تَحْمِلُ

Important Words:

التابوت (heart) is derived from تاب i.e. he returned; he returned to God; he repented; he left off the way of sin and began to tread the path of rectitude. التابوت means: (1) a chest or box, as things are repeatedly taken out of, and returned to, it; (2) a coffin or a bier; (3) chest or breast or bosom or the ribs with what they contain, as the heart, etc. (Lane); (4) the heart which is the storehouse of knowledge, wisdom and peace (Mufradat).

سکینة (tranquillity) is derived from سکن i.e. it became calm and tranquil. سکینة means, peace, tranquillity, calmness, freedom from agitation and disturbance (Aqrab & Lane).

بقیة (legacy) is derived from بقی i.e. he or it remained behind; or he or it continued or lasted for long or forever. بقیة means, that which remains behind, i.e. legacy; remainder; remains; remnant; residue; relic; the best portion of a thing, as it is always the best part of a thing that survives. فلان بقیة القوم means, such a one is the best and the most excellent of the party (Lane).

Commentary:

Though commentators have differed about the significance of the word تابوت and the Bible mentions it as an "ark" or chest, the description of the Quran definitely shows that the word has been used here in the sense of "heart" or "bosom.'' The words of the Quran are: wherein there will be tranquillity from your Lord. Now this description cannot apply to an ark or a chest; for, far from granting peace and tranquillity to others, the ark spoken of by the Bible could neither protect the Israelites against defeat nor could it protect itself, and was carried away by the enemy. Even Saul who took with him the ark during his campaigns, suffered crushing defeats, so much so that even the enemy pitied him and he met with an ignominious end. Such an ark could not be a source of tranquillity to the Israelites. What God gave them was a heart full of tranquillity which was aided by angels who buoyed up the Israelites and filled their hearts with courage and perseverance so that, after the coming of the said tranquillity, they successfully resisted the attacks of the enemy and inflicted heavy defeats on them.

Another favour which God conferred on the Israelites has been referred to in the word بقیة or legacy. God imbued their hearts with the noble qualities which characterized their ancestors, the people or the descendants of Moses and Aaron. The legacy left by the descendants of Moses and Aaron did not consist of any material things but referred to the good qualities which they were given as the heritage of their great ancestors. This heritage was similar to the one to which reference has been made in the words, that (he) may be heir to me and to the House of Jacob (19: 7). Evidently, it is not a material heritage but a spiritual and moral heritage that is mentioned in this verse. Similarly, the followers of Gideon were imbued with a spiritual and moral بقیة i.e. such noble attributes of Moses and Aaron and their descendants as God had endowed them with. It was a sign that it was God Who had set up Gideon as king over the tribes of Israel so that he might protect them against the ravages of their enemy and breathe into them a martial spirit, a work which saw its consummation in the days of David.

35:12; 41:48.

15:22.

Important Words:

تغیض (diminish) is derived from غاض which means, it (water) became scanty and sank into the earth; or it (flow of milk or price of a commodity, etc.) decreased or diminished or became deficient. The Quranic expression ما تغیض الارحام means, the wombs falling short of completion so that the foetus dies. The Arabs say غاض الکرام و فاض اللئام i.e. the generous became few or perished and the mean became many. غاض is also used transitively meaning he made (water, etc.) to become scanty; to decrease or diminish (Lane).

Commentary:

In v. 4 we were told that all things in the universe have pairs and that in the spiritual world also some individuals act like males and others like females, the former exercising influence and the latter receiving it. In the verse under comment the Quran intends to point out that in the person of the Holy Prophet there has appeared one who is spiritually a male and that nobody can attain any spiritual rank without receiving his stamp or being influenced by him. The words, Allah knows what every female bears, and what the wombs diminish and what they cause to grow, mean that God knows well the natural capacities and aptitudes of the Holy Prophet’s people, and whether they will accept divine or satanic influence and which influence will grow and which will decline. The verse hints that those who accept the Holy Prophet and receive his stamp will grow and increase in power, influence and numbers, natural capacities and talents, while his opponents will decline and decrease till their physical and spiritual progeny will be destroyed altogether. Taken in the physical sense, the verse means that only God knows what will become of future generations of disbelievers. Their future generations will accept Islam and their females will bear only such children as are destined to become servants of the Holy Prophet. And this proved to be actually the case. By far the greater part of the younger generation of the Meccans, and for that matter of other Arab tribes, accepted the Holy Prophet, to the great chagrin of their fathers whose tyranny and persecution could not prevent them from embracing Islam.

6:143; 36:73; 40:81.

Commentary:

When God has provided so many facilities for the physical journeys of man, how can He fail to provide similar facilities for his spiritual journey? To say that God is too exalted a Being to have such regard for the welfare of man as to provide for his spiritual needs is only a puerile pretext to deny Divine revelation. If God is Exalted, the verse seems to say, He is also Kind and Merciful to His creatures and therefore His solicitude for the spiritual wellbeing of man is not at all inconsistent with His Dignity and Majesty, and instead of detracting anything from His Glory, it rather enhances it. This Divinesolicitude for man’s welfare may metaphorically be called God’s carrying man’s burden for him.

The use of the word رءوف translated here as 'Compassionate' is intended to express that feeling of sympathy and love which one feels at seeing a person in trouble and distress. The verse means to say that as God is رءوف (Compassionate) He cannot bear to see man in distress.

Important Words:

جئت (thou hast done). جاء زید means, Zaid came. جئت زیداًmeans, I came to Zaid. جئت بهmeans, I brought him. جاءت بولد means, she gave birth to a child. جاء بشیءmeans, he did, executed or performed a thing; he said or uttered a thing. جئت شیئا حسناmeans, I did a good thing. The Quranic expression, لقد جئت شیئا فریا means, thou hast done a strange thing or a thing hitherto unknown (Lane & Aqrab).

فریا (strange) is derived from فری (fariya) which means, he was or became confounded or perplexed, and was unable to see the right course. أفری فلانا means, he blamed or censured such a one; افری الشیء means, he cut or slit the thing. They say ھو یفری الفری i.e. he effects what is wonderful in his deed. فری means, a thing forged or fabricated or unknown or unheard of. The words لقد جئت شیئا فریا mean, thou hast done a thing hitherto unknown; or a thing deemed strange; or a thing great of magnitude or gravity. فری applied to a man means, a forger or fabricator of lies. افتری کذبا means, he forged or fabricated a lie or falsehood (Lane & Aqrab).

تحمله (carrying him) is derived from حمل. They say حمل الشیء i.e. he carried the thing. حمله علی ظھرہ means, he bore him on his or its back. حملت المرأة means, the woman became pregnant. حمل القران means, he memorized the Quran. حمله الحمل means, he helped him or assisted him to lift the load; or he assisted him in his work; he gave him a beast to ride; لتحملھم (9:92) means, that thou shouldst mount them (Lane, Aqrab & Mufradat). See also 7:177.

Commentary:

By the words 'carrying him' some people are led to think that the verse refers to the time of the childhood of Jesus when Mary carried him in her arms. But this is an obvious misconception. The verse, in fact, refers to the time when Jesus had attained to prophethood as is clear from vv. 31-34 wherein he says, I am a servant of Allah, He has given me the Book, and made me a Prophet;…and has enjoined upon me Prayer and alms-giving so long as I live. Surely Jesus was not made a Prophet in his childhood, nor did he say his Prayers and give Zakah at that time. It appears from the Gospels that after Jesus’ birth at Bethlehem, in pursuance of a Divine command Joseph had taken him and Mary to Egypt where they lived for some years and it was after the death of Herod that the family came back to Nazareth and dwelt there (Matt. 2:13-23). There was also a Biblical prophecy to the effect that Jesus would come to his people along with his mother riding an ass (Matt. 21:4-7). Jesus and Mary were actually riding asses when they entered Jerusalem. Thus the expression تحمله (carrying him or mounting him) may possibly refer to that prophecy of the Bible.

Moreover the expression حمله as shown under "Important Words" above, also means, he helped him and assisted him in his work.

According to this signification of the word حملthe verse under comment would mean that Mary came to her people with Jesus while she believed in him and helped him in his mission. The expression serves a twofold purpose. On the one hand it refers to the fulfilment of the Biblical prophecy (Matt. 21:4-7) and on the other disposes of the accusation (also contained in the Bible) that Jesus’ brothers and his mother did not believe in him. In any case this verse does not refer to the childhood of Jesus but to the time when prophethood had already been bestowed upon him and he had begun addressing his Message to his people.

The manner of expression adopted in regard to the birth and prophethood of Jesus is quite like that adopted about John (Yahya) in verses 12 and 13of the present Surah. Verse 12 relates to Zachariah having received the happy news of the birth of a son and v. 13 to the period when his son Yahya had become a Prophet, the remaining incidents in Yahya’s life having been omitted because the Quran is not a book of history that it should give the complete picture of the life of a man. In the same way the preceding three verses give a brief description of Jesus’ birth and the present verse comes straight to the time when he had become a Prophet of God. The fact that v. 23 speaks of Mary having withdrawn to a remote place also belies the inference that she had come from that remote place carrying Jesus in her arms.

The words, 'thou hast done a strange thing' contain a double taunt. They refer to the calumny of Mary having given birth to an illegitimate son and to Jesus having falsely laid claim to prophethood. As shown under "Important Words" above the word فری also means a forger of lies. Thus by using this word the elders of the Jewish people called Mary a bad woman and Jesus a forger of lies and a false Prophet.

11:7.

Commentary:

In this verse the believers are further told that if they have to leave their hearths and homes, they should have no fear of poverty and starvation. When even animals and birds do not go without food, it is inconceivable that man who is God’s noblest creation and its acme and apex should starve, particularly when he is prepared to suffer all this for the sake of his Creator.

18:38; 22:6; 23:14; 36:78; 40:68.

Commentary:

By referring to the very humble and insignificant origin of man the verse draws attention to the lowly beginnings of Islam and the extremely poor condition of the early Muslims and implies a prophecy that just as out of an insignificant sperm-drop there grows a well-proportioned and fully-developed human being, similarly the lowly and poor Muslims will one day grow into a mighty community.

The latter part of the verse is related to what a female conceives and what she gives birth to, and to the lengthening and diminishing of a man’s life implies another prophecy that the progeny of opponents of the Holy Prophet will one day become devoted followers of Islam.

13:9; 35:12.

18:53; 28:63.

Commentary:

The "Hour" signifying the hour of the disbelievers’ doom, the verse means to say that God alone knows how the seed that the Holy Prophet has sown in the soil of Arabia would grow, and what kinds of fruit it would bear. If the fruits were rotten they would be destroyed but if they were wholesome and delicious they would be preserved with care, i.e. God alone knows whether the future Arab generations would accept or reject Islam, because on their attitude towards the new Faith would depend their salvation or destruction. The verse also seems to imply a prophecy that idolatry would completely disappear from Arabia and the future generations of the disbelieving Quraish would accept Islam.