Topic: Qur’an As, Reminder
View Aspects
ذَٰلِكَ نَتْلُوهُ عَلَيْكَ مِنَ ٱلْءَايَٰتِ وَٱلذِّكْرِ ٱلْحَكِيمِ
Commentary:
The story of Jesus, as narrated in the verse, is not a mere thing of the past. It is meant to shed new light on events that form the basis of the doctrines of a large section of humanity as well as to provide a lesson for the future.
347
Commentary:
The story of Jesus, as narrated in the verse, is not a mere thing of the past. It is meant to shed new light on events that form the basis of the doctrines of a large section of humanity as well as to provide a lesson for the future.
أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ هَدَى ٱللَّهُ ۖ فَبِهُدَىٰهُمُ ٱقْتَدِهْ ۗ قُل لَّآ أَسْـَٔلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ أَجْرًا ۖ إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرَىٰ لِلْعَٰلَمِينَ
The words may be taken to have been addressed either to the Holy Prophet or to every Muslim, because the fundamental teaching of all Prophets is the same. Or they may signify that the spiritual self or nature of the Holy Prophet was such that it was, as if, commanded to combine in itself all the excellent qualities that were to be found individually in all other Divine Prophets. The command expressed by the words "follow them" is in spiritual terminology called Amre Kauni or Khalqi signifying a wish or quality inherent in a thing or person. For instances of such a command see 3:60 and 21:70.
Commentary:
The words, so follow thou their guidance, may be taken to be addressed either to the Holy Prophet or to every Muslim. The fundamental teaching of all Prophets is the same.
833
Commentary:
The words, so follow thou their guidance, may be taken to be addressed either to the Holy Prophet or to every Muslim. The fundamental teaching of all Prophets is the same.
872
The words may be taken to have been addressed either to the Holy Prophet or to every Muslim, because the fundamental teaching of all Prophets is the same. Or they may signify that the spiritual self or nature of the Holy Prophet was such that it was, as if, commanded to combine in itself all the excellent qualities that were to be found individually in all other Divine Prophets. The command expressed by the words "follow them" is in spiritual terminology called Amre Kauni or Khalqi signifying a wish or quality inherent in a thing or person. For instances of such a command see 3:60 and 21:70.
وَكُلًّا نَّقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ مِنْ أَنۢبَآءِ ٱلرُّسُلِ مَا نُثَبِّتُ بِهِۦ فُؤَادَكَ ۚ وَجَآءَكَ فِى هَٰذِهِ ٱلْحَقُّ وَمَوْعِظَةٌ وَذِكْرَىٰ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
25:33.
25:33.
25:33.
Commentary:
This verse clearly proves that the accounts of the previous Prophets have not been narrated in the Quran merely as simple facts of history, but contain prophetic allusions to similar incidents that were to occur in the life of the Holy Prophet. If it had not been so, how could these accounts be said to bring satisfaction to his mind and "make his heart firm." It was only when these accounts were to be taken as future incidents of his own life, that they could bring satisfaction to the Holy Prophet. In these accounts he saw how his enemies were to behave towards him, how they were to be discomfited and how his cause was to triumph in the end. As he was the representative of all previous Prophets, therefore, more or less, he was to pass through all the experiences through which his predecessors in the prophetic office had passed.
a
25:33.
a
25:33.
1501
Commentary:
This verse clearly proves that the accounts of the previous Prophets have not been narrated in the Quran merely as simple facts of history, but contain prophetic allusions to similar incidents that were to occur in the life of the Holy Prophet. If it had not been so, how could these accounts be said to bring satisfaction to his mind and "make his heart firm." It was only when these accounts were to be taken as future incidents of his own life, that they could bring satisfaction to the Holy Prophet. In these accounts he saw how his enemies were to behave towards him, how they were to be discomfited and how his cause was to triumph in the end. As he was the representative of all previous Prophets, therefore, more or less, he was to pass through all the experiences through which his predecessors in the prophetic office had passed.
a
25:33.
وَقَالُوا۟ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِى نُزِّلَ عَلَيْهِ ٱلذِّكْرُ إِنَّكَ لَمَجْنُونٌ
37:37; 44:15; 68:52.
37:37; 44:15; 68:52.
Majnun does not mean 'one possessed by a devil or a jinn' or simply 'possessed', but 'a mad or insane person', or 'one whose intellectual faculties have become very much impaired' (Lane).
37:37; 44:15; 68:52.
Important Words:
الذکر (this Exhortation) is derived from ذکر (dhakara). They say ذکرہ i.e. he remembered it; he preserved it in his memory; he talked of it. ذکر (dhikr) means, remembrance; the presence of a thing in the mind; memory; the mention or relating of a thing; the praise and glorification of God; praise or eulogy of another; dispraise or evil speech; a thing that is current upon the tongue; fame, renown or reputation, as they say له ذکر فی الناس i.e. he has fame among the people; eminence, nobility or honour; a book containing an exposition of religion and an institution of religious laws; any Book of a Prophet and especially the Quran, also the Torah; an exhortation, an admonition or a warning (Lane & Aqrab). See also 2:41, 153, 201 & 6:69.
Commentary:
الذکر i.e. Exhortation or Eminence being one of the names of the Quran (21:51), the verse shows that this name was well-known to disbelievers. The calling of the Quran by the name الذکر also implied a prophecy that it was to prove a means of bringing special eminence to its followers. God says with reference to the Quran, فیه ذکرکم (wherein lies your own honour, 21:11). See Important Words. Disbelievers, however, used this word ironically, as the epithets العزیز (the mighty) and الکریم(the honourable) have been used ironically about them in 44:50.
The words, "madman," contain an allusion to v. 3 wherein it is said that disbelievers will often wish that they had been Muslims. When that verse was revealed, the condition of Muslims was so weak and that of their enemies so strong that, when the latter heard the claim made about them in the above verse, they simply laughed at it and declared that only a madman could make such foolish claims.
Disbelievers used the word الذکر (Exhortation or Eminence) for the Quran with a view to ridiculing the idea of its being a means of honour for Muslims. They knew that they had subjected Muslims to bitter persecution and in their arrogance thought that they would speedily crush them. So in the existing circumstances it was quite natural on their part to say that it was mere madness to say that the Quran would raise Muslims to such eminence that disbelievers themselves would begin to desire that they had been Muslims.
The word مجنون (a madman) has been erroneously rendered by some translators as "possessed by a devil or by a jinn" or simply "possessed." It does not mean that but "a mad or insane person" or "one whose intellectual faculties are impaired" (Lane & Aqrab).
f
37:37; 44:15; 68:52.
b
37:37; 44:15; 68:52.
1713
Important Words:
الذکر (this Exhortation) is derived from ذکر (dhakara). They say ذکرہ i.e. he remembered it; he preserved it in his memory; he talked of it. ذکر (dhikr) means, remembrance; the presence of a thing in the mind; memory; the mention or relating of a thing; the praise and glorification of God; praise or eulogy of another; dispraise or evil speech; a thing that is current upon the tongue; fame, renown or reputation, as they say له ذکر فی الناس i.e. he has fame among the people; eminence, nobility or honour; a book containing an exposition of religion and an institution of religious laws; any Book of a Prophet and especially the Quran, also the Torah; an exhortation, an admonition or a warning (Lane & Aqrab). See also 2:41, 153, 201 & 6:69.
Commentary:
الذکر i.e. Exhortation or Eminence being one of the names of the Quran (21:51), the verse shows that this name was well-known to disbelievers. The calling of the Quran by the name الذکر also implied a prophecy that it was to prove a means of bringing special eminence to its followers. God says with reference to the Quran, فیه ذکرکم (wherein lies your own honour, 21:11). See Important Words. Disbelievers, however, used this word ironically, as the epithets العزیز (the mighty) and الکریم(the honourable) have been used ironically about them in 44:50.
The words, "madman," contain an allusion to v. 3 wherein it is said that disbelievers will often wish that they had been Muslims. When that verse was revealed, the condition of Muslims was so weak and that of their enemies so strong that, when the latter heard the claim made about them in the above verse, they simply laughed at it and declared that only a madman could make such foolish claims.
Disbelievers used the word الذکر (Exhortation or Eminence) for the Quran with a view to ridiculing the idea of its being a means of honour for Muslims. They knew that they had subjected Muslims to bitter persecution and in their arrogance thought that they would speedily crush them. So in the existing circumstances it was quite natural on their part to say that it was mere madness to say that the Quran would raise Muslims to such eminence that disbelievers themselves would begin to desire that they had been Muslims.
The word مجنون (a madman) has been erroneously rendered by some translators as "possessed by a devil or by a jinn" or simply "possessed." It does not mean that but "a mad or insane person" or "one whose intellectual faculties are impaired" (Lane & Aqrab).
b
37:37; 44:15; 68:52.
1480
Majnun does not mean 'one possessed by a devil or a jinn' or simply 'possessed', but 'a mad or insane person', or 'one whose intellectual faculties have become very much impaired' (Lane).
إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا ٱلذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُۥ لَحَٰفِظُونَ
36:70; 65:11.
本节经文中作出的有关保护与保存 «古兰经» 的诺言已实现得如此出色, 因而即使没有其他证据, 单是这个事实就足以证实此经起源于安拉。本节经文在麦加降示 (Noldeke)。当时穆圣及其追随者们的生命极其危险, 敌人能较易地厄杀新宗教 (的信仰)。正是在那时, 不信的人受到挑战, 要他们用最恶劣的手段来毁灭新宗教 (的信仰), 并且警告不信的人, 安拉定会挫败他们的一切阴谋。因为安拉自己就是这一宗教的保护者。这一挑战是公开和明确的, 而敌人是强大、残忍的。然而 «古兰经» 仍然非常安全, 没遭到任何破坏和窜改, 并且总是享有绝对安全和保护。任何其他启示的天经都没有 «古兰经» 这一特征。威廉•米尔 (William Muir) 爵士是臭名昭著的一个对伊斯兰教抱有敌意的批评家。他说: “根据最有力的推测, 我们可以肯定地说, «古兰经» 中的每一节经文都是真正由穆罕默德本人讲的、没有经人改动过的文章。……从另一方面看, 其形式和内容都受到保护, 因此我们获得穆罕默德本人发表和应用的经文。……将其纯洁的经文与我们圣经中的各种经文作比较, 则是在不相似的事物之间进行比较。” (Introduction to ‘The Life of Mohammad’) 德国伟大的东方学专家, 诺尔德克 (Noldeke) 教授写的内容如下: “欧洲学者企图证明 «古兰经» 内容以后曾经被窜改, 但他们失败了。” (Enc. Brit.) 几年前, 明格那博士 (Dr. Mingana) 未能找出 «古兰经» 经文纯洁性的岔子, 却相反赞同 «古兰经» 所宣称的真理: 在一切启示的天经中, 只有 «古兰经» 完全没被窜改。(参见《大版本的注释本》 1263-1266页)
36:70; 65:11.
The promise about the protection and preservation of the Qur’an made in this verse has been so remarkably fulfilled that even if there had been no other proof, this fact alone would have sufficed to establish its Divine origin. This Surah was revealed at Mecca (Noldeke) when the life of the Holy Prophet and his followers was extremely precarious and the enemy could easily crush the new Faith. It was then that disbelievers were challenged to do their worst to destroy it and were warned that God would frustrate all their designs because He Himself was its Guardian. The challenge was open and unequivocal and the enemy strong and ruthless, and yet the Qur’an remained safe against corruption and interpolation and tampering with and has ever continued to enjoy perfect security. This distinction of the Qur’an is not shared by any other revealed Book. Sir William Muir, the notoriously hostile critic of Islam, says: 'We may, upon the strongest presumption, affirm that every verse in the Qur’an is the
36:70; 65:11.
Commentary:
This verse furnishes a powerful proof of the truth of the Quran and of its Divine origin. In fact, the promise about the preservation of the Quran made in this verse has been so remarkably fulfilled that even if there had been no other proof of the truth of Islam, this alone would have sufficed to establish its Divine origin.
Verse 8 contains the demand mockingly made by disbelievers that if the Quran were really as grand a Book as it was claimed to be, it ought to have descended under the guardianship of angels. This ridicule of disbelievers has been answered in the present verse, which emphatically says that the Quran is indeed a sublime Book and that God Himself has undertaken to act as its Guardian and that He will always protect it against every kind of corruption and interference. And in order that this promise about the protection of the Quran may gain still more force, particles expressive of special emphasis, such as انا (verily We) and نحن (Ourself) and again انا followed by ل (most surely) have been used in this verse. Thus the claim has been made in the most emphatic and forceful language.
The statement that God Himself is the Guardian of the Quran does not mean that angels do not guard it. They also do so, for when the master himself is guarding a thing, the servants must also be necessarily engaged in that service. By saying, most surely We will be its Guardian, God, however, points to the fact that there are certain peculiarities of the Quran which it is beyond the power of angels to guard and, therefore, God Himself has undertaken to do that work.
This Surah was revealed at Mecca. According to Ibn Hisham, it was revealed in the fourth year of the Holy Prophet’s ministry. Sprenger, Rodwell and Nöldeke all agree that it belongs to the Meccan period. Now it is a well-known fact that during the Meccan period, the life of the Holy Prophet and his followers was extremely precarious. They did not even know how to save themselves or where to hide themselves. For no less than three years the Prophet and his few helpless followers were virtually imprisoned in the Shi‘b (valley) of Abu Talib from where they could not venture out. They were under a ban. Is it not then astonishing that when the very lives of Muslims were in peril and the enemy was so strong that he could easily crush the new Faith, disbelievers were challenged to do all that lay in their power to destroy the Quran, and were told that God would frustrate all their designs because He Himself was its Guardian? The challenge was open and unequivocal and the enemy strong and ruthless. But what was the result? The Prophet and his Companions not only remained safe and sound but thrived and prospered and the number of converts continued to swell and the Quran remained safe against all corruption and has ever continued to enjoy perfect security. This distinctive feature of the Quran has not been shared by any other book revealed to any other Prophet.
Sir William Muir, the well-known critic of Islam, says about the Quran: "We may, upon the strongest presumption, affirm that every verse in the Quran is the genuine and unaltered composition of Mohammad himself." Again, "There is otherwise every security, internal and external, that we possess the text which Mohammad himself gave forth and used." Again, "To compare (as the Muslims are fond of doing) their pure text with the various readings of our Scriptures, is to compare things between which there is no analogy." (Introduction to "The Life of Mahomet"). Prof. Nöldeke, the great German Orientalist writes as follows: "Slight clerical errors there may have been, but the Quran of Othman contains none but genuine elements, though sometimes in very strange order. Efforts of European scholars to prove the existence of later interpolations in the Quran have failed." (Enc. Brit.). Professor Nicholson, says in his "Literary History of the Arabs": "Here (in the Quran) we have materials of unique and incontestable authority for tracing the origin and early development of Islam—such mater-ials as do not exist in the case of Buddhism or Christianity or any other ancient religion."
The importance of this security of the Quranic text is further enhanced when we compare it with other revealed Scriptures. The Quran was revealed among an illiterate people, while most other Scriptures were revealed among peoples who were comparatively more literate and therefore better qualified to preserve the purity of their Scriptures. Yet they failed to do so, while the Quran, the most widely read of all revealed Scriptures, enjoys complete immunity from all sorts of corruption. This miraculous preservation of the Quranic text is no mere accident. It has been brought about by the special providence of God in accordance with an openly declared prophecy of the Quran.
The means adopted to safeguard the purity of the text of the Quran have been briefly referred to in verse 2 in the memorable words الکتاب (the Written Book) and قرآن مبین (the Illuminating Recital) signifying: (a) That every verse of the Quran was committed to writing as soon as it was revealed and this writing was most tenaciously preserved. (b) That it was committed to memory as soon as revealed by a number of Muslims. And this pious practice has increasingly continued so much so that in the past centuries hundreds of thousands of Muslims have had the entire Quran literally on the tips of their tongues. Add to this the fact that from the very beginning of Islam the recital of parts of the Quran in the five daily Prayers was made obligatory.
The following additional factors also very materially contributed to the preservation of the Quran:
(1) God has inspired the Muslims with an extraordinary love for the Quran. They enjoy the reading of the Book even if they do not understand the meaning of the text. This leads to its being preserved in their hearts.
(2) The rhythm of the Quran is so sweet and its language so charming and so easy to learn and the construction of its sentences so beautiful that it can be committed to memory with great ease.
(3) God so ordained that immediately after the Quranic revelation became complete, it spread far and wide, to the remotest corners of the world, among all nations and all peoples, so that it became practically impossible for anyone to tamper with its text.
(4) From the beginning the Quran formed for Muslims the basis of all the sciences and learning they acquired and developed with a view to serving it. Various branches of knowledge such as Grammar, Rhetoric, History, Philosophy and Logic were cultivated and developed by Muslims for the sake of a better understanding of their holy Book.
(5) God has preserved Arabic, the language of the Quran, as a living language, while the languages of all other revealed Books, which were not meant to last forever, have become practically dead.
Again, it is not only the text of the Quran that has been preserved intact by God. He has provided for the preservation of its spirit also. This has been done by raising divinely inspired Reformers among the Muslims from time to time. These Reformers, known in Islamic terminology as Mujaddids, receive revelations from God and interpret and explain the true meaning of the Quranic text. Such Reformers appeared among the followers of other religions also, but that was only for so long as such scriptures served as guides for their followers. After the advent of Islam, however, all other religious systems and their scriptures, which were intended only for specific periods and specific peoples, became abrogated and divinely inspired Reformers ceased to appear among them. Now, therefore, the Quran alone among all revealed Scriptures of the world holds the field as a living Book and hence divinely inspired Reformers now appear only among the followers of Islam. In our own time God has raised Ahmad, the Promised Messiah, Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement, to demon-strate the truth and excellence of the Quran in a manner unparalleled in the history of Islam. Ahmad’s present-ation of Islam is not like one praying for a hearing, as was the vogue among the apologetic school of Muslim writers, but as a victor challenging the protagonists of all other religious systems and the so-called Modernists and Higher Critics to find fault with any teaching of Islam; and also as a judge passing his judgement upon them. The appearance of such Reformers in itself constitutes proof of the living power of a religion and its Scripture inasmuch as they are really the fruit of their religion and their appearance proves its efficacy.
The question here arises, if the Scriptures revealed to the previous Prophets have not been preserved in their original purity, what guarantee is there to believe that the Quran would enjoy permanent security? In this connection it should be noted that the promise of protection made by God in this verse mentions the word الذکر (rendered in the text as "this Exhortation") and not the Quran or any other word; and herein lies the answer to the above question. For, to become deserving of the permanent protection of God it is essential that the Divine revelation should be الذکر of which the necessary attributes are: (1) that it should establish a close and permanent relationship between man and his Maker, inspiring in the former constant remembrance of God, the word ذکر meaning remembering; and (2) that it should elevate man to a state where God may also remember him or in other words favour him with His words and with heavenly help, the word ذکر also means eminence. The verse under comment thus purports to mean that God undertakes to protect any Scripture so long as it serves the above two purposes. But when, through changes in the conditions and circumstances of man, any Scripture ceases to perform these functions and God, in His infallible wisdom, deems it necessary to reveal another Scripture, He naturally ceases to extend His protection to earlier revelations. The question as to when any particular Scripture at any particular time ceases to serve the above-mentioned purposes has to be decided on facts. It is a fact beyond doubt that at the present time no religion other than Islam can claim that there is among its followers anyone who fulfils in his person the conditions mentioned above, viz. attainment of such nearness to God that God begins to speak to him and manifests His special powers for his sake. Such a claim can be made only by a follower of the Quran. As stated above Ahmad, the Promised Messiah, has made this claim in our own time and has proved by powerful heavenly signs that his claim is founded on fact and God is helping his cause wonderfully. It is, therefore, natural that Muslims should claim and believe that now the protection of God is a privilege enjoyed by the Quran alone.
As regards the future, our belief based upon promises made in the Quran is that whenever Muslims forget, or fall away from, the teachings of the Quran, God will, by raising heavenly Reformers, restore to them their faith in its pristine purity. The teachings of the Quran will thus remain effective for all time and will ever continue to enjoy Divine help and protection.
b
36:70; 65:11.
654
本节经文中作出的有关保护与保存 «古兰经» 的诺言已实现得如此出色, 因而即使没有其他证据, 单是这个事实就足以证实此经起源于安拉。本节经文在麦加降示 (Noldeke)。当时穆圣及其追随者们的生命极其危险, 敌人能较易地厄杀新宗教 (的信仰)。正是在那时, 不信的人受到挑战, 要他们用最恶劣的手段来毁灭新宗教 (的信仰), 并且警告不信的人, 安拉定会挫败他们的一切阴谋。因为安拉自己就是这一宗教的保护者。这一挑战是公开和明确的, 而敌人是强大、残忍的。然而 «古兰经» 仍然非常安全, 没遭到任何破坏和窜改, 并且总是享有绝对安全和保护。任何其他启示的天经都没有 «古兰经» 这一特征。威廉•米尔 (William Muir) 爵士是臭名昭著的一个对伊斯兰教抱有敌意的批评家。他说: “根据最有力的推测, 我们可以肯定地说, «古兰经» 中的每一节经文都是真正由穆罕默德本人讲的、没有经人改动过的文章。……从另一方面看, 其形式和内容都受到保护, 因此我们获得穆罕默德本人发表和应用的经文。……将其纯洁的经文与我们圣经中的各种经文作比较, 则是在不相似的事物之间进行比较。” (Introduction to ‘The Life of Mohammad’) 德国伟大的东方学专家, 诺尔德克 (Noldeke) 教授写的内容如下: “欧洲学者企图证明 «古兰经» 内容以后曾经被窜改, 但他们失败了。” (Enc. Brit.) 几年前, 明格那博士 (Dr. Mingana) 未能找出 «古兰经» 经文纯洁性的岔子, 却相反赞同 «古兰经» 所宣称的真理: 在一切启示的天经中, 只有 «古兰经» 完全没被窜改。(参见《大版本的注释本》 1263-1266页)
b
36:70; 65:11.
1716
Commentary:
This verse furnishes a powerful proof of the truth of the Quran and of its Divine origin. In fact, the promise about the preservation of the Quran made in this verse has been so remarkably fulfilled that even if there had been no other proof of the truth of Islam, this alone would have sufficed to establish its Divine origin.
Verse 8 contains the demand mockingly made by disbelievers that if the Quran were really as grand a Book as it was claimed to be, it ought to have descended under the guardianship of angels. This ridicule of disbelievers has been answered in the present verse, which emphatically says that the Quran is indeed a sublime Book and that God Himself has undertaken to act as its Guardian and that He will always protect it against every kind of corruption and interference. And in order that this promise about the protection of the Quran may gain still more force, particles expressive of special emphasis, such as انا (verily We) and نحن (Ourself) and again انا followed by ل (most surely) have been used in this verse. Thus the claim has been made in the most emphatic and forceful language.
The statement that God Himself is the Guardian of the Quran does not mean that angels do not guard it. They also do so, for when the master himself is guarding a thing, the servants must also be necessarily engaged in that service. By saying, most surely We will be its Guardian, God, however, points to the fact that there are certain peculiarities of the Quran which it is beyond the power of angels to guard and, therefore, God Himself has undertaken to do that work.
This Surah was revealed at Mecca. According to Ibn Hisham, it was revealed in the fourth year of the Holy Prophet’s ministry. Sprenger, Rodwell and Nöldeke all agree that it belongs to the Meccan period. Now it is a well-known fact that during the Meccan period, the life of the Holy Prophet and his followers was extremely precarious. They did not even know how to save themselves or where to hide themselves. For no less than three years the Prophet and his few helpless followers were virtually imprisoned in the Shi‘b (valley) of Abu Talib from where they could not venture out. They were under a ban. Is it not then astonishing that when the very lives of Muslims were in peril and the enemy was so strong that he could easily crush the new Faith, disbelievers were challenged to do all that lay in their power to destroy the Quran, and were told that God would frustrate all their designs because He Himself was its Guardian? The challenge was open and unequivocal and the enemy strong and ruthless. But what was the result? The Prophet and his Companions not only remained safe and sound but thrived and prospered and the number of converts continued to swell and the Quran remained safe against all corruption and has ever continued to enjoy perfect security. This distinctive feature of the Quran has not been shared by any other book revealed to any other Prophet.
Sir William Muir, the well-known critic of Islam, says about the Quran: "We may, upon the strongest presumption, affirm that every verse in the Quran is the genuine and unaltered composition of Mohammad himself." Again, "There is otherwise every security, internal and external, that we possess the text which Mohammad himself gave forth and used." Again, "To compare (as the Muslims are fond of doing) their pure text with the various readings of our Scriptures, is to compare things between which there is no analogy." (Introduction to "The Life of Mahomet"). Prof. Nöldeke, the great German Orientalist writes as follows: "Slight clerical errors there may have been, but the Quran of Othman contains none but genuine elements, though sometimes in very strange order. Efforts of European scholars to prove the existence of later interpolations in the Quran have failed." (Enc. Brit.). Professor Nicholson, says in his "Literary History of the Arabs": "Here (in the Quran) we have materials of unique and incontestable authority for tracing the origin and early development of Islam—such mater-ials as do not exist in the case of Buddhism or Christianity or any other ancient religion."
The importance of this security of the Quranic text is further enhanced when we compare it with other revealed Scriptures. The Quran was revealed among an illiterate people, while most other Scriptures were revealed among peoples who were comparatively more literate and therefore better qualified to preserve the purity of their Scriptures. Yet they failed to do so, while the Quran, the most widely read of all revealed Scriptures, enjoys complete immunity from all sorts of corruption. This miraculous preservation of the Quranic text is no mere accident. It has been brought about by the special providence of God in accordance with an openly declared prophecy of the Quran.
The means adopted to safeguard the purity of the text of the Quran have been briefly referred to in verse 2 in the memorable words الکتاب (the Written Book) and قرآن مبین (the Illuminating Recital) signifying: (a) That every verse of the Quran was committed to writing as soon as it was revealed and this writing was most tenaciously preserved. (b) That it was committed to memory as soon as revealed by a number of Muslims. And this pious practice has increasingly continued so much so that in the past centuries hundreds of thousands of Muslims have had the entire Quran literally on the tips of their tongues. Add to this the fact that from the very beginning of Islam the recital of parts of the Quran in the five daily Prayers was made obligatory.
The following additional factors also very materially contributed to the preservation of the Quran:
(1) God has inspired the Muslims with an extraordinary love for the Quran. They enjoy the reading of the Book even if they do not understand the meaning of the text. This leads to its being preserved in their hearts.
(2) The rhythm of the Quran is so sweet and its language so charming and so easy to learn and the construction of its sentences so beautiful that it can be committed to memory with great ease.
(3) God so ordained that immediately after the Quranic revelation became complete, it spread far and wide, to the remotest corners of the world, among all nations and all peoples, so that it became practically impossible for anyone to tamper with its text.
(4) From the beginning the Quran formed for Muslims the basis of all the sciences and learning they acquired and developed with a view to serving it. Various branches of knowledge such as Grammar, Rhetoric, History, Philosophy and Logic were cultivated and developed by Muslims for the sake of a better understanding of their holy Book.
(5) God has preserved Arabic, the language of the Quran, as a living language, while the languages of all other revealed Books, which were not meant to last forever, have become practically dead.
Again, it is not only the text of the Quran that has been preserved intact by God. He has provided for the preservation of its spirit also. This has been done by raising divinely inspired Reformers among the Muslims from time to time. These Reformers, known in Islamic terminology as Mujaddids, receive revelations from God and interpret and explain the true meaning of the Quranic text. Such Reformers appeared among the followers of other religions also, but that was only for so long as such scriptures served as guides for their followers. After the advent of Islam, however, all other religious systems and their scriptures, which were intended only for specific periods and specific peoples, became abrogated and divinely inspired Reformers ceased to appear among them. Now, therefore, the Quran alone among all revealed Scriptures of the world holds the field as a living Book and hence divinely inspired Reformers now appear only among the followers of Islam. In our own time God has raised Ahmad, the Promised Messiah, Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement, to demon-strate the truth and excellence of the Quran in a manner unparalleled in the history of Islam. Ahmad’s present-ation of Islam is not like one praying for a hearing, as was the vogue among the apologetic school of Muslim writers, but as a victor challenging the protagonists of all other religious systems and the so-called Modernists and Higher Critics to find fault with any teaching of Islam; and also as a judge passing his judgement upon them. The appearance of such Reformers in itself constitutes proof of the living power of a religion and its Scripture inasmuch as they are really the fruit of their religion and their appearance proves its efficacy.
The question here arises, if the Scriptures revealed to the previous Prophets have not been preserved in their original purity, what guarantee is there to believe that the Quran would enjoy permanent security? In this connection it should be noted that the promise of protection made by God in this verse mentions the word الذکر (rendered in the text as "this Exhortation") and not the Quran or any other word; and herein lies the answer to the above question. For, to become deserving of the permanent protection of God it is essential that the Divine revelation should be الذکر of which the necessary attributes are: (1) that it should establish a close and permanent relationship between man and his Maker, inspiring in the former constant remembrance of God, the word ذکر meaning remembering; and (2) that it should elevate man to a state where God may also remember him or in other words favour him with His words and with heavenly help, the word ذکر also means eminence. The verse under comment thus purports to mean that God undertakes to protect any Scripture so long as it serves the above two purposes. But when, through changes in the conditions and circumstances of man, any Scripture ceases to perform these functions and God, in His infallible wisdom, deems it necessary to reveal another Scripture, He naturally ceases to extend His protection to earlier revelations. The question as to when any particular Scripture at any particular time ceases to serve the above-mentioned purposes has to be decided on facts. It is a fact beyond doubt that at the present time no religion other than Islam can claim that there is among its followers anyone who fulfils in his person the conditions mentioned above, viz. attainment of such nearness to God that God begins to speak to him and manifests His special powers for his sake. Such a claim can be made only by a follower of the Quran. As stated above Ahmad, the Promised Messiah, has made this claim in our own time and has proved by powerful heavenly signs that his claim is founded on fact and God is helping his cause wonderfully. It is, therefore, natural that Muslims should claim and believe that now the protection of God is a privilege enjoyed by the Quran alone.
As regards the future, our belief based upon promises made in the Quran is that whenever Muslims forget, or fall away from, the teachings of the Quran, God will, by raising heavenly Reformers, restore to them their faith in its pristine purity. The teachings of the Quran will thus remain effective for all time and will ever continue to enjoy Divine help and protection.
e
36:70; 65:11.
1482
The promise about the protection and preservation of the Qur’an made in this verse has been so remarkably fulfilled that even if there had been no other proof, this fact alone would have sufficed to establish its Divine origin. This Surah was revealed at Mecca (Noldeke) when the life of the Holy Prophet and his followers was extremely precarious and the enemy could easily crush the new Faith. It was then that disbelievers were challenged to do their worst to destroy it and were warned that God would frustrate all their designs because He Himself was its Guardian. The challenge was open and unequivocal and the enemy strong and ruthless, and yet the Qur’an remained safe against corruption and interpolation and tampering with and has ever continued to enjoy perfect security. This distinction of the Qur’an is not shared by any other revealed Book. Sir William Muir, the notoriously hostile critic of Islam, says: 'We may, upon the strongest presumption, affirm that every verse in the Qur’an is the
بِٱلْبَيِّنَٰتِ وَٱلزُّبُرِ ۗ وَأَنزَلْنَآ إِلَيْكَ ٱلذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ
35:26.
3:59; 15:7, 10; 20:100.
Important Words:
The word الذکر translated as Reminder among other things means: (1) remembrance, the presence of a thing in the mind so that it is never forgotten; (2) the praise or glorification of God; (3) eminence, honour: (4) a book containing an exposition of religion and an institution of religious laws; (5) strong and firm saying (Lane). See also 2:41, 153, 201; 6:69; 12:105 & 15:7.
Commentary:
The word applies to the Quran in all these different senses: (a) The Quran is a book which helps man to remember God; (b) it praises and glorifies God; (c) those who act upon its teachings get honour and eminence; (d) it contains an exposition of the religion of Islam; and (e) it is strong and firm in the sense that its teachings and the truths it inculcates admit of no doubt or objection. The verse develops the theme of the previous verse and says that the Prophets come with clear proofs and Divine Scriptures, that is to say they come with heavenly signs and Divine commands. In this lies the secret of their success.
The verse further points to a distinction between the Holy Prophet and former Prophets. It says that while clear signs and Scriptures were given to former Prophets, the Holy Prophet has been given the Reminder, the most perfect of all Divine Books. So when the former Prophets succeeded in their mission by the help of their Scriptures, it is inconceivable that the Holy Prophet should fail when he has got the most perfect of all Divine Scriptures.
The expression لتبین للناس (that thou mayest explain to mankind) may mean two things: (1) That the Prophet has been given the most perfect Divine Book in order that he might preach its message to all the world. It is not intended for any one people or nation or for any particular age, but for all peoples and all ages. (2) Since such a perfect Book has been revealed to the Holy Prophet he could not possibly keep it a secret. The perfection of the Book demanded that he should invite the whole world to its great Message.
By adopting the form of address contained in the words "which has been sent down to them" the verse appeals to disbelievers to listen to the Divine Message which although revealed to the Holy Prophet is intended for all men. They should appreciate this token of Divine love and favour by accepting it and acting upon it. The words also imply that since the Quran is intended for all mankind it is the primary and paramount duty of Muslims to preach it to all the nations of the world. Unfortunately, Muslims have neglected this sacred duty to their own detriment.
The words, "that they may reflect", suggest that Divine revelation, among other things, possesses the characteristic of sharpening the intellect of men. The marvellous change that took place in the condition of the Arabs after they accepted the Quran bears eloquent testimony to the truth of this statement. Wild and half savage hordes of the desert became, within a few years, the teachers and leaders of the world in knowledge and culture.
c
35:26.
d
3:59; 15:7, 10; 20:100.
a
35:26.
b
3:59; 15:7, 10; 20:100.
1846
Important Words:
The word الذکر translated as Reminder among other things means: (1) remembrance, the presence of a thing in the mind so that it is never forgotten; (2) the praise or glorification of God; (3) eminence, honour: (4) a book containing an exposition of religion and an institution of religious laws; (5) strong and firm saying (Lane). See also 2:41, 153, 201; 6:69; 12:105 & 15:7.
Commentary:
The word applies to the Quran in all these different senses: (a) The Quran is a book which helps man to remember God; (b) it praises and glorifies God; (c) those who act upon its teachings get honour and eminence; (d) it contains an exposition of the religion of Islam; and (e) it is strong and firm in the sense that its teachings and the truths it inculcates admit of no doubt or objection. The verse develops the theme of the previous verse and says that the Prophets come with clear proofs and Divine Scriptures, that is to say they come with heavenly signs and Divine commands. In this lies the secret of their success.
The verse further points to a distinction between the Holy Prophet and former Prophets. It says that while clear signs and Scriptures were given to former Prophets, the Holy Prophet has been given the Reminder, the most perfect of all Divine Books. So when the former Prophets succeeded in their mission by the help of their Scriptures, it is inconceivable that the Holy Prophet should fail when he has got the most perfect of all Divine Scriptures.
The expression لتبین للناس (that thou mayest explain to mankind) may mean two things: (1) That the Prophet has been given the most perfect Divine Book in order that he might preach its message to all the world. It is not intended for any one people or nation or for any particular age, but for all peoples and all ages. (2) Since such a perfect Book has been revealed to the Holy Prophet he could not possibly keep it a secret. The perfection of the Book demanded that he should invite the whole world to its great Message.
By adopting the form of address contained in the words "which has been sent down to them" the verse appeals to disbelievers to listen to the Divine Message which although revealed to the Holy Prophet is intended for all men. They should appreciate this token of Divine love and favour by accepting it and acting upon it. The words also imply that since the Quran is intended for all mankind it is the primary and paramount duty of Muslims to preach it to all the nations of the world. Unfortunately, Muslims have neglected this sacred duty to their own detriment.
The words, "that they may reflect", suggest that Divine revelation, among other things, possesses the characteristic of sharpening the intellect of men. The marvellous change that took place in the condition of the Arabs after they accepted the Quran bears eloquent testimony to the truth of this statement. Wild and half savage hordes of the desert became, within a few years, the teachers and leaders of the world in knowledge and culture.
d
35:26.
e
3:59; 15:7, 10; 20:100.
كَذَٰلِكَ نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ مِنْ أَنۢبَآءِ مَا قَدْ سَبَقَ ۚ وَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَٰكَ مِن لَّدُنَّا ذِكْرًا
Commentary:
The verse embodies a prophecy that the Holy Prophet will have to face conditions and circumstances similar to those which Moses had confronted. No other Israelite Prophet shared as many points of resemblance with the Holy Prophet as Moses did. Moses had Aaron, his brother, as his assistant in the discharge of his duties. The Holy Prophet had his cousin ‘Ali whom he likened to Aaron when he left him behind on the occasion of the expedition to Tabuk. Aaron was accused of having made for the Israelites a calf for worship and ‘Ali was accused of being an accomplice in the murder of ‘Uthman. The Holy Prophet also had a Samiri in the person of the Jew, ‘Abdullah bin Saba, who outwardly became a Muslim and stirred up revolt against the third Caliph, ‘Uthman, which culminated in the latter’s assassination and in an internecine split in Islam which unfortunately has since then shown no sign of abating or healing.
2311
Commentary:
The verse embodies a prophecy that the Holy Prophet will have to face conditions and circumstances similar to those which Moses had confronted. No other Israelite Prophet shared as many points of resemblance with the Holy Prophet as Moses did. Moses had Aaron, his brother, as his assistant in the discharge of his duties. The Holy Prophet had his cousin ‘Ali whom he likened to Aaron when he left him behind on the occasion of the expedition to Tabuk. Aaron was accused of having made for the Israelites a calf for worship and ‘Ali was accused of being an accomplice in the murder of ‘Uthman. The Holy Prophet also had a Samiri in the person of the Jew, ‘Abdullah bin Saba, who outwardly became a Muslim and stirred up revolt against the third Caliph, ‘Uthman, which culminated in the latter’s assassination and in an internecine split in Islam which unfortunately has since then shown no sign of abating or healing.
أَمِ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ ءَالِهَةً ۖ قُلْ هَاتُوا۟ بُرْهَٰنَكُمْ ۖ هَٰذَا ذِكْرُ مَن مَّعِىَ وَذِكْرُ مَن قَبْلِى ۗ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ٱلْحَقَّ ۖ فَهُم مُّعْرِضُونَ
18:16; 23:118; 27:65.
پہلوں کے لئے اس طرح کہ پہلے لوگوں پر جو اُن کی امتوں نے جھوٹ باندھ کر اعتراض پیدا کر دئے تھے۔ قرآن نے وہ سب دور کر دئے اور اس طرح اول اور آخر کے لئے شرف کا موجب ہو گیا۔
18:16; 23:118; 27:65.
The Qur’an is a source of honour and dignity for previous Prophets also, because it clears them of the charges of which their people falsely accused them.
18:16; 23:118; 27:65.
Commentary:
The verse gives another argument about the Unity of God. The Holy Prophet here is enjoined to ask his people to go through the Quran and other revealed Scriptures and then tell him whether they find in them any deferential reference to polytheism or to permission to worship other gods besides the One True God. "This is the constant doctrine of all the sacred Books," says Sale in his "Introduction to the Quran," "not only the Quran, but also those Scriptures which were revealed in former ages, all of them bear witness to the great and fundamental truth of the Unity of God."
Taking ذکر in the sense of honour, eminence etc. (see 15:7), the verse would mean that the Quran is a source of honour for those with the Holy Prophet and for those before him i.e. it will raise its followers from depths of degradation to great heights of honour and eminence, and it has cleared Divine Prophets and other righteous servants of God of the charges and accusations that were imputed to them in former Scriptures.
a
18:16; 23:118; 27:65.
1
پہلوں کے لئے اس طرح کہ پہلے لوگوں پر جو اُن کی امتوں نے جھوٹ باندھ کر اعتراض پیدا کر دئے تھے۔ قرآن نے وہ سب دور کر دئے اور اس طرح اول اور آخر کے لئے شرف کا موجب ہو گیا۔
a
18:16; 23:118; 27:65.
2365
Commentary:
The verse gives another argument about the Unity of God. The Holy Prophet here is enjoined to ask his people to go through the Quran and other revealed Scriptures and then tell him whether they find in them any deferential reference to polytheism or to permission to worship other gods besides the One True God. "This is the constant doctrine of all the sacred Books," says Sale in his "Introduction to the Quran," "not only the Quran, but also those Scriptures which were revealed in former ages, all of them bear witness to the great and fundamental truth of the Unity of God."
Taking ذکر in the sense of honour, eminence etc. (see 15:7), the verse would mean that the Quran is a source of honour for those with the Holy Prophet and for those before him i.e. it will raise its followers from depths of degradation to great heights of honour and eminence, and it has cleared Divine Prophets and other righteous servants of God of the charges and accusations that were imputed to them in former Scriptures.
a
18:16; 23:118; 27:65.
1880A
The Qur’an is a source of honour and dignity for previous Prophets also, because it clears them of the charges of which their people falsely accused them.
وَهَٰذَا ذِكْرٌ مُّبَارَكٌ أَنزَلْنَٰهُ ۚ أَفَأَنتُمْ لَهُۥ مُنكِرُونَ
مُبَارَكْ (Mubarak) 这个单词有以下这些意义: 坚定性; 稳固性;延续性; 充满善良; 提升和收集等等 (Lane)。这是专门用於表示 «古兰经» 性质的一个称号 (6:93), 这个称号包含着它显著的特点。由于 «古兰经» 是 مُبَارَكْ, 它包含着一本天经应有的一切美好的素质。它丰富地含有一切美好的特性, 而且其美好的程序超过所有其他的经典。
قرآن مجید میں مُبَارَکٌ کا لفظ ہے جو بِرْکَۃٌ (یعنی جوہڑ) سے نکلا ہے اس لئے ہم نے ’’بہہ کر آگئی ہیں‘‘ ترجمہ کیا ہے (مفردات)
The word Mubarak possesses the sense of firmness; steadiness; continuity; abundance of good; exaltation and collection, etc. (Lane). It is an epithet exclusively reserved for the Qur’an (6:93), and in this title lies its outstanding distinction. Being Mubarak the Qur’an combines in itself all good qualities that a heavenly Scripture should possess. There is no good which it does not possess in abundance and in which it does not excel all other Scriptures.
Important Words:
مبارك (blessed) is past part. from بارك which is again derived from برك which means, he or it was or became firm, steady; continued or stayed in a place; it (the night) was or became long or protracted. بارك علیه means he kept or applied himself constantly or perseveringly to it. اللھم بارك علی محمد means, O God! continue or perpetuate Thou to Muhammad the honour and eminence which Thou hast given him. بارك اللّٰه علیك او فیك means, may God bless thee continuously. بارك اللّٰه means, God is abundant in good or He exceeds everything and He is exalted above all things. ابترکت السماء means, the sky rained continually or incessantly or vehemently. برکة (birkatun) means, a pool; a pond; a place where water remains and collects.) برکة(barakatun) means, good; increase; abundance; abundant in continual good (Lane). See also 6:93.
Commentary:
In view of the different meanings of the root word برك the word مبارك possesses the sense of firmness, steadiness, continuity, abundance of good, exaltation and collection, etc. It is an epithet exclusively enjoyed by the Quran (6:93). No other Divine Scripture has been given this title. Even in other titles which the Quran possesses in common with other Divine Scriptures it exceeds them in degree, but Mubarak is its exclusive title and in this title lies its outstanding distinction. Being Mubarak, the Quran combines in itself all kinds of excellences. It is full of blessings which will continue to be bestowed upon its followers and which never decrease or diminish. There is no good which it does not possess in abundance and in which it does not excel other Holy Scriptures. Mankind will continue to benefit from its teaching till the end of time. This is not the case with other Scriptures. They are defunct. All life has departed from them. The very languages in which they were revealed are dead. But the Quran is a living Book. It shall live so long as mankind lasts and will continue to give light to a world groping in darkness.
841
مُبَارَكْ (Mubarak) 这个单词有以下这些意义: 坚定性; 稳固性;延续性; 充满善良; 提升和收集等等 (Lane)。这是专门用於表示 «古兰经» 性质的一个称号 (6:93), 这个称号包含着它显著的特点。由于 «古兰经» 是 مُبَارَكْ, 它包含着一本天经应有的一切美好的素质。它丰富地含有一切美好的特性, 而且其美好的程序超过所有其他的经典。
1
قرآن مجید میں مُبَارَکٌ کا لفظ ہے جو بِرْکَۃٌ (یعنی جوہڑ) سے نکلا ہے اس لئے ہم نے ’’بہہ کر آگئی ہیں‘‘ ترجمہ کیا ہے (مفردات)
2391
Important Words:
مبارك (blessed) is past part. from بارك which is again derived from برك which means, he or it was or became firm, steady; continued or stayed in a place; it (the night) was or became long or protracted. بارك علیه means he kept or applied himself constantly or perseveringly to it. اللھم بارك علی محمد means, O God! continue or perpetuate Thou to Muhammad the honour and eminence which Thou hast given him. بارك اللّٰه علیك او فیك means, may God bless thee continuously. بارك اللّٰه means, God is abundant in good or He exceeds everything and He is exalted above all things. ابترکت السماء means, the sky rained continually or incessantly or vehemently. برکة (birkatun) means, a pool; a pond; a place where water remains and collects.) برکة(barakatun) means, good; increase; abundance; abundant in continual good (Lane). See also 6:93.
Commentary:
In view of the different meanings of the root word برك the word مبارك possesses the sense of firmness, steadiness, continuity, abundance of good, exaltation and collection, etc. It is an epithet exclusively enjoyed by the Quran (6:93). No other Divine Scripture has been given this title. Even in other titles which the Quran possesses in common with other Divine Scriptures it exceeds them in degree, but Mubarak is its exclusive title and in this title lies its outstanding distinction. Being Mubarak, the Quran combines in itself all kinds of excellences. It is full of blessings which will continue to be bestowed upon its followers and which never decrease or diminish. There is no good which it does not possess in abundance and in which it does not excel other Holy Scriptures. Mankind will continue to benefit from its teaching till the end of time. This is not the case with other Scriptures. They are defunct. All life has departed from them. The very languages in which they were revealed are dead. But the Quran is a living Book. It shall live so long as mankind lasts and will continue to give light to a world groping in darkness.
1894
The word Mubarak possesses the sense of firmness; steadiness; continuity; abundance of good; exaltation and collection, etc. (Lane). It is an epithet exclusively reserved for the Qur’an (6:93), and in this title lies its outstanding distinction. Being Mubarak the Qur’an combines in itself all good qualities that a heavenly Scripture should possess. There is no good which it does not possess in abundance and in which it does not excel all other Scriptures.
أَوَلَمْ يَكْفِهِمْ أَنَّآ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكَ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ يُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَرَحْمَةً وَذِكْرَىٰ لِقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ
对不信的人要求降示惩罚的迹象 (见上节经文), 这节经文以充满怜悯的口 气答复了他们。它问他们说, 安拉已经给了他们以 «古兰经» 为形式的仁慈的迹象。如果他们按照 «古兰经» 去做, 他们能达到高超的地位而成为世界上一个光荣和可敬的民族。为什么他们还要降示一个惩罚的迹象呢?
To the demand of disbelievers for a Sign of punishment (see preceding verse), the present verse gives an answer full of pathos. It asks them, why do they demand a Sign of punishment when God has already given them a Sign of mercy in the form of the Qur’an by acting upon which they can acquire eminence and become an honoured and respected people in the world.
Commentary:
To the demand of disbelievers for a sign of punishment, the present verse gives an answer full of pathos. It asks disbelievers the pertinent question, viz. why do they demand a sign of punishment when We have already given them a sign of mercy in the form of the Quran by acting upon which they can acquire eminence and become an honoured and respected people in the world? Do they not see that the Quran has brought about a wonderful transformation in the lives of its followers? Does not this fact alone constitute a sign for them? The verse further implies that God will treat the people of the Holy Prophet with mercy and that they will be led to the right path through the Quran.
981
对不信的人要求降示惩罚的迹象 (见上节经文), 这节经文以充满怜悯的口 气答复了他们。它问他们说, 安拉已经给了他们以 «古兰经» 为形式的仁慈的迹象。如果他们按照 «古兰经» 去做, 他们能达到高超的地位而成为世界上一个光荣和可敬的民族。为什么他们还要降示一个惩罚的迹象呢?
2976
Commentary:
To the demand of disbelievers for a sign of punishment, the present verse gives an answer full of pathos. It asks disbelievers the pertinent question, viz. why do they demand a sign of punishment when We have already given them a sign of mercy in the form of the Quran by acting upon which they can acquire eminence and become an honoured and respected people in the world? Do they not see that the Quran has brought about a wonderful transformation in the lives of its followers? Does not this fact alone constitute a sign for them? The verse further implies that God will treat the people of the Holy Prophet with mercy and that they will be led to the right path through the Quran.
2260
To the demand of disbelievers for a Sign of punishment (see preceding verse), the present verse gives an answer full of pathos. It asks them, why do they demand a Sign of punishment when God has already given them a Sign of mercy in the form of the Qur’an by acting upon which they can acquire eminence and become an honoured and respected people in the world.
وَمَا عَلَّمْنَٰهُ ٱلشِّعْرَ وَمَا يَنۢبَغِى لَهُۥٓ ۚ إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌ وَقُرْءَانٌ مُّبِينٌ
15:10; 65:11.
15:10; 65:11.
It is inconsistent with the dignity of a Divine Prophet that he should be a poet, because poets are generally given to idle dreaming and making castles in the air. Prophets of God have before them very high and noble ideals and programmes. The verse, however, does not mean that all poetry is bad and that all poets are dreamers, but it does mean that a Divine Prophet is far too dignified and spiritually exalted to be a mere poet.
15:10; 65:11.
Commentary:
The verse purports to say that the fact that God has intended that a nation, the Arabs, who so far had been very low in the scale of humanity should now rise to the heights of power and glory is no idle dream, no poetry. A Prophet of God, a Divine Messenger, who shall lead them to spiritual and material grand-eur, has arisen among them. It is inconsistent with the dignity of this great Prophet to be a poet, because whereas poets are generally given to idle dreaming and making castles in the air, the Prophets of God have before them very high and noble ideals and programmes. The verse, however, does not mean that all poetry is bad and that all poets are dreamers but it does mean that a Divine Prophet is far too dignified and spiritually exalted to be a mere poet. The pronoun ہ in له can also apply to the Quran.
b
15:10; 65:11.
b
15:10; 65:11.
3259
Commentary:
The verse purports to say that the fact that God has intended that a nation, the Arabs, who so far had been very low in the scale of humanity should now rise to the heights of power and glory is no idle dream, no poetry. A Prophet of God, a Divine Messenger, who shall lead them to spiritual and material grand-eur, has arisen among them. It is inconsistent with the dignity of this great Prophet to be a poet, because whereas poets are generally given to idle dreaming and making castles in the air, the Prophets of God have before them very high and noble ideals and programmes. The verse, however, does not mean that all poetry is bad and that all poets are dreamers but it does mean that a Divine Prophet is far too dignified and spiritually exalted to be a mere poet. The pronoun ہ in له can also apply to the Quran.
b
15:10; 65:11.
2460
It is inconsistent with the dignity of a Divine Prophet that he should be a poet, because poets are generally given to idle dreaming and making castles in the air. Prophets of God have before them very high and noble ideals and programmes. The verse, however, does not mean that all poetry is bad and that all poets are dreamers, but it does mean that a Divine Prophet is far too dignified and spiritually exalted to be a mere poet.
فَٱلتَّٰلِيَٰتِ ذِكْرًا
Reciters of the Qur’an.
Important Words:
التالیات ذکرا (who recite the Reminder—the Quran) may refer to Muslims reciting the Quran regularly.
Commentary:
The description given in this and the preceding two verses may apply to believers and as such the clause, "those who range themselves in close rows," may signify the believers who stand in rows behind their Imam in the five daily Prayers or those who stand in battle array facing the enemy. The next verse, "and they drive away the enemy vigorously," may refer to the believers who wage a veritable war against their own passions, and keep them under restraint, or to believers who hold the enemy effectively in check. And the words "and they recite the Reminder—the Quran" may mean Muslims who recite the Quran and remember God and glorify Him in the day and night Prayers, or even when they are engaged in fighting against the enemy.
These verses read in conjunction with the verse that follows embody both a prophecy and a statement of fact. As a statement of fact, they signify that there live in all times and among every people a group of righteous and God-fearing Muslims who, by word and deed and by precept and practice, bear testimony to the great truth, viz. إن إلھکم لواحد i.e. God is One.
As a prophecy, however, the verses signify that though at present the whole of Arabia is sunk deep in idol-worship and moral turpitude but a community of the Faithful will soon be born who not only will themselves glorify God and sing His praises and make the whole country resound with their hosannas but will also succeed in establishing Divine Unity in the land.
These verses may have yet another interpretation, viz. that if a representative gathering of the learned men of various Faiths were held in a peaceful atmosphere and the basic religious principles were discussed and debated impartially and dispassionately in a calm atmosphere, under the supervision of the custodians of law and order, the inevitable outcome of the deliberations of such a gathering will be the affirmation of the doctrine that "God is One".
3273
Important Words:
التالیات ذکرا (who recite the Reminder—the Quran) may refer to Muslims reciting the Quran regularly.
Commentary:
The description given in this and the preceding two verses may apply to believers and as such the clause, "those who range themselves in close rows," may signify the believers who stand in rows behind their Imam in the five daily Prayers or those who stand in battle array facing the enemy. The next verse, "and they drive away the enemy vigorously," may refer to the believers who wage a veritable war against their own passions, and keep them under restraint, or to believers who hold the enemy effectively in check. And the words "and they recite the Reminder—the Quran" may mean Muslims who recite the Quran and remember God and glorify Him in the day and night Prayers, or even when they are engaged in fighting against the enemy.
These verses read in conjunction with the verse that follows embody both a prophecy and a statement of fact. As a statement of fact, they signify that there live in all times and among every people a group of righteous and God-fearing Muslims who, by word and deed and by precept and practice, bear testimony to the great truth, viz. إن إلھکم لواحد i.e. God is One.
As a prophecy, however, the verses signify that though at present the whole of Arabia is sunk deep in idol-worship and moral turpitude but a community of the Faithful will soon be born who not only will themselves glorify God and sing His praises and make the whole country resound with their hosannas but will also succeed in establishing Divine Unity in the land.
These verses may have yet another interpretation, viz. that if a representative gathering of the learned men of various Faiths were held in a peaceful atmosphere and the basic religious principles were discussed and debated impartially and dispassionately in a calm atmosphere, under the supervision of the custodians of law and order, the inevitable outcome of the deliberations of such a gathering will be the affirmation of the doctrine that "God is One".
2468
Reciters of the Qur’an.
صٓ ۚ وَٱلْقُرْءَانِ ذِى ٱلذِّكْرِ
صٓ کے معنے صادق کے ہیں۔ یعنی اس قرآن کو صادق خدا نے اتارا ہے۔
43:45.
The letter Sad may signify 'the Truthful God,' or 'I am Allah, the Truthful,' or 'God has spoken the truth.'
The Truthful God swears by the Qur’an that the followers of the Holy Prophet, by acting upon the teachings of the Qur’an and making it a rule of their lives, shall achieve eminence and shall come to occupy a most honoured place among the comity of great nations, Dhikr also meaning eminence (Lane).
43:45.
Commentary:
The letter ص may signify "the Truthful God" or "I am Allah, the Truthful" or "God has spoken the truth" (صدق الله). For an explanation of abbreviated letters see 2:2 & 19:2.
ذی الذکر means full of admonition and exhortation or possessing eminence and honour; or acting upon its teaching the believers will achieve honour, good name and eminence.
The whole verse may mean that the Truthful God swears by the Quran that the followers of the Holy Prophet, by acting upon the teaching of the Quran and making it a rule of their lives, will achieve eminence and will come to occupy a most honoured place in the comity of nations. The verse thus constitutes a great prophecy about the glorious future of Islam.
b
43:45.
1103
صٓ (Sad) 这个字母可以意指 “真实的安拉”, 或 “我是真实的安拉”, 或 “安拉说的是真理”。
1
صٓ کے معنے صادق کے ہیں۔ یعنی اس قرآن کو صادق خدا نے اتارا ہے۔
b
43:45.
3373
Commentary:
The letter ص may signify "the Truthful God" or "I am Allah, the Truthful" or "God has spoken the truth" (صدق الله). For an explanation of abbreviated letters see 2:2 & 19:2.
ذی الذکر means full of admonition and exhortation or possessing eminence and honour; or acting upon its teaching the believers will achieve honour, good name and eminence.
The whole verse may mean that the Truthful God swears by the Quran that the followers of the Holy Prophet, by acting upon the teaching of the Quran and making it a rule of their lives, will achieve eminence and will come to occupy a most honoured place in the comity of nations. The verse thus constitutes a great prophecy about the glorious future of Islam.
b
43:45.
2513
The letter Sad may signify 'the Truthful God,' or 'I am Allah, the Truthful,' or 'God has spoken the truth.'
2514
The Truthful God swears by the Qur’an that the followers of the Holy Prophet, by acting upon the teachings of the Qur’an and making it a rule of their lives, shall achieve eminence and shall come to occupy a most honoured place among the comity of great nations, Dhikr also meaning eminence (Lane).
أَءُنزِلَ عَلَيْهِ ٱلذِّكْرُ مِنۢ بَيْنِنَا ۚ بَلْ هُمْ فِى شَكٍّ مِّن ذِكْرِى ۖ بَل لَّمَّا يَذُوقُوا۟ عَذَابِ
54:26.
54:26.
54:26.
Commentary:
The verse refers to a great obstacle which stands in the way of disbelievers to accept the truth. They simply cannot, they say, persuade themselves to follow the lead of a man just like themselves—rather inferior to them in certain respects. The same subject has been referred to in 43:32 where the Meccan infidels are described as refusing to accept the Message of the Quran on the pretext, "why has not this Quran been sent to some great man of the two towns."
b
54:26.
c
54:26.
3379
Commentary:
The verse refers to a great obstacle which stands in the way of disbelievers to accept the truth. They simply cannot, they say, persuade themselves to follow the lead of a man just like themselves—rather inferior to them in certain respects. The same subject has been referred to in 43:32 where the Meccan infidels are described as refusing to accept the Message of the Quran on the pretext, "why has not this Quran been sent to some great man of the two towns."
c
54:26.
هَٰذَا ذِكْرٌ ۚ وَإِنَّ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ لَحُسْنَ مَـَٔابٍ
إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌ لِّلْعَٰلَمِينَ
12:105; 81:28.
b
12:105; 81:28.
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بِٱلذِّكْرِ لَمَّا جَآءَهُمْ ۖ وَإِنَّهُۥ لَكِتَٰبٌ عَزِيزٌ
The Qur’an has been called Dhikr because (a) it presents and repeats its principles and themes in different forms, thus making men remember them; (b) it reminds men of the noble teachings that were revealed in former Scriptures; and (c) by acting upon its teachings men can rise to the heights of spiritual eminence (Dhikr also meaning, honour).
Commentary:
The Quran has been called ذکر (Reminder) in this verse because first, it presents and repeats its principles and themes in different forms, thus making men remember them. Secondly, because it reminds them of eternal truths that are ingrained in their nature. Thirdly, because it reminds them of the noble teachings that were revealed in former Scriptures; and fourthly, because by acting upon its teachings men can rise to the heights of spiritual eminence.
3590
Commentary:
The Quran has been called ذکر (Reminder) in this verse because first, it presents and repeats its principles and themes in different forms, thus making men remember them. Secondly, because it reminds them of eternal truths that are ingrained in their nature. Thirdly, because it reminds them of the noble teachings that were revealed in former Scriptures; and fourthly, because by acting upon its teachings men can rise to the heights of spiritual eminence.
2637
The Qur’an has been called Dhikr because (a) it presents and repeats its principles and themes in different forms, thus making men remember them; (b) it reminds men of the noble teachings that were revealed in former Scriptures; and (c) by acting upon its teachings men can rise to the heights of spiritual eminence (Dhikr also meaning, honour).
وَإِنَّهُۥ لَذِكْرٌ لَّكَ وَلِقَوْمِكَ ۖ وَسَوْفَ تُسْـَٔلُونَ
21:11; 38:2.
Commentary:
The word ذکر meaning eminence (Lane), the verse purports to say that through the Quran the Holy Prophet and his followers will acquire great eminence and honour, and the time will soon come when people will enquire about their doings and will seek and get guidance from their precepts and example.
a
21:11; 38:2.
1227
ذِكْر (Dhikr) 这字的意思是名声显赫 (Lane), 这节经文的大意是说, 穆圣及其信徒通过 «古兰经» 将获得显赫名声及荣耀。
c
21:11; 38:2.
3670
Commentary:
The word ذکر meaning eminence (Lane), the verse purports to say that through the Quran the Holy Prophet and his followers will acquire great eminence and honour, and the time will soon come when people will enquire about their doings and will seek and get guidance from their precepts and example.
d
21:11; 38:2.
2681
The word Dhikr meaning eminence (Lane), the verse purports to say that through the Qur’an the Holy Prophet and his followers will acquire great eminence and honour.