The issue is I can not look up these Tafsirs to see if your translation agrees with proper linguistic translations. You care what the Arabic says but you are translating Arabic to English for us. It is the same thing the authors of the translation I cited are doing... Your translation could be wrong in sentence structure and context.
The main part of my post is refering to what the Arabic says. I added in the classical Tafsirs just as an addition.
Even your own images show you are picking one of several meanings without citing any context as to why one definition is applied but not the others. Why is expand(ing) used instead of develop. Why are the other 7 or more meaning ruled out?
Im not picking meaning if you read my post i said all of the meanings are implied. Showing the perfect word Allah used to convey so many meanings.
Part of the miraculous nature of the Quran is that uses word(s) that have more than one meaning and all these meanings are intended. So in conclusion after looking at classical commentaries three meanings are given for the word موسعون (mūsi’ūna):
1. To encompass the heavens (Physically, Knowledge, Authority). This means that god encompasses it with his power and that he knows everything through his knowledge and has authority over it.
2. To provide for his creation. One who provides for his creation from the heavens. So physically, like the rain that comes down from the heavens. Or spiritually.
3. To physically expand. Meaning to continuously expand something or to make something vaster.
Your quoted Tafsirs do nothing to support your cases as these are not about the verse in question. The few I was able to look up are indeed using the word you cite but in different verses about different things, events, abilities and people. The structure and meaning can be modified by the other words within the verse or just context in general. I also can not confirm your dictionary citation as proposed. It does mean expand but also means widen, make wide(r) or (more) spacious, broaden, enlarge, extend, expand, dilate; to amplify; to develop, elaborate (upon), to space (out).
Yes the word Wasi means to expand, to widen, to enlarge, to extend. I never said otherwise. This would mean Allah is continously increasing the size of the Universe, Expanding/widening/enlarging it.
These words have different meaning in context and sentence structure. This is what happens when you translate one language to another. This is what happens when you piecemeal a translation. It loses context, intended meaning, phrase structure.
How would you translate the verse. I would translate it with quite a few meanings. One being expanding it.
I see piecemeal translation all the time and am fully aware of the issues with your methodology. For this reason alone I am asking you for better references. This is what I, and the rest of academy, expect to see. Author, Translation Author, Book, Publication, Year, Edition, Page, Format. Ex. Leroux, Marcel. Global Warming: Myth Or Reality?: The Erring Ways of Climatology. New York: Springer, 2005. Print. Why should I consider your translations correct and Pickthall's in error? Especially considering the flawed methods you have used I stated above. I need to be able to analysis your translation before even considering the meaning of the verse and it's interpretation.
Thats a valid point. In the future I will improve the references and sources of my article. I written it quite a while ago and needs lots of improvements.
Why not look to the arabic? Its clear in what it means. Musioona - The Expander/Expanding it.
Topic: Quran- Verse 51:47 Expanding Universe & Expanding Interpretations/Translations