Quote from: tatanka on April 15, 2025, 02:15:12 PMthere is one ayah in Quran which is very interesting:
Say, "O My slaves! Those who have transgressed against themselves, (do) not despair of (the) Mercy (of) Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives the sins all. Indeed He, He (is) the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.(39:53)
when you compare to all other ayahs which start with Qul, this one is different.
In an old article of mine, I had written the following: Response to the Question Regarding Verses 10 and 53 of Surah Az-Zumar...
I wanted to share here the answer I gave to those who asked why the phrase "My servants" is used after the expression "Say" in verses 10 and 53 of Surah Az-Zumar.
(Az-Zumar 53)
Say: "O My servants who have transgressed against their own souls! Do not despair of Allah's mercy! Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, He is the All-Forgiving, the Most Merciful."
We see a similar situation not only in these verses but also in other examples. In this narrative style of the Qur'an, the phrase "Say" is used in the sense of "convey" or "speak on My behalf."
For example:
Say: "Whoever is an enemy to Gabriel—it is he who has brought it down into your heart by Allah's permission, confirming what came before it, and as guidance and good news for the believers."
(Al-Baqarah 97)
As can be seen, the phrase "Say" is followed by "who has brought it down into your heart." So this is not talking about a conversation or direct speech that the Prophet would say verbatim to people.
Here, "Say" does not mean "recite this word-for-word," because when speaking, the Prophet would naturally say, "Gabriel brought it down into my heart," or he might say, "Allah wanted me to say/convey this," and then quote the verse as is.
Let's look at more examples of such verses:
Al-Anfal
38. Tell those who disbelieve: "If they desist, their past will be forgiven. But if they persist, the precedent of those before them will apply."
Al-Jathiyah
14. Tell those who believe: "Let them forgive those who do not look forward to the Days of Allah, so that He may recompense people for what they have earned."
Again, the sentence after "Say" here is not meant to be relayed verbatim. Once the verse is recited, the information is already delivered, so there's no need to repeat it again separately. But as I mentioned, if the Prophet wanted to share this statement during a conversation, he would adapt the expression to fit the context. The intended meaning here is: "Convey this to them / Deliver this on My behalf."
From this perspective, it is clear that there is no inconsistency in the use of "Say" in verses 10 and 53 of Surah Az-Zumar either:
Az-Zumar 53
Say: "O My servants who have transgressed against their own souls! Do not despair of Allah's mercy! Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, He is the All-Forgiving, the Most Merciful."
In these verses as well, it is not that the Prophet is addressing people directly as "My servants," but rather, it is about conveying the sentence in the appropriate form. Moreover, as mentioned, there's not even a real need for adjustment—the information is already communicated as is when the verse is recited.
In this context, the most accurate translation of such verses should begin with "convey" or "speak on My behalf" rather than simply "say"—and indeed, there are translators who follow this approach:
Az-Zumar 10
Speak on My behalf: "O My believing servants! Be conscious of your Lord. For those who do good in this worldly life, there is goodness. And the earth of Allah is spacious. Indeed, the patient will be given their reward without account."
Az-Zumar 53
Inform them: "O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of Allah's mercy. Allah forgives all sins. He is the Forgiving, the Merciful."
Peace and love.
