005:071

The Holy Qor-aan                                                                                                        005:071

لَقَدۡ اَخَذۡنَا مِيۡثَاقَ بَنِىۡۤ اِسۡرَآءِيۡلَ وَاَرۡسَلۡنَاۤ اِلَيۡهِمۡ رُسُلًا ؕ كُلَّمَا جَآءَهُمۡ رَسُوۡلٌ ۢ بِمَا لَا تَهۡوٰٓى اَنۡفُسُهُمۙۡ فَرِيۡقًا كَذَّبُوۡا وَفَرِيۡقًا يَّقۡتُلُوۡنَ

La-qud-aa-khuz-naa-mee-thaa-qa-ba-nee-is-raa-ee-la                                                                Wa-ur-sul-naa-elai-him-ro-so-laa                                                                                                      Kool-la-maa-jaa-aa-hoom-ra-soo-loon                                                                                          Bay-maa-laa-tuh-waa-un-fo-sa-hoom                                                                                              Fa-free-qun-kuz-za-boo-wa-free-qun-yuq-to-loon.

We certainly took a pledge from the children of Israel                                                  And sent messengers to them.                                                                                                Every time a messenger came to them                                                                                  That their hearts did not like                                                                                                    One group belied then. And one group still persecuting.

• لَـقَدۡ — La-qud — Certainly (= Two words  لَ  (La) and  قَدۡ  (Qud) both mean … absolutely,    certainly; definitely; indeed; positively; surely; truly, verily. See Commentary ‘2 Words of Emphasis used together Multiply Effect‘)
• اَخَذۡ — Aa-khuz — Took (= v., past., s., 3^rd person. Caught; drew; obtained; procured; received; secured; seized. A/t/a, ‘took’ and ‘made’)
• نَآ — Naa — We (= pro., pl., m & f.,1^st person. Used with God’s name it is the authoritative way a higher-up talks to a subordinate
• مِيۡثَاقَ — Me-thaa-qa — Pledge (= n., An arrangement, assurance, promise or undertaking made unilaterally (by-one-side) vouching that its maker will always honor it. For an arrangement or agreement between 2-or-more-parties, see Note 003:188. A/t/a, ‘covenant,’ ‘covenant of old with’ and ‘firm covenant’)
• بَنِىۡٓ — Ba-nee — All children (= Followers; nation; tribes. The vowel ‘mudd’ refers to all)
• اِسۡرَآءِيۡلَ — Is-raa-ee-la — Israel (= The vowel ‘mudd’ refers to the Israelites, i.e., All tribes or descendants of the 12 sons of Prophet Jacob)
• وَ — Wa — And (= Conj., links words, phrases or clauses; additionally; but; also; more over; though; when; while; yet)
• اَرۡسَلۡ — Ur-sul — Sent (= v., past., 1^st person. Appointed; dispatched; deputed; empowered with the authority; raised; set up. A/t/a, ‘sent’ and ‘sent forth’)
• نَآ — Naa — We (= pro., m/g., pl., 1^st person. Our; Us. Used with God’s name this is the authoritative way a higher-up talks)
•  اِلَيۡ — Elai — To (= In the direction of; to; towards. A/t/a, ‘unto’ and ‘among’)
• هِمۡ  — Him — Them (= pro., pl., m., 3^rd person. Those men; they; theirs)
• رُسُلًا — Ro-so-laa — Messengers (= n., pl., Apostles; prophets; sages; saints. A/t/a,  ‘many messengers’)

The following fact stated in 3^rd person in 005:071 is repeated in 2^nd person in 002:088

• كُلَّمَا — Kool-la-maa — Every time (= This is a combination of two words. The first word كُلٌّ  means ‘all, altogether, each and everyone, entirely,  everyone, everything, totally, without exception or wholly’. The second word  مَا  means ‘all that, any time, at such time; when; whenever, what, whatever.’ Joined together  كُلَّمَا  means “every single time without any exception, as often as, as soon as; no sooner than.” A/t/a, ‘Every time,’  ‘whenever’ and ‘As often as’)
• جَآءَ — Jaa-aa — Came (= v., past., s., 3^rd person. Achieved; arrived; reached; filled the divine prophecies. A/t/a, ‘there came To,’ ‘came to’ and ’came unto’)
• هُمۡ‌ — Hoom — Them (= pro., pl., m., 3^rd person. Those men; they; theirs. Here the reference is to the Israelites بَنِىۡٓ اِسۡرَآءِيۡلَ)
• رَسُوۡلٌ — Ra-soo-loon  — Messenger (= n., s., Apostle; prophet; sage; saint)
• بِ — Bay — With (= This word in Arabic literally means with. A/t/a, ‘with’ and ‘with that (Message)’
• مَا  — Maa — That (= What; whatever; whatsoever. A/t/a, ‘what,’ ‘that’ and ‘which’)
• لَا  — Laa — Not (= Absolute denial; never; not at all; total negation)
• تَهۡوٰٓى — Tuh-waa —  Liked(= v., past., f/g., 3^rd person. Agreed with; approved; loved;  desired; suited; sought with loyalty. A/t/a, ‘desired,’ ‘desired … (became rebellious),’ ‘did … desire,’ ‘did … suit … fanciful desires’ and ‘did … suit … fancies’)
• اَنۡفُسَ — Un-fo-sa — Selves (= n., pl., Hearts; minds; persons; souls.  A/t/a, ‘themselves’)
• هُمۡ‌ — Hoom — Them (= pro., pl., m., 3^rd person. Those men; they; theirs)
• فَرِيۡقًا  — Free-qun — One group (= n., Division, faction, fraction, group or a little number of a larger association, band, class, clique, company or gathering; part; portion; section; segment; selection; share of a whole lot. A/t/a, ‘some,’ ‘some (of these),’ ‘some (of them),’ ‘they,’ ‘either’ and ‘a group of them’)
• كَذَّبُوۡا —  Kuz-za-boo — They belied (= v., past., pl., 3^rd person. Denied; derided, denounced, disowned, opposed, misrepresented, negated; rejected. A/t/a, ‘they called Impostors,’ ‘they called liars,’ ‘they denied,’ ‘they treated … as a liar,’ ‘they treated some as liars,’ ‘(they defied him so much that) … they treated as liars,’ ‘disbelieved’ and ‘they rejected him’ implying that Israelites had persecuted Prophets and alleged them to be false and imposters)
• وَ — Wa — And (= Conj., links words, phrases or clauses. See وَ  above. A/t/a, ‘or’)
• فَرِيۡقًا —  Free-qun — One group (= Class; company; group; part; party. See  فَرِيۡقًا  above)
• يَّقۡتُلُوۡنَ — Yuq-to-loon — Persecuting (= v., pres., pl., 3^rd person. They condemn, fight, harm, hurt, oppose, oppress menacingly and unjustly. Historically no prophet including Jesus Christ has been successfully executed and so the best translation is persecuting or trying to kill. Only some contexts justify a translation to commit, carnage, massacre, mayhem, murder, slaughter or even kill or slay as shown in Commentary titled as Jihad – Is It Fighting. A/t/a, ‘they (Go so far as to) slay’ correctly as a verb in the present tense. But they ‘sought to slay him,’ ‘sought to kill,’ ‘slew,’  ‘(even) sought to kill’ and ‘killed’ in a verb in the past tense is no translation of what the Holy Qor-aan has stated in a verb in the present tense. See Note 005:071 below)

** Note 005:071. This verse refers to two facts. Firstly, those who in the past belied their Prophets as stated in the earlier word كَذَّبُوۡا — a verb in the past tense. Secondly, those who at the present time are persecuting them as stated in the latter word  يَّقۡتُلُوۡنَ  – a verb in the present tense.

What is stated in a verb in the past tense is different from that in the present tense. Our Commentary Translations With Grammar Violated highlights that difference. But some authors like the following mistranslated the Holy Qor-aan by ignoring that difference.

• D Ahmad Zidan: ‘slew’
• M Mohsin Khan & Taqi-uddin al-Hilali: ‘they killed’
• M Muhammad Ali: ‘they (even) sought to kill’
• M M Pickthall: ‘they slew’
• M Sher Ali, M Ghulam Farid & A Rahman Omar: ‘they sought to kill’
• M Zafrulla Khan; ‘they sought to slay him’
• N J Dawood: ‘they slew him’