يُبَيِّنَ

4:177.

13:28; 74:32.

Commentary:

The verse does not mean that a Divine Messenger should receive his revelation only in the language of his people. What it means is that the major and fundamental part of his revelation must be in the tongue of his people, otherwise the conveying of his Message to those who are its first recipients would become difficult. Occasionally, however, a Prophet may receive a revelation in a foreign tongue. In fact, such exceptional revelation would serve as a divine sign or miracle.

It is wrong to infer from this verse, as the Rev. Mr. Wherry and other Christian writers have done, that the Message of the Holy Prophet was confined to the Arabs. Such an assumption is forcefully belied by other verses of the Quran in which the Prophet is clearly and unequivocally declared to be a Prophet sent for the whole world (7:159; 34:29). Not only does the Quran claim a universal mission for the Holy Prophet, but the Prophet himself also claimed to be a Messenger for all mankind. For instance, he is reported to have said, بعثت الی الاسود و الاحمر i.e. I have been sent to the black and the red, meaning the whole of mankind (Bihar). Similarly, he said, بعثت الی الناس عامة i.e. I have been raised for all mankind (Bukhari). According to yet another hadith he is reported to have said, ارسلت الی الخلق کافة i.e. I have been sent to the whole creation (Mishkat).

Incidentally, this verse proves that Arabic is the mother of all tongues, because the fact that the Holy Prophet was sent to the whole of mankind shows that the language which the Wise God made the vehicle of His Message, must, in one way or another, be the mother of all languages. This was actually proved to be the truth by Ahmad, the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam (see "Minan-ur-Rahman").

The fact that the words, Then Allah lets go astray whom He wills, have been placed after the words, that he might make things clear to them, shows that it is only after the truth is brought home to men that they become deserving of punishment for rejecting it. Thus, although all non-Muslims are technically called disbelievers or Kafirs, yet all of them will not go to Hell; for, as the verse shows, only those disbelievers become deserving of punishment who reject the truth after it has been made clear to them. Mere technical disbelief does not render one liable to punishment.

Commentary:

This verse gives the reason why there should be a life after death and a Day of Resurrection. In that life the veil would be lifted from all things and their reality would become manifest. If human life were limited to this world, then the truth of the Prophets and their teachings would ever remain a matter of controversy and the deniers of the Prophets would also forever remain deprived of guidance which is inconsistent with God’s Dignity and Mercy because He has created man to attain His nearness. A life after death is therefore necessary that man may realize the truth in that life which he could not realize in this life.

Elsewhere in the Quran (verse 65 below) the same purpose of creating an infallible faith in the existence of God has been declared to be the object of the advent of Prophets and Divine Books. The fact is that in the present life such matters as pertain to belief can be explained by reason and argument only to those who honestly seek after truth. They cannot be so demonstrated and established as to be beyond doubt. This is possible only in the life after death. But when in the afterlife truth will become quite manifest there will be no merit in accepting it; such acceptance may only be helpful in exciting God’s Mercy.

The clause, "that they were liars", confirms the above interpretation. Realization of the truth on the Day of Resurrection will be so complete that disbelievers will have to admit that they were foolish to deny Resurrection. Indeed, it would be a full and complete realization.

16:95.

Important Words:

انکاثا (pieces) is the plural of نکث (nikthun) which is derived from نکث (nakatha). They say نکث الحبل i.e. he untwisted the end of a rope. نکث العھد means, he broke the covenant. نکث السواک means, he made the head of the tooth-stick to be disintegrated, dis-united, or separated, in its fibres (Lane & Aqrab).

دخلا (means of deceit) is derived from دخل which means, he or it entered or went or got in. دخل (dakhalun) means, a thing that enters into another thing and is not of it; people or persons who assert their relationship to those of whom they are not; badness, corruptness or unsoundness; or a bad, a corrupt or an unsound state or quality. They say فی عقله دخلi.e. in his intellect is an unsoundness; rottenness; leanness or emaciation; perfidiousness, faithlessness or treachery; deceit, guile or circumvention. The Quranic expression ولا تتخذوا ایمانکم دخلا بینکم means, And make ye not your oaths to be a means of deceit or guile or circumvention between you. (Lane & Aqrab).

اربی (more powerful) is derived from ربا which means, it (the thing) increased or augmented; it increased by usury; ربت الارض means, the ground became large and swelled. اربیت means, I took more than I gave. اربی علی الخمیس ونحوھا means, he exceeded the age of fifty and the like. رباmeans, an excess and an addition. اربی means, more numerous, and more abundant in wealth (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

This verse may be taken as a continuation of the subject matter of the previous verse or it may be understood to deal with a new subject. If it be taken as a continuation of the subject of the previous verse, it contains a warning to believers not to break covenants they have made with one another, for if solemn pledges are broken mutual trust disappears and the unity of the community becomes disintegrated. In fact, the strict observance of covenants and fulfilment of promises are really indispensable for the maintenance of communal concord and unity; for communal concord depends on mutual cooperation and the doing of good to one another. But these things are possible only when men abide by their promises and pledges. If promises solemnly made are not kept, general distrust prevails and the result is total disintegration of the unity of the community.

The verse may not only refer to the covenants which individuals make with one another, but may also comprise that solemn compact which Muslims make at the hands of their Imam or Khalifah, binding themselves to obey him and under his guidance to strive for the progress of the community and the Faith. The Faithful are warned in this verse that since God has organized them into a united and disciplined community under one Leader to whom they have sworn allegiance, they should remain true to him and refrain from creating discord. If they failed to live up to their high ideals, Islam would lose the prestige and power it has gained through their sacrifices. The verse also teaches the great truth, which Muslim statesmen and leaders may well bear in mind, that discord created by a few individuals breaks up a whole organization and all the labour expended on the organization of the community is wasted and fresh and renewed efforts have to be made to reorganize it. They should therefore be always on their guard against mischief-makers because if they allowed their organization to be broken up, they would be like that foolish woman who, "after having made it strong, breaks her yarn into pieces".

The verse seems also to refer to compacts which Muslims in future were destined to make with other nations. In that case, it would be taken as having started a new subject and the Muslims would be regarded as having been enjoined to remain faithful to their treaties, for it is on the strict observance of treaties that the peace of the world depends. The words, you make your oaths to be a means of deceit between you, refer not only to compacts which individuals make with one another but also to the treaties which nations make with one another. Both are inviolable and both must be strictly observed.

The words ان تکون امة ھی اربی من امة may be interpreted in three different ways: (1) because one people (non-Muslims) are stronger and wealthier than the other people (Muslims) i.e. to gain time by hoodwinking the stronger party; (2) lest one people (non-Muslims) should become stronger and wealthier than the other people (Muslims) i.e. to exploit the weaker party; and (3) that one people (Muslims) may become stronger and wealthier than the other people (non-Muslims) i.e. to weaken the stronger party. According to the first rendering, the verse would mean that Muslims should not use the treaties which they make with another nation in order to deceive them because they happen to be stronger in numbers and resources. That is to say, Muslims should not seek to put other people off their guard by concluding with them a treaty of peace, thus biding their time till a favourable opportunity arises and they are strong enough to dishonour their treaty.

According to the second rendering, the verse would mean that Muslims should not make treaties with a weaker nation with the evil intent of exploiting it and fraudulently taking possession of its country. According to the third rendering, however, the verse would mean that Muslims should not make treaties with other people with the object of weakening their strength or impeding their progress. These are the noble and sublime Islamic teachings with regard to the sacredness and inviolability of international treaties. To see one’s country great and powerful is a natural desire but under no circumstances is it permissible to Muslims to achieve it at the cost of treaties solemnly made or by fraudulent means. Treaties should be entered into with the noble object of maintaining international peace, and not for deceiving or harming other nations. The West may well learn a lesson from this noble teaching of the Quran.

The words, Surely, Allah tries you therewith, mean that such opportunities come as a trial, and God will see whether Muslims act upon the moral precepts of Islam or are led astray by the love of the world and imitate the example of other people. These teachings furnish remarkable evidence of the truth of the Quran and of the supremacy of Islam over other religions. The verse was revealed at Mecca, when Muslims did not possess even a single yard of land, but they were given teachings which were meant to guide the conduct of leaders of great nations and rulers of empires, and the instructions given were so noble and sublime that it was not possible to deny their superiority over other similar teachings. All the unrest and lack of trust so widespread among the nations of the world today is due to non-observance of these teachings.