Surah 39. Az-Zumar, Ayah 18
| الَّذِينَ يَسْتَمِعُونَ الْقَوْلَ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ أَحْسَنَهُ ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ هَدَاهُمُ اللَّهُ ۖ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمْ أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ |
| Transliteration | : | 'alladhena yastamicon al- qawl fa- yattabicon ah.san -hu 'olaa'ika 'alladhena hadaa -hum 'allaah wa- 'olaa'ika hum 'olo al- albaab |
| Pickthall | : | Who hear advice and follow the best thereof. Such are those whom Allah guideth, and such are men of understanding. |
| Asad | : | who listen [closely] to all that is said, and follow the best of it:22 [for] it is they whom God has graced with His guidance, and it is they who are [truly] endowed with insight! |
| Malik | : | who listen to the Word and follow the best meaning of it. Such are the ones whom Allah has guided and such are the ones who are endowed with understanding. |
| Yusuf Ali | : | Those who listen to the Word and follow the best (meaning) in it: those are the ones whom Allah has guided and those are the ones endued with understanding. 4269 |
Note - 22According to Razi, this describes people who examine
every religious proposition (in the widest sense of this
term) in the light of their own reason, accepting that
which their mind finds to be valid or possible, and
rejecting all that does not measure up to the test of
reason. In Raz~'s words, the above verse expresses "a
praise and commendation of following the evidence
supplied by one's reason (hujjat al-'aql), and of
reaching one's conclusions in accordance with [the
results of] critical examination (nazar) and logical
inference (istidlal)." A somewhat similar view is
advanced, albeit in simpler terms, by Tabari.
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Note - 4269The Commentators construe this clause in two alternative
ways. (1) If "word" be taken as any word, the clause
would mean that good men listen to all that is said and
choose the best of it. (2) If "word" be taken to mean
Allah's Word, it would mean that they should listen
reverently to it, and where permissive and alternative
courses are allowed for those who are not strong enough
to follow the higher course, those "endued with
understanding" should prefer to attempt the higher course
of conduct. For example, it is permitted (within limits)
to punish those who wrong us, but the nobler course is to
repel evil with good (xxiii. 96): we should try to follow
the nobler course. I prefer the latter construction: it
accords better with my interpretation of the last verse:
see n. 4268.
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According to Razi, this describes people who examine every religious proposition (in the widest sense of this term) in the light of their own reason, accepting that which their mind finds to be valid or possible, and rejecting all that does not measure up to the test of reason. In Raz~'s words, the above verse expresses "a praise and commendation of following the evidence supplied by one's reason (hujjat al-'aql), and of reaching one's conclusions in accordance with [the results of] critical examination (nazar) and logical inference (istidlal)." A somewhat similar view is advanced, albeit in simpler terms, by Tabari. |
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The Commentators construe this clause in two alternative ways. (1) If "word" be taken as any word, the clause would mean that good men listen to all that is said and choose the best of it. (2) If "word" be taken to mean Allah's Word, it would mean that they should listen reverently to it, and where permissive and alternative courses are allowed for those who are not strong enough to follow the higher course, those "endued with understanding" should prefer to attempt the higher course of conduct. For example, it is permitted (within limits) to punish those who wrong us, but the nobler course is to repel evil with good (xxiii. 96): we should try to follow the nobler course. I prefer the latter construction: it accords better with my interpretation of the last verse: see n. 4268. |
