Quote:
{3:1} Alif, Lam, Meem.
{3:2} God - there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of existence.
{3:3} He has sent down upon you, [O Muhammad], the Book in truth, confirming what was before it. And He revealed the Torah and the Gospel.
{3:4} Before, as guidance for the people. And He revealed the Quran. Indeed, those who disbelieve in the verses of God will have a severe punishment, and God is exalted in Might, the Owner of Retribution.
A couple of comments:
2. "Al-Qayyoom" القيوم does mean the sustainer of existence, but the Arabic word is an "exaggeration pattern" from "Qayyim" قيِّم which means supervisor. So, a closer translation is needed. Any ideas?
3,4. "Nazzala" نزَّل does mean "sent down" but in stages, pieces or gradually. Thus a better translation would be "has been sending down." "Anzala" أنزل means "sent down" or "has sent down" but not "revealed".
4. The word God used in 3:4 for the Quran is Al-Fruqaan الفرقان. The translation should reflect that, so I suggest "and sent down the
discernment" or "and sent down the
discerning [book]."
4. "Aayaat" آيات does not mean verses, it means signs. I suggest "those who disbelieve in the
signs of God..."
4. "`Azhaab" عذاب does not mean punishment. It means torment. Punishment is a good translation for "`Iqaab" عقاب. Also, "Shadeed" شديد means strong or robust. I'd like to reserve "strong" to translate "Qawiyy" قوي. I therefore suggest "will have a
robust torment." 4. "`Azeez" عزيز really means one who cannot be beat. "Exalted in might" is a good translation, but I'd like to find another word to translate "`Azeez," perhaps "Unbeatable?"
4. "Owner of retribution" is a good translation of "Zhuntiqaam" ذو انتقام, but why not translate it closer, i.e., "has retribution" or "has vengence?"
Thus, to summarize the above comments, I suggest this translation:
{3:1} Alif (A), Laam (L), Meem (M).{3:2} God - there is no deity except Him, the Living, the Supreme Maintainer.{3:3} He has been sending down upon you [, O Muhammad,] the Book in truth, confirming of what is before it and sent down the Torah and the Gospel.{3:4} Before, as guidance for the people. And He sent down the Discernment (the Quran). Verily, those who have disbelieved in the signs of God - for them is a fierce torment, and God is Almighty, with retribution.