004:089

The Holy Qor-aan                                                                                                     004:089

فَمَا لَـكُمۡ فِىۡ الۡمُنٰفِقِيۡنَ فِئَـتَيۡنِ وَاللّٰهُ اَرۡكَسَهُمۡ بِمَا كَسَبُوۡا‌ ؕ اَ تُرِيۡدُوۡنَ اَنۡ تَهۡدُوۡا مَنۡ اَضَلَّ اللّٰهُ‌  ؕ وَمَنۡ يُّضۡلِلِ اللّٰهُ فَلَنۡ تَجِدَ لَهٗ سَبِيۡلًا‏

Fa  maa  la  koom  fee  il-mo-naa-fay-qee-na  fay-aa-tai-nay                                                      Wa  ul-laa-ho  ur-ka-sa  hoom  bay  maa  ka-sa-boo                                                                      Aa   to-re-do-na  un  tauh-ta-do  mun  aa-dzul-la  ul-laa-ho                                                        Wa  mun  yoodz-lay-lil  laa-ho  fa  lun  ta-jay-da  la  hoo  sa-be-laa

So, what is with you regarding the two groups of hypocrites?                                  By God Allah drove them back because of what they had earned.                            Do you intend to guide him whom Allah has let go stray?                                            And he whom Allah lets go stray, then you can’t find for him the right way

• فَ — Fa — So (= After all this; finally; hence; in conclusion; resultantly; so; then; thereafter; therefore; thus)
• مَاۤ — Maa — What (= All that; whatever; whatsoever. A/t/a, ‘Why should ye,’ ‘Why should you,’ ‘Why are you,’ ‘What aileth you,’ ‘What has happened,’ ‘How is that you,’  ‘What is the matter’ and ‘How is it then’)
• لَ — La — With (= Concerning; for the object or reason of; regarding; on account of; relative to. A/t/a, to; towards; ‘with’)
• كُمۡ — Koom — You (= pro., pl., m., 2^nd person. You men. The Holy Qor-aan generally addresses this way men and women together)
• فِىۡ — Fee — In (= Amidst; among; about; concerning; in reference, regarding; relative to. A/t/a ‘in relation to.’ See Note at 002:028)
• الۡمُنٰفِقِيۡنَ — Mo-naa-fay-qee-na — Hypocrites (= n., pl., Two-faced persons who say or state one thing but do the opposite)
• فِئَتَيۡنِ — Fay-aa-tai-nay — Two groups (= n., pl., Armies; combatants; factions; forces; hosts; opponents; parties. A/t/a, ‘be divided into two parties,’ ‘ye become two parties,’ ‘you, then, be two parties,’ ‘divided into two parties’ and ‘divided’)
• وَ — Wa … (ul) — And (= The وَ  vaao when used with the Almighty God’s name is tantamount to taking oath with His name; 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)
• اَرۡكَسَ — Ur-ka-sa — Drove back (= v., past., s., 3^rd person. Paid, pushed back or turned over in consequence, compensation or recompense. Also, reversed; upturned. A/t/a, ‘has upset,’ ‘has made them return (to disbelief),’ ‘has overthrown … for (the sins),’ ‘has overthrown,’ ‘cast… back (to disbelief),’ ‘made… to suffer a setback,’ ‘cast…back (to disbelief)’ and ‘cast… off’)
• هُمۡ‌ — Hoom — Their (= pro., pl., m., 3 ^rd person. Refers to aforesaid people)
• بِمَا — Bay-maa — Because of (= Combination of two words. بِ  means ‘with / in’ and مَاۤ  means ‘all that, whatever, whatsoever or whenever.’ The combination بِمَا  (bay-maa) means ‘because of; on account of; for the reason; due to; with / in all that. A/t/a, ‘which’)
• كَسَبُوۡا — Ka-sa-boo — Earned (= v., past., pl., 3^rd person. Accomplished; accumulated;  achieved; acquired; bagged; brought about; committed; completed; deserved; did; gained; garnered, gathered; harvested; incurred; performed, picked; received, won; resolved, saved; secured; stored; succeeded; won. Also, assented, attempted, made or put in effort to earn a good recompense, secure a noble reward or avoid an evil. A/t/a, ‘for their (evil) deeds,’ ‘of what they earned,’ ‘they committed knowingly,’ ‘for what they have earned’ and ‘their misdeeds’)
• اَ — Aa — Do (= Question mark like Are, Can, Have, Shell or Will? A/t/a, ‘Would ye’)
• تُرِيۡدُوۡنَ — To-re-do-na — You intend (= v., pres., pl., 2^nd person. Aspire; desire; like; love; seek; want; will; wish. A/t/a, ‘seek ye,’  ‘would you’ and ‘Desire ye’)
•  اَنۡ — Un — That (= So that)
• تَهۡدُوۡا — Tauh-do — You guide (= v., pres., pl., 2^nd person. Put on correct course, proper path or right road. A/t/a, ‘to guide’)
• مَنۡ — Mun — Who (= Anyone; whoever; whom; whomever; whoso. A/t/a, ‘him’ and ‘those whom’)
• اَضَلَّ — Aa-dza … (ul) — He let go stray (= v., past., s., 3^rd person. Used with the Almighty God, it  means He let man stray, go his own way, lead himself or turn in wrong direction. See Note 003:070. A/t/a, ‘left astray.’ But wrong are the translations that man was somehow whom the Almighty God had ‘made to go astray,’ ’caused to perish,’ ’caused to err,’ ‘has forsaken’ and ‘hath thrown out of the way,’ or ‘leaves in error’ with a verb in the present tense when the Holy Qor-aan has described the act with a verb in the past tense. See the Note 004:089)
• اللّٰهُ — Laa-ho — Allah (= The One and the Only One Almighty God)

The text in next eleven (11) words is repeated in verses 004:089 and 004:144

• وَ — Wa — And (= Conj., links words, phrases or clauses. See وَ  above)
• مَنۡ — Mun — He whom (= Anyone; whoever; whom; whomever; whoso. A/t/a, ‘those whom,’ ‘him whom’ and  For him whom’)
• يُّضۡلِ — Yoodz-lay — He lets go stray (= v., pres., s., 3^rd person. Used with the Almighty God, see اَضَلَّ above. A/t/a, ‘leaves astray,’ ‘leaves in error’ and ‘forsakes.’ But inappropriate translations are (1) ‘hath thrown out of the way,’    ’causes to perish’ and ‘sendeth astray’ because GOD is All-Forgiving Who Guides, and (2) ‘made to go astray’ and ‘led stray’ in the past tense because the Holy Qor-aan has described the said activity in the present tense. See below Note 004:089)
• لۡ — L … (il) — To (= Concerning, for; regarding; relative to; intended for; to; towards)
• اللّٰهُ — Laa-ho — Allah (= The One and the Only One Almighty God)
• فَ — Fa — Then (= After all this; at the end; consequently; finally; hence; in conclusion; so; thereafter; therefore; thus)
• لَنۡ — Lun — Can’t (= Absolute denial; no; not; not at all; total negation; by no means. A/t/a, ‘can not’)
• تَجِدُ — Ta-jay-do — You find (= v., pres., s., 2^nd person. Access; attain; come across;  confront; discover; experience; face; find; get; look at; observe; reap; receive; see; uncover. See Note 004:053. A/t/a, ‘shalt thou find the way,’ ‘thou shalt … find,’ ‘thou (O Muhammad) … find,’ ‘thou canst … find’ and ‘you shall … find’)
• لَ — La — For (= For the object, person, purpose or reason of; intended for; on account of; concerning; regarding; relative to)
• هٗ — Hoo — His (= pro., s., m., 3^rd person. Refers to the Almighty God)
• سَبِيۡلًا — Sa-be-laa — The right way (= n., s., Action; alternative; cause, course; escape; line;  means; measure; method; path; pretext; remedy; road; way. See Note 004:089  & Phrase fee-sa-be-lil-laa-hay. A/t/a, ‘a way (of his deliverance),’ ‘right road,’ ‘way’ and ‘any way of guidance’)

** Note 004:089. The word  سَبِيۡلًا  (sa-be-laa) is a noun. It has also been frequently used as an adjective or adverb. Its meanings include the following.

1. Course; lines; path; road; way.
2. Cause; excuse; means; measure; pretext.
3. Direction; lifestyle; mission; religion; way of life.
4. Action; alternative; relief; remedy; solution.
5. Argument; justification; logic; rationale; reason.
6. Means; measure; methodology.
7. Authors have used the reference to the context of this word to add prefixes like appropriate, correct, good, linier, proper, right or straight right as well as bad, evil, improper or incorrect in translating it.

** Note 004:089a. The word  اَضَلَّ  (aa-dzul-la) is the past tense that means means lost or misled. The word يُّضۡلِ   (Yoodz-lay) is its present tense that means loses or misleads.

Only some translators recognized the difference between these two words. M M Pickthall translated the former as sent away and the later as sendeth astray. M Sher Ali, M Zafrullah Khan and M Ghulam Farid translated the former as caused to perish and the later as causes to perish.            

But other authors just ignored the different meanings that each word really conveys.

A Yusuf Ali translated both the words the same in the past tense as ‘hath thrown out of the way’ — the first word correctly but the second word incorrectly.

M Muhammad Ali translated both the words similarly in the present tense as ‘leaves in error’ — the first word incorrectly but the second word correctly.

M Muhsin Khan and T D Al-Hilali translated both the words similarly in the past tense as ‘made to go astray’

N J Dawood translated both the words similarly in the past tense as ’caused to err’ and ‘led astray’ — the first word correctly but the second word incorrectly.

Sadly, such mistranslations by disregarding Arabic grammar are quite rampant in many translations on the market.