Topic: Punishment From

7:163.

Important Words:

رجز (a punishment) means: (1) filth; (2) punishment; (3) idol-worship (4) iniquity or sin (Aqrab).

من السماء (from heaven). For سماء see note on 2:20. As سماء means a "height" or "anything that is high above us", therefore the expression من السماء would mean "from on high" or "from God", implying that the punishment meted out to the Israelites was not brought about through earthly means but, as it were, descended from above.

Commentary:

This verse is a continuation of the previous one. God commanded the Israelites to behave submissively and to pray to Him for the forgiveness of their sins, but they, mischievous and arrogant as ever, disobeyed the injunctions given to them and changed the words of prayer taught by God, whereupon He chastised them with a punishment that was not of this earth, i.e. He visited them with a pestilence or plague that destroyed a number of them. Or the expression رجزا من السماء may mean that their disobedience recoiled on their own souls in the sense of moral degradation and filthiness of heart and mind.

The question of the word which the Israelites used in place of the one taught to them is immaterial. According to some, they used the word حبة or حنطة i.e. "give us corn to eat" instead of حطة i.e. "remove our sins" (Bukhari & Jarir). The words sound alike and afforded a playful opportunity to the mischief-minded among the Israelites. But as already said, the word substituted is not material. What matters is that they, i.e. many of them as the Quran hints, disobeyed the Lord and made religion a plaything. Hence the punishment.

2:211; 25:8.

Commentary:

The question, Why has not an angel been sent down to him, implies a desire on the part of the disbelievers to be visited by an angel whom they might see and be thus convinced of the divine mission of the Prophet. The Quran exposes their folly by replying that although the angels of God do come to the Prophet, yet when they visit disbelievers and are seen by them, they invariably come with Divine punishment. Such angels appeared at the Battle of Badr, when, to quote the expression of the Quran, the matter was decided (2:211). See also the succeeding verse.

2:60.

Commentary:

See note on 2:60.

16:78; 54:51.

33:64; 78:2; 79:43.

31:35; 43:86.

Important Words:

ایان مرساھا (when will it come to pass?) مرسی is derived from رسا. They say رساالجبل i.e. the mountain was firmly based or fixed upon the ground. رست السفینة means, the ship cast anchor and became stationary. مرسی is the noun-infinitive or a noun of time or a noun of place, meaning, the act of anchoring or the time or place of anchorage; or the time and place of becoming stationary; or of coming to pass. The expression ایان مرساھا means, when will it come to pass, or what is the time of its taking place; or when will it occur or happen? (Lane & Aqrab).

حفی (well acquainted) is derived from حفی which means, he walked barefooted; or his feet became chafed by walking much. حفی به means, he showed him much honour and kindness and affection; or he behaved towards him with solicitude and manifested joy and pleasure. حفی عنه means, he asked or inquired much respecting him; he exceeded the usual bounds in making much inquiry respecting him. So حفی means, showing much honour and solicitude and manifesting joy or pleasure at meeting another; asking or inquiring much respecting another’s state or condition; going to the utmost in asking or inquiring; or knowing in the utmost degree (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

The reference in the opening sentence of the verse is to 7:186. When the opponents of Islam were told that their hour had already drawn near, they inquired of the Prophet the exact time when the promised hour would come. The awarding of punishment is as painful to God as the receiving of it is to men, and this is the meaning of the words, It lies heavy on the heavens and the earth. The word "heavens" here represents God and angels, while the word "earth" represents human beings.

The word حفی signifies (1) importunate in inquiring; or (2) well acquainted. The sentence would thus mean: (1) They ask thee concerning the exact time when the hour of their punishment will come to pass, as if thou wert repeatedly inquiring of God as to its time of occurrence; or (2) they ask thee about the time of the "Hour", as if thou wert well acquainted with it. In both these cases the clause would imply that the Holy Prophet neither knew when the "Hour" would come to pass nor was he very solicitous about it.

Commentary:

This was the prayer which Abu Jahl, the leader of the disbelievers, offered to God at Badr and it was accepted. He prayed on that memorable day that God might destroy him and his party if the Prophet was in the right (Bukhari, ch. on Tafsir). Strange to say, not only were Abu Jahl and his companions punished at Badr by God but, as prayed for by Abu Jahl, even stones were rained down upon them; for, when at the throwing of a handful of pebbles by the Holy Prophet (8:18), there arose a strong wind, it literally rained upon the disbelieving host hard pebbles from the desert.

15:75.

51:34.

Important Words:

سجیل (stones of clay) is derived from سجل (sajjala) which is again derived from سجل (sajala). They say سجل القرآن (sajjalal-Quran) i.e. he read or recited the Quran continuously.

سجل القاضی (sajjalal-Qadi) means, the judge decided judicially and recorded the sentence in his record. سجل به means, he threw it from above. سجیل means, stones like lumps of dry or tough clay; stones of clay. The Quranic words mean, stones of clay which had been written or decreed for them that they should be punished therewith (Lane & Aqrab).

منضود (layer upon layer) is derived from نضد which means, he put goods or commodities one upon another, or he put or set them together in regular order; he put them one upon another or side by side compactly or he set them together in regular order (Lane).

Commentary:

It appears that the people of Lot were destroyed by a terrible earthquake. Violent earthquakes often turn parts of the earth upside down and fragments of earth fly off into the air and then fall down.

The expression, layer upon layer, suggests that the earthquake shocks were repeated over some length of time.

37:8; 41:13.

Commentary:

In v. 10 the Quran speaks of the "guarding of the heavenly Exhortation," and in the verse under comment it speaks of the "guarding of the heavens" themselves. So the question arises here, what connection is there between the guarding of the heavenly Exhortation and the guarding of the heavens themselves, and why is it that immediately after speaking of the guarding of the heavenly Exhortation, the Quran speaks of the guarding of the heavens. From a study of the Quran it appears that it claims and repeatedly points to a strong resemblance between the physical and the spiritual systems of the world and, in order to bring home to the reader its various spiritual lessons, the Quran repeatedly draws his attention to the physical system of the world.

The denizens of this earth see over their heads a sky set with stars which do their work regularly in their respective spheres and none has the power to make the least change in this great system of nature, for it has been made secure by God. The Quran repeatedly refers to this system as an illustration of the spiritual heavens above us and it is for this very purpose that the celestial system has been referred to in the verse under comment. It is pointed out that just as the physical system of the heavens has been established on strong foundations, similarly, the spiritual system has been laid on solid foundations, and, like the physical heavens, the spiritual heavens are also divided into various spheres. There can beabsolutely no interference in the higher spheres of the spiritual heavens, but in the lowest sphere there may be an attempt at some interference; but it, too, has been fortified with spiritual stars which guard it against any real interference.

Just as the physical heavens are sustained by the physical stars, similarly, the spiritual heavens are sustained by the spiritual stars. Nay, just as the physical heavens mean the sum total of stars which also serve as an adornment for them, similarly, the spiritual heavens are the sum total of the spiritual stars and the latter also serve as an ornament for them. Again, just as the physical stars serve to protect the physical heavens, for they are their component parts, and if they are in any way upset, the whole system will thereby be upset, similarly, the spiritual stars serve to protect the spiritual heavens and if they are disturbed in any way the whole spiritual system will be disturbed. Hence it is that if anyone seeks to disturb the working of the spiritual stars, he is visited with punishment from God i.e. "fire" and "stones" rain upon him, as is clear from the word رجوما (stoning) in 67:6 and the word شھاب (flame) in the following verse.

The spiritual system has been compared to the physical system in other verses of the Quran also. In 33:47, for instance, the Holy Prophet has been likened to the sun, thus indicating that as the sun is the central figure in the physical system, so is the Holy Prophet the central figure in the spiritual realm; he is like the sun in the firmament of Prophets who are like so many stars and moons as compared with him. On a smaller scale, the Holy Prophet is also like the sun among his Companions, whom he likened to stars. He is reported to have said: "My Companions are like so many stars; whichever of them you follow, you will be rightly guided" (Saghir).

The analogy between the two systems, physical and spiritual, is brought out clearly in chapter 12, where Joseph is spoken of as having seen in a vision eleven stars along with the sun and the moon making obeisance to him (12:5). The interpretation of this vision by Joseph himself showed that the sun and the moon in his vision represented his parents and the eleven stars his eleven brethren.

In the verse under comment, the Quran refers to the solar system in order to illustrate how the protection of the Quran promised in verse 10 is to be effected. We are here told that just as in the material universe there is a sky (which is another name for the whole body of stars), similarly, in the spiritual universe there are various Prophets who form the spiritual heaven. Again, as each star serves as an ornament for the physical heaven and is guarding it by means of gravitation and other means, which are perhaps yet unknown to man, similarly, every Prophet is an ornament for the spiritual heaven and helps to guard it. Each Prophet appeared when his presence was really needed and every one of them had a definite task to perform which he alone could do. Similarly, every Prophet helped to guard the spiritual heaven, and served the Word of God, demonstrating its true nature as well as its holy influence in his own person and in the persons of his followers. Moreover, each Prophet fought and routed those wicked people who sought to distort the Word of God, and, as it were, fell upon them like fire and stones and frustrated their designs.

The verse also points out that just as in the physical world satans, i.e. evil persons, exercise some sort of power or influence, and can cause a certain amount of injury to man but possess no power in the heavens, being unable to deprive men of heavenly blessings such as light and air and the wholesome influence of the stars, etc., similarly, in the spiritual world, satans have no control over the Prophets and their true followers (v. 43). Again, just as satans have no power over the blessings which come from the physical heavens, similarly the blessings that are manifested through the spiritual heavens (i.e. Prophets), such as Divine revelation and heavenly signs, are beyond the control of satans. This is how the verse under comment explains verse 10.

The word رجیم (rejected) signifies that such persons will be driven away from the truth and will not be able to accept Islam. Surely, those disbelievers who seek to attain salvation independently of the Prophets of God and do not follow the way which has been prescribed by Him are kept away from the truth and never accept it.

Finally, it must be noted that by the word "satan" in this verse is not meant the forces of evil which serve as a trial for men. Here the word stands for any person who wishes to make spiritual progress independently of the ways revealed by God. As Satan wished to act independently of Adam and refused to obey him, so any person who seeks to attain salvation without following the Prophets of God is called a satan on account of his likeness to Iblis. The preceding verses speak of disbelievers (vv. 14-16); so the word "satan" in the verse under comment refers to such disbelievers as refuse to obey the Prophets and desire to attain union with God independently of them. Against such the spiritual heavens have indeed been guarded, and the doors of God’s nearness are closed against them.

10:109; 39:42.

6:165; 35:19; 39:8; 53:39.

28:60.

Commentary:

This verse further explains the purport of the previous verse. It shows that man himself benefits by his good deeds or suffers the evil consequences of his bad deeds. So whatever he does, he does for or against his own self. A murderer, in fact, murders his own self, and a thief steals his own property. Similarly when a man does good to another person, in reality he does good to himself.

Christian theological writers sometimes quote this verse in support of the doctrine that Jesus took upon himself, and suffered for, the sins of man. They argue that according to this verse a sinner cannot bear the sins of another person, but Jesus, being sinless, could and did bear other people’s sins. Without entering here into the sinlessness or otherwise of Jesus, it may be pointed out that what the verse means is only this, that man himself and no one else in his place can suffer the consequences of his actions. He has to bear his own cross; none else shall answer for him. Punishment or reward is no external thing but is another name for the consequences of man’s actions, and it is evident that where the seed is sown only there does it bear fruit. So when punishment or reward proceeds from within the doer himself, how can any other person share it with him or be responsible for it?

The verse under comment thus lends no support to the Christian doctrine of Atonement; on the contrary, it refutes and contradicts it. The Christian doctrine is based on the assumption that punishment is something external and therefore one person can atone for the sins of another person. The present verse clearly refutes this unnatural idea.

In order to meet this objection Christians hold Hell to be a material thing. It is clearly unreasonable to believe that Hell is a material thing and Heaven spiritual. Either both are material or both spiritual. If Hell is spiritual then there is no sense in one person bearing the punishment of another. No person can share the regret, grief, anger, etc., of another, because all these things take their birth within man himself and are the result of his own deeds. He can become relieved of the punishment of his deeds only when he brings about death over his baser self and a complete and genuine change takes place in him through repentance and remorse.

The verse also explains another divine law viz. God does not send down destructive punishment upon a people unless He has first raised a Warner among them. This law has also been expressly laid down in vv. 67:9, 10; 39:72; 35:38 & 28:60.

The truth of these verses has been remarkably demonstrated in our own generation. The world has seen pestilences, famines, wars, earthquakes and other calamities of unprecedented severity and unparalleled magnitude in such rapid succession as to embitter human life. But before these calamities and catastrophes visited the earth God raised in the person of Ahmad, the Promised Messiah, a Warner who warned mankind of the impending tribulation.

God’s purpose in raising His Messengers and sending down punishment when people reject and oppose them is that they should listen to their admonitions and reform themselves. See also 4:166; 24:48; 35:38; 39:72 & 67:9-10.

Commentary:

Disbelievers mockingly told the Holy Prophet, that, if he could not bring to them any of the good things which they demanded he might as well cause the sky to fall upon them or let God and His angels destroy them.

27:59.

Important Words:

رجزا (punishment) is infinitive-noun from رجز (rajaza) and means, punishment; dirt or filth; iniquity or sin; idol worship, etc. (Aqrab). See also 2:60.

28:82.

16:34; 30:10.

Commentary:

Whereas separate mention has been made in the few preceding verses of the peoples of the five great Prophets of God (Hud, Salih, Lot, Shu‘aib and Moses), the manner in which they treated their Prophets and of the Divine punishment that overtook them on account of their wicked behaviour, the present verse deals collectively with the different forms of punishment. The Quran has used different words and expressions to describe the punishment which overtook the opponents of the various Prophets in their respective times. The punishment that came upon ‘Ad, is described as ریحا صرصراi.e. furious wind (41:17; 54:20 & 69:7) and الریح العقیم i.e. destructive wind (51:42); that which overtook Thamud, as رجفة i.e. earthquake (7:79), صیحة i.e. blast (11:68; 54:32), صاعقة i.e. thunderbolt (41:18) and طاغیة i.e. violent blast (69:5); that which destroyed the people of Lot as حجارة من سجیل i.e. stones of clay (11:83; 15:75), صیحة and حاصبا i.e. storm of stones (54:35); and that which overtook Midian, the people of Shu‘aib as رجفة i.e. earthquake (7:92; 29:38), صیحة i.e. blast (11:95), and عذاب یوم الظلة i.e. punishment of the day of overshadowing doom (26:190). Last of all the heavenly punishment which seized Pharaoh and his mighty hosts and his courtiers, Haman and Korah and destroyed them root and branch has been described by the expressions أغرقنا i.e. We drowned them (2:51; 7:137 & 17:104) and خسفنا به i.e. We made the earth swallow him up (28:82).

A careful study of these words shows that some of them, particularly حاصب ، صیحة ، صاعقة ، رجفة and طاغیة are interchangeable and possess almost analogous significance and meaning. See also 11:68.

6:66; 17:69; 67:17-18.

Commentary:

The verse under comment continues the theme of the preceding verses and purports to say that there are evident signs in the heavens and the earth which constitute an unmistakable evidence of the fast approaching triumph of Islam and the downfall and disgrace of disbelievers. The words "We will make the earth sink with them" refer to the signs of the earth; and the words "or cause to fall upon them a portion of the heaven" allude to heavenly signs. Undoubtedly, the manner in which the forces of darkness and disbelief were put to rout in their combat against Islam showed that the victory of Islam was due solely to Divine help and succour which came to Muslims in the nick of time.

6:92; 22:75.

21:105.

Commentary:

The word یمین signifying power and strength, the verse refers to the great power and majesty of God and purports to say that nothing is more derogatory to His great attributes than that idols, made of wood and stone, or weak human beings, should be worshipped.

46:25.

Commentary:

In the two previous verses disbelievers were warned that Divine punishment was about to overtake them. But such is their state of utter heedlessness and false sense of security (says the verse) that they do not benefit by the timely Divine warning, so that even if they see a piece of the sky actually falling upon them, they would deceive themselves by considering it as a piece of God’s mercy in the form of 'piled-up clouds.' The disbelievers go so far as to challenge the Prophet to "cause a portion of the sky to fall upon us if thou art truthful" (26:188).

69:17; 84:2.

Commentary:

What a graphic picture of the threatened punishment!

15:17; 37:7; 41:13; 50:7.

15:18; 37:11.

Commentary:

For a detailed note on the subject, briefly stated in this verse, see 15:17-19.

The word السماء (heaven) may also signify the spiritual firmament and مصابیح (lamps) Divinely inspired teachers and Reformers and شیاطن may mean satanic people.