Topic: Never Return
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كَيْفَ تَكْفُرُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَكُنتُمْ أَمْوَٰتًا فَأَحْيَٰكُمْ ۖ ثُمَّ يُمِيتُكُمْ ثُمَّ يُحْيِيكُمْ ثُمَّ إِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ
19:34; 22:67; 30:41; 40:12; 45:27.
本节经文表明了这一至高无上的真理, 即人的生命并不以肉体的消亡和灭绝而结束, 因为生命中孕育着重大的意义, 不会由于肉体的腐朽和死亡而结束。如果生命没有巨大的意义, 安拉不会创造它, 而在创造出生命之后, 要不是有后世的话, 也不会使它遭受死亡。假如死亡是全部生命的结束, 那么, 人类的产生将是 “一个纯粹的游戏和消遣”, 这大大反映出安拉的智慧。安拉--------所有聪明和智慧的泉源, 做了这所有的一切。这个事实表明, 他创造人类并不是为了只是六、七十岁过一生之后重新变成尘土。正相反, 安拉创造人是为了使人摆脱肉体累赘之后肯定会有一个更美好、更丰满而永恒的人生。
人死亡之后, 灵魂并不马上进入天园或火狱。有一个称之为 بَرْزَخْ (Barzakh) 的中间状态, 在这状态中, 灵魂不得不品尝他行为的善恶报酬; 尔后将产生复活, 这个复活预示一个充分而完全的报应将要来临。
19:34; 22:67; 30:41; 40:12; 45:27.
Amwat is the plural of Mayyit which means, a thing dead, or without life. Thus the word is used both for a thing which so far has had no life and also for a thing which had life but is now dead and defunct. The word is also used about one who is dying or is nearing death but has not yet died (Lane).
Hayat signifies, (1) the faculty of growth; (2) of sensation; (3) of intellect; (4) freedom from grief or sorrow; (5) everlasting life in the world to come; (6) advantage or profit or a means thereof; (7) state of activity and power (Lane).
The verse points to the supreme truth that man’s life does not end with the extinction and dissolution of his physical body, as it is pregnant with too big an import to end with the latter’s decay and death. If life had no great purpose God would not have created it and, after having created it, would not have made it subject to death unless there had been an afterlife. If death were the end of all life, then the creation of man would have been "a mere sport and pastime" and this would have constituted a great reflection on the wisdom of God. The fact that God, the Source of all wisdom and intelligence, has done all this shows that He has not created man to return to dust after a life of merely 60 or 70 years. On the contrary, He has created him for a better, fuller and everlasting life which he must live after he has shed the encumbrances of his physical tabernacle.
After death the human soul does not go at once to Heaven or Hell. There is an intermediate state called Barzakh in which it is made to taste some of the good or bad results of its deeds; and Resurrection, which will herald a full and complete requital, will take place later.
19:34; 22:67; 30:41; 40:12; 45:27.
Important Words:
اموات (without life) is the plural of میت which means: (1) a thing dead, or (2) a thing without life. Thus the word میت is used both for a thing which so far has had no life and for a thing which had had life but is now dead. The word میت is also used about one who is dying or is nearing death but has not yet died (Lane). See also 2:20.
احیا (he gave life) is derived from حیی which means, he lived or he had life. The transitive form احیا means, he gave life, he brought to life, he saved the life of (Aqrab & Lane).
حیاة (life) which is the opposite of موت (death) signifies: (1) the faculty of growth, as in an animal or a plant; (2) the faculty of sensation; (3) the faculty of intellect; (4) freedom from grief or sorrow; (5) everlasting life in the world to come; (6) advantage or profit or a means thereof; (7) state of activity and power (Lane).
تکفرون (you disbelieve) is derived from کفر (he disbelieved) already explained under 2:7. The infinitive form is کفر(disbelief). کفربالله (disbelief in Allah) means not only disbelieving in the existence of God but also denying His attributes and refusing to obey His commandments.
Commentary:
This verse reverts to the original subject of revelation. The question of the reward of believers and the punishment of disbelievers was only incidental. The real subject is that of revelation. In this verse the Quran explains why spiritual life would be impossible without revelation. Nobody can know anything about the next life without the help and guidance of God Who alone knows everything. The verse points out that when God provides for our physical needs, there is no reason why He should not provide for our spiritual needs, which are much more important.
God is Wise. If human life had no purpose, God would not have created it; having created it, He would not have made it subject to death, unless there had been an afterlife. If death were the end of all life, the creation of man would turn out to be mere sport. The fact that God does all this shows that He has created man not to return to dust after a life of 60 or 70 years but for a better, fuller and everlasting life, which he must live after death.
The word "then" in the clause, then to Him shall you be made to return, hints that after death the human soul does not at once go to Heaven or Hell. There is an interim period in which the soul is made to taste some of the good or bad results of its deeds. The resurrection which will herald a full and complete requital will take place later.
The mentioning of life twice (in the words احیا and یحیی) may also refer to the rise of Islam in this world, for Islam is the means of spiritual life. Islam had its first life in the time of the Holy Prophet; the second life was to come in the Latter Days. This is referred to in 62: 4, where it is said that the Holy Prophet of Islam will make, as it were, a second appearance in the world. The promise has been fulfilled in the person of the Holy Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement.
e
19:34; 22:67; 30:41; 40:12; 45:27.
30
本节经文表明了这一至高无上的真理, 即人的生命并不以肉体的消亡和灭绝而结束, 因为生命中孕育着重大的意义, 不会由于肉体的腐朽和死亡而结束。如果生命没有巨大的意义, 安拉不会创造它, 而在创造出生命之后, 要不是有后世的话, 也不会使它遭受死亡。假如死亡是全部生命的结束, 那么, 人类的产生将是 “一个纯粹的游戏和消遣”, 这大大反映出安拉的智慧。安拉--------所有聪明和智慧的泉源, 做了这所有的一切。这个事实表明, 他创造人类并不是为了只是六、七十岁过一生之后重新变成尘土。正相反, 安拉创造人是为了使人摆脱肉体累赘之后肯定会有一个更美好、更丰满而永恒的人生。
31
人死亡之后, 灵魂并不马上进入天园或火狱。有一个称之为 بَرْزَخْ (Barzakh) 的中间状态, 在这状态中, 灵魂不得不品尝他行为的善恶报酬; 尔后将产生复活, 这个复活预示一个充分而完全的报应将要来临。
a
19:34; 22:67; 30:41; 40:12; 45:27.
35
Important Words:
اموات (without life) is the plural of میت which means: (1) a thing dead, or (2) a thing without life. Thus the word میت is used both for a thing which so far has had no life and for a thing which had had life but is now dead. The word میت is also used about one who is dying or is nearing death but has not yet died (Lane). See also 2:20.
احیا (he gave life) is derived from حیی which means, he lived or he had life. The transitive form احیا means, he gave life, he brought to life, he saved the life of (Aqrab & Lane).
حیاة (life) which is the opposite of موت (death) signifies: (1) the faculty of growth, as in an animal or a plant; (2) the faculty of sensation; (3) the faculty of intellect; (4) freedom from grief or sorrow; (5) everlasting life in the world to come; (6) advantage or profit or a means thereof; (7) state of activity and power (Lane).
تکفرون (you disbelieve) is derived from کفر (he disbelieved) already explained under 2:7. The infinitive form is کفر(disbelief). کفربالله (disbelief in Allah) means not only disbelieving in the existence of God but also denying His attributes and refusing to obey His commandments.
Commentary:
This verse reverts to the original subject of revelation. The question of the reward of believers and the punishment of disbelievers was only incidental. The real subject is that of revelation. In this verse the Quran explains why spiritual life would be impossible without revelation. Nobody can know anything about the next life without the help and guidance of God Who alone knows everything. The verse points out that when God provides for our physical needs, there is no reason why He should not provide for our spiritual needs, which are much more important.
God is Wise. If human life had no purpose, God would not have created it; having created it, He would not have made it subject to death, unless there had been an afterlife. If death were the end of all life, the creation of man would turn out to be mere sport. The fact that God does all this shows that He has created man not to return to dust after a life of 60 or 70 years but for a better, fuller and everlasting life, which he must live after death.
The word "then" in the clause, then to Him shall you be made to return, hints that after death the human soul does not at once go to Heaven or Hell. There is an interim period in which the soul is made to taste some of the good or bad results of its deeds. The resurrection which will herald a full and complete requital will take place later.
The mentioning of life twice (in the words احیا and یحیی) may also refer to the rise of Islam in this world, for Islam is the means of spiritual life. Islam had its first life in the time of the Holy Prophet; the second life was to come in the Latter Days. This is referred to in 62: 4, where it is said that the Holy Prophet of Islam will make, as it were, a second appearance in the world. The promise has been fulfilled in the person of the Holy Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement.
a
19:34; 22:67; 30:41; 40:12; 45:27.
50
Amwat is the plural of Mayyit which means, a thing dead, or without life. Thus the word is used both for a thing which so far has had no life and also for a thing which had life but is now dead and defunct. The word is also used about one who is dying or is nearing death but has not yet died (Lane).
51
Hayat signifies, (1) the faculty of growth; (2) of sensation; (3) of intellect; (4) freedom from grief or sorrow; (5) everlasting life in the world to come; (6) advantage or profit or a means thereof; (7) state of activity and power (Lane).
52
The verse points to the supreme truth that man’s life does not end with the extinction and dissolution of his physical body, as it is pregnant with too big an import to end with the latter’s decay and death. If life had no great purpose God would not have created it and, after having created it, would not have made it subject to death unless there had been an afterlife. If death were the end of all life, then the creation of man would have been "a mere sport and pastime" and this would have constituted a great reflection on the wisdom of God. The fact that God, the Source of all wisdom and intelligence, has done all this shows that He has not created man to return to dust after a life of merely 60 or 70 years. On the contrary, He has created him for a better, fuller and everlasting life which he must live after he has shed the encumbrances of his physical tabernacle.
53
After death the human soul does not go at once to Heaven or Hell. There is an intermediate state called Barzakh in which it is made to taste some of the good or bad results of its deeds; and Resurrection, which will herald a full and complete requital, will take place later.
وَحَرَٰمٌ عَلَىٰ قَرْيَةٍ أَهْلَكْنَٰهَآ أَنَّهُمْ لَا يَرْجِعُونَ
23:100, 101; 36:32.
23:100-101; 36:32.
Important Words:
حرام (inviolable law) is inf. noun fromحرم . They say حرم علیه i.e. it was or became forbidden or unlawful to him. It (a place or a right or a function) or he was or became sacred or inviolable or entitled to respect or honour. حرام means, forbidden or prohibited or unlawful; sacred or inviolable (Lane & Aqrab). See also 2:145.
Commentary:
The verse means to say that it is an inviolable divine law that the dead are never sent back to this world. Those who pass away from this world pass away forever (23:100, 101; 39:43). This meaning of the verse is supported by a well-known saying of the Holy Prophet according to which a companion of his named ‘Abdullah was slain in a battle. The Prophet told ‘Abdullah’s son, Jabir, that he had seen in a dream that God was so pleased with his father that He had asked ‘Abdullah what thing he would love to have so that the same might be given to him, and ‘Abdullah replied that he wished to be sent back to the world so that he might fight and be slain again in the cause of truth, to which God the Almighty said: "This cannot be because the word has gone forth from Me that the dead shall not return to the world" (Majah & Nasa’i).
e
23:100, 101; 36:32.
c
23:100-101; 36:32.
2422
Important Words:
حرام (inviolable law) is inf. noun fromحرم . They say حرم علیه i.e. it was or became forbidden or unlawful to him. It (a place or a right or a function) or he was or became sacred or inviolable or entitled to respect or honour. حرام means, forbidden or prohibited or unlawful; sacred or inviolable (Lane & Aqrab). See also 2:145.
Commentary:
The verse means to say that it is an inviolable divine law that the dead are never sent back to this world. Those who pass away from this world pass away forever (23:100, 101; 39:43). This meaning of the verse is supported by a well-known saying of the Holy Prophet according to which a companion of his named ‘Abdullah was slain in a battle. The Prophet told ‘Abdullah’s son, Jabir, that he had seen in a dream that God was so pleased with his father that He had asked ‘Abdullah what thing he would love to have so that the same might be given to him, and ‘Abdullah replied that he wished to be sent back to the world so that he might fight and be slain again in the cause of truth, to which God the Almighty said: "This cannot be because the word has gone forth from Me that the dead shall not return to the world" (Majah & Nasa’i).
b
23:100, 101; 36:32.
1917
It is an inviolable Divine law that the dead are never sent back to this world. Those, who pass away from this world, pass away for ever (23:100, 101).
حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءَ أَحَدَهُمُ ٱلْمَوْتُ قَالَ رَبِّ ٱرْجِعُونِ
39:59.
یہاں حَتّٰی کا لفظ ہے اور حَتّٰی کو لغت والے حرف ابتدا بھی کہتے ہیں۔ (دیکھیئے بحر محیط جلد۶ ص۴۲۰) جس کے مطابق ہم نے معنے کیے ہیں۔
39:59.
39:59.
Commentary:
The plural form ارجعون affords an instance of the marvellous beauty of the Quranic style. The disbeliever addressing God uses the plural form of the verb to express the Majesty and Greatness of God and out of respect for Him.
The plural form ارجعون may also represent the repetition of the singular form ارجعنی (irji‘ni i.e. send me back). The disbeliever in his perplexity and confusion continues to repeat his request again and again for being sent back to this world and these repeated requests have been expressed by the use of the plural form. Thus the plural form ارجعون expresses, on the one hand, the disbeliever’s confusion of mind, on the other, it expresses his respect for God.
b
39:59.
3
یہاں حَتّٰی کا لفظ ہے اور حَتّٰی کو لغت والے حرف ابتدا بھی کہتے ہیں۔ (دیکھیئے بحر محیط جلد۶ ص۴۲۰) جس کے مطابق ہم نے معنے کیے ہیں۔
a
39:59.
2578
Commentary:
The plural form ارجعون affords an instance of the marvellous beauty of the Quranic style. The disbeliever addressing God uses the plural form of the verb to express the Majesty and Greatness of God and out of respect for Him.
The plural form ارجعون may also represent the repetition of the singular form ارجعنی (irji‘ni i.e. send me back). The disbeliever in his perplexity and confusion continues to repeat his request again and again for being sent back to this world and these repeated requests have been expressed by the use of the plural form. Thus the plural form ارجعون expresses, on the one hand, the disbeliever’s confusion of mind, on the other, it expresses his respect for God.
a
39:59.
لَعَلِّىٓ أَعْمَلُ صَٰلِحًا فِيمَا تَرَكْتُ ۚ كَلَّآ ۚ إِنَّهَا كَلِمَةٌ هُوَ قَآئِلُهَا ۖ وَمِن وَرَآئِهِم بَرْزَخٌ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ
21:96; 36:32.
یہ مرادنہیں کہ مبعوث ہونے کے دن اسی دنیا میں واپس ہو جائیں گے بلکہ یہ مراد ہے کہ اس دن تو اگلے جہان کا آخری مرحلہ شروع ہو جائے گا۔ واپس آنے کا سوال نہیں ہوگا اور اس دن تک اللہ تعالیٰ نے ان کی روحوں کے اس دنیا میں واپس آنے کے راستہ میں روک پیدا کر رکھی ہے۔ یعنی مردے زندہ ہو کر اس دنیا میں آہی نہیں سکتے۔ اب وہ لوگ سوچیں جو ولیوں اور نبیوں کو مردوں کا زندہ کرنے والا قرار دیتے ہیں۔
21:96; 36:32.
Barzakh means, a barrier; or a thing that intervenes between any two things. The word is technically applied to the period or state from the day of death to the day of Resurrection (Lane). It is an intermediate state of incomplete realization of the punishments and rewards of Hell and Heaven. The Qur’an has compared it to the embryonic state and the Resurrection to the birth of the fully developed soul.
21:96; 36:32.
Important Words:
برزخ means, a barrier; a bar; a thing that intervenes between any two things; an obstruction or a thing that separates two things; the interval from the time of death to the Day of Resurrection. The word is technically applied to the period or state from the day of death to the Day of Resurrection (Lane & Aqrab).
Commentary:
The word لعل (that) conveys the idea of doubt. As used here the word shows that the disbeliever will have been so deeply impressed by God’s Greatness and Majesty and his own insignificance that he dare not declare with certainty that he will make amends for what he had left undone in life on earth. He only expresses a hope that he will do righteous deeds if he were sent back to this world.
The word کلمة has been used in the verse, as at several other places in the Quran in the sense of a full sentence. The Holy Prophet also used the word in the sense of a complete sentence in a well-known hadith:
أصدق کلمة قالھا لبید، الا کل شیء ما خلا اللّٰه باطل
i.e. the truest sentence is the one which the poet Labid uttered and which is to the effect, "Everything besides God is subject to destruction." See also 4:172.
The verse incidentally disproves a commonly held belief that a man passes into Heaven or Hell immediately after his death. In fact after death he lives in برزخ which is an intermediate state of incomplete realization of the punishments or rewards of Hell or Heaven respectively or a state of preparation for their complete and full realization. The Quran has compared barzakh to the embryonic state and the resurrection to the birth of the fully developed soul.
c
21:96; 36:32.
1
یہ مرادنہیں کہ مبعوث ہونے کے دن اسی دنیا میں واپس ہو جائیں گے بلکہ یہ مراد ہے کہ اس دن تو اگلے جہان کا آخری مرحلہ شروع ہو جائے گا۔ واپس آنے کا سوال نہیں ہوگا اور اس دن تک اللہ تعالیٰ نے ان کی روحوں کے اس دنیا میں واپس آنے کے راستہ میں روک پیدا کر رکھی ہے۔ یعنی مردے زندہ ہو کر اس دنیا میں آہی نہیں سکتے۔ اب وہ لوگ سوچیں جو ولیوں اور نبیوں کو مردوں کا زندہ کرنے والا قرار دیتے ہیں۔
b
21:96; 36:32.
2579
Important Words:
برزخ means, a barrier; a bar; a thing that intervenes between any two things; an obstruction or a thing that separates two things; the interval from the time of death to the Day of Resurrection. The word is technically applied to the period or state from the day of death to the Day of Resurrection (Lane & Aqrab).
Commentary:
The word لعل (that) conveys the idea of doubt. As used here the word shows that the disbeliever will have been so deeply impressed by God’s Greatness and Majesty and his own insignificance that he dare not declare with certainty that he will make amends for what he had left undone in life on earth. He only expresses a hope that he will do righteous deeds if he were sent back to this world.
The word کلمة has been used in the verse, as at several other places in the Quran in the sense of a full sentence. The Holy Prophet also used the word in the sense of a complete sentence in a well-known hadith:
أصدق کلمة قالھا لبید، الا کل شیء ما خلا اللّٰه باطل
i.e. the truest sentence is the one which the poet Labid uttered and which is to the effect, "Everything besides God is subject to destruction." See also 4:172.
The verse incidentally disproves a commonly held belief that a man passes into Heaven or Hell immediately after his death. In fact after death he lives in برزخ which is an intermediate state of incomplete realization of the punishments or rewards of Hell or Heaven respectively or a state of preparation for their complete and full realization. The Quran has compared barzakh to the embryonic state and the resurrection to the birth of the fully developed soul.
b
21:96; 36:32.
2017
Barzakh means, a barrier; or a thing that intervenes between any two things. The word is technically applied to the period or state from the day of death to the day of Resurrection (Lane). It is an intermediate state of incomplete realization of the punishments and rewards of Hell and Heaven. The Qur’an has compared it to the embryonic state and the Resurrection to the birth of the fully developed soul.
أَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ كَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا قَبْلَهُم مِّنَ ٱلْقُرُونِ أَنَّهُمْ إِلَيْهِمْ لَا يَرْجِعُونَ
17:18; 19:99; 20:129; 50:37.
21:96; 23:100.
Commentary:
The expression انھم الیھم لایرجعون may mean; (a) those who are destroyed do not come back to those who mock the Prophets; (b) the past generations were destroyed because they did not turn to their Prophets, i.e. did not listen to them.
c
17:18; 19:99; 20:129; 50:37.
d
21:96; 23:100, 101.
b
17:18; 19:99; 20:129; 50:37.
c
21:96; 23:100.
3233
Commentary:
The expression انھم الیھم لایرجعون may mean; (a) those who are destroyed do not come back to those who mock the Prophets; (b) the past generations were destroyed because they did not turn to their Prophets, i.e. did not listen to them.
c
17:18; 19:99; 20:129; 50:37.
d
21:96; 23:100, 101.
2443
The reference seems to be to Divine punishment which will be universal in character.
أَوْ تَقُولَ حِينَ تَرَى ٱلْعَذَابَ لَوْ أَنَّ لِى كَرَّةً فَأَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ
6:28; 23:100; 26:103; 35:38.
Commentary:
The present and the previous two verses describe the state of a disbeliever when by his persistent evil deeds he incurs Divine displeasure, and punishment stares him in the face.
b
6:28; 23:100; 26:103; 35:38.
3478
Commentary:
The present and the previous two verses describe the state of a disbeliever when by his persistent evil deeds he incurs Divine displeasure, and punishment stares him in the face.
بَلَىٰ قَدْ جَآءَتْكَ ءَايَٰتِى فَكَذَّبْتَ بِهَا وَٱسْتَكْبَرْتَ وَكُنتَ مِنَ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ
安拉给予沉陷于罪恶中的人们许多悔过自新的机会。只有在他们蓄意并反复拒绝真理时, 只有在他们所犯的罪恶超出了应有的范围时, 清算日确确实实来到他们面前时, 他们才感到后悔莫及, 空自叹息。
Many chances are given to the man who is steeped in sin to repent and reform himself. It is when his rejection of Truth is deliberate and repeated, and when he exceeds all legitimate bounds in committing sin and transgression and when the day of reckoning is actually upon him that his sighs and regrets prove of no avail to him.
Commentary:
The verse means to say that many chances are given to the man who is steeped in sin to repent and reform himself. It is when his rejection of truth is deliberate and repeated, and he exceeds all legitimate bounds in committing sin and transgression and when the day of reckoning actually arrives, that his sighs and regrets prove of no avail to him.
1145
安拉给予沉陷于罪恶中的人们许多悔过自新的机会。只有在他们蓄意并反复拒绝真理时, 只有在他们所犯的罪恶超出了应有的范围时, 清算日确确实实来到他们面前时, 他们才感到后悔莫及, 空自叹息。
3479
Commentary:
The verse means to say that many chances are given to the man who is steeped in sin to repent and reform himself. It is when his rejection of truth is deliberate and repeated, and he exceeds all legitimate bounds in committing sin and transgression and when the day of reckoning actually arrives, that his sighs and regrets prove of no avail to him.
2586
Many chances are given to the man who is steeped in sin to repent and reform himself. It is when his rejection of Truth is deliberate and repeated, and when he exceeds all legitimate bounds in committing sin and transgression and when the day of reckoning is actually upon him that his sighs and regrets prove of no avail to him.