وَكُلًّا

9:19-20; 57:11.

Commentary:

The verse speaks of the different classes of believers only and not of hypocrites. Believers are of two classes: (1) Those who sincerely accept the truth and try to live up to the teachings of Islam but take no part in the struggle to defend and propagate the faith. These are, as it were, passive believers—"sitters" as the verse names them. (2) Those who not only live up to the teachings of Islam but also vigorously participate in the work of its propagation. These are active believers, the "strivers" or mujahids as they are called. The latter are far superior to the former in the sight of God. There is, however, a class of believers who, even though they do not join their brethren in actually fighting disbelievers, get an equal reward with those who take part in the actual struggle. These are referred to in the words "excepting the disabled ones". Their inability to take part in actual fighting is due to circumstances over which they have no control. They are heart and soul with the Muslims who are mujahid, wherever the latter go to fight in the cause of God; but their particular circumstances—disease, poverty, etc.—do not allow them to join the expeditions in person. Of these the Holy Prophet once told his Companions in one of his expeditions that there were men in Medina who were with them in every march they made and in every valley they traversed and who were getting the same reward. The Companions asked the Holy Prophet in surprise how that could be possible and who were those fortunate ones. "They are those of your brethren", replied the Holy Prophet, "who were eager to join us but were prevented from doing so by circumstances beyond their control." These are the ones in whose case the verse makes an exception in the words, excepting the disabled ones. But the actual "sitters", though entitled to good reward if true and sincere in their faith, were in no case on a par with the "strivers", neither in rank nor in reward.

2:48; 3:34-35; 45:17.

Important Words:

الیسع (Elisha) was the son of Shaphat, the disciple and successor of Elijah. He was a native of Abelmeholah, a village in Galilee. He was taken from the plough and anointed by Elijah to be his successor. Directed by God, Elijah found him in the field and threw his mantle over him. Many miracles are attributed to Elisha. But neither the sanctity of his life nor the miracles he wrought had the effect of reforming the nation at large. At length, worn out by his public and private labour, he breathed his last at the age of ninety in 838 B.C.

یونس (Jonah), son of Amittai, was born in Gath-hepher, in the tribe of Zebulun. He lived either before or during the reign of Jeroboam II or in the reign of Jehoahaz about 850 B.C. He was an Israelite Prophet with a mission to the people of Nineveh. Jonah prophesied the destruction of his people within 40 days. But they repented and turned to God with humble supplication, whereupon they were saved. This, however, upset Jonah who, being ashamed to face his people, ran away and, while crossing a sea, was thrown into the water and swallowed by a fish (Jonah, 1:17). Jonah remained in the belly of the fish for three days and was then disgorged by it and saved. It is to this incident that Jesus referred when he said that no miracle would be shown to his people except that of Jonah (Matt. 16:4), meaning that he would be put on the cross but would be taken down alive and would then be placed in the womb of the earth for three days after which he would escape therefrom, just as Jonah had escaped from the belly of the fish.

Commentary:

See 6:85 above. The verse speaks of Lot as being "exalted above the people." Now if the word العالمین (lit. the people) be taken to signify "all the peoples," it would be evidently wrong; for Lot lived in the time of Abraham and was admittedly not superior to the Patriarch. Thus the word العالمین cannot here signify even "the people of the age" as it has been rendered elsewhere but simply "the people," i.e. a section thereof. In fact, the exaltation spoken of here refers only to the people to whom the Prophets, mentioned in the verse, were sent.

25:33.

Commentary:

This verse clearly proves that the accounts of the previous Prophets have not been narrated in the Quran merely as simple facts of history, but contain prophetic allusions to similar incidents that were to occur in the life of the Holy Prophet. If it had not been so, how could these accounts be said to bring satisfaction to his mind and "make his heart firm." It was only when these accounts were to be taken as future incidents of his own life, that they could bring satisfaction to the Holy Prophet. In these accounts he saw how his enemies were to behave towards him, how they were to be discomfited and how his cause was to triumph in the end. As he was the representative of all previous Prophets, therefore, more or less, he was to pass through all the experiences through which his predecessors in the prophetic office had passed.

14:40; 21:73.

Commentary:

Ishmael has not been mentioned here, though he was the eldest son of Abraham. This is done for two reasons:(1) Isaac and Jacob have been mentioned by the way only as subordinate Prophets while Ishmael has found a separate and independent mention in v. 55 below. This shows that Ishmael possessed a higher spiritual status than both Isaac and Jacob. (2) Ishmael has been mentioned after Moses because the latter was the greatest representative of the House of Isaac. As the result of repeated defiance of the commandments of God and rejection of His Messengers by the Jews prophethood became transferred from the House of Isaac or Israel (or from the Mosaic Dispensation) to that of Ishmael, so mention has been made of him after Moses in v. 55 and that is the right place where he should have been mentioned.

11:72; 19:50; 29:28; 37:113; 51:29.

Commentary:

Ishmael, the eldest son of Abraham has not been mentioned here. He has been mentioned separately in v. 86 below on account of his being the head of a distinct and more important line.

34:11; 38:19-20.

Important Words:

الجبال (the mountains) is the plural of جبل which is derived from جبل (jabala). جبله علی کذا means, God created him and adapted him to it. جبل (Jabalun) means, a mountain; a rocky tract; any rocky elevation; the lord or chief of a people; their learned man; a man who does not move from his place. جبال means, mountains, big or learned men; people living in mountains etc. (Lane & Aqrab). See also 13:32.

الطیر (the birds) means, a bird or birds. طائر which is the singular of الطیر means, a bird; an omen; the cause of actions good or bad; actions good or bad and their consequences; natural powers of man; a highly righteous and spiritual man (Lane & Aqrab). As a bird flies high in the air and builds its nest on lofty trees or mountains, therefore a man who soars high in the spiritual firmament is called a طائر in spiritual terminology. See also 3:50; 7:132 & 17:14.

Commentary:

This verse has been very much misunderstood and misinterpreted. The misunderstanding arises from the far-fetched construction placed upon it by some commentators. There is, however, nothing in the wording of the verse itself to justify the element of mystery introduced into it. A few simple words used metaphorically in order to add elegance and beauty to the diction of the verse have been distorted to render it a veritable riddle. The words "We subjected the mountains and the birds to celebrate God’s praise with David" have been taken literally to mean that the mountains and birds were under David’s control and when he sang the praises of God they actually joined with him in singing those praises. They simply mean that big men (الجبال) and highly spiritual men (الطیر) glorified God and sang Divine praises along with David. And if according to the verse, the mountains and birds were subjected to David there was nothing extraordinary in the mountains and the birds being subject to his control as at several other places in the Quran not only mountains and birds but all other things in the heavens and the earth—the sun, the moon, the stars, the day and the night, the animals, the birds, the rivers, the seas, the winds, the clouds etc., are stated to have been subjected to man (2:165; 7:55; 22:38 & 45:13-14). The word الجبال; in the present verse, as stated under Important Words above, signifies also mountainous territory or "people living in the mountains" as the name of a place sometimes stands for its people (12:83). Thus the subjection of "the mountains" to David may signify that he conquered and subjugated wild and savage mountain tribes. The Bible also refers to this fact. It says, "And Hiram, King of Tyre, sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters, and masons and they built David a house. So all the elders of Israel came to the King to Hebron; and King David made a league with them in Hebron before the Lord and they appointed David King over Israel" ( II Sam. chap. 5). Thus the words, "We subjected the mountains and the birds to celebrate God’s praises with David" have been particularly used about David in the verse because he was a great conqueror and subduer of wild mountain tribes.

Similarly, celebration by birds and mountains of God’s praises should also occasion no surprise. Elsewhere in the Quran we read that all things, animate or inanimate, the angels, animals, birds, the heavens and the earth, even the forces of nature, sing the praises of God, only man cannot understand their glorification (13:14; 17:45; 21:20-21; 24:42; 59:2; 61:2; 62:2; & 64:2). The glorification of God by these things which is the carrying out by them of the duties assigned to them by God demonstrate: that God is perfect and completely free from all flaws, failings and frailties and so is His handiwork.

The word "birds" used in the verse may also signify actual birds. In this sense the reference would be that David made free use of birds for carrying messages in time of war which had been especially trained for this purpose. Or it may signify flocks of birds which followed David’s victorious armies and feasted on the dead bodies of his fallen foes. Lastly, the word "birds," may signify men of high determination and great resolve who are ever ready to scale great heights and are not afraid of difficulties and dangers in the cause of religion. In brief, the verse means to say that men of ordinary spiritual caliber had become highly spiritual and soared very high in the spiritual firmament through the purifying company of David.

The verse may also be rendered as, "We subjected the mountains and the birds to David; they all celebrated God’s praises." This rendering removes much misunderstanding and difficulty.

For a fuller explanation of this and the next three verses see 34:11-14 & 38:19, 20, 37, 38, 39.

The expression, "We gave Solomon the right understanding of the matter," has been used to show that Solomon’s policy of moderation and conciliation was right in the then obtaining circumstances. In this verse the Quran defends Solomon against the charge levelled at him by some Jewish writers of having pursued a weak policy which brought about the downfall of his dynasty after him. The words, however, should not be taken to mean that the strong policy adopted by David in his own time was wrong. Any misunderstanding leading to this inference has been dispelled by the following clause: "And to each of them We gave wisdom and knowledge," which makes it quite clear that the policies of both David and Solomon were best in the circumstances and quite suited to the particular occasion.

Important Words:

تبرنا تتبیرا (We utterly destroyed) is the transitive form of تبر (tabira) which means, he became destroyed. تبرہ (tabbarahu) means, he destroyed him; broke him into pieces annihilated him (Lane).

Commentary:

The truth is writ large on the face of history that opposition to God’s Prophets has invariably led to the destruction of those who oppose them. There had never lived a Prophet who was not opposed and persecuted and opposition to whose mission did not result in the ruin of his persecutors. Yet such is the tragedy of human affairs that opponents of the Prophets of God never benefit from the fate of their predecessors. In their own time every people to whom a Divine Messenger was sent traversed the same road which had led to ruin those who had opposed their Prophets before them. At first the people of the Holy Prophet also opposed and persecuted him and did not benefit from the example of the opponents of the former Prophets and consequently a part of them met the fate of their counterparts.

4:96; 9:20.

Commentary:

Man will have to leave behind in this world all his material possessions which in truth belong to God.

الفتح (the Victory) may refer to the Fall of Mecca, soon after which the whole of Arabia submitted to the Holy Prophet, or it may refer to the Treaty of Hudaibiyyah which laid the foundation of the subsequent rapid spread of Islam and of the vast and very quick expansion of the political power of Muslims.