اَجۡمَعِیۡنَ

3:88.

Commentary:

The word الناس (men) may either mean "all men" or "holy and virtuous men", i.e. those who deserve to be called "men" in the real sense of the word. This distinction is not arbitrary; for there is a class of men whom the Quran describes as "cattle or even worse" (7:180).

The cursing of the angels and the holy men means that as angels and holy men obey their Lord and Master and never go against His wishes, they would naturally sever connections with the disbelievers—the Jews—when they see Him doing the same. The angels, one of whose works is to help good men and punish the wicked, will turn against them and all good men will also strive to bring their evil efforts to naught. They will find the entire forces of God ranged against them.

If the word الناس (men) be taken to refer to all men, then the clause would mean that all men being subordinate to God, He would so arrange that no people would be able to help them against His decree.

2:162; 4:53; 5:79.

Commentary:

For an explanation of the expression, the curse of Allah and of angels and of men, see under 2:162.

5:49; 11:119; 13:32; 16:10.

Commentary:

The third answer to the objection mentioned in the preceding verse is given here. The words contained in the previous verse, i.e. If Allah had pleased, we could not have joined gods with Him (6:149), implied that it was under a sort of compulsion that they had set up associates with God; it was God’s own will and they could not go against His will; they were helpless against Him. So, in the present verse the Quran says that God has no need to resort to compulsion, for Allah’s is the argument that reaches home. He has arguments which reach the hearts of men. He can bring home to men the wisdom of His commandments; so He is not under the necessity of forcing men to do His will. The fourth answer is contained in the words, if He had enforced His will, He could have surely guided you all. The words mean that if God had resorted to compulsion and had decided to force men to do His will, He would certainly have made them do things that are right and not the things that are wrong. But in His infinite wisdom He has made man a free agent. He has explained to him what is right and what is wrong, and then has left him free to follow whichever course he may choose; and everyone will reap as he sows.

11:120; 15:43-44; 32:14; 38:86.

Commentary:

The verse makes it clear that Iblis will not be allowed to waylay those chosen servants of God who would have attained to the exalted stage of spiritual rebirth. He will not also be able to force men to disobey God; for, as the verse clearly points out, only those will come under his influence who themselves choose to 'follow' him.

20:72; 26:50.

Commentary:

Although crucifixion meant painful death, the punishment of cutting off the hands and feet was added to make the infliction all the more exemplary and death all the more painful. Incidentally, the verse shows that even as early as the time of Moses the punishment of death by crucifixion was in vogue.

15:44; 32:14; 38:85-86.

Commentary:

The words, for this has He created them, mean that it is for mercy that God has created men. This interpretation is supported by 7:157.

The words, the word of thy Lord shall be fulfilled, show that it is only the followers of Satan and evildoers that will be cast into Hell. The verse does not at all mean that all men will be thrown into Hell. In the words, the word of thy Lord shall be fulfilled, God mentions a promise, so the verse must be interpreted in harmony with that promise. But no promise is to be found in the Quran to the effect that all men will be cast into Hell. On the contrary, there is a definite promise in which it is said that Hell will be filled with those who follow Satan (7:19). It is to this promise that the verse under comment refers, for the Quran makes mention of no other promise except this.

So the verse means only that those who follow Satan will be thrown into Hell.

It was stated in the previous clause that God had created man for mercy. Now the question naturally arose, if man had been created for mercy, why were men to be cast into Hell? The present verse answers this question by saying that it is true that man has been created for mercy, but it was also declared that this promise of mercy would not be fulfilled immediately with regard to people who followed Satan. These companions of Satan will first be thrown into Hell on account of their affinity with him, and after they have been purged of their sins, they will go to Heaven. Moreover, the preceding verse speaks of disbelievers "who would not cease to differ". So the jinn and men spoken of here are none but the wicked among them. For a discussion of the jinn see 15:28.

Important Words:

وجه (before) gives a number of meanings, e.g. face; the part of a thing facing one; direction etc., القی الشیء علی وجھه means, he put or placed the thing before or in front of him.

یات بصیرا (will come to know). بصیر means, seeing; endowed with mental perception; knowing (Lane).

Commentary:

Joseph gave his brothers his shirt to lay before their father, so that the sight of it might please him, as the sight of the first shirt had grieved him, and he might be induced to pray for his brothers and extend to them his pardon.

The words, he will come to know, mean that formerly Jacob had known only by Divine revelation that Joseph was alive and his knowledge was then only a matter of belief. Now, by actually seeing the shirt the belief would become converted into factual knowledge.

7:17, 18; 38:83.

Commentary:

This verse too, gives a figurative word-picture of the condition of those disbelievers who, having failed to join the ranks of the Faithful in the beginning of the ministry of a Prophet, feel bitterly disappointed when they see him triumphing. The leaders of disbelief feel disgraced and humiliated at finding that others less important than themselves have outstripped them in believing and so, instead of accepting the Prophet, even at a later stage, they begin to oppose him. It is this state of mind of disbelievers that v. 3 depicts where it is mentioned that seeing the cause of Islam triumphing they wish they had accepted Islam in the beginning and thus had retained their former status and respect and had shared the blessings with which Muslims were favoured but having lost all their respect by rejecting the Prophet, they refrain from believing in spite of their desire and even increase in disbelief and opposition. This phenomenon has been repeated in the time of every Prophet of God, as is clear from 2:218, 4:45, 7:89 and 14:4.

17:64; 38:86.

Commentary:

For an explanation of the word جھنم (Hell) see 2:207.

29:33; 51:36.

Important Words:

آل (family) is derived from the verb آل (ala). They say آل الیه i.e. he or it returned to it; or he resorted to it. آل عنه means, he returned or reverted from it. آل رعیته means, he ruled or governed his subjects. آل ماله means, he managed or tended his cattle. آل means, a man’s family or relations or kinsfolk; the people of his house; his followers; his friends, and the like. By the آلof the Holy Prophet are meant, according to some, his followers whether relations or others, and his relations whether followers or not; or, as some say, his family and his wives (Lane & Aqrab). See also 2:50.

Commentary:

By using the words, Excepting the family of Lot, the messengers alluded, on the one hand to the fact that "the guilty people" (see the preceding verse ) were none other than the tribe of Lot and, on the other hand, they allayed Abraham’s anxiety regarding Lot and his family. Apparently, the messengers were commissioned to lead Lot and his family to a place of safety.

The word اجمعین (all) shows that those who were to be saved along with Lot were a party of persons, and not merely his two daughters, as the Bible has it (Gen. 19:15,16).