إِذَآ

22:36.

7:126; 26:51.

Commentary:

This verse provides a true definition of the term صابر (a patient person) as mentioned in the concluding portion of the preceding verse. A صابر who is vouchsafed glad tidings in the foregoing verse is one who bears all sorts of calamities and afflictions with complete restraint and fortitude, uttering no word of complaint or murmur but sincerely saying, Surely to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return. These words comprise a formula which every Muslim is directed to utter when he is afflicted with any misfortune relating to life, property, etc.

God is the Master of all we possess, including our own selves. If the Owner in His infinite wisdom deems fit to take away anything from us, we have no ground for complaint or murmur. We should indeed be grateful for what we receive from God, but there is no justification for murmuring at a loss, because we possess no inherent right to any gift.

The clause to Allah we belong also teaches us the great spiritual truth that we have no real connection with the things of this world and, therefore, the loss of such things should cause us no real grief. Similarly, the other part of the formula, viz., and surely to Him shall we return, also contains an equally grand principle. We come from God and will have to go back to Him, when we shall have to render an account of all our deeds. So every misfortune that befalls us should, instead of depressing us, spur us to make yet greater efforts to achieve still better results in life. Thus the formula contained in this verse is not a mere verbal incantation but a great counsel and a great warning. When a Muslim sincerely utters this formula on occasions of loss, grief or bereavement, its true import is bound to be deeply impressed upon his mind and to sustain him in his hours of trials and tribulations. Nay, it is calculated to do something more; it helps to strengthen his connection with his Maker and make Him the centre of all his thoughts and actions.

Important Words:

توفیقا (reconciliation) is noun-infinitive from وفق (waffaqa) which is derived from وفق (wafiqa). They say وفق امرہ i.e. his affair or case was right or agreeable with what was desired. وفقه لامر means, he disposed or adapted him to a thing or made him fit for it.

وفق بین الشیئین means, he effected an agreement or harmony or reconciliation or adjustment between the two things. وفقت بین القوم means, I effected an agreement or harmony between the people; made peace between them (Lane).

Commentary:

This verse may also be taken as generally applying to the case of hypocrites generally. An incident, however, is related in traditions in connection with this verse which, though not reliable, may be mentioned here. There was some dispute between a Jew and one who hypocritically professed to be a Muslim. The latter, thinking that the Holy Prophet would decide the case in his favour, proposed to the Jew that they should go to him for decision. The Holy Prophet, however, contrary to the expectation of the hypocrite, decided the case in favour of the Jew who happened to be in the right. Being disappointed there, the hypocrite proposed to the Jew that they should go to Abu Bakr, hoping that though the Holy Prophet had shown him no favour, Abu Bakr at least would favour him. But Abu Bakr also decided in favour of the Jew. Being disappointed a second time, the hypocrite thought that ‘Umar, who was a jealous Muslim, would never decide in favour of a Jew. So he proposed to his rival that they should go to ‘Umar for decision.

But ‘Umar, says the tradition, on learning from the Jew that the case had already been decided in his favour by the Holy Prophet, cut off the head of the hypocrite, because he professed Islam and yet would not accept the Prophet’s verdict. Thereupon the hypocrites gathered together and went to the Holy Prophet and told him that in going to ‘Umar the object was only to bring about a compromise and reconciliation (Muhit, iii. 279).

The words, We meant nothing but the doing of good and reconciliation, reported to have been uttered by the hypocrites, show that there was an intrigue. The incident, however, is highly improbable and lacks proper authority.

Important Words:

For the meaning of the word محصنین (contracting valid marriage) and مسافحین (committing fornication) and اخدان (secret paramours). See 4:25, 26.

Commentary:

The verse declares that if a person from among the People of the Book invites a Muslim to dinner, it is lawful for the latter to accept the invitation and partake of the food of the former, provided, of course, the food does not include anything forbidden by Islam. Similarly, a Muslim is allowed to invite the People of the Book to dinner.

Some commentators have taken the word طعام (food) in the clause, the food of the People of the Book is lawful for you, in the sense of "flesh of animals used as food." In this sense, the verse would signify that Muslims are allowed to partake of the flesh of an animal slaughtered by one from among the People of the Book, provided, of course, the name of God has been pronounced on the slaughtered animal.

The words, And lawful for you are chaste believing women and chaste women from among those who were given the Book before you, are intended to hint that whereas Islam permits marriage of Muslim men with non-Muslim women from among the People of the Book, it certainly prefers that Muslim men should ordinarily marry only Muslim women.

The words یکفر بالایمان rendered as "rejects the faith" may either mean "turns apostate" which is its primary significance; or it may mean "is ungrateful respecting faith". For the meaning of the particle با see 1:1.

14:33; 16:11; 22:64; 35:28.

6:142; 13:5.

Important Words:

متراکبا (clustered) is derived from رکب. They say رکبه i.e. he rode it or mounted it; it got upon it or it became superincumbent upon it. تراکب means, it lay one part upon another; it was or became heaped or piled up. So متراکب means, piled or clustered together one above another (Aqrab).

طلع (sheaths) is from the verb طلع (tala‘a), i.e., he or it rose or appeared or came forth. طلع is what comes forth from the palm tree and becomes dates; the spathe or flowers of the palm tree (Lane).

قنوان (bunches) is the plural of قنو which is derived from قنا . They say قنا المال i.e. he acquired and amassed property for himself. قنو means, a bunch of dates (Aqrab).

ینعه (the ripening thereof). ینع is from the verb ینع (yana‘a). They say ینع الثمر i.e. the fruit became ripened and fit for gathering; it (fruit, etc.) became red. یانع means, the ripe fruit. ینع is both the noun-infinitive from the verb ینع (yana‘a) in which case it means the ripening of a fruit, and the plural of یانع in which case it means the ripe fruits (Aqrab).

Commentary:

In this verse revelation is likened to rainwater and the verse answers the question why there is discord and strife at the advent of Prophets, if revelation is indeed a blessing. The verse says that just as by rainwater all kinds of vegetation grow up, both bad and good, according to the seeds lying concealed in the earth, similarly at the advent of Divine revelation, men, so far remaining mixed up, become divided into good and bad. The good ones accept the Messenger of God, help him and become pious and holy, like trees which bear good fruit or like shrubs which bring forth beautiful flowers or like herbs which give out a sweet odour; but there are others—the bad ones—who oppose the Prophet, persecute his followers and act corruptly in the earth. These are like trees which bear bitter fruit or like flowerless and thorny bushes or like plants and herbs which give out a bad smell.

The words مشتبھا و غیر متشابه (similar and dissimilar) imply that whereas some fruits resemble each other, some differ from others. This may apply either to fruits of different kinds, which resemble one another in certain respects and differ in others, or to fruits of the same kind which, although resembling one another in the main points, differ from one another in minor details, some tasting sweeter than others and some varying in colour or size. The same is the case with those who believe in the Prophets and follow Divine guidance. Although they bear great resemblance to one another, yet there are differences between them, some being morally and spiritually more advanced than others. Again, some are advanced in one phase of spiritual growth, while others are advanced in another. Among the Companions of the Holy Prophet, too, we see that one became an Abu Bakr, another an ‘Umar, and another an ‘Uthman and yet another an ‘Aliand so on. They attained to different stages of spirituality and developed different phases, according to their respective natural capacities and dispositions.

The words, the ripening thereof, refer to an implied objection that might be raised by the deniers of revelation––namely, that even those who accept Divine revelation do not all become pure and holy. The above-quoted words answer this objection by pointing to the analogy of the ripening of fruit. The people are asked first to note the condition of fruits when they are yet unripe and then see how sweet and delicious they become after becoming ripe. Just as it is unfair to judge a fruit by an unripe specimen, similarly, it is unfair to find fault with the fruits of revelation on the basis of such individuals as are yet in the process of development and have not attained to perfection. The verse points out that in the beginning there are bound to be weaknesses and shortcomings even in believers, just as there is bound to be sourness in the taste of an unripe or undeveloped fruit. So it is not just to deny the usefulness of revelation on the basis of weaknesses that are to be met with in believers whose spiritual condition is not yet fully developed.

The verse most beautifully draws attention to three important points that can be deduced from the analogy of the various kinds of vegetation that grow as a result of rain: (1) that rain brings forth both good and bad vegetation (believers and disbelievers); (2) that even in good fruits (believers) some variety is to be found, i.e. points of similarity and dissimilarity; and (3) that in the early stage of development even good fruits are not sweet and may even be sour.

6:100; 13:5; 16:12; 35:28; 36:35-36.

Important Words:

معروشات (trellised) is the plural of معروشة and is derived from عرش which means, he built or constructed a frame work or a trellis for supporting grapevines; or he built a shed or an enclosure, etc. So معروشة means, furnished with or trained on trellises. They say کروم معروشات i.e. grapevines furnished with or trained on trellises which are a framework for supporting the vines. عریش means, structure or trellis made for supporting grapevines; an enclosure made for beasts to protect them from cold. عرش means, a shed or booth, etc. constructed for shade; a hut; a house or a dwelling; the roof of a house; a throne (Lane).

حصاد (harvest) is derived from حصد i.e. he reaped or cut a seed-produce or herbage, etc. حصید means, reaped produce; حصادmeans time or season of reaping; also fruit or produce (Lane).

Commentary:

In the foregoing verses the Quran referred to some of the laws which pagan Arabs, unaided by Divine revelation, haddevised for themselves. Now, the Quran proceeds to give some of its own laws, so that the reader may contrast them with the man-made laws alluded to above. One of the man-made laws pertained to the fruits of the earth (6:141 above). Therefore, the Quran gives here its laws about these. It declares them to be lawful and pure, subject only to the condition that in eating them we should "not exceed the bounds", i.e. we should only eat as much of them as is not injurious to our health and morals.

The pronoun in the words حقه (His due) may either refer to God, or to ثـمر (fruit). In the former case, the sentence would mean that on the day of reaping we should give what is due to God as alms. In the latter case, it would mean that on the day of reaping we should give as charity a portion of the fruit which is in the nature of something due against it in order to make it pure.

It may be noted here that there are two kinds of charity in Islam–– obligatory and optional. But as, according to the practice and sayings of the Holy Prophet, زکاة i.e. obligatory charity or legal alms, is not due from all the fruits named in the verse but only from the fruit of the palm tree, so if it is the obligatory charity that is meant here, then the commandment to "pay His due" will apply only to the fruit of palm trees. It is, however, better to take the verse as referring to optional charity which may be given from all kinds of fruits. The use of the imperative mood in the words "pay His due" does not necessarily make it an obligatory command, for this form of the verb is also freely used in the Quran for the purpose of exhortation. This interpretation is in keeping with the practice of the Holy Prophet’s Companions who were in the habit of setting apart a portion of their produce for the poor, and such is also the practice of pious Muslims today.

15:23; 24:44; 25:49; 27:64; 30:47; 35:10.

Important Words:

اقلت (bear) is derived from قل. They say قل الشیء i.e. the thing was or became few, small or scanty. اقل الشیء means, he lifted, raised, bore or carried the thing (Aqrab).

Commentary:

The word رحمة (mercy) in this verse refers to rain. Just as in the physical world rain is preceded by cool breezes which serve as its harbingers, similarly before a Prophet of God is to make his appearance, there is a sort of general religious awakening among men. This religious awakening was witnessed among the Arabs before the appearance of the Holy Prophet. There appeared among them certain individuals called Hanifs who rejected idolatry and believed in and preached the Oneness of God. In the present time also, the advent of Ahmad, the Promised Messiah, was preceded by a general religious awakening among the nations of the world.

The words, a dead land, literally mean, physically dead, but metaphorically the words also signify a spiritually dead land. Just as rainwater puts new life into a dead land and causes fruits, vegetables and corn to grow from it, similarly, the heavenly water of revelation breathes a new life into a people devoid of spiritual life. The verse thus holds out the promise that the bleak, arid and barren land of Arabia would soon blossom forth into a garden full of trees laden with fruit, and plants bearing fragrant flowers in consequence of the heavenly water that had descended on it. No wonder, indeed, that the Arabs, who had hitherto been regarded as the dregs and scum of humanity, suddenly emerged as teachers and leaders thereof.

18:46.

3:118.

11:69.

Important Words:

حصیدا (a field that is mown down) is derived from حصد meaning, he reaped or cut with the scythe seed-produce or plants or herbage. They say حصدھم بالسیف i.e. he mowed them down with the sword; he slew them; he exerted his utmost power or exceeded ordinary bounds in slaying them; he exterminated them with the sword. The Arab proverb من زرع الشر حصد الندامةmeans, he who sows evil reaps regret. حصید means, reaped seed-produce; grain that is reaped; seed-produce torn up and carried away by the wind; slain or mown down with the sword, like seed-produce when reaped. حصاد means, time or season of reaping; what remains on the ground after the crop has been reaped; what falls off and becomes scattered of the seed-produce (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

The life of this world has been likened here to rainwater. The verse purports to say that when rain descends from heaven, it causes various kinds of vegetation to grow. Some of them are useful for man and others for animals. But man, instead of ascribing this to the favour of God, looks upon it as the fruit of his own industry and skill. When, however, in consequence of his pride and vanity, a sudden visitation from God destroys all the produce of the earth, he cannot prevent or delay its destruction, let alone possess the power to produce it which he so vaingloriously claimed to have. The moral of the parable is that when nations become proud and vain, i.e. when they take life lightly, their decline sets in and they come to grief.

Water in this verse may also be taken to stand for the word of God. In this sense, the verse would mean that the word of God brings about mighty changes in the life of those who accept and follow it and various new sciences come into existence as a result of its study and new discoveries are made in the material as well as in the spiritual world. The revelation of the Quran gave birth not only to highly spiritual and righteous men but also to eminent philosophers and scientists. But when Muslims became vain and refused to acknowledge their debt to the word of God and began to look upon themselves as the real originators and creators of all these sciences, they fell from the high pedestal of material and spiritual glory to the depths of degradation and degeneration.

7:139; 20:78.

20:79; 26:61; 44:25.

Commentary:

The verse throws interesting light on an important political question. Islam enjoins Muslims to obey their rulers. If, however, the latter deny to them religious freedom and resort to compulsion in matters of faith, Muslims are enjoined to migrate from their country rather than offer resistance to the established authority. But what should they do if the authorities do not even permit them to migrate and force them to remain in the country and suffer persecution? The verse under comment supplies an answer to this question by saying that Pharaoh pursued the Israelites "wrongfully and aggressively," which means that in preventing the Israelites from migrating Pharaoh was doing a thing to which he had absolutely no right. Thus if rulers prevent an oppressed subject people from peacefully leaving a country, the latter would be justified in resisting and opposing them by all legitimate means and in that case defiance of the authority will not be held as a breach of the law or an act of rebellion. Just as nobody is allowed to defy and break the law of the land in which he lives, similarly no Government has a right to compel any person to live under it while denying him freedom of religion and conscience.

The words, He in Whom the children of Israel believe, spoken by Pharaoh at the time of his drowning, show the utterly abject state of his mind at that time. If he had said that he believed in the God of Moses, he might be considered to have had some sense of dignity left in him because, having been brought up in the royal household and being the leader of his people, Moses was entitled to respect even from worldly considerations; but to say that he believed in Him in Whom the children of Israel believed—the very children of Israel whom it was his pride to trample under foot—bespeaks the great depth of abasement to which the proud Pharaoh had fallen.

54:43; 85:13.

Commentary:

This verse gives the reason why all the foregoing events—the destruction of the people of Noah down to Moses have been related. The reason is that when the punishment of God overtakes a people, they are simply annihilated. The enemies of the Holy Prophet are told by implication that they should take warning from the fate of the opponents of former Prophets.

The word ظالمة (doing wrong) is used here in the sense of مشرکة (those who associate gods with God). The word ظلم (wrong) has been used in the sense of شرك (idol-worship) at several places in the Quran. What is meant to be conveyed here is that the punishment which overtakes a people when they become idolaters and lose faith in the Unity of God is most destructive and generally extirpatory, while the ruin which comes upon a people from natural causes is gradual.

2:118; 3:48; 36:83; 40:69.

Commentary:

The previous verse mentioned the purpose for which God has ordained a Day of Resurrection. Since disbelievers might regard such a day as an impossibility, the verse under comment draws their attention to God’s great and unlimited powers. It points out how these great powers are being manifested on all sides. The reference is particularly to the prophecies made by God’s Messengers which, being seemingly impossible of fulfilment, are fulfilled in due course. Such invincible evidence should be sufficient to convince disbelievers that it is certainly not beyond the power of God to bring about Resurrection.

The verb کن (Be) does not mean that God gives the command to something already existing. It merely gives expression to a wish and means that when God so expresses a wish it finds its immediate objective fulfilled.

Commentary:

The words اھل قریة (people of a town) in a dream signify, one or more nations; and asking for their hospitality means, seeking their cooperation in a righteous cause. In this sense of the words, اھل قریة the verse would mean that Moses and the Holy Prophet would seek the cooperation of Jews and Christians in the cause of God but it would be denied to both of them. That the Jews flatly refused to give any cooperation or assistance to Moses when he asked them to go with him to conquer Canaan is clearly stated in the Quran (5:22-25). The Holy Prophet also failed to receive the cooperation of Christians in even such a noble cause as the establishment of the Unity of God on earth. Says the Quran, O People of the Book! come to a word equal between us and you—that we worship none, but Allah, and that we associate no partner with Him and that some of us take not others for Lords besides Allah. But if they turn away, then say, ‘Bear witness that we have submitted to God (3:65).

According to Ta‘tirul-Anam, جدار (wall) in a vision with a breach in it denotes a leader of a people or a learned man who has lost his property and the repairing of it signifies the restoration of the property of that leader.

In view of these interpretations, the words, And they found therein a wall which was about to fall, signify that Jewish and Christian religious leaders would lose all influence over their followers; and the repairing of the wall denotes that that influence would be rehabilitated. These words may also refer to the progress made by the Israelites through Moses and by the Ishmaelites through the Holy Prophet. The words, if thou hadst desired, thou couldst have taken payment for it, may mean that the business instinct of the Jewish and Christian peoples would grow so strong that they would not do anything without demanding remuneration for it.

10:23; 16:54; 30:34; 39:9.

Important Words:

یجئرون (they cry for help) is derived from جأر which means, he (a bull) lowed. جأر الی اللّٰه means, he raised his voice in prayer or supplication; he cried out or called for help; he humbled himself with earnest supplication to God. جأرت الارض means, the herbage of the land grew tall (Lane & Aqrab).

For مترف see 11:117 & 17:17.

Important Words:

لجی (vast and deep) is relative noun from (lujjun) which is derived from لج (lajja) which means, he persisted in wrangling. لج فی امر means, he persisted or persevered in the affair, or he persisted obstinately in an affair, even if it became manifest that it was wrong; or he persisted in contention. لججت السفینة means, the boat entered the لجة i.e. the main sea, or the fathomless deep, or the great expanse of sea of which the limits could not be seen. بحر لجی means, a vast and deep sea (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

In vv. 38-39 above an appreciative reference was made to a class of men—the lovers of divine light and the righteous servants of God. The present and the immediately preceding verse speak of another class of people—the sons of darkness. People of one class accept the divine light and walk in it with the result that they are doubly blessed, both in this world and in the next. Their enviable condition is described in the simile, "light upon light." The other class of people reject the divine light, choose to grope in the darkness of doubts and misgivings and hanker after the illusory and transient pleasures and profits of this world and end by incurring God’s displeasure. All their works prove futile and deceptive like a mirage. They love darkness, follow darkness and live in darkness and thus their unenviable condition has been very aptly and graphically described in the words, "their deeds are like thick darkness in a vast and deep sea, covered by a wave, over which is a wave, above which are clouds—layers of darkness, one upon another."

6:142; 7:32; 17:28.

Important Words:

لم یقتروا (nor spend niggardly). See 2:237 & 10:27.

قواما (a moderate position) is derived from قام which means, he stood still in his place. قاومه means, it was equal or equivalent to it. قوامmeans, stature of a man; symmetry or justness of proportion; moderation; stay or support of a thing; subsistence of a man (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

نمل (Naml) being a proper noun, واد النمل (the valley of Naml) does not mean the valley of ants as is generally misunderstood but the valley where a tribe named Naml lived. In Qamus under the word برق we have الابرقة من میاہ النملة i.e. Abriqah is one of the springs of Namlah. So Naml is the name of a tribe just as Mazin (مازن) which means the eggs of ants is the name of an Arab tribe. In Arabia it was not an uncommon practice that tribes were named after animals and beasts such as Banu Asad, Banu Taghlab, Banu Kalb, Banu Naml, etc. Moreover, the use of the words ادخلوا (enter) and مساکنکم(your habitations) in the verse lends powerful support to the view that Naml was a tribe, since the former word is used only for rational beings and the expression مساکنکم (your habitations) has been used in the Quran exclusively for human habitations (29:39; 32:27). Thus نملة means a person of the tribe of النمل; a Namlite. The said Namlite was possibly their leader and had ordered the people to get out of the way of the army of Solomon and enter their houses.

According to some authorities this valley is situated between Jibrin and ‘Asqalan. ‘Asqalan is a town on the sea coast, twelve miles to the north of Gaz, near Sinai (Taqwimul-Buldan). Jibrin is a town in the north, situated in the vilayat of Damascus. This shows that the Valley of Naml is situated near the sea coast, opposite to or near Jerusalem, lying on the route from Damascus to Hijaz, at a distance of about a hundred miles from it. This part of the country was up to the time of Solomon inhabited by the Arabs and the Midianites. (See ancient and modern maps of Syria and Palestine). According to other authorities, however, it is situated in Yemen. This latter view seems to be more akin to reality. In view of this historical fact fabulous legends woven round this valley are mere conjectures of the commentators of the Quran. The simple fact seems to be that while on a military expedition to Saba’, Solomon might have passed by the valley where the tribe called Namlah lived.

It further appears from the verse that the piety and godliness of Solomon’s soldiers was famed far and wide. They would not knowingly harm or injure any people. This seems to be the implication of the words "and they knew not" and this is what pleased Solomon as is clear from the next verse.

Important Words:

بشر (men) is derived from بشر (bashara). They say بشر الجراد الارض i.e. the locusts ate altogether what was upon the surface of the earth so as to lay bare its surface. بشرہ (bashshara-hu) means, he announced to him a news which produced a change in his complexion or revealed his emotions. Man is called بشر because he is possessed of strong emotions and because of all living things his body is most exposed to outer influences (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

The raising of the dead to life in the next life or of a morally and spiritually dead people to a new life in this world, as is stated above, forms the central theme of the Surah under comment. Some aspects of this very important subject have been dealt with in the foregoing verses. The present and the next six verses deal with some more aspects. They refer to some unmistakable signs which prove and establish God’s existence and point to His great power and control over life and death. These signs fall under two categories: (a) signs that appear from God and lead men to God and (b) all those natural phenomena which establish man’s faith in God or which prove God’s existence and Almightiness.

In the present verse we have, "He created you from dust" (تراب), while elsewhere man is stated to have been created from طین i.e. clay (6:3; 17:62; 23:13; 32:8; 37:12; 38:72). In fact man’s creation from dust or dry earth in this verse refers to a stage of man’s creation which preceded his formation from clay, or it refers to man’s food which is derived from earth and from which human body derives its sustenance. Three arguments have been given in this verse to prove God’s existence: (a) God has created man from dust which apparently has no relation to life and does not possess the attribute to produce it: (b) He has not only created man but has endowed him with very subtle emotions and has implanted in his nature a yearning and craving to advance and make progress and has bestowed upon him the aptitudes and capabilities to achieve the object of his desire; and (c) He has placed in man the desire to spread about and dominate the world and has given him the necessary powers and attributes for the achievement of this great object. All these facts lead to the irresistible conclusion that there is an Almighty Creator and that He has created man for the achievement of a sublime purpose. Man would not have been endowed with such marvellous capabilities and powers if his life had been confined to the limited and uncertain existence on this planet.

22:66; 35:42.

Commentary:

At another place in the Quran we have: "Who raised up the heavens without any pillars that you can see" (13:3). Long ages have passed since this solar system came into being, yet nothing has gone wrong with it. Such is God’s handiwork that stars keep their orbits without any visible support. The law of gravitation which is supposed to keep them in their respective positions was discovered long afterwards. This fact too points to God’s great powers and control over the universe. See also 13:3.

10:13; 39:9, 50.

Commentary:

Having referred in the previous few verses to the Unity of God as being the basic principle of all religions, this and the next three verses deal with Shirk, i.e. associating false gods with the One True God.

2:118; 3:48; 40:69.

Commentary:

Wherever in the Quran the expression "when He intends a thing, He says to it, 'Be' and it comes into being" is used, the reference invariably is to the occurrence of an event of exceptional importance, particularly to the coming into being of a great moral and spiritual revolution through a Divine Reformer. In the verse under comment also the reference is to the great change which was wrought by the Holy Prophet. The Surah deals with the Holy Prophet’s Message and opened with an address to him.

17:84; 30:34; 39:9.

8:46, 68.

Important Words:

أثخنتموھم (you have overcome them). أثخن is transitive from ثخن (thakhuna or thakhana) which means, it was or became thick or coarse. أثخنه means, he rendered him heavy or languid or enervated; or he overcame him after inflicting many wounds on him. أثخن فی العدو means, he made a great slaughter among the enemy or inflicted heavy wounds upon him. أثخن فی الارض means, he caused much slaughter in the land; or he fought vehemently in the land (Lane & Aqrab).

انتصر منھم (He would have punished them) is derived from نصر. They say نصرہ اللّٰه علی عدوہ i.e. God helped, aided or assisted him against his enemy or made him victorious. انتصر means, he defended himself against his injurer. انتصر منه means, he exacted his right or due completely from him; he avenged himself upon him; he punished him (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

The verse, in a nutshell, lays down some important rules about the ethics of war and its conduct and incidentally deals a death blow to slavery. Briefly these are: (a) When they are engaged in regular battle in the defence of their faith, honour, lives or property, the Muslims are enjoined to fight bravely and relentlessly, giving no quarter, and expecting none from the enemy; and not to flee from the field of battle under lame or weak excuses. They must either win or die. "He who turns his back to the enemy", says the Quran, "draws upon himself the wrath of Allah" (8:13-17). (b) When war is once started, it should continue till peace is established and freedom of conscience secured (8:40). (c) Prisoners are to be taken from the enemy, only after regular and pitched battle has been fought, and the enemy is decidedly and positively beaten. Thus regular war is declared to be the only reason for taking prisoners for no other cause free men are to be deprived of their liberty. (d) When war is over, prisoners should be released, either as an act of favour, or on taking ransom or by negotiating mutual exchange. They should not be held permanently in captivity or treated as slaves. The Holy Prophet carried this Divine commandment into actual practice by setting at liberty about a hundred families of Banu Mustaliq and several thousand prisoners of Hawazin after both these tribes had been decisively beaten in battle. It was after the Battle of Badr that ransom was accepted for the prisoners who were set free. This was perhaps, because Islam was then in a very weak state. But, on this occasion too, those of them who could not pay their ransom in money but were literate, were required to teach reading and writing to some of the Muslims. The verse thus has struck very effectively at the roots of slavery, abolishing it completely and forever. (Muir, Zurqani & Hisham).

The words "And if Allah had so pleased, he could have punished them Himself, but He has willed that He may try some of you by others," signify that God possessed the power to punish the enemies of Truth without the instrumentality of Muslims but He got the latter engaged in fighting with disbelievers so that on the one hand their own good qualities of character should have an opportunity to come into play and on the other the bad qualities of disbelievers should become exposed. Perhaps in no other aspect of life was the moral superiority of the Companions of the Holy Prophet so clearly demonstrated as in their treatment of their fallen foes.

The words "And those who are killed in the way of Allah—He will never render their works vain," mean that the sacrifice of Muslims slain in the field of battle would not be wasted. It was their sacrifice that firmly laid the foundation of a bright future for Islam.

81:19.

Commentary:

This and the preceding two verses name the things mentioned therein as evidence to prove the Divine origin of the Quranic revelation and of the Holy Prophet’s claim as God’s Messenger––the two principal themes dealt with in this as in all other Meccan Surahs revealed in the early years of the Call. These things are the "moon," the "retreating night" and the "bright dawn." The "moon" may signify the Promised Messiah who, after borrowing heavenly light from the Holy Prophet had to spread it in the world; the "retreating night" may mean the night of spiritual darkness that would begin to retreat after the appearance of the Promised Messiah, and the "bright dawn" may signify his advent.

4:5, 25.

2:222.

Commentary:

Here is a testimony to the irresistible appeal of the Message of Islam. At a time when Muslims were being bitterly persecuted and it was not safe to leave Mecca and join the Muslim Community at Medina, a continuous stream of believers was pouring into Medina, leaving behind in Mecca their dear and near ones. These Refugees contained a fair number of women among them. The verse under comment refers to such refugee Muslim women. The verse also constitutes an eloquent commentary on the Holy Prophet’s anxiety not to accept into the Muslim Community any woman who had fled from Mecca unless there was proof available, after subjecting her to searching examination, that she was sincere, and honest in her faith and that she was accepting Islam out of no ulterior or otherwise objectionable motives. The verse further states that the marriage-tie between a refugee believing woman and her dis-believing husband becomes dissolved when she joins the Muslim Community, and a believer is allowed to marry such a woman, provided he fulfils two conditions: (a) He should have paid back to the disbelieving husband of such woman what the latter had spent on her, and (b) he should also have fixed or paid her dowry. Similarly, the marriage-tie between a Muslim and his wife who gives up Islam could not continue and the same procedure would be adopted if such an apostate woman marries a disbeliever as in the case of marriage between a Muslim and a refugee believing woman. The reciprocal arrangement prescribed in this verse is not the private affair of the individuals concerned but is to be carried out by the State, as is the practice in time of war, to which the verses particularly apply; there could not and should not continue any social relations between individual believers and individual disbelievers.

11:107; 21:101; 25:13.

Important Words:

شھیق (roaring) signifies the ending or final part of the crying or braying of an ass. It also signifies a high sound; a cry of distress (Lane). See also 11:107.