Surah al-Mu'minun 23:14

The Best of Creators?

Surah al-Mu'minun (23:14)

Pickthall Yusufali Shakir Sher Ali Rashad Khalifa

Then fashioned We the drop a clot, then fashioned We the clot a little lump, then fashioned We the little lump bones, then clothed the bones with flesh, and then produced it as another creation. So blessed be Allah, the Best of creators! Then We made the sperm into a clot of congealed blood; then of that clot We made a (foetus) lump; then we made out of that lump bones and clothed the bones with flesh; then we developed out of it another creature. So blessed be God, the best to create! Then We made the seed a clot, then We made the clot a lump of flesh, then We made (in) the lump of flesh bones, then We clothed the bones with flesh, then We caused it to grow into another creation, so blessed be Allah, the best of the creators. Then WE fashioned the sperm into a clot; then WE fashioned the clot into a shapeless lump; then WE fashioned bones out of this shapeless lump; Then WE clothed the bones with flesh; Then WE developed it into another creation. So blessed be ALLAH, the Best of creators. Then we developed the drop into a hanging (embryo), then developed the hanging (embryo) into a bite-size (fetus), then created the bite-size (fetus) into bones, then covered the bones with flesh. We thus produce a new creature. Most blessed is GOD, the best Creator.

Pickthall	Yusufali	Shakir	Sher Ali	Rashad Khalifa
Then fashioned We the drop a clot, then fashioned We the clot a little lump, then fashioned We the little lump bones, then clothed the bones with flesh, and then produced it as another creation. So blessed be Allah, the Best of creators!	Then We made the sperm into a clot of congealed blood; then of that clot We made a (foetus) lump; then we made out of that lump bones and clothed the bones with flesh; then we developed out of it another creature. So blessed be God, the best to create!	Then We made the seed a clot, then We made the clot a lump of flesh, then We made (in) the lump of flesh bones, then We clothed the bones with flesh, then We caused it to grow into another creation, so blessed be Allah, the best of the creators.	Then WE fashioned the sperm into a clot; then WE fashioned the clot into a shapeless lump; then WE fashioned bones out of this shapeless lump; Then WE clothed the bones with flesh; Then WE developed it into another creation. So blessed be ALLAH, the Best of creators.	Then we developed the drop into a hanging (embryo), then developed the hanging (embryo) into a bite-size (fetus), then created the bite-size (fetus) into bones, then covered the bones with flesh. We thus produce a new creature. Most blessed is GOD, the best Creator.

[Discussions on further issues regarding Sura 23:14 can be found in the Tafsir section.]

Some of the translators are seemingly embarrassed by the phrase "The best of creators" (aHsan al-khaliqeen) because it contains the plural word "creators". There are several passages in the Qur'an that make it quite clear that there is only one God, one creator. Why then do we find here that Allah is the best of creators? What other creators are in view when the Qur'an says that?

Yusuf Ali decides to replace the noun with a verb to conceal the oddity and Rashad Khalifa just drops the plural and translates it as singular.

This expression is repeated in Surah as-Saffat 37:125. Here Yusuf Ali seems no longer to mind the plural, while Khalifa still insists on translating it in the singular.

Pickthall Yusufali Shakir Sher Ali Rashad Khalifa

Will ye cry unto Baal and forsake the Best of creators, "Will ye call upon Baal and forsake the Best of Creators,- What! do you call upon Ba'l and forsake the best of the creators, `Do you call on Ba`l and forsake the Best of creators - "Do you worship a statue, instead of the Supreme Creator?

Pickthall	Yusufali	Shakir	Sher Ali	Rashad Khalifa
Will ye cry unto Baal and forsake the Best of creators,	"Will ye call upon Baal and forsake the Best of Creators,-	What! do you call upon Ba'l and forsake the best of the creators,	`Do you call on Ba`l and forsake the Best of creators -	"Do you worship a statue, instead of the Supreme Creator?

The plural expression is also used in Surah at-Tur 52:35, "Or were they created out of naught? Or are they the creators?" In that ayah it is not a problem. This is not a statement of fact, but asking and expecting a no for an answer. Clearly those others are not creators.

But the first two passages constitute a difficulty, though maybe not strong enough to be called a contradiction.

In Surah al-Fatir 35:3 we observe a slight difference in translation but the choice of words is consistent with the choices made in 23:14.

Pickthall Yusufali Shakir Sher Ali Rashad Khalifa

O mankind! Remember Allah's grace toward you! Is there any creator other than Allah who provideth for you from the sky and the earth? There is no God save Him. Whither then are ye turned? O men! Call to mind the grace of God unto you! is there a creator, other than God, to give you sustenance from heaven or earth? There is no god but He: how then are ye deluded away from the Truth? O men! call to mind the favor of Allah on you; is there any creator besides Allah who gives you sustenance from the heaven and the earth? There is no god but He; whence are you then turned away? O ye men, remember the favour of ALLAH that HE has bestowed upon you. Is there any creator other than ALLAH who provides for you from the heaven and the earth ? There is none worthy of worship but HE. Wither then are you turned away ? O people, remember GOD's blessings upon you. Is there any creator other than GOD who provides for you from the heaven and the earth? There is no other god beside Him. How could you deviate?

Pickthall	Yusufali	Shakir	Sher Ali	Rashad Khalifa
O mankind! Remember Allah's grace toward you! Is there any creator other than Allah who provideth for you from the sky and the earth? There is no God save Him. Whither then are ye turned?	O men! Call to mind the grace of God unto you! is there a creator, other than God, to give you sustenance from heaven or earth? There is no god but He: how then are ye deluded away from the Truth?	O men! call to mind the favor of Allah on you; is there any creator besides Allah who gives you sustenance from the heaven and the earth? There is no god but He; whence are you then turned away?	O ye men, remember the favour of ALLAH that HE has bestowed upon you. Is there any creator other than ALLAH who provides for you from the heaven and the earth ? There is none worthy of worship but HE. Wither then are you turned away ?	O people, remember GOD's blessings upon you. Is there any creator other than GOD who provides for you from the heaven and the earth? There is no other god beside Him. How could you deviate?

Yusuf Ali's translation "is there any ... to give ...?" implies "there is none who could", i.e. refering to the non-existence of other such creators who would be able to. The other translators opt for expressing it such that it means, "there is none who does", but there could exist some but they just don't do the providing. This observation is absolutely minor, but was interesting nevertheless.

Surah ar-Ra`d 13:16 also speaks about the creator at the end of the ayah.

Pickthall Yusufali Shakir Sher Ali Rashad Khalifa

... Say: Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the One, the Almighty. ... Say: "God is the Creator of all things: He is the One, the Supreme and Irresistible." ... Say: Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the One, the Supreme. ... Say, `ALLAH alone is the Creator of all things, and HE is the One, the Most supreme.' ... Say, "GOD is the Creator of all things, and He is the One, the Supreme."

Pickthall	Yusufali	Shakir	Sher Ali	Rashad Khalifa
... Say: Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the One, the Almighty.	... Say: "God is the Creator of all things: He is the One, the Supreme and Irresistible."	... Say: Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the One, the Supreme.	... Say, `ALLAH alone is the Creator of all things, and HE is the One, the Most supreme.'	... Say, "GOD is the Creator of all things, and He is the One, the Supreme."

Here, strangely, Pickhall translates "Almighty" what is otherwise interpreted as "Supreme" (i.e. an attribute of position became one of power), while Yusuf Ali adds "irresistible" which none of the other translators could find in the Arabic text.

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