مَآءٍ

3:152; 7:34; 22:72; 53:24.

10:21,103; 11:123.

Commentary:

This verse shows that one may follow one’s forefathers only if one has the support of reason and not otherwise. Blind and unthinking following is condemned.

18:46.

3:118.

11:69.

Important Words:

حصیدا (a field that is mown down) is derived from حصد meaning, he reaped or cut with the scythe seed-produce or plants or herbage. They say حصدھم بالسیف i.e. he mowed them down with the sword; he slew them; he exerted his utmost power or exceeded ordinary bounds in slaying them; he exterminated them with the sword. The Arab proverb من زرع الشر حصد الندامةmeans, he who sows evil reaps regret. حصید means, reaped seed-produce; grain that is reaped; seed-produce torn up and carried away by the wind; slain or mown down with the sword, like seed-produce when reaped. حصاد means, time or season of reaping; what remains on the ground after the crop has been reaped; what falls off and becomes scattered of the seed-produce (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

The life of this world has been likened here to rainwater. The verse purports to say that when rain descends from heaven, it causes various kinds of vegetation to grow. Some of them are useful for man and others for animals. But man, instead of ascribing this to the favour of God, looks upon it as the fruit of his own industry and skill. When, however, in consequence of his pride and vanity, a sudden visitation from God destroys all the produce of the earth, he cannot prevent or delay its destruction, let alone possess the power to produce it which he so vaingloriously claimed to have. The moral of the parable is that when nations become proud and vain, i.e. when they take life lightly, their decline sets in and they come to grief.

Water in this verse may also be taken to stand for the word of God. In this sense, the verse would mean that the word of God brings about mighty changes in the life of those who accept and follow it and various new sciences come into existence as a result of its study and new discoveries are made in the material as well as in the spiritual world. The revelation of the Quran gave birth not only to highly spiritual and righteous men but also to eminent philosophers and scientists. But when Muslims became vain and refused to acknowledge their debt to the word of God and began to look upon themselves as the real originators and creators of all these sciences, they fell from the high pedestal of material and spiritual glory to the depths of degradation and degeneration.

6:100; 16:12.

16:14; 39:22.

Important Words:

متجاورات (adjoining one another) is derived from تجاور which is derived from جاور which again is derived from جار which means, he or it declined or deviated. جاورہ means, he became his neighbour or he lived near him; he confined himself in a mosque, etc., occupying himself in prayer and religious meditation. تجاوروا means, they became mutual neighbours or they lived near together (Lane).

صنوان (growing together from one root) is the plural of صنو. They say اصنی النخل i.e. the palm-trees had pairs or triplets or more growing together from single roots. صنو means, one of a pair or of three or of more palm-trees or of any trees growing from one root; each being called the صنو of the other. The word also means, a brother by the same father or the same mother. The Holy Prophet is reported to have said, عم الرجل صنو ابیه i.e. the paternal uncle of the man is the صنو of his father (Takmilah fis-Sihah) meaning that the stock of both is one. The Quranic words صنوان و غیر صنوان mean, palm-trees having one root and others having separate roots (Lane).

الاکل (fruit) is derived from اکل (akala). They say اکله i.e. he ate it. اکل (akl) which is the noun-infinitive means, the act of eating. اکل (ukul) means, what is eaten; any eatable; food; fruit; means of subsistence or ample means of subsistence; worldly good fortune; intelligence; judgement; firmness of intellect (Lane).

Commentary:

Disbelievers are told here that they should not think that, because the Holy Prophet is one of them and belongs to the same stock as they, he enjoyed no superiority over them. Do they not see, the verse says, that adjoining tracts of the same land possess different capacities and properties and produce different kinds of produce? A certain tract of land, for instance, grows one thing while the piece adjacent to it cannot grow it. Similarly, trees of one stock or one species growing in the same garden, not unoften, grow fruits of different quality. Why cannot the same thing happen among human beings?

The expression, they are watered with the same water, signifies that when trees watered with the same water bear fruits vastly different in taste and colour, why cannot the Holy Prophet, even though he lives in the same town and among the same people, excel them, especially when he is nourished in the elixir of Divine revelation and his opponents are brought up under the inspiration of Satan? The words also point to the fact that the same means employed by persons of different capabilities often produce different results. A sword in the hands of a person who does not know its use will be quite a different weapon in the hands of a seasoned and skilful warrior. So the superiority of the Holy Prophet over his opponents lies not only in his superior capacities but also in the way he makes use of the means at his disposal. AbuBakr and ‘Umar were ordinary citizens of Mecca who would have ended their days in oblivion but the magic touch of the Holy Prophet lifted them to the highest pinnacles of usefulness and glory.

10:25; 57:21.

Important Words:

ھشیما (dry grass broken into pieces) is derived from ھشم. They say ھشم الشیء i.e. he broke the thing. ھشمه (hashshama-hu) means, he broke it much or crushed it, namely a dry thing or anything hollow. ھشیما means, a plant that is dry and breaks or is broken into pieces (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

The subject of the worldly life has been further elaborated by another parable in this verse. It purports to say that in the beginning worldly life looks very beautiful and attractive but its end is most wretched and miserable. On the other hand, spiritual life appears very hard and unpleasant at first but it ends most auspiciously and pleasantly. In the heyday of their power nations are very gay and happy and it appears that their glory will endure forever but once their decay and decline set in they are scattered by the winds of adversity like dry broken grass and are so completely forgotten as if they had never lived on this earth.

2:257; 10:100.

25:38; 42:46.

Important Words:

سرادقھا (whose tent). سرادق is derived from سردق. They say سردق البیت i.e. he covered the house with an awning over its interior court. سرادق means, an awning extended over the interior court of a house; a tent of cotton or hair-cloth; a tent; smoke rising high and surrounding a thing; dust rising or spreading itself. They say سرادق المجد علیک ممدود i.e. the canopy of glory is extended over thee (Lane & Aqrab).

مرتفقا (resting place) is derived from رفق i.e. he was or became gentle or he acted or behaved gently ارتفق means, he bought or demanded aid or help or he profited by him or it (a thing) or he made use of it; he leaned upon his elbow; and, it was or became full. مرتفقا means, a place or thing upon which one leans, hence a place of rest (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

The words, It is the truth from your Lord, signify that the prophecy, implied in the foregoing verses, that the great material might and glory of Western Christian nations will be reduced to dust and that Islam will emerge triumphant and full of new life shall most surely come to pass.

The words, let him who will, believe, and let him who will, disbelieve, hint that the time of the Imam Mahdi will not be the time for waging jihad by the sword, but for the peaceful preaching of Islam.

The last part of the verse answers a natural question that arises from the first part, viz. if there was to be no jihad by the sword how was Islam to come into its own? To this question the last part of the verse returns the answer that God Himself will see to it that the seemingly irresistible might of western Christian nations is completely broken. Divine punish-ment will overtake these nations in the form of wars which will not end until their power is completely shattered and is reduced to ashes and dust. Molten lead and iron will scorch their faces. They will cry for peace and will get bombs and gun-shots instead. Their beautiful residences will become unfit for human habitation and life will become a veritable hell for them. All their efforts to bring about peace in the world, being insincere and dishonest, will come to nothing.

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

15:18.

Commentary:

In vv. 10 and 11 above it is stated that the making of the earth took two days and the placing on it of the mountains, rivers, etc., and of vegetable and animal life, another two days. In the present verse, however, it is mentioned that like the earth the solar system with its planets and satellites also took two days to become complete. Thus the whole universe came into existence in six days or periods which is quite in harmony with vv. 7:55 and 50:39. Taking the word یوم in the sense of "stage," the three vv.10, 11 and 13 taken together would mean that the whole physical universe was completed in six stages. After the creation of the universe, man was created, whose creation also was completed in six stages. See also 23:13-15.

Important Words:

منھمر (pouring down) is derived from ھمر. They say ھمر الماء i.e. he poured out the water. ھمر العین بالدمع means, the eyes flowed with tears. انھمر الماء means, the water poured out and flowed (Aqrab).

88:13.

Commentary:

All life, whether physical or spiritual depends on water,—the former, on rainwater and the latter on the water of Divine revelation.