Verses 2:34-36

Index · **Joined:** 08 May 2009, 14:16 **Posts:** 1994

Suggested translation^1,2:

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¹This translation may have been updated from the original suggested translation as a result of the discussions that follow.
²Click on the {verse number} of a translation to see other good translations of the verse.

Linguistic · **Posted:** 12 Aug 2009, 19:56

Quote:

{2:34} And [mention] when We said to the angels, "Prostrate before Adam"; so they prostrated, except for Iblees. He refused and was arrogant and became of the disbelievers.

The interjection "mention" is unnecessary.

Iblees was ungrateful, not a disbeliever. Belief can only be in something or someone you don't see. In this verse, God addresses the angels and sprites directly so there is no possibility of disbelief!

I suggest,
{2:34} And when We said to the angels, "Prostrate before Adam", they prostrated. Not Iblees. He refused and was arrogant. He was one of the ungrateful.

The reason I'm not using "except Iblees" is because it would mean that Iblees was one of the angels, a common error. Angels do not have a free will and therefore cannot choose to disobey God. But sprites do have a free will and Iblees was one of them as stated in 18:50.

Quote:

{2:35} And We said, "O Adam, dwell, you and your wife, in Paradise and eat therefrom in [ease and] abundance from wherever you will. But do not approach this tree, lest you be among the wrongdoers."

I'd like to reserve the word "Paradise" to translate الفردوس
الجنة simply means "the garden." Here is one justification for capitalization. I'd write it "The Garden" to distinguish it from regular gardens.

Pragmatic · **Posted:** 13 Aug 2009, 02:56

Linguistic wrote:

Iblees was ungrateful, not a disbeliever. Belief can only be in something or someone you don't see. In this verse, God addresses the angels and sprites directly so there is no possibility of disbelief!

I suggest,
{2:34} And when We said to the angels, "Prostrate before Adam", they prostrated. Not Iblees. He refused and was arrogant. He was one of the ungrateful.

The reason I'm not using "except Iblees" is because it would mean that Iblees was one of the angels, a common error. Angels do not have a free will and therefore cannot choose to disobey God. But sprites do have a free will and Iblees was one of them as stated in 18:50.

I think "ungrateful" is interpretive. Whatever "kafereen" is translated to in general should be used here as well. Also, the verse does say "except" and IMHO should be translated as such even if this raises a dilemma.

Linguistic · **Posted:** 13 Aug 2009, 04:26

Pragmatic wrote:

I think "ungrateful" is interpretive. Whatever "kafereen" is translated to in general should be used here as well. Also, the verse does say "except" and IMHO should be translated as such even if this raises a dilemma.

I'm trying to be pragmatic here and you're being linguistic, LOL.

Seriously, I'm in favor of using the same word in English to translate the same Arabic word. A one-to-one correspondence. But, I recognize that there will be occasions when this is simply impossible to do. I regard this verse as one where the translation of الكافرين as the disbelievers simply doesn't make sense. Perhaps we should always translate it "the ungrateful?"

As for the translation of إلا إبليس, bear in mind that إلا may mean "except" or "but" and that its use in Arabic is not strictly for exceptions. Case in point is 88:23,

In this case, إلا in 88:23 had to be translated as "however," because there is no exception stated in it. This is a uniquely Arabic style. English does not work the same way.

Thus, a proper translation of إلا إبليس should be "But Iblees did not" or "But not Iblees."

Pragmatic · **Posted:** 14 Aug 2009, 03:33

Linguistic wrote:

I'm trying to be pragmatic here and you're being linguistic, LOL.

Linguistic wrote:

Seriously, I'm in favor of using the same word in English to translate the same Arabic word. A one-to-one correspondence. But, I recognize that there will be occasions when this is simply impossible to do. I regard this verse as one where the translation of الكافرين as the disbelievers simply doesn't make sense. Perhaps we should always translate it "the ungrateful?"

Not a bad idea, and for a good reason

Linguistic · **Posted:** 31 Jan 2014, 17:29

{2:34} And [mention] as We said to the angels, "Prostrate before Adam", then they prostrated. But not Iblees (Lucifer): he refused, deemed himself big and was one of the ungrateful.

{2:35} And We said, "O Adam, dwell, you and your wife, in the Garden and eat therefrom in abundance from wherever you willed. But do not approach this tree, lest you be among the wrongdoers."

{2:36} Then Satan caused them to slip out of it and removed them from what they were in. And We said, "Descend, [all of you], to each other an enemy, and for you in the earth is a settlement and convenience for a while."

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Verses 2:34-36

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