Topic: Can Be Postponed Or Averted
View Aspects
وَإِمَّا نُرِيَنَّكَ بَعْضَ ٱلَّذِى نَعِدُهُمْ أَوْ نَتَوَفَّيَنَّكَ فَإِلَيْنَا مَرْجِعُهُمْ ثُمَّ ٱللَّهُ شَهِيدٌ عَلَىٰ مَا يَفْعَلُونَ
13:41; 40:78.
The verse lays down an important principle that the prophecies comprising threats and warnings about an impending punishment are liable to be cancelled, while those containing promises of a general character, not applying to a particular Prophet but embodying a general rule that applies to all the Prophets, are not cancelled or revoked. The verse further implies that it is not necessary that all prophecies should have a time limit for their fulfilment.
13:41; 40:78.
Important Words:
اما was originally ان ما, the particle ما having been added to ان which means "If." The added particle ما is technically known as زائدة (redundant). But these so-called redundant words are not without purpose. They are used to emphasize or intensify the meaning of the word to which they are added. The change effected in the sense of the particle ان by the addition of the particle ما is that whereas ان alone expresses a mere contingency or possibility which is not necessarily accompanied by hope, the addition of the particle ما makes the contingency not only more emphatic but also expressive of hope.
Commentary:
This verse lays down the important principle that prophecies containing warnings and threats of coming punishment are subject to revocation. The verse shows that prophecies are of two kinds: (1) those that are conditional, as appear from the words اما (if) and او (or) used in the verse; (2) those that are revocable or subject to cancellation, as hinted at in the words بعض (some) and نرینك (We show thee in thy lifetime). The word بعض (some) definitely shows that the present verse speaks of only those prophecies that were meant to be fulfilled during the lifetime of the Holy Prophet, for the prophecies which related to the time subsequent to his death, were obviously not meant to be fulfilled during his lifetime and therefore did not need to be mentioned in the present context. Incidentally, the verse also points to the possibility that no prophecy of punishment might be fulfilled in the lifetime of the Holy Prophet, for it was possible that all those to whom he preached his Message might believe in him and thus there might be no occasion for punishment. The verse is so worded as to show the absolute power of God; otherwise, ordinarily, all men do not believe.
The verse also shows that it is not necessary that prophecies should have a time-limit, for the time given for the fulfilment of the prophecies referred to here is unrestricted, extending even to the period subsequent to the death of the Holy Prophet. Nay, even if an apparent time-limit is prescribed, which in the present case is the lifetime of the Holy Prophet, the time-limit is only of secondary importance, for the verse definitely admits the possibility of some of these prophecies remaining unfulfilled during the lifetime of the Prophet.
It further emerges from this verse that only such prophecies are liable to be revoked or cancelled as relate to matters of detail, for the prophecies which concern fundamental principles and are general in character are never revoked. An instance of the prophecies of this class is to be had in the well-known verse, Allah has decreed: of a certainty I will prevail, I and My Messengers (58:22); while the prophecies which are liable to be cancelled, are those to which the verse under comment relates, for here the words are, the things with which We have threatened them. This shows that the prophecies comprising threats and warnings about impending punishment are liable to be cancelled, while those containing promises of a general character not applying to a particular Prophet but embodying a general rule that applies to all the Prophets of God can never be cancelled and must be fulfilled.
i
13:41; 40:78.
594
这节经文规定了一项重要原则: 含有关于即将来临的惩罚的威胁和警告等性质的那些预言, 很可能被取消; 而那些含有一般性质的许约, 不适用于一个特指的先知而是体现适用于所有先知的一般法则的, 是不会被取消或撤回的。经文进一步意示, 所有预言不必要有实现的时限。
c
13:41; 40:78.
1322
Important Words:
اما was originally ان ما, the particle ما having been added to ان which means "If." The added particle ما is technically known as زائدة (redundant). But these so-called redundant words are not without purpose. They are used to emphasize or intensify the meaning of the word to which they are added. The change effected in the sense of the particle ان by the addition of the particle ما is that whereas ان alone expresses a mere contingency or possibility which is not necessarily accompanied by hope, the addition of the particle ما makes the contingency not only more emphatic but also expressive of hope.
Commentary:
This verse lays down the important principle that prophecies containing warnings and threats of coming punishment are subject to revocation. The verse shows that prophecies are of two kinds: (1) those that are conditional, as appear from the words اما (if) and او (or) used in the verse; (2) those that are revocable or subject to cancellation, as hinted at in the words بعض (some) and نرینك (We show thee in thy lifetime). The word بعض (some) definitely shows that the present verse speaks of only those prophecies that were meant to be fulfilled during the lifetime of the Holy Prophet, for the prophecies which related to the time subsequent to his death, were obviously not meant to be fulfilled during his lifetime and therefore did not need to be mentioned in the present context. Incidentally, the verse also points to the possibility that no prophecy of punishment might be fulfilled in the lifetime of the Holy Prophet, for it was possible that all those to whom he preached his Message might believe in him and thus there might be no occasion for punishment. The verse is so worded as to show the absolute power of God; otherwise, ordinarily, all men do not believe.
The verse also shows that it is not necessary that prophecies should have a time-limit, for the time given for the fulfilment of the prophecies referred to here is unrestricted, extending even to the period subsequent to the death of the Holy Prophet. Nay, even if an apparent time-limit is prescribed, which in the present case is the lifetime of the Holy Prophet, the time-limit is only of secondary importance, for the verse definitely admits the possibility of some of these prophecies remaining unfulfilled during the lifetime of the Prophet.
It further emerges from this verse that only such prophecies are liable to be revoked or cancelled as relate to matters of detail, for the prophecies which concern fundamental principles and are general in character are never revoked. An instance of the prophecies of this class is to be had in the well-known verse, Allah has decreed: of a certainty I will prevail, I and My Messengers (58:22); while the prophecies which are liable to be cancelled, are those to which the verse under comment relates, for here the words are, the things with which We have threatened them. This shows that the prophecies comprising threats and warnings about impending punishment are liable to be cancelled, while those containing promises of a general character not applying to a particular Prophet but embodying a general rule that applies to all the Prophets of God can never be cancelled and must be fulfilled.
d
13:41; 40:78.
1265
The verse lays down an important principle that the prophecies comprising threats and warnings about an impending punishment are liable to be cancelled, while those containing promises of a general character, not applying to a particular Prophet but embodying a general rule that applies to all the Prophets, are not cancelled or revoked. The verse further implies that it is not necessary that all prophecies should have a time limit for their fulfilment.
فَلَوْلَا كَانَتْ قَرْيَةٌ ءَامَنَتْ فَنَفَعَهَآ إِيمَٰنُهَآ إِلَّا قَوْمَ يُونُسَ لَمَّآ ءَامَنُوا۟ كَشَفْنَا عَنْهُمْ عَذَابَ ٱلْخِزْىِ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَمَتَّعْنَٰهُمْ إِلَىٰ حِينٍ
37:149.
在 «古兰经» 中有六处提及尤努司 (4:164; 6:87; 21:88; 37:140和68:49)。圣经中谈到他是一位以色列先知 (《列王下》14:25), 他受嘱去亚述 (Ashur) 的首都尼尼微 (Nineveh) 并对着它 “哭喊”。据 «古兰经» 记载, 他是被派往他的民族中去的。他既不是以色列人, 也没有被派去尼尼微, 而是派往他自己民族的一部分人中间去的。研究圣经的学者也不同意尤努司是一个以色列人。
37:149.
People of the town.
Jonah has been mentioned at six different places in the Qur’an (4:164; 6:87; 21:88; 37:140 & 68:49). In the Bible he is spoken of as an Israelite Prophet (2 Kings, 14: 25) who was bidden to go to Nineveh, the capital of Ashur and 'cry' against it. According to the Qur’an, however, he was sent to his own people. He was either not an Israelite or he was sent not to Nineveh but to a section of his own people. Biblical scholars themselves are not agreed as to Jonah’s being an Israelite.
37:149.
Important Words:
یونس (Jonah), the name of a Prophet who lived in the 9th Century B. C., is supposed to be derived from انس. They say انس به i.e. he was or became sociable, amiable or friendly with him; he was or became cheerful, gay or gladdened by his presence or company (Lane). See also Commentary below.
Commentary:
For those who are accustomed to pondering over the deep meanings of the Quran, this verse possesses remarkable evidence of the greatness of God’s mercy. The almost pathetic words breathe a strong desire that the world should follow Divine guidance. The verse expresses the deepest regret at the disbelief of the people by asking why there had not been other people who, like the people of Jonah, should have believed in the truth and escaped Divine punishment. The case of the people of Jonah possesses a strong similarity with that of the people of the Holy Prophet. The people of Nineveh first bitterly opposed Jonah so much so that they were threatened with Divine punishment and Jonah prophesied their early destruction; but later they repented and were saved. In the same way, the people of Mecca opposed the Holy Prophet bitterly and persistently, but at the Fall of Mecca they submitted to him and were consequently saved from Divine punishment. Later, all of them believed in his mission and became the inheritors of Divine grace. In this way the Holy Prophet came to bear a great resemblance to the Prophet Jonah.
Jonah is a Prophet who has been mentioned in six different places in the Quran. In 37:140 he has been spoken of as a heavenly Messenger; in 6:87 and 4:164 he has been reckoned among the Prophets of God; in 21:88 and 68:49 he has been called ذوالنون and صاحب الحوت (i.e. "he of the fish" or "the man of the fish"), in allusion to the incident of the fish. Reference has also been made to him in the words of the Holy Prophet who is reported to have said on one occasion, "Do not declare me to be better than Jonah, son of Amittai" (Muslim). The saying does not mean that the Holy Prophet was not superior to the Prophet Jonah, for he uttered these words before he had been informed by God of his superior spiritual rank. Later on, however, he himself said انا سید ولد آدم i.e. "I am the chief of the children of Adam," meaning thereby that he was the best of all mankind and the Head of the human race (Tirmidhi, ch. on al-Manaqib).
The above saying of the Holy Prophet can also be explained in another way, which has a particular bearing on the verse under comment. The superiority referred to in this saying may not mean superiority in all respects but superiority in one respect only, viz. that all the people of Jonah finally believed in him––a distinction which till then was not shared by any other Prophet. Hence the Holy Prophet hesitated to ascribe unqualified superiority to himself over Jonah until he had seen the end of his people. But subsequent events conferred this distinction on him also, as, like the people of Jonah, all his people too finally believed in him.
In the Bible, Jonah is spoken of as an Israelite Prophet (2 Kings 14:25), who was bidden to go to Nineveh and "cry" against it. But fearing that the Ninevites may repent, he fled to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. The Quran differs from the Bible on these points. The Prophets of God are, according to the Quran, incapable of disobeying Him in the way in which Jonah is represented to have done in the Bible. They are held out, in the Quran, as models whose example other people should follow (4:65 & 6:91). Disobedience to God is therefore the last thing of which a Prophet is capable. Again, it appears from the Quran that Jonah was sent to his own people, i.e. to a people to whom he belonged. According to Jewish tradition, however, he was a Jew but was sent to the people of Nineveh, which was the capital of Ashur. So in the light of the Quranic version Jonah was either not an Israelite or he was sent not to Nineveh but to a section of his own people. Biblical scholars themselves are not agreed as to Jonah’s being an Israelite. In the two points on which the Quran differs from the Bible, reason favours the Quran.
e
37:149.
604
在 «古兰经» 中有六处提及尤努司 (4:164; 6:87; 21:88; 37:140和68:49)。圣经中谈到他是一位以色列先知 (《列王下》14:25), 他受嘱去亚述 (Ashur) 的首都尼尼微 (Nineveh) 并对着它 “哭喊”。据 «古兰经» 记载, 他是被派往他的民族中去的。他既不是以色列人, 也没有被派去尼尼微, 而是派往他自己民族的一部分人中间去的。研究圣经的学者也不同意尤努司是一个以色列人。
c
37:149.
1370
Important Words:
یونس (Jonah), the name of a Prophet who lived in the 9th Century B. C., is supposed to be derived from انس. They say انس به i.e. he was or became sociable, amiable or friendly with him; he was or became cheerful, gay or gladdened by his presence or company (Lane). See also Commentary below.
Commentary:
For those who are accustomed to pondering over the deep meanings of the Quran, this verse possesses remarkable evidence of the greatness of God’s mercy. The almost pathetic words breathe a strong desire that the world should follow Divine guidance. The verse expresses the deepest regret at the disbelief of the people by asking why there had not been other people who, like the people of Jonah, should have believed in the truth and escaped Divine punishment. The case of the people of Jonah possesses a strong similarity with that of the people of the Holy Prophet. The people of Nineveh first bitterly opposed Jonah so much so that they were threatened with Divine punishment and Jonah prophesied their early destruction; but later they repented and were saved. In the same way, the people of Mecca opposed the Holy Prophet bitterly and persistently, but at the Fall of Mecca they submitted to him and were consequently saved from Divine punishment. Later, all of them believed in his mission and became the inheritors of Divine grace. In this way the Holy Prophet came to bear a great resemblance to the Prophet Jonah.
Jonah is a Prophet who has been mentioned in six different places in the Quran. In 37:140 he has been spoken of as a heavenly Messenger; in 6:87 and 4:164 he has been reckoned among the Prophets of God; in 21:88 and 68:49 he has been called ذوالنون and صاحب الحوت (i.e. "he of the fish" or "the man of the fish"), in allusion to the incident of the fish. Reference has also been made to him in the words of the Holy Prophet who is reported to have said on one occasion, "Do not declare me to be better than Jonah, son of Amittai" (Muslim). The saying does not mean that the Holy Prophet was not superior to the Prophet Jonah, for he uttered these words before he had been informed by God of his superior spiritual rank. Later on, however, he himself said انا سید ولد آدم i.e. "I am the chief of the children of Adam," meaning thereby that he was the best of all mankind and the Head of the human race (Tirmidhi, ch. on al-Manaqib).
The above saying of the Holy Prophet can also be explained in another way, which has a particular bearing on the verse under comment. The superiority referred to in this saying may not mean superiority in all respects but superiority in one respect only, viz. that all the people of Jonah finally believed in him––a distinction which till then was not shared by any other Prophet. Hence the Holy Prophet hesitated to ascribe unqualified superiority to himself over Jonah until he had seen the end of his people. But subsequent events conferred this distinction on him also, as, like the people of Jonah, all his people too finally believed in him.
In the Bible, Jonah is spoken of as an Israelite Prophet (2 Kings 14:25), who was bidden to go to Nineveh and "cry" against it. But fearing that the Ninevites may repent, he fled to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. The Quran differs from the Bible on these points. The Prophets of God are, according to the Quran, incapable of disobeying Him in the way in which Jonah is represented to have done in the Bible. They are held out, in the Quran, as models whose example other people should follow (4:65 & 6:91). Disobedience to God is therefore the last thing of which a Prophet is capable. Again, it appears from the Quran that Jonah was sent to his own people, i.e. to a people to whom he belonged. According to Jewish tradition, however, he was a Jew but was sent to the people of Nineveh, which was the capital of Ashur. So in the light of the Quranic version Jonah was either not an Israelite or he was sent not to Nineveh but to a section of his own people. Biblical scholars themselves are not agreed as to Jonah’s being an Israelite. In the two points on which the Quran differs from the Bible, reason favours the Quran.
d
37:149.
1287A
People of the town.
1288
Jonah has been mentioned at six different places in the Qur’an (4:164; 6:87; 21:88; 37:140 & 68:49). In the Bible he is spoken of as an Israelite Prophet (2 Kings, 14: 25) who was bidden to go to Nineveh, the capital of Ashur and 'cry' against it. According to the Qur’an, however, he was sent to his own people. He was either not an Israelite or he was sent not to Nineveh but to a section of his own people. Biblical scholars themselves are not agreed as to Jonah’s being an Israelite.
قَالَ إِنَّمَا يَأْتِيكُم بِهِ ٱللَّهُ إِن شَآءَ وَمَآ أَنتُم بِمُعْجِزِينَ
46:24
The verse embodies three important rules about prophecies of punishment: (a) The time of their actual happening is generally not disclosed. (b) They are conditional and can be deferred or revoked as God may please. (c) Whatever changes may take place in regard to prophecies of punishment, God’s immutable purpose never changes, because disbelievers 'cannot frustrate His purpose.'
46:23-24.
Commentary:
This verse embodies three important rules about prophecies foretelling the punishment of the enemies of God’s Messengers: (1) that the time of their actual happening is generally not disclosed, being known only to God; (2) that they are conditional and can be deferred or revoked as God may desire; and (3) that whatever changes may take place in regard to prophecies of punishment, God’s immutable purpose never changes, for disbelievers "cannot frustrate God’s purpose."
a
46:24
613
这节经文体现了关于惩罚的预言的三个重要法则: (a) 惩罚在什么时候真正发生并未揭示。 (b) 惩罚是有条件的, 可以推迟和撤消, 只要安拉愿意。(c) 不管惩罚的预言发生什么变化, 安拉不可改变的目的是从来也不变的, 因为不信者 ‘绝不能阻挠他的目的’。
a
46:23-24.
1415
Commentary:
This verse embodies three important rules about prophecies foretelling the punishment of the enemies of God’s Messengers: (1) that the time of their actual happening is generally not disclosed, being known only to God; (2) that they are conditional and can be deferred or revoked as God may desire; and (3) that whatever changes may take place in regard to prophecies of punishment, God’s immutable purpose never changes, for disbelievers "cannot frustrate God’s purpose."
d
46:24
1311
The verse embodies three important rules about prophecies of punishment: (a) The time of their actual happening is generally not disclosed. (b) They are conditional and can be deferred or revoked as God may please. (c) Whatever changes may take place in regard to prophecies of punishment, God’s immutable purpose never changes, because disbelievers 'cannot frustrate His purpose.'
فَٱصْبِرْ إِنَّ وَعْدَ ٱللَّهِ حَقٌّ ۚ فَإِمَّا نُرِيَنَّكَ بَعْضَ ٱلَّذِى نَعِدُهُمْ أَوْ نَتَوَفَّيَنَّكَ فَإِلَيْنَا يُرْجَعُونَ
10:47; 13:41; 43:43.
The verse embodies two religious principles: (1) Truth must prevail in the long run, but before success comes to men of God they have to go through severe trials and tribulations and their faith has to be tested and proved up to the mark. (2) Prophecies containing warnings of punishment to disbelievers are conditional and subject to postponement, revocation or even cancellation. The word Ba‘d signifies that not all prophecies containing threats are literally fulfilled. They change with the change in the attitude of disbelievers.
10:47; 13:41; 23:96; 43:43.
Commentary:
The verse refers to two vital principles: (1) Truth must prevail in the long run but before success comes to men of God, they have to go through severe trials and tribulations and their faith has to be tested and proved up to the mark. (2) Prophecies containing warnings of punishment to disbelievers are conditional and subject to postponement, revocation or cancellation. The word بعض (part) signifies that not all prophecies containing threats are literally fulfilled. They change with a change in the attitude of disbelievers. If disbelievers persist in denying and opposing truth they are punished, but if they accept truth, or if they give up opposition and reform themselves, such prophecies are revoked and cancelled.
d
10:47; 13:41; 43:43.
1172
这节经文体现两个宗教原则: (1) 真理最后必将胜利, 可是信仰安拉的人们在胜利来到之前必得经过许多严酷的磨练和蒙受苦难, 而且他们的信仰必须受到考验并且证明是坚贞不渝的。(2) 含有对不信的人进行惩罚警告的预言是有条件的, 可以延迟、撤回或甚至取消。بَعْض (Ba‘d) 这个单词意示, 不是所有恐吓性的预言都是刻板地要实现的。它们随着不信者态度的改变而改变。
b
10:47; 13:41; 23:96; 43:43.
3548
Commentary:
The verse refers to two vital principles: (1) Truth must prevail in the long run but before success comes to men of God, they have to go through severe trials and tribulations and their faith has to be tested and proved up to the mark. (2) Prophecies containing warnings of punishment to disbelievers are conditional and subject to postponement, revocation or cancellation. The word بعض (part) signifies that not all prophecies containing threats are literally fulfilled. They change with a change in the attitude of disbelievers. If disbelievers persist in denying and opposing truth they are punished, but if they accept truth, or if they give up opposition and reform themselves, such prophecies are revoked and cancelled.
c
10:47; 13:41; 43:43.
2617
The verse embodies two religious principles: (1) Truth must prevail in the long run, but before success comes to men of God they have to go through severe trials and tribulations and their faith has to be tested and proved up to the mark. (2) Prophecies containing warnings of punishment to disbelievers are conditional and subject to postponement, revocation or even cancellation. The word Ba‘d signifies that not all prophecies containing threats are literally fulfilled. They change with the change in the attitude of disbelievers.
وَقَالُوا۟ يَٰٓأَيُّهَ ٱلسَّاحِرُ ٱدْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ بِمَا عَهِدَ عِندَكَ إِنَّنَا لَمُهْتَدُونَ
7:135.
7:135.
7:135.
d
7:135.
a
7:135.
a
7:135.
فَلَمَّا كَشَفْنَا عَنْهُمُ ٱلْعَذَابَ إِذَا هُمْ يَنكُثُونَ
7:136.
7:136.
7:136; 23:76.
Commentary:
The Bible is full of instances of the repeated breach of promise by Pharaoh and his people. Whenever they found Divine punishment actually overtaking them, they begged Moses to pray to God to remove it and promised that if He removed it they would believe in him. But every time they broke their plighted word till the cup of their iniquities became full and they could no longer avert Divine punishment by such subterfuges. The consequence was that they were drowned in the sea.
e
7:136.
b
7:136; 23:76.
3675
Commentary:
The Bible is full of instances of the repeated breach of promise by Pharaoh and his people. Whenever they found Divine punishment actually overtaking them, they begged Moses to pray to God to remove it and promised that if He removed it they would believe in him. But every time they broke their plighted word till the cup of their iniquities became full and they could no longer avert Divine punishment by such subterfuges. The consequence was that they were drowned in the sea.
b
7:136.
إِنَّا كَاشِفُوا۟ ٱلْعَذَابِ قَلِيلًا ۚ إِنَّكُمْ عَآئِدُونَ
7:136; 43:51.
e
7:136; 43:51.
c
7:136; 43:51.
3707
Commentary:
According to a reliable tradition the Holy Prophet prayed and the famine was removed. But the Quraish did not benefit from it and continued to oppose Islam.
b
7:136; 43:51.
2695
According to reliable tradition the Holy Prophet prayed and the famine was removed. But the Quraish did not benefit by it and continued to oppose the holy Prophet.