Recitation by Mishary Al-Alfasy
Name
The Surah takes its name "Al-Furqan" from the first verse. Though
it is symbolic like the names of many other Surahs, it has a close relation to
its subject matter.
Period of Revelation
It appears from its style
and subject matter that, like Surah Al- Mu'minun, it was also revealed during
the third stage of Prophethood at Makkah. Ibn Jarir and Imam Razi have cited a
tradition of Dahhak bin Muzahim that this Surah was revealed eight years before
Surah An Nisa. This also confirms our opinion as to its period of revelation. (Ibn
Jarir, Vol. XIX, pp. 28-30, and Tafsir Kabir, Vol. VI,p. 358).
Subject
Matter and Topics
The Surah deals with the doubts and objections that
were being raised against the Qur'an, the Prophethood of Muhammad (Allah's peace
and blessings be upon him) and his teachings by the disbelievers of Makkah.
Appropriate answers to each and every objection have been given and the people
have been warned of the consequences of rejecting the Truth. At the end of the
Surah, a clear picture of the moral superiority of the Believers has been
depicted as in the beginning of Surah Al-Mu'minun, as if to say, 'Here is the
criterion for distinguishing the genuine from the counterfeit. This is the noble
character of those people who have believed in and followed the teachings of the
Holy Prophet and this is the kind of people that he is trying to train. You may
yourselves compare and contrast this type of people with those Arabs, who have
not as yet accepted the Message, and who are upholding "ignorance" and exerting
their utmost to defeat the Truth. Now you may judge for yourselves as to which
you would like to choose." Though this question was not posed in so many words,
it was placed before every one in Arabia in a tangible shape. It may be noted
that during the next few years, the practical answer given to this question by
the whole nation, with the exception of a small minority, was that they chose
Islam.
1The Arabic word tabaraka is very comprehensive, and cannot be understood
fully and completely by "highly blessed", not even by a sentence. However, its
meanings may be grasped by keeping in view the remaining portion
of vv.
1-2. Here it has been used to convey the following meanings:
(1) He is
the most Beneficent: that is why He has bestowed the great blessing of Al-Furqan
by degrees on His servant so that he may admonish all mankind.
(2)He is
the most Exalted and Great: for the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth
belongs to Him.
(3) He is the most Holy, Pure and Perfect: He is free
from every tinge of shirk and has neither a partner in His Godhead, nor needs a
son to succeed Him; for He is Ever-Lasting.
(4) He is the Highest and the
Most Supreme in rank: the Kingdom and the Dominion wholly and solely belong to
Him, and there is none who has any share in His Authority and Powers.
(5)
He is the sole Creator of the universe and has created each and everything in it
and predetermined its destiny. For further details, see E.N. 14 of AI Mu'minun
and E.N. 19 of AI-Furqan.
2Al-Furqan: The Criterion. The Qur'an has been
called Al-Furqan because it is the Criterion for judging right and wrong virtue
and vice, truth and falsehood.
3The word nazzala implies revelation of
the Qur'an piecemeal by degrees. The wisdom of this introductory remark will be
explained in the study of verse 32, where the objection of the disbelievers of
Makkah -as to why the Qur'an has not been sent down all at once-has been dealt
with
4“..... warner to all mankind": To warn all mankind of the evil
consequences of their heedlessness and deviation. The warner may be AI-Furgan or
the Holy Prophet to whom it was revealed. In fact, both were the warners because
they were both sent for one and the same purpose. The message of the Qur'an and
Prophethood of Muhammad (Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) were not meant
for any particular country but for the whole world; and not for their own time,
but for all times to come. This has been stated at several places in the Qur'an;
for instance: "O Muhammad, say, O mankind, I am a Messenger to all of you from
Allah ....." (Al-A`raf: 158); "..... and this Qur'an has been revealed to me so
that I should thereby warn you all and whom it may reach." (Al An'am: 19); "We
have sent you only as a bearer of good news and as a warner to all mankind."
(Saba: 28); and "We have sent you as a mercy to all mankind." (Al Anbiya': 107)
The Holy Prophet himself has stated this clearly in the Hadith; for instance, he
said: "I have been sent to all men-the red and the black." "Before me a Prophet
was sent only to his own people, but 1 have been sent to all mankind." (Bukhari,
Muslim). "I have been sent to all mankind, and I am the Last of the Prophets."
(Muslim).
5Another translation may be: "To Him belongs the Sovereignty of
the heavens and the earth." That is, He alone has an exclusive right to it, and
no one else has any right to it nor any share in it.
6That is, "He has
neither any relation of direct parenthood to anyone, nor has He taken anyone as
a son. Therefore, none else in the universe is entitled to worship. He is Unique
and there can be no partner in His Godhead. Thus all those who associate with
Him angels or jinns or saints as His offspring, are ignorant. Likewise, those
who believe that some one, is His "son", are also ignorant. They have no true
conception of the Greatness of Allah and consider Him to be weak and needy like
human beings, who require some one to become their inheritor. It is sheer
ignorance and folly." For further details, see E.N.'s 66 to G8 of Surah Yunus .
7The Arabic word mulk means Sovereignty, Supreme Authority, and Kingship.
Thus the sentence will mean: "Allah is the Absolute Ruler of the whole universe
and there is none other who may have any right to authority; therefore He alone
is God." For whenever a man takes anything else as his lord, he does so under
the presumption that his deity has the power to do good or bring harm and make
or mar his fortune; nobody will like to worship a powerless deity. Now when it
is recognized that none but Allah has the real power and authority in the
universe, nobody will bow before anyone other than Him in worship, nor will sing
anybody else's hymns, nor commit the folly of bowing in worship before any thing
else except his real God, or recognize any other as his ruler, because "To Allah
belongs the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and to Him alone."
8There may be other translations of this also: "He has ordained it in due
proportion"; or "He has appointed an exact measure for everything." But no
translation can convey its real meaning, which is: "Allah has not only created
everything in the universe but also determined its shape, size, potentialities,
characteristics, term of existence, the limitations and extent of its
development and all other things concerning it. Then, He has created the means
and provisions to enable it to function properly in its own separate sphere."
This is one of the most comprehensive verses of the Qur'an with regard to
the Doctrine of Tauhid. According to Traditions, the Holy Prophet himself taught
this verse to every child of his family as soon as it was able to speak and
utter a few words. Thus, this verse is the best means of impressing the Doctrine
of Tauhid on our minds, and every Muslim should use it for educating his
children as soon as they develop understanding.
9The words are
comprehensive and cover all the false gods whom the mushriks worship whether
they are angels, jinns, Prophets, saints, the sun, the moon, the stars, trees,
rivers, animals etc., which have been created by Allah, or those which have been
created by man, as the idols of stone, wood, etc.
10That is, "Allah has
sent down Al-Furqan on His servant so that he may invite the people to the
Truth, which they have forsaken due to heedlessness and waywardness, and warn
them of the evil consequences of their folly. The Furqan is being revealed
piecemeal so that he may distinguish right from wrong and the genuine from the
counterfeit."
11Another translation may be: "a great injustice."
12This is the same objection which the modern orientalists have raised against
the Qur'an, but strange as it may seem, no contemporary of the Holy Prophet ever
raised such an objection against him. Nobody, for instance, ever said that
Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon him) as a boy had met Buhairah, the monk, and
had attained religious knowledge from him, nor did anybody claim that he had
obtained all that information from the Christian monks and Jewish rabbis during
the trade journeys in his youth. In fact, they knew that he had never traveled
alone but in the caravans and if they said such a thing, it would be refuted by
hundreds of their own people from the city.
Then, one could ask, if he
had gained all that knowledge from Buhairah when he was about 12, and during
trade journeys when he was 25, why did he keep it secret from the people till he
became 40? whereas he did not leave his country even for a single day, but lived
for years among his own people in the same city. That is why the people of
Makkah dared not bring such an impudent and baseless charge against him. Their
objections related to the time when he claimed to be a Prophet of Allah and not
to the time preceding that claim. Their argument was like this: "This man is
illiterate and cannot obtain any knowledge through books. He has lived among us
for forty years, but we have never heard from him anything that might have shown
that he had any acquaintance with what he is preaching; therefore he must have
had the help of other people who copied these things from the writings of the
ancients for him: he learns these things from them and recites them as Divine
Revelations: this is a fraud." So much so that according to some traditions,
they named some of his "helpers", who were the people of the Book, were
illiterate and lived in Makkah. They were: (1) Addas, a freed slave of Huvaitib
bin `Abdul `Uzza(2) Yasar, a freed slave of 'Ala bin Al Hadrami, and (3) Jabr, a
freed slave of `Amir bin Rabbi`ah .
Apparently this is a weighty
argument. For there can be no greater proof of the "fraud" of Prophethood than
to specify its source. But it looks strange that no argument has been put
forward to refute this charge except a mere denial, as if to say, "Your charge
is an impudent lie: you are cruel and unjust to bring such a false charge
against Our Messenger; for the Qur'an is the Word of Allah Who knows all the
secrets in the heavens and the earth. " Had their charge been based on facts, it
would not have been rejected with contempt, for in that case the disbelievers
would have demanded a detailed and clear answer. But they realized the strength
of the arguments and did not make such a demand. Moreover, the fact that the
"weighty" argument failed to produce any doubt in the minds of the new Muslims,
was a clear proof that it was a lie.
The enigma is clearly explained if
we keep in view the prevalent circumstances
(1) The disbelievers of
Makkah did not take any decisive steps to prove their charge, although they
could, had there been any truth in their charge. For instance, they could have
made raids on the houses of the alleged helpers and on the house of the Holy
Prophet himself and taken hold of the whole "material" which was being used in
this "fraud", and made it public to expose his Prophethood. And this was not
difficult for them because they never hesitated to resort to anything to defeat
him, including persecution, as they were not bound by any moral code.
(2)
The alleged helpers were not strangers. As they lived in Makkah, everyone knew
it well how learned they were. The disbelievers themselves knew that they could
never have helped to produce a unique and sublime Book like the Qur'an which had
the highest literary excellence and merit. That is why none of them challenged
the answer to the charge. That is why even those people, who did not know them,
considered this frivolous. Then if the alleged helpers were such geniuses, why
did they not claim to be prophets themselves?
(3) Then, all the alleged
helpers were freed slaves who were attached"to their former masters even after
their freedom according to the customs of Arabia; therefore they could not have
become willing accomplices of the Holy Prophet in this "fraud" of false
prophethood because their former masters could have coerced them to expose it.
The only reason for them to help the Holy Prophet in his claim could have been
some greed or interest which, under the circumstances, could not even be
imagined. Thus, apparently there was no reason why they should have offended
those whose protection and patronage they needed and enjoyed, and become
accomplices in the "fraud".
(4) Above all, all these alleged helpers
embraced Islam. Could it be possible that those very persons, who had helped the
Holy Prophet to make his "fraud" successful, could have possibly become his
devoted followers? Moreover, if, for the sake of argument, it be admitted that
they helped him, why was not any of them raised to a prominent rank as a reward
of his help? Why were not 'Addas and Yasar and Jabr exalted to the same status
as were Abu Bakr and 'Umar and Abu 'Ubaidah? Another odd flung is that if the
"fraud" of prophethood was being carried on with the help of the alleged
helpers, how could it remain hidden from Zaid bin Harithah, 'AIi bin Abi Talib,
Abu Bakr and other people, who were the Holy Prophet's closest and most devoted
Companions? Thus the charge was not only frivolous and false, but it was also
below the dignity of the Qur'an to give any answer to it. The charge has been
cited merely to prove that those people had been so blinded by their opposition
to the Truth that they could say anything.
13"... He is very Forgiving
and Merciful" is very meaningful here. It means that Allah is giving full
respite to the enemies of the Truth, for He is "Forgiving and Merciful";
otherwise He would have sent down a scourge to annihilate them because of the
false charges they were bringing against the Messenger. It also contains an
admonition, as if to say, "O unjust people! if even now you give up your enmity
and obduracy and accept the Truth, We shall forgive your previous misdeeds. "
14That is, "He cannot be a Messenger of Allah because he is a human being
like us. Had Allah willed to send a Messenger, He would have sent an angel, and
f at all a human being was to be sent, he should have been a king or a
millionaire, who would have resided in a castle and been guarded by attendants.
A Messenger could not be an ordinary person who has to move about in the market
places like the common people, for it is obvious that such a human Messenger
cannot attract the attention of the people. In other words, they thought that a
Messenger was not meant to guide the people to the right path but to coerce them
to obedience by show of worldly power and grandeur. For further details, see
E.N. 26 of Al-Mu'minun.
15That is, "If a human being was to be sent as a
Messenger, an angel should have been appointed to accompany him to proclaim: `If
you do not believe in him, 1 will scourge you." But what son of a Messenger is
he, who has to suffer from abuse and persecution?"
16That is, "If nothing
else, Allah should at least have made extraordinary arrangements for his
livelihood. But this man has no treasure and no gardens; yet he claims to be a
Messenger of the Lord of the universe."
17The disbelievers of Makkah made
the false propaganda against the Holy Prophet that he had been bewitched by some
jinn or by the sorcery of an enemy or by the curse of some god or goddess for
his insolence. But it is strange that they also admitted that he was a clever
man who could make use of extracts from the ancient writings for the sake of his
"prophethood", could practice sorcery and was also a poet.
18As these
objections were frivolous and meaningless like others, the Qur'an has ignored
them, saying, "Your objections are irrelevant, unreasonable and void of sense.
You bring no sound argument to prove your doctrine of shirk, or to refute the
Doctrine of Tauhid put forward by him, whereas the Messenger gives such proofs
of the Doctrine of Tauhid that you cannot refute them except by saying, 'He is
bewitched'. The same is true of the doctrine of the life-after-death and of the
moral system of the Qur'an, which has produced men of high character. You cannot
deny these things; you reject them, saying, "He is a human being like us, etc.”
19Here again the word tabaraka has been used and in the context it means:
"Allah has full control over everything and has unlimited powers: if he wills to
favor somebody, He can do so as and when He wills without let or hindrance. "
20The word As-Sa'at, meaning the Time or the Hour, has been used in the
Qur'an as a term for the promised Hour of Resurrection, when all human beings of
all ages will be raised from the dead and gathered together before Allah
Almighty to account for their beliefs and deeds, right or wrong, and rewarded or
punished accordingly.
21That is, "The objections they are raising are not
due to the reason that they doubt the authenticity of the Qur'an on some
rational ground, or that they do not believe in you for the reason that you eat
food and walk about in the streets like the common people, or that they did not
accept your Message of Truth only because you were not escorted by an angel, or
were not given a treasure. But the real reason why they are putting forward all
sorts of absurd arguments to reject your Message, is that they do not believe in
the life-after-death, and this denial has made them free from all moral
obligations. For when one denies the life-after death, there remains no need for
him to consider and decide what is true or false, or what is right or wrong,
etc. Their argument is like this: 'There is going to be no life after this one
on the earth when we will be called to account for our deeds before God. Death
will be the end of everything, and it will therefore make no difference whether
one was a worshiper of God or a disbeliever or a mushrik or an atheist When the
ultimate end is to become one with the dust, there is no need of judging what is
right and what is wrong except by the criterion of "success" and "failure" in
this life'. Those who deny the Hereafter also see that worldly success or
failure does not entirely depend upon one's faith or conduct; nay, they very
often see that the righteous and the wicked persons meet with the same end
irrespective of their faith for which there is no ordained punishment or reward
in this life; one righteous person may be living a life of hardship while
another enjoying all the good things of life; one wicked person may be suffering
for his misdeeds while the other enjoying a life of pleasure and plenty. As
such, as far as the worldly consequences of adopting a particular moral attitude
are concerned, the disbelievers in the Hereafter cannot be satisfied whether it
is right or wrong. In view of this, those who deny the Hereafter, do not see any
need to consider an invitation to faith and morality even if it is presented in
a most forceful way."
22"The Fire will see them" The words used in the
Text may be metaphorical, or they may mean that the Fire of Hell will be endowed
with the faculties of seeing, thinking and judging.
23Literally: "It is a
promise whose fulfillment can be demanded (from Allah)".
Here one ma ask
the question: How can the promise of the Garden and the threat of the Fire
produce any effect on the attitude of a parson who denies Resurrection and the
existence of Paradise and Hell? In order to understand the wisdom of this method
of admonition, one should keep in view that it is meant to appeal to the
self-interest of an obdurate person, who does not otherwise listen to such
arguments. This is, as if to say, "Even if, for the sake of argument, there is
no proof of the reality of the life-after-death, there is also no proof that
such an event will not occur at all, and there is a possibility for both. In the
latter case, the Believer and the disbeliever both will be in one and the same
position, but if there is life in the Hereafter, as the Prophet asserts, then
the disbelievers will be doomed to utter ruin". Therefore, such an approach
breaks the stubbornness of the disbelievers and proves to be highly effective
when the entire scene of Resurrection gathering of the people, their
accountability and of Hell and Heaven is presented in a vivid manner as if the
Prophet had himself seen it with his own eyes. Fur further explanation, see Ha
Mim Sajdah: 52 and E. N. 69 thereof, and A I-Ahqaf: 10.
24Here, deities
do not mean idols but the angels, the prophets; the saints, the martyrs and the
pious men, whom the mushriks of different communities have made their deities.
25Such dialogues between Allah and the gods of the disbelievers occur at
several places in the Qur'an. For instance, in Surah Saba it has been stated:
"On the day when He will gather them all together, He will ask the angels, 'Did
these people worship you?' They will answer, `Glory be to Thee! Thou art our
Patron and not they: they in fact worshiped the jinns (that is, satans); most of
these believed in them." (vv. 40-41). Similarly in Surah Al-Ma'idah, it is
said:" And when Allah will say "O Jesus, son of Mary, did you ever say to the
people: `Make me and my mother gods instead of Allah?' He will answer, `Glory be
to Thee ! It did not behoove me to say that which I had no right to say...I told
them only that which Thou didst bid me: 'Worship Allah, Who is my Lord as well
as your Lord'." (vv. 116, 117).
26That is, "They were mean people: You
gave them all the provisions of life so that they may show gratitude to You, but
they became ungrateful and ignored all the admonitions given by the Prophets. "
27That is, "On that Day your religion, which you now believe, to be true.
will prove to be false and even your gods, whom you yourselves have set up,'
will declare it to be a lie; for none of them ever asked you to make them your
deities and worship them as such. Consequently, instead of interceding on your
behalf; they will bear witness against you."
28"... who will be guilty of
iniquity ...": " .... who will be unjust to the Reality and the Truth and guilty
of disbelief and shirk "The context shows that those who reject the Prophet and
set up other deities instead of Allah and deny life in the Hereafter, are guilty
of zulm (iniquity).
29This is an answer to the objection of the
disbelievers of Makkah that Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon him) could not be a
Messenger of Allah because he ate food and moved about in the streets. They have
been told that all the Messengers of Allah who came before Muhammad (Allah's
peace be upon him)like Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Moses and many others whom they
knew and acknowledged as Prophets and Messengers of Allah also ate food and
walked about in the streets. Nay, even Prophet Jesus, son of Mary, himself, whom
the Christians had made the son of God (and whose image had also been placed in
the Ka`bah by the disbelievers of Makkah) ate food and walked about in the
streets like a common man even according to the Gospels themselves.
30It
is obvious that the Messenger and the Believers were a test for the disbelievers
as to whether they would believe even after hearing the Divine Message and
seeing their pure character. On the other hand, the disbelievers were a test for
the Messenger and his followers in the sense that they were a means of proving
and trying their true Faith by their persecution. For it is this test alone
which helps to discriminate the true Believers from the hypocrites. That is why,
at first, only the poor arid the helpless but sincere people embraced Islam. Had
there been no persecution and hardships but prosperity, wealth and grandeur, the
worshipers of the world and the selfish people would have been the first to
embrace Islam.
31That is, "Now when you have understood the wisdom of the
test by persecution, it is hoped that you will endure all kinds of hardships
without complaint, and willingly undergo the persecutions that are inevitable."
32It probably means two things: First, the way your Lord is conducting your
affairs, is according to His will and nothing that happens is without His
knowledge. Second, He is fully aware of your sincerity and righteousness in
serving His cause under all kinds of hardships. You should therefore rest
assured that you will have your full reward. He also sees the persecution and
iniquity of the disbelievers; therefore they will not escape the consequences of
their wickedness.
33That is, "If Allah had really intended to convey His
Message to us, He would not have chosen a prophet and sent an angel only to him,
but to each one of us individually with the guidance, or He should have sent a
deputation of angels to appear before the people with the Message". The same
objection has been stated in Surah Al-An`am thus: "When a Revelation comes
before them, they say, `We will not believe in it unless we are given the like
of what has been given to the Messengers of Allah.' Allah knows best whom to
entrust with His Mission and how it should be enforced." (v. 124) appeal .
34That is, Allah Himself should appear before us and make the appeal.
35Another translation could be: "They have formed a very high opinion of
their own selves."
36This very theme has been expressed in much greater
detail in Al An'am: 8, Al-Hijr: 7-8 and 51-64, and also in Bani Isra`il: 90-95.
37For explanation, see Ibrahim: 18 and E. N.'s 25, 26 thereof.
38In
contrast to the miserable plight of the disbelievers on the Day of Resurrection,
the Believers will be protected from the hardships of that Day; they will be
treated with honor and will have a blissful place for midday rest. According to
a Tradition, the Holy Prophet said: "I declare on oath by Allah, in Whose hand
is my life, that the long, horrible Day of Resurrection will be made very short
and light for a Believer, as short and light as the time taken in offering an
obligatory Prayer." (Musnad Ahmad).
39That is, "On that Day all other
kingdoms, which deluded man in the world, will come to an end, and there will be
only the Kingdom of Allah, Who is the real Sovereign of the universe. In Surah
Mu'min: 16, the same thing has been stated thus: "On that Day when all the
people will stand exposed, and nothing of them will be hidden from Allah, it
will be asked, `Whose is the Sovereignty today?' The response from every side
will he: `Of Allah, the Almighty'." According to a Tradition, the Holy Prophet
said, "Allah will take the heavens in one hand and the earth in the other, and
will declare: `I am the Sovereign: I am the Ruler. Where are the other rulers of
the earth? Where are those tyrants`? Where are the arrogant people?" (Musnad
Ahmad, Bukhari, Muslim, and Abu Da'ud, with slight variations).
40"Satan
has proved very treacherous to man" may also be a part of the disbelievers'
lament, or it may be a remark by Allah, in which case the meaning will be: "And
Satan is indeed the one who always deceives man."
41The Arabic word
mahjur is capable of several meanings. As such, the sentence may mean:" "these
people did not regard the Qur'an as worthy of their consideration: they neither
accepted it nor followed it"; or "They considered it to be a nonsense or the
delirium of insanity: or "They made it the target of their ridicule and
mockery."
42That is, "It is not a new thing that the disbelievers have
become your enemies, for it has always been so with all the former Prophets and
Messengers. (See also Al-An'am: 112-113). This is inevitable because it is Our
Law that the criminals will always oppose the Truth. You should, therefore,
pursue your mission with full confidence and determination without expecting any
immediate results.
43"Guidance" does not only imply bestowing of the
knowledge of the Truth, but it also means giving the right guidance at the right
time to guide the Islamic Movement on the right lines and to defeat the strategy
and scheme of the enemies of Islam "Help" means all kinds of moral, spiritual
and material help to the followers of the Truth in their conflict against
falsehood. Thus, Allah is All Sufficient for the righteous people and they need
no other support provided they have full faith in Allah and fight falsehood with
all their energies and strength.
This meant to encourage the Holy
Prophet, otherwise the previous assertion would have been very discouraging
without this. It meant to say, "Even :f the unbelievers have become your
enemies, you should continue your mission, for We shall guide you in every stage
and situation and help you against them. We shall defeat all the schemes of your
enemies and help you in every way in your conflict with falsehood. We shall
provide you with material means also, but you should trust in Us and exert your
utmost against falsehood."
44As the disbelievers of Makkah considered
this objection to be very strong, they repeated it over and over again. The
Qur'an also has cited it with its answer at several places; for instance, see
E.N.'s 101-106 of Surah An-Naml and E.N. 119 of Bani Isra'il. Their question
implied: "Had the Qur'an been really the Word of Allah, it would have been sent
as a complete book all at once; for Allah has the knowledge of everything and
every human affair. Thus it is obvious that nothing is being sent down from
above; but this man himself fabricates all its themes or gets these from other
people or other books.
45Another translation can be: "So that by it We
may strengthen your heart and imbue it with courage." The words are
comprehensive and imply both the meanings. This concise sentence contains the
following explanation why the Qur'an was revealed piecemeal by degrees:
(1) So that the Holy Prophet may commit it to memory perfectly and recite it to
his people, who are illiterate, rather than present it in a written form.
(2) So that its teachings and messages may be impressed deeply on the minds.
(3) So that the way of life it teaches, may be followed with complete
conviction, which would not be possible if all the Commandments and the whole
system of life had been sent down all at once.
(4) So that the hearts of
the Prophet and his followers may be imbued with courage during the conflict
between the Truth and falsehood. This required that the Divine Guidance and
messages of encouragement should be revealed as and when needed according to the
practical situation. Obviously, this could not have been possible if these had
been sent down all at once. This also showed that Allah had not left His
Messenger alone amidst persecution to counter all sorts of resistance and
opposition after appointing him to the mission, but He Himself was watching the
struggle with concern and guiding His Prophet through every difficulty by direct
communion in every critical situation.
46This is yet another point of
wisdom of sending down the Qur'an by degrees. Allah did not intend to produce a
book on "Guidance" and spread its teachings through the agency of His Prophet.
Had it been so the disbelievers would have been justified in their objection as
to why the Qur'an had not been sent down as a complete book all at once. The
real object of the revelation of the Qur'an was that Allah intended to start a
Movement of faith, piety and righteousness to combat disbelief, ignorance and
sin, and He had raised a Prophet to lead and guide the Movement. Then, on the
one hand, Allah had taken it upon Himself to send necessary instructions and
guidance to the leader and his followers as and when needed, and on the other,
He had also taken the responsibility to answer the objections and remove the
doubts of opponents and give the right interpretation of things which they
misunderstood. Thus the Qur'an was the collection of the different discourses
that were being revealed by Allah; it was not merely meant to be a code of laws
or of moral principles, but a Book, which was being sent down piecemeal to guide
the Movement in all its stages to suit its requirements on different occasions.
(See also Introduction: The Meaning of the Qur'an, Vol. I, pp. 9- 18).
47That is, "They will be driven towards Hell upon their faces because of their
perversion and their perverted thinking."
48Here by "the Book" is not
meant the Torah, which was given to Prophet Moses after the exodus from Egypt,
but it implies that Divine Guidance which was given to him after his appointment
as a Prophet up to the Exodus. It included the orations delivered by him in the
court of Pharaoh and also the instructions given to him during his conflict with
Pharaoh as mentioned in the Qur'an here and there. Most probably, these things
were not included in the Torah; the Torah began with the Ten Commandments which
were given to Moses engraved on stone tablets on Mount Sinai after the Exodus.
49"Revelations": The Divine teachings which had reached them through
Prophets Jacob and Joseph, and which had been preached to them by the righteous
people of Israel for centuries
50They did not charge only Prophet Noah
with imposture because he was a man, but, in fact, charged all the Prophets with
imposture because they were all human beings.
51That is, a painful
chastisement in the Hereafter.
52There is no definite knowledge about
"the people of the Raas'' . Different commentators have said different things
about them, but nothing is convincing. The only thing that may be said about
them is that they were a people who had killed their Prophet by throwing him
into or hanging him down a "Rass " (an old or dry well).
53The habitation
referred to was that of the people of Prophet Lot, which was destroyed by a rain
of stones. The people of Hijaz while traveling to Palestine and Syria, passed by
its ruins and heard the horrible tales of its destruction.
54As the
disbelievers did not believe in the Hereafter, they looked at these ancient
ruins as mere spectators and did not take any warning from them. Incidentally,
this is the difference between the observation of a disbeliever and of a
Believer in the Hereafter: the former looks at such things as a mere spectator
or at the most as an archaeologist whereas the latter learns moral lessons from
the same and obtains an insight into the realities beyond this worldly life.
55Obviously there is a contradiction between the question posed by the
disbelievers and the assertion made by them about their deities. The question
was meant to bring the Holy Prophet into contempt, as if to say, "You are making
a claim that is far above your low position." On the other hand, their assertion
shows that ,they indirectly admitted the force of the arguments and the high
character of the Holy Prophet and were even afraid of the effectiveness and
success of his Message, because, according to them, it was going to turn them
away from their false gods.
56"...the person who makes his lust his god"
is the one who becomes the slave of his lusts and desires. As he serves his lust
like the one who warships ' his deity, he becomes as much guilty of .shirk as
the one who worships an idol. According to a Tradition, related by Hadrat Abu
Hurairah, the Holy Prophet said, "Of all the false gods being worshipped and
served, instead of Allah, the worst in the sight of Allah is one's own lust."
(Tabarani). For further explanation, see E.N. 50 of Al-Kahf,
The man who
keeps his desires under control, and uses his common sense to make decisions,
can be expected to come to the right path by making an appeal to his reason even
though he might have been involved in shirk or disbelief; for if. he decides to
follow the right way he will remain firm and steadfast on it. On the other hand,
the man who is the slave of his own lust, is like a ship without an anchor, who
wanders about on any path where his lust leads him. He is least bothered about
the distinction between the right and the wrong, the true and the false, and has
no desire to choose one against the other. And, if ar all, such a person is
persuaded to accept the message of Guidance, no one can take the responsibility
that he will observe any moral laws.
57"They are only like the cattle"
because they follow their lusts blindly. Just as the sheep and cattle do not
know where their driver is taking them, to the meadow or to the slaughter house,
so are these people also following their leaders blindly without knowing or
judging where they are being led-to success or to destruction.. The only
difference between the two is that the cattle have no intelligence and will not
be accountable as to the place where they are being taken by the driver. But it
is a pity that human beings who are endowed with reason, should behave like
cattle; therefore their condition is worse than that of cattle.
Incidentally it should be noted that this passage (w . 43, 44) is not meant to
dissuade the Holy Prophet from conveying the Message to such people, but it is
an indirect warning to the disbelievers of the consequences if they continued to
behave like cattle .
58The word dalil has been used in the sense of the
"pilot", who is a person trained to take ships safely in or out of a harbor, or
along a waterway. The sun has been trade the pilot of the shadow because the
lengthening out of the shadow and its being rolled up depends on the rising,
declining and setting of the sun.
59"We roll it up......Curselves": "We
annihilate it or cause it to disappear", for everything which is annihilated
returns to Allah, because everything comes from Elim and returns to Him.
The Qur'an has used the phenomenon of the shadow caused by the sun for two
purposes. (fit is taken literally, it is meant to warn the disbelievers that
they should learn a lesson from this and should not behave like cattle, as if to
say, "If you had considered the benefits of the shadow in regard to your
everyday experience, you would have accepted without any hesitation the Doctrine
of Tauhid. Had the shadow been constant, there would have been no life en earth,
for life depends on the light and heat of the sun. On the other hand, if there
had been no shadow at all, the constant heat and light of the sun would have
made life impossible. Besides this, if there had been sudden changes in the sun
and the shadow, they would not have been able to endure it for long; therefore
you should reflect on this phenomenon and understand it well that it has been so
ordained by the All-Wise and the All-Powerful Creator so that it always
increases or decreases gradually in accordance with fixed natural laws. Thus it
is obvious that it could not have come into existence by itself nor produced by
blind mechanisms nor functioned so regularly and continuously under many
independent gods."
But if it is taken in the metaphorical sense, there is
between the lines a subtle suggestion, and it is this: Just as the shadow does
not remain in one and the same state, likewise the shadow of disbelief and
shirk, which appears to have spread far and wide, will begin to shorten as the
"Sun" of Guidance gradually rises; but it requires patience, for Allah never
brings about sudden changes.
60The night is a "garment" in the sense that
it covers and hides things.
61This verse has three objects:
(1) It
provides a proof of Tauhid,
(2) It furnishes a proof of the possibility
of life-after-death from everyday human experience, and
(3) It bears the
good news that the night of ignorance has come to an end and now the bright day
of Knowledge and Guidance has dawned. It is therefore inevitable that those who
were sleeping the sleep of ignorance, will sooner or later wake up, but those
who have slept the sleep of death, will not wake up and will themselves be
deprived of life, while the business of the day will go on thriving even without
them.
62That is, such water as is pure and free from all sorts of
impurities, germs and poison, which cleanses and washes away filth and becomes a
source of life for men, beasts as well as all kinds of plant life.
63This
verse also gives proofs of the Doctrine of Tauhid and the Hereafter. Besides, it
contains a subtle suggestion that the period of the "drought" of ignorance has
been replaced through Allah's mercy by the "blessed rain" of Prophethood, which
is showering the life-giving knowledge of Revelation from which many servants of
Allah will certainly benefit, if not all .
64"We present...before them"
may have three meanings:
(1)"We have cited the phenomenon of rainfall
over and over again in the Qur'an in order to make plain to them the Reality."
(2) "We are time and again showing them the wonderful phenomenon of the heat
and drought, seasonal winds and clouds, rainfall and its life producing
effects."
(3) "We go on changing the system of the distribution of
rainfall throughout the , world year after year, so that the same place does not
receive the same amount of rainfall every time: sometimes a place is left
completely dry, another has more or less of rainfall than usual, while some
other is flooded with rain water. They see all these different phenomena with
their countless different results in their daily life."
65The verse
means to impress that the wonderful system of rainfall is by itself a proof of
the existence of Allah, of One Lord of the universe, and of His attributes. Its
wonderful distribution during the year and over different parts of the earth is
a clear proof that there is an All-Wise Designer. But the obdurate disbelievers
do not learn any lesson from it, and persist in their ingratitude, though this
has been cited in the Qur'an repeatedly for this purpose.
It is also a
proof of the life-after-death, for the disbelievers themselves see and again
that rainfall brings to life dead land year after year. This clearly that Allah
has the power to bring the dead back to life, but the disbelievers it time
proves do not learn any lesson from it and persist in their irresponsible ways.
If verse 48 is taken in the metaphorical sense, the "pure water" of rain
will mean the blessings of Prophet hood. Human history shows that whenever this
blessing as been sent down, ignorance has been replaced by knowledge, injustice
by justice and wickedness by righteousness. The coming of Prophets has always
proved to be the harbinger of a moral revolution. But only those who accepted
their guidance benefited from it. This is the lesson of history, yet the
disbelievers reject it because of their ingratitude.
66That is, "If We
had willed, We could have sent a separate Prophet to every habitation but We did
not do so, because like the sun, Our Last Prophet suffices to enlighten the
whole world."
67The Arabic words Jihad-i-Kabir imply three meanings:
(1) To exert one's utmost for the cause of Islam,
(2) To dedicate all
one's resources to this cause, and
(3) To tight against the enemies of
Islam on all possible fronts with all one's resources in order to raise high the
"Word of Allah". This will include jihad with one's tongue, pen, wealth, life
and every other available weapon.
68This phenomenon has been perceived in
many places in the sea and on the land that sweet water and bitter water has
existed side by side. Turkish Admiral Syedi Ali Ra'is, in his book Mir
'at-al-Mamalik, written in the 16th century, has mentioned a place in the
Persian Gulf, where springs of sweet waver exist under the bitter waters of the
sea, where he could get drinking water for his fleet. The American Oil Company
at first obtained water from the same springs in the Persian Gulf, before they
dug up wells near Dhahran for supply of drinking water. Near Bahrain also there
exist springs of sweet water at the sea bed from which people have been taking
water until quite recently. Besides this apparent meaning which gives a rational
proof of Allah's being the One and the only Lord of the universe, the verse
contains a subtle suggestion as well: When Allah wills, He can raise up a
righteous community from among a large wicked society just as He can cause
springs of palatable and sweet water to gush out from under the salty waters of
the sea.
69Here the miracle of the birth of man from a mere sperm drop
and the procreation of his offspring from man and woman have been cited as a
proof of Tauhid. Though both man and woman belong to the same genus, they are
two species, having important common human characteristics but different
physical structures and psychological traits. It is a proof of Tauhid that the
All-Powerful Allah has used this "difference" for making the two as complements
and not antagonists. ' It is also the design of the All-Powerful Creator that He
is creating sons and daughters in the world in due proportion Then the sons
marry and create blood relationships, and the daughters are married and become
means of forming new relationships. This process goes on widening to produce
families, tribes and nations belonging to the same race and bound by the same
civilization.
The verse has also a subtle suggestion: The whole of life
is being run on the principle of "difference", for example, the difference
between the night and the day, the summer and the winter, etc. Therefore, " O
Muslims, you should patiently endure the differences you are having with your
opponents for these are certain to produce good results."
70This is a
characteristic of the typical disbeliever: he is a helper and defender of all
those who are rebels against Allah and an enemy of all those who may he striving
to raise Allah's Word and enforce His Law in the world; he is associated
directly or indirectly with all the works of Allah's disobedience and opposes
and resists in one way or the other every effort that is made to bring people to
the path of Allah's obedience and service.
71This verse (56) was meant to
comfort the Holy Prophet and to warn the disbelievers who opposed him and
obstructed his work, as if to say, "Your duty is only to convey the Message of
good news to the people and to warn them of the consequences of disbelief: you
are not responsible as to whether they accept .your Message or reject it, or to
reward the Believers and punish the disbelievers."
Such words occur in
the Qur'an at other places also and are obviously directed to the disbelievers,
as if to say, "The Message of the Prophet is meant to reform the people without
any tinge of selfishness. As he does not force the people to accept his Message,
there is no reason why you should feel offended. If you accept the Message, it
will be for your own good, and if you reject it, you will be harming yourselves
alone. For after conveying the Message, he is relieved of his duty and
responsibility; then the matter will be between you and Us."
Although
this is a very simple and clear interpretation of verse 56 (and of similar other
verses), yet some people erroneously conclude from it that the only duty and
responsibility of the Prophet is to convey the Message and nothing else. They
forget that the Qur'an has stressed over and over again that the Prophet is not
only a giver of good news to the Believers but he is also their teacher, their
lawgiver, judge and guide, a purifier of their morals and a model of life for
them, and that every word which he utters is law which they have to obey and
follow willingly in all walks of life and for all times to come.
71aFor
explanation, see E.N. 70 of Al-Mu'minun.
72For explanation of "Throne",
see E.N.'s 41, 42 of Al-A'raf, E.N. 4 of Yunus, and E.N. 7 of Hud.
It is
difficult to say what exactly is mean by "six days" Here a "day" thay mean a
period of time or an ordinary day of this world. For explanation of the "day",
see E.N.'s 11 to 15 of Surah Ha Mim Sajdah.
73This they said due to their
arrogance and stubbornness just as Pharaoh had said to Prophet Moses: "What is
the Lord of the universe?" For the disbelievers of Makkah were not unaware of
the Merciful (Rahman), nor was Pharaoh unaware of the "Lord of the universe".
The wording of the verse itself chows that their question about the "Merciful"
was not the result of their ignorance of Him but was due to their
rebelliousness; otherwise Allah would not have punished them for this but would
have informed them politely that He Himself is "Merciful". Besides this, it is
well known historically that the word Rahman (Merciful) for Allah had been in
common usage in Arabia since the ancient times. Please see also E.N. 5 of
As-Sajdah and E.N. 35 of Saba.
74All scholars are agreed that here a
`Prostration of Recital' (Sajdah Talawat) has been enjoined, which means that
every reader and every hearer must prostrate himself on reciting or hearing the
recital of this verse. According to traditions, the one who hears this verse
being recited should say: Zadan Allahu, khudu an-anima zada, lil-a`daa-i nufura:
"May Allah increase us in humility even as the enemies are increased in their
hatred."
75See E.N.'s 8 to 12 of Al Hijr.
76That is, the sun, as
mentioned clearly in Surah Nuh: 16: "... and made the sun a lamp."
77The
observation and deep consideration of the wonderful phenomenon of the
alternation of the day and night is a proof of Tauhid and His Providence so that
man may feel grateful to Him and prostrate himself before Him in all humility.
78That is, "Though all human beings are by birth the servants of the
Merciful before Whom you have been invited to prostrate yourselves, and which
you disdain, his true servants are those who adopt the way of His obedience
consciously and develop such desirable characteristics. Then the natural
consequences of the prostration are those found in the lives of the Believers
and the evil results of rejecting the invitation, those found in your lives."
Here attention is being drawn to the two patterns of character and life: first
of those who had accepted the Message of the Holy Prophet and were following it,
and the second of those who persisted in the ways of ignorance. Here only the
prominent characteristics of the true Believers have been cited, and for
contrast, the characteristics of the disbelievers have been left to every
discerning eye and mind which could see them all around in society and make its
own decision.
79That is; "They do not walk haughtily and arrogantly like
the tyrants and mischief-makers, but their "gait" is of a gentle, right-thinking
and good natured person." "Walking humbly" does not mean walking like a weak or
sick person, nor does it imply the gait of a hypocrite who walks ostentatiously
to show humility or fear of God. According to Traditions, the Holy Prophet
himself used to walk with firm, quick steps. One day Caliph `Umar saw a young
man walking slowly like a weak, sick person, and asked him, "Are you ill?" When
the man replied in the negative, the Caliph raised his whip, rebuked him and
told him to walk like a healthy man. This shows that the "humble gait" is the
natural gait of a noble and gentle person and not a gait which shows weakness
and undue humility.
In this connection, the first characteristic of the
true servants of Allah to which attention has been drawn, is their "gait" This
is because the gait indicates the character of an individual. If a man walks in
a humble and dignified way, as opposed to a haughty, vain and proud manner, it
shows that he is a noble and gentle person. Thus the different "gaits" of the
different types of people show what sort of characters they possess. The verse
means to imply that the true servants of the Merciful can be easily recognized
by their "gait" among the people. Their attitude of Allah's worship and
obedience has changed them so thoroughly that it can "be seen at first sight
from their "gate that they are noble, humble and good natured people, who cannot
be expected to indulge in any mischief. For further explanation, see E.N.43 of
Bani Isra'il and E.N 33 of Luqman
80"Ignorant people": Rude and insolent
people and not uneducated and illiterate ones. The true servants of the
"Merciful" do not believe in "vengeance", even though they may have to deal with
the ignorant people who behave rudely and insolently towards them. If they
happen to come across such people, they wish them peace and turn away. The same
thing has been expressed in AI-Qasas: 55, thus: "And when they hear something
vain and absurd they turn away from it, saying, `Our deeds are for us and your
deeds are for you: peace be to you: we have nothing to do with the ignorant'."
For details see E.N.'s 72 to 78 of Al-Qasas.
81That is, they neither
spend their nights in fun and merry-making nor in gossips and telling tales, nor
in doing wicked deeds, for these are the ways of the ignorant people. The true
servants of Allah pass their nights in worshipping and remembering Him as much
as they can. This characteristic of theirs has been brought out clearly at
several places in the Qur'an, thus: "their backs forsake their beds and they
invoke their Lord in fear and in hope." (As-Sajdah: 16). "These people (of
Paradise) slept but little at night, and prayed for their forgiveness in the
hours of the morning." (Az-Zariyat: 17, 18). And: "Can the end of the one, who
is obedient to Allah, prostrates himself and stands before Him during the hours
of the night, fears the Hereafter and places his hope in the mercy of his Lord,
be like that of a mushrik;'" (Az-Zumar: 9).
82That is, their worship has
not made them vain and proud to presume that they are the beloved ones of Allah
and that the Fire of Hell will not touch them. On the other hand, in spite of
all their worship and good deeds, they are so tilled with the fear of the
torment of Hell that they pray to their Lord to save them from it, for they do
not depend upon their own work for success in the Hereafter but upon the mercy
of Allah.
83The true servants of Allah adopt "the golden mean" between
the two extremes in spending their money. They neither go beyond prudence and
necessity in expenditure nor live in wretched 'circumstances in order to save
and hoard money but are frugal. This was the characteristic of the followers of
the Holy Prophet, which distinguished them from the well-to-do people of Arabia,
who were either spend-thrifts in regard to the gratification of their own lusts
or niggardly in spending their money on good works.
According to Islam
extravagance is: (1) To spend even the smallest amount of money in unlawful
ways, (2) to go beyond one's own resources in expenditure even in lawful ways,
or to spend money for one's own pleasure, and (3) to spend money in righteous
ways not for the sake of Allah but for mere show. On the other hand, one is
miserly if one does not spend money for one's own needs and requirements and
those of one's family in accordance with one's resources and position, or if one
does not spend money for good works. The way taught by Islam is the golden mean
between the two extremes. The Holy Prophet has said, "It is a sign of wisdom to
adopt the "golden mean" in one's living." (Ahmad, Tabarani).
84The true
servants refrain from three great sins: Shirk, murder and adultery. The Holy
Prophet himself warned of their gravity. According to 'Abdullah bin Mas`ud, when
some one asked him about the worst sins, he replied, (1) "It is to set up
someone as equal in rank with Allah, Who has created you, (2) to kill your own
child for fear of its sustenance, and (3) to commit adultery with the wife of
your neighbour." (Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmizi, Nasa`i, Ahmad). Obviously this is
not a complete list of the "heinous sins". But these three instances have been
cited because they were most prevalent in the Arab society of those days .
As regards the inclusion of refraining from shirk among the excellences of
the true servants, one may ask why it should be presented as virtue before the
disbelievers who did not regard shirk as a vice. It is because the Arabs had
doubts about the doctrine of shirk even though they appeared to be deeply
involved in it. This is amply supported by their history. For instance, when
Abraha invaded Makkah, the Quraish did not invoke their idols to save the Ka`bah
from him, but they begged Allah to save it. Their contemporary poetry bears
sufficient evidence that they regarded the destruction of the "people of the
elephant" due to Allah's power and supernatural interference and not due to any
help of their idols. The Quraish and the polytheists of Arabia had also come to
know that when Abraha reached Ta`if on his way to Makkah, the people of Ta`if
had offered him their services to destroy the Ka`bah and had even provided him
guides to take him safely to Makkah through the hills, for fear that he might
also destroy the temple of "Lat", their chief deity. This event so much offended
the Arabs that for years after this they continued , pelting the grave of the
chief guide with stones for retaliation. Moreover, the Quraish and the other
Arabs attributed their creed to Prophet Abraham and looked upon their religious
and social customs and their Hajj rites as part of Abraham's religion. They knew
that Prophet Abraham was a worshiper 'of Allah and not of idols. They also had
traditions to show as to when they had started idol-worship, and which idol had
been brought from where, when and by whom. The fact is that the common Arab did
not have much of reverence for his idols. He would even speak insultingly of it
and withheld his offerings when it failed to fulfil his wishes and prayers. For
instance, there is the story of an Arab who wanted to avenge the murder of his
father. He went to the temple of his idol, Zul-Khalasah, and wanted to take an
omen. The response came that he should abandon his intention. At this the Arab
became furious and cried out: 'O Zul-Khalasah! Had you been in my place, and
your father was murdered, you would not have said that the murderers should not
be punished." Another Arab took his herd of camels to the shrine of his god,
named Sa'd, for seeking its blessings. It was a tall idol which had been smeared
with sacrificial blood. On seeing it, the camels became terrified and started
running in all directions. The Arab was so filled with rage that he started
pelting the idol with stones, shouting, "May God destroy you! I had come to you
to seek blessings for my camels, but you have deprived me of all of them." There
were certain idols about whose origin filthy stories were current. For instance,
the story about Asaf and Na'ilah whose images had been placed at Safa and Marwa,
was that they were actually a man and a woman, who had committed adultery inside
the Holy Ka`bah and had been turned into stone by God as a punishment. When the
deities had such reputation, no worshiper could cherish any reverence for them
in his heart. From this one can easily understand that the Arabs did recognize
the value of true God-worship deep in their hearts, but, on the one hand, it had
been suppressed by ancient customs and ways of ignorance, and on the other, the
priestly class among the Quraish had vested interests, who were busy creating
prejudices against it among the people. They could not give up idol-worship
because such a step would have brought to an end their supremacy in Arabia. That
is why, refraining from shirk and worship of One Allah has been mentioned as a
mark of superiority of the followers of the Holy Prophet without any fear of
contradiction by the disbelievers, for even they in their heart of hearts knew
that it was a weighty argument against them.
85This can have two
meanings: (1) His punishment will never come to an end, but it will continue
being inflicted relentlessly over and over again; and (2) the person who in
addition to the sins of disbelief, shirk and atheism, would have committed
murders, adultery and other sins, will get separate punishment for rebellion and
for each other sin. He will be accountable for each of his major and minor sins
none of which will be pardoned. For instance, for each murder and for each act
of adultery he will be given a separate punishment, and likewise, there will be
a separate punishment for every sin committed by him.
86This is a good
news for those people who repented and reformed themselves, for they will have
the benefit of the "general amnesty" contained in verse 70. This was regarded as
a great blessing by the true servants because very few of those who embraced
Islam had been free from those vices during their 'ignorance', and were
terrified by the threat contained in vv. 63-69, but this amnesty not only
redeemed them but filled them with hope.
Many instances of such people,
who sincerely repented and reformed their lives, have been related in the
traditions. For instance, Ibn Jarir and Tabarani have related an incident from
Hadrat Abu Hurairah, who savs, "One day when 1 returned home after offering the
'lsha prayer in the Prophet's Mosque, I saw a woman standing at my door. I
saluted her and walked into my room, closed the door and busied myself in
voluntary worship. After a while she knocked at the door. I opened the door and
asked what she wanted. She said that she had come with a problem: She had
committed zina, had become pregnant, given birth to a child and then killed it.
She wanted to know if there was any chance of her sin being forgiven. I replied
in the negative. She went back grief-stricken, exclaiming, "Ah! this beautiful
body was created for the fire!" The next morning, after the prayer, when I
related the night's incident before the Holy Prophet, he said, "You gave a very
wrong answer, Abu Hurairah: Haven't you read the Qur'anic verse which says:
'(Those) who do not invoke any other deity than Allah...except the one who may
have repented (after those sins) and have believed and done righteous deeds' `?"
Hearing this from the Holy Prophet, I went out in search of the woman, and had
her traced again at the `Isha time. I gave her the good news and told her what
the Holy Prophet had said in reply to her question. She immediately tell
prostrate on the ground and thanked Allah, Who had opened a way for her
forgiveness. Then she offered repentance and set a slave-girl, along with her
son, tree." A similar incident about an old man has been related in the
traditions. He came before the Holy Prophet and said, "O Messenger of Allah, all
my life has passed in sin: there is no sin which I have not committed; so much
so that if my sins were to be distributed over the people of the whole world,
they would all be doomed. Is there any way out for my forgiveness?" The Holy
Prophet asked him, "Have you embraced Islam?" He said, "I bear witness that
there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah." The
Holy Prophet said, "Go back, Allah is All-Forgiving and has the power to change
your evil deeds into good deeds." He asked,"Is it about all my crimes and
errors?'' The Holy Prophet replied, "Yes, it is about all your crimes and
errors." ( Ibn Kathir) .
87It has two meanings: (1) When he has repented
sincerely, he will start a new life of belief and obedience to Allah and by His
grace and help will start doing good deeds instead of evil deeds that he used to
do in his life of unbelief, and his evil deeds will be replaced by good deeds;
and (2) Not only will his evil deeds done in the past be written off, but it
will also be recorded in his conduct register that he was the servant who gave
up rebellion against his Lord and adopted the way of His obedience. Then, as he
will feel more and more sorry for his past sins and offer repentance, more and
more good deeds will be credited to him; for repenting of one's wrong doing and
seeking forgiveness is in itself a good deed. Thus, good deeds will supersede
all his evil deeds in his conduct register, and he will not only escape
punishment in the Hereafter but, in addition, he will also be blessed with high
favors by Allah.
88That is. ultimately everyone has to return to Allah
for Allah alone is man's last and real refuge: He alone can reward one for his
good deeds or punish one for his evil deeds: He alone is All-Merciful and All
Compassionate, Who receives the penitent with forgiveness and Who does not
rebuke him for his past errors provided that he has repented sincerely, and
adopted the right attitude and reformed himself.
89This also has two
meanings: (1) They do not give evidence ( in a law court etc.) in regard to a
false thing in order to prove it right, when in tact it is a falsehood, or at
best a doubtful thing; and (2) they have no intention to witness any thing which
is false, evil or wicked as spectators. In this sense, every sin and every
indecency, every sham and counterfeit act is a falsehood. A true servant of
Allah recognizes it as false and shuns it even if it is presented in the
seemingly beautiful forms of "art" .
90The Arabic word laghv implies all
that is vain, useless and meaningless and it also covers "falsehood". The true
servants pass by in a dignified manner if ever they come across "what is vain",
as if it were a heap of tilth. They do not tarry there to enjoy the "filth" of
moral impurity, obscenity or foul language, nor do they intentionally go
anywhere to hear or see or take part in any sort of "filth". For further
details, see E.N. 4of Al-Muminun.
91The true servants of Allah do not
behave like the blind and the deaf towards the Revelations of Allah, when they
are recited to them for their admonition. They do not turn a deaf ear to their
teachings and Message and do not deliberately close their eyes to the Signs that
they are asked to observe, but are deeply moved by them. They follow and
practice what they are enjoined and retrain from what is forbidden.
92The
most distinctive characteristic of the true servants is their eagerness for
prayer to Allah. In verse 65 their "prayer" for their own salvation and in verse
74 their prayer for their wives and children have been cited: "Our Lord, make
our wives and children true believers so that they should practice righteousness
and become a source of comfort for us." Their prayer shows that the true
servants of Allah are more concerned about the salvation of their beloved ones
in the Hereafter than the enjoyment of the world.
It should be noted that
this characteristic has been cited here to show that the true servants had
sincerely believed in the Message. That is why they were so concerned about the
"Faith" of their beloved ones. It should also be kept in mind that many of the
near and dear ones of the Believers had not as yet embraced Islam. If a husband
had embraced Islam, the wife was still an unbeliever, and if a youth had
accepted Islam, his parents and brothers and sisters were still involved in
disbelief, and vice versa. Therefore, the true servants wept and prayed for
them, whenever the picture of their horrible state in Hell came before their
mind's eyes.
93That is,"We should excel in piety, righteousness and good
works; nay, we should become the leaders of the pious people so that we may lead
them in the propagation of virtue and piety in the world. " Incidentally, this
characteristic of the true servants was in great contrast to that of the
disbelievers, who strove in competition and rivalry with one another for
superiority in worldly power and wealth. But it is a pity that some people in
our time have misinterpreted this verse as containing sanction for seeking
candidature for political leadership. According to them, the verse means: "Our
Lord, make us rulers over the pious people."
94The word sabr (fortitude)
has been used here in its most comprehensive sense. The true servants
courageously endured their persecution by the enemies of the Truth; they
remained firm and steadfast in their struggle to establish Allah's way in the
land; they carried out their duties enjoined by Allah sincerely and tearlessly
without any concern for the worldly losses and deprivation; and they withstood
all temptations held out by Satan and all the lusts of the flesh.
95"Ghurfah " is a high mansion and the word is generally used for the "upper
chamber" of a double-storeyed house. But the reality is that the highest
buildings made by man in this world, even the Taj Mahal of India and the
skyscrapers of New York, are an ugly imitation of the "excellent abodes" in
Paradise. They are so magnificent, grand and beautiful that human imagination
cannot form any picture of their grandeur.
96This warning to the
disbelievers has been given in order to contrast it with the great rewards that
have been promised to the true servants of Allah, as if to say, "If you do not
invoke Allah for help and protection, and do not worship Him, you will have no
value and importance in His sight, and He will not care at all for you because
He does not stand in need of any help from you. It is indeed for your own sake
that He has given you the opportunity to invoke Him so that He they turn in
mercy towards you; otherwise there is no difference between you and the rest of
creation."