Surah 4. An-Nisaa, Ayah 47
| يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ آمِنُوا بِمَا نَزَّلْنَا مُصَدِّقًا لِمَا مَعَكُمْ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ نَطْمِسَ وُجُوهًا فَنَرُدَّهَا عَلَىٰ أَدْبَارِهَا أَوْ نَلْعَنَهُمْ كَمَا لَعَنَّا أَصْحَابَ السَّبْتِ ۚ وَكَانَ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ مَفْعُولًا |
| Transliteration | : | yaa 'ayyuhaa 'alladhena 'oto al- kitaab 'aamino bi- maa nazzalnaa mus.addiq(an) li- maa maca -kum min qabli 'an nat.mis wujoh(an) fa- narudd -haa calaa adbaar -haa 'aw nalcan -hum ka-maa lacannaa as.h.aab as- sabt wa- kaana 'amr 'allaah mafcol(an) |
| Pickthall | : | O ye unto whom the Scripture hath been given! Believe in what We have revealed concerning that which ye possess, before We destroy countenances so as to confound them, or curse them as We cursed the Sabbath breakers (of old time). The commandment of Allah is always executed. |
| Asad | : | O you who have been granted revelation [aforetime]! Believe in what We have [now] bestowed from on high in confirmation of whatever [of the truth] you already possess, lest We efface your hopes and bring them to an end62 - just as We rejected those people who broke the Sabbath: for God's will is always done.63 |
| Malik | : | O people of the Book (Jews and Christians)! Believe in what We have now revealed (The Qur'an), confirming your own scriptures, before We obliterate your faces and turn them backward, or lay Our curse on you as We laid Our curse on the Sabbath-breakers: and remember that Allah's command is always executed. |
| Yusuf Ali | : | O ye people of the Book! believe in what We have (now) revealed confirming what was (already) with you before We change the face and fame of some (of you) beyond all recognition and turn them hindwards or curse them as We cursed the Sabbath-breakers: for the decision of Allah must be carried out. 567 568 |
Note - 62Lit., "lest We obliterate the faces" - i.e., that towards
which one turns, or that which one faces, with
expectation ('Abduh in Manar V, 144 ff.) - "and bring
them back to their ends". It is to be noted that the term
dubur (of which adbar is the plural) does not always
signify the "back" of a thing - as most of the
translators assume - but often stands for its "last part"
or "end" (cf. Lane III, 846).
|
Note - 63This is an allusion to the story of the Sabbath-breakers
(lit., "the people of the Sabbath") referred to in 2:65
and fully explained in {7:163-166}.
|
Note - 567Literally, "before We obliterate some features (or faces)
and turn them front to back (or back to front)": an
Arabic idiom, which must be translated freely to yield
its proper meaning in English. The face is the chief
expression of a man's own real essence; it is also the
index of his fame and estimation. The People of the Book
had been specially favoured by Allah with revelations. If
they proved themselves unworthy, they lost their "face".
Their eminence would, owing to their own conduct, be
turned into degradation. Others would take their place.
The first shall be last and the last shall be first:
Matt. xix. 30.
|
Note - 568Cf. ii. 65 and n. 79.
|
Share your thoughts about this with others by posting a comment. Visit our FAQ for some ideas.
Filter Comments 
 |
Lit., "lest We obliterate the faces" - i.e., that towards which one turns, or that which one faces, with expectation ('Abduh in Manar V, 144 ff.) - "and bring them back to their ends". It is to be noted that the term dubur (of which adbar is the plural) does not always signify the "back" of a thing - as most of the translators assume - but often stands for its "last part" or "end" (cf. Lane III, 846). |
| |
This is an allusion to the story of the Sabbath-breakers (lit., "the people of the Sabbath") referred to in 2:65 and fully explained in {7:163-166}. |
| |
Literally, "before We obliterate some features (or faces) and turn them front to back (or back to front)": an Arabic idiom, which must be translated freely to yield its proper meaning in English. The face is the chief expression of a man's own real essence; it is also the index of his fame and estimation. The People of the Book had been specially favoured by Allah with revelations. If they proved themselves unworthy, they lost their "face". Their eminence would, owing to their own conduct, be turned into degradation. Others would take their place. The first shall be last and the last shall be first: Matt. xix. 30. |
