Surah 2. Al-Baqara, Ayah 171
| وَمَثَلُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا كَمَثَلِ الَّذِي يَنْعِقُ بِمَا لَا يَسْمَعُ إِلَّا دُعَاءً وَنِدَاءً ۚ صُمٌّ بُكْمٌ عُمْيٌ فَهُمْ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ |
| Transliteration | : | wa- mathal 'alladhena kafaro ka- mathal 'alladhe yanciq bi- maa laa yasmac 'illaa ducaa' wa- nidaa' s.umm bukm cumy fa- hum laa yacqilon |
| Pickthall | : | The likeness of those who disbelieve (in relation to the messenger) is as the likeness of one who calleth unto that which heareth naught except a shout and cry. Deaf, dumb, blind, therefore they have no sense. |
| Asad | : | And so, the parable of those who are bent on denying the truth is that of the beast which hears the shepherd's cry, and hears in it nothing but the sound of a voice and a call.138 Deaf are they, and dumb, and blind: for they do not use their reason. |
| Malik | : | The parable of those who reject faith is like the cattle which, call out to them as one may, hear nothing but a shout and a cry since they are unable to understand; they are deaf, dumb and blind, and understand nothing. |
| Yusuf Ali | : | The parable of those who reject faith is as if one were to shout like a goat-herd to things that listen to nothing but calls and cries; deaf dumb and blind they are void of wisdom. 170 171 |
Note - 138This is a very free rendering of the elliptic sentence
which, literally, reads thus: "The parable of those who
are bent on denying the truth is as that of him who cries
unto what hears nothing but a cry and a call." The verb
na'qa is mostly used to describe the inarticulate cry
with which the shepherd drives his flock.
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Note - 170If you reject all faith, the highest wisdom and the most
salutary regulations are lost on you. You are like "dumb
driven cattle" who can merely hear calls, but cannot
distinguish intelligently between shades of meaning or
subtle differences of values.
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Note - 171Cf ii. 18, where we are told that the rejectors of faith
are "deaf, dumb and blind: they will not return to the
path." Here the consequence of their not using their
senses is that they have no wisdom. In each context
there is just the appropriate deduction.
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This is a very free rendering of the elliptic sentence which, literally, reads thus: "The parable of those who are bent on denying the truth is as that of him who cries unto what hears nothing but a cry and a call." The verb na'qa is mostly used to describe the inarticulate cry with which the shepherd drives his flock. |
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If you reject all faith, the highest wisdom and the most salutary regulations are lost on you. You are like "dumb driven cattle" who can merely hear calls, but cannot distinguish intelligently between shades of meaning or subtle differences of values. |
