Surah 37. As-Saffat

for he was truly one of our believing servants.

  - Mohammad Asad

Surely he was one of Our believing devotees.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

He was truly one of Our faithful servants.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Lo! he is one of Our believing slaves.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

For he was one of Our believing Servants.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And [in time] We gave him the glad tiding of Isaac, [who, too, would be] a prophet, one of the righteous;

  - Mohammad Asad

We gave him the good news of Ishaq - a prophet - one of the righteous.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

We 'later' gave him good news of Isaac- a prophet, and one of the righteous.¹

  - Mustafa Khattab

 The birth of Isaac is announced after the story of sacrifice. So this is a proof that the son who was going to be sacrificed was Ishmael, not Isaac. This is also supported by 11:71, where Sarah is told that she would give birth to Isaac, who would (reach adulthood and) have a son by the name of Jacob.

And We gave him tidings of the birth of Isaac, a Prophet of the righteous.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And We gave him the good news of Isaac a prophet one of the Righteous. ⁴¹⁰⁵

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Isaac was Abraham's second son, born of Sarah, when Abraham was 100 years of age. See n. 4101. He was also blessed and became the ancestor of the Jewish people. See next note.

and We blessed him and Isaac: but among the offspring of these two there were [des-tined] to be both doers of good and such as would glaringly sin against themselves.⁴⁵

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., commit evil. With this prediction the Qur'an refutes, as in so many other places, the spurious contention of the Jews that they are "the chosen people" by virtue of their descent from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and therefore a priori "assured", as it were, of God's acceptance. In other words, God's blessing a prophet or a saint does not, by itself, imply the conferment of any special status on his descendants.

We blessed him and Ishaq both. Among their progeny there are some who are righteous and some who are clearly wrong doing to their own souls.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

We blessed him¹ and Isaac as well. Some of their descendants did good, while others clearly wronged themselves.

  - Mustafa Khattab

 Abraham or Ishmael.

And We blessed him and Isaac. And of their seed are some who do good, and some who plainly wrong themselves.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

We blessed him and Isaac: but of their progeny are (some) that do right and (some) that obviously do wrong to their own souls. ⁴¹⁰⁶

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

So long as the Children of Israel upheld the righteous banner of Allah, they enjoyed Allah's blessing, and their history is a portion of sacred history. When they fell from grace, they did not stop Allah's Plan: they injured their own souls.

THUS, INDEED, did We bestow Our favour upon Moses and Aaron;⁴⁶

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., in consideration of their own merit, and not because of their descent from Abraham and Isaac (see preceding verse and note).

We bestowed Our favor on Musa and Haroon.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And We certainly showed favour to Moses and Aaron,

  - Mustafa Khattab

And We verily gave grace unto Moses and Aaron,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Again (of old) We bestowed Our favor on Moses and Aaron. ⁴¹⁰⁷

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The story of Moses is told in numerous passages of the Qur-an. The passages most illustrative of the present passage will be found in xxviii. 4 (oppression of the Israelites in Egypt) and xx. 77-79 (the Israelites triumphant over their enemies when the latter were drowned in the Red Sea).

and We saved them and their people from the awesome calamity [of bondage],

  - Mohammad Asad

We delivered them with all their people from the mighty distress.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

and delivered them and their people from the great distress.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And saved them and their people from the great distress,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And We delivered them and their people from (their) Great Calamity; ⁴¹⁰⁸

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

What could have been a greater calamity to them than that they should have been held in slavery by the Egyptians, that their male children should have been killed and their female children should have been saved alive for the Egyptians?

and succoured them, so that [in the end] it was they who achieved victory.

  - Mohammad Asad

We helped them so they became victorious.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

We helped them so it was they who prevailed.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And helped them so that they became the victors.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And We helped them so they overcame (their troubles); ⁴¹⁰⁹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The Israelites were delivered by three steps mentioned in verses 114, 115, and 116 respectively; but the consummation of Allah's favour on them was (verses 117-118) the Revelation given to them, which guided them on the Straight Way, so long as they preserved the Revelation intact and followed its precepts. The three steps were: (1) the divine commission to Moses and Aaron: (2) the deliverance from bondage; and (3) the triumphant crossing of the Red Sea and the destruction of Pharaoh's army.

And We gave them the divine writ that made [right and wrong] distinct,⁴⁷

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., "the Torah, wherein there was guidance and light ... unto those who followed the Jewish faith" ( 5:44 ).

We gave them the Glorious Book (Torah),

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

We gave them the clear Scripture,

  - Mustafa Khattab

And We gave them the clear Scripture

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And We gave them the Book which helps to make things clear; ⁴¹¹⁰

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Mustabin has a slightly different force from Mubin. I have translated the former by "which helps to make things clear", and the latter by "which makes things clear",-apt descriptions as applied to the Taurat and the Qur-an.

and guided them the straight way,

  - Mohammad Asad

and guided them both to the Right Way.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

and guided them to the Straight Path.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And showed them the right path.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And We guided them to the Straight Way.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

and left them thus to be remem-bered among later generations:

  - Mohammad Asad

We left their good names among the later generations.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And We blessed them 'with honourable mention' among later generations:

  - Mustafa Khattab

And We left for them, among the later folk (the salutation):

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And We left (this blessing) for them among generations (to come) in later times: ⁴¹¹¹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

See above, xxxvii. 78-81 and n. 4083.

"Peace be upon Moses and Aaron!"

  - Mohammad Asad

Salutation to Musa and Haroon.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

'Peace be upon Moses and Aaron.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

Peace be unto Moses and Aaron!

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

"Peace and salutation to Moses and Aaron!"

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Thus do We reward the doers of good-

  - Mohammad Asad

Thus do We reward the righteous.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Indeed, this is how We reward the good-doers.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Lo! thus do We reward the good.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Thus indeed do We reward those who do right.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

for those two were truly among Our believing ser-vants.

  - Mohammad Asad

Surely they were two of Our believing devotees.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

They were truly 'two' of Our faithful servants.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Lo! they are two of our believing slaves.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

For they were two of Our believing Servants.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

AND, BEHOLD, Elijah [too] was indeed one of Our message-bearers⁴⁸

  - Mohammad Asad

The Hebrew prophet Elijah (Ilyas in Arabic) is mentioned in the Bible (I Kings xvii ff. and II Kings i-ii) as having lived in the Northern Kingdom of Israel during the reigns of Ahab and Ahaziah - i.e., in the ninth century B.C. - and having been succeeded by Elisha (Al-Yasa' in Arabic). The above stress on his, too, having been "one of the message-bearers" (min al-mursalin) recalls the Qur'anic principle that God makes "no distinction between any of His apostles" (cf. 2:136 and {285}, 3:84 , 4:152 , and the corresponding notes).

Ilyas (Elias) was surely one of Our Rasools.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And Elias was indeed one of the messengers.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And lo! Elias was of those sent (to warn)

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

So also was Elias among those sent (by us). ⁴¹¹²

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

See n. 905 to vi. 85. Elias is the same as Elijah, whose story will be found in the Old Testament in I Kings xvii-xix. and 2 Kings i-ii. Elijah lived in the reign of Ahab (B.C. 896-874) and Ahaziah (B.C. 874-872), kings of the (northern) kingdom of Israel or Samaria. He was a prophet of the desert, like John the Baptist,-unlike our holy Prophet, who took part in, controlled, and guided all the affairs of his people. Both Ahab and Azariah were prone to lapse into the worship of Baal, the sun-god worshipped in Syria. That worship also included the worship of nature-powers and procreative powers, as in the Hindu worship of the Lingam, and led to many abuses. King Ahab had married a princess of Sidon, Jezebel, a wicked woman who led her husband to forsake Allah and adopt Baal-worship. Elijah denounced all Ahab's sins as well as the sins of Ahaziah and had to flee for his life. Eventually, according to the Old Testament (2 Kings, ii-11) he was taken up in a whirlwind to heaven in a chariot of fire after he had left his mantle with Elisha the prophet.

when he spoke [thus] to his people: "Will you not remain conscious of God?

  - Mohammad Asad

Behold he said to his people: "Have you no fear of Allah?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

'Remember' when he said to his people, 'Will you not fear 'Allah'?

  - Mustafa Khattab

When he said unto his folk: Will ye not ward off (evil)?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Behold he said to his people "Will ye not fear (Allah)?

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Will you invoke Baal and forsake [God,] the best of artisans⁴⁹ -

  - Mohammad Asad

As regards this rendering of ahsan al-khaliqin, see surah {23}, note [6]. - The term ba'l (conventionally spelt Baal in European languages) signified "lord" or "master" in all branches of ancient Arabic, including Hebrew and Phoenician; it was an honorific applied to every one of the many "male" deities worshipped by the ancient Semites, especially in Syria and Palestine. In the Old Testament this designation has sometimes the generic connotation of "idol-worship" - a sin into which, according to the Bible, the early Israelites often relapsed.

Would you invoke Bal (their invented god) and forsake the best of the Creators

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Do you call upon 'the idol of' Ba'l and abandon the Best of Creators-

  - Mustafa Khattab

Will ye cry unto Baal and forsake the best of Creators,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

"Will ye call upon Baal and forsake the Best of Creators ⁴¹¹³

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

For Baal-worship see last note.