يَرْجِعُ

2:172; 6:40; 7:180; 8:23; 10:43; 11:25; 17:98; 21:46; 27:81; 30:53, 54; 43:41.

Important Words:

صم (deaf persons) which is the plural of اصم (a deaf man) is derived from صم. They say صم القارورة i.e. he put a stopper into the mouth of the bottle. صم means, his ear became closed up, or he became deaf, or he had a heaviness of hearing. اصمmeans, one who has a stoppage of the ear and heaviness of hearing. رجل اصم also means, a man whom one does not hope to win over and who will not be turned back from the object of his desire. The word also signifies one who persists in his evil course (Aqrab).

بكم (dumb persons) which is the plural of ابكم (a dumb man) is derived from بكم (bakima), i.e. he became dumb. بكم(bakuma) means, he kept silent intentionally. ابكم means, one who is dumb either by natural conformation or from inability to express himself; or, one not having ability to find words, though possessing the faculty of speech (Taj).

عمی (blind persons) which is the plural of اعمی (a blind person) is derived from عمی i.e. he became totally blind. اعمی means, one physically blind of both eyes; or one blind in respect of mental vision (Aqrab). See also 2:16.

Commentary:

The verse aptly describes the mental condition of the class of hypocrites mentioned in the previous verse. The first cause of their going astray was that they had turned a deaf ear to the admonitions of the Prophet. Secondly, they did not give straightforward expression to their doubts to have them dispelled. Exaggerated pride and self-esteem prevented them from asking questions. Lastly, they had become insensitive to the progress Islam was making and the change it had effected in its followers. As they made no use of their ears, their tongues and their eyes, they are spoken of as deaf, dumb and blind.

The words, they will not return, point to an important truth. Man is born with a pure nature—the nature of Islam—and it is only by his evil deeds that he corrupts himself. So the words, they will not return, allude to the fact that these men have strayed away from their original good nature, and though God is calling them back to the pristine purity of their nature, they will not return.

Commentary:

This verse refers to one of the attempts of the Jews to lead Muslims astray. This attempt pertained to a clever ruse on their part to strike a blow at the growing power of Islam. The Jews were held in esteem by the pagan Arabs for their religious learning. They took undue advantage of this and thought of a device to turn Muslims away from their faith by outwardly embracing Islam in the early part of a day and recanting it in its latter part, seeking in this way to make the unlettered Arabs believe that something must have been seriously wrong with Islam, otherwise these learned men would not have so hurriedly given it up. Devices like these have been employed by the enemies of truth in all ages, but they have never succeeded.

7:164.

Commentary:

The prophecy contained in this verse has met with a remarkable fulfilment. No people has been so much harassed and so widely dispersed over the face of the earth as the Jews have been.

Commentary:

Although Joseph exercised great patience and self-control and did not exhibit any such feeling or emotion as must have risen in his compassionate heart on seeing his brothers, his natural affection for them did make him return to them the money they had paid as the price of the grain. This does not mean that by doing so he defrauded the public treasury, for he could easily pay so small an amount to the treasury from his own pocket.

The words, that they may recognize it, mean that his brothers might appreciate the favour that was shown to them and might thereby be induced to return.

Here we have another point of resemblance between Joseph and the Holy Prophet. Just as these verses throw light on the great love of Joseph for his brothers so that, notwithstanding their cruel treatment of him, he was kind to them and desired their return, so the Holy Prophet, notwithstanding the deep-rooted enmity of the Meccans against him, always wished them well. How great was the Prophet’s love for his people and how great his anxiety that they might see the truth and accept it, it may be judged from the following words of the Quran: Haply, thou wilt kill thyself by over exertion in thy work because they believe not (26:4).

Commentary:

The calf is denounced and condemned as a deity because it does not speak to its votaries. Of what use is that god who does not answer the prayer of his worshippers (21:66-67)? He is as dead as a log of wood. The difference between a living and a lifeless god is that the One speaks to His votaries and hears their supplications while the other does not. The God of Islam has not ceased to speak to His true worshippers. He still speaks to them as He spoke to Adam, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon them all) and will continue to do so till the end of time.

37:94.

Important Words:

جذاذاً (pieces) is inf. noun from جذ. They say, جذہ i.e. he cut it and broke it into pieces. جذ فی سیرہ means, he walked quickly (Lane).

Commentary:

The pronoun ہ in the expression الیه may refer either to God, or to the chief idol or to Abraham himself. As referring to Abraham, the meaning of the verse would be that he broke all the idols except the chief among them so that his people should have recourse to him to ask him who had broken their idols and that when they should come to him he should tell them that instead of inquiring from him they should put the same question to their chief idol. This was a very effective and forcible way of bringing home to the idolaters the futility of worshipping mere lifeless blocks of wood or stone.

If the pronoun ہ be taken to refer to God, then the meaning would be that Abraham broke the idols of his people so that when they should see them broken into pieces they should realize their complete powerlessness and uselessness and so turn to God.

It may be noted here that the idols belonged to Abraham’s own family. Otherwise it was not right and proper for him to break other people’s idols.

23:100-101; 36:32.

Important Words:

حرام (inviolable law) is inf. noun fromحرم . They say حرم علیه i.e. it was or became forbidden or unlawful to him. It (a place or a right or a function) or he was or became sacred or inviolable or entitled to respect or honour. حرام means, forbidden or prohibited or unlawful; sacred or inviolable (Lane & Aqrab). See also 2:145.

Commentary:

The verse means to say that it is an inviolable divine law that the dead are never sent back to this world. Those who pass away from this world pass away forever (23:100, 101; 39:43). This meaning of the verse is supported by a well-known saying of the Holy Prophet according to which a companion of his named ‘Abdullah was slain in a battle. The Prophet told ‘Abdullah’s son, Jabir, that he had seen in a dream that God was so pleased with his father that He had asked ‘Abdullah what thing he would love to have so that the same might be given to him, and ‘Abdullah replied that he wished to be sent back to the world so that he might fight and be slain again in the cause of truth, to which God the Almighty said: "This cannot be because the word has gone forth from Me that the dead shall not return to the world" (Majah & Nasa’i).

Commentary:

In the words, "then withdraw from them," "Hudhud" had been taught proper etiquette which he had to observe while presenting Solomon’s letter to the Queen.

Even if it be conceded that David and Solomon could understand the language of birds, there is nothing in the Quran to show that the Queen of Sheba also understood their language and yet "Hudhud" was entrusted with the mission to take Solomon’s letter to her and to have a talk with her on Solomon’s behalf and as his representative.