Surah 4. An-Nisaa'

it is they, they who are truly denying the truth: and for those who deny the truth We have readied shameful suffering.

  - Mohammad Asad

- these are the real unbelievers and We have prepared for such unbelievers a humiliating punishment.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Such are disbelievers in truth; and for disbelievers We prepare a shameful doom.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

But as for those who believe in God and His apostles and make no distinction between any of them¹⁶³ - unto them, in time, will He grant their rewards [in full]. And God is indeed much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., in point of their being God's message-bearers.

As for those who believe in Allah and His Rasools and do not discriminate between any of them, We shall soon give them their due rewards. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

But those who believe in Allah and His messengers and make no distinction between any of them, unto them Allah will give their wages; and Allah was ever Forgiving, Merciful.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

THE FOLLOWERS of the Old Testament¹⁶⁴ demand of thee [O Prophet] that thou cause a revelation to be sent down to them from heaven.¹⁶⁵ And an even greater thing than this did they demand of Moses when they said, "Make us see God face to face" - whereupon the thunderbolt of punishment overtook them for this their wickedness.¹⁶⁶ After that, they took to worshipping the [golden] calf - and this after all evidence of the truth had come unto them! Nonetheless, We effaced this [sin of theirs], and vouchsafed unto Moses a clear proof [of the truth],

  - Mohammad Asad

As is evident from the sequence, the term ahl al-kitab ("followers of [earlier] revelation") refers here specifically to the Jews, which justifies its rendering as "followers of the Old Testament".

Sc., "in proof of thy prophethood". Alternatively, the sentence may be understood thus: "They ask thee to bring down unto them an [actual] book from heaven." In view, however, of the oft-repeated Qur'anic statement that the Jews were convinced that they alone could be granted divine revelation, it seems to me that the rendering adopted by me is the more appropriate.

See 2:55 and the corresponding note [40].

The People of the Book ask you to bring down for them a book from Heaven. From Musa they demanded an even harder miracle than that. They asked him: "Make us see Allah with our own eyes." As a result of their wickedness, the thunderbolt overtook them. Then they took the calf for worship after receiving clear revelations. After all that, We still pardoned them and gave to Musa clear authority.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

The People of the Scripture ask of thee that thou shouldst cause an (actual) Book to descend upon them from heaven. They asked a greater thing of Moses aforetime, for they said: Show us Allah plainly. The storm of lightning seized them for their wickedness. Then (even after that) they chose the calf (for worship) after clear proofs (of Allah's Sovereignty) had come unto them. And We forgave them that! And We bestowed on Moses evident authority.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

raising Mount Sinai high above them in witness of their solemn pledge. And We said unto them, "Enter the gate humbly";¹⁶⁷ and We told them, "Do not break the Sabbath-law"; and We accepted from them a most solemn pledge.

  - Mohammad Asad

See {2:58-59} and the corresponding notes.

We lifted the mount of Tur over them and took the covenant from them that they will obey Our commandments. On another occasion We commanded them to enter the gates prostrating in humility. Yet on another occasion We commanded them not to transgress in the matter of the Sabbath and took a solemn commitment from them.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And We caused the Mount to tower above them at (the taking of) their covenant: and We bade them: Enter the gate, prostrate! and we bade them: Transgress not the Sabbath! and We took from them a firm covenant.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And so, [We punished them¹⁶⁸ ] for the breaking of their pledge, and their refusal to acknowledge God's messages, and their slaying of prophets against all right, and their boast, "Our hearts are already full of knowledge" - nay, but God has sealed their hearts in result of their denial of the truth, and [now] they believe in but few things - ;¹⁶⁹

  - Mohammad Asad

The statement relating to their punishment - clearly implied here - is made explicit in verse {160}.

See 2:88 and the corresponding notes.

After all this, they still broke their covenant, rejected the Revelation of Allah, killed the Prophets unjustly. Yet they say: "Our hearts are in secure wrappings which have preserved Allah's Word; we need no more." Nay! It is Allah who has sealed their hearts on account of their disbelief. They have no faith except a little.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Then because of their breaking of their covenant, and their disbelieving in the revelations of Allah, and their slaying of the Prophets wrongfully, and their saying: Our hearts are hardened Nay, but Allah hath set a seal upon them for their disbelief, so that they believe not save a few

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

and for their refusal to acknowledge the truth, and the awesome calumny which they utter against Mary,¹⁷⁰

  - Mohammad Asad

The calumny referred to is the popular Jewish assertion that Jesus was an illegitimate child.

They went in their unbelief to such an extent that they uttered terrible slander against Maryam (Mary).

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And because of their disbelief and of their speaking against Mary a tremendous calumny;

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

and their boast, "Behold, we have slain the Christ Jesus, son of Mary, [who claimed to be] an apostle of God!" However, they did not slay him, and neither did they crucify him, but it only seemed to them [as if it had been] so;¹⁷¹ and, verily, those who hold conflicting views thereon are indeed confused, having no [real] knowledge thereof, and following mere conjecture. For, of a certainty, they did not slay him:

  - Mohammad Asad

Thus, the Qur'an categorically denies the story of the crucifixion of Jesus. There exist, among Muslims, many fanciful legends telling us that at the last moment God substituted for Jesus a person closely resembling him (according to some accounts, that person was Judas), who was subsequently crucified in his place. However, none of these legends finds the slightest support in the Qur'an or in authentic Traditions, and the stories produced in this connection by the classical commentators must be summarily rejected. They represent no more than confused attempts at "harmonizing" the Qur'anic statement that Jesus was not crucified with the graphic description, in the Gospels, of his crucifixion. The story of the crucifixion as such has been succinctly explained in the Qur'anic phrase wa-lakin shubbiha lahum, which I render as "but it only appeared to them as if it had been so" - implying that in the course of time, long after the time of Jesus, a legend had somehow grown up (possibly under the then-powerful influence of Mithraistic beliefs) to the effect that he had died on the cross in order to atone for the "original sin" with which mankind is allegedly burdened; and this legend became so firmly established among the latter-day followers of Jesus that even his enemies, the Jews, began to believe it - albeit in a derogatory sense (for crucifixion was, in those times, a heinous form of death-penalty reserved for the lowest of criminals). This, to my mind, is the only satisfactory explanation of the phrase wa-lakin shubbiha lahum, the more so as the expression shubbiha li is idiomatically synonymous with khuyyila li, "[a thing] became a fancied image to me", i.e., "in my mind" - in other words, "[it] seemed to me" (see Qamus, art. khayala, as well as Lane II, 833, and IV, 1500).

They even say: "We have killed the Messiah, Isa (Jesus), son of Maryam, the Rasool of Allah." Whereas in fact, neither did they kill him nor did they crucify him but they thought they did because the matter was made dubious for them. Those who differ therein are only in doubt. They have no real knowledge, they follow nothing but merely a conjecture, certainly they did not kill him (Jesus).

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And because of their saying: We slew the Messiah Jesus son of Mary, Allah's messenger They slew him not nor crucified, but it appeared so unto them; and lo! those who disagree concerning it are in doubt thereof; they have no knowledge thereof save pursuit of a conjecture ; they slew him not for certain,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

nay, God exalted him unto Himself¹⁷² - and God is indeed almighty, wise.

  - Mohammad Asad

Cf. 3:55 , where God says to Jesus, "Verily, I shall cause thee to die, and shall exalt thee unto Me." The verb rafa'ahu (lit., "he raised him" or "elevated him") has always, whenever the act of raf' ("elevating") of a human being is attributed to God, the meaning of "honouring" or "exalting". Nowhere in the Qur'an is there any warrant for the popular belief that God has "taken up" Jesus bodily, in his lifetime, into heaven. The expression "God exalted him unto Himself" in the above verse denotes the elevation of Jesus to the realm of God's special grace - a blessing in which all prophets partake, as is evident from 19:57 , where the verb rafa'nahu ("We exalted him") is used with regard to the Prophet Idris. (See also Muhammad 'Abduh in Manar III, 316 f., and VI, 20f.) The "nay" (bal) at the beginning of the sentence is meant to stress the contrast between the belief of the Jews that they had put Jesus to a shameful death on the cross and the fact of God's having "exalted him unto Himself".

Nay! The fact is that Allah took him up to Himself. Allah is Mighty, Wise.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

But Allah took him up unto Himself. Allah was ever Mighty, wise.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Yet there is not one of the followers of earlier revelation who does not, at the moment of his death, grasp the truth about Jesus;¹⁷³ and on the Day of Resurrection he [himself] shall bear witness to the truth against them.

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "who does not believe in him before his death". According to this verse, all believing Jews and Christians realize at the moment of their death that Jesus was truly a prophet of God - having been neither an impostor nor "the son of God" (Zamakhshari).

There is none of the People of the Book but will believe in this fact before his death; and on the Day of Resurrection Jesus will bear witness against them.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

There is not one of the People of the Scripture but will believe in him before his death, and on the Day of Resurrection he will be a witness against them

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

So, then, for the wickedness committed by those who followed the Jewish faith did We deny unto them certain of the good things of life which [aforetime] had been allowed to them;¹⁷⁴ and [We did this] for their having so often turned away from the path of God,¹⁷⁵

  - Mohammad Asad

Most of the commentators assume that this refers to the severe dietary restrictions imposed on the Jews, which are alluded to in 3:93 and 6:146 . Since, however, 3:93 clearly states that these restrictions and prohibitions were a punishment for evil deeds committed "before the Torah was bestowed from on high", while the verse which we are now discussing relates to their sinful behaviour in later times, we must conclude that the punishment spoken of here has another meaning: namely, the age-long deprivation of the Jewish people of the many "good things of life" which other nations enjoy - in other words, the humiliation and suffering which they have had to undergo throughout most of their recorded history, and particularly after the time of Jesus. It is on the basis of this interpretation that I have rendered the expression harramna 'alayhim (lit., "We forbade them") as "We denied to them".

The verb sadda ("he turned away") can be transitive as well as intransitive, and the same applies to the noun sadd derived from it. In the former case, the sentence would read, "for their having turned away many [others] from the path of God"; in the latter case, "for their having [so] often turned away from the path of God". In view of the repeated stress, in the Qur'an, on the refractory nature of the children of Israel - and the abundant evidence to this effect in the Old Testament - I prefer the intransitive rendering.

Because of the iniquity of those who call themselves Jews, their hindering of many people from the way of Allah ,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Because of the wrongdoing of the Jews We forbade them good things which were (before) made lawful unto them, and because of their much hindering from Allah's way,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

and [for] their taking usury although it had been forbidden to them, and their wrongful devouring of other people's possessions. And for those from among them who [continue to] deny the truth We have readied grievous suffering.

  - Mohammad Asad

taking of usury in spite of its prohibition, and cheating others of their properties - We made many wholesome things unlawful which were formerly lawful for them. We have prepared a painful punishment for those among them who reject faith.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And of their taking usury when they were forbidden it, and of their devouring people's wealth by false pretences. We have prepared for those of them who disbelieve a painful doom.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

But as for those from among them who are deeply rooted in knowledge,¹⁷⁶ and the believers who believe in that which has been bestowed upon thee from on high as well as that which was bestowed from on high before thee, and those who are [especially] constant in prayer,¹⁷⁷ and spend in charity, and all who believe in God and the Last Day - these it is unto whom We shall grant a mighty reward.

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., those from among the Jews who do not content themselves with a mere observance of rituals, but try to penetrate to the deepest meaning of faith.

According to the grammarians of the Basrah school, and especially Sibawayh, the use of the accusative (mansub) case in the expression al-muqimin as-salah ("those who are constant in prayer") - instead of the nominative al-muqimun - is a legitimate grammatical device meant to stress the special, praiseworthy quality attaching to prayer and to those who are devoted to it (see Zamakhshari and Razi); hence my interpolation of "especially" between brackets.

However, those among them who are well-grounded in knowledge and those who truly believe in what has been revealed to you, O Muhammad, and other Prophets before you, establishes Salah, pays Zakah, and believes in Allah and the Last Day, will soon be given a mighty reward.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

But those of them who are firm in knowledge and the believers believe in that which is revealed unto thee, and that which was revealed before thee, especially the diligent in prayer and those who pay the poor due, the believers in Allah and the Last Day. Upon these We shall bestow immense reward.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

BEHOLD, We have inspired thee [O Prophet] just as We inspired Noah and all the prophets after him - as We inspired Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and their descendants, including Jesus and Job, and Jonah, and Aaron, and Solomon; and as We vouchsafed unto David a book of divine wisdom;¹⁷⁸

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., the Psalms (see surah {21} note [1O1]).

O Muhammad, We have sent revelations to you just as We sent to Nuh (Noah) and the Prophets who came after him; We also sent revelations to Ibrahim (Abraham), Isma`il (Ishmael), Ishaq (Isaac), Ya'qoob (Jacob), his descendants, Isa (Jesus), Ayub (Job), Yunus (Jonah), Haroon (Aaron) and Sulaiman (Solomon), and to Dawood (David) We gave the Psalms.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Lo! We inspire thee as We inspired Noah and the prophets after him, as We inspired Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes, and Jesus and Job and Jonah and Aaron and Solomon, and as we imparted unto David the Psalms;

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

and as [We inspired other] apostles whom We have mentioned to thee ere this,¹⁷⁹ as well as apostles whom We have not mentioned to thee; and as God spoke His word unto Moses:

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., before the revelation of this surah.

Revelations were also sent to those Rasools whom We have already mentioned to you and to those whose name We have not mentioned; to Musa Allah spoke directly.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And messengers We have mentioned unto thee before and messengers We have not mentioned unto thee; and Allah spake directly unto Moses;

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

[We sent all these] apostles as heralds of glad tidings and as warners, so that men might have no excuse before God after [the coming of] these apostles: and God is indeed almighty, wise.

  - Mohammad Asad

All these Rasools conveyed good news to mankind and admonished them so that, after conveying the message through the Rasools, people should have no excuse to plead against Allah. Allah is Mighty, Wise.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Messengers of good cheer and off warning, in order that mankind might have no argument against Allah after the messengers. Allah was ever Mighty, Wise.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

However it be, God [Himself] bears witness to the truth of what He has bestowed from on high upon thee: out of His own wisdom has He bestowed it from on high, with the angels bearing witness thereto - although none can bear witness as God does.

  - Mohammad Asad

People may or may not believe it, but Allah bears witness that what He has sent to you, O Muhammad, He has sent with His own Knowledge and so do the angels; though only Allah's testimony is sufficient.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

But Allah (Himself) testifieth concerning that which He hath revealed unto thee; in His knowledge hath He revealed it; and the Angels also testify. And Allah is sufficient witness.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Behold, those who are bent on denying the truth and on turning others away from the path of God have indeed gone far astray.

  - Mohammad Asad

Those who reject faith and hinder others from the Way of Allah, have indeed strayed far away from the Path.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Lo! those who disbelieve and hinder (others) from the way of Allah, they verily have wandered far astray.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Behold, those who are bent on denying the truth and on evildoing - God will indeed not forgive them, nor will He guide them onto any road

  - Mohammad Asad

Surely Allah will neither forgive those who reject faith and act unjustly; nor guide them to any way

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Lo! those who disbelieve and deal in wrong, Allah will never forgive them, neither will He guide them unto a road,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

but the road that leads to hell, therein to abide beyond the count of time: and this is indeed easy for God.

  - Mohammad Asad

other than the path of hell, wherein they will live forever and this is easy for Allah.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Except the road of hell, wherein they will abide for ever. And that is ever easy for Allah.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

O mankind! The Apostle has now come unto you with the truth from your Sustainer: believe, then, for your own good! And if you deny the truth - behold, unto God belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth, and God is indeed all-knowing, wise!

  - Mohammad Asad

O mankind! The Rasool has brought you the Truth from your Rabb, so believe in it, it is for your own benefit. If you disbelieve, then you should know that to Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and in the earth. Allah is the Knowledgeable, Wise.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

O mankind! The messenger hath come unto you with the truth from your Lord. Therefore believe; (it is) better for you. But if ye disbelieve, still, lo! unto Allah belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth. Allah is ever Knower, Wise.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall