003:114

The Holy Qor-aan                                                                                                                 003:114

لَـيۡسُوۡا سَوَآءً ‌ؕ مِنۡ اَهۡلِ الۡكِتٰبِ اُمَّةٌ قَآٮِٕمَةٌ يَّتۡلُوۡنَ اٰيٰتِ اللّٰهِ اٰنَآءَ الَّيۡلِ وَ هُمۡ يَسۡجُدُوۡنَ‏

Lai-soo-sa-waa-un                                                                                                                                 Min-ah-lil-kay-taa-bay                                                                                                                   Oom-ma-toon-qaa-aiy-ma-toon                                                                                                       Yut-loo-na-aa-yaa-til-laa-hay-anaa-ul-lai-lay                                                                         Wa-hoom-yus-jo-doo-n

Not all are alike.                                                                                                                          Among the People of the Book                                                                                              Is an upright group                                                                                                                    They recite the signs of Allah at the ends of the night                                                    And they prostrate in worship.

• لَـيۡسُوۡا — Lai-soo — Not all (= Absolutely not; never at all)
• سَوَآءً — Sa-waa-oon — Alike (= Equal; identical; similar)
• مِنۡ — Min — Among (= Among, from or out of the class or category or several articles, counts, kind, things, persons or phenomenon)
• اَهۡلِ — Aah-lay…(il) — People (= Families; folks; household; those entrusted with)
• الۡكِتٰبِ — Il-kay-taa-bay — The Book (= 1. The Divine Directive of Commands, Prohibitions,  Rules and Regulations. Holy Scripture. Perfect Book Testament that holds good and is operative eternally. Decreed part of a religion. Spiritual Code codifying the rules of universal application.  2. The Collection of mandated, ordered, prescribed, preserved, recorded, written Do’s and Don’ts.  3. Authentic penned down material in black and white)
• اُمَّةً — Oom-ma-toon — A group (= Community; followers; many men; nation; party. Also, a large band, body, group, number or portion of people)
• قَآٮِٕمَةٌ — Qaa-aiy-ma-toon — Upright (= Acting appropriately. Behaving in a well-established manner. Standing up clearly and firmly for the right. Staunch supporter of the right things done the right way. Unrelenting who affirm, carry out, enforce,   implement, maintain and observe whatever is right. Who take the stand. Who are very well set. A/t/a, Not bending, bowing, giving in, sitting or submitting)
• يَتۡلُوۡنَ — Yut-loo-na — Recite (= v., pres part., pl., 3r person. Engaged in the act to …. 1. Coach, communicate; declare; inform; narrate; tell.  2. Educate; share, study; teach, train or tutor each other. 3. Follow its teachings, obey orders & preach goodness. 4. Ponder. Read. Reflect. Rehearse. Relate. Worship)
• اٰيٰتِ — Aa-yaa-tay — Signs     *        (= pl of. Manifestation; message; narrative; revelation; verse. 2. Command; direction; evidence; law; order.  3. Corroboration; indication; lesson; portent; proof; pointer; symbol; token. 4. Every element to create the crystal clear picture leading to an absolute conviction.  5. Argument, part or portion that highlights a thing)
• اللّٰهِ — Laa-hay — Allah (= The One and the Only One Almighty God)
• اٰنَآءَ — Anaa-a…(ul) — Ends (= n., Beginnings; edges; ends and starts of. Ending hours of the night. Early morning hours. A/t/a, All hours; ‘all night long’; ‘all night’  )
• الَّيۡلِ — Lai-lay — Night (= s., Absence of sunlight; the opposite of a sunlit day; hours of night or night-time; the period of darkness between the sunset and next sunrise)
• وَ — Wa — And (= Conj., links words, phrases or clauses; additionally; but; also; more over; though; when; while; yet; whereupon)
• هُمۡ‌ — Hoom — They (= pro., pl., m., 3 ^rd person. Refers to People of the Book)
• يَسۡجُدُوۡنَ — Yus-jo-doon — Prostrate (= v., pres., pl., 3^rd person, Action in worship wherein one prostrates with his head down and forehead on the ground expressing humility, obedience and reverence. Adore God. Bow down, kneel and put head on floor in  prayer and submission. A/t/a, ‘Prostrate themselves in adoration’

* 003:114. The word in the original text is اٰيٰتِ   which is a plural. But M Zafrulla Khan translated it as ‘Word’ which is in singular form. The rules of grammar hold such translation as incorrect. Speaking generically and very generally it may appear to be acceptable. However, the accuracy demands that it be translated in plural. That is why the best translation is as set above.

A typical example of a translator saying what he thinks and not what the original text has stated is verse 003:114. A translator saying what he perceives to be the general idea of a text is not necessarily its accurate translation. Although it is true that this verse is about the People of the Scripture but Ahmad Zidan translated it as follows.

1. He inserted the word ‘earlier’ before the word الۡكِتٰبِ which means Scripture.
2. He inserted the words ‘People of the Scripture’ after سَوَآءً, the second word of the verse.
3. He omitted the People of the Scripture from after the third word of the original text.