Topic: And Holy Prophet(sa)

4:154.

Important Words:

سواء (right) is derived from سوی. They say سوی الرجل i.e. his affairs became straight and well. سواء means: (1) the central portion of a thing; (2) equal. سواء السبیل means, the straight or right portion of a way; or a straight or right way (Lisan & Aqrab).

Commentary:

This verse mentions another artifice which the Jews employed to overthrow the mission of the Holy Prophet. They asked him absurd and silly questions as had no bearing on religion. This they did to inoculate Muslims with the same spirit of stupid questioning, so that their hearts might gradually become estranged from the dignity of faith and give way to doubt. In warning Muslims against such a course, the Quran points out that the Jews had ruined themselves by putting similar questions to Moses, and that the Muslims should, therefore, beware of following their evil example. In fact, unnecessary and irrelevant questions in religious matters eventually lead one to loss of faith, for they tend to degrade religion to a plaything or a piece of idle philosophy.

As to the nature of questions put to Moses by the Israelites, the Quran refers to one in 4:154. Says God: The People of the Book ask thee to cause a Book to descend on them from heaven. They asked Moses a greater thing than this; they said, 'Show us Allah openly.' then a destructive punishment overtook them because of their transgression. Then they took the calf for worship after clear Signs had come to them, but We pardoned even that. And We gave Moses manifest authority. This verse gives us an indication as to the nature of the questions that were put to Moses, and Muslims are forbidden to put such questions to their Prophet.

Commentary:

The words of this verse were addressed to Moses by way of consolation after God had made him realize that he could not attain to that high spiritual rank to which the Great Prophet of the House of Ishmael was destined to attain. He was asked not to covet the high dignity which was reserved for "that Prophet" but to remain content with, and be grateful for, the rank that God had bestowed upon him. The words, So take hold of that which I have given thee and be of the grateful, definitely prove that it was not the seeing of God Himself that Moses desired, but only a manifestation of God higher than the one granted to him.

47:15.

46:11; 61:7.

2:148; 10:95.

Commentary:

This verse embodies three important criteria by which the truth of the Quran and that of the Holy Prophet can be tested, and declares that he who satisfies these three criteria cannot be an impostor.

There are three classes of men whom a Divine Message can possibly concern:(1) the contemporaries of a Messenger of God, to whom the Message is directly addressed; (2) the generations yet unborn who are to receive the Message in the future; (3) the past generations to whom their Prophet gave the news that a Messenger was to come. If these three classes of witnesses bear testimony to the truth of a claimant to prophethood, there can remain no doubt about his truth. The faith of the last-mentioned class of people, i.e. those who expect the advent of a Messenger of God, has its basis in past prophecies about his advent, while the first-mentioned class, i.e. the contemporaries of a claimant, judge his claim (a) by the touchstone whether he possesses in his own person any proof which testifies to his truth, or (b) by the prophecies of earlier Scriptures about the advent of a Divine Messenger. Lastly, there is the second class of people, i.e. those yet unborn who in their time look upon the signs witnessed by the contemporaries of a claimant as mere stories, and confine their scrutiny to the change brought about by the claimant—the fruit of his reformatory efforts. In fact, succeeding generations attach more importance to the fruits of the labours of a Divine Messenger and to the results of his mission than to anything else. If his Message continues to bear fruit down to their time, they come to realize that it is a truly useful thing and concerns them as much as it did past generations.

In point of importance, pride of place belongs to internal evidence, that is, the evidence which a claimant possesses in his own person, because such evidence serves as a clear proof not only for the contemporaries of the claimant but also for the generations to come and because it relieves seekers after truth of the trouble of turning to other things for guidance, it being in itself a sufficient proof of the truth of the claimant. This kind of proof is referred to in the words, Can he who possesses a clear proof from his Lord be an impostor?

The second evidence, which is also second in importance, of the truth of a Divine claimant pertains to the results produced by his Message and the fruits of his labours; for in the absence of this evidence, the practical value of a Message claimed to be Divine becomes doubtful in the eyes of later generations. In fact, the intrinsic truth of a Message does not constitute a sufficient incentive for acting upon it. It has to be shown that it is also meant for the recipient and for the age in which he lives and that it has not been superseded by a later Message. The fact that a Message continues to bear fruit suffices to establish the fact that it is as practicable and as useful at present as it was in the past. This kind of evidence is referred to in the words, and a witness from Him shall follow him.

Last in point of importance is the evidence which relates to prophecies holding hope of a future reformer and a future Message. The evidence of such prophecies is also useful, for it keeps the minds of men prepared for the acceptance of the Message, although naturally only those people benefit by it in whose time the expected Message actually makes its appearance. This kind of evidence is hinted at in the words, and who was preceded by the Book of Moses, a guide and a mercy.

All these three kinds of evidence have been adduced in this verse in support of the Holy Prophet and the Quranic Message. The Quran possesses strong internal evidence of its Divine origin; the Scriptures that preceded it bear clear witness to its truth; and it was also to bear fruit in the future in a way that nobody could have any reasonable ground to reject it. Similarly, the Holy Prophet who brought this Message also possesses this triple evidence which clearly proves him to be a true Messenger of God.

The words, a witness from Him (God) shall follow him (the Holy Prophet), also point to the appearance of a great Reformer in the Latter Days who was to come as "a witness" to bear testimony to the truth of the Holy Prophet. It is worth noting that the person who was to appear after the Holy Prophet to bear testimony to his truth has been called a شاھد (a witness) and it is evident that a witness is needed only when the continued practicability and usefulness of a Message is called in question. It is evident, therefore, that after the advent of the Holy Prophet a Messenger was needed only at a time when there should arise about the Quran the question whether it was still worthy of being acted upon. It is well known that such a question never arose about the Quran during the last 1350 years, and it is only in the present time that doubts have begun to be expressed about this claim of the Quran with persistence from all quarters. There is a section of Muslims themselves who hold the view that some teachings of the Quran, particularly with regard to the five daily Prayers, the amputation of the hands of a thief, polygamy, purdah, usury, etc., need alteration or amendment. Then there are the followers of claimants like Baha’ullah, who believe that the Law of Islam has become abrogated and they seek to introduce a new Law in its place. Last of all, the so-called higher critics of the west question the authenticity of some historical facts mentioned in the Quran as well as the practicability of some of its teachings. Such a state of affairs never existed before the present age and therefore, truly speaking, no "witness" was needed before now.

The words منه (from Him) in the expression, a witness from Him, clearly show that the promised witness was to be a heavenly Messenger. This heavenly Messenger is Ahmad, the Promised Messiah, Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement,who appeared at a time when the teachings of Islam had begun openly to be declared unpractical and impracticable and the object of whose advent was to bear witness to the truth of Islam by means of clear proofs and fresh heavenly signs.

It should also be remembered that the words, a witness from Him shall follow him, promised the appearance of a person who was to invite men to accept and follow the Quran and not of one who was to abrogate its teachings. Thus, incidentally, the verse furnishes an irrefutable argument against the claims of Baha’ullah.

The third evidence in support of the truth of the Quran and of the Holy Prophet lies in the fact that their advent was predicted by previous Prophets. The Book of Moses forms the most conspicuous example of it. It contains clear prophecies about the Holy Prophet and the Quran. Among others, the reader is referred to Deut. 18:18.

The Book of Moses is here called "a guide" because it serves as a guide to the truth of Islam. It is "a mercy" in the sense that it has made it easy for men to accept the truth in four different ways: (1) by means of prophecies which point to the truth of the Holy Prophet; (2) by laying down criteria by means of which the truth of a Prophet can be tested; (3) by enabling men to compare the teachings of the two Books; and (4) by helping to explain the fundamentals of the Law.

The word احزاب (opposing parties) generally signifies the parties that oppose the Prophets. As the Holy Prophet was raised for the whole of mankind, the words would here signify the followers of all the religions of the world other than Islam.

The words, be not thou in doubt about it, are addressed to the reader and not to the Holy Prophet. These words are preceded by the words, those who consider these matters believe therein, to point out that as there has already come into existence a party of men who believe in the Quran and the Holy Prophet, it is highly unreasonable to think that, whereas the evidences mentioned above have succeeded in bringing into existence a party of firm believers, the Prophet himself to whom those evidences were revealed should remain in doubt about their Divine origin. These words, therefore, cannot be said to have been addressed to the Holy Prophet. They are undoubtedly addressed to each and every reader of the Quran.

Important Words:

وزیر (helper) is derived from وزر (wazara). وزر الشیء means, he bore the thing. وزر الرجل means, the man carried a weight which burdened his back. وزر الرجل means, he overcame or overwhelmed the man. وزر also means, he sinned. وزیر means, helper; one who helps a person in carrying his burden; a minister who helps the king by his counsel in conducting the affairs of the State (Aqrab).

Commentary:

What a contrast between Moses and the Holy Prophet Muhammad! Whereas Moses here asks for a helper for the discharge of a lighter responsibility, the Holy Prophet who was entrusted with an infinitely heavier and more onerous task never prayed to be given an assistant. He, alone, unhelped and unassisted, discharged fully and completely the responsibility of raising a people, sunk deep into the depths of moral turpitude, to the highest pinnacles of spiritual glory. Even in moments of mortal danger he was never discouraged or dismayed. The brave words which he uttered on the battle-field of Hunain when he was left alone surrounded by bloodthirsty enemies and sure death stared him in the face, viz. انا النبی لا کذب انا ابن عبدالمطلب "I am the Prophet of God, there is no untruth about it, I am the son of ‘Abdil-Muttalib," (Bukhari, Kitabul-Jihad was-Siyar) have resounded through the centuries.

19:53; 20:81; 79:17.

Important Words:

شاطئی (side) is derived from شطا which means, he walked on the bank or side of the river. شطا الام بالولد means, the mother threw or cast away the child. الشاطئی من النھر means, the side or bank of the stream (Aqrab).

بقعة (plot) is infinitive-noun from بقع (baqi‘a) which means, it (a bird or dog) was black and white; it was partly coloured and pied. بقعة means, a piece, part, portion or plot of land differing in appearance or colour or external state from that which adjoins it. The Arabs say ھو حسن البقعة عند الامیر i.e. he has a good station with the prince (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

Whereas Moses was only on the side of the blessed spiritual valley, the Holy Prophet Muhammad had actually entered it (53:14, 15).

Moses could not attain that high stage of nearness to God, which was reserved for the Holy Prophet.

Commentary:

The verse purports to say that the prophecy of Moses about the advent of the Holy Prophet (Deut. 18:18) has been fulfilled so clearly and in such detail as if he was present in person with Moses and the latter was actually seeing him when he was making the prophecy. The verse possesses a double significance. It proves the truth of Moses himself, inasmuch as he made a prophecy about the advent of the Holy Prophet which was literally fulfilled, and it proves also the truth of the Holy Prophet, as the prophecy made by Moses about the advent of "a Prophet like unto him from among the brethren of the Israelites" was fulfilled in his person in letter and in spirit.

Commentary:

This verse alludes to two more significant facts: (1) Ages passed and a long line of Prophets appeared after Moses and they preached their messages, yet none of these Prophets ever claimed to be "that Prophet" about whom Moses had made the prophecy mentioned in Deut. 18:18, till the Quran was revealed and it claimed that the grand prophecy of Moses had been fulfilled in the person of the Holy Prophet of Islam (73:16). (2) The words "And thou wast not a dweller among the people of Midian, rehearsing Our signs unto them" refer to a striking resemblance of the Holy Prophet with Moses. According to the prophecy (Deut. 18:18) the Promised Prophet was to be like unto Moses, and what greater similarity there could be between these two noble Prophets than that Moses had to flee for life from Egypt, where he was born and brought up, to Midian where for ten long years he lived among a strange people, and then went back to Egypt, armed with Divine authority to free and reclaim his depressed people, from the bondage of Pharaoh. Likewise the Prophet of Islam had to leave Mecca where he was born and brought up and then for ten years he lived in Medina among a people who were not of his kith and kin, and again in pursuance of Divine command marched forth to conquer Mecca at the head of an army of ten thousand saints to fulfil another prophecy of the Bible (Deut. 33:2).

11:18; 61:7.

Commentary:

The witness from among the Children of Israel is Moses. It is to his prophecy concerning the advent of the Holy Prophet that reference has been made in this verse. The prophecy is to this effect:

I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren like unto thee, and will put My words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass that whosoever will not hearken unto My words which he shall speak in My name, I will require it of him (Deut. 18:l8-19).

See also 11:18.

The reference in the words 'a witness from among the Children of Israel' could not be, as generally misunderstood, to ‘Abdullah bin Salam, a learned Jew, because ‘Abdullah had accepted Islam in Medina while this Surah was revealed at Mecca.

95:3.

Commentary:

The particle واو may mean: "I swear" "I cite as witness;" etc. For the philosophy, importance and significance of oaths see 37:2; 51:2 & 91:2.

الطور (the Mount) stands for Mount Sinai. For a collective note on vv. 2-7 see v. 7 below.

Commentary:

The expression "a Book inscribed," may refer to both the Quran and the Book of Moses, preferably to the former.

Important Words:

رق (parchment) is the substantive noun from (raqqa) which means, it was or became thin, delicate in texture. رق means, fine parchment; white or fine piece of paper or skin, used for the purpose of writing on it (Lane).

Commentary:

The words "parchment unfolded," qualify the expression, "the Book inscribed," which stands for the Quran or the Book of Moses.

Important Words:

المعمور (Frequented) is derived from عمر. They say عمر بالمکان i.e. he stayed in the house or he occupied, tenanted or inhabited it. عمر البناء means, he kept the building in a good state. عمر المکان means, he visited the place. دار معمور means, an inhabited or a visited or frequented house. عمرربه (‘ammara) means, he worshipped his Creator (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

The words "the Frequented House," may refer to the tabernacle that Moses had constructed in the wilderness where the Israelites worshipped, or to the Temple at Jerusalem, or to any sacred house of worship. But preferably it refers to the Ka‘bah which is described in the Quran also as "a Resort" (2:126); "the Sacred House" (5:3); "the Sacred Mosque" (17:2); "the Ancient House" (22:30); and "the Town of Security" (95:4); etc.

Commentary:

'The Elevated Roof' may also refer to the tabernacle which Moses set up in the wilderness in the form of a canopy under which the Israelites worshipped. Or it may refer to the Ka‘bah or to the sky or heaven the last reference being more appropriate and relevant.

81:7.

Important Words:

المسجور (swollen) is derived from سجر. They say سجر الماء النھر i.e. the water filled the stream. سجر التنور (sajjara) means, he filled the oven with firewood and heated it. سجر الماء means, he made the water to flow forth whithersoever it would. مسجور means, filled; kindled; still or quiet, or still and full at the same time; empty (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

It is the characteristic of the Quran that when it has to make a firm declaration and impart emphasis and certainty to that declaration it swears by, or cites as witnesses, certain beings or objects or natural laws or phenomena. In the first few verses the Surah swears by certain things intimately connected with Moses—the counterpart of the Holy Prophet. It was on the Tur that the revelation was vouchsafed to Moses which embodied his Law and the prophecies which spoke about the appearance of a great Divine Prophet from among the brethren of the Israelites. That Prophet was to be the like of Moses and was to shine forth from mount Paran and to come with ten thousand saints, holding in his right hand a fiery law (Deut. 18:18 & 33: 2). Evidently, the Holy Prophet was the Divine Messenger spoken of in the prophecy. His advent is likened in the Quran to the advent of Moses (73:16). He shined forth from mount Paran, holding the Quran in his right hand and entered Mecca at the head of ten thousand saintly warriors. The Surah then cites, as evidence, the "Inscribed Book" which is the Bible or the Quran, preferably the latter, and which stands as a standing and incontrovertible testimony to the truth of the claims of the Holy Prophet. "The Frequented House"—the Ka‘bah,—more than anything else, shows that the religion of which it forms the citadel and the centre is God’s Final Dispensation. The site where the Ka‘bah stands was a dry barren waste where no sign of human or animal life was visible. Here, long centuries ago, a holy man of God—the Patriarch Abraham, aided and assisted by his son, Ishmael, while raising its foundations, had prayed that the place may become a haven of safety and security and may constitute the centre from where God’s Unity and Oneness may be proclaimed and preached. It was "this barren waste that didst not bear and didst not travail with child"which gave birth to the greatest son of man, as was spoken of old (Isa. 54:1). Here it was (as was foretold) that "the glory of God rose and shone; the multitudes of camels came, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah, all came from Sheba and brought gold and incense and shewed forth the praises of the Lord" (Isa. 60:1-6).

The reference in the words "the Elevated Roof," being to heaven, the verse (v.6) signifies that the disbelievers are so unwise as not to see this simple fact that whereas the Prophet continuously receives Divine help and his cause progresses and prospers, failure dogs their footsteps and all their designs and plans against the Prophet prove abortive. In the words"the Swollen Sea," the reference may be to the Mediterranean Sea where Pharaoh and his mighty hosts were drowned while pursuing the Israelites or they may refer to the battlefield of Badr where all the great leaders of the Quraish were killed, as it was known as البحر i.e. the sea (Nihayah). The words may also apply to the Quran which like a fathomless sea of spiritual knowledge continues to throw out treasures of divine knowledge. "Why do not the disbelievers," the verse purports to say, "take a lesson from these patent facts and realize that opposition to God’s Messengers does not pay and will end in their ruin?"

52:2.

Commentary:

See next verse. The word سینین being in the plural shows that there are several mountains of this name in that region. On one of these God manifested Himself to Moses.

90:2.

Commentary.

The Fig, the Olive, Mount Sinai and "this City of Security" have been invoked as witnesses to support and substantiate the claim made in the Surah that the Holy Prophet will succeed in his mission. Various views have been expressed as to what is meant by these things and how they support the above-mentioned claim. Here are some of these views:

1. "The Fig" and "the Olive" are symbolic of Jesus, "Mount Sinai" of Moses; and "this City of Security" of the Holy Prophet. These three verses together point to the well-known Biblical reference, viz. "The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir with them; and He shined forth from Mount Paran, and He came with ten thousands of saints: from His right hand went a fiery law for them. (Deut. 33:2).

2. "The Fig" is symbolic of the Mosaic Dispensation and "the Olive" of the Islamic Dispensation. In the Bible good people and the bad among the Israelites have been likened to two baskets of good and bad figs (Jer. chap. 24:1-5); and in the Quran Islamic teaching has been likened to "the oil of a blessed olive tree which is neither of the East nor of the West" (24:36). This simile has been further expressed in more concrete form by the words "Mount Sinai" and "this City of Security." The simile is very apt, since "the Fig" and "the Olive" are both used as medicines and as articles of food, with this difference that the former tastes sweet but rots very soon while the latter is used as fruit, its oil is in general use and when mixed with condiments it preserves and protects pickled articles from rotting and decaying.

3. According to some commentators "the Fig" stands for Buddhism, "the Olive" for Christianity, "Mount Sinai" for Judaism and "this City of Security" for the Holy Prophet of Islam.

4. But perhaps the best explanation of the symbolism used in these verses is the one according to which the four words represent four periods in the history of human evolution, "the Fig" representing the era of Adam, "the Olive" that of Noah, "Mount Sinai" that of Moses and "this City of Security" the Islamic epoch. This explanation finds ample support from the Bible and the Quran. When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and found themselves naked, they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons (Gen. 3:7). About Noah we read: "And the dove came in to him in the evening; and lo! in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off; so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth" (Gen. 8:11) And it is an accepted fact that Moses received the Divine Law on Mount Sinai and that Mecca, the birthplace of Islam was, from time immemorial, regarded as, and proved to be, the "City of Security." These four periods represent the four cycles through which man had to pass to reach the stage of complete development. In the cycle of Adam the foundations of human civilization were laid. Noah was the founder of the Shari‘ah. In the cycle of Moses the details of the Shari‘ah were revealed, while with the advent of the Holy Prophet the Divine Law became complete and perfect in all its manifold aspects, and man attained his complete intellectual, social, moral and spiritual development.

The verse signifies that the circumstances of the Holy Prophet resemble those of Adam, Noah and Moses. Like them he will suffer hardships in the beginning and like them will succeed in the end.