Surah 7. Al-A'raf, Ayah 34
| وَلِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ أَجَلٌ ۖ فَإِذَا جَاءَ أَجَلُهُمْ لَا يَسْتَأْخِرُونَ سَاعَةً ۖ وَلَا يَسْتَقْدِمُونَ |
| Transliteration | : | wa- li- kull 'ummah 'ajal fa- 'idhaa jaa'a 'ajal -hum laa yasta'khiron saacah wa- laa yastaqdimon |
| Pickthall | : | And every nation hath its term, and when its term cometh, they cannot put it off an hour nor yet advance (it). |
| Asad | : | And for all people a term has been set:25 and when [the end of] their term approaches, they can neither delay it by a single moment,26 nor can they hasten it. |
| Malik | : | For every nation there is a fixed term, when their term expires, it can neither be delayed for a moment nor can it be made to come early." |
| Yusuf Ali | : | To every people is a term appointed: when their term is reached not an hour can they cause delay nor (an hour) can they advance (it in anticipation). 1017 |
Note - 25Lit., "for every community (ummah) there is a term":
i.e., all people have a life-term decreed by God, during
which they are at liberty to accept or to reject the
guidance offered them through revelation. The word ummah
often denotes "living beings" - in this context,
"people".
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Note - 26In Arabic usage, the term sa'ah (lit., "hour") signifies
not merely the astronomical hour - i.e., the
twenty-fourth part of a mean solar day - but also "time"
in an absolute sense, or any fraction of it, whether
large or small. In the above context, it has obviously
been used in the sense of "a least fraction of time" or
"a single moment".
|
Note - 1017People: ummat. I do not know whether "generation" would
not be more appropriate here. If so, it would refer to
the Time-Spirit, for it affects a whole number of people
living contemporaneously, and while we deal grammatically
with a group, we really have in mind the individuals
composing the group. Anyway, the lesson is what is
suggested in the following verses. There is only a
limited time for an individual or for a group of people.
If they do not make good during that time of probation,
the chance is lost, and it cannot come again. We cannot
retard or advance the march of time by a single hour or
minute. ("Hour" in the text expresses an indefinite but
short period of time).
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Lit., "for every community (ummah) there is a term": i.e., all people have a life-term decreed by God, during which they are at liberty to accept or to reject the guidance offered them through revelation. The word ummah often denotes "living beings" - in this context, "people". |
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In Arabic usage, the term sa'ah (lit., "hour") signifies not merely the astronomical hour - i.e., the twenty-fourth part of a mean solar day - but also "time" in an absolute sense, or any fraction of it, whether large or small. In the above context, it has obviously been used in the sense of "a least fraction of time" or "a single moment". |
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People: ummat. I do not know whether "generation" would not be more appropriate here. If so, it would refer to the Time-Spirit, for it affects a whole number of people living contemporaneously, and while we deal grammatically with a group, we really have in mind the individuals composing the group. Anyway, the lesson is what is suggested in the following verses. There is only a limited time for an individual or for a group of people. If they do not make good during that time of probation, the chance is lost, and it cannot come again. We cannot retard or advance the march of time by a single hour or minute. ("Hour" in the text expresses an indefinite but short period of time). |
