What do they recognize??

[Mubashir]

[Asad]

6:18 Say: "What could most weightily bear witness to the truth?" Say: "God is witness between me and you; and this Qur'an has been revealed unto me so that on the strength thereof I might warn you and all whom it may reach." Could you in truth bear witness that there are other deities side by side with God? Say: "I bear no [such] witness!" Say: "He is the One God; and, behold, far be it from me to ascribe divinity, as, you do, to aught beside Him!"

6:19

[Asad]

They unto whom we have vouchsafed revelation aforetime know this as they know their own children; yet those [of them] who have squandered their own selves -it is they who refuse to believe.

Shakir:

Those whom We have given the Book recognize him as they recognize their sons; (as for) those who have lost their souls, they will not believe.

Shabbir:

Those who have been given the Scripture, recognize this fact as they recognize their sons (the fact of God's Transcendental Uniqueness and Oneness). Yet those who have squandered their own "Self" fail to accept such undeniable Truth.

[Al-Muntakhib]

Those who were recipients of Our Word -Jews and Christians- to whom We gave the Book -AL-Tawrah and AL-Injil (Torah and Bible) do recognize this Book -the Quran- as well as the Messenger to whom it is sent. They assert the existence of this reality as much as they are able to assert the identity of their sons, but those who are cheaply vicious to the perdition of their own souls refuse to recognize the truth.

Question: What the Qur'an mean by 'They recognize as they recognize their sons?'. Is (tying it to the previous verse) it the fact that Alalh is One and he has no partners? Or does it mean that the People of the Book recognize Muhammad (S)  as a true Messenger? If the latter is meant than the question would arise as to why would they not accept him even though they recognize him as they would their sons?

The issue is the way Qur'an is translated. Although each translator tries to the the best he/she can, sometimes the way they go about it, does not satisfy a curious mind.

[Joseph Islam]

Salamun Alaikum brother Mubashir,

The Q&A in 6:19 clearly establishes the context of 6:20.

1st Question - What thing is weightiest in testimony?

Answer - God is ultimate witness

2nd Question - Do you truly testify that there are other Gods with Allah? (a-innakum latashhaduna anna ma'a-lahi alihatan ukhra?)

Answer

(a) That there is no witness to any other besides God
(b) He is only one God (innama huwa ilahun wahidun)

So now when we read 6:20, what is the pronoun 'hu' referring to and what do they recognise 'ya'rifunaHU' as their own sons?

Clearly, in 6:19, (a) Prophet Muhammad has evidently spoken of fundamental facts with regards God (b) He has learned these facts from the inspiration he has received by way of the Quran and (c) If (a) and (b) are combined, then He is ipso facto a messenger of God and the Quran speaks the truth.

So what is being recognised is, the Prophet with the fact that he has spoken the truth by virtue of the Quran in his capacity as a messenger of God. Therefore, it is not unusual to find endless debates to argue for any one of these positions as they can all be argued as true. In verses such as these, it is the multifaceted nuance that is carried in the essence of the message that needs to be captured rather getting lost in 'linguistics' to argue any particular position.

I hope that helps, God willing.

Regards,
Joseph.

[Mubashir]

Salam Br Joseph

The question that remains to be answered is if, as you say "....So what is being recognised is, the Prophet with the fact that he has spoken the truth by virtue of the Quran in his capacity as a messenger of God..." then why did they not accept him?

Thanks.

[Joseph Islam]

Salamun Alaikum Mubashir,

The answer to your question is intimated in the verse and goes to the heart of the definition of what is a 'kaffir' in accordance to the Quran. When a person has a particular truth manifested to them, have understood it knowing it to be true and yet deny it (e.g. out of arrogance / pride / desire), only then do they become kaffir. (One who conceals, covers). Once the state of Quranic 'kufr' is attained, then hearts are sealed.

In this verse, those that rejected / denied clear signs (after knowing they were true - concealed it / covered it) have been described as 'khasiru' (lost) and described as those that will not believe. (possibly an allusion to the hearts being sealed / blinded).

I have discussed this in the following article.

UNDERSTANDING 'KUFR' (DISBELIEF) FROM A QURANIC PERSPECTIVE
http://quransmessage.com/articles/understanding%20kufr%20FM3.htm

A paragraph to note:

"Once these truths have been firmly established and given to a soul or a people which leaves them with no reason to deny it and they still reject it, it is then in accordance to the consistent theme of the Quran that one enters the state of 'disbelief' (Kufr). There can be a number of ways this truth can be manifested within God's knowledge alone; however the truth delivered by a messenger of God by His decree is considered one of the clearer proofs for the purpose of man's guidance".

I hope it helps, God willing.

Regards,
Joseph.

[Mubashir]

Salam Brother Joseph

I do see your point but still am still struggling accept it as does Allah not make a distinction between Ahl Kitab and idol worshippers [who setup partners with Allah]?

For now, to me Dr Shabbir's rendering makes more sense, and of course we can agree to disagree

Those who have been given the Scripture, recognize this fact as they recognize their sons (the fact of God's Transcendental Uniqueness and Oneness). Yet those who have squandered their own "Self" fail to accept such undeniable Truth.

[Joseph Islam]

Salamun Alaikum brother.

With respect, your post has left me rather baffled.

The interpretation I advanced humbly accepts the nuances in the translations so I don't see why Dr. Shabbir has to be singled out as the better rendering.

So what is being recognised is, the Prophet with the fact that he has spoken the truth by virtue of the Quran in his capacity as a messenger of God. Therefore, it is not unusual to find endless debates to argue for any one of these positions as they can all be argued as true. In verses such as these, it is the multifaceted nuance that is carried in the essence of the message that needs to be captured rather getting lost in 'linguistics' to argue any particular position.

According to the Quran, the 'Ahl Kitab' are not a monolithic community. The Quran throughout its passages distinguishes between the righteous / believing amongst them and those who are lost and do not believe.

We can of course agree to disagree , but I humbly fail to see the contention and why there is a disagreement in the first place.

Regards,
Joseph.

[Mubashir]

Salam Br Joseph

Sorry for the confusion.

Since several interpretations are possible with respect of what the subject of recognition could be, I just stated what made more sense to me (the fact of God's Transcendental Uniqueness and Oneness).

Allow me to share a somewhat lengthy discussion on this topic that took place here:

http://free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=9603614.0

All the best.