هُون

9:79; 11:9; 21:42.

6:111; 7:187; 10:12.

Important Words:

یستهزئ (will punish mockery). See 2:15 and also commentary below.

یمدھم (He will let them continue) is derived from مد. They say مدہ meaning, he let him continue in a course, or he granted him a delay or respite. Literally مد means, he spread, or he stretched, or he made a thing extend (Aqrab).

طغیان (transgression) is derived from طغی which means, he exceeded the proper limits. طغی فلان means, he was excessive in sin and transgression. طغی الماء means, the water was in flood (Aqrab).

یعمھون (wandering blindly) is derived from عمه which means, he was or became confounded or perplexed and was unable to see his way, and went to and fro in confusion (Aqrab). عمه is like عمی; but whereas عمی is wider in its significance, being used for blindness both physical and mental, عمه is confined to mental blindness only (Kashshaf). عمه also means, it (the place) lost all marks or signs helpful for identification or for finding a way through it (Aqrab).

Commentary:

In this verse the word یستھزئ (lit. will mock) has been used for God, and this has occasioned the criticism that the God of the Quran is given to mocking. The criticism is due to the utter ignorance of Arabic idiom and usage. In Arabic, punishment for an evil is sometimes denoted by the term used for the evil itself. For instance, in 42:41 we read وجزاء سیئة سیئة مثلھا i.e. the penalty for an evil is an evil the like thereof, whereas the penalty of an evil is not an evil. Again in 2:195 the word اعتداء (transgression) is used for the punishment of transgression. Similarly, the well-known pre-Islamic Christian poet, ‘Amr bin Kulthum says:

الا لایجھلن احد علینا

فنجھل فوق جھل الجاھلینا

"Beware! Nobody should employ ignorance against us; or we will show greater ignorance in return;" i.e. we will severely avenge such ignorance (Mu‘allaqat).

Thus the expression الله یستھزئ بھم does not mean, Allah shall mock at them, but that Allah will punish them for their mocking. The former meaning, followed by some translators, is absolutely inconsistent with the spirit of the Quran which condemns jest and ridicule as marks of ignorance (2:68). How, then, can God attribute to Himself what He declares to be a practice of the ignorant?

The clause, Allah will let them continue in their transgression, should not be understood to mean that God grants the hypocrites respite to let them increase in transgression. Such a meaning is contradicted by verses 6:111 and 35:38, where it is clearly stated that God grants the disbelievers respite with the sole object of reforming them but they unfortunately only increase in transgression.

The word یعمھون (wandering blindly) is derived from the root عمه which, as explained above, signifies, besides other meanings, the absence of signs or marks; The meaning here would, therefore, be that the hypocrites persist in their wickedness without care or consideration, as if the way they are travelling has lost all signs, leaving the traveller without any sense of distance or direction.

62:9.

Important Words:

مشیدة (strongly built) is derived from شاد meaning, he plastered (a wall, etc.) with the requisite material. شاد البناء means, he raised the building high. شادوا الدین means, they strengthened and exalted the religion. شیدہ means, he raised it high, namely, a place or a building; or he built it firmly and strongly and raised it high (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

The words, Wheresoever you may be, death will overtake you, may either refer to the general physical law about the inevitability of death, meaning that when one must die sooner or later, there is no reason why one should be so afraid of death as to refuse to fight in a just cause; or they may be taken as particularly addressed to the hypocrites, who disobeyed the Divine command to fight, thinking that in this way they would be able to avoid death. The verse purports to say that God had decreed that they should suffer death and destruction, however well protected they might be.

It was customary with the hypocrites that when Muslims achieved a success, they attributed it to God, saying that since Islam was a divine religion, it was bound to prosper and succeed. But when a misfortune overtook Muslims, they declared that it was due to mistakes committed by the Prophet. The Quran says that from the viewpoint from which they ascribe success to God, failures are also ascribable to Him. By attributing success to God and failure to the Prophet, the hypocrites sought to discredit the Prophet and to lower him in the estimation of Muslims.

The words, Say, All is from Allah, point to the fact that both successes and misfortunes were foretold by the Holy Prophet (e.g. see 2:156-158). So even the failures which the hypocrites attributed to the Holy Prophet really constituted a proof of his truth. The expression, All is from Allah, is also true in this sense that God is the final controlling power in the universe and whatever good or evil befalls man is attributable either to the general law of nature ordained by God or to one or other of His special decrees.

13:32.

Commentary:

The verse signifies that when the signs of God come, they will do the disbelievers no good; God will turn away their hearts and their eyes from the signs so that they will not believe. This turning away of their hearts and their eyes from the signs of God will be the result of their hasty denial of the signs of God at the very outset, which will have hardened their hearts and deprived them of the power of benefiting by the signs of God. It is a law of God that those, who deny His Prophets at the very outset, without pausing to think over their claims and without pondering over the signs and evidences of their truth, deprive themselves of the blessings of being rightly guided; but those, who do not hasten to deny them and are ready to think over their claims with an open mind and in the fear of God and entertain a genuine desire to know the truth are ultimately guided to it.

2:244.

Important Words:

یتیھون (they shall wander in distraction) is derived from تاه meaning: (1) he lost his way in the desert; (2) he was or became confounded or perplexed; (3) he went away in the land confounded or perplexed and was unable to see his right course; (4) his intellect or mind was or became disordered and confused and he perished; (5) he magnified himself or behaved proudly or insolently (Aqrab & Lane).

Commentary:

When the Israelites behaved in a cowardly manner, God decreed that they should remain in the desert for a period of 40 years so that the life of the desert should invigorate them and strengthen their morals. In the mean-time, the old generation became practically extinct and the younger generation grew brave and strong enough to conquer the Promised Land. See also note on 5:24 above. For the relevant portion of the Bible see Num. ch. 14.

Commentary:

After stating that the four things mentioned in the previous verse are all رجس (abomination) in one sense or another, the present verse confines itself to two of the four mentioned things—wine and games of hazard—and gives additional reasons against them. These reasons are, as stated in the verse, four in number and rest on political, social, spiritual and socio-religious grounds, this being hinted in the words "enmity and hatred and keeping back from the remembrance of Allah and from Prayer". The interrogation in the clause, But will you keep back?, embodies a strong admonition not to do the thing, the use of the interrogative form being the most effective form of exhortation. See also 2:220.

Commentary:

This verse gives the fourth reason why no mortal possesses the power to bring down punishment upon men for their sins, and that it is God alone Who possesses that power. This reason consists in the fact that the punishments which mortals inflict upon others are merely external and are limited in their character; while the punishments that come from God are varied and far-extending. For instance, man can at most kill another man and end his life, but the punishment which God inflicts sometimes grows in the very heart of man and causes him great heart-burning and uneasiness of mind. Such punishments, which are often greater than mere killing, cannot be inflicted by man. The Quran here refers to some of the kinds of punishment which God may send down on men.

Punishments "from above" signify famines, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, the oppression of the weak by the powerful, mental agony, etc. And punishments "from beneath" signify diseases, pestilences, revolt by subject peoples, etc. Then there is the punishment of discord, disunity and dissension which sometimes end in civil war. This is hinted in the words, make you taste the violence of one another.

All these different forms of punishment are under the control of God and none other; hence, it is God alone Who has the real power of sending down punishment upon men.

6:22; 7:38; 10:18; 11:19; 61:8.

46:21.

Commentary:

The verse gives another reason of the fact that the Quran is the revealed Word of God. If this Book, says the verse, is not the Word of God, then he who has forged this lie against God is the most guilty of men and cannot escape Divine punishment. But the verse also reminds deniers or rejecters that if the Quran is not a forged Book but the Word of God, as it actually is, then they are as great offenders as the one who forges a lie against God. In this case, it will be they who will be visited with Divine punishment.

The second sentence, i.e. or says, It has been revealed to me while nothing has been revealed to him, may be taken as an explanation or elaboration of the first sentence, i.e. who forges a lie against Allah; or the first sentence is general, while the second is particular. For instance, falsely to ascribe any teaching to God will come under the first category, and to claim falsely that God has spoken to him particular words will come under the second.

By saying, I will send down the like of that which Allah has sent down, a disbeliever only borrows the phraseology of those whom he addresses, viz. believers. Being a disbeliever in Divine revelation, he does not believe that God sends down anything, so he only quotes the expression made use of by believers concerning Divine revelation. Another instance of such usage is to be met with in 5:44.

The words, if thou couldst only see, signify that if anyone should witness the torment which the deniers of Prophets undergo when their souls leave their bodies, he would at once realize how severe is the torment of those who reject a Divine Messenger. This torment is not to be identified with the ordinary agonies of death, which are shared, under the general law of nature, by righteous and unrighteous alike, but to the specific punishment that clings to the rejecters of Prophets from the very moment of their death. The "punishment of disgrace" mentioned in the latter part of the verse refers, as the words "this day" indicate, not to the punishment of Hell but to the punishment which sinners begin to undergo immediately after death and before the Day of Resurrection. This is known as عذاب القبر (‘Adhabul-Qabr), i.e. punishment in the grave, in Islamic religious terminology, قبر or grave being the name given to the place where souls are kept after death but before Resurrection. Says the Holy Prophet: "When anyone dies, a window is opened out for him in the grave facing Heaven or Hell as the case may be" (Majah, ch. on Qabr). This is, of course, not the final retribution but only preparatory to it.

4:3; 7:190; 39:7.

11:7.

Important Words:

انشأکم (has produced you). The word انشأ is derived from نشأ which means, he lived; he rose or became high or elevated; he grew up; it became produced or originated. انشأ means, he created, produced or originated; he raised or lifted (Lane).

مستقر (home) is derived from; قر which means he or it settled or became firm or fixed or established; or he or it remained or continued in a place; or he or it rested; or he or it became still or quiet or stationary. استقر gives the same meaning as above. It also means, it subsisted. مستقر means, place or time of settledness; or of permanence and continuance, i.e. home; also a resting place (Lane).

مستودع (lodging) is derived from ودع (wada‘a) or ودع (wadu‘a) which means, he or it became still, quiet or at rest. ودع الشیء(wada‘a) means, he left off the thing. ودع عندہ مالا means, he left the property with him as a deposit. ودعه (wadda‘a-hu) means, he bade him farewell; he forsook or deserted him. استودعه مالا means, he entrusted him with property for safe custody. مستودع means, a depository; a place of safety or security; womb or the part of the body in which the child lies before its birth (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

The expressions مستقر (home) and مستودع (lodging) besides giving distinct and independent meanings are also sometimes used to give identical meanings, being interchangeable. The Quran says ونقر فی الارحام مانشاء i.e. And We cause what We will to remain in the wombs (22:6). Again it says ولکم فی الارض مستقر i.e. and for you there is an abode in the earth (2:37). From these two verses it appears that according to the Quran, "the womb" of the mother and "the earth", though places of temporary residence, are each a مستقر i.e. a resting-place or a home for men. Corresponding to these, "the womb" may be called a مستودع i.e. a lodging or a depository. The next world is truly a مستقر i.e. a home for man. In fact, these are really relative terms, the same place being both a مستقر and a مستودع in reference to different things. Again, a place may be called a مستقر(home) because one stays therein, and it may be called a مستودع (lodging) because it provides security.

The verse signifies that when God has multiplied humanity out of one individual, it could not be without a purpose. The great object for which He has created and multiplied human beings is that He has appointed for them not only a period of residence on this earth but also an everlasting life beyond the grave where the righteous will meet the Lord—a lofty goal to which they can rise under the guidance of Divine Messengers.

2:8; 22:47; 45:24.

25:45.

Important Words:

The particle ل in the expression لجھنم is used to denote "end or result" and not "object" of the creation of the jinn and men. Such use is in perfect conformity with the idiom of the Arabic language, the لام in such a case being known as لام عاقبة(Lane).

Commentary:

The verse does not at all mean that men and jinn were created to be thrown into Hell. The use of the word "many" also belies that inference. Their creation, in fact, is intended to serve a great purpose (see 51:57). The present verse has thus nothing to do with the object of man’s creation, but only mentions the regrettable end of the life of many a man and jinn, the latter word also meaning a special class of men, i.e. rulers or chiefs or great men. They lead an evil life, the inevitable result of which is Hell. But from the way in which they spend their days in sin and iniquity it seems as if they were only created for Hell. The verse gives a brief but perfect description of those destined for Hell. They are the people whom God had endowed with understanding and with the faculty of perception and sight. They were blessed with all the necessary means by which they could find out and follow the right path and attain nearness to their Maker; but out of their perversity and waywardness they did not avail themselves of those means, with the result that they wandered away from the truth and fell into error. It was not, therefore, for Hell but for Heaven that God created them, but they themselves forsook the path of Heaven and chose the path of Hell.

The condition of such men is indeed worse than that of "cattle", because in spite of the fact that they possess understanding and the power to rise, they do not avail themselves of their understanding and, instead of rising (for which they are meant) ever go on falling lower and lower.

7:179; 17:98; 18:18.

2:16; 6:111.

Commentary:

See 2:27.