Topic: Bestowed

26:194, 195.

See 2:90.

Important Words:

جبریل (Gabriel) is a compound word made up of جبر (גבך) which in Hebrew means a man or a mighty man or a hero, and ایل (א ל) which means God (Hebrew-English Lexicon by William Geseneus, Boston, 1836. Also see Bukhari, chap. onTafsir). The latter word occurs in many combinations (e.g. in the word Ishmael in Gen. 16:11 which means "God heareth" or "God has heard"). In Arabic, which is the mother of Hebrew, the word جبر means, mending a broken thing; giving a poor man so liberally as to make him well off; a brave man. The word ایل is either derived from the Arabic word الله (God) or from the root آل, the active participle from which is آئل meaning Controller or Ruler, i.e. God (Aqrab). Ibn ‘Abbas relates that the other name of جبریل is عبدالله i.e. the servant of God (Jarir), which is simply another rendering of the word جبریل. Thus the angel جبریل (Gabriel) is so called because he is the servant of God; he is the strong and brave servant of God; he looks after the repairing or reformation of the universe, he bestows God’s bounties on mankind and is a liberal giver.

In Islam جبریل has been described as the chief among the angels (Manthur) and was therefore selected by God to be the bearer of the Quranic message, the best and the last شریعة (Law) to descend from Heaven. Many commentators consider that جبریل (Gabriel) is synonymous with روح القدس (the Spirit of Holiness) spoken of in the Quran and the Hadith. Similarly, Gabriel has been spoken of as روح الامین (the Trusty Spirit) in the Quran (26:194).

Commentary:

The Jews had been invited to believe in the Quran, but they refused to accept it (v. 92 above) on the ground that it was said to have been brought by Gabriel while, according to them, the bearer of Divine Revelation was Michael, and not Gabriel (Musnad). The function of Gabriel, as we learn from the Bible, is to convey the messages of God to His servants (Dan. 8:16; 9:21; and Luke 1:19, 26. It is strange that Gabriel is mentioned in the Old Testament for the first time in Daniel and not earlier). The Quran, as the verse under comment points out, assigns the same function to Gabriel. But in some later writings of the Jews, he is described as "the angel of fire and thunder" (Enc. Bib. under Gabriel).

Such was the idea of the Jews in the days of the Holy Prophet. They looked upon Gabriel as an angel of wars, calamities and hardships (Jarir under 2:98). Muslim historians tell us that this idea had such a firm hold on the minds of the Jews that when they were told that the bearer of the Quranic revelation was Gabriel, they said: جبریل ذالك الذی ینزل بالحرب والقتال والعذاب- عدونا i.e. "Gabriel is the angel who is associated with war and bloodshed and punishment. He is our enemy." By saying this, they meant that they would not believe in a revelation brought by Gabriel (Musnad). The reason why the Jews bore enmity to Gabriel seems to be that they had fallen on evil days and as, according to them, Gabriel was the angel of war and punishment, therefore they ascribed their misfortunes to him. There is no doubt that the Talmudic traditions and the Targums were the origin of this notion which gained such a firm footing among Jews; otherwise originally the Bible declares Gabriel to be the angel of good tidings and of the Divine Word. It is evident that with the lapse of time legends and myths grew round the original truth, which was subsequently lost; and the Jews clung fast to their erroneous belief, which stood in the way of their accepting the Quran or, for that matter, any revelation coming through the agency of Gabriel.

The Quran has, in the verse under comment, brought forward four arguments in refutation of the Jewish plea for rejecting the Quran:

Firstly, that no angel can bring down any revelation unless he receives direct command from God. Hence the angel who brings the revelation, whether he is Gabriel or Michael or any other, is only a vehicle for the Divine Word; and even if Jewish tradition associates an angel with calamities, it cannot call into question the authority from which his message originates.

Secondly, that the revelation sent down to the Prophet of Islam is مصدق (in fulfilment) of the previous Books and in it all the prophecies about the promised Lawgiver contained in the earlier Scriptures find their fulfilment, which is a clear proof of its Divine origin.

Thirdly, that when it is practically established that the teachings of the Quran are a guidance for mankind, its acceptance becomes binding upon all right thinking men.

Fourthly, that the Quran contains teachings which, besides being right, are also بشری (bearers of glad tidings) to its followers and harbingers of God’s mercy and favours. Such revelation should not be rejected simply for the reason that it has been brought down by Gabriel.

39:7.

23:79; 67:24.

Commentary:

The verse makes a most moving appeal to the gratitude of man. It says that God has endowed him with faculties of sight, hearing and understanding so that by their proper use he might fulfil the great object of his creation. But it is a pity that he not only does not make proper use of these faculties for the attainment of this noble object but often misuses them and thus, instead of winning the pleasure of God, deserves and draws upon himself His punishment.

The verse continues the main theme of the chapter and gives one more argument in support of the need for Divinerevelation viz. that when man is born he is devoid of all kinds of knowledge but is endowed with the faculties of hearing, sight and understanding. With their help he gradually acquires knowledge of the physical world. He depends upon these Divine gifts for the acquisition of material knowledge but in the matter of spiritual knowledge he has the hardihood to deny the need of Divine guidance.

The words, that you might be grateful, point to the fact that the gifts of God as mentioned in this verse should have naturally led man to grateful appreciation of Divine grace, but instead they serve to make him proud and so deny the need of Divine assistance.

One point worthy of special note in this verse is that the faculties of hearing, seeing and understanding have been mentioned in the order in which they help man to acquire knowledge. Scientists have only recently discovered the fact that first of all a new-born child makes use of the power of hearing. The faculty of seeing develops later and the faculty of understanding is the last to mature. The fact that in many of the lower animals the eyes of the young remain closed for several days after birth confirms the above view. The fact that the Quran should have mentioned a physiological truth which was not generally known at the time of its revelation certainly constitutes an unanswerable argument in favour of its Divine origin.

16:79; 67:24.

Commentary:

One of the several meanings of شکر is to make proper use of a Divine gift (14:8). In view of this meaning of the word the verse would mean that God has given us ears, eyes and hearts that we may make proper use of them and benefit thereby materially and spiritually. He has given us eyes that we may observe His signs; He has given us ears that we may listen to the Divine Message and to the teaching and preaching of His Prophets and He has endowed us with understanding that we may seriously ponder over the arguments which heavenly Messengers give in support of their claims. About those who do not make a proper use of these great gifts the Quran says: "they have hearts but they understand not therewith and they have eyes but they see not therewith, and they have ears but they hear not therewith. They have degraded themselves to the level of beasts, they are more degraded than even cattle" (7:180).

Commentary:

The words 'on thy heart' have been added to indicate that the Quranic revelations were not merely inspired ideas which the Holy Prophet expressed in his own words but were the actual words of God Himself which descended upon the Prophet’s heart through the medium of Gabriel. The verse also implies reference to a famous prophecy of Moses (Deut. 18:18) in which it is stated that God would put His words in the mouth of the Prophet whom He would raise from among the brethren of the Israelites. Of all revealed scriptures, the Quran stands unique in this respect that from beginning to end it is the spoken Word of God (کلام اللّٰه).

The allusion in the words "on thy heart" may also be to the purity of the Holy Prophet’s heart and his perfect aptitude for receiving Divine revelation to which a beautiful reference has also been made in 24:36.

It may be noted in passing that Divine revelation descends, besides the heart, on the tongue and the ears. In 75:17 we have the words, "move not thy tongue with this revelation that thou mayest hasten to preserve it," which shows that revelation descends on the tongue also. The Holy Prophet is reported to have said: "Sometimes the angel takes the form of a man and talks to me and I remember what he says" (Bukhari). This hadith shows that revelation descends on the ears also. But the revelation which descends upon the tongue or the ear descends at the same time on the heart as well.

15:30; 38:73.

Important Words:

روحه (His spirit). روح is derived from راح, which means, he was brisk, lively, active; it became cool and pleasant. روحmeans, soul or spirit; the subtle substance in man which is the principle of vitality and of sensation, and of voluntary motion; the breath of life; Divine revelation or inspiration; the Quran; angel; joy and happiness; mercy (Lane). See also 4:172 & 16:3.

Commentary:

روح or spirit in the verse may signify the divine soul, or spirit, or that subtle and incomprehensible thing in man which distinguishes him from, and establishes his superiority over, the animal kingdom and invests him, so to say, with Divine attributes. The word, as given under "Important Words," may here also signify Divine revelation, particularly the Quran. The verse signifies that after the physical development of the embryo becomes complete in the womb, it receives a soul; or the meaning may be that, after the spiritual development of a man becomes complete, he receives Divine revelation.

6:7; 7:11.

11:9; 21:42.

Important Words:

أفئدة (hearts) is the plural of فؤاد which is derived from فاد. They say فادہ, i.e. he or it hit, struck, smote or hurt his فؤاد i.e. heart. فاد اللحم فی النار means, he roasted the flesh meat in the fire. فؤاد is synonymous with قلب both meaning heart, mind or intellect. In the Quran, too, both these words have been used synonymously. In 28:11, both the words have been used together, signifying the heart. It is the context which determines where any of these words is used in the sense of mind or heart. Some authors, however, make a distinction between فؤاد and قلب; the latter is said to have a more special signification than the former which is said to be the غشاء or the وعاء of the قلب or the middle or the interior thereof. They say طار فؤادہ i.e. his mind or intellect or courage tied (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

This verse also shows that the Adites were a very powerful and prosperous people. Their dominions extended over vast areas.

16:79; 23:79.

Commentary:

Disbelievers are told that God has given them eyes to see so that they might benefit from the signs He has shown in support of truth. He has given them ears to listen to the Divine Message. He has given them powers of mind that they might understand and realize the Divine Message. People do not make use of these God-given faculties and choose to welter in the quagmire of doubt; شکر (shukr) meaning to make proper use of a thing.