Topic: Allah And

7:159; 48:15.

51:13; 74:47; 82:18, 19; 83:7.

Important Words:

مالك (Master) is derived from ملك.They say ملك الشیء meaning: he owned the thing and possessed the right of doing with it what he liked. ملك القوم means: he gained complete dominion over the people. ملك (malak) which, according to some authorities, is derived from the same root, means 'an angel.' ملك (malik) means: king or ruler. مالك means: master or one who possesses the right of ownership over a thing and has the power to deal with it as one likes (Aqrab).

یوم (Day) means (1) time absolutely, whether day or night, short or long; (2) day from sunrise till sunset; (3) present time or now; (4) ایام اللّٰه means, God’s favours and punishments (Aqrab & Lane). The Quran says: Verily a day with thy Lord is as a thousand years of what you reckon (22:48). At another place (70:5) the Quran uses the word to indicate fifty thousand years. At yet another place the Quran says: الیوم اکملت لکم دینکم i.e. Now have I perfected your religion for you (5:4). Here الیوم simply means 'now.'

دین (Judgement) is derived from دان. They say دانه meaning: he rewarded or recompensed him; he became his master and set him to any task he liked; he judged him; he obeyed him. دان بالاسلام means: he adopted Islam as his religion (Aqrab). Thus the word دین is used in several different senses, e.g. (1) recompense or requital; (2) judgement or reckoning; (3) dominion or government; (4) obedience; (5) religion (Lane). The word has been used in the Quran in all these different senses: see 37:54; 24:3; 12:77; 5:4; 4:126.

Commentary:

Generally, this verse is understood to mean that God is the Master of the Day of Judgement. But it has a wider significance; for although the last and the perfect reckoning will take place on the Day of Judgement, the process of requital is going on even in this life. In its wider significance, therefore, the verse would mean that God, Master of the Day of Judgement, is also Master of the period and process of reckoning in this life as well as in the next. There is, however, one difference. In this life human actions are often also judged and rewarded by other men—kings, rulers, superiors, etc.; and there is, therefore, always the possibility of error. On the Day of Judgement, however, the mastery of God will be exclusive and absolute and the work of requital will lie entirely in His hands. There will be no error, no undue punishments, and no undue rewards. The verse points out that in spite of the fact that God is the Master of the time of requital, both in this world and the world to come, He has been spoken of in this verse as the Master of the Day of Judgement so that it may be emphasized that on the Day of Judgement He will be the Sole Master.

The use of the word مالك (Master) in the verse is also intended to point to the fact that God is not like a judge who is bound to give his judgement strictly in accordance with a prescribed law. But, being Master, He can forgive and show mercy wherever and in whatever manner He may like.

The use of the word "Master" thus serves a twofold purpose. On the one hand, it encourages a person who has, in a moment of weakness, committed a sin, not to despair because God, being his Master, has the power to forgive. On the other hand, it serves as a warning against taking undue advantage of God’s mercy. For if as God, the Master could, and no doubt would, forgive, He would also hate to see His servants degraded by sin. God, the Master, inspires man both with hope and with fear, and this is essential for man’s spiritual progress and development.

The four attributes of God, i.e. (1) رب العالمین (Lord of all the worlds); (2) الرحمن (Gracious); (3) الرحیم (Merciful) and (4) مالك یوم الدین (Master of the Day of Judgement) mentioned in verses 2-4 are fundamental. The other attributes only explain and serve as a sort of commentary upon these four attributes, which are like four pillars on which the Throne of the Almighty rests.

The order in which these four attributes have been mentioned here throws light on how God manifests His attributes to men. It is obvious that the first divine attribute to manifest itself to man is that of رب العالمین (Lord of all the worlds) which means that, together with the creation of man, God creates the necessary environment for his spiritual progress and development. Next, the attribute of الرحمن (Gracious) comes into operation, and through this, God, so to speak, hands over to man the means and material required for his moral and spiritual advancement. And when man has made proper use of the means thus granted to him, the attribute of الرحیم (Merciful) comes in to reward his works. Last of all, the attribute of مالك یوم الدین (Master of the Day of Judgement) produces the final and collective result of man’s labour; and the process finds consummation in him being granted spiritual dominion over the world, as is granted to the chosen ones of God. This is what may be called the descent of God towards man.

On the other hand, when man begins to ascend towards God, the process is reversed. In this process, man, first of all, becomes the mani­festation of the attribute of مالك (Master); he begins to manifest in himself the attribute of عدل or justice, tempering it with mercy and for­giveness. Having developed in his person the attribute of مالك, man reaches the second stage of spiritual progress where he becomes the manifestation of the attribute of الرحیم i.e. he begins to reward the actions of men liberally and generously. This is the stage which is termed احسان or beneficence. The next stage relates to the attribute of الرحمن. Here the sphere of man’s beneficence becomes widespread; his goodness extends to believers and un-believers alike—he begins to treat them just as a mother treats her children, prompted only by a natural instinct and without hope of any return. This stage has been termed ایتاء ذی القربی i.e. doing good to others as one would do to one’s near relatives. Then comes the attribute of رب العالمین which marks the highest stage of man’s spiritual development, when he becomes a manifestation of "Lord of all the worlds". At this stage man makes himself responsible for the welfare and guidance of the whole world. He is not satisfied if he or only those who immediately surround him are guided or otherwise provided for, but desires the good of the whole world, and begins to use his God-given powers for the achievement of this great end. This is the philosophy of ھبوط and صعود i.e. the process of Descent and Ascent which has been so beautifully described in these three short verses.

4:2, 37; 5:73, 118; 16:37; 22:78; 51:57.

Important Words:

رب (Lord). For the meaning of this word see note on 1:2. In the present verse God Himself explains the meaning of the word رب by saying ربكم الذی خلقكم i.e. your Rabb is He Who has created you. This meaning, though absolutely correct, is not found in the ordinary lexicons, which interpret it simply as Lord and Sustainer. The full meaning of the word thus turns out to be "Lord, Creator and Sustainer".

لعل (so that) is generally used to denote expectation, or doubt combined with expectation. That is why Christian translators have generally rendered it as, haply or peradventure or perhaps. But this rendering is clearly wrong in the present context; for, as explained by Lane, the word when used by God generally signifies not doubt but certainty. In fact, God’s announcements are in the nature of royal proclamations in which such words are used not to express doubt resulting from ignorance but to express hope born of certainty. The word has therefore been rightly rendered here as, that or so that. Sometimes it may be rendered as, may be.

Commentary:

As we have seen, the Quran began with the claim that the best Book of guidance can only come from a Being Who is All-Knowing and that such a being is Allah, the Creator and Sustainer of the world, Who has sent down the Quran for the guidance and perfection of mankind. This Book is (1) a perfect treasure-house of all that is good and valuable, (2) is free from all defects, and (3) does not stop short at any stage of spiritual progress but carries men and women of all grades of righteousness to higher and still higher stages, and so on to unlimited progress. Having made this claim, the Quran proceeds to give a brief description of the three classes: believers, disbelievers and hypocrites.

Attention is then drawn to the fact that as the Quran enables the righteous to make greater and greater spiritual progress, everybody should try to become one of the righteous and earn the spiritual benefits of the Quran. Says the Quran: O ye men! worship your Lord (i.e. enter into His service)…that you may become righteous.

Worship demands complete subjection, and the sense of subjection is generated in its perfection only when one and one’s forefathers are all under obligation. History tells us that lives have been sacrificed for the sake of cruel kings simply because the ancestors of those kings had done some good to the ancestors of the people making the sacrifice. The feeling of obligation becomes stronger as generation after generation is laid under obligation. Therefore, it is a perfectly natural appeal which is made in the verse in the words: O ye men, worship your Lord Who created you and those who were before you.

The verse then proceeds to make it clear that the object of worship is not merely recognising and acknowledging God. If it were so, the worship of idols, however unjust, would not be so injurious. God is worshipped for the sake of attaining righteousness and spiritual perfection. How can false gods make man perfect spiritually, when they have not created him and have no knowledge of his powers or limitations?

The words لعلكم تتقون (that you may become righteous) clearly point out that the command to worship is not for the benefit of God. It is for the benefit of man himself. Those who regard the Law as a curse look upon it only as a mere show of authority on the part of God. But the Quran clearly states that God’s commands are for the guidance of man. They help to nurture all his latent powers. Such a teaching cannot be a curse. He who warns a blind person of a pit lying in front of him does not curse him. A doctor who prescribes for a suffering patient does no wrong to him.

There is another point to be remembered. The word رب means, He Who creates and then develops by degrees. At the birth of man, the foundation is laid for his perfect future development. If worship, on his part, does not lead to the perfection of his latent powers, it is no worship at all. It is a mere facade or a lifeless form.

The clause لعلكم تتقون (that you may become righteous) teaches us to avoid not only those things which impair man’s relation with God but also those which impair the relation between man and man. He who regards God as his Creator and Sustainer will look to Him for his needs and will not cast greedy looks at the wealth of others. He can never be untrue to his fellow men, and will remain always at peace with them. The Companions of the Holy Prophet lived for God and looked up only to Him. The peace which the world witnessed in their time remains unparalleled. Indeed there can be no peace, unless we are devoted to God. If Europe had been so devoted, she would not have been suffering from the mortal disease now eating into her vitals—the hunger for land and wealth.

This verse contains the first command of God given in the Quran. As the words, O ye men, indicate, this command to worship God is addressed to all mankind and not to Arabs only, which shows that Islam, from the very beginning, claimed to be universal. It abolished the idea of national religion and conceived mankind as one brotherhood.

The question "Who is to be worshipped" is answered by the word رب (Creator) in order to disavow false gods who have created nothing and are themselves created.

Men are actuated either by love or fear. In this verse appeal is made to both motives. Love either springs from حسن i.e. beauty of the beloved, or from a feeling of احسان i.e. favour received from same one. God is beauty and the source of all beauty. One aspect of His beauty is that He creates man in a very low condition and then by degrees develops and raises him to the highest mark of perfection. The feeling of obligation is appealed to by saying "Your Lord is He Who created you and your fathers".

It is curious that when Jesus was asked, "Which is the great commandment in the law?" he said, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the great and first commandment" (Matt. 22:36, 37). But this commandment which Jesus calls the great commandment in the Law is not presented in the beginning of the New Testament. It comes much later and then only when people asked Jesus about it, although as regards importance it should have been given the first place. In the Old Testament also this commandment occurs in later chapters. So is the case with other Scriptures. None gives it the first place. Only the Quran does so.

Commentary:

Divine rewards, indeed, are pregnant with deep import. Pharaoh believed at a time when his faith was nothing more than a body without a soul: therefore, God rescued only his body from destruction, not letting his soul benefit by it. The body was saved from destruction that it might serve as a lesson for the generations to come.

It is remarkable that the Quran alone speaks of this fact. The Bible makes no mention of it, nor does any book of history. But in how wonderful a manner the word of God- has proved true! After the lapse of more than 3,000 years the body of Pharaoh has been discovered and it now lies in a preserved state in a museum at Cairo. The body shows Pharaoh to have been a lean, short-bodied man, with a countenance expressive of anger and stupidity. How far removed is the present age from the time when Pharaoh lived; yet God the Almighty not only saved his body but has also preserved it to the present age.

This verse supplies very strong testimony to the Divine origin of the Quran and to its distinct superiority over the Bible. The Pentateuch professes to give the history of the time of Moses and it is claimed that it was written in his own time. Yet the Quran, which came about 2,000 years after the Torah, has mentioned some incidents (including the present one) which are not mentioned in the Bible but which subsequent events have proved to be true. This establishes the truth of the Quran and the unreliability of the Pentateuch beyond any shadow of doubt.

The verse also points to the supreme moral lesson that we should hasten to accept the truth as soon as it comes to us and should not vacillate or procrastinate, as Pharaoh did.

It further shows that God does not allow even the slightest act of virtue to go unrewarded. Pharaoh believed at the time of his death, when his faith was but a shell without a kernel, yet even that act was not allowed to go quite unrewarded, for, though his soul was lost, his body was saved. His body may now prove the means of guiding many to truth; possibly it may spiritually benefit him also. This is perhaps why the famous Muslim saint, Muhy-ud-Din ibn ‘Arabi, holds that Pharaoh may be spared the punishment of Hell. The idea may not be right but it certainly provides food for thought.

Some commentators are of the opinion that the name of the drowned Pharaoh was Rameses. But this does not appear to be right. Moses was certainly born in the time of Rameses II and was brought up by him (Exod. 1:11), but it was in the reign of his son, Merneptah (Meneptah), that he was entrusted with the mission of a Prophet (Exod. 2:23). See also Jew. Enc., vol. 8, page 500, & Enc. Bib., under Pharaoh and under Egypt.

2:134.

Commentary

The expression, This is of Allah’s grace upon us and upon mankind, shows that prophethood is a boon not only for the person on whom it is conferred, but also for the entire people to whom he is sent, for all men profit by it according to their respective capacities.

22:48; 29:54-55.

41:44; 53:33.

Important Words:

المثلات (exemplary punishments) is the plural of المثلة which is derived from مثل. They say مثل فلان فلانا i.e. he became like such a one. مثل بفلان means, he punished such a one in an exemplary manner. مثلة means, calamity; punishment serving as a warning to others; punishment which visited past generations and which served as a warning for others (Aqrab).

العقاب (condign punishment) is derived from عاقب which is derived from عقب (‘aqaba). They say عقبه i.e. he struck his heel; he came after him (as though at his heels). عاقبه means, he did a thing with him alternately, each taking his turn; he punished him as denoting consequence or retribution. عقب (‘aqib) means, the heel or the hinder part of the human foot. العقاب means, requital or punishment that is awarded as a result of some offence or sin (Lane & Aqrab). Hence in the text it has rightly been rendered as "condign punishment."

Commentary:

The verse refers to an evil practice of disbelievers. When they are told that if they do not remove their shackles and do not avail themselves of the guidance of God and if they persist in their wicked ways, they will become like a piece of dry wood, which is thrown into the fire, they hasten to demand where that fire is. So, instead of soliciting God’s mercy these unfortunate people invoke His punishment. The advent of every Prophet of God is attended by both God’s mercy and His punishment but wicked people invariably demand the latter.

The words, verily, thy Lord is full of forgiveness for mankind despite their wrongdoing, set forth the great truth that the purpose of God in sending Prophets is not to destroy men, but to save them. This is why He continues to forgive them, despite their persistence in wrongdoing. But this repeated forgiveness does not mean that the wicked will never be punished. If they do not give up their evil ways, they will not escape God’s punishment. They will indeed be given every opportunity to reform themselves; but if they persistently refuse to do so, Divine punishment will finally descend on them.

The words, thy Lord is strict in condign punishment, do not mean that God makes use of severity in inflicting punishment but that the punishment inflicted by God is severer and more painful than that inflicted by men.

3:155; 30:5.

22:56.

Important Words:

الجبال (mountains) is the plural of الجبل (the mountain). Figuratively, the wordجبل means: (1) chief of a tribe or community; (2) a learned man towering above those around him; (3) great hardship or calamity (Aqrab).

قطعت (be cut asunder) is formed from قطع (qatta‘a) which is derived from قطع (qata‘a), the former being the intensified form of the latter. They say قطع الشیء i.e. he cut the thing; or he cut it asunder. قطع النھر means, he crossed or went across the river. قطع الطیر means, the birds migrated or journeyed from colder regions to warmer ones. قطعه بالحجة means, he silenced him in argument (Aqrab).

یایئس (come to know) is derived from یئس which means (1) he despaired of the thing; (2) he knew. An Arab would say قد یئست انك رجل صدق i.e. I have known that thou art a good man. The clause افلم یایئس الذین آمنوا means, have not the believers yet come to know? The expression یئست المرأة means, the woman became barren i.e. despaired of bearing children (Lane & Aqrab).

قارعة (disaster) is derived from قرع. They say قرع الباب i.e. he knocked at the door. قرع الرجل means, he beat the man. قرعه امرmeans, the affair came on him all of a sudden. القارعة means, great calamity; sudden calamity; the Day of Resurrection or of Judgement; an army marching forth quickly and striking the enemy quickly (Aqrab & Taj).

Commentary:

The words, And if there were a Quran by which mountains could be moved or by which the earth could be cut asunder or by which the dead could be spoken to, they would not believe in it, do not mean that the Quran does not possess these qualities but that even when these wonderful attributes of the Quran were demonstrated, disbelievers would not believe. A construction similar to the one used in this verse occurs in a saying of the Holy Prophet who is reported to have said, لو کان الایمان معلقا بالثر یا لنا له رجل من ابناء فارس i.e. if faith were to ascend to the Pleiades, a man from among the sons of Persia would bring it back (Bukhari, Kitabut-Tafsir). This hadith does not mean that faith would not ascend to the Pleiades, or that a man from among the sons of Persia would not bring it back. On the contrary, it is a prophecy which foretold the disappearance of faith from the earth and its restoration in the latter days by a man from among the children of Persia. Incidentally, it may be noted here that this great prophecy was fulfilled by the appearance of Ahmad,the Promised Messiah, whose family was of Persian origin. But to revert to the subject. A description of the great powers and qualities of the Quran as given in the present verse also implies the hard-heartedness and uncompromising hostility of disbelievers to the divine truth.

Taken literally, the expression, by which mountains could be moved, would mean that the Quran contains prophecies of earthquakes of such severity as will virtually remove parts of mountains from their places. The Quran does indeed predict great upheavals (Surah 99).

Figuratively, the word "mountain" may mean, great hardships and difficulties. In this sense, the description in the verse fitly applies to the Quran, because it solves all political, social, economic, moral and spiritual problems in a way that no other religious Scripture does. The word also means "learned men" among a people, or their "chiefs." According to this meaning of the word also, the description is quite applicable to the Quran, for with its advent, the old leaders of the people and the learned among them disappeared. The system of government underwent a complete transformation and hereditary kingship was replaced by Khilafat i.e. a representative form of government. The old learning, which was founded on superstition and capricious fear, was superseded by one based on experiment, observation and a knowledge of the properties of things. The Quran abounds in verses exhorting men to make use of reason and reflection rather than indulge in superstitious notions, and enjoins them to make a close study of the objects of nature. The whole universe, says the Quran, has been created for the benefit of man, who is repeatedly urged to compel it into his service. The Quran, in short, abrogated the old order of things and inculcated a new approach to the various human problems.

The expression, by which the earth could be cut asunder, figuratively means that the Quran would speedily spread throughout the earth. Literally, the expression means that portions of land would be cut off from enemy territory and would pass into the possession of the believers. Both these things were fulfilled as predicted by the Quran, for it spread very quickly throughout the world, and whole countries fell into Muslim hands.

The words, by which the dead were spoken to, mean that dead and by-gone people should bear witness to the truth of the Quran, that is to say, the righteous forefathers of the living generation should testify to its Divine origin. This was also fulfilled. In the Old and the New Testaments, the "People of the Book" have evidence of the righteous men of old bearing witness to the truth of the Holy Prophet, yet they rejected that evidence. "The dead being spoken to" may also mean the appearance of the dead in dreams and visions and their bearing witness to the truth of the heavenly Messenger, but evil-minded people reject this evidence also. Both these things happened not only in the time of the Holy Prophet but also in the case of Ahmad, the Promised Messiah. The word "dead" also applies to the spiritually dead. The word has been used in this sense in the Quran (8:25). In this sense, the verse would mean that by means of the Quran those spiritually dead will not only be quickened into a new life, but will also be made to speak words of wisdom and will preach the Message of the Quran to the world.

The words, the matter rests entirely with Allah, mean that though these things may appear impossible, yet they will surely come to pass, because the Almighty God with Whom "the matter rests entirely" and to Whom nothing is impossible has Himself foretold their occurrence. To this Almightiness of God the attention of disbelievers is pointedly drawn in the words, Have not the believers yet come to know that if Allah had enforced His will, He could have surely guided all mankind? In the following sentence even the time is specified when these things will come to pass. The words, disaster shall not cease to befall them for what they have wrought or to alight near their home, until the promise of Allah comes to pass, mean, that calamity after calamity shall continue to befall the Meccans, and they shall suffer reverses one after another, till the prophecy relating to the utter destruction of their power is fulfilled. This prophecy met its fulfilment in a wonderful manner. In spite of the many signs the disbelievers had witnessed and the many reverses they had suffered at the hands of Muslims, they refused to see the truth till at the head of ten thousand devoted followers or, to use the words of the Bible, "ten thousand saints," the Holy Prophet marched towards Mecca and encamped "near their home," and with his triumphant entry into that city the power of pagan Arabia was completely broken and its glory departed forever and all vestige of unbelief and idolatry disappeared from the country.

5:68; 6:20.

Important Words:

بلاغ (a sufficient admonition) is derived from بلغ. They say بلغ المکان i.e. he reached, or arrived at the place. بلاغ signifies the reaching, attaining, arriving at or coming to a thing. Being a substantive from تبلیغ and ابلاغ it also means, the conveyance, delivery or communication of a message. It often occurs in the Quran as meaning the communication or announcement of what is revealed. بلاغ also means that which is conveyed (i.e. message, etc.); also what suffices of sustenance. The words ھذا بلاغ للناس mean, this Quran contains a sufficient exposition or demonstration for men (Lane).

Commentary:

The sentence, This is a sufficient admonition for mankind, means that the truth has been properly communicated and brought home to men by means of this Book, and now it rests with them to accept or reject it.

The words, that they may know that He is the only One God, refer to those who are groping in error. The Quran has been revealed that it may warn such people of their error and that they may know that there is no God other than Allah. The words, that those possessed of understanding may ponder, refer to those who have accepted guidance. For such the Quran has been revealed that they may make further progress in their knowledge and in guidance. The Quran thus serves the twofold purpose of destruction and construction, both of which go hand in hand. On the one hand, it warns erring people of their errors; and, on the other, it exhorts those who have been shown the right path to make further progress in wisdom and knowledge. It does not only abrogate previous Laws but also lays down a complete and constructive programme of life for mankind.

Commentary:

The verse means to say that God has equally honoured all the children of Adam and has not favoured any particular nation or tribe. It seeks to demolish all foolish notions of superiority based on colour, creed, race or nationality. It further says that all avenues of progress and prosperity have been kept open, equally for all men and these avenues lie as much in travel by land as by sea. The laying of stress on travel by sea in the Quran seems strange. The fact that an Arab, and of all Arabs the Holy Prophet, who throughout his whole life never experienced a sea voyage, should have so much emphasized the importance of sea-voyaging does indeed show that the Quran could not be his composition. He did not and could not know the great benefits of sea-voyaging.

The words, and exalted them far above many, may seem to suggest that man is superior only to certain species of creation and not all creation. But a little deeper reflection over the expression makes such an inference appear quite unwarranted. The verse speaks of all mankind and it is true that all men are not superior to all other creatures. There are men morally so degraded as to be worse than animals and beasts. There are others who are superior even to the angels. There are others still who are so righteous as to occupy a higher spiritual position than even the most exalted angels. In short, all men are not superior to all other creatures, but some men do top the whole creation and man as such is superior to most of the creation, for the sun, the moon, the stars, and animals have been created for him and are engaged in his service. Hence, mankind as a class is superior to most of God’s creatures, while man in his perfect spiritual state is certainly superior to the whole creation.

13:16; 16:49-50; 55:7.

Commentary:

God has fixed certain laws—natural laws, which all created things, animate or inanimate, have to obey. There is no escape from submission to these laws. There are, however, certain other laws—the laws of the Shari‘ah—which God has made for the guidance of man. These laws man may obey or disobey and defy and thus may suffer the consequences of his defiance.

The verse further brings home to idolaters the folly and futility of their taking the objects of nature for worship besides Allah. It says that all these things depend upon Him for their very existence. They all submit to the laws He has fixed for them and cannot live independently of God for a moment. It is sheer folly, therefore, to adore and worship things and beings which are themselves subject to God-made laws. The expression یسجد له کثیر من الناس و کثیر حق علیه العذاب besides the meaning given in the text, may also mean that many from among men submit to Allah and many others incur His displeasure and punishment because they do not submit to laws made by Him.

10:61; 40:62.

Commentary:

To the demand for punishment made by disbelievers and mentioned in v. 72 above, the present and the preceding verse constitute a befitting answer. The preceding verse purported to say that the disbelievers will soon receive Divine punishment but it will not be a devastating and all-destructive punishment, but will only constitute a part of what they demanded because God is gracious to mankind i.e. in deference to the Holy Prophet his people will be shown mercy and like the disbelievers of the former Prophets they will not get a destructive punishment.

10:106; 30:44.

12:41; 98:6.

Commentary:

This verse continues the theme of v. 29 above, the theme, briefly, of the Almightiness and Unity of God, and, by implication, of the oneness of all humanity. The fact, that God is One and all humanity, too, is one, has been called فطرة اللّٰه(nature given by God) or دین الفطرة i.e. the religion which is rooted in the pure and unsullied nature of man. This in other words is Islam and to it has the Holy Prophet referred in his well-known saying… کل مولود یولد علی فطرة الاسلام i.e. every child is born with an unsullied and pure nature, which is دین الفطرة i.e. the religion to which pure human nature conforms and instinctively reacts. It is in this religion that a child is born, but it is his environments, the ideas and beliefs of his parents and the training he receives from them that subsequently make him a Jew, a Magian or a Christian (Bukhari).

The words, "There is no altering the creation of Allah," mean that true religion is rooted in the very nature of man. False beliefs are the result of the influences of environment. Once those vicious extraneous influences are removed, he at once reacts to it and hastens to accept it.

11:108; 39:39.

Commentary:

After having mentioned in the previous verse that God has created the heavens, and the earth and that He has made full provision for man’s physical and spiritual needs and has entrusted the control and management of both the physical and spiritual worlds to the care of the angels, the verse under comment proceeds to say that God has now decreed to bestow His mercy upon mankind in the form of the revelation of the Quran, at the same time warning the would be enemies of truth that they will not be allowed to thwart God’s plan and purpose as "He is the Mighty, the Wise!"

Commentary:

The verse drives home the supreme lesson that false pride has led many a people to their moral undoing. What is man, it purports to say, as compared to the vast universe, that he should refuse to accept the Word of God Who is its sole Creator. The implication of the verse may also be that when God could create heaven and earth, He could also bring man to life after death.

The verse possesses yet another significance. According to learned scholars and commentators, such as Baghvi, Ibn Hajr and others, the word الناس (mankind) in the verse signifies the Dajjal. This interpretation finds its confirmation in a well-known saying of the Holy Prophet, viz.:

ما بین خلق آدم الی قیام الساعة خلق أکبر من الدجال

i.e. from the creation of Adam to the Day of Resurrection there has not been a greater creation than that of the Dajjal (Bukhari). This hadith points to the mightiness and all-powerfulness of the Dajjal; and as he is a great deceiver and beguiler, the Faithful are warned to be on their guard against being deceived or intimidated by his apparent glamour and material glory. In view of this hadith the implication of the verse seems to be that the forces of darkness, of which the Dajjal is the greatest representative, however mighty and powerful they may be, will fail to retard the progress of Islam, and that such forces will eventually be vanquished by the new Faith.

17:13; 36:38; 41:38.

Commentary:

Night is the time of rest and day that of work. In the life of a people, however, "night" represents the period of moral stagnation when they remain in a state of spiritual torpor, while "day" represents the time when a Divine Reformer has made his appearance among them. Thus the people of the Holy Prophet are told that with the rising of the spiritual Sun—the Holy Prophet—the time of their ignorance and torpor has passed. They should, therefore, shake off their lethargy and languor and, making use of its light, should bring about a change in their condition.

2:29; 22:67; 40:69.

Commentary:

The verse answers the objection raised by disbelievers in v. 25 above that there is no life beyond the present life on earth. It purports to say that God Who has the power to raise—and He does raise—people who, to all intents and purposes, are spiritually and morally dead and defunct, to a new, vibrant and vigorous life, can and will certainly bring about a Resurrection in the next world. The verse further says that man was nothing. God gave him life to serve a great purpose. If man’s life had no purpose, God would not have created him, and if death were the end of all life, God would be regarded as guilty of doing something purposeless. But He is far above that. Therefore a new and better life which knows no decline or end awaits him in the next world. See also 2:29.

Important Words:

شعوباً (tribes) is the plural of شعب (sha‘bun) which is inf. noun from شعب (sha‘ba) which means, he collected, brought together or united; or he separated, put asunder; divided or separated. شعب means, a great tribe; the parent of the tribes called قبائل, to which they refer their origin and which comprises them; a nation; a people; a cleft or crack (Lane & Aqrab).

قبائل (subtribes) is the plural of قبیلة which is derived from قبل which means, he accepted; he took or received willingly. قبیلةmeans, a tribe; a subtribe; a family; a body of men from one father or mother (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

From the subject of Islamic brotherhood to which reference has been made in the preceding two verses, the Surahproceeds to lay down, in the verse under comment, the basis of an all-comprehensive, all-pervading brotherhood of man. The verse, in fact, constitutes the Magna Carta of human fraternity and equality. It has firmly laid the axe at the false and foolish notions of superiority, born of racial arrogance or national conceit. All men having been "created from a male and a female" as human beings have been declared equal in the sight of God. The worth of a man is not to be judged by the pigment of his skin, the amount of wealth he possesses or by his rank or social status, descent or pedigree, but by his moral greatness and the way in which he discharges his obligations to God and man. The whole human race is but one family. Division into tribes, nations, and races is meant to give them a better knowledge of one another, in order that they might benefit from one another’s national characteristics and good qualities. This, according to Islam, is the criterion of a person’s greatness and this is the only true and real criterion. The Holy Prophet explained the beautiful idea of the

brotherhood of man inculcated in this verse in his own inimitable way on the occasion of the Last Pilgrimage at Mecca, a short time before his death. Addressing a vast concourse of Muslims the Prophet said, "O ye men! Your God is One and your ancestor is one. An Arab possesses no superiority over a non-Arab, nor does a non-Arab over an Arab. A white is in no way superior to a red, nor, for that matter, a red to a white, but only to the extent to which he discharges his duty to God and man. The most honoured among you in the sight of God is the one who is most righteous" (Baihaqi). These noble words spoken by the Prophet during his Farewell Pilgrimage which have resounded through the centuries epitomize one of Islam’s loftiest ideals and strongest principles. It goes to the credit of the Holy Prophet that in a society riven with class distinction, he preached a message intensely democratic.

7:102; 14:10; 35:26.

42:18; 55:8.

Commentary:

الکتاب signifies the eternal divine laws. المیزان has different senses with different scholars. Some of these are: (a) Principles of equity which people are enjoined to observe in their dealings with others. (b) Standards by which human actions are measured, weighed, appraised and judged. (c) Balance which pervades the whole universe maintaining just equilibrium between all things. (d) Practice or example of the Holy Prophet and right use of the Book of God. (e) The capacity for leadership by means of which the Holy Prophet, in conformity with the Book of Allah, established a system of justice between the State, the society and the individual. (f) Following the golden means and avoiding extremes in the discharge of one’s obligations towards God and men. (g) Reasons and arguments based on observation and experience. See also 42:18 and 55:10.

الحدید (iron) is the metal which has perhaps played the greatest and most useful part in the growth and development of human civilization. It may also signify the power to compel obedience to the laws upon which the whole existence of human society depends. Thus the verse means that God has sent down three things, viz. (a) divine laws; (b) the system which maintains just equilibrium in human social relations and (c) the power to compel obedience to divine laws.

Commentary:

In the present Surah three Divine attributes, viz. رب الناس (Lord of mankind), ملک الناس (King of mankind), اله الناس (God of mankind), have been invoked as against one attribute, viz. رب الفلق (Lord of the dawn) in the preceding Surah, because this one attribute comprises all the three above-mentioned attributes. Whereas one Divine attribute, viz. رب الفلق (Lord of the dawn) has been invoked against four kinds of mischief in the previous Surah, in the Surah under comment three Divine attributes have been invoked against one mischief, i.e. whispering of the Evil One. This is because promptings or insinuations of Satan cover all conceivable evils.

Mention of three Divine attributes in the Surah implies that all sin proceeds from three causes, viz. when a person looks upon other men as his رب (Lord) or ملک (King), or اله (God), that is to say, he regards them as the main prop or support of his life or slavishly surrenders to their undue authority or makes them the object of his love and adoration. A believer is enjoined here to look up to God alone as the real support of his life, and to render to Him alone true and un-conditional obedience and to make Him alone the real object of his love and adoration. Or, the believer may have been enjoined in these verses constantly to seek protection against the ravages of exploiting capitalists, tyrannical rulers and from the crafty priestly class who, taking undue advantage of the unwary and simple-minded folk exploit them mercilessly. The reference seems particularly to be to the conditions obtaining during the latter days.