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 15, Verses 51-56
And tell them [once again] about Abraham’s guests – [how], when they presented themselves before him and bade him peace, he answered – “Behold, we are afraid of you!”
Said they: “Fear not! Behold, we bring thee the glad tiding of [the birth of] a son who will be endowed with deep knowledge.
Said he: “Do you give me this glad tiding despite the fact that old age has overtaken me? Of what [strange thing], then, are you giving me a tiding!”
They answered: “We have given thee the glad tiding of something that is bound to come true: so be not of those who abandon hope!”
[Abraham] exclaimed: “and who – other than those who have utterly lost their way – could ever abandon the hope of his Sustainer’s grace?”
Chapter 15, Verses 85-89
And [remember:] We have not created the heavens and the earth and all that
is between them without [an inner] truth; but, behold, the Hour [when this will become clear to all] is indeed yet to come.
Hence, forgive [men’s failings] with fair forbearance: verily, thy Sustainer is the all-knowing Creator of all things!
And, indeed, We have bestowed upon thee seven of the oft-repeated [verses] [ 1 ], and [have, thus, laid open before thee] this sublime Qur’an: [so] turn not thine eyes [longingly] towards the worldly benefits which We have granted unto some of those [that deny the truth]. And never grieve over those [who refuse to heed thee], but spread the wings of thy tenderness over the believers, and say: “Behold I am indeed the plain warner [promised by God]!”
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Translator’s Notes
[ 1 ] According to most of the authorities, including some of the foremost companions of the Prophet, “The Seven Oft-Repeated [Verses]” is a designation given to the first chapter of the Qur’an, which has also been described by the Prophet as “The Essence of the Divine Writ” ( Umm al-Kitab ) inasmuch as it alludes to all the ethical and metaphysical principles set forth in the Qur’an.
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