مُرْسَلُونَ

51:32.

Commentary:

When Abraham realized that the real mission of these messengers was not to give to him the glad tidings of the birth of a son—for if it had been so, they would not have looked sad—but that they had come on some momentous mission, he hastened to enquire of them their real business. This question of Abraham also shows that he regarded the messengers to be mere human beings and not angels. For if he had considered them to be angels, he would not have been surprised at their refusal to partake of food, as he would have known that angels do not eat food. As, however, he considered them to be human beings, their refusal to partake of the food offered to them made him apprehensive that a grievous affair was weighing upon their minds (11:70, 71).

11:78; 29:34.

Commentary:

By using the word المرسلون (messengers), the Quran hints that the bearers of the message were men.

The Bible, however, sometimes mentions them as men (Gen. 18:2,16,22) and sometimes as angels (Gen. 19:1) and in the latter case even goes so far as to say that Lot prepared for them unleavened bread (Gen. 19:3) as if angels partook of the same. Such inconsistencies of the Bible provide a proof of the fact that it has suffered materially from later interpolations.

7:118; 20:20; 28:32.

Commentary:

For a detailed discussion of the miracle of the rod and the white hand see 7:108 & 109.

Important Words:

القریة (the town) is infinitive-noun from قری. They say قری الضیف i.e. he entertained the guest. قری الماء فی الحوض means, he collected the water in the pond. قریة means, a town, a central town. It is so called because people from all quarters gather there and also because they are entertained there. The word also means, gathering of men (Aqrab).

Commentary:

A part of the Surah deals, in metaphorical language, with the advent of a great Reformer in the Latter Days who was to represent the Second Coming of the Holy Prophet. This important subject begins with the present verse.

The word القریة may have been used here in its wider sense meaning any town or place, or speaking metaphorically, it may stand for the whole world. The whole world has been called a قریة here because in the Latter Days the means of commun-ication were to develop so extensively that the whole world was to become, as it were, one town. In this sense of the word the expression may signify humanity at large. The use of the word "parable" with regard to the account of اصحاب القریة i.e. people of the town, seems to lend further support to the view that القریة may not be a particular town that has been mentioned here. The whole account is a parable or simile.

Or the word القریة signifying a particular town may refer to Mecca, the Centre and Citadel of Islam. In that case the word المرسلون (the Messengers) will apply to the Holy Prophet in whose person all the Messengers and Prophets of God were represented. See next verse.

Commentary:

Taken in its literal sense the verse presents no difficulty. It purports to say that when on the Judgement Day men will be raised and disbelievers confronted with their evil deeds, and punishment will stare them in the face, they will be seized with despair and will cry in consternation, "Woe to us! who has raised us from our place of sleep?" To continue, however, the metaphor of the preceding verse, the verse under comment applies to those people who at the time of the appearance of a Prophet of God do not listen to the Divine Call and prefer to remain in their existing state of spiritual death. At hearing the Divine Call, they exclaim: "Why should anyone disturb the even tenor of our lives and cause commotion and excitement amongst us by inviting us to follow him and adopt a new way of life?"

15:58.

Important Words:

خطبکم (your errand). خطب means, a thing, an affair, or a business small or great; the cause or occasion of a thing or an event. They say ما خطبک i.e. what is the thing or affair or business that thou seekest or desirest to do; or what is the cause of thy coming? (Lane & Aqrab). See also 12:52.