The following article in English is the original from which an Arabic version was made and published in the Religion Forum a few days ago. The Arabic version was prepared for the purpose of participating in a conference at Al-Azhar University. The publication in both languages is intended to provide an opportunity for discussing this endeavor in the field of religious translation. I am impatiently waiting for your invaluable comments. Thank you in advance.
SOME APPARENTLY UNGRAMMATICAL CASES OF GENDER AND/OR NUMBER IN THE GLOIOUS QUR'AN
1. Introduction
1.1 Purposes
There are some Qur’ānic Verses which are characterized by what may appear to be grammatical incompatibility in terms of number and /or gender. It is the aim of the present paper to examine a few of such Verses with a view to achieve three purposes. The first purpose is to show that these incompatibilities are far from being possible “errors”, and to shed some light on the miraculous nature of these apparent deviations from the Arabic grammatical norms. The second purpose is to examine how some well-known and widely used translations of the meaning of the Glorious Qurā’n dealt with such incompatibilities in translation, and whether the miraculous elements were totally or partially lost in the English renditions. The third and last purpose is to suggest ways that may, as far as possible, preserve and reflect the miraculous nature of these apparently deviant structures.
1. 2 The Verses
The Qur’nic Verses dealt with in this paper are:
An-Nahl (The Bee), 16:661
An-Nahl (The Bee), 16:68-69
Al-‘Ankabūt (The Spider), 29:41.
Fussilat (Expounded), 41:37.
1.3 The Translations
The translations of the Glorious Qur’ān consulted for this study are: Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Maulvi Muhammad Ali, Maulvi Sher Ali, Arthur J. Arberry, N. J Dawood, Muhammad Mahmoud Ghali, the King Fahd translation, Mohammad Marmaduke Pickthall, J. M. Rodwell, George Sale, and Muhammad Shakir.2
It is to be noted, however, that the King Fahd translation is basically that of Abdullah Yusuf Ali, with some revisions and corrections based on other available translations. Hence, the King Fahd translation will be cited only when it is different from that of Ali. And only the different part of the translation will be given immediately after the Ali translation. In case both translations are identical, the heading “Abdullah Yusuf Ali / King Fahd” will stand for both. (See APPENDIX.) However, in the body of the paper itself, only the King Fahd translation will be given immediately following the Arabic Verses.
2. The Procedure of Examination
The ten translations of the meaning of each of the four Verses will be carefully examined in terms of the three purposes of the paper as defined in section 1.1. Then some conclusions and generalizations will be drawn about the examination of all the Verses in question.
In the APPENDIX the text of each of the four corpus Verses will be given in Arabic, then the ten translations of the meaning of the Verse will be given in the alphabetical order of the translations as given in Section 1.3 above.
3. The Examination
3.1. 16:66
{وَإِنَّ لَكُمْ فِي الأَنْعَامِ لَعِبْرَةً نُّسْقِيكُم مِّمَّا فِي بُطُونِهِ مِن بَيْنِ فَرْثٍ وَدَمٍ لَّبَنًا خَالِصًا سَآئِغًا لِلشَّارِبِينَ} (66) سورة النحل
“And verily in cattle (too) / will ye find an instructive sign. / from what is within their bodies, / Between excretions and blood, / We produce for your drink, Milk, pure and agreeable / to those who drink it.”
3.1.1 The Incompatibility Clarified
The incompatibility in this Verse lies in the fact that the Arabic word /al’an‘āmi/ (cattle) is a feminine word, while the pronominal reference to it in the word /butūnihi/ is masculine3. It is also well known that the cattle, which produce milk, are only the female ones. The reason the masculine singular pronoun is used that Allah Almighty produces for our drink milk, which exists in the bodies (or bellies) of the male cattle. Had the Verse used the feminine pronoun, the reference would have been to the bodies of cattle in general and the female ones in particular since it is taken for granted that it is the females that produce milk
.
The question that seems to raise itself now is: How can the male cattle produce milk? Muhammad Ali El-Banbi4 states that there is here an accurate scientific reference to the fact that milk is produced by means of male hormones and that the female does not give off milk unless the male fluid (or sperm) causes the fertilization of the ovum and forms the embryo. This, at the same time, activates the milk glands and makes them grow to completion and secretion with the cattle giving birth. It was not until modern times that we came to know that milk is formed by means of male hormones. This Verse reflects an example of the Qur’ān’s scientific miraculous nature at a time when, more than fourteen hundred years ago, no one knew anything about male or female hormones.
The question may also be raised to us why, in apparently similar Verses in Surat Al-M u’minūn (The Believers) 23:21-22, the pronominal references are feminine in the words /butūnihā/, /fīhā/, / minhā/, /‘alayhā/
{وَإِنَّ لَكُمْ فِي الْأَنْعَامِ لَعِبْرَةً نُّسقِيكُم مِّمَّا فِي بُطُونِهَا وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَنَافِعُ كَثِيرَةٌ وَمِنْهَا تَأْكُلُونَ* وَعَلَيْهَا وَعَلَى الْفُلْكِ تُحْمَلُونَ} (21-22) سورة المؤمنون
21. And in cattle (too) ye / Have an instructive example: / From within their bodies / We produce (milk) for you / To drink; there are, in them, / (Besides), numerous (other) / Benefits for you; / And of their meat) ye eat; 22. And on them, as well as / In ships, ye ride.
The answer to the question above is that Verse 21 does not mention milk explicitly or specifically5, contrary to the case in 16:66. The references in Verses 21 and 22 are to both male and female cattle alike since other benefits are hinted at or specified such as riding them and eating their meat.
3.1.2 The Translations Examined
All the translations render the word /butūnih/ into their bodies or their bellies. The same translation that would have been used had the Qurā’nic word been /butūnihā/ since the plural third person pronoun in English does not show gender distinction. Sale has two footnotes, which are irrelevant to our purposes. Both the Abdullah Yusuf Ali and King Fahd translations have identical translations of the whole Verse, including their bodies. Also both have a footnote about the pronominal reference:
Their: In the Arabic, it is “its”,6 in the singular number, for the reasons:
(1) Cattle is the generic plural, and may be treated as a singular noun;
(2) The instructive Sign is in the milk collectively, but the milk is the product of each single individual.
Although it is definitely a positive contribution in the Abdullah Yusuf Ali and King Fahd translations to comment on the pronominal reference and to try to account for the incompatibility therein, stating that the Arabic pronoun is its (or rather its equivalent), they both seem to miss the point for two reasons: (1) its is not gender specific and hence does not inform the reader of the translation about the Arabic pronominal reference being masculine; (2) the reference is to number (the singular number) rather than to gender, which is the relevant issue reflecting the miraculous nature of the apparent incompatibility. Again, although it is correct to state that cattle (or rather /al’nām/) is the generic term, it is inaccurate to simply state that “it may be treated as a singular noun” since it is necessary to point out that the singular feminine form is used in Arabic to refer to non-human creatures or inanimate objects, and it was more important to state that the usual form in this case would be a feminine noun rather than “a singular noun”. Once again, the second reason that the two translations mention, namely that the “Sign is in cattle collectively, but the milk is the product of each single individual”, seems to miss the point once more because it concentrates on the notion of the pronominal reference being singular rather than masculine.
Likewise, the Maulvi Muhammad translation comments, in a margin note, on the pronoun their by saying, “Ar. Its meaning that the Arabic pronoun is singular- a note which points out number at the expense of gender.
2.1.3 Suggestions
My suggestion is to continue using their bodies or their bellies but to change the footnote into a statement like the following:
Their: in the Arabic, it is equivalent of its or his in the singular number and masculine gender, for the reason that cattle is the generic plural and is treated as a singular feminine noun (being a reference to non- human creatures).
This remark should be followed by an explanation of the miraculous nature of the use of the masculine pronoun in line with what has already been discussed in 3.1.1 above
Another suggestion is to render /butūnihi/ into the bellies / bodies of the (male) cattle and to follow this translation with a footnote pointing out the miraculous nature of the use of the masculine pronoun rather than the feminine. We should also be careful to enclose the word male between parentheses to indicate that it is not explicitly used as a distinct word in the Arabic ’Āyah.
3.2. 16:68-69
{وَأَوْحَى رَبُّكَ إِلَى النَّحْلِ أَنِ اتَّخِذِي مِنَ الْجِبَالِ بُيُوتًا وَمِنَ الشَّجَرِ وَمِمَّا يَعْرِشُونَ* ثُمَّ كُلِي مِن كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ فَاسْلُكِي سُبُلَ رَبِّكِ ذُلُلاً يَخْرُجُ مِن بُطُونِهَا شَرَابٌ مُّخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَانُهُ فِيهِ شِفَاء لِلنَّاسِ إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لآيَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ} (68-69 ) سورة النحل
68. And thy Lord taught the Bee / To build its cells in hills, / On trees, and in (men’s) habitations; / 69.Then to eat of all / The produce (of the earth), / And follow the ways of Thy / Lord made smooth: there issues / From within their bodies / A drink of varying colures, / Wherein is healing for men: / Verily this is a sign / For those who give thought.
3.2.1 The Incompatibility Clarified
The structural incompatibility in these two Verses stems from the fact that while the word /nahl/ is masculine plural, the three verb forms used in addressing the bees are all in the feminine singular, viz., / /’ittaxithī/ (build) /kulī/ (eat) and /faslukī/ (follow). In addition, in the word /butūnihā/ the pronominal reference /–hā/ is plural feminine in form.
El-Banbi7 accounts for this apparent incompatibility by pointing out that it is the female bees, not the male ones or the queens, which are responsible for carrying out the tasks referred to in the Verses. It was not until recent times that we came to realize these facts that were arrived at after subjecting the life of bees to minute scientific scrutiny and study. El-Banbi8 also points out that each and every female bee with no exception performs those chores – a fact that necessitates the use of the singular feminine pronoun in the verb forms, but not in the pronominal form attached to the noun in /butūnihā/. This will be explained in 3.2.2 below.
3.2.2 The Translations Examined
While in the translations of Maulvi Sher Ali, Arberry, Dawood, Pickthall, Rodwell, and Shakir there are no footnotes to the translation, we find two footnotes in Ghali and four footnotes in Sale, all of which are irrelevant to our purpose. In two footnotes in the Maulvi Muhammed Ali translation, the first one may be partially relevant: the pronoun in “your Lord” is thy in Arabic – an indirect reference to the pronoun being singular (but with no indication as to its being feminine).
However, in both the Abdullahh Yusuf Ali and King Fahd translations we have an identical footnote which reads as follows:
Note that while the instinctive individual acts are described in
the singular number, the produce of “their bodies” is described
in the plural, as the result of their collective effort.
This footnote is a good account of the use of the plural form in the word /butūnihā/. However, it should be noted that while the footnote is a good explanation of the number incompatibility, it is silent on any explanation of the gender incompatibility, where a good part of the miraculous nature of the Verses resides.
It is also interesting to note how the eleven translations rendered the word /butūnihā / thus : their bodies in Abdullahh Yusuf Ali (and King Fahd); their bellies in Maulvi Sher Ali Arberry, Ghali, Pickthall, and Sale; it in both Maulvi Muhammad Ali and Shakir; and finally its bellies in Dawood and Rodwell. While the use of it may be partially justified in the case of Shakir on the grounds that it is a reference to the word bee (his translation of /an-nahl/), it is less justifiable in the case of Maulvi Muhammad Ali, who uses the word bees, thus using a singular pronominal reference to a plural noun. There is only some extenuation for his attitude if we bear in mind his aforementioned footnote in which he points out that “your Lord” is actually “thy Lord” – a hint at singularity. As for the Dawood and Rodwell translations, which use its bellies, they are characterized by a factual mishap since they suggest that a single bee may have more than one belly.
In all cases the miraculous nature of the two Verses is obscured, due to the use of the plural possessive pronoun, which does not show gender distinction in the first seven translations, or due to the use, in the last four cases, of the singular pronominal forms it or its, which, likewise., do not show gender distinction.
3.2.3 Suggestions
My suggestion for translating theses Verses is to use O (female) bee even O female bee before the verbs build, eat, and follow. Another suggestion is to indicate in a footnote that the imperative structure is in the singular feminine form, and to follow this remark by an explanation that would reveal the miraculous nature of the Verses. It is worth mentioning here that the use of the direct speech (as in the case of all translations except Abdullahh Yusuf Ali (and King Fahd) is referable to the use of indirect speech, since it enables us to use the vocative structure suggested, in addition to its being more true to the structure of the ’Āyah in Arabic
Incidentally, I think that the use of the singular noun bee as the translation of the plural noun /an-nahl/ is inexplicable and unjustifiable. Unfortunately, this is the case in eight of the ten translations, the exceptions being those of Maulvi Muhammad Ali, Arberry, and Ghali.
3.3. 29:41
{مَثَلُ الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ أَوْلِيَاء كَمَثَلِ الْعَنكَبُوتِ اتَّخَذَتْ بَيْتًا وَإِنَّ أَوْهَنَ الْبُيُوتِ لَبَيْتُ الْعَنكَبُوتِ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ} (41) سورة العنكبوت
The parable of those who take / Take protectors other than Allah/ Is that of the Spider / Who builds (to itself) / A house; but truly / The flimsiest of houses / Is the Spider’s house; / if they knew.
3.3.1 The Incompatibility Clarified
The grammatical incompatibility appears to be that while the word /‘ankabūt/ is masculine, the
one-word sentence /’ittaxathat/ has the feminine suffix ending –at. El Banbi9 points out that after extensive research in the modern age, it has been proven that the male spider cannot build a house and that the one which builds it is only the female spider by means of a special spinning tool at the end of its belly, and which the male lacks.
3.3.2 The Translations Examined
The Dawood translation does not attack the problem at all since it neglects rendering the part of the Verse in question. Both the Abdullahh Yusuf Ali and King Fahd translations use itself (rather than herself) although both, like Rodwell, use who)10 a form which obscures the gender of the spider. Also using itself are the translations or Maulvi Muhammad Ali, Maulvi Sher Ali, Arberry, Ghali, and Shakir, who all use the neutral that instead of who or which, which shows distinction as to being human / personified or non-human / inanimate. The three translations that reflect the gender of the spider are those of Pickthall, Rodwell, and Sale, while Pickthall uses her (as an object pronoun), and Sale uses herself.
Regardless of Maulvi Muhammad Ali’s translation, which has an irrelevant footnote, the only translations consulted that give footnotes relevant to gender are those of Abdullahh Yusuf Ali and King Fahd, which have the following identical footnote:
The female spider is much bigger than the male, and in
Arabic the generic gender of ‘ankabūt is feminine.
3.3.3 Suggestions
My suggestion is to endorse Pickthall’s translation (she and herself) or Sale’s translation, but with changing which into who for the sake of compatibility as long as we accept the personification involved. Another suggestion is to use the (female) spider or even the female spider, and it or itself as pronominal references if necessary.
3.4. 41:37
{وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ اللَّيْلُ وَالنَّهَارُ وَالشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ لَا تَسْجُدُوا لِلشَّمْسِ وَلَا لِلْقَمَرِ وَاسْجُدُوا لِلَّهِ الَّذِي خَلَقَهُنَّ إِن كُنتُمْ إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُونَ} (37) سورة فصلت
Among His Signs are / the Night and the Day, / And the Sun and the Moon. / Prostrate not to the sun / And the moon, but prostrate to / Allah, who created them, / If it is Him ye wish To serve.
3.4.1 The Incompatibility Clarified
The structural incompatibility in this Verse stems from the fact that /ash-shams walqamar/ (the Sun and the Moon) are dual in Arabic, and that the object pronoun in the verb +object combination /xalaqahunn/ should be dual too, i.e. /xalaqahumā/ literally, created both of them or created the two of them). However, the pronominal reference is feminine plural.. Ahmed Fouad Basha1 clarifies this apparent incompatibility by pointing out that modern science has revealed that the Sun is but one star or sun in the Milky Way. Scientists estimate the number of stars to be more than two hundred billion stars (or suns) in the galaxies of the universe known to us. On the other hand, people did not know of any moon other than that of the Earth, but Galileo could, using a telescope, discover four moons revolving around Jupiter. This was done more than one thousand years after the revelation of the Glorious Qur’ān. Then followed the discovery of new moons of Jupiter and other planets. The number of moons discovered so far amounts to more than sixty -- a fact that is compatible with the scientific as well as the linguistic miracle.which this Qur’ānic Verse has pointed out.
3.4.2 The Translations Examined
All the translations, except Dawood and Rodwell, use created them. Unlike plurality in Arabic, which starts with three, plurality in English starts with two. Hence the object pronoun them does not reveal whether the reference is to two or more than two entities. Had the Qurā’nic Verse had /xalaqahumā/, them would have been also used.
Only Dawood and Rodwell make it explicit that them refers to two entities, by using the qualifier both after them. This practice obscures the fact that the pronominal reference is feminine plural in Arabic.
The only reference to the number-gender identity of the pronoun is found in Ghali, who states in a footnote that “The Arabic pronoun is in the feminine plural.” However, no comment is provided as to why.
3.4.3 Suggestions
My suggestion as to how to reveal the miraculous nature of the ’Āyah is simply to point out in a footnote, as Ghali does, that the object pronoun attached to the Arabic verb is feminine plural. This, however, should be followed by an account of the scientific facts in line with what has already been stated above.
4. Conclusion
From the discussion of the translations of the four Qurā’nic Verses, we may come to the following conclusions:
4.1 These ’Āyahs and similar ones do not contain any grammatical “errors” but do reveal the miraculous scientific, linguistic, and rhetorical nature of the Qurā’n, which was revealed more than fourteen centuries ago.
4.2 A translator of the meaning of the Glorious Qur’ān should exert his utmost effort to convey, however partially this may be, the aspects of the miraculous nature of all Qura’nic Verses, and especially those which seem to have structural incompatibilities.
4.3 Whenever it is impossible or very difficult , in view of language discrepancies, to reveal the miraculous nature involved in the Verse being translated, the translator should at least use a footnote in which he / she explains the Arabic text and highlights its miraculous nature.
4.4 Any translator purporting to translate the meaning of the Glorious Qur’ān should, as far as possible, familiarize himself / herself with the authentic scientific and scholarly information that would help him / her in rendering at least a glimpse of the miraculous nature of the Word of Allah to mankind.
Endnotes
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 The first number refers to the number of the Sūrah (Chapter) in the Glorious Qur’ān and the second number refers to the number of the ’Āyah (Verse) in the Sūrah.
2 Bibliographic information on these translations are given in the Bibliography
3 The feminine pronoun would be –ha, which is both feminine singular and feminine non-human plural.
4مايسة عبد الرحمن " ألفاظ قرآنية تبدو خطأ لغويًا ولكن يكمن فيها الإعجاز " جريدة الأهرام . يناير 1997
5 Hence, the enclosure of the word milk between parentheses in the translation.
6 In Ali, it which is apparently an error
7 المرجع نفسه.
8 المرجع نفسه.
9 مايسة عبد الرحمن . " إعجازات علمية بالقرآن في صورة أخطاء لغوية " . جريدة الأهرام 13 / 1 /1997 . ص 10 الملحق .
10 Interestingly enough, we have the reverse situation in Sale, who uses: which maketh herself a house.
[أ]11 المرجع نفسه.
Bibliography
1st. Translations of the Meaning of the Glorious Qurā’n
Ali, Abdullahh Yusuf. The Holy Qur’an: Text, Translation and Commentary, Lahore: Sh. Muhammad Ashraf, Publisher and Bookseller, 1938 (1981).
Ali, Maulvi Muhammad. The Holy Qur’án Containing the Arabic Text with English Translation and Commentary. Lahore, Punjab, India: Ahmadiyya Anjuman- I-ISHÁAT-I- ISLAM, second Edition, 1920.
Ali, Maulvi Sher. The Holy Qur’an Translated by Maulvi Sher Ali, Edited by Malik Ghulam Farid.
The Internet (
http://www.utexas.edu/students/amos/quran-html/).
Arberry, Arthur J. The Koran Interpreted. London: George Allen and Unwin Ltd. , 1955
Dawood, N. J. The Koran: A Translation by N.J. Dawood. Penguin Books, 1978.
Ghâlî, Muhammad Mahmûd. Towards Understanding the Ever-Glorious Qur’an. Cairo: Dar An-nashr for Universities, 1997.
King Fahd. The Holy Qur’an: English Translation of the Meaning and Commentary. Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah: King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Qur’an, n.d.
Pickthall, Mohammed Marmaduke. The Meaning of The Glorious Koran: An explanatory Translation. New York: New American Library, n.d.
Rodwell, J. M. The Koran Translated from the Arabic. By J .M. Rodwell, Introduction by G. Margoliouth, London: Everyman’s Library, 1963.
Sale, George. The Koran: Translation into English from the Original Arabic, London: Frederick Warner, n.d.
Shakir, Muhammad. The Muhammad Shakir Translation of the Qur’an. The Internet (
http://wings.buffalo.edu/sa/muslim/isl/texts.ht#Quran).
B. Arabic Articles
مايسة عبد الرحمن . " إعجازات علمية بالقرآن في صورة أخطاء لغوية " . جريدة الأهرام 13 / 1 /1997م . ص 10 الملحق .
" ألفاظ قرآنية تبدو خطأ لغويًا ولكن يكمن فيها الإعجاز". جريدة الأهرام . يناير 1997 م . صفحات أنوار رمضان .
APPENDIX
{وَإِنَّ لَكُمْ فِي الأَنْعَامِ لَعِبْرَةً نُّسْقِيكُم مِّمَّا فِي بُطُونِهِ مِن بَيْنِ فَرْثٍ وَدَمٍ لَّبَنًا خَالِصًا سَآئِغًا لِلشَّارِبِينَ} (66) سورة النحل
Abdullahh Yusuf Ali / King Fahd
And verily in cattle (too / will ye find an instructive sign. / From what is within their bodies, / Between excretions and blood, / We produce, for your drink, / Milk, pure and agreeable / to those who drink it.
Maulvi Muhammad Ali
And most surely there is a lesson for you in the cattle: We give you to drink out of what is in their bellies from betwixt the faeces and the blood pure milk, easy and agreeable to swallow for those who drink.
Maulvi Sher Ali
And surely in the cattle too there is a lesson for you. We provide for you drink out of that which is in their bellies from betwixt the faeces and the blood -- milk pure and pleasant for those who drink it.
Arthur J. Arberry
And surely in the cattle there is a lesson for you; We give you to drink of what in their bellies, between filth and blood, pure milk, sweet to drinkers.
N. J. Dawood
In cattle too you have a worthy lesson. We give you to drink of that which is in their bellies, between the bowels and the blood-streams: pure milk, a pleasant beverage for those who drink it.
Muhammad Mahmûd Ghâlî
And surely in (the) cattle there is indeed a lesson for you; We give you to drink of what is in their bellies, even between filth and blood, clear milk, palatable to the drinkers.
Mohammad Marmaduke Pickthall
And lo! In the cattle there is a lesson for you. We give you to drink of that which is in their bellies, from betwixt the refuse and the blood, pure milk palatable to the drinkers.
J . M. Rodwell
Ye have also teaching from the cattle. We give you drink of the pure milk, between dregs and blood, which is in their bellies; the pleasant beverage of them that quaff it.
George Sale
Ye have also in the cattle an example of instruction: we give you to drink of that which is in their bellies, a liquor between digested dregs, and blood; namely pure milk, which is swallowed with pleasure by those who drink it.
Muhammad Shakir
And most surely there is a lesson for you in the cattle; We give you to drink of what is in their bellies, from betwixt feces and the blood, pure milk, easy and agreeable to swallow for those who drink.
{وَأَوْحَى رَبُّكَ إِلَى النَّحْلِ أَنِ اتَّخِذِي مِنَ الْجِبَالِ بُيُوتًا وَمِنَ الشَّجَرِ وَمِمَّا يَعْرِشُونَ* ثُمَّ كُلِي مِن كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ فَاسْلُكِي سُبُلَ رَبِّكِ ذُلُلاً يَخْرُجُ مِن بُطُونِهَا شَرَابٌ مُّخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَانُهُ فِيهِ شِفَاء لِلنَّاسِ إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لآيَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ} (68-69 ) سورة النحل
Abdullahh Yusuf Ali / King Fahd
68. And thy Lord taught the Bee / To build its cells in hills, / On trees, and in (men’s) habitations; 69 Then to eat of all / the produce (of the earth), / And find with skill the spacious / paths of its Lord: there issues / From within their bodies / A drink of varying colours, / wherein is healing for men: /Verily in this is a Sign/ For those who give thought.
King Fahd
(…) And follow the ways of Thy Lord made smooth: there issues / (…)
Maulvi Muhammad Ali
68. And your Lord revealed to the bees saying: Make hives in the trees and in what they build. 69. Then eat of all the fruits and walk in the ways of your Lord submissively. There comes forth from within it a beverage of many colours, in which there is healing for men; most surely there is a sign in this for a people who reflect.
Maulvi Sher Ali
68. And thy Lord revealed to the bee: “ make thou houses in the hills and in the trees and in the trellises which they build. 69. “Then eat all manner of fruits, and follow the ways taught to thee by thy Lord and which have been made easy for thee.” There comes from their bellies a drink of varying hues. Therein is a healing for mankind. Surely, in that is a Sign for a people who reflect.
Arthur J. Arberry
And thy Lord revealed unto the bees, saying: “ Take unto yourselves, of the mountains, houses, and of the trees, and of what they are building. Then eat of all manner of fruit, and follow the ways of your Lord easy to go upon.” Then come there forth out of their bellies a drink of diverse hues wherein is a healing for men. Surely in that is a sign for a people who reflect.
N.J. Dawood
Your Lord inspired the bees saying: “Build your homes in the mountains, in the trees, and in the hives which men shall make for you. Feed on every kind of fruit, and follow the trodden paths of your Lord.”
From its bellies comes forth a fluid of many hues, a medicinal drink for men. Surely in this there is a sign for those who would give thought.
Muhammad Mahmûd Ghâlî
68.And your Lord revealed to the bees, (saying), “ Take to yourselves of the mountains houses, and of the trees, and of whatever they trellis. 69.Thereafter eat of all (kind of) products, (and) so dispatch through the ways of your Lord, tractable (to you).” There comes out of their bellies a drink of different colors wherein is a cure for mankind. Surely in that is indeed a sign for a people who meditate.
Mohammad Marmaduke Pickthall
68. And thy Lord inspired the bee, saying: Choose thou habitations in the hills and in the trees and in that which they hatch; 69. Then eat of all fruits, and follow the ways of thy Lord, made smooth (for thee). There cometh forth from their bellies a drink of hues, wherein is healing for mankind.
Lo! herein is indeed a portent for people who reflect.
J. M. Rodwell
And thy Lord hath taught the Bee, saying: “provide thee houses in the mountains, and in the hives which men do build thee: Feed, moreover, on every kind of fruit, and walk the beaten paths of thy Lord. From its bellies cometh forth a fluid of varying hues, which yieldeth medicine to man. Verily in this is a sign for those who consider.
George Sale
Thy Lord spake by inspiration unto the bee, saying, provide thee houses in the mountains, and in the trees, and of those materials wherewith men build hives for thee: then eat of every kind of fruit, and walk in the beaten paths of thy Lord. There proceedeth from their bellies a liquor of various colours: wherein is a medicine for men. Verily herein is a sign unto people who consider.
Muhammad Shakir
68.And your Lord revealed to the bee Saying: Make hives in the mountains and in the trees and in what they build: 69. Then eat of all the fruits and walk in the ways of your Lord submissively. There comes forth from within it a beverage of many colours, in which there is a healing for men; most surely there is a sign in this for a people who reflect.
{مَثَلُ الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ أَوْلِيَاء كَمَثَلِ الْعَنكَبُوتِ اتَّخَذَتْ بَيْتًا وَإِنَّ أَوْهَنَ الْبُيُوتِ لَبَيْتُ الْعَنكَبُوتِ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ} (41) سورة العنكبوت
Abdullahh Yusuf Ali / King Fahd
The parable of those who /Take protectors other than Allah / Is that of the Spider, / Who builds (to itself) / A house; but truly / the flimsiest of the houses / is the Spider’s houses, / if they but knew.
Maulvi Muhammad Ali
The parable of those who take guardians besides Allah is as the parable of the spider that makes for itself a house; and most surely the frailest of the houses is the spider’s house: did they but know.
Maulvi Sher Ali
The case of those who take helpers beside ALLAH is like unto the case of the spider that takes to itself a house; and surely, the frailiest of all houses is the house of the spider, if they but knew.
Arthur J. Arberry
The likeness of those who have taken to them protectors, apart from God, is as the likeness of the spider that takes to itself a house; and surely the frailest of houses is the house of the spider, did they but know.
N. J. Dawood
The false gods which the idolaters serve besides Allah may be compared to the spider’s cobweb. Surely the spider’s is the frailest of all dwellings, if they but knew it.
Muhammad Mahmûd Ghâlî
The likeness of the ones who have taken to themselves patrons, apart from Allah, is as the likeness of the spider that takes to itself a house; and surely the feeblest of houses is indeed the spider’s house, if they (ever) knew.
Mohammad Marmaduke Pickthall
The likeness of those who choose other patrons than Allah is as the likeness of the spider when she taketh unto herself a house, if they but know.
J. M. Rodwell
The likeness for those who take to themselves guardians instead of God is the likeness of the Spider who buildeth her a house. But verily, frailest of all houses surely is the house of the spider. Did they but know this!
George Sale
The likeness of those who take other patrons besides God is as the likeness of the spider, which maketh herself a house: but the weakest of all houses surely is the house of the spider; if they knew this.
Muhammad Shakir
The parable of those who take guardians besides Allah is as the parable of the spider that makes for itself a house; and most surely the frailest of the houses is the spider’s house did they but know.
{وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ اللَّيْلُ وَالنَّهَارُ وَالشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ لَا تَسْجُدُوا لِلشَّمْسِ وَلَا لِلْقَمَرِ وَاسْجُدُوا لِلَّهِ الَّذِي خَلَقَهُنَّ إِن كُنتُمْ إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُونَ} (37) سورة فصلت
Abdullahh Yusuf Ali/ King Fahd
Among His signs are / The Night and the Day, /And the Sun and the Moon. / Adore not the sun / and the moon, but adore / Allah Who created them, / If it is Him ye wish/ To serve.
King Fahd: (…) And the Sun and the Moon. / Prostrate not to the sun / And the moon, but prostrate to /Allah, who created them, / (…)
Maulvi Muhammad Ali
And among His signs are the night and the day and the sun and the moon; do not make obeisance to the sun nor to the moon; and make obeisance to Allah Who created them, if Him it is that you serve.
Maulvi Sher Ali
And of His signs are the night and the day and the sun and the moon; but prostrate yourselves before Allah, Who created them, if it is Him whom you really worship.
Arthur J. Arberry
And of His signs are the night and the day, the sun and the moon. But bow yourselves to God Who created them, if Him you serve.
N.J. Dawood
Among His signs are the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. But do not prostrate yourselves before the sun or the moon; rather prostrate yourselves before Allah, Who created them both, if you would truly serve Him.
Muhammad Mahmûd Ghâlî
And of His signs are the night and the day-time, and the sun and the moon. Do not prostrate yourselves to the sun nor to the moon. And prostrate yourselves to Allah, Who created them, in case Him (alone) you do worship.
Mohammad Marmaduke Pickthall
And of His portents are the night and the day and the sun and the moon. Adore, not the sun nor the moon; but adore Allah Who created them, if it is in truth Him whom ye worship.
J. M. Rodwell
And among His signs are the night and the day and the sun and the moon. Bend not in adoration to the sun or the moon, but bend in adoration before God who created them both, if ye would serve Him.
George Sale
And among the signs of His power are the night, and the day, and the sun, and the moon. Worship not the sun, neither the moon; but worship God, Who hath created them; if ye serve Him.
Muhammad Shakir
And among His signs are the night and the day and the sun and the moon; do not prostrate to the sun nor to the moon; and prostrate to
Allah Who created them, if Him it is that you serve
.
Some Apparently Ungrammatical Cases
رد مع اقتباس
المفضلات