apologies for the delay. please download the translation from this link: https://www.ridawipress.org/wp-content/uploads/sins-of-followers.pdf
the translation of the qur'an is not the same as translation of a qur'anic verse in another book as i have explained earlier. while the former requires the translation to remain confined, in the latter case, the verse can be explained and in some cases, such as explaining the lexical aspect and grammatical construct, one may literally translate the qur'an. the translation of the qur'an on the other hand is for the common man, who will be satisfied with an unambiguous sentence. ---- the objection of the devbandi is from a book on dua; the original by alahazrat's father, upon which are alahazrat's annotations (prefixed as: "Rida Says"). he has mentioned in the book that he has tried to remain concise without elaborating certain discussions to retain the spirit of the author's objective (to keep it a brief and easy read). ---- among the etiquettes of dua, is to seek forgiveness for oneself and for others. this is adab #40. Etiquette #40: When one does dua for oneself, one should include all Muslims in it. Rida Says: Because if this person [doing the dua] is not worthy himself, he can attain his objective because of association with some beloved slave of Allah. Abu'sh Shaykh Asbahani has reported via Thabit al-Bunnani:"It was mentioned to us that a person who prays for Muslim men and women and for their welfare, when he passes by their groups on the Day of Judgement, one of them [seated in the group] will say: "This is a person who used to pray for your welfare" and they will intercede for him. They will beseech Allah taala and take him to Paradise." In the hadith, it is even to this extent: "One who does not pray from Muslim men and women in ritual prayer (salat/namaz), such a prayer is flawed" Rida Says: This is also narrated by Abu'sh Shaykh and in the Qur'an it is said: وَٱسۡتَغۡفِرۡ لِذَنۢبِكَ وَلِلۡمُؤۡمِنِینَ وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنَـٰتِۗ Seek forgiveness of your sins and for the Believers - men and women. In a hadith, the Prophet ﷺ heard a man say: "O Allah forgive me" - so he said: "If you had made it generic [included others] it would have been accepted". ================== it is clear from the context, that alahazrat is considering the verse as generic in this case - and hence translated as: "your sins". it is obvious that the verse is not cited as addressing the Prophet ﷺ. Rather, it is cited as addressing anyone. this refutes the devbandi's objection, by citing alahazrat's work. --- only one remains. citation from a book of imam al-mutakallimin - whom alahazrat, an accomplished master himself, praised as "a miracle from the miracles of RasulAllah ﷺ". indeed! he was not exaggerating. one should read his tafsir of alam nashrah to get an idea of the stature of this mountain of knowledge. may Allah give us benefit from their knowledge.
alahazrat knew this distinction - as is clear from his fatawa. now let us come back to the objection of the devbandi ahqar:
the conclusions from alahazrat's fatwa: 1. the verses in surah mu'min and surah qital can be interpreted as specific (addressed to RasulAllah ﷺ) or generic (addressed to anyone) 2. if taken as addressed to RasulAllah ﷺ, they ought to be translated in a manner that ismah is highlighted and not contradicted. 3. if taken as generic - and addressed to anyone - they can be translated literally. 4. reason for translating 'your' is explained logically and by arabic usage from the qur'an itself. 5. 'sin' when mentioned in the context of Prophets, is not the same as in our case; thus "prior to revelation/prophethood" also does not mean a sin in the real sense - but merely khilaf awlaa; choosing the lesser of two better options. --- furthermore, one can find this in various tafasir. for example qurtubi in the tafsir of surah ghafir: it is said: for the sins of your followers. tafsir nasafi: again, tafsir nasafi in surah qital: summary: for a sin that might have occurred; regardless, in the context of Prophets, 'sin' means choosing the lesser among two better options, not committing an ugly action, as in our case (i.e. non-prophets). ====
13. If the poor Arya whose father, grandfather had never heard of Arabic does not know, he can be excused – but any ordinary student [of Islamic school] knows that weakest of association is sufficient to attribute something towards someone [izafat]. This is also true in other languages such as Persian, Urdu and Hindi. For example, a house is attributed to the owner; but it is also common practice to attribute it to the tenant; similarly a person who has temporarily rented a place – whoever goes to meet him will say: “ We had been to X’s house”. In fact, those who are measuring the fields will ask each other: “how much of your land did you measure” – even though, in this case it is neither owned nor rented – but attribution is considered valid [in the context of that statement]. Similarly, when something comes from the house of a person’s son – it is acceptable to say: “We received something from your house”. So also, ‘your sin’ refers to the lapses of the noble household – and after this “for other believing men and believing women’ is general case after a specific case [támīm baád takhşīş]. In other words: Intercede for your household [ahl bayt] and for all believers – men and women. Another example of such construct is found in the Qur’ān: رَّبِّ ٱغۡفِرۡ لِی وَلِوَ ٰلِدَیَّ وَلِمَن دَخَلَ بَیۡتِیَ مُؤۡمِنࣰا وَلِلۡمُؤۡمِنِینَ وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنَـٰتِۖ O my Lord Almighty! Forgive me, and my parents and those believers who entered my house and all other believers - men and women.[1] [1] Sūrah Nūĥ, 71:28.
10. In both verses, it is imperative tense; therefore it is not indicative of intention or [description of] occurrence. So its outcome is: “If perchance it has occurred, then it is necessary to seek forgiveness” not that – we seek Allāh’s refuge - indeed, it has occurred. For example, as one is commanded: “Honour your guest” – this does not mean that a guest is present at this time, nor is it information that some guest is certain to come; rather, it is just a command: “If a guest comes, honour your guest”. 11. Dhanb – sin – in the language of the Qur’ān is not exclusively for deliberate disobedience. Allāh táālā has said: “And Ādam made an error in following the Command of his Lord”[1] even though Allāh táālā Himself says: “For he forgot and We did not find him doing so deliberately.”[2] [1] Sūrah Ţā-hā, 20:121. [2] Sūrah Ţā-hā, 20:115. A more detailed discussion on these verses and Divine Immunity granted to Prophets is present in the translation of the first volume of Bahār e Sharīát, published by Riđawī Press.
continued from the same fatwa: 9. In fact, in the verse of Sūrah Muĥammad ﷺ, the context is clear that the address is not meant for RasūlAllāh ﷺ, because it starts thus: فَٱعۡلَمۡ أَنَّهُۥ لَاۤ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ وَٱسۡتَغۡفِرۡ لِذَنۢبِكَ وَلِلۡمُؤۡمِنِینَ وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنَـٰتِۗ Know, that there is no God but Allāh; and seek forgiveness for your sins and for the men and women believers. So this is addressed to someone who does not know that there is no other God but Allāh; because commanding someone who already knows, to ‘know’ is pointless. Thus, the meaning is: O listener who has still not gained certainty about tawĥīd – whoever you may be – bear faith in tawĥīd and then seek forgiveness for your sins and sins of your Muslim bretheren. The final clause of the verse clarifies that it is a generic command: وَٱللَّهُ یَعۡلَمُ مُتَقَلَّبَكُمۡ وَمَثۡوَىٰكُمۡ And Allāh knows where you turn to and where you are all destined to. If you cannot extrapolate “then know”[1] – then what prevents you from extrapolating “your sin”? If you cannot extrapolate “your sin,” then how can you extrapolate “then know”? In either case, the argument is in our favour, and the objection of the critic is repudiated. [1] And say: it is not restricted only for those who have not learned about tawĥīd, as presented for the sake of argument. ==== bear in mind that Alahazrat is arguing against the insistence of the Arya that this verse certainly and undoubtedly addresses the Prophet ﷺ and therefore attributes 'sin'. However, as Alahazrat has clarified - this is ONE of the many possibilities (iHtimal). Thus the verse can be interpreted either as addressing the Prophet ﷺ, in which case the translation changes to "sins of followers" - or if taken generic, it may mean ANY listener - in which case, such a person is commanded to seek forgiveness of his sins.
citation from fatwa continued (fatawa ridawiyyah, vol.29/pp394-401) The accepted principle is when there is possibility of multiple interpretations, evidence in favour of one single aspect as absolute, is nullified.[1] Where is the absolute proof that the verses of Sūrah Mu’min [2] and Sūrah Muĥammad ﷺ are undoubtedly addressed to our Master ﷺ. In Sūrah Mu’min it is only this much: وَٱسۡتَغۡفِرۡ لِذَنۢبِكَ O person! Seek forgiveness for your sin.[3] There is no specific name, nor any indication that affirms that it is addressed to a specific individual. The Qur’ān was revealed for the guidance of the entire world – not just for those who were present when the Qur’ān was being revealed. Rather, it addresses to all who shall come until Judgement day: “Establish prayer..”[4] This was addressed to the Companions – may Allāh be pleased with them all; and so also, it is addressed to us and generations that will come after us until Judgement Day. In the same Qur’ān: لِأُنذِرَكُم بِهِۦ وَمَنۢ بَلَغَۚ So that I may warn you by it and everyone to whom it reaches[5] The general principle concerning books is that they address every hearer (or the reader). May Allāh give you eternal felicity, a book [in general] does not address any specific reader; for example, the Qur’ān says: أَرَءَیۡتَ ٱلَّذِی یَنۡهَىٰ ٩ عَبۡدًا إِذَا صَلَّىٰۤ ١٠ أَرَءَیۡتَ إِن كَانَ عَلَى ٱلۡهُدَىٰۤ ١١ أَوۡ أَمَرَ بِٱلتَّقۡوَىٰۤ Did you not see him who wishes to prevent – the slave [of Allāh] from prayer; Do you not see, that if he were upon guidance – or enjoined righteousness?[6] Here, ‘slave’ refers to the Holy Prophet ﷺ and so are the third-person pronouns [referring to the slave] – but it is addressed to everyone who hears it [or reads it]. فَمَا یُكَذِّبُكَ بَعۡدُ بِٱلدِّینِ What makes you belie [and reject] the Day of Judgement?[7] This verse specifically addresses disbelievers; and even among them, it is specially aimed towards those who reject Judgement Day such as idolators, polytheists, Aryas, Hindus etc. Similarly, the pronoun kaaf in both verses [of Sūrah Mu’min and Sūrah Muĥammad ﷺ] are addressed to every person who hears it: “O listener! Seek forgiveness for your sins and the sins of all your Muslim brothers.” [1] idhā jā’a al-iĥtimāl baţala’l istidlāl [2] Also known as Sūrah al-Ghāfir, #40; this is different from Sūrah al-Mu’minūn which is #23. [3] Sūrah al-Ghāfir, 40:55. [4] Sūrah al-Baqarah, 2:43. [5] Sūrah al-Anáām, 6:19. [6] Sūrah al-Álaq, 96:9-11. [7] Sūrah al-Tin, 95:7.
I wanted to translate only the relevant portion of the fatwa, but due to its benefit apart from this specific reply to devbandi objection, i translated the entire thing. the entire fatwa is worth translating and is required for a full understanding of the issue, and also shines light on the approach to understanding the qur'an. the fatwa is a gold mine of information. Alahazrat answered the Arya's objections in 15 points; points relevant to our discussion are cited below - the entire fatwa is already translated will be released as a paper in sha'Allah in a day or two. ----- 4. Even in such [an already unreliable passage], the Arya has distorted it; the actual passage should be thus [translated]: Seek forgiveness for your not thanking enough for the favours of Allāh upon you and your companions. How can ‘less in thanks’ be equated with ‘negligence’?[1] The favours of the Almighty upon every individual are countless in reality and infinite in possibility, according to Muftī Abu’s Súūd in his Irshād al-Áql al-Salīm, in the verse: If you seek to enumerate the blessings of Allāh, you will never be able to count them[2] When one cannot count the blessings of Allāh, how is it possible for anyone to give adequate thanks for every favour? [1] Less or ‘not enough’ means falling short in being thankful; negligent means not giving thanks at all. [2] Sūrah Ibrāhīm, 14:34. ==== 5. In fact, the cited passage itself proof that the ‘sin’ mentioned is not a ‘sin’ in the commonly understood meaning. What does ‘that which occurred before’ [mā taqaddam] mean according to the Arya? He said: ‘that before revelation’. What is sin? Sin is the opposition or disobedience to a [Divine] Command. How do you learn about [Divine] Commands? By Revelation [waĥy]. Thus, when there was no Revelation [waĥy], where were the Commands? And if there were no Commands, then how can one oppose or disobey them? And when there is no opposition or disobedience, then where is the sin? ==== 6. Just as it was proven that ‘those prior’ [mā taqaddam] does not refer to a sin in reality, so also ‘those after’ [mā ta’akh-khar] is a comment on the time. That is, before a Divine Command had descended and was revealed in the Qur’ān, those actions were permitted until then;[1] the Command prohibiting such actions was revealed afterward was described thus – even though there is no reason for them to be described as ‘sin’ in the commonly understood meaning. Similarly, even after Revelation, those permissible actions which were hitherto not prohibited are actually included in ‘those after’ [mā ta’akh-khar] – because Revelation [waĥy] was not a one time event – rather, Commands were continually revealed[2] over many years.[3] [1] As we have seen in the previous argument, sin is wilful opposition of a Divine Command. For example, wine was not prohibited in the early period of Islām and many Companions would drink wine. It was not a sin for them at that time. It BECAME a sin after the Divine Command prohibiting wine was revealed. Thus, an action that later became sin (due to Divine Command being revealed) is forgiven when committed prior to revelation of the prohibition. The example is given to clarify the concept, and bear in mind, that the Prophet ﷺ NEVER drank wine or worshipped an idol or committed any gross or indecent act in his life, neither before nor after revelation. In the context of Prophets, some actions which were inherently permissible, but did not behoove the high station of the Prophethood were deemed and described as ‘sins’ for them. [2] In some cases, changed. [3] Until the passing of the Prophet ﷺ.
let us take a detour here. This is a fatwa from 1339 AH: Alahazrat was asked about the objections by a person ‘Rama Sangham’ assumed to be from the Arya Samaj - but later clarified (in another istiftaa) that he was a Christian. Arya Samaj was a reformist movement among Hindus and they would debate Muslims in an attempt to disprove or find faults with Islam/Qur’ān or to justify their own religion. Mister Ĥasan seems to be a Sunni antagonist of the Arya-Samaji in question as evident from his response [mentioned in the question]. This is a very interesting fatwa and is very beneficial for Muslims, which answers similar objections raised by apologetics and critics among Christians, Hindus and Atheists. i will do a quick translation (corrections will be made). --- What do religious scholars say in this matter, that in the 10th January publication, Rama Sangham has presented three verses of the Qur’ān and said that Muĥammad RasūlAllāh ﷺ is [therefore] a sinner [we seek Allah's refuge]. In the first two, he has [cited that] the beloved Messenger g is addressed thus: “you seek forgiveness for your sins” and the meaning of the third verse is: “In fact, We have undoubtedly given you success - so that God forgives your prior and later sins.” --- Mister Ĥasan assures us that the [pronoun] “you” in these verses is certainly NOT a specific you [i.e. the Prophet ﷺ] – rather, this is a pointer to the sins and mistakes of the followers of the Prophet of Islam. It is difficult to accept this argument because, if Arabic is such a complicated language, that anyone who reads it can interpret it according to his own desire - then anyone can draw any meaning from the Qur’ān. Regardless, Mister Hasan says that he believes the meaning of the Qur’ānic verses cited above as he has explained, and trusts the interpretation of the exegetes. I fear that Mister Ĥasan has not read the commentaries properly. because i will demonstrate below that authorities among exegetes have clearly accepted that Muĥammad RasūlAllāh ﷺ is a sinner [máādh-Allah we seek Allah's refuge]. They say that at times, certain specific/special sins occurred and they [i.e. exegetes] say that it is for such [sins] that he was asked to seek forgiveness - and they mention the three verses which Rama Sangham has cited. The first is from Surah Muhammad ﷺ, verse 19, whose meaning is: “you seek forgiveness for your sins and for your admirers, whether men or women” here “you” can never mean: “your followers” because followers are also mentioned separately; the conjunction [ĥarf átf] clears all confusion: the Prophet ﷺ was first asked to seek forgiveness for himself and then for the forgiveness of his followers. The second is verse 25 of surah mu'min, which means: “you seek forgiveness for your sins” It is difficult to ascertain whether Mister Ĥasan has actually cross-checked with the exegetes [mufassirin]; because, if he had indeed done so, they would never claim that they [mufassirin] will clarify it to Rama Sangham that the Prophet of Muslims has divine immunity [máşūm] from every sin. Far from it, they would clearly tell him [i.e. Mr. Ĥasan] that they [mufassirin] accept that RasulAllah ﷺ sinned (al-iyadhu billah).[1] Ibn Ábbās is a heavy weight among exegetes and he has said in his tafsir: [Arabic text cited][2] the meaning of which is: seek forgiveness for your sins; and that you were negligent in thanking for the favours of Allah upon you and your Companions. Zamakhshari is another heavy weight exegete - who has said in his Al-Kash’shaf: [Arabic text cited], the meaning of which is: may God forgive your sins, those which occurred before revelation - and thereafter until your demise. Please answer [or clarify] and be rewarded. [1] These expressions are distasteful, but are cited as they are present in the istiftaa. May Allāh forgive us. [2] The questioner has cited the Arabic incorrectly and further distorted the translation; only his Urdu translation is rendered in English above - to retain the context of the answer.
we were talking of qur'an translations - not translations of quran verses quoted in other books. the translation of the qur'an is in to be read as something self contained - with help from tafsir if available. so the translator must take care of not being ambiguous or vague, leaving the reader to draw his/her own conclusions. a responsible translator foresees such aspects and chooses the less confusing meaning (when a verse is interpreted in multiple ways). remember that the translation is always aimed at the common man. specialists do not need translations per se - as they will be expected to know arabic and can refer to commentaries for clarification. --- second is the verse cited by an author in his book to support his argument. the context of the discussion will clarify the translation of the qur'anic verse, even if it is translated literally. thus, a literal translation in a cited verse in a discussion is not the same as the qur'an translation. it may sound unconvincing at this stage - and appear as a far fetched justification, but bear with me. wa billahi't tawfiq.
