This video has been circulating social media:
I want to preface this post by first saying that Alhamdulilah there is much good coming from the World Cup in Qatar. Many people entering Islam, and blatant hypocrisy of the kuffar being brought to light on the world stage. My criticisms do not negate the good that come, but I wish to share them so we can learn from them.
I will only be focusing on the mistranslation of the recited Quranic verse. Below is the Arabic, and the English translation the brother provides. Below that will be the translation provided by Sahih International. If you know Arabic you don’t need the translations to see right away how wrong the verse was translated and how he turned the Quranic verse into a watered down generic statement.
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا ۚ إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ
Surah 49 Verse 13 of the Quran with Qatar World Cup Translation
“We were raised to believe that we were scattered on this Earth as nations and tribes, so that we could learn from each other and and find beauty in our differences.”
O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you.
Surah 49 Verse 13 of the Quran Sahih International translation
Right away we can see the shocking difference. Not to mention how he starts by saying “we were raised to believe,” which gives off the understanding that you weren’t convinced, but simply indoctrinated from birth. You believing in the Quran and Islam is cultural. We were raised to believe that we were scattered on this Earth as nations and tribes. Not that we know, or even we believe, but “raised to believe.” It’s not different than saying, “in our culture we believe.”
Then he adds, “so that we could learn from each other and find beauty in our differences.” The verse doesn’t mention finding beauty in our differences. We could say that’s his tafsir of the verse, and yes there is some beauty in our differences. But there is also evil in differences. It’s not beautiful that some nations worship trees, monkeys, stones, and people. There’s nothing beautiful about that.
What’s most egregious is that he didn’t translate the first part of the verse, which Alhamdulilah negates evolution of man, and makes clear that there aren’t 72 genders, but rather only 2. It also explains that we are united in having one Creator, and that the best among is not by cultural or technological differences, but rather by worshipping and following the commands of our Creator. The man’s translation of the verse didn’t mention Allah at all!
Nothing to be surprised about. It’s the World Cup. It’s for entertainment and money. The goal isn’t unification or peace. The main goal isn’t propagating Islam. The opening ceremony was mainly cultural, with singing immodestly dressed women. Don’t bring the Quran or Islam into it if you’re not going to teach it anywhere near the proper way, and just use it as a means to appease the “religious” in the crowd.
It’s a missed opportunity. This is why Muslims are suffering around the world. We don’t have a backbone to stand firm on the truth. The liars and deceivers are standing firm in their man made ideologies, and the Muslims are capitulating.
May Allah guide us to stay firm on the Truth, forgive our sins, and raise a generation of pure Muslims. Ameen.
This is why it’s so important for Muslims to live holistic Islamic lives. To aid in that, I’ve been working on books for Muslim kids, so that even while relaxing and having fun, they can be reminded of Islam. Our purpose is to worship Allah, and a smart Muslim will do so in everything he does, even his rest. Having Muslim books helps develop the Muslim mindset in children. We don’t want to raise children named Muhammad and Fatimah, but live lives like John and Jessica. Even the best non-Muslim book will usually still have things like haraam relationships, mistreatment of parents, shirk, and no mention of Allah or Islam. Please consider purchasing a copy. Jazaka Allahu khayran.
A fun moral comic for kids