Translation of the meanings Surah Āl-‘Imrān - English Translation - Dr. Waleed Bleyhesh Omary (in progress) - Page Number 74 - The Noble Qur'an Encyclopedia

181 : 3

لَّقَدۡ سَمِعَ ٱللَّهُ قَوۡلَ ٱلَّذِينَ قَالُوٓاْ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ فَقِيرٞ وَنَحۡنُ أَغۡنِيَآءُۘ سَنَكۡتُبُ مَا قَالُواْ وَقَتۡلَهُمُ ٱلۡأَنۢبِيَآءَ بِغَيۡرِ حَقّٖ وَنَقُولُ ذُوقُواْ عَذَابَ ٱلۡحَرِيقِ

(181) Allah heard the saying of those who said^[760]: “Allah is poor and we are rich”^[761]. We will record what they said and their killing of the Prophets unjustifiably^[762], and We will say: “Taste you the torment of burning!”

[760] Now that the lessons from the setback in the Battle of Uḥud have all been thrashed out, argumentation with the Jews of Madinah once more picks up.
[761] al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī reports that when the Jews of Madinah heard the previous ayas, which encourage Believers to spend in the cause of God, they said: “If He ˹God˺ asks people to spend in His cause to achieve His goals, then He must be a wretched pauper!” (al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Qurṭubī, al-Rāzī)
[762] Cf. Aya 21.

182 : 3

ذَٰلِكَ بِمَا قَدَّمَتۡ أَيۡدِيكُمۡ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَيۡسَ بِظَلَّامٖ لِّلۡعَبِيدِ

(182) That ˹torment˺ is because of what your hands sent forth^[763]—Allah certainly does not deal ˹with His˺ servants unfairly.

[763] What they committed.

183 : 3

ٱلَّذِينَ قَالُوٓاْ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَهِدَ إِلَيۡنَآ أَلَّا نُؤۡمِنَ لِرَسُولٍ حَتَّىٰ يَأۡتِيَنَا بِقُرۡبَانٖ تَأۡكُلُهُ ٱلنَّارُۗ قُلۡ قَدۡ جَآءَكُمۡ رُسُلٞ مِّن قَبۡلِي بِٱلۡبَيِّنَٰتِ وَبِٱلَّذِي قُلۡتُمۡ فَلِمَ قَتَلۡتُمُوهُمۡ إِن كُنتُمۡ صَٰدِقِينَ

(183) Those who said: “Allah took our pledge not to Believe in any Messenger unless he gives us a sacrificial offering ˹to be˺ consumed by fire”^[764]. Say ˹Muhammad˺: “Many a Messenger before me came to you^[765] with clear evidences, and with what you ˹just˺ said. Why did you kill them if only you are truthful?

[764] Muhammad Asad has the following comment in his translation: “… in other words, unless he conforms to Mosaic Law, which prescribes burnt offerings as an essential part of divine services. Although this aspect of the Law had been left in abeyance ever since the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, the Jews of post-Talmudic times were convinced that the Messiah promised to them would restore the Mosaic rites in their entirety; and so they refused to accept as a prophet anyone who did not conform to the Law of the Torah in every detail”.
[765] To your ancestors.

184 : 3

فَإِن كَذَّبُوكَ فَقَدۡ كُذِّبَ رُسُلٞ مِّن قَبۡلِكَ جَآءُو بِٱلۡبَيِّنَٰتِ وَٱلزُّبُرِ وَٱلۡكِتَٰبِ ٱلۡمُنِيرِ

(184) If they call you a liar, then many a Messenger before you were called liars; ˹even though˺ they came ˹to them˺ with clear evidences, the ˹Sacred˺ Writs and the Luminous Book^[766].

[766] The Sacred Writs al-Zubur (lit. books, sing. zabūr) and al-Kitāb al-Munīr (the Luminous Book) refer to the Heavenly revealed Books.

185 : 3

كُلُّ نَفۡسٖ ذَآئِقَةُ ٱلۡمَوۡتِۗ وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوۡنَ أُجُورَكُمۡ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِۖ فَمَن زُحۡزِحَ عَنِ ٱلنَّارِ وَأُدۡخِلَ ٱلۡجَنَّةَ فَقَدۡ فَازَۗ وَمَا ٱلۡحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنۡيَآ إِلَّا مَتَٰعُ ٱلۡغُرُورِ

(185) Every soul shall taste death^[767] and you will be paid your rewards in full on the Day of Judgement; whoever is dragged away^[768] from Hellfire and entered into Paradise, then he is a winner—life is nothing but an illusory enjoyment.

[767] Although mention of this fact here can be construed as a way of alleviating the suffering and hurt the Prophet (ﷺ) and the Believers endured from their enemies’ hands and tongues (al-Ṭabarī). In Ibn ʿĀshūr’s considered opinion it is further meant to soothe the pain that the Believers found at losing their brothers in battle, on the one hand, and on the other, refutes the narrative of the hypocrites who said that their brothers would not have been killed had they not come out of their homes for battle.
[768] The scene being painted here is graphic. The word zuḥziḥa embodies its meaning within its own phonic makeup; drawing its form and throwing its shadow in the process. Hellfire as found here possesses a gravitational power, dragging to it whoever and whatever gets near. Any person who is caught within its radius is in need of someone to drag him (yu-zaḥziḥ-uhu) away little by little, in order to set him free from its energy sapping pull. Whoever is to be dragged away from its radius, freed from the tentacles of its gravity and admitted to Paradise has made it. This is a powerful and full coloured depiction of helplessness, of vehemently tugging, pulling and dragging in order to reach safe haven.

186 : 3

۞ لَتُبۡلَوُنَّ فِيٓ أَمۡوَٰلِكُمۡ وَأَنفُسِكُمۡ وَلَتَسۡمَعُنَّ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ مِن قَبۡلِكُمۡ وَمِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَشۡرَكُوٓاْ أَذٗى كَثِيرٗاۚ وَإِن تَصۡبِرُواْ وَتَتَّقُواْ فَإِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ مِنۡ عَزۡمِ ٱلۡأُمُورِ

(186) You shall be tested in your wealth and yourselves^[769] and you will hear much that is hurtful from those who were given the Book before you and the Associators^[770], but if you remain steadfast and are Mindful, then that is real fortitude.

[769] Cf. 2:155.
[770] The Arab pagans.