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 16, Verses 43-44
And [even] before thy time, [O Mohammad,] We never sent [as Our apostles] any but [mortal] men, whom We inspired: and if you have not [yet] realized this, ask the followers of [earlier] revelation, [and they will tell you that their prophets, too, were but mortal men whom We had endowed] with all evidence of the truth and with books of divine wisdom.
And upon thee, [too] have We bestowed from on high this reminder, so that thou may make clear unto mankind all that has ever been thus bestowed upon them, and that they might take thought.
Chapter 16, Verse 51
And God has said: “Do not take to worshipping two [or more] deities. He is the One and Only God: hence, of Me, of Me alone stand in awe!
Chapter 16, Verse 53
For, whatever good thing comes to you, comes from God: and whenever harm befalls you, it is unto Him that you cry for help – yet as soon as He has removed the harm from you, lo! Some of you [begin to] ascribe other powers a share in their Sustainer’s divinity, [as if] to prove their ingratitude for all that We have granted them!
Enjoy, then, your [brief] life: but in time you will come to know [the truth]!
Chapter 16, Verse 60
[Thus it is that] the attribute of evil applies to all who do not believe in the life to come [ 1 ] – whereas unto God applies the attribute of all that is most sublime; for He alone is almighty, truly wise!
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Translator’s Notes
[ 1 ] I.e., inasmuch as they deny, by implication, man’s ultimate responsibility before God.
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