Surah 43. Az-Zukhruf

and so We made them a thing of the past, and an example to those who would come after them.

  - Mohammad Asad

and made them a lesson and an example for the later generations.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And We made them a thing past, and an example for those after (them).

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

NOW WHENEVER [the nature of] the son of Mary is set forth as an example, [O Muhammad,] lo! thy people raise an outcry on this score,

  - Mohammad Asad

When Maryam's son Isa (Jesus) is quoted as an example, your people raise a clamor at it,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And when the son of Mary is quoted as an example, behold! the folk laugh out,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

and say, "Which is better - our deities or he?"⁴⁵ [But] it is only in the spirit of dispute that they put this comparison before thee: yea, they are contentious folk!⁴⁶

  - Mohammad Asad

Objecting to the Qur'anic condemnation of their idolatrous worship of angels - whom they describe here as "our deities" - the pagan Quraysh pointed to the parallel Christian worship of Jesus as "the son of God", and even as "God incarnate", and argued more or less thus: "The Qur'an states that Jesus was purely human - and yet the Christians, whom the same Qur'an describes as 'followers of earlier revelation' (ahl al-kitab), consider him divine. Hence, are we not rather justified in our worshipping angels, who are certainly superior to a mere human being?" The fallacy inherent in this "argument" is disposed of in the sequence.

Since the Qur'an condemns explicitly, and in many places, the deification of Jesus by the Christians, this unwarranted deification cannot be used as an argument in favour of the pagan worship of angels and, thus, against the Qur'an: in the words of Zamakhshari, such an argument amounts to "applying a false analogy to a false proposition" (qiyas basil bi-batil).

and say: "Are Our gods better or is he?" They cite this to you merely to provoke you. They are but a quarrelsome people.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And say: Are our gods better, or is he? They raise not the objection save for argument. Nay! but they are a contentious folk.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

[As for Jesus,] he was nothing but [a human being -] a servant [of Ours] whom We had graced [with prophethood], and whom We made an example for the children of Israel.

  - Mohammad Asad

He (Jesus) was no more than a mortal whom We favored and made an example to the children of Israel.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

He is nothing but a slave on whom We bestowed favor, and We made him a pattern for the Children of Israel.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And had We so willed, [O you who worship angels,] We could indeed have made you into angels succeeding one another on earth!⁴⁷

  - Mohammad Asad

Implying not only that Jesus was not a supernatural being, but that the angels, too, are mere created beings finite in their existence - as indicated by the phrase "succeeding one another" - and, therefore, utterly removed from the status of divinity (Baydawi).

Had it been Our will, We could create angels from you to succeed you in the earth.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And had We willed We could have set among you angels to be viceroys in the earth.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

AND, BEHOLD, this [divine writ] is indeed a means to know [that] the Last Hour [is bound to come];⁴⁸ hence, have no doubt whatever about it, but follow Me: this [alone] is a straight way.

  - Mohammad Asad

Whereas most of the commentators regard the pronoun hu in innahu as relating to Jesus and, consequently, interpret the above phrase as "he is indeed a means to know [i.e., an indication of the coming of] the Last Hour", some authorities - e.g., Qatadah, Al-Hasan al-Basri and Sa'id ibn Jubayr (all of them quoted by Tabari, Baghawi and Ibn Kathir) - relate the pronoun to the Qur'an, and understand the phrase in the sense adopted in my rendering. The specific mention of the Last Hour in the above context is meant to stress man's ultimate responsibility before the Creator and, therefore, the fact that worship is due to Him alone: and so this parenthetic passage follows logically upon the mention of the false deification of Jesus.

He (Jesus) is, in fact, a sign for the coming of the Hour of Doom. Therefore, have no doubt about its coming, follow me; this is the Right Way.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And lo! verily there is knowledge of the Hour. So doubt ye not concerning it, but follow Me. This is the right path.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And let not Satan bar you [from it] - for, verily, he is your open foe!

  - Mohammad Asad

Let not shaitan mislead you, for he is your open enemy.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And let not Satan turn you aside. Lo! he is an open enemy for you.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

NOW WHEN Jesus came [to his people] with all evidence of the truth, he said: "I have now come unto you with wisdom,⁴⁹ and to make clear unto you some of that on which you are at variance:⁵⁰ hence, be conscious of God, and pay heed unto me.

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., with divine revelation.

According to Tabari, the restrictive allusion to "some of that . . .", etc., bears on the realm of faith and morals alone, since it was not a part of Jesus' mission to deal with problems of his people's worldly life. This observation coincides with the image of Jesus forthcoming from the (admittedly fragmentary) description of his teachings available to us in the Synoptic Gospels.

When Isa (Jesus) came with clear signs, he stated: "I have brought you wisdom, and to clarify some of those things about which you have disputes: so fear Allah and obey me.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

When Jesus came with clear proofs (of Allah's sovereignty), he said: I have come unto you with wisdom, and to make plain some of that concerning which ye differ. So keep your duty to Allah, and obey me.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

"Verily, God is my Sustainer as well as your Sustainer; so worship [none but] Him: this [alone] is a straight way!"

  - Mohammad Asad

Surely it is Allah Who is my Rabb and your Rabb, so worship Him. This is the Right Way."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Lo! Allah, He is my Lord and your Lord. So worship Him. This is a right path.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

But factions from among those [who came after Jesus] began to hold divergent views:⁵¹ woe, then, unto those who are bent on evildoing - [woe] for the suffering [that will befall them] on a grievous Day!

  - Mohammad Asad

Sc., regarding the nature of Jesus and the inadmissibility of worshipping anyone but God: an allusion to subsequent developments in Christianity.

Inspite of these teachings, the factions disagreed among themselves; so woe to the wrongdoers from the punishment of a painful Day.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

But the factions among them differed. Then woe unto those who do wrong from the doom of a painful day.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

ARE THEY [who are lost in sin] but waiting for the Last Hour - [waiting] that it come upon them of a sudden, without their being aware [of its approach]?

  - Mohammad Asad

Are they waiting for the Hour of Doom that it should come on them all of a sudden, without warning?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Await they aught save the Hour, that it shall come upon them suddenly, when they know not?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

On that Day, [erstwhile] friends will be foes unto one another⁵² - [all] save the God-conscious.

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., they will hate one another - those who realize that they have been led astray by their erstwhile friends, and the latter, because they see that they will be held responsible for the sins of those whom they have led astray.

On that Day, even friends will become enemies to one another with the exception of the righteous people.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Friends on that day will be foes one to another, save those who kept their duty (to Allah).

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

[And God will say:] "O you servants of Mine! No fear need you have today, and neither shall you grieve -

  - Mohammad Asad

"O My devotees! Today you have nothing to fear or to regret,"

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

O My slaves! For you there is no fear this day, nor is it ye who grieve;

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

[O you] who have attained to faith in Our messages and have surrendered your own selves unto Us!

  - Mohammad Asad

will be said to those who believed in Our revelations and became Muslims,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

(Ye) who believed Our revelations and were self-surrendered,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Enter paradise, you and your spouses, with happiness blest!"

  - Mohammad Asad

"Enter paradise, you and your spouses; you will be made happy."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Enter the Garden, ye and your wives, to be made glad.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall