Gems from the Holy Qur’an
From the translation by Muhammad Asad (Leopold Weiss)
About the translator:
Muhammad Asad, Leopold Weiss, was born of Jewish parents in Livow, Austria (later Poland) in 1900, and at the age of 22 made his first visit to the Middle East. He later became an outstanding foreign correspondent for the Franfurter Zeitung, and after years of devoted study became one of the leading Muslim scholars of our age. His translation of the Holy Qur'an is one of the most lucid and well-referenced works in this category, dedicated to “li-qawmin yatafakkaroon” (people who think). Forwarded by Dr Ismat Kamal.
Chapter 103, Al-’Asr (The Flight of Time), Verses 1-3 (Complete Surah)
Consider the flight of time!
Verily, man is bound to lose himself unless he be of those [ 1 ] who attain to faith, and do good works,
and enjoin upon one another the keeping to the truth,
and enjoin upon one another patience in adversity.
Chapter 104, Al-Humazah (The Slanderer), Verses 1-8 (Complete Surah)
Woe unto every slanderer, fault-finder! [ 2 ]
[Woe unto him] who amasses wealth and counts it as a safeguard, thinking that his wealth will make him live for ever!
Nay, but [in the life to come such as] he shall indeed be abandoned to crushing torment!
And what can make thee conceive what that crushing torment will be?
A fire kindled by God, which will rise over the [guilty] hearts:
verily, it will close in upon them in endless columns. [ 3 ]
Chapter 107, Al-Maa’uun (Assistance), Verses 1-4 (Complete Surah)
Hast thou ever considered [the kind of man] who gives the lie to all moral law?
Behold, it is this [kind of man] that thrusts the orphan away,
and feels no urge to feed the needy.
Woe, then unto those praying ones whose hearts from their prayer are remote –
those who want only to be seen and praised,
and, withal, deny all assistance [to their fellow-men]!
Chapter 109, Al-Kaafiruun (Those who deny the truth), Verses 1-6 (Complete Surah)
Say, “O you who deny the truth!
“I do not worship what you worship, and neither do you worship that which I worship.
“And I will not worship that which you have [ever] worshipped, and neither will you [ever] worship that which I worship.
“Unto you, your moral law, and unto me, mine!”
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Translator’s Notes
[ 1 ] Literally, “man is in a (state of loss), except those….”, etc.
[ 2 ] I.e., everyone who maliciously tries to uncover real or imaginary faults in others.
[ 3 ] Literally, “in extended columns”, i.e., overwhelming with despair.
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