Recitation by Mishary Al-Alfasy
Name
The surah takes its name, Al-Mu'minun, from the
first verse.
Period of Revelation.
Both its style
and theme indicate that it was revealed during the middle stage of Prophethood
at Makkah. Reading between the lines, one feels that a bitter conflict had begun
between the, Holy Prophet and the disbelievers of Makkah, though the persecution
by them had not yet become tyrannical. It appears that the surah was sent down
during the climax of the "Famine" in Makkah (vv. 75-76), which according to
authentic traditions occurred during the middle stage of Prophethood. Moreover,
according to a tradition related by 'Urwah bin Zubair, Hadarat Umar who had
embraced Islam by that time, said, "This Surah was revealed in my presence and I
myself observed the state of the Holy Prophet during its revelation. When the
revelation ended , the Holy Prophet remarked, 'On this occasion ten such verses
have been sent down to me that the one who measures up to them, will most surely
go to Paradise'. Then he recited the initial verses of the surah." (Ahmad,
Tirmizi, Nasai, Hakim).
Theme Topics
The central
theme of the surah is to invite the people to accept and follow the Message of
the Holy Prophet and the whole Surah revolves round this theme.
Summary
The fact that the people who have accepted the Message
of the Holy Prophet have started acquiring such and such noble qualities of
character is a practical proof of the truth of the Message. 1 - 11
In
this passage, attention has been drawn to the creation of man and the universe
to impress that the whole universe including man's own self, is a clear proof of
the truth of the Holy Prophet's Message, which invites the people to accept
Tauhid and life in the Hereafter. 12 - 22
Then the stories of the former
Prophets and their communities have been cited as historical evidences of the
truth of the Message. They prove the following things :
The objections
and the doubts that the antagonists are raising against the Message of Muhammad
(Allah's peace be upon him) are not new. These were raised against the former
Prophets also whom they themselves acknowledged as Messengers of Allah.
Therefore they should learn a lesson from their history and judge for themselves
whether the Prophets were in the right or their objectors.
The Message of
Tauhid and the Hereafter that Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon him) is conveying
is the same as was brought by the former Prophets; therefore they should accept
it.
They should take a warning from the consequences met by those
communities who rejected the Message of their Prophets.
All the Prophets
brought one and the same religion from Allah and they all belonged to one and
the same community. All other religions were invented by the people themselves
and none of them is from Allah. 23 - 54
After relating the stories of the
Prophets, a fundamental principle has been enunciated: Success and prosperity in
the worldly life is not a criterion of success in the sight of Allah. If some
persons (or a person) are enjoying prosperity, wealth, power and the like in
this world, it does not mean that they are favorites of Allah. Likewise, the
poverty and adversity of other people is not a proof that Allah is displeased
with them. The real criterion is Faith (or lack of it). This declaration was
needed because the antagonists of the Holy Prophet were the great chiefs of
Makkah, who (and their followers) were deluded by their own prosperity that God
and their deities were well pleased with them. On the other hand, they argued,
the fact that Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon him) and his followers were
indigent and in a state of helplessness, was a clear proof that Allah was not
pleased with them, and they were under the curse of their deities. 55 - 67
In this passage different arguments have been used to convince them that
Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon him) was a true Prophet of Allah. Then they have
been told that the Famine (vv. 75 - 76) was merely a warning and therefore "it
is better for you to mend your ways; otherwise you will be visited by a terrible
scourge." 68 - 77
Again they have been invited to observe the Signs in
the universe and in their own selves because these are clear proofs of the truth
of the Message of the Holy Prophet. 78 - 95
The Holy Prophet has been
told not to adopt any wrong way in retaliation to counteract the evil ways of
the enemies, and to guard against the incitement of Satan. 96 - 97
In
this concluding passage, the enemies of the truth have been warned that they
shall have to render an account in the Hereafter and bear the consequences of
their persecution of the Believers; therefore they should mend their ways. 98 -
118
1"Believers", who have attained true success, are those who have accepted the
Message of Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon him), and have acknowledged him as
their guide and followed the way of life taught by him.
This assertion
cannot be fully appreciated unless one keeps in view the background in which it
was made. On the one hand, there were the well-to-do and prosperous chiefs of
Makkah, the opponents of Islam, whose business was thriving and who were
enjoying every good thing of life, and on the other hand, there were the
followers of Islam majority of whom were either poor from the beginning, or had
been reduced to poverty by ruthless antagonism to Islam. Therefore, the
assertion, "Most certainly the Believers have attained true success", with which
the discourse begins, was meant to tell the disbelievers that the criterion of
success and failure that they had in mind was not correct. It was based on
misconceptions besides being transitory and limited in nature: it led to failure
and not true success. On the contrary, the followers of Muhammad (Allah's peace
be upon him), whom they regarded as failures, were truly successful, because by
accepting the invitation to the Right Guidance given by the Messenger of Allah,
they had struck a bargain which would lead them to true success and everlasting
bliss in this world as well as in the Hereafter, whereas by rejecting the
Message the opponents had incurred loss and would meet with the evil
consequences both in this world and in the next.
This is the main theme
of the Surah and the whole discourse, from the beginning to the end, is meant to
impress the same.
2The noble characteristics of the Believers pointed
out in vv. 2-9 are the arguments to prove the above assertion. In other words,
it has been stated that people with such and such traits and qualities only can
attain true success in this world and in the Hereafter.
3Khashi`un in the
Text is from khushu (to bow down, to express humility) which is a condition of
the heart as well as of the body. Khushu' of the heart is to fear and stand in
awe of a powerful person, and khushu ` of the body is to bow one's head and
lower one's gaze and voice in his presence. In Salat one is required to show
khushu ` both of the heart and of the body, and this is the essence of the
Prayer. It has been reported that when the Holy Prophet once saw a person
offering his Prayer as well as playing with his beard, he remarked: "Had he
khushu ` in his heart, his body would have manifested it. "
Though khushu
` is actually a condition of the heart, as stated by the above tradition, it is
manifested by the body as a matter of course. The Shari `ah has enjoined certain
etiquette which, on the one hand, helps produce khushu ` in the heart, and on
the other, helps sustain the physical act of the Prayer in spite of the
fluctuating condition of the heart. According to this etiquette, one should
neither turn to the right or left, nor raise one's head to look up: one may,
however, look around from the corner of the eye, but as far as possible, one
must fix the gaze on the place where the forehead would rest in prostration; one
is also forbidden to shift about, incline side ways, fold the garments or shake
off dust from them. It is also forbidden that while going down for prostration,
one should clean the place where one would sit or perform prostration. Similarly
it is disrespectful that one should stand stuffy erect, recite the verses of the
Qur'an in a loud resounding voice, or sing them, or belch or yawn repeatedly and
noisily. It has also not been approved that one should offer the Prayer in a
hurry. The injunction is that each article of the Prayer should be performed in
perfect peace and tranquility, and unless one article has been completely
performed, the next should not be begun. If one feels hurt by something during
the Prayer, one may cast it aside by one hand, but moving the hand repeatedly or
using both the hands for the purpose is prohibited. with this etiquette of the
body, it is also important that one should irrelevant things during the Prayer.
If thoughts come to the mind intention, it is a natural human weakness, but one
should try one's
Along avoid thinking without one's utmost that the mind
and heart are wholly turned towards Allah, and the mind is in full harmony and
tune with the tongue, and as soon as one becomes conscious of irrelevant
thoughts one should immediately turn the attention to the Prayer.
4Literally, laghv is anything nonsensical, meaningless and vain, which is in no
way conducive to achieving one's goal and purpose in life. The Believers pay no
heed to such useless things and they show no inclination or interest for them.
If by chance they see such things being indulged in, they keep away and avoid
them scrupulously, or treat them with utmost indifference. This attitude has
been described in Al-Furqan (XXV): 72, thus: " ... if they have to pass by what
is vain, they pass by like dignified people."
This is indeed one of the
outstanding characteristics of the Believer. He is a person who feels the burden
of responsibility at all times; he regards the world as a place of test, and the
life as the limited time allowed for the test. This feeling makes him behave
seriously and responsibly throughout life just like the student who is taking an
examination paper with his whole mind and body and soul absorbed in it. Just as
the student knows and feels that each moment of the limited time at his disposal
is important and decisive for his future life, and is not inclined to waste it,
so the Believer also spends each moment of his life on works which are useful
and productive in their ultimate results. So much so that even in matters of
recreation and sport, he makes a choice of only those things which prepare him
for higher ends in life and do not result in mere wastage of time. For him time
is not something to be killed but used profitably and productively.
Besides this, the Believer is a person who possesses a right thinking mind, pure
nature and fine taste: he has no inclination to indecent things: he can talk
useful and healthy things but cannot indulge in idle talk: he has a fine taste
of humor, but is not given to jesting, joking, ridicule, etc. nor can he endure
dirty jokes and fun. For him a society in which the ears are never immune from
abusive language, back-biting, slander; lying, dirty songs and indecent talk is
a source of torture and agony. A characteristic of the promised Paradise is:
"therein you will not hear anything vain or useless."
5The word Zakat
literally means purification and development-to help something grow tip smoothly
and develop without obstruction. As an Islamic term, it implies both the portion
of wealth taken out for the purpose of purifying the rest of wealth and the act
of purification itself. The words of the original Text mean that the Believer
constantly practices purification. Thus the meaning is not confined to the
paying off of Zakat dues only but it is extended to self-purification which
includes purification of morals as well as wealth, property and life in general.
Then it does not mean purification of one's own self, but includes the
purification of the lives of other people as well. So the verse means: "The
Believers are the people who purify themselves as well as others." This thing
has been stated at other places in the Qur'an -also, for instance: "Successful
is he who practiced -purification and remembered his Lord and prayed." (LXXXVII:
1415), and: "Successful is he who purified himself and failure is he who
corrupted it." (XCI: 9-10). But this verse is more comprehensive in meaning
because it stresses the purification of both society and one's own person.
6They are modest in every sense of the word. They are free from sex abuse
and sex perversion. They are so modest that they even conceal those parts of
their bodies which the Law forbids to expose before others. For explanation, see
E.N.'s 30 and 32 of An-Nur (XXIV).
7This is a parenthesis which is meant
to remove the common misunderstanding that sex desire is an evil thing in itself
and satisfying it even in lawful ways is not desirable, particularly for the
righteous and godly people. This misunderstanding would have been strengthened
had it been only said that the Believers guard their private parts scrupulously,
because it would have implied that they live unmarried lives, away from the
world, like monks and hermits. Therefore a parenthesis has been added to say
that there is nothing wrong in satisfying the sex desire in lawful ways. What is
evil is that one should transgress the prescribed limits for satisfying the sex
desire.
Here are briefly a few injunctions which are based on this
parenthetical clause:
(1) Two categories of women have been excluded from
the general command of guarding the private parts: (a) wives, (b) women who are
legally in ode's possession, i.e. slave-girls. Thus the verse clearly lays down
the law that one is allowed to have sexual relations with one's slave-girl as
with one's wife. the basis being possession and not marriage. If marriage had
been the condition, the slave-girl also would have been included among the
wives, and there was no need to mention them separately. Some modern
commentators, who dispute the permissibility of having sexual relations with the
slave-girl, argue from An-Nisa' (IV) : 25 to prove that one can have sexual
relations with a slave-girl only after entering wedlock with her, because that
verse enjoins that if a person cannot afford to marry a free Muslim woman, he
may marry a Muslim slave-girl. But these commentators have a strange
characteristic: they accept a part of a verse if it suits them, but conveniently
ignore another part of the same verse if it goes against their wish and whim.
The law about marrying the slave-girls as enunciated in IV :25 reads: "....you
may marry them with the permission of their guardians and give them their fair
dowries." Obviously the person under reference here is not the master of the
slave girl himself but the person who cannot afford to marry a free Muslim
woman, and therefore , wants to marry a slave-girl, who is in the possession of
another person. For if the question had been of marrying one's own slave-girl,
who would then be the "guardian" whose permission would have to be sought? Then,
the interpretation they give of this verse contradicts other verses dealing with
the same subject in the Qur'an. A sincere person who wants to understand the
Qur'anic law in this regard should study An-Nisa' (IV); 3, 25; AI-Ahzab
(XXXIII): S0, 52, and Al-Ma`arij (LXX): 30 together with this verse of Al-Mu'minun.
(For further explanation, see E.N. 44 of An-Nisa).
(2) The law prescribed
in the parenthesis is only applicable to men as is clear from the Text. A woman
in the time of Hadrat `Umar did not understand this fine point of the language
and indulged in sexual gratification with her slave. When her case was brought
before the consultative body of the Companions, they gave the unanimous
decision: "She misinterpreted the Book of Allah" Nobody should entertain the
doubt that if this exception is meant for the men only, how could then the
husbands become lawful for the wives? This doubt is unjustified because when the
husbands are exempted from the command of guarding their private parts in regard
to their wives, the wives automatically stand exempted from the command with
regard to their husbands, and there is no nerd to grant them exemption
separately. Thus the command of exemption remains applicable and effective only
in respect of the man and the woman legally in his possession, and the slave
becomes unlawful for the woman possessing him. The wisdom of why the slave has
been forbidden to the woman is that he can only satisfy her sexual desire but
cannot become guardian and governor of herself and her household, which leaves a
serious flaw in the family life.
(3) The sentence ".... but those who go
beyond this (in lust for sexual desire), shall be transgressors" has made
satisfaction of sex desire in other ways unlawful, whether it be through
fornication, homosexuality, sex gratification with animals, or some other means.
The jurists differ only with regard to masturbation. Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal
regards it as lawful, but Imams Malik and Shafi`i regard it as absolutely
unlawful: and though the Hanafites also regard it as unlawful, they give the
opinion that if a person indulges sometimes in masturbation under the fit of
passion, it is expected that he will be forgiven the error.
(4) Some
commentators have proved the prohibition of Mut ah (temporary marriage) from
this verse. They argue that the "woman with whom one has entered into wedlock
temporarily, can neither be regarded as a Wife nor a slave-girl. A slave-girl
obviously she is not, and she is also not a wife, because the legal injunctions
normally applicable to the wife are not applicable to her. She neither inherits
the man nor the man her; she is neither governed by the law pertaining to `Iddah
(waiting period after divorce or death of husband), divorce, subsistence, nor by
that pertaining to the vow by man that he will not have conjugal relations with
her, false accusation, etc. She is also excluded from the prescribed limit of
four wives. Thus, when she is neither a "wife" nor a "slave-girl" in any sense,
she will naturally be included among those "beyond this", whose seeker has been
declared a "transgressor" by the Qur'an.
This is a strong argument but
due to a weakness in it,-it is difficult to say that this verse is decisive with
regard to the prohibition of Mut`ah. The fact is that the Holy Prophet enjoined
the final and absolute prohibition of Mut ah in the year of the conquest of
Makkah, but before it Mut ah was allowed according to several authentic
traditions. If Mut 'ah had been prohibited in this verse, which was admittedly
revealed at Makkah, several years before the migration, how can it be imagined
that the Holy Prophet kept the prohibition in abeyance till the conquest of
Makkah? The correct position therefore is that prohibition of Mut ah is not
based on any express law of the Qur'an but is based on the Sunnah of the Holy
Prophet. Had it not beep prohibited by the Sunnah, it would have been difficult
to declare it as prohibited only on the authority of this verse.
It would
be worth-while to clarify two other points in connection with Mut'ah: (a) lts
prohibition is based on the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet and therefore it is wrong
to say that it was prohibited by Hadrat 'Umar. As a matter of fact, Hadrat `Umar
only enforced it as a law of Islam and publicised it among the people. This had
not been done earlier because the Holy Prophet had forbidden Mut 'ah only during
the latter part of his worldly life.
(b) The Shiite view that Mut ah is
absolutely lawful and permissible has no sanction and support in the Qur'an or
Sunnah. The fact is that a few of the Companions, their followers and jurists
who regarded it permissible in the early days of Islam, did so only in case of
extreme necessity and need. None of them held the view that it was absolutely
lawful like marriage and could be practised in normal circumstances. Hadrat
`Abdullah bin 'Abbas, who is generally cited as a prominent supporter of the
view of permissibility, has himself explained his position thus: "It is just
like carrion which is lawful for a person only in extreme necessity." Even
Hadrat Ibn 'Abbas had to revise his opinion when he saw that people were abusing
permissibility and had started practising Mut ah freely regardless of genuine
need and necessity. Again, even if the question, whether Hadrat Ibn '.Abbas and
the few likeminded jurists had revised their opinion or not, is ignored, the
fact is that the supporters of Mut'ah allow it only in case of extreme
necessity. Holding Mut ah as absolutely permissible, practising it without any
real necessity, or resorting to it even when one has a legally wedded wife or
wives is a kind of licence which is abhorred by good taste, much less it be
attributed to the Shari ah of Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon him) and imputed
to the learned jurists of his family. I think that among the Shiite Muslims
themselves no respectable person would like that somebody should ask for the
hand of his daughter or sister not in marriage but for the purpose of Mutah. For
if Mutah is held as absolutely permissible, it would imply that there should
exist in society a low class of women, like the prostitutes, who should be
available for the purpose as and when required, or if not that, Mutah be
restricted to the daughters and sisters of the poor stratum of society and the
well-to-do be given the freedom and right to exploit them as and when they like.
Can such an injustice and discrimination be expected of the Divine Law? And will
Allah and His Messenger permit an act which every respectable woman would regard
not only disgraceful for herself but shameful, too?
8The Believers
fulfill the terms of the trusts which are placed in their charge. In this
connection it should be noted that the Arabic word amanat is very comprehensive
and includes all those trusts which are placed in their charge by Allah or
society or individuals. Likewise `ahd includes all those compacts, pledges, and
promises which are made between Allah and man, and man and man. The Holy Prophet
himself used to impress the importance of the fulfillment of pledges in his
addresses: "The one, who does not fulfil the terms of his trust, has no Faith,
and the one, who does not keep promises and pledges has no Islam. " (Baihaqi)
According to a Tradition reported both by Bukhari and Muslim, he said: Four
characteristics are such that if a person has all the four in him, he is beyond
any doubt a hypocrite, and the one who has one of these, is a hypocrite to that
extent till he gives it up:
(a) When something is placed in his trust, he
commits breach of the trust,
(b) when he speaks, he tells a lie,
(c) when he makes a promise, he breaks it, and
(d) when he has a quarrel
with somebody, he exceeds all limits (of decency and morality)"
9Salawat
is plural of Salat. In verse 2 the act of Salat itself was implied, but here the
plural number implies the individual Prayers offered in their own times. "They
strictly guard their Prayers": they strictly adhere to the prescribed times of
the Prayers: they perform them with due regard for their pre-requisites,
conditions and articles with clean body and dress and necessary ablutions: they
do not regard their Prayers as an unnecessary burden, which has to be cast off
somehow: they do not recite mechanically but understand what they recite and are
conscious that they are supplicating their Lord like humble servants.
10Firdaus (Paradise) is a common word found in almost all human languages in
very nearly similar forms. It means a vast garden adjoining the dwelling of a
person and enclosed by defence walls and containing all kinds of fruit trees,
especially vines: In some languages, the word has the sense of containing pet
birds and animals, too. Firdaus was in common use in pre-Islamic Arabic
literature. The Qur'an, however, has used it for a plurality of gardens as in
Al-Kahf (XVIII) :107. This gives the idea that Firdaus is a vast place
containing a great number of gardens, vineyards, etc.
The inheritance of
Paradise by Believers has been explained in detail in E.N. 83 of Surah Ta Ha
(XX) and E.N. 99 of Surah Al-Anbiya' (XXI).
11The substance of this
passage may be summed up in four parts for the further understanding of the
Surah:
(1) The above-mentioned excellent qualities of the Believers are
not confined to any race, nation or country.
(2) These excellences can be
attained only by sincere Faith and excellent moral qualities, and by the
observance of prescribed laws in all the aspects of life.
(3) True
success is not confined to transitory worldly and material prosperity but it
comprises both success in this life and in the life after death in the
Hereafter, and is attained by sincere Faith and righteous deeds. This is a
fundamental principle which cannot be falsified either by the worldly "success"
of the evil-doers or by the temporary "failure" of the righteous people.
(4) Let us reiterate that these excellent characteristics of the Believers have
been presented as a practical proof of the truth of the Message of the Holy
Prophet, for these were the result of its acceptance. This should be kept in
mind in the study of the succeeding passages, wherein the same subject has been
pursued from different angles. This will also help to show the connection
between this and the succeeding passages.
12For explanation see E.N.'s 5,
6 and 9 of Surah Hajj (XXIl).
13Now let the disbelievers consider the
Message of the Holy Prophet by observing their own creation, for this will
convince them of its truth by proving its doctrine of Tauhid. The origin of man
is from a mere inanimate sperm-drop, which undergoes several changes in the womb
of the mother. But after this, when it sees the light of the day, it is quite a
different creation from the embryo in the womb. Now it can hear, it can see, and
in due course of time it can talk and think. Then, when he reaches adulthood and
maturity, he is capable of performing wonderful deeds. It is obvious that Allah
alone could create all these characteristics in an inanimate sperm-drop.
14The various stages of the creation of man have been cited to prove that Allah
is All-Blessed and there is no human language which can describe the praise of
which He is worthy, as if to say, "That Allah Who is able to develop an essence
of clay into a perfect man, does not have any partner in His Godhead. Moreover,
He has the power to raise him up again after his death, and is capable of
working even greater wonders.
15The original Arabic word taraiq has more
than one meaning. It may refer to the paths of the seven planets, with which the
man of the time of the revelation of the Qur'an was familiar, or to the seven
heavens. it should be noted that this word has not been used as a modern
scientific term, but as a common word according to the Arabic usage of the
period in order to invite the people's attention to the wonders of the heavens,
whose creation is certainly a greater thing than the creation of men. (XL: 57).
16This may also be translated as: "We were not nor are heedless of Our
creation." According to the first translation, it will mean that the whole of
the creation has been brought about in a perfect manner with a definite design
and purpose, for Allah-their Creator-is perfect in every respect. The creation
itself a proof that it is not the work of a novice or an inexpert. All the
physical laws of the entire system of the universe are so closely interconnected
as to prove that it is the creation of the All-Wise Allah. If we take the second
translation, it will mean that Allah has not been heedless in making provisions
for every thing according to its nature from the most insignificant to the
greatest of all.
17The "rain" may refer to the rainfall, which comes down
every now and then. It may also refer to the great store of water which Allah
sent down at the time of the creation of the earth to fulfill its various needs
till the Last Day, and which still exists in the shape of seas, lakes, sub-soil
water, etc. It is the same water which evaporates in summer and freezes in
winter and is carried by winds from place to place and spread over the earth by
rivers, springs and wells to cause the growth of multitudes of things, and then
is again restored to the seas, lakes, etc. Neither has this store of water been
decreased by a drop nor was there any need to increase it by a drop since its
creation. Today it is too well known how water comes about by the combination of
oxygen and hydrogen in a certain ratio. The question is why can't more water be
produced when oxygen and hydrogen still exist in abundance in the world? Who
caused them to combine in the proper ratio in the beginning to produce oceans of
water and who now stops them from coming together to produce an extra drop? Then
when water evaporates, who causes oxygen and hydrogen to remain combined in
water vapors even in the gaseous state. Have the atheists and polytheists, who
believe in independent deities for water, air, summer and winter, any answer to
this question?
18This is to warn that Allah is able to take away the
water if He so wills, and deprive the world of its most important means of life.
Thus, this verse is more comprehensive in meaning than verse 30 of Surah Al-hulk
(LXVII):
"Ask them: Have you ever considered that if the water of your
wells should sink down into the earth, who would then restore to you running
springs of water?"
19That is, other kinds of fruits than dates and
grapes.
20That is, you sustain yourselves by the produce that you get
from these gardens in the shape of fruit, corn, wood, etc.
21That is, the
olive-tree, which is the most important product of the lands around the
Mediterranean Sea. The olive-tree can last for 2,000 years or so, so much so
that some trees in Palestine are said to be existing since the time of Prophet
Jesus. It has been attributed to Mount Sinai probably for the reason that the
area whose well known and prominent place is Mount Sinai is its original
habitat.
22That is, milk. Refer to An-Nahl (XVI): 66 and E.N. 54 thereof.
23The benefits of cattle as means of conveyance have been mentioned here
along with the ships, because in Arabia, camel was used mainly for this purpose,
and has been called "the ship of the desert" for the same reason.
24See
also Al-A`araf (VII): 59-64, Yunus (X): 71-73, Hud (X1): 25-48, Bani Isra'il
(XVII): 3 and AI-Anbiya' (XXI): 76-77.
25That is, "Are you not afraid
that if you set up partners and associates with Allah, Who is the real
Sovereign, and worship and submit to them, you shall incur His wrath and
punishment?"
26There has been a common deviation that "a human being
cannot be a Prophet, and a Prophet cannot be a human being." That is why the
Qur`an has refuted this wrong conception over and over again, and has stated
forcefully that all the Prophets were human beings and that a human being only
could be sent as a Prophet to human beings. For details, see AI-A`araf (VII,):
63, 69, Yunus (X): 2, Hud (XI): 27-31, Yusuf (XII): 109, Ar-Ra`d (XIII): 38,
Ibrahim (XIV): 10-11, An-Nahl (XVI): 43, Bani Isra'il (XVII): 94-95, Al-Kahf
(XVIII): 110, Al-Anbiya' (XXI): 3, 34, Al-Mu'minun (XXIII): 33-34, 47, Al-Furqan
(XXV): 7, 20, AshShu'ara` (XXVI): 154, 186, Ya Sin (XXXVI): 15, Ha Mim Sajdah (XLl):
6 along with the relevant E.N.'s.
27This accusation is another old
objection, which has always been raised against those who tried to reform their
people. Their opponents always accused them of exploiting "religion" to gain
domination in the land. Prophets Moses, Aaron and Jesus were accused of the same
and so was Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon him). So much so that the
disbelievers of Makkah offered to make the Holy Prophet their king, if he gave
up his Message.
As a matter of fact, the people who exhaust themselves in
pursuit of worldly benefits and gains, cannot believe that somebody in this
world could also exert himself sincerely and selflessly for the sake of human
welfare. They regard deceptive slogans, which they raise to capture power, and
false promises, which they make day and night to bring about reforms as natural.
They think that sincerity and selflessness can be employed only to deceive
people and these cannot be put to any better use. That is why the epithet of
"power hungry" for the reformers in all ages has been used by those already in
power as if their own power and domination in the land was their birth-right,
and they were in no way blame-worthy for struggling for it and achieving it.
(For further explanation, see E.N. 36 below)
In this connection, it
should also be noted that all those, who try to reform the prevalent corrupt
system of life, have inevitably to fight against those in, power in order to
establish the righteous system. That is why the powers that be, have always been
against the Prophets and their followers, who had to dislodge the corrupt
rulers. It is, however, obvious that here is a vast difference between those who
want power to gain their own selfish ends and those who want it to reform their
people.
27aThis is a clear proof of the fact that Noah's people were not
disbelievers in the existence of God nor did they reject Him as Lord of the
universe and the angels as His obedient servants. They were only guilty of
shirk: they had set up other deities as partners in God's attributes and powers
and rights.
28"Help me against these people": `Take Thy vengeance on
these people for they have denied me." Verse 10 of Al-Qamar (LIV) says: "Then
cried Noah to his Lord, `I am overcome, so take Thy vengeance on these people"
and verses 26-27 of Noah (LXXv say: "And Noah said, `O my Lord, do not leave of
these disbelievers any dweller upon the earth, 'for if Thou sparest them, they
will mislead Thy servants and will beget none but sinners and disbelievers'."
29Some commentators think that tanner means the earth; others take it for
the highest part of the earth; and still others think that the words far-at-tannur
in the Text have been used for the break of Dawn. There are some who express the
opinion that the words have been used metaphorically for the creation of
turmoil. But in view of the context, we see no reason why one should take a far
fetched figurative meaning of a clear word of the Qur'an. It appears that a
particular oven (tannur) had been ear-marked for the deluge to start from, which
was to all appearances an unexpected origin of the doom of the wretched people.
30The fact that Allah should be praised and thanked for the annihilation of
those people, is a clear proof that they were the most wicked and villainous
people in the world.
31"Landing" here does not simply mean touching and
resting on the land, but it also implies the sense of "hospitality", as if to
say: "O God, now we are Thy guests and Thou alone art our Host.
32At the
conclusion of the story of Prophet Noah, particular attention has been drawn to
the many Signs in the story from which one can learn many lessons. For instance,
the Prophet who invited the people to Tauhid was in the right and those who
practiced and insisted on shirk and disbelief were in the wrong and were
destroyed: that the same kind of conflict, which took place between Prophet Noah
and his people, was going on in Makkah. Therefore, ultimately the Holy Prophet
will come out victorious over his antagonists just like Prophet Noah.
33This can also be translated as: "We had to or have to put people to the test.
" In each case the purpose is to warn the people that they will not be left
alone after they have been granted power in the land and over good things of
life, but Allah will put them to the test to see how they used their power.
Whatever happened with the people of Noah was in accordance with this law, and
the same will happen in future with any community which is raised to power.
34The people of `Ad, who were raised to power after the people of Noah.
(Refer to AI-A`araf: 69).
35It should be noted that all those people who
opposed the Messengers had three common characteristics: (1) They were the
chiefs of their people. (2) They denied life in the "Hereafter". (3) They were
prosperous in the worldly life. Obviously, they loved the life of this world and
could never conceive that their way of life, which had made them chiefs and
brought prosperity, could ever be wrong. Therefore they opposed their
Messengers, who took away their peace of mind, by preaching that there was a
life-after-death and they shall have to render an account to Allah of what they
did in this world. And this was exactly what was happening at Makkah.
36Some commentators have wrongly opined that the chiefs exchanged these remarks
against the Messenger between themselves. These remarks in fact were addressed
to the common people. When the chiefs felt that the Message was spreading among
the common people and there was a real danger that they would be influenced by
the pure character of the Messenger and that their superiority then would
automatically come to an end, they began to delude them by raising such
objections against him. It is worth while to note that both the chiefs of the
people of Noah and the chiefs of the people of `Ad accused their Messengers of
the "lust for power" but as regards themselves, they thought that power and
prosperity were their inherent rights and they were in every respect entitled to
be the chiefs of their people.
36aThese words show that the people of Ad
too, were not disbelievers in the existence of God. They too were involved in
the sin of shirk. Refer to Al Aaraf (VII): 70, Hud (Xl): 53-54, Ha Mim Sajdah
(XLI): 14, and Al-Ahqaf (XLVI): 21-22.
37Lexically, the word ghutha'
means the rubbish which is brought by Hood waters and is deposited on the banks
to rot there.
38That is, "Those who do not believe in the Messengers.
39The use of "a clear Authority" along with "Our Signs" may either mean that
the "Signs" were a clear proof that they were Messengers of Allah, or the
"Signs" may refer to all other miracles of Prophet Moses than the "staff', which
may stand here for a clear Authority, because the miracles shown by means of it
were a clear proof that the two brothers had been sent by Allah.
40The
words in the Text may either mean: (1) They were highly arrogant and tyrannous
people, or (2) They showed haughtiness and self conceit.
40aFor
explanation, see E.N. 26.
41Abid is worshiper. According to the Arabic
usage, to be a "worshiper" and a "bondsman" are almost synonymous. Therefore
when the Prophets invited their people to worship Allah alone, they wanted them
to worship and serve and obey none but Allah, and that is the real significance
of the word " `ibadat". For further explanation, see E.N. 50 of AI-Kahf (XVIII).
42For fuller details of the story of Prophet Moses and Pharaoh, see Al-Baqarah
(II): 49-50, Al-A`araf (VII): 103-136, Yunus (X): 75-92, Hud (Xl): 9699, Bani
Isra'il (XVII): 101-104, Ta Ha (XX): 9-80 along with the relevant E. N.'s.
43The wording "We made the son of Mary and his mother a Sign" is very
significant, because it means that neither the son of Mary nor his mother was
each a separate Sign, but both of them together were a Sign. This verse is a
clear proof that a son was born to Mary without cohabitation with a man and that
Jesus had no father. For fuller details see Al-`Imran (III): 45-49, An-Nisa'
(IV): 156, 171, Maryam (XIX): 16-35 and Al-Anbiya' (XXI): 91 and the relevant
E.N.'s.
In this connection, it should also be noted that the case of the
error in regard to Prophet Jesus and his mother was different from the error in
regard to other Prophets, who were rejected because ,they were human beings. But
the deviation in regard to Prophet Jesus and his mother was that the credulous
people raised them from the low position of human beings to the high rank of
Godhead. On the other hand, those, who went to the other extreme accused Mary of
unchastity, although they were witnesses of the miraculous birth of Jesus and
had heard him speak in the cradle.
44Different people have mentioned
different places, like Damascus, Ar-Ramlah, Jerusalem and Egypt, in regard to
the plateau where Allah gave them shelter. From the Christian traditions it
appears that Mary had to leave her home twice after the birth of Prophet Jesus,
first in the time of Herod when she took him to Egypt and stayed there till
Herod's death, and then in the time of Arichelaus when she took him to Nazareth
in Galilee. (Matthew, 2: 13-23). Therefore it cannot be said with certainty to
which of these two emigrations the Qur'an refers here. It is, however, obvious
that the place of shelter was a plateau which provided them with all the
necessities of life.
45In the preceding passage (vv. 23-50), the stories
of some Prophets have been related as individuals, but in this verse all of them
have been addressed together. However, it does not mean that they were present
at one and the same place at the time of address. As a matter of fact, this way
of address has been adopted to show that the Message of all the Messengers, who
came to different countries in different ages, was the same and they all
belonged to one and the same community. (v. 52). Therefore the Message to one
Messenger was meant to be the Message for each one of them. In this verse, they
have been addressed together as if they were present at one and the same place
in order to emphasize this same aspect of the matter. But it is an irony that
some stupid people of this age have concluded that this verse has been addressed
to those messengers who were to come after Prophet Muhammad (Allah's peace be
upon him). It is obvious that this interpretation cannot fit in the context in
which the verse occurs.
46"Pure things" implies that they should be
wholesome and must have been earned in lawful ways. Here the instruction, "eat
of pure things", is meant to refute the theory and practice of asceticism. The
Qur'an teaches the middle way between the life of asceticism and that of licence.
The fact that the instruction, "eat of pure things", precedes "do righteous
deeds", is meant to impress that righteous deeds are meaningless without eating
lawful provisions. The Holy Prophet impressed this very thing, saying, "O
people, Allah is pure and loves pure things." Then he recited this verse (51)
and said, "A person makes a long pilgrimage in a disheveled condition and prays
with raised hands, `O my Lord, O my Lord', whereas he eats unlawful food, wears
unlawful clothes and has been brought up on unlawful provisions. How can such a
one expect that Allah will grant his prayer?" (Related by Abu Hurairah).
47The original Arabic word ummat (community) comprises those individuals who
have something basic common among them. All the Messengers of Allah belonged to
one and the same community because .they had the same creed and the same
religion and the same Message. See also Al-Baqarah (II): 130-133 and 213,
Al-`Imran (III): 19-20, 33-34, 64, 79-85, An-Nisa'(IV): 150-152, Al- A'araf
(VII): 59, 65, 73, 85, Yusuf (XII): 37-40, Maryam (XIX) :49-59, and AlAnbiya'
(XXII): 71-93 along with the relevant E.N.'s.
48This is not a mere
statement of a fact, but it is a link of the same argument which is being put
forward from the very beginning of the Surah. The argument is this: Islam has
been the real and original religion of all the Prophets from Noah to Jesus
(Allah's peace be upon them all), because all of them brought and taught the
same doctrines of Tauhid and the Hereafter. On the contrary, all the other
religions are the perversions of "the real and original religion", which has
been tampered with in many ways. Therefore, those who are following the
perverted religions are in the wrong and not the Holy Prophet who is inviting
them to "the real and original religion".
49There is a gap between v. 53
and v. 54, which has been left to the listener to fill, because the background
of the whole discourse itself helps to fill it. Five years had passed since the
Holy Prophet had been inviting his people to the original religion. He had left
no stone unturned to convince them by reasoning and by historical evidence that
his Message was based on the truth. His people had seen the practical results of
the acceptance of his Message and had witnessed his own high character which was
by itself a guarantee that he was a trustworthy man. But in spite of all this,
his people were rejoicing in their erroneous beliefs which they had inherited
from their forefathers. This was not all. They had become his bitter enemies and
were trying to defeat him and his Message by every wicked machination.
After filling the gap, the meaning of verse 51 becomes quite clear. It does not
mean that the Holy Prophet should give up his preaching and leave the
disbelievers to themselves. This way of address has been employed to shake and
rouse the disbelievers. This verse warns them to realize that the time was
coming near when they would see for themselves that the Messenger was in the
right and they were in the wrong.
50This question has been posed as a
proof of the main theme of the Surah. It is meant to remove their misconception
of "success", "welfare" and "prosperity", which the disbelievers had formed to
delude themselves. According to them, the one, who enjoyed the good things of
life and wielded power and influence in the society, had attained "success". On
the other hand, the one who was deprived of these things was a "failure" . This
misconception had involved " them in another serious misunderstanding. They
thought that the one who had attained "success" was in the right, and the
beloved of Allah. Otherwise, how could he have attained all the "successes"? On
the contrary, the one who was apparently deprived of these things was surely
wrong in his creed and erroneous in his deeds, and was under the wrath of God
(or gods). As this misconception is one of the greatest deviations of the
materialists, the Qur'an has stated it and refuted it in different ways at
different places and made the reality plain. For instance, see A1-Baqarah (II):
126, 212, Al-A'araf (VII): 32, At-Taubah (IX): 55, 69, 85, Yunus (X):17, Hud
(XI) :3, 27-31, 38-39, Ar-Ra`d (XIII): 26, Al-Kahf (XVIII): 28, 32-43, 103-105,
Maryam (XIX):77-80, Ta Ha (XX): 131-132, Al-Anbiya` (XXI) :44 along with the
relevant E.N.'s. In order to remove the above-mentioned misconceptions one
should keep in view the following:
(1) "Success" is a far higher thing
than the material prosperity and the transitory success of an individual,
community or nation
(2) It is absolutely wrong to consider "prosperity"
and "success" as a criterion of truth and falsehood.
(3) It should be
noted well that this world is a place of test and trial and not a place of
reward and retribution. It is true that even in this world, sometimes there is
some punishment or reward, but it is on a very limited scale, and even in this,
there is an aspect of the test. Therefore it is an utter folly to consider
material "success" and "prosperity" to be a proof that the recipient is in the
right and so the beloved of the Lord, and vice versa. Moreover, the tests and
trials of individuals and communities are of many varieties and a seeker after
truth must understand at the outset that the worldly "success" or "failure" of
the people is not the result of ultimate reward or punishment and cannot be
regarded as the criterion for the right or wrong creed, morals and actions and a
sign of being the beloved of God or otherwise.'
(4) One must have a firm
belief that truth and righteousness will ultimately gain victory over falsehood
and wickedness. As regards the criterion of truth and falsehood and right and
wrong, one must judge this in the light of Revelations and teachings of the
Messengers, because common sense confirms the same, and it is also supported by
the general conception which mankind has always had of good and evil.
(5)
As a corollary of the above, it would have become clear that according to the
Qur'an (and this is confirmed by common sense), the conception of "reward" and
"punishment" should also be different from the common one. For instance, if a
wicked person or community is enjoying "prosperity", it is not a reward of its
evil deeds but a harder test for it, and it is not a blessing but the wrath of
Allah. It means that Allah has decided to punish the "prosperous people" with a
severe scourge. On the other hand, if the righteous people are suffering from
hardships and afflictions, it is not a punishment from Allah but a blessing in
disguise to pass them through the "fire" to remove impurity, if any, from the
pure gold. If this hard trial is a blessing for the righteous people, it is a
test for the wicked people to give them a severe punishment for the persecution
of the former.
51That is, they do not live a carefree life devoid of the
fear of God. They live in awe of Him and are fully conscious that He oversees
and watches them in all their motives and actions and they are thus deterred
from thinking and doing evil.
52"Signs" here means both Divine
Revelations to the Prophets and the signs found in man's own self and in the
universe around him. To believe in the verses of the Book is to affirm them, and
to believe in the signs of human self and the universe is to affirm the
realities which they point to.
53Though belief in the Revelations itself
ingrains the doctrine of Tauhid in the hearts, yet the believers have been
warned to guard against shirk. This is because, in spite of believing in the
Revelations, man is inclined to commit shirk in one form or the other, for
instance, in exaggerating the teachings of the Prophets and righteous people,
supplicating and serving others than Allah, etc.
54This verse (60) may be
elaborated like this: "They serve their Lord and try their best to obey Him and
do righteous deeds, but all along they remain humble in their hearts and are not
puffed up with the pride of their piety: nay, in spite of all their good deeds,
their hearts are always filled with awe that they shall have to render an
account to their Lord, and they are not sure whether they will come out
successful in the judgment of their Lord or not."
A concrete
interpretation of this verse is afforded by Caliph 'Umar. Although he served his
Allah in a way that was exemplary, yet he was so afraid of accountability to Him
that he is reported to have said before death: "f shall consider it a favor, if
I am neither rewarded nor punished in the Hereafter." Hadrat Hasan Basri has
expressed the same thing in a beautiful manner: "A believer obeys Allah and is
yet fearful of Him, and a hypocrite disobeys Allah and is yet fearless of Him."
55The enunciation of this fundamental proposition, in the context in which
it occurs, is very meaningful. In the preceding passage (vv. 57-b1), the
characteristics of those people, who deserve true success, have been stated, and
in this verse (62), it has been made clear that those excellent qualities can be
attained by anyone who tries to achieve true success, as if to say, "The
conditions We have laid down for true success are within the reach of those who
strive for it, for 'We do not burden ... Therefore if you, O disbelievers,
desire to achieve true success, you should follow the example of the Believers
from among yourselves, who have really attained it"
56According to the
Qur'an, an elaborate "conduct book" of every individual is being maintained
accurately. This records every word he utters, every deed or act he performs,
even every hidden thought and intention that he cherishes in his heart and mind.
See also Al-Kahf (XVIII) :49 and E.N. 46 thereof.
57That is, neither a
person will be accused of and punished for something he had not done, nor will
he be deprived of the full reward of a good act that he had done.
58They
are heedless that everything they are saying and doing, is being recorded in
some "book" and that they shall have to render an account of everything.
59The epicureans will probably be punished in this worldly life because in the
enjoyment of luxury and pleasure they forgot the rights of the other people and
transgressed the prescribed limits.
60ju'ar is bellowing by a bull
painfully. Here the word has been used tauntingly for a groaning person who does
not deserve any mercy, as if to say, "Now that you are going to be punished for
your misdeeds, you have started bellowing.
61That is, they will be told
this at that time.
62That is to say, "In the worldly life you did not pay
any heed to what the Messenger said; nay, you did not even like to hear his
voice."
63The meeting places where the people of Makkah gathered together
at night to hold consultations, to gossip and tell tales, etc.
64That is,
"Do they mean to imply that they reject the Message because they do not
understand it? whereas the Qur'an is not an enigma, nor is it being presented-in
an incomprehensible language, nor does it deal with themes and subjects which
are beyond human understanding. The fact is that they understand everything it
presents, but they oppose and reject it, because they have no intention to
follow and believe what it presents."
65That is, "Is the Qur'an
presenting something which they had never heard before? No, that is not so.
Allah had been sending His Messages through His Prophets, who came to Arabia and
in the adjoining lands and they are well acquainted with them, especially with
Prophets Abraham and Ismael, and Hud, Saleh and Shoaib, who are acknowledged by
them as Prophets of God, and who were not idol-worshipers but enjoined the
worship of One God. " For further explanation, see E.N. 84 of Al-Furqan (XXV),
E.N. 5 of As-Sajdah (XXXII) and E.N. 35 of Saba (XXXIV).
66That is, "Do
they reject the Message because Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon him) who is
inviting them to it, is a stranger among them? No, this is not so, for he was
born and bred among them in a noble family: he bears a pure and high character:
he has been truthful, upright, trustworthy, honest and morally chaste throughout
his life: he is a noble and gentle person, peace-loving and just by nature,
honest in word and deed, sympathetic and helpful to the weak and poor. And they
themselves testified to all this before he claimed to be a Messenger of Allah.
Then he has been consistently preaching the same Message from the first day of
his Mission. Then whatever he has preached he has first practiced it himself and
demonstrated its truth: there has been no contradiction between his word and
deed: he and his followers have faithfully and honestly put into practice the
Message of the Qur'an and shown excellent results." For further details, see
E.N. 21 of AI-An'am (Vl), E.N. 21 of Yunus (X) and E.N. 105 of Bani Isra'il
(XVII).
67That is, "Do they reject his Message because they regard
Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon him) to be possessed by a jinn? No, this is also
not correct, because in their heart of hearts, they themselves regard him as a
wise and sagacious person. It is therefore ridiculous to regard a man like him
to be possessed by a jinn, for such a person cannot say wise things and do noble
deeds like him. How strange that a person possessed by a jinn (or having
epileptic fits according to the western orientalists) should utter and recite
sublime discourses of the Qur'an and start and guide a successful Movement which
should revolutionize the way of life not only of his own people but of the whole
world."
68This brief sentence expresses a great reality which should be
understood well. The foolish people in the world generally feel offended by a
person who points out the Truth to them. They do not like to hear and consider
the Truth because it goes against their desires and interests but the Truth
remains the Truth and cannot be changed after one's personal whims and wishes.
Man is subject to the eternal and unalterable laws operating in the universe and
has therefore to adjust his thinking, desires and conduct accordingly and should
try to discover the Truth and Reality through experience, reasoning and
observation. Only a foolish person can stick to and regard his personal whims,
wishes and prejudices to be the reality and refuse to hear and consider any
argument, however rational and scientific, simply because it goes against them.
69Here the word zikr means:
(1) Mention of human nature and its
demands, (2) admonition, (3) esteem, honor and fame.
In the light of
these, the full meaning of the verse will be: "Your rejection of the Qur'an is
irrational, for it contains the mention of those things which develop the best
in human nature: it is an admonition that will result in your own good and
well-being, and it will bring esteem and honour for you in this world as well as
in the Hereafter."
70This was yet another proof of the Holy Prophet's
Prophethood: he was conveying the Message without demanding any recompense for
it, and he had no self-interest in it. Nay, he had staked his business,
reputation, peaceful home life, relationships with the unbelieving kindred for
the success of his Mission and was being ruthlessly persecuted for its sake. A
selfish person could not have risked his all for the sake of only worldly
motives. He would rather have exploited the racial and tribal prejudices of his
people to become their ruler and leader. On the contrary, his Message not only
cut at the root of those prejudices but tended to destroy the very bases which
helped his tribe to wield influence and authority over the polytheists of
Arabia. This is an argument which the Qur'an has advanced again and again as a
proof of the truth of the Mission of the other Prophets as well. See Al-An'am
(VI): 90, Yunus (X): 72, Hud (XI): 29, 51, Yusuf (XII): 104, Ya Sin (XXXVI): 21
along with the relevant E.N.'s.
71This was the real reason why they were
deviating from the Right Path. As they did not believe in the Hereafter, they
thought that no account would be taken from them of what they did in this world.
Therefore it did not matter whether they followed the 'Truth or falsehood. Their
only aim in life was to gratify the lusts of the flesh and gratify them in the
best way possible.
72The affliction alluded to in this verse was the
famine which occurred in Makkah some time after the advent of Prophethood.
According to Hadrat 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud, when the Quraish persistently refused
to accept the invitation of the Holy Prophet and started putting up stiff
resistance, he prayed, "O Allah, help me against them with a seven-year famine
like the seven-year famine of the time of Prophet Joseph." So a severe famine
started in Makkah with the result that people were obliged to eat carrion. This
famine has been alluded to in a number of Makki Surahs. For instance see Al-An'am
(VI): 42-44, AI-A'araf (VII): 94-99, Yunus (X): 11, 12, 21, An-Nahl (XVI):
112-113 and Ad-Dukhan (XLIV): 10-16 along with the relevant E.N.'s.
73The Arabic word mublis is used for one whom frustration makes so desperate and
obdurate that he does not hesitate to resort to any crime. The Devil has been
called Iblis for the same reason.
74The disbelievers have been told to
consider the great blessings of eyes, ears, mind and heart and use them as human
beings should, and show gratitude to the Creator by accepting His Message.
75If one makes the right use of one's faculties and observes these things
properly, one can find the Truth, for it is obvious that the great mechanism of
the universe could not have come into existence by a mere accident. There must
be its Creator who need not have any associates or partners and that the
universe could not have been created without a purpose as a mere sport. The very
existence of a wonderful, rational thinking and feeling creature-Man-who has
been delegated with powers, is a clear proof that his life will not come to an
end at death.
76Here attention is being drawn to the proof of both Tauhid
and Life after-death, and in the other phenomena cited to the refutation of both
shirk and rejection of the Hereafter.
77Their denial of the
Life-after-death implied the denial of the powers and wisdom of Allah as well.
78That is, "If you acknowledge this, why do you not then understand chat
none but Allah deserves to be worshiped and that when He has once created the
earth and all the things in it, it is not difficult for Him to re-create them
once again?"
79That is, "If you acknowledge this, why do you not then
understand chat none but Allah deserves to be worshiped and that when He has
once created the earth and all the things in it, it is not difficult for Him to
re-create them once again?"
80That is, "Why are you not afraid of
rebelling against Him and worshiping others besides Him? Why do you not dread
that one day you shall have to give an account of all your deeds to the
All-Powerful Sovereign of the universe?"
81The word malakut in the Text
is a strong word which combines both sovereignty and ownership. The verse
therefore means: "Whose is the Sovereignty and Who possesses the real ownership
rights over everything?"
82In order to understand the significance of
this question, we should know that the art of magic makes a thing appear
different from what it really is. Thus the question will mean: "Who has
bewitched you that, in spite of knowing and acknowledging all these things, you
do not understand the Reality ? Who has bewitched you that even after
acknowledging Allah to be the Owner and the All Powerful Sovereign, you set up
other owners and sovereigns along with Him or make them partners with Him and
worship them ? Who has deluded you that you should dare to be treacherous and
unfaithful to Allah knowing that none can protect you against Him, and forget
that you will be called to account for these things?"
In this connection,
it should also be noted that this question has a subtle meaning also. The
Quraish accused the Holy Prophet of practicing magic and sorcery. This question
turns the tables on them, as if to say, "O foolish people, the man who presents
the Reality appears to you to be a sorcerer, while those leaders who say things
against Reality, against common sense and against your own convictions and
beliefs, do not appear to you to be sorcerers at all."
83They are liars
because they say that others besides Allah have a share in His Godhead and that
there is no Life-after-death, because their first saying contradicts their own
admission that Allah is the Owner and the Sovereign of the universe. Then their
second assertion is based on the presumption that the All-Powerful Allah cannot
recreate what He has created once. This is clearly a contradiction in terms.
84It should be, noted that this is a general refutation of the belief that
Allah has a child or children, and incidentally refutes the Christian belief
that Christ is the son of God. Yet even some eminent commentators confine this
to the refutation of the Christian belief. Obviously, there is no reason why it
was necessary to refute the Christian belief specifically in this context, when
the whole discourse has been directed towards the disbelievers of Makkah alone,
who were, like the Christians, guilty of this sort of shirk.
85Here the
argument of Tauhid is based on this principle : Had there been more than one God
or partners in Godhead, there would have been serious differences, conflicts and
wars among the different sovereigns and rulers. See Bani Isra'il (XVII): 42 and
E.N. 47 thereof, and Al-Anbiya' (XXI): 22 and E. N. 22 thereof.
86This
contains a subtle allusion to the refutation of the doctrine of "intercession".
See E.N.'s 85, 86 of Ta Ha (XX) and E.N. 27 of AI-Anbiya' (XXI).
87This
prayer does not mean that, God forbid, there was any real danger of the Holy
Prophet's also being involved in the punishment, or that if he had not invoked
this prayer, he might have been invoked in it. This way of address has been
adopted to warn that all people should fear Allah's punishment. They should not
demand it nor persist in their wickedness, if Allah gives them respite. As a
matter of fact, Allah's punishment is a thing which should be dreaded not only
by the sinful people but also by the righteous people, and they should all seek
His refuge from it, for when the scourge of God comes, it does not destroy only
the wicked people but may also involve the righteous people in it. Therefore the
right course for those, who have to live in a wicked society, is that they
should always pray to Allah for His refuge, for one does not know when that
scourge might come down.
88For explanation, see E.N.'s 71, 72 of A1-An'am
(Vl), E.N.'s 138, 150 to 153 of Al-A'araf (VII), E.N. 39 of Yunus (X), E.N. 48
of Al-Hijr (XV), E.N.'s 122 to 124 of An-Nahl (XVI), E.N.'s 58 to 63 of Bani
Isra'il (XVII), and E.N.'s 35 to 41 of Ha Mim Sajdah (XLI).
89In the
original Text plural number has been used for Allah, which may be for reverence,
or may include the angels as well, who will be seizing the criminal soul. The
entreaty would be: "O my Lord! send me back!"
90It occurs at several
places in the Qur'an that each of the criminals, after his death till his entry
into Hell, and even after that, will plead again and again: "Lord, send me back
to the world: I will no more disobey Thee: I will now do righteous deeds." See
Al-An`am (VI):27, 28, Al-A`araf (VII): 53, Ibrahim (X 1 V): 44, 45, Ash-Shu`ara'
(XXVI):102, AI-Fatir (XXXV): 37, Az-Zumar (XXXIX): 58, 59, AI-Mu'min (XL):
10-12, and Ash-Shura (XLII): 44 along with the relevant E.N.'s.
91That
is, "He will never be sent back nor given another opportunity, for in that case
the test and vial for which man is sent m this world becomes meaningless." For
further explanation, see Al-Baqarah (II): 210 and E. N. 228 thereof, and,E.N.'s
6, 139, 140 of AI-An`am (VI) and E.N. 26 of Yunus (X).
92That is, "Now,
when he has met his doom, he has nothing more to say than that he should be sent
back to the world; so let him say what he likes; he will never be allowed to go
back."
93"That is, "Now there is a `barrier' between them and the world,
which will not allow them to go back to it. Therefore they shall remain in that
state up to the Day of Resurrection."
94It does not mean that the father
will not remain "father" and the son will not remain "son", etc.. It only means
that they will not be able to help each other, nor shall they be able to inquire
about each other as father and son, for each one will be worried and anxious
about his own plight. See also Al-Ma'arij (LXX): 10-14, and `Abasa (LXXXI
34-37).
95That is, those whose good deeds will be heavy and will
out-weigh their evil deeds.
96For the criterion of "success" and
"failure" in the Hereafter, please refer to E.N.'s 1 and 50 above.
97The
word kalih means a face whose skin has been removed so as to expose the jaws.
When somebody asked Hadrat `Abdullah bin Mas`ud the meaning of kalih, he said,
"Haven't you seen the scorched head of a slaughtered animal?"
98"....do
not speak to Me" "...do not plead your case with Me." According to some
traditions, these will be their last words and they shall never be allowed to
speak again, but this is contradicted by the Qur'an itself in the succeeding
verses. Therefore, it only means this that they will not be able to plead their
case again.
99This is again a reference to those who will deserve success
or be doomed to failure in the Hereafter.
100For explanation, see Ta Ha
(XX): 103 and E.N. 80 thereof.
101That is, "Our Messengers warned you
that the life in this world is transitory and is for test and trial, but you did
not realize it then and denied that there was any life in the Hereafter and
behaved in accordance with that belief."
102The Arabic word abathan in
the Text also means "for the sake of sport". Then the verse will mean: "Did you
think that We had created you merely for the sake of sport and there was no
purpose behind your creation ? Therefore you may eat, drink, be merry and enjoy
yourself as you please."
103Allah is above this that He should create you
without any purpose and that you may associate partners with Him with impunity.
104It may also be translated as: "The one who invokes any other deity along
with Allah, has nothing to support him in this act."
105That is, he
cannot escape accountability.
106Again, the reference is to those who
will attain we success and to those who will be deprived of it.
107Compare and contrast this "prayer" with verse 109. Here the Holy Prophet has
been told to make the same prayer as contained in verse 109, as if to say, "You
(and your followers) should supplicate Allah with the same prayer so that, if
the people scoff at you, they themselves might provide a proof of a strong case
against themselves."