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 his conversion to Islam travelled and
worked throughout the Muslim world, from North Africa
to as far east as Afghanistan, India and Pakistan.
After years of devoted study he 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” (For people
who think).
Chapter 56, verses 57 –
62
It is We who have created you, [O men:] why, then,
do you not accept the truth?
Have you ever considered that [seed] which you emit?
[ 1 ] Is it you who created it – or are We
the source of its creation?
We have [indeed] decreed that death shall be [ever-present]
among you: but there is nothing to prevent Us from
changing the nature of your existence and bringing
you into being [anew] in a manner [as yet] unknown
to you.
And [since] you are indeed aware of the [miracle
of your] coming into being in the first instance
– why, then, do you not bethink yourselves
[of Us]?
Chapter 56, verses 71 –
74
Have you ever considered the fire which you kindle?
Is it you who have brought into being the tree that
serves as its fuel – or are We the cause of
its coming into being?
It is We who have made it a means to remind [you
of Us], and a comfort for all who are lost and hungry
in the wilderness [of their lives].
Extol, then, the limitless glory of thy Sustainer’s
mighty name!
Chapter 56, verses 83 –
89
Why, then, when [the last breath] comes up to the
throat [of a dying man], the while you are [helplessly]
looking on – and while We are closer to him
than you, although you see [Us] not -: why, then,
if [you think that] you are not truly dependent
[on Us], can you not cause that [ebbing life] to
return – if what you claim is true?
[All of you are destined to die.] Now if one happens
to be of those who are drawn close unto God, happiness
[awaits him in the life to come], and inner fulfillment,
and a garden of bliss.
Chapter 56, verses 92 –
93
But if one happens to be of those who are wont to
call the truth a lie, and [thus] go astray, a welcome
of burning despair [awaits him in the life to come,]
and the heat of a blazing fire!
Translator’s Notes
[ 1 ] This refers to both the male semen and the
female ovum, and thus, by implication, to the awe-inspiring,
complex phenomenon of procreation as such.
