Topic: Horses (Khail)

18:47; 57:21.

3:186; 9:38; 10:71.

Important Words:

الشھوات (desired things) is the plural of شھوة being derived from شھا. They say شھاہ i.e. he desired it; he desired it eagerly and intensely; he longed for it. شھوة means: (1) desire, or intense desire or longing for a thing; (2) the thing desired, or the object of desire. Sometimes the word is used in a bad sense indicating a low desire or gratification of venereal lust (Aqrab & Lane).

القناطیر (heaps) & مقنطرة (stored-up) are both derived from قنطر. They say قنطر الرجل i.e. the man possessed, or came into possession of, great wealth. قنطر الشیء means, he tied up the thing, or he vaulted it. قناطیر is the plural of قنطار meaning, heaped-up wealth. It also signifies a measure varying in weight and value at different times and in different countries. مقنطرة when added to قناطیر intensifies the meaning, pointing to the greatness of heaped-up wealth. It also means, collected together or stored-up, giving also the sense of completeness and perfection (Aqrab & Lane).

Commentary:

The verse enumerates some of the things of this world which engross man’s attention and often turn him away from God. These are particularly the things to the acquisition of which men, more specially in Christian countries, have applied their time and energy. As already pointed out, it is the Christians that are chiefly addressed in this Surah. Islam does not prohibit the use, or even the seeking, of the good things of this world; but it certainly condemns the action of those who become engrossed in them and make them the very object of their life. Elsewhere the Quran refers to the Christian people as "those whose efforts are all lost in the life of this world" (18:105).

As to the question, who is the "beautifier" referred to in the clause, beautified for men, it may be noted that though the natural beauty in all things comes from God, yet here the "beautifier" is Satan, for in the present verse the question is not of "simple beauty" but of "engrossing beauty", not simply of the desired things of the world but of the abnormal love for them; and it is certainly Satan who endows the things of this world with engrossing beauty and creates in the hearts of men special love for them. God is only the Beautifier of good deeds and good things, and the Creator, in the heart of man, of dislike for evil ones (49:8, also 16:64).

8:61.

Important Words:

صابروا (strive to excel in steadfastness) is derived from صبر which means he was patient or steadfast; or he exercised restraint over himself; or he bore hardships with patience. صابرہ means, he excelled him in patience or steadfastness; he excelled him in patiently bearing hardships; he vied with him in patience or steadfastness (Lane & Aqrab).

رابطوا (be on your guard) is derived from ربط meaning, he tied or bound or made fast a thing; he tied or bound a beast with a rope in order that it might not run away and be kept handy. ربط جأشه means, he strengthened or fortified his heart. ربط الله علی قلبهmeans, God strengthened his heart with patience and steadfastness. رابط الامر means, he kept or applied himself constantly or assiduously to the thing or affair. رابط الفریقان means, the two parties tied their horses at their respective frontiers, each in preparation for the other. رابطوا would therefore mean, persevere in fighting against your enemy; or tie your horses in readiness at the frontier; or keep post or remain at the frontier of the enemy in preparation; or apply yourselves constantly and assiduously to the obligations of your religion; or be mindful of the times of Prayer (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

The verse, which is the last of the present Surah, is important and mentions the essential means for the attainment of national goal. Taken in the physical sense, it signifies that in order to attain their goal, Muslims should not only be patient and steadfast and make greater sacrifices than their opponents, but should always be on their guard and should particularly be watchful about strengthening their frontiers. Taken in the spiritual sense, the injunctions contained in the verse would mean that Muslims should not only hold fast to their religion and faithfully act upon its teachings, but should also zealously carry the Message of Islam to non-Muslims and establish missions in their countries, at the same time vigorously defending themselves against all their attacks. The reference particularly is to the Christian people who have proved to be the most bitter enemies of Islam.

The five requisites of success mentioned in the verse are: (1) exercise of absolute patience and steadfastness absolutely; (2) showing greater patience and greater steadfastness than the enemy; (3) applying constantly and assiduously to the service of religion and community; (4) keeping vigilant watch at the frontiers, both for the purposes of defence and attack; and (5) leading lives of righteousness and fearing God. Ah, what a panacea for the ills of Islam, but how woefully neglected.

Important Words:

ثبات (separate parties) is derived from ثبی and not from ثبت as some wrongly suppose. They say ثبی الشیء i.e. he collected the thing and added to it. ثبوت له خیرا means, I mentioned his qualities one after the other. ثبة of which ثبات is plural means, a company or body of men; a distinct body or company of men; a troop of horsemen; the place where water collects in a valley or ground (Lane & Aqrab).

حذر (precautions). The verb حذر means, he was cautious or vigilant or on his guard; he took care; he prepared himself against; he feared. حذر means, caution or precaution; vigilance; guard; state of preparation; or of fear (Lane). The word extends to all kinds of precautions and preparations necessary for defence, and has been taken to include the putting on of weapons of defence.

Commentary:

The Muslims are warned to be always vigilant and on their guard and in a perfect state of preparation even when they march out in force. The verse may also be taken in the figurative sense, applying to missionary and cultural activities.

8:75; 9:88, 111; 61:12.

Commentary:

Muslims are here commanded to march forth in the way of God, allowing no worldly consideration or impediment to prevent them from doing so. The words خفافا و ثقالا (light and heavy) have several meanings, i.e. whether you are young or old; alone or in parties; on foot or on horseback; with sufficient arms and provisions or with insufficient arms and provisions or with insufficient equipment and scanty provisions, etc.

36:73; 40:81; 43:13.

Commentary:

The word زینة (as a source of beauty) literally meaning ornament, is here used in the sense of splendour and pomp. This meaning is in keeping with the significance of the words, that you ride them, thus hinting that their beauty lies in their being used as a means of conveyance. The animals mentioned in this verse are those that are used in warfare and serve to show the power and might of a people in opposition to the enemy.

In this and the preceding three verses, the Quran speaks of two kinds of things created for the good of man: (1) those that are of use to him in his private life; (2) those that serve his political ends. These things have been created to serve the following six purposes; (a) to protect man from the inclemency of weather; (b) to provide him with food; (c) to bring him honour and glory; (d) to carry his burdens; (e) to be used as a means of personal conveyance; and (f) to serve as a source of strength and power for him.

The verse purports to say that when God has taken so much care to provide for the above six physical and material needs of man, the idea cannot be entertained for a single moment that He should have neglected to make a similar provision for his spiritual needs. The verse also hints that although man exacts work from other creatures in spite of the fact that he is not their creator, he denies God (Who does not derive any benefit from him) the right to reform and guide him to a stage where he should constitute an evidence of His Holiness and Sanctity and a means of His glorification.

The expression, And He will create what you do not yet know, embodies a prophecy that God will bring into existence new means of conveyance which were yet unknown to man. This prophecy has been wonderfully fulfilled by the discovery of comfortable and ever-increasing means of conveyance such as railway trains, steamships, motor cars, aeroplanes, etc. God only knows what new means of conveyance are yet to be discovered by man.

As against the six physical objects enumerated above, the six spiritual characteristics that the word of God must possess are the following:

(1) It should protect man from the evil effects of heat and cold, i.e. it should guard him against extremes in everything. Absence of the love of God may be called cold in religious terminology and abusing or persecuting in the name of religion those who differ from us in their views and compelling them to subscribe to our views against their will may represent heat. The word of God inspires man with His love on the one hand and on the other enjoins its followers to be tolerant towards those who hold views different from theirs.

(2) It should serve the purpose of spiritual food, i.e. it should contain all those elements which develop and strengthen the spiritual faculties of man. It should inculcate teachings which tend to suppress and subdue his evil inclinations and propensities and inspire him with spiritual strength and vigour.

(3) It should be a source of beauty and glory i.e. those who act upon it should appear beautiful and dignified in the eyes of others. Their compatriots should feel and admit that the word of God has worked a great revolution in their lives.

(4) It should bear man’s burdens, i.e. it should make him realize his duties and responsibilities and, by freeing him from the shackles of superstitious customs and usages, should enable him to achieve true liberty.

(5) It should serve as a means of conveyance, i.e. it should help man speedily to attain nearness to his Creator by understanding and realizing His attributes, and should save him from a long and fatiguing spiritual journey.

(6) It should impart vigour and strength to man, i.e. by acting upon it, its followers should lead a respectable and honourable life in both worlds, their organization should become strong, and they should win the esteem and regard of nations by living up to their ideals and teachings.

These are the six essential qualities which the word of God must possess and without which it forfeits the title of being called Divine.

7:18.

4:121; 14:23.

Important Words:

استفزز (entice thou) is derived from فز which means, he was or became frightened. استفزmeans, it (fear) excited him to lightness, unsteady-ness; or it unsettled him; he incited or excited him to be promptly obedient and submissive to him; he deceived or beguiled him so as to cast him into destruction; he expelled him from his land; he slew him. The Quranic expression واستفزز من استطعت منھم بصوتک means, and excite thou to lightness and unsteadiness or unsettle thou whom thou canst with thy voice. And the expression وان کادوا لیستفزونک من الارض means, and verily they were near to unsettling thee from the land or, some say, they were near to frightening thee so as to excite thee to promptness of flight from the land (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

This verse shows that man is by nature good. It is only when he falls a victim to satanic influences that he gives up the path of virtue for the ways of sin and iniquity. This Islamic conception of human nature is in striking contrast with that of Christianity according to which man is evil by nature and Jesus alone can redeem him from his original sin.

The verse describes the three kinds of devices that are adopted by the sons of darkness to entice men away from the right way: (1) They try to intimidate the poor and the weak by holding out threats of violence to them. This is the significance of the words, And entice…with thy voice. (2) They use more drastic measures against those who are not frightened away by verbal threats of violence by forming alliances against them and making a concerted attack upon them and persecuting and oppressing them in every way. This is the sense of the words, urge against them thy horsemen and footmen. (3) They seek to entice away the powerful and the more influential among the followers of a Prophet by offering to make them their leaders if only they give up his cause.

All these measures and stratagems have been adopted by the enemies of truth against the Prophets of God and their followers throughout the ages. But they have never succeeded in arresting or retarding the progress of truth.

38:19-20.

Important Words:

یوزعون (formed into separate groups) is derived from وزع. They say وزع فلانا او بفلان i.e. he hindered or led or drove such a one and restrained him, and he incited or urged him with such a one. وزع الجیش means, he stopped the first part of the army so that their last part may join them. They say رأیته یزع الجیش i.e. I saw that he was arranging the soldiers in proper order and placing them in rows. وزع المال بینھم (wazza’a) means, he distributed the property among them. أوزع اللّٰه فلانا means, God inspired such a one. الاوزاع means, parties; companies (Aqrab). Thus according to the different significations of the root word, the Quranic expression فھم یوزعون would mean, they were formed into separate groups or classes; (2) they were hindered from cruel and tyrannous acts; (3) they marched like an ordered and disciplined army; and (4) their first part was stopped so that their last part might join them. These words show that Solomon had a well-trained and disciplined army which had several separate and distinct departments.

طیر (birds) is the plural of طائر which is active participle from طار which means, it flew or moved in the air by means of wings. طیر besides meaning "birds" may also apply to swift animals such as horses, etc. طیار (tayyar) which is an intensive form of طائر signifies a sharp-spirited and quick-footed horse that runs so fast that it seems to be flying (Lane). See also 3:50; 7:132 & 17:14.

جن (jinn) is derived from جن (janna). جنه means, it concealed, veiled, covered or protected him. جن means, the darkness of night or its intense darkness; such beings as keep aloof from the people as if remaining concealed, i.e. big people (Lane). Jinn in the present verse may represent mountain or wild people who had not till then been subjugated.

Commentary:

The verse under comment should be read along with 21:83; 34:13 & 38:38. It seems to refer to the military personnel of Solomon’s army. The three words جن (jinn), انس (men) and طیر (birds) may represent three departments of his army. In the present verse and in 34:13, the word جن (jinn) has been used to represent a particular section of the army while in 21:83 & 38:38, the word شیاطین has been used to represent the same class. It seems that Solomon had subdued and subjugated some wild tribes, this approximately being the sense of both the words جن and شیاطین who formed an integral part of his army and did sundry other difficult tasks for him.

The word طیر denoting swift-footed horses may represent Solomon’s cavalry. This meaning of the word finds corroboration in 38:32-34 where Solomon has been stated to possess great love for horses. Thus whereas جن (jinn) and انس(men) represented two sections of Solomon’s infantry, طیر (birds) stood for his cavalry. But if طیر may be taken to mean 'birds' then it would signify birds which Solomon employed for carrying messages. Thus they also formed a very useful and necessary adjunct to his army.

But these three words may also have been used in a metaphorical sense signifying respectively "big men," "ordinary men" and "highly spiritual men." In this sense of the words the verse would mean that while on military expeditions Solomon had all these three classes of men with him because they all had their usefulness.

Important Words:

صافنات (steeds) is the plural of صافنة which is fem. of صافن which is active participle from صفن. They say صفن الفرس i.e. the horse stood on three legs, the hoof of the fourth slightly touching the ground. صافن means, a horse standing upon three legs and the extremity of the hoof of the fourth leg. Standing in this posture is considered to be the peculiarity of Arabian breed which are regarded as the best bred horses. The word صافن would therefore mean, horses of the noblest breed (Lane & Aqrab).

جیاد (swift-footed horses) is the plural of جواد which is derived from جاد. They say جاد الفرس i.e. the horse became swift-footed. جاد فی عدوہ means, he became swift and excellent. فرس جواد means, a quick-footed horse (Lane & Aqrab).

Important Words:

عن (because) is a preposition and as such it has several meanings:

1. It denotes transition as in the saying سافرت عن البلد i.e. I journeyed from the town.

2. It denotes compensation as in the verse لاتجزی نفس عن نفس شیئاً i.e. no soul shall serve as a substitute for another soul (2:49).

3. It denotes superiority i.e. being synonymous with علی as in the verse فانـما یبخل عن نفسه i.e. And whoso is niggardly, is niggardly only against his own soul or is niggardly only to himself (47:39).

4. It denotes a cause as in the verse under comment and also in the verse وما نـحن بتارکی آلـھتنا عن قولك i.e. we are not going to forsake our gods because of thy saying (11:54).

5. It is synonymous with بعد (after) as in the verse لترکبن طبقا عن طبق, meaning حالة بعد حالة i.e. you will surely pass on from one stage to another (84:20).

6. It is also synonymous with من (from) as in the verse الذی یقبل التوبة عن عبادہ i.e. He it is Who accepts repentance from His servants (42:26).

7. It has the same sense as ب (by or with) as in the verse وما ینطق عن الـھوی i.e. nor does he speak with the desire of self-gratification (53:4).

8. It denotes the using of a thing as an aid or instrument as in the saying: رمیت عن القوس i.e. I shot with or by means of the bow (Lane).

Commentary:

God had bestowed upon Solomon power and wealth. He ruled over a vast kingdom and, therefore, he had to keep a strong army. Naturally, he had a great liking for horses of good breed because cavalry formed a strong wing of his army which was so necessary to guard and protect his God-given and far-flung kingdom—a great stronghold of truth and righteousness. So Solomon’s love for horses was not that of a race-goer or a professional breeder of horses. It only sprang from his love for his Creator as the horses were used for fighting in the cause of God.

Important Words:

أفاء (given as spoils) is transitive verb from فاء which means, he returned, particularly he returned to a good state or condition. أفاته means, I made it to return. فییء means, afternoon shade; spoil or booty, so called because it returns from one party without difficulty; such of the possessions of disbelievers as accrue to Muslims without war or such as are obtained from them after laying down of arms. Loosely, the three words نفل and غنیمة and فییء are used synonymously. But whereas according to some غنیمة signifies, what is obtained from disbelievers by force during war, فییء signifies, what is obtained from them after laying down of arms or what God has given to Muslims of the goods of disbelievers such as poll-tax and that for which peace has been made with them or which they acquire without difficulty. According to some authorities غنیمة is more general in signification than نفل, and فییء is more so than غنیمة. According to the lawyers everything that may be lawfully taken of the property and goods of disbelievers is فییء. Thus غنیمة is that which is acquired with or without difficulty or labour, before or after the victory and نفل is that which is had before the division of غنیمة or which is acquired without fighting, and it differs from فییء in this respect that whereas فییء is applied to the spoil from the disbelievers after they have made preparation for war against Muslims, this condition does not apply to نفل (Lane & Aqrab).

رکاب (camels) is derived from رکب. They say رکب الدابة او علی الدابة i.e. he rode upon the beast. رکاب means camels used for riding. It has no proper singular; the word used for singular is راحلة. رکاب السحاب means, the winds (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

The verse may have special reference to the spoils the Muslims got from the Jews of Khaibar. See next verse also.

Important Words:

العادیات (the chargers) is the plural of عادیة which is fem. act. part. from عدا which means, he ran vehemently.

عدا علیه means, he attacked or assaulted him. عادیات means, companies of warriors; horses or chargers of the warriors (Lane & Aqrab).

ضبحاً (snorting) is derived from ضبح which means, he or it uttered a sound or cry. They say ضبحت الخیل فی العدو i.e. the horses breathed pantingly or hard with a sound from the chest when running fast, or breathed hard or laboriously when running a race and fatigued; they snorted. ضبح (dabhun) is a kind of race of the animals, particularly of the horses; the sound coming out of the chest of a horse when it runs fast and breathes laboriously; running of the horse with long strides. (Lane & Mufradat).

Commentary:

How dear to God must be those fighters who wage relentless war against the forces of evil that He has sworn by them or even by their horses. The verse speaks volumes for the zeal and enthusiasm of the Companions of the Holy Prophet to fight and give up their lives in the way of God. It says that they march to the field of battle with extreme delight and zeal to score a victory or be killed in the way of Allah and thus obtain His pleasure which is their most coveted goal in life. The verse also refers admiringly to the swiftness of movement of their chargers and the suddenness of their assault.

The verse was revealed in Mecca at a time when Muslims had no horses. In the Battle of Badr, there were only two horses with the Muslim army, one belonging to Miqdad and the other to Zubair. The verse, in fact, constituted a prophecy that soon the Muslims will have horses. It also was a command to them to have cavalry along with infantry.