Ali Quli Qarai, The Qur’ān with a Phrase-by-Phrase English Translation (2005)
and defy another part?
So what is the requital of those of you who do that
except disgrace in the life of this world?
And on the Day of Resurrection,
they shall be consigned to the severest punishment.
And Allah is not oblivious of what you do.
86 They are the ones who bought the life of this world
for the Hereafter;
so their punishment shall not be lightened,
nor will they be helped.
87 Certainly We gave Moses the Book,
and followed him with the apostles,
and We gave Jesus, the son of Mary,
manifest proofs,
and confirmed him with the Holy Spirit.
Is it not that whenever an apostle brought you 1
that which was not to your liking,
you would act arrogantly;
so you would impugn a part [of them],
and slay a[nother] part?
88 And they say,
‘Our hearts are uncircumcised.’2
Rather Allah has cursed them for their unfaith,
1 That is, the Jews.
2 Uncircumcised: unconverted, heathen, faithless; cf. 4:155. In Leviticus 26.41, it is said of the Israelites, ‘Then when their uncircumcised hearts are humbled and they pay for their sin, I will remember my covenant with Jacob … ,’ and in Jeremiah 9.26: ‘Even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart … .’ There are other similar expressions and phrases in the Bible: “uncircumcised lips” (Exodus 6.12 and 6.30); “their ear is uncircumcised and they cannot hearken” (Jeremiah 6.10); “uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh” (Ezekiel 44.7, 9); “uncircumcised in heart and ears” (Acts 7.51), “putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ” (Colossians 2.11).
