تَرَبَّصُ

9:98; 57:15.

Important Words:

نستحوذ علیکم (get the better of you). نستحوذ is derived from حاذ. They say حاذہ i.e. he guarded or protected it and took care of it. حاذ الابل means, he drove the camels quickly or he gained mastery over the camels and collected them together. استحوذ علیهmeans, he overcame or mastered or gained mastery of him or it; he got the better of him or it (Taj).

نمنعکم (protected you) is derived from منع i.e. (1) he prevented or hindered: (2) he denied or refused (3) he protected or guarded (Lane).

Commentary:

The words, did we not get the better of you, are addressed by the hypocrites to the disbelievers and mean "we had you in our power but we spared you". Similarly, the words, and protect you against the believers, may be interpreted something like this: "We separated ourselves from the Muslims with the result that they became weak and you were thus saved from them." Or the words may mean, "some of the faint-hearted among you wished to make peace with the Muslims, but we prevented them from doing so, and now the result is that you are victorious." In the latter case the clause نمنعکم من المؤمنینwould be translated as "we prevented you from making peace with the believers".

The last sentence of the verse means that the hypocrites will never be able to bring a valid objection against Muslims.

Commentary:

The idolaters were closely connected with Muslims by ties of blood and relationship. Muslims are plainly told in this verse that these relationships and other worldly considerations of wealth, trade and property should not be allowed to stand in the way when a dearer relationship and a nobler cause and more vital considerations demanded their sacrifice. Love of kith and kin and worldly possessions should not be permitted to hinder the Faithful from serving the cause of Islam. The judgement of God mentioned at the end of the verse came after the death of the Holy Prophet when "the disobedient people," i.e. those who had joined the fold of Islam for worldly considerations, revolted and were punished by God through Abu Bakr, the First Khalifah.

Commentary:

The "two good things" referred to in this verse are martyrdom and victory. Only one of these two things can fall to the lot of believers in a war. Either they win and triumph or they die on the battlefield and become martyrs. Hence, the evil desires which the disbelievers and hypocrites entertained concerning the Muslims could never be fulfilled. The verse thus purports to say that true believers can never suffer a defeat; they either die fighting and thus win martyrdom or they return victorious from the field of battle.

48:7.

Important Words:

مغرما (fine) is the noun-infinitive from غرمwhich means, he paid or discharged a thing that had become obligatory upon him, e.g. a blood-wit; or he took upon himself to pay that which was not obligatory upon him; or he took upon himself to pay a fine, etc. They say غرم الدین i.e. he paid or discharged the debt. غرم فی تجارته means, he suffered a loss in his business. مغرمor غرامة means, a thing that must be paid or discharged; a damage or غرم loss that befalls a man; a debt; a fine or mulct (Lane & Aqrab).

الدوائر (calamities) and دائرة (calamity). See 5:53.

Commentary:

The verse means to say that believers are waiting, and disbelievers should also wait, and time itself will show as to who achieves success and who meets with failure and comes to grief.

54:10.

Commentary:

In this and the preceding verse Noah’s opponents are represented as having brought forward six objections to reject his message: First, that he was only a man like themselves. Secondly, that he sought to impose his leadership on them. Thirdly, that no angel had descended from heaven to testify to his truth. Fourthly, that his teaching was opposed to the time-honoured beliefs of their forebears. Fifthly, that he was stricken with madness, and sixthly, that sooner or later he was sure to come to grief. These objections have always been raised against every Prophet and Divine Reformer in every age.

21:6; 69:42.

Important Words:

ریب (calamity) is inf. noun from راب. They say رابنی i.e. it or he occasioned in me disquiet or agitation of mind; he made me to doubt; he did with me what I disliked or hated. ریب means, doubt; disquietude or uneasiness of mind; doubt combined with evil opinion; calamity; misery (Lane & Aqrab).

المنون (time) is derived from من (manna). They say من الرجل i.e. he weakened the man and took away his strength; من الحبلmeans, he cut off the rope. من الشیء means, the thing diminished. من الناقة means, he tired out or jaded the she-camel. منونmeans, death; time; destiny or fate. ریب المنون or ریب الزمان or ریب الدھر means, the calamities or vicissitudes of time (Lane).

نتربص (we are waiting for) is derived from ربص. They say ربص به i.e. he waited for good or evil, particularly the latter, to befall him. تربص به الامر means, he expected or waited for the event to befall him (Lane & Aqrab). An Arab poet says:

تربص بھا ریب المنون لعلھا

تطلق یوما او یموت حلیلھا

i.e. wait thou for the vicissitudes of time to befall her; perhaps she might be divorced some day or her husband might die (Lane).

Commentary:

The Holy Prophet’s enemies accused him of being a soothsayer, a poet and even a madman. The verse implies the refutation of all these foolish charges. The Prophet is not a poet (the verse purports to say) because poets have no fixed ideal or programme in life. They only indulge in daydreaming, and as it were, "wander about distractedly in every valley" (26:226), but the Holy Prophet has before him a great and noble aim—the regeneration of a corrupt and degenerate society. He is neither a soothsayer, because soothsayers dabble in occult sciences and make mere conjectures and guesses. They try to hoodwink simple-minded people by clever contrivances but the Holy Prophet is universally known to be an honest and sincere man. Nor is he a madman because madmen are not known to have brought about the great and wonderful revolution that he has, among his completely demoralized, degenerate and degraded people.

9:52; 32:31.

Commentary:

The verse purports to say that disbelievers call the Holy Prophet a poet, who indulges in building castles in the air about his great future, a soothsayer who plays upon the credulity of simple-minded folk, a raving maniac and, as such, naturally they expect that sooner or later he will come to a sad end. The Prophet is enjoined to tell them that they will have to wait till Doomsday for the realization of their futile expectations. Time alone will decide the issue between them.