The Holy Qor-aan 003: 015
زُيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ حُبُّ الشَّهَوٰتِ مِنَ النِّسَآءِ وَالۡبَـنِيۡنَ وَالۡقَنَاطِيۡرِ الۡمُقَنۡطَرَةِ مِنَ الذَّهَبِ وَالۡفِضَّةِ وَالۡخَـيۡلِ الۡمُسَوَّمَةِ وَالۡاَنۡعَامِ وَالۡحَـرۡثِؕ ذٰ لِكَ مَتَاعُ الۡحَيٰوةِ الدُّنۡيَا ۚ وَاللّٰهُ عِنۡدَهٗ حُسۡنُ الۡمَاٰبِ
Zoo-yay-na-lin-naa-say-hoob-boosh-shah-waa-tay Min-nay-saa-aiy-wul-ba-ne-na Wul-qa-naa-te-ril-mo-qunt-ta-ra-tay-may-nuz-za-ha-bay-wul-fidza-tay Wul-khai-lil-mo-suw-wa-ma-tay-wul-un-aa-may-wul-hur-s Zaa-lay-ka-ma-taa-ol-ha-yaa-tid-doon-yaa Wul-laa-ho-in-da-hoo-hoos-nool-ma-aab.
Beautified for the people is the love of lusts From women and off-springs (their own children) And stored up heaps of gold and silver And horses brandished and cattle and crops. These are the valuables of the present life. And it is Allah with whom is the best home.
- زُيِّنَ — Zoo-yay-na — Beautified (= v., past., s., 3rd person. Made or turned to appear fair seeming, attractive, beautiful, captivating, charming, covetous, decorative, desirable, enchanting, enticing, look good, lucrative, luring, nice or tempting)
- لِ — Lay…(in) — For (= For the benefit, object, purpose or reason of)
- لنَّاسِ — Naa-say — The people (= Folks; human beings; mankind; men; nations)
- حُبُّ — Hoob-bo..(sh) — Extreme love (= n., Amorous desire or lust that normally is used in the context of male-female relationship. Irresistibly strong adoration, affection, appreciation, attachment, passion, attraction, craving, desire, devotion, emotion, lure, temptation; urge, want or wish. Also, coveting)
- الشَّهَوٰتِ — Shah-waa-tay — Lust (= pl., Sensuous and sexually strong cravings or longings. Coveted things. Desires with deep and strong passion. Fast, fierce and furious urges for joys and pleasures. Irresistible temptations. Joys. Lusts. Uncontrollable urgent wants for any kind of desired objects)
- مِنَ — May-na…(un) — From (= From among the class, category, count, kind, persons or out of. A/t/a ‘comprising of’)
- النِّسَآءِ — Nay-saa-aiy — Women (= Feminine gender of the human beings)
- وَ — Wa .. (ul) — And (= Conj., links words, phrases or clauses; additionally; but; also; more over; though; when; while; yet; whereupon)
- الۡبَـنِيۡنَ — Ba-ne-na — Off-springs (= Boys and girls; children; kids)
- وَ — Wa .. (ul) — And (= Conj., links words, phrases or clauses. See وَ above)
- الۡقَنَاطِيۡرِ — Qa-naa-te-r(il) — Heaps (= pl., Heaped up; hills, mounds or mountains of; hoards; piled up or store-up heaps; reserves; riches; treasures. The concept is enormous wealth stored in safety boxes. The Arabic word الۡقَنَاطِيۡرِ is the plural of الۡقَنَطِارِ which represents a Talent of 1200 ounces of gold. Translator A Yusuf Ali stated the value of that much gold in his national currency {Indian one Lakh [One hundred thousand] rupees} to reflect what in his mind was an enormous treasure. At 2016 price of gold, 1200 oz are worth over US$1.5 million)
- الۡمُقَنۡطَرَةِ — Mo-qunt-ta-ra-tay — Stored up (= Heaped up; hidden; hoarded; of huge piles; piled up; stocked; warehoused)
- مِنَ — May-na…(uz) — From (= From the class, category, count, kind, persons or out of)
- الذَّهَبِ — Za-ha-bay — Gold (= Soft yellow corrosion-resistant highly malleable and ductile metal used in jewelry. Also, an international monetary standard. Precious metal)
- وَ — Wa .. (ul) — And (= Conj., links words, phrases or clauses. See وَ above)
- الۡفِضَّةِ — Fidz-dza-tay — Silver (= A lustrous, white, ductile, malleable metallic element highly valued for jewelry, tableware and ornaments; Precious metal)
- وَ — Wa .. (ul) — And (= Conj., links words, phrases or clauses. See وَ above)
- الۡخَـيۡلِ — Khai-l…(il) — Horses (= A large four-legged hoofed mammal domesticated for riding and for drawing or carrying loads; known for loyalty to its master, trainer and care-taking human being)
- الۡمُسَوَّمَةِ — Mo-suw-wa-ma-tay — Pastured (= Branded for blood and excellence; branded with distinctive marks; choicest; pedigreed; splendid; well fed; well-bred with pedigreed sires; well taken care of. Let out to roam and graze freely in fields of rich green grass)
- وَ — Wa .. (ul) — And (= Conj., links words, phrases or clauses. See وَ above)
- الۡاَنۡعَامِ — Un-aa-may — Cattle (= n., pl., Class, kind, like or type of .. cattle such as buffalo, camel, cow, deer, horse, mule, etc. Domesticated edible four-legged animals. Quadruped)
- وَ — Wa .. (ul) — And (= Conj., links words, phrases or clauses. See وَ above)
- الۡحَـرۡثِ — Hur-say — Crops (= n., Agriculturally cultivated and harvested edible plants and produce. Fruits. Vegetables. Also, cropland, fields, plantations, tillage, vineyards)
- ذٰلِكَ — Zaa-lay-ka — These (= Right in here; such is; that is how it is)
- مَتَاعُ — Ma-taa-o…(l) — Valuables (= Assets; benefits; comforts; enjoyments; possessions; provisions; wealth)
- لۡحَيٰوةِ — Ha-yaa-t…(id) — Life (= n., A creature’s condition of breathing by inhaling and exhaling. The quality shown by functions among other of growth and response to stimulation and reproduction by which living organisms are distinguished from dead organisms and inanimate matter. Extensions in living. Peaceful life with safety and security. Any measure to save and safeguard life)
- ٱلدُّنۡيا — Doon-ya — The present (= Close at hand. Life … on earth, in the near or short term. The near life, of this world. The near one. The World at hand with its benefits, happiness or pleasures. The Hither, the opposite of the Hereafter or Life after death)
- وَ — Wa…(ul) — And (= This وَ vaao is tantamount to taking oath; solemn declaration)
- اللّٰهُ — Laa-ho — Allah (= The Almighty God; The only One worthy of worship)
- عِنۡدَ — In-da — With (= Close at hand; in the eyes or nearness of)
- هٗ — Hoo — Him (= pro., s., m., 3rd person. Refers to the Almighty God)
- حُسۡنُ — Hoos-n..(ol) — Beautiful (= Best and everlasting; excellent; far better and superior; fairest)
- الۡمَاٰبِ — Ma-aab — Home (= Abode; place to return for rest and respite; resort to return again and again. A/t/a good goal of life)
003:014
The Holy Qor-aan 003: 014
قَدۡ كَانَ لَـكُمۡ اٰيَةٌ فِىۡ فِئَتَيۡنِ الۡتَقَتَا ؕ فِئَةٌ تُقَاتِلُ فِىۡ سَبِيۡلِ اللّٰهِ وَاُخۡرٰى كَافِرَةٌ يَّرَوۡنَهُمۡ مِّثۡلَيۡهِمۡ رَاۡىَ الۡعَيۡنِؕ وَاللّٰهُ يُؤَيِّدُ بِنَصۡرِهٖ مَنۡ يَّشَآءُ ؕ اِنَّ فِىۡ ذٰ لِكَ لَعِبۡرَةً لِّاُولِى الۡاَبۡصَارِ
Qud-kaa-na-la-koom-aa-ya-toon Fee-fay-aa-tai-nil-ta-qa-taa Fay-aa-toon-to-qaa-tay-lo-fee-sa-bee-lil-laa-hay Wa-ookh-raa-kaa-fay-ra-toon Ya-rao-na-hoom-mith-lai-him-rau-yul-aiy-n Wul-laa-ho-yo-uy-yay-do-bay-nus-ray-he-mun-ya-shaa-o In-na-fee-zaa-lay-ka-la-ib-raa-tun-lay-olil-ub-saa-r.
Surely there was a remarkable Sign for you In the two groups that met in combat. One group was fighting in the cause of Allah And the other disbelievers were Seeing them twice as the eye saw. ** And by God Allah supports with His help whomever he pleases. Certainly in all this is a lesson for those who have the vision.
* Note 003:014. The real importance of the ruling in this verse is lasting and perpetual. The Believers are given a cart blanche mandate that if true in their Faith they will always win against much bigger, larger and stronger foes. The condition is that the Believers must be so in the real sense of the word with full faith in the Almighty God and not merely with a lip-service.
It is the application of this rule to one instance as its illustration where the translations vary. The Battle of Badr was fought on March 13, 624 AD [“17 Ramadan, 2 AH in the Islamic calendar” – Wikipedia]. On one side were about 1,000 armed soldiers invaders from Mecca. The other side was 313 Moslem Believers who were hardly equipped for a war. Odds were heavily stacked against Moslems and yet they defeated the 3-times-larger army.
The phrase seeing them twice them in this verse has been translated in different ways. The translations differ regarding Who saw with their own eyes and Whom did they see. The verse has used two words هُمۡ and هِمۡ and they both are pronouns. Do both these pronouns refer to only one side? If so, which one? Or, one pronoun to one side and the other to the opposing faction? That is why the following different interpretations exist.