My book, “The Myth of Natural Rights and Other Essays,” includes the short, satirical essay,”An Open Letter to Allah.” To prepare to expand that essay into a book in its own right, I’ve been rereading my copy of “The Holy Qur’an,” generally an unrewarding exercise. However, one interesting thing I’ve noticed is in Surah 4, verses 36 and 37. Verse 36 ends by saying “…Allah loveth not the the arrogant, the vainglorious.” Verse 37 continues the thought: “(Nor) those who are niggardly or enjoin niggardliness on others….”
But some years back, there were news stories about someone who was offended by another person’s use of the word “niggardly.” The offendee ignorantly regarded the word as a racial slur.
In any case, the word is now deemed offensive and is to be avoided.
And yet, there it is in my copy of “The Holy Qur’an.” It’s true that the English translation by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, contained in my copy of the book, was completed back in 1934. But since
Allah knows all and sees all, including the future, He must have known in advance that “niggardly” would eventually become verboten. So let’s give the devil his due. Whatever else may be wrong with Allah, at least He’s not PC.