Surah 3. Aal-Imran

Alif. Lam. Mim.¹

  - Mohammad Asad

See Appendix II.

Alif Lam M'im

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Alif. Lam. Mim.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

GOD - there is no deity save Him, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsistent Fount of All Being!

  - Mohammad Asad

Allah! There is no god but Him; the Living, the Eternal.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Allah! There is no God save Him, the Alive, the Eternal.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Step by step has He bestowed upon thee from on high this divine writ,² setting forth the truth which confirms whatever there still remains [of earlier revelations]:³ for it is He who has bestowed from on high the Torah and the Gospel

  - Mohammad Asad

The gradualness of the Qur'anic revelation is stressed here by means of the grammatical form nazzala.

Most of the commentators are of the opinion that ma bayna yadayhi - lit., "that which is between its hands" - denotes here "the revelations which came before it", i.e., before the Qur'an. This interpretation is not, however, entirely convincing. Although there is not the least doubt that in this context the pronominal ma refers to earlier revelations, and particularly the Bible (as is evident from the parallel use of the above expression in other Qur'anic passages), the idiomatic phrase ma bayna yadayhi does not, in itself, mean "that which came before it" - i.e., in time - but, rather (as pointed out by me in surah {2}, note [247]), "that which lies open before it". Since, however, the pronoun "it" relates here to the Qur'an, the metaphorical expression "between its hands" or "before it" cannot possibly refer to "knowledge" (as it does in 2:255 ), but must obviously refer to an objective reality with which the Qur'an is "confronted": that is, something that was coexistent in time with the revelation of the Qur'an. Now this, taken together (a) with the fact - frequently stressed in the Qur'an and since established by objective scholarship - that in the course of the millennia the Bible has been subjected to considerable and often arbitrary alteration, and (b) with the fact that many of the laws enunciated in the Qur'an differ from the laws of the Bible, brings us forcibly to the conclusion that the "confirmation" of the latter by the Qur'an can refer only to the basic truths still discernible in the Bible, and not to its time-bound legislation or to its present text - in other words, a confirmation of whatever was extant of its basic teachings at the time of the revelation of the Qur'an: and it is this that the phrase ma bayna yadayhi expresses in this context as well as in 5:46 and {48} or in 61:6 (where it refers to Jesus' confirming the truth of "whatever there still remained [i.e., in his lifetime] of the Torah").

He has revealed to you this Book with the Truth, confirming the scripture which preceded it, as He revealed the Taurat (Torah) and Injeel (Gospel),

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

He hath revealed unto thee (Muhammad) the Scripture with truth, confirming that which was (revealed) before it, even as He revealed the Torah and the Gospel

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

aforetime, as a guidance unto mankind, and it is He who has bestowed [upon man] the standard by which to discern the true from the false.⁴ Behold, as for those who are bent on denying God's messages - grievous suffering awaits them: for God is almighty, an avenger of evil.

  - Mohammad Asad

It is to be borne in mind that the Gospel frequently mentioned in the Qur'an is not identical with what is known today as the Four Gospels, but refers to an original, since lost, revelation bestowed upon Jesus and known to his contemporaries under its Greek name of Evangelion ("Good Tiding"), on which the Arabicized form Injil is based. It was probably the source from which the Synoptic Gospels derived much of their material and some of the teachings attributed to Jesus. The fact of its having been lost and forgotten is alluded to in the Qur'an in 5:14 . Regarding my rendering of al-furqan as "the standard by which to discern the true from the false", see also note [38] on the identical phrase occurring in 2:53 .

before this, as a guidance for mankind and also revealed this Al-Furqan (criterion for judgment between right and wrong). Surely those who reject Allah's revelations will be sternly punished; Allah is Mighty, capable of retribution.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Aforetime, for a guidance to mankind; and hath revealed the Criterion (of right and wrong). Lo! those who disbelieve the revelations of Allah, theirs will be a heavy doom. Allah is Mighty, Able to Requite (the wrong).

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Verily, nothing on earth or in the heavens is hidden from God.

  - Mohammad Asad

For sure nothing in the Earth or in the Heavens is hidden from Allah.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Lo! nothing in the earth or in the heavens is hidden from Allah.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

He it is who shapes you in the wombs as He wills. There is no deity save Him, the Almighty, the Truly Wise.

  - Mohammad Asad

It is He Who shapes your bodies in the wombs of your mothers as He pleases. There is no god but Him; the Mighty, the Wise.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

He it is who fashioneth you in the wombs as pleaseth Him. There is no God save Him, the Almighty, the Wise.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

He it is who has bestowed upon thee from on high this divine writ, containing messages that are clear in and by themselves - and these are the essence of the divine writ- as well as others that are allegorical.⁵ Now those whose hearts are given to swerving from the truth go after that part of the divine writ⁶ which has been expressed in allegory, seeking out [what is bound to create] confusion,⁷ and seeking [to arrive at] its final meaning [in an arbitrary manner]; but none save God knows its final meaning.⁸ Hence, those who are deeply rooted in knowledge say: "We believe in it; the whole [of the divine writ] is from our Sustainer - albeit none takes this to heart save those who are endowed with insight.

  - Mohammad Asad

The above passage may be regarded as a key to the understanding of the Qur'an. Tabari identifies the ayat muhkamat ("messages that are clear in and by themselves") with what the philologists and jurists describe as nass - namely, ordinances or statements which are self-evident (zahir) by virtue of their wording (cf. Lisan al-'Arab, art. nass). Consequently, Tabari regards as ayat muhkamat only those statements or ordinances of the Qur'an which do not admit of more than one interpretation (which does not, of course, preclude differences of opinion regarding the implications of a particular ayah muhkamah). In my opinion, however, it would be too dogmatic to regard any passage of the Qur'an which does not conform to the above definition as mutashabih ("allegorical"): for there are many statements in the Qur'an which are liable to more than one interpretation but are, nevertheless, not allegorical - just as there are many expressions and passages which, despite their allegorical formulation, reveal to the searching intellect only one possible meaning. For this reason, the ayat mutashabihat may be defined as those passages of the Qur'an which are expressed in a figurative manner, with a meaning that is metaphorically implied but not directly, in so many words, stated. The ayat muhkamat are described as the "essence of the divine writ" (umm al-kitab) because they comprise the fundamental principles underlying its message and, in particular, its ethical and social teachings: and it is only on the basis of these clearly enunciated principles that the allegorical passages can be correctly interpreted. (For a more detailed discussion of symbolism and allegory in the Qur'an, see Appendix I.)

Lit., "that of it".

The "confusion" referred to here is a consequence of interpreting allegorical passages in an "arbitrary manner" (Zamakhshari).

According to most of the early commentators, this refers to the interpretation of allegorical passages which deal with metaphysical subjects - for instance, God's attributes, the ultimate meaning of time and eternity, the resurrection of the dead, the Day of Judgment, paradise and hell, the nature of the beings or forces described as angels, and so forth - all of which fall within the category of al-ghayb, i.e., that sector of reality which is beyond the reach of human perception and imagination and cannot, therefore, be conveyed to man in other than allegorical terms. This view of the classical commentators, however, does not seem to take into account the many Qur'anic passages which do not deal with metaphysical subjects and yet are, undoubtedly, allegorical in intent and expression. To my mind, one cannot arrive at a correct understanding of the above passage without paying due attention to the nature and function of allegory as such. A true allegory - in contrast with a mere pictorial paraphrase of something that could equally well be stated in direct terms - is always meant to express in a figurative manner something which, because of its complexity, cannot be adequately expressed in direct terms or propositions and, because of this very complexity, can be grasped only intuitively, as a general mental image, and not as a series of detailed "statements": and this seems to be the meaning of the phrase, "none save God knows its final meaning".

He is the One Who has revealed to you the Book. Some of its verses are decisive - they are the foundation of the Book - while others are allegorical. Those whose hearts are infected with disbelief follow the allegorical part to mislead others and to give it their own interpretation, seeking for its hidden meanings, but no one knows its hidden meanings except Allah. Those who are well grounded in knowledge say: "We believe in it; it is all from our Rabb." None will take heed except the people of understanding.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

He it is Who hath revealed unto thee (Muhammad) the Scripture wherein are clear revelations--They are the substance of the Book--and others (which are) allegorical. But those in whose hearts is doubt pursue, forsooth, that which is allegorical seeking (to cause) dissension by seeking to explain it. None knoweth its explanation save Allah. And those who are of sound instruction say: We believe therein; the whole is from our Lord; but only men of understanding really heed.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

"O our Sustainer! Let not our hearts swerve from the truth after Thou hast guided us; and bestow upon us the gift of Thy grace: verily, Thou art the [true] Giver of Gifts.

  - Mohammad Asad

They say: "Our Rabb, Do not cause our hearts to deviate now after you have guided us. Grant us Your own mercy; You are the Grantor of bounties without measure.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Our Lord! Cause not our hearts to stray after Thou hast guided us, and bestow upon us mercy from Thy Presence. Lo! Thou, only Thou art the Bestower.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

"O our Sustainer! Verily, Thou wilt gather mankind together to witness the Day about [the coming of] which there is no doubt": verily, God never fails to fulfil His promise.

  - Mohammad Asad

Our Rabb, You will surely gather all mankind before You on the Day about which there is no doubt; surly Allah does not break His promise."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Our Lord! it is Thou Who gatherest mankind together to a Day of which there is no doubt. Lo! Allah faileth not to keep the tryst.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

BEHOLD, as for those who are bent on denying the truth - neither their worldly possessions nor their offspring will in the least avail them against God; and it is they, they who shall be the fuel of the fire!

  - Mohammad Asad

Surely neither their wealth nor their children will save the unbelievers from the wrath of Allah: they are the ones who will become the fuel for Hell fire.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

(On that day) neither the riches not the progeny of those who disbelieve will aught avail them with Allah. They will be fuel for fire.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall