حِجَارَة

3:11; 66:7.

Important Words:

الحجارة (stones) is the plural of الحجر (a stone) which is derived from the verb حجر which means, he or it prevented or hindered or resisted. A stone is called حجر because it resists pressure owing to its hardness. الحجر also means, a rock or a great mass of stone; a metal as gold and silver which both together are sometimes called الحجران i.e. the two metals (Lane). Thus coal (not charcoal) would also be looked upon as حجر. The word حجارة may also be used metaphorically for idols made of stone or metal (Kashshaf).

اعدت (prepared) is derived from اعد which again is derived from عد which means, he considered or he counted. اعد means, he prepared a thing and made or kept it ready (Aqrab).

Commentary:

The verse says that if the opponents of Islam are not able to produce the like of the Quran as demanded in the previous verse, they should understand that it is the word of God and that they are not opposing a man but God Himself; they should, therefore, be ready to suffer the lot of those who oppose Divine will.

The clause, and never shall you do it, signifies that the disbelievers knew that the idols had no power of revealing anything; so they would never call upon the idols to help them.

The word "fuel" may also be taken in a figurative sense, in which case the meaning would be that the punishment of Hell is caused by idol-worship. So the idols are like fuel for hellfire, being a means of bringing it into existence. The words الناس (men) and الحجارة (stones) may also be taken as indicating two classes of inmates of Hell. The word الناس (men) which, according to its root, signifies love, has been used to denote those disbelievers who may be called human in so far as they still retain something of the love of God which distinguishes human beings from stones. But the other disbelievers are called الحجارة (stones), for they have no love left for God. Such men are indeed no better than stones.

Though this verse speaks of fire and stones, it should be remembered that what is called the next world is not a material world. In fact, expressions used in the Quran to denote rewards and punishment should not be taken literally but metaphorically. It should also be noted that the punishment of the next world is not everlasting. According to Islam, Hell is not eternal. It is only a reformatory. The subject will be discussed later in its proper place.

5:14; 6:44; 57:17.

Important Words:

یشقق (cleave asunder) which is originally یتشقق is derived from شق meaning, he cut it open or he clove it.

تشقق means, it clove or broke asunder (Aqrab).

Commentary:

The murder of the innocent Muslim referred to in the preceding verses sealed the fate of the Medinite Jews who thereafter became more and more hardened, their hearts becoming like stones or even worse.

The verse goes on to say that even lifeless things like stones are useful, but the Jews, although rational beings possessing understanding and descended from holy men, have become so hardened as virtually to become worse than stones. Stones have functions to perform; but as they possess no volition, their work can bring them no reward. Deeds are in fact of two kinds, firstly those which are performed through volition or exercise of will, and secondly those which are performed not through volition but under some natural law. According to Islam, it is only the deeds of the former class that bring reward; but the deeds of the latter class, though unable to bring a reward, are also sometimes useful. Most of the Jews, however, had become so depraved that, far from performing any act of virtue out of a desire to be virtuous, they did not even involuntarily perform anything that might be called virtuous. They had become worse than stones; for even from stones there comes out water which people profit by.

It has, however, been added that these remarks do not apply to the whole nation; for some of the Israelites were, no doubt, swayed by the fear of God. Of these the Quran says: Of them (the hearts) there are some that humble themselves for fear of Allah. It may be noted that the pronoun ھما (them) in the clause, and indeed of them there are some that humble themselves for fear of Allah, stands for قلوب (hearts) and not for حجارة (stones). The fact that of the two pronouns in the verse the first refers to حجارة (stones) and this one to قلوب (hearts) need not create any doubt. The Quran contains many instances of what is termed انتشار ضمائر i.e. where similar pronouns occurring in the same verse stand for different nouns. For example, we read in 48:10: That you may believe in Allah and His Messenger and may help him and honour him, and glorify Him morning and evening. In this verse the pronoun 'him' refers to the Holy Prophet in the first two places and to God in the third.

The sentence, for of stones indeed there are some out of which gush forth streams, and of them there are some out of which flows water when they cleave asunder, signifies that even among lifeless things there are grades, some being more useful than others; and the Quran hints that we should recognise the difference in the grade and usefulness of all things. Everything must have its due, whether small or great.

Commentary:

This was the prayer which Abu Jahl, the leader of the disbelievers, offered to God at Badr and it was accepted. He prayed on that memorable day that God might destroy him and his party if the Prophet was in the right (Bukhari, ch. on Tafsir). Strange to say, not only were Abu Jahl and his companions punished at Badr by God but, as prayed for by Abu Jahl, even stones were rained down upon them; for, when at the throwing of a handful of pebbles by the Holy Prophet (8:18), there arose a strong wind, it literally rained upon the disbelieving host hard pebbles from the desert.

15:75.

51:34.

Important Words:

سجیل (stones of clay) is derived from سجل (sajjala) which is again derived from سجل (sajala). They say سجل القرآن (sajjalal-Quran) i.e. he read or recited the Quran continuously.

سجل القاضی (sajjalal-Qadi) means, the judge decided judicially and recorded the sentence in his record. سجل به means, he threw it from above. سجیل means, stones like lumps of dry or tough clay; stones of clay. The Quranic words mean, stones of clay which had been written or decreed for them that they should be punished therewith (Lane & Aqrab).

منضود (layer upon layer) is derived from نضد which means, he put goods or commodities one upon another, or he put or set them together in regular order; he put them one upon another or side by side compactly or he set them together in regular order (Lane).

Commentary:

It appears that the people of Lot were destroyed by a terrible earthquake. Violent earthquakes often turn parts of the earth upside down and fragments of earth fly off into the air and then fall down.

The expression, layer upon layer, suggests that the earthquake shocks were repeated over some length of time.

11:83.

Important Words:

سجیل (clay). See 11:83.

Commentary:

The houses of Lot’s people were turned upside down. This punishment corresponded to their unnatural offence. The punishment apparently took the form of a severe earthquake which raised portions of the stony soil and buried them under; or the houses had walls of stones and rubble laid in clay and these were violently shattered and the debris thrown all around.

Commentary:

The verse may either be taken as saying to disbelievers that even if their hearts should become hard like iron or stone or any other similar substance, God would bring about among them that wholesome change which He had decreed to bring about through the Holy Prophet. Or it may be taken as answering their doubts about resurrection mentioned in the previous verse and says to them that they could not escape Divine punishment even if they became converted into iron or stone or any other hard substance.

It may be inferred from this verse that after the lapse of a long time one substance may become transformed into quite a new one. Coal becomes transformed into diamond and forests of petrified trees have been discovered in some parts of the globe. Similarly, it is not impossible that the human body, after having remained buried in the earth for a long time, may possibly become transformed into stone or iron or some other substance, though geological research has so far made no such discovery.

11:83.

2:25.

Commentary:

As the Surah deals particularly with domestic disagreements and conflicts, believers are enjoined to train and educate members of their household in such a way that there should reign complete harmony, peace and concord in the house as it prevails in Paradise.

Important Words:

ب (against). Among a variety meanings, this particle is syn. with علی meaning, over, upon, at, or against. An Arab poet says:

أ رب یبول الثعلبان برأسه

لقد ھان من بالت علیه الثعالب

i.e. how can he be رب (Lord) upon whose head jackals make water and how base he is (Al-Yawaqit wal-Jawahir, vol. 1).

In the Quran we have منھم من ان تأمنه بدینار i.e. "of them is he that if thou give him charge over a dinar (3:76)."

Commentary:

Swarms of birds feasted themselves upon dead bodies of the invaders, striking the severed pieces against stones, as birds generally do when eating the small and severed pieces of the dead body of an animal.