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Surah 17. Al-Israa, Ayah 39

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ذَٰلِكَ مِمَّآ أَوْحَىٰٓ إِلَيْكَ رَبُّكَ مِنَ ٱلْحِكْمَةِ ۗ وَلَا تَجْعَلْ مَعَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَـٰهًا ءَاخَرَ فَتُلْقَىٰ فِى جَهَنَّمَ مَلُومًا مَّدْحُورًا
Tha lika mimm a aw ha ilayka rabbuka mina al h ikmati wal a tajAAal maAAa All a hi il a han a khara fatulq a fee jahannama malooman mad h oor a n
this is part of that knowledge of right and wrong with which thy Sustainer has inspired thee.47 Hence, do not set up any other deity side by side with God,48 lest thou be cast into hell, blamed [by thyself] and rejected [by Him]!
  - Mohammad Asad

Or: "which thy Sustainer has revealed to thee". It is to be noted that the noun hikmah, usually signifying "wisdom", is derived from the verb hakama ("he prevented" or "restrained [him or it]", i.e., from acting in an undesirable manner). Hence, the primary meaning of hikmah is "that which prevents one from evil or ignorant behaviour" (cf. Lane II, 617); in its positive sense, it signifies "[conscious] insight into that which is most excellent" (Lisan al-'Arab, Taj al-'Arus). Inasmuch as this term refers here, in particular, to what is "odious in God's sight", it implies moral discrimination (or "the knowledge of right and wrong") on the part of men; and this, in its turn, presupposes the existence of an absolute, God-willed standard of moral values.

Since there is no basis for an acceptance of absolute moral values - i.e., values that are independent of time and social circumstances - without a belief in God and His ultimate judgment, the passage ends, as it began, with a call to a cognition of God's oneness and uniqueness.

This is but a part of the wisdom which your Rabb has revealed to you. Do not associate other deities as object of worship, lest you should be cast into hell, blameworthy rejected.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
This is part of the wisdom which your Lord has revealed to you 'O Prophet'. And do not set up any other god with Allah 'O humanity', or you will be cast into Hell, blameworthy, rejected.
  - Mustafa Khattab
This is (part) of that wisdom wherewith thy Lord hath inspired thee (O Muhammad). And set not up with Allah any other god, lest thou be cast into hell, reproved, abandoned.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
These are among the (precepts of) wisdom which thy Lord Has revealed to thee. Take not with Allah another object of worship lest thou shouldst be thrown into Hell blameworthy and rejected. 2224 2225
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The moral law, as expounded in xvii. 23-39 is far in advance of the bare Decalogue in that it searches out motives, and draws pointed attention to the weak and helpless if we are to reach any real understanding of Allah. It begins with a mention of the worship of Allah, the One True God and ends with a similar mention to close the argument, thus emphasizing the fact that the love of Allah embraces the love of man and practical help of our fellow-creatures.

"Blameworthy" carries us back by reminiscence to xvii. 29, between which and this verse there is mention of crimes committed out of covetousness and a selfish disregard of other people's rights. "Rejected" carries back our reminiscence to xvii. 18, from which to here we have a reference to crimes that lead to deprivation of Allah's grace. The latter is of course wider than the former. Note how subtly the two streams of thought are here conjoined.

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