Topic: Famine
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Subtopics
ثُمَّ يَأْتِى مِنۢ بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ سَبْعٌ شِدَادٌ يَأْكُلْنَ مَا قَدَّمْتُمْ لَهُنَّ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مِّمَّا تُحْصِنُونَ
Arabia, in the Holy Prophet’s time, was visited with a terrible famine which lasted for seven long years. It was so severe that people were forced to eat carrion (Bukhari).
Commentary:
Joseph explains that the seven years of famine would be so severe that all that the people had stored up during the first seven years of plenty would be eaten up except very little which they might have saved, for fear lest the famine should become prolonged or for the purpose of seed.
Here we have another point of resemblance between Joseph and the Holy Prophet. Just as in the time of Joseph, Egypt was visited with a severe seven-year famine, so in the Holy Prophet’s time Arabia had a terrible famine which lasted for seven long years. It was so severe that some people were forced to eat carrion. At last, the Holy Prophet was requested to pray to God for the removal of the famine. He prayed to God and the famine left the land after the people had been reduced to a most pitiable plight (Bukhari and Muslim). This is the twelfth point of resemblance between these two noble Prophets.
1552
Commentary:
Joseph explains that the seven years of famine would be so severe that all that the people had stored up during the first seven years of plenty would be eaten up except very little which they might have saved, for fear lest the famine should become prolonged or for the purpose of seed.
Here we have another point of resemblance between Joseph and the Holy Prophet. Just as in the time of Joseph, Egypt was visited with a severe seven-year famine, so in the Holy Prophet’s time Arabia had a terrible famine which lasted for seven long years. It was so severe that some people were forced to eat carrion. At last, the Holy Prophet was requested to pray to God for the removal of the famine. He prayed to God and the famine left the land after the people had been reduced to a most pitiable plight (Bukhari and Muslim). This is the twelfth point of resemblance between these two noble Prophets.
1384
Arabia, in the Holy Prophet’s time, was visited with a terrible famine which lasted for seven long years. It was so severe that people were forced to eat carrion (Bukhari).
وَضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلًا قَرْيَةً كَانَتْ ءَامِنَةً مُّطْمَئِنَّةً يَأْتِيهَا رِزْقُهَا رَغَدًا مِّن كُلِّ مَكَانٍ فَكَفَرَتْ بِأَنْعُمِ ٱللَّهِ فَأَذَٰقَهَا ٱللَّهُ لِبَاسَ ٱلْجُوعِ وَٱلْخَوْفِ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَصْنَعُونَ
34:16, 17.
اس جگہ بستی سے مراد مکہ مکرمہ ہے۔ قرآن کریم میں ماضی کا لفظ ہے۔ مگر بعض دفعہ یقین پر دلالت کرنے کے لئے ماضی کا لفظ حال کی جگہ استعمال کر دیا جاتا ہے۔ اسی طرح یہاں ہوا ہے۔
قرآن مجید میں لفظ اَذَاقَ کا ہے جس کے معنے چکھانے کے ہیں۔ مگر عربی کے محاورہ میں لباس کے لئے بھی بعض دفعہ کھانے کا لفظ آجاتا ہے چنانچہ مشہور شعر ہے۔قَالُوا اقْتَرِحْ شَیْئًا نجِدْ لَـکَ طَبْخَہٗ۔ قُلْتُ اطْبَخُوْا لِیْ جُبَّۃً وَّ قَمِیْصًاانہوں نے کہا کہ کسی چیز کی خواہش کرو جس کو ہم پکار کر پیش کریں۔ میں نے کہا کہ ُجبّہ اور قمیص مجھے پکا کر دو۔ اِسی محاورہ کے مطابق ہم نے ترجمہ کیا ہے تا چکھانے کا مفہوم بھی نکل آئے اور لباس کا لفظ بھی قائم رہے۔ (تفصیل کے لئے دیکھئے تفسیر کبیر جلد۴ صفحہ ۲۵۸)
34:16, 17.
The "city" referred to in this verse is Mecca.
The dreadful famine which held Mecca in its grip for seven long years. See {2694}.
Fear of war in which the Meccans were involved with Muslims and were defeated. They lived in a state of extreme fear as if fear of war had quite covered them. In Arabic idiom the word Dhaqa (tasting) sometimes is used for Libas (dress). There is a well-known Arabic verse:—Qalu Iqtarih Shai’an Najid Laka Tabkha-hu. Qulto Itbakhu Li Jubbatan wa Qamisa, i.e. they said what would you desire us to cook for you. I said, 'Cook for me a long coat and a shirt.'
34:16-17.
Commentary:
The "city" referred to in this verse is Mecca. It warns Meccans of the great punishment which will befall them if they do not accept the Holy Prophet and do not give up their iniquitous ways. The sanctity of Mecca would not save them from the impending punishment. They are also told that they are leading a life of plenty and security, but the time is fast approaching when they will be visited with a terrible famine or, to quote a prayer of the Holy Prophet, with "years of famine like the famine of the days of Joseph", and instead of security they will taste the horrors of war. Both these calamities befell the Meccans after the Hijrah. They were smitten with constant fear. Fear is the inevitable result of war and they became involved in continuous fighting. And such a dreadful famine overtook Mecca that Abu Sufyan, the archenemy of Islam, came to Medina to beg the Prophet to pray to God that He might have mercy on them and save them from the famine. The words, which clothed it like a garment, mean that God afflicted Mecca with fear and hunger to such an extent that these calamities altogether covered it and stuck to it like a garment. Marks of fear and hunger became clearly visible on the faces of Meccans. Famine made them lean and thin and continuous fear overwhelmed them and completely unnerved them.
b
34:16, 17.
1
اس جگہ بستی سے مراد مکہ مکرمہ ہے۔ قرآن کریم میں ماضی کا لفظ ہے۔ مگر بعض دفعہ یقین پر دلالت کرنے کے لئے ماضی کا لفظ حال کی جگہ استعمال کر دیا جاتا ہے۔ اسی طرح یہاں ہوا ہے۔
2
قرآن مجید میں لفظ اَذَاقَ کا ہے جس کے معنے چکھانے کے ہیں۔ مگر عربی کے محاورہ میں لباس کے لئے بھی بعض دفعہ کھانے کا لفظ آجاتا ہے چنانچہ مشہور شعر ہے۔قَالُوا اقْتَرِحْ شَیْئًا نجِدْ لَـکَ طَبْخَہٗ۔ قُلْتُ اطْبَخُوْا لِیْ جُبَّۃً وَّ قَمِیْصًاانہوں نے کہا کہ کسی چیز کی خواہش کرو جس کو ہم پکار کر پیش کریں۔ میں نے کہا کہ ُجبّہ اور قمیص مجھے پکا کر دو۔ اِسی محاورہ کے مطابق ہم نے ترجمہ کیا ہے تا چکھانے کا مفہوم بھی نکل آئے اور لباس کا لفظ بھی قائم رہے۔ (تفصیل کے لئے دیکھئے تفسیر کبیر جلد۴ صفحہ ۲۵۸)
b
34:16-17.
1913
Commentary:
The "city" referred to in this verse is Mecca. It warns Meccans of the great punishment which will befall them if they do not accept the Holy Prophet and do not give up their iniquitous ways. The sanctity of Mecca would not save them from the impending punishment. They are also told that they are leading a life of plenty and security, but the time is fast approaching when they will be visited with a terrible famine or, to quote a prayer of the Holy Prophet, with "years of famine like the famine of the days of Joseph", and instead of security they will taste the horrors of war. Both these calamities befell the Meccans after the Hijrah. They were smitten with constant fear. Fear is the inevitable result of war and they became involved in continuous fighting. And such a dreadful famine overtook Mecca that Abu Sufyan, the archenemy of Islam, came to Medina to beg the Prophet to pray to God that He might have mercy on them and save them from the famine. The words, which clothed it like a garment, mean that God afflicted Mecca with fear and hunger to such an extent that these calamities altogether covered it and stuck to it like a garment. Marks of fear and hunger became clearly visible on the faces of Meccans. Famine made them lean and thin and continuous fear overwhelmed them and completely unnerved them.
a
34:16, 17.
1581
The "city" referred to in this verse is Mecca.
1582
The dreadful famine which held Mecca in its grip for seven long years. See {2694}.
1583
Fear of war in which the Meccans were involved with Muslims and were defeated. They lived in a state of extreme fear as if fear of war had quite covered them. In Arabic idiom the word Dhaqa (tasting) sometimes is used for Libas (dress). There is a well-known Arabic verse:—Qalu Iqtarih Shai’an Najid Laka Tabkha-hu. Qulto Itbakhu Li Jubbatan wa Qamisa, i.e. they said what would you desire us to cook for you. I said, 'Cook for me a long coat and a shirt.'
فَٱرْتَقِبْ يَوْمَ تَأْتِى ٱلسَّمَآءُ بِدُخَانٍ مُّبِينٍ
یہ الفاظ بتاتے ہیں کہ اس آیت میں ایٹم بم اور ہائیڈروجن بم کا ذکر ہے جن کے پھینکنے پر تمام جَوّ میں دھوآں پھیل جاتا ہے اور ان بموں کو اِس وقت سائنس دان قیامت کا پیش خیمہ بھی بتا رہے ہیں۔
The reference may be to the severe famine that overtook Mecca and lasted for several years till Abu Sufyan, then a great leader of disbelief, came to the Holy Prophet and begged him to pray for deliverance from that terrible scourge. The famine is said to have been so severe that the Meccans ate hides, bones and even dead bodies (Bukhari, Kitabul-Istisqa’). The famine has been described by the word Dukhan (smoke), because, as the tradition goes, the hunger was so severe that people felt a sort of smoke hanging before their eyes. Or, the word may have been used because there was no rain for a long time in Mecca, and the whole atmosphere had become dusty, for, Dukhan also means dust (Lane). The verse may also be taken as referring to the last two World Wars in which towns and cities were burnt down to rubble and the smoke that rose from their ruins filled the whole atmosphere with smoke and dust.
Important Words:
For دخان (smoke) see 41:12.
Commentary:
The reference in the verse may be to the severe famine that overtook Mecca and lasted for several years till Abu Sufyan, then a great leader of disbelief, came to the Holy Prophet and begged him to pray for deliverance from the scourge. The famine is said to have been so severe that the Meccans ate hides, bones and even dead bodies (Bukhari, Abwabul-Istisqa). The famine has been described by the word دخان (smoke) because, as the tradition goes, the hunger was so severe that people felt a sort of smoke hanging before their eyes. Or the word may have been used because there was no rain for a long time in Mecca, and the whole atmosphere had become dusty, for دخان also means dust.
The verse may also be taken as referring to the last two world wars in which towns and cities were burnt down to rubble and the smoke that rose from their ruins filled the whole atmosphere with smoke and dust.
2
یہ الفاظ بتاتے ہیں کہ اس آیت میں ایٹم بم اور ہائیڈروجن بم کا ذکر ہے جن کے پھینکنے پر تمام جَوّ میں دھوآں پھیل جاتا ہے اور ان بموں کو اِس وقت سائنس دان قیامت کا پیش خیمہ بھی بتا رہے ہیں۔
3705
Important Words:
For دخان (smoke) see 41:12.
Commentary:
The reference in the verse may be to the severe famine that overtook Mecca and lasted for several years till Abu Sufyan, then a great leader of disbelief, came to the Holy Prophet and begged him to pray for deliverance from the scourge. The famine is said to have been so severe that the Meccans ate hides, bones and even dead bodies (Bukhari, Abwabul-Istisqa). The famine has been described by the word دخان (smoke) because, as the tradition goes, the hunger was so severe that people felt a sort of smoke hanging before their eyes. Or the word may have been used because there was no rain for a long time in Mecca, and the whole atmosphere had become dusty, for دخان also means dust.
The verse may also be taken as referring to the last two world wars in which towns and cities were burnt down to rubble and the smoke that rose from their ruins filled the whole atmosphere with smoke and dust.
2694
The reference may be to the severe famine that overtook Mecca and lasted for several years till Abu Sufyan, then a great leader of disbelief, came to the Holy Prophet and begged him to pray for deliverance from that terrible scourge. The famine is said to have been so severe that the Meccans ate hides, bones and even dead bodies (Bukhari, Kitabul-Istisqa’). The famine has been described by the word Dukhan (smoke), because, as the tradition goes, the hunger was so severe that people felt a sort of smoke hanging before their eyes. Or, the word may have been used because there was no rain for a long time in Mecca, and the whole atmosphere had become dusty, for, Dukhan also means dust (Lane). The verse may also be taken as referring to the last two World Wars in which towns and cities were burnt down to rubble and the smoke that rose from their ruins filled the whole atmosphere with smoke and dust.
يَغْشَى ٱلنَّاسَ ۖ هَٰذَا عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
رَّبَّنَا ٱكْشِفْ عَنَّا ٱلْعَذَابَ إِنَّا مُؤْمِنُونَ
7:135; 43:51.
7:135; 43:51.
7:135; 43:51.
c
7:135; 43:51.
a
7:135; 43:51.
c
7:135; 43:51.
أَنَّىٰ لَهُمُ ٱلذِّكْرَىٰ وَقَدْ جَآءَهُمْ رَسُولٌ مُّبِينٌ
Commentary:
The verse means to say that, now that the Meccans have been visited with Divine punishment, they cry that if it is removed, they would repent and reform. Their present show of humility, however, is only a temporary phase. There has come to them a great Prophet, whose whole life lay before them like an open book. They knew that he was honest, sincere, truthful and trusty. Yet they rejected such a paragon of truth and righteousness. What trust could then be placed in their word?
3706
Commentary:
The verse means to say that, now that the Meccans have been visited with Divine punishment, they cry that if it is removed, they would repent and reform. Their present show of humility, however, is only a temporary phase. There has come to them a great Prophet, whose whole life lay before them like an open book. They knew that he was honest, sincere, truthful and trusty. Yet they rejected such a paragon of truth and righteousness. What trust could then be placed in their word?
ثُمَّ تَوَلَّوْا۟ عَنْهُ وَقَالُوا۟ مُعَلَّمٌ مَّجْنُونٌ
37:37; 68:52.
37:37; 68:52.
15:7; 37:37; 68:52.
d
37:37; 68:52.
b
15:7; 37:37; 68:52.
a
37:37; 68:52.
إِنَّا كَاشِفُوا۟ ٱلْعَذَابِ قَلِيلًا ۚ إِنَّكُمْ عَآئِدُونَ
7:136; 43:51.
e
7:136; 43:51.
c
7:136; 43:51.
3707
Commentary:
According to a reliable tradition the Holy Prophet prayed and the famine was removed. But the Quraish did not benefit from it and continued to oppose Islam.
b
7:136; 43:51.
2695
According to reliable tradition the Holy Prophet prayed and the famine was removed. But the Quraish did not benefit by it and continued to oppose the holy Prophet.
أَمَّنْ هَٰذَا ٱلَّذِى يَرْزُقُكُمْ إِنْ أَمْسَكَ رِزْقَهُۥ ۚ بَل لَّجُّوا۟ فِى عُتُوٍّ وَنُفُورٍ
10:32; 34:25.
10:32; 34:25.
The reference may be to the terrible famine that held Mecca in its grip for several years till the Meccans begged the Holy Prophet to pray for their deliverance from the scourge. See also {2694}.
10:32; 34:25.
Commentary:
The reference may be to the terrible famine that held Mecca in its grip for several years till the Meccans begged the Holy Prophet to pray for their deliverance from the scourge. See also 44:13.
b
10:32; 34:25.
a
10:32; 34:25.
4300
Commentary:
The reference may be to the terrible famine that held Mecca in its grip for several years till the Meccans begged the Holy Prophet to pray for their deliverance from the scourge. See also 44:13.
b
10:32; 34:25.
3084
The reference may be to the terrible famine that held Mecca in its grip for several years till the Meccans begged the Holy Prophet to pray for their deliverance from the scourge. See also {2694}.
هَلْ أَتَىٰكَ حَدِيثُ ٱلْغَٰشِيَةِ
12:108.
Important Words:
الغاشیه (Overwhelming Calamity) is derived from غشی. They say غشیه i.e. it covered or overwhelmed him. غشی اللیل means, the night was dark. غاشیة means, an overwhelming calamity; a terrific misery (Lane).
Commentary:
The reference in the verse may be to the Judgement Day or to a terrific calamity that overtakes a people in this life, on account of their misdeeds. The severe famine that held Mecca in its grip for about seven years in the time of the Holy Prophet has also been referred to in the Quran as غاشیة (44:11-12). It was indeed a terrific calamity for the Meccans.
b
12:108.
1673
(a) 最后审判日或一次可怕的灾难。(b) 在穆圣时代困扰麦加约七年的严重饥荒在 «古兰经» 中也被称为势不可挡的灾难--------غَاشِيَة (Ghashiyah) (44:11-12)。
b
12:108.
4692
Important Words:
الغاشیه (Overwhelming Calamity) is derived from غشی. They say غشیه i.e. it covered or overwhelmed him. غشی اللیل means, the night was dark. غاشیة means, an overwhelming calamity; a terrific misery (Lane).
Commentary:
The reference in the verse may be to the Judgement Day or to a terrific calamity that overtakes a people in this life, on account of their misdeeds. The severe famine that held Mecca in its grip for about seven years in the time of the Holy Prophet has also been referred to in the Quran as غاشیة (44:11-12). It was indeed a terrific calamity for the Meccans.
b
12:108.
3327
(a) The Judgment Day or a terrific calamity. (b) The severe famine that held Mecca in its grip for about seven years in the time of the Holy Prophet has also been referred to in the Qur’an as Ghashiyah (44:11, 12).