and perfect knowledge. Has nothing out of sight. Knows all. Nothing whatever is beyond or out of His knowing.  Well-Acquainted. Well-Aware. Most Knowledgeable)

* Note 003:074a. Literally the word تُؤۡمِنُوۡۤا means that ‘you believe, avow belief, copy the ways of, enter the religion, expect to receive peace and security, follow the life style, have faith, put in faith, or trust.

But some translations show it as “And obey none but him who follows your religion.” Such translation is inaccurate, inappropriate and very dangerous. It exhorts believers to disobey those who do not believe that way. It urges Moslems to distrust unbelievers. It is offensive in the social interaction with fellow citizens. It is illegal to disobey or even exhort others to violate the laws of a non-Moslem country where one is domiciled. It gives a strong argument to such administrations which publicly vouch to suppress Moslems. It unfortunately supports those who already have or want to establish a track record of high-handedness against Moslem community. Our Commentary titled  The Obedience explains what that phenomenon really is in Islam.

Reproduced

Note 002:121a. The phrase قُلۡ اِنَّ هُدَى اللّٰهِ هُوَ الۡهُدٰى‌ؕ   in the verse 002:121 is very similar to the phrase      قُلۡ اِنَّ الۡهُدٰى هُدَى اللّٰه  in the 003:074 verse. They both reiterate the same important Rule of Universal Application, i.e., you announce to the whole world that the real guidance is always that which comes from Allah.

** Note 003:074b. Literally the word   فَضۡلَ (= Fudz-la) means affluence, blessing, bliss, bounty, eminence, generosity, goodness, grace, greatness and kindness. The word includes all kinds of valuables such as the time, talent, energy, ability, potential and physical assets, money, property, possessions and wealth. Generally implied in the meanings is also the phenomenon of enormous, extreme, graceful, plenteous, infinitely stretched out and tremendous.

A simple and straightforward translation is to convey what the original text states. Some scholars [like Allamah Nooruddin] accurately translated the word and then explained it in parenthesis as “Eminence (of prophethood and sovereignty).”

Others [like Ahmad Zidan] expanded the original message. He translated this word as the ‘bounties‘ — in the plural form that diluted its impact. Really the original text used it in its singular form and thereby underscored its uniqueness, being one-of-a-kind and without any parallel.

Yet others [like A Yusuf Ali] made additions that created a slant in the meanings such as “(Fear ye) lest a revelation Be sent to someone (else) Like unto that which was sent Unto you? Or that those (Receiving such revelation) Should engage you in argument Before your Lord?”