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., 3rd 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.
- He inserted the word ‘earlier’ before the word الۡكِتٰبِ which means Scripture.
- He inserted the words ‘People of the Scripture’ after سَوَآءً, the second word of the verse.
- He omitted the People of the Scripture from after the third word of the original text.
003:113
The Holy Qor-aan 003:113
ضُرِبَتۡ عَلَيۡهِمُ الذِّلَّةُ اَيۡنَ مَا ثُقِفُوۡۤا اِلَّا بِحَبۡلٍ مِّنَ اللّٰهِ وَحَبۡلٍ مِّنَ النَّاسِ وَبَآءُوۡ بِغَضَبٍ مِّنَ اللّٰهِ وَضُرِبَتۡ عَلَيۡهِمُ الۡمَسۡكَنَةُ ؕ ذٰ لِكَ بِاَنَّهُمۡ كَانُوۡا يَكۡفُرُوۡنَ بِاٰيٰتِ اللّٰهِ وَيَقۡتُلُوۡنَ الۡاَنۡۢبِيَآءَ بِغَيۡرِ حَقٍّؕ ذٰ لِكَ بِمَا عَصَوۡا وَّكَانُوۡا يَعۡتَدُوۡنَ
Dzo-ray-but-alai-hay-mooz-zil-la-to-aina-maa-tho-qay-foo Il-laa-bay-hub-lin-may-nul-laa-hay Wa-hub-lin-may-nun-naa-say Wa-baa-oo-bay-gha-za-bim-may-nul-laa-hay Wa-dzo-ray-but-alai-hay-mool-mus-kana-to Zaa-lay-ka-bay-un-na-hoom-kaa-noo Yuk-fo-roo-na-bay-aa-yaa-til-laa-hay-wa Yuk-to-loo-nul-un-bay-yaa-aa-bay-ghai-ray-huq-qin Zaa-lay-ka-bay-maa-aa-suw Wa-kaa-noo-yau-ta-doo-n.
The humiliation inflicted on them where all that is found, Except with a connection from Allah And a connection from the people. And they bought the wrath of Allah And the destitution inflicted upon them. This was because they had been Rejecting the signs of Allah and They had been persecuting the prophets without justification. This was because they disobeyed And had been continually transgressing.
* Note 003:113. The very precise nature of the Arabic language is partially reflected in every one of our several posts titled under Arabic Grammar. But this flaw is conspicuously clear in translating Verse 003:113 of which the following words have been mistranslated.
Describing an event in the past tense means that the stated event has already occurred in the past. It is no longer a matter of conjecture. The accuracy of the narration is borne by history.
Describing an act in the present (or present participle) tense shows the specified act as a matter of faith. God Almighty guarantees that it will always happen, keep recurring again and again, at all times in the present and the future. Some people could construe such statement of a forecast as a mere conjecture but really it is a Rule of Universal Application with no exception.
A repeated disregard of the Arabic grammar and arbitrarily changing the present to the past or the past to the present in translating the Holy Qor-aan strengthens the contention of all opponents of Islam who portray it to be just a narration of events in the past history of religions.
The fact is that the Holy Qor-aan is the divine guidance for the mankind forever — for all times from the present to the future that has yet to come. See the Commentary titled as ‘The Holy Qor-aan – Spiritual Guidance Book.’
An inaccurate translation of a fact originally stated in the present or past tenses but then translated into a different or opposite tense is not appropriate. It is arbitrary, inconsistent and a violation of the rules of Arabic grammar. One example is regarding the several words shown above. Another example is in the various translation of verse 003:136.
An inaccurate translation of an act originally specified in the present tense but translated only as an event in the past tense would negate the consequence as a forecast guaranteed by God that it would happen again if similar wrongs were ever committed in the future.
An inaccurate translation of an event in the past tense would lead a reader to conclude that the consequence may or not materialize next time a similar situation arises. The forewarning by the use of present tense as a forecast in describing the act would be practically nullified. We at this site construe such translations of the Holy Qor-aan as a real wrong.