مَفَاتِح
Appears 2 times in Quran
Derived Words (4)
Words derived from the stem "مَفَاتِح".
Occurrences in Quran
Found 2 verses containing "مَفَاتِح".
۞ وَعِنۡدَہٗ مَفَاتِحُ الۡغَیۡبِ لَا یَعۡلَمُہَاۤ اِلَّا ہُوَ ۚ وَیَعۡلَمُ مَا فِی الۡبَرِّ وَالۡبَحۡرِ ۚ وَمَا تَسۡقُطُ مِنۡ وَّرَقَۃٍ اِلَّا یَعۡلَمُہَا وَلَا حَبَّۃٍ فِیۡ ظُلُمٰتِ الۡاَرۡضِ وَلَا رَطۡبٍ وَّلَا یَابِسٍ اِلَّا فِیۡ کِتٰبٍ مُّبِیۡنٍ
This and the next verse lay down the guiding principle that it has not been left in the hands of the Holy Prophet to bring down punishment on disbelievers as demanded by them. If this had been the case, they would have since long met their deserved end, and then perhaps many erstwhile enemies of Islam like ‘Umar and Khalid who later on were destined to play a leading role in extending and consolidating the power of Islam, would have died in disbelief. But God being All-Powerful is slow to punish and, being fully conversant with the inner working of the human heart, knows when and whom to punish. He alone knows how far hardships or ease can influence the actions of a man and whether or not good works done by a man are rendered null and void through the operation of other causes. He alone has knowledge of the grains of virtue that lie embedded in the heart of man and knows whether or not these grains will sprout forth and grow and thrive and bring forth fruit. He alone can tell whether a person who, to all
Commentary:
This verse gives a further reason why the work of punishment must remain in the hands of God; it is God alone with Whom are the keys of the unseen, i.e. it is He alone Who knows the unseen. None but He knows the secrets of men’s hearts and, therefore, He alone is in a position to punish.
The expressions "land", "sea", "falling of a leaf", "grain in the darkness of the earth," and "green or dry" are all descriptive of the various conditions of man. The "sea", according to the Arab conception, is typical of hardships, whereas "land" symbolizes ease and comfort. Similarly, "the falling of a leaf" represents the actions of man that are rendered vain and fruitless; whereas the "grain in the darkness of the earth," if left unprotected, may become lost just as virtue, if left uncared for, may become lost. Again "the green or the dry" is also known to God. A tree appears to us to be dry, but when it is watered by rain, it becomes green.
Similarly, a man sometimes appears to us to be devoid of all spirituality, but when he is watered with the water of Divine mercy, he becomes full of spiritual life.
The word کتاب (Book) also signifies knowledge. Other instances of this use may be seen in 30:57 and 68:48 where the words کتاب (lit. book) and یکتبون (lit. they write) respectively mean "knowledge" and "they know". The Holy Prophet is also reported to have written to the people of Yemen, saying, قد بعثت الیکم کاتبا من اصحابی "I have sent to you a writer, i.e. a man of knowledge, from among my Companions" (Bihar, iii. 193). So the Arabic words rendered as "is recorded in a clear Book" may also be translated as "is preserved in sure divine knowledge."
Thus, as God alone possesses the keys of the unseen and as all the conditions and actions of man are known to Him alone, it is He only Who can punish him. No one who is devoid of perfect knowledge is qualified to punish. Again, God alone knows how far hardship or ease influences the actions of a man. He alone knows whether or not the good works done by a man have been rendered null and void through the operation of other causes. He alone knows the grains of virtue that lie embedded in the heart of man and whether or not these grains will sprout forth and grow and thrive and bring forth fruit. He alone can tell whether a person who, to all appearances, is "dry" and devoid of all spiritual life, will turn "green" when supplied with heavenly water or whether he is dead beyond revival. In short, God alone has true knowledge of all things and all conditions and all possibilities and all potentialities, and therefore, He alone can say whether a man deserves to be punished or not.
805
Commentary:
This verse gives a further reason why the work of punishment must remain in the hands of God; it is God alone with Whom are the keys of the unseen, i.e. it is He alone Who knows the unseen. None but He knows the secrets of men’s hearts and, therefore, He alone is in a position to punish.
The expressions "land", "sea", "falling of a leaf", "grain in the darkness of the earth," and "green or dry" are all descriptive of the various conditions of man. The "sea", according to the Arab conception, is typical of hardships, whereas "land" symbolizes ease and comfort. Similarly, "the falling of a leaf" represents the actions of man that are rendered vain and fruitless; whereas the "grain in the darkness of the earth," if left unprotected, may become lost just as virtue, if left uncared for, may become lost. Again "the green or the dry" is also known to God. A tree appears to us to be dry, but when it is watered by rain, it becomes green.
Similarly, a man sometimes appears to us to be devoid of all spirituality, but when he is watered with the water of Divine mercy, he becomes full of spiritual life.
The word کتاب (Book) also signifies knowledge. Other instances of this use may be seen in 30:57 and 68:48 where the words کتاب (lit. book) and یکتبون (lit. they write) respectively mean "knowledge" and "they know". The Holy Prophet is also reported to have written to the people of Yemen, saying, قد بعثت الیکم کاتبا من اصحابی "I have sent to you a writer, i.e. a man of knowledge, from among my Companions" (Bihar, iii. 193). So the Arabic words rendered as "is recorded in a clear Book" may also be translated as "is preserved in sure divine knowledge."
Thus, as God alone possesses the keys of the unseen and as all the conditions and actions of man are known to Him alone, it is He only Who can punish him. No one who is devoid of perfect knowledge is qualified to punish. Again, God alone knows how far hardship or ease influences the actions of a man. He alone knows whether or not the good works done by a man have been rendered null and void through the operation of other causes. He alone knows the grains of virtue that lie embedded in the heart of man and whether or not these grains will sprout forth and grow and thrive and bring forth fruit. He alone can tell whether a person who, to all appearances, is "dry" and devoid of all spiritual life, will turn "green" when supplied with heavenly water or whether he is dead beyond revival. In short, God alone has true knowledge of all things and all conditions and all possibilities and all potentialities, and therefore, He alone can say whether a man deserves to be punished or not.
854
This and the next verse lay down the guiding principle that it has not been left in the hands of the Holy Prophet to bring down punishment on disbelievers as demanded by them. If this had been the case, they would have since long met their deserved end, and then perhaps many erstwhile enemies of Islam like ‘Umar and Khalid who later on were destined to play a leading role in extending and consolidating the power of Islam, would have died in disbelief. But God being All-Powerful is slow to punish and, being fully conversant with the inner working of the human heart, knows when and whom to punish. He alone knows how far hardships or ease can influence the actions of a man and whether or not good works done by a man are rendered null and void through the operation of other causes. He alone has knowledge of the grains of virtue that lie embedded in the heart of man and knows whether or not these grains will sprout forth and grow and thrive and bring forth fruit. He alone can tell whether a person who, to all
۞ اِنَّ قٰرُوۡنَ کَانَ مِنۡ قَوۡمِ مُوۡسٰی فَبَغٰی عَلَیۡہِمۡ ۖ وَاٰتَیۡنٰہُ مِنَ الۡکُنُوۡزِ مَاۤ اِنَّ مَفَاتِحَہٗ لَتَنُوۡۤاُ بِالۡعُصۡبَۃِ اُولِی الۡقُوَّۃِ اِذۡ قَالَ لَہٗ قَوۡمُہٗ لَا تَفۡرَحۡ ۖ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ لَا یُحِبُّ الۡفَرِحِیۡنَ
29:40; 40:25.
فَبَغٰی عَلَیْھِمْ ظالم بادشاہوں کا قاعدہ ہے کہ وہ چھوٹے عہدوں پر رعایا میں سے کچھ لوگ مقرر کرتے ہیں اور یہ لوگ اپنے ہم قوموں پر ظلم کرنے میں خود حاکموں سے بھی آگے نکلے ہوئے ہوتے ہیں۔ انگریز کے زمانہ میں دیکھ لو‘ انگریز سپرنٹنڈنٹ پولیس اور انگریز ڈپٹی کمشنر اتنا ظلم نہیں کرتا تھا جتنا کہ ایک ہندوستانی تھانے دار یا کانسٹیبل یا پٹواری یا تحصیلدار ظلم کرتے تھے۔ فرعون نے بھی یہی چال چلی تھی۔ اور بعض ریونیو افسر یا تحصیلدار خود بنی اسرائیل سے مقرر کر دیئے تھے۔ اور وہ لوگ قبطیوں سے بھی زیادہ اپنی قوم یعنی بنی اسرائیل پر ظلم کرتے تھے۔ کیونکہ وہ خیال کرتے تھے کہ با
اٰ تَیْنٰـہُ مِنَ الْـکُنُوّزِ اس سے یہ مرادنہیں کہ یہ خزانے اس کے ذاتی تھے‘ بلکہ اس کے معنے یہ ہیں کہ وہ ایک تحصیلدار یا افسر مال تھا یا افسر خزانہ تھا۔ جس کی تحویل میں سرکاری خزانے رہتے تھے۔ چنانچہ حضرت یوسف علیہ السلام بھی اپنے وقت کے فرعون کے ملازم تھے۔ سورہ یوسف رکوع۷ میں ہے کہ جب فرعونِ مصر نے یوسف علیہ السلام کو قید سے نکالنے کے بعد کہا کہ ہم تم کو اپنے دربار میں بڑا مقام دیں گے۔ تو یوسف علیہ السلام نے کہا کہ مجھے آپ ملک کے خزانوں کا افسر بنا دیں۔ میں اس فن کو خوب جانتا ہوں اور اقتصادیات کا ماہر ہوں۔ اس سے پتہ لگتا ہے کہ حضرت یوسف علیہ السلام کے زمانہ میں
اِنَّ مَفَاتِحَہٗ لَتَنُوْٓ أُ بِالْعُصْبَۃِ اُولِی الْقُوَّۃِ بعض مفسرین نے اس آیت سے قارون کی دولت کا ایک الف لیلوی اندازہ لگایا ہے۔ حالانکہ اس آیت سے یہ تو پتہ لگتا ہے کہ قارون مال دار آدمی تھا مگر کوئی جنّاتی خزانہ اس کے قبضہ میں ثابت نہیں ہوتا۔ یہ کہ خزانہ کی کنجیاں ایک مضبوط جماعت کے لئے بھی اٹھانی مشکل تھیں۔ اس کی توجیہہ کرتے ہوئے یہ یاد رکھنا چاہیے کہ یہ خزانہ حکومت کا تھا اور اس وقت بادشاہ جب ملک میں سفر کرتے تھے تو سینکڑوں ہزاروں اونٹوں پر خزانے کے دوہرے بکس رکھ کر ساتھ لے جاتے تھے کیونکہ اس وقت موٹر نہیں ہوتے تھے نہ مختلف علاقوں میں سرکاری خزانے ب
29:40; 40:25.
Qarun (Korah) was fabulously rich. He stood high in the favour of Pharaoh and was very likely his treasurer. It seems that he was officer in charge of the gold mines belonging to Pharaoh and was a specialist in the art of digging out gold from the mines. In Southern Egypt the territory of Karu was famed for gold mines. The suffix "An" or "On" meaning "pillar," or "light" the combined word "Kur-on" signifies, 'the pillar of Karu' and was the title of Pharaoh’s Minister of Mineralogy. He is said to be an Israelite and a believer in Moses. In order to win favours from Pharaoh he seemed to have persecuted his own people and to have behaved arrogantly towards them. As a result Divine punishment descended upon him and he perished.
Mafatih is the plural of both Maftah and Miftah, the former word meaning a hoard; a treasure; and the latter meaning a key (Lane).
29:40; 40:25.
Important Words:
کنوز (treasures of hoarded wealth) is the plural of کنز which is noun-inf. from کنز (kanaza). They say کنز المال i.e. he buried the property or treasure in the earth; he hoarded it, or stored, or he collected the property and treasured it. کنز therefore, means, treasure, property buried in the earth; property that is preserved in a receptacle; that receptacle in which property is buried or preserved or hoarded; treasure-boxes; anything abundant and collected together (Lane & Aqrab).
مفاتح (stores) is the plural of مفتح (maftah) which is derived from فتح. They say فتح الباب i.e. he opened the door. مفتح (maftah) means, a hoard; a treasure, a store or store room or magazine; buried property. مفتح (miftah) of which مفاتح also is the plural and مفتاح (plural مفاتیح) mean a key (Lane & Aqrab).
لتنوء (would have weighed down) is derived fromناء which means, he rose or rose with difficulty and effort under a load; he was oppressed by weight and fell down. ناء بحمله means, he rose with his burden with effort and difficulty. ناء به الحملmeans, the burden weighed him down (Aqrab).
Commentary:
It would appear that Korah was an Israelite who stood high in the favour of Pharaoh and held one of the principal offices of State under him. Very likely he was Pharaoh’s treasurer. When Pharaoh went on official tour the royal treasures were probably transported under Korah’s charge. In order to safeguard his position and to win further favours from Pharaoh, Korah seemed to have persecuted his own people and behaved haughtily and tyrannically towards them.
The name of Qarun (Korah) seems also to have been symbolically used here for men of material wealth. Abundance of riches has proved the undoing of many a man. Elated with riches and wealth and lulled into a false sense of security, wealthy people are prone to reject God’s Message and defy His Prophets. Korah as it appears from the Bible (Num. 16:1-35), was a believer in Moses. According to Rabbinical literature he was fabulously rich (Jew. Enc.) and in the pride of wealth revolted against Moses and Aaron and consequently perished with his 250 followers, the earth having swallowed them up.
d
29:40; 40:25.
2
فَبَغٰی عَلَیْھِمْ ظالم بادشاہوں کا قاعدہ ہے کہ وہ چھوٹے عہدوں پر رعایا میں سے کچھ لوگ مقرر کرتے ہیں اور یہ لوگ اپنے ہم قوموں پر ظلم کرنے میں خود حاکموں سے بھی آگے نکلے ہوئے ہوتے ہیں۔ انگریز کے زمانہ میں دیکھ لو‘ انگریز سپرنٹنڈنٹ پولیس اور انگریز ڈپٹی کمشنر اتنا ظلم نہیں کرتا تھا جتنا کہ ایک ہندوستانی تھانے دار یا کانسٹیبل یا پٹواری یا تحصیلدار ظلم کرتے تھے۔ فرعون نے بھی یہی چال چلی تھی۔ اور بعض ریونیو افسر یا تحصیلدار خود بنی اسرائیل سے مقرر کر دیئے تھے۔ اور وہ لوگ قبطیوں سے بھی زیادہ اپنی قوم یعنی بنی اسرائیل پر ظلم کرتے تھے۔ کیونکہ وہ خیال کرتے تھے کہ با
3
اٰ تَیْنٰـہُ مِنَ الْـکُنُوّزِ اس سے یہ مرادنہیں کہ یہ خزانے اس کے ذاتی تھے‘ بلکہ اس کے معنے یہ ہیں کہ وہ ایک تحصیلدار یا افسر مال تھا یا افسر خزانہ تھا۔ جس کی تحویل میں سرکاری خزانے رہتے تھے۔ چنانچہ حضرت یوسف علیہ السلام بھی اپنے وقت کے فرعون کے ملازم تھے۔ سورہ یوسف رکوع۷ میں ہے کہ جب فرعونِ مصر نے یوسف علیہ السلام کو قید سے نکالنے کے بعد کہا کہ ہم تم کو اپنے دربار میں بڑا مقام دیں گے۔ تو یوسف علیہ السلام نے کہا کہ مجھے آپ ملک کے خزانوں کا افسر بنا دیں۔ میں اس فن کو خوب جانتا ہوں اور اقتصادیات کا ماہر ہوں۔ اس سے پتہ لگتا ہے کہ حضرت یوسف علیہ السلام کے زمانہ میں
4
اِنَّ مَفَاتِحَہٗ لَتَنُوْٓ أُ بِالْعُصْبَۃِ اُولِی الْقُوَّۃِ بعض مفسرین نے اس آیت سے قارون کی دولت کا ایک الف لیلوی اندازہ لگایا ہے۔ حالانکہ اس آیت سے یہ تو پتہ لگتا ہے کہ قارون مال دار آدمی تھا مگر کوئی جنّاتی خزانہ اس کے قبضہ میں ثابت نہیں ہوتا۔ یہ کہ خزانہ کی کنجیاں ایک مضبوط جماعت کے لئے بھی اٹھانی مشکل تھیں۔ اس کی توجیہہ کرتے ہوئے یہ یاد رکھنا چاہیے کہ یہ خزانہ حکومت کا تھا اور اس وقت بادشاہ جب ملک میں سفر کرتے تھے تو سینکڑوں ہزاروں اونٹوں پر خزانے کے دوہرے بکس رکھ کر ساتھ لے جاتے تھے کیونکہ اس وقت موٹر نہیں ہوتے تھے نہ مختلف علاقوں میں سرکاری خزانے ب
b
29:40; 40:25.
2930
Important Words:
کنوز (treasures of hoarded wealth) is the plural of کنز which is noun-inf. from کنز (kanaza). They say کنز المال i.e. he buried the property or treasure in the earth; he hoarded it, or stored, or he collected the property and treasured it. کنز therefore, means, treasure, property buried in the earth; property that is preserved in a receptacle; that receptacle in which property is buried or preserved or hoarded; treasure-boxes; anything abundant and collected together (Lane & Aqrab).
مفاتح (stores) is the plural of مفتح (maftah) which is derived from فتح. They say فتح الباب i.e. he opened the door. مفتح (maftah) means, a hoard; a treasure, a store or store room or magazine; buried property. مفتح (miftah) of which مفاتح also is the plural and مفتاح (plural مفاتیح) mean a key (Lane & Aqrab).
لتنوء (would have weighed down) is derived fromناء which means, he rose or rose with difficulty and effort under a load; he was oppressed by weight and fell down. ناء بحمله means, he rose with his burden with effort and difficulty. ناء به الحملmeans, the burden weighed him down (Aqrab).
Commentary:
It would appear that Korah was an Israelite who stood high in the favour of Pharaoh and held one of the principal offices of State under him. Very likely he was Pharaoh’s treasurer. When Pharaoh went on official tour the royal treasures were probably transported under Korah’s charge. In order to safeguard his position and to win further favours from Pharaoh, Korah seemed to have persecuted his own people and behaved haughtily and tyrannically towards them.
The name of Qarun (Korah) seems also to have been symbolically used here for men of material wealth. Abundance of riches has proved the undoing of many a man. Elated with riches and wealth and lulled into a false sense of security, wealthy people are prone to reject God’s Message and defy His Prophets. Korah as it appears from the Bible (Num. 16:1-35), was a believer in Moses. According to Rabbinical literature he was fabulously rich (Jew. Enc.) and in the pride of wealth revolted against Moses and Aaron and consequently perished with his 250 followers, the earth having swallowed them up.
a
29:40; 40:25.
2231
Qarun (Korah) was fabulously rich. He stood high in the favour of Pharaoh and was very likely his treasurer. It seems that he was officer in charge of the gold mines belonging to Pharaoh and was a specialist in the art of digging out gold from the mines. In Southern Egypt the territory of Karu was famed for gold mines. The suffix "An" or "On" meaning "pillar," or "light" the combined word "Kur-on" signifies, 'the pillar of Karu' and was the title of Pharaoh’s Minister of Mineralogy. He is said to be an Israelite and a believer in Moses. In order to win favours from Pharaoh he seemed to have persecuted his own people and to have behaved arrogantly towards them. As a result Divine punishment descended upon him and he perished.
2232
Mafatih is the plural of both Maftah and Miftah, the former word meaning a hoard; a treasure; and the latter meaning a key (Lane).