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Word Analysis & Comparison
98. Surah • 1. Verse
Word Analysis
لَمْ
lam
Not
ٱلَّذِينَ
alladhīna
those who
مِنْ
min
from
حَتَّىٰ
ḥattā
until
Rashad Khalifa
The Final Testament
Those who disbelieved among the people of the scripture, as well as the idol worshipers, insist on their ways, despite the proof given to them.
The Monotheist Group
The Quran: A Monotheist Translation
Those who rejected among the people of the Book and the polytheists would not leave until a proof came to them.
Edip-Layth
Quran: A Reformist Translation
Those who rejected amongst the people of the book and those who set up partners would not leave until proof came to them.
Marmaduke Pickthall
Holy Quran Translation
Those who disbelieve among the People of the Scripture and the idolaters could not have left off (erring) till the clear proof came unto them,
Al-Hilali & Khan
Holy Quran Translation
Those who disbelieve from among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) and Al-Mushrikûn,[1] were not going to leave (their disbelief) until there came to them clear evidence.
Abdul Haleem
Holy Quran Translation
Those who disbelieve among the People of the Book and the idolaters were not about to change their ways until they were sent clear evidence,
Abul A'la Maududi
Tafhim commentary
Those who disbelieved[1] – be they from the People of the Book or from those who associated[2] others with Allah in His Divinity – will not desist from unbelief until the Clear Proof should come to them;[3]
1
Here the word kufr (unbelief) has been used in its widest
sense, which includes different forms of the unbelieving
attitude. For example, some were unbelievers in the sense
that they did not acknowledge Allah at all; some did
acknowledge Allah but did not regard Him as the One and
only God, but worshipped others as well, thinking they
were associates in divine Being or divine attributes and
powers in one way or the other; some acknowledged
oneness of God but committed some kind of shirk as well;
some acknowledged God but did not acknowledge His
Prophets and the guidance brought by them; some
acknowledged one particular Prophet and did not
acknowledge another; others rejected the Hereafter. In
short, there were different kinds of kufr in which the people
were involved. And the statement: The disbelievers from
among the people of the Book and those who associate, does
not mean that some of them were not involved in kufr, but
that those who were involved in kufr were of two kinds: the
followers of the Book and the mushriks. Here, min (among)
has not been used for division but for explanation, as for
example, in ( Surah Al-Hajj, Ayat 30), where it has been said
Fajtanib-ur rijsa min al-authan, which means: Therefore,
guard yourselves against the filth of idols, and not, guard
yourselves against the filth which is in the idols. Likewise,
alladhina kafaru min ahl-il-Kitabi wal-mushrikin means: the
disbelievers from among the followers of the Book and the
mushriks, and not, those who have disbelieved from these
two groups.
2
Despite the common factor of kufr between them the two
groups have been mentioned by separate names. The
followers of the Book imply the people who possessed any
of the revealed Books, even if in corrupted form, sent to the
former Prophets, and they believed in it. And the mushriks
(idolaters) imply the people who did not follow any Prophet
nor believed in any Book. Although in the Quran the shirk,
(polytheism, idolatry) of the people of the Book has been
mentioned at many places, e.g. about the Christians it has
been said: They say: God is one of the three
(Surah Al-Maidah, Ayat 73);
The Messiah is son of God (Surah At-Taubah, Ayat 30);
The Messiah, son of Mary, is God
(Surah Al-Maidah, Ayat 17). And about the Jews it has
been said: They say: Ezra is son of God (Surah At-Taubah,
Ayat 30), yet nowhere in the Quran has the term mushrik
been used for them, but they have been mentioned as
alladhina ul-ul-Kitaba (those who were given the Book), or
by the words Jews and Christians. For they believed in the
principle of Tauhid (Oneness of God) as the true religion,
and then committed shirk. Contrary to this, for others than
the followers of the Book, the word mushrik has been used
as a term, for they acknowledged shirk (idolatry) as true
religion and dis-acknowledged Tauhid. This distinction
between the two groups holds good not only in the use of
the term but also in the Shariah injunctions. Animal flesh
duly slaughtered by the followers of the Book has been
declared lawful for the Muslims if they slaughter a lawful
animal in the name of Allah in the prescribed way, and
permission to marry their women has also been given. On
the contrary, neither the animal slaughtered by the
mushriks is lawful for the Muslims nor is marriage with
their women.
3
That is, there was no means of their being freed from
this state of unbelief except that a clear evidence (of the
truth) should come and make them understand the falsity
of every form of kufr and its being untrue, and should
present the right way before them in a clear and rational
way. This does not mean that after the coming of the clear
evidence they would give up kufr but that in the absence of
the clear evidence it was not at all possible that they would
be delivered from that state. However, if even after its
coming, some of them still persisted in their kufr, then they
themselves would be responsible for it; they could not
complain that Allah had made no arrangement for their
guidance. This same thing bas been expressed in the Quran
at different places in different ways, e.g. in (Surah An-Nahl,
Ayat 9), it is said: Allah has taken upon Himself to show the
right way; in (Surah Al-Lail, Ayat 12), it is said: It is for Us
to show the way; in (Surah An-Nisa, Ayats 163-165): O!
Prophet, We have sent revelation to you just as We had
sent it to Noah and other Prophets after him (peace be
upon them all)... All these Messengers were sent as bearers
of good news and warners so that, after their coming, the
people should have no excuse left to plead before Allah; and
in (Surah Al-Maidah, Ayat 19): O people of the Book, this
Messenger of Ours has come to you and is making clear to
you the teachings of the right way after a long interval
during which there had come no Messengers, lest you
should say: No bearer of good news nor warner came to us.
Lo, now the bearer of good news and warner has come.
Abdullah Yusuf Ali
Holy Quran Translation
Those who reject (Truth), among the People of the Book and among the Polytheists, were not going to depart (from their ways) until there should come to them Clear Evidence,-
Taqi Usmani
Holy Quran Translation
Those who disbelieved from among the People of the Book and the polytheists were not (expected) to desist (from their wrong beliefs) unless there comes to them a clear proof,
Mustafa Khattab
The Clear Quran
The disbelievers from the People of the Book and the polytheists were not going to desist ˹from disbelief˺ until the clear proof came to them:
Mahmoud Ghali
Holy Quran Translation
(The ones) who have disbelieved among the population of the Book (Or: family of the Book; i. e., the Jews and Christians) and the associators (Those who associate others with Allah) could not have left off (erring) until the Supreme Evidence came up to them-
Aisha Bewley
Holy Quran Translation
The People of the Book who are kafir and the mushrikun would not be cut off until the Clear Sign came to them:
Bijan Moeinian
Holy Quran Translation
It is obvious that the followers of the scriptures, as well as the idol worshipers, would not have followed Islam unless a clear proof was sent to them.
Ali Quli Qarai
Holy Quran Translation
The faithless from among the People of the Book and the polytheists were not set apart until the proof had come to them:
George Sale
Holy Quran Translation
The unbelievers among those to whom the scriptures were given, and among the idolaters, did not stagger, until the clear evidence had come unto them:
E. Henry Palmer
Holy Quran Translation
Those of the people of the Book and the idolaters who misbelieve did not fall off until there came to them the manifest sign, -
Hamid S. Aziz
Holy Quran Translation
Those of the People of the Book and the idolaters who disbelieve did not fall away until there came to them the Manifest Sign -
Arthur John Arberry
Holy Quran Translation
The unbelievers of the People of the Book and the idolaters would never leave off; till the Clear Sign came to them,
Amatul Rahman Omar
Holy Quran Translation
Those who disbelieve from among the people of the Scripture and (from among) those who associate gods with God, would not be rid of their bigotry and rejection of Faith until there should come to them the manifest proof -
Mohamed Ahmed - Samira
Holy Quran Translation
THOSE AMONG THE people of the Book who disbelieve, and the idolaters, would not have been freed (from false beliefs) until the clear proof came to them --
Abdel Khalek Himmat
Al- Muntakhab
Neither the unbelievers among Ahl AL-Kitab nor the idolaters were going to change their position until they have received clear divine evidence-
Muhammad Asad
Holy Quran Translation
IT IS NOT [conceivable] that such as are bent on denying the truth - [be they] from among the followers of earlier revelation or from among those who ascribe divinity to aught beside God should ever be abandoned [by Him] ere there comes unto them the [full] evidence of the truth:
Syed Vickar Ahamed
Holy Quran Translation
Those who reject (truth), among the People of the Book and among the polytheists, who were not going to depart (from their ways) until there should come to them Clear Evidence—
Sahih International
(Umm Muhammad, Mary Kennedy, Amatullah Bantley)
Those who disbelieved among the People of the Scripture and the polytheists were not to be parted [from misbelief] until there came to them clear evidence -
Shabbir Ahmed
Holy Quran Translation
It is inconceivable that those who are denying the Truth, whether they are among the People of the Scripture or the idolaters, could depart from their ways till the Clear Evidence reaches them. (The Qur'an liberates them from the shackles of their man-made dogmas and brings them from darkness to Light (7:157)).
Progressive Muslims
Holy Quran Translation
Those who rejected amongst the people of the Scripture and those who set up partners would not leave until proof came to them.
Sam Gerrans
The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation
Those who ignore warning among the doctors of the Law and the idolaters were not to desist until the clear evidence came to them: