لَّقَدْ

5:65.

4:156.

Commentary:

The words, Allah has heard the utterance of those, have been used by way of rebuke and warning, meaning that God is not unaware of these impudent utterances and that the utterers will certainly have to answer for them.

The words, Allah is poor and we are rich, were uttered by the Jews on behalf of the hypocrites and as an expression of their thoughts when the latter were called upon to spend their wealth in the cause of Allah (3:181). These words also express the thoughts of those niggardly persons and the weak of faith who join a new religion but find it hard to comply with its ever-growing monetary demands and sometimes cry out in impatience: "Has Allah become poor that we are asked to spend our hard-earned money in His cause?" In fact, one of the principal causes of the opposition to a new religious movement is reluctance on the part of the people to undergo the sacrifices of money and comfort that it demands.

The words, We shall record what they have said, signify that God will not let such mischievous utterances go unpunished, implying that what is forgiven is, as it were, not recorded.

5:73, 74.

See 3:190.

Important Words:

یھلك (bring to naught) is derived from اھلك which is the causative form of ھلك which means, he or it perished or came to naught; or he or it came to an end and became non-existent. اھلكه means, he caused him or it to perish, or he destroyed him or it, or he brought him or it to naught (Lane). اھلكه also means, he punished him (Mufradat). The Holy Prophet is reported to have said: اذاقال الرجل ھلك الناس فھواھلکھم i.e. "When a man says, such and such people have perished (viz. they have become morally and spiritually ruined and their state is past recovery), it is he himself who causes them to perish by saying so, for he makes them despair of recovery and of salvation" (Muslim, ch. on Birr Was-Silah). The word is used in this sense also elsewhere in the Quran (67:29; 8:43).

Commentary:

The expression یھلك (bring to naught) is used here not simply in the sense of destroying but in that of destroying by punishment. It is indeed a jealous and indignant God that speaks in this verse. He condemns Christians in a tone of strong indignation and vehement reproach at their preposterous claims about the Godhead of Jesus; and as Jesus and his mother, Mary, have become the means and object of this highly sinful doctrine, the verse fittingly refers to the divine power of punishing them also if God should so desire. It will be noted that a section of Christians looks upon Mary also as Divine and superhuman.

The words, those that are in the earth, obviously refer to those who deify Jesus. God’s purpose in using such strong language is to expose the monstrosity of the doctrine that Jesus was God or the Son of God. Elsewhere also in the Quran strong language has been used about those who hold such blasphemous beliefs and they are threatened with exemplary punishment (19:89-92).

The words, what is between them, corroborate and add force and strength to the argument given in the earlier part of the verse at the same time hinting at the final dissolution of Christian empires as a result of the most blasphemous doctrine of the divinity of Jesus. See also 3:27.

What the Christians say is, "The Messiah, son of Mary, is God," and not "God is none but the Messiah" as the verse puts it. The assertion has been inverted in order to bring home to Christians their great error; for, to say that "The Messiah is God" is really tantamount to saying that "God is none but the Messiah," But Christians, being too conscious of the weaknesses of their Messiah, dare not accept the latter proposition, which thus goes to prove the hollowness of their claim that the Messiah, son of Mary, is God.

4:172.

Commentary:

The reference in this verse is to the doctrine of Trinity, that mysterious and abstruse dogma of the three persons of Godhead—Father, Son and Holy Ghost—co-existing and co-equal in all respects, combining to make one God and yet remaining three. It was the Nicene Council and especially the Athenasian Creed that first gave the dogma its definite shape. The doctrine forms the basic Article of the Christian Faith. What a fall for the enlightened West!

Commentary:

By "inquirers" is here meant those who inquire about the truth of the Holy Prophet.

This verse also shows that the life history of Joseph as given in this Surah was not meant as a mere narrative, but provided solid proof of the truth of the Holy Prophet. In fact, the incidents in the life of Joseph were so many signs or prophecies which were later to be fulfilled in the life of the Holy Prophet.

Commentary:

Though their people were against them and mercilessly persecuted them, yet they could not be intimidated into giving up their faith. God had strengthened their hearts and had bestowed upon them firmness of faith.

78:39.

6:95.

Commentary:

The words, And they will be presented to thy Lord standing in rows, mean that the decree of God about their final destruction will certainly come into force.

The clause, Now have you come to Us as We created you at first, signifies that they will become divested of all power and authority and will be reduced to a state of subjection and disgrace as before.

The expression, But you thought that We would fix no time for the fulfilment of Our promise, means that they had laboured under the misconception that We had lost all control over them and had fixed no time of reckoning for their iniquities and transgressions. The verse constitutes an amplification of v. 36 above where an analogous expression viz. I do not think that this will ever perish, occurs.

5:33.

Important Words:

قتله (he killed him). قتل means, he killed; he killed his carnal desires. قتل الشراب means, he lessened the effect of wine by mixing it with water. They say قتل الجوع اوالبرد i.e. he lessened the vehemence of hunger or cold. قتل غلیه means, he quenched his thirst by making him drink water (Aqrab). See also 2:62; 2:73 & 4:158.

Commentary:

This part of Moses’ vision corresponds to the second part of the Holy Prophet’s Vision. In his Vision the Prophet saw a man calling him from across the road and then he was offered a cup of wine which he refused to accept. Gabriel told him that the man who called him was Satan and that the cup of wine signified deviating from the right path (Jarir). Similarly, in the second part of his vision Moses was shown a young man which, in the language of dreams signifies, among other things, ignorance, power and love of sensuous pleasures. Moses’ objection to the killing of the young boy by the righteous servant of God in his vision meant that Islam would require its followers to bring a veritable death over their carnal desires and passions but that the pleasure-loving Jews and Christians would find fault with this Islamic commandment.

The expression فانطلقا i.e. so they journeyed on, which has been used several times in these verses is exactly the expression used by the Archangel Gabriel for the Holy Prophet in his Vision, namely, انطلق انطلق i.e. go on, go on.

The words, when they met a young boy, he slew him, may refer to the murder by a party of Muslims of that archenemy of Islam, Ka‘b bin Ashraf, the ring leader of the Jewish miscreants of Medina (Hisham).

This verse also makes clear that the Journey of Moses of which an account has been given in these verses was undertaken in a vision because no sane person while awake would kill a man without legitimate cause.

Important Words:

اداً (most hideous) is derived from أد. They say أدہ الویل i.e. a terrible calamity befell him. أدہ الامر means, the event or affair oppressed him, distressed him or afflicted him. امرإد means, a very evil, abominable, severe, thing or affair; an evil thing against which human nature revolts or which causes an uproar on account of its extreme abomination (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

The verse purports to say that شرک (idolatry) is a most abominable thing. Human nature revolts against it and reason and intellect recoil in disgust from it and no sane person can help protesting against such a blasphemous practice or belief. No doctrine has been condemned so strongly and repeatedly in the Quran as the Christian dogma that Jesus, son of Mary, a mortal, subject to all human weaknesses and frailties, was the son of God.

Important Words:

خذولا (one who always deserts) is derived from خذل. They say خذله or خذل عنه i.e. he abstained from, or neglected, aiding or assisting him; and held back from him; he left or forsook him or deserted him. خذول is the intensive form of خاذل and means, a great deserter or one who always deserts his friends (Lane & Mufradat).

3:32.

Commentary:

The Battle of the Ditch perhaps constituted the hardest ordeal in the Holy Prophet’s whole career and from that supreme test he emerged with enhanced moral stature and prestige. In fact, it is in time of danger, when all around is dark, or in the hour of success and victory when a person’s enemy lies prostrate at his feet, that his real mettle is tested, and history bears an eloquent testimony to the fact that the Holy Prophet was as great and noble in time of distress, as he was in the hour of success. The Battles of the Ditch, Uhud and Hunain shed a flood of light on one beautiful facet of his character, and the Fall of Mecca on the other. Peril and danger did not discourage or dismay him nor could victory and success spoil him. When left almost alone on the day of Hunain, with the fate of Islam hanging in the balance, he fearlessly and single-handed advanced into the enemy’s ranks with the memorable words on his lips, viz. انا النبی لاکذب انا ابن عبدالمطلب i.e. "I am the Prophet of God and I am telling no lie. I am the son of ‘Abdul-Muttalib." And when Mecca fell and the whole of Arabia lay prostrate at his feet, absolute and undisputed power failed to corrupt him. Says Rev. Bosworth Smith:

"Now would have been the moment to gratify his ambition, to satiate his lust, to glut his revenge. Read the account of the entry of Mohammed into Mecca side by side with that of Marius or Sulla into Rome. Compare all the attendant circumstances, the outrages that preceded, and the use made by each of his recovered power and we shall then be in a position better to appreciate the magnanimity and moderation of the Prophet of Arabia. There were no proscription lists, no plunder, no wanton revenge. From a helpless orphan to the ruler of a big country was a great transition; yet the Holy Prophet retained the nobility of his character under all circumstances" - ("Mohammed and Mohammedanism").

What greater testimony could there possibly be to the Holy Prophet’s nobility of character than the fact that those who were nearest to him and knew him most, loved him most and were the first to believe in his mission—his dear wife Khadijah, his life-long friend Abu Bakr, his cousin and son-in-law ‘Ali, his freed slave Zaid. The Prophet was humanity’s noblest specimen and a perfect model in beauty and beneficence. In all the various facets of his variegated life and character he stands unrivalled and an excellent exemplar for men to copy and follow. His whole life lies before the floodlight of history. He started life as an orphaned child and ended with being the arbiter of the destinies of a whole nation. As a boy he was sedate and dignified and at the threshold of youth he was a perfect example of moral virtue, righteousness and sobriety. In middle age he won the title of Al-Amin, i.e. the trusty and truthful, and as a businessman he proved himself to be most honest and scrupulous. He married ladies both much older and much younger than himself and all of them swore by his faithfulness, love, and godliness. As a father he was most affectionate, and as a friend most loyal and considerate. When entrusted with the great and difficult task of reforming a corrupt society and subjected to persecution and exile, he bore it all with dignity and decorum. He fought as a soldier, and commanded armies. He faced defeat and won victories. He legislated and decided cases. He was a politician, a statesman, a teacher and a leader of men. Head of the state as well as of the Church he was, as a great writer has described him, Caesar and Pope in one; but he was Pope without the Pope’s pretentions, and Caesar without the legions of Caesar. Without a standing army, without a bodyguard, without a palace, without a fixed revenue, if ever any man had the right to say that he ruled by a right Divine, it was Muhammad, for he had all the power without its instruments and without its supports. He would do his household work with his own hands, would sleep upon a leathern mat and his menu consisted of dates and water or barley-bread, and after having done a full day of multifarious duties, he would spend the hours of night in prayer and supplication till his feet got swollen. No man under so vastly changed circumstances and conditions had changed so little. To quote Rev. Bosworth Smith again:

"On the whole, the wonder is not how much but how little, under different circumstances, Mohammed differed from himself. In the shepherd of the desert, in the Syrian trader, in the solitary of Mount Hira, in the reformer in the minority of one, in the exile of Medina, in the acknowledged conqueror, in the equal of the Persian Chosroes and the Greek Heraclius, we can still trace substantial unity. I doubt whether any other man whose external conditions changed so much, ever himself changed less to meet them."

Such was Muhammad, the Holy Prophet of Islam whom the verse under comment describes as an excellent exemplar and a perfect model and as humanity’s unerring guide for all time. The Holy Prophet’s goodness and greatness indeed stand unrivalled and unmatched, incomparable and unapproachable.

Commentary:

The swearing of allegiance referred to in the verse took place at Hudaibiyyah under an acacia tree after a report had reached the Holy Prophet that in breach of ambassadorial usage or etiquette his envoy, ‘Uthman, had been killed at Mecca. It was, perhaps, not so much the reported murder of ‘Uthman as the violation of a sacred and time-honoured custom that exhausted the Prophet’s patience. He invited his followers to take a solemn oath at his hand that they would fight the Quraish to the last breath of their lives. The oath came to be known as Bai‘atur-Ridwan, which signified that those lucky people who had taken the oath had obtained God’s pleasure.

The words, "He knew what was in their hearts," mean that God was well conversant with the state of their minds, viz. that they were quite honest and sincere in their oaths and were anxious to vindicate their sincerity with their blood.

What greater proof could there be that "God sent down tranquillity on Muslims," than that, being only about 1500 in number and being far away from home, friendless and surrounded by hostile tribes and faced by a powerful enemy who was entrenched in his citadel, the Muslims were prepared to fight rather than agree to the proposed terms of the Treaty. The expression, "He rewarded them with a victory near at hand" refers to the victory of Khaibar. On his return from Hudaibiyyah the Prophet led an expedition against the Jews of Khaibar (a great hotbed of Jewish intrigue and conspiracy) with those Muslims who were with him at Hudaibiyyah. Judged by worldly standards of political strategy, and in view of the apparently humiliating terms of the Treaty and of the feeling of frustration that some of the Companions felt at those terms, the Holy Prophet should have been a beaten and embittered man, yet God has styled the Treaty "a clear victory" (v. 2), "a grand achievement" (v. 6); "a mighty reward" (v. 11); and "the completion and perfection of His favour on the Prophet" (v. 3). What was it that made this "humiliating" Treaty such a significant event in the annals of Islam? The answer is: Because it opened the floodgates of spiritual and political conquests for Islam. The signing of the Treaty of Hudaibiyyah was immediately followed by the conquest of Khaibar, a Jewish stronghold and a source of great danger and anxiety for Muslims. Besides, the Islamic Republic at Medina came to be recognized as an independent sovereign state, and within the brief space of three or four years the whole of Arabia was at the feet of the Holy Prophet, followed by a chain of victories which culminated in the defeat and destruction of the great and powerful Byzantine and Iranian Empires.

Commentary:

The Holy Prophet had seen a vision that he was performing the circuit of the Ka‘bah with his Companions (Bukhari). The Prophet set out for Mecca with about 1500 of his Companions to perform the Lesser Pilgrimage. It is to this "vision"that the verse under comment refers. The Prophet was not allowed access to the Ka‘bah by the Quraish. On the contrary, he had to sign a treaty of which the terms as mentioned above seemed to be very humiliating and hurtful to the Muslims’ self-respect. They were highly upset, the illustrious ‘Umar, more than anyone else, not only at the terms, but also at the fact that the vision as he understood it had not been fulfilled, could not understand how the Prophet’s journey had served its purpose. He was not quite satisfied with the explanation that the vision did not signify the Pilgrimage would be performed that very year. He was in this frame of mind when, on the way back to Medina, this Surah was revealed and the Prophet called for him and recited it to him. The Surah was clear and emphatic that the Prophet’s vision was true and that the Muslims would most certainly enter the Ka‘bah and perform the ceremonies of the Lesser Pilgrimage. The Prophet’s journey, besides serving other useful purposes to which reference is already made, established an important precedent that sometimes even great Prophets of God are liable to place seemingly erroneous interpretations on their visions.

Important Words:

بصر (eye) means, eye; the light whereby the organ of sight perceives the things; knowledge; discernment; intelligence (Lane & Aqrab).

حدید (sharp) is derived from حد which means, he turned away or averted a person from a thing. حد شیئا عن غیرہ means, he distinguished or separated by some mark a thing from another. حد السکین means, he sharpened the knife. حد بصرہ الیه means, he looked sharply or attentively at him. رجل حدید means, a man sharp of intellect or understanding (Lane).

Commentary:

The verse means that in the next world the veil will be lifted from the eyes of man and his vision and mental perception will become clearer and sharper. He will see the consequences of his actions in an embodied form which were hidden from his eyes in this world and will realize that which he used to regard merely as an illusion, was a hard and stark reality.