شَدِیۡدٍ

1461

Important Words:

رکن (support). They say رکن الیه (rakana) i.e. he inclined to him or it; he trusted or relied upon him or it so as to become easy or quiet in mind; he leaned, rested or relied upon him. رکن فی المنزل means, he kept tenaciously to the abode and did not relinquish it. رکن (rukn) means, side or outward part of a thing; corner or angle; a stay or support of any kind; a thing whereby one is strengthened; near relations or clan or tribe by whom one is aided and strengthened; a noble or high person; also might and resistance; a thing or event of great magnitude (Lane).

Commentary:

Lot says that if he had possessed any power, he would have resisted these mischievous people; but he was powerless against them.

The words, I should betake myself to a mighty support for shelter, mean that now the only course left to him was that he should seek refuge with God and beg Him to send upon them His punishment.

1657

Commentary:

This verse is grammatically connected with the one that precedes it, the word "Allah" used here being in apposition with the words "Mighty" and "Praiseworthy" occurring in the preceding verse. The expression, to Whom belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth, means that the whole universe bears witness to God’s being "the Mighty," for both heavens and earth are governed by the same law. Similarly, by the entire absence of any defect or flaw, they bear witness to His being "the Praiseworthy." So those who establish their connection with such a God will naturally experience a great inner change as a result of which they will be vouchsafed the dominion of both heaven and earth. It is noteworthy how magnificently this promise was fulfilled in the time of the Holy Prophet. So great was the temporal power of Islam that the Khalifah issued orders from his seat of government and the whole Muslim world, which practically coincided with the then known world, reverently obeyed him. Similarly, early Muslims were looked upon as models of moral integrity and spiritual eminence, and history abounds in examples of the purity of their character.

1935

Important Words:

فجاسوا (and they penetrated). جاس means, he sought for or after a thing or news or tidings eagerly and with the utmost of his endeavour. They say جاسھم الاسد i.e. the lion trod upon them, or came into the midst of them and did mischief among them. The Arabs say جسنا خلال دور القوم i.e. We went to and fro or went about amidst the houses of the people. The Quranic expression فجاسوا خلال الدیار means, they went through the midst of the houses and sought for what was in them or they went to and fro among the houses in a sudden attack or they slew you amid your houses (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

The first disaster befell the Israelites after David, and the second after Jesus. It appears from the Bible that the Jews had become a very powerful nation after Moses and in the time of David they laid the foundation of a mighty kingdom which continued to flourish for some time after his death in its old might and glory. Then it fell prey to gradual decay and about 733 B.C. Samaria was conquered by the Assyrians, who annexed the whole of Israel north of Jezreel. In 608 B.C. Palestine was ravaged by an Egyptian force under Pharaoh Necho and the Israelites came under Egyptian sway (Jew. Enc., vol. 6, p. 665). The loss of their temporal power and their destruction and desolation, however, did not make them mend their ways. They continued in their old wicked practices. The Prophet Jeremiah warned them to give up their iniquities as the wrath of God was about to overtake them. These are Jeremiah’s warnings:

O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee…? For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, and the anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, that bewaileth herself, that spreadeth her hands, saying, Woe is me now! for my soul is wearied because of murderers (Jeremiah 4:14 & 31).

The Israelites paid no heed to Jeremiah’s warnings. So "the Lord was very angry with them and removed them out of His sight; there was none left but the tribe of Judah only" (2 Kings 17:18). In the reign of Jehoiakim, Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon made his first invasion of Palestine and carried off some of the Temple vessels, but the city was spared the rigours of a siege. In 597 B.C. also, the city was invested and fell victim to a severe famine. The rebellion of Zedekiah, however, caused a second invasion in 587 B. C., and after a siege of a year and a half, the city was taken by storm. King Zedekiah fled from the city but was taken prisoner. His sons were slain and his eyes were put out and he was bound in fetters and carried off to Babylon. The Temple, the King’s palace and all the great buildings in the city were burnt down, the chief priests and other leaders were put to death and many people were carried off in captivity (Jew. Enc., vol. 6, p. 665 & vol. 7, p. 122 under Jerusalem).

Thus was fulfilled the promise about the first of the two warnings held out to the Israelites by Moses to which the present verse refers. The following passages of the Bible contain Moses’ warnings to the Jews:

"But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee…The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; a nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favour to the young: and he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he hath destroyed thee. And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustest, throughout all thy lands: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the Lord thy God hath given thee. And thou shalt eat the fruit of thy own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the Lord thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee…And it shall come to pass, that as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the Lord will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to naught; and yet ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it. And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone. (Deut. 28:15; 49-53; 63-64).

2563

Important Words:

مبلسون (they are in despair) is active participle from أبلس which means, he despaired or gave up hope of God’s mercy; he became broken-spirited; he was or became silent, returning no reply by reason of grief or despair; he was or became confounded or perplexed and unable to see argument; etc. (Lane & Aqrab). See also 2:35.

Commentary:

One of the objects for which God sends down afflictions and visitations on rejecters of truth is that they should become humble and by repenting of their evil ways and by listening to the Divine Message should draw God’s mercy on themselves. The time of a heavenly Messenger is particularly marked by heavenly visitations. On the other hand, in time of prosperity, people are proud and arrogant and become entirely engrossed in worldly affairs. They pay little heed to the voice of truth. So God afflicts them with miseries and misfortunes in order that their pride might be broken. Elsewhere the Quran says: "And indeed We sent Messengers to peoples before thee, then We afflicted them with poverty and adversity that they might humble themselves" (6:43). But such is the perversity of human nature that in spite of afflictions man persists in his wicked ways and refuses to give ear to the Divine Messenger; respite and reprieve only increase him in transgression. When, however, Divine punishment overtakes him then he is all despair.

Besides the present verse the Quran adverts again and again to the subject that persistent rejection of Divine Message never goes unpunished. It has also not omitted to throw adequate light on factors which intimately concern the subject of Divine punishment, viz. (1) while awarding punishment to a wrong-doing person God takes into consideration all the various circumstances and conditions which contributed and led to the commission of the evil deeds (7:9). (2) Everyone has to carry his own cross and no one else but the guilty person himself has to account and suffer for his evil deeds (6:165). (3) The punishment of the evil deed is strictly commensurate with the nature and scope of the crime (42:41). (4) No intercession can benefit the guilty person and no ransom is taken from him (2:49). (5) But God’s mercy always outweighs His wrath (7:157). (6) When good deeds outnumber evil ones, the entire punishment is remitted (7:9)."

2835

Commentary:

The verse shows that the Queen of Sheba was a very powerful monarch and possessed great material resources and also commanded the affection, cooperation and willing obedience of her subjects and was the final arbiter of their destinies.

The power and glory of Saba’ was at its height in about 1100 B.C. The period of the Queen’s rule continued up to 950 B.C., when she is believed to have submitted to Solomon. With her submission was fulfilled the Biblical prophecy, viz. "the Kings of Sheba and Saba’ shall offer gifts" (Psalms 72:10).

3168

Commentary:

In this and the next few verses, another kind of argument has been suggested to test the truth of the Holy Prophet. The present verse recommends an objective and detached examination of his claim. The disbelievers are urged to ponder, dispassionately, without prejudice, and being uninfluenced by crowd mentality, whether the Holy Prophet suffers from insanity or unsoundness of mind. The Quran is convinced that if a person were to deliberate seriously and in solitude over the claim of the Holy Prophet, he would inevitably come to the conclusion that he is neither an impostor, nor an insane person, because an impostor is never allowed to progress and prosper, and sooner or later—sooner rather than later—he meets with a terrible end, while an insane person can neither give such excellent teaching as does the Quran, nor can bring about such wonderful revolution in the life of a whole people, steeped in ignorance and immorality as had been brought about by the Holy Prophet.

3827

Commentary:

The words "a people of mighty valour," may refer to the mighty forces of the Byzantine and Iranian Empires which were far superior in means, material and numbers than any other enemy the Muslims had met so far. The verse constituted a warning that the Muslims would come into conflict with those mighty foes and would have to wage prolonged wars with them till the latter were broken and brought to their knees. The laggards are thus told that though they cannot be allowed to march against the Jews of Khaibar and partake of the booty, yet in the near future they would be called upon to fight against a much more powerful foe and, if they then responded to the call, they would receive a good reward. The verse also signifies that wars with the Byzantine and Iranian Empires would be fierce and long.