Stem لِسَانِ - Quranic Morphology

English - Hazrat Molavi Sher Ali ^ra

And We have not sent any Messenger except with the language of his people in order that he might make things clear to them. Then Allah lets go astray whom He wills, and guides whom He wills. And He is the Mighty, the Wise.

اردو ترجمہ مرزا طاہر احمد خلیفة المسیح الرابعؒ

اور ہم نے کوئی پیغمبر نہیں بھیجا مگر اس کی قوم کی زبان میں تا کہ وہ انہیں خوب کھول کر سمجھا سکے۔ پس اللہ جسے چاہتا ہے گمراہ ٹھہراتا ہے اور جسے چاہتا ہے ہدایت دیتا ہے اور وہ کامل غلبہ والا (اور) بہت حکمت والا ہے۔

French

Et Nous n’avons envoyé chaque Messager qu’avec des révélations dans la langue de son peuple, pour qu’il pût leur éclaircir les choses. Puis Allāh laisse s’égarer qui Il veut, et guide qui Il veut. Et Il est le Puissant, le Sage.

German

Wir schickten keinen Gesandten, es sei denn mit der Sprache seines Volkes, auf dass er sie aufkläre. Dann erklärt Allah zum Irrenden, wen Er will, und führt richtig, wen Er will. Denn Er ist der Allmächtige, der Allweise.

Chinese

我常以每位使者的民族语言 (赐其启示), 而派遣他 (到其自己的民族那里去), 以便他向他们详细说明 (我的教义)。(在完成这个计划之后,) [g]安拉把其意欲的人遗弃於迷误之中, 并引导其意欲的人。他是优胜的, 明哲的。

Italian

E Noi non abbiamo inviato alcun messaggero che non abbia parlato nella lingua del suo popolo, così che potesse rendergli chiare le cose. Allah poi lascia che fuorviino coloro che Egli vuole e guida coloro che Egli vuole. Ed Egli è Potente, il Sapiente.

Spanish

Mas no hemos enviado a ningún Mensajero salvo con el idioma de su pueblo para que les aclarara todas las cosas, Al‑lah deja, pues, que se extravíe quien El quiere, y guía a quien desea. Pues El es el Poderoso, el Sabio.

اردو تفسیرِ صغیر

اور ہر ایک رسول کو ہم نے اس کی قوم کی زبان میں ہی (وحی دے کر) بھیجا ہے تا کہ وہ انہیں (ہماری باتیں) کھول کر بتائے۔ پھر (اس تدبیر کے بعد) اللہ جسے (ہلاک کرنا) چاہتا ہے ہلاک کرتا ہے اور جسے (کامیاب کرنا) چاہتا ہے اسے منزل مقصود پر پہنچا دیتا ہے اور وہ کامل طور پر غالب (اور) صاحب حکمت ہے۔

English - Short Commentary Translation

And We have not sent any Messenger except with revelation in the language of his people[1453] in order that he might make things clear to them. [a]Then Allah leaves to go astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills. And He is the Mighty, the Wise.

English - Five Volume Translation

And We have not sent any Messenger except with the language of his people in order that he might make things clear to them. [a]Then Allah lets go astray whom He wills, and guides whom He wills. And He is the Mighty, the Wise.[1659]

13:28; 74:32.

Commentary:

The verse does not mean that a Divine Messenger should receive his revelation only in the language of his people. What it means is that the major and fundamental part of his revelation must be in the tongue of his people, otherwise the conveying of his Message to those who are its first recipients would become difficult. Occasionally, however, a Prophet may receive a revelation in a foreign tongue. In fact, such exceptional revelation would serve as a divine sign or miracle.

It is wrong to infer from this verse, as the Rev. Mr. Wherry and other Christian writers have done, that the Message of the Holy Prophet was confined to the Arabs. Such an assumption is forcefully belied by other verses of the Quran in which the Prophet is clearly and unequivocally declared to be a Prophet sent for the whole world (7:159; 34:29). Not only does the Quran claim a universal mission for the Holy Prophet, but the Prophet himself also claimed to be a Messenger for all mankind. For instance, he is reported to have said, بعثت الی الاسود و الاحمر i.e. I have been sent to the black and the red, meaning the whole of mankind (Bihar). Similarly, he said, بعثت الی الناس عامة i.e. I have been raised for all mankind (Bukhari). According to yet another hadith he is reported to have said, ارسلت الی الخلق کافة i.e. I have been sent to the whole creation (Mishkat).

Incidentally, this verse proves that Arabic is the mother of all tongues, because the fact that the Holy Prophet was sent to the whole of mankind shows that the language which the Wise God made the vehicle of His Message, must, in one way or another, be the mother of all languages. This was actually proved to be the truth by Ahmad, the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam (see "Minan-ur-Rahman").

The fact that the words, Then Allah lets go astray whom He wills, have been placed after the words, that he might make things clear to them, shows that it is only after the truth is brought home to men that they become deserving of punishment for rejecting it. Thus, although all non-Muslims are technically called disbelievers or Kafirs, yet all of them will not go to Hell; for, as the verse shows, only those disbelievers become deserving of punishment who reject the truth after it has been made clear to them. Mere technical disbelief does not render one liable to punishment.

اردو ترجمہ مودودی

ہم نے اپنا پیغام دینے کے لیے جب کبھی کوئی رسول بھیجا ہے، اُس نے اپنی قوم ہی کی زبان میں پیغام دیا ہے تاکہ وہ انہیں اچھی طرح کھول کر بات سمجھائے پھر اللہ جسے چاہتا ہے بھٹکا دیتا ہے اور جسے چاہتا ہے ہدایت بخشتا ہے، وہ بالا دست اور حکیم ہے

English - Sahih

And We did not send any messenger except [speaking] in the language of his people to state clearly for them, and Allah sends astray [thereby] whom He wills and guides whom He wills. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.

اردو ترجمہ احمد علی

اور ہم نے ہر پیغمبر کو اس کی قوم کی زبان میں پیغمبر بنا کر بھیجا ہے تاکہ انہیں سمجھا سکے پھر الله جسے چاہتا ہے گمراہ کرتا ہے اور جسے چاہتا ہے ہدایت دیتا ہے اوروہ غالب حکمت والا ہے

English - Talal Itani

And not We sent any Messenger except with the language (of) his people so that he might make clear for them. Then Allah lets go astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills. And He (is) the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.

Chinese Commentary ^*

Cross Refs:

g

13:28; 74:32.

اردہ تفصیرِ صغیر نوٹس ^*

English - Arberry

And We have sent no Messenger save with the tongue of his people, that he might make all clear to them; then God leads astray whomsoever He will, and He guides whomsoever He will; and He is the All-mighty, the All-wise.

English - Maududi

Never have We sent a Messenger but he has addressed his people in their language that he may fully expound his Message to them. (And after the Message is expounded), Allah lets go astray whomsoever He wills, and guides to the Right Way whomsoever He wills. He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.

English - Ahmed Ali

We never sent a messenger who did not speak the tongue of his people, that he may explain to them distinctly. God leads whosoever He wills astray, and shows whoever He wills the way: He is all-mighty and all-wise.

English - Yusuf Ali

We sent not a messenger except (to teach) in the language of his (own) people, in order to make (things) clear to them. Now Allah leaves straying those whom He pleases and guides whom He pleases: and He is Exalted in power, full of Wisdom.

English - Five Volume Commentary ^*

Cross Refs:

a

13:28; 74:32.

1659

Commentary:

The verse does not mean that a Divine Messenger should receive his revelation only in the language of his people. What it means is that the major and fundamental part of his revelation must be in the tongue of his people, otherwise the conveying of his Message to those who are its first recipients would become difficult. Occasionally, however, a Prophet may receive a revelation in a foreign tongue. In fact, such exceptional revelation would serve as a divine sign or miracle.

It is wrong to infer from this verse, as the Rev. Mr. Wherry and other Christian writers have done, that the Message of the Holy Prophet was confined to the Arabs. Such an assumption is forcefully belied by other verses of the Quran in which the Prophet is clearly and unequivocally declared to be a Prophet sent for the whole world (7:159; 34:29). Not only does the Quran claim a universal mission for the Holy Prophet, but the Prophet himself also claimed to be a Messenger for all mankind. For instance, he is reported to have said, بعثت الی الاسود و الاحمر i.e. I have been sent to the black and the red, meaning the whole of mankind (Bihar). Similarly, he said, بعثت الی الناس عامة i.e. I have been raised for all mankind (Bukhari). According to yet another hadith he is reported to have said, ارسلت الی الخلق کافة i.e. I have been sent to the whole creation (Mishkat).

Incidentally, this verse proves that Arabic is the mother of all tongues, because the fact that the Holy Prophet was sent to the whole of mankind shows that the language which the Wise God made the vehicle of His Message, must, in one way or another, be the mother of all languages. This was actually proved to be the truth by Ahmad, the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam (see "Minan-ur-Rahman").

The fact that the words, Then Allah lets go astray whom He wills, have been placed after the words, that he might make things clear to them, shows that it is only after the truth is brought home to men that they become deserving of punishment for rejecting it. Thus, although all non-Muslims are technically called disbelievers or Kafirs, yet all of them will not go to Hell; for, as the verse shows, only those disbelievers become deserving of punishment who reject the truth after it has been made clear to them. Mere technical disbelief does not render one liable to punishment.

English - Short Commentary Notes ^*

Cross Refs:

a

13:28; 74:32.

1453

The verse does not mean that the Message of the Holy Prophet was confined to the Arabs alone. Such an assumption is belied by other verses of the Qur’an in which he is clearly and unequivocally declared to be a Divine Messenger sent for the whole world (7:159; 34:29). Not only does the Qur’an claim a universal mission for the Holy Prophet, but the Holy Prophet himself is reported to have said, 'I have been sent to the black and the red,' meaning the whole of mankind (Bihar); and 'I have been raised for all mankind' (Bukhari). The Qur’an was revealed in the Arabic language because the Arabs were its first addressees (and also because Arabic, being the most expressive, eloquent and comprehensive language, was eminently suited to be the vehicle for the delivery of the Quranic Message) and through them its Message was to be preached to the world and not that the Message was meant for the Arabs only.

English - Pickthall

And We never sent a messenger save with the language of his folk, that he might make (the message) clear for them. Then Allah sendeth whom He will astray, and guideth whom He will. He is the Mighty, the Wise.

English - Muhammad Ali ^ra

And We sent no messenger but with the language of his people, so that he might explain to them clearly. Then Allah leaves in error whom He pleases and He guides whom He pleases. And He is the Mighty, the Wise.

English - Sir Muhammad Zafrullah Khan ^ra

We have sent every Messenger with revelation in the language of his people that he might make it clear to them. Then Allah lets go astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills. He is the Mighty, the Wise.

لِسَانِ

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