الأعراف
Al-A'raf
The Heights • makkah • 206 Verses
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بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
1:1.
1:1.
a
1:1.
a
See 1:1.
906
Commentary:
See under 1:1.
a
1:1.
الٓمٓصٓ
الٓـمّٓ قائم مقام ہے اَ نَا اللّٰہُ اَعْلَمُ کا جس کے معنے ہیں ’’میں اللہ سب سے زیادہ جاننے والا ہوں‘‘ اور صٓ قائم مقام ہے صادق کا‘ یعنی میں صادق ہوں۔ جو تعلیم میری طرف سے آئے وہ سچ پر مشتمل ہوتی ہے۔ یہ حروف مقطعات کہلاتے ہیں۔ مقطعات کے لئے دیکھیئے نوٹ سورۃبقرۃ آیت۲۔
2:2; 3:2; 29:2; 30:2; 31:2; 32:2.
According to Ibn-e-‘Abbas, the combined four letters Alif Lam Mim Sad signify "I am Allah, the All-Knowing and I explain." For the first three letters see note {16}, and the letter Sad stands for Ufassilu, i.e. I explain. The contents of this Surah justify this interpretation, because the Surah not only embodies Divine knowledge of, but explains at greater length and with a greater wealth of illustrations, the subject dealt with in the preceding Surah. The letter Sad has also been understood to mean, "Most Truthful."
2:2; 3:2; 29:2; 30:2; 31: 2; 32:2.
Commentary:
According to Ibn ‘Abbas, the combined four letters المص are the abbreviations of the words انا الله اعلم وافصل i.e. "I am Allah, I know and I explain". The contents of this Surah justify this interpretation, because the Surah not only embodies Divine knowledge but "explains" at a greater length and with a greater wealth of illustrations the subject dealt with in the previous Surah. See also note on الم in 2:2.
b
2:2; 3:2; 29:2; 30:2; 31:2; 32:2.
471
按照伊本•阿巴斯的意见, الٓـمّٓصٓ Alif Lam Mim Sad 四个字母合起来的意思是, “我是最知的安拉,我解释。” 开始三个字母的意思见注释16, 而字母 ص Sªd 代表 اُفَصِّلُ Ufassilu, 即 “我解释”。本章内容证明这解释是恰当的, 因为本章不仅体现了前一章所述及的那一主题的有关安拉的知识, 而且以更丰富的实例更详细地阐明了它。Sad 这一字母的意思也可以理解为 “最诚实的。”
1
الٓـمّٓ قائم مقام ہے اَ نَا اللّٰہُ اَعْلَمُ کا جس کے معنے ہیں ’’میں اللہ سب سے زیادہ جاننے والا ہوں‘‘ اور صٓ قائم مقام ہے صادق کا‘ یعنی میں صادق ہوں۔ جو تعلیم میری طرف سے آئے وہ سچ پر مشتمل ہوتی ہے۔ یہ حروف مقطعات کہلاتے ہیں۔ مقطعات کے لئے دیکھیئے نوٹ سورۃبقرۃ آیت۲۔
b
2:2; 3:2; 29:2; 30:2; 31: 2; 32:2.
906A
Commentary:
According to Ibn ‘Abbas, the combined four letters المص are the abbreviations of the words انا الله اعلم وافصل i.e. "I am Allah, I know and I explain". The contents of this Surah justify this interpretation, because the Surah not only embodies Divine knowledge but "explains" at a greater length and with a greater wealth of illustrations the subject dealt with in the previous Surah. See also note on الم in 2:2.
b
2:2; 3:2; 29:2; 30:2; 31:2; 32:2.
942
According to Ibn-e-‘Abbas, the combined four letters Alif Lam Mim Sad signify "I am Allah, the All-Knowing and I explain." For the first three letters see note {16}, and the letter Sad stands for Ufassilu, i.e. I explain. The contents of this Surah justify this interpretation, because the Surah not only embodies Divine knowledge of, but explains at greater length and with a greater wealth of illustrations, the subject dealt with in the preceding Surah. The letter Sad has also been understood to mean, "Most Truthful."
كِتَٰبٌ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ فَلَا يَكُن فِى صَدْرِكَ حَرَجٌ مِّنْهُ لِتُنذِرَ بِهِۦ وَذِكْرَىٰ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
6:52; 19:98; 25:2.
6:52; 19:98; 25:2.
Commentary:
This verse is addressed to each and every believer, and not particularly to the Holy Prophet. The believers are told that the Quran is God’s own revelation and not the outcome of the Prophet’s mind, and since it is the revealed Word of the All-Knowing God, they should feel no straitness or hesitance in acting upon its injunctions and preaching them to others.
c
6:52; 19:98; 25:2.
c
6:52; 19:98; 25:2.
907
Commentary:
This verse is addressed to each and every believer, and not particularly to the Holy Prophet. The believers are told that the Quran is God’s own revelation and not the outcome of the Prophet’s mind, and since it is the revealed Word of the All-Knowing God, they should feel no straitness or hesitance in acting upon its injunctions and preaching them to others.
c
6:52; 19:98; 25:2.
943
This verse is addressed to every believer, and not particularly to the Holy Prophet.
ٱتَّبِعُوا۟ مَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكُم مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا۟ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ أَوْلِيَآءَ ۗ قَلِيلًا مَّا تَذَكَّرُونَ
33:3; 39:56.
قَلِیْـلًا کے لفظی معنے تو تھوڑے کے ہیں۔ مگر محاورہ میں اس کے معنے بالکل نہ ہونے کے ہوتے ہیں۔
33:3; 39:56.
33:3; 39:56.
Commentary:
No patronage or help from any quarter can be of avail to a people in opposition to God and His Messengers. This is a lesson writ large on the pages of history and is well worth remembering.
d
33:3; 39:56.
2
قَلِیْـلًا کے لفظی معنے تو تھوڑے کے ہیں۔ مگر محاورہ میں اس کے معنے بالکل نہ ہونے کے ہوتے ہیں۔
d
33:3; 39:56.
908
Commentary:
No patronage or help from any quarter can be of avail to a people in opposition to God and His Messengers. This is a lesson writ large on the pages of history and is well worth remembering.
d
33:3; 39:56.
وَكَم مِّن قَرْيَةٍ أَهْلَكْنَٰهَا فَجَآءَهَا بَأْسُنَا بَيَٰتًا أَوْ هُمْ قَآئِلُونَ
7:98; 21:12; 28:59.
7:98; 21:12; 28:59.
Latter part of the night and also midday are here mentioned as particularly the two times when Divine visitations generally come upon a people. These are the hours when they are often asleep or are in a state of negligence.
7:98; 21:12; 28:59.
Important Words:
بیاتا (by night) is the noun-infinitive from بات i.e. he passed the night. بات یفعل کذا means, he did such a thing by or at night; or he passed the night doing such a thing; or he entered upon the night doing such a thing. اتاھم الامربیاتا means, the thing or event happened to them at night, or in the latter part of the night (Aqrab). See also 4:82.
قائلون (slept at noon) is derived from قال (of which the aorist is یقیل and not یقول) i.e. he slept or rested during mid-day; or he drank water, etc. at mid-day. So قائل means, one sleeping or resting during mid-day. قیلولة means, the act of sleeping or resting during mid-day. قائلة means, mid-day (Aqrab).
Commentary:
The particle فا in فجاءھا here means "and". If, however, it be taken to mean "then" and the words that follow be translated as "then Our punishment came upon them", then the verb اھلکنا (have We destroyed) will have to be rendered as "We had decreed to destroy". Two separate and distinct hours, viz. (1) the latter part of the night and (2) mid-day are here mentioned as the two times when divine visitations generally come upon men. These are the times when people are often in a state of sleep or negligence.
e
7:98; 21:12; 28:59.
a
7:98; 21:12; 28:59.
909
Important Words:
بیاتا (by night) is the noun-infinitive from بات i.e. he passed the night. بات یفعل کذا means, he did such a thing by or at night; or he passed the night doing such a thing; or he entered upon the night doing such a thing. اتاھم الامربیاتا means, the thing or event happened to them at night, or in the latter part of the night (Aqrab). See also 4:82.
قائلون (slept at noon) is derived from قال (of which the aorist is یقیل and not یقول) i.e. he slept or rested during mid-day; or he drank water, etc. at mid-day. So قائل means, one sleeping or resting during mid-day. قیلولة means, the act of sleeping or resting during mid-day. قائلة means, mid-day (Aqrab).
Commentary:
The particle فا in فجاءھا here means "and". If, however, it be taken to mean "then" and the words that follow be translated as "then Our punishment came upon them", then the verb اھلکنا (have We destroyed) will have to be rendered as "We had decreed to destroy". Two separate and distinct hours, viz. (1) the latter part of the night and (2) mid-day are here mentioned as the two times when divine visitations generally come upon men. These are the times when people are often in a state of sleep or negligence.
e
7:98; 21:12; 28:59.
944
Latter part of the night and also midday are here mentioned as particularly the two times when Divine visitations generally come upon a people. These are the hours when they are often asleep or are in a state of negligence.
فَمَا كَانَ دَعْوَىٰهُمْ إِذْ جَآءَهُم بَأْسُنَآ إِلَّآ أَن قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَٰلِمِينَ
21:15.
The reason, why even confirmed atheists have sometimes been found to cry to God for help when punishment overtakes them, is that at such a dreadful time realization comes to man not only of his own utter helplessness but also of the might and power of a Higher Being.
21:15.
Commentary:
The reason why even confirmed atheists have been found to cry to God for help when Divine punishment overtakes them, is that at such a dreadful time, man becomes not only conscious of his own utter helplessness but also of the might and power of a Higher Being.
f
21:15.
472
即使是最坚定的无神论者, 当遭受到惩罚时, 有时也会看到他们呼求安拉的帮助。其理由是, 在这样一种可怕的时刻, 人类才认识到他们自己是完全无能为力的, 而且也开始认识到安拉是大力和全能的。
b
21:15.
910
Commentary:
The reason why even confirmed atheists have been found to cry to God for help when Divine punishment overtakes them, is that at such a dreadful time, man becomes not only conscious of his own utter helplessness but also of the might and power of a Higher Being.
a
21:15.
945
The reason, why even confirmed atheists have sometimes been found to cry to God for help when punishment overtakes them, is that at such a dreadful time realization comes to man not only of his own utter helplessness but also of the might and power of a Higher Being.
فَلَنَسْـَٔلَنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ أُرْسِلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَنَسْـَٔلَنَّ ٱلْمُرْسَلِينَ
28:66.
5:110.
The verse embodies the important principle that in one form or another all are responsible to God. All people will be questioned how they received God’s Messengers, and the Messengers will be questioned how they delivered the Divine Message and what response was made by the people to it.
28:66.
5:110.
Commentary:
The verse embodies the important principle that in one way or another all are responsible to God. The people will be questioned as to how they received God’s Messengers, and the Messengers will be questioned as to how they delivered the Divine Message and what response the people gave them.
a
28:66.
b
5:110.
473
这节经文体现了这样一个重要原则: 所有的人都是以各种形式向安拉负责的。所有的人都将受质问, 他们是如何接待安拉的使者的; 而使者们将受到质问, 他们是如何传送安拉的使命的以及人们对使命作出什么反应。
c
28:66.
d
5:110.
911
Commentary:
The verse embodies the important principle that in one way or another all are responsible to God. The people will be questioned as to how they received God’s Messengers, and the Messengers will be questioned as to how they delivered the Divine Message and what response the people gave them.
b
28:66.
c
5:110.
946
The verse embodies the important principle that in one form or another all are responsible to God. All people will be questioned how they received God’s Messengers, and the Messengers will be questioned how they delivered the Divine Message and what response was made by the people to it.
فَلَنَقُصَّنَّ عَلَيْهِم بِعِلْمٍ ۖ وَمَا كُنَّا غَآئِبِينَ
Commentary:
God’s purpose in questioning the Messengers and the people (7:7 above) would not be to gain information or supplement His knowledge,––for He is All-Knowing—but, on the contrary, to impress upon both parties the extent and perfection of His own knowledge. After the people and the Prophets will have said what they will have to say, God Himself will tell them in detail what they did and what they should have done but failed to do, and thus the all-comprehensiveness of God’s knowledge will be fully brought home to them.
912
Commentary:
God’s purpose in questioning the Messengers and the people (7:7 above) would not be to gain information or supplement His knowledge,––for He is All-Knowing—but, on the contrary, to impress upon both parties the extent and perfection of His own knowledge. After the people and the Prophets will have said what they will have to say, God Himself will tell them in detail what they did and what they should have done but failed to do, and thus the all-comprehensiveness of God’s knowledge will be fully brought home to them.
وَٱلْوَزْنُ يَوْمَئِذٍ ٱلْحَقُّ ۚ فَمَن ثَقُلَتْ مَوَٰزِينُهُۥ فَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ
عربی میں فَاء ہے جس کے معنے پس کے ہیں لیکن اردو میں اس کی ضرورت نہیں۔ مضمون فقرہ کی بناوٹ سے معلوم ہوجاتا ہے کہ یہ بات پہلی بات کا نتیجہ ہے۔
21:48; 23:103; 101:9-10.
The language used here is figurative. Material things are weighed in scales made of metal or wood, but the weighing of things which are not material signifies determining their real value, worth or importance.
21:48; 23:103; 101:9-10.
Important Words:
موازینه (whose scales). موازین is the plural of میزان which is derived from وزن. They say وزن الشیء i.e. he weighed the thing, or he determined or estimated the weight of the thing. وزن الشعر means, he composed verses according to the fixed measure. وزن الشیء (with different vowel point at the central root letter) means, the thing became heavy and weighty. وزن which is noun-infinitive means, the act of weighing; or the weight of a thing; or weightiness. وزن الرجل means, he was a person of weighty opinion. میزان means, a weighing instrument; a balance; a pair of scales; the weight of a thing; the measure of a verse (Lane & Aqrab)
Commentary:
The verse does not mean that pairs of scale will actually be set up and human actions and deeds weighed like material things. The language used is figurative. Material things are indeed weighed in scales made of metal or wood, but the weighing of things which are not material means determining their real value or worth or importance.
The verse also throws interesting side-light on the fact that on the Day of Reckoning it is only good works that will carry weight. In the following verse, the Quran makes the point further clear by saying, those whose scales are light, (i.e. those who have no good works to their credit or who have only evil works which carry no weight), it is they who shall have ruined their souls.
c
21:48; 23:103; 101:9-10.
474
这里使用的语言是比喻性的。物质的东西可以在金属或木制的称秤上称重量, 可是不是物质的东西权衡的意思是, 决定它们的真正价值或重要性。
1
عربی میں فَاء ہے جس کے معنے پس کے ہیں لیکن اردو میں اس کی ضرورت نہیں۔ مضمون فقرہ کی بناوٹ سے معلوم ہوجاتا ہے کہ یہ بات پہلی بات کا نتیجہ ہے۔
a
21:48; 23:103; 101:9-10.
913
Important Words:
موازینه (whose scales). موازین is the plural of میزان which is derived from وزن. They say وزن الشیء i.e. he weighed the thing, or he determined or estimated the weight of the thing. وزن الشعر means, he composed verses according to the fixed measure. وزن الشیء (with different vowel point at the central root letter) means, the thing became heavy and weighty. وزن which is noun-infinitive means, the act of weighing; or the weight of a thing; or weightiness. وزن الرجل means, he was a person of weighty opinion. میزان means, a weighing instrument; a balance; a pair of scales; the weight of a thing; the measure of a verse (Lane & Aqrab)
Commentary:
The verse does not mean that pairs of scale will actually be set up and human actions and deeds weighed like material things. The language used is figurative. Material things are indeed weighed in scales made of metal or wood, but the weighing of things which are not material means determining their real value or worth or importance.
The verse also throws interesting side-light on the fact that on the Day of Reckoning it is only good works that will carry weight. In the following verse, the Quran makes the point further clear by saying, those whose scales are light, (i.e. those who have no good works to their credit or who have only evil works which carry no weight), it is they who shall have ruined their souls.
d
21:48; 23:103; 101:9-10.
947
The language used here is figurative. Material things are weighed in scales made of metal or wood, but the weighing of things which are not material signifies determining their real value, worth or importance.
وَمَنْ خَفَّتْ مَوَٰزِينُهُۥ فَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ خَسِرُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُم بِمَا كَانُوا۟ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا يَظْلِمُونَ
23:104; 101:7-8.
The word Zulm, literally meaning 'to put a thing in the wrong place' (Lane), is here used to signify that the disbelievers did not treat the Signs of God in the manner in which they should have been treated. The Signs were meant to instil fear of God and humility into their minds, but instead they became all the more arrogant and insolent and rejected them with mockery and derision.
23:104; 101:9-10.
Commentary:
The words, whose scales are light, mean, those whose good deeds are few and evil deeds many. The word ظلم (rendered as being unjust to) literally means, to put a thing in the wrong place, and is here used to signify that the disbelievers did not treat the signs of God in the manner in which they should have been treated. They were meant to instil fear of God and humility in the minds of the people; but, on the contrary, disbelievers became all the more arrogant and insolent and received the signs of God with mockery and derision.
d
23:104; 101:7-8.
475
ظُلْم (Zulm) 这个单词的字义是 “把一件东西放错了位置” (Lane), 这里用以意指不信的人没有像他们应该那样去对待安拉的迹象。这些迹象原来是想逐渐灌输对安拉的敬畏以及谦恭到他们的心中去的, 可是相反地他们变得越发地傲慢并且以嘲笑的态度来拒绝这些迹象。
a
23:104; 101:9-10.
914
Commentary:
The words, whose scales are light, mean, those whose good deeds are few and evil deeds many. The word ظلم (rendered as being unjust to) literally means, to put a thing in the wrong place, and is here used to signify that the disbelievers did not treat the signs of God in the manner in which they should have been treated. They were meant to instil fear of God and humility in the minds of the people; but, on the contrary, disbelievers became all the more arrogant and insolent and received the signs of God with mockery and derision.
e
23:104; 101:7-8.
948
The word Zulm, literally meaning 'to put a thing in the wrong place' (Lane), is here used to signify that the disbelievers did not treat the Signs of God in the manner in which they should have been treated. The Signs were meant to instil fear of God and humility into their minds, but instead they became all the more arrogant and insolent and rejected them with mockery and derision.
وَلَقَدْ مَكَّنَّٰكُمْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَجَعَلْنَا لَكُمْ فِيهَا مَعَٰيِشَ ۗ قَلِيلًا مَّا تَشْكُرُونَ
15:21; 46:27.
15:21; 46:27.
15:21; 46:27.
Commentary:
The verse purports to tell the people that in spite of the fact that God has given them all necessary things, yet they are not grateful to Him. This is intended to warn men to be prepared to reap the fruits of their evil actions.
e
15:21; 46:27.
b
15:21; 46:27.
915
Commentary:
The verse purports to tell the people that in spite of the fact that God has given them all necessary things, yet they are not grateful to Him. This is intended to warn men to be prepared to reap the fruits of their evil actions.
a
15:21; 46:27.
وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَٰكُمْ ثُمَّ صَوَّرْنَٰكُمْ ثُمَّ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةِ ٱسْجُدُوا۟ لِءَادَمَ فَسَجَدُوٓا۟ إِلَّآ إِبْلِيسَ لَمْ يَكُن مِّنَ ٱلسَّٰجِدِينَ
23:15; 39:7; 40:65.
2:35; 15:30-31; 17:62; 18:51; 20:117; 38:73-75.
人类能够塑造他们的道德形象, 成为各种形状, 正如粘土可以被塑造的那样。
اِبْلِيْس (Iblis, 伊布利司) 不是天使。(18:51) 他是邪恶的精神物实在的头目, 犹如 جِبْرِيْل (Gabriel, 吉布里尔) 是天使首领。这里所谈到的事情并不和人类第一个祖先 (可称为第一个阿丹) 有关。现在述及的事情只是和后一个阿丹 (即大约住在这个地球上六千年以前的那个阿丹, 从他那里直接传下努哈和伊布拉欣以及他们的后代) 有关。
23:15; 39:7; 40:65.
2:35; 15:30-31; 17:62; 18:51; 20:117; 38:73-75.
Man can mould his moral being into various shapes, as clay can be moulded.
Whereas the command to submit to Adam was addressed to the angels, it applied to all creation, as angels are Divine agents to give effect to God’s commands.
Iblis was not an angel (18:51). He is the chief of the evil spirits as Gabriel is the chief of angels. The incident mentioned here is in no way connected with the first progenitor of the human race, who may be called the first Adam. It is only with the latter Adam (who dwelt in this earth about six thousand years ago and from whom Noah and Abraham and their posterity were directly descended) that the present account deals.
23:15; 39:7; 40:65.
2:35; 15:30-31; 17:62; 18:51; 20:117; 38:73-75.
Commentary:
The story of Adam has already been partly related in 2:3-40. Another part of the same story with some additional details is given here with a different purpose. In the former Surah, the narration was meant to show that God had been sending down revelation from the beginning of the world and so the revelation sent to the Holy Prophet of Islam was not an innovation. Here it is given to show that there have always been enemies of the Prophets of God and so the hostility of the people towards the Holy Prophet was, in fact, a sign of his truth. The story of Adam is incapable of being fully understood without our first being acquainted with the scene of its occurrence. Was Adam first placed in Paradise and was it in Paradise that the scene described in this and the following few verses was enacted? All doubts on this score are set at rest by the plain words of the Quran, I am about to place a vicegerent in the earth (2:31). It was indeed in this very earth that the creation of Adam and all that followed it took place. The Bible as well as Zoroastrian and Hindu religious writings also lend support to this view. The Holy Prophet is reported to have described the Nile and the Euphrates as the two rivers of جنة (the garden); referring to the place where Adam lived (Muslim, ch. on Jannat); and the Hadith, too, places Adam in Mesopotamia which is watered by the waters of the Tigris and the Euphrates. It was, therefore, here that the garden of Adam was situated and all the different incidents mentioned about him in the Quran also took place here; and if there be any incident which cannot be proved to have literally occurred on this earth, then that incident will have to be taken in a figurative sense.
Another fact worth remembering is that 2:31, according to which Adam was created on this earth, also tells us that he was not the first man to live on this planet, and that other men lived even before he was brought into existence. In 2:31 Adam has been called Khalifah which word, meaning a successor, shows that he had predecessors whom he succeeded. The verse under comment also clearly points to the same conclusion. Addressing the people, it says, And We did create you and then We gave you shape; then said We to the angles, Submit to Adam. The plural pronoun "you" in the clause, We did create you, having preceded the words containing the command to angels to submit to Adam, which is preceded by the conjunction "then" shows that it was after the creation of men, and not only Adam, that God ordered angels to submit to Adam and that, therefore, human beings were already living on this earth when angels received this command. It is, thus, wrong to conclude that the human race began with Adam, that its whole life is only a little more than 6,000 years and that the different races now living on this earth are all necessarily descended from Adam.
The aborigines of Australia or the Red Indians of America or the Negroes of Africa may not be the descendants of the Adam about whom the Quran speaks in the verse under comment. See also 2:31.
As already pointed out, events which cannot be literally shown to have occurred on this earth must be regarded as having taken place in a figurative sense. That figurative language has actually been used in this narrative is clear from the following facts:
1. The angels were bidden to perform سجدة (falling prostrate before Adam) which is not permissible for any being other than God. So God could not command the angels to fall prostrate before Adam in the literal sense of the words. These words must, therefore, be taken only in the figurative sense, i.e. that of submitting and rendering every kind of help. This is why the Arabic expression اسجدوا has here been translated as "submit to", which is a perfectly correct rendering according to the figurative idiom of the Arabic language.
2. The command to fall prostrate before Adam was given to the angels only; but Iblis who is not an angel, is also apparently included in it; which proves this inclusion also to be a figurative one.
3. Iblis is represented in the Quran as having been created from fire (7:13), and he is also described as being one of the جن (jinn), which signifies an invisible creation (18:51). So he must have been invisible to Adam who was in all respects like other human beings. But he is here represented as having appeared to Adam in a visible form and having talked to him face to face. This shows that the word شیطان (Satan) has been used in the following verses in a figurative sense, and that it does not refer to the Evil One which tempts men.
4. It is said that when Adam and his wife tasted of the forbidden tree, their nakedness became manifest to them. But we know of no tree on this earth the tasting of which has the property of making a person realize his nakedness. So we will have to take 'the tree' and 'the nakedness' also in a figurative sense.
5. We are told in 20:119 that when God placed Adam in the garden, He told him that he would not become naked therein. But in 7:23 we are told that he did, in fact, become naked. So one of the two statements will have to be taken figuratively.
The straight and simple meaning of the verse is only this: the angels are bidden to submit to Adam and to help him in his work. This commandment was given to the angels when Adam was made a Prophet. As one of the functions of the angels is to exhort men to do virtuous deeds, they were commanded to help Adam by instilling good ideas into the minds of men and exhorting them to accept Adam as a Messenger of God. The chief angel is Gabriel. Similarly, there are evil spirits whose chief is Iblis. The evil spirits make evil suggestions to men and incite them to disobey God. So, while the angels in obedience to God’s command submitted to Adam, Iblis, chief of the evil spirits, refused to submit to him and to help him in his work.
It should be remembered that the incident mentioned here is in no way connected with the first progenitor of the human race, who may be called the first Adam. It is only with the later Adam (who lived on this earth about 6,000 years ago and from whom Noah and Abraham and their posterity were directly descended) that the present story is connected. See also notes on 2:31 & 2:35.
a
23:15; 39:7; 40:65.
b
2:35; 15:30-31; 17:62; 18:51; 20:117; 38:73-75.
476
人类能够塑造他们的道德形象, 成为各种形状, 正如粘土可以被塑造的那样。
477
اِبْلِيْس (Iblis, 伊布利司) 不是天使。(18:51) 他是邪恶的精神物实在的头目, 犹如 جِبْرِيْل (Gabriel, 吉布里尔) 是天使首领。这里所谈到的事情并不和人类第一个祖先 (可称为第一个阿丹) 有关。现在述及的事情只是和后一个阿丹 (即大约住在这个地球上六千年以前的那个阿丹, 从他那里直接传下努哈和伊布拉欣以及他们的后代) 有关。
c
23:15; 39:7; 40:65.
d
2:35; 15:30-31; 17:62; 18:51; 20:117; 38:73-75.
916
Commentary:
The story of Adam has already been partly related in 2:3-40. Another part of the same story with some additional details is given here with a different purpose. In the former Surah, the narration was meant to show that God had been sending down revelation from the beginning of the world and so the revelation sent to the Holy Prophet of Islam was not an innovation. Here it is given to show that there have always been enemies of the Prophets of God and so the hostility of the people towards the Holy Prophet was, in fact, a sign of his truth. The story of Adam is incapable of being fully understood without our first being acquainted with the scene of its occurrence. Was Adam first placed in Paradise and was it in Paradise that the scene described in this and the following few verses was enacted? All doubts on this score are set at rest by the plain words of the Quran, I am about to place a vicegerent in the earth (2:31). It was indeed in this very earth that the creation of Adam and all that followed it took place. The Bible as well as Zoroastrian and Hindu religious writings also lend support to this view. The Holy Prophet is reported to have described the Nile and the Euphrates as the two rivers of جنة (the garden); referring to the place where Adam lived (Muslim, ch. on Jannat); and the Hadith, too, places Adam in Mesopotamia which is watered by the waters of the Tigris and the Euphrates. It was, therefore, here that the garden of Adam was situated and all the different incidents mentioned about him in the Quran also took place here; and if there be any incident which cannot be proved to have literally occurred on this earth, then that incident will have to be taken in a figurative sense.
Another fact worth remembering is that 2:31, according to which Adam was created on this earth, also tells us that he was not the first man to live on this planet, and that other men lived even before he was brought into existence. In 2:31 Adam has been called Khalifah which word, meaning a successor, shows that he had predecessors whom he succeeded. The verse under comment also clearly points to the same conclusion. Addressing the people, it says, And We did create you and then We gave you shape; then said We to the angles, Submit to Adam. The plural pronoun "you" in the clause, We did create you, having preceded the words containing the command to angels to submit to Adam, which is preceded by the conjunction "then" shows that it was after the creation of men, and not only Adam, that God ordered angels to submit to Adam and that, therefore, human beings were already living on this earth when angels received this command. It is, thus, wrong to conclude that the human race began with Adam, that its whole life is only a little more than 6,000 years and that the different races now living on this earth are all necessarily descended from Adam.
The aborigines of Australia or the Red Indians of America or the Negroes of Africa may not be the descendants of the Adam about whom the Quran speaks in the verse under comment. See also 2:31.
As already pointed out, events which cannot be literally shown to have occurred on this earth must be regarded as having taken place in a figurative sense. That figurative language has actually been used in this narrative is clear from the following facts:
1. The angels were bidden to perform سجدة (falling prostrate before Adam) which is not permissible for any being other than God. So God could not command the angels to fall prostrate before Adam in the literal sense of the words. These words must, therefore, be taken only in the figurative sense, i.e. that of submitting and rendering every kind of help. This is why the Arabic expression اسجدوا has here been translated as "submit to", which is a perfectly correct rendering according to the figurative idiom of the Arabic language.
2. The command to fall prostrate before Adam was given to the angels only; but Iblis who is not an angel, is also apparently included in it; which proves this inclusion also to be a figurative one.
3. Iblis is represented in the Quran as having been created from fire (7:13), and he is also described as being one of the جن (jinn), which signifies an invisible creation (18:51). So he must have been invisible to Adam who was in all respects like other human beings. But he is here represented as having appeared to Adam in a visible form and having talked to him face to face. This shows that the word شیطان (Satan) has been used in the following verses in a figurative sense, and that it does not refer to the Evil One which tempts men.
4. It is said that when Adam and his wife tasted of the forbidden tree, their nakedness became manifest to them. But we know of no tree on this earth the tasting of which has the property of making a person realize his nakedness. So we will have to take 'the tree' and 'the nakedness' also in a figurative sense.
5. We are told in 20:119 that when God placed Adam in the garden, He told him that he would not become naked therein. But in 7:23 we are told that he did, in fact, become naked. So one of the two statements will have to be taken figuratively.
The straight and simple meaning of the verse is only this: the angels are bidden to submit to Adam and to help him in his work. This commandment was given to the angels when Adam was made a Prophet. As one of the functions of the angels is to exhort men to do virtuous deeds, they were commanded to help Adam by instilling good ideas into the minds of men and exhorting them to accept Adam as a Messenger of God. The chief angel is Gabriel. Similarly, there are evil spirits whose chief is Iblis. The evil spirits make evil suggestions to men and incite them to disobey God. So, while the angels in obedience to God’s command submitted to Adam, Iblis, chief of the evil spirits, refused to submit to him and to help him in his work.
It should be remembered that the incident mentioned here is in no way connected with the first progenitor of the human race, who may be called the first Adam. It is only with the later Adam (who lived on this earth about 6,000 years ago and from whom Noah and Abraham and their posterity were directly descended) that the present story is connected. See also notes on 2:31 & 2:35.
b
23:15; 39:7; 40:65.
c
2:35; 15:30-31; 17:62; 18:51; 20:117; 38:73-75.
949
Man can mould his moral being into various shapes, as clay can be moulded.
950
Whereas the command to submit to Adam was addressed to the angels, it applied to all creation, as angels are Divine agents to give effect to God’s commands.
951
Iblis was not an angel (18:51). He is the chief of the evil spirits as Gabriel is the chief of angels. The incident mentioned here is in no way connected with the first progenitor of the human race, who may be called the first Adam. It is only with the latter Adam (who dwelt in this earth about six thousand years ago and from whom Noah and Abraham and their posterity were directly descended) that the present account deals.
قَالَ مَا مَنَعَكَ أَلَّا تَسْجُدَ إِذْ أَمَرْتُكَ ۖ قَالَ أَنَا۠ خَيْرٌ مِّنْهُ خَلَقْتَنِى مِن نَّارٍ وَخَلَقْتَهُۥ مِن طِينٍ
حکم براہِ راست فرشتوں کو تھا۔ مگر جب آفیسر کو حکم دیا جائے تو ماتحت اس میں شامل ہوتے ہیں۔ قرآن کریم میں بہت دفعہ ذکر رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کا ہوتا ہے مگر مراد آپ کے اتباع ہوتے ہیں‘ جیسا کہ فرمایا کہ جب تیری زندگی میں تیرے ماں باپ بوڑھے ہو جائیں تو انہیں اُف تک نہ کہو۔ حالانکہ آپ یتیم تھے۔ پس مراد آپ کے اتباع ہیں آپ نہیں۔
عربی زبان میں کبھی لا زائدہ بھی ہوتا ہے۔
یعنی گیلی مٹی کی طرح آدمی مختلف اخلاق میں ڈھالا جا سکتا ہے۔ اور چاہے تو بالا طاقت کا مطیع بھی ہو سکتا ہے مگر میری فطرت میں تو نے ناری صفت رکھی ہے‘ اس لئے میں کسی کا مطیع نہیں بن سکتا۔ عربی کا محاورہ ہے خُلِقَ مِنْ عَجَلٍ جس کے معنے یہ نہیں کہ جلدی کوئی مادہ ہے جس سے انسان پیدا کیا گیا ہے۔ بلکہ مراد یہ ہے کہ انسان کی فطرت میں جلد بازی کا مادہ ہے۔ اسی طرح اس آیت سے یہ مرادنہیں کہ آدمی مٹی سے پیدا کیے گئے ہیں اور شیطان آگ سے‘ بلکہ یہ مراد ہے کہ انسان کی فطرت میں یہ بات پائی جاتی ہے کہ وہ مختلف حالات میں ان کے مطابق ڈھل جاتا ہے اور شیطان کی فطرت میں آگ جیسا مادہ ہے اور و
15:33-34; 38:76-77.
What is represented in the present verse as a dialogue between God and Iblis does not necessarily mean that an exchange of words did actually take place. The words may only depict a state of things, a picture of the conditions that came into existence as a result of the refusal of Iblis to submit to Adam. See also {61}.
For an explanation of the word "clay" see {420A}.
15:33-34; 38:76-77.
Commentary:
What is represented in the present verse as a dialogue between God and Iblis does not necessarily show that an exchange of words actually took place between the two. The words may only depict a state of things, a picture of the conditions that came into existence as a result of the refusal of Iblis to submit to Adam. The verb قال (said) as shown under 2:31 and 2:34 does not always signify the actual uttering of words, being sometimes used to represent only a state of affairs.
For an explanation of the words "fire" and "clay" see 2:81 and 3:50.
c
15:33-34; 38:76-77.
478
这节经文所叙述的是安拉与伊布利司之间的一次对话, 但它并不一定意味着真的发生一次交谈。这些话可能只是描写事情的一种状态, 说明一种情况, 其结果是伊布利司拒绝顺从阿丹。(请参考脚注34A)
1
حکم براہِ راست فرشتوں کو تھا۔ مگر جب آفیسر کو حکم دیا جائے تو ماتحت اس میں شامل ہوتے ہیں۔ قرآن کریم میں بہت دفعہ ذکر رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کا ہوتا ہے مگر مراد آپ کے اتباع ہوتے ہیں‘ جیسا کہ فرمایا کہ جب تیری زندگی میں تیرے ماں باپ بوڑھے ہو جائیں تو انہیں اُف تک نہ کہو۔ حالانکہ آپ یتیم تھے۔ پس مراد آپ کے اتباع ہیں آپ نہیں۔
2
عربی زبان میں کبھی لا زائدہ بھی ہوتا ہے۔
3
یعنی گیلی مٹی کی طرح آدمی مختلف اخلاق میں ڈھالا جا سکتا ہے۔ اور چاہے تو بالا طاقت کا مطیع بھی ہو سکتا ہے مگر میری فطرت میں تو نے ناری صفت رکھی ہے‘ اس لئے میں کسی کا مطیع نہیں بن سکتا۔ عربی کا محاورہ ہے خُلِقَ مِنْ عَجَلٍ جس کے معنے یہ نہیں کہ جلدی کوئی مادہ ہے جس سے انسان پیدا کیا گیا ہے۔ بلکہ مراد یہ ہے کہ انسان کی فطرت میں جلد بازی کا مادہ ہے۔ اسی طرح اس آیت سے یہ مرادنہیں کہ آدمی مٹی سے پیدا کیے گئے ہیں اور شیطان آگ سے‘ بلکہ یہ مراد ہے کہ انسان کی فطرت میں یہ بات پائی جاتی ہے کہ وہ مختلف حالات میں ان کے مطابق ڈھل جاتا ہے اور شیطان کی فطرت میں آگ جیسا مادہ ہے اور و
a
15:33-34; 38:76-77.
917
Commentary:
What is represented in the present verse as a dialogue between God and Iblis does not necessarily show that an exchange of words actually took place between the two. The words may only depict a state of things, a picture of the conditions that came into existence as a result of the refusal of Iblis to submit to Adam. The verb قال (said) as shown under 2:31 and 2:34 does not always signify the actual uttering of words, being sometimes used to represent only a state of affairs.
For an explanation of the words "fire" and "clay" see 2:81 and 3:50.
d
15:33-34; 38:76-77.
952
What is represented in the present verse as a dialogue between God and Iblis does not necessarily mean that an exchange of words did actually take place. The words may only depict a state of things, a picture of the conditions that came into existence as a result of the refusal of Iblis to submit to Adam. See also {61}.
953
For an explanation of the word "clay" see {420A}.
قَالَ فَٱهْبِطْ مِنْهَا فَمَا يَكُونُ لَكَ أَن تَتَكَبَّرَ فِيهَا فَٱخْرُجْ إِنَّكَ مِنَ ٱلصَّٰغِرِينَ
15:35; 38:78.
15:35; 38:78.
There being no noun mentioned in the verse to which the pronoun ha (it) implied in the expression Minha (hence) refers, it may be taken to denote the condition or state in which Iblis was, before he refused to submit to Adam.
15:35; 38:78.
Commentary:
There being no noun mentioned in the verse to which the pronoun ھا (it) implied in the expression منھا (hence) refers, it may be taken to denote the condition or state or position in which Iblis was before he refused to submit to Adam. Thus the expression, go down hence, signifies, "be thou degraded from thy present position".
d
15:35; 38:78.
b
15:35; 38:78.
918
Commentary:
There being no noun mentioned in the verse to which the pronoun ھا (it) implied in the expression منھا (hence) refers, it may be taken to denote the condition or state or position in which Iblis was before he refused to submit to Adam. Thus the expression, go down hence, signifies, "be thou degraded from thy present position".
a
15:35; 38:78.
954
There being no noun mentioned in the verse to which the pronoun ha (it) implied in the expression Minha (hence) refers, it may be taken to denote the condition or state in which Iblis was, before he refused to submit to Adam.
قَالَ أَنظِرْنِىٓ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ
یہ مطلب نہیں کہ قیامت تک مہلت دے بلکہ مراد یہ ہے کہ روحانی بیداری پیدا ہونے تک مجھے مہلت دے۔
15:37; 38:80.
The resurrection referred to in this verse is not the great Resurrection of mankind decreed for the Hereafter, but the spiritual resurrection of man, or the state when his spiritual consciousness becomes fully developed. Iblis can lead him astray only so long as he is not spiritually resurrected. But once he attains that high spiritual stage which is known by the term Baqa’ (rebirth), Iblis can do him no harm (17:66).
15:37; 38:80.
Commentary:
The resurrection to which the words, when they will be raised up, refer is not the general resurrection of mankind decreed for the Hereafter but the spiritual resurrection of man that comes into being whenever a Prophet is raised. Iblis can lead man astray only so long as he is not spiritually resurrected. But once a man attains the spiritual stage which is designated by the term بقا (rebirth), Iblis can do him no harm. It is indeed a similar spiritual stage which is mentioned in the words, As to My servants, thou (Satan) shalt certainly have no power over them (17:66).
e
15:37; 38:80.
479
这节经文所讲的复生并不是为后世规定的人类总的复生, 而是今世人类精神上的复生, 或者他们的精神觉悟的情况已达到完全发展的地步。伊布利司只能在人类精神尚未复生之时将他们引入邪道。但是, 他们的精神一旦达到了高的阶段, 即称为 بَقَا (Baqa’, 重新诞生) 的阶段, 伊布利司就不能危害他们(17:66)。
4
یہ مطلب نہیں کہ قیامت تک مہلت دے بلکہ مراد یہ ہے کہ روحانی بیداری پیدا ہونے تک مجھے مہلت دے۔
c
15:37; 38:80.
919
Commentary:
The resurrection to which the words, when they will be raised up, refer is not the general resurrection of mankind decreed for the Hereafter but the spiritual resurrection of man that comes into being whenever a Prophet is raised. Iblis can lead man astray only so long as he is not spiritually resurrected. But once a man attains the spiritual stage which is designated by the term بقا (rebirth), Iblis can do him no harm. It is indeed a similar spiritual stage which is mentioned in the words, As to My servants, thou (Satan) shalt certainly have no power over them (17:66).
b
15:37; 38:80.
954A
The resurrection referred to in this verse is not the great Resurrection of mankind decreed for the Hereafter, but the spiritual resurrection of man, or the state when his spiritual consciousness becomes fully developed. Iblis can lead him astray only so long as he is not spiritually resurrected. But once he attains that high spiritual stage which is known by the term Baqa’ (rebirth), Iblis can do him no harm (17:66).
قَالَ إِنَّكَ مِنَ ٱلْمُنظَرِينَ
قَالَ فَبِمَآ أَغْوَيْتَنِى لَأَقْعُدَنَّ لَهُمْ صِرَٰطَكَ ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمَ
15:40; 38:83.
اس کا یہ مطلب نہیں خدا نے شیطان کو ہلاک کیا تھا۔ شیطان نے تو خود اپنے عمل سے اپنے آپ کو ہلاک کیا تھا۔ عربی کا محاورہ ہے کہ جو نتیجہ پیدا کرے فعل کو بھی اس کی طرف منسوب کر دیا جاتا ہے۔
15:40; 38:83.
15:40; 38:83.
Important Words:
اغویتنی (Thou hast adjudged me as lost). اغویت is derived from اغوی which again is derived from غوی which means, he erred; he deviated from the right way; he acted ignorantly; he failed in his object and was disappointed; he was lost; he perished; his life became unpleasant. اغواہ means, he caused him to err; or he caused him to deviate from the right course; he caused him to be disappointed, or to fail in attaining his desire; he seduced him, or misled him; or he caused him to be lost or to perish; he declared or adjudged him to be lost; he destroyed him; or he punished him for erring; or he called upon him to do a thing as a result of which he deviated from the right course and was lost (Lane, Lisan, Aqrab & Mufradat).
Commentary:
Iblis here declares that as God had adjudged him as lost, he would now tempt and waylay men and cause them to be lost even as he himself was lost. This work becomes his life’s function. See also 2:35.
The particle با (since) in the clause فبما اغویتنی may also be taken in the sense of "swearing", in which case the clause would mean, "I swear by Thy having adjudged me as lost."
a
15:40; 38:83.
5
اس کا یہ مطلب نہیں خدا نے شیطان کو ہلاک کیا تھا۔ شیطان نے تو خود اپنے عمل سے اپنے آپ کو ہلاک کیا تھا۔ عربی کا محاورہ ہے کہ جو نتیجہ پیدا کرے فعل کو بھی اس کی طرف منسوب کر دیا جاتا ہے۔
a
15:40; 38:83.
920
Important Words:
اغویتنی (Thou hast adjudged me as lost). اغویت is derived from اغوی which again is derived from غوی which means, he erred; he deviated from the right way; he acted ignorantly; he failed in his object and was disappointed; he was lost; he perished; his life became unpleasant. اغواہ means, he caused him to err; or he caused him to deviate from the right course; he caused him to be disappointed, or to fail in attaining his desire; he seduced him, or misled him; or he caused him to be lost or to perish; he declared or adjudged him to be lost; he destroyed him; or he punished him for erring; or he called upon him to do a thing as a result of which he deviated from the right course and was lost (Lane, Lisan, Aqrab & Mufradat).
Commentary:
Iblis here declares that as God had adjudged him as lost, he would now tempt and waylay men and cause them to be lost even as he himself was lost. This work becomes his life’s function. See also 2:35.
The particle با (since) in the clause فبما اغویتنی may also be taken in the sense of "swearing", in which case the clause would mean, "I swear by Thy having adjudged me as lost."
c
15:40; 38:83.
ثُمَّ لَءَاتِيَنَّهُم مِّنۢ بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ وَعَنْ أَيْمَٰنِهِمْ وَعَن شَمَآئِلِهِمْ ۖ وَلَا تَجِدُ أَكْثَرَهُمْ شَٰكِرِينَ
Note the network of seductions threatened by Satan.
Commentary:
Note the network of seductions created by Satan. But the great truth still stands and shalt ever stand: As to My servants, thou (Satan) shalt certainly have no power over them (17:66). The refuge certainly lies in God only, the Lord of man and the Lord of Satan and indeed the Lord of the worlds.
921
Commentary:
Note the network of seductions created by Satan. But the great truth still stands and shalt ever stand: As to My servants, thou (Satan) shalt certainly have no power over them (17:66). The refuge certainly lies in God only, the Lord of man and the Lord of Satan and indeed the Lord of the worlds.
955
Note the network of seductions threatened by Satan.
قَالَ ٱخْرُجْ مِنْهَا مَذْءُومًا مَّدْحُورًا ۖ لَّمَن تَبِعَكَ مِنْهُمْ لَأَمْلَأَنَّ جَهَنَّمَ مِنكُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ
11:20; 15:43-44; 32:14; 38:86.
11:20; 15:43-44; 32:14; 38:86.
11:120; 15:43-44; 32:14; 38:86.
Commentary:
The verse makes it clear that Iblis will not be allowed to waylay those chosen servants of God who would have attained to the exalted stage of spiritual rebirth. He will not also be able to force men to disobey God; for, as the verse clearly points out, only those will come under his influence who themselves choose to 'follow' him.
b
11:20; 15:43-44; 32:14; 38:86.
a
11:120; 15:43-44; 32:14; 38:86.
922
Commentary:
The verse makes it clear that Iblis will not be allowed to waylay those chosen servants of God who would have attained to the exalted stage of spiritual rebirth. He will not also be able to force men to disobey God; for, as the verse clearly points out, only those will come under his influence who themselves choose to 'follow' him.
a
11:20; 15:43-44; 32:14; 38:86.