Chapter XXIX

, that it is Meccan, and was revealed before the enjoining of the _Orfee_ or conventional _Jihád_ (_vide_ Fat-hul bayan fi maquasidil Koran, Vol. II, page 517, by Siddik Hussan). Khateeb Koostlane, in his _Irshadussari_, a paraphrase of Bokhari, says that "_Jihád_ is derived from _Jahd_, which means toil and labour, or from _Johd_, which means power. And in technical language it means fighting with infidels to assist Islam" (Vol. V, page 26). Mohammad Allauddin Al Haskafi (died 1088 A.H.), the author of Dur-ral-Mukhtár, a commentary on Tanviral Absár, by Sheikh Mohammad Al Tamartáshi (died 1004), says in the chapter on _Jihád_, that "in the classical language it is the infinitive noun of _Jáhada fi Sabil-Allah_, and in the language of the law it means inviting the infidels to the true faith and fighting with him who does not accept it." And Ibn Ábidin Shámi, in his annotation on the above work, says:

"The infinitive noun of _Jáhada_ means to do one's utmost, and that it is general, and includes any person who supports all that is reasonable and forbids what is wrong."

[Sidenote: When the word Jihád was diverted from its original signification to its figurative meaning of waging religious war?]

10. It is admitted by all lexicologists, commentators, and jurisconsults that _Jihád_ in classical Arabic means to labour, strive earnestly, and that the change of its meaning or the technical signification occurred only in the post-classical period, _i.e._, long after the publication of the Koran. It is obviously improper, therefore, to apply the post-classical meaning of the word where it occurs in the Koran. This fact is further admitted by all the Mohammadan commentators and English translators of the Koran, who render the word in its original and literal meaning in all the Meccan and in the early Medinite Suras or Chapters of the Koran.[328]

It is only in a few of the latest chapters of the Koran published at later dates at Medina, that they (the commentators and translators) deviate from the original meaning, and prefer the subsequent unclassical and technical signification of waging war or crusade.

[Sidenote: All verses of the Koran containing the word Jihád and its derivation quoted and explained.]

11. I herein place in juxtaposition the several English translations of the word "_Jihád_," together with its etymological derivation and several grammatical forms, to show, in the first place, that Mr. George Sale and the Rev. J.M. Rodwell and other European authors generally give the literal, original, and classical meaning; and in the second place, to show how they differ in giving various meanings, literal and technical, in some passages to the same word in the same verses.

It will be observed from a perusal of the statement, that the Rev. Mr. Rodwell, M.A., is more correct than the earliest English translator of the Koran, Mr. George Sale, and the latest, Mr. W.H. Palmer. The latter is the most unsatisfactory of all in this respect, as everywhere, except in six places--XXIX, 7; V, 39, 59; IV, 97; and IX, 74, 89--he translates _Jihád_ as meaning fighting--a circumstance which not unnaturally leads to the supposition that he had paid but slight heed to the context.

|----+-----+----+----+----+--------------------------------------------- |Serial No. | | No. of the Chapter and the Verse of the Koran. | | | Original Words. ---------------------------- | | | | George Sale's Translation. } ENGLISH | | | | | Rev. Rodwell's Translation. } | | | | | | Henry Palmer's Translation. } TRANSLATIONS. |----+-----+----+----+----+--------------------------------------------- | 1 | | | XXXI. 14 | | | "Jáhadáka" | | | | "Strive" | | | | | "Endeavour to prevail" | | | | | | "Strive." | 2 | | | XXV. 54 | | | "Jáhid," "Jihádan." | | | | "Oppose them herewith with strong opposition." | | | | | "By means of the Koran strive against them with | | | | | a mighty strife." | | | | | | "Fight strenuously; strenuous fight." | 3 | | | XXII. 77 | | | "Jáhidoo" | | | | "Fight in the defence of God's religion." | | | | | "Do valiantly" | | | | | | "Fight strenuously." | 4 | | | XVI. 111 | | | "Jáhadoo" | | | | "Have since sought _in the_ defence of the true religion." | | | | | "Fought" | | | | | | "Fought strenuously." | 5 | | | XXIX. 5 | | | "Jáhada" | | | | "Striveth" | | | | | "Maketh efforts" | | | | | | "Fight strenuously; fight strenuously." | 6 | | | XXIX. 7 | | | "Jáhadáka" | | | | "Endeavour" | | | | | "Strive" | | | | | | "Strive." |----+-----+----+----+----+--------------------------------------------- |Serial No. | | No. of the Chapter and the Verse of the Koran. | | | Original Words. ---------------------------- | | | | George Sale's Translation. } ENGLISH | | | | | Rev. Rodwell's Translation. } | | | | | | Henry Palmer's Translation. } TRANSLATIONS. |----+-----+----+----+----+--------------------------------------------- | 7 | | | XXIX. 69 | | | "Jáhadoo" | | | | "Utmost endeavour" | | | | | "Made efforts" | | | | | | "Fight strenuously." | 8 | | | XVI. 40 | | | "Jahd" | | | | "Most solemnly" | | | | | "Most sacred" | | | | | | "Most strenuous." | 9 | | | XXXV. 40 | | | "Jahd" | | | | "Most solemn" | | | | | "Mightiest" | | | | | | "Most strenuous." | 10 | | | II. 215 | | | "Jáhadoo" | | | | "Fight in God's cause" | | | | | "Fight" | | | | | | "Wage war." | 11 | | | III. 136 | | | "Jáhadoo" | | | | "Those who fought strenuously." | | | | | "Did valiantly" | | | | | | "Fought well." | 12 | | | VIII. 73 | | | "Jáhadoo be-am-walhim-w-anfosa-him." | | | | "Employed their substance and their persons in fight for | | | | the religion of God." | | | | | "Spent their substance and themselves for the cause | | | | | of God." | | | | | | "Fought strenuously with their wealth and | | | | | | person." |----+-----+----+----+----+--------------------------------------------- |Serial No. | | No. of the Chapter and the Verse of the Koran. | | | Original Words. ---------------------------- | | | | George Sale's Translation. } ENGLISH | | | | | Rev. Rodwell's Translation. } | | | | | | Henry Palmer's Translation. } TRANSLATIONS. |----+-----+----+----+----+--------------------------------------------- | 13 | | | VIII. 75 | | | "Jáhadoo" | | | | "Have fought for God's true religion." | | | | | "Fought" | | | | | | "Fought strenuously." | 14 | | | VIII. 76 | | | "Jáhadoo" | | | | "Have fought with you." | | | | | "Fought" | | | | | | "Fought strenuously." | 15 | | | VI. 109 | | | "Jahd" | | | | "Most solemn" | | | | | "Most binding" | | | | | | "Most strenuous" | 16 | | | XLVII. 33 | | | "Mojáhidína" | | | | "Who fight valiantly" | | | | | "Valiant" | | | | | | "Fought strenuously." | 17 | | | LXI. 11 | | | "Jáhidoo" | | | | "Defend God's true religion with your substance and in | | | | your person." | | | | | "Do valiantly" | | | | | | "To fight strenuously." | 18 | | | IV. 97 | | | 1st. "Mojáhidína" | | | | 1st. "Those who employ their fortune and their persons | | | | for the religion of God." | | | | | 1. "Defend God's true religion valiantly." | | | | | | 1. "Strenuous." | | | 2nd. "Mojáhidina." | | | | 2nd. "Those who employ their fortune and persons." | | | | | 2. "Contend earnestly." | | | | | | 2. "Strenuous." | | | 3rd. "Mojáhidina." | | | | 3rd. "Those who fight" | | | | | 3. "Strenuous" | | | | | | 3. "Strenuous." |----+-----+----+----+----+--------------------------------------------- |Serial No. | | No. of the Chapter and the Verse of the Koran. | | | Original Words. ---------------------------- | | | | George Sale's Translation. } ENGLISH | | | | | Rev. Rodwell's Translation. } | | | | | | Henry Palmer's Translation. } TRANSLATIONS. |----+-----+----+----+----+--------------------------------------------- | 19 | | | XXIV. 52 | | | "Jahd" | | | | "Most solemn" | | | | | "Most solemn" | | | | | | "Most strenuous." | 20 | | | LXVI. 9 | | | "Jáhid" | | | | "Attack the hypocrites with arguments." | | | | | "Make war" | | | | | | "Fight strenuously." | 21 | | | IX. 74 | | | "Jáhid" | | | | "Wage war" | | | | | "Contend" | | | | | | "Strive strenuously." | 22 | | | LXI. 1 | | | "Jihadan" | | | | "To fight in the defence of my religion." | | | | | "To fight" | | | | | | "Fighting strenuously." | 23 | | | XLIX. 5 | | | "Jáhadoo" | | | | "Who employ their substance and their person in the | | | | defence of God's true religion." | | | | | "Contend with their substance and their person." | | | | | | "Fight strenuously with their wealth and their | | | | | | persons." | 24 | | | IX. 16 | | | "Jáhadoo" | | | | "Those among you who sought for his religion." | | | | | "Valiantly" | | | | | | "Fought strenuously." |----+-----+----+----+----+--------------------------------------------- |Serial No. | | No. of the Chapter and the Verse of the Koran. | | | Original Words. ---------------------------- | | | | George Sale's Translation. } ENGLISH | | | | | Rev. Rodwell's Translation. } | | | | | | Henry Palmer's Translation. } TRANSLATIONS. |----+-----+----+----+----+--------------------------------------------- | 25 | | | IX. 19 | | | "Jáhada" | | | | "Fighteth" | | | | | "Fighteth" | | | | | | "Strenuous." | 26 | | | IX. 20 | | | "Jáhadoo" | | | | "Fought for his religion." | | | | | "Do valiantly" | | | | | | "Fought strenuously." | 27 | | | IX. 24 | | | "Jihádan" | | | | "Advancement" | | | | | "Efforts" | | | | | | "Fighting strenuously." | 28 | | | IX. 41 | | | "Jáhidoo" | | | | "Employ your substance and your person for the advancement | | | | of God's religion." | | | | | "Contend with your substance and with your person." | | | | | | "Fight strenuously with your wealth and your | | | | | | persons." | 29 | | | IX. 44 | | | "Yojáhidoo" | | | | "Employing their substance and their persons for the | | | | advancement of God's true religion." | | | | | "Contending with your substance and your person." | | | | | | "Fighting strenuously." | 30 | | | IX. 82 | | | "Yojáhidoo" | | | | "Employ their substance and their persons for the | | | | advancement of God's true religion." | | | | | "Contending with their riches and their persons." | | | | | | "Fighting strenuously with their wealth and | | | | | | their persons." |----+-----+----+----+----+--------------------------------------------- |Serial No. | | No. of the Chapter and the Verse of the Koran. | | | Original Words. ---------------------------- | | | | George Sale's Translation. } ENGLISH | | | | | Rev. Rodwell's Translation. } | | | | | | Henry Palmer's Translation. } TRANSLATIONS. |----+-----+----+----+----+--------------------------------------------- | 31 | | | IX. 87 | | | "Jáhidoo" | | | | "Go forth to war" | | | | | "Contend" | | | | | | "Fight strenuously." | 32 | | | IX. 89 | | | "Jáhidoo" | | | | "Expose their fortunes and their lives." | | | | | "Contend with purse and persons." | | | | | | "Strenuous with their wealth and with their | | | | | | person." | 33 | | | V. 39 | | | "Jáhidoo" | | | | "Fight for his religion." | | | | | "Contend earnestly" | | | | | | "Be strenuous." | 34 | | | V. 58 | | | "Jáhd" | | | | "Most firm" | | | | | "Most solemn" | | | | | | "Most strenuous." | 35 | | | V. 59 | | | "Yojahidoona" | | | | "They shall fight for the religion of God." | | | | | "Will they contend" | | | | | | "Strenuous." |----+-----+----+----+----+--------------------------------------------- |Serial No. | | No. of the Chapter and the Verse of the Koran. | | | Original Words. ---------------------------- | | | | George Sale's Translation. } ENGLISH | | | | | Rev. Rodwell's Translation. } | | | | | | Henry Palmer's Translation. } TRANSLATIONS. |----+-----+----+----+----+---------------------------------------------

12. The above verses quoted with remarks. I will now proceed to give a correct translation of all the verses of the Koran referred to above, in the chronological order of the chapters of the Koran as far as it is ascertained together with my observations and remarks on them, and quotations from Mohammadan commentators when necessary.

I.--THE MECCAN SURAS.

[Sidenote: (1) Lokman, XXXI, 14.]

13. "But if they exert their utmost (Jáhadáka) to make thee to join that with Me of which thou hadst no knowledge, obey them not."