Topic: Of Qur’an

6:5.

6:105; 17:103.

Important Words:

اجتبیتھا (dost thou forge it). The word اجتبیت derived from جبی . They say, جبی المال i.e. he collected wealth or property. اجتباهmeans, he chose it or selected it. اجتباه also means, he forged it; he extemporised it. The expression لولااجتبیتھا would, therefore, mean, wherefore hast thou not forged it, or produced it, or invented it; or wherefore hast thou not demanded it of God (Lane & Aqrab).

بصائر (evidences) is the plural of بصیرة which is derived from بصر which means, he saw; he was or became endowed with mental perception or belief or knowledge or understanding or intelligence or skill. ابصر الطریق means, the way became manifest. You say انا علی بصیرة i.e. I am certain; or I possess certain knowledge. بصیرة means, mental perception; the perceptive faculty of the mind; understanding; intelligence or skill; firm belief of the heart; constancy or firmness in religion; an evidence, testimony, proof or argument; a witness; an example by which one is admonished; a shield (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

The word آیة means "a sign". The verses of the Quran are also called آیات (signs) because every one of them by itself constitutes a divine sign, an evidence of the Divine origin of the Quran, and of the truth of the Holy Prophet. The purport of the verse is that although the Word of God is being revealed as occasion demands, and successive signs of God are being shown to men, yet whenever there is some delay in the coming of Divine revelation or the occurrence of signs, disbelievers ignore the Word of God already revealed and the signs already shown and shamelessly begin to ask of the Prophet, "Why do you not bring any revelation or show any sign in your support?" as if no sign had so far been shown and no revelation had come. To this impudent demand of disbelievers, the Holy Prophet is instructed to reply that the sending down of revelation or the showing of signs lies entirely in the hands of God and that he himself possesses no power to produce them at will. But why do they demand a fresh revelation or a new sign, asks the Quran. Are not the revelations that have already come and the signs that have already appeared enough to establish the truth of Islam? Why do they not ponder over them and profit by them?

It should be remembered that God seldom shows signs at the demand of disbelievers. Moreover, the demand for a fresh sign on their part implies that the signs already shown were no signs and furnished no evidence of the Prophet’s truth. Thus to accede to their demand means a reflection on the signs already shown and detracts from their value. It is, therefore, very rare that God shows fresh signs or miracles as demanded by disbelievers. He requires them rather to consider past signs and profit by them.

17:107.

Commentary:

In answer to their demand for fresh signs disbelievers are here told to listen to the Quran carefully, because it contains signs and evidences enough and to spare. This will make them realize the error of their demand and they will see the truth and will as a result become deserving of the mercy of God.

Commentary:

While the preceding verse referred to external evidence in support of the Quran being the revealed Word of God, the present one furnishes an internal evidence, which is that from the hearts of those who have been endowed with knowledge of the Quran gush forth fountains of divine light. The fact that the Quran brought about a most wholesome transformation in the lives of a whole people who had sunk deep in the quagmire of moral turpitude and spiritual decadence and gave light to them who were helplessly groping in utter darkness, indeed constitutes a very strong internal evidence that it has proceeded from the Source of all light. The divine light of which the Quran is the repository irrefutably shows that it has been revealed by God and that it was beyond the power of man to produce it.

6:38; 13:28.

22:50; 26:116; 51:51; 67:27.

Commentary:

In the Quran by the sign demanded by disbelievers is meant generally the sign of punishment. This meaning is clear from vv. 54, 55& 56 below. To this demand of disbelievers the Holy Prophet is commanded to say that it is not for him to fix the time when punishment should come, because he is only a Warner whose duty is confined to warning them that if they persisted in their rejection of the Divine Message and did not mend their ways they will perish.

Commentary:

To the demand of disbelievers for a sign of punishment, the present verse gives an answer full of pathos. It asks disbelievers the pertinent question, viz. why do they demand a sign of punishment when We have already given them a sign of mercy in the form of the Quran by acting upon which they can acquire eminence and become an honoured and respected people in the world? Do they not see that the Quran has brought about a wonderful transformation in the lives of its followers? Does not this fact alone constitute a sign for them? The verse further implies that God will treat the people of the Holy Prophet with mercy and that they will be led to the right path through the Quran.

17:95; 23:25.

Commentary:

This verse sums up the subject matter of the whole Surah. The preceding verses deal with the mission of the Holy Prophet and answer the criticisms and objections of disbelievers against him. Their first objection was that the Prophet had split up the people into groups and parties and thus had sought to carve out of this chaos a new community for himself and to impose his leadership on them (v. 8). This objection was answered by a reference to the Divine practice that whenever there came a Prophet into the world, the people to whom he preached his Message naturally became split up into two hostile camps with the result that those who accepted it and followed the Prophet’s lead triumphed over their opponents and became a strong community. To this the disbelievers would retort that the Prophet could not succeed in the face of their great resources, power and numbers (v. 36). When this objection was also refuted by the argument that power and wealth belonged to God and that it was not these things but right beliefs and good actions that led to the success and prosperity of a people and that Muslims being righteous and holding right beliefs were destined to triumph over them (vv. 37-40), the disbelievers pretended to derive consolation from the false and flimsy plea that the Prophet could not succeed because three great factors worked towards his failure, viz. that he acted against the old traditions of their forefathers, that he was a liar and an impostor and that he employed unfair and deceitful means for the furtherance of his cause and held out false promises. It is to these three objections of disbelievers that the verse under comment refers.