Surah 13. Ar-Ra'd, Ayah 37
| وَكَذَٰلِكَ أَنْزَلْنَاهُ حُكْمًا عَرَبِيًّا ۚ وَلَئِنِ اتَّبَعْتَ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ بَعْدَمَا جَاءَكَ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ مَا لَكَ مِنَ اللَّهِ مِنْ وَلِيٍّ وَلَا وَاقٍ |
| Transliteration | : | wa- ka- dhaalika anzalnaa -hu h.ukm(an) carabey(an) wa- la- 'in ittabacta ahwaa' -hum bacda maa jaa'a -ka min al- cilm maa la- -ka min 'allaah min waley wa- laa waaqi(n) |
| Pickthall | : | Thus have We revealed it, a decisive utterance in Arabic and if thou shouldst follow their desires after that which hath come unto thee of knowledge, then truly wouldst thou have from Allah no protecting friend nor defender. |
| Asad | : | Thus, then, have We bestowed from on high this [divine writ] as an ordinance in the Arabic tongue.72 And, indeed, if thou shouldst defer to men's likes and dislikes73 after all the [divine] knowledge that has come unto thee, thou wouldst have none to protect thee from God, and none to shield thee [from Him]. |
| Malik | : | With these instructions, We have revealed this commandment in the Arabic language. Now, if you follow their vain desires after real knowledge has come to you, there will be none to save you or protect you against the wrath of Allah. |
| Yusuf Ali | : | Thus have We revealed it to be a judgment of authority in Arabic. Wert thou to follow their (vain) desires after the knowledge which hath reached thee then wouldst thou find neither protector nor defender against Allah. 1859 1860 |
Note - 72Lit., "as an Arabic ordinance (hukm)": i.e., so as to
enable the Arabian Prophet to propound it to the people
of his immediate environment and, through them, to the
whole world. Cf. in this connection 14:4, where it is
stated that every one of God's prophets was entrusted
with a message "in his own people's tongue, so that he
might make [the truth] clear unto them". That the message
of the Qur'an is universal, and not restricted to the
Arabs alone, is brought out clearly in many places, e.g.,
in 7:158, "Say lO Prophet]: 'O mankind! Verily, I am an
apostle of God to all of you.'"
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Note - 73Lit., "follow their likes and dislikes (ahwahum)" - i.e.,
by compromising with the followers of other creeds who,
while accepting some of the fundamental verities of the
Qur'an, are unwilling to accent the whole of it.
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Note - 1859The Qur-an is in Arabic; therefore the Arabs, among whom
it was promulgated, could have no difficulty in
understanding its precepts and using it in judging of
right and wrong in all their affairs. But it is also
universal; therefore no one should give preference to his
own vain fancies against this authoritative declaration.
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Note - 1860Cf. ii. 120. The variation is in the single word "Waq"
here in place of "Nasir" in ii. 120. In each case the apt
word is chosen not only for the rhythm in its own passage
but for the general meaning in the Argument.
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Lit., "as an Arabic ordinance (hukm)": i.e., so as to enable the Arabian Prophet to propound it to the people of his immediate environment and, through them, to the whole world. Cf. in this connection 14:4, where it is stated that every one of God's prophets was entrusted with a message "in his own people's tongue, so that he might make [the truth] clear unto them". That the message of the Qur'an is universal, and not restricted to the Arabs alone, is brought out clearly in many places, e.g., in 7:158, "Say lO Prophet]: 'O mankind! Verily, I am an apostle of God to all of you.'" |
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The Qur-an is in Arabic; therefore the Arabs, among whom it was promulgated, could have no difficulty in understanding its precepts and using it in judging of right and wrong in all their affairs. But it is also universal; therefore no one should give preference to his own vain fancies against this authoritative declaration. |
