رَّحْمَٰنُ

2:256; 16:23; 22:35; 37:5; 59:23, 24; 112:2.

Commentary:

As all sin springs from feebleness of faith, this verse fittingly refers to the Unity of God, signifying that if people only believed in God’s Unity and refrained from setting up false gods, they would never digress from the right path. It must not, however, be understood that idol-worship consists in worshipping images only. Every man who loves anyone other than God as he ought to love Him, or fears anyone as he ought to fear Him, or trusts in anyone as he ought to trust in Him, is really guilty of idol-worship and must suffer the consequences thereof. In fact, the principal and primary object of religion, is to establish the Unity of God, and the Quran has dealt with this subject in a manner and to an extent which has no parallel in any other Book. Islam condemns both شرك جلی (manifest or visible idolatry) and شرك خفی (hidden or invisible idolatry) in the strongest of terms.

The verse may also signify that, with the advent of Islam, God, the Maker of heavens and earth, no longer remains the God of this or that people only, but becomes the God of all peoples and all mankind. The word الرحمن (the Gracious or the Provider for all peoples) occurring at the end of the verse also points to the same truth. In this sense the verse would be considered to be particularly connected with 2:159 above which speaks of the Safa and the Marwah as the special Signs of Allah, serving as pointers to the mission of the Holy Prophet of Islam.

9:72; 13:24; 61:13.

Commentary:

The words جنات عدن signify divine favours and blessings which know no end or diminution.

The expression بالغیب signifies that the faithful will get gardens of eternity because they believed in things which they did not see—God, angels, Hereafter etc. Or it may signify that they will get gardens when there will be no apparent signs of their ever getting them.

The word مأتیاً (must come to pass) signifies that the fulfilment of the Divine promise is as sure as if it has already come to pass. It may also signify that the Faithful will be given gardens of eternity without any wish or desire on their part.

72:25.

Commentary:

The verb فلیمدد while being in the imperative mood has been used in the indicative mood in order to impart more emphasis to the meaning. The verse means to say that God will give more and more respite to the wrongdoing people and will grant them increase in power and wealth and resources, so that when Divine punishment descends upon them, their destruction will look all the more impressive and awe-inspiring. العذاب (the punishment) here may signify the intervening punishment which will overtake Western nations in stages before their final destruction, and الساعة may mean their complete and final destruction. Thus the verse means to say that Divine punishment will descend upon the nations of the West in different forms and stages. At first their power will gradually weaken and decline by wars that will take place at short intervals and then a global war in which most deadly weapons will be used will destroy them fully and completely.

The words العذاب and الساعة having been used simultaneously in the verse show that the punishment which will overtake Western nations, if they did not accept truth and mend their ways, will at first be in the form of العذاب (intervening punishment) for some of them and الساعة (final destruction) for others till ultimately it will take the form of الساعة for all of them.

The verse points to an absolute certainty that the path of sin and iniquity leads to sure destruction. It also shows that when destruction will overtake Western nations, they will realize that the germs of their destruction had lain hidden in their very material power of which they were so proud and that the apparently weak condition of the Eastern nations possessed seeds of their growing strength and power.

2:117; 4:172; 6:101-102; 10:69; 17:112; 18:5; 19:36; 21:27; 25:3; 39:5; 43:82.

Commentary:

The verse means to say that the so-called followers of Jesus think that he will intercede for them. How could this be possible when he was a strict believer in the Oneness of God and they ascribe partners to the Almighty which is a heinous sin. They possess no likeness with him while one of the most important conditions of intercession is that the person for whom intercession is sought must be like him who is to make the intercession.

Important Words:

وداً (love) is infinitive-noun from ود (wadda). They say ودہ i.e. he loved him or it. ود (wad), ود (wid) and ود (wud) mean the same thing, viz. (a) deep love and affection; (b) a person loved, an object of love. ودود means, a person who loves much; very loving and affectionate. الودود is one of the Divine attributes meaning, Most Loving towards His servants; also One Who is loved in the hearts of His servants (Aqrab & Taj).

Commentary:

The words سیجعل لھم الرحمان ودا may haveone of the following meanings: (a) God will put His own love in the hearts of the righteous; or (b) God will have deep love for the righteous; (c) God will put deep love for mankind in the hearts of the righteous, or (d) God will create love for the righteous in the hearts of men.

7:55; 10:4.

Important Words:

For a detailed explanation of عرش (Throne) see 7:55 and 10:4. Briefly, the word represents the transcendent attributes of God, i.e. the attributes which are technically known as صفات تنزیھیة. These attributes which are eternal and unchangeable and are God’s exclusive possession are manifested through God’s other attributes which are known as صفات تشبیھیة i.e. such attributes as are found more or less in other beings also. The former attributes i.e. transcendent attributes, are said to constitute God’s Throne and the latter attributes i.e. صفات تشبیھیةare the bearers of His Throne.

Commentary:

The verse continues the theme of the previous and the succeeding verses—the theme of the Almightiness and Majesty of God.

As this chapter, like its predecessor, Surah Maryam, primarily contains a repudiation of Christian dogmas and doctrines, the Divine attribute الرحمن (the Gracious) has been repeatedly mentioned in both of them because this attribute demolishes the basic Christian doctrine of Atonement. It further points to the fact that the revelation of the Quran, in fact of all Divine Scriptures, is subject to this attribute. This subject has also been dealt with in some detail in vv. 55:2-3.

Commentary:

The Quran here contradicts the Bible and clears Aaron of the charge of having made a molten calf for the Israelites to worship (Exod. 32:4). It says that not only did Aaron not fashion the calf for them but on the other hand prohibited them from worshipping the one which the Samiri had made for them. It offends against reason and common sense even to think that a Prophet of God who had heard His voice and had had communion with Him should have stooped so low as to worship a calf. The charge is patently so foolish that it has been dismissed as unfounded by Christian writers themselves (Enc. Brit. under "the Golden Calf" and under "Moses.")

As usual, in this case also the Bible has contradicted itself. Far from deserving condemnation on account of being involved in cow-worship, Aaron at God’s command was to be dressed with holy garments, be anointed and sanctified by Moses (Exod. 40:13).

The words "you have been tried by means of it" show that in the offer of calf-worship by the Samiri lay the greatest trial of the Israelites because this worship was calculated to destroy their national unity. The trials and tribulations which the Israelites had suffered at the hands of Pharaoh were nothing compared with the spiritual trial to which they had become exposed through the wicked designs of the Samiri. While the former had helped to cement their national unity, the latter had almost destroyed it. It had caused dissensions among the Israelites; and internecine discord and dissensions are more destructive of national unity than external dangers.

21:29; 78:39.

Commentary:

The words "in whose case the Gracious God grants permission" may apply to both the intercessor and the person for whom intercession is made.

The expression "and with whose word of faith He is pleased" refers to Muslims. Elsewhere the Quran says about the true followers of Islam: "Allah is well pleased with them, and they are well pleased with Him" (58:23). The verse under comment means to say that at that time Islam will be in the ascendance and all progress and prosperity will fall to the lot of its followers. Allah will be well pleased with them and they will be well pleased with Him.

2:117; 4:172; 10:69; 19:89-90.

Commentary:

The words "honoured servants" point to the fact that not only Jesus but many other righteous men have been spoken of as God’s sons in former Scriptures and like him they have been called God’s sons only in a metaphorical sense. But they were nothing more than His honoured servants. In this respect Jesus enjoys no special prerogative. He was only one of the numerous honoured servants of God.

7:90.

Commentary:

The Holy Prophet is commanded to offer the prayer contained in this verse as a protection against the onslaughts of the powers of evil that were to be let loose upon the world in the latter days in the form of Gog and Magog. It is clear from the Bible that in the time of Gog and Magog physical force will not be the only danger. There will be other factors which will constitute a far greater source of danger to Islam. Islam will suffer more from the attacks of the pen and the tongue than from physical attacks. These attacks will excite God’s anger against the guilty. In Ezek. 39:7 we have: "I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathens shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel." Again, "I will be jealous for my holy name" (Ezek. 39:25). These, quotations show that Gog and Magog will profane God’s holy name and against this profanation of God’s name the Prophet is commanded to seek Divine help.

The Holy Prophet may also be represented as praying in this verse that the duration of the possession of Palestine by the Jews may be as short as possible and that it may revert to its legitimate heirs—the Muslims.