أَشَدُّ

5:14; 6:44; 57:17.

Important Words:

یشقق (cleave asunder) which is originally یتشقق is derived from شق meaning, he cut it open or he clove it.

تشقق means, it clove or broke asunder (Aqrab).

Commentary:

The murder of the innocent Muslim referred to in the preceding verses sealed the fate of the Medinite Jews who thereafter became more and more hardened, their hearts becoming like stones or even worse.

The verse goes on to say that even lifeless things like stones are useful, but the Jews, although rational beings possessing understanding and descended from holy men, have become so hardened as virtually to become worse than stones. Stones have functions to perform; but as they possess no volition, their work can bring them no reward. Deeds are in fact of two kinds, firstly those which are performed through volition or exercise of will, and secondly those which are performed not through volition but under some natural law. According to Islam, it is only the deeds of the former class that bring reward; but the deeds of the latter class, though unable to bring a reward, are also sometimes useful. Most of the Jews, however, had become so depraved that, far from performing any act of virtue out of a desire to be virtuous, they did not even involuntarily perform anything that might be called virtuous. They had become worse than stones; for even from stones there comes out water which people profit by.

It has, however, been added that these remarks do not apply to the whole nation; for some of the Israelites were, no doubt, swayed by the fear of God. Of these the Quran says: Of them (the hearts) there are some that humble themselves for fear of Allah. It may be noted that the pronoun ھما (them) in the clause, and indeed of them there are some that humble themselves for fear of Allah, stands for قلوب (hearts) and not for حجارة (stones). The fact that of the two pronouns in the verse the first refers to حجارة (stones) and this one to قلوب (hearts) need not create any doubt. The Quran contains many instances of what is termed انتشار ضمائر i.e. where similar pronouns occurring in the same verse stand for different nouns. For example, we read in 48:10: That you may believe in Allah and His Messenger and may help him and honour him, and glorify Him morning and evening. In this verse the pronoun 'him' refers to the Holy Prophet in the first two places and to God in the third.

The sentence, for of stones indeed there are some out of which gush forth streams, and of them there are some out of which flows water when they cleave asunder, signifies that even among lifeless things there are grades, some being more useful than others; and the Quran hints that we should recognise the difference in the grade and usefulness of all things. Everything must have its due, whether small or great.

Important Words:

دون (other than) is derived from دان i.e. he or it was or became low, mean or weak. دون used as an adjective means, low, mean, paltry, or contemptible; also high and noble. When used as a preposition, as in the present verse, دون gives the sense of (1) this side of, i.e. behind or lower in tank; (2) that side of, i.e. ahead or higher in rank; (3) other than (Aqrab).

انداد (objects of worship). See 2:23.

Commentary:

While dealing with the subject of idolatry the Quran makes use of the following four words: (1) ند (like or equal); (2) شریك (co-partner or sharer); (3) اله (worthy of worship); and (4) رب (sustainer). While the first two words are used only about those objects of worship that are other than God, the last two are used about God also. The word ند (like or equal) which is used in the present verse refers to such objects of worship as are supposed to be like God or equal to Him, being contrary or opposed to the true God. Among those who have set up انداد (equals) with God may be mentioned the Zoroastrians who believe in two independent gods, i.e. Ormazd, the God of Light, and Ahriman, the God of Darkness.

Love of God is the essence of all religion. In Islam it forms the central point, the pivot round which the whole Islamic teaching revolves. No religion has emphasised the love of God as much as Islam has. The Holy Prophet was so much engrossed in God that he was spoken of by the pagan Arabs as having fallen in love with Him, even as a lover falls in love with his beloved. No other subject has been so completely and so repeatedly dealt with in the Quran as God’s beauty and excellence and such of His attributes as create an irresistible love and longing in the human soul for his Lord and Master Who is spoken of in the Quran as a "Most Loving God" (11:91; 85:15). Yet Christian writers accuse Islam of being a cold and calculating religion, bereft of all love for God. Can anything be farther from the truth?

2:218.

Important Words:

ثقفتموھم (you met them) is derived from ثقف. They say ثقفه i.e. (1) he faced him or he met him; (2) he caught hold of him; (3) he got the better of him (Aqrab).

فتنة (persecution) is derived from فتن. They say فتن فلانا i.e. he led him astray; he tried or tested him. The expression فتن فلاناعن رأیه means, he prevented him from holding his views. The words فتن الصائغ الذھب mean, the goldsmith melted the gold in the crucible to ascertain its genuineness. فتنه means, he put him in a state of trial or persecution. Thus فتنة means: (1) trial; (2) torture and persecution; (3) divergence of views among men and the disputes and fighting that take place as a result thereof (Aqrab). See also 2:103.

Commentary:

The verse relates to conditions when a war has actually broken out. Obviously it does not apply to all disbelievers, for it only says, "kill them" and not "kill the disbelievers". The pronoun "them" clearly refers to, those who fight against you, as mentioned in the previous verse. The verse calls upon Muslims to fight against only such disbelievers as take up arms against them. It does not call upon them to slay each and every disbeliever that may happen to come in their way. Indeed this verse affords a remarkable instance of the way in which the plain words of the Quran are generally distorted by the opponents of Islam.

The clause, and drive them out from where they have driven you out, refers to the time when the enemies of Islam compelled the Holy Prophet and his Companions to flee from Mecca. It enjoins Muslims to bear in mind that they have eventually to conquer Mecca which being the centre and the most sacred place of Islam, no non-Muslim would be allowed to remain in it.

The clause, persecution is worse than killing, provides an argument in support of defensive war. The disbelievers were persecuting Muslims in diverse ways with a view to turning them away from their faith and they were also creating disorder in the land. It was certainly better to put a stop to this state of affairs by fighting against the aggressors than to allow it to continue. There are circumstances when, to every right-thinking man, war becomes necessary.

The words فتنة (persecution) and قتل (killing) may be interpreted in another way also. فتنة means, "persecution or war waged against a people with a view to turning them from their faith", and قتل means, "an ordinary secular war". Now the verse points out that a war of religious persecution is worse than an ordinary war; for, firstly, worldly interests are nothing as compared with matters of faith; and secondly, wars caused by religious differences are more bitter and cruel, and seldom come to an end.

The clause, and fight them not in and near the Sacred Mosque until they fight you therein, contains a very important principle. Even after the declaration of war, there are restrictions to be observed, and Muslims should never be the first to break them. The sanctity of the holy precincts of the Ka‘bah must be safeguarded even in time of war. If, however, the other party violates its sanctity, Muslims may retaliate so that the attacking party may thereby be brought to its senses.

8:66.

Commentary:

The words, Fight therefore in the cause of Allah, do not mean that the command to fight is related to the Holy Prophet alone. If that had been the case, the second clause in the verse would have read as لا تکلف الا نفسك (illa nafsuka), i.e. none is made responsible except thyself, and not as لاتکلف الانفسك (illa nafsaka), i.e. Thou art not made responsible except for thyself, as in the verse. What the verse means is that every Muslim, not excluding the Prophet, was individually answerable to God. But the duty of the Holy Prophet was twofold: (1) to fight, and (2) to urge his followers to fight. He was, however, not answerable for them. He was only to communicate to them the divine behests, and if they disobeyed, they themselves were answerable for it. The commandment making jihad obligatory on Muslims had already been revealed (4:78).

The clause, It may be that Allah will restrain the might of those that disbelieve, means that God will bring into existence such circumstances as will make war cease of itself, or that the enemy will fail to exert his power to the full and will finally collapse. Thus we see that at the Battle of the Ditch and at the Fall of Mecca providential circumstances helped the Muslims.

9:87, 93.

Commentary:

This and the following several verses speak of those who did not accompany the Holy Prophet on the expedition to Tabuk. The passive form in the word المخلفون (those left behind) has been used in allusion to the words, Allah was averse to their marching forth, so He kept them back, and it was said,' Sit ye at home with those who sit', occurring in 9:46 above.

These people not only stayed behind themselves but, as is usual with mischievous persons, also tried to dissuade others from joining the expedition.

Important Words:

اجدر (most apt) is derived from جدر which means, he or it was adapted, apt, suited, competent or worthy. They say جدرہ i.e. he made it or him adapted, apt, competent or worthy. One would say ما اجدرہ بالخیر i.e. how fit or suitable or adapted is he for what is good (Lane & Aqrab).

Important Words:

ثم meaning then, i.e. afterward or afterwards, is a particle or conjunction denoting order and delay. Sometimes it is used to denote the order of enunciation, not the virtual order. It also has the meaning of و (and) and ف (so) (Lane).

In the present verse ثم shows order i.e. this thing will happen after the thing that has been mentioned before. Some commentators of the Quran think that this verse can be explained by reading it as: ثم لننزعن من کل شیعة الذین یقال فیھم ایھم اشد علی الرحمان عتیاً i.e. then shall We certainly pick out from every group those about whom it will be said that they were most stubborn in rebellion against the Gracious God. Others are of the view that the expression ایھم اشد علی الرحمان عتیا is an independent and separate sentence and forms an answer to the words من ھم (who are they) which are understood before this sentence, and means, "they are those who were most stubborn in rebellion against the Gracious God. The words علی الرحمان mean against or in opposition to the Gracious God.

7:124; 26:50.

7:125; 26:50.

Important Words:

من (on account of) among other things means, because of, on account of, by reason of; as in مما خطیئآ تھم أغرقوا i.e. because of their sins they were drowned (71:26). It also means on, by, etc. (Aqrab).

خلاف (disobedience) and مخالفة are infinitive nouns from خالف. They say خالفه i.e. he disagreed with him, he disobeyed or defied him. خالف بین الشیئین means, he put the things on contrary sides or in contrary directions. خلاف means, disobedience, defiance; the contrary or opposite of a thing; contrary or alternate sides (Aqrab & Lane). من خلاف would therefore mean, on account of disobedience or on alternate sides. من here is used in the sense of عن, which also signifies cause or reason (تعلیل). The Quranic expression إلا عن موعدة وعدھا إیاہ means, on account of a promise he had made (9:144).

Commentary:

The crucifixion was in itself a terrible form of death yet the punishment of cutting off the hands and the feet was added to make it all the more dreadful. Elsewhere in the Quran the expression آمنتم به has been used in this connection. The difference between the two expressions is that whereas آمنتم به simply means, you have believed in him, the expression آمنتم له means, you have believed in him and have accepted his lead and have followed him.

Commentary:

The verse presents some difficulty. In the preceding three verses we are told that a disbeliever will be raised up blind in the hereafter as a punishment for having turned a blind eye to God’s attributes and in this verse it is stated that the punishment of the Hereafter is surely severer and more lasting, which means that there will be another punishment severer and more lasting than the former punishment. What are these two punishments of the Hereafter? This difficulty is solved by vv. 2:167 and 6:95 wherein it is stated that when disbelievers will be disowned by their false gods and will be left alone, the falsity of their beliefs will dawn on them and consequently their remorse and frustration will be bitter in the extreme. That bitter realization will constitute the first punishment and the torment of Hell will form the second and more severe punishment.

39:50.

Commentary:

The expression ولا یسأل عن ذنوبھم المجرمون may mean that the guilt of the disbelievers will be so patent that no further investigation will be considered necessary to establish it; or it may mean that the guilty will not be given an opportunity to defend themselves or to redress the wrong done by them, their sins and crimes being all too apparent.