شَدِیۡدٌ

2:54, 186; 8:42; 21:49; 25:2.

5:96; 14:48; 39:38.

Important Words:

ذوانتقام (Possessor of the power to requite). انتقام is the noun-infinitive from نقم i.e. he took vengeance. They say نقم منه or انتقم منه meaning, he wreaked vengeance on him; he punished him; he inflicted penal retribution on him for what he had done. نقمة and انتقام both mean, vengeance or penal retribution or punishment (Aqrab & Lane).

Commentary:

The words, and He has sent down the Discrimination, placed at the end of the verse refer to the Quran, the coming down of which has already been mentioned in the beginning of the verse. The idea has been repeated here to point out that the Quran has come to take the place of the previous scriptures, the word "Discrimination" also pointing to the same fact. The word may also refer to the heavenly signs vouchsafed to Islam to establish its truth.

For an explanation of the term مصدق (fulfilling) see 2:42.

After the coming down of the Quran as a "Discrimination" and as "fulfilling" what is in the previous scriptures, the persistent rejection of the Holy Prophet becomes indeed deserving of great punishment, and the verse points out that the God of Islam being "Mighty" and "Possessor of the power to requite", those who have rejected the truth must be prepared for divine requital.

28:49.

Commentary:

The verse embodies the last argument or the last excuse of disbelievers in the present discussion. They say, "We will never believe in Divine revelation until we also receive revelation like unto the revelation of the Messengers of God. If God speaks to them, let Him speak to us also."

God answers this foolish objection by saying: "It is not to every man that God speaks; He speaks only to him whom He finds worthy of it and whom He selects for the purpose." As for those who make themselves deserving of humiliation and abasement, they cannot be honoured with messages from God. Their doom is only "humiliation and a severe punishment."

54:43; 85:13.

Commentary:

This verse gives the reason why all the foregoing events—the destruction of the people of Noah down to Moses have been related. The reason is that when the punishment of God overtakes a people, they are simply annihilated. The enemies of the Holy Prophet are told by implication that they should take warning from the fate of the opponents of former Prophets.

The word ظالمة (doing wrong) is used here in the sense of مشرکة (those who associate gods with God). The word ظلم (wrong) has been used in the sense of شرك (idol-worship) at several places in the Quran. What is meant to be conveyed here is that the punishment which overtakes a people when they become idolaters and lose faith in the Unity of God is most destructive and generally extirpatory, while the ruin which comes upon a people from natural causes is gradual.

3:116; 4:148.

Important Words:

شکرتم (you are grateful) is formed from شکر. They say, شکرالله or شکرلله i.e. he thanked God; or he praised God for His beneficence; or he was grateful to God; or he acknowledged the beneficence of God, and spoke of it largely, and acted in the manner incumbent on him in rendering Him obedience and abstaining from disobedience.

شکر (Shukr i.e. thankfulness) is of three kinds:

(1) with the heart or mind, which consists in forming an adequate idea of the benefit received;

(2) with the tongue, which consists in praising, eulogizing or commend-ing the benefactor; and

(3) with the limbs, which consists in requiting the benefit received according to what it deserves. It rests upon five foundations: (a) humility of him who renders it towards him to whom it is rendered; (b) his love of him; (c) his acknowledgment of his benefit; (d) his eulogizing him for it; and (e) his not making use of the benefit in a manner which he (who has conferred it) may dislike. This is شکر on the part of man. شکر on the part of God consists in forgiving a person or commending him, or regarding him with satisfaction, goodwill or favour, and hence necessarily recom-pensing or rewarding him. The expression شکرالله سعیه means, May God recompense or reward his work (Lane).

Commentary:

The verse enunciates the great principle that all advancement is bound up with شکر (thankfulness) which, as explained under Important Words, denotes acknowledgment of the benefits received. One can render true شکر to God only when one makes a right and proper use of His gifts. If right use is not made of divine gifts, the act of eulogizing God by man is mere verbal praising; it is not real شکر. Now, as the verse explains, the Merciful God has ordained that divine gifts increase by their proper use. If, for instance, one makes a right use of knowledge, which is a great divine gift, it is bound to increase. Similarly, if proper use is made of the organs of the body, they develop further. This divine law founded on God’s eternal mercy applies to all men irrespective of their caste, colour or creed. It holds equally good as regards both spiritual and material gifts. It operates not only in تقدیر عام (the general law of God) but also in تقدیر خاص (the special law of God).

Important Words:

تذھل (forget) is derived from ذھل. They say ذھل عنه i.e. he forgot it or neglected it; he was or became unmindful of it; he neglected it intentionally or in consequence of his being diverted by something. ذھول is the neglecting of a thing, dismissing it from the mind; or the quitting of a thing with confusion or perplexity or alienation of mind such as arises from fear etc. or being diverted from one’s constant companion so as to forget him (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

The verse has used three metaphors or similes to express the extreme severity of "the earthquake of the Hour," referred to in the preceding verse. Nothing is dearer to a mother than the babe to which she gives suck and there could be no terror more dreadful in its effects than the one that makes a woman cast down her burden and which drives men to frenzy and yet, the verse says, the suddenness and severity of the terror inspired by the dreadful event would be such that mothers would abandon the babes at their breasts and pregnant women would cast down their burdens and people would go mad with fright and like a drunken man would lose all control over their actions. The wording of the verse incidentally implies that the "Hour" referred to in the preceding verse is not the final Day of Judgement but, as stated in the preceding verse, is the destruction of the political power of Meccans in the form of the Fall of Mecca and other calamities that would overtake them, and the victory of Islam.

Commentary:

The verse points to an invariable divine law, viz. that whenever a Prophet of God comes into the world, the people to whom he preaches his Message become split up into two hostile camps: Those who accept God’s Message and receive His blessings and those who having rejected and opposed him incur His displeasure and punishment.

27:51, 52; 35:44.

Important Words:

یبور (will perish) is derived from بار which means, he perished; it (commodity) was or became difficult of sale. They say بارت السوق i.e. the market became dull. بار العمل means, the work became or proved vain. بوار means perdition, destruction. The Arabs say نزلت البوار علی الکفار i.e. perdition overtook the disbelievers (Lane & Aqrab). See also 25:19.

Commentary:

The present verse continues the theme of its predecessor and proceeds to say that under the influence of the Holy Prophet, the Arabs will not only shed their evil ways and become paragons of piety and godliness but all honour and glory will also be theirs, and nations that now look down upon them and consider them beneath notice will bow down before them in humility. Their honour and glory will be the result of their true beliefs, noble ideals, and righteous conduct.

The pronoun ہ in the expression یرفعه may refer to العمل الصالح (righteous work). In that case the subject of the verb یرفع (exalts) is God, as shown in the text. Or it may refer to الکلم الطیب (good words). In that case the subject of the verb یرفع will be العمل الصالح (the righteous work).

Commentary:

The verse further comforts David and assures him that God will protect him against the machinations and plots of his enemies. He had not made him His vicegerent in the earth that he should come to grief at the hands of his mischievous opponents.

40:6.

Important Words:

داحضة (futile) is feminine active participle from دحض. They say دحضت رجله i.e. his foot slipped. دحضت حجته means, his argument, plea or evidence was or became null and void; it proved false. داحضة means, null and void; futile; false; slippery (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

The words, "after He has been accepted," mean, after the truth of Islam has been established and people have begun to join its fold in large numbers. After such an irrebuttable testimony in favour of Islam, the verse purports to say, it is foolish and futile on the part of disbelievers to go on disputing and doubting its truth.

2:187.