Surah 2 · Verse 54

[2:54] Ego, the self-exaggerating or selfworshiping self, should be avoided while the realist or appreciative self should be nourished. It is astonishing to see that many translations of the Quran render the phrase uqtulu anfusakum as "fight/kill each other." How could they not notice thirty verses down, that is, the 84th and 85th verses of this very chapter? The Arabic word nafs is a multiple-meaning word and its intended meaning can be inferred by considering its proximate context consistent with the entire text of the scripture. The multiple meanings ascribed to the word nafs (person) suggest that our personhood is a complex program with multiple layers and one part of it, the ego, needs to be controlled with reason and submission to God alone. However, there is another way. We should be open to read the text of the scripture without being restricted to the traditionally codified readings. We should be able to read the oldest texts that do not contain dots or vowels, in all possible readings, with the condition that they fit the context well and do not create internal or external contradictions within the ayat (signs) of the scripture or the ayat of nature. There is a divine blessing and purpose in such flexibility. For instance, we might read the following verses differently. If the alternative readings change the meaning dramatically, they are exclusive. However, sometimes both alternative readings can co-exist at the same time. One of the following, however, is a linguistic marvel; with its four alternative combinations, it excludes and includes at the same time, depending on the reference of the key word (3:7)! The following is a sample list:  2:243 Kharaju or Khuriju (inclusive)  3:7 Putting full stop after the word God and/or not stopping after the word God (both exclusive and inclusive!)  5:43; 5:6 Arjulakum or Arjulikum (exclusive)  11:46 Amalun or Amila (inclusive)  21:112 Qala or Qul (exclusive)  30:1 Yaglibun or Yughlabun (exclusive)  42:52 Nashau or Yashau (inclusive)  54:3 Kullu or Kulla (inclusive)  74:24 Yuthir or Yuthar (inclusive)  Kitab or Kutub (inclusive or exclusive) in numerous verses  3:146 Qatala or Qutila (both inclusive and exclusive)  7:57 Bushra or Nushra (iclusive) Let's now discuss the alternative reading we are suggesting for 2:54. The expression faqtulu anfusakum is traditionally mistranslated as "fight/kill yourselves" or "fight/kill each other" and it contradicts a proximate verse (2:84); thus, we may choose to translate the word nafs as "ego." If we prefer consistency in using "person/self" for translation of nafs, then we may follow the following alternative reading: Faqbilu anfusakum, that is, "turn to yourselves," or "accept yourselves," or "face yourselves." To discover other examples of different yet consistent and meaningful readings, we are hoping to systematically study the entire Quran in the future. See 4:66; 7:40. For multiple-meaning verses, see 3:7.