In Qur'an 7:161, why is "say the word of humility" translated in various ways?
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Regarding the ayah:
> وَإِذْ قِيلَ لَهُمُ اسْكُنُوا هَٰذِهِ الْقَرْيَةَ وَكُلُوا مِنْهَا حَيْثُ شِئْتُمْ **وَقُولُوا حِطَّةٌ** وَادْخُلُوا الْبَابَ سُجَّدًا نَّغْفِرْ لَكُمْ خَطِيئَاتِكُمْ سَنَزِيدُ الْمُحْسِنِينَ
> Qur'an 7:161
Some translations (sourced from Islam Awakened ) are:
> And remember it was said to them: "Dwell in this town and eat therein as ye wish, but **say the word of humility** and enter the gate in a posture of humility: We shall forgive you your faults; We shall increase (the portion of) those who do good."
> -- Yusuf Ali (Saudi Rev. 1985)
>
> And [mention, O Muhammad], when it was said to them, "Dwell in this city and eat from it wherever you will and **say, 'Relieve us of our burdens,'** and enter the gate bowing humbly; We will [then] forgive you your sins. We will increase the doers of good [in goodness and reward]."
> -- Sahih International
>
> And (remember) when it was said to them: “Reside in this town and eat from there whatever you wish, and **say: ‘(O Allah) forgives our sins,’** and enter the gate prostrating (bowing with humility). We shall forgive you your sins. We shall increase (reward for) the righteous people.”
> -- Abdul Hye
I'm a bit puzzled as to why there's multiple, somewhat different translations of the part highlighted in bold.
**Question**: In Qur'an 7:161, why is "say the word of humility" translated in various ways?
The main relevant Arabic word seems to be حطة (ḥiṭṭa) = "alleviate". I'm not sure how this translates.
Asked by Rebecca J. Stones
(20998 rep)
Mar 23, 2019, 11:16 PM
Last activity: Mar 24, 2019, 03:50 AM
Last activity: Mar 24, 2019, 03:50 AM