Quote:
{3:110} You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in God. If only the People of the Scripture had believed, it would have been better for them. Among them are believers, but most of them are defiantly disobedient.
I suggest,
{3:110} You have been the best community produced for mankind; you enjoin what is recognized [as right], forbid what is frowned upon [as wrong] and believe in God. Had the People of the Scripture believed, it would have been better for them. Among them are believers, but most of them are deviant.Quote:
{3:111} They will not harm you except for [some] annoyance. And if they fight you, they will show you their backs; then they will not be aided.
This and the other translations chose to translate
أذى as "annoyance" or "trifle hurt." I think it means
physical hurt. The verse is assuring Muslims, who maintain their best community status, that their enemies may harm them physically but will not spiritually. Thus, I suggest,
{3:111} They will not harm you (spiritually) but [only] with [physical] hurt. And if they fight you, they will turn their backs to you, then they will not be supported.Quote:
{3:112} They have been put under humiliation [by God] wherever they are overtaken, except for a covenant from God and a rope from the Muslims. And they have drawn upon themselves anger from God and have been put under destitution. That is because they disbelieved in the verses of God and killed the prophets without right. That is because they disobeyed and [habitually] transgressed.
I'm not sure why the translator chose "covenant", except as exegesis. We do not want to interpret here; we want to translate. The Arabic says "rope" and Pickthall used it, so I suggest we use "rope."
باءوا really means "ended up," so I suggest "And they ended up with wrath from God..."
The rest is excellent translation