002:225

The Holy Qor-aan                                                                                                               002:225

وَلَا تَجۡعَلُوا اللّٰهَ عُرۡضَةً لِّاَيۡمَانِکُمۡ اَنۡ تَبَرُّوۡا وَتَتَّقُوۡا وَتُصۡلِحُوۡا بَيۡنَ النَّاسِ‌ؕ وَاللّٰهُ سَمِيۡعٌ عَلِيۡمٌ‏

Wa-laa-tuj-aloo-oor-dza-toon-lay-aiy-maa-nay-koo,                                                                  Un-ta-bur-roo-wa-tut-ta-qoo-toos-lay-hoo-bain-nun-aas.                                                     Wul-laa-ho-sa-mee-oon-alee-m.

And do not make Allah an excuse for your oaths                                                          That you be good and pious and make peace among people.                                       And by God Allah is All-Hearing, 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)
• تَجۡعَلُوۡا — Tuj-a-loo — You make (= v., pres., pl., m., 2^nd person. Appoint; create; design; fabricate; join; place; set up; target)
• ٱللَّهَ — Laa-ha — Allah (= The Almighty God; The only One worthy of worship)
• عُرۡضَةً– Oor-dza-ton — Excuse (= 1. Set up as the fulcrum, leverage, pivot, see-saw, game. 2. Make Allah the subject to swear that you will do.   See the Note below for more meanings.
• لِّ — Lay — For (= For or with intent to get or give attention, benefit, credit; object, purpose or reason of)
• اَيۡمَانِ — Ai-maa-nay — Oaths (= n., Affirmation, behest of Faith; belief; oath; solemn declaration; total confidence; trust. A/t/a, pledge; promise; vow. Also, a swear when NOT used as a word of a bad language, blaspheme, curse or cuss)
• كُمۡ — Koom — Your (= pro., pl., m., 2^nd person.  You.  The Holy Qor-aan states this way when addressing both men and women jointly)
• اَنۡ — Un — That (= Since; so that; for the purpose)
• تَبَرُّوۡا — Ta-bur-roo — You be good (= v., pres., pl., m., 2^nd person. Be kind, pious, righteous, secure against evil and deal justly.  This word clearly prohibits using God’s name in vain to support and strengthen the stance to be good)
• وَ — Wa — And (= Conj., links words, phrases or clauses.  See وَ   above)
• تَتَّقُوۡا — Tut-ta-qoo — You be pious  (=  v., pres., pl., m., 2^nd person. ‘Avoid angering Allah’, act piously and righteously, become God-fearing, and righteous, clean inner self, do duty to God, guard against or ward off evil.   More in Commentary titled as The Righteous)
•  وَ — Wa — And (= Conj., links words, phrases or clauses.  See وَ   above)
• تُصۡلِحُوۡا — Toos-lay-hoo — You make peace (= v., pres., pl., m., 2^nd person. 1. Correct; help to grow; improve; make better; mend ways; reform things to become in accordance with equity and fairness; set affairs right. 2. Deal diligently, equitably, fairly, justly, honestly, properly and rightly. 3. Do the best, the good and the right)
• بَيۡنَ — Bai-na…(un) — Among (= Between; betwixt. Also ahead, facing or in front of)
• النَّاسَ — Un-naa-sa — The people (= Factions; folks, mankind, groups, men, nations or tribes.  Human beings. All people regardless of color, creed, culture or country of origin)
• وَ — Wa…(ul) — By (= This وَ vaao is tantamount to taking oath; solemn declaration)
• اللّٰهُ — Laa-ho — Allah (= The Almighty God; The only One worthy of worship)
• سَمِيۡعٌ — Sa-mee-oon — All-Hearing (= superlative form indicates the greatest, the highest, the most, and highlights that none more than Him hears the best. All-Hearing.  Most Hearing.  The Hearer.  Hears to                                                          the ultimate maximum.  Hears all wholly, entirely, truly surely, totally and surely. Real Hearer. The One from whom nothing is beyond, missed or out of hearing)
• عَلِيۡمٌ — Alee-m — All-Knowing  (= superlative form indicates the greatest, the highest, the most, and highlights that none more than Him knows, is knowing. Informed to the maximum.  Has total and perfect knowledge.  Has nothing out of sight.  Knows all.  Well-Acquainted. Well-Aware. Most Knowledgeable)

* Note 002:225.  The literal meanings of the word عُرۡضَةً [oor-dza-ton] are closer to an excuse or reason to do something by setting it up as a fulcrum, leverage. pivot or see-saw plank.  The words   اَنۡ تَبَرُّوۡا وَتَتَّقُوۡا وَتُصۡلِحُوۡا  [that you be good and righteous and make peace] categorically prohibit using God’s name in vain to support and strengthen the stance to be good. 

The straightforward meanings of the entire text  لَا تَجۡعَلُوا اللّٰهَ عُرۡضَةً لِّاَيۡمَانِکُمۡ are ‘Do not make Allah an excuse for your Faiths that you be good …….’   The common sense also tells that one should do good things as a resident of human village without swearing by God to do so.

However, exactly the opposite meanings are insinuated with the words like ‘abstain from doing’ [Allamah Nooruddin],‘against’ [Ahmad Zidan, Dr Al-Hilali and Dr Khan], ‘hindrance to your being righteous’ [M Pickthall], ‘an excuse for refraining from doing good’ [Zafrulla Khan], and ‘you may thereby abstain from doing good and acting righteously’ [Malik Ghulam Farid).