Muhammad Asad in his translation of Quran surah 23:12-14, gives the following translation:
NOW, INDEED, We create man out of the essence of clay, {4} (12) and then We cause him to remain as a drop of sperm in [the womb's] firm Keeping, (13) and then We create out of the drop of sperm a germ-cell, and then We create out of the germ-cell an embryonic lump, and then We create within the embryonic lump bones, and then We clothe the bones with flesh - and then We bring [all] this into being as a new creation: {5} hallowed, therefore, is God, the best of artisans! {6} (14)
And on note {4} is :
...The past tense in verses 12-14 (lit., "We have created", "We have caused him to remain", etc.) emphasizes the fact that all this has been ordained by God and has been happening again and again ever since man was brought into being by Him; in the above context, this recurrence is brought out best by the use of the present tense.
(I know little bit of Arabic, and aware of there is not tense in Arabic in sense of time , perfect tense and imperfect tense is for complete and incomplete work respectively).The verb use in surah 23:12-14 is perfect verb, which is usually translated as past tense as mention by Muhammad himself, but in note{4} he writes "... is brought out best by the use of the present tense." Here I got confused. My Question is:
- What Muhammad is saying in note{4},
- And Verb used in this surah is perfect tense, but can it be read other than perfect tense based upon grammar in this surah such as present tense, not as per English grammar, but by Arabic grammar
