ذِكْرُ

Important Words:

ذکرکم (your eminence).ذکر means, remembrance, praise or eulogy; eminence or honour; renown, fame or reputation. See also 2:41; 6:69 & 15:7.

Commentary:

The argument begun in the previous verse is continued in the present one. The verse means to say that not only will the deniers of this message come to grief and its followers achieve progress and prosperity and will rise from the lowest rung of the ladder to the highest pinnacle of material and spiritual glory, but this fact will also constitute an infallible proof that the Quran is neither forgery nor poetry nor a collection of confused dreams but the true Word of God Almighty, the Creator of heavens and earth.

The verse incidentally implies the refutation of the Christian doctrine that the Law is a curse, by forcefully asserting that through the Quran which is the final Book of Divine Law, its followers will achieve honour, glory and power.

Commentary:

The account of Zachariah precedes the account of Jesus. This is due to two very valid reasons. Yahya, the son of Zachariah, and John of the New Testament, was a harbinger of Jesus. He heralded Jesus’ advent and acted as his precursor to give to the Jews the glad tidings that their deliverer was about to make his appearance.

That Yahya or John was Jesus’ harbinger is apparent from the following prophecy of Prophet Malachi: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord" (Mal. 4:5). The words "the great and dreadful day" here signify the advent of Jesus. This is why when Jesus was asked where Elias was who was to come before him, he replied: "And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come" (Matt. 11:14). As according to Malachi’s prophecy Elias must have appeared before the coming of Jesus, it was in the fitness of things that while giving an account of Jesus, the Quran should have made a mention of Yahya. Secondly, Mary, the mother of Jesus, had unknowingly become the cause of Yahya’s birth. We are told (3:38, 39) how Zachariah was deeply moved by a pious reply of Mary and prayed to God to be blessed with a good child like her. Thus whereas Yahya became a harbinger of Jesus, Mary, Jesus’ mother having indirectly become the cause of the birth of Yahya may as well be said to have become a precursor of Yahya (John) himself. See also 3:38-42.

The words, "Thy Lord" in the sentence, "This is an account of the mercy of thy Lord," appear to be misplaced because whereas the account given in the following verses is that of the mercy of God shown to Zachariah the words "Thy Lord" seem to indicate as if some account is about to be given of God’s mercy to the Holy Prophet. In fact these words signify that the account of Divine mercy to Zachariah does imply a mercy to the Holy Prophet also. Prophet Yahya, as stated above, was a harbinger of Jesus and Jesus was a harbinger of the Holy Prophet. A description of the birth of Yahyafollowed by a somewhat detailed description of Jesus’ birth pointed to the fact that by the introduction of the life accounts of these two Prophets who, in a way, acted as his precursors, the minds of men were being prepared for the acceptance of the Holy Prophet of Islam by an implied reference to the following Biblical prophecies:

And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee. Behold I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation (Gen. 17:20);

I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee; and I will put my words in his mouth (Deut. 18:18).

The pronoun "thy" may also possess an oblique but beautiful reference to Mecca, the birth-place of the Holy Prophet. Mecca like Zachariah’s wife was barren. For thousands of years it had not heard the voice of God. Now God’s mercy was about to dawn upon it. The barren valley of Mecca was about to give birth to the greatest of Adam’s sons. To this barrenness of Mecca reference is found in Isaiah 54:1.

Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord.

18:16; 23:118; 27:65.

Commentary:

The verse gives another argument about the Unity of God. The Holy Prophet here is enjoined to ask his people to go through the Quran and other revealed Scriptures and then tell him whether they find in them any deferential reference to polytheism or to permission to worship other gods besides the One True God. "This is the constant doctrine of all the sacred Books," says Sale in his "Introduction to the Quran," "not only the Quran, but also those Scriptures which were revealed in former ages, all of them bear witness to the great and fundamental truth of the Unity of God."

Taking ذکر in the sense of honour, eminence etc. (see 15:7), the verse would mean that the Quran is a source of honour for those with the Holy Prophet and for those before him i.e. it will raise its followers from depths of degradation to great heights of honour and eminence, and it has cleared Divine Prophets and other righteous servants of God of the charges and accusations that were imputed to them in former Scriptures.

18:28.

Important Words:

اتل (recite) is imperative from تلا. They say تلا الکتاب i.e. he read, rehearsed, recited the book; he followed it and did according to it. ھو یتلو فلانا means, he follows such a one in action; he imitates him. تلوت الابل means, I drove the camels together from their several quarters. اتل means, proclaim; preach, read, recite, rehearse; follow (Lane & Aqrab). See also 2:114.

ذکر (remembrance) is infinitive noun from ذکر (dhakara) which means, he remembered; he kept in mind. ذکر (dhikrun) means, remembrance; speaking of or mentioning; honour; eminence; good name; praise, etc. (Lane & Aqrab). See also 2:153, 201; 6:69 & 15:7.

Commentary:

Three things have been mentioned in this verse, viz. preaching and reading of the Quran, observance of Prayer and the remembrance of Allah. The purpose of all three is to deliver man from the bondage of sin and to help him to rise morally and spiritually which is the supreme object of all Divine Books. A living faith in a Supreme Being to Whom man has to render an account of all his actions after his death in a new life is the basic principle of all revealed religions and their great aim is to create and inculcate such faith because it is this faith that can serve as a potent and effective check on man’s evil propensities and actions. This is why the Quran reverts again and again to the subject of God’s existence and speaks of His great power, glory and love and lays the greatest emphasis on Divine remembrance of which the Islamic Prayer constitutes the most complete form; and of which—if performed with all its necessary conditions—purity of mind and actions is the inevitable result. Observance of Prayer, however, demands the fulfilment of the following five conditions:

1. One should be regular in saying Prayers.

2. Prayers should be said punctually at their appointed hours and in accordance with the prescribed rules.

3. One should be humble in spirit and should not allow one’s thoughts to wander away while saying Prayer.

4. Prayers should be said in congregation.

5. One should exhort others also to be regular and punctual in saying Prayers.

ذکر الله may mean, (1) man’s glorification of God, or (2) God’s remembrance of man, i.e. His raising him to a place of honour and eminence and spreading his good reputation. The verse purports to say that if you remember God and glorify Him, He will bestow honour and renown upon you and will make you eminent and respected in the world. See also 23:10.