005:051

The Holy Qor-aan                                                                                                                     005:051

 اَفَحُكۡمَ الۡجَـاهِلِيَّةِ يَـبۡغُوۡنَ ؕ  وَمَنۡ اَحۡسَنُ مِنَ اللّٰهِ حُكۡمًا لِّـقَوۡمٍ يُّوۡقِنُوۡنَ

Aa-fa-hook-mul-jaa-hay-lee-ya-tay-yub-ghoo-n                                                                           Wa-mun-ah-sa-no-may-nul-laa-hay-hook-mun                                                                              Lay-qao-min-yoo-qay-noo-n

Is it the Order of Ignorance they seek?                                                                                And Who is better than Allah for an Order                                                                        For people who firmly believe?

• اَ — Aa — Is it (= Question mark like  Are, Can, Have, Shell or Will?.  A/t/a, “Is it’)
• فَ — Fa — So (= After all this; at the end; consequently; finally; hence; in conclusion; so; then; therefore; thus)
• حُكۡمَ — Hook-ma — Order (= n. s. Command; decision; decree; determination; judgment; law; mandate; order; rule; verdict. A/t/a, ‘laws.’ See below the Note 005:051)
• الۡجَـاهِلِيَّةِ‌ —  Jaa-hay-liya-tay — Ignorance (= n., The Days, Period, Standards, Time or Times of Ignorance. A/t/a, ‘pagandom’)
• يَـبۡغُوۡنَ — Yub-ghoo-na — They seek (= v., pres., pl., 3^rd person. Desire; secure; seek;  place; put; want; wish. A/t/a, ‘seeking,’ ‘seek to enforce’ and ‘wish to be judged by?’ See below the Note 005:051)
• وَ — Wa — And (= Conj., links words, phrases or clauses; additionally; but; also; more over; though; when; while; yet)
• مَنۡ — Mun — Who (= Anyone; whoever; whom; whomever; whoso)
• اَحۡسَنُ — Ah-sa-no — Better (= adj., Better [several] fairer; more sound; superior. The  word in different context also means prettier. A/t/a, ‘can give a better judgment’ and ‘more fair’)
• مِنَ — May-n …(ul) — Than (= Used for comparison among, from or out of the class or category of several articles, kinds, things, persons or                                                            phenomenon. A/t/a, ‘than’ )
• اللّٰهِ — Laa-hay — Allah (= The One and the Only One Almighty God)
• حُكۡمًا — Hook-mun — An order  (= See حُكۡمَ above. A/t/a, ‘as a Judge,’ ‘to  judge,’  ‘judgment,’ ‘for judgment,’ ‘in giving judgment’ and ‘in judgment’)
• لِ — Lay…(in) — For (= For the object, person, purpose or reason of; intended for; meant for; on account of; concerning; regarding; relative to)
• قَوۡمٍ —  Qao-min — People (= n., s., Addressees; attendees; fellows; followers; folks; nation; party; people; tribe. A/t/a, ‘a people’ and ‘men’)
• يُوۡقِنُوۡنَ — Yoo-qay-noon — Firmly believe (= Bear conviction; have full, firm, absolute, resolute, total and wholesome conviction without a doubt. A/t/a, ‘people whose faith is assured,’ ‘who are sure,’ ‘who have firm faith,’ ‘who have certainty (in their belief),’ ‘who are convinced (of their faith),’ ‘having sure faith’ and ‘whose faith is firm’)

** Note 005:051. The term الۡجَـاهِلِيَّةِ‌ (ul-jaa-hay-lee-ya-tay) consists of two words. The first word   جَـاهِلِيَّة  (jaa-hay-lee-ya-tay) means a time, period, duration or event in which elements of ignorance, roughness and bad manners were the order of the day, all around the society. The second word الۡ (ul) is a pre-fix that turns a common noun into a specific proper noun. Thus the combination refers to the conditions which prevailed in the territory known as Arab (the Saudi Arabia in 20^th A.D.) before Iss-laam came and changed them.

The concept stated in the first part of the verse has been described differently as follows. Abdullah Yusuf Ali as seek after A judgment of (the days Of) Ignorance.                          Amatul Rahman Omar as seek to enforce the law of (the days of) ignorance?                        Dr Ahmad Zidan as Is it then the rule of pagandom that they are seeking?                            N J Dawod as Is it pagan laws that they wish to be judged by?                                            Maulana Muhammad Ali as seek the judgment of ignorance that they desire.          Maulawi Sher Ali as Do they then seek the judgment of the days of Ignorance?                      M Ghulam Farid as seek the judgment of the days of Ignorance.                                                M Mohsin Khan as Do then they seek the judgement of (the days of) Ignorance?                    M Pickthall as Is it a judgment of the time of (pagan) ignorance that they are seeking?      M Zafarullah Khan as judgment in accordance with the standards of the days before revelation.