قَضَيْ

2:129.

See 2:153.

4:135; 42:21.

Important Words:

فاذکروا (celebrate praises of) is derived from ذکر which means, (1) he talked of him by way of praising him; (2) he remembered him in his heart (Aqrab & Mufradat). See also 2:41, 153.

او (or) is a preposition, used to convey a number of meanings, the more important being: (1) or; (2) and; (3) nay; (4) unless; (5) until (Aqrab & Lane).

خلاق (share) means, an abundant share in what is good (Aqrab).

Commentary:

The clause, celebrate the praises of Allah as you celebrated the praises of your fathers, points to a practice of pagan Arabs who used to gather together at a certain place in Mina after the performance of the rites of Pilgrimage and glorify their forefathers by reciting poems in their praise. Muslims are here bidden to glorify God instead, and praise Him as they used to praise their forefathers, and, the words "even more than that" have been added to emphasize that God’s praises should transcend all, for the word او (or) also means, "nay". It is also possible that the word ك (as) in the expression کذکرکم (as you celebrated praises) has been used only to denote general similarity without reference to degree, and the word او (or) has been used in the sense of "and". In this case the verse would mean that though in the general manner of praise your celebration of God’s praises may resemble the praises with which you glorified your fathers, in degree it should excel it, being اشد (stronger, loftier and firmer).

Here is a good example of how the Quran, while retaining some old customs, improved upon and, spiritualised them to serve the ends of Islam.

The clause, when you have performed the acts of worship prescribed for you, celebrate the praises of Allah as you celebrated the praises of your fathers or even more than that, has yet another meaning. As the word ذکر also means 'remembering' and the word اب (father) includes mother as well (12:101), the clause may also signify that the rites of Pilgrimage, if performed in the right spirit, should fill the heart of man with such love for God as to make him always remember Him just as a child remembers his parents. This is why the Quran begins the word اذکروا with the conjunction ف meaning "so" or "then", hinting that the result of the performance of the rites of Pilgrimage should be that a pilgrim should ever after remember his Creator with the fondness displayed by a child for his parents. But this is only the first stage. With holier men God’s love should be even greater, as the verse hints in the words, or even more than that. Says the Holy Prophet, "The sign of true faith is that a believer’s love for God and His Apostle should be greater than his love for any other being or thing" (Bukhari).

The concluding clause, i.e. of men there are some who say, 'Our Lord, grant us (good things) in this world, and such a one shall have no share in the Hereafter, points to the fact that if the pilgrim confines himself to the celebration of the praises of his fathers and forgets his Creator, he would be like a person who spends all his efforts in the pursuit of this world, even his prayers being confined to search after worldly things. Such a person shall evidently have no claim to the good things of the Hereafter. It is also significant that in this clause the Quran does not use the word حسنة (good things) with the words فی الدنیا (in this world) thereby hinting that such men generally make no distinction between the good things of this world and the bad things thereof, their sole object being the things of this world, irrespective of whether they are good or bad.

As explained under Important Words, the word خلاق (share) occurring in the clause, such a one shall have no share in the Hereafter, really means, "an abundant share in what is good". So the verse would really mean not that such a person will get only a small share in the Hereafter but that, by remaining engrossed in the things of this world, he will deprive himself of a big share and will get no share at all. As the Quran has to condense vast subjects in a small space, it purposely uses words and constructions that take the smallest space but convey the vastest meaning.

4:60.

Important Words:

حرجا (demur) is the noun-infinitive from حرج meaning, it was or became narrow; or he became disquieted and contracted in his bosom; he doubted, because doubt disquiets the mind; he became straitened or in difficulty, particularly owing to the commission of a sin or crime for which he deserved punishment; حرجا therefore means, straitness; difficulty; a sin or crime or an act of disobedience for which one deserves punishment (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

It should be noted that the injunction contained in this verse does not refer to the Holy Prophet alone. The verse speaks of the settlement of disputes, and so the injunction contained in it should be taken to pertain not to the person of the Holy Prophet but to him as Head of the Muslim State and is, therefore, applicable to his Successors as well. Muslims should not only have their disputes settled in accordance with the Law of Islam but should submit to the awards of those in authority with cheerfulness. The injunction is most essential for the maintenance of solidarity among the Muslim community. In fact, the chief cause of discord in a community is that people should regard their own judgement as right and should refuse to give to those in authority their due. The verse requires the Faithful not only to refer their differences to the Holy Prophet, and for that matter to his Successors, deputies and representatives, but to submit to their decisions cheerfully and without demur.

3:192.

2:240.

Commentary:

As in the midst of a battle, formal Prayers are either said in haste, or performed in the form of one Rak‘at only. Muslims are enjoined in this verse, with a view to making up the deficiency, to continue remembering God and praying to Him in an informal manner after the obligatory service is over. This was to compensate, on the one hand, for the shortening of Prayer and, on the other, to serve as a means of drawing the special aid and help of God in a time of great danger.

The expression, And when you are secure (from danger), then observe Prayer (in the prescribed form), very clearly brings out the difference between the words صلوا or اقضوا الصلوة (pray or offer Prayer) and the words اقیموا الصلوة (observe Prayer). The latter expression signifies observing Prayer attentively with all its necessary conditions. The verse thus clearly shows that Islam does not look upon the hasty performance of Prayer as coming under the injunction, اقیموا الصلوة (observe Prayer). See also 2:4.

6:46; 7:73, 85.

Important Words:

قضینا (We communicated). They say قضی بین الخصمین i.e. he judged and decided between the two litigants. قضی الشیء قضاء means, he determined or designed and accomplished or completed the thing properly. قضی الامر means, he decreed or ordained or commanded the thing. قضی حاجته means, he fulfilled or attained or satisfied his want or desire. قضی دینه means, he paid off his debt. قضی الصلوة means, he performed his Prayer. قضی الشیء means, he declared and explained the thing. قضی الیه الامر means, he communicated or conveyed the matter to him. قضی العھد means, he kept or fulfilled the pledge. قضی اجله او نحبه means, he died (lit. he completed his term), ضربه فقضٰی علیه means, he struck him and thereby killed him (Aqrab & Lane).

Commentary:

The words of this verse are spoken by God and not by the messengers, as it might appear from the context. As the messengers had come to tell Lot that the time of the threatened punishment of his people had already arrived, so in this verse God says to Lot that what the messengers had communicated to him was undoubtedly true, and as the time was very short, he should quit the place at once. It is this direct revelation of God that has been mentioned in the present verse and possibly in the previous one as well.

The word دابر among other things signifies, the root of a thing. But the word "root" does not here mean, "great men" (who are certainly the root of a tribe or clan) but the entire tribe collectively, for the word "root" also symbolizes the whole tree. In fact, the words, Excepting the family of Lot, occurring in v. 60 show that in the present verse this word cannot be taken in the sense of "great men" for, according to the above quoted verse, both the great and the small men of Lot’s people were destroyed, with the exception of a few members of his family. Moreover, the word دابر also means "the last remnant." So the verse definitely signifies that all the people of Lot were destroyed except only a few. See also 6:46.

The word مصبحین (by the morning) shows that Lot was bidden to journey with his family in the latter part of the night so that his wicked countrymen might not discover their absence and pursue and overtake them before the threatened punishment which was to take place at sunrise (v. 74).

Commentary:

This verse shows that it was foretold in the Book of Moses that the Israelites would disobey and defy Divine commandments twice and twice would they be visited with punishment. The word الکتاب (the Book) here means, the Book of Moses—the Bible.

The dreadful fate that befell the Israelites on account of their repeated defiance of the commandments of God was mentioned in the Quran to serve as a timely warning for Muslims, but they did not profit by it and followed in the footsteps of the Jews and were punished as the Israelites were punished before them. This slavish imitation of Jews by Muslims was foretold by the Holy Prophet in the well-known tradition viz. لتتبعن من کان قبلکم i.e. Surely, you will follow the ways of those before you (Bukhari, Kitabul-I‘tisam bil-Kitab was Sunnah). The Quran refers to the two transgressions of the Israelites in the words: Those amongst the children of Israel who disbelieved were cursed by the tongue of David and of Jesus, son of Mary (5:79).

Commentary:

The verse purports to say that the prophecy of Moses about the advent of the Holy Prophet (Deut. 18:18) has been fulfilled so clearly and in such detail as if he was present in person with Moses and the latter was actually seeing him when he was making the prophecy. The verse possesses a double significance. It proves the truth of Moses himself, inasmuch as he made a prophecy about the advent of the Holy Prophet which was literally fulfilled, and it proves also the truth of the Holy Prophet, as the prophecy made by Moses about the advent of "a Prophet like unto him from among the brethren of the Israelites" was fulfilled in his person in letter and in spirit.

Important Words:

منساة (staff) is derived from نسا. They say نسا الدابة i.e. he urged or drove the beast. منساة means, a staff or large stick, so called because a beast is driven with it; a pastor’s big staff (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

The reference in the words "a worm of the earth" is to Solomon’s worthless son and successor, Rehoboam, under whose weak rule the great and mighty kingdom of Solomon fell to pieces. Besides leading a life of ease and luxury, he was surrounded by foolish and selfish counsellors whose bad advice led him to pursue a policy which brought about the ruin and downfall of the kingdom which had been reared on firm and sound footing by his great father. The wild mountain tribes realizing that the strong hand which had held them under subjection was no more, rebelled and revolted, with the result that disorder and chaos followed and Solomon’s mighty kingdom cracked and crumbled. See 1 Kings, Chaps. 12, 13, 14 & Jew. Enc. Under "Rehoboam."

The expression "that ate away his staff," signifies that the disruption and disintegration of Solomon’s kingdom set in Rehoboam’s time.