Surah 7. Al-A'raf

Verily, my protector is God, who has bestowed this divine writ from on high: for it is He who protects the righteous,

  - Mohammad Asad

My protector is Allah Who has revealed this Book and He is the protecting friend of the righteous.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Lo! my Protecting Friend is Allah who revealeth the Scripture. He befriendeth the righteous.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

whereas all those whom you invoke in His stead are neither able to give you succour nor can succour themselves;

  - Mohammad Asad

On the contrary, those whom you call besides Him have neither the ability to help you, nor can they help themselves.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

They on whom ye call beside Him have no power to help you, nor can they help themselves.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

and if you pray unto them for guidance, they do not hear; and though thou mayest imagine that they behold thee,¹⁶¹ they do not see."

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "though thou seest them looking at thee" - but since the pronoun "them" in tarahum ("thou seest them") refers to mental images no less than to physical representations, the verb must be understood in its abstract sense of "seeing with the mind", i.e., "considering" or "imagining". In contrast with the preceding passages, which are addressed to those who actually invoke false deities or images, the last sentence is addressed to man in general, sinner and believer alike: and this generalization is brought out by changing the form of address from "you" to "thou".

If you call them to guidance, they cannot even hear what you say, although it appears as if they are looking at you, they do not see.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And if ye (Muslims) call them to the Guidance they hear not; and thou (Muhammad) seest them looking toward thee, but they see not.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

MAKE due allowance for man's nature,¹⁶² and enjoin the doing of what is right; and leave alone all those who choose to remain ignorant.¹⁶³

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "accept what is easily forthcoming [from man's nature]". According to Zamakhshari, khudh al-'afw means: "Accept what comes easily to thee [or "what is willingly accorded to thee"] of the doings and the nature of men, and make things easy [for them], without causing them undue hardship (kulfah); and do not demand of them efforts that may be too difficult for them." This interpretation - which has been adopted by many other classical commentators as well - is based on the identical explanation of the phrase khudh al 'afw by 'Abd Allah ibn az-Zubayr and his brother 'Urwah (Bukhari), as well as by 'A'ishah and, in the next generation, by Hisham ibn 'Urwah and Mujahid (see Tabari, Baghawi and Ibn Kathir). Thus, in accordance with the Qur'anic statements that "man has been created weak" 4:28 and that "God does not burden any human being with more than he is well able to bear" ( 2:286 , 6:152 , 7:42 , 23:62 ), the believer is admonished to make due allowance for human nature and not to be too harsh with those who err. This admonition is the more remarkable as it follows immediately upon a discourse on the most unforgivable of all sins - the ascribing of divine powers or qualities to anyone or anything but God.

Lit., "the ignorant ones" - i.e., those who wilfully remain deaf to moral truths, and not those who are simply unaware of them.

Show forgiveness, speak for justice and avoid the ignorant.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Keep to forgiveness (O Muhammad), and enjoin kindness, and turn away from the ignorant.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And if it should happen that a prompting from Satan stirs thee up [to blind anger],¹⁶⁴ seek refuge with God: behold, He is all-hearing, all-knowing.

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., anger at the rejection of the truth by "those who choose to remain ignorant". The words "to blind anger" interpolated between brackets are based on a Tradition according to which the Prophet, after the revelation of the preceding verse calling for forbearance, exclaimed, "And what about [justified] anger, O my Sustainer?" - whereupon the above verse was revealed to him (Tabari, Zamakhshari, Razi, Ibn Kathir).

If Shaitan tempts you, seek refuge with Allah; for He is the one Who is All Hearing, Knowing.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And if a slander from the devil wound thee, then seek refuge in Allah. Lo! He is Hearer, Knower.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Verily, they who are conscious of God bethink themselves [of Him] whenever any dark suggestion from Satan touches them¹⁶⁵ - whereupon, lo! they begin to see [things] clearly,

  - Mohammad Asad

The noun ta'if (also forthcoming in the forms tayf and tayyif denotes any ungraspable phantom, image or suggestion, as in a dream, or "an imperceptible obsession which obscures the mind" (Taj al-'Arus). Since, in the above context, it is described as coming from Satan, "a dark suggestion" seems to be an appropriate rendering.

Those who fear Allah, when they are tempted by Shaitan, they have but to remember Allah and they shall see the light (right course of action)!

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Lo! those who ward off (evil), when a glamour from the devil troubleth them, they do but remember (Allah's guidance) and behold them seers!

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

even though their [godless] brethren would [like to] draw them into error:¹⁶⁶ and then they cannot fail [to do what is right].

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., by goading them to anger or trying to engage them in futile argument. "Their brethren" are those who wilfully remain ignorant of the truth (with the pronoun referring to the God-conscious). The conjunctive particle wa preceding this clause has here the meaning of "although" or "even though".

As for Shaitan's brothers, they drag them deeper into error and never relax their efforts.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Their brethren plunge them further into error and cease not.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And yet, when thou [O Prophet] dost not produce any miracle for them, some [people] say, "Why dost thou not seek to obtain it [from God]?"¹⁶⁷ Say: "I only follow whatever is being revealed to me by my Sustainer: this [revelation] is a means of insight from your Sustainer, and a guidance and grace unto people who will believe.

  - Mohammad Asad

Sc., "if thou art really His apostle" (cf. 6:37 and {109}, and the corresponding notes). Some of the commentators assume that the term ayah - translated by me as "miracle" - denotes here a verbal "message" which would answer the objections of those who did not believe in the Prophet. Since, however, the continuous revelation of the Qur'an was full of such messages, the demand of the unbelievers must have related to some particular manifestation or "proof" of his divinely-inspired mission: namely, to a concrete miracle which would establish the truth of his claim in a supposedly "objective" manner. In its wider implication, the above verse relates to the primitive mentality of all who regard miracles, and not the message itself, as the only valid "proof" of prophethood.

When you, O Muhammad, do not bring them a revelation, they say: "Have you not yet invented?" Tell them: "I follow only what is revealed to me from my Rabb. This Book contains veritable insight from your Rabb, a guidance and blessing for the true believers."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And when thou bringest not a verse for them they say: Why hast thou not chosen it? Say: I follow only that which is inspired in me from my Lord. This (Qur'an) is insight from your Lord, and a guidance and a mercy for a people that believe.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Hence, when the Qur'an is voiced, hearken unto it, and listen in silence, so that you might be graced with [God's] mercy."

  - Mohammad Asad

When the Qur'an is recited, listen to it with complete silence so that you may be shown mercy.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And when the Qur'an is recited, give ear to it and pay heed, that ye may obtain mercy.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And bethink thyself of thy Sustainer humbly and with awe, and without raising thy voice, at morn and at evening; and do not allow thyself to be heedless.

  - Mohammad Asad

Bring your Rabb to remembrance deep in your soul with humility and in reverence without raising your voice, both in the mornings and in the evenings; and be not of those who are heedless.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And do thou [O Muhammad) remember thy Lord within thyself humbly and with awe, below thy breath, at morn and evening. And be thou not of the neglectful.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Behold, those who are near unto thy Sustainer¹⁶⁸ are never too proud to worship Him; and they extol His limitless glory, and prostrate themselves before Him [alone].

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "those who are with thy Sustainer": a metaphorical description of utter God-consciousness.

Surely those who are close to your Rabb do not feel too proud to worship Him; they declare His glory and prostrate themselves before Him.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Lo! those who are with thy Lord are not too proud to do Him service, but they praise Him and adore Him.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall