لَهَا

2:142.

Commentary:

The People of the Book are here warned that the fact that they are the descendants of God’s Prophets would not avail them in any way. Their forefathers reaped the rewards of their good deeds and won God’s favours; and if they also wish to become His favourites, they must perform similar deeds and show implicit obedience to God and complete submission to His will. The fact that they are descended from holy persons makes them all the more responsible.

See 2:135.

Commentary:

Jews and Christians are once more warned against relying upon those of their forefathers who won the pleasure of God by their good deeds. It is their own deeds and not those of others that will save them. Their own good actions alone can bring them salvation and not the fact that they are the descendants or followers of Abraham, Jacob, Moses or Jesus. No bearer of burden shall bear the burden of another, says the Quran (6:165).

10:100; 11:119; 18:30; 76:4.

31:23.

Important Words:

الطاغوت (those who transgress) is derived from طغا i.e. he transgressed; he exceeded the just limit. Hence طاغوت is primarily one who exceeds the bounds laid down for him. The Devil (i.e. the Evil One) or such men as turn others from the right path as well as all idols come under the word Taghut. The word is used both as singular and plural as in 4:61 and 2:258.

العروة (handle) being derived from عرا means: (1) the handle of a bucket or a mug, etc.; (2) a ring; etc. which is grasped and clung to for support, or anything which serves as a support (3) a pasture that remains green even in time of drought; (4) the best and excellent part of property and wealth (Aqrab).

Commentary:

The injunction to make special sacrifices in the cause of religion and to fight the enemies of Islam who had transgressed against the Faithful was likely to cause the misunderstanding that Allah desired Muslims to use force for propagating their religion. The verse under comment removes this misunderstanding. The object for which Muslims have been commanded to take up arms against the disbelievers is not to force them to accept Islam, but only to check mischief and put a stop to persecution. The verse enjoins Muslims in the clearest and strongest of words not to resort to force for converting non-Muslims to Islam. In the face of this teaching embodied in the words, There should be no compulsion in religion, it is the height of injustice to accuse Islam of countenancing the use of force for the propagation of its teaching.

The verse not only gives the commandment that in no case is force to be resorted to for the purpose of converting non-Muslims to Islam, but also gives the reason why it should not be used, saying: Surely, right has become distinct from wrong, i.e. the true path has become distinct from the wrong one and therefore there is no justification for using force. Islam is a manifest truth. Anyone who sincerely desires to see this truth can easily see it; but if there is a person who does not desire to see it, no force can possibly make him do so. One only needs to point out its beauties to non-Muslims; it rests with them to accept it or reject it as they like. ایـمان or faith, as defined by Islam, consists in believing something with the heart or the mind and expressing that belief with the tongue. No force on earth can bring about that change.

The person who sticks to true faith and shuns false ones is here represented as laying hold of a strong عروہ (‘urwah) which word, as shown above, gives a number of meanings. Taking it in the first-mentioned sense, i.e. the handle of a mug, etc., the Quran compares Islam to the pure life-giving liquid which is put into a mug, and the believer is represented as taking fast hold of the handle thereof. Taking the word in the second sense, i.e. anything which is grasped and clung to for support; the true faith is represented as something on which complete reliance can be placed in all circumstances. If one adheres to it, there is no fear of one’s stumbling or falling down. Following the third significance, i.e. a pasture that remains green even in time of drought, Islam has been likened to a grazing ground the herbage of which is everlasting. There can be no spiritual famine in Islam. Following the last-mentioned meaning of عروة Islam is represented as a storehouse of spiritual treasures that are without equal.

See 2:234.

3:148.

Important Words:

اصرا (responsibility). They say اصرالشیء i.e. he broke the thing. اصرہ means, be confined or detained or debarred him; he held him in custody or he restrained him. اصرالخیمة means, he provided the tent with a peg or a rope for tying. اصر (isr.) or اصر (asr) or اصر (usr) means: (1) a burden which restrains one from motion; (2) a burdensome covenant or a heavy responsibility the breaking of which makes one deserving of punishment; (3) a sin, or an offence; and (4) grievous punishment of a sin (Aqrab & Lane).

Commentary:

The clause, Allah burdens not any soul beyond its capacity, is a powerful refutation of the doctrine of Atonement. It embodies two important principles: (1) That the commandments of God are always given with due regard for human capacities and weaknesses. (2) That purification in this world does not necessarily signify complete freedom from all kinds of failings and shortcomings. All that man is expected to do is sincerely to strive after good and avoid sin to the best of his power, and the rest will be forgiven him by the Merciful God. So no atonement is needed.

The word کسب (earns) has been used here with regard to the doing of good deeds and اکتسب (incurs) for the doing of evil deeds. They are from the same root but the latter denotes greater exertion. Thus the words hint that a man will be rewarded for good deeds even if they are done casually and without concentrated effort, while he will be punished for his evil deeds only if they are committed deliberately and with concentrated effort.

In ordinary circumstances, نسیان (forgetfulness) and خطاء (error) are not punishable, for they lack intention or motive which are necessary for punishment. But here the words denote a forgetfulness and an error which might have been avoided, if due care had been exercised.

As explained under Important Words above, the word اصر (responsibility) has several connot-ations, all of which are applicable here. Hence, the verse may also be translated as (a) Impose not on us a sin, i.e. enable us to avoid sin and prevent us from the doing of deeds which might make us stumble; (b) Do not punish us if we commit some sin or break some covenant; (c) Taking the expression لاتحمل علینا to mean, as it literally does, do not make it ride us or do not mount it on us, the clause may also be rendered as, do not make a responsibility or a covenant mount on us as Thou didst mount it on those before us. The simile is beautiful. divine covenants are meant to help the people in their onward march; but sometimes, through abuse or breach, they become a burden, instead of a help, thus turning into a rider in place of a riding beast. Muslims are taught to pray against such an eventuality.

The words, lay not on us a responsibility as Thou didst lay upon those before us, do not mean that Muslims have been taught to wish for lighter burdens. The facts of history belie that inference. The words only mean that God may help Muslims to fulfil their responsibilities and to avoid sins as well as the consequences thereof. The previous peoples were entrusted with some responsibilities and given certain commandments which were all for their own good, but many of them failed to fulfil them and also rejected Islam to which they had been invited and thus turned a blissful guidance into a veritable means of incurring God’s displeasure. Thus, they were virtually laid under an isr or a burdensome responsibility. Muslims, being the bearers of the final and universal Shari‘ah, have been exhorted to set a better example and pray to God for success in their great task and in the fulfilment of their heavy responsibilities. The laying of burden or burdensome responsibility has been attributed to God just as in the Quranic idiom ضلالة (misguidance) is sometimes attributed to Him for which see 2:7.

The clause, lay not on us a responsibility as Thou didst lay on those before us, may also refer to Christians particularly who, by declaring the Law to be a curse, converted a divine mercy into an isr, i.e. a burden and a punishment. Muslims are thus taught to pray that for them the Shari‘ah may always remain a mercy. In this case the verse comes as a fitting preamble to the succeeding Surah of which Christianity forms the special theme.

The clause, and efface our sins and grant us Forgiveness and have Mercy on us, comprises three important invocations placed in perfect order. They not only correspond to the preceding three prayers but also constitute a perfect manifestation of a perfect treatment on the part of a perfect Master. فاعف عنا means that God may efface our sins and leave out no trace of them to be seen by men. اغفرلنا means that He may not only efface our sins but also grant us forgiveness so that He Himself may treat them as non-existent. And ارحمنا means that God may not only efface our sins and forgive us but also show positive mercy to us.

The concluding clause, help us Thou against the disbelieving people, provides a fitting ending to the Surah. The Muslims are out for a great struggle. The entire world of کفر (disbelief) is arrayed against them and the field of work, as hinted in Abraham’s prayer (2:130), is wide and far-stretched, extending over (1) heavenly signs, (2) laws and covenants, (3) wisdom and philosophy, (4) morals and spirituality, and (5) general progress. This was a stupendous task and unless God came to their help, there was little hope for that tiny Muslim community that was just emerging into existence. But God did come to their help.

5:58; 7:52; 8:36.

10:5.

Important Words:

تبسل (be consigned to perdition) is derived from بسل i.e. he prevented or prohibited or debarred. ابسل besides giving the above-mentioned meaning, also means, he gave in pledge; or gave in exchange. ابسله also means, he gave him up to or he delivered him over to or he consigned him to destruction or perdition or punishment (Lane & Aqrab).

شراب (drink) is derived from شرب i.e. he drank. شراب means, a drink or beverage; any liquid which is drunk and not eaten or chewed. This is the original significance. Post-classical writers, however, sometimes use the word in the sense of خمر (wine) also (Lane).

حمیم (boiling water) is derived from حم i.e. it (water, etc.) became hot or very hot. The word is also used transitively, meaning, he heated water, etc. or he heated it fully. حم الشحمة means, he melted the fat. حمه means, he washed him with hot water or, conversely, with cold water. حمیم means, hot water or, conversely, cold water; sweat or perspiration. The word also means a friend or a beloved person (Lane). The last significance is probably based on warmth of feeling.

Commentary:

The context and the sense of the passage required the use of the words "thy religion," but the Quran uses the words "their religion" instead of "thy religion". This is to point out that it was for their own good that the religion of Islam had been sent and that they were injuring themselves by rejecting it.

The words, admonish people thereby, signify that if disbelievers are in a state of excitement and it is found that admonition will provoke them all the more, then one should "let them alone"; but if there is no fear of their being provoked, then one should first admonish them and then quit their company. The pronoun in به (thereby) refers to the Quran.

The verse also contains an exhortation to believers not to get enraged at the scornful remarks of disbelievers. As it is the duty of believers to admonish and warn disbelievers, therefore the former should patiently endure the taunts of the latter.

As shown under Important Words, the word تبسل (consigned to perdition) may also mean, "be given up or surrendered." Taking the word in the latter sense, the sentence would mean, "Admonish the people lest a soul be surrendered to what it has wrought," i.e. admonish them lest they be given over to the evil works they are now engaged in, viz. lest they continue in their evil condition. See also 2:16. Taking the word in the former sense, i.e. as rendered in the text, the sentence would mean, "Admonish them lest they be consigned to destruction or punishment on account of the evil deeds which they have wrought."

The verse is addressed to believers and points out to them the urgent need of preaching the truth to disbelievers. It calls upon believers to picture to themselves the dire consequences of their failure to preach the truth to disbelieving people. If they do not show disbelievers the right path, the result will be that the latter will continue in their error and will be delivered over to destruction on account of their sins, being reduced to a condition when they will have no helper and no intercessor and when no compensation or ransom will be accepted from them.

The "boiling water" mentioned in the verse will serve as a medicine to bring about a cure, while the "grievous punishment" will be in the nature of an operation.

Commentary:

This verse, besides embodying an important principle about the formation of peace-treaties, throws interesting light on the character of the wars undertaken by Islam. Muslims did not resort to war to force men to embrace Islam, but simply to maintain peace. Hence, if any people after making war against Muslims sued for peace, the latter were enjoined to desist from war and make peace with them, in spite of their being disbelievers. Even the consideration that the enemy might be suing for peace simply to deceive the Muslims and to gain time was not to deter them from making peace. This shows that what the Muslims desired was nothing but peace, and they were bidden to welcome it at all hazards. See also the verse that follows.

11:64; 47:15.

Important Words:

انلزمکموھا (shall we force it upon you) is derived from الزم which is derived from لزم. They say لزم الشیء i.e. he kept close or held fast to the thing. لزم الامر means, the order became binding. الزمه الشیء means, he made him cleave to the thing. الزمه العملmeans, he obliged or compelled him to do the deed (Lane).

Commentary:

The words, which has been rendered obscure to you, mean that "the clear proof" and the "great mercy" have come to me in such a form that you cannot see them unless you ponder over them in the right spirit and on the right lines.

It is clear from this verse that in order to understand truth, one should think over it on right lines. Disbelievers cannot understand the truth because they reject it at the outset, without giving it the least consideration. In such circumstances, there can be no possibility of the truth being accepted except under compulsion. But compulsion, as the last portion of the verse makes clear, cannot be resorted to.

Important Words:

اجتثت (uprooted) is derived from جث. They say جثه i.e. he pulled it (i.e. a plant) out from its very root; he uprooted it; اجتثهalso gives the same meaning. الجثة means, the body or the dead body of a human being (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

Unlike the good tree described in the preceding two verses, a book which is forged by the hand of man is like an evil tree. It possesses no permanence, nor even stability. Its teachings are supported neither by reason nor by the laws of nature. It cannot stand criticism and its principles and ideals keep on changing with the change in human conditions and circumstances. It is a hotchpotch of teachings collected from doubtful sources. It fails to produce men who can claim to have established a true and real connection with God. It receives fresh life from no divine source and is subject to decay and degeneration. Such is the inevitable fate of books forged by pretenders and false prophets. For a detailed and beautiful exposition of v. 25, 26 and 27 the reader is referred to "Tafsir-e-Kabir" by Hadrat Khalifatul Masih II, Second Successor of the Promised Messiah.

Commentary:

As regards the seven gates of Hell, as stated in the present verse, it may be remembered that in Arabic the number seven, as also the number seventy, is often used to express not a specific numeral but the idea either of perfection or completeness or of profusion. In this sense the verse would signify that Hell will have the number of gates corresponding to the number and variety of offences committed by the sinful. The number "seven" may also refer to the seven exteroceptive senses viz. the senses of vision, hearing, smell, taste, touch, pain and temperature, granted to man for receiving impressions from the outer world.

The words جزء مقسوم (a portion allotted to it) signify that each of the inmates of Hell will enter it by the door corresponding to his offence. With regard to Heaven also it is reported in a saying of the Holy Prophet that each of its inmates will enter it by a door corresponding to his specific good deeds (Bukhari, ch. on Fada’il-e-Ashabun-Nabi).

The word جزء (a portion) does not mean, as is clear from this verse, part of one’s body. It only means a section or party of sinners as distinct from others. This explains the meaning of this word in 2:261 where it signifies one bird as distinct from others and not different parts of one bird.

Incidentally, it may be mentioned here that elsewhere the Quran mentions the number of guards placed over Hell as nineteen (74:31). The reason for this might lie in the fact that man has been endowed with nine major senses i.e. the seven exteroceptive senses mentioned above, one proprioceptive sense of position in space and one enteroceptive sense arising from internal organs relating to sensations of hunger, thirst, etc. These, coupled with their nine spiritual counterparts together with the guardian or the controlling sense i.e. the will-power which dominates and controls all these different faculties of human nature, are nineteen in number and hence the nineteen guardians of Hell. This specific mention of the number of the guardian angels of Hell as nineteen forcefully draws attention to the fact that man becomes deserving of Hell on account of his having abused his God-given faculties.

3:146; 42:21.

Commentary:

The pronoun ھا (it) in the expression سعیھا (as it should be striven for) refers to the Hereafter, the meaning being that only such efforts as are calculated to secure the good of the Hereafter will be productive of really good results.

The words, and is a believer, have been added to point out that the securing of the good of the Hereafter depends upon right belief and purity of heart. Efforts made for material prosperity may bear fruit even in the absence of right belief but efforts made for the attainment of the good of the next life are effective only when they are accompanied by true faith. The verse should not be understood to mean that the good deeds of the Faithful only are acceptable to God. What it means is that good deeds accompanied by true belief in the next life will be fully rewarded in the Hereafter, while the reward of those good deeds which are done without any such belief in the Hereafter is confined to only the material benefits of this world.

3:43.

Important Words:

روحنا (Our angel). For the different meanings of the word روح see 2:88; 4:172 & 16:3.

Commentary:

The expression فتمثل لھا بشرا سویا signifies that the Divine glad tidings about the birth of a great son was conveyed to Mary not in the form of spoken words which she could hear or which flowed from her mouth. The revelation to her took the form of a dream or vision. She saw in a vision that an angel came to her in the form of a healthy man and conveyed to her the Divine Message about the birth of a son. In fact, it is the Word of God which at the time of revelation takes different forms and which when it came to Mary took the form of a man appearing in a dream. So it was no spirit that had entered Mary’s body. The vision was but a manifestation of God’s great power.

Christians try to derive a false satisfaction from the words روحنا alleging that according to the Quran, the Divine Spirit or God Himself had entered Mary’s body and that as a result thereof she became pregnant and therefore Jesus who was born as the result of that conception was the son of God. The Quran lends no support whatsoever to this blasphemous and preposterous dogma but condemns and denounces it in the strongest possible terms (5:73-74; 19:89-91). What the verse says is only this that an angel of God (روح means an angel) appeared to Mary in a vision in the form of a man and gave to her the glad tidings of the birth of a son.

Even the Gospels repudiate this fantastic dogma. According to them Mary had conceived only of the Holy Ghost (Matt. 1:18-20; Luke, l:35). Thus according to Christians’ own admission Jesus, at best, was the son of the Holy Ghost. But if they believe that he was the son of God then they shall also have to admit that the Holy Ghost is God. But they accept neither of these propositions. So whereas the Quran strongly condemns and denounces the Christian dogma of sonship of Jesus, the Gospels too do not support it. What the Quran says is simply this that an angel appeared before Mary in the form of a man and gave her from God the glad tidings of the birth of a great son.

6:75; 19:43; 26:71.

Important Words:

تـماثیل (images) is the plural of تـمثال which means, an image (Aqrab). See also 2:18; 2:107; 6:39; 13:7 & 14:46.

The particle ما (what) here denotes contempt and derision and not a question.

Commentary:

Everyone has his own style of speech. Abraham too had his peculiar way of talking. While talking to idol-worshippers he generally made use of irony. In the present verse he appears to be asking a question while in reality he is speaking contemptuously of the gods of his people. This special style of Abraham is also apparent from 6:77,78,79. In the present verse he seems to say to his people: "How useless and futile these images are which you worship!" While Abraham used to talk in ironical language, Jesus would talk in metaphors. Several of his sayings quoted in the Quran have been misunderstood because they have been taken literally.

In the expression لـھا (lit. to which) the letter ل is used to denote respect and reverence and also to express emphasis. The word عکف is not generally followed by ل. We say عکف فی المکان i.e. he stayed in the place. عکف علی الامر means, he stuck to the affair (Aqrab).

The word اب beside meaning 'father' also means paternal uncle. The person mentioned in the above verse was Abraham’s uncle and not his father who is said to have died before Abraham was invested with the divine mission of a Prophet. See also 6:75.

The verse points to a very close resemblance between Abraham and the Holy Prophet. The fathers of both had died before they were made Prophets. Both were brought up by their uncles. Both preached the message of Unity of God to their uncles. Both the uncles refused to accept the Divine Message with this difference that whereas Abraham’s uncle opposed and persecuted him, Abu Talib, the Holy Prophet’suncle, though he did not accept his message, stood by him through thick and thin to the last moment of his life and even suffered for him.

26:75; 43:24.

19:72.

Important Words:

حصب (fuel) is noun-infinitive from حصب (hasaba). They say حصبه i.e. he threw at him, or pelted him with pebbles. حصب به النارmeans, he threw it into the fire. حصب means, stones, pebbles, firewood or firewood prepared for fuel (Lane).

Commentary:

Compare this verse with 18:101:"And on that day We shall present Hell, face to face, to the disbelievers."

The words that which you worship refer both to the idols which the idolaters worship beside God (2:24) and to those persons who allow themselves to be worshipped as God (2:167, 168).

Commentary:

The verse is of general application but it specially alludes to the punishment in store for the peoples mentioned in the preceding verses.

Commentary:

The verse purports to say that the good works which lead a people to real success are those which are mentioned in the preceding four verses and not, as the disbelievers think, the wealth and numbers of one’s party and group. The true believers not only do all these good works with the best of their power and capacity but try to excel each other in doing good to others.

21:4.

Important Words:

غمرة (heedlessness) is derived from غمر. They say غمر الماء i.e. the water was or became much in quantity or deep so that it concealed its bottom. غمر الماء means, the water was abundant so that it came over him or covered him. غمر also means, he abounded in beneficence. غمرة means, water that rises above the stature of a man; difficulty, trouble or rigour. غمرة الموت means, the agony of death. فذرھم فی غمرتھمmeans, therefore leave them in their ignorance; or in their error and obstinacy and perplexity; in their overwhelming heedlessness or ignorance (Lane & Aqrab).

11:107; 21:101; 67:8.

Commentary:

The verse means to say that the punishment which the disbelievers will receive will be overwhelming and all-embracing and in order to add to the bitterness of their pain and sense of humiliation and to make it complete and thorough all their organs will be made to feel it. In the present verse two organs—that of sight and hearing are mentioned.

Important Words:

اعناق (necks) is the plural of عنق (‘unuqun) which is derived from عنق (‘aniqa) which means, his neck became tall. عنقmeans, neck, a portion of good; the upper portion of an elevated tract of land; the leaders or chiefs of a people, a company or a large company of men. They say جاء نی عنق من الناس i.e. a party of men came to me. The word also means, the first part of everything. They say مات فلان فی عنق الصیف i.e. such a one died in the beginning of summer. ھم عنق الیک means, they are inclined and listening to thee or expecting thee (Lane & Aqrab). اعناق therefore means, (a) different parties; (b) leaders; (c) those who are waiting for a sign to come.

Commentary:

The verse means to say that the Holy Prophet’s grief for his disbelieving people will not be in vain. If they do not cease opposing him, they will be visited with the sign of punishment which will humiliate and debase their leaders. That great sign was witnessed by the Quraish in the Battle of Badr when they suffered a most humiliating defeat at the hands of a small number of poor and ill-equipped Muslims and when almost all their great leaders were killed. Again they witnessed it in the Fall of Mecca when the cause of Islam triumphed fully and completely and the Quraish saw that they had to seek pardon from one whom they had hunted out of his native city and upon whose head they had placed a heavy price.

21:54.

6:132; 11:118; 20:135; 28:60.

Commentary:

The verse refers to a divine law that punishment does not overtake a people unless a Prophet is first sent to them and by rejecting and opposing him they render themselves deserving of it. See also 17:16; 28:60; 35:38.

Important Words:

نکروا (make unrecognizable) is the transitive form of نکر (nakira). نکر الرجل means, he did not know the man or did not recognize him. نکرہ (nakkara) means, he changed it so as to render it unrecognizable. تنکر الرجل means, the man became unrecognizable. تنکر لفلان means, he became estranged from such a one. (Aqrab). See also 16:91.

Commentary:

The verse purports to say that Solomon ordered the official who was entrusted with the task of preparing the throne for the Queen to make it so beautiful that she might realize the superiority of its workmanship and come to dislike her own throne and thus should understand that Solomon’s power and resources were much greater and superior to those of hers. This seems to be the significance of the sentence, "whether she follows the right way." Solomon sought to bring home to her the futility of any opposition or resistance to him. She and her ministers and courtiers seemed to be proud of their power and resources (27:34) and Solomon wanted to disabuse their minds of this misconception (27:37).

If the words "her throne" be taken to mean the throne which, it is said, the Queen may have sent as a present to Solomon, the words نکرواwould mean that the throne should be so embellished and made beautiful and the figures of idols on it, if any, should be so completely wiped off that she might not recognize it.

Important Words:

کشفت عن ساقیھا (she uncovered her shanks) ساق (saqun) is derived from ساق (saqa). ساق means, leg; shank; the part between ankle and knee. ساق الشجر means, the trunk of the tree. The Arabs say, کشف الامر عن ساقه i.e. the affair became distressful. الکشف عن الساق is a well-known Arabic idiom meaning to become prepared to meet the difficulty or to become perturbed or perplexed. قامت الحرب علی ساق means, the battle became vehement. کشف عن ساقیه literally meaning he uncovered his shanks signifies, he prepared himself to meet the difficulty; he became perplexed. The expression کشفت عن ساقیھا would thus mean: (1) she uncovered her shanks; (2) she got ready to meet the situation; (3) she became perturbed or perplexed (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

Solomon wanted the Queen to give up idol worship and accept the true faith. For this purpose he wisely adopted such means as should have led the noble and sagacious lady to see the error of her ways. The throne which Solomon caused to be prepared for her was also prepared with this end in view. It was made much more beautiful and in every respect superior to her own throne of which she was very proud. Solomon did so in order that she might realize that he was God’s favourite and had been endowed with material and spiritual gifts in far greater abundance than those given to her. The palace referred to in the verse was also constructed with the same object in view. As the verse shows, the entrance to the palace was paved with slabs of glass, below which ran a stream of crystal clear water. When the Queen entered the palace she mistook the transparent glass for water and uncovered her shanks, which in view of the Arabic expression کشفت عن ساقیھا signifies that the sight of the water perplexed her and she did not know what to do. By this device Solomon directed her attention to the fact that as she had mistaken the slabs of glass for water, similarly the sun and other celestial bodies which she worshipped were not the real source of light. They only emitted light but were lifeless things. It was God Almighty Who had bestowed upon them the light which they emitted. In this way Solomon succeeded in the object he had in view. The noble lady made a confession of her error and from a worshipper of idols of wood and stone she became a devoted votary of the One True God. It is regrettable that superstition and gross credulity have caused men of weak faith to give the homage, which is due to the Great Invisible God, to helpless creatures and lifeless material objects.

It is one of the characteristics of the Quran that whereas the Bible has maligned and defamed the Prophets of God, it (the Quran) has exonerated and cleared them of all sins, filthy accusations and aspersions cast upon them by the Bible.

Solomon is one of those Israelite Prophets whom the Bible has perhaps calumniated and slandered most. The Quran has taken special care to exculpate him of all slanders and calumnies. The Bible says of Solomon that his wives had "turned away his heart after other gods" (1 Kings 11 :4) and that "the Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned away from the Lord, God of Israel" (1 Kings 11 :9). The Quran contradicts these blasphemous charges and says in the present verse that the Queen of Sheba gave up idolatry and came over to the true faith through the noble efforts of Solomon and that he himself was "a most excellent servant of God and turned to Him again and again" (38:31).

20:54; 78:7.

25:54; 55:20-21.

Commentary:

The argument begun in the preceding verse is here further developed and expanded. For an explanation of the expression "and put a barrier between the two waters" see 25:54.

Important Words:

فاحشة (anything exceeding the bounds of rectitude) being derived from فحش means, an excess or anything exceeding the bounds of

rectitude or a thing excessively evil; anything forbidden by God, unseemly conduct; also avarice or niggardliness in the payment of Zakah (Aqrab). See also 2:170 & 4:16.

Commentary:

The words "the punishment would be doubled to her" signify, that if they hankered after physical comforts, which in reality is the significance of the word فاحشة used in the verse, they would be setting a very bad example, and as wives of the Holy Prophet whose example was bound to be followed by other women they would be incurring a grave responsibility and would, therefore, deserve double punishment. On the other hand, if they were devoted to God and His Messenger and had set a noble example for others to copy, their reward would also be double.

Commentary:

The masculine gender of the verb یقنت is used because of the subject من which is invariably followed by a verb in the masculine gender.

11:108; 39:39.

Commentary:

After having mentioned in the previous verse that God has created the heavens, and the earth and that He has made full provision for man’s physical and spiritual needs and has entrusted the control and management of both the physical and spiritual worlds to the care of the angels, the verse under comment proceeds to say that God has now decreed to bestow His mercy upon mankind in the form of the revelation of the Quran, at the same time warning the would be enemies of truth that they will not be allowed to thwart God’s plan and purpose as "He is the Mighty, the Wise!"

Commentary:

After mentioning the fact that the Holy Prophet has been raised to impart spiritual life to a dead people, the Surah proceeds to give in the present and next few verses the reasons for a new revelation. When God has provided, the verses purport to say, all necessary things to meet man’s physical needs and requirements, it does not stand to reason that He should have neglected to make similar provision for his moral and spiritual needs. These verses refer to some of the things which man needs and uses most in his daily life.

36:50.

Important Words:

فواق (delaying) is derived from فاق. They say فاقت الناقة i.e. the she-camel had in her udder the milk that had collected between two milkings. فواق means, the time between two milkings; the time between two suckings; the returning of the milk into the udder of the she-camel after the milking; the time between the opening of one’s hand and the grasping with it the udder of the she-camel; or when the milker grasps the udder and then lets it go in milking. They say ما أقام عندہ الافواقاً i.e. he did not stay with him but as long as between two milkings of a she-camel i.e. for a very short time (Lane).

Commentary:

The verse means to say that the whole attitude of disbelievers shows that they will not accept the truth till Divine punishment overtakes them, but when it comes, it would be swift and sudden and they would be granted no respite or delay.

Important Words:

دخان (smoke) is infinitive-noun from دخن. They say دخنت النار i.e. the fire sent up smoke. دخان means, smoke or gaseous matter; evil or mischief, dearth, drought, sterility; hunger (Lane & Aqrab).

کرھا (unwillingly) is derived from کرہ. They say کرہ الشیء (kariha) i.e. he did not desire, disapproved, disliked, hated or loathed the thing. أکرھه علی الامر means, he compelled him to do the thing against his will. کرھا (kurhan and karhan) in both forms is infinitive-noun from کرہ, the former کرھا i.e. (kurhan) meaning, what you yourself do not like and the latter (karhan) meaning, what you are compelled to do against your will by someone else. فعله کرھا (karhan) means, he did it unwillingly (Lane & Aqrab). See also 2:217.

Commentary:

The verse signifies that everything in the universe is subject to certain laws which it obeys and according to which it works. It has no discretion. It is man alone who has been endowed with volition or discretion to obey or defy the Divine laws and it is not unoften that he uses his discretion to his detriment. This is also the meaning and significance of 33:73.

15:17; 37:7; 41:13; 67:6.

Important Words:

فروج (flaws) is the plural of فرج which means, a cleft, an opening, a gap, and hence a flaw or defect (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

This and the following few verses draw attention to the marvels of creation, the wonderful design in the universe, to the celestial firmament with its countless beautiful planets and stars, to earth and its wide expanse teeming with human and animal life, and points to the inevitable inference that the Great and Wise Designer, the Architect and the Controller, Who could bring into being this wonderful universe and who placed man at its centre, does possess the power to recreate the universe after its disintegration, and to give man a new life after he is dead.