Surah 2. Al-Baqara, Ayah 135
| وَقَالُوا كُونُوا هُودًا أَوْ نَصَارَىٰ تَهْتَدُوا ۗ قُلْ بَلْ مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا ۖ وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ |
| Transliteration | : | wa- qaalo kono hod(an) 'aw nas.aaraa tahtado qul bal millah 'ibraahem h.anef(an) wa- maa kaana min al- mushriken |
| Pickthall | : | And they say: Be Jews or Christians, then ye will be rightly guided. Say (unto them, O Muhammad): Nay, but (we follow) the religion of Abraham, the upright, and he was not of the idolaters. |
| Asad | : | AND THEY say, "Be Jews" - or, "Christians" - "and you shall be on the right path." Say: "Nay, but [ours is] the creed of Abraham, who turned away from all that is false,110 and was not of those who ascribe divinity to aught beside God." |
| Malik | : | Jews and Christians say: "Be Jews or Christians, you shall then be rightly guided." O Muhammad, say: "By no means! We follow the faith of Ibrahim, the upright one; and he was not one of the mushrikin." |
| Yusuf Ali | : | They say: "Become Jews or Christians if ye would be guided (to salvation)." Say thou: "Nay! (I would rather) the religion of Abraham the true and he joined not gods with Allah." 134 |
Note - 110The expression hanif is derived from the verb hanafa,
which literally means "he inclined [towards a right state
or tendency]" (cf. Lane II, 658). Already in pre-Islamic
times, this term had a definitely monotheistic
connotation, and was used to describe a man who turned
away from sin and worldliness and from all dubious
beliefs, especially idol-worship; and tahannuf denoted
the ardent devotions, mainly consisting of long vigils
and prayers, of the unitarian God-seekers of pre-Islamic
times. Many instances of this use of the terms hanif and
tahannuf occur in the verses of pre-Islamic poets, e.g.,
Umayyah ibn Abi's-Salt and Jiran al-'Awd (cf. Lisan
al-'Arab, art. hanafa).
|
Note - 134Hanif: inclined to right opinion, orthodox (in the
literal meaning of the Greed words), firm in faith, sound
and well-balanced, true. Perhaps the last word, True,
sums up most of the other shades.
|
Share your thoughts about this with others by posting a comment. Visit our FAQ for some ideas.
Filter Comments 
 |
The expression hanif is derived from the verb hanafa, which literally means "he inclined [towards a right state or tendency]" (cf. Lane II, 658). Already in pre-Islamic times, this term had a definitely monotheistic connotation, and was used to describe a man who turned away from sin and worldliness and from all dubious beliefs, especially idol-worship; and tahannuf denoted the ardent devotions, mainly consisting of long vigils and prayers, of the unitarian God-seekers of pre-Islamic times. Many instances of this use of the terms hanif and tahannuf occur in the verses of pre-Islamic poets, e.g., Umayyah ibn Abi's-Salt and Jiran al-'Awd (cf. Lisan al-'Arab, art. hanafa). |
