4:49

Salaam all,

This is 4:49
أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ يُزَكُّونَ أَنفُسَهُمْ بَلِ اللّهُ يُزَكِّي مَن يَشَاء وَلاَ يُظْلَمُونَ فَتِيلاً
Alam tara ila allatheena yuzakkoona anfusahum bali Allahu yuzakkee man yashao wala yuthlamoona fateelan

The Aya says:
Do you (singular) not see to those who declare fruitfulness to themselves?! But instead, Allah makes fruitful whoever He wills. And they will not be treated unjustly by a trace.

My personal note:
The Aya looks skeptically at people who become full of themselves and declare themselves to be mature and pure and fruitful. The Aya reminds us that Allah is the one who declares us fruitful or not. He is also the one who helps us become fruitful and mature and pure. The Aya reminds us of God’s extreme justice so that we will never claim that God made some pure and others not pure, out of injustice. God is always, Just, Wise and Merciful to all his creation.

Translation of the transliterated words:

Alam: did not?!
Note: this is a question form that brings the attention of the listener to what is being asked.
Tara: You (singular) see?
Note: the root R-Hamza-Y and it means viewing or seeing. TARA is an action that is being completed or will be completed. It means: the action of vision is happening or will be happening by the subject (second person singular). ALAM TARA takes the meaning of : Did you not see?
Ila: to
Allatheena: those who
Yuzakkoona: claim fruitfulness/ maturity
Note: the root is Z-K-W and it means maturing/growing. In the concrete it means bringing about fruit. YUZAKKOONA is an action that is being completed or will be completed. It means: the action of making the object (ANfusahum= themselves) bear fruit is happening or will be happening by the subject (third person plural and it is the same as the object). The “Making bear fruit” carries the potential meaning of claiming to be bearing fruit or mature, or working on it. The context here is pointing to the people who claim that they are mature or bearing fruit, rather than the ones who work on becoming so.
Anfusahum: themselves
Note: ANFUS is derived from the root N-F-S and it means to breath but is extended to mean self since the self breathes and that defines her existence. ANFUSA is a noun that is derived from this root and it means Selves of. HUM means them.
Bali: but instead
Allahu: Allah
Yuzakkee: makes mature/ declares maturity/ fruitfulness
Note: the root is Z-K-W and it means maturing/growing. In the concrete it means bringing about fruit. YUZAKKEE is an action that is being completed or will be completed. It means: the action of making the object (man yashao= whoever He wills) bear fruit is happening or will be happening by the subject (third person plural and it is the same as the object). The “Making bear fruit” carries the potential meaning of claiming to be bearing fruit or mature, or working on it. The context here carries both meanings with particular response to the declaring or claiming maturity to people.
Man: whoever
Yashao: He wills/ He entities
Note: the root is SH-Y-Hamza and it means entity for noun and to entity for the action. This means making a non entity become an entity, which also means making what was impossible possible, or what was non existent, existent or what was un-allowed allowed, and so forth. YASHAO is an action that is related to the root that is being completed or will be completed. It means: The entity is happening or will be happening by the subject (third person singular and points to God).
wala: and not
Yuthlamoona: be transgressed against/will be treated unfairly
Note: the root is THa-L-M and it means darkness. This is one of the concrete meanings and it is used to mean decisions made in darkness which include transgression and displacement of right and wrong. YUTHLaMOONA is an action that is being completed or will be completed. It means: the action of being transgressing is happening or will be happening by the subject (undisclosed) to the object (third person plural). “Wala Yuthalmoon” in turn means: they will not be transgressed against or they will not be treated unfairly.
Fateelan: a trace
Note: the root is F-T-L and it means rubbing one finger opposite another, either to twist a thread or rope or to remove some dirt or otherwise. FATEEL is the product of that and it can be a thin twisted rope or the trace dirt that comes out. Conceptually, in this situation, it points to trace or very little.

Salaam all and have a great day

Hussein