Ali Quli Qarai, The Qur’ān with a Phrase-by-Phrase English Translation (2005)
Why do you mix the truth with falsehood,
and conceal the truth while you know [it]?
72 A group of the People of the Book say,
‘Believe in what has been sent down to the faithful
at the beginning of the day,
and disbelieve at its end,
so that they may turn back [from their religion].’
73 ‘And do not believe anyone
except him who follows your religion.’
Say, ‘Indeed [true] guidance is the guidance of Allah.’
‘[And do not believe] that anyone may be given
the like of what you were given,
or that he may argue with you before your Lord.’1
Say, ‘Indeed all grace is in Allah’s hand;
He grants it to whomever He wishes,
and Allah is all-bounteous, all-knowing.
74 He singles out for His mercy whomever He wishes,
and Allah is dispenser of a great grace.’
75 And among the People of the Book is he who
if you entrust him with a quintal 2
will repay it to you,
and among them is he who,
if you entrust him with a dinar
1 This is in accordance with 2:76 where the Jews are described as making a similar statement. Alternatively, it may be understood as being part of the reply the Prophet is asked to give to the Jews, in which case the translation will be as follows: ‘Say, “Indeed [true] guidance is the guidance of Allah, so that anyone may be given the like of what you were given, or that he may argue with you before your Lord.” ’
2 Quintal: hundredweight. The American Heritage Dictionary gives the following history of the English ‘quintal’: Middle English, a unit of weight, from Old French, from Medieval Latin quintāle, from Arabic qinṭār, from Late Greek kentēnarion, from Late Latin centēnārium (pondus), hundred(weight), from Latin centēnārius, of a hundred.
